WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas man will be sentenced in July for his role in a hoax call that led to a fatal police shooting in 2017. Shane Gaskill pleaded guilty Tuesday to wire fraud related to a “swatting" call that ended with Wichita police shooting and killing 28-year-old Andrew Finch. 

In his plea agreement, Gaskill said he taunted another online gamer and gave him an old address in Wichita. Another gamer in Los Angeles called Wichita police and falsely reported a shooting and kidnapping at the address.

Finch, who had nothing to do with the online dispute, was shot when he opened the door to his home. The other two gamers are serving prison sentences.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/6/1591210545859.png" alt="Police body camera image the night of the fatal swatting call shooting -image Wichita Police" />
 <figcaption>Police body camera image the night of the fatal swatting call shooting -image Wichita Police</figcaption>
 </figure>WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas man will be sentenced in July for his role in a hoax call that led to a fatal police shooting in 2017. Shane Gaskill pleaded guilty Tuesday to wire fraud related to a “swatting" call that ended with Wichita police shooting and killing 28-year-old Andrew Finch. In his plea agreement, Gaskill said he taunted another online gamer and gave him an old address in Wichita. Another gamer in Los Angeles called Wichita police and falsely reported a shooting and kidnapping at the address.Finch, who had nothing to do with the online dispute, was shot when he opened the door to his home. The other two gamers are serving prison sentences.

Kansas gamer pleads guilty for role in fatal 'swatting' case

BARTON COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating a suspect on out of state charges after a wild chase in Barton County.

Just before 12:30pm Tuesday, a man&nbsp;later identified as Kris Hanson, 57 of Wichita, came to the Barton County Sheriff’s Office to get a VIN inspection for an out-of-state title, according to the Sheriff Brian Bellendir.

In order to get an inspection, identification is required. The man provided the records clerk with a driver’s license, as is customary, the clerk ran a check for wants and warrants. The records officer discovered Hanson had outstanding warrants from Benton County, Arkansas for failing to appear on a larceny case.

The records clerk contacted detention officers and advised them of the situation. When deputies came to the lobby to arrest Hanson, he bolted and ran south on Kansas Street. Deputies gave chase.

At least two attempts to incapacitate the suspect with tasers failed. Hanson continued running south on Kansas Street, running between houses and at some point entered and ran through the Barton County Health Department and out an alley door.

Another deputy spotted Hanson in the alley and again gave chase. A third taser deployment was attempted, this time it was successful causing Hanson to fall to the ground. The suspect continued to resist arrest. After a short struggle the deputies were able to subdue Hanson and he was taken into custody.

Hanson was taken back to the Barton County Jail where he was booked on the Arkansas charges which carry no bond. Hanson was also booked on charges of resisting arrest with a bond of $2,500. One deputy was slightly injured in the altercation as was Hanson who fell while running and being tased.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/5/1651676508592.jpeg" alt="Hanson-photo Barton Co." />
 <figcaption>Hanson-photo Barton Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>BARTON COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating a suspect on out of state charges after a wild chase in Barton County.Just before 12:30pm Tuesday, a man&nbsp;later identified as Kris Hanson, 57 of Wichita, came to the Barton County Sheriff’s Office to get a VIN inspection for an out-of-state title, according to the Sheriff Brian Bellendir.In order to get an inspection, identification is required. The man provided the records clerk with a driver’s license, as is customary, the clerk ran a check for wants and warrants. The records officer discovered Hanson had outstanding warrants from Benton County, Arkansas for failing to appear on a larceny case.The records clerk contacted detention officers and advised them of the situation. When deputies came to the lobby to arrest Hanson, he bolted and ran south on Kansas Street. Deputies gave chase.At least two attempts to incapacitate the suspect with tasers failed. Hanson continued running south on Kansas Street, running between houses and at some point entered and ran through the Barton County Health Department and out an alley door.Another deputy spotted Hanson in the alley and again gave chase. A third taser deployment was attempted, this time it was successful causing Hanson to fall to the ground. The suspect continued to resist arrest. After a short struggle the deputies were able to subdue Hanson and he was taken into custody.Hanson was taken back to the Barton County Jail where he was booked on the Arkansas charges which carry no bond. Hanson was also booked on charges of resisting arrest with a bond of $2,500. One deputy was slightly injured in the altercation as was Hanson who fell while running and being tased.

Kan. deputies chase wanted man through health department

By CELIA LLOPIS-JEPSEN <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2022-05-04/a-kansas-sheriffs-office-is-raiding-shops-that-sell-thc-and-seizing-the-products">Kansas News Service</a>

Law enforcement officers are carrying out raids in Topeka on shops selling cannabis products.

The
 Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office won’t answer questions about how many 
stores it has raided, on what dates or how much it seized.

Cannabis
 advocacy groups in Topeka say officers seized goods from several 
sellers on April 20 — a date celebrated by cannabis enthusiasts — and 
April 28, and continued their campaign over the past few days.

The
 move frustrates advocates holding out hope that the Kansas Legislature 
will take final steps later this month to seal a deal that would 
legalize medical marijuana.

The raids also frustrate advocates because some cannabis products already count as legal under state law.

“This
 ongoing persecution of Kansas citizens, retailers, distributors and 
ancillary business owners is detrimental to our state and its future, 
and it must end,” several groups said in a collective statement.

The
 groups — including Kansans for Hemp, the Kansas Cannabis Chamber of 
Commerce and the Kansas Cannabis Coalition — urged the hundreds of shops
 across Kansas that sell products containing THC to ensure their goods 
are legal and to keep detailed documentation of their origin to gird 
themselves against prosecution.

THC is the key psychoactive 
compound in cannabis plants. Kansas law allows products with very small 
amounts of it. To be legal, the small amounts of THC need to come from 
industrial hemp plants — cannabis plants that naturally contain low 
levels of the stuff.

In December, <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2022-01-06/these-cannabis-products-sold-in-kansas-could-get-you-high-and-maybe-arrested" target="_blank">Attorney General Derek Schmidt concluded</a>
 these rules apply to delta-8 products, too. Delta-8 really only sells 
well in states like Kansas, where full-blown recreational cannabis 
remains illegal. It is a molecular variation on standard THC with 
similar psychoactive effects.

The Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office 
says it found stores selling illegal goods — some with standard THC and 
some with molecular variations. It won’t answer questions about how it 
determined, or will determine, which of the products broke state law. To
 be legal, the products must contain less than 0.3% of THC or THC 
variations, and the substances must come from industrial hemp plants.

Earlier this year, the Ellis County county attorney <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2022-01-06/these-cannabis-products-sold-in-kansas-could-get-you-high-and-maybe-arrested" target="_blank">told shops</a> selling delta-8 in Hays that they wouldn’t face prosecution if they handed the products over to police voluntarily.

That
 county also successfully prosecuted what may be the first criminal case
 in Kansas that involved delta-8. Prosecutors relied on manufacturer 
documentation that indicated the products contained more than 0.3% of 
the delta-8 THC variety.

Kansans for Hemp says it knows of at 
least four stores in Topeka that were visited by law enforcement last 
month and this month. Officers went in and confiscated goods.

Store owners were told that their products were unlawful unless the Kansas Legislature changes state law.

Thirty-seven states now allow medical marijuana, <a href="https://www.ncsl.org/research/health/state-medical-marijuana-laws.aspx" target="_blank">the National Conference of State Legislatures says</a>. Eighteen of them also allow recreational use.

In its most recent annual survey of Kansas public opinion, <a href="https://www.fhsu.edu/docking/Kansas-Speaks/" target="_blank">Fort Hays State University</a> found 70% of respondents favored legalizing marijuana so the state can tax it.

Social
 media posts on the Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page 
normally draw few public comments. But when the agency announced that it
 had executed warrants against an unspecified number of shops and seized
 products containing THC, it attracted nearly 160 comments, almost all 
of which criticized the action.

“You wasted tax money on this? Low
 hanging fruit much?” one commenter wrote. “Aren’t there real criminals 
out there you should be worried about?”

Another likened the raids to a “countywide crackdown on jaywalkers.”

Celia
 Llopis-Jepsen reports on consumer health for the Kansas News Service. 
You can follow her on Twitter @celia_LJ or email her at celia@kcur.org.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/5/1651691094505.png" alt="These industrial hemp plants being cultivated legally in Kansas contain very low amounts of THC. Brian Grimmett / Kansas News Service" />
 <figcaption>These industrial hemp plants being cultivated legally in Kansas contain very low amounts of THC. Brian Grimmett / Kansas News Service</figcaption>
 </figure>By CELIA LLOPIS-JEPSEN <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2022-05-04/a-kansas-sheriffs-office-is-raiding-shops-that-sell-thc-and-seizing-the-products">Kansas News Service</a>Law enforcement officers are carrying out raids in Topeka on shops selling cannabis products.The
 Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office won’t answer questions about how many 
stores it has raided, on what dates or how much it seized.Cannabis
 advocacy groups in Topeka say officers seized goods from several 
sellers on April 20 — a date celebrated by cannabis enthusiasts — and 
April 28, and continued their campaign over the past few days.The
 move frustrates advocates holding out hope that the Kansas Legislature 
will take final steps later this month to seal a deal that would 
legalize medical marijuana.The raids also frustrate advocates because some cannabis products already count as legal under state law.“This
 ongoing persecution of Kansas citizens, retailers, distributors and 
ancillary business owners is detrimental to our state and its future, 
and it must end,” several groups said in a collective statement.The
 groups — including Kansans for Hemp, the Kansas Cannabis Chamber of 
Commerce and the Kansas Cannabis Coalition — urged the hundreds of shops
 across Kansas that sell products containing THC to ensure their goods 
are legal and to keep detailed documentation of their origin to gird 
themselves against prosecution.THC is the key psychoactive 
compound in cannabis plants. Kansas law allows products with very small 
amounts of it. To be legal, the small amounts of THC need to come from 
industrial hemp plants — cannabis plants that naturally contain low 
levels of the stuff.In December, <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2022-01-06/these-cannabis-products-sold-in-kansas-could-get-you-high-and-maybe-arrested" target="_blank">Attorney General Derek Schmidt concluded</a>
 these rules apply to delta-8 products, too. Delta-8 really only sells 
well in states like Kansas, where full-blown recreational cannabis 
remains illegal. It is a molecular variation on standard THC with 
similar psychoactive effects.The Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office 
says it found stores selling illegal goods — some with standard THC and 
some with molecular variations. It won’t answer questions about how it 
determined, or will determine, which of the products broke state law. To
 be legal, the products must contain less than 0.3% of THC or THC 
variations, and the substances must come from industrial hemp plants.Earlier this year, the Ellis County county attorney <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2022-01-06/these-cannabis-products-sold-in-kansas-could-get-you-high-and-maybe-arrested" target="_blank">told shops</a> selling delta-8 in Hays that they wouldn’t face prosecution if they handed the products over to police voluntarily.That
 county also successfully prosecuted what may be the first criminal case
 in Kansas that involved delta-8. Prosecutors relied on manufacturer 
documentation that indicated the products contained more than 0.3% of 
the delta-8 THC variety.Kansans for Hemp says it knows of at 
least four stores in Topeka that were visited by law enforcement last 
month and this month. Officers went in and confiscated goods.Store owners were told that their products were unlawful unless the Kansas Legislature changes state law.Thirty-seven states now allow medical marijuana, <a href="https://www.ncsl.org/research/health/state-medical-marijuana-laws.aspx" target="_blank">the National Conference of State Legislatures says</a>. Eighteen of them also allow recreational use.In its most recent annual survey of Kansas public opinion, <a href="https://www.fhsu.edu/docking/Kansas-Speaks/" target="_blank">Fort Hays State University</a> found 70% of respondents favored legalizing marijuana so the state can tax it.Social
 media posts on the Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page 
normally draw few public comments. But when the agency announced that it
 had executed warrants against an unspecified number of shops and seized
 products containing THC, it attracted nearly 160 comments, almost all 
of which criticized the action.“You wasted tax money on this? Low
 hanging fruit much?” one commenter wrote. “Aren’t there real criminals 
out there you should be worried about?”Another likened the raids to a “countywide crackdown on jaywalkers.”Celia
 Llopis-Jepsen reports on consumer health for the Kansas News Service. 
You can follow her on Twitter @celia_LJ or email her at celia@kcur.org.

Kan. sheriff's office raiding shops that sell THC, seizing products 

KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement authorities have confirmed that the individual killed overnight in Platte City by police after a multi-county pursuit and standoff, was the suspect in an early-morning homicide Sunday at a tavern in Kansas City Kansas, according to a media release from police.

On Tuesday morning, Wyandotte County Police issued a warrant for first-degree murder and aggravated battery for 27-year-old Mekiah D. Harris of KCK. The victim in the homicide Michael Rehard, also a resident of KCK, died on the scene. Two other shooting victims were transported to a local hospital. They remain hospitalized but are expected to recover, according to police.

The Platte Co. Sheriff's office will lead the investigation into the officer-shooting.

PLATTE COUNTY (AP) — Authorities in Kansas City say a man suspected of leading police on a high-speed chase over two states has been fatally shot by officers. 

Police in Kansas City say the shooting happened late Tuesday night near Platte City after officers in Kansas City, Kansas, attempted to stop a car driven by a 26-year-old man as part of a homicide investigation. Police say the man sped off, leading to a high-speed chase into Missouri. 

Police say the man was armed when he bailed out of the car and ran into a wooded area south of Platte City. Police and Missouri State Highway Patrol troopers soon surrounded the area and confronted the man, who was fatally shot. Police have not released the man's name or other details about the shooting.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/5/1651670903405.png" alt="Police say the man was armed when he bailed out of the car and ran into a wooded area south of Platte City.KCTV" />
 <figcaption>Police say the man was armed when he bailed out of the car and ran into a wooded area south of Platte City.KCTV</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement authorities have confirmed that the individual killed overnight in Platte City by police after a multi-county pursuit and standoff, was the suspect in an early-morning homicide Sunday at a tavern in Kansas City Kansas, according to a media release from police.On Tuesday morning, Wyandotte County Police issued a warrant for first-degree murder and aggravated battery for 27-year-old Mekiah D. Harris of KCK. The victim in the homicide Michael Rehard, also a resident of KCK, died on the scene. Two other shooting victims were transported to a local hospital. They remain hospitalized but are expected to recover, according to police.The Platte Co. Sheriff's office will lead the investigation into the officer-shooting.-----------PLATTE COUNTY (AP) — Authorities in Kansas City say a man suspected of leading police on a high-speed chase over two states has been fatally shot by officers. Police in Kansas City say the shooting happened late Tuesday night near Platte City after officers in Kansas City, Kansas, attempted to stop a car driven by a 26-year-old man as part of a homicide investigation. Police say the man sped off, leading to a high-speed chase into Missouri. Police say the man was armed when he bailed out of the car and ran into a wooded area south of Platte City. Police and Missouri State Highway Patrol troopers soon surrounded the area and confronted the man, who was fatally shot. Police have not released the man's name or other details about the shooting.

Update: Kan. man fatally shot by police was homicide suspect 

WICHITA —Wichita State University parted ways with Athletic Director Darron Boatright Wednesday.&nbsp;

University President Richard Muma issued a statement "I write to let you know of a transition in our Department of Athletics."

"Earlier today, I informed Director of Athletics Darron Boatright, who has served the Shockers for 12 years, six as the full-time director, that we are making a change in the leadership of the department."&nbsp;

"While there were certainly achievements and successes during Darron’s tenure, there were significant, ongoing concerns that became acute in recent weeks, ones that I did not believe could be addressed. This decision is in the best interests of Wichita State, our coaches and staff, and our student-athletes."

"I have asked <a href="https://goshockers.com/staff-directory/sarah-adams/1425">Senior Associate Athletic Director </a>/ SWA Sarah Adams to serve as our Interim Director of Athletics and I am confident that she will provide us with the leadership, stability and compassion needed during the transition. "

"As all of you know, Wichita State University is on the rise, and our athletics program plays an important role in our institutional momentum. With incredible fans and supporters, talented coaches and support staff, a campus committed to excellence and, most importantly, hard-working student-athletes, we are poised for great success. With the assistance of an experienced search firm, we will immediately launch a national search for a new Director of Athletics who shares our values, our vision and our passion for Shocker sports and will work expediently but diligently to identify a new leader of our athletics program. I look forward to introducing our new leader of our Department of Athletics, who will elevate us to unprecedented heights." &nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/5/1651690010771.jpeg" alt="Darron Boatright -photo courtesy WSU" />
 <figcaption>Darron Boatright -photo courtesy WSU</figcaption>
 </figure>WICHITA —Wichita State University parted ways with Athletic Director Darron Boatright Wednesday.&nbsp;University President Richard Muma issued a statement "I write to let you know of a transition in our Department of Athletics.""Earlier today, I informed Director of Athletics Darron Boatright, who has served the Shockers for 12 years, six as the full-time director, that we are making a change in the leadership of the department."&nbsp;"While there were certainly achievements and successes during Darron’s tenure, there were significant, ongoing concerns that became acute in recent weeks, ones that I did not believe could be addressed. This decision is in the best interests of Wichita State, our coaches and staff, and our student-athletes."<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/5/1651694508428.png" alt="Sarah Adams came to WSU from Eastern Washington University where she served as Senior Associate Athletic Director and Senior Woman Administrator from October 2018 until November of 2019. She was promoted to Deputy Athletic Director in December of 2019 and served in that role until June of 2021.-photo courtesy WSIU" />
 <figcaption>Sarah Adams came to WSU from Eastern Washington University where she served as Senior Associate Athletic Director and Senior Woman Administrator from October 2018 until November of 2019. She was promoted to Deputy Athletic Director in December of 2019 and served in that role until June of 2021.-photo courtesy WSIU</figcaption>
 </figure>"I have asked <a href="https://goshockers.com/staff-directory/sarah-adams/1425">Senior Associate Athletic Director </a>/ SWA Sarah Adams to serve as our Interim Director of Athletics and I am confident that she will provide us with the leadership, stability and compassion needed during the transition. ""As all of you know, Wichita State University is on the rise, and our athletics program plays an important role in our institutional momentum. With incredible fans and supporters, talented coaches and support staff, a campus committed to excellence and, most importantly, hard-working student-athletes, we are poised for great success. With the assistance of an experienced search firm, we will immediately launch a national search for a new Director of Athletics who shares our values, our vision and our passion for Shocker sports and will work expediently but diligently to identify a new leader of our athletics program. I look forward to introducing our new leader of our Department of Athletics, who will elevate us to unprecedented heights." &nbsp;

Wichita State fires AD, names Sarah Adams interim director

TOPEKA –Governor Laura Kelly on Wednesday ceremonially signed legislation at&nbsp;a Topeka&nbsp;home&nbsp;to celebrate the&nbsp;bipartisan&nbsp;passage of House Bill 2239, which cuts property taxes.

 It&nbsp;provides additional tax relief for&nbsp;Kansas veterans&nbsp;and the&nbsp;elderly through property tax&nbsp;refunds&nbsp;and&nbsp;gives&nbsp;tax credits to teachers who&nbsp;purchase school supplies&nbsp;out of their own pockets, according to a media release from Kelly's office.&nbsp;

“I know&nbsp;inflation&nbsp;is hurting&nbsp;everyone’s wallet, and costs are going up,” Governor Laura Kelly said. “So today,&nbsp;we’re&nbsp;celebrating&nbsp;a bipartisan tax cut for&nbsp;families to put money&nbsp;back&nbsp;into&nbsp;Kansans’&nbsp;pockets.&nbsp;Families&nbsp;will now have more money to buy food, school supplies, or pay the bills&nbsp;– every bit helps. We’ll continue to&nbsp;make fiscally responsible decisions&nbsp;to&nbsp;provide relief to Kansans across the state.”&nbsp;

“It has always been a dream of mine to make it easier for fixed income seniors and disabled veterans to stay in their homes.”&nbsp;Senator Tom Holland, the Ranking Minority Member on the Senate Assessment and Taxation Committee, said.&nbsp;“Seniors and veterans have contributed so much to our communities, our state, and our country, and this bill gives everyone another reason to live out their golden years in their home right here in Kansas.”&nbsp;&nbsp;

“I was proud to work with legislators from both parties on legislation that provides needed tax relief for homeowners and encourages growth and re-investment in two of our largest industries—agriculture and aviation,”&nbsp;Representative Adam Smith, Chair of the House Taxation Committee, said.&nbsp;“The investments and tax credits that we are making this year are designed to promote economic growth throughout the state for many years to come while keeping taxes property taxes low for homeowners.”&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/5/1651682875212.png" alt="I know inflation is hurting everyone’s wallet, and costs are going up,” Governor Laura Kelly said. “So today, we’re celebrating a bipartisan tax cut for families-courtesy photo" />
 <figcaption>I know inflation is hurting everyone’s wallet, and costs are going up,” Governor Laura Kelly said. “So today, we’re celebrating a bipartisan tax cut for families-courtesy photo</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA –Governor Laura Kelly on Wednesday ceremonially signed legislation at&nbsp;a Topeka&nbsp;home&nbsp;to celebrate the&nbsp;bipartisan&nbsp;passage of House Bill 2239, which cuts property taxes. It&nbsp;provides additional tax relief for&nbsp;Kansas veterans&nbsp;and the&nbsp;elderly through property tax&nbsp;refunds&nbsp;and&nbsp;gives&nbsp;tax credits to teachers who&nbsp;purchase school supplies&nbsp;out of their own pockets, according to a media release from Kelly's office.&nbsp;“I know&nbsp;inflation&nbsp;is hurting&nbsp;everyone’s wallet, and costs are going up,” Governor Laura Kelly said. “So today,&nbsp;we’re&nbsp;celebrating&nbsp;a bipartisan tax cut for&nbsp;families to put money&nbsp;back&nbsp;into&nbsp;Kansans’&nbsp;pockets.&nbsp;Families&nbsp;will now have more money to buy food, school supplies, or pay the bills&nbsp;– every bit helps. We’ll continue to&nbsp;make fiscally responsible decisions&nbsp;to&nbsp;provide relief to Kansans across the state.”&nbsp;“It has always been a dream of mine to make it easier for fixed income seniors and disabled veterans to stay in their homes.”&nbsp;Senator Tom Holland, the Ranking Minority Member on the Senate Assessment and Taxation Committee, said.&nbsp;“Seniors and veterans have contributed so much to our communities, our state, and our country, and this bill gives everyone another reason to live out their golden years in their home right here in Kansas.”&nbsp;&nbsp;“I was proud to work with legislators from both parties on legislation that provides needed tax relief for homeowners and encourages growth and re-investment in two of our largest industries—agriculture and aviation,”&nbsp;Representative Adam Smith, Chair of the House Taxation Committee, said.&nbsp;“The investments and tax credits that we are making this year are designed to promote economic growth throughout the state for many years to come while keeping taxes property taxes low for homeowners.”&nbsp;

Gov. ceremonially signs bill cutting property taxes in Kansas

Grammy Award winner Dwight Yoakam is coming to Salina.

His performance is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Sept. 15 in the historic Stiefel Theatre, 151 S. Santa Fe Avenue.

Tickets start at $88 and go on sale at noon Friday. You can purchase tickets in person at the Stiefel Theatre box office or online at&nbsp;<a href="http://stiefeltheatre.org/">stiefeltheatre.org</a>.

About the artist from the Stiefel Theatre

Dwight Yoakam has sold more than 25 million albums worldwide, and he is a 21-time nominated, multiple Grammy Award winner. He has 12 gold albums and nine platinum or multi-platinum albums, with five of those albums topping Billboard’s Country Albums chart and another 14 landing in the Top 10. Nearly 40 of Yoakam’s singles have charted on Billboard, with 14 peaking in the Top 10. Yoakam is a recipient of the Artist of the Year award from the Americana Music Association, the most prestigious award offered by the organization, he will be inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in the Songwriter/Artist category at the 49th anniversary Gala on Oct. 14, 2019 in Nashville, Tenn.

Yoakam’s self-curated SiriusXM channel, titled Dwight Yoakam and The Bakersfield Beat Where Country Went Mod launched in April of 2018. The channel celebrates the Bakersfield sound and those whom it has inspired. Guests have boasted the likes of Post Malone, Lukas Nelson, Beck, Chris Hillman, Jakob Dylan, Mike Nesmith and Mickey Dolans, Dave Alvin, and Jackie DeShannon, among others.

In 2016, Yoakam released his bluegrass album&nbsp;Swimmin’ Pools, Movie Stars… on Sugar Hill Records. Featuring a band of bluegrass luminaries, this album boasts a collection of reinterpreted favorites from his catalogue, as well as a cover of Prince’s&nbsp;Purple Rain. Produced by nine-time Grammy winner Gary Paczosa (Alison Krauss, Dolly Parton), Jon Randall (songwriter of&nbsp;Whiskey Lullaby), and Yoakam himself, and mixed by Chris Lord-Alge, this album reflects the love for bluegrass music that Yoakam developed at an early age in Kentucky and that has inspired him for many years thereafter. In 2018, Yoakam released two songs,&nbsp;Pretty Horses&nbsp;and&nbsp;Then Came Monday&nbsp;(the latter written with Chris Stapleton).

In addition to his musical career, Yoakam is a formidable film and television actor who has appeared in over 40 feature films, including&nbsp;Sling Blade&nbsp;and&nbsp;Panic Room. Most recently he was on the big screen in Clint Eastwood's latest film,&nbsp;Cry Macho. He recurred in David E. Kelley’s Amazon series&nbsp;Goliath&nbsp;and appeared in director Steven Soderbergh’s film&nbsp;Logan Lucky&nbsp;with Channing Tatum and Daniel Craig

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/5/1651687350790.png" alt="Dwight Yoakam is scheduled to perform in the Stiefel Theatre on Sept. 15.&nbsp;Photo courtesy Stiefel Theatre" />
 <figcaption>Dwight Yoakam is scheduled to perform in the Stiefel Theatre on Sept. 15.&nbsp;Photo courtesy Stiefel Theatre</figcaption>
 </figure>By SALINA POSTGrammy Award winner Dwight Yoakam is coming to Salina.His performance is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Sept. 15 in the historic Stiefel Theatre, 151 S. Santa Fe Avenue.Tickets start at $88 and go on sale at noon Friday. You can purchase tickets in person at the Stiefel Theatre box office or online at&nbsp;<a href="http://stiefeltheatre.org/">stiefeltheatre.org</a>.About the artist from the Stiefel TheatreDwight Yoakam has sold more than 25 million albums worldwide, and he is a 21-time nominated, multiple Grammy Award winner. He has 12 gold albums and nine platinum or multi-platinum albums, with five of those albums topping Billboard’s Country Albums chart and another 14 landing in the Top 10. Nearly 40 of Yoakam’s singles have charted on Billboard, with 14 peaking in the Top 10. Yoakam is a recipient of the Artist of the Year award from the Americana Music Association, the most prestigious award offered by the organization, he will be inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in the Songwriter/Artist category at the 49th anniversary Gala on Oct. 14, 2019 in Nashville, Tenn.Yoakam’s self-curated SiriusXM channel, titled Dwight Yoakam and The Bakersfield Beat Where Country Went Mod launched in April of 2018. The channel celebrates the Bakersfield sound and those whom it has inspired. Guests have boasted the likes of Post Malone, Lukas Nelson, Beck, Chris Hillman, Jakob Dylan, Mike Nesmith and Mickey Dolans, Dave Alvin, and Jackie DeShannon, among others.In 2016, Yoakam released his bluegrass album&nbsp;Swimmin’ Pools, Movie Stars… on Sugar Hill Records. Featuring a band of bluegrass luminaries, this album boasts a collection of reinterpreted favorites from his catalogue, as well as a cover of Prince’s&nbsp;Purple Rain. Produced by nine-time Grammy winner Gary Paczosa (Alison Krauss, Dolly Parton), Jon Randall (songwriter of&nbsp;Whiskey Lullaby), and Yoakam himself, and mixed by Chris Lord-Alge, this album reflects the love for bluegrass music that Yoakam developed at an early age in Kentucky and that has inspired him for many years thereafter. In 2018, Yoakam released two songs,&nbsp;Pretty Horses&nbsp;and&nbsp;Then Came Monday&nbsp;(the latter written with Chris Stapleton).In addition to his musical career, Yoakam is a formidable film and television actor who has appeared in over 40 feature films, including&nbsp;Sling Blade&nbsp;and&nbsp;Panic Room. Most recently he was on the big screen in Clint Eastwood's latest film,&nbsp;Cry Macho. He recurred in David E. Kelley’s Amazon series&nbsp;Goliath&nbsp;and appeared in director Steven Soderbergh’s film&nbsp;Logan Lucky&nbsp;with Channing Tatum and Daniel Craig

Dwight Yoakam to perform in Stiefel Theatre in September

By DAVID CONDOS <a href="https://www.hppr.org/hppr-news/2022-05-02/how-small-kansas-companies-bring-fast-internet-to-rural-places-that-telecom-giants-ignore">Kansas News Service</a>

With a family of five and a farming operation to run, Clay Scott’s home internet didn’t come close to cutting it.

Pulling
 up a weather page in a browser could take so long it produced an error 
message rather than a forecast. He tried installing a wireless security 
system, but it sucked up so much bandwidth that nothing else in the 
house would work. Once when his son needed to email a school project, 
the rest of the family had to log off just to give their connection 
enough capacity to send it.

“Today, we really expect it to be: Snap your fingers, here you go,” Scott said. “So it was definitely a challenge.”

Like
 many rural Americans, Scott’s home in southwest Kansas connected to the
 internet over an old copper wire. A better-than-nothing update on 
century-old telephone technology that struggles to handle Zoom calling, 
video streaming or a myriad of other internet uses that people in big 
cities largely take for granted.

Federal and state governments have <a href="https://www.jsonline.com/in-depth/news/2021/07/14/weve-spent-billions-provide-broadband-rural-areas-what-failed-wisconsin/7145014002/" target="_blank">poured billions</a>
 into trying to bring more bandwidth to the remote corners of the 
country. But for many people in rural places, it hasn’t made any 
difference. An estimated <a href="https://broadbandnow.com/research/fcc-broadband-overreporting-by-state" target="_blank">42 million</a> Americans still don’t have high-speed internet, or what most people today simply think of as internet.

With
 fiber-optic cable installation costing tens of thousands of dollars per
 mile, it’s unlikely that big national providers will ever find a way to
 make money — or even avoid losses — by hooking up people like Scott in 
rural Kansas.

But a growing number of small towns, farms and ranches are finally 
joining the Digital Age with help from small, local companies that have 
more of a stake in the rural areas they call home. They’ve found ways to
 stretch state and federal subsidies to strategically install 
high-capacity wires to homes, or construct over-the-air relays, to bring
 more robust speeds to remote outposts, town-by-town, 
farmstead-by-farmstead.

Now, with <a href="https://www.protocol.com/bulletins/davidson-starting-gun-maps" target="_blank">$42 billion</a>
 in new federal broadband funding about to go to state governments, 
those local companies say how much money they get could decide how many 
more rural Americans get connected.

A recent <a href="https://news.ku.edu/2022/03/23/speed-test-surveys-show-1-million-kansans-may-have-inadequate-internet" target="_blank">survey study</a>
 from the University of Kansas found that 95 Kansas ZIP codes — 
representing nearly 90,000 people — don’t have internet speeds that meet
 the federal definition of broadband.

And it’s not only a 
challenge in remote western Kansas communities. Rural parts of the 
state’s most populated counties — Johnson, Sedgwick and Shawnee — also 
fell below the broadband line.

KU economics professor Donna 
Ginther, who was the study’s principal investigator, said the reason is 
obvious: The economics of connecting such remote areas just don’t work 
out on paper.

“It’s really expensive to provide high-speed 
internet to a few people,” Ginther said. “That’s why you don't have that
 infrastructure out there.”

But local providers like Ulysses-based telecom cooperative <a href="https://www.pioncomm.net/" target="_blank">Pioneer</a> are finding ways to make the numbers work one mile at a time.

Pioneer
 CEO Catherine Moyer said the co-op’s goal is to connect everyone within
 its roughly 5,000-square-mile footprint in southwest Kansas. To do 
that, the co-op needs to get creative, stretching the financial 
feasibility limits with business plans that the AT&amp;Ts of the world 
might scoff at.

But, she said, the fact that Pioneer isn’t AT&amp;T is exactly what allows the co-op that flexibility.

“While
 we need to make money to continue to exist, we don’t answer to Wall 
Street,” Moyer said. “We don’t answer to shareholders. … We have 
member-owners.”

Christopher Ali, a University of Virginia professor and author of the book “<a href="https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/farm-fresh-broadband" target="_blank">Farm Fresh Broadband</a>,” said this dynamic explains why local providers like Pioneer offer the strongest option for <a href="https://muninetworks.org/reports/cooperatives-fiberize-rural-america-trusted-model-internet-era-updated-may-2020" target="_blank">wiring rural America</a>
 — as opposed to national companies like AT&amp;T or Comcast. Their 
long-term business goals hinge on how to turn, say, $20,000 into a mile 
of fiber-optic cable in the countryside rather than a return to 
stockholders.

“If you think about it as an investment in the 
community, versus how much time you’re gonna need to recoup your return 
on investment,” Ali said, “that’s two very different ways of looking at 
that $20,000.”

Even though a local company like Pioneer and 
AT&amp;T might both be telecom providers, Ali said, they actually have 
entirely different business models.

For rural companies, seeing their region survive and thrive is the 
return on investment — and their best hope for staying in business.

“We
 interact with our customers on a daily basis. At church. At the grocery
 store. At the high school football game,” Moyer said. “So there's an 
interest in seeing communities succeed.”

Pioneer started in 1950 when local farmers <a href="https://www.pioncomm.net/about/history" target="_blank">banded together</a>
 to bring telephone service to the sparsely populated corner of Kansas. 
It now has around 100 employees and 10,000 broadband customers.

And roughly three out of every four customers are connected to fiber internet.

For
 those who aren’t, Moyer said, Pioneer plans to build fiber lines to 
reach them over the next several years. For example, the co-op is about 
to finish upgrading the town of Satanta from coaxial cable to fiber. 
That will give the community of around 1,000 people internet speeds up 
to <a href="https://www.pioncomm.net/fiber" target="_blank">250 megabits per second</a>.

Just over an hour’s drive from Satanta, another small southwest Kansas town — Bucklin, population 727 — got its own <a href="https://twitter.com/IdeaTek2/status/1509975688358633476" target="_blank">gigabit-speed broadband</a> installed a few weeks ago by another local provider, <a href="https://ideatek.com/" target="_blank">Ideatek</a>.

Bucklin
 is the latest in a line of several small towns along U.S. 54 in 
southwest Kansas that Ideatek has linked to fiber recently. Ideatek 
co-founder and Chief Innovation Officer Daniel Friesen said that at the 
start of the pandemic, the company took Meade County from 0% broadband 
connectivity to 95% broadband connectivity in the course of a few 
months.

Like Pioneer, Ideatek focuses on installing fiber to these
 rural places because it’s future-proof, with the speed and bandwidth to
 stay relevant for decades.

“While it may cost more,” Friesen said, “our position is that you need to do it right to really bridge the digital divide.”

But installing that fiber in a far-flung place like western Kansas is hard.

Even
 if a rural company can get funding for a project, finding the team of 
30 or 40 workers it takes to make it happen can be a challenge. 

Moyer
 said Pioneer had to pull in a team from the Upper Midwest to handle its
 fiber installation in Satanta. For another fiber project in Garden 
City, it got a team from Oklahoma. And small providers like Pioneer have
 to compete with bigger projects from out of state just to land those 
teams.

It’s only going to get more competitive as a new wave of federal broadband money goes out.

“Everybody’s building right now,” Moyer said. “So it’s a good problem, but it’s also tough to find the people to do it.”

Recent
 supply chain problems have made equipment, like the fiber itself, 
difficult to get. Moyer said supplies that used to take 30 days to get 
might now take 250 days.

Then there’s the sheer geographic distance to cross with those fiber wires.

Moyer said that out of Pioneer’s 5,000-square-mile footprint, only 
about 15 square miles are considered towns. And wiring the remaining 
4,985 square miles, where customers are spread far and wide, becomes way
 more expensive per capita.

Imagine a graph that shows how 
broadband installation costs increase as the connection points grow 
farther apart. When it comes to connecting the last 10% of Kansans in 
the most remote areas — where a single home or farm might be several 
miles from any other connection point — that graph line accelerates 
upward exponentially.

“Those expenses are just astronomical,” Friesen said. “There's just simply no way to do it without some level of subsidy.”

That’s where state or federal funding steps in to make construction possible.

But many rural areas don’t have enough <a href="https://www.hcn.org/articles/economy-why-rural-communities-struggle-to-bring-in-much-needed-federal-grants" target="_blank">workers and expertise</a> to adequately compete for their share of government infrastructure grants.

A <a href="https://headwaterseconomics.org/equity/rural-capacity-map/" target="_blank">new map</a>
 from Headwaters Economics that measures “rural capacity” — an area’s 
ability to handle everything it takes to apply for and implement state 
or federal money — shows that several western Kansas counties, including
 Morton, Gove and Cheyenne, rank among the most limited in the nation.

Headwaters’
 research concluded that Kansas ranks as the seventh-worst state in the 
country for this measure of rural capacity. And the Midwest ranks as 
America’s most limited region — with three out of four Midwestern 
communities struggling.

The way the government has distributed broadband funds in recent years hasn’t done rural areas any favors either.

Ali,
 the University of Virginia professor, said the rural-urban digital 
divide persists partly because American broadband policy over the past 
decade has specifically favored big national companies like Verizon and 
CenturyLink over local providers — to the detriment of both those 
smaller companies and the communities they serve.

“We basically gave a ton of money to national incumbent providers,” Ali said, “and they largely failed.”

He
 said a clear example of this was in 2015 when the Federal 
Communications Commission’s Connect America Fund gave a group of 10 big 
telecommunications companies <a href="https://www.fcc.gov/news-events/blog/2015/08/28/milestone-expanding-broadband-rural-america" target="_blank">$1.5 billion</a> a year for five years to deploy more rural broadband. By contrast, that same fund gave smaller local providers just <a href="https://www.fcc.gov/auction/903" target="_blank">$1.5 million</a> a year for ten years — and that relatively meager amount had to be split up among 103 companies.

To
 make matters worse, Ali said the billions that the federal government 
handed to those large companies didn’t come with enough rules to make 
sure it accomplished its goals.

For one, the fund didn’t require 
providers to build fiber connections with FCC minimum broadband speeds —
 25 megabits per second download. That meant companies could spend the 
money on outdated technology to give customers speeds that are already 
obsolete — <a href="https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2021/03/att-lobbies-against-nationwide-fiber-says-10mbps-uploads-are-good-enough/" target="_blank">10 megabits</a> per second. Some of the companies <a href="https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2020/01/centurylink-frontier-took-fcc-cash-failed-to-deploy-all-required-broadband/" target="_blank">didn’t even install</a> all the broadband they had been given money to do by the FCC deadline.

And the FCC maps that determine where the forthcoming federal broadband funds are sent could end up funneling money to the <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2021/11/29/fcc-broadband-maps-biden-523425" target="_blank">wrong places</a>
 because they don’t paint an accurate picture of which areas have the 
most need. Research from BroadbandNow shows that FCC numbers have likely
 undercounted the number of Americans without broadband by nearly <a href="https://broadbandnow.com/research/fcc-broadband-overreporting-by-state" target="_blank">30 million people</a>.

Ali
 said that combination of outdated technology, inaccurate information 
and poor accountability has put the country in a situation today where 
last year’s federal infrastructure bill included <a href="https://www.consumerreports.org/internet/infrastructure-bill-includes-65-billion-for-internet-access-a6861027212/" target="_blank">$65 billion</a> to improve Americans’ internet access — but that still might not be enough to connect everyone.

“We’ve
 got pockets of complete unconnectedness and then other pockets of total
 under connectivity,” Ali said, “because we’ve been funding bad 
technologies for almost a decade.”

And broadband access isn’t the 
only issue keeping rural Americans offline — there’s also affordability.
 Rural customers within reach of broadband pay an average of <a href="https://broadbandnow.com/research/digital-divide-broadband-pricing-state-zip-income-2019" target="_blank">37% more</a> than urban customers.

To
 truly bridge these access and affordability gaps, Ali said, the country
 needs to approach broadband’s expansion into rural areas much like it 
did with the <a href="https://www.nps.gov/home/learn/historyculture/ruralelect.htm" target="_blank">Rural Electrification Act</a> nearly a century ago.

“We
 didn't say, ‘Well, you get enough electricity for one light bulb, and 
that's enough,” Ali said. “That's the same mindset we need for 
broadband.”

Renewed interest in funding rural broadband projects at both the state and federal level could start to change that.

Ideatek and Pioneer applied for part of this year’s $5 million round of <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2020/12/08/kansas-broadband-efforts-receive-85-million-boost-to-bridge-digital-divide/" target="_blank">Broadband Acceleration Grant</a> funding from the state, which will be <a href="https://www.kansascommerce.gov/program/community-programs/broadband-acceleration-grant/" target="_blank">awarded May 18</a>. Starting May 16, Kansas will have the <a href="https://www.meritalk.com/articles/ntia-says-state-broadband-funding-window-opens-may-16/" target="_blank">chance to apply</a> for part of the $42 billion from federal infrastructure funding, which it could then dole out to local companies.

Meanwhile, many rural customers are stuck waiting.

“They’re
 going, ‘I needed that yesterday, and you’re telling me that … it could 
be a year or two years down the road,’” Moyer said. “That’s where I 
think the frustration lies.”

Even with great need and demonstrated
 success, Friesen said getting money from the state for broadband 
projects has been slow going. 

Kansas got <a href="https://covid.ks.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Fact-Sheet.pdf" target="_blank">more than $1 billion</a>
 in federal pandemic relief money last year that could go toward 
broadband projects in the state. But providers like Ideatek are still 
waiting for the state to distribute it, which Friesen said leaves Kansas
 lagging behind other states.

“If we as a state, or we as 
Americans, want to ensure that every person in Kansas or America has 
broadband service, there’s just simply no way to do it without some 
level of subsidy,” Friesen said. “Without it, there’s definitely a 
number of communities that would still likely be in the dark ages from a
 broadband perspective.”

Back at Clay Scott’s farm in Grant County, those dark ages are now over.

He’s
 planting corn this week with the help of four computer screens that 
access the internet for everything from GPS coordination to soil 
moisture monitoring to precise seed application. They all connect 
through a nearby Pioneer wireless tower.

“Once upon a time, we 
just hooked up the planter and filled it up with seed and went,” Scott 
said. “Today, it’s pretty technical.”

He said the amount of data 
he uses to manage his farm today is about triple what it was a decade 
ago. And having all that data at his fingertips has become critical to 
his operation’s efficiency, lowering his business costs and keeping seed
 and water from going to waste.

Pioneer recently installed fiber to Scott’s doorstep, too, more than doubling his internet speeds.

Even
 though his home is several miles outside of town in a remote part of 
Grant County — and likely cost a bundle to reach — his family now enjoys
 broadband that can rival just about any city in Kansas.

“They do 
it because it serves the community,” Scott said. “Sometimes it's not 
financially the best decision, but it darn sure is in terms of meeting 
their goal of community service.”

David Condos covers western Kansas for High Plains Public Radio and the Kansas News Service. You can follow him on Twitter<a href="http://twitter.com/davidcondos" target="_blank"> @davidcondos</a>.

Small Kan. companies bring fast internet to rural places telecom giants ignore

COWLEY COUNTY, Kan.—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a shooting that sent four people to the hospital.

On Tuesday, deputies in&nbsp; Cowley County, responded to report of four individuals who were discovered with gunshot wounds at the 7 Clans Casino North of Newkirk, Oklahoma, according to Cowley County Lt. Christina McDonald.

EMS transported two individuals to the Alliance Hospital in Ponca City, Oklahoma and the other two were transported to Wesley Medical Center in Wichita for treatment.&nbsp;One victim has been released from Wesley Medical Center and the other three are still receiving treatment.

Investigators learned the shooting occurred in rural Cowley County.

The Arkansas City Police Department, Kansas Highway Patrol, Kay County Sheriff’s Office, Otoe Missouri Tribal Police and the Oklahoma Bureau of Investigation assisted with the investigation.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/5/1651675471002.png" alt="The casino is located just south of the Kansas-Oklahoma state line in Newkirk-Google image" />
 <figcaption>The casino is located just south of the Kansas-Oklahoma state line in Newkirk-Google image</figcaption>
 </figure>COWLEY COUNTY, Kan.—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a shooting that sent four people to the hospital.On Tuesday, deputies in&nbsp; Cowley County, responded to report of four individuals who were discovered with gunshot wounds at the 7 Clans Casino North of Newkirk, Oklahoma, according to Cowley County Lt. Christina McDonald.EMS transported two individuals to the Alliance Hospital in Ponca City, Oklahoma and the other two were transported to Wesley Medical Center in Wichita for treatment.&nbsp;One victim has been released from Wesley Medical Center and the other three are still receiving treatment.Investigators learned the shooting occurred in rural Cowley County.The Arkansas City Police Department, Kansas Highway Patrol, Kay County Sheriff’s Office, Otoe Missouri Tribal Police and the Oklahoma Bureau of Investigation assisted with the investigation.

Sheriff: 4 victims found near casino after shooting in rural Kan.

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

GREAT BEND — A group of Great Bend High School juniors saw other schools in the area
participate in “Senior Parking Spots," and the Great Bend students had their
plan approved by administration to allow seniors to reserve a parking spot and
be able to paint their spot. The plan will start during the 2022-2023 school
year. 

Junior Katie Kuhlman said seniors have to meet attendance requirements
and maintain a 3.0 GPA to keep their parking spot. "The spots are
 all around school because we realize not everyone parks in the same 
area," said Kuhlman. "We have the big south parking lot, in between the 
PAC and the high school, north of the PAC and some on the west side." 
Signup started Monday for juniors as they submit their designs for their parking
spot. Once awarded a spot, the space is reserved for the student from 7:15 a.m.
to 3:15 p.m. on school days.

Junior Ellyson Somers said hopefully this will
give underclassmen something to look forward to and there won’t be too many
issues. 
"We were hoping with this coming about, this would increase kids having 
their car tags," said Somers. "Everyone is supposed to have their car 
tags in their vehicle. If someone does park in your spot, you can report
 their car tag. They'll get a warning and further consequences after 
that." 
A date in August will be set for the soon-to-be seniors to paint their parking
spots.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/5/1651684483992.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>By COLE REIF <a href="https://greatbendpost.com">Great Bend Post</a>GREAT BEND — A group of Great Bend High School juniors saw other schools in the area
participate in “Senior Parking Spots," and the Great Bend students had their
plan approved by administration to allow seniors to reserve a parking spot and
be able to paint their spot. The plan will start during the 2022-2023 school
year. Junior Katie Kuhlman said seniors have to meet attendance requirements
and maintain a 3.0 GPA to keep their parking spot. "The spots are
 all around school because we realize not everyone parks in the same 
area," said Kuhlman. "We have the big south parking lot, in between the 
PAC and the high school, north of the PAC and some on the west side." 
Signup started Monday for juniors as they submit their designs for their parking
spot. Once awarded a spot, the space is reserved for the student from 7:15 a.m.
to 3:15 p.m. on school days. Junior Ellyson Somers said hopefully this will
give underclassmen something to look forward to and there won’t be too many
issues. 
"We were hoping with this coming about, this would increase kids having 
their car tags," said Somers. "Everyone is supposed to have their car 
tags in their vehicle. If someone does park in your spot, you can report
 their car tag. They'll get a warning and further consequences after 
that." 
A date in August will be set for the soon-to-be seniors to paint their parking
spots.

Great Bend OKs 'senior parking spots' at high school

NEW YORK (AP) — The company behind the TurboTax tax-filing program will pay $141 million to customers across the United States who were deceived by misleading promises of free tax-filing services,&nbsp;New York's attorney general announced Wednesday.

Under the terms of a settlement signed by the attorneys general of all 50 states, Mountain View,&nbsp;California-based Intuit Inc. will suspend TurboTax’s “free, free, free” ad campaign and pay restitution to nearly 4.4 million taxpayers, New York Attorney General Letitia James said.

James said her investigation into Intuit was sparked by a 2019 ProPublica report that found the company was using deceptive tactics to steer low-income tax filers away from the federally supported free services for which they qualified — and toward its own commercial products, instead.

"For years, Intuit misled the most vulnerable among us to make a profit. Today, every state in the nation is holding Intuit accountable for scamming millions of taxpayers, and we’re putting millions of dollars back into the pockets of impacted Americans," James said in a statement. "This agreement should serve as a reminder to companies large and small that engaging in these deceptive marketing ploys is illegal."

“As part of the agreement, Intuit admitted no wrongdoing, agreed to pay $141 million to put this matter behind it, and made certain commitments regarding its advertising practices," representatives for Intuit said in a blog post Wednesday. “Intuit already adheres to most of these advertising practices and expects minimal impact to its business from implementing the remaining changes going forward."

Until last year, Intuit offered two free versions of TurboTax. One was through its participation in the Internal Revenue Service's Free File Program, geared toward taxpayers earning roughly $34,000 and members of the military. Intuit withdrew from the program in July 2021, saying in a blog post that the company could provide more benefits without the program's limitations.

The company also offers a commercial product called “TurboTax Free Edition” that is only for taxpayers with “simple returns,” as defined by Intuit.

According to documents obtained by ProPublica, Intuit executives knew they were deceiving customers by advertising free services that were not in fact free to everyone.

“The website lists Free, Free, Free and the customers are assuming their return will be free,” an internal company PowerPoint presentation said. “Customers are getting upset.”

Under the agreement, Intuit will provide restitution to consumers who started using the commercial TurboTax Free Edition for tax years 2016 through 2018 and were told that they had to pay to file even though they were eligible for the version of TurboTax offered as part of the IRS Free File program.

Consumers are expected to receive a direct payment of approximately $30 for each year that they were deceived into paying for filing services, James said. They will automatically receive notices and checks by mail.

“We empower our customers to take control of their financial lives, which includes being in charge of their own tax preparation,” an Intuit spokesperson told ProPublica in a statement in 2019.

The spokesperson added that a “government-run pre-filled tax preparation system that makes the tax collector (who is also the investigator, auditor and enforcer) the tax preparer is fraught with conflicts of interest.”

NEW YORK (AP) — The company behind the TurboTax tax-filing program will pay $141 million to customers across the United States who were deceived by misleading promises of free tax-filing services,&nbsp;New York's attorney general announced Wednesday.<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fnewyorkstateag%2Fposts%2F553779282780859&show_text=true&width=500" width="500" height="228" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share"></iframe></div>Under the terms of a settlement signed by the attorneys general of all 50 states, Mountain View,&nbsp;California-based Intuit Inc. will suspend TurboTax’s “free, free, free” ad campaign and pay restitution to nearly 4.4 million taxpayers, New York Attorney General Letitia James said.James said her investigation into Intuit was sparked by a 2019 ProPublica report that found the company was using deceptive tactics to steer low-income tax filers away from the federally supported free services for which they qualified — and toward its own commercial products, instead."For years, Intuit misled the most vulnerable among us to make a profit. Today, every state in the nation is holding Intuit accountable for scamming millions of taxpayers, and we’re putting millions of dollars back into the pockets of impacted Americans," James said in a statement. "This agreement should serve as a reminder to companies large and small that engaging in these deceptive marketing ploys is illegal."“As part of the agreement, Intuit admitted no wrongdoing, agreed to pay $141 million to put this matter behind it, and made certain commitments regarding its advertising practices," representatives for Intuit said in a blog post Wednesday. “Intuit already adheres to most of these advertising practices and expects minimal impact to its business from implementing the remaining changes going forward."Until last year, Intuit offered two free versions of TurboTax. One was through its participation in the Internal Revenue Service's Free File Program, geared toward taxpayers earning roughly $34,000 and members of the military. Intuit withdrew from the program in July 2021, saying in a blog post that the company could provide more benefits without the program's limitations.The company also offers a commercial product called “TurboTax Free Edition” that is only for taxpayers with “simple returns,” as defined by Intuit.According to documents obtained by ProPublica, Intuit executives knew they were deceiving customers by advertising free services that were not in fact free to everyone.“The website lists Free, Free, Free and the customers are assuming their return will be free,” an internal company PowerPoint presentation said. “Customers are getting upset.”Under the agreement, Intuit will provide restitution to consumers who started using the commercial TurboTax Free Edition for tax years 2016 through 2018 and were told that they had to pay to file even though they were eligible for the version of TurboTax offered as part of the IRS Free File program.Consumers are expected to receive a direct payment of approximately $30 for each year that they were deceived into paying for filing services, James said. They will automatically receive notices and checks by mail.“We empower our customers to take control of their financial lives, which includes being in charge of their own tax preparation,” an Intuit spokesperson told ProPublica in a statement in 2019.The spokesperson added that a “government-run pre-filled tax preparation system that makes the tax collector (who is also the investigator, auditor and enforcer) the tax preparer is fraught with conflicts of interest.”

Intuit to pay $141M settlement over 'free' TurboTax ads

TOPEKA, KAN. – A Nebraska man pleaded guilty to one count of use of a firearm during a crime of violence, according to the United State's Attorney.

According to court documents, in February 2021, Cody Deichen, 26, of Hastings, Nebraska, admitted to aiding and abetting in the brandishing and use of a home built .223 caliber AR-15 style rifle during a bank robbery at Guaranty State Bank on South Main Street in Burr Oak, Kansas.

A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for July 27.

The FBI and the Kansas Bureau of Investigation are investigating the case

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/5/1651663866778.png" alt="Deichen-photo Hall Co." />
 <figcaption>Deichen-photo Hall Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA, KAN. – A Nebraska man pleaded guilty to one count of use of a firearm during a crime of violence, according to the United State's Attorney.According to court documents, in February 2021, Cody Deichen, 26, of Hastings, Nebraska, admitted to aiding and abetting in the brandishing and use of a home built .223 caliber AR-15 style rifle during a bank robbery at Guaranty State Bank on South Main Street in Burr Oak, Kansas.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/2/1612977424382.png" alt="Guaranty State Bank in Burr Oak -google image" />
 <figcaption>Guaranty State Bank in Burr Oak -google image</figcaption>
 </figure>A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for July 27.The FBI and the Kansas Bureau of Investigation are investigating the case

Man used home built AR-15 style rifle in Kan. bank robbery

WASHINGTON (AP) —The bombshell leak of a draft opinion suggesting the Supreme Court is poised to overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade case legalizing abortion nationwide has set the country on course for an even more polarized and fluctuating landscape of abortion rights.

Almost immediately, Republicans who had fostered a decades-long push to end abortion rights cheered&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/what-is-roe-v-wade-33c08858dc8b0aa5f0450858b51a648a">Roe’s potential fall.&nbsp;</a>Democrats vowed to fight the possible loss of a constitutional right that has been in place for nearly a half-century.

The Supreme Court confirmed the leaked draft, first published by Politico, was an authentic document but said Tuesday “it does not represent a decision by the court or the final position of any member on the issues in the case.”

Though the draft opinion could change, Democrats and Republicans across the states pledged action&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/roe-wade-supreme-court-f6b899076faba20517b9ac1e82438c16">amid warnings such a ruling could also put other rights at risk</a>&nbsp;—battles that could likewise play out in the states.

In California, Democrats who wield control of the state Legislature and the governor’s office issued a joint statement late Monday announcing they would seek to amend the state’s constitution to enshrine abortion rights.

“California will not stand idly by as women across America are stripped of their rights and the progress so many have fought for gets erased,” California Democrats said. “We know we can’t trust the Supreme Court to protect reproductive rights, so California will build a firewall around this right in our state constitution. Women will remain protected here.”

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, a Republican, said on Twitter she plans to immediately call a special legislative session “to save lives” if Roe is overturned. The state already has a so-called trigger law that would make abortion illegal if that happens and Noem’s office declined to say why a special session would be necessary. Her spokesman, Ian Fury, said the tweet, “speaks for itself.”

In Georgia, which is among several dozen states electing governors this year, candidates on both sides of the aisle proclaimed they would prioritize the issue if elected to the state’s top office.

Republican gubernatorial candidate David Perdue said he’d call state lawmakers into a special session to outlaw all abortions, while Democratic candidate Stacey Abrams said she would defend the right to abortion if she wins.

About half of U.S. states are expected to ban abortion if Roe falls, according to the abortion-rights think tank Guttmacher Institute. Twenty-two states, largely in the South and Midwest, already have total or near-total bans on the books. Aside from Texas, all are now blocked because of Roe.

States&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-donald-trump-us-supreme-court-health-religion-a9baf97e858cf27f2d143c4fd3ea1d86">have already been preparing for the protentional of the ruling being weakened or overturned</a>, and Republican-led states&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-abortion-health-covid-19-pandemic-medication-31791ed14247c4c8ad35ef078982078e">have also been working to restrict access to medication abortion</a>, which would allow women to get abortions without the burden of traveling to clinics that may be few and far between.

In addition to South Dakota, 12 other states have trigger laws that would immediately ban abortion if Roe is overturned.

One is Oklahoma, where Republican House Speaker Charles McCall declared Tuesday that “decades of steadfast prayer and unwavering legislative efforts to protect the lives of the unborn are finally on the doorsteps of success.”

“For close to 50 years, the silent cries of the millions who lost their lives before even having a chance to live have been heard through the voices of those of us fighting for their rights,” McCall said. “The pro-life movement won, securing those yet unborn the future and promise that comes with being born in the United States of America.”

A few states still have pre-Roe bans on the books, including Michigan, where Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has sued to remove it and pledged on Twitter Monday to “fight like hell to make sure abortion remains safe, legal, and accessible.”

The Kansas Supreme Court in 2019 declared that the state constitution protects abortion rights, but Republican lawmakers placed on the August primary ballot an initiative to overturn it.

In New Hampshire, Gov. Chris Sununu was a rare Republican governor who said he supports abortion rights and was committed to upholding Roe v. Wade. “So long as I am governor, these health care services for women will remain safe and legal,” Sununu said.

However, last year Sununu signed into law restrictions on abortion when he approved a measure banning abortion after 24 weeks of gestation, with exceptions only for pregnancies that threaten the mother’s life or health.

Polling shows relatively few Americans want to see Roe overturned. In 2020, AP VoteCast found that 69% of voters in the presidential election said the Supreme Court should leave the Roe v. Wade decision as is; just 29% said the court should overturn the decision. In general, AP-NORC polling finds a majority of the public favors abortion being legal in most or all cases.

At least eight GOP-led states have already passed new restrictions this year, expecting change from the conservative majority on the high court. Arizona and Florida banned the procedure after 15 weeks, without exceptions for rape or incest. Others,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-us-supreme-court-health-reproductive-rights-oklahoma-2810e6accef0fa3c6fdb0e53fed90664">like Oklahoma, went further</a>&nbsp;and made it a felony as of this summer to perform an abortion, with an exception only for the life of the mother.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-health-business-texas-idaho-87992ce80b3c9e55100444e34bdcb173">Idaho&nbsp;</a>followed Texas and allowed people to sue over abortions — including potential family members of the embryo.

Sixteen states and the District of Columbia, meanwhile, have protected access to abortion in state law, and several states moved to expand or strengthen those protections this year.

States like Washington and Connecticut, for example, have protected abortion providers in their states from lawsuits.

The Democratic leaders in Connecticut’s statehouse,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-health-lifestyle-religion-connecticut-268fa7ed40d190a0709e3d2be8e960f5">which over the weekend sent legislation&nbsp;</a>to that state’s governor that would protect abortion providers, said in a joint statement Monday night they had feared a proposed decision like the one in the draft opinion and “now this nightmare appears to be all too real.”

“America is likely headed down a dark path where individual states will adopt conflicting statutes leading to additional divisions in an already divided nation,” Senate President Pro Tempore Martin Looney and Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff said.

Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said her state would “welcome with open arms” those who need access to abortion.

WASHINGTON (AP) —The bombshell leak of a draft opinion suggesting the Supreme Court is poised to overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade case legalizing abortion nationwide has set the country on course for an even more polarized and fluctuating landscape of abortion rights.Almost immediately, Republicans who had fostered a decades-long push to end abortion rights cheered&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/what-is-roe-v-wade-33c08858dc8b0aa5f0450858b51a648a">Roe’s potential fall.&nbsp;</a>Democrats vowed to fight the possible loss of a constitutional right that has been in place for nearly a half-century.The Supreme Court confirmed the leaked draft, first published by Politico, was an authentic document but said Tuesday “it does not represent a decision by the court or the final position of any member on the issues in the case.”Though the draft opinion could change, Democrats and Republicans across the states pledged action&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/roe-wade-supreme-court-f6b899076faba20517b9ac1e82438c16">amid warnings such a ruling could also put other rights at risk</a>&nbsp;—battles that could likewise play out in the states.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/5/1651593865137.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>In California, Democrats who wield control of the state Legislature and the governor’s office issued a joint statement late Monday announcing they would seek to amend the state’s constitution to enshrine abortion rights.“California will not stand idly by as women across America are stripped of their rights and the progress so many have fought for gets erased,” California Democrats said. “We know we can’t trust the Supreme Court to protect reproductive rights, so California will build a firewall around this right in our state constitution. Women will remain protected here.”South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, a Republican, said on Twitter she plans to immediately call a special legislative session “to save lives” if Roe is overturned. The state already has a so-called trigger law that would make abortion illegal if that happens and Noem’s office declined to say why a special session would be necessary. Her spokesman, Ian Fury, said the tweet, “speaks for itself.”In Georgia, which is among several dozen states electing governors this year, candidates on both sides of the aisle proclaimed they would prioritize the issue if elected to the state’s top office.Republican gubernatorial candidate David Perdue said he’d call state lawmakers into a special session to outlaw all abortions, while Democratic candidate Stacey Abrams said she would defend the right to abortion if she wins.About half of U.S. states are expected to ban abortion if Roe falls, according to the abortion-rights think tank Guttmacher Institute. Twenty-two states, largely in the South and Midwest, already have total or near-total bans on the books. Aside from Texas, all are now blocked because of Roe.States&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-donald-trump-us-supreme-court-health-religion-a9baf97e858cf27f2d143c4fd3ea1d86">have already been preparing for the protentional of the ruling being weakened or overturned</a>, and Republican-led states&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-abortion-health-covid-19-pandemic-medication-31791ed14247c4c8ad35ef078982078e">have also been working to restrict access to medication abortion</a>, which would allow women to get abortions without the burden of traveling to clinics that may be few and far between.In addition to South Dakota, 12 other states have trigger laws that would immediately ban abortion if Roe is overturned.One is Oklahoma, where Republican House Speaker Charles McCall declared Tuesday that “decades of steadfast prayer and unwavering legislative efforts to protect the lives of the unborn are finally on the doorsteps of success.”“For close to 50 years, the silent cries of the millions who lost their lives before even having a chance to live have been heard through the voices of those of us fighting for their rights,” McCall said. “The pro-life movement won, securing those yet unborn the future and promise that comes with being born in the United States of America.”A few states still have pre-Roe bans on the books, including Michigan, where Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has sued to remove it and pledged on Twitter Monday to “fight like hell to make sure abortion remains safe, legal, and accessible.”The Kansas Supreme Court in 2019 declared that the state constitution protects abortion rights, but Republican lawmakers placed on the August primary ballot an initiative to overturn it.In New Hampshire, Gov. Chris Sununu was a rare Republican governor who said he supports abortion rights and was committed to upholding Roe v. Wade. “So long as I am governor, these health care services for women will remain safe and legal,” Sununu said.However, last year Sununu signed into law restrictions on abortion when he approved a measure banning abortion after 24 weeks of gestation, with exceptions only for pregnancies that threaten the mother’s life or health.Polling shows relatively few Americans want to see Roe overturned. In 2020, AP VoteCast found that 69% of voters in the presidential election said the Supreme Court should leave the Roe v. Wade decision as is; just 29% said the court should overturn the decision. In general, AP-NORC polling finds a majority of the public favors abortion being legal in most or all cases.At least eight GOP-led states have already passed new restrictions this year, expecting change from the conservative majority on the high court. Arizona and Florida banned the procedure after 15 weeks, without exceptions for rape or incest. Others,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-us-supreme-court-health-reproductive-rights-oklahoma-2810e6accef0fa3c6fdb0e53fed90664">like Oklahoma, went further</a>&nbsp;and made it a felony as of this summer to perform an abortion, with an exception only for the life of the mother.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-health-business-texas-idaho-87992ce80b3c9e55100444e34bdcb173">Idaho&nbsp;</a>followed Texas and allowed people to sue over abortions — including potential family members of the embryo.Sixteen states and the District of Columbia, meanwhile, have protected access to abortion in state law, and several states moved to expand or strengthen those protections this year.States like Washington and Connecticut, for example, have protected abortion providers in their states from lawsuits.The Democratic leaders in Connecticut’s statehouse,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-health-lifestyle-religion-connecticut-268fa7ed40d190a0709e3d2be8e960f5">which over the weekend sent legislation&nbsp;</a>to that state’s governor that would protect abortion providers, said in a joint statement Monday night they had feared a proposed decision like the one in the draft opinion and “now this nightmare appears to be all too real.”“America is likely headed down a dark path where individual states will adopt conflicting statutes leading to additional divisions in an already divided nation,” Senate President Pro Tempore Martin Looney and Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff said.Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said her state would “welcome with open arms” those who need access to abortion.In Hawaii, state Sen. Roz Baker, a Democrat, questioned what more the ruling, if issued by the court, could bring.“Are they going to go back and go after the LGBTQ community next?” she said. “Are they going to go after immigrants? Are they going to go after any of the vulnerable populations?”In some cases, abortion laws may divide states as well.GOP-led Tennessee also has a trigger law banning abortion if Roe is overturned, but Nashville’s district attorney on Monday tweeted that he would not prosecute any doctor who performed an abortion.