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

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

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

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

Brothers charged in Kansas City double murder

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

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

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

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

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

Sheriff: Woman accused of selling meth in Kansas

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Coloradans can start applying for center licenses in September 2024

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Colorado begins steps to regulate psychedelic mushrooms

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ga. Senate runoff between Warnock, Walker has bitter closing

By DAKE KANG and HUIZHONG WU Associated Press

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

By LESLIE EIKLEBERRY Salina Post

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

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

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

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

Kan. teen dies in ATV accident southeast of Marion Saturday

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

By ZEKE MILLER AP White House Correspondent

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Biden eases Venezuela sanctions as opposition talks resume

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

States test electrifying idea: Roads that can recharge your EV

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

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

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

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

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

Fox and Croft's first trial ended in a mistrial earlier this year when the jury was unable to come to a unanimous verdict.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/michigan-grand-rapids-adam-fox-whitmer-kidnap-plot-trial-d49fb2fbc25cb150117f154fe42a72c5">A motion for a third trial</a>&nbsp;was filed in September.

Defense lawyers said a juror seated in the second trial was described by a co-worker as “far-left leaning,” was eager to get on the jury and poised to convict before hearing evidence.

The defense team’s investigator said he interviewed two co-workers who said they had heard about it but had no firsthand knowledge. A third person declined to speak to him in the parking lot.

The allegation first was raised early in the second trial. Jonker said he spoke privately to the juror, who denied saying that a vote to convict was already settled.

Separately, defense lawyers said the judge violated the rights of Fox and Croft by imposing a time limit on the cross-examination of a star government witness.

“Defendants have neither demonstrated that the jury verdict is ‘against the manifest weight of the evidence’ nor that a ‘substantial legal error has occurred’ such that the interests of justice demand a new trial,” Jonker wrote in Friday's ruling.

Croft is from Bear, Delaware. Fox lived in the Grand Rapids area in western Michigan.

Two other men have pleaded guilty in the federal case, while two more were acquitted.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/michigan-gretchen-whitmer-jackson-adam-fox-kidnap-plot-trial-0a5a930cf86e74f8a1365040b783de0d">Three other men accused of supporting terrorism in the kidnapping plot were convicted in October</a>&nbsp;in state court.

Joe Morrison; Morrison's father-in-law, Pete Musico; and Paul Bellar were found guilty of supplying “material support” for a terrorist act as members of a group known as the Wolverine Watchmen. They await sentencing on Dec. 15.

They held gun training in rural Jackson County with Fox who was disgusted with Whitmer and other officials and said he wanted to snatch her.

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

Judge denies bid for new trial in Whitmer kidnapping case

By RACHEL MIPRO <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/11/25/lawmakers-say-marijuana-is-workforce-issue-urge-caution-in-legalization-discussion-1/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA
 — Kansas lawmakers said marijuana legalization, political stances and 
state funding were potential roadblocks in addressing the state’s severe
 workforce shortage.

Sen. Virgil Peck, R-Havana, said the 
Special Committee on Workforce Development needed to talk about 
marijuana legalization before lawmakers discussed it during the upcoming
 legislative session.&nbsp;

Lawmakers passed a motion to make a 
recommendation that the legislature “proceed with caution” with 
marijuana legislation during the Monday committee hearing, by a 4-3 
vote.&nbsp;

Peck brought up the issue, saying the idea came to him earlier in that day while taking a shower.&nbsp;

“I didn’t think of it until taking a 
shower this morning, about 7:30. It came to me that that plays into 
workforce development,” he said.

Peck said marijuana was a significant
 problem in his part of the state, with employers not willing to hire 
employees who couldn’t pass a drug test. He said that marijuana was a 
safety liability, and could impede business where workers had to use 
heavy machinery and could be injured.&nbsp;

“Employers tell me constantly, we’ve 
got jobs going wanting, we can’t get the workers because they can’t pass
 a drug screening and various other things,” Peck said.&nbsp;

Rep. Sean Tarwater, R-Stilwell, said 
he agreed with Peck that people who imbibed marijuana could cause 
problems in the workplace.&nbsp;

Other lawmakers at the meeting said 
they weren’t able to vote on the recommendation, as the issue had not 
been discussed before the meeting. Sen. Brenda Dietrich, R-Topeka, 
abstained from the vote.&nbsp;

“I think my only concern is we’re 
inserting something that hasn’t been vetted in this committee at the 
last minute,” Dietrich said. “And I understand what you’re saying, it’s 
just not an appropriate position for us to take as a committee.”

Medical marijuana has long been a 
controversial topic in Kansas, with many advocating for the drug as a 
pain relief substitute that is less addictive than opioids

Rep. Stephanie Clayton, D-Overland 
Park, opposed the recommendation, saying that legislators didn’t have to
 be drug tested, so neither should Kansas workers.&nbsp;

“I don’t like the idea of imposing 
something on the people, setting different rules for us than them. So 
that’s a big issue, and I also have concerns, because I think — in fact,
 I know, medicinal and recreational cannabis will be helpful to a 
business development, in particular in the greater Kansas City area, 
where this is already legalized in Missouri,” Clayton said.&nbsp;

At the hearing, legislators also discussed Kansas’ declining college attendance rates for public and private institutions.&nbsp;

A report presented to the committee 
found that in 2015, 54.1% of Kansas high school graduates went to 
public, private or out-of-state colleges. In 2020, that rate fell to 
44.8%, with a slight decline in attendance every year.&nbsp;

The report also found that Kansas 
high school graduates were less ready for college, with a drop in the 
number of students meeting standardized testing benchmarks.&nbsp;

In a comparison of ACT benchmarks 
from 2013 to 2021, 72% of students met the English ACT benchmark in 
2o13, while only 53% of graduates in 2021 met the standard. Math ACT 
benchmark rates fell from 51$ in 2013 to 32% in 2021.&nbsp;

Recommendations to address the issue 
of falling college attendance&nbsp; included offering more financial aid to 
students, recruiting out-of-state students and enrolling more 
traditionally underserved Kansan groups.&nbsp;

Tarwater and Peck said they believed 
the drop in Kansas public universities could be linked to the liberal 
nature of these institutions.&nbsp;

“I’m wondering myself if it may not have to do with the fact that Kansans are still basically conservative-minded,&nbsp;and
 our in-state private colleges are not teaching some of the liberal woke
 things to our students that our public universities are teaching,” Peck
 said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1669406026334.png" alt="State Sen. Virgil Peck, shown in February, said employers were wary of hiring workers who couldn't pass a drug test, due to safety concerns. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>State Sen. Virgil Peck, shown in February, said employers were wary of hiring workers who couldn't pass a drug test, due to safety concerns. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>By RACHEL MIPRO <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/11/25/lawmakers-say-marijuana-is-workforce-issue-urge-caution-in-legalization-discussion-1/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA
 — Kansas lawmakers said marijuana legalization, political stances and 
state funding were potential roadblocks in addressing the state’s severe
 workforce shortage.Sen. Virgil Peck, R-Havana, said the 
Special Committee on Workforce Development needed to talk about 
marijuana legalization before lawmakers discussed it during the upcoming
 legislative session.&nbsp;Lawmakers passed a motion to make a 
recommendation that the legislature “proceed with caution” with 
marijuana legislation during the Monday committee hearing, by a 4-3 
vote.&nbsp;Peck brought up the issue, saying the idea came to him earlier in that day while taking a shower.&nbsp;“I didn’t think of it until taking a 
shower this morning, about 7:30. It came to me that that plays into 
workforce development,” he said.Peck said marijuana was a significant
 problem in his part of the state, with employers not willing to hire 
employees who couldn’t pass a drug test. He said that marijuana was a 
safety liability, and could impede business where workers had to use 
heavy machinery and could be injured.&nbsp;“Employers tell me constantly, we’ve 
got jobs going wanting, we can’t get the workers because they can’t pass
 a drug screening and various other things,” Peck said.&nbsp;Rep. Sean Tarwater, R-Stilwell, said 
he agreed with Peck that people who imbibed marijuana could cause 
problems in the workplace.&nbsp;Other lawmakers at the meeting said 
they weren’t able to vote on the recommendation, as the issue had not 
been discussed before the meeting. Sen. Brenda Dietrich, R-Topeka, 
abstained from the vote.&nbsp;“I think my only concern is we’re 
inserting something that hasn’t been vetted in this committee at the 
last minute,” Dietrich said. “And I understand what you’re saying, it’s 
just not an appropriate position for us to take as a committee.”Medical marijuana has long been a 
controversial topic in Kansas, with many advocating for the drug as a 
pain relief substitute that is less addictive than opioidsRep. Stephanie Clayton, D-Overland 
Park, opposed the recommendation, saying that legislators didn’t have to
 be drug tested, so neither should Kansas workers.&nbsp;“I don’t like the idea of imposing 
something on the people, setting different rules for us than them. So 
that’s a big issue, and I also have concerns, because I think — in fact,
 I know, medicinal and recreational cannabis will be helpful to a 
business development, in particular in the greater Kansas City area, 
where this is already legalized in Missouri,” Clayton said.&nbsp;At the hearing, legislators also discussed Kansas’ declining college attendance rates for public and private institutions.&nbsp;A report presented to the committee 
found that in 2015, 54.1% of Kansas high school graduates went to 
public, private or out-of-state colleges. In 2020, that rate fell to 
44.8%, with a slight decline in attendance every year.&nbsp;The report also found that Kansas 
high school graduates were less ready for college, with a drop in the 
number of students meeting standardized testing benchmarks.&nbsp;In a comparison of ACT benchmarks 
from 2013 to 2021, 72% of students met the English ACT benchmark in 
2o13, while only 53% of graduates in 2021 met the standard. Math ACT 
benchmark rates fell from 51$ in 2013 to 32% in 2021.&nbsp;Recommendations to address the issue 
of falling college attendance&nbsp; included offering more financial aid to 
students, recruiting out-of-state students and enrolling more 
traditionally underserved Kansan groups.&nbsp;Tarwater and Peck said they believed 
the drop in Kansas public universities could be linked to the liberal 
nature of these institutions.&nbsp;“I’m wondering myself if it may not have to do with the fact that Kansans are still basically conservative-minded,&nbsp;and
 our in-state private colleges are not teaching some of the liberal woke
 things to our students that our public universities are teaching,” Peck
 said.

Kan. lawmakers: Legal marijuana a workforce issue, urge caution

ST. LOUIS (AP) — A federal judge has denied a request from a 19-year-old woman to allow her to watch her father’s death by injection, upholding a Missouri law that bars anyone under 21 from witnessing an execution.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/police-executions-missouri-3c5c00c2e09cc3d4639b827e374e45a1">Kevin Johnson</a>&nbsp;is set to be executed Tuesday for killing Kirkwood, Missouri, Police Officer William McEntee in 2005. Johnson’s lawyers have appeals pending that seek to spare his life.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/executions-kansas-city-missouri-american-civil-liberties-union-fb286220ab2c127df3b9f56db67c6d45">His daughter, Khorry Ramey, had sought</a>&nbsp;to attend the execution, and the American Civil Liberties Union had filed an emergency motion with a federal court in Kansas City. The ACLU’s court filing said the age requirement served no safety purpose and violates Ramey’s constitutional rights. But U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes ruled late Friday that Ramey's constitutional rights would not be violated by the law.

“I’m heartbroken that I won’t be able to be with my dad in his last moments,” Ramey said in a statement. “My dad is the most important person in my life. He has been there for me my whole life, even though he’s been incarcerated."

While the judge acknowledged that the law would cause emotional harm for Ramey, he found that was just one part of the court's consideration and the law did not violate her constitutional rights.

Ramey said she was praying that Gov. Michael Parson would grant her father clemency. Johnson’s lawyers have filed appeals seeking to halt the execution. They don’t challenge his guilt but claim racism played a role in the decision to seek the death penalty, and in the jury’s decision to sentence him to die. Johnson is Black and McEntee was white.

Johnson’s lawyers also have asked the courts to intervene for other reasons, including a history of mental illness and his age — he was 19 at the time of the crime. Courts have increasingly moved away from sentencing teen offenders to death since the Supreme Court in 2005 banned the execution of offenders who were younger than 18 at the time of their crime.

In a court filing to the U.S. Supreme Court, the Missouri Attorney General’s Office stated there were no grounds for court intervention.

Associated PressST. LOUIS (AP) — A federal judge has denied a request from a 19-year-old woman to allow her to watch her father’s death by injection, upholding a Missouri law that bars anyone under 21 from witnessing an execution.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/police-executions-missouri-3c5c00c2e09cc3d4639b827e374e45a1">Kevin Johnson</a>&nbsp;is set to be executed Tuesday for killing Kirkwood, Missouri, Police Officer William McEntee in 2005. Johnson’s lawyers have appeals pending that seek to spare his life.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/executions-kansas-city-missouri-american-civil-liberties-union-fb286220ab2c127df3b9f56db67c6d45">His daughter, Khorry Ramey, had sought</a>&nbsp;to attend the execution, and the American Civil Liberties Union had filed an emergency motion with a federal court in Kansas City. The ACLU’s court filing said the age requirement served no safety purpose and violates Ramey’s constitutional rights. But U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes ruled late Friday that Ramey's constitutional rights would not be violated by the law.“I’m heartbroken that I won’t be able to be with my dad in his last moments,” Ramey said in a statement. “My dad is the most important person in my life. He has been there for me my whole life, even though he’s been incarcerated."While the judge acknowledged that the law would cause emotional harm for Ramey, he found that was just one part of the court's consideration and the law did not violate her constitutional rights.Ramey said she was praying that Gov. Michael Parson would grant her father clemency. Johnson’s lawyers have filed appeals seeking to halt the execution. They don’t challenge his guilt but claim racism played a role in the decision to seek the death penalty, and in the jury’s decision to sentence him to die. Johnson is Black and McEntee was white.Johnson’s lawyers also have asked the courts to intervene for other reasons, including a history of mental illness and his age — he was 19 at the time of the crime. Courts have increasingly moved away from sentencing teen offenders to death since the Supreme Court in 2005 banned the execution of offenders who were younger than 18 at the time of their crime.In a court filing to the U.S. Supreme Court, the Missouri Attorney General’s Office stated there were no grounds for court intervention.“The surviving victims of Johnson’s crimes have waited long enough for justice, and every day longer that they must wait is a day they are denied the chance to finally make peace with their loss,” the state petition stated.