SEDGWICK COUNTY–A 19-year-old woman accused in a shooting death made her first court appearance Friday

Amunique Cavitt, 19 of Wichita, was charged with 1st degree murder, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.

Around noon April 23, police responded to the 1400 block of Minnesota Avenue in Wichita following reports of a shooting., according to police spokesman Andrew Ford. First responders found 34-year-old&nbsp; Norman E. Carter III with multiple gunshot wounds to his upper body.

Responding officers immediately started life-saving measures until Sedgwick County EMS arrived and transported Carter to a local hospital. He was pronounced dead at 1:01 p.m, according to Ford.

Police detained a person of interest in their investigation and later booked 19-year-old Amunique Cavitt into jail.&nbsp;Her bond is one-million dollars, according to the district attorney's office. Her next court date is May 10.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1713961470429.png" alt="Cavitt-photo Sedgwick County" />
 <figcaption>Cavitt-photo Sedgwick County</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY–A 19-year-old woman accused in a shooting death made her first court appearance FridayAmunique Cavitt, 19 of Wichita, was charged with 1st degree murder, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.Around noon April 23, police responded to the 1400 block of Minnesota Avenue in Wichita following reports of a shooting., according to police spokesman Andrew Ford. First responders found 34-year-old&nbsp; Norman E. Carter III with multiple gunshot wounds to his upper body.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1713954859599.png" alt="Police at the scene of the investigation - photo courtesy KWCH" />
 <figcaption>Police at the scene of the investigation - photo courtesy KWCH</figcaption>
 </figure>Responding officers immediately started life-saving measures until Sedgwick County EMS arrived and transported Carter to a local hospital. He was pronounced dead at 1:01 p.m, according to Ford.Police detained a person of interest in their investigation and later booked 19-year-old Amunique Cavitt into jail.&nbsp;Her bond is one-million dollars, according to the district attorney's office. Her next court date is May 10.

19-year-old Kansas woman charged with man's murder

KANSAS CITY—Law enforcement authorities investigating gunfire at the Country Club Plaza in Kansas City are asking for help to identify suspects and a vehicle.

Just after 6:30 p.m. on April 6, police responded to a report of a shooting and individuals running near 47th and Central, according to KCPD Officer Alayna Gonzalez.&nbsp;After officers secured the scene, it was discovered that multiple vehicles had been shot into, and one of the vehicles was occupied. There were no injuries.  

Police have released images of the suspects allegedly involved and a vehicle.

&nbsp;Please contact the KCPD Assault Squad at 816-234-5227 or TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS. You can also visit <a href="https://t.co/gULWXwQkBQ" target="_blank">http://kccrimestoppers.com</a>

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1714306012521.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY—Law enforcement authorities investigating gunfire at the Country Club Plaza in Kansas City are asking for help to identify suspects and a vehicle.Just after 6:30 p.m. on April 6, police responded to a report of a shooting and individuals running near 47th and Central, according to KCPD Officer Alayna Gonzalez.&nbsp;After officers secured the scene, it was discovered that multiple vehicles had been shot into, and one of the vehicles was occupied. There were no injuries. Police have released images of the suspects allegedly involved and a vehicle.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1714306047782.png" alt="Suspect vehicle, a black 2017 – 2020 Kia Optima with an unknown license plate.-photo KCPD" />
 <figcaption>Suspect vehicle, a black 2017 – 2020 Kia Optima with an unknown license plate.-photo KCPD</figcaption>
 </figure>&nbsp;Please contact the KCPD Assault Squad at 816-234-5227 or TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS. You can also visit <a href="https://t.co/gULWXwQkBQ" target="_blank">http://kccrimestoppers.com</a>

Police search for KC Country Club Plaza shooting suspects

KINGMAN COUNTY —One person was injured in an accident just after 7:30p.m. Sunday in Kingman County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a&nbsp; single engine paraglider piloted by Peter Polk, 51, Viola, crash landed in a field in the 16000 Block of SE 120th Stewwr in Kingman County. 

The single engine paraglider pilot advised he fell approximately 15 feet. EMS transported Polk to Wesley Medical Center.&nbsp;&nbsp;

KINGMAN COUNTY —One person was injured in an accident just after 7:30p.m. Sunday in Kingman County.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a&nbsp; single engine paraglider piloted by Peter Polk, 51, Viola, crash landed in a field in the 16000 Block of SE 120th Stewwr in Kingman County. The single engine paraglider pilot advised he fell approximately 15 feet. EMS transported Polk to Wesley Medical Center.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Kansas man hospitalized after paraglider crash landing

JOHNSON COUNTY—Investigator say lightning caused a weekend fire at a Kansas home.

Just after 6:30p.m. Saturday, firefighters battled a house fire at 15620 S Downing Street in south Olathe, according to social media report from Olathe Fire Department.

When firefighters arrived they found the fire was in the attic. It took 18 minutes to control the blaze. There were no injuries reported. The damage to home was significant, according to the fire department. Officials did not release a damage estimate.&nbsp;&nbsp;Lightning was blamed for three related incidents on Saturday, according to the fire deparatment.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1714331283825.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>JOHNSON COUNTY—Investigator say lightning caused a weekend fire at a Kansas home.Just after 6:30p.m. Saturday, firefighters battled a house fire at 15620 S Downing Street in south Olathe, according to social media report from Olathe Fire Department.When firefighters arrived they found the fire was in the attic. It took 18 minutes to control the blaze. There were no injuries reported. The damage to home was significant, according to the fire department. Officials did not release a damage estimate.&nbsp;&nbsp;Lightning was blamed for three related incidents on Saturday, according to the fire deparatment.

Lightning caused Kansas house fire

WASHINGTON (AP) — Ukraine has sidelined U.S.-provided Abrams M1A1 battle tanks for now in its fight against Russia, in part because&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-chernihiv-missile-strike-drones-2eaf2f93ad447bce3ea2d8f9631c554b">Russian drone warfare</a>&nbsp;has made it too difficult for them to operate without detection or coming under attack, two U.S. military officials told The Associated Press.

The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-military-technology-germany-7b63726a3935da3f03424e98e52a85b2">U.S. agreed to send 31 Abrams</a>&nbsp;to Ukraine in January 2023 after an aggressive monthslong campaign by Kyiv arguing that the tanks, which cost about $10 million apiece, were vital to its ability to breach Russian lines.

But the battlefield has changed substantially since then, notably by the ubiquitous use of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-drone-energy-infrastructure-drones-f57e600db45757aaf5120ba23a96980f">Russian surveillance drones and hunter-killer drones</a>. Those weapons have made it more difficult for Ukraine to protect the tanks when they are quickly detected and hunted by Russian drones or rounds.

Five of the 31 tanks have already been lost to Russian attacks.

The proliferation of drones on the Ukrainian battlefield means “there isn’t open ground that you can just drive across without fear of detection,” a senior defense official told reporters Thursday.

The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to provide an update on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-military-aid-package-kharkiv-drones-cadd79c8abd56ad58d07c93253e04ef1">U.S. weapons support for Ukraine</a>&nbsp;before Friday's Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting.

For now,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-politics-us-national-security-council-7b8475342e6d5e0ad6e45715fe5a1fd9">the tanks</a>&nbsp;have been moved from the front lines, and the U.S. will work with the Ukrainians to reset tactics, said Joint Chiefs of Staff Vice Chairman Adm. Christopher Grady and a third defense official who confirmed the move on the condition of anonymity.

“When you think about the way the fight has evolved, massed armor in an environment where unmanned aerial systems are ubiquitous can be at risk," Grady told the AP in an interview this week, adding that tanks are still important.

“Now, there is a way to do it," he said. "We’ll work with our Ukrainian partners, and other partners on the ground, to help them think through how they might use that, in that kind of changed environment now, where everything is seen immediately.”

News of the sidelined tanks comes as the U.S. marks the two-year anniversary of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, a coalition of about 50 countries that meets monthly to assess&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-russia-war-ammunition-military-b263dfaceef57fb2c1f74c53861734da">Ukraine's battlefield needs</a>&nbsp;and identify where to find needed ammunition, weapons or maintenance to keep Ukraine's troops equipped.

Recent aid packages, including the $1 billion military assistance package signed by President Joe Biden on Wednesday, also reflect a wider reset for Ukrainian forces in the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-drone-energy-infrastructure-drones-f57e600db45757aaf5120ba23a96980f">evolving fight</a>.

The U.S.&nbsp; announced Friday that it also will provide about&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-funding-war-russia-patriot-missiles-026fc8f9ee064ffb49bbee2422e2908b">$6 billion in long-term military aid</a>&nbsp;to Ukraine, U.S. officials said, adding that it will include much sought after munitions for Patriot air defense systems. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details not yet made public.

The $1 billion package emphasized counter-drone capabilities, including .50-caliber rounds specifically modified to counter drone systems; additional air defenses and ammunition; and a host of alternative, and cheaper, vehicles, including Humvees, Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicles and Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicles.

The U.S. also confirmed for the first time that it is providing&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-long-range-missiles-4d2254639eb5a503d8b0a291ed0680e9">long-range ballistic missiles</a>&nbsp;known as ATACMs, which allow Ukraine to strike deep into Russian-occupied areas without having to advance and be further exposed to either drone detection or fortified Russian defenses.

While drones are a significant threat, the Ukrainians also have not adopted tactics that could have made the tanks more effective, one of the U.S. defense officials said.

After announcing it would provide Ukraine the Abrams tanks in January 2023,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abrams-tanks-ukraine-war-training-russia-62a21f24f4769044b3fcade518e5b44e">the U.S. began training Ukrainians</a>&nbsp;at Grafenwoehr Army base in Germany that spring on how to maintain and operate them. They also&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abrams-tanks-ukraine-training-war-russia-aid-6de94897aad37e6d30e744df0dad07bd">taught the Ukrainians</a>&nbsp;how to use them in combined arms warfare — where the tanks operate as part of a system of advancing armored forces, coordinating movements with overhead offensive fires, infantry troops and air assets.

As the spring progressed and Ukraine's highly anticipated counteroffensive stalled, shifting from tank training in Germany to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-russia-war-abrams-tanks-94294a9c1e1acc50098afa440bcb4d40">getting Abrams on the battlefield</a>&nbsp;was seen as an imperative to breach fortified Russian lines. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on his Telegram channel in September that the Abrams had arrived in Ukraine.

Since then, however, Ukraine has only employed them in a limited fashion and has not made combined arms warfare part of its operations, the defense official said.

During its recent&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-avdiivka-c31eb7439d1983532a3f940061efe6e7">withdrawal from Avdiivka</a>, a city in eastern Ukraine that was the focus of intense fighting for months, several tanks were lost to Russian attacks, the official said.

A long delay by Congress in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-mike-johnson-ukraine-israel-b72aed9b195818735d24363f2bc34ea4">passing new funding for Ukraine</a>&nbsp;meant its forces had to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-weapons-avdiivka-24bd70ef8047140a10c67e000288f7d8">ration ammunition</a>, and in some cases they were only able to shoot back once for every five or more times they were targeted by Russian forces.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1710267271851.png" alt="-Soldiers in an M1A2 SEPV3 Abrams tank assigned to the U.S. Army's 3rd Infantry Division fires conduct a Combined Arms Live-Fire exercise at Trzebien, Poland, Feb. 12, 2024. The 3rd Infantry Division’s mission in Europe is to engage in multinational training and exercises across the continent, working alongside NATO Allies and regional security partners to provide combat-credible forces to V Corps, America’s forward deployed corps in Europe.&nbsp;&nbsp;Photo By:Army Spc. Bernabe Lopez III" />
 <figcaption>-Soldiers in an M1A2 SEPV3 Abrams tank assigned to the U.S. Army's 3rd Infantry Division fires conduct a Combined Arms Live-Fire exercise at Trzebien, Poland, Feb. 12, 2024. The 3rd Infantry Division’s mission in Europe is to engage in multinational training and exercises across the continent, working alongside NATO Allies and regional security partners to provide combat-credible forces to V Corps, America’s forward deployed corps in Europe.&nbsp;&nbsp;Photo By:Army Spc. Bernabe Lopez III</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — Ukraine has sidelined U.S.-provided Abrams M1A1 battle tanks for now in its fight against Russia, in part because&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-chernihiv-missile-strike-drones-2eaf2f93ad447bce3ea2d8f9631c554b">Russian drone warfare</a>&nbsp;has made it too difficult for them to operate without detection or coming under attack, two U.S. military officials told The Associated Press.The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-military-technology-germany-7b63726a3935da3f03424e98e52a85b2">U.S. agreed to send 31 Abrams</a>&nbsp;to Ukraine in January 2023 after an aggressive monthslong campaign by Kyiv arguing that the tanks, which cost about $10 million apiece, were vital to its ability to breach Russian lines.But the battlefield has changed substantially since then, notably by the ubiquitous use of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-drone-energy-infrastructure-drones-f57e600db45757aaf5120ba23a96980f">Russian surveillance drones and hunter-killer drones</a>. Those weapons have made it more difficult for Ukraine to protect the tanks when they are quickly detected and hunted by Russian drones or rounds.Five of the 31 tanks have already been lost to Russian attacks.The proliferation of drones on the Ukrainian battlefield means “there isn’t open ground that you can just drive across without fear of detection,” a senior defense official told reporters Thursday.The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to provide an update on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-military-aid-package-kharkiv-drones-cadd79c8abd56ad58d07c93253e04ef1">U.S. weapons support for Ukraine</a>&nbsp;before Friday's Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting.For now,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-politics-us-national-security-council-7b8475342e6d5e0ad6e45715fe5a1fd9">the tanks</a>&nbsp;have been moved from the front lines, and the U.S. will work with the Ukrainians to reset tactics, said Joint Chiefs of Staff Vice Chairman Adm. Christopher Grady and a third defense official who confirmed the move on the condition of anonymity.“When you think about the way the fight has evolved, massed armor in an environment where unmanned aerial systems are ubiquitous can be at risk," Grady told the AP in an interview this week, adding that tanks are still important.“Now, there is a way to do it," he said. "We’ll work with our Ukrainian partners, and other partners on the ground, to help them think through how they might use that, in that kind of changed environment now, where everything is seen immediately.”News of the sidelined tanks comes as the U.S. marks the two-year anniversary of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, a coalition of about 50 countries that meets monthly to assess&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-russia-war-ammunition-military-b263dfaceef57fb2c1f74c53861734da">Ukraine's battlefield needs</a>&nbsp;and identify where to find needed ammunition, weapons or maintenance to keep Ukraine's troops equipped.Recent aid packages, including the $1 billion military assistance package signed by President Joe Biden on Wednesday, also reflect a wider reset for Ukrainian forces in the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-drone-energy-infrastructure-drones-f57e600db45757aaf5120ba23a96980f">evolving fight</a>.The U.S.&nbsp; announced Friday that it also will provide about&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-funding-war-russia-patriot-missiles-026fc8f9ee064ffb49bbee2422e2908b">$6 billion in long-term military aid</a>&nbsp;to Ukraine, U.S. officials said, adding that it will include much sought after munitions for Patriot air defense systems. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details not yet made public.The $1 billion package emphasized counter-drone capabilities, including .50-caliber rounds specifically modified to counter drone systems; additional air defenses and ammunition; and a host of alternative, and cheaper, vehicles, including Humvees, Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicles and Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicles.The U.S. also confirmed for the first time that it is providing&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-long-range-missiles-4d2254639eb5a503d8b0a291ed0680e9">long-range ballistic missiles</a>&nbsp;known as ATACMs, which allow Ukraine to strike deep into Russian-occupied areas without having to advance and be further exposed to either drone detection or fortified Russian defenses.While drones are a significant threat, the Ukrainians also have not adopted tactics that could have made the tanks more effective, one of the U.S. defense officials said.After announcing it would provide Ukraine the Abrams tanks in January 2023,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abrams-tanks-ukraine-war-training-russia-62a21f24f4769044b3fcade518e5b44e">the U.S. began training Ukrainians</a>&nbsp;at Grafenwoehr Army base in Germany that spring on how to maintain and operate them. They also&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abrams-tanks-ukraine-training-war-russia-aid-6de94897aad37e6d30e744df0dad07bd">taught the Ukrainians</a>&nbsp;how to use them in combined arms warfare — where the tanks operate as part of a system of advancing armored forces, coordinating movements with overhead offensive fires, infantry troops and air assets.As the spring progressed and Ukraine's highly anticipated counteroffensive stalled, shifting from tank training in Germany to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-russia-war-abrams-tanks-94294a9c1e1acc50098afa440bcb4d40">getting Abrams on the battlefield</a>&nbsp;was seen as an imperative to breach fortified Russian lines. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on his Telegram channel in September that the Abrams had arrived in Ukraine.Since then, however, Ukraine has only employed them in a limited fashion and has not made combined arms warfare part of its operations, the defense official said.During its recent&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-avdiivka-c31eb7439d1983532a3f940061efe6e7">withdrawal from Avdiivka</a>, a city in eastern Ukraine that was the focus of intense fighting for months, several tanks were lost to Russian attacks, the official said.A long delay by Congress in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-mike-johnson-ukraine-israel-b72aed9b195818735d24363f2bc34ea4">passing new funding for Ukraine</a>&nbsp;meant its forces had to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-weapons-avdiivka-24bd70ef8047140a10c67e000288f7d8">ration ammunition</a>, and in some cases they were only able to shoot back once for every five or more times they were targeted by Russian forces.

Cheap Russian drones overwhelm US-made Abrams tanks in Ukraine

FINNEY COUNTY —One person died in an accident just after 10:30 p.m. Sunday in Finney County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2017 Ford F150 driven by Cynthia&nbsp;Calzadillas-Marquez, 32, Garden City, was northbound on 8th Street at West Fair Street.

The pickup struck an eastbound 2022 Yamaha&nbsp;YZF Motorcycle driven by&nbsp; Gabriel E. Reyes, 30, Garden City, who failed to yield at the stop sign.

Reyes was transported to&nbsp;St. Catherine's Hospital where he was pronounced deceased.&nbsp;&nbsp;Calzadillas-Marquez and passengers in the pickup were not injured.&nbsp; Reyes was wearing a helmet, according to the KHP.

FINNEY COUNTY —One person died in an accident just after 10:30 p.m. Sunday in Finney County.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2017 Ford F150 driven by Cynthia&nbsp;Calzadillas-Marquez, 32, Garden City, was northbound on 8th Street at West Fair Street.The pickup struck an eastbound 2022 Yamaha&nbsp;YZF Motorcycle driven by&nbsp; Gabriel E. Reyes, 30, Garden City, who failed to yield at the stop sign.Reyes was transported to&nbsp;St. Catherine's Hospital where he was pronounced deceased.&nbsp;&nbsp;Calzadillas-Marquez and passengers in the pickup were not injured.&nbsp; Reyes was wearing a helmet, according to the KHP.

SW Kansas man dies after pickup strikes a motorcycle

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

TOPEKA — The federal agency overseeing distribution of $42 billion in state grants for expansion of broadband networks approved Kansas’ plan for allocating $451 million to improve high-speed internet service in regions of the state not adequately served by private industry.

Approval from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s telecommunications and information administration means Kansas was ready to request access to federal dollars and prepare for submission of applications from companies or organizations capable of carrying out projects designed to close the digital divide.

Service-gap maps indicated the greatest need in Kansas was in rural counties, with significant demand in southeast and southwest regions of the state.

“I really want to congratulate the state for submitting such a sophisticated and high quality program, one that shows how the state will make high-speed internet service available to everyone in every community,” said Courtney Dozier, deputy director of Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment, or BEAD, at the federal Department of Commerce.

She said the step put Kansas closer to getting shovels in the ground, strengthening broadband systems and connecting communities to services that contribute to job creation.

Gov. Laura Kelly said the federal initiative financed through the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act would address barriers preventing Kansans from fully participating in the digital economy.

“Kansans, no matter their zip code, deserve access to reliable, high-speed internet,” the governor said.

Jade Piros de Carvalho, director of the Kansas Office of Broadband Development, said during a conference call with Dozier that the private-public partnership was crafted to bring affordable, reliable broadband to homes and businesses statewide by the end of this decade.

She said the initial steps of a five-year plan involved mapping broadband availability and determining areas in which investment should be prioritized. A pre-registration portal for potential bidders for the grants should be available by mid-May and the competitive bidding process among potential grant recipients would start in July.

The preference would be to deliver service through fiberoptic networks, Piros de Carvalho said, but alternative sources, including fixed wireless systems, would be considered.

“We’re going to be very intentional about where this … investment goes,” she said. “We also put together a regulatory framework to really help providers and other applicants understand how best to succeed in getting these funds. The goal is to get everyone connected … with the highest, most scalable technology possible.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1714307272252.png" alt=" Jade Piros de Carvalho, director of the Kansas Office of Broadband Development, says the U.S. Department of Commerce approved the state's framework for distribution of $451 million in federal aid to improve home and business access to high-speed internet services. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption> Jade Piros de Carvalho, director of the Kansas Office of Broadband Development, says the U.S. Department of Commerce approved the state's framework for distribution of $451 million in federal aid to improve home and business access to high-speed internet services. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/tim-carpenter/">TIM CARPENTER</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a>&nbsp;TOPEKA — The federal agency overseeing distribution of $42 billion in state grants for expansion of broadband networks approved Kansas’ plan for allocating $451 million to improve high-speed internet service in regions of the state not adequately served by private industry.Approval from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s telecommunications and information administration means Kansas was ready to request access to federal dollars and prepare for submission of applications from companies or organizations capable of carrying out projects designed to close the digital divide.Service-gap maps indicated the greatest need in Kansas was in rural counties, with significant demand in southeast and southwest regions of the state.“I really want to congratulate the state for submitting such a sophisticated and high quality program, one that shows how the state will make high-speed internet service available to everyone in every community,” said Courtney Dozier, deputy director of Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment, or BEAD, at the federal Department of Commerce.She said the step put Kansas closer to getting shovels in the ground, strengthening broadband systems and connecting communities to services that contribute to job creation.Gov. Laura Kelly said the federal initiative financed through the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act would address barriers preventing Kansans from fully participating in the digital economy.“Kansans, no matter their zip code, deserve access to reliable, high-speed internet,” the governor said.Jade Piros de Carvalho, director of the Kansas Office of Broadband Development, said during a conference call with Dozier that the private-public partnership was crafted to bring affordable, reliable broadband to homes and businesses statewide by the end of this decade.She said the initial steps of a five-year plan involved mapping broadband availability and determining areas in which investment should be prioritized. A pre-registration portal for potential bidders for the grants should be available by mid-May and the competitive bidding process among potential grant recipients would start in July.The preference would be to deliver service through fiberoptic networks, Piros de Carvalho said, but alternative sources, including fixed wireless systems, would be considered.“We’re going to be very intentional about where this … investment goes,” she said. “We also put together a regulatory framework to really help providers and other applicants understand how best to succeed in getting these funds. The goal is to get everyone connected … with the highest, most scalable technology possible.”

Federal agency approves Kansas’ framework for allocating $451 million in broadband funding

KANSAS CITY – An anesthesiologist at a Lee’s Summit, Missouri, hospital pleaded guilty in federal court last week to illegally taking fentanyl from the hospital, according to the United State's Attorney.

<a href="https://med.umkc.edu/dir/peplinski-roman/">Roman Peplinski, 37, of Kansas City </a>waived his right to a grand jury and pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to a federal information that charges him with one count of obtaining a controlled substance by misrepresentation, fraud, forgery, deception, or subterfuge.

<a href="https://med.umkc.edu/dir/peplinski-roman/">Peplinski </a>was employed as an anesthesiologist at Union Hill Group in Kansas City. Peplinski worked at Lakewood Medical Center in Lee’s Summit and Truman Medical Center in Kansas City which are both part of University Health.

<a href="https://med.umkc.edu/dir/peplinski-roman/">Peplinski a</a>dmitted that he illegally obtained fentanyl from Lakewood Medical Center on Nov. 5, 2022. Peplinski misrepresented the fentanyl was for a patient, when in reality, that patient had been discharged from Lakewood Medical Center earlier that day. Fentanyl was not listed under the “medication orders” on the patient’s chart for the hospital visit.

<a href="https://med.umkc.edu/dir/peplinski-roman/">Peplinski</a> also admitted to withdrawing fentanyl from three vials from Sept. 1, 2022, through Nov. 30, 2022.

On Feb. 16, 2023, personnel from Lakewood Medical Center reported to the Drug Enforcement Administration that three vials of fentanyl in an automated dispensing cabinet showed signs of tampering. In March 2023 seven vials of fentanyl that were suspected of being tampered with were sent to the FDA’s Forensic Chemistry Center where tests were performed on the vials and their contents. Of the seven vials, three showed evidence of being tampered with. One of those vials contained no fentanyl and the other two vials contained a small amount of fentanyl.

The government has no evidence that any patients were harmed as a result of Peplinski tampering with vials of fentanyl.

Under federal statutes, Peplinski is subject to a sentence of up to four years in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

This case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Bradley Cooper. It was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and Food and Drug Administration-Office of Criminal Investigations.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1714254250527.png" alt="-Roman Peplinski photo UMKC" />
 <figcaption>-Roman Peplinski photo UMKC</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY – An anesthesiologist at a Lee’s Summit, Missouri, hospital pleaded guilty in federal court last week to illegally taking fentanyl from the hospital, according to the United State's Attorney.<a href="https://med.umkc.edu/dir/peplinski-roman/">Roman Peplinski, 37, of Kansas City </a>waived his right to a grand jury and pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to a federal information that charges him with one count of obtaining a controlled substance by misrepresentation, fraud, forgery, deception, or subterfuge.<a href="https://med.umkc.edu/dir/peplinski-roman/">Peplinski </a>was employed as an anesthesiologist at Union Hill Group in Kansas City. Peplinski worked at Lakewood Medical Center in Lee’s Summit and Truman Medical Center in Kansas City which are both part of University Health.<a href="https://med.umkc.edu/dir/peplinski-roman/">Peplinski a</a>dmitted that he illegally obtained fentanyl from Lakewood Medical Center on Nov. 5, 2022. Peplinski misrepresented the fentanyl was for a patient, when in reality, that patient had been discharged from Lakewood Medical Center earlier that day. Fentanyl was not listed under the “medication orders” on the patient’s chart for the hospital visit.<a href="https://med.umkc.edu/dir/peplinski-roman/">Peplinski</a> also admitted to withdrawing fentanyl from three vials from Sept. 1, 2022, through Nov. 30, 2022.On Feb. 16, 2023, personnel from Lakewood Medical Center reported to the Drug Enforcement Administration that three vials of fentanyl in an automated dispensing cabinet showed signs of tampering. In March 2023 seven vials of fentanyl that were suspected of being tampered with were sent to the FDA’s Forensic Chemistry Center where tests were performed on the vials and their contents. Of the seven vials, three showed evidence of being tampered with. One of those vials contained no fentanyl and the other two vials contained a small amount of fentanyl.The government has no evidence that any patients were harmed as a result of Peplinski tampering with vials of fentanyl.Under federal statutes, Peplinski is subject to a sentence of up to four years in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.This case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Bradley Cooper. It was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and Food and Drug Administration-Office of Criminal Investigations.

Doctor admits taking fentanyl from Kansas City area hospital

SULPHUR, Okla. (AP) — Tornadoes killed four people in Oklahoma and left thousands without power Sunday after a destructive outbreak of severe weather flattened buildings in the heart of one rural town and injured at least 100 people across the state.

More than 20,000 people remained without electricity after tornadoes began late Saturday night. The destruction was extensive in Sulphur, a town of about 5,000 people, where a tornado crumpled many downtown buildings, tossed cars and buses and sheared the roofs off houses across a 15-block radius.

“You just can't believe the destruction,” Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt said during a visit to the hard-hit town. “It seems like every business downtown has been destroyed.”

Stitt said about 30 people were injured alone in Sulphur, including some who were in a bar as the tornado struck. Hospitals across the state reported about 100 injuries, including people apparently cut or struck by debris or hurt from falls, according to the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management.

White House officials said President Joe Biden spoke to Gov. Stitt on Sunday and offered the full support of the federal government.

The deadly weather in Oklahoma added to the dozens of reported tornadoes that wreaked havoc in the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/video/omaha-nebraska-paul-wright-tornadoes-national-6f8d220ab3584beab54ccdb900649b87">nation's midsection since Friday</a>. On Sunday, authorities in Iowa said a man injured during a tornado that hit the town of Minden on Friday had died, according&nbsp;<a href="https://omaha.com/news/local/weather/man-dies-from-injuries-received-during-tornado-in-minden-iowa/article_eca7d946-0596-11ef-b6a5-0394c5014d7f.html#tracking-source=home-top-story">to local reports</a>.

Authorities said the tornado in Sulphur began in a city park before barreling through the downtown, flipping cars and ripping the roofs and walls off of brick buildings. Windows and doors were blown out of structures that remained standing.

“How do you rebuild it? This is complete devastation,” said Kelly Trussell, a lifelong Sulphur resident as she surveyed the damage. “It is crazy, you want to help but where do you start?”

Carolyn Goodman traveled to Sulphur from the nearby town of Ada in search of her former sister-in-law, who Goodman said was at a local bar before just before the tornado hit the area. Stitt said one of the victims was found inside a bar but authorities had not yet identified those killed.

“The bar was destroyed,” Goodman said. “I know they probably won’t find her alive ... but I hope she is still alive.”

Farther north, a tornado near the town of Holdenville killed two people and damaged or destroyed more than a dozen homes, according to the Hughes County Emergency Medical Service. Another person was killed along Interstate 35 near the southern Oklahoma city of Marietta, state officials said.

Heavy rains that swept into Oklahoma with the tornadoes also caused dangerous flooding and water rescues. Outside Sulphur, rising lake levels shut down the Chickasaw National Recreation Area, where the storms wiped out a pedestrian bridge.

Stitt issued an executive order Sunday declaring a state of emergency in 12 counties due to the fallout from the severe weather.

At the Sulphur High School gym, where families took cover from the storm, Jackalyn Wright said she and her family heard what sounded like a helicopter as the tornado touched down over them.

Chad Smith, 43, said people ran into the gym as the wind picked up. The rain started coming faster and the doors slammed shut. “Just give me a beer and a lawn chair and I will sit outside and watch it,” Smith said. Instead, he took cover.

Residents in other states were also digging out from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tornado-midwest-nebraska-iowa-missouri-kansas-f12770a52d1644d88c1dea1b92bc9903">storm damage</a>. A tornado in suburban&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tornado-midwest-nebraska-iowa-missouri-kansas-f12770a52d1644d88c1dea1b92bc9903">Omaha, Nebraska,</a>&nbsp;demolished homes and businesses Saturday as it moved for miles through farmland and into subdivisions, then slammed an Iowa town.

The tornado damage began Friday afternoon near Lincoln, Nebraska. An industrial building in Lancaster County was hit, causing it to collapse with 70 people inside. Several were trapped, but everyone was evacuated, and the three injuries were not life-threatening, authorities said.

One or possibly two tornadoes then spent around an hour creeping toward Omaha, leaving behind damage consistent with an EF3 twister, with winds of 135 to 165 mph (217 to 265 kph), said Chris Franks, a meteorologist in the National Weather Service’s Omaha office.

Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen and Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds spent Saturday touring the damage and arranging for assistance for the damaged communities. Formal damage assessments are still underway, but the states plan to seek federal help.

HOLDENVILLE, Okla. (AP) — At least two people, including a child, died in tornadoes that swept through Oklahoma, authorities said Sunday as emergency crews assessed the extensive damage to homes and businesses from the high winds, hail and flooding.

Dozens of reported tornadoes have wreaked havoc in the nation's midsection since Friday, with flood watches and warnings in effect Sunday for Oklahoma and other states — including Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas and Texas.

In Oklahoma, a tornado ripped through Holdenville, a town of about 5,000 people, late Saturday, killing two people, and injuring four others, Hughes County Emergency Medical Services said in a statement Sunday. Holdenville is roughly 80 miles from Oklahoma City.

“My prayers are with those who lost loved ones as tornadoes ripped through Oklahoma last night,” Gov. Kevin Stitt said in a statement.

He issued an executive order Sunday declaring a state of emergency in 12 counties due to the fallout from the severe weather as crews worked to clear debris and assess damage from the severe storms that downed power lines. Later in the day, he planned to tour the southern Oklahoma city of Sulphur, where some buildings were reduced to piles of rubble.

Nearly 33,000 customers were without power in Oklahoma as of Sunday morning, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://poweroutage.us/">poweroutage.us</a>, which tracks electric utility outages. In Texas, nearly 67,000 customers were without power.

In Sulphur, authorities reported unspecified injuries along with significant destruction. Photos from local news media showed several leveled buildings and roofs ripped off of homes. The Murray County Sheriff’s Office urged people to stay away from the city to clear the way for first responders following extensive damage from tornadoes, according to a statement posted by the agency on Facebook.

“Stay home and do not come to look,” the sheriff's office said.

A hospital was damaged in Marietta, according to the Oklahoma Office of Emergency Management, which also said that Interstate 35 was closed at the border with Texas "due to overturned vehicles and powerlines across the highway."

Residents in other states were also digging out from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tornado-midwest-nebraska-iowa-missouri-kansas-f12770a52d1644d88c1dea1b92bc9903">storm damage</a>. A tornado in suburban Omaha, Nebraska, demolished homes and businesses Saturday as it moved for miles through farmland and into subdivisions, then slammed an Iowa town.

Fewer than two dozen people were treated at Omaha-area hospitals, said Dr. Lindsay Huse, health director of the city’s Douglas County Health Department.

“Miraculous” she said, stressing that none of the city’s injuries were serious. Neighboring communities reported a handful of injuries each.

The tornado damage started Friday afternoon near Lincoln, Nebraska. An industrial building in Lancaster County was hit, causing it to collapse with 70 people inside. Several were trapped, but everyone was evacuated, and the three injuries were not life-threatening, authorities said.

One or possibly two tornadoes then spent around an hour creeping toward Omaha, leaving behind damage consistent with an EF3 twister, with winds of 135 to 165 mph, said Chris Franks, a meteorologist in the National Weather Service’s Omaha office.

Ultimately the twister slammed into the Elkhorn neighborhood in western Omaha, a city of 485,000 people with a metropolitan-area population of about 1 million.

Staci Roe surveyed the damage to what was supposed to be her “forever home,” which was not even two years old. When the tornado hit, they were at the airport picking up a friend who was supposed to spend the night.

“There was no home to come to,” she said, describing “utter dread” when she saw it for the first time.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1714352043261.png" alt="“You just can't believe the destruction,” Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt said-photo courtesy KTUL TV" />
 <figcaption>“You just can't believe the destruction,” Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt said-photo courtesy KTUL TV</figcaption>
 </figure>SULPHUR, Okla. (AP) — Tornadoes killed four people in Oklahoma and left thousands without power Sunday after a destructive outbreak of severe weather flattened buildings in the heart of one rural town and injured at least 100 people across the state.More than 20,000 people remained without electricity after tornadoes began late Saturday night. The destruction was extensive in Sulphur, a town of about 5,000 people, where a tornado crumpled many downtown buildings, tossed cars and buses and sheared the roofs off houses across a 15-block radius.“You just can't believe the destruction,” Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt said during a visit to the hard-hit town. “It seems like every business downtown has been destroyed.”Stitt said about 30 people were injured alone in Sulphur, including some who were in a bar as the tornado struck. Hospitals across the state reported about 100 injuries, including people apparently cut or struck by debris or hurt from falls, according to the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management.White House officials said President Joe Biden spoke to Gov. Stitt on Sunday and offered the full support of the federal government.The deadly weather in Oklahoma added to the dozens of reported tornadoes that wreaked havoc in the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/video/omaha-nebraska-paul-wright-tornadoes-national-6f8d220ab3584beab54ccdb900649b87">nation's midsection since Friday</a>. On Sunday, authorities in Iowa said a man injured during a tornado that hit the town of Minden on Friday had died, according&nbsp;<a href="https://omaha.com/news/local/weather/man-dies-from-injuries-received-during-tornado-in-minden-iowa/article_eca7d946-0596-11ef-b6a5-0394c5014d7f.html#tracking-source=home-top-story">to local reports</a>.Authorities said the tornado in Sulphur began in a city park before barreling through the downtown, flipping cars and ripping the roofs and walls off of brick buildings. Windows and doors were blown out of structures that remained standing.“How do you rebuild it? This is complete devastation,” said Kelly Trussell, a lifelong Sulphur resident as she surveyed the damage. “It is crazy, you want to help but where do you start?”Carolyn Goodman traveled to Sulphur from the nearby town of Ada in search of her former sister-in-law, who Goodman said was at a local bar before just before the tornado hit the area. Stitt said one of the victims was found inside a bar but authorities had not yet identified those killed.“The bar was destroyed,” Goodman said. “I know they probably won’t find her alive ... but I hope she is still alive.”Farther north, a tornado near the town of Holdenville killed two people and damaged or destroyed more than a dozen homes, according to the Hughes County Emergency Medical Service. Another person was killed along Interstate 35 near the southern Oklahoma city of Marietta, state officials said.Heavy rains that swept into Oklahoma with the tornadoes also caused dangerous flooding and water rescues. Outside Sulphur, rising lake levels shut down the Chickasaw National Recreation Area, where the storms wiped out a pedestrian bridge.Stitt issued an executive order Sunday declaring a state of emergency in 12 counties due to the fallout from the severe weather.At the Sulphur High School gym, where families took cover from the storm, Jackalyn Wright said she and her family heard what sounded like a helicopter as the tornado touched down over them.Chad Smith, 43, said people ran into the gym as the wind picked up. The rain started coming faster and the doors slammed shut. “Just give me a beer and a lawn chair and I will sit outside and watch it,” Smith said. Instead, he took cover.Residents in other states were also digging out from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tornado-midwest-nebraska-iowa-missouri-kansas-f12770a52d1644d88c1dea1b92bc9903">storm damage</a>. A tornado in suburban&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tornado-midwest-nebraska-iowa-missouri-kansas-f12770a52d1644d88c1dea1b92bc9903">Omaha, Nebraska,</a>&nbsp;demolished homes and businesses Saturday as it moved for miles through farmland and into subdivisions, then slammed an Iowa town.The tornado damage began Friday afternoon near Lincoln, Nebraska. An industrial building in Lancaster County was hit, causing it to collapse with 70 people inside. Several were trapped, but everyone was evacuated, and the three injuries were not life-threatening, authorities said.One or possibly two tornadoes then spent around an hour creeping toward Omaha, leaving behind damage consistent with an EF3 twister, with winds of 135 to 165 mph (217 to 265 kph), said Chris Franks, a meteorologist in the National Weather Service’s Omaha office.Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen and Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds spent Saturday touring the damage and arranging for assistance for the damaged communities. Formal damage assessments are still underway, but the states plan to seek federal help.___<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1714319458264.png" alt="Image Murray Co. Oklahoma Sheriff" />
 <figcaption>Image Murray Co. Oklahoma Sheriff</figcaption>
 </figure>HOLDENVILLE, Okla. (AP) — At least two people, including a child, died in tornadoes that swept through Oklahoma, authorities said Sunday as emergency crews assessed the extensive damage to homes and businesses from the high winds, hail and flooding.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1714319484856.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Dozens of reported tornadoes have wreaked havoc in the nation's midsection since Friday, with flood watches and warnings in effect Sunday for Oklahoma and other states — including Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas and Texas.In Oklahoma, a tornado ripped through Holdenville, a town of about 5,000 people, late Saturday, killing two people, and injuring four others, Hughes County Emergency Medical Services said in a statement Sunday. Holdenville is roughly 80 miles from Oklahoma City.“My prayers are with those who lost loved ones as tornadoes ripped through Oklahoma last night,” Gov. Kevin Stitt said in a statement.He issued an executive order Sunday declaring a state of emergency in 12 counties due to the fallout from the severe weather as crews worked to clear debris and assess damage from the severe storms that downed power lines. Later in the day, he planned to tour the southern Oklahoma city of Sulphur, where some buildings were reduced to piles of rubble.Nearly 33,000 customers were without power in Oklahoma as of Sunday morning, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://poweroutage.us/">poweroutage.us</a>, which tracks electric utility outages. In Texas, nearly 67,000 customers were without power.In Sulphur, authorities reported unspecified injuries along with significant destruction. Photos from local news media showed several leveled buildings and roofs ripped off of homes. The Murray County Sheriff’s Office urged people to stay away from the city to clear the way for first responders following extensive damage from tornadoes, according to a statement posted by the agency on Facebook.“Stay home and do not come to look,” the sheriff's office said.A hospital was damaged in Marietta, according to the Oklahoma Office of Emergency Management, which also said that Interstate 35 was closed at the border with Texas "due to overturned vehicles and powerlines across the highway."Residents in other states were also digging out from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tornado-midwest-nebraska-iowa-missouri-kansas-f12770a52d1644d88c1dea1b92bc9903">storm damage</a>. A tornado in suburban Omaha, Nebraska, demolished homes and businesses Saturday as it moved for miles through farmland and into subdivisions, then slammed an Iowa town.Fewer than two dozen people were treated at Omaha-area hospitals, said Dr. Lindsay Huse, health director of the city’s Douglas County Health Department.“Miraculous” she said, stressing that none of the city’s injuries were serious. Neighboring communities reported a handful of injuries each.The tornado damage started Friday afternoon near Lincoln, Nebraska. An industrial building in Lancaster County was hit, causing it to collapse with 70 people inside. Several were trapped, but everyone was evacuated, and the three injuries were not life-threatening, authorities said.One or possibly two tornadoes then spent around an hour creeping toward Omaha, leaving behind damage consistent with an EF3 twister, with winds of 135 to 165 mph, said Chris Franks, a meteorologist in the National Weather Service’s Omaha office.Ultimately the twister slammed into the Elkhorn neighborhood in western Omaha, a city of 485,000 people with a metropolitan-area population of about 1 million.Staci Roe surveyed the damage to what was supposed to be her “forever home,” which was not even two years old. When the tornado hit, they were at the airport picking up a friend who was supposed to spend the night.“There was no home to come to,” she said, describing “utter dread” when she saw it for the first time.Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen and Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds spent Saturday touring the damage and arranging for assistance for the damaged communities. Formal damage assessments are still underway, but the states plan to seek federal help.

Death toll climbs after tornadoes in Oklahoma leave trail of destruction

OSAGE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas man on drug allegations.

On April 22, an Osage County K-9 unit conducted a traffic stop at milepost on Interstate 35 in Osage County for a traffic violation, according to Sheriff Chris Wells. During the stop, deputies found illegal narcotics.

Bret A. Crowther, 60, of Wichita was taken into custody and transported to the Osage County Jail Facility on requested charges of Possession of methamphetamine, Possession of drug paraphernalia and Driving while license is suspended.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1713901855198.png" alt="Crowther-photo Osage Co." />
 <figcaption>Crowther-photo Osage Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>OSAGE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas man on drug allegations.On April 22, an Osage County K-9 unit conducted a traffic stop at milepost on Interstate 35 in Osage County for a traffic violation, according to Sheriff Chris Wells. During the stop, deputies found illegal narcotics.Bret A. Crowther, 60, of Wichita was taken into custody and transported to the Osage County Jail Facility on requested charges of Possession of methamphetamine, Possession of drug paraphernalia and Driving while license is suspended.

Kan. man with no drivers license, caught transporting drugs

NEW YORK (AP) — The Biden administration has finalized a new rule set to make millions of more salaried workers eligible for overtime pay in the U.S.

The move marks the largest expansion in federal overtime eligibility seen in decades. Starting July 1, employers will be required pay overtime to salaried workers who make less than $43,888 a year in certain executive, administrative and professional roles, the Labor Department said Tuesday. That cap will then rise to $58,656 by the start of 2025.

“Too often, lower-paid salaried workers are doing the same job as their hourly counterparts but are spending more time away from their families for no additional pay. That is unacceptable,” acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su said in a prepared statement.

She added that the administration was “following through on our promise to raise the bar.”

Tuesday’s news marks a significant jump from the current overtime eligibility threshold of $35,568, which was set&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/20a969ae220d4dd587e21a1ae73a849d">under the Trump administration</a>&nbsp;in 2019 — just three years after a more generous Obama-era effort&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/a0d8eada5bb24cbd91ff03f692306aa3/21-us-states-sue-block-expansion-overtime-pay-law">was ultimately scuttled in court</a>&nbsp;after facing pushback from some business leaders and Republican politicians.

Under the federal law, nearly all hourly workers in the U.S. are entitled to overtime pay after 40 hours a week. But many salaried workers are exempt from that requirement — unless they earn below a certain level.

The new rule also expands overtime eligibility for some highly-compensated workers. According to a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/overtime/rulemaking/faqs#impact17">Labor Department FAQ</a>, the current $107,432 annual threshold for highly-compensated workers is set to increase to $132,964 on July 1 and $151,164 by the start of 2025.

The Labor Department estimates that 4 million lower-paid salary workers who are exempt under current regulations will become eligible for overtime protections in the first year under the new rule. An additional 292,900 higher-compensated workers are also expected to get overtime entitlements.

The July 1 increases update the current salary thresholds using methodology put in place under the Trump administration’s 2019 regulation. The new rule’s methodology takes effect Jan. 1, the Labor Department said, with salary thresholds set to update every three years based on the latest wage data.

The Biden administration first announced&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/work-labor-overtime-pay-biden-ba1613a766bd45c4f15650bb7d361063">plans for its new rule in late August</a>, and submitted a proposal in September. The Labor Department said it “conducted extensive engagement with employers, workers, unions and other stakeholders” and considered more than 33,000 comments as it developed the final rule.

Critics have argued that the new regulation could saddle companies with new costs and add to persistent labor challenges. In a statement, U.S. Rep. Virginia Foxx, a North Carolina Republican and chair of the House Education and the Workforce Committee, said that employers “are staring down the barrel of billions in annual costs to comply with the rule” while calling the regulation “excessive and heavy-handed.”

Meanwhile, advocates applauded the administration’s rule — with some noting that such a move is overdue. The left-leaning Economic Policy Institute says that the overtime threshold has not been updated properly for almost 50 years — leaving millions without such federal protections.

“The rule is an important step toward correctly valuing one of the most precious resources workers have — their time,” EPI president Heidi Shierholz said Tuesday. “This rule is an essential milestone in creating a stronger, fairer economy.”

NEW YORK (AP) — The Biden administration has finalized a new rule set to make millions of more salaried workers eligible for overtime pay in the U.S.The move marks the largest expansion in federal overtime eligibility seen in decades. Starting July 1, employers will be required pay overtime to salaried workers who make less than $43,888 a year in certain executive, administrative and professional roles, the Labor Department said Tuesday. That cap will then rise to $58,656 by the start of 2025.“Too often, lower-paid salaried workers are doing the same job as their hourly counterparts but are spending more time away from their families for no additional pay. That is unacceptable,” acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su said in a prepared statement.She added that the administration was “following through on our promise to raise the bar.”Tuesday’s news marks a significant jump from the current overtime eligibility threshold of $35,568, which was set&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/20a969ae220d4dd587e21a1ae73a849d">under the Trump administration</a>&nbsp;in 2019 — just three years after a more generous Obama-era effort&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/a0d8eada5bb24cbd91ff03f692306aa3/21-us-states-sue-block-expansion-overtime-pay-law">was ultimately scuttled in court</a>&nbsp;after facing pushback from some business leaders and Republican politicians.Under the federal law, nearly all hourly workers in the U.S. are entitled to overtime pay after 40 hours a week. But many salaried workers are exempt from that requirement — unless they earn below a certain level.The new rule also expands overtime eligibility for some highly-compensated workers. According to a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/overtime/rulemaking/faqs#impact17">Labor Department FAQ</a>, the current $107,432 annual threshold for highly-compensated workers is set to increase to $132,964 on July 1 and $151,164 by the start of 2025.The Labor Department estimates that 4 million lower-paid salary workers who are exempt under current regulations will become eligible for overtime protections in the first year under the new rule. An additional 292,900 higher-compensated workers are also expected to get overtime entitlements.The July 1 increases update the current salary thresholds using methodology put in place under the Trump administration’s 2019 regulation. The new rule’s methodology takes effect Jan. 1, the Labor Department said, with salary thresholds set to update every three years based on the latest wage data.The Biden administration first announced&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/work-labor-overtime-pay-biden-ba1613a766bd45c4f15650bb7d361063">plans for its new rule in late August</a>, and submitted a proposal in September. The Labor Department said it “conducted extensive engagement with employers, workers, unions and other stakeholders” and considered more than 33,000 comments as it developed the final rule.Critics have argued that the new regulation could saddle companies with new costs and add to persistent labor challenges. In a statement, U.S. Rep. Virginia Foxx, a North Carolina Republican and chair of the House Education and the Workforce Committee, said that employers “are staring down the barrel of billions in annual costs to comply with the rule” while calling the regulation “excessive and heavy-handed.”Meanwhile, advocates applauded the administration’s rule — with some noting that such a move is overdue. The left-leaning Economic Policy Institute says that the overtime threshold has not been updated properly for almost 50 years — leaving millions without such federal protections.“The rule is an important step toward correctly valuing one of the most precious resources workers have — their time,” EPI president Heidi Shierholz said Tuesday. “This rule is an essential milestone in creating a stronger, fairer economy.”

Millions of salaried workers now eligible for overtime pay under new Biden rule

JOHNSON COUNTY —One person died in an accident just before 3:30a.m. Sunday in Johnson County.&nbsp;

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2021 Jeep Gladiator driven by&nbsp; &nbsp;Matthew E. Karabas, 27, Monroe, New Jersey, was southbound&nbsp;&nbsp;in the northbound lanes of Interstate 35 just northeast&nbsp; from Edgerton Road.

The Jeep struck a 2024 Freightliner semi driven by Garrido S. Chinea, 29, Kansas City, Missouri, head-on.

A passenger in the Jeep identified as Eric M. Diaz, 22, Melbourne, Florida, was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported to Frontier Forensics. EMS transported Karabas to Overland Park Regional Medical Center for treatment of suspected serious injuries. Chinea was not injured. Karabas was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.

JOHNSON COUNTY —One person died in an accident just before 3:30a.m. Sunday in Johnson County.&nbsp;The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2021 Jeep Gladiator driven by&nbsp; &nbsp;Matthew E. Karabas, 27, Monroe, New Jersey, was southbound&nbsp;&nbsp;in the northbound lanes of Interstate 35 just northeast&nbsp; from Edgerton Road.The Jeep struck a 2024 Freightliner semi driven by Garrido S. Chinea, 29, Kansas City, Missouri, head-on.A passenger in the Jeep identified as Eric M. Diaz, 22, Melbourne, Florida, was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported to Frontier Forensics. EMS transported Karabas to Overland Park Regional Medical Center for treatment of suspected serious injuries. Chinea was not injured. Karabas was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.

Man dead after wrong-way crash with semi on Kansas highway

WASHINGTON (AP) —No, TikTok will not suddenly disappear from your phone. Nor will you go to jail if you continue using it after it is banned.

After years of attempts to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tiktok-ban-bytedance-bill-divest-5b5a685e8f1e19d22182d62526bf19b8">ban the Chinese-owned app</a>, including by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/global-trade-ap-top-news-politics-asia-business-719d8c83f689929c9c9d8c9aa5593fc8">former President Donald Trump</a>, a measure to outlaw the popular video-sharing app has won congressional approval and is on its way to President Biden for his signature. The measure gives Beijing-based parent company ByteDance nine months to sell the company, with a possible additional three months if a sale is in progress. If it doesn't, TikTok will be banned.

So what does this mean for you, a TikTok user, or perhaps the parent of a TikTok user? Here are some key questions and answers.

The original proposal gave ByteDance just six months to divest from its U.S. subsidiary, negotiations lengthened it to nine. Then, if the sale is already in progress, the company will get another three months to complete it.

So it would be at least a year before a ban goes into effect — but with likely court challenges, this could stretch even longer, perhaps years. TikTok has seen some success with court challenges in the past, but it has never sought to prevent federal legislation from going into effect.

TikTok, which is used by more than 170 million Americans, most likely won't disappear from your phone even if an eventual ban does take effect. But it would disappear from Apple and Google's app stores, which means users won't be able to download it. This would also mean that TikTok wouldn't be able to send updates, security patches and bug fixes, and over time the app would likely become unusable — not to mention a security risk.

Teenagers are known for circumventing parental controls and bans when it comes to social media, so dodging the U.S. government's ban is certainly not outside the realm of possibilities. For instance, users could try to mask their location using a VPN, or virtual private network, use alternative app stores or even install a foreign SIM card into their phone.

But some tech savvy is required, and it's not clear what will and won't work. More likely, users will migrate to another platform — such as Instagram, which has a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-business-u-s-news-featured-mark-zuckerberg-600d0654df8a24c0ad9cc79507f1063a">TikTok-like feature called Reels</a>, or YouTube, which has incorporated vertical short videos in its feed to try to compete with TikTok. Often, such videos are taken directly from TikTok itself. And popular creators are likely to be found on other platforms as well, so you'll probably be able to see the same stuff.

“The TikTok bill relies heavily on the control that Apple and Google maintain over their smartphone platforms because the bill’s primary mechanism is to direct Apple and Google to stop allowing the TikTok app on their respective app stores,” said Dean Ball, a research fellow with the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. “Such a mechanism might be much less effective in the world envisioned by many advocates of antitrust and aggressive regulation against the large tech firms.”

Lawmakers from both parties — as well as law enforcement and intelligence officials — have long expressed concerns that Chinese authorities could force ByteDance to hand over data on the 170 million Americans who use TikTok. The worry stems from a set of Chinese national security laws that compel organizations to assist with intelligence gathering - which ByteDance would likely be subject to – and other far-reaching ways the country’s authoritarian government exercises control.

Data privacy experts say, though, that the Chinese government could easily get information on Americans in other ways, including through&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-executive-action-personal-data-protections-china-ea0fe0af31dc26b254e2724c8e53867f">commercial data brokers</a>&nbsp;that sell or rent personal information.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/2/1708714541315.png" alt="Image from President Biden's TikTok account" />
 <figcaption>Image from President Biden's TikTok account</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) —No, TikTok will not suddenly disappear from your phone. Nor will you go to jail if you continue using it after it is banned.After years of attempts to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tiktok-ban-bytedance-bill-divest-5b5a685e8f1e19d22182d62526bf19b8">ban the Chinese-owned app</a>, including by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/global-trade-ap-top-news-politics-asia-business-719d8c83f689929c9c9d8c9aa5593fc8">former President Donald Trump</a>, a measure to outlaw the popular video-sharing app has won congressional approval and is on its way to President Biden for his signature. The measure gives Beijing-based parent company ByteDance nine months to sell the company, with a possible additional three months if a sale is in progress. If it doesn't, TikTok will be banned.So what does this mean for you, a TikTok user, or perhaps the parent of a TikTok user? Here are some key questions and answers.WHEN DOES THE BAN GO INTO EFFECT?The original proposal gave ByteDance just six months to divest from its U.S. subsidiary, negotiations lengthened it to nine. Then, if the sale is already in progress, the company will get another three months to complete it.So it would be at least a year before a ban goes into effect — but with likely court challenges, this could stretch even longer, perhaps years. TikTok has seen some success with court challenges in the past, but it has never sought to prevent federal legislation from going into effect.WHAT IF I ALREADY DOWNLOADED IT?TikTok, which is used by more than 170 million Americans, most likely won't disappear from your phone even if an eventual ban does take effect. But it would disappear from Apple and Google's app stores, which means users won't be able to download it. This would also mean that TikTok wouldn't be able to send updates, security patches and bug fixes, and over time the app would likely become unusable — not to mention a security risk.BUT SURELY THERE ARE WORKAROUNDS?Teenagers are known for circumventing parental controls and bans when it comes to social media, so dodging the U.S. government's ban is certainly not outside the realm of possibilities. For instance, users could try to mask their location using a VPN, or virtual private network, use alternative app stores or even install a foreign SIM card into their phone.But some tech savvy is required, and it's not clear what will and won't work. More likely, users will migrate to another platform — such as Instagram, which has a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-business-u-s-news-featured-mark-zuckerberg-600d0654df8a24c0ad9cc79507f1063a">TikTok-like feature called Reels</a>, or YouTube, which has incorporated vertical short videos in its feed to try to compete with TikTok. Often, such videos are taken directly from TikTok itself. And popular creators are likely to be found on other platforms as well, so you'll probably be able to see the same stuff.“The TikTok bill relies heavily on the control that Apple and Google maintain over their smartphone platforms because the bill’s primary mechanism is to direct Apple and Google to stop allowing the TikTok app on their respective app stores,” said Dean Ball, a research fellow with the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. “Such a mechanism might be much less effective in the world envisioned by many advocates of antitrust and aggressive regulation against the large tech firms.”SHOULD I BE WORRIED ABOUT USING TIKTOK?Lawmakers from both parties — as well as law enforcement and intelligence officials — have long expressed concerns that Chinese authorities could force ByteDance to hand over data on the 170 million Americans who use TikTok. The worry stems from a set of Chinese national security laws that compel organizations to assist with intelligence gathering - which ByteDance would likely be subject to – and other far-reaching ways the country’s authoritarian government exercises control.Data privacy experts say, though, that the Chinese government could easily get information on Americans in other ways, including through&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-executive-action-personal-data-protections-china-ea0fe0af31dc26b254e2724c8e53867f">commercial data brokers</a>&nbsp;that sell or rent personal information.

What a TikTok ban in the US could mean for you

KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement and railroad officials are on the scene of a train derailment early Sunday.

At 12:40am deputies were dispatched the derailment involving a Union Pacific train on 87th street, near Colbern, according to Sheriff Daryl Forte'.

&nbsp;The engine car pulling the train derailed. There are no hazardous materials in box cars, according to Forte'.&nbsp; The engineer and conductor sustained minor injuries. Special agents from Union Pacific are investigating.&nbsp; Check the Post for additional details as they become available.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1714306628069.png" alt="Photos Sheriff Daryl Forte'" />
 <figcaption>Photos Sheriff Daryl Forte'</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement and railroad officials are on the scene of a train derailment early Sunday.At 12:40am deputies were dispatched the derailment involving a Union Pacific train on 87th street, near Colbern, according to Sheriff Daryl Forte'.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1714306883511.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>&nbsp;The engine car pulling the train derailed. There are no hazardous materials in box cars, according to Forte'.&nbsp; The engineer and conductor sustained minor injuries. Special agents from Union Pacific are investigating.&nbsp; Check the Post for additional details as they become available.

Train derailment in Kansas City under investigation

WASHINGTON (AP) —<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war">The war in Gaza</a>&nbsp;spurred large protests outside a glitzy roast with President Joe Biden, journalists, politicians and celebrities Saturday but went all but unmentioned by participants inside, with Biden instead using the annual White House correspondents’ dinner to make both jokes and grim warnings about Republican rival Donald Trump’s fight to reclaim the U.S. presidency.

An evening normally devoted to presidents, journalists and comedians taking outrageous pokes at political scandals and each other often seemed this year to illustrate the difficulty of putting aside the coming presidential election and the troubles in the Middle East and elsewhere.

Biden opened his roast with a direct but joking focus on Trump, calling him “sleepy Don,” in reference to a nickname Trump had given the president previously.

(Click below to watch Colin Jost complete remarks at 2024 White House Correspondents' Dinner)

Despite being similar in age, Biden said, the two presidential hopefuls have little else in common. “My vice president actually endorses me,” Biden said. Former Trump Vice President Mike Pence has refused to endorse Trump’s reelection bid.

But the president quickly segued to a grim speech about what he believes is at stake this election, saying that another Trump administration would be even more harmful to America than his first term.

“We have to take this serious — eight years ago we could have written it off as ‘Trump talk’ but not after January 6,” Biden told the audience, referring to the supporters of Trump who stormed the Capitol after Biden defeated Trump in the 2020 election.

Trump did not attend Saturday's dinner and never attended the annual banquet as president. In 2011, he sat in the audience, and glowered through a roasting by then-President Barack Obama of Trump's reality-television celebrity status. Obama's sarcasm then was so scalding that many political watchers linked it to Trump's subsequent decision to run for president in 2016.

Biden’s speech, which lasted around 10 minutes, made no mention of the ongoing war or the growing humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

One of the few mentions came from Kelly O’Donnell, president of the correspondents’ association, who briefly noted some 100 journalists killed in Israel's 6-month-old war against Hamas in Gaza. In an evening dedicated in large part to journalism, O’Donnell cited journalists who have been detained across the world, including Americans Evan Gershkovich in Russia and Austin Tice, who is believed to be held in Syria. Families of both men were in attendance as they have been at previous dinners.

To get inside Saturday's dinner, some guests had to hurry through hundreds of protesters outraged over the mounting humanitarian disaster for Palestinian civilians in Gaza. They condemned Biden for his support of Israel's military campaign and Western news outlets for what they said was undercoverage and misrepresentation of the conflict.

“Shame on you!” protesters draped in the traditional Palestinian keffiyeh cloth shouted, running after men in tuxedos and suits and women in long dresses holding clutch purses as guests hurried inside for the dinner.

“Western media we see you, and all the horrors that you hide,” crowds chanted at one point.

Other protesters lay sprawled motionless on the pavement, next to mock-ups of flak vests with “press” insignia.

Ralliers cried “Free, free Palestine." They cheered when at one point someone inside the Washington Hilton — where the dinner has been held for decades — unfurled a Palestinian flag from a top-floor hotel window.

Criticism of the Biden administration's support for Israel's military offensive in Gaza has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinian-campus-student-protests-war-2ab919ad849c50c9d177a32c0309bd1e">spread through American college campuses</a>, with students pitching encampments and withstanding police sweeps in an effort to force their universities to divest from Israel. Counterprotests back Israel's offensive and complain of antisemitism.

Biden’s motorcade Saturday took an alternate route from the White House to the Washington Hilton than in previous years, largely avoiding the crowds of demonstrators.

Saturday's event drew nearly 3,000 people. Celebrities included Academy Award winner Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Scarlett Johansson, Jon Hamm and Chris Pine.

Both the president and comedian Colin Jost, who spoke after Biden, made jabs at the age of both the candidates for president. “I’m not saying both candidates are old. But you know Jimmy Carter is out there thinking, ‘maybe I can win this thing,’” Jost said. “He’s only 99.”

Law enforcement, including the Secret Service, instituted extra street closures and other measures to ensure what Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said would be the “highest levels of safety and security for attendees.”

Protest organizers said they aimed to bring attention to the high numbers of Palestinian and other Arab journalists killed by Israel's military since the war began in October.

More than two dozen&nbsp;<a href="https://medium.com/@gazajournalists/appeal-boycott-the-white-house-correspondents-dinner-stand-with-your-colleagues-in-gaza-fac979195de6">journalists in Gaza wrote a letter</a>&nbsp;last week calling on their colleagues in Washington to boycott the dinner altogether.

“The toll exacted on us for merely fulfilling our journalistic duties is staggering," the letter stated. “We are subjected to detentions, interrogations, and torture by the Israeli military, all for the ‘crime’ of journalistic integrity.”

One organizer complained that the White House Correspondents' Association — which represents the hundreds of journalists who cover the president — largely has been silent since the first weeks of the war about the killings of Palestinian journalists. WHCA did not respond to a request for comment.

According to a preliminary investigation released Friday by the Committee to Protect Journalists, nearly 100 journalists have been killed covering the war in Gaza. Israel has defended its actions, saying it has been targeting militants.

“Since the Israel-Gaza war began, journalists have been paying the highest price — their lives — to defend our right to the truth. Each time a journalist dies or is injured, we lose a fragment of that truth,” CPJ Program Director Carlos Martínez de la Serna said in a statement.

Sandra Tamari, executive director of Adalah Justice Project, a U.S.-based Palestinian advocacy group that helped organize the letter from journalists in Gaza, said “it is shameful for the media to dine and laugh with President Biden while he enables the Israeli devastation and starvation of Palestinians in Gaza."

In addition, Adalah Justice Project started&nbsp;<a href="https://actionnetwork.org/letters/protect-journalists-in-gaza-boycott-the-white-house-correspondents-dinner?source=MC">an email campaign targeting 12 media executives</a>&nbsp;at various news outlets — including The Associated Press — expected to attend the dinner who previously signed onto a letter calling for the protection of journalists in Gaza.

“How can you still go when your colleagues in Gaza asked you not to?" a demonstrator asked guests heading in. "You are complicit.”

WASHINGTON (AP) —<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war">The war in Gaza</a>&nbsp;spurred large protests outside a glitzy roast with President Joe Biden, journalists, politicians and celebrities Saturday but went all but unmentioned by participants inside, with Biden instead using the annual White House correspondents’ dinner to make both jokes and grim warnings about Republican rival Donald Trump’s fight to reclaim the U.S. presidency.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">WATCH: President Biden complete remarks at 2024 White House Correspondents&#39; Dinner.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WHCA?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WHCA</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WHCD?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WHCD</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/nerdprom?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#nerdprom</a> <a href="https://t.co/cIP2UXH44O">pic.twitter.com/cIP2UXH44O</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1784418992595063104?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 28, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>An evening normally devoted to presidents, journalists and comedians taking outrageous pokes at political scandals and each other often seemed this year to illustrate the difficulty of putting aside the coming presidential election and the troubles in the Middle East and elsewhere.Biden opened his roast with a direct but joking focus on Trump, calling him “sleepy Don,” in reference to a nickname Trump had given the president previously.(Click below to watch Colin Jost complete remarks at 2024 White House Correspondents' Dinner)<div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9c6uQrPLiZk?si=GLF5sqmSR5jy4qQR&amp;start=1" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>Despite being similar in age, Biden said, the two presidential hopefuls have little else in common. “My vice president actually endorses me,” Biden said. Former Trump Vice President Mike Pence has refused to endorse Trump’s reelection bid.But the president quickly segued to a grim speech about what he believes is at stake this election, saying that another Trump administration would be even more harmful to America than his first term.“We have to take this serious — eight years ago we could have written it off as ‘Trump talk’ but not after January 6,” Biden told the audience, referring to the supporters of Trump who stormed the Capitol after Biden defeated Trump in the 2020 election.Trump did not attend Saturday's dinner and never attended the annual banquet as president. In 2011, he sat in the audience, and glowered through a roasting by then-President Barack Obama of Trump's reality-television celebrity status. Obama's sarcasm then was so scalding that many political watchers linked it to Trump's subsequent decision to run for president in 2016.Biden’s speech, which lasted around 10 minutes, made no mention of the ongoing war or the growing humanitarian crisis in Gaza.One of the few mentions came from Kelly O’Donnell, president of the correspondents’ association, who briefly noted some 100 journalists killed in Israel's 6-month-old war against Hamas in Gaza. In an evening dedicated in large part to journalism, O’Donnell cited journalists who have been detained across the world, including Americans Evan Gershkovich in Russia and Austin Tice, who is believed to be held in Syria. Families of both men were in attendance as they have been at previous dinners.To get inside Saturday's dinner, some guests had to hurry through hundreds of protesters outraged over the mounting humanitarian disaster for Palestinian civilians in Gaza. They condemned Biden for his support of Israel's military campaign and Western news outlets for what they said was undercoverage and misrepresentation of the conflict.“Shame on you!” protesters draped in the traditional Palestinian keffiyeh cloth shouted, running after men in tuxedos and suits and women in long dresses holding clutch purses as guests hurried inside for the dinner.“Western media we see you, and all the horrors that you hide,” crowds chanted at one point.Other protesters lay sprawled motionless on the pavement, next to mock-ups of flak vests with “press” insignia.Ralliers cried “Free, free Palestine." They cheered when at one point someone inside the Washington Hilton — where the dinner has been held for decades — unfurled a Palestinian flag from a top-floor hotel window.Criticism of the Biden administration's support for Israel's military offensive in Gaza has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinian-campus-student-protests-war-2ab919ad849c50c9d177a32c0309bd1e">spread through American college campuses</a>, with students pitching encampments and withstanding police sweeps in an effort to force their universities to divest from Israel. Counterprotests back Israel's offensive and complain of antisemitism.Biden’s motorcade Saturday took an alternate route from the White House to the Washington Hilton than in previous years, largely avoiding the crowds of demonstrators.Saturday's event drew nearly 3,000 people. Celebrities included Academy Award winner Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Scarlett Johansson, Jon Hamm and Chris Pine.Both the president and comedian Colin Jost, who spoke after Biden, made jabs at the age of both the candidates for president. “I’m not saying both candidates are old. But you know Jimmy Carter is out there thinking, ‘maybe I can win this thing,’” Jost said. “He’s only 99.”Law enforcement, including the Secret Service, instituted extra street closures and other measures to ensure what Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said would be the “highest levels of safety and security for attendees.”Protest organizers said they aimed to bring attention to the high numbers of Palestinian and other Arab journalists killed by Israel's military since the war began in October.More than two dozen&nbsp;<a href="https://medium.com/@gazajournalists/appeal-boycott-the-white-house-correspondents-dinner-stand-with-your-colleagues-in-gaza-fac979195de6">journalists in Gaza wrote a letter</a>&nbsp;last week calling on their colleagues in Washington to boycott the dinner altogether.“The toll exacted on us for merely fulfilling our journalistic duties is staggering," the letter stated. “We are subjected to detentions, interrogations, and torture by the Israeli military, all for the ‘crime’ of journalistic integrity.”One organizer complained that the White House Correspondents' Association — which represents the hundreds of journalists who cover the president — largely has been silent since the first weeks of the war about the killings of Palestinian journalists. WHCA did not respond to a request for comment.According to a preliminary investigation released Friday by the Committee to Protect Journalists, nearly 100 journalists have been killed covering the war in Gaza. Israel has defended its actions, saying it has been targeting militants.“Since the Israel-Gaza war began, journalists have been paying the highest price — their lives — to defend our right to the truth. Each time a journalist dies or is injured, we lose a fragment of that truth,” CPJ Program Director Carlos Martínez de la Serna said in a statement.Sandra Tamari, executive director of Adalah Justice Project, a U.S.-based Palestinian advocacy group that helped organize the letter from journalists in Gaza, said “it is shameful for the media to dine and laugh with President Biden while he enables the Israeli devastation and starvation of Palestinians in Gaza."In addition, Adalah Justice Project started&nbsp;<a href="https://actionnetwork.org/letters/protect-journalists-in-gaza-boycott-the-white-house-correspondents-dinner?source=MC">an email campaign targeting 12 media executives</a>&nbsp;at various news outlets — including The Associated Press — expected to attend the dinner who previously signed onto a letter calling for the protection of journalists in Gaza.“How can you still go when your colleagues in Gaza asked you not to?" a demonstrator asked guests heading in. "You are complicit.”

🎥Chants of ‘shame on you’ greet guests at White House correspondents’ dinner 

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

TOPEKA — The Kansas Legislature sent Gov. Laura Kelly a bill directing the judicial system to recognize child-support claims on behalf of fetuses from conception to birth.

The legislation introduced on behalf of faith-based Kansas Family Voice and endorsed by anti-abortion lobbying organizations was described by a supporter as “simple and short” and by a critic as “very dangerous.”

It wouldn’t authorize child-support payments for medical expenses incurred during pregnancy if the woman received an “elective” abortion. The exception in Senate Bill 232 would be if an abortion was performed to save the life of a pregnant woman.

The bill was approved 82-38 in early April by the House and adopted 25-12 by the Senate on Friday following brief debate. Neither chamber adopted the bill by the two-thirds majority required to overturn a potential veto by the governor. She recently vetoed an abortion regulation bill for being excessively intrusive and a separate measure that would have created a crime of compelling someone to get an abortion.

“This bill is simple and short and does not effect a fundamental change in current Kansas law about the definition of a person, a human being or an unborn child,” said Sen. Kellie Warren, R-Leawood. “The real impact of this bill is helping women — helping women to pay for things.”

The Kansas Department for Children and Families said parental relationships were not legally established under state law until a live birth. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment reported 12,700 children were born out of wedlock last year in the state.

Sen. Ethan Corson, a Johnson County Democrat, had urged colleagues to reject the bill. He said the innocuous-appearing legislation added a layer to state statute declaring Kansas law conferred personhood on a fetus at the moment of conception.

The legislation resembled an Alabama law relied on by the Alabama Supreme Court to declare embryos to be “extrauterine children” and that destruction of embryos created through in vitro fertilization could be illegal, Corson said.

“The impact of this bill is likely to be much more serious, much more sweeping and much broader in its application. Particularly, I think, if we’re going to say that fetuses now have legal rights,” Corson said.

He said the legislation conflicted with the decision of Kansas voters in August 2022 to defend the right to bodily autonomy in the Kansas Constitution, which was interpreted by the Kansas Supreme Court to guarantee a person’s right to end a pregnancy. Voters of Kansas overwhelmingly defeated a proposed amendment to the constitution that would have nullified the high court’s decision and make it easier for state lawmakers to impose additional restrictions on abortion.

“I know Kansas women right now are scared,” Corson said. “They want to make sure that this body (Senate) is going to protect their access to reproductive technology. Enacting a bill like this … is very dangerous.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1714244239208.jpeg" alt=" Sen. Kellie Warren, the Republican chairwoman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, lauded a bill sent to Gov. Laura Kelly affirming new mothers could seek court orders for child support for a fetus from the moment of conception. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption> Sen. Kellie Warren, the Republican chairwoman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, lauded a bill sent to Gov. Laura Kelly affirming new mothers could seek court orders for child support for a fetus from the moment of conception. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/tim-carpenter/">TIM CARPENTER</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — The Kansas Legislature sent Gov. Laura Kelly a bill directing the judicial system to recognize child-support claims on behalf of fetuses from conception to birth.The legislation introduced on behalf of faith-based Kansas Family Voice and endorsed by anti-abortion lobbying organizations was described by a supporter as “simple and short” and by a critic as “very dangerous.”It wouldn’t authorize child-support payments for medical expenses incurred during pregnancy if the woman received an “elective” abortion. The exception in Senate Bill 232 would be if an abortion was performed to save the life of a pregnant woman.The bill was approved 82-38 in early April by the House and adopted 25-12 by the Senate on Friday following brief debate. Neither chamber adopted the bill by the two-thirds majority required to overturn a potential veto by the governor. She recently vetoed an abortion regulation bill for being excessively intrusive and a separate measure that would have created a crime of compelling someone to get an abortion.“This bill is simple and short and does not effect a fundamental change in current Kansas law about the definition of a person, a human being or an unborn child,” said Sen. Kellie Warren, R-Leawood. “The real impact of this bill is helping women — helping women to pay for things.”The Kansas Department for Children and Families said parental relationships were not legally established under state law until a live birth. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment reported 12,700 children were born out of wedlock last year in the state.Sen. Ethan Corson, a Johnson County Democrat, had urged colleagues to reject the bill. He said the innocuous-appearing legislation added a layer to state statute declaring Kansas law conferred personhood on a fetus at the moment of conception.The legislation resembled an Alabama law relied on by the Alabama Supreme Court to declare embryos to be “extrauterine children” and that destruction of embryos created through in vitro fertilization could be illegal, Corson said.“The impact of this bill is likely to be much more serious, much more sweeping and much broader in its application. Particularly, I think, if we’re going to say that fetuses now have legal rights,” Corson said.He said the legislation conflicted with the decision of Kansas voters in August 2022 to defend the right to bodily autonomy in the Kansas Constitution, which was interpreted by the Kansas Supreme Court to guarantee a person’s right to end a pregnancy. Voters of Kansas overwhelmingly defeated a proposed amendment to the constitution that would have nullified the high court’s decision and make it easier for state lawmakers to impose additional restrictions on abortion.“I know Kansas women right now are scared,” Corson said. “They want to make sure that this body (Senate) is going to protect their access to reproductive technology. Enacting a bill like this … is very dangerous.”On the contrary, Warren said there were multiple references in Kansas health, family, criminal and probate law that advanced the belief human life began at conception. Signing SB 232 into law, she said, would merely add a factor for courts to consider when making determinations of child support.“Fetal personhood is not what this bill is about,” the senator said. “Kansas statute has already determined the question. It is a settled issue. It’s not going to be some sea-level change of how our codes are looked at or our statutes are looked at.”Other factors relied upon by state courts to work through child support cases included the basic needs and age of a child, financial standing of parents, educational requirements of a child as well as financial resources of the child.