TOPEKA&nbsp;– Governor Laura Kelly announced Friday that she granted pardons to two individuals who show strong signs of rehabilitation. The decision to grant the pardons was made following independent reviews by the Prison Review Board, the Kansas Department of Administration, and the Governor’s legal team.&nbsp;

“The decision to grant these pardons comes after a meticulous and thorough review process,”&nbsp;Governor Laura Kelly said.&nbsp;“One of the largest factors taken into consideration is a person’s commitment to rehabilitation, making amends, and positively contributing to society. Granting these pardons will give a second chance to two individuals who have taken responsibility for their actions and are working to move on with their lives."&nbsp;&nbsp;

Governor Kelly took into consideration numerous factors to determine if the pardons were warranted, including but not limited to: the nature of the offense, impact of the crime on victims or survivors, demonstration of rehabilitation, criminal history, absence of disciplinary issues in prison, positive achievements and growth while incarcerated, and the ability to contribute to society.&nbsp;

Article 1, Section 7 of the Kansas Constitution and K.S.A. § 22-3701 grants the governor’s authority to grant clemency. 

The two individuals receiving pardons are&nbsp;Anthony Mitchell who was serving time for drug convictions and Richard McMichael, 29, who had two previous drug convictions and another for&nbsp;Aggravated Battery - Bodily Harm with a Deadly Weapon/Manner, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections. He was released from prison on March 13.

Review of clemency applications by the Governor is ongoing, and there is no set timeline for review. By law, clemency applications in Kansas must be submitted to the Prisoner Review Board and notice of an individual’s application for clemency must be published in the county newspaper where the crime was committed. The Board reviews all applications before forwarding them for further review. Additional information about the process can be found at the Board’s website:&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://links-2.govdelivery.com/CL0/https:%2F%2Fwww.doc.ks.gov%2Fprb/1/01010193558b34dd-3ec09504-e403-4522-b3d0-54d4757dc546-000000/wV4_KQF6jrnMKeoHFrlajkPyo8xFiteGYr7JxwYt31I=380">https://www.doc.ks.gov/prb</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;

The Governor’s Office encourages victims and survivors to reach out to the Office of Victim Services, which provides confidential support and information to victims, survivors, or witnesses of a crime. Information can be found&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://links-2.govdelivery.com/CL0/https:%2F%2Fgcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com%2F%3Furl=https%253A%252F%252Fwww.doc.ks.gov%252Fvictim-services%26data=05%257C02%257CAna.Nixon%2540ks.gov%257C54a18c945bc94c7cef9908dcccec3705%257Cdcae8101c92d480cbc43c6761ccccc5a%257C0%257C0%257C638610562106773667%257CUnknown%257CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%253D%257C0%257C%257C%257C%26sdata=U8P6Gp2OXirlUshsbmG9dMZipun41jt6bVsZ%252BBaNpWQ%253D%26reserved=0/1/010101930398843c-81bda5a1-97ce-4c26-8db0-0cab921a3c6a-000000/g7dMgAYoHSriIhKRASAhNHNkYXj0zlXgaBSh8_RcUts=378">here</a>&nbsp;or by phone at 866-404-6732.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/11/1732311722319.png" alt="McMichael-photo KDOC" />
 <figcaption>McMichael-photo KDOC</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA&nbsp;– Governor Laura Kelly announced Friday that she granted pardons to two individuals who show strong signs of rehabilitation. The decision to grant the pardons was made following independent reviews by the Prison Review Board, the Kansas Department of Administration, and the Governor’s legal team.&nbsp;“The decision to grant these pardons comes after a meticulous and thorough review process,”&nbsp;Governor Laura Kelly said.&nbsp;“One of the largest factors taken into consideration is a person’s commitment to rehabilitation, making amends, and positively contributing to society. Granting these pardons will give a second chance to two individuals who have taken responsibility for their actions and are working to move on with their lives."&nbsp;&nbsp;Governor Kelly took into consideration numerous factors to determine if the pardons were warranted, including but not limited to: the nature of the offense, impact of the crime on victims or survivors, demonstration of rehabilitation, criminal history, absence of disciplinary issues in prison, positive achievements and growth while incarcerated, and the ability to contribute to society.&nbsp;Article 1, Section 7 of the Kansas Constitution and K.S.A. § 22-3701 grants the governor’s authority to grant clemency. The two individuals receiving pardons are&nbsp;Anthony Mitchell who was serving time for drug convictions and Richard McMichael, 29, who had two previous drug convictions and another for&nbsp;Aggravated Battery - Bodily Harm with a Deadly Weapon/Manner, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections. He was released from prison on March 13.Review of clemency applications by the Governor is ongoing, and there is no set timeline for review. By law, clemency applications in Kansas must be submitted to the Prisoner Review Board and notice of an individual’s application for clemency must be published in the county newspaper where the crime was committed. The Board reviews all applications before forwarding them for further review. Additional information about the process can be found at the Board’s website:&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://links-2.govdelivery.com/CL0/https:%2F%2Fwww.doc.ks.gov%2Fprb/1/01010193558b34dd-3ec09504-e403-4522-b3d0-54d4757dc546-000000/wV4_KQF6jrnMKeoHFrlajkPyo8xFiteGYr7JxwYt31I=380">https://www.doc.ks.gov/prb</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;The Governor’s Office encourages victims and survivors to reach out to the Office of Victim Services, which provides confidential support and information to victims, survivors, or witnesses of a crime. Information can be found&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://links-2.govdelivery.com/CL0/https:%2F%2Fgcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com%2F%3Furl=https%253A%252F%252Fwww.doc.ks.gov%252Fvictim-services%26data=05%257C02%257CAna.Nixon%2540ks.gov%257C54a18c945bc94c7cef9908dcccec3705%257Cdcae8101c92d480cbc43c6761ccccc5a%257C0%257C0%257C638610562106773667%257CUnknown%257CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%253D%257C0%257C%257C%257C%26sdata=U8P6Gp2OXirlUshsbmG9dMZipun41jt6bVsZ%252BBaNpWQ%253D%26reserved=0/1/010101930398843c-81bda5a1-97ce-4c26-8db0-0cab921a3c6a-000000/g7dMgAYoHSriIhKRASAhNHNkYXj0zlXgaBSh8_RcUts=378">here</a>&nbsp;or by phone at 866-404-6732.

Kansas governor pardons two just before the holidays

President-elect&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;is filling key posts in his second administration, and it's shaping up much differently than his first. He's prioritizing loyalists for top jobs.

Trump was bruised and hampered by internal squabbles during his initial term in office. Now he appears focused on remaking the federal government in his own image. Some of his choices could face difficult confirmation battles even with Republicans in control of the U.S. Senate. One candidate, former Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, Trump's choice for attorney general, has withdrawn.

Here's a look at whom he has selected so far.

Bessent, 62, is a former&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/george-soros">George Soros</a>&nbsp;money manager and an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/budget-deficit-trump-harris-kamala-debt-1ee3ff65e22ccf19d19b792ee22c46da">advocate for deficit reduction</a>.

He's the founder of hedge fund Key Square Capital Management, after having worked on-and-off for Soros Fund Management since 1991. If confirmed by the Senate, he would be the nation’s first openly gay treasury secretary.

He told Bloomberg in August that he decided to join Trump’s campaign in part to attack the mounting U.S. national debt. That would include slashing government programs and other spending.

“This election cycle is the last chance for the U.S. to grow our way out of this mountain of debt without becoming a sort of European-style socialist democracy,” he said then.

Trump&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-marco-rubio-secretary-of-state-25664371f80dcf3332838352165e4d48">named Florida Sen. Marco Rubio</a>&nbsp;to be secretary of state, making the critic-turned-ally his choice for top diplomat.

Rubio, 53, is a noted hawk on China, Cuba and Iran, and was a finalist to be Trump's running mate on the Republican ticket last summer. Rubio is the vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee and a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

The announcement punctuates the hard pivot Rubio has made with Trump, whom the senator once called a “con man" during his unsuccessful campaign for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination.

Their relationship improved dramatically while Trump was in the White House. And as Trump campaigned for the presidency a third time, Rubio cheered his proposals. For instance, Rubio, who more than a decade ago helped craft immigration legislation that included a path to citizenship for people in the U.S. illegally, now supports Trump's plan to use the U.S. military for mass deportations.

DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE: Tulsi Gabbard

Former Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-gabbard-director-national-intelligence-466dfdfe2f949ea20bc2f4ef13e21438">has been tapped by Trump</a>&nbsp;to be director of national intelligence, another example of Trump prizing loyalty over experience.

Gabbard, 43, was a Democratic House member who unsuccessfully sought the party's 2020 presidential nomination before leaving the party in 2022. She endorsed Trump in August and campaigned often with him this fall, and she's been accused of echoing Russian propaganda.

Gabbard, who has served in the Army National Guard for more than two decades, deploying to Iraq and Kuwait, would come to the role as an outsider compared to her predecessor. The current director, Avril Haines, was confirmed by the Senate in 2021 following several years in a number of top national security and intelligence positions.

Hegseth, 44, was a co-host of Fox News Channel’s “Fox and Friends Weekend” and has been a contributor with the network since 2014. He developed a friendship with Trump, who made regular appearances on the show.

Hegseth served in the Army National Guard from 2002 to 2021, deploying to Iraq in 2005 and Afghanistan in 2011. He has two Bronze Stars. However,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-hegseth-defense-secretary-pentagon-2d8030921ecef933778cf92afd40ec72">Hegseth lacks</a>&nbsp;senior military and national security experience. If confirmed by the Senate, he would inherit the top job during a series of global crises — ranging from Russia’s war in Ukraine and the ongoing attacks in the Middle East by Iranian proxies to the push for a cease-fire between Israel, Hamas and Hezbollah and escalating worries about the growing alliance between Russia and North Korea.

Hegseth is also the author of “The War on Warriors: Behind the Betrayal of the Men Who Keep Us Free,” published earlier this year.

Bondi, 59, has been tapped by Trump to be Attorney General after U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz withdrew his name from consideration.

She was Florida's first female attorney general serving between 2011 and 2019. She was on Trump’s legal team during his first impeachment trial in 2020.

Considered a loyalist, she has served as part of a Trump-allied outside group that has helped lay the groundwork for his future administration called the America First Policy Institute.

Bondi was among a group of Republicans who showed up to support Trump at his hush money criminal trial in New York that ended in May with a conviction on 34 felony counts. A fierce defender of Trump, she also frequently appears on Fox News and has been a critic of the criminal cases against him.

Oregon Republican U.S. Rep. Chavez-DeRemer narrowly lost her reelection bid earlier this month, but received strong backing from union members in her district.

As a potential labor secretary, Chavez-DeRemer would oversee the Labor Department’s workforce, its budget and put forth priorities that impact workers’ wages, health and safety, ability to unionize, and employer’s rights to fire employers, among other responsibilities.

Chavez-DeRemer is one of few House Republicans to endorse&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/3c776a12a97468341bcfe8178638f127">the “Protecting the Right to Organize” or PRO Act</a>&nbsp;would allow more workers to conduct organizing campaigns and would add penalties for companies that violate workers’ rights. The act would also weaken “right-to-work” laws that allow employees in more than half the states to avoid participating in or paying dues to unions that represent workers at their places of employment.

Lutnick heads up the brokerage and investment bank Cantor Fitzgerald and is a cryptocurrency enthusiast. He is co-chair of Trump's transition operation, charged along with Linda McMahon, a former wrestling executive who previously led Trump’s Small Business Administration, with helping the president-elect build a Cabinet for his second administration.

As commerce secretary, Lutnick would play a key role in carrying out Trump's plans to raise and enforce tariffs. He would oversee a sprawling Cabinet department whose oversight ranges from funding new computer chip factories and imposing trade restrictions to releasing economic data and monitoring the weather.

Noem is a well-known conservative who used her two terms as South Dakota's governor to vault to a prominent position in Republican politics.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Noem did not order restrictions that other states had issued and instead declared her state “open for business.” Trump held a fireworks rally at Mount Rushmore in July 2020 in one of the first large gatherings of the pandemic.

More recently, Noem faced sharp criticism for telling a story in her memoir about shooting and killing her dog.

She is set to lead a department crucial to the president-elect’s hardline immigration agenda as well as other missions. Homeland Security oversees natural disaster response, the U.S. Secret Service and Transportation Security Administration agents who work at airports.

Ratcliffe, a former U.S. House member from Texas, was director of national intelligence during the final year and a half of Trump’s first term, leading the U.S. government’s spy agencies during the coronavirus pandemic.

If confirmed, Ratcliffe will have held the highest intelligence positions in the U.S.

HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES SECRETARY: Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Kennedy ran for president as a Democrat, then as an independent, and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/rfk-jr-trump-speech-arizona-a2638f89ddcb5de03edbe4574ca17d45">then endorsed Trump</a>. He's the son of Democratic icon Robert Kennedy, who was assassinated during his own presidential campaign.

The nomination alarmed people who are concerned about&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/robert-f-kennedy-vaccines-trump-rfkjr-7f8dcb25de76a5a70710d22bbc63f6fa">his record of spreading unfounded fears about vaccines</a>. For example, he has long advanced the debunked idea that vaccines cause autism.

Duffy is a former House member from Wisconsin who was one of Trump's most visible defenders on cable news. Duffy served in the House for nearly nine years, sitting on the Financial Services Committee and chairing the subcommittee on insurance and housing. He left Congress in 2019 for a TV career and has been the host of “The Bottom Line” on Fox Business.

Before entering politics, Duffy was a reality TV star on MTV, where he met his wife, “Fox and Friends Weekend” co-host Rachel Campos-Duffy. They have nine children.

Collins is a former Republican congressman from Georgia who gained recognition for defending Trump during his first impeachment trial, which centered on U.S. assistance for Ukraine. Trump was impeached for urging Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden in 2019 during the Democratic presidential nomination, but he was acquitted by the Senate.

Collins has also served in the armed forces himself and is currently a chaplain in the United States Air Force Reserve Command.

The governor of North Dakota, once little-known outside his state, is a former Republican presidential primary contender who endorsed Trump and then spent months traveling to drum up support for Trump after dropping out of the race.

Burgum was a serious contender to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-vice-president-rubio-vance-burgum-scott-8b6a3a22eecdfff668a5002ddfd3af18">be Trump’s vice presidential choice</a>&nbsp;this summer. The two-term governor was seen as a possible pick because of his executive experience and business savvy. Burgum also has close ties to deep-pocketed energy industry CEOs.

Trump initially announced his choice of Burgum while addressing a gala at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida. His formal announcement the following day said he wanted Burgum to be Interior secretary and chairman of a new National Energy Council. Burgum will also have a seat on the National Security Council, which would be a first for the Interior secretary.

A campaign donor and CEO of Denver-based Liberty Energy, Write is a vocal advocate of oil and gas development, including fracking — a key pillar of Trump’s quest to achieve U.S. “energy dominance” in the global market.

Wright also has been one of the industry’s loudest voices against efforts to fight climate change. He said the climate movement around the world is “collapsing under its own weight.” The Energy Department is responsible for advancing energy, environmental and nuclear security of the United States.

Wright also won support from influential conservatives, including oil and gas tycoon Harold Hamm. Hamm, executive chairman of Oklahoma-based Continental Resources, a major shale oil company, is a longtime Trump supporter and adviser who played a key role on energy issues in Trump’s first term.

McMahon, a billionaire professional wrestling mogul, would be making a return appearance in a second Trump administration. She led the Small Business Administration from 2017 to 2019 during Trump’s first term and twice ran unsuccessfully in Connecticut as a Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate. She served on the Connecticut Board of Education for a year starting in 2009 and has spent years on the board of trustees for Sacred Heart University. She has expressed support for charter schools and school choice.

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY ADMINISTRATOR: Lee Zeldin

Zeldin does not appear to have any experience in environmental issues, but is a longtime supporter of the former president. The 44-year-old former U.S. House member from New York wrote on&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/LeeMZeldin/status/1856068555865026956">X</a>, “We will restore US energy dominance, revitalize our auto industry to bring back American jobs, and make the US the global leader of AI.”

“We will do so while protecting access to clean air and water,” he added.

During his campaign, Trump often attacked the Biden administration’s promotion of electric vehicles, and incorrectly referred to a tax credit for EV purchases as a government mandate. Trump also often told his audiences during the campaign that his administration would “drill, baby, drill,” referring to his support for expanded petroleum exploration.

HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT: Scott Turner

Turner is a former NFL player and White House aide. He ran the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council during Trump’s first term in office. Trump, in a statement, credited Turner, the highest-ranking Black person he’s yet selected for his administration, with “helping to lead an Unprecedented Effort that Transformed our Country’s most distressed communities.”

Wiles, 67,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/who-is-susie-wiles-32df8958bedde5f3f2d55fd071979692">was a senior adviser</a>&nbsp;to Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign and its de facto manager.

She has a background in Florida politics, helping Ron DeSantis win his first race for Florida governor. Six years later, she was key to Trump’s defeat of him in the 2024 Republican primary.

Wiles’ hire was Trump’s first major decision as president-elect and one that could be a defining test of his incoming administration considering her close relationship with him. Wiles is said to have earned Trump’s trust in part by guiding what was the most disciplined of Trump’s three presidential campaigns.

Wiles was able to help keep Trump on track as few others have, not by criticizing his impulses, but by winning his respect by demonstrating his success after taking her advice.

Waltz is a three-term Republican congressman from east-central Florida.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-national-security-adviser-mike-wlatz-0c81d044c9ffe18dfd745202e8351b9c">A former Army Green Beret</a>, he served multiple tours in Afghanistan and also worked in the Pentagon as a policy adviser when Donald Rumsfeld and Robert Gates were defense chiefs.

He is considered hawkish on China, and called for a U.S. boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing due to its involvement in the origin of COVID-19 and its mistreatment of the minority Muslim Uighur population.

Homan, 62,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-homan-ice-border-czar-7dea915b5ea43896390b8020d254f887">has been tasked</a>&nbsp;with Trump’s top priority of carrying out the largest deportation operation in the nation’s history.

He led the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Trump's first administration and said at a conference over the summer that he would be willing to “run the biggest deportation operation this country’s ever seen.”

Democrats have criticized Homan for defending Trump’s “zero tolerance” policy on border crossings during his first administration, which led to the separation of thousands of parents and children seeking asylum at the border.

OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET: Russell Vought

Vought held the position during Trump’s first presidency.

After Trump’s initial term ended, Vought founded the Center for Renewing America, a think tank that describes its mission as “renew a consensus of America as a nation under God.”

Vought was closely involved with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/project-2025-trump-american-revolution-6e02a297fb91b55de01ba7e86615bb08">Project 2025</a>, a conservative blueprint for Trump’s second term that he tried to distance himself from during the campaign.

Vought has also previously worked as the executive and budget director for the Republican Study Committee, a caucus for conservative House Republicans. He also worked at Heritage Action, the political group tied to The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank.

DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF FOR POLICY: Stephen Miller

Miller, an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-stephen-miller-policy-immigration-9cc6ad3118779b23bff88022ca5e2260">immigration hardliner</a>, was a vocal spokesperson during the presidential campaign for Trump’s priority of mass deportations. The 39-year-old was a senior adviser during Trump’s first administration.

Miller has been a central figure in some of Trump’s policy decisions, notably his move to separate thousands of immigrant families. Trump argued throughout the campaign that the nation’s economic, national security and social priorities could be met by deporting people who are in the United States illegally.

Scavino was an adviser in all three of the president-elect's campaigns, and the transition team referred to him as one of “Trump’s longest serving and most trusted aides." He will be deputy chief of staff and assistant to the president. He previously ran Trump’s social media profile in the White House during his first administration.

Blair was political director for Trump’s 2024 campaign and for the Republican National Committee. He will be deputy chief of staff for legislative, political and public affairs and assistant to the president. Blair was key to Trump’s economic messaging during his winning White House comeback campaign.

Budowich is a veteran Trump campaign aide who launched and directed Make America Great Again, Inc., a super PAC that supported Trump’s 2024 campaign. He will be deputy chief of staff for communications and personnel and assistant to the president.

WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Karoline Leavitt

Leavitt, 27, was Trump's campaign press secretary and currently a spokesperson for his transition. She would be the youngest White House press secretary in history.

Leavitt worked in the White House press office during Trump's first term.

In 2022,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-abortion-inflation-donald-trump-51418003338eb89abfbfc6aac6909abd">she ran for Congress in New Hampshire,</a>&nbsp;winning a 10-way Republican primary before losing to Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas.

Here are the people Trump has picked for key positions thru Friday

KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement observed a&nbsp;very expired "WINNER" license plate on a truck at about 12:30 a.m. Thursday, according to a social media report from the Clay County, Missouri Sheriff.

The deputies stopped the driver who gave a fake name. The deputy also learned the truck was stolen and the driver had&nbsp; meth in the seat beside him.

Deputies figured out the driver's real identification and continue to investigate.&nbsp; The sheriff's office did not report an arrest or possible charges.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/11/1732279201584.png" alt="Photo Clay County Sheriff" />
 <figcaption>Photo Clay County Sheriff</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement observed a&nbsp;very expired "WINNER" license plate on a truck at about 12:30 a.m. Thursday, according to a social media report from the Clay County, Missouri Sheriff.The deputies stopped the driver who gave a fake name. The deputy also learned the truck was stolen and the driver had&nbsp; meth in the seat beside him.Deputies figured out the driver's real identification and continue to investigate.&nbsp; The sheriff's office did not report an arrest or possible charges.

KC area suspect with expired 'WINNER' license plate caught with meth 

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — NATO and Ukraine will hold emergency talks Tuesday after Russia attacked a central city with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-icbm-attackddnipro-38b0faf6eed2cef98bdbc9be18f58244">an experimental, hypersonic ballistic missile</a>&nbsp;that escalated the nearly 33-month-old war.

The conflict is “entering a decisive phase,” Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Friday, and “taking on very dramatic dimensions.”

Ukraine’s parliament canceled a session as security was tightened following Thursday's Russian strike on a military facility in the city of Dnipro.

In a stark warning to the West, President Vladimir Putin said in a nationally televised speech that the attack with the intermediate-range Oreshnik missile was in retaliation for Kyiv’s use of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/atacms-ukraine-longrange-missiles-5fd95f32449d14da22b82d57d6ccab22">U.S. and British longer-range missiles</a>&nbsp;capable of striking deeper into Russian territory.

Putin said Western air defense systems would be powerless to stop the new missile.

Ukrainian military officials said the missile that hit Dnipro had reached a speed of Mach 11 and carried six nonnuclear warheads each releasing six submunitions.

Speaking Friday to military and weapons industries officials, Putin said Russia is launching production of the Oreshnik.

“No one in the world has such weapons,” he said with a thin smile. “Sooner or later other leading countries will also get them. We are aware that they are under development."

But he added, "we have this system now. And this is important.”

Testing the missile will continue, “including in combat, depending on the situation and the character of security threats created for Russia,” Putin said, noting there is ”a stockpile of such systems ready for use.”

Putin said that while it isn’t an intercontinental missile, it’s so powerful that the use of several of them fitted with conventional warheads in one attack could be as devastating as a strike with strategic — or nuclear — weapons.

Gen. Sergei Karakayev, head of Russia’s Strategic Missile Forces, said the Oreshnik could reach targets across Europe and be fitted with nuclear or conventional warheads, echoing Putin's claim that even with conventional warheads, “the massive use of the weapon would be comparable in effect to the use of nuclear weapons.”

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov kept up Russia's bellicose tone on Friday, blaming “the reckless decisions and actions of Western countries” in supplying weapons to Ukraine to strike Russia.

"The Russian side has clearly demonstrated its capabilities, and the contours of further retaliatory actions in the event that our concerns were not taken into account have also been quite clearly outlined," he said.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, widely seen as having the warmest relations with the Kremlin in the European Union, echoed Moscow's talking points, suggesting the use of U.S.-supplied weapons in Ukraine likely requires direct American involvement.

“These are rockets that are fired and then guided to a target via an electronic system, which requires the world’s most advanced technology and satellite communications capability,” Orbán said on state radio. “There is a strong assumption … that these missiles cannot be guided without the assistance of American personnel.”

Orbán cautioned against underestimating Russia’s responses, emphasizing that the country’s recent modifications to its nuclear deployment doctrine should not be dismissed as a “bluff.” “It’s not a trick… there will be consequences,” he said.

Separately in Kyiv, Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský called Thursday's missile strike an “escalatory step and an attempt of the Russian dictator to scare the population of Ukraine and to scare the population of Europe.”

At a news conference with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, Lipavský also expressed his full support for delivering the necessary additional air defense systems to protect Ukrainian civilians from the “heinous attacks.”

He underlined that the Czech Republic will impose no limits on the use of its weapons and equipment given to Ukraine.

Three lawmakers from Ukraine's parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, confirmed that Friday's previously scheduled session was called off due to the ongoing threat of Russian missiles targeting government buildings in central Kyiv.

In addition, there also was a recommendation to limit the work of all commercial offices and nongovernmental organizations "in that perimeter, and local residents were warned of the increased threat,” said lawmaker Mykyta Poturaiev, who added this is not the first time such a threat has been received.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s office continued to work in compliance with standard security measures, a spokesperson said.

Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate said the Oreshnik missile, whose name in Russian means “hazelnut tree,” was fired from the Kapustin Yar 4th Missile Test Range in Russia’s Astrakhan region, and flew 15 minutes before striking Dnipro.

Test launches of a similar missile were conducted in October 2023 and June 2024, the directorate said. The Pentagon confirmed the missile was a new, experimental type of intermediate-range missile based on its RS-26 Rubezh intercontinental ballistic missile.

Thursday's attack struck the Pivdenmash plant that built ICBMs when Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union. The military facility is located about 4 miles (6 1/2 kilometers) southwest of the center of Dnipro, a city of about 1 million that is Ukraine’s fourth-largest and a key hub for military supplies and humanitarian aid, and is home to one of the country’s largest hospitals for treating wounded soldiers from the front before their transfer to Kyiv or abroad.

The stricken area was cordoned off and out of public view. With no fatalities reported from the attack, Dnipro residents resorted to dark humor on social media, mostly focused on the missile’s name, Oreshnik.

Elsewhere in Ukraine, Russia struck a residential district of Sumy overnight with Iranian-designed Shahed drones, killing two people and injuring 13, the regional administration said..

Ukraine’s Suspilne media, quoting Sumy regional head Volodymyr Artiukh, said the drones were stuffed with shrapnel elements. “These weapons are used to destroy people, not to destroy objects,” said Artiukh, according to Suspilne.

—— Associated Press journalists Lorne Cook in Brussels, Samya Kullab in Kyiv, Dasha Litvinova in Tallinn, Estonia, and Justin Spike in Budapest, Hungary, contributed.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/9/1663760963726.jpeg" alt="File photo (Russian Presidential Press Service via AP)" />
 <figcaption>File photo (Russian Presidential Press Service via AP)</figcaption>
 </figure>KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — NATO and Ukraine will hold emergency talks Tuesday after Russia attacked a central city with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-icbm-attackddnipro-38b0faf6eed2cef98bdbc9be18f58244">an experimental, hypersonic ballistic missile</a>&nbsp;that escalated the nearly 33-month-old war.The conflict is “entering a decisive phase,” Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Friday, and “taking on very dramatic dimensions.”Ukraine’s parliament canceled a session as security was tightened following Thursday's Russian strike on a military facility in the city of Dnipro.In a stark warning to the West, President Vladimir Putin said in a nationally televised speech that the attack with the intermediate-range Oreshnik missile was in retaliation for Kyiv’s use of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/atacms-ukraine-longrange-missiles-5fd95f32449d14da22b82d57d6ccab22">U.S. and British longer-range missiles</a>&nbsp;capable of striking deeper into Russian territory.Putin said Western air defense systems would be powerless to stop the new missile.Ukrainian military officials said the missile that hit Dnipro had reached a speed of Mach 11 and carried six nonnuclear warheads each releasing six submunitions.Speaking Friday to military and weapons industries officials, Putin said Russia is launching production of the Oreshnik.“No one in the world has such weapons,” he said with a thin smile. “Sooner or later other leading countries will also get them. We are aware that they are under development."But he added, "we have this system now. And this is important.”Testing the missile will continue, “including in combat, depending on the situation and the character of security threats created for Russia,” Putin said, noting there is ”a stockpile of such systems ready for use.”Putin said that while it isn’t an intercontinental missile, it’s so powerful that the use of several of them fitted with conventional warheads in one attack could be as devastating as a strike with strategic — or nuclear — weapons.Gen. Sergei Karakayev, head of Russia’s Strategic Missile Forces, said the Oreshnik could reach targets across Europe and be fitted with nuclear or conventional warheads, echoing Putin's claim that even with conventional warheads, “the massive use of the weapon would be comparable in effect to the use of nuclear weapons.”Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov kept up Russia's bellicose tone on Friday, blaming “the reckless decisions and actions of Western countries” in supplying weapons to Ukraine to strike Russia."The Russian side has clearly demonstrated its capabilities, and the contours of further retaliatory actions in the event that our concerns were not taken into account have also been quite clearly outlined," he said.Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, widely seen as having the warmest relations with the Kremlin in the European Union, echoed Moscow's talking points, suggesting the use of U.S.-supplied weapons in Ukraine likely requires direct American involvement.“These are rockets that are fired and then guided to a target via an electronic system, which requires the world’s most advanced technology and satellite communications capability,” Orbán said on state radio. “There is a strong assumption … that these missiles cannot be guided without the assistance of American personnel.”Orbán cautioned against underestimating Russia’s responses, emphasizing that the country’s recent modifications to its nuclear deployment doctrine should not be dismissed as a “bluff.” “It’s not a trick… there will be consequences,” he said.Separately in Kyiv, Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský called Thursday's missile strike an “escalatory step and an attempt of the Russian dictator to scare the population of Ukraine and to scare the population of Europe.”At a news conference with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, Lipavský also expressed his full support for delivering the necessary additional air defense systems to protect Ukrainian civilians from the “heinous attacks.”He underlined that the Czech Republic will impose no limits on the use of its weapons and equipment given to Ukraine.Three lawmakers from Ukraine's parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, confirmed that Friday's previously scheduled session was called off due to the ongoing threat of Russian missiles targeting government buildings in central Kyiv.In addition, there also was a recommendation to limit the work of all commercial offices and nongovernmental organizations "in that perimeter, and local residents were warned of the increased threat,” said lawmaker Mykyta Poturaiev, who added this is not the first time such a threat has been received.President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s office continued to work in compliance with standard security measures, a spokesperson said.Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate said the Oreshnik missile, whose name in Russian means “hazelnut tree,” was fired from the Kapustin Yar 4th Missile Test Range in Russia’s Astrakhan region, and flew 15 minutes before striking Dnipro.Test launches of a similar missile were conducted in October 2023 and June 2024, the directorate said. The Pentagon confirmed the missile was a new, experimental type of intermediate-range missile based on its RS-26 Rubezh intercontinental ballistic missile.Thursday's attack struck the Pivdenmash plant that built ICBMs when Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union. The military facility is located about 4 miles (6 1/2 kilometers) southwest of the center of Dnipro, a city of about 1 million that is Ukraine’s fourth-largest and a key hub for military supplies and humanitarian aid, and is home to one of the country’s largest hospitals for treating wounded soldiers from the front before their transfer to Kyiv or abroad.The stricken area was cordoned off and out of public view. With no fatalities reported from the attack, Dnipro residents resorted to dark humor on social media, mostly focused on the missile’s name, Oreshnik.Elsewhere in Ukraine, Russia struck a residential district of Sumy overnight with Iranian-designed Shahed drones, killing two people and injuring 13, the regional administration said..Ukraine’s Suspilne media, quoting Sumy regional head Volodymyr Artiukh, said the drones were stuffed with shrapnel elements. “These weapons are used to destroy people, not to destroy objects,” said Artiukh, according to Suspilne.—— Associated Press journalists Lorne Cook in Brussels, Samya Kullab in Kyiv, Dasha Litvinova in Tallinn, Estonia, and Justin Spike in Budapest, Hungary, contributed.

NATO  emergency meeting after Russia's hypersonic missile warning

SHAWNEE COUNTY—A former <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2024/07/01/gop-candidate-in-2nd-district-fighting-for-enrichment-of-american-exceptionalism/">candidate for</a> Kansas 2nd District congressional seat in 2024 is in jail on multiple allegations following an investigation into interference with the judicial process.

On November 21, the Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division received information that a male subject in Topeka had engaged in the harassment of a Shawnee County District Court Official on multiple occasions, according to Deputy Abigail Christian.

Deputies arrested 44-year-old Michael A. Ogle of Topeka and booked him into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges, interference with the judicial process and Harassment by telecommunications device.

This incident is still under investigation.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/11/1732310160246.png" alt="Ogle photo Shawnee Co." />
 <figcaption>Ogle photo Shawnee Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY—A former <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2024/07/01/gop-candidate-in-2nd-district-fighting-for-enrichment-of-american-exceptionalism/">candidate for</a> Kansas 2nd District congressional seat in 2024 is in jail on multiple allegations following an investigation into interference with the judicial process.On November 21, the Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division received information that a male subject in Topeka had engaged in the harassment of a Shawnee County District Court Official on multiple occasions, according to Deputy Abigail Christian.Deputies arrested 44-year-old Michael A. Ogle of Topeka and booked him into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges, interference with the judicial process and Harassment by telecommunications device.This incident is still under investigation.

Kan. man who ran for Congress accused of phone harassment of court official

HARVEY COUNTY—Three people were injured in an accident just before noon Friday in Harvey County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2011 Ford Expedition driven by Madison Jo&nbsp;Vinduska, 29, Marion, was&nbsp;turning from eastbound U.S. 50&nbsp; to North East Lake Road.&nbsp;

 The driver failed to yield to oncoming traffic while making the left turn. A westbound 2015 Ram 1500 driven by Kanitra Reatha&nbsp; Crump, 38, Wichita, struck the SUV.

EMS transported&nbsp;Vinduska to Wesley Medical Center. EMS also transported Crump and a 3-year-old male passenger from Marion in the Ford to the hospital in Newton.&nbsp;&nbsp;Vinduska was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.

HARVEY COUNTY—Three people were injured in an accident just before noon Friday in Harvey County.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2011 Ford Expedition driven by Madison Jo&nbsp;Vinduska, 29, Marion, was&nbsp;turning from eastbound U.S. 50&nbsp; to North East Lake Road.&nbsp; The driver failed to yield to oncoming traffic while making the left turn. A westbound 2015 Ram 1500 driven by Kanitra Reatha&nbsp; Crump, 38, Wichita, struck the SUV.EMS transported&nbsp;Vinduska to Wesley Medical Center. EMS also transported Crump and a 3-year-old male passenger from Marion in the Ford to the hospital in Newton.&nbsp;&nbsp;Vinduska was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.

3-year-old, 2 Kan. women hospitalized after crash

EDITORS CLARIFICATION: This story was first published on Nov. 4, 2024. It was updated by the Associated Press on Nov. 22, 2024, to make clear that the U.S. attorney’s office said it is not asserting that the cryptocurrency account from which the FBI recovered the funds had ties to any specific location or country.

WICHITA, KANSAS (AP) — Sobs of relief broke out in a federal courtroom in Kansas on Monday as dozens of people whose life savings had been embezzled by a bank CEO learned that federal law enforcement had recovered their money.

"I just can’t describe the weight lifted off of us,” said Bart Camilli, 70, who with his wife Cleo had just learned they’d recover close to $450,000 — money Bart began saving at 18 when he bought his first individual retirement account. “It’s life-changing.”

In August, former Kansas bank CEO Shan Hanes was sentenced to 24 years after stealing $47 million from customer accounts and wiring the money to cryptocurrency accounts run by scammers. Prosecutors said Hanes also stole $40,000 from his church, $10,000 from an investment club and $60,000 from his daughter’s college fund and lost $1.1 million of his own in the scheme. Deposits were “jettisoned into the ether,” said prosecutor Aaron Smith.

Hanes' Heartland Tri-State Bank, drained of cash, was shut down by federal regulators and sold to another financial institution. Customers’ savings and checking accounts amounting to $47.1 million were insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., which paid off their losses.

But there were still 30 shareholders of the community-owned rural bank Hanes helped found — including his close family friends and neighbors — who thought they lost $8.3 million in investments: well-planned retirements were upended, funds for long-term eldercare gone, education funds and bequests for children and grandchildren zeroed out.

On Monday the shareholders stood to cheer federal Judge John W. Broomes in Wichita after he told them, one at a time, that they’d be paid back in full. The FBI recovered the funds from a cryptocurrency account held by Tether Ltd.

During an earlier sentencing hearing, these victims had called Hanes a “deceitful cheat and a liar,” and “pure evil.”

Margaret Grice came to court Monday figuring she’d get $1,000 back. Instead, she learned she’d be recovering almost $250,000, her entire 401(k).

“I’m just really thrilled,” she said. “I can breathe.”

Prosecutors said Hanes, who was the CEO of Heartland Tri-State Bank in Elkhart, Kansas, lost the money in a scam referred to as “pig butchering,” or the way pigs are fattened before slaughter. In the scam, a third party gains a victims' trust and, over time, convinces them to invest all of their money into cryptocurrency, which immediately disappears. U.S. and U.N. officials say&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/cambodia-myanmar-migrants-online-scams-ebab962f236df69b1f9b7e136958e244">these schemes</a>&nbsp;are proliferating, with scammers largely in Southeast Asia increasingly taking advantage of Americans.

Hanes started buying what he thought was $5,000 in cryptocurrency in late 2022, communicating with someone who had reached out on WhatsApp, according to court records. A few months later he transferred over his church and investment club funds. Records show the scam accelerated in the summer of 2023, when Hanes wired $47.1 million out of customer accounts in 11 wire transfers over just eight weeks. Each transfer, he thought, was necessary to end the investment and cash out, court records said. He watched, on a fake website, as the money appeared to grow to more than $200 million.

“He was to take some of the money, and the rest of the money was supposed to go back to the bank,” his attorney John Stang explained. “Now it's fiction, it didn't exist. We all know that now ... It failed big time.”

Hanes, who was not in court Monday, apologized at an earlier sentencing hearing.

“From the deepest depth of my soul, I had no intention of ever causing the harm that I did," he said. ”I’ll forever struggle to understand how I was duped and how what I thought was just getting the money back was making it worse."

Prosecutors said Hanes wasn’t just the victim of a scam, he crossed a line when he began taking customers' money and violating banking regulations. He pleaded guilty to embezzlement by a bank officer in May.

His prominent standing in his hometown of 2,000 made it easier for him to get away with it, a&nbsp;<a href="https://oig.federalreserve.gov/reports/board-material-loss-review-heartland-tri-state-bank-feb2024.pdf">Federal Reserve System investigation</a>&nbsp;found; he had been on the school board, volunteered as a swim meet official, and served on the Kansas Bankers Association.

He also was a banking leader beyond his rural community. In recent years, he testified to Congressional committees about the importance of local banks in farming communities, and he served as a director for the American Bankers Association, which represents almost all banking assets in the U.S.

On Monday, prosecutors said the FDIC wanted to be paid back for the insurance claims it reimbursed to bank customers. But Judge Broomes said the economic circumstances of shareholders “who became insolvent because of a fraud scheme” justified paying them back first, before the FDIC recovers anything.

Hanes, 53, may be in his late 70s when he is released and is unlikely to be able to pay the FDIC the $47.1 million still owed.

In a court filing, Hanes and his attorney tried to explain what had happened.

“Mr. Hanes made some very bad choices after being caught up in an extremely well-run cryptocurrency scam,” they said. “He was the pig that was butchered.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1716594323085.png" alt="In August, former Kansas bank CEO Shan Hanes was sentenced to 24 years after stealing $47 million from customer accounts and wiring the money to cryptocurrency accounts run by scammers.-photo Morton County" />
 <figcaption>In August, former Kansas bank CEO Shan Hanes was sentenced to 24 years after stealing $47 million from customer accounts and wiring the money to cryptocurrency accounts run by scammers.-photo Morton County</figcaption>
 </figure>EDITORS CLARIFICATION: This story was first published on Nov. 4, 2024. It was updated by the Associated Press on Nov. 22, 2024, to make clear that the U.S. attorney’s office said it is not asserting that the cryptocurrency account from which the FBI recovered the funds had ties to any specific location or country.WICHITA, KANSAS (AP) — Sobs of relief broke out in a federal courtroom in Kansas on Monday as dozens of people whose life savings had been embezzled by a bank CEO learned that federal law enforcement had recovered their money."I just can’t describe the weight lifted off of us,” said Bart Camilli, 70, who with his wife Cleo had just learned they’d recover close to $450,000 — money Bart began saving at 18 when he bought his first individual retirement account. “It’s life-changing.”In August, former Kansas bank CEO Shan Hanes was sentenced to 24 years after stealing $47 million from customer accounts and wiring the money to cryptocurrency accounts run by scammers. Prosecutors said Hanes also stole $40,000 from his church, $10,000 from an investment club and $60,000 from his daughter’s college fund and lost $1.1 million of his own in the scheme. Deposits were “jettisoned into the ether,” said prosecutor Aaron Smith.Hanes' Heartland Tri-State Bank, drained of cash, was shut down by federal regulators and sold to another financial institution. Customers’ savings and checking accounts amounting to $47.1 million were insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., which paid off their losses.But there were still 30 shareholders of the community-owned rural bank Hanes helped found — including his close family friends and neighbors — who thought they lost $8.3 million in investments: well-planned retirements were upended, funds for long-term eldercare gone, education funds and bequests for children and grandchildren zeroed out.On Monday the shareholders stood to cheer federal Judge John W. Broomes in Wichita after he told them, one at a time, that they’d be paid back in full. The FBI recovered the funds from a cryptocurrency account held by Tether Ltd.During an earlier sentencing hearing, these victims had called Hanes a “deceitful cheat and a liar,” and “pure evil.”Margaret Grice came to court Monday figuring she’d get $1,000 back. Instead, she learned she’d be recovering almost $250,000, her entire 401(k).“I’m just really thrilled,” she said. “I can breathe.”Prosecutors said Hanes, who was the CEO of Heartland Tri-State Bank in Elkhart, Kansas, lost the money in a scam referred to as “pig butchering,” or the way pigs are fattened before slaughter. In the scam, a third party gains a victims' trust and, over time, convinces them to invest all of their money into cryptocurrency, which immediately disappears. U.S. and U.N. officials say&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/cambodia-myanmar-migrants-online-scams-ebab962f236df69b1f9b7e136958e244">these schemes</a>&nbsp;are proliferating, with scammers largely in Southeast Asia increasingly taking advantage of Americans.Hanes started buying what he thought was $5,000 in cryptocurrency in late 2022, communicating with someone who had reached out on WhatsApp, according to court records. A few months later he transferred over his church and investment club funds. Records show the scam accelerated in the summer of 2023, when Hanes wired $47.1 million out of customer accounts in 11 wire transfers over just eight weeks. Each transfer, he thought, was necessary to end the investment and cash out, court records said. He watched, on a fake website, as the money appeared to grow to more than $200 million.“He was to take some of the money, and the rest of the money was supposed to go back to the bank,” his attorney John Stang explained. “Now it's fiction, it didn't exist. We all know that now ... It failed big time.”Hanes, who was not in court Monday, apologized at an earlier sentencing hearing.“From the deepest depth of my soul, I had no intention of ever causing the harm that I did," he said. ”I’ll forever struggle to understand how I was duped and how what I thought was just getting the money back was making it worse."Prosecutors said Hanes wasn’t just the victim of a scam, he crossed a line when he began taking customers' money and violating banking regulations. He pleaded guilty to embezzlement by a bank officer in May.His prominent standing in his hometown of 2,000 made it easier for him to get away with it, a&nbsp;<a href="https://oig.federalreserve.gov/reports/board-material-loss-review-heartland-tri-state-bank-feb2024.pdf">Federal Reserve System investigation</a>&nbsp;found; he had been on the school board, volunteered as a swim meet official, and served on the Kansas Bankers Association.He also was a banking leader beyond his rural community. In recent years, he testified to Congressional committees about the importance of local banks in farming communities, and he served as a director for the American Bankers Association, which represents almost all banking assets in the U.S.On Monday, prosecutors said the FDIC wanted to be paid back for the insurance claims it reimbursed to bank customers. But Judge Broomes said the economic circumstances of shareholders “who became insolvent because of a fraud scheme” justified paying them back first, before the FDIC recovers anything.Hanes, 53, may be in his late 70s when he is released and is unlikely to be able to pay the FDIC the $47.1 million still owed.In a court filing, Hanes and his attorney tried to explain what had happened.“Mr. Hanes made some very bad choices after being caught up in an extremely well-run cryptocurrency scam,” they said. “He was the pig that was butchered.”___

 Update: FBI recovers funds for victims of scammed Kan. banker

NEW YORK (AP) —Stocks closed higher on Wall Street as the market posted its fifth straight gain and the Dow Jones Industrial Average notched another record high.

The S&amp;P 500 rose 0.3%. The benchmark index’s 1.7% gain for the week erased most of its loss from last week.

The Dow rose 1% as it nudged past its most recent high set last week, and the Nasdaq composite rose 0.2%.

Markets have been volatile over the last few weeks, losing ground in the runup to elections in November, then surging following Donald Trump's victory, before falling again. The S&amp;P 500 has been steadily rising throughout this week to within close range of its record. It's now within about 0.5% of its all-time high set last week.

“Overall, market behavior has normalized following an intense few weeks,” said Mark Hackett, chief of investment research at Nationwide, in a statement.

Several retailers jumped after giving Wall Street encouraging financial updates.

Gap soared 12.8% after handily beating analysts' third-quarter earnings and revenue expectations, while raising its own revenue forecast for the year. Discount retailer Ross Stores rose 2.2% after raising its earnings forecast for the year.

EchoStar fell 2.8% after DirecTV called off its purchase of that company's Dish Network unit.

Smaller company stocks had some of the biggest gains. The Russell 2000 index rose 1.8%.

A majority of stocks in the S&amp;P 500 gained ground, but those gains were kept in check by slumps for several big technology companies.

Nvidia fell 3.2%. Its pricey valuation makes it among the heaviest influences on whether the broader market gains or loses ground. The company has grown into a nearly $3.6 trillion behemoth because of demand for its chips used in artificial-intelligence technology.

Intuit, which makes TurboTax and other accounting software, fell 5.7%. It gave investors a quarterly earnings forecast that fell short of analysts’ expectations.

Facebook owner Meta Platforms fell 0.7% following a decision by the Supreme Court to allow a multibillion-dollar class action investors’ lawsuit to proceed against the company. It stems from the privacy scandal involving the Cambridge Analytica political consulting firm.

All told, the S&amp;P 500 rose 20.63 points to 5,969.34. The Dow climbed 426.16 points to 44,296.51, and the Nasdaq picked up 42.65 points to close at 2,406.67.

European markets closed mostly higher and Asian markets ended mixed. Crude oil prices rose.

Treasury yields held relatively steady in the bond market. The yield on the 10-year Treasury fell to 4.41% from 4.42% late Thursday.

In the crypto market,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/bitcoin-crypto-trump-regulation-dogecoin-b3bdaf96e329fb90708c35c642c95e11">bitcoin</a>&nbsp;hovered around $99,000, according to CoinDesk. It has more than doubled this year and first surpassed the $99,000 level on Thursday.

Retailers remained a big focus for investors this week amid close scrutiny on consumer spending habits headed into the holiday shopping season. Walmart, the nation's largest retailer, reported a quarter of strong sales and gave investors an encouraging financial forecast. Target, though, reported weaker earnings than analysts' expected and its forecast disappointed Wall Street.

Consumer spending has fueled economic growth, despite a persistent squeeze from inflation and high borrowing costs. Inflation has been easing and the Federal Reserve has started trimming its benchmark interest rates. That is likely to help relieve pressure on consumers, but any major shift in spending could prompt the Fed to reassess its path ahead on interest rates. Also, any big reversals on the rate of inflation could curtail spending.

Consumer sentiment remains strong, according to the University of Michigan's consumer sentiment index. It revised its latest figure for November to 71.8 from an initial reading of 73 earlier this month, though economists expected a slight increase. It's still up from 70.5 in October.

The survey also showed that consumers' inflation expectations for the year ahead fell slightly to 2.6%, which is the lowest reading since December of 2020.

Wall Street will get another update on how consumers feel when the business group The Conference Board releases its monthly consumer confidence survey on Tuesday.

A key inflation update will come on Wednesday when the U.S. releases its October personal consumption expenditures index. The PCE is the Fed's preferred measure of inflation and this will be the last PCE reading prior to the central bank's meeting in December.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1722962507580.png" alt="File(AP Photo/Richard Drew)" />
 <figcaption>File(AP Photo/Richard Drew)</figcaption>
 </figure>NEW YORK (AP) —Stocks closed higher on Wall Street as the market posted its fifth straight gain and the Dow Jones Industrial Average notched another record high.The S&amp;P 500 rose 0.3%. The benchmark index’s 1.7% gain for the week erased most of its loss from last week.The Dow rose 1% as it nudged past its most recent high set last week, and the Nasdaq composite rose 0.2%.Markets have been volatile over the last few weeks, losing ground in the runup to elections in November, then surging following Donald Trump's victory, before falling again. The S&amp;P 500 has been steadily rising throughout this week to within close range of its record. It's now within about 0.5% of its all-time high set last week.“Overall, market behavior has normalized following an intense few weeks,” said Mark Hackett, chief of investment research at Nationwide, in a statement.Several retailers jumped after giving Wall Street encouraging financial updates.Gap soared 12.8% after handily beating analysts' third-quarter earnings and revenue expectations, while raising its own revenue forecast for the year. Discount retailer Ross Stores rose 2.2% after raising its earnings forecast for the year.EchoStar fell 2.8% after DirecTV called off its purchase of that company's Dish Network unit.Smaller company stocks had some of the biggest gains. The Russell 2000 index rose 1.8%.A majority of stocks in the S&amp;P 500 gained ground, but those gains were kept in check by slumps for several big technology companies.Nvidia fell 3.2%. Its pricey valuation makes it among the heaviest influences on whether the broader market gains or loses ground. The company has grown into a nearly $3.6 trillion behemoth because of demand for its chips used in artificial-intelligence technology.Intuit, which makes TurboTax and other accounting software, fell 5.7%. It gave investors a quarterly earnings forecast that fell short of analysts’ expectations.Facebook owner Meta Platforms fell 0.7% following a decision by the Supreme Court to allow a multibillion-dollar class action investors’ lawsuit to proceed against the company. It stems from the privacy scandal involving the Cambridge Analytica political consulting firm.All told, the S&amp;P 500 rose 20.63 points to 5,969.34. The Dow climbed 426.16 points to 44,296.51, and the Nasdaq picked up 42.65 points to close at 2,406.67.European markets closed mostly higher and Asian markets ended mixed. Crude oil prices rose.Treasury yields held relatively steady in the bond market. The yield on the 10-year Treasury fell to 4.41% from 4.42% late Thursday.In the crypto market,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/bitcoin-crypto-trump-regulation-dogecoin-b3bdaf96e329fb90708c35c642c95e11">bitcoin</a>&nbsp;hovered around $99,000, according to CoinDesk. It has more than doubled this year and first surpassed the $99,000 level on Thursday.Retailers remained a big focus for investors this week amid close scrutiny on consumer spending habits headed into the holiday shopping season. Walmart, the nation's largest retailer, reported a quarter of strong sales and gave investors an encouraging financial forecast. Target, though, reported weaker earnings than analysts' expected and its forecast disappointed Wall Street.Consumer spending has fueled economic growth, despite a persistent squeeze from inflation and high borrowing costs. Inflation has been easing and the Federal Reserve has started trimming its benchmark interest rates. That is likely to help relieve pressure on consumers, but any major shift in spending could prompt the Fed to reassess its path ahead on interest rates. Also, any big reversals on the rate of inflation could curtail spending.Consumer sentiment remains strong, according to the University of Michigan's consumer sentiment index. It revised its latest figure for November to 71.8 from an initial reading of 73 earlier this month, though economists expected a slight increase. It's still up from 70.5 in October.The survey also showed that consumers' inflation expectations for the year ahead fell slightly to 2.6%, which is the lowest reading since December of 2020.Wall Street will get another update on how consumers feel when the business group The Conference Board releases its monthly consumer confidence survey on Tuesday.A key inflation update will come on Wednesday when the U.S. releases its October personal consumption expenditures index. The PCE is the Fed's preferred measure of inflation and this will be the last PCE reading prior to the central bank's meeting in December.

Wall Street notches a winning week and another Dow record

KANSAS CITY —A small fire did not ruin the holiday activities on Friday at Union Station in Kansas City.

Just before 8a.m. Friday, crews responded to a reported building fire at 30 W. Pershing Road, according to Battalion Chief Michael Hopkins.

&nbsp;The calling party stated black smoke from the lower levels and out of the HVAC system.

Companies were able to find, isolate and extinguish a fire in an air handling unit. Companies remained on scene attempting to evacuate the smoke. Maintenance shut down the air handling system to prevent further smoke movement. The fire was in a unit on the roof of Science City.&nbsp;

KCFD continued working to remove smoke from Union Station. Due to the size of the structure this is an enormous undertaking, according to Hopkins.&nbsp; Building maintenance has removed a window on an upper floor and was using high powered fans to create positive pressure and remove the smoke.&nbsp; There were no injuries.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/11/1732307786791.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —A small fire did not ruin the holiday activities on Friday at Union Station in Kansas City.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Important Update: Extreme Screen showtimes of Christmas Vacation at 12:30 pm and 4:00 pm today have been canceled to allow for the Extreme Screen&#39;s interior lobby and back-of-house areas to be cleared from a small and unexpected water intrusion. Our current plan is to reopen in… <a href="https://t.co/sZHkRFBZqY">https://t.co/sZHkRFBZqY</a>&mdash; Union Station KC (@UnionStationKC) <a href="https://twitter.com/UnionStationKC/status/1860021776350134425?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 22, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div> Just before 8a.m. Friday, crews responded to a reported building fire at 30 W. Pershing Road, according to Battalion Chief Michael Hopkins.&nbsp;The calling party stated black smoke from the lower levels and out of the HVAC system.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/11/1732307499074.png" alt="Fire crews inside Union Station on Friday photo courtesy KCTV" />
 <figcaption>Fire crews inside Union Station on Friday photo courtesy KCTV</figcaption>
 </figure>Companies were able to find, isolate and extinguish a fire in an air handling unit. Companies remained on scene attempting to evacuate the smoke. Maintenance shut down the air handling system to prevent further smoke movement. The fire was in a unit on the roof of Science City.&nbsp;KCFD continued working to remove smoke from Union Station. Due to the size of the structure this is an enormous undertaking, according to Hopkins.&nbsp; Building maintenance has removed a window on an upper floor and was using high powered fans to create positive pressure and remove the smoke.&nbsp; There were no injuries.

KCFD crews cleared smoke from Union Station after fire at Science City

NEW YORK (AP) —The NFL issued a security alert to teams and the players’ union on Thursday&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/chiefs-mahomes-kelce-homes-break-ins-f62b0778066f9f3bf0c196019118a42a">following recent burglaries</a>&nbsp;involving the homes of Chiefs stars Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce.

The NBA is also urging its players to take additional precautions to secure their homes following reports of recent high-profile burglaries of dwellings owned by&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/BPortistime/status/1853162557063803023">Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;Minnesota Timberwolves guard Mike Conley Jr.&nbsp;

In a memo obtained by The Associated Press, the NFL says homes of professional athletes across multiple sports have become “increasingly targeted for burglaries by organized and skilled groups.”

Law enforcement officials noted these groups target the homes on days the athletes have games. Players were told to take precautions and implement home security measures to reduce the risk of being targeted.

Some of the burglary groups have conducted extensive surveillance on targets, including attempted home deliveries and posing as grounds maintenance or joggers in the neighborhood.

Burglars have entered through side doors, via balconies, or second-floor windows. They’ve targeted homes in secluded areas and focus on master bedrooms and closet areas.

Players were warned to avoid updating any social media with check-ins or daily activities until the end of the day. Posting expensive items on social media is discouraged.

The homes of Mahomes and Kelce were broken into within days of each other last month, law enforcement reports show. The break-ins happened just before and the day of Kansas City’s 26-13 home victory over the New Orleans Saints on Oct. 7, where Kelce’s superstar girlfriend Taylor Swift watched from the stands. No injuries were reported in either case.

Conley's home was broken into on Sept. 15 when he was at a Minnesota Vikings game and jewelry was taken, officials told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. Portis said his home was broken into on Nov. 2 and has offered a $40,000 reward for information related to the incident.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/9/1695261614994.jpeg" alt="File(AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack).jpg" />
 <figcaption>File(AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack).jpg</figcaption>
 </figure>NEW YORK (AP) —The NFL issued a security alert to teams and the players’ union on Thursday&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/chiefs-mahomes-kelce-homes-break-ins-f62b0778066f9f3bf0c196019118a42a">following recent burglaries</a>&nbsp;involving the homes of Chiefs stars Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce.The NBA is also urging its players to take additional precautions to secure their homes following reports of recent high-profile burglaries of dwellings owned by&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/BPortistime/status/1853162557063803023">Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;Minnesota Timberwolves guard Mike Conley Jr.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/11/1732291591919.png" alt="" />
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 </figure><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Appreciate all the support after the home invasion at my property. I am offering a $40,000 reward for any info that directly leads to the return of my items. Please send any tips to info@bobbyportis.com <a href="https://t.co/gJxUYJUqkB">https://t.co/gJxUYJUqkB</a> <a href="https://t.co/BQ8SBkggDO">pic.twitter.com/BQ8SBkggDO</a>&mdash; Bobby BP Portis (@BPortistime) <a href="https://twitter.com/BPortistime/status/1854329232639320182?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 7, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>In a memo obtained by The Associated Press, the NFL says homes of professional athletes across multiple sports have become “increasingly targeted for burglaries by organized and skilled groups.”Law enforcement officials noted these groups target the homes on days the athletes have games. Players were told to take precautions and implement home security measures to reduce the risk of being targeted.Some of the burglary groups have conducted extensive surveillance on targets, including attempted home deliveries and posing as grounds maintenance or joggers in the neighborhood.Burglars have entered through side doors, via balconies, or second-floor windows. They’ve targeted homes in secluded areas and focus on master bedrooms and closet areas.Players were warned to avoid updating any social media with check-ins or daily activities until the end of the day. Posting expensive items on social media is discouraged.The homes of Mahomes and Kelce were broken into within days of each other last month, law enforcement reports show. The break-ins happened just before and the day of Kansas City’s 26-13 home victory over the New Orleans Saints on Oct. 7, where Kelce’s superstar girlfriend Taylor Swift watched from the stands. No injuries were reported in either case.Conley's home was broken into on Sept. 15 when he was at a Minnesota Vikings game and jewelry was taken, officials told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. Portis said his home was broken into on Nov. 2 and has offered a $40,000 reward for information related to the incident.&nbsp;The NBA memo, relaying information from the FBI, said the theft rings “are primarily focused on cash and items that can be resold on the black market, such as jewelry, watches, and luxury bags.”The NBA, which has also been giving guidance to team security personnel, recommended that players install updated alarm systems with cameras and utilize them whenever leaving the home, keeping valuables in locked and secured safes, remove online real estate listings that may show interior photos of a home, “utilize protective guard services” during extended trips from the home and even suggested having dogs assist with home protection.“Obviously, it’s frustrating, disappointing, but I can’t get into too many of the details because the investigation is still ongoing,” Mahomes recently said. “But, obviously, something you don’t want to happen to anybody, but obviously yourself.”One of the break-ins involving the Chiefs players happened on a game day — Oct. 7 — and Portis was also playing a game when his home was robbed.“They took most of my prized possessions,” Portis said.