By ALLISON WINTER <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2022/08/11/farm-bill-season-arrives-whats-the-outlook-for-2023/">States Newsroom</a>

WASHINGTON — Over the course of the 
next year, lawmakers on the U.S. House and Senate Agriculture committees
 will draft a new federal farm bill that will shape food, farm, 
conservation and nutrition programs across the country for the next five
 years.

The omnibus law that began 90 years 
ago as crop supports now has an impact far beyond the farm, with 
programs to create wildlife habitat, address climate change and run the 
nation’s largest federal nutrition program.

“Any number of economic policies that
 we establish in farm bills impact everybody’s daily lives,” said former
 U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss, the top Republican on the Senate Agriculture
 Committee during the 2008 farm bill. The Georgia lawmaker now works at 
the global law firm DLA Piper.&nbsp;

Chambliss said farm bills affect food prices and availability, global trade and renewable fuels.&nbsp;

But he said the debate going into the
 legislation is often overshadowed by crop subsidies — the farm bill’s 
longstanding support system for producers of farm commodities. The 
payments are intended to provide economic stability for farmers but are 
usually a target for those who would like to invest the money 
elsewhere.&nbsp;

“The farm bills have evolved into a 
political football for all the wrong reasons,” Chambliss said in an 
interview with States Newsroom.

The current farm bill expires in 
September 2023. But given the size and implications of the programs, it 
is already farm bill season for lawmakers and the groups with a stake in
 the bill.&nbsp;

Advocacy groups are pulling together 
their farm bill platforms. And the House and Senate Agriculture 
committees have each started hosting farm bill hearings in Washington, 
D.C., and in some members’ home districts.&nbsp;

At the Senate Agriculture Committee’s
 first field hearing in Michigan in April, Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow, a
 Michigan Democrat, listed climate change, conservation programs and 
expanding opportunities for midsized and local producers among her 
concerns for the new farm bill.

On the House side, Agriculture 
Committee Chairman David Scott, a Georgia Democrat, has said he wants to
 support beginning and underserved farmers and ranchers and expand 
opportunities for conservation and energy programs.&nbsp;

“My goals are to protect the farm 
bill coalition that has provided a safety net for those struggling to 
feed their families as well as for those who help to produce that food,”
 Scott said in an email to States Newsroom.

“We also know that many of our 
programs are oversubscribed, and our available funding has not kept up 
with the demand in the conservation and energy titles,” Scott said.

Originally a product of the New Deal,
 the first farm bill in 1933 focused on commodity price support to 
provide relief for farmers and ensure a steady domestic food supply for 
Americans during the Great Depression.&nbsp;

Since then, lawmakers have passed 18 
farm bills and greatly expanded the reach of the legislation. For 
example, Congress added a conservation section to the farm bill in 1985 
and an energy title in 2002.

The most recent farm bill, the 
Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, has 12 titles and includes programs
 for commodity crops, nutrition, trade, crop insurance, forestry and 
rural development.&nbsp;

The farm bill’s conservation programs
 pay farmers to make environmental improvements on working land or to 
replace crops on highly erodible and environmentally sensitive land.&nbsp;

One year of outlays for farm bill conservation programs exceeds the annual budget for the National Park Service.&nbsp;

More than 140 million acres of 
farmland in the U.S. are currently receiving conservation-related 
financial and technical assistance from the federal government, 
according to an analysis from the Farm Bureau. The national park system 
has more than 85 million acres, according to the Park Service.

But the largest spending in the farm bill — three-fourths of the funding — goes to nutrition programs, particularly the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, formerly known as food stamps.&nbsp;

“Most of the farm bill affects 
eaters, not farmers,” said Scott Faber, senior vice president for 
government affairs at Environmental Working Group, one of the advocacy 
groups that tracks farm bill spending.&nbsp;

Like many bills on Capitol Hill, the 
farm bill has some “discretionary” programs, which are set up in the 
bill but have to be funded through the annual appropriations process.&nbsp;

But most of the farm bill programs 
are “mandatory” spending. That funding is set in the farm bill itself 
and goes out over the next five years, regardless of congressional 
appropriations. Those mandatory programs include crop subsidies, 
conservation programs, some forms of crop insurance and SNAP.&nbsp;

The 2018 farm bill was projected to spend
 $428 billion over five years, according to the Congressional Budget 
Office.&nbsp; When crafting a new farm bill, lawmakers must keep the total 
within the baseline estimates for the previous farm bill or find another
 new funding source. The current baseline for farm bill programs for the
 next five years is $648 billion, according to the Congressional Budget 
Office’s May 2022 estimates. A new estimate in spring 2023 will set the 
budget for the new farm bill.

“The difficult issue that we have every time we head into a farm bill is the budget,” said Chambliss.

Advocacy groups and lawmakers usually propose shifts in funding levels to try to direct more money to their favorite programs.&nbsp;&nbsp;

“The biggest problem is that there is
 only a certain amount of money we can have, so if we want more money we
 have to rob from Peter to pay for Paul,” Tom Haag, a vice president of 
the National Corn Growers Association, said at a recent panel discussion
 on the farm bill.

But conservation and other 
climate-related programs will receive another funding infusion this year
 from the Inflation Reduction Act, which gives a boost of more than $20 
billion for climate investments on farmland. The bill is up for a vote 
before the U.S. House.

That will provide about a 47 percent 
increase over previous farm bill levels, according to an analysis from 
the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition.&nbsp;

But folding that budget authority 
into the farm bill may not be a straightforward process, as Agriculture 
Committee members look for ways to direct it to their interests.

“Everyone is going to want a piece of
 that climate money,” said Ferd Hoefner, a Washington, D.C.-based 
consultant on farm and food policy who has worked on nine previous farm 
bills.&nbsp;

Most farm bill crop subsidies go to the major commodity crops: corn, soybeans, wheat, cotton and rice.&nbsp;

The big three of corn, soybean and 
wheat farmers receive more than 70 percent of farm subsidies, according 
to an analysis from the Cato Institute.&nbsp;

Some other producers are eligible for
 the federal safety net through crop insurance, intended to help farmers
 manage for risk of loss from severe weather or market disruptions. 
Lawmakers have expanded the crop insurance program in recent farm bills,
 and its total spending now slightly exceeds that of crop subsidies.&nbsp;

The federal government provides 
policies for more than 100 crops, according to the USDA. But some small 
farmers with varied crops have said it is still hard for them to get 
crop insurance, since policies are regional and limited to certain 
“insurable commodities.”

The farm bill has smaller programs 
for organic agriculture and “specialty crops,” fruits, vegetables and 
nuts. It includes a cost-share program for organic certification, market
 development grants and research programs on citrus disease.&nbsp;

Agriculture subsidies, crop insurance
 and conservation programs have participants nationwide but tend to 
center on the Midwest, Great Plains and Texas.

Overall, Texas landowners get the most federal farm bill subsidies, according to an <a target="_blank" href="https://farm.ewg.org/">analysis of federal data</a>
 from 1995-2020 from the Environmental Working Group. The analysis added
 commodity, conservation, disaster and crop insurance payments combined.

The rest of the top 10 states for 
farm subsidies are: Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, Kansas, Nebraska, North 
Dakota, South Dakota, Missouri and Indiana.

The farm bill’s nutrition programs 
are nationwide, distributed based on household income in both rural 
areas and cities. The percent of residents receiving SNAP benefits in 
2019 ranged from 19.8 percent in New Mexico to 4.2 percent in Wyoming, 
according to USDA.

The farm bill is unique on Capitol 
Hill because it creates regional alliances around issues, rather than 
splitting along party lines. House and Senate Agriculture Committee 
members often tout their bipartisan approach.&nbsp;

“The issues in a farm bill are not between Republicans and Democrats — the difference primarily is regional,” said Chambliss.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Scott and Stabenow currently lead the
 House and Senate committees, but if Republicans take control of the 
House or Senate after the midterm elections, the leadership would shift 
to Glenn Thompson of Pennsylvania in the House and John Boozman of 
Arkansas in the Senate.&nbsp;

Thompson represents rural central 
Pennsylvania and comes from a long line of dairy farmers. Boozman won 
the “golden plow” award from the American Farm Bureau in July for his 
support for farmers.

The presidential administration 
usually offers policy advice and program recommendations for the farm 
bill. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, a former governor of Iowa, is 
no stranger to the process, having also been at the helm of the USDA 
from 2009 to 2017 during the Obama administration.

A presidential veto of the farm bill 
is rare but not unprecedented. Since 1965, only the 2008 farm bill was 
vetoed as a standalone measure, according to the Congressional Research 
Service. President George W. Bush <a target="_blank" href="https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2008/05/20080521-4.html">vetoed</a> that bill twice in an effort to get more of his priorities in the bill. Congress overrode his vetos.&nbsp;

As the farm bill’s scope has 
expanded, more and more lobbyists and advocacy groups have joined the 
fray each year to try to influence the process.&nbsp;

Agribusiness groups, environmental 
organizations, climate change experts, poverty and hunger groups and 
religious organizations will all weigh in on the farm bill. Many of 
those groups are working with their members to create farm bill policy 
platforms that they will release in the coming months.&nbsp;

The current farm bill’s mandatory 
programs expire at the end of September 2023, which creates a deadline 
for Congress to reauthorize a new bill before then.&nbsp;

Staff from the House and Senate 
Agriculture committees said they plan to hold more hearings on each 
title of the bill in the coming months, with the hopes of voting on a 
final bill well in advance of the deadline.

But in practice, in the last several 
farm bill cycles Congress has not met those deadlines and usually passed
 temporary extensions to keep programs running while they continued to 
negotiate until the end of the calendar year.

The extra funding from the Inflation 
Reduction Act could lay the groundwork for a push for new climate 
policies in farm bill conservation programs.&nbsp;

In recent hearings, House lawmakers 
have also discussed expanding crop insurance and trying to address the 
mounting challenges from drought, severe weather and climate change.&nbsp;

At a farm bill hearing in July, Rep. 
Rick Allen, a Georgia Republican, urged his fellow lawmakers to tread 
carefully, given how chaotic the past few years have been for 
agriculture and the economy.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

“We should not make major changes unless we are able to fully evaluate the consequences of those changes,” Allen said.&nbsp;

Lawmakers will likely include some 
pilot programs to test new ideas. Those could lay the groundwork for 
major changes in the future.&nbsp;

For example, former Sen. Tom Harkin, 
an Iowa Democrat, championed a pilot program to give schoolchildren 
fresh fruits and vegetables as a snack. In 2005, it was scaled up to 
cover the entire country.

Farm bills traditionally have not 
included much for livestock producers, but some agriculture experts 
expect that to change this year, in response to the turmoil the sector 
faced during the COVID-19 pandemic.&nbsp;

House Agriculture Chairman Scott introduced a <a target="_blank" href="https://agriculture.house.gov/uploadedfiles/h.r._8590.pdf">small farmer or rancher relief act</a>
 in July, indicating his interest in the issue. His proposal would 
provide targeted insurance to small ranchers with fewer than 100 cattle 
and a grant program for producers that sell direct to consumers.&nbsp;

How can I have input into what’s in the bill?

The House and Senate Agriculture Committees are both collecting ideas and feedback. The Senate Agriculture Committee has an <a target="_blank" href="https://www.agriculture.senate.gov/farm-bill">online form</a> for input on the farm bill. And House Agriculture is collecting feedback through a form <a target="_blank" href="https://agriculture.house.gov/forms/form/?ID=9">on their website</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1660239197668.jpg" alt="In recent hearings on the 2023 farm bill, lawmakers in the U.S. House have discussed expanding crop insurance and trying to address the mounting challenges from drought, severe weather and climate change to the legislation. Image courtesy of Pixabay" />
 <figcaption>In recent hearings on the 2023 farm bill, lawmakers in the U.S. House have discussed expanding crop insurance and trying to address the mounting challenges from drought, severe weather and climate change to the legislation. Image courtesy of Pixabay</figcaption>
 </figure>By ALLISON WINTER <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2022/08/11/farm-bill-season-arrives-whats-the-outlook-for-2023/">States Newsroom</a>WASHINGTON — Over the course of the 
next year, lawmakers on the U.S. House and Senate Agriculture committees
 will draft a new federal farm bill that will shape food, farm, 
conservation and nutrition programs across the country for the next five
 years.The omnibus law that began 90 years 
ago as crop supports now has an impact far beyond the farm, with 
programs to create wildlife habitat, address climate change and run the 
nation’s largest federal nutrition program.“Any number of economic policies that
 we establish in farm bills impact everybody’s daily lives,” said former
 U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss, the top Republican on the Senate Agriculture
 Committee during the 2008 farm bill. The Georgia lawmaker now works at 
the global law firm DLA Piper.&nbsp;Chambliss said farm bills affect food prices and availability, global trade and renewable fuels.&nbsp;But he said the debate going into the
 legislation is often overshadowed by crop subsidies — the farm bill’s 
longstanding support system for producers of farm commodities. The 
payments are intended to provide economic stability for farmers but are 
usually a target for those who would like to invest the money 
elsewhere.&nbsp;“The farm bills have evolved into a 
political football for all the wrong reasons,” Chambliss said in an 
interview with States Newsroom.The current farm bill expires in 
September 2023. But given the size and implications of the programs, it 
is already farm bill season for lawmakers and the groups with a stake in
 the bill.&nbsp;Advocacy groups are pulling together 
their farm bill platforms. And the House and Senate Agriculture 
committees have each started hosting farm bill hearings in Washington, 
D.C., and in some members’ home districts.&nbsp;At the Senate Agriculture Committee’s
 first field hearing in Michigan in April, Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow, a
 Michigan Democrat, listed climate change, conservation programs and 
expanding opportunities for midsized and local producers among her 
concerns for the new farm bill.On the House side, Agriculture 
Committee Chairman David Scott, a Georgia Democrat, has said he wants to
 support beginning and underserved farmers and ranchers and expand 
opportunities for conservation and energy programs.&nbsp;“My goals are to protect the farm 
bill coalition that has provided a safety net for those struggling to 
feed their families as well as for those who help to produce that food,”
 Scott said in an email to States Newsroom.“We also know that many of our 
programs are oversubscribed, and our available funding has not kept up 
with the demand in the conservation and energy titles,” Scott said.<h2>What does the farm bill cover?</h2>Originally a product of the New Deal,
 the first farm bill in 1933 focused on commodity price support to 
provide relief for farmers and ensure a steady domestic food supply for 
Americans during the Great Depression.&nbsp;Since then, lawmakers have passed 18 
farm bills and greatly expanded the reach of the legislation. For 
example, Congress added a conservation section to the farm bill in 1985 
and an energy title in 2002.The most recent farm bill, the 
Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, has 12 titles and includes programs
 for commodity crops, nutrition, trade, crop insurance, forestry and 
rural development.&nbsp;The farm bill’s conservation programs
 pay farmers to make environmental improvements on working land or to 
replace crops on highly erodible and environmentally sensitive land.&nbsp;One year of outlays for farm bill conservation programs exceeds the annual budget for the National Park Service.&nbsp;More than 140 million acres of 
farmland in the U.S. are currently receiving conservation-related 
financial and technical assistance from the federal government, 
according to an analysis from the Farm Bureau. The national park system 
has more than 85 million acres, according to the Park Service.But the largest spending in the farm bill — three-fourths of the funding — goes to nutrition programs, particularly the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, formerly known as food stamps.&nbsp;“Most of the farm bill affects 
eaters, not farmers,” said Scott Faber, senior vice president for 
government affairs at Environmental Working Group, one of the advocacy 
groups that tracks farm bill spending.&nbsp;<h2>How much money is at stake?</h2>Like many bills on Capitol Hill, the 
farm bill has some “discretionary” programs, which are set up in the 
bill but have to be funded through the annual appropriations process.&nbsp;But most of the farm bill programs 
are “mandatory” spending. That funding is set in the farm bill itself 
and goes out over the next five years, regardless of congressional 
appropriations. Those mandatory programs include crop subsidies, 
conservation programs, some forms of crop insurance and SNAP.&nbsp;The 2018 farm bill was projected to spend
 $428 billion over five years, according to the Congressional Budget 
Office.&nbsp; When crafting a new farm bill, lawmakers must keep the total 
within the baseline estimates for the previous farm bill or find another
 new funding source. The current baseline for farm bill programs for the
 next five years is $648 billion, according to the Congressional Budget 
Office’s May 2022 estimates. A new estimate in spring 2023 will set the 
budget for the new farm bill.“The difficult issue that we have every time we head into a farm bill is the budget,” said Chambliss.Advocacy groups and lawmakers usually propose shifts in funding levels to try to direct more money to their favorite programs.&nbsp;&nbsp;“The biggest problem is that there is
 only a certain amount of money we can have, so if we want more money we
 have to rob from Peter to pay for Paul,” Tom Haag, a vice president of 
the National Corn Growers Association, said at a recent panel discussion
 on the farm bill.But conservation and other 
climate-related programs will receive another funding infusion this year
 from the Inflation Reduction Act, which gives a boost of more than $20 
billion for climate investments on farmland. The bill is up for a vote 
before the U.S. House.That will provide about a 47 percent 
increase over previous farm bill levels, according to an analysis from 
the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition.&nbsp;But folding that budget authority 
into the farm bill may not be a straightforward process, as Agriculture 
Committee members look for ways to direct it to their interests.“Everyone is going to want a piece of
 that climate money,” said Ferd Hoefner, a Washington, D.C.-based 
consultant on farm and food policy who has worked on nine previous farm 
bills.&nbsp;<h2>What crops are most affected?</h2>Most farm bill crop subsidies go to the major commodity crops: corn, soybeans, wheat, cotton and rice.&nbsp;The big three of corn, soybean and 
wheat farmers receive more than 70 percent of farm subsidies, according 
to an analysis from the Cato Institute.&nbsp;Some other producers are eligible for
 the federal safety net through crop insurance, intended to help farmers
 manage for risk of loss from severe weather or market disruptions. 
Lawmakers have expanded the crop insurance program in recent farm bills,
 and its total spending now slightly exceeds that of crop subsidies.&nbsp;The federal government provides 
policies for more than 100 crops, according to the USDA. But some small 
farmers with varied crops have said it is still hard for them to get 
crop insurance, since policies are regional and limited to certain 
“insurable commodities.”The farm bill has smaller programs 
for organic agriculture and “specialty crops,” fruits, vegetables and 
nuts. It includes a cost-share program for organic certification, market
 development grants and research programs on citrus disease.&nbsp;<h2>What states are most affected?</h2>Agriculture subsidies, crop insurance
 and conservation programs have participants nationwide but tend to 
center on the Midwest, Great Plains and Texas.Overall, Texas landowners get the most federal farm bill subsidies, according to an <a target="_blank" href="https://farm.ewg.org/">analysis of federal data</a>
 from 1995-2020 from the Environmental Working Group. The analysis added
 commodity, conservation, disaster and crop insurance payments combined.The rest of the top 10 states for 
farm subsidies are: Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, Kansas, Nebraska, North 
Dakota, South Dakota, Missouri and Indiana.The farm bill’s nutrition programs 
are nationwide, distributed based on household income in both rural 
areas and cities. The percent of residents receiving SNAP benefits in 
2019 ranged from 19.8 percent in New Mexico to 4.2 percent in Wyoming, 
according to USDA.<h2>Who are the players?</h2>The farm bill is unique on Capitol 
Hill because it creates regional alliances around issues, rather than 
splitting along party lines. House and Senate Agriculture Committee 
members often tout their bipartisan approach.&nbsp;“The issues in a farm bill are not between Republicans and Democrats — the difference primarily is regional,” said Chambliss.&nbsp;&nbsp;Scott and Stabenow currently lead the
 House and Senate committees, but if Republicans take control of the 
House or Senate after the midterm elections, the leadership would shift 
to Glenn Thompson of Pennsylvania in the House and John Boozman of 
Arkansas in the Senate.&nbsp;Thompson represents rural central 
Pennsylvania and comes from a long line of dairy farmers. Boozman won 
the “golden plow” award from the American Farm Bureau in July for his 
support for farmers.The presidential administration 
usually offers policy advice and program recommendations for the farm 
bill. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, a former governor of Iowa, is 
no stranger to the process, having also been at the helm of the USDA 
from 2009 to 2017 during the Obama administration.A presidential veto of the farm bill 
is rare but not unprecedented. Since 1965, only the 2008 farm bill was 
vetoed as a standalone measure, according to the Congressional Research 
Service. President George W. Bush <a target="_blank" href="https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2008/05/20080521-4.html">vetoed</a> that bill twice in an effort to get more of his priorities in the bill. Congress overrode his vetos.&nbsp;As the farm bill’s scope has 
expanded, more and more lobbyists and advocacy groups have joined the 
fray each year to try to influence the process.&nbsp;Agribusiness groups, environmental 
organizations, climate change experts, poverty and hunger groups and 
religious organizations will all weigh in on the farm bill. Many of 
those groups are working with their members to create farm bill policy 
platforms that they will release in the coming months.&nbsp;<h2>When will it get done?</h2>The current farm bill’s mandatory 
programs expire at the end of September 2023, which creates a deadline 
for Congress to reauthorize a new bill before then.&nbsp;Staff from the House and Senate 
Agriculture committees said they plan to hold more hearings on each 
title of the bill in the coming months, with the hopes of voting on a 
final bill well in advance of the deadline.But in practice, in the last several 
farm bill cycles Congress has not met those deadlines and usually passed
 temporary extensions to keep programs running while they continued to 
negotiate until the end of the calendar year.<h2>What might change this year?</h2>The extra funding from the Inflation 
Reduction Act could lay the groundwork for a push for new climate 
policies in farm bill conservation programs.&nbsp;In recent hearings, House lawmakers 
have also discussed expanding crop insurance and trying to address the 
mounting challenges from drought, severe weather and climate change.&nbsp;At a farm bill hearing in July, Rep. 
Rick Allen, a Georgia Republican, urged his fellow lawmakers to tread 
carefully, given how chaotic the past few years have been for 
agriculture and the economy.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;“We should not make major changes unless we are able to fully evaluate the consequences of those changes,” Allen said.&nbsp;Lawmakers will likely include some 
pilot programs to test new ideas. Those could lay the groundwork for 
major changes in the future.&nbsp;For example, former Sen. Tom Harkin, 
an Iowa Democrat, championed a pilot program to give schoolchildren 
fresh fruits and vegetables as a snack. In 2005, it was scaled up to 
cover the entire country.Farm bills traditionally have not 
included much for livestock producers, but some agriculture experts 
expect that to change this year, in response to the turmoil the sector 
faced during the COVID-19 pandemic.&nbsp;House Agriculture Chairman Scott introduced a <a target="_blank" href="https://agriculture.house.gov/uploadedfiles/h.r._8590.pdf">small farmer or rancher relief act</a>
 in July, indicating his interest in the issue. His proposal would 
provide targeted insurance to small ranchers with fewer than 100 cattle 
and a grant program for producers that sell direct to consumers.&nbsp;<h2>How can I have input into what’s in the bill?</h2>The House and Senate Agriculture Committees are both collecting ideas and feedback. The Senate Agriculture Committee has an <a target="_blank" href="https://www.agriculture.senate.gov/farm-bill">online form</a> for input on the farm bill. And House Agriculture is collecting feedback through a form <a target="_blank" href="https://agriculture.house.gov/forms/form/?ID=9">on their website</a>.

Farm bill season arrives: What’s the outlook for 2023?

KANSAS CITY (AP) —Jada Riley thought she had beaten homelessness.

The 26-year-old New Orleans resident was finally making a steady income cleaning houses during the pandemic to afford a $700-a-month, one-bedroom apartment. But she lost nearly all her clients after Hurricane Ida hit last year. Then she was fired from a grocery store job in February after taking time off to help a relative.

Two months behind on rent, she made the difficult decision last month to leave her apartment rather than risk an eviction judgment on her record. Now, she’s living in her car with her 6-year-old son, sometimes spending nights at the apartments of friends or her son’s father.

“I’ve slept outside for a whole year before. It’s very depressing, I’m not going to lie,” said Riley, who often doesn’t have enough money to buy gas or afford food every day.

“I don’t want to have my son experience any struggles that I went through.”

Eviction filings nationwide have steadily risen in recent months and are approaching or exceeding pre-pandemic levels in many cities and states. That’s in stark contrast to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-coronavirus-pandemic-f0085d9d4547b897a27323bb95cc890c#:~:text=BOSTON%20(AP)%20%E2%80%94%20More%20than,eviction%20in%20the%20coming%20weeks.">the pandemic</a>, when state and federal&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-business-health-bd61b8a59126081bb09ef9515d09866f">moratoriums</a>&nbsp;on evictions, combined with $46.5 billion in f&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-health-260b9c88a08a1ccb78494c8664887cf9">ederal Emergency Rental Assistance,</a>&nbsp;kept millions of families housed.

“I really think this is the tip of the iceberg,” Shannon MacKenzie, executive director of Colorado Poverty Law Project, said of June filings in Denver, which were about 24% higher than the same time three years ago. “Our numbers of evictions are increasing every month at an astonishing rate, and I just don’t see that abating any time soon.”

According to&nbsp;<a href="https://evictionlab.org/" target="_blank">The Eviction Lab</a>, several cities are running far above historic averages, with Minneapolis-St. Paul 91% higher in June, Las Vegas up 56%, Hartford, Connecticut, up 32%, and Jacksonville, Florida, up 17%. In Maricopa County, home to Phoenix, eviction filings in July were the highest in 13 years, officials said.

Some legal advocates said the sharp increase in housing prices due to inflation is partly to blame. Rental prices nationwide are up nearly 15% from a year ago and almost 25% from 2019, according to the real estate company Zillow. Rental vacancy rates, meanwhile, have declined to a 35-year low of 5.8%, according to the Census Bureau.

A report last month from&nbsp;<a href="https://nlihc.org/oor" target="_blank">the National Low Income Housing Coalition</a>&nbsp;found that a tenant working full time needs to make nearly $26 per hour on average nationally to afford a modest two-bedroom rental and $21.25 for a one-bedroom. The federal minimum wage is $7.25 an hour.

“Landlords are raising the rent and making it very unaffordable for tenants to stay,” said Marie Claire Tran-Leung, the eviction initiative project director for the National Housing Law Project.

“Inflation has really shrunk the supply of housing that is available for people with the lowest incomes,” she added. “Without more protections in place, which not all states have, a lot of those families will be rendered homeless.”

Patrick McCloud, chief executive officer of the Virginia Apartment Management Association, said the trend is a return to normal. “No one likes evictions, but they are in some ways a reset to the economy,” McCloud said, adding that evictions have been “artificially depressed.”

“Housing is based on supply and demand. And when no one moves and you have no vacancies, you have a tight market and prices go up.”

Graham Bowman, a staff attorney with Legal Aid Society of Columbus, Ohio, said evictions there are rising — 15% above historic averages in June alone — at a time when there are fewer places for those forced out to go.

Sheryl Lynne Smith was evicted in May from her two-bedroom townhouse in Columbus after she used her rent money to repair a sewage leak in the basement. Smith, who is legally blind and has a federal housing voucher, fears she won’t be able to find anything by September when the voucher expires because of rising housing prices and the eviction on her record.

“It’s very scary,” said Smith, 53, whose temporary stay at a hotel funded through a state program ends this weekend.

In Boise, Idaho, Jeremy McKenney, 45, moved into his car last week after a judge sided with a property management company that nearly tripled the rent on his two-bedroom house. The Lyft and DoorDash driver will have to rent a hotel room whenever he has custody of his children, 9 and 12.

“It’s definitely mind blowing,” said McKenney, adding that everything on the market is beyond his reach even after a nonprofit offered to cover the security deposit. “I have never been homeless before. I have always had a roof over my head.”

The other challenge is the federal emergency rental assistance that helped keep millions housed during the pandemic has dried up in some jurisdictions or been increasingly rejected by some landlords.

“What really gets me is there is rental assistance and so many landlords just don’t want it. They would rather throw someone on the street than take money,” Eric Kwartler, managing attorney of Lone Star Legal Aid’s Eviction Right to Counsel Project, which covers Houston and Harris County in Texas. “If you take the money, you can’t evict them. They want them out.”

The U.S. Treasury said last week that more than $40 billion of the $46.5 billion in Emergency Rental Assistance had been spent or allocated.

According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, California, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, and Virginia have gone through at least 90% of their first disbursement. Twelve states and the District of Columbia had used 50% of the second allocation, known as ERA2, by the end of May. Three — Idaho, Ohio and Iowa — haven’t spent any ERA2 money and two — Nebraska and Arkansas — didn’t accept the funds.

“The public health emergency may still be here but the funds to deal with it are rapidly disappearing,” said Martin Wegbreit, director of litigation for the Central Virginia Legal Aid Society.

Treasury is encouraging states and cities to tap other&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/covid-business-health-lifestyle-4eb5e86edad32ceb59fc8b3341bfa3f1">federal stimulus</a>&nbsp;funds to cover the gaps. So far, over 600 state and local governments had budgeted $12.9 billion in stimulus funds to meet housing needs, including affordable housing development.

Gene Sperling, who oversees President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus rescue package, highlighted the success of its rental assistance program, which has reached 7 million mostly low-income households.

But, more needs to be done to ensure the country doesn’t return to pre-pandemic times when 3.6 million tenants were evicted annually and “evictions were too often a first resort, not a last resort,” he told a forum on eviction reforms at the White House last week.

Some lawmakers said the answer is a permanent rental assistance program. A bill introduced in July would provide $3 billion annually for rental assistance and fund services to keep families housed. A study commissioned by the National Apartment Association and the National Multifamily Housing Council says the answer is building 4.3 million apartments by 2035.

Other advocates called for permanent legal protections like right to counsel for tenants or eviction diversion programs to resolve evictions before they reach the courts.

In Richmond, Virginia, eviction filings in June were 54% below historic averages, attributed to rental assistance and more legal representation for tenants in court, Wegbreit said. Similar programs were credited with New Mexico’s eviction filings being 29% below historic averages in June.

Philadelphia, which passed a law making eviction diversion mandatory through this year, saw filings down 33%. The City Council in Philadelphia also approved spending $30 million over two years for rental assistance.

“We are trying to change the way we look at this issue in Philadelphia, where the only thing you do is go to landlord tenant court or start an eviction,” said Catherine Anderson, supervising attorney with Philadelphia Legal Assistance, who oversees the paralegals on the Save Your Home Philly hotline.

KANSAS CITY (AP) —Jada Riley thought she had beaten homelessness.The 26-year-old New Orleans resident was finally making a steady income cleaning houses during the pandemic to afford a $700-a-month, one-bedroom apartment. But she lost nearly all her clients after Hurricane Ida hit last year. Then she was fired from a grocery store job in February after taking time off to help a relative.Two months behind on rent, she made the difficult decision last month to leave her apartment rather than risk an eviction judgment on her record. Now, she’s living in her car with her 6-year-old son, sometimes spending nights at the apartments of friends or her son’s father.“I’ve slept outside for a whole year before. It’s very depressing, I’m not going to lie,” said Riley, who often doesn’t have enough money to buy gas or afford food every day.“I don’t want to have my son experience any struggles that I went through.”Eviction filings nationwide have steadily risen in recent months and are approaching or exceeding pre-pandemic levels in many cities and states. That’s in stark contrast to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-coronavirus-pandemic-f0085d9d4547b897a27323bb95cc890c#:~:text=BOSTON%20(AP)%20%E2%80%94%20More%20than,eviction%20in%20the%20coming%20weeks.">the pandemic</a>, when state and federal&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-business-health-bd61b8a59126081bb09ef9515d09866f">moratoriums</a>&nbsp;on evictions, combined with $46.5 billion in f&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-health-260b9c88a08a1ccb78494c8664887cf9">ederal Emergency Rental Assistance,</a>&nbsp;kept millions of families housed.“I really think this is the tip of the iceberg,” Shannon MacKenzie, executive director of Colorado Poverty Law Project, said of June filings in Denver, which were about 24% higher than the same time three years ago. “Our numbers of evictions are increasing every month at an astonishing rate, and I just don’t see that abating any time soon.”According to&nbsp;<a href="https://evictionlab.org/" target="_blank">The Eviction Lab</a>, several cities are running far above historic averages, with Minneapolis-St. Paul 91% higher in June, Las Vegas up 56%, Hartford, Connecticut, up 32%, and Jacksonville, Florida, up 17%. In Maricopa County, home to Phoenix, eviction filings in July were the highest in 13 years, officials said.Some legal advocates said the sharp increase in housing prices due to inflation is partly to blame. Rental prices nationwide are up nearly 15% from a year ago and almost 25% from 2019, according to the real estate company Zillow. Rental vacancy rates, meanwhile, have declined to a 35-year low of 5.8%, according to the Census Bureau.A report last month from&nbsp;<a href="https://nlihc.org/oor" target="_blank">the National Low Income Housing Coalition</a>&nbsp;found that a tenant working full time needs to make nearly $26 per hour on average nationally to afford a modest two-bedroom rental and $21.25 for a one-bedroom. The federal minimum wage is $7.25 an hour.“Landlords are raising the rent and making it very unaffordable for tenants to stay,” said Marie Claire Tran-Leung, the eviction initiative project director for the National Housing Law Project.“Inflation has really shrunk the supply of housing that is available for people with the lowest incomes,” she added. “Without more protections in place, which not all states have, a lot of those families will be rendered homeless.”Patrick McCloud, chief executive officer of the Virginia Apartment Management Association, said the trend is a return to normal. “No one likes evictions, but they are in some ways a reset to the economy,” McCloud said, adding that evictions have been “artificially depressed.”“Housing is based on supply and demand. And when no one moves and you have no vacancies, you have a tight market and prices go up.”Graham Bowman, a staff attorney with Legal Aid Society of Columbus, Ohio, said evictions there are rising — 15% above historic averages in June alone — at a time when there are fewer places for those forced out to go.Sheryl Lynne Smith was evicted in May from her two-bedroom townhouse in Columbus after she used her rent money to repair a sewage leak in the basement. Smith, who is legally blind and has a federal housing voucher, fears she won’t be able to find anything by September when the voucher expires because of rising housing prices and the eviction on her record.“It’s very scary,” said Smith, 53, whose temporary stay at a hotel funded through a state program ends this weekend.In Boise, Idaho, Jeremy McKenney, 45, moved into his car last week after a judge sided with a property management company that nearly tripled the rent on his two-bedroom house. The Lyft and DoorDash driver will have to rent a hotel room whenever he has custody of his children, 9 and 12.“It’s definitely mind blowing,” said McKenney, adding that everything on the market is beyond his reach even after a nonprofit offered to cover the security deposit. “I have never been homeless before. I have always had a roof over my head.”The other challenge is the federal emergency rental assistance that helped keep millions housed during the pandemic has dried up in some jurisdictions or been increasingly rejected by some landlords.“What really gets me is there is rental assistance and so many landlords just don’t want it. They would rather throw someone on the street than take money,” Eric Kwartler, managing attorney of Lone Star Legal Aid’s Eviction Right to Counsel Project, which covers Houston and Harris County in Texas. “If you take the money, you can’t evict them. They want them out.”The U.S. Treasury said last week that more than $40 billion of the $46.5 billion in Emergency Rental Assistance had been spent or allocated.According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, California, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, and Virginia have gone through at least 90% of their first disbursement. Twelve states and the District of Columbia had used 50% of the second allocation, known as ERA2, by the end of May. Three — Idaho, Ohio and Iowa — haven’t spent any ERA2 money and two — Nebraska and Arkansas — didn’t accept the funds.“The public health emergency may still be here but the funds to deal with it are rapidly disappearing,” said Martin Wegbreit, director of litigation for the Central Virginia Legal Aid Society.Treasury is encouraging states and cities to tap other&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/covid-business-health-lifestyle-4eb5e86edad32ceb59fc8b3341bfa3f1">federal stimulus</a>&nbsp;funds to cover the gaps. So far, over 600 state and local governments had budgeted $12.9 billion in stimulus funds to meet housing needs, including affordable housing development.Gene Sperling, who oversees President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus rescue package, highlighted the success of its rental assistance program, which has reached 7 million mostly low-income households.But, more needs to be done to ensure the country doesn’t return to pre-pandemic times when 3.6 million tenants were evicted annually and “evictions were too often a first resort, not a last resort,” he told a forum on eviction reforms at the White House last week.Some lawmakers said the answer is a permanent rental assistance program. A bill introduced in July would provide $3 billion annually for rental assistance and fund services to keep families housed. A study commissioned by the National Apartment Association and the National Multifamily Housing Council says the answer is building 4.3 million apartments by 2035.Other advocates called for permanent legal protections like right to counsel for tenants or eviction diversion programs to resolve evictions before they reach the courts.In Richmond, Virginia, eviction filings in June were 54% below historic averages, attributed to rental assistance and more legal representation for tenants in court, Wegbreit said. Similar programs were credited with New Mexico’s eviction filings being 29% below historic averages in June.Philadelphia, which passed a law making eviction diversion mandatory through this year, saw filings down 33%. The City Council in Philadelphia also approved spending $30 million over two years for rental assistance.“We are trying to change the way we look at this issue in Philadelphia, where the only thing you do is go to landlord tenant court or start an eviction,” said Catherine Anderson, supervising attorney with Philadelphia Legal Assistance, who oversees the paralegals on the Save Your Home Philly hotline.

Evictions spiking as assistance, protections disappear

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Leaders of the Southern Baptist Convention said Friday that several of the denomination's major entities are under investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice in the wake of its&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/baptist-religion-sexual-abuse-by-clergy-southern-convention-bfdbe64389790630488f854c3dae3fd5">multiple problems related to clergy sex abuse</a>.

The SBC's Executive Committee has received a subpoena, but no individuals have been subpoenaed at this point, according to the committee's lawyers.

“This is an ongoing investigation and we are not commenting on our discussions with DOJ,” they said.

The statement from SBC leaders — including Executive Committee members, seminary presidents and heads of mission organizations — gave few details about the investigation, but indicated it dealt with widespread sexual abuse problems that have rocked the largest Protestant denomination in the U.S.

“Individually and collectively each SBC entity is resolved to fully and completely cooperate with the investigation,” the statement said. “While we continue to grieve and lament past mistakes related to sexual abuse, current leaders across the SBC have demonstrated a firm conviction to address those issues of the past and are implementing measures to ensure they are never repeated in the future.”

There was no immediate comment from the Justice Department about the investigation.

Earlier this year, an SBC sex abuse task force released a blistering 288-page report from outside consultant, Guidepost Solutions. The firm’s seven-month independent investigation found disturbing details about how denominational leaders mishandled sex abuse claims and mistreated victims.

The report focused specifically on how the SBC’s Executive Committee responded to abuse cases, revealing that it had secretly maintained a list of clergy and other church workers accused of abuse. The committee later apologized and released the list, which had hundreds of accused workers on it.

A Guidepost spokesperson declined to comment on news of the DOJ probe.

Following the release of the Guidepost report, the SBC voted during its annual meeting in June to created&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/religion-california-sexual-abuse-by-clergy-baptist-southern-convention-ba7ba613947cc893659b6e8e45ab4b73">a way to track pastors</a>&nbsp;and other church workers credibly accused of sex abuse and launch a new task force to oversee further reforms. Earlier this week, SBC President Bart Barber, who also signed Friday’s statement, announced the names of the Southern Baptist pastors and church members who will serve on the task force.

Southern Baptist sex abuse survivor Christa Brown, who has long called for the SBC to do more to address sex abuse across its churches, celebrated the news of the DOJ investigation.

“Hallelujah. It’s about time,” Brown said in a Friday post on Twitter. ”This is what’s needed.”

Another survivor, Jules Woodson, went public with her abuse story in 2018 and has been pushing for reforms in the SBC ever since. On Friday, she reacted to the investigation news by tweeting, “May justice roll down!!!"

Oklahoma pastor Mike Keahbone, who serves on the Executive Committee and is the vice chair of the new abuse task force, said on Twitter that the investigation "is not something to fear ... If there is more work to do, we will do it.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1660444151062.png" alt="Photo courtesy Southern Baptist Convention" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy Southern Baptist Convention</figcaption>
 </figure>By HOLLY MEYER and DAVID CRARY&nbsp;NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Leaders of the Southern Baptist Convention said Friday that several of the denomination's major entities are under investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice in the wake of its&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/baptist-religion-sexual-abuse-by-clergy-southern-convention-bfdbe64389790630488f854c3dae3fd5">multiple problems related to clergy sex abuse</a>.The SBC's Executive Committee has received a subpoena, but no individuals have been subpoenaed at this point, according to the committee's lawyers.“This is an ongoing investigation and we are not commenting on our discussions with DOJ,” they said.The statement from SBC leaders — including Executive Committee members, seminary presidents and heads of mission organizations — gave few details about the investigation, but indicated it dealt with widespread sexual abuse problems that have rocked the largest Protestant denomination in the U.S.“Individually and collectively each SBC entity is resolved to fully and completely cooperate with the investigation,” the statement said. “While we continue to grieve and lament past mistakes related to sexual abuse, current leaders across the SBC have demonstrated a firm conviction to address those issues of the past and are implementing measures to ensure they are never repeated in the future.”There was no immediate comment from the Justice Department about the investigation.Earlier this year, an SBC sex abuse task force released a blistering 288-page report from outside consultant, Guidepost Solutions. The firm’s seven-month independent investigation found disturbing details about how denominational leaders mishandled sex abuse claims and mistreated victims.The report focused specifically on how the SBC’s Executive Committee responded to abuse cases, revealing that it had secretly maintained a list of clergy and other church workers accused of abuse. The committee later apologized and released the list, which had hundreds of accused workers on it.A Guidepost spokesperson declined to comment on news of the DOJ probe.Following the release of the Guidepost report, the SBC voted during its annual meeting in June to created&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/religion-california-sexual-abuse-by-clergy-baptist-southern-convention-ba7ba613947cc893659b6e8e45ab4b73">a way to track pastors</a>&nbsp;and other church workers credibly accused of sex abuse and launch a new task force to oversee further reforms. Earlier this week, SBC President Bart Barber, who also signed Friday’s statement, announced the names of the Southern Baptist pastors and church members who will serve on the task force.Southern Baptist sex abuse survivor Christa Brown, who has long called for the SBC to do more to address sex abuse across its churches, celebrated the news of the DOJ investigation.“Hallelujah. It’s about time,” Brown said in a Friday post on Twitter. ”This is what’s needed.”Another survivor, Jules Woodson, went public with her abuse story in 2018 and has been pushing for reforms in the SBC ever since. On Friday, she reacted to the investigation news by tweeting, “May justice roll down!!!"Oklahoma pastor Mike Keahbone, who serves on the Executive Committee and is the vice chair of the new abuse task force, said on Twitter that the investigation "is not something to fear ... If there is more work to do, we will do it.”___

Clergy sex abuse: US investigating Southern Baptist Convention 

By TIM CARPENTER <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/08/12/schmidt-campaign-kicks-hole-in-kellys-narrative-of-full-kansas-job-recovery-from-covid-19/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA — Republican gubernatorial
 nominee Derek Schmidt challenged Friday an assertion by Democratic Gov.
 Laura Kelly all 157,000 jobs lost in Kansas during the global economic 
tsunami created by the COVID-19 pandemic had been recovered.

Schmidt, who has attempted to counter Kelly’s campaign narrative of 
prosperity on the plains, said the governor’s performance on job 
creation was worse than advertised. Instead of surpassing the 
pre-pandemic nonfarm job total in Kansas, he said, the state had 
restored four of five — or 125,000 — of the jobs lost during that 
unprecedented period.

“The facts say one thing, but Governor Kelly keeps saying another and
 hoping nobody notices,” said Schmidt, who is the attorney general. 
“It’s an election year and the governor’s trying to make up lost ground 
because she has almost nothing to show for four years in office except 
budget-busting spending propped up — for now — by Joe Biden’s bailouts.”

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Kansas employed 
1,397,000 nonfarm workers in June. That was 32,000 less than the 
1,429,000 nonfarm employees in Kansas during February 2020 before 
COVID-19 carved a crevasse in the state’s economy during March and 
April.

Nonfarm employment figures tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics 
offer a state-by-state estimate of payroll additions and subtractions. 
However, the numbers don’t capture activity throughout the entire 
economy because they exclude farm workers and employees in private 
households, sole proprietorship businesses, nonprofit organizations and 
some government entities.

On Thursday during a stop in Kansas City, Kansas, Kelly was asked by a
 reporter about her past references to job growth and economic 
development in Kansas.

“I know that during the pandemic that everyplace lost jobs, but we have restored those jobs and more,” the governor said.

Brianna Johnson, spokeswoman for the governor, elaborated on that 
comment Friday. She said the governor understood many Kansans were still
 “getting back on their feet and are worried about rising costs.” She 
also said Kelly was making the point that Kansas recovered quickly from 
the pandemic and would benefit from economic expansion, including the $4
 billion Panasonic vehicle battery plant to be constructed near De Soto 
employing 4,000.

“Thanks to her laser focus on bringing jobs
 and businesses like Panasonic to the state, we are now in a position to
 grow faster than ever before,” Johnson said.

She said the Kelly administration 
collaborated with the private sector to deliver $13.6 billion in 
business investment. The state’s 2.4% unemployment rate stands at a 
record low, she said.

The Schmidt campaign emphasized reporting by the U.S. Bureau of Labor
 Statistics that ranked Kansas’ recovery from the pandemic at 44th in 
the nation.

Among the border states with Kansas, only Colorado has surpassed the 
full economic revitalization benchmark. Colorado is led by Democrat 
Jared Polis, who like Kelly has been in office since 2019. Colorado lost
 374,000 jobs as a consequence of the pandemic, but has rebuilt its 
economic standing through generation of 412,000 jobs. The state’s 110% 
growth figure ranks 12th nationally in terms of the recovery.

The state’s of Oklahoma, Missouri and Nebraska are led by Republican 
governors, but none has drawn even with pre-pandemic employment totals. 
Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts, in that office since 2015, has come the 
closest by reconstituting 97% of 98,000 jobs taken by COVID-19.

Missouri Gov. Mike Parson took office in 2018 and can take credit for
 bringing back 94% of 358,000 jobs consumed by the health crisis, which 
ranks that state 23rd nationally. Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Still, in that 
position since 2019, has presided while the state returned 91% of 
169,000 jobs taken by COVID-19.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1660403498781.png" alt="Gov. Laura Kelly, a Democratic candidate for re-election in November, visited Sporting Kansas City’s soccer facility before answering questions Thursday about the state’s job recovery from COVID-19. Republican gubernatorial nominee Derek Schmidt took exception to Kelly’s claim the state restored 157,000 lost in the pandemic crash of March 2020. (Submitted)" />
 <figcaption>Gov. Laura Kelly, a Democratic candidate for re-election in November, visited Sporting Kansas City’s soccer facility before answering questions Thursday about the state’s job recovery from COVID-19. Republican gubernatorial nominee Derek Schmidt took exception to Kelly’s claim the state restored 157,000 lost in the pandemic crash of March 2020. (Submitted)</figcaption>
 </figure>By TIM CARPENTER <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/08/12/schmidt-campaign-kicks-hole-in-kellys-narrative-of-full-kansas-job-recovery-from-covid-19/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — Republican gubernatorial
 nominee Derek Schmidt challenged Friday an assertion by Democratic Gov.
 Laura Kelly all 157,000 jobs lost in Kansas during the global economic 
tsunami created by the COVID-19 pandemic had been recovered.Schmidt, who has attempted to counter Kelly’s campaign narrative of 
prosperity on the plains, said the governor’s performance on job 
creation was worse than advertised. Instead of surpassing the 
pre-pandemic nonfarm job total in Kansas, he said, the state had 
restored four of five — or 125,000 — of the jobs lost during that 
unprecedented period.“The facts say one thing, but Governor Kelly keeps saying another and
 hoping nobody notices,” said Schmidt, who is the attorney general. 
“It’s an election year and the governor’s trying to make up lost ground 
because she has almost nothing to show for four years in office except 
budget-busting spending propped up — for now — by Joe Biden’s bailouts.”The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Kansas employed 
1,397,000 nonfarm workers in June. That was 32,000 less than the 
1,429,000 nonfarm employees in Kansas during February 2020 before 
COVID-19 carved a crevasse in the state’s economy during March and 
April.Nonfarm employment figures tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics 
offer a state-by-state estimate of payroll additions and subtractions. 
However, the numbers don’t capture activity throughout the entire 
economy because they exclude farm workers and employees in private 
households, sole proprietorship businesses, nonprofit organizations and 
some government entities.<h2>‘Restored’ jobs</h2>On Thursday during a stop in Kansas City, Kansas, Kelly was asked by a
 reporter about her past references to job growth and economic 
development in Kansas.“I know that during the pandemic that everyplace lost jobs, but we have restored those jobs and more,” the governor said.Brianna Johnson, spokeswoman for the governor, elaborated on that 
comment Friday. She said the governor understood many Kansans were still
 “getting back on their feet and are worried about rising costs.” She 
also said Kelly was making the point that Kansas recovered quickly from 
the pandemic and would benefit from economic expansion, including the $4
 billion Panasonic vehicle battery plant to be constructed near De Soto 
employing 4,000.“Thanks to her laser focus on bringing jobs
 and businesses like Panasonic to the state, we are now in a position to
 grow faster than ever before,” Johnson said.She said the Kelly administration 
collaborated with the private sector to deliver $13.6 billion in 
business investment. The state’s 2.4% unemployment rate stands at a 
record low, she said.<h2>More numbers</h2>The Schmidt campaign emphasized reporting by the U.S. Bureau of Labor
 Statistics that ranked Kansas’ recovery from the pandemic at 44th in 
the nation.Among the border states with Kansas, only Colorado has surpassed the 
full economic revitalization benchmark. Colorado is led by Democrat 
Jared Polis, who like Kelly has been in office since 2019. Colorado lost
 374,000 jobs as a consequence of the pandemic, but has rebuilt its 
economic standing through generation of 412,000 jobs. The state’s 110% 
growth figure ranks 12th nationally in terms of the recovery.The state’s of Oklahoma, Missouri and Nebraska are led by Republican 
governors, but none has drawn even with pre-pandemic employment totals. 
Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts, in that office since 2015, has come the 
closest by reconstituting 97% of 98,000 jobs taken by COVID-19.Missouri Gov. Mike Parson took office in 2018 and can take credit for
 bringing back 94% of 358,000 jobs consumed by the health crisis, which 
ranks that state 23rd nationally. Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Still, in that 
position since 2019, has presided while the state returned 91% of 
169,000 jobs taken by COVID-19.

Schmidt challenges Kelly’s narrative of Kan. job recovery

BARTON COUNTY—A Kansas man died in an accident just after 9p.m. Saturday on south side of Great Bend.&nbsp;

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2022 Polaris UTV driven by Bryan A. Kramer, 42, Great Bend, was eastbound in the 3000 Block of Dike Road and struck a tree.

Kramer was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported to Bryant Funeral Home.&nbsp; 

EMS transported passengers 58-year-old Carl D.&nbsp;Andrasek and a 14-year-old boy both of Great Bend to the KU Medical Center campus in Great Bend for treatment of serious injuries. The KHP had incomplete seat belt usage information.

BARTON COUNTY—A Kansas man died in an accident just after 9p.m. Saturday on south side of Great Bend.&nbsp;The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2022 Polaris UTV driven by Bryan A. Kramer, 42, Great Bend, was eastbound in the 3000 Block of Dike Road and struck a tree.Kramer was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported to Bryant Funeral Home.&nbsp; EMS transported passengers 58-year-old Carl D.&nbsp;Andrasek and a 14-year-old boy both of Great Bend to the KU Medical Center campus in Great Bend for treatment of serious injuries. The KHP had incomplete seat belt usage information.

Kansas man dead, 2 hospitalized after UTV strikes a tree

HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — 
Kansas U.S. Senator Jerry Moran said the Sergeant First Class (SFC) Heath Robinson Honoring Our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act of 2022 was signed into law this week and that the legislation was really years in the making.

"It's been a topic that we've worked on, in a sense, piecemeal," Moran said. "With the signing of the PACT Act into law this week, it really does take a major step. It's the most significant toxic exposure legislation that's passed Congress in our country's history."

the SFC Heath Robinson Honoring Our PACT Act of 2022 will: 

Expand VA health care eligibility to Post-9/11 combat veterans, which includes more than 3.5 million toxic-exposed veterans;

Create a framework for the establishment of future presumptions of service connection related to toxic exposure;

Add 23 burn pit and toxic exposure-related conditions to VA’s list of service presumptions;

Expand presumptions related to Agent Orange exposure;

The bill includes Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Guam, American Samoa, and Johnston Atoll as locations for Agent Orange exposure;

The bill will strengthen federal research on toxic exposure;

The bill will improve VA’s resources for toxic-exposed veterans and training for VA health care and benefits professionals;

It also is designed to let VA and veterans up for success by investing in:

VA claims processing; VA’s workforce; and VA health care facilities.

Moran notes that just because it is now law doesn't mean everything is fixed yet.

"There's not ribbons to be cut and whistles and bells to be sounded," Moran said. "The practical reality is the department of veterans affairs struggles to implement major pieces of legislation and to do it in a way that really cares, that takes care of our veterans. From a what's next perspective for me it's to make sure that, most recently, the PACT Act is not just words on a piece of paper, but actually makes a difference in the lives of veterans."

Senator Moran spoke back in 2014 at the Vietnam Veterans of America National Leadership Conference in Wichita and heard from Kansas veterans and their families about the effects of Agent Orange and those conversations helped inform a series of pieces of legislation that culminated in the PACT Act.

NICK GOSNELL Hutch PostHUTCHINSON,
Kan. — 
Kansas U.S. Senator Jerry Moran said the Sergeant First Class (SFC) Heath Robinson Honoring Our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act of 2022 was signed into law this week and that the legislation was really years in the making."It's been a topic that we've worked on, in a sense, piecemeal," Moran said. "With the signing of the PACT Act into law this week, it really does take a major step. It's the most significant toxic exposure legislation that's passed Congress in our country's history."the SFC Heath Robinson Honoring Our PACT Act of 2022 will: Expand VA health care eligibility to Post-9/11 combat veterans, which includes more than 3.5 million toxic-exposed veterans;Create a framework for the establishment of future presumptions of service connection related to toxic exposure;Add 23 burn pit and toxic exposure-related conditions to VA’s list of service presumptions;Expand presumptions related to Agent Orange exposure;The bill includes Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Guam, American Samoa, and Johnston Atoll as locations for Agent Orange exposure;The bill will strengthen federal research on toxic exposure;The bill will improve VA’s resources for toxic-exposed veterans and training for VA health care and benefits professionals;It also is designed to let VA and veterans up for success by investing in:VA claims processing; VA’s workforce; and VA health care facilities.Moran notes that just because it is now law doesn't mean everything is fixed yet."There's not ribbons to be cut and whistles and bells to be sounded," Moran said. "The practical reality is the department of veterans affairs struggles to implement major pieces of legislation and to do it in a way that really cares, that takes care of our veterans. From a what's next perspective for me it's to make sure that, most recently, the PACT Act is not just words on a piece of paper, but actually makes a difference in the lives of veterans."Senator Moran spoke back in 2014 at the Vietnam Veterans of America National Leadership Conference in Wichita and heard from Kansas veterans and their families about the effects of Agent Orange and those conversations helped inform a series of pieces of legislation that culminated in the PACT Act.

Moran: PACT Act will help toxic exposed veterans get medical care

KANSAS CITY – A Shawnee, Kansas, attorney was sentenced in federal court this week for smuggling heroin to an inmate at the Western Missouri Correctional Center in Cameron, Mo., with whom she had a romantic relationship, according to the United State's Attorney.

Juliane L. Colby, 44, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to one year and one month in federal prison without parole.

On Feb. 8, 2022, Colby pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute heroin. Colby admitted that she conspired with others to smuggle heroin to an inmate at the Western Missouri Correctional Center, identified, according to the Associated Press as&nbsp;Ce-Antonyo Kennedy from Aug. 1 to Aug. 10, 2019.

Colby hid the heroin in an envelope marked as “Legal Mail” that also contained numerous pleadings and documents from an inactive criminal court case along with photos of herself. Eight small baggies that contained a total of 3.25 grams of black tar heroin were taped behind the flap of the envelope. The envelope was labeled with a fictitious return address for a law firm and addressed to another inmate, identified in court documents as Conspirator 2, who was housed in the same unit as Kennedy.

According to court documents, Colby began a romantic relationship with Conspirator 1 while she was working as an attorney on his defense team with the state public defender’s office in 2017. Kennedy was represented by a public defender at that time and was an inmate at the Jackson County Detention Center facing a charge of first-degree murder. While the murder case was pending, Kennedy was found to have illegally possessed a cell phone that had been smuggled into the jail. Colby and Kennedy communicated with each other using the contraband cell phone. As a result, Colby faced criminal charges for acting in concert in possession of a cell phone in a correctional facility. She entered a diversion agreement, which she successfully completed on May 14, 2019, and the charges were dismissed.

In August 2019, Colby regularly visited Kennedy at the Cameron correctional center, where he was serving a sentence for his murder conviction. Colby and Kennedy had a series of phone conversations during which they used a variety of code words to discuss the plan to mail heroin and contraband into the center. During these calls, Colby and Kennedy also discussed a previous successful delivery of heroin. These calls were monitored and recorded by the correctional center.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/3/1617028444632.png" alt="Ce-Antonyo Kennedy is serving a 15 year sentence-photo Jackson Co." />
 <figcaption>Ce-Antonyo Kennedy is serving a 15 year sentence-photo Jackson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY – A Shawnee, Kansas, attorney was sentenced in federal court this week for smuggling heroin to an inmate at the Western Missouri Correctional Center in Cameron, Mo., with whom she had a romantic relationship, according to the United State's Attorney.Juliane L. Colby, 44, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to one year and one month in federal prison without parole.On Feb. 8, 2022, Colby pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute heroin. Colby admitted that she conspired with others to smuggle heroin to an inmate at the Western Missouri Correctional Center, identified, according to the Associated Press as&nbsp;Ce-Antonyo Kennedy from Aug. 1 to Aug. 10, 2019.Colby hid the heroin in an envelope marked as “Legal Mail” that also contained numerous pleadings and documents from an inactive criminal court case along with photos of herself. Eight small baggies that contained a total of 3.25 grams of black tar heroin were taped behind the flap of the envelope. The envelope was labeled with a fictitious return address for a law firm and addressed to another inmate, identified in court documents as Conspirator 2, who was housed in the same unit as Kennedy.According to court documents, Colby began a romantic relationship with Conspirator 1 while she was working as an attorney on his defense team with the state public defender’s office in 2017. Kennedy was represented by a public defender at that time and was an inmate at the Jackson County Detention Center facing a charge of first-degree murder. While the murder case was pending, Kennedy was found to have illegally possessed a cell phone that had been smuggled into the jail. Colby and Kennedy communicated with each other using the contraband cell phone. As a result, Colby faced criminal charges for acting in concert in possession of a cell phone in a correctional facility. She entered a diversion agreement, which she successfully completed on May 14, 2019, and the charges were dismissed.In August 2019, Colby regularly visited Kennedy at the Cameron correctional center, where he was serving a sentence for his murder conviction. Colby and Kennedy had a series of phone conversations during which they used a variety of code words to discuss the plan to mail heroin and contraband into the center. During these calls, Colby and Kennedy also discussed a previous successful delivery of heroin. These calls were monitored and recorded by the correctional center.

Kansas attorney smuggled heroin to an inmate lover 

JACKSON COUNTY, Kan. —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas on multiple charges after an arrest.

Just after 9p.m. August 10, sheriff's deputies were dispatched to a home in the City of Netawaka, according to Sheriff Tim Morse. 

Following an investigation, deputies arrested William Norman Honig, 32, of Netawaka, on requested charges of aggravated domestic battery, aggravated endangering of a child, possession of opiate, opium narcotic or certain stimulant, possession of methamphetamine and possession of drug paraphernalia.

He remains jailed without bond, according to online jail records

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1660251280520.png" alt="Honig-photo Jackson Co." />
 <figcaption>Honig-photo Jackson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>JACKSON COUNTY, Kan. —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas on multiple charges after an arrest.Just after 9p.m. August 10, sheriff's deputies were dispatched to a home in the City of Netawaka, according to Sheriff Tim Morse. Following an investigation, deputies arrested William Norman Honig, 32, of Netawaka, on requested charges of aggravated domestic battery, aggravated endangering of a child, possession of opiate, opium narcotic or certain stimulant, possession of methamphetamine and possession of drug paraphernalia.He remains jailed without bond, according to online jail records

Kansas man accused of child endangerment, drug possession

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A Wichita police officer who shot and killed a man during a domestic violence incident will not be charged, Sedgwick County District Attorney Mark Bennett said.

The officer, who was a member of the department's SWAT team, shot Jason Williams, 37, in December 2020 in Riverside after Williams had shot his estranged wife and killed his mother-in-law, 52-year-old Michelle Barr, at a Wichita home.

During the confrontation, Williams fired several shots and had threatened to kill himself. Two children and his brother-in-law were also inside the house. Williams' wife had filed for divorce a month before the confrontation.

Williams' wife was shot in the shoulder. The brother-in-law escaped and the two children were released.

Bennett said the officer shot Williams after the children were released because he believed Williams was preventing his wife from leaving the house and intended to kill her.

Bennett said two months after the shooting, the officer was part of a text message thread where SWAT team officers&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/police-kansas-wichita-edb0ad9b15123f0ec1b077079b3d63bd">talked casually about shooting and killing people</a>. Bennett said the texts “may well fall below the public’s expectation of the professionalism to which officers should hold themselves” but did not affect the legality of the officer's decision to shoot Williams.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1609345043413.png" alt="SWAT Team on the scene of the 2-hour standoff early in Dec. of 2020 at a home in Wichita -photo courtesy KWCH" />
 <figcaption>SWAT Team on the scene of the 2-hour standoff early in Dec. of 2020 at a home in Wichita -photo courtesy KWCH</figcaption>
 </figure>WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A Wichita police officer who shot and killed a man during a domestic violence incident will not be charged, Sedgwick County District Attorney Mark Bennett said.The officer, who was a member of the department's SWAT team, shot Jason Williams, 37, in December 2020 in Riverside after Williams had shot his estranged wife and killed his mother-in-law, 52-year-old Michelle Barr, at a Wichita home.During the confrontation, Williams fired several shots and had threatened to kill himself. Two children and his brother-in-law were also inside the house. Williams' wife had filed for divorce a month before the confrontation.Williams' wife was shot in the shoulder. The brother-in-law escaped and the two children were released.Bennett said the officer shot Williams after the children were released because he believed Williams was preventing his wife from leaving the house and intended to kill her.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1660421516028.png" alt="Sedgwick County District Attorney Marc Bennett during Friday's zoom news conference" />
 <figcaption>Sedgwick County District Attorney Marc Bennett during Friday's zoom news conference</figcaption>
 </figure>Bennett said two months after the shooting, the officer was part of a text message thread where SWAT team officers&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/police-kansas-wichita-edb0ad9b15123f0ec1b077079b3d63bd">talked casually about shooting and killing people</a>. Bennett said the texts “may well fall below the public’s expectation of the professionalism to which officers should hold themselves” but did not affect the legality of the officer's decision to shoot Williams.

Kan. officer won't be charged in man's fatal shooting

DERBY, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas school district's board rejected a proposed strategic plan after some members questioned its emphasis on diversity and students' mental health.

The Derby Board of Education voted 4-3 this week to reject a plan presented after months of work by parents, students, employees and community members, the Kansas News Service&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2022-08-12/a-wichita-area-school-board-rejected-a-strategic-plan-because-it-called-for-diversity-and-inclusion">reported</a>.

Board President Michael Blankenship said focusing on diversity would not help students academically. He proposed replacing the word “diversity” in one part of the plan with the word “unity.”

“If we keep going down the road of focusing on everything that makes us different, how are we ever going to unite?” Blankenship said.

But board member Pam Doyle said diversity should be part of the district’s mission.

“Diversity is something to be celebrated,” Doyle said. “The more diverse (the) administration, teachers, and staff that we have, the more we’re going to learn from each other.”

Diversity and inclusion have caused disputes before in the district near Wichita.

In February, a high school principal&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-business-education-race-and-ethnicity-school-boards-e7ff999585ba4b18fcf88d626094954b">issued an apology</a>&nbsp;after some board members objected to him showing a video about white privilege during an employee meeting.

And in April, some board members criticized textbook publisher Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for supporting Black Lives Matter and other anti-racism efforts. The comments came before the board approved a contract with the publisher for a new social studies curriculum for elementary students.

The plan that was before the board this week is a normally routine document that outlines priorities and goals.

The Derby district adopted its last strategic plan in 2017. Superintendent Heather Bohaty will now work with the board to determine the next step in developing the next five-year plan, district spokeswoman Katie Carlson said in an email.

The disputed proposal included several mentions of diversity, equity and inclusion, and suggested forming an advisory committee to report on student and staff diversity.

Jennifer Neel, the board’s vice president, said she opposed auditing the district’s discipline data or hiring practices related to race.

Becky Moeder, Derby’s assistant superintendent for human resources, said the state requires collecting some data related to race and other factors. The plan is intended to encourage a broader pool of applicants and increase recruitment of people of color, she said.

Other objections were raised over parts of the plan focused on mental health and social/emotional well-being.

Candace Landers, a Derby teacher who served on the committee, told board members that's part of the state’s vision for education.

“As a classroom teacher, I cannot recall a single day or scenario when my students’ mental health has not been a consideration,” Landers said. “I am hard-pressed to fathom how I would begin to separate school and mental health and still be a good teacher.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1660397861038.png" alt="Board President Michael Blankenship-photo courtesy USD 260" />
 <figcaption>Board President Michael Blankenship-photo courtesy USD 260</figcaption>
 </figure>DERBY, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas school district's board rejected a proposed strategic plan after some members questioned its emphasis on diversity and students' mental health.The Derby Board of Education voted 4-3 this week to reject a plan presented after months of work by parents, students, employees and community members, the Kansas News Service&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2022-08-12/a-wichita-area-school-board-rejected-a-strategic-plan-because-it-called-for-diversity-and-inclusion">reported</a>.Board President Michael Blankenship said focusing on diversity would not help students academically. He proposed replacing the word “diversity” in one part of the plan with the word “unity.”“If we keep going down the road of focusing on everything that makes us different, how are we ever going to unite?” Blankenship said.But board member Pam Doyle said diversity should be part of the district’s mission.“Diversity is something to be celebrated,” Doyle said. “The more diverse (the) administration, teachers, and staff that we have, the more we’re going to learn from each other.”Diversity and inclusion have caused disputes before in the district near Wichita.In February, a high school principal&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-business-education-race-and-ethnicity-school-boards-e7ff999585ba4b18fcf88d626094954b">issued an apology</a>&nbsp;after some board members objected to him showing a video about white privilege during an employee meeting.And in April, some board members criticized textbook publisher Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for supporting Black Lives Matter and other anti-racism efforts. The comments came before the board approved a contract with the publisher for a new social studies curriculum for elementary students.The plan that was before the board this week is a normally routine document that outlines priorities and goals.The Derby district adopted its last strategic plan in 2017. Superintendent Heather Bohaty will now work with the board to determine the next step in developing the next five-year plan, district spokeswoman Katie Carlson said in an email.The disputed proposal included several mentions of diversity, equity and inclusion, and suggested forming an advisory committee to report on student and staff diversity.Jennifer Neel, the board’s vice president, said she opposed auditing the district’s discipline data or hiring practices related to race.Becky Moeder, Derby’s assistant superintendent for human resources, said the state requires collecting some data related to race and other factors. The plan is intended to encourage a broader pool of applicants and increase recruitment of people of color, she said.Other objections were raised over parts of the plan focused on mental health and social/emotional well-being.Candace Landers, a Derby teacher who served on the committee, told board members that's part of the state’s vision for education.“As a classroom teacher, I cannot recall a single day or scenario when my students’ mental health has not been a consideration,” Landers said. “I am hard-pressed to fathom how I would begin to separate school and mental health and still be a good teacher.”

Kansas school district rejects strategic plan urging diversity

MEXICO CITY (AP) — The Mexican border cities of Tijuana, Mexicali, Rosarito and Ensenada were hit by gang violence that included vehicles being set ablaze and road blockades.

The<a href="https://mx.usembassy.gov/alert-fires-roadblocks-and-police-activity-in-tijuana-mexicali-rosarito-ensenada-and-tecate/"> U.S. Consulate in Tijuana instructed its employees</a> “to shelter in place until further notice” around midnight because of the violence.

It was the third time this week Mexican cities have seen widespread arson and shootings by drug cartels. The gangs appear to be targeting stores, vehicles and innocent bystanders in response to disputes or attempts to capture gang members.

Tijuana officials said vehicles had been burned at about 10 points around the city, and Mayor Montserrat Caballero blamed it on disputes between drug gangs.

Caballero issued a public appeal to “organized crime,” the term used in Mexico for drug cartels, to stop the growing trend of targeting innocent civilians.

“Today we are saying to the organized crime groups that are committing these crimes, that Tijuana is going to remain open and take care of its citizens, and we also ask them to settle their debts with those who didn’t pay what they owe, not with families and hard-working citizens.”

The extent of the violence was still unclear Saturday. Late Friday, the U.S. Consulate General in Tijuana said in a statement that it “is aware of reports of multiple vehicle fires, roadblocks, and heavy police activity in Tijuana, Mexicali, Rosarito, Ensenada, and Tecate.”

MEXICO CITY (AP) — The Mexican border cities of Tijuana, Mexicali, Rosarito and Ensenada were hit by gang violence that included vehicles being set ablaze and road blockades.The<a href="https://mx.usembassy.gov/alert-fires-roadblocks-and-police-activity-in-tijuana-mexicali-rosarito-ensenada-and-tecate/"> U.S. Consulate in Tijuana instructed its employees</a> “to shelter in place until further notice” around midnight because of the violence.<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fphoto%2F%3Ffbid%3D434786292017760%26set%3Da.227341039428954&show_text=true&width=500" width="500" height="426" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share"></iframe></div>It was the third time this week Mexican cities have seen widespread arson and shootings by drug cartels. The gangs appear to be targeting stores, vehicles and innocent bystanders in response to disputes or attempts to capture gang members.Tijuana officials said vehicles had been burned at about 10 points around the city, and Mayor Montserrat Caballero blamed it on disputes between drug gangs.Caballero issued a public appeal to “organized crime,” the term used in Mexico for drug cartels, to stop the growing trend of targeting innocent civilians.“Today we are saying to the organized crime groups that are committing these crimes, that Tijuana is going to remain open and take care of its citizens, and we also ask them to settle their debts with those who didn’t pay what they owe, not with families and hard-working citizens.”The extent of the violence was still unclear Saturday. Late Friday, the U.S. Consulate General in Tijuana said in a statement that it “is aware of reports of multiple vehicle fires, roadblocks, and heavy police activity in Tijuana, Mexicali, Rosarito, Ensenada, and Tecate.”The mayor’s comment about remaining open was an apparent reference to the border city of Ciudad Juarez, across from El Paso, Texas, where some classes and public events were cancelled after similar violence on Thursday.Alleged gang members went on a shooting spree in Ciudad Juarez, killing nine people, including four employees of a radio station, after a fight between rival gangs at a local prison left two inmates dead.On Tuesday, drug cartel gunmen burned vehicles and businesses in the western states of Jalisco and Guanajuato in response to an attempt to arrest a high-ranking cartel leader of the Jalisco cartel.The area around Tijuana, which borders southern California, is a lucrative drug-trafficking corridor long dominated by the Arellano Felix cartel but which has since become a battle ground between various gangs, including the Jalisco and Sinaloa cartels.Speaking about the Ciudad Juarez violence Thursday, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said: “They attacked the civilian, innocent population like a sort of revenge. It wasn’t just a clash between two groups, but it got to the point where they began to shoot civilians, innocent people. That is the most unfortunate thing in this affair.”Four employees of the MegaRadio station who were broadcasting a live promotional event outside a pizza store in Ciudad Juarez were killed in the shootings.Such random violence is not without precedent in Mexico.In June of last year, a rival faction of the Gulf cartel entered the border city of Reynosa and killed 14 people the governor identified as “innocent citizens.” The military responded and killed four suspected gunmen.And cartels in Mexico frequently hijack vehicles and burn them to distract police or prevent them from pursuing gunmen.