Kansas may spend billions of dollars to lure pro sports teams from Missouri, just a few miles away

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/kevinhardy/">KEVIN HARDY</a>&nbsp;AND&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/allison-kite/">ALLISON KITE</a>&nbsp; <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a>

For decades, academic research has been clear: Taxpayers almost never get their money back on subsidized sports stadiums.

And yet, over and over again, U.S. cities and states find themselves locked in lopsided negotiations with beloved football, baseball and basketball teams, hoping to keep them from jumping to a new market.

In the newest bidding war, Kansas aims to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to lure the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs or MLB’s Royals from their side-by-side stadiums in Missouri just a few miles away. It could be one of the most expensive stadium deals yet, according to Victor Matheson, a researcher who studies stadium subsidies.

“This is wildly destructive,” he said. “This is in some ways significantly worse than intercity competition, because you’re just spending billions of dollars to just move economic activity from one point in the metro area to another.”

Matheson, an economics professor at College of the Holy Cross in Massachusetts, watched closely in June as lawmakers in Topeka, Kansas, approved an expansion of an often-criticized tax incentive program with the aim of subsidizing a new stadium for one or both teams.

The bidding war for the teams is being viewed as particularly irresponsible by those who hailed a 2019 compact between Kansas and Missouri that some had hoped would set a new model for states across the country to curb corporate tax incentives.

Five years ago, the Democratic governor of Kansas and the Republican governor of Missouri celebrated an end to the so-called economic Border War, a long-standing practice in which governments would offer lucrative subsidies to lure companies back and forth across state lines in the Kansas City area. People saw the practice as wasteful, since it paid companies to relocate without spurring new growth for the regional economy.

The truce was momentous for Kansas and Missouri, two states whose rivalry traces back to bloody Civil War days. But it also garnered national acclaim from both liberals and conservatives who saw the move as a blow to corporate welfare and the cynical practice of companies pitting governments against each other.

But more powerful than the bipartisan cross-border cease-fire, apparently, is the allure of a new professional sports venue.

“Literally every piece of public policy that people said was bad before is being seen here,” said Kansas City, Missouri, Democratic Mayor Quinton Lucas.

Across the country, professional sports teams are playing various local and state governments against each other — a trend that will likely accelerate as a wave of existing stadium leases begin to expire across the country.

It’s a page from the pro sports playbook: Teams often threaten to move to other markets — one without an NFL or NBA franchise, for example. But when those efforts don’t work, team owners often seek to spark competition among local jurisdictions, Matheson said.

New Jersey officials are currently in talks with the owner of the Philadelphia 76ers to get that NBA franchise to hop over to Camden, New Jersey. And the NFL’s Washington Commanders, whose current stadium is in Maryland, are in talks with officials in Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia as they look to build a new facility.

“If there’s not a credible threat to relocate,” Matheson said, “the only way to really get the money out of people’s hands is to play localities against one another.”

Lucas said the bidding war between Kansas and Missouri — and local governments in each — gives more leverage to the Chiefs and Royals in negotiations. But it’s up to elected officials to keep from being outmatched.

“I do think some support is important,” Lucas said. “Giving away the farm is not.”

In Topeka, the GOP-controlled legislature expanded Kansas’ Sales Tax and Revenue Bond program, known as STAR, which would redirect sales tax generated at the stadiums and surrounding areas to pay off construction debt. If the teams were to hop the state line, they could benefit from an unprecedented level of taxpayer support: as much as 70% of the costs of two stadiums, which could amount to billions.

The law allows the state to strike stadium deals with little to no public involvement, doubles down on a state incentive program with a spotty track record of success and potentially puts the state’s finances at risk — all for the prospect of luring a sports team a few miles away.

“I do not like this. It feels gross,” Kansas state Rep. Jason Probst said during a caucus meeting of House Democrats in June. “This whole show that’s going on feels disgusting to me. And it’s still the right thing to do.”

In an interview, Probst, who is from Hutchinson in central Kansas, said the reality of professional sports requires governments “to play the game” and offer public assistance, lest they risk losing teams altogether.

“You can stand on your principles. … But if another state isn’t playing by the same set of rules you are, then they’re going to make that investment and they’re going to take that away,” he said.

On a hot summer day in 2019, hundreds of people gathered to celebrate an end to Missouri’s and Kansas’ practice of offering tax incentives to move companies and jobs from one state to the other.

<a href="https://www.kansascity.com/news/business/article233725152.html" target="_blank">By one estimate</a>, the practice cost taxpayers more than $300 million over a decade and created almost no new jobs for the Kansas City metro area, which straddles both states.

“Sometimes common sense does prevail,” Missouri’s Republican&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kansascity.com/news/business/article233725152.html" target="_blank">Gov. Mike Parson said at the time.&nbsp;</a>“Because you don’t have to be a scientist to figure out this was a bad deal for both states.”

Parson’s office did not respond to requests for comment for this story. But in July, the governor said he was confident the NFL team would stay put at Arrowhead Stadium in Missouri.

“I’m not too worried about Kansas at this point,” Parson said.

This spring,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kcur.org/politics-elections-and-government/2024-04-02/royals-chiefs-stadium-sales-tax-question-1-results-jackson-county-kansas-city-election" target="_blank">voters’ rejection of a 40-year sales tax</a>&nbsp;to help finance a new Royals stadium — and upgrades for Arrowhead — sparked a fear that the teams might leave if they don’t get new facilities. Claiming voters in the Chiefs’ and Royals’ home county had “dropped the ball,” Republican leaders in Kansas pushed to offer the teams a deal, worried they could leave the region altogether.

That fear was enough to reignite the dormant competition between officials in the two states.

“And then they said, ‘Oh, but this is sports, that doesn’t count,’” Matheson said. “Bad economics with sports teams seems to have few boundaries.”

While some&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/06/20/missouri-lawmakers-criticize-kansas-attempt-to-poach-royals-chiefs/" target="_blank">Missouri officials have criticized Kansas’ overtures</a>&nbsp;to the teams, Kansas Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly said in June she made no promises about leaving the teams alone when she signed the Border War truce.

This week, Kelly’s office declined to comment on the legislation, referring questions to the Kansas Department of Commerce, which would oversee any stadium deals. That agency did not answer questions but provided a statement saying such projects “require discretion and confidentiality.”

“The department will not disclose any details regarding the activity surrounding negotiations or future agreements,” department spokesperson Patrick Lowry wrote in an email.

Missouri House Majority Leader Jonathan Patterson, a Republican from Lee’s Summit in suburban Kansas City, likewise said the truce wasn’t meant to cover sports teams — and he wants his state to keep the teams. He expects the state to respond with an offer of its own.

“The sports teams are sort of in a special category of their own. I don’t think that’s what that legislation really was meant for,” Patterson said of the truce.

Kansas’ offer to the Chiefs and Royals enhances an often-criticized program meant to bring major tourist attractions to the state.

But in most cases, the STAR bond program, according to a state audit, failed at its goal of increasing tourism. There may have been some cases, the audit said, where certain projects kept Kansans spending money in Kansas rather than going to Missouri.

“But we think it’s more often that local visitors simply move existing economic activity from one part of Kansas to another,” the audit said.

Prairiefire, a sprawling development in the Kansas suburb of Overland Park,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kansascity.com/news/business/development/article283839588.html" target="_blank">defaulted on its STAR construction bonds</a>&nbsp;earlier this year because sales tax revenues from its restaurants, movie theater and museum came in far below projections.

The proposal for the stadiums would allow the Chiefs or Royals to pay off construction loans using the increased sales and liquor tax collections at the stadium. In pushing for the legislation, lawmakers noted that the money for the stadium would come from spending in and around the stadiums, not general taxpayers.

And they claimed that bond investors would be on the hook — not the state — if sales tax collections come up short.

But Geoffrey Propheter, an associate professor in the School of Public Affairs at the University of Colorado Denver, said it’s unclear how interested investors will be in loaning huge sums for stadium projects, which typically do not create enough revenue to cover costs.

And if those state-issued bonds were ever at risk of failure, he said, lawmakers would feel implicit pressure to bail out the stadium.

“In the real world, there’s a huge risk to Kansas state taxpayers,” he said. “They’re going to have to decide to either bail out the project or do nothing. And if they do nothing, their credit, the state’s credit worthiness, will take a hit. And that will make all future borrowing more expensive.”

Experts viewed the Kansas-Missouri truce as a model that other states and cities could emulate.

“We were very interested in the Kansas and Missouri situation, because it gives a test as to whether this will work,” said Marc Joffe, a state policy analyst at the libertarian Cato Institute think tank. “And there have been some encouraging results since 2019 … but I think sports teams are just too big of a war, and they weren’t able to avoid the temptation.”

The institute&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cato.org/blog/how-kansas-city-chiefs-royals-restarted-subsidies-war" target="_blank">is studying</a>&nbsp;the Kansas-Missouri truce, in its larger effort to end bidding wars for factories and other major employers.

Joffe criticized such competition as wasteful, and said bidding for stadiums was no exception.

“It is at best a zero-sum game,” Joffe said, “and because of all the waste involved, it’s a really negative-sum game.”

Joffe pointed to the Coalition to Phase Out Corporate Tax Giveaways, a bipartisan group of state lawmakers that sponsored bills in more than a dozen legislatures between 2019 and 2021.

Pennsylvania state Rep. Christopher Rabb, a Democrat, has&nbsp;<a href="https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/billinfo/bill_history.cfm?syear=2021&amp;sind=0&amp;body=H&amp;type=B&amp;bn=873" target="_blank">twice introduced legislation in Harrisburg</a>&nbsp;to end corporate subsidies. He said he was motivated by Amazon’s 2018 announcement that it was seeking a new corporate headquarters, a move that set off a national bidding war among cities.

He broadly believes corporate incentives are wasteful, especially for professional sports teams. Rabb views the Philadelphia 76ers talks of moving across the Delaware River to New Jersey as a ploy for public subsidies.

He noted most average people can’t afford to attend pro games and likened chasing the purported economic benefits of stadiums and arenas to hunting for “fool’s gold.”

“How does this really change the collective quality of opportunity for regular Philadelphians? It doesn’t,” he said. “Let’s be honest: This is the sandbox of billionaires.”

Rabb said elected leaders should be focused on policies that help marginalized people, not the “excessively wealthy,” such as team owners.

After talks stalled over a new arena for the 76ers in Philadelphia, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said&nbsp;<a href="https://6abc.com/post/new-jersey-officials-vying-philadelphia-76ers-open-new/15083409/" target="_blank">he proposed the team relocate</a>&nbsp;just a few miles to Camden.

Murphy’s office declined to comment, but the Democratic governor&nbsp;<a href="https://newjersey.news12.com/gov-murphy-answers-viewers-questions-on-ask-gov-murphy-program-july-25-2024" target="_blank">told a local television station&nbsp;</a>last week that the team’s interest was “legitimate.”

“We think we got an angle here. We’re taking it seriously. Where it lands? I can’t promise you,” he said. “I think they are taking it seriously as well — we shall see. I say this as a Boston Celtics fan — don’t get mad at me.”

But this sort of jockeying between states only benefits team owners, said Neil deMause, a journalist who has written a book about stadium subsidies. Taxpayers and fans, he said, stand to gain little, especially if game tickets become more expensive at new facilities.

“All the economists I know say the best thing you could do is reject it for your state and have the stadiums get built in the other state,” deMause said. “You still get to go drive across the border and see the games the same way as you would otherwise … but you don’t have to pay for building the thing.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1669408667473.png" alt="A red-clad crowd packs Arrowhead Stadium to watch the Kansas City Chiefs play (Eric Thomas/Kansas Reflector)." />
 <figcaption>A red-clad crowd packs Arrowhead Stadium to watch the Kansas City Chiefs play (Eric Thomas/Kansas Reflector).</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Kansas may spend billions of dollars to lure pro sports teams from Missouri, just a few miles away</h2>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/kevinhardy/">KEVIN HARDY</a>&nbsp;AND&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/allison-kite/">ALLISON KITE</a>&nbsp; <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a>For decades, academic research has been clear: Taxpayers almost never get their money back on subsidized sports stadiums.And yet, over and over again, U.S. cities and states find themselves locked in lopsided negotiations with beloved football, baseball and basketball teams, hoping to keep them from jumping to a new market.In the newest bidding war, Kansas aims to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to lure the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs or MLB’s Royals from their side-by-side stadiums in Missouri just a few miles away. It could be one of the most expensive stadium deals yet, according to Victor Matheson, a researcher who studies stadium subsidies.“This is wildly destructive,” he said. “This is in some ways significantly worse than intercity competition, because you’re just spending billions of dollars to just move economic activity from one point in the metro area to another.”Matheson, an economics professor at College of the Holy Cross in Massachusetts, watched closely in June as lawmakers in Topeka, Kansas, approved an expansion of an often-criticized tax incentive program with the aim of subsidizing a new stadium for one or both teams.The bidding war for the teams is being viewed as particularly irresponsible by those who hailed a 2019 compact between Kansas and Missouri that some had hoped would set a new model for states across the country to curb corporate tax incentives.Five years ago, the Democratic governor of Kansas and the Republican governor of Missouri celebrated an end to the so-called economic Border War, a long-standing practice in which governments would offer lucrative subsidies to lure companies back and forth across state lines in the Kansas City area. People saw the practice as wasteful, since it paid companies to relocate without spurring new growth for the regional economy.The truce was momentous for Kansas and Missouri, two states whose rivalry traces back to bloody Civil War days. But it also garnered national acclaim from both liberals and conservatives who saw the move as a blow to corporate welfare and the cynical practice of companies pitting governments against each other.But more powerful than the bipartisan cross-border cease-fire, apparently, is the allure of a new professional sports venue.“Literally every piece of public policy that people said was bad before is being seen here,” said Kansas City, Missouri, Democratic Mayor Quinton Lucas.Across the country, professional sports teams are playing various local and state governments against each other — a trend that will likely accelerate as a wave of existing stadium leases begin to expire across the country.It’s a page from the pro sports playbook: Teams often threaten to move to other markets — one without an NFL or NBA franchise, for example. But when those efforts don’t work, team owners often seek to spark competition among local jurisdictions, Matheson said.New Jersey officials are currently in talks with the owner of the Philadelphia 76ers to get that NBA franchise to hop over to Camden, New Jersey. And the NFL’s Washington Commanders, whose current stadium is in Maryland, are in talks with officials in Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia as they look to build a new facility.“If there’s not a credible threat to relocate,” Matheson said, “the only way to really get the money out of people’s hands is to play localities against one another.”Lucas said the bidding war between Kansas and Missouri — and local governments in each — gives more leverage to the Chiefs and Royals in negotiations. But it’s up to elected officials to keep from being outmatched.“I do think some support is important,” Lucas said. “Giving away the farm is not.”In Topeka, the GOP-controlled legislature expanded Kansas’ Sales Tax and Revenue Bond program, known as STAR, which would redirect sales tax generated at the stadiums and surrounding areas to pay off construction debt. If the teams were to hop the state line, they could benefit from an unprecedented level of taxpayer support: as much as 70% of the costs of two stadiums, which could amount to billions.The law allows the state to strike stadium deals with little to no public involvement, doubles down on a state incentive program with a spotty track record of success and potentially puts the state’s finances at risk — all for the prospect of luring a sports team a few miles away.“I do not like this. It feels gross,” Kansas state Rep. Jason Probst said during a caucus meeting of House Democrats in June. “This whole show that’s going on feels disgusting to me. And it’s still the right thing to do.”In an interview, Probst, who is from Hutchinson in central Kansas, said the reality of professional sports requires governments “to play the game” and offer public assistance, lest they risk losing teams altogether.“You can stand on your principles. … But if another state isn’t playing by the same set of rules you are, then they’re going to make that investment and they’re going to take that away,” he said.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1722689139327.png" alt=" Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly and Missouri Gov. Mike Parson at a 2019 event in Kansas City. (Missouri Governor’s Office)" />
 <figcaption> Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly and Missouri Gov. Mike Parson at a 2019 event in Kansas City. (Missouri Governor’s Office)</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Reigniting the Border War</h2>On a hot summer day in 2019, hundreds of people gathered to celebrate an end to Missouri’s and Kansas’ practice of offering tax incentives to move companies and jobs from one state to the other.<a href="https://www.kansascity.com/news/business/article233725152.html" target="_blank">By one estimate</a>, the practice cost taxpayers more than $300 million over a decade and created almost no new jobs for the Kansas City metro area, which straddles both states.“Sometimes common sense does prevail,” Missouri’s Republican&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kansascity.com/news/business/article233725152.html" target="_blank">Gov. Mike Parson said at the time.&nbsp;</a>“Because you don’t have to be a scientist to figure out this was a bad deal for both states.”Parson’s office did not respond to requests for comment for this story. But in July, the governor said he was confident the NFL team would stay put at Arrowhead Stadium in Missouri.“I’m not too worried about Kansas at this point,” Parson said.This spring,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kcur.org/politics-elections-and-government/2024-04-02/royals-chiefs-stadium-sales-tax-question-1-results-jackson-county-kansas-city-election" target="_blank">voters’ rejection of a 40-year sales tax</a>&nbsp;to help finance a new Royals stadium — and upgrades for Arrowhead — sparked a fear that the teams might leave if they don’t get new facilities. Claiming voters in the Chiefs’ and Royals’ home county had “dropped the ball,” Republican leaders in Kansas pushed to offer the teams a deal, worried they could leave the region altogether.That fear was enough to reignite the dormant competition between officials in the two states.“And then they said, ‘Oh, but this is sports, that doesn’t count,’” Matheson said. “Bad economics with sports teams seems to have few boundaries.”While some&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/06/20/missouri-lawmakers-criticize-kansas-attempt-to-poach-royals-chiefs/" target="_blank">Missouri officials have criticized Kansas’ overtures</a>&nbsp;to the teams, Kansas Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly said in June she made no promises about leaving the teams alone when she signed the Border War truce.This week, Kelly’s office declined to comment on the legislation, referring questions to the Kansas Department of Commerce, which would oversee any stadium deals. That agency did not answer questions but provided a statement saying such projects “require discretion and confidentiality.”“The department will not disclose any details regarding the activity surrounding negotiations or future agreements,” department spokesperson Patrick Lowry wrote in an email.Missouri House Majority Leader Jonathan Patterson, a Republican from Lee’s Summit in suburban Kansas City, likewise said the truce wasn’t meant to cover sports teams — and he wants his state to keep the teams. He expects the state to respond with an offer of its own.“The sports teams are sort of in a special category of their own. I don’t think that’s what that legislation really was meant for,” Patterson said of the truce.Kansas’ offer to the Chiefs and Royals enhances an often-criticized program meant to bring major tourist attractions to the state.But in most cases, the STAR bond program, according to a state audit, failed at its goal of increasing tourism. There may have been some cases, the audit said, where certain projects kept Kansans spending money in Kansas rather than going to Missouri.“But we think it’s more often that local visitors simply move existing economic activity from one part of Kansas to another,” the audit said.Prairiefire, a sprawling development in the Kansas suburb of Overland Park,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kansascity.com/news/business/development/article283839588.html" target="_blank">defaulted on its STAR construction bonds</a>&nbsp;earlier this year because sales tax revenues from its restaurants, movie theater and museum came in far below projections.The proposal for the stadiums would allow the Chiefs or Royals to pay off construction loans using the increased sales and liquor tax collections at the stadium. In pushing for the legislation, lawmakers noted that the money for the stadium would come from spending in and around the stadiums, not general taxpayers.And they claimed that bond investors would be on the hook — not the state — if sales tax collections come up short.But Geoffrey Propheter, an associate professor in the School of Public Affairs at the University of Colorado Denver, said it’s unclear how interested investors will be in loaning huge sums for stadium projects, which typically do not create enough revenue to cover costs.And if those state-issued bonds were ever at risk of failure, he said, lawmakers would feel implicit pressure to bail out the stadium.“In the real world, there’s a huge risk to Kansas state taxpayers,” he said. “They’re going to have to decide to either bail out the project or do nothing. And if they do nothing, their credit, the state’s credit worthiness, will take a hit. And that will make all future borrowing more expensive.”<h2>‘Zero-sum’ game between states</h2>Experts viewed the Kansas-Missouri truce as a model that other states and cities could emulate.“We were very interested in the Kansas and Missouri situation, because it gives a test as to whether this will work,” said Marc Joffe, a state policy analyst at the libertarian Cato Institute think tank. “And there have been some encouraging results since 2019 … but I think sports teams are just too big of a war, and they weren’t able to avoid the temptation.”The institute&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cato.org/blog/how-kansas-city-chiefs-royals-restarted-subsidies-war" target="_blank">is studying</a>&nbsp;the Kansas-Missouri truce, in its larger effort to end bidding wars for factories and other major employers.Joffe criticized such competition as wasteful, and said bidding for stadiums was no exception.“It is at best a zero-sum game,” Joffe said, “and because of all the waste involved, it’s a really negative-sum game.”Joffe pointed to the Coalition to Phase Out Corporate Tax Giveaways, a bipartisan group of state lawmakers that sponsored bills in more than a dozen legislatures between 2019 and 2021.Pennsylvania state Rep. Christopher Rabb, a Democrat, has&nbsp;<a href="https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/billinfo/bill_history.cfm?syear=2021&amp;sind=0&amp;body=H&amp;type=B&amp;bn=873" target="_blank">twice introduced legislation in Harrisburg</a>&nbsp;to end corporate subsidies. He said he was motivated by Amazon’s 2018 announcement that it was seeking a new corporate headquarters, a move that set off a national bidding war among cities.He broadly believes corporate incentives are wasteful, especially for professional sports teams. Rabb views the Philadelphia 76ers talks of moving across the Delaware River to New Jersey as a ploy for public subsidies.He noted most average people can’t afford to attend pro games and likened chasing the purported economic benefits of stadiums and arenas to hunting for “fool’s gold.”“How does this really change the collective quality of opportunity for regular Philadelphians? It doesn’t,” he said. “Let’s be honest: This is the sandbox of billionaires.”Rabb said elected leaders should be focused on policies that help marginalized people, not the “excessively wealthy,” such as team owners.After talks stalled over a new arena for the 76ers in Philadelphia, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said&nbsp;<a href="https://6abc.com/post/new-jersey-officials-vying-philadelphia-76ers-open-new/15083409/" target="_blank">he proposed the team relocate</a>&nbsp;just a few miles to Camden.Murphy’s office declined to comment, but the Democratic governor&nbsp;<a href="https://newjersey.news12.com/gov-murphy-answers-viewers-questions-on-ask-gov-murphy-program-july-25-2024" target="_blank">told a local television station&nbsp;</a>last week that the team’s interest was “legitimate.”“We think we got an angle here. We’re taking it seriously. Where it lands? I can’t promise you,” he said. “I think they are taking it seriously as well — we shall see. I say this as a Boston Celtics fan — don’t get mad at me.”But this sort of jockeying between states only benefits team owners, said Neil deMause, a journalist who has written a book about stadium subsidies. Taxpayers and fans, he said, stand to gain little, especially if game tickets become more expensive at new facilities.“All the economists I know say the best thing you could do is reject it for your state and have the stadiums get built in the other state,” deMause said. “You still get to go drive across the border and see the games the same way as you would otherwise … but you don’t have to pay for building the thing.”

Kansas v. Missouri stadium battle shows how states are reigniting border wars

SEDGWICK COUNTY—A Kansas man is going to prison for killing a man and stealing the victim's bicycle in a Wichita park in 2021.

This week, Judge David Dahl sentenced&nbsp;23-year-old Derek Zamzow to life in prison for the shooting death and bike theft of 32-year-old Jason Huber, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.

In May, a jury convicted Zamzow of first degree murder, aggravated robbery and criminal possession of a weapon by a convicted felon.

The crime occurred in September of 2021 in the 800 block of West Murdock. Police found Huber with a gunshot wound.&nbsp;Zamzow shot Huber before stealing his bicycle and riding away. EMS transported Huber to a local hospital where he died.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1722690596488.png" alt="Zamzow-photo Sedgwick Co." />
 <figcaption>Zamzow-photo Sedgwick Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY—A Kansas man is going to prison for killing a man and stealing the victim's bicycle in a Wichita park in 2021.This week, Judge David Dahl sentenced&nbsp;23-year-old Derek Zamzow to life in prison for the shooting death and bike theft of 32-year-old Jason Huber, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.In May, a jury convicted Zamzow of first degree murder, aggravated robbery and criminal possession of a weapon by a convicted felon.The crime occurred in September of 2021 in the 800 block of West Murdock. Police found Huber with a gunshot wound.&nbsp;Zamzow shot Huber before stealing his bicycle and riding away. EMS transported Huber to a local hospital where he died.&nbsp;

Kansas man killed victim and took his bicycle 

OSAGE COUNTY—Two people were injured in an accident just before 8p.m. Friday in Osage County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2021 GMC Sierra driven by Clinton W&nbsp;Fagen, 45, Shawnee, Kansas, was westbound on Kansas 31 just west of S Jordan.

The driver pulled to the right shoulder and made an illegal U-turn in front of a westbound 2008 Ford Expedition Fire and EMS vehicle with lights and sirens activated on the way to a call and driven by Gary D. Kitt, 62, Melvern.&nbsp;

The SUV and pickup collided.&nbsp; After impact the pickup became disabled on the highway and the SUV became disabled in the north ditch.

EMS transported both drivers to Stormont Vail in Topeka. Both drivers were properly restrained, according to the KHP.

OSAGE COUNTY—Two people were injured in an accident just before 8p.m. Friday in Osage County.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2021 GMC Sierra driven by Clinton W&nbsp;Fagen, 45, Shawnee, Kansas, was westbound on Kansas 31 just west of S Jordan.The driver pulled to the right shoulder and made an illegal U-turn in front of a westbound 2008 Ford Expedition Fire and EMS vehicle with lights and sirens activated on the way to a call and driven by Gary D. Kitt, 62, Melvern.&nbsp;The SUV and pickup collided.&nbsp; After impact the pickup became disabled on the highway and the SUV became disabled in the north ditch.EMS transported both drivers to Stormont Vail in Topeka. Both drivers were properly restrained, according to the KHP.

Kan. driver made illegal U-turn in front of fire-EMS SUV on way to a call

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) — A Missouri woman will spend the rest of her life in prison after admitting in court that she kidnapped and killed a pregnant Arkansas woman in what prosecutors say was an attempt to claim her baby.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/arkansas-kidnapping-missouri-springfield-dc7c8e944f6d8ef9260a44c6ab38713c">Amber Waterman</a>, 44, of Pineville, Missouri, pleaded guilty this week in U.S. District Court in Springfield to one count each of kidnapping resulting in death and causing the death of a child in utero. U.S. Attorney Teresa Moore said Waterman's mandatory sentence will be life in prison without parole. Formal sentencing is Oct. 15.

In her plea, Waterman admitted that she used a false name to contact Ashley Bush of Siloam Springs, Arkansas, on Facebook. Bush, 33, was about 31 weeks pregnant at the time.

Federal prosecutors said Waterman and Bush agreed to meet at an Arkansas convenience store on Oct. 31, 2022, under the guise of Waterman helping Bush get a job. Instead, Waterman drove Bush to Waterman's home in Pineville.

Hours later, first responders were called to the home on a report that a baby was not breathing. The baby was pronounced dead. Waterman at first claimed she had given birth. In her plea, she admitted the baby was Bush's. Bush was also the mother of three other children.

Bush's body was found in a separate location. Arkansas authorities said she died from a gunshot wound, but police and prosecutors declined to provide more information on how the baby died.

Waterman’s husband, Jamie Waterman, was charged with being an accessory after the fact for allegedly helping dispose of Bush’s body. His trial is scheduled for October.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1722439469260.png" alt="Waterman photo Benton Co. Jail" />
 <figcaption>Waterman photo Benton Co. Jail</figcaption>
 </figure>SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) — A Missouri woman will spend the rest of her life in prison after admitting in court that she kidnapped and killed a pregnant Arkansas woman in what prosecutors say was an attempt to claim her baby.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/arkansas-kidnapping-missouri-springfield-dc7c8e944f6d8ef9260a44c6ab38713c">Amber Waterman</a>, 44, of Pineville, Missouri, pleaded guilty this week in U.S. District Court in Springfield to one count each of kidnapping resulting in death and causing the death of a child in utero. U.S. Attorney Teresa Moore said Waterman's mandatory sentence will be life in prison without parole. Formal sentencing is Oct. 15.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1722439716070.png" alt="Jamie Waterman is being held in Greene Co." />
 <figcaption>Jamie Waterman is being held in Greene Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>In her plea, Waterman admitted that she used a false name to contact Ashley Bush of Siloam Springs, Arkansas, on Facebook. Bush, 33, was about 31 weeks pregnant at the time.Federal prosecutors said Waterman and Bush agreed to meet at an Arkansas convenience store on Oct. 31, 2022, under the guise of Waterman helping Bush get a job. Instead, Waterman drove Bush to Waterman's home in Pineville.Hours later, first responders were called to the home on a report that a baby was not breathing. The baby was pronounced dead. Waterman at first claimed she had given birth. In her plea, she admitted the baby was Bush's. Bush was also the mother of three other children.Bush's body was found in a separate location. Arkansas authorities said she died from a gunshot wound, but police and prosecutors declined to provide more information on how the baby died.Waterman’s husband, Jamie Waterman, was charged with being an accessory after the fact for allegedly helping dispose of Bush’s body. His trial is scheduled for October.

Woman admits kidnapping, killing a pregnant Arkansas woman

West Yellowstone, Montana—The National Park Service is working to get the attention of "all citizen scientists" following the geyser explosion last month.

 Yellowstone and Geological Survey are seeking information regarding the hydrothermal explosion event that took place in Biscuit Basin on July 23, 2024.


Who can help:
· People in Biscuit Basin or surrounding area who directly observed the even,&nbsp; people who have photos or videos of Black Diamond Pool, Black Opal Pool, or Wall Pool during the period of July 16-July 23.



If you are in either of these groups and would like to help, please contact the Yellowstone Geology Program: yell_geology@nps.gov



Hydrothermal explosions are common, but not often witnessed. By sharing your observations and media, you can directly contribute to important scientific research on this underappreciated geologic hazard. 



If you’re not in either of these groups, you can still help by liking and sharing this post on the Yellowstone facebook page.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1721940347052.png" alt="Photo National Park Service" />
 <figcaption>Photo National Park Service</figcaption>
 </figure>West Yellowstone, Montana—The National Park Service is working to get the attention of "all citizen scientists" following the geyser explosion last month. Yellowstone and Geological Survey are seeking information regarding the hydrothermal explosion event that took place in Biscuit Basin on July 23, 2024.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1721765630612.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>
Who can help:
· People in Biscuit Basin or surrounding area who directly observed the even,&nbsp; people who have photos or videos of Black Diamond Pool, Black Opal Pool, or Wall Pool during the period of July 16-July 23.

If you are in either of these groups and would like to help, please contact the Yellowstone Geology Program: yell_geology@nps.gov

Hydrothermal explosions are common, but not often witnessed. By sharing your observations and media, you can directly contribute to important scientific research on this underappreciated geologic hazard. 

If you’re not in either of these groups, you can still help by liking and sharing this post on the Yellowstone facebook page.-----------

Park Service asking public for info following Yellowstone geyser explosion 

WASHINGTON (AP) —The Justice Department sued TikTok on Friday, accusing the company of violating children’s online privacy law and running afoul of a settlement it had reached with another federal agency.

The complaint, filed together with the Federal Trade Commission in a California federal court, comes as the U.S. and the prominent social media company are embroiled in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tiktok-bytedance-censorship-us-data-240e11d9bb6212b0c9b1adab821e5005">yet another legal battle</a>&nbsp;that will determine if – or how – TikTok will continue to operate in the country.

The latest lawsuit focuses on allegations that TikTok, a trend-setting platform popular among young users, and its China-based parent company ByteDance violated a federal law that requires kid-oriented apps and websites to get parental consent before collecting personal information of children under 13.

TikTok did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

“This action is necessary to prevent the defendants, who are repeat offenders and operate on a massive scale, from collecting and using young children’s private information without any parental consent or control,” Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division, said in a statement.

The U.S. decided to file the lawsuit following&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tiktok-bytedance-ftc-justice-investigation-children-6044e57cc7adf9e57319e351c671483c">an investigation by the FTC</a>&nbsp;that looked into whether the companies were complying with a previous settlement involving TikTok’s predecessor, Musical.ly.

In 2019, the federal government sued Musical.ly, alleging it violated the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, or COPPA, by failing to notify parents about its collection and use of personal information for kids under 13.

That same year, Musical.ly — acquired by ByteDance in 2017 and merged with TikTok — agreed to pay $5.7 million to resolve those allegations. The two companies were also subject to a court order requiring them to comply with COPPA, which the government says hasn’t happened.

In the complaint, the Justice Department and the FTC allege TikTok has knowingly allowed children to create accounts and retained their personal information without notifying their parents. This practice extends to accounts created in “Kids Mode,” a version of TikTok for children under 13, Justice said in a press release explaining the lawsuit.

The two agencies allege the information collected included activities on the app and other identifiers used to build user profiles. They also accuse TikTok of sharing the data with other companies – such as Meta’s Facebook and an analytics company called AppsFlyer – to persuade “Kids Mode” users to be on the platform more, a practice TikTok called “re-targeting less active users.”

The complaint says TikTok also allowed children to create accounts without having to provide their age, or obtain parental approval, by using credentials from third-party services. It classified these as “age unknown” accounts, which the agencies say have grown into millions.

After parents discovered some of their children’s accounts and asked for them to be deleted, federal officials said their requests were not honored. In a press release explaining the lawsuit, Justice said the alleged violations have resulted in millions of children under 13 using the regular TikTok app, allowing them to interact with adults and access adult content.

In March, a person with the matter had told the AP the FTC’s investigation was also looking into whether TikTok violated a portion of federal law that prohibits “unfair and deceptive” business practices by denying that individuals in China had access to U.S. user data.

Those allegations were not included in the complaint, which is seeking civil penalties and injunctive relief.

WASHINGTON (AP) —The Justice Department sued TikTok on Friday, accusing the company of violating children’s online privacy law and running afoul of a settlement it had reached with another federal agency.The complaint, filed together with the Federal Trade Commission in a California federal court, comes as the U.S. and the prominent social media company are embroiled in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tiktok-bytedance-censorship-us-data-240e11d9bb6212b0c9b1adab821e5005">yet another legal battle</a>&nbsp;that will determine if – or how – TikTok will continue to operate in the country.The latest lawsuit focuses on allegations that TikTok, a trend-setting platform popular among young users, and its China-based parent company ByteDance violated a federal law that requires kid-oriented apps and websites to get parental consent before collecting personal information of children under 13.TikTok did not immediately respond to a request for comment.“This action is necessary to prevent the defendants, who are repeat offenders and operate on a massive scale, from collecting and using young children’s private information without any parental consent or control,” Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division, said in a statement.The U.S. decided to file the lawsuit following&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tiktok-bytedance-ftc-justice-investigation-children-6044e57cc7adf9e57319e351c671483c">an investigation by the FTC</a>&nbsp;that looked into whether the companies were complying with a previous settlement involving TikTok’s predecessor, Musical.ly.In 2019, the federal government sued Musical.ly, alleging it violated the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, or COPPA, by failing to notify parents about its collection and use of personal information for kids under 13.That same year, Musical.ly — acquired by ByteDance in 2017 and merged with TikTok — agreed to pay $5.7 million to resolve those allegations. The two companies were also subject to a court order requiring them to comply with COPPA, which the government says hasn’t happened.In the complaint, the Justice Department and the FTC allege TikTok has knowingly allowed children to create accounts and retained their personal information without notifying their parents. This practice extends to accounts created in “Kids Mode,” a version of TikTok for children under 13, Justice said in a press release explaining the lawsuit.The two agencies allege the information collected included activities on the app and other identifiers used to build user profiles. They also accuse TikTok of sharing the data with other companies – such as Meta’s Facebook and an analytics company called AppsFlyer – to persuade “Kids Mode” users to be on the platform more, a practice TikTok called “re-targeting less active users.”The complaint says TikTok also allowed children to create accounts without having to provide their age, or obtain parental approval, by using credentials from third-party services. It classified these as “age unknown” accounts, which the agencies say have grown into millions.After parents discovered some of their children’s accounts and asked for them to be deleted, federal officials said their requests were not honored. In a press release explaining the lawsuit, Justice said the alleged violations have resulted in millions of children under 13 using the regular TikTok app, allowing them to interact with adults and access adult content.In March, a person with the matter had told the AP the FTC’s investigation was also looking into whether TikTok violated a portion of federal law that prohibits “unfair and deceptive” business practices by denying that individuals in China had access to U.S. user data.Those allegations were not included in the complaint, which is seeking civil penalties and injunctive relief.

U.S. sues TikTok for 'massive' privacy violations of kids under 13

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Hutchinson Zoo is mourning the loss of one of its most beloved animals, the 18-year-old American Bison, “Norman.” A well-known resident in the community and the Zoo, the male bison was humanely euthanized due to complications with long-term health issues.

Dan and Shirley Power donated Norman to the Hutchinson Zoo in September 2021. Power purchased Norman from Hedricks Exotic Animal Farm when he was a calf. Norman lived at the Powers' home on North Monroe for 15 years. “I had always wanted to have a bison, and this opportunity became available to our family,” said Power. When Dan and Shirley bought a new home a few years ago, they had to face the decision to move Norman to a new place.

In early 2022, Zoo Staff noticed that Norman was losing weight and worked closely with Dr. David Harder at Prairie Vista Veterinary Hospital to manage symptoms and determine the cause. The Zoo utilized their staff’s skills and support from behavioral training consultants to do a voluntary blood draw on Norman in less than 24 hours. “Because of Norman’s trust in us and the skills of our team, we accomplished something that we believe had not been done with bison in a human-care setting,” said Hutchinson Zoo Director Nicole Mantz. “We gave Norman the choice to participate in his health care, something not often found in bison management.”

From the bloodwork, the Zoo learned that Norman had a protein-losing disorder. Staff and veterinarians consulted other zoo vets and industry professionals to provide the best support and medication to manage his symptoms for over two years. Staff used training sessions to monitor his weight closely, administer medication, obtain subsequent blood for testing, and even trim his hooves, all voluntarily. “Through our collaborations and sharing Norman’s story, more than the Hutchinson/Reno County community and Zoo guests have fallen in love with Norman. Experts across the country have volunteered their time to help make him as comfortable as possible in his remaining years,” said Mantz.

The collective love and support made a significant difference in Norman's life. When a new guest came to see the bison, Norman would be the first to greet them. His remarkable personality made him a wonderful ambassador for his species, inspiring others to care for native wildlife. Norman’s light and energy will live in the Zoo’s mural at Splash River Nature Playscape; his hoofprint at the feeding station in the bison habitat and scientific presentations about his training will remind us how he helped revolutionize humane bison care. “While our staff feels the loss of any animal resident, we recognize Norman’s passing also resonates with our local and professional communities. He was very special to all of us and will be greatly missed.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1722700682297.jpeg" alt="Norman the Bison-photo by Kat Munsell" />
 <figcaption>Norman the Bison-photo by Kat Munsell</figcaption>
 </figure>Hutchinson ZooHUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Hutchinson Zoo is mourning the loss of one of its most beloved animals, the 18-year-old American Bison, “Norman.” A well-known resident in the community and the Zoo, the male bison was humanely euthanized due to complications with long-term health issues.Dan and Shirley Power donated Norman to the Hutchinson Zoo in September 2021. Power purchased Norman from Hedricks Exotic Animal Farm when he was a calf. Norman lived at the Powers' home on North Monroe for 15 years. “I had always wanted to have a bison, and this opportunity became available to our family,” said Power. When Dan and Shirley bought a new home a few years ago, they had to face the decision to move Norman to a new place.In early 2022, Zoo Staff noticed that Norman was losing weight and worked closely with Dr. David Harder at Prairie Vista Veterinary Hospital to manage symptoms and determine the cause. The Zoo utilized their staff’s skills and support from behavioral training consultants to do a voluntary blood draw on Norman in less than 24 hours. “Because of Norman’s trust in us and the skills of our team, we accomplished something that we believe had not been done with bison in a human-care setting,” said Hutchinson Zoo Director Nicole Mantz. “We gave Norman the choice to participate in his health care, something not often found in bison management.”From the bloodwork, the Zoo learned that Norman had a protein-losing disorder. Staff and veterinarians consulted other zoo vets and industry professionals to provide the best support and medication to manage his symptoms for over two years. Staff used training sessions to monitor his weight closely, administer medication, obtain subsequent blood for testing, and even trim his hooves, all voluntarily. “Through our collaborations and sharing Norman’s story, more than the Hutchinson/Reno County community and Zoo guests have fallen in love with Norman. Experts across the country have volunteered their time to help make him as comfortable as possible in his remaining years,” said Mantz.The collective love and support made a significant difference in Norman's life. When a new guest came to see the bison, Norman would be the first to greet them. His remarkable personality made him a wonderful ambassador for his species, inspiring others to care for native wildlife. Norman’s light and energy will live in the Zoo’s mural at Splash River Nature Playscape; his hoofprint at the feeding station in the bison habitat and scientific presentations about his training will remind us how he helped revolutionize humane bison care. “While our staff feels the loss of any animal resident, we recognize Norman’s passing also resonates with our local and professional communities. He was very special to all of us and will be greatly missed.”

Popular bison at Kansas zoo has died

KANSAS CITY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a road-rage shooting.

Just after 4a.m. onn July 21, someone shot into the silver vehicle near 16th and Lawn in Kansas City, according to a social media report from Kansas City Police.&nbsp; The driver was injured.

Assault detectives are searching for the suspect. If you have any information regarding the violent criminal responsible, you can help and remain anonymous. <a href="https://www.kccrimestoppers.com/sitemenu.aspx?ID=452&amp;">Click here to report&nbsp;</a>

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1722604625686.png" alt="Photo Kansas City, Missouri Police" />
 <figcaption>Photo Kansas City, Missouri Police</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a road-rage shooting.Just after 4a.m. onn July 21, someone shot into the silver vehicle near 16th and Lawn in Kansas City, according to a social media report from Kansas City Police.&nbsp; The driver was injured.Assault detectives are searching for the suspect. If you have any information regarding the violent criminal responsible, you can help and remain anonymous. <a href="https://www.kccrimestoppers.com/sitemenu.aspx?ID=452&amp;">Click here to report&nbsp;</a>

KCPD looking for help to locate road-rage shooting suspect

PARIS (AP) — Simone Biles earned her seventh Olympic gold medal by soaring to victory in the women's vault final at the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games">Paris Games</a>&nbsp;on Saturday.

The 27-year-old Biles averaged 15.300 for her signature Yurchenko double pike and Cheng vaults to claim a second gold on the event eight years after she triumphed in Rio de Janeiro.

Rebeca Andrade of Brazil, who finished runner-up to Biles in the all-around final on Thursday, took silver, just ahead of American Jade Carey, who captured the bronze.

Biles is the second woman to win vault twice, joining Vera Casalavska of Czechoslovakia as a two-time gold medalist on the vault. Casalavska went back to back in 1964 and 1968. Biles now has 10 Olympic medals in her career, tied for the third most by a female gymnast. She also boosted her medal count at major international competitions to 40, the most by any gymnast.

The crowd inside a packed Bercy Arena roared when Biles was introduced. Wearing a sequined red leotard, she delivered another show-stopping performance in what could be the last vault competition of her life.

She drilled her Yurchenko double pike, exploding off the block and then flipping backward twice with her hands clasped behind her knees. She landed with a big bounce — a nod to the energy she generates — with her right foot on the out-of-bounds line.

The judges dinged her a tenth of a point for that. It hardly mattered. Her score of 15.700 meant she merely needed to avoid disaster on her second vault to win. Instead, she almost stuck her Cheng, which requires a roundoff onto the springboard, then a half twist onto the block followed by 1 1/2 twists while doing a forward somersault.

The ensuing 14.900 meant the rest of the eight-woman field was going for second.

Andrade, the vault champion in Tokyo, put together two excellent vaults to claim silver and her third medal of the Games after a silver in the all-around and a bronze in the team final. Andrade's average of 14.966 was well clear of everyone else.

Carey, who slipped during the women's vault final in Tokyo and finished eighth, earned her third Olympic medal to go with the floor exercise gold she won in Tokyo and the team gold she captured with Biles on Tuesday.

Biles will have two more chances to boost her medal haul in Paris. She will compete in the balance beam and floor exercise finals on Monday.

PARIS (AP) — Simone Biles earned her seventh Olympic gold medal by soaring to victory in the women's vault final at the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games">Paris Games</a>&nbsp;on Saturday.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">MAKE THAT 7️⃣!<a href="https://twitter.com/Simone_Biles?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Simone_Biles</a> takes home her seventh Olympic Gold Medal with a victory on Vault at the Paris Games! 🐐 <a href="https://t.co/utgqy5nFwZ">pic.twitter.com/utgqy5nFwZ</a>&mdash; USA Gymnastics (@USAGym) <a href="https://twitter.com/USAGym/status/1819754969483956454?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 3, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The 27-year-old Biles averaged 15.300 for her signature Yurchenko double pike and Cheng vaults to claim a second gold on the event eight years after she triumphed in Rio de Janeiro.Rebeca Andrade of Brazil, who finished runner-up to Biles in the all-around final on Thursday, took silver, just ahead of American Jade Carey, who captured the bronze.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">JADE CAREY GETS HER VAULT MEDAL! 🥉<a href="https://twitter.com/jadeacarey?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@jadeacarey</a> is taking home Bronze in the Women&#39;s Olympic Vault Final! <a href="https://t.co/qZF82czjby">pic.twitter.com/qZF82czjby</a>&mdash; USA Gymnastics (@USAGym) <a href="https://twitter.com/USAGym/status/1819756359933456541?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 3, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Biles is the second woman to win vault twice, joining Vera Casalavska of Czechoslovakia as a two-time gold medalist on the vault. Casalavska went back to back in 1964 and 1968. Biles now has 10 Olympic medals in her career, tied for the third most by a female gymnast. She also boosted her medal count at major international competitions to 40, the most by any gymnast.The crowd inside a packed Bercy Arena roared when Biles was introduced. Wearing a sequined red leotard, she delivered another show-stopping performance in what could be the last vault competition of her life.She drilled her Yurchenko double pike, exploding off the block and then flipping backward twice with her hands clasped behind her knees. She landed with a big bounce — a nod to the energy she generates — with her right foot on the out-of-bounds line.The judges dinged her a tenth of a point for that. It hardly mattered. Her score of 15.700 meant she merely needed to avoid disaster on her second vault to win. Instead, she almost stuck her Cheng, which requires a roundoff onto the springboard, then a half twist onto the block followed by 1 1/2 twists while doing a forward somersault.The ensuing 14.900 meant the rest of the eight-woman field was going for second.Andrade, the vault champion in Tokyo, put together two excellent vaults to claim silver and her third medal of the Games after a silver in the all-around and a bronze in the team final. Andrade's average of 14.966 was well clear of everyone else.Carey, who slipped during the women's vault final in Tokyo and finished eighth, earned her third Olympic medal to go with the floor exercise gold she won in Tokyo and the team gold she captured with Biles on Tuesday.Biles will have two more chances to boost her medal haul in Paris. She will compete in the balance beam and floor exercise finals on Monday.

Simone Biles captures her 7th Olympic gold by winning vault

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

Advocacy organizations affirm deep divisions on health care rights of Kansans

OVERLAND PARK — Advocacy organizations with diametrically opposing views on abortion rights Friday marked the two-year anniversary of Kansas voters’ rejection of an anti-abortion amendment to the Kansas Constitution by offering distinct perspectives on the aftermath of that landslide decision.

The Republican-led Kansas Legislature had worked with anti-abortion lobbyists to craft the proposed amendment and then decided the vote would occur during the August 2022 primary election. After it was set in stone, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the Roe v. Wade decision that for about 50 years had provided a national foundation for protection of abortion rights.

Abandonment of that legal precedent contributed to rejection of the&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/08/02/kansas-voters-defeat-abortion-amendment-in-unexpected-landslide-1/">Kansas constitutional amendment, which was opposed by 59% of voters</a>&nbsp;in the state, and helped spark a broader campaign to protect women’s reproductive rights and a family’s ability to make private health care decisions.

“This week marks the second anniversary of a historic vote,” said Ashley All, president of Kansas Coalition for Common Sense. “Voters made clear in August 2022 that Kansans deserve the right to privacy and to make our own personal medical decisions about contraception, fertility, pregnancy, miscarriage care and abortion. Elected leaders should listen.”

Danielle Underwood, spokeswoman for Kansans for Life, reflected on defeat of the 2022 amendment that was a centerpiece of KFL’s lobbying campaign. She alleged, without evidence, that Kansas voters were “deeply misled” by individuals and organizations that said Kansas health clinics providing abortion services would remain heavily regulated if the amendment failed.

“Now the truth is unfolding,” Underwood said. “Abortion clinics are being allowed to operate without safety and sanitation standards or even medical oversight while the number of women traveling to Kansas for abortions skyrockets.”

In July, the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.npr.org/2019/04/26/717449336/kansas-supreme-court-rules-state-constitution-protects-right-to-abortion" target="_blank">Kansas Supreme Court affirmed its 2019 decision</a>&nbsp;that women in the state had a fundamental constitutional right to end a pregnancy. The j<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2024/07/05/kansas-supreme-court-strikes-down-state-law-banning-second-trimester-abortion-procedure">ustices struck down a state law banning a second-trimester abortion method</a>. In a separate decision from the state Supreme Court in July, a collection of state regulations imposed on abortion providers and clinics were declared unconstitutional because the Kansas law exceeded requirements for medical professionals providing comparable health services.

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment reported a record number of out-of-state abortion patients in 2022 that was attributed to enhanced restrictions on the procedure in Oklahoma, Missouri, Arkansas and other states. The number of nonresident patients doubled to nearly 8,500 from 2022 compared to 2021. The number of Kansas abortions in 2022 provided to residents of the state fell to 3,843 — a decline of nearly 100 from the previous year.

In an Overland Park coffee shop on Friday morning, U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids of the 3rd District in Kansas and six members of the Kansas Legislature who also embraced reproductive rights discussed the constitutional amendment vote and how the political landscape had shifted since then.

Davids, who is seeking reelection but doesn’t have a primary opponent, said it was ironic U.S. House members who argued it was important to return jurisdiction over abortion to the states by overturning Roe v. Wad had continued to introduce federal legislation to restrict access to abortion.

“Every single one of us knows that our state has spoken loud and clear,” Davids said. “To continue to have to push back against these things at the federal level is not only frustrating, it’s unacceptable. It flies in the face of the voters’ will. I’m always going to fight for protecting access to the full range of reproductive health care. Now, we have to talk about things like IVF, contraception and abortion.”

Davids endorsed the&nbsp;<a href="https://shariceforcongress.us20.list-manage.com/track/click?u=2cca6f7b74e705ee1bdd4aa3c&amp;id=f6f6b084ac&amp;e=46ef3ccf75" target="_blank">Women’s Health Protection Act</a>, which would guarantee abortion access in all states across the country.

State Rep. Jo Ella Hoye, a Lenexa Democrat, said she recalled celebrating the vote two years ago that protected the state Supreme Court decision that said the right of women to end a pregnancy was embedded in the state constitution’s Bill of Rights.

She said states with abortion bans had placed physicians in jeopardy while women’s lives were left to hang in the balance.

“We’ve had the two years to watch what’s happened in the states with dangerous abortion bans,” Hoye said. “We have seen husbands pleading for care for their wives. We’ve seen women having miscarriages in hospital bathrooms being denied life-saving care. Kansas women can help by continuing our big fight and setting a model to those states.”

Several of the Democrats at the coffee shop raised objections about the anniversary statement of Kansans for Life, the state’s most prominent anti-abortion group.

Sen. Cindy Holscher, D-Overland Park, said the commentary from Kansans for Life incorrectly characterized the regulatory climate for abortion clinics.

“There are standards in place,” she said. “Once again, it’s the fearmongering. Obviously, the people out there — the general public — don’t know the standards. It’s very easy to make those claims.”

State Rep. Mari-Lynn Poskin, D-Lenexa, said she recalled the Legislature’s deliberations in 2021 about language of the proposed anti-abortion constitutional amendment. She was struck by votes of Republican legislators who rejected attempts to amend the text to provide an exemption to protect the life of a pregnant woman.

“I witnessed every single Republican, in both chambers, vote ‘no’ to exceptions for rape, incest and life of the mother in the August 2nd amendment,” she said. “That’s when I knew that they did not, in fact, value women.”

Underwood, the Kansans for Life spokeswoman, said the development of 23 pregnancy resource centers in Kansas and $2 million appropriated by the Legislature to the centers showed there were people in Kansas who would “never abandon women and babies” and would serve as a counterweight to the “profit-driven abortion industry.”

In the last two state legislative sessions, about 20 bills were introduced each year that would in some way limit opportunities for families to make decisions about reproductive health.

During the 2024 legislative session, at least 110 House or Senate members voted against abortion-rights legislation. Sixty-six of those lawmakers voted against the will of voters in their districts as expressed in the 2022 amendment to the constitution.

State Sen. Dinah Sykes, a Lenexa Democrat who serves as the Senate’s minority leader, said the flood of anti-abortion legislation would continue in the upcoming 2025 session.

“I think next year they will be more emboldened,” she said. “They want to ban abortion and take away women’s rights. I think the majority of people who are bringing these bills want to eliminate contraception.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1722689387032.png" alt="U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids, left, a Kansas Democrat, discusses with members of the Kansas Legislature the 2022 rejection by Kansas voters of a proposed amendment to the Kansas Constitution that would restrict access to abortion rights. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids, left, a Kansas Democrat, discusses with members of the Kansas Legislature the 2022 rejection by Kansas voters of a proposed amendment to the Kansas Constitution that would restrict access to abortion rights. (Tim Carpenter/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>Advocacy organizations affirm deep divisions on health care rights of Kansans</h2>OVERLAND PARK — Advocacy organizations with diametrically opposing views on abortion rights Friday marked the two-year anniversary of Kansas voters’ rejection of an anti-abortion amendment to the Kansas Constitution by offering distinct perspectives on the aftermath of that landslide decision.The Republican-led Kansas Legislature had worked with anti-abortion lobbyists to craft the proposed amendment and then decided the vote would occur during the August 2022 primary election. After it was set in stone, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the Roe v. Wade decision that for about 50 years had provided a national foundation for protection of abortion rights.Abandonment of that legal precedent contributed to rejection of the&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/08/02/kansas-voters-defeat-abortion-amendment-in-unexpected-landslide-1/">Kansas constitutional amendment, which was opposed by 59% of voters</a>&nbsp;in the state, and helped spark a broader campaign to protect women’s reproductive rights and a family’s ability to make private health care decisions.“This week marks the second anniversary of a historic vote,” said Ashley All, president of Kansas Coalition for Common Sense. “Voters made clear in August 2022 that Kansans deserve the right to privacy and to make our own personal medical decisions about contraception, fertility, pregnancy, miscarriage care and abortion. Elected leaders should listen.”Danielle Underwood, spokeswoman for Kansans for Life, reflected on defeat of the 2022 amendment that was a centerpiece of KFL’s lobbying campaign. She alleged, without evidence, that Kansas voters were “deeply misled” by individuals and organizations that said Kansas health clinics providing abortion services would remain heavily regulated if the amendment failed.“Now the truth is unfolding,” Underwood said. “Abortion clinics are being allowed to operate without safety and sanitation standards or even medical oversight while the number of women traveling to Kansas for abortions skyrockets.”In July, the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.npr.org/2019/04/26/717449336/kansas-supreme-court-rules-state-constitution-protects-right-to-abortion" target="_blank">Kansas Supreme Court affirmed its 2019 decision</a>&nbsp;that women in the state had a fundamental constitutional right to end a pregnancy. The j<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2024/07/05/kansas-supreme-court-strikes-down-state-law-banning-second-trimester-abortion-procedure">ustices struck down a state law banning a second-trimester abortion method</a>. In a separate decision from the state Supreme Court in July, a collection of state regulations imposed on abortion providers and clinics were declared unconstitutional because the Kansas law exceeded requirements for medical professionals providing comparable health services.The Kansas Department of Health and Environment reported a record number of out-of-state abortion patients in 2022 that was attributed to enhanced restrictions on the procedure in Oklahoma, Missouri, Arkansas and other states. The number of nonresident patients doubled to nearly 8,500 from 2022 compared to 2021. The number of Kansas abortions in 2022 provided to residents of the state fell to 3,843 — a decline of nearly 100 from the previous year.<h2>Two years later</h2>In an Overland Park coffee shop on Friday morning, U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids of the 3rd District in Kansas and six members of the Kansas Legislature who also embraced reproductive rights discussed the constitutional amendment vote and how the political landscape had shifted since then.Davids, who is seeking reelection but doesn’t have a primary opponent, said it was ironic U.S. House members who argued it was important to return jurisdiction over abortion to the states by overturning Roe v. Wad had continued to introduce federal legislation to restrict access to abortion.“Every single one of us knows that our state has spoken loud and clear,” Davids said. “To continue to have to push back against these things at the federal level is not only frustrating, it’s unacceptable. It flies in the face of the voters’ will. I’m always going to fight for protecting access to the full range of reproductive health care. Now, we have to talk about things like IVF, contraception and abortion.”Davids endorsed the&nbsp;<a href="https://shariceforcongress.us20.list-manage.com/track/click?u=2cca6f7b74e705ee1bdd4aa3c&amp;id=f6f6b084ac&amp;e=46ef3ccf75" target="_blank">Women’s Health Protection Act</a>, which would guarantee abortion access in all states across the country.State Rep. Jo Ella Hoye, a Lenexa Democrat, said she recalled celebrating the vote two years ago that protected the state Supreme Court decision that said the right of women to end a pregnancy was embedded in the state constitution’s Bill of Rights.She said states with abortion bans had placed physicians in jeopardy while women’s lives were left to hang in the balance.“We’ve had the two years to watch what’s happened in the states with dangerous abortion bans,” Hoye said. “We have seen husbands pleading for care for their wives. We’ve seen women having miscarriages in hospital bathrooms being denied life-saving care. Kansas women can help by continuing our big fight and setting a model to those states.”Several of the Democrats at the coffee shop raised objections about the anniversary statement of Kansans for Life, the state’s most prominent anti-abortion group.Sen. Cindy Holscher, D-Overland Park, said the commentary from Kansans for Life incorrectly characterized the regulatory climate for abortion clinics.“There are standards in place,” she said. “Once again, it’s the fearmongering. Obviously, the people out there — the general public — don’t know the standards. It’s very easy to make those claims.”<h2>Valuing women</h2>State Rep. Mari-Lynn Poskin, D-Lenexa, said she recalled the Legislature’s deliberations in 2021 about language of the proposed anti-abortion constitutional amendment. She was struck by votes of Republican legislators who rejected attempts to amend the text to provide an exemption to protect the life of a pregnant woman.“I witnessed every single Republican, in both chambers, vote ‘no’ to exceptions for rape, incest and life of the mother in the August 2nd amendment,” she said. “That’s when I knew that they did not, in fact, value women.”Underwood, the Kansans for Life spokeswoman, said the development of 23 pregnancy resource centers in Kansas and $2 million appropriated by the Legislature to the centers showed there were people in Kansas who would “never abandon women and babies” and would serve as a counterweight to the “profit-driven abortion industry.”In the last two state legislative sessions, about 20 bills were introduced each year that would in some way limit opportunities for families to make decisions about reproductive health.During the 2024 legislative session, at least 110 House or Senate members voted against abortion-rights legislation. Sixty-six of those lawmakers voted against the will of voters in their districts as expressed in the 2022 amendment to the constitution.State Sen. Dinah Sykes, a Lenexa Democrat who serves as the Senate’s minority leader, said the flood of anti-abortion legislation would continue in the upcoming 2025 session.“I think next year they will be more emboldened,” she said. “They want to ban abortion and take away women’s rights. I think the majority of people who are bringing these bills want to eliminate contraception.”

Anniversary of historic Kansas abortion rights vote highlights lingering political gap

SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities investigating a fatal crash into a house on Thursday in Topeka have identified the man who died as&nbsp; 36-year-old Troy L. Fields, Jr. of Topeka, according to police spokesperson Rosie Nichols.

Just after 11:30p.m. Thursday, first responders found a vehicle that struck a home near SW Huntoon and SW Plass in Topeka, according to Topeka Police Sgt. Shawn Doiron.

Officers located a passenger later identified as Fields who had been ejected from the vehicle. He was transported to a local hospital with life threatening injuries and later pronounced deceased. Police continue investigating the crash and released no additional details.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1722626501404.png" alt="Photo by Cole Hermesch courtesy WIBW TV" />
 <figcaption>Photo by Cole Hermesch courtesy WIBW TV</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities investigating a fatal crash into a house on Thursday in Topeka have identified the man who died as&nbsp; 36-year-old Troy L. Fields, Jr. of Topeka, according to police spokesperson Rosie Nichols.Just after 11:30p.m. Thursday, first responders found a vehicle that struck a home near SW Huntoon and SW Plass in Topeka, according to Topeka Police Sgt. Shawn Doiron.Officers located a passenger later identified as Fields who had been ejected from the vehicle. He was transported to a local hospital with life threatening injuries and later pronounced deceased. Police continue investigating the crash and released no additional details.

Police ID Kansas man who died after crash into a house

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. will move a fighter jet squadron to the Middle East and maintain an aircraft carrier in the region, the Pentagon said Friday, beefing up the American military presence to help defend Israel from possible attacks by Iran and its proxies and safeguard U.S. troops.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has also ordered additional ballistic missile defense-capable cruisers and destroyers to the European and Middle East regions and is taking steps to send more land-based ballistic missile defense weapons there, the Pentagon said in a statement Friday evening.

The shifts make good on a promise President Joe Biden made to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In a call Thursday afternoon, Biden discussed new U.S. military deployments to protect against possible attacks from ballistic missiles and drones, according to the White House. In April, U.S. forces intercepted dozens of missiles and drones fired by Iran against Israel and helped down nearly all of them.

U.S. leaders worry about escalating violence in the Middle East in response to recent attacks by Israel on Hamas and Hezbollah leaders, which&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/haniyeh-shukur-israel-lebanon-hamas-5d3ec9b048ef77b6b8196c6c08755dbd">triggered threats of retaliation</a>. Iran also has threatened to respond after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-iran-ismail-haniyeh-killed-tehran-hamas-2d16ae7ed668b954ac0e7a53eaf92671">Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh</a>&nbsp;was assassinated in Tehran on Wednesday, a day after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-lebanon-strike-beirut-52c2a1711e274859b60daf8d2db3e0e2">senior Hezbollah commander Fouad Shukur</a>&nbsp;was killed in Beirut.

Israel has vowed to kill Hamas leaders over the group’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-gaza-hamas-rockets-airstrikes-tel-aviv-11fb98655c256d54ecb5329284fc37d2">Oct. 7 attack</a>, which sparked the war in Gaza.

Austin is ordering the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group to the Middle East to replace the USS Theodore Roosevelt carrier strike group, which is in the Gulf of Oman but scheduled to come home later this summer. That decision suggests the Pentagon has decided to keep a carrier consistently in the region as a deterrent against Iran at least until next year.

The Pentagon did not say where the fighter jet squadron was coming from or where it would be based in the Middle East. A number of allies in the region are often willing to base U.S. military forces but don’t want it made public.

The Pentagon has options to provide additional land-based ballistic missile defense, such as the Patriot or the terminal high altitude area defense, known as THAAD, both of which launch interceptor missiles from specialized trailer-based mobile launching systems. The Pentagon did not identify what system it would be deploying to augment defenses in the region.

The White House in a statement said Biden “reaffirmed his commitment to Israel’s security against all threats from Iran, including its proxy terrorist groups Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis.”

Earlier Friday, Sabrina Singh, Pentagon spokeswoman, told reporters that moves were in the works. She said Austin “will be directing multiple” force movements to provide additional support to Israel and increase protection for U.S. troops in the region.

Military and defense officials have been considering a wide array of options, from additional ships and fighter aircraft squadrons to added air defense systems or unmanned weapons. In many cases the U.S. does not provide details because host nations are very sensitive about the presence of additional U.S. forces and don’t want those movements made public.

It’s unclear what new ships would move to the Middle East.

The U.S. has had a consistent warship presence there and in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, including two Navy destroyers, the USS Roosevelt and the USS Bulkeley, as well as the USS Wasp and the USS New York. The Wasp and the New York are part of the amphibious ready group and carry a Marine expeditionary unit that could be used if any evacuation of U.S. personnel is required.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1722637536757.png" alt="An F/A-18E Super Hornet fighter jet, attached to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 34, lands on the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71). Theodore Roosevelt is deployed to the USCENTCOM Area of Operations to support maritime security and stability.-photo U.S. Central Command" />
 <figcaption>An F/A-18E Super Hornet fighter jet, attached to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 34, lands on the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71). Theodore Roosevelt is deployed to the USCENTCOM Area of Operations to support maritime security and stability.-photo U.S. Central Command</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. will move a fighter jet squadron to the Middle East and maintain an aircraft carrier in the region, the Pentagon said Friday, beefing up the American military presence to help defend Israel from possible attacks by Iran and its proxies and safeguard U.S. troops.Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has also ordered additional ballistic missile defense-capable cruisers and destroyers to the European and Middle East regions and is taking steps to send more land-based ballistic missile defense weapons there, the Pentagon said in a statement Friday evening.The shifts make good on a promise President Joe Biden made to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In a call Thursday afternoon, Biden discussed new U.S. military deployments to protect against possible attacks from ballistic missiles and drones, according to the White House. In April, U.S. forces intercepted dozens of missiles and drones fired by Iran against Israel and helped down nearly all of them.U.S. leaders worry about escalating violence in the Middle East in response to recent attacks by Israel on Hamas and Hezbollah leaders, which&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/haniyeh-shukur-israel-lebanon-hamas-5d3ec9b048ef77b6b8196c6c08755dbd">triggered threats of retaliation</a>. Iran also has threatened to respond after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-iran-ismail-haniyeh-killed-tehran-hamas-2d16ae7ed668b954ac0e7a53eaf92671">Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh</a>&nbsp;was assassinated in Tehran on Wednesday, a day after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-lebanon-strike-beirut-52c2a1711e274859b60daf8d2db3e0e2">senior Hezbollah commander Fouad Shukur</a>&nbsp;was killed in Beirut.Israel has vowed to kill Hamas leaders over the group’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-gaza-hamas-rockets-airstrikes-tel-aviv-11fb98655c256d54ecb5329284fc37d2">Oct. 7 attack</a>, which sparked the war in Gaza.Austin is ordering the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group to the Middle East to replace the USS Theodore Roosevelt carrier strike group, which is in the Gulf of Oman but scheduled to come home later this summer. That decision suggests the Pentagon has decided to keep a carrier consistently in the region as a deterrent against Iran at least until next year.The Pentagon did not say where the fighter jet squadron was coming from or where it would be based in the Middle East. A number of allies in the region are often willing to base U.S. military forces but don’t want it made public.The Pentagon has options to provide additional land-based ballistic missile defense, such as the Patriot or the terminal high altitude area defense, known as THAAD, both of which launch interceptor missiles from specialized trailer-based mobile launching systems. The Pentagon did not identify what system it would be deploying to augment defenses in the region.The White House in a statement said Biden “reaffirmed his commitment to Israel’s security against all threats from Iran, including its proxy terrorist groups Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis.”Earlier Friday, Sabrina Singh, Pentagon spokeswoman, told reporters that moves were in the works. She said Austin “will be directing multiple” force movements to provide additional support to Israel and increase protection for U.S. troops in the region.Military and defense officials have been considering a wide array of options, from additional ships and fighter aircraft squadrons to added air defense systems or unmanned weapons. In many cases the U.S. does not provide details because host nations are very sensitive about the presence of additional U.S. forces and don’t want those movements made public.It’s unclear what new ships would move to the Middle East.The U.S. has had a consistent warship presence there and in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, including two Navy destroyers, the USS Roosevelt and the USS Bulkeley, as well as the USS Wasp and the USS New York. The Wasp and the New York are part of the amphibious ready group and carry a Marine expeditionary unit that could be used if any evacuation of U.S. personnel is required.

US sending fighter jet squadron to boost military presence in Mideast

JOHNSON COUNTY—A Kansas man on trial for child sex crimes is going to prison.

On Monday, a jury found 36-year-old Timothy Ryan Hugo guilty of two counts of aggravated indecent liberty, two counts of rape of a child under 14 and aggravated sodomy, according to the Johnson County District attorney's office.

Hugo is scheduled for sentencing October 21.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1722275116463.png" alt="Hugo photo Johnson Co." />
 <figcaption>Hugo photo Johnson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>JOHNSON COUNTY—A Kansas man on trial for child sex crimes is going to prison.On Monday, a jury found 36-year-old Timothy Ryan Hugo guilty of two counts of aggravated indecent liberty, two counts of rape of a child under 14 and aggravated sodomy, according to the Johnson County District attorney's office.Hugo is scheduled for sentencing October 21.

Jury: Kansas man guilty of violent child sex crimes

WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Friday overrode a plea agreement reached earlier this week for the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/sept-11-khalid-sheikh-mohammed-guantanamo-76a2dc11440cf9c4c287ee69bd742aa3">accused mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks</a>&nbsp;and two other defendants, reinstating them as death penalty cases.

The move comes two days after the military commission at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, announced it had reached plea deals with Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and two accused accomplices, Walid bin Attash and Mustafa al-Hawsawi, in the attacks.

Letters sent to families of the nearly 3,000 people killed in the al-Qaida attacks said the plea agreement stipulated the three would serve life sentences.

Some families of the attack’s victims condemned the deal for cutting off any possibility of full trials and possible death penalties. Republicans were quick to fault the Biden administration for the deal, although the White House said after it was announced it had no knowledge of it.

<a href="https://media.defense.gov/2024/Aug/02/2003517325/-1/-1/1/Secretary-of-Defense-Memorandum-for-Convening-Authority-for-Military-Commissions.PDF">Austin wrote in an order</a>&nbsp;released Friday night that “in light of the significance of the decision,” he had decided that the authority to make a decision on accepting the plea agreements was his. He nullified the agreements.

Mohammed and the other defendants had been expected to formally enter their pleas under the deal as soon as next week.

The U.S. military commission overseeing the cases of five defendants in the Sept. 11 attacks have been stuck in pre-trial hearings and other preliminary court action since 2008. The torture that the defendants underwent while in CIA custody has slowed the cases and left the prospect of full trials and verdicts still uncertain, in part because of the inadmissibility of evidence linked to the torture.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1722465359811.jpeg" alt="FILE - This Monday, Dec. 8, 2008 courtroom drawing by artist Janet Hamlin and reviewed by the U.S. military, shows Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, center, and co-defendant Walid Bin Attash, left, attending a pre-trial session at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba. The man accused of being the main plotter in al-Qaeda's Sept. 11, 2001 attacks has agreed to plead guilty, The Defense Department said Wednesday. (AP Photo/Janet Hamlin, Pool, File)" />
 <figcaption>FILE - This Monday, Dec. 8, 2008 courtroom drawing by artist Janet Hamlin and reviewed by the U.S. military, shows Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, center, and co-defendant Walid Bin Attash, left, attending a pre-trial session at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba. The man accused of being the main plotter in al-Qaeda's Sept. 11, 2001 attacks has agreed to plead guilty, The Defense Department said Wednesday. (AP Photo/Janet Hamlin, Pool, File)</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Friday overrode a plea agreement reached earlier this week for the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/sept-11-khalid-sheikh-mohammed-guantanamo-76a2dc11440cf9c4c287ee69bd742aa3">accused mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks</a>&nbsp;and two other defendants, reinstating them as death penalty cases.The move comes two days after the military commission at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, announced it had reached plea deals with Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and two accused accomplices, Walid bin Attash and Mustafa al-Hawsawi, in the attacks.Letters sent to families of the nearly 3,000 people killed in the al-Qaida attacks said the plea agreement stipulated the three would serve life sentences.Some families of the attack’s victims condemned the deal for cutting off any possibility of full trials and possible death penalties. Republicans were quick to fault the Biden administration for the deal, although the White House said after it was announced it had no knowledge of it.<a href="https://media.defense.gov/2024/Aug/02/2003517325/-1/-1/1/Secretary-of-Defense-Memorandum-for-Convening-Authority-for-Military-Commissions.PDF">Austin wrote in an order</a>&nbsp;released Friday night that “in light of the significance of the decision,” he had decided that the authority to make a decision on accepting the plea agreements was his. He nullified the agreements.Mohammed and the other defendants had been expected to formally enter their pleas under the deal as soon as next week.The U.S. military commission overseeing the cases of five defendants in the Sept. 11 attacks have been stuck in pre-trial hearings and other preliminary court action since 2008. The torture that the defendants underwent while in CIA custody has slowed the cases and left the prospect of full trials and verdicts still uncertain, in part because of the inadmissibility of evidence linked to the torture.

Shocking reversal: Defense Sec. revokes plea deal for accused 9/11 terrorists 

SHAWNEE COUNTY —One person died in an accident just before 3p.m. Friday in Shawnee County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz driven by Travis Coledin&nbsp; Moore, 18, Kendall, Kansas, was southbound on U.S. 75 just north of 35th Street.

The Hyundai struck a southbound 2021 Kia Soul driven by Matthew Andrew&nbsp;Tetuan, 35, Topeka.&nbsp; After impact the Kia&nbsp; and the Hyundia struck a southbound 2014 Ford Edge driven by Judson Timothy Williams, 25, Hoyt, who was stopped in traffic.

EMS transported Tetuan to Stormont Vail where he died. Moore, Williams and passengers in their vehicles were not injured. All were properly restrained, according to the KHP.

SHAWNEE COUNTY —One person died in an accident just before 3p.m. Friday in Shawnee County.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz driven by Travis Coledin&nbsp; Moore, 18, Kendall, Kansas, was southbound on U.S. 75 just north of 35th Street.The Hyundai struck a southbound 2021 Kia Soul driven by Matthew Andrew&nbsp;Tetuan, 35, Topeka.&nbsp; After impact the Kia&nbsp; and the Hyundia struck a southbound 2014 Ford Edge driven by Judson Timothy Williams, 25, Hoyt, who was stopped in traffic.EMS transported Tetuan to Stormont Vail where he died. Moore, Williams and passengers in their vehicles were not injured. All were properly restrained, according to the KHP.