SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities investigating a weekend homicide have identified the victim as 45-year-old Shawn A. Carter of Topeka.

Just before 9a.m. Sunday, police were dispatched to a shooting in the 1300 Block of SE Madison in Topeka, according to Lt. Donna Eubanks.

First responders found Carter suffering from a gunshot wound. He was pronounced deceased at the scene. Police released no additional details Monday afternoon and have not reported an arrest.

SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a weekend homicide.

First responders found one victim suffering from a gunshot wound. The victim was pronounced deceased at the scene. Police released no additional details and have not reported an arrest.

SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities investigating a weekend homicide have identified the victim as 45-year-old Shawn A. Carter of Topeka.Just before 9a.m. Sunday, police were dispatched to a shooting in the 1300 Block of SE Madison in Topeka, according to Lt. Donna Eubanks.First responders found Carter suffering from a gunshot wound. He was pronounced deceased at the scene. Police released no additional details Monday afternoon and have not reported an arrest.---------------SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a weekend homicide.Just before 9a.m. Sunday, police were dispatched to a shooting in the 1300 Block of SE Madison in Topeka, according to Lt. Donna Eubanks.First responders found one victim suffering from a gunshot wound. The victim was pronounced deceased at the scene. Police released no additional details and have not reported an arrest.

Police ID 45-year-old Kan. man who died in weekend shooting

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Doctors who treated Damar Hamlin said the Bills safety was moved to a hospital in Buffalo on Monday, an uplifting sign of the remarkable progress he has made a week after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/Bills-damar-hamlin-collapse-what-happened-d73a76f2f7f736b652e95896dfaa0900">going into cardiac arrest and having to be resuscitated</a>&nbsp;on the field during a game in Cincinnati.

Hamlin was discharged from the University of Cincinnati Medical Center in the morning and flown to Buffalo, where he will continue his recovery.

“I can confirm that he is doing well. And this is the beginning of the next stage of his recovery,” Dr. William Knight said.

Doctors said Hamlin has been walking since Friday, and eating regular food and undergoing therapy. They said he was on a normal or even accelerated trajectory in his recovery from cardiac arrest, which is considered a life-threatening event, and that normal recovery can be measured from weeks to months.

“We continue to be ecstatic about his recovery,” Dr. Timothy Pritts said.

Hamlin’s return comes a day after he cheered on the Bills from his hospital bed during their regular season-ending&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/new-england-patriots-buffalo-bills-miami-dolphins-york-jets-nfl-25243cdf2ceb3780419859fc39537ef4">35-23 win</a>&nbsp;over the New England Patriots. The game proved to be a cathartic outpouring of support for the Bills and Hamlin.

Hamlin was so excited watching teammate Nyheim Hines return the opening kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown that “he jumped up and down, got out of his chair, set every alarm off in the ICU in the process,” Pritts said with a laugh.

Pritts said it was still premature to comment on the potential cause of Hamlin’s cardiac arrest.

The Bills wore No. 3 Hamlin patches on their jerseys Sunday and honored their teammate by raising three fingers in the closing minutes, while tight end Dawson Knox celebrated his touchdown by forming his hands into the shape of a heart. Fans joined in, with many holding up red heart and No. 3 signs.

“Watching the world come together around me on Sunday was truly an amazing feeling,” Hamlin said in a&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/HamlinIsland/status/1612546415787384837?s=20&amp;t=ZRcRcD8Go886siarMcqHxA" target="_blank">tweet</a>&nbsp;announcing he was heading home to Buffalo, “with a lot of love in my heart.

“The same love you all have shown me is the same love that I plan to put back into the world n more.”

The 24-year-old from the Pittsburgh area has made significant progress in his recovery since spending his first two days at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center under sedation and breathing through a ventilator.

He was awakened on Wednesday night and was eventually able to grip people’s hands. By Friday, Hamlin was able to breathe on his own and even addressed the team by videoconference, in which he told the Bills, “Love you boys.”

The last update from doctors came on Saturday, when they described Hamlin’s neurological function as “excellent,” though he remained listed in critical condition.

Later that day, Hamlin tweeted: “Putting love into the world comes back 3xs as much… thankful for everyone who has reached out and prayed. This will make me stronger on the road to recovery, keep praying for me!”

The NFL will showed support for Hamlin during all Week 18 games by including a pregame moment of support, painting Hamlin’s No. 3 on the 30-yard line and pregame shirts with “Love for Damar 3.”

Hamlin’s heart stopped on Monday night after making what appeared to be a routine tackle in the first quarter against the Bengals. The game was initially suspended before officially being canceled later in the week.

News of Hamlin’s discharge from the hospital in Cincinnati was greeted with enthusiasm.

“That’s unbelievable,” Bengals coach Zac Taylor said.

“I mean, just think about it — that was one week, not even a week ago. There’s no one in this room that would have expected he’d be in Buffalo,” he added. “God is great. He works miracles. This is certainly a miracle, there’s no question. ... And just an amazing moment for Damar.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1672714269393.png" alt="Damar Hamlin photo courtesy Buffalo Bills" />
 <figcaption>Damar Hamlin photo courtesy Buffalo Bills</figcaption>
 </figure>ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Doctors who treated Damar Hamlin said the Bills safety was moved to a hospital in Buffalo on Monday, an uplifting sign of the remarkable progress he has made a week after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/Bills-damar-hamlin-collapse-what-happened-d73a76f2f7f736b652e95896dfaa0900">going into cardiac arrest and having to be resuscitated</a>&nbsp;on the field during a game in Cincinnati.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">An amazing update. ❤️💙 <a href="https://t.co/Do1P1nKQWI">pic.twitter.com/Do1P1nKQWI</a>&mdash; Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) <a href="https://twitter.com/BuffaloBills/status/1612542457383718912?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 9, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Hamlin was discharged from the University of Cincinnati Medical Center in the morning and flown to Buffalo, where he will continue his recovery.“I can confirm that he is doing well. And this is the beginning of the next stage of his recovery,” Dr. William Knight said.Doctors said Hamlin has been walking since Friday, and eating regular food and undergoing therapy. They said he was on a normal or even accelerated trajectory in his recovery from cardiac arrest, which is considered a life-threatening event, and that normal recovery can be measured from weeks to months.“We continue to be ecstatic about his recovery,” Dr. Timothy Pritts said.Hamlin’s return comes a day after he cheered on the Bills from his hospital bed during their regular season-ending&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/new-england-patriots-buffalo-bills-miami-dolphins-york-jets-nfl-25243cdf2ceb3780419859fc39537ef4">35-23 win</a>&nbsp;over the New England Patriots. The game proved to be a cathartic outpouring of support for the Bills and Hamlin.Hamlin was so excited watching teammate Nyheim Hines return the opening kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown that “he jumped up and down, got out of his chair, set every alarm off in the ICU in the process,” Pritts said with a laugh.Pritts said it was still premature to comment on the potential cause of Hamlin’s cardiac arrest.The Bills wore No. 3 Hamlin patches on their jerseys Sunday and honored their teammate by raising three fingers in the closing minutes, while tight end Dawson Knox celebrated his touchdown by forming his hands into the shape of a heart. Fans joined in, with many holding up red heart and No. 3 signs.“Watching the world come together around me on Sunday was truly an amazing feeling,” Hamlin said in a&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/HamlinIsland/status/1612546415787384837?s=20&amp;t=ZRcRcD8Go886siarMcqHxA" target="_blank">tweet</a>&nbsp;announcing he was heading home to Buffalo, “with a lot of love in my heart.“The same love you all have shown me is the same love that I plan to put back into the world n more.”The 24-year-old from the Pittsburgh area has made significant progress in his recovery since spending his first two days at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center under sedation and breathing through a ventilator.He was awakened on Wednesday night and was eventually able to grip people’s hands. By Friday, Hamlin was able to breathe on his own and even addressed the team by videoconference, in which he told the Bills, “Love you boys.”The last update from doctors came on Saturday, when they described Hamlin’s neurological function as “excellent,” though he remained listed in critical condition.Later that day, Hamlin tweeted: “Putting love into the world comes back 3xs as much… thankful for everyone who has reached out and prayed. This will make me stronger on the road to recovery, keep praying for me!”The NFL will showed support for Hamlin during all Week 18 games by including a pregame moment of support, painting Hamlin’s No. 3 on the 30-yard line and pregame shirts with “Love for Damar 3.”Hamlin’s heart stopped on Monday night after making what appeared to be a routine tackle in the first quarter against the Bengals. The game was initially suspended before officially being canceled later in the week.News of Hamlin’s discharge from the hospital in Cincinnati was greeted with enthusiasm.“That’s unbelievable,” Bengals coach Zac Taylor said.“I mean, just think about it — that was one week, not even a week ago. There’s no one in this room that would have expected he’d be in Buffalo,” he added. “God is great. He works miracles. This is certainly a miracle, there’s no question. ... And just an amazing moment for Damar.”___

Bills' Hamlin out of hospital, back in Buffalo to continue recovery

EL PASO, Texas&nbsp;–A day after President Joe Biden inspected a muddy stretch of the U.S. -Mexico border, Senator Jerry Moran join a bipartisan group of senators touring various points along the U.S. border in El Paso, Texas.

For Biden, it was his first trip to the region after two years in office, a visit shadowed by the fraught politics of immigration as Republicans try to blame him for the record numbers of migrants crossing into the country.

“This is my third visit to the border,” said Sen. Moran, in a media relase from his office. “I want to see if there is any progress being made, but mostly I want to hear from the people who are involved in enforcing our laws and what tools they need, what help they need to get this crisis under control.

There’s a humanitarian issue here, there’s a law enforcement issue here, there’s a national security issue here, and this place needs a lot of attention.” “We’ve been insisting that the President see what goes on here for a long time, but what strikes me is that there was no outrage, no stated recognition, that we have one of the most significant crises in our country right here on this border,”&nbsp;Sen. Moran continued.&nbsp;

“We’ve had two years of the Biden administration and things have gotten worse, not better. From my perspective to be here, to talk to actual border agents, there is a different feel when you can have a conversation face-to-face.”

EL PASO, Texas&nbsp;–A day after President Joe Biden inspected a muddy stretch of the U.S. -Mexico border, Senator Jerry Moran join a bipartisan group of senators touring various points along the U.S. border in El Paso, Texas. For Biden, it was his first trip to the region after two years in office, a visit shadowed by the fraught politics of immigration as Republicans try to blame him for the record numbers of migrants crossing into the country.“This is my third visit to the border,” said Sen. Moran, in a media relase from his office. “I want to see if there is any progress being made, but mostly I want to hear from the people who are involved in enforcing our laws and what tools they need, what help they need to get this crisis under control.<div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/C20ZZfTfgSY?start=5" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>There’s a humanitarian issue here, there’s a law enforcement issue here, there’s a national security issue here, and this place needs a lot of attention.” “We’ve been insisting that the President see what goes on here for a long time, but what strikes me is that there was no outrage, no stated recognition, that we have one of the most significant crises in our country right here on this border,”&nbsp;Sen. Moran continued.&nbsp;“We’ve had two years of the Biden administration and things have gotten worse, not better. From my perspective to be here, to talk to actual border agents, there is a different feel when you can have a conversation face-to-face.”

 🎥Moran at the border learning what's needed to get crisis under control

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly called Monday for leaders in Republican-leaning Kansas to follow the lead of the state's residents and “turn down the volume” on “this hate, this vitriol, this divisiveness” in politics as she started a second term with a new, hard-right state attorney general.

Kelly and other statewide elected officials took their oaths of office under banners hung on the south side of the Statehouse, one declaring “Innovation,” and the others, “Unity” and “Prosperity.” Kelly was sworn in last and stuck with a pattern in major speeches of promoting bipartisanship after narrowly&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-biden-donald-trump-kansas-topeka-39afdff811fd2f30a212036d5ec6e3fa">winning reelection</a>&nbsp;in November.

The Democratic governor told her audience that the COVID-19 pandemic showed that Kansas residents “came through for one another,” adding, “It's a part of who we've always been.”

“Time and time again, in ways big and small, Kansans choose kindness, cooperation and civility,” Kelly said in the prepared text of her inaugural address. “Those in leadership positions have a particular responsibility to follow Kansans’ lead. The times demand it.”

The ceremony also will cap&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-immigration-kansas-topeka-339a45795e1e479b7754e2fc7a8127ed">a big political comeback</a>&nbsp;for Kris Kobach, the new attorney general. Over two decades, he gained a national reputation by advocating for strict immigration and election laws but became&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/618684029df54c9f8705a6b8ea08cbc5">a lightning rod for controversy.</a>&nbsp;He lost&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/32816d964acc49e188c9de18b9acb3b9">the 2018 governor's race</a>&nbsp;to Kelly and then&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-ap-top-news-religion-kansas-politics-6646c990bce8bd3d93e2722015de87f0">a GOP primary for an open U.S. Senate</a>&nbsp;seat in 2020.

Both Kelly's and Kobach's victories last year were narrow, as Kansas voters sent decidedly mixed messages. Voters in August&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-primary-elections-kansas-abortion-b6d62a852c2ce4617f2c03589fbb523e">decisively rejected</a>&nbsp;a proposed change to the state constitution that would have allowed lawmakers to ban abortion, but Republicans maintained their supermajorities in both legislative chambers — keeping conservatives firmly in charge.

The Legislature was set to convene at 2 p.m. Monday for House and Senate sessions of mostly housekeeping and swearing in new members. Kelly is scheduled to outline her legislative agenda in the annual State of the State address Wednesday evening.

“We cannot let the hostility and anger that has poisoned our national politics spread here to Kansas,” Kelly said in her inaugural address. “We should all agree: Now is the time to turn down the volume. This hate, this vitriol, this divisiveness, it’s not who we are as Kansans.”

Kelly's centrist credibility has rested on a few high-profile moves, such as breaking with President Joe Biden&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-joe-biden-health-kansas-topeka-86d570bbf1eb4376a5e7b519c4cb4903">on COVID-19 vaccine mandates</a>&nbsp;in November 2021 and signing a bill&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-topeka-kansas-legislature-policy-b2660b570d623b58806c4901340b00ec">to ban “sanctuary” cities</a>&nbsp;for immigrants living in the U.S. illegally. Last month she&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-tik-tok-ban-explainer-83ef9bc3ff44d90e7b0f54bd8f5228cb">banned the use of TikTok</a>&nbsp;by state workers on state-issued devices, following similar action&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-politics-d33e58c76bb3c13297c72816ef4e6231">by Congress</a>&nbsp;and a slew of Republican governors such as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/south-dakota-bans-tiktok-from-state-devices-f7a95dd494dab9c410ff80c577c609dd">South Dakota's Kristi Noem.</a>

Kelly's reelection campaign featured television ads showing her standing in the middle of a rural row, and she said in her address, “I believe the best choice is right down the middle of that road.”

“Because the middle of the road is where left and right come together, where well-intentioned people who hold different positions find common ground,” she said. “And progress is made.”

But Kelly also has clashed frequently with Republican lawmakers on budget issues, tax cuts and education and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/covid-health-pandemics-infectious-diseases-legislature-8e0c2ab974e172817012adf032bbbc30">public health policy.</a>&nbsp;She twice vetoed their proposals&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/topeka-kansas-legislature-libraries-9ffb07cf3b25faf848dda6d78bff8856">to ban transgender athletes</a>&nbsp;from girls' and women's K-12 and college sports. Her proposals to expand the state's Medicaid coverage for another 150,000 people have been dead letters for top Republicans.

“I’ve never thought she lived in the middle of the road,” state Rep. Dan Hawkins, a Wichita Republican, said after fellow Republicans named him the next House speaker last month, adding that his chamber, “if anything, moves a little bit further to the right.”

Kobach lost a congressional race in 2004 before winning the first of two terms as Kansas secretary of state in 2010. He was the first prominent Kansas elected official to endorse Donald Trump's bid for president in 2016 and served as vice chairman of a short-lived Trump commission on voter fraud.

His unsuccessful 2018 and 2020 races crashed his political career and left many Republicans believing that he couldn't win a statewide race. But many GOP leaders and activists said his 2022 campaign&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-abortion-voting-rights-presidential-immigration-3ec99db94c0d772465d3a7ccf015ccc6">was better organized and more focused,</a>&nbsp;generating less drama or outrage.

The more combative Kobach could return: He's promised to file lawsuits to challenge Biden administration policies. He's already identified as potential targets&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-texas-new-mexico-wildlife-birds-1dba73f652f3e454774d6799d09a257a">a listing of the lesser prairie chicken</a>&nbsp;as a threatened species and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-politics-arizona-state-government-donald-trump-8d46b14c20cb0effcb52ace48220dcce">an expansion of waters covered</a>&nbsp;by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regulations.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly's&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-biden-donald-trump-kansas-topeka-39afdff811fd2f30a212036d5ec6e3fa">successful reelection campaign</a>&nbsp;in Republican-leaning Kansas wooed centrist voters with ads showing her standing in the middle of a rural road. She is starting her second term facing a skeptical, GOP-led Legislature and a new, hard-right state attorney general.

Kelly and other statewide elected officials took their oaths of office in a ceremony at noon Monday that includes her inaugural address. She's often used her major public speeches to promote bipartisanship.

The Legislature is set to convene at 2 p.m. Monday for House and Senate sessions of mostly housekeeping and swearing in new members. Kelly is scheduled to outline her legislative agenda in the annual State of the State address Wednesday evening.

“I knew from the very get-go that if I wanted to accomplish anything in public life, that I was going to need to establish relationships across the aisle,” Kelly said in a recent interview. “I will continue to work in a bipartisan manner to get things done.”

But she's also clashed frequently with Republican lawmakers on budget issues, tax cuts and education and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/covid-health-pandemics-infectious-diseases-legislature-8e0c2ab974e172817012adf032bbbc30">public health policy.</a>&nbsp;She twice vetoed their proposals&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/topeka-kansas-legislature-libraries-9ffb07cf3b25faf848dda6d78bff8856">to ban transgender athletes</a>&nbsp;from girls' and women's K-12 and college sports. Her proposals to expand the state's Medicaid coverage for another 150,000 people have been dead letters for top Republicans.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1673288753270.png" alt="Laura Kelly&nbsp; introduced on the Capitol steps just ahead of taking the oath of office-photos courtesy WIBW TV" />
 <figcaption>Laura Kelly&nbsp; introduced on the Capitol steps just ahead of taking the oath of office-photos courtesy WIBW TV</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly called Monday for leaders in Republican-leaning Kansas to follow the lead of the state's residents and “turn down the volume” on “this hate, this vitriol, this divisiveness” in politics as she started a second term with a new, hard-right state attorney general.Kelly and other statewide elected officials took their oaths of office under banners hung on the south side of the Statehouse, one declaring “Innovation,” and the others, “Unity” and “Prosperity.” Kelly was sworn in last and stuck with a pattern in major speeches of promoting bipartisanship after narrowly&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-biden-donald-trump-kansas-topeka-39afdff811fd2f30a212036d5ec6e3fa">winning reelection</a>&nbsp;in November.The Democratic governor told her audience that the COVID-19 pandemic showed that Kansas residents “came through for one another,” adding, “It's a part of who we've always been.”“Time and time again, in ways big and small, Kansans choose kindness, cooperation and civility,” Kelly said in the prepared text of her inaugural address. “Those in leadership positions have a particular responsibility to follow Kansans’ lead. The times demand it.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1673290599543.png" alt="Kris Kobach took the oath of office as the new Kansas Attorney General-photo courtesy WIBW TV" />
 <figcaption>Kris Kobach took the oath of office as the new Kansas Attorney General-photo courtesy WIBW TV</figcaption>
 </figure>The ceremony also will cap&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-immigration-kansas-topeka-339a45795e1e479b7754e2fc7a8127ed">a big political comeback</a>&nbsp;for Kris Kobach, the new attorney general. Over two decades, he gained a national reputation by advocating for strict immigration and election laws but became&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/618684029df54c9f8705a6b8ea08cbc5">a lightning rod for controversy.</a>&nbsp;He lost&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/32816d964acc49e188c9de18b9acb3b9">the 2018 governor's race</a>&nbsp;to Kelly and then&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-ap-top-news-religion-kansas-politics-6646c990bce8bd3d93e2722015de87f0">a GOP primary for an open U.S. Senate</a>&nbsp;seat in 2020.Both Kelly's and Kobach's victories last year were narrow, as Kansas voters sent decidedly mixed messages. Voters in August&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-primary-elections-kansas-abortion-b6d62a852c2ce4617f2c03589fbb523e">decisively rejected</a>&nbsp;a proposed change to the state constitution that would have allowed lawmakers to ban abortion, but Republicans maintained their supermajorities in both legislative chambers — keeping conservatives firmly in charge.The Legislature was set to convene at 2 p.m. Monday for House and Senate sessions of mostly housekeeping and swearing in new members. Kelly is scheduled to outline her legislative agenda in the annual State of the State address Wednesday evening.“We cannot let the hostility and anger that has poisoned our national politics spread here to Kansas,” Kelly said in her inaugural address. “We should all agree: Now is the time to turn down the volume. This hate, this vitriol, this divisiveness, it’s not who we are as Kansans.”Kelly's centrist credibility has rested on a few high-profile moves, such as breaking with President Joe Biden&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-joe-biden-health-kansas-topeka-86d570bbf1eb4376a5e7b519c4cb4903">on COVID-19 vaccine mandates</a>&nbsp;in November 2021 and signing a bill&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-topeka-kansas-legislature-policy-b2660b570d623b58806c4901340b00ec">to ban “sanctuary” cities</a>&nbsp;for immigrants living in the U.S. illegally. Last month she&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-tik-tok-ban-explainer-83ef9bc3ff44d90e7b0f54bd8f5228cb">banned the use of TikTok</a>&nbsp;by state workers on state-issued devices, following similar action&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-politics-d33e58c76bb3c13297c72816ef4e6231">by Congress</a>&nbsp;and a slew of Republican governors such as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/south-dakota-bans-tiktok-from-state-devices-f7a95dd494dab9c410ff80c577c609dd">South Dakota's Kristi Noem.</a>Kelly's reelection campaign featured television ads showing her standing in the middle of a rural row, and she said in her address, “I believe the best choice is right down the middle of that road.”“Because the middle of the road is where left and right come together, where well-intentioned people who hold different positions find common ground,” she said. “And progress is made.”But Kelly also has clashed frequently with Republican lawmakers on budget issues, tax cuts and education and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/covid-health-pandemics-infectious-diseases-legislature-8e0c2ab974e172817012adf032bbbc30">public health policy.</a>&nbsp;She twice vetoed their proposals&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/topeka-kansas-legislature-libraries-9ffb07cf3b25faf848dda6d78bff8856">to ban transgender athletes</a>&nbsp;from girls' and women's K-12 and college sports. Her proposals to expand the state's Medicaid coverage for another 150,000 people have been dead letters for top Republicans.“I’ve never thought she lived in the middle of the road,” state Rep. Dan Hawkins, a Wichita Republican, said after fellow Republicans named him the next House speaker last month, adding that his chamber, “if anything, moves a little bit further to the right.”Kobach lost a congressional race in 2004 before winning the first of two terms as Kansas secretary of state in 2010. He was the first prominent Kansas elected official to endorse Donald Trump's bid for president in 2016 and served as vice chairman of a short-lived Trump commission on voter fraud.His unsuccessful 2018 and 2020 races crashed his political career and left many Republicans believing that he couldn't win a statewide race. But many GOP leaders and activists said his 2022 campaign&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-abortion-voting-rights-presidential-immigration-3ec99db94c0d772465d3a7ccf015ccc6">was better organized and more focused,</a>&nbsp;generating less drama or outrage.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1673286373496.png" alt="Go. Laura Kelly started Monday with faith leaders from across the state at the Interfaith Breakfast.-courtesy photo" />
 <figcaption>Go. Laura Kelly started Monday with faith leaders from across the state at the Interfaith Breakfast.-courtesy photo</figcaption>
 </figure>The more combative Kobach could return: He's promised to file lawsuits to challenge Biden administration policies. He's already identified as potential targets&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-texas-new-mexico-wildlife-birds-1dba73f652f3e454774d6799d09a257a">a listing of the lesser prairie chicken</a>&nbsp;as a threatened species and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-politics-arizona-state-government-donald-trump-8d46b14c20cb0effcb52ace48220dcce">an expansion of waters covered</a>&nbsp;by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regulations.--------TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly's&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-biden-donald-trump-kansas-topeka-39afdff811fd2f30a212036d5ec6e3fa">successful reelection campaign</a>&nbsp;in Republican-leaning Kansas wooed centrist voters with ads showing her standing in the middle of a rural road. She is starting her second term facing a skeptical, GOP-led Legislature and a new, hard-right state attorney general.Kelly and other statewide elected officials took their oaths of office in a ceremony at noon Monday that includes her inaugural address. She's often used her major public speeches to promote bipartisanship.The ceremony also will cap&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-immigration-kansas-topeka-339a45795e1e479b7754e2fc7a8127ed">a big political comeback</a>&nbsp;for Kris Kobach, the new attorney general. Over two decades, he gained a national reputation by advocating for strict immigration and election laws but became&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/618684029df54c9f8705a6b8ea08cbc5">a lightning rod for controversy.</a>&nbsp;He lost&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/32816d964acc49e188c9de18b9acb3b9">the 2018 governor's race</a>&nbsp;to Kelly and then&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-ap-top-news-religion-kansas-politics-6646c990bce8bd3d93e2722015de87f0">a GOP primary for an open U.S. Senate</a>&nbsp;seat in 2020.Both Kelly's and Kobach's victories last year were narrow, as Kansas voters sent decidedly mixed messages. Voters in August&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-primary-elections-kansas-abortion-b6d62a852c2ce4617f2c03589fbb523e">decisively rejected</a>&nbsp;a proposed change to the state constitution that would have allowed lawmakers to ban abortion, but Republicans maintained their supermajorities in both legislative chambers — keeping conservatives firmly in charge.The Legislature is set to convene at 2 p.m. Monday for House and Senate sessions of mostly housekeeping and swearing in new members. Kelly is scheduled to outline her legislative agenda in the annual State of the State address Wednesday evening.“I knew from the very get-go that if I wanted to accomplish anything in public life, that I was going to need to establish relationships across the aisle,” Kelly said in a recent interview. “I will continue to work in a bipartisan manner to get things done.”Kelly's centrist credibility has rested on a few high-profile moves, such as breaking with President Joe Biden&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-joe-biden-health-kansas-topeka-86d570bbf1eb4376a5e7b519c4cb4903">on COVID-19 vaccine mandates</a>&nbsp;in November 2021 and signing a bill&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-topeka-kansas-legislature-policy-b2660b570d623b58806c4901340b00ec">to ban “sanctuary” cities</a>&nbsp;for immigrants living in the U.S. illegally. Last month she&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-tik-tok-ban-explainer-83ef9bc3ff44d90e7b0f54bd8f5228cb">banned the use of TikTok</a>&nbsp;by state workers on state-issued devices, following similar action&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-politics-d33e58c76bb3c13297c72816ef4e6231">by Congress</a>&nbsp;and a slew of Republican governors such as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/south-dakota-bans-tiktok-from-state-devices-f7a95dd494dab9c410ff80c577c609dd">South Dakota's Kristi Noem.</a>But she's also clashed frequently with Republican lawmakers on budget issues, tax cuts and education and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/covid-health-pandemics-infectious-diseases-legislature-8e0c2ab974e172817012adf032bbbc30">public health policy.</a>&nbsp;She twice vetoed their proposals&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/topeka-kansas-legislature-libraries-9ffb07cf3b25faf848dda6d78bff8856">to ban transgender athletes</a>&nbsp;from girls' and women's K-12 and college sports. Her proposals to expand the state's Medicaid coverage for another 150,000 people have been dead letters for top Republicans.“I’ve never thought she lived in the middle of the road,” state Rep. Dan Hawkins, a Wichita Republican, said after fellow Republicans named him the next House speaker last month, adding that his chamber, “if anything, moves a little bit further to the right.”Kobach lost a congressional race in 2004 before winning the first of two terms as Kansas secretary of state in 2010. He was the first prominent Kansas elected official to endorse Donald Trump's bid for president in 2016 and served as vice chairman of a short-lived Trump commission on voter fraud.His unsuccessful 2018 and 2020 races crashed his political career and left many Republicans believing that he couldn't win a statewide race. But many GOP leaders and activists said his 2022 campaign&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-abortion-voting-rights-presidential-immigration-3ec99db94c0d772465d3a7ccf015ccc6">was better organized and more focused,</a>&nbsp;generating less drama or outrage.The more combative Kobach could return: He's promised to file lawsuits to challenge Biden administration policies. He's already identified as potential targets&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-texas-new-mexico-wildlife-birds-1dba73f652f3e454774d6799d09a257a">a listing of the lesser prairie chicken</a>&nbsp;as a threatened species and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-politics-arizona-state-government-donald-trump-8d46b14c20cb0effcb52ace48220dcce">an expansion of waters covered</a>&nbsp;by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regulations.

Laura Kelly sworn into office for second term as Kansas governor

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The U.S. Supreme Court refused Monday to hear the appeals of two brothers who were sentenced to death for four fatal shootings in a Kansas soccer field in December 2000 known as “the Wichita massacre.”

Outgoing Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt said the high court's decision means Jonathan and Reginald Carr no longer have any direct appeals of their death sentences. However, Schmidt said, they can still file lawsuits in state and federal courts to try to prevent their executions by lethal injection.

The U.S. Supreme Court's action came a little less than a year after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-supreme-court-kansas-wichita-constitutions-a2713ff7b00c9db11d4a7215f03201a0">the Kansas Supreme Court ruled</a>&nbsp;that the two brothers had received fair trials and upheld their death sentences. Kansas has nine men on death row, but the state has not executed anyone since serial killers James Latham and George York were hanged on the same day in June 1965.

Prosecutors said the brothers broke into a home in December 2000 and forced the three men and two women there to have sex with one another and later to withdraw money from ATMs.

According to authorities, the women were raped repeatedly before all five were taken to a soccer field and shot. Four victims died: Aaron Sander, 29; Brad Heyka, 27; Jason Befort, 26; and Heather Muller, 25. One of the women survived to testify against the Carr brothers. Other crimes over six days left a fifth person dead.

Each of the brothers accused the other of carrying out the crimes.

The Kansas court upheld their convictions in 2014 but&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/courts-kansas-topeka-wichita-kansas-supreme-court-55a5a0319f814b929961bf95bc9029a2">overturned their death sentences</a>, concluding that not having separate hearings violated the U.S. Constitution. The U.S. Supreme Court reversed that decision in 2016, returning the case to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/wichita-government-and-politics-46c649b32d23838909c9a9bd446a0444">the Kansas Supreme Court</a>.

Attorneys for the brothers raised questions about how their cases weren’t conducted separately when jurors were considering whether the death penalty was warranted. Other issues they raised included the instructions that were given to jurors and how closing arguments were conducted.

The Kansas court's majority concluded that while the lower-court judge and prosecutors made errors, those errors did not warrant overturning their death sentences again.

The U.S. Supreme Court's decision Monday came only hours before Schmidt, a three-term Republican, formally left office after losing the governor's race in November. The new attorney general is Republican Kris Kobach.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/5/1621970475802.png" alt="Reginald Carr is being held in the El Dorado Correctional Facility" />
 <figcaption>Reginald Carr is being held in the El Dorado Correctional Facility</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The U.S. Supreme Court refused Monday to hear the appeals of two brothers who were sentenced to death for four fatal shootings in a Kansas soccer field in December 2000 known as “the Wichita massacre.”Outgoing Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt said the high court's decision means Jonathan and Reginald Carr no longer have any direct appeals of their death sentences. However, Schmidt said, they can still file lawsuits in state and federal courts to try to prevent their executions by lethal injection.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/5/1621970431260.png" alt="Jonathan Carr is being held in the El Dorado Correctional Facility" />
 <figcaption>Jonathan Carr is being held in the El Dorado Correctional Facility</figcaption>
 </figure>The U.S. Supreme Court's action came a little less than a year after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-supreme-court-kansas-wichita-constitutions-a2713ff7b00c9db11d4a7215f03201a0">the Kansas Supreme Court ruled</a>&nbsp;that the two brothers had received fair trials and upheld their death sentences. Kansas has nine men on death row, but the state has not executed anyone since serial killers James Latham and George York were hanged on the same day in June 1965.Prosecutors said the brothers broke into a home in December 2000 and forced the three men and two women there to have sex with one another and later to withdraw money from ATMs.According to authorities, the women were raped repeatedly before all five were taken to a soccer field and shot. Four victims died: Aaron Sander, 29; Brad Heyka, 27; Jason Befort, 26; and Heather Muller, 25. One of the women survived to testify against the Carr brothers. Other crimes over six days left a fifth person dead.Each of the brothers accused the other of carrying out the crimes.The Kansas court upheld their convictions in 2014 but&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/courts-kansas-topeka-wichita-kansas-supreme-court-55a5a0319f814b929961bf95bc9029a2">overturned their death sentences</a>, concluding that not having separate hearings violated the U.S. Constitution. The U.S. Supreme Court reversed that decision in 2016, returning the case to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/wichita-government-and-politics-46c649b32d23838909c9a9bd446a0444">the Kansas Supreme Court</a>.Attorneys for the brothers raised questions about how their cases weren’t conducted separately when jurors were considering whether the death penalty was warranted. Other issues they raised included the instructions that were given to jurors and how closing arguments were conducted.The Kansas court's majority concluded that while the lower-court judge and prosecutors made errors, those errors did not warrant overturning their death sentences again.The U.S. Supreme Court's decision Monday came only hours before Schmidt, a three-term Republican, formally left office after losing the governor's race in November. The new attorney general is Republican Kris Kobach.

US Supreme Court won't hear appeals from 'Wichita massacre'

CLOUD COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating at Cloud County Community College.

Just before 7a.m. Friday, police responded to a report of a burglary at Cloud County Community College, 2221 Campus Drive in Concordia, according to a media release from police.

Investigators learned that just after 2a.m. Friday, unknown suspect in a silver SUV entered the college and broke into and severely damaged the&nbsp;ATM of the College.

CLOUD COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating at Cloud County Community College.Just before 7a.m. Friday, police responded to a report of a burglary at Cloud County Community College, 2221 Campus Drive in Concordia, according to a media release from police.Investigators learned that just after 2a.m. Friday, unknown suspect in a silver SUV entered the college and broke into and severely damaged the&nbsp;ATM of the College.Police released no additional details.

Police: College campus ATM broken into, severely damaged

RILEY COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities investigating a fatal shooting in Manhattan have made another arrest.

Just after 3a.m. Saturday, Junction City police arrested 24-year-old Jordan Prather of Junction City on a Riley County District Court warrant for first-degree murder and three counts of aggravated assault, according to the Riley County Police Dept. activity report.

These charges were brought by the Riley County Attorney's Office for Prather's involvement in the homicide of Joshua Wardi on February 5, 2022.&nbsp;

At that time, RCPD officers working in the police substation in Aggieville heard gunshots. The officers immediately responded in the direction of the gunfire that occurred outside a bar near 12th and Moro Street, according to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation.&nbsp; Officers found a 21-year-old man suffering from a gunshot wound. They also observed an armed man nearby who ran from the area. Two officers chased the suspect on foot, while the third officer remained with the shooting victim and rendered first-aid.

The victim was later identified as Joshua J. Wardi, 21, of Fort Riley. Preliminary information indicated that as the armed suspect fled, he turned the corner onto 12th Street. During the foot chase, one of the RCPD officers fired two rounds at the suspect, striking him in the leg, and causing him to stop part way down the block, between Moro Street and Laramie Street.

Officers secured the handgun and provided medical assistance. No law enforcement officers were injured during the incident.

The shooting suspect was identified as Tremelle R. Montgomery, 19, of Fort Riley. EMS transported him to Ascension Via Christi hospital in Manhattan where he was then transferred to a Topeka hospital. Wardi was pronounced deceased at the scene.

The investigation suggests that earlier Friday night Wardi and Montgomery patronized the same bar in Aggieville. Later, while visiting outside in separate groups of friends, they engaged in a verbal altercation. At that time witnesses say Montgomery pulled out a gun and shot Wardi. Montgomery remains jailed in Riley County, according to online jail records.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1673278266130.png" alt="Prather-photo from a domestic battery arrest in Jan. 2022" />
 <figcaption>Prather-photo from a domestic battery arrest in Jan. 2022</figcaption>
 </figure>RILEY COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities investigating a fatal shooting in Manhattan have made another arrest.Just after 3a.m. Saturday, Junction City police arrested 24-year-old Jordan Prather of Junction City on a Riley County District Court warrant for first-degree murder and three counts of aggravated assault, according to the Riley County Police Dept. activity report.These charges were brought by the Riley County Attorney's Office for Prather's involvement in the homicide of Joshua Wardi on February 5, 2022.&nbsp;At that time, RCPD officers working in the police substation in Aggieville heard gunshots. The officers immediately responded in the direction of the gunfire that occurred outside a bar near 12th and Moro Street, according to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation.&nbsp; Officers found a 21-year-old man suffering from a gunshot wound. They also observed an armed man nearby who ran from the area. Two officers chased the suspect on foot, while the third officer remained with the shooting victim and rendered first-aid.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/2/1644236764866.png" alt="-KBI on the scene of the&nbsp; Feb. 2022 investigation photo courtesy WIBW TV" />
 <figcaption>-KBI on the scene of the&nbsp; Feb. 2022 investigation photo courtesy WIBW TV</figcaption>
 </figure>The victim was later identified as Joshua J. Wardi, 21, of Fort Riley. Preliminary information indicated that as the armed suspect fled, he turned the corner onto 12th Street. During the foot chase, one of the RCPD officers fired two rounds at the suspect, striking him in the leg, and causing him to stop part way down the block, between Moro Street and Laramie Street.Officers secured the handgun and provided medical assistance. No law enforcement officers were injured during the incident.The shooting suspect was identified as Tremelle R. Montgomery, 19, of Fort Riley. EMS transported him to Ascension Via Christi hospital in Manhattan where he was then transferred to a Topeka hospital. Wardi was pronounced deceased at the scene.The investigation suggests that earlier Friday night Wardi and Montgomery patronized the same bar in Aggieville. Later, while visiting outside in separate groups of friends, they engaged in a verbal altercation. At that time witnesses say Montgomery pulled out a gun and shot Wardi. Montgomery remains jailed in Riley County, according to online jail records.

Kan. man arrested for role in killing in Manhattan's Aggieville 

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas' recently reelected Democratic governor and Republican legislators are headed for a clash over how their financially flush state should cut taxes, and abortion opponents are wrestling with what ideas to pursue following last year's&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-primary-elections-kansas-abortion-b6d62a852c2ce4617f2c03589fbb523e">decisive statewide vote</a>&nbsp;favoring abortion rights.

Gov. Laura Kelly is scheduled to take the oath of office for her second four-year term in a ceremony at noon Monday. The Republican-controlled Legislature is set to convene in the afternoon for an annual session that's expected to last into early May.

Both Kelly and leaders of the Republicans' supermajorities in both chambers are making tax cuts a top priority but differ on what taxes to cut.

Besides abortion, almost a perennial issue for them, lawmakers expect to tackle education issues and water policy. Republicans also plan to pass another version of a bill to ban transgender athletes from girls' and women's college and K-12 sports, despite&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/topeka-kansas-legislature-libraries-9ffb07cf3b25faf848dda6d78bff8856">two past vetoes from Kelly.</a>

Here is a look at key issues before Kansas lawmakers:

VOTE SCRAMBLES NEARLY ANNUAL ABORTION DEBATE

Abortion opponents are constrained by a Kansas Supreme Court ruling in 2019 that abortion access is a “fundamental” right under the state constitution. GOP lawmakers pushed to amend the constitution to say it doesn’t grant a right to abortion — allowing lawmakers to ban it — but voters rejected the proposed change in August.

While key anti-abortion groups haven't announced their plans, GOP lawmakers have floated several ideas, including an increase in the state's minimal aid to anti-abortion crisis pregnancy centers or a largely symbolic law telling doctors they must do everything they can to prevent newborns from dying, even following a botched abortion.

Abortion opponents also are upset that abortion medications are becoming more accessible in Kansas. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently finalized a rule&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-health-medication-d5fc3d5990dced69b0bf93a4760250fe">allowing more pharmacies to dispense</a>&nbsp;the medications. In November a state court judge blocked enforcement of the state's requirement that doctors providing the medication be in the same room when patients take it,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-health-kansas-city-planned-parenthood-7bbd62399537dac61093864166f0e81e">allowing teleconferencing.</a>

SURPLUS CASH PROMPTS NEW PUSH FOR TAX CUTS

Kansas garnered national attention for a 2012-13 slashing of income taxes and the persistent budget shortfalls that followed. But now, more than five years after lawmakers repealed most of the experiment, the state is headed toward ending June 2024 with $4.2 billion in surplus cash.

Kelly last year pushed to eliminate the sales tax on groceries last year, but lawmakers&nbsp;<a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/19b2052b2eea5e1ea55ec1e5f23366ac">phased it out over three years,</a>&nbsp;so that it dropped to 4% from 6.5% at the start of this year and doesn't disappear until 2025. The Democratic governor wants to zero out the tax as of April, but many Republicans are resisting.

Kelly also has proposed lower taxes on incomes in retirement, but many Republicans are more ambitious, with some wanting to eliminate it altogether.

And Senate President Ty Masterson, a Wichita-area Republican, said he'd like to see Kansas move to a “flat” income tax, with one rate for all individual and corporate filers, instead of three for individuals and two for corporations. He argues that the simpler tax system would boost Kansas economically.

“I’m optimistic about a combination" that includes some version of what the governor has proposed, he said.

GOVERNOR, REPUBLICANS LIKELY TO CLASH ON EDUCATION

Conservative Republicans haven't given up on proposals that they believe will make public K-12 schools more transparent and give parents more choices about where to educate their kids, despite Kelly's veto last year of a “parental rights” measure. Critics, particularly Democratic lawmakers, see them as attacks on public schools.

GOP lawmakers expect again to pursue proposals that would require schools to post more information about what's being taught online and to make it easier for parents to seek the removal of materials and books from classrooms and libraries that they find objectionable. It's part of a push by Republicans across the U.S. to limit what's taught about gender, sexuality and the role of racism in U.S. history and society.

REPUBLICANS TO PURSUE ELECTION LAW CHANGES

While voters across the U.S. last year rejected candidates promoting baseless election conspiracies, tightening up Kansas election laws remains a priority for many Republicans. They expect to pursue proposals to limit or eliminate&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/voting-rights-elections-legislature-kansas-4d3fbe728cfd479ed3f29a7bba0f1cc4">ballot drop boxes</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-voting-rights-business-donald-trump-legislature-02dd97563eebcef1db384cc737cbea00">end the state's three-day grace period</a>&nbsp;for mail ballots to arrive after an election.

Meanwhile, Secretary of State Scott Schwab, a Republican who vouches for the integrity of Kansas elections and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-politics-donald-trump-arizona-9b675ed2223da37a90e5b53cfb6cf9b8">defeated an election conspiracy promoter</a>&nbsp;in last year's GOP primary, says he will have his own package of proposals to prevent voter intimidation and protect their privacy, though he hasn't made specific proposals public.

MARIJUANA, MEDICAID MEASURES ARE LIKELY NON-STARTERS

Kelly promised throughout her successful reelection campaign that she'll push again to expand the state's Medicaid health coverage to another 150,000 people, and she supports legalizing marijuana for medical uses.

Despite a perception that both ideas are widely popular among Kansas residents, neither appears likely to pass this year.

Kelly pushed Medicaid expansion throughout her first term and could put together working majorities for it in both chambers, but Republicans in key positions blocked it. Both Masterson and new Kansas House Speaker Dan Hawkins, a Wichita Republican, are vocal foes, as are the chairs of the chambers' health committees.

As for medical marijuana, a measure&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-health-medical-marijuana-marijuana-7f059c07fd72dbec30180f0f50f6dc74">passed the House in 2021.</a>&nbsp;But it didn't get even a committee vote in the Senate, where top GOP leaders are wary of such a law leading to pot's legalization for recreational use.

By JOHN HANNA&nbsp;TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas' recently reelected Democratic governor and Republican legislators are headed for a clash over how their financially flush state should cut taxes, and abortion opponents are wrestling with what ideas to pursue following last year's&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-primary-elections-kansas-abortion-b6d62a852c2ce4617f2c03589fbb523e">decisive statewide vote</a>&nbsp;favoring abortion rights.Gov. Laura Kelly is scheduled to take the oath of office for her second four-year term in a ceremony at noon Monday. The Republican-controlled Legislature is set to convene in the afternoon for an annual session that's expected to last into early May.Both Kelly and leaders of the Republicans' supermajorities in both chambers are making tax cuts a top priority but differ on what taxes to cut.Besides abortion, almost a perennial issue for them, lawmakers expect to tackle education issues and water policy. Republicans also plan to pass another version of a bill to ban transgender athletes from girls' and women's college and K-12 sports, despite&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/topeka-kansas-legislature-libraries-9ffb07cf3b25faf848dda6d78bff8856">two past vetoes from Kelly.</a>Here is a look at key issues before Kansas lawmakers:VOTE SCRAMBLES NEARLY ANNUAL ABORTION DEBATEAbortion opponents are constrained by a Kansas Supreme Court ruling in 2019 that abortion access is a “fundamental” right under the state constitution. GOP lawmakers pushed to amend the constitution to say it doesn’t grant a right to abortion — allowing lawmakers to ban it — but voters rejected the proposed change in August.While key anti-abortion groups haven't announced their plans, GOP lawmakers have floated several ideas, including an increase in the state's minimal aid to anti-abortion crisis pregnancy centers or a largely symbolic law telling doctors they must do everything they can to prevent newborns from dying, even following a botched abortion.Abortion opponents also are upset that abortion medications are becoming more accessible in Kansas. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently finalized a rule&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-health-medication-d5fc3d5990dced69b0bf93a4760250fe">allowing more pharmacies to dispense</a>&nbsp;the medications. In November a state court judge blocked enforcement of the state's requirement that doctors providing the medication be in the same room when patients take it,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-health-kansas-city-planned-parenthood-7bbd62399537dac61093864166f0e81e">allowing teleconferencing.</a>SURPLUS CASH PROMPTS NEW PUSH FOR TAX CUTSKansas garnered national attention for a 2012-13 slashing of income taxes and the persistent budget shortfalls that followed. But now, more than five years after lawmakers repealed most of the experiment, the state is headed toward ending June 2024 with $4.2 billion in surplus cash.Kelly last year pushed to eliminate the sales tax on groceries last year, but lawmakers&nbsp;<a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/19b2052b2eea5e1ea55ec1e5f23366ac">phased it out over three years,</a>&nbsp;so that it dropped to 4% from 6.5% at the start of this year and doesn't disappear until 2025. The Democratic governor wants to zero out the tax as of April, but many Republicans are resisting.Kelly also has proposed lower taxes on incomes in retirement, but many Republicans are more ambitious, with some wanting to eliminate it altogether.And Senate President Ty Masterson, a Wichita-area Republican, said he'd like to see Kansas move to a “flat” income tax, with one rate for all individual and corporate filers, instead of three for individuals and two for corporations. He argues that the simpler tax system would boost Kansas economically.“I’m optimistic about a combination" that includes some version of what the governor has proposed, he said.GOVERNOR, REPUBLICANS LIKELY TO CLASH ON EDUCATIONConservative Republicans haven't given up on proposals that they believe will make public K-12 schools more transparent and give parents more choices about where to educate their kids, despite Kelly's veto last year of a “parental rights” measure. Critics, particularly Democratic lawmakers, see them as attacks on public schools.GOP lawmakers expect again to pursue proposals that would require schools to post more information about what's being taught online and to make it easier for parents to seek the removal of materials and books from classrooms and libraries that they find objectionable. It's part of a push by Republicans across the U.S. to limit what's taught about gender, sexuality and the role of racism in U.S. history and society.REPUBLICANS TO PURSUE ELECTION LAW CHANGESWhile voters across the U.S. last year rejected candidates promoting baseless election conspiracies, tightening up Kansas election laws remains a priority for many Republicans. They expect to pursue proposals to limit or eliminate&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/voting-rights-elections-legislature-kansas-4d3fbe728cfd479ed3f29a7bba0f1cc4">ballot drop boxes</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-voting-rights-business-donald-trump-legislature-02dd97563eebcef1db384cc737cbea00">end the state's three-day grace period</a>&nbsp;for mail ballots to arrive after an election.Meanwhile, Secretary of State Scott Schwab, a Republican who vouches for the integrity of Kansas elections and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-politics-donald-trump-arizona-9b675ed2223da37a90e5b53cfb6cf9b8">defeated an election conspiracy promoter</a>&nbsp;in last year's GOP primary, says he will have his own package of proposals to prevent voter intimidation and protect their privacy, though he hasn't made specific proposals public.MARIJUANA, MEDICAID MEASURES ARE LIKELY NON-STARTERSKelly promised throughout her successful reelection campaign that she'll push again to expand the state's Medicaid health coverage to another 150,000 people, and she supports legalizing marijuana for medical uses.Despite a perception that both ideas are widely popular among Kansas residents, neither appears likely to pass this year.Kelly pushed Medicaid expansion throughout her first term and could put together working majorities for it in both chambers, but Republicans in key positions blocked it. Both Masterson and new Kansas House Speaker Dan Hawkins, a Wichita Republican, are vocal foes, as are the chairs of the chambers' health committees.As for medical marijuana, a measure&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-health-medical-marijuana-marijuana-7f059c07fd72dbec30180f0f50f6dc74">passed the House in 2021.</a>&nbsp;But it didn't get even a committee vote in the Senate, where top GOP leaders are wary of such a law leading to pot's legalization for recreational use.

Kansas lawmakers expect clash over abortion, tax cuts 

ATCHISON COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas felon on new charges after an arrest.

Just after 10:30p.m. Friday, police arrested 44-year-old&nbsp;George N. Lewis of Atchison in the 500 block North 9th for fleeing and attempting to elude, according to Police Chief Mike Wilson.

He is also facing requested charges of driving while suspended, no insurance and reckless driving.&nbsp;

In August, Lewis spent time in custody on requested charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, according to online jail records. He has two previous convictions for burglary, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1673273691206.png" alt="Lewis-photo Atchison County" />
 <figcaption>Lewis-photo Atchison County</figcaption>
 </figure>ATCHISON COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas felon on new charges after an arrest.Just after 10:30p.m. Friday, police arrested 44-year-old&nbsp;George N. Lewis of Atchison in the 500 block North 9th for fleeing and attempting to elude, according to Police Chief Mike Wilson.He is also facing requested charges of driving while suspended, no insurance and reckless driving.&nbsp;In August, Lewis spent time in custody on requested charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, according to online jail records. He has two previous convictions for burglary, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.

Kansas felon accused of attempting to flee from police

SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a weekend homicide.Just before 9a.m. Sunday, police were dispatched to a shooting in the 1300 Block of SE Madison in Topeka, according to Lt. Donna Eubanks.First responders found one victim suffering from a gunshot wound. The victim was pronounced deceased at the scene. Police released no additional details and have not reported an arrest.

Police: One dead in weekend Kansas shooting 

EL PASO, Texas (AP) — President Joe Biden walked a muddy stretch of the U.S.-Mexico border and inspected a busy port of entry Sunday on his first trip to the region after two years in office, a visit shadowed by the fraught politics of immigration as Republicans try to blame him for the record numbers of migrants crossing into the country.

At his first stop, the president observed as border officers in El Paso demonstrated how they search vehicles for drugs, money and other contraband. Next, he traveled to a dusty street with abandoned buildings and a small playground. Near the street was a metal border fence that separated the U.S. city from Ciudad Juarez. Biden walked slowly along the border wall, initially joined by two Border Patrol agents.&nbsp;

Senator Jerry Moran announced Sunday evening that he will visit El Paso on Monday. He will join a bipartisan group of senators that will tour various points along the border.

In a sign of the deep tensions over immigration, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, handed Biden a letter upon his arrival in the state that said the “chaos” at the border was a “direct result” of the president's failure to enforce federal laws. Biden later took the letter out of his jacket pocket during his tour, telling reporters, “I haven't read it yet.”

Asked what he’s learned by seeing the border firsthand and speaking with the officers who work along it, Biden said: “They need a lot of resources. We’re going to get it for them.”

Immigration for years has been a serious point of conflict, exposing both the dysfunction of the U.S. system as well as the turmoil within migrants' home countries that has pushed many to flee. Administration officials have tried to counter Republican criticism by saying Congress should work with them to increase border security funding and overhaul immigration policy.

Biden was spending just a few hours in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.elpasotexas.gov/Migrant-Crisis">the city</a>, which is currently the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-politics-el-paso-united-states-government-cuba-82701453fb018778c04255c1e2b10564">biggest corridor for illegal crossings</a>, in large part due to Nicaraguans fleeing repression, crime and poverty in their country. They are among migrants from four countries who are now subject to quick expulsion under&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-mexico-immigration-af0643a4fb8f45388fe247e44c9b2c5e">new rules enacted by the Biden administration</a>&nbsp;in the past week that drew strong criticism from immigration advocates.

The president also was to visit the El Paso County Migrant Services Center and meet with nonprofits and religious groups that support migrants arriving to the U.S. It was not clear whether he would talk to any migrants.

Biden's announcement on border security and his visit to the border are aimed in part at quelling the political noise and blunting the impact of upcoming investigations into immigration promised by House Republicans. But any enduring solution will require action by the sharply divided Congress, where multiple efforts to enact sweeping changes have failed in recent years.

From El Paso, Biden was to continue south to Mexico City, where&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-politics-mexico-government-us-national-security-council-united-states-599d640834d079503c5dd568c312c19f">he and the leaders of Mexico and Canada will gather</a>&nbsp;on Monday and Tuesday for a North American leaders summit. Immigration is among the items on the agenda.

In El Paso, where migrants congregate at bus stops and in parks before traveling on, border patrol agents stepped up security before Biden's visit.

“I think they’re trying to send a message that they’re going to more consistently check people’s documented status, and if you have not been processed they are going to pick you up,” said Ruben Garcia of the Annunciation House aid group in El Paso.

Migrants and asylum-seekers fleeing violence and persecution have increasingly found that protections in the United States are available primarily to those with money or the savvy to find someone to vouch for them financially.

Venezuelan migrant Jose Castillo, who said he traveled without family members for five months from his home on Margarita Island to arrive in El Paso on Dec. 29, said he hoped Biden “will take us into consideration as the human beings we are.”

Castillo was among a group of about 30 migrants who gathered for prayers Sunday morning outside the Sacred Heart Catholic Church where many of the newcomers have been camping.

“We have suffered a lot since entering the jungle of the Darien Gap and passing through Mexico. It has all been a battle, battle, battle,” he said. “I know that we are here illegally, but please give us a chance.”

The numbers of migrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border has risen dramatically during Biden’s first two years in office. There were more than 2.38 million stops during the year that ended Sept. 30, the first time the number topped 2 million. The administration has struggled to clamp down on crossings, reluctant to take hard-line measures that would resemble those of former President Donald Trump's administration.

The policy changes announced this past week are Biden's biggest move yet to contain illegal border crossings and will turn away tens of thousands of migrants arriving at the border. At the same time, 30,000 migrants per month from Cuba, Nicaragua, Haiti and Venezuela will get the chance to come to the U.S. legally as long as they travel by plane, get a sponsor and pass background checks.

The U.S. will also turn away migrants who do not seek asylum first in a country they traveled through en route to the U.S. Migrants are being asked to complete a form on a phone app so that they they can go to a port of entry at a pre-scheduled date and time.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas told reporters aboard Air Force One that the administration is trying to “incentivize a safe and orderly way and cut out the smuggling organizations,” saying the policies are “not a ban at all" but an attempt to protect migrants from the trauma that smuggling can create.

The changes were welcomed by some, particularly leaders in cities where migrants have been massing. But Biden was excoriated by immigrant advocate groups, which accused him of taking measures modeled after those of the former president. Administration officials disputed that characterization.

For all of his international travel over his 50 years in public service, Biden has not spent much time at the U.S.-Mexico border.

The only visit that the White House could point to was Biden's drive by the border while he was campaigning for president in 2008. He sent&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-immigration-2c5747617f9c60b2b3be4ce99895a0b8">Vice President Kamala Harris to El Paso in 2021</a>, but she was criticized for largely bypassing the action, because El Paso wasn't the center of crossings that it is now.

<a href="https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2011/05/10/remarks-president-comprehensive-immigration-reform-el-paso-texas">President Barack Obama made a 2011 trip to El Paso</a>, where he toured border operations and the Paso Del Norte international bridge, but he was later criticized for not going back as tens of thousands of unaccompanied minors crossed into the U.S. from Mexico.

Trump, who made hardening immigration a signature issue, traveled to the border several times. During one visit, he crammed into a small border station to inspect cash and drugs confiscated by agents.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-north-america-donald-trump-ap-top-news-politics-19bec277a1ac48fda6aeab0bd9c950e0">During a trip to McAllen, Texas</a>, then the center of a growing crisis, he made one of his most-often repeated claims, that Mexico would pay to build a border wall.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-ap-top-news-football-politics-immigration-850cf00b403e230809f9d07e2a0a9c7d">American taxpayers</a>&nbsp;ended up footing the bill after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/28e60e866f6d32cdadedd126e292eba7">Mexican leaders flatly rejected the idea.</a>

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1673215903534.png" alt="A large "Welcome to Mexico" sign hung over the Bridge of the Americas is visible as President Joe Biden tours the El Paso port of entry, Bridge of the Americas, a busy port of entry along the U.S.-Mexico border, in El Paso Texas, Sunday, Jan. 8, 2023. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)" />
 <figcaption>A large "Welcome to Mexico" sign hung over the Bridge of the Americas is visible as President Joe Biden tours the El Paso port of entry, Bridge of the Americas, a busy port of entry along the U.S.-Mexico border, in El Paso Texas, Sunday, Jan. 8, 2023. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)</figcaption>
 </figure>EL PASO, Texas (AP) — President Joe Biden walked a muddy stretch of the U.S.-Mexico border and inspected a busy port of entry Sunday on his first trip to the region after two years in office, a visit shadowed by the fraught politics of immigration as Republicans try to blame him for the record numbers of migrants crossing into the country.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">President Biden traveled to El Paso today to assess border enforcement operations and meet with local officials who have been important partners in managing the historic number of migrants feeling political oppression and violence in Venezuela, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Cuba. <a href="https://t.co/PRvoemzdou">pic.twitter.com/PRvoemzdou</a>&mdash; The White House (@WhiteHouse) <a href="https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/1612276626900877312?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 9, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>At his first stop, the president observed as border officers in El Paso demonstrated how they search vehicles for drugs, money and other contraband. Next, he traveled to a dusty street with abandoned buildings and a small playground. Near the street was a metal border fence that separated the U.S. city from Ciudad Juarez. Biden walked slowly along the border wall, initially joined by two Border Patrol agents.&nbsp;Senator Jerry Moran announced Sunday evening that he will visit El Paso on Monday. He will join a bipartisan group of senators that will tour various points along the border.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Today, I met with President Biden during his first visit to the border. I hand-delivered a letter asking him to do his constitutional duty to secure our border and keep Texans — and Americans — safe. Full letter: <a href="https://t.co/04B6hYfKRJ">https://t.co/04B6hYfKRJ</a> <a href="https://t.co/bAHxCbBNJ8">pic.twitter.com/bAHxCbBNJ8</a>&mdash; Gov. Greg Abbott (@GovAbbott) <a href="https://twitter.com/GovAbbott/status/1612176391289569280?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 8, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>In a sign of the deep tensions over immigration, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, handed Biden a letter upon his arrival in the state that said the “chaos” at the border was a “direct result” of the president's failure to enforce federal laws. Biden later took the letter out of his jacket pocket during his tour, telling reporters, “I haven't read it yet.”Asked what he’s learned by seeing the border firsthand and speaking with the officers who work along it, Biden said: “They need a lot of resources. We’re going to get it for them.”Immigration for years has been a serious point of conflict, exposing both the dysfunction of the U.S. system as well as the turmoil within migrants' home countries that has pushed many to flee. Administration officials have tried to counter Republican criticism by saying Congress should work with them to increase border security funding and overhaul immigration policy.Biden was spending just a few hours in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.elpasotexas.gov/Migrant-Crisis">the city</a>, which is currently the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-politics-el-paso-united-states-government-cuba-82701453fb018778c04255c1e2b10564">biggest corridor for illegal crossings</a>, in large part due to Nicaraguans fleeing repression, crime and poverty in their country. They are among migrants from four countries who are now subject to quick expulsion under&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-mexico-immigration-af0643a4fb8f45388fe247e44c9b2c5e">new rules enacted by the Biden administration</a>&nbsp;in the past week that drew strong criticism from immigration advocates.The president also was to visit the El Paso County Migrant Services Center and meet with nonprofits and religious groups that support migrants arriving to the U.S. It was not clear whether he would talk to any migrants.Biden's announcement on border security and his visit to the border are aimed in part at quelling the political noise and blunting the impact of upcoming investigations into immigration promised by House Republicans. But any enduring solution will require action by the sharply divided Congress, where multiple efforts to enact sweeping changes have failed in recent years.From El Paso, Biden was to continue south to Mexico City, where&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-politics-mexico-government-us-national-security-council-united-states-599d640834d079503c5dd568c312c19f">he and the leaders of Mexico and Canada will gather</a>&nbsp;on Monday and Tuesday for a North American leaders summit. Immigration is among the items on the agenda.In El Paso, where migrants congregate at bus stops and in parks before traveling on, border patrol agents stepped up security before Biden's visit.“I think they’re trying to send a message that they’re going to more consistently check people’s documented status, and if you have not been processed they are going to pick you up,” said Ruben Garcia of the Annunciation House aid group in El Paso.Migrants and asylum-seekers fleeing violence and persecution have increasingly found that protections in the United States are available primarily to those with money or the savvy to find someone to vouch for them financially.Venezuelan migrant Jose Castillo, who said he traveled without family members for five months from his home on Margarita Island to arrive in El Paso on Dec. 29, said he hoped Biden “will take us into consideration as the human beings we are.”Castillo was among a group of about 30 migrants who gathered for prayers Sunday morning outside the Sacred Heart Catholic Church where many of the newcomers have been camping.“We have suffered a lot since entering the jungle of the Darien Gap and passing through Mexico. It has all been a battle, battle, battle,” he said. “I know that we are here illegally, but please give us a chance.”The numbers of migrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border has risen dramatically during Biden’s first two years in office. There were more than 2.38 million stops during the year that ended Sept. 30, the first time the number topped 2 million. The administration has struggled to clamp down on crossings, reluctant to take hard-line measures that would resemble those of former President Donald Trump's administration.The policy changes announced this past week are Biden's biggest move yet to contain illegal border crossings and will turn away tens of thousands of migrants arriving at the border. At the same time, 30,000 migrants per month from Cuba, Nicaragua, Haiti and Venezuela will get the chance to come to the U.S. legally as long as they travel by plane, get a sponsor and pass background checks.The U.S. will also turn away migrants who do not seek asylum first in a country they traveled through en route to the U.S. Migrants are being asked to complete a form on a phone app so that they they can go to a port of entry at a pre-scheduled date and time.Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas told reporters aboard Air Force One that the administration is trying to “incentivize a safe and orderly way and cut out the smuggling organizations,” saying the policies are “not a ban at all" but an attempt to protect migrants from the trauma that smuggling can create.The changes were welcomed by some, particularly leaders in cities where migrants have been massing. But Biden was excoriated by immigrant advocate groups, which accused him of taking measures modeled after those of the former president. Administration officials disputed that characterization.For all of his international travel over his 50 years in public service, Biden has not spent much time at the U.S.-Mexico border.The only visit that the White House could point to was Biden's drive by the border while he was campaigning for president in 2008. He sent&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-immigration-2c5747617f9c60b2b3be4ce99895a0b8">Vice President Kamala Harris to El Paso in 2021</a>, but she was criticized for largely bypassing the action, because El Paso wasn't the center of crossings that it is now.<a href="https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2011/05/10/remarks-president-comprehensive-immigration-reform-el-paso-texas">President Barack Obama made a 2011 trip to El Paso</a>, where he toured border operations and the Paso Del Norte international bridge, but he was later criticized for not going back as tens of thousands of unaccompanied minors crossed into the U.S. from Mexico.Trump, who made hardening immigration a signature issue, traveled to the border several times. During one visit, he crammed into a small border station to inspect cash and drugs confiscated by agents.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-north-america-donald-trump-ap-top-news-politics-19bec277a1ac48fda6aeab0bd9c950e0">During a trip to McAllen, Texas</a>, then the center of a growing crisis, he made one of his most-often repeated claims, that Mexico would pay to build a border wall.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-ap-top-news-football-politics-immigration-850cf00b403e230809f9d07e2a0a9c7d">American taxpayers</a>&nbsp;ended up footing the bill after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/28e60e866f6d32cdadedd126e292eba7">Mexican leaders flatly rejected the idea.</a>------------

Biden inspects stretch of US-Mexico border; Moran to visit Monday

SEDGWICK COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a robbery and released a video asking for help to identify suspects.

Just before 2:30a.m. November 21, police responded to an assault call at the QuikTrip in the 1000 block of W 31st Street South in Wichita, according to Officer Trevor Macy. A 911 caller reported two suspects had stolen items from the store and one of them threw a hot drink in an employees face. 

The employee was treated on scene for minor injuries, and video surveillance was obtained that shows two suspects selecting various snack items before throwing a hot cup of liquid in themclerks face and leaving the store. 

The suspects fled in a grey/silver sedan. Anyone with information regarding this crime, or any crime that occurred in Sedgwick County is eligible to receive a reward by submitting a tip through Crime Stoppers by calling 316- 267-2111 or online at www.stopcrime316.com. Tipsters are always anonymous – CrimeStoppers will never ask someone to identify themselves. If your information leads to an arrest in a felony case, you could be eligible to receive up to $2,500.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1673020200305.png" alt="Image from the video -Wichita Police" />
 <figcaption>Image from the video -Wichita Police</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a robbery and released a video asking for help to identify suspects.<div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZUpAu3A-HAQ?start=2" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>Just before 2:30a.m. November 21, police responded to an assault call at the QuikTrip in the 1000 block of W 31st Street South in Wichita, according to Officer Trevor Macy. A 911 caller reported two suspects had stolen items from the store and one of them threw a hot drink in an employees face. The employee was treated on scene for minor injuries, and video surveillance was obtained that shows two suspects selecting various snack items before throwing a hot cup of liquid in themclerks face and leaving the store. The suspects fled in a grey/silver sedan. Anyone with information regarding this crime, or any crime that occurred in Sedgwick County is eligible to receive a reward by submitting a tip through Crime Stoppers by calling 316- 267-2111 or online at www.stopcrime316.com. Tipsters are always anonymous – CrimeStoppers will never ask someone to identify themselves. If your information leads to an arrest in a felony case, you could be eligible to receive up to $2,500.

🎥Suspects threw hot drink at employee before Kan. robbery

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — One person died and two people are injured after an SUV being pursued by police crashed into another vehicle early Sunday.

Police said the crash happened around 2 a.m. Sunday after officers from Kansas City, Kansas, pursued a GMC Terrain that had been taken in an armed robbery into Kansas City, Missouri.

The GMC was traveling at a high speed when it went through a red light and struck a Nissan Altima, according to Kansas City, Missouri, Police spokesman Sgt. Jake Becchina.

A passenger in the front of the Nissan died at the scene of the crash. The Nissan's driver suffered life-threatening injuries and was taken to a hospital. The GMC driver was taken to a hospital with serious injuries.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — One person died and two people are injured after an SUV being pursued by police crashed into another vehicle early Sunday.Police said the crash happened around 2 a.m. Sunday after officers from Kansas City, Kansas, pursued a GMC Terrain that had been taken in an armed robbery into Kansas City, Missouri.The GMC was traveling at a high speed when it went through a red light and struck a Nissan Altima, according to Kansas City, Missouri, Police spokesman Sgt. Jake Becchina.A passenger in the front of the Nissan died at the scene of the crash. The Nissan's driver suffered life-threatening injuries and was taken to a hospital. The GMC driver was taken to a hospital with serious injuries.

1 dead, 2 hurt after Kansas police pursuit crash in Missouri

LANSING, Kan. – Following an investigation by the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) and the Kansas City Missouri Police Department, a Kansas City man was arrested for the suspected 2014 murder of a 16-year-old girl, according to a media release from the KBI.&nbsp;

Just after 1p.m. Friday, Billy I. Dupree, 38, of Kansas City, Kansas, an inmate at the Lansing Correctional Facility, was arrested for first-degree murder connected to the death of 16-year-old D.K., a resident of Kansas City, Missouri. 

KBI agents obtained an arrest warrant, which was served to Dupree with assistance from the Kansas Department of Corrections, at the Lansing Correctional Facility where Dupree was incarcerated.

On December 21, 2014, the body of the 16-year-old teen was discovered in Kansas City, Missouri, near 24th St. and Monroe Ave. on December 21, 2014.

In August 2022, the Kansas Attorney General’s Office requested the KBI join the homicide investigation when the Kansas City, Missouri Police Department determined the murder had taken place in Kansas City, Kansas, and not in their jurisdiction.

Dupree has previous convictions that included aggravated indecent liberties with minors, aggravated assault, robbery, criminal restraint, criminal damage to property and for drugs, according to the Kansas Dept. of Corrections. He has been registered as a sex offender since June 0f 2014.

The Kansas Attorney General’s Office is expected to prosecute the case.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1673217941215.png" alt="Dupree has previous convictions that included aggravated indecent liberties with minors, aggravated assault, robbery, criminal restraint, criminal damage to property and for drugs, according to the Kansas Dept. of Corrections." />
 <figcaption>Dupree has previous convictions that included aggravated indecent liberties with minors, aggravated assault, robbery, criminal restraint, criminal damage to property and for drugs, according to the Kansas Dept. of Corrections.</figcaption>
 </figure>LANSING, Kan. – Following an investigation by the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) and the Kansas City Missouri Police Department, a Kansas City man was arrested for the suspected 2014 murder of a 16-year-old girl, according to a media release from the KBI.&nbsp;Just after 1p.m. Friday, Billy I. Dupree, 38, of Kansas City, Kansas, an inmate at the Lansing Correctional Facility, was arrested for first-degree murder connected to the death of 16-year-old D.K., a resident of Kansas City, Missouri. KBI agents obtained an arrest warrant, which was served to Dupree with assistance from the Kansas Department of Corrections, at the Lansing Correctional Facility where Dupree was incarcerated.On December 21, 2014, the body of the 16-year-old teen was discovered in Kansas City, Missouri, near 24th St. and Monroe Ave. on December 21, 2014.In August 2022, the Kansas Attorney General’s Office requested the KBI join the homicide investigation when the Kansas City, Missouri Police Department determined the murder had taken place in Kansas City, Kansas, and not in their jurisdiction.Dupree has previous convictions that included aggravated indecent liberties with minors, aggravated assault, robbery, criminal restraint, criminal damage to property and for drugs, according to the Kansas Dept. of Corrections. He has been registered as a sex offender since June 0f 2014.The Kansas Attorney General’s Office is expected to prosecute the case.

Kansas sex offender accused of girl's 2014 murder

‘Sick and tired of going to other people’s funerals out here’

By TIM CARPENTER <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/01/04/kansas-farmers-ranchers-plant-seeds-of-change-to-erode-stigma-of-mental-illness/">Kansas Reflector</a>

MANHATTAN — Sedgwick County 
farmer Mick Rausch’s struggle with depression coincided with his 
brother’s cancer diagnosis and a freeze that thwarted harvest of a wheat
 crop.

Rausch had promised his father-in-law that he would not let the 
family’s century-old farm go under. Quitting wasn’t an option, he said.

He kept shoving aside reality of compounding stress and strain. He 
dodged his wife’s inquiries. He didn’t want to utter three powerful 
words: I need help. The problem came to a head when he crawled under a 
piece of farm equipment to perform routine maintenance and ended up 
taking a three-hour nap. That out-of-character slumber convinced him to 
get serious about his mental well-being.

“It’s really hard for a guy to admit to a problem,” Rausch said. 
“You’re in agriculture. We know how to deal with a problem — take care 
of it, work a little harder, work a little longer. Things kind of 
snowballed and I just got to the point I had to seek help.”

He made an appointment with a doctor and was able to talk with 
professionals about his mental health challenges. He was put on 
medication that made a difference.

“All the credit goes to my wife,” he said. “She stuck with me through a very difficult summer.”

It led about 15 years later to the Kansas Farm Bureau convention in 
Manhattan and a seat next to Ashley Beying, an Osage County nurse 
practitioner and rancher, and Donna Wise, a Clearwater corn, wheat, 
sorghum and soybean farmer who was 18 when her father died of suicide.

The trio’s task was to share with farmers, ranchers and others their 
understanding of how to manage the inevitable stress of a life in 
agriculture. They were guests of the Women’s Leadership Committee of the
 Farm Bureau.

Rausch said he learned to welcome the opportunity to speak to others about his journey of despair and recovery.

“The first thing I tell people is I’m sick and tired of going to 
other people’s funerals out here that I could have prevented,” he said.

Wise, who grew up walking on egg shells at home due to her father’s 
severe depression, said her mother chose to blame Wise and her sibling 
brother for their father’s condition. She learned to cope by being 
self-reliant and spending as much time as possible outdoors. Her father 
was unable to find a way to deal with the pain and took his life more 
than 50 years ago, Wise said. She continues to mourn that loss.

“Farmers spend so much time alone working on the farm,” said Wise, 
who became an ordained minister and relied on her experience to assist 
people talking of suicide. “That’s a lot of time to think and think and 
get into some deep, dark places.”

She said people in crisis needed to understand their families 
wouldn’t be better off without them. Family members feel abandoned in 
wake of a suicide, she said.

Beying, the nurse practitioner who works at a rural health clinic, 
said the national conversation about mental illness had lowered barriers
 that deterred people from being transparent about depression, anxiety 
and other conditions that could benefit from medical intervention. If 
someone could feel more stable by taking prescription medication, she 
said, family or society had no right to stigmatize that solution.

“Mental health wasn’t something that was typically talked about when I
 was younger,” Beying said. “As a health care provider, looking at my 
patients, I would want to take care of their blood pressure, take care 
of their cholesterol, their diabetes. So, why wouldn’t I want to take 
care of their mind?”

She said the nation’s capacity to provide mental health services 
needed to grow exponentially because the demand outstripped available 
facilities and personnel. In Kansas, there are <a target="_blank" href="https://www.kansasagstress.org/mental-health">resources available to people struggling with mental health</a>.

Wise said harsh opinions associated with mental illness had 
diminished over the years, but less progress had been made with the 
stigma of suicide.

“From my experience,” she said, “I have often felt I was not allowed 
to talk about the fact I had suicide in my family. People don’t want to 
hear about it. They run away.”

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported farmers 
and ranchers were almost two times more likely to die from suicide than 
people engaged in other occupations. In 2021, Kansas Health Institute 
reported the rate of suicide in rural counties in Kansas climbed 55% 
from 2000 to 2019.

Wise and Beying said onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 required 
folks to spend more time at home and offered a chance for people to 
become more sensitized to what they were feeling. It gave people an 
opportunity to take advantage of therapy through telehealth services or 
online formats, they said.

“In my area, we didn’t have good internet when the pandemic came on. 
We were basically isolated,” he said. “I’m kind of a people person. To 
me, mental health is about your mind and being out with people. If 
you’re locked up, nobody knows how you are.”

Rausch said if a friend didn’t look right or was acting strange, he would start a conversation and stick to the basics.

“Ask them, ‘Is there an issue? Is there something I can help you with?’ And, then, listen.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1672848195501.png" alt="Sedgwick County farmers Mick Rausch and Donna Wise, left and center, and Osage County nurse practitioner and rancher Ashley Beying shared their experiences with mental illness in agricultural settings during a meeting of the Kansas Farm Bureau. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>Sedgwick County farmers Mick Rausch and Donna Wise, left and center, and Osage County nurse practitioner and rancher Ashley Beying shared their experiences with mental illness in agricultural settings during a meeting of the Kansas Farm Bureau. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>‘Sick and tired of going to other people’s funerals out here’</h2>By TIM CARPENTER <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/01/04/kansas-farmers-ranchers-plant-seeds-of-change-to-erode-stigma-of-mental-illness/">Kansas Reflector</a>MANHATTAN — Sedgwick County 
farmer Mick Rausch’s struggle with depression coincided with his 
brother’s cancer diagnosis and a freeze that thwarted harvest of a wheat
 crop.Rausch had promised his father-in-law that he would not let the 
family’s century-old farm go under. Quitting wasn’t an option, he said.He kept shoving aside reality of compounding stress and strain. He 
dodged his wife’s inquiries. He didn’t want to utter three powerful 
words: I need help. The problem came to a head when he crawled under a 
piece of farm equipment to perform routine maintenance and ended up 
taking a three-hour nap. That out-of-character slumber convinced him to 
get serious about his mental well-being.“It’s really hard for a guy to admit to a problem,” Rausch said. 
“You’re in agriculture. We know how to deal with a problem — take care 
of it, work a little harder, work a little longer. Things kind of 
snowballed and I just got to the point I had to seek help.”He made an appointment with a doctor and was able to talk with 
professionals about his mental health challenges. He was put on 
medication that made a difference.“All the credit goes to my wife,” he said. “She stuck with me through a very difficult summer.”It led about 15 years later to the Kansas Farm Bureau convention in 
Manhattan and a seat next to Ashley Beying, an Osage County nurse 
practitioner and rancher, and Donna Wise, a Clearwater corn, wheat, 
sorghum and soybean farmer who was 18 when her father died of suicide.The trio’s task was to share with farmers, ranchers and others their 
understanding of how to manage the inevitable stress of a life in 
agriculture. They were guests of the Women’s Leadership Committee of the
 Farm Bureau.Rausch said he learned to welcome the opportunity to speak to others about his journey of despair and recovery.“The first thing I tell people is I’m sick and tired of going to 
other people’s funerals out here that I could have prevented,” he said.<h2>Walking on egg shells</h2>Wise, who grew up walking on egg shells at home due to her father’s 
severe depression, said her mother chose to blame Wise and her sibling 
brother for their father’s condition. She learned to cope by being 
self-reliant and spending as much time as possible outdoors. Her father 
was unable to find a way to deal with the pain and took his life more 
than 50 years ago, Wise said. She continues to mourn that loss.“Farmers spend so much time alone working on the farm,” said Wise, 
who became an ordained minister and relied on her experience to assist 
people talking of suicide. “That’s a lot of time to think and think and 
get into some deep, dark places.”She said people in crisis needed to understand their families 
wouldn’t be better off without them. Family members feel abandoned in 
wake of a suicide, she said.Beying, the nurse practitioner who works at a rural health clinic, 
said the national conversation about mental illness had lowered barriers
 that deterred people from being transparent about depression, anxiety 
and other conditions that could benefit from medical intervention. If 
someone could feel more stable by taking prescription medication, she 
said, family or society had no right to stigmatize that solution.“Mental health wasn’t something that was typically talked about when I
 was younger,” Beying said. “As a health care provider, looking at my 
patients, I would want to take care of their blood pressure, take care 
of their cholesterol, their diabetes. So, why wouldn’t I want to take 
care of their mind?”She said the nation’s capacity to provide mental health services 
needed to grow exponentially because the demand outstripped available 
facilities and personnel. In Kansas, there are <a target="_blank" href="https://www.kansasagstress.org/mental-health">resources available to people struggling with mental health</a>.Wise said harsh opinions associated with mental illness had 
diminished over the years, but less progress had been made with the 
stigma of suicide.“From my experience,” she said, “I have often felt I was not allowed 
to talk about the fact I had suicide in my family. People don’t want to 
hear about it. They run away.”The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported farmers 
and ranchers were almost two times more likely to die from suicide than 
people engaged in other occupations. In 2021, Kansas Health Institute 
reported the rate of suicide in rural counties in Kansas climbed 55% 
from 2000 to 2019.<h2>COVID-19 factor</h2>Wise and Beying said onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 required 
folks to spend more time at home and offered a chance for people to 
become more sensitized to what they were feeling. It gave people an 
opportunity to take advantage of therapy through telehealth services or 
online formats, they said.Rausch took the opposite perspective.“In my area, we didn’t have good internet when the pandemic came on. 
We were basically isolated,” he said. “I’m kind of a people person. To 
me, mental health is about your mind and being out with people. If 
you’re locked up, nobody knows how you are.”Rausch said if a friend didn’t look right or was acting strange, he would start a conversation and stick to the basics.“Ask them, ‘Is there an issue? Is there something I can help you with?’ And, then, listen.”

Farmers, ranchers plant seeds of change to erode mental illness stigma

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Creighton University economist Ernie Goss says the interest rate hikes the Federal Reserve continues to make are having an effect.

"We're seeing it across the economy," Goss said. "Not seeing it so much in the job market. Even in the Mid-America region and in Kansas, the overall job numbers are looking reasonably well. In other words, the unemployment rate is down at really good levels. The issue, of course, is the shortage of workers."

Goss still sees that as residual effects from COVID relief.

NICK GOSNELL Hutch PostHUTCHINSON, Kan. — Creighton University economist Ernie Goss says the interest rate hikes the Federal Reserve continues to make are having an effect."We're seeing it across the economy," Goss said. "Not seeing it so much in the job market. Even in the Mid-America region and in Kansas, the overall job numbers are looking reasonably well. In other words, the unemployment rate is down at really good levels. The issue, of course, is the shortage of workers."Goss still sees that as residual effects from COVID relief."The labor force in Kansas and in the region is down," Goss said. "Some of that is just due to the government providing a lot of support and a lot of incentive. Incentivizing individuals to not come back to work, even at this late stage."Goss said the Fed is prepared for a little bit of an issue with unemployment."Their prediction is for the unemployment rate to rise to 4.5% by the end of 2023. I think it's going to be higher than that. We're seeing, of course, in Kansas, you've got about 1100 workers less in the labor market today than you had pre-pandemic, that would be Feb. 2020."Goss expects another, smaller, quarter-percent rate hike from the Fed on Feb. 1.