JOHNSON COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities investigating a fatal shooting on Father's Day have identified the victim as 17-year-old Avion Walton of Independence, Missouri.

Just after 2p.m. Sunday police responded to a shooting in the 200 Block of South 8th Street, according to a media release. They found a victim&nbsp; believed to be in her late teens.&nbsp; 

EMS transported Walton to an area hospital where she was pronounced dead. Police reported they had a suspect in custody.&nbsp; &nbsp;Police have not released the suspect's name or possible charges.

JOHNSON COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities investigating a fatal shooting on Father's Day have identified the victim as 17-year-old Avion Walton of Independence, Missouri.Just after 2p.m. Sunday police responded to a shooting in the 200 Block of South 8th Street, according to a media release. They found a victim&nbsp; believed to be in her late teens.&nbsp; EMS transported Walton to an area hospital where she was pronounced dead. Police reported they had a suspect in custody.&nbsp; &nbsp;Police have not released the suspect's name or possible charges.

Police ID teen who died after shooting on Father's Day in Kansas

By NOAH TABORDA <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/06/21/kansas-doctors-see-early-demand-for-covid-19-vaccines-for-young-children/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA — COVID-19 vaccinations 
for kids as young as six months old began Tuesday across the country, 
and Kansas doctors say demand is already high.

Last week, both Moderna and Pfizer <a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/briefs/fda-greenlights-emergency-use-of-covid-vaccines-for-kids-under-5/">received emergency use authorizations</a>
 from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Subsequently, the Centers 
for Disease Control and Prevention signed off on the vaccination for 
children younger than 5.

At the University of Kansas Health System, the vaccines are available
 during well child visits or by appointment during evening and Saturday 
vaccination time slots.

“What we’re hearing in the clinic is that parents are excited,” said 
Mallory Leach, a pediatric nurse manager with the health system, during a
 news briefing Monday. “Parents are already messaging us and calling us 
when are you going to have the vaccine in the clinic? When is it 
available for us to vaccinate our child?”

A federal advisory committee determined the benefits of both vaccines
 outweigh any risks after they were well-tolerated by children who 
received them during clinical trials. Under the FDA authorization, the 
Moderna vaccine will consist of two shots while the Pfizer vaccine 
consists of three shots.

With the virus now endemic, health system doctors advocated for 
vaccines as the best way to ensure national and local COVID-19 numbers 
trend in the right direction. The rolling seven-day average for cases 
has decreased for the past two weeks in Kansas.

While demand may be high, more than 27% of parents still say they 
will not get the vaccine for their children, said Kevin Ault, with the 
health system and CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. He 
said the fear factor remains around some misinformation of inaccurate 
reports of side effects.

“We don’t finish talking about these vaccines based on a one- or 
two-day meeting,” Ault said. “We have dozens of meetings because of the 
pandemic every year, and we’ll continue to review this safety data.”

Ault said a pregnant mother could be vaccinated, and the child should
 have protection from the virus for the first six months of life.

Ryan Smith, a pediatrician with KU Health System, said conversations 
with vaccine-hesitant parents will be a challenge but a necessary hurdle
 to overcome. He hoped people would, at the very least, be willing to 
engage in conversation about their hesitancies.

Smith, a father of 2-year-old twins, said he plans to have both his 
children vaccinated as soon as possible and warned some pediatric 
providers are considering whether to allow unvaccinated patients.

“There’s a lot of information that’s circulating around out there, 
and that’s why we have our visits,” Smith said. “That’s why we are here 
as resources as healthcare workers to kind of have these discussions and
 navigate through these difficult things.”

By NOAH TABORDA <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/06/21/kansas-doctors-see-early-demand-for-covid-19-vaccines-for-young-children/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — COVID-19 vaccinations 
for kids as young as six months old began Tuesday across the country, 
and Kansas doctors say demand is already high.Last week, both Moderna and Pfizer <a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/briefs/fda-greenlights-emergency-use-of-covid-vaccines-for-kids-under-5/">received emergency use authorizations</a>
 from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Subsequently, the Centers 
for Disease Control and Prevention signed off on the vaccination for 
children younger than 5.At the University of Kansas Health System, the vaccines are available
 during well child visits or by appointment during evening and Saturday 
vaccination time slots.“What we’re hearing in the clinic is that parents are excited,” said 
Mallory Leach, a pediatric nurse manager with the health system, during a
 news briefing Monday. “Parents are already messaging us and calling us 
when are you going to have the vaccine in the clinic? When is it 
available for us to vaccinate our child?”A federal advisory committee determined the benefits of both vaccines
 outweigh any risks after they were well-tolerated by children who 
received them during clinical trials. Under the FDA authorization, the 
Moderna vaccine will consist of two shots while the Pfizer vaccine 
consists of three shots.With the virus now endemic, health system doctors advocated for 
vaccines as the best way to ensure national and local COVID-19 numbers 
trend in the right direction. The rolling seven-day average for cases 
has decreased for the past two weeks in Kansas.While demand may be high, more than 27% of parents still say they 
will not get the vaccine for their children, said Kevin Ault, with the 
health system and CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. He 
said the fear factor remains around some misinformation of inaccurate 
reports of side effects.“We don’t finish talking about these vaccines based on a one- or 
two-day meeting,” Ault said. “We have dozens of meetings because of the 
pandemic every year, and we’ll continue to review this safety data.”Ault said a pregnant mother could be vaccinated, and the child should
 have protection from the virus for the first six months of life.Ryan Smith, a pediatrician with KU Health System, said conversations 
with vaccine-hesitant parents will be a challenge but a necessary hurdle
 to overcome. He hoped people would, at the very least, be willing to 
engage in conversation about their hesitancies.Smith, a father of 2-year-old twins, said he plans to have both his 
children vaccinated as soon as possible and warned some pediatric 
providers are considering whether to allow unvaccinated patients.“There’s a lot of information that’s circulating around out there, 
and that’s why we have our visits,” Smith said. “That’s why we are here 
as resources as healthcare workers to kind of have these discussions and
 navigate through these difficult things.”

Doctors in Kan. see early demand for COVID vaccines for young children

By MIKE COURSON <a href="https://greatbendpost.com">Great Bend Post</a>

Everybody 
loves a good snack. For 60 years, The Snack Shack in Wilson has provided
 lunch and ice cream options to area residents. Now under new ownership,
 the restaurant will celebrate its "Grand Opening" June 24-26. Sandy 
Robinson purchased The Snack Shack in May, just in time for the 60-year 
anniversary. 

"It's easy for us because they built the name up," Robinson said. "We just wanted to keep it local to Wilson."

In celebration, the Shack will offer 60 cent shakes on June 24, 60 
cent hamburgers or fries on June 25, and 60 cent sundaes on June 26. 
Those specials will run from 2-4 p.m. and are limited to two per 
customer.

Levi Miller opened The Snack Shack in May 1962, with an 
official grand opening in June of that year. The Shack was originally 
called Miller's Malt Bar. Today's menu features a variety of sandwiches,
 salads, fried foods, and ice cream treats.

"We've kept pretty 
much the same menu, and most of the help is the same," said Robinson 
said. "We're adding a weekly special, and we also will keep it open all 
year long, which it has not been in the past."

The Snack Shack, located at 186 Old 40 in Wilson, is open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. seven days a week.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/6/1655905941033.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>By MIKE COURSON <a href="https://greatbendpost.com">Great Bend Post</a>Everybody 
loves a good snack. For 60 years, The Snack Shack in Wilson has provided
 lunch and ice cream options to area residents. Now under new ownership,
 the restaurant will celebrate its "Grand Opening" June 24-26. Sandy 
Robinson purchased The Snack Shack in May, just in time for the 60-year 
anniversary. "It's easy for us because they built the name up," Robinson said. "We just wanted to keep it local to Wilson."<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/6/1655905962363.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>In celebration, the Shack will offer 60 cent shakes on June 24, 60 
cent hamburgers or fries on June 25, and 60 cent sundaes on June 26. 
Those specials will run from 2-4 p.m. and are limited to two per 
customer.Levi Miller opened The Snack Shack in May 1962, with an 
official grand opening in June of that year. The Shack was originally 
called Miller's Malt Bar. Today's menu features a variety of sandwiches,
 salads, fried foods, and ice cream treats."We've kept pretty 
much the same menu, and most of the help is the same," said Robinson 
said. "We're adding a weekly special, and we also will keep it open all 
year long, which it has not been in the past."The Snack Shack, located at 186 Old 40 in Wilson, is open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. seven days a week.

Wilson's Snack Shack celebrating 'Grand Opening' after 60 years

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A Wichita man has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and two counts of attempted robbery in the 2020 shooting death of an AutoZone store employee. 

Television station KAKE reports that Lamonte Lucas entered the pleas last week and will be sentenced on July 22 for the killing of 40-year-old Nick Blue inside the store. Lucas was 18 when police say he went into the store to rob it and shot Blue.

Police have said three employees also were inside the business at the time of the shooting, but were in other areas of the building and were not injured. Police say surveillance video showed Lucas walk into the store, up to the counter and shoot Blue in the forehead before running out.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A Wichita man has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and two counts of attempted robbery in the 2020 shooting death of an AutoZone store employee. <figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/7/1596032625997.png" alt="Lucas photo Sedgwick County" />
 <figcaption>Lucas photo Sedgwick County</figcaption>
 </figure>Television station KAKE reports that Lamonte Lucas entered the pleas last week and will be sentenced on July 22 for the killing of 40-year-old Nick Blue inside the store. Lucas was 18 when police say he went into the store to rob it and shot Blue.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/7/1595873499101.png" alt="Security camera image of Lucas outside the store -courtesy Wichita Police" />
 <figcaption>Security camera image of Lucas outside the store -courtesy Wichita Police</figcaption>
 </figure>Police have said three employees also were inside the business at the time of the shooting, but were in other areas of the building and were not injured. Police say surveillance video showed Lucas walk into the store, up to the counter and shoot Blue in the forehead before running out.

Kan. man pleads guilty to killing AutoZone store employee

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate bargainers reached agreement Tuesday on a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/5caad0ccca61ac3d308a3735f10628fc" target="_blank">bipartisan gun violence bill</a>, potentially teeing up final passage by week’s end on an incremental but landmark package that would stand as Congress’ response to mass shootings in Texas and New York that shook the nation.

Lawmakers released the 80-page bill&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/gun-laws-senate-bipartisan-agreement-59d553f3d1e35fdbe4930e4341e74efb">nine days after agreeing to a framework for the plan</a>&nbsp;and 29 years after Congress last enacted major firearms curbs. It cleared an initial procedural hurdle by 64-34, with 14 Republicans including Missouri Senator Roy Blunt joining all 48 Democrats and two allied independents in voting yes. Kansas Senators Jerry Moran and Roger Marshall voted against the measure.

That strongly supported a prediction by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., of approval later this week. Passage by the Democratic-led House could follow quickly.

Though Republicans blocked tougher restrictions sought by Democrats, the accord marks&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-parkland-florida-school-shooting-gun-violence-shootings-public-opinion-06cd760edf8977716dba0c2b157a1a91">an election-year breakthrough</a>&nbsp;on an issue that pits the GOP’s staunch gun-owning and rural voters against Democrats’ urban-centered backers of firearms curbs. That makes it one of the most incendiary culture war battlefields in politics and a sensitive vote for some lawmakers, particularly Republicans who might alienate Second Amendment stalwarts.

The legislation would toughen background checks for the youngest firearms buyers, require more sellers to conduct background checks and beef up penalties on gun traffickers. It also would disburse money to states and communities to improve school safety and mental health initiatives.

Aides estimated the measure would cost around $15 billion, which Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut, the lead Democratic bargainer, said would be fully paid for.

Resolving one final hurdle that delayed the accord, the bill would prohibit romantic partners convicted of domestic violence and not married to their victims from getting firearms. Convicted abusers who are married to, live with or had children with their victims are already barred from having guns.

The compromise prohibits guns for a person who has “a current or recent former dating relationship with the victim.” That is defined in part as one between people ”who have or have recently had a continuing serious relationship of a romantic or intimate nature.” An offender’s ability to own a gun could be restored after five years if they’ve not committed another serious crime.

On another late dispute, the bill would provide $750 million to the 19 states and the District of Columbia that have “red flag” laws making it easier to temporarily take firearms from people adjudged dangerous, and to other states with violence prevention programs. States with “red flag” laws that receive the funds would have to have legal processes for the gun owner to fight the firearm’s removal.

Momentum in Congress for gun legislation has a history of waning quickly after mass shootings. Lawmakers are scheduled to begin a two-week July 4th recess by this weekend.

The legislation lacks far more potent proposals that President Joe Biden supports and Democrats have pushed unsuccessfully for years, derailed by GOP opposition. These include banning assault-type weapons or raising the minimum age for buying them, prohibiting high-capacity magazines and requiring background checks for virtually all gun sales.

Yet after 10 Black shoppers were killed last month in Buffalo, New York, and 19 children and two teachers died days later in Uvalde, Texas, Democrats and some Republicans decided that this time, measured steps were preferable to Congress’ usual reaction to such horrors — gridlock.

Murphy said that after Buffalo and Uvalde, “I saw a level of fear on the faces of the parents and the children that I spoke to that I’ve never seen before.” He said his colleagues also encountered anxiety among voters “not just for the safety of their children, but also a fear about the ability of government to rise to this moment and do something, and do something meaningful.”

This bill, Murphy said, would “save thousands of lives.” Before entering the Senate, his House district included Newtown, Connecticut, where 20 children and six staff members perished in a 2012 mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

Top GOP bargainer Sen. John Cornyn of Texas said of the pact, “Some think it goes too far, others think it doesn’t go far enough. And I get it. It’s the nature of compromise.”

But he added, “I believe that the same people who are telling us to do something are sending us a clear message, to do what we can to keep our children and communities safe. I’m confident this legislation moves us in a positive direction.”

In a positive sign about its fate, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., voiced his support, calling it “a commonsense package of popular steps that will help make these horrifying incidents less likely while fully upholding the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens.”

The National Rifle Association, which has spent decades derailing gun control legislation, expressed opposition. “It falls short at every level. It does little to truly address violent crime while opening the door to unnecessary burdens on the exercise of Second Amendment freedom by law-abiding gun owners,” the gun lobby group said.

It seemed likely a majority of Republicans — especially in the House — would oppose the legislation.

Underscoring the backlash GOP lawmakers supporting the pact would face from the most hard-right voters, delegates booed Cornyn at his state’s Republican convention in Houston Saturday as he described the proposal.

In another measure of conservative sentiment, Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri, a potential 2024 Republican presidential candidate, tweeted that the bill “ignores the national crime wave &amp; chips away instead at the fundamental rights of law abiding citizens.” Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., a possible White House contender, said it would “restrict the freedoms of law-abiding Americans and put too much power in the hands of politicians and political officials.”

The measure will need at least 10 GOP votes to reach the 60-vote threshold major bills often need in the 50-50 Senate. Cornyn told reporters that he expected at least 10 GOP votes for the measure.

What’s uncertain is whether passage would mark the beginning of slow but gradual action to curb gun violence, or the high water mark on the issue. Until Buffalo and Uvalde, a numbing parade of mass slayings — at sites including elementary and high schools, houses of worship, military facilities, bars and the Las Vegas Strip — have yielded only stalemate in Washington.

“Thirty years, murder after murder, suicide after suicide, mass shooting after mass shooting, Congress did nothing,” Murphy said. “This week we have a chance to break this 30-year period of silence with a bill that changes our laws in a way that will save thousands of lives.”

The bill would require that federal background checks for gun buyers age 18 to 20 include examination of the purchaser’s juvenile record. That could add up to seven more days to the current three-day limit on background checks.

The suspects in the Buffalo and Uvalde shootings were both 18 years old, a profile that matches many recent mass shooters.

There would be hundreds of millions of dollars to expand community behavioral health centers, telemedicine visits for mental specialists and train first responders to handle people with mental health issues. More than $2 billion would be provided to hire and train staff for school mental health services, including $300 million to improve school safety.

Congress’ prohibited assault-type firearms in 1993 in a ban that expired after a decade, lawmakers’ last sweeping legislation addressing gun violence.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/5/1652568426409.png" alt="Ten black shoppers were killed last month in Buffalo, New York&nbsp; -photo courtesy WKBW TV" />
 <figcaption>Ten black shoppers were killed last month in Buffalo, New York&nbsp; -photo courtesy WKBW TV</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate bargainers reached agreement Tuesday on a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/5caad0ccca61ac3d308a3735f10628fc" target="_blank">bipartisan gun violence bill</a>, potentially teeing up final passage by week’s end on an incremental but landmark package that would stand as Congress’ response to mass shootings in Texas and New York that shook the nation.Lawmakers released the 80-page bill&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/gun-laws-senate-bipartisan-agreement-59d553f3d1e35fdbe4930e4341e74efb">nine days after agreeing to a framework for the plan</a>&nbsp;and 29 years after Congress last enacted major firearms curbs. It cleared an initial procedural hurdle by 64-34, with 14 Republicans including Missouri Senator Roy Blunt joining all 48 Democrats and two allied independents in voting yes. Kansas Senators Jerry Moran and Roger Marshall voted against the measure.That strongly supported a prediction by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., of approval later this week. Passage by the Democratic-led House could follow quickly.Though Republicans blocked tougher restrictions sought by Democrats, the accord marks&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-parkland-florida-school-shooting-gun-violence-shootings-public-opinion-06cd760edf8977716dba0c2b157a1a91">an election-year breakthrough</a>&nbsp;on an issue that pits the GOP’s staunch gun-owning and rural voters against Democrats’ urban-centered backers of firearms curbs. That makes it one of the most incendiary culture war battlefields in politics and a sensitive vote for some lawmakers, particularly Republicans who might alienate Second Amendment stalwarts.The legislation would toughen background checks for the youngest firearms buyers, require more sellers to conduct background checks and beef up penalties on gun traffickers. It also would disburse money to states and communities to improve school safety and mental health initiatives.Aides estimated the measure would cost around $15 billion, which Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut, the lead Democratic bargainer, said would be fully paid for.Resolving one final hurdle that delayed the accord, the bill would prohibit romantic partners convicted of domestic violence and not married to their victims from getting firearms. Convicted abusers who are married to, live with or had children with their victims are already barred from having guns.The compromise prohibits guns for a person who has “a current or recent former dating relationship with the victim.” That is defined in part as one between people ”who have or have recently had a continuing serious relationship of a romantic or intimate nature.” An offender’s ability to own a gun could be restored after five years if they’ve not committed another serious crime.On another late dispute, the bill would provide $750 million to the 19 states and the District of Columbia that have “red flag” laws making it easier to temporarily take firearms from people adjudged dangerous, and to other states with violence prevention programs. States with “red flag” laws that receive the funds would have to have legal processes for the gun owner to fight the firearm’s removal.Momentum in Congress for gun legislation has a history of waning quickly after mass shootings. Lawmakers are scheduled to begin a two-week July 4th recess by this weekend.The legislation lacks far more potent proposals that President Joe Biden supports and Democrats have pushed unsuccessfully for years, derailed by GOP opposition. These include banning assault-type weapons or raising the minimum age for buying them, prohibiting high-capacity magazines and requiring background checks for virtually all gun sales.Yet after 10 Black shoppers were killed last month in Buffalo, New York, and 19 children and two teachers died days later in Uvalde, Texas, Democrats and some Republicans decided that this time, measured steps were preferable to Congress’ usual reaction to such horrors — gridlock.Murphy said that after Buffalo and Uvalde, “I saw a level of fear on the faces of the parents and the children that I spoke to that I’ve never seen before.” He said his colleagues also encountered anxiety among voters “not just for the safety of their children, but also a fear about the ability of government to rise to this moment and do something, and do something meaningful.”This bill, Murphy said, would “save thousands of lives.” Before entering the Senate, his House district included Newtown, Connecticut, where 20 children and six staff members perished in a 2012 mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School.Top GOP bargainer Sen. John Cornyn of Texas said of the pact, “Some think it goes too far, others think it doesn’t go far enough. And I get it. It’s the nature of compromise.”But he added, “I believe that the same people who are telling us to do something are sending us a clear message, to do what we can to keep our children and communities safe. I’m confident this legislation moves us in a positive direction.”In a positive sign about its fate, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., voiced his support, calling it “a commonsense package of popular steps that will help make these horrifying incidents less likely while fully upholding the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens.”The National Rifle Association, which has spent decades derailing gun control legislation, expressed opposition. “It falls short at every level. It does little to truly address violent crime while opening the door to unnecessary burdens on the exercise of Second Amendment freedom by law-abiding gun owners,” the gun lobby group said.It seemed likely a majority of Republicans — especially in the House — would oppose the legislation.Underscoring the backlash GOP lawmakers supporting the pact would face from the most hard-right voters, delegates booed Cornyn at his state’s Republican convention in Houston Saturday as he described the proposal.In another measure of conservative sentiment, Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri, a potential 2024 Republican presidential candidate, tweeted that the bill “ignores the national crime wave &amp; chips away instead at the fundamental rights of law abiding citizens.” Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., a possible White House contender, said it would “restrict the freedoms of law-abiding Americans and put too much power in the hands of politicians and political officials.”The measure will need at least 10 GOP votes to reach the 60-vote threshold major bills often need in the 50-50 Senate. Cornyn told reporters that he expected at least 10 GOP votes for the measure.What’s uncertain is whether passage would mark the beginning of slow but gradual action to curb gun violence, or the high water mark on the issue. Until Buffalo and Uvalde, a numbing parade of mass slayings — at sites including elementary and high schools, houses of worship, military facilities, bars and the Las Vegas Strip — have yielded only stalemate in Washington.“Thirty years, murder after murder, suicide after suicide, mass shooting after mass shooting, Congress did nothing,” Murphy said. “This week we have a chance to break this 30-year period of silence with a bill that changes our laws in a way that will save thousands of lives.”The bill would require that federal background checks for gun buyers age 18 to 20 include examination of the purchaser’s juvenile record. That could add up to seven more days to the current three-day limit on background checks.The suspects in the Buffalo and Uvalde shootings were both 18 years old, a profile that matches many recent mass shooters.There would be hundreds of millions of dollars to expand community behavioral health centers, telemedicine visits for mental specialists and train first responders to handle people with mental health issues. More than $2 billion would be provided to hire and train staff for school mental health services, including $300 million to improve school safety.Congress’ prohibited assault-type firearms in 1993 in a ban that expired after a decade, lawmakers’ last sweeping legislation addressing gun violence.

Senators compromise on gun violence bill; Moran, Marshall vote no

RILEY COUNTY— It was a busy night for fire crews in Manhattan. At 1:30 a.m. on Wednesday, crews were dispatched to 2300 Blueberry Drive for a report of a structure fire, according to&nbsp;Deputy Chief Ryan Almes.

Upon arrival, crews found a single-story home with smoke showing from the attic. Crews entered the building and began extinguishing the attic fire.&nbsp; While on the scene, crews were alerted by the homeowner that smoke was coming from the house next door.&nbsp; 

The house at 2304 Blueberry Drive had a fire in the attic as well. The fires reached a combined second alarm and were both contained within 45 minutes.&nbsp; Riley County Fire Department provided an air trailer to the scene and personnel to fill air bottles, and also backfilled one of the stations in the City in case there were other calls for service. The house at 2300 Blueberry Drive was occupied at the time of the fire. Loss is estimated at $15,000 to contents and $50,000 to the structure. The owner is listed as Taylor and Shane Sutherland. The house located at 2304 Blueberry Drive was unoccupied at the time of the fire.&nbsp; The loss is estimated at $5,000 to contents and $20,000 to the structure.&nbsp; The owner is listed as Devon Bedell and Kevin White. The cause of both fires was due to storm damage to the electrical service supplying both homes. In addition to these two house fires, the Manhattan Fire Department responded to 29 storm-related calls for service.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/6/1655893841128.png" alt="In addition to the&nbsp; house fires, the Manhattan Fire Department responded to 29 storm-related calls for service.-photo courtesy Manhattan Fire Department." />
 <figcaption>In addition to the&nbsp; house fires, the Manhattan Fire Department responded to 29 storm-related calls for service.-photo courtesy Manhattan Fire Department.</figcaption>
 </figure>RILEY COUNTY— It was a busy night for fire crews in Manhattan. At 1:30 a.m. on Wednesday, crews were dispatched to 2300 Blueberry Drive for a report of a structure fire, according to&nbsp;Deputy Chief Ryan Almes.Upon arrival, crews found a single-story home with smoke showing from the attic. Crews entered the building and began extinguishing the attic fire.&nbsp; While on the scene, crews were alerted by the homeowner that smoke was coming from the house next door.&nbsp; The house at 2304 Blueberry Drive had a fire in the attic as well. The fires reached a combined second alarm and were both contained within 45 minutes.&nbsp; Riley County Fire Department provided an air trailer to the scene and personnel to fill air bottles, and also backfilled one of the stations in the City in case there were other calls for service. The house at 2300 Blueberry Drive was occupied at the time of the fire. Loss is estimated at $15,000 to contents and $50,000 to the structure. The owner is listed as Taylor and Shane Sutherland. The house located at 2304 Blueberry Drive was unoccupied at the time of the fire.&nbsp; The loss is estimated at $5,000 to contents and $20,000 to the structure.&nbsp; The owner is listed as Devon Bedell and Kevin White. The cause of both fires was due to storm damage to the electrical service supplying both homes. In addition to these two house fires, the Manhattan Fire Department responded to 29 storm-related calls for service.

Deputy Fire Chief: Storm caused 2 Kansas house fires

Editor's note: The Kansas Highway Patrol originally reported both occupants were women.&nbsp;

CLAY COUNTY—A Kansas man and woman died in an accident just after 6p.m. Tuesday in Clay County.

&nbsp;The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2018 Ram 1500 pickup driven by&nbsp; Winfer R. Abernathy, 70, Junction City, was northbound on County Line Road just south of 2nd Road approximately 7 and one half miles southeast of Wakefield.&nbsp;

The driver lost control of the vehicle. It struck the bridge and overturned in the west ditch.

Abernathy and a passenger&nbsp;Margaret Abernathy, 74, Junction City, were pronounced dead at the scene. They were both wearing seat belts, according to the KHP.

Editor's note: The Kansas Highway Patrol originally reported both occupants were women.&nbsp;CLAY COUNTY—A Kansas man and woman died in an accident just after 6p.m. Tuesday in Clay County.&nbsp;The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2018 Ram 1500 pickup driven by&nbsp; Winfer R. Abernathy, 70, Junction City, was northbound on County Line Road just south of 2nd Road approximately 7 and one half miles southeast of Wakefield.&nbsp;The driver lost control of the vehicle. It struck the bridge and overturned in the west ditch.Abernathy and a passenger&nbsp;Margaret Abernathy, 74, Junction City, were pronounced dead at the scene. They were both wearing seat belts, according to the KHP.

Kansas man, woman dead after pickup overturns

OSAGE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect on drug charges after an arrest.

Just after 3p.m. Monday, an Osage County Sheriff’s Deputy conducted a traffic stop at 341st and K-31 Highway, near Melvern, for a traffic violation, according to Sheriff Chris Wells. During the stop, the deputy located illegal narcotics.

The driver of the vehicle, Julie D. Davis, 42, of Brooklyn, Michigan, was taken into custody and transported to the Osage County Jail Facility on requested charges of possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute and possession of drug paraphernalia, according to Wells.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/6/1655768157866.png" alt="Davis-photo Osage County" />
 <figcaption>Davis-photo Osage County</figcaption>
 </figure>OSAGE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect on drug charges after an arrest.Just after 3p.m. Monday, an Osage County Sheriff’s Deputy conducted a traffic stop at 341st and K-31 Highway, near Melvern, for a traffic violation, according to Sheriff Chris Wells. During the stop, the deputy located illegal narcotics.The driver of the vehicle, Julie D. Davis, 42, of Brooklyn, Michigan, was taken into custody and transported to the Osage County Jail Facility on requested charges of possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute and possession of drug paraphernalia, according to Wells.

Michigan woman accused of meth distribution in Kansas

LEAVENWORTH, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas teenager has been sentenced to life in prison in the shooting death of a 12-year-old boy during a botched gun deal. WDAF-TV reports that a jury convicted 18-year-old Jaylen LaRon Johnson of Kansas City, Kansas, of first-degree murder last month. 

Sentencing was Friday. Prosecutors say Johnson and two other men drove to Leavenworth to purchase a gun on April 14, 2021. 

The sellers allegedly sold a BB gun to one of Johnson’s friends. Authorities say Johnson began shooting when he realized it wasn’t the gun they wanted. Eleven bullets struck the seller’s car. Twelve-year-old Brian Henderson Jr. was in the backseat and died in the shooting.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/6/1655569171944.png" alt="Johnson-photo Leavenworth Co." />
 <figcaption>Johnson-photo Leavenworth Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>LEAVENWORTH, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas teenager has been sentenced to life in prison in the shooting death of a 12-year-old boy during a botched gun deal. WDAF-TV reports that a jury convicted 18-year-old Jaylen LaRon Johnson of Kansas City, Kansas, of first-degree murder last month. Sentencing was Friday. Prosecutors say Johnson and two other men drove to Leavenworth to purchase a gun on April 14, 2021. The sellers allegedly sold a BB gun to one of Johnson’s friends. Authorities say Johnson began shooting when he realized it wasn’t the gun they wanted. Eleven bullets struck the seller’s car. Twelve-year-old Brian Henderson Jr. was in the backseat and died in the shooting.

Kan. teen sentenced in botched gun deal killing of 12-year-old

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House Jan. 6 committee has heard chilling, tearful testimony that Donald Trump’s relentless pressure to overturn the 2020 presidential election led to widespread threats against local workers and state officials.

The panel focused Tuesday on the “heroes” of American democracy — election workers and officials who fended off the defeated president’s demands. The committee is focused on Trump's schemes to reject state tallies and electors, all fueled by his false claims of election fraud. 

It heard from Arizona’s Republican state House Speaker Rusty Bowers and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger about phone call pressure from Trump, including Trump’s call asking the Georgia official to “find 11,780” votes to prevent Joe Biden’s election victory and others.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/capitol-siege">House 1/6 committee</a>&nbsp;is set to hear from the caretakers of American democracy — elections workers and local officials — who fended off&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-ivanka-trump-presidential-elections-government-and-politics-election-2020-ff7e4c0559ac4d983d9d06e168d5f7d4">Donald Trump’s pressure to overturn the 2020 presidential election</a>, at times despite frightening personal attacks.

The hearings investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack at the U.S. Capitol resume Tuesday with a focus on Trump’s relentless effort to undo Joe Biden’s victory in the most local way — by leaning on officials in key battleground states to reject ballots outright or to submit alternative electors for the final tally in Congress. The pressure was fueled by the defeated president’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-ivanka-trump-biden-voting-elections-1ccfd89df6868911d934529b9e47d6c8">false claims of voter fraud</a>&nbsp;which, the panel says, led directly to the riot at the Capitol.

Embattled Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger is scheduled to testify about Trump’s phone call asking him to “find 11,780” votes that could flip the state to prevent Biden’s election victory.

Raffensperger, with his deputy Gabe Sterling and Arizona’s Republican state House Speaker Rusty Bowers, are scheduled to be key witnesses, along with Wandrea “Shay” Moss, a former Georgia election worker who, with her mother, have said they faced such severe public harassment from Trump allies they felt unable to live normal lives.

“I’m appalled at what I saw,” Bowers said in an interview Monday with The Associated Press after arriving in Washington. “I think it illuminates something we need to see big time, and take stock of ourselves. And I hope it would sober us.”

The hearing, the fourth by the panel this month, stems from its yearlong investigation into Trump’s unprecedented attempt to remain in power, a sprawling scheme that the chairman of the Jan. 6 committee has likened to an “attempted coup.”

Tuesday’s focus will review how Trump was repeatedly told his pressure campaign could potentially cause violence against the local officials and their families but pursued it anyway, according to a select committee aide. And it will underscore that fallout from Trump’s lies continues to this day, with elections officers facing ongoing public harassment and political challengers trying to take over their jobs.

While the committee cannot charge Trump with any crimes, the Justice Department is watching the panel’s work closely. Trump’s actions in Georgia are also the subject of a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-georgia-atlanta-presidential-3bc4ae72555ee3f22a13554d9b27d240">grand jury investigation</a>, with the district attorney expected to announce findings this year.

“We will show during a hearing what the president’s role was in trying to get states to name alternate slates of electors, how that scheme depended initially on hopes that the legislatures would reconvene and bless it,” Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., told the Los Angeles Times on Monday.

Schiff, who will lead much of Tuesday’s session, said the hearing will also dig into the “intimate role” the White House chief of staff, Mark Meadows, had in the plot to pressure Georgia state legislators and elections officials.

Raffensperger, Georgia’s top election official, rebuffed Trump’s request that he&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-joe-biden-donald-trump-georgia-elections-a7b4aa4d8ce3bf52301ddbe620c6bff6">“find” enough votes</a>&nbsp;to overturn Biden’s win in the state — a request caught on tape during a phone call days before the Jan. 6 attack.

During the call, Trump repeatedly cited disproven claims of fraud and raised the prospect of a “criminal offense” if Georgia officials did not change the vote count. The state had counted its votes three times before certifying Biden’s win by a 11,779 margin.

The public testimony from Raffensperger comes weeks after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-georgia-atlanta-presidential-3bc4ae72555ee3f22a13554d9b27d240">he appeared before a special grand jury in Georgia</a>&nbsp;investigating whether Trump and others illegally tried to intervene in the state’s 2020 election, and after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-georgia-primary-raffensperger-hice-fb73b1cdce296923dfae1e9ce795efef">Raffensperger beat a Trump-backed challenger</a>&nbsp;in last month’s primary election.

Sterling, Raffensperger’s chief operating officer, became a notable figure in Georgia’s long post-election counting, and recounting, of the presidential ballots, with his regular updates often broadcast live to a divided nation. At one point, the soft-spoken Republican implored Americans to tone down the heated rhetoric.

“Death threats, physical threats, intimidation — it’s too much, it’s not right,” he said.

Bowers is expected to discuss the pressure he faced to overturn Arizona’s results — requests from Trump advisers that the Republican state leader on Monday called “juvenile.”

In an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-capitol-siege-biden-presidential-election-2020-5f0f2eeae477437a5fed9fffe9ce286a">interview with the AP</a>&nbsp;after arriving in Washington ahead of the hearing, Bowers said he is expected to be asked about a call with Trump during which lawyer Rudy Giuliani floated an idea to replace Arizona’s electors with those who would vote for Trump.

Bowers also revealed a second phone call with Trump in December 2020 that he said was mainly small talk, although Trump also referenced their first conversation.

Moss, who had worked for the Fulton County elections department since 2012, and her mother, Ruby Freeman, a temporary election worker,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/elections-new-york-lawsuits-new-york-city-donald-trump-33cdb4e73a5091a1299c49a553d4109d">filed a defamation lawsuit</a>&nbsp;in December 2021. Moss claimed conservative outlet One America News Network and Giuliani falsely spread allegations that she and her mother engaged in ballot fraud during the election. The case against OAN&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-lawsuits-georgia-atlanta-ba0a5021564d1377c394a3b4d8e554fb">has since been dismissed</a>&nbsp;with a settlement.

Both Bowers and Moss, along with Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., the panel’s vice chair, were among recipients of this year’s John F. Kennedy Profiles in Courage award “for their courage to protect and defend democracy.”

The select committee also plans to untangle the elaborate “fake electors” scheme that sought to have representatives in as many as seven battlegrounds — Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Nevada and New Mexico — sign certificates falsely stating that Trump, not Biden, had won their states.

Conservative law professor John Eastman, a lawyer for Trump,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-biden-elections-government-and-politics-presidential-42911f613bee85913dcbcbaeed096b2c">pushed the fake electors</a>&nbsp;in the weeks after the election. Trump and Eastman convened hundreds of electors on a call on Jan. 2, 2021, encouraging them to send alternative slates from their states where Trump’s team was claiming fraud.

The fake electors idea was designed to set up a challenge on Jan. 6, 2021 when Congress met in joint session, with Vice President Mike Pence presiding over what is typically a ceremonial role to accept the states’ vote tallies. But the effort collapsed, as Pence refused Trump’s repeated demands that he simply halt the certification of Biden’s win — a power he believed he did not possess in his purely ceremonial role.

At least 20 people in connection with the fake electors scheme were subpoenaed by the House panel. The committee says it will also show that it has gathered enough evidence through its more than 1,000 interviews and tens of thousands of documents to connect the varying efforts to overturn the election directly to Trump.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House Jan. 6 committee has heard chilling, tearful testimony that Donald Trump’s relentless pressure to overturn the 2020 presidential election led to widespread threats against local workers and state officials.<div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xa43_z_82Og" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>The panel focused Tuesday on the “heroes” of American democracy — election workers and officials who fended off the defeated president’s demands. The committee is focused on Trump's schemes to reject state tallies and electors, all fueled by his false claims of election fraud. It heard from Arizona’s Republican state House Speaker Rusty Bowers and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger about phone call pressure from Trump, including Trump’s call asking the Georgia official to “find 11,780” votes to prevent Joe Biden’s election victory and others.-------WASHINGTON (AP) — The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/capitol-siege">House 1/6 committee</a>&nbsp;is set to hear from the caretakers of American democracy — elections workers and local officials — who fended off&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-ivanka-trump-presidential-elections-government-and-politics-election-2020-ff7e4c0559ac4d983d9d06e168d5f7d4">Donald Trump’s pressure to overturn the 2020 presidential election</a>, at times despite frightening personal attacks.The hearings investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack at the U.S. Capitol resume Tuesday with a focus on Trump’s relentless effort to undo Joe Biden’s victory in the most local way — by leaning on officials in key battleground states to reject ballots outright or to submit alternative electors for the final tally in Congress. The pressure was fueled by the defeated president’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-ivanka-trump-biden-voting-elections-1ccfd89df6868911d934529b9e47d6c8">false claims of voter fraud</a>&nbsp;which, the panel says, led directly to the riot at the Capitol.Embattled Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger is scheduled to testify about Trump’s phone call asking him to “find 11,780” votes that could flip the state to prevent Biden’s election victory.Raffensperger, with his deputy Gabe Sterling and Arizona’s Republican state House Speaker Rusty Bowers, are scheduled to be key witnesses, along with Wandrea “Shay” Moss, a former Georgia election worker who, with her mother, have said they faced such severe public harassment from Trump allies they felt unable to live normal lives.“I’m appalled at what I saw,” Bowers said in an interview Monday with The Associated Press after arriving in Washington. “I think it illuminates something we need to see big time, and take stock of ourselves. And I hope it would sober us.”The hearing, the fourth by the panel this month, stems from its yearlong investigation into Trump’s unprecedented attempt to remain in power, a sprawling scheme that the chairman of the Jan. 6 committee has likened to an “attempted coup.”Tuesday’s focus will review how Trump was repeatedly told his pressure campaign could potentially cause violence against the local officials and their families but pursued it anyway, according to a select committee aide. And it will underscore that fallout from Trump’s lies continues to this day, with elections officers facing ongoing public harassment and political challengers trying to take over their jobs.While the committee cannot charge Trump with any crimes, the Justice Department is watching the panel’s work closely. Trump’s actions in Georgia are also the subject of a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-georgia-atlanta-presidential-3bc4ae72555ee3f22a13554d9b27d240">grand jury investigation</a>, with the district attorney expected to announce findings this year.“We will show during a hearing what the president’s role was in trying to get states to name alternate slates of electors, how that scheme depended initially on hopes that the legislatures would reconvene and bless it,” Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., told the Los Angeles Times on Monday.Schiff, who will lead much of Tuesday’s session, said the hearing will also dig into the “intimate role” the White House chief of staff, Mark Meadows, had in the plot to pressure Georgia state legislators and elections officials.Raffensperger, Georgia’s top election official, rebuffed Trump’s request that he&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-joe-biden-donald-trump-georgia-elections-a7b4aa4d8ce3bf52301ddbe620c6bff6">“find” enough votes</a>&nbsp;to overturn Biden’s win in the state — a request caught on tape during a phone call days before the Jan. 6 attack.During the call, Trump repeatedly cited disproven claims of fraud and raised the prospect of a “criminal offense” if Georgia officials did not change the vote count. The state had counted its votes three times before certifying Biden’s win by a 11,779 margin.The public testimony from Raffensperger comes weeks after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-georgia-atlanta-presidential-3bc4ae72555ee3f22a13554d9b27d240">he appeared before a special grand jury in Georgia</a>&nbsp;investigating whether Trump and others illegally tried to intervene in the state’s 2020 election, and after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-georgia-primary-raffensperger-hice-fb73b1cdce296923dfae1e9ce795efef">Raffensperger beat a Trump-backed challenger</a>&nbsp;in last month’s primary election.Sterling, Raffensperger’s chief operating officer, became a notable figure in Georgia’s long post-election counting, and recounting, of the presidential ballots, with his regular updates often broadcast live to a divided nation. At one point, the soft-spoken Republican implored Americans to tone down the heated rhetoric.“Death threats, physical threats, intimidation — it’s too much, it’s not right,” he said.Bowers is expected to discuss the pressure he faced to overturn Arizona’s results — requests from Trump advisers that the Republican state leader on Monday called “juvenile.”In an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-capitol-siege-biden-presidential-election-2020-5f0f2eeae477437a5fed9fffe9ce286a">interview with the AP</a>&nbsp;after arriving in Washington ahead of the hearing, Bowers said he is expected to be asked about a call with Trump during which lawyer Rudy Giuliani floated an idea to replace Arizona’s electors with those who would vote for Trump.Bowers also revealed a second phone call with Trump in December 2020 that he said was mainly small talk, although Trump also referenced their first conversation.Moss, who had worked for the Fulton County elections department since 2012, and her mother, Ruby Freeman, a temporary election worker,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/elections-new-york-lawsuits-new-york-city-donald-trump-33cdb4e73a5091a1299c49a553d4109d">filed a defamation lawsuit</a>&nbsp;in December 2021. Moss claimed conservative outlet One America News Network and Giuliani falsely spread allegations that she and her mother engaged in ballot fraud during the election. The case against OAN&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-lawsuits-georgia-atlanta-ba0a5021564d1377c394a3b4d8e554fb">has since been dismissed</a>&nbsp;with a settlement.Both Bowers and Moss, along with Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., the panel’s vice chair, were among recipients of this year’s John F. Kennedy Profiles in Courage award “for their courage to protect and defend democracy.”The select committee also plans to untangle the elaborate “fake electors” scheme that sought to have representatives in as many as seven battlegrounds — Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Nevada and New Mexico — sign certificates falsely stating that Trump, not Biden, had won their states.Conservative law professor John Eastman, a lawyer for Trump,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-biden-elections-government-and-politics-presidential-42911f613bee85913dcbcbaeed096b2c">pushed the fake electors</a>&nbsp;in the weeks after the election. Trump and Eastman convened hundreds of electors on a call on Jan. 2, 2021, encouraging them to send alternative slates from their states where Trump’s team was claiming fraud.The fake electors idea was designed to set up a challenge on Jan. 6, 2021 when Congress met in joint session, with Vice President Mike Pence presiding over what is typically a ceremonial role to accept the states’ vote tallies. But the effort collapsed, as Pence refused Trump’s repeated demands that he simply halt the certification of Biden’s win — a power he believed he did not possess in his purely ceremonial role.At least 20 people in connection with the fake electors scheme were subpoenaed by the House panel. The committee says it will also show that it has gathered enough evidence through its more than 1,000 interviews and tens of thousands of documents to connect the varying efforts to overturn the election directly to Trump.

🎥1/6 hearings replay Day 4: Testimony on effort to overturn 2020 election

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas’ top court declared Tuesday that the state constitution doesn’t prohibit partisan gerrymandering, prompting one dissenting justice to accuse the majority of ignoring a “full-scale assault on democracy” from a Republican congressional redistricting law.

The state Supreme Court issued the opinion explaining its 4-3 decision last month to approve the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kslegresearch.org/KLRD-web/Publications/Redistricting/2022-Plans/M3_AdAstra_2-packet.pdf" target="_blank">new congressional map</a>.&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kslegresearch.org/KLRD-web/Publications/Redistricting/2022-Plans/M3_AdAstra_2-packet.pdf" target="_blank"></a>It previously issued only&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-and-politics-elections-legislature-kansas-topeka-e6e6dfe3cfc63ddae5492980e04a0329">a brief opinion</a>&nbsp;that did not explain the majority’s reasons.

The new map&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-kansas-kansas-city-topeka-lawrence-ddec8d74330eddabf091cdc59af63c78">makes it harder</a>&nbsp;for the only Democrat in the Kansas congressional delegation, two-term Rep. Sharice Davids, to win reelection in her Kansas City-area district. Davids is the state’s first openly lesbian and Native American woman in Congress.

Dissenting Justice Eric Rosen argued that the decision moves Kansas toward a “one-party system of government,” aids a “power grab” and authorizes “political chicanery.”

“In turning a blind eye to this full-scale assault on democracy in Kansas, the majority blithely ignores the plain language of this state’s Constitution,” Rosen wrote.

Lawsuits over new congressional maps&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/voting-rights-biden-us-supreme-court-legislature-redistricting-2dc22ffc8559f43401c9f116b4e7f8ad">proliferated this year</a>&nbsp;across the U.S., with Republicans looking to recapture a U.S. House majority in November’s midterm elections. Maps in at least 18 states inspired lawsuits, according to the nonpartisan Brennan Center for Justice.

In the Kansas Supreme Court’s majority opinion Tuesday, Justice Caleb Stegall said the state constitution’s&nbsp;<a href="https://kslib.info/826/Kansas-Bill-of-Rights" target="_blank">guarantee of equal legal protection</a>&nbsp;for all citizens does not prohibit the Legislature from considering partisan factors when redrawing lines each decade to make districts as equal in population as possible. The Legislature has Republican supermajorities and traditionally has been controlled by the GOP.

Stegall also argued that unless the state Supreme Court set a “zero tolerance” standard on partisan gerrymandering, it has no clear standards for when it should be prohibited.

“Are there any manageable and neutral judicial standards by which judges can decide that question without resort to our own partisan biases?” Stegall wrote.

Kansas courts previously had not been asked to consider whether the state constitution bars political gerrymandering. Federal judges — not the Kansas courts — have typically reviewed the state’s congressional boundaries, but the conservative-leaning U.S. Supreme Court&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/wi-state-wire-nc-state-wire-donald-trump-ap-top-news-courts-54daa625511445969fee66696f7979c2">ruled 5-4 in 2019</a>&nbsp;that complaints about partisan gerrymandering are political issues and not for the federal courts to resolve.

Stegall is widely seen as the seven-member court’s most conservative justice, having been appointed by conservative GOP Gov. Sam Brownback in 2014. But he was joined in the majority by a justice appointed by a moderate Republican governor and two who were appointed by Democrats. All of the dissenters were appointed by Democratic governors.

The majority also rejected critics’ claims that the new congressional map represented racial gerrymandering because it split the Black and Hispanic populations in the Kansas City areas between two districts. Stegall wrote that the aggrieved voters did not show that race was the predominant factor in how the lines were drawn.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas, which represented 11 voters, said in a statement that the decision was especially harmful to minority voters who were “targeted and silenced.”

Democrats accused Republicans of planning to hurt Davids politically. Although Republicans said that was not the case, a now-retired state Senate leader said publicly in 2020 that fellow Republicans could draw all four congressional districts to favor the GOP and “guarantee” a plan that “takes out” Davids.

Republican lawmakers noted repeatedly that the Kansas side of the Kansas City area has too many people to fit into a single congressional district, requiring some sort of split. And they argued that Davids still would win her new district based on 2020 election results.

The new congressional map moved the northern part of Kansas City, Kansas, out of the 3rd District represented by Davids and into the larger 2nd District of eastern Kansas represented by Republican Rep. Jake LaTurner. Kansas City, Kansas, is among the state’s few Democratic strongholds.

The map also moved&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/legislature-election-2020-kansas-city-kansas-donald-trump-85844d07388c25e71440059be29b7a6e">the liberal city of Lawrence</a>&nbsp;— a Democratic stronghold only about 40 miles west (64 kilometers) of Kansas City and home to the main University of Kansas campus —out of the 2nd District. Instead, the city of 95,000 has been added to the already sprawling 1st District, which is dominated by small conservative communities in central and western Kansas.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/1/1643147273216.png" alt="The map moved&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/legislature-election-2020-kansas-city-kansas-donald-trump-85844d07388c25e71440059be29b7a6e">the liberal northeastern Kansas city of Lawrence</a>&nbsp;into the sprawling 1st District of central and western Kansas that is dominated by small conservative communities" />
 <figcaption>The map moved&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/legislature-election-2020-kansas-city-kansas-donald-trump-85844d07388c25e71440059be29b7a6e">the liberal northeastern Kansas city of Lawrence</a>&nbsp;into the sprawling 1st District of central and western Kansas that is dominated by small conservative communities</figcaption>
 </figure>By JOHN HANNATOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas’ top court declared Tuesday that the state constitution doesn’t prohibit partisan gerrymandering, prompting one dissenting justice to accuse the majority of ignoring a “full-scale assault on democracy” from a Republican congressional redistricting law.The state Supreme Court issued the opinion explaining its 4-3 decision last month to approve the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kslegresearch.org/KLRD-web/Publications/Redistricting/2022-Plans/M3_AdAstra_2-packet.pdf" target="_blank">new congressional map</a>.&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kslegresearch.org/KLRD-web/Publications/Redistricting/2022-Plans/M3_AdAstra_2-packet.pdf" target="_blank"></a>It previously issued only&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-and-politics-elections-legislature-kansas-topeka-e6e6dfe3cfc63ddae5492980e04a0329">a brief opinion</a>&nbsp;that did not explain the majority’s reasons.The new map&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-kansas-kansas-city-topeka-lawrence-ddec8d74330eddabf091cdc59af63c78">makes it harder</a>&nbsp;for the only Democrat in the Kansas congressional delegation, two-term Rep. Sharice Davids, to win reelection in her Kansas City-area district. Davids is the state’s first openly lesbian and Native American woman in Congress.Dissenting Justice Eric Rosen argued that the decision moves Kansas toward a “one-party system of government,” aids a “power grab” and authorizes “political chicanery.”“In turning a blind eye to this full-scale assault on democracy in Kansas, the majority blithely ignores the plain language of this state’s Constitution,” Rosen wrote.Lawsuits over new congressional maps&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/voting-rights-biden-us-supreme-court-legislature-redistricting-2dc22ffc8559f43401c9f116b4e7f8ad">proliferated this year</a>&nbsp;across the U.S., with Republicans looking to recapture a U.S. House majority in November’s midterm elections. Maps in at least 18 states inspired lawsuits, according to the nonpartisan Brennan Center for Justice.In the Kansas Supreme Court’s majority opinion Tuesday, Justice Caleb Stegall said the state constitution’s&nbsp;<a href="https://kslib.info/826/Kansas-Bill-of-Rights" target="_blank">guarantee of equal legal protection</a>&nbsp;for all citizens does not prohibit the Legislature from considering partisan factors when redrawing lines each decade to make districts as equal in population as possible. The Legislature has Republican supermajorities and traditionally has been controlled by the GOP.Stegall also argued that unless the state Supreme Court set a “zero tolerance” standard on partisan gerrymandering, it has no clear standards for when it should be prohibited.“Are there any manageable and neutral judicial standards by which judges can decide that question without resort to our own partisan biases?” Stegall wrote.Kansas courts previously had not been asked to consider whether the state constitution bars political gerrymandering. Federal judges — not the Kansas courts — have typically reviewed the state’s congressional boundaries, but the conservative-leaning U.S. Supreme Court&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/wi-state-wire-nc-state-wire-donald-trump-ap-top-news-courts-54daa625511445969fee66696f7979c2">ruled 5-4 in 2019</a>&nbsp;that complaints about partisan gerrymandering are political issues and not for the federal courts to resolve.Stegall is widely seen as the seven-member court’s most conservative justice, having been appointed by conservative GOP Gov. Sam Brownback in 2014. But he was joined in the majority by a justice appointed by a moderate Republican governor and two who were appointed by Democrats. All of the dissenters were appointed by Democratic governors.The majority also rejected critics’ claims that the new congressional map represented racial gerrymandering because it split the Black and Hispanic populations in the Kansas City areas between two districts. Stegall wrote that the aggrieved voters did not show that race was the predominant factor in how the lines were drawn.The American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas, which represented 11 voters, said in a statement that the decision was especially harmful to minority voters who were “targeted and silenced.”Democrats accused Republicans of planning to hurt Davids politically. Although Republicans said that was not the case, a now-retired state Senate leader said publicly in 2020 that fellow Republicans could draw all four congressional districts to favor the GOP and “guarantee” a plan that “takes out” Davids.Republican lawmakers noted repeatedly that the Kansas side of the Kansas City area has too many people to fit into a single congressional district, requiring some sort of split. And they argued that Davids still would win her new district based on 2020 election results.The new congressional map moved the northern part of Kansas City, Kansas, out of the 3rd District represented by Davids and into the larger 2nd District of eastern Kansas represented by Republican Rep. Jake LaTurner. Kansas City, Kansas, is among the state’s few Democratic strongholds.The map also moved&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/legislature-election-2020-kansas-city-kansas-donald-trump-85844d07388c25e71440059be29b7a6e">the liberal city of Lawrence</a>&nbsp;— a Democratic stronghold only about 40 miles west (64 kilometers) of Kansas City and home to the main University of Kansas campus —out of the 2nd District. Instead, the city of 95,000 has been added to the already sprawling 1st District, which is dominated by small conservative communities in central and western Kansas.___

Top court: Kansas Constitution allows partisan redistricting

DOUGLAS COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities investigating a fatal weekend accident have identified the victim as 33 year-old Michael Travis Gibbons of Lawrence, according to a media release.

Just after 2a.m. Sunday, police responded to a report of a single vehicle collision at the intersection of 31st&nbsp;St and Atchison Avenue in Lawrence.

 Responding officers arrived to find a vehicle with Gibbons, the only occupant, had collided with a light pole on the northwest corner of the intersection. 

The vehicle sustained heavy damage and power lines were down as a result of the collision. Officers and paramedics attempted to render aid however it was determined Gibbons was deceased at the scene.

DOUGLAS COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities investigating a fatal weekend accident have identified the victim as 33 year-old Michael Travis Gibbons of Lawrence, according to a media release.Just after 2a.m. Sunday, police responded to a report of a single vehicle collision at the intersection of 31st&nbsp;St and Atchison Avenue in Lawrence. Responding officers arrived to find a vehicle with Gibbons, the only occupant, had collided with a light pole on the northwest corner of the intersection. The vehicle sustained heavy damage and power lines were down as a result of the collision. Officers and paramedics attempted to render aid however it was determined Gibbons was deceased at the scene.

Police ID Kansas man who died after crash into light pole

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that religious schools can’t be excluded from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/me-state-wire-us-supreme-court-maine-religion-education-053be754922af11fe1bceaf408d0f910">a Maine program</a>&nbsp;that offers tuition aid for private education, a decision that could ease religious organizations’ access to taxpayer money.

The most immediate effect of the court’s 6-3 decision beyond Maine will be next door in Vermont, which has a similar program.

But the outcome also could fuel a renewed push for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/school-choice">school choice programs</a>&nbsp;in some of the 18 states that have so far not directed taxpayer money to private, religious education.

Chief Justice John Roberts wrote for a conservative majority that the program violates the Constitution’s protections for religious freedoms.

“Maine’s ‘nonsectarian’ requirement for its otherwise generally available tuition assistance payments violates the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment. Regardless of how the benefit and restriction are described, the program operates to identify and exclude otherwise eligible schools on the basis of their religious exercise,” Roberts wrote.

The court’s three liberal justices dissented. “This Court continues to dismantle the wall of separation between church and state that the Framers fought to build,” Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote.

The ruling is the latest in a line of decisions from the Supreme Court that have favored religion-based discrimination claims. The court is separately weighing the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/sports-football-religion-prayer-washington-7490d215c8b1ead529299ac92114dbab">case of a football coach who says he has a First Amendment right to pray</a>&nbsp;at midfield immediately after games.

In largely rural Maine, the state allows families who live in towns that don’t have public schools to receive public tuition dollars to send their children to the public or private school of their choosing. The program has excluded religious schools.

Students who live in a district with public schools or in a district that contracts with another public system are ineligible for the tuition program.

Parents who challenged the program argued that the exclusion of religious schools violates their religious rights under the Constitution. Teacher unions and school boards said states can impose limits on public money for private education without running afoul of religious freedoms.

Most of the justices attended religious schools, and several send or have sent their children to them.

In the Maine case, parents sued in federal court to be able to use state aid to send their children to Christian schools in Bangor and Waterville. The schools in question, Bangor Christian School and Temple Academy, are uncertain whether they would accept public funds, according to court filings.

The Bangor school said it would not hire teachers or admit students who are transgender. Both schools said they do not hire gay or lesbian teachers, according to court records.

In 2020, the high court ruled 5-4 that states must give religious schools the same access to public funding that other private schools receive, preserving a Montana scholarship program that had largely benefited students at religious institutions.

In that case, the court said states don’t have to allow public money to be used in private education. But they can’t keep religious schools out of such programs, once created.

But even after that ruling, the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the Maine program, holding that the state was not violating anyone’s constitutional rights by refusing to allow taxpayer money to be used for religious instruction. The three-judge panel included retired Justice David Souter, who occasionally hears cases in the appeals court.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that religious schools can’t be excluded from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/me-state-wire-us-supreme-court-maine-religion-education-053be754922af11fe1bceaf408d0f910">a Maine program</a>&nbsp;that offers tuition aid for private education, a decision that could ease religious organizations’ access to taxpayer money.The most immediate effect of the court’s 6-3 decision beyond Maine will be next door in Vermont, which has a similar program.But the outcome also could fuel a renewed push for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/school-choice">school choice programs</a>&nbsp;in some of the 18 states that have so far not directed taxpayer money to private, religious education.Chief Justice John Roberts wrote for a conservative majority that the program violates the Constitution’s protections for religious freedoms.“Maine’s ‘nonsectarian’ requirement for its otherwise generally available tuition assistance payments violates the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment. Regardless of how the benefit and restriction are described, the program operates to identify and exclude otherwise eligible schools on the basis of their religious exercise,” Roberts wrote.The court’s three liberal justices dissented. “This Court continues to dismantle the wall of separation between church and state that the Framers fought to build,” Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote.The ruling is the latest in a line of decisions from the Supreme Court that have favored religion-based discrimination claims. The court is separately weighing the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/sports-football-religion-prayer-washington-7490d215c8b1ead529299ac92114dbab">case of a football coach who says he has a First Amendment right to pray</a>&nbsp;at midfield immediately after games.In largely rural Maine, the state allows families who live in towns that don’t have public schools to receive public tuition dollars to send their children to the public or private school of their choosing. The program has excluded religious schools.Students who live in a district with public schools or in a district that contracts with another public system are ineligible for the tuition program.Parents who challenged the program argued that the exclusion of religious schools violates their religious rights under the Constitution. Teacher unions and school boards said states can impose limits on public money for private education without running afoul of religious freedoms.Most of the justices attended religious schools, and several send or have sent their children to them.In the Maine case, parents sued in federal court to be able to use state aid to send their children to Christian schools in Bangor and Waterville. The schools in question, Bangor Christian School and Temple Academy, are uncertain whether they would accept public funds, according to court filings.The Bangor school said it would not hire teachers or admit students who are transgender. Both schools said they do not hire gay or lesbian teachers, according to court records.In 2020, the high court ruled 5-4 that states must give religious schools the same access to public funding that other private schools receive, preserving a Montana scholarship program that had largely benefited students at religious institutions.In that case, the court said states don’t have to allow public money to be used in private education. But they can’t keep religious schools out of such programs, once created.But even after that ruling, the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the Maine program, holding that the state was not violating anyone’s constitutional rights by refusing to allow taxpayer money to be used for religious instruction. The three-judge panel included retired Justice David Souter, who occasionally hears cases in the appeals court.

Supreme Court OKs use of public money for religious education

SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities investigating a fatal crash and fire have identified the victim as Donna O'Reilly, 69, of Wichita, according to Sedgwick County Sheriff's Lt. Benjamin Blick.

Just before 8p.m. Monday, O'Reilly was a passenger in a 2003 Buick Regal that was southbound in the 5300 Block of West Street. The car left the roadway, struck a tree east of West Street and caught fire.

&nbsp;O’Reilly was pronounced dead at the scene. EMS transported the 73-year-old driver and husband of the deceased to a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

The cause of the accident remains under investigation, according to Blick.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/6/1655778105351.png" alt="First responders at the crash scene-photo courtesy KWCH" />
 <figcaption>First responders at the crash scene-photo courtesy KWCH</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities investigating a fatal crash and fire have identified the victim as Donna O'Reilly, 69, of Wichita, according to Sedgwick County Sheriff's Lt. Benjamin Blick.Just before 8p.m. Monday, O'Reilly was a passenger in a 2003 Buick Regal that was southbound in the 5300 Block of West Street. The car left the roadway, struck a tree east of West Street and caught fire.&nbsp;O’Reilly was pronounced dead at the scene. EMS transported the 73-year-old driver and husband of the deceased to a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries.The cause of the accident remains under investigation, according to Blick.

Sheriff: Kansas woman dies after crash into tree, fire

By RAHUL CHAWDHRY SHARMA <a href="https://www.virginiamercury.com/2022/06/21/punched-kicked-spit-on-va-health-care-workers-say-they-face-more-violence-since-pandemic/">Virginia Mercury</a>

Expressing frustration with what they
 say are increasing incidents of violence at work, doctors at the 
Virginia College of Emergency Physicians are <a target="_blank" href="https://www.acep.org/globalassets/ed-workplace-violence-one-pager.pdf">urging</a> federal lawmakers to support a U.S. Senate bill that would give greater protections to health care workers.&nbsp;

“I have been assaulted by patients 
hundreds of times —&nbsp; have been punched, kicked, spit on, and had objects
 thrown at me and weapons pointed at me. All this from the patients 
whose lives I’m trying to save,” one doctor who has worked as an 
emergency physician for three decades wrote in a letter to Sens. Mark 
Warner and Tim Kaine, Democrats from Virginia.&nbsp;

The emergency physician, who goes unnamed in the <a target="_blank" href="https://myemail.constantcontact.com/VACEP-eNews-167.html?soid=1102329573979&amp;aid=z3fEJgFy0kI">letter</a>, isn’t alone. The Bureau of Labor Statistics <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/violence/fastfacts.html">says</a>
 that 70 percent of private sector workers who “experienced trauma from 
nonfatal workplace violence” in 2019 worked in health care or related 
social assistance roles, making them five times more likely to be 
injured by violence at work than others.&nbsp;

<a target="_blank" href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/senate-bill/4182/text">S.4182</a>,
 the Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service 
Workers Act, would direct the Department of Labor to create enforceable 
standards to ensure health care and social services workplaces implement
 violence prevention, tracking and response systems. A companion bill in
 the House was passed in 2021. In 2019, the Virginia General Assembly 
passed <a target="_blank" href="http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?191+sum+SB1395">legislation</a> making it a Class 1 misdemeanor to threaten to injure or kill health care workers.&nbsp;

There is no comprehensive statewide 
dataset on health care workplace violence for Virginia, but the Virginia
 Hospital and Healthcare Association says violent attacks on health care
 workers are on the rise. VHHA established a Workplace Safety Task Force in 2020 that is collecting data to find
 a baseline measurement for statewide injuries, as well as “sharing 
educational resources and best practices” to reduce such injuries, 
according to VHHA spokesperson Julian Walker.

State-level trends track national 
data, according to Toni Ardabell, chief of clinical enterprise 
operations at Inova, a major health care provider in Northern Virginia 
with 18,000 employees and more than 2 million patients a year. In 2021, 
648 physical workplace violence incidents were reported within their 
hospital system and Ardabell assumes many minor incidents go unreported.
 By one NIH <a target="_blank" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5006066/">estimate</a>, almost 90 percent of incidents are not formally reported.&nbsp;

She said violence has been on the 
rise during the COVID-19 pandemic, accelerating a longer-term trend. 
Assault rates against health care workers nationwide have <a target="_blank" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8816837/">doubled</a> in the last 10 years and around <a target="_blank" href="https://oem.bmj.com/content/76/12/927.long">40 percent</a> of those working in hospitals have been victims of physical violence in the last year. Another <a target="_blank" href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.annemergmed.2021.04.019">survey</a> put that number at 78 percent.

“I think the stress of COVID, the 
stress of the mental health crisis in our communities, all have 
contributed to behavior we have seen all over the country,” Ardabell 
said. “Most of the violence events that are reported are carried out by 
visitors or mental-health patients— people that are frustrated, they are
 already coping with a life issue.”

Ardabell cited the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.virginiamercury.com/2022/03/30/virginias-new-behavioral-health-director-orders-strategic-plan-for-struggling-state-agency/">breakdown</a>
 of the state’s mental health system as another possible factor in 
rising incidents of violence. Understaffing and overcrowding at 
publicly-funded psychiatric care hospitals have increasingly forced 
patients to stay in local emergency rooms instead of at state 
facilities, where they may not receive adequate care. Some private 
hospitals have dedicated mental health units where patients can receive 
proper care.

“What we are not equipped to deal 
with is the extremely physically abusive mental health patients,” 
Ardabell said. “The state closed beds in mental health institutions 
where these patients should be, and so there is not a real good solution
 for these patients right now.”

The workload and stress of the pandemic pushed many nurses out of the field, leading to a nursing <a target="_blank" href="https://www.virginiamercury.com/2021/09/27/vaccine-mandates-dont-appear-to-be-driving-the-current-nursing-shortage-in-virginia/">shortage</a>
 in Virginia. Ardabell said that though workplace violence isn’t showing
 up in exit interviews as a primary cause of leaving the jobs, it could 
be a contributing factor in worker burnout.&nbsp;

It is also common for family members 
of patients to take their anger out on workers. The highest 
concentrations of violence take place within emergency and behavioral 
health departments, with nurses in the ER being <a target="_blank" href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/44997529?seq=1">four times</a> more likely to be assaulted than those in other departments, but Ardabell emphasized that there is no typical situation.

“The situations can really be all 
over the map. It could be a confused patient that hits someone in their 
confusion, it could be someone who purposely hits someone because of 
their anger,” Ardabell said.&nbsp;

The daily threat of violence was 
underscored by two attacks on hospitals earlier this month. First a 
shooting at a hospital in Tulsa, Oklahoma, that saw four people killed, 
and then a stabbing at a medical center in Los Angeles, where three 
medical professionals were injured. In response, the Virginia Hospital 
and Healthcare Association released a statement expressing concern and 
highlighting steps that hospitals were taking.

“Unfortunately, hospitals and the 
people who work in them live with the daily reality that health care 
professionals face an elevated risk of being victims of workplace 
violence,” read the statement. “In response to these conditions, 
hospitals across Virginia have implemented a range of safety and 
prevention programs for staff including alerting systems, safety 
protocols, enhanced security personnel presence, and more to protect 
patients, family, visitors, and staff.”

In the meantime, ER doctors continue 
push for better working conditions “The physical and verbal abuse and 
violence toward all ED staff is out of control. This bill is a decent 
start, but we need even more,” read another letter.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/6/1655836007623.png" alt="VCU's emergency hospital entrance in Richmond. (Parker Michels-Boyce / For The Virginia Mercury)" />
 <figcaption>VCU's emergency hospital entrance in Richmond. (Parker Michels-Boyce / For The Virginia Mercury)</figcaption>
 </figure>By RAHUL CHAWDHRY SHARMA <a href="https://www.virginiamercury.com/2022/06/21/punched-kicked-spit-on-va-health-care-workers-say-they-face-more-violence-since-pandemic/">Virginia Mercury</a>Expressing frustration with what they
 say are increasing incidents of violence at work, doctors at the 
Virginia College of Emergency Physicians are <a target="_blank" href="https://www.acep.org/globalassets/ed-workplace-violence-one-pager.pdf">urging</a> federal lawmakers to support a U.S. Senate bill that would give greater protections to health care workers.&nbsp;“I have been assaulted by patients 
hundreds of times —&nbsp; have been punched, kicked, spit on, and had objects
 thrown at me and weapons pointed at me. All this from the patients 
whose lives I’m trying to save,” one doctor who has worked as an 
emergency physician for three decades wrote in a letter to Sens. Mark 
Warner and Tim Kaine, Democrats from Virginia.&nbsp;The emergency physician, who goes unnamed in the <a target="_blank" href="https://myemail.constantcontact.com/VACEP-eNews-167.html?soid=1102329573979&amp;aid=z3fEJgFy0kI">letter</a>, isn’t alone. The Bureau of Labor Statistics <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/violence/fastfacts.html">says</a>
 that 70 percent of private sector workers who “experienced trauma from 
nonfatal workplace violence” in 2019 worked in health care or related 
social assistance roles, making them five times more likely to be 
injured by violence at work than others.&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/senate-bill/4182/text">S.4182</a>,
 the Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service 
Workers Act, would direct the Department of Labor to create enforceable 
standards to ensure health care and social services workplaces implement
 violence prevention, tracking and response systems. A companion bill in
 the House was passed in 2021. In 2019, the Virginia General Assembly 
passed <a target="_blank" href="http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?191+sum+SB1395">legislation</a> making it a Class 1 misdemeanor to threaten to injure or kill health care workers.&nbsp;There is no comprehensive statewide 
dataset on health care workplace violence for Virginia, but the Virginia
 Hospital and Healthcare Association says violent attacks on health care
 workers are on the rise. VHHA established a Workplace Safety Task Force in 2020 that is collecting data to find
 a baseline measurement for statewide injuries, as well as “sharing 
educational resources and best practices” to reduce such injuries, 
according to VHHA spokesperson Julian Walker.State-level trends track national 
data, according to Toni Ardabell, chief of clinical enterprise 
operations at Inova, a major health care provider in Northern Virginia 
with 18,000 employees and more than 2 million patients a year. In 2021, 
648 physical workplace violence incidents were reported within their 
hospital system and Ardabell assumes many minor incidents go unreported.
 By one NIH <a target="_blank" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5006066/">estimate</a>, almost 90 percent of incidents are not formally reported.&nbsp;She said violence has been on the 
rise during the COVID-19 pandemic, accelerating a longer-term trend. 
Assault rates against health care workers nationwide have <a target="_blank" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8816837/">doubled</a> in the last 10 years and around <a target="_blank" href="https://oem.bmj.com/content/76/12/927.long">40 percent</a> of those working in hospitals have been victims of physical violence in the last year. Another <a target="_blank" href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.annemergmed.2021.04.019">survey</a> put that number at 78 percent.“I think the stress of COVID, the 
stress of the mental health crisis in our communities, all have 
contributed to behavior we have seen all over the country,” Ardabell 
said. “Most of the violence events that are reported are carried out by 
visitors or mental-health patients— people that are frustrated, they are
 already coping with a life issue.”Ardabell cited the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.virginiamercury.com/2022/03/30/virginias-new-behavioral-health-director-orders-strategic-plan-for-struggling-state-agency/">breakdown</a>
 of the state’s mental health system as another possible factor in 
rising incidents of violence. Understaffing and overcrowding at 
publicly-funded psychiatric care hospitals have increasingly forced 
patients to stay in local emergency rooms instead of at state 
facilities, where they may not receive adequate care. Some private 
hospitals have dedicated mental health units where patients can receive 
proper care.“What we are not equipped to deal 
with is the extremely physically abusive mental health patients,” 
Ardabell said. “The state closed beds in mental health institutions 
where these patients should be, and so there is not a real good solution
 for these patients right now.”The workload and stress of the pandemic pushed many nurses out of the field, leading to a nursing <a target="_blank" href="https://www.virginiamercury.com/2021/09/27/vaccine-mandates-dont-appear-to-be-driving-the-current-nursing-shortage-in-virginia/">shortage</a>
 in Virginia. Ardabell said that though workplace violence isn’t showing
 up in exit interviews as a primary cause of leaving the jobs, it could 
be a contributing factor in worker burnout.&nbsp;It is also common for family members 
of patients to take their anger out on workers. The highest 
concentrations of violence take place within emergency and behavioral 
health departments, with nurses in the ER being <a target="_blank" href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/44997529?seq=1">four times</a> more likely to be assaulted than those in other departments, but Ardabell emphasized that there is no typical situation.“The situations can really be all 
over the map. It could be a confused patient that hits someone in their 
confusion, it could be someone who purposely hits someone because of 
their anger,” Ardabell said.&nbsp;The daily threat of violence was 
underscored by two attacks on hospitals earlier this month. First a 
shooting at a hospital in Tulsa, Oklahoma, that saw four people killed, 
and then a stabbing at a medical center in Los Angeles, where three 
medical professionals were injured. In response, the Virginia Hospital 
and Healthcare Association released a statement expressing concern and 
highlighting steps that hospitals were taking.“Unfortunately, hospitals and the 
people who work in them live with the daily reality that health care 
professionals face an elevated risk of being victims of workplace 
violence,” read the statement. “In response to these conditions, 
hospitals across Virginia have implemented a range of safety and 
prevention programs for staff including alerting systems, safety 
protocols, enhanced security personnel presence, and more to protect 
patients, family, visitors, and staff.”In the meantime, ER doctors continue 
push for better working conditions “The physical and verbal abuse and 
violence toward all ED staff is out of control. This bill is a decent 
start, but we need even more,” read another letter.“We are sitting ducks.”

‘Punched, kicked, spit on’: Violence rises against health care workers since COVID

By CINDY GONZALEZ <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2022/06/20/seattle-based-cycling-frog-jabs-at-nebraskas-social-scene-but-tourism-folks-snap-back/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

A
 Seattle-based brand called Cycling Frog has ranked Nebraska near the 
bottom of the pack when it comes to the best states for summer 
socializing.

In
 its media release, Cycling Frog is described as an “exciting new player
 in the THC &amp; CBD space” and said its picks for top social states 
have common ground in that they have a good share of colleges and state 
parks, and legal cannabis to some degree.

The wholesaler noted that it didn’t set out to bash any particular place.

“Whilst
 we’re confident that there are plenty of reasons to visit Nebraska, 
Alabama and Wyoming, they don’t appear to be the best destinations if 
you’re looking for carefree summer fun, according to our ranking 
criteria,” said head of brand Jason Peterson.

The
 Nebraska Tourism Commission, asked to respond, had its own summertime 
fun with the group’s findings. It released a statement that nodded to 
the commission’s spring and summer campaign slogan, which is: “Nebraska.
 Honestly, it’s not for everyone.”&nbsp;

“Note to our Cycling Frog friends:

Nebraska
 isn’t for everyone. It’s for the ‘not everyones’ of the world. And 
frankly, folks who refer to themselves as ‘Cycling Frogs’ sound about as
 ‘not everyone’ as you can get. So we hereby invite you to come and 
discover the vibrant (and very social) nightlife of our cities. Or our 
amazing party-friendly riverbanks and lakeshores. Or large events like 
the College World Series, rodeos, festivals, and all sorts of other 
reasons people gather to celebrate and hang out with lots of other 
people (AKA, ‘socializing’). Yes, Cycling Frogs, you are invited to 
visit. So hop to it.

<a target="_blank" href="https://cyclingfrog.com/blogs/news/ranked-the-best-and-worst-states-for-summer-socials">Cycling Frog,</a> which launched early this year, said it used eight criteria to develop the system that judged each state’s “suitability for summer socials.”&nbsp;

Criteria
 were population size, median age, number of state parks, number of 
state beaches, summer temperatures, number of colleges, average price of
 a 24-pack of beer and marijuana legality.

Husker
 territory was ranked third lowest, with researchers commenting that the
 “Beef State” had too few managed or protected parks and outdoor spaces 
“to explore and enjoy the summer sun.”

Just above and below Nebraska in the Cycling Frog rankings were Nevada and Alabama, respectively.

Wyoming
 wound up last, with researchers noting it has “only 14 state parks and 
beaches for outdoor recreation” in addition to high-priced beer.

Conversely,
 California, Massachusetts and New York were ranked on top. The 
researchers pointed out California’s “reliable temperatures” and over 
300 state parks and beaches. They noted that marijuana and associated 
cannabinoids are legal there for recreational use.

The three top ranked states all have fully legalized marijuana, including recreational use.

Of the bottom three, Wyoming and Nebraska have no legalized 
marijuana use. Alabama’s legislature and governor in 2021 signed into 
law a bill allowing medical marijuana use.Currently in 
Nebraska, a group is gathering signatures for a pair of initiative 
petitions aimed at legalizing medical marijuana in the state.&nbsp;

Cycling Frog<a target="_blank" href="https://cyclingfrog.com/"> offers</a>
 hemp-based THC and CBD products to a mass audience. The brand’s website
 also says that it is “pushing the boundaries and going into uncharted 
territory” in an attempt to change a generation’s perception and access 
to the products in the U.S.

THC,
 or tetrahydrocannabinol, is the psychoactive compound in marijuana. 
CBD, or cannabidiol, is said to not cause that same “high” and is touted
 as a component of medical marijuana and treating certain syndromes.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/6/1655835180511.png" alt=" (Courtesy of Nebraska Department of Economic Development)" />
 <figcaption> (Courtesy of Nebraska Department of Economic Development)</figcaption>
 </figure>By CINDY GONZALEZ <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2022/06/20/seattle-based-cycling-frog-jabs-at-nebraskas-social-scene-but-tourism-folks-snap-back/">Nebraska Examiner</a>A
 Seattle-based brand called Cycling Frog has ranked Nebraska near the 
bottom of the pack when it comes to the best states for summer 
socializing.In
 its media release, Cycling Frog is described as an “exciting new player
 in the THC &amp; CBD space” and said its picks for top social states 
have common ground in that they have a good share of colleges and state 
parks, and legal cannabis to some degree.The wholesaler noted that it didn’t set out to bash any particular place.“Whilst
 we’re confident that there are plenty of reasons to visit Nebraska, 
Alabama and Wyoming, they don’t appear to be the best destinations if 
you’re looking for carefree summer fun, according to our ranking 
criteria,” said head of brand Jason Peterson.<h2>Back at you, Cycling Frog</h2>The
 Nebraska Tourism Commission, asked to respond, had its own summertime 
fun with the group’s findings. It released a statement that nodded to 
the commission’s spring and summer campaign slogan, which is: “Nebraska.
 Honestly, it’s not for everyone.”&nbsp;“Note to our Cycling Frog friends:Nebraska
 isn’t for everyone. It’s for the ‘not everyones’ of the world. And 
frankly, folks who refer to themselves as ‘Cycling Frogs’ sound about as
 ‘not everyone’ as you can get. So we hereby invite you to come and 
discover the vibrant (and very social) nightlife of our cities. Or our 
amazing party-friendly riverbanks and lakeshores. Or large events like 
the College World Series, rodeos, festivals, and all sorts of other 
reasons people gather to celebrate and hang out with lots of other 
people (AKA, ‘socializing’). Yes, Cycling Frogs, you are invited to 
visit. So hop to it.Love, Nebraska Tourism.”<a target="_blank" href="https://cyclingfrog.com/blogs/news/ranked-the-best-and-worst-states-for-summer-socials">Cycling Frog,</a> which launched early this year, said it used eight criteria to develop the system that judged each state’s “suitability for summer socials.”&nbsp;Criteria
 were population size, median age, number of state parks, number of 
state beaches, summer temperatures, number of colleges, average price of
 a 24-pack of beer and marijuana legality.Husker
 territory was ranked third lowest, with researchers commenting that the
 “Beef State” had too few managed or protected parks and outdoor spaces 
“to explore and enjoy the summer sun.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/6/1655835250891.jpeg" alt="(Courtesy of Department of Economic Development)" />
 <figcaption>(Courtesy of Department of Economic Development)</figcaption>
 </figure>Just above and below Nebraska in the Cycling Frog rankings were Nevada and Alabama, respectively.<h2>Bottom of the pile</h2>Wyoming
 wound up last, with researchers noting it has “only 14 state parks and 
beaches for outdoor recreation” in addition to high-priced beer.Conversely,
 California, Massachusetts and New York were ranked on top. The 
researchers pointed out California’s “reliable temperatures” and over 
300 state parks and beaches. They noted that marijuana and associated 
cannabinoids are legal there for recreational use.The three top ranked states all have fully legalized marijuana, including recreational use.Of the bottom three, Wyoming and Nebraska have no legalized 
marijuana use. Alabama’s legislature and governor in 2021 signed into 
law a bill allowing medical marijuana use.Currently in 
Nebraska, a group is gathering signatures for a pair of initiative 
petitions aimed at legalizing medical marijuana in the state.&nbsp;Cycling Frog<a target="_blank" href="https://cyclingfrog.com/"> offers</a>
 hemp-based THC and CBD products to a mass audience. The brand’s website
 also says that it is “pushing the boundaries and going into uncharted 
territory” in an attempt to change a generation’s perception and access 
to the products in the U.S.THC,
 or tetrahydrocannabinol, is the psychoactive compound in marijuana. 
CBD, or cannabidiol, is said to not cause that same “high” and is touted
 as a component of medical marijuana and treating certain syndromes.<h2>Good Life Summer Contest</h2>Meanwhile, the Nebraska Department of Economic Development announced the June 20 start of the monthlong “Nebraska Good Life <a target="_blank" href="https://thegoodlifeiscalling.com/connect/">Summer Contest.”</a>Three Nebraskans will have the chance to win prizes by sharing their favorite fun-in-the-sun activity.Entrants
 are asked to post a fun and creative Instagram reel of themselves and 
friends, tagging @nebraskagoodlife and using hashtag 
#NEGoodLifeSummerContest in the caption.&nbsp;Prizes
 include a smart TV, an Amazon Echo and a streaming device. The contest 
is sponsored by the Nebraska Diplomats and hosted by the Department of 
Economic Development.&nbsp;