JOHNSON COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities continue investigating several&nbsp;"jugging" cases around 95th Street near Quivira in Johnson County, according to Lenexa Police.

A jugging case is when a victim is followed from a bank after making a withdrawal, then runs errands. The thieves will wait for the victim to go into a store, and break into the victim's car to steal the cash.

This is happening in broad daylight, in busy shopping centers. Police reminded, "don't leave cash or valuables inside your car where it is easily accessible. Be aware of your surroundings at all times, and be especially discrete when exiting a bank with a withdrawal."

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/6/1685737950565.png" alt="photo Lenexa Police" />
 <figcaption>photo Lenexa Police</figcaption>
 </figure>JOHNSON COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities continue investigating several&nbsp;"jugging" cases around 95th Street near Quivira in Johnson County, according to Lenexa Police.A jugging case is when a victim is followed from a bank after making a withdrawal, then runs errands. The thieves will wait for the victim to go into a store, and break into the victim's car to steal the cash.This is happening in broad daylight, in busy shopping centers. Police reminded, "don't leave cash or valuables inside your car where it is easily accessible. Be aware of your surroundings at all times, and be especially discrete when exiting a bank with a withdrawal."

Police warn of jugging burglaries near Kansas banks

TOPEKA –&nbsp;Governor Laura Kelly on Tuesday announced Walmart will build its first-ever fully owned and operated case-ready beef facility in Olathe, according to a media release from her office.

The retailer will invest $257 million in the plant and create 667 new permanent jobs. Construction of the facility will also create 1,000 design, fabrication, and construction jobs.&nbsp;

“Thanks to our work to make Kansas a top food and agriculture state, companies continue to invest in our communities and create high-paying jobs for Kansans,”&nbsp;Governor Laura Kelly said. “Walmart’s innovative new facility will support a more prosperous future for Olathe, for the Kansas City metro, and for our state as a whole.”&nbsp;

The opening of the 330,000-square-foot facility will further Walmart’s efforts in creating an end-to-end supply chain for high-quality Angus beef while increasing transparency and capacity in its supply chain to deliver high-quality products for its customers in the Midwest.&nbsp;

The new facility is set to break ground later this year. The facility will be designed and built by McCownGordon Construction of Kansas City. Once opened in 2025, the facility will process Angus cuts, supplied by Sustainable Beef LLC, into case-ready beef products such as steaks and roasts to be sold in Walmart stores across the Midwest.&nbsp;

Walmart first announced its ambitions to create an end-to-end supply chain for Angus beef in 2019 and has made numerous strides since then, with the opening of a case-ready beef facility in 2020 and its equity investment and long-term commercial agreement in Sustainable Beef LLC last year.&nbsp;

Walmart customers’ shopping habits have evolved over recent years, and more customers are seeking greater transparency in the supply chain and high-quality offerings available at affordable prices. This case-ready facility will increase needed capacity in the beef industry and allow Walmart to keep up with customer demand.&nbsp;&nbsp;

“At Walmart, enhancing quality is integral to how we innovate,”&nbsp;Walmart Senior Vice President of Deli, Meat, and Seafood David Baskin said. “Once opened, our case-ready beef facility in Olathe will mark an important next step in our journey to create an end-to-end Angus beef supply chain, ensuring our customers have access to the high-quality meats they expect at the everyday low prices they rely on.”&nbsp;

“Since day one of her administration, Governor Kelly has been focused on creating and retaining good-paying jobs in our state,” Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of Commerce David Toland said. “The Walmart facility will provide solid career opportunities for hundreds of Kansas families in addition to benefitting the entire regional economy.”&nbsp;&nbsp;

“This is such great news,”&nbsp;Olathe Mayor John Bacon said. “We’re thrilled that Walmart chose Olathe for its innovative facility. This huge capital investment will help create more jobs that will greatly benefit the City of Olathe and our entire region.”&nbsp;&nbsp;

“We couldn’t be more excited about this state-of-the-art facility coming to Olathe,”&nbsp;Olathe Chamber CEO Tim McKee said. “We can’t thank Walmart, the State of Kansas, and the City of Olathe enough for their help in bringing this facility, and so many great jobs, to our city. This is a huge economic development win for our community.”&nbsp;

Walmart operates 83 retail stores and employs 22,178 associates in the state of Kansas. In fiscal year 2022, stores, clubs, and the Walmart Foundation gave $8.8 million in cash and in-kind donations to local Kansas organizations. 

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/6/1686671319386.png" alt="The new facility is set to break ground later this year-photo courtesy Walmart" />
 <figcaption>The new facility is set to break ground later this year-photo courtesy Walmart</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA –&nbsp;Governor Laura Kelly on Tuesday announced Walmart will build its first-ever fully owned and operated case-ready beef facility in Olathe, according to a media release from her office.The retailer will invest $257 million in the plant and create 667 new permanent jobs. Construction of the facility will also create 1,000 design, fabrication, and construction jobs.&nbsp;“Thanks to our work to make Kansas a top food and agriculture state, companies continue to invest in our communities and create high-paying jobs for Kansans,”&nbsp;Governor Laura Kelly said. “Walmart’s innovative new facility will support a more prosperous future for Olathe, for the Kansas City metro, and for our state as a whole.”&nbsp;The opening of the 330,000-square-foot facility will further Walmart’s efforts in creating an end-to-end supply chain for high-quality Angus beef while increasing transparency and capacity in its supply chain to deliver high-quality products for its customers in the Midwest.&nbsp;The new facility is set to break ground later this year. The facility will be designed and built by McCownGordon Construction of Kansas City. Once opened in 2025, the facility will process Angus cuts, supplied by Sustainable Beef LLC, into case-ready beef products such as steaks and roasts to be sold in Walmart stores across the Midwest.&nbsp;Walmart first announced its ambitions to create an end-to-end supply chain for Angus beef in 2019 and has made numerous strides since then, with the opening of a case-ready beef facility in 2020 and its equity investment and long-term commercial agreement in Sustainable Beef LLC last year.&nbsp;Walmart customers’ shopping habits have evolved over recent years, and more customers are seeking greater transparency in the supply chain and high-quality offerings available at affordable prices. This case-ready facility will increase needed capacity in the beef industry and allow Walmart to keep up with customer demand.&nbsp;&nbsp;“At Walmart, enhancing quality is integral to how we innovate,”&nbsp;Walmart Senior Vice President of Deli, Meat, and Seafood David Baskin said. “Once opened, our case-ready beef facility in Olathe will mark an important next step in our journey to create an end-to-end Angus beef supply chain, ensuring our customers have access to the high-quality meats they expect at the everyday low prices they rely on.”&nbsp;“Since day one of her administration, Governor Kelly has been focused on creating and retaining good-paying jobs in our state,” Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of Commerce David Toland said. “The Walmart facility will provide solid career opportunities for hundreds of Kansas families in addition to benefitting the entire regional economy.”&nbsp;&nbsp;“This is such great news,”&nbsp;Olathe Mayor John Bacon said. “We’re thrilled that Walmart chose Olathe for its innovative facility. This huge capital investment will help create more jobs that will greatly benefit the City of Olathe and our entire region.”&nbsp;&nbsp;“We couldn’t be more excited about this state-of-the-art facility coming to Olathe,”&nbsp;Olathe Chamber CEO Tim McKee said. “We can’t thank Walmart, the State of Kansas, and the City of Olathe enough for their help in bringing this facility, and so many great jobs, to our city. This is a huge economic development win for our community.”&nbsp;Walmart operates 83 retail stores and employs 22,178 associates in the state of Kansas. In fiscal year 2022, stores, clubs, and the Walmart Foundation gave $8.8 million in cash and in-kind donations to local Kansas organizations.

Walmart to build $257M case-ready beef facility in Kansas

BROWN COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating two suspects on multiple allegations after a traffic stop.

Just after 11p.m. June 9, a sheriff's deputy observed a vehicle driving with only fog lights on and also failed to use a turn signal in the city of Hiawatha, according to Brown County Sheriff John Merchant.

While making contact with the driver Courtney Adamson 36 Reserve, it was discovered that he did not have a valid drivers license. 

While the deputy was placing Adamson under arrest, the passenger, later identified as 36-year-old dJessica Smith of Hiawatha, got out of the passenger seat and got in to the drivers seat and drove away.&nbsp;

A Hiawatha Police Officer stopped Smith for the Brown County deputy.

Deputies arrested Adamson on a requested charge of Driving While License Cancelled, Suspended or Revoked and Smith was arrested on a requested charge of driving under the influence.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/6/1686593835229.png" alt="Adamson-photo Brown Co." />
 <figcaption>Adamson-photo Brown Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>BROWN COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating two suspects on multiple allegations after a traffic stop.Just after 11p.m. June 9, a sheriff's deputy observed a vehicle driving with only fog lights on and also failed to use a turn signal in the city of Hiawatha, according to Brown County Sheriff John Merchant.While making contact with the driver Courtney Adamson 36 Reserve, it was discovered that he did not have a valid drivers license. While the deputy was placing Adamson under arrest, the passenger, later identified as 36-year-old dJessica Smith of Hiawatha, got out of the passenger seat and got in to the drivers seat and drove away.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/6/1686593801027.png" alt="Smith-photo Brown Co." />
 <figcaption>Smith-photo Brown Co.</figcaption>
 </figure> A Hiawatha Police Officer stopped Smith for the Brown County deputy. Deputies arrested Adamson on a requested charge of Driving While License Cancelled, Suspended or Revoked and Smith was arrested on a requested charge of driving under the influence.

Sheriff: Kan. woman drove away during companion's arrest

By TIM CARPENTER <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/04/06/grieving-moms-plea-to-kansas-lawmakers-do-something-this-epidemic-is-killing-our-kids/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA — U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall took to social media Sunday to allege President Joe Biden violated federal flag code by hanging from the White House balcony a pair of U.S. flags straddling a colorful flag honoring LGBTQ rights.

Marshall declared on Twitter that Biden appeared more invested in celebrating LGBTQ Pride Month than embracing national patriotism, but the Kansas Republican senator’s analysis didn’t reference the U.S. flag atop the White House nor contents of the flag code.

“This is a disgrace,” Marshall tweeted under an image of the three flags. “Not only is it in breach of US Flag Code, but it’s a glaring example of this White House’s incompetence and insistence on putting their social agenda ahead of patriotism.”

Individuals viewing Marshall’s post on Twitter delivered a barrage of responses, including James H. Hill who said the senator’s outrage over a flag representing acceptance and equality was “nothing short of astonishing.”

“Sorry to burst your bubble, but patriotism isn’t defined by the rigidity of your flag display, but rather by the principles your country stands for,” Hill said. “Last I checked, ‘liberty and justice for all’ was a pretty big one. The social agenda you’re apparently so afraid of is about inclusivity, love and equal rights for all Americans, regardless of who they love. If that’s an ‘incompetence’ in your book, perhaps it’s time for a revision.”

Biden welcomed a crowd of hundreds to the White House on Saturday in celebration of Pride Month amid a movement among conservative state lawmakers to introduce and pass legislation targeting the transgender community. Biden said during the South Lawn event his message, especially aimed at transgender children, was: “You are loved. You are heard. You’re understood. And, you belong.”

The&nbsp; flurry of Twitter replies to Marshall’s post highlighted a belief Biden didn’t break flag rules because a U.S. flag was flying atop the White House during the LGBTQ event. Rule No. 7 says the nation’s flag ought to be at the center and the highest point of a group when paired with flags of states or localities displayed from staffs.

“Flag code is: American flag at center. The one on the top of the White House is centered. You are absolutely the dumbest doctor alive,” said commentator Keith Olbermann, who has worked for MSNBC, Fox Sports and ESPN.

Others directed attention to flag rule No. 10, which says the commander in chief of U.S. armed forces could alter, modify, repeal or add to rules pertaining to display of the U.S. flag whenever appropriate or desirable.

While some commenting on Twitter shared support for Marshall’s perspective on civil liberties, others blasted the first-term senator for suggesting people advancing LGBTQ rights were not sufficiently patriotic.

Several noted Marshall responded to the Jan. 6, 2021, riots at the Capitol by voting against certifying results of the 2020 presidential election in Arizona and Pennsylvania due to unproven theories misconduct contributed to Biden’s victory over President Donald Trump.

More than 90 of Marshall’s colleagues in the Senate voted to affirm Biden’s victory over the incumbent GOP president in those swing states. Marshall subsequently conceded Biden would be sworn in as U.S. president.

“You supported a coup,” said Twitter poster John Oeffinger. “Don’t lecture us on patriotism. You have no standing.”

Marshall served in the U.S. Army Reserve and reached the rank of captain. The Kansas physician was elected to the U.S. House in 2016 and the U.S. Senate in 2020.

By TIM CARPENTER <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/04/06/grieving-moms-plea-to-kansas-lawmakers-do-something-this-epidemic-is-killing-our-kids/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall took to social media Sunday to allege President Joe Biden violated federal flag code by hanging from the White House balcony a pair of U.S. flags straddling a colorful flag honoring LGBTQ rights.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">This is a disgrace. Not only is it in breach of US Flag Code, but it’s a glaring example of this White Houses’ incompetence and insistence on putting their social agenda ahead of patriotism. <a href="https://t.co/Hn2jART16m">pic.twitter.com/Hn2jART16m</a>&mdash; Dr. Roger Marshall (@RogerMarshallMD) <a href="https://twitter.com/RogerMarshallMD/status/1667942869519269890?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 11, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Marshall declared on Twitter that Biden appeared more invested in celebrating LGBTQ Pride Month than embracing national patriotism, but the Kansas Republican senator’s analysis didn’t reference the U.S. flag atop the White House nor contents of the flag code.“This is a disgrace,” Marshall tweeted under an image of the three flags. “Not only is it in breach of US Flag Code, but it’s a glaring example of this White House’s incompetence and insistence on putting their social agenda ahead of patriotism.”Individuals viewing Marshall’s post on Twitter delivered a barrage of responses, including James H. Hill who said the senator’s outrage over a flag representing acceptance and equality was “nothing short of astonishing.”“Sorry to burst your bubble, but patriotism isn’t defined by the rigidity of your flag display, but rather by the principles your country stands for,” Hill said. “Last I checked, ‘liberty and justice for all’ was a pretty big one. The social agenda you’re apparently so afraid of is about inclusivity, love and equal rights for all Americans, regardless of who they love. If that’s an ‘incompetence’ in your book, perhaps it’s time for a revision.”Biden welcomed a crowd of hundreds to the White House on Saturday in celebration of Pride Month amid a movement among conservative state lawmakers to introduce and pass legislation targeting the transgender community. Biden said during the South Lawn event his message, especially aimed at transgender children, was: “You are loved. You are heard. You’re understood. And, you belong.”The&nbsp; flurry of Twitter replies to Marshall’s post highlighted a belief Biden didn’t break flag rules because a U.S. flag was flying atop the White House during the LGBTQ event. Rule No. 7 says the nation’s flag ought to be at the center and the highest point of a group when paired with flags of states or localities displayed from staffs.“Flag code is: American flag at center. The one on the top of the White House is centered. You are absolutely the dumbest doctor alive,” said commentator Keith Olbermann, who has worked for MSNBC, Fox Sports and ESPN.Others directed attention to flag rule No. 10, which says the commander in chief of U.S. armed forces could alter, modify, repeal or add to rules pertaining to display of the U.S. flag whenever appropriate or desirable.While some commenting on Twitter shared support for Marshall’s perspective on civil liberties, others blasted the first-term senator for suggesting people advancing LGBTQ rights were not sufficiently patriotic.Several noted Marshall responded to the Jan. 6, 2021, riots at the Capitol by voting against certifying results of the 2020 presidential election in Arizona and Pennsylvania due to unproven theories misconduct contributed to Biden’s victory over President Donald Trump.More than 90 of Marshall’s colleagues in the Senate voted to affirm Biden’s victory over the incumbent GOP president in those swing states. Marshall subsequently conceded Biden would be sworn in as U.S. president.“You supported a coup,” said Twitter poster John Oeffinger. “Don’t lecture us on patriotism. You have no standing.”Marshall served in the U.S. Army Reserve and reached the rank of captain. The Kansas physician was elected to the U.S. House in 2016 and the U.S. Senate in 2020.

Twitter users denounce  Kan. Senator's claim Biden broke flag rules at White House

MIAMI (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;was set to make his first court appearance Tuesday in a historic criminal case charging the former president with hoarding top secret government documents, boastfully displaying them to visitors and trying to hide them from investigators who demanded them back.

<a href="https://assets.bwbx.io/documents/users/iqjWHBFdfxIU/r01AWvuP8TD0/v0">Click here to read</a>&nbsp;the full indictment&nbsp;

Trump approached his Miami court date with characteristic bravado, insisting as he has done through years of legal woes that he has done nothing wrong and was being persecuted for political purposes. But the gravity of the moment is unmistakable as he answers to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-justice-department-indictment-classified-documents-miami-8315a5b23c18f27083ed64eef21efff3">37 felony counts</a>&nbsp;that accuse him of willfully retaining classified records that prosecutors say could have jeopardized national security if exposed.

The case is laden with political implications for Trump, who currently holds the dominant spot in the early days of the 2024 Republican presidential primary. But it also poses profound legal consequences given the prospect of a years-long prison sentence. Even for a defendant whose post-presidential life has been dominated by investigations, the documents probe has stood out for both the apparent volume of evidence amassed by prosecutors and the severity of the allegations.

It's also a watershed moment for a Justice Department that until last week had never before brought charges against a former president.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/merrick-garland">Attorney General Merrick Garland</a>, an appointee of President Joe Biden, sought to insulate the department from political attacks by handing ownership of the case last year to a special counsel&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jack-smith-special-counsel-prosecutor-donald-trump-garland-e1fdb71cfc258bc2be48a8b890a9269b">Jack Smith</a>, who on Friday declared, “We have one set of laws in this country, and they apply to everyone.”

The arraignment, though largely procedural in nature, is the latest in an unprecedented public reckoning this year for Trump, who&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-arraignment-hush-money-81225510ef7638494852816878f612f0">faces charges in New York</a>&nbsp;arising from hush money payments during his 2016 presidential campaign as well as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/january-6-final-hearing-investigation-wraps-0bceb95826c1c836023d2810ccbeccca">ongoing investigations in Washington</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-new-york-city-only-on-ap-donald-trump-georgia-266e28c4e47e54731b233e0f770f6729">Atlanta</a>&nbsp;into efforts to undo the results of the 2020 race. He's sought to project confidence in the face of unmistakable legal peril, attacking Smith as “deranged,” pledging to stay in the race and scheduling a speech and fundraiser for Tuesday night at his Bedminster, New Jersey, golf club.

“They’re using this because they can’t win the election fairly and squarely,” Trump said Monday in an interview with Americano Media.

The court appearance is also unfolding against the backdrop of potential protests and unrest. Some high-profile backers have used barbed rhetoric to voice support. Trump himself has encouraged supporters to join a planned protest Tuesday at the Miami courthouse, where he is expected to surrender to authorities.

Some Trump supporters were also planning to load buses to head to Miami from other parts of Florida, raising concerns for law enforcement officials who are preparing for the potential of unrest around the courthouse. Miami Mayor Francis Suarez said the city would be ready, and police chief Manuel A. Morales said downtown could see anywhere from a few thousand up to 50,000 protesters. He said the city would divert traffic and possibly block streets depending on crowd size.

Unlike in the New York case, where photographers produced images of a somber-faced Trump at the courtroom defense table, the public's view will limited. Cameras are generally not permitted in federal courts, and a judge Monday night barred reporters from having phones inside the building.

A&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-grand-jury-maralago-pence-jan-6-09630fc5891cc91395975a91314a1a87">federal grand jury in Washington</a>&nbsp;had heard testimony for months in the documents case, but the Justice Department filed it in Florida, where Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort is located and where many of the alleged acts of obstruction occurred. Though Trump is set to appear Tuesday before a federal magistrate, the case has been assigned to a District Court judge he appointed,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/florida-government-and-politics-1cc6c63010da10a19fb8cfc8595ffe38">Aileen Cannon</a>, who ruled in his favor last year in a dispute over whether an outside special master could be appointed to review the seized classified documents. A&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-mar-a-lago-criminal-investigations-government-and-politics-16748b82a502c0eec977d3ec51390027">federal appeals panel ultimately</a>&nbsp;overturned her ruling.

It's unclear what defenses Trump is likely to cite as the case moves forward. Two of his lead lawyers announced their resignation on the morning after his indictment, and the notes and recollections of another attorney,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-classified-documents-grand-jury-justice-department-623428540a6cff1b5dcdf697cdf45b5d">M. Evan Corcoran</a>, are cited repeatedly throughout the 49-page charging document, suggesting that prosecutors may see him as a key witness.

Trump has said he's looking to add to his legal team though no announcements were made Monday. But that matters because, under the rules of the district, defendants are required to have a local lawyer for an arraignment to proceed.

The Justice Department unsealed Friday an indictment charging Trump with 37 felony counts, 31 relating to the willful retention of national defense information. Other charges include conspiracy to commit obstruction and false statements.

The indictment alleges Trump intentionally retained&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-mar-a-lago-government-and-politics-9e8d683afe87389407950af7ccfdbdd6">hundreds of classified documents</a>&nbsp;that he took with him from the White House to Mar-a-Lago after leaving the presidency in January 2021. The material he stored, including in a bathroom, ballroom, bedroom and shower, included material on nuclear programs, defense and weapons capabilities of the U.S. and foreign governments and a Pentagon “attack plan,” the indictment says. The information, if exposed, could have put at risk members of the military, confidential human sources and intelligence collection methods, prosecutors said.

Beyond that, prosecutors say, he sought to obstruct government efforts to recover the documents, including by directing personal aide Walt Nauta — who was charged alongside Trump — to move boxes to conceal them and also suggesting to his own lawyer that he hide or destroy documents sought by a Justice Department subpoena.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/6/1686358157076.png" alt="This image, contained in the indictment against former President Donald Trump, shows boxes of records stored in a bathroom and shower in the Lake Room at Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Fla. Trump is facing 37 felony charges related to the mishandling of classified documents according to an indictment unsealed Friday, June 9, 2023. (Justice Department via AP)" />
 <figcaption>This image, contained in the indictment against former President Donald Trump, shows boxes of records stored in a bathroom and shower in the Lake Room at Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Fla. Trump is facing 37 felony charges related to the mishandling of classified documents according to an indictment unsealed Friday, June 9, 2023. (Justice Department via AP)</figcaption>
 </figure>MIAMI (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;was set to make his first court appearance Tuesday in a historic criminal case charging the former president with hoarding top secret government documents, boastfully displaying them to visitors and trying to hide them from investigators who demanded them back.<a href="https://assets.bwbx.io/documents/users/iqjWHBFdfxIU/r01AWvuP8TD0/v0">Click here to read</a>&nbsp;the full indictment&nbsp;Trump approached his Miami court date with characteristic bravado, insisting as he has done through years of legal woes that he has done nothing wrong and was being persecuted for political purposes. But the gravity of the moment is unmistakable as he answers to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-justice-department-indictment-classified-documents-miami-8315a5b23c18f27083ed64eef21efff3">37 felony counts</a>&nbsp;that accuse him of willfully retaining classified records that prosecutors say could have jeopardized national security if exposed.The case is laden with political implications for Trump, who currently holds the dominant spot in the early days of the 2024 Republican presidential primary. But it also poses profound legal consequences given the prospect of a years-long prison sentence. Even for a defendant whose post-presidential life has been dominated by investigations, the documents probe has stood out for both the apparent volume of evidence amassed by prosecutors and the severity of the allegations.It's also a watershed moment for a Justice Department that until last week had never before brought charges against a former president.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/merrick-garland">Attorney General Merrick Garland</a>, an appointee of President Joe Biden, sought to insulate the department from political attacks by handing ownership of the case last year to a special counsel&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jack-smith-special-counsel-prosecutor-donald-trump-garland-e1fdb71cfc258bc2be48a8b890a9269b">Jack Smith</a>, who on Friday declared, “We have one set of laws in this country, and they apply to everyone.”The arraignment, though largely procedural in nature, is the latest in an unprecedented public reckoning this year for Trump, who&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-arraignment-hush-money-81225510ef7638494852816878f612f0">faces charges in New York</a>&nbsp;arising from hush money payments during his 2016 presidential campaign as well as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/january-6-final-hearing-investigation-wraps-0bceb95826c1c836023d2810ccbeccca">ongoing investigations in Washington</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-new-york-city-only-on-ap-donald-trump-georgia-266e28c4e47e54731b233e0f770f6729">Atlanta</a>&nbsp;into efforts to undo the results of the 2020 race. He's sought to project confidence in the face of unmistakable legal peril, attacking Smith as “deranged,” pledging to stay in the race and scheduling a speech and fundraiser for Tuesday night at his Bedminster, New Jersey, golf club.“They’re using this because they can’t win the election fairly and squarely,” Trump said Monday in an interview with Americano Media.The court appearance is also unfolding against the backdrop of potential protests and unrest. Some high-profile backers have used barbed rhetoric to voice support. Trump himself has encouraged supporters to join a planned protest Tuesday at the Miami courthouse, where he is expected to surrender to authorities.Some Trump supporters were also planning to load buses to head to Miami from other parts of Florida, raising concerns for law enforcement officials who are preparing for the potential of unrest around the courthouse. Miami Mayor Francis Suarez said the city would be ready, and police chief Manuel A. Morales said downtown could see anywhere from a few thousand up to 50,000 protesters. He said the city would divert traffic and possibly block streets depending on crowd size.Unlike in the New York case, where photographers produced images of a somber-faced Trump at the courtroom defense table, the public's view will limited. Cameras are generally not permitted in federal courts, and a judge Monday night barred reporters from having phones inside the building.A&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-grand-jury-maralago-pence-jan-6-09630fc5891cc91395975a91314a1a87">federal grand jury in Washington</a>&nbsp;had heard testimony for months in the documents case, but the Justice Department filed it in Florida, where Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort is located and where many of the alleged acts of obstruction occurred. Though Trump is set to appear Tuesday before a federal magistrate, the case has been assigned to a District Court judge he appointed,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/florida-government-and-politics-1cc6c63010da10a19fb8cfc8595ffe38">Aileen Cannon</a>, who ruled in his favor last year in a dispute over whether an outside special master could be appointed to review the seized classified documents. A&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-mar-a-lago-criminal-investigations-government-and-politics-16748b82a502c0eec977d3ec51390027">federal appeals panel ultimately</a>&nbsp;overturned her ruling.It's unclear what defenses Trump is likely to cite as the case moves forward. Two of his lead lawyers announced their resignation on the morning after his indictment, and the notes and recollections of another attorney,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-classified-documents-grand-jury-justice-department-623428540a6cff1b5dcdf697cdf45b5d">M. Evan Corcoran</a>, are cited repeatedly throughout the 49-page charging document, suggesting that prosecutors may see him as a key witness.Trump has said he's looking to add to his legal team though no announcements were made Monday. But that matters because, under the rules of the district, defendants are required to have a local lawyer for an arraignment to proceed.The Justice Department unsealed Friday an indictment charging Trump with 37 felony counts, 31 relating to the willful retention of national defense information. Other charges include conspiracy to commit obstruction and false statements.The indictment alleges Trump intentionally retained&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-mar-a-lago-government-and-politics-9e8d683afe87389407950af7ccfdbdd6">hundreds of classified documents</a>&nbsp;that he took with him from the White House to Mar-a-Lago after leaving the presidency in January 2021. The material he stored, including in a bathroom, ballroom, bedroom and shower, included material on nuclear programs, defense and weapons capabilities of the U.S. and foreign governments and a Pentagon “attack plan,” the indictment says. The information, if exposed, could have put at risk members of the military, confidential human sources and intelligence collection methods, prosecutors said.Beyond that, prosecutors say, he sought to obstruct government efforts to recover the documents, including by directing personal aide Walt Nauta — who was charged alongside Trump — to move boxes to conceal them and also suggesting to his own lawyer that he hide or destroy documents sought by a Justice Department subpoena.

Trump will face judge in historic court appearance over secret documents

WYANDOTTE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities investigating after a body was found in Wyandotte County Lake on Monday.

Just after 2p.m. Monday, deputies responded to the lake after receiving a call about the body, according to a media release.

First responders recovered the body of a black male in his 20s. The sheriff's office released no additional details.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/6/1686652861496.png" alt="Google map" />
 <figcaption>Google map</figcaption>
 </figure>WYANDOTTE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities investigating after a body was found in Wyandotte County Lake on Monday.Just after 2p.m. Monday, deputies responded to the lake after receiving a call about the body, according to a media release.First responders recovered the body of a black male in his 20s. The sheriff's office released no additional details.

Sheriff: Body found in Kansas lake

BEIRUT (AP) — A helicopter accident in northeastern Syria over the weekend left 22 American service members injured, the U.S. military said Tuesday, adding that the cause of the accident was under investigation and that no enemy fire was involved.

The military statement said the service members were receiving treatment and 10 were moved to “higher care facilities” outside the region.

“A helicopter mishap in northeastern Syria resulted in the injuries of various degrees of 22 U.S. service members,” it said. “No enemy fire was reported.”

A spokesman for the U.S.-backed Syrian Kurdish forces did not immediately respond to an Associated Press request for comment.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/syria-us-troops-drone-attack-6194dca97f594e3609914637463c4ce3">There are at least 900 U.S. forces in Syria</a>&nbsp;on average, along with an undisclosed number of contractors. U.S. special operations forces also move in and out of the country, but are usually in small teams and are not included in the official count.

U.S. forces have been in Syria since 2015 to advise and assist the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces in the fight against the militant Islamic State group. Since the extremist group was defeated in Syria in March 2019, U.S. troops have been trying to prevent any comeback by IS, which swept through Iraq and Syria in 2014, taking control of large swaths of territory.

However, IS sleeper cells remain a threat. There are also&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/islamic-state-group-europe-middle-east-syria-prisons-c1a74b4dc864830bf37037a45ec5182e">about 10,000 IS fighters held in detention facilities in Syria</a>&nbsp;and tens of thousands of their family members living in two refugee camps in the country's northeast.

Over the past years, U.S. troops have been subjected to attacks carried out by IS members and Iran-backed fighters there. In late March, a drone attack on a U.S. base killed a contractor and wounded five American troops and another contractor. In retaliation, U.S. fighter jets struck several locations around the eastern province of Deir el-Zour, which borders Iraq.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said at the time that the strikes were a response to the drone attack as well as a series of recent attacks against U.S.-led coalition forces in Syria by groups affiliated with Iran’s Revolutionary Guard.

In a related development, Syrian Kurdish-led authorities announced Saturday that hundreds of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/islamic-state-syria-sdf-kurds-alhol-628730e580697497696f13855b3931f6">IS fighters held in prisons around the region will be put on trial</a>&nbsp;after their home countries refused to repatriate them.

BEIRUT (AP) — A helicopter accident in northeastern Syria over the weekend left 22 American service members injured, the U.S. military said Tuesday, adding that the cause of the accident was under investigation and that no enemy fire was involved.The military statement said the service members were receiving treatment and 10 were moved to “higher care facilities” outside the region.“A helicopter mishap in northeastern Syria resulted in the injuries of various degrees of 22 U.S. service members,” it said. “No enemy fire was reported.”A spokesman for the U.S.-backed Syrian Kurdish forces did not immediately respond to an Associated Press request for comment.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/syria-us-troops-drone-attack-6194dca97f594e3609914637463c4ce3">There are at least 900 U.S. forces in Syria</a>&nbsp;on average, along with an undisclosed number of contractors. U.S. special operations forces also move in and out of the country, but are usually in small teams and are not included in the official count.U.S. forces have been in Syria since 2015 to advise and assist the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces in the fight against the militant Islamic State group. Since the extremist group was defeated in Syria in March 2019, U.S. troops have been trying to prevent any comeback by IS, which swept through Iraq and Syria in 2014, taking control of large swaths of territory.However, IS sleeper cells remain a threat. There are also&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/islamic-state-group-europe-middle-east-syria-prisons-c1a74b4dc864830bf37037a45ec5182e">about 10,000 IS fighters held in detention facilities in Syria</a>&nbsp;and tens of thousands of their family members living in two refugee camps in the country's northeast.Over the past years, U.S. troops have been subjected to attacks carried out by IS members and Iran-backed fighters there. In late March, a drone attack on a U.S. base killed a contractor and wounded five American troops and another contractor. In retaliation, U.S. fighter jets struck several locations around the eastern province of Deir el-Zour, which borders Iraq.U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said at the time that the strikes were a response to the drone attack as well as a series of recent attacks against U.S.-led coalition forces in Syria by groups affiliated with Iran’s Revolutionary Guard.In a related development, Syrian Kurdish-led authorities announced Saturday that hundreds of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/islamic-state-syria-sdf-kurds-alhol-628730e580697497696f13855b3931f6">IS fighters held in prisons around the region will be put on trial</a>&nbsp;after their home countries refused to repatriate them.

US military: 22 American troops injured after helicopter accident in Syria 

BARTON COUNTY —A fire destroyed a rural Barton County building and put fire crews at risk of injury. Just before 4p.m. on Monday, June 12, the Great Bend Fire Department responded to the 200 block of SE 30 Road for the report of a shed on fire, according to a media release from the Great Bend Fire Department.

First unit on scene found a 40’ x 60’ wood frame metal building fully involved in fire with multiple propane tanks exploding and several more tanks exposed to fire. &nbsp; With a significant amount of fire, crews attacked from the exterior. The fire being out in the county required a water shuttle to be set up with tankers hauling water from Great Bend.

Mutual aid tankers were requested from Ellinwood Fire. Also assisting with the water shuttle were the Barton County Road Department and Haz-Mat Response.

 The building and contents are considered a total loss. The fire was investigated by investigators from the Great Bend Fire Department and was determined to be accidental in nature.&nbsp; There were no injuries reported.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/6/1686622117567.jpeg" alt="Photos Great Bend Fire Department" />
 <figcaption>Photos Great Bend Fire Department</figcaption>
 </figure>BARTON COUNTY —A fire destroyed a rural Barton County building and put fire crews at risk of injury. Just before 4p.m. on Monday, June 12, the Great Bend Fire Department responded to the 200 block of SE 30 Road for the report of a shed on fire, according to a media release from the Great Bend Fire Department.First unit on scene found a 40’ x 60’ wood frame metal building fully involved in fire with multiple propane tanks exploding and several more tanks exposed to fire. &nbsp; With a significant amount of fire, crews attacked from the exterior. The fire being out in the county required a water shuttle to be set up with tankers hauling water from Great Bend. Mutual aid tankers were requested from Ellinwood Fire. Also assisting with the water shuttle were the Barton County Road Department and Haz-Mat Response.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/6/1686621873197.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure> The building and contents are considered a total loss. The fire was investigated by investigators from the Great Bend Fire Department and was determined to be accidental in nature.&nbsp; There were no injuries reported.

Numerous propane tanks explode in rural Kan. building fire

SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating two suspects in connection with a liquid meth operation that was transporting illegal drugs from Mexico and Phoenix to Wichita, according to a media release.

After an extensive and lengthy operation of surveillance, Wichita police&nbsp; executed a search warrant at a residence located in the 2000 Block of S. Greenwich in Wicchita.

 The search warrant resulted in the seizure of approximately 28-30 gallons of liquid meth. What the officers seized from this house could have been converted into approximately 300 pounds of crystal meth.

Officers also arrested 37-year-old Oscar Martinez-Ortiz of Wichita and 60-year-old Ignacio Negrete-Diaz on requested charges of Manufacturing a Controlled Substance and Distribution.

The estimated street value of this seizure is approximately $972,857.00.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/6/1686592709242.png" alt="Negrete-Diaz-photo Wichita Police" />
 <figcaption>Negrete-Diaz-photo Wichita Police</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating two suspects in connection with a liquid meth operation that was transporting illegal drugs from Mexico and Phoenix to Wichita, according to a media release.After an extensive and lengthy operation of surveillance, Wichita police&nbsp; executed a search warrant at a residence located in the 2000 Block of S. Greenwich in Wicchita.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/6/1686592679825.png" alt="Martinez-Ortiz-photo Sedgwick Co." />
 <figcaption>Martinez-Ortiz-photo Sedgwick Co.</figcaption>
 </figure> The search warrant resulted in the seizure of approximately 28-30 gallons of liquid meth. What the officers seized from this house could have been converted into approximately 300 pounds of crystal meth.Officers also arrested 37-year-old Oscar Martinez-Ortiz of Wichita and 60-year-old Ignacio Negrete-Diaz on requested charges of Manufacturing a Controlled Substance and Distribution.The estimated street value of this seizure is approximately $972,857.00.

Police in Kan. seize liquid meth with street value of nearly $1 million

MEADE COUNTY—One person died in an accident just before 5:30p.m. Monday in Meade County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2002 Dodge Ram driven by Dylan B.&nbsp;Duesing, 27, Meade, was westbound on K Road just east of U.S. 54.

The pickup struck a northbound 1998 Kawasaki&nbsp;KX125 driven by Michael M. Lowry, 15, Meade, who was coming out of a field.&nbsp; 

Lowry was pronounced dead at Meade District Hospital.&nbsp; Duesing who&nbsp; was not wearing a seat belt was not injured.&nbsp; Lowry was not wearing a helmet, according to the KHP.

MEADE COUNTY—One person died in an accident just before 5:30p.m. Monday in Meade County.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2002 Dodge Ram driven by Dylan B.&nbsp;Duesing, 27, Meade, was westbound on K Road just east of U.S. 54.The pickup struck a northbound 1998 Kawasaki&nbsp;KX125 driven by Michael M. Lowry, 15, Meade, who was coming out of a field.&nbsp; Lowry was pronounced dead at Meade District Hospital.&nbsp; Duesing who&nbsp; was not wearing a seat belt was not injured.&nbsp; Lowry was not wearing a helmet, according to the KHP.

15-year-old Kan. boy dies after pickup, motorcycle crash

KANSAS CITY —A Kansas City-area teen faces charges for recklessly causing the death of his friend Dakota Wrightsman by shooting him, according to Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker.

Cooper D. Ashley, 18, faces Involuntary Manslaughter 1st Degree.

According to court records, Lee's Summit officers responded to a residence in Lee's Summit on a report of a shooting.&nbsp; Officer found the victim identified as Wrightsman and life-saving efforts were unsuccessful. 

Officers found a handgun and blood in the lower level of the residence.&nbsp; The victim's father told police he was outside when he heard a gunshot and saw the victim leaving the lower level of the residence. 

Ashley was in the lower level with the victim and others. Ashley said he had picked up the handgun and it fired. A witness told police he saw Ashley with the gun in his hand soon after the shot.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/6/1686307607521.png" alt="Ashley-photo Lee's Summit Police" />
 <figcaption>Ashley-photo Lee's Summit Police</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —A Kansas City-area teen faces charges for recklessly causing the death of his friend Dakota Wrightsman by shooting him, according to Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker.Cooper D. Ashley, 18, faces Involuntary Manslaughter 1st Degree.According to court records, Lee's Summit officers responded to a residence in Lee's Summit on a report of a shooting.&nbsp; Officer found the victim identified as Wrightsman and life-saving efforts were unsuccessful. Officers found a handgun and blood in the lower level of the residence.&nbsp; The victim's father told police he was outside when he heard a gunshot and saw the victim leaving the lower level of the residence. Ashley was in the lower level with the victim and others. Ashley said he had picked up the handgun and it fired. A witness told police he saw Ashley with the gun in his hand soon after the shot.&nbsp;

Kansas City-area teen charged in fatal shooting  of his friend

JOHNSON COUNTY —Police on Olathe cancelled the Silver Alert for missing 74-year-old George Junior Sewell. He has been located and is safe.

JOHNSON COUNTY – The Olathe Police Department is seeking public assistance in locating 74-year-old, George Junior Sewell, according to a media release from agency. On Saturday evening police&nbsp; received information that indicates he may be traveling east toward South Carolina.

George is described as 6-foot-2, 200 pounds, with white hair and blue eyes. He was last seen in the 1400 block of East 123rd Street, wearing a green Army Veteran hat, a light blue shirt, light blue jeans, and black shoes. 

George is believed to be operating a black, 2022, Mitsubishi Outlander displaying a South Carolina handicap tag, 280220W. 

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/6/1686402016880.png" alt="Sewell-photo Olathe Police" />
 <figcaption>Sewell-photo Olathe Police</figcaption>
 </figure>JOHNSON COUNTY —Police on Olathe cancelled the Silver Alert for missing 74-year-old George Junior Sewell. He has been located and is safe.-------------JOHNSON COUNTY – The Olathe Police Department is seeking public assistance in locating 74-year-old, George Junior Sewell, according to a media release from agency. On Saturday evening police&nbsp; received information that indicates he may be traveling east toward South Carolina.George is described as 6-foot-2, 200 pounds, with white hair and blue eyes. He was last seen in the 1400 block of East 123rd Street, wearing a green Army Veteran hat, a light blue shirt, light blue jeans, and black shoes. George is believed to be operating a black, 2022, Mitsubishi Outlander displaying a South Carolina handicap tag, 280220W.

Police: Silver Alert canceled missing man found safe

SEDGWICK COUNTY —A man accused in a knife attack robbery is no longer in custody, according to online jail records.

Just after 11 p.m. June 7, police were dispatched to a welfare check in the 1100 block of N. Emporia in Wichita, according to Officer Juan Rebolledo.

There were also reports of a man screaming for help. Officers located a 49-year-old victim on the ground bloodied from cuts to his upper torso area. 

The investigation revealed that the victim had been battered by multiple suspects and&nbsp; 30-year-old Evans Ohajewke of Wichita was one of them. The victim would report that Ohajewke was armed with a knife and had cut him while stealing his shoes. 

The victim was transported to a local area hospital for non-life-threatening injuries. Officers searched the surrounding area and found&nbsp;Ohajewke  hiding behind a tree. 

Officers utilized their time and distance to call out Ohajewke&nbsp; from behind the tree. He would eventually comply, and was arrested without incident and booked on requested charges of aggravated robbery.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/6/1686240670750.png" alt="Ohajewke -photo Sedgwick County" />
 <figcaption>Ohajewke -photo Sedgwick County</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY —A man accused in a knife attack robbery is no longer in custody, according to online jail records.Just after 11 p.m. June 7, police were dispatched to a welfare check in the 1100 block of N. Emporia in Wichita, according to Officer Juan Rebolledo.There were also reports of a man screaming for help. Officers located a 49-year-old victim on the ground bloodied from cuts to his upper torso area. The investigation revealed that the victim had been battered by multiple suspects and&nbsp; 30-year-old Evans Ohajewke of Wichita was one of them. The victim would report that Ohajewke was armed with a knife and had cut him while stealing his shoes. The victim was transported to a local area hospital for non-life-threatening injuries. Officers searched the surrounding area and found&nbsp;Ohajewke hiding behind a tree. Officers utilized their time and distance to call out Ohajewke&nbsp; from behind the tree. He would eventually comply, and was arrested without incident and booked on requested charges of aggravated robbery.

Kan. suspect who took man's shoes in knife attack is out of jail

HARTFORD,&nbsp; Connecticut —An investigation into an organization that trafficked numerous firearms into Connecticut has resulted in federal charges against residents of Kansas Connecticut and California, according to Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut.

On May 31, 2023, a federal grand jury in Hartford returned a 19-count indictment charging&nbsp; Ramon Pichardo, 33, Elkhart, Kansas; Brian Baker, 46, of Scott City, Kansas; Luis Perez, 44, of Waterbury, Connecticut; Algelly Diaz, 40, of Hartford, Connecticut and Fernando Soto, Jr, 51, of Diamond Bar, California&nbsp;with engaging in a firearms trafficking conspiracy, and additional offenses

U.S. Attorney Avery noted that this case is being prosecuted, in part, under the new criminal provisions of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which Congress enacted and the President signed in June 2022.&nbsp; The Act is the first federal statute specifically designed to target the unlawful trafficking and straw-purchasing of firearms.

As alleged in court documents and statements made in court, a joint investigation revealed that Perez was acquiring firearms that were purchased by co-conspirators in Kansas and shipped through the U.S. Mail to a stash location that Diaz maintained in Hartford.&nbsp; Perez coordinated the purchase of the firearms through Baker in Kansas and Soto in California.&nbsp; 

Perez then obtained the firearms from Diaz and sold them to others throughout Connecticut.&nbsp;&nbsp; Perez, Diaz, Baker, and Soto are all convicted felons who cannot not lawfully purchase or possess firearms.&nbsp; Baker used straw purchasers, including Pichardo, to purchase firearms from licensed gun dealers in Kansas.&nbsp; In May 2023, members of the FBI Waterbury Safe Streets Task Force conducted controlled purchases of a total of nine firearms from Perez.

It is further alleged that between August 2020 and May 2023, Pichardo purchased at least 73 firearms from a licensed gun dealer in Deerfield, Kansas.&nbsp; To date, six of these firearms have been recovered by law enforcement in Connecticut, Michigan, and California.&nbsp; A firearm purchased by Pichardo in July 2022 was recovered on August 27, 2022, in San Bernardino, California, at the scene of the homicide of a juvenile.

Perez, Diaz, Baker, and Pichardo were arrested on federal criminal complaints on May 19, 2023.&nbsp; On that date, investigators executed search warrants at locations in Kansas, Connecticut and California.&nbsp; A search of Perez’s Waterbury residence and vehicle revealed nine firearms; more than 200 rounds of ammunition; distribution quantities of cocaine, crack cocaine, and fentanyl/heroin; items used to process and package narcotics for street sale; and more than $7,000 in cash.&nbsp; A search of Diaz’s residence revealed approximately 90 rounds of ammunition, and a search of Pichardo’s residence revealed six firearms.&nbsp; In addition, a court-authorized search of a package that was shipped to Diaz and seized from the mail stream revealed an additional three firearms.

The charge of engaging in a firearms trafficking conspiracy carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 15 years.&nbsp; The indictment also charges Perez, Baker, and Diaz with multiple counts of firearms trafficking, an offense that also carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 15 years.&nbsp; In addition, Perez, Baker, and Soto are charged with unlawfully mailing firearms, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of two years.

The indictment also charges Perez with unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 15 years; possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, which carries a mandatory consecutive sentence of at least five years; possession with intent to distribute, and distribution of, cocaine, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years; and possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine and quantities of heroin and fentanyl, which carries a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of five years and a maximum term of imprisonment of 40 years.

In addition, Diaz is charged with unlawful possession of ammunition by a felon, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 15 years.

Perez, Diaz, and Pichardo appeared June 8, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert M. Spector in New Haven and entered pleas of not guilty to the charges against them.&nbsp; Perez and Diaz are detained, and Pichardo is released on a $25,000 bond.

Soto, who was arrested on June 5 and currently released on a $60,000 bond, and Baker, who is detained, are scheduled to be arraigned in Connecticut on June 16.

This matter is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Waterbury Police Department, the Connecticut State Police, and the Chino (Calif.) Police Department.

HARTFORD,&nbsp; Connecticut —An investigation into an organization that trafficked numerous firearms into Connecticut has resulted in federal charges against residents of Kansas Connecticut and California, according to Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut.On May 31, 2023, a federal grand jury in Hartford returned a 19-count indictment charging&nbsp; Ramon Pichardo, 33, Elkhart, Kansas; Brian Baker, 46, of Scott City, Kansas; Luis Perez, 44, of Waterbury, Connecticut; Algelly Diaz, 40, of Hartford, Connecticut and Fernando Soto, Jr, 51, of Diamond Bar, California&nbsp;with engaging in a firearms trafficking conspiracy, and additional offensesU.S. Attorney Avery noted that this case is being prosecuted, in part, under the new criminal provisions of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which Congress enacted and the President signed in June 2022.&nbsp; The Act is the first federal statute specifically designed to target the unlawful trafficking and straw-purchasing of firearms.As alleged in court documents and statements made in court, a joint investigation revealed that Perez was acquiring firearms that were purchased by co-conspirators in Kansas and shipped through the U.S. Mail to a stash location that Diaz maintained in Hartford.&nbsp; Perez coordinated the purchase of the firearms through Baker in Kansas and Soto in California.&nbsp; Perez then obtained the firearms from Diaz and sold them to others throughout Connecticut.&nbsp;&nbsp; Perez, Diaz, Baker, and Soto are all convicted felons who cannot not lawfully purchase or possess firearms.&nbsp; Baker used straw purchasers, including Pichardo, to purchase firearms from licensed gun dealers in Kansas.&nbsp; In May 2023, members of the FBI Waterbury Safe Streets Task Force conducted controlled purchases of a total of nine firearms from Perez.It is further alleged that between August 2020 and May 2023, Pichardo purchased at least 73 firearms from a licensed gun dealer in Deerfield, Kansas.&nbsp; To date, six of these firearms have been recovered by law enforcement in Connecticut, Michigan, and California.&nbsp; A firearm purchased by Pichardo in July 2022 was recovered on August 27, 2022, in San Bernardino, California, at the scene of the homicide of a juvenile.Perez, Diaz, Baker, and Pichardo were arrested on federal criminal complaints on May 19, 2023.&nbsp; On that date, investigators executed search warrants at locations in Kansas, Connecticut and California.&nbsp; A search of Perez’s Waterbury residence and vehicle revealed nine firearms; more than 200 rounds of ammunition; distribution quantities of cocaine, crack cocaine, and fentanyl/heroin; items used to process and package narcotics for street sale; and more than $7,000 in cash.&nbsp; A search of Diaz’s residence revealed approximately 90 rounds of ammunition, and a search of Pichardo’s residence revealed six firearms.&nbsp; In addition, a court-authorized search of a package that was shipped to Diaz and seized from the mail stream revealed an additional three firearms.The charge of engaging in a firearms trafficking conspiracy carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 15 years.&nbsp; The indictment also charges Perez, Baker, and Diaz with multiple counts of firearms trafficking, an offense that also carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 15 years.&nbsp; In addition, Perez, Baker, and Soto are charged with unlawfully mailing firearms, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of two years.The indictment also charges Perez with unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 15 years; possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, which carries a mandatory consecutive sentence of at least five years; possession with intent to distribute, and distribution of, cocaine, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years; and possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine and quantities of heroin and fentanyl, which carries a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of five years and a maximum term of imprisonment of 40 years.In addition, Diaz is charged with unlawful possession of ammunition by a felon, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 15 years.Perez, Diaz, and Pichardo appeared June 8, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert M. Spector in New Haven and entered pleas of not guilty to the charges against them.&nbsp; Perez and Diaz are detained, and Pichardo is released on a $25,000 bond.Soto, who was arrested on June 5 and currently released on a $60,000 bond, and Baker, who is detained, are scheduled to be arraigned in Connecticut on June 16.This matter is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Waterbury Police Department, the Connecticut State Police, and the Chino (Calif.) Police Department.

2 Kan. men accused of role in nationwide gun trafficking ring

HARVEY COUNTY —One person is dead following a single-vehicle accident just before 7:30p.m. Sunday southeast of Hesston.

A vehicle driven by Traci Slater, 35, of Hesston, was traveling in the 5500 Block of North Hesston Road, according to the Harvey County Sheriff's office.

The vehicle left the road, entered the north ditch and rolled. The driver was pronounced dead at the scene.&nbsp; There were no other occupants in the vehicle. It is unknown if Slater was wearing a seat belt. The accident remains under investigation.

HARVEY COUNTY —One person is dead following a single-vehicle accident just before 7:30p.m. Sunday southeast of Hesston.A vehicle driven by Traci Slater, 35, of Hesston, was traveling in the 5500 Block of North Hesston Road, according to the Harvey County Sheriff's office.The vehicle left the road, entered the north ditch and rolled. The driver was pronounced dead at the scene.&nbsp; There were no other occupants in the vehicle. It is unknown if Slater was wearing a seat belt. The accident remains under investigation.

Sheriff IDs Kansas woman who died in rollover crash

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The Federal Railroad Administration recently completed a review of Norfolk Southern's safety culture in the wake of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pennsylvania-ohio-evacuations-fires-5d399dc745f51ef746e22828083d8591">February's fiery derailment</a>&nbsp;in Ohio, and officials plan to follow up with similar investigations of all the major freight railroads over the next year.

A report will be released soon on what&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ohio-train-derailment-norfolk-southern-safety-investigation-2c819f2c469102332d4b1abf4c6e8923">investigators found</a>&nbsp;at Norfolk Southern after the Feb. 3 derailment — which prompted the evacuation of half of East Palestine, Ohio — and several other recent derailments. That crash near the Ohio-Pennsylvania border&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/railroad-safety-derailments-tank-car-ohio-minnesota-c60f33b64e9c7dc05768a78ae20f3ce5">sparked intense interest</a>&nbsp;in railroad safety nationwide and prompted&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ohio-train-derailment-congress-6288cdfb0b4381de4c9bfb05199b8ba6">proposed reforms in Congress</a>.

The head of the FRA, Administrator Amit Bose, said in a letter to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer recently that in addition to individual reports on Union Pacific, BNSF, CSX, Canadian National and Canadian Pacific Kansas City, the agency will also produce an industrywide report on common issues and trends.

Railroad unions have been raising concerns that operating changes the railroads have made over the past six years have made the trains that haul hazardous materials and goods of all kinds across the country more dangerous.

The unions say the deep staff cuts railroads have made, combined with their increasing reliance on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/railroad-crossing-elimination-grants-transportation-department-dce25564812f3a550bde46b5b2976c1e">longer trains</a>, have increased the chance of safety problems. They say inspections are being rushed, preventative maintenance may be neglected and overworked employees are more likely to be fatigued.

The railroads&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-aab7d3084a8d17d8d721d2cb750be323">have defended their practices</a>&nbsp;and said they haven't sacrificed safety to become more efficient. The industry also emphasizes that it remains the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/palestinian-territories-ohio-canada-business-accidents-d57651e17b2f9e0163c50298106950a3">safest way</a>&nbsp;to transport hazardous materials over land.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/derailment-ohio-safety-norfolk-southern-railroad-171b7d3f8e0dbced1336efafb098badf">Norfolk Southern</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/railroad-safety-ohio-derailment-hazardous-materials-74d7aec638500c52d1eb9fda0acf9f26">all the major railroads</a>&nbsp;have announced a number of steps they are taking to improve safety though&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/rail-accidents-transportation-pete-buttigieg-ohio-pennsylvania-f1cd9d79cdd66b1f45d1dcdf1e53ff58">regulators</a>, and lawmakers have called for them to do more.

Federal regulators have said that safety data hasn't changed enough to show that the railroads' new operating model is unsafe. The figures do show that the rate of accidents per every million miles freight trains travel increased from 15.572 to 16.695 over the past decade even though the total number of incidents declined as railroads hauled less freight. The rate of accidents inside railyards also worsened from 11.044 in 2013 to 15.517 last year.

There have also been concerns raised about the safety of today's long trains that routinely stretch more than two miles. Bose said that the FRA&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/railroad-safety-derailments-long-trains-fra-ceaf4f56fedbdba6ce9374166b41b895">recently warned</a>&nbsp;railroads to be careful about the way they assemble long trains to reduce the risk of derailments.

The freight railroads favor longer trains because they allow them to deliver the same amount of freight with fewer crews and locomotives.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/3/1678141665059.png" alt="&nbsp;Union Pacific train derailment on March 4 in Sumner County, Kansas -photo courtesy KWCH" />
 <figcaption>&nbsp;Union Pacific train derailment on March 4 in Sumner County, Kansas -photo courtesy KWCH</figcaption>
 </figure>OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The Federal Railroad Administration recently completed a review of Norfolk Southern's safety culture in the wake of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pennsylvania-ohio-evacuations-fires-5d399dc745f51ef746e22828083d8591">February's fiery derailment</a>&nbsp;in Ohio, and officials plan to follow up with similar investigations of all the major freight railroads over the next year.A report will be released soon on what&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ohio-train-derailment-norfolk-southern-safety-investigation-2c819f2c469102332d4b1abf4c6e8923">investigators found</a>&nbsp;at Norfolk Southern after the Feb. 3 derailment — which prompted the evacuation of half of East Palestine, Ohio — and several other recent derailments. That crash near the Ohio-Pennsylvania border&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/railroad-safety-derailments-tank-car-ohio-minnesota-c60f33b64e9c7dc05768a78ae20f3ce5">sparked intense interest</a>&nbsp;in railroad safety nationwide and prompted&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ohio-train-derailment-congress-6288cdfb0b4381de4c9bfb05199b8ba6">proposed reforms in Congress</a>.The head of the FRA, Administrator Amit Bose, said in a letter to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer recently that in addition to individual reports on Union Pacific, BNSF, CSX, Canadian National and Canadian Pacific Kansas City, the agency will also produce an industrywide report on common issues and trends.Railroad unions have been raising concerns that operating changes the railroads have made over the past six years have made the trains that haul hazardous materials and goods of all kinds across the country more dangerous.The unions say the deep staff cuts railroads have made, combined with their increasing reliance on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/railroad-crossing-elimination-grants-transportation-department-dce25564812f3a550bde46b5b2976c1e">longer trains</a>, have increased the chance of safety problems. They say inspections are being rushed, preventative maintenance may be neglected and overworked employees are more likely to be fatigued.The railroads&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-aab7d3084a8d17d8d721d2cb750be323">have defended their practices</a>&nbsp;and said they haven't sacrificed safety to become more efficient. The industry also emphasizes that it remains the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/palestinian-territories-ohio-canada-business-accidents-d57651e17b2f9e0163c50298106950a3">safest way</a>&nbsp;to transport hazardous materials over land.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/derailment-ohio-safety-norfolk-southern-railroad-171b7d3f8e0dbced1336efafb098badf">Norfolk Southern</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/railroad-safety-ohio-derailment-hazardous-materials-74d7aec638500c52d1eb9fda0acf9f26">all the major railroads</a>&nbsp;have announced a number of steps they are taking to improve safety though&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/rail-accidents-transportation-pete-buttigieg-ohio-pennsylvania-f1cd9d79cdd66b1f45d1dcdf1e53ff58">regulators</a>, and lawmakers have called for them to do more.Federal regulators have said that safety data hasn't changed enough to show that the railroads' new operating model is unsafe. The figures do show that the rate of accidents per every million miles freight trains travel increased from 15.572 to 16.695 over the past decade even though the total number of incidents declined as railroads hauled less freight. The rate of accidents inside railyards also worsened from 11.044 in 2013 to 15.517 last year.There have also been concerns raised about the safety of today's long trains that routinely stretch more than two miles. Bose said that the FRA&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/railroad-safety-derailments-long-trains-fra-ceaf4f56fedbdba6ce9374166b41b895">recently warned</a>&nbsp;railroads to be careful about the way they assemble long trains to reduce the risk of derailments.The freight railroads favor longer trains because they allow them to deliver the same amount of freight with fewer crews and locomotives.

Federal regulators promise safety review at all major freight railroads

COLUMBUS, Kan. (AP) — Students spread out in their rural Kansas classroom, answering questions with a partner about invaders atop elephants attempting to sack Rome more than 2,000 years ago.

“Do you want to read?” one of the third graders, Parker, asked his partner after the lesson on the Punic Wars. “Because I’m not really good.”

Bekah Noel told her students to jot down answers for their partners if they needed extra help writing or spelling. Halfway through the school year, with some of her students reading nearly 200 words per minute and others struggling to sound out around 10, she has had to make a lot of tweaks like this.

Exiting from the pandemic, the assumption might be that Noel’s students should be among the least scathed. The tiny, 900-student school system in Columbus pivoted to remote learning briefly in March 2020 before going back in person that fall, initially without masks. While some U.S. students spent&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-education-covid-46cb725e08110f8ad3c1b303ec9eefad">a year or more learning online</a>, pandemic school in rural Kansas was as normal as it got.

But the upheaval still took a toll. Students and teachers got sick, social distancing made it hard to teach kids in small groups, and the pace of teaching ground to a crawl. Three years later, Noel has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/school-reading-test-science-1fc4a95538b6b5c72b447a2935ee0f87">more third graders than ever</a>&nbsp;who are reading below grade level. That’s the true elephant in the room.

“I have kids,” Noel said midway through the year, “that legitimately cannot read.”

Noel is used to adapting to students’ needs, and she has been pulling out all the strategies in her toolkit. She pairs strong and struggling students, reads questions aloud and jots down dictated answers for students to rewrite in their own handwriting.

As the pandemic was raging, the district also adopted a new strategy: a reading curriculum that is heavy on phonics — a stressful gamble that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/phonics-science-reading-c715dea43f338f163715b01b83bb1066">the science-backed curriculum</a>&nbsp;might help kids catch up.

There are signs the changes are helping, particularly for older students. Educators from other schools have been coming to observe the changes. But this is third grade, the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/reading-third-grade-phonics-d0f7143c1a09bff3cf9a89a15d00ca09">last year students are typically taught to read</a>.

AS VIRUS SPREAD, ‘EVERYBODY WAS STRESSED OUT'

During a group session in October, third grader Emmett Mayfield and a classmate dismantled the word “athletic” with paraprofessional Jessica Seitz. Columbus used federal pandemic relief money to double the number of paraprofessionals assigned to help its small groups of struggling students.

“How many syllables do we have?” she asked. Emmett answered: “Three.”

It was part of a lesson on closed syllables, a term that refers to a vowel being followed by a consonant. This matters because it creates a short vowel sound, meaning the letter “A” in the word is pronounced as “ah.” If it was a long vowel, it would sound more like the name of the letter.

“Make a fist,” Seitz instructed. “We are closing that door. The consonant is stopping that vowel from saying its name.”

This type of lesson is a common one now that the district emphasizes the so-called science of reading that is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/reading-scores-phonics-mississippi-alabama-louisiana-5bdd5d6ff719b23faa37db2fb95d5004">gaining momentum nationwide</a>. Schools piloted two new reading curriculums for a few weeks in November and December of 2020, as COVID-19 case levels soared.

Spared initially, small towns in rural Kansas were&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-kansas-coronavirus-pandemic-c924f4f1ecc5f561e9b4fd6e6bdd0e33">so overwhelmed</a>&nbsp;that hospitals had to fly patients hundreds of miles away for treatment. Parker’s mom, Chelsea Brinson, a medical assistant, was testing droves of COVID samples at a clinic. “Everybody was stressed out,” said Brinson, who now works as a nurse’s assistant in the district.

Students started masking. But that meant mask breaks were added to the already disrupted schedule.

Reading specialist Kelly Walters asked the overwhelmed teachers whether they wanted to put the reading pilot on hold.

“One hundred percent of our staff said, ‘No, we want to move forward,’” recalled Walters, who struggled so much to learn to read herself that she suspects an undiagnosed case of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/reading-adhd-dyslexia-learning-disability-8636d7537cb25b8df1faf135301f9d92">dyslexia</a>&nbsp;was to blame.

The program they picked weaves phonics and other reading changes throughout the curriculum. No longer are those elements mostly isolated to worksheets. Staff praised it, which was encouraging to Walters, who tested the materials on her youngest child, just 3 at the time, while&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/reading-adhd-dyslexia-learning-disability-8636d7537cb25b8df1faf135301f9d92">stuck at home early in the pandemic</a>.

“As a mom, who was a struggling reader, to give that gift —” she said, and then stopped and corrected herself. “I shouldn’t have said it was a gift, because it’s not a gift. It’s a right.”

THIRD GRADERS WERE READING LIKE FIRST GRADERS

In late November, Noel taught a science lesson on the skeletal system. Like the rest of the curriculum, it also incorporated reading instruction, with “structure” among the vocabulary words she highlighted.

“Have you ever seen a house being built before?” Noel asked. The students blurted out examples before she continued: “And they’ll have the wood up first, and it will be like beams.”

She then asked whether the word “structure” was a noun, verb, adjective or adverb. Why, she then asked, was it one of the vocabulary words in a lesson on the skeletal system?

Parker shared his answer: “Because our spine holds up the rest of our body.” Noel rewarded him with a fist bump.

Parker started the year reading at the level of a first grader. He was, Noel, said, “embarrassed.” Midway through the year he seemed stuck, learning new skills and then seeming to forget it all. Staff were worried. He was flagged for a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/special-education-disability-depression-adhd-82c09d1d97b05c63cff195077d0c4fb9">special education assessment</a>.

When the pandemic first closed schools in 2020, Parker was a kindergartener. His mom recalled “freaking out,” trying to figure out what to do with him. To get him to do schoolwork, his grandmother or someone else had to sit beside him at all times. Otherwise, Parker said, he would “squirrel off.”

Columbus and many other rural school systems reopened that fall. With strong opposition to masks locally, the district instead added “sneeze guards” to desks. But in-person school was far from normal. The pandemic had hobbled one of teachers’ most effective tools: small groups.

Typically, they would pull kids from different classes to create groups targeting specific skills, Noel said. But with COVID, they were trying to keep each of the classes separated to limit the spread of disease. And then there was COVID itself. Between illnesses and quarantines, students and staff were missing two weeks or more of school multiple times throughout the year.

“It was taking us two days to do something that would have taken us one,” Noel said.

Noel was infected twice, forced to miss school again just this past fall&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/covid-flu-rsv-child-care-guidelines-4ca836af42cf3bbee4ac6e101c467a71">because of a COVID-sickened child</a>. Parker caught COVID in first grade, missing two weeks of school.

Across the country, federal data show, the disruptions wrought by the pandemic were accompanied by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/science-health-government-and-politics-covid-education-39e01a570b560c685b5340078c8dcdee">widespread learning setbacks</a>, even in states that saw students return quickly to in-person learning. Among those showing the largest learning losses are this year’s crop of third graders, who were in kindergarten when the pandemic hit, a foundational year for learning to read.

Now Noel’s students and other third graders are under pressure to master reading ahead of later grades, where literacy is key to learning everything else.

By late January, it was time to show off at “Books and Breakfast,” with parents, grandparents, preschool-age siblings and friends visiting Highland School to see what the children were learning. The students sprawled around the school building, eating doughnuts and reading books to their special guests.

As Emmett read aloud from “Grumpy Monkey,” he got some help with the word “discovery” and plowed ahead, reading clearly how the bananas were “too sweet.”

“I used to didn’t like to read,” said Emmett, who started the year reading more like an early second grader, “but I just started reading.”

At home, though, he is still resisting reading, said his mother, Jessica Mayfield, a 39-year-old hospital lab technician. She blames it in part on those “awful” days of virtual learning. There were meltdowns, and she fretted even then that he would fall behind, with those early years of school so “crucial.”

Mayfield, herself an avid reader, doesn’t know what more the district could have done. “I think,” she said, “it’s just to be expected.”

Assessments showed 13 of Noel’s 24 students are reading below grade level. Many of them are kids who moved to the district in the middle of this school year. Nine have been getting the most intensive so-called tier-three level of support. Some of her students scored so highly they were evaluated for the gifted program. In a rarity, none fell in the middle tier group of kids needing just a little extra help.

It’s a trend seen elsewhere around the country as the pandemic&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/school-reading-test-science-1fc4a95538b6b5c72b447a2935ee0f87">widened the gap between higher- and lower-performing students</a>.

Noel is working harder than ever to keep her advanced students from getting bored, assigning them special projects. Grace Epler, an advanced reader who is prone to finishing assignments early, sometimes spends her free time making up math problems, helping her classmates or playing educational games on her iPad.

State tests are looming, and it weighs heavily on Grace.

“They compare this school to all the other elementary schools in Kansas, and it scares me,” she said at lunchtime, her wrist in a pink splint after a swing mishap. “I might get, like, five wrong.”

This even though she reads nearly anything put in front of her. She is particularly partial to a book the kids wrote and illustrated themselves that documented what they will miss most about their soon-to-close school, a building filled with quirks like a toilet in an old shower stall.

Many kids in Noel’s class are progressing, but not as much as she would like.

“Those highs grew even more,” Noel said. “And the lows, they grew, but they’re still quite a bit lower.”

One day in April, Emmett and Parker were taking a turn in the small group getting extra reading help. After talk of the basketball and softball seasons, the small group took turns reading a book called “A Prince Among Donkeys,” with lots of words and spelling patterns they’ve seen before.

Parker rested his hand on his forehead, reading: “To Adam’s surprise, Emma smelled.” Then, a quick correction: “smelled” to “smiled.”

Imperfect though it was, something had happened over these months of phonics drills and small-group work. When the special education testing came back, not only did it show he didn’t qualify, but he also made so much progress he was close to reading at the level of a beginning third grader.

“I actually do like reading now,” Parker explained. He described evenings spent on the couch with his mother, practicing. He and Emmett are now obsessed with the same book series about a superhero cat. “It’s just fun to do.”

By HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTHCOLUMBUS, Kan. (AP) — Students spread out in their rural Kansas classroom, answering questions with a partner about invaders atop elephants attempting to sack Rome more than 2,000 years ago.“Do you want to read?” one of the third graders, Parker, asked his partner after the lesson on the Punic Wars. “Because I’m not really good.”Bekah Noel told her students to jot down answers for their partners if they needed extra help writing or spelling. Halfway through the school year, with some of her students reading nearly 200 words per minute and others struggling to sound out around 10, she has had to make a lot of tweaks like this.Exiting from the pandemic, the assumption might be that Noel’s students should be among the least scathed. The tiny, 900-student school system in Columbus pivoted to remote learning briefly in March 2020 before going back in person that fall, initially without masks. While some U.S. students spent&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-education-covid-46cb725e08110f8ad3c1b303ec9eefad">a year or more learning online</a>, pandemic school in rural Kansas was as normal as it got.But the upheaval still took a toll. Students and teachers got sick, social distancing made it hard to teach kids in small groups, and the pace of teaching ground to a crawl. Three years later, Noel has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/school-reading-test-science-1fc4a95538b6b5c72b447a2935ee0f87">more third graders than ever</a>&nbsp;who are reading below grade level. That’s the true elephant in the room.“I have kids,” Noel said midway through the year, “that legitimately cannot read.”Noel is used to adapting to students’ needs, and she has been pulling out all the strategies in her toolkit. She pairs strong and struggling students, reads questions aloud and jots down dictated answers for students to rewrite in their own handwriting.As the pandemic was raging, the district also adopted a new strategy: a reading curriculum that is heavy on phonics — a stressful gamble that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/phonics-science-reading-c715dea43f338f163715b01b83bb1066">the science-backed curriculum</a>&nbsp;might help kids catch up.There are signs the changes are helping, particularly for older students. Educators from other schools have been coming to observe the changes. But this is third grade, the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/reading-third-grade-phonics-d0f7143c1a09bff3cf9a89a15d00ca09">last year students are typically taught to read</a>.And time is running out.___AS VIRUS SPREAD, ‘EVERYBODY WAS STRESSED OUT' During a group session in October, third grader Emmett Mayfield and a classmate dismantled the word “athletic” with paraprofessional Jessica Seitz. Columbus used federal pandemic relief money to double the number of paraprofessionals assigned to help its small groups of struggling students.“How many syllables do we have?” she asked. Emmett answered: “Three.”It was part of a lesson on closed syllables, a term that refers to a vowel being followed by a consonant. This matters because it creates a short vowel sound, meaning the letter “A” in the word is pronounced as “ah.” If it was a long vowel, it would sound more like the name of the letter.“Make a fist,” Seitz instructed. “We are closing that door. The consonant is stopping that vowel from saying its name.”This type of lesson is a common one now that the district emphasizes the so-called science of reading that is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/reading-scores-phonics-mississippi-alabama-louisiana-5bdd5d6ff719b23faa37db2fb95d5004">gaining momentum nationwide</a>. Schools piloted two new reading curriculums for a few weeks in November and December of 2020, as COVID-19 case levels soared.Spared initially, small towns in rural Kansas were&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-kansas-coronavirus-pandemic-c924f4f1ecc5f561e9b4fd6e6bdd0e33">so overwhelmed</a>&nbsp;that hospitals had to fly patients hundreds of miles away for treatment. Parker’s mom, Chelsea Brinson, a medical assistant, was testing droves of COVID samples at a clinic. “Everybody was stressed out,” said Brinson, who now works as a nurse’s assistant in the district.Students started masking. But that meant mask breaks were added to the already disrupted schedule.Reading specialist Kelly Walters asked the overwhelmed teachers whether they wanted to put the reading pilot on hold.“One hundred percent of our staff said, ‘No, we want to move forward,’” recalled Walters, who struggled so much to learn to read herself that she suspects an undiagnosed case of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/reading-adhd-dyslexia-learning-disability-8636d7537cb25b8df1faf135301f9d92">dyslexia</a>&nbsp;was to blame.The program they picked weaves phonics and other reading changes throughout the curriculum. No longer are those elements mostly isolated to worksheets. Staff praised it, which was encouraging to Walters, who tested the materials on her youngest child, just 3 at the time, while&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/reading-adhd-dyslexia-learning-disability-8636d7537cb25b8df1faf135301f9d92">stuck at home early in the pandemic</a>.“As a mom, who was a struggling reader, to give that gift —” she said, and then stopped and corrected herself. “I shouldn’t have said it was a gift, because it’s not a gift. It’s a right.”___THIRD GRADERS WERE READING LIKE FIRST GRADERS In late November, Noel taught a science lesson on the skeletal system. Like the rest of the curriculum, it also incorporated reading instruction, with “structure” among the vocabulary words she highlighted.“Have you ever seen a house being built before?” Noel asked. The students blurted out examples before she continued: “And they’ll have the wood up first, and it will be like beams.”She then asked whether the word “structure” was a noun, verb, adjective or adverb. Why, she then asked, was it one of the vocabulary words in a lesson on the skeletal system?Parker shared his answer: “Because our spine holds up the rest of our body.” Noel rewarded him with a fist bump.Parker started the year reading at the level of a first grader. He was, Noel, said, “embarrassed.” Midway through the year he seemed stuck, learning new skills and then seeming to forget it all. Staff were worried. He was flagged for a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/special-education-disability-depression-adhd-82c09d1d97b05c63cff195077d0c4fb9">special education assessment</a>.When the pandemic first closed schools in 2020, Parker was a kindergartener. His mom recalled “freaking out,” trying to figure out what to do with him. To get him to do schoolwork, his grandmother or someone else had to sit beside him at all times. Otherwise, Parker said, he would “squirrel off.”Columbus and many other rural school systems reopened that fall. With strong opposition to masks locally, the district instead added “sneeze guards” to desks. But in-person school was far from normal. The pandemic had hobbled one of teachers’ most effective tools: small groups.Typically, they would pull kids from different classes to create groups targeting specific skills, Noel said. But with COVID, they were trying to keep each of the classes separated to limit the spread of disease. And then there was COVID itself. Between illnesses and quarantines, students and staff were missing two weeks or more of school multiple times throughout the year.“It was taking us two days to do something that would have taken us one,” Noel said.Noel was infected twice, forced to miss school again just this past fall&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/covid-flu-rsv-child-care-guidelines-4ca836af42cf3bbee4ac6e101c467a71">because of a COVID-sickened child</a>. Parker caught COVID in first grade, missing two weeks of school.Across the country, federal data show, the disruptions wrought by the pandemic were accompanied by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/science-health-government-and-politics-covid-education-39e01a570b560c685b5340078c8dcdee">widespread learning setbacks</a>, even in states that saw students return quickly to in-person learning. Among those showing the largest learning losses are this year’s crop of third graders, who were in kindergarten when the pandemic hit, a foundational year for learning to read.Now Noel’s students and other third graders are under pressure to master reading ahead of later grades, where literacy is key to learning everything else.___KIDS START CATCHING UP, BUT SLOWLY By late January, it was time to show off at “Books and Breakfast,” with parents, grandparents, preschool-age siblings and friends visiting Highland School to see what the children were learning. The students sprawled around the school building, eating doughnuts and reading books to their special guests.As Emmett read aloud from “Grumpy Monkey,” he got some help with the word “discovery” and plowed ahead, reading clearly how the bananas were “too sweet.”“I used to didn’t like to read,” said Emmett, who started the year reading more like an early second grader, “but I just started reading.”At home, though, he is still resisting reading, said his mother, Jessica Mayfield, a 39-year-old hospital lab technician. She blames it in part on those “awful” days of virtual learning. There were meltdowns, and she fretted even then that he would fall behind, with those early years of school so “crucial.”Mayfield, herself an avid reader, doesn’t know what more the district could have done. “I think,” she said, “it’s just to be expected.”Assessments showed 13 of Noel’s 24 students are reading below grade level. Many of them are kids who moved to the district in the middle of this school year. Nine have been getting the most intensive so-called tier-three level of support. Some of her students scored so highly they were evaluated for the gifted program. In a rarity, none fell in the middle tier group of kids needing just a little extra help.It’s a trend seen elsewhere around the country as the pandemic&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/school-reading-test-science-1fc4a95538b6b5c72b447a2935ee0f87">widened the gap between higher- and lower-performing students</a>.Noel is working harder than ever to keep her advanced students from getting bored, assigning them special projects. Grace Epler, an advanced reader who is prone to finishing assignments early, sometimes spends her free time making up math problems, helping her classmates or playing educational games on her iPad.State tests are looming, and it weighs heavily on Grace.“They compare this school to all the other elementary schools in Kansas, and it scares me,” she said at lunchtime, her wrist in a pink splint after a swing mishap. “I might get, like, five wrong.”This even though she reads nearly anything put in front of her. She is particularly partial to a book the kids wrote and illustrated themselves that documented what they will miss most about their soon-to-close school, a building filled with quirks like a toilet in an old shower stall.Many kids in Noel’s class are progressing, but not as much as she would like.“Those highs grew even more,” Noel said. “And the lows, they grew, but they’re still quite a bit lower.”___READING ‘ACTUALLY’ BECOMES FUN One day in April, Emmett and Parker were taking a turn in the small group getting extra reading help. After talk of the basketball and softball seasons, the small group took turns reading a book called “A Prince Among Donkeys,” with lots of words and spelling patterns they’ve seen before.Parker rested his hand on his forehead, reading: “To Adam’s surprise, Emma smelled.” Then, a quick correction: “smelled” to “smiled.”Imperfect though it was, something had happened over these months of phonics drills and small-group work. When the special education testing came back, not only did it show he didn’t qualify, but he also made so much progress he was close to reading at the level of a beginning third grader.“I actually do like reading now,” Parker explained. He described evenings spent on the couch with his mother, practicing. He and Emmett are now obsessed with the same book series about a superhero cat. “It’s just fun to do.”When Parker finished his turn reading, he had the choice of picking who would go next. But he didn’t choose Emmett or any of the other kids.“Can I pick myself?” he asked. And he kept reading.___