SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities investigating an attempted ATM theft have made one arrest and are asking the public for help to locate a second suspect identified as 43-year-old Michael Frink.

Just after 5a.m. Thursday, the Shawnee County Emergency Communications Center received a burglary alarm at a bank in the 1700 block of North Washington Street in Auburn, Kansas, according to Deputy Abigail Christian.

Deputies learned there was an attempted theft of an ATM. A K9 Unit located the suspect vehicle that refused to stop and a pursuit was initiated. The vehicle pursuit ended in the 5700 block of Southwest Urish Road and suspects fled.

The Shawnee County Sheriff's office asked residents from SW Fairlawn Road to Southwest Urish Road and Southwest 41st Street to Southwest 77th street, to be aware of any suspicious activity or individuals.

Just after 6p.m. Thursday , the sheriff's office reported they had arrested one suspect.&nbsp; Trimaine Munroe Baker, 35, is being held on requested charges of&nbsp;Agg criminal damage &gt;$5K; intent to obtain currency from automated cash dispenser/ATM, theft, burglary and&nbsp; Criminal damage to property; Without consent value $1000 to $25,000, according to online jail records.

"Thanks to assistance from citizens reporting timely information to deputies, the suspect was apprehended near Southwest&nbsp; 53rd Street and Southwest Wanamaker Road, " according to Christian.&nbsp; The sheriff's&nbsp; office K9 units and drone operators assisted in this search, along with the Kansas Highway Patrol’s Aircraft Unit and the Topeka Police Department.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1660265229824.png" alt="The damaged ATM at Landmark Bank 1741 N. Washington in Auburn, Kansas --photo courtesy WIBW TV" />
 <figcaption>The damaged ATM at Landmark Bank 1741 N. Washington in Auburn, Kansas --photo courtesy WIBW TV</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities investigating an attempted ATM theft have made one arrest and are asking the public for help to locate a second suspect identified as 43-year-old Michael Frink.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1660335348360.png" alt="Frink-photo Shawnee Co." />
 <figcaption>Frink-photo Shawnee Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>Just after 5a.m. Thursday, the Shawnee County Emergency Communications Center received a burglary alarm at a bank in the 1700 block of North Washington Street in Auburn, Kansas, according to Deputy Abigail Christian.Deputies learned there was an attempted theft of an ATM. A K9 Unit located the suspect vehicle that refused to stop and a pursuit was initiated. The vehicle pursuit ended in the 5700 block of Southwest Urish Road and suspects fled.The Shawnee County Sheriff's office asked residents from SW Fairlawn Road to Southwest Urish Road and Southwest 41st Street to Southwest 77th street, to be aware of any suspicious activity or individuals.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1660304454814.png" alt="Baker-photo Shawnee County" />
 <figcaption>Baker-photo Shawnee County</figcaption>
 </figure>Just after 6p.m. Thursday , the sheriff's office reported they had arrested one suspect.&nbsp; Trimaine Munroe Baker, 35, is being held on requested charges of&nbsp;Agg criminal damage &gt;$5K; intent to obtain currency from automated cash dispenser/ATM, theft, burglary and&nbsp; Criminal damage to property; Without consent value $1000 to $25,000, according to online jail records."Thanks to assistance from citizens reporting timely information to deputies, the suspect was apprehended near Southwest&nbsp; 53rd Street and Southwest Wanamaker Road, " according to Christian.&nbsp; The sheriff's&nbsp; office K9 units and drone operators assisted in this search, along with the Kansas Highway Patrol’s Aircraft Unit and the Topeka Police Department.

Sheriff: Search continues for Kansas ATM theft suspect

WASHINGTON (AP) — A man drove his car into a barricade near the U.S. Capitol early Sunday and then began firing gunshots in the air before fatally shooting himself, according to police, who said he did not seem to be targeting any member of Congress.

The incident happened just before 4 a.m. at a vehicle barricade set at East Capitol Street NE and 2nd Street SE in Washington.

It comes at a time when law enforcement authorities across the country are facing an increasing number of threats and federal officials have warned about the potential of violent attacks on government buildings in the days since the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-mar-a-lago-fbi-search-99097089194e736315c366a0e8fbafee">FBI’s search of former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate</a>&nbsp;in Florida.

The attack is reminiscent of an incident when a man&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-politics-451c5c5154045d404d0db76270f78aac">drove a vehicle into two Capitol Police officers</a>&nbsp;at a checkpoint in April 2021, killing an 18-year veteran of the force. And many on Capitol Hill remain on edge after supporters of the then-president&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/capitol-siege">stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.</a>

Authorities said the man, identified as Richard A. York III, 29, of Delaware, crashed into the barricade and that as he was getting out of the car, the vehicle became engulfed in flames. The man then opened fire, firing several shots into the air as police approached.

Capitol Police said the man shot himself as the officers neared. He was later pronounced dead.

Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger said officers did not hear the man say anything before he opened fire “indiscriminately” in the street with a handgun and walked toward the Capitol building. Authorities are investigating whether the man may have set his car on fire, the chief said, because the collision did not appear to cause the blaze.

Police officers at the scene saw the man fatally shoot himself as they approached, Manger said.

The chief said investigators located addresses for the man in Delaware and Pennsylvania and learned he had a criminal history in the past decade, though his motive remained unclear and he had no links to the Capitol.,

“We don’t have any information that would indicate his motivation at this point,” Manger said.

Police said “it does not appear the man was targeting any member of Congress” and that investigators are examining the man’s background as they work to try to discern a motive. Both the House and Senate are in recess and very few staff members work in the Capitol complex at that hour.

Authorities said no other injuries were reported and police do not believe any officers returned fire.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1660509647995.png" alt="The incident happened just before 4 a.m. at a vehicle barricade set at East Capitol Street NE and 2nd Street SE in Washington. photo courtesy WJLA TV" />
 <figcaption>The incident happened just before 4 a.m. at a vehicle barricade set at East Capitol Street NE and 2nd Street SE in Washington. photo courtesy WJLA TV</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — A man drove his car into a barricade near the U.S. Capitol early Sunday and then began firing gunshots in the air before fatally shooting himself, according to police, who said he did not seem to be targeting any member of Congress.The incident happened just before 4 a.m. at a vehicle barricade set at East Capitol Street NE and 2nd Street SE in Washington.It comes at a time when law enforcement authorities across the country are facing an increasing number of threats and federal officials have warned about the potential of violent attacks on government buildings in the days since the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-mar-a-lago-fbi-search-99097089194e736315c366a0e8fbafee">FBI’s search of former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate</a>&nbsp;in Florida.The attack is reminiscent of an incident when a man&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-politics-451c5c5154045d404d0db76270f78aac">drove a vehicle into two Capitol Police officers</a>&nbsp;at a checkpoint in April 2021, killing an 18-year veteran of the force. And many on Capitol Hill remain on edge after supporters of the then-president&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/capitol-siege">stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.</a>Authorities said the man, identified as Richard A. York III, 29, of Delaware, crashed into the barricade and that as he was getting out of the car, the vehicle became engulfed in flames. The man then opened fire, firing several shots into the air as police approached.Capitol Police said the man shot himself as the officers neared. He was later pronounced dead.Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger said officers did not hear the man say anything before he opened fire “indiscriminately” in the street with a handgun and walked toward the Capitol building. Authorities are investigating whether the man may have set his car on fire, the chief said, because the collision did not appear to cause the blaze.Police officers at the scene saw the man fatally shoot himself as they approached, Manger said.The chief said investigators located addresses for the man in Delaware and Pennsylvania and learned he had a criminal history in the past decade, though his motive remained unclear and he had no links to the Capitol.,“We don’t have any information that would indicate his motivation at this point,” Manger said.Police said “it does not appear the man was targeting any member of Congress” and that investigators are examining the man’s background as they work to try to discern a motive. Both the House and Senate are in recess and very few staff members work in the Capitol complex at that hour.Authorities said no other injuries were reported and police do not believe any officers returned fire.

Police ID man who rammed car into US Capitol barrier, fired shots

New car buyers likely care more now than ever about the overall cost of a new vehicle, and that goes beyond just the sticker price. Since things have become more expensive this year, consumers are paying closer attention to the cost of things like fuel, maintenance, and insurance.

“High gas prices are not only changing American’s driving habits – they’re also changing the way Americans are thinking about future car purchases, “ said Brian Ortner, spokesman, AAA Nebraska. “Recent research tells us that one of the main factors fueling an increased interest in electric vehicles is the potential to save on fuel costs, which adds a little bit more wiggle room in the budget when considering the total cost of vehicle ownership.”

For over 70 years,&nbsp;AAA's&nbsp;Your Driving Costs&nbsp;research has provided members, consumers and the media with information on the average costs of owning and operating a new automobile.

In the most recent analysis, AAA evaluated nine categories of vehicles&nbsp;– consisting of 45 models – to determine a new vehicle's average annual operating and ownership costs. AAA selects top-selling, mid-priced models and compares them across six categories: fuel, maintenance/repair/tire costs, insurance, license/registration/taxes, depreciation, and finance charges. The study assumes a five-year ownership period, with the vehicle being driven 15,000 miles/annually (or a total of 75,000 miles).

Gas prices saw a dramatic climb in the first half of 2022, raising the cost of vehicle ownership, since the Your Driving Costs evaluation was completed. For this year's study, fuel costs were projected based on a weighted average of the first five months of 2022. During that time, fuel prices averaged 17.99 cents per mile or $3.999 per gallon.

Comparing Fuel Costs of Electric Vehicles vs. Gas-powered Vehicles

An electric vehicle owner will spend about 4.0 cents per mile to charge their vehicle at home, while the owner of a gas-powered vehicle will spend an average of 18.4 cents per mile to gas up. Assuming both drive 15,000 miles/year, it would cost approximately $2,700/year to fuel the gas-powered vehicle and $600/year to charge the electric vehicle. A difference of $2,100 annually.

Beyond fuel savings, electric vehicles have the lowest maintenance, repair, and tire costs. This is because gas-powered vehicles require additional maintenance such as oil changes, air filter replacements and inspection of mechanical components not present in electric vehicles. Additionally, electric vehicles have the lowest fees due to federal and state rebates offered to buyers of new electric vehicles as a purchase incentive.

New this year, AAA launched an online&nbsp;<a href="https://u7061146.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=4tNED-2FM8iDZJQyQ53jATUS3VVDyr1H4PkBIQlUsKgmTdmWyKRINxmK3zRsI1lTfeJICGo-2B8PABDyI-2BfrpZ-2F4tQ-3D-3DhUDY_f5CCQS0N95iO0XGkG5jjbwFPcyVdNsE7ynqorsRVxhOi2A2KVJqJgpwSdOopdwB9il1EQT-2FBBs2nAu1yZVaDjVwYVT29pYlc6fjzk4I7Vi36m-2FVvQW6IhWDwdRNUAPAbYDTfRjCPq2FED0nlow3jC0yxRbBfeGl8Ro82NVoCK3k-2FM3zMV-2B5m1PSyRohHwF6G-2BoIHI3UpAcFGy6IYYcQniTpw7KNQxfgFSX0uPOSRfh2DZGgeCUT6mmjK4kq-2F48ngajz99cvVDvttrCXaoMwn7PsOk4xuBOcQMopprE06oZeRUwzzdRCOED-2Be35i4X2pblx8IY6Gedc4-2Fh2TUKDKA3Fcvzm4air7cv6JaMwXBpHw-3D" target="_blank">Your Driving Costs Calculator</a>. This tool enables consumers to determine the overall driving costs of a specific vehicle. When visiting the site, consumers can select their desired state, annual mileage and driving ratio that represents their normal driving habits, and vehicle year/make/model/trim.

This online tool employs the same methodology as AAA's annual analysis of new car ownership. Data is available for new and used vehicles (five model years back), and consumers may customize the results based on location, fuel price, and other personal driving tendencies.

AAA Recommends Car Buyers Follow These Steps Before Purchasing:

Other resources consumers can use while car shopping:

<a href="https://northplattepost.com/posts/2ddcec21-000f-4ace-b19e-4250120d6629">&nbsp;&nbsp;Download The Post app for iOs or Android</a>

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1660583766900.jpg" alt="Image courtesy of Pixabay" />
 <figcaption>Image courtesy of Pixabay</figcaption>
 </figure>News Release AAANew car buyers likely care more now than ever about the overall cost of a new vehicle, and that goes beyond just the sticker price. Since things have become more expensive this year, consumers are paying closer attention to the cost of things like fuel, maintenance, and insurance.“High gas prices are not only changing American’s driving habits – they’re also changing the way Americans are thinking about future car purchases, “ said Brian Ortner, spokesman, AAA Nebraska. “Recent research tells us that one of the main factors fueling an increased interest in electric vehicles is the potential to save on fuel costs, which adds a little bit more wiggle room in the budget when considering the total cost of vehicle ownership.”For over 70 years,&nbsp;AAA's&nbsp;Your Driving Costs&nbsp;research has provided members, consumers and the media with information on the average costs of owning and operating a new automobile.According to this year’s report:<ul>
 <li>The average yearly cost&nbsp;to own and operate a new vehicle in 2022&nbsp;is&nbsp;$10,728, or $894 per month.</li><li>That’s an 11% increase from 2021, when the average yearly cost was $9,666 or $805.50 per month. .&nbsp;</li><li>In&nbsp;Nebraska,&nbsp;the average yearly cost to own and operate a new vehicle in 2022 is&nbsp;$10,921 – 2% higher than the national average.</li><li>Not surprisingly, fuel prices are the most significant factor pushing this year's average annual price tag.</li>
 </ul>In the most recent analysis, AAA evaluated nine categories of vehicles&nbsp;– consisting of 45 models – to determine a new vehicle's average annual operating and ownership costs. AAA selects top-selling, mid-priced models and compares them across six categories: fuel, maintenance/repair/tire costs, insurance, license/registration/taxes, depreciation, and finance charges. The study assumes a five-year ownership period, with the vehicle being driven 15,000 miles/annually (or a total of 75,000 miles).Calculating Fuel CostsGas prices saw a dramatic climb in the first half of 2022, raising the cost of vehicle ownership, since the Your Driving Costs evaluation was completed. For this year's study, fuel costs were projected based on a weighted average of the first five months of 2022. During that time, fuel prices averaged 17.99 cents per mile or $3.999 per gallon.Comparing Fuel Costs of Electric Vehicles vs. Gas-powered VehiclesAn electric vehicle owner will spend about 4.0 cents per mile to charge their vehicle at home, while the owner of a gas-powered vehicle will spend an average of 18.4 cents per mile to gas up. Assuming both drive 15,000 miles/year, it would cost approximately $2,700/year to fuel the gas-powered vehicle and $600/year to charge the electric vehicle. A difference of $2,100 annually.Beyond fuel savings, electric vehicles have the lowest maintenance, repair, and tire costs. This is because gas-powered vehicles require additional maintenance such as oil changes, air filter replacements and inspection of mechanical components not present in electric vehicles. Additionally, electric vehicles have the lowest fees due to federal and state rebates offered to buyers of new electric vehicles as a purchase incentive.AAA Launches New Online CalculatorNew this year, AAA launched an online&nbsp;<a href="https://u7061146.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=4tNED-2FM8iDZJQyQ53jATUS3VVDyr1H4PkBIQlUsKgmTdmWyKRINxmK3zRsI1lTfeJICGo-2B8PABDyI-2BfrpZ-2F4tQ-3D-3DhUDY_f5CCQS0N95iO0XGkG5jjbwFPcyVdNsE7ynqorsRVxhOi2A2KVJqJgpwSdOopdwB9il1EQT-2FBBs2nAu1yZVaDjVwYVT29pYlc6fjzk4I7Vi36m-2FVvQW6IhWDwdRNUAPAbYDTfRjCPq2FED0nlow3jC0yxRbBfeGl8Ro82NVoCK3k-2FM3zMV-2B5m1PSyRohHwF6G-2BoIHI3UpAcFGy6IYYcQniTpw7KNQxfgFSX0uPOSRfh2DZGgeCUT6mmjK4kq-2F48ngajz99cvVDvttrCXaoMwn7PsOk4xuBOcQMopprE06oZeRUwzzdRCOED-2Be35i4X2pblx8IY6Gedc4-2Fh2TUKDKA3Fcvzm4air7cv6JaMwXBpHw-3D" target="_blank">Your Driving Costs Calculator</a>. This tool enables consumers to determine the overall driving costs of a specific vehicle. When visiting the site, consumers can select their desired state, annual mileage and driving ratio that represents their normal driving habits, and vehicle year/make/model/trim.This online tool employs the same methodology as AAA's annual analysis of new car ownership. Data is available for new and used vehicles (five model years back), and consumers may customize the results based on location, fuel price, and other personal driving tendencies.AAA Recommends Car Buyers Follow These Steps Before Purchasing:<ul>
 <li>Start early!&nbsp;Due to limited inventory, consumers may have fewer choices regarding a specific vehicle model. They may have to wait for delivery or even pre-order the vehicle of their choice.</li><li>Obtain pre-approval from their financial institution&nbsp;(e.g., Bank, Credit Union, AAA, etc.) before discussing finance rates with the car dealer. By getting pre-approval, they will have a threshold of the best lending rate they'll pay. Buyers can use their pre-approval to negotiate if the dealer offers a higher rate.</li><li>Create a budget and factor in the different elements of ownership&nbsp;– not just monthly payments. Other factors to consider when making the budget include insurance, gas, routine maintenance, etc.</li><li>Call your insurance agent&nbsp;to compare potential rates for your top choices&nbsp;and how they compare to your current vehicle.</li><li>Typically, three negotiations occur when purchasing a vehicle&nbsp;– the cost of the car, the finance rate and the trade-in value. Keep each transaction/negotiation separate from the other.</li>
 </ul>Other resources consumers can use while car shopping:<ul>
 <li><a href="https://u7061146.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=4tNED-2FM8iDZJQyQ53jATUdHgfR0y-2FHnVjug5ieQYVXJTill5FWJJpjeGXahLHrQvjXAtfUoZg1n0sn3j0mo7orj400ekKzanERUEALOwjtfj-2BeiKjC2o-2FiZeesc6h9KSzsusGOK4GTS-2Fahqb43iKrQ-3D-3D_M6D_f5CCQS0N95iO0XGkG5jjbwFPcyVdNsE7ynqorsRVxhOi2A2KVJqJgpwSdOopdwB9il1EQT-2FBBs2nAu1yZVaDjVwYVT29pYlc6fjzk4I7Vi36m-2FVvQW6IhWDwdRNUAPAbYDTfRjCPq2FED0nlow3jC0yxRbBfeGl8Ro82NVoCK3k-2FM3zMV-2B5m1PSyRohHwF6G-2BoIHI3UpAcFGy6IYYcQnic-2BXkjIDeWqUR0mNpZ1PhxGyZtH4A8Y5aUcpgxW2HUgwSf0BvVPgdBTw-2FcKPOvBF8ss8Gn0FvFfZZAxGlptxBv6L9RKTq5OrM9Uarelv0gYHd2nofOP1Ma4h-2FtG31khIk0-2FyA8uGzseP-2FImq5sLKkOc-3D" target="_blank">AAA Car Guide</a>&nbsp;- easy-to-understand resource that can help improve consumers' decision-making when it comes to buying a car.</li><li><a href="https://u7061146.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=4tNED-2FM8iDZJQyQ53jATUdr7qW-2B3ZK9lMPUN-2Fa5vWEB-2BbskVNb1EEPOc5uqguvLlfajz_f5CCQS0N95iO0XGkG5jjbwFPcyVdNsE7ynqorsRVxhOi2A2KVJqJgpwSdOopdwB9il1EQT-2FBBs2nAu1yZVaDjVwYVT29pYlc6fjzk4I7Vi36m-2FVvQW6IhWDwdRNUAPAbYDTfRjCPq2FED0nlow3jC0yxRbBfeGl8Ro82NVoCK3k-2FM3zMV-2B5m1PSyRohHwF6G-2BoIHI3UpAcFGy6IYYcQniVCFG7ErpJMkAZ4-2FxVfdYiKIen30-2FF59nhnBBp18f6iWPiiloVHS4InU-2FmOY-2BfjLBu3rBtLgGXBZxFkEmrlO6Ics744fk5gG-2FINmaUTO2XfWUmicvwpKZjEkz3YbUaziovRqnt5eDEwMWQQzj2OmBL4-3D" target="_blank">AAA's Car Buying Program</a>&nbsp;– helps consumers shop for new or used vehicles and compare vehicle pricing online.</li>
 </ul><a href="https://northplattepost.com/posts/2ddcec21-000f-4ace-b19e-4250120d6629">&nbsp;&nbsp;Download The Post app for iOs or Android</a><figure>
 <img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/YRik0g8IrUMROogeTfK4wgve7FIcG_3F4x4x-ngGtA2olTTYFJDkoHOD1aFaZUSWOgmCSb81edwbnnpm-AKxQ0DD-VvTrOpHvwE29ng1MlEZ3bGewtoi5tU0B8-pLTMvoorYa4DIJ0zaRyRPxx4Y_w" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>

AAA: Annual cost of new car ownership crosses $10K mark

KANSAS CITY —A Kansas City man decided to avoid trial and plead guilty to child sex crimes.

 Bomani Madu, 50,&nbsp;was scheduled for trial to face multiple child sex crime charges, according to Jackson County District Attorney Jean Peters Baker.&nbsp;

On August 10, Madu was sentenced&nbsp; to 12 years in state prison on five felony counts related to sexual contact with a child: Second-degree statutory sodomy, endangering the welfare of a child, sexual misconduct involving a child, and two counts of child molestations.

Charging documents in the case say the charges stem from an incident that happened in September 2021.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1660219571039.png" alt="Madu-photo Jackson Co." />
 <figcaption>Madu-photo Jackson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —A Kansas City man decided to avoid trial and plead guilty to child sex crimes. Bomani Madu, 50,&nbsp;was scheduled for trial to face multiple child sex crime charges, according to Jackson County District Attorney Jean Peters Baker.&nbsp;On August 10, Madu was sentenced&nbsp; to 12 years in state prison on five felony counts related to sexual contact with a child: Second-degree statutory sodomy, endangering the welfare of a child, sexual misconduct involving a child, and two counts of child molestations.Charging documents in the case say the charges stem from an incident that happened in September 2021.

Kansas City man avoids trial, admits to multiple child-sex crimes

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Anne Heche, the Emmy-winning film and television actor whose dramatic Hollywood rise in the 1990s and accomplished career contrasted with personal chapters of turmoil, died of injuries from a fiery car crash. She was 53.

Heche was “peacefully taken off life support," spokeswoman Holly Baird said in a statement Sunday night.

Heche had been on life support at a Los Angeles burn center after suffering a “severe anoxic brain injury,” caused by a lack of oxygen, when her car crashed into a home Aug. 5, according to a statement released Thursday by a representative on behalf of her family and friends.

She was declared brain-dead Friday, but was kept on life support in case her organs could be donated, an assessment that took nine days. In the U.S., most organ transplants are done after such a determination.

A native of Ohio whose family moved around the country, Heche endured an abusive and tragic childhood, one that helped push her into acting as a way of escaping her own life. She showed enough early promise to be offered professional work in high school and first came to prominence on the NBC soap opera “Another World” from 1987 to 1991, winning a Daytime Emmy Award for the role of twins Marley and Vicky Hudson, who on the show sustained injuries that anticipated Heche’s: Vicky falls into a coma for months after a car crash.

By the late 1990s Heche was one of the hottest actors in Hollywood, a constant on magazine covers and in big-budget films. In 1997 alone, she played opposite Johnny Depp as his wife in “Donnie Brasco” and Tommy Lee Jones in “Volcano” and was part of the ensemble cast in the original “I Know What You Did Last Summer.”

The following year, she starred with Ford in “Six Days, Seven Nights” and appeared with Vince Vaughn and Joaquin Phoenix in “Return to Paradise.” She also played one of cinema’s most famous murder victims, Marion Crane of “Psycho,” in Gus Van Sant’s remake of the Alfred Hitchcock classic, and co-starred in the indie favorite “Walking and Talking.”

Around the same time, her personal life led to even greater fame, and both personal and professional upheaval. She met Ellen DeGeneres at a the 1997 Vanity Fair Oscar party, fell in love and began a 3-year relationship that made one of Hollywood’s first openly gay couples. But Heche later said her career was damaged by an industry wary of casting her in leading roles. She would remember advisers opposing her decision to have DeGeneres accompany her to the premiere of “Volcano.”

“We were tapped on the shoulder, put into her limo in the third act and told that we couldn’t have pictures of us taken at the press junket,” Heche said in 2018 on the podcast Irish Goodbye.

After she and DeGeneres parted, Heche had a public breakdown and would speak candidly of her mental health struggles.

Heche’s delicately elfin look belied her strength on screen. When she won the National Board of Review’s 1997 best supporting actress award, the board cited the one-two punch of “Donnie Brasco” and the political satire “Wag the Dog,” in which Heche portrayed a cynical White House aide and held her own against film great Robert De Niro.

Heche also called effectively on her apparent fragility. In 2002 she starred on Broadway in the play “Proof” as a woman fearful of losing her sanity just like her father, a brilliant mathematics professor. An Associated Press review praised her “touching performance, vulnerable yet funny, particularly when Catherine mocks the suspicions about her mental stability.”

In the fall of 2000, soon after her break-up with DeGeneres, Heche was hospitalized after knocking on the door of a stranger in a rural area near Fresno, California. Authorities said she had appeared shaken and disoriented and spoke incoherently to the residents.

In a memoir released the following year, “Call Me Crazy,” Heche talked about her lifelong battles. During a 2001 interview with TV journalist Barbara Walters, Heche recounted in painful detail alleged sexual abuse by her father, Donald Heche, who professed to be devoutly religious and died in 1983 from complications of AIDS. Heche described her suffering as so extreme she developed a separate personality and imagined herself descended from another planet.

In the final days of his life, Heche said, she learned he was secretly gay and that she believed his inability to live honestly fueled his anger and hurtful behavior. Not long after her father died, her brother Nathan — one of her four siblings — was killed in a car crash.

“I’m not crazy. But it’s a crazy life. I was raised in a crazy family and it took 31 years to get the crazy out of me,” Heche told Walters. In an effort to escape the past, “I drank. I smoked. I did drugs. I had sex with people. I did anything I could to get the shame out of my life.”

Heche dated Steve Martin in the 1990s, and is widely believed to have inspired the childlike, but ambitious aspiring actor played by Heather Graham in his Hollywood spoof “Bowfinger.” She later had a son with camera operator Coleman Laffoon, to whom she was married from 2001 to 2009. She had another son during a relationship with actor James Tupper, her co-star on the TV series “Men In Trees.”

Heche worked consistently in smaller films, on Broadway and on TV shows in the past two decades. She recently had recurring roles on the network series “Chicago P.D.” and “All Rise,” and in 2020 was a contestant on “Dancing With the Stars.”

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Anne Heche remains on life support and under evaluation for organ donation after a car crash that led to her brain death, a representative for the actor said Friday.

Under current California law, death can be determined by the loss of all brain function and in accordance with accepted medical standards.

While Heche is legally dead, she's on life support and “her heart is still beating" so that the nonprofit organization OneLegacy can determine if she can be a donor, spokeswoman Holly Baird said in a statement.

The process, which involves assessing which organs are viable and finding an appropriate recipient, could take from one day to several days, Baird told The Associated Press.

In the U.S., most organ transplants are done after the donor has been declared brain-dead.

The actor suffered a “severe anoxic brain injury,” caused by a lack of oxygen, when her car crashed into a Los Angeles area home Aug. 5 and fire erupted, according to a statement released Thursday that said she wasn't expected to survive.

She's been hospitalized at a Los Angeles burn center.

“This is a sad day. I’m sending Anne’s children, family and friends all of my love,” Ellen DeGeneres said Friday on Twitter amid reports of Heche's dire condition. They were a couple from 1997 to 2000.

Detectives investigating the crash said narcotics were found in a blood sample taken from Heche, though toxicology tests still had to be performed to differentiate them from drugs she was given for her injuries, Los Angeles police said.

A native of Ohio, Heche first came to prominence on the NBC soap opera “Another World” from 1987 to 1991. She won a Daytime Emmy Award for the role of twins Marley and Vicky.

In the late 1990s she became one of the hottest actors in Hollywood, a constant on magazine covers and in big-budget films. In 1997 alone, she played opposite Johnny Depp as his wife in “Donnie Brasco” and Tommy Lee Jones in “Volcano” and was part of the ensemble cast in the original “I Know What You Did Last Summer.”

The following year, she starred with Harrison Ford in “Six Days, Seven Nights” and appeared with Vince Vaughn and Joaquin Phoenix in “Return to Paradise.”

LOS ANGELES (AP)— Anne Heche is on life support after suffering a 
brain injury in a fiery crash a week ago and her survival isn't 
expected, according to a statement from a representative.

The 
actor, who is in a coma and in critical condition, is being kept on life
 support for possible organ donation, according to the statement 
released Thursday night on behalf of her family and friends.

Heche,
 who's been hospitalized at the Grossman Burn Center at West Hills 
hospital north of Los Angeles, suffered a “severe anoxic brain injury,” 
the statement said. Such an injury is caused by a sustained lack of 
oxygen to the brain.

“She is not expected to survive,” the 
statement said. “It has long been her choice to donate her organs and 
she is being kept on life support to determine if any are viable."

On
 the morning of Aug. 5, Heche’s car smashed into a house in a 
neighborhood in west Los Angeles and a fire erupted with the car 
embedded inside the home.

Earlier Thursday, police said they were 
investigating Heche for driving under the influence. Detectives with a 
search warrant took a sample of her blood and found narcotics in her 
system, LAPD spokesperson Officer Jeff Lee said.

Toxicology tests,
 which can take weeks to complete, must be performed to identify the 
drugs more clearly and to differentiate them from any medication she may
 have been given for treatment at the hospital.

Evidence is still 
being gathered from the crash, police said, and they would present a 
case to prosecutors if it is warranted when the investigation is 
complete.

A representative for Heche declined comment on the investigation.

On
 Tuesday, Heche spokesperson Heather Duffy Boylston said she had been in
 a coma since after the accident, with burns that required surgery and 
lung injuries that required the use of a ventilator to breathe.

“Anne
 had a huge heart and touched everyone she met with her generous spirit.
 More than her extraordinary talent, she saw spreading kindness and joy 
as her life’s work — especially moving the needle for acceptance of who 
you love,” Thursday's statement said. “She will be remembered for her 
courageous honesty and dearly missed for her light.”

Heche, 53, 
was among the most prominent film stars in Hollywood in the late 1990s, 
playing opposite actors including Johnny Depp (“Donnie Brasco”) and 
Harrison Ford (“Six Days, Seven Nights”). In a 2001 memoir, she 
discussed her lifelong struggles with mental health.

She recently 
had recurring roles on the network TV series “Chicago P.D.” and “All 
Rise,” and in 2020 was a contestant on “Dancing With the Stars.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1660337200892.png" alt="Anne Heche at the 1997 Emmy Awards / Photo by Alan Light, Creative Commons license" />
 <figcaption>Anne Heche at the 1997 Emmy Awards / Photo by Alan Light, Creative Commons license</figcaption>
 </figure>LOS ANGELES (AP) — Anne Heche, the Emmy-winning film and television actor whose dramatic Hollywood rise in the 1990s and accomplished career contrasted with personal chapters of turmoil, died of injuries from a fiery car crash. She was 53.Heche was “peacefully taken off life support," spokeswoman Holly Baird said in a statement Sunday night.Heche had been on life support at a Los Angeles burn center after suffering a “severe anoxic brain injury,” caused by a lack of oxygen, when her car crashed into a home Aug. 5, according to a statement released Thursday by a representative on behalf of her family and friends.She was declared brain-dead Friday, but was kept on life support in case her organs could be donated, an assessment that took nine days. In the U.S., most organ transplants are done after such a determination.A native of Ohio whose family moved around the country, Heche endured an abusive and tragic childhood, one that helped push her into acting as a way of escaping her own life. She showed enough early promise to be offered professional work in high school and first came to prominence on the NBC soap opera “Another World” from 1987 to 1991, winning a Daytime Emmy Award for the role of twins Marley and Vicky Hudson, who on the show sustained injuries that anticipated Heche’s: Vicky falls into a coma for months after a car crash.By the late 1990s Heche was one of the hottest actors in Hollywood, a constant on magazine covers and in big-budget films. In 1997 alone, she played opposite Johnny Depp as his wife in “Donnie Brasco” and Tommy Lee Jones in “Volcano” and was part of the ensemble cast in the original “I Know What You Did Last Summer.”The following year, she starred with Ford in “Six Days, Seven Nights” and appeared with Vince Vaughn and Joaquin Phoenix in “Return to Paradise.” She also played one of cinema’s most famous murder victims, Marion Crane of “Psycho,” in Gus Van Sant’s remake of the Alfred Hitchcock classic, and co-starred in the indie favorite “Walking and Talking.”Around the same time, her personal life led to even greater fame, and both personal and professional upheaval. She met Ellen DeGeneres at a the 1997 Vanity Fair Oscar party, fell in love and began a 3-year relationship that made one of Hollywood’s first openly gay couples. But Heche later said her career was damaged by an industry wary of casting her in leading roles. She would remember advisers opposing her decision to have DeGeneres accompany her to the premiere of “Volcano.”“We were tapped on the shoulder, put into her limo in the third act and told that we couldn’t have pictures of us taken at the press junket,” Heche said in 2018 on the podcast Irish Goodbye.After she and DeGeneres parted, Heche had a public breakdown and would speak candidly of her mental health struggles.Heche’s delicately elfin look belied her strength on screen. When she won the National Board of Review’s 1997 best supporting actress award, the board cited the one-two punch of “Donnie Brasco” and the political satire “Wag the Dog,” in which Heche portrayed a cynical White House aide and held her own against film great Robert De Niro.Heche also called effectively on her apparent fragility. In 2002 she starred on Broadway in the play “Proof” as a woman fearful of losing her sanity just like her father, a brilliant mathematics professor. An Associated Press review praised her “touching performance, vulnerable yet funny, particularly when Catherine mocks the suspicions about her mental stability.”In the fall of 2000, soon after her break-up with DeGeneres, Heche was hospitalized after knocking on the door of a stranger in a rural area near Fresno, California. Authorities said she had appeared shaken and disoriented and spoke incoherently to the residents.In a memoir released the following year, “Call Me Crazy,” Heche talked about her lifelong battles. During a 2001 interview with TV journalist Barbara Walters, Heche recounted in painful detail alleged sexual abuse by her father, Donald Heche, who professed to be devoutly religious and died in 1983 from complications of AIDS. Heche described her suffering as so extreme she developed a separate personality and imagined herself descended from another planet.In the final days of his life, Heche said, she learned he was secretly gay and that she believed his inability to live honestly fueled his anger and hurtful behavior. Not long after her father died, her brother Nathan — one of her four siblings — was killed in a car crash.“I’m not crazy. But it’s a crazy life. I was raised in a crazy family and it took 31 years to get the crazy out of me,” Heche told Walters. In an effort to escape the past, “I drank. I smoked. I did drugs. I had sex with people. I did anything I could to get the shame out of my life.”Heche dated Steve Martin in the 1990s, and is widely believed to have inspired the childlike, but ambitious aspiring actor played by Heather Graham in his Hollywood spoof “Bowfinger.” She later had a son with camera operator Coleman Laffoon, to whom she was married from 2001 to 2009. She had another son during a relationship with actor James Tupper, her co-star on the TV series “Men In Trees.”Heche worked consistently in smaller films, on Broadway and on TV shows in the past two decades. She recently had recurring roles on the network series “Chicago P.D.” and “All Rise,” and in 2020 was a contestant on “Dancing With the Stars.”------LOS ANGELES (AP) — Anne Heche remains on life support and under evaluation for organ donation after a car crash that led to her brain death, a representative for the actor said Friday.Under current California law, death can be determined by the loss of all brain function and in accordance with accepted medical standards.While Heche is legally dead, she's on life support and “her heart is still beating" so that the nonprofit organization OneLegacy can determine if she can be a donor, spokeswoman Holly Baird said in a statement.The process, which involves assessing which organs are viable and finding an appropriate recipient, could take from one day to several days, Baird told The Associated Press.In the U.S., most organ transplants are done after the donor has been declared brain-dead.The actor suffered a “severe anoxic brain injury,” caused by a lack of oxygen, when her car crashed into a Los Angeles area home Aug. 5 and fire erupted, according to a statement released Thursday that said she wasn't expected to survive.She's been hospitalized at a Los Angeles burn center.“This is a sad day. I’m sending Anne’s children, family and friends all of my love,” Ellen DeGeneres said Friday on Twitter amid reports of Heche's dire condition. They were a couple from 1997 to 2000.Detectives investigating the crash said narcotics were found in a blood sample taken from Heche, though toxicology tests still had to be performed to differentiate them from drugs she was given for her injuries, Los Angeles police said.A native of Ohio, Heche first came to prominence on the NBC soap opera “Another World” from 1987 to 1991. She won a Daytime Emmy Award for the role of twins Marley and Vicky.In the late 1990s she became one of the hottest actors in Hollywood, a constant on magazine covers and in big-budget films. In 1997 alone, she played opposite Johnny Depp as his wife in “Donnie Brasco” and Tommy Lee Jones in “Volcano” and was part of the ensemble cast in the original “I Know What You Did Last Summer.”The following year, she starred with Harrison Ford in “Six Days, Seven Nights” and appeared with Vince Vaughn and Joaquin Phoenix in “Return to Paradise.”--------LOS ANGELES (AP)— Anne Heche is on life support after suffering a 
brain injury in a fiery crash a week ago and her survival isn't 
expected, according to a statement from a representative.The 
actor, who is in a coma and in critical condition, is being kept on life
 support for possible organ donation, according to the statement 
released Thursday night on behalf of her family and friends.Heche,
 who's been hospitalized at the Grossman Burn Center at West Hills 
hospital north of Los Angeles, suffered a “severe anoxic brain injury,” 
the statement said. Such an injury is caused by a sustained lack of 
oxygen to the brain.“She is not expected to survive,” the 
statement said. “It has long been her choice to donate her organs and 
she is being kept on life support to determine if any are viable."On
 the morning of Aug. 5, Heche’s car smashed into a house in a 
neighborhood in west Los Angeles and a fire erupted with the car 
embedded inside the home.Earlier Thursday, police said they were 
investigating Heche for driving under the influence. Detectives with a 
search warrant took a sample of her blood and found narcotics in her 
system, LAPD spokesperson Officer Jeff Lee said.Toxicology tests,
 which can take weeks to complete, must be performed to identify the 
drugs more clearly and to differentiate them from any medication she may
 have been given for treatment at the hospital.Evidence is still 
being gathered from the crash, police said, and they would present a 
case to prosecutors if it is warranted when the investigation is 
complete.A representative for Heche declined comment on the investigation.On
 Tuesday, Heche spokesperson Heather Duffy Boylston said she had been in
 a coma since after the accident, with burns that required surgery and 
lung injuries that required the use of a ventilator to breathe.“Anne
 had a huge heart and touched everyone she met with her generous spirit.
 More than her extraordinary talent, she saw spreading kindness and joy 
as her life’s work — especially moving the needle for acceptance of who 
you love,” Thursday's statement said. “She will be remembered for her 
courageous honesty and dearly missed for her light.”Heche, 53, 
was among the most prominent film stars in Hollywood in the late 1990s, 
playing opposite actors including Johnny Depp (“Donnie Brasco”) and 
Harrison Ford (“Six Days, Seven Nights”). In a 2001 memoir, she 
discussed her lifelong struggles with mental health.She recently 
had recurring roles on the network TV series “Chicago P.D.” and “All 
Rise,” and in 2020 was a contestant on “Dancing With the Stars.”

Anne Heche dies of crash injuries after life support removed

KANSAS CITY—A Mexican national was sentenced to 100 months in prison last week in connection to an international drug ring that distributed large quantities of methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine, and marijuana from Mexico in the Kansas City area, according to the United State's Attorney.

According to court documents, in January 2021, Aron Rodriguez- Posada, 48, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine.

In October 2019, the Kansas Highway Patrol stopped a car hauler in Meade, Kansas, to conduct a vehicle inspection. With consent to search, a trooper located approximately 35 pounds of methamphetamine in the gas tank of one of the vehicles utilizing a scope. 

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) then conducted a controlled delivery of the methamphetamine. Federal agents arrested Rodriguez-Posada as well as Jovany Medina, 24, of Kansas City after the men took possession of the vehicle.

In July 2022, Medina was sentenced to 144 months in prison after pleading guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine.

Rodriquez-Posada also pled guilty to one count of unlawful reentry subsequent to removal after admitting to returning to United States after being removed for illegal entry in 2014.

KANSAS CITY—A Mexican national was sentenced to 100 months in prison last week in connection to an international drug ring that distributed large quantities of methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine, and marijuana from Mexico in the Kansas City area, according to the United State's Attorney.According to court documents, in January 2021, Aron Rodriguez- Posada, 48, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine.In October 2019, the Kansas Highway Patrol stopped a car hauler in Meade, Kansas, to conduct a vehicle inspection. With consent to search, a trooper located approximately 35 pounds of methamphetamine in the gas tank of one of the vehicles utilizing a scope. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) then conducted a controlled delivery of the methamphetamine. Federal agents arrested Rodriguez-Posada as well as Jovany Medina, 24, of Kansas City after the men took possession of the vehicle.In July 2022, Medina was sentenced to 144 months in prison after pleading guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine.Rodriquez-Posada also pled guilty to one count of unlawful reentry subsequent to removal after admitting to returning to United States after being removed for illegal entry in 2014.

 KHP found 35 pounds of meth in vehicle's gas tank 

This is a special edition of A Day in the Life. With the start of the school year and recent events involving shootings at schools, we thought this would be a chance for you to see, and know, that local law enforcement is working to help protect students if such an event occurred. While it is unfortunate that such training is necessary, we wanted you to see what is being done in Hutchinson and Reno County to keep schools safe. This edition does contain video of law enforcement using live rounds with soft bullets to simulate real-life situations. Please note this is a real simulation and the video does contain simulated victims and real-life situations, some of which are graphic. Parts of the exercise are being left out intentionally to avoid disclosing tactical information that keeps officers safe.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Area law enforcement, Reno County EMS and&nbsp; Hutchinson Fire take time each year to conduct active shooter training in area schools. The exercise, done each year at various locations, helps officers prepare for such an event by putting them through various scenarios. The Hutchinson Fire Department was brought in to help train them on responding to numerous injuries and to triage such events.

The training starts out with a briefing for all personnel. At that briefing, all parties talk about how to respond to an active shooter, what the appropriate techniques are going to be, how to set up a triage area for injuries, and how victims can be rescued and removed from the building. The goal is to have a full picture of what will take pace if such a situation arises.&nbsp;

After that briefing, the individual units go into a breakout session to discuss their specific component of the exercise. For law enforcement, that includes single and team movement drills. Changes in how law enforcement reacts to active shooter situations has led law enforcement to evolve into a single-man response to an active shooter. That change came about from the shooting at Excel Industries in Hesston.

Hutchinson Police Chief Jeff Hooper says law enforcement used to wait and call in a SWAT team or form a multi-officer pattern before entering a building. Now, any officer, even if it’s just one, will enter the building and, if possible, diffuse the situation. It's a change brought on by the need to stop the shooter as quickly as possible. Simulated ammunition is used in the training.

As law enforcement works to secure areas of the building, the fire department works on extraction of victims. Law enforcement will walk around such injuries in an effort to get to the shooter as quickly as possible, but still make sure the fire department can extract a victim safely. It is a delicate balance of moving quickly, but ensuring that everyone is secured.

The action taken by law enforcement can change moment-to-moment if actual gunfire is taking place or begins. Once shooting starts, officers know there is a particular threat in that area and will move as quickly as possible.&nbsp;

The exercise also goes over how to deal with what are, understandably, upset parents or guardians of students. Chief Hooper wanted to stress that he can surely understand how parents would react to such a situation. He stresses that parents or guardians should not try to rescue their children. With the high-charged situation going on, it is likely that a parent in the building could be mistaken for a suspect and not a victim. The practice is for parents or guardians to gather at a designated rally point so they and their children can be accounted.&nbsp;

While this exercise was all about the schools, law enforcement will also provide such training and situational awareness to any business, church or manufacturer that wants it. Hooper wanted to stress that they are doing everything they can to keep schools safe from any type of threat.

We would like to offer our sincere thanks to the Hutchinson Police Department, the Reno County Sheriff's Department, EMS and Hutchinson Fire for letting us be a part of this exercise. We hope you can see this edition of A Day in the Life as informative in knowing that law enforcement is training for such situations.&nbsp;

If your business would like to be a part of A Day in the Life, just contact Rod Zook at 620-259-7396 or email him at <a href="mailto:rod.zook@eagleradio.net">rod.zook@eagleradio.net</a>.

A Day in the Life is brought to you by: <a href="https://www.hutchchamber.com/">Hutchinson/Reno County Chamber of Commerce</a> <a href="https://kincaidseedresearch.com/">Kincaid Manufacturing</a> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/jwmachineks">JW Machine</a> <a href="https://havensteel.com/">Haven Steel</a>

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1660328677092.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1660248292334.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>This is a special edition of A Day in the Life. With the start of the school year and recent events involving shootings at schools, we thought this would be a chance for you to see, and know, that local law enforcement is working to help protect students if such an event occurred. While it is unfortunate that such training is necessary, we wanted you to see what is being done in Hutchinson and Reno County to keep schools safe. This edition does contain video of law enforcement using live rounds with soft bullets to simulate real-life situations. Please note this is a real simulation and the video does contain simulated victims and real-life situations, some of which are graphic. Parts of the exercise are being left out intentionally to avoid disclosing tactical information that keeps officers safe.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1660144580110.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>By ROD ZOOK Hutch PostHUTCHINSON, Kan. — Area law enforcement, Reno County EMS and&nbsp; Hutchinson Fire take time each year to conduct active shooter training in area schools. The exercise, done each year at various locations, helps officers prepare for such an event by putting them through various scenarios. The Hutchinson Fire Department was brought in to help train them on responding to numerous injuries and to triage such events.The training starts out with a briefing for all personnel. At that briefing, all parties talk about how to respond to an active shooter, what the appropriate techniques are going to be, how to set up a triage area for injuries, and how victims can be rescued and removed from the building. The goal is to have a full picture of what will take pace if such a situation arises.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1660229187456.jpeg" alt="Law enforcement, firefighters and EMS all meet before the exercise to get an overall look at what they want to accomplish during the drill. Breakout sessions are then held to allow each unit to do drills before the actual event starts." />
 <figcaption>Law enforcement, firefighters and EMS all meet before the exercise to get an overall look at what they want to accomplish during the drill. Breakout sessions are then held to allow each unit to do drills before the actual event starts.</figcaption>
 </figure>After that briefing, the individual units go into a breakout session to discuss their specific component of the exercise. For law enforcement, that includes single and team movement drills. Changes in how law enforcement reacts to active shooter situations has led law enforcement to evolve into a single-man response to an active shooter. That change came about from the shooting at Excel Industries in Hesston.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1660229403293.jpeg" alt="Over the years, tactics have changed in how law enforcement reacts to an active shooter in order to shorten the amount of time they can engage the suspect." />
 <figcaption>Over the years, tactics have changed in how law enforcement reacts to an active shooter in order to shorten the amount of time they can engage the suspect.</figcaption>
 </figure>Hutchinson Police Chief Jeff Hooper says law enforcement used to wait and call in a SWAT team or form a multi-officer pattern before entering a building. Now, any officer, even if it’s just one, will enter the building and, if possible, diffuse the situation. It's a change brought on by the need to stop the shooter as quickly as possible. Simulated ammunition is used in the training.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1660229313254.jpeg" alt="The&nbsp; drill includes simulated ammunition, which still packs a pretty good punch and is as loud as the real thing." />
 <figcaption>The&nbsp; drill includes simulated ammunition, which still packs a pretty good punch and is as loud as the real thing.</figcaption>
 </figure>As law enforcement works to secure areas of the building, the fire department works on extraction of victims. Law enforcement will walk around such injuries in an effort to get to the shooter as quickly as possible, but still make sure the fire department can extract a victim safely. It is a delicate balance of moving quickly, but ensuring that everyone is secured.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1660229344022.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1660229353094.jpeg" alt="Once an area is secured by law enforcement, first responders move in to extract the victims, or any other students, to safety. Law enforcement will also work to keep moving through the building as quickly as possible while making sure firefighters are safe." />
 <figcaption>Once an area is secured by law enforcement, first responders move in to extract the victims, or any other students, to safety. Law enforcement will also work to keep moving through the building as quickly as possible while making sure firefighters are safe.</figcaption>
 </figure>The action taken by law enforcement can change moment-to-moment if actual gunfire is taking place or begins. Once shooting starts, officers know there is a particular threat in that area and will move as quickly as possible.&nbsp;<div><div itemscope itemtype="https://schema.org/VideoObject"><meta itemprop="uploadDate" content="Thu Aug 04 2022 10:22:50 GMT-0500 (CDT)"/><meta itemprop="name" content="Hutchinson Police - Aditl"/><meta itemprop="thumbnailUrl" content="https://cdn.jwplayer.com/thumbs/tRC0Zcij-720.jpg"/><div style="position:relative; overflow:hidden; padding-bottom:56.25%"><iframe src="https://cdn.jwplayer.com/players/tRC0Zcij-KcBmu4K3.html" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" title="Hutchinson Police - Aditl" style="position:absolute;" allowfullscreen></iframe></div></div></div>The exercise also goes over how to deal with what are, understandably, upset parents or guardians of students. Chief Hooper wanted to stress that he can surely understand how parents would react to such a situation. He stresses that parents or guardians should not try to rescue their children. With the high-charged situation going on, it is likely that a parent in the building could be mistaken for a suspect and not a victim. The practice is for parents or guardians to gather at a designated rally point so they and their children can be accounted.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1660229432004.jpeg" alt="Officers have been trained to move in teams of two or more, and solo as well. The need for quick action has changed the way officers respond to a shooter. The idea is to engage the shooter as quickly as possible." />
 <figcaption>Officers have been trained to move in teams of two or more, and solo as well. The need for quick action has changed the way officers respond to a shooter. The idea is to engage the shooter as quickly as possible.</figcaption>
 </figure>While this exercise was all about the schools, law enforcement will also provide such training and situational awareness to any business, church or manufacturer that wants it. Hooper wanted to stress that they are doing everything they can to keep schools safe from any type of threat.We would like to offer our sincere thanks to the Hutchinson Police Department, the Reno County Sheriff's Department, EMS and Hutchinson Fire for letting us be a part of this exercise. We hope you can see this edition of A Day in the Life as informative in knowing that law enforcement is training for such situations.&nbsp;If your business would like to be a part of A Day in the Life, just contact Rod Zook at 620-259-7396 or email him at <a href="mailto:rod.zook@eagleradio.net">rod.zook@eagleradio.net</a>.A Day in the Life is brought to you by: <a href="https://www.hutchchamber.com/">Hutchinson/Reno County Chamber of Commerce</a> <a href="https://kincaidseedresearch.com/">Kincaid Manufacturing</a> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/jwmachineks">JW Machine</a> <a href="https://havensteel.com/">Haven Steel</a>

🎥A Day in the Life: Active shooter training 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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