By LESLIE EIKLEBERRY Salina Post

A Salina teen escaped injury after a pickup he was driving rolled and caught fire just after 8:30p.m. Friday southeast of the city.

A 1969 Chevy pickup driven by Josiah Reilly, 19, of Salina, was southbound on S. Holmes Road just south of E. Water Well Road, according to&nbsp; Saline County Sheriff Roger Soldan.

A wash-boarded area of the roadway caused him to lose control of the 1969 Chevrolet C10 pickup he was driving. The pickup fishtailed, rolled onto its side in the west ditch, and caught fire.

Reilly was able to escape the pickup without injury, Soldan said.&nbsp;

Rural firefighters extinguished the blaze. The pickup was destroyed.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/9/1663000241731.jpeg" alt="Rural firefighters work to extinguish a blaze that destroyed a&nbsp;1969 Chevrolet C10 pickup southeast of Salina Friday night. The teen driver escaped unharmed. Photo courtesy Saline County Sheriff's Office" />
 <figcaption>Rural firefighters work to extinguish a blaze that destroyed a&nbsp;1969 Chevrolet C10 pickup southeast of Salina Friday night. The teen driver escaped unharmed. Photo courtesy Saline County Sheriff's Office</figcaption>
 </figure>By LESLIE EIKLEBERRY Salina PostA Salina teen escaped injury after a pickup he was driving rolled and caught fire just after 8:30p.m. Friday southeast of the city.A 1969 Chevy pickup driven by Josiah Reilly, 19, of Salina, was southbound on S. Holmes Road just south of E. Water Well Road, according to&nbsp; Saline County Sheriff Roger Soldan.A wash-boarded area of the roadway caused him to lose control of the 1969 Chevrolet C10 pickup he was driving. The pickup fishtailed, rolled onto its side in the west ditch, and caught fire.Reilly was able to escape the pickup without injury, Soldan said.&nbsp;Rural firefighters extinguished the blaze. The pickup was destroyed.

Kan. man escapes rollover crash, fire that destroyed pickup

ATCHISON COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities investigating a vehicle theft have a suspect in custody.

Just after 8:30p.m. Sept. 9, police recovered a 2020 Toyota Corolla that was parked in a parking in the 1900 block South U.S.73, according to Atchison Police Chief Mike Wilson.

The car had been reported stolen in Kansas City Kansas earlier on Friday.

 At 11:30p.m. Friday, police took a 14 year old boy into custody near 4th and U.S. 59 in Atchison in connection to the vehicle theft. The boy had been reported as a missing person earlier on Friday to the Kansas City Kansas Police Department.

ATCHISON COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities investigating a vehicle theft have a suspect in custody.Just after 8:30p.m. Sept. 9, police recovered a 2020 Toyota Corolla that was parked in a parking in the 1900 block South U.S.73, according to Atchison Police Chief Mike Wilson.The car had been reported stolen in Kansas City Kansas earlier on Friday. At 11:30p.m. Friday, police took a 14 year old boy into custody near 4th and U.S. 59 in Atchison in connection to the vehicle theft. The boy had been reported as a missing person earlier on Friday to the Kansas City Kansas Police Department.

14-year-old Kan. boy reported missing, accused of car theft

NEW YORK (AP) — Payment processor Visa Inc. said Saturday that it plans to start separately categorizing sales at gun shops, a major win for gun control advocates who say it will help better track suspicious surges of gun sales that could be a prelude to a mass shooting.

But the decision by Visa, the world's largest payment processor, will likely provoke the ire of gun rights advocates and gun lobbyists, who have argued that categorizing gun sales would unfairly flag an industry when most sales do not lead to mass shootings. It joins Mastercard and American Express, which also said they plan to move forward with categorizing gun shop sales.

Visa said it would adopt the International Organization for Standardization’s new merchant code for gun sales, which was announced on Friday. Until Friday, gun store sales were considered “general merchandise.”

“Following ISO’s decision to establish a new merchant category code, Visa will proceed with next steps, while ensuring we protect all legal commerce on the Visa network in accordance with our long-standing rules,” the payment processor said in a statement.

Visa’s adoption is significant as the largest payment network, and with Mastercard and AmeEx, will likely put pressure on the banks as the card issuers to adopt the standard as well. Visa acts as a middleman between merchants and banks, and it will be up to banks to decide whether they will allow sales at gun stores to happen on their issued cards.

Gun control advocates had gained significant wins on this front in recent weeks. New York City officials and pension funds had pressured the ISO and banks to adopt this code.

Two of the country's largest public pension funds, in California and New York, have been pressing the country's largest credit card firms to establish sales codes specifically for firearm-related sales that could flag suspicious purchases or more easily trace how guns and ammunition are sold.

Merchant category codes now exist for almost every kind of purchase, including those made at supermarkets, clothing stores, coffee shops and many other retailers.

“When you buy an airline ticket or pay for your groceries, your credit card company has a special code for those retailers. It’s just common sense that we have the same policies in place for gun and ammunition stores,” said New York City Mayor Eric Adams, a former police captain who blames the proliferation of guns for his city's deadly violence.

The city's comptroller, Brad Lander, said it made moral and financial sense as a tool to push back against gun violence.

“Unfortunately, the credit card companies have failed to support this simple, practical, potentially lifesaving tool. The time has come for them to do so," Lander said recently, before Visa and others had adopted the move.

Lander is a trustee of the New York City Employees’ Retirement System, Teachers’ Retirement System and Board of Education Retirement System — which together own 667,200 shares in American Express valued at approximately $92.49 million; 1.1 million shares in MasterCard valued at approximately $347.59 million; and 1.85 million shares in Visa valued at approximately $363.86 million.

The pension funds and gun control advocates argue that creating a merchant category code for standalone firearm and ammunition stores could aid in the battle against gun violence. A week before the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ap.org/about/annual-report/2016/worst-mass-shooting-in-us-history-50-slain-at-gay-nightclub.html">mass shooting at the Pulse Nightclub</a>&nbsp;in Orlando, Florida, where 49 people died after a shooter opened fire in 2016, the assailant used credit cards to buy more than $26,000 worth of guns and ammunition, including purchases at a stand-alone gun retailer.

Gun rights advocates argue that tracking sales at gun stores would unfairly target legal gun purchases, since merchant codes just track the type of merchant where the credit or debit card is used, not the actual items purchased. A sale of a gun safe, worth thousands of dollars and an item considered part of responsible gun ownership, could be seen as a just a large purchase at a gun shop.

“The (industry's) decision to create a firearm specific code is nothing more than a capitulation to anti-gun politicians and activists bent on eroding the rights of law-abiding Americans one transaction at a time,” said Lars Dalseide, a spokesman for the National Rifle Association.

Over the years, public pension funds have used their extensive investment portfolios to influence public policy and the market place.

The California teacher's fund, the second largest pension fund in the country, has long taken aim on the gun industry. It has divested its holdings from gun manufacturers and has sought to persuade some retailers from selling guns.

Four years ago, the teacher's fund made guns a key initiative. It called for background checks and called on retailers “monitor irregularities at the point of sale, to record all firearm sales, to audit firearms inventory on a regular basis, and to proactively assist law enforcement.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/3/1614775839571.jpg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>NEW YORK (AP) — Payment processor Visa Inc. said Saturday that it plans to start separately categorizing sales at gun shops, a major win for gun control advocates who say it will help better track suspicious surges of gun sales that could be a prelude to a mass shooting.But the decision by Visa, the world's largest payment processor, will likely provoke the ire of gun rights advocates and gun lobbyists, who have argued that categorizing gun sales would unfairly flag an industry when most sales do not lead to mass shootings. It joins Mastercard and American Express, which also said they plan to move forward with categorizing gun shop sales.Visa said it would adopt the International Organization for Standardization’s new merchant code for gun sales, which was announced on Friday. Until Friday, gun store sales were considered “general merchandise.”“Following ISO’s decision to establish a new merchant category code, Visa will proceed with next steps, while ensuring we protect all legal commerce on the Visa network in accordance with our long-standing rules,” the payment processor said in a statement.Visa’s adoption is significant as the largest payment network, and with Mastercard and AmeEx, will likely put pressure on the banks as the card issuers to adopt the standard as well. Visa acts as a middleman between merchants and banks, and it will be up to banks to decide whether they will allow sales at gun stores to happen on their issued cards.Gun control advocates had gained significant wins on this front in recent weeks. New York City officials and pension funds had pressured the ISO and banks to adopt this code.Two of the country's largest public pension funds, in California and New York, have been pressing the country's largest credit card firms to establish sales codes specifically for firearm-related sales that could flag suspicious purchases or more easily trace how guns and ammunition are sold.Merchant category codes now exist for almost every kind of purchase, including those made at supermarkets, clothing stores, coffee shops and many other retailers.“When you buy an airline ticket or pay for your groceries, your credit card company has a special code for those retailers. It’s just common sense that we have the same policies in place for gun and ammunition stores,” said New York City Mayor Eric Adams, a former police captain who blames the proliferation of guns for his city's deadly violence.The city's comptroller, Brad Lander, said it made moral and financial sense as a tool to push back against gun violence.“Unfortunately, the credit card companies have failed to support this simple, practical, potentially lifesaving tool. The time has come for them to do so," Lander said recently, before Visa and others had adopted the move.Lander is a trustee of the New York City Employees’ Retirement System, Teachers’ Retirement System and Board of Education Retirement System — which together own 667,200 shares in American Express valued at approximately $92.49 million; 1.1 million shares in MasterCard valued at approximately $347.59 million; and 1.85 million shares in Visa valued at approximately $363.86 million.The pension funds and gun control advocates argue that creating a merchant category code for standalone firearm and ammunition stores could aid in the battle against gun violence. A week before the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ap.org/about/annual-report/2016/worst-mass-shooting-in-us-history-50-slain-at-gay-nightclub.html">mass shooting at the Pulse Nightclub</a>&nbsp;in Orlando, Florida, where 49 people died after a shooter opened fire in 2016, the assailant used credit cards to buy more than $26,000 worth of guns and ammunition, including purchases at a stand-alone gun retailer.Gun rights advocates argue that tracking sales at gun stores would unfairly target legal gun purchases, since merchant codes just track the type of merchant where the credit or debit card is used, not the actual items purchased. A sale of a gun safe, worth thousands of dollars and an item considered part of responsible gun ownership, could be seen as a just a large purchase at a gun shop.“The (industry's) decision to create a firearm specific code is nothing more than a capitulation to anti-gun politicians and activists bent on eroding the rights of law-abiding Americans one transaction at a time,” said Lars Dalseide, a spokesman for the National Rifle Association.Over the years, public pension funds have used their extensive investment portfolios to influence public policy and the market place.The California teacher's fund, the second largest pension fund in the country, has long taken aim on the gun industry. It has divested its holdings from gun manufacturers and has sought to persuade some retailers from selling guns.Four years ago, the teacher's fund made guns a key initiative. It called for background checks and called on retailers “monitor irregularities at the point of sale, to record all firearm sales, to audit firearms inventory on a regular basis, and to proactively assist law enforcement.”___

Credit card firms will track firearm, ammunition purchases

By MIKE COURSON Great Bend Post

From a high school stunt, a career was born. In 2012, Aaron Mull was a senior at Great Bend High School. He used a weather balloon to send a burrito into space, using new camera technology to film the entire flight. The stunt landed him on national television and kickstarted a career in video. Now Mull has turned his attention to something more serious: a documentary about double-homicide at the Dolly Madison Bakery store in Great Bend in 2002.

"It's always been a story that obviously hit close to home, being from Great Bend," Mull said. "About this time last year, right after the 19th-year anniversary, I realized I'm about to find myself with enough time to be able to devote to a project like this. I just decided to commit to it. For the better part of the year, I've been flying back here secretly four or five times, collecting interviews and just really diving. To say I'm knee-deep in this is an understatement. I'm fully in it."

Now 29 years old, married, and living on the east coast, Mull made the decision to fly back home for Tuesday's Kansas Bureau of Investigation press conference regarding the case. To him, it's about bringing proper attention to the double homicide, its victims, and the family members left in its aftermath.

"Had it happened today, 2022, I don't think the public would have let it become 20 years old," said Mull. "It really is a story that never got that attention that it would have gotten even 10 years ago, in 2012, with Facebook on the rise. I think this story would have looked a lot different. I'll put as much time as I need to into this to make it good and to get it out there."

Mull already has extensive footage from the area, as well as interviews with many of the key characters in the case, including family members of the victims and law enforcement officers. He estimates he already has hundreds of hours invested into the project and plans to shop it to a major network when complete. It's all done using equipment that allows for unique drone shots from the sky, and for authentic shots on the ground.

"Some of this consumer equipment you can get for a few grand is pretty great," he said. "The drone I have can fit in my camera bag. It's very unassuming. That's what I like about it. My idea is to just blend in with the crowd. I think that's how you get the real reactions with what's going on. If you're there with a camera the size of three basketballs, people turn their shoulders and look at it. If you're there with a camera that no one is seeing, you get their real reactions. I think this documentary, it's very real. I just want to be in the story with these families and try to capture it in the most authentic way."

The new project is a far cry from the earlier videos. First, there was the space burrito, but Mull kept up the hobby with his own YouTube channel, directing an intense zombie attack at Great Bend High School, and using green screen technology inside his own home for complex productions.

"I was that kid in high school that was running around making silly YouTube videos," he recalls. "It's a product of when I grew up. All of these cameras and technology were becoming more accessible and cheaper. I just took an interest early on and ran with it. At some point I thought, let's just make this a job. Slowly but surely, that's what I tried to do."

Upon graduating from GBHS, Mull accepted a job with an agency in Kansas City. He began making a name for himself even without a college education.

"I'm lucky I can tell that story because the landscape of getting into this industry has changed," he said. "It's the college of just doing it over and over again, then having the right people see your stuff. I got lucky enough to be hired out of an agency in Kansas City that quickly became one of the fastest growing in the city. I found myself shooting with Gordon Ramsey and Patrick Mahomes."

Mull spent five-plus years with that agency, then turned to live sports as a videographer at Sporting KC soccer matches. He arrived in that position just in time for the COVID-19 pandemic, which took much of the fun out of the job. He ultimately moved east to pursue freelance and personal projects. Mull has rebuilt his new YouTube channel with 27,000 subscribers.

"The YouTube stuff is interesting," he said. "That's just kind of been on the back burner the last year, just following some of these cases, keeping me in that mindset of the true crime stuff. As I've been working on this documentary, I've been following other active cases, missing persons cases. I have kind of a built-in audience of people who have known I've been working on this thing, and I haven't really said what it is. Now it's public and people know the case. I've had 40 emails in the last week of just YouTube subscribers saying they're looking into this case."

Mull has meetings planned to discuss a possible release of the Dolly Madison documentary. Either way, with a large following on YouTube, he plans some type of release in the near future.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/9/1662577398278.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>By MIKE COURSON Great Bend PostFrom a high school stunt, a career was born. In 2012, Aaron Mull was a senior at Great Bend High School. He used a weather balloon to send a burrito into space, using new camera technology to film the entire flight. The stunt landed him on national television and kickstarted a career in video. Now Mull has turned his attention to something more serious: a documentary about double-homicide at the Dolly Madison Bakery store in Great Bend in 2002.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/9/1662488188603.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>"It's always been a story that obviously hit close to home, being from Great Bend," Mull said. "About this time last year, right after the 19th-year anniversary, I realized I'm about to find myself with enough time to be able to devote to a project like this. I just decided to commit to it. For the better part of the year, I've been flying back here secretly four or five times, collecting interviews and just really diving. To say I'm knee-deep in this is an understatement. I'm fully in it."Now 29 years old, married, and living on the east coast, Mull made the decision to fly back home for Tuesday's Kansas Bureau of Investigation press conference regarding the case. To him, it's about bringing proper attention to the double homicide, its victims, and the family members left in its aftermath.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/9/1662733209090.jpeg" alt="Stills from Mull's work-in-progress documentary." />
 <figcaption>Stills from Mull's work-in-progress documentary.</figcaption>
 </figure>"Had it happened today, 2022, I don't think the public would have let it become 20 years old," said Mull. "It really is a story that never got that attention that it would have gotten even 10 years ago, in 2012, with Facebook on the rise. I think this story would have looked a lot different. I'll put as much time as I need to into this to make it good and to get it out there."Mull already has extensive footage from the area, as well as interviews with many of the key characters in the case, including family members of the victims and law enforcement officers. He estimates he already has hundreds of hours invested into the project and plans to shop it to a major network when complete. It's all done using equipment that allows for unique drone shots from the sky, and for authentic shots on the ground."Some of this consumer equipment you can get for a few grand is pretty great," he said. "The drone I have can fit in my camera bag. It's very unassuming. That's what I like about it. My idea is to just blend in with the crowd. I think that's how you get the real reactions with what's going on. If you're there with a camera the size of three basketballs, people turn their shoulders and look at it. If you're there with a camera that no one is seeing, you get their real reactions. I think this documentary, it's very real. I just want to be in the story with these families and try to capture it in the most authentic way."<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/9/1662733267050.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>The new project is a far cry from the earlier videos. First, there was the space burrito, but Mull kept up the hobby with his own YouTube channel, directing an intense zombie attack at Great Bend High School, and using green screen technology inside his own home for complex productions."I was that kid in high school that was running around making silly YouTube videos," he recalls. "It's a product of when I grew up. All of these cameras and technology were becoming more accessible and cheaper. I just took an interest early on and ran with it. At some point I thought, let's just make this a job. Slowly but surely, that's what I tried to do."Upon graduating from GBHS, Mull accepted a job with an agency in Kansas City. He began making a name for himself even without a college education."I'm lucky I can tell that story because the landscape of getting into this industry has changed," he said. "It's the college of just doing it over and over again, then having the right people see your stuff. I got lucky enough to be hired out of an agency in Kansas City that quickly became one of the fastest growing in the city. I found myself shooting with Gordon Ramsey and Patrick Mahomes."Mull spent five-plus years with that agency, then turned to live sports as a videographer at Sporting KC soccer matches. He arrived in that position just in time for the COVID-19 pandemic, which took much of the fun out of the job. He ultimately moved east to pursue freelance and personal projects. Mull has rebuilt his new YouTube channel with 27,000 subscribers."The YouTube stuff is interesting," he said. "That's just kind of been on the back burner the last year, just following some of these cases, keeping me in that mindset of the true crime stuff. As I've been working on this documentary, I've been following other active cases, missing persons cases. I have kind of a built-in audience of people who have known I've been working on this thing, and I haven't really said what it is. Now it's public and people know the case. I've had 40 emails in the last week of just YouTube subscribers saying they're looking into this case."Mull has meetings planned to discuss a possible release of the Dolly Madison documentary. Either way, with a large following on YouTube, he plans some type of release in the near future.

Great Bend grad working on documentary of 2002 double-murder

FRANKLIN COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating after a violent incident involving two dogs and their owners.

Just before 1p.m. Saturday, police responded to report of a dog involved in attack on another dog in the 500 Block of North Cherry in Ottawa, according to a media release from Ottawa Police.

When officers arrived, they observed the owner of the attacking dog attempting to get the dog back into it own yard.&nbsp;

The dog broke free from its collar and the owner and charged toward the officer. The officer retreated about 30 feet. When the dog was five feet away, the officer&nbsp; shot the dog. The officer was not injured. 

The animal was transported a local veterinary hospital. Police issued the dog's owner multiple citations including Pitbull prohibited in city limits, harboring a vicious animal, animal at large and no city registration.

Police issued the owner of the other dog a citation for no city registration and no proof of vaccination.

FRANKLIN COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating after a violent incident involving two dogs and their owners.Just before 1p.m. Saturday, police responded to report of a dog involved in attack on another dog in the 500 Block of North Cherry in Ottawa, according to a media release from Ottawa Police.When officers arrived, they observed the owner of the attacking dog attempting to get the dog back into it own yard.&nbsp;The dog broke free from its collar and the owner and charged toward the officer. The officer retreated about 30 feet. When the dog was five feet away, the officer&nbsp; shot the dog. The officer was not injured. The animal was transported a local veterinary hospital. Police issued the dog's owner multiple citations including Pitbull prohibited in city limits, harboring a vicious animal, animal at large and no city registration.Police issued the owner of the other dog a citation for no city registration and no proof of vaccination.

Police: Dog shot after charging Kansas officer

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The heads of the nation's two largest rail unions said Sunday that the freight railroads' move to begin delaying some shipments ahead of this week's looming strike deadline is only an attempt to get shippers to increase the pressure on Congress to intervene and block a work stoppage by imposing a contract on workers.

The heads of the unions that represent engineers and conductors — the Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers — Transportation Division union and the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen union — issued a joint statement blasting the move, which the railroads announced late Friday. A strike or lockout won't be allowed until this coming Friday, but the railroads appear to be bracing for one by saying they would begin curtailing shipments of hazardous materials and other chemicals on Monday to ensure carloads of those dangerous products won't be stranded along the tracks if the trains stop moving.

“The railroads are using shippers, consumers, and the supply chain of our nation as pawns in an effort to get our unions to cave into their contract demands knowing that our members would never accept them. Our unions will not cave into these scare tactics, and Congress must not cave into what can only be described as corporate terrorism,” said Jeremy Fergunson with SMART-TD and Dennis Pierce with the BLET union.

Those two unions have been demanding that CSX, Union Pacific, BNSF, Norfolk Southern, Kansas City Southern and the other railroads go beyond the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-strikes-a83dffef79d38e36dc25588b19bf54b4">proposed deal recommended</a>&nbsp;by a group of arbitrators&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-transportation-strikes-ba718974eb14fcd615d606bfcdffb3d2">President Joe Biden appointed.</a>&nbsp;They want them to address concerns about&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-lawsuits-5123fda3d039543700b23d939e0bdda2">strict attendance policies</a>&nbsp;that they say make it hard to take any time off and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-aab7d3084a8d17d8d721d2cb750be323">increasing workloads</a>&nbsp;after the railroads cut nearly one-third of their workforces in recent years.

The railroad trade group has said there’s no way trucks can pick up the slack if the railroads stop moving because roughly 467,000 additional trucks a day would be needed to handle all the cargo trains haul and there is already a shortage of truck drivers.

Five of the 12 railroad unions that together represent 115,000 workers had already reached&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-and-politics-497a373594515a27e7435cdf97df7a41">tentative agreements</a>&nbsp;based on the Presidential Emergency Board's recommendations that will deliver 24% raises and $5,000 in bonuses over a five-year contract that's retroactive to 2020. The coalition negotiating on behalf of the railroads announced three more tentative agreements Sunday, so deals covering roughly 45,000 workers have now been announced. Members of the unions with tentative deals still have to vote on them.

If the two sides can't agree on a deal by the end of the week, Congress is expected to step in to block a strike because of the dire economic consequences if a strike happens because so many businesses rely on railroads to deliver their raw materials and finished products. The Association of American Railroads trade group put out a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/economy-congress-government-and-politics-a53abd85fa6f8b3ccd622222ea9a4c46">report</a>&nbsp;last week estimating that the economy would take a $2 billion a day hit if the trains stop moving and passenger traffic would be disrupted nationwide because Amtrak and many commuter railroads use tracks owned by the freight railroads.

The railroads said in a statement Friday that they needed to start delaying shipments of sensitive cargo to “ensure that no such cargo is left on an unattended or unsecured train in the event of a work stoppage due to an impasse in labor negotiations.” The railroads also said other shipments could be affected this week.

The railroad trade group didn't immediately respond to the unions' criticisms Sunday.

Already, a number of trade groups representing railroad shippers have urged lawmakers to be prepared to block a strike. A coalition of 31 agricultural groups sent a letter to Congress last week, and the Fertilizer Institute trade group joined the chorus of concerned shippers Saturday because shipments of ammonia and other fertilizers will be delayed.

“Supply chains are already strained and there is currently zero elasticity in rail transportation,” TFI President and CEO Corey Rosenbusch said. “This situation will get exponentially worse every day there is no resolution."

He said more than half of all fertilizer is hauled by railroads. More than 75% of all finished vehicles are taken from factories to dealerships by train, and countless other products move by rail.

The railroad trade group said that a single railcar can carry up to 2,000 UPS packages, or enough plastic pellets to make some two million two-liter bottles.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1660926703727.jpg" alt="The railroad trade group has said there’s no way trucks can pick up the slack if the railroads stop moving because roughly 467,000 additional trucks a day would be needed to handle all the cargo trains haul and there is already a shortage of truck drivers." />
 <figcaption>The railroad trade group has said there’s no way trucks can pick up the slack if the railroads stop moving because roughly 467,000 additional trucks a day would be needed to handle all the cargo trains haul and there is already a shortage of truck drivers.</figcaption>
 </figure>OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The heads of the nation's two largest rail unions said Sunday that the freight railroads' move to begin delaying some shipments ahead of this week's looming strike deadline is only an attempt to get shippers to increase the pressure on Congress to intervene and block a work stoppage by imposing a contract on workers.The heads of the unions that represent engineers and conductors — the Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers — Transportation Division union and the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen union — issued a joint statement blasting the move, which the railroads announced late Friday. A strike or lockout won't be allowed until this coming Friday, but the railroads appear to be bracing for one by saying they would begin curtailing shipments of hazardous materials and other chemicals on Monday to ensure carloads of those dangerous products won't be stranded along the tracks if the trains stop moving.“The railroads are using shippers, consumers, and the supply chain of our nation as pawns in an effort to get our unions to cave into their contract demands knowing that our members would never accept them. Our unions will not cave into these scare tactics, and Congress must not cave into what can only be described as corporate terrorism,” said Jeremy Fergunson with SMART-TD and Dennis Pierce with the BLET union.Those two unions have been demanding that CSX, Union Pacific, BNSF, Norfolk Southern, Kansas City Southern and the other railroads go beyond the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-strikes-a83dffef79d38e36dc25588b19bf54b4">proposed deal recommended</a>&nbsp;by a group of arbitrators&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-transportation-strikes-ba718974eb14fcd615d606bfcdffb3d2">President Joe Biden appointed.</a>&nbsp;They want them to address concerns about&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-lawsuits-5123fda3d039543700b23d939e0bdda2">strict attendance policies</a>&nbsp;that they say make it hard to take any time off and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-aab7d3084a8d17d8d721d2cb750be323">increasing workloads</a>&nbsp;after the railroads cut nearly one-third of their workforces in recent years.The railroad trade group has said there’s no way trucks can pick up the slack if the railroads stop moving because roughly 467,000 additional trucks a day would be needed to handle all the cargo trains haul and there is already a shortage of truck drivers.Five of the 12 railroad unions that together represent 115,000 workers had already reached&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-and-politics-497a373594515a27e7435cdf97df7a41">tentative agreements</a>&nbsp;based on the Presidential Emergency Board's recommendations that will deliver 24% raises and $5,000 in bonuses over a five-year contract that's retroactive to 2020. The coalition negotiating on behalf of the railroads announced three more tentative agreements Sunday, so deals covering roughly 45,000 workers have now been announced. Members of the unions with tentative deals still have to vote on them.If the two sides can't agree on a deal by the end of the week, Congress is expected to step in to block a strike because of the dire economic consequences if a strike happens because so many businesses rely on railroads to deliver their raw materials and finished products. The Association of American Railroads trade group put out a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/economy-congress-government-and-politics-a53abd85fa6f8b3ccd622222ea9a4c46">report</a>&nbsp;last week estimating that the economy would take a $2 billion a day hit if the trains stop moving and passenger traffic would be disrupted nationwide because Amtrak and many commuter railroads use tracks owned by the freight railroads.The railroads said in a statement Friday that they needed to start delaying shipments of sensitive cargo to “ensure that no such cargo is left on an unattended or unsecured train in the event of a work stoppage due to an impasse in labor negotiations.” The railroads also said other shipments could be affected this week.The railroad trade group didn't immediately respond to the unions' criticisms Sunday.Already, a number of trade groups representing railroad shippers have urged lawmakers to be prepared to block a strike. A coalition of 31 agricultural groups sent a letter to Congress last week, and the Fertilizer Institute trade group joined the chorus of concerned shippers Saturday because shipments of ammonia and other fertilizers will be delayed.“Supply chains are already strained and there is currently zero elasticity in rail transportation,” TFI President and CEO Corey Rosenbusch said. “This situation will get exponentially worse every day there is no resolution."He said more than half of all fertilizer is hauled by railroads. More than 75% of all finished vehicles are taken from factories to dealerships by train, and countless other products move by rail.The railroad trade group said that a single railcar can carry up to 2,000 UPS packages, or enough plastic pellets to make some two million two-liter bottles.

Unions blast rail move to delay shipments before strike deadline

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is set to channel John F. Kennedy on the 60th anniversary of the former president's moonshot speech, as the incumbent tries to set the nation’s sights on “ending&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/cancer">cancer</a>&nbsp;as we know it.”

Biden was traveling to Boston on Monday to highlight a new federally backed study that seeks to validate using blood tests to screen against multiple cancers — a potential game-changer in diagnostic testing to dramatically improve early detection of cancers. He also planned other announcements meant to better the lives of those suffering from cancer.

His speech at the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.jfklibrary.org/">John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum</a>&nbsp;comes as Biden seeks to rally the nation around developing treatments and therapeutics for the pervasive diseases that the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/">Centers for Disease Control and Prevention</a>&nbsp;rank as the second-highest killer of people in the U.S. after heart disease. Biden hopes to move the U.S. closer to the goal he set in February of cutting U.S. cancer fatalities by 50% over the next 25 years and to dramatically improve the lives of caregivers and those suffering from cancer.

Danielle Carnival, the White House cancer moonshot coordinator, told The Associated Press that the administration sees huge potential in the commencement of the blood diagnostic study on identifying and treating cancers.

“One of the most promising technologies has been the development of blood tests that offer the promise of detecting multiple cancers in a single blood test and really imagining the impact that could have on our ability to detect cancer early and in a more equitable way,” Carnival said. “We think the best way to get us to the place where those are realized is to really test out the technologies we have today and see what works and what really has an impact on extending lives.”

In 2022, the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cancer.org/">American Cancer Society</a>&nbsp;estimates, 1.9 million new cancer cases will be diagnosed and 609,360 people will die of cancer diseases.

The issue is personal to Biden, who&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/d8f69eb645d74b7886387f713981b739">lost his adult son Beau</a>&nbsp;in 2015 to brain cancer. After Beau’s death, Congress passed&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fda.gov/regulatory-information/selected-amendments-fdc-act/21st-century-cures-act">the 21st Century Cures Act</a>, which dedicated $1.8 billion over seven years for cancer research and was signed into law in 2016 by President Barack Obama.

Obama designated Biden, then vice president, to run “mission control” on directing the cancer funds as a recognition of Biden’s grief as a parent and desire to do something about it.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-beau-biden-michigan-ann-arbor-f32c4963ba3643009c7f1c0b9bc9681a">Biden wrote in his memoir “Promise Me, Dad”</a>&nbsp;that he chose not to run for president in 2016 primarily because of Beau’s death.

Despite Biden’s attempts to hark back to Kennedy and his space program, the current initiative lacks that same level of budgetary support. The Apollo program garnered massive public investment — more than $20 billion, or more than $220 billion in 2022 dollars adjusted for inflation. Biden’s “moonshot” effort is far more modest and reliant on private sector investment.

Still, Biden has tried to maintain momentum for investments in public health research, including championing the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nih.gov/arpa-h">Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health</a>, modeled after similar research and development initiatives benefiting the Pentagon and intelligence community.

On Monday, Biden will announce Dr. Renee Wegrzyn as the inaugural director of ARPA-H, which has been given the task of studying treatments and potential cures for cancers, Alzheimer’s, diabetes and other diseases. He will also announce a new National Cancer Institute scholars’ program to provide resources to early-career scientists studying treatments and cures for cancer.

Experts agree it’s far too early to say whether these new blood tests for finding cancer in healthy people will have any effect on cancer deaths. There have been no studies to show they reduce the risk of dying from cancer. Still, they say setting an ambitious goal is important.

Carnival said the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cancer.gov/">National Cancer Institute</a>&nbsp;Study was designed so that any promising diagnostic results could be swiftly put into widespread practice while the longer-term study — expected to last up to a decade — progresses. She said the goal was to move closer to a future where cancers could be detected through routine bloodwork, potentially replacing more invasive and burdensome procedures like colonoscopies, and therefore saving lives.

Scientists now understand that cancer is not a single disease, but hundreds of diseases that respond differently to different treatments. Some cancers have biomarkers that can be targeted by existing drugs that will slow a tumor’s growth. Many more targets await discovery.

“How do we learn what therapies are effective in which subtypes of disease? That to me is oceanic,” said Donald A. Berry, a biostatistician at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. “The possibilities are enormous. The challenges are enormous.”

Despite the challenges, he’s optimistic about cutting the cancer death rate in half over the next 25 years.

“We can get to that 50% goal by slowing the disease sufficiently across the various cancers without curing anybody,” Berry said. “If I were to bet on whether we will achieve this 50% reduction, I would bet yes.”

Even without new breakthroughs, progress can be made by making care more equitable, said Dr. Crystal Denlinger, chief scientific officer for the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nccn.org/">National Comprehensive Cancer Network</a>, a group of elite cancer centers.

And any effort to reduce the cancer death rate will need to focus on the biggest cancer killer, which is lung cancer. Mostly attributable to smoking, lung cancer now causes more cancer deaths than any other cancer. Of the 1,670 daily cancer deaths in the United States, more than 350 are from lung cancer.

<a href="https://www.cancer.org/health-care-professionals/american-cancer-society-prevention-early-detection-guidelines/lung-cancer-screening-guidelines.html">Lung cancer screening</a>&nbsp;is helping. The American Cancer Society says such screening helped drive down the cancer death rate 32% from its peak in 1991 to 2019, the most recent year for which numbers are available.

But only 5% of eligible patients are being screened for lung cancer.

“It’s tragic,” said Dr. Roy Herbst, a lung specialist at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.yalecancercenter.org/">Yale Cancer Center.</a>

“The moonshot is going to have to be a social fix as well as a scientific and medical fix,” Herbst said. “We’re going to have to find a way that screening becomes easier, that it’s fully covered, that we have more screening facilities."

Biden planned to urge Americans who might have delayed cancer screenings during the pandemic to seek them out swiftly, reminding them that early detection can be key to avoiding adverse outcomes.

He was also set to highlight provisions in the Democrats’ healthcare and climate change bill that the administration believes will lower out of pocket drug prices for some widely used cancer treatments. He will also celebrate new guarantees for veterans exposed to toxic burn pits, that cover their potential cancer diagnoses.

Dr. Michael Hassett of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dana-farber.org/">Dana-Farber Cancer Institute</a>&nbsp;in Boston, said Biden’s goal to reduce cancer deaths could met by following two parallel paths: one of discovery and the other making sure as many people as possible are reaping the advantages of existing therapies and preventive approaches.

“If we can address both aspects, both challenges, major advances are possible,” Hassett said.

In breast cancer, for example, many women who could benefit from a hormone-blocking pill either never start the therapy or stop taking it before the recommended five years, Hassett’s research has found.

“Those are big gaps,” Hassett said. “That’s a treatment that’s effective. But if many people aren’t taking that medication or if they’re taking it but stopping it before concluding the course of therapy, then the benefits that the medicine could offer aren’t realized.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/9/1662977857462.png" alt="In 2022, the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cancer.org/">American Cancer Society</a>&nbsp;estimates, 1.9 million new cancer cases will be diagnosed and 609,360 people will die of cancer diseases.-White House photo" />
 <figcaption>In 2022, the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cancer.org/">American Cancer Society</a>&nbsp;estimates, 1.9 million new cancer cases will be diagnosed and 609,360 people will die of cancer diseases.-White House photo</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is set to channel John F. Kennedy on the 60th anniversary of the former president's moonshot speech, as the incumbent tries to set the nation’s sights on “ending&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/cancer">cancer</a>&nbsp;as we know it.”Biden was traveling to Boston on Monday to highlight a new federally backed study that seeks to validate using blood tests to screen against multiple cancers — a potential game-changer in diagnostic testing to dramatically improve early detection of cancers. He also planned other announcements meant to better the lives of those suffering from cancer.His speech at the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.jfklibrary.org/">John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum</a>&nbsp;comes as Biden seeks to rally the nation around developing treatments and therapeutics for the pervasive diseases that the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/">Centers for Disease Control and Prevention</a>&nbsp;rank as the second-highest killer of people in the U.S. after heart disease. Biden hopes to move the U.S. closer to the goal he set in February of cutting U.S. cancer fatalities by 50% over the next 25 years and to dramatically improve the lives of caregivers and those suffering from cancer.Danielle Carnival, the White House cancer moonshot coordinator, told The Associated Press that the administration sees huge potential in the commencement of the blood diagnostic study on identifying and treating cancers.“One of the most promising technologies has been the development of blood tests that offer the promise of detecting multiple cancers in a single blood test and really imagining the impact that could have on our ability to detect cancer early and in a more equitable way,” Carnival said. “We think the best way to get us to the place where those are realized is to really test out the technologies we have today and see what works and what really has an impact on extending lives.”In 2022, the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cancer.org/">American Cancer Society</a>&nbsp;estimates, 1.9 million new cancer cases will be diagnosed and 609,360 people will die of cancer diseases.The issue is personal to Biden, who&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/d8f69eb645d74b7886387f713981b739">lost his adult son Beau</a>&nbsp;in 2015 to brain cancer. After Beau’s death, Congress passed&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fda.gov/regulatory-information/selected-amendments-fdc-act/21st-century-cures-act">the 21st Century Cures Act</a>, which dedicated $1.8 billion over seven years for cancer research and was signed into law in 2016 by President Barack Obama.Obama designated Biden, then vice president, to run “mission control” on directing the cancer funds as a recognition of Biden’s grief as a parent and desire to do something about it.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-beau-biden-michigan-ann-arbor-f32c4963ba3643009c7f1c0b9bc9681a">Biden wrote in his memoir “Promise Me, Dad”</a>&nbsp;that he chose not to run for president in 2016 primarily because of Beau’s death.Despite Biden’s attempts to hark back to Kennedy and his space program, the current initiative lacks that same level of budgetary support. The Apollo program garnered massive public investment — more than $20 billion, or more than $220 billion in 2022 dollars adjusted for inflation. Biden’s “moonshot” effort is far more modest and reliant on private sector investment.Still, Biden has tried to maintain momentum for investments in public health research, including championing the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nih.gov/arpa-h">Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health</a>, modeled after similar research and development initiatives benefiting the Pentagon and intelligence community.On Monday, Biden will announce Dr. Renee Wegrzyn as the inaugural director of ARPA-H, which has been given the task of studying treatments and potential cures for cancers, Alzheimer’s, diabetes and other diseases. He will also announce a new National Cancer Institute scholars’ program to provide resources to early-career scientists studying treatments and cures for cancer.Experts agree it’s far too early to say whether these new blood tests for finding cancer in healthy people will have any effect on cancer deaths. There have been no studies to show they reduce the risk of dying from cancer. Still, they say setting an ambitious goal is important.Carnival said the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cancer.gov/">National Cancer Institute</a>&nbsp;Study was designed so that any promising diagnostic results could be swiftly put into widespread practice while the longer-term study — expected to last up to a decade — progresses. She said the goal was to move closer to a future where cancers could be detected through routine bloodwork, potentially replacing more invasive and burdensome procedures like colonoscopies, and therefore saving lives.Scientists now understand that cancer is not a single disease, but hundreds of diseases that respond differently to different treatments. Some cancers have biomarkers that can be targeted by existing drugs that will slow a tumor’s growth. Many more targets await discovery.“How do we learn what therapies are effective in which subtypes of disease? That to me is oceanic,” said Donald A. Berry, a biostatistician at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. “The possibilities are enormous. The challenges are enormous.”Despite the challenges, he’s optimistic about cutting the cancer death rate in half over the next 25 years.“We can get to that 50% goal by slowing the disease sufficiently across the various cancers without curing anybody,” Berry said. “If I were to bet on whether we will achieve this 50% reduction, I would bet yes.”Even without new breakthroughs, progress can be made by making care more equitable, said Dr. Crystal Denlinger, chief scientific officer for the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nccn.org/">National Comprehensive Cancer Network</a>, a group of elite cancer centers.And any effort to reduce the cancer death rate will need to focus on the biggest cancer killer, which is lung cancer. Mostly attributable to smoking, lung cancer now causes more cancer deaths than any other cancer. Of the 1,670 daily cancer deaths in the United States, more than 350 are from lung cancer.<a href="https://www.cancer.org/health-care-professionals/american-cancer-society-prevention-early-detection-guidelines/lung-cancer-screening-guidelines.html">Lung cancer screening</a>&nbsp;is helping. The American Cancer Society says such screening helped drive down the cancer death rate 32% from its peak in 1991 to 2019, the most recent year for which numbers are available.But only 5% of eligible patients are being screened for lung cancer.“It’s tragic,” said Dr. Roy Herbst, a lung specialist at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.yalecancercenter.org/">Yale Cancer Center.</a>“The moonshot is going to have to be a social fix as well as a scientific and medical fix,” Herbst said. “We’re going to have to find a way that screening becomes easier, that it’s fully covered, that we have more screening facilities."Biden planned to urge Americans who might have delayed cancer screenings during the pandemic to seek them out swiftly, reminding them that early detection can be key to avoiding adverse outcomes.He was also set to highlight provisions in the Democrats’ healthcare and climate change bill that the administration believes will lower out of pocket drug prices for some widely used cancer treatments. He will also celebrate new guarantees for veterans exposed to toxic burn pits, that cover their potential cancer diagnoses.Dr. Michael Hassett of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dana-farber.org/">Dana-Farber Cancer Institute</a>&nbsp;in Boston, said Biden’s goal to reduce cancer deaths could met by following two parallel paths: one of discovery and the other making sure as many people as possible are reaping the advantages of existing therapies and preventive approaches.“If we can address both aspects, both challenges, major advances are possible,” Hassett said.In breast cancer, for example, many women who could benefit from a hormone-blocking pill either never start the therapy or stop taking it before the recommended five years, Hassett’s research has found.“Those are big gaps,” Hassett said. “That’s a treatment that’s effective. But if many people aren’t taking that medication or if they’re taking it but stopping it before concluding the course of therapy, then the benefits that the medicine could offer aren’t realized.”

In a nod to JFK, Biden pushing 'moonshot' to fight cancer

KANSAS CITY, KAN. – A Kansas man pleaded guilty to engaging in sexual acts with a child and taking nude pictures and videos of the child. According to court documents, Joshua Courtney, 35, of Bonner Springs pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual exploitation of a child and four counts of possession of child pornography, according to the U.S. Dept. of Justice.

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received cybertips from Google, Snapchat, and Dropbox about child sexual abuse material photos and videos within accounts identified as belonging to Joshua Courtney. 

Agents found dozens of pornographic images in Courtney’s Google photos, including some of which were later identified to be of a 10-year-old child. 

Courtney admitted to investigators he took nude photos of the child, filmed himself while engaged in sexual acts with the child, and sent these materials to others. He also admitted receiving child pornography of other children on his cell phone.

“The Secret Service is proud of the effective partnerships it maintains with the Kansas Bureau of Investigations, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and the United States Attorney’s Office, whose tireless efforts were instrumental in seeing justice served in this case,” said Kansas City Field Office Special Agent in Charge Brandon Bridgeforth. &nbsp;“We can think of no greater outcome than protecting our children from predators such as Joshua Courtney.”

Courtney faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison for each count of child exploitation and up to 20 years in prison for each count of possession of child pornography. His sentencing is scheduled for December 1. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/9/1662754490228.png" alt="Courtney -photo Atchison Co." />
 <figcaption>Courtney -photo Atchison Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY, KAN. – A Kansas man pleaded guilty to engaging in sexual acts with a child and taking nude pictures and videos of the child. According to court documents, Joshua Courtney, 35, of Bonner Springs pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual exploitation of a child and four counts of possession of child pornography, according to the U.S. Dept. of Justice.The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received cybertips from Google, Snapchat, and Dropbox about child sexual abuse material photos and videos within accounts identified as belonging to Joshua Courtney. Agents found dozens of pornographic images in Courtney’s Google photos, including some of which were later identified to be of a 10-year-old child. Courtney admitted to investigators he took nude photos of the child, filmed himself while engaged in sexual acts with the child, and sent these materials to others. He also admitted receiving child pornography of other children on his cell phone.“The Secret Service is proud of the effective partnerships it maintains with the Kansas Bureau of Investigations, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and the United States Attorney’s Office, whose tireless efforts were instrumental in seeing justice served in this case,” said Kansas City Field Office Special Agent in Charge Brandon Bridgeforth. &nbsp;“We can think of no greater outcome than protecting our children from predators such as Joshua Courtney.”Courtney faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison for each count of child exploitation and up to 20 years in prison for each count of possession of child pornography. His sentencing is scheduled for December 1. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Kansas man admits using a child to make porn videos

BOURBON COUNTY—One person died in an accident just before 1:30p.m. Saturday in Boubon County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2018 Jeep Wrangler driven by Caleb M. Hopkins, 40, Kansas City, Missouri, was eastbound at 205100 NW 130th Street at 39 title drop off.&nbsp;

The driver lost control of the the Jeep as it was going down the drop off. The Jeep overturned on the drivers side pinning the driver underneath.

Hopkins was pronounced dead at the scene and transported to&nbsp;Cheney Witt Funeral Chapel.&nbsp; A 9-year-old boy and a 12-year-old boy in the Jeep were not injured. All three were properly restrained, according to the KHP.

BOURBON COUNTY—One person died in an accident just before 1:30p.m. Saturday in Boubon County.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2018 Jeep Wrangler driven by Caleb M. Hopkins, 40, Kansas City, Missouri, was eastbound at 205100 NW 130th Street at 39 title drop off.&nbsp;The driver lost control of the the Jeep as it was going down the drop off. The Jeep overturned on the drivers side pinning the driver underneath.Hopkins was pronounced dead at the scene and transported to&nbsp;Cheney Witt Funeral Chapel.&nbsp; A 9-year-old boy and a 12-year-old boy in the Jeep were not injured. All three were properly restrained, according to the KHP.

KHP: Man dies after pinned underneath Jeep 

SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a violent robbery and arrested five suspects.&nbsp;

Just after 4a.m. Sept. 9, police were dispatched to the 1200 Block of Wanamaker in Topeka in reference to report of an aggravated robbery to a person, according to Lt. Donna Eubanks.

As a result of the investigation, police arrested, Ryan Barranco, 36; Breanna Watson, 31, and Holly Taylor, 45, all of Topeka on requested charges of Aggravated Battery, Aggravated Robbery, Aggravated Assault and Theft under $500.00.

Officers also arrested&nbsp;Preston Patterson, 39 and Lauren Ortiz, 32, both of Topeka on requested charges of Aggravated Battery, Aggravated Robbery, Aggravated Assault, Theft under $500.00, Possession of Meth with intent to distribute, Possession of Cocaine with intent to distribute, Possession of Marijuana with intent to distribute and&nbsp;Felon in possession of a firearm.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/9/1662913710584.png" alt="Watson-photo Shawnee Co." />
 <figcaption>Watson-photo Shawnee Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a violent robbery and arrested five suspects.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/9/1662913640921.png" alt="Taylor-photo Shawnee Co." />
 <figcaption>Taylor-photo Shawnee Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>Just after 4a.m. Sept. 9, police were dispatched to the 1200 Block of Wanamaker in Topeka in reference to report of an aggravated robbery to a person, according to Lt. Donna Eubanks.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/9/1662914223882.png" alt="Barranco-photo Shawnee Co." />
 <figcaption>Barranco-photo Shawnee Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>As a result of the investigation, police arrested, Ryan Barranco, 36; Breanna Watson, 31, and Holly Taylor, 45, all of Topeka on requested charges of Aggravated Battery, Aggravated Robbery, Aggravated Assault and Theft under $500.00.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/9/1662914153949.png" alt="Patterson-photo Shawnee Co." />
 <figcaption>Patterson-photo Shawnee Co.</figcaption>
 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/9/1662914082834.png" alt="Ortiz-photo Shawnee co." />
 <figcaption>Ortiz-photo Shawnee co.</figcaption>
 </figure>Officers also arrested&nbsp;Preston Patterson, 39 and Lauren Ortiz, 32, both of Topeka on requested charges of Aggravated Battery, Aggravated Robbery, Aggravated Assault, Theft under $500.00, Possession of Meth with intent to distribute, Possession of Cocaine with intent to distribute, Possession of Marijuana with intent to distribute and&nbsp;Felon in possession of a firearm.

Police: 5 accused of violent Kansas robbery

NEW YORK (AP) — Inflation isn’t only costing small businesses money. It’s costing them customers as well.

At the Bushwick Grind Cafe in Brooklyn, New York, Kymme Williams-Davis has raised prices and switched to different types of goods to keep up with the rising costs of milk, coffee, paper goods and plastic, as well as shortages of items such as paper cups and plastic lids. She hasn’t experienced anything like this since opening in 2015.

Williams-Davis says she has lost nearly half of her regular customers. Some have traded down and are buying coffee for $1 at the McDonald’s or bodega on either side of the café instead of paying the $3 she charges.

“If (customers) can get it for a dollar for not that notable of a difference, they’re going next door.”

One customer who had been coming in for years stopped in to tell Williams-Davis he bought himself a coffeemaker.

“He said I’m going to start making coffee at home, I need to budget, so I won’t be coming in here every day,” she said. “I feel like I’ve been on a goodbye campaign.”

Inflation has been rising at nearly the fastest pace in 40 years, driven up by strong consumer spending and higher costs for food, rent, medical care, and other necessities.

On Tuesday, the government is expected to report that price increases slowed in August compared with a year ago, largely because of a steady drop in the cost of gas. Prices for other items, particularly food, are likely to keep rising quickly. Overall, economists forecast consumer prices rose 8.1% in August, compared with a year ago,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-inflation-july-report-ec477624de30115dd49f35009b2659c0">down from 8.5% in July,</a>&nbsp;according to data provider FactSet.

For much of the pandemic, small business customers were largely tolerant of price increases and kept on spending. But now owners say they’re seeing some pushback.

Ninety-seven percent of small business owners say inflationary pressure is the same or worse than it was three months ago, according to a survey of more than 1,500 small businesses by Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Business Voices. Sixty-five percent have raised prices to offset higher costs. And 38% say they’ve seen a decline in customer demand due to price increases.

Nicole Miskelley, who manages PMR, an auto and diesel repair shop in Marion, Illinois, said she has seen customers delay repairs that aren’t urgent such as scheduled maintenance or getting new tires.

At the beginning of the year, Miskelley’s labor costs rose 12% and the cost of towing cars to the shop went up due to higher gas prices. Parts are more expensive too. Last year, an air conditioner processor would cost her $200, but this year she can’t find one for under $400. So, she’s had to raise her average price for a repair by 30% to 40%.

“Typically, I am able to joke about how drastically different things are now and most agree with me,” she said. “On occasion, I deal with push back,” including the rare bout of yelling or cursing by a customer.

“Among a lot of my older customers, who are on restricted income like Social Security, they say they have to cut back,” she said. “They say, ‘I know I need these tires, but I need to make a couple more rounds (of Social Security) to save up.’”

She says she’s a little worried but hopes people can adjust to inflation.

“Right now , it kind of sucks because costs increased faster than I could catch up with. In time, I hope people budget better and their incomes change to reflect the economy.”

The pullback is more dramatic among consumers with less discretionary income.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-doug-mcmillon-607096fa98a6fe0a7c67987401412e4d">Walmart says its customers</a>, who tend to have lower incomes, are spending more on food and less on other items. Small business owners are seeing much of the same.

Kim Shanahan operates the online store Gifts Fulfilled in Berlin, Maryland, which sells gift baskets and care packages and employs people with disabilities.

“Last year has been challenging to say the least,” she said. “All prices across the board have gone up.” Everything from cardboard, containers and the food that she includes in the baskets have become more expensive.

She implemented a 5% increase to cover some costs. After she raised the price of her most popular get-well gift basket called “One Tough Cookie,” from $27.50 to $28.95, sales went down, she said.

Less expensive baskets, such as those with gifts and candy that sell for $25 and under, have been the most affected, with unit sales down about 50% in 2022 compared with last year. “The whole segment of the market is gone for us,” she said.

“We are a ‘want to-’ not ‘have to-’ have item in our primary categories,” Shanahan said. “What we sort of see is people maybe buying a $50 gift dropping down to $35. And the whole lower tier aren’t even buying at all, they don’t have the discretionary funds.”

Schuyler Northstrom of Uinta Mattress, a mattress maker in Salt Lake City, Utah, says he’s raised his prices by 15% since 2020. A mattress that used to sell for $289 wholesale is now $330.

The increase doesn’t fully cover Uinta’s higher costs. Raw materials such as springs and foam have increased by 40%. But Northstrom fears that raising prices any higher could cause his customers to drop him.

“The pushback from retailers is pretty strong there,” he said. His retail partners include John Paras mattress stores and 2Brothers Mattress, both in Utah. “Sometimes we’re displaced by some of the larger guys with a lower cost product because of their volume.”

To adapt, Northstrom is redesigning the mattress to cut down on costs, and taking less profit, which isn’t sustainable in the long term, he said. He’s also focusing more on the higher end, mattresses that cost up to $1,200, which hasn’t been hit as hard.

“We’re feeling it, we’re not a necessary purchase, people buy food and gas,” he said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/9/1662913469681.jpeg" alt="im Shanahan, who operates online store Gifts Fulfilled, stacks Get Well Soon boxes in her shop, Thursday, Sept. 8, 2022, in Berlin, Md. This is a fulfillment project for another company to create jobs at her company. (AP Photo/Todd Dudek)" />
 <figcaption>im Shanahan, who operates online store Gifts Fulfilled, stacks Get Well Soon boxes in her shop, Thursday, Sept. 8, 2022, in Berlin, Md. This is a fulfillment project for another company to create jobs at her company. (AP Photo/Todd Dudek)</figcaption>
 </figure>NEW YORK (AP) — Inflation isn’t only costing small businesses money. It’s costing them customers as well.At the Bushwick Grind Cafe in Brooklyn, New York, Kymme Williams-Davis has raised prices and switched to different types of goods to keep up with the rising costs of milk, coffee, paper goods and plastic, as well as shortages of items such as paper cups and plastic lids. She hasn’t experienced anything like this since opening in 2015.Williams-Davis says she has lost nearly half of her regular customers. Some have traded down and are buying coffee for $1 at the McDonald’s or bodega on either side of the café instead of paying the $3 she charges.“If (customers) can get it for a dollar for not that notable of a difference, they’re going next door.”One customer who had been coming in for years stopped in to tell Williams-Davis he bought himself a coffeemaker.“He said I’m going to start making coffee at home, I need to budget, so I won’t be coming in here every day,” she said. “I feel like I’ve been on a goodbye campaign.”Inflation has been rising at nearly the fastest pace in 40 years, driven up by strong consumer spending and higher costs for food, rent, medical care, and other necessities.On Tuesday, the government is expected to report that price increases slowed in August compared with a year ago, largely because of a steady drop in the cost of gas. Prices for other items, particularly food, are likely to keep rising quickly. Overall, economists forecast consumer prices rose 8.1% in August, compared with a year ago,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-inflation-july-report-ec477624de30115dd49f35009b2659c0">down from 8.5% in July,</a>&nbsp;according to data provider FactSet.For much of the pandemic, small business customers were largely tolerant of price increases and kept on spending. But now owners say they’re seeing some pushback.Ninety-seven percent of small business owners say inflationary pressure is the same or worse than it was three months ago, according to a survey of more than 1,500 small businesses by Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Business Voices. Sixty-five percent have raised prices to offset higher costs. And 38% say they’ve seen a decline in customer demand due to price increases.Nicole Miskelley, who manages PMR, an auto and diesel repair shop in Marion, Illinois, said she has seen customers delay repairs that aren’t urgent such as scheduled maintenance or getting new tires.At the beginning of the year, Miskelley’s labor costs rose 12% and the cost of towing cars to the shop went up due to higher gas prices. Parts are more expensive too. Last year, an air conditioner processor would cost her $200, but this year she can’t find one for under $400. So, she’s had to raise her average price for a repair by 30% to 40%.Her customers have noticed.“Typically, I am able to joke about how drastically different things are now and most agree with me,” she said. “On occasion, I deal with push back,” including the rare bout of yelling or cursing by a customer.“Among a lot of my older customers, who are on restricted income like Social Security, they say they have to cut back,” she said. “They say, ‘I know I need these tires, but I need to make a couple more rounds (of Social Security) to save up.’”She says she’s a little worried but hopes people can adjust to inflation.“Right now , it kind of sucks because costs increased faster than I could catch up with. In time, I hope people budget better and their incomes change to reflect the economy.”The pullback is more dramatic among consumers with less discretionary income.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-doug-mcmillon-607096fa98a6fe0a7c67987401412e4d">Walmart says its customers</a>, who tend to have lower incomes, are spending more on food and less on other items. Small business owners are seeing much of the same.Kim Shanahan operates the online store Gifts Fulfilled in Berlin, Maryland, which sells gift baskets and care packages and employs people with disabilities.“Last year has been challenging to say the least,” she said. “All prices across the board have gone up.” Everything from cardboard, containers and the food that she includes in the baskets have become more expensive.She implemented a 5% increase to cover some costs. After she raised the price of her most popular get-well gift basket called “One Tough Cookie,” from $27.50 to $28.95, sales went down, she said.Less expensive baskets, such as those with gifts and candy that sell for $25 and under, have been the most affected, with unit sales down about 50% in 2022 compared with last year. “The whole segment of the market is gone for us,” she said.“We are a ‘want to-’ not ‘have to-’ have item in our primary categories,” Shanahan said. “What we sort of see is people maybe buying a $50 gift dropping down to $35. And the whole lower tier aren’t even buying at all, they don’t have the discretionary funds.”Schuyler Northstrom of Uinta Mattress, a mattress maker in Salt Lake City, Utah, says he’s raised his prices by 15% since 2020. A mattress that used to sell for $289 wholesale is now $330.The increase doesn’t fully cover Uinta’s higher costs. Raw materials such as springs and foam have increased by 40%. But Northstrom fears that raising prices any higher could cause his customers to drop him.“The pushback from retailers is pretty strong there,” he said. His retail partners include John Paras mattress stores and 2Brothers Mattress, both in Utah. “Sometimes we’re displaced by some of the larger guys with a lower cost product because of their volume.”To adapt, Northstrom is redesigning the mattress to cut down on costs, and taking less profit, which isn’t sustainable in the long term, he said. He’s also focusing more on the higher end, mattresses that cost up to $1,200, which hasn’t been hit as hard.“We’re feeling it, we’re not a necessary purchase, people buy food and gas,” he said.

As small businesses raise prices, some customers push back

WASHINGTON – The Justice Department announced Friday that it will not pursue federal criminal civil rights charges against the Overland Park Police officer who fatally shot John Albers, according to a media release from the DOJ.

 Officials from the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Kansas and the FBI met privately with members of John Albers’ family to notify them of this determination.

The department conducted an extensive investigation into the shooting. The evidence developed during this investigation indicated that, on the evening of Jan. 20, 2018, John Albers, a 17-yearold high school student, posted videos to social media indicating he might cause himself harm.

Two concerned friends called 911 to summon help, and dispatchers alerted Overland Park Police Department (OPPD) officers that a teenager was threatening to stab himself. Two OPPD officers then drove to the Albers’ home to check on the teen.

Upon arrival, the two responding OPPD officers initially approached the Albers’ home. The officers then decided that one of them should get a phone from a police car so they could call the home and see if anyone would answer. One officer stayed in the front yard while the other officer walked toward his police car to retrieve a phone. The first officer walked through the front yard and positioned himself near the Albers’s garage door. The garage door then began to open. John

Albers was behind the wheel of a minivan parked inside of the garage, although he was not yet visible to the officer. Once the garage door was open, Albers began to slowly back the minivan out of the garage and down the driveway. As the vehicle began to move, the first officer stepped towards it, calling out “stop!” as the minivan continued to slowly reverse. The officer backpedaled, but he did not initially move out of the vehicle’s path. He then called out “Stop!”, stepped out of the minivan’s path, and without verbally identifying himself as a police officer, fired two shots into the van. The minivan briefly paused. It then picked up speed, reversed past the officer and sharply spun around so that it was facing towards the street.

As the minivan passed the officer, the officer called out, “shots fired!” The van then slowly backed towards the home. The officer was again briefly in the path of the minivan as it began to reverse, but he stepped to the side and the vehicle again passed him. He then fired into the minivan eleven times in less than about three seconds. After this second round of shots, the minivan rolled out of the Albers’s driveway and into the driveway of the home across the street. Approximately 14&nbsp; seconds elapsed from the time Albers began reversing the minivan out of the garage to the time the officer fired the 13th shot.

The officer fired 13 bullets at Albers and hit him six times, including in the head, neck and upper right torso. Albers died on the scene. Both on the scene and subsequently, the officer told law enforcement that he had shot Albers because he believed the van was going to run him over. He said that he initially fired at the vehicle because he thought it was going to hit him as it reversed out of the garage, and that he fired the second round of shots as the vehicle backed towards him after it sharply turned towards the street. The officer voluntarily resigned his position at OPPD and is not currently working as a law enforcement officer.

The focus of the department’s investigation was to determine whether federal prosecutors could prove that the officer violated any federal criminal laws, focusing on the federal criminal civil rights statute that makes it a crime for a police officer to willfully deprive a person of their constitutional rights, including by willfully using unreasonable force against the person. 

In order to prove that the officer violated this statute, the government would have to prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, not only that the officer used force that was constitutionally unreasonable, but that he did so “willfully,” which the Supreme Court has interpreted to mean that he acted with a bad purpose to disregard the law. During a civil lawsuit based on this incident, a federal district court in Kansas ruled that a reasonable jury could conclude that the officer involved in this shooting had indeed used unreasonable force when he fired the first two shots at Albers, and the federal criminal investigation found no substantial evidence inconsistent with that conclusion.

The federal investigation focused largely on whether the officer’s willfulness could be established beyond a reasonable doubt. As this willfulness requirement has been interpreted by the courts, it is not sufficient for the government to prove that an officer acted out of fear, mistake, panic, misperception, poor judgment, negligence or gross negligence. Unlike in the many state jurisdictions that have statutes criminalizing killings committed with lesser mental states, such as criminal negligence or recklessness, the federal government has no statute that criminalizes a police officer’s use of unreasonable force, if willfulness cannot be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.

At this time, there is insufficient evidence to establish beyond a reasonable doubt that the officer willfully committed a violation of the federal criminal civil rights statute. Specifically, the evidence does not clear the high bar that the Supreme Court has set for meeting this standard, and the department has therefore closed its investigation into this matter.

Department officials met with members of the Albers family, conveyed their deepest condolences for the family’s loss, and noted that the department’s decision that it could not bring charges against the officer who killed John Albers does not alter the fact that his loss was an unnecessary tragedy, and should not be read as anything more than a determination that the department cannot prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, every element of the federal criminal statute, to include willfulness. 

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/9/1601028395769.png" alt="Police on the scene of the fatal shooting -photo courtesy KCTV" />
 <figcaption>Police on the scene of the fatal shooting -photo courtesy KCTV</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON – The Justice Department announced Friday that it will not pursue federal criminal civil rights charges against the Overland Park Police officer who fatally shot John Albers, according to a media release from the DOJ. Officials from the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Kansas and the FBI met privately with members of John Albers’ family to notify them of this determination.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/7/1593636325995.png" alt="&nbsp;John Albers photo courtesy McGilley Memorial Chapel" />
 <figcaption>&nbsp;John Albers photo courtesy McGilley Memorial Chapel</figcaption>
 </figure>The department conducted an extensive investigation into the shooting. The evidence developed during this investigation indicated that, on the evening of Jan. 20, 2018, John Albers, a 17-yearold high school student, posted videos to social media indicating he might cause himself harm.Two concerned friends called 911 to summon help, and dispatchers alerted Overland Park Police Department (OPPD) officers that a teenager was threatening to stab himself. Two OPPD officers then drove to the Albers’ home to check on the teen.Upon arrival, the two responding OPPD officers initially approached the Albers’ home. The officers then decided that one of them should get a phone from a police car so they could call the home and see if anyone would answer. One officer stayed in the front yard while the other officer walked toward his police car to retrieve a phone. The first officer walked through the front yard and positioned himself near the Albers’s garage door. The garage door then began to open. JohnAlbers was behind the wheel of a minivan parked inside of the garage, although he was not yet visible to the officer. Once the garage door was open, Albers began to slowly back the minivan out of the garage and down the driveway. As the vehicle began to move, the first officer stepped towards it, calling out “stop!” as the minivan continued to slowly reverse. The officer backpedaled, but he did not initially move out of the vehicle’s path. He then called out “Stop!”, stepped out of the minivan’s path, and without verbally identifying himself as a police officer, fired two shots into the van. The minivan briefly paused. It then picked up speed, reversed past the officer and sharply spun around so that it was facing towards the street.As the minivan passed the officer, the officer called out, “shots fired!” The van then slowly backed towards the home. The officer was again briefly in the path of the minivan as it began to reverse, but he stepped to the side and the vehicle again passed him. He then fired into the minivan eleven times in less than about three seconds. After this second round of shots, the minivan rolled out of the Albers’s driveway and into the driveway of the home across the street. Approximately 14&nbsp; seconds elapsed from the time Albers began reversing the minivan out of the garage to the time the officer fired the 13th shot.The officer fired 13 bullets at Albers and hit him six times, including in the head, neck and upper right torso. Albers died on the scene. Both on the scene and subsequently, the officer told law enforcement that he had shot Albers because he believed the van was going to run him over. He said that he initially fired at the vehicle because he thought it was going to hit him as it reversed out of the garage, and that he fired the second round of shots as the vehicle backed towards him after it sharply turned towards the street. The officer voluntarily resigned his position at OPPD and is not currently working as a law enforcement officer.The focus of the department’s investigation was to determine whether federal prosecutors could prove that the officer violated any federal criminal laws, focusing on the federal criminal civil rights statute that makes it a crime for a police officer to willfully deprive a person of their constitutional rights, including by willfully using unreasonable force against the person. In order to prove that the officer violated this statute, the government would have to prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, not only that the officer used force that was constitutionally unreasonable, but that he did so “willfully,” which the Supreme Court has interpreted to mean that he acted with a bad purpose to disregard the law. During a civil lawsuit based on this incident, a federal district court in Kansas ruled that a reasonable jury could conclude that the officer involved in this shooting had indeed used unreasonable force when he fired the first two shots at Albers, and the federal criminal investigation found no substantial evidence inconsistent with that conclusion.The federal investigation focused largely on whether the officer’s willfulness could be established beyond a reasonable doubt. As this willfulness requirement has been interpreted by the courts, it is not sufficient for the government to prove that an officer acted out of fear, mistake, panic, misperception, poor judgment, negligence or gross negligence. Unlike in the many state jurisdictions that have statutes criminalizing killings committed with lesser mental states, such as criminal negligence or recklessness, the federal government has no statute that criminalizes a police officer’s use of unreasonable force, if willfulness cannot be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.At this time, there is insufficient evidence to establish beyond a reasonable doubt that the officer willfully committed a violation of the federal criminal civil rights statute. Specifically, the evidence does not clear the high bar that the Supreme Court has set for meeting this standard, and the department has therefore closed its investigation into this matter.Department officials met with members of the Albers family, conveyed their deepest condolences for the family’s loss, and noted that the department’s decision that it could not bring charges against the officer who killed John Albers does not alter the fact that his loss was an unnecessary tragedy, and should not be read as anything more than a determination that the department cannot prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, every element of the federal criminal statute, to include willfulness.

Officials close investigation into police shooting death of Kan. teen

By CELIA LLOPIS-JEPSEN <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2022-09-08/kansas-will-seal-thousands-of-abandoned-oil-and-gas-wells-that-can-pollute-air-and-water">Kansas News Service</a>

Last summer, a utility worker stumbled across a well — one of 
thousands of abandoned, unplugged oil and gas wells scattered across 
Kansas — just 15 feet from a stream in La Cygne, an hour south of Kansas
 City.

Such sites bear witness to the state’s history of fossil 
fuel production — and they can leak pollutants into the air and water 
generations after they’ve been forgotten.

Tens of millions of 
federal tax dollars will help the state seal thousands of openings over 
the next several years, though many will remain unaddressed.

Old wells in Kansas can date back to the start of oil and gas drilling in the region in the mid-1800s.

Operators behind unprofitable sites often walked away without plugging the holes properly — if at all.

Unplugged
 wells can leak methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, into the atmosphere.
 Their pipes can break, letting in groundwater that disappears down the 
holes forever.

Other times, changes in pressure can push 
contaminated fluids from the bottom of the wellbore toward the surface, 
where it seeps into the surrounding earth and water.

So closing 
the holes involves more than sealing the top. Workers have to fill much 
or all of the underground pipes. It took 120 sacks of cement to plug the
 La Cygne well.

Landowners continue to discover long-forgotten wells.

“A farmer
 may see a wet spot in their field. Or there may be a puddle that 
bubbles,” said Ryan Hoffman, director of the Kansas Corporation 
Commission’s conservation division. “It could be you’re just out walking
 in the woods and you find something.”

The agency, which regulates
 oil and gas, investigates. It looks for any records of who drilled, but
 many of the sites predate modern regulation and recordkeeping. Or else 
the companies no longer exist.

So Kansas adds the sites to its formidable to-do list.

Sometimes, the wells aren’t even that old.

In
 2014, the Commission found a leaky well drilled in 1982 and closed just
 two years later by a company that no longer existed. So the agency paid
 to re-plug it.

Federal dollars will speed the work

In
 a typical year, Kansas manages to plug a couple of hundred abandoned 
wells. Since it started charging a fee to oil and gas companies in the 
1990s to help pay for that work, the state has knocked 11,000 wells off 
its to-do list.

But state officials say it’s likely that just as many remain.

The
 wells that pose the most obvious risk to people and groundwater — like 
the situations in La Cygne and Wichita — get priority.

Last year’s <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/3684" target="_blank">federal infrastructure legislation</a> puts billions of dollars toward speeding the effort to seal abandoned wells across the country.

The Kansas Corporation Commission gets $25 million to plug about 2,300 wells over the next two to three years. Those wells are <a href="https://kcc.ks.gov/images/Press_Links/KS_Plugging_Preview.pdf" target="_blank">scattered across the state</a>.

After that, the KCC could get another $33.6 million to seal a few thousand more.

Kansas will seek bids soon to start the federally funded work. Hoffman hopes a tight labor market won’t slow progress.

“It’s the unknown,” Hoffman said. “Are we gonna be able to find people who are willing to come do the work?”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/9/1662741328061.png" alt="Workers plug an abandoned well found near a stream in La Cygne last year. Kansas Corporation Commission" />
 <figcaption>Workers plug an abandoned well found near a stream in La Cygne last year. Kansas Corporation Commission</figcaption>
 </figure>By CELIA LLOPIS-JEPSEN <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2022-09-08/kansas-will-seal-thousands-of-abandoned-oil-and-gas-wells-that-can-pollute-air-and-water">Kansas News Service</a>Last summer, a utility worker stumbled across a well — one of 
thousands of abandoned, unplugged oil and gas wells scattered across 
Kansas — just 15 feet from a stream in La Cygne, an hour south of Kansas
 City.Such sites bear witness to the state’s history of fossil 
fuel production — and they can leak pollutants into the air and water 
generations after they’ve been forgotten.Tens of millions of 
federal tax dollars will help the state seal thousands of openings over 
the next several years, though many will remain unaddressed.Old wells in Kansas can date back to the start of oil and gas drilling in the region in the mid-1800s.Operators behind unprofitable sites often walked away without plugging the holes properly — if at all.Unplugged
 wells can leak methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, into the atmosphere.
 Their pipes can break, letting in groundwater that disappears down the 
holes forever.Other times, changes in pressure can push 
contaminated fluids from the bottom of the wellbore toward the surface, 
where it seeps into the surrounding earth and water.So closing 
the holes involves more than sealing the top. Workers have to fill much 
or all of the underground pipes. It took 120 sacks of cement to plug the
 La Cygne well.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/9/1662741398501.png" alt="Workers plug a well that was leaking natural gas next to a long-term care center near Wichita in 2014. KCC" />
 <figcaption>Workers plug a well that was leaking natural gas next to a long-term care center near Wichita in 2014. KCC</figcaption>
 </figure>Landowners continue to discover long-forgotten wells.“A farmer
 may see a wet spot in their field. Or there may be a puddle that 
bubbles,” said Ryan Hoffman, director of the Kansas Corporation 
Commission’s conservation division. “It could be you’re just out walking
 in the woods and you find something.”The agency, which regulates
 oil and gas, investigates. It looks for any records of who drilled, but
 many of the sites predate modern regulation and recordkeeping. Or else 
the companies no longer exist.So Kansas adds the sites to its formidable to-do list.Sometimes, the wells aren’t even that old.In
 2014, the Commission found a leaky well drilled in 1982 and closed just
 two years later by a company that no longer existed. So the agency paid
 to re-plug it.Federal dollars will speed the workIn
 a typical year, Kansas manages to plug a couple of hundred abandoned 
wells. Since it started charging a fee to oil and gas companies in the 
1990s to help pay for that work, the state has knocked 11,000 wells off 
its to-do list.But state officials say it’s likely that just as many remain.The
 wells that pose the most obvious risk to people and groundwater — like 
the situations in La Cygne and Wichita — get priority.Last year’s <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/3684" target="_blank">federal infrastructure legislation</a> puts billions of dollars toward speeding the effort to seal abandoned wells across the country.The Kansas Corporation Commission gets $25 million to plug about 2,300 wells over the next two to three years. Those wells are <a href="https://kcc.ks.gov/images/Press_Links/KS_Plugging_Preview.pdf" target="_blank">scattered across the state</a>.After that, the KCC could get another $33.6 million to seal a few thousand more.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/9/1662741433402.png" alt="Kansas plans to plug about 2,300 abandoned wells over the next few years. KCC" />
 <figcaption>Kansas plans to plug about 2,300 abandoned wells over the next few years. KCC</figcaption>
 </figure>Kansas will seek bids soon to start the federally funded work. Hoffman hopes a tight labor market won’t slow progress.“It’s the unknown,” Hoffman said. “Are we gonna be able to find people who are willing to come do the work?”

Kansas aims to plug thousands of abandoned oil wells 

WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">President Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;marked&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/new-york-government-and-politics-c5e1bcbcf3327938bb3c1a34e4807a5d">the 21st anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks</a>, taking part in a somber wreath-laying ceremony at the Pentagon held under a steady rain and paying tribute to “extraordinary Americans” who gave their lives on one of the nation's darkest days.

Sunday's ceremony occurred&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-afghanistan-biden-al-qaida-ayman-zawahri-92a61266ea72b54aeefe14fe2450792b">a little more than a year</a>&nbsp;after Biden ended the long and costly war in Afghanistan that the U.S. and allies launched in response to the terror attacks.

Biden noted that even after the United States left Afghanistan that his administration continues to pursue those responsible for the 9/11 attacks. Last month, Biden announced&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ayman-al-zawahri-al-qaida-terrorism-biden-36e5f10256c9bc9972b252849eda91f2">the U.S. had killed Ayman al-Zawahri</a>, the al-Qaida leader who helped plot the Sept. 11 attacks, in a clandestine operation.

“We will never forget, we will never give up,” Biden said. “Our commitment to preventing another attack on the United States is without end.”

The president was joined by family members of the fallen, first responders who had been at the Pentagon on the day of the attack, as well as Defense Department leadership for the annual moment of tribute carried out in New York City, the Pentagon and Somerset County, Pennsylvania.

In ending the Afghanistan war, the Democratic president followed through on a campaign pledge to bring home U.S. troops from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/afghanistan-islamic-state-group-e10e038baea732dae879c11234507f81">the country's longest conflict</a>. But the war concluded chaotically in August 2021, when&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/afghanistan-taliban-kabul-bagram-e1ed33fe0c665ee67ba132c51b8e32a5">the U.S.-backed Afghan government collapsed</a>, a grisly bombing killed 170 Afghans and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/afghanistan-bombings-kabul-42e66fb3b72492dbec3ef070b73cf018">13 U.S. troops at Kabul's airport</a>, and thousands of desperate Afghans gathered in hopes of escape before the final U.S. cargo planes departed over the Hindu Kush.

Biden marked the one-year anniversary of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan late last month in low-key fashion. He issued a statement in honor of the 13 U.S. troops killed in the bombing at the Kabul airport and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/afghanistan-biden-veterans-national-security-government-and-politics-37f7409b05b8c4236bd4a1272c2affbe">spoke by phone with U.S. veterans</a>&nbsp;assisting ongoing efforts to resettle in the United States Afghans who helped the war effort.

WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">President Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;marked&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/new-york-government-and-politics-c5e1bcbcf3327938bb3c1a34e4807a5d">the 21st anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks</a>, taking part in a somber wreath-laying ceremony at the Pentagon held under a steady rain and paying tribute to “extraordinary Americans” who gave their lives on one of the nation's darkest days.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">In the midst of the dark days following September 11th, we found a true sense of national unity. <a href="https://t.co/vxQLF5GRIv">pic.twitter.com/vxQLF5GRIv</a>&mdash; President Biden (@POTUS) <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS/status/1569049531878178818?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 11, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Sunday's ceremony occurred&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-afghanistan-biden-al-qaida-ayman-zawahri-92a61266ea72b54aeefe14fe2450792b">a little more than a year</a>&nbsp;after Biden ended the long and costly war in Afghanistan that the U.S. and allies launched in response to the terror attacks.Biden noted that even after the United States left Afghanistan that his administration continues to pursue those responsible for the 9/11 attacks. Last month, Biden announced&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ayman-al-zawahri-al-qaida-terrorism-biden-36e5f10256c9bc9972b252849eda91f2">the U.S. had killed Ayman al-Zawahri</a>, the al-Qaida leader who helped plot the Sept. 11 attacks, in a clandestine operation.“We will never forget, we will never give up,” Biden said. “Our commitment to preventing another attack on the United States is without end.”The president was joined by family members of the fallen, first responders who had been at the Pentagon on the day of the attack, as well as Defense Department leadership for the annual moment of tribute carried out in New York City, the Pentagon and Somerset County, Pennsylvania.In ending the Afghanistan war, the Democratic president followed through on a campaign pledge to bring home U.S. troops from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/afghanistan-islamic-state-group-e10e038baea732dae879c11234507f81">the country's longest conflict</a>. But the war concluded chaotically in August 2021, when&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/afghanistan-taliban-kabul-bagram-e1ed33fe0c665ee67ba132c51b8e32a5">the U.S.-backed Afghan government collapsed</a>, a grisly bombing killed 170 Afghans and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/afghanistan-bombings-kabul-42e66fb3b72492dbec3ef070b73cf018">13 U.S. troops at Kabul's airport</a>, and thousands of desperate Afghans gathered in hopes of escape before the final U.S. cargo planes departed over the Hindu Kush.Biden marked the one-year anniversary of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan late last month in low-key fashion. He issued a statement in honor of the 13 U.S. troops killed in the bombing at the Kabul airport and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/afghanistan-biden-veterans-national-security-government-and-politics-37f7409b05b8c4236bd4a1272c2affbe">spoke by phone with U.S. veterans</a>&nbsp;assisting ongoing efforts to resettle in the United States Afghans who helped the war effort.Biden on Sunday said an “incredible debt” was owed to the U.S. troops who served in Afghanistan as well as their families. More than 2,200 U.S. service members were killed and more than 20,000 were wounded over the course of the nearly 20-year war,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.defense.gov/casualty.pdf">according to the Pentagon.</a>He also vowed that the nation will “never fail to meet the sacred obligation to you to properly prepare and equip those that we send into harm’s way and care for those and their families when they come home — and to never, ever, ever forget.”Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on Thursday criticized Biden's handling of the end of the war and noted that the country has spiraled downward under renewed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/afghanistan-covid-entertainment-health-ashraf-ghani-458d17a5eba416b2845e127ecbe35ebc">Taliban rule</a>&nbsp;since the U.S. withdrawal.“Now, one year on from last August’s disaster, the devastating scale of the fallout from President Biden’s decision has come into sharper focus," McConnell said. “Afghanistan has become a global pariah. Its&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/afghanistan-business-united-nations-economy-9cbaf19f8b4e79311305b35295a9ad6d">economy has shrunk</a>&nbsp;by nearly a third. Half of its population is now suffering critical levels of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/afghanistan-health-prices-united-nations-d74bb5f7326d57e53e17258a42452d92">food insecurity</a>."The president also remembered the words of comfort Queen Elizabeth II, who died last week, sent to the American people soon after the 2001 attacks: “Grief is the price we pay for love." Biden said those words remain as poignant as they did 21 years ago but the weight of loss also remains heavy.“On this day, when the price feels so great, Jill and I are holding all of you close to our hearts.” Biden said.Biden has recently dialed up warnings about what he calls the “extreme ideology” of former President Donald Trump and his “MAGA Republican" adherents as a threat to American democracy. Without naming Trump, Biden again on Sunday raised a call for Americans to safeguard democracy.“It’s not enough to stand up for democracy once a year or every now and then,” Biden said. “It’s something we have to do every single day. So this is a day not only to remember, but also is a day for renewal and resolve for each and every American in our devotion to this country, to the principles it embodies, to our democracy.”First lady&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pennsylvania-jill-biden-congress-government-and-politics-adf38eae4d6395768b096f57218a3f79">Jill Biden</a>&nbsp;spoke to a crowd at the Flight 93 National Memorial Observance in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where she recalled the concern she had about her sister Bonny Jacobs, a United Airlines flight attendant.She said the attacks showed that “with courage and kindness we can be a light in that darkness.”“It showed us that we are all connected to one another,” said Biden, who was joined by her sister in Shanksville for Sunday's commemoration. “So as we stand on this sacred and scarred earth, a record of our collective grief and a monument to the memories that live on each day, this is the legacy we much carry forward: Hope that defies hate.”Vice President Kamala Harris and her husband attended a commemoration ceremony at the National September 11th Memorial in New York.------WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">President Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;is set to mark&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/new-york-government-and-politics-c5e1bcbcf3327938bb3c1a34e4807a5d">the 21st anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks</a>&nbsp;at the Pentagon, a year after he ended the long and costly war in Afghanistan that the U.S. and allies launched in response to the terror attacks.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Twenty-one years later, we keep alive the memory of all the precious lives stolen from us at Ground Zero, in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, and at the Pentagon. To the families and loved ones who still feel the ache, Jill and I hold you close in our hearts. We will never forget. <a href="https://t.co/IZlAmyone2">pic.twitter.com/IZlAmyone2</a>&mdash; President Biden (@POTUS) <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS/status/1568932731622490112?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 11, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>In ending the Afghanistan war, the Democratic president followed through on a campaign pledge to bring home U.S. troops from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/afghanistan-islamic-state-group-e10e038baea732dae879c11234507f81">the country's longest conflict</a>. But the war concluded chaotically in August 2021, when&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/afghanistan-taliban-kabul-bagram-e1ed33fe0c665ee67ba132c51b8e32a5">the U.S.-backed Afghan government collapsed</a>&nbsp;in the face of a countrywide Taliban advance that returned the fundamentalist group to power. A bombing claimed by an Afghanistan-based extremist group killed 170 Afghans and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/afghanistan-bombings-kabul-42e66fb3b72492dbec3ef070b73cf018">13 U.S. troops at Kabul's airport</a>, where thousands of desperate Afghans gathered in hopes of escape before the final U.S. cargo planes departed over the Hindu Kush.White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Biden in his remarks Sunday will recognize the impact&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/9-11-a-world-changed">the 2001 attacks</a>&nbsp;had on the U.S. and the world and honor the nearly 3,000 people killed that day when al-Qaida hijackers took control of commercial planes and crashed them into New York’s World Trade Center, the Pentagon and a Pennsylvania field.“I think you’ll hear him talk about how America will stay vigilant to the threat but also look to future threats and challenges and be able to learn to meet those threats and challenges,” Kirby said.Biden marked the one-year anniversary of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan late last month in low-key fashion. He issued a statement in honor of the 13 U.S. troops killed in the bombing at the Kabul airport and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/afghanistan-biden-veterans-national-security-government-and-politics-37f7409b05b8c4236bd4a1272c2affbe">spoke by phone with U.S. veterans</a>&nbsp;assisting ongoing efforts to resettle in the United States Afghans who helped the war effort.Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on Thursday criticized Biden's handling of the end of the war and noted that the country has spiraled downward under renewed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/afghanistan-covid-entertainment-health-ashraf-ghani-458d17a5eba416b2845e127ecbe35ebc">Taliban rule</a>&nbsp;since the U.S. withdrawal.“Now, one year on from last August’s disaster, the devastating scale of the fallout from President Biden’s decision has come into sharper focus," McConnell said. “Afghanistan has become a global pariah. Its&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/afghanistan-business-united-nations-economy-9cbaf19f8b4e79311305b35295a9ad6d">economy has shrunk</a>&nbsp;by nearly a third. Half of its population is now suffering critical levels of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/afghanistan-health-prices-united-nations-d74bb5f7326d57e53e17258a42452d92">food insecurity</a>."First lady&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pennsylvania-jill-biden-congress-government-and-politics-adf38eae4d6395768b096f57218a3f79">Jill Biden</a>&nbsp;will speak Sunday at the Flight 93 National Memorial Observance in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Vice President Kamala Harris and her husband will go to New York City for a commemoration ceremony at the National September 11th Memorial.