FINNEY COUNTY—A Kansas man was injured in a small plane crash just before 10:30a.m. Monday in Finney County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a&nbsp;North Wing Design Apache Ultralight&nbsp; piloted by Dallas James Savolt, 46, Garden City, used the side of a residence at 455 East Sondreagger Road as a runway to take off northbound.

The pilot attempted to land in a field south of the residence. The aircraft rotated counter-clockwise and crashed.

Garden City Fire crews found the plane in the field on the&nbsp;north side of the road. Fire units made contact with a bystander who was trying to free the pilot from the aircraft. The bystander reported that he had seen the aircraft from north U.S. Highway 83 and Sondreagger Road. 

Fire personnel removed a wing of the aircraft to gain access to the pilot. They extricated him from the aircraft and loaded him into the ambulance to be transported by Finney County Emergency Medical Services to&nbsp; St. Catherine Hospital&nbsp; with facial injuries along with back and arm pain, according to the Garden City Fire Deparatment.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1661209351883.png" alt="Google map" />
 <figcaption>Google map</figcaption>
 </figure>FINNEY COUNTY—A Kansas man was injured in a small plane crash just before 10:30a.m. Monday in Finney County.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a&nbsp;North Wing Design Apache Ultralight&nbsp; piloted by Dallas James Savolt, 46, Garden City, used the side of a residence at 455 East Sondreagger Road as a runway to take off northbound.The pilot attempted to land in a field south of the residence. The aircraft rotated counter-clockwise and crashed.Garden City Fire crews found the plane in the field on the&nbsp;north side of the road. Fire units made contact with a bystander who was trying to free the pilot from the aircraft. The bystander reported that he had seen the aircraft from north U.S. Highway 83 and Sondreagger Road. Fire personnel removed a wing of the aircraft to gain access to the pilot. They extricated him from the aircraft and loaded him into the ambulance to be transported by Finney County Emergency Medical Services to&nbsp; St. Catherine Hospital&nbsp; with facial injuries along with back and arm pain, according to the Garden City Fire Deparatment.

Kansas pilot hospitalized after small plane crash

By LESLIE EIKLEBERRY Salina Post

A woman was injured when she fell off a moving motorcycle Sunday afternoon in south Salina, and the driver was arrested on outstanding warrants.

&nbsp;Just before 5p.m. Sunday, a 2006 Honda motorcycle driven by 36-year-old Jody Meyer, 36, was&nbsp; northbound in the 1900 block of S. Ohio Street in Salina. 

A 33-year-old female passenger identified as his wife fell off the motorcycle just north of the Albert Avenue intersection. The woman received scrapes, but was not transported to the hospital.

Officers working the incident discovered that Meyer had multiple active warrants from Salina Municipal Court. Police arrested Meyer on the warrants and the following requested charges that included no proof of insurance and driving with a suspended driver's license.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1661174859678.jpeg" alt="Jody Meyer-photo&nbsp;Saline County" />
 <figcaption>Jody Meyer-photo&nbsp;Saline County</figcaption>
 </figure>By LESLIE EIKLEBERRY Salina PostA woman was injured when she fell off a moving motorcycle Sunday afternoon in south Salina, and the driver was arrested on outstanding warrants.&nbsp;Just before 5p.m. Sunday, a 2006 Honda motorcycle driven by 36-year-old Jody Meyer, 36, was&nbsp; northbound in the 1900 block of S. Ohio Street in Salina. A 33-year-old female passenger identified as his wife fell off the motorcycle just north of the Albert Avenue intersection. The woman received scrapes, but was not transported to the hospital.Officers working the incident discovered that Meyer had multiple active warrants from Salina Municipal Court. Police arrested Meyer on the warrants and the following requested charges that included no proof of insurance and driving with a suspended driver's license.

Wanted Kan. man jailed after motorcycle crash that injured his wife

KANSAS CITY—The suspect involved in the abduction of his young daughters after he allegedly committed a homicide on Sunday is in custody, according to Kanas City Police.&nbsp;

&nbsp;Jordan Owsley, 27,&nbsp; turned himself to authorities on Monday morning, according to Captain Leslie Foreman with the KCPD.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol identified Owsley as a suspect in a fatal shooting of 38-year-old Marvin Williams at the scene of the child abduction. Owsley then took his two daughters from the 1300 block of East 89th Street. That led authorities to issue the Sunday <a href="https://twitter.com/MSHPAlerts">evening&nbsp;Amber Alert</a>.

Authorities found the 7-year-old and 4-year-old safe at a relative’s house and also located the suspect vehicle, a white Kia Optima.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1661131710867.png" alt="Owsley-photo MSHP" />
 <figcaption>Owsley-photo MSHP</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY—The suspect involved in the abduction of his young daughters after he allegedly committed a homicide on Sunday is in custody, according to Kanas City Police.&nbsp;&nbsp;Jordan Owsley, 27,&nbsp; turned himself to authorities on Monday morning, according to Captain Leslie Foreman with the KCPD.The Missouri State Highway Patrol identified Owsley as a suspect in a fatal shooting of 38-year-old Marvin Williams at the scene of the child abduction. Owsley then took his two daughters from the 1300 block of East 89th Street. That led authorities to issue the Sunday <a href="https://twitter.com/MSHPAlerts">evening&nbsp;Amber Alert</a>.Authorities found the 7-year-old and 4-year-old safe at a relative’s house and also located the suspect vehicle, a white Kia Optima.Police released no additional details.

Suspect in Kansas City Amber Alert turns himself in

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — An anti-drug group on Monday announced support for a lawsuit to take a recreational marijuana legalization proposal off Missouri’s November ballot.

Jefferson City resident Joy Sweeney filed the lawsuit Friday with support from the national anti-drug group Protect Our Kids.

The suit alleged that marijuana supporters didn’t gather enough valid voter signatures to put the proposal to a vote. The lawsuit also claimed the ballot measure deals with too many policies in violation of the state constitution.

“We are proud to stand alongside Ms. Sweeney in her challenge to the scam that is this marijuana legalization referendum,” Protect Our Kids CEO Luke Niforatos said in a statement. “Not only does the language deceive voters about the harms of legalization, it is in violation of state law and the Missouri Constitution.”

Campaign manager John Payne said the campaign to legalize recreational marijuana “had the grassroots support necessary to collect the valid number of signatures required to reach the ballot” compared to dozens of other failed initiative petitions filed this election cycle.

“This lawsuit lacks merit and in less than three months Missouri will be the 20th state to regulate, tax and legalize cannabis,” Payne said in a statement.

Missouri’s secretary of state, the state's top election official, didn’t immediately respond to an Associated Press request for comment Monday.

Missouri's ballot proposal would allow those age 21 and older to buy and grow weed for personal consumption and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/crime-marijuana-recreational-constitutions-missouri-65e4a10bb7d99fdf9fca2ea57e07d0c1">automatically erase records</a>&nbsp;of some past marijuana-related crimes.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — An anti-drug group on Monday announced support for a lawsuit to take a recreational marijuana legalization proposal off Missouri’s November ballot.Jefferson City resident Joy Sweeney filed the lawsuit Friday with support from the national anti-drug group Protect Our Kids.The suit alleged that marijuana supporters didn’t gather enough valid voter signatures to put the proposal to a vote. The lawsuit also claimed the ballot measure deals with too many policies in violation of the state constitution.“We are proud to stand alongside Ms. Sweeney in her challenge to the scam that is this marijuana legalization referendum,” Protect Our Kids CEO Luke Niforatos said in a statement. “Not only does the language deceive voters about the harms of legalization, it is in violation of state law and the Missouri Constitution.”Campaign manager John Payne said the campaign to legalize recreational marijuana “had the grassroots support necessary to collect the valid number of signatures required to reach the ballot” compared to dozens of other failed initiative petitions filed this election cycle.“This lawsuit lacks merit and in less than three months Missouri will be the 20th state to regulate, tax and legalize cannabis,” Payne said in a statement.Missouri’s secretary of state, the state's top election official, didn’t immediately respond to an Associated Press request for comment Monday.Missouri's ballot proposal would allow those age 21 and older to buy and grow weed for personal consumption and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/crime-marijuana-recreational-constitutions-missouri-65e4a10bb7d99fdf9fca2ea57e07d0c1">automatically erase records</a>&nbsp;of some past marijuana-related crimes.

Lawsuit filed to knock recreational pot off Missouri ballot

By TIM CARPENTER <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/08/22/kansas-democrat-mark-holland-not-interested-in-being-footnote-to-history-in-u-s-senate-race/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA — Democrat Mark Holland 
said he wouldn’t be deterred by political math resulting in Republicans 
winning every Kansas election for U.S. Senate since 1939.

Holland, former mayor of the Unified Government of Wyandotte County 
and Kansas City, said a formula for success against Republican U.S. Sen.
 Jerry Moran was to prevail in 10 counties holding two-thirds of the 
state’s vote and by respecting interests of neglected rural voters.

His U.S. Senate campaign will take him to all 105 counties for 
face-to-face conversations with folks deciding Nov. 8 whether to end the
 longest GOP winning streak in the nation.

“We have a better message on public education. We have a better message on health care. We have a better message on wages. We need to get out and share our message,” Holland said on the Kansas Reflector podcast. “And,&nbsp;we need to spend the time listening to the real concerns of real people.”

Kansans interested in moderate representation in Washington, D.C., 
shouldn’t be bound to the legacy of Democrat George McGill, who was 
elected to fill the unexpired term of U.S. Sen. Charles Curtis in 1930 
and won a full term in 1932. He was the last Democrat from Kansas 
elected to the U.S. Senate.

Holland said reversing that trend required Democrats to resonate with
 voters in the state’s populous 10 counties and draw upon a reservoir of
 support in the others. A cadre of voters statewide, both urban and 
rural, feel abandoned by their representatives in Washington, he said.

“Everyone wants to win the big 10,” Holland said. “But we also have to respect the 95 counties that have a third of our votes. I get frustrated with Democrats nationally&nbsp;who complain about losing rural communities, complain about losing red states,&nbsp;and don’t spend a minute listening to people in these communities.”

Holland, 53,&nbsp; grew up in Topeka and Kansas City, Kansas. His father 
was a Methodist minister and his mother a public school teacher. He 
earned a philosophy degree at Southern Methodist University, a master’s 
degree in divinity at Iliff School of Theology in Denver and a doctorate
 of ministry at St. Paul School of Theology.

He served a congregation in Denver before serving churches in Elwood and Wathena in northeast Kansas.

“I was in two towns whose combined population was smaller than the high school I attended,” he said. “And one of the things I learned about that is we all want the same things. Right? We all want meaningful work. We all want opportunities for our kids. We all want to live in a community we’re proud of. I think Washington, D.C., could learn something that what holds us together is much greater than what pulls us apart.”

He was at Trinity Community Church in Kansas City, Kansas, from 1999 
to 2018. He co-founded Mainstream UMC to advocate for inclusion of 
LGBTQ+ people into the Methodist church in terms of marriage and 
ordination.

He serve six years on the city-county unified government before 
elected mayor and serving in that post from 2013 to 2017. He lost a 
campaign for reelection, but learned the necessity of striving to 
motivate low-propensity voters rather than concentrate on people most 
likely to cast ballots.

In 2021, Holland announced his campaign for the Democratic Party’s 
nomination for U.S. Senate. He prevailed in a six-candidate primary in 
August to earn the opportunity to challenge Moran, who was first elected
 to the U.S. Senate in 2010 and the U.S. House in 1997. In Moran’s two 
Senate campaigns, he won the 2010 general election with 70% of the vote 
and the 2016 race with 62% of the vote.

Holland said Washington was dominated by extremist Republicans who 
left moderates behind on issues of abortion, guns, economic policy and 
other issues.

“Kansas is a pretty moderate. Pretty low key plainspoken group as a whole,” Holland said. “We deserve someone who has the courage to stand up. Right now being a moderate takes courage, because the extremes want to pull you off.”

Holland is a proponent of expanding Medicaid coverage under the 
Affordable Care Act to lower-income Kansans because it would help 
families in urban and rural communities. He also supported federal 
legislation allowing Medicare negotiate to lower medication prices for 
the elderly, but couldn’t understand why federal lawmakers would oppose a
 price cap on the monthly cost of insulin to treat diabetes.

“We’re the only developed country in the world where families are worried about health care,” he said. “People are not able to take care of their families the way they need to because we’re not controlling costs. I will help control costs in D.C.”

Holland said U.S. senators from Kansas ought declare in clear 
language President Donald Trump lost the 2020 election to President Joe 
Biden. Holland said dozens of lawsuits were filed, but no clear evidence
 of election fraud has been uncovered.

“What we’re seeing right now is this long-play grief cycle that is born because the leaders in the Republican Party have refused to have the courage to look people in the eye and tell them the plain truth,” Holland said. “I’m just as plainspoken preacher, and I’m just going to tell people the truth. We need&nbsp;the courage to tell people the truth, even an unpopular truth or a truth they don’t want to hear.”

Moran has said Biden won the 2020 national election and it would be 
wrong for Congress to not certify the Electoral College vote. He 
denounced the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the Capitol, but opposed 
formation of an independent inquiry into violence precipitated by a 
rally led by Trump.

Holland said it was wrong for the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn Roe 
v. Wade and take away a woman’s constitutional right to abortion, even 
to save her own life or in the aftermath of a rape. It would be 
appropriate for Congress to embed in federal law a right to abortion, he
 said.

The overwhelming defeat in the Aug. 2 primary of a proposed amendment
 to the Kansas Constitution declaring no right to bodily autonomy, 
including abortion, was contained in the state’s Bill of Rights provided
 evidence of where the state’s voters stood on the issue. He noted 
Moran, who endorsed reversal of Roe v. Wade, donated $50,000 to 
organizations supporting passage of the Kansas abortion amendment.

“The idea that women don’t have the right to make their own decisions about their body is, again, that’s looking backwards to the 1950s,” Holland said. “The majority of people in Kansas came out in force and said, not only did&nbsp;they vote no, they voted hell no.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1661181414610.png" alt="Mark Holland, the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, participates in a Kansas Reflector podcast interview in Topeka about his campaign to unseat U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran, the Republican Party’s nominee. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>Mark Holland, the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, participates in a Kansas Reflector podcast interview in Topeka about his campaign to unseat U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran, the Republican Party’s nominee. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>By TIM CARPENTER <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/08/22/kansas-democrat-mark-holland-not-interested-in-being-footnote-to-history-in-u-s-senate-race/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — Democrat Mark Holland 
said he wouldn’t be deterred by political math resulting in Republicans 
winning every Kansas election for U.S. Senate since 1939.Holland, former mayor of the Unified Government of Wyandotte County 
and Kansas City, said a formula for success against Republican U.S. Sen.
 Jerry Moran was to prevail in 10 counties holding two-thirds of the 
state’s vote and by respecting interests of neglected rural voters.His U.S. Senate campaign will take him to all 105 counties for 
face-to-face conversations with folks deciding Nov. 8 whether to end the
 longest GOP winning streak in the nation.“We have a better message on public education. We have a better message on health care. We have a better message on wages. We need to get out and share our message,” Holland said on the Kansas Reflector podcast. “And,&nbsp;we need to spend the time listening to the real concerns of real people.”<div><iframe width="100%" height="300" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" allow="autoplay" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/1327319194&color=%232b7fb4&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true&visual=true"></iframe><div style="font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc;line-break: anywhere;word-break: normal;overflow: hidden;white-space: nowrap;text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 100;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/kansas-reflector-podcast" title="Reflector Podcast" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">Reflector Podcast</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/kansas-reflector-podcast/democrat-mark-holland-campaigns-for-us-senate-seat" title="Democrat Mark Holland on why he wants to be a U.S. senator" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">Democrat Mark Holland on why he wants to be a U.S. senator</a></div></div>Kansans interested in moderate representation in Washington, D.C., 
shouldn’t be bound to the legacy of Democrat George McGill, who was 
elected to fill the unexpired term of U.S. Sen. Charles Curtis in 1930 
and won a full term in 1932. He was the last Democrat from Kansas 
elected to the U.S. Senate.Holland said reversing that trend required Democrats to resonate with
 voters in the state’s populous 10 counties and draw upon a reservoir of
 support in the others. A cadre of voters statewide, both urban and 
rural, feel abandoned by their representatives in Washington, he said.“Everyone wants to win the big 10,” Holland said. “But we also have to respect the 95 counties that have a third of our votes. I get frustrated with Democrats nationally&nbsp;who complain about losing rural communities, complain about losing red states,&nbsp;and don’t spend a minute listening to people in these communities.”<h2>‘Courage to stand up’</h2>Holland, 53,&nbsp; grew up in Topeka and Kansas City, Kansas. His father 
was a Methodist minister and his mother a public school teacher. He 
earned a philosophy degree at Southern Methodist University, a master’s 
degree in divinity at Iliff School of Theology in Denver and a doctorate
 of ministry at St. Paul School of Theology.He served a congregation in Denver before serving churches in Elwood and Wathena in northeast Kansas.“I was in two towns whose combined population was smaller than the high school I attended,” he said. “And one of the things I learned about that is we all want the same things. Right? We all want meaningful work. We all want opportunities for our kids. We all want to live in a community we’re proud of. I think Washington, D.C., could learn something that what holds us together is much greater than what pulls us apart.”He was at Trinity Community Church in Kansas City, Kansas, from 1999 
to 2018. He co-founded Mainstream UMC to advocate for inclusion of 
LGBTQ+ people into the Methodist church in terms of marriage and 
ordination.He serve six years on the city-county unified government before 
elected mayor and serving in that post from 2013 to 2017. He lost a 
campaign for reelection, but learned the necessity of striving to 
motivate low-propensity voters rather than concentrate on people most 
likely to cast ballots.In 2021, Holland announced his campaign for the Democratic Party’s 
nomination for U.S. Senate. He prevailed in a six-candidate primary in 
August to earn the opportunity to challenge Moran, who was first elected
 to the U.S. Senate in 2010 and the U.S. House in 1997. In Moran’s two 
Senate campaigns, he won the 2010 general election with 70% of the vote 
and the 2016 race with 62% of the vote.Holland said Washington was dominated by extremist Republicans who 
left moderates behind on issues of abortion, guns, economic policy and 
other issues.“Kansas is a pretty moderate. Pretty low key plainspoken group as a whole,” Holland said. “We deserve someone who has the courage to stand up. Right now being a moderate takes courage, because the extremes want to pull you off.”<h2>Plainspoken preacher</h2>Holland is a proponent of expanding Medicaid coverage under the 
Affordable Care Act to lower-income Kansans because it would help 
families in urban and rural communities. He also supported federal 
legislation allowing Medicare negotiate to lower medication prices for 
the elderly, but couldn’t understand why federal lawmakers would oppose a
 price cap on the monthly cost of insulin to treat diabetes.“We’re the only developed country in the world where families are worried about health care,” he said. “People are not able to take care of their families the way they need to because we’re not controlling costs. I will help control costs in D.C.”Holland said U.S. senators from Kansas ought declare in clear 
language President Donald Trump lost the 2020 election to President Joe 
Biden. Holland said dozens of lawsuits were filed, but no clear evidence
 of election fraud has been uncovered.“What we’re seeing right now is this long-play grief cycle that is born because the leaders in the Republican Party have refused to have the courage to look people in the eye and tell them the plain truth,” Holland said. “I’m just as plainspoken preacher, and I’m just going to tell people the truth. We need&nbsp;the courage to tell people the truth, even an unpopular truth or a truth they don’t want to hear.”Moran has said Biden won the 2020 national election and it would be 
wrong for Congress to not certify the Electoral College vote. He 
denounced the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the Capitol, but opposed 
formation of an independent inquiry into violence precipitated by a 
rally led by Trump.Holland said it was wrong for the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn Roe 
v. Wade and take away a woman’s constitutional right to abortion, even 
to save her own life or in the aftermath of a rape. It would be 
appropriate for Congress to embed in federal law a right to abortion, he
 said.The overwhelming defeat in the Aug. 2 primary of a proposed amendment
 to the Kansas Constitution declaring no right to bodily autonomy, 
including abortion, was contained in the state’s Bill of Rights provided
 evidence of where the state’s voters stood on the issue. He noted 
Moran, who endorsed reversal of Roe v. Wade, donated $50,000 to 
organizations supporting passage of the Kansas abortion amendment.“The idea that women don’t have the right to make their own decisions about their body is, again, that’s looking backwards to the 1950s,” Holland said. “The majority of people in Kansas came out in force and said, not only did&nbsp;they vote no, they voted hell no.”

Kan. Democrat not interested in being footnote to history in Senate race

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Abortion opponents and abortion rights advocates together spent more than $22 million on a ballot question this month in Kansas, and famed film director and producer Steven Spielberg contributed to the successful effort to affirm abortion rights.

Finance reports filed by 40 groups and individuals with the state as of this week showed that abortion rights supporters spent $11.3 million on their campaign to defeat a proposed amendment to the Kansas Constitution to allow the Republican-controlled Legislature to further restrict or ban abortion. Abortion opponents who pushed the measure spent nearly $11.1 million.

In Kansas' vote Aug. 2,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-primary-elections-kansas-abortion-b6d62a852c2ce4617f2c03589fbb523e">the abortion rights side prevailed</a>&nbsp;by 18 percentage points or 165,000 votes. It was the first state referendum on abortion after the U.S. Supreme Court&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-supreme-court-decision-854f60302f21c2c35129e58cf8d8a7b0">overturned Roe v. Wade.</a>

“What it did was give huge fuel to the ”no" campaign because we didn’t any longer have to say to people, ‘This could happen or this might be what the Legislature will do,’ or any other hypothetical," said former two-term Democratic Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, also a former U.S. health and human services secretary. “They could watch in real time as Missouri shut down abortion.”

Two Republican activists have forced a hand recount of the Aug. 2 vote in nine counties accounting for 59% of the ballots cast, but&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/voting-rights-abortion-2022-midterm-elections-health-election-recounts-0baf939e0a2d461e919ddac8579a9ec5">it won't change the result.</a>&nbsp;They have questioned the conduct of the election without providing evidence of problems.

Other Kansas abortion opponents argue that their cause was defeated mainly by out-of-state donors and groups with ties to abortion providers. Their proposed amendment would have overturned a 2019 Kansas Supreme Court decision protecting abortion rights.

“The no campaign’s most recent campaign finance report is a who’s who of out-of-state, liberal elites and shows the lengths they were willing to go in order to keep Kansas a ‘haven’ for extreme practices," said Danielle Underwood, spokesperson for Kansans for Life, the state's most politically influential anti-abortion group.

Spielberg, the Oscar-winning director of films such as “Jaws,” “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” “Saving Private Ryan” and “Jurassic Park,” contributed $25,000 to the main group opposing the proposed amendment. His wife, actress Kate Capshaw, contributed an additional $25,000.

While notable, Spielberg and Capshaw's donations were far from the largest to the “vote no” campaign. Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who ran for president in 2020, contributed $1.25 million, and the Sixteen Thirty Fund, which finances liberal causes, contributed nearly $1.5 million.

In addition, Planned Parenthood affiliates and other abortion rights groups contributed almost $2.3 million to the main vote no coalition. But more than 30 other groups and individuals reported raising funds for their own efforts to defeat the proposed amendment.

On the anti-abortion side, Roman Catholic dioceses and the Kansas Catholic Conference contributed more than $4.3 million to the main coalition pushing the proposed amendment.

Kansans for Life not only spent $1.6 million on its own pro-amendment efforts but it contributed more than $1.1 million to the main “vote yes” group.

In addition, Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life has said it spent $1.4 million on bringing a team of 300 college students from across the U.S. to Kansas to canvass in favor of the proposed amendment.

The activists seeking the recount also must file finance reports, Mark Skoglund, the executive director of the Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission said this week. But one of them, Mark Gietzen, disputed that in a text to The Associated Press, saying, “we are working on Election Integrity,” not promoting the ballot initiative.

Seven of the nine counties recounting ballots were wrapped up or expected to wrap up by Friday. Only the two most populous counties — Johnson in the Kansas City area and Sedgwick, home to Wichita — expected to continue counting Saturday.

So far, the totals are mostly the same, with no more than four votes changing. Officials said the changes are a mix of human error and how voters marked their mail-in ballots. In one case, a voter put a check mark in the oval that wasn’t picked up by the scanning machine.

By JOHN HANNA and HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTHTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Abortion opponents and abortion rights advocates together spent more than $22 million on a ballot question this month in Kansas, and famed film director and producer Steven Spielberg contributed to the successful effort to affirm abortion rights.Finance reports filed by 40 groups and individuals with the state as of this week showed that abortion rights supporters spent $11.3 million on their campaign to defeat a proposed amendment to the Kansas Constitution to allow the Republican-controlled Legislature to further restrict or ban abortion. Abortion opponents who pushed the measure spent nearly $11.1 million.In Kansas' vote Aug. 2,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-primary-elections-kansas-abortion-b6d62a852c2ce4617f2c03589fbb523e">the abortion rights side prevailed</a>&nbsp;by 18 percentage points or 165,000 votes. It was the first state referendum on abortion after the U.S. Supreme Court&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-supreme-court-decision-854f60302f21c2c35129e58cf8d8a7b0">overturned Roe v. Wade.</a>“What it did was give huge fuel to the ”no" campaign because we didn’t any longer have to say to people, ‘This could happen or this might be what the Legislature will do,’ or any other hypothetical," said former two-term Democratic Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, also a former U.S. health and human services secretary. “They could watch in real time as Missouri shut down abortion.”Two Republican activists have forced a hand recount of the Aug. 2 vote in nine counties accounting for 59% of the ballots cast, but&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/voting-rights-abortion-2022-midterm-elections-health-election-recounts-0baf939e0a2d461e919ddac8579a9ec5">it won't change the result.</a>&nbsp;They have questioned the conduct of the election without providing evidence of problems.Other Kansas abortion opponents argue that their cause was defeated mainly by out-of-state donors and groups with ties to abortion providers. Their proposed amendment would have overturned a 2019 Kansas Supreme Court decision protecting abortion rights.“The no campaign’s most recent campaign finance report is a who’s who of out-of-state, liberal elites and shows the lengths they were willing to go in order to keep Kansas a ‘haven’ for extreme practices," said Danielle Underwood, spokesperson for Kansans for Life, the state's most politically influential anti-abortion group.Spielberg, the Oscar-winning director of films such as “Jaws,” “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” “Saving Private Ryan” and “Jurassic Park,” contributed $25,000 to the main group opposing the proposed amendment. His wife, actress Kate Capshaw, contributed an additional $25,000.While notable, Spielberg and Capshaw's donations were far from the largest to the “vote no” campaign. Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who ran for president in 2020, contributed $1.25 million, and the Sixteen Thirty Fund, which finances liberal causes, contributed nearly $1.5 million.In addition, Planned Parenthood affiliates and other abortion rights groups contributed almost $2.3 million to the main vote no coalition. But more than 30 other groups and individuals reported raising funds for their own efforts to defeat the proposed amendment.On the anti-abortion side, Roman Catholic dioceses and the Kansas Catholic Conference contributed more than $4.3 million to the main coalition pushing the proposed amendment.Kansans for Life not only spent $1.6 million on its own pro-amendment efforts but it contributed more than $1.1 million to the main “vote yes” group.In addition, Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life has said it spent $1.4 million on bringing a team of 300 college students from across the U.S. to Kansas to canvass in favor of the proposed amendment.The activists seeking the recount also must file finance reports, Mark Skoglund, the executive director of the Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission said this week. But one of them, Mark Gietzen, disputed that in a text to The Associated Press, saying, “we are working on Election Integrity,” not promoting the ballot initiative.Seven of the nine counties recounting ballots were wrapped up or expected to wrap up by Friday. Only the two most populous counties — Johnson in the Kansas City area and Sedgwick, home to Wichita — expected to continue counting Saturday.So far, the totals are mostly the same, with no more than four votes changing. Officials said the changes are a mix of human error and how voters marked their mail-in ballots. In one case, a voter put a check mark in the oval that wasn’t picked up by the scanning machine.

Film director Spielberg among donors in Kan. campaign on abortion

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (AP) — A former elder in a Kansas City church was convicted Friday of killing his wife four years ago.

Robert Lee Harris was found guilty of first-degree murder in the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/bc71a57dddf742488a077250b9b32527">death of 38-year-old Tanisha Harris</a>&nbsp;at the couple’s home in Overland Park, Kansas.

The couple was active in Repairers Kansas City, a nondenominational church. where Tanisha Harris was an associate pastor.

Police went to the couple's apartment in Overland Park on Jan. 8, 2018, to investigate a report of a domestic disturbance.

Officers found Robert Harris alone in the apartment and left. They returned when he reported his wife missing. Her body was found later near Raymore, Missouri.

The couple had been married 18 months when Tanisha Harris was killed. Harris will be sentenced Nov. 3.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1660992815841.png" alt="Harris-photo Johnson Co." />
 <figcaption>Harris-photo Johnson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (AP) — A former elder in a Kansas City church was convicted Friday of killing his wife four years ago.Robert Lee Harris was found guilty of first-degree murder in the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/bc71a57dddf742488a077250b9b32527">death of 38-year-old Tanisha Harris</a>&nbsp;at the couple’s home in Overland Park, Kansas.The couple was active in Repairers Kansas City, a nondenominational church. where Tanisha Harris was an associate pastor.Police went to the couple's apartment in Overland Park on Jan. 8, 2018, to investigate a report of a domestic disturbance.Officers found Robert Harris alone in the apartment and left. They returned when he reported his wife missing. Her body was found later near Raymore, Missouri.The couple had been married 18 months when Tanisha Harris was killed. Harris will be sentenced Nov. 3.

Former Kansas City church elder convicted in wife's killing

WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a>Dr. Anthony Fauci,</a>&nbsp;the nation's top infectious disease expert who became a household name — and the subject of partisan attacks — during the COVID-19 pandemic, announced Monday he will depart the federal government in December after more than five decades of service.

In July, Fauci said he would retire by the end of President Joe Biden's term in January 2025.

Fauci, who serves as President Joe Biden's chief medical adviser, has been the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and chief of the NIAID Laboratory of Immunoregulation. He was a leader in the federal response to HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases even before the coronavirus hit.

<a href="https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/statement-anthony-s-fauci-md">Click here to read Dr. Fauci's statement</a>&nbsp;on his future plans.

“I will be leaving these positions in December of this year to pursue the next chapter of my career,” Fauci said in a statement, calling those roles “the honor of a lifetime.”

Fauci became the face of the government response to COVID-19 as it hit in early 2020, with frequent appearances on television news and at daily press conferences with White House officials, including then-President Donald Trump. But as the pandemic deepened,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/virus-outbreak-donald-trump-us-news-ap-top-news-elections-79033c675f5ab6a3bf83443100392a0b">Fauci fell out of favor with Trump</a>&nbsp;and his officials when his urgings of continued public caution clashed with the former president's desire to return to normalcy and to promote unproven therapies for the virus.

Fauci found himself marginalized by the Trump administration, increasingly kept out of major decisions about the federal response, but he continued to speak out publicly in media interviews, advocating social distancing and face coverings in public settings before the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccines.

He was also the subject of political attacks and death threats and was granted a security detail for his protection.

When Biden won the White House, he asked Fauci to stay on in his administration in an elevated capacity. The president praised Fauci in a statement, saying, “Whether you’ve met him personally or not, he has touched all Americans’ lives with his work. I extend my deepest thanks for his public service. The United States of America is stronger, more resilient, and healthier because of him.”

Fauci said despite retiring from federal service he planned to continue working. “I want to use what I have learned as NIAID Director to continue to advance science and public health and to inspire and mentor the next generation of scientific leaders as they help prepare the world to face future infectious disease threats,” he said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/1/1642525933058.png" alt="In January, Fauci angrily accused Kansas Senator Roger Marshall of making false accusations that are leading to threats against him -- all to raise political cash.&nbsp; Marshall's campaign is&nbsp;<a href="https://store.kansansformarshall.com/storefront/moron-white-t-shirt/details/">selling t-shirts over</a>&nbsp;the heated exchange during the Senate hearing." />
 <figcaption>In January, Fauci angrily accused Kansas Senator Roger Marshall of making false accusations that are leading to threats against him -- all to raise political cash.&nbsp; Marshall's campaign is&nbsp;<a href="https://store.kansansformarshall.com/storefront/moron-white-t-shirt/details/">selling t-shirts over</a>&nbsp;the heated exchange during the Senate hearing.</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a>Dr. Anthony Fauci,</a>&nbsp;the nation's top infectious disease expert who became a household name — and the subject of partisan attacks — during the COVID-19 pandemic, announced Monday he will depart the federal government in December after more than five decades of service. In July, Fauci said he would retire by the end of President Joe Biden's term in January 2025.<div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gB4Q4tCBsh4?start=75" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>Fauci, who serves as President Joe Biden's chief medical adviser, has been the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and chief of the NIAID Laboratory of Immunoregulation. He was a leader in the federal response to HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases even before the coronavirus hit.<a href="https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/statement-anthony-s-fauci-md">Click here to read Dr. Fauci's statement</a>&nbsp;on his future plans.“I will be leaving these positions in December of this year to pursue the next chapter of my career,” Fauci said in a statement, calling those roles “the honor of a lifetime.”Fauci became the face of the government response to COVID-19 as it hit in early 2020, with frequent appearances on television news and at daily press conferences with White House officials, including then-President Donald Trump. But as the pandemic deepened,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/virus-outbreak-donald-trump-us-news-ap-top-news-elections-79033c675f5ab6a3bf83443100392a0b">Fauci fell out of favor with Trump</a>&nbsp;and his officials when his urgings of continued public caution clashed with the former president's desire to return to normalcy and to promote unproven therapies for the virus.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1659618992384.png" alt="Earlier this month, Senator Marshall spoke of&nbsp; Dr. Anthony Fauci’s efforts to push Gain of Function research out of the United States and into China through EcoHealth Alliance.&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>Earlier this month, Senator Marshall spoke of&nbsp; Dr. Anthony Fauci’s efforts to push Gain of Function research out of the United States and into China through EcoHealth Alliance.&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure><div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wgM9CrFr8g0" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>Fauci found himself marginalized by the Trump administration, increasingly kept out of major decisions about the federal response, but he continued to speak out publicly in media interviews, advocating social distancing and face coverings in public settings before the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccines.He was also the subject of political attacks and death threats and was granted a security detail for his protection.When Biden won the White House, he asked Fauci to stay on in his administration in an elevated capacity. The president praised Fauci in a statement, saying, “Whether you’ve met him personally or not, he has touched all Americans’ lives with his work. I extend my deepest thanks for his public service. The United States of America is stronger, more resilient, and healthier because of him.”Fauci said despite retiring from federal service he planned to continue working. “I want to use what I have learned as NIAID Director to continue to advance science and public health and to inspire and mentor the next generation of scientific leaders as they help prepare the world to face future infectious disease threats,” he said.

🎥 Fauci will leave White House role in December

KINGMAN COUNTY — One person died in an accident just before 1 a.m. Monday in Kingman County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2019 Peterbilt semi driven by Marcus W. Craven, 72, Pueblo, Colorado, was eastbound on U.S. 54 two miles west of Kingman.

The semi&nbsp; crossed the center line and struck a westbound 2023 Freightliner semi driven by&nbsp; Johnnie Randall Jones, 61, Greenbrier, Arkansas, head-on.

Craven was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported to Livingston Funeral Home. EMS transported Jones to a Wichita hospital.&nbsp; Both drivers were properly restrained, according to the KHP.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1661187688536.png" alt="Fatal crash investigation early Monday -photo courtesy KWCH" />
 <figcaption>Fatal crash investigation early Monday -photo courtesy KWCH</figcaption>
 </figure>KINGMAN COUNTY — One person died in an accident just before 1 a.m. Monday in Kingman County.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2019 Peterbilt semi driven by Marcus W. Craven, 72, Pueblo, Colorado, was eastbound on U.S. 54 two miles west of Kingman.The semi&nbsp; crossed the center line and struck a westbound 2023 Freightliner semi driven by&nbsp; Johnnie Randall Jones, 61, Greenbrier, Arkansas, head-on.Craven was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported to Livingston Funeral Home. EMS transported Jones to a Wichita hospital.&nbsp; Both drivers were properly restrained, according to the KHP.

Driver dead after semi trucks involved in Kan. head-on crash

NEW YORK (AP) — Walmart, the nation’s largest employer, is expanding its abortion coverage for employees after staying largely mum on the issue following the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-supreme-court-decision-854f60302f21c2c35129e58cf8d8a7b0">Supreme Court ruling</a>&nbsp;that scrapped a nationwide right to abortion.

In a memo sent to employees on Friday, the company said its health care plans will now cover abortion for employees “when there is a health risk to the mother, rape or incest, ectopic pregnancy, miscarriage or lack of fetal viability.”

Previously, the company’s benefits plan had covered abortion only in cases “when the health of the mother would be in danger if the fetus were carried to term, the fetus could not survive the birthing process, or death would be imminent after birth,” according to a copy of the policy viewed by The Associated Press but not confirmed by Walmart.

Donna Morris, the retailer’s chief people officer, said in the memo to staff that the new policy will also offer “travel support” for workers seeking abortions covered under its health care plans — as well as their dependents — so they can access services that are not available within 100 miles of their locations.

Walmart employs nearly 1.6 million people in the U.S. In Arkansas, where the company is based, abortion is banned under all circumstances unless the procedure is needed to protect the life of the mother in a medical emergency. There are no exceptions for rape or incest. That means under the revised policy, Walmart employees can travel out of the state — or any other state that bans abortion for rape and incest — to obtain the procedure through the retailer's health plans.

Several companies — including Meta, American Express and Bank of America — have said they will&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/company-stances-abortion-c70835ae2eedc71c36078ccaa81437b7">cover travel costs</a>&nbsp;for their employees in the aftermath of the high court ruling that tossed out Roe v. Wade, including elective abortions. But a Walmart spokesperson did not immediately reply for a request for comment on whether any of the company’s revised policy will cover elective abortions as well.

“It’s a step in the right direction, but it’s simply not far enough for a company that employs that many women,” said Bianca Agustin, director of corporate accountability program for United for Respect, a group that advocates for Walmart workers. She said the organization will be incorporating “safe abortions” for employees in their list of demands pressing the company for better pay and benefits.

Meanwhile, many other corporations, and organizations that represent some of the nation’s most powerful companies,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/voting-rights-abortion-us-supreme-court-health-business-52cbf7dd6ec4391c8e3be766bc7c6f66">have continued to stay quiet</a>&nbsp;on the issue.

The careful expansion of Walmart’s abortion policy shows it is attempting to balance different pressures and opinions from employees, investors and other stakeholders, said Vanessa Burbano, a professor at Columbia University’s business school who researchers how companies take social stances.

“It’s much trickier than a lot of people initially think it is,” Burbano said. “It’s not like all of their stakeholders are of the same opinion on any of these issues, which is what makes it so challenging. They’re trying to figure out how to thread that needle.”

In the memo sent Friday, the company said it will also launch a center that provides fertility services to employees, such as in vitro fertilization. Additionally, it vowed to add surrogacy support and increase its financial aid for adoptions from $5,000 to $20,000. In June, Walmart said it would expand its&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-louisiana-indiana-race-and-ethnicity-4d31b165d3c7235f41894633f9249e1e">offering of doulas —</a>&nbsp;or people who assist women during pregnancies — to address racial disparities in maternal care.

NEW YORK (AP) — Walmart, the nation’s largest employer, is expanding its abortion coverage for employees after staying largely mum on the issue following the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-supreme-court-decision-854f60302f21c2c35129e58cf8d8a7b0">Supreme Court ruling</a>&nbsp;that scrapped a nationwide right to abortion.In a memo sent to employees on Friday, the company said its health care plans will now cover abortion for employees “when there is a health risk to the mother, rape or incest, ectopic pregnancy, miscarriage or lack of fetal viability.”Previously, the company’s benefits plan had covered abortion only in cases “when the health of the mother would be in danger if the fetus were carried to term, the fetus could not survive the birthing process, or death would be imminent after birth,” according to a copy of the policy viewed by The Associated Press but not confirmed by Walmart.Donna Morris, the retailer’s chief people officer, said in the memo to staff that the new policy will also offer “travel support” for workers seeking abortions covered under its health care plans — as well as their dependents — so they can access services that are not available within 100 miles of their locations.Walmart employs nearly 1.6 million people in the U.S. In Arkansas, where the company is based, abortion is banned under all circumstances unless the procedure is needed to protect the life of the mother in a medical emergency. There are no exceptions for rape or incest. That means under the revised policy, Walmart employees can travel out of the state — or any other state that bans abortion for rape and incest — to obtain the procedure through the retailer's health plans.Several companies — including Meta, American Express and Bank of America — have said they will&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/company-stances-abortion-c70835ae2eedc71c36078ccaa81437b7">cover travel costs</a>&nbsp;for their employees in the aftermath of the high court ruling that tossed out Roe v. Wade, including elective abortions. But a Walmart spokesperson did not immediately reply for a request for comment on whether any of the company’s revised policy will cover elective abortions as well.“It’s a step in the right direction, but it’s simply not far enough for a company that employs that many women,” said Bianca Agustin, director of corporate accountability program for United for Respect, a group that advocates for Walmart workers. She said the organization will be incorporating “safe abortions” for employees in their list of demands pressing the company for better pay and benefits.Meanwhile, many other corporations, and organizations that represent some of the nation’s most powerful companies,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/voting-rights-abortion-us-supreme-court-health-business-52cbf7dd6ec4391c8e3be766bc7c6f66">have continued to stay quiet</a>&nbsp;on the issue.The careful expansion of Walmart’s abortion policy shows it is attempting to balance different pressures and opinions from employees, investors and other stakeholders, said Vanessa Burbano, a professor at Columbia University’s business school who researchers how companies take social stances.“It’s much trickier than a lot of people initially think it is,” Burbano said. “It’s not like all of their stakeholders are of the same opinion on any of these issues, which is what makes it so challenging. They’re trying to figure out how to thread that needle.”In the memo sent Friday, the company said it will also launch a center that provides fertility services to employees, such as in vitro fertilization. Additionally, it vowed to add surrogacy support and increase its financial aid for adoptions from $5,000 to $20,000. In June, Walmart said it would expand its&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-louisiana-indiana-race-and-ethnicity-4d31b165d3c7235f41894633f9249e1e">offering of doulas —</a>&nbsp;or people who assist women during pregnancies — to address racial disparities in maternal care.

Walmart expands abortion coverage for employees

SEDGWICK COUNTY —A federal grand jury in Wichita returned an indictment charging two Kansas men with engaging in an alleged healthcare fraud scheme which resulted more than $3.7 million in payments from Medicare and Tricare over a three-year period, according to the United State's Attorney.

Between 2017 and 2019, Bradley Eck, 54, and Todd Eck, 58, both of Wichita are accused of allegedly creating several businesses and misrepresenting the ownership of the enterprises in documents, submitting false billing for medical services not administered to patients, using a physician’s provider number without his authorization, and falsifying the physician’s electronic signature indicating on documents that he performed medical procedures he did not.

The Eck brothers are charged with: One count of conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud; Two counts of false statements related to healthcare matters;&nbsp;One count of healthcare fraud; Three counts of aggravated identity theft; Two counts of money laundering; and&nbsp;&nbsp;One count of money laundering conspiracy.

SEDGWICK COUNTY —A federal grand jury in Wichita returned an indictment charging two Kansas men with engaging in an alleged healthcare fraud scheme which resulted more than $3.7 million in payments from Medicare and Tricare over a three-year period, according to the United State's Attorney.Between 2017 and 2019, Bradley Eck, 54, and Todd Eck, 58, both of Wichita are accused of allegedly creating several businesses and misrepresenting the ownership of the enterprises in documents, submitting false billing for medical services not administered to patients, using a physician’s provider number without his authorization, and falsifying the physician’s electronic signature indicating on documents that he performed medical procedures he did not.The Eck brothers are charged with: One count of conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud; Two counts of false statements related to healthcare matters;&nbsp;One count of healthcare fraud; Three counts of aggravated identity theft; Two counts of money laundering; and&nbsp;&nbsp;One count of money laundering conspiracy.

Kan. brothers accused $3.7M healthcare fraud scheme

MISSION, Kan. (AP) — Melissa Lee comforted her son and daughter after a student&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-shootings-kansas-af49bdbb75fa7df79770b541bfd02b9b">opened fire</a>&nbsp;in their suburban Kansas City high school, wounding an administrator and a police officer stationed there.

Then weeks later, she wept for the parents in Uvalde, Texas, who were forced to bury their children after the massacre there in May. She said she was “absolutely” reassured when she learned her district had since purchased one of the panic-alert systems gaining traction nationwide amid a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/covid-health-san-francisco-mental-459a57d7c8f69d25f0c36780d41a65a7">surge in school violence</a>&nbsp;that includes shootings and fights. The technology, featuring wearable panic buttons or mobile phone apps, enables teachers to notify each other and police in the event of an emergency.

“Time is of the essence,” said Lee, whose son helped barricade a classroom door and watched police enter his school with guns drawn. “They can hit a button and, OK, we know something’s wrong, you know, really wrong. And then it puts everybody else on high alert.”

Multiple states now mandate or encourage the buttons, and a growing number of districts are shelling out tens of thousands of dollars per school for them — part of a widespread scramble to beef up school security and prevent the next tragedy. The spending spree includes metal detectors, security cameras, vehicle barriers, alarm systems, clear backpacks, bullet-resistant glass and door-locking systems.

Critics say school officials are scrambling to show action — any action — to worried parents&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/back-to-school">ahead of the new school year,</a>&nbsp;but in their haste may be emphasizing the wrong things. It's “security theater," said Ken Trump, president of the National School Safety and Security Services. Instead, he said, schools should focus on making sure teachers are implementing basic safety protocols such as ensuring doors aren't propped open.

The attack in Uvalde illustrated the shortcomings of panic-alert systems. Robb Elementary School had implemented an alert app, and when an attacker approached the school, a school employee did send a lockdown alert. But&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/shootings-texas-education-violence-469144ec9cee9cb33f0860f7445d8591">not all teachers received it</a>&nbsp;because of poor Wi-Fi or phones that were turned off or in a drawer, according to an investigation by the Texas Legislature. And those who did may not have taken it seriously, the Legislature's report said: The school sent out frequent alerts related to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mexico-shootings-texas-immigration-578cd4c9577174282fb947a391471475">Border Patrol car chases</a>&nbsp;in the area.

“People want visible, tangible things,” Trump said. “It’s a lot harder to point to the value of training your staff. Those are intangibles. Those are things that are less visible and invisible, but they’re most effective.”

In suburban Kansas City, the decision to spend $2.1 million over five years for a system called CrisisAlert “isn’t a knee-jerk reaction," said Brent Kiger, Olathe Public Schools' director of safety services. He said he had been eying the system even before gunfire erupted in an Olathe high school in March as staff confronted an 18-year-old over rumors that he had a gun in his backpack.

“It helped us kind of evaluate it and look at it through a lens of: ‘We’ve been through this critical incident, and how would it have helped us?' And it would have helped us that day," he said. "There’s just no question about that.”

The system, a different one than what Uvalde relied on, allows staff to trigger a lockdown that will be announced with flashing strobe lights, a takeover of staff computers and a prerecorded intercom announcement. Teachers can set off the alarms by pushing a button on a wearable badge at least eight times. Staff also can summon help to break up a hallway fight or to deal with a medical emergency if they push the button three times.

Demand for CrisisAlert had been growing even before Uvalde, with revenue from new contracts increasing 270% from the first quarter of 2021 to the first quarter of 2022, the product’s maker, Centegix, said in a statement.

Arkansas was an early adopter of panic buttons, announcing in 2015 that more than 1,000 schools would be equipped with a smartphone app that connects users quickly with 911. At the time, education officials said the plan was the most comprehensive in the nation.

But the idea really gained steam after the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

Lori Alhadeff, whose 14-year-old daughter, Alyssa, was among the 17 killed, founded the group Make Our Schools Safe and began advocating for panic buttons. She had texted her daughter as shots rang out that help was on the way.

“But in reality, there was no panic button. There was no immediate way to contact law enforcement or emergency services to get on site as soon as possible,” said Lori Kitaygorodsky, the group’s spokeswoman. “We always kind of go by the thinking that time equals life.”

Lawmakers in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ron-desantis-school-shootings-fl-state-wire-florida-laws-24e93391693326f7123a5fbc1e653ee8">Florida</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/4de21d78bb5d44c78a15d05fe7484edc">New Jersey</a>&nbsp;responded by passing Alyssa’s Law, requiring schools to begin using panic alarms. District of Columbia schools also added panic-button technology.

Following Uvalde, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signed a new bill into law that requires school districts to consider installing silent panic alarms. And Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt issued an executive order, calling on all schools to implement panic buttons if not already in use. The state previously provided money for schools to subscribe to an app.

Over the years, legislation also has been introduced in Nebraska, Texas, Arizona and Virginia, according to Make Our Schools Safe.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-las-vegas-mental-education-violence-18432d6395e67e952222da5b9894d5bb">Las Vegas schools</a>&nbsp;also decided to add panic buttons this year to deal with a wave of violence. Data show the district recorded 2,377 assaults and batteries from August 2021 through the end of May, including an after-school attack that left a teacher injured and unconscious in her classroom. Other districts adding panic buttons for back-to-school include Madison County Schools in North Carolina,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-north-carolina-f2b8b83af7165cc9b20846a0500bda19">which also are putting AR-15 rifles in every school</a><a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-north-carolina-f2b8b83af7165cc9b20846a0500bda19">,</a>&nbsp;and the Houston County School District in Georgia.

Walter Stephens, the executive director of school operations in the 30,000-student Houston County district, said the district piloted the panic button technology last year in three schools before signing a $1.7 million, five-year contract to make it available in all its buildings.

Like most schools, the district reassessed its safety protocols after the tragedy in Uvalde. But the Texas shooting didn't provide the impetus to add the panic buttons, Stephens insisted. If students don't feel safe, he said, “that translates to them not performing well in our schools.”

Whether the buttons deliver as promised is something experts are monitoring. In places like Florida, a panic button app has proven&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fort-lauderdale-florida-parkland-florida-school-shooting-legislature-shootings-fef83c930f7995ef4fdf989e35802a69">unpopular with teachers</a>. And what happens, asked Mo Canady, executive director of the National Association of School Resource Officers, in the case of a false alarm, or a student using a panic-button to cause mayhem?

“In throwing so much technology at the problem ... we may have unintentionally created a false sense of security,” Canady said.

Kansas state Sen. Cindy Holscher represents an area that includes part of the Olathe district, and her 15-year-old son knew the Olathe East shooter. While Holscher, a Democrat, supports the addition of panic buttons in the district, she said schools alone can't fix the country's mass shooting problem.

“If we make it way too easy for people to get their hands on guns, it’s still a problem,” said Holscher, who has championed a red-flag law and another measure that would have mandated safe firearm storage. She said neither measure even got a hearing in the GOP-dominated Legislature.

“We have got to get to the heart of the issue at some point.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/5/1653505281036.png" alt="Critics say school officials are scrambling to show action — any action — to worried parents&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/back-to-school">ahead of the new school year,</a>&nbsp;but in their haste may be emphasizing the wrong things-photo courtesy KSAT-TV" />
 <figcaption>Critics say school officials are scrambling to show action — any action — to worried parents&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/back-to-school">ahead of the new school year,</a>&nbsp;but in their haste may be emphasizing the wrong things-photo courtesy KSAT-TV</figcaption>
 </figure>MISSION, Kan. (AP) — Melissa Lee comforted her son and daughter after a student&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-shootings-kansas-af49bdbb75fa7df79770b541bfd02b9b">opened fire</a>&nbsp;in their suburban Kansas City high school, wounding an administrator and a police officer stationed there.Then weeks later, she wept for the parents in Uvalde, Texas, who were forced to bury their children after the massacre there in May. She said she was “absolutely” reassured when she learned her district had since purchased one of the panic-alert systems gaining traction nationwide amid a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/covid-health-san-francisco-mental-459a57d7c8f69d25f0c36780d41a65a7">surge in school violence</a>&nbsp;that includes shootings and fights. The technology, featuring wearable panic buttons or mobile phone apps, enables teachers to notify each other and police in the event of an emergency.“Time is of the essence,” said Lee, whose son helped barricade a classroom door and watched police enter his school with guns drawn. “They can hit a button and, OK, we know something’s wrong, you know, really wrong. And then it puts everybody else on high alert.”Multiple states now mandate or encourage the buttons, and a growing number of districts are shelling out tens of thousands of dollars per school for them — part of a widespread scramble to beef up school security and prevent the next tragedy. The spending spree includes metal detectors, security cameras, vehicle barriers, alarm systems, clear backpacks, bullet-resistant glass and door-locking systems.Critics say school officials are scrambling to show action — any action — to worried parents&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/back-to-school">ahead of the new school year,</a>&nbsp;but in their haste may be emphasizing the wrong things. It's “security theater," said Ken Trump, president of the National School Safety and Security Services. Instead, he said, schools should focus on making sure teachers are implementing basic safety protocols such as ensuring doors aren't propped open.The attack in Uvalde illustrated the shortcomings of panic-alert systems. Robb Elementary School had implemented an alert app, and when an attacker approached the school, a school employee did send a lockdown alert. But&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/shootings-texas-education-violence-469144ec9cee9cb33f0860f7445d8591">not all teachers received it</a>&nbsp;because of poor Wi-Fi or phones that were turned off or in a drawer, according to an investigation by the Texas Legislature. And those who did may not have taken it seriously, the Legislature's report said: The school sent out frequent alerts related to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mexico-shootings-texas-immigration-578cd4c9577174282fb947a391471475">Border Patrol car chases</a>&nbsp;in the area.“People want visible, tangible things,” Trump said. “It’s a lot harder to point to the value of training your staff. Those are intangibles. Those are things that are less visible and invisible, but they’re most effective.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/3/1646417385414.png" alt="Police outside the shooting in March at Olathe East High School.&nbsp; A school&nbsp; administrator and a police officer stationed there were wounded. The officer wounded the student Jaylon&nbsp;Elmore who was hospitalized for weeks before he was jailed on $1 million bond on an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/shootings-education-school-shootings-robbery-kansas-city-33b40af0c849eb7db2accd234dbbb2b7">attempted capital murder charge</a>. He pleaded not guilty.-photo courtesy KMBC TV" />
 <figcaption>Police outside the shooting in March at Olathe East High School.&nbsp; A school&nbsp; administrator and a police officer stationed there were wounded. The officer wounded the student Jaylon&nbsp;Elmore who was hospitalized for weeks before he was jailed on $1 million bond on an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/shootings-education-school-shootings-robbery-kansas-city-33b40af0c849eb7db2accd234dbbb2b7">attempted capital murder charge</a>. He pleaded not guilty.-photo courtesy KMBC TV</figcaption>
 </figure>In suburban Kansas City, the decision to spend $2.1 million over five years for a system called CrisisAlert “isn’t a knee-jerk reaction," said Brent Kiger, Olathe Public Schools' director of safety services. He said he had been eying the system even before gunfire erupted in an Olathe high school in March as staff confronted an 18-year-old over rumors that he had a gun in his backpack.“It helped us kind of evaluate it and look at it through a lens of: ‘We’ve been through this critical incident, and how would it have helped us?' And it would have helped us that day," he said. "There’s just no question about that.”The system, a different one than what Uvalde relied on, allows staff to trigger a lockdown that will be announced with flashing strobe lights, a takeover of staff computers and a prerecorded intercom announcement. Teachers can set off the alarms by pushing a button on a wearable badge at least eight times. Staff also can summon help to break up a hallway fight or to deal with a medical emergency if they push the button three times.Demand for CrisisAlert had been growing even before Uvalde, with revenue from new contracts increasing 270% from the first quarter of 2021 to the first quarter of 2022, the product’s maker, Centegix, said in a statement.Arkansas was an early adopter of panic buttons, announcing in 2015 that more than 1,000 schools would be equipped with a smartphone app that connects users quickly with 911. At the time, education officials said the plan was the most comprehensive in the nation.But the idea really gained steam after the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.Lori Alhadeff, whose 14-year-old daughter, Alyssa, was among the 17 killed, founded the group Make Our Schools Safe and began advocating for panic buttons. She had texted her daughter as shots rang out that help was on the way.“But in reality, there was no panic button. There was no immediate way to contact law enforcement or emergency services to get on site as soon as possible,” said Lori Kitaygorodsky, the group’s spokeswoman. “We always kind of go by the thinking that time equals life.”Lawmakers in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ron-desantis-school-shootings-fl-state-wire-florida-laws-24e93391693326f7123a5fbc1e653ee8">Florida</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/4de21d78bb5d44c78a15d05fe7484edc">New Jersey</a>&nbsp;responded by passing Alyssa’s Law, requiring schools to begin using panic alarms. District of Columbia schools also added panic-button technology.Following Uvalde, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signed a new bill into law that requires school districts to consider installing silent panic alarms. And Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt issued an executive order, calling on all schools to implement panic buttons if not already in use. The state previously provided money for schools to subscribe to an app.Over the years, legislation also has been introduced in Nebraska, Texas, Arizona and Virginia, according to Make Our Schools Safe.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-las-vegas-mental-education-violence-18432d6395e67e952222da5b9894d5bb">Las Vegas schools</a>&nbsp;also decided to add panic buttons this year to deal with a wave of violence. Data show the district recorded 2,377 assaults and batteries from August 2021 through the end of May, including an after-school attack that left a teacher injured and unconscious in her classroom. Other districts adding panic buttons for back-to-school include Madison County Schools in North Carolina,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-north-carolina-f2b8b83af7165cc9b20846a0500bda19">which also are putting AR-15 rifles in every school</a><a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-north-carolina-f2b8b83af7165cc9b20846a0500bda19">,</a>&nbsp;and the Houston County School District in Georgia.Walter Stephens, the executive director of school operations in the 30,000-student Houston County district, said the district piloted the panic button technology last year in three schools before signing a $1.7 million, five-year contract to make it available in all its buildings.Like most schools, the district reassessed its safety protocols after the tragedy in Uvalde. But the Texas shooting didn't provide the impetus to add the panic buttons, Stephens insisted. If students don't feel safe, he said, “that translates to them not performing well in our schools.”Whether the buttons deliver as promised is something experts are monitoring. In places like Florida, a panic button app has proven&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fort-lauderdale-florida-parkland-florida-school-shooting-legislature-shootings-fef83c930f7995ef4fdf989e35802a69">unpopular with teachers</a>. And what happens, asked Mo Canady, executive director of the National Association of School Resource Officers, in the case of a false alarm, or a student using a panic-button to cause mayhem?“In throwing so much technology at the problem ... we may have unintentionally created a false sense of security,” Canady said.Kansas state Sen. Cindy Holscher represents an area that includes part of the Olathe district, and her 15-year-old son knew the Olathe East shooter. While Holscher, a Democrat, supports the addition of panic buttons in the district, she said schools alone can't fix the country's mass shooting problem.“If we make it way too easy for people to get their hands on guns, it’s still a problem,” said Holscher, who has championed a red-flag law and another measure that would have mandated safe firearm storage. She said neither measure even got a hearing in the GOP-dominated Legislature.“We have got to get to the heart of the issue at some point.”

Back to school, with panic buttons: The post-Uvalde scramble

SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a stabbing that injured a 57-year-old man.

Just before 3a.m. Saturday, police were dispatched to the 1200 block of North Broadway in downtown Wichita for a stabbing call, according to Office Juan Rebolledo.&nbsp;

Upon the officer’s arrival, they located the victim with a laceration to his left wrist and face. The victim was transported to an area hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries.

The victim was stabbed with a larger type knife or machete. After the incident, the victim went back to his residence and did not report the incident about two hours later.

Due to the lack of cooperation from the victim, investigators had not been able to determine the circumstances of what led up to the stabbing.

This was not a random incident, according to Rebolledo. Name of the victim has not been released.

SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a stabbing that injured a 57-year-old man.Just before 3a.m. Saturday, police were dispatched to the 1200 block of North Broadway in downtown Wichita for a stabbing call, according to Office Juan Rebolledo.&nbsp;Upon the officer’s arrival, they located the victim with a laceration to his left wrist and face. The victim was transported to an area hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries.The victim was stabbed with a larger type knife or machete. After the incident, the victim went back to his residence and did not report the incident about two hours later.Due to the lack of cooperation from the victim, investigators had not been able to determine the circumstances of what led up to the stabbing.This was not a random incident, according to Rebolledo. Name of the victim has not been released.

Police: Kan. man cut by machete not cooperating with investigators

MIAMI COUNTY, Kan.— Law enforcement authorities are investigating a drowning at a Kansas Lake.

On Sunday afternoon, sheriff's deputies responded to the Hillsdale Lake Marina after a jet ski rider was found unresponsive in the lake waters by the marina, according to the sheriff's department.

The rider was pulled from the lake and bystanders attempted life saving measures until Miami County EMS and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/Kansas-Department-of-Wildlife-Parks-and-Tourism-140213476010070/?__cft__[0]=AZXyYhydWkP1SdrOW183D_d3cfd5Ijcd-RJ1i_eWgfbuE3JXOAahoQm_r2vXAqsl8rLIwa_MfZ6YDqB_LQBrbszcQLanfNdgbVZ4CypwJDXmfVrJH_JyM_WTP7Be7EpksZqOvicw9PrxBzxjQjniamhlOQq0QyOpT_YBipigJKr7HA&amp;__tn__=kK-R">Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks</a>&nbsp;personnel arrived.&nbsp;

EMS transported the victim to a local area hospital where they were pronounced dead.&nbsp; The sheriff's office released no additional details including the victim's name.

MIAMI COUNTY, Kan.— Law enforcement authorities are investigating a drowning at a Kansas Lake.On Sunday afternoon, sheriff's deputies responded to the Hillsdale Lake Marina after a jet ski rider was found unresponsive in the lake waters by the marina, according to the sheriff's department.The rider was pulled from the lake and bystanders attempted life saving measures until Miami County EMS and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/Kansas-Department-of-Wildlife-Parks-and-Tourism-140213476010070/?__cft__[0]=AZXyYhydWkP1SdrOW183D_d3cfd5Ijcd-RJ1i_eWgfbuE3JXOAahoQm_r2vXAqsl8rLIwa_MfZ6YDqB_LQBrbszcQLanfNdgbVZ4CypwJDXmfVrJH_JyM_WTP7Be7EpksZqOvicw9PrxBzxjQjniamhlOQq0QyOpT_YBipigJKr7HA&amp;__tn__=kK-R">Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks</a>&nbsp;personnel arrived.&nbsp;EMS transported the victim to a local area hospital where they were pronounced dead.&nbsp; The sheriff's office released no additional details including the victim's name.

Sheriff: Jet ski rider drowns at Kansas lake

SEDGWICK COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a possible accident that fatally injured a 34-year-old man.

Just after 8:30 a.m. Sunday, police were dispatched to the alley of the 1800 block of South Spruce in Wichita regarding a dead body found, according to Officer&nbsp;Juan Rebolledo.

At the scene, officers located a 34-year-old man, who was pronounced deceased, at the scene.

The investigation revealed that the 34-year-old man was possible run over by a vehicle.

Anyone with information on the incident is asked to call detectives at 316-268-4407, the See Something Say Something Hotline at 316-519-2282, or Crime Stoppers at 316-267-2111.

SEDGWICK COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a possible accident that fatally injured a 34-year-old man.Just after 8:30 a.m. Sunday, police were dispatched to the alley of the 1800 block of South Spruce in Wichita regarding a dead body found, according to Officer&nbsp;Juan Rebolledo.At the scene, officers located a 34-year-old man, who was pronounced deceased, at the scene.The investigation revealed that the 34-year-old man was possible run over by a vehicle.Anyone with information on the incident is asked to call detectives at 316-268-4407, the See Something Say Something Hotline at 316-519-2282, or Crime Stoppers at 316-267-2111.

Police: Kan. man found dead in street possibly run over by vehicle

<figure>
 <iframe width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xZ0n1y0xFHg"></iframe>
 <figcaption>Video via The University of Kansas Health System</figcaption>
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🎥 Warning signs of Alzheimer's and other forms of dimentia

KANSAS CITY—Authorities have canceled an Amber Alert for two girls abducted Sunday by their biological father, a homicide suspect.

The girls are safe, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol. Authorities also recovered the vehicle. The suspect 27-year-old Jordon Owsley is still missing.

KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement authorities have issued an Amber Alert for two Kansas City girls.&nbsp; Marlaya and Cassiah Owsley were last seen in the 1300 Block of 89th Street in Kansas City in a white Kia Optima, license plate VF2E2B. The children were abducted after the suspect, their biological father, committed a homicide, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1661131710867.png" alt="Jordan Owsley-photo MSHP" />
 <figcaption>Jordan Owsley-photo MSHP</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY—Authorities have canceled an Amber Alert for two girls abducted Sunday by their biological father, a homicide suspect.The girls are safe, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol. Authorities also recovered the vehicle. The suspect 27-year-old Jordon Owsley is still missing.---------KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement authorities have issued an Amber Alert for two Kansas City girls.&nbsp; Marlaya and Cassiah Owsley were last seen in the 1300 Block of 89th Street in Kansas City in a white Kia Optima, license plate VF2E2B. The children were abducted after the suspect, their biological father, committed a homicide, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol.<figure>
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Amber Alert canceled: 2 girls safe; KC homicide suspect still at large

OLATHE, Kan. (AP) — A decisive&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-primary-elections-kansas-abortion-b6d62a852c2ce4617f2c03589fbb523e">statewide vote</a>&nbsp;in favor of abortion rights in traditionally conservative Kansas was confirmed with a partial hand recount, with fewer than 100 votes changing after the last county reported results Sunday.

Nine of the state’s 105 counties recounted their votes at the request of Melissa Leavitt, who has pushed for tighter election laws. A longtime anti-abortion activist, Mark Gietzen, is covering most of the costs. Gietzen acknowledged in an interview that it was unlikely to change the outcome.

A no vote in the referendum signaled a desire to keep existing abortion protections and a yes vote was for allowing the Legislature to tighten restrictions or ban abortion. After the recounts, “no” votes lost 87 votes and “yes” gained 6 votes.

Eight of the counties&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-2022-midterm-elections-health-election-recounts-constitutions-f4062be36f3d72ca6e8aef5585324fdb">reported their results</a>&nbsp;by the state's Saturday deadline, but Sedgwick County delayed releasing its final count until Sunday because spokeswoman Nicole Gibbs said some of the ballots weren't separated into the correct precincts during the initial recount and had to be resorted Saturday. She said the number of votes cast overall didn't change.

A larger than expected turnout of voters on Aug. 2 rejected a ballot measure that would have removed protections for abortion rights from the Kansas Constitution and given to the Legislature the right to further restrict or ban abortion. It failed by 18 percentage points, or 165,000 votes statewide.

The vote drew broad attention because it was the first state referendum on abortion since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June.

Gietzen, of Wichita, and Leavitt, of Colby, in far northwestern Kansas, have both suggested there might have been problems without pointing to many examples.

Recounts increasingly are tools to encourage supporters of a candidate or cause to believe an election was stolen rather than lost. A wave of candidates who have echoed former President Donald Trump’s lie that the 2020 election was rigged have called for recounts after losing their own Republican primaries.

Kansas law requires a recount if those who ask for it prove they can cover the counties’ costs. The counties pay only if the outcome changes.

Leavitt and Gietzen provided credit cards to pay for the nearly $120,000 cost, according to the secretary of state’s office. Leavitt has an online fundraising page. Gietzen also said he is getting donations from a network built over three decades in the anti-abortion movement.

Gietzen said Sunday he doesn’t accept the results of the Sedgwick County recount because of the discrepancy about the way the ballots were sorted and because some of the recount happened Saturday without outside observers present to watch.

“We still don't know what happened in Sedgwick County. I won't pay for Sedgwick County,” he said.

He said he’s also concerned about the results statewide because of a report out of Cherokee county in southeast Kansas about the results of one county election being transposed between two candidates when the results were transferred on a thumb drive from one voting machine to a tabulating machine.

Gietzen said he plans to file a lawsuit Monday seeking a full statewide recall.

Gietzen said he won’t publicly report the names of private donors helping him finance the recount, even though a state ethics official says it’s required. Gietzen, who leads a small GOP group, the Kansas Republican Assembly, argues that he’s not campaigning for the anti-abortion measure but is instead promoting election integrity.

Votes were recounted in Douglas County, home to the University of Kansas’ main campus; Johnson County, in suburban Kansas City; Sedgwick County, home to Wichita, Shawnee County, home to Topeka; and Crawford, Harvey, Jefferson, Lyon and Thomas counties. Abortion opponents lost all of those counties except Thomas.

In Jefferson County, the margin remained the same, with the pro- and anti-amendment totals declining by four votes each. Linda Buttron, the county clerk, blamed the change on things like ovals not being darkened and “the challenges of hand counting ballots.”

In Lyon County, the anti-amendment group lost a vote. County Clerk and Election Officer Tammy Vopat said she wasn’t sure the reason. But she noted: “You have to factor in human error.”

Johnson County, the most populous in Kansas, faced the biggest recounting challenge because it had the most ballots. It pulled in workers from different departments to help. The sorting process took so long that the actual counting didn’t begin until Thursday afternoon.

“This is almost like doing an Ironman triathlon and having to add on another marathon at the end,” said Fred Sherman, the county’s Election Commissioner. “So it is quite a gargantuan process.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1661035438136.png" alt="Vote recount in Johnson County -photo courtesy KCTV" />
 <figcaption>Vote recount in Johnson County -photo courtesy KCTV</figcaption>
 </figure>OLATHE, Kan. (AP) — A decisive&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-primary-elections-kansas-abortion-b6d62a852c2ce4617f2c03589fbb523e">statewide vote</a>&nbsp;in favor of abortion rights in traditionally conservative Kansas was confirmed with a partial hand recount, with fewer than 100 votes changing after the last county reported results Sunday.Nine of the state’s 105 counties recounted their votes at the request of Melissa Leavitt, who has pushed for tighter election laws. A longtime anti-abortion activist, Mark Gietzen, is covering most of the costs. Gietzen acknowledged in an interview that it was unlikely to change the outcome.A no vote in the referendum signaled a desire to keep existing abortion protections and a yes vote was for allowing the Legislature to tighten restrictions or ban abortion. After the recounts, “no” votes lost 87 votes and “yes” gained 6 votes.Eight of the counties&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-2022-midterm-elections-health-election-recounts-constitutions-f4062be36f3d72ca6e8aef5585324fdb">reported their results</a>&nbsp;by the state's Saturday deadline, but Sedgwick County delayed releasing its final count until Sunday because spokeswoman Nicole Gibbs said some of the ballots weren't separated into the correct precincts during the initial recount and had to be resorted Saturday. She said the number of votes cast overall didn't change.A larger than expected turnout of voters on Aug. 2 rejected a ballot measure that would have removed protections for abortion rights from the Kansas Constitution and given to the Legislature the right to further restrict or ban abortion. It failed by 18 percentage points, or 165,000 votes statewide.The vote drew broad attention because it was the first state referendum on abortion since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June.Gietzen, of Wichita, and Leavitt, of Colby, in far northwestern Kansas, have both suggested there might have been problems without pointing to many examples.Recounts increasingly are tools to encourage supporters of a candidate or cause to believe an election was stolen rather than lost. A wave of candidates who have echoed former President Donald Trump’s lie that the 2020 election was rigged have called for recounts after losing their own Republican primaries.Kansas law requires a recount if those who ask for it prove they can cover the counties’ costs. The counties pay only if the outcome changes.Leavitt and Gietzen provided credit cards to pay for the nearly $120,000 cost, according to the secretary of state’s office. Leavitt has an online fundraising page. Gietzen also said he is getting donations from a network built over three decades in the anti-abortion movement.Gietzen said Sunday he doesn’t accept the results of the Sedgwick County recount because of the discrepancy about the way the ballots were sorted and because some of the recount happened Saturday without outside observers present to watch.“We still don't know what happened in Sedgwick County. I won't pay for Sedgwick County,” he said.He said he’s also concerned about the results statewide because of a report out of Cherokee county in southeast Kansas about the results of one county election being transposed between two candidates when the results were transferred on a thumb drive from one voting machine to a tabulating machine.Gietzen said he plans to file a lawsuit Monday seeking a full statewide recall.Gietzen said he won’t publicly report the names of private donors helping him finance the recount, even though a state ethics official says it’s required. Gietzen, who leads a small GOP group, the Kansas Republican Assembly, argues that he’s not campaigning for the anti-abortion measure but is instead promoting election integrity.Votes were recounted in Douglas County, home to the University of Kansas’ main campus; Johnson County, in suburban Kansas City; Sedgwick County, home to Wichita, Shawnee County, home to Topeka; and Crawford, Harvey, Jefferson, Lyon and Thomas counties. Abortion opponents lost all of those counties except Thomas.In Jefferson County, the margin remained the same, with the pro- and anti-amendment totals declining by four votes each. Linda Buttron, the county clerk, blamed the change on things like ovals not being darkened and “the challenges of hand counting ballots.”In Lyon County, the anti-amendment group lost a vote. County Clerk and Election Officer Tammy Vopat said she wasn’t sure the reason. But she noted: “You have to factor in human error.”Johnson County, the most populous in Kansas, faced the biggest recounting challenge because it had the most ballots. It pulled in workers from different departments to help. The sorting process took so long that the actual counting didn’t begin until Thursday afternoon.“This is almost like doing an Ironman triathlon and having to add on another marathon at the end,” said Fred Sherman, the county’s Election Commissioner. “So it is quite a gargantuan process.”

Kansas recount confirms results in favor of abortion rights

SEDGWICK COUNTY —A federal grand jury in Wichita indicted a Kansas man on multiple charges for alleged crimes related to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which is a federal law providing financial relief to businesses suffering economic losses because of the COVIID-19 pandemic, according to the United State's Attorney.

Under the CARES Act, the Small Business Administration (SBA) is authorized to grant businesses forgivable loans for payroll, utilities, rent, and other expenses through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).

According to court documents, Timothy Dale Warren, 58, of Haysville is charged with four counts of bank fraud, two counts of money laundering, and four counts of false statements. Warren, a chiropractor, is accused as owner of Titan Medical Center LLC of fraudulently obtaining PPP loans totaling approximately $145,800 from two banks then allegedly using a third bank to conceal the proceeds.

SEDGWICK COUNTY —A federal grand jury in Wichita indicted a Kansas man on multiple charges for alleged crimes related to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which is a federal law providing financial relief to businesses suffering economic losses because of the COVIID-19 pandemic, according to the United State's Attorney.Under the CARES Act, the Small Business Administration (SBA) is authorized to grant businesses forgivable loans for payroll, utilities, rent, and other expenses through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).According to court documents, Timothy Dale Warren, 58, of Haysville is charged with four counts of bank fraud, two counts of money laundering, and four counts of false statements. Warren, a chiropractor, is accused as owner of Titan Medical Center LLC of fraudulently obtaining PPP loans totaling approximately $145,800 from two banks then allegedly using a third bank to conceal the proceeds.