By BECKY GOFF Little Apple Post

MANHATTAN - Following the Tuesday morning announcement by President Richard Linton about his recent cancer diagnosis, community members and leaders gathered on the lawn outside Anderson Hall on Tuesday evening to show their support of his fight against cancer.

Dr. Linton's complete announcement can be <a href="https://littleapplepost.com/posts/01715cae-372f-4b64-9e96-63b7ac62ac48">found here</a>.

A guest book was available for community members to write messages of support and notes of encouragement for President Linton and his family.

Online messages of support should include the hashtag #LoveForLinton.

By BECKY GOFF Little Apple Post<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1691595759768.jpeg" alt="K-State community show support of President Linton" />
 <figcaption>K-State community show support of President Linton</figcaption>
 </figure>MANHATTAN - Following the Tuesday morning announcement by President Richard Linton about his recent cancer diagnosis, community members and leaders gathered on the lawn outside Anderson Hall on Tuesday evening to show their support of his fight against cancer.Dr. Linton's complete announcement can be <a href="https://littleapplepost.com/posts/01715cae-372f-4b64-9e96-63b7ac62ac48">found here</a>.A guest book was available for community members to write messages of support and notes of encouragement for President Linton and his family.Online messages of support should include the hashtag #LoveForLinton.<div><iframe src="https://cdn.jwplayer.com/players/MEmEtLAE-Kjb0luCJ.html" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" title="Linton Support" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>

🎥 K-Staters show support for President Linton following cancer diagnosis

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden signed an executive order Wednesday to block and regulate high-tech U.S.-based investments going toward&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/china-biden-xi-jinping-dictator-c1fe17f72e2d37fcc840575eea1b78d2">China</a>&nbsp;— a move the administration said was targeted but it also reflected an intensifying competition between the world's two biggest powers.

The order covers advanced computer chips, micro electronics, quantum information technologies and artificial intelligence. Senior administration officials said that the effort stemmed from national security goals rather than economic interests, and that the categories it covered were intentionally narrow in scope. The order seeks to blunt China's ability to use U.S. investments in its technology companies to upgrade its military while also preserving broader levels of trade that are vital for both nations' economies.

The Chinese Ministry of Commerce responded in a statement early Thursday that it has “serious concern” about the order and “reserves the right to take measures.”

The United States and China appear to be increasingly locked in a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-united-states-government-china-18398dd629fa6b4d5d93a439e003cb11">geopolitical competition</a>&nbsp;with a conflicting set of values. Biden administration officials have insisted that they have no interest in “decoupling” from China, yet the U.S. also has limited the export of advanced computer chips and kept the expanded tariffs set up by President Donald Trump. And in its response, China accused the U.S. of “using the cover of ‘risk reduction’ to carry out ‘decoupling and chain-breaking.’” China has engaged in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/china-foreign-business-crackdown-349cf4e894fef93c9fd150ac1242bfb1">crackdowns</a>&nbsp;on foreign companies.

Biden has suggested that China's economy is struggling and its global ambitions have been tempered as the U.S. has reenergized its alliances with Japan, South Korea, Australia and the European Union. The administration consulted with allies and industry in shaping the executive order.

“Worry about China, but don’t worry about China,” Biden told donors at a June fundraising event in California.

The officials previewing the order said that China has exploited U.S. investments to support the development of weapons and modernize its military. The new limits were tailored not to disrupt China's economy, but they would complement the export controls on advanced computer chips from last year that led to pushback by Chinese officials. The Treasury Department, which would monitor the investments, will announce a proposed rulemaking with definitions that would conform to the presidential order and go through a public comment process.

The goals of the order would be to have investors notify the U.S. government about certain types of transactions with China as well as to place prohibitions on some investments. Officials said the order is focused on areas such as private equity, venture capital and joint partnerships in which the investments could possibly give countries of concern such as China additional knowledge and military capabilities.

J. Philip Ludvigson, a lawyer and former Treasury official, said the order was an initial framework that could be expanded over time.

“The executive order issued today really represents the start of a conversation between the U.S. government and industry regarding the details of the ultimate screening regime," Ludvigson said. “While the executive order is limited initially to semiconductors and microelectronics, quantum information technologies, and artificial intelligence, it explicitly provides for a future broadening to other sectors."

The issue is also a bipartisan priority. In July by a vote of 91-6, the Senate added as an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act requirements to monitor and limit investments in countries of concern, including China.

Yet reaction to Biden's order on Wednesday showed a desire to push harder on China. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., said the order was an “essential step forward," but it “cannot be the final step.” Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley, a former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, said Biden should been more aggressive, saying, “we have to stop all U.S. investment in China’s critical technology and military companies — period.”

Biden has called Chinese President Xi Jinping a “dictator” in the aftermath of the U.S. shooting down a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-united-states-government-china-18398dd629fa6b4d5d93a439e003cb11">spy balloon</a>&nbsp;from China that floated over the United States. Taiwan's status has been a source of tension, with Biden saying that China had become coercive regarding its independence.

China has supported Russia after its 2022 invasion of Ukraine, though Biden has noted that the friendship has not extended to the shipment of weapons.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce said it met a number of times with the White House and federal agencies as the order was being prepared and said its goal during the comment period will be “to ensure the measure is targeted and administrable.”

U.S. officials have long signaled the coming executive order on investing in China, but it's unclear whether financial markets will regard it as a tapered step or a continued escalation of tensions at a fragile moment.

“The message it sends to the market may be far more decisive,” said Elaine Dezenski, a senior director at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. "U.S. and multinational companies are already reexamining the risks of investing in China. Beijing’s so-called ‘national security’ and ‘anti-espionage’ laws that curb routine and necessary corporate due diligence and compliance were already having a chilling effect on U.S. foreign direct investment. That chilling now risks turning into a deep freeze.”

In its statement, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce said the executive order “seriously deviates from the market economy and fair competition principles the United States has always advocated. It affects the normal business decisions of enterprises, disrupts the international economic and trade order and seriously disrupts the security of global industrial and supply chains.”

China's strong economic growth has stumbled coming out of pandemic lockdowns. On Wednesday, its National Bureau of Statistics reported a 0.3% decline in consumer prices in July from a year ago. That level of deflation points to a lack of consumer demand in China that could hamper growth.

Separately, foreign direct investment into China fell 89% from a year earlier in the second quarter of this year to $4.9 billion, according to data released by the State Administration of Foreign Exchange.

Most foreign investment is believed to be brought in by Chinese companies and disguised as foreign money to get tax breaks and other benefits, according to Chinese researchers.

However, foreign business groups say global companies also are shifting investment plans to other economies.

Foreign companies have lost confidence in China following tighter security controls and a lack of action on reform promises. Calls by Xi and other leaders for more economic self-reliance have left investors uneasy about their future in the state-dominated economy.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1691616065590.png" alt="Biden at the Grand Canyon on Wednesday-White House image" />
 <figcaption>Biden at the Grand Canyon on Wednesday-White House image</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden signed an executive order Wednesday to block and regulate high-tech U.S.-based investments going toward&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/china-biden-xi-jinping-dictator-c1fe17f72e2d37fcc840575eea1b78d2">China</a>&nbsp;— a move the administration said was targeted but it also reflected an intensifying competition between the world's two biggest powers.The order covers advanced computer chips, micro electronics, quantum information technologies and artificial intelligence. Senior administration officials said that the effort stemmed from national security goals rather than economic interests, and that the categories it covered were intentionally narrow in scope. The order seeks to blunt China's ability to use U.S. investments in its technology companies to upgrade its military while also preserving broader levels of trade that are vital for both nations' economies.The Chinese Ministry of Commerce responded in a statement early Thursday that it has “serious concern” about the order and “reserves the right to take measures.”The United States and China appear to be increasingly locked in a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-united-states-government-china-18398dd629fa6b4d5d93a439e003cb11">geopolitical competition</a>&nbsp;with a conflicting set of values. Biden administration officials have insisted that they have no interest in “decoupling” from China, yet the U.S. also has limited the export of advanced computer chips and kept the expanded tariffs set up by President Donald Trump. And in its response, China accused the U.S. of “using the cover of ‘risk reduction’ to carry out ‘decoupling and chain-breaking.’” China has engaged in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/china-foreign-business-crackdown-349cf4e894fef93c9fd150ac1242bfb1">crackdowns</a>&nbsp;on foreign companies.Biden has suggested that China's economy is struggling and its global ambitions have been tempered as the U.S. has reenergized its alliances with Japan, South Korea, Australia and the European Union. The administration consulted with allies and industry in shaping the executive order.“Worry about China, but don’t worry about China,” Biden told donors at a June fundraising event in California.The officials previewing the order said that China has exploited U.S. investments to support the development of weapons and modernize its military. The new limits were tailored not to disrupt China's economy, but they would complement the export controls on advanced computer chips from last year that led to pushback by Chinese officials. The Treasury Department, which would monitor the investments, will announce a proposed rulemaking with definitions that would conform to the presidential order and go through a public comment process.The goals of the order would be to have investors notify the U.S. government about certain types of transactions with China as well as to place prohibitions on some investments. Officials said the order is focused on areas such as private equity, venture capital and joint partnerships in which the investments could possibly give countries of concern such as China additional knowledge and military capabilities.J. Philip Ludvigson, a lawyer and former Treasury official, said the order was an initial framework that could be expanded over time.“The executive order issued today really represents the start of a conversation between the U.S. government and industry regarding the details of the ultimate screening regime," Ludvigson said. “While the executive order is limited initially to semiconductors and microelectronics, quantum information technologies, and artificial intelligence, it explicitly provides for a future broadening to other sectors."The issue is also a bipartisan priority. In July by a vote of 91-6, the Senate added as an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act requirements to monitor and limit investments in countries of concern, including China.Yet reaction to Biden's order on Wednesday showed a desire to push harder on China. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., said the order was an “essential step forward," but it “cannot be the final step.” Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley, a former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, said Biden should been more aggressive, saying, “we have to stop all U.S. investment in China’s critical technology and military companies — period.”Biden has called Chinese President Xi Jinping a “dictator” in the aftermath of the U.S. shooting down a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-united-states-government-china-18398dd629fa6b4d5d93a439e003cb11">spy balloon</a>&nbsp;from China that floated over the United States. Taiwan's status has been a source of tension, with Biden saying that China had become coercive regarding its independence.China has supported Russia after its 2022 invasion of Ukraine, though Biden has noted that the friendship has not extended to the shipment of weapons.The U.S. Chamber of Commerce said it met a number of times with the White House and federal agencies as the order was being prepared and said its goal during the comment period will be “to ensure the measure is targeted and administrable.”U.S. officials have long signaled the coming executive order on investing in China, but it's unclear whether financial markets will regard it as a tapered step or a continued escalation of tensions at a fragile moment.“The message it sends to the market may be far more decisive,” said Elaine Dezenski, a senior director at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. "U.S. and multinational companies are already reexamining the risks of investing in China. Beijing’s so-called ‘national security’ and ‘anti-espionage’ laws that curb routine and necessary corporate due diligence and compliance were already having a chilling effect on U.S. foreign direct investment. That chilling now risks turning into a deep freeze.”In its statement, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce said the executive order “seriously deviates from the market economy and fair competition principles the United States has always advocated. It affects the normal business decisions of enterprises, disrupts the international economic and trade order and seriously disrupts the security of global industrial and supply chains.”China's strong economic growth has stumbled coming out of pandemic lockdowns. On Wednesday, its National Bureau of Statistics reported a 0.3% decline in consumer prices in July from a year ago. That level of deflation points to a lack of consumer demand in China that could hamper growth.Separately, foreign direct investment into China fell 89% from a year earlier in the second quarter of this year to $4.9 billion, according to data released by the State Administration of Foreign Exchange.Most foreign investment is believed to be brought in by Chinese companies and disguised as foreign money to get tax breaks and other benefits, according to Chinese researchers.However, foreign business groups say global companies also are shifting investment plans to other economies.Foreign companies have lost confidence in China following tighter security controls and a lack of action on reform promises. Calls by Xi and other leaders for more economic self-reliance have left investors uneasy about their future in the state-dominated economy.___

China slams Biden’s order limiting U.S. overseas tech investment

&nbsp;KANSAS CITY —A jury late recommended a prison sentence of 35 years after convicting a Kansas City man, of three felonies in connection with sexual assaults of a child, according to Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker.

The jury found 56-year-old Rosendo Palma guilty of Attempted Statutory Rape in the 1st Degree With a Child Under 12, Statutory Sodomy in the 1st Degree, Child Under 12 and Attempted Statutory Sodomy in the First Degree, Child Under 12.

The jury recommended 10 years, 15 years and 10 years, respectively, on each conviction. The sentences would run consecutively.

A Jackson County judge will sentence the defendant on October 6.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1691162323721.png" alt="Palma-photo Jackson Co." />
 <figcaption>Palma-photo Jackson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>&nbsp;KANSAS CITY —A jury late recommended a prison sentence of 35 years after convicting a Kansas City man, of three felonies in connection with sexual assaults of a child, according to Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker.The jury found 56-year-old Rosendo Palma guilty of Attempted Statutory Rape in the 1st Degree With a Child Under 12, Statutory Sodomy in the 1st Degree, Child Under 12 and Attempted Statutory Sodomy in the First Degree, Child Under 12.The jury recommended 10 years, 15 years and 10 years, respectively, on each conviction. The sentences would run consecutively.A Jackson County judge will sentence the defendant on October 6.

Jury: Kansas City man guilty of sex crimes with child under age 12

ELLSWORTH COUNTY— Kansas 156 south of Interstate 70 reopened just after 8p.m. Wednesday in Ellsworth County as area farmhands&nbsp; helped remove cattle from the overturned trailer, according to the Kansas Highway Patrol.&nbsp;

The trailer was loaded with 76 head of cattle.&nbsp; Thirteen cows died. Five of those thirteen had to be put down due to injury; sixty-three survived, according to the Kansas Highway Patrol.

There&nbsp; were no other injuries reported.

Use <a href="https://t.co/hfsl1kxwFt" target="_blank">http://KanDrive.org</a> for traffic updates.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1691615070868.png" alt="Photo Kansas Highway Patrol" />
 <figcaption>Photo Kansas Highway Patrol</figcaption>
 </figure>ELLSWORTH COUNTY— Kansas 156 south of Interstate 70 reopened just after 8p.m. Wednesday in Ellsworth County as area farmhands&nbsp; helped remove cattle from the overturned trailer, according to the Kansas Highway Patrol.&nbsp;The trailer was loaded with 76 head of cattle.&nbsp; Thirteen cows died. Five of those thirteen had to be put down due to injury; sixty-three survived, according to the Kansas Highway Patrol.There&nbsp; were no other injuries reported.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Cattle starting to get offloaded from overturned trailer. Around 10 area ranchers, have responded to assist with recovery. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KansasTrue?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#KansasTrue</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HelpingNeighbors?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HelpingNeighbors</a> (Ellsworth county) <a href="https://t.co/uRwi1ycLEp">pic.twitter.com/uRwi1ycLEp</a>&mdash; Trooper Ben (@TrooperBenKHP) <a href="https://twitter.com/TrooperBenKHP/status/1689386264590692352?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 9, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1691615450288.png" alt="KHP image" />
 <figcaption>KHP image</figcaption>
 </figure>Use <a href="https://t.co/hfsl1kxwFt" target="_blank">http://KanDrive.org</a> for traffic updates.&nbsp;

13 cows dead: Kan. farmhands help remove cattle from overturned trailer

ATCHISON COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas man for alleged theft.

Just after 3p.m. July 28th a 67-year-old victim reported the theft of a 1999 Harley Davidson motorcycle from the 100 block South 3rd Street in Atchison, according to Police Chief Mike Wilson.

 At around 5:30p.m. that day a police officer spotted the stolen motorcycle in the area of 6th and Raven Hill Road. The motorcycle fled from the officer traveling northbound through the city. 

Due to heavy traffic and dangerous conditions the pursuit was terminated. 

The investigation identified 33-year-old Tyler Chalfant of Atchison as the person involved in the theft and the pursuit. 

He was located and taken into custody on Monday on a Municipal Court warrant and booked on Tuesday on the District Court charges. The motorcycle was recovered in Savannah Missouri on July 31, according to Wilson.

Chalfant remains jailed on requested charges of&nbsp;warrants for theft, fleeing and attempting to elude, reckless driving, and no driver’s license.

In November of 2021, Chalfant was jailed on requested charges of computer crimes, criminal use of a financial card and theft, according to online jail records. He has been jailed on a variety of requested charges over the past two years including aggravated failure to appear.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1691501804599.png" alt="Chalfant-photo Atchison Co." />
 <figcaption>Chalfant-photo Atchison Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>ATCHISON COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas man for alleged theft.Just after 3p.m. July 28th a 67-year-old victim reported the theft of a 1999 Harley Davidson motorcycle from the 100 block South 3rd Street in Atchison, according to Police Chief Mike Wilson. At around 5:30p.m. that day a police officer spotted the stolen motorcycle in the area of 6th and Raven Hill Road. The motorcycle fled from the officer traveling northbound through the city. Due to heavy traffic and dangerous conditions the pursuit was terminated. The investigation identified 33-year-old Tyler Chalfant of Atchison as the person involved in the theft and the pursuit. He was located and taken into custody on Monday on a Municipal Court warrant and booked on Tuesday on the District Court charges. The motorcycle was recovered in Savannah Missouri on July 31, according to Wilson.Chalfant remains jailed on requested charges of&nbsp;warrants for theft, fleeing and attempting to elude, reckless driving, and no driver’s license.In November of 2021, Chalfant was jailed on requested charges of computer crimes, criminal use of a financial card and theft, according to online jail records. He has been jailed on a variety of requested charges over the past two years including aggravated failure to appear.

Kan. man with history of crime caught on stolen motorcycle

PROVO, Utah (AP) — An armed Utah man accused of making threats against&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-factory-jobs-new-mexico-manufacturing-renaissance-95700c62f45c3a69b03e550ebdcfa01b">President Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;was shot and killed by FBI agents hours before the president was expected to land in the state Wednesday, authorities said.

Special agents were trying to serve a warrant on the home of Craig Deleeuw Robertson in Provo, south of Salt Lake City, when the shooting happened at 6:15 a.m., the FBI said in a statement.

Robertson was armed at the time of the shooting, according to two law enforcement sources who spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity to discuss details of an ongoing investigation.

Robertson posted online Monday that he had heard Biden was coming to Utah and he was planning to dig out a camouflage suit and “clean the dust off the m24 sniper rifle," according to court documents.

In another post, Robertson refers to himself as a “MAGA Trumper," a reference to former President Donald Trump's “Make America Great Again” slogan.

The posts indicated he did appear to own a long-range sniper rifle and numerous other weapons, as well as camouflage gear known as a “ghillie suit," investigators said in court records. Robertson was charged under seal Tuesday with three felony counts, including making threats against the president, court documents show.

Robertson also referenced a “presidential assassination” and made a long list of other online threats, including against top law enforcement officials overseeing&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-investigations-other-charges-b8b064a00caad4306fb54d2f6a320468">court cases against Trump</a>: Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland and New York Attorney General Letitia James.

“The time is right for a presidential assassination or two. First Joe then Kamala!!!” authorities say Robertson wrote in a September 2022 Facebook post included in the filings. No attorney was immediately listed for Robertson in court documents.

No further details were immediately released about the shooting, which is under review by the FBI.

At the Provo house where the confrontation apparently took place and which is connected with Robertson through public records, law enforcement could be seen Wednesday going in and out and removing items.

A broken window could be seen next to the door and the blinds inside were askew.

The road leading to the house was blocked by police.

The house is just up the street from a meeting house of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, with the Wasatch Mountains rising in the background.

Robertson had a custom woodworking business but did not renew his license after it expired last year, according to state records. On LinkedIn, Robertson said he worked for 45 years as a structural steel and welding inspector before retiring and starting his business, saying he specialized in “custom designs."

Biden is in the middle of a trip to the Western United States. He spent Wednesday in New Mexico, where he spoke at a factory that will produce wind towers, and is scheduled to fly to Utah later in the day.

On Thursday, he’s expected to visit a Veterans Affairs hospital to talk about the PACT Act, which expanded veterans benefits, and hold a reelection fundraiser.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1691617796283.png" alt="President Biden speaking at an event in New Mexico Wednesday afternoon-White House image" />
 <figcaption>President Biden speaking at an event in New Mexico Wednesday afternoon-White House image</figcaption>
 </figure>PROVO, Utah (AP) — An armed Utah man accused of making threats against&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-factory-jobs-new-mexico-manufacturing-renaissance-95700c62f45c3a69b03e550ebdcfa01b">President Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;was shot and killed by FBI agents hours before the president was expected to land in the state Wednesday, authorities said.Special agents were trying to serve a warrant on the home of Craig Deleeuw Robertson in Provo, south of Salt Lake City, when the shooting happened at 6:15 a.m., the FBI said in a statement.Robertson was armed at the time of the shooting, according to two law enforcement sources who spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity to discuss details of an ongoing investigation.Robertson posted online Monday that he had heard Biden was coming to Utah and he was planning to dig out a camouflage suit and “clean the dust off the m24 sniper rifle," according to court documents.In another post, Robertson refers to himself as a “MAGA Trumper," a reference to former President Donald Trump's “Make America Great Again” slogan.The posts indicated he did appear to own a long-range sniper rifle and numerous other weapons, as well as camouflage gear known as a “ghillie suit," investigators said in court records. Robertson was charged under seal Tuesday with three felony counts, including making threats against the president, court documents show.Robertson also referenced a “presidential assassination” and made a long list of other online threats, including against top law enforcement officials overseeing&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-investigations-other-charges-b8b064a00caad4306fb54d2f6a320468">court cases against Trump</a>: Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland and New York Attorney General Letitia James.“The time is right for a presidential assassination or two. First Joe then Kamala!!!” authorities say Robertson wrote in a September 2022 Facebook post included in the filings. No attorney was immediately listed for Robertson in court documents.No further details were immediately released about the shooting, which is under review by the FBI.At the Provo house where the confrontation apparently took place and which is connected with Robertson through public records, law enforcement could be seen Wednesday going in and out and removing items.A broken window could be seen next to the door and the blinds inside were askew.The road leading to the house was blocked by police.The house is just up the street from a meeting house of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, with the Wasatch Mountains rising in the background.Robertson had a custom woodworking business but did not renew his license after it expired last year, according to state records. On LinkedIn, Robertson said he worked for 45 years as a structural steel and welding inspector before retiring and starting his business, saying he specialized in “custom designs."Biden is in the middle of a trip to the Western United States. He spent Wednesday in New Mexico, where he spoke at a factory that will produce wind towers, and is scheduled to fly to Utah later in the day.On Thursday, he’s expected to visit a Veterans Affairs hospital to talk about the PACT Act, which expanded veterans benefits, and hold a reelection fundraiser.__

Man who posted threats toward President Biden is killed in FBI raid

Los Angeles (AP) —<a href="https://apnews.com/article/-----e0de46d3454745658248d5c1c78c3f08/gallery/c65d111282a941f0b4ef16e49aa98d41">Robbie Robertson,</a>&nbsp;The Band's lead guitarist and songwriter who in such classics as “The Weight,” “Up on Cripple Creek” and “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" mined and helped reshape American music, died Wednesday at 80.

Robertson died surrounded by family in Los Angeles “after a long illness,” publicist Ray Costa said in a statement.

From their years as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/bob-dylan">Bob Dylan's</a>&nbsp;masterful backing group to their own stardom as embodiments of old-fashioned community and virtuosity, The Band profoundly influenced popular music in the 1960s and '70s, first by literally amplifying Dylan’s polarizing transition from folk artist to rock star and then by absorbing the works of Dylan and Dylan's influences as they fashioned a new sound immersed in the American past.

The Canadian-born Robertson was a high school dropout and one-man melting pot — part-Jewish, part-Mohawk and Cayuga — who fell in love with the seemingly limitless sounds and byways of his adopted country and wrote out of a sense of amazement and discovery at a time when the Vietnam War had alienated millions of young Americans. His life had a “Candide”-like quality as he found himself among many of the giants of the rock era — getting guitar tips from Buddy Holly, taking in early performances by Aretha Franklin and by the Velvet Underground, smoking pot with the Beatles, watching the songwriting team of Leiber and Stoller develop material, chatting with Jimi Hendrix when he was a struggling musician calling himself Jimmy James.

The Band began as supporting players for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-elvis-presley-conway-twitty-jerry-lee-lewis-arkansas-14e27228b9e253f18457d62325c91807">rockabilly star Ronnie Hawkins</a>&nbsp;in the early 1960s and through their years together in bars and juke joints forged a depth and versatility that opened them to virtually any kind of music in any kind of setting. Besides Robertson, the group featured Arkansan drummer-singer&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-music-new-york-mavis-staples-c11f1340f9ea8d87e1606da6c1599ff3">Levon Helm</a>&nbsp;and three other Canadians: bassist-singer-songwriter Rick Danko, keyboardist singer-songwriter Richard Manuel and all-around musical wizard Garth Hudson. They were originally called the Hawks, but ended up as The Band — a conceit their fans would say they earned — because people would point to them when they were with Dylan and refer to them as “the band.”

They remain defined by their first two albums, “Music from Big Pink” and “The Band,” both released in the late 1960s. The rock scene was turning away from the psychedelic extravagances of the Beatles' “Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band” and a wave of sound effects, long jams and lysergic lyrics. "Music from Big Pink,” named for the old house near Woodstock, New York, where Band members lived and gathered, was for many the sound of coming home. The mood was intimate, the lyrics alternately playful, cryptic and yearning, drawn from blues, gospel, folk and country music. The Band itself seemed to stand for selflessness and a shared and vital history, with all five members making distinctive contributions and appearing in publicity photos in plain, dark clothes.

Through the “Basement Tapes” they had made with Dylan in 1967 and through their own albums, The Band has been widely credited as a founding source for Americana or roots music. Fans and peers would speak of their lives being changed. Eric Clapton broke up with his British supergroup Cream and journeyed to Woodstock in hopes he could join The Band, which influenced albums ranging from The Grateful Dead’s “Workingman's Dead” to Elton John's “Tumbleweed Connection.” The Band's songs were covered by Franklin, Joan Baez, the Staple Singers and many others. During a television performance by the Beatles of “Hey Jude,” Paul McCartney shouted out lyrics from “The Weight.”

Like Dylan, Robertson was a self-taught musicologist and storyteller who absorbed everything American from the novels of William Faulkner to the scorching blues of Howlin' Wolf to the gospel harmonies of the Swan Silvertones. At times his songs sounded not just created, but unearthed. In “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down,” he imagined the Civil War through the eyes of a defeated Confederate.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/b020697a3c604542ad250f75ab754b80">In “The Weight,”</a>&nbsp;with its lead vocals passed around among group members like a communal wine glass, he evoked a pilgrim's arrival to a town where nothing seems impossible:

“I pulled into Nazareth, was feelin’ about half past dead / I just need some place where I can lay my head / Hey, mister, can you tell me where a man might find a bed? / He just grinned and shook my hand, ‘No,’ was all he said.”

The Band played at the 1969 Woodstock festival, not far from where they lived, and became newsworthy enough to appear on the cover of Time magazine. But the spirit behind their best work was already dissolving. Albums such as “Stage Fright” and “Cahoots” were disappointing even for Robertson, who would acknowledge that he was struggling to find fresh ideas. While Manuel and Danko were both frequent contributors to songs during their “Basement Tapes” days, by the time “Cahoots” was released in 1971, Robertson was the dominant writer.

They toured frequently, recording the acclaimed live album “Rock of Ages” at Madison Square Garden and joining Dylan for 1974 shows that led to another highly praised concert release, “Before the Flood.” But in 1976, after Manuel broke his neck in a boating accident, Robertson decided he needed a break from the road and organized rock's ultimate sendoff, an all-star gathering at San Francisco's Winterland Ballroom that included Dylan, Van Morrison, Neil Young, Muddy Waters and many others. The concert was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/martin-scorsese-cannes-history-529f5f118fe0fed0ea1b07bd15220d93">filmed by Martin Scorsese</a>&nbsp;and the basis for his celebrated documentary “The Last Waltz,” released in 1978.

Robertson had intended The Band to continue recording together but “The Last Waltz” helped permanently sever his friendship with Helm, whom he had once looked to as an older brother. In interviews and in his 1993 memoir “Wheel on Fire,” Helm accused of Robertson of greed and outsized ego, noting that Robertson had ended up owning their musical catalog and calling “The Last Waltz” a vanity project designed to glorify Robertson. In response, Robertson contended that he had taken control of the group because the others — excepting Hudson — were too burdened by drug and alcohol problems to make decisions on their own.

“It hit me hard that in a band like ours, if we weren't operating on all cylinders, it threw the whole machine off course,” Robertson wrote in his memoir “Testimony,” published in 2016.

The Band regrouped without Robertson in the early 1980s, and Robertson went on to a long career&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/58ff0b66c1454076aef10a8918486989/gallery/71acaf5b8b534572801a19aafb05789c">as a solo artist</a>&nbsp;and soundtrack composer. His self-titled 1987 album was certified gold and featured the hit single “Show Down at Big Sky” and the ballad “Fallen Angel,” a tribute to Manuel, who was found dead in 1986 in what was ruled a suicide (Danko died of heart failure in 1999, and Helm of cancer in 2012).

Robertson, who moved to Los Angeles in the 1970s while the others stayed near Woodstock, remained close to Scorsese and helped oversee the soundtracks for “The Color of Money,” “The King of Comedy,” “The Departed” and “The Irishman” among others. He also produced the Neil Diamond album “Beautiful Noise” and explored his heritage through such albums as “Music for the Native Americans” and “Contact from the Underworld of Redboy.”

The Band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994; Robertson attended, Helm did not. In 2020, Robertson looked back and mourned in the documentary “Once Were Brothers” and in the title ballad, on which Robertson sang “When the light goes out and you can’t go on / You miss your brothers, but now they’re gone.”

Robertson married the Canadian journalist Dominique Bourgeois in 1967. They had three children before divorcing.

Jaime Royal Robertson was born in Toronto and spent summers at the Six Nations of the Grand River reserve where his mother Rosemarie Dolly Chrysler grew up. He never met his father, Alexander David Klegerman, who died before he was born and whose existence Robertson only learned of years later. His mother had since married a factory worker, James Robertson, whom Robbie Robertson at first believed was his biological parent.

Music was an escape from what he remembered as a violent and abusive household; his parents separated when he was in his early teens. He would watch relatives play guitar and sing at the Six Nations reserve, and became “mesmerized” by how absorbed they were in their own performances. Robertson was soon practicing guitar himself and was playing in bands and writing songs in his teens.

He had a knack for impressing his elders. When he was 15, his group opened for Hawkins at a club in Toronto. After overhearing Hawkins say he was in need of new material, Robertson hurried home, worked up a couple of songs and brought them over to his hotel. Hawkins recorded both of them, “Someone Like You,” and “Hey Boba Lu,” and Robertson would soon find himself on a train to Hawkins' home base in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

Over the next few years, he toured with Hawkins in the U.S. and Canada as members left and the performers who eventually became The Band were brought in. By 1963, Robertson and the others had grown apart from Hawkins and were ready to work on their own, recording a handful of singles as the Canadian Squires and stepping into rock history when mutual acquaintances suggested they should tour behind Dylan, then rebelling against his image as folk troubadour and infuriating fans who thought he had sold out.

In 1965-66, they were Dylan's co-adventurers in some of rock's most momentous shows, with Dylan playing an acoustic opening set, then joined by the Hawks for an electric set that was booed so fiercely, Helm dropped out and was replaced on the road by Mickey Jones. As captured in audio recordings and in footage by filmmaker D.A. Pennebaker seen decades later in the Dylan documentary “No Direction Home,” the music on stage for such Dylan songs as “Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues” and “Ballad of a Thin Man” more than equaled the fury of its detractors, culminating in a May 1966 show at Manchester, England, when one fan screamed out “Judas!”

“I don't belieeeeve you," Dylan snarled in response. “You're a liar!” Calling on the Hawks to ”play f----ing loud," he led them through an all-out finale, “Like a Rolling Stone.”

“A kind of madness was percolating,” Robertson wrote in his memoir. “The whole atmosphere was heightened. I adjusted the strap on my Telecaster so I could release it with a quick thumb movement and use the guitar as a weapon. The concerts were starting to feel that unpredictable.”

Later in 1966, Dylan was badly injured in a motorcycle accident and recuperated in the Woodstock area, where The Band also soon settled. Under no contractual obligations or any sort of deadlines, Dylan and his fellow musicians stepped out of time altogether. They jammed on old country and Appalachian songs and worked on such originals as “Tears of Rage” and “I Shall Be Released” that were originally intended as demo recordings for other artists. “The Basement Tapes,” as they were eventually called, were among rock's first bootlegs before being released officially — in part in 1975, and in a full six-CD set in 2014.

Working and writing with Dylan encouraged The Band to try an album of its own. “Music from Big Pink” featured the Dylan-Danko collaboration “This Wheel's On Fire” and Dylan-Manuel's “Tears of Rage,” along with such Band originals as Manuel's “In a Station” and Robertson's “Caledonia Mission.”

In his memoir, Robertson remembered the first time their old boss listened to “Music from Big Pink.”

“After each song, Bob looked at ‘his’ band with proud eyes. When ‘The Weight’ came on, he said, ‘This is fantastic. Who wrote that song?’" he wrote. "‘Me,’ I answered. He shook his head, slapped me on the arm, and said, ‘Damn! You wrote that song?’"

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1691614471253.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Los Angeles (AP) —<a href="https://apnews.com/article/-----e0de46d3454745658248d5c1c78c3f08/gallery/c65d111282a941f0b4ef16e49aa98d41">Robbie Robertson,</a>&nbsp;The Band's lead guitarist and songwriter who in such classics as “The Weight,” “Up on Cripple Creek” and “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" mined and helped reshape American music, died Wednesday at 80.Robertson died surrounded by family in Los Angeles “after a long illness,” publicist Ray Costa said in a statement.From their years as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/bob-dylan">Bob Dylan's</a>&nbsp;masterful backing group to their own stardom as embodiments of old-fashioned community and virtuosity, The Band profoundly influenced popular music in the 1960s and '70s, first by literally amplifying Dylan’s polarizing transition from folk artist to rock star and then by absorbing the works of Dylan and Dylan's influences as they fashioned a new sound immersed in the American past.The Canadian-born Robertson was a high school dropout and one-man melting pot — part-Jewish, part-Mohawk and Cayuga — who fell in love with the seemingly limitless sounds and byways of his adopted country and wrote out of a sense of amazement and discovery at a time when the Vietnam War had alienated millions of young Americans. His life had a “Candide”-like quality as he found himself among many of the giants of the rock era — getting guitar tips from Buddy Holly, taking in early performances by Aretha Franklin and by the Velvet Underground, smoking pot with the Beatles, watching the songwriting team of Leiber and Stoller develop material, chatting with Jimi Hendrix when he was a struggling musician calling himself Jimmy James.The Band began as supporting players for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-elvis-presley-conway-twitty-jerry-lee-lewis-arkansas-14e27228b9e253f18457d62325c91807">rockabilly star Ronnie Hawkins</a>&nbsp;in the early 1960s and through their years together in bars and juke joints forged a depth and versatility that opened them to virtually any kind of music in any kind of setting. Besides Robertson, the group featured Arkansan drummer-singer&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-music-new-york-mavis-staples-c11f1340f9ea8d87e1606da6c1599ff3">Levon Helm</a>&nbsp;and three other Canadians: bassist-singer-songwriter Rick Danko, keyboardist singer-songwriter Richard Manuel and all-around musical wizard Garth Hudson. They were originally called the Hawks, but ended up as The Band — a conceit their fans would say they earned — because people would point to them when they were with Dylan and refer to them as “the band.”They remain defined by their first two albums, “Music from Big Pink” and “The Band,” both released in the late 1960s. The rock scene was turning away from the psychedelic extravagances of the Beatles' “Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band” and a wave of sound effects, long jams and lysergic lyrics. "Music from Big Pink,” named for the old house near Woodstock, New York, where Band members lived and gathered, was for many the sound of coming home. The mood was intimate, the lyrics alternately playful, cryptic and yearning, drawn from blues, gospel, folk and country music. The Band itself seemed to stand for selflessness and a shared and vital history, with all five members making distinctive contributions and appearing in publicity photos in plain, dark clothes.Through the “Basement Tapes” they had made with Dylan in 1967 and through their own albums, The Band has been widely credited as a founding source for Americana or roots music. Fans and peers would speak of their lives being changed. Eric Clapton broke up with his British supergroup Cream and journeyed to Woodstock in hopes he could join The Band, which influenced albums ranging from The Grateful Dead’s “Workingman's Dead” to Elton John's “Tumbleweed Connection.” The Band's songs were covered by Franklin, Joan Baez, the Staple Singers and many others. During a television performance by the Beatles of “Hey Jude,” Paul McCartney shouted out lyrics from “The Weight.”Like Dylan, Robertson was a self-taught musicologist and storyteller who absorbed everything American from the novels of William Faulkner to the scorching blues of Howlin' Wolf to the gospel harmonies of the Swan Silvertones. At times his songs sounded not just created, but unearthed. In “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down,” he imagined the Civil War through the eyes of a defeated Confederate.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/b020697a3c604542ad250f75ab754b80">In “The Weight,”</a>&nbsp;with its lead vocals passed around among group members like a communal wine glass, he evoked a pilgrim's arrival to a town where nothing seems impossible:“I pulled into Nazareth, was feelin’ about half past dead / I just need some place where I can lay my head / Hey, mister, can you tell me where a man might find a bed? / He just grinned and shook my hand, ‘No,’ was all he said.”The Band played at the 1969 Woodstock festival, not far from where they lived, and became newsworthy enough to appear on the cover of Time magazine. But the spirit behind their best work was already dissolving. Albums such as “Stage Fright” and “Cahoots” were disappointing even for Robertson, who would acknowledge that he was struggling to find fresh ideas. While Manuel and Danko were both frequent contributors to songs during their “Basement Tapes” days, by the time “Cahoots” was released in 1971, Robertson was the dominant writer.They toured frequently, recording the acclaimed live album “Rock of Ages” at Madison Square Garden and joining Dylan for 1974 shows that led to another highly praised concert release, “Before the Flood.” But in 1976, after Manuel broke his neck in a boating accident, Robertson decided he needed a break from the road and organized rock's ultimate sendoff, an all-star gathering at San Francisco's Winterland Ballroom that included Dylan, Van Morrison, Neil Young, Muddy Waters and many others. The concert was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/martin-scorsese-cannes-history-529f5f118fe0fed0ea1b07bd15220d93">filmed by Martin Scorsese</a>&nbsp;and the basis for his celebrated documentary “The Last Waltz,” released in 1978.Robertson had intended The Band to continue recording together but “The Last Waltz” helped permanently sever his friendship with Helm, whom he had once looked to as an older brother. In interviews and in his 1993 memoir “Wheel on Fire,” Helm accused of Robertson of greed and outsized ego, noting that Robertson had ended up owning their musical catalog and calling “The Last Waltz” a vanity project designed to glorify Robertson. In response, Robertson contended that he had taken control of the group because the others — excepting Hudson — were too burdened by drug and alcohol problems to make decisions on their own.“It hit me hard that in a band like ours, if we weren't operating on all cylinders, it threw the whole machine off course,” Robertson wrote in his memoir “Testimony,” published in 2016.The Band regrouped without Robertson in the early 1980s, and Robertson went on to a long career&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/58ff0b66c1454076aef10a8918486989/gallery/71acaf5b8b534572801a19aafb05789c">as a solo artist</a>&nbsp;and soundtrack composer. His self-titled 1987 album was certified gold and featured the hit single “Show Down at Big Sky” and the ballad “Fallen Angel,” a tribute to Manuel, who was found dead in 1986 in what was ruled a suicide (Danko died of heart failure in 1999, and Helm of cancer in 2012).Robertson, who moved to Los Angeles in the 1970s while the others stayed near Woodstock, remained close to Scorsese and helped oversee the soundtracks for “The Color of Money,” “The King of Comedy,” “The Departed” and “The Irishman” among others. He also produced the Neil Diamond album “Beautiful Noise” and explored his heritage through such albums as “Music for the Native Americans” and “Contact from the Underworld of Redboy.”The Band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994; Robertson attended, Helm did not. In 2020, Robertson looked back and mourned in the documentary “Once Were Brothers” and in the title ballad, on which Robertson sang “When the light goes out and you can’t go on / You miss your brothers, but now they’re gone.”Robertson married the Canadian journalist Dominique Bourgeois in 1967. They had three children before divorcing.Jaime Royal Robertson was born in Toronto and spent summers at the Six Nations of the Grand River reserve where his mother Rosemarie Dolly Chrysler grew up. He never met his father, Alexander David Klegerman, who died before he was born and whose existence Robertson only learned of years later. His mother had since married a factory worker, James Robertson, whom Robbie Robertson at first believed was his biological parent.Music was an escape from what he remembered as a violent and abusive household; his parents separated when he was in his early teens. He would watch relatives play guitar and sing at the Six Nations reserve, and became “mesmerized” by how absorbed they were in their own performances. Robertson was soon practicing guitar himself and was playing in bands and writing songs in his teens.He had a knack for impressing his elders. When he was 15, his group opened for Hawkins at a club in Toronto. After overhearing Hawkins say he was in need of new material, Robertson hurried home, worked up a couple of songs and brought them over to his hotel. Hawkins recorded both of them, “Someone Like You,” and “Hey Boba Lu,” and Robertson would soon find himself on a train to Hawkins' home base in Fayetteville, Arkansas.Over the next few years, he toured with Hawkins in the U.S. and Canada as members left and the performers who eventually became The Band were brought in. By 1963, Robertson and the others had grown apart from Hawkins and were ready to work on their own, recording a handful of singles as the Canadian Squires and stepping into rock history when mutual acquaintances suggested they should tour behind Dylan, then rebelling against his image as folk troubadour and infuriating fans who thought he had sold out.In 1965-66, they were Dylan's co-adventurers in some of rock's most momentous shows, with Dylan playing an acoustic opening set, then joined by the Hawks for an electric set that was booed so fiercely, Helm dropped out and was replaced on the road by Mickey Jones. As captured in audio recordings and in footage by filmmaker D.A. Pennebaker seen decades later in the Dylan documentary “No Direction Home,” the music on stage for such Dylan songs as “Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues” and “Ballad of a Thin Man” more than equaled the fury of its detractors, culminating in a May 1966 show at Manchester, England, when one fan screamed out “Judas!”“I don't belieeeeve you," Dylan snarled in response. “You're a liar!” Calling on the Hawks to ”play f----ing loud," he led them through an all-out finale, “Like a Rolling Stone.”“A kind of madness was percolating,” Robertson wrote in his memoir. “The whole atmosphere was heightened. I adjusted the strap on my Telecaster so I could release it with a quick thumb movement and use the guitar as a weapon. The concerts were starting to feel that unpredictable.”Later in 1966, Dylan was badly injured in a motorcycle accident and recuperated in the Woodstock area, where The Band also soon settled. Under no contractual obligations or any sort of deadlines, Dylan and his fellow musicians stepped out of time altogether. They jammed on old country and Appalachian songs and worked on such originals as “Tears of Rage” and “I Shall Be Released” that were originally intended as demo recordings for other artists. “The Basement Tapes,” as they were eventually called, were among rock's first bootlegs before being released officially — in part in 1975, and in a full six-CD set in 2014.Working and writing with Dylan encouraged The Band to try an album of its own. “Music from Big Pink” featured the Dylan-Danko collaboration “This Wheel's On Fire” and Dylan-Manuel's “Tears of Rage,” along with such Band originals as Manuel's “In a Station” and Robertson's “Caledonia Mission.”In his memoir, Robertson remembered the first time their old boss listened to “Music from Big Pink.”“After each song, Bob looked at ‘his’ band with proud eyes. When ‘The Weight’ came on, he said, ‘This is fantastic. Who wrote that song?’" he wrote. "‘Me,’ I answered. He shook his head, slapped me on the arm, and said, ‘Damn! You wrote that song?’"

Robbie Robertson, lead guitarist, songwriter of The Band, dies at 80

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. officials said Tuesday they have referred 22 more cases involving unruly passengers on airline flights to the FBI for possible criminal charges.

The allegations include sexually assaulting female passengers, attacking flight attendants, trying to break into the cockpit, making terror threats, and smoking in airplane lavatories.

The Federal Aviation Administration said the incidents happened as far back as late 2021 and as recently as April of this year.

The FAA can&nbsp;<a href="https://www.faa.gov/unruly">seek fines of up to $37,000</a>&nbsp;against unruly passengers, but it lacks authority to file criminal charges; that is why the agency refers some cases to the FBI.

Reports of passengers acting up on flights peaked in 2021, with many of the roughly 6,000 incidents involving anger over a since-dropped mask requirement. The number dropped under 2,500 last year and under 1,200 so far this year, the FAA said.

The FAA said it has referred more than 270 cases to the FBI since late 2021.

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. officials said Tuesday they have referred 22 more cases involving unruly passengers on airline flights to the FBI for possible criminal charges.The allegations include sexually assaulting female passengers, attacking flight attendants, trying to break into the cockpit, making terror threats, and smoking in airplane lavatories.The Federal Aviation Administration said the incidents happened as far back as late 2021 and as recently as April of this year.The FAA can&nbsp;<a href="https://www.faa.gov/unruly">seek fines of up to $37,000</a>&nbsp;against unruly passengers, but it lacks authority to file criminal charges; that is why the agency refers some cases to the FBI.Reports of passengers acting up on flights peaked in 2021, with many of the roughly 6,000 incidents involving anger over a since-dropped mask requirement. The number dropped under 2,500 last year and under 1,200 so far this year, the FAA said.The FAA said it has referred more than 270 cases to the FBI since late 2021.

The FAA wants criminal charges against more unruly airline passengers

By CASEY QUINLAN <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/02/19/rural-hospitals-gird-for-unwinding-of-pandemic-medicaid-coverage/">States Newsroom</a>

Construction workers who work on federal projects are poised to receive better wages and worker protections under a Department of Labor rule touted by Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday.

Speaking at a union hall in Philadelphia, Harris praised the Biden administration’s economic agenda and pointed out that the new rule would be the first update in more than 40 years to the Davis-Bacon Act, which requires paying prevailing wages on public works projects. The Reagan administration changed the definition of prevailing wages in 1983.

“Let’s agree these workers deserve our recognition and appreciation and they deserve something more,” Harris said. “They deserve a raise. … Many workers are paid much less than they deserve, much less than the value of their work … in some cases by thousands of dollars a year, and that is wrong and completely unacceptable.”

The final rule transforms how prevailing wages, or the hourly rate of wages paid to workers in a given area, are calculated. It would base wages off of at least 30% of workers instead of 50% of workers in a trade in a certain locality, which the Biden administration said will help ensure workers’ prevailing wages aren’t dragged down by employers who pay low wages.

The regulation also makes it easier for the agency to withhold funds from contractors to ensure workers are paid properly and protects workers from employer retaliation, Biden administration officials have stated.

The rule will be effective in about two months and would affect an estimated 1.2 million workers.

Harris praised the work of union leaders during her speech. She called Sean McGarvey, president of North America’s Building Trades Unions (NABTU), who was present at the speech, “a partner,” and thanked Jimmy Williams, the general president of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades. After the speech, she planned to tour Interstate 95. In June, part of I-95&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.fox29.com/news/i-95-collapse-medical-examiner-confirms-identity-cause-of-death-of-tanker-truck-driver#:~:text=The%20Philadelphia%20Medical%20Examiner%27s%20Office,ruled%20an%20accident%2C%20officials%20said.">collapsed</a>&nbsp;when a gasoline tanker exploded, and the man driving the vehicle died. Harris applauded the swift rebuild of the section, which took only 12 days. The rebuilding effort received&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://boyle.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/boyle-casey-fetterman-announce-3-million-emergency-funding-i-95#:~:text=Boyle%20PA%2D02%20along%20with,Philadelphia%20on%20June%2011%2C%202023.">federal funding</a>.

Sharita Gruberg, vice president for economic justice at the National Partnership for Women and Families, said that the original formula for wage standards was supposed to make sure that federal contracts are paying workers a competitive wage but the Reagan administration’s changes in the 1980s weakened the rules.

“There’s just been all of these artificial barriers constructed since the ’80s that weaken this really strong rule that’s supposed to protect the local economy and protect workers,” Gruberg said. She added that the idea was “to make sure that these local economies are not subject to a large influx of federal dollars going to construction companies that are paying less than market rate and creating a race to the bottom.”

The administration is prioritizing these changes after it has invested billions in manufacturing facilities and repairing roads through the CHIPS and Science Act and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Gruberg said the administration is trying to make the most out of those investments by making these reforms.

“There’s two paths here,” she said. “One, we update these rules and make sure that these investments are reaching their full potential for communities, or we don’t and lose workers a lot of money.”

Progressive think tanks have argued that such changes will make it easier for workers to receive higher pay and better benefits. In its comment on the proposed rule in May 2022, the Economic Policy Institute&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.epi.org/publication/epi-comments-on-davis-bacon-updates-nprm/">said</a>&nbsp;research has established that prevailing wage laws increase worker pay, help more workers get pension plans, and improve workers’ health care coverage as well as make the construction industry more equitable for women and workers of color.

The Laborers’ International Union of North America also supports the change and said it will protect many LIUNA members.

“With massive investments in infrastructure through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the CHIPS and Science Act, and the Inflation Reduction Act creating hundreds of thousands of new jobs with prevailing wage rules, construction workers across the nation will benefit from the strengthened wage floor,” LIUNA&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.liuna.org/news/story/construction-workers-celebrate-strengthened-prevailing-wages">stated</a>.

There is still opposition to the rule from the Associated Builders and Contractors, a non-union trade group, which has said it will take legal action in response to the rule. The trade association said there’s no timeline yet for when they will bring a lawsuit.

Ben Brubeck, vice president of regulatory, labor, and state affairs at the Associated Builders and Contractors, a non-union trade group, called the rule a “handout to organized labor on the backs of taxpayers, small businesses and the free market” and said the regulation is “unnecessary, costly and burdensome.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1691598176685.png" alt="Vice President Kamala Harris, shown here at an event in June, touted a new Department of Labor rule while in Philadelphia on Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2023.&nbsp;&nbsp;The new rule would improve wages and workplace protections for people working on projects that get federal funding-White House image" />
 <figcaption>Vice President Kamala Harris, shown here at an event in June, touted a new Department of Labor rule while in Philadelphia on Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2023.&nbsp;&nbsp;The new rule would improve wages and workplace protections for people working on projects that get federal funding-White House image</figcaption>
 </figure>By CASEY QUINLAN <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/02/19/rural-hospitals-gird-for-unwinding-of-pandemic-medicaid-coverage/">States Newsroom</a>Construction workers who work on federal projects are poised to receive better wages and worker protections under a Department of Labor rule touted by Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday.Speaking at a union hall in Philadelphia, Harris praised the Biden administration’s economic agenda and pointed out that the new rule would be the first update in more than 40 years to the Davis-Bacon Act, which requires paying prevailing wages on public works projects. The Reagan administration changed the definition of prevailing wages in 1983.“Let’s agree these workers deserve our recognition and appreciation and they deserve something more,” Harris said. “They deserve a raise. … Many workers are paid much less than they deserve, much less than the value of their work … in some cases by thousands of dollars a year, and that is wrong and completely unacceptable.”The final rule transforms how prevailing wages, or the hourly rate of wages paid to workers in a given area, are calculated. It would base wages off of at least 30% of workers instead of 50% of workers in a trade in a certain locality, which the Biden administration said will help ensure workers’ prevailing wages aren’t dragged down by employers who pay low wages.The regulation also makes it easier for the agency to withhold funds from contractors to ensure workers are paid properly and protects workers from employer retaliation, Biden administration officials have stated.The rule will be effective in about two months and would affect an estimated 1.2 million workers.Harris praised the work of union leaders during her speech. She called Sean McGarvey, president of North America’s Building Trades Unions (NABTU), who was present at the speech, “a partner,” and thanked Jimmy Williams, the general president of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades. After the speech, she planned to tour Interstate 95. In June, part of I-95&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.fox29.com/news/i-95-collapse-medical-examiner-confirms-identity-cause-of-death-of-tanker-truck-driver#:~:text=The%20Philadelphia%20Medical%20Examiner%27s%20Office,ruled%20an%20accident%2C%20officials%20said.">collapsed</a>&nbsp;when a gasoline tanker exploded, and the man driving the vehicle died. Harris applauded the swift rebuild of the section, which took only 12 days. The rebuilding effort received&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://boyle.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/boyle-casey-fetterman-announce-3-million-emergency-funding-i-95#:~:text=Boyle%20PA%2D02%20along%20with,Philadelphia%20on%20June%2011%2C%202023.">federal funding</a>.Sharita Gruberg, vice president for economic justice at the National Partnership for Women and Families, said that the original formula for wage standards was supposed to make sure that federal contracts are paying workers a competitive wage but the Reagan administration’s changes in the 1980s weakened the rules.“There’s just been all of these artificial barriers constructed since the ’80s that weaken this really strong rule that’s supposed to protect the local economy and protect workers,” Gruberg said. She added that the idea was “to make sure that these local economies are not subject to a large influx of federal dollars going to construction companies that are paying less than market rate and creating a race to the bottom.”The administration is prioritizing these changes after it has invested billions in manufacturing facilities and repairing roads through the CHIPS and Science Act and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Gruberg said the administration is trying to make the most out of those investments by making these reforms.“There’s two paths here,” she said. “One, we update these rules and make sure that these investments are reaching their full potential for communities, or we don’t and lose workers a lot of money.”Progressive think tanks have argued that such changes will make it easier for workers to receive higher pay and better benefits. In its comment on the proposed rule in May 2022, the Economic Policy Institute&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.epi.org/publication/epi-comments-on-davis-bacon-updates-nprm/">said</a>&nbsp;research has established that prevailing wage laws increase worker pay, help more workers get pension plans, and improve workers’ health care coverage as well as make the construction industry more equitable for women and workers of color.The Laborers’ International Union of North America also supports the change and said it will protect many LIUNA members.“With massive investments in infrastructure through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the CHIPS and Science Act, and the Inflation Reduction Act creating hundreds of thousands of new jobs with prevailing wage rules, construction workers across the nation will benefit from the strengthened wage floor,” LIUNA&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.liuna.org/news/story/construction-workers-celebrate-strengthened-prevailing-wages">stated</a>.There is still opposition to the rule from the Associated Builders and Contractors, a non-union trade group, which has said it will take legal action in response to the rule. The trade association said there’s no timeline yet for when they will bring a lawsuit.Ben Brubeck, vice president of regulatory, labor, and state affairs at the Associated Builders and Contractors, a non-union trade group, called the rule a “handout to organized labor on the backs of taxpayers, small businesses and the free market” and said the regulation is “unnecessary, costly and burdensome.”

VP Kamala Harris unveils new wage rule for federal projects

SALINA —The Salina Stiefel Theatre announced that George Takei is the author of the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.k-state.edu/today/announcement/?id=90036" target="_blank">2023 K-State First Book "They Called Us Enemy."</a>, according to a media release from the Theatre.

K-State First Book, the all-university reading program that is part of K-State First, selects a common book each academic year and coordinates classroom and campus activities to correspond with the reading.&nbsp; K-State First Book provides incoming students with a shared academic experience that they can discuss with professors, staff, administrators and other students when they arrive on campus. Participation in the K-State First Book program is voluntary.

George Takei will speak at the Stiefel Theatre on Friday, September 29th. A VIP meet and greet and book signing will be held at Red Fern Booksellers&nbsp; The meet and greet requires a ticket and is limited to 50.

Tickets go on sale Friday.&nbsp; Tickets start at $35 , with tickets to the VIP event $50

George Takei is a social justice activist, social media superstar, Grammy-nominated recording artist, New York Times bestselling author, and pioneering actor. He has appeared in more than 40 feature films and hundreds of television roles, most famously as Hikaru Sulu in &nbsp;Star Trek.

With an uncanny eloquence and signature wit, Takei shares the story of his family's forced internment as Japanese Americans during WWII — a seemingly forgotten part of American history. He also takes audiences through his rise to celebrity as a Sci-fi icon, his remarkable journey as social media mega-power, and his passionate fight for LGBTQ rights and marriage equality in America empowering others to beat the odds and make a difference.&nbsp;

George Takei is known around the world for his role in the acclaimed original TV series Star Trek, in which he played Hikaru Sulu, helmsman of the starship Enterprise. But Takei's story, which includes an acting career that spans six decades, goes where few have gone before. From a childhood spent with his family wrongfully imprisoned in Japanese American internment camps during World War II to becoming one of the country's leading figures in the fight for social justice, LGBTQ+ rights and marriage equality, Takei remains a powerful voice on issues ranging from politics to pop culture.&nbsp;

Takei hosts the AARP-produced YouTube series Takei's Take, exploring the world of technology, trends, current events and pop culture, and is the subject of the documentary To Be Takei. On his own YouTube channel, Takei and his husband Brad Takei bring viewers into their personal lives in the "heightened reality" web series It Takeis Two. He was a series regular in the second season of Ridley Scott's anthology drama The Terror: Infamy, which premiered on AMC in August 2019.

His rich baritone has provided narration for the PBS series The National Parks: America's Best Idea , the Peabody Award- winning radio documentary Crossing East , and Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home , which garnered Takei a Grammy Award nomination for Best Spoken Word Album. He has also done voiceover work for hundreds of video games, commercials, films and TV series such as Fox’s The Simpsons and Futurama ; Disney’s Kim Possible, Mulan and Mulan 2 ; Nickelodeon’s Avatar: The Last Airbender, and Star Wars: The Clone Wars. &nbsp;

Takei’s acting credits include co- starring in five Star Trek movies and appearances on such TV series as Fresh Off the Boat , Supah Ninjas , Hawaii Five-0, The New Normal, The Big Bang Theory, Heroes, Psych, Will &amp; Grace , Miami Vice , MacGyver , The Six Million Dollar Man , Mission: Impossible and The Twilight Zone, among numerous others.&nbsp;

In 2015, Takei made his Broadway debut in the musical Allegiance , which was inspired by his true- life experiences during World War II. In 2017, he starred in a revival of Stephen Sondheim's Pacific Overtures in New York City.

Takei is the author of four books, including his autobiography To the Stars. His fifth book, the New York Times bestselling graphic memoir They Called Us Enemy, was released in July 2019.

Takei has served as the spokesperson for the Human Rights Campaign’s Coming Out Project and was Cultural Affairs Chairman of the Japanese American Citizens League. He is also chairman emeritus and a trustee of the Japanese American National Museum. He was appointed to the Japan-U.S. Friendship Commission by former President Clinton and the government of Japan awarded Takei the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette, for his contribution to U.S.-Japanese relations.

Takei received both bachelor and Master-of-arts degrees from UCLA (’60, ’64). In June 2019, Takei received the Distinguished Alumni Award in Theater from the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television (UCLA TFT).

Mashable.com named Takei the #1 most-influential person on Facebook. He currently boasts more than 10 million Facebook likes and 3 Million Twitter followers – and he uses these platforms to share humor, news, and his take on current events.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1691603498676.jpeg" alt="George Takei. Image courtesy Stiefel Theatre" />
 <figcaption>George Takei. Image courtesy Stiefel Theatre</figcaption>
 </figure>SALINA —The Salina Stiefel Theatre announced that George Takei is the author of the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.k-state.edu/today/announcement/?id=90036" target="_blank">2023 K-State First Book "They Called Us Enemy."</a>, according to a media release from the Theatre. K-State First Book, the all-university reading program that is part of K-State First, selects a common book each academic year and coordinates classroom and campus activities to correspond with the reading.&nbsp; K-State First Book provides incoming students with a shared academic experience that they can discuss with professors, staff, administrators and other students when they arrive on campus. Participation in the K-State First Book program is voluntary.George Takei will speak at the Stiefel Theatre on Friday, September 29th. A VIP meet and greet and book signing will be held at Red Fern Booksellers&nbsp; The meet and greet requires a ticket and is limited to 50.Tickets go on sale Friday.&nbsp; Tickets start at $35 , with tickets to the VIP event $50<h2>About George Takei</h2>George Takei is a social justice activist, social media superstar, Grammy-nominated recording artist, New York Times bestselling author, and pioneering actor. He has appeared in more than 40 feature films and hundreds of television roles, most famously as Hikaru Sulu in &nbsp;Star Trek.With an uncanny eloquence and signature wit, Takei shares the story of his family's forced internment as Japanese Americans during WWII — a seemingly forgotten part of American history. He also takes audiences through his rise to celebrity as a Sci-fi icon, his remarkable journey as social media mega-power, and his passionate fight for LGBTQ rights and marriage equality in America empowering others to beat the odds and make a difference.&nbsp;George Takei is known around the world for his role in the acclaimed original TV series Star Trek, in which he played Hikaru Sulu, helmsman of the starship Enterprise. But Takei's story, which includes an acting career that spans six decades, goes where few have gone before. From a childhood spent with his family wrongfully imprisoned in Japanese American internment camps during World War II to becoming one of the country's leading figures in the fight for social justice, LGBTQ+ rights and marriage equality, Takei remains a powerful voice on issues ranging from politics to pop culture.&nbsp;Takei hosts the AARP-produced YouTube series Takei's Take, exploring the world of technology, trends, current events and pop culture, and is the subject of the documentary To Be Takei. On his own YouTube channel, Takei and his husband Brad Takei bring viewers into their personal lives in the "heightened reality" web series It Takeis Two. He was a series regular in the second season of Ridley Scott's anthology drama The Terror: Infamy, which premiered on AMC in August 2019.His rich baritone has provided narration for the PBS series The National Parks: America's Best Idea , the Peabody Award- winning radio documentary Crossing East , and Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home , which garnered Takei a Grammy Award nomination for Best Spoken Word Album. He has also done voiceover work for hundreds of video games, commercials, films and TV series such as Fox’s The Simpsons and Futurama ; Disney’s Kim Possible, Mulan and Mulan 2 ; Nickelodeon’s Avatar: The Last Airbender, and Star Wars: The Clone Wars. &nbsp;Takei’s acting credits include co- starring in five Star Trek movies and appearances on such TV series as Fresh Off the Boat , Supah Ninjas , Hawaii Five-0, The New Normal, The Big Bang Theory, Heroes, Psych, Will &amp; Grace , Miami Vice , MacGyver , The Six Million Dollar Man , Mission: Impossible and The Twilight Zone, among numerous others.&nbsp;In 2015, Takei made his Broadway debut in the musical Allegiance , which was inspired by his true- life experiences during World War II. In 2017, he starred in a revival of Stephen Sondheim's Pacific Overtures in New York City.Takei is the author of four books, including his autobiography To the Stars. His fifth book, the New York Times bestselling graphic memoir They Called Us Enemy, was released in July 2019.Takei has served as the spokesperson for the Human Rights Campaign’s Coming Out Project and was Cultural Affairs Chairman of the Japanese American Citizens League. He is also chairman emeritus and a trustee of the Japanese American National Museum. He was appointed to the Japan-U.S. Friendship Commission by former President Clinton and the government of Japan awarded Takei the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette, for his contribution to U.S.-Japanese relations.Takei received both bachelor and Master-of-arts degrees from UCLA (’60, ’64). In June 2019, Takei received the Distinguished Alumni Award in Theater from the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television (UCLA TFT).Mashable.com named Takei the #1 most-influential person on Facebook. He currently boasts more than 10 million Facebook likes and 3 Million Twitter followers – and he uses these platforms to share humor, news, and his take on current events.

George Takei to visit Salina in September

FINNEY COUNTY—Police in southwest Kansas are alerting the public to the dangers of fentanyl.

Last weekend, police responded to four suspected fentanyl-related overdoses in Garden City, according to a media release.

 While none of the four overdoses resulted in death, fentanyl continues to drive the overdose epidemic and is involved in more deaths of Americans under 50 than any cause of death, including heart disease, cancer, homicide, suicide, and other accidents. 

Fentanyl is a potent synthetic opioid being used to make fake prescription pills or is mixed with other types of street drugs to drive addiction. It’s up to 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine. 

Fentanyl use can cause confusion, drowsiness, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, changes in pupil size, cold and clammy skin, coma, and respiratory failure leading to death. PLEASE, talk to your family and friends about fentanyl. 

Start the conversation because no drug is worth your life.We remain committed to keeping you and your families safe. As we work to stop the flow of drugs, we encourage the community to report illegal drug activity by calling us at (620) 276-1300. If you wish to remain anonymous, you can call Crime Stoppers at (620) 275-7807, or text your tip to Garden City PD, text GCTIP, and your information to Tip411 (847411).

FINNEY COUNTY—Police in southwest Kansas are alerting the public to the dangers of fentanyl.Last weekend, police responded to four suspected fentanyl-related overdoses in Garden City, according to a media release. While none of the four overdoses resulted in death, fentanyl continues to drive the overdose epidemic and is involved in more deaths of Americans under 50 than any cause of death, including heart disease, cancer, homicide, suicide, and other accidents. Fentanyl is a potent synthetic opioid being used to make fake prescription pills or is mixed with other types of street drugs to drive addiction. It’s up to 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine. Fentanyl use can cause confusion, drowsiness, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, changes in pupil size, cold and clammy skin, coma, and respiratory failure leading to death. PLEASE, talk to your family and friends about fentanyl. Start the conversation because no drug is worth your life.We remain committed to keeping you and your families safe. As we work to stop the flow of drugs, we encourage the community to report illegal drug activity by calling us at (620) 276-1300. If you wish to remain anonymous, you can call Crime Stoppers at (620) 275-7807, or text your tip to Garden City PD, text GCTIP, and your information to Tip411 (847411).

Police in SW Kansas alert the public to fentanyl danger

PRATT COUNTY—Three people died in a crash that occurred just after 10:30a.m. Tuesday in Pratt County.

According to Kansas Highway Patrol Trooper Chad Crittenden, a 2021 Nissan Kicks driven by Lilia Jasmin&nbsp;Barajas, 32, Wichita, was westbound on U.S. 54. just west of SW 19th Avenue and rear-ended the trailer of 2014 Peterbilt semi hauling sand that was stopped in a construction zone.

Barajas and two children in the back seat died, according to Crittenden. The driver of the semi Pedro Guilloty-Rodriguez, 38, Haines City, Florida, was not injured.   Barajas was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1691578661274.png" alt="The accident occurred in a construction zone-Photo courtesy KWCH" />
 <figcaption>The accident occurred in a construction zone-Photo courtesy KWCH</figcaption>
 </figure>PRATT COUNTY—Three people died in a crash that occurred just after 10:30a.m. Tuesday in Pratt County.According to Kansas Highway Patrol Trooper Chad Crittenden, a 2021 Nissan Kicks driven by Lilia Jasmin&nbsp;Barajas, 32, Wichita, was westbound on U.S. 54. just west of SW 19th Avenue and rear-ended the trailer of 2014 Peterbilt semi hauling sand that was stopped in a construction zone.Barajas and two children in the back seat died, according to Crittenden. The driver of the semi Pedro Guilloty-Rodriguez, 38, Haines City, Florida, was not injured. Barajas was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.&nbsp;

Kan. woman, 2 children dead after rear-end crash

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — American nurse Alix Dorsainvil and her daughter were freed Wednesday, nearly two weeks after they were kidnapped in Haiti’s capital, according to aid organization El Roi Haiti.

The Christian group founded by Dorsainvil’s husband asked that neither she nor her family be contacted: “There is still much to process and to heal from in this situation," the group said in a statement.

The group added that it confirmed the safe release “with a heart of gratitude and immense joy.” No other details were immediately available, including whether any ransom was paid.

The U.S. State Department said it welcomed news that the two had been freed and thanked its Haitian and U.S. interagency partners for facilitating the release.

“We have no greater priority than the safety and security of U.S. citizens overseas,” the agency said. “As you can imagine, these individuals have been through a very difficult ordeal, both physically and mentally.”

Witnesses told The Associated Press that armed men had seized the New Hampshire native and her young daughter in late July from a clinic in a gang-controlled area of Port-au-Prince where Dorsainvil works.

The Christian group has offered medical care, education and other basic services to people in the country’s poorest areas.

Gang warfare has increasingly plagued Haiti since the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/haiti-president-jovenel-moise-killed-b56a0f8fec0832028bdc51e8d59c6af2">2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse.</a>&nbsp;Gang members regularly kill, rape and hold residents for ransom. A local nonprofit has documented&nbsp;<a href="https://cardh.org/celulle-dobservation-de-la-criminalite">539 kidnappings since January</a>, a significant rise over previous years.

On July 27, the U.S. State Department had ordered the departure of non-emergency U.S. government personnel from Haiti, which remains under a “do not travel” advisory.

In a video posted on the El Roi Haiti website, Dorsainvil describes Haitians as “full of joy, and life and love,” people she was blessed to know.

In a blog post, El Roi Haiti said Dorsainvil fell in love with Haiti’s people on a visit there after the devastating 2010 earthquake hit the Caribbean nation.

Dorsainvil graduated from Regis College in Weston, Massachusetts, where a program supports nursing education in Haiti.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1690900441506.png" alt="Alix Dorsainvil as shown in a photo on the El Roi Haiti web site" />
 <figcaption>Alix Dorsainvil as shown in a photo on the El Roi Haiti web site</figcaption>
 </figure>PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — American nurse Alix Dorsainvil and her daughter were freed Wednesday, nearly two weeks after they were kidnapped in Haiti’s capital, according to aid organization El Roi Haiti.The Christian group founded by Dorsainvil’s husband asked that neither she nor her family be contacted: “There is still much to process and to heal from in this situation," the group said in a statement.The group added that it confirmed the safe release “with a heart of gratitude and immense joy.” No other details were immediately available, including whether any ransom was paid.The U.S. State Department said it welcomed news that the two had been freed and thanked its Haitian and U.S. interagency partners for facilitating the release.“We have no greater priority than the safety and security of U.S. citizens overseas,” the agency said. “As you can imagine, these individuals have been through a very difficult ordeal, both physically and mentally.”Officials provided no other details.Witnesses told The Associated Press that armed men had seized the New Hampshire native and her young daughter in late July from a clinic in a gang-controlled area of Port-au-Prince where Dorsainvil works.The Christian group has offered medical care, education and other basic services to people in the country’s poorest areas.Gang warfare has increasingly plagued Haiti since the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/haiti-president-jovenel-moise-killed-b56a0f8fec0832028bdc51e8d59c6af2">2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse.</a>&nbsp;Gang members regularly kill, rape and hold residents for ransom. A local nonprofit has documented&nbsp;<a href="https://cardh.org/celulle-dobservation-de-la-criminalite">539 kidnappings since January</a>, a significant rise over previous years.On July 27, the U.S. State Department had ordered the departure of non-emergency U.S. government personnel from Haiti, which remains under a “do not travel” advisory.In a video posted on the El Roi Haiti website, Dorsainvil describes Haitians as “full of joy, and life and love,” people she was blessed to know.In a blog post, El Roi Haiti said Dorsainvil fell in love with Haiti’s people on a visit there after the devastating 2010 earthquake hit the Caribbean nation.Dorsainvil graduated from Regis College in Weston, Massachusetts, where a program supports nursing education in Haiti.

American nurse, daughter freed by kidnappers in Haiti

KANSAS CITY (AP) — A Missouri man on Tuesday was charged with child endangerment and armed criminal action in the accidental shooting of his 7-year-old grandson, one of two children who died Monday in unrelated shootings in the St. Louis area.

Walter Macon, 45, was held Tuesday at the St. Louis County jail on a $100,000 cash only bond in the death of his grandson, Darnell Macon, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch&nbsp;<a href="https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-courts/grandfather-charged-after-7-year-old-accidentally-shoots-kills-self-in-berkeley/article_ff03e1da-35fc-11ee-9964-a3f81682926b.html?utm_source=stltoday.com&amp;utm_campaign=%2Fnewsletter-templates%2Flocal%2Ftrending&amp;utm_medium=PostUp&amp;lctg=3732300&amp;tn_email_eh1=1be2e162154cae33b2eaf3128c932815eb089c39">reported</a>.

St. Louis County Circuit Court did not have record of a lawyer for Walter Macon as of Tuesday, and contact information for his family was not immediately available.

Police said Walter Macon left his grandson alone in his truck with a loaded gun for less than 6 minutes as he was picking up recording equipment.

When he returned, he found the boy slumped over with a gunshot wound to his head, police said. The child was pronounced dead at the scene.

A 5-year-old girl from another St. Louis suburb&nbsp;<a href="https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-courts/5-year-old-girl-shot-and-killed-in-belleville/article_14af84b8-3598-11ee-9105-67bfa1487073.html#tracking-source=home-top-story">also died Monday from a shooting</a>, but police have not yet released additional information about her death.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1691529666952.png" alt="Macon-photo St. Louis Co. Jail" />
 <figcaption>Macon-photo St. Louis Co. Jail</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY (AP) — A Missouri man on Tuesday was charged with child endangerment and armed criminal action in the accidental shooting of his 7-year-old grandson, one of two children who died Monday in unrelated shootings in the St. Louis area.Walter Macon, 45, was held Tuesday at the St. Louis County jail on a $100,000 cash only bond in the death of his grandson, Darnell Macon, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch&nbsp;<a href="https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-courts/grandfather-charged-after-7-year-old-accidentally-shoots-kills-self-in-berkeley/article_ff03e1da-35fc-11ee-9964-a3f81682926b.html?utm_source=stltoday.com&amp;utm_campaign=%2Fnewsletter-templates%2Flocal%2Ftrending&amp;utm_medium=PostUp&amp;lctg=3732300&amp;tn_email_eh1=1be2e162154cae33b2eaf3128c932815eb089c39">reported</a>.St. Louis County Circuit Court did not have record of a lawyer for Walter Macon as of Tuesday, and contact information for his family was not immediately available.Police said Walter Macon left his grandson alone in his truck with a loaded gun for less than 6 minutes as he was picking up recording equipment.When he returned, he found the boy slumped over with a gunshot wound to his head, police said. The child was pronounced dead at the scene.A 5-year-old girl from another St. Louis suburb&nbsp;<a href="https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-courts/5-year-old-girl-shot-and-killed-in-belleville/article_14af84b8-3598-11ee-9105-67bfa1487073.html#tracking-source=home-top-story">also died Monday from a shooting</a>, but police have not yet released additional information about her death.

Man charged in grandson's accidental shooting death

By RACHEL MIPRO <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/04/05/kansas-lawmakers-debate-definition-of-female-and-male-for-county-jails/">Kansas Reflector</a>

OLATHE — The state has put a “thumb on the scale against abortion,” attorney Alice Wang said Tuesday in arguments for a temporary injunction to block long-standing abortion restrictions in Kansas.

Over the span of an hour and a half hearing in Johnson County District Court, Wang, an attorney from the Center for Reproductive Rights, and her opponent, Denise Harle of Alliance Defending Freedom, argued the constitutionality of the “Women’s Right to Know Act,” legislation that uses medically inaccurate information to dictate abortion restrictions.

“No one has been OK with these laws,” Wang said. “The fact that plaintiff providers have been bending over backwards and engaging in Herculean efforts to try and comply with the laws so that they can still provide quality reproductive health care to their patients doesn’t make the laws any more constitutional.”

The lawsuit, filed by abortion providers June 6, challenges requirements in the law, such as a mandatory ultrasound, a 30-minute wait period before the abortion procedure, a requirement that a physician has to listen to the fetus’ heartbeat and offer the patient the chance to do so as well, and a mandate that certain paperwork has to be given to patients in printed form, in specific typeface, font size and color, at least 24 hours in advance of an abortion.

Another challenged section of the law requires providers to post inaccurate information on their websites and in clinics that abortions could increase risk of breast cancer and premature birth in the future — a claim not supported by scientific research.

Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach said the law was a “common sense measure.”

“The Women’s Right to Know Act has been in place for more than 20 years and has been an important part of ensuring informed consent before any abortions are performed,” Kobach said in a news release after the day’s arguments. “We’re confident that the court will uphold this common sense statute.”

Plaintiffs in the case say the restrictions are a violation of the state constitution and patients’ right to reproductive health care. Among others, plaintiffs in the lawsuit include Herbert Hodes and Traci Lynn Nauser. The board-certified obstetrician-gynecologists’ challenge of a different state law led to the Kansas Supreme Court’s landmark 2019 ruling that the right to bodily autonomy in the Kansas Constitution includes the right to terminate a pregnancy..

Defendants in the new case include Kobach, Johnson County District Attorney Stephen Howe, Sedgwick County District Attorney Marc Bennett, and Susan Gile and Ronald Varner, officials from the Kansas Board of Healing Arts.

Emily Wales, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Great Plains, one of the plaintiffs in the case, said the landscape following the U.S. Supreme Court’s overturn of Roe v. Wade, as well as a new state law requiring doctors to tell patients about a medically unsound “abortion reversal,” made the lawsuit necessary.

Following last year’s reversal of Roe v. Wade, states with abortion access have dwindled, making Kansas an outlier in the region. Kansas law allows abortions up to 22 weeks after gestation, and in cases where the mother’s life is in danger.

Kansas voters in August 2022 overwhelmingly defeated a constitutional amendment to take away the right to abortion.

Abortion numbers in the state have skyrocketed in the year since federal abortion protections were overturned, with record numbers of out-of-state travelers coming to Kansas clinics.

Wales estimated providers in her organization have had to turn away 2-10 people every day because of bureaucratic form requirements, including patients who come in with the wrong font color on their forms.

Wales said the organization used to be able to reschedule patients, but with new volume and few providers, clinics are now forced to turn women away.

“Now what we say is, ‘Can you get to Colorado?’ ” Wales said. “How many hours on the road will it be for you to get from home to Chicago?”

Harle, of Alliance Defending Freedom, said those factors shouldn’t impact Kansas law.

“External factors suddenly make this law, which they’ve never had an issue with, unconstitutional just because other people in other states are making decisions?” Harle questioned. “That’s not how constitutionality works.”

Wales said the newly implemented “abortion reversal” law added a sense of urgency to the lawsuit. Republican lawmakers overrode Gov. Laura Kelly’s veto to fold the junk science requirement into the Women’s Right to Know Act during the recent legislative session. The law — which won’t be implemented till the settling of the lawsuit — requires abortion providers to tell patients they can reverse the effects of mifepristone, the first of two pills used in medication abortion.&nbsp;&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1691541420136.png" alt="Alice Wang, staff attorney for Center for Reproductive Rights, answers reporters’ questions following arguments Tuesday in Shawnee County District Court about the constitutionality of abortion restrictions in state law. (Pool photo by John Hanna/Associated Press)" />
 <figcaption>Alice Wang, staff attorney for Center for Reproductive Rights, answers reporters’ questions following arguments Tuesday in Shawnee County District Court about the constitutionality of abortion restrictions in state law. (Pool photo by John Hanna/Associated Press)</figcaption>
 </figure>By RACHEL MIPRO <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/04/05/kansas-lawmakers-debate-definition-of-female-and-male-for-county-jails/">Kansas Reflector</a>OLATHE — The state has put a “thumb on the scale against abortion,” attorney Alice Wang said Tuesday in arguments for a temporary injunction to block long-standing abortion restrictions in Kansas.Over the span of an hour and a half hearing in Johnson County District Court, Wang, an attorney from the Center for Reproductive Rights, and her opponent, Denise Harle of Alliance Defending Freedom, argued the constitutionality of the “Women’s Right to Know Act,” legislation that uses medically inaccurate information to dictate abortion restrictions.“No one has been OK with these laws,” Wang said. “The fact that plaintiff providers have been bending over backwards and engaging in Herculean efforts to try and comply with the laws so that they can still provide quality reproductive health care to their patients doesn’t make the laws any more constitutional.”The lawsuit, filed by abortion providers June 6, challenges requirements in the law, such as a mandatory ultrasound, a 30-minute wait period before the abortion procedure, a requirement that a physician has to listen to the fetus’ heartbeat and offer the patient the chance to do so as well, and a mandate that certain paperwork has to be given to patients in printed form, in specific typeface, font size and color, at least 24 hours in advance of an abortion.Another challenged section of the law requires providers to post inaccurate information on their websites and in clinics that abortions could increase risk of breast cancer and premature birth in the future — a claim not supported by scientific research.Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach said the law was a “common sense measure.”“The Women’s Right to Know Act has been in place for more than 20 years and has been an important part of ensuring informed consent before any abortions are performed,” Kobach said in a news release after the day’s arguments. “We’re confident that the court will uphold this common sense statute.”Plaintiffs in the case say the restrictions are a violation of the state constitution and patients’ right to reproductive health care. Among others, plaintiffs in the lawsuit include Herbert Hodes and Traci Lynn Nauser. The board-certified obstetrician-gynecologists’ challenge of a different state law led to the Kansas Supreme Court’s landmark 2019 ruling that the right to bodily autonomy in the Kansas Constitution includes the right to terminate a pregnancy..Defendants in the new case include Kobach, Johnson County District Attorney Stephen Howe, Sedgwick County District Attorney Marc Bennett, and Susan Gile and Ronald Varner, officials from the Kansas Board of Healing Arts.Emily Wales, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Great Plains, one of the plaintiffs in the case, said the landscape following the U.S. Supreme Court’s overturn of Roe v. Wade, as well as a new state law requiring doctors to tell patients about a medically unsound “abortion reversal,” made the lawsuit necessary.Following last year’s reversal of Roe v. Wade, states with abortion access have dwindled, making Kansas an outlier in the region. Kansas law allows abortions up to 22 weeks after gestation, and in cases where the mother’s life is in danger.Kansas voters in August 2022 overwhelmingly defeated a constitutional amendment to take away the right to abortion.Abortion numbers in the state have skyrocketed in the year since federal abortion protections were overturned, with record numbers of out-of-state travelers coming to Kansas clinics.Wales estimated providers in her organization have had to turn away 2-10 people every day because of bureaucratic form requirements, including patients who come in with the wrong font color on their forms.Wales said the organization used to be able to reschedule patients, but with new volume and few providers, clinics are now forced to turn women away.“Now what we say is, ‘Can you get to Colorado?’ ” Wales said. “How many hours on the road will it be for you to get from home to Chicago?”Harle, of Alliance Defending Freedom, said those factors shouldn’t impact Kansas law.“External factors suddenly make this law, which they’ve never had an issue with, unconstitutional just because other people in other states are making decisions?” Harle questioned. “That’s not how constitutionality works.”Wales said the newly implemented “abortion reversal” law added a sense of urgency to the lawsuit. Republican lawmakers overrode Gov. Laura Kelly’s veto to fold the junk science requirement into the Women’s Right to Know Act during the recent legislative session. The law — which won’t be implemented till the settling of the lawsuit — requires abortion providers to tell patients they can reverse the effects of mifepristone, the first of two pills used in medication abortion.&nbsp;&nbsp;Anti-abortion lobbyists point to a debunked study to claim pregnancy can be preserved by taking progesterone. The “abortion reversal” has significant health risks, including risk of hemorrhaging, and respected medical institutions have warned against the practice, including the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.acog.org/advocacy/facts-are-important/medication-abortion-reversal-is-not-supported-by-science">which called the process</a>&nbsp;scientifically unsound, unproven and unethical.Harle said providers should give women the abortion reversal information.“They’re putting the profit over the women,” Harle said. “The women deserve this information and they deserve better.”Harle said the “abortion reversal” was about providing women with information and that the reversal process was an area of “medical uncertainty,” one of several claims questioned by District Judge Krishnan Jayaram.“Is it though?” Jayaram interjected, before adding he didn’t believe the reversal stood up to medical scrutiny.Jayaram said he will decide whether to go through with the injunction in “short order,” with a decision likely to be released in the coming days.___