JACKSON COUNTY —In the wake of shootings at Union Station on Feb. 14, the Jackson County Prosecutor's Office will hold a free counseling session Wednesday from 3 to 6 p.m. at the Ennovation Center in Independence, according to Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker.

The Ennovation Center is conveniently located with parking at 201 N. Forest Avenue, Suite 120, in Independence, Missouri.&nbsp;

The prosecutor's office continue to maintain a hotline number for persons who want to call and talk to someone. The hotline number is 816-881-1540.

In addition, persons are encouraged to call 816-234-5043 to report to KCPD injuries other than from gunshot.&nbsp;

The prosecutor's office initiated these counseling sessions quickly after the shootings at Union Station following the rally and parade on Feb. 14. 

Since then, numerous churches, non-profit service providers and staff from the prosecutor's office have joined to help to bring counseling and some comfort to persons impacted emotionally by the tragic violence at the public event. The prosecutor's office extends its gratitude to all who have helped make these sessions valuable.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/2/1708018810884.jpeg" alt="File photo Emergency medical technicians walk around the scene following the Kansas City Chiefs victory parade, rally shooting Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2024.&nbsp; (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)." />
 <figcaption>File photo Emergency medical technicians walk around the scene following the Kansas City Chiefs victory parade, rally shooting Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2024.&nbsp; (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel).</figcaption>
 </figure>JACKSON COUNTY —In the wake of shootings at Union Station on Feb. 14, the Jackson County Prosecutor's Office will hold a free counseling session Wednesday from 3 to 6 p.m. at the Ennovation Center in Independence, according to Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker.The Ennovation Center is conveniently located with parking at 201 N. Forest Avenue, Suite 120, in Independence, Missouri.&nbsp;The prosecutor's office continue to maintain a hotline number for persons who want to call and talk to someone. The hotline number is 816-881-1540.In addition, persons are encouraged to call 816-234-5043 to report to KCPD injuries other than from gunshot.&nbsp;The prosecutor's office initiated these counseling sessions quickly after the shootings at Union Station following the rally and parade on Feb. 14. Since then, numerous churches, non-profit service providers and staff from the prosecutor's office have joined to help to bring counseling and some comfort to persons impacted emotionally by the tragic violence at the public event. The prosecutor's office extends its gratitude to all who have helped make these sessions valuable.&nbsp;

More free counseling offered in the wake of Chiefs rally shooting

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A rocket exploded late Tuesday night off the side of a ship traveling through the Red Sea off the coast of Yemen, authorities said, the latest suspected attack to be carried out by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/houthis">Yemen's Houthi rebels</a>.

The attack comes as the Houthis continue a series of assaults at sea over&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war">Israel's war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip</a>&nbsp;and as the U.S. and its allies launch airstrikes trying to stop them.

The British military's United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center, which oversees shipping in the Mideast, reported the attack happened about 110 kilometers (70 miles) off the coast of the Houthi-held port city of Hodeida. The rocket exploded several miles off the bow of the vessel, it said.

“The crew and vessel are reported to be safe and are proceeding to next port of call,” the UKMTO said.

The private security firm Ambrey reported that the vessel targeted appeared to be a Marshall Islands-flagged, Greek-owned bulk carrier in the area at the time. Another ship, a Panama-flagged, Emirati-owned chemical tanker was nearby as well, Ambrey said.

The Associated Press could not immediately identify the vessels involved.

The Houthis typically take several hours to claim their assaults and have not yet done so for the assault late Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the U.S. military's Central Command said an American and an allied warship shot down five Houthi bomb-carrying drones in the Red Sea on Tuesday night.

The drones originated “from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen and (it was) determined they presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels and to the U.S. Navy and coalition ships in the region,” Central Command said in a statement.

Since November, the rebels have repeatedly targeted ships in the Red Sea and surrounding waters over the Israel-Hamas war. Those vessels have included&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/yemen-ship-missile-houthi-rebels-attack-bab-elmandeb-strait-999b911c916f9266c07a6d29cc020e9e">at least one with cargo for Iran</a>, the Houthis’ main benefactor, and an aid ship later bound for Houthi-controlled territory.

Despite over a month of U.S.-led airstrikes,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/yemen-attacks-iran-ships-retaliation-houthis-d770a3fb0fab4c4b72e2459771833e11">Houthi rebels remain capable</a>&nbsp;of launching significant attacks. Last week,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/yemen-houthi-red-sea-israel-hamas-6ac2a1bf5032ed0531258816907cfe2c">they severely damaged a ship in a crucial strait and downed an American drone</a>&nbsp;worth tens of millions of dollars. The Houthis insist their attacks will continue until Israel stops its combat operations in the Gaza Strip, which have enraged the wider Arab world and seen the Houthis gain international recognition.

On Saturday, Central Command said a Houthi attack on a Belize-flagged ship on Feb. 18 caused an 18-mile (29-kilometer) oil slick and warned of the danger of a spill from the vessel’s cargo of fertilizer. The Rubymar, a British-registered, Lebanese-operated cargo vessel,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/yemen-houthi-rebels-attack-israel-hamas-war-gaza-67cf1acc17f4e17d04075a99688e4da8">was attacked while sailing through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait</a>&nbsp;that connects the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

The Houthis, a Zaydi Shiite group, seized Yemen’s capital in 2014 and have battled a Saudi-led coalition since 2015. Their Zaydi people ran a 1,000-year kingdom in Yemen up until 1962.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1703418619283.png" alt="Photo U.S. Central Command" />
 <figcaption>Photo U.S. Central Command</figcaption>
 </figure>DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A rocket exploded late Tuesday night off the side of a ship traveling through the Red Sea off the coast of Yemen, authorities said, the latest suspected attack to be carried out by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/houthis">Yemen's Houthi rebels</a>.The attack comes as the Houthis continue a series of assaults at sea over&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war">Israel's war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip</a>&nbsp;and as the U.S. and its allies launch airstrikes trying to stop them.The British military's United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center, which oversees shipping in the Mideast, reported the attack happened about 110 kilometers (70 miles) off the coast of the Houthi-held port city of Hodeida. The rocket exploded several miles off the bow of the vessel, it said.“The crew and vessel are reported to be safe and are proceeding to next port of call,” the UKMTO said.The private security firm Ambrey reported that the vessel targeted appeared to be a Marshall Islands-flagged, Greek-owned bulk carrier in the area at the time. Another ship, a Panama-flagged, Emirati-owned chemical tanker was nearby as well, Ambrey said.The Associated Press could not immediately identify the vessels involved.The Houthis typically take several hours to claim their assaults and have not yet done so for the assault late Tuesday.Meanwhile, the U.S. military's Central Command said an American and an allied warship shot down five Houthi bomb-carrying drones in the Red Sea on Tuesday night.The drones originated “from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen and (it was) determined they presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels and to the U.S. Navy and coalition ships in the region,” Central Command said in a statement.Since November, the rebels have repeatedly targeted ships in the Red Sea and surrounding waters over the Israel-Hamas war. Those vessels have included&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/yemen-ship-missile-houthi-rebels-attack-bab-elmandeb-strait-999b911c916f9266c07a6d29cc020e9e">at least one with cargo for Iran</a>, the Houthis’ main benefactor, and an aid ship later bound for Houthi-controlled territory.Despite over a month of U.S.-led airstrikes,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/yemen-attacks-iran-ships-retaliation-houthis-d770a3fb0fab4c4b72e2459771833e11">Houthi rebels remain capable</a>&nbsp;of launching significant attacks. Last week,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/yemen-houthi-red-sea-israel-hamas-6ac2a1bf5032ed0531258816907cfe2c">they severely damaged a ship in a crucial strait and downed an American drone</a>&nbsp;worth tens of millions of dollars. The Houthis insist their attacks will continue until Israel stops its combat operations in the Gaza Strip, which have enraged the wider Arab world and seen the Houthis gain international recognition.On Saturday, Central Command said a Houthi attack on a Belize-flagged ship on Feb. 18 caused an 18-mile (29-kilometer) oil slick and warned of the danger of a spill from the vessel’s cargo of fertilizer. The Rubymar, a British-registered, Lebanese-operated cargo vessel,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/yemen-houthi-rebels-attack-israel-hamas-war-gaza-67cf1acc17f4e17d04075a99688e4da8">was attacked while sailing through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait</a>&nbsp;that connects the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.The Houthis, a Zaydi Shiite group, seized Yemen’s capital in 2014 and have battled a Saudi-led coalition since 2015. Their Zaydi people ran a 1,000-year kingdom in Yemen up until 1962.

U.S. warship shot down 5 bomb-carrying drones in Red Sea

LANSING, Mich. (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;easily won their party’s primaries in Michigan, but Tuesday’s results showed that both candidates have cause for concern in their bid to to win the swing state in November.

An “uncommitted” vote in Michigan's Democratic primary was the first indication of how backlash over President Biden's handling of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war">Israel-Hamas war</a>&nbsp;in Gaza might impact his reelection campaign. Trump won his primary by a large margin, but support for rival Nikki Haley once again showed that some Republican voters may have misgivings about giving the former president another four years in the general election.

Biden, Trump each move closer to party's nomination

Michigan was the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/ap-michigan-election-2024-results">last major primary state before</a>&nbsp;Super Tuesday, and both sides were watching closely for implications for the November general election in one of the few genuine swing states left in the country.

Biden has now cruised to victories over lesser known candidates in South Carolina, Nevada and New Hampshire, which he won in a write-in campaign. Tuesday's results show that his standing is still strong in Michigan, which Biden returned to the Democratic column in 2020.

Trump has swept all five of the early state contests, including South Carolina, the home state of rival Haley. He now heads into Super Tuesday, when 15 states and one territory hold Republican nominating contests, as the overwhelming favorite to lock up the Republican nomination.

Michigan was one of three&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-joe-biden-virus-outbreak-wisconsin-pennsylvania-27d3205028e5e43fa0031913c40b0b7d">so-called blue wall</a>&nbsp;states, including Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, that Trump won in 2016. He predicted a big win beforehand.

Just 16 of Michigan’s 55 Republican presidential delegates will be determined by the primary results, while the remaining delegates will be allocated during a March 2 convention. Trump’s anticipated dominance at the state convention, where grassroots activists will play a key role, will decide the allocation of the remaining 39 GOP delegates.

Some Democrats express anger over Gaza with ‘uncommitted’ vote

Michigan has become the focal point of Democratic frustration regarding the White House’s actions in the Israel-Hamas conflict. It has the largest concentration of Arab Americans in the nation.

That anger came through loud and clear on Tuesday as some voters marked “uncommitted” on their ballot in the Democratic primary. Biden still dominated the primary, but the result could be a concern in a state he won by less than 3% in 2020 and likely can’t afford to lose this year.

Organizers of the “uncommitted” movement had purposely kept expectations low, having only seriously begun their push a few weeks ago. The “Listen to Michigan” campaign that organized the push said they were hoping for 10,000 votes, pointing to Trump’s win of less than 11,000 votes in 2016 to show the significance of that number.

When Barack Obama ran for reelection in 2012, the last time a Democratic presidential incumbent sought re-election, the “uncommitted” option received close to 21,000 votes — or 11 percentage points.

The “uncommitted” vote totals would need to be between 20 and 30 percentage points for Democrats to worry about their impact in November, said Richard Czuba, a pollster who has long tracked Michigan politics.

“Twenty percent gets my attention. If it rises to 25%, that gets a lot more attention and if it rises above 30%, I think that’s a signal that Joe Biden has pretty substantial issues in his base,” said Czuba.

Much of the “uncommitted” vote was expected to come from the east side of the state, in communities such as Dearborn and Hamtramck, where Arab Americans represent close to half of the population. Biden won Dearborn by a roughly 3-to-1 advantage in 2020 and Hamtramck by a 5 to 1 margin.

Despite Trump's clear victory in Michigan, Haley still saw significant support from the swing state's Republicans.

Some of her best results came in Oakland and Kent counties, where Democrats have been gaining ground in recent years, contributing to their recent statewide success. She also performed better in counties where the state’s largest universities are located, Washtenaw and Ingham counties.

Trump has dominated in primaries with help from his base but his strength among&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/election-2024">general election</a>&nbsp;voters remains unclear. The former president has appeared in Michigan regularly in the eight years since he became president, while Haley only began stumping in the state over the weekend.

AP VoteCast reveals that a large portion of Trump’s opposition within the Republican primaries has come from voters who abandoned him before this year.

All three statewide Republican candidates that Trump endorsed in the 2022 midterms were crushed by Democratic incumbents.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/2/1709081885197.png" alt="An “uncommitted” vote in Michigan's Democratic primary was the first indication of how backlash over President Biden's handling of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war">Israel-Hamas war</a>&nbsp;in Gaza might impact his reelection campaign-image from video on Biden campaign social media page." />
 <figcaption>An “uncommitted” vote in Michigan's Democratic primary was the first indication of how backlash over President Biden's handling of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war">Israel-Hamas war</a>&nbsp;in Gaza might impact his reelection campaign-image from video on Biden campaign social media page.</figcaption>
 </figure>LANSING, Mich. (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;easily won their party’s primaries in Michigan, but Tuesday’s results showed that both candidates have cause for concern in their bid to to win the swing state in November.An “uncommitted” vote in Michigan's Democratic primary was the first indication of how backlash over President Biden's handling of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war">Israel-Hamas war</a>&nbsp;in Gaza might impact his reelection campaign. Trump won his primary by a large margin, but support for rival Nikki Haley once again showed that some Republican voters may have misgivings about giving the former president another four years in the general election.Here are some takeaways from Michigan:Biden, Trump each move closer to party's nominationMichigan was the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/ap-michigan-election-2024-results">last major primary state before</a>&nbsp;Super Tuesday, and both sides were watching closely for implications for the November general election in one of the few genuine swing states left in the country.Biden has now cruised to victories over lesser known candidates in South Carolina, Nevada and New Hampshire, which he won in a write-in campaign. Tuesday's results show that his standing is still strong in Michigan, which Biden returned to the Democratic column in 2020.Trump has swept all five of the early state contests, including South Carolina, the home state of rival Haley. He now heads into Super Tuesday, when 15 states and one territory hold Republican nominating contests, as the overwhelming favorite to lock up the Republican nomination.Michigan was one of three&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-joe-biden-virus-outbreak-wisconsin-pennsylvania-27d3205028e5e43fa0031913c40b0b7d">so-called blue wall</a>&nbsp;states, including Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, that Trump won in 2016. He predicted a big win beforehand.Just 16 of Michigan’s 55 Republican presidential delegates will be determined by the primary results, while the remaining delegates will be allocated during a March 2 convention. Trump’s anticipated dominance at the state convention, where grassroots activists will play a key role, will decide the allocation of the remaining 39 GOP delegates.Some Democrats express anger over Gaza with ‘uncommitted’ voteMichigan has become the focal point of Democratic frustration regarding the White House’s actions in the Israel-Hamas conflict. It has the largest concentration of Arab Americans in the nation.That anger came through loud and clear on Tuesday as some voters marked “uncommitted” on their ballot in the Democratic primary. Biden still dominated the primary, but the result could be a concern in a state he won by less than 3% in 2020 and likely can’t afford to lose this year.Organizers of the “uncommitted” movement had purposely kept expectations low, having only seriously begun their push a few weeks ago. The “Listen to Michigan” campaign that organized the push said they were hoping for 10,000 votes, pointing to Trump’s win of less than 11,000 votes in 2016 to show the significance of that number.When Barack Obama ran for reelection in 2012, the last time a Democratic presidential incumbent sought re-election, the “uncommitted” option received close to 21,000 votes — or 11 percentage points.The “uncommitted” vote totals would need to be between 20 and 30 percentage points for Democrats to worry about their impact in November, said Richard Czuba, a pollster who has long tracked Michigan politics.“Twenty percent gets my attention. If it rises to 25%, that gets a lot more attention and if it rises above 30%, I think that’s a signal that Joe Biden has pretty substantial issues in his base,” said Czuba.Much of the “uncommitted” vote was expected to come from the east side of the state, in communities such as Dearborn and Hamtramck, where Arab Americans represent close to half of the population. Biden won Dearborn by a roughly 3-to-1 advantage in 2020 and Hamtramck by a 5 to 1 margin.Some Republicans still oppose TrumpDespite Trump's clear victory in Michigan, Haley still saw significant support from the swing state's Republicans.Some of her best results came in Oakland and Kent counties, where Democrats have been gaining ground in recent years, contributing to their recent statewide success. She also performed better in counties where the state’s largest universities are located, Washtenaw and Ingham counties.Trump has dominated in primaries with help from his base but his strength among&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/election-2024">general election</a>&nbsp;voters remains unclear. The former president has appeared in Michigan regularly in the eight years since he became president, while Haley only began stumping in the state over the weekend.AP VoteCast reveals that a large portion of Trump’s opposition within the Republican primaries has come from voters who abandoned him before this year.All three statewide Republican candidates that Trump endorsed in the 2022 midterms were crushed by Democratic incumbents.

Trump, Biden win Michigan primary but both face warning signs

SEDGWICK COUNTY—A Kansas man will go to prison for a fatal Kansas crash after he entered a plea deal in the case.

On Friday, 27- year-old Dalton Jones of Wichita agreed to serve 12 months in jail with work release authorized, pay a $2,500 fine and pay restitution in the amount of $10,832.97, according to the Sedgwick County District attorney's office.&nbsp;In January, he pled guilty to one count of vehicular homicide.

Just before 6a.m. October 27, 2022, a vehicle driven by 70-year-old Paula McKinney was westbound on 53rd Street at N Air Cap Drive when she attempted to turn left into a convenience store, according to Park City Police.

A vehicle driven by Jones was eastbound traveling 82mph in a 40mph zone, according to court documents, when McKinney turned in front of Jones.

EMS transported both McKinney and Jones to a local hospital. McKinney was pronounced dead from her injuries.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/2/1708787087163.png" alt="Jones-photo Sedgwick Co." />
 <figcaption>Jones-photo Sedgwick Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY—A Kansas man will go to prison for a fatal Kansas crash after he entered a plea deal in the case.On Friday, 27- year-old Dalton Jones of Wichita agreed to serve 12 months in jail with work release authorized, pay a $2,500 fine and pay restitution in the amount of $10,832.97, according to the Sedgwick County District attorney's office.&nbsp;In January, he pled guilty to one count of vehicular homicide.Just before 6a.m. October 27, 2022, a vehicle driven by 70-year-old Paula McKinney was westbound on 53rd Street at N Air Cap Drive when she attempted to turn left into a convenience store, according to Park City Police.A vehicle driven by Jones was eastbound traveling 82mph in a 40mph zone, according to court documents, when McKinney turned in front of Jones.EMS transported both McKinney and Jones to a local hospital. McKinney was pronounced dead from her injuries.&nbsp;

Kan. man was traveling 82mph in a 40mph zone in fatal crash

CHASE COUNTY— Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect on drug allegations after a traffic stop.

On Feb. 22, deputies stopped a vehicle for speeding on Highway 50, just east of Saffordville, nine miles east of Strong City, according to a media release. The investigation led to a search.

Inside the vehicle deputies found 10 pounds of marijuana, materials for growing marijuana, chemicals used to process marijuana for oil, and two firearms.

Deputies arrested a 47-year-old Seth Kindt Florida man on requested charges of possession with intent to distribute marijuana, possession with intent to manufacture/cultivate marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, criminal use of weapons, and no Kansas Drug Tax stamp.

His passenger, 75-year-old Duff Kindt from Ohio was also arrested on requested charges of possession with intent to distribute marijuana, possession with intent to manufacture/cultivate marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, and no Kansas drug tax stamp.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/2/1708964979899.png" alt="Kindt-photo Chase Co. jail" />
 <figcaption>Kindt-photo Chase Co. jail</figcaption>
 </figure>CHASE COUNTY— Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect on drug allegations after a traffic stop.On Feb. 22, deputies stopped a vehicle for speeding on Highway 50, just east of Saffordville, nine miles east of Strong City, according to a media release. The investigation led to a search.Inside the vehicle deputies found 10 pounds of marijuana, materials for growing marijuana, chemicals used to process marijuana for oil, and two firearms.Deputies arrested a 47-year-old Seth Kindt Florida man on requested charges of possession with intent to distribute marijuana, possession with intent to manufacture/cultivate marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, criminal use of weapons, and no Kansas Drug Tax stamp.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/2/1708965912237.png" alt="Duff Kindt-photo Osage Co." />
 <figcaption>Duff Kindt-photo Osage Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>His passenger, 75-year-old Duff Kindt from Ohio was also arrested on requested charges of possession with intent to distribute marijuana, possession with intent to manufacture/cultivate marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, and no Kansas drug tax stamp.

Florida man caught with 10 pounds of pot, guns during Kan. traffic stop

NEW YORK (AP) — Seated in a courtroom witness box, Don Henley opened a large brown envelope Tuesday and paged through the aging yellow sheets of a legal pad.

“Well, it's got two song titles written on the top,” he explained when asked what it contained. “'After the Thrill is Gone' and ‘One of These Nights.’”

Then came another envelope and pad, and another, and one more. They bore 1970s drafts of lyrics to two other Eagles hits, “The Long Run" and "The Sad Cafe," in what Henley identified as his handwriting and occasionally that of band co-founder Glenn Frey.

It was the first glimpse in court of some of the physical pages at the heart of a trial involving&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hotel-california-lyrics-manuscript-trial-eagles-henley-973e74e795416821e6f022895b47b78e">handwritten drafts of lyrics</a>&nbsp;to several Eagles songs, including the megahit “Hotel California," and Henley's decade-long effort to reclaim the documents.

After spending Monday&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/henley-hotel-california-lyrics-trial-eagles-aa5300708de790099f9f7d0ba3b8afcf">telling the New York court</a>&nbsp;about topics ranging from Eagles songwriting to his&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/don-henley-eagles-hotel-california-sex-worker-dae5d3c41ae5ad1071a06dbc74a957d7">past personal troubles</a>, the Eagles co-founder underwent further questioning Tuesday from lawyers for three collectibles experts who are on trial.

Henley was asked about the writing of "Hotel California" and how he didn't notice for decades that the handwritten pages were missing. He was also asked about his past cocaine use — retorting that he was no “drug-filled zombie” — and even about a $96 limousine bill from 1973.

He continued to insist that he never voluntarily gave up handwritten sheets from the Eagles’ 1976 release “Hotel California," the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/3c0b39a1bb5b4e44aafe2c4e05a4b67f">third-best-selling album ever</a>&nbsp;in the U.S.

“I believed that my property was stolen,” Henley said.

The album produced one of rock's most enduring hits, the song “Hotel California,” credited to Frey, Henley and guitarist Don Felder. Henley recalled that Felder provided a “very basic” tape with guitar chords and a drum-machine beat. Frey and Henley worked from that to craft the lyrics and three guitarists — “four, if you count the bass” — contributed, Henley said.

A prosecutor objected that the questions weren't relevant, but Judge Curtis Farber let them continue.

“I don’t know the relevance, but it’s interesting,” the judge said to laughter from the courtroom audience.

The defendants — Edward Kosinski, Craig Inciardi and Glenn Horowitz — are charged with scheming to conceal the lyrics pages' disputed ownership and sell them despite knowing that Henley claimed they had no right. The defendants have pleaded not guilty to charges including conspiracy to criminally possess stolen property.

They're not accused of actually stealing the roughly 100 legal-pad sheets. Horowitz bought them in 2005 from writer Ed Sanders, who had worked with the Eagles decades earlier on a band&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hotel-california-lyrics-manuscript-trial-eagles-henley-1b873edc7596bb736428fbf8fb431c1d">biography that never got published</a>. Horowitz later sold the documents to Inciardi and Kosinski, who then put some pages up for auction.

Sanders, who hasn't responded to messages about the case, isn't charged with any crime.

Henley bought back four pages of “Hotel California” song lyrics in 2012. He also went to authorities at the time, and again when more pages — some from the hit “Life in the Fast Lane” — turned up for sale in 2014 and 2016.

At the trial, Henley has testified that Sanders had no permission to keep or sell the pages, though he was allowed to view them in the course of writing the book.

“Mr. Sanders kept it in his residence, his garage, for 30 years, and then it was up for sale on the internet. I believed that that was a crime,” Henley told the court Tuesday.

He testified Monday that he didn't give permission for the “very personal, very private” lyrics drafts to be removed from his property in Malibu, California, though he acknowledged that he didn't recall the entirety of his conversations with the writer in the late 1970s and early '80s.

In a tape of a 1980 phone call that was played Monday in court, Henley said he'd “try to dig through” his lyrics drafts in order to aid Sanders' book.

Asked about the recording, Henley said he was talking about affording the writer “access. It’s not giving, it’s not gifting.”

Defense lawyers have sought to show that the Eagles provided Sanders with copious insider material. Attorney Scott Edelman pointed to the 1973 car-service receipt, which authorities said they found when searching Sanders' home.

Someone typed “Don Henley's offending limousine bill” on the slip, and Henley filled the margins with hand-written comments, according to testimony. The jottings weren't read aloud in court.

The defense also has tried to raise doubts about how clearly Henley remembers whatever he told Sanders during the book project, which spanned a tumultuous and fast-living period in Henley's past.

The Eagles broke up in 1980, and he was arrested that year after authorities said they found a 16-year-old girl naked and suffering from a drug overdose in his Los Angeles home. He later wrote to a probation officer that “my environment has led me to accept drugs as part of everyday life,” according to a letter presented in court. "

“Cocaine, by inducing feelings of confidence and even delusions of grandeur, gave me the courage I sometimes lacked to write songs and put my innermost feelings and emotions on public display,” Henley wrote in the undated letter in which he said he was giving up drugs. He had been sentenced to probation and a $2,500 fine after pleading no contest to a misdemeanor charge of contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

“Isn’t it a fact, sir, that you were using a significant amount of cocaine prior to the November (1980 arrest)?" Edelman asked.

“Significant?” Henley replied. “You know, ‘sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll’ is not revelatory.”

He said he used cocaine “intermittently” throughout the 1970s, but was always lucid when performing or doing business.

“If I was some sort of a drug-filled zombie, I couldn’t have accomplished everything I accomplished before 1980 and after 1980,” Henley said.

NEW YORK (AP) — Don Henley resumed testifying Tuesday in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hotel-california-lyrics-manuscript-trial-eagles-henley-973e74e795416821e6f022895b47b78e">a trial over handwritten drafts of lyrics</a>&nbsp;to some of the Eagles' biggest hits, including “Hotel California," and his decade-long effort to reclaim the pages.

After spending Monday&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/henley-hotel-california-lyrics-trial-eagles-aa5300708de790099f9f7d0ba3b8afcf">telling the New York court</a>&nbsp;about topics ranging from Eagles songwriting to his&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/don-henley-eagles-hotel-california-sex-worker-dae5d3c41ae5ad1071a06dbc74a957d7">past personal troubles</a>, the Eagles co-founder underwent further questioning Tuesday from lawyers for the three men on trial in the case.

Edward Kosinski, Craig Inciardi and Glenn Horowitz are charged with scheming to conceal the pages' disputed ownership and sell them despite knowing that Henley claimed they had no right. The defendants have pleaded not guilty to charges including conspiracy to criminally possess stolen property.

They're not charged with actually stealing the roughly 100 legal-pad sheets from the development of the Eagles' 1976 release “Hotel California," the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/3c0b39a1bb5b4e44aafe2c4e05a4b67f">third-best-selling album ever</a>&nbsp;in the U.S. The sheets include drafts of the words to the song “Hotel California,” one of rock's most enduring hits.

Horowitz bought the pages in 2005 from writer Ed Sanders, who worked with the Eagles decades earlier on a band&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hotel-california-lyrics-manuscript-trial-eagles-henley-1b873edc7596bb736428fbf8fb431c1d">biography that never got published</a>. Horowitz later sold the the documents to Inciardi and Kosinski, who then put some pages up for auction.

Sanders isn't charged with any crime. He hasn't responded to messages about the case.

“I believed that my property was stolen, Mr. Sanders kept it in his residence, his garage, for 30 years, and then it was up for sale on the internet. I believed that that was a crime,” Henley told the court Tuesday.

In a tape Monday of a 1980 phone call that was played Monday in court, Henley said he'd “try to dig through” his lyrics drafts in order to aid Sanders' book.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/2/1708429319229.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>NEW YORK (AP) — Seated in a courtroom witness box, Don Henley opened a large brown envelope Tuesday and paged through the aging yellow sheets of a legal pad.“Well, it's got two song titles written on the top,” he explained when asked what it contained. “'After the Thrill is Gone' and ‘One of These Nights.’”Then came another envelope and pad, and another, and one more. They bore 1970s drafts of lyrics to two other Eagles hits, “The Long Run" and "The Sad Cafe," in what Henley identified as his handwriting and occasionally that of band co-founder Glenn Frey.It was the first glimpse in court of some of the physical pages at the heart of a trial involving&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hotel-california-lyrics-manuscript-trial-eagles-henley-973e74e795416821e6f022895b47b78e">handwritten drafts of lyrics</a>&nbsp;to several Eagles songs, including the megahit “Hotel California," and Henley's decade-long effort to reclaim the documents.After spending Monday&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/henley-hotel-california-lyrics-trial-eagles-aa5300708de790099f9f7d0ba3b8afcf">telling the New York court</a>&nbsp;about topics ranging from Eagles songwriting to his&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/don-henley-eagles-hotel-california-sex-worker-dae5d3c41ae5ad1071a06dbc74a957d7">past personal troubles</a>, the Eagles co-founder underwent further questioning Tuesday from lawyers for three collectibles experts who are on trial.Henley was asked about the writing of "Hotel California" and how he didn't notice for decades that the handwritten pages were missing. He was also asked about his past cocaine use — retorting that he was no “drug-filled zombie” — and even about a $96 limousine bill from 1973.He continued to insist that he never voluntarily gave up handwritten sheets from the Eagles’ 1976 release “Hotel California," the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/3c0b39a1bb5b4e44aafe2c4e05a4b67f">third-best-selling album ever</a>&nbsp;in the U.S.“I believed that my property was stolen,” Henley said.The album produced one of rock's most enduring hits, the song “Hotel California,” credited to Frey, Henley and guitarist Don Felder. Henley recalled that Felder provided a “very basic” tape with guitar chords and a drum-machine beat. Frey and Henley worked from that to craft the lyrics and three guitarists — “four, if you count the bass” — contributed, Henley said.A prosecutor objected that the questions weren't relevant, but Judge Curtis Farber let them continue.“I don’t know the relevance, but it’s interesting,” the judge said to laughter from the courtroom audience.The defendants — Edward Kosinski, Craig Inciardi and Glenn Horowitz — are charged with scheming to conceal the lyrics pages' disputed ownership and sell them despite knowing that Henley claimed they had no right. The defendants have pleaded not guilty to charges including conspiracy to criminally possess stolen property.They're not accused of actually stealing the roughly 100 legal-pad sheets. Horowitz bought them in 2005 from writer Ed Sanders, who had worked with the Eagles decades earlier on a band&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hotel-california-lyrics-manuscript-trial-eagles-henley-1b873edc7596bb736428fbf8fb431c1d">biography that never got published</a>. Horowitz later sold the documents to Inciardi and Kosinski, who then put some pages up for auction.Sanders, who hasn't responded to messages about the case, isn't charged with any crime.Henley bought back four pages of “Hotel California” song lyrics in 2012. He also went to authorities at the time, and again when more pages — some from the hit “Life in the Fast Lane” — turned up for sale in 2014 and 2016.At the trial, Henley has testified that Sanders had no permission to keep or sell the pages, though he was allowed to view them in the course of writing the book.“Mr. Sanders kept it in his residence, his garage, for 30 years, and then it was up for sale on the internet. I believed that that was a crime,” Henley told the court Tuesday.He testified Monday that he didn't give permission for the “very personal, very private” lyrics drafts to be removed from his property in Malibu, California, though he acknowledged that he didn't recall the entirety of his conversations with the writer in the late 1970s and early '80s.In a tape of a 1980 phone call that was played Monday in court, Henley said he'd “try to dig through” his lyrics drafts in order to aid Sanders' book.Asked about the recording, Henley said he was talking about affording the writer “access. It’s not giving, it’s not gifting.”Defense lawyers have sought to show that the Eagles provided Sanders with copious insider material. Attorney Scott Edelman pointed to the 1973 car-service receipt, which authorities said they found when searching Sanders' home.Someone typed “Don Henley's offending limousine bill” on the slip, and Henley filled the margins with hand-written comments, according to testimony. The jottings weren't read aloud in court.The defense also has tried to raise doubts about how clearly Henley remembers whatever he told Sanders during the book project, which spanned a tumultuous and fast-living period in Henley's past.The Eagles broke up in 1980, and he was arrested that year after authorities said they found a 16-year-old girl naked and suffering from a drug overdose in his Los Angeles home. He later wrote to a probation officer that “my environment has led me to accept drugs as part of everyday life,” according to a letter presented in court. "“Cocaine, by inducing feelings of confidence and even delusions of grandeur, gave me the courage I sometimes lacked to write songs and put my innermost feelings and emotions on public display,” Henley wrote in the undated letter in which he said he was giving up drugs. He had been sentenced to probation and a $2,500 fine after pleading no contest to a misdemeanor charge of contributing to the delinquency of a minor.“Isn’t it a fact, sir, that you were using a significant amount of cocaine prior to the November (1980 arrest)?" Edelman asked.“Significant?” Henley replied. “You know, ‘sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll’ is not revelatory.”He said he used cocaine “intermittently” throughout the 1970s, but was always lucid when performing or doing business.“If I was some sort of a drug-filled zombie, I couldn’t have accomplished everything I accomplished before 1980 and after 1980,” Henley said.-----------------------NEW YORK (AP) — Don Henley resumed testifying Tuesday in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hotel-california-lyrics-manuscript-trial-eagles-henley-973e74e795416821e6f022895b47b78e">a trial over handwritten drafts of lyrics</a>&nbsp;to some of the Eagles' biggest hits, including “Hotel California," and his decade-long effort to reclaim the pages.After spending Monday&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/henley-hotel-california-lyrics-trial-eagles-aa5300708de790099f9f7d0ba3b8afcf">telling the New York court</a>&nbsp;about topics ranging from Eagles songwriting to his&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/don-henley-eagles-hotel-california-sex-worker-dae5d3c41ae5ad1071a06dbc74a957d7">past personal troubles</a>, the Eagles co-founder underwent further questioning Tuesday from lawyers for the three men on trial in the case.Edward Kosinski, Craig Inciardi and Glenn Horowitz are charged with scheming to conceal the pages' disputed ownership and sell them despite knowing that Henley claimed they had no right. The defendants have pleaded not guilty to charges including conspiracy to criminally possess stolen property.They're not charged with actually stealing the roughly 100 legal-pad sheets from the development of the Eagles' 1976 release “Hotel California," the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/3c0b39a1bb5b4e44aafe2c4e05a4b67f">third-best-selling album ever</a>&nbsp;in the U.S. The sheets include drafts of the words to the song “Hotel California,” one of rock's most enduring hits.Horowitz bought the pages in 2005 from writer Ed Sanders, who worked with the Eagles decades earlier on a band&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hotel-california-lyrics-manuscript-trial-eagles-henley-1b873edc7596bb736428fbf8fb431c1d">biography that never got published</a>. Horowitz later sold the the documents to Inciardi and Kosinski, who then put some pages up for auction.Sanders isn't charged with any crime. He hasn't responded to messages about the case.Henley bought back four pages of “Hotel California” song lyrics in 2012. He also went to authorities at the time, and again when more pages — some from the hit “Life in the Fast Lane” — turned up for sale in 2014 and 2016.At the trial, Henley has testified that Sanders had no permission to keep or sell the pages, though he was allowed to view them in the course of writing the book.“I believed that my property was stolen, Mr. Sanders kept it in his residence, his garage, for 30 years, and then it was up for sale on the internet. I believed that that was a crime,” Henley told the court Tuesday.He testified Monday that he didn't give permission for the “very personal, very private” lyrics drafts to be removed from his property in Malibu, California, though he acknowledged that he didn't recall the entirety of his conversations with the writer in the late 1970s and early '80s.In a tape Monday of a 1980 phone call that was played Monday in court, Henley said he'd “try to dig through” his lyrics drafts in order to aid Sanders' book.Asked about the recording, Henley said he was talking about affording the writer “access. It’s not giving, it’s not gifting.”

In court, Don Henley recounts making of Eagles' megahit 'Hotel California'

FINNEY COUNTY —Eight people were injured and one injured driver is facing multiple requested charges after crash fleeing from police.

Around 1:00 p.m. Monday, police were dispatched to the 3300 block of Eagle Drive in Garden City for an aggravated assault that just occurred. 

Officers learned that Israel Rios, 18, arrived at a residence and got into a verbal argument with several individuals. Rios shot a firearm into the air after threatening the reporting party and fled the scene in his vehicle with two juveniles.

Officers later located the vehicle at the intersection of Walker and Conkling Streets in Garden City and attempted a traffic stop, but Rios refused to stop, and a vehicle pursuit was initiated. 

Rios continued to evade officers by utilizing side streets throughout the southwest side of town. The pursuit then traveled northeast onto Kansas Avenue before Officers terminated the pursuit near the Main Street intersection due to increasing traffic. 

Rios continued driving eastbound at a high rate of speed before he lost control and struck five vehicles at the intersection of Center Street and Kansas Avenue.

EMS transported Rios and the two juveniles were ejected from the vehicle and transported to the hospital.&nbsp; Rios and one passenger were later flown out of town due to the extent of their injuries. Five other victims involved in the accident were also transported to St. Catherine Hospital for treatment of injuries.

Law enforcement have filed an affidavit for Rios requesting numerous charges from the aggravated assault and police pursuit to including Multiple counts of Aggravated Assault, Multiple counts of Aggravated Endangerment of a Child, Unlawful Discharge of a Firearm, Criminal Threat and Felony Flee and Elude.

FINNEY COUNTY —Eight people were injured and one injured driver is facing multiple requested charges after crash fleeing from police.Around 1:00 p.m. Monday, police were dispatched to the 3300 block of Eagle Drive in Garden City for an aggravated assault that just occurred. Officers learned that Israel Rios, 18, arrived at a residence and got into a verbal argument with several individuals. Rios shot a firearm into the air after threatening the reporting party and fled the scene in his vehicle with two juveniles.Officers later located the vehicle at the intersection of Walker and Conkling Streets in Garden City and attempted a traffic stop, but Rios refused to stop, and a vehicle pursuit was initiated. Rios continued to evade officers by utilizing side streets throughout the southwest side of town. The pursuit then traveled northeast onto Kansas Avenue before Officers terminated the pursuit near the Main Street intersection due to increasing traffic. Rios continued driving eastbound at a high rate of speed before he lost control and struck five vehicles at the intersection of Center Street and Kansas Avenue.EMS transported Rios and the two juveniles were ejected from the vehicle and transported to the hospital.&nbsp; Rios and one passenger were later flown out of town due to the extent of their injuries. Five other victims involved in the accident were also transported to St. Catherine Hospital for treatment of injuries.Law enforcement have filed an affidavit for Rios requesting numerous charges from the aggravated assault and police pursuit to including Multiple counts of Aggravated Assault, Multiple counts of Aggravated Endangerment of a Child, Unlawful Discharge of a Firearm, Criminal Threat and Felony Flee and Elude.

SW Kan. teen among 8 hospitalized after. crash fleeing police

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The man accused of firing the first shots at the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/chiefs-super-bowl-parade-shooting-kansas-city-62e69a17b469b854afd7bcc3f548d1fc">Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl rally</a>&nbsp;told authorities he felt threatened, while a second man said he pulled the trigger because someone was shooting at him, according to court documents.

Experts say that even though the shooting left one bystander dead and roughly two dozen people injured, 23-year-old Lyndell Mays and 18-year-old Dominic Miller might have good cases for self-defense through the state’s “stand your ground” law.

Missouri is among more than 30 states that have adopted some version of stand your ground laws over the past two decades, said Robert Spitzer, a professor emeritus of political science at the State University of New York, Cortland, whose research focuses on gun policy and politics. While earlier laws allowed people to use force to protect themselves in their homes, stand your ground provides even broader self-defense rights regardless of the location.

Now, the mass shooting at the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl celebration could be a new test of those expanded protections, and comes as self-defense already is at the center of another&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/ralph-yarl/">high-profile Kansas City shooting</a>&nbsp;that left Ralph Yarl wounded.

“This illustrates in a dramatic way the fundamental problem, especially when it’s a public gathering where there are thousands and thousands of people, and even a highly trained police officer often cannot avoid injuring others in a gunfire exchange in a public place,” said Spitzer, who wrote the book “Guns Across America: Reconciling Gun Rules and Rights.”

Trial attorney Daniel Ross described the stand your ground law as a “formidable defense” that he and many other Kansas City defense attorneys anticipate will be used in Mays' and Miller's cases. He said the law puts the onus on the prosecution to disprove claims that a shooting is lawful self-defense.

“Collateral damage under Missouri law is excused if you’re actually engaged in lawful self-defense and there’s other folks injured,” he said.

There are limits to the defense, however, said Eric Ruben, a law professor at the S.M.U. Dedman School of Law in Dallas who has written on stand your ground and self-defense immunity.

“Even though Missouri has robust stand-your-ground laws, that doesn’t mean you can spray bullets into a crowd in the name of defending yourself or others,” Ruben said.

The barrage of gunfire Feb. 14 outside Kansas City’s historic Union Station happened as the celebration that drew an estimated 1 million fans was concluding. A&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/chiefs-super-bowl-parade-shooting-kansas-city-62e69a17b469b854afd7bcc3f548d1fc">woman died</a>&nbsp;while watching the rally with her family, and nearly two dozen others — more than half of them children — were injured and survived.

Kansas City already was grappling with the shooting of Yarl, a Black teenager, who survived a bullet wound to the head when he went to the wrong house in April 2023 to pick up his brothers. Andrew Lester, an 85-year-old white man, is planning to claim&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-wichita-topeka-legislature-gun-politics-6f61a926a56353a4b22ffecf90c46be3">self-defense</a>&nbsp;when he goes to trial in October. His attorney said the retiree was terrified by the stranger on his doorstep.

While the Super Bowl celebration shooting was a far different scenario, it raises anew questions about how far people can go to protect themselves and what happens when the innocent become victims.

Mays and Miller are each charged with second-degree murder and other counts.

Probable cause statements suggest that both men felt threatened. Mays said he picked out one person in a group at random and started shooting because they said, “I'm going to get you,” and he took that to mean, “I'm going to kill you,” the statement said.

Miller said under questioning that he fired four or five times because someone was shooting at him. His friend, Marques Harris, told&nbsp;<a href="https://fox4kc.com/news/friend-says-chiefs-parade-shooting-suspect-was-only-protecting-him/">WDAF-TV</a>&nbsp;that Miller was only trying to protect him after he was shot in the neck.

Miller’s attorney didn’t return phone and email messages seeking comment. No attorney was listed for Mays in online court records.

Two juveniles also face&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/chiefs-super-bowl-parade-shooting-kansas-city-278e2d3e2cfece1cbe958511e54127ad">gun-related and resisting arrest</a>&nbsp;charges.

Missouri has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/chiefs-super-bowl-parade-shooting-kansas-city-938583b1e9aa3b3a45f8a012e7b80fee">few firearm regulations</a>, and two of its cities — Kansas City and St. Louis — annually have among the nation's highest homicide rates. Missouri’s current Republican lawmakers have largely defended the state’s gun laws, instead blaming prosecutors and other local elected officials in the two cities.

And Republican Gov. Mike Parson, speaking to reporters last week, cited societal problems — not guns — as the reason for the violence. “I believe it's much more than a gun," he said.

When&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/missouri-lawmakers-loosen-gun-laws-back-voter-photo-id-c973268d37704b9b9b221e59c5b5dc7d?utm_source=copy&amp;utm_medium=share">Republican lawmakers in 2016</a>&nbsp;expanded the state's already-extensive self-defense protections by enacting the current stand your ground law, Black Missouri lawmakers raised concerns. The law also allowed most adults to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/missouri-lawmakers-loosen-gun-laws-back-voter-photo-id-c973268d37704b9b9b221e59c5b5dc7d?utm_source=copy&amp;utm_medium=share">carry concealed guns</a>&nbsp;without a permit.

Racial disparities are rife among those who invoke the defense, with an&nbsp;<a href="https://www.urban.org/urban-wire/american-criminal-justice-color-blind-statistics-say-no">Urban Institute</a>&nbsp;study showing white shooters are more likely to benefit than Black defendants.

The issue was raised when&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ahmaud-arbery-shootings-george-floyd-race-and-ethnicity-police-e063accd716fa3d0ee5f175163c0c5cb">Kyle Rittenhouse</a>, a white teen, was acquitted of killing two people and wounding a third during a 2020 protest against racism and police brutality in Kenosha, Wisconsin, after testifying he acted in self-defense. Rittenhouse’s actions became a flashpoint in the debate over guns, vigilantism and racial injustice in the U.S.

The shooting death of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/trayvon-martin">Trayvon Martin</a>, a Black 17-year-old, by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/george-zimmerman">George Zimmerman</a>&nbsp;also spurred concerns about stand your ground laws. Zimmerman, a self-appointed neighborhood watchman who thought Martin looked suspicious, wasn’t arrested for 44 days after the Feb. 26, 2012, shooting as police in Sanford, Florida, insisted that Florida’s stand your ground law prohibited charges.

Zimmerman was eventually arrested and charged, but his attorneys chose not to pursue a stand your ground claim, which could have resulted in the dismissal of murder changes as well as immunity from prosecution. But during the trial, the law was essentially used as part of his self-defense argument. Jurors found him not guilty.

In Georgia, which also has a stand your ground law, three white men accused of fatally shooting&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/how-ahmaud-arberys-killing-spurred-a-national-reckoning-on-race">Ahmaud Arbery</a>&nbsp;in 2020 claimed self-defense. Travis McMichael, his father Greg McMichael and neighbor William “Roddie” Bryan claimed they chased Arbery, who was Black, because they thought he was a burglar. All three were&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/watch-live-three-men-convicted-of-the-murder-of-ahmaud-arbery-will-be-sentenced-for-the-killing">convicted of murder</a>.

In 2022, Wichita, Kansas, area district attorney Marc Bennett was critical of the state’s stand your ground law when he announced that he wouldn’t file charges over the death of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/wichita-kansas-a51f619b8b196987e74b046ac399680c">Cedric Lofton</a>, a Black 17-year-old who was restrained facedown for more than 30 minutes at a juvenile detention center. Bennett said the law prevented him from bringing charges because staff members were protecting themselves.

With the Chiefs parade case unfolding, it is time to look anew at these laws, said Melba Pearson, a former homicide prosecutor who is now the director of prosecution projects at the Jack D. Gordon Institute for Public Policy at Florida International University.

“What are truly the limits in terms of stand your ground and what really falls into the category of self-defense?" she asked. "Do we need to revisit what stand your ground looks like?”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/2/1708018861457.jpeg" alt="File-Police clear the area following a shooting at the Kansas City Chiefs NFL football Super Bowl celebration in Kansas City.(AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann)." />
 <figcaption>File-Police clear the area following a shooting at the Kansas City Chiefs NFL football Super Bowl celebration in Kansas City.(AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann).</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The man accused of firing the first shots at the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/chiefs-super-bowl-parade-shooting-kansas-city-62e69a17b469b854afd7bcc3f548d1fc">Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl rally</a>&nbsp;told authorities he felt threatened, while a second man said he pulled the trigger because someone was shooting at him, according to court documents.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/2/1708552633722.png" alt="Mays photo Jackson Co." />
 <figcaption>Mays photo Jackson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>Experts say that even though the shooting left one bystander dead and roughly two dozen people injured, 23-year-old Lyndell Mays and 18-year-old Dominic Miller might have good cases for self-defense through the state’s “stand your ground” law.Missouri is among more than 30 states that have adopted some version of stand your ground laws over the past two decades, said Robert Spitzer, a professor emeritus of political science at the State University of New York, Cortland, whose research focuses on gun policy and politics. While earlier laws allowed people to use force to protect themselves in their homes, stand your ground provides even broader self-defense rights regardless of the location.Now, the mass shooting at the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl celebration could be a new test of those expanded protections, and comes as self-defense already is at the center of another&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/ralph-yarl/">high-profile Kansas City shooting</a>&nbsp;that left Ralph Yarl wounded.“This illustrates in a dramatic way the fundamental problem, especially when it’s a public gathering where there are thousands and thousands of people, and even a highly trained police officer often cannot avoid injuring others in a gunfire exchange in a public place,” said Spitzer, who wrote the book “Guns Across America: Reconciling Gun Rules and Rights.”Trial attorney Daniel Ross described the stand your ground law as a “formidable defense” that he and many other Kansas City defense attorneys anticipate will be used in Mays' and Miller's cases. He said the law puts the onus on the prosecution to disprove claims that a shooting is lawful self-defense.“Collateral damage under Missouri law is excused if you’re actually engaged in lawful self-defense and there’s other folks injured,” he said.There are limits to the defense, however, said Eric Ruben, a law professor at the S.M.U. Dedman School of Law in Dallas who has written on stand your ground and self-defense immunity.“Even though Missouri has robust stand-your-ground laws, that doesn’t mean you can spray bullets into a crowd in the name of defending yourself or others,” Ruben said.The barrage of gunfire Feb. 14 outside Kansas City’s historic Union Station happened as the celebration that drew an estimated 1 million fans was concluding. A&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/chiefs-super-bowl-parade-shooting-kansas-city-62e69a17b469b854afd7bcc3f548d1fc">woman died</a>&nbsp;while watching the rally with her family, and nearly two dozen others — more than half of them children — were injured and survived.Kansas City already was grappling with the shooting of Yarl, a Black teenager, who survived a bullet wound to the head when he went to the wrong house in April 2023 to pick up his brothers. Andrew Lester, an 85-year-old white man, is planning to claim&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-wichita-topeka-legislature-gun-politics-6f61a926a56353a4b22ffecf90c46be3">self-defense</a>&nbsp;when he goes to trial in October. His attorney said the retiree was terrified by the stranger on his doorstep.While the Super Bowl celebration shooting was a far different scenario, it raises anew questions about how far people can go to protect themselves and what happens when the innocent become victims.Mays and Miller are each charged with second-degree murder and other counts.Probable cause statements suggest that both men felt threatened. Mays said he picked out one person in a group at random and started shooting because they said, “I'm going to get you,” and he took that to mean, “I'm going to kill you,” the statement said.Miller said under questioning that he fired four or five times because someone was shooting at him. His friend, Marques Harris, told&nbsp;<a href="https://fox4kc.com/news/friend-says-chiefs-parade-shooting-suspect-was-only-protecting-him/">WDAF-TV</a>&nbsp;that Miller was only trying to protect him after he was shot in the neck.Miller’s attorney didn’t return phone and email messages seeking comment. No attorney was listed for Mays in online court records.Two juveniles also face&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/chiefs-super-bowl-parade-shooting-kansas-city-278e2d3e2cfece1cbe958511e54127ad">gun-related and resisting arrest</a>&nbsp;charges.Missouri has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/chiefs-super-bowl-parade-shooting-kansas-city-938583b1e9aa3b3a45f8a012e7b80fee">few firearm regulations</a>, and two of its cities — Kansas City and St. Louis — annually have among the nation's highest homicide rates. Missouri’s current Republican lawmakers have largely defended the state’s gun laws, instead blaming prosecutors and other local elected officials in the two cities.And Republican Gov. Mike Parson, speaking to reporters last week, cited societal problems — not guns — as the reason for the violence. “I believe it's much more than a gun," he said.When&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/missouri-lawmakers-loosen-gun-laws-back-voter-photo-id-c973268d37704b9b9b221e59c5b5dc7d?utm_source=copy&amp;utm_medium=share">Republican lawmakers in 2016</a>&nbsp;expanded the state's already-extensive self-defense protections by enacting the current stand your ground law, Black Missouri lawmakers raised concerns. The law also allowed most adults to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/missouri-lawmakers-loosen-gun-laws-back-voter-photo-id-c973268d37704b9b9b221e59c5b5dc7d?utm_source=copy&amp;utm_medium=share">carry concealed guns</a>&nbsp;without a permit.Racial disparities are rife among those who invoke the defense, with an&nbsp;<a href="https://www.urban.org/urban-wire/american-criminal-justice-color-blind-statistics-say-no">Urban Institute</a>&nbsp;study showing white shooters are more likely to benefit than Black defendants.The issue was raised when&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ahmaud-arbery-shootings-george-floyd-race-and-ethnicity-police-e063accd716fa3d0ee5f175163c0c5cb">Kyle Rittenhouse</a>, a white teen, was acquitted of killing two people and wounding a third during a 2020 protest against racism and police brutality in Kenosha, Wisconsin, after testifying he acted in self-defense. Rittenhouse’s actions became a flashpoint in the debate over guns, vigilantism and racial injustice in the U.S.The shooting death of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/trayvon-martin">Trayvon Martin</a>, a Black 17-year-old, by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/george-zimmerman">George Zimmerman</a>&nbsp;also spurred concerns about stand your ground laws. Zimmerman, a self-appointed neighborhood watchman who thought Martin looked suspicious, wasn’t arrested for 44 days after the Feb. 26, 2012, shooting as police in Sanford, Florida, insisted that Florida’s stand your ground law prohibited charges.Zimmerman was eventually arrested and charged, but his attorneys chose not to pursue a stand your ground claim, which could have resulted in the dismissal of murder changes as well as immunity from prosecution. But during the trial, the law was essentially used as part of his self-defense argument. Jurors found him not guilty.In Georgia, which also has a stand your ground law, three white men accused of fatally shooting&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/how-ahmaud-arberys-killing-spurred-a-national-reckoning-on-race">Ahmaud Arbery</a>&nbsp;in 2020 claimed self-defense. Travis McMichael, his father Greg McMichael and neighbor William “Roddie” Bryan claimed they chased Arbery, who was Black, because they thought he was a burglar. All three were&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/watch-live-three-men-convicted-of-the-murder-of-ahmaud-arbery-will-be-sentenced-for-the-killing">convicted of murder</a>.In 2022, Wichita, Kansas, area district attorney Marc Bennett was critical of the state’s stand your ground law when he announced that he wouldn’t file charges over the death of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/wichita-kansas-a51f619b8b196987e74b046ac399680c">Cedric Lofton</a>, a Black 17-year-old who was restrained facedown for more than 30 minutes at a juvenile detention center. Bennett said the law prevented him from bringing charges because staff members were protecting themselves.With the Chiefs parade case unfolding, it is time to look anew at these laws, said Melba Pearson, a former homicide prosecutor who is now the director of prosecution projects at the Jack D. Gordon Institute for Public Policy at Florida International University.“What are truly the limits in terms of stand your ground and what really falls into the category of self-defense?" she asked. "Do we need to revisit what stand your ground looks like?”

Chiefs rally shooting could test expanded 'stand your ground' protections

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Family Dollar Stores, a subsidiary of Dollar Tree Inc., pleaded guilty Monday to holding food, drugs, cosmetics and other items under “insanitary” conditions at a now-closed, rodent-infested distribution center in West Memphis, Arkansas, federal prosecutors said.

Family Dollar faced one misdemeanor count of causing FDA-regulated products to become adulterated while being held under insanitary conditions at the facility, the U.S. Department of Justice said in a news release. The company entered into a plea deal that includes a sentence of a fine and forfeiture amount totaling $41.675 million, the largest-ever monetary criminal penalty in a food safety case, the department said.

“When consumers go to the store, they have the right to expect that the food and drugs on the shelves have been kept in clean, uncontaminated conditions,” said Acting Associate Attorney General Benjamin C. Mizer. “When companies violate that trust and the laws designed to keep consumers safe, the public should rest assured: The Justice Department will hold those companies accountable.”

A company spokesperson said it cooperated extensively with the DOJ's investigation.

(Click below to watch Attorney General Leslie Rutledge who originally accused Family Dollar/Dollar Tree of deceiving consumers, negligence and engaging in a conspiracy that allowed the infestation.)

“In 2022, Family Dollar issued a voluntary recall of product that allowed customers to return goods for a full refund without proof of purchase. While we are not aware of any consumer becoming ill due to conditions at the distribution center, 14 consumer class actions were brought against the company, and we have reached a tentative settlement in those cases without any admission of liability or wrongdoing,” the spokesperson said in an email. “We look forward to putting the litigation behind us so that we can focus on our business of providing affordable products to our customers, with quality and safety at the heart of what we do.”

The plea agreement also requires Family Dollar and Dollar Tree to meet robust corporate compliance and reporting requirements for the next three years, the DOJ said.

In pleading guilty, the company admitted&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/arkansas-rodents-13af31891dc1c4ed5853ece779d4c2c1">that its Arkansas distribution center</a>&nbsp;shipped FDA-regulated products to more than 400 Family Dollar stores in Alabama, Missouri, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Tennessee. According to the plea agreement, the company began receiving reports in August 2020 of mouse and pest issues with deliveries to stores. The company admitted that by January 2021, some of its employees were aware that the insanitary conditions caused FDA-regulated products held at the warehouse to become adulterated in violation of federal law.

According to the plea agreement, the company continued to ship FDA-regulated products from the warehouse until January 2022, when an FDA inspection revealed live rodents, dead and decaying rodents, rodent feces, urine, and odors, and evidence of gnawing and nesting throughout the facility.

Subsequent fumigation of the facility resulted in the reported extermination of 1,270 rodents.

Dollar Tree Chairman and CEO Rick Dreiling, in a news release, said the company is moving forward with its “business transformation, safety procedures and compliance initiatives.”

Since joining Dollar Tree's Board of Directors in March 2022, Dreiling said they have “worked diligently to help Family Dollar resolve this historical matter and significantly enhance our policies, procedures and physical facilities to ensure it is not repeated.”

Dollar Tree also recently announced that Family Dollar plans to return operations to West Memphis with a fully reimagined and refreshed distribution center. The new facility, which is expected to staff 300 new jobs, is expected to be open by fall 2024.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/7/1658512118386.png" alt="Google image" />
 <figcaption>Google image</figcaption>
 </figure>LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Family Dollar Stores, a subsidiary of Dollar Tree Inc., pleaded guilty Monday to holding food, drugs, cosmetics and other items under “insanitary” conditions at a now-closed, rodent-infested distribution center in West Memphis, Arkansas, federal prosecutors said.Family Dollar faced one misdemeanor count of causing FDA-regulated products to become adulterated while being held under insanitary conditions at the facility, the U.S. Department of Justice said in a news release. The company entered into a plea deal that includes a sentence of a fine and forfeiture amount totaling $41.675 million, the largest-ever monetary criminal penalty in a food safety case, the department said.“When consumers go to the store, they have the right to expect that the food and drugs on the shelves have been kept in clean, uncontaminated conditions,” said Acting Associate Attorney General Benjamin C. Mizer. “When companies violate that trust and the laws designed to keep consumers safe, the public should rest assured: The Justice Department will hold those companies accountable.”A company spokesperson said it cooperated extensively with the DOJ's investigation.(Click below to watch Attorney General Leslie Rutledge who originally accused Family Dollar/Dollar Tree of deceiving consumers, negligence and engaging in a conspiracy that allowed the infestation.)<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=476&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FAGLeslieRutledge%2Fvideos%2F671759331209284%2F&show_text=false&width=267&t=62" width="267" height="476" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowFullScreen="true"></iframe></div>“In 2022, Family Dollar issued a voluntary recall of product that allowed customers to return goods for a full refund without proof of purchase. While we are not aware of any consumer becoming ill due to conditions at the distribution center, 14 consumer class actions were brought against the company, and we have reached a tentative settlement in those cases without any admission of liability or wrongdoing,” the spokesperson said in an email. “We look forward to putting the litigation behind us so that we can focus on our business of providing affordable products to our customers, with quality and safety at the heart of what we do.”The plea agreement also requires Family Dollar and Dollar Tree to meet robust corporate compliance and reporting requirements for the next three years, the DOJ said.In pleading guilty, the company admitted&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/arkansas-rodents-13af31891dc1c4ed5853ece779d4c2c1">that its Arkansas distribution center</a>&nbsp;shipped FDA-regulated products to more than 400 Family Dollar stores in Alabama, Missouri, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Tennessee. According to the plea agreement, the company began receiving reports in August 2020 of mouse and pest issues with deliveries to stores. The company admitted that by January 2021, some of its employees were aware that the insanitary conditions caused FDA-regulated products held at the warehouse to become adulterated in violation of federal law.According to the plea agreement, the company continued to ship FDA-regulated products from the warehouse until January 2022, when an FDA inspection revealed live rodents, dead and decaying rodents, rodent feces, urine, and odors, and evidence of gnawing and nesting throughout the facility.Subsequent fumigation of the facility resulted in the reported extermination of 1,270 rodents.Dollar Tree Chairman and CEO Rick Dreiling, in a news release, said the company is moving forward with its “business transformation, safety procedures and compliance initiatives.”Since joining Dollar Tree's Board of Directors in March 2022, Dreiling said they have “worked diligently to help Family Dollar resolve this historical matter and significantly enhance our policies, procedures and physical facilities to ensure it is not repeated.”Dollar Tree also recently announced that Family Dollar plans to return operations to West Memphis with a fully reimagined and refreshed distribution center. The new facility, which is expected to staff 300 new jobs, is expected to be open by fall 2024.

🎥Family Dollar Stores to pay $41M for rodent-infested warehouse

MORRIS COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Manhattan man on multiple allegations after a weekend traffic stop.

Just after 11:30p.m. Feb. 24, a sheriff's deputy conducted a traffic stop on a Toyota Corolla for a traffic violation on U.S. Highway 77 and M Avenue, according to a media release.

Sheriff's K9 Kimber conducted a free air sniff of the vehicle and indicated to the oder of narcotics emitting from within the car.

After a probably cause search of the car, the deputy arrested 31-year-old Ryan C. Kelly of Manhattan on requested charges of possession of meth, possession of drug paraphernalia and driving while license canceled, suspended or revoked.&nbsp; He is being held in Chase County.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/2/1709052966635.png" alt="Kelly is being held in Chase County" />
 <figcaption>Kelly is being held in Chase County</figcaption>
 </figure>MORRIS COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Manhattan man on multiple allegations after a weekend traffic stop.Just after 11:30p.m. Feb. 24, a sheriff's deputy conducted a traffic stop on a Toyota Corolla for a traffic violation on U.S. Highway 77 and M Avenue, according to a media release.Sheriff's K9 Kimber conducted a free air sniff of the vehicle and indicated to the oder of narcotics emitting from within the car.After a probably cause search of the car, the deputy arrested 31-year-old Ryan C. Kelly of Manhattan on requested charges of possession of meth, possession of drug paraphernalia and driving while license canceled, suspended or revoked.&nbsp; He is being held in Chase County.

Kan.man jailed after sheriff's K9 alerts to drugs in car

WASHINGTON (AP) — The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/us-supreme-court">Supreme Court</a>&nbsp;cast doubt Monday on state laws that could affect how Facebook, TikTok, X, YouTube and other social media platforms regulate content posted by their users. The cases are among several this term in which the justices could set standards for free speech in the digital age.

<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/audio/2023/22-555">Click here to listen </a>to a replay of the oral argument

In nearly four hours of arguments, several justices questioned aspects of laws adopted by Republican-dominated legislatures and signed by Republican governors in Florida and Texas in 2021. But they seemed wary of a broad ruling, with Justice Amy Coney Barrett warning of “land mines” she and her colleagues need to avoid in resolving the two cases.

While the details vary, both laws aimed to address conservative complaints that the social media companies were liberal-leaning and censored users based on their viewpoints, especially on the political right.

Differences on the court Wednesday emerged over how to think about the platforms — as akin to newspapers that have broad free-speech protections, or telephone companies, known as common carriers that are susceptible to broader regulation.

Chief Justice John Roberts suggested he was in the former camp, saying early in the session, “And I wonder, since we’re talking about the First Amendment, whether our first concern should be with the state regulating what we have called the modern public square?”

Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas appeared most ready to embrace arguments made by lawyers for the states. Thomas raised the idea that the companies are iseeking constitutional protection for “censoring other speech.”

Alito complained about the term “content moderation” that the sites employ to keep material off their platforms.

“Is it anything more than a euphemism for censorship?” he asked, later musing that term struck him as Orwellian.

But Justice Brett Kavanaugh, seemingly more favorable to the companies, took issue with calling the actions of private companies censorship, a term he said should be reserved for restrictions imposed by the government.

“When I think of Orwellian, I think of the state, not the private sector, not private individuals,” Kavanaugh said.

The precise contours of rulings in the two cases were not clear after arguments, although it seemed likely the court would not let the laws take effect. The justices posed questions about how the laws might affect businesses that are not the primary targets of the laws, including e-commerce sites like Uber and Etsy and email and messaging services.

The cases are among several the justices have grappled with over the past year involving social media platforms. Next month, the court will hear an appeal from Louisiana, Missouri and other parties accusing administration officials of pressuring social media companies to silence conservative points of view. Two more cases awaiting decision concern whether public officials can block critics from commenting on their social media accounts, an issue that previously came up in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-dimisses-case-trump-twitter-critics-bcdfcc37052e9c737ac5a1318b02a71c">a case involving then-President Donald Trump</a>. The court dismissed the Trump case when his presidential term ended in January 2021.

The Florida and Texas laws were passed in the months following decisions by Facebook and Twitter, now X, to cut Trump off over his posts related to the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol by his supporters.

Trade associations representing the companies sued in federal court, claiming that the laws violated the platforms’ speech rights. One federal appeal struck down Florida’s statute, while another upheld the Texas law. But both are on hold pending the outcome at the Supreme Court.

In a statement when he signed the bill into law, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said the measure would be “protection against the Silicon Valley elites.”

When Gov. Greg Abbott signed the Texas law, he said that it was needed to protect free speech in what he termed the new public square. Social media platforms "are a place for healthy public debate where information should be able to flow freely — but there is a dangerous movement by social media companies to silence conservative viewpoints and ideas. That is wrong, and we will not allow it in Texas,“ Abbott said.

But much has changed since then. Elon Musk purchased Twitter and, in addition to changing its name, eliminated teams focused on content moderation, welcomed back many users previously banned for hate speech and used the site to spread conspiracy theories.

The Biden administration is siding with the challengers. Lawyers for Trump have filed a brief in the Florida case urging the court to uphold the state law.

Still, Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar, the administration's top Supreme Court lawyer, cautioned the court to seek a narrow ruling that blocked the laws. Prelogar said governments maintain the ability to impose regulations to ensure competition, preserve data privacy and protect consumer interests.

Several academics and privacy advocacy groups told the court that they view the laws at issue in these cases as unconstitutional, but want the justices to preserve the government's ability to regulate social media companies to some extent.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1660141848593.jpg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/us-supreme-court">Supreme Court</a>&nbsp;cast doubt Monday on state laws that could affect how Facebook, TikTok, X, YouTube and other social media platforms regulate content posted by their users. The cases are among several this term in which the justices could set standards for free speech in the digital age.<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/audio/2023/22-555">Click here to listen </a>to a replay of the oral argumentIn nearly four hours of arguments, several justices questioned aspects of laws adopted by Republican-dominated legislatures and signed by Republican governors in Florida and Texas in 2021. But they seemed wary of a broad ruling, with Justice Amy Coney Barrett warning of “land mines” she and her colleagues need to avoid in resolving the two cases.While the details vary, both laws aimed to address conservative complaints that the social media companies were liberal-leaning and censored users based on their viewpoints, especially on the political right.Differences on the court Wednesday emerged over how to think about the platforms — as akin to newspapers that have broad free-speech protections, or telephone companies, known as common carriers that are susceptible to broader regulation.Chief Justice John Roberts suggested he was in the former camp, saying early in the session, “And I wonder, since we’re talking about the First Amendment, whether our first concern should be with the state regulating what we have called the modern public square?”Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas appeared most ready to embrace arguments made by lawyers for the states. Thomas raised the idea that the companies are iseeking constitutional protection for “censoring other speech.”Alito complained about the term “content moderation” that the sites employ to keep material off their platforms.“Is it anything more than a euphemism for censorship?” he asked, later musing that term struck him as Orwellian.But Justice Brett Kavanaugh, seemingly more favorable to the companies, took issue with calling the actions of private companies censorship, a term he said should be reserved for restrictions imposed by the government.“When I think of Orwellian, I think of the state, not the private sector, not private individuals,” Kavanaugh said.The precise contours of rulings in the two cases were not clear after arguments, although it seemed likely the court would not let the laws take effect. The justices posed questions about how the laws might affect businesses that are not the primary targets of the laws, including e-commerce sites like Uber and Etsy and email and messaging services.The cases are among several the justices have grappled with over the past year involving social media platforms. Next month, the court will hear an appeal from Louisiana, Missouri and other parties accusing administration officials of pressuring social media companies to silence conservative points of view. Two more cases awaiting decision concern whether public officials can block critics from commenting on their social media accounts, an issue that previously came up in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-dimisses-case-trump-twitter-critics-bcdfcc37052e9c737ac5a1318b02a71c">a case involving then-President Donald Trump</a>. The court dismissed the Trump case when his presidential term ended in January 2021.The Florida and Texas laws were passed in the months following decisions by Facebook and Twitter, now X, to cut Trump off over his posts related to the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol by his supporters.Trade associations representing the companies sued in federal court, claiming that the laws violated the platforms’ speech rights. One federal appeal struck down Florida’s statute, while another upheld the Texas law. But both are on hold pending the outcome at the Supreme Court.In a statement when he signed the bill into law, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said the measure would be “protection against the Silicon Valley elites.”When Gov. Greg Abbott signed the Texas law, he said that it was needed to protect free speech in what he termed the new public square. Social media platforms "are a place for healthy public debate where information should be able to flow freely — but there is a dangerous movement by social media companies to silence conservative viewpoints and ideas. That is wrong, and we will not allow it in Texas,“ Abbott said.But much has changed since then. Elon Musk purchased Twitter and, in addition to changing its name, eliminated teams focused on content moderation, welcomed back many users previously banned for hate speech and used the site to spread conspiracy theories.The Biden administration is siding with the challengers. Lawyers for Trump have filed a brief in the Florida case urging the court to uphold the state law.Still, Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar, the administration's top Supreme Court lawyer, cautioned the court to seek a narrow ruling that blocked the laws. Prelogar said governments maintain the ability to impose regulations to ensure competition, preserve data privacy and protect consumer interests.Several academics and privacy advocacy groups told the court that they view the laws at issue in these cases as unconstitutional, but want the justices to preserve the government's ability to regulate social media companies to some extent.

🎧 Supreme Court casts doubt on states' efforts to regulate social media platforms

SEDGWICK COUNTY — Three suspects accused in a shooting that killed a toddler at a Wichita apartment complex made their first appearances in court Monday.

The 17-year-old boy,&nbsp;25-year-old K’Veion Richard and 21-year-old Jonathan Tillery-Matthias all of Wichita, were charged with 1st&nbsp;degree murder and criminal discharge of a firearm, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.

Just after 7p.m. February 19, police responded to a shooting in the 2500 block of South Oliver, according to Police Lt. Aaron Moses. Through the investigation, officers learned that two adult females were struck by gunfire and 1-year-old Taidyn Anderson was also struck by gunfire and died of his injuries.

Investigators with the WPD homicide section have been diligently working this case since the shooting occurred. That work has included follow-up on leads, utilizing technology and executing search warrants. Through the investigation, three suspects were identified.

On Thursday, the Wichita Police Department arrested three suspects including a 17-year-old boy,&nbsp;<a href="https://ssc.sedgwickcounty.org/InmateSearch/Details.aspx?Id=232072">Richard</a> and&nbsp;<a href="https://ssc.sedgwickcounty.org/InmateSearch/Details.aspx?Id=746317">Tillery-Matthias&nbsp;</a>

<a href="https://ssc.sedgwickcounty.org/InmateSearch/Details.aspx?Id=746317">Tillery-Matthias</a>&nbsp;was currently on pre-trial supervision for Criminal Discharge of a Firearm into an Occupied Vehicle stemming from a Wichita Police investigation.<a href="https://ssc.sedgwickcounty.org/InmateSearch/Details.aspx?Id=232072"> Richard </a>was on Parole for Criminal Discharge of a Firearm, Aggravated Burglary, Aggravated Assault x2, and Criminal Possession of a Weapon.

Police believe that this was a targeted event which led to the death of the child.

Tillery-Mattias and Richard are scheduled for another court apperance on March 6.&nbsp; Each is being held on bonds of one-point-five million dollars.&nbsp; &nbsp;The district attorney's office did not have an update on future court appearances for the teen suspect.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/2/1708650238448.png" alt="Tillery-Matthias-photo Sedgwick Co." />
 <figcaption>Tillery-Matthias-photo Sedgwick Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY — Three suspects accused in a shooting that killed a toddler at a Wichita apartment complex made their first appearances in court Monday.The 17-year-old boy,&nbsp;25-year-old K’Veion Richard and 21-year-old Jonathan Tillery-Matthias all of Wichita, were charged with 1st&nbsp;degree murder and criminal discharge of a firearm, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.Just after 7p.m. February 19, police responded to a shooting in the 2500 block of South Oliver, according to Police Lt. Aaron Moses. Through the investigation, officers learned that two adult females were struck by gunfire and 1-year-old Taidyn Anderson was also struck by gunfire and died of his injuries.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/2/1708454643255.png" alt="Police on the scene of the investigation -photo courtesy KWCH" />
 <figcaption>Police on the scene of the investigation -photo courtesy KWCH</figcaption>
 </figure>Investigators with the WPD homicide section have been diligently working this case since the shooting occurred. That work has included follow-up on leads, utilizing technology and executing search warrants. Through the investigation, three suspects were identified.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/2/1708650349815.png" alt="Richard-photo Sedgwick Co." />
 <figcaption>Richard-photo Sedgwick Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>On Thursday, the Wichita Police Department arrested three suspects including a 17-year-old boy,&nbsp;<a href="https://ssc.sedgwickcounty.org/InmateSearch/Details.aspx?Id=232072">Richard</a> and&nbsp;<a href="https://ssc.sedgwickcounty.org/InmateSearch/Details.aspx?Id=746317">Tillery-Matthias&nbsp;</a><a href="https://ssc.sedgwickcounty.org/InmateSearch/Details.aspx?Id=746317">Tillery-Matthias</a>&nbsp;was currently on pre-trial supervision for Criminal Discharge of a Firearm into an Occupied Vehicle stemming from a Wichita Police investigation.<a href="https://ssc.sedgwickcounty.org/InmateSearch/Details.aspx?Id=232072"> Richard </a>was on Parole for Criminal Discharge of a Firearm, Aggravated Burglary, Aggravated Assault x2, and Criminal Possession of a Weapon.Police believe that this was a targeted event which led to the death of the child.Tillery-Mattias and Richard are scheduled for another court apperance on March 6.&nbsp; Each is being held on bonds of one-point-five million dollars.&nbsp; &nbsp;The district attorney's office did not have an update on future court appearances for the teen suspect.

17-year-old, 2 adults charged in death of Kansas toddler

SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating alleged vandalism against the Jewish community in Topeka.

Late last week, officials with Temple Beth Sholom reported they&nbsp;discovered graffiti at the entrance of property,&nbsp;4200 SW Munson in Topeka.

The graffiti featured a pro-Palestinian message. "Obviously, targeting American Jews for the actions of the Israeli government is antisemitism," the social media message the synagogue shared on their social media page.

"They have targeted other areas in Topeka, and all these incidents are under investigation by the Topeka Police Department and FBI."

"The graffiti was immediately reported to the authorities, and we have received reassurance from our law enforcement partners that there are no relevant threats to our congregation at this time."&nbsp; 

"The Topeka Police Department and the FBI are in contact with Len Richter, Chair of the Security Committee. The Topeka Public Works department has already removed the graffiti on the request of Topeka Police Department."

 Rabbi Samuel Stern wrote, "It is still my intention to hold our services, and for the life of the congregation to proceed as usual.We want to thank our office staff member for her diligence and many thanks are due to our supportive law enforcement partners."

In November police investigated a vandalism report at the Alpha Epsilon Pi Fraternity, 1116 Indiana Street, in Lawrence, Kansas, according to a media release from Lawrence Police.&nbsp;The Israeli Flag display at the house had been cut down and ripped up and later found about a block away.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/2/1708973534302.png" alt="Google image" />
 <figcaption>Google image</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating alleged vandalism against the Jewish community in Topeka.Late last week, officials with Temple Beth Sholom reported they&nbsp;discovered graffiti at the entrance of property,&nbsp;4200 SW Munson in Topeka.The graffiti featured a pro-Palestinian message. "Obviously, targeting American Jews for the actions of the Israeli government is antisemitism," the social media message the synagogue shared on their social media page."They have targeted other areas in Topeka, and all these incidents are under investigation by the Topeka Police Department and FBI.""The graffiti was immediately reported to the authorities, and we have received reassurance from our law enforcement partners that there are no relevant threats to our congregation at this time."&nbsp; "The Topeka Police Department and the FBI are in contact with Len Richter, Chair of the Security Committee. The Topeka Public Works department has already removed the graffiti on the request of Topeka Police Department." Rabbi Samuel Stern wrote, "It is still my intention to hold our services, and for the life of the congregation to proceed as usual.We want to thank our office staff member for her diligence and many thanks are due to our supportive law enforcement partners."In November police investigated a vandalism report at the Alpha Epsilon Pi Fraternity, 1116 Indiana Street, in Lawrence, Kansas, according to a media release from Lawrence Police.&nbsp;The Israeli Flag display at the house had been cut down and ripped up and later found about a block away.