DOUGLAS COUNTY—A Kansas man is going to prison for his role in an armed robbery.

Darren L. Henry, 31, of Topeka, was sentenced to 216 months in the Kansas Department of Corrections for aggravated robbery in the armed holdup of a local convenience store, according to&nbsp;Douglas County District Attorney Suzanne Valdez.

The robbery happened at the Kwik Shop in the 800 block of Mississippi Street on Sept. 5, 2017.

According to court documents, Henry pointed a gun at the store’s clerk while grabbing money from a cash register before he fled the store.

“The use of a firearm when committing a criminal act is a serious threat to the public and erodes our sense of safety and security in our community,” District Attorney Valdez said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1713491681229.png" alt="Henry-photo Douglas Co." />
 <figcaption>Henry-photo Douglas Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>DOUGLAS COUNTY—A Kansas man is going to prison for his role in an armed robbery.Darren L. Henry, 31, of Topeka, was sentenced to 216 months in the Kansas Department of Corrections for aggravated robbery in the armed holdup of a local convenience store, according to&nbsp;Douglas County District Attorney Suzanne Valdez.The robbery happened at the Kwik Shop in the 800 block of Mississippi Street on Sept. 5, 2017.According to court documents, Henry pointed a gun at the store’s clerk while grabbing money from a cash register before he fled the store.“The use of a firearm when committing a criminal act is a serious threat to the public and erodes our sense of safety and security in our community,” District Attorney Valdez said.

Kan. man pointed gun at store clerk, grabbed cash from the register

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Terry Anderson, the globe-trotting Associated Press correspondent who became one of America’s longest-held hostages after he was snatched from a street in war-torn Lebanon in 1985 and held for nearly seven years, has died at 76.

Anderson, who chronicled his abduction and torturous imprisonment by Islamic militants in his best-selling 1993 memoir “Den of Lions,” died on Sunday at his home in Greenwood Lake, New York, said his daughter, Sulome Anderson.

The cause of death was unknown, though his daughter said Anderson recently had heart surgery.

“He never liked to be called a hero, but that’s what everyone persisted in calling him,” said Sulome Anderson. “I saw him a week ago and my partner asked him if he had anything on his bucket list, anything that he wanted to do. He said, ‘I’ve lived so much and I’ve done so much. I’m content.’”

After returning to the United States in 1991, Anderson led a peripatetic life, giving public speeches, teaching journalism at several prominent universities and, at various times, operating a blues bar, Cajun restaurant, horse ranch and gourmet restaurant.

He also struggled with post-traumatic stress disorder, won millions of dollars in frozen Iranian assets after a federal court concluded that country played a role in his capture, then lost most of it to bad investments. He filed for bankruptcy in 2009.

Upon retiring from the University of Florida in 2015, Anderson settled on a small horse farm in a quiet, rural section of northern Virginia he had discovered while camping with friends. `

“I live in the country and it’s reasonably good weather and quiet out here and a nice place, so I’m doing all right,” he said with a chuckle during a 2018 interview with The Associated Press.

In 1985 he became one of several Westerners abducted by members of the Shiite Muslim group Hezbollah during a time of war that had plunged Lebanon into chaos.

After his release, he returned to a hero’s welcome at AP’s New York headquarters.

As the AP’s chief Middle East correspondent, Anderson had been reporting for several years on the rising violence gripping Lebanon as the country fought a war with Israel, while Iran funded militant groups trying to topple its government.

On March 16, 1985, a day off, he had taken a break to play tennis with former AP photographer Don Mell and was dropping Mell off at his home when gun-toting kidnappers dragged him from his car.

He was likely targeted, he said, because he was one of the few Westerners still in Lebanon and because his role as a journalist aroused suspicion among members of Hezbollah.

“Because in their terms, people who go around asking questions in awkward and dangerous places have to be spies,“ he told the Virginia newspaper The Review of Orange County in 2018.

What followed was nearly seven years of brutality during which he was beaten, chained to a wall, threatened with death, often had guns held to his head and often was kept in solitary confinement for long periods of time.

Anderson was the longest held of several Western hostages Hezbollah abducted over the years, including Terry Waite, the former envoy to the Archbishop of Canterbury, who had arrived to try to negotiate his release.

By his and other hostages’ accounts, he was also their most hostile prisoner, constantly demanding better food and treatment, arguing religion and politics with his captors, and teaching other hostages sign language and where to hide messages so they could communicate privately.

He managed to retain a quick wit and biting sense of humor during his long ordeal. On his last day in Beirut he called the leader of his kidnappers into his room to tell him he’d just heard an erroneous radio report saying he’d been freed and was in Syria.

“I said, ‘Mahmound, listen to this, I’m not here. I’m gone, babes. I’m on my way to Damascus.’ And we both laughed,” he told Giovanna DellÓrto, author of “AP Foreign Correspondents in Action: World War II to the Present.”

He learned later his release was delayed when a third party who his kidnappers planned to turn him over to left for a tryst with the party's mistress and they had to find someone else.

Anderson’s humor often hid the PTSD he acknowledged suffering for years afterward.

“The AP got a couple of British experts in hostage decompression, clinical psychiatrists, to counsel my wife and myself and they were very useful,” he said in 2018. “But one of the problems I had was I did not recognize sufficiently the damage that had been done.

“So, when people ask me, you know, 'Are you over it?’ Well, I don’t know. No, not really. It’s there. I don’t think about it much these days, it’s not central to my life. But it’s there.”

At the time of his abduction, Anderson was engaged to be married and his future wife was six months pregnant with their daughter, Sulome.

The couple married soon after his release but divorced a few years later, and although they remained on friendly terms Anderson and his daughter were estranged for years.

“I love my dad very much. My dad has always loved me. I just didn’t know that because he wasn’t able to show it to me,” Sulome Anderson told the AP in 2017.

Father and daughter reconciled after the publication of her critically acclaimed 2017 book, “The Hostage’s Daughter,” in which she told of traveling to Lebanon to confront and eventually forgive one of her father’s kidnappers.

“I think she did some extraordinary things, went on a very difficult personal journey, but also accomplished a pretty important piece of journalism doing it,” Anderson said. “She’s now a better journalist than I ever was.”

Terry Alan Anderson was born Oct. 27, 1947. He spent his early childhood years in the small Lake Erie town of Vermilion, Ohio, where his father was a police officer.

After graduating from high school, he turned down a scholarship to the University of Michigan in favor of enlisting in the Marines, where he rose to the rank of staff sergeant while seeing combat during the Vietnam War.

After returning home, he enrolled at Iowa State University where he graduated with a double major in journalism and political science and soon after went to work for the AP. He reported from Kentucky, Japan and South Africa before arriving in Lebanon in 1982, just as the country was descending into chaos.

“Actually, it was the most fascinating job I’ve ever had in my life,” he told The Review. “It was intense. War’s going on — it was very dangerous in Beirut. Vicious civil war, and I lasted about three years before I got kidnapped.”

Anderson was married and divorced three times. In addition to his daughter, he is survived by another daughter, Gabrielle Anderson, from his first marriage.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1713736544611.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>LOS ANGELES (AP) — Terry Anderson, the globe-trotting Associated Press correspondent who became one of America’s longest-held hostages after he was snatched from a street in war-torn Lebanon in 1985 and held for nearly seven years, has died at 76.Anderson, who chronicled his abduction and torturous imprisonment by Islamic militants in his best-selling 1993 memoir “Den of Lions,” died on Sunday at his home in Greenwood Lake, New York, said his daughter, Sulome Anderson.The cause of death was unknown, though his daughter said Anderson recently had heart surgery.“He never liked to be called a hero, but that’s what everyone persisted in calling him,” said Sulome Anderson. “I saw him a week ago and my partner asked him if he had anything on his bucket list, anything that he wanted to do. He said, ‘I’ve lived so much and I’ve done so much. I’m content.’”After returning to the United States in 1991, Anderson led a peripatetic life, giving public speeches, teaching journalism at several prominent universities and, at various times, operating a blues bar, Cajun restaurant, horse ranch and gourmet restaurant.He also struggled with post-traumatic stress disorder, won millions of dollars in frozen Iranian assets after a federal court concluded that country played a role in his capture, then lost most of it to bad investments. He filed for bankruptcy in 2009.Upon retiring from the University of Florida in 2015, Anderson settled on a small horse farm in a quiet, rural section of northern Virginia he had discovered while camping with friends. `“I live in the country and it’s reasonably good weather and quiet out here and a nice place, so I’m doing all right,” he said with a chuckle during a 2018 interview with The Associated Press.In 1985 he became one of several Westerners abducted by members of the Shiite Muslim group Hezbollah during a time of war that had plunged Lebanon into chaos.After his release, he returned to a hero’s welcome at AP’s New York headquarters.As the AP’s chief Middle East correspondent, Anderson had been reporting for several years on the rising violence gripping Lebanon as the country fought a war with Israel, while Iran funded militant groups trying to topple its government.On March 16, 1985, a day off, he had taken a break to play tennis with former AP photographer Don Mell and was dropping Mell off at his home when gun-toting kidnappers dragged him from his car.He was likely targeted, he said, because he was one of the few Westerners still in Lebanon and because his role as a journalist aroused suspicion among members of Hezbollah.“Because in their terms, people who go around asking questions in awkward and dangerous places have to be spies,“ he told the Virginia newspaper The Review of Orange County in 2018.What followed was nearly seven years of brutality during which he was beaten, chained to a wall, threatened with death, often had guns held to his head and often was kept in solitary confinement for long periods of time.Anderson was the longest held of several Western hostages Hezbollah abducted over the years, including Terry Waite, the former envoy to the Archbishop of Canterbury, who had arrived to try to negotiate his release.By his and other hostages’ accounts, he was also their most hostile prisoner, constantly demanding better food and treatment, arguing religion and politics with his captors, and teaching other hostages sign language and where to hide messages so they could communicate privately.He managed to retain a quick wit and biting sense of humor during his long ordeal. On his last day in Beirut he called the leader of his kidnappers into his room to tell him he’d just heard an erroneous radio report saying he’d been freed and was in Syria.“I said, ‘Mahmound, listen to this, I’m not here. I’m gone, babes. I’m on my way to Damascus.’ And we both laughed,” he told Giovanna DellÓrto, author of “AP Foreign Correspondents in Action: World War II to the Present.”He learned later his release was delayed when a third party who his kidnappers planned to turn him over to left for a tryst with the party's mistress and they had to find someone else.Anderson’s humor often hid the PTSD he acknowledged suffering for years afterward.“The AP got a couple of British experts in hostage decompression, clinical psychiatrists, to counsel my wife and myself and they were very useful,” he said in 2018. “But one of the problems I had was I did not recognize sufficiently the damage that had been done.“So, when people ask me, you know, 'Are you over it?’ Well, I don’t know. No, not really. It’s there. I don’t think about it much these days, it’s not central to my life. But it’s there.”At the time of his abduction, Anderson was engaged to be married and his future wife was six months pregnant with their daughter, Sulome.The couple married soon after his release but divorced a few years later, and although they remained on friendly terms Anderson and his daughter were estranged for years.“I love my dad very much. My dad has always loved me. I just didn’t know that because he wasn’t able to show it to me,” Sulome Anderson told the AP in 2017.Father and daughter reconciled after the publication of her critically acclaimed 2017 book, “The Hostage’s Daughter,” in which she told of traveling to Lebanon to confront and eventually forgive one of her father’s kidnappers.“I think she did some extraordinary things, went on a very difficult personal journey, but also accomplished a pretty important piece of journalism doing it,” Anderson said. “She’s now a better journalist than I ever was.”Terry Alan Anderson was born Oct. 27, 1947. He spent his early childhood years in the small Lake Erie town of Vermilion, Ohio, where his father was a police officer.After graduating from high school, he turned down a scholarship to the University of Michigan in favor of enlisting in the Marines, where he rose to the rank of staff sergeant while seeing combat during the Vietnam War.After returning home, he enrolled at Iowa State University where he graduated with a double major in journalism and political science and soon after went to work for the AP. He reported from Kentucky, Japan and South Africa before arriving in Lebanon in 1982, just as the country was descending into chaos.“Actually, it was the most fascinating job I’ve ever had in my life,” he told The Review. “It was intense. War’s going on — it was very dangerous in Beirut. Vicious civil war, and I lasted about three years before I got kidnapped.”Anderson was married and divorced three times. In addition to his daughter, he is survived by another daughter, Gabrielle Anderson, from his first marriage.

Terry Anderson, AP reporter held hostage for 7 years, has died

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Stung by paying billions of dollars for settlements and trials, chemical giant Bayer has been lobbying lawmakers in three states to pass bills providing it a legal shield from lawsuits that claim its popular weedkiller Roundup causes cancer.

Nearly identical bills introduced in Iowa, Missouri and Idaho this year — with wording supplied by Bayer — would protect pesticide companies from claims they failed to warn that their product causes cancer, if their labels otherwise complied with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s regulations.

But legal experts warn the legislation could have broader consequences — extending to any product liability claim or, in Iowa’s case, providing immunity from lawsuits of any kind. Critics say it could spread nationwide.

"It’s just not good government to give a company immunity for things that they’re not telling their consumers,” said Matt Clement, a Jefferson City, Missouri, attorney who represents people suing Bayer. “If they’re successful in getting this passed in Missouri, I think they’ll be trying to do this all over the country.”

Bayer described the legislation as one strategy to address the “headwinds” it faces. About 167,000&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/a12603a80c8238d1f7af3705cfec610a">legal claims</a>&nbsp;against Bayer assert Roundup causes a cancer called non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, which Bayer disputes. The company has won some cases, settled many others but also has suffered several losses in which juries awarded&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/weed-killer-roundup-philadelphia-verdict-cancer-6c777d7fd4e7c38ec8fe28a6f1566d24?utm_source=copy&amp;utm_medium=share">huge initial judgments</a>. It has paid about $10 billion while thousands of claims linger in court.

Though some studies associate Roundup's key ingredient with cancer, the EPA has regularly concluded it is not likely to be carcinogenic to humans when used as directed.

The costs of “defending a safe, approved product” are unsustainable, said Jess Christiansen, head of communications for Bayer's crop science division.

The legislation was introduced in targeted states pivotal to Bayer's Roundup operations and is at a different stage in each. It&nbsp;<a href="https://www.legis.iowa.gov/legislation/billTracking/billHistory?billName=SF%202412&amp;ga=90">passed the Iowa Senate</a>, is awaiting debate in the&nbsp;<a href="https://house.mo.gov/Bill.aspx?year=2024&amp;bill=HB2763&amp;code=R%20&amp;cal=1">Missouri House</a>&nbsp;and was&nbsp;<a href="https://legislature.idaho.gov/sessioninfo/2024/legislation/S1245/">defeated in Idaho</a>, where this year's legislative session ended.

Farmers overwhelmingly rely on Roundup, which was introduced 50 years ago as a more efficient way to control weeds and reduce tilling and soil erosion. For crops like corn, soybeans and cotton, it’s designed to work with genetically modified seeds that resist Roundup’s deadly effect.

Missouri state Rep. Dane Diehl, a farmer who worked with Bayer to sponsor the legislation, cited concerns that costly lawsuits could force Bayer to pull Roundup from the U.S. market, leaving farmers to depend on alternative chemicals from China.

“This product, ultimately, is a tool that we need," said Diehl, a Republican.

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, a Republican, said in an email the legislation maintains the integrity of the regulatory process and, without it, “Iowa risks losing hundreds of jobs” in Muscatine, an eastern Iowa city where Roundup is mostly produced.

The Associated Press is seeking public records on Bayer’s communications with Reynolds’ office.

Bayer, like other companies, hires lobbyists in states to advocate for its interests. The company backs this legislation in the states where “we have a big, direct economic impact,” Christiansen said.

Roundup’s key ingredient, glyphosate, is derived from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/idaho-phosphate-mine-bayer-roundup-1d15250044d8894f347f3094c20c2c66">phosphate mined in Idaho</a>. And St. Louis is the headquarters of its North America crop science division, acquired in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/87401fb0464a40e7877b20389a4c083d">its 2018 purchase of Monsanto</a>. Because of that, many of the lawsuits are filed in Missouri.

The five lobbyists registered for Bayer in Iowa and three in Idaho is largely consistent with recent years, but the number working in Missouri this year ballooned from four to nine. Lobbyist expenditures exceeded $8,000 in Idaho this year; similar information was not available in Iowa or Missouri.

Led by Bayer, a coalition of agricultural organizations called Modern Ag Alliance also is spending tens of thousands of dollars on radio and print advertisements claiming that trial lawyers and litigation threaten the availability of glyphosate.

On its website, the group asserts that at risk are 500 jobs connected to glyphosate production in Iowa, and 800 jobs in Idaho.

Bayer stopped short of threatening closures. The Iowa facilities, including in Muscatine, “are very critical facilities to our business, so we'll remain at some sort of support level,” Christiansen said.

At issue in the lawsuits and legislation is how Bayer – and any other pesticide company — communicates with consumers about the safety of its products.

Companies are required to register products with the EPA, which evaluates — and then reevaluates every 15 years — a pesticide and its label. The EPA reiterated in 2020 that glyphosate used as directed posed no health risks to humans. But&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-climate-and-environment-government-politics-cancer-e1d47c554bc97537880f22c26c2eb229">a federal appeals court panel</a>&nbsp;in 2022 ruled that decision “was not supported by substantial evidence” and ordered the EPA to review further.

The debate over glyphosate&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/united-states-congress-716e2a6e6ff14f1b8920c17e61c64353">escalated</a>&nbsp;when a 2015 report by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, part of the World Health Organization, said it's “probably carcinogenic to humans" based on “limited” evidence of cancer in people and “sufficient” evidence in study animals.

Based on that international report,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-8671f0f2bd7b4c62b745b85c1cee66c2">California sought to add</a>&nbsp;a cancer warning label to products containing glyphosate. But a federal appeals court ruled against California last November, concluding such a warning wasn't factual.

Christiansen emphasized that many regulatory agencies worldwide agree with the EPA and insisted Bayer has to stick to EPA labeling to ensure it isn't providing false or misleading information. She added that the company is transparent in the information it does provide.

Critics of the legislation aren't convinced, citing examples such as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/purdue-pharma-opioid-crisis-guilty-plea-5704ad896e964222a011f053949e0cc0">opioids</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/epa-asbestos-cancer-brakes-biden-72b0fa8b36adedaff6000034d35c2acd">asbestos</a>&nbsp;that had been deemed safe for use as directed — until they weren't.

There also are concerns that the legislation could stifle any product liability claim since most rely on the argument that a company failed to warn, said Andrew Mertens, executive director of the Iowa Association for Justice, an organization for trial lawyers.

Jonathan Cardi, a product liability and torts expert at Wake Forest University School of Law, also said a strict reading of the Iowa legislation extends beyond liability claims, and “the way it’s drafted makes it interpretable to mean nobody could bring any suit.”

In lobbying lawmakers and in speaking with the AP, Bayer representatives disputed that the legislation would cut off other legal actions. Several legal experts said the legislation is unlikely to affect the 18,000 lawsuits already pending in Missouri’s capital of Jefferson City, and wouldn’t prevent similar claims in states that don’t adopt similar legislation.

In Idaho, the Republican-led Senate&nbsp;<a href="https://legislature.idaho.gov/sessioninfo/2024/legislation/S1245/">narrowly defeated</a>&nbsp;the bill amid concerns about relying on federal agencies' safety standards and limiting the ability of harmed individuals to sue.

John Gilbert, who farms in Iowa Falls, Iowa, with limited use of Roundup, called Republicans hypocritical for attempting to protect corporate interests after campaigning on standing up for Iowans.

The bill “invites a lot of reckless disregard," said Gilbert, who is on the board for the Iowa Farmers Union. “No amount of perfume’s gonna make it anything but a skunk."

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/6/1593022262288.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Stung by paying billions of dollars for settlements and trials, chemical giant Bayer has been lobbying lawmakers in three states to pass bills providing it a legal shield from lawsuits that claim its popular weedkiller Roundup causes cancer.Nearly identical bills introduced in Iowa, Missouri and Idaho this year — with wording supplied by Bayer — would protect pesticide companies from claims they failed to warn that their product causes cancer, if their labels otherwise complied with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s regulations.But legal experts warn the legislation could have broader consequences — extending to any product liability claim or, in Iowa’s case, providing immunity from lawsuits of any kind. Critics say it could spread nationwide."It’s just not good government to give a company immunity for things that they’re not telling their consumers,” said Matt Clement, a Jefferson City, Missouri, attorney who represents people suing Bayer. “If they’re successful in getting this passed in Missouri, I think they’ll be trying to do this all over the country.”Bayer described the legislation as one strategy to address the “headwinds” it faces. About 167,000&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/a12603a80c8238d1f7af3705cfec610a">legal claims</a>&nbsp;against Bayer assert Roundup causes a cancer called non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, which Bayer disputes. The company has won some cases, settled many others but also has suffered several losses in which juries awarded&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/weed-killer-roundup-philadelphia-verdict-cancer-6c777d7fd4e7c38ec8fe28a6f1566d24?utm_source=copy&amp;utm_medium=share">huge initial judgments</a>. It has paid about $10 billion while thousands of claims linger in court.Though some studies associate Roundup's key ingredient with cancer, the EPA has regularly concluded it is not likely to be carcinogenic to humans when used as directed.The costs of “defending a safe, approved product” are unsustainable, said Jess Christiansen, head of communications for Bayer's crop science division.The legislation was introduced in targeted states pivotal to Bayer's Roundup operations and is at a different stage in each. It&nbsp;<a href="https://www.legis.iowa.gov/legislation/billTracking/billHistory?billName=SF%202412&amp;ga=90">passed the Iowa Senate</a>, is awaiting debate in the&nbsp;<a href="https://house.mo.gov/Bill.aspx?year=2024&amp;bill=HB2763&amp;code=R%20&amp;cal=1">Missouri House</a>&nbsp;and was&nbsp;<a href="https://legislature.idaho.gov/sessioninfo/2024/legislation/S1245/">defeated in Idaho</a>, where this year's legislative session ended.Farmers overwhelmingly rely on Roundup, which was introduced 50 years ago as a more efficient way to control weeds and reduce tilling and soil erosion. For crops like corn, soybeans and cotton, it’s designed to work with genetically modified seeds that resist Roundup’s deadly effect.Missouri state Rep. Dane Diehl, a farmer who worked with Bayer to sponsor the legislation, cited concerns that costly lawsuits could force Bayer to pull Roundup from the U.S. market, leaving farmers to depend on alternative chemicals from China.“This product, ultimately, is a tool that we need," said Diehl, a Republican.Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, a Republican, said in an email the legislation maintains the integrity of the regulatory process and, without it, “Iowa risks losing hundreds of jobs” in Muscatine, an eastern Iowa city where Roundup is mostly produced.The Associated Press is seeking public records on Bayer’s communications with Reynolds’ office.Bayer, like other companies, hires lobbyists in states to advocate for its interests. The company backs this legislation in the states where “we have a big, direct economic impact,” Christiansen said.Roundup’s key ingredient, glyphosate, is derived from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/idaho-phosphate-mine-bayer-roundup-1d15250044d8894f347f3094c20c2c66">phosphate mined in Idaho</a>. And St. Louis is the headquarters of its North America crop science division, acquired in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/87401fb0464a40e7877b20389a4c083d">its 2018 purchase of Monsanto</a>. Because of that, many of the lawsuits are filed in Missouri.The five lobbyists registered for Bayer in Iowa and three in Idaho is largely consistent with recent years, but the number working in Missouri this year ballooned from four to nine. Lobbyist expenditures exceeded $8,000 in Idaho this year; similar information was not available in Iowa or Missouri.Led by Bayer, a coalition of agricultural organizations called Modern Ag Alliance also is spending tens of thousands of dollars on radio and print advertisements claiming that trial lawyers and litigation threaten the availability of glyphosate.On its website, the group asserts that at risk are 500 jobs connected to glyphosate production in Iowa, and 800 jobs in Idaho.Bayer stopped short of threatening closures. The Iowa facilities, including in Muscatine, “are very critical facilities to our business, so we'll remain at some sort of support level,” Christiansen said.At issue in the lawsuits and legislation is how Bayer – and any other pesticide company — communicates with consumers about the safety of its products.Companies are required to register products with the EPA, which evaluates — and then reevaluates every 15 years — a pesticide and its label. The EPA reiterated in 2020 that glyphosate used as directed posed no health risks to humans. But&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-climate-and-environment-government-politics-cancer-e1d47c554bc97537880f22c26c2eb229">a federal appeals court panel</a>&nbsp;in 2022 ruled that decision “was not supported by substantial evidence” and ordered the EPA to review further.The debate over glyphosate&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/united-states-congress-716e2a6e6ff14f1b8920c17e61c64353">escalated</a>&nbsp;when a 2015 report by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, part of the World Health Organization, said it's “probably carcinogenic to humans" based on “limited” evidence of cancer in people and “sufficient” evidence in study animals.Based on that international report,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-8671f0f2bd7b4c62b745b85c1cee66c2">California sought to add</a>&nbsp;a cancer warning label to products containing glyphosate. But a federal appeals court ruled against California last November, concluding such a warning wasn't factual.Christiansen emphasized that many regulatory agencies worldwide agree with the EPA and insisted Bayer has to stick to EPA labeling to ensure it isn't providing false or misleading information. She added that the company is transparent in the information it does provide.Critics of the legislation aren't convinced, citing examples such as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/purdue-pharma-opioid-crisis-guilty-plea-5704ad896e964222a011f053949e0cc0">opioids</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/epa-asbestos-cancer-brakes-biden-72b0fa8b36adedaff6000034d35c2acd">asbestos</a>&nbsp;that had been deemed safe for use as directed — until they weren't.There also are concerns that the legislation could stifle any product liability claim since most rely on the argument that a company failed to warn, said Andrew Mertens, executive director of the Iowa Association for Justice, an organization for trial lawyers.Jonathan Cardi, a product liability and torts expert at Wake Forest University School of Law, also said a strict reading of the Iowa legislation extends beyond liability claims, and “the way it’s drafted makes it interpretable to mean nobody could bring any suit.”In lobbying lawmakers and in speaking with the AP, Bayer representatives disputed that the legislation would cut off other legal actions. Several legal experts said the legislation is unlikely to affect the 18,000 lawsuits already pending in Missouri’s capital of Jefferson City, and wouldn’t prevent similar claims in states that don’t adopt similar legislation.In Idaho, the Republican-led Senate&nbsp;<a href="https://legislature.idaho.gov/sessioninfo/2024/legislation/S1245/">narrowly defeated</a>&nbsp;the bill amid concerns about relying on federal agencies' safety standards and limiting the ability of harmed individuals to sue.John Gilbert, who farms in Iowa Falls, Iowa, with limited use of Roundup, called Republicans hypocritical for attempting to protect corporate interests after campaigning on standing up for Iowans.The bill “invites a lot of reckless disregard," said Gilbert, who is on the board for the Iowa Farmers Union. “No amount of perfume’s gonna make it anything but a skunk."

Weedkiller manufacturer working to squelch claims it failed to warn about cancer

Some officials in Kansas are trying to get the Kansas City Chiefs to move across state lines, but the governor says she's not involved.

By&nbsp;<a href="https://kansaspublicradio.org/people/daniel-caudill">Daniel Caudill</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kmuw.org/kansasnewsservice">Kansas News Service</a>

Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly says she has no plans to try to recruit the Kansas City Chiefs to Kansas after voters across state lines rebuffed an effort to upgrade Arrowhead Stadium with tax dollars.

“Probably over half the people in the stands any given Sunday are Kansans,” she said. “We claim them as our team – but we recognize that it’s probably in their best interest to stay where they are, so we won’t be making any overtures to the Chiefs.”

Earlier this month, voters in Jackson County, Missouri,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kcur.org/politics-elections-and-government/2024-04-02/royals-chiefs-stadium-sales-tax-question-1-results-jackson-county-kansas-city-election" target="_blank">rejected</a>&nbsp;an attempt to renew a 3/8th-cent sales tax that would have funded renovations at Arrowhead Stadium and built a new downtown Kansas City ballpark for the Royals.

That means the sales tax will end in 2031, when the leases of both sports teams are set to expire.

After the vote failed, some state leaders expressed interest in trying to get the Chiefs to relocate and build a new stadium in Kansas. Those officials included former Kansas House Speaker Ron Ryckman, an Olathe Republican.

“Jackson County fumbled,” Ryckman told the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kansascity.com/news/politics-government/article287357330.html" target="_blank">Kansas City Star</a>&nbsp;via text message. “Now there will be a mad scramble for the ball and we’re in the best position for a scoop and score.”

As for Chiefs leadership, President Mark Donovan says he remains ready to “extend the longstanding partnership the teams have enjoyed with (Jackson County).”

Kelly has previously said she would welcome the chance to get the Chiefs in Kansas. But in a recent interview with the Kansas News Service, she said she doesn’t think the state is in a financial position to successfully recruit them.

When Kansas legalized sports betting in 2022, it designated 80% of the revenue toward attracting professional sports teams to the state. But that fund is expected to hold $10 million by 2025 – a far cry from the billions it would take to build a new stadium.

“My guess is we would never have more in that fund than would attract a concession stand from Arrowhead – much less the Chiefs,” Kelly said. “So I don’t think it’s going to happen."

Ryckman has not publicly elaborated on his statement, but he did point to sports gambling revenue as a potential source of funding.

Kansas could also potentially fund a new stadium project with STAR bonds. Those are bonds that cities can issue for major attractions and pay off with future sales tax revenue generated by the projects.

Proponents of STAR bonds say they boost the economy by helping attract businesses to Kansas that otherwise would not come.

But a recent&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ncsl.org/fiscal/stadium-game-back-in-play#why" target="_blank">report</a>&nbsp;from the National Conference of State Legislatures, which studies the impact of common legislation across the U.S., indicates government-supported stadium projects don’t always meet their promises of economic prosperity.

For example, supporters often point to new jobs as a reason to give government funds or tax breaks for stadium projects. But the report says the quality of those jobs is often overlooked.

“The quality of the jobs, such as those of stadium workers, (is) questionable,” the report says. “Game-day personnel positions are low wage, temporary and part-time.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1713634254722.png" alt="Fans tailgate at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, during a Chiefs playoff game against the Jaguars in 2023.&nbsp; -&nbsp;Carlos Moreno KCUR" />
 <figcaption>Fans tailgate at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, during a Chiefs playoff game against the Jaguars in 2023.&nbsp; -&nbsp;Carlos Moreno KCUR</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Some officials in Kansas are trying to get the Kansas City Chiefs to move across state lines, but the governor says she's not involved.</h2>By&nbsp;<a href="https://kansaspublicradio.org/people/daniel-caudill">Daniel Caudill</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kmuw.org/kansasnewsservice">Kansas News Service</a>Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly says she has no plans to try to recruit the Kansas City Chiefs to Kansas after voters across state lines rebuffed an effort to upgrade Arrowhead Stadium with tax dollars.“Probably over half the people in the stands any given Sunday are Kansans,” she said. “We claim them as our team – but we recognize that it’s probably in their best interest to stay where they are, so we won’t be making any overtures to the Chiefs.”Earlier this month, voters in Jackson County, Missouri,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kcur.org/politics-elections-and-government/2024-04-02/royals-chiefs-stadium-sales-tax-question-1-results-jackson-county-kansas-city-election" target="_blank">rejected</a>&nbsp;an attempt to renew a 3/8th-cent sales tax that would have funded renovations at Arrowhead Stadium and built a new downtown Kansas City ballpark for the Royals.That means the sales tax will end in 2031, when the leases of both sports teams are set to expire.After the vote failed, some state leaders expressed interest in trying to get the Chiefs to relocate and build a new stadium in Kansas. Those officials included former Kansas House Speaker Ron Ryckman, an Olathe Republican.“Jackson County fumbled,” Ryckman told the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kansascity.com/news/politics-government/article287357330.html" target="_blank">Kansas City Star</a>&nbsp;via text message. “Now there will be a mad scramble for the ball and we’re in the best position for a scoop and score.”As for Chiefs leadership, President Mark Donovan says he remains ready to “extend the longstanding partnership the teams have enjoyed with (Jackson County).”Kelly has previously said she would welcome the chance to get the Chiefs in Kansas. But in a recent interview with the Kansas News Service, she said she doesn’t think the state is in a financial position to successfully recruit them.When Kansas legalized sports betting in 2022, it designated 80% of the revenue toward attracting professional sports teams to the state. But that fund is expected to hold $10 million by 2025 – a far cry from the billions it would take to build a new stadium.“My guess is we would never have more in that fund than would attract a concession stand from Arrowhead – much less the Chiefs,” Kelly said. “So I don’t think it’s going to happen."Ryckman has not publicly elaborated on his statement, but he did point to sports gambling revenue as a potential source of funding.Kansas could also potentially fund a new stadium project with STAR bonds. Those are bonds that cities can issue for major attractions and pay off with future sales tax revenue generated by the projects.Proponents of STAR bonds say they boost the economy by helping attract businesses to Kansas that otherwise would not come.But a recent&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ncsl.org/fiscal/stadium-game-back-in-play#why" target="_blank">report</a>&nbsp;from the National Conference of State Legislatures, which studies the impact of common legislation across the U.S., indicates government-supported stadium projects don’t always meet their promises of economic prosperity.For example, supporters often point to new jobs as a reason to give government funds or tax breaks for stadium projects. But the report says the quality of those jobs is often overlooked.“The quality of the jobs, such as those of stadium workers, (is) questionable,” the report says. “Game-day personnel positions are low wage, temporary and part-time.”

Gov. Kelly says she’s not trying to recruit the Chiefs to Kansas

WORTH COUNTY —One person was injured in an accident just before 5:30p.m. Saturday north of Kansas City in Worth County, Missouri.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 1991 Honda 4-Trax 300 driven by Cael D. Schmitz, 21, Lebanon, was northbound on a private grass runway at 140th Lane three miles northeast of Grant City.

The ATV was towing a person in a parachute with approximately 110 feet of rope.&nbsp; The tow rope snapped and the parachuter identified as Jacob W. Dickinson, 37, Fort Collins, Colorado, fell from the sky and landed in a nearby hayfield.

Dickinson was air-lifted to University Health Truman Medical Center. Schmitz was not injured.

WORTH COUNTY —One person was injured in an accident just before 5:30p.m. Saturday north of Kansas City in Worth County, Missouri.The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 1991 Honda 4-Trax 300 driven by Cael D. Schmitz, 21, Lebanon, was northbound on a private grass runway at 140th Lane three miles northeast of Grant City.The ATV was towing a person in a parachute with approximately 110 feet of rope.&nbsp; The tow rope snapped and the parachuter identified as Jacob W. Dickinson, 37, Fort Collins, Colorado, fell from the sky and landed in a nearby hayfield.Dickinson was air-lifted to University Health Truman Medical Center. Schmitz was not injured.

Parachuter pulled by ATV injured after tow rope snaps

WICHITA, KS – On Friday Wichita Police Officers were following up on the report of alleged animal abuse at Sim Park,&nbsp;2020 W. Murdock in Wichita.

While conducting that follow-up, officers were able to identify the individual who was captured in the video that was posted on Facebook.

That individual was extremely cooperative and explained to officers that he used that location to trim his dogs’ hair .Officers were able to confirm that no dogs and/or any animals were harmed at any time and have physically checked the individual’s animals to confirm their health and haircut.

At this time, police have not found any evidence to support the allegation that this individual was skinning dogs or harming them in any way at any time.

SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a disturbing allegation of animal cruelty that was reported on April 17, to Wichita Police and shared on social media.

The incident involves a white male subject with an animal at Sim Park,&nbsp;2020 W. Murdock in Wichita and was captured on video demonstrating potential cruelty, according to Wichita Police spokesman Andrew Ford.

Upon receiving the video, the Wichita Police Department promptly initiated an investigation into the circumstances surrounding this unsettling event. The department is urgently seeking to locate and interview the subject seen in the video to determine the nature of the incident and whether any laws have been violated.

Chief of Police Joe Sullivan reassured, "We take allegations of animal cruelty very seriously and are unwavering in our commitment to ensuring the safety and welfare of all animals in our community. We urge anyone with information about this case to come forward to help us resolve this matter swiftly."

The Wichita Police Department requests that anyone with information regarding this incident contact Wichita Police Animal Control at 316-350-3360 or Crime Stoppers at 316-267-4111.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1713521234950.png" alt="Image from Wichita Animal Action League" />
 <figcaption>Image from Wichita Animal Action League</figcaption>
 </figure>WICHITA, KS – On Friday Wichita Police Officers were following up on the report of alleged animal abuse at Sim Park,&nbsp;2020 W. Murdock in Wichita.While conducting that follow-up, officers were able to identify the individual who was captured in the video that was posted on Facebook.That individual was extremely cooperative and explained to officers that he used that location to trim his dogs’ hair .Officers were able to confirm that no dogs and/or any animals were harmed at any time and have physically checked the individual’s animals to confirm their health and haircut.At this time, police have not found any evidence to support the allegation that this individual was skinning dogs or harming them in any way at any time.-------------SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a disturbing allegation of animal cruelty that was reported on April 17, to Wichita Police and shared on social media.The incident involves a white male subject with an animal at Sim Park,&nbsp;2020 W. Murdock in Wichita and was captured on video demonstrating potential cruelty, according to Wichita Police spokesman Andrew Ford.Upon receiving the video, the Wichita Police Department promptly initiated an investigation into the circumstances surrounding this unsettling event. The department is urgently seeking to locate and interview the subject seen in the video to determine the nature of the incident and whether any laws have been violated.Chief of Police Joe Sullivan reassured, "We take allegations of animal cruelty very seriously and are unwavering in our commitment to ensuring the safety and welfare of all animals in our community. We urge anyone with information about this case to come forward to help us resolve this matter swiftly."The Wichita Police Department requests that anyone with information regarding this incident contact Wichita Police Animal Control at 316-350-3360 or Crime Stoppers at 316-267-4111.

Police update alleged animal cruelty investigation at Kan. park

SHAWNEE COUNTY –&nbsp;The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) is investigating an officer-involved shooting that occurred Saturday afternoon in Topeka, according to a media release from the KBI.

At around 3:10 p.m., TPD received a 911 call reporting that a suspect connected to an armed carjacking that occurred in Topeka earlier in the day, was in the area of 16th&nbsp;and Harrison Street.

Preliminary information indicates that police responded and observed the suspect, Terrell D. Hayes-Osby, 34, of Topeka, running from police.

 Officers engaged in a foot pursuit heading west on 16th&nbsp;St., across Topeka Blvd. During the pursuit, Hayes-Osby fired in the direction of officers. Four officers returned fire. Hayes-Osby was struck. The shooting occurred around 3:25 p.m. near 16th&nbsp;and Tyler Street.

Medical aid was rendered. EMS responded and transported Hayes-Osby to a local hospital. No law enforcement officers were injured in the incident.

Currently the suspect's condition is serious, but he is expected to survive.&nbsp;Hayes-Osby has previous convictions for 2nd degree murder, aggravated battery, aggravated robbery and theft, according to the Kansas Dept. of Corrections. 

SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating an officer-involved shooting in Topeka.

&nbsp;Just before 2 p.m. Saturday, police responded to a citizen report of an armed robbery in the 2700 block of SE California Avenue in Topeka where a vehicle was taken by force, according to police spokesperson Rosie Nichols. The suspect is alleged to have been armed with a firearm and acting erratically.

During the investigation, officers received additional citizen calls with information of suspect sightings. With the assistance of multiple citizens, the responding officers were able to locate the suspect in central Topeka.&nbsp; Officers attempted to make contact with the suspect who ran.

At approximately 3:30 p.m., in the 500 block of SW 16th Street, the suspect fired a weapon at the pursuing officers causing the officers to return fire, in self-defense. The suspect was transported to a local hospital to be treated for life-threatening injuries.

 No police officers or other were injured in this incident.

The Kansas Bureau of Investigation will take over the investigation. Per policy, the involved officers have been placed on administrative leave while the incident is under investigation.&nbsp; Police did not release the name of the suspect.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1713698320085.png" alt="Hayes-Osby has previous convictions for 2nd degree murder, aggravated battery, aggravated robbery and theft, according to the Kansas Dept. of Corrections.&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>Hayes-Osby has previous convictions for 2nd degree murder, aggravated battery, aggravated robbery and theft, according to the Kansas Dept. of Corrections.&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY –&nbsp;The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) is investigating an officer-involved shooting that occurred Saturday afternoon in Topeka, according to a media release from the KBI.At around 3:10 p.m., TPD received a 911 call reporting that a suspect connected to an armed carjacking that occurred in Topeka earlier in the day, was in the area of 16th&nbsp;and Harrison Street.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1713660808243.png" alt="Police on the scene of the investigation-photo courtesy WIBW TV" />
 <figcaption>Police on the scene of the investigation-photo courtesy WIBW TV</figcaption>
 </figure>Preliminary information indicates that police responded and observed the suspect, Terrell D. Hayes-Osby, 34, of Topeka, running from police. Officers engaged in a foot pursuit heading west on 16th&nbsp;St., across Topeka Blvd. During the pursuit, Hayes-Osby fired in the direction of officers. Four officers returned fire. Hayes-Osby was struck. The shooting occurred around 3:25 p.m. near 16th&nbsp;and Tyler Street.Medical aid was rendered. EMS responded and transported Hayes-Osby to a local hospital. No law enforcement officers were injured in the incident.Currently the suspect's condition is serious, but he is expected to survive.&nbsp;Hayes-Osby has previous convictions for 2nd degree murder, aggravated battery, aggravated robbery and theft, according to the Kansas Dept. of Corrections. ---------------SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating an officer-involved shooting in Topeka.&nbsp;Just before 2 p.m. Saturday, police responded to a citizen report of an armed robbery in the 2700 block of SE California Avenue in Topeka where a vehicle was taken by force, according to police spokesperson Rosie Nichols. The suspect is alleged to have been armed with a firearm and acting erratically.During the investigation, officers received additional citizen calls with information of suspect sightings. With the assistance of multiple citizens, the responding officers were able to locate the suspect in central Topeka.&nbsp; Officers attempted to make contact with the suspect who ran.At approximately 3:30 p.m., in the 500 block of SW 16th Street, the suspect fired a weapon at the pursuing officers causing the officers to return fire, in self-defense. The suspect was transported to a local hospital to be treated for life-threatening injuries. No police officers or other were injured in this incident.The Kansas Bureau of Investigation will take over the investigation. Per policy, the involved officers have been placed on administrative leave while the incident is under investigation.&nbsp; Police did not release the name of the suspect.

Kan. carjacking suspect wounded by police has a history of violent crime

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House swiftly approved&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-israel-gaza-aid-speaker-johnson-9097da3511a7cd9b0e9a7b9ce52141b3">$95 billion in foreign aid</a>&nbsp;for Ukraine, Israel and other U.S. allies in a rare Saturday session as Democrats and Republicans banded together after months of hard-right resistance over renewed American support for repelling&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine">Russia’s invasion.</a>

With an overwhelming vote 311-112, the $61 billion in aid for Ukraine passed in a matter of minutes, a strong showing as American lawmakers race to deliver a fresh round of U.S. support to the war-torn ally. Kansas First District Congressman Tracey Mann and Fourth District Congressman Ron Estes voted against that portion of the aid package. Kansas representatives Sharice Davids and Jake LaTurner voted with the majority.

After the vote count many Democrats cheered on the House floor and waved blue-and-yellow flags of Ukraine.&nbsp;

Aid to Israel and the other allies also won approval by healthy margins, as did a measure to clamp down on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tiktok-us-ban-sale-china-congress-de12b4d22aa8095e62cb0982a6e62235">the popular platform TikTok</a>, with unique coalitions forming to push the separate bills forward. The whole package will go to the Senate, which could pass it as soon as Tuesday. President Joe Biden has promised to sign it immediately.

“We did our work here, and I think history will judge it well,” said a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/house-ukraine-aid-speaker-ouster-c525efc953d532242d6d441c55724992">weary Speaker Mike Johnson</a>, R-La., who risked his own job to marshal the package to passage.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Biden, in a statement, thanked Johnson, Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries and the bipartisan coalition of lawmakers “who voted to put our national security first.”

“I urge the Senate to quickly send this package to my desk so that I can sign it into law and we can quickly send weapons and equipment to Ukraine to meet their urgent battlefield needs,” the president said.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine said he was “grateful” to both parties in the House and “personally Speaker Mike Johnson for the decision that keeps history on the right track,” he said on X, formerly Twitter.

The scene in Congress was a striking display of action after months of dysfunction and stalemate fueled by Republicans, who hold the majority but are deeply split over foreign aid, particularly for Ukraine.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/house-ukraine-aid-speaker-ouster-c525efc953d532242d6d441c55724992">Johnson</a>&nbsp;relied on Democrats to ensure the military and humanitarian funding — the first major package for Ukraine since December 2022 — won approval.

The morning opened with a somber and serious debate and an unusual sense of purpose as Republican and Democratic leaders united to urge quick approval, saying that would ensure the United States supported its allies and remained a leader on the world stage. The House’s visitor galleries were crowded with onlookers.

“The eyes of the world are upon us, and history will judge what we do here and now,” said Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee

Passage through the House cleared away the biggest hurdle to Biden’s funding request, first made in October as Ukraine’s military supplies began to run low.

The GOP-controlled House struggled for months over what to do, first demanding that any assistance for Ukraine be tied to policy changes at the U.S.-Mexico border, only to immediately reject a bipartisan Senate offer along those very lines.

Reaching an endgame has been an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-israel-taiwan-congress-aid-house-speaker-21cc09d310a33d1d8ca88eadea896a36">excruciating lift for Johnson</a>&nbsp;that has tested both his resolve and his support among Republicans, with a small but growing number now openly urging his removal from the speaker’s office. Yet congressional leaders cast the votes as a turning point in history — an urgent sacrifice as U.S. allies are beleaguered by wars and threats from continental Europe to the Middle East to the Indo-Pacific.

“Sometimes when you are living history, as we are today, you don’t understand the significance of the actions of the votes that we make on this House floor, of the effect that it will have down the road,” said New York Rep. Gregory Meeks, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee. “This is a historic moment.”

Opponents, particularly the hard-right Republicans from Johnson’s majority, argued that the U.S. should focus on the home front, addressing domestic border security and the nation’s rising debt load, and they warned against spending more money, which largely flows to American defense manufacturers, to produce weaponry used overseas.

Still, Congress has seen a stream of world leaders visit in recent months, from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/volodymyr-zelenskyy">Zelenskyy</a>&nbsp;to Japanese Prime Minister&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/fumio-kishida">Fumio Kishida</a>, all but pleading with lawmakers to approve the aid. Globally, the delay left many questioning America’s commitment to its allies.

At stake has been one of Biden’s top foreign policy priorities — halting Russian President Vladimir Putin’s advance in Europe. After engaging in quiet talks with Johnson, the president quickly endorsed Johnson’s plan, paving the way for Democrats to give their rare support to clear the procedural hurdles needed for a final vote.

“We have a responsibility, not as Democrats or Republicans, but as Americans to defend democracy wherever it is at risk,” Jeffries said during the debate.

While aid for Ukraine failed to win a majority of Republicans, several dozen progressive Democrats voted against the bill aiding Israel as they demanded an end to the bombardment of Gaza that has killed thousands of civilians. A group of roughly 20 hard-right Republicans voted against every portion of the aid package, including for allies like Israel and Taiwan that have traditionally enjoyed support from the GOP.

At the same time, Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, has loomed large over the fight, weighing in from afar via social media statements and direct phone calls with lawmakers as he tilts the GOP to a more isolationist stance with his “America First” brand of politics.

Ukraine’s defense once enjoyed robust, bipartisan support in Congress, but as the war enters its third year, a majority of Republicans opposed further aid. Trump ally Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., offered an amendment to zero out the money, but it was rejected.

The ultraconservative House Freedom Caucus has derided the legislation as the “America Last” foreign wars package and urged lawmakers to defy Republican leadership and oppose it because the bills did not include border security measures.

Johnson’s hold on the speaker’s gavel has also grown more tenuous in recent days as three Republicans, led by Greene, supported a “motion to vacate” that can lead to a vote on removing the speaker. Egged on by far-right personalities, she is also being joined by a growing number of lawmakers including Reps. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., and Thomas Massie, R-Ky., who is urging Johnson to voluntarily step aside.

The package included several Republican priorities that Democrats endorsed, or at least are willing to accept. Those include proposals that allow the U.S. to seize frozen Russian central bank assets to rebuild Ukraine; impose sanctions on Iran, Russia, China and criminal organizations that traffic fentanyl; and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tiktok-ban-house-vote-china-national-security-8fa7258fae1a4902d344c9d978d58a37">legislation</a>&nbsp;to require the China-based owner of the popular video app TikTok to sell its stake within a year or face a ban in the United States.

Still, the all-out push to get the bills through Congress is a reflection not only of politics, but realities on the ground in Ukraine. Top lawmakers on national security committees, who are privy to classified briefings, have grown gravely concerned about the tide of the war as Russia pummels Ukrainian forces beset by a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-parliament-recruit-army-russia-war-5b7d9f58bb398b4ad1296311b8130b92">shortage of troops</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/italy-g7-ukraine-russia-israel-gaza-iran-73d2a4a62a0bbd5f6d60fb1b4338d207">ammunition</a>.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced the Senate would begin procedural votes on the package Tuesday, saying, “Our allies across the world have been waiting for this moment.”

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, as he prepared to overcome objections from his right flank next week, said, “The task before us is urgent. It is once again the Senate’s turn to make history.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1713638370235.png" alt="“We did our work here, and I think history will judge it well,” said a&nbsp;weary Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., who risked his own job to marshal the package to passage.-photo courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>“We did our work here, and I think history will judge it well,” said a&nbsp;weary Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., who risked his own job to marshal the package to passage.-photo courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The House swiftly approved&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-israel-gaza-aid-speaker-johnson-9097da3511a7cd9b0e9a7b9ce52141b3">$95 billion in foreign aid</a>&nbsp;for Ukraine, Israel and other U.S. allies in a rare Saturday session as Democrats and Republicans banded together after months of hard-right resistance over renewed American support for repelling&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine">Russia’s invasion.</a><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/SpeakerJohnson?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SpeakerJohnson</a> (R-LA): &quot;I don’t walk around this building being worried about a motion to vacate. I have to do my job. We did. I&#39;ve done here what I believe to be the right thing and that is to allow the House to work its will.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/Bmordvy1Zj">pic.twitter.com/Bmordvy1Zj</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1781757010230345924?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 20, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>With an overwhelming vote 311-112, the $61 billion in aid for Ukraine passed in a matter of minutes, a strong showing as American lawmakers race to deliver a fresh round of U.S. support to the war-torn ally. Kansas First District Congressman Tracey Mann and Fourth District Congressman Ron Estes voted against that portion of the aid package. Kansas representatives Sharice Davids and Jake LaTurner voted with the majority.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">See my statement below on today’s votes to strengthen U.S. national security and key allies. <a href="https://t.co/OKr3AVAO0h">pic.twitter.com/OKr3AVAO0h</a>&mdash; Rep. Ron Estes (@RepRonEstes) <a href="https://twitter.com/RepRonEstes/status/1781794821297823845?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 20, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>After the vote count many Democrats cheered on the House floor and waved blue-and-yellow flags of Ukraine.&nbsp;Aid to Israel and the other allies also won approval by healthy margins, as did a measure to clamp down on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tiktok-us-ban-sale-china-congress-de12b4d22aa8095e62cb0982a6e62235">the popular platform TikTok</a>, with unique coalitions forming to push the separate bills forward. The whole package will go to the Senate, which could pass it as soon as Tuesday. President Joe Biden has promised to sign it immediately.“We did our work here, and I think history will judge it well,” said a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/house-ukraine-aid-speaker-ouster-c525efc953d532242d6d441c55724992">weary Speaker Mike Johnson</a>, R-La., who risked his own job to marshal the package to passage.&nbsp;&nbsp;Biden, in a statement, thanked Johnson, Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries and the bipartisan coalition of lawmakers “who voted to put our national security first.”“I urge the Senate to quickly send this package to my desk so that I can sign it into law and we can quickly send weapons and equipment to Ukraine to meet their urgent battlefield needs,” the president said.President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine said he was “grateful” to both parties in the House and “personally Speaker Mike Johnson for the decision that keeps history on the right track,” he said on X, formerly Twitter.“Thank you, America!” he said.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Я вдячний Палаті представників Конгресу США, обом партіям і особисто спікеру Майку Джонсону за рішення, яке зберігає правильний хід історії. Демократія та свобода завжди матимуть значення у світі й ніколи не зазнають поразки, доки Америка допомагатиме їх захищати. Життєво…&mdash; Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) <a href="https://twitter.com/ZelenskyyUa/status/1781743035287531558?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 20, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The scene in Congress was a striking display of action after months of dysfunction and stalemate fueled by Republicans, who hold the majority but are deeply split over foreign aid, particularly for Ukraine.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/house-ukraine-aid-speaker-ouster-c525efc953d532242d6d441c55724992">Johnson</a>&nbsp;relied on Democrats to ensure the military and humanitarian funding — the first major package for Ukraine since December 2022 — won approval.The morning opened with a somber and serious debate and an unusual sense of purpose as Republican and Democratic leaders united to urge quick approval, saying that would ensure the United States supported its allies and remained a leader on the world stage. The House’s visitor galleries were crowded with onlookers.“The eyes of the world are upon us, and history will judge what we do here and now,” said Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs CommitteePassage through the House cleared away the biggest hurdle to Biden’s funding request, first made in October as Ukraine’s military supplies began to run low.The GOP-controlled House struggled for months over what to do, first demanding that any assistance for Ukraine be tied to policy changes at the U.S.-Mexico border, only to immediately reject a bipartisan Senate offer along those very lines.Reaching an endgame has been an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-israel-taiwan-congress-aid-house-speaker-21cc09d310a33d1d8ca88eadea896a36">excruciating lift for Johnson</a>&nbsp;that has tested both his resolve and his support among Republicans, with a small but growing number now openly urging his removal from the speaker’s office. Yet congressional leaders cast the votes as a turning point in history — an urgent sacrifice as U.S. allies are beleaguered by wars and threats from continental Europe to the Middle East to the Indo-Pacific.“Sometimes when you are living history, as we are today, you don’t understand the significance of the actions of the votes that we make on this House floor, of the effect that it will have down the road,” said New York Rep. Gregory Meeks, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee. “This is a historic moment.”Opponents, particularly the hard-right Republicans from Johnson’s majority, argued that the U.S. should focus on the home front, addressing domestic border security and the nation’s rising debt load, and they warned against spending more money, which largely flows to American defense manufacturers, to produce weaponry used overseas.Still, Congress has seen a stream of world leaders visit in recent months, from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/volodymyr-zelenskyy">Zelenskyy</a>&nbsp;to Japanese Prime Minister&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/fumio-kishida">Fumio Kishida</a>, all but pleading with lawmakers to approve the aid. Globally, the delay left many questioning America’s commitment to its allies.At stake has been one of Biden’s top foreign policy priorities — halting Russian President Vladimir Putin’s advance in Europe. After engaging in quiet talks with Johnson, the president quickly endorsed Johnson’s plan, paving the way for Democrats to give their rare support to clear the procedural hurdles needed for a final vote.“We have a responsibility, not as Democrats or Republicans, but as Americans to defend democracy wherever it is at risk,” Jeffries said during the debate.While aid for Ukraine failed to win a majority of Republicans, several dozen progressive Democrats voted against the bill aiding Israel as they demanded an end to the bombardment of Gaza that has killed thousands of civilians. A group of roughly 20 hard-right Republicans voted against every portion of the aid package, including for allies like Israel and Taiwan that have traditionally enjoyed support from the GOP.At the same time, Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, has loomed large over the fight, weighing in from afar via social media statements and direct phone calls with lawmakers as he tilts the GOP to a more isolationist stance with his “America First” brand of politics.Ukraine’s defense once enjoyed robust, bipartisan support in Congress, but as the war enters its third year, a majority of Republicans opposed further aid. Trump ally Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., offered an amendment to zero out the money, but it was rejected.The ultraconservative House Freedom Caucus has derided the legislation as the “America Last” foreign wars package and urged lawmakers to defy Republican leadership and oppose it because the bills did not include border security measures.Johnson’s hold on the speaker’s gavel has also grown more tenuous in recent days as three Republicans, led by Greene, supported a “motion to vacate” that can lead to a vote on removing the speaker. Egged on by far-right personalities, she is also being joined by a growing number of lawmakers including Reps. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., and Thomas Massie, R-Ky., who is urging Johnson to voluntarily step aside.The package included several Republican priorities that Democrats endorsed, or at least are willing to accept. Those include proposals that allow the U.S. to seize frozen Russian central bank assets to rebuild Ukraine; impose sanctions on Iran, Russia, China and criminal organizations that traffic fentanyl; and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tiktok-ban-house-vote-china-national-security-8fa7258fae1a4902d344c9d978d58a37">legislation</a>&nbsp;to require the China-based owner of the popular video app TikTok to sell its stake within a year or face a ban in the United States.Still, the all-out push to get the bills through Congress is a reflection not only of politics, but realities on the ground in Ukraine. Top lawmakers on national security committees, who are privy to classified briefings, have grown gravely concerned about the tide of the war as Russia pummels Ukrainian forces beset by a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-parliament-recruit-army-russia-war-5b7d9f58bb398b4ad1296311b8130b92">shortage of troops</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/italy-g7-ukraine-russia-israel-gaza-iran-73d2a4a62a0bbd5f6d60fb1b4338d207">ammunition</a>.Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced the Senate would begin procedural votes on the package Tuesday, saying, “Our allies across the world have been waiting for this moment.”Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, as he prepared to overcome objections from his right flank next week, said, “The task before us is urgent. It is once again the Senate’s turn to make history.”

🎥2 Kan. lawmakers vote no on Ukraine funding: House OKs $95 Billion aid bill

CRAWFORD COUNTY —One person died in an accident just after 9p.m. Saturday in Crawford County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2004 Saturn Vue driven by Ann Marie&nbsp;Edgett, 53, Pittsburg, Kansas, was northbound on Kansas Highway 3 at 630th Avenue.

The SUV veered off the roadway to the right. The driver overcorrected and the vehicle crossed the center line continued across the southbound lane and into the south ditch where it rolled onto the roof.

Edgett was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported to Frontier Forensics. She was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.

CRAWFORD COUNTY —One person died in an accident just after 9p.m. Saturday in Crawford County.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2004 Saturn Vue driven by Ann Marie&nbsp;Edgett, 53, Pittsburg, Kansas, was northbound on Kansas Highway 3 at 630th Avenue.The SUV veered off the roadway to the right. The driver overcorrected and the vehicle crossed the center line continued across the southbound lane and into the south ditch where it rolled onto the roof.Edgett was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported to Frontier Forensics. She was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.

Kansas woman dies after SUV rollover crash

SALINE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating two suspects in connection with a fight at work with hammer.

Just after 8 a.m. Wednesday, a witness reported two men fighting with hammers in the parking lott at the Dollar General, 840 East Crawford Street, in Salina, according to Salina Police Capt. James Feldman.

During&nbsp;the course of&nbsp;investigation police had contact with 36-year-old Christian Dionicio-Reyes and 46-year-old Cristobal Lopez-Ramirez both of Salina.&nbsp; Police determined&nbsp;that the two had been at a worksite in the 2600 block of East Crawford where the altercation started.

Feldman said after the altercation became heated, Dionicio-Reyes allegedly swung a hammer at Lopez-Ramirez, causing&nbsp; management to send them away from the workplace.

The two followed each other to the nearby Dollar General parking lot to continue their fight.

According to Feldman, Dionicio-Reyes was first to enter the parking lot. He got out of his car as Lopez-Ramirez arrived at the parking lot. 

Dionicio-Reyes went to the trunk of his vehicle, retrieved a hammer, and and walked toward Cristobal, who was seated in his vehicle," Feldman said. 

"Dionicio-Reyes&nbsp;then started hitting at&nbsp; Lopez-Ramirez as the victim exited his vehicle. Lopez-Ramirez then retrieved a hammer from the back of his car."

Feldman said Dionicio-Reyes dropped his cell phone on the ground, which Lopez-Ramirez then smashed with his hammer.

Once the two had enough swinging hammers at each other, they attempted to leave the parking lot as police arrived.&nbsp;

Lopez-Ramirez told officers that Dionicio-Reyes struck him in the arm several times.&nbsp; He initially refused treatment but was taken to Salina Regional Health Center for light medical attention, according to Feldman.

Police arrested both men. Dionicio-Reyes was jailed on requested charges of aggravated battery and requested charges against Lopez-Ramirez were for aggravated assault and felony damage to property.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1713443780695.png" alt="Lopez-Ramirez photo Saline Co." />
 <figcaption>Lopez-Ramirez photo Saline Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SALINE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating two suspects in connection with a fight at work with hammer.Just after 8 a.m. Wednesday, a witness reported two men fighting with hammers in the parking lott at the Dollar General, 840 East Crawford Street, in Salina, according to Salina Police Capt. James Feldman.During&nbsp;the course of&nbsp;investigation police had contact with 36-year-old Christian Dionicio-Reyes and 46-year-old Cristobal Lopez-Ramirez both of Salina.&nbsp; Police determined&nbsp;that the two had been at a worksite in the 2600 block of East Crawford where the altercation started.Feldman said after the altercation became heated, Dionicio-Reyes allegedly swung a hammer at Lopez-Ramirez, causing&nbsp; management to send them away from the workplace.The two followed each other to the nearby Dollar General parking lot to continue their fight.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1713443604080.png" alt="Dionicio-Reyes photo Saline Co." />
 <figcaption>Dionicio-Reyes photo Saline Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>According to Feldman, Dionicio-Reyes was first to enter the parking lot. He got out of his car as Lopez-Ramirez arrived at the parking lot. Dionicio-Reyes went to the trunk of his vehicle, retrieved a hammer, and and walked toward Cristobal, who was seated in his vehicle," Feldman said. "Dionicio-Reyes&nbsp;then started hitting at&nbsp; Lopez-Ramirez as the victim exited his vehicle. Lopez-Ramirez then retrieved a hammer from the back of his car."Feldman said Dionicio-Reyes dropped his cell phone on the ground, which Lopez-Ramirez then smashed with his hammer.Once the two had enough swinging hammers at each other, they attempted to leave the parking lot as police arrived.&nbsp;Lopez-Ramirez told officers that Dionicio-Reyes struck him in the arm several times.&nbsp; He initially refused treatment but was taken to Salina Regional Health Center for light medical attention, according to Feldman.Police arrested both men. Dionicio-Reyes was jailed on requested charges of aggravated battery and requested charges against Lopez-Ramirez were for aggravated assault and felony damage to property.

Two Kansas men jailed after violent hammer fight

MONTGOMERY COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect for alleged theft.

Just before 11p.m.April 18, a a sheriff's deputy located a 2011 Harley Davidson Motorcycle near the intersection of US 160 highway and County Road 4410, east of Independence, Kansas, according to Sheriff Ron Wade.

During routine procedures, it was discovered that the motorcycle was reported stolen from Osage County, Oklahoma. The Deputy placed the driver, identified as 37-year-old Eugene Laurens of Independence, under arrest for possession of stolen property. 

Laurens was transported to the Montgomery County Department of Corrections. He is no longer in custody.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1713177647563.png" alt="Laurens photo Montgomery Co." />
 <figcaption>Laurens photo Montgomery Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>MONTGOMERY COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect for alleged theft.Just before 11p.m.April 18, a a sheriff's deputy located a 2011 Harley Davidson Motorcycle near the intersection of US 160 highway and County Road 4410, east of Independence, Kansas, according to Sheriff Ron Wade.During routine procedures, it was discovered that the motorcycle was reported stolen from Osage County, Oklahoma. The Deputy placed the driver, identified as 37-year-old Eugene Laurens of Independence, under arrest for possession of stolen property. Laurens was transported to the Montgomery County Department of Corrections. He is no longer in custody.

Sheriff: Kan. man was driving motorcycle stolen in Oklahoma

Legislation seeks pledge to abandon diversity, equity and inclusion programs

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

TOPEKA — Rep. Kirk Haskins denounced conservative political attacks on diversity, equity and inclusion programs on college campuses in Kansas, but despaired at willingness of House and Senate colleagues to leverage a $36 million appropriation to state universities in an attempt to coerce the governor into signing an anti-DEI bill.

Haskins, a Topeka Democrat and a professor at Baker University in Baldwin City, said he was offended a majority in the Kansas Legislature was so threatened by campus diversity initiatives that they voted to approve budget provisions slashing university funding unless Gov. Laura Kelly signed House Bill 2105 banning DEI in Kansas public higher education. The bill would authorize Attorney General Kris Kobach to file lawsuits for adherence to DEI and seek $10,000 fines for every instance diversity, equity and inclusion programs were linked to faculty hiring or student enrollment.

House and Senate budget negotiators agreed to anchor the $36 million to a requirement university administrators stand before the State Finance Council, a committee of top legislative leaders and the governor, to affirm they had abandoned DEI.

“How do we even tolerate the extortion of funds from our post-secondary institutions?” said Haskins, who argued proponents were intent on undermining decades of work to create college and university safe havens for minority students and faculty and to open campuses to diverse perspectives. “If you continue to restrict higher education, you will see one ideology, one race back into schools.”

The stakes were high if Kelly were to veto the anti-DEI bill or university chief executives balked at personally certifying the demise of DEI. The University of Kansas would lose $8.35 million and the KU Medical Center would forego $5.8 million in the fiscal year starting July 1.

Kansas State University would surrender $6.4 million, while Wichita State University would have to do without $4.9 million. The budget hit for the three other state universities: Fort Hays State, $3.5 million; Emporia State, $1.9 million; and Pittsburg State, $1.8 million.

Rep. Bob Lewis, a Garden City Republican and an attorney, said DEI programs on college campuses should be viewed as vehicles for advancing liberal ideologies of “division, exclusion and intimidation” rather than promotion of diversity, equity and inclusion. Conservative legislators in Kansas and more than a dozen states have argued DEI should be rooted out because it discriminated against certain students and employees.

Lewis compared establishment of university DEI programs to pressure campaigns in the 1950s that compelled Americans to sign anti-communist loyalty oaths.

“That was offensive and found to be unconstitutional,” Lewis said. “Decades later … we have institutions requiring people to essentially swear to a political ideology before they can be hired.”

The governor has a Friday deadline for deciding what to do with HB 2105 requiring termination of DEI programs at state universities and public community colleges and technical colleges. In 2023, Kelly line-item vetoed DEI provisions inserted into the state budget bill.

She must decide by April 25 what to do with pieces of the new state budget associated with the $36 million appropriation to universities. That date would coincide with return of the Legislature to Topeka for what could be the final days of the 2024 session.

On Wednesday, the Kansas Board of Regents approved a change to the higher education system’s diversity and multiculturalism policy to forbid the six universities from compelling anyone seeking to enroll or to be hired to make a statement pledging allegiance to diversity, equity or inclusion.

While declaring responsibility for the educational experience, including multicultural programs, resided with each university, the Board of Regents adopted policy saying “no state university shall on its applications for admission or hiring, reappointing or promoting a faculty member require statements pledging allegiance to, support for or opposition to diversity, equity or inclusion.”

The new policy wouldn’t inhibit the ability of a university to comply with federal or state laws, regulations or grant requirements. The revision adopted by the Board of Regents didn’t include an internal enforcement mechanism.

Board of Regents chairman Jon Rolph said board members took part in conversations with legislators opposed to DEI. He said the state universities had taken steps during the past year to alter DEI initiatives that inspired criticism from lawmakers.

“This is, again, our good-faith effort in trying to listen to the Legislature,” Rolph said of movement against formal DEI policy. “It’s not something central to our practice of wanting student success and trying to fulfill our promises to people when we invite them onto our campuses.”

Other than brief remarks by Rolph, no other member of the Board of Regents and no campus administrator addressed implications of the policy change during the board’s meeting at Fort Hays State University.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1713547278962.png" alt=" Rep. Kirk Haskins, D-Topeka, said it was wrong for the Legislature to link a $36 million appropriation to the state’s public universities to a requirement Gov. Laura Kelly sign a bill implementing a ban on diversity, equity and inclusion programs at Kansas public universities, community colleges and technical colleges. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption> Rep. Kirk Haskins, D-Topeka, said it was wrong for the Legislature to link a $36 million appropriation to the state’s public universities to a requirement Gov. Laura Kelly sign a bill implementing a ban on diversity, equity and inclusion programs at Kansas public universities, community colleges and technical colleges. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Legislation seeks pledge to abandon diversity, equity and inclusion programs</h2>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/tim-carpenter/">TIM CARPENTER</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — Rep. Kirk Haskins denounced conservative political attacks on diversity, equity and inclusion programs on college campuses in Kansas, but despaired at willingness of House and Senate colleagues to leverage a $36 million appropriation to state universities in an attempt to coerce the governor into signing an anti-DEI bill.Haskins, a Topeka Democrat and a professor at Baker University in Baldwin City, said he was offended a majority in the Kansas Legislature was so threatened by campus diversity initiatives that they voted to approve budget provisions slashing university funding unless Gov. Laura Kelly signed House Bill 2105 banning DEI in Kansas public higher education. The bill would authorize Attorney General Kris Kobach to file lawsuits for adherence to DEI and seek $10,000 fines for every instance diversity, equity and inclusion programs were linked to faculty hiring or student enrollment.House and Senate budget negotiators agreed to anchor the $36 million to a requirement university administrators stand before the State Finance Council, a committee of top legislative leaders and the governor, to affirm they had abandoned DEI.“How do we even tolerate the extortion of funds from our post-secondary institutions?” said Haskins, who argued proponents were intent on undermining decades of work to create college and university safe havens for minority students and faculty and to open campuses to diverse perspectives. “If you continue to restrict higher education, you will see one ideology, one race back into schools.”The stakes were high if Kelly were to veto the anti-DEI bill or university chief executives balked at personally certifying the demise of DEI. The University of Kansas would lose $8.35 million and the KU Medical Center would forego $5.8 million in the fiscal year starting July 1.Kansas State University would surrender $6.4 million, while Wichita State University would have to do without $4.9 million. The budget hit for the three other state universities: Fort Hays State, $3.5 million; Emporia State, $1.9 million; and Pittsburg State, $1.8 million.Rep. Bob Lewis, a Garden City Republican and an attorney, said DEI programs on college campuses should be viewed as vehicles for advancing liberal ideologies of “division, exclusion and intimidation” rather than promotion of diversity, equity and inclusion. Conservative legislators in Kansas and more than a dozen states have argued DEI should be rooted out because it discriminated against certain students and employees.Lewis compared establishment of university DEI programs to pressure campaigns in the 1950s that compelled Americans to sign anti-communist loyalty oaths.“That was offensive and found to be unconstitutional,” Lewis said. “Decades later … we have institutions requiring people to essentially swear to a political ideology before they can be hired.”The governor has a Friday deadline for deciding what to do with HB 2105 requiring termination of DEI programs at state universities and public community colleges and technical colleges. In 2023, Kelly line-item vetoed DEI provisions inserted into the state budget bill.She must decide by April 25 what to do with pieces of the new state budget associated with the $36 million appropriation to universities. That date would coincide with return of the Legislature to Topeka for what could be the final days of the 2024 session.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1713547316710.png" alt=" Rep. Bob Lewis, a Garden City Republican, lauded approval by the Legislature of a bill designed to forbid diversity, equity and inclusion programs in Kansas public higher education. He said DEI programs should be defined as vehicles of “division, exclusion and intimidation” on campuses. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption> Rep. Bob Lewis, a Garden City Republican, lauded approval by the Legislature of a bill designed to forbid diversity, equity and inclusion programs in Kansas public higher education. He said DEI programs should be defined as vehicles of “division, exclusion and intimidation” on campuses. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Board of Regents policy change</h2>On Wednesday, the Kansas Board of Regents approved a change to the higher education system’s diversity and multiculturalism policy to forbid the six universities from compelling anyone seeking to enroll or to be hired to make a statement pledging allegiance to diversity, equity or inclusion.While declaring responsibility for the educational experience, including multicultural programs, resided with each university, the Board of Regents adopted policy saying “no state university shall on its applications for admission or hiring, reappointing or promoting a faculty member require statements pledging allegiance to, support for or opposition to diversity, equity or inclusion.”The new policy wouldn’t inhibit the ability of a university to comply with federal or state laws, regulations or grant requirements. The revision adopted by the Board of Regents didn’t include an internal enforcement mechanism.Board of Regents chairman Jon Rolph said board members took part in conversations with legislators opposed to DEI. He said the state universities had taken steps during the past year to alter DEI initiatives that inspired criticism from lawmakers.“This is, again, our good-faith effort in trying to listen to the Legislature,” Rolph said of movement against formal DEI policy. “It’s not something central to our practice of wanting student success and trying to fulfill our promises to people when we invite them onto our campuses.”Other than brief remarks by Rolph, no other member of the Board of Regents and no campus administrator addressed implications of the policy change during the board’s meeting at Fort Hays State University.<h2>Defining terms</h2>An audit performed for the Republican-controlled Legislature determined the state universities in Kansas devoted approximately $45 million annually to DEI. Auditors struggled to compile information for the report because each campus relied on a different definition of DEI.“I find it strange we’re using a term and we haven’t even identified what that term means,” said Rep. Ford Carr, D-Wichita. “That part, to me, is just almost inexcusable.”Under HB 2105, public higher education institutions in Kansas must post to a public website all training materials used for students and faculty on issues of nondiscrimination, DEI, race, ethnicity, sex and bias. The posts would include university or college policies guiding campus communities on those topics.Rep. Steven Howe, a Salina Republican who chaired a House committee that took the lead on DEI legislation, said the objective was to free the hiring and enrollment processes in Kansas higher education from requirements that people had to make statements of support or opposition to any political ideology or movement, including DEI.He said the reform shouldn’t be construed as a campaign to restrict academic freedom in teaching, research or in writing for academic publications.“Our position was much more lenient in the sense that it was very narrow, very balanced and protected academic freedom and freedom of speech on campus,” Howe said.Howe said enrollment among Black and Native American students in the Kansas Board of Regents’ system declined more than 20% during the past five years despite DEI programs aimed at attracting a more diverse student body.