By BLAISE MESA <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2022-08-23/kansas-mental-health-hospitals-are-so-overcrowded-that-patients-have-to-wait-in-hallways">Kansas News Service</a>

TOPEKA — Patients facing mental health crises are waiting in a Wichita hospital hallway because psychiatric wards are full.

Inmates in the Sedgwick County Jail wait up to a year to get transferred to the Larned State Hospital simply for evaluations.

And hospital workers get choked, kicked or yelled at by people who can’t get intensive mental health care.

Hospital
 administrators told lawmakers at a hearing Tuesday that a lack of 
mental health services and overcrowding puts both patients and health 
care workers in danger at hospitals in south and central Kansas.

“The
 money we’ve spent and the space we have created has been grossly 
overwhelmed in recent years with the need,” said Robyn Chadwick, 
president of the Ascension Via Christi St. Joseph Hospital in Wichita. 
“We do need help.”

Chadwick urged lawmakers to expand the capacity
 of mental health beds in Kansas. She spoke to the Special Committee on 
Mental Health Beds Tuesday morning and said her hospital is stretched 
thin.

The St. Joseph hospital has spent millions to expand 
capacity in its emergency room but it can’t keep up, Chadwick said. She 
added that rural hospitals don’t have the resources to handle these 
patients. St. Joseph could send patients to a state hospital, but the 
waitlists are so long and the health system already cares for around 11 
people who are otherwise state-hospital eligible.

As calls for a 
new hospital intensified, lawmakers on the committee questioned whether a
 private or state-run facility is best. Rep. Henry Helgerson, an 
Eastborough Democrat, said he’s seen more private beds than public beds 
in the last decade. But Chadwick was not excited by more 
privately-funded rooms because she’s seen those facilities close down.

New
 hospitals are on the horizon. Gov. Laura Kelly toured the 
soon-to-be-completed youth facility in Hays last week. Once it’s 
completed in January, it will be the state's only facility west of 
Wichita to offer acute care for kids with severe mental health needs.

Kelly was also in Wichita last week to push for a 50-bed facility in Sedgwick County.

“When
 I came into office, one of my highest priorities was strengthening our 
mental health system,” Kelly said last week. “Even though we have come a
 long way over the last four years, I know there is still so much we 
need to do.”

Sedgwick County has tried to build a mental health 
hospital since 2018, but nothing has materialized. The state has 
allocated $15 million for the hospital and Kelly wants to see another 
$25 million in COVID relief funds sent toward the project. Sedgwick 
County applied for $40 million in federal economic stimulus money for 
construction.

“It’s essential,” Kelly said, “It’s overdue, and we don’t have time to wait.”

Chadwick
 worries finding workers to staff a hospital will prove daunting. She 
said a new hospital would siphon off employees from St. Joseph. Fewer 
employees would mean fewer beds available and Chadwick said opening the 
new hospital could have no impact on the state’s overall capacity.

State
 officials said the Larned State Hospital could take in more people, but
 the hospital lacks the staff to expand its capacity.

She recommended lawmakers create tuition forgiveness programs or offer in-state tuition to out-of-state health students.

“We will stay in this business,” Chadwick said, “but we need your help to do it.”

Blaise
 Mesa reports on criminal justice and social services for the Kansas 
News Service in Topeka. You can follow him on Twitter @Blaise_Mesa or 
email him at blaise@kcur.org.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1661350078164.png" alt="Gov. Laura Kelly is pushing for additional mental health beds. David Condos / Kansas News Service " />
 <figcaption>Gov. Laura Kelly is pushing for additional mental health beds. David Condos / Kansas News Service </figcaption>
 </figure>By BLAISE MESA <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2022-08-23/kansas-mental-health-hospitals-are-so-overcrowded-that-patients-have-to-wait-in-hallways">Kansas News Service</a>TOPEKA — Patients facing mental health crises are waiting in a Wichita hospital hallway because psychiatric wards are full.Inmates in the Sedgwick County Jail wait up to a year to get transferred to the Larned State Hospital simply for evaluations.And hospital workers get choked, kicked or yelled at by people who can’t get intensive mental health care.Hospital
 administrators told lawmakers at a hearing Tuesday that a lack of 
mental health services and overcrowding puts both patients and health 
care workers in danger at hospitals in south and central Kansas.“The
 money we’ve spent and the space we have created has been grossly 
overwhelmed in recent years with the need,” said Robyn Chadwick, 
president of the Ascension Via Christi St. Joseph Hospital in Wichita. 
“We do need help.”Chadwick urged lawmakers to expand the capacity
 of mental health beds in Kansas. She spoke to the Special Committee on 
Mental Health Beds Tuesday morning and said her hospital is stretched 
thin.The St. Joseph hospital has spent millions to expand 
capacity in its emergency room but it can’t keep up, Chadwick said. She 
added that rural hospitals don’t have the resources to handle these 
patients. St. Joseph could send patients to a state hospital, but the 
waitlists are so long and the health system already cares for around 11 
people who are otherwise state-hospital eligible.As calls for a 
new hospital intensified, lawmakers on the committee questioned whether a
 private or state-run facility is best. Rep. Henry Helgerson, an 
Eastborough Democrat, said he’s seen more private beds than public beds 
in the last decade. But Chadwick was not excited by more 
privately-funded rooms because she’s seen those facilities close down.New
 hospitals are on the horizon. Gov. Laura Kelly toured the 
soon-to-be-completed youth facility in Hays last week. Once it’s 
completed in January, it will be the state's only facility west of 
Wichita to offer acute care for kids with severe mental health needs.Kelly was also in Wichita last week to push for a 50-bed facility in Sedgwick County.“When
 I came into office, one of my highest priorities was strengthening our 
mental health system,” Kelly said last week. “Even though we have come a
 long way over the last four years, I know there is still so much we 
need to do.”Sedgwick County has tried to build a mental health 
hospital since 2018, but nothing has materialized. The state has 
allocated $15 million for the hospital and Kelly wants to see another 
$25 million in COVID relief funds sent toward the project. Sedgwick 
County applied for $40 million in federal economic stimulus money for 
construction.“It’s essential,” Kelly said, “It’s overdue, and we don’t have time to wait.”Chadwick
 worries finding workers to staff a hospital will prove daunting. She 
said a new hospital would siphon off employees from St. Joseph. Fewer 
employees would mean fewer beds available and Chadwick said opening the 
new hospital could have no impact on the state’s overall capacity.State
 officials said the Larned State Hospital could take in more people, but
 the hospital lacks the staff to expand its capacity.She recommended lawmakers create tuition forgiveness programs or offer in-state tuition to out-of-state health students.“We will stay in this business,” Chadwick said, “but we need your help to do it.”Blaise
 Mesa reports on criminal justice and social services for the Kansas 
News Service in Topeka. You can follow him on Twitter @Blaise_Mesa or 
email him at blaise@kcur.org.

Kan. mental health hospitals so overcrowded patients wait in halls

SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect on multiple charges after a an arrest.

Just after 5a.m. Friday, a citizen called the Shawnee County Emergency Communications Center regarding a suspicious vehicle parked in her driveway with a male driver, according to Deputy Abigail Christian.

A Drug Recognition Expert (DRE) deputy observed a 2003 Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck near SE Croco Road and SE 53rd Street that matched the description of the suspicious vehicle. 

The DRE deputy conducted a traffic stop when the Chevrolet failed to signal a right turn. During the investigation, it was determined that the driver was too impaired to drive and illegal narcotics were located.

The deputy arrested Tyler E. Schrock, 35, of Topeka and booked him into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges of driving under the influence, possession of methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia, transporting an open container of liquor and making an improper turn.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1661545539407.png" alt="Schrock-photo Shawnee Co." />
 <figcaption>Schrock-photo Shawnee Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect on multiple charges after a an arrest.Just after 5a.m. Friday, a citizen called the Shawnee County Emergency Communications Center regarding a suspicious vehicle parked in her driveway with a male driver, according to Deputy Abigail Christian.A Drug Recognition Expert (DRE) deputy observed a 2003 Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck near SE Croco Road and SE 53rd Street that matched the description of the suspicious vehicle. The DRE deputy conducted a traffic stop when the Chevrolet failed to signal a right turn. During the investigation, it was determined that the driver was too impaired to drive and illegal narcotics were located.The deputy arrested Tyler E. Schrock, 35, of Topeka and booked him into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges of driving under the influence, possession of methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia, transporting an open container of liquor and making an improper turn.

Woman found Kan. drug suspect parked in her driveway

By TERRI FRIEDLINE, DOMINIQUE BAKER and JOHN W. DIAMOND <a href="https://theconversation.com/student-loan-forgiveness-experts-on-banking-public-spending-and-education-policy-look-at-the-impact-of-bidens-plan-189352">The Conversation</a>

President Joe Biden announced a <a href="https://studentaid.gov/debt-relief-announcement/">program to provide student debt relief</a>
 to millions of borrowers of federal loans. The plan would offer up to 
US$10,000 in forgiveness for people who earn less than $125,000 – 
$250,000 for couples – and up to $20,000 for Pell Grant recipients. 
Biden also extended the pause on repaying federal student loan debt 
through Dec. 31, 2022, and has proposed a cap on income that can be used
 to calculate how much borrowers repay through income-driven repayment.

We asked three experts to explain the decision and its impact.

Relief makes real difference but ignores structural issues

Terri Friedline, Associate Professor of Social Work, University of Michigan

The Biden administration’s plan is an important step that I believe will make a real difference in many people’s lives. The <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/08/24/fact-sheet-president-biden-announces-student-loan-relief-for-borrowers-who-need-it-most/">White House estimates</a> that about 20 million of the nation’s <a href="https://www.forbes.com/advisor/student-loans/average-student-loan-statistics/">roughly 43 million student debt holders</a> will see their entire balance canceled.

Despite this considerable impact, the plan is still limited. I hope 
it’s just the beginning in much-needed policy conversations about debt 
and education in the United States. 

For one thing, Biden’s plan <a href="https://libertystreeteconomics.newyorkfed.org/2022/04/who-are-the-federal-student-loan-borrowers-and-who-benefits-from-forgiveness/">cuts less than 20%</a> of America’s $1.75 trillion student debt tab.

In addition, the income cap of $125,000 focuses on borrowers’ socioeconomic class while ignoring the roles <a href="https://www.marketplace.org/2020/10/27/student-loan-debt-adds-to-racial-wealth-disparities-research-finds">structural racism</a> and sexism play in terms of who borrows and how much. For example, <a href="https://www.aauw.org/issues/education/student-debt/">Black women borrow</a>
 about $38,000 on average to finance their education, compared with 
$30,000 for white men. And because interest on student loans quickly 
accumulates, most Black female borrowers <a href="https://heller.brandeis.edu/iere/pdfs/racial-wealth-equity/racial-wealth-gap/stallingdreams-how-student-debt-is-disrupting-lifechances.pdf">still owe</a>
 their original balance 20 years after enrolling in school. By 
comparison, most white borrowers have paid off their loans completely 
within that time period.

The Biden administration will have to do more if it aims to 
adequately address these and the many other remaining structural 
problems with debt and education. 

Plan extends much-needed relief to Black borrowers

Dominique Baker, Assistant Professor of Education Policy, Southern Methodist University

When approximately 10,000 student loan borrowers had their private 
student loans randomly canceled from 2010 to 2017, researchers found 
that it ultimately enabled them to <a href="https://www.nber.org/papers/w25810">more easily move, change jobs and earn more money</a>. The borrowers were also 11% less likely to default on credit cards or other loans.

I expect similar outcomes will flow from the Biden administration’s 
decision to cancel federal student loans. And the decision to cancel up 
to $20,000 for those who received Pell Grants means that <a href="https://www.urban.org/urban-wire/more-targeted-approach-student-loan-forgiveness">even more relief may flow to borrowers who are Black</a>.

From the standpoint of racial justice, I believe this additional relief for Black borrowers is necessary because of <a href="https://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674251489">centuries of</a> <a href="https://wwnorton.com/books/When-Affirmative-Action-Was-White/">systemic inequities</a>. Such inequities include accumulating education debt through “<a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/2329496516686620">predatory inclusion</a>,”
 a practice in which Black people are offered access to things like 
college or buying a house but on exploitative financial terms that have 
long-term negative effects.

Black student loan borrowers are also often the <a href="https://www.brookings.edu/research/the-looming-student-loan-default-crisis-is-worse-than-we-thought/">most</a> <a href="https://www.americanprogress.org/article/continued-student-loan-crisis-black-borrowers/">burdened</a> <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/2332649218790989">by</a> <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/2332858419860153">student</a> <a href="https://www.luminafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/borrowers-of-color-2.pdf">loan</a> <a href="https://www2.ed.gov/policy/highered/reg/hearulemaking/2021/raceandloans.pdf">debt</a>. As <a href="https://www.brookings.edu/research/the-looming-student-loan-default-crisis-is-worse-than-we-thought/">one example</a>,
 Black bachelor’s degree earners are more likely to default on their 
student loans than white students who earn a bachelor’s degree – 21% 
versus 4%, respectively. Even more startling, Black bachelor’s degree 
recipients default at a higher rate than white students who leave 
college with no degree – 21% versus 18%, respectively.

The Biden administration also has <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/08/24/fact-sheet-president-biden-announces-student-loan-relief-for-borrowers-who-need-it-most/#:%7E:text=President%20Biden%20believes%20that%20a,deprives%20them%20of%20that%20opportunity">proposed changes to the income-driven repayment plan</a>,
 which should help future undergraduate borrowers by reducing the 
monthly percentage of discretionary income borrowers would pay from 10% 
to 5% and increasing what counts as nondiscretionary income. That means 
borrowers will have more money that will not be used to calculate the 
percentage they owe each month.

I’d argue there is still work to be done to create an affordable college education. But today was an excellent start.

John W. Diamond, Director of the Baker Institute’s Center for Public Finance, Rice University

The price tag for Biden’s debt forgiveness plan is estimated <a href="https://budgetmodel.wharton.upenn.edu/issues/2022/8/23/forgiving-student-loans">at a little more than $300 billion</a>.

While it will provide direct financial benefits for some people who 
currently owe money on federal student loans, I believe there will be 
another cost: higher inflation. 

U.S. inflation is already rising at just below the <a href="https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/CPIAUCSL">fastest annual pace in 40 years</a>, prompting the Federal Reserve to <a href="https://theconversation.com/a-hawkish-fed-signals-further-rate-hikes-and-sees-a-slowing-economy-but-not-recession-187758">aggressively hike interest rates</a> to reduce it, even at the risk of recession. Biden’s plan will make the central bank’s job tougher.

The upward pressure on inflation will result from increased spending 
by those who see their student debts reduced, as well as from the 
continuing moratorium on federal loan repayments. This higher demand for
 consumer goods – relative to a world without debt relief or a repayment
 moratorium – has the effect of driving up prices for current goods and 
services.

The <a href="https://www.crfb.org/blogs/cancelling-student-debt-would-undermine-inflation-reduction-act">Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget</a> found that a similar though more modest version of debt forgiveness would lead to a measurable increase in <a href="https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/PCE">spending on personal consumption</a>,
 which would have the effect of driving up prices for all consumers. 
That was based on a plan to spend roughly $230 billion on debt 
forgiveness – at least $70 billion less than Biden’s plan.

Another side effect could be that Biden’s debt relief offers incentives to students entering or currently in college to <a href="https://www.crfb.org/blogs/how-long-cancelled-student-debt-would-return">take on additional debt</a> in anticipation of future rounds of forgiveness. Economists call this <a href="http://investopedia.com/terms/m/moralhazard.asp">moral hazard</a>. Other research found that increases in student borrowing <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/rfs/hhy069">can result in bigger tuition increases</a>.

Some research has pointed to <a href="http://www.doi.org/10.3386/w25810">positive economic outcomes</a>
 for those who receive debt relief, such as less future indebtedness, 
greater job mobility and higher salaries. But these effects are based on
 a full discharge of student debt and not an incremental reduction like 
the one Biden announced.

Ultimately, loan forgiveness – whatever its merits – will likely lead
 to larger federal deficits and higher inflation. While it benefits 
those with student loan debt, those benefits should be weighed against 
the costs it imposes on others and the economy.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1661452644608.jpg" alt="Pixabay photo" />
 <figcaption>Pixabay photo</figcaption>
 </figure>By TERRI FRIEDLINE, DOMINIQUE BAKER and JOHN W. DIAMOND <a href="https://theconversation.com/student-loan-forgiveness-experts-on-banking-public-spending-and-education-policy-look-at-the-impact-of-bidens-plan-189352">The Conversation</a>President Joe Biden announced a <a href="https://studentaid.gov/debt-relief-announcement/">program to provide student debt relief</a>
 to millions of borrowers of federal loans. The plan would offer up to 
US$10,000 in forgiveness for people who earn less than $125,000 – 
$250,000 for couples – and up to $20,000 for Pell Grant recipients. 
Biden also extended the pause on repaying federal student loan debt 
through Dec. 31, 2022, and has proposed a cap on income that can be used
 to calculate how much borrowers repay through income-driven repayment.We asked three experts to explain the decision and its impact.<h2>Relief makes real difference but ignores structural issues</h2>Terri Friedline, Associate Professor of Social Work, University of MichiganThe Biden administration’s plan is an important step that I believe will make a real difference in many people’s lives. The <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/08/24/fact-sheet-president-biden-announces-student-loan-relief-for-borrowers-who-need-it-most/">White House estimates</a> that about 20 million of the nation’s <a href="https://www.forbes.com/advisor/student-loans/average-student-loan-statistics/">roughly 43 million student debt holders</a> will see their entire balance canceled. Despite this considerable impact, the plan is still limited. I hope 
it’s just the beginning in much-needed policy conversations about debt 
and education in the United States. For one thing, Biden’s plan <a href="https://libertystreeteconomics.newyorkfed.org/2022/04/who-are-the-federal-student-loan-borrowers-and-who-benefits-from-forgiveness/">cuts less than 20%</a> of America’s $1.75 trillion student debt tab. In addition, the income cap of $125,000 focuses on borrowers’ socioeconomic class while ignoring the roles <a href="https://www.marketplace.org/2020/10/27/student-loan-debt-adds-to-racial-wealth-disparities-research-finds">structural racism</a> and sexism play in terms of who borrows and how much. For example, <a href="https://www.aauw.org/issues/education/student-debt/">Black women borrow</a>
 about $38,000 on average to finance their education, compared with 
$30,000 for white men. And because interest on student loans quickly 
accumulates, most Black female borrowers <a href="https://heller.brandeis.edu/iere/pdfs/racial-wealth-equity/racial-wealth-gap/stallingdreams-how-student-debt-is-disrupting-lifechances.pdf">still owe</a>
 their original balance 20 years after enrolling in school. By 
comparison, most white borrowers have paid off their loans completely 
within that time period.The Biden administration will have to do more if it aims to 
adequately address these and the many other remaining structural 
problems with debt and education. <h2>Plan extends much-needed relief to Black borrowers</h2>Dominique Baker, Assistant Professor of Education Policy, Southern Methodist UniversityWhen approximately 10,000 student loan borrowers had their private 
student loans randomly canceled from 2010 to 2017, researchers found 
that it ultimately enabled them to <a href="https://www.nber.org/papers/w25810">more easily move, change jobs and earn more money</a>. The borrowers were also 11% less likely to default on credit cards or other loans.I expect similar outcomes will flow from the Biden administration’s 
decision to cancel federal student loans. And the decision to cancel up 
to $20,000 for those who received Pell Grants means that <a href="https://www.urban.org/urban-wire/more-targeted-approach-student-loan-forgiveness">even more relief may flow to borrowers who are Black</a>.From the standpoint of racial justice, I believe this additional relief for Black borrowers is necessary because of <a href="https://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674251489">centuries of</a> <a href="https://wwnorton.com/books/When-Affirmative-Action-Was-White/">systemic inequities</a>. Such inequities include accumulating education debt through “<a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/2329496516686620">predatory inclusion</a>,”
 a practice in which Black people are offered access to things like 
college or buying a house but on exploitative financial terms that have 
long-term negative effects.Black student loan borrowers are also often the <a href="https://www.brookings.edu/research/the-looming-student-loan-default-crisis-is-worse-than-we-thought/">most</a> <a href="https://www.americanprogress.org/article/continued-student-loan-crisis-black-borrowers/">burdened</a> <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/2332649218790989">by</a> <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/2332858419860153">student</a> <a href="https://www.luminafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/borrowers-of-color-2.pdf">loan</a> <a href="https://www2.ed.gov/policy/highered/reg/hearulemaking/2021/raceandloans.pdf">debt</a>. As <a href="https://www.brookings.edu/research/the-looming-student-loan-default-crisis-is-worse-than-we-thought/">one example</a>,
 Black bachelor’s degree earners are more likely to default on their 
student loans than white students who earn a bachelor’s degree – 21% 
versus 4%, respectively. Even more startling, Black bachelor’s degree 
recipients default at a higher rate than white students who leave 
college with no degree – 21% versus 18%, respectively.The Biden administration also has <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/08/24/fact-sheet-president-biden-announces-student-loan-relief-for-borrowers-who-need-it-most/#:%7E:text=President%20Biden%20believes%20that%20a,deprives%20them%20of%20that%20opportunity">proposed changes to the income-driven repayment plan</a>,
 which should help future undergraduate borrowers by reducing the 
monthly percentage of discretionary income borrowers would pay from 10% 
to 5% and increasing what counts as nondiscretionary income. That means 
borrowers will have more money that will not be used to calculate the 
percentage they owe each month. I’d argue there is still work to be done to create an affordable college education. But today was an excellent start.<h2>Loan forgiveness could fuel inflation</h2>John W. Diamond, Director of the Baker Institute’s Center for Public Finance, Rice UniversityThe price tag for Biden’s debt forgiveness plan is estimated <a href="https://budgetmodel.wharton.upenn.edu/issues/2022/8/23/forgiving-student-loans">at a little more than $300 billion</a>.While it will provide direct financial benefits for some people who 
currently owe money on federal student loans, I believe there will be 
another cost: higher inflation. U.S. inflation is already rising at just below the <a href="https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/CPIAUCSL">fastest annual pace in 40 years</a>, prompting the Federal Reserve to <a href="https://theconversation.com/a-hawkish-fed-signals-further-rate-hikes-and-sees-a-slowing-economy-but-not-recession-187758">aggressively hike interest rates</a> to reduce it, even at the risk of recession. Biden’s plan will make the central bank’s job tougher. The upward pressure on inflation will result from increased spending 
by those who see their student debts reduced, as well as from the 
continuing moratorium on federal loan repayments. This higher demand for
 consumer goods – relative to a world without debt relief or a repayment
 moratorium – has the effect of driving up prices for current goods and 
services.The <a href="https://www.crfb.org/blogs/cancelling-student-debt-would-undermine-inflation-reduction-act">Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget</a> found that a similar though more modest version of debt forgiveness would lead to a measurable increase in <a href="https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/PCE">spending on personal consumption</a>,
 which would have the effect of driving up prices for all consumers. 
That was based on a plan to spend roughly $230 billion on debt 
forgiveness – at least $70 billion less than Biden’s plan.Another side effect could be that Biden’s debt relief offers incentives to students entering or currently in college to <a href="https://www.crfb.org/blogs/how-long-cancelled-student-debt-would-return">take on additional debt</a> in anticipation of future rounds of forgiveness. Economists call this <a href="http://investopedia.com/terms/m/moralhazard.asp">moral hazard</a>. Other research found that increases in student borrowing <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/rfs/hhy069">can result in bigger tuition increases</a>. Some research has pointed to <a href="http://www.doi.org/10.3386/w25810">positive economic outcomes</a>
 for those who receive debt relief, such as less future indebtedness, 
greater job mobility and higher salaries. But these effects are based on
 a full discharge of student debt and not an incremental reduction like 
the one Biden announced. Ultimately, loan forgiveness – whatever its merits – will likely lead
 to larger federal deficits and higher inflation. While it benefits 
those with student loan debt, those benefits should be weighed against 
the costs it imposes on others and the economy.<div><iframe src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/189352/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-advanced" width="1" height="1"></iframe></div>

Experts look at the impact of Biden’s student loan plan

CAMDEN COUNTY—One person drowned in an accident just after 4:30p.m. Saturday at Lake of the Ozarks.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2019 Sylvan Pontoon driven by 31-year-old Favian Estrada of Kansas City, was westbound at the 13 mile mark of the main channel at Lake of the Ozarks.

A passenger identified as 29-year-old Daniel E. Cortez of Kansas City was ejected as the vessel struck a wake. The vessel then struck Cortez. 

He was pronounced deceased at the scene by the Camden County Medical Examiner and transported to Allee Holman-Howe Funeral Home. Estrada was not injured. They were not wearing life-jackets, according to the MSHP.

CAMDEN COUNTY—One person drowned in an accident just after 4:30p.m. Saturday at Lake of the Ozarks.The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2019 Sylvan Pontoon driven by 31-year-old Favian Estrada of Kansas City, was westbound at the 13 mile mark of the main channel at Lake of the Ozarks.A passenger identified as 29-year-old Daniel E. Cortez of Kansas City was ejected as the vessel struck a wake. The vessel then struck Cortez. He was pronounced deceased at the scene by the Camden County Medical Examiner and transported to Allee Holman-Howe Funeral Home. Estrada was not injured. They were not wearing life-jackets, according to the MSHP.

Kansas City man drowns after ejected from boat

MANHATTAN —As millions of K-12 students head back to the classroom, a new report by Kansas State University&nbsp;<a href="https://coe.k-state.edu/">College of Education</a>&nbsp;researchers shows the scope of the teaching vacancy problem across the country, providing what may be the first data set on teacher shortages by state. <a href="https://www.edworkingpapers.com/ai22-631">"Is There a National Teacher Shortage? A Systematic Examination of Reports of Teacher Shortages in the United States"</a>&nbsp;was published as a working paper by the Brown University's Annenberg Institute by K-State researchers Tuan Nguyen, assistant professor of curriculum and instruction, and Chanh Bao Lam, data analyst. Paul Bruno, assistant professor at the University of Illinois-Champaign, is the third author. Augmenting existing data from federal and state agencies with news reports and publicly available information, the team examined each state's teacher vacancies then grouped them into three categories for comparison. The team's report also includes a look at the number of underqualified individuals serving as teachers to fill vacancies. According to Nguyen classifying the teacher shortage is difficult because reporting varies from state to state or agency to agency. "Overall, there are at least 36,500 vacant positions along with 163,000 underqualified individuals filling teaching positions across the United States," Nguyen said. "These vacancies represent 1.67% of teaching positions nationwide, with about 5.16% of positions held by underqualified school district employees." The 11 states in Group 1 have the clearest vacancies. Florida leads the nation with nearly 4,000 unfilled teaching positions for the 2021-22 school year, followed by Illinois with 1,703 and Arizona with 1,699. The remaining states in this group are Utah, Missouri, Nebraska, Minnesota, Colorado, Connecticut, Pennsylvania and Oklahoma. The 26 states plus Washington, D.C., in the second group have less clear vacancy information. In this category, Georgia ranks highest with 3,112 position vacancies for the 2019-20 school year — the last year data was available —followed by Mississippi and Alabama, each with more than 3,000 vacancies in 2021-22. Wisconsin is the only state with vacancies in the 2000s. The following states reported vacancies more than 1,000 vacancies: North Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, Kansas, New Mexico, West Virginia and Maryland. The remaining states in this group reported vacancies of under 1,000 from Indiana with 980 to Rhode Island with 93. The 13 remaining states have no vacancy information, but they have a substantial number of underqualified teachers, including up to 24,000 positions in California. The states in this category are listed in alphabetical order: Alaska, Arkansas, California, Iowa, Louisiana, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Vermont, Washington and Wyoming. "We need more accurate and timely data to make targeted policy decisions addressing these substantial teacher staffing challenges," Nguyen said. "Toward this end, our report contains several recommendations for district and state policymakers to consider when addressing local teacher shortages." Raw counts of reported teacher vacancy by state are available on the researchers' website,&nbsp;<a href="https://teachershortages.com/">teachershortages.com</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1661269605940.png" alt="Kansas State University College of Education researchers Chanh Bao Lam, left, and Tuan Nguyen-courtesy photo" />
 <figcaption>Kansas State University College of Education researchers Chanh Bao Lam, left, and Tuan Nguyen-courtesy photo</figcaption>
 </figure>By Patrice ScottMANHATTAN —As millions of K-12 students head back to the classroom, a new report by Kansas State University&nbsp;<a href="https://coe.k-state.edu/">College of Education</a>&nbsp;researchers shows the scope of the teaching vacancy problem across the country, providing what may be the first data set on teacher shortages by state. <a href="https://www.edworkingpapers.com/ai22-631">"Is There a National Teacher Shortage? A Systematic Examination of Reports of Teacher Shortages in the United States"</a>&nbsp;was published as a working paper by the Brown University's Annenberg Institute by K-State researchers Tuan Nguyen, assistant professor of curriculum and instruction, and Chanh Bao Lam, data analyst. Paul Bruno, assistant professor at the University of Illinois-Champaign, is the third author. Augmenting existing data from federal and state agencies with news reports and publicly available information, the team examined each state's teacher vacancies then grouped them into three categories for comparison. The team's report also includes a look at the number of underqualified individuals serving as teachers to fill vacancies. According to Nguyen classifying the teacher shortage is difficult because reporting varies from state to state or agency to agency. "Overall, there are at least 36,500 vacant positions along with 163,000 underqualified individuals filling teaching positions across the United States," Nguyen said. "These vacancies represent 1.67% of teaching positions nationwide, with about 5.16% of positions held by underqualified school district employees." The 11 states in Group 1 have the clearest vacancies. Florida leads the nation with nearly 4,000 unfilled teaching positions for the 2021-22 school year, followed by Illinois with 1,703 and Arizona with 1,699. The remaining states in this group are Utah, Missouri, Nebraska, Minnesota, Colorado, Connecticut, Pennsylvania and Oklahoma. The 26 states plus Washington, D.C., in the second group have less clear vacancy information. In this category, Georgia ranks highest with 3,112 position vacancies for the 2019-20 school year — the last year data was available —followed by Mississippi and Alabama, each with more than 3,000 vacancies in 2021-22. Wisconsin is the only state with vacancies in the 2000s. The following states reported vacancies more than 1,000 vacancies: North Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, Kansas, New Mexico, West Virginia and Maryland. The remaining states in this group reported vacancies of under 1,000 from Indiana with 980 to Rhode Island with 93. The 13 remaining states have no vacancy information, but they have a substantial number of underqualified teachers, including up to 24,000 positions in California. The states in this category are listed in alphabetical order: Alaska, Arkansas, California, Iowa, Louisiana, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Vermont, Washington and Wyoming. "We need more accurate and timely data to make targeted policy decisions addressing these substantial teacher staffing challenges," Nguyen said. "Toward this end, our report contains several recommendations for district and state policymakers to consider when addressing local teacher shortages." Raw counts of reported teacher vacancy by state are available on the researchers' website,&nbsp;<a href="https://teachershortages.com/">teachershortages.com</a>.

Report by K-State researchers details teacher shortages by state

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis elevated 20 more churchmen to the rank of cardinal on Saturday, formally expanding those now eligible to vote for his successor in case he dies or resigns — the latter a step he has said he’d consider if the need arises.

Of the churchmen being named new cardinals in the consistory ceremony in St. Peter's Basilica, 16 are younger than 80 and thus eligible to participate in a conclave — the ritual-shrouded, locked-door assembly of cardinals who cast paper ballots to elect a new pontiff.

The 85-year-old Francis has now named 83 of the 132 cardinals currently young enough to join a conclave. The others were appointed by the previous two popes, St. John Paul II and Benedict XVI, whose unexpected retirement in 2013 paved the way for Francis to be elected.

With the eight batches of cardinals Francis has named, prospects are boosted that whoever becomes the next pontiff will share his vision for the future of the church.

Francis reminded the cardinals of their mission, which he said includes “an openness to all peoples, to the horizons of the world, to the peripheries as yet unknown.”

Underlining Francis' attention to those on society's margins, among the new cardinals is Archbishop Anthony Poola of Hyderabad, India. The prelate, 60, is the first member of the Dalit community, considered the lowest rung of India's caste system, to become a cardinal.

One by one, the newest cardinals, whose red cassocks and headgear symbolizes the blood they must be prepared to shed if necessary in their mission, knelt before Francis, who placed on their head the prestigious biretta, as the three-peaked hat is known.

That intimate moment was a chance to exchange a few words with Francis, who smiled to put them at ease. At times, the seated Francis, himself hobbled by mobility problems, lent his own arms to help kneeling cardinals stand up.

In choosing San Diego Bishop Robert Walter McElroy, Francis passed over U.S. churchmen leading traditionally more prestigious dioceses, including San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone.

McElroy has been among a minority of American bishops who opposed to a campaign to deny Communion to Catholic politicians who support abortion rights. Cordileone has said he'd no long allow U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to receive Communion for her defense of abortion rights.

While staunchly against abortion as a grave sin, Francis has also decried what he calls the weaponization of Communion.

McElroy last year was also among a small group of U.S. bishops signing a statement denouncing the bullying that is often directed at LGBTQ youth.

Francis has tried to make gay Catholics feel welcome in the church, whose teaching holds that same-sex intercourse is a sin.

Among the newest cardinals is Bishop Richard Kuuia Baawobr from Wa, Ghana, who has spoken out against LGBTQ rights. The African prelate felt ill when he arrived in Rome on Friday and was hospitalized for a heart problem, the pope told the other cardinals, asking them to pray “for this brother who should have been here.”

Asked by The Associated Press about such contrasting views among church leaders, McElroy replied that “there are always cultural differences within the life of the church as there is within in the human family. And different cultures approach these questions in different ways.”

McElroy added: "My own view is that we have an obligation in the church to make the LGBT persons feel equally welcome in the life of the church, as everyone else.”

With electing future pontiffs a key role for cardinals, McElroy, 68, was asked what he thought of Francis' saying that resignation for popes is a valid option.

“In principle, I think it is a good idea at a particular moment when they feel they can no longer carry the burdens of that office, but I think this pope is far from that moment," the U.S. prelate said. “I believe he sees himself as far from that moment. What he has is a mobility issue, but it has not affected his mind. I can tell you he is still on top of things."

Archbishop Ulrich Steiner of Manaus, Brazil, became the first cardinal from the Amazon, the vast, environmentally-vulnerable region in South America on the Argentine-born pontiff’s home continent. In remarks to The AP, Steiner expressed concern about increasing violence in the Amazon.

“But this violence was not born there, it came from outside,'' Steiner, 71, said. ”It is always violence related to money. Concessions, deforestation, also with the mines, also with the fishing."

At 48, the youngest member among the cardinals' ranks is an Italian missionary in Mongolia, where Catholics number some 1,300. Francis "knows how important it is supporting these little communities,'' said the new cardinal, Giorgio Marengo.

Originally, the pope had picked 21 new cardinals. But retired Belgian Bishop Luc Van Looy declined the honor, citing his own inadequate handling of cases of sexually abusive priests while he led the Ghent diocese from 2004-2020.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1661652969163.png" alt="Pope Francis prays in front of new Cardinals during consistory inside St. Peter's Basilica, at the Vatican, Saturday, Aug. 27, 2022. Pope Francis has chosen 20 men to become the Catholic Church's newest cardinals. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)" />
 <figcaption>Pope Francis prays in front of new Cardinals during consistory inside St. Peter's Basilica, at the Vatican, Saturday, Aug. 27, 2022. Pope Francis has chosen 20 men to become the Catholic Church's newest cardinals. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)</figcaption>
 </figure>VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis elevated 20 more churchmen to the rank of cardinal on Saturday, formally expanding those now eligible to vote for his successor in case he dies or resigns — the latter a step he has said he’d consider if the need arises.Of the churchmen being named new cardinals in the consistory ceremony in St. Peter's Basilica, 16 are younger than 80 and thus eligible to participate in a conclave — the ritual-shrouded, locked-door assembly of cardinals who cast paper ballots to elect a new pontiff.The 85-year-old Francis has now named 83 of the 132 cardinals currently young enough to join a conclave. The others were appointed by the previous two popes, St. John Paul II and Benedict XVI, whose unexpected retirement in 2013 paved the way for Francis to be elected.With the eight batches of cardinals Francis has named, prospects are boosted that whoever becomes the next pontiff will share his vision for the future of the church.Francis reminded the cardinals of their mission, which he said includes “an openness to all peoples, to the horizons of the world, to the peripheries as yet unknown.”Underlining Francis' attention to those on society's margins, among the new cardinals is Archbishop Anthony Poola of Hyderabad, India. The prelate, 60, is the first member of the Dalit community, considered the lowest rung of India's caste system, to become a cardinal.One by one, the newest cardinals, whose red cassocks and headgear symbolizes the blood they must be prepared to shed if necessary in their mission, knelt before Francis, who placed on their head the prestigious biretta, as the three-peaked hat is known.That intimate moment was a chance to exchange a few words with Francis, who smiled to put them at ease. At times, the seated Francis, himself hobbled by mobility problems, lent his own arms to help kneeling cardinals stand up.In choosing San Diego Bishop Robert Walter McElroy, Francis passed over U.S. churchmen leading traditionally more prestigious dioceses, including San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone.McElroy has been among a minority of American bishops who opposed to a campaign to deny Communion to Catholic politicians who support abortion rights. Cordileone has said he'd no long allow U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to receive Communion for her defense of abortion rights.While staunchly against abortion as a grave sin, Francis has also decried what he calls the weaponization of Communion.McElroy last year was also among a small group of U.S. bishops signing a statement denouncing the bullying that is often directed at LGBTQ youth.Francis has tried to make gay Catholics feel welcome in the church, whose teaching holds that same-sex intercourse is a sin.Among the newest cardinals is Bishop Richard Kuuia Baawobr from Wa, Ghana, who has spoken out against LGBTQ rights. The African prelate felt ill when he arrived in Rome on Friday and was hospitalized for a heart problem, the pope told the other cardinals, asking them to pray “for this brother who should have been here.”Asked by The Associated Press about such contrasting views among church leaders, McElroy replied that “there are always cultural differences within the life of the church as there is within in the human family. And different cultures approach these questions in different ways.”McElroy added: "My own view is that we have an obligation in the church to make the LGBT persons feel equally welcome in the life of the church, as everyone else.”With electing future pontiffs a key role for cardinals, McElroy, 68, was asked what he thought of Francis' saying that resignation for popes is a valid option.“In principle, I think it is a good idea at a particular moment when they feel they can no longer carry the burdens of that office, but I think this pope is far from that moment," the U.S. prelate said. “I believe he sees himself as far from that moment. What he has is a mobility issue, but it has not affected his mind. I can tell you he is still on top of things."Archbishop Ulrich Steiner of Manaus, Brazil, became the first cardinal from the Amazon, the vast, environmentally-vulnerable region in South America on the Argentine-born pontiff’s home continent. In remarks to The AP, Steiner expressed concern about increasing violence in the Amazon.“But this violence was not born there, it came from outside,'' Steiner, 71, said. ”It is always violence related to money. Concessions, deforestation, also with the mines, also with the fishing."At 48, the youngest member among the cardinals' ranks is an Italian missionary in Mongolia, where Catholics number some 1,300. Francis "knows how important it is supporting these little communities,'' said the new cardinal, Giorgio Marengo.Originally, the pope had picked 21 new cardinals. But retired Belgian Bishop Luc Van Looy declined the honor, citing his own inadequate handling of cases of sexually abusive priests while he led the Ghent diocese from 2004-2020.___

Pope expands ranks of cardinals who'll likely pick successor

SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities investigating a fatal July 16 shooting continue asking the public for help to locate a Kansas felon.

Just after 9:30 p.m. July 16, police were dispatched to report of a shooting in the 900 Block of SW 8th Street in Topeka, according to Police LT Ronnie Connell.

First responders found <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/bv3sq?member=20743751&amp;sharetype=teams&amp;utm_campaign=p_na+share-sheet&amp;utm_medium=copy_link&amp;utm_source=customer">34-year-old&nbsp; Kirk Sexton </a>suffering from a gunshot wound. He was pronounced deceased at the scene.

The Topeka Police Department wants to speak with Emmanuel Rashad Walker, 35, of Topeka in reference to this homicide investigation.

 Walker has previous convictions for aggravated assault in 2009 and for, obstruction and drug possession in 2019, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections

Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of Emmanuel Rashad Walker should call police or 911.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/7/1658512386623.png" alt="&nbsp;Emmanuel Rashad Walker has previous convictions for aggravated assault, obstruction and for drugs, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections -photo Topeka Police" />
 <figcaption>&nbsp;Emmanuel Rashad Walker has previous convictions for aggravated assault, obstruction and for drugs, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections -photo Topeka Police</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities investigating a fatal July 16 shooting continue asking the public for help to locate a Kansas felon.Just after 9:30 p.m. July 16, police were dispatched to report of a shooting in the 900 Block of SW 8th Street in Topeka, according to Police LT Ronnie Connell.First responders found <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/bv3sq?member=20743751&amp;sharetype=teams&amp;utm_campaign=p_na+share-sheet&amp;utm_medium=copy_link&amp;utm_source=customer">34-year-old&nbsp; Kirk Sexton </a>suffering from a gunshot wound. He was pronounced deceased at the scene.The Topeka Police Department wants to speak with Emmanuel Rashad Walker, 35, of Topeka in reference to this homicide investigation. Walker has previous convictions for aggravated assault in 2009 and for, obstruction and drug possession in 2019, according to the Kansas Department of CorrectionsAnyone with information regarding the whereabouts of Emmanuel Rashad Walker should call police or 911.

Search continues for Kansas murder suspect

By GARETH DORRIAN <a href="https://theconversation.com/artemis-1-maiden-flight-of-spacecraft-set-to-take-humans-back-to-the-moon-heres-what-needs-to-go-right-189081">The Conversation</a>

A launch window – the period during which a rocket must be launched 
to reach its destination – opens on August 29 for the first flight to 
the Moon since 1972 by a spacecraft designed to carry humans there. If 
all goes well, the <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/specials/artemis/">Artemis project</a> will be on track to meet its goal of putting humans back on the Moon in 2025.

Project Artemis, the namesake of the sister of Apollo and daughter of
 Zeus in ancient Greek mythology, is designed to establish a long-term 
human presence on our nearest celestial neighbour, and to ultimately 
explore even further afield. <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/artemis-1">Artemis 1</a> is the first of several missions. It consists of Nasa’s new super-heavy rocket, the <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/sls/index.html">Space Launch System (SLS)</a>, which has never been launched before, and the <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/orion/about/index.html">Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (or Orion MPCV)</a>, which has only flown in space once.

Unlike the <a href="https://moon.nasa.gov/resources/112/apollo-11-command-and-service-modules/">Command Service Modules of the Apollo missions</a>,
 which were powered by hydrogen fuel cells, the Orion MPCV is a 
solar-powered craft. Its distinctive X-wing style solar arrays can be 
swept forward or backward to reduce stress on the probe during 
high-thrust manoeuvres. It is capable of carrying six astronauts for up 
to 21 days in space. The imminent, uncrewed <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/artemis-1">Artemis 1</a> mission, however, may last as long as 42 days.

Also unlike Apollo, Artemis is an international project. The Orion MPCV consists of a US-built capsule for the astronauts and a <a href="https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Keywords/System/Orion_MPCV/(result_type)/videos">European-built</a> service module containing supplies of fuel, water, air, solar-arrays and rocket thrusters.

The reliance on the Sun for power places some restrictions on when 
Artemis-1 can launch as the geometry of the Earth and Moon have to be 
such that the Orion spacecraft is not in shadow from the Sun for over 90
 minutes at any point during the flight. The earliest launch window 
opens at 08.33 EST on August 29, with further windows on September 2 and
 5. 

The SLS will put Orion into Earth orbit, where its core stage will be
 discarded – dropped into the ocean. Most of the energy required to fly a
 spacecraft to the Moon is used in this first phase of the flight, just 
to reach low-Earth orbit. Orion will then be pushed out of Earth orbit 
and onto a lunar-bound trajectory by the second stage of the SLS, called
 the interim cryogenic propulsion stage (<a href="https://www.ulalaunch.com/interim-cryogenic-propulsion-stage-(icps)">ICPS</a>).

Orion will then separate from the ICPS and spend the next several 
days coasting to the Moon. The launch is typically one of the riskiest 
parts of any spaceflight, especially for a new rocket. If Artemis-1 
successfully reaches Earth orbit it will be a significant milestone for 
the project. 

During the mission, Orion will also deploy <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/sls/launching-science-and-technology-on-nasa-s-artemis-i-mission.html">ten mini satellites</a>
 known as CubeSats. One of these, BioSentinel, will contain yeast to 
observe how the microgravity and radiation environment on the Moon 
affect the growth of microorganisms. Another, NEA Scout, will deploy a 
solar sail and then fly to a nearby asteroid for a close-up examination.
 Meanwhile, IceCube will orbit the Moon and search for ice deposits on 
or near the surface, which may be used by future astronauts.

Entry into lunar orbit will occur just 60 miles above the lunar 
surface. Orion will fire its onboard thrusters to slow the spacecraft 
and allow the Moon’s gravity to capture it into orbit. It will orbit the
 Moon in an unusual, distant retrograde orbit – in the opposite 
direction to the Moon’s spin. This particular orbit was originally 
chosen to flight test Orion as part of a now-cancelled <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/content/what-is-nasa-s-asteroid-redirect-mission">mission to learn to redirect asteroids</a>.

During this phase, Orion will travel up to 70,000 km from the Moon 
and reach the furthest distance from Earth ever for a human-capable 
spacecraft. If astronauts were onboard, they would have a grand view of 
the distant Earth and the Moon. 

Orion will spend between six and 23 days in lunar orbit, after which 
it will fire its onboard thrusters once again to accelerate out of lunar
 orbit and place itself on a return to Earth trajectory. 

The surface of the Moon can reach 120°C during the day and drop to 
-170°C at night. Such large temperature changes can cause significant 
thermal expansion and contraction of materials, so the Orion spacecraft 
had to be built with materials able to withstand significant thermal 
stress without failing. One goal of the mission is to check this, and 
crucially, ensure that the breathable atmosphere inside the capsule is 
maintained throughout.

At the distances of the Moon, astronauts would also be outside of the
 Earth’s magnetic field, which normally protects us from cosmic 
radiation. Deep <a href="https://srag.jsc.nasa.gov/SpaceRadiation/What/What.cfm">space radiation</a>
 is a serious concern for any future human missions to the Moon. The 
longest Apollo mission (Apollo 17) lasted 12 and a half days – Orion 
will be in deep space for three to four times as long. Engineers will, 
therefore, also keep a close eye on the radiation environment inside the
 capsule.

On returning to Earth, the Orion crew capsule will separate from the 
service module, which will be discarded, and then enter the atmosphere 
protected by its heat shield. It will descend and deploy parachutes to 
land at sea. In fact, this is the most crucial part of the mission: to 
ensure that the capsule can survive the high re-entry speeds of a 
spacecraft returning from the Moon and then make a safe landing. To do 
so, the heat shield must endure temperatures of 2,750°C while Orion 
decelerates from 24,500 miles per hour – that’s significantly hotter 
than the temperatures encountered when spacecraft return from low-Earth 
orbit.

Assuming a successful launch on August 29, the splashdown would be on Oct. 10.

Artemis-2, currently slated for launch in 2024, will carry four 
astronauts on a lunar flyby some 9,000km above the Moon’s surface. The 
astronauts on Artemis-2 will become the record holders for the greatest 
distance from Earth ever reached by humans. 

Nasa has also just announced a <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-identifies-candidate-regions-for-landing-next-americans-on-moon">short list</a>
 of landing sites near the Moon’s South Pole for the first lunar landing
 mission, Artemis-3, aiming to land humans there in 2025. Whether they 
reach that goal will ultimately depend on how things go for Artemis-1.

Gareth Dorrian is a Post Doctoral Research Fellow in Space Science at the University of Birmingham.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1661535588535.png" alt=" Artist’s impression of Orion at the Moon. NASA/Liam Yanulis " />
 <figcaption> Artist’s impression of Orion at the Moon. NASA/Liam Yanulis </figcaption>
 </figure>By GARETH DORRIAN <a href="https://theconversation.com/artemis-1-maiden-flight-of-spacecraft-set-to-take-humans-back-to-the-moon-heres-what-needs-to-go-right-189081">The Conversation</a>A launch window – the period during which a rocket must be launched 
to reach its destination – opens on August 29 for the first flight to 
the Moon since 1972 by a spacecraft designed to carry humans there. If 
all goes well, the <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/specials/artemis/">Artemis project</a> will be on track to meet its goal of putting humans back on the Moon in 2025.Project Artemis, the namesake of the sister of Apollo and daughter of
 Zeus in ancient Greek mythology, is designed to establish a long-term 
human presence on our nearest celestial neighbour, and to ultimately 
explore even further afield. <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/artemis-1">Artemis 1</a> is the first of several missions. It consists of Nasa’s new super-heavy rocket, the <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/sls/index.html">Space Launch System (SLS)</a>, which has never been launched before, and the <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/orion/about/index.html">Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (or Orion MPCV)</a>, which has only flown in space once.Unlike the <a href="https://moon.nasa.gov/resources/112/apollo-11-command-and-service-modules/">Command Service Modules of the Apollo missions</a>,
 which were powered by hydrogen fuel cells, the Orion MPCV is a 
solar-powered craft. Its distinctive X-wing style solar arrays can be 
swept forward or backward to reduce stress on the probe during 
high-thrust manoeuvres. It is capable of carrying six astronauts for up 
to 21 days in space. The imminent, uncrewed <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/artemis-1">Artemis 1</a> mission, however, may last as long as 42 days.Also unlike Apollo, Artemis is an international project. The Orion MPCV consists of a US-built capsule for the astronauts and a <a href="https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Keywords/System/Orion_MPCV/(result_type)/videos">European-built</a> service module containing supplies of fuel, water, air, solar-arrays and rocket thrusters.The reliance on the Sun for power places some restrictions on when 
Artemis-1 can launch as the geometry of the Earth and Moon have to be 
such that the Orion spacecraft is not in shadow from the Sun for over 90
 minutes at any point during the flight. The earliest launch window 
opens at 08.33 EST on August 29, with further windows on September 2 and
 5. <h2>Pioneering flight</h2>The SLS will put Orion into Earth orbit, where its core stage will be
 discarded – dropped into the ocean. Most of the energy required to fly a
 spacecraft to the Moon is used in this first phase of the flight, just 
to reach low-Earth orbit. Orion will then be pushed out of Earth orbit 
and onto a lunar-bound trajectory by the second stage of the SLS, called
 the interim cryogenic propulsion stage (<a href="https://www.ulalaunch.com/interim-cryogenic-propulsion-stage-(icps)">ICPS</a>). Orion will then separate from the ICPS and spend the next several 
days coasting to the Moon. The launch is typically one of the riskiest 
parts of any spaceflight, especially for a new rocket. If Artemis-1 
successfully reaches Earth orbit it will be a significant milestone for 
the project. During the mission, Orion will also deploy <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/sls/launching-science-and-technology-on-nasa-s-artemis-i-mission.html">ten mini satellites</a>
 known as CubeSats. One of these, BioSentinel, will contain yeast to 
observe how the microgravity and radiation environment on the Moon 
affect the growth of microorganisms. Another, NEA Scout, will deploy a 
solar sail and then fly to a nearby asteroid for a close-up examination.
 Meanwhile, IceCube will orbit the Moon and search for ice deposits on 
or near the surface, which may be used by future astronauts. <figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1661535556252.png" alt=" Artist’s concept of Artemis-1 upper stage separation. NASA/Liam Yanulis " />
 <figcaption> Artist’s concept of Artemis-1 upper stage separation. NASA/Liam Yanulis </figcaption>
 </figure>Entry into lunar orbit will occur just 60 miles above the lunar 
surface. Orion will fire its onboard thrusters to slow the spacecraft 
and allow the Moon’s gravity to capture it into orbit. It will orbit the
 Moon in an unusual, distant retrograde orbit – in the opposite 
direction to the Moon’s spin. This particular orbit was originally 
chosen to flight test Orion as part of a now-cancelled <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/content/what-is-nasa-s-asteroid-redirect-mission">mission to learn to redirect asteroids</a>. During this phase, Orion will travel up to 70,000 km from the Moon 
and reach the furthest distance from Earth ever for a human-capable 
spacecraft. If astronauts were onboard, they would have a grand view of 
the distant Earth and the Moon. Orion will spend between six and 23 days in lunar orbit, after which 
it will fire its onboard thrusters once again to accelerate out of lunar
 orbit and place itself on a return to Earth trajectory. The surface of the Moon can reach 120°C during the day and drop to 
-170°C at night. Such large temperature changes can cause significant 
thermal expansion and contraction of materials, so the Orion spacecraft 
had to be built with materials able to withstand significant thermal 
stress without failing. One goal of the mission is to check this, and 
crucially, ensure that the breathable atmosphere inside the capsule is 
maintained throughout.At the distances of the Moon, astronauts would also be outside of the
 Earth’s magnetic field, which normally protects us from cosmic 
radiation. Deep <a href="https://srag.jsc.nasa.gov/SpaceRadiation/What/What.cfm">space radiation</a>
 is a serious concern for any future human missions to the Moon. The 
longest Apollo mission (Apollo 17) lasted 12 and a half days – Orion 
will be in deep space for three to four times as long. Engineers will, 
therefore, also keep a close eye on the radiation environment inside the
 capsule.On returning to Earth, the Orion crew capsule will separate from the 
service module, which will be discarded, and then enter the atmosphere 
protected by its heat shield. It will descend and deploy parachutes to 
land at sea. In fact, this is the most crucial part of the mission: to 
ensure that the capsule can survive the high re-entry speeds of a 
spacecraft returning from the Moon and then make a safe landing. To do 
so, the heat shield must endure temperatures of 2,750°C while Orion 
decelerates from 24,500 miles per hour – that’s significantly hotter 
than the temperatures encountered when spacecraft return from low-Earth 
orbit.Assuming a successful launch on August 29, the splashdown would be on Oct. 10.Artemis-2, currently slated for launch in 2024, will carry four 
astronauts on a lunar flyby some 9,000km above the Moon’s surface. The 
astronauts on Artemis-2 will become the record holders for the greatest 
distance from Earth ever reached by humans. Nasa has also just announced a <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-identifies-candidate-regions-for-landing-next-americans-on-moon">short list</a>
 of landing sites near the Moon’s South Pole for the first lunar landing
 mission, Artemis-3, aiming to land humans there in 2025. Whether they 
reach that goal will ultimately depend on how things go for Artemis-1.Gareth Dorrian is a Post Doctoral Research Fellow in Space Science at the University of Birmingham.<div><iframe src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/189081/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-advanced" width="1" height="1"></iframe></div>

Back to the moon? Here's what needs to go right for NASA rocket

HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — 
Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt wants to bring everyone together on special education funding in the next session of the Legislature, if he is elected governor in November.

"I think special ed funding is the next area," Schmidt said. "We have to bring policy makers, educators, families together and say, what are we going to do? I would much rather we do that through leadership from the governor and the legislature than wait around, not do it and wind up in the next lawsuit and end up having to deal with that in court. I do think it's critical to step up."

Schmidt admits that it isn't just the state level that has dropped the ball on special education funding.

"Congress has never fulfilled its obligation on the federal funding side," Schmidt said. "The federal promise has been to fund special education at 40%. I don't think they've ever gotten over about 15 or maybe the high teens, somewhere in that range. That, of course, is the elephant in the room. If Congress would only do half of what it promised, this problem would largely evaporate in states like Kansas, but it hasn't and so, as a result, the state has stepped in and also has really struggled to fill that gap."

Because of the unfunded federal mandates regarding special education, every underfunded dollar is being taken out of the general fund for everybody and shifted to special education, so, theoretically speaking at least, if the Kansas Supreme Court wanted to, they could weigh in on the issue through telling the legislature that they haven't really fulfilled Gannon until they stop this dollar shift from happening, since they have retained jurisdiction, though politically that isn't very likely.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/3/1583409290272.jpeg" alt="Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>NICK GOSNELL Hutch PostHUTCHINSON,
Kan. — 
Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt wants to bring everyone together on special education funding in the next session of the Legislature, if he is elected governor in November."I think special ed funding is the next area," Schmidt said. "We have to bring policy makers, educators, families together and say, what are we going to do? I would much rather we do that through leadership from the governor and the legislature than wait around, not do it and wind up in the next lawsuit and end up having to deal with that in court. I do think it's critical to step up."Schmidt admits that it isn't just the state level that has dropped the ball on special education funding."Congress has never fulfilled its obligation on the federal funding side," Schmidt said. "The federal promise has been to fund special education at 40%. I don't think they've ever gotten over about 15 or maybe the high teens, somewhere in that range. That, of course, is the elephant in the room. If Congress would only do half of what it promised, this problem would largely evaporate in states like Kansas, but it hasn't and so, as a result, the state has stepped in and also has really struggled to fill that gap."Because of the unfunded federal mandates regarding special education, every underfunded dollar is being taken out of the general fund for everybody and shifted to special education, so, theoretically speaking at least, if the Kansas Supreme Court wanted to, they could weigh in on the issue through telling the legislature that they haven't really fulfilled Gannon until they stop this dollar shift from happening, since they have retained jurisdiction, though politically that isn't very likely.

Schmidt: Leaders need to 'step up' on special education

KANSAS CITY —A judge on Friday sentenced a Kansas City-area man to 30 years in prison for the the fatal 2020 shooting of his girlfriend, Camry A. Alonzo, in her home, according Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker.

Deon D. Sanders, 28, pleaded guilty earlier to charges of 2nd degree murder.

According to court records, the defendant showed up at East Patrol in Kansas City and told police officers he had shot his girlfriend at a residence in Independence. 

Independence police entered that residence to check on the girlfriend and found her deceased in the bathroom. She had been fatally shot. A nearby resident said shots were heard about 6 a.m. &nbsp;Tuesday morning. The defendant told police he had shot her that morning after coming home in the early morning. 

He told police he found the front door open and the bathroom door locked. He called for the victim, then he fired shots into the &nbsp;door, he stated. He broke a hole into the door, opened it and found the victim. He then took their child to another residence, he stated, then went to KCPD’s East Patrol to turn himself in.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1661540686877.png" alt="Sanders-photo Jackson Co." />
 <figcaption>Sanders-photo Jackson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —A judge on Friday sentenced a Kansas City-area man to 30 years in prison for the the fatal 2020 shooting of his girlfriend, Camry A. Alonzo, in her home, according Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker.Deon D. Sanders, 28, pleaded guilty earlier to charges of 2nd degree murder.According to court records, the defendant showed up at East Patrol in Kansas City and told police officers he had shot his girlfriend at a residence in Independence. Independence police entered that residence to check on the girlfriend and found her deceased in the bathroom. She had been fatally shot. A nearby resident said shots were heard about 6 a.m. &nbsp;Tuesday morning. The defendant told police he had shot her that morning after coming home in the early morning. He told police he found the front door open and the bathroom door locked. He called for the victim, then he fired shots into the &nbsp;door, he stated. He broke a hole into the door, opened it and found the victim. He then took their child to another residence, he stated, then went to KCPD’s East Patrol to turn himself in.

KC-area man shot his girlfriend who was locked in bathroom

OSAGE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas man on drug charges after a traffic stop.

Just before 2:30p.m. Thursday, an Osage County Sheriff’s K9 unit conducted a traffic stop at 125th and Topeka, near Carbondale, for a traffic violation, according to Sheriff Chris Wells.

During the stop, the deputy found illegal narcotics. The deputy arrested a passenger in the vehicle, Arthur C. Hanney, 62, of Topeka and transported him to the Osage County Jail on requested charges of Possession of methamphetamine and Possession of drug paraphernalia.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1661541145592.png" alt="Hanney-photo Shawnee Co." />
 <figcaption>Hanney-photo Shawnee Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>OSAGE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas man on drug charges after a traffic stop.Just before 2:30p.m. Thursday, an Osage County Sheriff’s K9 unit conducted a traffic stop at 125th and Topeka, near Carbondale, for a traffic violation, according to Sheriff Chris Wells.During the stop, the deputy found illegal narcotics. The deputy arrested a passenger in the vehicle, Arthur C. Hanney, 62, of Topeka and transported him to the Osage County Jail on requested charges of Possession of methamphetamine and Possession of drug paraphernalia.

Sheriff's K9 Unit helps arrest 62-year-old Kan. drug suspect

SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities on Friday issued a request for&nbsp; assistance in locating 38-year-old Sarah Marie Pettit who was last seen in the fall of 2020 in the Wichita area where she was living, according to Sheriff's Lt. Benjamin Blick.

 Pettit, also known as Sarah Marie Hart was known to travel between Wichita and Denver frequently. Sarah is is described as 5-foot-6 and 130 pounds.

The Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office and Sarah’s family are trying to locate her. Detectives want to hear from anyone with any information, no matter how insignificant it may seem.

Anyone with information can call Detective Broussard 316-660-5308 or Detective Guthrie 316-660-5338. If you wish to remain anonymous, you can contact Crime Stoppers at 316-267-2111. www.wichitasedgwickcountycrimestoppers.com

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1661527998081.png" alt="Photo Sedgwick County Sheriff" />
 <figcaption>Photo Sedgwick County Sheriff</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities on Friday issued a request for&nbsp; assistance in locating 38-year-old Sarah Marie Pettit who was last seen in the fall of 2020 in the Wichita area where she was living, according to Sheriff's Lt. Benjamin Blick. Pettit, also known as Sarah Marie Hart was known to travel between Wichita and Denver frequently. Sarah is is described as 5-foot-6 and 130 pounds.The Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office and Sarah’s family are trying to locate her. Detectives want to hear from anyone with any information, no matter how insignificant it may seem.Anyone with information can call Detective Broussard 316-660-5308 or Detective Guthrie 316-660-5338. If you wish to remain anonymous, you can contact Crime Stoppers at 316-267-2111. www.wichitasedgwickcountycrimestoppers.com

Sheriff asks for help to locate Kan. woman who vanished in 2020

KANSAS CITY (AP) —The online reviews site Yelp said this week it is rolling out a new feature to protect users seeking abortions from being misled about anti-abortion pregnancy centers listed on its platform.

Such centers are typically religiously affiliated and deter clients from having an abortion. On Tuesday, Yelp said it will place a consumer notice on the listings informing users that the centers “typically provide limited medical services and may not have licensed medical professionals onsite.”

In 2018, moderators for the San Francisco-based company began recategorizing listings for such organizations as “crisis pregnancy centers” or “faith-based crisis pregnancy centers.” The organizations had previously categorized themselves as reproductive health services, medical centers and other health and medical categories.

“It’s well-reported that crisis pregnancy centers do not offer abortion services, and it’s been shown that many provide misleading information in an attempt to steer people seeking abortion care to other options,” the company said in a post on its website detailing the change.

Yelp’s move might put more pressure on Google to do something similar with listings on its site. Last week, hundreds of Google employees&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-us-supreme-court-technology-data-privacy-6ca91a6261f552fef9d7b119104d5fe1">released a petition</a>&nbsp;calling on the company to fix misleading search results for abortion services by removing “fake abortion providers” and halt its business with “publishers of disinformation related to abortion services.”

In June, Democratic lawmakers in Congress also urged the company to curb the appearance of the anti-abortion pregnancy centers for certain search results. But Republicans pushed back last month, warning the tech giant not to do so&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-us-supreme-court-technology-health-religion-061129531d9c180c290945997a10c9ca">in a letter sent by 17 conservative attorney generals</a>&nbsp;to Google CEO Sundar Pichai.

Google did not immediately reply to a request for comment on Tuesday.

In the past several months, Yelp said it has also been picking up on efforts to better match users searching for abortion clinics with those services and make it less likely those users will see anti-abortion pregnancy centers in search results. The company said it has evaluated roughly 33,500 listings this year and recategorized nearly 470 pages for the centers.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/6/1656360664076.png" alt="Alliance for Life offices in the Kansas City suburb of Lee's Summit-Google image" />
 <figcaption>Alliance for Life offices in the Kansas City suburb of Lee's Summit-Google image</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY (AP) —The online reviews site Yelp said this week it is rolling out a new feature to protect users seeking abortions from being misled about anti-abortion pregnancy centers listed on its platform.Such centers are typically religiously affiliated and deter clients from having an abortion. On Tuesday, Yelp said it will place a consumer notice on the listings informing users that the centers “typically provide limited medical services and may not have licensed medical professionals onsite.”In 2018, moderators for the San Francisco-based company began recategorizing listings for such organizations as “crisis pregnancy centers” or “faith-based crisis pregnancy centers.” The organizations had previously categorized themselves as reproductive health services, medical centers and other health and medical categories.“It’s well-reported that crisis pregnancy centers do not offer abortion services, and it’s been shown that many provide misleading information in an attempt to steer people seeking abortion care to other options,” the company said in a post on its website detailing the change.Yelp’s move might put more pressure on Google to do something similar with listings on its site. Last week, hundreds of Google employees&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-us-supreme-court-technology-data-privacy-6ca91a6261f552fef9d7b119104d5fe1">released a petition</a>&nbsp;calling on the company to fix misleading search results for abortion services by removing “fake abortion providers” and halt its business with “publishers of disinformation related to abortion services.”In June, Democratic lawmakers in Congress also urged the company to curb the appearance of the anti-abortion pregnancy centers for certain search results. But Republicans pushed back last month, warning the tech giant not to do so&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-us-supreme-court-technology-health-religion-061129531d9c180c290945997a10c9ca">in a letter sent by 17 conservative attorney generals</a>&nbsp;to Google CEO Sundar Pichai.Google did not immediately reply to a request for comment on Tuesday.In the past several months, Yelp said it has also been picking up on efforts to better match users searching for abortion clinics with those services and make it less likely those users will see anti-abortion pregnancy centers in search results. The company said it has evaluated roughly 33,500 listings this year and recategorized nearly 470 pages for the centers.

Yelp to add more flags to anti-abortion pregnancy centers

Sports wagering in Kansas will begin with a soft launch starting at noon on Thursday, September 1, followed by a full opening on September 8th. In a media release Friday, the Kansas Lottery announced which sports wagering platforms will be available to the public on launch day.&nbsp;

Per Senate Bill 84, each state operated casino in Kansas will be able to offer both in-person sportsbooks and mobile sports betting on up to three platforms or applications. The partnerships are as follows:&nbsp;

Hollywood Casino&nbsp;in Kansas City, Kansas will have both&nbsp;in-person sportsbook&nbsp;and&nbsp;mobile sports betting&nbsp;available through&nbsp;Barstool Sports.&nbsp;

Kansas Star Casino&nbsp;in Mulvane will have both&nbsp;in-person sportsbook&nbsp;and&nbsp;mobile sports betting&nbsp;available through&nbsp;FanDuel.&nbsp;

Boot Hill Casino and Resort&nbsp;in Dodge City will offer&nbsp;mobile sports betting&nbsp;through&nbsp;DraftKings, with an in-person sports wagering date to be announced in the near future. In the interim, players are still welcome to visit Boot Hill Casino and Resort and place wagers via a mobile application while there.&nbsp;

Kansas Crossing Casino&nbsp;in Pittsburg will offer&nbsp;mobile sports betting&nbsp;through&nbsp;BetMGM,&nbsp;Caesars, and&nbsp;PointsBet, with an in-person sports wagering date to be announced in the near future.&nbsp;In the interim, players are still welcome to visit Kansas Crossing Casino and place wagers via a mobile application while there.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1661623352678.png" alt="Photo Courtesy Kansas Star Casino" />
 <figcaption>Photo Courtesy Kansas Star Casino</figcaption>
 </figure>Sports wagering in Kansas will begin with a soft launch starting at noon on Thursday, September 1, followed by a full opening on September 8th. In a media release Friday, the Kansas Lottery announced which sports wagering platforms will be available to the public on launch day.&nbsp;Per Senate Bill 84, each state operated casino in Kansas will be able to offer both in-person sportsbooks and mobile sports betting on up to three platforms or applications. The partnerships are as follows:&nbsp;Hollywood Casino&nbsp;in Kansas City, Kansas will have both&nbsp;in-person sportsbook&nbsp;and&nbsp;mobile sports betting&nbsp;available through&nbsp;Barstool Sports.&nbsp;Kansas Star Casino&nbsp;in Mulvane will have both&nbsp;in-person sportsbook&nbsp;and&nbsp;mobile sports betting&nbsp;available through&nbsp;FanDuel.&nbsp;Boot Hill Casino and Resort&nbsp;in Dodge City will offer&nbsp;mobile sports betting&nbsp;through&nbsp;DraftKings, with an in-person sports wagering date to be announced in the near future. In the interim, players are still welcome to visit Boot Hill Casino and Resort and place wagers via a mobile application while there.&nbsp;Kansas Crossing Casino&nbsp;in Pittsburg will offer&nbsp;mobile sports betting&nbsp;through&nbsp;BetMGM,&nbsp;Caesars, and&nbsp;PointsBet, with an in-person sports wagering date to be announced in the near future.&nbsp;In the interim, players are still welcome to visit Kansas Crossing Casino and place wagers via a mobile application while there.

Kansas announces sports betting platforms for Sept. launch

By NAJMEDIN MESHKATI <a href="https://theconversation.com/imperiled-ukrainian-nuclear-power-plant-has-the-world-on-edge-a-safety-expert-explains-what-could-go-wrong-189429">The Conversation</a>

Russian forces occupy Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, the 
Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Station in the Ukrainian city of Enerhodar. 
Russian and Ukrainian forces are fighting nearby, and shelling has <a href="https://www.iaea.org/newscenter/pressreleases/update-93-iaea-director-general-statement-on-situation-in-ukraine">damaged power and communication lines to the plant</a>, prompting <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/ukraine-nuclear-plant-escapes-meltdown-zelenskiy-says-moscow-kyiv-trade-blame-2022-08-25/">fears for the plant’s safety</a> and evoking painful memories in a country still scarred by the world’s worst nuclear accident, at Chernobyl in 1986.

In addition, Russian authorities have <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/aug/24/revealed-russian-plan-to-disconnect-zaporizhzhia-nuclear-plant-from-grid">developed plans to disconnect the plant</a>
 from Ukraine’s power grid – in the event of damage to the plant, 
according to the Russians, as a prelude to switching the plant to the 
grid in Russian-occupied territory, according to the Ukrainians. 
Disconnecting the plant from the grid is a risky operation.

The Conversation asked <a href="https://sites.usc.edu/meshkati/">Najmedin Meshkati</a>, a professor and <a href="https://www.belfercenter.org/publication/thirty-three-years-catastrophe-chernobyl-universal-lesson-global-nuclear-power-industry">nuclear safety expert</a> at the University of Southern California, to explain the risks of warfare taking place in and around nuclear power plants.

How safe was the Zaporizhzhia power plant before the Russian attack?

The facility at Zaporizhzhia is the largest nuclear plant in Europe and one of the largest in the world. It has six <a href="https://www.nrc.gov/reactors/pwrs.html">pressurized water reactors</a>, which use water to both sustain the fission reaction and cool the reactor. These differ from the <a href="https://www.world-nuclear.org/information-library/nuclear-fuel-cycle/nuclear-power-reactors/appendices/rbmk-reactors.aspx">RBMK</a>
 reactors at Chernobyl, which used graphite instead of water to sustain 
the fission reaction. RBMK reactors are not seen as very safe, and there
 are <a href="https://www.world-nuclear.org/information-library/nuclear-fuel-cycle/nuclear-power-reactors/appendices/rbmk-reactors.aspx">only eight remaining in use</a> in the world, all in Russia.

The reactors at Zaporizhzhia are of moderately good design, and the 
plant has a decent safety record, with a good operating background.

Ukrainian authorities tried to keep the war away from the site by 
asking Russia to observe a 30-kilometer (nearly 19-mile) safety buffer. 
But Russian troops surrounded the facility and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/04/zaporizhzhia-nuclear-power-plant-everything-you-need-to-know">seized it in March</a>.

What are the risks to a nuclear plant in a conflict zone?

Nuclear power plants are built for peacetime operations, not wars.

The worst thing that could happen is if a site is deliberately or accidentally shelled. If a shell hit the plant’s <a href="https://www.nrc.gov/waste/spent-fuel-storage/pools.html">spent fuel pool</a>
 – which contains the still-radioactive spent fuel – or if fire spread 
to the spent fuel pool, it could release radiation. This spent fuel pool
 isn’t in the containment building, and as such is more vulnerable.

Containment buildings, which house nuclear reactors, are also not 
protected against deliberate shelling. They are built to withstand a 
minor internal explosion of, say, a pressurized water pipe. But they are
 not designed to withstand a huge explosion.

As to the reactors in the containment building, it depends on the 
weapons being used. The worst-case scenario is that a bunker-buster 
missile breaches the containment dome – consisting of a thick shell of 
reinforced concrete on top of the reactor – and explodes. That would 
badly damage the nuclear reactor and release radiation into the 
atmosphere, which would make it difficult to send in first responders to
 contain any resulting fire. It could be another Chernobyl.

The workers at the facility are working under incredible stress, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/23/world/europe/ukraine-zaporizhzhia-nuclear-power-plant.html">reportedly at gunpoint</a>. Stress increases the chance of error and poor performance.

There is a human element in running a nuclear power plant – operators
 are the first and last layers of defense for the facility and the 
public. They are the first people to detect any anomaly and to stop any 
incident. Or if there’s an accident, they will be the first to 
heroically try to contain it. 

The second problem is that the nuclear plant needs constant electricity, and that is harder to maintain in wartime.

Even if you shut down the reactors, the plant will need off-site 
power to run the huge cooling system to remove the residual heat in the 
reactor and bring it to what is called a <a href="http://neinuclearnotes.blogspot.com/2011/12/what-is-cold-shutdown.html">cold shutdown</a>. Water circulation is always needed to make sure the spent fuel doesn’t overheat.

Spent fuel pools also need constant water circulation to keep them 
cool, and they need cooling for several years before they can be put in 
dry casks. One of the problems in the 2011 <a href="https://theconversation.com/10-years-after-fukushima-safety-is-still-nuclear-powers-greatest-challenge-155541">Fukushima disaster</a>
 in Japan was the emergency generators intended to replace lost off-site
 power got inundated with water and failed. In situations like that, you
 get “<a href="https://allthingsnuclear.org/dlochbaum/nuclear-station-blackout/">station blackout</a>” – and that is one of the worst things that could happen. It means no electricity to run the cooling system.

In that circumstance, the spent fuel overheats and its zirconium 
cladding can create hydrogen bubbles. If you can’t vent these bubbles, 
they will explode, spreading radiation.

If there is a loss of outside power, operators will have to rely on 
emergency generators. But emergency generators are huge machines – 
finicky, unreliable gas guzzlers. And you still need cooling waters for 
the generators themselves. 

My biggest worry is that Ukraine suffers from a sustained power grid 
failure. The likelihood of this increases during a conflict because 
power line pylons may come down under shelling, or gas power plants 
might get damaged and cease to operate. And though Ukrainian 
intelligence services <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/ukraine-says-russia-plans-disconnect-nuclear-plants-blocks-grid-2022-08-19/">claim that the Russians intend to stockpile diesel fuel</a>
 to keep these emergency generators going, it is unlikely that Russian 
troops will have excess fuel given their need to fuel their own 
vehicles.

How else does a war affect the safety of nuclear plants?

One of the overarching concerns about the effects of war on nuclear plants is that war degrades <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK253947/">safety culture</a>,
 which is crucial in running a plant. I believe that safety culture is 
analogous to the human body’s immune system, which protects against 
pathogens and diseases. Safety culture is pervasive and has a widespread
 impact. “It can affect all elements in a system for good or ill,” <a href="https://www.safetymattersblog.com/2014/11/a-life-in-error-by-james-reason.html">according to</a> <a href="https://www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/fellows/jim-reason-FBA/">psychologist James Reason</a>.

The tragic situation at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant violates every universally accepted tenet of <a href="https://www.nrc.gov/docs/ML1500/ML15007A487.pdf">healthy nuclear safety culture</a>, especially the maintenance of an environment where personnel can raise safety concerns.

War adversely affects safety culture in a number of ways. Operators 
are stressed and fatigued and may be scared to death to speak out if 
something is going wrong. Then there is the maintenance of a plant, 
which may be compromised by lack of staff or unavailability of spare 
parts. 

Governance, regulation and oversight – all crucial for the safe 
running of a nuclear industry – are also disrupted, as is local 
infrastructure, such as the capability of local firefighters. In war, 
everything is harder.

So what can be done to better protect Ukraine’s nuclear power plants?

The only solution is declaring a demilitarized zone around nuclear 
plants. However, Russia has so far rejected United Nations Secretary 
General António Guterres’ <a href="https://press.un.org/en/2022/sc15003.doc.htm">plea for declaring a demilitarized zone around the plant</a>.

I believe an optimal though not ideal solution is to bring the two 
operating reactors to a cold shutdown before any further loss of 
off-site power and risk of station blackout, store more fuel for 
emergency diesel generators at different locations at the plant site, 
and keep only a skeleton caretaker staff to look after the spent fuel 
pools.

Admittedly, this is only a stopgap measure. In parallel with the 
International Atomic Energy Agency’s effort under the leadership of its 
Director, General Rafael Mariano Grossi, I believe that the U.N. 
Security Council should immediately empower a special commission to 
mediate between the warring parties. It could be modeled after the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/United-Nations-Monitoring-Verification-and-Inspection-Commission">United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission</a> in 2000, and appoint a prominent, senior international statesman as its head.

I believe the person should be of the caliber and in the mold of the legendary former director general of the IAEA, <a href="https://worldleaders.columbia.edu/directory/hans-blix">Hans Blix</a>
 of Sweden. Blix led the agency at the time of the Chernobyl accident in
 1986 and commands respect in today’s Russia and Ukraine.

War, in my opinion, is the worst enemy of nuclear safety. This is an 
unprecedented and volatile situation. Only through active, pragmatic <a href="https://www.sciencediplomacy.org/sites/default/files/engineering_diplomacy_science__diplomacy.pdf">engineering and nuclear diplomacy</a> can an amenable and lasting solution to this vexing problem be found.

Najmedin Meshkati is a Professor of Engineering and International Relations, University of Southern California.

By NAJMEDIN MESHKATI <a href="https://theconversation.com/imperiled-ukrainian-nuclear-power-plant-has-the-world-on-edge-a-safety-expert-explains-what-could-go-wrong-189429">The Conversation</a>Russian forces occupy Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, the 
Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Station in the Ukrainian city of Enerhodar. 
Russian and Ukrainian forces are fighting nearby, and shelling has <a href="https://www.iaea.org/newscenter/pressreleases/update-93-iaea-director-general-statement-on-situation-in-ukraine">damaged power and communication lines to the plant</a>, prompting <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/ukraine-nuclear-plant-escapes-meltdown-zelenskiy-says-moscow-kyiv-trade-blame-2022-08-25/">fears for the plant’s safety</a> and evoking painful memories in a country still scarred by the world’s worst nuclear accident, at Chernobyl in 1986. In addition, Russian authorities have <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/aug/24/revealed-russian-plan-to-disconnect-zaporizhzhia-nuclear-plant-from-grid">developed plans to disconnect the plant</a>
 from Ukraine’s power grid – in the event of damage to the plant, 
according to the Russians, as a prelude to switching the plant to the 
grid in Russian-occupied territory, according to the Ukrainians. 
Disconnecting the plant from the grid is a risky operation.The Conversation asked <a href="https://sites.usc.edu/meshkati/">Najmedin Meshkati</a>, a professor and <a href="https://www.belfercenter.org/publication/thirty-three-years-catastrophe-chernobyl-universal-lesson-global-nuclear-power-industry">nuclear safety expert</a> at the University of Southern California, to explain the risks of warfare taking place in and around nuclear power plants.<h2>How safe was the Zaporizhzhia power plant before the Russian attack?</h2>The facility at Zaporizhzhia is the largest nuclear plant in Europe and one of the largest in the world. It has six <a href="https://www.nrc.gov/reactors/pwrs.html">pressurized water reactors</a>, which use water to both sustain the fission reaction and cool the reactor. These differ from the <a href="https://www.world-nuclear.org/information-library/nuclear-fuel-cycle/nuclear-power-reactors/appendices/rbmk-reactors.aspx">RBMK</a>
 reactors at Chernobyl, which used graphite instead of water to sustain 
the fission reaction. RBMK reactors are not seen as very safe, and there
 are <a href="https://www.world-nuclear.org/information-library/nuclear-fuel-cycle/nuclear-power-reactors/appendices/rbmk-reactors.aspx">only eight remaining in use</a> in the world, all in Russia.The reactors at Zaporizhzhia are of moderately good design, and the 
plant has a decent safety record, with a good operating background.<figure>
 <iframe width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Qthg5xE196w"></iframe>
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Ukrainian authorities tried to keep the war away from the site by 
asking Russia to observe a 30-kilometer (nearly 19-mile) safety buffer. 
But Russian troops surrounded the facility and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/04/zaporizhzhia-nuclear-power-plant-everything-you-need-to-know">seized it in March</a>.<h2>What are the risks to a nuclear plant in a conflict zone?</h2>Nuclear power plants are built for peacetime operations, not wars.The worst thing that could happen is if a site is deliberately or accidentally shelled. If a shell hit the plant’s <a href="https://www.nrc.gov/waste/spent-fuel-storage/pools.html">spent fuel pool</a>
 – which contains the still-radioactive spent fuel – or if fire spread 
to the spent fuel pool, it could release radiation. This spent fuel pool
 isn’t in the containment building, and as such is more vulnerable.Containment buildings, which house nuclear reactors, are also not 
protected against deliberate shelling. They are built to withstand a 
minor internal explosion of, say, a pressurized water pipe. But they are
 not designed to withstand a huge explosion.As to the reactors in the containment building, it depends on the 
weapons being used. The worst-case scenario is that a bunker-buster 
missile breaches the containment dome – consisting of a thick shell of 
reinforced concrete on top of the reactor – and explodes. That would 
badly damage the nuclear reactor and release radiation into the 
atmosphere, which would make it difficult to send in first responders to
 contain any resulting fire. It could be another Chernobyl.<h2>What are the concerns going forward?</h2>The safety problems I see are twofold:1) Human errorThe workers at the facility are working under incredible stress, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/23/world/europe/ukraine-zaporizhzhia-nuclear-power-plant.html">reportedly at gunpoint</a>. Stress increases the chance of error and poor performance.There is a human element in running a nuclear power plant – operators
 are the first and last layers of defense for the facility and the 
public. They are the first people to detect any anomaly and to stop any 
incident. Or if there’s an accident, they will be the first to 
heroically try to contain it. 2) Power failureThe second problem is that the nuclear plant needs constant electricity, and that is harder to maintain in wartime.Even if you shut down the reactors, the plant will need off-site 
power to run the huge cooling system to remove the residual heat in the 
reactor and bring it to what is called a <a href="http://neinuclearnotes.blogspot.com/2011/12/what-is-cold-shutdown.html">cold shutdown</a>. Water circulation is always needed to make sure the spent fuel doesn’t overheat.Spent fuel pools also need constant water circulation to keep them 
cool, and they need cooling for several years before they can be put in 
dry casks. One of the problems in the 2011 <a href="https://theconversation.com/10-years-after-fukushima-safety-is-still-nuclear-powers-greatest-challenge-155541">Fukushima disaster</a>
 in Japan was the emergency generators intended to replace lost off-site
 power got inundated with water and failed. In situations like that, you
 get “<a href="https://allthingsnuclear.org/dlochbaum/nuclear-station-blackout/">station blackout</a>” – and that is one of the worst things that could happen. It means no electricity to run the cooling system.In that circumstance, the spent fuel overheats and its zirconium 
cladding can create hydrogen bubbles. If you can’t vent these bubbles, 
they will explode, spreading radiation.If there is a loss of outside power, operators will have to rely on 
emergency generators. But emergency generators are huge machines – 
finicky, unreliable gas guzzlers. And you still need cooling waters for 
the generators themselves. My biggest worry is that Ukraine suffers from a sustained power grid 
failure. The likelihood of this increases during a conflict because 
power line pylons may come down under shelling, or gas power plants 
might get damaged and cease to operate. And though Ukrainian 
intelligence services <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/ukraine-says-russia-plans-disconnect-nuclear-plants-blocks-grid-2022-08-19/">claim that the Russians intend to stockpile diesel fuel</a>
 to keep these emergency generators going, it is unlikely that Russian 
troops will have excess fuel given their need to fuel their own 
vehicles.<h2>How else does a war affect the safety of nuclear plants?</h2>One of the overarching concerns about the effects of war on nuclear plants is that war degrades <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK253947/">safety culture</a>,
 which is crucial in running a plant. I believe that safety culture is 
analogous to the human body’s immune system, which protects against 
pathogens and diseases. Safety culture is pervasive and has a widespread
 impact. “It can affect all elements in a system for good or ill,” <a href="https://www.safetymattersblog.com/2014/11/a-life-in-error-by-james-reason.html">according to</a> <a href="https://www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/fellows/jim-reason-FBA/">psychologist James Reason</a>.The tragic situation at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant violates every universally accepted tenet of <a href="https://www.nrc.gov/docs/ML1500/ML15007A487.pdf">healthy nuclear safety culture</a>, especially the maintenance of an environment where personnel can raise safety concerns.War adversely affects safety culture in a number of ways. Operators 
are stressed and fatigued and may be scared to death to speak out if 
something is going wrong. Then there is the maintenance of a plant, 
which may be compromised by lack of staff or unavailability of spare 
parts. Governance, regulation and oversight – all crucial for the safe 
running of a nuclear industry – are also disrupted, as is local 
infrastructure, such as the capability of local firefighters. In war, 
everything is harder.<h2>So what can be done to better protect Ukraine’s nuclear power plants?</h2>The only solution is declaring a demilitarized zone around nuclear 
plants. However, Russia has so far rejected United Nations Secretary 
General António Guterres’ <a href="https://press.un.org/en/2022/sc15003.doc.htm">plea for declaring a demilitarized zone around the plant</a>. I believe an optimal though not ideal solution is to bring the two 
operating reactors to a cold shutdown before any further loss of 
off-site power and risk of station blackout, store more fuel for 
emergency diesel generators at different locations at the plant site, 
and keep only a skeleton caretaker staff to look after the spent fuel 
pools.Admittedly, this is only a stopgap measure. In parallel with the 
International Atomic Energy Agency’s effort under the leadership of its 
Director, General Rafael Mariano Grossi, I believe that the U.N. 
Security Council should immediately empower a special commission to 
mediate between the warring parties. It could be modeled after the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/United-Nations-Monitoring-Verification-and-Inspection-Commission">United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission</a> in 2000, and appoint a prominent, senior international statesman as its head. I believe the person should be of the caliber and in the mold of the legendary former director general of the IAEA, <a href="https://worldleaders.columbia.edu/directory/hans-blix">Hans Blix</a>
 of Sweden. Blix led the agency at the time of the Chernobyl accident in
 1986 and commands respect in today’s Russia and Ukraine.War, in my opinion, is the worst enemy of nuclear safety. This is an 
unprecedented and volatile situation. Only through active, pragmatic <a href="https://www.sciencediplomacy.org/sites/default/files/engineering_diplomacy_science__diplomacy.pdf">engineering and nuclear diplomacy</a> can an amenable and lasting solution to this vexing problem be found.Najmedin Meshkati is a Professor of Engineering and International Relations, University of Southern California.<div><iframe src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/189429/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-advanced" width="1" height="1"></iframe></div>

🎥 Expert explains perils surrounding Ukrainian nuclear plant

WASHINGTON —On Friday, the White House celebrated Women’s Equality Day.&nbsp; State Senator Dinah <a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/members/sen_sykes_dinah_1/">Sykes of Lenexa </a>was at the White House. "A great way to spend&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WomensEqualityDay?src=hashtag_click">Women's Equality Da</a>y at the White House&nbsp;with other community leaders sharing how Kansas protected reproductive rights this month," she wrote on social media.

"We’ve got more fights ahead and I’m glad to have learned what strategies others are using to protect this critical right."

President Biden wrote on social media, "We celebrated the trailblazers who fought to deliver a better future for America’s daughters.&nbsp; And we recognize the work that remains to ensure that everyone can participate in our democracy and make fundamental choices about their health and bodies."

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1661557473504.jpeg" alt="Senator Dinah Sykes courtesy photo" />
 <figcaption>Senator Dinah Sykes courtesy photo</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON —On Friday, the White House celebrated Women’s Equality Day.&nbsp; State Senator Dinah <a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/members/sen_sykes_dinah_1/">Sykes of Lenexa </a>was at the White House. "A great way to spend&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WomensEqualityDay?src=hashtag_click">Women's Equality Da</a>y at the White House&nbsp;with other community leaders sharing how Kansas protected reproductive rights this month," she wrote on social media."We’ve got more fights ahead and I’m glad to have learned what strategies others are using to protect this critical right."<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1661602202321.png" alt="President Biden in Friday's meeting as state leaders highlighted their local actions and&nbsp; partnership to defend reproductive rights." />
 <figcaption>President Biden in Friday's meeting as state leaders highlighted their local actions and&nbsp; partnership to defend reproductive rights.</figcaption>
 </figure>President Biden wrote on social media, "We celebrated the trailblazers who fought to deliver a better future for America’s daughters.&nbsp; And we recognize the work that remains to ensure that everyone can participate in our democracy and make fundamental choices about their health and bodies."