TIJUANA, Mexico (AP) — Hours before sunrise, migrants at one of Mexico’s largest shelters wake up and go online, hoping to secure an appointment to try to seek asylum in the U.S. The daily ritual resembles a race for concert tickets when online sales begin for a major act, as about 100 people glide their thumbs over phone screens.

New appointments are available each day at 6 a.m., but migrants find themselves stymied by error messages from the U.S. government's CBPOne mobile app that's been overloaded since the Biden administration&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-united-states-government-mexico-texas-pandemics-c13c6c270e0b062ae11d2b30b71a861b">introduced it</a>&nbsp;Jan. 12.

Many can’t log in; others are able to enter their information and select a date, only to have the screen freeze at final confirmation. Some get a message saying they must be near a U.S. crossing, despite being in Mexico’s largest border city.

At Embajadores de Jesus in Tijuana, only two of more than 1,000 migrants got appointments in the first two weeks, says director Gustavo Banda.

“We're going to continue trying, but it's a failure for us,” Erlin Rodriguez of Honduras said after another fruitless run at an appointment for him, his wife and their two children one Sunday before dawn. “There's no hope.”

Mareni Montiel of Mexico was elated to select a date and time for her two children — then didn't get a confirmation code. “Now I'm back to zero,” said Montiel, 32, who has been waiting four months at the shelter, where the sound of roosters fill the crisp morning air at the end of a rough, dirt road.

CBPOne replaced an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/lifestyle-joe-biden-government-and-politics-immigration-coronavirus-pandemic-8bc95c59ed20dfa63ccd6ac98abfdd60">opaque patchwork of exemptions</a>&nbsp;to a public health order known as Title 42 under which the U.S. government has denied migrants’ rights to claim asylum since March 2020. People who have come from other countries find themselves in Mexico waiting for an exemption or policy change — unless they try to cross illegally into the U.S.

If it succeeds, CBPOne could be used by asylum-seekers even if Title 42 is lifted as a safe, orderly alternative to illegal entry, which reached the highest level ever recorded in the U.S.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-united-states-government-mexico-el-paso-8d307f4d5617e6bf071b10d8e28151d7">in December.</a>&nbsp;It could also discourage large camps on Mexico's side of the border, where migrants cling to unrealistic hopes.

— Applications are available in English and Spanish only, languages many of the migrants don't speak. Guerline Jozef, executive director of the Haitian Bridge Alliance, said authorities failed to take "the most basic fact into account: the national language of Haiti is Haitian Creole.” U.S. Customs and Border Protection says it plans a Creole version in February; it has not announced other languages.

— Some migrants, particularly with darker skin, say the app is rejecting required photos, blocking or delaying applications. CBP says it is aware of some technical issues, especially when new appointments are made available, but that users’ phones may also contribute. It says a live photo is required for each login as a security measure.

The issue has hit Haitians hardest, said Felicia Rangel-Samponaro, director of The Sidewalk School, which assists migrants in Reynosa and Matamoros, across from Texas' Rio Grande Valley. Previously, about 80% of migrants admitted to seek asylum in the area were Haitian, Rangel-Samponaro said. On Friday, she counted 10 Black people among 270 admitted in Matamoros.

“We brought construction lights pointed at your face,” she said. “Those pictures were still not able to go through. ... They can't get past the picture part.”

— A requirement that migrants apply in northern and central Mexico doesn't always work. CBP notes the app won't work right if the locator function is switched off. It's also trying to determine if signals are bouncing off U.S. phone towers.

But not only is the app failing to recognize that some people are at the border, applicants outside the region have been able to circumvent the location requirement by using virtual private networks. The agency said it has found a fix for that and is updating the system.

— Some advocates are disappointed that there is no explicit special consideration for LGBTQ applicants. Migrants are asked if they have a physical or mental illness, disability, pregnancy, lack housing, face a threat of harm, or are under 21 years old or over 70.

Still, LGBTQ migrants are not disqualified. At Casa de Luz, a Tijuana shelter for about 50 LGBTQ migrants, four quickly got appointments. A transgender woman from El Salvador said she didn't check any boxes when asked about specific vulnerabilities.

The U.S. began blocking asylum-seekers under President Donald Trump on the grounds of preventing the spread of COVID-19, though Title 42 is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-venezuela-mexico-spokane-violence-0eb316a474baed22f433359b0644320b">not applied uniformly</a>&nbsp;and many deemed vulnerable are exempted.

Starting in President Joe Biden’s first year in office until last week, CBP arranged exemptions through advocates, churches, attorneys and migrant shelters, without publicly identifying them or saying how many slots were available. The arrangement prompted allegations of favoritism and corruption. In December, CBP&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-mexico-us-customs-and-border-protection-63ae1f08f2af3661b2de1d590d750218">severed ties</a>&nbsp;with one group that was charging Russians.

For CBPOne to work, enough people must get appointments to discourage crossing the border illegally, said Leon Fresco, an immigration attorney and former aide to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat.

“If these appointments start dragging out to two or three or four months, it's going to be much harder to keep it going,” he said. “If people aren’t getting through, they won’t use the program.”

CBP, which schedules appointments up to two weeks out, declines to say how many people are getting in. But Enrique Lucero, director of migrant affairs for the city of Tijuana, said U.S. authorities are accepting 200 daily in San Diego, the largest border crossing. That's about the same as the previous system but well below the number of Ukrainians processed after Russia's invasion last year.

Josue Miranda, 30, has been staying at Embajadores de Jesus for five months and prefers the old system of working through advocacy groups. The shelter compiled an internal waiting list that moved slowly but allowed him to know where he stood. Banda, the shelter director, said 100 were getting selected every week.

Miranda packed his suitcases for him, his wife and their three children, believing his turn was imminent until the new online portal was introduced. Now, the Salvadoran migrant has no idea when, or if, his chance will come. Still, he plans to keep trying through CBPOne.

“The problem is that the system is saturated and it's chaos," he said after another morning of failed attempts.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1672938289244.png" alt="President Biden announced the online mobile app just days before a planned visit to El Paso, Texas last month-White House photo" />
 <figcaption>President Biden announced the online mobile app just days before a planned visit to El Paso, Texas last month-White House photo</figcaption>
 </figure>TIJUANA, Mexico (AP) — Hours before sunrise, migrants at one of Mexico’s largest shelters wake up and go online, hoping to secure an appointment to try to seek asylum in the U.S. The daily ritual resembles a race for concert tickets when online sales begin for a major act, as about 100 people glide their thumbs over phone screens.New appointments are available each day at 6 a.m., but migrants find themselves stymied by error messages from the U.S. government's CBPOne mobile app that's been overloaded since the Biden administration&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-united-states-government-mexico-texas-pandemics-c13c6c270e0b062ae11d2b30b71a861b">introduced it</a>&nbsp;Jan. 12.Many can’t log in; others are able to enter their information and select a date, only to have the screen freeze at final confirmation. Some get a message saying they must be near a U.S. crossing, despite being in Mexico’s largest border city.At Embajadores de Jesus in Tijuana, only two of more than 1,000 migrants got appointments in the first two weeks, says director Gustavo Banda.“We're going to continue trying, but it's a failure for us,” Erlin Rodriguez of Honduras said after another fruitless run at an appointment for him, his wife and their two children one Sunday before dawn. “There's no hope.”Mareni Montiel of Mexico was elated to select a date and time for her two children — then didn't get a confirmation code. “Now I'm back to zero,” said Montiel, 32, who has been waiting four months at the shelter, where the sound of roosters fill the crisp morning air at the end of a rough, dirt road.CBPOne replaced an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/lifestyle-joe-biden-government-and-politics-immigration-coronavirus-pandemic-8bc95c59ed20dfa63ccd6ac98abfdd60">opaque patchwork of exemptions</a>&nbsp;to a public health order known as Title 42 under which the U.S. government has denied migrants’ rights to claim asylum since March 2020. People who have come from other countries find themselves in Mexico waiting for an exemption or policy change — unless they try to cross illegally into the U.S.If it succeeds, CBPOne could be used by asylum-seekers even if Title 42 is lifted as a safe, orderly alternative to illegal entry, which reached the highest level ever recorded in the U.S.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-united-states-government-mexico-el-paso-8d307f4d5617e6bf071b10d8e28151d7">in December.</a>&nbsp;It could also discourage large camps on Mexico's side of the border, where migrants cling to unrealistic hopes.But a range of complaints have surfaced:— Applications are available in English and Spanish only, languages many of the migrants don't speak. Guerline Jozef, executive director of the Haitian Bridge Alliance, said authorities failed to take "the most basic fact into account: the national language of Haiti is Haitian Creole.” U.S. Customs and Border Protection says it plans a Creole version in February; it has not announced other languages.— Some migrants, particularly with darker skin, say the app is rejecting required photos, blocking or delaying applications. CBP says it is aware of some technical issues, especially when new appointments are made available, but that users’ phones may also contribute. It says a live photo is required for each login as a security measure.The issue has hit Haitians hardest, said Felicia Rangel-Samponaro, director of The Sidewalk School, which assists migrants in Reynosa and Matamoros, across from Texas' Rio Grande Valley. Previously, about 80% of migrants admitted to seek asylum in the area were Haitian, Rangel-Samponaro said. On Friday, she counted 10 Black people among 270 admitted in Matamoros.“We brought construction lights pointed at your face,” she said. “Those pictures were still not able to go through. ... They can't get past the picture part.”— A requirement that migrants apply in northern and central Mexico doesn't always work. CBP notes the app won't work right if the locator function is switched off. It's also trying to determine if signals are bouncing off U.S. phone towers.But not only is the app failing to recognize that some people are at the border, applicants outside the region have been able to circumvent the location requirement by using virtual private networks. The agency said it has found a fix for that and is updating the system.— Some advocates are disappointed that there is no explicit special consideration for LGBTQ applicants. Migrants are asked if they have a physical or mental illness, disability, pregnancy, lack housing, face a threat of harm, or are under 21 years old or over 70.Still, LGBTQ migrants are not disqualified. At Casa de Luz, a Tijuana shelter for about 50 LGBTQ migrants, four quickly got appointments. A transgender woman from El Salvador said she didn't check any boxes when asked about specific vulnerabilities.The U.S. began blocking asylum-seekers under President Donald Trump on the grounds of preventing the spread of COVID-19, though Title 42 is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-venezuela-mexico-spokane-violence-0eb316a474baed22f433359b0644320b">not applied uniformly</a>&nbsp;and many deemed vulnerable are exempted.Starting in President Joe Biden’s first year in office until last week, CBP arranged exemptions through advocates, churches, attorneys and migrant shelters, without publicly identifying them or saying how many slots were available. The arrangement prompted allegations of favoritism and corruption. In December, CBP&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-mexico-us-customs-and-border-protection-63ae1f08f2af3661b2de1d590d750218">severed ties</a>&nbsp;with one group that was charging Russians.For CBPOne to work, enough people must get appointments to discourage crossing the border illegally, said Leon Fresco, an immigration attorney and former aide to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat.“If these appointments start dragging out to two or three or four months, it's going to be much harder to keep it going,” he said. “If people aren’t getting through, they won’t use the program.”CBP, which schedules appointments up to two weeks out, declines to say how many people are getting in. But Enrique Lucero, director of migrant affairs for the city of Tijuana, said U.S. authorities are accepting 200 daily in San Diego, the largest border crossing. That's about the same as the previous system but well below the number of Ukrainians processed after Russia's invasion last year.Josue Miranda, 30, has been staying at Embajadores de Jesus for five months and prefers the old system of working through advocacy groups. The shelter compiled an internal waiting list that moved slowly but allowed him to know where he stood. Banda, the shelter director, said 100 were getting selected every week.Miranda packed his suitcases for him, his wife and their three children, believing his turn was imminent until the new online portal was introduced. Now, the Salvadoran migrant has no idea when, or if, his chance will come. Still, he plans to keep trying through CBPOne.“The problem is that the system is saturated and it's chaos," he said after another morning of failed attempts.

Online system to seek asylum in US is overwhelmed

GEARY COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities continue their investigation of an alleged abduction and are asking the public for help to find three children.

According to Junction City Police, on December 21, Jeana Foley abducted her children identified as 6-year-old Rosie Peterson, 5-year-old Camden Peterson and 3-year-old Genevieve Peterson

On Jan. 5, a felony warrant was issued for Foley's arrest. On Wednesday, Junction City police asked the public to call 911 if you have any&nbsp; information to help bring these kids home. Police released no additional details in the case.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1673546045642.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>GEARY COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities continue their investigation of an alleged abduction and are asking the public for help to find three children.According to Junction City Police, on December 21, Jeana Foley abducted her children identified as 6-year-old Rosie Peterson, 5-year-old Camden Peterson and 3-year-old Genevieve PetersonOn Jan. 5, a felony warrant was issued for Foley's arrest. On Wednesday, Junction City police asked the public to call 911 if you have any&nbsp; information to help bring these kids home. Police released no additional details in the case.

Search continues for 3 Kan. children abducted by their mother

SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect for alleged child sex crimes. On Thursday, the Shawnee County Sheriff's Office's Criminal Investigations Division conducted an investigation into child sex crimes, according to Deputy Abigail Christian. They arrested 28-year-old Joshua M. McMahan. McMahan was booked into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on a requested charge of electronic solicitation of a child.&nbsp; The sheriff's office released no additional details.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/2/1675422967261.png" alt="McMahan-photo Shawnee Co." />
 <figcaption>McMahan-photo Shawnee Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect for alleged child sex crimes. On Thursday, the Shawnee County Sheriff's Office's Criminal Investigations Division conducted an investigation into child sex crimes, according to Deputy Abigail Christian. They arrested 28-year-old Joshua M. McMahan. McMahan was booked into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on a requested charge of electronic solicitation of a child.&nbsp; The sheriff's office released no additional details.

Investigation leads to arrest of man for alleged child sex crimes

ATCHISON COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities investigating a series of burglaries and thefts have a suspect in custody.

On Thursday police took 45-year-old&nbsp;&nbsp;Walter Hugh Taylor of Atchison into custody, according to Police Chief Mike Wilson.

He is accused of a burglary of a residence in the 300 block North 3rd that occurred on December 24 and the theft of items from that residence.

He is also accused in a burglary of a business in the 1600 block Main Street in Atchison and the theft of a 2007 Chevrolet 1500 pickup truck that was taken from outside that business on January 22, 2023.

He is accused of possession of a stolen 1994 Ford Thunderbird that police found on fire in the 900 block George Street on the evening of January 1, 2023. The vehicle had been stolen in Platte County Missouri, according to Wilson. 

He also faces requested charges of unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon that occurred on January 1 and a District Court warrant for failure to appear in court.&nbsp; He is being held without bond. Taylor has previous convictions for trafficking contraband and possession of drugs, according to the Kansas Dept. of Corrections.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/2/1675437074812.png" alt="Taylor-photo Atchison County" />
 <figcaption>Taylor-photo Atchison County</figcaption>
 </figure>ATCHISON COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities investigating a series of burglaries and thefts have a suspect in custody.On Thursday police took 45-year-old&nbsp;&nbsp;Walter Hugh Taylor of Atchison into custody, according to Police Chief Mike Wilson.He is accused of a burglary of a residence in the 300 block North 3rd that occurred on December 24 and the theft of items from that residence.He is also accused in a burglary of a business in the 1600 block Main Street in Atchison and the theft of a 2007 Chevrolet 1500 pickup truck that was taken from outside that business on January 22, 2023.He is accused of possession of a stolen 1994 Ford Thunderbird that police found on fire in the 900 block George Street on the evening of January 1, 2023. The vehicle had been stolen in Platte County Missouri, according to Wilson. He also faces requested charges of unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon that occurred on January 1 and a District Court warrant for failure to appear in court.&nbsp; He is being held without bond. Taylor has previous convictions for trafficking contraband and possession of drugs, according to the Kansas Dept. of Corrections.

Kansas felon accused of Christmas Eve burglary, other crimes

KANSAS CITY (AP) — The Chinese balloon drifting high above the U.S. and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/chinese-surveillance-balloon-united-states-montana-47248b0ef2b085620fcd866c105054be">first revealed over Montana</a>&nbsp;and seen over Kansas on Friday has created a buzz down below among residents who initially wondered what it was — and now wonder what its arrival means amid a chorus of alarm raised by the region's elected officials.

The balloon roiled diplomatic tensions as it continued to move over the central U.S. on Friday at 60,000 feet (18,288 meters). Secretary of State Anthony Blinken&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-antony-blinken-china-314302278a5f05bdc2df146ed5b35ec6?utm_source=homepage&amp;utm_medium=TopNews&amp;utm_campaign=position_01">abruptly canceled an upcoming trip to China</a>.

Curiosity about the bobbling sky orb swept the internet, with search terms like “where is the sky balloon now?” and “spy balloon tracker” surging on Google. On Facebook, wobbly videos of blue skies and the white splotch filled speculative feeds as communities tried to track its path over the U.S.

In Montana — home to Malmstrom Air Force base and dozens of nuclear missile silos — people doubted Beijing's claim that it was a weather balloon gone off course. And the governor and members of Congress pressed the Biden administration over why the military did not immediately bring it down from the sky.

“I question whether or not we would even found out about this if people hadn't spotted it in Billings,” said Chase Doak, a resident of the southern Montana city who appears to have captured some of the first known video footage and photographs of the balloon.

“It needs to be removed from the sky somehow," Doak added. "And if China is now taking responsibility, they need to answer for why it's here in our airspace.”

A white balloon with what appeared to be a solar array hanging beneath it was seen over Billings Wednesday afternoon, around the same time the local airport was temporarily shut down and a day before the Pentagon revealed it was tracking a Chinese spy balloon over the state.

Initial speculation over its origins ranged from the foreign to the extra-terrestrial.

Todd Hewett of Billings said his 10-year-old son Matt saw the balloon and thought it was a comet he had been looking for. Hewett got some shaky footage, using a cellphone to take video through a telescope, and came away skeptical of the Chinese claim that it was a civilian weather balloon. He wanted the federal government to take action.

“Shoot it down,” he said. "If we could somehow pierce the bottom of it to allow some of the gas to escape to allow for a more controlled descent (that) would be nice .. but if we can’t do that ... blow it up.”

Montana has some experience with balloons launched by adversaries: Japan in World War II targeted the western U.S. with incendiary “balloon bombs” that were floated over North America with plans to harm people and start forest fires. More than 30 of the bombs made of rice paper landed in Montana, according to the Montana Historical Society.

In Oregon,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/7361a6fe34b0a45888a5de6b3d973e79">five children and a pregnant woman</a>&nbsp;on a church picnic were killed in 1945 when they found one of the bombs and it exploded.

On Friday in Kansas City, Missouri, the National Weather Service said it received reports of a large balloon in the Kansas City metro area and posted two images of white orbs taken from the weather station office in Pleasant Hill, Missouri. The service confirmed it was not a National Weather Service balloon.

The Live Storm Chasers Facebook page included several posts from people who reported seeing a white orb that could be the balloon over Missouri at midday Friday.

Montana Rep. Ryan Zinke put out a poll to his constituents early Friday saying the balloon was still over the state and asking if should be shot down. When the Pentagon said the balloon had since drifted over the central U.S., Zinke remained unappeased and raised the possibility that China had more than one balloon over the U.S., during an interview with The Associated Press.

“I don't know if that's the only balloon. We've asked for those answers,” he said.

The former U.S. Navy SEAL said the balloon should have been shot down. “The message that it gives to our allies is, we’re not capable of dealing with a balloon," he said.

Republicans in Montana have grown increasingly outspoken in recent years about China posing a threat to U.S. national security. A bill pending before the state Legislature would ban “foreign adversaries” from owning, leasing or renting critical infrastructure or farmland.

The bill did not name any countries but its sponsor, Republican state Sen. Ken Bogner of Miles City, singled out China as being interested in acquiring lands and resources in the U.S. to “help them with spying efforts.”

Bogner said Friday that the balloon over Billings was “yet another example” of China's attempts to operate within the U.S.

That anti-China sentiment marks a shift from a just a few years ago, when Montana U.S. Sen. Steve Daines visited China, hosted the Chinese ambassador on a visit to a Montana ranch and helped secure a deal to export more beef to China.

The beef deal later fell through, and Daines has since emerged as a strong critic of China.

“This is not the first time a Chinese balloon has entered American airspace over sensitive national security areas," Daines said in a Friday statement to the AP. “I don’t think anyone believes this was merely a civilian aircraft.”

KANSAS CITY (AP) — The Chinese balloon drifting high above the U.S. and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/chinese-surveillance-balloon-united-states-montana-47248b0ef2b085620fcd866c105054be">first revealed over Montana</a>&nbsp;and seen over Kansas on Friday has created a buzz down below among residents who initially wondered what it was — and now wonder what its arrival means amid a chorus of alarm raised by the region's elected officials.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">I have received reports of the suspected Chinese spy balloon over NE KS. If true, this provocation is alarming. My team is in communication with our federal delegation and has reached out to the White House to ensure we work together to protect the safety and security of Kansans.&mdash; Governor Laura Kelly (@GovLauraKelly) <a href="https://twitter.com/GovLauraKelly/status/1621627742289645568?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 3, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">David Remmers from Sabetha, Kansas got video of the balloon this morning. Please credit him if you use the video. <a href="https://t.co/1FDstaE55Z">pic.twitter.com/1FDstaE55Z</a>&mdash; Dr. Roger Marshall (@RogerMarshallMD) <a href="https://twitter.com/RogerMarshallMD/status/1621616406201516039?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 3, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The balloon roiled diplomatic tensions as it continued to move over the central U.S. on Friday at 60,000 feet (18,288 meters). Secretary of State Anthony Blinken&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-antony-blinken-china-314302278a5f05bdc2df146ed5b35ec6?utm_source=homepage&amp;utm_medium=TopNews&amp;utm_campaign=position_01">abruptly canceled an upcoming trip to China</a>.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">We have had several reports across northwest MO of a large balloon visible on the horizon. It is now visible from our office in Pleasant Hill and the KC Metro. We have confirmed that it is not an NWS weather balloon. <a href="https://t.co/CKQWOw7God">pic.twitter.com/CKQWOw7God</a>&mdash; NWS Kansas City (@NWSKansasCity) <a href="https://twitter.com/NWSKansasCity/status/1621562137717141505?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 3, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Curiosity about the bobbling sky orb swept the internet, with search terms like “where is the sky balloon now?” and “spy balloon tracker” surging on Google. On Facebook, wobbly videos of blue skies and the white splotch filled speculative feeds as communities tried to track its path over the U.S.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/SecBlinken?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SecBlinken</a>: &quot;We concluded that conditions were not conducive for a constructive visit at this time. In my call today with Dir. Wang Yi, I made clear that the presence of this surveillance balloon in U.S. airspace is a clear violation of U.S. sovereignty and international law.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/mRH80Sowrg">pic.twitter.com/mRH80Sowrg</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1621622450340470784?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 3, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>In Montana — home to Malmstrom Air Force base and dozens of nuclear missile silos — people doubted Beijing's claim that it was a weather balloon gone off course. And the governor and members of Congress pressed the Biden administration over why the military did not immediately bring it down from the sky.“I question whether or not we would even found out about this if people hadn't spotted it in Billings,” said Chase Doak, a resident of the southern Montana city who appears to have captured some of the first known video footage and photographs of the balloon.“It needs to be removed from the sky somehow," Doak added. "And if China is now taking responsibility, they need to answer for why it's here in our airspace.”A white balloon with what appeared to be a solar array hanging beneath it was seen over Billings Wednesday afternoon, around the same time the local airport was temporarily shut down and a day before the Pentagon revealed it was tracking a Chinese spy balloon over the state.Initial speculation over its origins ranged from the foreign to the extra-terrestrial.Todd Hewett of Billings said his 10-year-old son Matt saw the balloon and thought it was a comet he had been looking for. Hewett got some shaky footage, using a cellphone to take video through a telescope, and came away skeptical of the Chinese claim that it was a civilian weather balloon. He wanted the federal government to take action.“Shoot it down,” he said. "If we could somehow pierce the bottom of it to allow some of the gas to escape to allow for a more controlled descent (that) would be nice .. but if we can’t do that ... blow it up.”Montana has some experience with balloons launched by adversaries: Japan in World War II targeted the western U.S. with incendiary “balloon bombs” that were floated over North America with plans to harm people and start forest fires. More than 30 of the bombs made of rice paper landed in Montana, according to the Montana Historical Society.In Oregon,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/7361a6fe34b0a45888a5de6b3d973e79">five children and a pregnant woman</a>&nbsp;on a church picnic were killed in 1945 when they found one of the bombs and it exploded.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">We have had several reports across northwest MO of a large balloon visible on the horizon. It is now visible from our office in Pleasant Hill and the KC Metro. We have confirmed that it is not an NWS weather balloon. <a href="https://t.co/CKQWOw7God">pic.twitter.com/CKQWOw7God</a>&mdash; NWS Kansas City (@NWSKansasCity) <a href="https://twitter.com/NWSKansasCity/status/1621562137717141505?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 3, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>On Friday in Kansas City, Missouri, the National Weather Service said it received reports of a large balloon in the Kansas City metro area and posted two images of white orbs taken from the weather station office in Pleasant Hill, Missouri. The service confirmed it was not a National Weather Service balloon.The Live Storm Chasers Facebook page included several posts from people who reported seeing a white orb that could be the balloon over Missouri at midday Friday.Montana Rep. Ryan Zinke put out a poll to his constituents early Friday saying the balloon was still over the state and asking if should be shot down. When the Pentagon said the balloon had since drifted over the central U.S., Zinke remained unappeased and raised the possibility that China had more than one balloon over the U.S., during an interview with The Associated Press.“I don't know if that's the only balloon. We've asked for those answers,” he said.The former U.S. Navy SEAL said the balloon should have been shot down. “The message that it gives to our allies is, we’re not capable of dealing with a balloon," he said.Republicans in Montana have grown increasingly outspoken in recent years about China posing a threat to U.S. national security. A bill pending before the state Legislature would ban “foreign adversaries” from owning, leasing or renting critical infrastructure or farmland.The bill did not name any countries but its sponsor, Republican state Sen. Ken Bogner of Miles City, singled out China as being interested in acquiring lands and resources in the U.S. to “help them with spying efforts.”Bogner said Friday that the balloon over Billings was “yet another example” of China's attempts to operate within the U.S.That anti-China sentiment marks a shift from a just a few years ago, when Montana U.S. Sen. Steve Daines visited China, hosted the Chinese ambassador on a visit to a Montana ranch and helped secure a deal to export more beef to China.The beef deal later fell through, and Daines has since emerged as a strong critic of China.“This is not the first time a Chinese balloon has entered American airspace over sensitive national security areas," Daines said in a Friday statement to the AP. “I don’t think anyone believes this was merely a civilian aircraft.”

🎥 Kan. Gov. on Chinese spy balloon: This provocation is alarming 

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Kansas gas prices appear to be stabilizing.

"We're at $3.20 a gallon on average today," Shawn Steward with AAA said Friday. "That's the same as it was a week ago. We haven't really seen any fluctuations in the past week. After seeing some rises throughout January, we've seen a little bit of a stability here."

A month ago, we were at $2.83. One year ago, the Kansas average was $3.14. The national average is currently $3.49, down one cent from a week ago.

Kansas has the 7th&nbsp;lowest average price in the nation.

"We saw gas demand rise, but total domestic gas supply did, as well," Steward said. "Despite the rising demand and recently elevated crude oil prices, the growth in total supply in domestic gasoline stocks has helped limit those pump price increases, which we had seen throughout most of January."

Weather elsewhere in the country could have an impact on overall prices in the near term.

"We'll probably see some of that reflected in the report next week," Steward said. "We typically have a lag of a week or so in terms of demand reports. Whenever you get winter weather, that does temper demand somewhat. Overall, this winter we've had a pretty mild weather situation, especially in the eastern half of the U.S."&nbsp;

The National Weather Service says dangerous wind chills are likely this weekend in an area stretching from northern Pennsylvania to Maine.&nbsp;&nbsp;

NICK GOSNELL Hutch PostHUTCHINSON, Kan. — Kansas gas prices appear to be stabilizing."We're at $3.20 a gallon on average today," Shawn Steward with AAA said Friday. "That's the same as it was a week ago. We haven't really seen any fluctuations in the past week. After seeing some rises throughout January, we've seen a little bit of a stability here."A month ago, we were at $2.83. One year ago, the Kansas average was $3.14. The national average is currently $3.49, down one cent from a week ago.Kansas has the 7th&nbsp;lowest average price in the nation."We saw gas demand rise, but total domestic gas supply did, as well," Steward said. "Despite the rising demand and recently elevated crude oil prices, the growth in total supply in domestic gasoline stocks has helped limit those pump price increases, which we had seen throughout most of January."Weather elsewhere in the country could have an impact on overall prices in the near term."We'll probably see some of that reflected in the report next week," Steward said. "We typically have a lag of a week or so in terms of demand reports. Whenever you get winter weather, that does temper demand somewhat. Overall, this winter we've had a pretty mild weather situation, especially in the eastern half of the U.S."&nbsp;The National Weather Service says dangerous wind chills are likely this weekend in an area stretching from northern Pennsylvania to Maine.&nbsp;&nbsp;

AAA: Gas prices in Kansas are stable for now

KANSAS CITY (AP) — Recreational marijuana sales in Missouri officially began Friday after the state health department unexpectedly began approving dispensary permits early.

<a href="https://health.mo.gov/safety/cannabis/licensed-facilities.php?fbclid=IwAR2sRxxqIkZiVjcOl_8A_jJXKURdGRAt7zpHmjoI88edOK4r5ZiK0BfUbn4">Click here for a </a>list of dispensaries

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/82a662ba82bb4c8c9c858b7565ff7f95">Medical marijuana</a>&nbsp;has been legal in the state since a ballot measure passed in 2018, but voters went a step further this November by approving a constitutional amendment legalizing the drug for anyone 21 or older. The new law made Missouri&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/marijuana-legalization-2022-midterm-elections-c693f5e23e0faf2f39168df6a2f80ab2">the 21st state to allow recreational use</a>.

Under the amendment, non-medicinal pot use became legal in the state in December. But&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-missouri-united-states-government-cd25089a682d05bb1c07ae7c5b83946e">sales were stalled because the health department had until Friday to issue business licenses</a>.

Almost all of the state's medical marijuana dispensaries applied to sell recreational pot, according to Lisa Cox, spokeswoman for the Department of Health and Senior Services.

Of the medical marijuana facilities that applied to sell cannabis recreationally, 335 were approved as of Friday. That includes 207 dispensaries, 72 manufacturers and 56 cultivation facilities, according to the agency.

Close to 200 dispensaries were inspected Friday and given the go-ahead to sell to consumers.

Ryan Herget, CEO of Good Day Farm, said the company expects sales at its 19 Missouri stores, which previously only sold cannabis for medical use, to double or triple. He said the company hired about 200 new employees in anticipation of increased demand.

Adults who want to grow their own cannabis can now apply for a permit through the health department.

If the agency does not approve or deny licenses by Friday, dispensaries that previously only sold medical marijuana will automatically be permitted to sell recreational pot as well.

Missouri's constitutional amendment to legalize recreational pot use also called for the expungement of records of past arrests and convictions for nonviolent marijuana offenses, except for selling to minors or driving under the influence.

More than 5,200 past crimes had been wiped from Missourians’ records as of Thursday.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1669409427772.jpg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY (AP) — Recreational marijuana sales in Missouri officially began Friday after the state health department unexpectedly began approving dispensary permits early.<a href="https://health.mo.gov/safety/cannabis/licensed-facilities.php?fbclid=IwAR2sRxxqIkZiVjcOl_8A_jJXKURdGRAt7zpHmjoI88edOK4r5ZiK0BfUbn4">Click here for a </a>list of dispensaries<a href="https://apnews.com/article/82a662ba82bb4c8c9c858b7565ff7f95">Medical marijuana</a>&nbsp;has been legal in the state since a ballot measure passed in 2018, but voters went a step further this November by approving a constitutional amendment legalizing the drug for anyone 21 or older. The new law made Missouri&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/marijuana-legalization-2022-midterm-elections-c693f5e23e0faf2f39168df6a2f80ab2">the 21st state to allow recreational use</a>.<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FHealthyLivingMo%2Fposts%2Fpfbid06UtxfvfA78zSR6kMq9psV3aQ9GQJgwn6bNdXhWytknbZbMcL9pn8bcmEDRfsnri1l&show_text=true&width=500" width="500" height="710" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share"></iframe></div>Under the amendment, non-medicinal pot use became legal in the state in December. But&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-missouri-united-states-government-cd25089a682d05bb1c07ae7c5b83946e">sales were stalled because the health department had until Friday to issue business licenses</a>.Almost all of the state's medical marijuana dispensaries applied to sell recreational pot, according to Lisa Cox, spokeswoman for the Department of Health and Senior Services.Of the medical marijuana facilities that applied to sell cannabis recreationally, 335 were approved as of Friday. That includes 207 dispensaries, 72 manufacturers and 56 cultivation facilities, according to the agency.Close to 200 dispensaries were inspected Friday and given the go-ahead to sell to consumers.Ryan Herget, CEO of Good Day Farm, said the company expects sales at its 19 Missouri stores, which previously only sold cannabis for medical use, to double or triple. He said the company hired about 200 new employees in anticipation of increased demand.Adults who want to grow their own cannabis can now apply for a permit through the health department.If the agency does not approve or deny licenses by Friday, dispensaries that previously only sold medical marijuana will automatically be permitted to sell recreational pot as well.Missouri's constitutional amendment to legalize recreational pot use also called for the expungement of records of past arrests and convictions for nonviolent marijuana offenses, except for selling to minors or driving under the influence.More than 5,200 past crimes had been wiped from Missourians’ records as of Thursday.

Legal recreational pot sales begin for adults in Missouri 

WASHINGTON (AP) — A huge, high-altitude Chinese balloon sailed across the U.S. on Friday, drawing severe Pentagon accusations of spying and sending excited or alarmed Americans outside with binoculars. Secretary of State Antony Blinken abruptly canceled a high-stakes Beijing trip aimed at easing U..S.-China tensions.

The cancelation came despite China’s claim that the balloon was a weather research “airship” that had blown off course. The Pentagon rejected that out of hand — and China's contention that the balloon, about the size of two school buses, was not being used for surveillance and had only limited navigational ability.

The balloon was detected earlier over sensitive military sites in Montana but had moved eastward over the heartland of the central United States by midday and was expected to remain in U.S. airspace for several days, officials said.

The development marked a new blow to already strained U.S.-Chinese relations that have been in a downward spiral for years over numerous issues. Still, U.S. officials maintained that diplomatic channels remain open and that Blinken was willing to travel to China at “an appropriate time.”

President Joe Biden declined to comment on the matter when questioned at an economic event. Two 2024 reelection challengers, former President Donald Trump, and Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina governor and U.N. ambassador, said the U.S. should immediately shoot down the balloon.

Discovery of the balloon was announced by Pentagon officials who said one of the places it was spotted was over the state of Montana, which is home to one of America’s three nuclear missile silo fields at Malmstrom Air Force Base.

A senior defense official said the U.S. prepared fighter jets, including F-22s, to shoot it down if ordered. The Pentagon ultimately recommended against that, noting that even as the balloon was over a sparsely populated area of Montana, its size would create a debris field large enough to put people at risk.

Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, Pentagon press secretary, refused to say on Friday whether there was any new consideration of shooting the balloon down.

Ryder said it was at an altitude of about 60,000 feet, was maneuverable and had changed course. He said it currently was posing no threat.

A number of GOP lawmakers have criticized the administration for not taking firmer action against China. And a decision for Blinken to proceed with his trip could have made Biden even more susceptible to their complaints at a time he’s starting to deal with the new Republican-led U.S. House.

Blinken had been prepared as late as Thursday to travel to Beijing this weekend, but the administration began to reconsider the trip following the detection of the balloon on Wednesday, even before its presence was made public, one official said.

The official, who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter, said the administration had “noted” China's expression of regret but concluded that the seriousness of the violation of U.S. airspace, sovereignty and international law was such that Blinken’s trip could not go forward as planned.

Weather experts said China's claim that the balloon had gone off course was not unfeasible. China’s account of wind patterns known as the Westerlies carrying a balloon to the western United States was “absolutely possible - not possible, likely,” said Dan Jaffe, a professor of atmospheric chemistry at the University of Washington.

Still officials called the presence of the balloon “unacceptable” and one said that message had been delivered by Blinken to Chinese State Councilor Wang Yi on Friday.

However, the official also said that Blinken had told the Chinese he would be prepared to travel to China “at the earliest opportunity when conditions allow.”

Blinken’s long-anticipated meetings with senior Chinese officials had been seen in both countries as a possible way to find some areas of common ground at a time of major disagreements over Taiwan, human rights, China’s claims in the South China Sea, North Korea, Russia’s war in Ukraine, trade policy and climate change.

Although the trip, which was agreed to in November by Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping at a summit in Indonesia, had not been formally announced, officials in both Beijing and Washington had spoken in recent days about Blinken’s imminent arrival for meetings on Sunday and Monday.

China, which angrily denounces surveillance attempts by the U.S. and others over areas it considers to be its territory and once forced down an American spy plane and held its crew captive on Hainan Island, was relatively conciliatory in its response to the U.S. complaints.

In a statement that approached an apology, the Chinese foreign ministry said the balloon was a civilian airship used mainly for meteorological research. It said said the airship had limited “self-steering” capabilities and had “deviated far from its planned course” because of winds.

“The Chinese side regrets the unintended entry of the airship into U.S. airspace due to force majeure,” the statement said, citing a legal term used to refer to events beyond one’s control.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A huge, high-altitude Chinese balloon sailed across the U.S. on Friday, drawing severe Pentagon accusations of spying and sending excited or alarmed Americans outside with binoculars. Secretary of State Antony Blinken abruptly canceled a high-stakes Beijing trip aimed at easing U..S.-China tensions.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/PentagonPresSec?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PentagonPresSec</a>: &quot;We are aware of the PRC&#39;s statement. However, the fact is, we know that it&#39;s a surveillance balloon. I&#39;m not going to be able to be more specific than that. We do know that the balloon has violated U.S. airspace and international law, which is unacceptable.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/cZXNY4qUaN">pic.twitter.com/cZXNY4qUaN</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1621570719950700546?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 3, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The cancelation came despite China’s claim that the balloon was a weather research “airship” that had blown off course. The Pentagon rejected that out of hand — and China's contention that the balloon, about the size of two school buses, was not being used for surveillance and had only limited navigational ability.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">We have had several reports across northwest MO of a large balloon visible on the horizon. It is now visible from our office in Pleasant Hill and the KC Metro. We have confirmed that it is not an NWS weather balloon. <a href="https://t.co/CKQWOw7God">pic.twitter.com/CKQWOw7God</a>&mdash; NWS Kansas City (@NWSKansasCity) <a href="https://twitter.com/NWSKansasCity/status/1621562137717141505?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 3, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">I can confirm the Chinese spy ballon is over NE KS. My staff is in contact with law enforcement officials. I condemn any attempts the Chinese make to spy on Americans. President Biden must protect the sovereignty of the U.S. whether it’s our airspace or the southern border.&mdash; Dr. Roger Marshall (@RogerMarshallMD) <a href="https://twitter.com/RogerMarshallMD/status/1621572987802599426?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 3, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The balloon was detected earlier over sensitive military sites in Montana but had moved eastward over the heartland of the central United States by midday and was expected to remain in U.S. airspace for several days, officials said.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Photos taken by coworker, Paul Holzwarth. <a href="https://t.co/Ita7e32xWp">pic.twitter.com/Ita7e32xWp</a>&mdash; John Martin (@MartinInMontana) <a href="https://twitter.com/MartinInMontana/status/1621283053661483008?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 2, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The development marked a new blow to already strained U.S.-Chinese relations that have been in a downward spiral for years over numerous issues. Still, U.S. officials maintained that diplomatic channels remain open and that Blinken was willing to travel to China at “an appropriate time.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/2/1675438997135.png" alt="-During a Friday morning press conference on jobs, President Biden refused to answer questions about the spy balloon -White House photo" />
 <figcaption>-During a Friday morning press conference on jobs, President Biden refused to answer questions about the spy balloon -White House photo</figcaption>
 </figure>President Joe Biden declined to comment on the matter when questioned at an economic event. Two 2024 reelection challengers, former President Donald Trump, and Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina governor and U.N. ambassador, said the U.S. should immediately shoot down the balloon.Discovery of the balloon was announced by Pentagon officials who said one of the places it was spotted was over the state of Montana, which is home to one of America’s three nuclear missile silo fields at Malmstrom Air Force Base.A senior defense official said the U.S. prepared fighter jets, including F-22s, to shoot it down if ordered. The Pentagon ultimately recommended against that, noting that even as the balloon was over a sparsely populated area of Montana, its size would create a debris field large enough to put people at risk.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/PentagonPresSec?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PentagonPresSec</a>: &quot;It is big enough that, again, in reviewing our approach, we do recognize that any potential debris field would be significant and potentially cause civilian injuries or deaths or significant property damage.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/0DXvmYsDXQ">pic.twitter.com/0DXvmYsDXQ</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1621574455049822213?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 3, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, Pentagon press secretary, refused to say on Friday whether there was any new consideration of shooting the balloon down.Ryder said it was at an altitude of about 60,000 feet, was maneuverable and had changed course. He said it currently was posing no threat.A number of GOP lawmakers have criticized the administration for not taking firmer action against China. And a decision for Blinken to proceed with his trip could have made Biden even more susceptible to their complaints at a time he’s starting to deal with the new Republican-led U.S. House.Blinken had been prepared as late as Thursday to travel to Beijing this weekend, but the administration began to reconsider the trip following the detection of the balloon on Wednesday, even before its presence was made public, one official said.The official, who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter, said the administration had “noted” China's expression of regret but concluded that the seriousness of the violation of U.S. airspace, sovereignty and international law was such that Blinken’s trip could not go forward as planned.Weather experts said China's claim that the balloon had gone off course was not unfeasible. China’s account of wind patterns known as the Westerlies carrying a balloon to the western United States was “absolutely possible - not possible, likely,” said Dan Jaffe, a professor of atmospheric chemistry at the University of Washington.Still officials called the presence of the balloon “unacceptable” and one said that message had been delivered by Blinken to Chinese State Councilor Wang Yi on Friday.However, the official also said that Blinken had told the Chinese he would be prepared to travel to China “at the earliest opportunity when conditions allow.”Blinken’s long-anticipated meetings with senior Chinese officials had been seen in both countries as a possible way to find some areas of common ground at a time of major disagreements over Taiwan, human rights, China’s claims in the South China Sea, North Korea, Russia’s war in Ukraine, trade policy and climate change.Although the trip, which was agreed to in November by Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping at a summit in Indonesia, had not been formally announced, officials in both Beijing and Washington had spoken in recent days about Blinken’s imminent arrival for meetings on Sunday and Monday.China, which angrily denounces surveillance attempts by the U.S. and others over areas it considers to be its territory and once forced down an American spy plane and held its crew captive on Hainan Island, was relatively conciliatory in its response to the U.S. complaints.In a statement that approached an apology, the Chinese foreign ministry said the balloon was a civilian airship used mainly for meteorological research. It said said the airship had limited “self-steering” capabilities and had “deviated far from its planned course” because of winds.“The Chinese side regrets the unintended entry of the airship into U.S. airspace due to force majeure,” the statement said, citing a legal term used to refer to events beyond one’s control.

🎥Chinese spy balloon reported over NE Kansas

SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a robbery, have made an arrest and are asking the public for help to locate a second suspect. During the investigation of the Jan. 30th weekend robbery, detectives gathered valuable information. The Sheriff’s Office’s Fugitive Warrant Unit located and arrested Michael-Don A. Vincent Sr., 32. Vincent Sr. was booked into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges of aggravated robbery, aggravated assault and theft. Another individual involved in this case is still outstanding. The Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office is asking anyone with information on the whereabouts of 24-year-old Stephanie Santana Munoz, 24, to contact police or email Shawnee County Sheriff's office&nbsp;Stephanie.Dicken@snco.us

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/2/1675435728112.png" alt="Vincent photo Shawnee County" />
 <figcaption>Vincent photo Shawnee County</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a robbery, have made an arrest and are asking the public for help to locate a second suspect. During the investigation of the Jan. 30th weekend robbery, detectives gathered valuable information. The Sheriff’s Office’s Fugitive Warrant Unit located and arrested Michael-Don A. Vincent Sr., 32. Vincent Sr. was booked into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges of aggravated robbery, aggravated assault and theft. Another individual involved in this case is still outstanding. The Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office is asking anyone with information on the whereabouts of 24-year-old Stephanie Santana Munoz, 24, to contact police or email Shawnee County Sheriff's office&nbsp;Stephanie.Dicken@snco.us

Search underway for suspect in Kansas robbery investigation

BARTON COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities investigating an alleged attempted kidnapping in Hoisington say it was "falsely reported."

According to a statement from Hoisington Police on Friday,&nbsp; "During the course of the investigation it was discovered the information was falsely reported and the case is concluded."

"You have to take these all seriously, and we did," said Chief of Police Kenton Doze. "But we needed to re-interview the victim, and he came in this morning and talked with us."

The police thanked the public for all the tips and information regarding this case.

BARTON COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating an alleged attempted kidnapping in Hoisington.

Just after 6p.m. Wednesday, a&nbsp;report was made to the Hoisington Police Department in reference to an attempted kidnapping in the 800 Block of W 2nd Street, according to a media release.

 The victim told police as he was walking he was approached by subjects in a white van. The victim reports a man in the van attempted to force him into the vehicle, although the victim was able to free himself and run. 

The vehicle is described as a white full size van with peeling paint, a sliding rear passenger door and occupied by at least two subjects. 

The van reportedly left Hoisington on W 2nd Street after the incident occurred. 

Police asked anyone with video surveillance or cameras in the area of W 2nd Street in Hoisington at or around the time of this incident to also contact the Police Department.

BARTON COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities investigating an alleged attempted kidnapping in Hoisington say it was "falsely reported."According to a statement from Hoisington Police on Friday,&nbsp; "During the course of the investigation it was discovered the information was falsely reported and the case is concluded.""You have to take these all seriously, and we did," said Chief of Police Kenton Doze. "But we needed to re-interview the victim, and he came in this morning and talked with us."The police thanked the public for all the tips and information regarding this case.------------BARTON COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating an alleged attempted kidnapping in Hoisington.Just after 6p.m. Wednesday, a&nbsp;report was made to the Hoisington Police Department in reference to an attempted kidnapping in the 800 Block of W 2nd Street, according to a media release. The victim told police as he was walking he was approached by subjects in a white van. The victim reports a man in the van attempted to force him into the vehicle, although the victim was able to free himself and run. The vehicle is described as a white full size van with peeling paint, a sliding rear passenger door and occupied by at least two subjects. The van reportedly left Hoisington on W 2nd Street after the incident occurred. Police asked anyone with video surveillance or cameras in the area of W 2nd Street in Hoisington at or around the time of this incident to also contact the Police Department.

Police: Attempted Kansas kidnapping "falsely reported"

WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State Antony Blinken has postponed a planned high-stakes weekend diplomatic trip to China as the Biden administration weighs a broader response to the discovery of a high-altitude Chinese balloon flying over sensitive sites in the western United States, a U.S. official said Friday.

The abrupt decision came despite China’s claim that the balloon was a weather research satellite that had blown off course. The U.S. has described it as a surveillance satellite.

The decision came just hours before Blinken had been due to depart Washington for Beijing and marked a new blow to already strained U.S.-Chinese relations. The official said Blinken and President Joe Biden determined it was best not to proceed with the trip at this time.

Blinken’s long-anticipated meetings with senior Chinese officials had been seen in both countries as a way to find some areas of common ground amid major disagreements over Taiwan, human rights, China’s claims in the South China Sea, North Korea, Russia’s war in Ukraine, trade policy and climate change.

Although the trip, which was agreed to in November by President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping at a summit in Indonesia, had not been formally announced, officials in both Beijing and Washington had been talking in recent days about Blinken’s imminent arrival.

The meetings were to begin on Sunday and go through Monday.

The discovery of the balloon was announced on Thursday by Pentagon officials who said one of the places it was spotted was over the state of Montana, which is home to one of America’s three nuclear missile silo fields at Malmstrom Air Force Base.

A senior defense official said the U.S. prepared fighter jets, including F-22s, to shoot down the balloon if ordered. The Pentagon ultimately recommended against it, noting that even as the balloon was over a sparsely populated area of Montana, its size would create a debris field large enough that it could have put people at risk.

The official said the spy balloon was trying to fly over the Montana missile fields, but the U.S. has assessed that it has “limited” value in terms of providing intelligence it couldn’t obtain by other technologies, such as spy satellites.

Nevertheless, the discovery alarmed many in Washington, leading to several protests lodged with Chinese officials and attracted strong criticism of the administration particularly from Republican members of Congress who have advocating taking a tougher stance with China.

China, which angrily denounces surveillance attempts by the U.S. and others over areas it considers to be its territory and once forced down an American spy plane, offered a generally muted reaction to the Pentagon announcement.

In a relatively conciliatory statement, the Chinese foreign ministry said late Friday that the balloon was a civilian airship used mainly for meteorological research. The ministry said the airship has limited “self-steering” capabilities and “deviated far from its planned course” because of winds.

BEIJING (AP) — China said Friday that a balloon&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/chinese-surveillance-balloon-united-states-montana-47248b0ef2b085620fcd866c105054be">spotted over American airspace</a>&nbsp;was used for weather research and was blown off course, despite U.S. suspicion it was spying. The discovery further strained already tense relations between Beijing and Washington.

The Pentagon decided not to shoot down the balloon, which was potentially flying over sensitive sites, because of concerns of hurting people on the ground.

The U.S. had no immediate response to the Chinese explanation, which came as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was expected to make his first trip to Beijing this weekend. The visit has not been formally announced, and it was unclear if the balloon's discovery would affect his travel plans.

Blinken would be the highest-ranking member of President Joe Biden’s administration to visit China, on a mission to mitigate&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-taiwan-asia-united-states-china-90d436b5cddbb917a4ca3a4395bd6550">a sharp downturn in relations</a>&nbsp;between the countries amid trade disputes and concerns about&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/taiwan-politics-china-government-germany-88cd9b9fcead9d5dba0e8ea364f4dac6">Beijing’s increasingly aggressive stance toward Taiwan</a>&nbsp;and in the South China Sea.

In a statement late Friday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said the balloon was a civilian airship used mainly for meteorological research. The ministry said the airship has limited “self-steering" capabilities and “deviated far from its planned course” because of winds.

“The Chinese side regrets the unintended entry of the airship into U.S. airspace due to force majeure,” the statement said, citing a legal term used to refer to events beyond one's control.

On Thursday, a senior American defense official told Pentagon reporters that the U.S. has “very high confidence” that the object spotted over U.S. airspace in recent days was a Chinese high-altitude balloon and that it was flying over sensitive sites to collect information. One of the places the balloon was spotted was Montana, which is home to one of the nation’s three nuclear missile silo fields at Malmstrom Air Force Base. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive information.

The defense official said the U.S. has assessed that the balloon has “limited” value in terms of providing intelligence that couldn’t be obtained by other technologies, such as spy satellites.

It was unclear what will happen with the balloon if it isn’t brought down.

Pentagon press secretary Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder said Thursday that similar balloon activity has been seen in the past several years and the government has taken steps to ensure no sensitive information was stolen.

He said the balloon was traveling well above the height at which commercial aircraft fly and didn't present a threat to people on the ground.

Biden was briefed and asked the military to present options, according to a senior administration official, who was also not authorized to publicly discuss sensitive information. The senior defense official said the U.S. prepared fighter jets, including F-22s, to shoot down the balloon if ordered.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Army Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, advised against taking “kinetic action” because of risks to the safety of people on the ground. Biden, a Democrat, accepted that recommendation.

Even though the balloon was over a sparsely populated area of Montana, its size would create a debris field large enough that it could have put people at risk.

The defense official would not specify the size of the balloon but said commercial pilots could spot it from their cockpits.

The balloon was first reported by NBC News.

A photograph of a large white balloon lingering over the area was captured by The Billings Gazette. It could be seen drifting in and out of clouds and had what appeared to be a solar array hanging from the bottom, Gazette photographer Larry Mayer said.

The balloon's appearance adds to national security concerns among American lawmakers over China's influence in the U.S., ranging from the prevalence of the hugely popular&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-politics-d33e58c76bb3c13297c72816ef4e6231">smartphone app TikTok</a>&nbsp;to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-business-ap-top-news-us-news-china-ebf7a2646dda9371fe2762a5a3f1804f">purchases of American farmland</a>.

“China’s brazen disregard for U.S. sovereignty is a destabilizing action that must be addressed,” Republican Party House Speaker Kevin McCarthy tweeted.

Tensions with China are particularly high on numerous issues, ranging from Taiwan and the South China Sea to human rights in China’s western Xinjiang region and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/china-hong-kong-beijing-democracy-national-security-9e3c405923c24b6889c1bcf171f6def4">the clampdown on democracy activists in Hong Kong</a>. Not least on that list of irritants are China’s tacit support for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine">Russia’s invasion of Ukraine</a>, its refusal to rein in North Korea’s expanding ballistic missile program and ongoing disputes over trade and technology.

On Tuesday, Taiwan&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/taiwan-politics-government-china-3aa7802d440440aaf4544aca7f5463d2">scrambled fighter jets</a>, put its navy on alert and activated missile systems in response to nearby operations by 34 Chinese military aircraft and nine warships that are part Beijing’s strategy to unsettle and intimidate the self-governing island democracy.

Twenty of those aircraft crossed the central line in the Taiwan Strait that has long been an unofficial buffer zone between the two sides, which separated during a civil war in 1949.

Beijing has also increased preparations for a potential blockade or military action against Taiwan, which has stirred increasing concern among military leaders, diplomats and elected officials in the U.S., Taiwan’s key ally.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State Antony Blinken has postponed a planned high-stakes weekend diplomatic trip to China as the Biden administration weighs a broader response to the discovery of a high-altitude Chinese balloon flying over sensitive sites in the western United States, a U.S. official said Friday.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Photos taken by coworker, Paul Holzwarth. <a href="https://t.co/Ita7e32xWp">pic.twitter.com/Ita7e32xWp</a>&mdash; John Martin (@MartinInMontana) <a href="https://twitter.com/MartinInMontana/status/1621283053661483008?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 2, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The abrupt decision came despite China’s claim that the balloon was a weather research satellite that had blown off course. The U.S. has described it as a surveillance satellite.The decision came just hours before Blinken had been due to depart Washington for Beijing and marked a new blow to already strained U.S.-Chinese relations. The official said Blinken and President Joe Biden determined it was best not to proceed with the trip at this time.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/2/1675438997135.png" alt="During a Friday morning press conference on jobs, President Biden refused to answer questions about the spy balloon." />
 <figcaption>During a Friday morning press conference on jobs, President Biden refused to answer questions about the spy balloon.</figcaption>
 </figure>Blinken’s long-anticipated meetings with senior Chinese officials had been seen in both countries as a way to find some areas of common ground amid major disagreements over Taiwan, human rights, China’s claims in the South China Sea, North Korea, Russia’s war in Ukraine, trade policy and climate change.Although the trip, which was agreed to in November by President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping at a summit in Indonesia, had not been formally announced, officials in both Beijing and Washington had been talking in recent days about Blinken’s imminent arrival.The meetings were to begin on Sunday and go through Monday.The discovery of the balloon was announced on Thursday by Pentagon officials who said one of the places it was spotted was over the state of Montana, which is home to one of America’s three nuclear missile silo fields at Malmstrom Air Force Base.A senior defense official said the U.S. prepared fighter jets, including F-22s, to shoot down the balloon if ordered. The Pentagon ultimately recommended against it, noting that even as the balloon was over a sparsely populated area of Montana, its size would create a debris field large enough that it could have put people at risk.The official said the spy balloon was trying to fly over the Montana missile fields, but the U.S. has assessed that it has “limited” value in terms of providing intelligence it couldn’t obtain by other technologies, such as spy satellites.Nevertheless, the discovery alarmed many in Washington, leading to several protests lodged with Chinese officials and attracted strong criticism of the administration particularly from Republican members of Congress who have advocating taking a tougher stance with China.China, which angrily denounces surveillance attempts by the U.S. and others over areas it considers to be its territory and once forced down an American spy plane, offered a generally muted reaction to the Pentagon announcement.In a relatively conciliatory statement, the Chinese foreign ministry said late Friday that the balloon was a civilian airship used mainly for meteorological research. The ministry said the airship has limited “self-steering” capabilities and “deviated far from its planned course” because of winds.“The Chinese side regrets the unintended entry of the airship into U.S. airspace due to force majeure,” the statement said, citing a legal term used to refer to events beyond one’s control.--------------BEIJING (AP) — China said Friday that a balloon&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/chinese-surveillance-balloon-united-states-montana-47248b0ef2b085620fcd866c105054be">spotted over American airspace</a>&nbsp;was used for weather research and was blown off course, despite U.S. suspicion it was spying. The discovery further strained already tense relations between Beijing and Washington.The Pentagon decided not to shoot down the balloon, which was potentially flying over sensitive sites, because of concerns of hurting people on the ground.The U.S. had no immediate response to the Chinese explanation, which came as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was expected to make his first trip to Beijing this weekend. The visit has not been formally announced, and it was unclear if the balloon's discovery would affect his travel plans.Blinken would be the highest-ranking member of President Joe Biden’s administration to visit China, on a mission to mitigate&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-taiwan-asia-united-states-china-90d436b5cddbb917a4ca3a4395bd6550">a sharp downturn in relations</a>&nbsp;between the countries amid trade disputes and concerns about&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/taiwan-politics-china-government-germany-88cd9b9fcead9d5dba0e8ea364f4dac6">Beijing’s increasingly aggressive stance toward Taiwan</a>&nbsp;and in the South China Sea.In a statement late Friday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said the balloon was a civilian airship used mainly for meteorological research. The ministry said the airship has limited “self-steering" capabilities and “deviated far from its planned course” because of winds.“The Chinese side regrets the unintended entry of the airship into U.S. airspace due to force majeure,” the statement said, citing a legal term used to refer to events beyond one's control.On Thursday, a senior American defense official told Pentagon reporters that the U.S. has “very high confidence” that the object spotted over U.S. airspace in recent days was a Chinese high-altitude balloon and that it was flying over sensitive sites to collect information. One of the places the balloon was spotted was Montana, which is home to one of the nation’s three nuclear missile silo fields at Malmstrom Air Force Base. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive information.The defense official said the U.S. has assessed that the balloon has “limited” value in terms of providing intelligence that couldn’t be obtained by other technologies, such as spy satellites.It was unclear what will happen with the balloon if it isn’t brought down.Pentagon press secretary Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder said Thursday that similar balloon activity has been seen in the past several years and the government has taken steps to ensure no sensitive information was stolen.He said the balloon was traveling well above the height at which commercial aircraft fly and didn't present a threat to people on the ground.Biden was briefed and asked the military to present options, according to a senior administration official, who was also not authorized to publicly discuss sensitive information. The senior defense official said the U.S. prepared fighter jets, including F-22s, to shoot down the balloon if ordered.Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Army Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, advised against taking “kinetic action” because of risks to the safety of people on the ground. Biden, a Democrat, accepted that recommendation.Even though the balloon was over a sparsely populated area of Montana, its size would create a debris field large enough that it could have put people at risk.The defense official would not specify the size of the balloon but said commercial pilots could spot it from their cockpits.The balloon was first reported by NBC News.A photograph of a large white balloon lingering over the area was captured by The Billings Gazette. It could be seen drifting in and out of clouds and had what appeared to be a solar array hanging from the bottom, Gazette photographer Larry Mayer said.The balloon's appearance adds to national security concerns among American lawmakers over China's influence in the U.S., ranging from the prevalence of the hugely popular&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-politics-d33e58c76bb3c13297c72816ef4e6231">smartphone app TikTok</a>&nbsp;to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-business-ap-top-news-us-news-china-ebf7a2646dda9371fe2762a5a3f1804f">purchases of American farmland</a>.“China’s brazen disregard for U.S. sovereignty is a destabilizing action that must be addressed,” Republican Party House Speaker Kevin McCarthy tweeted.Tensions with China are particularly high on numerous issues, ranging from Taiwan and the South China Sea to human rights in China’s western Xinjiang region and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/china-hong-kong-beijing-democracy-national-security-9e3c405923c24b6889c1bcf171f6def4">the clampdown on democracy activists in Hong Kong</a>. Not least on that list of irritants are China’s tacit support for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine">Russia’s invasion of Ukraine</a>, its refusal to rein in North Korea’s expanding ballistic missile program and ongoing disputes over trade and technology.On Tuesday, Taiwan&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/taiwan-politics-government-china-3aa7802d440440aaf4544aca7f5463d2">scrambled fighter jets</a>, put its navy on alert and activated missile systems in response to nearby operations by 34 Chinese military aircraft and nine warships that are part Beijing’s strategy to unsettle and intimidate the self-governing island democracy.Twenty of those aircraft crossed the central line in the Taiwan Strait that has long been an unofficial buffer zone between the two sides, which separated during a civil war in 1949.Beijing has also increased preparations for a potential blockade or military action against Taiwan, which has stirred increasing concern among military leaders, diplomats and elected officials in the U.S., Taiwan’s key ally.

U.S. Sec. of State postpones China trip due to spy balloon 

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

Security camera show three individuals who over the past few days have stolen $1,500.00 in merchandise from Boot Barn at 6501 W. Kellogg Drive in Wichita.

If you recognize these thieves please contact investigators at 316-268-4407.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/2/1675424968648.png" alt="Photos Wichita Police" />
 <figcaption>Photos Wichita Police</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a burglary and are asking for help to identify suspects.Security camera show three individuals who over the past few days have stolen $1,500.00 in merchandise from Boot Barn at 6501 W. Kellogg Drive in Wichita.If you recognize these thieves please contact investigators at 316-268-4407.

Police: Suspects took $1500 in merchandise from Kan. Boot store 

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas plans to give $304 million in taxpayer-funded incentives to a semiconductor company in its largest city to build a huge new factory, but the project won't go forward without funds the U.S. government has promised for rebuilding the nation's chip-making capacity.

Gov. Laura Kelly announced Thursday that Kansas has an agreement with Integra Technologies, based in Wichita, for a 10-year package of tax breaks and reimbursement of expenses. State officials said the new, $1.8 billion plant would cover 1 million square feet, have 2,000 employees and create 3,000 additional jobs among suppliers and other local businesses.

The announcement comes with the U.S. trying to reverse a loss of capacity for making the chips that are vital to smartphones, laptops and other modern-day conveniences, as well as automobiles and life-saving medical devices.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-science-technology-united-states-economy-2fa651c540c9869890dfe670bcdcb7ea">Congress last year approved</a>&nbsp;a measure that provides more than $52 billion in grants and other incentives for the semiconductor industry.

Kelly told reporters during a Statehouse news conference that the state's incentives are crucial to attracting the federal funds and "making Kansas an essential part of our country's national security efforts.”

“This advanced manufacturing facility is part of a national push to restore our semiconductor industry so that U.S. workers and businesses can compete and win in the race for the 21st Century," Kelly said.

Integra CEO Brett Robinson would not say how much federal funding the company needs, only that there is “no commercially viable way” to do the project without it. He and state officials said other states were trying to attract the project, though they did not disclose the competitors.

“It's not just critical to the United States and to security, but it's critical to the supply chain,” said Kansas Senate President Ty Masterson, a Wichita-area Republican.

President Joe Biden pushed Congress last year to boost the U.S. semiconductor industry, because of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-business-congress-asia-economy-2868a5c494e99a2050a3f9495ba2b544">a shortage of chips</a>&nbsp;made worse by the global coronavirus pandemic and concerns about competing with international rivals, particularly China. There’s been a decades-long shift to cheaper-to-operate Asian chip plants, and the industry is now dependent on Taiwan, which China has long claimed as its own.

“If we were ever to lose, for a sustainable amount of time, access to the southeast Asian supply chain, what we just went through would pale in comparison,” Robinson said.

Integra, founded in 1983, has about 500 employees in Wichita and Silicon Valley and describes itself as the largest U.S. provider of the last two major assembly and testing steps in the chip manufacturing process. The new factory is expected to pay an average annual wage of $51,000, about 46% higher than the state's average of roughly $35,000.

For Integra to receive its incentives, it must invest at least $1.5 billion in the new factory in the next five years and consistently provide the equivalent of 1,600 full-time jobs for 10 consecutive years.

The incentives are part of a program Kansas&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-legislature-kansas-topeka-037f833f5cd40ee94dcfe5003e955eeb">created last year</a>&nbsp;to ramp up its efforts to compete with other states for new, large factories. Under that program, the state was allowed to offer up to $1 billion in incentives to a single company each in 2022 and 2023.

In July 2022, Kelly and other state officials announced that Panasonic Corp.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-legislature-oklahoma-kansas-topeka-a6a50dea941774e9a1f3bdba6c49df06">plans to build a mega-factory to produce electric vehicle batteries</a>&nbsp;for Tesla and other carmakers. The state lured the Japanese electronics giant's project to the edge of the Kansas City area with incentives worth $829 million over 10 years, the most the state has ever offered.

<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li_2022/b2021_22/measures/documents/summary_sb_347_2022">The law</a>&nbsp;allowing the incentives required top leaders of the Republican-controlled Legislature to sign off any deal between a company and the state Department of Commerce, which is led by Lt. Gov. David Toland, a Democrat like Kelly. The legislative leaders gave their approval just minutes ahead of the announcement, after meeting in private with Kelly for half an hour to review the agreement, with no opportunity for public review or input.

The law also requires Kansas to drop its corporate income tax rates by half a percentage point for each mega-deal. If the Integra project goes forward, the top rate would decline to 6% from 7%, saving all corporations roughly $100 million a year.

While both mega-projects have had bipartisan support, some lawmakers are critical of promising such big taxpayer-funded incentives to a single firm.

“We have not written the checks for this first project and they’re starting the second one without even knowing that it works,” state Senate tax committee Chair Caryn Tyson, a conservative Republican from eastern Kansas, said before Thursday's announcement.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/2/1675382569101.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>By JOHN HANNA&nbsp;TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas plans to give $304 million in taxpayer-funded incentives to a semiconductor company in its largest city to build a huge new factory, but the project won't go forward without funds the U.S. government has promised for rebuilding the nation's chip-making capacity.Gov. Laura Kelly announced Thursday that Kansas has an agreement with Integra Technologies, based in Wichita, for a 10-year package of tax breaks and reimbursement of expenses. State officials said the new, $1.8 billion plant would cover 1 million square feet, have 2,000 employees and create 3,000 additional jobs among suppliers and other local businesses.The announcement comes with the U.S. trying to reverse a loss of capacity for making the chips that are vital to smartphones, laptops and other modern-day conveniences, as well as automobiles and life-saving medical devices.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-science-technology-united-states-economy-2fa651c540c9869890dfe670bcdcb7ea">Congress last year approved</a>&nbsp;a measure that provides more than $52 billion in grants and other incentives for the semiconductor industry.Kelly told reporters during a Statehouse news conference that the state's incentives are crucial to attracting the federal funds and "making Kansas an essential part of our country's national security efforts.”“This advanced manufacturing facility is part of a national push to restore our semiconductor industry so that U.S. workers and businesses can compete and win in the race for the 21st Century," Kelly said.Integra CEO Brett Robinson would not say how much federal funding the company needs, only that there is “no commercially viable way” to do the project without it. He and state officials said other states were trying to attract the project, though they did not disclose the competitors.“It's not just critical to the United States and to security, but it's critical to the supply chain,” said Kansas Senate President Ty Masterson, a Wichita-area Republican.President Joe Biden pushed Congress last year to boost the U.S. semiconductor industry, because of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-business-congress-asia-economy-2868a5c494e99a2050a3f9495ba2b544">a shortage of chips</a>&nbsp;made worse by the global coronavirus pandemic and concerns about competing with international rivals, particularly China. There’s been a decades-long shift to cheaper-to-operate Asian chip plants, and the industry is now dependent on Taiwan, which China has long claimed as its own.“If we were ever to lose, for a sustainable amount of time, access to the southeast Asian supply chain, what we just went through would pale in comparison,” Robinson said.Integra, founded in 1983, has about 500 employees in Wichita and Silicon Valley and describes itself as the largest U.S. provider of the last two major assembly and testing steps in the chip manufacturing process. The new factory is expected to pay an average annual wage of $51,000, about 46% higher than the state's average of roughly $35,000.For Integra to receive its incentives, it must invest at least $1.5 billion in the new factory in the next five years and consistently provide the equivalent of 1,600 full-time jobs for 10 consecutive years.The incentives are part of a program Kansas&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-legislature-kansas-topeka-037f833f5cd40ee94dcfe5003e955eeb">created last year</a>&nbsp;to ramp up its efforts to compete with other states for new, large factories. Under that program, the state was allowed to offer up to $1 billion in incentives to a single company each in 2022 and 2023.In July 2022, Kelly and other state officials announced that Panasonic Corp.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-legislature-oklahoma-kansas-topeka-a6a50dea941774e9a1f3bdba6c49df06">plans to build a mega-factory to produce electric vehicle batteries</a>&nbsp;for Tesla and other carmakers. The state lured the Japanese electronics giant's project to the edge of the Kansas City area with incentives worth $829 million over 10 years, the most the state has ever offered.<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li_2022/b2021_22/measures/documents/summary_sb_347_2022">The law</a>&nbsp;allowing the incentives required top leaders of the Republican-controlled Legislature to sign off any deal between a company and the state Department of Commerce, which is led by Lt. Gov. David Toland, a Democrat like Kelly. The legislative leaders gave their approval just minutes ahead of the announcement, after meeting in private with Kelly for half an hour to review the agreement, with no opportunity for public review or input.The law also requires Kansas to drop its corporate income tax rates by half a percentage point for each mega-deal. If the Integra project goes forward, the top rate would decline to 6% from 7%, saving all corporations roughly $100 million a year.While both mega-projects have had bipartisan support, some lawmakers are critical of promising such big taxpayer-funded incentives to a single firm.“We have not written the checks for this first project and they’re starting the second one without even knowing that it works,” state Senate tax committee Chair Caryn Tyson, a conservative Republican from eastern Kansas, said before Thursday's announcement.

Kansas commits $304M to chip plant to lure federal funds

FINNEY COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect for alleged child sex crimes.

On Wednesday, a family contacted the Garden City Police Department and reported their 15-year-old child was involved in a relationship with a 22-year-old man from South Carolina, according to a media release.

Officers were told that the individuals had shared explicit photographs with each other. During the investigation, it was learned that the man, identified as Justin Raines, had traveled to Garden City and was staying at&nbsp; the AmericInn, 3020 E. Kansas Avenue in Garden City. 

Raines had barricaded himself in his room and was making suicidal comments while he was in possession of a knife.

Officers responded to the hotel and attempted to negotiate with Raines.&nbsp; He refused to exit the room and surrender to police. 

After a search warrant was obtained, Raines was arrested and taken into custody. He is being held on requested charges that include 9 counts of Sexual Exploitation of a Child (Possession)&nbsp; and 9 counts of Sexual Exploitation of a Child (Transmission).

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/2/1675394221837.png" alt="Raines-photo Finney Co." />
 <figcaption>Raines-photo Finney Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>FINNEY COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect for alleged child sex crimes.On Wednesday, a family contacted the Garden City Police Department and reported their 15-year-old child was involved in a relationship with a 22-year-old man from South Carolina, according to a media release.Officers were told that the individuals had shared explicit photographs with each other. During the investigation, it was learned that the man, identified as Justin Raines, had traveled to Garden City and was staying at&nbsp; the AmericInn, 3020 E. Kansas Avenue in Garden City. Raines had barricaded himself in his room and was making suicidal comments while he was in possession of a knife.Officers responded to the hotel and attempted to negotiate with Raines.&nbsp; He refused to exit the room and surrender to police. After a search warrant was obtained, Raines was arrested and taken into custody. He is being held on requested charges that include 9 counts of Sexual Exploitation of a Child (Possession)&nbsp; and 9 counts of Sexual Exploitation of a Child (Transmission).

Man from So. Carolina jailed after trip to meet 15-year-old in SW Kan.

WASHINGTON (AP) — After months of agonizing, the U.S has agreed to send longer-range bombs to Ukraine as it prepares to launch a spring offensive to retake territory Russia captured last year, U.S. officials said Thursday, confirming that the new weapons will have roughly double the range of any other offensive weapon provided by America.

The U.S. will provide ground-launched small diameter bombs as part of a $2.17 billion aid package it is expected to announce Friday, several U.S. officials said. The package also for the first time includes equipment to connect all the different air defense systems Western allies have rushed to the battlefield and integrate them into Ukraine's own air defenses, to help it better defend against Russia's&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-kyiv-politics-government-european-union-30925e2a28638d1fb971b64d10acd6f8">missile attacks.</a>

For months, U.S. officials have hesitated to send longer-range systems to Ukraine out of concern that they would be used to target inside Russia, escalating the conflict and drawing the U.S. deeper in. The longer-range bombs are the latest advanced system, such as Abrams tanks and the Patriot missile defense system, that the U.S. has eventually agreed to provide Ukraine&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-military-technology-germany-7b63726a3935da3f03424e98e52a85b2">after initially saying no.</a>&nbsp;U.S. officials, though, have continued to reject Ukraine’s requests for fighter jets.

Ukrainian leaders have urgently pressed for longer-range munitions, and on Thursday officials said the U.S. will send an undisclosed number of the ground-launched, small diameter bombs, which have a range of about 95 miles (150 kilometers). The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details of the aid package not yet made public.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/12/1671662635298.png" alt="-The U.S. aid package includes $425 million in ammunition and support equipment that will be pulled from existing Pentagon stockpiles and $1.75 billion in new funding through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which is used to purchase new weapons from industry.-White House photo" />
 <figcaption>-The U.S. aid package includes $425 million in ammunition and support equipment that will be pulled from existing Pentagon stockpiles and $1.75 billion in new funding through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which is used to purchase new weapons from industry.-White House photo</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — After months of agonizing, the U.S has agreed to send longer-range bombs to Ukraine as it prepares to launch a spring offensive to retake territory Russia captured last year, U.S. officials said Thursday, confirming that the new weapons will have roughly double the range of any other offensive weapon provided by America.The U.S. will provide ground-launched small diameter bombs as part of a $2.17 billion aid package it is expected to announce Friday, several U.S. officials said. The package also for the first time includes equipment to connect all the different air defense systems Western allies have rushed to the battlefield and integrate them into Ukraine's own air defenses, to help it better defend against Russia's&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-kyiv-politics-government-european-union-30925e2a28638d1fb971b64d10acd6f8">missile attacks.</a>For months, U.S. officials have hesitated to send longer-range systems to Ukraine out of concern that they would be used to target inside Russia, escalating the conflict and drawing the U.S. deeper in. The longer-range bombs are the latest advanced system, such as Abrams tanks and the Patriot missile defense system, that the U.S. has eventually agreed to provide Ukraine&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-military-technology-germany-7b63726a3935da3f03424e98e52a85b2">after initially saying no.</a>&nbsp;U.S. officials, though, have continued to reject Ukraine’s requests for fighter jets.Ukrainian leaders have urgently pressed for longer-range munitions, and on Thursday officials said the U.S. will send an undisclosed number of the ground-launched, small diameter bombs, which have a range of about 95 miles (150 kilometers). The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details of the aid package not yet made public.To date, the longest-range missile provided by the U.S. is about 50 miles (80 kilometers). The funding in the aid package is for longer-term purchases, so it wasn't clear Thursday how long it will take to get the bomb to the battlefield in Ukraine.Ukraine's defense minister, Oleksii Reznikov, said Thursday the country is prepared to offer guarantees to its Western partners that their weapons won’t be used to strike inside Russian territory, adding that Kyiv needs weapons with a range of up to 300 kilometers ( about 185 miles) to expel the Russian forces.“If we could strike at a distance of up to 300 kilometers, the Russian army wouldn’t be able to mount a defense and will have to withdraw,” Reznikov said at a meeting with EU officials. “Ukraine is ready to provide any guarantees that your weapons will not be involved in attacks on the Russian territory. We have enough targets in the occupied areas of Ukraine, and we’re prepared to coordinate on (these) targets with our partners."The U.S. aid package includes $425 million in ammunition and support equipment that will be pulled from existing Pentagon stockpiles and $1.75 billion in new funding through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which is used to purchase new weapons from industry.The assistance initiative, which will pay for the longer-range bombs and the air defense system integration, also funds two HAWK air defense systems, anti-aircraft guns and ammunition, and counter-drone systems.Since Russia's invasion last February, Western allies have pledged a myriad of air defense systems to Ukraine to bolster its own Soviet-made S-300 surface-to-air missile defense systems, and the latest aid package aims to provide the capability to integrate them all, which could improve Ukraine's ability to protect itself against incoming Russian attacks.The U.S. has pledged medium- to long-range National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems, or NASAMS, and truck-launched short-range Avenger air defense systems; the Netherlands, Germany and the U.S. are sending Patriot missile defense systems; Germany is sending medium-range IRIS-T air defense systems; and Spain is sending Aspide anti-aircraft air defense systems.The addition of longer-range bombs to the latest aid package was first reported by Reuters.Ukraine is still seeking F-16 fighter jets, which U.S. President Joe Biden has opposed sending since the beginning of the war. Asked Monday if his administration was considering sending F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, Biden responded, “No.”On Tuesday, the Ukrainian defense minister was asked if Biden’s ’’no” to F-16s was the final word.“All types of help first passed through the ‘no’ stage,” Reznikov said. “Which only means ‘no’ at today’s given moment. The second stage is, ‘Let’s talk and study technical possibilities.’ The third stage is, ‘Let’s get your personnel trained.’ And the fourth stage is the transfer (of equipment).”—-