<a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search/?query=byline:%22HEATHER%20HOLLINGSWORTH%22&amp;mediaType=text&amp;st=keyword&amp;sortOrder=newest">By HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTH </a>

<a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search/?query=byline:%22HEATHER%20HOLLINGSWORTH%22&amp;mediaType=text&amp;st=keyword&amp;sortOrder=newest"></a>MISSION, Kan. (AP) — An inmate whose escape from a Kansas prison hidden in a dog crate became the subject of a book and TV movie has died behind bars.

John Manard, who was 45, died Sunday at the La Palma Correctional Facility, a private prison in Eloy, Arizona, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections. His cause of death is pending the result of an autopsy, department spokesperson Jennifer King said.

Manard was serving a life sentence for a suburban Kansas City killing at a prison in Lansing, Kansas, when he met Toby Young, a married mother of two who worked helping prisoners train animals for adoption. They struck up a romantic relationship.

On Feb. 12, 2006, Young, then 47, hid Manard, then 27, in a crate and helped him escape.

Prison officials said she took advantage of the trust she gained while running the program to drive Manard out of the prison. A guard who recognized Young did not thoroughly search the van.

Young and Manard were captured 12 days after the escape in east Tennessee on Interstate 75 between Knoxville and Chattanooga, about 90 miles (145 kilometers) south of a remote cabin they had been sharing.

Young, whose husband filed for divorce after her arrest, was sentenced in state court for her role in breaking Manard out. She also pleaded guilty in federal court to giving him a gun. She was freed in 2008 and wrote about what happened in the book, “Living With Conviction.”

“John is finally free. But I am crushed,” Young, who has since remarried and goes by Toby Dorr, said in a Facebook&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/toby.dorr/posts/pfbid0yC8wj6SPedGm5Amke8mUU2PL9n7KnURqGTEkQnhcVz5f9DTnJ6u1iG47KbTjsbhEl">post</a>&nbsp;Wednesday. “I pray you have at last found the peace you were searching for, John.”

The escape story also was featured on “Dateline” and is the inspiration behind the Lifetime movie, “Jailbreak Lovers.”

In a March 2006 letter to a Kansas City television station, Manard said he and Young “have a fairytale love the size of infinity.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1724950333943.png" alt="Manard photo KDOC" />
 <figcaption>Manard photo KDOC</figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search/?query=byline:%22HEATHER%20HOLLINGSWORTH%22&amp;mediaType=text&amp;st=keyword&amp;sortOrder=newest">By HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTH </a><a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search/?query=byline:%22HEATHER%20HOLLINGSWORTH%22&amp;mediaType=text&amp;st=keyword&amp;sortOrder=newest"></a>MISSION, Kan. (AP) — An inmate whose escape from a Kansas prison hidden in a dog crate became the subject of a book and TV movie has died behind bars.John Manard, who was 45, died Sunday at the La Palma Correctional Facility, a private prison in Eloy, Arizona, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections. His cause of death is pending the result of an autopsy, department spokesperson Jennifer King said.Manard was serving a life sentence for a suburban Kansas City killing at a prison in Lansing, Kansas, when he met Toby Young, a married mother of two who worked helping prisoners train animals for adoption. They struck up a romantic relationship.On Feb. 12, 2006, Young, then 47, hid Manard, then 27, in a crate and helped him escape.Prison officials said she took advantage of the trust she gained while running the program to drive Manard out of the prison. A guard who recognized Young did not thoroughly search the van.Young and Manard were captured 12 days after the escape in east Tennessee on Interstate 75 between Knoxville and Chattanooga, about 90 miles (145 kilometers) south of a remote cabin they had been sharing.Young, whose husband filed for divorce after her arrest, was sentenced in state court for her role in breaking Manard out. She also pleaded guilty in federal court to giving him a gun. She was freed in 2008 and wrote about what happened in the book, “Living With Conviction.”“John is finally free. But I am crushed,” Young, who has since remarried and goes by Toby Dorr, said in a Facebook&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/toby.dorr/posts/pfbid0yC8wj6SPedGm5Amke8mUU2PL9n7KnURqGTEkQnhcVz5f9DTnJ6u1iG47KbTjsbhEl">post</a>&nbsp;Wednesday. “I pray you have at last found the peace you were searching for, John.”The escape story also was featured on “Dateline” and is the inspiration behind the Lifetime movie, “Jailbreak Lovers.”In a March 2006 letter to a Kansas City television station, Manard said he and Young “have a fairytale love the size of infinity.”

Man whose escaped from Kan. prison in dog crate dies behind bars

JACKSON COUNTY—Law enforcement are investigating two suspects including a Kansas felon on drug allegations.

Just after 8:30a.m.&nbsp; August 25, a Sheriff’s Deputy conducted a traffic stop in rural Jackson on a Mazda pickup truck for a traffic infraction, according to Sheriff Tim Morse. The vehicle occupants were identified as Timothy Charles Krogman, 66, and&nbsp;William Joseph Stewart, 70, both of Sabetha.

During the traffic stop a probable cause search was conducted for illegal drugs or narcotics.

Krogman was arrested on requested charges of possession of methamphetamine, possession of THC, possession of drug paraphernalia, trafficking contraband into correctional facility, and interference with law enforcement; conceal/alter/destroy evidence in felony case. He has three previous drug convictions, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.

Stewart was arrested on requested charges of possession of methamphetamine, and possession of drug paraphernalia.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1724705033034.png" alt="Stewart -photo Jackson Co." />
 <figcaption>Stewart -photo Jackson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>JACKSON COUNTY—Law enforcement are investigating two suspects including a Kansas felon on drug allegations.Just after 8:30a.m.&nbsp; August 25, a Sheriff’s Deputy conducted a traffic stop in rural Jackson on a Mazda pickup truck for a traffic infraction, according to Sheriff Tim Morse. The vehicle occupants were identified as Timothy Charles Krogman, 66, and&nbsp;William Joseph Stewart, 70, both of Sabetha.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1724705008444.png" alt="Krogman has three previous drug convictions, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections- photo Jackson Co." />
 <figcaption>Krogman has three previous drug convictions, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections- photo Jackson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>During the traffic stop a probable cause search was conducted for illegal drugs or narcotics.Krogman was arrested on requested charges of possession of methamphetamine, possession of THC, possession of drug paraphernalia, trafficking contraband into correctional facility, and interference with law enforcement; conceal/alter/destroy evidence in felony case. He has three previous drug convictions, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.Stewart was arrested on requested charges of possession of methamphetamine, and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Kansas felon accused of new drug violations

MONTGOMERY COUNTY —A Kansas teen died in an accident just after 7:30a.m. Thursday in Montgomery County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported an electric scooter driven by Noah Edward&nbsp;Corish, 18, Independence, Kansas, was westbound on Chestnut Street at&nbsp;Pennsylvania Street in the city of Independence.

The teen failed to yield to a 2001 Chevy Silverado driven by Brent Alan&nbsp;Heuer, 39, Elk City, Kansas, who was turning northbound from Chestnut onto Pennsylvania. The pickup struck the electric scooter in the intersection.

&nbsp; EMS transported Corish to Labette Health where was pronounced deceased just after 11a.m.&nbsp; Heuer was not injured and properly restrained.&nbsp; Corish was not wearing a helmet, according to the KHP.

MONTGOMERY COUNTY —A Kansas teen died in an accident just after 7:30a.m. Thursday in Montgomery County.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported an electric scooter driven by Noah Edward&nbsp;Corish, 18, Independence, Kansas, was westbound on Chestnut Street at&nbsp;Pennsylvania Street in the city of Independence.The teen failed to yield to a 2001 Chevy Silverado driven by Brent Alan&nbsp;Heuer, 39, Elk City, Kansas, who was turning northbound from Chestnut onto Pennsylvania. The pickup struck the electric scooter in the intersection.&nbsp; EMS transported Corish to Labette Health where was pronounced deceased just after 11a.m.&nbsp; Heuer was not injured and properly restrained.&nbsp; Corish was not wearing a helmet, according to the KHP.

Kansas teen dies after pickup strikes electric scooter

WASHINGTON (AP) — An Arlington National Cemetery official was “abruptly pushed aside” in an altercation with former President Donald Trump’s staff during a wreath-laying ceremony to honor service members killed in the Afghanistan War withdrawal, but she declined to press charges, an Army spokesman said Thursday.

The Army spokesman said the cemetery employee was trying to make sure those participating in Monday's wreath-laying ceremony to mark the third anniversary of the attack were following the rules, which “clearly prohibit political activities on cemetery grounds.”

A TikTok video of the visit that was later shared by Trump shows scenes of him at the cemetery and includes a voiceover of the Republican presidential nominee blaming the Biden administration for the “disaster” of the Afghanistan withdrawal.

“This employee acted with professionalism and avoided further disruption,” the Army spokesman's statement said. “This incident was unfortunate, and it is also unfortunate that the ANC employee and her professionalism has been unfairly attacked.”

The incident was reported to the police, but because the employee decided not to press charges, the Army said it considered the matter closed. In response, Chris LaCivita, a top Trump campaign adviser, re-sent a video of Trump at Arlington that he had first put up on X three days ago, adding the message, “Reposting this hoping to trigger the hacks at @SecArmy.”

The controversy comes as Trump has been working to tie his Democratic opponent, Vice President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/kamala-harris">Kamala Harris,</a>&nbsp;to the chaos of the Afghanistan War withdrawal with just over two months until Election Day. The suicide bombing at the Kabul airport, which killed 13 American service members and more than 170 Afghans on Aug. 26, 2021, was one of the lowest points of the Biden administration and followed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/afghanistan-biden-government-and-politics-donald-trump-7cef514c6cc96848f61a9e8b7fcdf263">a withdrawal commitment</a>&nbsp;and timeline that the Trump administration had negotiated with the Taliban the previous year.

Families of three of the slain service members had invited Trump to the ceremony, saying the former president knew their children's stories and blaming the Biden administration for their deaths. Some of the families of these service members spoke out in support of Trump at the Republican National Convention in July, in part to blunt criticism that Trump wasn't supportive enough of veterans.

The family members initially struggled to arrange Trump's visit to the cemetery, according to a spokesperson for U.S. Rep. Mike McCaul, a Texas Republican who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Committee. The families had reached out to McCaul because the cemetery had been giving them “a hard time” about coordinating the ceremony with Trump, McCaul’s spokesperson Leslie Shedd said Thursday.

The families said the Army would only allow the ceremony at a specific time that did not work for everyone’s schedule, among other conditions, Shedd said. McCaul then reached out to House Speaker Mike Johnson for assistance and tracked the matter until it was resolved, Shedd said.

“I was furious to hear their request to have President Trump join them to commemorate the anniversary of Taylor’s death was being stymied, along with several of the other family members of U.S. servicemembers killed at Abbey Gate,” McCaul said in a statement. “Gold Star families have already suffered enough.”

The Trump campaign has been facing blowback since an NPR report said that two Trump campaign staff members on Monday had “verbally abused and pushed” aside a cemetery official who tried to stop them from filming and photographing in Section 60, the burial site for military personnel killed while fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Federal law prohibits campaign or election-related activities within Army national military cemeteries. A defense official, speaking to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive matter, said the Trump campaign was warned about not taking photographs in Section 60 before their arrival and the altercation.

The Trump campaign has claimed the Republican presidential nominee’s team was granted access to have a photographer, contested the allegation that a campaign staffer had pushed the cemetery official and pushed back on any notion that the cemetery official had been unfairly targeted.

“This individual was the one who initiated physical contact and verbal harassment that was unwarranted and unnecessary,” Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung said Thursday. “As the Army has said, they consider this matter closed. President Trump was there to support the Gold Star families and honor the sacrifices their loved ones made. Where was Kamala Harris?”

The Trump campaign has also posted a message signed by relatives of two of the service members killed in the bombing that said “the president and his team conducted themselves with nothing but the utmost respect and dignity for all of our service members, especially our beloved children.”

Photos of the cemetery visit showed Trump standing by the graves and flashing a thumbs-up sign next to relatives of Staff Sgt. Darin Taylor Hoover and Sgt. Nicole Gee. He also laid wreaths for Staff Sgt. Ryan Knauss, whose family was not present.

The family of a decorated Green Beret whose grave appeared in the photos of Trump's visit issued a statement expressing support for the families who lost loved ones in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/europe-france-evacuations-kabul-9e457201e5bbe75a4eb1901fedeee7a1">the Kabul airport bombing</a>, but asking for understanding for the concerns from relatives of service members whose graves were near them.

“We hope that those visiting this sacred site understand that these were real people who sacrificed for our freedom and that they are honored and respected accordingly,” said the statement, which was sent by the sister of Silver Star recipient Master Sgt. Andrew C. Marckesano, who died in 2020, on behalf of the family.

The TikTok video shared by Trump shows several clips of his visit to the cemetery. As a guitar strums in the background, there is a voiceover of him saying: “We lost great, great people. What a horrible day it was. We didn’t lose one person in 18 months, and then they took over. That disaster, the leaving of Afghanistan.”

The 18-month stretch without any combat deaths in Afghanistan included about six months of the Biden administration.

Fred Wellman, a 22-year Army veteran who served in Iraq and who is supporting Harris for president, said it was a mistake for the Army to put all of the weight on the Arlington National Cemetery staffer and let the issue go after the staffer decided not to press charges.

“Everyone who is a veteran who served since 9/11 is one to two degrees of separation from someone buried in Section 60,” he said. “The Army is the keeper of that place for us."

A&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/afghanistan-islamic-state-group-bombings-kabul-taliban-80dde38aa7c28451b2dc55b466e31228">Pentagon investigation into the deadly attack</a>&nbsp;concluded that the suicide bomber acted alone and that those killings were not preventable. But critics have slammed the Biden administration for the catastrophic evacuation, saying it should have started earlier than it did.

Allison Jaslow, a former Army captain who leads the nonpartisan advocacy organization Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, applauded when Trump and Harris picked military veterans as their running mates. But she said aspiring elected officials should not campaign at Arlington National Cemetery.

WASHINGTON (AP) — An Arlington National Cemetery official was “abruptly pushed aside” in an altercation with former President Donald Trump’s staff during a wreath-laying ceremony to honor service members killed in the Afghanistan War withdrawal, but she declined to press charges, an Army spokesman said Thursday.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">From the families of the 13 Armed Service members who perished at Abbey Gate because of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris’ incompetence. <a href="https://t.co/Cj5N5U0bkj">pic.twitter.com/Cj5N5U0bkj</a>&mdash; Rep. Brian Mast (@RepBrianMast) <a href="https://twitter.com/RepBrianMast/status/1828819107015516660?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 28, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The Army spokesman said the cemetery employee was trying to make sure those participating in Monday's wreath-laying ceremony to mark the third anniversary of the attack were following the rules, which “clearly prohibit political activities on cemetery grounds.”<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/DeptofDefense?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DeptofDefense</a> Spokesperson <a href="https://twitter.com/sabrinasingh24?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@sabrinasingh24</a> on altercation at <a href="https://twitter.com/ArlingtonNatl?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ArlingtonNatl</a> between Trump campaign staff and a cemetery staff member: &quot;What happened earlier this week is very unfortunate...We stand behind the Army in considering this matter closed.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/1N4ghCa4rX">pic.twitter.com/1N4ghCa4rX</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1829236022397354197?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 29, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>A TikTok video of the visit that was later shared by Trump shows scenes of him at the cemetery and includes a voiceover of the Republican presidential nominee blaming the Biden administration for the “disaster” of the Afghanistan withdrawal.“This employee acted with professionalism and avoided further disruption,” the Army spokesman's statement said. “This incident was unfortunate, and it is also unfortunate that the ANC employee and her professionalism has been unfairly attacked.”<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">I joined President Trump to lay wreaths at Arlington National Cemetery in remembrance of the 13 heroes we lost at Abbey Gate. We lost these heroes because of the ignorance and arrogance of politicians, like Kamala Harris &amp; Joe Biden, who treat America&#39;s warriors as disposable. <a href="https://t.co/PoLEEgPaa2">pic.twitter.com/PoLEEgPaa2</a>&mdash; Rep. Brian Mast (@RepBrianMast) <a href="https://twitter.com/RepBrianMast/status/1828102812267598022?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 26, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The incident was reported to the police, but because the employee decided not to press charges, the Army said it considered the matter closed. In response, Chris LaCivita, a top Trump campaign adviser, re-sent a video of Trump at Arlington that he had first put up on X three days ago, adding the message, “Reposting this hoping to trigger the hacks at @SecArmy.”The controversy comes as Trump has been working to tie his Democratic opponent, Vice President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/kamala-harris">Kamala Harris,</a>&nbsp;to the chaos of the Afghanistan War withdrawal with just over two months until Election Day. The suicide bombing at the Kabul airport, which killed 13 American service members and more than 170 Afghans on Aug. 26, 2021, was one of the lowest points of the Biden administration and followed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/afghanistan-biden-government-and-politics-donald-trump-7cef514c6cc96848f61a9e8b7fcdf263">a withdrawal commitment</a>&nbsp;and timeline that the Trump administration had negotiated with the Taliban the previous year.Families of three of the slain service members had invited Trump to the ceremony, saying the former president knew their children's stories and blaming the Biden administration for their deaths. Some of the families of these service members spoke out in support of Trump at the Republican National Convention in July, in part to blunt criticism that Trump wasn't supportive enough of veterans.The family members initially struggled to arrange Trump's visit to the cemetery, according to a spokesperson for U.S. Rep. Mike McCaul, a Texas Republican who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Committee. The families had reached out to McCaul because the cemetery had been giving them “a hard time” about coordinating the ceremony with Trump, McCaul’s spokesperson Leslie Shedd said Thursday.The families said the Army would only allow the ceremony at a specific time that did not work for everyone’s schedule, among other conditions, Shedd said. McCaul then reached out to House Speaker Mike Johnson for assistance and tracked the matter until it was resolved, Shedd said.“I was furious to hear their request to have President Trump join them to commemorate the anniversary of Taylor’s death was being stymied, along with several of the other family members of U.S. servicemembers killed at Abbey Gate,” McCaul said in a statement. “Gold Star families have already suffered enough.”The Trump campaign has been facing blowback since an NPR report said that two Trump campaign staff members on Monday had “verbally abused and pushed” aside a cemetery official who tried to stop them from filming and photographing in Section 60, the burial site for military personnel killed while fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq.Federal law prohibits campaign or election-related activities within Army national military cemeteries. A defense official, speaking to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive matter, said the Trump campaign was warned about not taking photographs in Section 60 before their arrival and the altercation.The Trump campaign has claimed the Republican presidential nominee’s team was granted access to have a photographer, contested the allegation that a campaign staffer had pushed the cemetery official and pushed back on any notion that the cemetery official had been unfairly targeted.“This individual was the one who initiated physical contact and verbal harassment that was unwarranted and unnecessary,” Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung said Thursday. “As the Army has said, they consider this matter closed. President Trump was there to support the Gold Star families and honor the sacrifices their loved ones made. Where was Kamala Harris?”The Trump campaign has also posted a message signed by relatives of two of the service members killed in the bombing that said “the president and his team conducted themselves with nothing but the utmost respect and dignity for all of our service members, especially our beloved children.”Photos of the cemetery visit showed Trump standing by the graves and flashing a thumbs-up sign next to relatives of Staff Sgt. Darin Taylor Hoover and Sgt. Nicole Gee. He also laid wreaths for Staff Sgt. Ryan Knauss, whose family was not present.The family of a decorated Green Beret whose grave appeared in the photos of Trump's visit issued a statement expressing support for the families who lost loved ones in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/europe-france-evacuations-kabul-9e457201e5bbe75a4eb1901fedeee7a1">the Kabul airport bombing</a>, but asking for understanding for the concerns from relatives of service members whose graves were near them.“We hope that those visiting this sacred site understand that these were real people who sacrificed for our freedom and that they are honored and respected accordingly,” said the statement, which was sent by the sister of Silver Star recipient Master Sgt. Andrew C. Marckesano, who died in 2020, on behalf of the family.The TikTok video shared by Trump shows several clips of his visit to the cemetery. As a guitar strums in the background, there is a voiceover of him saying: “We lost great, great people. What a horrible day it was. We didn’t lose one person in 18 months, and then they took over. That disaster, the leaving of Afghanistan.”The 18-month stretch without any combat deaths in Afghanistan included about six months of the Biden administration.Fred Wellman, a 22-year Army veteran who served in Iraq and who is supporting Harris for president, said it was a mistake for the Army to put all of the weight on the Arlington National Cemetery staffer and let the issue go after the staffer decided not to press charges.“Everyone who is a veteran who served since 9/11 is one to two degrees of separation from someone buried in Section 60,” he said. “The Army is the keeper of that place for us."A&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/afghanistan-islamic-state-group-bombings-kabul-taliban-80dde38aa7c28451b2dc55b466e31228">Pentagon investigation into the deadly attack</a>&nbsp;concluded that the suicide bomber acted alone and that those killings were not preventable. But critics have slammed the Biden administration for the catastrophic evacuation, saying it should have started earlier than it did.Allison Jaslow, a former Army captain who leads the nonpartisan advocacy organization Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, applauded when Trump and Harris picked military veterans as their running mates. But she said aspiring elected officials should not campaign at Arlington National Cemetery.

Different opinions on Trump's Arlington National Cemetery visit  

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

Outside consultant hired to review $150 million infrastructure grant award program

TOPEKA — The Kansas Department of Commerce issued a blanket statement Thursday describing as “categorically false” the allegation attributed to a recently deceased former agency employee that Lt. Gov. David Toland influenced distribution of state infrastructure grants based on political factors.

The statement issued by agency spokesman Patrick Lowry said the death of Jonathan Clayton in an apparent traffic accident was unfortunate, but the Department of Commerce believed it necessary to “provide clarity regarding allegations made publicly” in an email released to coincide with Claytons’ disappearance in early August. That email took on greater urgency when a body was found Sunday in a smashed truck registered to Clayton, 42, of Peabody. The corpse hasn’t been officially identified as Clayton, but a family member and published reports made the connection.

This email linked to Clayton included an assertion Toland, a Democrat who serves as secretary of the Department of Commerce, put a political spin on the scoring system for applications for grant funding from the Build a Stronger Economy, or BASE, program. Allegedly, the distortion was part of a deal with Republican Senate President Ty Masterson of Butler County and now-former GOP House Speaker Ron Ryckman of Johnson County.

The death message claimed “resulting awards from both rounds of the program are inaccurate due to the orders from Toland to alter the application scores after a pre-selected group of awardees were determined.”

Lowry’s rebuttal statement said Clayton’s allegation that Toland undermined integrity of BASE grant awards was inaccurate. The statement likewise said a claim that Toland forced Clayton to serve on a volunteer theater board was “categorically false.”

“While there is no evidence of any impropriety at the Department of Commerce, as an extra precaution an independent third-party contractor is doing a full review of all ARPA grants,” Lowry said. The third-party entity selected to examine grant awards wasn’t identified.

Meanwhile, Masterson spokesman Mike Pirner said “the Senate president never requested or even had a conversation about altering the department’s scoring.”

“It’s important to emphasize that legislative leaders had no role in the department’s scoring of BASE projects,” Pirner said. “The president was involved merely in his capacity as a member of the SPARK executive committee.” He was referring to the Strengthening People and Revitalizing Kansas, or SPARK, committee that was assigned the job of issuing grants made with federal COVID-19 pandemic appropriations.

BASE infrastructure grants were made in two rounds in Kansas. In the first round, 35 grants were issued from a pool of $100 million. Johnson and Butler counties received 47% of that funding. Concerns were expressed about geographic distribution of the money. In the second round, 38 recipients shared $50 million available through the program. Butler County received nothing in the second round, while Johnson County secured 8% of that total.

The Aug. 8 email to news organizations and others, which was attributed to Clayton, said he was forced to resign from the commerce department because he refused to distort scoring on the second round of BASE grants. Clayton was placed in charge of the agency’s COVID-19 grants in 2021.

Clayton left the department in late 2023, but commerce officials said they didn’t know when hiring him in early 2020 that he had been convicted of financial offenses in Pennsylvania. He was placed on probation in 2018 in a check-fraud case and reportedly still owned $195,000 in restitution.

“Under existing Kansas law, we are unable to perform national level criminal background checks for the position that Clayton held,” said Lowry, the commerce department spokesman. “Our process for vetting prospective employees included online searches, social media reviews and reference checks, which unfortunately failed to uncover his felony convictions. He would not have been hired by commerce had we been aware of these convictions.”

Lowry said the state agency would assist local, state and federal agencies investigating Clayton’s work at community-based organizations in Kiowa and Marion counties that could have been victims of fraud.

Clayton, who accepted a job in June as Peabody’s interim clerk, vanished in early August about the time information became available that Clayton might be involved in problems with a $425,000 Department of Commerce grant to the Mullinville Community Foundation.

In addition, the state agency raised an alarm about documentation gaps associated with part of a $1.5 million grant to Peabody that could involve Clayton.

Clayton also claimed in the email to reporters that allegations he might be responsible for misuse of BASE grant awards in Mullinville or Peabody were “unilaterally unfounded and I believe to be a form of retaliation.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1724967500301.png" alt=" The Kansas Department of Commerce issued a statement denouncing claims by a deceased former agency employee that Lt. Gov. David Toland, who serves as commerce secretary, used political factors to influence allocation of $150 million in infrastructure grants. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption> The Kansas Department of Commerce issued a statement denouncing claims by a deceased former agency employee that Lt. Gov. David Toland, who serves as commerce secretary, used political factors to influence allocation of $150 million in infrastructure grants. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/tim-carpenter/">TIM CARPENTER</a> <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a><h2>Outside consultant hired to review $150 million infrastructure grant award program</h2>TOPEKA — The Kansas Department of Commerce issued a blanket statement Thursday describing as “categorically false” the allegation attributed to a recently deceased former agency employee that Lt. Gov. David Toland influenced distribution of state infrastructure grants based on political factors.The statement issued by agency spokesman Patrick Lowry said the death of Jonathan Clayton in an apparent traffic accident was unfortunate, but the Department of Commerce believed it necessary to “provide clarity regarding allegations made publicly” in an email released to coincide with Claytons’ disappearance in early August. That email took on greater urgency when a body was found Sunday in a smashed truck registered to Clayton, 42, of Peabody. The corpse hasn’t been officially identified as Clayton, but a family member and published reports made the connection.This email linked to Clayton included an assertion Toland, a Democrat who serves as secretary of the Department of Commerce, put a political spin on the scoring system for applications for grant funding from the Build a Stronger Economy, or BASE, program. Allegedly, the distortion was part of a deal with Republican Senate President Ty Masterson of Butler County and now-former GOP House Speaker Ron Ryckman of Johnson County.The death message claimed “resulting awards from both rounds of the program are inaccurate due to the orders from Toland to alter the application scores after a pre-selected group of awardees were determined.”Lowry’s rebuttal statement said Clayton’s allegation that Toland undermined integrity of BASE grant awards was inaccurate. The statement likewise said a claim that Toland forced Clayton to serve on a volunteer theater board was “categorically false.”“While there is no evidence of any impropriety at the Department of Commerce, as an extra precaution an independent third-party contractor is doing a full review of all ARPA grants,” Lowry said. The third-party entity selected to examine grant awards wasn’t identified.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1724967456309.png" alt=" A spokesman for Senate President Ty Masterson, an Andover Republican, said there was no substance to the claim by a deceased former Kansas Department of Commerce employee that Masterson used political influence to secure extra infrastructure grants for his home county. (Rachel Mipro/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption> A spokesman for Senate President Ty Masterson, an Andover Republican, said there was no substance to the claim by a deceased former Kansas Department of Commerce employee that Masterson used political influence to secure extra infrastructure grants for his home county. (Rachel Mipro/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>Meanwhile, Masterson spokesman Mike Pirner said “the Senate president never requested or even had a conversation about altering the department’s scoring.”“It’s important to emphasize that legislative leaders had no role in the department’s scoring of BASE projects,” Pirner said. “The president was involved merely in his capacity as a member of the SPARK executive committee.” He was referring to the Strengthening People and Revitalizing Kansas, or SPARK, committee that was assigned the job of issuing grants made with federal COVID-19 pandemic appropriations.BASE infrastructure grants were made in two rounds in Kansas. In the first round, 35 grants were issued from a pool of $100 million. Johnson and Butler counties received 47% of that funding. Concerns were expressed about geographic distribution of the money. In the second round, 38 recipients shared $50 million available through the program. Butler County received nothing in the second round, while Johnson County secured 8% of that total.The Aug. 8 email to news organizations and others, which was attributed to Clayton, said he was forced to resign from the commerce department because he refused to distort scoring on the second round of BASE grants. Clayton was placed in charge of the agency’s COVID-19 grants in 2021.Clayton left the department in late 2023, but commerce officials said they didn’t know when hiring him in early 2020 that he had been convicted of financial offenses in Pennsylvania. He was placed on probation in 2018 in a check-fraud case and reportedly still owned $195,000 in restitution.“Under existing Kansas law, we are unable to perform national level criminal background checks for the position that Clayton held,” said Lowry, the commerce department spokesman. “Our process for vetting prospective employees included online searches, social media reviews and reference checks, which unfortunately failed to uncover his felony convictions. He would not have been hired by commerce had we been aware of these convictions.”Lowry said the state agency would assist local, state and federal agencies investigating Clayton’s work at community-based organizations in Kiowa and Marion counties that could have been victims of fraud.Clayton, who accepted a job in June as Peabody’s interim clerk, vanished in early August about the time information became available that Clayton might be involved in problems with a $425,000 Department of Commerce grant to the Mullinville Community Foundation.In addition, the state agency raised an alarm about documentation gaps associated with part of a $1.5 million grant to Peabody that could involve Clayton.Clayton also claimed in the email to reporters that allegations he might be responsible for misuse of BASE grant awards in Mullinville or Peabody were “unilaterally unfounded and I believe to be a form of retaliation.”

Commerce secretary, Senate president deflect claims tied to deceased former state worker

Detectives have arrested one of the suspects responsible for burning down Haha's Kebab's and Shawarma restaurant,&nbsp;204 W 39th Street, Kansas City just after 2a.m. on July 8, according to a social media report. The suspect is charged with arson. Police thanked the public for their tips to help ID the suspect.

Detectives are still trying to identify the second person, pictured wearing black pants.&nbsp;

If you have information, visit <a href="https://t.co/gULWXwQSro" target="_blank">http://kccrimestoppers.com</a> and remain anonymous. Or call 816-474-TIPS.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1724863011701.png" alt="Photo KCPD" />
 <figcaption>Photo KCPD</figcaption>
 </figure><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">UPDATE: Detectives have arrested one of the suspects responsible for burning down Haha&#39;s Kebab&#39;s and Shawarma restaurant. The suspect is charged with arson. Thank you to everyone who provided tips. Detectives are still trying to identify... 1/2 <a href="https://t.co/MqYiv7vxOe">pic.twitter.com/MqYiv7vxOe</a>&mdash; kcpolice (@kcpolice) <a href="https://twitter.com/kcpolice/status/1828823411789107423?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 28, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Detectives have arrested one of the suspects responsible for burning down Haha's Kebab's and Shawarma restaurant,&nbsp;204 W 39th Street, Kansas City just after 2a.m. on July 8, according to a social media report. The suspect is charged with arson. Police thanked the public for their tips to help ID the suspect.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1724863094806.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Detectives are still trying to identify the second person, pictured wearing black pants.&nbsp;If you have information, visit <a href="https://t.co/gULWXwQSro" target="_blank">http://kccrimestoppers.com</a> and remain anonymous. Or call 816-474-TIPS.

🎥Police arrest suspect in arson fire at KC restaurant

PAYNE COUNTY, Okla. — A Newton High School student was killed in an accident in Oklahoma on Interstate 35 early Thursday morning. The district sent out the following statement to parents on Thursday.

".NHS families - Newton High School has experienced the loss of one of our own students due to a car accident. With the information coming out, we understand that some of our students are experiencing pain and grief. We want to be supportive of those students, while also understanding that we are coming into a three day weekend. Please find an attached document on what to look out for concerning behaviors. Reach out to the school if you need further help or assistance. Thank you."

An Oklahoma Highway Patrol collision report states that a 2022 Kia Soul crashed shortly after 6:20 a.m. Thursday on northbound I-35 at mile marker 177 near Orlando. A 17-year-old passenger was pronounced dead at the scene, and three other people were taken to area hospitals.

Two of the victims were flown to OU Health in Oklahoma City, where they were admitted in critical condition. A 13-year-old boy was taken to Stillwater Medical Center, where he was treated and released.

PAYNE COUNTY, Okla. — A Newton High School student was killed in an accident in Oklahoma on Interstate 35 early Thursday morning. The district sent out the following statement to parents on Thursday.".NHS families - Newton High School has experienced the loss of one of our own students due to a car accident. With the information coming out, we understand that some of our students are experiencing pain and grief. We want to be supportive of those students, while also understanding that we are coming into a three day weekend. Please find an attached document on what to look out for concerning behaviors. Reach out to the school if you need further help or assistance. Thank you."An Oklahoma Highway Patrol collision report states that a 2022 Kia Soul crashed shortly after 6:20 a.m. Thursday on northbound I-35 at mile marker 177 near Orlando. A 17-year-old passenger was pronounced dead at the scene, and three other people were taken to area hospitals.Two of the victims were flown to OU Health in Oklahoma City, where they were admitted in critical condition. A 13-year-old boy was taken to Stillwater Medical Center, where he was treated and released.

Kansas high school student killed in Oklahoma accident

WASHINGTON —&nbsp;The U.S. economy added 818,000 fewer jobs from April 2023 through March this year than were originally reported, the government said last week. The revised total adds to evidence that the job market has been steadily slowing and likely reinforces the Federal Reserve’s plan to start cutting interest rates soon.&nbsp;

Kansas U.S. Senator Roger Marshall wrote on social media, "Kamala Harris and Joe Biden are cooking the books for political power."

They have completely fabricated job growth in an attempt to make you believe the economy is stronger than it is. How insulting to American’s intelligence."

On Wednesday Marshall wrote,&nbsp;"We are days away from the 2024 election and this administration is cooking the books in a last-ditch attempt to rewrite history and manipulate the public's perception of Biden-Harris’ economic failures, and consistent mismanagement of government spending and the economy."

"We’re calling on the Dept. of Labor to provide answers to their misleading reporting and provide the American people with accurate info on the economic health of our nation"

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1724879028891.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON —&nbsp;The U.S. economy added 818,000 fewer jobs from April 2023 through March this year than were originally reported, the government said last week. The revised total adds to evidence that the job market has been steadily slowing and likely reinforces the Federal Reserve’s plan to start cutting interest rates soon.&nbsp;Kansas U.S. Senator Roger Marshall wrote on social media, "Kamala Harris and Joe Biden are cooking the books for political power."They have completely fabricated job growth in an attempt to make you believe the economy is stronger than it is. How insulting to American’s intelligence."On Wednesday Marshall wrote,&nbsp;"We are days away from the 2024 election and this administration is cooking the books in a last-ditch attempt to rewrite history and manipulate the public's perception of Biden-Harris’ economic failures, and consistent mismanagement of government spending and the economy.""We’re calling on the Dept. of Labor to provide answers to their misleading reporting and provide the American people with accurate info on the economic health of our nation"<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1724879077210.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>

Kan. U.S. Senator calls on Dept. of Labor to explain misleading job report

RENO COUNTY—The Kansas Highway Patrol has identified the man who died in an accident that&nbsp;occurred just before 11:30p.m. Wednesday in Reno County.

The patrol reported a 1994 Chevy S-10 driven by&nbsp; Kris D&nbsp;Baymiller, 65, Hutchinson,&nbsp; was eastbound on U.S. 50 approximately seven miles east of Hutchinson. The pickup crossed the center line.&nbsp; A westbound 2018 Peterbilt semi driven by Parvinder&nbsp;Singh, 34, Fresno, California, struck the pickup in the westbound lanes.

Baymiller was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported to&nbsp;Elliot Mortuary. Singh was not injured. Both drivers were properly restrained, according to the KHP.

RENO COUNTY —The Kansas Highway Patrol is investigating a fatal crash&nbsp; that occurred just before 11:30p.m. Wednesday in Reno County.

According to the Patrol, a vehicle&nbsp; was eastbound on U.S. 50 approximately seven miles east of Hutchinson. The vehicle crossed the center line.&nbsp; A westbound vehicle struck the eastbound vehicle in the westbound lanes.

This is a developing story. Check the Post for additional details as they are available.

RENO COUNTY—The Kansas Highway Patrol has identified the man who died in an accident that&nbsp;occurred just before 11:30p.m. Wednesday in Reno County.The patrol reported a 1994 Chevy S-10 driven by&nbsp; Kris D&nbsp;Baymiller, 65, Hutchinson,&nbsp; was eastbound on U.S. 50 approximately seven miles east of Hutchinson. The pickup crossed the center line.&nbsp; A westbound 2018 Peterbilt semi driven by Parvinder&nbsp;Singh, 34, Fresno, California, struck the pickup in the westbound lanes.Baymiller was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported to&nbsp;Elliot Mortuary. Singh was not injured. Both drivers were properly restrained, according to the KHP.------------RENO COUNTY —The Kansas Highway Patrol is investigating a fatal crash&nbsp; that occurred just before 11:30p.m. Wednesday in Reno County.According to the Patrol, a vehicle&nbsp; was eastbound on U.S. 50 approximately seven miles east of Hutchinson. The vehicle crossed the center line.&nbsp; A westbound vehicle struck the eastbound vehicle in the westbound lanes.This is a developing story. Check the Post for additional details as they are available.

KHP IDs Kansas man who died wrong-way crash

NEW YORK (AP)—The average rate on a 30-year mortgage eased for the second week in a row and remains at its lowest level in more than a year, good news for prospective homebuyers facing home prices near all-time highs.

The rate fell to 6.35% from 6.46% last week, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday. A year ago, the rate averaged 7.18%.

The last time the average rate was this low was May 11, 2023.

Borrowing costs on 15-year fixed-rate mortgages also fell this week, good news for homeowners seeking to refinance their home loan at a lower rate. The average rate fell to 5.51% from 5.62% last week. A year ago, it averaged 6.55%, Freddie Mac said.

“Mortgage rates fell again this week due to expectations of a Fed rate cut,” said Sam Khater, Freddie Mac’s chief economist. “Rates are expected to continue their decline, and while potential homebuyers are watching closely, a rebound in purchase activity remains elusive until we see further declines.”

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-prices-rates-economy-federal-reserve-biden-8d15ca77433a1ae072a1e63dfc089f24">Signs of waning inflation</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/economy-jobs-unemployment-federal-reserve-inflation-22095766804d9c1532b4fcc29565be49">a cooling job market</a>&nbsp;have raised expectations that&nbsp;the Federal Reserve will cut its benchmark interest rate next month&nbsp;for the first time in four years.

Elevated mortgage rates, which can add hundreds of dollars a month in costs for borrowers, have kept many would-be homebuyers on the sidelines, extending the nation’s housing slump into its third year.

Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes are running below last year’s pace, though they&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/housing-home-sales-real-estate-home-prices-ad5fa2acbe49758e5c1e9640e7320231">ended a four-month slide in July.</a>

After climbing to a 23-year high of 7.79% in October, the average rate on a 30-year mortgage has mostly hovered around 7% this year — more than double what it was just three years ago. But this month, the average rate has made its biggest downshift in more than a year.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/7/1659001075252.jpeg" alt="AP photo" />
 <figcaption>AP photo</figcaption>
 </figure>NEW YORK (AP)—The average rate on a 30-year mortgage eased for the second week in a row and remains at its lowest level in more than a year, good news for prospective homebuyers facing home prices near all-time highs.The rate fell to 6.35% from 6.46% last week, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday. A year ago, the rate averaged 7.18%.The last time the average rate was this low was May 11, 2023.Borrowing costs on 15-year fixed-rate mortgages also fell this week, good news for homeowners seeking to refinance their home loan at a lower rate. The average rate fell to 5.51% from 5.62% last week. A year ago, it averaged 6.55%, Freddie Mac said.“Mortgage rates fell again this week due to expectations of a Fed rate cut,” said Sam Khater, Freddie Mac’s chief economist. “Rates are expected to continue their decline, and while potential homebuyers are watching closely, a rebound in purchase activity remains elusive until we see further declines.”<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-prices-rates-economy-federal-reserve-biden-8d15ca77433a1ae072a1e63dfc089f24">Signs of waning inflation</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/economy-jobs-unemployment-federal-reserve-inflation-22095766804d9c1532b4fcc29565be49">a cooling job market</a>&nbsp;have raised expectations that&nbsp;the Federal Reserve will cut its benchmark interest rate next month&nbsp;for the first time in four years.Elevated mortgage rates, which can add hundreds of dollars a month in costs for borrowers, have kept many would-be homebuyers on the sidelines, extending the nation’s housing slump into its third year.Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes are running below last year’s pace, though they&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/housing-home-sales-real-estate-home-prices-ad5fa2acbe49758e5c1e9640e7320231">ended a four-month slide in July.</a>After climbing to a 23-year high of 7.79% in October, the average rate on a 30-year mortgage has mostly hovered around 7% this year — more than double what it was just three years ago. But this month, the average rate has made its biggest downshift in more than a year.

Freddie Mac: Rate on a 30-year mortgage at lowest level in more than a year

SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities investigating a suspect for alleged arson.

Just before&nbsp;9 p.m. August 27, crews from the Topeka Fire Department&nbsp; responded to a fire at 1325 SW Western Avenue, according to department spokesperson Rosie Nichols. 

Firefighters found a fire in the front yard of the apartment building and quickly extinguished it before any damage was done to the structure. No injuries were reported from the incident.

Investigators determine the fire was intentionally set. As a result of the investigation, Trentnell O. Morris, 44, of Topeka, was arrested and booked into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on a warrant and one count of arson. The total estimated loss from the fire was approximately $200.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1724945197660.png" alt="Morris photo Shawnee Co." />
 <figcaption>Morris photo Shawnee Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities investigating a suspect for alleged arson.Just before&nbsp;9 p.m. August 27, crews from the Topeka Fire Department&nbsp; responded to a fire at 1325 SW Western Avenue, according to department spokesperson Rosie Nichols. Firefighters found a fire in the front yard of the apartment building and quickly extinguished it before any damage was done to the structure. No injuries were reported from the incident.Investigators determine the fire was intentionally set. As a result of the investigation, Trentnell O. Morris, 44, of Topeka, was arrested and booked into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on a warrant and one count of arson. The total estimated loss from the fire was approximately $200.

Arson: Kan. man accused of starting fire in yard of apartment building

JOHNSON COUNTY —Law enforcement investigating a fatal Kansas crash have identified the victim as&nbsp;77-year-old Judith E. Smith of Gardner, Kansas, according to Olathe Police Sergeant John Moncayo.

The crash occurred just before 7p.m. August 24 involving a minivan and a semi-truck occurred in&nbsp; area of East Old 56 Highway and South Lone Elm Road in Olathe.

Smith was the driver and sole occupant of the minivan. She was found unresponsive. Life-saving measures were performed while on scene, but she was later declared deceased., according to Moncayo. The 42-year-old male driver of the semi-truck remained on scene.

This case remains under investigation by the Olathe Police Department.&nbsp; &nbsp;Anyone with information regarding this investigation is asked to call the Olathe Police Department at (913) 971-6363 or the TIPS Hotline at (816) 474-8477.

JOHNSON COUNTY —Law enforcement investigating a fatal Kansas crash have identified the victim as&nbsp;77-year-old Judith E. Smith of Gardner, Kansas, according to Olathe Police Sergeant John Moncayo.The crash occurred just before 7p.m. August 24 involving a minivan and a semi-truck occurred in&nbsp; area of East Old 56 Highway and South Lone Elm Road in Olathe.Smith was the driver and sole occupant of the minivan. She was found unresponsive. Life-saving measures were performed while on scene, but she was later declared deceased., according to Moncayo. The 42-year-old male driver of the semi-truck remained on scene.This case remains under investigation by the Olathe Police Department.&nbsp; &nbsp;Anyone with information regarding this investigation is asked to call the Olathe Police Department at (913) 971-6363 or the TIPS Hotline at (816) 474-8477.

Police ID Kansas woman who died in minivan, semi crash

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

At least nine people have died after being infected with listeria from Boar’s Head deli meats tied to a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boars-head-listeria-deli-meat-ebff78f4d6e5dad8483a6063623cd9a1">massive recall</a>&nbsp;last month, federal health officials&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/listeria/outbreaks/delimeats-7-24.html" target="_blank">said</a>&nbsp;Wednesday.

<a href="https://boarshead.com/pages/product-recall-full-product-list">Click here for a list </a>of items recalled.

The new food poisoning toll includes two deaths in South Carolina plus one each in Florida, New Mexico, Tennessee and New York, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. Three deaths were previously confirmed in people who lived in Illinois, New Jersey and Virginia.

At least 57 people have been sickened and hospitalized in the outbreak. Illnesses were reported starting in late May and have continued into August, the agency said. It is the largest listeria outbreak in the U.S. since 2011, and Boar’s Head has recalled more than 7 million pounds of deli products.

Listeria infections are caused by a hardy type of bacteria that can survive and even thrive during refrigeration. An estimated 1,600 people get listeria food poisoning each year and about 260 die, according to the CDC. Infections can be hard to pinpoint because symptoms may occur quickly — or up to 10 weeks after eating contaminated food.

The infections are&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/listeria-boars-head-recall-deli-meat-97292bfefa1693b25e393efdc58ed608">especially dangerous</a>&nbsp;for older people, those who are pregnant or those with weakened immune systems.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1721435735887.png" alt="FILE - This 2002 electron microscope image made available by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows a Listeria monocytogenes bacterium, responsible for the food borne illness listeriosis. (Elizabeth White/CDC via AP, File)" />
 <figcaption>FILE - This 2002 electron microscope image made available by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows a Listeria monocytogenes bacterium, responsible for the food borne illness listeriosis. (Elizabeth White/CDC via AP, File)</figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search/?query=byline:%22DEVNA%20BOSE%22&amp;mediaType=text&amp;st=keyword&amp;sortOrder=newest">By DEVNA BOSE AP Health Writer</a>At least nine people have died after being infected with listeria from Boar’s Head deli meats tied to a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boars-head-listeria-deli-meat-ebff78f4d6e5dad8483a6063623cd9a1">massive recall</a>&nbsp;last month, federal health officials&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/listeria/outbreaks/delimeats-7-24.html" target="_blank">said</a>&nbsp;Wednesday.<a href="https://boarshead.com/pages/product-recall-full-product-list">Click here for a list </a>of items recalled.The new food poisoning toll includes two deaths in South Carolina plus one each in Florida, New Mexico, Tennessee and New York, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. Three deaths were previously confirmed in people who lived in Illinois, New Jersey and Virginia.At least 57 people have been sickened and hospitalized in the outbreak. Illnesses were reported starting in late May and have continued into August, the agency said. It is the largest listeria outbreak in the U.S. since 2011, and Boar’s Head has recalled more than 7 million pounds of deli products.Listeria infections are caused by a hardy type of bacteria that can survive and even thrive during refrigeration. An estimated 1,600 people get listeria food poisoning each year and about 260 die, according to the CDC. Infections can be hard to pinpoint because symptoms may occur quickly — or up to 10 weeks after eating contaminated food.The infections are&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/listeria-boars-head-recall-deli-meat-97292bfefa1693b25e393efdc58ed608">especially dangerous</a>&nbsp;for older people, those who are pregnant or those with weakened immune systems.

Death toll grows in listeria outbreak tied to deli meat

ATCHISON COUNTY—A Kansas woman injured in a fatal crash during a police chase on Sunday has been moved from the hospital to jail and faces multiple requested charges.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2014 Toyota Corolla driven by&nbsp; &nbsp;Maria&nbsp; Papalas, 28, Atchison, was southbound on Sherman Road at&nbsp; 244th Road five miles south of Atchison at a high rate of speed.

The driver was attempting to elude law enforcement. Due to the speed, Papalas lost control on a curve. The car entered the west ditch and rolled multiple times before coming to rest on its top.

EMS transported a passenger identified as 1-year-old Mixalis&nbsp;Papalas-Schulpz of Atchison to Children's Mercy for treatment of critical injuries. He died on Tuesday, according to the KHP.

&nbsp;EMS transported Papalas to Stormont Vail for treatment of minor injuries.&nbsp; She was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP and is in custody on requested charges that include&nbsp;&nbsp;Murder in the 1st degree; In the comm of a felony; Fleeing or attempt to elude a law enforcement officer; - Aggravated endangering a child;&nbsp; Interference with LEO; obstruct/resist/oppose felony warrant service or execution; Battery on LEO; phys contact federal LEO; - Driving under influence of alcohol or drugs; Misdemeanor;&nbsp; Possession of marijuana and&nbsp; Reckless driving. She is being held on a $500,000 bond, according to online jail records.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1724863412706.png" alt="Papalas photo Atchison County" />
 <figcaption>Papalas photo Atchison County</figcaption>
 </figure>ATCHISON COUNTY—A Kansas woman injured in a fatal crash during a police chase on Sunday has been moved from the hospital to jail and faces multiple requested charges.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2014 Toyota Corolla driven by&nbsp; &nbsp;Maria&nbsp; Papalas, 28, Atchison, was southbound on Sherman Road at&nbsp; 244th Road five miles south of Atchison at a high rate of speed.The driver was attempting to elude law enforcement. Due to the speed, Papalas lost control on a curve. The car entered the west ditch and rolled multiple times before coming to rest on its top.EMS transported a passenger identified as 1-year-old Mixalis&nbsp;Papalas-Schulpz of Atchison to Children's Mercy for treatment of critical injuries. He died on Tuesday, according to the KHP.&nbsp;EMS transported Papalas to Stormont Vail for treatment of minor injuries.&nbsp; She was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP and is in custody on requested charges that include&nbsp;&nbsp;Murder in the 1st degree; In the comm of a felony; Fleeing or attempt to elude a law enforcement officer; - Aggravated endangering a child;&nbsp; Interference with LEO; obstruct/resist/oppose felony warrant service or execution; Battery on LEO; phys contact federal LEO; - Driving under influence of alcohol or drugs; Misdemeanor;&nbsp; Possession of marijuana and&nbsp; Reckless driving. She is being held on a $500,000 bond, according to online jail records.

Kan. driver in crash fleeing police that killed 1-year-old faces murder charge

KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement are investigating another homicide in Kansas. Just before 5:30p.m. Wednesday, police responded to a shooting&nbsp; at 63rd and Rockhill in Kansas City, according to Sheriff Daryl Forte'.&nbsp;

Police found a victim in a parking lot adjacent to several businesses, according to KCPD Sergeant Phil DiMartino. He was taking out the trash when he "observed multiple subjects by a vehicle. An altercation occurred, resulting in the shooting.

Detectives interviewed witnesses and are examining surveillance footage and crime scene investigators collected evidence.

Anyone with information can contact the police at 816-234-5043 or the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1724898681553.png" alt="Photo Sheriff Daryl Forte'" />
 <figcaption>Photo Sheriff Daryl Forte'</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement are investigating another homicide in Kansas. Just before 5:30p.m. Wednesday, police responded to a shooting&nbsp; at 63rd and Rockhill in Kansas City, according to Sheriff Daryl Forte'.&nbsp;Police found a victim in a parking lot adjacent to several businesses, according to KCPD Sergeant Phil DiMartino. He was taking out the trash when he "observed multiple subjects by a vehicle. An altercation occurred, resulting in the shooting.Detectives interviewed witnesses and are examining surveillance footage and crime scene investigators collected evidence.Anyone with information can contact the police at 816-234-5043 or the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS.

Homicide: Man shot taking out the trash at KC business

BERLIN (AP) — The suspects in the foiled plot to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/austria-taylor-swift-concerts-canceled-extremism-arrests-feff9108d0a14d9941c4bc416c0eb05f">attack Taylor Swift concerts</a>&nbsp;in Vienna earlier this month sought to kill “tens of thousands” of fans before the CIA discovered intelligence that disrupted the planning and led to arrests, the agency's deputy director said.

The CIA notified Austrian authorities of the scheme, which allegedly included links to the Islamic State group. The intelligence and subsequent arrests ultimately led to the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/austria-extremism-arrests-security-taylor-swift-7ece0b264f6e4152b8214c9fba8c425b">cancellation of three sold-out Eras Tour shows</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/taylor-swift-fans-austria-concerts-canceled-swifties-003644f97d8bd7064b3dfe0585704f6c">devastating fans</a>&nbsp;who had traveled across the globe to see&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/taylor-swift">Swift in concert</a>.

CIA Deputy Director David Cohen addressed the failed plot during the annual Intelligence and National Security Summit, held this week in Maryland.

“They were plotting to kill a huge number — tens of thousands of people at this concert, including I am sure many Americans — and were quite advanced in this," Cohen said Wednesday. “The Austrians were able to make those arrests because the agency and our partners in the intelligence community provided them information about what this ISIS-connected group was planning to do.”

Austrian officials said the main suspect, a 19-year-old Austrian man, was inspired by the Islamic State group. He allegedly planned to attack outside the stadium, where upwards of 30,000 fans were expected to gather, with knives or homemade explosives. Another 65,000 fans were likely to be inside the venue. Investigators discovered chemical substances and technical devices during a raid of the suspect's home.

Austria’s interior minister, Gerhard Karner, previously said help from other intelligence agencies was needed because Austrian investigators, unlike some foreign services, can’t legally monitor text messages.

The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/austria-taylor-swift-concerts-attack-suspect-lawyer-80e7ac6e79f631bffcf8c42e8f1b836a">19-year-old’s lawyer has said</a>&nbsp;the allegations were “overacting at its best,” and contended Austrian authorities were “presenting this exaggeratedly” in order to get new surveillance powers.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/taylor-swift-vienna-statement-8cabe53d7762bc3f80c0510918ed0aa8#:~:text=LONDON%20(AP)%20%E2%80%94%20Two%20weeks,posted%20to%20Instagram%20on%20Wednesday.">Swift broke her silence</a>&nbsp;about the cancellations last week after her&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/taylor-swift-eras-tour-london-wembley-6a8aff0c9f0bb45382602a75dfc77904">London shows had concluded</a>.

“Having our Vienna shows cancelled was devastating,” she wrote in a statement posted to Instagram. “The reason for the cancellations filled me with a new sense of fear, and a tremendous amount of guilt because so many people had planned on coming to those shows.”

She thanked authorities — “thanks to them, we were grieving concerts and not lives,” she wrote — and said she waited to speak until the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/germany-taylor-swift-signs-gelsenkirchen-swiftkirchen-01a68a8c505bf649a0d3f0f149be158e">European leg of her Eras Tour</a>&nbsp;concluded to prioritize safety.

“Let me be very clear: I am not going to speak about something publicly if I think doing so might provoke those who would want to harm the fans who come to my shows,” she wrote.

<a href="https://apnews.com/video/austria-taylor-swift-austria-government-vienna-concerts-3a0085b75ae740abb08d158ee7519cac">Concert organizer Barracuda Music</a>&nbsp;said it canceled the three-night Vienna run that would have begun Aug. 8 because the arrests made in connection to the conspiracy were too close to showtime.

The main suspect and a 17-year-old were taken into custody on Aug. 6, the day before the cancellations were announced. A&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/austria-taylor-swift-concerts-canceled-extremism-arrests-feff9108d0a14d9941c4bc416c0eb05f">third suspect, 18, was arrested</a>&nbsp;Aug. 8. Their names have not been released in line with Austrian privacy rules.

The shows in London, the next stop after Vienna, came on the heels of a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/uk-stabbing-attack-southport-far-right-violence-a2e43d0d49776c138790d083713873f7">stabbing at a Swift-themed dance class that left three little girls dead</a>&nbsp;in the U.K. In a statement issued after the Southport attack, Swift said she was “just completely in shock” and “at a complete loss for how to ever convey my sympathies to these families.” News outlets reported that Swift met with some of the survivors backstage in London.

The Vienna plot also drew comparisons to a 2017 attack by a suicide bomber&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/9d813da59c6342b09c7ea57f62a5d9a8">at an Ariana Grande concert</a>&nbsp;in Manchester, England, that killed 22 people. The bomb detonated at the end of Grande’s concert as thousands of young fans were leaving, becoming the deadliest extremist attack in the United Kingdom in recent years.

Cohen on Wednesday praised the CIA's work in preventing the planned violence, saying that other counterterrorism “successes” in foiling plots typically go unheralded.

“I can tell you within my agency, and I'm sure in others, there were people who thought that was a really good day for Langley,” he said, referring to the CIA headquarters. “And not just the Swifties in my workforce.”

The record-smashing tour is on hiatus until the fall.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1723064189320.png" alt="File photo-Taylor Swift performs during The Eras Tour at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City.&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>File photo-Taylor Swift performs during The Eras Tour at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City.&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>BERLIN (AP) — The suspects in the foiled plot to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/austria-taylor-swift-concerts-canceled-extremism-arrests-feff9108d0a14d9941c4bc416c0eb05f">attack Taylor Swift concerts</a>&nbsp;in Vienna earlier this month sought to kill “tens of thousands” of fans before the CIA discovered intelligence that disrupted the planning and led to arrests, the agency's deputy director said.The CIA notified Austrian authorities of the scheme, which allegedly included links to the Islamic State group. The intelligence and subsequent arrests ultimately led to the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/austria-extremism-arrests-security-taylor-swift-7ece0b264f6e4152b8214c9fba8c425b">cancellation of three sold-out Eras Tour shows</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/taylor-swift-fans-austria-concerts-canceled-swifties-003644f97d8bd7064b3dfe0585704f6c">devastating fans</a>&nbsp;who had traveled across the globe to see&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/taylor-swift">Swift in concert</a>.CIA Deputy Director David Cohen addressed the failed plot during the annual Intelligence and National Security Summit, held this week in Maryland.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1724925442664.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>“They were plotting to kill a huge number — tens of thousands of people at this concert, including I am sure many Americans — and were quite advanced in this," Cohen said Wednesday. “The Austrians were able to make those arrests because the agency and our partners in the intelligence community provided them information about what this ISIS-connected group was planning to do.”Austrian officials said the main suspect, a 19-year-old Austrian man, was inspired by the Islamic State group. He allegedly planned to attack outside the stadium, where upwards of 30,000 fans were expected to gather, with knives or homemade explosives. Another 65,000 fans were likely to be inside the venue. Investigators discovered chemical substances and technical devices during a raid of the suspect's home.Austria’s interior minister, Gerhard Karner, previously said help from other intelligence agencies was needed because Austrian investigators, unlike some foreign services, can’t legally monitor text messages.The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/austria-taylor-swift-concerts-attack-suspect-lawyer-80e7ac6e79f631bffcf8c42e8f1b836a">19-year-old’s lawyer has said</a>&nbsp;the allegations were “overacting at its best,” and contended Austrian authorities were “presenting this exaggeratedly” in order to get new surveillance powers.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/taylor-swift-vienna-statement-8cabe53d7762bc3f80c0510918ed0aa8#:~:text=LONDON%20(AP)%20%E2%80%94%20Two%20weeks,posted%20to%20Instagram%20on%20Wednesday.">Swift broke her silence</a>&nbsp;about the cancellations last week after her&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/taylor-swift-eras-tour-london-wembley-6a8aff0c9f0bb45382602a75dfc77904">London shows had concluded</a>.“Having our Vienna shows cancelled was devastating,” she wrote in a statement posted to Instagram. “The reason for the cancellations filled me with a new sense of fear, and a tremendous amount of guilt because so many people had planned on coming to those shows.”She thanked authorities — “thanks to them, we were grieving concerts and not lives,” she wrote — and said she waited to speak until the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/germany-taylor-swift-signs-gelsenkirchen-swiftkirchen-01a68a8c505bf649a0d3f0f149be158e">European leg of her Eras Tour</a>&nbsp;concluded to prioritize safety.“Let me be very clear: I am not going to speak about something publicly if I think doing so might provoke those who would want to harm the fans who come to my shows,” she wrote.<a href="https://apnews.com/video/austria-taylor-swift-austria-government-vienna-concerts-3a0085b75ae740abb08d158ee7519cac">Concert organizer Barracuda Music</a>&nbsp;said it canceled the three-night Vienna run that would have begun Aug. 8 because the arrests made in connection to the conspiracy were too close to showtime.The main suspect and a 17-year-old were taken into custody on Aug. 6, the day before the cancellations were announced. A&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/austria-taylor-swift-concerts-canceled-extremism-arrests-feff9108d0a14d9941c4bc416c0eb05f">third suspect, 18, was arrested</a>&nbsp;Aug. 8. Their names have not been released in line with Austrian privacy rules.The shows in London, the next stop after Vienna, came on the heels of a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/uk-stabbing-attack-southport-far-right-violence-a2e43d0d49776c138790d083713873f7">stabbing at a Swift-themed dance class that left three little girls dead</a>&nbsp;in the U.K. In a statement issued after the Southport attack, Swift said she was “just completely in shock” and “at a complete loss for how to ever convey my sympathies to these families.” News outlets reported that Swift met with some of the survivors backstage in London.The Vienna plot also drew comparisons to a 2017 attack by a suicide bomber&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/9d813da59c6342b09c7ea57f62a5d9a8">at an Ariana Grande concert</a>&nbsp;in Manchester, England, that killed 22 people. The bomb detonated at the end of Grande’s concert as thousands of young fans were leaving, becoming the deadliest extremist attack in the United Kingdom in recent years.Cohen on Wednesday praised the CIA's work in preventing the planned violence, saying that other counterterrorism “successes” in foiling plots typically go unheralded.“I can tell you within my agency, and I'm sure in others, there were people who thought that was a really good day for Langley,” he said, referring to the CIA headquarters. “And not just the Swifties in my workforce.”The record-smashing tour is on hiatus until the fall.

CIA official: Suspects in plot to attack Taylor Swift shows aimed to kill 'tens of thousands'

JOHNSON COUNTY—Law enforcement are investigating a suspect on multiple allegations after an arrest.

On August 24, midnight shift officers responded to a call of a suspicious vehicle near 76th Street and Norwood in Prairie Village, according to a media release. 

Officers arrived, located the suspicious vehicle, and contacted the driver later identified as&nbsp;22-year-old Jaylen Stallworth of Wylie, Texas. A search of the vehicle was conducted after drugs were observed in the car. 

 During the search, officers recovered a firearm that was stolen from Fort Worth, Texas. Stallworth was also found to be a felon in possession of a firearm.  After the arrest, Prairie Village police were notified that the Stallworth was also wanted in a homicide in Dallas.

Stallworth remains jailed in Johnson County on a requested charges of felony firearm theft and marijuana possession.

Police reminded, "you never know how far a stolen gun may travel, so please secure your personal firearms."

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1724840467796.png" alt="Stallworth-photo Johnson Co." />
 <figcaption>Stallworth-photo Johnson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>JOHNSON COUNTY—Law enforcement are investigating a suspect on multiple allegations after an arrest.On August 24, midnight shift officers responded to a call of a suspicious vehicle near 76th Street and Norwood in Prairie Village, according to a media release. Officers arrived, located the suspicious vehicle, and contacted the driver later identified as&nbsp;22-year-old Jaylen Stallworth of Wylie, Texas. A search of the vehicle was conducted after drugs were observed in the car. During the search, officers recovered a firearm that was stolen from Fort Worth, Texas. Stallworth was also found to be a felon in possession of a firearm. After the arrest, Prairie Village police were notified that the Stallworth was also wanted in a homicide in Dallas.Stallworth remains jailed in Johnson County on a requested charges of felony firearm theft and marijuana possession.Police reminded, "you never know how far a stolen gun may travel, so please secure your personal firearms."

Texas murder suspect captured in Kansas after report of suspicious vehicle

SALINE COUNTY —Officials are working to determine the cause of a 3-alarm fire at a battery manufacturing plant in Salina.

Just after 4p.m. Wednesday, Salina Fire, Rural Fire District One and Two, the Saline County Sheriff's Office, Salina Police Department, Saline County Emergency Management and the Kansas Highway Patrol all responded to a fire at Stryten Energy in Salina.&nbsp;

According to Salina Fire Marshal Joe Kvacik, nearly a dozen fire apparatuses remain on the scene attacking hot spots inside the Stryten Energy building, 413 East Berg Road, Salina.

On the second and third floors of the large, multiple story Stryten Energy complex, Salina and Saline County Rural fire fighters encountered moderate fire conditions.&nbsp;

"Eventually we got the fire knocked down on the inside. Then we had some roofing material and stuff on the on the roof that was burning," Kvacik said. "We had multiple levels of this building that had fire on it. So we had several ladder trucks out here."

According to Michelle Weis, Saline County Emergency Management Director, fire crews have informed her that there were no live flames as of 6:11 p.m. Kvacik said fire crews continue to overhaul the building checking for hot spots.&nbsp;

"We have a lot of hot spots in there," Kvacik said. "They're pulling a lot of insulation and and just chasing down anything that's still smoldering."

On Wednesday Aug. 28, Saline County residents near the Stryten Energy Building saw large black plumes of smoke rise from the large factory building located at 413 East Berg Road.&nbsp; Nate King

According to Kvacik, this was a three alarm fire.

"Our first alarm is basically the crews that are on duty, the fire trucks that would go to this initial alarm when something's called," Kvacik said. "A second alarm is where we'll call back one of our shifts and they staff, like our backup trucks, or they'll send some guys out here to assist, and then the third alarm is when we call the other shift back. Third alarm is everybody."

Kvacik said the cause of the fire at this time is unknown.&nbsp;

"They [fire fighters] are still chasing hot spots," Kvacik said. "We haven't started the investigation yet. We haven't really sat down and talked to Stryten to see what was going on or what was observed. For us, this is a pretty large scene."&nbsp;

Melissa Floyd, a representative of Stryten Energy, said the company was unable to issue a statement at this time. Salina Post asked if residents should avoid the area because of the possibility of potentially harmful chemicals present in the smoke plumes.

Floyd was unable to provide a comment at this time.&nbsp;

SALINE COUNTY —Fire crews are on the scene of a fire at Stryten Energy, 413 E Berg Road, Salina.&nbsp;

Just after 4p.m. Saline County paged first responders to the fire.&nbsp; In addition to fire crews, Saline County Emergency Management officials are on the scene.

Stryten is a&nbsp;stored energy solutions firm, according to the company web site. Their&nbsp; products " power everything from forklifts in warehouses and distribution centers to cars, trains and trucks to microgrids and vast telecom networks. In addition to manufacturing high-quality advanced lead, lithium, and vanadium batteries and intelligent chargers."

This is a developing story. Check the Post for more information as it becomes available.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1724880816222.png" alt="Submitted photo" />
 <figcaption>Submitted photo</figcaption>
 </figure>SALINE COUNTY —Officials are working to determine the cause of a 3-alarm fire at a battery manufacturing plant in Salina.<div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/otfY-UhCeWI?si=DOqSJEbheL3sTKOO" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>Just after 4p.m. Wednesday, Salina Fire, Rural Fire District One and Two, the Saline County Sheriff's Office, Salina Police Department, Saline County Emergency Management and the Kansas Highway Patrol all responded to a fire at Stryten Energy in Salina.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1724881266993.png" alt="Photo by Nate King" />
 <figcaption>Photo by Nate King</figcaption>
 </figure>According to Salina Fire Marshal Joe Kvacik, nearly a dozen fire apparatuses remain on the scene attacking hot spots inside the Stryten Energy building, 413 East Berg Road, Salina.On the second and third floors of the large, multiple story Stryten Energy complex, Salina and Saline County Rural fire fighters encountered moderate fire conditions.&nbsp;"Eventually we got the fire knocked down on the inside. Then we had some roofing material and stuff on the on the roof that was burning," Kvacik said. "We had multiple levels of this building that had fire on it. So we had several ladder trucks out here."According to Michelle Weis, Saline County Emergency Management Director, fire crews have informed her that there were no live flames as of 6:11 p.m. Kvacik said fire crews continue to overhaul the building checking for hot spots.&nbsp;"We have a lot of hot spots in there," Kvacik said. "They're pulling a lot of insulation and and just chasing down anything that's still smoldering."On Wednesday Aug. 28, Saline County residents near the Stryten Energy Building saw large black plumes of smoke rise from the large factory building located at 413 East Berg Road.&nbsp; Nate KingAccording to Kvacik, this was a three alarm fire."Our first alarm is basically the crews that are on duty, the fire trucks that would go to this initial alarm when something's called," Kvacik said. "A second alarm is where we'll call back one of our shifts and they staff, like our backup trucks, or they'll send some guys out here to assist, and then the third alarm is when we call the other shift back. Third alarm is everybody."Kvacik said the cause of the fire at this time is unknown.&nbsp;"They [fire fighters] are still chasing hot spots," Kvacik said. "We haven't started the investigation yet. We haven't really sat down and talked to Stryten to see what was going on or what was observed. For us, this is a pretty large scene."&nbsp;Melissa Floyd, a representative of Stryten Energy, said the company was unable to issue a statement at this time. Salina Post asked if residents should avoid the area because of the possibility of potentially harmful chemicals present in the smoke plumes.Floyd was unable to provide a comment at this time.&nbsp;-------------SALINE COUNTY —Fire crews are on the scene of a fire at Stryten Energy, 413 E Berg Road, Salina.&nbsp;Just after 4p.m. Saline County paged first responders to the fire.&nbsp; In addition to fire crews, Saline County Emergency Management officials are on the scene.Stryten is a&nbsp;stored energy solutions firm, according to the company web site. Their&nbsp; products " power everything from forklifts in warehouses and distribution centers to cars, trains and trucks to microgrids and vast telecom networks. In addition to manufacturing high-quality advanced lead, lithium, and vanadium batteries and intelligent chargers."This is a developing story. Check the Post for more information as it becomes available.

🎥 Cause of fire at central Kansas battery plant under investigation

JACKSON COUNTY—Law enforcement are investigating suspect on drug allegaions.

Just before 9a.m. August 25, a Sheriff’s Deputy stopped a Mercury Milan for a traffic infraction on U.S. Highway 75 near 174th Road in rural Jackson County, according to Sheriff Tim Morse.

Deputies conducted a probable cause search of the vehicle and discovered illegal contraband. The driver, 21-year-old David Joseph Donald Friend, of Holton, was arrested and booked into the Jackson County Jail on requested charges that include possession of cocaine, possession of a hallucinogenic drug and possession of drug paraphernalia.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1724705941633.png" alt="Friend photo Jackson Co." />
 <figcaption>Friend photo Jackson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>JACKSON COUNTY—Law enforcement are investigating suspect on drug allegaions.Just before 9a.m. August 25, a Sheriff’s Deputy stopped a Mercury Milan for a traffic infraction on U.S. Highway 75 near 174th Road in rural Jackson County, according to Sheriff Tim Morse.Deputies conducted a probable cause search of the vehicle and discovered illegal contraband. The driver, 21-year-old David Joseph Donald Friend, of Holton, was arrested and booked into the Jackson County Jail on requested charges that include possession of cocaine, possession of a hallucinogenic drug and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Sheriff: Kansas man caught transporting cocaine

KANSAS CITY (AP) —The attorney for an 85-year-old white man who shot&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ralph-yarl-kansas-city-wrong-door-b27aaabdb132fcb1544c97f7161f0027">Ralph Yarl</a>&nbsp;after the teenage Black honor student came to his Kansas City, Missouri, home by mistake has requested a psychological examination for his client, saying he believes the retired aircraft mechanic no longer understands the proceedings against him.

Andrew Lester's lawyer filed the motion on Tuesday. Lester has pleaded not guilty to charges of first-degree assault and armed criminal action in the April 13, 2023, shooting of Yarl, then 16. Lester was 84 at the time.

Yarl survived the shooting and graduated from high school in the spring. But his family said the shooting took a big emotional toll and has filed a lawsuit against Lester.

The shooting shocked the country and renewed national debates about gun policies and race in the U.S. Lester's trial is scheduled to begin Oct. 7.

Attorney Steve Salmon has long argued that Lester was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ralph-yarl-shooting-stand-your-ground-69f91b0a09b25f9758219897f5890278">acting in self-defense</a>, terrified by the stranger who knocked on his door as he settled into bed for the night.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/4/1681844207619.png" alt="Lester photo Clay Co." />
 <figcaption>Lester photo Clay Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY (AP) —The attorney for an 85-year-old white man who shot&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ralph-yarl-kansas-city-wrong-door-b27aaabdb132fcb1544c97f7161f0027">Ralph Yarl</a>&nbsp;after the teenage Black honor student came to his Kansas City, Missouri, home by mistake has requested a psychological examination for his client, saying he believes the retired aircraft mechanic no longer understands the proceedings against him.Andrew Lester's lawyer filed the motion on Tuesday. Lester has pleaded not guilty to charges of first-degree assault and armed criminal action in the April 13, 2023, shooting of Yarl, then 16. Lester was 84 at the time.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/4/1681726215314.png" alt="Ralph Yarl photo GoFundMe" />
 <figcaption>Ralph Yarl photo GoFundMe</figcaption>
 </figure>Yarl survived the shooting and graduated from high school in the spring. But his family said the shooting took a big emotional toll and has filed a lawsuit against Lester.The shooting shocked the country and renewed national debates about gun policies and race in the U.S. Lester's trial is scheduled to begin Oct. 7.Attorney Steve Salmon has long argued that Lester was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ralph-yarl-shooting-stand-your-ground-69f91b0a09b25f9758219897f5890278">acting in self-defense</a>, terrified by the stranger who knocked on his door as he settled into bed for the night.Now he contends that Lester needs psychiatrists or psychologists to examine him and make a recommendation about whether he should be held in custody in a suitable hospital facility for treatment while decisions about how to proceed are made.Yarl showed up on Lester's doorstep after he mixed up the streets where he was supposed to pick up his twin siblings. Yarl testified at an earlier hearing that Lester shot him in the head and uttered, “Don’t come here ever again." Although the bullet didn't penetrate Yarl's brain, the impact knocked him to the ground. Yarl said Lester then shot him in the arm.In the ensuing months, Lester's physical and mental condition has deteriorated, Salmon wrote. He said Lester has had heart issues, a broken hip and hospitalizations.Lester also has lost 50 pounds, which Salmon blames on the stress he has experienced because of intense scrutiny from the news media and death threats.Salmon said Lester has memory issues relating to key facts about the case that formerly were not a problem. He said Lester thinks every pretrial hearing is the actual trial, despite being told otherwise, and believes that coins he purchased from a TV ad are now worth about $20 million.Salmon wrote that he believes that Lester now lacks the capacity to understand the proceedings against him or to assist in his own defense.