TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A woman who always maintained she was hiking and driving in Colorado when her ex-husband and his girlfriend were slain is free on bail for the first time in a decade as prosecutors prepare to try her for a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/crime-homicide-kansas-topeka-supreme-court-26da157cfc2f87af5ee6aff3c263b666">third time</a>&nbsp;in the 2002 Kansas killings.

Dana Chandler, now 62, was released Wednesday from the Shawnee County Jail after a judge last month lowered her bond to $350,000 from $1 million.

Chandler was originally charged with the Topeka shooting deaths of 47-year-old Mike Sisco and 53-year-old Karen Harkness after a decade of investigation, and in 2012 was found guilty of two counts of murder.

But the Kansas Supreme Court overturned that conviction in 2018, citing misconduct by prosecutor Jacqie Spradling, who was later disbarred.

Jurors were unable to reach&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/d06799f1d607eda29cf906502f202f9a">a verdict</a>&nbsp;last month during a second trial in which prosecutors alleged Chandler killed the couple because she was jealous of their relationship after her acrimonious divorce from Sisco.

But the defense underlined the limited physical evidence found at the scene and questioned the way it was handled by investigators and forensic scientists.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/6/1592599404405.png" alt="Chandler-photo Kansas Dept. of Corrections" />
 <figcaption>Chandler-photo Kansas Dept. of Corrections</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A woman who always maintained she was hiking and driving in Colorado when her ex-husband and his girlfriend were slain is free on bail for the first time in a decade as prosecutors prepare to try her for a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/crime-homicide-kansas-topeka-supreme-court-26da157cfc2f87af5ee6aff3c263b666">third time</a>&nbsp;in the 2002 Kansas killings.Dana Chandler, now 62, was released Wednesday from the Shawnee County Jail after a judge last month lowered her bond to $350,000 from $1 million.Chandler was originally charged with the Topeka shooting deaths of 47-year-old Mike Sisco and 53-year-old Karen Harkness after a decade of investigation, and in 2012 was found guilty of two counts of murder.But the Kansas Supreme Court overturned that conviction in 2018, citing misconduct by prosecutor Jacqie Spradling, who was later disbarred.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/9/1664553735265.png" alt="Dana Chandler appears Aug. 29, 2022, during her trial for two first-degree murder charges in Shawnee County District Court. (Pool photo)" />
 <figcaption>Dana Chandler appears Aug. 29, 2022, during her trial for two first-degree murder charges in Shawnee County District Court. (Pool photo)</figcaption>
 </figure>Jurors were unable to reach&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/d06799f1d607eda29cf906502f202f9a">a verdict</a>&nbsp;last month during a second trial in which prosecutors alleged Chandler killed the couple because she was jealous of their relationship after her acrimonious divorce from Sisco.But the defense underlined the limited physical evidence found at the scene and questioned the way it was handled by investigators and forensic scientists.

Kan. woman awaiting 3rd trial for killing ex-husband, his girlfriend

FORD COUNTY — A man recognized in 2021 as Kansas Law Enforcement Officer of the Year is facing sex crime allegations.

A&nbsp;Ford County grand jury this week returned an indictment against former Dodge City police officer Guillermo Gutierrez&nbsp; for rape and aggravated sexual battery, according to a statement from the Ford County Attorney's office.

The charges stem from an incident alleged to have occurred on May 19, 2022 in Dodge City.

Gutierrez is scheduled for a first appearance and arraignment hearing on November 10, according to the district attorney's office. Gutierrez is represented by Van Z. Hampton of Warrior Lawyers International of Dodge City, Kansas.

Rape is a severity level 1 person felony. It is punishable by a prison sentence of between 147 and 653 months and a fine of up to $300,000.

Aggravated sexual battery is a severity level 5 person felony, punishable by a prison sentence of between 31 and 136 months and a fine of up to $300,000.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/10/1665680576374.png" alt="Photo Dodge City Police" />
 <figcaption>Photo Dodge City Police</figcaption>
 </figure>FORD COUNTY — A man recognized in 2021 as Kansas Law Enforcement Officer of the Year is facing sex crime allegations.A&nbsp;Ford County grand jury this week returned an indictment against former Dodge City police officer Guillermo Gutierrez&nbsp; for rape and aggravated sexual battery, according to a statement from the Ford County Attorney's office.The charges stem from an incident alleged to have occurred on May 19, 2022 in Dodge City.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/10/1665680553525.png" alt="Gutierrez photo Dodge City Police" />
 <figcaption>Gutierrez photo Dodge City Police</figcaption>
 </figure>Gutierrez is scheduled for a first appearance and arraignment hearing on November 10, according to the district attorney's office. Gutierrez is represented by Van Z. Hampton of Warrior Lawyers International of Dodge City, Kansas.Rape is a severity level 1 person felony. It is punishable by a prison sentence of between 147 and 653 months and a fine of up to $300,000.Aggravated sexual battery is a severity level 5 person felony, punishable by a prison sentence of between 31 and 136 months and a fine of up to $300,000.

2021 Kansas officer of the year accused of rape, sexual battery

KANSAS CITY (AP) —Hearings are again on hold in the state of Missouri's effort to shut down a Christian boarding school whose staff members have been accused of abuse by numerous current and former students.

Cedar County Associate Circuit Judge Thomas Pyle on Tuesday&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/child-abuse-missouri-attorney-generals-office-6b82f49a9d504a8f923f5a7694547e82">canceled hearings</a>&nbsp;that had been scheduled for Thursday and Friday to consider Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt's request to close&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/missouri-religion-sexual-abuse-by-clergy-education-af080895d108aa6dc0db533c60be2ebc">Agape Boarding School</a>. New hearing dates have not been set.

Pyle also granted the request of Agape attorney John Schultz to appoint a guardian ad litem for each boy at Agape. A guardian ad litem represents the child's interest in court. Pyle also agreed with Schultz's request that the parents be made parties in the case and that the state identify students rather than using only their initials.

“We are pleased that the judge granted all the relief that we requested," Schultz said. "Agape remains open, and it is committed to safely caring for and educating the students.”

Chris Nuelle, a spokesman for Schmitt, said the office is reviewing Pyle's decision.

“We are still fully committed to protecting the health and safety of the students at Agape Boarding School, and we’re not giving up on those students,” Nuelle said in a statement.

Schmitt’s office filed a motion in early September to close the school, calling it “an immediate health and safety concern for the children residing at Agape.” Later that month, the Republican speaker of the Missouri House, Rob Vescovo, sent a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/crime-kansas-city-missouri-9aa2d772f73edfa09cde4d2b337fdba2">letter to U.S. Attorney Teresa Moore</a>&nbsp;in Kansas City also urging closure of Agape.

The school once housed about 100 boys. Enrollment has dipped to 45, Schultz said. The decrease in enrollment has forced Agape to lay off around a dozen of its 50 staff members and move the boys to five group homes rather than board them at the school, Schultz said.

Abuse allegations at Agape and a nearby Christian boarding school for girls, Circle of Hope, resulted in a new Missouri law last year that among other things established minimum health and safety requirements for boarding schools, required background checks for employees, and required adequate food, clothing and medical care for students.

Last year,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/crime-missouri-springfield-89eb20fc1edcba8cf5963abdc69e48c8">Agape’s longtime doctor, David Smock</a>, was charged with child sex crimes and five employees were charged with low-level abuse counts. Schmitt’s office contended that 22 workers should have been charged and with more serious crimes. But in Missouri, only the local prosecutor can file charges, and Cedar County Prosecuting Attorney Ty Gaither has said no additional employees will be charged.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/missouri-fe24ade3e378bfb53796a0af7cd71deb">Circle of Hope, in Humansville, Missouri</a>, closed amid an investigation in 2020 and its husband-and-wife co-founders face 99 charges, including child abuse and neglect and sex crimes.

A petition filed by Schmitt’s office cites several abuse allegations at Agape, including many from current students as told to state child welfare workers who have been stationed on-site over the past month.

One student was slammed through a magnetically locked door and then restrained for about 40 minutes, several current students said.

In another case, a student said he saw a classmate punched in the stomach by a staff member while other staff held the student, who was then allegedly placed in handcuffs for about two weeks except for visits to the bathroom. The punishment was because the student refused to do jumping jacks, according to the court filing.

KANSAS CITY (AP) —Hearings are again on hold in the state of Missouri's effort to shut down a Christian boarding school whose staff members have been accused of abuse by numerous current and former students.Cedar County Associate Circuit Judge Thomas Pyle on Tuesday&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/child-abuse-missouri-attorney-generals-office-6b82f49a9d504a8f923f5a7694547e82">canceled hearings</a>&nbsp;that had been scheduled for Thursday and Friday to consider Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt's request to close&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/missouri-religion-sexual-abuse-by-clergy-education-af080895d108aa6dc0db533c60be2ebc">Agape Boarding School</a>. New hearing dates have not been set.Pyle also granted the request of Agape attorney John Schultz to appoint a guardian ad litem for each boy at Agape. A guardian ad litem represents the child's interest in court. Pyle also agreed with Schultz's request that the parents be made parties in the case and that the state identify students rather than using only their initials.“We are pleased that the judge granted all the relief that we requested," Schultz said. "Agape remains open, and it is committed to safely caring for and educating the students.”Chris Nuelle, a spokesman for Schmitt, said the office is reviewing Pyle's decision.“We are still fully committed to protecting the health and safety of the students at Agape Boarding School, and we’re not giving up on those students,” Nuelle said in a statement.Schmitt’s office filed a motion in early September to close the school, calling it “an immediate health and safety concern for the children residing at Agape.” Later that month, the Republican speaker of the Missouri House, Rob Vescovo, sent a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/crime-kansas-city-missouri-9aa2d772f73edfa09cde4d2b337fdba2">letter to U.S. Attorney Teresa Moore</a>&nbsp;in Kansas City also urging closure of Agape.The school once housed about 100 boys. Enrollment has dipped to 45, Schultz said. The decrease in enrollment has forced Agape to lay off around a dozen of its 50 staff members and move the boys to five group homes rather than board them at the school, Schultz said.Abuse allegations at Agape and a nearby Christian boarding school for girls, Circle of Hope, resulted in a new Missouri law last year that among other things established minimum health and safety requirements for boarding schools, required background checks for employees, and required adequate food, clothing and medical care for students.Last year,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/crime-missouri-springfield-89eb20fc1edcba8cf5963abdc69e48c8">Agape’s longtime doctor, David Smock</a>, was charged with child sex crimes and five employees were charged with low-level abuse counts. Schmitt’s office contended that 22 workers should have been charged and with more serious crimes. But in Missouri, only the local prosecutor can file charges, and Cedar County Prosecuting Attorney Ty Gaither has said no additional employees will be charged.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/missouri-fe24ade3e378bfb53796a0af7cd71deb">Circle of Hope, in Humansville, Missouri</a>, closed amid an investigation in 2020 and its husband-and-wife co-founders face 99 charges, including child abuse and neglect and sex crimes.A petition filed by Schmitt’s office cites several abuse allegations at Agape, including many from current students as told to state child welfare workers who have been stationed on-site over the past month.One student was slammed through a magnetically locked door and then restrained for about 40 minutes, several current students said.In another case, a student said he saw a classmate punched in the stomach by a staff member while other staff held the student, who was then allegedly placed in handcuffs for about two weeks except for visits to the bathroom. The punishment was because the student refused to do jumping jacks, according to the court filing.

Fate of Christian boarding school on hold as hearings delayed

MORRIS COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities including the FBI conducted an intensive investigation Wednesday a man accused in&nbsp; the robbery at Bank of the Flint Hills, 101 E MacKenzie Street in White City, according to the Morris County Sheriff.

Just after 10p.m. Wednesday, police captured 35-year-old Christopher J. Callaham of Junction City at a motel in Junction City.&nbsp;

Just after 10a.m. Wednesday, a man with a handgun and wearing a mask entered the Bank of the Flint Hills and demanded money from a clerk, according to the Morris County Sheriff's office.

The man was described as a white male with dark colored hair. He was wearing a dark blue hooded sweatshirt, blue jeans and brown boots. He left the bank with an undisclosed amount of cash and ran into a residential neighborhood south of the bank.

Officers from Council Grove and deputies from the Morris County Sheriff's office began searching for the suspect. School in White City were placed on lockdown.&nbsp; There were no injuries reported at the bank.

Callaham is being held in Geary County on a felony arrest warrant for aggravated robbery and&nbsp; two additional requested drug charges, according to online booking records.

MORRIS COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities including the FBI&nbsp; investigating a bank robbery in Morris County have a suspect in custody.

Just after 10a.m. Wednesday, a man with a handgun and wearing a mask entered the Bank of the Flint Hills,&nbsp;101 E MacKenzie Street in White City and demanded money from a clerk, according to the Morris County Sheriff's office.

Authorities believed the suspect fled White City. Late Wednesday, the sheriff's office reported an arrest.&nbsp; &nbsp;Check the Post for additional details as they become available.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/10/1665689364711.png" alt="Callaham-photo Geary Co." />
 <figcaption>Callaham-photo Geary Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>MORRIS COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities including the FBI conducted an intensive investigation Wednesday a man accused in&nbsp; the robbery at Bank of the Flint Hills, 101 E MacKenzie Street in White City, according to the Morris County Sheriff.Just after 10p.m. Wednesday, police captured 35-year-old Christopher J. Callaham of Junction City at a motel in Junction City.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/10/1665658539715.png" alt="Bank of the Flint Hills in White City was temporarily closed Wednesday following the robbery-photo courtesy WIBW TV" />
 <figcaption>Bank of the Flint Hills in White City was temporarily closed Wednesday following the robbery-photo courtesy WIBW TV</figcaption>
 </figure>Just after 10a.m. Wednesday, a man with a handgun and wearing a mask entered the Bank of the Flint Hills and demanded money from a clerk, according to the Morris County Sheriff's office.The man was described as a white male with dark colored hair. He was wearing a dark blue hooded sweatshirt, blue jeans and brown boots. He left the bank with an undisclosed amount of cash and ran into a residential neighborhood south of the bank.Officers from Council Grove and deputies from the Morris County Sheriff's office began searching for the suspect. School in White City were placed on lockdown.&nbsp; There were no injuries reported at the bank.Callaham is being held in Geary County on a felony arrest warrant for aggravated robbery and&nbsp; two additional requested drug charges, according to online booking records.-------------MORRIS COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities including the FBI&nbsp; investigating a bank robbery in Morris County have a suspect in custody.Just after 10a.m. Wednesday, a man with a handgun and wearing a mask entered the Bank of the Flint Hills,&nbsp;101 E MacKenzie Street in White City and demanded money from a clerk, according to the Morris County Sheriff's office.The man was described as a white male with dark colored hair. He was wearing a dark blue hooded sweatshirt, blue jeans and brown boots. He left the bank with an undisclosed amount of cash and ran into a residential neighborhood south of the bank.Officers from Council Grove and deputies from the Morris County Sheriff's office began searching for the suspect. School in White City were placed on lockdown.&nbsp; There were no injuries reported at the bank.Authorities believed the suspect fled White City. Late Wednesday, the sheriff's office reported an arrest.&nbsp; &nbsp;Check the Post for additional details as they become available.

Sheriff: Kansas bank robbery suspect captured at motel 

By MIKE COURSON Great Bend Post

A routine weekend shopping trip proved to be anything but for several area residents Saturday evening at Walmart in Great Bend. Just after 7:30 p.m., 29-year-old Eric Keller just happened to be in the area and was able to provide life-saving CPR on a toddler before emergency personnel arrived.

"Towards the back side of the store, someone yelled, 'Does anyone know CPR?'" Keller said. "I took a little certification class, which is great, but I never expected to use it. When you use it, you can't really unsee it. By the time I got to the little girl, her lips were already purple, and her face had pretty much drained of color."

The mother of the 23-month-old toddler, who wishes to remain anonymous, said her daughter suffered a fever spike while at the store, which caused a seizure. Bystanders told the mother to perform CPR while the child turned blue, and one bystander shouted for help from someone who knew CPR.

Keller put down his own child and began administering CPR while the mother spoke to 911 on the phone. Dispatchers were able to remain on the line and assist with the situation for approximately four minutes before Great Bend Fire and EMS arrived.

"We were very fortunate he was there," the mother said. "If he weren't, she probably wouldn't have been okay."

Keller knew the Great Bend police officer who first arrived on the scene. He told the officer he wished to remain anonymous but would like to know how the little girl was doing. Keller said he was glad he took the CPR course on a whim and encourages others to do the same.

"It's a skill that a lot of people can learn and take advantage of," he said. "You never know when it's going to come in handy. At the end of the day, I just wanted to know that the little girl was all right. I didn't want to be recognized as the guy who got her to that point. The medics stepped in and did a great job of getting her to the hospital and taking care of her en route."

The mother had good news to report later in the week. The pair visited a family doctor Monday and again Tuesday, and the mother has plans to visit with a neurologist in the near future. She warned sudden medical emergencies can happen to anyone.

"I'm a young mom," she said. "I'm 24, and I didn't think it would happen to my child. No one ever warned me my baby could have a seizure and stop breathing, so I want people to be aware and know it can happen. I am so grateful he was there to help, and I urge all parents to learn CPR. You never know when it will come in handy.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/10/1665608548643.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>By MIKE COURSON Great Bend PostA routine weekend shopping trip proved to be anything but for several area residents Saturday evening at Walmart in Great Bend. Just after 7:30 p.m., 29-year-old Eric Keller just happened to be in the area and was able to provide life-saving CPR on a toddler before emergency personnel arrived."Towards the back side of the store, someone yelled, 'Does anyone know CPR?'" Keller said. "I took a little certification class, which is great, but I never expected to use it. When you use it, you can't really unsee it. By the time I got to the little girl, her lips were already purple, and her face had pretty much drained of color."The mother of the 23-month-old toddler, who wishes to remain anonymous, said her daughter suffered a fever spike while at the store, which caused a seizure. Bystanders told the mother to perform CPR while the child turned blue, and one bystander shouted for help from someone who knew CPR.Keller put down his own child and began administering CPR while the mother spoke to 911 on the phone. Dispatchers were able to remain on the line and assist with the situation for approximately four minutes before Great Bend Fire and EMS arrived."We were very fortunate he was there," the mother said. "If he weren't, she probably wouldn't have been okay."Keller knew the Great Bend police officer who first arrived on the scene. He told the officer he wished to remain anonymous but would like to know how the little girl was doing. Keller said he was glad he took the CPR course on a whim and encourages others to do the same."It's a skill that a lot of people can learn and take advantage of," he said. "You never know when it's going to come in handy. At the end of the day, I just wanted to know that the little girl was all right. I didn't want to be recognized as the guy who got her to that point. The medics stepped in and did a great job of getting her to the hospital and taking care of her en route."The mother had good news to report later in the week. The pair visited a family doctor Monday and again Tuesday, and the mother has plans to visit with a neurologist in the near future. She warned sudden medical emergencies can happen to anyone."I'm a young mom," she said. "I'm 24, and I didn't think it would happen to my child. No one ever warned me my baby could have a seizure and stop breathing, so I want people to be aware and know it can happen. I am so grateful he was there to help, and I urge all parents to learn CPR. You never know when it will come in handy.

Kan. man performs 'life-saving' CPR on toddler at Walmart

By LESLIE EIKLEBERRY Salina Post

A soldering iron left on a table is believed to be the cause of a blaze that destroyed a $90,000 travel trailer in southern Saline County Wednesday afternoon.

Just after 1p.m. Wednesday, deputies and Rural Fire District No. 2 personnel were called to the 6700 block of S. Tamara Lane, just west of the Kansas Highway 4/Old 81 Highway intersection for the report of a trailer fire, according to Saline County Sheriff Roger Soldan. When they arrived, the 36-foot Forest River fifth-wheel travel trailer was fully engulfed.

According to Soldan, the owner of the travel trailer had been soldering speaker wires. She was distracted and momentarily set the soldering iron on a table and left the trailer.

The trailer was valued at $90,000. Contents in the trailer were valued at $2,000.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/10/1665679730862.jpeg" alt="A $90,000 travel trailer burns in southern Saline County Wednesday. Photos courtesy Saline County Sheriff's Office" />
 <figcaption>A $90,000 travel trailer burns in southern Saline County Wednesday. Photos courtesy Saline County Sheriff's Office</figcaption>
 </figure>By LESLIE EIKLEBERRY Salina PostA soldering iron left on a table is believed to be the cause of a blaze that destroyed a $90,000 travel trailer in southern Saline County Wednesday afternoon.Just after 1p.m. Wednesday, deputies and Rural Fire District No. 2 personnel were called to the 6700 block of S. Tamara Lane, just west of the Kansas Highway 4/Old 81 Highway intersection for the report of a trailer fire, according to Saline County Sheriff Roger Soldan. When they arrived, the 36-foot Forest River fifth-wheel travel trailer was fully engulfed.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/10/1665679837378.jpeg" alt="The remains of the trailer." />
 <figcaption>The remains of the trailer.</figcaption>
 </figure>According to Soldan, the owner of the travel trailer had been soldering speaker wires. She was distracted and momentarily set the soldering iron on a table and left the trailer.The trailer was valued at $90,000. Contents in the trailer were valued at $2,000.

Soldering iron blamed for $90,000 Kansas travel trailer fire

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A fifth union has now ratified its deal with the major freight railroads just days after one of the largest rail unions rejected their tentative agreement.

The Mechanical and Engineering Department of the Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation workers union voted Wednesday to approve its five-year contract that includes 24% raises and $5,000 in bonuses. Now five of the 12 rail unions have approved their agreements with the railroads and a sixth one is set to vote Thursday, but all 12 have to endorse their deals to prevent a strike that would devastate the economy.

Fears of a strike were renewed earlier this week when the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division union voted down its contract, but there is no immediate threat of a walkout because that union agreed to delay any action until at least mid November to allow time to renegotiate a new deal.

The agreements the unions are voting on include the largest raises workers have seen in more than four decades, but the tentative deals don't resolve most of the members' quality of life concerns about strict schedules, the lack of paid time off and demanding workloads after the railroads eliminated some 45,000 jobs over the past six years.

The negotiations included roughly 115,000 workers at Norfolk Southern, CSX, BNSF, Union Pacific, Kansas City Southern and other railroads.

The general president of the SMART-MD union, Joseph Sellers Jr., promised to keep fighting to get workers the “wages, benefits and working conditions that they deserve for keeping the American economy running.”

The railroads play such an important role delivering raw materials and finished products that most businesses rely on that President Joe Biden intervened in the contract talks last month and put pressure on both sides to reach agreements before a mid-September strike deadline.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1661823524314.jpg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A fifth union has now ratified its deal with the major freight railroads just days after one of the largest rail unions rejected their tentative agreement.The Mechanical and Engineering Department of the Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation workers union voted Wednesday to approve its five-year contract that includes 24% raises and $5,000 in bonuses. Now five of the 12 rail unions have approved their agreements with the railroads and a sixth one is set to vote Thursday, but all 12 have to endorse their deals to prevent a strike that would devastate the economy.Fears of a strike were renewed earlier this week when the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division union voted down its contract, but there is no immediate threat of a walkout because that union agreed to delay any action until at least mid November to allow time to renegotiate a new deal.The agreements the unions are voting on include the largest raises workers have seen in more than four decades, but the tentative deals don't resolve most of the members' quality of life concerns about strict schedules, the lack of paid time off and demanding workloads after the railroads eliminated some 45,000 jobs over the past six years.The negotiations included roughly 115,000 workers at Norfolk Southern, CSX, BNSF, Union Pacific, Kansas City Southern and other railroads.The general president of the SMART-MD union, Joseph Sellers Jr., promised to keep fighting to get workers the “wages, benefits and working conditions that they deserve for keeping the American economy running.”The railroads play such an important role delivering raw materials and finished products that most businesses rely on that President Joe Biden intervened in the contract talks last month and put pressure on both sides to reach agreements before a mid-September strike deadline.

Only 5 of 12 unions have approved deal to avoid railroad strike

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Florida school shooter&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/nikolas-cruz">Nikolas Cruz</a>&nbsp;will be sentenced to life without parole for the 2018 murder of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/education-florida-gun-politics-school-boards-nikolas-cruz-44a0da3e406f0c487e5c0a6b0855ee2e">17 people</a>&nbsp;at Parkland’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, after the jury said Thursday that it could not unanimously agree that he should be executed — a decision that left some parents in tears as they exited the courtroom.

The jury’s recommendation came after seven hours of deliberations over two days, ending a three-month trial that included graphic videos, photos and testimony from the massacre and its aftermath, heart-wrenching testimony from victims’ family members and a tour of the still blood-spattered building.

Under Florida law, a death sentence requires a unanimous vote on at least one count. Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer will formally issue the life sentences Nov. 1. Relatives, along with the students and teachers Cruz wounded, will be given the opportunity to speak at the sentencing hearing.

Cruz, his hair unkempt, largely sat hunched over and stared at the table as the jury’s recommendations were read. Rumblings grew from the family section — packed with about three dozen parents, spouses and other relatives of the victims — as life sentences were announced. Many shook their heads, looked angry or covered their eyes, as the judge spent 50 minutes reading the jury's decision for each victim. Some parents sobbed as they left court.

Cruz, 24,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/parkland-school-shooting-nikolas-cruz-guilty-plea-1bad323e22fe4517cf851395b252bd4b">pleaded guilty a year ago</a>&nbsp;to murdering 14 students and three staff members and wounding 17 others on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/school-shootings-shootings-florida-ap-top-news-fl-state-wire-49734418df1e477681cf36b29faca7da">Feb. 14, 2018.</a>&nbsp;Cruz said he chose&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/shootings-education-florida-fort-lauderdale-parkland-school-shooting-045455fc875b7a91800468995c18dcf5">Valentine’s Day</a>&nbsp;to make it impossible for Stoneman Douglas students to celebrate the holiday ever again.

The massacre is the deadliest mass shooting that has ever gone to trial in the U.S. Nine other people in the U.S. who fatally shot at least 17 people died during or immediately after their attacks by suicide or police gunfire. The suspect in the 2019 massacre of 23 at an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/el-paso-texas-mass-shooting-shootings-us-news-ap-top-news-tx-state-wire-3fd473325d17429784e91a3c8c7b3909">El Paso, Texas, Walmart</a>&nbsp;is awaiting trial.

Lead prosecutor Mike Satz kept&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/crime-shootings-education-florida-fort-lauderdale-d6444cc4006d4c15a05ea8cea00d729a">his case simple</a>&nbsp;for the seven-man, five-woman jury. He focused on Cruz’s eight months of planning, the seven minutes he stalked the halls of a three-story classroom building, firing 140 shots with an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/education-florida-fort-lauderdale-parkland-school-shooting-60791bdf38785f494400c43b90a97c39">AR-15-style semi-automatic rifle,</a>&nbsp;and his&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/shootings-education-florida-fort-lauderdale-parkland-school-shooting-c95f663e6262da40241fe354e4e363fd">escape</a>.

He played security videos of the shooting and showed gruesome crime scene and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/parkland-florida-school-shooting-15bb37e57ead25b9025bf033b4c679b8">autopsy photos.</a>&nbsp;Teachers and students testified about watching others die. He took the jury to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nikolas-cruz-trial-parkland-shooting-scene-cf04bb9cebd45e01cf92db39e8c1a423">the fenced-off building,</a>&nbsp;which remains blood-stained and bullet-pocked. v gave tearful and angry statements.

Cruz’s lead attorney Melisa McNeill and her team never questioned the horror he inflicted, but focused on their belief that his birth mother’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-shootings-education-florida-fort-lauderdale-2a89b5dde897d5cc47586ee5b3a70157">heavy drinking</a>&nbsp;during pregnancy left him with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. Their experts said his bizarre, troubling and sometimes violent behavior starting at age 2 was misdiagnosed as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, meaning he never got the proper treatment. That left his widowed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/crime-shootings-florida-fort-lauderdale-parkland-school-shooting-2cc9e1f433788bb16445249055715b1e">adoptive mother</a>&nbsp;overwhelmed, they said.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/shootings-education-florida-fort-lauderdale-parkland-school-shooting-418ced4a1484404aca34cdb728c0d167">The defense cut its case short,</a>&nbsp;calling only about 25 of the 80 witnesses they said would testify. They never brought up Cruz’s high school years or called his younger half-brother, Zachary, whom they accused of bullying.

In rebuttal, Satz and his team contended that Cruz did not suffer from fetal alcohol damage but has antisocial personality disorder — in lay terms, he’s a sociopath. Their witnesses said Cruz faked brain damage during testing and that he was capable of controlling his actions, but chose not to. For example, they pointed to his employment as a cashier at a discount store where he never had any disciplinary issues.

Prosecutors also played numerous video recordings of Cruz discussing the crime with their mental health experts where he talked about his planning and motivation.

The defense alleged on cross-examination that Cruz was sexually molested and raped by a 12-year-old neighbor when he was 9.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/10/1665673933980.png" alt="Cruz original booking photo Broward County Sheriff" />
 <figcaption>Cruz original booking photo Broward County Sheriff</figcaption>
 </figure>FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Florida school shooter&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/nikolas-cruz">Nikolas Cruz</a>&nbsp;will be sentenced to life without parole for the 2018 murder of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/education-florida-gun-politics-school-boards-nikolas-cruz-44a0da3e406f0c487e5c0a6b0855ee2e">17 people</a>&nbsp;at Parkland’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, after the jury said Thursday that it could not unanimously agree that he should be executed — a decision that left some parents in tears as they exited the courtroom.The jury’s recommendation came after seven hours of deliberations over two days, ending a three-month trial that included graphic videos, photos and testimony from the massacre and its aftermath, heart-wrenching testimony from victims’ family members and a tour of the still blood-spattered building.Under Florida law, a death sentence requires a unanimous vote on at least one count. Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer will formally issue the life sentences Nov. 1. Relatives, along with the students and teachers Cruz wounded, will be given the opportunity to speak at the sentencing hearing.Cruz, his hair unkempt, largely sat hunched over and stared at the table as the jury’s recommendations were read. Rumblings grew from the family section — packed with about three dozen parents, spouses and other relatives of the victims — as life sentences were announced. Many shook their heads, looked angry or covered their eyes, as the judge spent 50 minutes reading the jury's decision for each victim. Some parents sobbed as they left court.Cruz, 24,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/parkland-school-shooting-nikolas-cruz-guilty-plea-1bad323e22fe4517cf851395b252bd4b">pleaded guilty a year ago</a>&nbsp;to murdering 14 students and three staff members and wounding 17 others on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/school-shootings-shootings-florida-ap-top-news-fl-state-wire-49734418df1e477681cf36b29faca7da">Feb. 14, 2018.</a>&nbsp;Cruz said he chose&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/shootings-education-florida-fort-lauderdale-parkland-school-shooting-045455fc875b7a91800468995c18dcf5">Valentine’s Day</a>&nbsp;to make it impossible for Stoneman Douglas students to celebrate the holiday ever again.The massacre is the deadliest mass shooting that has ever gone to trial in the U.S. Nine other people in the U.S. who fatally shot at least 17 people died during or immediately after their attacks by suicide or police gunfire. The suspect in the 2019 massacre of 23 at an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/el-paso-texas-mass-shooting-shootings-us-news-ap-top-news-tx-state-wire-3fd473325d17429784e91a3c8c7b3909">El Paso, Texas, Walmart</a>&nbsp;is awaiting trial.Lead prosecutor Mike Satz kept&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/crime-shootings-education-florida-fort-lauderdale-d6444cc4006d4c15a05ea8cea00d729a">his case simple</a>&nbsp;for the seven-man, five-woman jury. He focused on Cruz’s eight months of planning, the seven minutes he stalked the halls of a three-story classroom building, firing 140 shots with an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/education-florida-fort-lauderdale-parkland-school-shooting-60791bdf38785f494400c43b90a97c39">AR-15-style semi-automatic rifle,</a>&nbsp;and his&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/shootings-education-florida-fort-lauderdale-parkland-school-shooting-c95f663e6262da40241fe354e4e363fd">escape</a>.He played security videos of the shooting and showed gruesome crime scene and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/parkland-florida-school-shooting-15bb37e57ead25b9025bf033b4c679b8">autopsy photos.</a>&nbsp;Teachers and students testified about watching others die. He took the jury to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nikolas-cruz-trial-parkland-shooting-scene-cf04bb9cebd45e01cf92db39e8c1a423">the fenced-off building,</a>&nbsp;which remains blood-stained and bullet-pocked. v gave tearful and angry statements.Cruz’s lead attorney Melisa McNeill and her team never questioned the horror he inflicted, but focused on their belief that his birth mother’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-shootings-education-florida-fort-lauderdale-2a89b5dde897d5cc47586ee5b3a70157">heavy drinking</a>&nbsp;during pregnancy left him with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. Their experts said his bizarre, troubling and sometimes violent behavior starting at age 2 was misdiagnosed as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, meaning he never got the proper treatment. That left his widowed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/crime-shootings-florida-fort-lauderdale-parkland-school-shooting-2cc9e1f433788bb16445249055715b1e">adoptive mother</a>&nbsp;overwhelmed, they said.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/shootings-education-florida-fort-lauderdale-parkland-school-shooting-418ced4a1484404aca34cdb728c0d167">The defense cut its case short,</a>&nbsp;calling only about 25 of the 80 witnesses they said would testify. They never brought up Cruz’s high school years or called his younger half-brother, Zachary, whom they accused of bullying.In rebuttal, Satz and his team contended that Cruz did not suffer from fetal alcohol damage but has antisocial personality disorder — in lay terms, he’s a sociopath. Their witnesses said Cruz faked brain damage during testing and that he was capable of controlling his actions, but chose not to. For example, they pointed to his employment as a cashier at a discount store where he never had any disciplinary issues.Prosecutors also played numerous video recordings of Cruz discussing the crime with their mental health experts where he talked about his planning and motivation.The defense alleged on cross-examination that Cruz was sexually molested and raped by a 12-year-old neighbor when he was 9.

Florida school shooter avoids death penalty despite killing 17

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House Jan. 6 committee voted unanimously Thursday to subpoena Donald Trump, demanding the former president's personal testimony as it unveiled startling new video from his closest aides describing his multi-part plan to overturn his 2020 election loss that resulted in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">the assault on the U.S. Capitol</a>.

(Click below to watch Thursday's hearing)

“We must seek the testimony under oath of January Sixth's central player,” said Republican Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming, the committee’s vice chair.

Trump is almost certain to fight the subpoena and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-mar-a-lago-donald-trump-government-and-politics-ap-top-news-14a7106b99130bb6e3ffaafc845e268f">decline to testify</a>. Spokesman Taylor Budowich in tweets accused panel members of “partisan theatrics” and said, “Pres Trump will not be intimidate by their meritless rhetoric or un-American actions.”

In the committee's&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-donald-trump-elections-democracy-government-and-politics-6f302d624f539504339dc48d938eb6e0">10th public session</a>, just weeks before the congressional midterm elections, the panel summed up Trump’s “staggering betrayal" of his oath of office. That was how Democratic Chairman Bennie Thompson put it, describing Trump's unprecedented attempt to stop Congress from certifying Democrat Joe Biden’s victory.

With vivid new details and evidence, including from the former president's Cabinet secretaries and U.S. Secret Service, the panel showed Trump was told repeatedly by those around him that the election was over, yet he still orchestrated the far-reaching effort to stop Biden from taking office. Several former aides testified that Trump had said privately that he knew he had lost to Biden.

In other striking new video, the panel showed previously unseen footage of congressional leaders phoning officials for help during Capitol siege.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer can be seen talking to governors in neighboring Virginia and Maryland. Later it shows Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell and other GOP leaders as the group asks Trump's acting attorney general for help.

“They’re breaking the law in many different ways — quite frankly at the instigation of the president of the United States,” Pelosi is heard saying at one point. “Do you believe this?” she exclaims.

The video comes from a documentary being produced by Pelosi’s daughter, according to two people familiar with the matter and granted anonymity to discuss it.

Earlier, in never-before-seen Secret Service messages, the panel produced evidence that extremist groups provided the muscle in the fight for Trump’s presidency, planning weeks before the attack to send a violent force to Washington.

The Secret Service warned in a Dec. 26, 2020, email of a tip that members of the right-wing Proud Boys planned to outnumber the police in a march in Washington on Jan. 6.

"It felt like the calm before the storm,” one Secret Service agent wrote in a group chat.

The House panel warned that the insurrection at the Capitol was not an isolated incident but a warning of the fragility of the nation’s democracy in the post-Trump era.

“None of this is normal or acceptable or lawful in a republic,” Cheney declared.

“There is no defense that Donald Trump was duped or irrational. No president can defy the rule of law and act this way in a constitutional republic, period.”

Statements from Thompson and Cheney were laden with language frequently seen in criminal indictments. Both lawmakers described Trump as “substantially” involved in the events of Jan. 6. Cheney said Trump had acted in a “premeditated” way.

To illustrate what it said were “purposeful lies,” the committee juxtaposed repeated instances in which top administration officials recounted telling Trump the actual facts with clips of him repeating the exact opposite at his pre-riot rally at the Ellipse on Jan. 6.

The committee may well make a decision on whether to make a criminal referral to the Justice Department.

Thursday's hearing opened at a mostly empty Capitol complex, with most lawmakers at home campaigning for reelection. Several people who were among the thousands around the Capitol on Jan. 6 are now running for congressional office, some with Trump’s backing. Police officers who fought the mob filled the hearing room's front row.

In one recorded interview, former White House official Alyssa Farah Griffin said that Trump looked up at a television and said, “Can you believe I lost to this (expletive) guy?"

The committee is also drawing on the trove of 1.5 million documents it received from the Secret Service, including an email from Dec. 11, 2020, the day the Supreme Court rejected one of the main lawsuits Trump’s team had brought against the election results.

“Just fyi. POTUS is pissed,” the Secret Service wrote, according to documents obtained by the committee.

White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson, a top aide to then-chief of staff Mark Meadows, recalled Trump as being “livid” and “fired up” about the court's ruling.

Trump told Meadows “something to the effect of: ‘I don’t want people to know we lost, Mark. This is embarrassing. Figure it out,."

Cabinet members including former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Attorney General William Barr and Labor Secretary Eugene Scalia also said in interviews shown at the hearing that they believed that once the legal avenues had been exhausted, that should have been the end of Trump's efforts to remain in power.

“In my view, that was the end of the matter," Barr said of the Dec. 14 Electoral College vote.

But rather than the end of Trump's efforts to stay in power, the committee signaled it was only the beginning — as the president summoned the crowd to Washington for a rally to fight the election on Jan. 6.

Thursday's session was serving as a closing argument for the panel’s two Republican lawmakers, Cheney of Wyoming and Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, who have essentially been shunned by Trump and their party and will not be returning in the new Congress. Cheney lost her primary election, and Kinzinger decided not to run.

The committee, having conducted more than 1,500 interviews and obtained countless documents, has produced a sweeping probe of Trump’s activities from his defeat in the November election to the Capitol attack.

“He has used this big lie to destabilize our democracy,” said Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-N.Y., who was a young House staff member during the Richard Nixon impeachment inquiry in 1974. “When did that idea occur to him and what did he know while he was doing that?”

This week’s hearing was to be the final presentation from lawmakers before the midterm elections. But staff members say the investigation continues.

The Jan. 6 committee has been meeting for more than a year, set up by the House after Republican senators blocked the formation of an outside panel similar to the 9/11 commission set up after the 2001 terrorist attacks. Even after the launch of its high-profile public hearings last summer, the Jan. 6 committee continued to gather evidence and interviews.

Under committee rules, the Jan. 6 panel is to produce a report of its findings, likely in December. The committee will dissolve 30 days after publication of that report, and with the new Congress in January.

House Republicans are expected to drop the Jan. 6 probe and turn to other investigations if they win control after midterm elections, primarily focusing on Biden, his family and his administration.

At least five people died in the Jan. 6 attack and its aftermath, including a Trump supporter shot and killed by Capitol Police.

Police engaged in often bloody, hand-to-hand combat, as Trump’s supporters pushed past barricades, stormed the Capitol and roamed the halls, sending lawmakers fleeing for safety and temporarily disrupting the joint session of Congress certifying Biden’s election.

More than 850 people have been charged by the Justice Department in the Capitol attack, some receiving lengthy prison sentences for their roles. Several leaders and associates of the extremist Oath Keepers and Proud Boys have been&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-us-supreme-court-clarence-thomas-virginia-government-and-politics-3b4102509ef93bc37d24d7c8fd79ba80">charged with sedition</a>.

Trump faces&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">various state and federal investigations</a>&nbsp;over his actions in the election and its aftermath.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-elections-presidential-election-2020-congress-772291e2cdffbcaf780088fdef96d38f">House Jan. 6 committee</a>&nbsp;is set to unveil “surprising” details including evidence from Donald Trump’s Secret Service about the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/capitol-siege">2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol</a>&nbsp;in what is likely to be its last public hearing before the November&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/2022-midterm-elections">midterm elections</a>.

The hearing Thursday afternoon, the 10th public session by the panel, is expected to delve into Trump's “state of mind" and the central role the defeated president played in the multipart effort to overturn the election, according to a committee aide who discussed the plans on condition of anonymity.

The committee is starting to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-donald-trump-congress-government-and-politics-4e413d2d4927357bd9f5eaad1cf1a0a1">sum up its findings:</a>&nbsp;Trump, after losing the 2020 presidential election, launched an unprecedented attempt to stop Congress from certifying Joe Biden’s victory. The result was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-riots-donald-trump-conspiracy-government-and-politics-def7c6a17cac57d1b3dff64e923afef7">the deadly mob siege</a>&nbsp;of the Capitol.

“The mob was led by some extremist groups — they plotted in advance what they were going to do,” Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., a committee member, told CNN. “And those individuals were known to people in the Trump orbit.”

Chairman Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., is poised to gavel in Thursday's session at an otherwise empty Capitol complex, with most lawmakers at home campaigning for reelection. Several people who were among the thousands around the Capitol on Jan. 6 are now running for congressional office, some with Trump’s backing.

The session will serve as a closing argument by the panel’s two Republican lawmakers,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/liz-cheney">Liz Cheney of Wyoming</a>&nbsp;and Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, who have essentially been shunned by Trump and their party and will not be returning in the new Congress. Cheney lost her primary election and Kinzinger decided not to run.

Another committee member, Rep. Elaine Luria, D-Va., a retired Naval commander, is in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-veterans-virginia-congress-25019bb3cb0b72a8f9150bdf1c987ad7">a tough reelection bid</a>&nbsp;against state Sen. Jen Kiggans, a former Navy helicopter pilot.

Unlike past hearings, this one is not expected to feature live witnesses, though the panel is expected to share information from its recent interviews — including testimony from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-us-supreme-court-clarence-thomas-virginia-government-and-politics-3b4102509ef93bc37d24d7c8fd79ba80">Ginni Thomas</a>, the conservative activist and wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. She was in contact with the White House during the run-up to Jan. 6.

Fresh information about the movements of then-Vice President Mike Pence, who was presiding over the joint session of Congress on Jan. 6 and was rushed to safety, is also expected, according to a person familiar with the committee's planning who was not authorized to discuss it publicly and requested anonymity.

For weeks the panel has been in talks with the U.S. Secret Service after issuing a subpoena to produce missing text messages from that day. Former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson described being told by a White House aide about Trump angrily lunging at the driver of his presidential SUV and demanding to be taken from his rally to the Capitol as the mob formed on Jan. 6.

Some in the Secret Service have disputed Hutchinson's account of the events, but it is unclear if the missing texts that the agency has said were deleted during a technology upgrade will ever be recovered. The hearing is expected to reveal fresh details from a massive trove of documents and other evidence provided by the Secret Service.

The committee plans to show new video footage it received from the Secret Service of the rally on the White House Ellipse. Trump spoke there before encouraging his armed supporters to march to the Capitol and “fight like hell.”

The hearing also will include new documentary footage captured from the day of the attack.

The Secret Service has turned over 1.5 million pages of documents and surveillance video to the committee, according to agency spokesman Anthony Guglielmi.

Lofgren said that as she learned the information being presented Thursday she found it “pretty surprising.”

“He has used this big lie to destabilize our democracy,” said Lofgren, who was a young House staff member during the Richard Nixon impeachment inquiry in 1974. “When did that idea occur to him and what did he know while he was doing that?”

This week’s hearing is expected to be the final investigative presentation from lawmakers before the midterm elections. But staff members say the investigation continues.

Under committee rules, the Jan. 6 panel is expected to produce a report of its findings, due after the election, likely in December. The committee will dissolve 30 days after publication of that report, and with the new Congress in January.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House Jan. 6 committee voted unanimously Thursday to subpoena Donald Trump, demanding the former president's personal testimony as it unveiled startling new video from his closest aides describing his multi-part plan to overturn his 2020 election loss that resulted in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">the assault on the U.S. Capitol</a>.(Click below to watch Thursday's hearing)<div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/IQvuBoLBuC0?start=704" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>“We must seek the testimony under oath of January Sixth's central player,” said Republican Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming, the committee’s vice chair.Trump is almost certain to fight the subpoena and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-mar-a-lago-donald-trump-government-and-politics-ap-top-news-14a7106b99130bb6e3ffaafc845e268f">decline to testify</a>. Spokesman Taylor Budowich in tweets accused panel members of “partisan theatrics” and said, “Pres Trump will not be intimidate by their meritless rhetoric or un-American actions.”In the committee's&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-donald-trump-elections-democracy-government-and-politics-6f302d624f539504339dc48d938eb6e0">10th public session</a>, just weeks before the congressional midterm elections, the panel summed up Trump’s “staggering betrayal" of his oath of office. That was how Democratic Chairman Bennie Thompson put it, describing Trump's unprecedented attempt to stop Congress from certifying Democrat Joe Biden’s victory.With vivid new details and evidence, including from the former president's Cabinet secretaries and U.S. Secret Service, the panel showed Trump was told repeatedly by those around him that the election was over, yet he still orchestrated the far-reaching effort to stop Biden from taking office. Several former aides testified that Trump had said privately that he knew he had lost to Biden.In other striking new video, the panel showed previously unseen footage of congressional leaders phoning officials for help during Capitol siege.House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer can be seen talking to governors in neighboring Virginia and Maryland. Later it shows Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell and other GOP leaders as the group asks Trump's acting attorney general for help.“They’re breaking the law in many different ways — quite frankly at the instigation of the president of the United States,” Pelosi is heard saying at one point. “Do you believe this?” she exclaims.The video comes from a documentary being produced by Pelosi’s daughter, according to two people familiar with the matter and granted anonymity to discuss it.Earlier, in never-before-seen Secret Service messages, the panel produced evidence that extremist groups provided the muscle in the fight for Trump’s presidency, planning weeks before the attack to send a violent force to Washington.The Secret Service warned in a Dec. 26, 2020, email of a tip that members of the right-wing Proud Boys planned to outnumber the police in a march in Washington on Jan. 6."It felt like the calm before the storm,” one Secret Service agent wrote in a group chat.The House panel warned that the insurrection at the Capitol was not an isolated incident but a warning of the fragility of the nation’s democracy in the post-Trump era.“None of this is normal or acceptable or lawful in a republic,” Cheney declared.“There is no defense that Donald Trump was duped or irrational. No president can defy the rule of law and act this way in a constitutional republic, period.”Statements from Thompson and Cheney were laden with language frequently seen in criminal indictments. Both lawmakers described Trump as “substantially” involved in the events of Jan. 6. Cheney said Trump had acted in a “premeditated” way.To illustrate what it said were “purposeful lies,” the committee juxtaposed repeated instances in which top administration officials recounted telling Trump the actual facts with clips of him repeating the exact opposite at his pre-riot rally at the Ellipse on Jan. 6.The committee may well make a decision on whether to make a criminal referral to the Justice Department.Thursday's hearing opened at a mostly empty Capitol complex, with most lawmakers at home campaigning for reelection. Several people who were among the thousands around the Capitol on Jan. 6 are now running for congressional office, some with Trump’s backing. Police officers who fought the mob filled the hearing room's front row.In one recorded interview, former White House official Alyssa Farah Griffin said that Trump looked up at a television and said, “Can you believe I lost to this (expletive) guy?"The committee is also drawing on the trove of 1.5 million documents it received from the Secret Service, including an email from Dec. 11, 2020, the day the Supreme Court rejected one of the main lawsuits Trump’s team had brought against the election results.“Just fyi. POTUS is pissed,” the Secret Service wrote, according to documents obtained by the committee.White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson, a top aide to then-chief of staff Mark Meadows, recalled Trump as being “livid” and “fired up” about the court's ruling.Trump told Meadows “something to the effect of: ‘I don’t want people to know we lost, Mark. This is embarrassing. Figure it out,."Cabinet members including former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Attorney General William Barr and Labor Secretary Eugene Scalia also said in interviews shown at the hearing that they believed that once the legal avenues had been exhausted, that should have been the end of Trump's efforts to remain in power.“In my view, that was the end of the matter," Barr said of the Dec. 14 Electoral College vote.But rather than the end of Trump's efforts to stay in power, the committee signaled it was only the beginning — as the president summoned the crowd to Washington for a rally to fight the election on Jan. 6.Thursday's session was serving as a closing argument for the panel’s two Republican lawmakers, Cheney of Wyoming and Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, who have essentially been shunned by Trump and their party and will not be returning in the new Congress. Cheney lost her primary election, and Kinzinger decided not to run.The committee, having conducted more than 1,500 interviews and obtained countless documents, has produced a sweeping probe of Trump’s activities from his defeat in the November election to the Capitol attack.“He has used this big lie to destabilize our democracy,” said Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-N.Y., who was a young House staff member during the Richard Nixon impeachment inquiry in 1974. “When did that idea occur to him and what did he know while he was doing that?”This week’s hearing was to be the final presentation from lawmakers before the midterm elections. But staff members say the investigation continues.The Jan. 6 committee has been meeting for more than a year, set up by the House after Republican senators blocked the formation of an outside panel similar to the 9/11 commission set up after the 2001 terrorist attacks. Even after the launch of its high-profile public hearings last summer, the Jan. 6 committee continued to gather evidence and interviews.Under committee rules, the Jan. 6 panel is to produce a report of its findings, likely in December. The committee will dissolve 30 days after publication of that report, and with the new Congress in January.House Republicans are expected to drop the Jan. 6 probe and turn to other investigations if they win control after midterm elections, primarily focusing on Biden, his family and his administration.At least five people died in the Jan. 6 attack and its aftermath, including a Trump supporter shot and killed by Capitol Police.Police engaged in often bloody, hand-to-hand combat, as Trump’s supporters pushed past barricades, stormed the Capitol and roamed the halls, sending lawmakers fleeing for safety and temporarily disrupting the joint session of Congress certifying Biden’s election.More than 850 people have been charged by the Justice Department in the Capitol attack, some receiving lengthy prison sentences for their roles. Several leaders and associates of the extremist Oath Keepers and Proud Boys have been&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-us-supreme-court-clarence-thomas-virginia-government-and-politics-3b4102509ef93bc37d24d7c8fd79ba80">charged with sedition</a>.Trump faces&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">various state and federal investigations</a>&nbsp;over his actions in the election and its aftermath.---------WASHINGTON (AP) — The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-elections-presidential-election-2020-congress-772291e2cdffbcaf780088fdef96d38f">House Jan. 6 committee</a>&nbsp;is set to unveil “surprising” details including evidence from Donald Trump’s Secret Service about the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/capitol-siege">2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol</a>&nbsp;in what is likely to be its last public hearing before the November&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/2022-midterm-elections">midterm elections</a>.The hearing Thursday afternoon, the 10th public session by the panel, is expected to delve into Trump's “state of mind" and the central role the defeated president played in the multipart effort to overturn the election, according to a committee aide who discussed the plans on condition of anonymity.The committee is starting to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-donald-trump-congress-government-and-politics-4e413d2d4927357bd9f5eaad1cf1a0a1">sum up its findings:</a>&nbsp;Trump, after losing the 2020 presidential election, launched an unprecedented attempt to stop Congress from certifying Joe Biden’s victory. The result was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-riots-donald-trump-conspiracy-government-and-politics-def7c6a17cac57d1b3dff64e923afef7">the deadly mob siege</a>&nbsp;of the Capitol.“The mob was led by some extremist groups — they plotted in advance what they were going to do,” Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., a committee member, told CNN. “And those individuals were known to people in the Trump orbit.”Chairman Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., is poised to gavel in Thursday's session at an otherwise empty Capitol complex, with most lawmakers at home campaigning for reelection. Several people who were among the thousands around the Capitol on Jan. 6 are now running for congressional office, some with Trump’s backing.The session will serve as a closing argument by the panel’s two Republican lawmakers,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/liz-cheney">Liz Cheney of Wyoming</a>&nbsp;and Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, who have essentially been shunned by Trump and their party and will not be returning in the new Congress. Cheney lost her primary election and Kinzinger decided not to run.Another committee member, Rep. Elaine Luria, D-Va., a retired Naval commander, is in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-veterans-virginia-congress-25019bb3cb0b72a8f9150bdf1c987ad7">a tough reelection bid</a>&nbsp;against state Sen. Jen Kiggans, a former Navy helicopter pilot.Unlike past hearings, this one is not expected to feature live witnesses, though the panel is expected to share information from its recent interviews — including testimony from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-us-supreme-court-clarence-thomas-virginia-government-and-politics-3b4102509ef93bc37d24d7c8fd79ba80">Ginni Thomas</a>, the conservative activist and wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. She was in contact with the White House during the run-up to Jan. 6.Fresh information about the movements of then-Vice President Mike Pence, who was presiding over the joint session of Congress on Jan. 6 and was rushed to safety, is also expected, according to a person familiar with the committee's planning who was not authorized to discuss it publicly and requested anonymity.For weeks the panel has been in talks with the U.S. Secret Service after issuing a subpoena to produce missing text messages from that day. Former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson described being told by a White House aide about Trump angrily lunging at the driver of his presidential SUV and demanding to be taken from his rally to the Capitol as the mob formed on Jan. 6.Some in the Secret Service have disputed Hutchinson's account of the events, but it is unclear if the missing texts that the agency has said were deleted during a technology upgrade will ever be recovered. The hearing is expected to reveal fresh details from a massive trove of documents and other evidence provided by the Secret Service.The committee plans to show new video footage it received from the Secret Service of the rally on the White House Ellipse. Trump spoke there before encouraging his armed supporters to march to the Capitol and “fight like hell.”The hearing also will include new documentary footage captured from the day of the attack.The Secret Service has turned over 1.5 million pages of documents and surveillance video to the committee, according to agency spokesman Anthony Guglielmi.Lofgren said that as she learned the information being presented Thursday she found it “pretty surprising.”The committee, having conducted more than 1,500 interviews and obtained countless documents, has produced a sweeping probe of Trump’s activities from his defeat in the November election to the Capitol attack.“He has used this big lie to destabilize our democracy,” said Lofgren, who was a young House staff member during the Richard Nixon impeachment inquiry in 1974. “When did that idea occur to him and what did he know while he was doing that?”This week’s hearing is expected to be the final investigative presentation from lawmakers before the midterm elections. But staff members say the investigation continues.The Jan. 6 committee has been meeting for more than a year, set up by the House after Republican senators blocked the formation of an outside panel similar to the 9/11 commission set up after the 2001 terrorist attacks. Even after the launch of its high-profile public hearings last summer, the Jan. 6 committee continued to gather evidence and interviews.Under committee rules, the Jan. 6 panel is expected to produce a report of its findings, due after the election, likely in December. The committee will dissolve 30 days after publication of that report, and with the new Congress in January.House Republicans are expected to drop the Jan. 6 probe and turn to other investigations if they win control after midterm elections, primarily focusing on Biden, his family and his administration.At least five people died in the Jan. 6 attack and its aftermath, including a Trump supporter shot and killed by Capitol Police.Police engaged in often bloody, hand-to-hand combat, as Trump’s supporters pushed past barricades, stormed the Capitol and roamed the halls, sending lawmakers fleeing for safety and temporarily disrupting the joint session of Congress certifying Biden’s election.More than 850 people have been charged by the Justice Department in the Capitol attack, some receiving lengthy prison sentences for their roles. Several leaders and associates of the extremist Oath Keepers and Proud Boys have been&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-us-supreme-court-clarence-thomas-virginia-government-and-politics-3b4102509ef93bc37d24d7c8fd79ba80">charged with sedition</a>.Trump faces&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">various state and federal investigations</a>&nbsp;over his actions in the election and its aftermath.

🎥 Jan. 6 panel subpoenas Trump for testimony on Capitol attack

SEDGWICK COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities&nbsp;investigating a fatal collision have identified the victim as 61-year-old Roger Wilcoxen of Winfield, according to Officer Trevor Macy.

Just before 7 p.m. Wednesday, police responded to an injury accident at the intersection of South Hydraulic and Marion in Wichita. On arrival, they located Wilcoxen who had been ejected from his motorcycle after crashing into a 2005 Hyundai Infiniti driven by a 26-year-old woman.

EMS and Wichita Fire rendered emergency medical aid to Wilcoxen, but he was pronounced deceased on scene.

Investigators learned that Wilcoxen was southbound on Hydraulic when he collided with the Infiniti, which was attempting to make a turn from Eastbound Marion to Northbound Hydraulic.

This is the 29th fatal collision in Wichita this year and the 32nd fatality, according to Macy.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/10/1665622411477.png" alt="First responders on the scene of the accident investigation-photo courtesy KWCH" />
 <figcaption>First responders on the scene of the accident investigation-photo courtesy KWCH</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities&nbsp;investigating a fatal collision have identified the victim as 61-year-old Roger Wilcoxen of Winfield, according to Officer Trevor Macy.Just before 7 p.m. Wednesday, police responded to an injury accident at the intersection of South Hydraulic and Marion in Wichita. On arrival, they located Wilcoxen who had been ejected from his motorcycle after crashing into a 2005 Hyundai Infiniti driven by a 26-year-old woman.EMS and Wichita Fire rendered emergency medical aid to Wilcoxen, but he was pronounced deceased on scene.Investigators learned that Wilcoxen was southbound on Hydraulic when he collided with the Infiniti, which was attempting to make a turn from Eastbound Marion to Northbound Hydraulic.This is the 29th fatal collision in Wichita this year and the 32nd fatality, according to Macy.

Police ID Kansas man who died after motorcycle, car crash

WASHINGTON (AP) — Inflation in the United States accelerated in September, with the cost of housing and other necessities intensifying pressure on households, wiping out pay gains and ensuring that the Federal Reserve will&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-jerome-powell-unemployment-government-and-politics-96092b0d276a604b3c1e83f44b8e2ec9">keep raising interest rates aggressively.</a>

Consumer prices rose 8.2% in September compared with a year earlier, the government said Thursday. On a month-to-month basis, prices increased 0.4% from August to September after having ticked up 0.1% from July to August.

Excluding the volatile categories of food and energy, so-called core inflation soared far above expectations last month — a sign that the Fed’s five rate hikes this year have so far done little to cool inflation pressures. Core inflation climbed 0.6% from August to September and 6.6% over the past 12 months. The yearly core figure is the biggest increase in 40 years. Core prices typically provide a clearer picture of underlying price trends.

Major U.S. markets swung sharply lower, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average falling 400 points, or 1.4%, in early trading. Markets in Europe tumbled as well.

Thursday’s report represents the final U.S. inflation figures before the Nov. 8 midterm elections after a campaign season in which spiking prices have fueled public anxiety, with many Republicans casting blame on President Joe Biden and congressional Democrats.

Higher prices for many services — health care, auto repair and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-lifestyle-us-news-miami-florida-a4717c05df3cb0530b73a4fe998ec5d1">housing,</a>&nbsp;among others — drove inflation last month. A measure of housing costs jumped 0.8% in September, the biggest increase in 32 years. The Fed's rate hikes have sharply raised mortgage rates and caused home prices to fall. But declining house prices will take time to feed through into the government's measure.

“The primary driver of inflation has rotated away from goods prices and to services,” said Eric Winograd, U.S. economist at AB. “Services inflation is heavily influenced by wages, and so it is going to take a meaningful weakening of the labor market to bring inflation to heel.”

The cost of health insurance jumped 2.1% from August to September and more than 28% over the past 12 months — a record one-year increase. The cost of auto repairs surged 15% in September from a year earlier, also a record high.

Inflation in services is being fueled mainly by steady consumer demand and higher labor costs. Both Delta and American Airlines, for example, reported strong revenue and profit growth this week, driven by increased demand from travelers. Airfares rose a brisk 0.8% from August to September.

A range of services industries, including airlines, hospitals and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-health-economy-prices-pets-5e6ab45eb6e3e316a89158bb630a9835">even veterinary services</a>&nbsp;— are having to rapidly raise wages to attract the workers they need. Those higher labor costs, in turn, are often passed on to consumers in the form of higher prices.

Inflation has swollen families’ grocery bills, rents and utility costs, among other expenses, causing hardships for many and deepening pessimism about the economy despite strong job growth and historically low unemployment.

Kasondra Mathews is among those feeling the squeeze. Mathews, 50, who lives near Denver, has been working overtime as a nurse’s assistant to keep up with her rent and grocery bills. Her rent has increased roughly 5% a year for the past several years, shrinking her budget for other items.

With her daughter a senior in high school and headed soon to college, Mathews has found ways for her to apply to her preferred schools for free. She's also forgoing any visits to a college to avoid the travel expense.

“We didn’t get to do college tours, because we can’t afford it,” she said. “I couldn’t do the things you might want to do for your senior.”

Across the economy, prices are accelerating even as some of the supply chain problems bedeviling many manufacturers are easing. Core goods prices, which sent inflation higher last year, were unchanged last month.

As the elections near, Americans are increasingly taking a dim view of their finances,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-biden-health-economy-only-on-ap-65540cfa0f493ca94afd1fefd69df33e?taid=6346f71c62e530000142eb5a&amp;utm_campaign=TrueAnthem&amp;utm_medium=AP&amp;utm_source=Twitter">according to a new poll</a>&nbsp;by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Roughly 46% of people now describe their personal financial situation as poor, up from 37% in March. That sizable drop contrasts with the mostly steady readings that had lasted through the pandemic.

The September inflation numbers aren’t likely to change the Fed’s plans to keep hiking rates aggressively in an effort to wrest inflation under control. The Fed has boosted its key short-term rate by 3 percentage points since March, the fastest pace of hikes since the early 1980s. Those increases are intended to raise borrowing costs for mortgages, auto loans and business loans and cool inflation by slowing the economy.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-business-economy-government-and-politics-99e965cd685c48ede5b412dbb5c0e95f">Minutes from the Fed’s most recent meeting</a>&nbsp;in late September showed that many policymakers have yet to see any progress in their fight against inflation. The officials projected that they would raise their benchmark rate by an additional 1.25 percentage points over their next two meetings in November and December. Doing so would put the Fed’s key rate at its highest level in 14 years.

Along with lower gas prices, economists expect the prices of used cars to reduce or at least restrain inflation in the coming months. Wholesale used car prices have dropped for most of this year, though the declines have yet to show up in consumer inflation data. (Used vehicle prices had soared in 2021 after factory shutdowns and supply chain shortages reduced production.)

Large retailers, too, have started offering early discounts for the holiday shopping season, after having amassed excess stockpiles of clothes, furniture and other goods earlier this year. Those price cuts might have lowered inflation in September or will do so in the coming months.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-holidays-shopping-d4c6e29ee240f162d8f8ffc67984eb56">Walmart has said it will offer steep discounts</a>&nbsp;on such items as toys, home goods, electronics and beauty. Target began offering holiday deals earlier this month.

Yet prices for services — particularly rents and housing costs — are remaining persistently high and will likely take much longer to come down. Health care services, education and even veterinary services are still rising rapidly in price.

“Services price increases tend to be more persistent than increases in the prices of goods,” Raphael Bostic, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, noted in remarks last week.

Rising rental costs are a tricky issue for the Fed. Real-time data from websites such as ApartmentList suggest that rents on new leases are starting to decline.

But the government’s measure tracks all rent payments — not just those for new leases — and most of them don’t change from month to month. Economists say it could be a year or longer before the declines in new leases feed through to government data.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Any Americans hoping for relief from months of punishing inflation might not see much in Thursday's government report on price increases in September.

Lower gas prices will probably reduce overall consumer inflation for a third straight month. But measures of “core” inflation, which are closely watched because they exclude volatile food and energy costs, are expected to return to a four-decade peak.

Economists have estimated that the government's consumer price index jumped 8.1% in September from 12 months earlier, according to a survey by the data provider FactSet. That is a distressingly large gain, though below the 9.1% year-over-year peak that was reached in June.

Core prices are estimated to have risen 0.4% from August to September, slower than the previous month but still a much faster pace than was typical before the pandemic. Measured over the past 12 months, core prices are forecast to have surged 6.5%, up from 6.3% in August. That's far above the 2% inflation that the Federal Reserve has long set as its target rate.

Thursday's report will provide the final inflation figures before the Nov. 8 midterm elections after a campaign season in which spiking prices across the economy have fed widespread public anxiety, with many Republicans casting blame on President Joe Biden and congressional Democrats.

Inflation has escalated families’ grocery bills, rents and utility costs, among many other expenses, inflicting hardships on households and deepening gloom about the economy despite strong job growth and historically low unemployment.

As the election nears, Americans are increasingly taking a dim view of their finances,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-biden-health-economy-only-on-ap-65540cfa0f493ca94afd1fefd69df33e?taid=6346f71c62e530000142eb5a&amp;utm_campaign=TrueAnthem&amp;utm_medium=AP&amp;utm_source=Twitter">according to a new poll</a>&nbsp;by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Roughly 46% of people now describe their personal financial situation as poor, up from 37% in March. That sizable drop contrasts with the mostly steady readings that had lasted through the pandemic.

The September inflation report, whatever it shows, isn't likely to change the Fed's plans to keep hiking rates aggressively in an effort to wrest inflation under control. The Fed has boosted its key short-term rate by 3 percentage points since March, the fastest pace of hikes since the early 1980s. Those increases are intended to raise borrowing costs for mortgages, auto loans and business loans and cool inflation by slowing the economy.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-business-economy-government-and-politics-99e965cd685c48ede5b412dbb5c0e95f">Minutes from the Fed's most recent meeting</a>&nbsp;in late September showed that many policymakers have yet to see any progress in their fight against inflation. The officials projected that they would raise their benchmark rate by an additional 1.25 percentage points over their next two meetings in November and December. Doing so would put the Fed’s key rate at its highest level in 14 years.

Along with lower gas prices, economists expect to see that the prices of used cars tumbled in September after small declines the previous two months. Wholesale used car prices have dropped for most of this year, though the declines have yet to show up in consumer inflation data. (Used vehicle prices had soared in 2021 after factory shutdowns and supply chain shortages reduced production.)

Walmart&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-holidays-shopping-d4c6e29ee240f162d8f8ffc67984eb56">has said it will offer steep discounts</a>&nbsp;on such items as toys, home goods, electronics and beauty. Target began offering holiday deals earlier this month.

Yet prices for services — particularly rents and housing costs — are remaining persistently high and will likely take much longer to come down. Health care services, education and even&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-health-economy-prices-pets-5e6ab45eb6e3e316a89158bb630a9835">veterinary services</a>&nbsp;are still rising rapidly in price.

But the government's measure tracks all rent payments — not just those for new leases — and most of them don't change from month to month. Economists say it could be a year or longer before the declines in new leases feed through to government data.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Inflation in the United States accelerated in September, with the cost of housing and other necessities intensifying pressure on households, wiping out pay gains and ensuring that the Federal Reserve will&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-jerome-powell-unemployment-government-and-politics-96092b0d276a604b3c1e83f44b8e2ec9">keep raising interest rates aggressively.</a>Consumer prices rose 8.2% in September compared with a year earlier, the government said Thursday. On a month-to-month basis, prices increased 0.4% from August to September after having ticked up 0.1% from July to August.Excluding the volatile categories of food and energy, so-called core inflation soared far above expectations last month — a sign that the Fed’s five rate hikes this year have so far done little to cool inflation pressures. Core inflation climbed 0.6% from August to September and 6.6% over the past 12 months. The yearly core figure is the biggest increase in 40 years. Core prices typically provide a clearer picture of underlying price trends.Major U.S. markets swung sharply lower, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average falling 400 points, or 1.4%, in early trading. Markets in Europe tumbled as well.Thursday’s report represents the final U.S. inflation figures before the Nov. 8 midterm elections after a campaign season in which spiking prices have fueled public anxiety, with many Republicans casting blame on President Joe Biden and congressional Democrats.Higher prices for many services — health care, auto repair and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-lifestyle-us-news-miami-florida-a4717c05df3cb0530b73a4fe998ec5d1">housing,</a>&nbsp;among others — drove inflation last month. A measure of housing costs jumped 0.8% in September, the biggest increase in 32 years. The Fed's rate hikes have sharply raised mortgage rates and caused home prices to fall. But declining house prices will take time to feed through into the government's measure.“The primary driver of inflation has rotated away from goods prices and to services,” said Eric Winograd, U.S. economist at AB. “Services inflation is heavily influenced by wages, and so it is going to take a meaningful weakening of the labor market to bring inflation to heel.”The cost of health insurance jumped 2.1% from August to September and more than 28% over the past 12 months — a record one-year increase. The cost of auto repairs surged 15% in September from a year earlier, also a record high.Inflation in services is being fueled mainly by steady consumer demand and higher labor costs. Both Delta and American Airlines, for example, reported strong revenue and profit growth this week, driven by increased demand from travelers. Airfares rose a brisk 0.8% from August to September.A range of services industries, including airlines, hospitals and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-health-economy-prices-pets-5e6ab45eb6e3e316a89158bb630a9835">even veterinary services</a>&nbsp;— are having to rapidly raise wages to attract the workers they need. Those higher labor costs, in turn, are often passed on to consumers in the form of higher prices.Inflation has swollen families’ grocery bills, rents and utility costs, among other expenses, causing hardships for many and deepening pessimism about the economy despite strong job growth and historically low unemployment.Kasondra Mathews is among those feeling the squeeze. Mathews, 50, who lives near Denver, has been working overtime as a nurse’s assistant to keep up with her rent and grocery bills. Her rent has increased roughly 5% a year for the past several years, shrinking her budget for other items.With her daughter a senior in high school and headed soon to college, Mathews has found ways for her to apply to her preferred schools for free. She's also forgoing any visits to a college to avoid the travel expense.“We didn’t get to do college tours, because we can’t afford it,” she said. “I couldn’t do the things you might want to do for your senior.”Across the economy, prices are accelerating even as some of the supply chain problems bedeviling many manufacturers are easing. Core goods prices, which sent inflation higher last year, were unchanged last month.As the elections near, Americans are increasingly taking a dim view of their finances,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-biden-health-economy-only-on-ap-65540cfa0f493ca94afd1fefd69df33e?taid=6346f71c62e530000142eb5a&amp;utm_campaign=TrueAnthem&amp;utm_medium=AP&amp;utm_source=Twitter">according to a new poll</a>&nbsp;by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Roughly 46% of people now describe their personal financial situation as poor, up from 37% in March. That sizable drop contrasts with the mostly steady readings that had lasted through the pandemic.The September inflation numbers aren’t likely to change the Fed’s plans to keep hiking rates aggressively in an effort to wrest inflation under control. The Fed has boosted its key short-term rate by 3 percentage points since March, the fastest pace of hikes since the early 1980s. Those increases are intended to raise borrowing costs for mortgages, auto loans and business loans and cool inflation by slowing the economy.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-business-economy-government-and-politics-99e965cd685c48ede5b412dbb5c0e95f">Minutes from the Fed’s most recent meeting</a>&nbsp;in late September showed that many policymakers have yet to see any progress in their fight against inflation. The officials projected that they would raise their benchmark rate by an additional 1.25 percentage points over their next two meetings in November and December. Doing so would put the Fed’s key rate at its highest level in 14 years.Along with lower gas prices, economists expect the prices of used cars to reduce or at least restrain inflation in the coming months. Wholesale used car prices have dropped for most of this year, though the declines have yet to show up in consumer inflation data. (Used vehicle prices had soared in 2021 after factory shutdowns and supply chain shortages reduced production.)Large retailers, too, have started offering early discounts for the holiday shopping season, after having amassed excess stockpiles of clothes, furniture and other goods earlier this year. Those price cuts might have lowered inflation in September or will do so in the coming months.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-holidays-shopping-d4c6e29ee240f162d8f8ffc67984eb56">Walmart has said it will offer steep discounts</a>&nbsp;on such items as toys, home goods, electronics and beauty. Target began offering holiday deals earlier this month.Yet prices for services — particularly rents and housing costs — are remaining persistently high and will likely take much longer to come down. Health care services, education and even veterinary services are still rising rapidly in price.“Services price increases tend to be more persistent than increases in the prices of goods,” Raphael Bostic, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, noted in remarks last week.Rising rental costs are a tricky issue for the Fed. Real-time data from websites such as ApartmentList suggest that rents on new leases are starting to decline.But the government’s measure tracks all rent payments — not just those for new leases — and most of them don’t change from month to month. Economists say it could be a year or longer before the declines in new leases feed through to government data.--------WASHINGTON (AP) — Any Americans hoping for relief from months of punishing inflation might not see much in Thursday's government report on price increases in September.Lower gas prices will probably reduce overall consumer inflation for a third straight month. But measures of “core” inflation, which are closely watched because they exclude volatile food and energy costs, are expected to return to a four-decade peak.Economists have estimated that the government's consumer price index jumped 8.1% in September from 12 months earlier, according to a survey by the data provider FactSet. That is a distressingly large gain, though below the 9.1% year-over-year peak that was reached in June.Core prices are estimated to have risen 0.4% from August to September, slower than the previous month but still a much faster pace than was typical before the pandemic. Measured over the past 12 months, core prices are forecast to have surged 6.5%, up from 6.3% in August. That's far above the 2% inflation that the Federal Reserve has long set as its target rate.Thursday's report will provide the final inflation figures before the Nov. 8 midterm elections after a campaign season in which spiking prices across the economy have fed widespread public anxiety, with many Republicans casting blame on President Joe Biden and congressional Democrats.Inflation has escalated families’ grocery bills, rents and utility costs, among many other expenses, inflicting hardships on households and deepening gloom about the economy despite strong job growth and historically low unemployment.As the election nears, Americans are increasingly taking a dim view of their finances,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-biden-health-economy-only-on-ap-65540cfa0f493ca94afd1fefd69df33e?taid=6346f71c62e530000142eb5a&amp;utm_campaign=TrueAnthem&amp;utm_medium=AP&amp;utm_source=Twitter">according to a new poll</a>&nbsp;by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Roughly 46% of people now describe their personal financial situation as poor, up from 37% in March. That sizable drop contrasts with the mostly steady readings that had lasted through the pandemic.The September inflation report, whatever it shows, isn't likely to change the Fed's plans to keep hiking rates aggressively in an effort to wrest inflation under control. The Fed has boosted its key short-term rate by 3 percentage points since March, the fastest pace of hikes since the early 1980s. Those increases are intended to raise borrowing costs for mortgages, auto loans and business loans and cool inflation by slowing the economy.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-business-economy-government-and-politics-99e965cd685c48ede5b412dbb5c0e95f">Minutes from the Fed's most recent meeting</a>&nbsp;in late September showed that many policymakers have yet to see any progress in their fight against inflation. The officials projected that they would raise their benchmark rate by an additional 1.25 percentage points over their next two meetings in November and December. Doing so would put the Fed’s key rate at its highest level in 14 years.Along with lower gas prices, economists expect to see that the prices of used cars tumbled in September after small declines the previous two months. Wholesale used car prices have dropped for most of this year, though the declines have yet to show up in consumer inflation data. (Used vehicle prices had soared in 2021 after factory shutdowns and supply chain shortages reduced production.)Large retailers, too, have started offering early discounts for the holiday shopping season, after having amassed excess stockpiles of clothes, furniture and other goods earlier this year. Those price cuts might have lowered inflation in September or will do so in the coming months.Walmart&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-holidays-shopping-d4c6e29ee240f162d8f8ffc67984eb56">has said it will offer steep discounts</a>&nbsp;on such items as toys, home goods, electronics and beauty. Target began offering holiday deals earlier this month.Yet prices for services — particularly rents and housing costs — are remaining persistently high and will likely take much longer to come down. Health care services, education and even&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-health-economy-prices-pets-5e6ab45eb6e3e316a89158bb630a9835">veterinary services</a>&nbsp;are still rising rapidly in price.“Services price increases tend to be more persistent than increases in the prices of goods,” Raphael Bostic, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, noted in remarks last week.Rising rental costs are a tricky issue for the Fed. Real-time data from websites such as ApartmentList suggest that rents on new leases are starting to decline.But the government's measure tracks all rent payments — not just those for new leases — and most of them don't change from month to month. Economists say it could be a year or longer before the declines in new leases feed through to government data.

U.S. inflation up 8.2% ensuring another big interest rate hike

MIAMI COUNTY, Kansas—A Kansas man was injured in a small plane crash Wednesday in Miami County.

Just before 3p.m., the Miami County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call that a plane had crashed near a local airport, according to Sheriff Fra

At the time of the call the exact location was not known and communication with the caller was lost. &nbsp;Deputies responded to multiple area airports, both public and private in an attempt to locate the plane.

 A short time later, a deputy located the airplane in a field, southwest of 319th Street and Moonlight Road. 

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 1967 Piper Fixed Wing Single-Engine aircraft piloted by George Madelen, 68, Overland Park, was trying to conduct a "touch and go" flying exercise. 

The aircraft lost power shortly after departing the runway and&nbsp; crash landed in a field northeast of the runway southwest of 319th Street and Moonlight Road.

EMS transported Madelen to Overland Park Regional Medical Center for treatment of minor injuries, according to the KHP.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/10/1665667021841.png" alt="The pilot is recovering from minor injuries, according to the KHP -photo courtesy KMBC TV" />
 <figcaption>The pilot is recovering from minor injuries, according to the KHP -photo courtesy KMBC TV</figcaption>
 </figure>MIAMI COUNTY, Kansas—A Kansas man was injured in a small plane crash Wednesday in Miami County.Just before 3p.m., the Miami County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call that a plane had crashed near a local airport, according to Sheriff FraAt the time of the call the exact location was not known and communication with the caller was lost. &nbsp;Deputies responded to multiple area airports, both public and private in an attempt to locate the plane. A short time later, a deputy located the airplane in a field, southwest of 319th Street and Moonlight Road. The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 1967 Piper Fixed Wing Single-Engine aircraft piloted by George Madelen, 68, Overland Park, was trying to conduct a "touch and go" flying exercise. The aircraft lost power shortly after departing the runway and&nbsp; crash landed in a field northeast of the runway southwest of 319th Street and Moonlight Road.EMS transported Madelen to Overland Park Regional Medical Center for treatment of minor injuries, according to the KHP.