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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

🎥Biden honors 9/11 victims, vows commitment to thwart terror

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration hopes to make getting a COVID-19 booster as routine as going in for the yearly flu shot.

That’s at the heart of its campaign&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/covid-vaccine-omicron-booster-shot-227514678d25a99b65b7ee092735fb03?utm_source=homepage&amp;utm_medium=TopNews&amp;utm_campaign=position_2">to sell the newly authorized shot</a>&nbsp;to an American public that has widely rejected COVID-19 boosters since they first became available last fall.

Shots of the updated boosters, specifically designed by Pfizer and Moderna to respond to the omicron strain, are available. The U.S. government has purchased 170 million doses and is emphasizing that everyone will have free access to the booster.

White House COVID-19 coordinator Dr. Ashish Jha said this latest round of shots offer protection during the busy cold and flu season, with the hope of transitioning people to get the vaccine yearly. Typically,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/flu/fluvaxview/dashboard/vaccination-dashboard.html">at least half of U.S. adults get a flu shot</a>.

“We expect them to provide more durable protection over time,” Jha said in an interview with The Associated Press. “The goal very much is to get to a point where people get their COVID shot on a regular basis, the way they do their flu shot.”

Community health workers in North Carolina, home to the country’s lowest COVID-19 booster rate, like the strategy, especially because of confusion among some people about vaccine schedules.

“I believe in keeping things simple,” said Marty Stamey, an outreach coordinator for the Mountain Area Health Education Center in western North Carolina. “I’ve heard a lot of people say, ‘I think I’ll just wait and try to do it like the flu shots.’”

The White House plan also relies in part of on local health departments, providers and community groups to reach out and encourage people to get the updated booster. Pharmacies, health providers and state or local health departments are preparing to send text messages to millions of people that will encourage them to get a booster this fall, White House officials said.

Jha said he recommends most Americans get the booster by the end of October.

Still, this latest vaccination campaign faces several challenges.

A&nbsp;<a href="https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#vaccinations_vacc-people-additional-dose-totalpop">majority of Americans got their first and second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine</a>&nbsp;when it was released last year but they’ve been more reluctant to get a booster jab, with less than half getting their first booster since it became available late last year.

Congress also has not moved forward on President Joe Biden’s $22.5 billion request&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-covid-business-health-congress-e5b411a879b2becf3e342fea3b0df981">earlier this year for the COVID-19 response</a>. Republicans criticized the request, pointing to the $1.9 trillion already spent on responding to the pandemic. Running short on funds, the government announced it would stop shipping COVID-19 tests to people’s homes after Friday.

And COVID-19 funding is drying up for many of the community groups that received millions of federal tax dollars to hire workers who spent months reaching deep into neighborhoods with door knocks, mobile vaccine clinics and posters encouraging people to inoculate against COVID-19.

White House officials say those local leaders deserve a lot of credit for stamping out misinformation about the COVID-19 vaccine and convincing many around the country that the shot will protect them.

“Those are the really critical messengers,” Jha said.

That on-the-ground work has been crucial to getting people vaccinated in the rural, Spanish- and Haitian-speaking communities that the Migrant Clinicians Network has reached throughout Texas, California and Maryland with its $8.5 million federal grant.

“Simply having the vaccines available is one thing, but getting the shots in the arms is another,” said Amy Liebman, a chief program officer for the nonprofit group.

Some of those local health organizations, too, are now stretched as they work to get low&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fda-pfizer-covid-vaccines-kids-1423b2ab0a51bc9c36dbe86964777c07">vaccination rates among children under 12 up</a>. Only a third of 5- to 11-year-olds received both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine since becoming eligible late last year. Meanwhile, just&nbsp;<a href="https://www.aap.org/en/pages/2019-novel-coronavirus-covid-19-infections/children-and-covid-19-vaccination-trends/">7% of children under 5</a>&nbsp;have gotten a first dose since it&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/covid-science-politics-health-us-news-368ca7b4ab393dc48ffa04b5a3171d5b">was made available this summer</a>.

Dr. Niharika Khanna at the University of Maryland School of Medicine has just started making progress on convincing new mothers that the vaccine is safe and effective for their babies.

Her program, which has hired more than 269 health workers and administered more than 12,000 vaccinations and boosters across Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia, isn’t quite ready to transition back to pushing COVID-19 boosters.

“All of these people, all of these relationships we’ve carefully cultivated are at risk for falling apart,” Khanna said. “Today if you were to say to me switch to booster, I’d say no. I need another two to three weeks to really get these people going.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/3/1648688148561.png" alt="The latest vaccination campaign faces challenges-photo White House" />
 <figcaption>The latest vaccination campaign faces challenges-photo White House</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration hopes to make getting a COVID-19 booster as routine as going in for the yearly flu shot.That’s at the heart of its campaign&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/covid-vaccine-omicron-booster-shot-227514678d25a99b65b7ee092735fb03?utm_source=homepage&amp;utm_medium=TopNews&amp;utm_campaign=position_2">to sell the newly authorized shot</a>&nbsp;to an American public that has widely rejected COVID-19 boosters since they first became available last fall.Shots of the updated boosters, specifically designed by Pfizer and Moderna to respond to the omicron strain, are available. The U.S. government has purchased 170 million doses and is emphasizing that everyone will have free access to the booster.White House COVID-19 coordinator Dr. Ashish Jha said this latest round of shots offer protection during the busy cold and flu season, with the hope of transitioning people to get the vaccine yearly. Typically,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/flu/fluvaxview/dashboard/vaccination-dashboard.html">at least half of U.S. adults get a flu shot</a>.“We expect them to provide more durable protection over time,” Jha said in an interview with The Associated Press. “The goal very much is to get to a point where people get their COVID shot on a regular basis, the way they do their flu shot.”Community health workers in North Carolina, home to the country’s lowest COVID-19 booster rate, like the strategy, especially because of confusion among some people about vaccine schedules.“I believe in keeping things simple,” said Marty Stamey, an outreach coordinator for the Mountain Area Health Education Center in western North Carolina. “I’ve heard a lot of people say, ‘I think I’ll just wait and try to do it like the flu shots.’”The White House plan also relies in part of on local health departments, providers and community groups to reach out and encourage people to get the updated booster. Pharmacies, health providers and state or local health departments are preparing to send text messages to millions of people that will encourage them to get a booster this fall, White House officials said.Jha said he recommends most Americans get the booster by the end of October.Still, this latest vaccination campaign faces several challenges.A&nbsp;<a href="https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#vaccinations_vacc-people-additional-dose-totalpop">majority of Americans got their first and second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine</a>&nbsp;when it was released last year but they’ve been more reluctant to get a booster jab, with less than half getting their first booster since it became available late last year.Congress also has not moved forward on President Joe Biden’s $22.5 billion request&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-covid-business-health-congress-e5b411a879b2becf3e342fea3b0df981">earlier this year for the COVID-19 response</a>. Republicans criticized the request, pointing to the $1.9 trillion already spent on responding to the pandemic. Running short on funds, the government announced it would stop shipping COVID-19 tests to people’s homes after Friday.And COVID-19 funding is drying up for many of the community groups that received millions of federal tax dollars to hire workers who spent months reaching deep into neighborhoods with door knocks, mobile vaccine clinics and posters encouraging people to inoculate against COVID-19.White House officials say those local leaders deserve a lot of credit for stamping out misinformation about the COVID-19 vaccine and convincing many around the country that the shot will protect them.“Those are the really critical messengers,” Jha said.That on-the-ground work has been crucial to getting people vaccinated in the rural, Spanish- and Haitian-speaking communities that the Migrant Clinicians Network has reached throughout Texas, California and Maryland with its $8.5 million federal grant.“Simply having the vaccines available is one thing, but getting the shots in the arms is another,” said Amy Liebman, a chief program officer for the nonprofit group.Some of those local health organizations, too, are now stretched as they work to get low&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fda-pfizer-covid-vaccines-kids-1423b2ab0a51bc9c36dbe86964777c07">vaccination rates among children under 12 up</a>. Only a third of 5- to 11-year-olds received both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine since becoming eligible late last year. Meanwhile, just&nbsp;<a href="https://www.aap.org/en/pages/2019-novel-coronavirus-covid-19-infections/children-and-covid-19-vaccination-trends/">7% of children under 5</a>&nbsp;have gotten a first dose since it&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/covid-science-politics-health-us-news-368ca7b4ab393dc48ffa04b5a3171d5b">was made available this summer</a>.Dr. Niharika Khanna at the University of Maryland School of Medicine has just started making progress on convincing new mothers that the vaccine is safe and effective for their babies.Her program, which has hired more than 269 health workers and administered more than 12,000 vaccinations and boosters across Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia, isn’t quite ready to transition back to pushing COVID-19 boosters.“All of these people, all of these relationships we’ve carefully cultivated are at risk for falling apart,” Khanna said. “Today if you were to say to me switch to booster, I’d say no. I need another two to three weeks to really get these people going.”

Fall COVID vaccination campaign faces many challenges

KANSAS CITY, KAN.– A Kansas man is facing prison time after he admitted to downloading child pornographic images from the Internet. Justin Packham, 34, of &nbsp;Shawnee pleaded guilty to one count of possession of child pornography, according to the United State's Attorney.

According to court documents, in December 2020, the Shawnee Police Department received a cybertip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that dozens of child pornography images had been uploaded into Google Drive. An investigation revealed the email account used for the upload belonged to Justin Packham.

In February 2021, Packham was arrested for a parole violation with the State of Kansas Department of Corrections. &nbsp;After obtaining a search warrant for his residence, Shawnee investigators following up on the cybertip found more than 1,000 child pornography photos and videos on various electronic devices and thumb drives. Packham admitted to law enforcement that he’d downloaded the images from the Internet.&nbsp;

Packham is scheduled to be sentenced on December 8 and faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. He has been registered as a violent offender since a 2009 conviction for criminal discharge of a firearm at an occupied dwelling, according to the KBI registry.

The U.S. Secret Service and the Shawnee Police Department are investigating the case.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/9/1662753880290.png" alt="Packham -photo KBI Offender Registry" />
 <figcaption>Packham -photo KBI Offender Registry</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY, KAN.– A Kansas man is facing prison time after he admitted to downloading child pornographic images from the Internet. Justin Packham, 34, of &nbsp;Shawnee pleaded guilty to one count of possession of child pornography, according to the United State's Attorney.According to court documents, in December 2020, the Shawnee Police Department received a cybertip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that dozens of child pornography images had been uploaded into Google Drive. An investigation revealed the email account used for the upload belonged to Justin Packham.In February 2021, Packham was arrested for a parole violation with the State of Kansas Department of Corrections. &nbsp;After obtaining a search warrant for his residence, Shawnee investigators following up on the cybertip found more than 1,000 child pornography photos and videos on various electronic devices and thumb drives. Packham admitted to law enforcement that he’d downloaded the images from the Internet.&nbsp;Packham is scheduled to be sentenced on December 8 and faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. He has been registered as a violent offender since a 2009 conviction for criminal discharge of a firearm at an occupied dwelling, according to the KBI registry.The U.S. Secret Service and the Shawnee Police Department are investigating the case.

Violent Kansas offender admits downloading child porn

SEDGWICK COUNTY —A Kansas man died in an accident just after 11:30a.m. Saturday in Sedgwick County.&nbsp;

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2001 Nissan Altima driven by Damian Russell Conner, 23, Whitewater, was southbound on Interstate 135 at 53rd Street at highway speeds. 

The driver applied the brakes, but due to a wet roadway and rainfall, did not stop in time. The Nissan rear-ended the trailer of 2020 Freightliner semi driven by Simon Elias Rogers, 34, Covington, Georgia, who was stopped in the right lane in heavy traffic.

Conner was pronounced dead at the scene and transported to&nbsp;Sedgwick County Forensic Science Center.&nbsp;Rogers was not injured. Both drivers were properly restrained, according to the KHP.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/9/1662861858930.png" alt="First responders on the scene of the fatal crash -photo courtesy KWCH" />
 <figcaption>First responders on the scene of the fatal crash -photo courtesy KWCH</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY —A Kansas man died in an accident just after 11:30a.m. Saturday in Sedgwick County.&nbsp;The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2001 Nissan Altima driven by Damian Russell Conner, 23, Whitewater, was southbound on Interstate 135 at 53rd Street at highway speeds. The driver applied the brakes, but due to a wet roadway and rainfall, did not stop in time. The Nissan rear-ended the trailer of 2020 Freightliner semi driven by Simon Elias Rogers, 34, Covington, Georgia, who was stopped in the right lane in heavy traffic.Conner was pronounced dead at the scene and transported to&nbsp;Sedgwick County Forensic Science Center.&nbsp;Rogers was not injured. Both drivers were properly restrained, according to the KHP.

Kansas man dies after rear-end crash blamed on wet highway

SEDGWICK COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a violent attack that sent a woman to the hospital.

Just before 6:30 pm, Sept. 7, police were dispatched to a stabbing in the 1300 block of South Broadway in Wichita, according to Officer Chad Ditch.&nbsp; First responders located a 42-year-old woman with non-life-threatening injuries to her back torso area. She was transported to an area hospital for treatment.

The investigation revealed that an altercation between the victim and&nbsp;43-year-old Mareo Dupree of Wichita led to the stabbing

Police arrested Dupree on a requested charges of aggravated battery. He <a href="https://ssc.sedgwickcounty.org/sheriffinmates/SheriffInmateDetail.aspx?nameId=23689">is being held on a $100,000 bond</a>, according to online jail records.

This is not a random incident and Dupree and the victim are believed to be known to each other, according to Ditch. The case will be presented to the District Attorney’s Office. 

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/9/1662730010653.png" alt="Dupree photo Sedgwick County" />
 <figcaption>Dupree photo Sedgwick County</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a violent attack that sent a woman to the hospital.Just before 6:30 pm, Sept. 7, police were dispatched to a stabbing in the 1300 block of South Broadway in Wichita, according to Officer Chad Ditch.&nbsp; First responders located a 42-year-old woman with non-life-threatening injuries to her back torso area. She was transported to an area hospital for treatment.The investigation revealed that an altercation between the victim and&nbsp;43-year-old Mareo Dupree of Wichita led to the stabbingPolice arrested Dupree on a requested charges of aggravated battery. He <a href="https://ssc.sedgwickcounty.org/sheriffinmates/SheriffInmateDetail.aspx?nameId=23689">is being held on a $100,000 bond</a>, according to online jail records.This is not a random incident and Dupree and the victim are believed to be known to each other, according to Ditch. The case will be presented to the District Attorney’s Office.

Police: Kansas woman hospitalized after stabbing 

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The crowd was raucous as usual for the debate at the Kansas State Fair on Saturday, but the candidates did little in the way of policy pronouncing. The closest thing to news to come out of the Saturday event was Gov. Laura Kelly's assertion that she would create a cabinet-level position for early childhood education and child care.

"I have every intention, as we go forward into my second term to elevate the issue of child care and early childhood education by creating a cabinet-level position to focus on those issues," Kelly said.

Schmidt, for his part, praised the legislature for passing child care tax credits and called Kelly's goal red tape.

"She went straight to where she often does, look how much money they've spent," Schmidt said. "They expanded grants. She's going to create a new Cabinet-level secretary, more bureaucracy. The impediment that I hear from child care providers is that there is too much red tape already."

Other than that one brief policy piece, there was a lot of dancing around the issues and waging proxy fights, Schmidt with President Biden and Kelly, though less so, with Sam Brownback.

The two did agree that the Kansas voters spoke in August on the issue of abortion and Gov. Kelly said she would support the retention of the six Kansas Supreme Court justices on the ballot in November.

Schmidt said he would not retain all of the judges, though he was not specific on which ones he believes should go, but he said that decision should also be left to the voters.

The two candidates agreed that special education in the state is not funded to the statutory level, but they both also said that Congress is supposed to be sending more money to Kansas than they are and that the unfunded mandate from that level is the main problem in that regard.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/9/1662846700435.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>By NICK GOSNELL Hutch PostHUTCHINSON, Kan. — The crowd was raucous as usual for the debate at the Kansas State Fair on Saturday, but the candidates did little in the way of policy pronouncing. The closest thing to news to come out of the Saturday event was Gov. Laura Kelly's assertion that she would create a cabinet-level position for early childhood education and child care."I have every intention, as we go forward into my second term to elevate the issue of child care and early childhood education by creating a cabinet-level position to focus on those issues," Kelly said.Schmidt, for his part, praised the legislature for passing child care tax credits and called Kelly's goal red tape."She went straight to where she often does, look how much money they've spent," Schmidt said. "They expanded grants. She's going to create a new Cabinet-level secretary, more bureaucracy. The impediment that I hear from child care providers is that there is too much red tape already."Other than that one brief policy piece, there was a lot of dancing around the issues and waging proxy fights, Schmidt with President Biden and Kelly, though less so, with Sam Brownback.The two did agree that the Kansas voters spoke in August on the issue of abortion and Gov. Kelly said she would support the retention of the six Kansas Supreme Court justices on the ballot in November.Schmidt said he would not retain all of the judges, though he was not specific on which ones he believes should go, but he said that decision should also be left to the voters.The two candidates agreed that special education in the state is not funded to the statutory level, but they both also said that Congress is supposed to be sending more money to Kansas than they are and that the unfunded mandate from that level is the main problem in that regard.

Kansas governor candidates debate at the State Fair

By TIM CARPENTER <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/09/09/johnson-county-sheriff-threatens-to-deploy-army-of-deputies-against-irs-agents/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA — Johnson County Sheriff 
Calvin Hayden said a federal law allowing the Internal Revenue Service 
to add 87,000 employees posed a threat to people in Kansas’ most 
populous county and could require deployment of deputies to repel tax 
investigators.

Hayden, who described the IRS as a “spooky, spooky entity,” generated
 applause from a group of about 30 people during a two-hour open meeting
 at the Johnson County Sheriff’s Department headquarters with a promise 
to protect their homes as if they were castles.

The sheriff, who is leading a criminal investigation into alleged 
election fraud in the 2020 elections, said the IRS problem resulted from
 the Inflation Reduction Act approved by Congress and signed by 
President Joe Biden. The law earmarked $45 billion for enforcement 
activities over the next decade to help close the gap between what 
Americans owed in federal taxes and what they paid.

“That’s why it’s important for us to have an army that you can depend
 on,” said Hayden, referring to department’s 500 employees. “Because, I 
will tell you, they’re going to have to have every IRS agent in the 
United States come to Johnson County, Kansas, before they start doing 
the crap they’re doing. We’re going to be 500 strong, and we’ll do what 
we need to do.”

Hayden said he had authority to order the FBI to leave Johnson 
County, but he claimed to have less control over the IRS. He asserted 
IRS agents could enter homes of U.S. residents without a warrant.

The sheriff spoke to the group Aug. 30. Video of the gathering was posted to the online platform Rumble.

Hayden said he had welcomed the opportunity to order 100 deputies to 
cities in Johnson County as well as Kansas City, Missouri, and Lawrence 
in response to “mutual aid” requests related to street protests. He said
 he found the picketing so irritating it left him with “Formica under my
 fingernails.”

In Lawrence, the sheriff said he wanted “nothing more than go down 
Mass. Street and arrest them all.” He was prepared to make arrests in 
Prairie Village if protesters did so much as “break a pencil.”

Hayden said he wasn’t afraid his approach to law enforcement could 
make him target of a lawsuit by the American Civil Liberties Union.

He said future elections in Kansas would likely foster social unrest.
 That possibility, Hayden claimed, ought to compel the Johnson County 
Commission to approve funding to add dozens of deputies to the 
department’s payroll. He said he would file a lawsuit against the 
commission if members didn’t approve his budget request to hire a 
minimum of 20 deputies.

The sheriff offered a pre-emptive warning to protesters: “You’re not going to hurt one twig in Johnson County.”

Hayden said his investigation of possible election fraud remained 
open in Johnson County despite pressure from public officials to wrap up
 the inquiry. He said the work was essential because neither Secretary 
of State Scott Schwab nor Attorney General Derek Schmidt were committed 
to investigating election misconduct.

Schwab and Schmidt have repeatedly expressed confidence in security 
of Kansas elections and integrity of voting results. Schwab, the state’s
 chief elections officer, said counts from the Aug. 2 primary election 
demonstrated accuracy of the 105-county system. Both Republican elected 
officials have said they were willing to consider amendments to state 
law that promoted public confidence in Kansas elections.

“I think they’re afraid,” Hayden said. “So, my county, my crime. 
People are railing at me for even looking at it. I don’t care. It’s 
important.”

He said the criminal investigation forced Johnson County election 
officials to preserve voting records that otherwise might be destroyed. 
He told the group during the taped meeting that he couldn’t delve into 
“all the secret stuff we’ve been doing” to build a case, but confided he
 was struggling to establish probable cause to justify search warrants 
that might help him gain traction.

“We’ve got tons of reasonable suspicion. I mean, tons of it. But I’ve
 got to have probable cause for a search warrant, to swear that I know a
 crime has been committed,” the sheriff said. “You’ve got to have a bad 
guy. We have to have a bad guy.”

Hayden said the investigation was hampered by an inability to 
identify people who could move beyond conjecture or theory about how 
fraud was allegedly perpetrated in Johnson County. In addition, he said,
 building a case could be undermined if the corruption was traced to 
China because he couldn’t arrest operatives overseas.

The sheriff said he was convinced evidence would surface Johnson 
County was among about 60 counties nationwide that worked with 
“nefarious” companies or groups that conspired to undermine election 
security. He was most concerned about security of electronic voting 
machines.

“I’m not sure that they have gotten into our machines. I can’t prove it,” Hayden said.

He expressed gratitude to community volunteers who served as 
observers in recent elections in Johnson County. During the meeting, he 
was asked whether a poll worker could legally take photographs of 
suspicious election documents that might be useful to the sheriff’s 
fraud investigation.

“Be slippery about it,” the sheriff said, “if you do it.” He 
cautioned that county election officials would get “touchy, crazy if 
they see you doing it.”

Hayden said he assigned deputies to observe ballot drop boxes in 
Johnson County ahead of the August primary election and predicted the 
2023 Legislature would ban use of the ballot deposit boxes in Kansas.

He said state lawmakers could go as far as prohibiting use of voting 
machines, leaving the state to count paper ballots by hand. The sheriff 
complained about lack of the “chain of custody” of ballots moved from 
polling locations to county offices for counting. He also said penalties
 for violating state election laws were lame.

Hayden, who began his Kansas law enforcement career in 1981, said he 
supported a proposed amendment to the Kansas Constitution on ballots in 
November that would block counties from abandoning the practice of 
electing sheriffs.

“The politicians want to get rid of the sheriff’s position,” Hayden said, “because we’re in the way.”

If the amendment received a majority of those voting Nov. 8, it would
 alter the state Constitution to require election of county sheriffs in 
counties that hadn’t abolished the office before January 2022. Rejection
 of the amendment would enable counties to continue electing sheriffs or
 adopt an alternative model whereby the county’s chief law officer was 
appointed. Riley County is the lone county that appoints that officer.

Hayden objected to the idea raised last year by Johnson County 
Commissioner Janee Hanzlick and others who preferred appointment of the 
county’s sheriff. Hanzlick said she’d fielded complaints about Hayden’s 
extreme partisanship.

“We’ve got an answer for her, and that’s called the constitutional sheriff’s amendment in November. Just vote yes,” Hayden said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/9/1662834404561.png" alt="Johnson County Sheriff Calvin Hayden, shown here during a June speech about election fraud, said he was prepared to deploy deputies to thwart zealous IRS agents and was struggling to find probable cause to issue warrants that might help him build an election fraud case in the county. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>Johnson County Sheriff Calvin Hayden, shown here during a June speech about election fraud, said he was prepared to deploy deputies to thwart zealous IRS agents and was struggling to find probable cause to issue warrants that might help him build an election fraud case in the county. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>By TIM CARPENTER <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/09/09/johnson-county-sheriff-threatens-to-deploy-army-of-deputies-against-irs-agents/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — Johnson County Sheriff 
Calvin Hayden said a federal law allowing the Internal Revenue Service 
to add 87,000 employees posed a threat to people in Kansas’ most 
populous county and could require deployment of deputies to repel tax 
investigators.Hayden, who described the IRS as a “spooky, spooky entity,” generated
 applause from a group of about 30 people during a two-hour open meeting
 at the Johnson County Sheriff’s Department headquarters with a promise 
to protect their homes as if they were castles.The sheriff, who is leading a criminal investigation into alleged 
election fraud in the 2020 elections, said the IRS problem resulted from
 the Inflation Reduction Act approved by Congress and signed by 
President Joe Biden. The law earmarked $45 billion for enforcement 
activities over the next decade to help close the gap between what 
Americans owed in federal taxes and what they paid.“That’s why it’s important for us to have an army that you can depend
 on,” said Hayden, referring to department’s 500 employees. “Because, I 
will tell you, they’re going to have to have every IRS agent in the 
United States come to Johnson County, Kansas, before they start doing 
the crap they’re doing. We’re going to be 500 strong, and we’ll do what 
we need to do.”Hayden said he had authority to order the FBI to leave Johnson 
County, but he claimed to have less control over the IRS. He asserted 
IRS agents could enter homes of U.S. residents without a warrant.The sheriff spoke to the group Aug. 30. Video of the gathering was posted to the online platform Rumble.<h2>‘Arrest them all’</h2>Hayden said he had welcomed the opportunity to order 100 deputies to 
cities in Johnson County as well as Kansas City, Missouri, and Lawrence 
in response to “mutual aid” requests related to street protests. He said
 he found the picketing so irritating it left him with “Formica under my
 fingernails.”In Lawrence, the sheriff said he wanted “nothing more than go down 
Mass. Street and arrest them all.” He was prepared to make arrests in 
Prairie Village if protesters did so much as “break a pencil.”Hayden said he wasn’t afraid his approach to law enforcement could 
make him target of a lawsuit by the American Civil Liberties Union.He said future elections in Kansas would likely foster social unrest.
 That possibility, Hayden claimed, ought to compel the Johnson County 
Commission to approve funding to add dozens of deputies to the 
department’s payroll. He said he would file a lawsuit against the 
commission if members didn’t approve his budget request to hire a 
minimum of 20 deputies.The sheriff offered a pre-emptive warning to protesters: “You’re not going to hurt one twig in Johnson County.”<h2>Election fraud?</h2>Hayden said his investigation of possible election fraud remained 
open in Johnson County despite pressure from public officials to wrap up
 the inquiry. He said the work was essential because neither Secretary 
of State Scott Schwab nor Attorney General Derek Schmidt were committed 
to investigating election misconduct.Schwab and Schmidt have repeatedly expressed confidence in security 
of Kansas elections and integrity of voting results. Schwab, the state’s
 chief elections officer, said counts from the Aug. 2 primary election 
demonstrated accuracy of the 105-county system. Both Republican elected 
officials have said they were willing to consider amendments to state 
law that promoted public confidence in Kansas elections.“I think they’re afraid,” Hayden said. “So, my county, my crime. 
People are railing at me for even looking at it. I don’t care. It’s 
important.”He said the criminal investigation forced Johnson County election 
officials to preserve voting records that otherwise might be destroyed. 
He told the group during the taped meeting that he couldn’t delve into 
“all the secret stuff we’ve been doing” to build a case, but confided he
 was struggling to establish probable cause to justify search warrants 
that might help him gain traction.“We’ve got tons of reasonable suspicion. I mean, tons of it. But I’ve
 got to have probable cause for a search warrant, to swear that I know a
 crime has been committed,” the sheriff said. “You’ve got to have a bad 
guy. We have to have a bad guy.”Hayden said the investigation was hampered by an inability to 
identify people who could move beyond conjecture or theory about how 
fraud was allegedly perpetrated in Johnson County. In addition, he said,
 building a case could be undermined if the corruption was traced to 
China because he couldn’t arrest operatives overseas.<h2>‘I can’t prove it’</h2>The sheriff said he was convinced evidence would surface Johnson 
County was among about 60 counties nationwide that worked with 
“nefarious” companies or groups that conspired to undermine election 
security. He was most concerned about security of electronic voting 
machines.“I’m not sure that they have gotten into our machines. I can’t prove it,” Hayden said.He expressed gratitude to community volunteers who served as 
observers in recent elections in Johnson County. During the meeting, he 
was asked whether a poll worker could legally take photographs of 
suspicious election documents that might be useful to the sheriff’s 
fraud investigation.“Be slippery about it,” the sheriff said, “if you do it.” He 
cautioned that county election officials would get “touchy, crazy if 
they see you doing it.”Hayden said he assigned deputies to observe ballot drop boxes in 
Johnson County ahead of the August primary election and predicted the 
2023 Legislature would ban use of the ballot deposit boxes in Kansas.He said state lawmakers could go as far as prohibiting use of voting 
machines, leaving the state to count paper ballots by hand. The sheriff 
complained about lack of the “chain of custody” of ballots moved from 
polling locations to county offices for counting. He also said penalties
 for violating state election laws were lame.<h2>Constitutional amendment</h2>Hayden, who began his Kansas law enforcement career in 1981, said he 
supported a proposed amendment to the Kansas Constitution on ballots in 
November that would block counties from abandoning the practice of 
electing sheriffs.“The politicians want to get rid of the sheriff’s position,” Hayden said, “because we’re in the way.”If the amendment received a majority of those voting Nov. 8, it would
 alter the state Constitution to require election of county sheriffs in 
counties that hadn’t abolished the office before January 2022. Rejection
 of the amendment would enable counties to continue electing sheriffs or
 adopt an alternative model whereby the county’s chief law officer was 
appointed. Riley County is the lone county that appoints that officer.Hayden objected to the idea raised last year by Johnson County 
Commissioner Janee Hanzlick and others who preferred appointment of the 
county’s sheriff. Hanzlick said she’d fielded complaints about Hayden’s 
extreme partisanship.“We’ve got an answer for her, and that’s called the constitutional sheriff’s amendment in November. Just vote yes,” Hayden said.

Kan. sheriff threatens to deploy ‘army’ of deputies against IRS agents

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo.&nbsp; (AP) — A Missouri judge on Friday tossed out a lawsuit that sought to knock a recreational marijuana proposal off the Nov. 8 ballot.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo.&nbsp; (AP) — A Missouri judge on Friday tossed out a lawsuit that sought to knock a recreational marijuana proposal off the Nov. 8 ballot.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-marijuana-recreational-medical-missouri-d09e1ab128d572495edca73bb52bb241">The measure</a>&nbsp;would allow those ages 21 and older to buy and grow marijuana for personal consumption and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/crime-marijuana-recreational-constitutions-missouri-65e4a10bb7d99fdf9fca2ea57e07d0c1">automatically erase records</a>&nbsp;of some past marijuana-related crimes.Cole County Circuit Judge Cotton Walker ruled that the plaintiff, Joy Sweeney, did not prove she’s a Missouri resident, which would have been required for her lawsuit to continue.Sweeney on Thursday testified remotely from her second home in Alexandria, Virginia, that she still owns property in Missouri and is registered to vote in Missouri. Walker said her testimony came too late because her lawyers had already finished submitting evidence in the case.But Walker noted that he would have ruled against Sweeney's lawsuit even if she had proven her Missouri residency.In Missouri, proponents of a constitutional amendment need to gather a certain number of signatures from registered voters to get initiatives on the ballot.Sweeney claimed that the secretary of state’s office overstepped its bounds by re-checking voter signatures, which is typically done by local election officials to make sure signees are properly registered to vote.Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft's office re-checked petition signatures for the recreational marijuana proposal last month after a lawyer for the pro-pot campaign raised concerns that some signatures from registered voters had been incorrectly tossed out as invalid, which the office confirmed after a review.In his ruling, Walker wrote that Ashcroft's review of the signatures was legal and that he was right to confirm that the campaign gathered enough valid signatures for the measure to be put on the ballot.