By HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTH and ARLEIGH RODGERS

KANSAS CITY (AP) —Sixteen-year-old Adismarys Abreu had been discussing a long-lasting birth control implant with her mother for about a year as a potential solution to increasing menstrual pain.

Then Roe v. Wade was overturned, and Abreu joined the throng of teens rushing to their doctors as states began to ban or severely limit abortion.

“I’m definitely not ready to be pregnant,” said Abreu, who had Nexplanon — a reversible, matchstick-sized contraceptive — implanted in her arm in August. Her home state of Florida&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-health-florida-government-and-politics-e8bdb85e6736085606ba2661c186a1d5">bans most abortions after 15 weeks</a>, and not having that option is “such a scary thought,” she said.

Experts say&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-supreme-court-decision-854f60302f21c2c35129e58cf8d8a7b0">the U.S. Supreme Court’s June ruling</a>&nbsp;appears to be accelerating a trend of increased birth control use among teens, including long-acting reversible forms like intrauterine devices and implants. Appointments have surged and Planned Parenthood has been flooded with questions as doctors report demand even among teens who aren’t sexually active.

Some patients are especially fearful because the new abortion laws in several states don’t include exceptions for sexual assault.

“Please, I need some birth control in case I get raped,” patients tell Dr. Judith Simms-Cendan, a pediatric-adolescent gynecologist in Miami, where state law does not provide exceptions for rape or incest after 15 weeks.

Simms-Cendan, the president-elect of the North American Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology, said parents who might have been hesitant in the past now want to discuss birth control.

“It’s a sea change of, ‘I don’t have room to play. We have got to get my child on something,’” she said.

Teens already were shifting to more effective long-acting forms of birth control, which have similar or even lower failure rates than sterilization, said Laura Lindberg, a professor at Rutgers University’s School of Public Health in New Jersey. Her&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590151621000113" target="_blank">research</a>&nbsp;found the number of 15- to 19-year-olds using those methods rose to 15% during the period 2015 to 2019, up from 3% during the 2006 to 2010 period.

No national data is available for the months since Roe was overturned, said Lindberg, who previously worked for nearly two decades at the Guttmacher Institute, a research group that supports abortion rights.

But she said “major ripple effects” have to be expected from the loss of abortion access and noted that it wouldn’t be the first time politics have led to a shift in birth control usage.

In the weeks after former President Donald Trump’s election, as women raised concerns online that the Affordable Care Act would be repealed, demand for long-acting birth control rose by nearly 22% across all age groups, according to a 2019&nbsp;<a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2723071" target="_blank">research letter</a>&nbsp;published in JAMA Internal Medicine.

In Ohio, where a judge this month&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-health-ohio-mike-dewine-government-and-politics-43558a59477f0260f7eec6db33fd30f4">blocked a ban on virtually all abortions</a>, patients — both male and female — now listen with rapt attention to the contraception talk that Dr. Peggy Stager has long made a part of routine appointments at her pediatric practice in Cleveland.

Stager said her practice’s dedicated spots for insertion of the Nexplanon implant are consistently filled, and requests for contraceptive refills have increased 30% to 40% since Roe was overturned. Recently, she talked to a college-bound student who wasn’t sexually active but decided to get an IUD anyway.

“She was real clear: ‘I want to have a great four years without any worry,’” recalled Stager, who is the chair of the section on adolescent health at the American Academy of Pediatrics. “And that’s a change.”

In Missouri, among the first states in the country with a trigger law in effect to ban abortions at any point in pregnancy, Dr. David Eisenberg also has seen a similar sense of urgency from college-bound teens to choose the most effective option.

“Fear is an amazing motivator,” said Eisenberg, an associate professor at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, who performs abortions in neighboring Illinois. “They understand the consequence of a contraceptive failure might mean they become a parent because they might not be able to access an abortion.”

Interest is also high at the contraception clinic that Dr. Elise Berlan oversees in Columbus, Ohio. Before the Supreme Court’s decision, the clinic booked appointments for new patients within a week or two.

Now, they are booking several months out for first appointments, said Berlan, an adolescent medicine specialist who sees mothers and daughters in tears in her exam room. She said the demand is so high they are adding a provider.

On the day the Supreme Court ruled against Roe, twice as many birth control questions as normal poured into Roo, Planned Parenthood’s online chatbot aimed at teens.

Online birth control appointments also skyrocketed that day — up 150% from a typical day, with an even-larger 375% surge for IUD-seekers, said Julia Bennett, director of digital education and learning strategy for Planned Parenthood Federation of America.

By mid-July, several weeks after the ruling, birth control appointments remained up about 20%, although the data isn’t broken down by age group.

The growing interest exists even in states like North Carolina, where abortion remains legal but the Legislature is conservative.

Dr. Kavita Arora, an obstetrician-gynecologist in Chapel Hill, said she saw maybe one teen a month before the ruling. Now, she said, she sees them at each clinic session.

“They’re aware that this is an incredibly fluid situation, and what is allowed at one moment may not be allowed a week or a month later,” said Arora, the chair of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists’ Committee on Ethics.

That uncertain future is part of what motivated Abreu, the Florida teen, whose implant will prevent pregnancy for up to five years.

“I don’t know what’s going to happen with the laws in that time period,” said Abreu, who was using a short-acting form of birth control before switching. “Having this already in my arm, it makes me feel so much safer.”

Her mother, Maribys Lorenzo, said in Spanish that she, too, is a little more at peace knowing her daughter cannot get pregnant and said she would recommend the implant because it does not require her daughter to remember to take a contraceptive pill.

She said she is not worried, any more or less, that her daughter will become sexually active because of the implant. But if it happens, she will be protected, Lorenzo said.

“I don’t think that’s fair to me or my family to not have abortion as an option,” said her daughter, Abreu.

By HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTH and ARLEIGH RODGERSKANSAS CITY (AP) —Sixteen-year-old Adismarys Abreu had been discussing a long-lasting birth control implant with her mother for about a year as a potential solution to increasing menstrual pain.Then Roe v. Wade was overturned, and Abreu joined the throng of teens rushing to their doctors as states began to ban or severely limit abortion.“I’m definitely not ready to be pregnant,” said Abreu, who had Nexplanon — a reversible, matchstick-sized contraceptive — implanted in her arm in August. Her home state of Florida&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-health-florida-government-and-politics-e8bdb85e6736085606ba2661c186a1d5">bans most abortions after 15 weeks</a>, and not having that option is “such a scary thought,” she said.Experts say&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-supreme-court-decision-854f60302f21c2c35129e58cf8d8a7b0">the U.S. Supreme Court’s June ruling</a>&nbsp;appears to be accelerating a trend of increased birth control use among teens, including long-acting reversible forms like intrauterine devices and implants. Appointments have surged and Planned Parenthood has been flooded with questions as doctors report demand even among teens who aren’t sexually active.Some patients are especially fearful because the new abortion laws in several states don’t include exceptions for sexual assault.“Please, I need some birth control in case I get raped,” patients tell Dr. Judith Simms-Cendan, a pediatric-adolescent gynecologist in Miami, where state law does not provide exceptions for rape or incest after 15 weeks.Simms-Cendan, the president-elect of the North American Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology, said parents who might have been hesitant in the past now want to discuss birth control.“It’s a sea change of, ‘I don’t have room to play. We have got to get my child on something,’” she said.Teens already were shifting to more effective long-acting forms of birth control, which have similar or even lower failure rates than sterilization, said Laura Lindberg, a professor at Rutgers University’s School of Public Health in New Jersey. Her&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590151621000113" target="_blank">research</a>&nbsp;found the number of 15- to 19-year-olds using those methods rose to 15% during the period 2015 to 2019, up from 3% during the 2006 to 2010 period.No national data is available for the months since Roe was overturned, said Lindberg, who previously worked for nearly two decades at the Guttmacher Institute, a research group that supports abortion rights.But she said “major ripple effects” have to be expected from the loss of abortion access and noted that it wouldn’t be the first time politics have led to a shift in birth control usage.In the weeks after former President Donald Trump’s election, as women raised concerns online that the Affordable Care Act would be repealed, demand for long-acting birth control rose by nearly 22% across all age groups, according to a 2019&nbsp;<a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2723071" target="_blank">research letter</a>&nbsp;published in JAMA Internal Medicine.In Ohio, where a judge this month&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-health-ohio-mike-dewine-government-and-politics-43558a59477f0260f7eec6db33fd30f4">blocked a ban on virtually all abortions</a>, patients — both male and female — now listen with rapt attention to the contraception talk that Dr. Peggy Stager has long made a part of routine appointments at her pediatric practice in Cleveland.Stager said her practice’s dedicated spots for insertion of the Nexplanon implant are consistently filled, and requests for contraceptive refills have increased 30% to 40% since Roe was overturned. Recently, she talked to a college-bound student who wasn’t sexually active but decided to get an IUD anyway.“She was real clear: ‘I want to have a great four years without any worry,’” recalled Stager, who is the chair of the section on adolescent health at the American Academy of Pediatrics. “And that’s a change.”In Missouri, among the first states in the country with a trigger law in effect to ban abortions at any point in pregnancy, Dr. David Eisenberg also has seen a similar sense of urgency from college-bound teens to choose the most effective option.“Fear is an amazing motivator,” said Eisenberg, an associate professor at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, who performs abortions in neighboring Illinois. “They understand the consequence of a contraceptive failure might mean they become a parent because they might not be able to access an abortion.”Interest is also high at the contraception clinic that Dr. Elise Berlan oversees in Columbus, Ohio. Before the Supreme Court’s decision, the clinic booked appointments for new patients within a week or two.Now, they are booking several months out for first appointments, said Berlan, an adolescent medicine specialist who sees mothers and daughters in tears in her exam room. She said the demand is so high they are adding a provider.On the day the Supreme Court ruled against Roe, twice as many birth control questions as normal poured into Roo, Planned Parenthood’s online chatbot aimed at teens.Online birth control appointments also skyrocketed that day — up 150% from a typical day, with an even-larger 375% surge for IUD-seekers, said Julia Bennett, director of digital education and learning strategy for Planned Parenthood Federation of America.By mid-July, several weeks after the ruling, birth control appointments remained up about 20%, although the data isn’t broken down by age group.The growing interest exists even in states like North Carolina, where abortion remains legal but the Legislature is conservative.Dr. Kavita Arora, an obstetrician-gynecologist in Chapel Hill, said she saw maybe one teen a month before the ruling. Now, she said, she sees them at each clinic session.“They’re aware that this is an incredibly fluid situation, and what is allowed at one moment may not be allowed a week or a month later,” said Arora, the chair of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists’ Committee on Ethics.That uncertain future is part of what motivated Abreu, the Florida teen, whose implant will prevent pregnancy for up to five years.“I don’t know what’s going to happen with the laws in that time period,” said Abreu, who was using a short-acting form of birth control before switching. “Having this already in my arm, it makes me feel so much safer.”Her mother, Maribys Lorenzo, said in Spanish that she, too, is a little more at peace knowing her daughter cannot get pregnant and said she would recommend the implant because it does not require her daughter to remember to take a contraceptive pill.She said she is not worried, any more or less, that her daughter will become sexually active because of the implant. But if it happens, she will be protected, Lorenzo said.“I don’t think that’s fair to me or my family to not have abortion as an option,” said her daughter, Abreu.___

Teen interest in long lasting birth control soars after Roe

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — A Reno County Correctional Facility inmate died Saturday.

Late Friday after, deputies booked 36-year-old Kyle Allen Skeen into the Reno County Correctional Facility on charges stemming from a local warrant, according to a release from the Reno County Sheriff's Office.

When jail staff came around to serve breakfast Saturday morning, they found Skeen unresponsive. Deputies then entered the cell and began lifesaving measures, including CPR and the use of an automated external defibrillator. Hutchinson Fire also responded, and Skeen was unable to be resuscitated.

As is agency protocol, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation was called in, along with the Reno County Coroner's Office.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/10/1664720890184.png" alt="Skeen had previous convictions for theft and drugs, according to the Kansas Dept. of Corrections" />
 <figcaption>Skeen had previous convictions for theft and drugs, according to the Kansas Dept. of Corrections</figcaption>
 </figure>HUTCHINSON, Kan. — A Reno County Correctional Facility inmate died Saturday.Late Friday after, deputies booked 36-year-old Kyle Allen Skeen into the Reno County Correctional Facility on charges stemming from a local warrant, according to a release from the Reno County Sheriff's Office.When jail staff came around to serve breakfast Saturday morning, they found Skeen unresponsive. Deputies then entered the cell and began lifesaving measures, including CPR and the use of an automated external defibrillator. Hutchinson Fire also responded, and Skeen was unable to be resuscitated.As is agency protocol, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation was called in, along with the Reno County Coroner's Office.

Sheriff: Kansas felon dies in custody at county jail

FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) — Rescuers evacuated stunned survivors on a large barrier island cut off by Hurricane Ian and Florida’s death toll climbed sharply, as hundreds of thousands of people were still sweltering without power days after the monster storm rampaged from the state’s southwestern coast up to the Carolinas.

Florida, with nearly four dozen reported dead, was hit hardest by the Category 4 hurricane, one of the strongest to make landfall in the United States. Flooded roadways and washed-out bridges to barrier islands left many people isolated, amid limited cellphone service and a lack of basic amenities such as water, electricity and the internet.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Saturday that multibillionaire businessman Elon Musk was providing some 120 Starlink satellites to “help bridge some of the communication issues.” Starlink, a satellite-based internet system created by Musk’s SpaceX, will provide high-speed connectivity.

Florida utilities were working to restore power. As of Saturday night, nearly 1 million homes and businesses were still without electricity, down from a peak of 2.67 million.

At least 54 people were confirmed dead:&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hurricane-ian-live-updates-02202ebdebd898bb82ab0422f8c729cf">47 in Florida</a>, four in North Carolina and three in Cuba. The weakened storm was expected to dump rain Sunday on Virginia and West Virginia as it dissipates, according to the National Weather Service.

More than 1,000 people were rescued from flooded areas along Florida’s southwestern coast alone, Daniel Hokanson, a four-star general and head of the National Guard, told The Associated Press while airborne to Florida.

In Washington, the White House announced that President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden would travel to Florida on Wednesday. But a brief statement did not release any details of the planned visit.

The bridge to Pine Island, the largest barrier island off Florida’s Gulf Coast, was destroyed by the storm, leaving it accessible only by boat or air. The volunteer group Medic Corps, which responds to natural disasters worldwide with pilots, paramedics and doctors, went door-to-door asking residents if they wanted to be evacuated.

Relief and rescue continue after hurricane IanThe National Guard is distributing supplies to hundreds of southwest Floridians in the wake of dealdy Hurricane Ian.0 seconds of 1 minute, 33 secondsVolume 90%

Some flew out by helicopter, and people&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hurricanes-floods-florida-natural-disasters-climate-and-environment-ed3995f063153573d0d16cf82efcc466">described the horror</a>&nbsp;of being trapped in their homes as water kept rising.

“The water just kept pounding the house and we watched, boats, houses — we watched everything just go flying by,” Joe Conforti said, fighting back tears. He said if it wasn’t for his wife, who suggested they get up on a table to avoid the rising water, he wouldn’t have made it: “I started to lose sensibility, because when the water’s at your door and it’s splashing on the door and you’re seeing how fast it’s moving, there’s no way you’re going to survive that.”

River flooding posed a major challenge at times to rescue and supply delivery efforts. The Myakka River washed over a stretch of Interstate 75, forcing a traffic-snarling highway closure for a while before officials said later Saturday that it could be reopened.

While swollen rivers have crested or are near cresting, the levels aren’t expected to drop significantly for days, National Weather Service meteorologist Tyler Fleming said.

Elsewhere, South Carolina’s Pawleys Island, a beach community roughly 75 miles (115 kilometers) up the coast from Charleston, was also hit hard. Power remained knocked out to at least half the island Saturday.

Eddie Wilder, who has been coming to Pawleys Island for more than six decades, said it was “insane” to see waves as high as 25 feet (7.6 meters) wash away a landmark pier near his home.

“We watched it hit the pier and saw the pier disappear,” he said. “We watched it crumble and and watched it float by with an American flag.”

Wilder’s house, located 30 feet (9 meters) above the shoreline, stayed dry inside.

In North Carolina, the storm downed trees and power lines. Two of the four deaths in the state were from storm-related vehicle crashes, and the others involved a man who drowned when his truck plunged into a swamp and another killed by carbon monoxide poisoning from a generator in a garage.

At Port Sanibel Marina in Fort Myers, Florida, the storm surge pushed several boats and a dock onshore. Charter captain Ryan Kane said his vessel was so badly damaged that he was unable to use it to help rescue people, and now it will be a long time before he can take clients fishing again.

“There’s a hole in the hull. It took water in the motors. It took water in everything,” he said, adding: “You know, boats are supposed to be in the water, not in parking lots.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/10/1664678976486.jpeg" alt="Image courtesy Fort Myers Police" />
 <figcaption>Image courtesy Fort Myers Police</figcaption>
 </figure>FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) — Rescuers evacuated stunned survivors on a large barrier island cut off by Hurricane Ian and Florida’s death toll climbed sharply, as hundreds of thousands of people were still sweltering without power days after the monster storm rampaged from the state’s southwestern coast up to the Carolinas.Florida, with nearly four dozen reported dead, was hit hardest by the Category 4 hurricane, one of the strongest to make landfall in the United States. Flooded roadways and washed-out bridges to barrier islands left many people isolated, amid limited cellphone service and a lack of basic amenities such as water, electricity and the internet.Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Saturday that multibillionaire businessman Elon Musk was providing some 120 Starlink satellites to “help bridge some of the communication issues.” Starlink, a satellite-based internet system created by Musk’s SpaceX, will provide high-speed connectivity.Florida utilities were working to restore power. As of Saturday night, nearly 1 million homes and businesses were still without electricity, down from a peak of 2.67 million.At least 54 people were confirmed dead:&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hurricane-ian-live-updates-02202ebdebd898bb82ab0422f8c729cf">47 in Florida</a>, four in North Carolina and three in Cuba. The weakened storm was expected to dump rain Sunday on Virginia and West Virginia as it dissipates, according to the National Weather Service.More than 1,000 people were rescued from flooded areas along Florida’s southwestern coast alone, Daniel Hokanson, a four-star general and head of the National Guard, told The Associated Press while airborne to Florida.In Washington, the White House announced that President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden would travel to Florida on Wednesday. But a brief statement did not release any details of the planned visit.The bridge to Pine Island, the largest barrier island off Florida’s Gulf Coast, was destroyed by the storm, leaving it accessible only by boat or air. The volunteer group Medic Corps, which responds to natural disasters worldwide with pilots, paramedics and doctors, went door-to-door asking residents if they wanted to be evacuated.Relief and rescue continue after hurricane IanThe National Guard is distributing supplies to hundreds of southwest Floridians in the wake of dealdy Hurricane Ian.0 seconds of 1 minute, 33 secondsVolume 90%Some flew out by helicopter, and people&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hurricanes-floods-florida-natural-disasters-climate-and-environment-ed3995f063153573d0d16cf82efcc466">described the horror</a>&nbsp;of being trapped in their homes as water kept rising.“The water just kept pounding the house and we watched, boats, houses — we watched everything just go flying by,” Joe Conforti said, fighting back tears. He said if it wasn’t for his wife, who suggested they get up on a table to avoid the rising water, he wouldn’t have made it: “I started to lose sensibility, because when the water’s at your door and it’s splashing on the door and you’re seeing how fast it’s moving, there’s no way you’re going to survive that.”River flooding posed a major challenge at times to rescue and supply delivery efforts. The Myakka River washed over a stretch of Interstate 75, forcing a traffic-snarling highway closure for a while before officials said later Saturday that it could be reopened.While swollen rivers have crested or are near cresting, the levels aren’t expected to drop significantly for days, National Weather Service meteorologist Tyler Fleming said.Elsewhere, South Carolina’s Pawleys Island, a beach community roughly 75 miles (115 kilometers) up the coast from Charleston, was also hit hard. Power remained knocked out to at least half the island Saturday.Eddie Wilder, who has been coming to Pawleys Island for more than six decades, said it was “insane” to see waves as high as 25 feet (7.6 meters) wash away a landmark pier near his home.“We watched it hit the pier and saw the pier disappear,” he said. “We watched it crumble and and watched it float by with an American flag.”Wilder’s house, located 30 feet (9 meters) above the shoreline, stayed dry inside.In North Carolina, the storm downed trees and power lines. Two of the four deaths in the state were from storm-related vehicle crashes, and the others involved a man who drowned when his truck plunged into a swamp and another killed by carbon monoxide poisoning from a generator in a garage.At Port Sanibel Marina in Fort Myers, Florida, the storm surge pushed several boats and a dock onshore. Charter captain Ryan Kane said his vessel was so badly damaged that he was unable to use it to help rescue people, and now it will be a long time before he can take clients fishing again.“There’s a hole in the hull. It took water in the motors. It took water in everything,” he said, adding: “You know, boats are supposed to be in the water, not in parking lots.”

Death toll escalates in Florida from Hurricane Ian

KANSAS CITY —A jury this week convicted a Kansas man of the felony of Child Molestation involving a then-5-year-old child, according to Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker.

The jury convicted 29-year-old Gustavo Ramos of Child Molestation in the 1st Degree. The jury recommended a prison sentence of 17 years.

According to court records, an individual reported to Kansas City police in July 2020 that Ramos had been touching the child in a Kansas City residence. A forensic interview of the victim corroborated that the defendant had inappropriately touched the child's private parts. Other witnesses told police that the child had also disclosed to them the activity.

&nbsp;A judge will sentence Ramos at a future hearing yet to be set.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/9/1664395974127.png" alt="Ramos-photo Jackson Co." />
 <figcaption>Ramos-photo Jackson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —A jury this week convicted a Kansas man of the felony of Child Molestation involving a then-5-year-old child, according to Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker.The jury convicted 29-year-old Gustavo Ramos of Child Molestation in the 1st Degree. The jury recommended a prison sentence of 17 years.According to court records, an individual reported to Kansas City police in July 2020 that Ramos had been touching the child in a Kansas City residence. A forensic interview of the victim corroborated that the defendant had inappropriately touched the child's private parts. Other witnesses told police that the child had also disclosed to them the activity.&nbsp;A judge will sentence Ramos at a future hearing yet to be set.

Jury: Kansas City man guilty of molesting 5-year-old

KANSAS CITY (AP) — Police say they have opened a homicide investigation after two people died following a fire early Saturday in Kansas City's Midtown neighborhood,

Authorities responded about 5 a.m. to a report of a structure fire and discovered two people inside an apartment after firefighters extinguished the blaze, Kansas City Police Officer Donna Drake said.

Drake said both people were “suffering from apparent trauma” when firefighters found them. They were both declared dead at the scene,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kansascity.com/news/local/crime/article266660331.html">The Kansas City Star reported.</a>

The killings mark the 125th and 126th homicides in Kansas City this year, according to the newspaper.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/10/1664669860967.png" alt="Police on the scene of the investigation-photo courtesy KMBC" />
 <figcaption>Police on the scene of the investigation-photo courtesy KMBC</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY (AP) — Police say they have opened a homicide investigation after two people died following a fire early Saturday in Kansas City's Midtown neighborhood,Authorities responded about 5 a.m. to a report of a structure fire and discovered two people inside an apartment after firefighters extinguished the blaze, Kansas City Police Officer Donna Drake said.Drake said both people were “suffering from apparent trauma” when firefighters found them. They were both declared dead at the scene,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kansascity.com/news/local/crime/article266660331.html">The Kansas City Star reported.</a>The killings mark the 125th and 126th homicides in Kansas City this year, according to the newspaper.

Homicide: 2 dead in Kansas City apartment fire 

SEDGWICK COUNTY —A Sedgwick County judge this week sentenced 24-year-old Morgan Prager of Pittsburg, Kansas to more than 20-years in prison for&nbsp; fatally stabbing his sister's ex-boyfriend during a fight, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.

In January 2020, police responded to an assault call and found 19-year-old Vincent Venturella suffering from a severe neck laceration. Police say he and Prager had fought about Prager's sister. Venturella died two days later.

Police arrested Prager in Pittsburg.&nbsp;Kansas.&nbsp; Prager had been discharged days earlier from community corrections after previous convictions for theft and criminal possession of a firearm in Wyandotte County, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/1/1578943149616.png" alt="Prager-photo Sedgwick County" />
 <figcaption>Prager-photo Sedgwick County</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY —A Sedgwick County judge this week sentenced 24-year-old Morgan Prager of Pittsburg, Kansas to more than 20-years in prison for&nbsp; fatally stabbing his sister's ex-boyfriend during a fight, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.In January 2020, police responded to an assault call and found 19-year-old Vincent Venturella suffering from a severe neck laceration. Police say he and Prager had fought about Prager's sister. Venturella died two days later.Police arrested Prager in Pittsburg.&nbsp;Kansas.&nbsp; Prager had been discharged days earlier from community corrections after previous convictions for theft and criminal possession of a firearm in Wyandotte County, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.

Kansas man sentenced for fatally stabbing sister's ex-boyfriend

SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities investigating a shooting have a second suspect in custody.

Just before 7:30a.m. Sept. 21, police&nbsp;responded to a shooting the 1600 Block of SW Lane in Topeka, according to Lt. Ronnie Connell.

At the scene, officers located a male victim suffering from a gunshot wound. EMS transported the victim to a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries.&nbsp;

Late Monday, police reported as a result of their investigation they arrested 31-year-old Bo Thomas Shipley of Topeka on requested charges of&nbsp;Aggravated Battery and&nbsp;Criminal possession of a weapon by a felon.

On Thursday, police reported the arrest of&nbsp;&nbsp;Dylan Dean Thomas, 31, of Topeka on requested charges of Aggravated Battery and he faces charges in an unrelated Aggravated Assault incident, according to Connell.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/9/1664543311119.png" alt="Thomas-photo Shawnee Co." />
 <figcaption>Thomas-photo Shawnee Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities investigating a shooting have a second suspect in custody.Just before 7:30a.m. Sept. 21, police&nbsp;responded to a shooting the 1600 Block of SW Lane in Topeka, according to Lt. Ronnie Connell.At the scene, officers located a male victim suffering from a gunshot wound. EMS transported the victim to a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/9/1664274881357.png" alt="Shipley -photo Shawnee Co." />
 <figcaption>Shipley -photo Shawnee Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>Late Monday, police reported as a result of their investigation they arrested 31-year-old Bo Thomas Shipley of Topeka on requested charges of&nbsp;Aggravated Battery and&nbsp;Criminal possession of a weapon by a felon.On Thursday, police reported the arrest of&nbsp;&nbsp;Dylan Dean Thomas, 31, of Topeka on requested charges of Aggravated Battery and he faces charges in an unrelated Aggravated Assault incident, according to Connell.

Police arrest second Kan. suspect after shooting investigation

WASHINGTON —The Federal Reserve Board on Thursday announced that six of the nation's largest banks will participate in a pilot climate scenario analysis exercise designed to enhance the ability of supervisors and firms to measure and manage climate-related financial risks, according to a statement from the agency.

Scenario analysis—in which the resilience of financial institutions is assessed under different hypothetical climate scenarios—is an emerging tool to assess climate-related financial risks, and there will be no capital or supervisory implications from the pilot.

The pilot exercise will be launched in early 2023 and is expected to conclude around the end of the year. At the beginning of the exercise, the Board will publish details of the climate, economic, and financial variables that make up the climate scenario narratives.

Over the course of the pilot, participating firms will analyze the impact of the scenarios on specific portfolios and business strategies. The Board will then review firm analysis and engage with those firms to build capacity to manage climate-related financial risks. The Board anticipates publishing insights gained from the pilot at an aggregate level, reflecting what has been learned about climate risk management practices and how insights from scenario analysis will help identify potential risks and promote risk management practices. No firm-specific information will be released.

Climate scenario analysis is distinct and separate from bank stress tests. The Board's stress tests are designed to assess whether large banks have enough capital to continue lending to households and businesses during a severe recession. The climate scenario analysis exercise, on the other hand, is exploratory in nature and does not have capital consequences. By considering a range of possible future climate pathways and associated economic and financial developments, scenario analysis can assist firms and supervisors in understanding how climate-related financial risks may manifest and differ from historical experience.

The banks in the pilot exercise are Bank of America, Citigroup, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase, Morgan Stanley, and Wells Fargo. In coming months, the Board will provide additional details on how the exercise will be conducted and the scenarios that will be used in the pilot.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1639684845031.png" alt="Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell-photo courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell-photo courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON —The Federal Reserve Board on Thursday announced that six of the nation's largest banks will participate in a pilot climate scenario analysis exercise designed to enhance the ability of supervisors and firms to measure and manage climate-related financial risks, according to a statement from the agency.Scenario analysis—in which the resilience of financial institutions is assessed under different hypothetical climate scenarios—is an emerging tool to assess climate-related financial risks, and there will be no capital or supervisory implications from the pilot.The pilot exercise will be launched in early 2023 and is expected to conclude around the end of the year. At the beginning of the exercise, the Board will publish details of the climate, economic, and financial variables that make up the climate scenario narratives.Over the course of the pilot, participating firms will analyze the impact of the scenarios on specific portfolios and business strategies. The Board will then review firm analysis and engage with those firms to build capacity to manage climate-related financial risks. The Board anticipates publishing insights gained from the pilot at an aggregate level, reflecting what has been learned about climate risk management practices and how insights from scenario analysis will help identify potential risks and promote risk management practices. No firm-specific information will be released.Climate scenario analysis is distinct and separate from bank stress tests. The Board's stress tests are designed to assess whether large banks have enough capital to continue lending to households and businesses during a severe recession. The climate scenario analysis exercise, on the other hand, is exploratory in nature and does not have capital consequences. By considering a range of possible future climate pathways and associated economic and financial developments, scenario analysis can assist firms and supervisors in understanding how climate-related financial risks may manifest and differ from historical experience.The banks in the pilot exercise are Bank of America, Citigroup, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase, Morgan Stanley, and Wells Fargo. In coming months, the Board will provide additional details on how the exercise will be conducted and the scenarios that will be used in the pilot.

Fed: 6 of the nation’s largest banks will participate in a pilot climate scenario

SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities&nbsp; investigating a third homicide in Topeka this week have made an arrest.

Just after 10a.m. Friday, police responded to the Meadowlark Apartments 1621 SW 37th Terrace in Topeka after receiving multiple reports of a shooting, according to police spokesperson Gretchen Spiker.

Upon arrival, officers located one man identified as&nbsp;Keith K. Gaylord Jr., 23 of Topeka. He was pronounced deceased at the scene. They located another individual with injuries believed to be non-life threatening. The injured individual was transported by American Medical Response to a local hospital, and was in stable condition late Friday.&nbsp;

As a result of the investigation, police arrested Bruce Holloway Jr., 20, of Lawrence, on a requested charge of first degree murder, according to Police Captain Jerry Monasmith.

This is the third homicide in Topeka in this week. This incident at the apartment complex is not believed to be related to the Friday's earlier homicide in connection with a body found under the Interstate 70 Bridge near the intersection of SE Quincy and SE 2nd Street or the shooting death at a home&nbsp;3500 Block of SW Kerry Avenue in Topeka on Thursday.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/9/1664586524758.png" alt="Police on the scene of the investigation-photo courtesy WIBW TV" />
 <figcaption>Police on the scene of the investigation-photo courtesy WIBW TV</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities&nbsp; investigating a third homicide in Topeka this week have made an arrest.Just after 10a.m. Friday, police responded to the Meadowlark Apartments 1621 SW 37th Terrace in Topeka after receiving multiple reports of a shooting, according to police spokesperson Gretchen Spiker.Upon arrival, officers located one man identified as&nbsp;Keith K. Gaylord Jr., 23 of Topeka. He was pronounced deceased at the scene. They located another individual with injuries believed to be non-life threatening. The injured individual was transported by American Medical Response to a local hospital, and was in stable condition late Friday.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/10/1664631547802.png" alt="Holloway-photo Shawnee Co." />
 <figcaption>Holloway-photo Shawnee Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>As a result of the investigation, police arrested Bruce Holloway Jr., 20, of Lawrence, on a requested charge of first degree murder, according to Police Captain Jerry Monasmith.This is the third homicide in Topeka in this week. This incident at the apartment complex is not believed to be related to the Friday's earlier homicide in connection with a body found under the Interstate 70 Bridge near the intersection of SE Quincy and SE 2nd Street or the shooting death at a home&nbsp;3500 Block of SW Kerry Avenue in Topeka on Thursday.

Police arrest suspect in Kansas apartment complex murder

By TIM CARPENTER <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/09/30/aaup-asserts-faculty-dismissals-at-emporia-state-a-grave-threat-to-academic-freedom-tenure/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA — A representative of the 
American Association of University Professors denounced methods relied 
upon by Emporia State University to terminate faculty under a policy 
created by the Kansas Board of Regents to help state universities more 
easily address financial and personnel problems.

Michael DeCesare, program officer with the AAUP’s Department of 
Academic Freedom, Tenure and Governance and a former sociology professor
 at Merrimack College, sent a letter to ESU president Ken Hush and to 
Jon Rolph, chairman of the Board of Regents, complaining ESU 
administrators in September ignored AAUP and ESU procedural standards 
related to dismissal of faculty.

“Absent countervailing information,” DeCesare said, “the AAUP is 
compelled to regard the administration’s actions that resulted in the 
termination of tenured appointments as having been taken without a 
legitimate basis.”

He urged ESU administrators to rescind notices of termination issued 
nine faculty members named in his letter as well as two dozen of their 
colleagues similarly sacked.

“It is difficult not to construe what has happened at Emporia State 
as a direct assault on tenure and academic freedom with grave 
implications for tenure and academic freedom not only at Emporia State 
but throughout the Kansas system of public higher education,” DeCesare 
said.

The Board of Regents didn’t respond to a request Friday for comment.

Gwen Larson, spokeswoman with Emporia State, said she wouldn’t comment on the AAUP letter.

“As for the layoffs, a total of 33 faculty 
and staff were laid off under the ESU framework for workforce 
management. Out of empathy and respect for our co-workers, we are not 
releasing any information that could potentially identify them,” Larson 
said.

ESU did announce the administration decided to invest in hiring of a 
professor of music education and a director of choral activities.

The university previously said it would hire three tenure-track 
faculty to teach ceramics, graphic design and art history. The 
university also planned to hire an art instructor and gallery director. 
ESU vowed to invest more than $1 million in King Hall, which serves the 
art department.

“This is a transformational time for the department to better serve 
students and the community,”&nbsp; said art department chairman James Ehlers.
 “In the coming months we will be working on curricular changes and 
honing the details of what these positions will do for the department.”

DeCesare, speaking on behalf of the nine faculty informed Sept. 15 of
 their termination, alleged Hush disregarded key elements of a 1940 
statement of academic freedom and tenure contained in the university’s 
policy manual.

“Our association’s keen interest in these cases is further 
intensified by allegations that some appointments may have been selected
 for termination because the faculty members in question were 
outspokenly critical of the administration and governing board,” 
DeCesare said.

Some ESU faculty targeted for dismissal will remain employed through May 2023.

Dismissed employees have the option of appealing within 30 days 
through the Board of Regents’ office — not the university — for an 
administrative hearing.

The Board of Regents directed that internal faculty rules at ESU, 
University of Kansas, Kansas State University, Fort Hays State 
University, Pittsburg State University and Wichita State University 
wouldn’t be applicable to personnel changes brought under the 
alternative management policy scheduled to expire Dec. 31.

The Board of Regents’ special policy emerged from the COVID-19 
pandemic and freed the six universities from an obligation to declare a 
financial emergency as a prerequisite to suspension, dismissal or 
termination of certain university employees.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/10/1664634498258.png" alt="The American Association of University Professors urges Emporia State University to rescind dismissal notices issued to as many as 33 faculty in wake of the personnel shakeup ordered by ESU president Ken Hush. (Margaret Mellott/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>The American Association of University Professors urges Emporia State University to rescind dismissal notices issued to as many as 33 faculty in wake of the personnel shakeup ordered by ESU president Ken Hush. (Margaret Mellott/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>By TIM CARPENTER <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/09/30/aaup-asserts-faculty-dismissals-at-emporia-state-a-grave-threat-to-academic-freedom-tenure/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — A representative of the 
American Association of University Professors denounced methods relied 
upon by Emporia State University to terminate faculty under a policy 
created by the Kansas Board of Regents to help state universities more 
easily address financial and personnel problems.Michael DeCesare, program officer with the AAUP’s Department of 
Academic Freedom, Tenure and Governance and a former sociology professor
 at Merrimack College, sent a letter to ESU president Ken Hush and to 
Jon Rolph, chairman of the Board of Regents, complaining ESU 
administrators in September ignored AAUP and ESU procedural standards 
related to dismissal of faculty.“Absent countervailing information,” DeCesare said, “the AAUP is 
compelled to regard the administration’s actions that resulted in the 
termination of tenured appointments as having been taken without a 
legitimate basis.”He urged ESU administrators to rescind notices of termination issued 
nine faculty members named in his letter as well as two dozen of their 
colleagues similarly sacked.“It is difficult not to construe what has happened at Emporia State 
as a direct assault on tenure and academic freedom with grave 
implications for tenure and academic freedom not only at Emporia State 
but throughout the Kansas system of public higher education,” DeCesare 
said.The Board of Regents didn’t respond to a request Friday for comment.Gwen Larson, spokeswoman with Emporia State, said she wouldn’t comment on the AAUP letter.“As for the layoffs, a total of 33 faculty 
and staff were laid off under the ESU framework for workforce 
management. Out of empathy and respect for our co-workers, we are not 
releasing any information that could potentially identify them,” Larson 
said.ESU did announce the administration decided to invest in hiring of a 
professor of music education and a director of choral activities.The university previously said it would hire three tenure-track 
faculty to teach ceramics, graphic design and art history. The 
university also planned to hire an art instructor and gallery director. 
ESU vowed to invest more than $1 million in King Hall, which serves the 
art department.“This is a transformational time for the department to better serve 
students and the community,”&nbsp; said art department chairman James Ehlers.
 “In the coming months we will be working on curricular changes and 
honing the details of what these positions will do for the department.”DeCesare, speaking on behalf of the nine faculty informed Sept. 15 of
 their termination, alleged Hush disregarded key elements of a 1940 
statement of academic freedom and tenure contained in the university’s 
policy manual.“Our association’s keen interest in these cases is further 
intensified by allegations that some appointments may have been selected
 for termination because the faculty members in question were 
outspokenly critical of the administration and governing board,” 
DeCesare said.Some ESU faculty targeted for dismissal will remain employed through May 2023.Dismissed employees have the option of appealing within 30 days 
through the Board of Regents’ office — not the university — for an 
administrative hearing.The Board of Regents directed that internal faculty rules at ESU, 
University of Kansas, Kansas State University, Fort Hays State 
University, Pittsburg State University and Wichita State University 
wouldn’t be applicable to personnel changes brought under the 
alternative management policy scheduled to expire Dec. 31.The Board of Regents’ special policy emerged from the COVID-19 
pandemic and freed the six universities from an obligation to declare a 
financial emergency as a prerequisite to suspension, dismissal or 
termination of certain university employees.

AAUP: Moves at Emporia State a ‘grave’ threat to academic freedom

By RACHEL MIPRO <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/briefs/kansas-rehab-patients-sent-to-nursing-homes-because-of-attendant-care-shortages/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA
 —Medical professionals say patients are being sent from rehabilitation 
services to nursing homes because of a shortage of medical support 
workers in Kansas.

Janet Williams, CEO of Mind Matters, a
 brain injury rehabilitation organization, said health care providers 
are recommending people go from rehab to nursing homes because of a lack
 of available care. Williams said she knew of seven cases personally, 
including one 19-year-old who was struggling to find attendant care.&nbsp;

“We are going backward,” Williams said
 in testimony submitted this week to the Robert G. Bethell Joint 
Committee on Home and Community Based Services and KanCare Oversight, 
asking legislators to increase incentives for health care workers.&nbsp;

Nursing homes also are struggling to fill staff positions.&nbsp;

In June of 2022 there were around 
1,650 fewer beds available than there were at the start of the pandemic,
 with 35 nursing homes and residential care facilities experiencing 
partial or complete closure according to a LeadingAge Kansas report.&nbsp;

The report found that full-time 
staffing and hours in nursing and residential care had decreased by 10% 
and 15% respectively since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.&nbsp;

“There continues to be a crisis in 
attendant care, aka direct support professionals, in Kansas,” Williams 
said. “The cost of people not having attendant care is far higher than 
addressing this crisis. It is not going to magically change. I urge you 
to create a commission or committee to solve the problem. We don’t need a
 study, we need solutions.”

To address statewide health care 
shortages, Gov. Laura Kelly’s administration started plans in April to 
create more funding for full-time and part-time care workers. The Kansas
 Department for Aging and Disability Services planned to give bonuses to
 18,000 full-time and 10,000 part-time care workers in Kansas using 
federal COVID-19 relief funding.&nbsp;

The bonus payments are supposed to be
 completed by March 30, 2023, with a goal of giving out 24,000 bonuses, 
with a limit of $2,000 per person.&nbsp;

By RACHEL MIPRO <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/briefs/kansas-rehab-patients-sent-to-nursing-homes-because-of-attendant-care-shortages/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA
 —Medical professionals say patients are being sent from rehabilitation 
services to nursing homes because of a shortage of medical support 
workers in Kansas.Janet Williams, CEO of Mind Matters, a
 brain injury rehabilitation organization, said health care providers 
are recommending people go from rehab to nursing homes because of a lack
 of available care. Williams said she knew of seven cases personally, 
including one 19-year-old who was struggling to find attendant care.&nbsp;“We are going backward,” Williams said
 in testimony submitted this week to the Robert G. Bethell Joint 
Committee on Home and Community Based Services and KanCare Oversight, 
asking legislators to increase incentives for health care workers.&nbsp;Nursing homes also are struggling to fill staff positions.&nbsp;In June of 2022 there were around 
1,650 fewer beds available than there were at the start of the pandemic,
 with 35 nursing homes and residential care facilities experiencing 
partial or complete closure according to a LeadingAge Kansas report.&nbsp;The report found that full-time 
staffing and hours in nursing and residential care had decreased by 10% 
and 15% respectively since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.&nbsp;“There continues to be a crisis in 
attendant care, aka direct support professionals, in Kansas,” Williams 
said. “The cost of people not having attendant care is far higher than 
addressing this crisis. It is not going to magically change. I urge you 
to create a commission or committee to solve the problem. We don’t need a
 study, we need solutions.”To address statewide health care 
shortages, Gov. Laura Kelly’s administration started plans in April to 
create more funding for full-time and part-time care workers. The Kansas
 Department for Aging and Disability Services planned to give bonuses to
 18,000 full-time and 10,000 part-time care workers in Kansas using 
federal COVID-19 relief funding.&nbsp;The bonus payments are supposed to be
 completed by March 30, 2023, with a goal of giving out 24,000 bonuses, 
with a limit of $2,000 per person.&nbsp;

Staff shortages: Kan. rehab patients sent to nursing homes

By JASON DEAREN and MICHAEL REZENDES Associated Press

It was a frigid Sunday evening at the Catholic Newman Center in Salt Lake City when the priest warned parishioners who had gathered after Mass that their right to private confessions was in jeopardy.

A new law would break that sacred bond, the priest said, and directed the parishioners to sign a one-page form letter on their way out. “I/We Oppose HB90,” began the letter, stacked next to pre-addressed envelopes. “HB90 is an improper interference of the government into the practice of religion in Utah.”

In the following days of February 2020, Utah’s Catholic diocese, which oversees dozens of churches, says it collected some 9,000 signed letters from parishioners and sent them to state Rep. Angela Romero, a Democrat who had been working on the bill as part of her campaign against child sexual abuse. HB90 targeted Utah’s “clergy-penitent privilege,” a law similar to those in many states that exempts clergy of all denominations from the requirement to report child abuse if they learn about the crime in a confessional setting.

Utah’s Catholic leaders had mobilized against HB90 arguing that it threatened the sacred privacy of confessions. More importantly, it met with disapproval from some members in the powerful Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, known as the Mormon church,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/286983987f484cb182fba9334c52a617">whose followers comprise the vast majority</a>&nbsp;of the state Legislature. HB90 was dead on arrival.

In 33 states, clergy are exempt from any laws requiring professionals such as teachers, physicians and psychotherapists to report information about alleged child sexual abuse to police or child welfare officials if the church deems the information privileged.

This loophole has resulted in an unknown number of predators being allowed to continue abusing children for years despite having confessed the behavior to religious officials. In many of these cases, the privilege has been invoked to shield religious groups from civil and criminal liability after the abuse became known to civil authorities.

Over the past two decades state lawmakers like Romero have proposed more than 130 bills seeking to create or amend child sex abuse reporting laws, an Associated Press review found. All either targeted the loophole and failed to close it, or amended the mandatory reporting statute without touching the clergy privilege amid intense opposition from religious groups. The AP found that the Roman Catholic Church has used its well-funded lobbying infrastructure and deep influence among lawmakers in some states to protect the privilege, and that influential members of the Mormon church and Jehovah’s Witnesses have also worked in statehouses and courts to preserve it in areas where their membership is high.

In Maryland a successful campaign to defeat a proposal that would have closed the clergy-penitent loophole was led by a Catholic cardinal who would later be defrocked for sexually abusing children and adult seminarians.

In other states,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2dacbb76be1e415e9941c4b6fd900505">such as California</a>, Missouri and New Mexico, vociferous public and backroom opposition to bills aimed at closing the loophole from the Catholic and Mormon churches successfully derailed legislative reform efforts.

“They believe they’re on a divine mission that justifies keeping the name and the reputation of their institution pristine,” said David Finkelhor, director of the Crimes Against Children Research Center at the University of New Hampshire, speaking of several religious groups. “So the leadership has a strong disincentive to involve the authorities, police or child protection people.”

LOOPHOLE PROTECTS CHURCHES FROM SURVIVORS AND PROSECUTORS

Last month, an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/Mormon-church-sexual-abuse-investigation-e0e39cf9aa4fbe0d8c1442033b894660">AP investigation</a>&nbsp;found that a Mormon bishop in Arizona, at the direction of church leaders,&nbsp;<a href="https://youtu.be/Ool6oN9P-hY">failed to report</a>&nbsp;a church member who had confessed that he sexually abused his 5-year-old daughter. The AP found that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/religion-lawsuits-utah-sexual-abuse-by-clergy-government-and-politics-9f1607f4d308248ebf12dc32f70376ec">Rep. Merrill Nelson</a>, a church lawyer and Utah Republican lawmaker, had advised the bishop not to report the abuse to civil authorities because of Arizona’s clergy privilege law, according to documents revealed in a lawsuit. That failure to report allowed the church member, the late Paul Adams, to repeatedly rape his two daughters and allegedly abuse one of his four sons for many years.

In response to the case, state Sen. Victoria Steele, a Democrat from Tucson, on three occasions proposed legislation to close the clergy reporting loophole in Arizona. Steele told the AP that key Mormon lawmakers including a former Republican state senator and judiciary committee chairmen thwarted her efforts before her proposals could be presented to the full Legislature.

“It’s difficult for me to tell this story without talking about the Mormons and their power in the Legislature,” Steele said. “What this boils down to is that the church is being given permission to protect the predators and the children be damned. … They are trying with all of their might to make sure this bill does not see the light of day.”

Latter-day Saints and Catholics hold a number of influential positions as leaders and committee chairmen in the Arizona Legislature, including the speaker of the House, and have been known to advance or block legislation in line with the church’s priorities and values.

In one high-profile example, two Republican legislators took a stand in 2019, refusing to vote for a budget until lawmakers passed a measure allowing past victims of child sexual abuse to sue churches or youth groups that turned a blind eye to the abuse. Legislative business ground to a halt for weeks amid fierce opposition from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Roman Catholic Church and insurers along with their allies in the Legislature, which finally approved the measure.

The Adams case is not the only example of the privilege being invoked in cases where a clergy member's failure to report led to prolonged abuse. In Montana, for example, a woman who was abused by a member of the Jehovah’s Witnesses in the mid-2000s won a $35 million jury verdict against the church for failing to report her abuse. But in 2020 the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/95b03b21a0c86f7ec1dfa25372e36f39">state Supreme Court reversed the judgment</a>, ruling that church leaders were under no obligation to report, citing the state’s clergy-penitent privilege.

The privilege can also be used to protect religious organizations from criminal liability. In 2013, a former Boise, Idaho, police officer turned himself in for abusing children, something he had reported to 15 members of the Mormon church, none of whom notified authorities. But prosecutors declined to file charges against the church because of Idaho’s clergy-penitent privilege law.

The Mormon church said in a written statement to the AP that a member who confesses child sex abuse “has come seeking an opportunity to reconcile with God and to seek forgiveness for their actions. ... That confession is considered sacred, and in most states, is regarded as a protected religious conversation owned by the confessor.”

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops did not immediately return a request for comment about its campaigns against state bills seeking to do away with the clergy-penitent privilege.

But supporters of the clergy privilege say abolishing it will not make children safer. Some go so far as to say that the ability of abusers to report privately to clergy encourages them to confess and often leads to stopping the abuse.

“It’s considered essential to the exercise of religion to have a priest-penitent privilege that will allow people to to approach their clergy for the purpose of unburdening themselves, their mind, their soul … to seek peace and consolation with God as well as with their fellow beings,” Utah state Rep. Nelson told the AP. “Without that assurance of secrecy, troubled people will not confide in their clergy.”

Jean Hill, the government liaison for Utah’s Catholic Diocese who helped organize opposition to Romero's bill, pointed to a single research paper to argue that laws that target privileged, confessional conversations in the context of child abuse have not increased reporting in those communities.

“When you take away every opportunity for people to get help, they go underground and the abuse continues,” Hill said.

But the authors of the study Hill cited,&nbsp;<a href="https://repository.law.umich.edu/articles/1572/">published in 2014</a>, have cautioned about reaching such conclusions based on their research.

Frank Vandervort, a law professor at the University of Michigan, and his co-author, Vincent Palusci, a pediatrics professor at New York University, told the AP that the study was limited, partly because churches often wouldn’t give them access to data on clergy reporting.

“A single article should not be the basis for making policy decisions,” said Vandervort, lead author of the study. “It may be entirely the case that there’s no connection between the changing of the laws and the number of reports.”

PRIVILEGE NOT ‘CONSTITUTIONALLY REQUIRED’

Efforts to rid state laws of the privilege have been successful in only a handful of states, including North Carolina, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, Texas and West Virginia. Records and interviews with lawmakers in the 33 states that still have the privilege show that intense opposition from powerful religious organizations is more often too much to overcome.

Former California state Sen. Jerry Hill said a bill he introduced in 2019 to require clergy members to report suspicion of child sex abuse or neglect by co-workers was killed after opposition from the Catholic and Mormon churches, as well as other religious groups.

“The opposition of the Catholic Church was instrumental in creating a lot of controversy around the bill and a lot of questions related to religious freedom,” Hill said. The Catholic Church made it clear it would sue if the bill passed, Hill said.

Michael Cassidy, a professor at Catholic-affiliated Boston College Law School and a former state prosecutor, said it’s not clear how a religious freedom case regarding the clergy privilege would turn out.

Some supporters believe the privilege is securely rooted in the First Amendment’s guarantee of freedom of religion. But Cassidy said “there is no firm precedent that says the clergy-penitent privilege is constitutionally required.”

“The Supreme Court has never held that,” Cassidy said.

He’s proposed a middle path: allow clergy to maintain the secrecy of the confessional but carve out an exception for “dangerous persons” including child sex abusers.

Often, legislative efforts to close the clergy loophole run up against lawmakers who are also church members, as well as intimidation from advocacy groups aligned with various religions. It’s a one-two punch that has killed many bills quietly before they are even introduced, and has led to the privilege loophole being deemed by child welfare advocates as a poison pill included in mandatory reporting bills, the AP’s review found.

In Utah, after religious officials publicly opposed her bill seeking to close the loophole, state Rep. Romero, a lifelong Catholic, received ominous voicemails and emails. Fearing for her staff’s safety, she reported some of them to state law enforcement.

“It’s utterly despicable that you think that this is all right,” said one anonymous caller claiming to represent a group called Young Americans for Liberty. “If you care to, return my message. If not, I’m going to call you every day until you do.”

The blowback also got personal: Devout Catholic members of Romero’s own family stopped talking to her. “They thought I was trying to attack the Catholic Church and get rid of confession, one of our sacraments,” Romero said. “That’s how it was presented to them.”

In 2003, as the Catholic clergy sex abuse scandal swept the nation, a bill seeking to rid Maryland of the privilege in child abuse cases evoked a strong rebuke from Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, then the powerful archbishop of the Diocese of Washington, D.C.

“If this bill were to pass, I shall instruct all priests in the Archdiocese of Washington who serve in Maryland to ignore it,” McCarrick wrote in a Catholic Standard column. “On this issue, I will gladly plead civil disobedience and willingly — if not gladly — go to jail.”

The bill withered under McCarrick’s attack and never emerged from committee. Similar legislation proposed in 2004 suffered the same fate. Today, the clergy-penitent privilege in Maryland remains intact, even though McCarrick has been defrocked for sex crimes.

Virginia updated its mandatory reporting law in 2006. While the bill started out with clergy among those listed as reporters with the privilege intact, they would be removed from the final bill. The privilege, oddly, was left in. The state went on in 2019 to add ministers, priests, rabbis and other religious officials to the list of mandatory reporters of child abuse, but again protected the clergy-penitent privilege.

State Del. Karrie Delaney, a Virginia Democrat who sponsored the bill in 2019 that added clergy to the list of mandated reporters, said that including language to close the privilege would have doomed the bill.

“We wanted to pass the bill,” Delaney said. “And we knew that not having that (exemption) in there would have drawn an enormous amount of resistance from particular faith communities that really would have put the bill in jeopardy.”

In heavily Catholic Pennsylvania, 40 bills have included changes in mandatory child sex abuse reporting laws over the past two decades. None of them has challenged the clergy-penitent privilege. That comes as no surprise to child sex abuse survivors and their advocates, who have seen the Catholic Church and its lobbyists spend millions in a battle in Pennsylvania over a proposed two-year legal window for survivors to file lawsuits against their alleged abusers.

In other states, legislators said they didn't know clergy had a way around reporting abuse. After learning of the loophole from the AP, Vermont state Sen. Richard Sears, a Democrat, said he would introduce a bill in the next legislative session to try to close it. “I wasn’t even aware it existed,” Sears said.

In 2003, amid the uproar over the Catholic Church’s sexual abuse scandals, several states added clergy to their child sex abuse reporting laws, often with the exception for clergy who learn about child sex abuse during spiritual confessions.

With the privilege protected, the bill sailed easily through both houses and was even supported by The Archdiocese of Santa Fe, which was embroiled in its own church sexual abuse scandal.

Since then, there have been several bills introduced in the New Mexico Legislature aimed at clarifying language in the reporting law. Only one would have eliminated the clergy-penitent privilege. It died in committee.

“We have repeatedly asked the Legislature to strengthen reporting requirements in schools and religious institutions,” state Attorney General Hector Balderas told the AP. He said unreported child abuse is a major problem “resulting in tremendous amounts of trauma.”

Associated Press writers Kim Chandler in Montgomery, Alabama; Becky Bohrer in Juneau, Alaska; Andrew DeMillo in Little Rock, Arkansas; Sophie Austin in Sacramento, California; Jim Anderson in Denver, Colorado; Randall Chase in Dover, Delaware; Brendan Farrington in Tallahassee, Florida; Sudhin Thanawala in Atlanta; Keith Ridler in Boise, Idaho; John O'Connor in Springfield, Illinois; Dylan Lovan in Louisville, Kentucky; Sara Cline in Baton Rouge, Louisiana; David Sharp in Portland, Maine; Brian Witte in Annapolis, Maryland; Steve LeBlanc in Boston; Joey Cappelletti in Lansing, Michigan; Steve Karnowski in Minneapolis; Summer Ballentine in Jefferson City, Missouri; Amy Hanson in Helena, Montana; Gabe Stern in Carson City, Nevada; Susan Montoya Bryan in Albuquerque, New Mexico; James MacPherson in Bismarck, North Dakota; Andrew Welsh-Huggins in Columbus, Ohio: Andrew Selsky in Salem, Oregon; Mark Scolforo in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; Sam Metz in Salt Lake City; Wilson Ring in Montpelier, Vermont; Sarah Rankin in Richmond, Virginia; Rachel La Corte in Olympia, Washington; and Todd Richmond in Madison, Wisconsin, contributed to this report.

By JASON DEAREN and MICHAEL REZENDES Associated PressIt was a frigid Sunday evening at the Catholic Newman Center in Salt Lake City when the priest warned parishioners who had gathered after Mass that their right to private confessions was in jeopardy.A new law would break that sacred bond, the priest said, and directed the parishioners to sign a one-page form letter on their way out. “I/We Oppose HB90,” began the letter, stacked next to pre-addressed envelopes. “HB90 is an improper interference of the government into the practice of religion in Utah.”In the following days of February 2020, Utah’s Catholic diocese, which oversees dozens of churches, says it collected some 9,000 signed letters from parishioners and sent them to state Rep. Angela Romero, a Democrat who had been working on the bill as part of her campaign against child sexual abuse. HB90 targeted Utah’s “clergy-penitent privilege,” a law similar to those in many states that exempts clergy of all denominations from the requirement to report child abuse if they learn about the crime in a confessional setting.Utah’s Catholic leaders had mobilized against HB90 arguing that it threatened the sacred privacy of confessions. More importantly, it met with disapproval from some members in the powerful Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, known as the Mormon church,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/286983987f484cb182fba9334c52a617">whose followers comprise the vast majority</a>&nbsp;of the state Legislature. HB90 was dead on arrival.In 33 states, clergy are exempt from any laws requiring professionals such as teachers, physicians and psychotherapists to report information about alleged child sexual abuse to police or child welfare officials if the church deems the information privileged.This loophole has resulted in an unknown number of predators being allowed to continue abusing children for years despite having confessed the behavior to religious officials. In many of these cases, the privilege has been invoked to shield religious groups from civil and criminal liability after the abuse became known to civil authorities.Over the past two decades state lawmakers like Romero have proposed more than 130 bills seeking to create or amend child sex abuse reporting laws, an Associated Press review found. All either targeted the loophole and failed to close it, or amended the mandatory reporting statute without touching the clergy privilege amid intense opposition from religious groups. The AP found that the Roman Catholic Church has used its well-funded lobbying infrastructure and deep influence among lawmakers in some states to protect the privilege, and that influential members of the Mormon church and Jehovah’s Witnesses have also worked in statehouses and courts to preserve it in areas where their membership is high.In Maryland a successful campaign to defeat a proposal that would have closed the clergy-penitent loophole was led by a Catholic cardinal who would later be defrocked for sexually abusing children and adult seminarians.In other states,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2dacbb76be1e415e9941c4b6fd900505">such as California</a>, Missouri and New Mexico, vociferous public and backroom opposition to bills aimed at closing the loophole from the Catholic and Mormon churches successfully derailed legislative reform efforts.“They believe they’re on a divine mission that justifies keeping the name and the reputation of their institution pristine,” said David Finkelhor, director of the Crimes Against Children Research Center at the University of New Hampshire, speaking of several religious groups. “So the leadership has a strong disincentive to involve the authorities, police or child protection people.”LOOPHOLE PROTECTS CHURCHES FROM SURVIVORS AND PROSECUTORSLast month, an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/Mormon-church-sexual-abuse-investigation-e0e39cf9aa4fbe0d8c1442033b894660">AP investigation</a>&nbsp;found that a Mormon bishop in Arizona, at the direction of church leaders,&nbsp;<a href="https://youtu.be/Ool6oN9P-hY">failed to report</a>&nbsp;a church member who had confessed that he sexually abused his 5-year-old daughter. The AP found that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/religion-lawsuits-utah-sexual-abuse-by-clergy-government-and-politics-9f1607f4d308248ebf12dc32f70376ec">Rep. Merrill Nelson</a>, a church lawyer and Utah Republican lawmaker, had advised the bishop not to report the abuse to civil authorities because of Arizona’s clergy privilege law, according to documents revealed in a lawsuit. That failure to report allowed the church member, the late Paul Adams, to repeatedly rape his two daughters and allegedly abuse one of his four sons for many years.In response to the case, state Sen. Victoria Steele, a Democrat from Tucson, on three occasions proposed legislation to close the clergy reporting loophole in Arizona. Steele told the AP that key Mormon lawmakers including a former Republican state senator and judiciary committee chairmen thwarted her efforts before her proposals could be presented to the full Legislature.“It’s difficult for me to tell this story without talking about the Mormons and their power in the Legislature,” Steele said. “What this boils down to is that the church is being given permission to protect the predators and the children be damned. … They are trying with all of their might to make sure this bill does not see the light of day.”Latter-day Saints and Catholics hold a number of influential positions as leaders and committee chairmen in the Arizona Legislature, including the speaker of the House, and have been known to advance or block legislation in line with the church’s priorities and values.In one high-profile example, two Republican legislators took a stand in 2019, refusing to vote for a budget until lawmakers passed a measure allowing past victims of child sexual abuse to sue churches or youth groups that turned a blind eye to the abuse. Legislative business ground to a halt for weeks amid fierce opposition from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Roman Catholic Church and insurers along with their allies in the Legislature, which finally approved the measure.The Adams case is not the only example of the privilege being invoked in cases where a clergy member's failure to report led to prolonged abuse. In Montana, for example, a woman who was abused by a member of the Jehovah’s Witnesses in the mid-2000s won a $35 million jury verdict against the church for failing to report her abuse. But in 2020 the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/95b03b21a0c86f7ec1dfa25372e36f39">state Supreme Court reversed the judgment</a>, ruling that church leaders were under no obligation to report, citing the state’s clergy-penitent privilege.The privilege can also be used to protect religious organizations from criminal liability. In 2013, a former Boise, Idaho, police officer turned himself in for abusing children, something he had reported to 15 members of the Mormon church, none of whom notified authorities. But prosecutors declined to file charges against the church because of Idaho’s clergy-penitent privilege law.The Mormon church said in a written statement to the AP that a member who confesses child sex abuse “has come seeking an opportunity to reconcile with God and to seek forgiveness for their actions. ... That confession is considered sacred, and in most states, is regarded as a protected religious conversation owned by the confessor.”The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops did not immediately return a request for comment about its campaigns against state bills seeking to do away with the clergy-penitent privilege.But supporters of the clergy privilege say abolishing it will not make children safer. Some go so far as to say that the ability of abusers to report privately to clergy encourages them to confess and often leads to stopping the abuse.“It’s considered essential to the exercise of religion to have a priest-penitent privilege that will allow people to to approach their clergy for the purpose of unburdening themselves, their mind, their soul … to seek peace and consolation with God as well as with their fellow beings,” Utah state Rep. Nelson told the AP. “Without that assurance of secrecy, troubled people will not confide in their clergy.”Jean Hill, the government liaison for Utah’s Catholic Diocese who helped organize opposition to Romero's bill, pointed to a single research paper to argue that laws that target privileged, confessional conversations in the context of child abuse have not increased reporting in those communities.“When you take away every opportunity for people to get help, they go underground and the abuse continues,” Hill said.But the authors of the study Hill cited,&nbsp;<a href="https://repository.law.umich.edu/articles/1572/">published in 2014</a>, have cautioned about reaching such conclusions based on their research.Frank Vandervort, a law professor at the University of Michigan, and his co-author, Vincent Palusci, a pediatrics professor at New York University, told the AP that the study was limited, partly because churches often wouldn’t give them access to data on clergy reporting.“A single article should not be the basis for making policy decisions,” said Vandervort, lead author of the study. “It may be entirely the case that there’s no connection between the changing of the laws and the number of reports.”PRIVILEGE NOT ‘CONSTITUTIONALLY REQUIRED’Efforts to rid state laws of the privilege have been successful in only a handful of states, including North Carolina, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, Texas and West Virginia. Records and interviews with lawmakers in the 33 states that still have the privilege show that intense opposition from powerful religious organizations is more often too much to overcome.Former California state Sen. Jerry Hill said a bill he introduced in 2019 to require clergy members to report suspicion of child sex abuse or neglect by co-workers was killed after opposition from the Catholic and Mormon churches, as well as other religious groups.“The opposition of the Catholic Church was instrumental in creating a lot of controversy around the bill and a lot of questions related to religious freedom,” Hill said. The Catholic Church made it clear it would sue if the bill passed, Hill said.Michael Cassidy, a professor at Catholic-affiliated Boston College Law School and a former state prosecutor, said it’s not clear how a religious freedom case regarding the clergy privilege would turn out.Some supporters believe the privilege is securely rooted in the First Amendment’s guarantee of freedom of religion. But Cassidy said “there is no firm precedent that says the clergy-penitent privilege is constitutionally required.”“The Supreme Court has never held that,” Cassidy said.He’s proposed a middle path: allow clergy to maintain the secrecy of the confessional but carve out an exception for “dangerous persons” including child sex abusers.Often, legislative efforts to close the clergy loophole run up against lawmakers who are also church members, as well as intimidation from advocacy groups aligned with various religions. It’s a one-two punch that has killed many bills quietly before they are even introduced, and has led to the privilege loophole being deemed by child welfare advocates as a poison pill included in mandatory reporting bills, the AP’s review found.In Utah, after religious officials publicly opposed her bill seeking to close the loophole, state Rep. Romero, a lifelong Catholic, received ominous voicemails and emails. Fearing for her staff’s safety, she reported some of them to state law enforcement.“It’s utterly despicable that you think that this is all right,” said one anonymous caller claiming to represent a group called Young Americans for Liberty. “If you care to, return my message. If not, I’m going to call you every day until you do.”The blowback also got personal: Devout Catholic members of Romero’s own family stopped talking to her. “They thought I was trying to attack the Catholic Church and get rid of confession, one of our sacraments,” Romero said. “That’s how it was presented to them.”In 2003, as the Catholic clergy sex abuse scandal swept the nation, a bill seeking to rid Maryland of the privilege in child abuse cases evoked a strong rebuke from Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, then the powerful archbishop of the Diocese of Washington, D.C.“If this bill were to pass, I shall instruct all priests in the Archdiocese of Washington who serve in Maryland to ignore it,” McCarrick wrote in a Catholic Standard column. “On this issue, I will gladly plead civil disobedience and willingly — if not gladly — go to jail.”The bill withered under McCarrick’s attack and never emerged from committee. Similar legislation proposed in 2004 suffered the same fate. Today, the clergy-penitent privilege in Maryland remains intact, even though McCarrick has been defrocked for sex crimes.Virginia updated its mandatory reporting law in 2006. While the bill started out with clergy among those listed as reporters with the privilege intact, they would be removed from the final bill. The privilege, oddly, was left in. The state went on in 2019 to add ministers, priests, rabbis and other religious officials to the list of mandatory reporters of child abuse, but again protected the clergy-penitent privilege.State Del. Karrie Delaney, a Virginia Democrat who sponsored the bill in 2019 that added clergy to the list of mandated reporters, said that including language to close the privilege would have doomed the bill.“We wanted to pass the bill,” Delaney said. “And we knew that not having that (exemption) in there would have drawn an enormous amount of resistance from particular faith communities that really would have put the bill in jeopardy.”In heavily Catholic Pennsylvania, 40 bills have included changes in mandatory child sex abuse reporting laws over the past two decades. None of them has challenged the clergy-penitent privilege. That comes as no surprise to child sex abuse survivors and their advocates, who have seen the Catholic Church and its lobbyists spend millions in a battle in Pennsylvania over a proposed two-year legal window for survivors to file lawsuits against their alleged abusers.In other states, legislators said they didn't know clergy had a way around reporting abuse. After learning of the loophole from the AP, Vermont state Sen. Richard Sears, a Democrat, said he would introduce a bill in the next legislative session to try to close it. “I wasn’t even aware it existed,” Sears said.In 2003, amid the uproar over the Catholic Church’s sexual abuse scandals, several states added clergy to their child sex abuse reporting laws, often with the exception for clergy who learn about child sex abuse during spiritual confessions.That’s what happened in New Mexico.With the privilege protected, the bill sailed easily through both houses and was even supported by The Archdiocese of Santa Fe, which was embroiled in its own church sexual abuse scandal.Since then, there have been several bills introduced in the New Mexico Legislature aimed at clarifying language in the reporting law. Only one would have eliminated the clergy-penitent privilege. It died in committee.“We have repeatedly asked the Legislature to strengthen reporting requirements in schools and religious institutions,” state Attorney General Hector Balderas told the AP. He said unreported child abuse is a major problem “resulting in tremendous amounts of trauma.”___Associated Press writers Kim Chandler in Montgomery, Alabama; Becky Bohrer in Juneau, Alaska; Andrew DeMillo in Little Rock, Arkansas; Sophie Austin in Sacramento, California; Jim Anderson in Denver, Colorado; Randall Chase in Dover, Delaware; Brendan Farrington in Tallahassee, Florida; Sudhin Thanawala in Atlanta; Keith Ridler in Boise, Idaho; John O'Connor in Springfield, Illinois; Dylan Lovan in Louisville, Kentucky; Sara Cline in Baton Rouge, Louisiana; David Sharp in Portland, Maine; Brian Witte in Annapolis, Maryland; Steve LeBlanc in Boston; Joey Cappelletti in Lansing, Michigan; Steve Karnowski in Minneapolis; Summer Ballentine in Jefferson City, Missouri; Amy Hanson in Helena, Montana; Gabe Stern in Carson City, Nevada; Susan Montoya Bryan in Albuquerque, New Mexico; James MacPherson in Bismarck, North Dakota; Andrew Welsh-Huggins in Columbus, Ohio: Andrew Selsky in Salem, Oregon; Mark Scolforo in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; Sam Metz in Salt Lake City; Wilson Ring in Montpelier, Vermont; Sarah Rankin in Richmond, Virginia; Rachel La Corte in Olympia, Washington; and Todd Richmond in Madison, Wisconsin, contributed to this report.___

Churches defend clergy loophole in child sex abuse reporting

SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating another homicide in Topeka.

This is the third homicide in Topeka in the past two days. This incident at the apartment complex is not believed to be related to the Friday's earlier homicide in connection with a body found under the Interstate 70 Bridge near the intersection of SE Quincy and SE 2nd Street or the shooting death at a home&nbsp;3500 Block of SW Kerry Avenue in Topeka on Thursday.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/9/1664586524758.png" alt="Police on the scene of the investigation-photo courtesy WIBW TV" />
 <figcaption>Police on the scene of the investigation-photo courtesy WIBW TV</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating another homicide in Topeka.Just after 10a.m. Friday, police responded to the Meadowlark Apartments 1621 SW 37th Terrace in Topeka after receiving multiple reports of a shooting, according to police spokesperson Gretchen Spiker.Upon arrival, officers located one man identified as&nbsp;Keith K. Gaylord Jr., 23 of Topeka. He was pronounced deceased at the scene. They located another individual with injuries believed to be non-life threatening. The injured individual was transported by American Medical Response to a local hospital, and was in stable condition late Friday.&nbsp;This is the third homicide in Topeka in the past two days. This incident at the apartment complex is not believed to be related to the Friday's earlier homicide in connection with a body found under the Interstate 70 Bridge near the intersection of SE Quincy and SE 2nd Street or the shooting death at a home&nbsp;3500 Block of SW Kerry Avenue in Topeka on Thursday.

Police investigate 3rd homicide in Topeka in 2 days

JOHNSON COUNTY —One person died in an accident just before 3p.m. Friday in Johnson County.

Shawnee Police reported a semi dump truck&nbsp; was southbound in the 7700 Block of Interstate 435. The truck left the road and struck an unoccupied vehicle that was abandoned on the side of the highway. The driver of the truck was ejected and pronounced dead at the scene.

Police have not released the name of the driver.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/10/1664626811199.png" alt="Friday fatal crash -photo Kansas City Scout" />
 <figcaption>Friday fatal crash -photo Kansas City Scout</figcaption>
 </figure>JOHNSON COUNTY —One person died in an accident just before 3p.m. Friday in Johnson County.Shawnee Police reported a semi dump truck&nbsp; was southbound in the 7700 Block of Interstate 435. The truck left the road and struck an unoccupied vehicle that was abandoned on the side of the highway. The driver of the truck was ejected and pronounced dead at the scene.Police have not released the name of the driver.

Driver dies after ejected in dump truck crash on Kansas highway

<a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search/?query=byline:%22DAVID%20A.%20LIEB%20and%20KAVISH%20HARJAI%22&amp;mediaType=text&amp;st=keyword&amp;sortOrder=newest">By DAVID A. LIEB and KAVISH HARJAI </a>TOPEKA (AP) —Standing 14 stories tall, the Docking State Office Building is one of Kansas' largest and oldest state workplaces. It's also largely vacant, despite a prime location across from the Capitol.

So Kansas officials are planning to spend $60 million of federal pandemic relief funds to help finance its demolition and replace it with a slimmed-down, three-story building designed to host meetings and events.

State officials categorized the project as a “public health service” in a report to the U.S. Treasury Department laying out their plans for the money. Though that may be a stretch, it's likely fine under&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-personal-taxes-legislation-coronavirus-pandemic-unemployment-insurance-104c5477a7879abd4117abfea25c30d5">the American Rescue Plan act</a>&nbsp;— a sweeping law signed by President Joe Biden last year that provides&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-joe-biden-business-health-d159b73865f3346db8570008c6985112">broad flexibility for $350 billion of aid to states and local governments</a>.

The aid was promoted by Democrats in Congress as an unprecedented infusion for cash-strapped governments to respond to the virus, rebuild their economies and shore up their finances. But it came as state tax revenues already were rebounding,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-business-health-pandemics-personal-taxes-42637f997178a1de4911bf16dbc3f60b">leaving many states with record surpluses</a>&nbsp;and enviable decisions about what to do with all the money.

Relatively little of the federal aid has gone toward traditional public health purposes, according to an Associated Press review of reports filed by all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Significantly more has gone toward public infrastructure. States are pouring money into water, sewer and high-speed internet projects, as specifically envisioned by the law. But the AP found that they're also spending billions of dollars on roads, bridges, sidewalks, airports, rail lines and buildings at college campuses and government agencies — justifying all of it under the federal government's generous flexibility.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/9/1664483772191.jpeg" alt="This photo from Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2022, shows the Robert B. Docking State Office building in Topeka, Kansas, named for a Kansas governor. Despite its prime location near the Kansas Statehouse, it's largely vacant and in need of renovations, and the state now plans to spend $60 million in pandemic relief funds to tear it down and build a smaller events center on the site. (AP Photo/John Hanna)" />
 <figcaption>This photo from Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2022, shows the Robert B. Docking State Office building in Topeka, Kansas, named for a Kansas governor. Despite its prime location near the Kansas Statehouse, it's largely vacant and in need of renovations, and the state now plans to spend $60 million in pandemic relief funds to tear it down and build a smaller events center on the site. (AP Photo/John Hanna)</figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search/?query=byline:%22DAVID%20A.%20LIEB%20and%20KAVISH%20HARJAI%22&amp;mediaType=text&amp;st=keyword&amp;sortOrder=newest">By DAVID A. LIEB and KAVISH HARJAI </a>TOPEKA (AP) —Standing 14 stories tall, the Docking State Office Building is one of Kansas' largest and oldest state workplaces. It's also largely vacant, despite a prime location across from the Capitol.So Kansas officials are planning to spend $60 million of federal pandemic relief funds to help finance its demolition and replace it with a slimmed-down, three-story building designed to host meetings and events.State officials categorized the project as a “public health service” in a report to the U.S. Treasury Department laying out their plans for the money. Though that may be a stretch, it's likely fine under&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-personal-taxes-legislation-coronavirus-pandemic-unemployment-insurance-104c5477a7879abd4117abfea25c30d5">the American Rescue Plan act</a>&nbsp;— a sweeping law signed by President Joe Biden last year that provides&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-joe-biden-business-health-d159b73865f3346db8570008c6985112">broad flexibility for $350 billion of aid to states and local governments</a>.The aid was promoted by Democrats in Congress as an unprecedented infusion for cash-strapped governments to respond to the virus, rebuild their economies and shore up their finances. But it came as state tax revenues already were rebounding,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-business-health-pandemics-personal-taxes-42637f997178a1de4911bf16dbc3f60b">leaving many states with record surpluses</a>&nbsp;and enviable decisions about what to do with all the money.Relatively little of the federal aid has gone toward traditional public health purposes, according to an Associated Press review of reports filed by all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Significantly more has gone toward public infrastructure. States are pouring money into water, sewer and high-speed internet projects, as specifically envisioned by the law. But the AP found that they're also spending billions of dollars on roads, bridges, sidewalks, airports, rail lines and buildings at college campuses and government agencies — justifying all of it under the federal government's generous flexibility.“We didn't need it, to be quite honest,” said Kansas House Appropriations Committee Chairman Troy Waymaster, referring to the $1.6 billion the state received.But the Docking building does need to come down, he said, and the new space for events and meetings could allow better social distancing during a COVID-19 resurgence or future pandemic.If “the building itself could be used during a pandemic, then it somewhat justifies the use of ARPA funds for the renovation or infrastructure projects,” said Waymaster, a Republican.A Kansas preservationist group has&nbsp;<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/22672175-ks_docking-state-office-building-court-filing">asked a court to block the demolition</a>, arguing that Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly's administration hasn't followed proper procedures to tear down the 65-year-old structure that was added to the National Register of Historic Places earlier this year.“There’s some wrongheaded action going on here to demolish what really is a perfectly suitable building,” said Paul Post, a retired Topeka attorney and member of the Plains Modern preservationist group.All states recently were required to file annual reports with the Treasury Department detailing their progress under the American Rescue Plan. The documents show states have planned expenditures for about three-fourths of their funds. up significantly from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-states-cities-spend-federal-pandemic-funds-191dce8c75b0f5159691f0606d910d74">an initial slow pace</a>.The Treasury asked states to classify projects in seven general categories, with 83 subcategories. It can recoup funds if it determines by the end of 2026 that spending fell outside the law's wide guidelines.Governments reported more than $22 billion of planned expenditures for the Treasury's infrastructure category of water, sewer and broadband. But the AP identified a total of about $36 billion for infrastructure projects — nearly one-quarter of all planned expenditures — when including roads, bridges, buildings and public works projects reported in other categories.By contrast, governments reported less than $12 billion of planned expenditures in the Treasury's public health category — even though it was broadly construed to also include such things as “community violence interventions,” substance use services and COVID-19 aid to small businesses.Some state officials may have decided not to use the relief funds for public health because they had other federal funding streams for vaccines, testing and health initiatives. For example, a separate section of the American Rescue Plan provided nearly $8 billion for state and local health departments. But the large influx of funds may also have stirred concerns about sustainability.Though&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-health-government-and-politics-coronavirus-c3d25e5687e5cb2bf2877c111364df44">public health has historically been underfunded</a>, “a lot of health officials have struggled to get their policymakers and their bosses to commit to hiring people for the long-term because it’s one-time money,” said Dr. Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association.Some states reported no public health expenditures with their discretionary American Rescue Plan funds. Those included Florida, which received the fourth largest allotment from the federal government. Florida instead devoted $1.8 billion for highway, $1.9 billion for water projects and more than $2.5 billion for construction and maintenance of public buildings, including the Capitol, university facilities and K-12 schools, according to the AP's analysis.The state's water initiatives include up to $700 million for a grant program to fight flooding associated with climate change. The city of Miami was awarded about $50 million for a half-dozen projects, including one that will nearly double the height of a sea wall in an area devastated by a storm surge from Hurricane Irma in 2017.The goal of the project is "to protect the residences and the businesses from future storm surge and sea level rise,” said Sonia Brubaker, Miami's chief resilience officer.Louisiana also listed no planned expenditures in the Treasury's public health category. But the state plans to spend $863 million on roads and bridges, $750 million on water and sewer infrastructure and $27 million for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-nfl-sports-business-health-408dd6c70ee2b0d158675b23e8e1eaa7">improvements to the domed stadium</a>&nbsp;where the New Orleans Saints play football.Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards said the stadium subsidy was critical “to keep that venue competitive."North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, also defended $46 million of grants to upgrade grandstands, walkways, bathrooms and infrastructure at racetracks across his state. “Motorsports are part of the fabric of North Carolina,” he said earlier this year.<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/22672190-al_prison-construction-lawsuit">Alabama prisoners have sued the Treasury Department</a>&nbsp;to try to stop the state from spending $400 million on prison construction. Though the state agues it's OK under the Treasury's flexible rules, the lawsuit contends it's a “a gross and illegal misuse” of pandemic relief funds.A coalition of more than two dozen construction, business and local government groups is&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apwa.net/Library/CR%20Padilla%20Cornyn%20Support%20Letter%200922.pdf">pressing Congress to grant even more leeway</a>&nbsp;to use pandemic aid on transportation projects.“Having a good infrastructure that allows us all to live and thrive" ultimately “leads back into public health,” said Stan Brown, past president of the American Public Works Association.Missouri, which has yet to categorize most of its projects, also is investing heavily in infrastructure by directing hundreds of millions of dollars to buildings at community colleges and public universities. The NextGen Precision Health initiative at the University of Missouri will get nearly $105 million for improvements that include finishing off the fourth floor of a new building named for retiring U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt."A lot of this was already going to happen," although no specific timeline had been set, said university spokesperson Christian Basi. "Then COVID hits, and then ARPA funds are available. It’s coincidental odd timing, but it turned out to be a very, very helpful thing for us.”Like Missouri, Utah categorized $90 million for a new mental health research facility as a replacement of lost revenue for government services. Construction is to begin next year on the building, which will host research on suicide and the effect of social isolation on children's mental health, among other things.The planned work aligns nicely with the intent of the federal aid, said Mark Rapaport, CEO of the Huntsman Mental Health Institute at the University of Utah.“A lot of what we’re doing is directly related to tackling issues that have been exacerbated by the pandemic itself," he said.