SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A record Powerball jackpot grew to an even larger $1.9 billion after no one won the lottery drawing on Saturday night.

The numbers for the drawing were: white balls 28, 45, 53, 56, 69 and red Powerball 20.

The website of the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.calottery.com/">California Lottery Association</a>&nbsp;said the next chance for someone to get lucky will be Monday.

The new $1.9 billion jackpot is for a winner who is paid through an annuity over 29 years. Winners of lottery jackpots usually prefer a lump sum of cash, which for Monday’s drawing would be $929.1 million, the California lottery site said.

The Powerball prize keeps getting more massive because of the inability of anyone to overcome the long odds of 1 in 292.2 million and win the jackpot. To take the top prize, players must match all five white balls and one red Powerball.

Since someone won the prize on Aug. 3, there have been 40 drawings without a winner.

Powerball is played in 45 states, as well as Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A record Powerball jackpot grew to an even larger $1.9 billion after no one won the lottery drawing on Saturday night.The numbers for the drawing were: white balls 28, 45, 53, 56, 69 and red Powerball 20.The website of the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.calottery.com/">California Lottery Association</a>&nbsp;said the next chance for someone to get lucky will be Monday.The new $1.9 billion jackpot is for a winner who is paid through an annuity over 29 years. Winners of lottery jackpots usually prefer a lump sum of cash, which for Monday’s drawing would be $929.1 million, the California lottery site said.The Powerball prize keeps getting more massive because of the inability of anyone to overcome the long odds of 1 in 292.2 million and win the jackpot. To take the top prize, players must match all five white balls and one red Powerball.Since someone won the prize on Aug. 3, there have been 40 drawings without a winner.Powerball is played in 45 states, as well as Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Powerball jackpot up to record $1.9 billion after no winner

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Another one of the 12 railroad unions narrowly approved its deal with the major freight railroads Saturday, offering some hope that the contract dispute might be resolved without a strike even though two other unions&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-business-strikes-government-and-politics-581babaeee804c37e4761424c02af21a">rejected</a>&nbsp;their agreements last month.

Now that 52% of International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers members who voted approved their deal, seven railroad unions have ratified contracts that include 24% raises and $5,000 in bonuses, but all 12 have to approve contracts to prevent a strike.

Concerns remain about the possibility of an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/economy-congress-government-and-politics-a53abd85fa6f8b3ccd622222ea9a4c46">economically devastating strike</a>&nbsp;because the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division and Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen unions&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-economy-government-and-politics-0744cffe919f0d48fcc02d16c8a298b3">voted down</a>&nbsp;their contracts, and many workers say these deals just don't address their&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-economy-government-and-politics-207229bcd558b6a6c1d58f3f85e2d804">quality-of life concerns</a>. No strike is imminent because those unions agreed to return to the bargaining table to try to work out a new deal, but those talks have been deadlocked over the unions' demands for paid sick time and there is a Nov. 19 deadline.

The railroads have rejected union demands for paid sick time because they say the deals they've been offering include higher wages that are intended to compensate workers for the lack of sick time and their other quality of life concerns. The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-norfolk-government-and-politics-eeedec386f2acba5d63181436ca03f3f">railroads want</a>&nbsp;any deal to closely follow the recommendations made this summer by a special panel of arbitrators that President Joe Biden&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-transportation-strikes-ba718974eb14fcd615d606bfcdffb3d2">appointed</a>.

The railroads have also maintained that the unions have agreed over the years to forego paid sick leave in favor of better wages and strong short-term disability benefits.

The group that negotiates on behalf of Norfolk Southern, Union Pacific, BNSF, Kansas City Southern, CSX and other railroads said the deal the Machinists approved includes “the largest wage package in nearly five decades” and implements the recommendations the Presidential Emergency Board made.

The deal the Machinists approved this weekend was the second one they voted on after rejecting their first agreement. This one includes all the raises and an additional paid leave day that was in the original deal, but it also included several additional benefits including a cap on health insurance expenses, an agreement that the railroads will study how much overtime employees are being forced to work and a promise that each railroad will negotiate individually over expense reimbursement.

The railroads also promised the Machinists that they won’t force workers to share hotel rooms when they’re on the road for work.

“Our union recognizes that the agreement wasn’t accepted overwhelmingly, so our team will continue conversing with our members at our rail yards across the nation,” the Machinists union's District 19 unit said in a statement. “This agreement is the first step in addressing some of the issues in our industry. Our fight was able to shine a light on the work-life balance issues as well as the lack of proper paid sick leave.”

Three other unions are scheduled to vote later this month, including the largest ones that represent engineers and conductors.

The workers represented by the Machinists union generally have more regular schedules than the engineers and conductors who say the railroads' strict attendance policies keep them on call 24/7. And the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen and the Transportation Division of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers unions won't even release the results of their votes until after the current Nov. 19 deadline in the BMWED talks.

Because of the fears about a possible strike,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-business-economy-congress-government-and-politics-6b60d53fefc7b85f301b0a3e7011715b">business groups</a>&nbsp;have urged Biden and Congress to be ready to intervene if both sides can't reach an agreement. Biden played an active role in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-economy-strikes-congress-94089be6a4f469444da99fec9dde1b3e">securing</a>&nbsp;these original deals back in September, and Congress has the power to block a strike and impose terms on the workers if there is a walkout.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Another one of the 12 railroad unions narrowly approved its deal with the major freight railroads Saturday, offering some hope that the contract dispute might be resolved without a strike even though two other unions&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-business-strikes-government-and-politics-581babaeee804c37e4761424c02af21a">rejected</a>&nbsp;their agreements last month.Now that 52% of International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers members who voted approved their deal, seven railroad unions have ratified contracts that include 24% raises and $5,000 in bonuses, but all 12 have to approve contracts to prevent a strike.Concerns remain about the possibility of an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/economy-congress-government-and-politics-a53abd85fa6f8b3ccd622222ea9a4c46">economically devastating strike</a>&nbsp;because the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division and Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen unions&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-economy-government-and-politics-0744cffe919f0d48fcc02d16c8a298b3">voted down</a>&nbsp;their contracts, and many workers say these deals just don't address their&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-economy-government-and-politics-207229bcd558b6a6c1d58f3f85e2d804">quality-of life concerns</a>. No strike is imminent because those unions agreed to return to the bargaining table to try to work out a new deal, but those talks have been deadlocked over the unions' demands for paid sick time and there is a Nov. 19 deadline.The railroads have rejected union demands for paid sick time because they say the deals they've been offering include higher wages that are intended to compensate workers for the lack of sick time and their other quality of life concerns. The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-norfolk-government-and-politics-eeedec386f2acba5d63181436ca03f3f">railroads want</a>&nbsp;any deal to closely follow the recommendations made this summer by a special panel of arbitrators that President Joe Biden&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-transportation-strikes-ba718974eb14fcd615d606bfcdffb3d2">appointed</a>.The railroads have also maintained that the unions have agreed over the years to forego paid sick leave in favor of better wages and strong short-term disability benefits.The group that negotiates on behalf of Norfolk Southern, Union Pacific, BNSF, Kansas City Southern, CSX and other railroads said the deal the Machinists approved includes “the largest wage package in nearly five decades” and implements the recommendations the Presidential Emergency Board made.The deal the Machinists approved this weekend was the second one they voted on after rejecting their first agreement. This one includes all the raises and an additional paid leave day that was in the original deal, but it also included several additional benefits including a cap on health insurance expenses, an agreement that the railroads will study how much overtime employees are being forced to work and a promise that each railroad will negotiate individually over expense reimbursement.The railroads also promised the Machinists that they won’t force workers to share hotel rooms when they’re on the road for work.“Our union recognizes that the agreement wasn’t accepted overwhelmingly, so our team will continue conversing with our members at our rail yards across the nation,” the Machinists union's District 19 unit said in a statement. “This agreement is the first step in addressing some of the issues in our industry. Our fight was able to shine a light on the work-life balance issues as well as the lack of proper paid sick leave.”Three other unions are scheduled to vote later this month, including the largest ones that represent engineers and conductors.The workers represented by the Machinists union generally have more regular schedules than the engineers and conductors who say the railroads' strict attendance policies keep them on call 24/7. And the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen and the Transportation Division of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers unions won't even release the results of their votes until after the current Nov. 19 deadline in the BMWED talks.Because of the fears about a possible strike,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-business-economy-congress-government-and-politics-6b60d53fefc7b85f301b0a3e7011715b">business groups</a>&nbsp;have urged Biden and Congress to be ready to intervene if both sides can't reach an agreement. Biden played an active role in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-economy-strikes-congress-94089be6a4f469444da99fec9dde1b3e">securing</a>&nbsp;these original deals back in September, and Congress has the power to block a strike and impose terms on the workers if there is a walkout.

Rail union approves deal offering hope of avoiding strike

SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas man on multiple charges after&nbsp;

Just after 4a.m. Thursday, the Shawnee County&nbsp;Emergency Communication Center&nbsp;received a 911 call of an unknown person with a flashlight had been near the caller’s barn in the 10000 block of SW Auburn Road, according to a media release.

When deputies arrived, they found a man later identified as 26-year-old Jonathan D. Veach of Topeka hiding under an ATV in the caller’s barn. He was wielding a sword.&nbsp;

After Veach refused to comply with commands, deputies seized the sword and attempted to arrest him. However, he continued to ignore commands and a taser was used to safely arrest him, according to the release.

Veach was booked into the&nbsp;Shawnee Co. Dept. of Corrections&nbsp;on requested charges of criminal trespass and interference with law enforcement.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1667569993513.png" alt="Veach-photo Shawnee County" />
 <figcaption>Veach-photo Shawnee County</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas man on multiple charges after&nbsp;Just after 4a.m. Thursday, the Shawnee County&nbsp;Emergency Communication Center&nbsp;received a 911 call of an unknown person with a flashlight had been near the caller’s barn in the 10000 block of SW Auburn Road, according to a media release.When deputies arrived, they found a man later identified as 26-year-old Jonathan D. Veach of Topeka hiding under an ATV in the caller’s barn. He was wielding a sword.&nbsp;After Veach refused to comply with commands, deputies seized the sword and attempted to arrest him. However, he continued to ignore commands and a taser was used to safely arrest him, according to the release.Veach was booked into the&nbsp;Shawnee Co. Dept. of Corrections&nbsp;on requested charges of criminal trespass and interference with law enforcement.

Kansas deputies find man hiding in barn wielding a sword

KANSAS CITY – A Kansas City-area man who attempted to flee in a stolen vehicle while an officer in the back seat was attempting to get him out of the car was sentenced in federal court this week for illegally possessing firearms and heroin to distribute, according to the United State's Attorney.

Hussein Ali, 30, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Howard F. Sachs to 10 years in federal prison without parole.

On March 17, 2022, Ali pleaded guilty to possessing heroin with the intent to distribute and to being a felon in possession of firearms. Ali admitted that he was in possession of heroin and in possession of an FN Herstal 9mm semi-automatic pistol and a Canik 9mm semi-automatic pistol.

Kansas City, Mo., police officers were investigating a stolen car on Nov. 26, 2021, when they arrived at the parking lot of the Marriott Hotel, 3950 N. Mulberry Drive in Kansas City. Ali appeared to be asleep in the driver’s seat of the silver 2020 Nissan Altima. Officers were unable to wake him up, so an officer opened the driver’s side door and attempted to remove Ali from the vehicle. As the door was opened, Ali woke up and physically resisted the officer. A second officer entered the drive’s side rear passenger door to assist. Ali placed the car into drive and drove out of the parking lot, with the officer still in the rear passenger’s seat.

As Ali fled, he struck a parked police patrol car. Ali struggled with the officer in the back seat, at one point biting the officer’s hand. The officer was able to put the vehicle into park, causing it to come to an abrupt stop near the parking lot’s exit. Ali got out of the car but refused to comply with officers’ commands and continued to pull away from officers. An officer deployed his taser, which struck Ali in the chest but did not have an effect. Ali was taken to the ground and handcuffed.

Officers searched Ali and found the two pistols in a cross-body “fanny pack” style bag wrapped around his torso. The Canik pistol had been reported as stolen. Officers also found a container nearby that contained black tar heroin. Inside the vehicle, officers found approximately 13.3 grams of heroin, approximately 2.9 grams of suspected methamphetamine, and approximately 5.4 grams of suspected crack cocaine in the center console. Officers found firearm magazines and live ammunition in the trunk of the car.

Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Ali has three prior felony convictions for tampering with a motor vehicle, as well as prior felony convictions for possession of a controlled substance, resisting a lawful stop, and domestic assault.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashleigh A. Ragner. It was investigated by the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

KANSAS CITY – A Kansas City-area man who attempted to flee in a stolen vehicle while an officer in the back seat was attempting to get him out of the car was sentenced in federal court this week for illegally possessing firearms and heroin to distribute, according to the United State's Attorney.Hussein Ali, 30, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Howard F. Sachs to 10 years in federal prison without parole.On March 17, 2022, Ali pleaded guilty to possessing heroin with the intent to distribute and to being a felon in possession of firearms. Ali admitted that he was in possession of heroin and in possession of an FN Herstal 9mm semi-automatic pistol and a Canik 9mm semi-automatic pistol.Kansas City, Mo., police officers were investigating a stolen car on Nov. 26, 2021, when they arrived at the parking lot of the Marriott Hotel, 3950 N. Mulberry Drive in Kansas City. Ali appeared to be asleep in the driver’s seat of the silver 2020 Nissan Altima. Officers were unable to wake him up, so an officer opened the driver’s side door and attempted to remove Ali from the vehicle. As the door was opened, Ali woke up and physically resisted the officer. A second officer entered the drive’s side rear passenger door to assist. Ali placed the car into drive and drove out of the parking lot, with the officer still in the rear passenger’s seat.As Ali fled, he struck a parked police patrol car. Ali struggled with the officer in the back seat, at one point biting the officer’s hand. The officer was able to put the vehicle into park, causing it to come to an abrupt stop near the parking lot’s exit. Ali got out of the car but refused to comply with officers’ commands and continued to pull away from officers. An officer deployed his taser, which struck Ali in the chest but did not have an effect. Ali was taken to the ground and handcuffed.Officers searched Ali and found the two pistols in a cross-body “fanny pack” style bag wrapped around his torso. The Canik pistol had been reported as stolen. Officers also found a container nearby that contained black tar heroin. Inside the vehicle, officers found approximately 13.3 grams of heroin, approximately 2.9 grams of suspected methamphetamine, and approximately 5.4 grams of suspected crack cocaine in the center console. Officers found firearm magazines and live ammunition in the trunk of the car.Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Ali has three prior felony convictions for tampering with a motor vehicle, as well as prior felony convictions for possession of a controlled substance, resisting a lawful stop, and domestic assault.This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashleigh A. Ragner. It was investigated by the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

KC-area man attempted to flee with officer in the backseat

KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas City man in a fatal August shooting, according to Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker.

D'Angelo L. Fisher, 23, faces Murder 1st Degree, Assault 1st Degree, Unlawful Possession of a Firearm and two counts of Armed Criminal Action charges.

According to court records, on Aug. 13, Kansas City police officers were dispatched to a BP Gas Station in the 1900 block of Independence Avenue on a reported shooting. 

Officers found Myana Henderson deceased at the scene. A male victim had been shot in the leg and was transported for treatment. Witnesses described a man pulling into the parking lot in a white vehicle. He was wearing a orange hoodie and an orange bandana. He ran toward the store and fired several shots. 

He chased after the woman while shooting. A check of the Fisher's cell phone showed it was in the area of the homicide at the time the crime occurred. Police also connected the defendant to the white vehicle like the one captured on surveillance video at the time of the homicide.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1667505443840.png" alt="Fisher-photo Jackson Co." />
 <figcaption>Fisher-photo Jackson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas City man in a fatal August shooting, according to Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker.D'Angelo L. Fisher, 23, faces Murder 1st Degree, Assault 1st Degree, Unlawful Possession of a Firearm and two counts of Armed Criminal Action charges.According to court records, on Aug. 13, Kansas City police officers were dispatched to a BP Gas Station in the 1900 block of Independence Avenue on a reported shooting. Officers found Myana Henderson deceased at the scene. A male victim had been shot in the leg and was transported for treatment. Witnesses described a man pulling into the parking lot in a white vehicle. He was wearing a orange hoodie and an orange bandana. He ran toward the store and fired several shots. He chased after the woman while shooting. A check of the Fisher's cell phone showed it was in the area of the homicide at the time the crime occurred. Police also connected the defendant to the white vehicle like the one captured on surveillance video at the time of the homicide.

Suspect's cell phone linked him to scene of woman's killing

KINGMAS COUNTY —A Kansas woman died in an accident just before 10a.m. Saturday in Kingman County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2005 Ford Escape driven by Mary A. Yahnke, 78, Norwich, was northbound on SE 100 Avenue three and one half miles south of Murdock.

&nbsp;The driver failed to stop at a stop sign and struck the passenger side of an eastbound 1997 Chevy 1500 driven by Jeffrey Lynn&nbsp; Krehbiel, 77, Wichita.&nbsp; Both vehicles entered the northeast ditch and rolled.

Yahnke was pronounced dead at the scene and transported&nbsp;Livingston Funeral Home. EMS transported&nbsp; Krehbiel to Via Christi in Wichita. He was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/6/1592389654778.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>KINGMAS COUNTY —A Kansas woman died in an accident just before 10a.m. Saturday in Kingman County.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2005 Ford Escape driven by Mary A. Yahnke, 78, Norwich, was northbound on SE 100 Avenue three and one half miles south of Murdock.&nbsp;The driver failed to stop at a stop sign and struck the passenger side of an eastbound 1997 Chevy 1500 driven by Jeffrey Lynn&nbsp; Krehbiel, 77, Wichita.&nbsp; Both vehicles entered the northeast ditch and rolled.Yahnke was pronounced dead at the scene and transported&nbsp;Livingston Funeral Home. EMS transported&nbsp; Krehbiel to Via Christi in Wichita. He was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.

Kansas woman dead, man injured after 2-vehicle crash

By DAVID CONDOS <a href="https://www.kcur.org/2022-11-04/up-to-1-million-birds-count-on-kansas-wetlands-during-migration-drought-has-left-them-high-and-dry">Kansas News Service</a>

BARTON COUNTY — Pull off Kansas 156 in Barton County during a wet year, and it might feel like you took a wrong turn into Florida.

This
 part of central Kansas is home to the largest interior wetlands in the 
country: Cheyenne Bottoms. It can hold nearly 10 billion gallons of 
water.

But after months of intense drought, the amount of water in these wetlands today likely couldn’t fill a Dixie cup.

“We
 are 100% dry. There’s no water on the property,” Cheyenne Bottoms’ 
wildlife area manager Jason Wagner said. “This year is kind of the 
perfect storm.”

One of the driest summers on record and months of 
relentless heat have transformed this oasis on the plains into an empty 
basin. An endless vista of dry, cracking dirt stretches out where open 
water once rippled toward the horizon. It’s been that way since June.

That’s especially bad news for the hundreds of thousands of birds 
that depend on the wetlands as a vital stopover point during their 
annual migration. Wagner estimates that 750,000 migrating birds stop at 
Cheyenne Bottoms during an average fall. In the past couple of years, 
that total has been over 1 million.

“Our bird numbers are nothing,” Wagner said. “Most of them aren’t even stopping because there’s nothing for them to stop for.”

That
 means the birds — some of which travel thousands of miles along the 
Central Flyway from as far north as the Arctic Circle down to South 
America — have to keep flying farther in search of a place to rest.

The wetlands normally provide a rare concentration of hard-to-find 
habitats that offer shallow water, protection from predators and a 
buffet of aquatic plants, bugs and fish. In a year with such widespread 
drought, finding another spot that gives the birds what they need to 
complete their journey won’t be easy.

To the north, the Platte River — another vital stopover point for birds on the Central Flyway — has <a href="https://journalstar.com/news/local/hot-dry-summer-led-to-worsening-of-drought-in-nebraska/article_213c3e0b-a81b-5622-87cc-05f5518cb23e.html" target="_blank">completely dried up</a> in parts of central and western Nebraska. To the south, drought <a href="https://www.mesonet.org/index.php/agriculture/map/agriculture_essentials/drought/oklahoma_drought_monitor_map" target="_blank">covers every inch</a> of Oklahoma. It’s a similar story for birds traveling along the Pacific Flyway as <a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/california-drought-bird-migration-17531568.php" target="_blank">drought dries up</a> wetlands and wildlife refuges across California.

Traveling
 thousands of miles during migration is already physically straining for
 birds in a good year. So when one of the prime refueling spots suddenly
 gets pulled out from under them, it could be a matter of life and 
death.

Alice Boyle, a migratory bird ecologist with Kansas State 
University, compares it to an ultramarathon runner who’s approaching a 
rest station along their route where they expect to be handed a cup of 
water or a banana. But when the runner arrives, there’s nobody there.

“They’re
 going to try to keep running and go to the next one,” Boyle said. “But 
not all of them are going to make it to that next one.”

But hardly any of Quivira’s wetland habitat has survived this year’s drought either.

“Things
 are dry,” Quivira manager Mike Oldham said. “We have at least a small 
amount of water, but it’s really not enough for migration.”

Right 
now, Oldham said, less than 30 of Quivira’s acres have any water — 
that’s around 0.5% of the refuge’s 5,500 acres that would be covered in 
water during a good year.

Normally, the corridor of central Kansas
 wetlands would have hundreds of thousands of birds migrate through — 
everything from snow geese and pelicans to blue-winged teal and wigeon 
ducks to shorebirds like sandpipers and plovers. It also provides refuge
 for critically endangered whooping cranes, a species whose <a href="https://savingcranes.org/learn/species-field-guide/whooping-crane/" target="_blank">total worldwide population</a> numbers in the hundreds.

In
 past years, upward of 30,000 sandhill cranes would fill Quivira’s skies
 on a given morning during fall migration. This year, Oldham said, only a
 few dozen cranes have landed there. And the ones that stop aren’t 
lingering for long.

“Their choice is: Do I land for the night, 
rest up on the dry wetland bed and try to stay away from the coyotes?” 
Oldham said. “Or do I just venture farther south and try to actually hit
 water?”

What makes this year’s drought especially bad for birds migrating across Kansas?

Central
 Kansas has always experienced cycles of drought. Cheyenne Bottoms has 
been known to dry up periodically, most recently in 2013. But that year,
 late summer rains refilled it before the fall migration season. To see 
the wetlands this dry this late into the year, Wagner at Cheyenne 
Bottoms said, is very rare.

It’s been one of the driest years on 
record for this part of Kansas. The counties where creeks feed into 
these wetlands — Rush, Ness and Stafford — are all more than one foot 
below their historical precipitation averages for the year to date. That
 means they’d need a foot of rain just to get back to normal.

Take
 the Walnut Creek basin in Rush and Ness counties, for instance. Like 
nearly all creeks in this part of Kansas, this one has just about dried 
up. Monitors from the U.S. Geological Survey report that <a href="https://waterdata.usgs.gov/monitoring-location/07141900/#parameterCode=00060&amp;period=P365D&amp;compare=true" target="_blank">Walnut Creek’s streamflow</a>
 is less than one cubic foot of water per second, compared with more 
than 20 cubic feet of water per second at this time last year.

Human intervention hasn’t helped either. Over the past century or so,
 Boyle said, humans have depleted the underground water supplies that 
historically boosted the region’s rivers and springs — natural aquatic 
areas that birds could turn to when the wetlands ran dry. Roughly a<a href="https://www.pnas.org/content/110/37/E3477" target="_blank"> </a><a href="https://www.pnas.org/content/110/37/E3477" target="_blank">third</a>
 of the water under Kansas has disappeared since European settlement, 
largely thanks to pumping the Ogallala aquifer for irrigated farming.

Central Kansas also doesn’t have as much wetlands habitat as it used to. Nearby <a href="https://ksoutdoors.com/content/download/1053/5047/version/6/file/McPherson+Wetlands+WEB.pdf" target="_blank">wetlands in McPherson County</a>
 once rivaled Cheyenne Bottoms, but most of that area was drained more 
than a century ago and converted to agricultural land. That makes the 
remaining wetlands that much more critical.

“When we lose one of 
these important places,” Boyle said, “the animals don’t have the 
alternative locations to turn to because we're there.”

The situation is especially precarious because many of these birds 
have already seen steep declines in population numbers over the past few
 decades.

It’s estimated the number of birds in North America has dropped by <a href="https://www.3billionbirds.org/" target="_blank">nearly 3 billion</a>
 — roughly 25% of the continent’s total population — since 1970. Many 
types of shorebirds have seen even worse population drops, losing <a href="https://www.stateofthebirds.org/2022/shorebirds/" target="_blank">more than 70%</a> of their numbers since 1980.

Several
 birds that typically depend on Kansas wetlands — from the semipalmated 
sandpiper to the lesser yellowlegs — recently landed on the North 
American Bird Conservation Initiative’s <a href="https://www.stateofthebirds.org/2022/tipping-point-species/" target="_blank">list of species</a> at risk of losing half of their population numbers in the next 50 years.

For shorebirds, losing the Kansas wetlands as a stopover point could 
be particularly painful. Many of them only stand a few inches tall, so 
they can’t feed in the rocky, steep shores of a reservoir in the same 
way they do in the shallow pools, wet mud and aquatic vegetation of 
wetlands.

To put it plainly, Boyle said, having a fall migration 
without the Kansas wetlands means more birds will die. Even the ones 
that complete the journey to their winter destinations are likely to 
arrive weaker and in worse health.

Especially for shorebirds 
migrating long distances, Boyle said, it’s overly optimistic to expect 
that they’ll just find somewhere else to go this fall. But long-term, 
the birds’ mobility and flexibility give us reason to hope that their 
populations can recover if humans do enough to protect their habitat.

“They’ve shown us time and time again, that if you give them half a chance,” Boyle said, “they’ll respond positively.”

As with everything else related to the drought, the big unknown is 
how much longer it will last. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
Association predicts a <a href="https://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/analysis_monitoring/lanina/enso_evolution-status-fcsts-web.pdf" target="_blank">rare triple dip</a> La Niña weather pattern for this winter, which means <a href="https://www.noaa.gov/news-release/us-winter-outlook-warmer-drier-south-with-ongoing-la-nina" target="_blank">below-average precipitation</a> in western and central Kansas is likely to continue for at least a few more months.

And
 for this fall’s migration, it’s unlikely that wetlands conditions will 
get much better. At this point, Wagner at Cheyenne Bottoms said, it 
would take several inches of rain just to saturate the dry ground before
 the wetlands can begin filling with water again.

But there’s at 
least one silver lining. Wagner spent the morning in a tractor digging 
up invasive cattail plants in areas that would normally be inaccessible 
because they’re covered with water. So when the wetland habitat fills up
 again, he said, it’ll be better than ever.

“One of these days, it's gonna start raining,” Wagner said. “And we'll fill back up.”

David Condos covers western Kansas for High Plains Public Radio and the Kansas News Service. You can follow him on Twitter<a href="http://twitter.com/davidcondos" target="_blank"> </a><a href="http://twitter.com/davidcondos" target="_blank">@davidcondos</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1667578335644.png" alt="The photo on the left shows the Cheyenne Bottoms wetlands in central Kansas filled with water and birds in 2017. The photo on the right shows the same wetlands dry and empty this year as drought parches the region. Catherine Evans / Colby Moorberg / Kansas Geological Survey / Kansas State University" />
 <figcaption>The photo on the left shows the Cheyenne Bottoms wetlands in central Kansas filled with water and birds in 2017. The photo on the right shows the same wetlands dry and empty this year as drought parches the region. Catherine Evans / Colby Moorberg / Kansas Geological Survey / Kansas State University</figcaption>
 </figure>By DAVID CONDOS <a href="https://www.kcur.org/2022-11-04/up-to-1-million-birds-count-on-kansas-wetlands-during-migration-drought-has-left-them-high-and-dry">Kansas News Service</a>BARTON COUNTY — Pull off Kansas 156 in Barton County during a wet year, and it might feel like you took a wrong turn into Florida.This
 part of central Kansas is home to the largest interior wetlands in the 
country: Cheyenne Bottoms. It can hold nearly 10 billion gallons of 
water.But after months of intense drought, the amount of water in these wetlands today likely couldn’t fill a Dixie cup.“We
 are 100% dry. There’s no water on the property,” Cheyenne Bottoms’ 
wildlife area manager Jason Wagner said. “This year is kind of the 
perfect storm.”One of the driest summers on record and months of 
relentless heat have transformed this oasis on the plains into an empty 
basin. An endless vista of dry, cracking dirt stretches out where open 
water once rippled toward the horizon. It’s been that way since June.That’s especially bad news for the hundreds of thousands of birds 
that depend on the wetlands as a vital stopover point during their 
annual migration. Wagner estimates that 750,000 migrating birds stop at 
Cheyenne Bottoms during an average fall. In the past couple of years, 
that total has been over 1 million.This year, it’s basically zero.“Our bird numbers are nothing,” Wagner said. “Most of them aren’t even stopping because there’s nothing for them to stop for.”That
 means the birds — some of which travel thousands of miles along the 
Central Flyway from as far north as the Arctic Circle down to South 
America — have to keep flying farther in search of a place to rest.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1667578387587.png" alt="The photo on the left shows Cheyenne Bottoms wetlands filled with water in 2017. The photo on the right shows the Cheyenne Bottoms wetlands dried out by the drought this year.&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>The photo on the left shows Cheyenne Bottoms wetlands filled with water in 2017. The photo on the right shows the Cheyenne Bottoms wetlands dried out by the drought this year.&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>The wetlands normally provide a rare concentration of hard-to-find 
habitats that offer shallow water, protection from predators and a 
buffet of aquatic plants, bugs and fish. In a year with such widespread 
drought, finding another spot that gives the birds what they need to 
complete their journey won’t be easy.To the north, the Platte River — another vital stopover point for birds on the Central Flyway — has <a href="https://journalstar.com/news/local/hot-dry-summer-led-to-worsening-of-drought-in-nebraska/article_213c3e0b-a81b-5622-87cc-05f5518cb23e.html" target="_blank">completely dried up</a> in parts of central and western Nebraska. To the south, drought <a href="https://www.mesonet.org/index.php/agriculture/map/agriculture_essentials/drought/oklahoma_drought_monitor_map" target="_blank">covers every inch</a> of Oklahoma. It’s a similar story for birds traveling along the Pacific Flyway as <a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/california-drought-bird-migration-17531568.php" target="_blank">drought dries up</a> wetlands and wildlife refuges across California.Traveling
 thousands of miles during migration is already physically straining for
 birds in a good year. So when one of the prime refueling spots suddenly
 gets pulled out from under them, it could be a matter of life and 
death.Alice Boyle, a migratory bird ecologist with Kansas State 
University, compares it to an ultramarathon runner who’s approaching a 
rest station along their route where they expect to be handed a cup of 
water or a banana. But when the runner arrives, there’s nobody there.“They’re
 going to try to keep running and go to the next one,” Boyle said. “But 
not all of them are going to make it to that next one.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1667578495062.png" alt="This aerial photo shows how some of Quivira National Wildlife Refuge's salt marshes look when they're filled with water. This fall, less than 30 of the refuge's 5,500 wetland acres still have water. Bill Johnson / University of Kansas" />
 <figcaption>This aerial photo shows how some of Quivira National Wildlife Refuge's salt marshes look when they're filled with water. This fall, less than 30 of the refuge's 5,500 wetland acres still have water. Bill Johnson / University of Kansas</figcaption>
 </figure>But hardly any of Quivira’s wetland habitat has survived this year’s drought either.“Things
 are dry,” Quivira manager Mike Oldham said. “We have at least a small 
amount of water, but it’s really not enough for migration.”Right 
now, Oldham said, less than 30 of Quivira’s acres have any water — 
that’s around 0.5% of the refuge’s 5,500 acres that would be covered in 
water during a good year.Normally, the corridor of central Kansas
 wetlands would have hundreds of thousands of birds migrate through — 
everything from snow geese and pelicans to blue-winged teal and wigeon 
ducks to shorebirds like sandpipers and plovers. It also provides refuge
 for critically endangered whooping cranes, a species whose <a href="https://savingcranes.org/learn/species-field-guide/whooping-crane/" target="_blank">total worldwide population</a> numbers in the hundreds.In
 past years, upward of 30,000 sandhill cranes would fill Quivira’s skies
 on a given morning during fall migration. This year, Oldham said, only a
 few dozen cranes have landed there. And the ones that stop aren’t 
lingering for long.“Their choice is: Do I land for the night, 
rest up on the dry wetland bed and try to stay away from the coyotes?” 
Oldham said. “Or do I just venture farther south and try to actually hit
 water?”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1667578531769.png" alt="This map from Kansas Mesonet shows how many inches below-average precipitation totals are for various places across Kansas. A higher number (and darker red coloring) means that a location is more dry this year compared with historical averages. The La Crosse station just west of the wetlands, for example, is 12.96 inches below its average precipitation levels for the year." />
 <figcaption>This map from Kansas Mesonet shows how many inches below-average precipitation totals are for various places across Kansas. A higher number (and darker red coloring) means that a location is more dry this year compared with historical averages. The La Crosse station just west of the wetlands, for example, is 12.96 inches below its average precipitation levels for the year.</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Waiting on water</h2>What makes this year’s drought especially bad for birds migrating across Kansas?Central
 Kansas has always experienced cycles of drought. Cheyenne Bottoms has 
been known to dry up periodically, most recently in 2013. But that year,
 late summer rains refilled it before the fall migration season. To see 
the wetlands this dry this late into the year, Wagner at Cheyenne 
Bottoms said, is very rare.It’s been one of the driest years on 
record for this part of Kansas. The counties where creeks feed into 
these wetlands — Rush, Ness and Stafford — are all more than one foot 
below their historical precipitation averages for the year to date. That
 means they’d need a foot of rain just to get back to normal.Take
 the Walnut Creek basin in Rush and Ness counties, for instance. Like 
nearly all creeks in this part of Kansas, this one has just about dried 
up. Monitors from the U.S. Geological Survey report that <a href="https://waterdata.usgs.gov/monitoring-location/07141900/#parameterCode=00060&amp;period=P365D&amp;compare=true" target="_blank">Walnut Creek’s streamflow</a>
 is less than one cubic foot of water per second, compared with more 
than 20 cubic feet of water per second at this time last year.Human intervention hasn’t helped either. Over the past century or so,
 Boyle said, humans have depleted the underground water supplies that 
historically boosted the region’s rivers and springs — natural aquatic 
areas that birds could turn to when the wetlands ran dry. Roughly a<a href="https://www.pnas.org/content/110/37/E3477" target="_blank"> </a><a href="https://www.pnas.org/content/110/37/E3477" target="_blank">third</a>
 of the water under Kansas has disappeared since European settlement, 
largely thanks to pumping the Ogallala aquifer for irrigated farming.Central Kansas also doesn’t have as much wetlands habitat as it used to. Nearby <a href="https://ksoutdoors.com/content/download/1053/5047/version/6/file/McPherson+Wetlands+WEB.pdf" target="_blank">wetlands in McPherson County</a>
 once rivaled Cheyenne Bottoms, but most of that area was drained more 
than a century ago and converted to agricultural land. That makes the 
remaining wetlands that much more critical.“When we lose one of 
these important places,” Boyle said, “the animals don’t have the 
alternative locations to turn to because we're there.”The situation is especially precarious because many of these birds 
have already seen steep declines in population numbers over the past few
 decades.It’s estimated the number of birds in North America has dropped by <a href="https://www.3billionbirds.org/" target="_blank">nearly 3 billion</a>
 — roughly 25% of the continent’s total population — since 1970. Many 
types of shorebirds have seen even worse population drops, losing <a href="https://www.stateofthebirds.org/2022/shorebirds/" target="_blank">more than 70%</a> of their numbers since 1980.Several
 birds that typically depend on Kansas wetlands — from the semipalmated 
sandpiper to the lesser yellowlegs — recently landed on the North 
American Bird Conservation Initiative’s <a href="https://www.stateofthebirds.org/2022/tipping-point-species/" target="_blank">list of species</a> at risk of losing half of their population numbers in the next 50 years.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1667578596214.png" alt="This photo of Cheyenne Bottoms from 2021 shows one of the wetland's main basins filled with water. After one of the driest summers on record, this basin is now completely dry. David Condos / Kansas News Service" />
 <figcaption>This photo of Cheyenne Bottoms from 2021 shows one of the wetland's main basins filled with water. After one of the driest summers on record, this basin is now completely dry. David Condos / Kansas News Service</figcaption>
 </figure>For shorebirds, losing the Kansas wetlands as a stopover point could 
be particularly painful. Many of them only stand a few inches tall, so 
they can’t feed in the rocky, steep shores of a reservoir in the same 
way they do in the shallow pools, wet mud and aquatic vegetation of 
wetlands.To put it plainly, Boyle said, having a fall migration 
without the Kansas wetlands means more birds will die. Even the ones 
that complete the journey to their winter destinations are likely to 
arrive weaker and in worse health.Especially for shorebirds 
migrating long distances, Boyle said, it’s overly optimistic to expect 
that they’ll just find somewhere else to go this fall. But long-term, 
the birds’ mobility and flexibility give us reason to hope that their 
populations can recover if humans do enough to protect their habitat.“They’ve shown us time and time again, that if you give them half a chance,” Boyle said, “they’ll respond positively.”As with everything else related to the drought, the big unknown is 
how much longer it will last. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
Association predicts a <a href="https://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/analysis_monitoring/lanina/enso_evolution-status-fcsts-web.pdf" target="_blank">rare triple dip</a> La Niña weather pattern for this winter, which means <a href="https://www.noaa.gov/news-release/us-winter-outlook-warmer-drier-south-with-ongoing-la-nina" target="_blank">below-average precipitation</a> in western and central Kansas is likely to continue for at least a few more months.And
 for this fall’s migration, it’s unlikely that wetlands conditions will 
get much better. At this point, Wagner at Cheyenne Bottoms said, it 
would take several inches of rain just to saturate the dry ground before
 the wetlands can begin filling with water again.But there’s at 
least one silver lining. Wagner spent the morning in a tractor digging 
up invasive cattail plants in areas that would normally be inaccessible 
because they’re covered with water. So when the wetland habitat fills up
 again, he said, it’ll be better than ever.It’s just waiting on the water.“One of these days, it's gonna start raining,” Wagner said. “And we'll fill back up.”David Condos covers western Kansas for High Plains Public Radio and the Kansas News Service. You can follow him on Twitter<a href="http://twitter.com/davidcondos" target="_blank"> </a><a href="http://twitter.com/davidcondos" target="_blank">@davidcondos</a>.

Kansas drought has left a million migrating birds high and dry

By BLAISE MESA <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2022-11-03/kansas-might-let-homes-take-more-toddlers-amid-child-care-shortage-critics-worry-about-safety">Kansas News Service</a>

TOPEKA — Corinne Carr has about a half dozen seven parents the waiting list to enroll their children in her home day care business.

Changes pending with state regulators would let her take in more children, but she’s not headed in that direction.

“I don’t feel that it’s safe for the children,” she said.

Currently, a child care operation with two workers can take in four children younger than 18 months.

Now
 the state is looking at loosening the rules so that family child care 
providers with just one worker could look after up to four toddlers, or 
children under 12 months old, at once and still enroll two children 
between the ages of 1 and 5 years old

That could mean one person could be caring for six children younger than 18 months.

“It’s not doable,” Carr said. “It’s not quality for those families and that child. It is just not quality care.”

Those
 changes aim to chip away at a chronic shortage in child care — 
something virtually any working parent can appreciate. But some child 
care providers say those looser limits could lead to overcrowded and 
understaffed home day care providers that don't account for things like 
the difficulty between children who can feed themselves and those who 
need to be fed by an adult.

Yet the scarcity of child care remains a pressing problem. <a href="https://stage.worklifesystems.com/Kansas?county=all" target="_blank">Child Care Aware of Kansas estimated</a> there are around 220,000 total children under six, as of Nov. 1, but just 44% of the demand met.

“Anytime
 we have friends or family that (say) they’re pregnant,” said Angie 
Carnes, “all of us will say, you need to start looking for child care, 
like, right now.”

Some businesses do not have an opening until Fall 2023.

Carnes
 is the president of the Child Care Provider Coalition of Kansas and she
 runs her own in-home business. She sees the need to help providers and 
expand child care slots in the state, but she said the proposed changes 
do little to cut demand and put children at risk.

She compared it 
to a family who just had triplets. Nobody would assume that family could
 care for all those children without help, so she questions why the 
state thinks those providers can handle more children without help.

The
 changes would only change the rules for in-home facilities and do not 
touch on day care centers in a commercial business setting. It tweaks 
the age range to slightly increase flexibility for those providers.

The proposals are still just that, proposals. State officials are still gathering feedback.

“This
 is outside of best practice,” said Melissa Schoenberger, field services
 supervisor at the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.

KDHE
 says the changes wouldn’t expand capacity directly, but will give 
providers more flexibility in the ages of children they can take in. 
That, in turn, could help some businesses cut down on wait lists.

The agency couldn’t estimate when these changes might go into effect.

Schoenberg
 said the move is a compromise between best practice and finding 
solutions for Kansas. The changes push infant capacity above what 
neighboring states offer but keep providers within Kansas’ fire code.

“The proposed changes provide a balance between the need for safety and marketplace realities,” Schoenberger said.

Kelly
 Davydov, executive director of Child Care Aware of Kansas, said the 
changes will help some families, but she says they are short-sighted.

Kansas
 gave $750- to $2,500- one-time grants to child care workers during the 
pandemic Critics say that move, and the current proposal, are only 
short-term measures.

Davydov says that Kansas needs to respond to an imminent shortage, but that the state needs to shift to more sustainable fixes.

For
 instance, they say Kansas could developm more mentorship opportunities 
to help new businesses thrive or possible grant funding to keep them 
afloat. Some are interested in adjusting state reimbursement rates for 
day care so businesses will earn more.

“We do need to think on a much bigger scale systemically, strategically,” Davydov said.

Blaise Mesa reports on criminal justice and social services for the 
Kansas News Service in Topeka. You can follow him on Twitter 
@Blaise_Mesa or email him at blaise@kcur.org.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1667497105345.png" alt="Kansas is proposing changes to licensed capacity for family child care. Courtesy Angie Carnes" />
 <figcaption>Kansas is proposing changes to licensed capacity for family child care. Courtesy Angie Carnes</figcaption>
 </figure>By BLAISE MESA <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2022-11-03/kansas-might-let-homes-take-more-toddlers-amid-child-care-shortage-critics-worry-about-safety">Kansas News Service</a>TOPEKA — Corinne Carr has about a half dozen seven parents the waiting list to enroll their children in her home day care business.Changes pending with state regulators would let her take in more children, but she’s not headed in that direction.“I don’t feel that it’s safe for the children,” she said.Currently, a child care operation with two workers can take in four children younger than 18 months.Now
 the state is looking at loosening the rules so that family child care 
providers with just one worker could look after up to four toddlers, or 
children under 12 months old, at once and still enroll two children 
between the ages of 1 and 5 years oldThat could mean one person could be caring for six children younger than 18 months.“It’s not doable,” Carr said. “It’s not quality for those families and that child. It is just not quality care.”Those
 changes aim to chip away at a chronic shortage in child care — 
something virtually any working parent can appreciate. But some child 
care providers say those looser limits could lead to overcrowded and 
understaffed home day care providers that don't account for things like 
the difficulty between children who can feed themselves and those who 
need to be fed by an adult.Yet the scarcity of child care remains a pressing problem. <a href="https://stage.worklifesystems.com/Kansas?county=all" target="_blank">Child Care Aware of Kansas estimated</a> there are around 220,000 total children under six, as of Nov. 1, but just 44% of the demand met.“Anytime
 we have friends or family that (say) they’re pregnant,” said Angie 
Carnes, “all of us will say, you need to start looking for child care, 
like, right now.”Some businesses do not have an opening until Fall 2023.Carnes
 is the president of the Child Care Provider Coalition of Kansas and she
 runs her own in-home business. She sees the need to help providers and 
expand child care slots in the state, but she said the proposed changes 
do little to cut demand and put children at risk.She compared it 
to a family who just had triplets. Nobody would assume that family could
 care for all those children without help, so she questions why the 
state thinks those providers can handle more children without help.The
 changes would only change the rules for in-home facilities and do not 
touch on day care centers in a commercial business setting. It tweaks 
the age range to slightly increase flexibility for those providers.The proposals are still just that, proposals. State officials are still gathering feedback.“This
 is outside of best practice,” said Melissa Schoenberger, field services
 supervisor at the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.KDHE
 says the changes wouldn’t expand capacity directly, but will give 
providers more flexibility in the ages of children they can take in. 
That, in turn, could help some businesses cut down on wait lists.The agency couldn’t estimate when these changes might go into effect.Schoenberg
 said the move is a compromise between best practice and finding 
solutions for Kansas. The changes push infant capacity above what 
neighboring states offer but keep providers within Kansas’ fire code.“The proposed changes provide a balance between the need for safety and marketplace realities,” Schoenberger said.Kelly
 Davydov, executive director of Child Care Aware of Kansas, said the 
changes will help some families, but she says they are short-sighted.Kansas
 gave $750- to $2,500- one-time grants to child care workers during the 
pandemic Critics say that move, and the current proposal, are only 
short-term measures.Davydov says that Kansas needs to respond to an imminent shortage, but that the state needs to shift to more sustainable fixes.For
 instance, they say Kansas could developm more mentorship opportunities 
to help new businesses thrive or possible grant funding to keep them 
afloat. Some are interested in adjusting state reimbursement rates for 
day care so businesses will earn more.“We do need to think on a much bigger scale systemically, strategically,” Davydov said.Blaise Mesa reports on criminal justice and social services for the 
Kansas News Service in Topeka. You can follow him on Twitter 
@Blaise_Mesa or email him at blaise@kcur.org.

Child care rules change has critics worried about Kan. kids' safety

DENVER (AP) — A Colorado man who is a registered Democratic voter has been arrested on suspicion of tampering with voting equipment by allegedly inserting a USB thumb drive into a voting machine at a polling station during the primary election in June, authorities said.

No elections data were accessed, and the June 28 incident didn't cause any major disruption to voting, authorities said. But it&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-voting-presidential-conspiracy-theories-colorado-53c90f7afe304e26eaee79b4699181bb">heightened concerns among election officials and security experts that conspiracy theories related to the 2020 presidential election could inspire some voters to meddle with — or even attempt to sabotage — election equipment.</a>

Experts say even unsuccessful breaches could become major problems in the days leading up to and on Tuesday’s midterm election, causing delays at polling places or sowing the seeds of misinformation campaigns.

Richard Patton, 31, of Pueblo was arrested on Thursday by members of the Pueblo Police Department High-Tech Crime Unit for investigation of tampering with voting equipment, a felony, and cybercrime-unauthorized access, a misdemeanor, the department said in a statement.

Court records indicate Patton was being held without bond at the Pueblo County Judicial Center pending an advisement hearing later Friday in which he will hear the pending charges against him. Patton was being represented by an attorney from the public defender's office, which does not comment on pending cases.

Gilbert Ortiz, Pueblo County's clerk and recorder, confirmed Friday that Patton has been a registered Democratic voter since 2019, when he switched his affiliation from the Green Party.

Election officials in Colorado use locks and tamper-evident seals on voting equipment, so it becomes apparent if someone has tried to access it. Trigger alerts make machines inoperable if someone tries to tamper with them, which is what happened in Pueblo, according to Ortiz and the Colorado Secretary of State's office.

On the afternoon of June 28, poll workers heard noises coming from a voting booth. When a poll worker went to investigate and clean the machine, they saw an error message and notified a supervisor. Tamper-evident seals on the machine appeared to be disturbed, the secretary's office said. The machine was immediately taken out of service for investigation.

Activists who promote the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-michael-pence-electoral-college-elections-health-2d9bd47a8bd3561682ac46c6b3873a10">false claim</a>&nbsp;that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from former President Donald Trump have been traveling the country&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abridged-content-ca44472abe0883ae891f5231539faf00">peddling a narrative</a>&nbsp;that electronic voting machines are being manipulated.

Secretary of State Jena Griswold said Friday that this is the first arrest and potential prosecution under a new law broadening the definition of tampering with election equipment and strengthening the penalty for it. It is now a felony punishable by up to three years in prison.

“The continued spread of election conspiracies and the Big Lie is fueling threats to American elections, including efforts to interfere with election equipment," Griswold, a Democrat seeking reelection Tuesday, said in a statement. "It is vital that anyone who breaks the law in attempts of subverting the will of the people or undermining elections be held responsible.”

Citing an ongoing investigation, Pueblo police spokesperson Officer Meagan Chapman said the department could not release further information, including a warrant for Patton's arrest that could potentially suggest a possible motive for the alleged tampering.

Ortiz said Patton was identified as a suspect because he presented a driver's license to poll workers as proof he was eligible to vote — and that he did vote — before the alleged tampering was discovered.

“The atmosphere we have around elections is so rumor-generated these days, and I feel like a lot of the public feel like we’re the enemy when our staff and judges are the ones protecting democracy,” Ortiz said. “This just proves to me that Colorado’s system has so many checks and balances it's just impossible for anybody to tamper with our elections.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1667587279967.png" alt="Patton-photo Pueblo Police" />
 <figcaption>Patton-photo Pueblo Police</figcaption>
 </figure>DENVER (AP) — A Colorado man who is a registered Democratic voter has been arrested on suspicion of tampering with voting equipment by allegedly inserting a USB thumb drive into a voting machine at a polling station during the primary election in June, authorities said.No elections data were accessed, and the June 28 incident didn't cause any major disruption to voting, authorities said. But it&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-voting-presidential-conspiracy-theories-colorado-53c90f7afe304e26eaee79b4699181bb">heightened concerns among election officials and security experts that conspiracy theories related to the 2020 presidential election could inspire some voters to meddle with — or even attempt to sabotage — election equipment.</a>Experts say even unsuccessful breaches could become major problems in the days leading up to and on Tuesday’s midterm election, causing delays at polling places or sowing the seeds of misinformation campaigns.Richard Patton, 31, of Pueblo was arrested on Thursday by members of the Pueblo Police Department High-Tech Crime Unit for investigation of tampering with voting equipment, a felony, and cybercrime-unauthorized access, a misdemeanor, the department said in a statement.Court records indicate Patton was being held without bond at the Pueblo County Judicial Center pending an advisement hearing later Friday in which he will hear the pending charges against him. Patton was being represented by an attorney from the public defender's office, which does not comment on pending cases.Gilbert Ortiz, Pueblo County's clerk and recorder, confirmed Friday that Patton has been a registered Democratic voter since 2019, when he switched his affiliation from the Green Party.Election officials in Colorado use locks and tamper-evident seals on voting equipment, so it becomes apparent if someone has tried to access it. Trigger alerts make machines inoperable if someone tries to tamper with them, which is what happened in Pueblo, according to Ortiz and the Colorado Secretary of State's office.On the afternoon of June 28, poll workers heard noises coming from a voting booth. When a poll worker went to investigate and clean the machine, they saw an error message and notified a supervisor. Tamper-evident seals on the machine appeared to be disturbed, the secretary's office said. The machine was immediately taken out of service for investigation.Activists who promote the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-michael-pence-electoral-college-elections-health-2d9bd47a8bd3561682ac46c6b3873a10">false claim</a>&nbsp;that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from former President Donald Trump have been traveling the country&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abridged-content-ca44472abe0883ae891f5231539faf00">peddling a narrative</a>&nbsp;that electronic voting machines are being manipulated.Secretary of State Jena Griswold said Friday that this is the first arrest and potential prosecution under a new law broadening the definition of tampering with election equipment and strengthening the penalty for it. It is now a felony punishable by up to three years in prison.“The continued spread of election conspiracies and the Big Lie is fueling threats to American elections, including efforts to interfere with election equipment," Griswold, a Democrat seeking reelection Tuesday, said in a statement. "It is vital that anyone who breaks the law in attempts of subverting the will of the people or undermining elections be held responsible.”Citing an ongoing investigation, Pueblo police spokesperson Officer Meagan Chapman said the department could not release further information, including a warrant for Patton's arrest that could potentially suggest a possible motive for the alleged tampering.Ortiz said Patton was identified as a suspect because he presented a driver's license to poll workers as proof he was eligible to vote — and that he did vote — before the alleged tampering was discovered.“The atmosphere we have around elections is so rumor-generated these days, and I feel like a lot of the public feel like we’re the enemy when our staff and judges are the ones protecting democracy,” Ortiz said. “This just proves to me that Colorado’s system has so many checks and balances it's just impossible for anybody to tamper with our elections.

Man arrested on suspicion of tampering with voting machine

WYANDOTTE COUNTY —The Wyandotte County District Attorney has charged 22-year-old Daijon Estell with one count of first-degree murder, one count of aggravated assault, eight counts of aggravated endangering of a child (felony) and two counts of endangerment (misdemeanor) in connection with the Halloween party shooting that killed one teen and injured 6 others, according to the Kansas City Kansas Police Department.

Estell is currently being held in the Wyandotte County Jail on a $200,000 bond, according to KCK police.

On Wednesday detectives with the Kansas City, Kansas Police Department identified the victim in the Halloween night shooting in the 1600 block of S. 50th Street as 17-year-old Katron Harris a resident of Kansas City, Kansas. He was pronounced deceased on scene. Harris was killed and six others were wounded after gunfire erupted at a crowded Halloween party.

The shooting happened Monday night at a large party at a Kansas City, Kansas home. Police said between 70 and 100 people were at the party.

Police were called around 9 p.m. and found a 17-year-old dead and six others injured. One person was treated and released and the other five were listed in stable condition Tuesday afternoon, police said.

The victims ranged in age from 15 to 18, with most being 15 and 16 years old.

Police took Estell into custody on Tuesday. Investigators were looking for four to six suspects. No other information on the suspects was released.

The party was intended for younger teens and was supposed to be invitation only but it was promoted on social media, police said.

The suspects, who were wearing costumes and masks, were asked to leave because they were older. They left but then returned and opened fire on the house, injuring people inside and outside, police said.

The parent/homeowner was home at the time. Similar parties had been held at the house previously without any issues, according to the statement.

Detectives continue to investigate leads on other potential suspects. If you have any information please private message us here or call the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1667517702262.png" alt="Estell-photo Wyandotte County" />
 <figcaption>Estell-photo Wyandotte County</figcaption>
 </figure>WYANDOTTE COUNTY —The Wyandotte County District Attorney has charged 22-year-old Daijon Estell with one count of first-degree murder, one count of aggravated assault, eight counts of aggravated endangering of a child (felony) and two counts of endangerment (misdemeanor) in connection with the Halloween party shooting that killed one teen and injured 6 others, according to the Kansas City Kansas Police Department.Estell is currently being held in the Wyandotte County Jail on a $200,000 bond, according to KCK police.On Wednesday detectives with the Kansas City, Kansas Police Department identified the victim in the Halloween night shooting in the 1600 block of S. 50th Street as 17-year-old Katron Harris a resident of Kansas City, Kansas. He was pronounced deceased on scene. Harris was killed and six others were wounded after gunfire erupted at a crowded Halloween party.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1667299121422.png" alt="The shooting happened Monday night at a large party at a Kansas City, Kansas home.-photo courtesy KCTV" />
 <figcaption>The shooting happened Monday night at a large party at a Kansas City, Kansas home.-photo courtesy KCTV</figcaption>
 </figure>The shooting happened Monday night at a large party at a Kansas City, Kansas home. Police said between 70 and 100 people were at the party.Police were called around 9 p.m. and found a 17-year-old dead and six others injured. One person was treated and released and the other five were listed in stable condition Tuesday afternoon, police said.The victims ranged in age from 15 to 18, with most being 15 and 16 years old.Police took Estell into custody on Tuesday. Investigators were looking for four to six suspects. No other information on the suspects was released.The party was intended for younger teens and was supposed to be invitation only but it was promoted on social media, police said.The suspects, who were wearing costumes and masks, were asked to leave because they were older. They left but then returned and opened fire on the house, injuring people inside and outside, police said.The parent/homeowner was home at the time. Similar parties had been held at the house previously without any issues, according to the statement.Detectives continue to investigate leads on other potential suspects. If you have any information please private message us here or call the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS.

Man charged in Kan. Halloween party shooting that killed teen

DOUGLAS COUNTY—Three people were injured in an accident just after 8:30p.m. Friday in Lawrence.

&nbsp;An SUV crashed into The Big Mill, 900 Mississippi street, according to Lawrence Police.

 The driver was critically injured and three customers were hurt but not seriously. The building is no longer structurally sound.&nbsp;

Police temporarily closed 9th Street from Indiana to Mississippi.&nbsp; One lane of traffic was opened overnight. Police are investigating impairment as a possible factor.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1667652396814.png" alt="Photo Lawrence Police" />
 <figcaption>Photo Lawrence Police</figcaption>
 </figure>DOUGLAS COUNTY—Three people were injured in an accident just after 8:30p.m. Friday in Lawrence.&nbsp;An SUV crashed into The Big Mill, 900 Mississippi street, according to Lawrence Police. The driver was critically injured and three customers were hurt but not seriously. The building is no longer structurally sound.&nbsp;Police temporarily closed 9th Street from Indiana to Mississippi.&nbsp; One lane of traffic was opened overnight. Police are investigating impairment as a possible factor.

Police: Driver, 3 Kan. restaurant customers injured after crash

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Both major parties say the Kansas governor's race is a tossup in its last days as abortion politics, lingering ill will toward former Republican Gov. Sam Brownback and an independent conservative candidate make for a tighter-than-expected contest in the Republican-leaning state.

Democratic incumbent Gov. Laura Kelly should be on the defensive as the only Democratic governor in the U.S. running for reelection in a state carried by former President Donald Trump in 2020. But a decisive statewide vote in August&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-primary-elections-kansas-abortion-b6d62a852c2ce4617f2c03589fbb523e">affirming abortion rights</a>&nbsp;energized Democrats and moderates and boosted Kelly's chance of holding the votes crucial to her victory four years ago.

GOP challenger Derek Schmidt hopes to tap voter frustration with inflation and crime. Kelly has largely stayed on a message that Kansas is financially healthy again after past budget woes tied to Brownback, with Schmidt a key political ally.

“I am more confident than I have been,” said Joan Wagnon, a former Kansas Democratic Party chair and ex-Topeka mayor.

Schmidt, the state’s three-term attorney general, is ending his campaign on the attack with “Kansas Can Do Better” rallies around the state. Kelly allies closed with a “Back on Track, Can’t Go Back” tour.

“It’s not that I ignore national issues. You know, I understand that inflation is an issue,” Kelly told reporters after a recent event in Topeka. “But I think people in the state of Kansas want me to focus on the things that I actually have some control over.”

Many Republicans' early expectations of a comfortable victory for Schmidt faded months ago. Yet for all the unexpected sweating, Republicans still think Schmidt can bank&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-donald-trump-business-congress-689603a0b0446c3568fe96270c7b3c7b">on national GOP midterm momentum.</a>

“Folks are working hard, making things happen in their community, and frustrated with the Biden-Kelly Democrat philosophy that values big government over freedom,” Schmidt posted on Facebook after one small-town event this week.

Kelly has spent more than $7 million on her reelection, roughly twice as much as Schmidt through late October. Outside groups have boosted the spending on television ads past $40 million.

Schmidt's hopes rest in part on energy from the August abortion vote fading, something some abortion rights advocates said they've felt. Schmidt supported the measure on the ballot, a proposed amendment to the Kansas Constitution to allow the GOP-controlled Legislature to greatly restrict or ban abortion. Kelly opposed it, but she hasn't focused on abortion access as an issue.

Turnout so far among people voting in advance is higher than for the August election, which set a record for a Kansas primary. Yet it's also lower than in November 2018, when Democrats tapped suburban discontent with Trump and the Republican nominee for governor was Kris Kobach, known nationally as an immigration and election fraud provocateur.

Schmidt joined Republicans nationwide in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-health-police-covid-campaigns-13d5f83a6604df1bc6a33779fa159e93">pivoting to crime</a>&nbsp;last month, though the state recently reported a small decrease in violent crime in 2021 compared with 2020. He pointed to Kelly's appointment of a racial justice commission and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-police-campaigns-race-and-ethnicity-racial-injustice-6ce47fee06c05f2e4309f2b581543f45">her comments that systemic racism is a problem</a>&nbsp;in law enforcement to suggest that she's anti-police.

Republicans pounded Kelly with ads over her two vetoes of two&nbsp;<a>proposals to ban transgender athletes</a>&nbsp;from girls’ and women’s school, club and college sports. Schmidt also attacked Kelly over state-administered grants to arts venues that later hosted drag shows, which have been&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-and-politics-a26e7eee15df0bbc2bb98071b683b1f4">a bugaboo for the right</a>&nbsp;across the U.S. for months.

Kansas registration benefits Republicans, who represent 44.7% of those registered statewide. Unaffiliated voters, at 27.8%, beat out Democrats at 26.5%.

“A lot people are just pretty fed up with government in general, especially the Trump folks,” said Tim Shallenburger, a former state treasurer and Kansas Republican Party chair. “Biden has got them motivated, not Laura Kelly, or not Derek Schmidt.”

Yet for all of the playing to issues that rile Republicans, Shallenburger said, “I don't see a landslide brewing.”

Independent state Sen. Dennis Pyle is one reason. He is a former Republican and one of the state's most conservative legislators and is attacking Schmidt from the right. Pyle raised only $90,000 in cash as of late October, but an outside Democratic group aired radio ads, sent mailers and texted messages in the campaign's final weeks portraying Pyle as the true conservative and Schmidt as a poser.

Republicans were outraged. The Democratic group jumped in to help Pyle after Kelly built much of her message on an argument that Schmidt represented a return to a recent conservative past.

Kelly and her allies attacked Schmidt for standing politically with Brownback and not protesting a failed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/55bdc6299b9a4a69b83b7dc060c17b72">2012-13 experiment in cutting taxes</a>&nbsp;under Brownback that was followed by persistent budget shortfalls.

Legislators repealed most of the tax-cutting experiment in 2017, and Kelly is making much of the state's improved finances on her watch. The state treasury is flush, with tax collections exceeding expectations every month for more than two years.

Kelly's office also publicizes projects like plans for a new biotechnology lab in the Kansas City area and the planned expansion of a pizza manufacturing plant in Salina, some 100 miles (160 kilometers) west of Topeka.

Kelly joined other dignitaries this week in donning hard hats and digging up the first few shovelfuls of earth for a multibillion-dollar Panasonic Corp. plant in the Kansas City area for making batteries for electric vehicles.

Pat McFerron, an Oklahoma based-pollster and consultant working in Kansas for U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran, said he's seeing Republicans “kind of come back home" in recent weeks.

But he added, "There is the power of incumbency,” McFerron said. “That’s unequivocal.”

By JOHN HANNA&nbsp;TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Both major parties say the Kansas governor's race is a tossup in its last days as abortion politics, lingering ill will toward former Republican Gov. Sam Brownback and an independent conservative candidate make for a tighter-than-expected contest in the Republican-leaning state.Democratic incumbent Gov. Laura Kelly should be on the defensive as the only Democratic governor in the U.S. running for reelection in a state carried by former President Donald Trump in 2020. But a decisive statewide vote in August&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-primary-elections-kansas-abortion-b6d62a852c2ce4617f2c03589fbb523e">affirming abortion rights</a>&nbsp;energized Democrats and moderates and boosted Kelly's chance of holding the votes crucial to her victory four years ago.GOP challenger Derek Schmidt hopes to tap voter frustration with inflation and crime. Kelly has largely stayed on a message that Kansas is financially healthy again after past budget woes tied to Brownback, with Schmidt a key political ally.“I am more confident than I have been,” said Joan Wagnon, a former Kansas Democratic Party chair and ex-Topeka mayor.Schmidt, the state’s three-term attorney general, is ending his campaign on the attack with “Kansas Can Do Better” rallies around the state. Kelly allies closed with a “Back on Track, Can’t Go Back” tour.“It’s not that I ignore national issues. You know, I understand that inflation is an issue,” Kelly told reporters after a recent event in Topeka. “But I think people in the state of Kansas want me to focus on the things that I actually have some control over.”Many Republicans' early expectations of a comfortable victory for Schmidt faded months ago. Yet for all the unexpected sweating, Republicans still think Schmidt can bank&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-donald-trump-business-congress-689603a0b0446c3568fe96270c7b3c7b">on national GOP midterm momentum.</a>“Folks are working hard, making things happen in their community, and frustrated with the Biden-Kelly Democrat philosophy that values big government over freedom,” Schmidt posted on Facebook after one small-town event this week.Kelly has spent more than $7 million on her reelection, roughly twice as much as Schmidt through late October. Outside groups have boosted the spending on television ads past $40 million.Schmidt's hopes rest in part on energy from the August abortion vote fading, something some abortion rights advocates said they've felt. Schmidt supported the measure on the ballot, a proposed amendment to the Kansas Constitution to allow the GOP-controlled Legislature to greatly restrict or ban abortion. Kelly opposed it, but she hasn't focused on abortion access as an issue.Turnout so far among people voting in advance is higher than for the August election, which set a record for a Kansas primary. Yet it's also lower than in November 2018, when Democrats tapped suburban discontent with Trump and the Republican nominee for governor was Kris Kobach, known nationally as an immigration and election fraud provocateur.Schmidt joined Republicans nationwide in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-health-police-covid-campaigns-13d5f83a6604df1bc6a33779fa159e93">pivoting to crime</a>&nbsp;last month, though the state recently reported a small decrease in violent crime in 2021 compared with 2020. He pointed to Kelly's appointment of a racial justice commission and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-police-campaigns-race-and-ethnicity-racial-injustice-6ce47fee06c05f2e4309f2b581543f45">her comments that systemic racism is a problem</a>&nbsp;in law enforcement to suggest that she's anti-police.Republicans pounded Kelly with ads over her two vetoes of two&nbsp;<a>proposals to ban transgender athletes</a>&nbsp;from girls’ and women’s school, club and college sports. Schmidt also attacked Kelly over state-administered grants to arts venues that later hosted drag shows, which have been&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-and-politics-a26e7eee15df0bbc2bb98071b683b1f4">a bugaboo for the right</a>&nbsp;across the U.S. for months.Kansas registration benefits Republicans, who represent 44.7% of those registered statewide. Unaffiliated voters, at 27.8%, beat out Democrats at 26.5%.“A lot people are just pretty fed up with government in general, especially the Trump folks,” said Tim Shallenburger, a former state treasurer and Kansas Republican Party chair. “Biden has got them motivated, not Laura Kelly, or not Derek Schmidt.”Yet for all of the playing to issues that rile Republicans, Shallenburger said, “I don't see a landslide brewing.”Independent state Sen. Dennis Pyle is one reason. He is a former Republican and one of the state's most conservative legislators and is attacking Schmidt from the right. Pyle raised only $90,000 in cash as of late October, but an outside Democratic group aired radio ads, sent mailers and texted messages in the campaign's final weeks portraying Pyle as the true conservative and Schmidt as a poser.Republicans were outraged. The Democratic group jumped in to help Pyle after Kelly built much of her message on an argument that Schmidt represented a return to a recent conservative past.Kelly and her allies attacked Schmidt for standing politically with Brownback and not protesting a failed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/55bdc6299b9a4a69b83b7dc060c17b72">2012-13 experiment in cutting taxes</a>&nbsp;under Brownback that was followed by persistent budget shortfalls.Legislators repealed most of the tax-cutting experiment in 2017, and Kelly is making much of the state's improved finances on her watch. The state treasury is flush, with tax collections exceeding expectations every month for more than two years.Kelly's office also publicizes projects like plans for a new biotechnology lab in the Kansas City area and the planned expansion of a pizza manufacturing plant in Salina, some 100 miles (160 kilometers) west of Topeka.Kelly joined other dignitaries this week in donning hard hats and digging up the first few shovelfuls of earth for a multibillion-dollar Panasonic Corp. plant in the Kansas City area for making batteries for electric vehicles.Pat McFerron, an Oklahoma based-pollster and consultant working in Kansas for U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran, said he's seeing Republicans “kind of come back home" in recent weeks.But he added, "There is the power of incumbency,” McFerron said. “That’s unequivocal.”

Kansas governor's race is close after abortion upheaval

WASHINGTON —On Friday, the Department of Defense (DoD) announced approximately $400 million in additional security assistance for Ukraine under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI), according to a statement from the agency.

This USAI package underscores the continued U.S. commitment to supporting Ukraine by meeting their most urgent needs, while also building the capacity of Ukraine’s Armed Forces to defend its sovereignty over the long term.

Unlike Presidential Drawdown authority (PDA), which DoD has continued to leverage to deliver equipment to Ukraine from DoD stocks at a historic pace, USAI is an authority under which the United States procures capabilities from industry. This announcement represents the beginning of a contracting process to provide additional priority capabilities to Ukraine. Capabilities include:

In total, the United States has now committed more than $18.9 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since the beginning of the Biden Administration. Since 2014, the United States has committed more than $21 billion in security assistance to Ukraine and more than $18.2 billion since the beginning of Russia’s unprovoked and brutal invasion on February 24.

Through both PDA and USAI, DoD continues to work with Ukraine to meet both its immediate and longer-term security assistance needs. With Russia’s unrelenting and brutal air attacks on Ukrainian civilian critical infrastructure, additional air defense capabilities are critical. Funding to refurbish HAWK missiles will complement Spain’s recent commitment of HAWK launchers to help Ukraine meet this threat.

The overhauled T-72B tanks included in this package are part of a&nbsp;<a href="https://media.defense.gov/2022/Nov/04/2003108893/-1/-1/0/USAI-7-CZE-TANKS-US-NLD-CZE-PRESS-STATEMENT.PDF">trilateral, coordinated effort with the Netherlands and Czech Republic</a>. Alongside the United States, the Netherlands will provide 45 additional T-72B Tanks with the support of the Czech Ministry of Defense and in cooperation with Czech industry.

Together with our Allies and partners, our efforts will help Ukraine continue to be successful today while building the enduring strength of Ukraine’s forces to ensure the continued freedom and independence of the Ukrainian people.

WASHINGTON —On Friday, the Department of Defense (DoD) announced approximately $400 million in additional security assistance for Ukraine under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI), according to a statement from the agency.This USAI package underscores the continued U.S. commitment to supporting Ukraine by meeting their most urgent needs, while also building the capacity of Ukraine’s Armed Forces to defend its sovereignty over the long term.Unlike Presidential Drawdown authority (PDA), which DoD has continued to leverage to deliver equipment to Ukraine from DoD stocks at a historic pace, USAI is an authority under which the United States procures capabilities from industry. This announcement represents the beginning of a contracting process to provide additional priority capabilities to Ukraine. Capabilities include:<ul>
 <li>Funding to refurbish HAWK air defense missiles for inclusion in future Presidential Drawdown packages;</li><li>45 Refurbished T-72B Tanks with advanced optics, communications, and armor packages;</li><li>1,100 Phoenix Ghost Tactical Unmanned Aerial Systems;</li><li>40 Armored Riverine Boats;</li><li>Funding to refurbish 250 M1117 Armored Security Vehicles;</li><li>Tactical secure communications systems and surveillance systems; and</li><li>Funding for training, maintenance, and sustainment.</li>
 </ul>In total, the United States has now committed more than $18.9 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since the beginning of the Biden Administration. Since 2014, the United States has committed more than $21 billion in security assistance to Ukraine and more than $18.2 billion since the beginning of Russia’s unprovoked and brutal invasion on February 24.Through both PDA and USAI, DoD continues to work with Ukraine to meet both its immediate and longer-term security assistance needs. With Russia’s unrelenting and brutal air attacks on Ukrainian civilian critical infrastructure, additional air defense capabilities are critical. Funding to refurbish HAWK missiles will complement Spain’s recent commitment of HAWK launchers to help Ukraine meet this threat.The overhauled T-72B tanks included in this package are part of a&nbsp;<a href="https://media.defense.gov/2022/Nov/04/2003108893/-1/-1/0/USAI-7-CZE-TANKS-US-NLD-CZE-PRESS-STATEMENT.PDF">trilateral, coordinated effort with the Netherlands and Czech Republic</a>. Alongside the United States, the Netherlands will provide 45 additional T-72B Tanks with the support of the Czech Ministry of Defense and in cooperation with Czech industry.Together with our Allies and partners, our efforts will help Ukraine continue to be successful today while building the enduring strength of Ukraine’s forces to ensure the continued freedom and independence of the Ukrainian people.

 U.S. giving another $400M in military aid to Ukraine 

RENO COUNTY —Investigators are working to determine the cause of a Saturday morning Kansas house fire.

Just before 2:30a.m.,&nbsp;fire crews were called to the fire in a single-story home at&nbsp; 1709 East 2nd Avenue in Hutchinson, according to a media release.

One adult and four dogs were able to get out safely, but the home had heavy fire when firefighters got there, and the side and rear of the home were heavily damaged and fire also got into the attic and walls.

Firefighters were unable to stop the fire until Evergy cut power to the house. There were live power lines down in the yard.

Red Cross was called to help, because there was too much damage to the house to let them back in Saturday morning.

Fire officials remind the public to test your smoke detectors at least once a month and be sure they have fresh batteries.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1667639511702.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>RENO COUNTY —Investigators are working to determine the cause of a Saturday morning Kansas house fire.Just before 2:30a.m.,&nbsp;fire crews were called to the fire in a single-story home at&nbsp; 1709 East 2nd Avenue in Hutchinson, according to a media release.One adult and four dogs were able to get out safely, but the home had heavy fire when firefighters got there, and the side and rear of the home were heavily damaged and fire also got into the attic and walls.Firefighters were unable to stop the fire until Evergy cut power to the house. There were live power lines down in the yard.Red Cross was called to help, because there was too much damage to the house to let them back in Saturday morning.Fire officials remind the public to test your smoke detectors at least once a month and be sure they have fresh batteries.