SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating two suspects on multiple charges after an arrest.

Just before 3a.m. August 10, a K9 Unit conducted a traffic stop on a 2002 gold Ford Ranger with an expired registration in the 1600 block of NW Topeka Boulevard, according to Deputy Abigail Christian.

The driver 37-year-old&nbsp;Christopher D. Kittle  and passenger 27-year-old Ashley Dixon both of Topeka had warrants for their arrests. During the investigation, the K9 was utilized and illegal narcotics were located.

Deputies arrested them. Dixon had three warrants for her arrest, according Christian. Kittle had a felony warrant for his arrest and was booked on requested charges that included&nbsp; possession of methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia, operating a vehicle without a valid driver’s license and operating a vehicle with an expired registration. 

Dixon had three warrants for her arrest.&nbsp; In June, officers arrested her for transporting a wanted felon along with meth possession, according to the sheriff's office.&nbsp; Both suspects remain in custody, according to online jail records.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/6/1654787304645.png" alt="Dixon photo Shawnee County" />
 <figcaption>Dixon photo Shawnee County</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating two suspects on multiple charges after an arrest.Just before 3a.m. August 10, a K9 Unit conducted a traffic stop on a 2002 gold Ford Ranger with an expired registration in the 1600 block of NW Topeka Boulevard, according to Deputy Abigail Christian.The driver 37-year-old&nbsp;Christopher D. Kittle and passenger 27-year-old Ashley Dixon both of Topeka had warrants for their arrests. During the investigation, the K9 was utilized and illegal narcotics were located.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1660587322385.png" alt="Kittle-photo Shawnee County" />
 <figcaption>Kittle-photo Shawnee County</figcaption>
 </figure>Deputies arrested them. Dixon had three warrants for her arrest, according Christian. Kittle had a felony warrant for his arrest and was booked on requested charges that included&nbsp; possession of methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia, operating a vehicle without a valid driver’s license and operating a vehicle with an expired registration. Dixon had three warrants for her arrest.&nbsp; In June, officers arrested her for transporting a wanted felon along with meth possession, according to the sheriff's office.&nbsp; Both suspects remain in custody, according to online jail records.

Kansas woman with 3 warrants captured by K-9 unit

LANCASTER, Texas (AP) — The brother of retired NFL cornerback Aqib Talib turned himself in to authorities Monday after police identified him as the suspect in the shooting death of a coach at a youth football game in Texas.

Police said that a murder warrant was issued for Yaqub Salik Talib, 39, in the fatal shooting on Saturday night of Michael Hickmon, 43, police in the Dallas-area city of Lancaster said.

According to witnesses, Talib pulled out a gun and shot Hickmon multiple times after a disagreement between the opposing coaching staff of two youth football teams over calls made by the officiating crew led to a physical fight, police said.

Hickmon was later pronounced dead at a hospital. Police say no other injuries were reported.

Yaqub Talib is the brother of Aqib Talib, a five-time Pro Bowler who&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/denver-broncos-nfl-aqib-talib-ca-state-wire-new-england-patriots-0a437e951f4c00d50ffd612cf5a213a2">announced his retirement</a>&nbsp;in 2020. Aqib Talib was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/los-angeles-chargers-nfl-entertainment-sports-tv-8265c669d0570d923eb638fc47d298aa">named last month</a>&nbsp;as a contributor for Prime Video's “Thursday Night Football.”

Police said that after the shooting, Yaqub Talib fled, taking the firearm with him.

Talib’s attorney, Clark Birdsall, told The Associated Press that his client “regrets the tragic loss of life but self-surrendered this morning so that he may have the chance to say his side of the story.” Birdsall declined to elaborate on what Talib’s side of the story is.

Police said they were still investigating the circumstances leading up to the shooting. Several people, including children, were present when Hickmon was killed, police said.

Dallas TV station&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/yaqub-talib-lancaster-football-shooting-man-wanted-in-killing-of-another-man-at-a-lancaster-youth-football-game-police-say/287-146f7389-c53d-4f04-9b7b-7e976d01de85">WFAA reported</a>&nbsp;that the brothers are coaches for North Dallas United Bobcats, a youth football team. Hickmon was a coach with the youth team D.E.A. Dragons, WFAA reported.

Dragons President Mike Freeman said the dispute began when Hickmon went to pick up a football and someone kicked it away.

“I don’t know how to explain it to the kids. That’s the part that I’m stuck on right now. How do I explain it to them. Why?" Freeman said. “This is something that these kids will remember for the rest of their life.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1660608080574.png" alt=" Yaqub Talib-photo Dallas County Sheriff" />
 <figcaption> Yaqub Talib-photo Dallas County Sheriff</figcaption>
 </figure>LANCASTER, Texas (AP) — The brother of retired NFL cornerback Aqib Talib turned himself in to authorities Monday after police identified him as the suspect in the shooting death of a coach at a youth football game in Texas.Police said that a murder warrant was issued for Yaqub Salik Talib, 39, in the fatal shooting on Saturday night of Michael Hickmon, 43, police in the Dallas-area city of Lancaster said.According to witnesses, Talib pulled out a gun and shot Hickmon multiple times after a disagreement between the opposing coaching staff of two youth football teams over calls made by the officiating crew led to a physical fight, police said.Hickmon was later pronounced dead at a hospital. Police say no other injuries were reported.Yaqub Talib is the brother of Aqib Talib, a five-time Pro Bowler who&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/denver-broncos-nfl-aqib-talib-ca-state-wire-new-england-patriots-0a437e951f4c00d50ffd612cf5a213a2">announced his retirement</a>&nbsp;in 2020. Aqib Talib was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/los-angeles-chargers-nfl-entertainment-sports-tv-8265c669d0570d923eb638fc47d298aa">named last month</a>&nbsp;as a contributor for Prime Video's “Thursday Night Football.”Police said that after the shooting, Yaqub Talib fled, taking the firearm with him.Talib’s attorney, Clark Birdsall, told The Associated Press that his client “regrets the tragic loss of life but self-surrendered this morning so that he may have the chance to say his side of the story.” Birdsall declined to elaborate on what Talib’s side of the story is.Police said they were still investigating the circumstances leading up to the shooting. Several people, including children, were present when Hickmon was killed, police said.Dallas TV station&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/yaqub-talib-lancaster-football-shooting-man-wanted-in-killing-of-another-man-at-a-lancaster-youth-football-game-police-say/287-146f7389-c53d-4f04-9b7b-7e976d01de85">WFAA reported</a>&nbsp;that the brothers are coaches for North Dallas United Bobcats, a youth football team. Hickmon was a coach with the youth team D.E.A. Dragons, WFAA reported.Dragons President Mike Freeman said the dispute began when Hickmon went to pick up a football and someone kicked it away.“I don’t know how to explain it to the kids. That’s the part that I’m stuck on right now. How do I explain it to them. Why?" Freeman said. “This is something that these kids will remember for the rest of their life.”

Brother of former KU star turns self in for death of youth coach

KANSAS CITY (AP) —Starbucks on Monday asked the National Labor Relations Board to temporarily suspend all union elections at its U.S. stores, citing allegations from a board employee that regional NLRB officials improperly coordinated with union organizers.

In a letter to the board chairman, Starbucks said the unnamed career NLRB employee informed the company about the activity, which happened in the board's St. Louis office in the spring while it was overseeing a union election at a Starbucks store in Overland Park, Kansas.

The store is one of 314 U.S. Starbucks locations where workers have petitioned the NLRB to hold union elections since late last year. More than 220 of those Starbucks stores have voted to unionize. The company opposes the unionization effort.

The Seattle coffee giant alleges that St. Louis labor board officials made special arrangements for pro-union workers to vote in person at its office when they did not receive mail-in ballots, even though Starbucks and the union had agreed that store elections would be handled by mail-in ballot.

In its letter, Starbucks referred to memos the regional office sent confirming that workers were allowed to come to the office and vote in person after the union told the regional office that some workers had not received ballots in the mail. The memos, citing “board protocol," said the workers voted alone in an empty office, according to Starbucks.

“Because observers were not present, no one can be sure who appeared to vote, whether NLRB personnel had inappropriate communications with the voters, told them how to vote, showed them how to vote or engaged in other undisclosed conduct," Starbucks wrote in its letter.

Starbucks said regional board officials also disclosed confidential information to the union, including which workers' ballots had arrived in the mail to be counted.

Starbucks Workers United, the group seeking to unionize U.S. Starbucks stores, accused the company of trying to “distract attention away from their unprecedented anti-union campaign, including firing over 75 union leaders across the country, while simultaneously trying to halt all union elections.”

“Workers have spoken loud and clear by winning 82 percent of union elections,” the group said in a statement. "Ultimately, this is Starbucks’ latest attempt to manipulate the legal process for their own means and prevent workers from exercising their fundamental right to organize.”

A spokesperson for the NLRB said Monday that the agency doesn't comment on open cases.

Press secretary Kayla Blado said the NLRB will “carefully and objectively” consider any challenges that Starbucks raises through “established channels.” Starbucks can also seek expedited review in the case, Blado said.

Workers at the Overland Park store petitioned the NLRB to hold a vote in February. In April, workers voted 6-1 to unionize, but seven additional ballots were the subject of challenges from Starbucks or the union. A hearing on those challenges is scheduled for Tuesday; Starbucks has asked for that hearing to be delayed.

Starbucks said there is evidence of misconduct in other regions as well. The company wants the NLRB to thoroughly investigate other Starbucks union elections and make public a report on its findings. The company said the board should also implement safeguards to prevent regional officials from coordinating with one party or another.

Starbucks also asked the NLRB to issue an order requiring all pending and future elections to be conducted in person with observers from both sides.

“If the NLRB does not respond by investigating and remedying these types of actions, we do not see how the board can represent itself as a neutral agency," the company said in the letter.

Starbucks has long opposed unionization, dating back to CEO Howard Schultz's acquisition of the company in the late 1980s. The current unionization effort has been riddled with accusations and lawsuits on both sides.

Starbucks Workers United has filed 284 unfair labor practice charges with the NLRB against Starbucks or one of its operators, according to the labor board. Starbucks has filed two charges against Workers United.

Earlier this month, the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/national-labor-relations-board-0ae4914cb3743cca07a7e2ae812951ec">labor board dismissed</a>&nbsp;one of the charges filed by Starbucks, saying the company failed to prove that pro-union workers blocked store entrances or intimidated customers during a spring rally.

In June, the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-new-york-buffalo-national-labor-relations-board-a0c0e8e0787113ef6d064f2bbc353bf2">NLRB asked a federal court</a>&nbsp;in western New York to order Starbucks to stop interfering with unionization efforts at its U.S. stores. It also asked the court to order Starbucks to reinstate seven Buffalo employees it says were unlawfully fired for trying to form a union. That case is pending.

But the NLRB's actions against Starbucks haven't always been successful. In June, a federal judge in Phoenix ruled that Starbucks didn't have to rehire three workers who claimed that the company had retaliated against them for organizing a union.

Starbucks isn't the only large company facing a unionization effort that has attacked the voting process.

Amazon has also&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-business-new-york-city-staten-island-e236a889bc46d1d0f0c3da6d00eb0a23">levied accusations</a>&nbsp;of improper conduct against the NLRB’s regional office in Brooklyn in its attempt to re-do a historic labor win at a warehouse on Staten Island, New York. Among other allegations, Amazon said the agency tainted the voting process by seeking reinstatement of a fired Amazon worker in the weeks leading up to the March election.

Attorneys representing the e-commerce juggernaut argued their case in an agency hearing during the summer. Attorneys for the agency have pushed back. A regional director for an NLRB office in Phoenix is expected to issue a ruling on that case in the coming weeks.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1660587919114.png" alt="Starbucks in Overland Park-Google image" />
 <figcaption>Starbucks in Overland Park-Google image</figcaption>
 </figure>By DEE-ANN DURBIN AP Business WriterKANSAS CITY (AP) —Starbucks on Monday asked the National Labor Relations Board to temporarily suspend all union elections at its U.S. stores, citing allegations from a board employee that regional NLRB officials improperly coordinated with union organizers.In a letter to the board chairman, Starbucks said the unnamed career NLRB employee informed the company about the activity, which happened in the board's St. Louis office in the spring while it was overseeing a union election at a Starbucks store in Overland Park, Kansas.The store is one of 314 U.S. Starbucks locations where workers have petitioned the NLRB to hold union elections since late last year. More than 220 of those Starbucks stores have voted to unionize. The company opposes the unionization effort.The Seattle coffee giant alleges that St. Louis labor board officials made special arrangements for pro-union workers to vote in person at its office when they did not receive mail-in ballots, even though Starbucks and the union had agreed that store elections would be handled by mail-in ballot.In its letter, Starbucks referred to memos the regional office sent confirming that workers were allowed to come to the office and vote in person after the union told the regional office that some workers had not received ballots in the mail. The memos, citing “board protocol," said the workers voted alone in an empty office, according to Starbucks.“Because observers were not present, no one can be sure who appeared to vote, whether NLRB personnel had inappropriate communications with the voters, told them how to vote, showed them how to vote or engaged in other undisclosed conduct," Starbucks wrote in its letter.Starbucks said regional board officials also disclosed confidential information to the union, including which workers' ballots had arrived in the mail to be counted.Starbucks Workers United, the group seeking to unionize U.S. Starbucks stores, accused the company of trying to “distract attention away from their unprecedented anti-union campaign, including firing over 75 union leaders across the country, while simultaneously trying to halt all union elections.”“Workers have spoken loud and clear by winning 82 percent of union elections,” the group said in a statement. "Ultimately, this is Starbucks’ latest attempt to manipulate the legal process for their own means and prevent workers from exercising their fundamental right to organize.”A spokesperson for the NLRB said Monday that the agency doesn't comment on open cases.Press secretary Kayla Blado said the NLRB will “carefully and objectively” consider any challenges that Starbucks raises through “established channels.” Starbucks can also seek expedited review in the case, Blado said.Workers at the Overland Park store petitioned the NLRB to hold a vote in February. In April, workers voted 6-1 to unionize, but seven additional ballots were the subject of challenges from Starbucks or the union. A hearing on those challenges is scheduled for Tuesday; Starbucks has asked for that hearing to be delayed.Starbucks said there is evidence of misconduct in other regions as well. The company wants the NLRB to thoroughly investigate other Starbucks union elections and make public a report on its findings. The company said the board should also implement safeguards to prevent regional officials from coordinating with one party or another.Starbucks also asked the NLRB to issue an order requiring all pending and future elections to be conducted in person with observers from both sides.“If the NLRB does not respond by investigating and remedying these types of actions, we do not see how the board can represent itself as a neutral agency," the company said in the letter.Starbucks has long opposed unionization, dating back to CEO Howard Schultz's acquisition of the company in the late 1980s. The current unionization effort has been riddled with accusations and lawsuits on both sides.Starbucks Workers United has filed 284 unfair labor practice charges with the NLRB against Starbucks or one of its operators, according to the labor board. Starbucks has filed two charges against Workers United.Earlier this month, the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/national-labor-relations-board-0ae4914cb3743cca07a7e2ae812951ec">labor board dismissed</a>&nbsp;one of the charges filed by Starbucks, saying the company failed to prove that pro-union workers blocked store entrances or intimidated customers during a spring rally.In June, the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-new-york-buffalo-national-labor-relations-board-a0c0e8e0787113ef6d064f2bbc353bf2">NLRB asked a federal court</a>&nbsp;in western New York to order Starbucks to stop interfering with unionization efforts at its U.S. stores. It also asked the court to order Starbucks to reinstate seven Buffalo employees it says were unlawfully fired for trying to form a union. That case is pending.But the NLRB's actions against Starbucks haven't always been successful. In June, a federal judge in Phoenix ruled that Starbucks didn't have to rehire three workers who claimed that the company had retaliated against them for organizing a union.Starbucks isn't the only large company facing a unionization effort that has attacked the voting process.Amazon has also&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-business-new-york-city-staten-island-e236a889bc46d1d0f0c3da6d00eb0a23">levied accusations</a>&nbsp;of improper conduct against the NLRB’s regional office in Brooklyn in its attempt to re-do a historic labor win at a warehouse on Staten Island, New York. Among other allegations, Amazon said the agency tainted the voting process by seeking reinstatement of a fired Amazon worker in the weeks leading up to the March election.Attorneys representing the e-commerce juggernaut argued their case in an agency hearing during the summer. Attorneys for the agency have pushed back. A regional director for an NLRB office in Phoenix is expected to issue a ruling on that case in the coming weeks.

Starbucks asks labor board to halt union votes temporarily

Pittsburg (AP) —Kraft Heinz is recalling<a href="https://news.kraftheinzcompany.com/press-releases-details/2022/Kraft-Heinz-voluntary-recall-of-select-Capri-Sun-Wild-Cherry-Flavored-Juice-Drink/default.aspx"> thousands of pouches</a> of Capri Sun after some cleaning solution accidentally mixed with the juice on a production line.

The company said it’s recalling about 5,760 cases of Capri Sun Wild Cherry flavored juice blend. The “Best When Used By” date on the packages is June 25, 2023.

<a href="https://news.kraftheinzcompany.com/press-releases-details/2022/Kraft-Heinz-voluntary-recall-of-select-Capri-Sun-Wild-Cherry-Flavored-Juice-Drink/default.aspx">Kraft Heinz said</a> the diluted cleaning solution is used on its food processing equipment. The company said it discovered that the solution had accidentally mixed with the juice after getting consumer complaints about the juice’s taste.

Kraft Heinz, which is co-headquartered in Pittsburgh and Chicago, said in a statement Friday it is working with retailers to remove the product from circulation. Consumers who bought the affected Capri Sun should not consume it and should return it to the story where it was purchased to receive a refund.

By DEE-ANN DURBINPittsburg (AP) —Kraft Heinz is recalling<a href="https://news.kraftheinzcompany.com/press-releases-details/2022/Kraft-Heinz-voluntary-recall-of-select-Capri-Sun-Wild-Cherry-Flavored-Juice-Drink/default.aspx"> thousands of pouches</a> of Capri Sun after some cleaning solution accidentally mixed with the juice on a production line.The company said it’s recalling about 5,760 cases of Capri Sun Wild Cherry flavored juice blend. The “Best When Used By” date on the packages is June 25, 2023.<a href="https://news.kraftheinzcompany.com/press-releases-details/2022/Kraft-Heinz-voluntary-recall-of-select-Capri-Sun-Wild-Cherry-Flavored-Juice-Drink/default.aspx">Kraft Heinz said</a> the diluted cleaning solution is used on its food processing equipment. The company said it discovered that the solution had accidentally mixed with the juice after getting consumer complaints about the juice’s taste.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1660601047005.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Kraft Heinz, which is co-headquartered in Pittsburgh and Chicago, said in a statement Friday it is working with retailers to remove the product from circulation. Consumers who bought the affected Capri Sun should not consume it and should return it to the story where it was purchased to receive a refund.

Recalled Capri Sun may contain cleaning solution

SEDGWICK COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a fatal shooting at a home in the 5200 block of E. Gilbert in Wichita.

Just before 8a.m. Monday, police were dispatched to a shooting in the 5200 block of East Gilbert in Wichita, according to Officer Chad Ditch. 

First responders located a 49-year-old victim unconscious and not breathing. Officers began life-saving measures. The victim was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced deceased.

The investigation revealed that the victim and several other people were inside the residence when two armed men entered and shot the victim. They then fled the scene on foot.

Investigators do not believe this to be a random incident, according to Ditch.&nbsp; PoliceWe are working to contact next of kin before releasing the victim’s name.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1660586673899.png" alt="Investigators at the scene of the investigation on Monday-photo courtesy KWCH" />
 <figcaption>Investigators at the scene of the investigation on Monday-photo courtesy KWCH</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a fatal shooting at a home in the 5200 block of E. Gilbert in Wichita.Just before 8a.m. Monday, police were dispatched to a shooting in the 5200 block of East Gilbert in Wichita, according to Officer Chad Ditch. First responders located a 49-year-old victim unconscious and not breathing. Officers began life-saving measures. The victim was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced deceased.The investigation revealed that the victim and several other people were inside the residence when two armed men entered and shot the victim. They then fled the scene on foot.Investigators do not believe this to be a random incident, according to Ditch.&nbsp; PoliceWe are working to contact next of kin before releasing the victim’s name.

Police: 2 armed men enter Kan. home, kill 49-year-old man

Jeff Bohnert had all but given up on seeing his poodle-hound mix again after she went missing in early June. Two months later, he got a text from a neighbor: People exploring a nearby cave found a dog. Could it be Abby?

Bohnert doubted it, but still curious, he went to the cave site near his rural Missouri home. That's when he saw the picture one of the rescuers took.

“I said, ‘that’s my dog,'” Bohnert recalled Monday.

Making Abby's tale even more amazing is the fact that she's just weeks shy of turning 14. Yet somehow, she managed to survive nearly 60 days out on her own, apparently much or all of it in a barren, pitch-dark, 58-degree Fahrenheit cave.

Abby and Bohnert's other dog, Summer, do everything together, including misbehave.

On June 9, the pair ran away from home, Bohnert recalled. It had happened before, and in the rural area near Perryville in eastern Missouri, it was generally no big deal. The dogs would scamper through the fields, maybe chase something, then head home.

When Bohnert awoke the next morning, Summer was back home but Abby was not.

“They never separate,” he said. “I figured something bad had happened. I mean, she's old. She could just get overcome by the heat.”

Bohnert posted about his missing dog on Facebook, reached out to neighbors and contacted police, but no one had seen Abby.

On Aug. 6, Gerry Keene and five other adults, along with five children, had just entered the Berome Moore Cave, planning a day of exploring. One of the kids ran ahead of the group and yelled back to his dad, “There's a dog in here.”

“Their dad was like, no there’s not,” Keene said.

“She was just lying there curled up in a ball,” Keene recalled. "She lifted her head and looked at us but she didn’t respond to verbal commands. She looked like she was pretty close to being done.”

Keene enlisted the help of another caver who happened to be there, Rick Haley. They knew Abby couldn't make the estimated 500-foot walk back to the entrance, especially since it was through tight passageways and up a steep incline.

Haley was trained in cave rescues, and he retrieved a duffel bag and a blanket from his truck. They put the blanket inside the bag, then the dog, who immediately took to the warm blanket after weeks laying in the cold mud.

Still, getting Abby out was tricky given her fragility.

“It was critical that we not give her any rough handling,” Haley said. In the rocky areas through small passageways, “We would carry her short distance, set her down, then kind of move in front of her, reach back, pick her up, and put her in front of us." He described it as "kind of a leap-frog kind of thing.”

Soon after initially finding Abby, Keene briefly went to a few homes nearby to see if anyone was missing a dog. One neighbor reached out to Bohnert, who lives close enough to the cave site that he can see it from his home.

He went there assuming it couldn't be Abby — how could a 13-year-old dog have survived such an ordeal?

To his amazement, she did, and roughly an hour-and-a-half after the rescue began, she was out. One of the rescuers gave Abby a bite of beef.

“She almost ate his finger off," Keene said. Almost immediately, she began to perk up.

Bohnert figures Abby ended up in the cave after falling into a sinkhole or a hidden entrance. Haley said there were paw prints everywhere, indicating she initially tried to get out.

After that, Haley and Bohnert believe she hunkered down, able to essentially live off her own body fat.

“I think she was just in a preservation mode," Bohnert said.

Abby normally weighs about 50 pounds (23 kilograms), Bohnert said, but he guessed she lost half her body weight in the cave. Since her rescue, she has regained weight and started to get back the voice she likely lost barking for help.

She's also wagging her tail again, showing she's putting the trauma behind her.

“It’s amazing how she’s springing back already,” Bohnert said. “She’s acting like herself again.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1660593286430.png" alt="On Aug. 6, Gerry Keene and five other adults, along with five children, had just entered the Berome Moore Cave, planning a day of exploring. One of the kids ran ahead of the group and yelled back to his dad, “There's a dog in here.”photo courtesy WSVN TV" />
 <figcaption>On Aug. 6, Gerry Keene and five other adults, along with five children, had just entered the Berome Moore Cave, planning a day of exploring. One of the kids ran ahead of the group and yelled back to his dad, “There's a dog in here.”photo courtesy WSVN TV</figcaption>
 </figure>By JIM SALTER,&nbsp; Associated PressJeff Bohnert had all but given up on seeing his poodle-hound mix again after she went missing in early June. Two months later, he got a text from a neighbor: People exploring a nearby cave found a dog. Could it be Abby?Bohnert doubted it, but still curious, he went to the cave site near his rural Missouri home. That's when he saw the picture one of the rescuers took.“I said, ‘that’s my dog,'” Bohnert recalled Monday.Making Abby's tale even more amazing is the fact that she's just weeks shy of turning 14. Yet somehow, she managed to survive nearly 60 days out on her own, apparently much or all of it in a barren, pitch-dark, 58-degree Fahrenheit cave.Abby and Bohnert's other dog, Summer, do everything together, including misbehave.On June 9, the pair ran away from home, Bohnert recalled. It had happened before, and in the rural area near Perryville in eastern Missouri, it was generally no big deal. The dogs would scamper through the fields, maybe chase something, then head home.When Bohnert awoke the next morning, Summer was back home but Abby was not.“They never separate,” he said. “I figured something bad had happened. I mean, she's old. She could just get overcome by the heat.”Bohnert posted about his missing dog on Facebook, reached out to neighbors and contacted police, but no one had seen Abby.On Aug. 6, Gerry Keene and five other adults, along with five children, had just entered the Berome Moore Cave, planning a day of exploring. One of the kids ran ahead of the group and yelled back to his dad, “There's a dog in here.”“Their dad was like, no there’s not,” Keene said.Yes, there was.“She was just lying there curled up in a ball,” Keene recalled. "She lifted her head and looked at us but she didn’t respond to verbal commands. She looked like she was pretty close to being done.”Keene enlisted the help of another caver who happened to be there, Rick Haley. They knew Abby couldn't make the estimated 500-foot walk back to the entrance, especially since it was through tight passageways and up a steep incline.Haley was trained in cave rescues, and he retrieved a duffel bag and a blanket from his truck. They put the blanket inside the bag, then the dog, who immediately took to the warm blanket after weeks laying in the cold mud.Still, getting Abby out was tricky given her fragility.“It was critical that we not give her any rough handling,” Haley said. In the rocky areas through small passageways, “We would carry her short distance, set her down, then kind of move in front of her, reach back, pick her up, and put her in front of us." He described it as "kind of a leap-frog kind of thing.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1660593231098.png" alt="Abby is wagging her tail again, showing she's putting the trauma behind her.-photo courtesy WSVN TV" />
 <figcaption>Abby is wagging her tail again, showing she's putting the trauma behind her.-photo courtesy WSVN TV</figcaption>
 </figure>Soon after initially finding Abby, Keene briefly went to a few homes nearby to see if anyone was missing a dog. One neighbor reached out to Bohnert, who lives close enough to the cave site that he can see it from his home.He went there assuming it couldn't be Abby — how could a 13-year-old dog have survived such an ordeal?To his amazement, she did, and roughly an hour-and-a-half after the rescue began, she was out. One of the rescuers gave Abby a bite of beef.“She almost ate his finger off," Keene said. Almost immediately, she began to perk up.Bohnert figures Abby ended up in the cave after falling into a sinkhole or a hidden entrance. Haley said there were paw prints everywhere, indicating she initially tried to get out.After that, Haley and Bohnert believe she hunkered down, able to essentially live off her own body fat.“I think she was just in a preservation mode," Bohnert said.Abby normally weighs about 50 pounds (23 kilograms), Bohnert said, but he guessed she lost half her body weight in the cave. Since her rescue, she has regained weight and started to get back the voice she likely lost barking for help.She's also wagging her tail again, showing she's putting the trauma behind her.“It’s amazing how she’s springing back already,” Bohnert said. “She’s acting like herself again.”

Dog, missing 2 months, found alive inside Missouri cave

There will be an archery draw for 40 deer hunting permits on Aug. 27th on the front lawn of the Milford Lake Corps of Engineers Office, 5203 N. Highway, K-57 Highway on the south end of the Milford Dam.

Registration will begin at 8:30 a.m. and the draw for a hunting location is set for 9:30 a.m.

--Milford Fish Hatchery 1 permit, Former K-State Lease 4, East Rolling Hills Park 2, West Rolling Hills Park 5 permits, Curtis Creek Park 10, School Creek Park 10, South Timber Creek Park 2 permits, North Timber Creek Park 4 and Farnum Creek Park 2 permits.

According to the Corps all hunters must be present, and a Photo Id is required to register. Crossbows will not be allowed except for disabled hunters, &amp; mentor youth, which is an option at some locations.

Dates for these hunting opportunities begin October 1 and many extend through December 31, 2022. For additional information on these hunting opportunities contact the Milford Lake Corps of Engineers office at 785-238-5714, x3754.

By Dewey TerrillJC PostThere will be an archery draw for 40 deer hunting permits on Aug. 27th on the front lawn of the Milford Lake Corps of Engineers Office, 5203 N. Highway, K-57 Highway on the south end of the Milford Dam.Registration will begin at 8:30 a.m. and the draw for a hunting location is set for 9:30 a.m.Hunting locations and permits include:--Milford Fish Hatchery 1 permit, Former K-State Lease 4, East Rolling Hills Park 2, West Rolling Hills Park 5 permits, Curtis Creek Park 10, School Creek Park 10, South Timber Creek Park 2 permits, North Timber Creek Park 4 and Farnum Creek Park 2 permits.According to the Corps all hunters must be present, and a Photo Id is required to register. Crossbows will not be allowed except for disabled hunters, &amp; mentor youth, which is an option at some locations.Dates for these hunting opportunities begin October 1 and many extend through December 31, 2022. For additional information on these hunting opportunities contact the Milford Lake Corps of Engineers office at 785-238-5714, x3754.

Milford Lake Corps of Engineers will conduct an archery draw

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas hasn't started&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-to-recount-abortion-vote-by-hand-despite-big-margin-d303e1d4275ce6dc8730b9102ab820a9">a statewide hand recount</a>&nbsp;of this month's decisive vote in favor of abortion rights because the abortion opponents seeking it haven't shown that they can cover the costs of an effort that wouldn't change the outcome.

The state's elections director gave a western Kansas woman until 5 p.m. Monday to provide cash, a valid check or a credit card with a sufficient balance to cover the $229,000 in expected costs for the state's 105 counties. The recount request came Friday from Melissa Leavitt, an election conspiracy promoter from Colby, but Mark Gietzen, a hard-right anti-abortion activist from Wichita, pledged to help pay for the recount.

Voters on Aug. 2 overwhelmingly&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-primary-elections-kansas-abortion-b6d62a852c2ce4617f2c03589fbb523e">rejected a proposed amendment to the Kansas Constitution</a>&nbsp;that would have allowed the Republican-controlled Legislature to further restrict abortion or ban it. The “no” side prevailed by 18 percentage points, or 165,000 votes.

There has been no evidence of significant problems with the election. Baseless election conspiracies have circulated widely in the U.S., particularly among supporters of former President Donald Trump, who has repeated&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-joe-biden-donald-trump-ap-fact-check-election-2020-10bf58cd37e30c51478ad8bdc5a0a2e2">false claims that he lost the 2020 election</a>&nbsp;through fraud.

The secretary of state's office released an email from Elections Director Bryan Caskey to Leavitt, in which he said she provided Gietzen's “financial assets” as the bond to cover the recount costs. Caskey rejected that pledge but told Leavitt that she could narrow her recount request to specific counties to lower the potential costs.

Leavitt did not immediately respond to a phone message Monday morning seeking comment. Gietzen told The Associated Press that he hoped to use his home as the collateral for a bond, without being more specific about what form it would take.

Leavitt has an online fundraising effort and had received more than $33,000 in donations as of late morning Monday. Records available online from Sedgwick County, home to Wichita, showed the appraised value of Gietzen's home to be less than $47,000.

Kansas law says the person seeking a recount pays for it unless it changes the outcome, in which case counties do. The law also gives counties until 5 p.m. Wednesday to complete a recount.

Some counties still were compiling final results that were due Monday, reviewing provisional ballots cast by voters when poll workers weren't sure they were eligible.

Those counties included Douglas County in northeastern Kansas, which is home to the main University of Kansas campus, where initial results showed 81% of voters had rejected the proposed abortion amendment. County Clerk Jamie Shew, an elected Democrat, said he made plans to bring in 18 to 20 people to do the recount and start Tuesday.

“All of us are moving forward on our plans,” Shew said of county election officials. “When we're told to start, we'll start.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1660586231796.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas hasn't started&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-to-recount-abortion-vote-by-hand-despite-big-margin-d303e1d4275ce6dc8730b9102ab820a9">a statewide hand recount</a>&nbsp;of this month's decisive vote in favor of abortion rights because the abortion opponents seeking it haven't shown that they can cover the costs of an effort that wouldn't change the outcome.The state's elections director gave a western Kansas woman until 5 p.m. Monday to provide cash, a valid check or a credit card with a sufficient balance to cover the $229,000 in expected costs for the state's 105 counties. The recount request came Friday from Melissa Leavitt, an election conspiracy promoter from Colby, but Mark Gietzen, a hard-right anti-abortion activist from Wichita, pledged to help pay for the recount.Voters on Aug. 2 overwhelmingly&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-primary-elections-kansas-abortion-b6d62a852c2ce4617f2c03589fbb523e">rejected a proposed amendment to the Kansas Constitution</a>&nbsp;that would have allowed the Republican-controlled Legislature to further restrict abortion or ban it. The “no” side prevailed by 18 percentage points, or 165,000 votes.There has been no evidence of significant problems with the election. Baseless election conspiracies have circulated widely in the U.S., particularly among supporters of former President Donald Trump, who has repeated&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-joe-biden-donald-trump-ap-fact-check-election-2020-10bf58cd37e30c51478ad8bdc5a0a2e2">false claims that he lost the 2020 election</a>&nbsp;through fraud.The secretary of state's office released an email from Elections Director Bryan Caskey to Leavitt, in which he said she provided Gietzen's “financial assets” as the bond to cover the recount costs. Caskey rejected that pledge but told Leavitt that she could narrow her recount request to specific counties to lower the potential costs.Leavitt did not immediately respond to a phone message Monday morning seeking comment. Gietzen told The Associated Press that he hoped to use his home as the collateral for a bond, without being more specific about what form it would take.“We're working on it,” Gietzen said.Leavitt has an online fundraising effort and had received more than $33,000 in donations as of late morning Monday. Records available online from Sedgwick County, home to Wichita, showed the appraised value of Gietzen's home to be less than $47,000.Kansas law says the person seeking a recount pays for it unless it changes the outcome, in which case counties do. The law also gives counties until 5 p.m. Wednesday to complete a recount.Some counties still were compiling final results that were due Monday, reviewing provisional ballots cast by voters when poll workers weren't sure they were eligible.Those counties included Douglas County in northeastern Kansas, which is home to the main University of Kansas campus, where initial results showed 81% of voters had rejected the proposed abortion amendment. County Clerk Jamie Shew, an elected Democrat, said he made plans to bring in 18 to 20 people to do the recount and start Tuesday.“All of us are moving forward on our plans,” Shew said of county election officials. “When we're told to start, we'll start.”

Kansas delays start of hand count of vote for abortion rights

By EMILY RUDE <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/08/15/amid-partisan-strife-in-kansas-the-art-of-avoiding-war/">Courtesy Kansas Reflector</a>

This summer, as civil war looms ever closer, I’ve begun to take seriously <a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Sun_Tzu#Misattributed">that old adage from “The Godfather Part II</a>,” invoking the spirit of such luminaries as Sun Tzu and Machiavelli: Keep your friends close. Keep your enemies closer.

In other words: Get involved in church activities.

Yes, yes, “love thine enemy” and all 
that. But it’s easy to “love” from a distance — like that person with a 
“Vote Yes” yard sign beside another, handwritten yard sign that said, 
“To the person who stole my yard sign: Jesus still loves you!” The “o” 
in “love” was a cutesy heart.&nbsp;

I wonder what that “love” looks like?
 It’s certainly very convenient to outsource the job of loving to a 
deity who’ll do it for free, but, as they say, you get what you pay for.
 If you don’t put in the time and awkwardness of actually loving your 
neighbor, you don’t really get the results.

But what does “time and awkwardness” 
look like? Should you invite that pro-life neighbor for coffee to talk 
about politics? That would be in line with the typical advice you read 
about solving political polarization in this country — which, frankly, 
is laughable. Common sense says that nothing will be solved by trying to
 discuss abortion with your enemies. In fact, there’s <a target="_blank" href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.1804840115">good</a> <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-020-16278-6">research</a> (and personal experience) to suggest that talking about things serves merely to cement prior beliefs.

No — we need less discussion, and more doing.

This is why I’m going to church. Not 
to the services. That would be disingenuous, since I don’t believe (long
 story). But the reality is that churches in Kansas do most of the 
neighbor-loving work that government doesn’t — can’t? won’t? — do. Work 
such as hosting free lunches for kids, or raising money for the local 
hospital, or helping people pay their rent (see: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.lindsborgadhocroundtable.com/news-and-notes/archives/07-2018">TACOL</a> in Lindsborg). Cleaning up capitalism’s mess, basically.

Yes, many of the people at church are
 anti-abortion. Some don’t believe climate change is a problem. Some 
(many?) would just as soon have all “the gays” leave town, one way or 
another. Lots of them have guns. I might see one of those guns in a very
 uncomfortable context someday. I have material reasons to fear and 
distrust “church-going folk.”

Or rather, a certain vocal fraction 
of them are. After all, it isn’t the going-to-church part that makes 
someone a bigot. That’s absurd. Dangerous people are dangerous because 
of their personality and their media diet, not because of their 
religion. Having grown up in a Missouri Synod Lutheran church, I know 
that people who go to church are, you know, people. They’d be who they 
are regardless. The church just organizes them.

And anyhow, the Lutheran churches in my town are ELCA, not Missouri Synod (if you know, you know).

So, to not get involved in church 
community projects just because I might bump into a pro-life activist 
whom I disagree with would be sheer cowardice. Most of the people I 
interact with on a daily basis — yes, even the gay ones — go to church. 
Just because my enemies do too doesn’t mean I must boycott the concept 
wholesale. At that point, I might as well boycott the entire town, 
conservatives, liberals and all.

Because my enemies are lending a 
hand, I need to do at least as much. After all, “my enemies” are part of
 “the good guys” in my town. They are the only ones making a visible, 
tangible difference.

To be useful to my neighbors and for 
my own sanity, I need my enemies to think of me as part of their 
community. I need to think of them as part of mine, even if we fight 
sometimes. It’s worth it if it means we don’t fall apart when things 
really fall apart. We need to get used to each other — become a little 
more like sibling rivals and a little less like opposite sides in an 
armed civil war. I can handle a family feud. Not civil war.

I’ve started by volunteering at the 
Messiah Lutheran a couple of times a week, helping with the free lunch 
program for children. I’m not that essential to the group, yet, but it’s
 something.

My next move is to see if the 
impressively effective TACOL (The Associated Churches of Lindsborg) 
thrift shop needs any free help. For instance, <a target="_blank" href="https://tacoloflindsborgkansas.weebly.com/">they have a very minimal website</a>, and I happen to have experience setting up websites.

I expect to learn a lot — about my 
enemies, my friends, my town, myself, and hopefully about what happens 
when you stop hiding and start helping.

Emily Rude teaches biology at Bethany College in Lindsborg.&nbsp;She lives with her husband in a house of mud, straw and horse manure. She enjoys it all.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1660585071159.png" alt="Emily Rude" />
 <figcaption>Emily Rude</figcaption>
 </figure>By EMILY RUDE <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/08/15/amid-partisan-strife-in-kansas-the-art-of-avoiding-war/">Courtesy Kansas Reflector</a>This summer, as civil war looms ever closer, I’ve begun to take seriously <a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Sun_Tzu#Misattributed">that old adage from “The Godfather Part II</a>,” invoking the spirit of such luminaries as Sun Tzu and Machiavelli: Keep your friends close. Keep your enemies closer.In other words: Get involved in church activities.Yes, yes, “love thine enemy” and all 
that. But it’s easy to “love” from a distance — like that person with a 
“Vote Yes” yard sign beside another, handwritten yard sign that said, 
“To the person who stole my yard sign: Jesus still loves you!” The “o” 
in “love” was a cutesy heart.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/12/1575913663048.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>I wonder what that “love” looks like?
 It’s certainly very convenient to outsource the job of loving to a 
deity who’ll do it for free, but, as they say, you get what you pay for.
 If you don’t put in the time and awkwardness of actually loving your 
neighbor, you don’t really get the results.But what does “time and awkwardness” 
look like? Should you invite that pro-life neighbor for coffee to talk 
about politics? That would be in line with the typical advice you read 
about solving political polarization in this country — which, frankly, 
is laughable. Common sense says that nothing will be solved by trying to
 discuss abortion with your enemies. In fact, there’s <a target="_blank" href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.1804840115">good</a> <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-020-16278-6">research</a> (and personal experience) to suggest that talking about things serves merely to cement prior beliefs.No — we need less discussion, and more doing.This is why I’m going to church. Not 
to the services. That would be disingenuous, since I don’t believe (long
 story). But the reality is that churches in Kansas do most of the 
neighbor-loving work that government doesn’t — can’t? won’t? — do. Work 
such as hosting free lunches for kids, or raising money for the local 
hospital, or helping people pay their rent (see: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.lindsborgadhocroundtable.com/news-and-notes/archives/07-2018">TACOL</a> in Lindsborg). Cleaning up capitalism’s mess, basically.Yes, many of the people at church are
 anti-abortion. Some don’t believe climate change is a problem. Some 
(many?) would just as soon have all “the gays” leave town, one way or 
another. Lots of them have guns. I might see one of those guns in a very
 uncomfortable context someday. I have material reasons to fear and 
distrust “church-going folk.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1660585175900.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>They’re my enemies.Or rather, a certain vocal fraction 
of them are. After all, it isn’t the going-to-church part that makes 
someone a bigot. That’s absurd. Dangerous people are dangerous because 
of their personality and their media diet, not because of their 
religion. Having grown up in a Missouri Synod Lutheran church, I know 
that people who go to church are, you know, people. They’d be who they 
are regardless. The church just organizes them.And anyhow, the Lutheran churches in my town are ELCA, not Missouri Synod (if you know, you know).So, to not get involved in church 
community projects just because I might bump into a pro-life activist 
whom I disagree with would be sheer cowardice. Most of the people I 
interact with on a daily basis — yes, even the gay ones — go to church. 
Just because my enemies do too doesn’t mean I must boycott the concept 
wholesale. At that point, I might as well boycott the entire town, 
conservatives, liberals and all.Because my enemies are lending a 
hand, I need to do at least as much. After all, “my enemies” are part of
 “the good guys” in my town. They are the only ones making a visible, 
tangible difference.To be useful to my neighbors and for 
my own sanity, I need my enemies to think of me as part of their 
community. I need to think of them as part of mine, even if we fight 
sometimes. It’s worth it if it means we don’t fall apart when things 
really fall apart. We need to get used to each other — become a little 
more like sibling rivals and a little less like opposite sides in an 
armed civil war. I can handle a family feud. Not civil war.I’ve started by volunteering at the 
Messiah Lutheran a couple of times a week, helping with the free lunch 
program for children. I’m not that essential to the group, yet, but it’s
 something.My next move is to see if the 
impressively effective TACOL (The Associated Churches of Lindsborg) 
thrift shop needs any free help. For instance, <a target="_blank" href="https://tacoloflindsborgkansas.weebly.com/">they have a very minimal website</a>, and I happen to have experience setting up websites.I expect to learn a lot — about my 
enemies, my friends, my town, myself, and hopefully about what happens 
when you stop hiding and start helping.Emily Rude teaches biology at Bethany College in Lindsborg.&nbsp;She lives with her husband in a house of mud, straw and horse manure. She enjoys it all.&nbsp;

OPINION: Amid partisan strife in Kansas, the art of (avoiding) war

SEDGWICK COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities investigating a fatal weekend shooting were able to quickly take two suspects in custody by using information they received from a unique camera security system.&nbsp;

Just after 1:30a.m. Sunday, police working part-time in the Old Town area of Wichita heard several gunshots just north of 126 N. Mosely, according to Office Chad Ditch. Moments later they heard gunshots near 100 N. Washington. 

Officers ran in the direction of the second round of shots and found&nbsp; 22-year-old Deandre Greenley, of Wichita unconscious and not breathing. He had several gunshot wounds to his upper body, according to Ditch.

First responders provided lifesaving efforts. EMS pronounced Greenley deceased on the scene.

Investigators learned that suspects 21-year-old Christopher Dyas and 24-year-old Saquorea Sweeney, both of Wichita&nbsp; arrived in a black 2008 Ford Edge. They then walked right up to Greenley, shot him several times striking him in the upper body and fled the scene. 

Officers quickly determined the suspect vehicle from witnesses, cameras in Old Town and by <a href="https://www.flocksafety.com/">utilizing FLOCK</a>, according to Ditch. The FLOCK system is designed to capture sight, sound and situations, which give police objective evidence needed to investigate and solve crime, according to the company web site.&nbsp; The <a href="https://www.flocksafety.com/about/why-flock">FLOCK system</a> captures the license plate and state details of every car that drives by, day or night.

A short time later, police took both Sweeney and Dyas&nbsp; into custody in different areas of town without incident. These suspects would not have been captured so quickly without the information provided on the scene, and the hard work of all the Officers and Supervisors on the scene, according to Ditch.

<a href="https://ssc.sedgwickcounty.org/sheriffinmates/SheriffInmateDetail.aspx?nameId=20062686">Dyas</a> and <a href="https://ssc.sedgwickcounty.org/sheriffinmates/SheriffInmateDetail.aspx?nameId=20052114">Sweeney are</a> being held on requested charges of 1st Degree murder.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1660522989997.png" alt="Dyas-photo Sedgwick County" />
 <figcaption>Dyas-photo Sedgwick County</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities investigating a fatal weekend shooting were able to quickly take two suspects in custody by using information they received from a unique camera security system.&nbsp;Just after 1:30a.m. Sunday, police working part-time in the Old Town area of Wichita heard several gunshots just north of 126 N. Mosely, according to Office Chad Ditch. Moments later they heard gunshots near 100 N. Washington. Officers ran in the direction of the second round of shots and found&nbsp; 22-year-old Deandre Greenley, of Wichita unconscious and not breathing. He had several gunshot wounds to his upper body, according to Ditch.First responders provided lifesaving efforts. EMS pronounced Greenley deceased on the scene.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1660522964880.png" alt="Sweeney-photo Sedgwick County" />
 <figcaption>Sweeney-photo Sedgwick County</figcaption>
 </figure>Investigators learned that suspects 21-year-old Christopher Dyas and 24-year-old Saquorea Sweeney, both of Wichita&nbsp; arrived in a black 2008 Ford Edge. They then walked right up to Greenley, shot him several times striking him in the upper body and fled the scene. Officers quickly determined the suspect vehicle from witnesses, cameras in Old Town and by <a href="https://www.flocksafety.com/">utilizing FLOCK</a>, according to Ditch. The FLOCK system is designed to capture sight, sound and situations, which give police objective evidence needed to investigate and solve crime, according to the company web site.&nbsp; The <a href="https://www.flocksafety.com/about/why-flock">FLOCK system</a> captures the license plate and state details of every car that drives by, day or night.A short time later, police took both Sweeney and Dyas&nbsp; into custody in different areas of town without incident. These suspects would not have been captured so quickly without the information provided on the scene, and the hard work of all the Officers and Supervisors on the scene, according to Ditch.<a href="https://ssc.sedgwickcounty.org/sheriffinmates/SheriffInmateDetail.aspx?nameId=20062686">Dyas</a> and <a href="https://ssc.sedgwickcounty.org/sheriffinmates/SheriffInmateDetail.aspx?nameId=20052114">Sweeney are</a> being held on requested charges of 1st Degree murder.

Police: Flock system helped in capture of 2 Kan. murder suspects

By MIRIAM RENAUD <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-salman-rushdies-the-satanic-verses-remains-so-controversial-decades-after-its-publication-102321">The Conversation</a>

Author Salman Rushdie is in the hospital with serious injuries after being <a href="https://apnews.com/article/salman-rushdie-attacked-9eae99aea82cb0d39628851ecd42227a">stabbed by a man at an arts festival</a>
 in New York State on Aug. 12, 2022. The following article was published
 on the 30th anniversary of the release of The Satanic Verses.

One of the most controversial books in recent literary history, <a href="http://www.salmanrushdie.com">Salman Rushdie’s</a> <a href="https://books.google.com/books/about/The_Satanic_Verses.html?id=CSVwPG1Kdl8C">“The Satanic Verses,”</a> was published three decades ago this month and almost immediately set off <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/4308642?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents">angry demonstrations</a> all over the world, some of them violent.

A year later, in 1989, Iran’s supreme leader, the <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/khomeini_ayatollah.shtml">Ayatollah Khomeini</a>, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1989/02/16/world/iranians-protest-over-banned-book.html">issued a fatwa</a>,
 or religious ruling, ordering Muslims to kill the author. Born in India
 to a Muslim family, but by then a British citizen living in the U.K., 
Rushdie <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1990/11/04/magazine/rushdie-in-hiding.html">was forced to go into protective hiding</a> for the greater part of a decade.

The book, “Satanic Verses,” goes to the heart of Muslim religious 
beliefs when Rushdie, in dream sequences, challenges and sometimes seems
 to mock some of its most sensitive tenets.

Muslims believe that the <a href="http://www.oxfordislamicstudies.com/article/opr/t125/e1577">Prophet Muhammed</a>
 was visited by the angel Gibreel – Gabriel in English – who, over a 22 
year period, recited God’s words to him. In turn, Muhammed repeated the
 words to his followers. These words were eventually written down and 
became the <a href="https://universalistfriends.org/sells.html">verses</a> and chapters of the <a href="https://books.google.com/books/about/The_Qur_an.html?id=2LmsCiv8waEC">Quran</a>.

Rushdie’s novel takes up these core beliefs. One of the main 
characters, Gibreel Farishta, has a series of dreams in which he becomes
 his namesake, the angel <a href="https://www.thoughtco.com/angel-jibreel-gabriel-in-islam-2004031">Gibreel</a>.
 In these dreams, Gibreel encounters another central character in ways 
that echo Islam’s traditional account of the angel’s encounters with 
Muhammed.

Rushdie chooses a provocative name for Muhammed. The novel’s version 
of the Prophet is called Mahound – an alternative name for Muhammed 
sometimes used during the Middle Ages by Christians who considered him <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/9523983/The-Satanic-Verses-and-me.html">a devil</a>.

In addition, Rushdie’s Mahound puts his own words into the angel 
Gibreel’s mouth and delivers edicts to his followers that conveniently 
bolster his self-serving purposes. Even though, in the book, Mahound’s 
fictional scribe, Salman the Persian, rejects the authenticity of his 
master’s recitations, he records them as if they were God’s. 

In Rushdie’s book, Salman, for example, attributes certain actual passages in the Quran that place men “in charge of women” and <a href="https://quran.com/4/34">give men the right</a> to strike wives from whom they “fear arrogance,” to Mahound’s sexist views.

Through Mahound, Rushdie appears to cast doubt on the divine nature of the Quran. 

For many Muslims, Rushdie, in his fictional retelling of the birth of
 Islam’s key events, implies that, rather than God, the Prophet Muhammed
 is himself the source of revealed truths.

In Rushdie’s defense, some scholars have argued that his <a href="https://journals.openedition.org/erea/493">“irreverent mockery”</a> is intended to explore whether it is possible to separate fact from fiction. Literature expert <a href="http://wp.ucla.edu/person/greg-rubinson/">Greg Rubinson</a> points out that Gibreel is unable to decide what is real and what is a dream.

Since the publication of “The Satanic Verses,” Rushdie has argued that religious texts should be <a href="https://journals.openedition.org/erea/493">open to challenge</a>. “Why can’t we debate Islam?” <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/jul/23/salman-rushdie-on-islam-we-have-learned-the-wrong-lessons">Rushdie said in a 2015 interview</a>.
 “It is possible to respect individuals, to protect them from 
intolerance, while being skeptical about their ideas, even criticising 
them ferociously.”

This view, however, clashes with the view of those for whom the Quran is the literal word of God. 

After Khomeini’s death, <a href="https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/books/99/04/18/specials/rushdie-free.html">Iran’s government announced</a> in 1998 that it would <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-15949285">not carry out his fatwa</a> or encourage others to do so. Rushdie now lives in the United States and makes regular public appearances.

Still, 30 years later, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/23/world/middleeast/irans-hard-line-press-adds-to-bounty-on-salman-rushdie.html">threats against his life persist</a>. Although mass protests have stopped, the themes and questions raised in his novel remain hotly debated.

Myriam Renaud, Affiliated Faculty of Contemporary World Religions, Union Institute &amp; University.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1660580329709.png" alt="Rushdie / <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Salman_Rushdie_2012_Shankbone-2.jpg">Photo by David Shankbone, Creative Commons license</a>" />
 <figcaption>Rushdie / <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Salman_Rushdie_2012_Shankbone-2.jpg">Photo by David Shankbone, Creative Commons license</a></figcaption>
 </figure>By MIRIAM RENAUD <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-salman-rushdies-the-satanic-verses-remains-so-controversial-decades-after-its-publication-102321">The Conversation</a>Author Salman Rushdie is in the hospital with serious injuries after being <a href="https://apnews.com/article/salman-rushdie-attacked-9eae99aea82cb0d39628851ecd42227a">stabbed by a man at an arts festival</a>
 in New York State on Aug. 12, 2022. The following article was published
 on the 30th anniversary of the release of The Satanic Verses.One of the most controversial books in recent literary history, <a href="http://www.salmanrushdie.com">Salman Rushdie’s</a> <a href="https://books.google.com/books/about/The_Satanic_Verses.html?id=CSVwPG1Kdl8C">“The Satanic Verses,”</a> was published three decades ago this month and almost immediately set off <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/4308642?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents">angry demonstrations</a> all over the world, some of them violent. A year later, in 1989, Iran’s supreme leader, the <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/khomeini_ayatollah.shtml">Ayatollah Khomeini</a>, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1989/02/16/world/iranians-protest-over-banned-book.html">issued a fatwa</a>,
 or religious ruling, ordering Muslims to kill the author. Born in India
 to a Muslim family, but by then a British citizen living in the U.K., 
Rushdie <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1990/11/04/magazine/rushdie-in-hiding.html">was forced to go into protective hiding</a> for the greater part of a decade. <h2>The controversy</h2>The book, “Satanic Verses,” goes to the heart of Muslim religious 
beliefs when Rushdie, in dream sequences, challenges and sometimes seems
 to mock some of its most sensitive tenets.Muslims believe that the <a href="http://www.oxfordislamicstudies.com/article/opr/t125/e1577">Prophet Muhammed</a>
 was visited by the angel Gibreel – Gabriel in English – who, over a 22 
year period, recited God’s words to him. In turn, Muhammed repeated the
 words to his followers. These words were eventually written down and 
became the <a href="https://universalistfriends.org/sells.html">verses</a> and chapters of the <a href="https://books.google.com/books/about/The_Qur_an.html?id=2LmsCiv8waEC">Quran</a>. Rushdie’s novel takes up these core beliefs. One of the main 
characters, Gibreel Farishta, has a series of dreams in which he becomes
 his namesake, the angel <a href="https://www.thoughtco.com/angel-jibreel-gabriel-in-islam-2004031">Gibreel</a>.
 In these dreams, Gibreel encounters another central character in ways 
that echo Islam’s traditional account of the angel’s encounters with 
Muhammed.Rushdie chooses a provocative name for Muhammed. The novel’s version 
of the Prophet is called Mahound – an alternative name for Muhammed 
sometimes used during the Middle Ages by Christians who considered him <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/9523983/The-Satanic-Verses-and-me.html">a devil</a>.In addition, Rushdie’s Mahound puts his own words into the angel 
Gibreel’s mouth and delivers edicts to his followers that conveniently 
bolster his self-serving purposes. Even though, in the book, Mahound’s 
fictional scribe, Salman the Persian, rejects the authenticity of his 
master’s recitations, he records them as if they were God’s. In Rushdie’s book, Salman, for example, attributes certain actual passages in the Quran that place men “in charge of women” and <a href="https://quran.com/4/34">give men the right</a> to strike wives from whom they “fear arrogance,” to Mahound’s sexist views. Through Mahound, Rushdie appears to cast doubt on the divine nature of the Quran. <h2>Challenging religious texts?</h2>For many Muslims, Rushdie, in his fictional retelling of the birth of
 Islam’s key events, implies that, rather than God, the Prophet Muhammed
 is himself the source of revealed truths.In Rushdie’s defense, some scholars have argued that his <a href="https://journals.openedition.org/erea/493">“irreverent mockery”</a> is intended to explore whether it is possible to separate fact from fiction. Literature expert <a href="http://wp.ucla.edu/person/greg-rubinson/">Greg Rubinson</a> points out that Gibreel is unable to decide what is real and what is a dream. Since the publication of “The Satanic Verses,” Rushdie has argued that religious texts should be <a href="https://journals.openedition.org/erea/493">open to challenge</a>. “Why can’t we debate Islam?” <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/jul/23/salman-rushdie-on-islam-we-have-learned-the-wrong-lessons">Rushdie said in a 2015 interview</a>.
 “It is possible to respect individuals, to protect them from 
intolerance, while being skeptical about their ideas, even criticising 
them ferociously.”This view, however, clashes with the view of those for whom the Quran is the literal word of God. After Khomeini’s death, <a href="https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/books/99/04/18/specials/rushdie-free.html">Iran’s government announced</a> in 1998 that it would <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-15949285">not carry out his fatwa</a> or encourage others to do so. Rushdie now lives in the United States and makes regular public appearances.Still, 30 years later, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/23/world/middleeast/irans-hard-line-press-adds-to-bounty-on-salman-rushdie.html">threats against his life persist</a>. Although mass protests have stopped, the themes and questions raised in his novel remain hotly debated.Myriam Renaud, Affiliated Faculty of Contemporary World Religions, Union Institute &amp; University.<div><iframe src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/102321/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-advanced" width="1" height="1"></iframe></div>

Why Rushdie's ‘The Satanic Verses’ remains so controversial

CARTHAGE, MO. (AP) — A 3-year-old southwest Missouri girl has died after being found unresponsive in a hot vehicle that was parked outside her home, authorities said.

Temperatures were in the 90s on Friday when the girl was discovered in the SUV, Carthage police Lt. Eric Miller said. She was rushed to a hospital in nearby Joplin and then flown to a hospital in Springfield, where she died Saturday.

Miller couldn’t provide details about how long the girl had been in the vehicle before she was found.

No arrests have been made, and the girl's name wasn't immediately released.

CARTHAGE, MO. (AP) — A 3-year-old southwest Missouri girl has died after being found unresponsive in a hot vehicle that was parked outside her home, authorities said.Temperatures were in the 90s on Friday when the girl was discovered in the SUV, Carthage police Lt. Eric Miller said. She was rushed to a hospital in nearby Joplin and then flown to a hospital in Springfield, where she died Saturday.Miller couldn’t provide details about how long the girl had been in the vehicle before she was found.No arrests have been made, and the girl's name wasn't immediately released.

3-year-old Missouri girl dies after found in hot vehicle

WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service today announced that 
interest rates will increase for the calendar quarter beginning October 
1, 2022.

For individuals, the rate for overpayments and underpayments will be 
6% per year, compounded daily, up from 5% for the quarter that began on 
July 1. Here is a complete list of the new rates:

Under the Internal Revenue Code, the rate of interest is 
determined on a quarterly basis. For taxpayers other than corporations, 
the overpayment and underpayment rate is the federal short-term rate 
plus 3 percentage points.

Generally, for a corporation, the underpayment rate is the federal 
short-term rate plus 3 percentage points, and the overpayment rate is 
the federal short-term rate plus 2 percentage points. The rate for large
 corporate underpayments is the federal short-term rate plus 5 
percentage points. The rate on the portion of a corporate overpayment of
 tax exceeding $10,000 for a taxable period is the federal short-term 
rate plus one-half (0.5) of a percentage point.

The interest rates announced today are computed from the federal short-term rate determined during July 2022.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/9/1599869632873.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>IRSWASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service today announced that 
interest rates will increase for the calendar quarter beginning October 
1, 2022.For individuals, the rate for overpayments and underpayments will be 
6% per year, compounded daily, up from 5% for the quarter that began on 
July 1. Here is a complete list of the new rates:<ul>
 <li>6% for overpayments (3.5% for corporations). (payments made in excess of the amount owed)</li><li>3.5% for the portion of a corporate overpayment exceeding $10,000.</li><li>6% for underpayments. (taxes owed but not fully paid)</li><li>8% for large corporate underpayments.&nbsp;</li>
 </ul>Under the Internal Revenue Code, the rate of interest is 
determined on a quarterly basis. For taxpayers other than corporations, 
the overpayment and underpayment rate is the federal short-term rate 
plus 3 percentage points.Generally, for a corporation, the underpayment rate is the federal 
short-term rate plus 3 percentage points, and the overpayment rate is 
the federal short-term rate plus 2 percentage points. The rate for large
 corporate underpayments is the federal short-term rate plus 5 
percentage points. The rate on the portion of a corporate overpayment of
 tax exceeding $10,000 for a taxable period is the federal short-term 
rate plus one-half (0.5) of a percentage point.The interest rates announced today are computed from the federal short-term rate determined during July 2022.&nbsp;

IRS announces interest rate hikes for fourth quarter of 2022

Washington, D.C.—The U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Chairman Mark Warner and Vice Chairman Marco Rubio have requested in a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland and Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines information relating to the FBI’s search of former President Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate.

U.S. Senator Susan Collins, a member of the committee, is one of the few who has spoken out on the request. In a statement from her office Collins said, "The American people deserve a full accounting of the extraordinary action taken by the FBI last week."

"It’s imperative that the Committee receive all classified documents found during the search as well as the FBI affidavit, which would describe in detail any justification for the search. I look forward to the AG and the DNI’s swift compliance with the Committee’s request, which is essential to promoting transparency and securing a full accounting of the FBI’s unprecedented search of a former President’s personal residence.”

Missouri Senator Josh Hawley said, Attorney General Garland "Must Resign or Be Impeached," over the FBI Mar-a-Lago raid."

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1660337904040.jpeg" alt="The receipt for property that was seized during the execution of a search warrant by the FBI at former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Fla., is photographed Friday, Aug. 12, 2022. (AP Photo/Jon Elswick)" />
 <figcaption>The receipt for property that was seized during the execution of a search warrant by the FBI at former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Fla., is photographed Friday, Aug. 12, 2022. (AP Photo/Jon Elswick)</figcaption>
 </figure>Washington, D.C.—The U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Chairman Mark Warner and Vice Chairman Marco Rubio have requested in a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland and Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines information relating to the FBI’s search of former President Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate.U.S. Senator Susan Collins, a member of the committee, is one of the few who has spoken out on the request. In a statement from her office Collins said, "The American people deserve a full accounting of the extraordinary action taken by the FBI last week.""It’s imperative that the Committee receive all classified documents found during the search as well as the FBI affidavit, which would describe in detail any justification for the search. I look forward to the AG and the DNI’s swift compliance with the Committee’s request, which is essential to promoting transparency and securing a full accounting of the FBI’s unprecedented search of a former President’s personal residence.”<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">The raid by Joe Biden’s FBI on the home of a former president who is also Biden’s chief political opponent is an unprecedented assault on democratic norms and the rule of law. Biden has taken our republic into dangerous waters&mdash; Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) <a href="https://twitter.com/HawleyMO/status/1557009986336817153?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 9, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Missouri Senator Josh Hawley said, Attorney General Garland "Must Resign or Be Impeached," over the FBI Mar-a-Lago raid."

Senators demand  information on search of Trump estate

By RODRIC J. HURDLE-BRADFORD <a href="https://www.nevadacurrent.com/2022/08/15/tackling-turnover-hospitality-sector-confronts-an-old-problem-the-pandemic-made-worse/">Nevada Current</a>

The
 COVID-19 pandemic threw cold water on Nevada’s longtime hospitality 
industry turnover issue from Lake Tahoe to Lake Las Vegas, forcing the 
entire state’s industry to reexamine the quality of its human resources 
departments, personnel recruiting and onboarding strategies, and high 
personnel turnover rate.

High turnover traditionally has been 
viewed as a necessary evil within the state’s hospitality industry, but 
the pandemic has made strategists and executives alike rethink their 
expectations of recruiting, retaining and managing personnel.&nbsp;

“Learning and development roles are 
finally coming back,” said Las Vegas-based Kline Hospitality Consulting 
CEO Michele Kline, who hosts a podcast focused on hospitality training 
using real-life stories. “As organizations see how much of a revolving 
door there is now, learning and development becomes a key play so new 
hires are ready to take on their roles successfully.”&nbsp;

“The pandemic did not just change 
businesses, it also changed workers,” said SW HR Consulting CEO Shermana
 Walker, also based in Las Vegas. “Turnover rates in the hospitality 
industry are staggering and these rates continue to climb, and the 
COVID-19 pandemic has played a huge role in this.”

Walker cites the Bureau of Labor 
Statistics reporting a staggering 130% turnover rate for the hospitality
 industry in 2020. The turnover rate measures total annual separations 
between employees and hospitality venues across the country.&nbsp;

“This number is extremely high, but 
even before the pandemic, the rate was 79%,” said Walker. “With this 
issue of high employee turnover, there will be more burnout within 
employees, lack of coordination, frustration and working long hours 
without enough compensation.”&nbsp;

<a target="_blank" href="https://www.bls.gov/news.release/jolts.t16.htm">The 2021 hospitality turnover rate climbed even higher to its pre-pandemic level to 85%</a>,
 continuing the ongoing trend as newly identified pandemic turnover 
solutions like more efficient recruitment and retention have yet to take
 hold throughout the industry. To tackle the turnover issue, the state’s
 hospitality industry is now focusing on effective recruiting for the 
impending post-pandemic era.&nbsp;

“One of the most exciting changes 
that the pandemic has brought to the recruiting process is the immersive
 expansion of the talent pool,” Walker said. “Thanks to telecommuting, 
so many businesses have transitioned internal positions to include 
remote or hybrid environments. Nowadays, the whole world is your talent 
pool.”

Remote positions have helped tackle 
some of the turnover problems for Nevada’s hospitality industry, but for
 those vast majority of positions that require in-person attendance and a
 base in the Silver State, personnel recruitment is now receiving more 
attention than ever.&nbsp;

“As a process improvement expert, I 
see that the inefficiencies in the recruiting process are now more 
exposed than they ever have been,” Kline said. “Candidates who apply for
 a job are not wanting to hear back [from a single employer] any longer,
 they jump on the first opportunity that knocks on their door. Making 
sure the process is flawless and that your brand stands out is the 
secret sauce.”

Personnel recruitment in the new 
pandemic world has been a long arduous journey back, one that Nevada 
Resorts Association President Virginia Valentine says is hitting its 
summit.&nbsp;

“For the past two years, Nevada’s 
resort industry has been tireless in its work to bring back employees 
and recruit top talent to fill open positions,” Valentine said. “The 
recent resumption of international travel and a normalization of the 
tradeshow and convention business will drive business volumes during the
 midweek period, creating more job opportunities that move the industry 
closer to pre-pandemic employment leads.”

This increase leads to the more intense focus on retention from all sectors within the hospitality industry.&nbsp;

After successfully recruiting a new 
employee, more attention is being paid to the onboarding process for 
that new employee than ever before.&nbsp;

“The way you bring people on board 
goes a long way toward keeping employees engaged and effective in your 
organization,” Walker said. “This is true in any industry, but in the 
hospitality industry, with its notoriously high turnover rate, it is 
even more vital.”&nbsp;

Walker says the days of anonymous 
hires in the hospitality industry should be over. New hires, regardless 
of position, title or location, should be shared well in advance with 
close co-workers. If that cannot occur, that puts even more emphasis on 
the orientation and training session on the first day, with an 
introduction by name to relevant team members.&nbsp;

“There is now a shift from a focus on
 employee experience, to employee life experience,” Walker said. “It has
 brought more radical flexibility and more emphasis on when employees do
 their work, and how much of it they do, not where people work.”&nbsp;

Both Kline and Walker agree that 
effective employee retention begins with a reset of corporate culture 
and often traditional tactics are now outdated and ineffective.

“The employee appreciation party is 
one popular retention strategy I believe is a thing of the past,” Kline 
said. “Team members want to feel part of the bigger picture. 2020 
allowed people to stop and think, now they see value in understanding 
that they have a purpose in the overall objective of the organization 
and see the value in understanding the role they play in it.”

Human resources and personnel management has changed across the entire hospitality industry, not just Nevada.&nbsp;

“I believe what mainly has changed 
forever in the hospitality industry is the timing to turnaround a 
candidate’s journey, keeping the candidate warm and engaged throughout 
that process,” Kline said.&nbsp; “Also the new emphasis needs to be on 
training, we must invest in developing our people. Not only the 
candidates who come in from other industries or organizations, but also 
the hiring managers, the recruiters and human resource personnel.”&nbsp;

According to Walker, Nevada’s new 
trends in hospitality human resources center around training programs 
for new employees, management and sales. Combined with new and refreshed
 mentoring programs and innovative ways to measure performance results, 
the state’s hospitality industry finally has a blueprint to tackle the 
long-time turnover issues, Walker said.&nbsp;

Working life before COVID-19 feels 
like a distant memory, so much has changed and so much water has flowed 
under the bridge,” Walker said. “Employee expectations have evolved 
beyond pay, benefits, and perks — a sense of shared identity, 
interactions, and a fulfilling employee experience are crucial for a 
successful post-pandemic business.”

The Culinary Workers Union got the Nevada Legislature to pass <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nevadacurrent.com/2021/06/25/right-to-return-law-far-from-a-guarantee-workers-will-get-their-jobs-back/">a “Right to Return” law</a> which gave certain
 laid-off workers the right to be offered back their former or similar 
jobs, as those positions become available. The law went into effect July
 1, 2021. At that time, according to the Culinary, about half the 
union’s 60,000 members had returned to work. By January 2022, that 
number was up to 40,000, and the union <a target="_blank" href="https://www.fox5vegas.com/2022/01/28/right-return-law-has-been-success-culinary-union-president-says/">declared the law a success</a>.

Culinary officials did not respond to requests for comment for this story.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1660572698731.jpg" alt="Image courtesy of Pixabay" />
 <figcaption>Image courtesy of Pixabay</figcaption>
 </figure>By RODRIC J. HURDLE-BRADFORD <a href="https://www.nevadacurrent.com/2022/08/15/tackling-turnover-hospitality-sector-confronts-an-old-problem-the-pandemic-made-worse/">Nevada Current</a>The
 COVID-19 pandemic threw cold water on Nevada’s longtime hospitality 
industry turnover issue from Lake Tahoe to Lake Las Vegas, forcing the 
entire state’s industry to reexamine the quality of its human resources 
departments, personnel recruiting and onboarding strategies, and high 
personnel turnover rate.High turnover traditionally has been 
viewed as a necessary evil within the state’s hospitality industry, but 
the pandemic has made strategists and executives alike rethink their 
expectations of recruiting, retaining and managing personnel.&nbsp;“Learning and development roles are 
finally coming back,” said Las Vegas-based Kline Hospitality Consulting 
CEO Michele Kline, who hosts a podcast focused on hospitality training 
using real-life stories. “As organizations see how much of a revolving 
door there is now, learning and development becomes a key play so new 
hires are ready to take on their roles successfully.”&nbsp;<h2>Tackling turnover</h2>“The pandemic did not just change 
businesses, it also changed workers,” said SW HR Consulting CEO Shermana
 Walker, also based in Las Vegas. “Turnover rates in the hospitality 
industry are staggering and these rates continue to climb, and the 
COVID-19 pandemic has played a huge role in this.”Walker cites the Bureau of Labor 
Statistics reporting a staggering 130% turnover rate for the hospitality
 industry in 2020. The turnover rate measures total annual separations 
between employees and hospitality venues across the country.&nbsp;“This number is extremely high, but 
even before the pandemic, the rate was 79%,” said Walker. “With this 
issue of high employee turnover, there will be more burnout within 
employees, lack of coordination, frustration and working long hours 
without enough compensation.”&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.bls.gov/news.release/jolts.t16.htm">The 2021 hospitality turnover rate climbed even higher to its pre-pandemic level to 85%</a>,
 continuing the ongoing trend as newly identified pandemic turnover 
solutions like more efficient recruitment and retention have yet to take
 hold throughout the industry. To tackle the turnover issue, the state’s
 hospitality industry is now focusing on effective recruiting for the 
impending post-pandemic era.&nbsp;“One of the most exciting changes 
that the pandemic has brought to the recruiting process is the immersive
 expansion of the talent pool,” Walker said. “Thanks to telecommuting, 
so many businesses have transitioned internal positions to include 
remote or hybrid environments. Nowadays, the whole world is your talent 
pool.”<h2>Relying on recruitment</h2>Remote positions have helped tackle 
some of the turnover problems for Nevada’s hospitality industry, but for
 those vast majority of positions that require in-person attendance and a
 base in the Silver State, personnel recruitment is now receiving more 
attention than ever.&nbsp;“As a process improvement expert, I 
see that the inefficiencies in the recruiting process are now more 
exposed than they ever have been,” Kline said. “Candidates who apply for
 a job are not wanting to hear back [from a single employer] any longer,
 they jump on the first opportunity that knocks on their door. Making 
sure the process is flawless and that your brand stands out is the 
secret sauce.”Personnel recruitment in the new 
pandemic world has been a long arduous journey back, one that Nevada 
Resorts Association President Virginia Valentine says is hitting its 
summit.&nbsp;“For the past two years, Nevada’s 
resort industry has been tireless in its work to bring back employees 
and recruit top talent to fill open positions,” Valentine said. “The 
recent resumption of international travel and a normalization of the 
tradeshow and convention business will drive business volumes during the
 midweek period, creating more job opportunities that move the industry 
closer to pre-pandemic employment leads.”This increase leads to the more intense focus on retention from all sectors within the hospitality industry.&nbsp;<h2>Rethinking retention</h2>After successfully recruiting a new 
employee, more attention is being paid to the onboarding process for 
that new employee than ever before.&nbsp;“The way you bring people on board 
goes a long way toward keeping employees engaged and effective in your 
organization,” Walker said. “This is true in any industry, but in the 
hospitality industry, with its notoriously high turnover rate, it is 
even more vital.”&nbsp;Walker says the days of anonymous 
hires in the hospitality industry should be over. New hires, regardless 
of position, title or location, should be shared well in advance with 
close co-workers. If that cannot occur, that puts even more emphasis on 
the orientation and training session on the first day, with an 
introduction by name to relevant team members.&nbsp;“There is now a shift from a focus on
 employee experience, to employee life experience,” Walker said. “It has
 brought more radical flexibility and more emphasis on when employees do
 their work, and how much of it they do, not where people work.”&nbsp;Both Kline and Walker agree that 
effective employee retention begins with a reset of corporate culture 
and often traditional tactics are now outdated and ineffective.“The employee appreciation party is 
one popular retention strategy I believe is a thing of the past,” Kline 
said. “Team members want to feel part of the bigger picture. 2020 
allowed people to stop and think, now they see value in understanding 
that they have a purpose in the overall objective of the organization 
and see the value in understanding the role they play in it.”<h2>How hospitality HR has changed forever</h2>Human resources and personnel management has changed across the entire hospitality industry, not just Nevada.&nbsp;“I believe what mainly has changed 
forever in the hospitality industry is the timing to turnaround a 
candidate’s journey, keeping the candidate warm and engaged throughout 
that process,” Kline said.&nbsp; “Also the new emphasis needs to be on 
training, we must invest in developing our people. Not only the 
candidates who come in from other industries or organizations, but also 
the hiring managers, the recruiters and human resource personnel.”&nbsp;According to Walker, Nevada’s new 
trends in hospitality human resources center around training programs 
for new employees, management and sales. Combined with new and refreshed
 mentoring programs and innovative ways to measure performance results, 
the state’s hospitality industry finally has a blueprint to tackle the 
long-time turnover issues, Walker said.&nbsp;Working life before COVID-19 feels 
like a distant memory, so much has changed and so much water has flowed 
under the bridge,” Walker said. “Employee expectations have evolved 
beyond pay, benefits, and perks — a sense of shared identity, 
interactions, and a fulfilling employee experience are crucial for a 
successful post-pandemic business.”The Culinary Workers Union got the Nevada Legislature to pass <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nevadacurrent.com/2021/06/25/right-to-return-law-far-from-a-guarantee-workers-will-get-their-jobs-back/">a “Right to Return” law</a> which gave certain
 laid-off workers the right to be offered back their former or similar 
jobs, as those positions become available. The law went into effect July
 1, 2021. At that time, according to the Culinary, about half the 
union’s 60,000 members had returned to work. By January 2022, that 
number was up to 40,000, and the union <a target="_blank" href="https://www.fox5vegas.com/2022/01/28/right-return-law-has-been-success-culinary-union-president-says/">declared the law a success</a>.Culinary officials did not respond to requests for comment for this story.