By REBECCA RIVAS <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/07/11/kansas-citys-eviction-legal-services-helps-nearly-150-residents-in-first-month/">Missouri Independent</a>

April Shabbaz lives in a Kansas City apartment with her brother, son, daughter and 20-year-old grandson.&nbsp;

All of the adults have low-wage jobs. This past fall, one of them abruptly lost their job, and the household fell behind on rent.&nbsp;

“Once you get behind on something, it
 is extremely hard to catch up because… you still have your new bills 
that are coming in,” she said.&nbsp;

Shabbaz applied for rental and 
utility assistance and ended up on a waiting list. At the same time, her
 landlord filed for an eviction, and Shabbaz didn’t receive the court 
summons until two days before her hearing date.&nbsp;

She was able to quickly get support from a free lawyer from the <a target="_blank" href="http://www.jobsandfreedom.org/">Heartland Center For Jobs and Freedom </a>nonprofit law group, who got her court date postponed to allow her rental assistance applications to go through.&nbsp;

Shabbaz was able to stay in her home. But she knows many people haven’t been so lucky.

“If you’re already a low-wage 
worker…you don’t have money to get a lawyer,” she said. “These 
landlords, they have lawyers. So you’re standing there in court, and you
 don’t have nobody to represent you. You’re basically being 
railroaded.”&nbsp;

Across the country, 90% of landlords 
have access to attorneys during eviction proceedings, compared to 1% of 
tenants, according to estimates from the National Coalition for a Civil 
Right to Counsel. It’s a <a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2020/11/23/many-missouri-tenants-lack-legal-counsel-during-eviction-proceedings/">trend that Missouri</a> follows as well, advocates say.

After years of Kansas City housing 
advocates pushing to address the problem, the city launched its new 
right-to-counsel program on June 1, where 12 attorneys from Heartland, 
the UMKC Truman Fellows program and Legal Aid of Western Missouri are 
now dedicated to representing people like Shabbaz.

Since the program went into effect on
 June 1, the attorneys collectively have taken on 139 new cases. And 
now, no Kansas City resident has to face an eviction without an 
attorney.

“Right to counsel is one of the best 
things that can happen for tenants, especially low-wage workers,” said 
Shabbaz, who is a member of advocacy group Missouri Workers Center that 
pushed for the program. “Because 98% of the time it’s some low-wage 
worker that’s being evicted.”

The right-to-counsel <a target="_blank" href="https://clerk.kcmo.gov/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=5346395&amp;GUID=E90D634A-EB7C-4A49-B73A-C8D7C2D31354&amp;Options=&amp;Search=">ordinance</a> passed the city council unanimously in December. Yet despite its successes, its implementation has seen some snags.

Some of the city’s outreach efforts 
have yet to begin. The program still doesn’t have a permanent director. 
And an advisory committee of seven mayor-appointed Kansas City tenants 
will meet for the first time next week – months behind schedule.&nbsp;

“The swearing-in might have been 
months overdue,” said committee member Sabrina Davis, a leader with KC 
Tenants advocacy group that helped draft the ordinance, “but now that 
I’m in, you bet your bottom dollar I’m going to hold this city 
accountable to delivering our rights.”

Beginnings of citywide right-to-counsel initiative

Heartland initially grew out of the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.facebook.com/StandUpKc/">Stand Up KC </a>movement of low-wage workers fighting for $15 an hour, focusing primarily on unemployment and consumer rights cases.&nbsp;

In 2017, <a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2021/12/28/kansas-city-residents-will-soon-have-the-right-to-an-attorney-in-eviction-proceedings/">Heartland co-founder Gina Chiala</a>
 and a co-worker felt compelled after hearing the workers talk about the
 threat of evictions to go down to eviction court in Kansas City and 
observe.

“That’s when we saw four courtrooms 
evicting tenants simultaneously in really large numbers,” she said, “and
 they’re not represented by counsel.”

Yet, landlords’ attorneys would be there representing “giant stacks” of eviction filings one after the other, she said.

“People are walking in the court with a roof over their head, and they’re walking out evicted — en masse,” Chiala said.

In 2018 and 2019, they began floating
 the idea of a citywide right-to-counsel initiative with elected 
officials and other movement leaders, but no one was able to make the 
campaign a top priority, Chiala said.&nbsp;

In January 2020, Chiala and other 
attorneys presented the possibility of right-to-counsel legislation to 
Mayor Quinton Lucas and Councilwoman Andrea Bough, who would later 
champion the policy this year. Both balked at the cost of a full program
 to give everyone the right to public defense, Chiala said.

&nbsp;However,
 right before the pandemic hit in March, the city did agree to pay for 
three attorneys, two with Heartland and one with the nonprofit agency <a target="_blank" href="https://lawmo.org/">Legal Aid of Western Missouri</a>. Those attorneys ended up preventing evictions during the pandemic, starting in June 2020.

And it provided them an opportunity 
to collect data on how publicly-funded attorneys impacted the outcomes 
of eviction cases, Chiala said.

Since June 2020, Heartland and Legal 
Aid attorneys represented hundreds of people facing evictions, and 
almost all of those cases ended in dismissals with the client and their 
families staying in their homes.&nbsp;

The new program will cost around $2.5 million a year, Chiala said, 
which largely will come from federal COVID-relief funds for now. City is
 paying $700,000 and the remaining costs will come through <a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2021/07/06/can-missouri-get-out-rental-assistance-fast-enough-to-prevent-evictions/">federal dollars funneled through Missouri Housing Development Corporation</a>.

As of July 8, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.mohousingresources.com/safhr-program-dashboard">MHDC has awarded</a>
 $6.1 million in federal relief funds to 38 groups statewide assisting 
in housing case management, legal services and making sure families get 
rental assistance before they’re evicted.&nbsp;

Kansas City is among the few cities 
where attorneys are taking an active role in working with rental 
assistance funders, such as the United Way, to get payments directly to 
landlords.

“We can administer the settlement,” 
Chiala said. “So we’re not just waiting for the tenant to navigate a 
really difficult system. We have the ability to communicate directly 
with the funder to ensure that the funds are received in time to stop 
the eviction.”

While Heartland has one attorney 
that’s working on eviction cases, the firm’s main role is training the 
attorneys at UMKC and Legal Aid. They had their first training session 
last week.

“The attorneys were really enthusiastic,” she said, “and I think we’ve got a really good army of tenants rights lawyers.”&nbsp;&nbsp;

Kansas City has an average of 9,000 evictions every year, according to Harvard University’s <a target="_blank" href="https://evictionlab.org/eviction-tracking/kansas-city-mo/">Eviction Lab tracking</a>. However only about a third of eviction cases end up at the hearing phase – where an attorney would be necessary, Chiala said.&nbsp;

The program’s attorneys have not had to turn away anyone who has requested the services yet.

Currently, when a person receives 
notification about their eviction proceedings, the court also sends 
information about the right-to-counsel program. Heartland and other 
volunteers are still attending eviction court days and catching people 
before they go into eviction court to tell them they have a right to an 
attorney.&nbsp;

If individuals haven’t already 
received a “continuance” from the judge yet, then the attorneys can 
intervene. But they can’t help them if they are already at the trial 
phase.&nbsp;

That’s why the city needs to have an 
outreach team in place, Chiala said, as well as send out information 
about the program to people on eviction dockets.

Regarding outreach, Jane Brown, the interim director for the program and the city’s housing director, said <a target="_blank" href="https://www.kcmo.gov/city-hall/housing/tenant-resources">the city has been publicizing the program </a>“extensively” since June 1.

Regarding mailing out notices, Brown 
said the city entered into an agreement with the Jackson County Circuit 
Court in early June 2022. On a weekly basis, the circuit court has been 
providing names of individuals, who have had eviction cases filed 
against them, she said.&nbsp;&nbsp;

“Names provided by Jackson County are
 entered into a computer system and one of three organizations (Legal 
Aid, Heartland Jobs and UMKC) is assigned to represent the individual 
who is being evicted,” she said.&nbsp;

The Clay County court declined to 
enter into a similar agreement to provide the names, and the Platte 
County court request is still pending, she said.&nbsp;

Brown said she is “exploring other 
options to assist Kansas Citians in the Northland who are being evicted 
in the absence of a list of evictees similar to Jackson County.”&nbsp;

It’s been a long road since Chiala and her team began attending eviction court days in 2017.&nbsp;

“It’s still offensive that so many 
people are subjected to the potential loss of their housing,” Chiala 
said, “but it’s very thrilling that the courts are now swarming with 
tenants rights attorneys.”&nbsp;

However, right-to-counsel is just the first step, she said.&nbsp;

Almost a year ago, Evergy electric 
company came and took the meter outside Shabbaz’s home – leaving her 
family with no air conditioning or heat.&nbsp;

When she called Evergy last August, 
she found out that her landlord had known for 14 months that they needed
 to complete repairs on the meter.&nbsp;

“The apartments are responsible for 
those repairs, and they never did them,” she said. “I’m going on a year 
now with this meter being gone.”

Her family had to live in the living 
room during the cold winter months to stay warm. Having to buy heaters 
and AC units themselves, without reimbursement from her landlord, 
contributed to Shabbaz falling behind on her rent.&nbsp;

Still, her landlord filed an 
eviction. Her Heartland attorney was able to provide evidence in 
eviction court about the living conditions, which helped her win her 
case and have it cleared from her record.

Cases like Shabbaz’s have inspired 
Heartland to begin creating a new initiative to fund legal defense for 
tenants who want to fight these poor housing conditions in court.

“We’re looking at a habitability 
program, in an effort to try to get landlords to comply with the law 
around habitability,” she said, “because two thirds of low-income 
tenants have unlivable housing conditions. And so that’s where we’re 
going next.”&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/7/1657570290157.png" alt="On Dec. 9, the city council for Kansas City unanimously passed one of the most aggressive “right to counsel” ordinances in the country to ensure any Kansas City resident facing an eviction has the right to an attorney, similar to public defenders in criminal cases. (Photo courtesy of Missouri Workers Center.)" />
 <figcaption>On Dec. 9, the city council for Kansas City unanimously passed one of the most aggressive “right to counsel” ordinances in the country to ensure any Kansas City resident facing an eviction has the right to an attorney, similar to public defenders in criminal cases. (Photo courtesy of Missouri Workers Center.)</figcaption>
 </figure>By REBECCA RIVAS <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/07/11/kansas-citys-eviction-legal-services-helps-nearly-150-residents-in-first-month/">Missouri Independent</a>April Shabbaz lives in a Kansas City apartment with her brother, son, daughter and 20-year-old grandson.&nbsp;All of the adults have low-wage jobs. This past fall, one of them abruptly lost their job, and the household fell behind on rent.&nbsp;“Once you get behind on something, it
 is extremely hard to catch up because… you still have your new bills 
that are coming in,” she said.&nbsp;Shabbaz applied for rental and 
utility assistance and ended up on a waiting list. At the same time, her
 landlord filed for an eviction, and Shabbaz didn’t receive the court 
summons until two days before her hearing date.&nbsp;She was able to quickly get support from a free lawyer from the <a target="_blank" href="http://www.jobsandfreedom.org/">Heartland Center For Jobs and Freedom </a>nonprofit law group, who got her court date postponed to allow her rental assistance applications to go through.&nbsp;Shabbaz was able to stay in her home. But she knows many people haven’t been so lucky.“If you’re already a low-wage 
worker…you don’t have money to get a lawyer,” she said. “These 
landlords, they have lawyers. So you’re standing there in court, and you
 don’t have nobody to represent you. You’re basically being 
railroaded.”&nbsp;Across the country, 90% of landlords 
have access to attorneys during eviction proceedings, compared to 1% of 
tenants, according to estimates from the National Coalition for a Civil 
Right to Counsel. It’s a <a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2020/11/23/many-missouri-tenants-lack-legal-counsel-during-eviction-proceedings/">trend that Missouri</a> follows as well, advocates say.After years of Kansas City housing 
advocates pushing to address the problem, the city launched its new 
right-to-counsel program on June 1, where 12 attorneys from Heartland, 
the UMKC Truman Fellows program and Legal Aid of Western Missouri are 
now dedicated to representing people like Shabbaz.Since the program went into effect on
 June 1, the attorneys collectively have taken on 139 new cases. And 
now, no Kansas City resident has to face an eviction without an 
attorney.“Right to counsel is one of the best 
things that can happen for tenants, especially low-wage workers,” said 
Shabbaz, who is a member of advocacy group Missouri Workers Center that 
pushed for the program. “Because 98% of the time it’s some low-wage 
worker that’s being evicted.”The right-to-counsel <a target="_blank" href="https://clerk.kcmo.gov/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=5346395&amp;GUID=E90D634A-EB7C-4A49-B73A-C8D7C2D31354&amp;Options=&amp;Search=">ordinance</a> passed the city council unanimously in December. Yet despite its successes, its implementation has seen some snags.Some of the city’s outreach efforts 
have yet to begin. The program still doesn’t have a permanent director. 
And an advisory committee of seven mayor-appointed Kansas City tenants 
will meet for the first time next week – months behind schedule.&nbsp;“The swearing-in might have been 
months overdue,” said committee member Sabrina Davis, a leader with KC 
Tenants advocacy group that helped draft the ordinance, “but now that 
I’m in, you bet your bottom dollar I’m going to hold this city 
accountable to delivering our rights.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/7/1657570378887.png" alt="Gina Chiala, the executive director and co-founder at the Heartland Center for Jobs and Freedom, speaks at a rally in support the Tenants’ Right to Counsel ordinance on Dec. 1, 2021 at city hall in Kansas City (Photo courtesy of Heartland Center)." />
 <figcaption>Gina Chiala, the executive director and co-founder at the Heartland Center for Jobs and Freedom, speaks at a rally in support the Tenants’ Right to Counsel ordinance on Dec. 1, 2021 at city hall in Kansas City (Photo courtesy of Heartland Center).</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Beginnings of citywide right-to-counsel initiative</h2>Heartland initially grew out of the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.facebook.com/StandUpKc/">Stand Up KC </a>movement of low-wage workers fighting for $15 an hour, focusing primarily on unemployment and consumer rights cases.&nbsp;In 2017, <a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2021/12/28/kansas-city-residents-will-soon-have-the-right-to-an-attorney-in-eviction-proceedings/">Heartland co-founder Gina Chiala</a>
 and a co-worker felt compelled after hearing the workers talk about the
 threat of evictions to go down to eviction court in Kansas City and 
observe.“That’s when we saw four courtrooms 
evicting tenants simultaneously in really large numbers,” she said, “and
 they’re not represented by counsel.”Yet, landlords’ attorneys would be there representing “giant stacks” of eviction filings one after the other, she said.“People are walking in the court with a roof over their head, and they’re walking out evicted — en masse,” Chiala said.In 2018 and 2019, they began floating
 the idea of a citywide right-to-counsel initiative with elected 
officials and other movement leaders, but no one was able to make the 
campaign a top priority, Chiala said.&nbsp;In January 2020, Chiala and other 
attorneys presented the possibility of right-to-counsel legislation to 
Mayor Quinton Lucas and Councilwoman Andrea Bough, who would later 
champion the policy this year. Both balked at the cost of a full program
 to give everyone the right to public defense, Chiala said.&nbsp;However,
 right before the pandemic hit in March, the city did agree to pay for 
three attorneys, two with Heartland and one with the nonprofit agency <a target="_blank" href="https://lawmo.org/">Legal Aid of Western Missouri</a>. Those attorneys ended up preventing evictions during the pandemic, starting in June 2020.And it provided them an opportunity 
to collect data on how publicly-funded attorneys impacted the outcomes 
of eviction cases, Chiala said.Since June 2020, Heartland and Legal 
Aid attorneys represented hundreds of people facing evictions, and 
almost all of those cases ended in dismissals with the client and their 
families staying in their homes.&nbsp;<h2>Backed by federal relief funds</h2>The new program will cost around $2.5 million a year, Chiala said, 
which largely will come from federal COVID-relief funds for now. City is
 paying $700,000 and the remaining costs will come through <a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2021/07/06/can-missouri-get-out-rental-assistance-fast-enough-to-prevent-evictions/">federal dollars funneled through Missouri Housing Development Corporation</a>.As of July 8, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.mohousingresources.com/safhr-program-dashboard">MHDC has awarded</a>
 $6.1 million in federal relief funds to 38 groups statewide assisting 
in housing case management, legal services and making sure families get 
rental assistance before they’re evicted.&nbsp;Kansas City is among the few cities 
where attorneys are taking an active role in working with rental 
assistance funders, such as the United Way, to get payments directly to 
landlords.“We can administer the settlement,” 
Chiala said. “So we’re not just waiting for the tenant to navigate a 
really difficult system. We have the ability to communicate directly 
with the funder to ensure that the funds are received in time to stop 
the eviction.”While Heartland has one attorney 
that’s working on eviction cases, the firm’s main role is training the 
attorneys at UMKC and Legal Aid. They had their first training session 
last week.“The attorneys were really enthusiastic,” she said, “and I think we’ve got a really good army of tenants rights lawyers.”&nbsp;&nbsp;Kansas City has an average of 9,000 evictions every year, according to Harvard University’s <a target="_blank" href="https://evictionlab.org/eviction-tracking/kansas-city-mo/">Eviction Lab tracking</a>. However only about a third of eviction cases end up at the hearing phase – where an attorney would be necessary, Chiala said.&nbsp;The program’s attorneys have not had to turn away anyone who has requested the services yet.Currently, when a person receives 
notification about their eviction proceedings, the court also sends 
information about the right-to-counsel program. Heartland and other 
volunteers are still attending eviction court days and catching people 
before they go into eviction court to tell them they have a right to an 
attorney.&nbsp;If individuals haven’t already 
received a “continuance” from the judge yet, then the attorneys can 
intervene. But they can’t help them if they are already at the trial 
phase.&nbsp;That’s why the city needs to have an 
outreach team in place, Chiala said, as well as send out information 
about the program to people on eviction dockets.Regarding outreach, Jane Brown, the interim director for the program and the city’s housing director, said <a target="_blank" href="https://www.kcmo.gov/city-hall/housing/tenant-resources">the city has been publicizing the program </a>“extensively” since June 1.Regarding mailing out notices, Brown 
said the city entered into an agreement with the Jackson County Circuit 
Court in early June 2022. On a weekly basis, the circuit court has been 
providing names of individuals, who have had eviction cases filed 
against them, she said.&nbsp;&nbsp;“Names provided by Jackson County are
 entered into a computer system and one of three organizations (Legal 
Aid, Heartland Jobs and UMKC) is assigned to represent the individual 
who is being evicted,” she said.&nbsp;The Clay County court declined to 
enter into a similar agreement to provide the names, and the Platte 
County court request is still pending, she said.&nbsp;Brown said she is “exploring other 
options to assist Kansas Citians in the Northland who are being evicted 
in the absence of a list of evictees similar to Jackson County.”&nbsp;<h2>Next steps: Taking landlords to court</h2>It’s been a long road since Chiala and her team began attending eviction court days in 2017.&nbsp;“It’s still offensive that so many 
people are subjected to the potential loss of their housing,” Chiala 
said, “but it’s very thrilling that the courts are now swarming with 
tenants rights attorneys.”&nbsp;However, right-to-counsel is just the first step, she said.&nbsp;Almost a year ago, Evergy electric 
company came and took the meter outside Shabbaz’s home – leaving her 
family with no air conditioning or heat.&nbsp;When she called Evergy last August, 
she found out that her landlord had known for 14 months that they needed
 to complete repairs on the meter.&nbsp;“The apartments are responsible for 
those repairs, and they never did them,” she said. “I’m going on a year 
now with this meter being gone.”Her family had to live in the living 
room during the cold winter months to stay warm. Having to buy heaters 
and AC units themselves, without reimbursement from her landlord, 
contributed to Shabbaz falling behind on her rent.&nbsp;Still, her landlord filed an 
eviction. Her Heartland attorney was able to provide evidence in 
eviction court about the living conditions, which helped her win her 
case and have it cleared from her record.Cases like Shabbaz’s have inspired 
Heartland to begin creating a new initiative to fund legal defense for 
tenants who want to fight these poor housing conditions in court.“We’re looking at a habitability 
program, in an effort to try to get landlords to comply with the law 
around habitability,” she said, “because two thirds of low-income 
tenants have unlivable housing conditions. And so that’s where we’re 
going next.”&nbsp;

KC's eviction legal service helps nearly 150 residents in first month

By NOAH TABORDA <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/07/11/monkeypox-risk-to-kansans-remains-low-despite-presumed-positive-case-doctors-say/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA — After the first 
presumptive positive case of monkeypox in Kansas was identified over the
 weekend, doctors are confident risks to the public remain low.

On Saturday, Kansas and Johnson County health officials announced — 
based on lab testing — the state’s first presumed case of monkeypox in a
 Johnson County man. The county health department is awaiting 
confirmation on results from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention.

The adult did not require hospitalization and Dana Hawkinson, medical
 director of infection prevention and control for the University of 
Kansas Health System, says that is the case for most people infected.

“We know some of those symptoms can be quite severe but there are 
treatment plans in place … that are being done now,” Hawkinson said. “We
 also know that the Health and Human Services is rolling out a 
vaccination plan for those people that may be at risk.”

The patient had traveled out of the state and is isolating at home. KDHE is monitoring the individual’s close contacts.

In the typical monkeypox case, a person’s symptoms may include fever,
 headache, muscle aches, chills and exhaustion, followed by a rash that 
looks like blisters. This may occur on the hands, feet, chest, mouth and
 genitals.

Not all cases show symptoms before the rash, but the rate of 
transmission is much slower than the novel coronavirus. In Kansas, the 
risk of the virus spreading is low, said state health secretary Janet 
Stanek.

“If you are experiencing symptoms of monkeypox illness, it’s 
important to stay home and contact your health care provider as soon as 
possible to avoid spreading the disease to others,” Stanek said.

The incubation period of monkeypox is usually from seven to 14 days 
but can range from five to 21 days. Spread most commonly occurs from 
direct contact with the lesions or prolonged face-to-face contact.

It can also occur through contact with materials that have touched the lesions.

The monkeypox vaccine is available for those who have been exposed to
 a confirmed case, but with the vaccine supply low, only those contacted
 by KDHE or clinic partners may receive the shot. KDHE plans to expand 
eligibility when the stock increases.

“Monkeypox is a very rare disease in the United States,” said Johnson
 County health director Sanmi Areola. “The virus has not shown the 
ability to spread rapidly in the general population. Based on the 
information currently available, the risk to the public appears to be 
very low.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/6/1655678482994.png" alt="Monkeypox Photo Credit: NHS England High Consequence Infectious Diseases Network-CDC" />
 <figcaption>Monkeypox Photo Credit: NHS England High Consequence Infectious Diseases Network-CDC</figcaption>
 </figure>By NOAH TABORDA <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/07/11/monkeypox-risk-to-kansans-remains-low-despite-presumed-positive-case-doctors-say/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — After the first 
presumptive positive case of monkeypox in Kansas was identified over the
 weekend, doctors are confident risks to the public remain low.On Saturday, Kansas and Johnson County health officials announced — 
based on lab testing — the state’s first presumed case of monkeypox in a
 Johnson County man. The county health department is awaiting 
confirmation on results from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention.The adult did not require hospitalization and Dana Hawkinson, medical
 director of infection prevention and control for the University of 
Kansas Health System, says that is the case for most people infected.“We know some of those symptoms can be quite severe but there are 
treatment plans in place … that are being done now,” Hawkinson said. “We
 also know that the Health and Human Services is rolling out a 
vaccination plan for those people that may be at risk.”The patient had traveled out of the state and is isolating at home. KDHE is monitoring the individual’s close contacts.In the typical monkeypox case, a person’s symptoms may include fever,
 headache, muscle aches, chills and exhaustion, followed by a rash that 
looks like blisters. This may occur on the hands, feet, chest, mouth and
 genitals.Not all cases show symptoms before the rash, but the rate of 
transmission is much slower than the novel coronavirus. In Kansas, the 
risk of the virus spreading is low, said state health secretary Janet 
Stanek.“If you are experiencing symptoms of monkeypox illness, it’s 
important to stay home and contact your health care provider as soon as 
possible to avoid spreading the disease to others,” Stanek said.The incubation period of monkeypox is usually from seven to 14 days 
but can range from five to 21 days. Spread most commonly occurs from 
direct contact with the lesions or prolonged face-to-face contact.It can also occur through contact with materials that have touched the lesions.The monkeypox vaccine is available for those who have been exposed to
 a confirmed case, but with the vaccine supply low, only those contacted
 by KDHE or clinic partners may receive the shot. KDHE plans to expand 
eligibility when the stock increases.“Monkeypox is a very rare disease in the United States,” said Johnson
 County health director Sanmi Areola. “The virus has not shown the 
ability to spread rapidly in the general population. Based on the 
information currently available, the risk to the public appears to be 
very low.”

Doctors: Monkeypox risk to Kansans remains low

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

GREAT BEND — The hot days of July have arrived. Temperatures are expected to be in
the 90s or close to 100 for the next week in the Golden Belt. 
Great Bend Brit Spaugh Zoo Curator Ashley Burdick said zoo staff is extra
careful and attentive to their animals’ needs during this heat. 
"A lot of the animals have lived here most of their lives so they're 
kind of accustomed to it," said Burdick. "When we have that extreme heat
 for several days in a row and it does not cool down at night, that's 
when it gets dangerous. For instance, our Arctic foxes are not built for
 as hot as it has been so they're one we're really careful with." 
The zoo recently posted a video on social media of staff spraying the grizzly
bears with water to cool them down.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/7/1657568551452.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>By COLE REIF <a href="https://greatbendpost.com">Great Bend Post</a>GREAT BEND — The hot days of July have arrived. Temperatures are expected to be in
the 90s or close to 100 for the next week in the Golden Belt. 
Great Bend Brit Spaugh Zoo Curator Ashley Burdick said zoo staff is extra
careful and attentive to their animals’ needs during this heat. 
"A lot of the animals have lived here most of their lives so they're 
kind of accustomed to it," said Burdick. "When we have that extreme heat
 for several days in a row and it does not cool down at night, that's 
when it gets dangerous. For instance, our Arctic foxes are not built for
 as hot as it has been so they're one we're really careful with." 
The zoo recently posted a video on social media of staff spraying the grizzly
bears with water to cool them down.<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fgreatbendzoo%2Fvideos%2F738503024138887%2F&show_text=0&width=267" width="267" height="476" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowFullScreen="true"></iframe></div>

🎥 Finding ways to beat the heat for Great Bend zoo animals

<figure>
 <iframe width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wru_wYopNgM"></iframe>
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Plus: New procedure for back pain

🎥 Docs: Why allergies are more severe this year

TANEY COUNTY—A teenager died in a boating accident just after 4p.m. Sunday at Table Rock Lake.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2022 Regency Tri-toon driven by Christopher M. Johnson, 62, O'Fallon, was southbound at 3-Breezy Point on Table Rock Lake.

The vessel struck two teen swimmers then struck a rock bluff. A 15-year-old girl from O'Fallon was pronounced dead at the scene. EMS transported a 16-year-old boy from Baldwin, Missouri, to Cox Branson.&nbsp;

Authorities released no additional details Monday.

TANEY COUNTY—A teenager died in a boating accident just after 4p.m. Sunday at Table Rock Lake.The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2022 Regency Tri-toon driven by Christopher M. Johnson, 62, O'Fallon, was southbound at 3-Breezy Point on Table Rock Lake.The vessel struck two teen swimmers then struck a rock bluff. A 15-year-old girl from O'Fallon was pronounced dead at the scene. EMS transported a 16-year-old boy from Baldwin, Missouri, to Cox Branson.&nbsp;Authorities released no additional details Monday.

Teen dies after struck by a boat at Table Rock Lake

WASHINGTON&nbsp; — President Joe Biden signed an executive order to protect access to abortion, delivering impassioned remarks condemning the Supreme Court decision that ended that constitutional right.&nbsp; Biden on Friday formalized instructions to the Departments of Justice and Health and Human Services to push back on efforts to limit the ability of women to access federally approved abortion medication or to travel across state lines to access clinical abortion services.

On Sunday, Biden said he is also considering declaring a public health emergency to free up federal resources to promote&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/abortion">abortion access</a>&nbsp;even though the White House has said it doesn't seem like “a great option.”

(Click below to watch the President's statement)

According to a statement from the White House, President Biden's Executive Order Protecting Access to Reproductive Health Care Services builds on the actions his Administration has already taken to defend reproductive rights by:

SAFEGUARDING ACCESS TO REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH CARE SERVICES The President has directed the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to take the following actions and submit a report to him within 30 days on efforts to:

PROTECTING PATIENT PRIVACY AND ACCESS TO ACCURATE INFORMATION The President’s Executive Order takes additional steps to protect patient privacy, including by addressing the transfer and sales of sensitive health-related data, combatting digital surveillance related to reproductive health care services, and protecting people seeking reproductive health care from inaccurate information, fraudulent schemes, or deceptive practices.&nbsp; The Executive Order will:

PROMOTING SAFETY AND SECURITY The Executive Order addresses the heightened risk related to seeking and providing reproductive health care and will:

COORDINATING IMPLEMENTATION EFFORTS To ensure the Federal government takes a swift and coordinated approach to addressing reproductive rights and protecting access to reproductive health care, the President’s Executive Order will:

EXECUTIVE ORDER BUILDS ON ADMINISTRATION’S ACTIONS TO PROTECT ACCESS TO REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH CARE In addition to the actions announced today, the Biden-Harris Administration has taken the following steps to protect access to reproductive health care and defend reproductive rights in the wake of the Supreme Court decision in&nbsp;Dobbs.&nbsp; On the day of the decision,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2022/06/24/remarks-by-president-biden-on-the-supreme-court-decision-to-overturn-roe-v-wade/">the President strongly denounced the decision</a>&nbsp;as an affront to women’s fundamental rights and the right to choose In addition to action mentioned above, the Biden-Harris Administration is:

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/7/1657303025087.png" alt="&nbsp; Biden on Friday formalized instructions to the Departments of Justice and Health and Human Services to push back on efforts to limit the ability of women to access federally approved abortion medication or to travel across state lines to access clinical abortion services." />
 <figcaption>&nbsp; Biden on Friday formalized instructions to the Departments of Justice and Health and Human Services to push back on efforts to limit the ability of women to access federally approved abortion medication or to travel across state lines to access clinical abortion services.</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON&nbsp; — President Joe Biden signed an executive order to protect access to abortion, delivering impassioned remarks condemning the Supreme Court decision that ended that constitutional right.&nbsp; Biden on Friday formalized instructions to the Departments of Justice and Health and Human Services to push back on efforts to limit the ability of women to access federally approved abortion medication or to travel across state lines to access clinical abortion services.On Sunday, Biden said he is also considering declaring a public health emergency to free up federal resources to promote&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/abortion">abortion access</a>&nbsp;even though the White House has said it doesn't seem like “a great option.”(Click below to watch the President's statement)<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=314&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FWhiteHouse%2Fvideos%2F1466732500453144%2F&show_text=false&width=560&t=1010" width="560" height="314" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowFullScreen="true"></iframe></div> According to a statement from the White House, President Biden's Executive Order Protecting Access to Reproductive Health Care Services builds on the actions his Administration has already taken to defend reproductive rights by:<ul>
 <li>Safeguarding access to reproductive health care services, including abortion and contraception; </li><li>Protecting the privacy of patients and their access to accurate information; </li><li>Promoting the safety and security of patients, providers, and clinics; and </li><li>Coordinating the implementation of Federal efforts to protect reproductive rights and access to health care.</li>
 </ul><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Today I signed an Executive Order to protect the reproductive rights of women in the aftermath of the Supreme Court&#39;s extreme decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. It formalizes the actions I announced right after the decision and will add new measures to protect women&#39;s health. <a href="https://t.co/cujWTnxKvw">pic.twitter.com/cujWTnxKvw</a>&mdash; President Biden (@POTUS) <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS/status/1545447455558406145?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 8, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>SAFEGUARDING ACCESS TO REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH CARE SERVICES The President has directed the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to take the following actions and submit a report to him within 30 days on efforts to:<ul>
 <li>Protect Access to Medication Abortion.&nbsp; HHS will take additional action to protect and expand access to abortion care, including access to medication that the FDA approved as safe and effective over twenty years ago. These actions will build on the steps the Secretary of HHS has already taken at the President’s direction following the decision to ensure that medication abortion is as widely accessible as possible. </li><li>Ensure Emergency Medical Care.&nbsp; HHS will take steps to ensure all patients – including pregnant women and those experiencing pregnancy loss – have access to the full rights and protections for emergency medical care afforded under the law, including by considering updates to current guidance that clarify physician responsibilities and protections under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA).&nbsp; </li><li>Protect Access to Contraception.&nbsp; HHS will take additional actions to expand access to the full range of reproductive health services, including family planning services and providers, such as access to emergency contraception and long-acting reversible contraception like intrauterine devices (IUDs). &nbsp;In all fifty states and the District of Columbia, the Affordable Care Act guarantees coverage of women’s preventive services, including free birth control and contraceptive counseling, for individuals and covered dependents. The Secretary of HHS has already directed the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to take every legally available step to ensure patient access to family planning care and to protect family planning providers. </li><li>Launch Outreach and Public Education Efforts.&nbsp;&nbsp;HHS will increase outreach and public education efforts regarding access to reproductive health care services—including abortion—to ensure that Americans have access to reliable and accurate information about their rights and access to care. </li><li>Convene Volunteer Lawyers.&nbsp; The Attorney General and the White House Counsel will convene private pro bono attorneys, bar associations, and public interest organizations to encourage robust legal representation of patients, providers, and third parties lawfully seeking or offering reproductive health care services throughout the country.&nbsp; Such representation could include protecting the right to travel out of state to seek medical care. Immediately following the Supreme Court decision, the President announced his Administration’s position that Americans must remain free to travel safely to another state to seek the care they need, as&nbsp;<a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/attorney-general-merrick-b-garland-statement-supreme-court-ruling-dobbs-v-jackson-women-s">the Attorney General made clear in his statement</a>, and his commitment to fighting any attack by a state or local official who attempts to interfere with women exercising this right.</li>
 </ul><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Today’s Executive Order represents the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to defending a woman’s right to make her own reproductive health care decisions, free from government interference. <a href="https://t.co/lkQsU22tkT">pic.twitter.com/lkQsU22tkT</a>&mdash; The White House (@WhiteHouse) <a href="https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/1545539307812814849?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 8, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>PROTECTING PATIENT PRIVACY AND ACCESS TO ACCURATE INFORMATION The President’s Executive Order takes additional steps to protect patient privacy, including by addressing the transfer and sales of sensitive health-related data, combatting digital surveillance related to reproductive health care services, and protecting people seeking reproductive health care from inaccurate information, fraudulent schemes, or deceptive practices.&nbsp; The Executive Order will:<ul>
 <li>Protect Consumers from Privacy Violations and Fraudulent and Deceptive Practices.&nbsp; The President has asked the Chair of the Federal Trade Commission to consider taking steps to protect consumers’ privacy when seeking information about and provision of reproductive health care services.&nbsp; The President also has directed the Secretary of HHS, in consultation with the Attorney General and Chair of the FTC, to consider options to address deceptive or fraudulent practices, including online, and protect access to accurate information.</li><li>Protect Sensitive Health Information.&nbsp; HHS will consider additional actions, including under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), to better protect sensitive information related to reproductive health care. The Secretary of HHS has already directed the HHS Office for Civil Rights to take initial steps to ensure patient privacy and nondiscrimination of patients, as well as providers who provide reproductive health care, including by: Issuing&nbsp;<a href="https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/for-professionals/privacy/guidance/phi-reproductive-health/index.html">new guidance</a>&nbsp;to address how the HIPAA Privacy Rule protects the privacy of individuals’ protected health information, including information related to reproductive health care. The guidance helps ensure doctors and other medical providers and health plans know that, with limited exceptions, they are not required – and in many cases, are not permitted – to disclose patients’ private information, including to law enforcement.&nbsp; Issuing&nbsp;<a href="https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/for-professionals/privacy/guidance/cell-phone-hipaa/index.html">a how-to guide</a>&nbsp;for consumers on steps they can take to make sure they’re protecting their personal data on mobile apps.</li><li>Issuing&nbsp;<a href="https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/for-professionals/privacy/guidance/phi-reproductive-health/index.html">new guidance</a>&nbsp;to address how the HIPAA Privacy Rule protects the privacy of individuals’ protected health information, including information related to reproductive health care. The guidance helps ensure doctors and other medical providers and health plans know that, with limited exceptions, they are not required – and in many cases, are not permitted – to disclose patients’ private information, including to law enforcement.&nbsp; </li><li>Issuing&nbsp;<a href="https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/for-professionals/privacy/guidance/cell-phone-hipaa/index.html">a how-to guide</a>&nbsp;for consumers on steps they can take to make sure they’re protecting their personal data on mobile apps.</li>
 </ul>PROMOTING SAFETY AND SECURITY The Executive Order addresses the heightened risk related to seeking and providing reproductive health care and will:<ul>
 <li>Protect Patients, Providers, and Clinics.&nbsp; The Administration will ensure the safety of patients, providers, and third parties, and to protect the security of other entities that are providing, dispensing, or delivering reproductive health care services.&nbsp; This charge includes efforts to protect mobile clinics, which have been deployed to borders to offer care for out-of-state patients.&nbsp;</li>
 </ul>COORDINATING IMPLEMENTATION EFFORTS To ensure the Federal government takes a swift and coordinated approach to addressing reproductive rights and protecting access to reproductive health care, the President’s Executive Order will:<ul>
 <li>Establish an Interagency Task Force.&nbsp; The President has directed HHS and the White House Gender Policy Council to establish and lead an interagency Task Force on Reproductive Health Care Access, responsible for coordinating Federal interagency policymaking and program development.&nbsp; This Task Force will also include the Attorney General.&nbsp; In addition, the Attorney General will provide technical assistance to states affording legal protection to out-of-state patients as well as providers who offer legal reproductive health care.&nbsp;</li>
 </ul>EXECUTIVE ORDER BUILDS ON ADMINISTRATION’S ACTIONS TO PROTECT ACCESS TO REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH CARE In addition to the actions announced today, the Biden-Harris Administration has taken the following steps to protect access to reproductive health care and defend reproductive rights in the wake of the Supreme Court decision in&nbsp;Dobbs.&nbsp; On the day of the decision,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2022/06/24/remarks-by-president-biden-on-the-supreme-court-decision-to-overturn-roe-v-wade/">the President strongly denounced the decision</a>&nbsp;as an affront to women’s fundamental rights and the right to choose In addition to action mentioned above, the Biden-Harris Administration is:<ul>
 <li>Supporting Providers and Clinics.&nbsp;&nbsp;The Secretary of HHS directed all HHS agencies to ensure that all HHS-funded providers and clinics have appropriate training and resources to handle family planning needs, and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2022/06/30/hhs-announces-new-grants-to-bolster-family-planner-provider-training.html">announced nearly $3 million in new funding</a>&nbsp;to bolster training and technical assistance for the nationwide network of Title X family planning providers. </li><li>Promoting Access to Accurate Information.&nbsp; On the day of the Supreme Court’s decision, HHS launched&nbsp;<a href="https://reproductiverights.gov/">ReproductiveRights.gov</a>, which provides timely and accurate information about reproductive rights and access to reproductive health care.&nbsp; This includes know-your-rights information for patients and providers and promoting awareness of and access to family planning services, as well as guidance for&nbsp;<a href="https://www.hhs.gov/ocr/complaints/index.html">how to file a patient privacy or nondiscrimination complaint</a>&nbsp;with its Office for Civil Rights.&nbsp; </li><li>Providing Leave&nbsp;for Federal Workers Traveling for Medical Care.&nbsp;&nbsp;The Office of Personnel Management&nbsp;<a href="https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/leave-administration/fact-sheets/sick-leave-faqs.pdf">issued guidance</a>&nbsp;affirming that paid sick leave can be taken to cover absences for travel to obtain reproductive health care. </li><li>Protecting Access to Reproductive Health Care Services for Service members, DoD Civilians, and Military Families.&nbsp; The Department of Defense (DoD) issued a memo to the Force, DoD civilians and military families on ensuring access to essential women’s health care services. The memo reiterates that the Department will continue to provide seamless access to reproductive healthcare for military and civilian patients, as permitted by federal law.&nbsp; Military providers will continue to fulfill their duty to care for Service members, military dependents and civilian personnel who require pregnancy termination in the cases of rape, incest, or to protect the life of the mother.</li>
 </ul>

🎥 Here’s what’s in Biden’s executive order on abortion rights

CASS COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities looking for two people wanted in connection with the robbery of two puppies from a woman at a Harrisonville gas station have recovered the puppies.

Just after 4p.m. July 7, police responded to Sapp Bros,&nbsp;27603 SW Outer Road in Harrisonville in reference to a theft report, according to a social media report from police.

Police asked for help to locate Melanie and Donnell Mendez. Police believe they reside in the Kansas City, Kansas area. They are persons of interest in the theft of two American Pitbull pups.&nbsp; On Monday Lost and Found Pets of KC reported&nbsp; the two puppies were brought into the Wyandotte Plaza PetSmart and returned to their rightful owners. Police confirmed the dogs were reunited with the owners. Police have not reported an arrest or additional details.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/7/1657556561305.png" alt="Photo courtesy Lost and Found Pets of KC" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy Lost and Found Pets of KC</figcaption>
 </figure>CASS COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities looking for two people wanted in connection with the robbery of two puppies from a woman at a Harrisonville gas station have recovered the puppies.Just after 4p.m. July 7, police responded to Sapp Bros,&nbsp;27603 SW Outer Road in Harrisonville in reference to a theft report, according to a social media report from police.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/7/1657556520506.png" alt="Photo of Melanie and Donnell Mendez Harrisonville Police" />
 <figcaption>Photo of Melanie and Donnell Mendez Harrisonville Police</figcaption>
 </figure>Police asked for help to locate Melanie and Donnell Mendez. Police believe they reside in the Kansas City, Kansas area. They are persons of interest in the theft of two American Pitbull pups.&nbsp; On Monday Lost and Found Pets of KC reported&nbsp; the two puppies were brought into the Wyandotte Plaza PetSmart and returned to their rightful owners. Police confirmed the dogs were reunited with the owners. Police have not reported an arrest or additional details.

Police: Reported stolen puppies returned to owners at Kan. store

RILEY COUNTY— Authorities have made an arrested in connection with a house fire Sunday in Manhattan.

Investigators have determined the fire was intentional, according to Deputy Fire Chief Ryan Almes. Police arrested Mahbooba Babrakzai, 37, of Manhattan on requested charges that include four counts of aggravated arson.

 Babrakzai remains confined in the Riley County Jail on a total bond of $50,000.

Just before 4p.m. on Sunday, fire crews were dispatched to a fire at a home a 903 Thurston Street in Manhattan, according Almes.

As crews arrived, they found a 1-story duplex with heavy smoke showing from the front.&nbsp; One occupant received smoke inhalation but refused treatment by Riley County EMS on scene.&nbsp; Two lizards were rescued from 901 Thurston by firefighters.&nbsp;The fire was extinguished within 20 minutes. Four adults and one child were displaced from 901 Thurston Street and one adult was displaced from 903 Thurston Street.&nbsp;

Loss is estimated at $10,000 to contents and $50,000 to the structure.&nbsp;

RILEY COUNTY— Authorities are working to determine the cause of a house fire Sunday in Manhattan.

Just before 4p.m. on Sunday, fire crews were dispatched to a fire at a home a 903 Thurston Street in Manhattan, according to Deputy Fire Chief Ryan Almes.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/7/1657490821795.jpeg" alt="Duplex fire on Thurston in Manhattan- photo Manhattan Fire Department" />
 <figcaption>Duplex fire on Thurston in Manhattan- photo Manhattan Fire Department</figcaption>
 </figure>RILEY COUNTY— Authorities have made an arrested in connection with a house fire Sunday in Manhattan.Investigators have determined the fire was intentional, according to Deputy Fire Chief Ryan Almes. Police arrested Mahbooba Babrakzai, 37, of Manhattan on requested charges that include four counts of aggravated arson. Babrakzai remains confined in the Riley County Jail on a total bond of $50,000.Just before 4p.m. on Sunday, fire crews were dispatched to a fire at a home a 903 Thurston Street in Manhattan, according Almes.As crews arrived, they found a 1-story duplex with heavy smoke showing from the front.&nbsp; One occupant received smoke inhalation but refused treatment by Riley County EMS on scene.&nbsp; Two lizards were rescued from 901 Thurston by firefighters.&nbsp;The fire was extinguished within 20 minutes. Four adults and one child were displaced from 901 Thurston Street and one adult was displaced from 903 Thurston Street.&nbsp; Loss is estimated at $10,000 to contents and $50,000 to the structure.&nbsp; -------RILEY COUNTY— Authorities are working to determine the cause of a house fire Sunday in Manhattan.Just before 4p.m. on Sunday, fire crews were dispatched to a fire at a home a 903 Thurston Street in Manhattan, according to Deputy Fire Chief Ryan Almes.As crews arrived, they found a 1-story duplex with heavy smoke showing from the front.&nbsp; One occupant received smoke inhalation but refused treatment by Riley County EMS on scene.&nbsp; Two lizards were rescued from 901 Thurston by firefighters.&nbsp;The fire was extinguished within 20 minutes. Four adults and one child were displaced from 901 Thurston Street and one adult was displaced from 903 Thurston Street.&nbsp; Loss is estimated at $10,000 to contents and $50,000 to the structure.&nbsp;

Update: Fire that displaced 6 at Kansas duplex intentionally set

LYON COUNTY —A Kansas teen was injured in an accidental shooting on Sunday in Lyon County.

Just before 1a.m., a 16-year-old Hartford, Kansas boy was carrying fishing gear and a .22-caliber handgun down an embankment in the 1400 block of Road M near the Neosho River south of Emporia to go fishing, according to a media release from the sheriff's office.

An unspecified dangerous animal startled the teen. As he started backing away, he fell and the gun to discharged into his lower left leg.

EMS transported the teen identified as&nbsp;Blaine Ashton McComsey to Coffey County Hospital in Burlington&nbsp; where he was treated and released.&nbsp; The sheriff's office did not report additional details on the animal involved.

LYON COUNTY —A Kansas teen was injured in an accidental shooting on Sunday in Lyon County.Just before 1a.m., a 16-year-old Hartford, Kansas boy was carrying fishing gear and a .22-caliber handgun down an embankment in the 1400 block of Road M near the Neosho River south of Emporia to go fishing, according to a media release from the sheriff's office.An unspecified dangerous animal startled the teen. As he started backing away, he fell and the gun to discharged into his lower left leg.EMS transported the teen identified as&nbsp;Blaine Ashton McComsey to Coffey County Hospital in Burlington&nbsp; where he was treated and released.&nbsp; The sheriff's office did not report additional details on the animal involved.&nbsp;

Sheriff: Animal startled Kan. teen before accidental shooting 

REHOBOTH BEACH, Del. (AP) — President Joe Biden said Sunday he is considering declaring a public health emergency to free up federal resources to promote&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/abortion">abortion access</a>&nbsp;even though the White House has said it doesn't seem like “a great option.”

<a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?521592-1/president-biden-remarks-protestors-dobbs-v-jackson-decision">Click here to watch</a> the President's comments

He also offered a message to people enraged by the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-supreme-court-decision-854f60302f21c2c35129e58cf8d8a7b0">Supreme Court's ruling</a>&nbsp;last month that ended a constitutional right to abortion and who have been demonstrating across the country: “Keep protesting. Keep making your point. It's critically important."

The president, in remarks to reporters during a stop on a bike ride near his family's Delaware beach house, said he lacks the power to force the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-abortion-ruling-states-a767801145ad01617100e57410a0a21d">dozen-plus states with strict restrictions or outright bans on abortion</a>&nbsp;to allow the procedure.

“I don’t have the authority to say that we’re going to reinstate Roe v. Wade as the law of the land,” he said, referring to the Supreme Court's decision from 1973 that had established a national right to abortion. Biden said Congress would have to codify that right and for that to have a better chance in the future, voters would have to elect more lawmakers who support abortion access.

Biden said his administration is trying to do a “lot of things to accommodate the rights of women” after the ruling, including considering declaring a public health emergency to free up federal resources. Such a move has been pushed by advocates, but White House officials have questioned both its legality and effectiveness, and noted it would almost certainly face legal challenges.

The president said he has asked officials “to look at whether I have the authority to do that and what impact that would have.”

On Friday, Jen Klein, the director of the White House Gender Policy Council, said it “didn't seem like a great option.”

“When we looked at the public health emergency, we learned a couple things: One is that it doesn’t free very many resources," she told reporters. “It’s what’s in the public health emergency fund, and there’s very little money — tens of thousands of dollars in it. So that didn’t seem like a great option. And it also doesn’t release a significant amount of legal authority. And so that’s why we haven’t taken that action yet.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/7/1657500474660.png" alt="President&nbsp;Biden said his administration is trying to do a “lot of things to accommodate the rights of women." -photo courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>President&nbsp;Biden said his administration is trying to do a “lot of things to accommodate the rights of women." -photo courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>REHOBOTH BEACH, Del. (AP) — President Joe Biden said Sunday he is considering declaring a public health emergency to free up federal resources to promote&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/abortion">abortion access</a>&nbsp;even though the White House has said it doesn't seem like “a great option.”<a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?521592-1/president-biden-remarks-protestors-dobbs-v-jackson-decision">Click here to watch</a> the President's commentsHe also offered a message to people enraged by the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-supreme-court-decision-854f60302f21c2c35129e58cf8d8a7b0">Supreme Court's ruling</a>&nbsp;last month that ended a constitutional right to abortion and who have been demonstrating across the country: “Keep protesting. Keep making your point. It's critically important."The president, in remarks to reporters during a stop on a bike ride near his family's Delaware beach house, said he lacks the power to force the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-abortion-ruling-states-a767801145ad01617100e57410a0a21d">dozen-plus states with strict restrictions or outright bans on abortion</a>&nbsp;to allow the procedure.“I don’t have the authority to say that we’re going to reinstate Roe v. Wade as the law of the land,” he said, referring to the Supreme Court's decision from 1973 that had established a national right to abortion. Biden said Congress would have to codify that right and for that to have a better chance in the future, voters would have to elect more lawmakers who support abortion access.Biden said his administration is trying to do a “lot of things to accommodate the rights of women” after the ruling, including considering declaring a public health emergency to free up federal resources. Such a move has been pushed by advocates, but White House officials have questioned both its legality and effectiveness, and noted it would almost certainly face legal challenges.The president said he has asked officials “to look at whether I have the authority to do that and what impact that would have.”On Friday, Jen Klein, the director of the White House Gender Policy Council, said it “didn't seem like a great option.”“When we looked at the public health emergency, we learned a couple things: One is that it doesn’t free very many resources," she told reporters. “It’s what’s in the public health emergency fund, and there’s very little money — tens of thousands of dollars in it. So that didn’t seem like a great option. And it also doesn’t release a significant amount of legal authority. And so that’s why we haven’t taken that action yet.”___

🎥 Biden considering a health emergency for abortion access

Prime Day has become a summer event, and <a href="https://www.bbb.org/us/wa/seattle/profile/ecommerce/amazoncom-1296-7039385" target="_blank">Amazon</a> (a BBB Accredited Business) isn’t the only retailer rolling out discounts on July 12 and 13, 2022. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/competing-prime-day-sales" target="_blank">Walmart, Target, Kohl's and many other companies</a>
 are running their own sales. More deals are great for consumers, and 
more people out shopping is great for businesses large and small.&nbsp; Just 
be careful, and don't get so caught up in excitement that you fall for 
phishing scams, misleading advertisements, and lookalike websites.

Phishing scams that appear to come from a popular retailer.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bbb.org/article/scams/21203-scam-alert-phishing-emails-target-shoppers-with-post-holiday-offer" target="_blank">Phishing scams increase</a>
 during busy shopping times, such as Prime Day or Black Friday. When you
 are making a lot of purchases, it’s easy to lose track of exactly what 
you bought and where you shopped. That makes you more likely to fall for
 a phishing scam posing as a big name store.&nbsp;

Look out for unsolicited emails, texts, or phone calls. These 
messages may claim you have a free gift waiting for you or that there is
 a problem with a delivery – all you need to do is click on a link or 
give up your personal information. One recent phishing con claims to be <a href="https://www.bbb.org/article/scams/23214-bbb-scam-alert-phony-amazon-callers-phishing" target="_blank">Amazon calling to fix an issue with your account</a>. This ruse is meant to get your credit card information, account login details, or remote access to your computer.

Beware of false advertising and phony websites.&nbsp;When
 searching online or browsing social media, watch out for ads that point
 to scam websites. Con artists often create lookalike websites that, at 
first glance, appear to belong to a trusted retailer. But when you look 
more closely at the URL, you’ll notice that the domain name is slightly 
different (i.e., Instead of Popularstore.com, the URL might be 
PopvlarStore.com or PopularStoreOnline.com).

Always make sure websites use the correct business name spelling and 
have legitimate contact information and customer service numbers. Also, 
use common sense when evaluating deals. If a company claims to be 
selling the hottest item of the year at a super low price, it’s probably
 a con.

Tips to avoid online shopping scams this Prime Day: 

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/1/1579883951052.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>BBBPrime Day has become a summer event, and <a href="https://www.bbb.org/us/wa/seattle/profile/ecommerce/amazoncom-1296-7039385" target="_blank">Amazon</a> (a BBB Accredited Business) isn’t the only retailer rolling out discounts on July 12 and 13, 2022. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/competing-prime-day-sales" target="_blank">Walmart, Target, Kohl's and many other companies</a>
 are running their own sales. More deals are great for consumers, and 
more people out shopping is great for businesses large and small.&nbsp; Just 
be careful, and don't get so caught up in excitement that you fall for 
phishing scams, misleading advertisements, and lookalike websites.<h2>Scams to look out for: </h2>Phishing scams that appear to come from a popular retailer.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bbb.org/article/scams/21203-scam-alert-phishing-emails-target-shoppers-with-post-holiday-offer" target="_blank">Phishing scams increase</a>
 during busy shopping times, such as Prime Day or Black Friday. When you
 are making a lot of purchases, it’s easy to lose track of exactly what 
you bought and where you shopped. That makes you more likely to fall for
 a phishing scam posing as a big name store.&nbsp;Look out for unsolicited emails, texts, or phone calls. These 
messages may claim you have a free gift waiting for you or that there is
 a problem with a delivery – all you need to do is click on a link or 
give up your personal information. One recent phishing con claims to be <a href="https://www.bbb.org/article/scams/23214-bbb-scam-alert-phony-amazon-callers-phishing" target="_blank">Amazon calling to fix an issue with your account</a>. This ruse is meant to get your credit card information, account login details, or remote access to your computer.Beware of false advertising and phony websites.&nbsp;When
 searching online or browsing social media, watch out for ads that point
 to scam websites. Con artists often create lookalike websites that, at 
first glance, appear to belong to a trusted retailer. But when you look 
more closely at the URL, you’ll notice that the domain name is slightly 
different (i.e., Instead of Popularstore.com, the URL might be 
PopvlarStore.com or PopularStoreOnline.com).Always make sure websites use the correct business name spelling and 
have legitimate contact information and customer service numbers. Also, 
use common sense when evaluating deals. If a company claims to be 
selling the hottest item of the year at a super low price, it’s probably
 a con.<h2>Tips to avoid online shopping scams this Prime Day: </h2><ul>
 <li>Beware of fake lookalike websites: Check the URL, watch for bad grammar, <a href="https://lookup.icann.org/" target="_blank">research the age of the domain</a>, search for contact information, and read online reviews. </li><li>Professional photos do not mean it’s a real offer.&nbsp;Scammers often steal photos off other websites, so don’t believe what you see. &nbsp; </li><li>Make sure the website is secure.&nbsp;Look
 for the “HTTPS” in the URL (the extra “s” is for “secure”) and a small 
lock icon on the address bar. Never enter payment or personal 
information into a website with only “HTTP.” It is NOT secure. </li><li>Be careful purchasing sought-after products. If 
something is sold out everywhere, don’t be tempted by a seemingly great 
deal. Scammers often trick shoppers by offering the most popular 
products at low prices.&nbsp;Here’s <a href="https://www.bbb.org/article/news-releases/23422-bbb-scam-alert-fake-deals-on-gaming-consoles-trick-holiday-shoppers" target="_blank">one example involving game consoles</a>. </li><li>Pay with a credit card. It’s always best to make 
online purchases with your credit card. If any shady charges turn up 
later, you will be able to contest them through your credit card 
company. Be very wary of any retailer that asks you to pay by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bbb.org/article/scams/13038-how-to-avoid-digital-wallet-scams-on-paypal-venmo-and-other-services" target="_blank">digital wallet apps</a>, prepaid money cards, or other non-traditional payment methods.&nbsp; </li><li>After you buy, stay alert for scams. Scammers spoof various phone numbers and pretend to be Amazon support. Read how <a href="https://www.bbb.org/article/scams/23214-bbb-scam-alert-phony-amazon-callers-phishing" target="_blank">phony Amazon callers are phishing for your info</a>.</li>
 </ul>

Prime Day a prime day for online scammers

NICKERSON, Kan. — They came out to remember and pray for a family. Many from Nickerson and surrounding communities came to Nickerson High School Sunday evening for a candlelight vigil for Trey Jones and his family.

Trey died Thursday from injuries suffered when he and three other members of his family were hit by a car in Louisville Kentucky. High School Principal Rick Blosser was the MC for the ceremony and afterwards talked with us about the tremendous loss the school district has suffered.

“It’s a terrible loss, I still can’t get my head wrapped around it,” Blosser said. “Trey and his family, incredible family, incredible father, incredible husband, he loved his kids.”

Blosser also noted Jones’ strong connections to the school district and community.

“He loved this school, he’s a Nickerson grad,” Blosser said. “There’s so much he has done for his community. I wish we could do more, these are small things of what we really owe Trey”

The turn out Sunday night included coaches, parents, students, not Just from Nickerson but from all around. And there were those who knew the Jones’ who have put so much into the school district and community.

“Obviously a lot of support for the family,” Blosser said. “When they come back they're going to need all of our support…it’s going to be a tough road for them.”

Many just stood in silence, some sang songs while a blanket with paper and pencils were laid out for anyone who wanted to write a message to Trey. The messages were then placed into two burning canisters in a tribute to the family.

Trey's wife, Assistant Superintendent Amy Jones, and their daughter Ava are still hospitalized in Louisville in what Blosser said will be a very long recovery.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/7/1657510477922.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>NICKERSON, Kan. — They came out to remember and pray for a family. Many from Nickerson and surrounding communities came to Nickerson High School Sunday evening for a candlelight vigil for Trey Jones and his family.Trey died Thursday from injuries suffered when he and three other members of his family were hit by a car in Louisville Kentucky. High School Principal Rick Blosser was the MC for the ceremony and afterwards talked with us about the tremendous loss the school district has suffered.“It’s a terrible loss, I still can’t get my head wrapped around it,” Blosser said. “Trey and his family, incredible family, incredible father, incredible husband, he loved his kids.”Blosser also noted Jones’ strong connections to the school district and community.“He loved this school, he’s a Nickerson grad,” Blosser said. “There’s so much he has done for his community. I wish we could do more, these are small things of what we really owe Trey”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/7/1657510521322.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>The turn out Sunday night included coaches, parents, students, not Just from Nickerson but from all around. And there were those who knew the Jones’ who have put so much into the school district and community.“Obviously a lot of support for the family,” Blosser said. “When they come back they're going to need all of our support…it’s going to be a tough road for them.”Many just stood in silence, some sang songs while a blanket with paper and pencils were laid out for anyone who wanted to write a message to Trey. The messages were then placed into two burning canisters in a tribute to the family.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/7/1657510500506.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Trey's wife, Assistant Superintendent Amy Jones, and their daughter Ava are still hospitalized in Louisville in what Blosser said will be a very long recovery.

Candlelight vigil for Kansas family struck by car, killing father

SALINE COUNTY —A Kansas woman died in an accident just after 4:30p.m. Sunday in Saline County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2007 Jeep Commander driven by Samuel Joseph Owens, 16, Solomon, was eastbound on Magnolia Road four miles east of Salina.&nbsp;

The vehicle traveled left of center and struck a westbound 2003 Dodge Ram 3500 driven by Jennifer Michelle Wagerin, 38, Salina head-on. 

Wangerin was pronounced dead at the scene and transported to Ryan's Mortuary. EMS transported Owen to Wesley Medical Center and an 11-year-old boy in the Dodge to Salina Regional Health Center. All three were not wearing seat belts, according to the KHP.

SALINE COUNTY —A Kansas woman died in an accident just after 4:30p.m. Sunday in Saline County.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2007 Jeep Commander driven by Samuel Joseph Owens, 16, Solomon, was eastbound on Magnolia Road four miles east of Salina.&nbsp;The vehicle traveled left of center and struck a westbound 2003 Dodge Ram 3500 driven by Jennifer Michelle Wagerin, 38, Salina head-on. Wangerin was pronounced dead at the scene and transported to Ryan's Mortuary. EMS transported Owen to Wesley Medical Center and an 11-year-old boy in the Dodge to Salina Regional Health Center. All three were not wearing seat belts, according to the KHP.

Kan. woman dead, 2 juveniles hospitalized after head-on crash

KANSAS CITY — A Kansas City man pleaded guilty in federal court Friday to committing a hate crime by shooting a local teenager eight times in an attempted murder that was motivated by the victim’s sexual orientation, according to the United State's Attorney.

Malachi Robinson, 26, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes to one count of violating the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act. Robinson, who has been in federal custody since he was indicted by a federal grand jury on Aug. 10, 2021, will remain in federal detention until his sentencing hearing, which has not yet been scheduled.

By pleading guilty, Robinson admitted that he shot the victim, identified in court records as “M.S.,” approximately eight times with a Taurus 9mm pistol in an attempt to kill him because of his sexual orientation, causing life-threatening injuries.

“Violence against others, motivated by hatred of their sexual orientation, is unacceptable,” said U.S. Attorney Teresa Moore of the Western District of Missouri. “Such callous disregard for the life of a teenage victim, gravely wounded in a failed murder attempt, must be challenged by a commitment to protect the civil rights of all our citizens. When those rights are threatened, the Justice Department will act to hold the violators accountable.”

“As today’s plea indicates, any act of violence motivated by bias, hate or discrimination toward anyone is not only reprehensible but will not be tolerated by any law enforcement agency and is unwelcome in our country,” said Special Agent in Charge Charles Dayoub of the FBI’s Kansas City Field Office. “Every individual has the right to live without fear of being attacked or harassed regardless of their sexual orientation. The FBI is committed to protecting those rights and will aggressively investigate those who violate them.”

“This defendant is being held accountable for violently attempting to end the life of someone because of his sexual orientation,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “This attempted murder is a reminder that hate crimes against the LGBTQI+ community are real and must be confronted. Violent acts targeting people based on their sexual orientation are heinous crimes that have no place in our country. The Justice Department will continue to use our civil rights laws to pursue justice for survivors and others impacted by bias motivated crimes.”

According to the plea agreement, after a chance meeting at the Kansas City Public Library on May 29, 2019, Robinson and M.S. talked briefly over Facebook Messenger before leaving the library. Robinson then walked with M.S. in the Swope Park area under the guise of looking for a place to engage in a sex act. Around the same time, Robinson wrote separately to his girlfriend that he “might shoot this boy” because of his sexual orientation. When Robinson and M.S. ultimately entered a wooded area nearby, Robinson pulled out his pistol and fired repeatedly at M.S.

Robinson fled through the woods toward his apartment building, and continued to engage in attempts to avoid detection or arrest. Later that day, and in the days that followed, Robinson told others that he shot M.S. because of his sexual orientation.

Under federal statutes, Robinson is subject to a sentence of up to life in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the U.S. Probation Office.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/7/1657306576039.png" alt="Robinson-photo Jackson County" />
 <figcaption>Robinson-photo Jackson County</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY — A Kansas City man pleaded guilty in federal court Friday to committing a hate crime by shooting a local teenager eight times in an attempted murder that was motivated by the victim’s sexual orientation, according to the United State's Attorney.Malachi Robinson, 26, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes to one count of violating the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act. Robinson, who has been in federal custody since he was indicted by a federal grand jury on Aug. 10, 2021, will remain in federal detention until his sentencing hearing, which has not yet been scheduled.By pleading guilty, Robinson admitted that he shot the victim, identified in court records as “M.S.,” approximately eight times with a Taurus 9mm pistol in an attempt to kill him because of his sexual orientation, causing life-threatening injuries.“Violence against others, motivated by hatred of their sexual orientation, is unacceptable,” said U.S. Attorney Teresa Moore of the Western District of Missouri. “Such callous disregard for the life of a teenage victim, gravely wounded in a failed murder attempt, must be challenged by a commitment to protect the civil rights of all our citizens. When those rights are threatened, the Justice Department will act to hold the violators accountable.”“As today’s plea indicates, any act of violence motivated by bias, hate or discrimination toward anyone is not only reprehensible but will not be tolerated by any law enforcement agency and is unwelcome in our country,” said Special Agent in Charge Charles Dayoub of the FBI’s Kansas City Field Office. “Every individual has the right to live without fear of being attacked or harassed regardless of their sexual orientation. The FBI is committed to protecting those rights and will aggressively investigate those who violate them.”“This defendant is being held accountable for violently attempting to end the life of someone because of his sexual orientation,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “This attempted murder is a reminder that hate crimes against the LGBTQI+ community are real and must be confronted. Violent acts targeting people based on their sexual orientation are heinous crimes that have no place in our country. The Justice Department will continue to use our civil rights laws to pursue justice for survivors and others impacted by bias motivated crimes.”According to the plea agreement, after a chance meeting at the Kansas City Public Library on May 29, 2019, Robinson and M.S. talked briefly over Facebook Messenger before leaving the library. Robinson then walked with M.S. in the Swope Park area under the guise of looking for a place to engage in a sex act. Around the same time, Robinson wrote separately to his girlfriend that he “might shoot this boy” because of his sexual orientation. When Robinson and M.S. ultimately entered a wooded area nearby, Robinson pulled out his pistol and fired repeatedly at M.S.Robinson fled through the woods toward his apartment building, and continued to engage in attempts to avoid detection or arrest. Later that day, and in the days that followed, Robinson told others that he shot M.S. because of his sexual orientation.Under federal statutes, Robinson is subject to a sentence of up to life in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the U.S. Probation Office.

Hate crime: KC man admits shooting teen over sexual orientation

SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas man after an altercation after a vehicle crash.

Just after 6:30 p.m. Thursday, police responded to 1819 NE Burgess CT in Topeka on a possible hostage situation, according to Lt. Manual Munoz.

While in route to the call, officers were advised that a mobile home trailer at the address had been struck by a vehicle.

As a result of the investigation police arrested Jayden Robert Evans, 20, of Topeka and transported&nbsp; him to Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges of Aggravated Assault, Aggravated Child Endangerment, Criminal Threat, Felony Criminal Damage to Property

The investigation revealed that there was no actual hostage situation. Only minor injuries were reported at the scene, according to Munoz.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/7/1657385220907.png" alt="Evans-photo Shawnee County" />
 <figcaption>Evans-photo Shawnee County</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas man after an altercation after a vehicle crash.Just after 6:30 p.m. Thursday, police responded to 1819 NE Burgess CT in Topeka on a possible hostage situation, according to Lt. Manual Munoz.While in route to the call, officers were advised that a mobile home trailer at the address had been struck by a vehicle.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/7/1657385135607.png" alt="View of the crash scene -photo courtesy WIBW TV" />
 <figcaption>View of the crash scene -photo courtesy WIBW TV</figcaption>
 </figure>As a result of the investigation police arrested Jayden Robert Evans, 20, of Topeka and transported&nbsp; him to Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges of Aggravated Assault, Aggravated Child Endangerment, Criminal Threat, Felony Criminal Damage to PropertyThe investigation revealed that there was no actual hostage situation. Only minor injuries were reported at the scene, according to Munoz.

Kan. man accused of assault after crash into mobile home


HUTCHINSON— 
For Miss Kansas' Outstanding Teen 2022, Niomi Ndirangu, finding her voice while suffering from epilepsy growing up was a challenge.

"I was diagnosed when I was five years old," Ndirangu said. "As I started growing up, and going to school and being out in my community and doing all the things, I felt that I didn't have the proper care that I needed. Especially in the classroom setting, I would have times where I would have a seizure in class and my teachers would say, oh, well, why are you not paying attention in class? They would notify my mother about it and she would say, did you know that she had seizures? My teachers said no, absolutely not, we had no idea. That, to me, is a huge problem. If you don't know what type of medical risks or what signs to look for when one of your students is having a seizure, that can be seriously life threatening."

Ndirangu's goal is to widen epilepsy training, so that lives can be saved.

"I've been successful with that," I've partnered with The Epilepsy Foundation of Missouri &amp; Kansas. We have successfully trained over 1500 individuals. My goal is to keep doing that. I'm actually holding some seizure first aid events."

Thanks to the Epilepsy Foundation's national organization, there is an online training that Ndirangu is offering July 11 at the Wichita Public Advanced Learning Library and July 18 at the Andover Public Library. It takes about 45 minutes for those events. Ndirangu has been blessed to be symptom-free for some time now, but she said she will continue to advocate.

"Even if I wasn't Miss Kansas' Outstanding Teen or preparing for Miss America's Outstanding Teen, now that I've started this journey of providing training, I would still continue to it. It's truly just a passion for me. I truly believe we are changing people's lives by providing this training."

The Miss America’s Outstanding Teen competition is next month in Dallas.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/7/1657378488666.jpeg" alt="Niomi Ndirangu-Courtesy Miss Kansas Organization" />
 <figcaption>Niomi Ndirangu-Courtesy Miss Kansas Organization</figcaption>
 </figure>
HUTCHINSON— 
For Miss Kansas' Outstanding Teen 2022, Niomi Ndirangu, finding her voice while suffering from epilepsy growing up was a challenge."I was diagnosed when I was five years old," Ndirangu said. "As I started growing up, and going to school and being out in my community and doing all the things, I felt that I didn't have the proper care that I needed. Especially in the classroom setting, I would have times where I would have a seizure in class and my teachers would say, oh, well, why are you not paying attention in class? They would notify my mother about it and she would say, did you know that she had seizures? My teachers said no, absolutely not, we had no idea. That, to me, is a huge problem. If you don't know what type of medical risks or what signs to look for when one of your students is having a seizure, that can be seriously life threatening."Ndirangu's goal is to widen epilepsy training, so that lives can be saved."I've been successful with that," I've partnered with The Epilepsy Foundation of Missouri &amp; Kansas. We have successfully trained over 1500 individuals. My goal is to keep doing that. I'm actually holding some seizure first aid events."Thanks to the Epilepsy Foundation's national organization, there is an online training that Ndirangu is offering July 11 at the Wichita Public Advanced Learning Library and July 18 at the Andover Public Library. It takes about 45 minutes for those events. Ndirangu has been blessed to be symptom-free for some time now, but she said she will continue to advocate."Even if I wasn't Miss Kansas' Outstanding Teen or preparing for Miss America's Outstanding Teen, now that I've started this journey of providing training, I would still continue to it. It's truly just a passion for me. I truly believe we are changing people's lives by providing this training."The Miss America’s Outstanding Teen competition is next month in Dallas.

Miss Kansas Outstanding Teen is epilepsy training advocate

By DAVID CONDOS <a href="https://www.hppr.org/hppr-news/2022-07-08/how-an-increasingly-brutal-kansas-climate-threatens-cattles-health-and-ranchers-livelihoods">Kansas News Service</a>

Rancher Scott Whiting heard stories about all kinds of extreme weather growing up in western Kansas.

Blizzards,
 dry spells and heat waves commonly peppered the tales his parents and 
grandparents told about the land the family has lived on in Lane County 
for nearly 150 years.

So he knew that trying to shield cattle from the elements came with the job.

“It’s just a brutal area,” Whiting said. “It’s a land of extremes”

But the combination of dangerous weather conditions that struck the region last month — killing <a href="https://www.hppr.org/hppr-news/2022-06-16/days-of-intense-heat-have-killed-thousands-of-cattle-in-kansas" target="_blank">thousands of cattle</a> — took those extremes to another level.

Daytime high temperatures jumped from the mid-60s to well over 100 
degrees in a matter of days, accompanied by unusually high humidity and 
calm winds. The seasons changed from cool spring to hot summer so 
quickly that a lot of Whiting’s cattle didn’t even have a chance to shed
 their long, thick winter coats.

He watched as some of them 
climbed into their drinking water tanks — something he’d never seen them
 do before — as they desperately tried to cool off.

“It’s one of 
those deals where you hope for the best,” Whiting said. “There’s not a 
whole lot you can do. … It was just a worst-case scenario.”

As forecasts point to a <a href="https://www.weather.gov/fwd/summer2022outlook" target="_blank">warmer-than-average summer</a> and climate change turns up <a href="https://www.kmuw.org/energy-and-environment/2021-06-29/hotter-nights-from-climate-change-will-mean-worse-harvests-for-kansas-farmers" target="_blank">nighttime temperatures</a>, heat stress among the state’s millions of cattle continues to be a growing concern.

Ranching makes up the largest share of the state’s agriculture industry — generating nearly <a href="https://www.agriculture.ks.gov/docs/default-source/ag-marketing/county-ag-stats/2021-state-of-kansas.pdf?sfvrsn=467097c1_0" target="_blank">$9 billion per year</a>,
 compared to just over $5 billion from Kansas grain farming. So finding 
ways to keep cattle cool in a warming climate is also critical to the 
state’s economy.

It’s not just heat that makes a given day’s weather dangerous for cattle.

Chip Redmond, a meteorologist with the statewide climate monitoring system<a href="https://mesonet.k-state.edu/" target="_blank"> </a><a href="https://mesonet.k-state.edu/" target="_blank">Kansas Mesonet</a>, said humidity, wind speed and sun exposure can all be just as vital in determining how potentially deadly conditions may be.

That’s why the Mesonet puts out an <a href="https://mesonet.k-state.edu/agriculture/animal/#mtIndex=0&amp;tab=chart-tab" target="_blank">animal comfort index</a>
 — similar to a heat index for humans. It takes all of those factors 
into account and tells livestock owners when and where the conditions 
are most dangerous.

“Anything over 105 (on the comfort index),” 
Redmond said, “you could expect potentially up to 5% losses of outdoor 
livestock, if they’re not taken care of.”

Timing matters. That’s a big part of what made the heat wave that killed thousands of Kansas cattle last month so extraordinary.

After enjoying a few weeks of cool weather in late May and early June, temperatures shot up rapidly. That meant two things.

First, the cattle didn’t have time to acclimate to those warmer temperatures.

Secondly, the moist air that accompanied the cool spring weather didn’t have time to clear out before the heat quickly moved in.

So almost overnight, cattle went from mild weather to a Great Plains steam bath.

“You
 had that overlap of about 24, 36, even 48 hours where you had that 
humidity still present with the high temperatures,” Redmond said. 
“That’s got the potential to be more dangerous.”

So contrary to conspiracy theories peddled on social media that the cattle were purposefully killed by <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/factcheck-kansas-cattle/fact-check-death-of-kansas-cattle-in-june-2022-caused-by-extreme-temperatures-officials-and-industry-say-idUSL1N2Y71GK" target="_blank">Bill Gates</a> or government <a href="https://www.poynter.org/fact-checking/2022/extreme-heat-killed-cattle-in-kansas-not-chemtrails-or-a-food-shortage-scheme/" target="_blank">chemtrails</a>,
 it was simply the wrong weather at the wrong time. Redmond’s team is 
now researching past weather events that caused mass cattle die-offs in 
Kansas to see if they can find common threads between those disasters 
and the one that happened last month.

And while the extraordinary 
combination of factors that created that event are unlikely to repeat 
this summer, Redmond sees another trend that could still put Kansas 
cattle at risk: <a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/09/200930194912.htm" target="_blank">rising nighttime temperatures</a> driven by climate change.

Dodge City experienced its warmest overnight minimum temperature ever last month. The low of 83 degrees on June 13th was the city’s <a href="https://twitter.com/NWSDodgeCity/status/1536701402667331585" target="_blank">highest in recorded history</a> dating back nearly 150 years.

Research shows that average overnight lows in Wichita steadily rose by <a href="https://www.climatecentral.org/graphic/2021-summer-package?graphicSet=Summer+Nights/Minimum+Temperature&amp;location=Wichita+Area&amp;lang=en" target="_blank">2.7 degrees</a> from 1970 to 2020

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/7/1657294704657.png" alt="Cattle drink at a water trough in rural Kiowa County east of Dodge City. The amount of water cattle need to drink doubles from winter to summer, up to 30 gallons a day per animal, in order to avoid heat stress. David Condos / Kansas News Service" />
 <figcaption>Cattle drink at a water trough in rural Kiowa County east of Dodge City. The amount of water cattle need to drink doubles from winter to summer, up to 30 gallons a day per animal, in order to avoid heat stress. David Condos / Kansas News Service</figcaption>
 </figure>By DAVID CONDOS <a href="https://www.hppr.org/hppr-news/2022-07-08/how-an-increasingly-brutal-kansas-climate-threatens-cattles-health-and-ranchers-livelihoods">Kansas News Service</a>Rancher Scott Whiting heard stories about all kinds of extreme weather growing up in western Kansas.Blizzards,
 dry spells and heat waves commonly peppered the tales his parents and 
grandparents told about the land the family has lived on in Lane County 
for nearly 150 years.So he knew that trying to shield cattle from the elements came with the job.“It’s just a brutal area,” Whiting said. “It’s a land of extremes”But the combination of dangerous weather conditions that struck the region last month — killing <a href="https://www.hppr.org/hppr-news/2022-06-16/days-of-intense-heat-have-killed-thousands-of-cattle-in-kansas" target="_blank">thousands of cattle</a> — took those extremes to another level.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Forecast Cattle Comfort expected to reach &quot;Extreme&quot; across much of Kansas today. Take precautions and monitor real-time data here: <a href="https://t.co/A9gCaByviJ">https://t.co/A9gCaByviJ</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/kswx?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#kswx</a> <a href="https://t.co/T4JCCSWtrX">pic.twitter.com/T4JCCSWtrX</a>&mdash; Kansas Mesonet (@ksmesonet) <a href="https://twitter.com/ksmesonet/status/1537448529228095489?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 16, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> </div>Daytime high temperatures jumped from the mid-60s to well over 100 
degrees in a matter of days, accompanied by unusually high humidity and 
calm winds. The seasons changed from cool spring to hot summer so 
quickly that a lot of Whiting’s cattle didn’t even have a chance to shed
 their long, thick winter coats.He watched as some of them 
climbed into their drinking water tanks — something he’d never seen them
 do before — as they desperately tried to cool off.“It’s one of 
those deals where you hope for the best,” Whiting said. “There’s not a 
whole lot you can do. … It was just a worst-case scenario.”As forecasts point to a <a href="https://www.weather.gov/fwd/summer2022outlook" target="_blank">warmer-than-average summer</a> and climate change turns up <a href="https://www.kmuw.org/energy-and-environment/2021-06-29/hotter-nights-from-climate-change-will-mean-worse-harvests-for-kansas-farmers" target="_blank">nighttime temperatures</a>, heat stress among the state’s millions of cattle continues to be a growing concern.Ranching makes up the largest share of the state’s agriculture industry — generating nearly <a href="https://www.agriculture.ks.gov/docs/default-source/ag-marketing/county-ag-stats/2021-state-of-kansas.pdf?sfvrsn=467097c1_0" target="_blank">$9 billion per year</a>,
 compared to just over $5 billion from Kansas grain farming. So finding 
ways to keep cattle cool in a warming climate is also critical to the 
state’s economy.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/7/1657294796412.png" alt="Cattle congregate at a feedlot in Garden City, just north of where thousands died during recent extreme weather in southwest Kansas. David Condos / Kansas News Service" />
 <figcaption>Cattle congregate at a feedlot in Garden City, just north of where thousands died during recent extreme weather in southwest Kansas. David Condos / Kansas News Service</figcaption>
 </figure>No reliefIt’s not just heat that makes a given day’s weather dangerous for cattle.Chip Redmond, a meteorologist with the statewide climate monitoring system<a href="https://mesonet.k-state.edu/" target="_blank"> </a><a href="https://mesonet.k-state.edu/" target="_blank">Kansas Mesonet</a>, said humidity, wind speed and sun exposure can all be just as vital in determining how potentially deadly conditions may be.That’s why the Mesonet puts out an <a href="https://mesonet.k-state.edu/agriculture/animal/#mtIndex=0&amp;tab=chart-tab" target="_blank">animal comfort index</a>
 — similar to a heat index for humans. It takes all of those factors 
into account and tells livestock owners when and where the conditions 
are most dangerous.“Anything over 105 (on the comfort index),” 
Redmond said, “you could expect potentially up to 5% losses of outdoor 
livestock, if they’re not taken care of.”<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Extremely high cattle stress this weekend in southwest Kansas. Historical/real-time data here: <a href="https://t.co/hOrMOzBTN4">https://t.co/hOrMOzBTN4</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/kswx?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#kswx</a> <a href="https://t.co/OQZOh9PX4n">pic.twitter.com/OQZOh9PX4n</a>&mdash; Kansas Mesonet (@ksmesonet) <a href="https://twitter.com/ksmesonet/status/1536406366079811584?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 13, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> </div>Timing matters. That’s a big part of what made the heat wave that killed thousands of Kansas cattle last month so extraordinary.After enjoying a few weeks of cool weather in late May and early June, temperatures shot up rapidly. That meant two things.First, the cattle didn’t have time to acclimate to those warmer temperatures.Secondly, the moist air that accompanied the cool spring weather didn’t have time to clear out before the heat quickly moved in.So almost overnight, cattle went from mild weather to a Great Plains steam bath.“You
 had that overlap of about 24, 36, even 48 hours where you had that 
humidity still present with the high temperatures,” Redmond said. 
“That’s got the potential to be more dangerous.”So contrary to conspiracy theories peddled on social media that the cattle were purposefully killed by <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/factcheck-kansas-cattle/fact-check-death-of-kansas-cattle-in-june-2022-caused-by-extreme-temperatures-officials-and-industry-say-idUSL1N2Y71GK" target="_blank">Bill Gates</a> or government <a href="https://www.poynter.org/fact-checking/2022/extreme-heat-killed-cattle-in-kansas-not-chemtrails-or-a-food-shortage-scheme/" target="_blank">chemtrails</a>,
 it was simply the wrong weather at the wrong time. Redmond’s team is 
now researching past weather events that caused mass cattle die-offs in 
Kansas to see if they can find common threads between those disasters 
and the one that happened last month.And while the extraordinary 
combination of factors that created that event are unlikely to repeat 
this summer, Redmond sees another trend that could still put Kansas 
cattle at risk: <a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/09/200930194912.htm" target="_blank">rising nighttime temperatures</a> driven by climate change.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/7/1657294866542.png" alt="This graph shows how overnight low temperatures have steadily risen in central Kansas over the past 50 years, potentially robbing cattle of their chance to recover from daytime heat stress. Climate Central" />
 <figcaption>This graph shows how overnight low temperatures have steadily risen in central Kansas over the past 50 years, potentially robbing cattle of their chance to recover from daytime heat stress. Climate Central</figcaption>
 </figure>Dodge City experienced its warmest overnight minimum temperature ever last month. The low of 83 degrees on June 13th was the city’s <a href="https://twitter.com/NWSDodgeCity/status/1536701402667331585" target="_blank">highest in recorded history</a> dating back nearly 150 years.Research shows that average overnight lows in Wichita steadily rose by <a href="https://www.climatecentral.org/graphic/2021-summer-package?graphicSet=Summer+Nights/Minimum+Temperature&amp;location=Wichita+Area&amp;lang=en" target="_blank">2.7 degrees</a> from 1970 to 2020When
 it doesn’t cool off overnight, Redmond said, that robs cattle of their 
only chance to recover from the heat of the day. And that could make 
heat stress an even bigger problem in the coming years.“Those 
warmer overnight temperatures will be your biggest factor,” Redmond 
said. “When we keep warmer temperatures at night, that usually infers 
more humidity, and additional humidity with warmer temperatures usually 
leads to increased stress.”‘Nature can be pretty cruel’Heat stress fueled by climate change already costs the American cattle industry up to <a href="https://www.ksre.k-state.edu/news/stories/2022/06/agriculture-cattle-heat-stress-abatement.html" target="_blank">$370 million</a>
 each year. A recent Cornell University study found that if global 
temperatures continue rising, heat stress could cost the world’s cattle 
producers <a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/03/220310143737.htm" target="_blank">$40 billion a year</a> by the end of this century.And even if heat-stressed cattle avoid death, they could still experience other <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanplh/article/PIIS2542-5196(22)00002-X/fulltext#%20" target="_blank">lingering effects</a> such as low weight gain, poor milk production or fertility problems. That could <a href="https://academic.oup.com/af/article/9/1/3/5272569" target="_blank">further endanger</a> fragile global food systems that are already being <a href="https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/kansas-failing-wheat-crops/" target="_blank">strained</a> by a changing climate.Dr.
 Erika Nagorske, a livestock veterinarian who partners with the national
 agriculture group Farmers Business Network, said heat stress is one of 
the top concerns among the producers she deals with in southwest 
Minnesota.“It’s definitely always on our mind in the agriculture industry,” Nagorske said, “especially this time of year.”While cattle are adaptable creatures, she said, rising nighttime temperatures pose a particularly grave threat.“We’ve
 raised cattle in this part of the world and in Kansas for a very long 
time,” Nagorske said. “But where it becomes problematic is when it 
doesn’t cool off at night, when there’s just never a break.”<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Warmer-than-normal temperatures, especially at night, can cause heat stress to develop rapidly in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/livestock?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#livestock</a>. The <a href="https://twitter.com/ksmesonet?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ksmesonet</a> has an Animal Comfort tool that helps track heat stress values at each location throughout the state. Check it out here: <a href="https://t.co/nOhCKanO0z">https://t.co/nOhCKanO0z</a> <a href="https://t.co/sX25hgs4Me">pic.twitter.com/sX25hgs4Me</a>&mdash; K-State Agronomy (@KStateAgron) <a href="https://twitter.com/KStateAgron/status/1538879340087087105?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 20, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> </div>There’s not much ranchers can do to cool the night air, but Nagorske said there are several <a href="https://fbn.showpad.com/share/PmpnRqAOq1bCj2ateM9YU" target="_blank">practical steps</a> they could take to limit the risk to their herd.<ul>
 <li>A
 cattle’s stomach generates a lot of internal heat, so feeding them 
during cooler nighttime hours can allow them to digest without 
overheating. There is also a variety of <a href="https://www.scahealth.com/p/ultracruz-calf-electrolyte-formula-cattle-supplement;jsessionid=Oe3Z0DydilFhMaF6qI5EUe2kYPPMY5P2JdQ76Yf4ndMb1TI7xgBq!-57602360!1657216711837" target="_blank">electrolyte</a> <a href="https://formafeed.com/faf-products/hydro-lac/" target="_blank">products</a> that can be added to feed — basically Gatorade for cattle — to help prevent dehydration.&nbsp;</li>
 </ul><ul>
 <li>Giving
 cattle access to mounds or hills — elevated spots where the breeze is 
likely to be a few miles per hour stronger — offers them opportunities 
to regulate their temperature.</li>
 </ul><ul>
 <li>Controlling flies lets cattle feel comfortable to spread out, which cools them down more than bunching up.&nbsp;</li>
 </ul><ul>
 <li>In
 a region that doesn’t have many trees, cattle crowding close together 
under bits of scarce shade can block the breeze and raise their body 
temperatures. So Nagorske said installing a shade shelter might help.</li>
 </ul>But the most critical thing cattle producers can do is provide plenty of water.The
 amount of water cattle drink doubles from winter to summer. On a hot 
day, Nagorske said, a 1,500-pound steer could drink up to 30 gallons — 
roughly enough to fill a bathtub.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/7/1657294939227.png" alt="This animal comfort index map from Kansas Mesonet offers ranchers real-time data about the danger of heat stress where they live." />
 <figcaption>This animal comfort index map from Kansas Mesonet offers ranchers real-time data about the danger of heat stress where they live.</figcaption>
 </figure>At his ranch in Lane County, Whiting said his cattle made it through 
the extreme June weather, shed their winter hair and have now adjusted 
to the recent 100-degree temperatures.“Events like that have happened before. They're gonna happen again,” Whiting said. “You just gotta keep on ranching.”But he is already taking steps to prepare for future western Kansas heat.He
 tries to have a few days worth of water on hand at all times, just in 
case one of his well pumps breaks down. Sometimes, he sets up sprinklers
 that run droplets of water over the cattle.He’s also begun 
transitioning his herd from Black Angus cattle to other breeds that have
 lighter coloring. Research has shown that cattle with black hair are 
especially vulnerable to the <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/268237498_Impact_of_Hair_Color_on_Thermoregulation_of_Dairy_Cows_to_Direct_Sunlight" target="_blank">effects of heat stress</a> from sun radiation, just like a person who wears a black shirt on a hot day.Whiting's main concern going forward is how the <a href="https://www.hppr.org/hppr-news/2022-06-08/western-kansas-wheat-crops-are-failing-just-when-the-world-needs-them-most" target="_blank">ongoing drought</a>
 in western Kansas has stunted and shriveled the grass on his pasture. 
If the animals don’t get enough nutrition to stay strong, that could 
make them more vulnerable to the next heat wave.And if the wrong 
weather conditions combine again like they did last month, he knows that
 protecting them from it might be out of his control.“You go to every extreme you can think of,” Whiting said, “but sometimes nature can be pretty cruel.”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>.