Earlier this month, my husband and I both were laid off from our jobs within a few days of each other. The layoffs were not our fault. The company is letting several people go as a cost-cutting measure. We cashed in an annuity because our finances have been tight, but the good news is he began training for a new job last week. We don’t have children, so I am interviewing or filling out applications every day. Should we use the cash from the annuity to live on until things are stable again, or should we use it to pay off debt?

If you haven’t done so already, contact your&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ramseysolutions.com/debt/what-to-do-when-you-cant-pay-your-bills">creditors</a>&nbsp;and explain what happened. Let them know the layoffs weren’t because either of you did anything wrong, and that you’ll get current with them as soon as possible. This is a scary situation you’re facing, so make sure you two keep the lines of communication wide open and encourage each other while you’re solving this problem.&nbsp;

The good news, though, is it sounds like things may be looking up. Support your husband all you can as he takes on his new job, and make sure you continue looking for work, too. A little extra money never hurts, so temporarily taking on a part-time gig while you’re looking for a permanent position isn’t a bad idea, either.

Of course, you need to be honorable and pay your&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ramseysolutions.com/debt/debt-definition">debts</a>&nbsp;if possible. But that may have to be put on hold for a while. Right now, the important thing is keeping food in the house and the lights and heat on. Hug on each other, stay determined and keep each other’s spirits up. You’re a team, and you’ll get through this.

Always remember, too, that prayer’s a good thing.

Dave Ramsey&nbsp;is an eight-time national best-selling author, personal finance expert, and host of The Ramsey Show, heard by more than 18 million listeners each week. He&nbsp;has appeared on Good Morning America, CBS This Morning, Today Show, Fox News, CNN, Fox Business, and many more. Since 1992, Dave has helped people regain control of their money, build wealth and enhance their lives. He also serves as CEO for Ramsey Solutions.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/3/1648177011035.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Dear Dave,Earlier this month, my husband and I both were laid off from our jobs within a few days of each other. The layoffs were not our fault. The company is letting several people go as a cost-cutting measure. We cashed in an annuity because our finances have been tight, but the good news is he began training for a new job last week. We don’t have children, so I am interviewing or filling out applications every day. Should we use the cash from the annuity to live on until things are stable again, or should we use it to pay off debt?AnjanetteDear Anjanette,If you haven’t done so already, contact your&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ramseysolutions.com/debt/what-to-do-when-you-cant-pay-your-bills">creditors</a>&nbsp;and explain what happened. Let them know the layoffs weren’t because either of you did anything wrong, and that you’ll get current with them as soon as possible. This is a scary situation you’re facing, so make sure you two keep the lines of communication wide open and encourage each other while you’re solving this problem.&nbsp;The good news, though, is it sounds like things may be looking up. Support your husband all you can as he takes on his new job, and make sure you continue looking for work, too. A little extra money never hurts, so temporarily taking on a part-time gig while you’re looking for a permanent position isn’t a bad idea, either.Of course, you need to be honorable and pay your&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ramseysolutions.com/debt/debt-definition">debts</a>&nbsp;if possible. But that may have to be put on hold for a while. Right now, the important thing is keeping food in the house and the lights and heat on. Hug on each other, stay determined and keep each other’s spirits up. You’re a team, and you’ll get through this.Always remember, too, that prayer’s a good thing.— DaveDave Ramsey&nbsp;is an eight-time national best-selling author, personal finance expert, and host of The Ramsey Show, heard by more than 18 million listeners each week. He&nbsp;has appeared on Good Morning America, CBS This Morning, Today Show, Fox News, CNN, Fox Business, and many more. Since 1992, Dave has helped people regain control of their money, build wealth and enhance their lives. He also serves as CEO for Ramsey Solutions.

DAVE SAYS: Dealing with one-two punch of layoffs

RILEY COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating an armed robbery in Manhattan.

Just after 10p.m. Friday, officers filed a report for aggravated robbery at a restaurant in the 1000 block of N. 3rd Street in Manhattan, according to the Riley County Police Department activity report.

An individual armed with a handgun entered the restaurant while four employees were present and stole approximately $570 cash from the registers before fleeing the area. No injuries were reported.&nbsp;

Anyone with information can contact RCPD or the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.p3tips.com/tipform.aspx?ID=353#">Manhattan Riley County Crime Stoppers</a>. Using the Crime Stoppers service can allow you to remain anonymous and could qualify you for a cash reward of up to $1,000.

RILEY COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating an armed robbery in Manhattan.Just after 10p.m. Friday, officers filed a report for aggravated robbery at a restaurant in the 1000 block of N. 3rd Street in Manhattan, according to the Riley County Police Department activity report.An individual armed with a handgun entered the restaurant while four employees were present and stole approximately $570 cash from the registers before fleeing the area. No injuries were reported.&nbsp;Anyone with information can contact RCPD or the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.p3tips.com/tipform.aspx?ID=353#">Manhattan Riley County Crime Stoppers</a>. Using the Crime Stoppers service can allow you to remain anonymous and could qualify you for a cash reward of up to $1,000.

Kan. armed robbery suspect took $570 from cash register

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senior Democrats, dismayed by a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-politics-us-federal-bureau-of-investigation-district-columbia-barack-obama-ca0ed31590d838dcc26420f475c9196f">steady stream of startling disclosures</a>, expressed criticism Sunday of how&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-politics-delaware-0827b59ee141b33af95023377713e075">President Joe Biden handled classified material</a>&nbsp;after leaving office as vice president and disappointment that the White House has not been more forthcoming with the public.

Lawmakers who might have anticipated questions focusing on the debt limit or Ukraine aid when they were booked last week for the Sunday news shows found themselves quizzed about the latest development over the weekend in the document drama that has put&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-politics-united-states-government-district-of-columbia-donald-trump-036e528fc399477a603ed402c6e83cfb">Biden's presidency on the defensive</a>: During a search Friday of Biden’s home in Wilmington, Delaware, the FBI found additional documents with classified markings and took possession of some of his handwritten notes, the president’s lawyer said Saturday.

Biden should be “embarrassed by the situation,” said Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin, the second-ranking Democrat in the Senate, adding that the president had ceded the moral high ground on an issue that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-classified-documents-trump-side-by-side-fb2c4ebccdbdbb9039c1c5e227b1da53">has already entangled former President Donald Trump</a>. Special counsels appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-biden-politics-united-states-government-us-department-of-justice-b63ffc9b1042b4287a22e88672f4ef77">are investigating both cases.</a>

“Well, of course. Let's be honest about it. When that information is found, it diminishes the stature of any person who is in possession of it because it's not supposed to happen. ... The elected official bears ultimate responsibility," Durbin said.

Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., said Biden “should have a lot of regrets. ... You just might as well say, ‘Listen, it’s irresponsible.'" The president told reporters on Thursday that he had “no regrets” over how and when the public learned about the documents and that there was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-politics-united-states-government-wilmington-merrick-garland-f2384a87dcddbd38796f63e1269c6baf">“no there there.”</a>

Despite their criticism, Biden's fellow Democrats defended what they said was his cooperation with the Justice Department as the search for additional classified material unfolds. They contrasted it with Trump's resistance to efforts to recover hundreds of documents after he left office.

“It is outrageous that either occurred,” Durbin said. "But the reaction by the former president and the current president could not be in sharper contrast.”

Biden voluntarily allowed the FBI into his home on Friday, but the lack of a warrant did not dim the extraordinary nature of the search. It compounded the embarrassment to Biden that started in earlier in January with the disclosure that the president’s lawyers had found a “small number” of classified records at a former office at the Penn Biden Center in Washington shortly before the Nov. 8 elections.

The White House has disclosed that Biden's team found classified documents and official records on three other occasions in recent months — in follow-up searches on Dec. 20 in the garage of his Wilmington home, and on Jan. 11 and 12 in his home library.

The discoveries have become a political liability as Biden prepares to kick off his 2024 reelection bid, and they undercut his efforts to portray an image of propriety to the American public after the tumultuous presidency of his predecessor, Trump.

Manchin excoriated both men for their handling of sensitive security documents. “It's just hard to believe that in the United States of America, we have a former president and a current president that are basically in the same situation,” he said. “How does this happen?”

At the same time, Democrats worried that Biden's travails have created an opening for newly empowered House Republicans.

“We have to worry, since this new group that has taken over control of the House of Representatives has promised us endless investigations, confrontations, impeachments and chaos, what is going to happen,” Durbin said.

The new chairman of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., said he took Biden “at his word when the first set of documents were found. ... But now this is gone from just simply being irresponsible to downright scary.”

The Justice Department says Trump took hundreds of records marked classified with him upon leaving the White House in early 2021 and resisted months of requests to return them to the government. Biden has willingly turned over the documents once found. But the issue is wearing on Biden and his aides, who have said they acted quickly and appropriately when the documents were discovered, and are working to be as transparent as possible.

Durbin appeared on CNN's “State of the Union,” Manchin was on CNN and NBC's “Meet the Press" and Comer was interviewed on Fox News Channel's “Sunday Morning Futures.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1674474020744.png" alt="Biden voluntarily allowed the FBI into his home on Friday, but the lack of a warrant did not dim the extraordinary nature of the search. -White House photo" />
 <figcaption>Biden voluntarily allowed the FBI into his home on Friday, but the lack of a warrant did not dim the extraordinary nature of the search. -White House photo</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — Senior Democrats, dismayed by a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-politics-us-federal-bureau-of-investigation-district-columbia-barack-obama-ca0ed31590d838dcc26420f475c9196f">steady stream of startling disclosures</a>, expressed criticism Sunday of how&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-politics-delaware-0827b59ee141b33af95023377713e075">President Joe Biden handled classified material</a>&nbsp;after leaving office as vice president and disappointment that the White House has not been more forthcoming with the public.Lawmakers who might have anticipated questions focusing on the debt limit or Ukraine aid when they were booked last week for the Sunday news shows found themselves quizzed about the latest development over the weekend in the document drama that has put&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-politics-united-states-government-district-of-columbia-donald-trump-036e528fc399477a603ed402c6e83cfb">Biden's presidency on the defensive</a>: During a search Friday of Biden’s home in Wilmington, Delaware, the FBI found additional documents with classified markings and took possession of some of his handwritten notes, the president’s lawyer said Saturday.Biden should be “embarrassed by the situation,” said Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin, the second-ranking Democrat in the Senate, adding that the president had ceded the moral high ground on an issue that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-classified-documents-trump-side-by-side-fb2c4ebccdbdbb9039c1c5e227b1da53">has already entangled former President Donald Trump</a>. Special counsels appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-biden-politics-united-states-government-us-department-of-justice-b63ffc9b1042b4287a22e88672f4ef77">are investigating both cases.</a>“Well, of course. Let's be honest about it. When that information is found, it diminishes the stature of any person who is in possession of it because it's not supposed to happen. ... The elected official bears ultimate responsibility," Durbin said.Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., said Biden “should have a lot of regrets. ... You just might as well say, ‘Listen, it’s irresponsible.'" The president told reporters on Thursday that he had “no regrets” over how and when the public learned about the documents and that there was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-politics-united-states-government-wilmington-merrick-garland-f2384a87dcddbd38796f63e1269c6baf">“no there there.”</a>Despite their criticism, Biden's fellow Democrats defended what they said was his cooperation with the Justice Department as the search for additional classified material unfolds. They contrasted it with Trump's resistance to efforts to recover hundreds of documents after he left office.“It is outrageous that either occurred,” Durbin said. "But the reaction by the former president and the current president could not be in sharper contrast.”Biden voluntarily allowed the FBI into his home on Friday, but the lack of a warrant did not dim the extraordinary nature of the search. It compounded the embarrassment to Biden that started in earlier in January with the disclosure that the president’s lawyers had found a “small number” of classified records at a former office at the Penn Biden Center in Washington shortly before the Nov. 8 elections.The White House has disclosed that Biden's team found classified documents and official records on three other occasions in recent months — in follow-up searches on Dec. 20 in the garage of his Wilmington home, and on Jan. 11 and 12 in his home library.The discoveries have become a political liability as Biden prepares to kick off his 2024 reelection bid, and they undercut his efforts to portray an image of propriety to the American public after the tumultuous presidency of his predecessor, Trump.Manchin excoriated both men for their handling of sensitive security documents. “It's just hard to believe that in the United States of America, we have a former president and a current president that are basically in the same situation,” he said. “How does this happen?”At the same time, Democrats worried that Biden's travails have created an opening for newly empowered House Republicans.“We have to worry, since this new group that has taken over control of the House of Representatives has promised us endless investigations, confrontations, impeachments and chaos, what is going to happen,” Durbin said.The new chairman of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., said he took Biden “at his word when the first set of documents were found. ... But now this is gone from just simply being irresponsible to downright scary.”The Justice Department says Trump took hundreds of records marked classified with him upon leaving the White House in early 2021 and resisted months of requests to return them to the government. Biden has willingly turned over the documents once found. But the issue is wearing on Biden and his aides, who have said they acted quickly and appropriately when the documents were discovered, and are working to be as transparent as possible.Durbin appeared on CNN's “State of the Union,” Manchin was on CNN and NBC's “Meet the Press" and Comer was interviewed on Fox News Channel's “Sunday Morning Futures.”

Dems: Biden should be 'embarrassed' by classified docs case

SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a drive-by shooting that injured a teen.

Just before 2:30 a.m. police were flagged down at Lincoln and Oliver in Wichita in reference to a shooting that had occurred, according to Officer Trevor Macy. They learned that there was a 17-year-old shooting victim located in the 4900 block of E. Harry. Officers responded to that location and found a 17- year-old girl with a gunshot wound to the leg. She was transported to an area hospital for treatment.

Officers learned that the girl was in a vehicle with a 20-year-old man and a 28-year-old man when another car – a white Ford sedan – pulled up next to them. 

A passenger of the white Ford threatened the victims with a handgun. The victims accelerated away from the White Ford and reported hearing three to five shots near Harry and Oliver. 

When the shots were fired, they struck the girl as well as the vehicle the victims were driving.

SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a drive-by shooting that injured a teen.Just before 2:30 a.m. police were flagged down at Lincoln and Oliver in Wichita in reference to a shooting that had occurred, according to Officer Trevor Macy. They learned that there was a 17-year-old shooting victim located in the 4900 block of E. Harry. Officers responded to that location and found a 17- year-old girl with a gunshot wound to the leg. She was transported to an area hospital for treatment.Officers learned that the girl was in a vehicle with a 20-year-old man and a 28-year-old man when another car – a white Ford sedan – pulled up next to them. A passenger of the white Ford threatened the victims with a handgun. The victims accelerated away from the White Ford and reported hearing three to five shots near Harry and Oliver. When the shots were fired, they struck the girl as well as the vehicle the victims were driving.

17-year-old girl injured in Kansas drive-by shooting

DOUGLAS COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect after an early morning chase in Douglas County.

Just after 12:15a.m. Saturday, a sheriff's deputy initiated a traffic stop on a vehicle reported stolen by Lawrence Police, according to a media release.

The driver in the suspect vehicle initially stopped eastbound on Kansas 10 at the Church Street exit in Eudora but then fled eastbound. The Douglas County Sheriff and a Eudora Police officer pursued the vehicle.&nbsp; The suspect crossed the median and was eastbound in the westbound lanes, where several westbound vehicle were also traveling.

As deputies attempted to disable the vehicle, the suspect exited the highway at a Edgerton Road, fled northbound and crashed at a curve at Edgerton Road and 79th Street in Johnson County.

After the crash, the driver ran from the vehicle. A Lawrence Police Department Drone eventually located the suspect identified as a 37-year-old Lawrence man.

The suspect was not injured in the crash and no other vehicles were damaged. The suspect is being held on requested charges of possession of stolen property valued at $25,000-$100,000, reckless driving, fleeing from law enforcement and a failure to warrant.

DOUGLAS COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect after an early morning chase in Douglas County.Just after 12:15a.m. Saturday, a sheriff's deputy initiated a traffic stop on a vehicle reported stolen by Lawrence Police, according to a media release.The driver in the suspect vehicle initially stopped eastbound on Kansas 10 at the Church Street exit in Eudora but then fled eastbound. The Douglas County Sheriff and a Eudora Police officer pursued the vehicle.&nbsp; The suspect crossed the median and was eastbound in the westbound lanes, where several westbound vehicle were also traveling.As deputies attempted to disable the vehicle, the suspect exited the highway at a Edgerton Road, fled northbound and crashed at a curve at Edgerton Road and 79th Street in Johnson County.After the crash, the driver ran from the vehicle. A Lawrence Police Department Drone eventually located the suspect identified as a 37-year-old Lawrence man.The suspect was not injured in the crash and no other vehicles were damaged. The suspect is being held on requested charges of possession of stolen property valued at $25,000-$100,000, reckless driving, fleeing from law enforcement and a failure to warrant.

Kan. man jailed after wrong-way, high-speed chase and crash

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Lisa Marie Presley, a singer, songwriter and the daughter of Elvis Presley, was remembered during a funeral service Sunday as a loving mother and an “old soul” who endured tragedy but persevered as a dedicated protector of her father's legacy as a rock ‘n’ roll pioneer and pop icon.

More than a thousand people gathered on the front lawn of Graceland on a gray, chilly Memphis morning to mourn the death and remember the life of Lisa Marie Presley, who died Jan, 12 after she was taken to a hospital in California.

Some mourners held flowers as they waited for the service to begin under the tall trees on the lawn of Graceland, the home in Memphis where Lisa Marie lived as a child with her father. The mansion, which Lisa Marie Presley owned, has been turned into a museum and tourist attraction that hundreds of thousands of fans visit each year to celebrate the life and music of Elvis, who died in 1977 at age 42.

The property in south Memphis was a place of sadness and somber memories on Sunday. The service began with the singing of “Amazing Grace” by Jason Clark &amp; The Tennessee Mass Choir.

“We would like to express our heartfelt gratitude for the love, compassion and support you have shown our family during this difficult time,” said a message from the Presley family written on the program for the service. “We will always be grateful.”

Among those who spoke during the service were Lisa Marie's mother, actor Priscilla Presley; Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York; Jerry Schilling, a close friend of Elvis; and former Memphis Mayor A C Wharton, who called Lisa Marie's parents Memphis' royal couple and a “conduit to the throne, the keeper of the flame.”

In a soft voice, Priscilla Presley read a poem from one of Lisa Marie’s three daughters, Harper Vivienne Ann Lockwood, entitled “The Old Soul," in which she calls her mother "an icon, a role model, a superhero to many people all over the world.”

“In 1968, she entered our world, born tired, fragile, yet strong. She was delicate, but was filled with life,” Priscilla Presley read. “She always knew she wouldn't be here too long. Childhood passes by, with a glimpse of her green eye. She then grew a family of her own.”

After reading the poem, Priscilla Presley said: “Our heart is broken. Lisa, we all love you.”

Music punctuated the service. Billy Corgan, lead singer of The Smashing Pumpkins, played acoustic guitar and sang “To Sheila;” Alanis Morissette sang “Rest;" Axl Rose, of Guns N' Roses, played piano and sang “November Rain;” and The Blackwood Brothers Quartet performed two songs.

After the service, mourners walked through Graceland's Meditation Garden, where she was laid to rest in an above-ground grave next to her son Benjamin Keough, who died in 2020, and alongside her grandparents and great grandmother.

Wreaths and bouquets of red, white, yellow and pink flowers lined the walk up to the gravesite and the tomb itself. Fans, some teary-eyed, walked slowly by the tomb, pausing to pay their respects.

Jordan Clark, 25, traveled from Mobile, Alabama, to attend the service. She called the ceremony special and heartwarming. Clark said Lisa Marie “went through a lot” in her life and equated the service to the time when Elvis died, when “people came from all over.”

“She was born into the public, born into fame. That's hard for some people,” Clark said. “She handled it like a champ. I think.”

Lisa Marie was 9 when her father died. She was staying at Graceland at the time and would recall him kissing her goodnight hours before he died. When she next saw him, the following day, he was lying face down in the bathroom.

After her father died, she became the sole heir of the Elvis Presley Trust, which — along with Elvis Presley Enterprises — managed Graceland and other assets until she sold her majority interest in 2005. She retained ownership of the mansion itself, the 13 acres around it and items inside the home.

A representative from Elvis Presley Enterprises has told The Associated Press that the mansion is in a trust that will go to the benefit of her children. Along with Harper, she is survived by two other daughters — Riley Keough and Finley Aaron Love Lockwood.

Riley Keough, an actor, did not speak at the service. Her husband, Ben Smith-Petersen, read a statement in which she remembers Lisa Marie taking her for ice cream, bringing her tea sets from Cracker Barrel, and leaving notes in her lunchbox.

“Thank you for giving me strength, my heart, my empathy, my courage, my sense of humor, my manners, my temper, my wildness, my tenacity,” Riley Keough said in the statement. “I'm a product of your heart.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1674489309670.png" alt="More than a thousand people gathered on the front lawn of Graceland on a gray, chilly Memphis morning to mourn the death and remember the life of Lisa Marie Presley, who died Jan, 12 after she was taken to a hospital in California." />
 <figcaption>More than a thousand people gathered on the front lawn of Graceland on a gray, chilly Memphis morning to mourn the death and remember the life of Lisa Marie Presley, who died Jan, 12 after she was taken to a hospital in California.</figcaption>
 </figure>MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Lisa Marie Presley, a singer, songwriter and the daughter of Elvis Presley, was remembered during a funeral service Sunday as a loving mother and an “old soul” who endured tragedy but persevered as a dedicated protector of her father's legacy as a rock ‘n’ roll pioneer and pop icon.More than a thousand people gathered on the front lawn of Graceland on a gray, chilly Memphis morning to mourn the death and remember the life of Lisa Marie Presley, who died Jan, 12 after she was taken to a hospital in California.Some mourners held flowers as they waited for the service to begin under the tall trees on the lawn of Graceland, the home in Memphis where Lisa Marie lived as a child with her father. The mansion, which Lisa Marie Presley owned, has been turned into a museum and tourist attraction that hundreds of thousands of fans visit each year to celebrate the life and music of Elvis, who died in 1977 at age 42.The property in south Memphis was a place of sadness and somber memories on Sunday. The service began with the singing of “Amazing Grace” by Jason Clark &amp; The Tennessee Mass Choir.“We would like to express our heartfelt gratitude for the love, compassion and support you have shown our family during this difficult time,” said a message from the Presley family written on the program for the service. “We will always be grateful.”Among those who spoke during the service were Lisa Marie's mother, actor Priscilla Presley; Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York; Jerry Schilling, a close friend of Elvis; and former Memphis Mayor A C Wharton, who called Lisa Marie's parents Memphis' royal couple and a “conduit to the throne, the keeper of the flame.”In a soft voice, Priscilla Presley read a poem from one of Lisa Marie’s three daughters, Harper Vivienne Ann Lockwood, entitled “The Old Soul," in which she calls her mother "an icon, a role model, a superhero to many people all over the world.”“In 1968, she entered our world, born tired, fragile, yet strong. She was delicate, but was filled with life,” Priscilla Presley read. “She always knew she wouldn't be here too long. Childhood passes by, with a glimpse of her green eye. She then grew a family of her own.”After reading the poem, Priscilla Presley said: “Our heart is broken. Lisa, we all love you.”Music punctuated the service. Billy Corgan, lead singer of The Smashing Pumpkins, played acoustic guitar and sang “To Sheila;” Alanis Morissette sang “Rest;" Axl Rose, of Guns N' Roses, played piano and sang “November Rain;” and The Blackwood Brothers Quartet performed two songs.After the service, mourners walked through Graceland's Meditation Garden, where she was laid to rest in an above-ground grave next to her son Benjamin Keough, who died in 2020, and alongside her grandparents and great grandmother.Wreaths and bouquets of red, white, yellow and pink flowers lined the walk up to the gravesite and the tomb itself. Fans, some teary-eyed, walked slowly by the tomb, pausing to pay their respects.Jordan Clark, 25, traveled from Mobile, Alabama, to attend the service. She called the ceremony special and heartwarming. Clark said Lisa Marie “went through a lot” in her life and equated the service to the time when Elvis died, when “people came from all over.”“She was born into the public, born into fame. That's hard for some people,” Clark said. “She handled it like a champ. I think.”Lisa Marie was 9 when her father died. She was staying at Graceland at the time and would recall him kissing her goodnight hours before he died. When she next saw him, the following day, he was lying face down in the bathroom.After her father died, she became the sole heir of the Elvis Presley Trust, which — along with Elvis Presley Enterprises — managed Graceland and other assets until she sold her majority interest in 2005. She retained ownership of the mansion itself, the 13 acres around it and items inside the home.A representative from Elvis Presley Enterprises has told The Associated Press that the mansion is in a trust that will go to the benefit of her children. Along with Harper, she is survived by two other daughters — Riley Keough and Finley Aaron Love Lockwood.Riley Keough, an actor, did not speak at the service. Her husband, Ben Smith-Petersen, read a statement in which she remembers Lisa Marie taking her for ice cream, bringing her tea sets from Cracker Barrel, and leaving notes in her lunchbox.“Thank you for giving me strength, my heart, my empathy, my courage, my sense of humor, my manners, my temper, my wildness, my tenacity,” Riley Keough said in the statement. “I'm a product of your heart.”

Fans, celebs gathered at Graceland to mourn Lisa Marie Presley

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The speaker of Russia's parliament warned Sunday that countries supplying Ukraine with more powerful weapons risked their own destruction, a message that followed new pledges of armored vehicles, air defense systems and other equipment but not the battle tanks Kyiv requested.

"Supplies of offensive weapons to the Kyiv regime would lead to a global catastrophe," State Duma Chairman Vyacheslav Volodin said. "If Washington and NATO supply weapons that would be used for striking peaceful cities and making attempts to seize our territory as they threaten to do, it would trigger a retaliation with more powerful weapons."

Ukraine's supporters pledged billions of dollars in military aid to Ukraine on Friday, though the new commitments were overshadowed by defense leaders failing at an international meeting in Ramstein, Germany, to agree on Ukraine's urgent request for German-made Leopard 2 battle tanks.

Germany is one of the main donors of weapons to Ukraine, and it ordered a review of its Leopard 2 stocks in preparation for a possible green light. Nonetheless, the government in Berlin has shown caution at each step of increasing its commitments to Ukraine, a hesitancy seen as rooted in its history and political culture.

Its tentativeness has drawn heavy criticism, particularly from Poland and the Baltic states, countries on NATO's eastern flank controlled by Moscow in the past and which feel especially threatened by Russia's renewed imperial ambitions.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said that if Germany does not consent to transferring Leopard tanks to Ukraine, his country was prepared to build a "smaller coalition" of countries that would send theirs anyway.

"Almost a year had passed since the outbreak of war," Morawiecki said in an interview with Polish state news agency PAP published Sunday. "Evidence of the Russian army's war crimes can be seen on television and on YouTube. What more does Germany need to open its eyes and start to act in line with the potential of the German state?"

"Above all, Berlin should not weaken or sabotage the activities of other countries," Morawiecki said.

In Washington, two leading lawmakers urged the U.S. on Sunday to send some of its Abrams tanks to Ukraine, in the interests of overcoming Germany's reluctance to share its own, more suitable Leopard 2 tanks.

"If we announced we were giving an Abrams tank, just one, that would unleash" the flow of tanks from Germany, Rep. Michael McCaul, the Republican chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, told ABC's "This Week on Sunday." "What I hear is that Germany's waiting on us to take the lead."

Sen. Chris Coons, a Democrat who is on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and considered close to President Joe Biden, also spoke up for the U.S. sending Abrams.

"I am concerned that Russia is rearming and preparing for a spring offensive," Coons, said. "If it requires our sending some Abrams tanks in order to unlock getting the Leopard tanks from Germany, from Poland, from other allies, I would support that."

Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy head of the Russian Security Council, said the meeting in Ramstein "left no doubt that our enemies will try to exhaust or better destroy us," adding that "they have enough weapons" to achieve the purpose.

Medvedev, a former Russian president, warned on his messaging app channel that Russia could seek to form a military alliance with foes of the United States. He didn't name the nations he had in mind, but Russia has defense cooperation with Iran and Venezuela, an existing military alliance with Belarus and strong ties with North Korea.. Since invading Ukraine, Russia also has increased both the scope and the number of its joint military drills with China.

"In case of a protracted conflict, a new military alliance will emerge that will include the nations that are fed up with the Americans and a pack of their castrated dogs," Medvedev said.

Ukraine is asking for more weapons as it anticipates Russia's forces launching a new offensive in the spring.

Oleksii Danilov, the secretary of Ukraine's Security and Defense Council, warned that Russia may try to intensify its attacks in the south and in the east and to cut supply channels of Western weapons, while conquering Kyiv "remains the main dream" in President Vladimir Putin's "fantasies," he said.

He described the Kremlin's goal in the conflict as a "total and absolute genocide, a total war of destruction."

"Moscow wants to completely destroy Ukraine as a historical phenomenon — its language, history, culture, carriers of Ukrainian identity," Danilov wrote in a column published by Ukrainska Pravda.

Among those calling for more arms for Ukraine was the former British prime minister, Boris Johnson, who made a surprise trip to Ukraine on Sunday.

"This is the moment to double down and to give the Ukrainians all the tools they need to finish the job. The sooner Putin fails, the better for Ukraine and for the whole world," Johnson said in a statement.

Johnson, who faces fresh questions at home over his personal finances, was pictured in the Kyiv region town of Borodyanka. He said he traveled to Ukraine at the invitation of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The last week was especially tragic for Ukraine even by the standards of a brutal war that has gone on for nearly a year, killing tens of thousands of people, uprooting millions more and creating vast destruction of Ukrainian cities.

A barrage of Russian missiles struck an apartment complex in the southeastern city of Dnipro on Jan. 14, killing at least 45 civilians, including six children. On Wednesday, a government helicopter carrying the interior minister and other officials crashed into a building housing a kindergarten in a suburb of Kyiv. The minister and a child on the ground were among the 14 people killed.

Zelenskyy, who on Saturday mourned the victims of the helicopter crash, vowed Sunday that Ukraine would prevail in the war.

"We are united because we are strong. We are strong because we are united," the Ukrainian leader said in a video address as he marked Ukraine Unity Day, which commemorates the day in 1919 when East and West Ukraine were united.

"Dear invincible people, Happy Ukrainian Unity Day!" he said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1673396092973.png" alt="Ukrainian troops are atOklahoma’s Fort Sill Army base training on operating and maintaining the Patriot missile defense system-Photo U.S. Defense DepartmentDefense Department" />
 <figcaption>Ukrainian troops are atOklahoma’s Fort Sill Army base training on operating and maintaining the Patriot missile defense system-Photo U.S. Defense DepartmentDefense Department</figcaption>
 </figure>By ANDREW MELDRUM Associated PressKYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The speaker of Russia's parliament warned Sunday that countries supplying Ukraine with more powerful weapons risked their own destruction, a message that followed new pledges of armored vehicles, air defense systems and other equipment but not the battle tanks Kyiv requested."Supplies of offensive weapons to the Kyiv regime would lead to a global catastrophe," State Duma Chairman Vyacheslav Volodin said. "If Washington and NATO supply weapons that would be used for striking peaceful cities and making attempts to seize our territory as they threaten to do, it would trigger a retaliation with more powerful weapons."Ukraine's supporters pledged billions of dollars in military aid to Ukraine on Friday, though the new commitments were overshadowed by defense leaders failing at an international meeting in Ramstein, Germany, to agree on Ukraine's urgent request for German-made Leopard 2 battle tanks.Germany is one of the main donors of weapons to Ukraine, and it ordered a review of its Leopard 2 stocks in preparation for a possible green light. Nonetheless, the government in Berlin has shown caution at each step of increasing its commitments to Ukraine, a hesitancy seen as rooted in its history and political culture.Its tentativeness has drawn heavy criticism, particularly from Poland and the Baltic states, countries on NATO's eastern flank controlled by Moscow in the past and which feel especially threatened by Russia's renewed imperial ambitions.Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said that if Germany does not consent to transferring Leopard tanks to Ukraine, his country was prepared to build a "smaller coalition" of countries that would send theirs anyway."Almost a year had passed since the outbreak of war," Morawiecki said in an interview with Polish state news agency PAP published Sunday. "Evidence of the Russian army's war crimes can be seen on television and on YouTube. What more does Germany need to open its eyes and start to act in line with the potential of the German state?""Above all, Berlin should not weaken or sabotage the activities of other countries," Morawiecki said.In Washington, two leading lawmakers urged the U.S. on Sunday to send some of its Abrams tanks to Ukraine, in the interests of overcoming Germany's reluctance to share its own, more suitable Leopard 2 tanks."If we announced we were giving an Abrams tank, just one, that would unleash" the flow of tanks from Germany, Rep. Michael McCaul, the Republican chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, told ABC's "This Week on Sunday." "What I hear is that Germany's waiting on us to take the lead."Sen. Chris Coons, a Democrat who is on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and considered close to President Joe Biden, also spoke up for the U.S. sending Abrams."I am concerned that Russia is rearming and preparing for a spring offensive," Coons, said. "If it requires our sending some Abrams tanks in order to unlock getting the Leopard tanks from Germany, from Poland, from other allies, I would support that."Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy head of the Russian Security Council, said the meeting in Ramstein "left no doubt that our enemies will try to exhaust or better destroy us," adding that "they have enough weapons" to achieve the purpose.Medvedev, a former Russian president, warned on his messaging app channel that Russia could seek to form a military alliance with foes of the United States. He didn't name the nations he had in mind, but Russia has defense cooperation with Iran and Venezuela, an existing military alliance with Belarus and strong ties with North Korea.. Since invading Ukraine, Russia also has increased both the scope and the number of its joint military drills with China."In case of a protracted conflict, a new military alliance will emerge that will include the nations that are fed up with the Americans and a pack of their castrated dogs," Medvedev said.Ukraine is asking for more weapons as it anticipates Russia's forces launching a new offensive in the spring.Oleksii Danilov, the secretary of Ukraine's Security and Defense Council, warned that Russia may try to intensify its attacks in the south and in the east and to cut supply channels of Western weapons, while conquering Kyiv "remains the main dream" in President Vladimir Putin's "fantasies," he said.He described the Kremlin's goal in the conflict as a "total and absolute genocide, a total war of destruction.""Moscow wants to completely destroy Ukraine as a historical phenomenon — its language, history, culture, carriers of Ukrainian identity," Danilov wrote in a column published by Ukrainska Pravda.Among those calling for more arms for Ukraine was the former British prime minister, Boris Johnson, who made a surprise trip to Ukraine on Sunday."This is the moment to double down and to give the Ukrainians all the tools they need to finish the job. The sooner Putin fails, the better for Ukraine and for the whole world," Johnson said in a statement.Johnson, who faces fresh questions at home over his personal finances, was pictured in the Kyiv region town of Borodyanka. He said he traveled to Ukraine at the invitation of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.The last week was especially tragic for Ukraine even by the standards of a brutal war that has gone on for nearly a year, killing tens of thousands of people, uprooting millions more and creating vast destruction of Ukrainian cities.A barrage of Russian missiles struck an apartment complex in the southeastern city of Dnipro on Jan. 14, killing at least 45 civilians, including six children. On Wednesday, a government helicopter carrying the interior minister and other officials crashed into a building housing a kindergarten in a suburb of Kyiv. The minister and a child on the ground were among the 14 people killed.Zelenskyy, who on Saturday mourned the victims of the helicopter crash, vowed Sunday that Ukraine would prevail in the war."We are united because we are strong. We are strong because we are united," the Ukrainian leader said in a video address as he marked Ukraine Unity Day, which commemorates the day in 1919 when East and West Ukraine were united."Dear invincible people, Happy Ukrainian Unity Day!" he said.___F

Russia warns West of destruction for arming Ukraine

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Creighton University Rural Mainstreet Index (RMI), that was released on Thursday, climbed above the growth neutral threshold, 50.0, for a second consecutive month, according to the monthly survey of bank CEOs in rural areas of a 10-state region dependent on agriculture and/or energy.

Economist Ernie Goss said that the ag sector has actually done fairly well lately.

"There's some of course that are particularly affected by drought conditions," Goss said. "That would be particularly true in Kansas and Nebraska, where droughts have had significant impacts on the farm income, but overall, it's been good. We had much more elevated input prices six months to a year ago. Our prices have come down on those inputs. At the same time, what farmers are selling, of course, soybean and other commodities, those have held up pretty good, so the gap there has widened. That's contributing to better income for the farmers."

Farmers generally are doing pretty well cash wise, which is good news for them, but not necessarily for the bankers that the survey covers, but as conditions soften, Goss sees use of credit by farmers as more likely soon.

"That's going to probably turn upward in the weeks and months ahead, probably as input prices do increase a bit," Goss said. "Some of the agricultural commodity prices will likely come down somewhat. That will be prices of corn, soybeans and others. We are seeing an opening up of China, which is good, more of an opening up. That's a good market for agricultural commodities from this part of the country."

The expiring farm bill and how its renewal shakes out could mean a lot to rural main street by year's end.

"There are going to be some pressures on federal financial support for farming," Goss said. "We're going to see that. We asked the bankers about that threat. Sometime this summer, we're really going to see things come forth with deficit reduction and trying to extend the ability of the federal government to borrow more money."

The closer the<a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/d203c617-cf32-46b1-b06a-1bb129b70804">&nbsp;debt ceiling fight</a>&nbsp;gets to the farm bill deadline, the worse the opportunity may be for the rural areas.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/6/1622642233344.jpeg" alt="Creighton Professor Ernie Goss, PhD&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>Creighton Professor Ernie Goss, PhD&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>NICK GOSNELL Hutch PostHUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Creighton University Rural Mainstreet Index (RMI), that was released on Thursday, climbed above the growth neutral threshold, 50.0, for a second consecutive month, according to the monthly survey of bank CEOs in rural areas of a 10-state region dependent on agriculture and/or energy.Economist Ernie Goss said that the ag sector has actually done fairly well lately."There's some of course that are particularly affected by drought conditions," Goss said. "That would be particularly true in Kansas and Nebraska, where droughts have had significant impacts on the farm income, but overall, it's been good. We had much more elevated input prices six months to a year ago. Our prices have come down on those inputs. At the same time, what farmers are selling, of course, soybean and other commodities, those have held up pretty good, so the gap there has widened. That's contributing to better income for the farmers."Farmers generally are doing pretty well cash wise, which is good news for them, but not necessarily for the bankers that the survey covers, but as conditions soften, Goss sees use of credit by farmers as more likely soon."That's going to probably turn upward in the weeks and months ahead, probably as input prices do increase a bit," Goss said. "Some of the agricultural commodity prices will likely come down somewhat. That will be prices of corn, soybeans and others. We are seeing an opening up of China, which is good, more of an opening up. That's a good market for agricultural commodities from this part of the country."The expiring farm bill and how its renewal shakes out could mean a lot to rural main street by year's end."There are going to be some pressures on federal financial support for farming," Goss said. "We're going to see that. We asked the bankers about that threat. Sometime this summer, we're really going to see things come forth with deficit reduction and trying to extend the ability of the federal government to borrow more money."The closer the<a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/d203c617-cf32-46b1-b06a-1bb129b70804">&nbsp;debt ceiling fight</a>&nbsp;gets to the farm bill deadline, the worse the opportunity may be for the rural areas.&nbsp;

Rural economy growing slowly, headwinds on horizon

WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service&nbsp;kicked off the 2023 tax 
filing season with a focus on improving service and a reminder to 
taxpayers to file electronically with direct deposit to speed refunds 
and avoid delays.

Following a successful opening of its systems today, the IRS&nbsp;is now 
accepting and processing 2022 tax returns. Most of the individual tax 
returns for the 2022 tax year are expected to be filed before the April 
18 tax deadline.

Taxpayers have until&nbsp;<a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-sets-january-23-as-official-start-to-2023-tax-filing-season-more-help-available-for-taxpayers-this-year">April 18 to file their taxes</a> this year, but some&nbsp;<a href="https://www.irs.gov/individuals/international-taxpayers/us-citizens-and-resident-aliens-abroad-automatic-2-month-extension-of-time-to-file">taxpayers living overseas</a> and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/tax-relief-in-disaster-situations">disaster victims</a>
 may have later filing deadlines. Alabama, California and Georgia storm 
victims now have until May 15 to file various federal individual and 
business tax returns and make tax payments.

"Following months of hard work, we successfully opened our processing
 systems today to start this year's tax season," said IRS Acting 
Commissioner Doug O'Donnell. "Getting to this point is a monumental 
effort not only for the IRS but also for the nation's tax community. The
 hard-working employees of the IRS look forward to serving taxpayers 
this filing season, and I personally want to thank them, and all of the 
tax and payroll community for their dedication to making tax time 
smoother for the nation."

O'Donnell also noted that&nbsp;taxpayers can count on IRS delivering 
improved service this filing season. As part of the August passage of 
the Inflation Reduction Act, the IRS has more than 5,000 new telephone 
assistors and added more in-person staff to help taxpayers.

"We continue to increase IRS staffing to help provide taxpayers with 
the information and assistance they need," said O'Donnell. "The IRS 
reminds taxpayers to take some important steps when filing their tax 
returns for a smoother process. They should gather their necessary tax 
records, file an accurate return electronically and choose direct 
deposit to get their refunds faster."

Taxpayers who electronically file a tax return with no issues and 
choose direct deposit should still receive their refund within 21 days 
of the date they file – similar to previous years. Due to tax law 
changes such as the elimination of the Advance Child Tax Credit and no 
Recovery Rebate Credit this year to claim pandemic-related stimulus 
payments, many taxpayers may find their refunds somewhat lower this 
year.

Fastest refunds by e-filing, avoiding paper returns: To avoid refund delays, IRS encourages taxpayers to file their tax return electronically with <a href="https://www.irs.gov/refunds/get-your-refund-faster-tell-irs-to-direct-deposit-your-refund-to-one-two-or-three-accounts">direct deposit</a> instead of submitting a paper tax return. Taxpayers may use&nbsp;<a href="https://www.irs.gov/filing/free-file-do-your-federal-taxes-for-free">IRS Free File</a>
 on IRS.gov, other tax software or a trusted tax professional. Members 
of the armed forces and qualifying veterans can file their federal tax 
return and up to three state tax returns for free electronically using&nbsp;<a href="https://www.militaryonesource.mil/financial-legal/tax-resource-center/miltax-military-tax-services">MilTax,</a> a Department of Defense program.

Avoid delays; file an accurate tax return: Taxpayers should <a href="https://www.irs.gov/individuals/steps-to-take-now-to-get-a-jump-on-next-years-taxes">make sure they're ready to file</a> an accurate and complete tax return. This can help avoid processing delays, extensive refund delays and later IRS notices.

Earned Income Tax Credit or Additional Child Tax Credit refunds: Taxpayers
 may file their returns beginning Jan.&nbsp;23, but the IRS cannot issue 
refunds involving the Earned Income Tax Credit or Additional Child Tax 
Credit before mid-February. The law provides the extra time to help the 
IRS prevent fraudulent refunds. "Where's My Refund?" on IRS.gov should 
show an updated status by Feb. 18 for most EITC and ACTC filers. The IRS
 expects most of these refunds to be available in taxpayer bank accounts
 or debit cards by Feb. 28 if people chose direct deposit and there are 
no other issues with their tax return.

Avoid phone delays; online resources best option for help: IRS.gov
 is the quickest and easiest option for help. IRS assisted phone lines 
continue to receive a high volume of calls. To avoid delays, check 
IRS.gov first for <a href="https://www.irs.gov/refunds/get-your-refund-faster-tell-irs-to-direct-deposit-your-refund-to-one-two-or-three-accounts">refund information</a> and <a href="https://www.irs.gov/help/tax-law-questions">answers to tax questions</a>. Setting up an <a href="https://www.irs.gov/payments/your-online-account">Online Account</a>
 on IRS.gov can also help taxpayers get information quickly. IRS Online 
Account was recently expanded to allow more people to gain access. The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.irs.gov/help/ita">Interactive Tax Assistant</a> can also help taxpayers get answers to many tax questions online at any time.

Online options for free help; answers to common questions: Use IRS.gov to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.irs.gov/help/tax-law-questions">get answers to tax questions</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.irs.gov/refunds">check a refund status</a> or&nbsp;<a href="https://www.irs.gov/payments/pay-as-you-go-so-you-wont-owe-a-guide-to-withholding-estimated-taxes-and-ways-to-avoid-the-estimated-tax-penalty">pay taxes</a>. No wait time or appointment needed —&nbsp;<a href="https://www.irs.gov/help/tools">online tools</a> and resources are available 24 hours a day.

Other free options for help: <a href="https://www.irs.gov/filing/free-file-do-your-federal-taxes-for-free">IRS Free File</a>
 is available to any person or family who earned $73,000 or less in 
2022. For taxpayers who are comfortable completing their own tax forms,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.irs.gov/e-file-providers/free-file-fillable-forms">Free File Fillable Forms</a> may be a good option.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.militaryonesource.mil/financial-legal/tax-resource-center/miltax-military-tax-services">MilTax</a>
 is a free tax resource available to the military community, and it's 
offered through the Department of Defense. Qualified taxpayers can also 
find free one-on-one tax preparation help nationwide through the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.irs.gov/individuals/free-tax-return-preparation-for-qualifying-taxpayers">Volunteer Income Tax Assistance and Tax Counseling for the Elderly </a>programs.

2021 tax returns still being processed: Taxpayers can check&nbsp;<a href="https://www.irs.gov/filing/wheres-my-amended-return">Where's My Amended Return?</a>
 to find out the status of their tax year 2021 Form 1040-X and can&nbsp;still
 file their 2022 tax returns&nbsp;even if their 2021 tax returns haven't been
 processed. Visit the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-operations-during-covid-19-mission-critical-functions-continue">IRS Operations</a> page for more information on what to expect.

April 18 tax deadline: This year, the filing 
deadline is April 18 for most taxpayers, but automatic six-month 
extensions of time to file are available for anyone for free. See&nbsp;<a href="https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/extension-of-time-to-file-your-tax-return">Extension of Time to File Your Tax Return</a>
 for instructions. Taxpayers should be aware that filing Form 4868 only 
extends the time to file tax returns. Those who owe taxes should still 
pay by April 18 to avoid late payment penalties.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/9/1599869632873.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>IRSWASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service&nbsp;kicked off the 2023 tax 
filing season with a focus on improving service and a reminder to 
taxpayers to file electronically with direct deposit to speed refunds 
and avoid delays.Following a successful opening of its systems today, the IRS&nbsp;is now 
accepting and processing 2022 tax returns. Most of the individual tax 
returns for the 2022 tax year are expected to be filed before the April 
18 tax deadline.Taxpayers have until&nbsp;<a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-sets-january-23-as-official-start-to-2023-tax-filing-season-more-help-available-for-taxpayers-this-year">April 18 to file their taxes</a> this year, but some&nbsp;<a href="https://www.irs.gov/individuals/international-taxpayers/us-citizens-and-resident-aliens-abroad-automatic-2-month-extension-of-time-to-file">taxpayers living overseas</a> and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/tax-relief-in-disaster-situations">disaster victims</a>
 may have later filing deadlines. Alabama, California and Georgia storm 
victims now have until May 15 to file various federal individual and 
business tax returns and make tax payments."Following months of hard work, we successfully opened our processing
 systems today to start this year's tax season," said IRS Acting 
Commissioner Doug O'Donnell. "Getting to this point is a monumental 
effort not only for the IRS but also for the nation's tax community. The
 hard-working employees of the IRS look forward to serving taxpayers 
this filing season, and I personally want to thank them, and all of the 
tax and payroll community for their dedication to making tax time 
smoother for the nation."O'Donnell also noted that&nbsp;taxpayers can count on IRS delivering 
improved service this filing season. As part of the August passage of 
the Inflation Reduction Act, the IRS has more than 5,000 new telephone 
assistors and added more in-person staff to help taxpayers."We continue to increase IRS staffing to help provide taxpayers with 
the information and assistance they need," said O'Donnell. "The IRS 
reminds taxpayers to take some important steps when filing their tax 
returns for a smoother process. They should gather their necessary tax 
records, file an accurate return electronically and choose direct 
deposit to get their refunds faster."Taxpayers who electronically file a tax return with no issues and 
choose direct deposit should still receive their refund within 21 days 
of the date they file – similar to previous years. Due to tax law 
changes such as the elimination of the Advance Child Tax Credit and no 
Recovery Rebate Credit this year to claim pandemic-related stimulus 
payments, many taxpayers may find their refunds somewhat lower this 
year.<h2>IRS tips for a smooth filing season</h2>Fastest refunds by e-filing, avoiding paper returns: To avoid refund delays, IRS encourages taxpayers to file their tax return electronically with <a href="https://www.irs.gov/refunds/get-your-refund-faster-tell-irs-to-direct-deposit-your-refund-to-one-two-or-three-accounts">direct deposit</a> instead of submitting a paper tax return. Taxpayers may use&nbsp;<a href="https://www.irs.gov/filing/free-file-do-your-federal-taxes-for-free">IRS Free File</a>
 on IRS.gov, other tax software or a trusted tax professional. Members 
of the armed forces and qualifying veterans can file their federal tax 
return and up to three state tax returns for free electronically using&nbsp;<a href="https://www.militaryonesource.mil/financial-legal/tax-resource-center/miltax-military-tax-services">MilTax,</a> a Department of Defense program.Avoid delays; file an accurate tax return: Taxpayers should <a href="https://www.irs.gov/individuals/steps-to-take-now-to-get-a-jump-on-next-years-taxes">make sure they're ready to file</a> an accurate and complete tax return. This can help avoid processing delays, extensive refund delays and later IRS notices.Earned Income Tax Credit or Additional Child Tax Credit refunds: Taxpayers
 may file their returns beginning Jan.&nbsp;23, but the IRS cannot issue 
refunds involving the Earned Income Tax Credit or Additional Child Tax 
Credit before mid-February. The law provides the extra time to help the 
IRS prevent fraudulent refunds. "Where's My Refund?" on IRS.gov should 
show an updated status by Feb. 18 for most EITC and ACTC filers. The IRS
 expects most of these refunds to be available in taxpayer bank accounts
 or debit cards by Feb. 28 if people chose direct deposit and there are 
no other issues with their tax return.Avoid phone delays; online resources best option for help: IRS.gov
 is the quickest and easiest option for help. IRS assisted phone lines 
continue to receive a high volume of calls. To avoid delays, check 
IRS.gov first for <a href="https://www.irs.gov/refunds/get-your-refund-faster-tell-irs-to-direct-deposit-your-refund-to-one-two-or-three-accounts">refund information</a> and <a href="https://www.irs.gov/help/tax-law-questions">answers to tax questions</a>. Setting up an <a href="https://www.irs.gov/payments/your-online-account">Online Account</a>
 on IRS.gov can also help taxpayers get information quickly. IRS Online 
Account was recently expanded to allow more people to gain access. The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.irs.gov/help/ita">Interactive Tax Assistant</a> can also help taxpayers get answers to many tax questions online at any time.Online options for free help; answers to common questions: Use IRS.gov to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.irs.gov/help/tax-law-questions">get answers to tax questions</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.irs.gov/refunds">check a refund status</a> or&nbsp;<a href="https://www.irs.gov/payments/pay-as-you-go-so-you-wont-owe-a-guide-to-withholding-estimated-taxes-and-ways-to-avoid-the-estimated-tax-penalty">pay taxes</a>. No wait time or appointment needed —&nbsp;<a href="https://www.irs.gov/help/tools">online tools</a> and resources are available 24 hours a day.Other free options for help: <a href="https://www.irs.gov/filing/free-file-do-your-federal-taxes-for-free">IRS Free File</a>
 is available to any person or family who earned $73,000 or less in 
2022. For taxpayers who are comfortable completing their own tax forms,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.irs.gov/e-file-providers/free-file-fillable-forms">Free File Fillable Forms</a> may be a good option.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.militaryonesource.mil/financial-legal/tax-resource-center/miltax-military-tax-services">MilTax</a>
 is a free tax resource available to the military community, and it's 
offered through the Department of Defense. Qualified taxpayers can also 
find free one-on-one tax preparation help nationwide through the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.irs.gov/individuals/free-tax-return-preparation-for-qualifying-taxpayers">Volunteer Income Tax Assistance and Tax Counseling for the Elderly </a>programs.2021 tax returns still being processed: Taxpayers can check&nbsp;<a href="https://www.irs.gov/filing/wheres-my-amended-return">Where's My Amended Return?</a>
 to find out the status of their tax year 2021 Form 1040-X and can&nbsp;still
 file their 2022 tax returns&nbsp;even if their 2021 tax returns haven't been
 processed. Visit the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-operations-during-covid-19-mission-critical-functions-continue">IRS Operations</a> page for more information on what to expect.April 18 tax deadline: This year, the filing 
deadline is April 18 for most taxpayers, but automatic six-month 
extensions of time to file are available for anyone for free. See&nbsp;<a href="https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/extension-of-time-to-file-your-tax-return">Extension of Time to File Your Tax Return</a>
 for instructions. Taxpayers should be aware that filing Form 4868 only 
extends the time to file tax returns. Those who owe taxes should still 
pay by April 18 to avoid late payment penalties.

IRS kicks off 2023 tax filing season; returns due April 18

SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect on multiple charges after a standoff at a home.

Just after 1:30pm Jan. 18, police responded to 705 NE Kellam Avenue in Topeka after report of someone possibly trying to break into a garage, according to Lt. Michael Hren.

 Officers made contact with 46-year-old Timothy N Evertson who began throwing rocks and knives at officers on scene. The Topeka Police Response Team and Crisis Negotiators responded to the scene and communicated with Evertson.

Just before 10p.m. police took&nbsp;Evertson into custody. He was transported to a local hospital for evaluation and then booked into&nbsp;the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges of Aggravated Burglary, Aggravated Assault of a Law Enforcement Officer, Stalking, Criminal Damage to Property, Violation of a Protective Order, Criminal Trespass, Interference with Law Enforcement Officer and Battery on a Law Enforcement Officer

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1674154502714.png" alt="Evertson-photo Shawnee Co." />
 <figcaption>Evertson-photo Shawnee Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect on multiple charges after a standoff at a home.Just after 1:30pm Jan. 18, police responded to 705 NE Kellam Avenue in Topeka after report of someone possibly trying to break into a garage, according to Lt. Michael Hren. Officers made contact with 46-year-old Timothy N Evertson who began throwing rocks and knives at officers on scene. The Topeka Police Response Team and Crisis Negotiators responded to the scene and communicated with Evertson.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1674154802150.png" alt="Police on the scene of the standoff- photo courtesy WIBW TV" />
 <figcaption>Police on the scene of the standoff- photo courtesy WIBW TV</figcaption>
 </figure>Just before 10p.m. police took&nbsp;Evertson into custody. He was transported to a local hospital for evaluation and then booked into&nbsp;the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges of Aggravated Burglary, Aggravated Assault of a Law Enforcement Officer, Stalking, Criminal Damage to Property, Violation of a Protective Order, Criminal Trespass, Interference with Law Enforcement Officer and Battery on a Law Enforcement Officer

Kansas burglary suspect threw knives, rocks at police

SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating an alleged theft and have made an arrest.

On January 3, police&nbsp;were dispatched to the Helping Hands Humane Society, 5720 SW 21st Street in Topeka, in reference to a theft, according to a media release. A woman reportedly had her purse stolen at the business.

Officers were able to identify the suspect as 38-year-old Dustin J. Spooner, of Topeka, through video surveillance.

On January 17, police located Spooner near the area of SW 21st Street and

Western Avenue in Topeka. Spooner was arrested and later booked into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges of Burglary, Theft and a Parole violation

Police thanked Helping Hands Humane Society for their quick response and assistance in this investigation. Because of their ability to share video evidence of the suspect, officers were able to locate and arrest him. 

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1674059321205.png" alt="Spooner-photo Shawnee Co." />
 <figcaption>Spooner-photo Shawnee Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating an alleged theft and have made an arrest.On January 3, police&nbsp;were dispatched to the Helping Hands Humane Society, 5720 SW 21st Street in Topeka, in reference to a theft, according to a media release. A woman reportedly had her purse stolen at the business.Officers were able to identify the suspect as 38-year-old Dustin J. Spooner, of Topeka, through video surveillance.On January 17, police located Spooner near the area of SW 21st Street andWestern Avenue in Topeka. Spooner was arrested and later booked into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges of Burglary, Theft and a Parole violationPolice thanked Helping Hands Humane Society for their quick response and assistance in this investigation. Because of their ability to share video evidence of the suspect, officers were able to locate and arrest him.

Video surveillance helps police catch Kansas purse thief

By RACHEL MIPRO <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/01/20/kansas-public-defense-struggles-to-meet-constitutional-standards-with-lack-of-workers/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA
 — Kansas public defense is at a crisis point, officials say, with 
overworked attorneys struggling to provide adequate services in the 
midst of a worker shortage.

Heather Cessna, executive director of
 the Kansas State Board of Indigents’ Defense Services, gave lawmakers 
an overview of the agency’s situation Thursday, during a House Judiciary
 Committee meeting.

Kansas doesn’t have enough criminal 
defense counsel to meet the volume of cases being charged by 
prosecutors. Cessna said the agency was drowning, grappling with a 
worker shortage, poor pay and long hours.&nbsp;

BIDS provides defense counsel for 
people who are charged with felonies and cannot afford an attorney, 
handling about 85% of adult felony criminal cases in Kansas. During the 
2022 fiscal year, the agency took on 24,609 cases, through either public
 defenders or assigned counsel.&nbsp;

“Now that you have a better picture 
of the volume of cases that we cover and sort of the outsized role that 
our cases play in the criminal justice system, I think that’s important 
to help you have a better understanding of why the current crisis that 
we have is so concerning,” Cessna told lawmakers during the meeting.

National caseload standards stipulate
 that attorneys handle no more than 150 felonies per attorney per year, 
Cessna said. During the 2022 fiscal year, eight out of 11 trial-level 
public defender offices in the state substantially exceeded those 
national standards. The few that didn’t exceed standards either refused 
to take on cases or closed down for certain periods of time.&nbsp;

National public defender studies say 
attorneys should have a minimum of 20 hours to work a low level case, 
and up to 200 to 300 hours per higher-level case to meet constitutional 
standards for adequate legal counsel.&nbsp;

In Kansas, trial-level public 
defenders were only able to spend an average of 11 hours per case during
 the 2022 fiscal year. These cases spanned minor probation violations to
 first-degree murder, Cessna said, and represented a worrying lack of 
resources.&nbsp;

“As a state, we’re struggling to live
 up to our constitutional obligation under the Sixth Amendment to 
provide counsel on every adult felony-level case that qualifies,” Cessna
 said.&nbsp;

Counties that don’t have enough 
privately appointed legal help to accept BIDS cases include Crawford, 
Labette, Cherokee, Johnson, Douglas, Shawnee, Sedgwick and Riley, among 
others.&nbsp;

Cessna said part of the workforce 
problem was low pay, COVID-19 case buildups, and many attorneys aging 
out of the system. BIDS lost one out of five public defenders because of
 poor pay during the 2022 fiscal year, she said. Kansas’ small number of
 rural attorneys was also an issue, Cessna said.&nbsp;

In general, Kansas has a ratio of 
two attorneys per 535 residents in urban areas, and a ration of one 
attorney per 808 residents in rural areas. Five rural counties have only
 one practicing attorney in the area, and Wichita and Hodgeman 
counties have no attorneys at all. Eleven rural counties in the state 
have only two practicing attorneys in the area. Kansas legal officials 
have <a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/12/01/kansas-supreme-court-justice-tackles-states-severe-shortage-of-rural-attorneys/">created a committee to study the problem</a>, but some say more immediate action should be taken.

Rep. Bob Lewis, R-Garden City, said he had also <a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/01/11/kansas-supreme-court-chief-justice-points-to-attorney-shortage-specialty-courts-behavioral-health/">noticed the issue</a>.&nbsp;

“I’ve talked with private attorneys, 
public defenders, prosecutors, and the way you’re describing the problem
 is accurate from our perspective,” Lewis said. “We also have a big 
problem because we’re in a rural area, and we’re not getting the new 
lawyers in.”&nbsp;

To remedy the problem, BIDS asked for
 more funding in fiscal year 2024, hoping to implement a new pay scale, 
improve retention rates and fund more staff positions. In the 
organization’s FY 2024 budget requests, BIDS requested $600,000 for a 
pay scale plan, $13.1 million to fund staffing positions, and $3.7 
million to create two new additional public defender offices.&nbsp;

Gov. Laura Kelly didn’t include 
additional funding for public defenders in her budget recommendations or
 recommend increasing pay rates for legal counsel.&nbsp;

Cessna asked lawmakers to start looking at potential legislation to help with the workforce shortage.&nbsp;

“Obviously this is problematic 
because without some desperately needed assistance, our shortage of 
attorneys is only going to continue to get worse,” Cessna said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/2/1644850091504.png" alt="Heather Cessna, executive director of the Kansas State Board of Indigents’ Defense (Noah Taborda/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>Heather Cessna, executive director of the Kansas State Board of Indigents’ Defense (Noah Taborda/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>By RACHEL MIPRO <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/01/20/kansas-public-defense-struggles-to-meet-constitutional-standards-with-lack-of-workers/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA
 — Kansas public defense is at a crisis point, officials say, with 
overworked attorneys struggling to provide adequate services in the 
midst of a worker shortage.Heather Cessna, executive director of
 the Kansas State Board of Indigents’ Defense Services, gave lawmakers 
an overview of the agency’s situation Thursday, during a House Judiciary
 Committee meeting.Kansas doesn’t have enough criminal 
defense counsel to meet the volume of cases being charged by 
prosecutors. Cessna said the agency was drowning, grappling with a 
worker shortage, poor pay and long hours.&nbsp;BIDS provides defense counsel for 
people who are charged with felonies and cannot afford an attorney, 
handling about 85% of adult felony criminal cases in Kansas. During the 
2022 fiscal year, the agency took on 24,609 cases, through either public
 defenders or assigned counsel.&nbsp;“Now that you have a better picture 
of the volume of cases that we cover and sort of the outsized role that 
our cases play in the criminal justice system, I think that’s important 
to help you have a better understanding of why the current crisis that 
we have is so concerning,” Cessna told lawmakers during the meeting.National caseload standards stipulate
 that attorneys handle no more than 150 felonies per attorney per year, 
Cessna said. During the 2022 fiscal year, eight out of 11 trial-level 
public defender offices in the state substantially exceeded those 
national standards. The few that didn’t exceed standards either refused 
to take on cases or closed down for certain periods of time.&nbsp;National public defender studies say 
attorneys should have a minimum of 20 hours to work a low level case, 
and up to 200 to 300 hours per higher-level case to meet constitutional 
standards for adequate legal counsel.&nbsp;In Kansas, trial-level public 
defenders were only able to spend an average of 11 hours per case during
 the 2022 fiscal year. These cases spanned minor probation violations to
 first-degree murder, Cessna said, and represented a worrying lack of 
resources.&nbsp;“As a state, we’re struggling to live
 up to our constitutional obligation under the Sixth Amendment to 
provide counsel on every adult felony-level case that qualifies,” Cessna
 said.&nbsp;Counties that don’t have enough 
privately appointed legal help to accept BIDS cases include Crawford, 
Labette, Cherokee, Johnson, Douglas, Shawnee, Sedgwick and Riley, among 
others.&nbsp;Cessna said part of the workforce 
problem was low pay, COVID-19 case buildups, and many attorneys aging 
out of the system. BIDS lost one out of five public defenders because of
 poor pay during the 2022 fiscal year, she said. Kansas’ small number of
 rural attorneys was also an issue, Cessna said.&nbsp; In general, Kansas has a ratio of 
two attorneys per 535 residents in urban areas, and a ration of one 
attorney per 808 residents in rural areas. Five rural counties have only
 one practicing attorney in the area, and Wichita and Hodgeman 
counties have no attorneys at all. Eleven rural counties in the state 
have only two practicing attorneys in the area. Kansas legal officials 
have <a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/12/01/kansas-supreme-court-justice-tackles-states-severe-shortage-of-rural-attorneys/">created a committee to study the problem</a>, but some say more immediate action should be taken.Rep. Bob Lewis, R-Garden City, said he had also <a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/01/11/kansas-supreme-court-chief-justice-points-to-attorney-shortage-specialty-courts-behavioral-health/">noticed the issue</a>.&nbsp;“I’ve talked with private attorneys, 
public defenders, prosecutors, and the way you’re describing the problem
 is accurate from our perspective,” Lewis said. “We also have a big 
problem because we’re in a rural area, and we’re not getting the new 
lawyers in.”&nbsp;To remedy the problem, BIDS asked for
 more funding in fiscal year 2024, hoping to implement a new pay scale, 
improve retention rates and fund more staff positions. In the 
organization’s FY 2024 budget requests, BIDS requested $600,000 for a 
pay scale plan, $13.1 million to fund staffing positions, and $3.7 
million to create two new additional public defender offices.&nbsp;Gov. Laura Kelly didn’t include 
additional funding for public defenders in her budget recommendations or
 recommend increasing pay rates for legal counsel.&nbsp;Cessna asked lawmakers to start looking at potential legislation to help with the workforce shortage.&nbsp;“Obviously this is problematic 
because without some desperately needed assistance, our shortage of 
attorneys is only going to continue to get worse,” Cessna said.

Kansas public defense agency struggles with lack of workers

WASHINGTON (AP) — The federal government says it will begin a targeted crackdown on nursing homes’ abuse of antipsychotic drugs and misdiagnoses of schizophrenia in patients.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is launching investigations this month into select nursing homes, aimed at verifying whether patients have been properly diagnosed with the psychiatric disorder.

Evidence has mounted over decades that some facilities wrongly diagnose residents with schizophrenia or&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-north-america-us-news-ap-top-news-medication-2052229826d84280aeb29208f7eb9434">administer antipsychotic drugs to sedate them</a>, despite dangerous side effects that could include death, according to the agency.

“No nursing home resident should be improperly diagnosed with schizophrenia or given an inappropriate antipsychotic,” Health and Human Services Secretary&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/xavier-becerra">Xavier Becerra</a>&nbsp;said in a statement Wednesday. “The steps we are taking today will help prevent these errors and give families peace of mind.”

Some facilities may be dodging increased scrutiny around gratuitous use of antipsychotic medications by coding residents as having schizophrenia, even when they do not show signs of the extremely rare disorder, a government report last year found. Less than&nbsp;<a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/schizophrenia">1% of the population</a>&nbsp;is believed to have schizophrenia, which is marked by delusions, hallucinations and disordered thinking.

In 2012, the federal government began tracking when nursing homes use antipsychotics on residents — doing so can impact the facility’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.medicare.gov/care-compare/">quality rating in a public database</a>&nbsp;— but only for those who have not been diagnosed with schizophrenia.

Antipsychotics for those nursing home residents has dropped to under 20% in recent years, according to federal data.

A November&nbsp;<a href="https://oig.hhs.gov/oei/reports/OEI-07-20-00500.pdf">report from the HHS Office of the Inspector General</a>, however, revealed that the number of residents reported as having schizophrenia without a corresponding diagnosis skyrocketed between 2015 and 2019, with 99 nursing homes in the country reporting that 20% or more of their residents have the disorder.

“The number of unsupported schizophrenia diagnoses increased and in 2019 was concentrated in relatively few nursing homes,” the report concluded.

Nursing homes have worked on other ways to treat residents, especially those with dementia, and trained staff to use alternative methods, said Katie Smith Sloan, the CEO of LeadingAge, an association of nonprofit aging service providers.

“Much has been achieved since the program’s start in 2012, and nursing homes deserve a lot of the credit for the progress," she said in a statement.

CMS will start targeted audits to ask nursing homes for documentation of the diagnoses in the coming days, focusing on nursing homes with existing residents who have been recorded as having schizophrenia.

The rating scores for nursing homes that have a pattern of inaccurately coding residents as having schizophrenia will be negatively impacted, CMS said in a statement released Wednesday, stopping short of threatening to levy fines against facilities.

Dinging nursing homes' public ratings will be effective in some cases, said Dr. Shekinah Fashaw-Walters, a researcher at the University of Minnesota who has found that schizophrenia diagnoses have risen in Black nursing home patients compared with their white counterparts in recent years.

She is hopeful that the CMS audits will help to narrow that racial disparity and said that it's “about time” for CMS' plan.

“It’s time to do this and really hold nursing homes accountable for providing high quality care," she said. "I’m thrilled to see that they are taking these steps, and I think they’re very warranted.”

The agency does not have plans to immediately intervene in the patients’ care directly or notify relatives of residents who have been wrongly coded or given antipsychotics, according to senior HHS officials who insisted on anonymity to brief The Associated Press on the matter on Tuesday.

CMS will monitor the facilities to make sure the issues are corrected, officials said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1668464912783.png" alt="“No nursing home resident should be improperly diagnosed with schizophrenia or given an inappropriate antipsychotic,” Health and Human Services Secretary&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/xavier-becerra">Xavier Becerra</a>&nbsp;said in a statement Wednesday-courtesy photo" />
 <figcaption>“No nursing home resident should be improperly diagnosed with schizophrenia or given an inappropriate antipsychotic,” Health and Human Services Secretary&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/xavier-becerra">Xavier Becerra</a>&nbsp;said in a statement Wednesday-courtesy photo</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The federal government says it will begin a targeted crackdown on nursing homes’ abuse of antipsychotic drugs and misdiagnoses of schizophrenia in patients.The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is launching investigations this month into select nursing homes, aimed at verifying whether patients have been properly diagnosed with the psychiatric disorder.Evidence has mounted over decades that some facilities wrongly diagnose residents with schizophrenia or&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-north-america-us-news-ap-top-news-medication-2052229826d84280aeb29208f7eb9434">administer antipsychotic drugs to sedate them</a>, despite dangerous side effects that could include death, according to the agency.“No nursing home resident should be improperly diagnosed with schizophrenia or given an inappropriate antipsychotic,” Health and Human Services Secretary&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/xavier-becerra">Xavier Becerra</a>&nbsp;said in a statement Wednesday. “The steps we are taking today will help prevent these errors and give families peace of mind.”Some facilities may be dodging increased scrutiny around gratuitous use of antipsychotic medications by coding residents as having schizophrenia, even when they do not show signs of the extremely rare disorder, a government report last year found. Less than&nbsp;<a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/schizophrenia">1% of the population</a>&nbsp;is believed to have schizophrenia, which is marked by delusions, hallucinations and disordered thinking.In 2012, the federal government began tracking when nursing homes use antipsychotics on residents — doing so can impact the facility’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.medicare.gov/care-compare/">quality rating in a public database</a>&nbsp;— but only for those who have not been diagnosed with schizophrenia.Antipsychotics for those nursing home residents has dropped to under 20% in recent years, according to federal data.A November&nbsp;<a href="https://oig.hhs.gov/oei/reports/OEI-07-20-00500.pdf">report from the HHS Office of the Inspector General</a>, however, revealed that the number of residents reported as having schizophrenia without a corresponding diagnosis skyrocketed between 2015 and 2019, with 99 nursing homes in the country reporting that 20% or more of their residents have the disorder.“The number of unsupported schizophrenia diagnoses increased and in 2019 was concentrated in relatively few nursing homes,” the report concluded.Nursing homes have worked on other ways to treat residents, especially those with dementia, and trained staff to use alternative methods, said Katie Smith Sloan, the CEO of LeadingAge, an association of nonprofit aging service providers.“Much has been achieved since the program’s start in 2012, and nursing homes deserve a lot of the credit for the progress," she said in a statement.CMS will start targeted audits to ask nursing homes for documentation of the diagnoses in the coming days, focusing on nursing homes with existing residents who have been recorded as having schizophrenia.The rating scores for nursing homes that have a pattern of inaccurately coding residents as having schizophrenia will be negatively impacted, CMS said in a statement released Wednesday, stopping short of threatening to levy fines against facilities.Dinging nursing homes' public ratings will be effective in some cases, said Dr. Shekinah Fashaw-Walters, a researcher at the University of Minnesota who has found that schizophrenia diagnoses have risen in Black nursing home patients compared with their white counterparts in recent years.She is hopeful that the CMS audits will help to narrow that racial disparity and said that it's “about time” for CMS' plan.“It’s time to do this and really hold nursing homes accountable for providing high quality care," she said. "I’m thrilled to see that they are taking these steps, and I think they’re very warranted.”The agency does not have plans to immediately intervene in the patients’ care directly or notify relatives of residents who have been wrongly coded or given antipsychotics, according to senior HHS officials who insisted on anonymity to brief The Associated Press on the matter on Tuesday.CMS will monitor the facilities to make sure the issues are corrected, officials said.

Feds to investigate nursing home abuse of antipsychotics

WASHINGTON (AP) — Eight months, 126 formal interviews and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/publicinfo/press/Dobbs_Public_Report_January_19_2023.pdf">a 23-page report</a>&nbsp;later,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/us-supreme-court">the Supreme Court</a>&nbsp;said it has failed to discover who leaked a draft of the court’s opinion overturning abortion rights.

<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/publicinfo/press/Dobbs_Public_Report_January_19_2023.pdf">Click here to read</a> the full report

The report released by the court Thursday is the apparent culmination of an investigation&nbsp;<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/publicinfo/press/pressreleases/pr_05-03-22">ordered by Chief Justice John Roberts</a>&nbsp;a day after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-abortion-draft-opinion-07439f9fc4542f1500ab78dfd34036b1">the May leak of the draft to Politico</a>. Notably the report did not indicate whether the justices themselves had been questioned. On Friday, seemingly in response to widespread questions from the media and legal community, the head of the investigation&nbsp;<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/publicinfo/press/pressreleases/pr_01-20-23">added in a statement</a>&nbsp;that the court's nine justices had been interviewed as part of the probe and that nothing implicated them.

The leak touched off protests at justices’ homes and raised concerns about their security. And it came more than a month before the final opinion by Justice Samuel Alito was released and the court&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-supreme-court-decision-854f60302f21c2c35129e58cf8d8a7b0">formally announced it was overturning Roe v. Wade</a>.

The report also offers a window into the court's internal processes. It acknowledges that the coronavirus pandemic, which expanded the ability of people to work from home, “as well as gaps in the Court’s security policies, created an environment where it was too easy to remove sensitive information from the building and the Court’s IT networks.” The report recommends changes so that it's harder for a leak to happen in the future.

Some questions and answers about the report:

IF THE INVESTIGATION DIDN'T FIND THE LEAKER, WHAT DID IT FIND?

Lax security and loose lips. Too many people have access to certain sensitive information, the report concluded, and the court’s policies on information security are outdated. The court can't actively track, for example, who is handling and accessing highly sensitive information.

Beyond that, some people interviewed by federal investigators called in to help with the probe acknowledged they didn't scrupulously follow the court’s confidentiality policies. In some cases, employees acknowledged "telling their spouses about the draft opinion or vote count,” the report said.

The leak doesn't appear to have been the result of a hack, but the report said investigators could not rule out that the opinion was inadvertently disclosed, “for example, by being left in a public space either inside or outside the building.”

Investigators conducted 126 formal interviews of 97 employees. They looked into connections between employees and reporters, including those at Politico. They looked at call logs of personal phones. They looked at printer logs. They even did a fingerprint analysis of “an item relevant to the investigation.”

Every person who was interviewed signed a sworn statement that they were not the source of the leak. Lying about that could violate a federal law on false statements.

After all that, former Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, himself a onetime federal judge, was asked to assess the investigation. Chertoff described the investigation as “thorough” in a statement issued through the court.

The court did not respond to reporters' questions Thursday about whether the justices were interviewed. On Friday, the day after the report was released,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-leak-investigation-gail-curley-48623ac2a3bafe36f39bbf5f68257dbf">Supreme Court Marshal Gail Curley</a>&nbsp;who headed the investigation, said in a statement that she also spoke with each of the justices, who cooperated in the investigation. “I followed up on all credible leads, none of which implicated the Justices or their spouses,” she wrote. She said she didn't believe it was necessary to ask the justices to sign sworn affidavits as others did.

It seems clear the court will tighten its procedures, maybe upgrade equipment and likely do more training of personnel in response to the leak. But what it has done already or will do in the future, the court isn't saying. Investigators made a list of recommendations, but those weren't attached to the public version of the report to guard against “potential bad actors.”

After the leak, speculation swirled in Washington about who the source could be. Conservatives pointed fingers at the liberal side of the court, speculating that the leaker was someone upset about the outcome. Liberals suggested it could be someone on the conservative side of the court who wanted to ensure a wavering member of the five-justice majority didn’t switch sides.

On social media, there was speculation that various law clerks could be the leaker because of their personal backgrounds, including connections to Politico and past writing. The report acknowledged investigators were watching.

“Investigators also assessed the wide array of public speculation, mostly on social media, about any individual who may have disclosed the document. Several law clerks were named in various posts. In their inquiries, the investigators found nothing to substantiate any of the social media allegations regarding the disclosure,” the report said.

The report says investigators aren't quite done, but it suggests that any active investigation is winding down. “Investigators continue to review and process some electronic data that has been collected and a few other inquiries remain pending,” they said. “To the extent that additional investigation yields new evidence or leads, the investigators will pursue them.”

The final paragraph of the report said, “In time, continued investigation and analysis may produce additional leads that could identify the source of the disclosure.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/6/1656081470334.png" alt="-Protestors outside the court when the Roe decision was announced June 24-photo courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>-Protestors outside the court when the Roe decision was announced June 24-photo courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — Eight months, 126 formal interviews and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/publicinfo/press/Dobbs_Public_Report_January_19_2023.pdf">a 23-page report</a>&nbsp;later,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/us-supreme-court">the Supreme Court</a>&nbsp;said it has failed to discover who leaked a draft of the court’s opinion overturning abortion rights.<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/publicinfo/press/Dobbs_Public_Report_January_19_2023.pdf">Click here to read</a> the full reportThe report released by the court Thursday is the apparent culmination of an investigation&nbsp;<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/publicinfo/press/pressreleases/pr_05-03-22">ordered by Chief Justice John Roberts</a>&nbsp;a day after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-abortion-draft-opinion-07439f9fc4542f1500ab78dfd34036b1">the May leak of the draft to Politico</a>. Notably the report did not indicate whether the justices themselves had been questioned. On Friday, seemingly in response to widespread questions from the media and legal community, the head of the investigation&nbsp;<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/publicinfo/press/pressreleases/pr_01-20-23">added in a statement</a>&nbsp;that the court's nine justices had been interviewed as part of the probe and that nothing implicated them.The leak touched off protests at justices’ homes and raised concerns about their security. And it came more than a month before the final opinion by Justice Samuel Alito was released and the court&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-supreme-court-decision-854f60302f21c2c35129e58cf8d8a7b0">formally announced it was overturning Roe v. Wade</a>.The report also offers a window into the court's internal processes. It acknowledges that the coronavirus pandemic, which expanded the ability of people to work from home, “as well as gaps in the Court’s security policies, created an environment where it was too easy to remove sensitive information from the building and the Court’s IT networks.” The report recommends changes so that it's harder for a leak to happen in the future.Some questions and answers about the report:IF THE INVESTIGATION DIDN'T FIND THE LEAKER, WHAT DID IT FIND?Lax security and loose lips. Too many people have access to certain sensitive information, the report concluded, and the court’s policies on information security are outdated. The court can't actively track, for example, who is handling and accessing highly sensitive information.Beyond that, some people interviewed by federal investigators called in to help with the probe acknowledged they didn't scrupulously follow the court’s confidentiality policies. In some cases, employees acknowledged "telling their spouses about the draft opinion or vote count,” the report said.The leak doesn't appear to have been the result of a hack, but the report said investigators could not rule out that the opinion was inadvertently disclosed, “for example, by being left in a public space either inside or outside the building.”HOW THOROUGH WAS THE INVESTIGATION?Investigators conducted 126 formal interviews of 97 employees. They looked into connections between employees and reporters, including those at Politico. They looked at call logs of personal phones. They looked at printer logs. They even did a fingerprint analysis of “an item relevant to the investigation.”Every person who was interviewed signed a sworn statement that they were not the source of the leak. Lying about that could violate a federal law on false statements.After all that, former Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, himself a onetime federal judge, was asked to assess the investigation. Chertoff described the investigation as “thorough” in a statement issued through the court.The court did not respond to reporters' questions Thursday about whether the justices were interviewed. On Friday, the day after the report was released,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-leak-investigation-gail-curley-48623ac2a3bafe36f39bbf5f68257dbf">Supreme Court Marshal Gail Curley</a>&nbsp;who headed the investigation, said in a statement that she also spoke with each of the justices, who cooperated in the investigation. “I followed up on all credible leads, none of which implicated the Justices or their spouses,” she wrote. She said she didn't believe it was necessary to ask the justices to sign sworn affidavits as others did.WHAT WILL CHANGE AS A RESULT?It seems clear the court will tighten its procedures, maybe upgrade equipment and likely do more training of personnel in response to the leak. But what it has done already or will do in the future, the court isn't saying. Investigators made a list of recommendations, but those weren't attached to the public version of the report to guard against “potential bad actors.”WHAT ABOUT SPECULATION OF WHO IT WAS?After the leak, speculation swirled in Washington about who the source could be. Conservatives pointed fingers at the liberal side of the court, speculating that the leaker was someone upset about the outcome. Liberals suggested it could be someone on the conservative side of the court who wanted to ensure a wavering member of the five-justice majority didn’t switch sides.On social media, there was speculation that various law clerks could be the leaker because of their personal backgrounds, including connections to Politico and past writing. The report acknowledged investigators were watching.“Investigators also assessed the wide array of public speculation, mostly on social media, about any individual who may have disclosed the document. Several law clerks were named in various posts. In their inquiries, the investigators found nothing to substantiate any of the social media allegations regarding the disclosure,” the report said.WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?The report says investigators aren't quite done, but it suggests that any active investigation is winding down. “Investigators continue to review and process some electronic data that has been collected and a few other inquiries remain pending,” they said. “To the extent that additional investigation yields new evidence or leads, the investigators will pursue them.”The final paragraph of the report said, “In time, continued investigation and analysis may produce additional leads that could identify the source of the disclosure.”___