STONECREST, Ga. (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/kamala-harris">Kamala Harris</a>&nbsp;told the congregation of a large Black church in suburban Atlanta on Sunday that people must show compassion and respect in their daily lives and do more than just “preach the values.”

The Democratic presidential nominee's visit to New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Stonecrest on her 60th birthday, marked by a song by the congregation, was part of a broad, nationwide campaign, known as “Souls to the Polls,” that encourages Black churchgoers to vote.

Pastor Jamal Bryant said the vice president was “an American hero, the voice of the future” and “our fearless leader.” He also used his sermon to welcome the idea of America electing a woman for the first time as president. "It takes a real man to support a real woman,” Bryant said.

“When Black women roll up their sleeves, then society has got to change,” the pastor said.

Harris told the parable of the Good Samaritan from the Gospel of Luke, about a man who was traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho and was attacked by robbers. The traveler was beaten and left bloodied, but helped by a stranger.

All faiths promote the idea of loving thy neighbor, Harris said, but far harder to achieve is truly loving a stranger as if that person were a neighbor.

“In this moment, across our nation, what we do see are some who try to deepen division among us, spread hate, sow fear and cause chaos,” Harris told the congregation. “The true measure of the strength of a leader is based on who you lift up.”

She was more somber than during her political rallies, stressing that real faith means defending humanity. She said the Samaritan parable reminds people that "it is not enough to preach the values of compassion and respect. We must live them.”

Harris ended by saying, “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning,” as attendees applauded her.

Many in attendance wore pink to promote breast cancer awareness. Also on hand was Opal Lee, an activist in the movement to make Juneteenth a federally recognized holiday. Harris hugged her.

The vice president also has a midday stop at Divine Faith Ministries International in Jonesboro with singer Stevie Wonder, before taping an interview with the Rev. Al Sharpton that will air later Sunday on MSNBC. The schedule reflects her campaign’s push to treat every voting group like a swing state voter, trying to appeal to them all in a tightly contested election with early voting in progress.

Harris' running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, headed to church in Saginaw, Michigan, and his wife, Gwen, was going to a service in Las Vegas.

The “Souls to the Polls” effort launched last week and is led by the National Advisory Board of Black Faith Leaders, which is sending representatives across battleground states as early voting begins in the Nov. 5 election.

“My father used to say, a ‘voteless people is a powerless people’ and one of the most important steps we can take is that short step to the ballot box," Martin Luther King III said Friday. “When Black voters are organized and engaged, we have the power to shift the trajectory of this nation.”

On Saturday, the vice president rallied supporters in Detroit with singer Lizzo before traveling to Atlanta to focus on abortion rights, highlighting the death of a Georgia mother amid the state's restrictive abortion laws that took effect after the U.S. Supreme Court, with three justices nominated by Donald Trump, overturned Roe v. Wade.

And after her Sunday push,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/harris-cheny-duke-university-liz-dick-55852b4dffc447413616a01b6a38c920">she will campaign with former U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo.,</a>&nbsp;in the suburbs of Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/harris-lizzo-usher-michigan-georgia-early-voting-bce7d9172df6a83cf40a35e00ddb1604">“Donald Trump still</a>&nbsp;refuses to take accountability, to take any accountability, for the pain and the suffering he has caused,” Harris said.

Harris is a Baptist whose husband, Doug Emhoff, is Jewish. She has said she’s inspired by the work of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., and influenced by the religious traditions of her mother’s native India as well as the Black Church. Harris sang in the choir as a child at Twenty Third Avenue Church of God in Oakland.

“Souls to the Polls” as an idea traces back to the Civil Rights Movement.&nbsp;<a href="https://calendar.eji.org/racial-injustice/may/7">The Rev. George Lee</a>, a Black entrepreneur from Mississippi, was killed by white supremacists in 1955 after he helped nearly 100 Black residents register to vote in the town of Belzoni. The cemetery where Lee is buried has served as a polling place.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-virus-outbreak-race-and-ethnicity-new-york-voting-c8f6ec1b9eb46c6e49340747d781bb11">Black church congregations</a>&nbsp;across the country have undertaken get-out-the-vote campaigns for years. In part to counteract voter suppression tactics that date back to the Jim Crow era, early voting in the Black community is stressed from pulpits nearly as much as it is by candidates.

In Georgia,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/georgia-early-voting-election-ballots-trump-harris-32446269d76969f16a8215a95d0496b9">early voting began on Tuesday, and more than 310,000</a>&nbsp;people voted on that day, more than doubling the first-day total in 2020. A record 5 million people voted in the 2020 presidential election in Georgia.

STONECREST, Ga. (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/kamala-harris">Kamala Harris</a>&nbsp;told the congregation of a large Black church in suburban Atlanta on Sunday that people must show compassion and respect in their daily lives and do more than just “preach the values.”<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">The parable of the Good Samaritan teaches us to love thy neighbor as thyself. Let us remember this in our words, our actions, and our votes: <a href="https://t.co/VbrfuqVy9P">https://t.co/VbrfuqVy9P</a> <a href="https://t.co/fPaqog49k6">pic.twitter.com/fPaqog49k6</a>&mdash; Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) <a href="https://twitter.com/KamalaHarris/status/1848073035699397055?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 20, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The Democratic presidential nominee's visit to New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Stonecrest on her 60th birthday, marked by a song by the congregation, was part of a broad, nationwide campaign, known as “Souls to the Polls,” that encourages Black churchgoers to vote.Pastor Jamal Bryant said the vice president was “an American hero, the voice of the future” and “our fearless leader.” He also used his sermon to welcome the idea of America electing a woman for the first time as president. "It takes a real man to support a real woman,” Bryant said.“When Black women roll up their sleeves, then society has got to change,” the pastor said.Harris told the parable of the Good Samaritan from the Gospel of Luke, about a man who was traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho and was attacked by robbers. The traveler was beaten and left bloodied, but helped by a stranger.All faiths promote the idea of loving thy neighbor, Harris said, but far harder to achieve is truly loving a stranger as if that person were a neighbor.“In this moment, across our nation, what we do see are some who try to deepen division among us, spread hate, sow fear and cause chaos,” Harris told the congregation. “The true measure of the strength of a leader is based on who you lift up.”She was more somber than during her political rallies, stressing that real faith means defending humanity. She said the Samaritan parable reminds people that "it is not enough to preach the values of compassion and respect. We must live them.”Harris ended by saying, “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning,” as attendees applauded her.Many in attendance wore pink to promote breast cancer awareness. Also on hand was Opal Lee, an activist in the movement to make Juneteenth a federally recognized holiday. Harris hugged her.The vice president also has a midday stop at Divine Faith Ministries International in Jonesboro with singer Stevie Wonder, before taping an interview with the Rev. Al Sharpton that will air later Sunday on MSNBC. The schedule reflects her campaign’s push to treat every voting group like a swing state voter, trying to appeal to them all in a tightly contested election with early voting in progress.Harris' running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, headed to church in Saginaw, Michigan, and his wife, Gwen, was going to a service in Las Vegas.The “Souls to the Polls” effort launched last week and is led by the National Advisory Board of Black Faith Leaders, which is sending representatives across battleground states as early voting begins in the Nov. 5 election.“My father used to say, a ‘voteless people is a powerless people’ and one of the most important steps we can take is that short step to the ballot box," Martin Luther King III said Friday. “When Black voters are organized and engaged, we have the power to shift the trajectory of this nation.”On Saturday, the vice president rallied supporters in Detroit with singer Lizzo before traveling to Atlanta to focus on abortion rights, highlighting the death of a Georgia mother amid the state's restrictive abortion laws that took effect after the U.S. Supreme Court, with three justices nominated by Donald Trump, overturned Roe v. Wade.And after her Sunday push,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/harris-cheny-duke-university-liz-dick-55852b4dffc447413616a01b6a38c920">she will campaign with former U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo.,</a>&nbsp;in the suburbs of Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/harris-lizzo-usher-michigan-georgia-early-voting-bce7d9172df6a83cf40a35e00ddb1604">“Donald Trump still</a>&nbsp;refuses to take accountability, to take any accountability, for the pain and the suffering he has caused,” Harris said.Harris is a Baptist whose husband, Doug Emhoff, is Jewish. She has said she’s inspired by the work of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., and influenced by the religious traditions of her mother’s native India as well as the Black Church. Harris sang in the choir as a child at Twenty Third Avenue Church of God in Oakland.“Souls to the Polls” as an idea traces back to the Civil Rights Movement.&nbsp;<a href="https://calendar.eji.org/racial-injustice/may/7">The Rev. George Lee</a>, a Black entrepreneur from Mississippi, was killed by white supremacists in 1955 after he helped nearly 100 Black residents register to vote in the town of Belzoni. The cemetery where Lee is buried has served as a polling place.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-virus-outbreak-race-and-ethnicity-new-york-voting-c8f6ec1b9eb46c6e49340747d781bb11">Black church congregations</a>&nbsp;across the country have undertaken get-out-the-vote campaigns for years. In part to counteract voter suppression tactics that date back to the Jim Crow era, early voting in the Black community is stressed from pulpits nearly as much as it is by candidates.In Georgia,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/georgia-early-voting-election-ballots-trump-harris-32446269d76969f16a8215a95d0496b9">early voting began on Tuesday, and more than 310,000</a>&nbsp;people voted on that day, more than doubling the first-day total in 2020. A record 5 million people voted in the 2020 presidential election in Georgia.___

🎥Harris tells Black churchgoers that people must show compassion and respect 

NEW YORK (AP) — October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month, which means it's the perfect time to learn how to protect yourself from scams.

“Scams have become so sophisticated now. Phishing emails, texts, spoofing caller ID, all of this technology gives scammers that edge,” said Eva Velasquez, president and CEO of the Identity Theft Resource Center.

As scammers find new ways to steal money and personal information, consumers should be more vigilant about who they trust, especially online. A quick way to remember what to do when you think you're getting scammed is to think about the three S's, said Alissa Abdullah, also known as Dr. Jay, Mastercard’s deputy chief security officer

“Stay suspicious, stop for a second (and think about it) and stay protected,” she said.

Whether it's romance scams or job scams, impersonators are looking for ways to trick you into giving them money or sharing your personal information. Here's what to know:

Three common&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/scams-phishing-robocalls-facebook-marketplace-291255fc54f4bef161cb6155af562d96">tactics used by scammers</a>&nbsp;are based on fear, urgency and money, said security expert Petros Efstathopoulos. Here’s how they work:

When a scammer contacts you via phone or email, they use language that makes it seem like there is a problem that you need to solve. For example, a scammer contacts you over email telling you that your tax return has an error and if you don’t fix it you’ll get in trouble.

Because scammers are good at creating a sense of urgency, people tend to rush, which makes them vulnerable. Scammers often tell people they need to act right away, which can lead to them sharing private information such as their Social Security numbers.

Scammers use money as bait, Efstathopoulos said. They might impersonate tax professionals or the IRS saying you will get a bigger tax refund than you expect if you pay them for their services or share your personal information.

Simply being aware of typical scams can help, experts say. Robocalls in particular frequently target vulnerable individuals like seniors, people with disabilities, and people with debt.

“If you get a robocall out of the blue paying a recorded message trying to get you to buy something, just hang up,” said James Lee, chief operating officer at the Identity Theft Resource Center. “Same goes for texts — anytime you get them from a number you don’t know asking you to pay, wire, or click on something suspicious.”

Lee urges consumers to hang up and call the company or institution in question at an official number.

Scammers will also often imitate someone in authority, such as a tax or debt collector. They might pretend to be a loved one calling to request immediate financial assistance for bail, legal help, or a hospital bill.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/b649b1df23254bfc923be1e5a6edcd01">So-called “romance scams”</a>&nbsp;often target lonely and isolated individuals, according to Will Maxson, assistant director of the Division of Marketing Practices at the FTC. These scams can take place over longer periods of time -- even years.

Kate Kleinart, 70, who lost tens of thousands to a romance scam over several months, said to be vigilant if a new Facebook friend is exceptionally good-looking, asks you to download WhatsApp to communicate, attempts to isolate you from friends and family, and/or gets romantic very quickly.

“If you’re seeing that picture of a very handsome person, ask someone younger in your life — a child, a grandchild, a niece or a nephew — to help you reverse-image search or identify the photo,” she said.

She said the man in pictures she received was a plastic surgeon from Spain whose photos have been stolen and used by scammers.

Kleinart had also been living under lockdown during the early pandemic when she got the initial friend request, and the companionship and communication meant a lot to her while she was cut off from family. When the scam fell apart, she missed the relationship even more than the savings.

“Losing the love was worse than losing the money,” she said.

Job scams involve a person pretending to be a recruiter or a company in order to steal money or information from a job seeker.

Scammers tend to use the name of an employee from a large company and craft a job posting that matches similar positions. An initial red flag is that scammers usually try to make the job very appealing, Velasquez said.

“They’re going to have very high salaries for somewhat low-skilled work," she said. "And they’re often saying it’s a 100% remote position because that’s so appealing to people."

Some scammers post fake jobs, but others reach out directly to job seekers through direct messages or texts. If the scammers are looking to steal your personal information, they may ask you to fill out several forms that include information like your Social Security number and driver’s license details.

The only information a legitimate employer should ask for at the beginning of the process is your skills, your work experience, and your contact information, Velasquez said.

Other details don’t generally need to be shared with an employer until after you’ve gotten an offer.

According to Lois Greisman, an associate director of marketing practices at the Federal Trade Commission,&nbsp;<a href="https://consumer.ftc.gov/features/pass-it-on/investment-scams">an investment scam</a>&nbsp;constitutes any get-rich-quick scheme that lures targets via social media accounts or online ads.

Investment scammers typically add different forms of “testimony,” such as from other social media accounts, to support that the “investment” works. Many of these also involve cryptocurrency. To avoid falling for these frauds, the FTC recommends independently researching the company — especially by searching the company’s name along with terms like “review” or “scam.”

When you’re using Facebook or scrolling Google results, be aware of&nbsp;<a href="https://consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts/2023/01/dont-answer-another-online-quiz-question-until-you-read">quiz scams</a>, which typically appear innocuous and ask about topics you might be interested in, such as your car or favorite TV show. They may also ask you to take a personality test.

Despite these benign-seeming questions, scammers can then use the personal information you share to respond to security questions from your accounts or hack your social media to send malware links to your contacts.

To protect your personal information,&nbsp;<a href="https://consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts/2023/01/dont-answer-another-online-quiz-question-until-you-read#:~:text=They%20use%20your%20quiz%20answers,guise%20of%20sharing%20a%20quiz.">the FTC simply recommends steering clear of online quizzes</a>. The commission also advises consumers to use random answers for security questions.

“Asked to enter your mother’s maiden name? Say it’s something else: Parmesan or another word you’ll remember,” advises Terri Miller, consumer education specialist at the FTC. “This way, scammers won’t be able to use information they find to steal your identity.”

When&nbsp;<a href="https://consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts/2022/07/selling-stuff-online-heres-how-avoid-scam">buying or selling products</a>&nbsp;on Instagram or Facebook Marketplace, keep in mind that not everyone that reaches out to you has the best intentions.

To avoid being scammed when selling via an online platform, the FTC recommends checking buyers’ profiles, not sharing any codes sent to your phone or email, and avoiding accepting online payments from unknown persons.

Likewise, when&nbsp;<a href="https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/buying-online-marketplace">buying something from an online marketplace</a>, make sure to diligently research the seller. Take a look at whether the profile is verified, what kind of reviews they have, and the terms and conditions of the purchase.

Don’t pick up if you don’t know who is calling

Scammers often reach out by phone, Ben Hoffman, Head of Strategy and Consumer Products at Fifth Third Bank recommends that you don't pick up unknown incoming calls.

“Banks don't ask your for your password,” said Hoffman. If you believe your bank is trying to reach out, give them a call at a number listed on their website.

This makes it easier to know for sure that you’re not talking to a scammer. As a general rule, banks don’t often call unless there is suspicious activity on your account or if you previously contacted them about a problem.

If you receive many unknown calls that end up being scammers or robocalls, you can use tools available on your phone to block spam. Check here for how to do this on your&nbsp;<a href="https://support.apple.com/en-us/111106#:~:text=To%20turn%20on%20Silence%20Unknown,in%20your%20recent%20calls%20list.">iPhone</a>&nbsp;and here for&nbsp;<a href="https://support.google.com/phoneapp/answer/6325463?hl=en">Android</a>.

Use all of the technology at your disposal

There are many tools are your disposal that can be used to protect yourself from scammers online.

— Use a password manager to ensure you’re utilizing a complex password that scammers can’t guess.

— Regularly checking your credit report and bank statements is a good practice since it can help you identify if someone has been using your bank account without your knowledge.

— Turn on multi-factor verification to make sure impersonators aren't able to access your social media or bank accounts.

As scams get more sophisticated, it's difficult to know who to trust or if a person is actually real, or an impersonator. If you aren't sure if a job recruiter is real or if your bank is actually asking your for information, find organizations that can help you, recommended Velasquez.

Organizations like the Identity Theft Protection Center and the AARP Fraud Watch Network offer free services for customers who need help identifying scams or knowing what to do if you've been a victim of a scam.

If you’ve taken all the necessary steps to protect yourself, you might want to help those around you. Whether you’re helping your grandparents to block unknown callers on their phones or sharing tips with your neighbors, talking with others about how to protect themselves from scams can be very effective.

NEW YORK (AP) — October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month, which means it's the perfect time to learn how to protect yourself from scams.“Scams have become so sophisticated now. Phishing emails, texts, spoofing caller ID, all of this technology gives scammers that edge,” said Eva Velasquez, president and CEO of the Identity Theft Resource Center.As scammers find new ways to steal money and personal information, consumers should be more vigilant about who they trust, especially online. A quick way to remember what to do when you think you're getting scammed is to think about the three S's, said Alissa Abdullah, also known as Dr. Jay, Mastercard’s deputy chief security officer“Stay suspicious, stop for a second (and think about it) and stay protected,” she said.Whether it's romance scams or job scams, impersonators are looking for ways to trick you into giving them money or sharing your personal information. Here's what to know:<h2>Know scammers’ tactics</h2>Three common&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/scams-phishing-robocalls-facebook-marketplace-291255fc54f4bef161cb6155af562d96">tactics used by scammers</a>&nbsp;are based on fear, urgency and money, said security expert Petros Efstathopoulos. Here’s how they work:— FearWhen a scammer contacts you via phone or email, they use language that makes it seem like there is a problem that you need to solve. For example, a scammer contacts you over email telling you that your tax return has an error and if you don’t fix it you’ll get in trouble.— UrgencyBecause scammers are good at creating a sense of urgency, people tend to rush, which makes them vulnerable. Scammers often tell people they need to act right away, which can lead to them sharing private information such as their Social Security numbers.— MoneyScammers use money as bait, Efstathopoulos said. They might impersonate tax professionals or the IRS saying you will get a bigger tax refund than you expect if you pay them for their services or share your personal information.<h2>Know the most common scams</h2>Simply being aware of typical scams can help, experts say. Robocalls in particular frequently target vulnerable individuals like seniors, people with disabilities, and people with debt.“If you get a robocall out of the blue paying a recorded message trying to get you to buy something, just hang up,” said James Lee, chief operating officer at the Identity Theft Resource Center. “Same goes for texts — anytime you get them from a number you don’t know asking you to pay, wire, or click on something suspicious.”Lee urges consumers to hang up and call the company or institution in question at an official number.Scammers will also often imitate someone in authority, such as a tax or debt collector. They might pretend to be a loved one calling to request immediate financial assistance for bail, legal help, or a hospital bill.<h2>Romance scams</h2><a href="https://apnews.com/article/b649b1df23254bfc923be1e5a6edcd01">So-called “romance scams”</a>&nbsp;often target lonely and isolated individuals, according to Will Maxson, assistant director of the Division of Marketing Practices at the FTC. These scams can take place over longer periods of time -- even years.Kate Kleinart, 70, who lost tens of thousands to a romance scam over several months, said to be vigilant if a new Facebook friend is exceptionally good-looking, asks you to download WhatsApp to communicate, attempts to isolate you from friends and family, and/or gets romantic very quickly.“If you’re seeing that picture of a very handsome person, ask someone younger in your life — a child, a grandchild, a niece or a nephew — to help you reverse-image search or identify the photo,” she said.She said the man in pictures she received was a plastic surgeon from Spain whose photos have been stolen and used by scammers.Kleinart had also been living under lockdown during the early pandemic when she got the initial friend request, and the companionship and communication meant a lot to her while she was cut off from family. When the scam fell apart, she missed the relationship even more than the savings.“Losing the love was worse than losing the money,” she said.<h2>Job scams</h2>Job scams involve a person pretending to be a recruiter or a company in order to steal money or information from a job seeker.Scammers tend to use the name of an employee from a large company and craft a job posting that matches similar positions. An initial red flag is that scammers usually try to make the job very appealing, Velasquez said.“They’re going to have very high salaries for somewhat low-skilled work," she said. "And they’re often saying it’s a 100% remote position because that’s so appealing to people."Some scammers post fake jobs, but others reach out directly to job seekers through direct messages or texts. If the scammers are looking to steal your personal information, they may ask you to fill out several forms that include information like your Social Security number and driver’s license details.The only information a legitimate employer should ask for at the beginning of the process is your skills, your work experience, and your contact information, Velasquez said.Other details don’t generally need to be shared with an employer until after you’ve gotten an offer.<h2>Investment scams</h2>According to Lois Greisman, an associate director of marketing practices at the Federal Trade Commission,&nbsp;<a href="https://consumer.ftc.gov/features/pass-it-on/investment-scams">an investment scam</a>&nbsp;constitutes any get-rich-quick scheme that lures targets via social media accounts or online ads.Investment scammers typically add different forms of “testimony,” such as from other social media accounts, to support that the “investment” works. Many of these also involve cryptocurrency. To avoid falling for these frauds, the FTC recommends independently researching the company — especially by searching the company’s name along with terms like “review” or “scam.”<h2>Quiz scams</h2>When you’re using Facebook or scrolling Google results, be aware of&nbsp;<a href="https://consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts/2023/01/dont-answer-another-online-quiz-question-until-you-read">quiz scams</a>, which typically appear innocuous and ask about topics you might be interested in, such as your car or favorite TV show. They may also ask you to take a personality test.Despite these benign-seeming questions, scammers can then use the personal information you share to respond to security questions from your accounts or hack your social media to send malware links to your contacts.To protect your personal information,&nbsp;<a href="https://consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts/2023/01/dont-answer-another-online-quiz-question-until-you-read#:~:text=They%20use%20your%20quiz%20answers,guise%20of%20sharing%20a%20quiz.">the FTC simply recommends steering clear of online quizzes</a>. The commission also advises consumers to use random answers for security questions.“Asked to enter your mother’s maiden name? Say it’s something else: Parmesan or another word you’ll remember,” advises Terri Miller, consumer education specialist at the FTC. “This way, scammers won’t be able to use information they find to steal your identity.”<h2>Marketplace scams</h2>When&nbsp;<a href="https://consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts/2022/07/selling-stuff-online-heres-how-avoid-scam">buying or selling products</a>&nbsp;on Instagram or Facebook Marketplace, keep in mind that not everyone that reaches out to you has the best intentions.To avoid being scammed when selling via an online platform, the FTC recommends checking buyers’ profiles, not sharing any codes sent to your phone or email, and avoiding accepting online payments from unknown persons.Likewise, when&nbsp;<a href="https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/buying-online-marketplace">buying something from an online marketplace</a>, make sure to diligently research the seller. Take a look at whether the profile is verified, what kind of reviews they have, and the terms and conditions of the purchase.<h2>Don’t pick up if you don’t know who is calling</h2>Scammers often reach out by phone, Ben Hoffman, Head of Strategy and Consumer Products at Fifth Third Bank recommends that you don't pick up unknown incoming calls.“Banks don't ask your for your password,” said Hoffman. If you believe your bank is trying to reach out, give them a call at a number listed on their website.This makes it easier to know for sure that you’re not talking to a scammer. As a general rule, banks don’t often call unless there is suspicious activity on your account or if you previously contacted them about a problem.If you receive many unknown calls that end up being scammers or robocalls, you can use tools available on your phone to block spam. Check here for how to do this on your&nbsp;<a href="https://support.apple.com/en-us/111106#:~:text=To%20turn%20on%20Silence%20Unknown,in%20your%20recent%20calls%20list.">iPhone</a>&nbsp;and here for&nbsp;<a href="https://support.google.com/phoneapp/answer/6325463?hl=en">Android</a>.<h2>Use all of the technology at your disposal</h2>There are many tools are your disposal that can be used to protect yourself from scammers online.— Use a password manager to ensure you’re utilizing a complex password that scammers can’t guess.— Regularly checking your credit report and bank statements is a good practice since it can help you identify if someone has been using your bank account without your knowledge.— Turn on multi-factor verification to make sure impersonators aren't able to access your social media or bank accounts.<h2>When in doubt, call for help</h2>As scams get more sophisticated, it's difficult to know who to trust or if a person is actually real, or an impersonator. If you aren't sure if a job recruiter is real or if your bank is actually asking your for information, find organizations that can help you, recommended Velasquez.Organizations like the Identity Theft Protection Center and the AARP Fraud Watch Network offer free services for customers who need help identifying scams or knowing what to do if you've been a victim of a scam.<h2>Share what you know with loved ones</h2>If you’ve taken all the necessary steps to protect yourself, you might want to help those around you. Whether you’re helping your grandparents to block unknown callers on their phones or sharing tips with your neighbors, talking with others about how to protect themselves from scams can be very effective.<h2>Report the scam</h2>

October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month. Here's how to stay safe from scams

WASHINGTON (AP) — A student loan&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pslf-public-service-loan-forgiveness-program-student-loans-e840af29f8879512199ed6fce226c722">cancellation program</a>&nbsp;for public workers has granted relief to more than 1 million Americans — up from just 7,000 who were approved before it was updated by the Biden administration two years ago.

President Joe Biden announced the milestone on Thursday, saying his administration restored a promise to America’s teachers, firefighters, nurses and other public servants. He celebrated it even as his broader student loan plans remain&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/student-loan-cancellation-lawsuit-8be4422eda6ae5b92921fe5f218bb1c8#">halted by courts</a>&nbsp;following&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/student-debt-cancellation-college-forgiveness-f94b9706bd395b32e44d4d1b3f6ff051">legal challenges</a>&nbsp;by Republican-led states.

“For too long, the government failed to live up to its commitments,” Biden said in a statement. “We vowed to fix that, and because of actions from our administration, now over 1 million public service workers have gotten the relief they are entitled to under the law.”

The Public Service Loan Forgiveness program was created in 2007, promising college graduates that the remainder of their federal student loans would be zeroed out after 10 years working in government or nonprofit jobs. But starting in 2017, the vast majority of applicants were rejected because of complicated and little-known eligibility rules.

A 2018 report from the Government Accountability Office found that&nbsp;<a href="https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-18-547">99% of applicants were denied</a>, often because they weren’t in the right loan repayment plan or because their payments had temporarily been paused through deferment or forbearance — periods that weren’t counted toward the 10 years of public work.

The GAO&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/united-states-government-b02c3ad05fdb4073ac621b4519c59a2c">faulted the Education Department</a>&nbsp;for failing to make the rules clear.

The program was the subject of legal and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/dde47cb0994b4e1aa7b54ed6943e55b7">political battles</a>, with Democrats in Congress calling on the Trump administration to loosen the rules and uphold the spirit of the program. Betsy DeVos, the education secretary at the time, countered that she was faithfully following the rules passed by Congress.

Declaring that the program was “broken,” the Biden administration in 2021 offered a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-congress-student-loans-education-cecef88ebeebe2f524022f603f22a83b">temporary waiver</a>&nbsp;allowing borrowers to get credit for past periods of deferment or forbearance, among other changes. A year later, the Education Department updated the rules to expand eligibility more permanently.

Since then,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/student-loan-cancelation-public-service-c9f196555407e536c7945c60c6c55f3c">waves of borrowers</a>&nbsp;have been approved for cancellation as they reach the 10-year finish line. On Thursday, 60,000 more hit the mark, pushing the total past 1 million. When Biden took office, just 7,000 borrowers had been granted relief over the previous four years.

In all, the program has erased $74 billion in loans for public workers.

“I want to send a message to college students across America that pursuing a career in public service is not only a noble calling but a reliable pathway to becoming debt-free within a decade,” Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said in a statement.

After facing&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/student-loan-cancellation-debt-lawsuit-republicans-biden-b60d13539b2f2aef2869d56e63f33a3b">legal challenges</a>&nbsp;to Biden's own student loan plans, his administration has increasingly shifted attention to the record sums of loan cancellation granted through existing programs.

In total, the administration says it has now canceled $175 billion for about 5 million borrowers. Public Service Loan Forgiveness accounts for the largest share of that relief, while others have had their loans canceled through&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/student-loans-forgiveness-save-plan-debt-borrowers-313afd73cadc3cfc8ab3a6ee684fc3e4">income-driven payment plans</a>&nbsp;and through a 1994 rule offering relief to students who were&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/student-debt-loans-cancellation-asford-borrower-c4c7e9f1d7d1c88c9bb7ceea1c708cdd">cheated by their schools</a>.

Biden campaigned on a promise of widespread student loan cancellation, but last year the Supreme Court&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/student-loan-forgiveness-supreme-court-653c2e9c085863bdbf81f125f87669fa">blocked his proposal</a>&nbsp;to cancel&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/student-loan-forgiveness-biden-plan-d9c8e18774a744187c9af634bf4eb728">up to $20,000</a>&nbsp;for 40 million Americans. Biden ordered his Education Department to try again using a different legal justification, but a judge in Missouri temporarily halted the plan after several Republican states challenged it.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A student loan&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pslf-public-service-loan-forgiveness-program-student-loans-e840af29f8879512199ed6fce226c722">cancellation program</a>&nbsp;for public workers has granted relief to more than 1 million Americans — up from just 7,000 who were approved before it was updated by the Biden administration two years ago.President Joe Biden announced the milestone on Thursday, saying his administration restored a promise to America’s teachers, firefighters, nurses and other public servants. He celebrated it even as his broader student loan plans remain&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/student-loan-cancellation-lawsuit-8be4422eda6ae5b92921fe5f218bb1c8#">halted by courts</a>&nbsp;following&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/student-debt-cancellation-college-forgiveness-f94b9706bd395b32e44d4d1b3f6ff051">legal challenges</a>&nbsp;by Republican-led states.“For too long, the government failed to live up to its commitments,” Biden said in a statement. “We vowed to fix that, and because of actions from our administration, now over 1 million public service workers have gotten the relief they are entitled to under the law.”The Public Service Loan Forgiveness program was created in 2007, promising college graduates that the remainder of their federal student loans would be zeroed out after 10 years working in government or nonprofit jobs. But starting in 2017, the vast majority of applicants were rejected because of complicated and little-known eligibility rules.A 2018 report from the Government Accountability Office found that&nbsp;<a href="https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-18-547">99% of applicants were denied</a>, often because they weren’t in the right loan repayment plan or because their payments had temporarily been paused through deferment or forbearance — periods that weren’t counted toward the 10 years of public work.The GAO&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/united-states-government-b02c3ad05fdb4073ac621b4519c59a2c">faulted the Education Department</a>&nbsp;for failing to make the rules clear.The program was the subject of legal and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/dde47cb0994b4e1aa7b54ed6943e55b7">political battles</a>, with Democrats in Congress calling on the Trump administration to loosen the rules and uphold the spirit of the program. Betsy DeVos, the education secretary at the time, countered that she was faithfully following the rules passed by Congress.Declaring that the program was “broken,” the Biden administration in 2021 offered a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-congress-student-loans-education-cecef88ebeebe2f524022f603f22a83b">temporary waiver</a>&nbsp;allowing borrowers to get credit for past periods of deferment or forbearance, among other changes. A year later, the Education Department updated the rules to expand eligibility more permanently.Since then,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/student-loan-cancelation-public-service-c9f196555407e536c7945c60c6c55f3c">waves of borrowers</a>&nbsp;have been approved for cancellation as they reach the 10-year finish line. On Thursday, 60,000 more hit the mark, pushing the total past 1 million. When Biden took office, just 7,000 borrowers had been granted relief over the previous four years.In all, the program has erased $74 billion in loans for public workers.“I want to send a message to college students across America that pursuing a career in public service is not only a noble calling but a reliable pathway to becoming debt-free within a decade,” Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said in a statement.After facing&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/student-loan-cancellation-debt-lawsuit-republicans-biden-b60d13539b2f2aef2869d56e63f33a3b">legal challenges</a>&nbsp;to Biden's own student loan plans, his administration has increasingly shifted attention to the record sums of loan cancellation granted through existing programs.In total, the administration says it has now canceled $175 billion for about 5 million borrowers. Public Service Loan Forgiveness accounts for the largest share of that relief, while others have had their loans canceled through&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/student-loans-forgiveness-save-plan-debt-borrowers-313afd73cadc3cfc8ab3a6ee684fc3e4">income-driven payment plans</a>&nbsp;and through a 1994 rule offering relief to students who were&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/student-debt-loans-cancellation-asford-borrower-c4c7e9f1d7d1c88c9bb7ceea1c708cdd">cheated by their schools</a>.Biden campaigned on a promise of widespread student loan cancellation, but last year the Supreme Court&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/student-loan-forgiveness-supreme-court-653c2e9c085863bdbf81f125f87669fa">blocked his proposal</a>&nbsp;to cancel&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/student-loan-forgiveness-biden-plan-d9c8e18774a744187c9af634bf4eb728">up to $20,000</a>&nbsp;for 40 million Americans. Biden ordered his Education Department to try again using a different legal justification, but a judge in Missouri temporarily halted the plan after several Republican states challenged it.

 Biden admin. has now canceled loans for more than 1 million public workers

WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25228621-trump-assassination-attempt-independent-review-panel-report">An independent panel</a>&nbsp;investigating&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/attempted-assassination-of-donald-trump">the attempted assassination</a>&nbsp;of Donald Trump at a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/projects/trump-assassination-attempt-butler-pennsylvania/">Pennsylvania campaign rally</a>&nbsp;says the Secret Services needs fundamental reform" and that “another Butler can and will happen again” without major changes in how candidates are protected.

The review faulted the Secret Service for poor communications that day and failing to secure the building where the gunman took his shots. It also found more systemic issues at the agency such as a failure to understand the unique risks facing Trump and a culture of doing “more with less.”

The 52-page report issued Thursday took the Secret Service to task for specific problems leading up to the July 13 rally in Butler as a well as deeper one within the agency's culture. It recommended bringing in new, outside leadership and refocusing on its protective mission.

“The Secret Service as an agency requires fundamental reform to carry out its mission,” the authors wrote Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas of the Homeland Security Department, the Secret Service's parent agency, in a letter accompanying their report. “Without that reform, the Independent Review Panel believes another Butler can and will happen again.”

One rallygoer was killed and two others wounded when Thomas Michael Crooks climbed onto the roof of a nearby building and opened fire as Trump spoke. The former president was wounded in the ear before being rushed off the stage by Secret Service agents. That shooting, along with&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ap.org/news-highlights/elections/2024/5-things-to-know-about-the-apparent-assassination-attempt-on-trump/">another incident</a>&nbsp;in Florida when Trump was golfing — a gunman there never got a line of site on the president or fired a shot — has led to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/secret-service-trump-assassination-attempt-e5ef28f72d61080088a0835a1b9a7d39">a crisis in confidence in</a>&nbsp;the agency.

The report by a panel of four former law enforcement officials from national and state government follows&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/secret-service-trump-rally-shooting-butler-police-081e812f3569b2bdb9f3ffe322ea1619">investigations by members of Congress</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-secret-service-assassination-attempt-campaign-7dca5e30730287f46cceaa35437f0d47">the agency's own investigators</a>&nbsp;and by Homeland Security's oversight body.

A look at the report's key findings and recommendations:

Poor communications, no plan for key buildings

The panel echoed previous reports that have zeroed in on the failure to secure the building near the rally that had a clear line of site to where Trump was speaking and the multiple communications problems that hindered the ability of the Secret Service and local and state law enforcement to talk to each other.

“The failure to secure a complex of buildings, portions of which were within approximately 130 yards of the protectee and containing numerous positions carrying high-angle line of sight risk, represents a critical security failure,” the report said.

The panel faulted the planning between Secret Service and the local law enforcement, and said the Secret Service failed to ask about what was being done to secure the building: “Relying on a general understanding that ‘the locals have that area covered’ is simply not good enough and, in fact, at Butler this attitude contributed to the security failure.”

The panel also cited the fact that there were two separated command posts at the Butler rally: one with various local law enforcement and another with the Secret Service: “This created, at the highest level, a structural divide in the flow of communications.”

There were other communications problems.

The Secret Service had to switch radio channels because radio traffic of agents protecting first lady Jill Biden at an event in Pittsburgh was popping up on the channels of agents covering the Butler rally.

The panel also noted that all the law enforcement personnel on the ground were using a “chaotic mixture” of radio, cell phone, text, and e-mail throughout the day to communicate.

Also the panel said it was unclear who had ultimate command that day.

The report delved into the agency's culture and painted a picture of an agency struggling to think critically about how it carries out its mission, especially when it comes to protecting Trump.

The panel said agency personnel operated under the assumption that they effectively had to “do more with less." The report said the additional security measures taken to protect Trump after the Butler shooting should have been taken before.

"To be clear, the Panel did not identify any nefarious or malicious intent behind this phenomenon, but rather an overreliance on assigning personnel based on categories (former, candidate, nominee) instead of an individualized assessment of risk,” the panel wrote.

The panel also noted the “back-and-forth" between the Trump security detail and Secret Service headquarters regarding how many people were needed to protect him.

The panel also faulted some of the senior-level staff who were involved in the rally for what they called a “lack of ownership.” In one example, the panel said a senior agent on site who was tasked with coordinating communications didn't walk around the rally site ahead of timen and did not brief the state police counterpart before the rally about how communications would be managed.

It cited the relative inexperience of two specific agents who played a role in security for the July 13 rally. One was the site agent from Trump's detail whose job it was to coordinate with the Pittsburgh field office on security planning for the rally. The panel said the agent graduated from the Secret Service academy in 2020, and had only been on the Trump detail since 2023. Before the Butler rally the agent had only done “minimal previous site advance work or site security planning.”

Another agent assigned to operate a drone detection system had only used the technology at two prior events.

Having a unified command post at all large events where Secret Service and other law enforcement representatives are all physically in the same place; overhead surveillance for all outdoor events; security plans must include a way to mitigate line of site concerns out to 1,000 yards and who's in charge at the event; and more training on how to get protectees out of dangerous scenarios.

The panel said the agency also needs new, outside leadership and a renewed focus on its core protective mission while expressing skepticism that the agency should continue with the investigations it currently conducts. While the Secret Service is well known for what it does to protect presidents and other dignitaries, it also investigates financial crimes.

“In the Panel’s opinion, it is simply unacceptable for the Service to have anything less than a paramount focus on its protective mission, particularly while that protective mission function is presently suboptimal," the report said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1720972888448.png" alt="File image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>File image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25228621-trump-assassination-attempt-independent-review-panel-report">An independent panel</a>&nbsp;investigating&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/attempted-assassination-of-donald-trump">the attempted assassination</a>&nbsp;of Donald Trump at a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/projects/trump-assassination-attempt-butler-pennsylvania/">Pennsylvania campaign rally</a>&nbsp;says the Secret Services needs fundamental reform" and that “another Butler can and will happen again” without major changes in how candidates are protected.The review faulted the Secret Service for poor communications that day and failing to secure the building where the gunman took his shots. It also found more systemic issues at the agency such as a failure to understand the unique risks facing Trump and a culture of doing “more with less.”The 52-page report issued Thursday took the Secret Service to task for specific problems leading up to the July 13 rally in Butler as a well as deeper one within the agency's culture. It recommended bringing in new, outside leadership and refocusing on its protective mission.“The Secret Service as an agency requires fundamental reform to carry out its mission,” the authors wrote Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas of the Homeland Security Department, the Secret Service's parent agency, in a letter accompanying their report. “Without that reform, the Independent Review Panel believes another Butler can and will happen again.”One rallygoer was killed and two others wounded when Thomas Michael Crooks climbed onto the roof of a nearby building and opened fire as Trump spoke. The former president was wounded in the ear before being rushed off the stage by Secret Service agents. That shooting, along with&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ap.org/news-highlights/elections/2024/5-things-to-know-about-the-apparent-assassination-attempt-on-trump/">another incident</a>&nbsp;in Florida when Trump was golfing — a gunman there never got a line of site on the president or fired a shot — has led to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/secret-service-trump-assassination-attempt-e5ef28f72d61080088a0835a1b9a7d39">a crisis in confidence in</a>&nbsp;the agency.The report by a panel of four former law enforcement officials from national and state government follows&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/secret-service-trump-rally-shooting-butler-police-081e812f3569b2bdb9f3ffe322ea1619">investigations by members of Congress</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-secret-service-assassination-attempt-campaign-7dca5e30730287f46cceaa35437f0d47">the agency's own investigators</a>&nbsp;and by Homeland Security's oversight body.A look at the report's key findings and recommendations:<h2>Poor communications, no plan for key buildings</h2>The panel echoed previous reports that have zeroed in on the failure to secure the building near the rally that had a clear line of site to where Trump was speaking and the multiple communications problems that hindered the ability of the Secret Service and local and state law enforcement to talk to each other.“The failure to secure a complex of buildings, portions of which were within approximately 130 yards of the protectee and containing numerous positions carrying high-angle line of sight risk, represents a critical security failure,” the report said.The panel faulted the planning between Secret Service and the local law enforcement, and said the Secret Service failed to ask about what was being done to secure the building: “Relying on a general understanding that ‘the locals have that area covered’ is simply not good enough and, in fact, at Butler this attitude contributed to the security failure.”The panel also cited the fact that there were two separated command posts at the Butler rally: one with various local law enforcement and another with the Secret Service: “This created, at the highest level, a structural divide in the flow of communications.”There were other communications problems.The Secret Service had to switch radio channels because radio traffic of agents protecting first lady Jill Biden at an event in Pittsburgh was popping up on the channels of agents covering the Butler rally.The panel also noted that all the law enforcement personnel on the ground were using a “chaotic mixture” of radio, cell phone, text, and e-mail throughout the day to communicate.Also the panel said it was unclear who had ultimate command that day.<h2>Cultural issues within the agency</h2>The report delved into the agency's culture and painted a picture of an agency struggling to think critically about how it carries out its mission, especially when it comes to protecting Trump.The panel said agency personnel operated under the assumption that they effectively had to “do more with less." The report said the additional security measures taken to protect Trump after the Butler shooting should have been taken before."To be clear, the Panel did not identify any nefarious or malicious intent behind this phenomenon, but rather an overreliance on assigning personnel based on categories (former, candidate, nominee) instead of an individualized assessment of risk,” the panel wrote.The panel also noted the “back-and-forth" between the Trump security detail and Secret Service headquarters regarding how many people were needed to protect him.The panel also faulted some of the senior-level staff who were involved in the rally for what they called a “lack of ownership.” In one example, the panel said a senior agent on site who was tasked with coordinating communications didn't walk around the rally site ahead of timen and did not brief the state police counterpart before the rally about how communications would be managed.It cited the relative inexperience of two specific agents who played a role in security for the July 13 rally. One was the site agent from Trump's detail whose job it was to coordinate with the Pittsburgh field office on security planning for the rally. The panel said the agent graduated from the Secret Service academy in 2020, and had only been on the Trump detail since 2023. Before the Butler rally the agent had only done “minimal previous site advance work or site security planning.”Another agent assigned to operate a drone detection system had only used the technology at two prior events.<h2>What did the panel recommend?</h2>Having a unified command post at all large events where Secret Service and other law enforcement representatives are all physically in the same place; overhead surveillance for all outdoor events; security plans must include a way to mitigate line of site concerns out to 1,000 yards and who's in charge at the event; and more training on how to get protectees out of dangerous scenarios.The panel said the agency also needs new, outside leadership and a renewed focus on its core protective mission while expressing skepticism that the agency should continue with the investigations it currently conducts. While the Secret Service is well known for what it does to protect presidents and other dignitaries, it also investigates financial crimes.“In the Panel’s opinion, it is simply unacceptable for the Service to have anything less than a paramount focus on its protective mission, particularly while that protective mission function is presently suboptimal," the report said.

Review says U.S. Secret Service 'complacent', needs reform

JASPER COUNTY, Mo. —One person died in an accident just after 8:30p.m. Saturday in Jasper County.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2009&nbsp; Buick Enclave driven by Stephen E. Broddle, 71, Kansas City, Kansas was northbound in the driving lane of Interstate 49 one mile south of Jasper.

The SUV rear-ended a Phatmoto motorized bicycle driven by David J. Hurick Baughman, 21, Lamar.&nbsp; Baughman was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported to Chappel Casket in Web City. Broddle was not injured. Baughman was not wearing a helmet, according to the MSHP.

JASPER COUNTY, Mo. —One person died in an accident just after 8:30p.m. Saturday in Jasper County.The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2009&nbsp; Buick Enclave driven by Stephen E. Broddle, 71, Kansas City, Kansas was northbound in the driving lane of Interstate 49 one mile south of Jasper.The SUV rear-ended a Phatmoto motorized bicycle driven by David J. Hurick Baughman, 21, Lamar.&nbsp; Baughman was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported to Chappel Casket in Web City. Broddle was not injured. Baughman was not wearing a helmet, according to the MSHP.

Man dies after Kansas driver rear-ends motorized bicycle 

RILEY COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating a shooting in Manhattan.

Just after 9p.m. Saturday, police responded to a report of shots fired in the&nbsp;700 block of N. 4th Street, according to a social media report from the Riley County Police Department.

&nbsp;Preliminary reports indicate there was one male victim. Additionally, a person of interest in the shooting has been identified. Police reported there was no threat to the public. Check the Post for additional details as they become available.

RILEY COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating a shooting in Manhattan.Just after 9p.m. Saturday, police responded to a report of shots fired in the&nbsp;700 block of N. 4th Street, according to a social media report from the Riley County Police Department.&nbsp;Preliminary reports indicate there was one male victim. Additionally, a person of interest in the shooting has been identified. Police reported there was no threat to the public. Check the Post for additional details as they become available.

Police: One victim after reported shooting in Manhattan

Gen Z voters can make a difference in a tight presidential election.

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://stateline.org/author/mvasilogambros/">MATT VASILOGAMBROS</a> <a href="https://stateline.org/">Stateline</a>

In the final weeks of the presidential campaign, each side is scouring swing states to get as many voters as possible, including on college campuses. But in some of those crucial states, students face new barriers to casting their ballots.

North Carolina election officials are for the first time enforcing a 2018 voter ID law in a general election this November, following court entanglements that had put the law on hold. Universities throughout the state have already been working to ensure students who want to vote have identification, but students in recent weeks&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-carolina-university-digital-id-voting-39648168278fe7d5f3439b56c9abfc9b" target="_blank">found out</a>&nbsp;they can’t use the ubiquitous digital college IDs stored on their cellphones.

In states such as&nbsp;<a href="https://tucson.com/news/local/education/college/university-arizona-voting-polling-places-student-associations/article_c3a4947e-7f4b-11ef-8184-fbdb2a449781.html" target="_blank">Arizona</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/news/government/politics-elections/2024/10/03/purdue-loses-long-standing-campus-polling-place" target="_blank">Indiana</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.keranews.org/government/2024-09-09/tarrant-county-early-voting-at-colleges" target="_blank">Texas</a>, students have expressed concern over a lack of polling places on college campuses.

And in Georgia, officials at Emory University in Atlanta mistakenly gave students&nbsp;<a href="https://georgiarecorder.com/2024/10/03/told-its-voter-initiatives-georgia-registration-info-was-wrong-emory-to-alert-students-via-email/" target="_blank">incorrect guidance</a>&nbsp;on which campus address to provide on voter registration forms, opening the students up to having their registrations challenged when voting.

Nearly 41 million Generation Z Americans are eligible to vote in November’s election,&nbsp;<a href="https://circle.tufts.edu/index.php/latest-research/41-million-members-gen-z-will-be-eligible-vote-2024" target="_blank">according to</a>&nbsp;the Center for Information &amp; Research on Civic Learning and Engagement, a research organization known as CIRCLE that focuses on young people. That large voting bloc could make the difference in an election that will likely be determined by small margins.

But voting laws differ by state, and access varies from campus to campus for the&nbsp;<a href="https://educationdata.org/college-enrollment-statistics" target="_blank">roughly 18 million students</a>&nbsp;in undergraduate and graduate programs. Add the complexity of last-minute changes to election laws, including an increasing number of states implementing voter ID, and that confusion can hurt participation, said Alberto Medina, a spokesperson for CIRCLE, which is housed at Tufts University.

“It’s not a matter of apathy when youth turnout is low,” he said. “There’s this perception that voting is easy and it’s straightforward and everyone should be able to figure out how to do it. And that’s not the case.”

Participation skyrocketed to 50% in the 2020 presidential election among voters who are between 18 and 29, up 11 percentage points from the 2016 presidential election, according to a CIRCLE&nbsp;<a href="https://circle.tufts.edu/2020-election-center" target="_blank">analysis</a>.

But the center’s polling&nbsp;<a href="https://circle.tufts.edu/understanding-youth-civic-engagement/dispelling-myths-about-youth-voting#myth:-young-people-just-choose-not-to-vote" target="_blank">shows</a>&nbsp;that young people still face “formidable structural barriers” to participating in the democratic process, including a lack of civic education, neglect by political parties and candidates, and complicated logistics such as not knowing how to register, missing deadlines or even finding transportation to a polling place.

Complications over voter ID in North Carolina showcases some of these barriers, Medina said.

Last month, the North Carolina Court of Appeals&nbsp;<a href="https://www.democracydocket.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/2024-09-27-Order.pdf" target="_blank">ruled</a>&nbsp;that the digital photo ID produced by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, “or any other ‘image of a photo ID, either as a photocopy or a photo on a mobile device,’” was not an acceptable form of ID&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-carolina-university-digital-id-voting-39648168278fe7d5f3439b56c9abfc9b" target="_blank">to vote</a>.

A ruling so late in the election season sent a wave of confusion throughout the state, as colleges that only use digital IDs had to quickly notify students of the rules change and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dukechronicle.com/article/2024/09/duke-university-dukecard-dukevotes-2027-voter-registration-requirement-north-carolina-state-board-of-elections-reject-mobile-id-bryan-center-plaza" target="_blank">offer</a>&nbsp;physical ID cards.

To comply with the 2018 voter ID law, which went into effect in the past year after a prolonged legal battle, campuses already were trying to spread the word and offering free physical IDs. The court ruling increased the urgency.

At Elon University, a private college 30 minutes east of Greensboro, student leaders have put up yard signs and posters, and talked to classes, sororities and fraternities about how to secure a free physical student ID that complies with the state’s election law.

Bo Dalrymple, a student coordinator for the nonpartisan civic engagement campus group&nbsp;<a href="https://www.elon.edu/u/elon-votes/" target="_blank">Elon Votes!</a>, said the messaging campaign was needed since many students are from out of state and don’t have North Carolina driver’s licenses. In most states, students&nbsp;<a href="https://vote.gov/guide-to-voting/college-student" target="_blank">can usually</a>&nbsp;choose whether to vote in their hometown or at their universities, depending on residency requirements.

“There’s a lot of confusion, there’s a lot of speculation or things that you hear,” said Dalrymple, a senior political science and international and global studies double major, who is from North Carolina. “One of our biggest jobs is just cutting through the noise and make sure that these students are informed with the correct policies and the correct rules.”

Enthusiasm is palpable at Arizona State University, said Katie Ritchie, a sophomore public policy and economics double major.

“Presidential campaign messaging toward young people on college campuses like ASU that are so large has been pretty strong,” she said, adding that down-ballot initiatives and races, such as an Arizona ballot question that would enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution, have also added to enthusiasm.

Ritchie and Dalrymple, at Elon University, are student ambassadors for the Andrew Goodman Foundation, a nonpartisan group that promotes civic engagement efforts on their college campuses. The foundation has ambassadors on 66 campuses across 20 states and the District of Columbia.

Arizona State University is one of 150 universities in battleground states that the Harris campaign&nbsp;<a href="https://azmirror.com/2024/08/28/harris-campaign-focuses-on-arizona-in-its-push-to-drive-gen-z-voters-to-the-polls/" target="_blank">has targeted</a>&nbsp;to mobilize Gen Z voters. Recently, cast members from “Grey’s Anatomy” spoke on the Harris campaign’s behalf on campus. Republican U.S. Senate candidate Kari Lake and conservative media personality Charlie Kirk also have&nbsp;<a href="https://www.statepress.com/article/2024/09/kirk-lake-greeks-for-trump" target="_blank">held events</a>&nbsp;for Trump at fraternities.

At the University of Arizona in Tucson, students&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kvoa.com/news/ua-will-not-have-vote-center-on-campus-on-election-day/article_7927a3b0-77e8-11ef-893e-d74a45d039d2.html" target="_blank">have complained</a>&nbsp;there won’t be a vote center on campus on Election Day. Though the nearest vote center will be just off campus — only 800 feet from the campus’s Old Main building — some students worried it could dampen turnout.

While the University of Arizona won’t have a vote center on campus for Election Day, Arizona State University will have one at the fitness center on the Tempe campus,&nbsp;<a href="https://news.asu.edu/20241009-sun-devil-community-voting-made-easy-campus-polling-locations-asu-students" target="_blank">along with ones on the school’s</a>&nbsp;three other campuses. Big signs are already posted outside the fitness center, encouraging students to vote early.

There also have been disputes over putting polling places on college campuses in other states, including Texas, which has a tight U.S. Senate race between Republican incumbent Ted Cruz and Democratic U.S. Rep. Colin Allred.

Last month, the Tarrant County Commissioners Court&nbsp;<a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2024/09/12/tarrant-county-college-voting-location/" target="_blank">rejected</a>&nbsp;a GOP proposal to eliminate college early voting sites, including one at the University of Texas at Arlington.

“They are trying to silence the voice of those most marginalized communities, like young people,” said Claudia Yoli Ferla, executive director of MOVE Texas, a San Antonio-based advocacy group that fought to keep the polling place open on the campus of more than 27,000 undergraduates.

Barriers for college students are not new, said Rashawn Davis, executive director of the Andrew Goodman Foundation. Every state has work to do to make voting more inclusive for young people, he added. But he’s optimistic.

“Right now, we’re at a pivotal point where we see the voices of young people really taking root,” he said, “and some of these issues start to turn the corner.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1660170013868.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Gen Z voters can make a difference in a tight presidential election.</h2>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://stateline.org/author/mvasilogambros/">MATT VASILOGAMBROS</a> <a href="https://stateline.org/">Stateline</a>In the final weeks of the presidential campaign, each side is scouring swing states to get as many voters as possible, including on college campuses. But in some of those crucial states, students face new barriers to casting their ballots.North Carolina election officials are for the first time enforcing a 2018 voter ID law in a general election this November, following court entanglements that had put the law on hold. Universities throughout the state have already been working to ensure students who want to vote have identification, but students in recent weeks&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-carolina-university-digital-id-voting-39648168278fe7d5f3439b56c9abfc9b" target="_blank">found out</a>&nbsp;they can’t use the ubiquitous digital college IDs stored on their cellphones.In states such as&nbsp;<a href="https://tucson.com/news/local/education/college/university-arizona-voting-polling-places-student-associations/article_c3a4947e-7f4b-11ef-8184-fbdb2a449781.html" target="_blank">Arizona</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/news/government/politics-elections/2024/10/03/purdue-loses-long-standing-campus-polling-place" target="_blank">Indiana</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.keranews.org/government/2024-09-09/tarrant-county-early-voting-at-colleges" target="_blank">Texas</a>, students have expressed concern over a lack of polling places on college campuses.And in Georgia, officials at Emory University in Atlanta mistakenly gave students&nbsp;<a href="https://georgiarecorder.com/2024/10/03/told-its-voter-initiatives-georgia-registration-info-was-wrong-emory-to-alert-students-via-email/" target="_blank">incorrect guidance</a>&nbsp;on which campus address to provide on voter registration forms, opening the students up to having their registrations challenged when voting.Nearly 41 million Generation Z Americans are eligible to vote in November’s election,&nbsp;<a href="https://circle.tufts.edu/index.php/latest-research/41-million-members-gen-z-will-be-eligible-vote-2024" target="_blank">according to</a>&nbsp;the Center for Information &amp; Research on Civic Learning and Engagement, a research organization known as CIRCLE that focuses on young people. That large voting bloc could make the difference in an election that will likely be determined by small margins.But voting laws differ by state, and access varies from campus to campus for the&nbsp;<a href="https://educationdata.org/college-enrollment-statistics" target="_blank">roughly 18 million students</a>&nbsp;in undergraduate and graduate programs. Add the complexity of last-minute changes to election laws, including an increasing number of states implementing voter ID, and that confusion can hurt participation, said Alberto Medina, a spokesperson for CIRCLE, which is housed at Tufts University.“It’s not a matter of apathy when youth turnout is low,” he said. “There’s this perception that voting is easy and it’s straightforward and everyone should be able to figure out how to do it. And that’s not the case.”Participation skyrocketed to 50% in the 2020 presidential election among voters who are between 18 and 29, up 11 percentage points from the 2016 presidential election, according to a CIRCLE&nbsp;<a href="https://circle.tufts.edu/2020-election-center" target="_blank">analysis</a>.But the center’s polling&nbsp;<a href="https://circle.tufts.edu/understanding-youth-civic-engagement/dispelling-myths-about-youth-voting#myth:-young-people-just-choose-not-to-vote" target="_blank">shows</a>&nbsp;that young people still face “formidable structural barriers” to participating in the democratic process, including a lack of civic education, neglect by political parties and candidates, and complicated logistics such as not knowing how to register, missing deadlines or even finding transportation to a polling place.Complications over voter ID in North Carolina showcases some of these barriers, Medina said.<h2>North Carolina confusion</h2>Last month, the North Carolina Court of Appeals&nbsp;<a href="https://www.democracydocket.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/2024-09-27-Order.pdf" target="_blank">ruled</a>&nbsp;that the digital photo ID produced by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, “or any other ‘image of a photo ID, either as a photocopy or a photo on a mobile device,’” was not an acceptable form of ID&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-carolina-university-digital-id-voting-39648168278fe7d5f3439b56c9abfc9b" target="_blank">to vote</a>.A ruling so late in the election season sent a wave of confusion throughout the state, as colleges that only use digital IDs had to quickly notify students of the rules change and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dukechronicle.com/article/2024/09/duke-university-dukecard-dukevotes-2027-voter-registration-requirement-north-carolina-state-board-of-elections-reject-mobile-id-bryan-center-plaza" target="_blank">offer</a>&nbsp;physical ID cards.To comply with the 2018 voter ID law, which went into effect in the past year after a prolonged legal battle, campuses already were trying to spread the word and offering free physical IDs. The court ruling increased the urgency.At Elon University, a private college 30 minutes east of Greensboro, student leaders have put up yard signs and posters, and talked to classes, sororities and fraternities about how to secure a free physical student ID that complies with the state’s election law.Bo Dalrymple, a student coordinator for the nonpartisan civic engagement campus group&nbsp;<a href="https://www.elon.edu/u/elon-votes/" target="_blank">Elon Votes!</a>, said the messaging campaign was needed since many students are from out of state and don’t have North Carolina driver’s licenses. In most states, students&nbsp;<a href="https://vote.gov/guide-to-voting/college-student" target="_blank">can usually</a>&nbsp;choose whether to vote in their hometown or at their universities, depending on residency requirements.“There’s a lot of confusion, there’s a lot of speculation or things that you hear,” said Dalrymple, a senior political science and international and global studies double major, who is from North Carolina. “One of our biggest jobs is just cutting through the noise and make sure that these students are informed with the correct policies and the correct rules.”A ruling so late in the election season sent a wave of confusion throughout the state, as colleges that only use digital IDs had to quickly notify students of the rules change and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dukechronicle.com/article/2024/09/duke-university-dukecard-dukevotes-2027-voter-registration-requirement-north-carolina-state-board-of-elections-reject-mobile-id-bryan-center-plaza" target="_blank">offer</a>&nbsp;physical ID cards.To comply with the 2018 voter ID law, which went into effect in the past year after a prolonged legal battle, campuses already were trying to spread the word and offering free physical IDs. The court ruling increased the urgency.At Elon University, a private college 30 minutes east of Greensboro, student leaders have put up yard signs and posters, and talked to classes, sororities and fraternities about how to secure a free physical student ID that complies with the state’s election law.Bo Dalrymple, a student coordinator for the nonpartisan civic engagement campus group&nbsp;<a href="https://www.elon.edu/u/elon-votes/" target="_blank">Elon Votes!</a>, said the messaging campaign was needed since many students are from out of state and don’t have North Carolina driver’s licenses. In most states, students&nbsp;<a href="https://vote.gov/guide-to-voting/college-student" target="_blank">can usually</a>&nbsp;choose whether to vote in their hometown or at their universities, depending on residency requirements.“There’s a lot of confusion, there’s a lot of speculation or things that you hear,” said Dalrymple, a senior political science and international and global studies double major, who is from North Carolina. “One of our biggest jobs is just cutting through the noise and make sure that these students are informed with the correct policies and the correct rules.”Enthusiasm is palpable at Arizona State University, said Katie Ritchie, a sophomore public policy and economics double major.“Presidential campaign messaging toward young people on college campuses like ASU that are so large has been pretty strong,” she said, adding that down-ballot initiatives and races, such as an Arizona ballot question that would enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution, have also added to enthusiasm.Ritchie and Dalrymple, at Elon University, are student ambassadors for the Andrew Goodman Foundation, a nonpartisan group that promotes civic engagement efforts on their college campuses. The foundation has ambassadors on 66 campuses across 20 states and the District of Columbia.Arizona State University is one of 150 universities in battleground states that the Harris campaign&nbsp;<a href="https://azmirror.com/2024/08/28/harris-campaign-focuses-on-arizona-in-its-push-to-drive-gen-z-voters-to-the-polls/" target="_blank">has targeted</a>&nbsp;to mobilize Gen Z voters. Recently, cast members from “Grey’s Anatomy” spoke on the Harris campaign’s behalf on campus. Republican U.S. Senate candidate Kari Lake and conservative media personality Charlie Kirk also have&nbsp;<a href="https://www.statepress.com/article/2024/09/kirk-lake-greeks-for-trump" target="_blank">held events</a>&nbsp;for Trump at fraternities.At the University of Arizona in Tucson, students&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kvoa.com/news/ua-will-not-have-vote-center-on-campus-on-election-day/article_7927a3b0-77e8-11ef-893e-d74a45d039d2.html" target="_blank">have complained</a>&nbsp;there won’t be a vote center on campus on Election Day. Though the nearest vote center will be just off campus — only 800 feet from the campus’s Old Main building — some students worried it could dampen turnout.While the University of Arizona won’t have a vote center on campus for Election Day, Arizona State University will have one at the fitness center on the Tempe campus,&nbsp;<a href="https://news.asu.edu/20241009-sun-devil-community-voting-made-easy-campus-polling-locations-asu-students" target="_blank">along with ones on the school’s</a>&nbsp;three other campuses. Big signs are already posted outside the fitness center, encouraging students to vote early.There also have been disputes over putting polling places on college campuses in other states, including Texas, which has a tight U.S. Senate race between Republican incumbent Ted Cruz and Democratic U.S. Rep. Colin Allred.Last month, the Tarrant County Commissioners Court&nbsp;<a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2024/09/12/tarrant-county-college-voting-location/" target="_blank">rejected</a>&nbsp;a GOP proposal to eliminate college early voting sites, including one at the University of Texas at Arlington.“They are trying to silence the voice of those most marginalized communities, like young people,” said Claudia Yoli Ferla, executive director of MOVE Texas, a San Antonio-based advocacy group that fought to keep the polling place open on the campus of more than 27,000 undergraduates.Barriers for college students are not new, said Rashawn Davis, executive director of the Andrew Goodman Foundation. Every state has work to do to make voting more inclusive for young people, he added. But he’s optimistic.“Right now, we’re at a pivotal point where we see the voices of young people really taking root,” he said, “and some of these issues start to turn the corner.”

College students fight barriers to casting ballots as early voting begins

CHEROKEE COUNTY—One person died in an accident just before 4p.m. Saturday in Cherokee County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2018 Ford Explorer driven by&nbsp; Maryann E.&nbsp;Atkinson, 35, Columbus, Kansas, was westbound on Southeast Greenlawn Road at Southeast 20th Street one mile north of U.S. 166.

The driver failed to stop for the stop sign.&nbsp; A northbound 1996 Ford van driven by Charla B. King, 37, Columbus, struck the Explorer.

A passenger in the Explorer identified as Matthew C. Atkinson, 36, Columbus, Kansas, was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported to Derfelt Funeral Home.&nbsp; &nbsp;EMS transported Atkinson to Freeman West Hospital.&nbsp; King and four juveniles in the van had minor injuries. The patrol did not report where they were treated. Atkinson was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.

CHEROKEE COUNTY—One person died in an accident just before 4p.m. Saturday in Cherokee County.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2018 Ford Explorer driven by&nbsp; Maryann E.&nbsp;Atkinson, 35, Columbus, Kansas, was westbound on Southeast Greenlawn Road at Southeast 20th Street one mile north of U.S. 166.The driver failed to stop for the stop sign.&nbsp; A northbound 1996 Ford van driven by Charla B. King, 37, Columbus, struck the Explorer.A passenger in the Explorer identified as Matthew C. Atkinson, 36, Columbus, Kansas, was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported to Derfelt Funeral Home.&nbsp; &nbsp;EMS transported Atkinson to Freeman West Hospital.&nbsp; King and four juveniles in the van had minor injuries. The patrol did not report where they were treated. Atkinson was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.

Kan. man dead, 2 adults and 4 children injured after van, SUV crash

SEDGWICK COUNTY —A Kansas man accused in an altercation that left&nbsp;30-year-old Marco Gonzales-Arias dead made his first court appearance on Thursday.

Armando Martinez, 22,&nbsp; is charged with second-degree murder, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's Office.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Just after midnight October 12, police responded to the Emery Gardens apartment complex in the the 4200 block of S. Hydraulic in Wichita.

First responders found&nbsp; Gonzales-Arias suffering from a gunshot wound. EMS transported him to a local hospital and he was pronounced deceased.&nbsp;

Martinez suffered stab wound and fled the scene. Police located him, took him to a local hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries. Just after 7p.m. October 12, he was booked into the Sedgwick County Jail. He is being held on a $500,000 bond, according to the district attorney's office.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/10/1729268421103.png" alt="Martinez photo Sedgwick County" />
 <figcaption>Martinez photo Sedgwick County</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY —A Kansas man accused in an altercation that left&nbsp;30-year-old Marco Gonzales-Arias dead made his first court appearance on Thursday.Armando Martinez, 22,&nbsp; is charged with second-degree murder, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's Office.&nbsp;&nbsp;Just after midnight October 12, police responded to the Emery Gardens apartment complex in the the 4200 block of S. Hydraulic in Wichita.First responders found&nbsp; Gonzales-Arias suffering from a gunshot wound. EMS transported him to a local hospital and he was pronounced deceased.&nbsp;Martinez suffered stab wound and fled the scene. Police located him, took him to a local hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries. Just after 7p.m. October 12, he was booked into the Sedgwick County Jail. He is being held on a $500,000 bond, according to the district attorney's office.

Kan. man stabbed in deadly altercation charged with murder

KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement are investigating a hit-and-run incident involving a bus that sent a pedestrian to the hospital with life-threatening injuries.

The pedestrian was inside a marked crosswalk, crossing 6th Street at Wyandotte from south to north, according to KCPD Sergeant Phil DiMartino.

A white unknown type of passenger bus was making a left turn from southbound Wyandotte to eastbound 6th Street. The bus struck and ran over the pedestrian and then left the scene without stopping. 

EMS transported the pedestrian was transported to a local hospital in critical condition.&nbsp; Just after 6p.m. police reported the bus had been located and the driver was cooperating.

Check the Post for additional details as they become available.

KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement are investigating a hit-and-run incident involving a bus that sent a pedestrian to the hospital with life-threatening injuries.The pedestrian was inside a marked crosswalk, crossing 6th Street at Wyandotte from south to north, according to KCPD Sergeant Phil DiMartino.A white unknown type of passenger bus was making a left turn from southbound Wyandotte to eastbound 6th Street. The bus struck and ran over the pedestrian and then left the scene without stopping. EMS transported the pedestrian was transported to a local hospital in critical condition.&nbsp; Just after 6p.m. police reported the bus had been located and the driver was cooperating.Check the Post for additional details as they become available.

KCPD: Bus ran over pedestrian in marked crosswalk

KANSAS CITY, KAN. – A Missouri woman pleaded guilty to charges related to criminal conduct connected to a federal government program intended to help small business owners during the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to court documents, Venester Fayne, 57, of Kansas City, Missouri, pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering.

In May 2020, Fayne applied to the Payroll Protection Program (PPP) on behalf of a company she controlled. She admitted that to receive the PPP loans, she submitted fraudulent federal income tax documents with false information about the amount of the company’s gross sales. The documents had never been filed with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

Federal law requires borrowers to use PPP funds only for certain qualified expenses. Fayne spent most of the money she received on personal expenses like jewelry and other luxury items.

In addition to the PPP loans, Fayne fraudulently obtained an Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EDIL) loan through the U.S. Small Business Administration for a total of $600,284 in fraudulent PPP and EIDL loans.

Fayne is scheduled to be sentenced on February 18, 2025, and faces a maximum penalty of 30 years n prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The U.S. Secret Service is investigating the case.

KANSAS CITY, KAN. – A Missouri woman pleaded guilty to charges related to criminal conduct connected to a federal government program intended to help small business owners during the COVID-19 pandemic.According to court documents, Venester Fayne, 57, of Kansas City, Missouri, pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering.In May 2020, Fayne applied to the Payroll Protection Program (PPP) on behalf of a company she controlled. She admitted that to receive the PPP loans, she submitted fraudulent federal income tax documents with false information about the amount of the company’s gross sales. The documents had never been filed with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).Federal law requires borrowers to use PPP funds only for certain qualified expenses. Fayne spent most of the money she received on personal expenses like jewelry and other luxury items.In addition to the PPP loans, Fayne fraudulently obtained an Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EDIL) loan through the U.S. Small Business Administration for a total of $600,284 in fraudulent PPP and EIDL loans.Fayne is scheduled to be sentenced on February 18, 2025, and faces a maximum penalty of 30 years n prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.The U.S. Secret Service is investigating the case.

KC woman admits using Paycheck Protection funds on jewelry, luxury items

<a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search/?query=byline:%22DAVID%20SHARP%20and%20NICK%20PERRY%22&amp;mediaType=text&amp;st=keyword&amp;sortOrder=newest">By DAVID SHARP and NICK PERRY &nbsp;Associated Press</a>

Some 200,000 mail carriers have reached a tentative contract deal with the U.S. Postal Service that includes backdated pay raises and a promise to provide workers with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/postal-service-next-generation-delivery-vehicle-a2ebbfc7afec0eea2e036eef93bee4d9">air-conditioned trucks</a>.

The new agreement, which still needs to be ratified by union members, runs through Nov. 2026. Letter deliverers have been working without a contract since May 2023.

Both the union and the Postal Service welcomed the agreement, which was announced Friday.

“Both sides didn’t get everything they wanted. But by bargaining in good faith, we ended with an agreement that meets our goals and rewards our members," Brian Renfroe, the president of the National Association of Letter Carriers, told The Associated Press. “To make that happen, the Postal Service had to recognize the contributions of members to the Postal Service and the American people.”

Among other improvements, the deal increases the top pay and reduces the amount of time it takes new workers to reach that level, Renfroe said. He credited Postmaster General Louis DeJoy and his deputy for bargaining in good faith throughout the arduous process.

The Postal Service said the agreement supported its 10-year ‘Delivering for America’ mission to modernize operations and adapt to changing customer needs.

“This is a fair and responsible agreement that serves the best interest of our employees, our customers and the future of the Postal Service,” said Doug Tulino, the deputy postmaster general and chief human resources officer.

As part of the agreement, all city carriers will get three annual pay increases of 1.3% each by 2025, some of which will be paid retroactively from Nov. 2023. Workers will also receive retroactive and future cost-of-living adjustments.

There is also a commitment from the Postal Service to “make every effort” to provide mail trucks with air-conditioning.

The Postal Service in summer began rolling out its new electric delivery vehicles, which come equipped with air-conditioning. While the trucks won't win any beauty contests, they did get rave reviews from letter carriers accustomed to older vehicles that lack modern safety features and are prone to breaking down — and even catching fire.

Within a few years, the new delivery fleet will have expanded to 60,000, most of them electric models, serving as the Postal Service’s primary delivery truck from Maine to Hawaii.

Under the tentative contract agreement, the Postal Service must discuss with the union any plans to buy new mail trucks that don’t have air-conditioning.

This is the second contract negotiated since DeJoy was appointed postmaster general in 2020. It is expected to take several weeks for union members to ratify the contract. Rural mail deliverers aren't covered by the contract because they are represented by a different union.

<a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search/?query=byline:%22DAVID%20SHARP%20and%20NICK%20PERRY%22&amp;mediaType=text&amp;st=keyword&amp;sortOrder=newest">By DAVID SHARP and NICK PERRY &nbsp;Associated Press</a>Some 200,000 mail carriers have reached a tentative contract deal with the U.S. Postal Service that includes backdated pay raises and a promise to provide workers with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/postal-service-next-generation-delivery-vehicle-a2ebbfc7afec0eea2e036eef93bee4d9">air-conditioned trucks</a>.The new agreement, which still needs to be ratified by union members, runs through Nov. 2026. Letter deliverers have been working without a contract since May 2023.Both the union and the Postal Service welcomed the agreement, which was announced Friday.“Both sides didn’t get everything they wanted. But by bargaining in good faith, we ended with an agreement that meets our goals and rewards our members," Brian Renfroe, the president of the National Association of Letter Carriers, told The Associated Press. “To make that happen, the Postal Service had to recognize the contributions of members to the Postal Service and the American people.”Among other improvements, the deal increases the top pay and reduces the amount of time it takes new workers to reach that level, Renfroe said. He credited Postmaster General Louis DeJoy and his deputy for bargaining in good faith throughout the arduous process.The Postal Service said the agreement supported its 10-year ‘Delivering for America’ mission to modernize operations and adapt to changing customer needs.“This is a fair and responsible agreement that serves the best interest of our employees, our customers and the future of the Postal Service,” said Doug Tulino, the deputy postmaster general and chief human resources officer.As part of the agreement, all city carriers will get three annual pay increases of 1.3% each by 2025, some of which will be paid retroactively from Nov. 2023. Workers will also receive retroactive and future cost-of-living adjustments.There is also a commitment from the Postal Service to “make every effort” to provide mail trucks with air-conditioning.The Postal Service in summer began rolling out its new electric delivery vehicles, which come equipped with air-conditioning. While the trucks won't win any beauty contests, they did get rave reviews from letter carriers accustomed to older vehicles that lack modern safety features and are prone to breaking down — and even catching fire.Within a few years, the new delivery fleet will have expanded to 60,000, most of them electric models, serving as the Postal Service’s primary delivery truck from Maine to Hawaii.Under the tentative contract agreement, the Postal Service must discuss with the union any plans to buy new mail trucks that don’t have air-conditioning.This is the second contract negotiated since DeJoy was appointed postmaster general in 2020. It is expected to take several weeks for union members to ratify the contract. Rural mail deliverers aren't covered by the contract because they are represented by a different union.