SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating two deaths at an unhoused encampment in Sedgwick County.

Just after 8a.m. Sunday, police were dispatched to an overdose call in the 2900 hundred block of South Washington in Wichita, according to Officer Chad Ditch.

First responders found the body of a 20-year-old woman identified as Stevie Metts and a 35-year-old man, both of Wichita unresponsive and unconscious. They were pronounced deceased on the scene. 

A 25-year-old man and a 41-year-old woman were also located nearby unresponsive and unconscious.&nbsp; EMS transported them to a local hospital in grave condition, according to Ditch.

The investigation is still in its preliminary stages, however, police believe this to be a case of fentanyl poisoning.

The Wichita Police Department reminds the public to only take prescription pills given to you by a Doctor.

Anyone who might know anything about this case is asked to call investigators at 316-268-4407, Crime Stoppers at 316-267-2111, or the See Something Say Something hotline at 316-519-2282

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/2/1581438940073.png" alt="Police continue warning that drugs laced with fentanyl are contributing to overdose deaths -photo courtesy Wichita Police" />
 <figcaption>Police continue warning that drugs laced with fentanyl are contributing to overdose deaths -photo courtesy Wichita Police</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating two deaths at an unhoused encampment in Sedgwick County.Just after 8a.m. Sunday, police were dispatched to an overdose call in the 2900 hundred block of South Washington in Wichita, according to Officer Chad Ditch.First responders found the body of a 20-year-old woman identified as Stevie Metts and a 35-year-old man, both of Wichita unresponsive and unconscious. They were pronounced deceased on the scene. A 25-year-old man and a 41-year-old woman were also located nearby unresponsive and unconscious.&nbsp; EMS transported them to a local hospital in grave condition, according to Ditch.The investigation is still in its preliminary stages, however, police believe this to be a case of fentanyl poisoning.The Wichita Police Department reminds the public to only take prescription pills given to you by a Doctor.Anyone who might know anything about this case is asked to call investigators at 316-268-4407, Crime Stoppers at 316-267-2111, or the See Something Say Something hotline at 316-519-2282

Police investigating weekend fentanyl deaths in Kansas

WASHINGTON (AP) — When President Joe Biden speaks about&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/JoeBiden/status/1322976702419636225?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">the “scourge” of gun violence</a>, his go-to answer is to zero in on so-called&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2022/11/24/remarks-by-president-biden-after-visiting-with-local-firefighters/">assault weapons</a>.

America has heard it hundreds of times, including this week after shootings&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/shootings-colorado-gun-politics-springs-7f079c7feebc32cc8ad46f2724844c18">in Colorado</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-shootings-virginia-holidays-51f60562dd259f73ce19c1b4d2f20ded">Virginia</a>: The president wants&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/11/20/statement-by-president-biden-on-the-deadly-shooting-in-colorado-springs/">to sign into law a ban on high-powered guns</a>&nbsp;that have the capacity to kill many people very quickly.

“The idea we still allow semi-automatic weapons to be purchased is sick. Just sick," Biden said on Thanksgiving Day. “I’m going to try to get rid of assault weapons.”

After the mass killing last Saturday at a gay nightclub in Colorado Springs, he said in a statement: "When will we decide we’ve had enough? ... We need to enact an assault weapons ban to get weapons of war off America’s streets.”

When Biden and other lawmakers talk about “assault weapons,” they are using an inexact term to describe a group of high-powered guns or semi-automatic long rifles, like an AR-15, that can fire 30 rounds fast without reloading. By comparison, New York Police Department officers carry a handgun that shoots about half that much.

A weapons ban is far off in a closely divided Congress. But Biden and the Democrats have become increasingly emboldened in pushing for stronger gun controls — and doing so with no clear electoral consequences.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/gun-violence-politics-shootings-congress-fd91c092aef91a992ee959399ba6f222">The Democratic-led House passed legislation</a>&nbsp;in July to revive a 1990s-era ban on “assault weapons," with&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/07/29/statement-from-president-biden-on-house-passage-of-assault-weapons-ban/">Biden’s vocal support</a>. And the president pushed a ban nearly everywhere that he campaigned this year.

Still, in the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-house-control-79475a4fc11e4375cd0dded651b9eede">midterm elections</a>, Democrats kept control of the Senate and Republicans were only able to claim the slimmest House majority in two decades.

The tough talk follows&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-gun-violence-bill-live-updates-20f7c9738fee4eba1d7fed155301ee25">passage</a>&nbsp;in June of a landmark&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-signs-gun-violence-bill-c21249287f976c2c164d8753205c2e6d">bipartisan bill on gun laws</a>, and it reflects steady progress that gun control advocates have been making in recent years.

“I think the American public has been waiting for this message,” said Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., who has been the Senate’s leading advocate for stronger gun control since the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/sandy-hook-elementary-school-shooting">massacre of 20 children at a school in Newtown, Connecticut in 2012.</a>&nbsp;“There has been a thirst from voters, especially swing voters, young voters, parents, to hear candidates talk about gun violence, and I think Democrats are finally sort of catching up with where the public has been.”

Just over half of voters want to see nationwide gun policy made more strict, according to AP VoteCast, an extensive survey of more than 94,000 voters nationwide conducted for The Associated Press by NORC at the University of Chicago. About 3 in 10 want gun policy kept as is. Only 14% prefer looser gun laws.

There are clear partisan divides. About 9 in 10 Democrats want stricter gun laws, compared with about 3 in 10 Republicans. About half of Republicans want gun laws left as they are and only one-quarter want to see gun laws be made less strict.

Once banned in the United States, the high-powered firearms are now the weapon of choice among young men responsible for many of the most devastating mass shootings. Congress allowed the restrictions first put in place in 1994 on the manufacture and sales of the weapons to expire a decade later, unable to muster the political support to counter the powerful gun lobby and reinstate the weapons ban.

When he was governor of Florida, current Republican Sen. Rick Scott&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/school-shootings-shootings-north-america-us-news-ap-top-news-039aaaa0f5b04a70bb34ea3022801ef1">signed gun control laws</a>&nbsp;in the wake of mass shootings at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and a night club in Orlando. But he has consistently opposed weapons bans, arguing like many of his Republican colleagues that most gun owners use them lawfully.

“People are doing the right thing, why would we take away their weapons?” Scott asked as the Senate was negotiating gun legislation last summer. “It doesn’t make any sense.”

He said more mental health counseling, assessments of troubled students and law enforcement on campus make more sense.

“Let’s focus on things that actually would change something,” Scott said.

Law enforcement officials have long called for stricter gun laws, arguing that the availability of these weapons makes people less safe and makes their jobs more dangerous.

Mike Moore, chief of the Los Angeles Police Department, the country's third-largest, said it just makes sense to talk about guns when gun violence is rising nationwide, and consider what the government can do to make the streets safer. He is grateful Biden is bringing it up so much.

“This isn't a one-and-done,” Moore said of the shooting in Colorado Springs. "These things are evolving all the time, in other cities, at any moment another incident happens. It's crying out for the federal government, for our legislators, to go out and make this change,” he said.

On Tuesday, six people were shot dead at a Walmart in Virginia. Over the past six months there has been a supermarket&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/buffalo-supermarket-shooting">shooting in Buffalo, New York</a>; a massacre of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/uvalde-school-shooting">school children in Uvalde, Texas</a>; and the July Fourth killing of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/highland-park-july-4-shooting">revelers in Highland Park, Illinois.</a>

The legislation that Biden signed in June will, among other things, help states put in place “red flag” laws that make it easier for authorities to take weapons from people judged to be dangerous.

A 60-vote threshold in the Senate means some Republicans must be on board. Most are are steadfastly opposed, arguing it would be too complicated, especially as sales and varieties of the firearms have proliferated. There are many more types of these high-powered guns today than in 1994, when the ban was signed into law by President Bill Clinton.

“I’d rather not try to define a whole group of guns as being no longer available to the American public,” said Republican Sen. Mike Rounds of South Dakota, who is a hunter and owns several guns, some of them passed down through his family. “For those of us who have grown up with guns as part of our culture, and we use them as tools — there’s millions of us, there’s hundreds of millions of us — that use them lawfully.”

In many states where the bans have been enacted, the restrictions are being challenged in court, gaining strength from a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-guns-decision-58d01ef8bd48e816d5f8761ffa84e3e8">Supreme Court ruling</a>&nbsp;in June expanding gun rights.

“We feel pretty confident, even despite the arguments made by the other side, that history and tradition as well as the text of the Second Amendment are on our side," said David Warrington, chairman and general counsel for the National Association for Gun Rights.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/john-hinckley-biden-texas-buffalo-congress-588e9c6e02139b35043143932fe993c6">Biden was instrumental</a>&nbsp;in helping secure the 1990s ban as a senator. The White House said that while it was in place, mass shootings declined, and when it expired in 2004, shootings tripled.

The reality is complicated. The data on the effectiveness is mixed and there is a sense that other measures that are not as politically fraught might actually be more effective, said Robert Spitzer, a political science professor at the State University of New York-Cortland and author of “The Politics of Gun Control."

Politically, the ban sparked a backlash, even though the final law was a compromise version of the initial bill, he said.

“The gun community was furious,” Spitzer said.

The ban has been blamed in some circles for the Democrats losing control of Congress in 1994, though subsequent research has shown that the loss was likely more about strong, well-funded conservative candidates and district boundaries, Spitzer said.

Still, after Democrat Al Gore, who supported stricter gun laws, lost the 2000 White House race to Republican George W. Bush, Democrats largely backed off the issue until the Sandy Hook shooting in 2012. Even after that, it was not a campaign topic until the 2018 midterms.

“The fact that the American people elected a president who has long been a vocal and steadfast supporter of bold gun safety laws — and recently reelected a gun sense majority to the Senate — says everything you need to know about how dramatically the politics on this issue have shifted,” said John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1668949980895.png" alt="First responders at the mass shooting outside an LGBTQ club in Colorado Springs this month." />
 <figcaption>First responders at the mass shooting outside an LGBTQ club in Colorado Springs this month.</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — When President Joe Biden speaks about&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/JoeBiden/status/1322976702419636225?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">the “scourge” of gun violence</a>, his go-to answer is to zero in on so-called&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2022/11/24/remarks-by-president-biden-after-visiting-with-local-firefighters/">assault weapons</a>.America has heard it hundreds of times, including this week after shootings&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/shootings-colorado-gun-politics-springs-7f079c7feebc32cc8ad46f2724844c18">in Colorado</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-shootings-virginia-holidays-51f60562dd259f73ce19c1b4d2f20ded">Virginia</a>: The president wants&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/11/20/statement-by-president-biden-on-the-deadly-shooting-in-colorado-springs/">to sign into law a ban on high-powered guns</a>&nbsp;that have the capacity to kill many people very quickly.“The idea we still allow semi-automatic weapons to be purchased is sick. Just sick," Biden said on Thanksgiving Day. “I’m going to try to get rid of assault weapons.”After the mass killing last Saturday at a gay nightclub in Colorado Springs, he said in a statement: "When will we decide we’ve had enough? ... We need to enact an assault weapons ban to get weapons of war off America’s streets.”When Biden and other lawmakers talk about “assault weapons,” they are using an inexact term to describe a group of high-powered guns or semi-automatic long rifles, like an AR-15, that can fire 30 rounds fast without reloading. By comparison, New York Police Department officers carry a handgun that shoots about half that much.A weapons ban is far off in a closely divided Congress. But Biden and the Democrats have become increasingly emboldened in pushing for stronger gun controls — and doing so with no clear electoral consequences.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/10/1666897140016.png" alt="This image provided by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department shows an AR-15-style rifle used by a 19-year-old gunman who killed a teacher and a 15-year-old girl at a St. Louis high school on Oct. 24, 2022. The gunman was armed with an AR-15-style rifle and what appeared to be more than 600 rounds of ammunition, Police Commissioner Michael Sack said Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2022. (St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department via AP)" />
 <figcaption>This image provided by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department shows an AR-15-style rifle used by a 19-year-old gunman who killed a teacher and a 15-year-old girl at a St. Louis high school on Oct. 24, 2022. The gunman was armed with an AR-15-style rifle and what appeared to be more than 600 rounds of ammunition, Police Commissioner Michael Sack said Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2022. (St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department via AP)</figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://apnews.com/article/gun-violence-politics-shootings-congress-fd91c092aef91a992ee959399ba6f222">The Democratic-led House passed legislation</a>&nbsp;in July to revive a 1990s-era ban on “assault weapons," with&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/07/29/statement-from-president-biden-on-house-passage-of-assault-weapons-ban/">Biden’s vocal support</a>. And the president pushed a ban nearly everywhere that he campaigned this year.Still, in the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-house-control-79475a4fc11e4375cd0dded651b9eede">midterm elections</a>, Democrats kept control of the Senate and Republicans were only able to claim the slimmest House majority in two decades.The tough talk follows&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-gun-violence-bill-live-updates-20f7c9738fee4eba1d7fed155301ee25">passage</a>&nbsp;in June of a landmark&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-signs-gun-violence-bill-c21249287f976c2c164d8753205c2e6d">bipartisan bill on gun laws</a>, and it reflects steady progress that gun control advocates have been making in recent years.“I think the American public has been waiting for this message,” said Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., who has been the Senate’s leading advocate for stronger gun control since the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/sandy-hook-elementary-school-shooting">massacre of 20 children at a school in Newtown, Connecticut in 2012.</a>&nbsp;“There has been a thirst from voters, especially swing voters, young voters, parents, to hear candidates talk about gun violence, and I think Democrats are finally sort of catching up with where the public has been.”Just over half of voters want to see nationwide gun policy made more strict, according to AP VoteCast, an extensive survey of more than 94,000 voters nationwide conducted for The Associated Press by NORC at the University of Chicago. About 3 in 10 want gun policy kept as is. Only 14% prefer looser gun laws.There are clear partisan divides. About 9 in 10 Democrats want stricter gun laws, compared with about 3 in 10 Republicans. About half of Republicans want gun laws left as they are and only one-quarter want to see gun laws be made less strict.Once banned in the United States, the high-powered firearms are now the weapon of choice among young men responsible for many of the most devastating mass shootings. Congress allowed the restrictions first put in place in 1994 on the manufacture and sales of the weapons to expire a decade later, unable to muster the political support to counter the powerful gun lobby and reinstate the weapons ban.When he was governor of Florida, current Republican Sen. Rick Scott&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/school-shootings-shootings-north-america-us-news-ap-top-news-039aaaa0f5b04a70bb34ea3022801ef1">signed gun control laws</a>&nbsp;in the wake of mass shootings at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and a night club in Orlando. But he has consistently opposed weapons bans, arguing like many of his Republican colleagues that most gun owners use them lawfully.“People are doing the right thing, why would we take away their weapons?” Scott asked as the Senate was negotiating gun legislation last summer. “It doesn’t make any sense.”He said more mental health counseling, assessments of troubled students and law enforcement on campus make more sense.“Let’s focus on things that actually would change something,” Scott said.Law enforcement officials have long called for stricter gun laws, arguing that the availability of these weapons makes people less safe and makes their jobs more dangerous.Mike Moore, chief of the Los Angeles Police Department, the country's third-largest, said it just makes sense to talk about guns when gun violence is rising nationwide, and consider what the government can do to make the streets safer. He is grateful Biden is bringing it up so much.“This isn't a one-and-done,” Moore said of the shooting in Colorado Springs. "These things are evolving all the time, in other cities, at any moment another incident happens. It's crying out for the federal government, for our legislators, to go out and make this change,” he said.On Tuesday, six people were shot dead at a Walmart in Virginia. Over the past six months there has been a supermarket&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/buffalo-supermarket-shooting">shooting in Buffalo, New York</a>; a massacre of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/uvalde-school-shooting">school children in Uvalde, Texas</a>; and the July Fourth killing of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/highland-park-july-4-shooting">revelers in Highland Park, Illinois.</a>The legislation that Biden signed in June will, among other things, help states put in place “red flag” laws that make it easier for authorities to take weapons from people judged to be dangerous.But a ban was never on the table.A 60-vote threshold in the Senate means some Republicans must be on board. Most are are steadfastly opposed, arguing it would be too complicated, especially as sales and varieties of the firearms have proliferated. There are many more types of these high-powered guns today than in 1994, when the ban was signed into law by President Bill Clinton.“I’d rather not try to define a whole group of guns as being no longer available to the American public,” said Republican Sen. Mike Rounds of South Dakota, who is a hunter and owns several guns, some of them passed down through his family. “For those of us who have grown up with guns as part of our culture, and we use them as tools — there’s millions of us, there’s hundreds of millions of us — that use them lawfully.”In many states where the bans have been enacted, the restrictions are being challenged in court, gaining strength from a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-guns-decision-58d01ef8bd48e816d5f8761ffa84e3e8">Supreme Court ruling</a>&nbsp;in June expanding gun rights.“We feel pretty confident, even despite the arguments made by the other side, that history and tradition as well as the text of the Second Amendment are on our side," said David Warrington, chairman and general counsel for the National Association for Gun Rights.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/john-hinckley-biden-texas-buffalo-congress-588e9c6e02139b35043143932fe993c6">Biden was instrumental</a>&nbsp;in helping secure the 1990s ban as a senator. The White House said that while it was in place, mass shootings declined, and when it expired in 2004, shootings tripled.The reality is complicated. The data on the effectiveness is mixed and there is a sense that other measures that are not as politically fraught might actually be more effective, said Robert Spitzer, a political science professor at the State University of New York-Cortland and author of “The Politics of Gun Control."Politically, the ban sparked a backlash, even though the final law was a compromise version of the initial bill, he said.“The gun community was furious,” Spitzer said.The ban has been blamed in some circles for the Democrats losing control of Congress in 1994, though subsequent research has shown that the loss was likely more about strong, well-funded conservative candidates and district boundaries, Spitzer said.Still, after Democrat Al Gore, who supported stricter gun laws, lost the 2000 White House race to Republican George W. Bush, Democrats largely backed off the issue until the Sandy Hook shooting in 2012. Even after that, it was not a campaign topic until the 2018 midterms.Now, gun control advocates see progress.“The fact that the American people elected a president who has long been a vocal and steadfast supporter of bold gun safety laws — and recently reelected a gun sense majority to the Senate — says everything you need to know about how dramatically the politics on this issue have shifted,” said John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety.___

Biden, Dems push ban on so-called assault weapons

KANSAS CITY —Two Kansas City brothers face First Degree Murder and other charges related to a double homicide near 28th and Prospect Avenue in Kansas City, according Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker.

Marques Derrick Smith, 20, and Marquan D. Smith, 19 each face two Murder 1st Degree charges, three Armed Criminal Action charges and an Unlawful Use of a Weapon.

According to court records, Kansas City police responded on Tuesday afternoon to the area of 28th and Prospect Avenue on a reported shooting. Two victims of gunshots were found in the area. Officers responding to the scene of the shootings saw a man in the area of 29th and Indiana who later was found with his brother who had a rifle. Several callers from residences in the area of the shooting reported seeing two men running and jumping fences. Much of the shooting was also captured on videos from city and other cameras.&nbsp; They are being held without bond.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1669586099718.png" alt="Marquan Smith-photo Jackson Co." />
 <figcaption>Marquan Smith-photo Jackson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —Two Kansas City brothers face First Degree Murder and other charges related to a double homicide near 28th and Prospect Avenue in Kansas City, according Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker.Marques Derrick Smith, 20, and Marquan D. Smith, 19 each face two Murder 1st Degree charges, three Armed Criminal Action charges and an Unlawful Use of a Weapon.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1669586002329.png" alt="Marques Smith-photo Jackson Co." />
 <figcaption>Marques Smith-photo Jackson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>According to court records, Kansas City police responded on Tuesday afternoon to the area of 28th and Prospect Avenue on a reported shooting. Two victims of gunshots were found in the area. Officers responding to the scene of the shootings saw a man in the area of 29th and Indiana who later was found with his brother who had a rifle. Several callers from residences in the area of the shooting reported seeing two men running and jumping fences. Much of the shooting was also captured on videos from city and other cameras.&nbsp; They are being held without bond.

Brothers charged in Kansas City double murder

JACKSON COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a woman on drug distribution allegations.

Just after 4:30p.m. Wednesday, a sheriff's deputy conducted a traffic stop on a 2016 Chevrolet Impala near 330th Road on U.S. Highway 75 for speeding, according to Sheriff Tim Morse. 

The traffic stop resulted in the search of the vehicle.  During the search, deputies found cocaine, methamphetamine, marijuana and drug paraphernalia.  They arrested the driver Gabriella Maria Gonzalez, 42, of Edmond, Oklahoma. 

She remains in custody on requested charges of distribution of methamphetamine, possession of cocaine, possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia and maximum speed limit, according to online jail records.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1669585034719.png" alt="Gonzalez-photo Jackson County" />
 <figcaption>Gonzalez-photo Jackson County</figcaption>
 </figure>JACKSON COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a woman on drug distribution allegations.Just after 4:30p.m. Wednesday, a sheriff's deputy conducted a traffic stop on a 2016 Chevrolet Impala near 330th Road on U.S. Highway 75 for speeding, according to Sheriff Tim Morse. The traffic stop resulted in the search of the vehicle. During the search, deputies found cocaine, methamphetamine, marijuana and drug paraphernalia. They arrested the driver Gabriella Maria Gonzalez, 42, of Edmond, Oklahoma. She remains in custody on requested charges of distribution of methamphetamine, possession of cocaine, possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia and maximum speed limit, according to online jail records.

Sheriff: Woman accused of selling meth in Kansas

By LINDSEY TOOMER <a href="https://coloradonewsline.com/">Colorado Newsline</a>

Now that Colorado voters passed the <a target="_blank" href="https://coloradonewsline.com/2022/10/17/proposition-122-colorado-voters-mushrooms/">Natural Medicine Health Act</a>, the state has several steps to get through before Colorado will actually see a regulated industry for psychedelic mushrooms.

The measure allows for licensed “healing centers” to provide access 
to psilocybin and psilocyn, the psychoactive compounds found in many 
species of fungi, for therapeutic purposes. It also decriminalizes the 
“personal use” of the substances, allowing people to possess and grow 
psychedelic mushrooms in their own homes.

The first step on the itinerary is developing an advisory board, 
which will include appointees from Gov. Jared Polis tasked with helping 
the Department of Regulatory Agencies implement the new program.

According to the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.sos.state.co.us/pubs/elections/Initiatives/titleBoard/filings/2021-2022/58Final.pdf">act’s text</a>,
 the board will include 15 members: At least seven are expected to have 
expertise and experience in topics including but not limited to natural 
medicine therapy and research, emergency medical services, health care 
insurance and policy, or harm reduction. At least eight members are 
expected to have experience with religious and traditional indigenous 
uses of natural medicines, issues impacting veterans, disparities in 
health care access, or criminal justice reform in Colorado.

“We will follow the will of the voters and will be appointing a 15 
member advisory board to oversee the regulatory process around this new 
voter-approved measure,” Melissa Dworkin, a spokesperson with the 
governor’s office, said in an email.

Josh Kappel, an attorney who chaired Natural Medicine Colorado’s 
campaign committee and helped draft Proposition 122, said he trusts that
 the governor will appoint a board that’s inclusive of all relevant 
stakeholders. He said the board’s initial purpose is to provide DORA 
with recommendations around implementing the program.

“We are excited to work with all relevant stakeholders and the state 
government to implement Prop 122 in a safe, responsible and equitable 
manner that provides access to this much needed tool to address our 
state’s mental health crisis,” Kappel said.

After working with DORA to develop the program, the board will make 
annual recommendations regarding public health approaches for natural 
medicine, educational campaigns, research on efficacy and regulation, 
training programs, equitable and culturally responsible access, and data
 collection and reporting. Kappel added that the board will likely 
create regular reports analyzing the effectiveness of the program.

Advocates of the ballot measure point to research showing that 
psychedelic substances can be effective in treating depression, anxiety,
 post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health conditions. The 
federal Food and Drug Administration has <a target="_blank" href="https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/921789#:~:text=The%20US%20Food%20and%20Drug,ingredient%20in%20%22magic%20mushrooms.%22">designated psilocybin</a> as a “breakthrough therapy” for the treatment of major depressive disorder.

Coloradans can start applying for center licenses in September 2024

Ben Unger, who works with New Approach, an organization involved in passing both <a target="_blank" href="https://oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2022/08/08/many-oregon-voters-will-have-to-decide-again-on-a-psilocybin-program/">Oregon’s Measure 109</a>
 and Colorado’s Proposition 122, said in an email his greatest hope for 
the advisory board is that “it’s filled with experts that can guide a 
regulatory process that maximizes safety and promotes equitable access 
for all that can benefit.”

For initial appointments that need to be made by Jan. 31, 2023, seven
 members will be appointed to a two-year term while eight will be 
appointed to a four-year term. After that initial board, all members 
will be appointed to four-year terms and can serve two consecutive 
terms.

After appointees are named, the board will kick off an 18-month 
rulemaking process to develop regulations around facilitator licensing, 
training and the operation of healing centers, Kappel said. He said 
Natural Medicine Colorado will continue to be a resource for the state 
as it looks to implement Proposition 122 in a “responsible, equitable 
and safe manner.”

“We hope to be able to work with everyone — the government 
stakeholders, even those who opposed us — to help create a program that 
is both safe, but also provides the mental health treatment and options 
that Coloradans are expecting after passing Prop 122,” Kappel said.

Unger noted that the proposition language says Coloradans can start 
applying for healing center licenses in September 2024, meaning licensed
 therapeutic services would likely start six or seven months after that.
 Over the next year or so, he said interested stakeholders should keep 
their eyes open for development of regulations for facilitators and 
safety rules for clients.

“It’s reasonable to expect that services could begin in the summer of
 2025,” Unger said in an email. “It’s important that the state work with
 experts to develop processes that promote safety while protecting 
access for people that can benefit.”

By LINDSEY TOOMER <a href="https://coloradonewsline.com/">Colorado Newsline</a>Now that Colorado voters passed the <a target="_blank" href="https://coloradonewsline.com/2022/10/17/proposition-122-colorado-voters-mushrooms/">Natural Medicine Health Act</a>, the state has several steps to get through before Colorado will actually see a regulated industry for psychedelic mushrooms.The measure allows for licensed “healing centers” to provide access 
to psilocybin and psilocyn, the psychoactive compounds found in many 
species of fungi, for therapeutic purposes. It also decriminalizes the 
“personal use” of the substances, allowing people to possess and grow 
psychedelic mushrooms in their own homes.The first step on the itinerary is developing an advisory board, 
which will include appointees from Gov. Jared Polis tasked with helping 
the Department of Regulatory Agencies implement the new program.According to the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.sos.state.co.us/pubs/elections/Initiatives/titleBoard/filings/2021-2022/58Final.pdf">act’s text</a>,
 the board will include 15 members: At least seven are expected to have 
expertise and experience in topics including but not limited to natural 
medicine therapy and research, emergency medical services, health care 
insurance and policy, or harm reduction. At least eight members are 
expected to have experience with religious and traditional indigenous 
uses of natural medicines, issues impacting veterans, disparities in 
health care access, or criminal justice reform in Colorado.“We will follow the will of the voters and will be appointing a 15 
member advisory board to oversee the regulatory process around this new 
voter-approved measure,” Melissa Dworkin, a spokesperson with the 
governor’s office, said in an email.Josh Kappel, an attorney who chaired Natural Medicine Colorado’s 
campaign committee and helped draft Proposition 122, said he trusts that
 the governor will appoint a board that’s inclusive of all relevant 
stakeholders. He said the board’s initial purpose is to provide DORA 
with recommendations around implementing the program.“We are excited to work with all relevant stakeholders and the state 
government to implement Prop 122 in a safe, responsible and equitable 
manner that provides access to this much needed tool to address our 
state’s mental health crisis,” Kappel said.After working with DORA to develop the program, the board will make 
annual recommendations regarding public health approaches for natural 
medicine, educational campaigns, research on efficacy and regulation, 
training programs, equitable and culturally responsible access, and data
 collection and reporting. Kappel added that the board will likely 
create regular reports analyzing the effectiveness of the program.Advocates of the ballot measure point to research showing that 
psychedelic substances can be effective in treating depression, anxiety,
 post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health conditions. The 
federal Food and Drug Administration has <a target="_blank" href="https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/921789#:~:text=The%20US%20Food%20and%20Drug,ingredient%20in%20%22magic%20mushrooms.%22">designated psilocybin</a> as a “breakthrough therapy” for the treatment of major depressive disorder.<h2>Coloradans can start applying for center licenses in September 2024</h2>Ben Unger, who works with New Approach, an organization involved in passing both <a target="_blank" href="https://oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2022/08/08/many-oregon-voters-will-have-to-decide-again-on-a-psilocybin-program/">Oregon’s Measure 109</a>
 and Colorado’s Proposition 122, said in an email his greatest hope for 
the advisory board is that “it’s filled with experts that can guide a 
regulatory process that maximizes safety and promotes equitable access 
for all that can benefit.”For initial appointments that need to be made by Jan. 31, 2023, seven
 members will be appointed to a two-year term while eight will be 
appointed to a four-year term. After that initial board, all members 
will be appointed to four-year terms and can serve two consecutive 
terms.After appointees are named, the board will kick off an 18-month 
rulemaking process to develop regulations around facilitator licensing, 
training and the operation of healing centers, Kappel said. He said 
Natural Medicine Colorado will continue to be a resource for the state 
as it looks to implement Proposition 122 in a “responsible, equitable 
and safe manner.”“We hope to be able to work with everyone — the government 
stakeholders, even those who opposed us — to help create a program that 
is both safe, but also provides the mental health treatment and options 
that Coloradans are expecting after passing Prop 122,” Kappel said.Unger noted that the proposition language says Coloradans can start 
applying for healing center licenses in September 2024, meaning licensed
 therapeutic services would likely start six or seven months after that.
 Over the next year or so, he said interested stakeholders should keep 
their eyes open for development of regulations for facilitators and 
safety rules for clients.“It’s reasonable to expect that services could begin in the summer of
 2025,” Unger said in an email. “It’s important that the state work with
 experts to develop processes that promote safety while protecting 
access for people that can benefit.”

Colorado begins steps to regulate psychedelic mushrooms

NEW
 YORK (AP) — Two New York City police officers and a bystander raced to 
save a man who fell on the tracks at a Manhattan subway station, 
plucking him out of the way of an oncoming train in a daring rescue 
captured by an officer’s body camera.

The incident happened around
 4 p.m. Thursday at the 116th Street station in East Harlem. The man, 
whom police said fell by accident, was taken to a hospital with injuries
 to his hand and back.

Officers Brunel Victor and Taufique Bokth 
were on patrol at the station when they saw a commotion and heard a 
scream from the opposite side of the station, police said.

They 
ran up and down stairs, through an emergency exit and onto the tracks, 
pulling the man to safety with the assistance of a bystander who was 
already trying to help, police said.

Bystanders then helped the officers climb back to the platform, just before a 6 train pulled into the station.

“Our
 daily thing is to help people. We don’t care what if we have to put 
ourselves on the line. That’s why we do, that’s why we take this job,” 
Victor told WABC-TV.

Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell praised 
the officers in a tweet, writing: “The heroics of NY’s Finest always 
amazes me…. the courage is second nature. Join me in saluting these 
great cops!”

Officers Victor and Bokth were assigned to the subway
 station as part of Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Eric Adams’ efforts to 
beef up security in the system.

Janno Lieber, the chairman and CEO
 of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority which runs the subway 
system, said having extra officers posted to trains and stations “not 
only helps riders feel safer, but in this case enabled brave officers 
and a good Samaritan — in the finest tradition of New Yorkers helping 
each other — to save a life.”

<div><div style="position:relative; overflow:hidden; padding-bottom:56.25%"><iframe src="https://cdn.jwplayer.com/players/WctZclvA-oVs1oZUT.html" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" title="Ap6430381283" style="position:absolute;" allowfullscreen></iframe></div></div>NEW
 YORK (AP) — Two New York City police officers and a bystander raced to 
save a man who fell on the tracks at a Manhattan subway station, 
plucking him out of the way of an oncoming train in a daring rescue 
captured by an officer’s body camera.The incident happened around
 4 p.m. Thursday at the 116th Street station in East Harlem. The man, 
whom police said fell by accident, was taken to a hospital with injuries
 to his hand and back.Officers Brunel Victor and Taufique Bokth 
were on patrol at the station when they saw a commotion and heard a 
scream from the opposite side of the station, police said.They 
ran up and down stairs, through an emergency exit and onto the tracks, 
pulling the man to safety with the assistance of a bystander who was 
already trying to help, police said.Bystanders then helped the officers climb back to the platform, just before a 6 train pulled into the station.“Our
 daily thing is to help people. We don’t care what if we have to put 
ourselves on the line. That’s why we do, that’s why we take this job,” 
Victor told WABC-TV.Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell praised 
the officers in a tweet, writing: “The heroics of NY’s Finest always 
amazes me…. the courage is second nature. Join me in saluting these 
great cops!”Officers Victor and Bokth were assigned to the subway
 station as part of Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Eric Adams’ efforts to 
beef up security in the system.Janno Lieber, the chairman and CEO
 of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority which runs the subway 
system, said having extra officers posted to trains and stations “not 
only helps riders feel safer, but in this case enabled brave officers 
and a good Samaritan — in the finest tradition of New Yorkers helping 
each other — to save a life.”

🎥 NYPD officers, bystander save man who fell on subway tracks

WARNER ROBINS, Ga. (AP) — Ads with the candidates’ ex-wives. Cries of
 “liar” flying in both directions. Stories of a squalid apartment 
building and <a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-2022-midterm-elections-herschel-walker-health-georgia-1a7c86004f571ea10e6f88ea375b439d">abortions under pressure</a>. Questioning an opponent’s independence. His intellect. His <a href="https://apnews.com/article/herschel-walker-nfl-georgia-senate-704738fdbed64383e25e3435684d7341">mental stability</a>. His <a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-abortion-herschel-walker-georgia-race-and-ethnicity-475fea75ec3834a9b41e9a14e2a314bc">religious faith</a>.

The
 extended Senate campaign in Georgia between the Democratic incumbent, 
Raphael Warnock, and his Republican challenger, football legend Herschel
 Walker, has grown increasingly bitter as their <a href="https://apnews.com/article/georgia-senate-race-runoff-2022-midterms-b32e84784e9e644b3e3163b7ca9cc569">Dec. 6 runoff</a> nears. With Democrats already <a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-democrats-senate-control-dbc67e0af0e126c948076ae580b3d5ec">assured a Senate majority</a>, it’s a striking contrast from two years ago, when the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/Georgia-election-results-4b82ba7ee3cc74d33e68daadaee2cbf3">state's twin runoffs</a> were mostly about which party would control the chamber in Washington.

“Herschel
 Walker ain’t serious,” Warnock told supporters recently in central 
Georgia, saying that Walker “majors in lying” and fumbles the basics of 
public policy. “But the election is very serious. Don’t get those two 
things confused.”

Walker casts Warnock, the senior pastor at 
Ebenezer Baptist Church, as a “hypocrite” and servile to President Joe 
Biden. Underscoring the insult, Walker calls the incumbent “Scooby-Doo,”
 complete with an impression of the cartoon hound’s gibberish.

The broadsides reflect the candidates' <a href="https://apnews.com/article/georgia-senate-race-2022-midterm-nov-11-updates-da621d208ce7cc40389105ae437eb3e9">furious push in the four weeks</a>
 between the Nov. 8 general election and runoff to persuade their core 
supporters to cast another ballot. For Walker, it also means drawing 
more independents and moderates to his campaign after he underperformed a
 fellow Republican on the ticket, Gov. Brian Kemp, by 200,000 votes.

Warnock
 led Walker by 37,000 votes out of almost 4 million cast in the first 
round, but the senator fell short of the 50% threshold needed to avoid a
 runoff.

In many ways, the shift from his first runoff campaign is
 exactly what Warnock wanted: a straightforward choice between two 
candidates. Two years ago, then-President Donald Trump, fresh off his 
defeat, and Biden, then president-elect, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-donald-trump-politics-georgia-david-perdue-adf4fe5b05bbcd0bc92968665303ba4a">made multiple Georgia trips</a>
 to illuminate the national stakes of the races between Warnock and 
Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler and between Democrat Jon Ossoff and 
Republican Sen. David Perdue as control of the Senate hung in the 
balance.

Trump ended up alienating his own supporters and many 
moderates with his false claims of a rigged 2020 presidential election. 
Victories by Warnock and Ossoff put the Senate at a 50-50 split, with 
Democrats gaining control by virtue of Vice President Kamala Harris' 
tiebreaking vote. Warnock also became Georgia's first Black senator.

This
 year, with Warnock vying for a full six-year term after winning the 
2021 special election, Democrats have already guaranteed control of the 
Senate by <a href="https://apnews.com/article/pennsylvania-senate-race-2022-midterm-elections-93709b5b7ab4cef658f45751cd76c090">flipping a seat in Pennsylvania</a>. A Warnock win <a href="https://apnews.com/article/herschel-walker-georgia-kamala-harris-congress-government-and-politics-0f6cc74d575921e13c19d7569e4e5382">would give Democrats an outright majority</a> at 51-49, meaning that the parties would not have to negotiate a power-sharing agreement.

Warnock’s
 preferred emphasis for most of his reelection bid has been his 
deal-making in Washington and the personal values he brings to the job. 
It took until the campaign’s final stages — only after two women accused
 Walker, an opponent of abortion rights, of encouraging and paying for 
their abortions — for the senator to ratchet up his attacks, arguing 
Walker is “unprepared” and “unfit” for the job.

“My opponent lies 
about everything,” Warnock said in a recent campaign stop, ticking off a
 litany of Walker’s repeated falsehoods and exaggerations. “He said he 
was a police officer. He’s not. He said he worked for the FBI. He did 
not. Said he graduated from the University of Georgia. He did not. Said 
he was valedictorian of his class. He was not. ... He said he had 
another business with 800 employees. It has eight.”

Walker, alternately, has relished the jousting since he won the GOP nomination in the spring.

“Herschel
 is a competitor. He’s very comfortable with the mano a mano,” said 
Scott Paradise, Walker’s campaign manager, noting the candidate’s 
athletic prowess as a football running back, kickboxer and Olympic 
bobsledder.

Indeed, Walker takes his attacks right to Warnock’s 
strengths as the pastor of the famous church where Martin Luther King 
Jr. once preached. Walker has criticized Warnock over an Atlanta 
apartment building, owned by a foundation of Warnock’s church, where 
residents have complained to The Washington Free Beacon, a conservative 
media outlet, of eviction notices and poor conditions.

“What he’s 
doing in this apartment building at Columbia Towers is not right,” 
Walker said recently at a suburban Atlanta campaign stop. “You shouldn’t
 put Jesus’ name on what you’re doing to people, and don’t put Martin 
Luther King name on it. ... You’re not Jesus, and you’re not Dr. King.”

Warnock,
 who says no residents of Columbia Tower have been evicted, incorporates
 Walker’s attacks into the list of the challenger’s documented <a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-college-football-entertainment-sports-bb1ef7d866ab99302974cce1816efb65">exaggerations</a> and <a href="https://apnews.com/article/lifestyle-sports-nfl-college-football-coronavirus-pandemic-5e2875eec11e93f9a3bf1fc859137ff8">falsehoods</a>.
 “What kind of a person lies on the church?” Warnock said in Macon. 
“This isn’t the first time people attacked Ebenezer Baptist Church. They
 attacked Martin Luther King Jr. I’m in good company.”

Still, 
asked whether he’s reconsidered his church’s stewardship of Columbia 
Towers, Warnock sidestepped: “I’ve already answered the question. I’m 
proud of what my church does to feed and house the hungry and the 
homeless every single week.”

Walker also accuses Warnock of 
“getting rich” as a senator, a nod to the pastor’s $7,500-a-month 
housing allowance from the church. The payments are not a violation of 
Senate ethics rules that limit senators’ outside income.

On at 
least one occasion during the runoff, Walker has suggested Warnock is a 
negligent father. Warnock told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution the 
comment “crossed a line.” Earlier in the campaign, Walker <a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-herschel-walker-nashville-government-and-politics-115fc9e55e007f9203f3a0592ac83452">publicly acknowledged three of his children</a>
 for the first time, doing so only after The Daily Beast reported on 
their existence. Warnock has not mentioned those children in any of his 
critiques of Walker.

Walker, meanwhile, has not taken reporters' 
questions at an open campaign event since late October, when a second 
accuser came forward to say he had pressured her to have an abortion — a
 contradiction of his advocacy as a candidate for <a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-warnock-walker-debate-georgia-d831b6cbfce77be05102a0c6f7a0d304">a national ban on all abortions</a>. Walker has <a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-abortion-georgia-herschel-walker-congress-2f798504bc1c32d4450ded9a3e8909bf">denied the women's claims</a>.

Both
 candidates' former wives also loom in the campaign, though the two men 
avoid the topic themselves, leaving the discussion of their marriages 
mostly to paid advertising. In one ad, Warnock’s former wife tells 
Atlanta police that he ran over her foot. The Republican ad doesn’t note
 that a police report states that officers found no physical evidence 
supporting her claim. A Democratic ad features an interview with 
Walker’s first wife detailing that he threatened violence against her, 
circumstances Walker has confirmed in an autobiography.

Since the two men met for their lone debate Oct. 14, Warnock has hammered Walker for a <a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-biden-inflation-congress-f8dcede99c2a528f6c88630f34144dcc">lack of policy details</a> and sometimes flubbing what policy he does discuss.

Warnock
 promotes his new federal legal provision capping insulin costs for 
Medicare recipients and notes Walker said diabetics could manage their 
health by “eating right,” a practice that isn’t enough for 
insulin-dependent diabetic patients.

“Maybe he ought to apply to be a dietician. I’m running for the United States Senate,” Warnock said in Macon.

He
 pounced when Walker declared the United States is “not ready” for 
climate action and should “keep having those gas-guzzling cars” that he 
said already have “good emissions” standards. Warnock added gleeful 
mockery when Walker recently introduced a tangent about vampires to a 
campaign speech.

“I mean, who says that kind of stuff?” Warnock asked supporters.

Warnock's
 aides say that the personalized arguments help convince core Democrats 
that they should not sit out the runoff, while also swaying the 
potentially decisive middle of the electorate in the senator's favor. 
“Herschel Walker continues to be bogged down by his pattern of lies and 
disturbing behavior, all of which led him to underperform” in the first 
round, said Quentin Fulks, Warnock's campaign manager, in a statement.

From
 Walker's camp, Paradise insisted that Republicans' best argument 
remains Warnock's alignment with Democrats on economic policy. Still, he
 acknowledges the campaign’s tone has darkened.

“We’re certainly 
going to continue to aggressively prosecute the case against Warnock,” 
he said, “and I suspect they’ll do the same.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1669567002976.jpeg" alt="Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., and Republican Senate candidate Herschel Walker. (AP Photo)" />
 <figcaption>Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., and Republican Senate candidate Herschel Walker. (AP Photo)</figcaption>
 </figure>WARNER ROBINS, Ga. (AP) — Ads with the candidates’ ex-wives. Cries of
 “liar” flying in both directions. Stories of a squalid apartment 
building and <a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-2022-midterm-elections-herschel-walker-health-georgia-1a7c86004f571ea10e6f88ea375b439d">abortions under pressure</a>. Questioning an opponent’s independence. His intellect. His <a href="https://apnews.com/article/herschel-walker-nfl-georgia-senate-704738fdbed64383e25e3435684d7341">mental stability</a>. His <a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-abortion-herschel-walker-georgia-race-and-ethnicity-475fea75ec3834a9b41e9a14e2a314bc">religious faith</a>.The
 extended Senate campaign in Georgia between the Democratic incumbent, 
Raphael Warnock, and his Republican challenger, football legend Herschel
 Walker, has grown increasingly bitter as their <a href="https://apnews.com/article/georgia-senate-race-runoff-2022-midterms-b32e84784e9e644b3e3163b7ca9cc569">Dec. 6 runoff</a> nears. With Democrats already <a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-democrats-senate-control-dbc67e0af0e126c948076ae580b3d5ec">assured a Senate majority</a>, it’s a striking contrast from two years ago, when the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/Georgia-election-results-4b82ba7ee3cc74d33e68daadaee2cbf3">state's twin runoffs</a> were mostly about which party would control the chamber in Washington.“Herschel
 Walker ain’t serious,” Warnock told supporters recently in central 
Georgia, saying that Walker “majors in lying” and fumbles the basics of 
public policy. “But the election is very serious. Don’t get those two 
things confused.”Walker casts Warnock, the senior pastor at 
Ebenezer Baptist Church, as a “hypocrite” and servile to President Joe 
Biden. Underscoring the insult, Walker calls the incumbent “Scooby-Doo,”
 complete with an impression of the cartoon hound’s gibberish.The broadsides reflect the candidates' <a href="https://apnews.com/article/georgia-senate-race-2022-midterm-nov-11-updates-da621d208ce7cc40389105ae437eb3e9">furious push in the four weeks</a>
 between the Nov. 8 general election and runoff to persuade their core 
supporters to cast another ballot. For Walker, it also means drawing 
more independents and moderates to his campaign after he underperformed a
 fellow Republican on the ticket, Gov. Brian Kemp, by 200,000 votes.Warnock
 led Walker by 37,000 votes out of almost 4 million cast in the first 
round, but the senator fell short of the 50% threshold needed to avoid a
 runoff.In many ways, the shift from his first runoff campaign is
 exactly what Warnock wanted: a straightforward choice between two 
candidates. Two years ago, then-President Donald Trump, fresh off his 
defeat, and Biden, then president-elect, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-donald-trump-politics-georgia-david-perdue-adf4fe5b05bbcd0bc92968665303ba4a">made multiple Georgia trips</a>
 to illuminate the national stakes of the races between Warnock and 
Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler and between Democrat Jon Ossoff and 
Republican Sen. David Perdue as control of the Senate hung in the 
balance.Trump ended up alienating his own supporters and many 
moderates with his false claims of a rigged 2020 presidential election. 
Victories by Warnock and Ossoff put the Senate at a 50-50 split, with 
Democrats gaining control by virtue of Vice President Kamala Harris' 
tiebreaking vote. Warnock also became Georgia's first Black senator.This
 year, with Warnock vying for a full six-year term after winning the 
2021 special election, Democrats have already guaranteed control of the 
Senate by <a href="https://apnews.com/article/pennsylvania-senate-race-2022-midterm-elections-93709b5b7ab4cef658f45751cd76c090">flipping a seat in Pennsylvania</a>. A Warnock win <a href="https://apnews.com/article/herschel-walker-georgia-kamala-harris-congress-government-and-politics-0f6cc74d575921e13c19d7569e4e5382">would give Democrats an outright majority</a> at 51-49, meaning that the parties would not have to negotiate a power-sharing agreement.Warnock’s
 preferred emphasis for most of his reelection bid has been his 
deal-making in Washington and the personal values he brings to the job. 
It took until the campaign’s final stages — only after two women accused
 Walker, an opponent of abortion rights, of encouraging and paying for 
their abortions — for the senator to ratchet up his attacks, arguing 
Walker is “unprepared” and “unfit” for the job.“My opponent lies 
about everything,” Warnock said in a recent campaign stop, ticking off a
 litany of Walker’s repeated falsehoods and exaggerations. “He said he 
was a police officer. He’s not. He said he worked for the FBI. He did 
not. Said he graduated from the University of Georgia. He did not. Said 
he was valedictorian of his class. He was not. ... He said he had 
another business with 800 employees. It has eight.”Walker, alternately, has relished the jousting since he won the GOP nomination in the spring.“Herschel
 is a competitor. He’s very comfortable with the mano a mano,” said 
Scott Paradise, Walker’s campaign manager, noting the candidate’s 
athletic prowess as a football running back, kickboxer and Olympic 
bobsledder.Indeed, Walker takes his attacks right to Warnock’s 
strengths as the pastor of the famous church where Martin Luther King 
Jr. once preached. Walker has criticized Warnock over an Atlanta 
apartment building, owned by a foundation of Warnock’s church, where 
residents have complained to The Washington Free Beacon, a conservative 
media outlet, of eviction notices and poor conditions.“What he’s 
doing in this apartment building at Columbia Towers is not right,” 
Walker said recently at a suburban Atlanta campaign stop. “You shouldn’t
 put Jesus’ name on what you’re doing to people, and don’t put Martin 
Luther King name on it. ... You’re not Jesus, and you’re not Dr. King.”Warnock,
 who says no residents of Columbia Tower have been evicted, incorporates
 Walker’s attacks into the list of the challenger’s documented <a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-college-football-entertainment-sports-bb1ef7d866ab99302974cce1816efb65">exaggerations</a> and <a href="https://apnews.com/article/lifestyle-sports-nfl-college-football-coronavirus-pandemic-5e2875eec11e93f9a3bf1fc859137ff8">falsehoods</a>.
 “What kind of a person lies on the church?” Warnock said in Macon. 
“This isn’t the first time people attacked Ebenezer Baptist Church. They
 attacked Martin Luther King Jr. I’m in good company.”Still, 
asked whether he’s reconsidered his church’s stewardship of Columbia 
Towers, Warnock sidestepped: “I’ve already answered the question. I’m 
proud of what my church does to feed and house the hungry and the 
homeless every single week.”Walker also accuses Warnock of 
“getting rich” as a senator, a nod to the pastor’s $7,500-a-month 
housing allowance from the church. The payments are not a violation of 
Senate ethics rules that limit senators’ outside income.On at 
least one occasion during the runoff, Walker has suggested Warnock is a 
negligent father. Warnock told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution the 
comment “crossed a line.” Earlier in the campaign, Walker <a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-herschel-walker-nashville-government-and-politics-115fc9e55e007f9203f3a0592ac83452">publicly acknowledged three of his children</a>
 for the first time, doing so only after The Daily Beast reported on 
their existence. Warnock has not mentioned those children in any of his 
critiques of Walker.Walker, meanwhile, has not taken reporters' 
questions at an open campaign event since late October, when a second 
accuser came forward to say he had pressured her to have an abortion — a
 contradiction of his advocacy as a candidate for <a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-warnock-walker-debate-georgia-d831b6cbfce77be05102a0c6f7a0d304">a national ban on all abortions</a>. Walker has <a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-abortion-georgia-herschel-walker-congress-2f798504bc1c32d4450ded9a3e8909bf">denied the women's claims</a>.Both
 candidates' former wives also loom in the campaign, though the two men 
avoid the topic themselves, leaving the discussion of their marriages 
mostly to paid advertising. In one ad, Warnock’s former wife tells 
Atlanta police that he ran over her foot. The Republican ad doesn’t note
 that a police report states that officers found no physical evidence 
supporting her claim. A Democratic ad features an interview with 
Walker’s first wife detailing that he threatened violence against her, 
circumstances Walker has confirmed in an autobiography.Since the two men met for their lone debate Oct. 14, Warnock has hammered Walker for a <a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-biden-inflation-congress-f8dcede99c2a528f6c88630f34144dcc">lack of policy details</a> and sometimes flubbing what policy he does discuss.Warnock
 promotes his new federal legal provision capping insulin costs for 
Medicare recipients and notes Walker said diabetics could manage their 
health by “eating right,” a practice that isn’t enough for 
insulin-dependent diabetic patients.“Maybe he ought to apply to be a dietician. I’m running for the United States Senate,” Warnock said in Macon.He
 pounced when Walker declared the United States is “not ready” for 
climate action and should “keep having those gas-guzzling cars” that he 
said already have “good emissions” standards. Warnock added gleeful 
mockery when Walker recently introduced a tangent about vampires to a 
campaign speech.“I mean, who says that kind of stuff?” Warnock asked supporters.Warnock's
 aides say that the personalized arguments help convince core Democrats 
that they should not sit out the runoff, while also swaying the 
potentially decisive middle of the electorate in the senator's favor. 
“Herschel Walker continues to be bogged down by his pattern of lies and 
disturbing behavior, all of which led him to underperform” in the first 
round, said Quentin Fulks, Warnock's campaign manager, in a statement.From
 Walker's camp, Paradise insisted that Republicans' best argument 
remains Warnock's alignment with Democrats on economic policy. Still, he
 acknowledges the campaign’s tone has darkened.“We’re certainly 
going to continue to aggressively prosecute the case against Warnock,” 
he said, “and I suspect they’ll do the same.”

Ga. Senate runoff between Warnock, Walker has bitter closing

By DAKE KANG and HUIZHONG WU Associated Press

SHANGHAI — Protesters pushed to the brink by China's strict 
COVID measures in Shanghai called for the removal of the country's 
all-powerful leader and clashed with police Sunday as crowds took to the
 streets in several cities in an <a href="https://apnews.com/4ffc00e5f6761be48f5887d57d66c708">astounding challenge to the government</a>.

Police
 forcibly cleared the demonstrators in China's financial capital who 
called for Xi Jinping's resignation and the end of the Chinese Communist
 Party's rule — but hours later people rallied again in the same spot, 
and social media reports indicated protests also spread to at least 
seven other cities, including the capital of Beijing, and dozens of 
university campuses.

Largescale protests are exceedingly rare in 
China, where public expressions of dissent are routinely stifled — but a
 direct rebuke of Xi, the country’s most powerful leader in decades, is 
extraordinary.

Three years after the virus first emerged, China is
 the only major country still trying to stop transmission of COVID-19 — a
 “zero COVID” policy that regularly sees millions of people confined to 
their homes for weeks at a time and requires near-constant testing. The 
measures were originally widely accepted for minimizing deaths while 
other countries suffered devastating wavs of infections, but that 
consensus has begun to fray in recent weeks.

Then on Friday, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/china-fires-6a1b6902e6ccf87e064f1232045a2848">10 people died in a fire in an apartment building</a>,
 and many believe their rescue was delayed because of excessive lockdown
 measures. That sparked a weekend of protests, as the Chinese public’s 
ability to tolerate the harsh measures has apparently reached breaking 
point.

Hundreds of demonstrators gathered late Saturday in Shanghai, which <a href="https://apnews.com/article/covid-china-locking-down-shanghai-b406df3a0113b9be99273324fec2c12e">experienced a devastating lockdown</a>
 in the spring in which people struggled to secure groceries and 
medicines and were forcefully taken into centralized quarantine.

On
 a street named for the city in China's far west where the fire 
happened, one group of protesters brought candles, flowers and signs 
honoring those who died in the blaze. Another, according to a protester 
who insisted on anonymity, was more active, shouting slogans and singing
 the national anthem.

In a video of the protest seen by The 
Associated Press, chants sounded loud and clear: “Xi Jinping! Step down!
 CCP! Step down!” Xi, arguably China’s most dominant leader since Mao 
Zedong, was recently named to another term as head of the ruling Chinese
 Communist Party, and some expect him to try to stay in power for life.

The
 protester and another, who gave only his last name, Zhao, confirmed the
 chants. Both insisted on having their identities shielded because they 
fear arrest or retribution.

The atmosphere of the protest 
encouraged people to speak about topics considered taboo, including the 
1989 Tiananmen Square massacre in which the ruling Communist Party had 
ordered troops to fire on pro-democracy student demonstrators, the 
unnamed protester said. Some also called for an official apology for the
 deaths in the fire in Urumqi in the Xinjiang region. One member of the 
Uyghur ethnic group that is native to Xinjiang and <a href="https://apnews.com/article/china-japan-crime-geneva-72426c36d1a4c0ae83d9520d2f19d840">has been the target of a sweeping security crackdown</a> shared his experiences of discrimination and police violence.

“Everyone
 thinks that Chinese people are afraid to come out and protest, that 
they don’t have any courage,” said the protester, who said it was his 
first time demonstrating. “Actually in my heart, I also thought this 
way. But then when I went there, I found that the environment was such 
that everyone was very brave.”

Initially peaceful, the scene 
turned violent in the early hours of Sunday. Hundreds of police 
surrounded the protesters and broke up the first more active group 
before they came for the second as they tried to move people off the 
main street. The protester said that he saw multiple people being taken 
away, forced by police into vans, but could not identify them.

The
 protester named Zhao said one of his friends was beaten by police and 
two were pepper sprayed. He said police stomped his feet as he tried to 
stop them from taking his friend away. He lost his shoes in the process,
 and left the protest barefoot.

Zhao said protesters yelled 
slogans, including one that has become a frequent rallying cry: “(We) do
 not want PCR (tests), but want freedom.”

On Sunday afternoon, 
crowds returned to the same spot and again railed against PCR tests. 
People stood and filmed as police started shoving at people.

A 
crowdsourced list on social media showed that there were also 
demonstrations at 50 universities. Videos posted on social media that 
said they were filmed in Nanjing in the east, Guangzhou in the south, 
Beijing in the north and at least five other cities showed protesters 
tussling with police in white protective suits or dismantling barricades
 used to seal off neighborhoods. The Associated Press could not 
independently verify all the protests.

In Beijing, students at the
 nation's top college, Tsinghua University, held a demonstration Sunday 
afternoon in front of one of the school's cafeterias. Three young women 
stood there initially with a simple message of condolence for the 
victims of the Urumqi apartment fire, according to a witness, who 
refused to be named out of fear of retribution, and images of the 
protest the AP has seen.

Students shouted “freedom of speech” and 
sang the Internationale, the socialist anthem. The deputy Communist 
Party secretary of the school arrived at the protest, promising to hold a
 schoolwide discussion.

Meanwhile, two cities in China’s 
northwest, where residents have been confined to their homes for up to 
four months, eased some anti-virus controls Sunday after public protests
 Friday.

Meanwhile, Urumqi, where the fire occurred, as well as 
the smaller city of Korla were preparing to reopen markets and other 
businesses in areas deemed at low risk of virus transmission and to 
restart bus, train and airline service, state media reported.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1669566905365.jpeg" alt="Chinese police officers block off access to a site where protesters had gathered in Shanghai on Sunday, Nov. 27, 2022. Protests against China's strict "zero-COVID" policies resurfaced in Shanghai and Beijing on Sunday afternoon, continuing a round of demonstrations that have spread across the country since a deadly apartment fire in the northwestern city of Urumqi led to questions over such rigid anti-virus measures. (AP Photo)" />
 <figcaption>Chinese police officers block off access to a site where protesters had gathered in Shanghai on Sunday, Nov. 27, 2022. Protests against China's strict "zero-COVID" policies resurfaced in Shanghai and Beijing on Sunday afternoon, continuing a round of demonstrations that have spread across the country since a deadly apartment fire in the northwestern city of Urumqi led to questions over such rigid anti-virus measures. (AP Photo)</figcaption>
 </figure>By DAKE KANG and HUIZHONG WU Associated PressSHANGHAI — Protesters pushed to the brink by China's strict 
COVID measures in Shanghai called for the removal of the country's 
all-powerful leader and clashed with police Sunday as crowds took to the
 streets in several cities in an <a href="https://apnews.com/4ffc00e5f6761be48f5887d57d66c708">astounding challenge to the government</a>.Police
 forcibly cleared the demonstrators in China's financial capital who 
called for Xi Jinping's resignation and the end of the Chinese Communist
 Party's rule — but hours later people rallied again in the same spot, 
and social media reports indicated protests also spread to at least 
seven other cities, including the capital of Beijing, and dozens of 
university campuses.Largescale protests are exceedingly rare in 
China, where public expressions of dissent are routinely stifled — but a
 direct rebuke of Xi, the country’s most powerful leader in decades, is 
extraordinary.Three years after the virus first emerged, China is
 the only major country still trying to stop transmission of COVID-19 — a
 “zero COVID” policy that regularly sees millions of people confined to 
their homes for weeks at a time and requires near-constant testing. The 
measures were originally widely accepted for minimizing deaths while 
other countries suffered devastating wavs of infections, but that 
consensus has begun to fray in recent weeks.Then on Friday, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/china-fires-6a1b6902e6ccf87e064f1232045a2848">10 people died in a fire in an apartment building</a>,
 and many believe their rescue was delayed because of excessive lockdown
 measures. That sparked a weekend of protests, as the Chinese public’s 
ability to tolerate the harsh measures has apparently reached breaking 
point.Hundreds of demonstrators gathered late Saturday in Shanghai, which <a href="https://apnews.com/article/covid-china-locking-down-shanghai-b406df3a0113b9be99273324fec2c12e">experienced a devastating lockdown</a>
 in the spring in which people struggled to secure groceries and 
medicines and were forcefully taken into centralized quarantine.On
 a street named for the city in China's far west where the fire 
happened, one group of protesters brought candles, flowers and signs 
honoring those who died in the blaze. Another, according to a protester 
who insisted on anonymity, was more active, shouting slogans and singing
 the national anthem.In a video of the protest seen by The 
Associated Press, chants sounded loud and clear: “Xi Jinping! Step down!
 CCP! Step down!” Xi, arguably China’s most dominant leader since Mao 
Zedong, was recently named to another term as head of the ruling Chinese
 Communist Party, and some expect him to try to stay in power for life.The
 protester and another, who gave only his last name, Zhao, confirmed the
 chants. Both insisted on having their identities shielded because they 
fear arrest or retribution.The atmosphere of the protest 
encouraged people to speak about topics considered taboo, including the 
1989 Tiananmen Square massacre in which the ruling Communist Party had 
ordered troops to fire on pro-democracy student demonstrators, the 
unnamed protester said. Some also called for an official apology for the
 deaths in the fire in Urumqi in the Xinjiang region. One member of the 
Uyghur ethnic group that is native to Xinjiang and <a href="https://apnews.com/article/china-japan-crime-geneva-72426c36d1a4c0ae83d9520d2f19d840">has been the target of a sweeping security crackdown</a> shared his experiences of discrimination and police violence.“Everyone
 thinks that Chinese people are afraid to come out and protest, that 
they don’t have any courage,” said the protester, who said it was his 
first time demonstrating. “Actually in my heart, I also thought this 
way. But then when I went there, I found that the environment was such 
that everyone was very brave.”Initially peaceful, the scene 
turned violent in the early hours of Sunday. Hundreds of police 
surrounded the protesters and broke up the first more active group 
before they came for the second as they tried to move people off the 
main street. The protester said that he saw multiple people being taken 
away, forced by police into vans, but could not identify them.The
 protester named Zhao said one of his friends was beaten by police and 
two were pepper sprayed. He said police stomped his feet as he tried to 
stop them from taking his friend away. He lost his shoes in the process,
 and left the protest barefoot.Zhao said protesters yelled 
slogans, including one that has become a frequent rallying cry: “(We) do
 not want PCR (tests), but want freedom.”On Sunday afternoon, 
crowds returned to the same spot and again railed against PCR tests. 
People stood and filmed as police started shoving at people.A 
crowdsourced list on social media showed that there were also 
demonstrations at 50 universities. Videos posted on social media that 
said they were filmed in Nanjing in the east, Guangzhou in the south, 
Beijing in the north and at least five other cities showed protesters 
tussling with police in white protective suits or dismantling barricades
 used to seal off neighborhoods. The Associated Press could not 
independently verify all the protests.In Beijing, students at the
 nation's top college, Tsinghua University, held a demonstration Sunday 
afternoon in front of one of the school's cafeterias. Three young women 
stood there initially with a simple message of condolence for the 
victims of the Urumqi apartment fire, according to a witness, who 
refused to be named out of fear of retribution, and images of the 
protest the AP has seen.Students shouted “freedom of speech” and 
sang the Internationale, the socialist anthem. The deputy Communist 
Party secretary of the school arrived at the protest, promising to hold a
 schoolwide discussion.Meanwhile, two cities in China’s 
northwest, where residents have been confined to their homes for up to 
four months, eased some anti-virus controls Sunday after public protests
 Friday.Meanwhile, Urumqi, where the fire occurred, as well as 
the smaller city of Korla were preparing to reopen markets and other 
businesses in areas deemed at low risk of virus transmission and to 
restart bus, train and airline service, state media reported.

Crowds angered by lockdowns call for China's Xi to step down

By LESLIE EIKLEBERRY Salina Post

MARION COUNTY — A Hillsboro teen was killed in an ATV accident Saturday night southeast of Marion.

According to the Kansas Highway Patrol, a 16-year-old was westbound on 170th Street when he failed to negotiate a curve in the road. The Yamaha ATV left the roadway and came to rest in the ditch. The teen was not wearing a helmet, the Kansas Highway Patrol noted.

The accident occurred at approximately 9 p.m. Saturday on 170th Street 1.2 miles west of U.S. Highway 77.

By LESLIE EIKLEBERRY Salina PostMARION COUNTY — A Hillsboro teen was killed in an ATV accident Saturday night southeast of Marion.According to the Kansas Highway Patrol, a 16-year-old was westbound on 170th Street when he failed to negotiate a curve in the road. The Yamaha ATV left the roadway and came to rest in the ditch. The teen was not wearing a helmet, the Kansas Highway Patrol noted.The accident occurred at approximately 9 p.m. Saturday on 170th Street 1.2 miles west of U.S. Highway 77.

Kan. teen dies in ATV accident southeast of Marion Saturday

HARVEY COUNTY — A Kansas man was killed at 12:09 a.m. Sunday morning in a two-vehicle accident on Interstate 135.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2012 Nissan Altima driven by Jeremy A. Sagerty, 45, Wichita, was traveling northbound in the southbound lanes a half-mile south of U.S. 50.

The car struck a 2021 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter driven by Christian Walker, 50, San Francisco, Calif., head-on.

Sagerty was killed in the accident, and Walker sustained suspected minor injuries.

Walker was properly restrained. It is unknown if Sagerty was wearing a seat belt. The KHP gave no indication why the Altima was in the wrong lane.

HARVEY COUNTY — A Kansas man was killed at 12:09 a.m. Sunday morning in a two-vehicle accident on Interstate 135.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2012 Nissan Altima driven by Jeremy A. Sagerty, 45, Wichita, was traveling northbound in the southbound lanes a half-mile south of U.S. 50.The car struck a 2021 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter driven by Christian Walker, 50, San Francisco, Calif., head-on.Sagerty was killed in the accident, and Walker sustained suspected minor injuries.Walker was properly restrained. It is unknown if Sagerty was wearing a seat belt. The KHP gave no indication why the Altima was in the wrong lane.

Kansas man killed in head-on collision on I-135

By ZEKE MILLER AP White House Correspondent

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration on Saturday eased some&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-politics-venezuela-e1ca3a09266adfb56dd19b3542e0c1a8">oil sanctions on Venezuela</a>&nbsp;in an effort to support&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-business-mexico-canada-0a65ff7f76930b3dcce43729fe08cb23">newly restarted negotiations</a>&nbsp;between President Nicolás Maduro’s government and its opposition.

The Treasury Department is&nbsp;<a href="https://home.treasury.gov/system/files/126/venezuela_gl8k.pdf">allowing</a>&nbsp;Chevron to resume “limited” energy production in Venezuela after years of sanctions that have dramatically curtailed oil and gas profits that have flowed to Maduro's government. Earlier this year the Treasury Department again allowed the California-based Chevron and other U.S. companies to perform basic upkeep of wells it operates jointly with state-run oil giant PDVSA.

Under the&nbsp;<a href="https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/jy1127">new policy,</a>&nbsp;profits from the sale of energy would be directed to paying down debt owed to Chevron, rather than providing profits to PDVSA.

Talks between the Maduro government and the “Unitary Platform” resumed in Mexico City on Saturday after more than a yearlong pause. It remained to be seen whether they would take a different course from previous rounds of negotiations that have not brought relief to the political stalemate in the country.

A senior U.S. administration official, briefing reporters about the U.S. action under the condition of anonymity, said that easing the sanctions was not connected to the administration's efforts to boost global energy production in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and that the decision was not expected to impact global energy prices.

The official said the U.S. would closely monitor Maduro's commitment to the talks and reserved the right to reimpose stricter sanctions or to continue to ease them depending on how the negotiations proceed.

“If Maduro again tries to use these negotiations to buy time to further consolidate his criminal dictatorship, the United States and our international partners must snap back the full force of our sanctions that brought his regime to the negotiating table in the first place,” said Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, in a statement.

By ZEKE MILLER AP White House CorrespondentWASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration on Saturday eased some&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-politics-venezuela-e1ca3a09266adfb56dd19b3542e0c1a8">oil sanctions on Venezuela</a>&nbsp;in an effort to support&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-business-mexico-canada-0a65ff7f76930b3dcce43729fe08cb23">newly restarted negotiations</a>&nbsp;between President Nicolás Maduro’s government and its opposition.The Treasury Department is&nbsp;<a href="https://home.treasury.gov/system/files/126/venezuela_gl8k.pdf">allowing</a>&nbsp;Chevron to resume “limited” energy production in Venezuela after years of sanctions that have dramatically curtailed oil and gas profits that have flowed to Maduro's government. Earlier this year the Treasury Department again allowed the California-based Chevron and other U.S. companies to perform basic upkeep of wells it operates jointly with state-run oil giant PDVSA.Under the&nbsp;<a href="https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/jy1127">new policy,</a>&nbsp;profits from the sale of energy would be directed to paying down debt owed to Chevron, rather than providing profits to PDVSA.Talks between the Maduro government and the “Unitary Platform” resumed in Mexico City on Saturday after more than a yearlong pause. It remained to be seen whether they would take a different course from previous rounds of negotiations that have not brought relief to the political stalemate in the country.A senior U.S. administration official, briefing reporters about the U.S. action under the condition of anonymity, said that easing the sanctions was not connected to the administration's efforts to boost global energy production in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and that the decision was not expected to impact global energy prices.The official said the U.S. would closely monitor Maduro's commitment to the talks and reserved the right to reimpose stricter sanctions or to continue to ease them depending on how the negotiations proceed.“If Maduro again tries to use these negotiations to buy time to further consolidate his criminal dictatorship, the United States and our international partners must snap back the full force of our sanctions that brought his regime to the negotiating table in the first place,” said Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, in a statement.

Biden eases Venezuela sanctions as opposition talks resume

By JENNI BERGAL <a href="https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/blogs/stateline/2022/11/16/states-test-an-electrifying-idea-roads-that-can-recharge-your-ev">Stateline</a>

On two short stretches of road near downtown Detroit, Michigan transportation officials hope to make history.

Over the next two years, they plan to embed technology in the 
pavement that can charge electric vehicles while they’re being driven. 
The wireless system will be the first U.S. test of so-called inductive 
charging on public roadways, according to the Michigan Department of 
Transportation.

“We’re the auto capital. We continue to push technology 
advancements,” said Michele Mueller, a senior project manager at the 
agency.

In some other states, including Florida, Indiana, Pennsylvania and 
Utah, officials also plan to test inductive charging on public roads in 
the next several years.

“This is a great solution to a problem we have today of how to get to
 zero emissions,” said Tallis Blalack, managing director of the ASPIRE 
engineering research center headquartered at Utah State University, 
which focuses on electric vehicle infrastructure. “If we do this 
correctly, we can decrease the costs of transportation for everyone.”

Electromagnetic inductive charging is common in everyday life — 
setting a mobile phone on a wireless charger uses similar technology. On
 roadways, coils embedded in the pavement transfer magnetic energy to a 
receiver mounted beneath an electric vehicle to wirelessly charge its 
battery.

Eventually, wireless road systems could extend electric vehicles’ 
battery range, reduce the idle time required to recharge batteries and 
allow freight trucks to transition to electric by making it possible for
 them to use smaller, less expensive batteries, say proponents of the 
technology. They envision inductive charging along sections of highway 
across the country.

Drivers would use a phone app or vehicle control to choose whether to
 accept a charge from a road’s coils. Users would pay for kilowatts the 
same way they do at an EV charging station, though the system would be 
free to drivers during test pilots.

Blalack said the biggest challenge in getting to zero emissions 
nationally is figuring out how to move the 70% of freight that is now 
transported by truck.

Without an inductive charging system, it would cost an estimated 
$150,000 to put EV batteries into each long-haul electric semi, he said.
 Those batteries would weigh 20,000 pounds, a quarter of a truck’s 
payload. Charging truck batteries that large would require megawatt 
chargers to fast charge them, he added.

Inductive charging would eliminate the need for such heavy long-range
 batteries, Blalack said. Smaller truck batteries would require fewer 
natural resources to manufacture and would cost only about $15,000.

“We can reduce the cost of transportation for everybody if we have the infrastructure in place,” he said.

Blalack said his center estimates that it would require about $30 
billion a year to develop induction road-charging networks in some 
regions across the country by 2035, primarily on interstate highways.

“It seems like a lot of money, but you’re talking trillions of 
dollars to buy batteries for long-range vehicles,” he said. “It’s 
significantly cheaper for us to invest money in infrastructure than 
build out all these vehicles with long-range batteries.”

Some states already have experimented with wireless in-road charging,
 but it’s been on test tracks or at private facilities, rather than on 
public roads, according to Blalack, whose center is collaborating on 
wireless in-road charging pilots in several states.

The 2021 federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law requires $5 billion to
 be distributed among every state, the District of Columbia and Puerto 
Rico to help build a network of EV charging stations available every 50 
miles along federally designated highways. But that money isn’t meant to
 be used for induction charging road pilots.

States are using their own money to test inductive charging or are 
relying on companies that make the technology to share the cost.

In Michigan, transportation officials have partnered with Electreon, 
an Israeli company that develops wireless charging infrastructure, and 
plan to start testing by fall of 2023 on a quarter-mile stretch near the
 renovated Michigan Central Station, which Ford Motor Co. plans to make 
the centerpiece of a so-called mobility innovation district southwest of
 downtown. Officials will be outfitting an electric shuttle with the 
wireless receiver.

In 2024, the state will install the technology on a three-quarter 
mile stretch of a busy commercial street near downtown. A Detroit 
Department of Transportation electric bus will carry the receiver, as 
will a group of electric delivery vehicles, which also will be able to 
charge their batteries on static pads at certain spaces along the route,
 officials said.

Michigan is spending $1.9 million in state money for the $6 million 
project, according to Mueller. Electreon is picking up the rest of the 
tab.

Mueller said the goal is to understand the benefits and challenges of
 induction road charging networks and how they might work for public 
transit, passenger cars and commercial vehicles. Another aim is to 
reduce drivers’ “range anxiety” and decrease demand on the electric 
grid.

“If you can use inductive and static charging, then once you get 
home, you won’t have those peaks of everyone charging their EVs at once,
 so you won’t get spikes on the grid,” she said. “This will level off 
demand throughout the day.”

In Indiana, the state Department of Transportation and Purdue 
University are working on an inductive charging project that could power
 heavy-duty trucks on a state highway near the university in West 
Lafayette. Officials hope to start constructing the system in fall 2023,
 according to Blalack, whose center is collaborating on the project.

In Florida, the Central Florida Expressway Authority is planning a 
similar project for all vehicles on about a mile of the Lake/Orange 
Expressway near Orlando, a new roadway under construction that is 
scheduled for completion by 2026. The pilot will cost about $10 million.

In Utah, the ASPIRE center is working with the Utah Inland Port 
Authority in Salt Lake City on a project that will test high-power 
charging technology using electric trucks that move cargo from 
containers at the railyard to local distribution warehouses.

And the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission wants to install the 
technology on 3 to 5 miles of a planned section of road near Pittsburgh 
on the Mon/Fayette Expressway, though the final site hasn’t been 
selected, according to Keith Jack, the turnpike’s director of facilities
 operations. The agency hopes to launch the project between 2026 and 
2030.

Jack said officials first want to test medium and light cargo 
electric vehicles on the road, so no date has been set for when 
inductive charging would be available for public use. He noted that he’s
 a big supporter of using inductive charging rather than plugging a 
vehicle into an outlet.

“If you have to drive 600 miles, most EV vehicles don’t have the 
capacity to do that. You’re going to have to stop for 20 minutes and do 
fast charging,” he said. “If I’m going from here to Indiana, I’m not 
going to stop six times for 20 minutes. We’re trying to make 
long-distance travel easier.”

The turnpike hopes to use power generated from its own solar fields 
at maintenance facilities and service plazas to electrify portions of 
the induction roadway in future projects, Jack said. It already has one 
solar field in operation and six others planned.

“If we can produce the energy on the right of way or our maintenance 
sheds, we can apply it into the road,” he said. “As we transition to 
EVs, we have to think about the relationship we have with energy — where
 we make it and where we’re going to use it.”

This story <a target="_blank" href="https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/blogs/stateline/2022/11/16/states-test-an-electrifying-idea-roads-that-can-recharge-your-ev">originally appeared in&nbsp;Stateline</a>, an initiative of the Pew Charitable Trusts. Republished under Creative Commons license (<a target="_blank" href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/legalcode">CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0</a>).&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1669406330209.png" alt="A Utah State University electric bus outfitted for dynamic wireless charging passes over coils embedded in the pavement at the school’s Electric Vehicle and Roadway test track in Logan, Utah, in May 2016. Some states are planning pilot programs that will test wireless electric vehicle charging networks embedded in public roads. (Photo | Utah State University)" />
 <figcaption>A Utah State University electric bus outfitted for dynamic wireless charging passes over coils embedded in the pavement at the school’s Electric Vehicle and Roadway test track in Logan, Utah, in May 2016. Some states are planning pilot programs that will test wireless electric vehicle charging networks embedded in public roads. (Photo | Utah State University)</figcaption>
 </figure>By JENNI BERGAL <a href="https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/blogs/stateline/2022/11/16/states-test-an-electrifying-idea-roads-that-can-recharge-your-ev">Stateline</a>On two short stretches of road near downtown Detroit, Michigan transportation officials hope to make history.Over the next two years, they plan to embed technology in the 
pavement that can charge electric vehicles while they’re being driven. 
The wireless system will be the first U.S. test of so-called inductive 
charging on public roadways, according to the Michigan Department of 
Transportation.“We’re the auto capital. We continue to push technology 
advancements,” said Michele Mueller, a senior project manager at the 
agency.In some other states, including Florida, Indiana, Pennsylvania and 
Utah, officials also plan to test inductive charging on public roads in 
the next several years.“This is a great solution to a problem we have today of how to get to
 zero emissions,” said Tallis Blalack, managing director of the ASPIRE 
engineering research center headquartered at Utah State University, 
which focuses on electric vehicle infrastructure. “If we do this 
correctly, we can decrease the costs of transportation for everyone.”<h2>Wireless charging</h2>Electromagnetic inductive charging is common in everyday life — 
setting a mobile phone on a wireless charger uses similar technology. On
 roadways, coils embedded in the pavement transfer magnetic energy to a 
receiver mounted beneath an electric vehicle to wirelessly charge its 
battery.Eventually, wireless road systems could extend electric vehicles’ 
battery range, reduce the idle time required to recharge batteries and 
allow freight trucks to transition to electric by making it possible for
 them to use smaller, less expensive batteries, say proponents of the 
technology. They envision inductive charging along sections of highway 
across the country.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1669406402396.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Drivers would use a phone app or vehicle control to choose whether to
 accept a charge from a road’s coils. Users would pay for kilowatts the 
same way they do at an EV charging station, though the system would be 
free to drivers during test pilots.Blalack said the biggest challenge in getting to zero emissions 
nationally is figuring out how to move the 70% of freight that is now 
transported by truck.Without an inductive charging system, it would cost an estimated 
$150,000 to put EV batteries into each long-haul electric semi, he said.
 Those batteries would weigh 20,000 pounds, a quarter of a truck’s 
payload. Charging truck batteries that large would require megawatt 
chargers to fast charge them, he added.Inductive charging would eliminate the need for such heavy long-range
 batteries, Blalack said. Smaller truck batteries would require fewer 
natural resources to manufacture and would cost only about $15,000.“We can reduce the cost of transportation for everybody if we have the infrastructure in place,” he said.Blalack said his center estimates that it would require about $30 
billion a year to develop induction road-charging networks in some 
regions across the country by 2035, primarily on interstate highways.“It seems like a lot of money, but you’re talking trillions of 
dollars to buy batteries for long-range vehicles,” he said. “It’s 
significantly cheaper for us to invest money in infrastructure than 
build out all these vehicles with long-range batteries.”Some states already have experimented with wireless in-road charging,
 but it’s been on test tracks or at private facilities, rather than on 
public roads, according to Blalack, whose center is collaborating on 
wireless in-road charging pilots in several states.<h2>No federal funding</h2>The 2021 federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law requires $5 billion to
 be distributed among every state, the District of Columbia and Puerto 
Rico to help build a network of EV charging stations available every 50 
miles along federally designated highways. But that money isn’t meant to
 be used for induction charging road pilots.States are using their own money to test inductive charging or are 
relying on companies that make the technology to share the cost.In Michigan, transportation officials have partnered with Electreon, 
an Israeli company that develops wireless charging infrastructure, and 
plan to start testing by fall of 2023 on a quarter-mile stretch near the
 renovated Michigan Central Station, which Ford Motor Co. plans to make 
the centerpiece of a so-called mobility innovation district southwest of
 downtown. Officials will be outfitting an electric shuttle with the 
wireless receiver.In 2024, the state will install the technology on a three-quarter 
mile stretch of a busy commercial street near downtown. A Detroit 
Department of Transportation electric bus will carry the receiver, as 
will a group of electric delivery vehicles, which also will be able to 
charge their batteries on static pads at certain spaces along the route,
 officials said.Michigan is spending $1.9 million in state money for the $6 million 
project, according to Mueller. Electreon is picking up the rest of the 
tab.Mueller said the goal is to understand the benefits and challenges of
 induction road charging networks and how they might work for public 
transit, passenger cars and commercial vehicles. Another aim is to 
reduce drivers’ “range anxiety” and decrease demand on the electric 
grid.“If you can use inductive and static charging, then once you get 
home, you won’t have those peaks of everyone charging their EVs at once,
 so you won’t get spikes on the grid,” she said. “This will level off 
demand throughout the day.”<h2>Projects around the country</h2>In Indiana, the state Department of Transportation and Purdue 
University are working on an inductive charging project that could power
 heavy-duty trucks on a state highway near the university in West 
Lafayette. Officials hope to start constructing the system in fall 2023,
 according to Blalack, whose center is collaborating on the project.In Florida, the Central Florida Expressway Authority is planning a 
similar project for all vehicles on about a mile of the Lake/Orange 
Expressway near Orlando, a new roadway under construction that is 
scheduled for completion by 2026. The pilot will cost about $10 million.In Utah, the ASPIRE center is working with the Utah Inland Port 
Authority in Salt Lake City on a project that will test high-power 
charging technology using electric trucks that move cargo from 
containers at the railyard to local distribution warehouses.And the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission wants to install the 
technology on 3 to 5 miles of a planned section of road near Pittsburgh 
on the Mon/Fayette Expressway, though the final site hasn’t been 
selected, according to Keith Jack, the turnpike’s director of facilities
 operations. The agency hopes to launch the project between 2026 and 
2030.Jack said officials first want to test medium and light cargo 
electric vehicles on the road, so no date has been set for when 
inductive charging would be available for public use. He noted that he’s
 a big supporter of using inductive charging rather than plugging a 
vehicle into an outlet.“If you have to drive 600 miles, most EV vehicles don’t have the 
capacity to do that. You’re going to have to stop for 20 minutes and do 
fast charging,” he said. “If I’m going from here to Indiana, I’m not 
going to stop six times for 20 minutes. We’re trying to make 
long-distance travel easier.”The turnpike hopes to use power generated from its own solar fields 
at maintenance facilities and service plazas to electrify portions of 
the induction roadway in future projects, Jack said. It already has one 
solar field in operation and six others planned.“If we can produce the energy on the right of way or our maintenance 
sheds, we can apply it into the road,” he said. “As we transition to 
EVs, we have to think about the relationship we have with energy — where
 we make it and where we’re going to use it.”This story <a target="_blank" href="https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/blogs/stateline/2022/11/16/states-test-an-electrifying-idea-roads-that-can-recharge-your-ev">originally appeared in&nbsp;Stateline</a>, an initiative of the Pew Charitable Trusts. Republished under Creative Commons license (<a target="_blank" href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/legalcode">CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0</a>).&nbsp;

States test electrifying idea: Roads that can recharge your EV

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) — A federal judge has denied a new trial request by two men convicted of conspiring to kidnap Michigan’s Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

Lawyers for Adam Fox and Barry Croft Jr. alleged misconduct by a juror and unfairness by U.S. District Judge Robert Jonker following their&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/elections-presidential-michigan-gretchen-whitmer-grand-rapids-9ad8f100d32e7d5883b1be9d6c4cb8d5">conviction by a federal jury in August.</a>

Jonker in a written ruling Friday shot down claims of juror misconduct and said he found “no constitutional violation and no credible evidence” to convene a new hearing.

Fox and Croft face up to life in prison when they’re sentenced Dec. 28.

Whitmer, who was reelected Nov. 8 to a second term, was never physically harmed in the plot, which led to more than a dozen arrests in 2020.

Associated PressGRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) — A federal judge has denied a new trial request by two men convicted of conspiring to kidnap Michigan’s Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.Lawyers for Adam Fox and Barry Croft Jr. alleged misconduct by a juror and unfairness by U.S. District Judge Robert Jonker following their&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/elections-presidential-michigan-gretchen-whitmer-grand-rapids-9ad8f100d32e7d5883b1be9d6c4cb8d5">conviction by a federal jury in August.</a>Jonker in a written ruling Friday shot down claims of juror misconduct and said he found “no constitutional violation and no credible evidence” to convene a new hearing.Fox and Croft face up to life in prison when they’re sentenced Dec. 28.Whitmer, who was reelected Nov. 8 to a second term, was never physically harmed in the plot, which led to more than a dozen arrests in 2020.Fox and Croft's first trial ended in a mistrial earlier this year when the jury was unable to come to a unanimous verdict.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/michigan-grand-rapids-adam-fox-whitmer-kidnap-plot-trial-d49fb2fbc25cb150117f154fe42a72c5">A motion for a third trial</a>&nbsp;was filed in September.Defense lawyers said a juror seated in the second trial was described by a co-worker as “far-left leaning,” was eager to get on the jury and poised to convict before hearing evidence.The defense team’s investigator said he interviewed two co-workers who said they had heard about it but had no firsthand knowledge. A third person declined to speak to him in the parking lot.The allegation first was raised early in the second trial. Jonker said he spoke privately to the juror, who denied saying that a vote to convict was already settled.Separately, defense lawyers said the judge violated the rights of Fox and Croft by imposing a time limit on the cross-examination of a star government witness.“Defendants have neither demonstrated that the jury verdict is ‘against the manifest weight of the evidence’ nor that a ‘substantial legal error has occurred’ such that the interests of justice demand a new trial,” Jonker wrote in Friday's ruling.Croft is from Bear, Delaware. Fox lived in the Grand Rapids area in western Michigan.Two other men have pleaded guilty in the federal case, while two more were acquitted.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/michigan-gretchen-whitmer-jackson-adam-fox-kidnap-plot-trial-0a5a930cf86e74f8a1365040b783de0d">Three other men accused of supporting terrorism in the kidnapping plot were convicted in October</a>&nbsp;in state court.Joe Morrison; Morrison's father-in-law, Pete Musico; and Paul Bellar were found guilty of supplying “material support” for a terrorist act as members of a group known as the Wolverine Watchmen. They await sentencing on Dec. 15.They held gun training in rural Jackson County with Fox who was disgusted with Whitmer and other officials and said he wanted to snatch her.