By TESSA WEINBERG <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/06/29/missouri-charter-schools-will-receive-millions-in-state-funds-with-governors-signature/">Missouri Independent</a>

Gov. Mike Parson is set to sign into law a bill to infuse over $60 million in state funding into charter schools.

<a target="_blank" href="https://house.mo.gov/Bill.aspx?bill=HB1552&amp;year=2022&amp;code=R">The bill</a>,
 sponsored by Rep. Doug Richey, R-Excelsior Springs, aims to close a 
discrepancy in funding allocated to charter schools versus traditional 
public schools that was the result of outdated property values. The law 
will go into effect Aug. 28.

The three-year effort <a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/05/12/missouri-lawmakers-send-bill-to-increase-funding-for-charter-schools-to-governor/">reached the finish line this past legislative session</a> after <a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/04/11/funding-increase-for-charter-schools-poised-to-clear-missouri-senate-after-compromise/">lawmakers struck a compromise</a> to increase funding to charter schools by pulling from state funds, instead of school districts’ budgets.

“It’s an exciting day when we’re now 
at a place where no matter where a child is being educated within the 
public education context, whether it’s charter or traditional, local 
school, they will now be able to receive the same funding,” Richey said.
 “And that is a good thing.”

Through a change in the foundation 
formula, the method by which Missouri calculates aid for schools, an 
estimated $62 to nearly $75 million in state funds is anticipated to be 
sent to charter schools in fiscal year 2023, <a target="_blank" href="https://house.mo.gov/billtracking/bills221/fiscal/fispdf/3565S.11T.ORG.pdf">according to a fiscal analysis of the bill</a>.

The bill only applies to areas where 
charter schools are currently permitted under state law — which 
encompasses Kansas City and St. Louis. Under certain circumstances, 
charters are also permitted to expand into areas where districts are not
 fully accredited.

The new funding method relies on 
updated property values, which had not been revised for charter schools 
since 2005. As a result, charter schools in Kansas City received about 
$1,700 less per student on average, while in St. Louis the amount was 
$2,500.

Public school advocates had fiercely 
opposed any attempts to pull funds from the budgets of traditional 
public schools to boost charter school budgets. They argued traditional 
public schools are already underfunded and subject to more requirements 
than charter schools.

Under the original proposal, St. 
Louis Public Schools and Kansas City Public Schools were expected to 
lose an estimated $18 million and $8.2 million in funding respectively.

Ben Conover, an organizer with 
Solidarity with SLPS, a volunteer-run advocacy group of parents, 
teachers and allies, said it was a win for advocates, who have also 
worked to achieve <a target="_blank" href="https://www.stlamerican.com/news/local_news/no-new-schools-st-louis-legislators-pass-moratorium/article_6438d2c6-3821-11ec-9fbd-036de598fca1.html">a moratorium on new charter schools in St. Louis</a> <a target="_blank" href="https://news.stlpublicradio.org/education/2021-02-09/st-louis-school-board-calls-for-halting-of-new-charter-schools">as the board of education leads a citywide plan to address the issue</a>.

The compromise, “protects public 
school funding, and will hopefully in the long term bring more scrutiny 
and transparency to the financial dealings of charter schools,” Conover 
said.

New rules for charter schools 
included in the bill also require that charter school management 
companies be nonprofits, that board members be Missouri residents and 
that test scores be posted on the school’s website.

The bill <a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/03/09/missouri-house-narrowly-sends-open-enrollment-charter-funding-bills-to-the-senate/">eked out of the House in March</a> with just three more votes than the minimum needed. After the Senate <a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/04/11/funding-increase-for-charter-schools-poised-to-clear-missouri-senate-after-compromise/">unveiled a reworked bill pulling from state funds</a>, it <a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/05/12/missouri-lawmakers-send-bill-to-increase-funding-for-charter-schools-to-governor/">sailed out of the House a vote of 116 to 29</a> in the session’s final days <a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/04/15/despite-concerns-over-cost-missouri-charter-school-funding-boost-still-expected-to-move/">despite concerns over the bill’s costs</a>.

With <a target="_blank" href="https://www.kcur.org/education/2021-11-29/for-the-first-time-more-k-12-students-are-attending-charters-than-kansas-city-public-schools">charter schools now enrolling slightly more K-12 students</a> than traditional public schools in Kansas City, Richey said “that adjusts the discussion significantly.”

“That’s a significant portion of the 
population that have chosen to go a different route,” Richey said. “And 
it’s important for the state to be able to show that we’re going to fund
 that.”

Expanding charter schools beyond the 
state’s largest metros has long been a controversial push in the 
legislature that has failed to pass.

“If Missouri reaches a day where 
charter schools are allowed to establish in other parts of the state, it
 will be important at that point to take a look at the funding 
mechanism,” said Doug Thaman, the Missouri Charter Public School 
Association’s executive director.

For now, Thaman said he was pleased 
to see more financial resources to achieve equity in funding for 
students and said a broader discussion on how to revamp the state’s 
foundation formula is needed.

“It’s an antiquated formula,” Thaman said. “And there’s going to be a time where that needs to be adjusted or revised.”

Conover noted Missouri <a target="_blank" href="https://www.kcur.org/education/2021-05-28/missouri-ranks-next-to-last-nationally-in-funding-k-12-schools-state-auditor-finds">ranked 49th in the nation for the amount of state aid going to schools</a>,
 and said next legislative session he hopes to see legislation that will
 lead to viability studies for new and expanding charters.

“Our parents and advocates will 
continue to stand up and remind folks that public schools are a public 
good,” Conover said, “and we don’t want public money going to privately 
run organizations that don’t have any transparency and accountability.”

The bill also includes provisions 
overhauling Missouri’s virtual education program, known as the Missouri 
Course Access and Virtual School Program, or MOCAP.

A provision in the bill stipulates 
that for students seeking to enroll in a full-time virtual program, the 
state education department will develop a policy that ensures school 
districts “require the good faith collaboration” of the student, their 
parents, the virtual program and host district and resident district. 
The virtual program would make the final determination over a student’s 
enrollment, and a means to review appeals of any decisions must also be 
established.

The bill aims to ensure parents have 
more say over whether to enroll their students in virtual classes. It’s a
 change lawmakers have sought since MOCAP was expanded in 2018 and after
 some <a target="_blank" href="https://www.fultonsun.com/news/2019/aug/08/fulton-mother-hails-school-choice-victory/">families encountered school districts that were denying access</a>.

“We heard from a lot of parents 
around the state who had made decisions and they were running into 
hurdles by local administrators that violated the spirit, if not the 
actual letter of the law, on not supporting the direction the parents 
wanted to go for their child,” said Richey, who also chairs the Joint 
Committee on Education.

The bill will also create an 
attendance center where virtual students’ accountability metrics would 
be reported and allows for school districts to be reimbursed for 
allowing virtual students to use the school’s physical location to 
complete classes.

According to <a target="_blank" href="https://house.mo.gov/billtracking/bills221/fiscal/fispdf/3565S.11T.ORG.pdf">a fiscal analysis of the bill</a>,
 private or homeschool students could potentially participate in the 
MOCAP program without ever having to attend a public school. Costs to 
the state will depend on student participation, with an estimate of $6.4
 million if 1,000 students participate.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/6/1656516562332.png" alt="Through a change in the foundation formula, the method by which Missouri calculates aid for schools, an estimated $62 to nearly $75 million in state funds is anticipated to be sent to charter schools in fiscal year 2023 (Photo courtesy of CDC/ Amanda Mills)." />
 <figcaption>Through a change in the foundation formula, the method by which Missouri calculates aid for schools, an estimated $62 to nearly $75 million in state funds is anticipated to be sent to charter schools in fiscal year 2023 (Photo courtesy of CDC/ Amanda Mills).</figcaption>
 </figure>By TESSA WEINBERG <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/06/29/missouri-charter-schools-will-receive-millions-in-state-funds-with-governors-signature/">Missouri Independent</a>Gov. Mike Parson is set to sign into law a bill to infuse over $60 million in state funding into charter schools.<a target="_blank" href="https://house.mo.gov/Bill.aspx?bill=HB1552&amp;year=2022&amp;code=R">The bill</a>,
 sponsored by Rep. Doug Richey, R-Excelsior Springs, aims to close a 
discrepancy in funding allocated to charter schools versus traditional 
public schools that was the result of outdated property values. The law 
will go into effect Aug. 28.The three-year effort <a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/05/12/missouri-lawmakers-send-bill-to-increase-funding-for-charter-schools-to-governor/">reached the finish line this past legislative session</a> after <a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/04/11/funding-increase-for-charter-schools-poised-to-clear-missouri-senate-after-compromise/">lawmakers struck a compromise</a> to increase funding to charter schools by pulling from state funds, instead of school districts’ budgets.“It’s an exciting day when we’re now 
at a place where no matter where a child is being educated within the 
public education context, whether it’s charter or traditional, local 
school, they will now be able to receive the same funding,” Richey said.
 “And that is a good thing.”Through a change in the foundation 
formula, the method by which Missouri calculates aid for schools, an 
estimated $62 to nearly $75 million in state funds is anticipated to be 
sent to charter schools in fiscal year 2023, <a target="_blank" href="https://house.mo.gov/billtracking/bills221/fiscal/fispdf/3565S.11T.ORG.pdf">according to a fiscal analysis of the bill</a>.The bill only applies to areas where 
charter schools are currently permitted under state law — which 
encompasses Kansas City and St. Louis. Under certain circumstances, 
charters are also permitted to expand into areas where districts are not
 fully accredited.The new funding method relies on 
updated property values, which had not been revised for charter schools 
since 2005. As a result, charter schools in Kansas City received about 
$1,700 less per student on average, while in St. Louis the amount was 
$2,500.Public school advocates had fiercely 
opposed any attempts to pull funds from the budgets of traditional 
public schools to boost charter school budgets. They argued traditional 
public schools are already underfunded and subject to more requirements 
than charter schools.Under the original proposal, St. 
Louis Public Schools and Kansas City Public Schools were expected to 
lose an estimated $18 million and $8.2 million in funding respectively.Ben Conover, an organizer with 
Solidarity with SLPS, a volunteer-run advocacy group of parents, 
teachers and allies, said it was a win for advocates, who have also 
worked to achieve <a target="_blank" href="https://www.stlamerican.com/news/local_news/no-new-schools-st-louis-legislators-pass-moratorium/article_6438d2c6-3821-11ec-9fbd-036de598fca1.html">a moratorium on new charter schools in St. Louis</a> <a target="_blank" href="https://news.stlpublicradio.org/education/2021-02-09/st-louis-school-board-calls-for-halting-of-new-charter-schools">as the board of education leads a citywide plan to address the issue</a>.The compromise, “protects public 
school funding, and will hopefully in the long term bring more scrutiny 
and transparency to the financial dealings of charter schools,” Conover 
said.New rules for charter schools 
included in the bill also require that charter school management 
companies be nonprofits, that board members be Missouri residents and 
that test scores be posted on the school’s website.The bill <a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/03/09/missouri-house-narrowly-sends-open-enrollment-charter-funding-bills-to-the-senate/">eked out of the House in March</a> with just three more votes than the minimum needed. After the Senate <a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/04/11/funding-increase-for-charter-schools-poised-to-clear-missouri-senate-after-compromise/">unveiled a reworked bill pulling from state funds</a>, it <a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/05/12/missouri-lawmakers-send-bill-to-increase-funding-for-charter-schools-to-governor/">sailed out of the House a vote of 116 to 29</a> in the session’s final days <a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/04/15/despite-concerns-over-cost-missouri-charter-school-funding-boost-still-expected-to-move/">despite concerns over the bill’s costs</a>.With <a target="_blank" href="https://www.kcur.org/education/2021-11-29/for-the-first-time-more-k-12-students-are-attending-charters-than-kansas-city-public-schools">charter schools now enrolling slightly more K-12 students</a> than traditional public schools in Kansas City, Richey said “that adjusts the discussion significantly.”“That’s a significant portion of the 
population that have chosen to go a different route,” Richey said. “And 
it’s important for the state to be able to show that we’re going to fund
 that.”Expanding charter schools beyond the 
state’s largest metros has long been a controversial push in the 
legislature that has failed to pass.“If Missouri reaches a day where 
charter schools are allowed to establish in other parts of the state, it
 will be important at that point to take a look at the funding 
mechanism,” said Doug Thaman, the Missouri Charter Public School 
Association’s executive director.For now, Thaman said he was pleased 
to see more financial resources to achieve equity in funding for 
students and said a broader discussion on how to revamp the state’s 
foundation formula is needed.“It’s an antiquated formula,” Thaman said. “And there’s going to be a time where that needs to be adjusted or revised.”Conover noted Missouri <a target="_blank" href="https://www.kcur.org/education/2021-05-28/missouri-ranks-next-to-last-nationally-in-funding-k-12-schools-state-auditor-finds">ranked 49th in the nation for the amount of state aid going to schools</a>,
 and said next legislative session he hopes to see legislation that will
 lead to viability studies for new and expanding charters.“Our parents and advocates will 
continue to stand up and remind folks that public schools are a public 
good,” Conover said, “and we don’t want public money going to privately 
run organizations that don’t have any transparency and accountability.”The bill also includes provisions 
overhauling Missouri’s virtual education program, known as the Missouri 
Course Access and Virtual School Program, or MOCAP.A provision in the bill stipulates 
that for students seeking to enroll in a full-time virtual program, the 
state education department will develop a policy that ensures school 
districts “require the good faith collaboration” of the student, their 
parents, the virtual program and host district and resident district. 
The virtual program would make the final determination over a student’s 
enrollment, and a means to review appeals of any decisions must also be 
established.The bill aims to ensure parents have 
more say over whether to enroll their students in virtual classes. It’s a
 change lawmakers have sought since MOCAP was expanded in 2018 and after
 some <a target="_blank" href="https://www.fultonsun.com/news/2019/aug/08/fulton-mother-hails-school-choice-victory/">families encountered school districts that were denying access</a>.“We heard from a lot of parents 
around the state who had made decisions and they were running into 
hurdles by local administrators that violated the spirit, if not the 
actual letter of the law, on not supporting the direction the parents 
wanted to go for their child,” said Richey, who also chairs the Joint 
Committee on Education.The bill will also create an 
attendance center where virtual students’ accountability metrics would 
be reported and allows for school districts to be reimbursed for 
allowing virtual students to use the school’s physical location to 
complete classes.According to <a target="_blank" href="https://house.mo.gov/billtracking/bills221/fiscal/fispdf/3565S.11T.ORG.pdf">a fiscal analysis of the bill</a>,
 private or homeschool students could potentially participate in the 
MOCAP program without ever having to attend a public school. Costs to 
the state will depend on student participation, with an estimate of $6.4
 million if 1,000 students participate.

Missouri charter schools set to receive millions in state funds

KANSAS CITY —A judge has sentenced a Kansas City man to 28 years in&nbsp; &nbsp;prison for the deaths of two men in August 2019 in Kansas City, according to Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker.

Mario J. Markworth, 25, pleaded guilty to Murder 2nd Degree for the death of Kevin Waters and he pleaded guilty to Voluntary Manslaughter for the death of Michael McLin. The defendant was sentenced to 28 years for the Murder 2nd Degree conviction and 15 years for the Manslaughter conviction. The judge set those sentences to run concurrently.

According to court records filed Monday, Kansas City Police responded on an emergency medical call to a parking lot behind a church in the 5700 block of Winner Road in Kansas City. Officers found a deceased man and several yards away, a second deceased man. The victims had several wounds from head trauma and sharp force. The Jackson County Medical Examiner determined they were the victims of homicide. 

One victim was 30-year-old Michael McLin while the other was 55-year-old Kevin Waters.

Both were determined by police to be transients known to associate with others in the northeast area of Kansas City. Information from witnesses led police to the defendant. who was taken into custody on Aug. 7, 2019. He told police detectives he and McLin had been in an altercation. When McLin started to walk away, the defendant picked him up and dropped him on the pavement. 

He said McLin hit his head on his axe. Then, the defendant said, he struck the victim more times in the head with the axe so he wouldn't tell anyone. As he was trying to hide McLin's shoes he saw another man hidden along the fence nearby, he told detectives, so he asked him if he had seen him and McLin. Then he struck him with an axe. The defendant told detectives he had been raised in a Christian home and knew right from wrong. He also knew his actions were not right.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/6/1656365210883.png" alt="Markworth-photo Jackson Co." />
 <figcaption>Markworth-photo Jackson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —A judge has sentenced a Kansas City man to 28 years in&nbsp; &nbsp;prison for the deaths of two men in August 2019 in Kansas City, according to Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker.Mario J. Markworth, 25, pleaded guilty to Murder 2nd Degree for the death of Kevin Waters and he pleaded guilty to Voluntary Manslaughter for the death of Michael McLin. The defendant was sentenced to 28 years for the Murder 2nd Degree conviction and 15 years for the Manslaughter conviction. The judge set those sentences to run concurrently.According to court records filed Monday, Kansas City Police responded on an emergency medical call to a parking lot behind a church in the 5700 block of Winner Road in Kansas City. Officers found a deceased man and several yards away, a second deceased man. The victims had several wounds from head trauma and sharp force. The Jackson County Medical Examiner determined they were the victims of homicide. One victim was 30-year-old Michael McLin while the other was 55-year-old Kevin Waters.Both were determined by police to be transients known to associate with others in the northeast area of Kansas City. Information from witnesses led police to the defendant. who was taken into custody on Aug. 7, 2019. He told police detectives he and McLin had been in an altercation. When McLin started to walk away, the defendant picked him up and dropped him on the pavement. He said McLin hit his head on his axe. Then, the defendant said, he struck the victim more times in the head with the axe so he wouldn't tell anyone. As he was trying to hide McLin's shoes he saw another man hidden along the fence nearby, he told detectives, so he asked him if he had seen him and McLin. Then he struck him with an axe. The defendant told detectives he had been raised in a Christian home and knew right from wrong. He also knew his actions were not right.

Man sentenced for axe murder of two men behind KC church

ATCHISON COUNTY, Kan. —Law enforcement authorities are investigating damage to the exterior of a home in the 1200 block of Mound Street in Atchison as arson. 

&nbsp;The damage was caused by fireworks being projected at a porch area of the house around midnight on Tuesday night, according to Atchison Police Chief Mike Wilson.

Residents extinguished the fire caused by the fireworks before police and fire arrived on the scene. Police are following leads, according to Wilson.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/6/1624748030198.jpg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>ATCHISON COUNTY, Kan. —Law enforcement authorities are investigating damage to the exterior of a home in the 1200 block of Mound Street in Atchison as arson. &nbsp;The damage was caused by fireworks being projected at a porch area of the house around midnight on Tuesday night, according to Atchison Police Chief Mike Wilson.Residents extinguished the fire caused by the fireworks before police and fire arrived on the scene. Police are following leads, according to Wilson.

Arson: Police investigate Kan. house fire caused by fireworks

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden’s top health official said Tuesday that “every option is on the table” when it comes to helping women access abortion in the wake of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-supreme-court-decision-854f60302f21c2c35129e58cf8d8a7b0">Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade</a>.

Click below to watch Secretary Becerra's comments

But the gap between outrage over the ruling and the administration’s response appeared as wide as ever. Despite Democrats and activists pushing for swift and sweeping policies, Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra conceded that there’s “no magic bullet” to ensure abortion access.

For now, he’s pledging that “if there is something we can do, we will find it and we will do it at HHS.”

He said the administration would work to ensure that medication abortions remain available, that patient privacy is preserved and family planning care like emergency contraceptives is protected.

Biden has not elaborated on his plans for abortion since the ruling, which he called “&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-abortion-ruling-reaction-699a24d04b6085bcfa80824f530782b0">a sad day for the court and the country</a>.” On the next day, he left for a previously scheduled trip to international summits in Europe, and he’s not back until Thursday.

A White House official, who declined to be identified publicly speaking about strategy, said the administration was going to make fighting for abortion a priority.

“Throughout the week we’re going to be making a strong case demonstrating the contrast between the president — who believes we should defend the right of all Americans to make their own decisions — and the radical policies proposed by Republican officials, which include Congress instituting a nationwide abortion ban, statewide abortion bans with no exceptions for rape or incest, and criminalizing women who have an abortion and the physicians who perform them,” the official said.

Biden has tried to limit expectations for what he can accomplish on his own.

“The only way we can secure a woman’s right to choose and the balance that existed is for Congress to restore the protections of Roe v. Wade as federal law,” he said after the court ruling. “No executive action from the president can do that.”

However, there’s little chance that a sharply divided Senate would take such a step, meaning abortion legislation&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-texas-united-states-migration-government-and-politics-94a51740b9af58d26f526799a77fdf50">would encounter the same roadblock</a>&nbsp;that has stopped so many of Biden’s proposals.

Despite the challenges, the administration’s response has still proved disappointing to some.

“The White House should have been better prepared,” said Lawrence Gostin, who runs the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health at Georgetown Law. “And that just didn’t happen.”

Becerra indicated that abortion pills would be a key avenue for the administration’s efforts.

“Medication abortion has been approved by the FDA for years and is safe for patients,” he said.

More than half of U.S. abortions are now done with pills, rather than surgery, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a research group that supports abortion rights.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-abortion-health-medication-a6634601a37fb048aecdd9f030e0863a">The FDA last year</a>&nbsp;lifted a long-standing requirement that women pick up abortion pills in person. Federal regulations now also allow mail delivery nationwide. Even so, 19 states have passed laws requiring a medical clinician to be physically present when abortion pills are administered to a patient. And more restrictions are expected in Republican-controlled states.

Becerra said federal law requires the providing of medication abortion in cases involving rape or incest or to protect the life of the mother. “Now more than ever, it is imperative that all federally supported programs and services are complying with the law,” he said.

Becerra said he also wants his department to examine its authority to ensure that the judgment of doctors and hospitals is supported in treating pregnant patients, “including those experiencing pregnancy loss or complications and reaffirming that abortion care can be appropriate to stabilize patients.”

Despite the ruling, he said, “the rights continue forward, whether it’s family planning, whether it is in birth control services, and we want to make sure that there’s no misunderstanding and that we will enforce any violations of those rights.”

Asked if the administration was considering setting up abortion clinics on federal land, as some Democrats have suggested, Becerra didn’t rule it out, saying no decision had been made yet.

“Every option is on the table,” he said. “We will take a look at everything we can, and everything we do will be in compliance with the law.”

But White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters that such an option could put women and care providers who are not federal employees at risk for prosecution in states where abortion is now illegal.

Jean-Pierre, speaking aboard Air Force One — where Biden was flying between summits in Germany and Spain — called that proposal “well intentioned” but also noted that “there’s actually dangerous ramifications to doing this.”

Becerra on Tuesday also was asked about the prospect of providing transportation to women who travel to another state to get an abortion and how the government would ensure that doesn’t conflict with the Hyde Amendment, which bans federal funding for abortions except in cases of rape, incest or to protect the life of the mother.

“Once we tell you exactly what we believe we are able to do, have the money to do, we will let you know,” he said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/6/1656451712383.png" alt="Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra conceded that there’s “no magic bullet” to ensure abortion access.-White House photo" />
 <figcaption>Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra conceded that there’s “no magic bullet” to ensure abortion access.-White House photo</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden’s top health official said Tuesday that “every option is on the table” when it comes to helping women access abortion in the wake of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-supreme-court-decision-854f60302f21c2c35129e58cf8d8a7b0">Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade</a>.Click below to watch Secretary Becerra's comments<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=314&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FHHS%2Fvideos%2F1608645752862504%2F&show_text=false&width=560&t=645" 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>But the gap between outrage over the ruling and the administration’s response appeared as wide as ever. Despite Democrats and activists pushing for swift and sweeping policies, Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra conceded that there’s “no magic bullet” to ensure abortion access.For now, he’s pledging that “if there is something we can do, we will find it and we will do it at HHS.”He said the administration would work to ensure that medication abortions remain available, that patient privacy is preserved and family planning care like emergency contraceptives is protected.Biden has not elaborated on his plans for abortion since the ruling, which he called “&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-abortion-ruling-reaction-699a24d04b6085bcfa80824f530782b0">a sad day for the court and the country</a>.” On the next day, he left for a previously scheduled trip to international summits in Europe, and he’s not back until Thursday.A White House official, who declined to be identified publicly speaking about strategy, said the administration was going to make fighting for abortion a priority.“Throughout the week we’re going to be making a strong case demonstrating the contrast between the president — who believes we should defend the right of all Americans to make their own decisions — and the radical policies proposed by Republican officials, which include Congress instituting a nationwide abortion ban, statewide abortion bans with no exceptions for rape or incest, and criminalizing women who have an abortion and the physicians who perform them,” the official said.Biden has tried to limit expectations for what he can accomplish on his own.“The only way we can secure a woman’s right to choose and the balance that existed is for Congress to restore the protections of Roe v. Wade as federal law,” he said after the court ruling. “No executive action from the president can do that.”However, there’s little chance that a sharply divided Senate would take such a step, meaning abortion legislation&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-texas-united-states-migration-government-and-politics-94a51740b9af58d26f526799a77fdf50">would encounter the same roadblock</a>&nbsp;that has stopped so many of Biden’s proposals.Despite the challenges, the administration’s response has still proved disappointing to some.“The White House should have been better prepared,” said Lawrence Gostin, who runs the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health at Georgetown Law. “And that just didn’t happen.”Becerra indicated that abortion pills would be a key avenue for the administration’s efforts.“Medication abortion has been approved by the FDA for years and is safe for patients,” he said.More than half of U.S. abortions are now done with pills, rather than surgery, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a research group that supports abortion rights.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-abortion-health-medication-a6634601a37fb048aecdd9f030e0863a">The FDA last year</a>&nbsp;lifted a long-standing requirement that women pick up abortion pills in person. Federal regulations now also allow mail delivery nationwide. Even so, 19 states have passed laws requiring a medical clinician to be physically present when abortion pills are administered to a patient. And more restrictions are expected in Republican-controlled states.Becerra said federal law requires the providing of medication abortion in cases involving rape or incest or to protect the life of the mother. “Now more than ever, it is imperative that all federally supported programs and services are complying with the law,” he said.Becerra said he also wants his department to examine its authority to ensure that the judgment of doctors and hospitals is supported in treating pregnant patients, “including those experiencing pregnancy loss or complications and reaffirming that abortion care can be appropriate to stabilize patients.”Despite the ruling, he said, “the rights continue forward, whether it’s family planning, whether it is in birth control services, and we want to make sure that there’s no misunderstanding and that we will enforce any violations of those rights.”Asked if the administration was considering setting up abortion clinics on federal land, as some Democrats have suggested, Becerra didn’t rule it out, saying no decision had been made yet.“Every option is on the table,” he said. “We will take a look at everything we can, and everything we do will be in compliance with the law.”But White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters that such an option could put women and care providers who are not federal employees at risk for prosecution in states where abortion is now illegal.Jean-Pierre, speaking aboard Air Force One — where Biden was flying between summits in Germany and Spain — called that proposal “well intentioned” but also noted that “there’s actually dangerous ramifications to doing this.”Becerra on Tuesday also was asked about the prospect of providing transportation to women who travel to another state to get an abortion and how the government would ensure that doesn’t conflict with the Hyde Amendment, which bans federal funding for abortions except in cases of rape, incest or to protect the life of the mother.“Once we tell you exactly what we believe we are able to do, have the money to do, we will let you know,” he said.

🎥 Biden health secretary: No magic bullet to ensure abortion access

SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities investigating a fatal pedestrian accident have identified the victim as&nbsp;54-year-old Crystal Cross of Wichita, according to Officer Juan Rebolledo.

Just after 10p.m. Sunday, police were dispatched to the 1200 block of North Broadway regarding a motor vehicle accident, according to Rebolledo.

Officers located&nbsp; Cross who was pronounced deceased, at the scene.

The investigation revealed she was crossing from the west side of North Broadway to the east side of Broadway when she was struck by a maroon, 1984 Pontiac driven by a 30-year-old  woman and run over by a white 2010 Nissan Altima driven by a 49-year-old man.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/6/1656347814024.png" alt="First responders at the scene of the incident -photo courtesy KAKE" />
 <figcaption>First responders at the scene of the incident -photo courtesy KAKE</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities investigating a fatal pedestrian accident have identified the victim as&nbsp;54-year-old Crystal Cross of Wichita, according to Officer Juan Rebolledo.Just after 10p.m. Sunday, police were dispatched to the 1200 block of North Broadway regarding a motor vehicle accident, according to Rebolledo.Officers located&nbsp; Cross who was pronounced deceased, at the scene.The investigation revealed she was crossing from the west side of North Broadway to the east side of Broadway when she was struck by a maroon, 1984 Pontiac driven by a 30-year-old woman and run over by a white 2010 Nissan Altima driven by a 49-year-old man.&nbsp;----------

Police ID Kansas woman who died after struck by two vehicles

MENDON, Mo. (AP) — A Missouri Department of Transportation plan released this year cited a need to improve safety at the rail crossing where&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/amtrak-derailment-missouri-a5ca59f5243b1a1008f4cf9b11c2fb31">an Amtrak train and a dump truck collided</a>, resulting in the deaths of three passengers and the truck driver.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol announced the fourth death Tuesday afternoon and provided its first estimate of the injured — about 150 people taken to 10 area hospitals with injuries ranging from minor to serious. The dead have not been identified.

The crossing in a rural area near Mendon in western Missouri, about 84 miles northeast of Kansas City, has no lights or other signals to warn of an approaching train.

Amtrak’s Southwest Chief was traveling from Los Angeles to Chicago Monday afternoon when it struck the truck and derailed at the crossing. Amtrak officials have said about 275 passengers and 12 crew members were aboard the train.

The collision derailed seven cars, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol. The truck was broken into pieces. National Transportation Safety Board investigators were at the scene Tuesday, trying to determine how the accident happened and why the truck was on the tracks. The damaged tracks had been repaired and freight trains were operating.

In January, the Missouri Department of Transportation submitted to the Federal Railroad Administration its “State Freight &amp; Rail Plan” plan. It included a list of proposed improvements, including the installation of lights and gates, along with roadway improvements.

The project was estimated at $400,000. Typically, the federal government would pay 80% and the county 20%. MoDOT spokeswoman Linda Horn said in an email that any project must be worked out in coordination with the track owner, BNSF Railway, and the county “based on very limited funding.”

BNSF spokeswoman Lena Kent said that if the state wants an upgrade, the next step is a site review.

“We would work with all of the parties involved to determine if additional warning devices are needed and then work to get those designed, built and installed,” Kent said.

Local residents have complained that the overgrowth of brush and the steep incline from the road to the tracks makes it hard to see oncoming trains from either direction. Mike Spencer, who grows corn and soybeans on land surrounding the intersection, said the crossing is especially dangerous for those driving heavy, slow farm equipment.

Spencer said he had contacted state transportation officials, Chariton County commissioners and BNSF about the potential danger. Spencer, who is on the board of a local levy district, said the dump truck driver was hauling rock for a levy on a local creek, a project that had been ongoing for a couple of days.

Earlier this month, Spencer posted a video on Facebook of the crossing that shows the steep gravel incline leading up to it.

“We have to cross this with farm equipment to get to several of our fields,” Spencer wrote with the posting. “We have been on the RR for several years about fixing the approach by building the road up, putting in signals, signal lights or just cutting the brush back.”

The posting noted that some trains pass by at up to 90 mph (145 kph). “If you cross here with a vehicle stop, approach very slowly, then look both ways there are 2 tracks and around 85 trains go through there everyday,” Spencer wrote.

Passengers recounted the frightening aftermath of the accident.

Rob Nightingale of Taos, New Mexico, said he was dozing off in his sleeper compartment when the lights flickered and the train rocked back and forth and he felt it tip.

"I saw the ground coming toward my window, and all the debris and dust,” Nightingale told The Associated Press. “Then it sat on its side and it was complete silence. I sat there and didn’t hear anything. Then I heard a little girl next door crying.”

Nightingale was unhurt and he and other passengers were able to climb out of the overturned train car through a window.

Passengers included 16 youths and eight adults from two Boy Scout troops who were traveling home to Appleton, Wisconsin, as well as high school students from Pleasant Ridge High School in Easton, Kansas, who were headed to a Future Business Leaders of America conference in Chicago.

It was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/california-san-francisco-amtrak-32db00f7c1f650c41eb11747049731b5">the second Amtrak collision in as many days</a>. Three people in a car were killed Sunday afternoon when an Amtrak commuter train smashed into it in Northern California, authorities said.

People have been injured or killed in at least&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/california-los-angeles-accidents-missouri-266ca22652b69992fca399d32ea55aae">six other accidents</a>&nbsp;involving Amtrak trains since 2015. Last year, three people died and others were injured when an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/amtrak-crash-montana-c8c3730849f568ca68b455eb23b49cef">Amtrak derailed in north-central Montana</a>&nbsp;as it traveled from Chicago to Seattle.

Amtrak is a federally supported company that operates more than 300 passenger trains daily in nearly every contiguous U.S. state and parts of Canada. The Southwest Chief takes about two days to travel from Los Angeles to Chicago, picking up passengers at stops in between.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/6/1656444383036.png" alt="Rural Menden, Missouri farmer Mike Spencer believed a tragedy at the rail crossing was inevitable." />
 <figcaption>Rural Menden, Missouri farmer Mike Spencer believed a tragedy at the rail crossing was inevitable.</figcaption>
 </figure>MENDON, Mo. (AP) — A Missouri Department of Transportation plan released this year cited a need to improve safety at the rail crossing where&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/amtrak-derailment-missouri-a5ca59f5243b1a1008f4cf9b11c2fb31">an Amtrak train and a dump truck collided</a>, resulting in the deaths of three passengers and the truck driver.The Missouri State Highway Patrol announced the fourth death Tuesday afternoon and provided its first estimate of the injured — about 150 people taken to 10 area hospitals with injuries ranging from minor to serious. The dead have not been identified.The crossing in a rural area near Mendon in western Missouri, about 84 miles northeast of Kansas City, has no lights or other signals to warn of an approaching train.Amtrak’s Southwest Chief was traveling from Los Angeles to Chicago Monday afternoon when it struck the truck and derailed at the crossing. Amtrak officials have said about 275 passengers and 12 crew members were aboard the train.The collision derailed seven cars, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol. The truck was broken into pieces. National Transportation Safety Board investigators were at the scene Tuesday, trying to determine how the accident happened and why the truck was on the tracks. The damaged tracks had been repaired and freight trains were operating.In January, the Missouri Department of Transportation submitted to the Federal Railroad Administration its “State Freight &amp; Rail Plan” plan. It included a list of proposed improvements, including the installation of lights and gates, along with roadway improvements.The project was estimated at $400,000. Typically, the federal government would pay 80% and the county 20%. MoDOT spokeswoman Linda Horn said in an email that any project must be worked out in coordination with the track owner, BNSF Railway, and the county “based on very limited funding.”BNSF spokeswoman Lena Kent said that if the state wants an upgrade, the next step is a site review.“We would work with all of the parties involved to determine if additional warning devices are needed and then work to get those designed, built and installed,” Kent said.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/6/1656444443517.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Local residents have complained that the overgrowth of brush and the steep incline from the road to the tracks makes it hard to see oncoming trains from either direction. Mike Spencer, who grows corn and soybeans on land surrounding the intersection, said the crossing is especially dangerous for those driving heavy, slow farm equipment.Spencer said he had contacted state transportation officials, Chariton County commissioners and BNSF about the potential danger. Spencer, who is on the board of a local levy district, said the dump truck driver was hauling rock for a levy on a local creek, a project that had been ongoing for a couple of days.Earlier this month, Spencer posted a video on Facebook of the crossing that shows the steep gravel incline leading up to it.“We have to cross this with farm equipment to get to several of our fields,” Spencer wrote with the posting. “We have been on the RR for several years about fixing the approach by building the road up, putting in signals, signal lights or just cutting the brush back.”The posting noted that some trains pass by at up to 90 mph (145 kph). “If you cross here with a vehicle stop, approach very slowly, then look both ways there are 2 tracks and around 85 trains go through there everyday,” Spencer wrote.Passengers recounted the frightening aftermath of the accident.Rob Nightingale of Taos, New Mexico, said he was dozing off in his sleeper compartment when the lights flickered and the train rocked back and forth and he felt it tip."I saw the ground coming toward my window, and all the debris and dust,” Nightingale told The Associated Press. “Then it sat on its side and it was complete silence. I sat there and didn’t hear anything. Then I heard a little girl next door crying.”Nightingale was unhurt and he and other passengers were able to climb out of the overturned train car through a window.Passengers included 16 youths and eight adults from two Boy Scout troops who were traveling home to Appleton, Wisconsin, as well as high school students from Pleasant Ridge High School in Easton, Kansas, who were headed to a Future Business Leaders of America conference in Chicago.It was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/california-san-francisco-amtrak-32db00f7c1f650c41eb11747049731b5">the second Amtrak collision in as many days</a>. Three people in a car were killed Sunday afternoon when an Amtrak commuter train smashed into it in Northern California, authorities said.People have been injured or killed in at least&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/california-los-angeles-accidents-missouri-266ca22652b69992fca399d32ea55aae">six other accidents</a>&nbsp;involving Amtrak trains since 2015. Last year, three people died and others were injured when an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/amtrak-crash-montana-c8c3730849f568ca68b455eb23b49cef">Amtrak derailed in north-central Montana</a>&nbsp;as it traveled from Chicago to Seattle.Amtrak is a federally supported company that operates more than 300 passenger trains daily in nearly every contiguous U.S. state and parts of Canada. The Southwest Chief takes about two days to travel from Los Angeles to Chicago, picking up passengers at stops in between.

Official: Upgrades urged at Amtrak crash site, but no action

By LAURAN NEERGAARD and MATTHEW PERRONE, Associated Press

At least some U.S. adults may get updated COVID-19 shots this fall, as government advisers voted Tuesday that it’s time to tweak booster doses to better match the most recent virus variants.

Advisers to the Food and Drug Administration wrestled with how to modify doses now when there’s no way to know how the rapidly mutating virus will evolve by fall — especially since people who get today’s recommended boosters remain strongly protected against COVID-19′s worst outcomes.

Ultimately the FDA panel voted 19-2 that COVID-19 boosters should contain some version of the super-contagious omicron variant, to be ready for an anticipated fall booster campaign.

“We are going to be behind the eight-ball if we wait longer,” said one adviser, Dr. Mark Sawyer of the University of California, San Diego.

The FDA will have to decide the exact recipe, but expect a combination shot that adds protection against either omicron or some of its newer relatives to the original vaccine.

“None of us has a crystal ball” to know the next threatening variant, said FDA vaccine chief Dr. Peter Marks. But “we may at least bring the immune system closer to being able to respond to what’s circulating” now rather than far older virus strains.

It’s not clear who would be offered a tweaked booster — they might be urged only for older adults or those at high risk from the virus. But the FDA is expected to decide on the recipe change within days and then Pfizer and Moderna will have to seek authorization for the appropriately updated doses, time for health authorities to settle on a fall strategy.

Current COVID-19 vaccines have&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/covid-science-health-england-54d29ae3af5c700f15d704c14ee224b5">saved millions of lives</a>&nbsp;globally. With a booster dose, those used in the U.S. retain strong protection against hospitalization and death but their ability to block infection dropped markedly when omicron appeared. And the omicron mutant that caused the winter surge has been replaced by its&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/covid-science-health-united-states-pandemics-72462053f8d60fd548cf34377864100b">genetically distinct relatives</a>. The two newest omicron cousins, called BA.4 and BA.5, together now make up half of U.S. cases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Pfizer and Moderna already were brewing boosters that add protection to the first omicron mutant. Their combination shots, what scientists call “bivalent” vaccines, substantially boosted levels of antibodies capable of fighting that variant, more than simply giving another dose of today’s vaccine.

Both companies found the tweaked shots also offered some cross-protection against those worrisome BA.4 and BA.5 mutants, too, but not nearly as much.

Many scientists favor the combination approach because it preserves the original vaccines’ proven benefits, which include some cross-protection against other mutants that have cropped up during the pandemic.

The question facing FDA is the correct recipe change. Both companies said they’d have plenty of omicron-targeted combo shots by October but Moderna said switching to target omicron’s newest relatives might delay its version another month.

Further complicating the decision is that only half of vaccinated Americans have received that all-important first booster. And while the CDC says protection against hospitalization has slipped some for older adults, a second booster that’s recommended for people 50 and older seems to restore it. But only a quarter of those eligible for the additional booster have gotten one.

Marks said that by tweaking the shots, “we’re hoping we can convince people to go get that booster to strengthen their immune response and help prevent another wave.”

The logistics will be challenging. Many Americans haven’t had their first vaccinations yet, including young children who just became eligible — and it’s not clear whether tweaked boosters eventually might lead to a change in the primary vaccine. But the FDA’s advisers said it’s important to go ahead and study updated vaccine recipes in children, too.

And one more complexity: A third company, Novavax, is awaiting FDA authorization of a more traditional kind of COVID-19 vaccine, protein-based shots. Novavax argued Tuesday that a booster of its regular vaccine promises a good immune response against the new omicron mutants without a recipe change.

Advisers to the World Health Organization recently said omicron-tweaked shots would be most beneficial as a booster only, because they should increase the breadth of people’s cross-protection against multiple variants.

“We don’t want the world to lose confidence in vaccines that are currently available,” said Dr. Kanta Subbarao, a virologist who chairs that WHO committee.

By LAURAN NEERGAARD and MATTHEW PERRONE, Associated PressAt least some U.S. adults may get updated COVID-19 shots this fall, as government advisers voted Tuesday that it’s time to tweak booster doses to better match the most recent virus variants.Advisers to the Food and Drug Administration wrestled with how to modify doses now when there’s no way to know how the rapidly mutating virus will evolve by fall — especially since people who get today’s recommended boosters remain strongly protected against COVID-19′s worst outcomes.Ultimately the FDA panel voted 19-2 that COVID-19 boosters should contain some version of the super-contagious omicron variant, to be ready for an anticipated fall booster campaign.“We are going to be behind the eight-ball if we wait longer,” said one adviser, Dr. Mark Sawyer of the University of California, San Diego.The FDA will have to decide the exact recipe, but expect a combination shot that adds protection against either omicron or some of its newer relatives to the original vaccine.“None of us has a crystal ball” to know the next threatening variant, said FDA vaccine chief Dr. Peter Marks. But “we may at least bring the immune system closer to being able to respond to what’s circulating” now rather than far older virus strains.It’s not clear who would be offered a tweaked booster — they might be urged only for older adults or those at high risk from the virus. But the FDA is expected to decide on the recipe change within days and then Pfizer and Moderna will have to seek authorization for the appropriately updated doses, time for health authorities to settle on a fall strategy.Current COVID-19 vaccines have&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/covid-science-health-england-54d29ae3af5c700f15d704c14ee224b5">saved millions of lives</a>&nbsp;globally. With a booster dose, those used in the U.S. retain strong protection against hospitalization and death but their ability to block infection dropped markedly when omicron appeared. And the omicron mutant that caused the winter surge has been replaced by its&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/covid-science-health-united-states-pandemics-72462053f8d60fd548cf34377864100b">genetically distinct relatives</a>. The two newest omicron cousins, called BA.4 and BA.5, together now make up half of U.S. cases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Pfizer and Moderna already were brewing boosters that add protection to the first omicron mutant. Their combination shots, what scientists call “bivalent” vaccines, substantially boosted levels of antibodies capable of fighting that variant, more than simply giving another dose of today’s vaccine.Both companies found the tweaked shots also offered some cross-protection against those worrisome BA.4 and BA.5 mutants, too, but not nearly as much.Many scientists favor the combination approach because it preserves the original vaccines’ proven benefits, which include some cross-protection against other mutants that have cropped up during the pandemic.The question facing FDA is the correct recipe change. Both companies said they’d have plenty of omicron-targeted combo shots by October but Moderna said switching to target omicron’s newest relatives might delay its version another month.Further complicating the decision is that only half of vaccinated Americans have received that all-important first booster. And while the CDC says protection against hospitalization has slipped some for older adults, a second booster that’s recommended for people 50 and older seems to restore it. But only a quarter of those eligible for the additional booster have gotten one.Marks said that by tweaking the shots, “we’re hoping we can convince people to go get that booster to strengthen their immune response and help prevent another wave.”The logistics will be challenging. Many Americans haven’t had their first vaccinations yet, including young children who just became eligible — and it’s not clear whether tweaked boosters eventually might lead to a change in the primary vaccine. But the FDA’s advisers said it’s important to go ahead and study updated vaccine recipes in children, too.And one more complexity: A third company, Novavax, is awaiting FDA authorization of a more traditional kind of COVID-19 vaccine, protein-based shots. Novavax argued Tuesday that a booster of its regular vaccine promises a good immune response against the new omicron mutants without a recipe change.Advisers to the World Health Organization recently said omicron-tweaked shots would be most beneficial as a booster only, because they should increase the breadth of people’s cross-protection against multiple variants.“We don’t want the world to lose confidence in vaccines that are currently available,” said Dr. Kanta Subbarao, a virologist who chairs that WHO committee.___

FDA advisers recommend updating COVID booster shots for fall

MCPHERSON COUNTY —A former Kansas woman is going to prison for her role in a fatal DUI crash that killed a Kansas couple.

A McPherson County judge sentenced 44-year-old Julie Ann Hunter formerly of Lehigh now Aoka, Minnesota, to to just less than 12-years in prison for two counts of involuntary manslaughter-DUI, according to the McPherson County Attorney's office.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported the crash in November of 2019 on Highway 56 involved a 1999 Ford Taurus driven by Hunter and a 2004 Chrysler Pacifica driven by&nbsp;Robert E. Unruh, 88, of Canton.

Unruh and a passenger Mary Lee Unruh, 83, Canton, were pronounced dead at the scene.&nbsp;EMS transported&nbsp;Hunter to the hospital in McPherson and she was later arrested.&nbsp;

&nbsp;Hunter will be required to serve at least 80 months before becoming eligible for parole, according to the county attorney's office.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/6/1656160789680.png" alt="Hunter-photo McPherson Co." />
 <figcaption>Hunter-photo McPherson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>MCPHERSON COUNTY —A former Kansas woman is going to prison for her role in a fatal DUI crash that killed a Kansas couple.A McPherson County judge sentenced 44-year-old Julie Ann Hunter formerly of Lehigh now Aoka, Minnesota, to to just less than 12-years in prison for two counts of involuntary manslaughter-DUI, according to the McPherson County Attorney's office.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported the crash in November of 2019 on Highway 56 involved a 1999 Ford Taurus driven by Hunter and a 2004 Chrysler Pacifica driven by&nbsp;Robert E. Unruh, 88, of Canton.Unruh and a passenger Mary Lee Unruh, 83, Canton, were pronounced dead at the scene.&nbsp;EMS transported&nbsp;Hunter to the hospital in McPherson and she was later arrested.&nbsp;&nbsp;Hunter will be required to serve at least 80 months before becoming eligible for parole, according to the county attorney's office.

Woman sentenced for DUI crash that killed Kansas couple

The 
Federal Trade Commission today sued Walmart for allowing its money 
transfer services to be used by fraudsters, who fleeced consumers out of
 hundreds of millions of dollars. In its lawsuit, <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/ftc_gov/pdf/1823012WalmartComplaint.pdf">the FTC alleges</a>&nbsp;that
 for years, the company turned a blind eye while scammers took advantage
 of its failure to properly secure the money transfer services offered 
at Walmart stores. The company did not properly train its employees, 
failed to warn customers, and used procedures that allowed fraudsters to
 cash out at its stores, according to the FTC’s complaint. The FTC is 
asking the court to order Walmart to return money to consumers and to 
impose civil penalties for Walmart’s violations.

“While scammers used its money transfer 
services to make off with cash, Walmart looked the other way and 
pocketed millions in fees,” said Samuel Levine, Director of the FTC’s 
Bureau of Consumer Protection. “Consumers have lost hundreds of 
millions, and the Commission is holding Walmart accountable for letting 
fraudsters fleece its customers.” &nbsp;

In addition to its retail business, Walmart 
offers financial services to consumers in its stores, including money 
transfers, credit cards, reloadable debit cards, check cashing, bill 
payments and more. Walmart acts as an agent for multiple money transfer 
services, including MoneyGram, Ria and Western Union, offering some 
services under its own brand, like “Walmart2Walmart” and 
“Walmart2World.” According to the complaint, tens of millions of money 
transfers are sent or received at Walmart stores each year, where they 
are processed by Walmart employees.

Money transfers are services that people use 
to send money to a recipient in another location. They are frequently 
used by fraudsters across a wide variety of scams because they are 
nearly impossible to retrieve after the money has been picked up. The 
FTC has brought multiple cases against money transfer services in recent
 years, including against MoneyGram and Western Union, alleging they 
failed to protect consumers who used their services.

Walmart’s practice of turning a blind eye to 
fraud had grave consequences for consumers, according to the complaint. 
The complaint cites numerous instances in which law enforcement 
investigations found that scammers relied on Walmart money transfers as a
 primary way to receive payments, including in telemarketing schemes 
like IRS impersonation schemes, relative-in-need “grandparent” scams, 
sweepstakes scams, and others. Based on information from fraud databases
 maintained by MoneyGram, Western Union, and Ria, from 2013 to 2018 more
 than $197 million in payments that were the subject of fraud complaints
 were sent or received at Walmart, with more than $1.3 billion in 
related payments also possibly connected to the fraud.

The FTC’s investigation of Walmart’s money 
transfer practices showed, according to the complaint, that Walmart knew
 about the role money transfer services play in scams and frauds. 
Despite that, the company’s money transfer services harmed consumers in 
numerous ways, including:

The Commission vote to file the civil penalty
 complaint was 3-2, with Commissioners Noah Joshua Phillips and 
Christine S. Wilson dissenting. The FTC filed the complaint in the U.S. 
District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. 

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/4/1619632629588.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>FTCThe 
Federal Trade Commission today sued Walmart for allowing its money 
transfer services to be used by fraudsters, who fleeced consumers out of
 hundreds of millions of dollars. In its lawsuit, <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/ftc_gov/pdf/1823012WalmartComplaint.pdf">the FTC alleges</a>&nbsp;that
 for years, the company turned a blind eye while scammers took advantage
 of its failure to properly secure the money transfer services offered 
at Walmart stores. The company did not properly train its employees, 
failed to warn customers, and used procedures that allowed fraudsters to
 cash out at its stores, according to the FTC’s complaint. The FTC is 
asking the court to order Walmart to return money to consumers and to 
impose civil penalties for Walmart’s violations.“While scammers used its money transfer 
services to make off with cash, Walmart looked the other way and 
pocketed millions in fees,” said Samuel Levine, Director of the FTC’s 
Bureau of Consumer Protection. “Consumers have lost hundreds of 
millions, and the Commission is holding Walmart accountable for letting 
fraudsters fleece its customers.” &nbsp;In addition to its retail business, Walmart 
offers financial services to consumers in its stores, including money 
transfers, credit cards, reloadable debit cards, check cashing, bill 
payments and more. Walmart acts as an agent for multiple money transfer 
services, including MoneyGram, Ria and Western Union, offering some 
services under its own brand, like “Walmart2Walmart” and 
“Walmart2World.” According to the complaint, tens of millions of money 
transfers are sent or received at Walmart stores each year, where they 
are processed by Walmart employees.Money transfers are services that people use 
to send money to a recipient in another location. They are frequently 
used by fraudsters across a wide variety of scams because they are 
nearly impossible to retrieve after the money has been picked up. The 
FTC has brought multiple cases against money transfer services in recent
 years, including against MoneyGram and Western Union, alleging they 
failed to protect consumers who used their services.Walmart’s practice of turning a blind eye to 
fraud had grave consequences for consumers, according to the complaint. 
The complaint cites numerous instances in which law enforcement 
investigations found that scammers relied on Walmart money transfers as a
 primary way to receive payments, including in telemarketing schemes 
like IRS impersonation schemes, relative-in-need “grandparent” scams, 
sweepstakes scams, and others. Based on information from fraud databases
 maintained by MoneyGram, Western Union, and Ria, from 2013 to 2018 more
 than $197 million in payments that were the subject of fraud complaints
 were sent or received at Walmart, with more than $1.3 billion in 
related payments also possibly connected to the fraud.The FTC’s investigation of Walmart’s money 
transfer practices showed, according to the complaint, that Walmart knew
 about the role money transfer services play in scams and frauds. 
Despite that, the company’s money transfer services harmed consumers in 
numerous ways, including:<ul>
 <li>Allowing the payout of suspicious transfers: For
 years, according to the complaint, it was Walmart’s stated policy for 
its employees to issue payouts even in the case of a suspicious money 
transfer, making it easy for scammers to retrieve fraud proceeds at a 
Walmart location. The complaint cites a Walmart reference guide for 
employees that stated: “If you suspect fraud, complete the transaction.” &nbsp;Walmart
 did not begin training employees to deny fraudulent payouts until at 
least May 2017, but even then it provided this training only to 
employees at a limited number of locations.</li>
 </ul><ul>
 <li>Having no anti-fraud policy or an ineffective, poorly enforced policy: According
 to the complaint, despite offering money transfer services for many 
years, Walmart did not have a written anti-fraud or consumer protection 
program until November 2014. After that time, the complaint cites 
numerous instances in which Walmart failed to have an effective program 
or violated its own policies, as well as the policies of its partners, 
like MoneyGram, that were ostensibly in place to protect consumers from 
fraud. </li>
 </ul><ul>
 <li>Allowing cash pickups for large payments: The
 complaint notes that Walmart, unlike most other outlets where money 
transfers can be received, pays even large payments in cash. In 
addition, the complaint notes that scammers were often able to retrieve 
their payments from Walmart by using fake IDs. This made it an 
attractive option for fraudsters looking to conceal their identities. </li>
 </ul><ul>
 <li>Not providing materials to prevent consumers from sending fraudulent payments:
 According to the complaint, Walmart failed to display or provide 
required materials to consumers at many of its locations that could have
 warned them about potential frauds and stopped them from sending money 
to scammers. More recently, the company stopped using a paper “send 
form” that included important information for consumers to help them 
realize they may be making a bogus payment, replacing it with a printout
 that contains only small print warnings.</li>
 </ul><ul>
 <li>Failing to effectively train or retrain staff: The
 complaint alleges that Walmart’s training materials for the tens of 
thousands of employees who worked with money transfers was often 
contradictory or unclear. In many cases, employees who were authorized 
to handle money transfers as “backups” received no anti-fraud training 
at all or only limited training related to transfers. The complaint 
notes that in some instances Walmart staff were complacent or complicit 
in scams, accepting cash tips from scammers in exchange for processing 
fraudulent payments or being directly involved in the scams themselves.</li>
 </ul><ul>
 <li>Allowing money transfers to be used for telemarketing purchases:
 The FTC’s Telemarketing Sales Rule has since 2016 prohibited money 
transfers from being used to pay for telemarketing purchases because of 
the high risk of fraud. But the complaint alleges that, for years, 
Walmart failed to take steps to comply with that provision.</li>
 </ul>The Commission vote to file the civil penalty
 complaint was 3-2, with Commissioners Noah Joshua Phillips and 
Christine S. Wilson dissenting. The FTC filed the complaint in the U.S. 
District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.

FTC sues Walmart over alleged money transfer fraud

FRANKLIN COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a fatal stabbing and have made an arrest.

Just after 3p.m. June 25, police responded to report of a stabbing in the 700 Block of West 11th Street in Ottawa, according to a media release.

Officers found 29-year-old Dalton Presley of Ottawa deceased inside the home. He had been stabbed.

Police detained another resident of the home identified as 29-year-old Anthony Alvarado and transported him to the Ottawa Police Department for questioning.

Police later arrested Alvarado on requested charges of 2nd degree murder. The Kansas Bureau of Investigation is assisting with the case, according to the release.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/6/1656421632965.png" alt="Alvarado-photo Franklin Co." />
 <figcaption>Alvarado-photo Franklin Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>FRANKLIN COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a fatal stabbing and have made an arrest.Just after 3p.m. June 25, police responded to report of a stabbing in the 700 Block of West 11th Street in Ottawa, according to a media release.Officers found 29-year-old Dalton Presley of Ottawa deceased inside the home. He had been stabbed.Police detained another resident of the home identified as 29-year-old Anthony Alvarado and transported him to the Ottawa Police Department for questioning.Police later arrested Alvarado on requested charges of 2nd degree murder. The Kansas Bureau of Investigation is assisting with the case, according to the release.

Suspect accused of Kansas man's stabbing death

RENO COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect in connection with an alleged rape in Reno County.

Just after 11:30p.m. Monday sheriff's deputies were dispatched to a residence on the Obee Housing addition east of Hutchinson&nbsp;for a report of Sexual Assault, according to a media release.

With the information given to dispatch, deputies were able to make contact with a suspect identified as 29-year-old Jarrod LaForce whose vehicle had broken down in the area of G Avenue and Obee Road.&nbsp;

Upon further investigation LaForce was arrested on requested charges of DUI, Rape, Aggravated Sodomy and Aggravated Domestic Battery. He remains jailed on a bond of $105,250.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/6/1656446498254.png" alt="LaForce-photo Reno County" />
 <figcaption>LaForce-photo Reno County</figcaption>
 </figure>RENO COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect in connection with an alleged rape in Reno County.Just after 11:30p.m. Monday sheriff's deputies were dispatched to a residence on the Obee Housing addition east of Hutchinson&nbsp;for a report of Sexual Assault, according to a media release.With the information given to dispatch, deputies were able to make contact with a suspect identified as 29-year-old Jarrod LaForce whose vehicle had broken down in the area of G Avenue and Obee Road.&nbsp;Upon further investigation LaForce was arrested on requested charges of DUI, Rape, Aggravated Sodomy and Aggravated Domestic Battery. He remains jailed on a bond of $105,250.

Kan. deputies arrest rape suspect after his vehicle breaks down

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/capitol-siege">Jan. 6 committee</a>&nbsp;held a surprise hearing Tuesday delivering alarming new testimony about Donald Trump’s angry, defiant and vulgar actions as he ignored repeated warnings against summoning the mob to the Capitol and then refused to intervene to stop the deadly violence as rioters laid siege.

(Click below to watch a replay of the hearing)

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-government-and-politics-9e7c03bb83f43fb17b4fd90d1360993d">Witness Cassidy Hutchinson</a>, a lesser-known White House aide, rebuffed Trump’s team warnings against testifying and provided first-hand knowledge of what she saw and heard in the run-up to the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection, a proximity to power that gives stunning new details in the panel’s year-long investigation.

With calm, detailed recollections,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-government-and-politics-9e7c03bb83f43fb17b4fd90d1360993d">Hutchinson testified</a>&nbsp;about a defiant Trump who knew there were guns and other weapons in the rally crowd at the White House, sent his supporters to the Capitol anyway and tried unsuccessfully to physically pry the steering wheel from his presidential limousine driver so he could join them.

Before joining the White House, Hutchinson had worked in some of the most conservative Republican offices on Capitol Hill. She was hired as special assistant to the president and promoted up to Trump’s chief of staff Mark Meadows.

Here are highlights from the sixth hearing.

Trump was angry and defiant on the morning of Jan. 6, as he assessed the size of the crowd for his rally in front of the White House, upset that not everyone who had answered his summons to come to Washington could get in to see him because of the security lines.

Told that guns, knives and other weapons were being confiscated from the security screenings, Trump didn’t care. “They’re not here to hurt me,” the president said. He wanted to take away the magnetometer stations to allow more people inside the grounds, regardless of their weaponry.

“Take the effing mags away,” an agitated Trump barked at security moments before taking the stage, Hutchinson recalled.

Trump’s lawyers at the White House were trying to tamp down the president’s speech to the crowd he had summoned for his “Stop the Steal” rally on Jan. 6, and they were trying to stop his plans to go to the Capitol that day when Congress would be certifying the election results for Joe Biden’s victory.

Hutchinson testified that lawyer Eric Herschmann said it “would be foolish” to include some of the language the defeated president wanted to add to his speech — comments like fighting for Trump, or him telling the crowd “I’ll be there with you.” Herschmann warned such language shouldn’t be included for legal concerns and because of the optics it would portray.

That language ultimately stayed in the script as Trump rallied the crowd to “fight like hell” and promised he would join them at the Capitol.

Days before Jan. 6, White House counsel Pat Cipollone suggested there were “serious legal concerns” if Trump went to the Capitol with the crowd, Hutchinson recalled.

“We need to make sure this doesn’t happen,” she recalled Cipollone saying in the run-up to the rally.

The morning of Jan. 6, Cipollone restated his concerns that if Trump did go to the Capitol to intervene in the certification of the election, “We’re going to get charged with every crime imaginable.”

Hutchinson then described what happened after the rally as Trump climbed into the presidential limousine, the “beast,” as it is called, as relayed to her later by Trump’s deputy chief of staff for operations.

Trump, inside the vehicle, tried to pry the steering wheel away from the driver, demanding to be taken to the Capitol.

The hearing opened with a calm, even-spoken Hutchinson explaining her job responsibilities advising Meadows, often handling his cell phones, as the committee showed an architectural rendering of the layout of the West Wing.

Hutchinson’s office was situated between the Oval Office on one side and Meadow’s office on the other. Hers was also next to that of the vice president’s staff.

She had an upfront view of conversations across the offices and beyond.

Hutchinson described fielding a desperate phone call as she stood backstage at Trump’s rally that day from House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy, who was upset that Trump had sent the crowd to the Capitol when she had promised they would not go.

She also told of helping the White House staff mop up ketchup off the walls of the Oval Office dining room after Trump, learning that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/barr-no-widespread-election-fraud-b1f1488796c9a98c4b1a9061a6c7f49d">his attorney general, William Barr, told The Associated Press</a>&nbsp;there was no fraud on a scale to tip the presidential election, apparently hurled a plate of food at the wall.

In one gripping scene Hutchinson recalled walking Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani out of the White House when he asked if she was “excited about the 6th.”

“We’re going to the Capitol, it’s going to be great, the president’s going to be there, he’s going to look powerful,” she recalled Giuliani saying.

When she returned inside and told Meadows of that conversation, he told her a lot was going on.

“Things might get real, real bad,” Meadows told her, she recalled.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House panel investigating the Capitol insurrection will hear testimony Tuesday from Cassidy Hutchinson, a top aide in Donald Trump’s White House who is a vital witness in the sweeping investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021 attack, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press.

The 25-year-old, who was a special assistant and aide to former Trump chief of staff Mark Meadows, has already provided a trove of information to congressional investigators and sat for multiple interviews behind closed doors.

Her appearance has been cloaked in extraordinary secrecy and has raised expectations for new revelations in the nearly yearlong investigation. The committee announced the surprise hearing with only 24 hours’ notice, and Hutchison’s appearance was only confirmed to The Associated Press by a person familiar with the matter.

While it is unclear what new evidence she might provide Tuesday, Hutchinson’s testimony could tell a first-hand story of Trump’s pressure campaign, and how the former president responded after the violence began, more vividly than any other witness the committee has called in thus far.

In brief excerpts of testimony revealed in court filings, Hutchinson told the committee she was in the room for White House meetings where challenges to the election were debated and discussed, including with several Republican lawmakers. In one instance, Hutchinson described seeing Meadows incinerate documents after a meeting in his office with Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa.,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2022/05/26/meadows-burned-papers-meeting-scott-perry-00035411" target="_blank">Politico reported in May.</a>

She also revealed that the White House counsel’s office cautioned against plans to enlist fake electors in swing states, including in meetings involving Meadows and Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani.

During her three separate depositions, Hutchinson also testified about her boss’ surprise trip to Georgia weeks after the election to oversee the audit of absentee ballot envelope signatures and ask questions about the process.

She also detailed how Jeffrey Clark — a top Justice Department official who championed Trump’s false claims of election fraud and whom the president contemplated naming as attorney general — was a “frequent presence” at the White House.

The plot to remove the then-acting attorney general, Jeffrey Rosen, unraveled during a Jan. 3, 2021, meeting in the Oval Office when other&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-elections-donald-trump-campaigns-presidential-4e7e68e2ff57aadd96d09c873a43a317">senior Justice Department officials warned Trump that they would resign if he followed through with his plan to replace Rosen with Clark.</a>

The House panel has not explained why it abruptly scheduled the 1 p.m. hearing as lawmakers are away from Washington on a two-week recess. The committee had said last week that there would be no more hearings until July.

The precise subject of Tuesday’s hearing remained unclear, but the panel’s announcement Monday said it would be “to present recently obtained evidence and receive witness testimony.” A spokesman for the panel declined to elaborate and Hutchinson’s lawyer did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment.

The person familiar with the committee’s plans to call Hutchinson could not discuss the matter publicly and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity.

The nine-member committee’s investigation has continued during the hearings, which&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jan-6-capitol-riot-hearings-live-updates-eefb79f2cffb705f04bf43ea164db20f">started three weeks ago</a>&nbsp;into&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-confirm-joe-biden-78104aea082995bbd7412a6e6cd13818">the attack by Trump supporters</a>. Among the evidence, the committee recently obtained&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-entertainment-elections-donald-trump-presidential-7e345ec818d277b8896c193c658c52fc">footage of Trump and his inner circle</a>&nbsp;taken both before and after Jan. 6 from British filmmaker Alex Holder.

Holder said last week that he had complied with a congressional subpoena to turn over all the footage he shot in the final weeks of Trump’s 2020 reelection campaign, including exclusive interviews with Trump, his children and then-Vice President Mike Pence.

Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, the panel’s Democratic chairman, told reporters last week that the committee was in possession of the footage and needed more time to go through the hours of video.

The panel has held five hearings so far, mostly laying out Trump’s pressure campaign on various institutions of power in the weeks leading up to the Jan. 6 joint session of Congress, when hundreds of the Republican’s supporters violently&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-joe-biden-capitol-siege-police-health-6b5a6c9d2069bf1325f684532d006013">pushed past police</a>, broke into the building and interrupted the certification of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-wins-white-house-ap-fd58df73aa677acb74fce2a69adb71f9">Democrat Joe Biden’s presidential election victory</a>.

The committee has used the hearings to detail the pressure from Trump and his allies on Pence, on the states that were certifying Biden’s win, and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-elections-donald-trump-campaigns-presidential-4e7e68e2ff57aadd96d09c873a43a317">on the Justice Department</a>. The panel has used live interviews, video testimony of its private witness interviews and footage of the attack to detail what it has learned.

Lawmakers said last week that the two July hearings would focus on domestic extremists who breached the Capitol that day and on what Trump was doing as the violence unfolded.

Punchbowl News first reported that Hutchinson would be testifying.

John Dean, the former White House counsel to President Richard Nixon, also set the expectations high for Tuesday’s hearing. He tweeted: “The January 6 Committee is dealing with a very high historical standard in springing a surprise hearing and witness tomorrow.” Dean, who was the first administration official to testify that Nixon was directly involved in the Watergate coverup, pointed to the surprise testimony from Alex Butterfield, who testified to Nixon’s secret taping system, as “forever changing history.”

“If it is not really important information it’s going to hurt the credibility of this committee! Cancel now if you can’t match!” Dean continued.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/6/1656449432654.png" alt="<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-government-and-politics-9e7c03bb83f43fb17b4fd90d1360993d">Witness Cassidy Hutchinson</a>, a lesser-known White House aide, rebuffed Trump’s team warnings against testifying and provided first-hand knowledge of what she saw and heard in the run-up to the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection-image from Tuesday's hearing" />
 <figcaption><a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-government-and-politics-9e7c03bb83f43fb17b4fd90d1360993d">Witness Cassidy Hutchinson</a>, a lesser-known White House aide, rebuffed Trump’s team warnings against testifying and provided first-hand knowledge of what she saw and heard in the run-up to the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection-image from Tuesday's hearing</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The House&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/capitol-siege">Jan. 6 committee</a>&nbsp;held a surprise hearing Tuesday delivering alarming new testimony about Donald Trump’s angry, defiant and vulgar actions as he ignored repeated warnings against summoning the mob to the Capitol and then refused to intervene to stop the deadly violence as rioters laid siege.(Click below to watch a replay of the hearing)<div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HeQNV-aQ_jU?start=729" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></div><a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-government-and-politics-9e7c03bb83f43fb17b4fd90d1360993d">Witness Cassidy Hutchinson</a>, a lesser-known White House aide, rebuffed Trump’s team warnings against testifying and provided first-hand knowledge of what she saw and heard in the run-up to the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection, a proximity to power that gives stunning new details in the panel’s year-long investigation.With calm, detailed recollections,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-government-and-politics-9e7c03bb83f43fb17b4fd90d1360993d">Hutchinson testified</a>&nbsp;about a defiant Trump who knew there were guns and other weapons in the rally crowd at the White House, sent his supporters to the Capitol anyway and tried unsuccessfully to physically pry the steering wheel from his presidential limousine driver so he could join them.Before joining the White House, Hutchinson had worked in some of the most conservative Republican offices on Capitol Hill. She was hired as special assistant to the president and promoted up to Trump’s chief of staff Mark Meadows.Here are highlights from the sixth hearing.ANGRY, DEFIANT, VULGAR TRUMPTrump was angry and defiant on the morning of Jan. 6, as he assessed the size of the crowd for his rally in front of the White House, upset that not everyone who had answered his summons to come to Washington could get in to see him because of the security lines.Told that guns, knives and other weapons were being confiscated from the security screenings, Trump didn’t care. “They’re not here to hurt me,” the president said. He wanted to take away the magnetometer stations to allow more people inside the grounds, regardless of their weaponry.“Take the effing mags away,” an agitated Trump barked at security moments before taking the stage, Hutchinson recalled.WHITE HOUSE LAWYERS WORRY OF CRIMESTrump’s lawyers at the White House were trying to tamp down the president’s speech to the crowd he had summoned for his “Stop the Steal” rally on Jan. 6, and they were trying to stop his plans to go to the Capitol that day when Congress would be certifying the election results for Joe Biden’s victory.Hutchinson testified that lawyer Eric Herschmann said it “would be foolish” to include some of the language the defeated president wanted to add to his speech — comments like fighting for Trump, or him telling the crowd “I’ll be there with you.” Herschmann warned such language shouldn’t be included for legal concerns and because of the optics it would portray.That language ultimately stayed in the script as Trump rallied the crowd to “fight like hell” and promised he would join them at the Capitol.Days before Jan. 6, White House counsel Pat Cipollone suggested there were “serious legal concerns” if Trump went to the Capitol with the crowd, Hutchinson recalled.“We need to make sure this doesn’t happen,” she recalled Cipollone saying in the run-up to the rally.The morning of Jan. 6, Cipollone restated his concerns that if Trump did go to the Capitol to intervene in the certification of the election, “We’re going to get charged with every crime imaginable.” Hutchinson then described what happened after the rally as Trump climbed into the presidential limousine, the “beast,” as it is called, as relayed to her later by Trump’s deputy chief of staff for operations.Trump, inside the vehicle, tried to pry the steering wheel away from the driver, demanding to be taken to the Capitol.PROXIMITY TO POWER, AND KETCHUPThe hearing opened with a calm, even-spoken Hutchinson explaining her job responsibilities advising Meadows, often handling his cell phones, as the committee showed an architectural rendering of the layout of the West Wing.Hutchinson’s office was situated between the Oval Office on one side and Meadow’s office on the other. Hers was also next to that of the vice president’s staff.She had an upfront view of conversations across the offices and beyond.Hutchinson described fielding a desperate phone call as she stood backstage at Trump’s rally that day from House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy, who was upset that Trump had sent the crowd to the Capitol when she had promised they would not go.ADVERTISEMENTShe also told of helping the White House staff mop up ketchup off the walls of the Oval Office dining room after Trump, learning that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/barr-no-widespread-election-fraud-b1f1488796c9a98c4b1a9061a6c7f49d">his attorney general, William Barr, told The Associated Press</a>&nbsp;there was no fraud on a scale to tip the presidential election, apparently hurled a plate of food at the wall.In one gripping scene Hutchinson recalled walking Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani out of the White House when he asked if she was “excited about the 6th.”“We’re going to the Capitol, it’s going to be great, the president’s going to be there, he’s going to look powerful,” she recalled Giuliani saying.When she returned inside and told Meadows of that conversation, he told her a lot was going on.“Things might get real, real bad,” Meadows told her, she recalled.---------WASHINGTON (AP) — The House panel investigating the Capitol insurrection will hear testimony Tuesday from Cassidy Hutchinson, a top aide in Donald Trump’s White House who is a vital witness in the sweeping investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021 attack, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press.The 25-year-old, who was a special assistant and aide to former Trump chief of staff Mark Meadows, has already provided a trove of information to congressional investigators and sat for multiple interviews behind closed doors.Her appearance has been cloaked in extraordinary secrecy and has raised expectations for new revelations in the nearly yearlong investigation. The committee announced the surprise hearing with only 24 hours’ notice, and Hutchison’s appearance was only confirmed to The Associated Press by a person familiar with the matter.While it is unclear what new evidence she might provide Tuesday, Hutchinson’s testimony could tell a first-hand story of Trump’s pressure campaign, and how the former president responded after the violence began, more vividly than any other witness the committee has called in thus far.In brief excerpts of testimony revealed in court filings, Hutchinson told the committee she was in the room for White House meetings where challenges to the election were debated and discussed, including with several Republican lawmakers. In one instance, Hutchinson described seeing Meadows incinerate documents after a meeting in his office with Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa.,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2022/05/26/meadows-burned-papers-meeting-scott-perry-00035411" target="_blank">Politico reported in May.</a>She also revealed that the White House counsel’s office cautioned against plans to enlist fake electors in swing states, including in meetings involving Meadows and Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani.During her three separate depositions, Hutchinson also testified about her boss’ surprise trip to Georgia weeks after the election to oversee the audit of absentee ballot envelope signatures and ask questions about the process.She also detailed how Jeffrey Clark — a top Justice Department official who championed Trump’s false claims of election fraud and whom the president contemplated naming as attorney general — was a “frequent presence” at the White House.The plot to remove the then-acting attorney general, Jeffrey Rosen, unraveled during a Jan. 3, 2021, meeting in the Oval Office when other&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-elections-donald-trump-campaigns-presidential-4e7e68e2ff57aadd96d09c873a43a317">senior Justice Department officials warned Trump that they would resign if he followed through with his plan to replace Rosen with Clark.</a>The House panel has not explained why it abruptly scheduled the 1 p.m. hearing as lawmakers are away from Washington on a two-week recess. The committee had said last week that there would be no more hearings until July.The precise subject of Tuesday’s hearing remained unclear, but the panel’s announcement Monday said it would be “to present recently obtained evidence and receive witness testimony.” A spokesman for the panel declined to elaborate and Hutchinson’s lawyer did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment.The person familiar with the committee’s plans to call Hutchinson could not discuss the matter publicly and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity.The nine-member committee’s investigation has continued during the hearings, which&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jan-6-capitol-riot-hearings-live-updates-eefb79f2cffb705f04bf43ea164db20f">started three weeks ago</a>&nbsp;into&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-confirm-joe-biden-78104aea082995bbd7412a6e6cd13818">the attack by Trump supporters</a>. Among the evidence, the committee recently obtained&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-entertainment-elections-donald-trump-presidential-7e345ec818d277b8896c193c658c52fc">footage of Trump and his inner circle</a>&nbsp;taken both before and after Jan. 6 from British filmmaker Alex Holder.Holder said last week that he had complied with a congressional subpoena to turn over all the footage he shot in the final weeks of Trump’s 2020 reelection campaign, including exclusive interviews with Trump, his children and then-Vice President Mike Pence.Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, the panel’s Democratic chairman, told reporters last week that the committee was in possession of the footage and needed more time to go through the hours of video.The panel has held five hearings so far, mostly laying out Trump’s pressure campaign on various institutions of power in the weeks leading up to the Jan. 6 joint session of Congress, when hundreds of the Republican’s supporters violently&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-joe-biden-capitol-siege-police-health-6b5a6c9d2069bf1325f684532d006013">pushed past police</a>, broke into the building and interrupted the certification of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-wins-white-house-ap-fd58df73aa677acb74fce2a69adb71f9">Democrat Joe Biden’s presidential election victory</a>.The committee has used the hearings to detail the pressure from Trump and his allies on Pence, on the states that were certifying Biden’s win, and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-elections-donald-trump-campaigns-presidential-4e7e68e2ff57aadd96d09c873a43a317">on the Justice Department</a>. The panel has used live interviews, video testimony of its private witness interviews and footage of the attack to detail what it has learned.Lawmakers said last week that the two July hearings would focus on domestic extremists who breached the Capitol that day and on what Trump was doing as the violence unfolded.Punchbowl News first reported that Hutchinson would be testifying.John Dean, the former White House counsel to President Richard Nixon, also set the expectations high for Tuesday’s hearing. He tweeted: “The January 6 Committee is dealing with a very high historical standard in springing a surprise hearing and witness tomorrow.” Dean, who was the first administration official to testify that Nixon was directly involved in the Watergate coverup, pointed to the surprise testimony from Alex Butterfield, who testified to Nixon’s secret taping system, as “forever changing history.”“If it is not really important information it’s going to hurt the credibility of this committee! Cancel now if you can’t match!” Dean continued.

🎥 1/6 panel hearing Day 6 replay: Angry Trump, legal warnings and ketchup       

BUTLER COUNTY –&nbsp;The Butler County Sheriff’s Office requested that the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) issue a statewide Silver Alert for a missing Towanda man.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/6/1656447959050.png" alt="Hayes-photo Butler Co. Sheriff" />
 <figcaption>Hayes-photo Butler Co. Sheriff</figcaption>
 </figure>BUTLER COUNTY –&nbsp;The Butler County Sheriff’s Office requested that the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) issue a statewide Silver Alert for a missing Towanda man.&nbsp;Joseph Moody Hayes left his home in Towanda, Kansas on Monday, June 20, en route to Anniston, Alabama to visit family. He never made it. Hayes was driving a 2014 Black Dodge Ram 1500 bearing Kansas tag 576HZW.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/6/1656447826598.png" alt="Hayes-photo Butler Co. Sheriff" />
 <figcaption>Hayes-photo Butler Co. Sheriff</figcaption>
 </figure>Hayes is a 71-year-old white male. He is around 5 foot-8 inches tall, and weighs 175 pounds. He has blue eyes and grey hair.While traveling, he contacted family and informed them that he got turned around in the Fort Worth, Texas area. They suggested he turn around and head back to Kansas. Joseph Hayes never arrived in Kansas.On Thursday, June 23, Hayes’s vehicle was spotted via license plate reader in Williamson County, Texas. One of his daughters made contact with him via telephone on Sunday, June 26, and he believed he was in the Dallas, Texas area.Hayes has suffered a previous stroke, has high blood pressure, and family indicates he has shown signs of dementia.&nbsp;If you see Joseph Hayes, or have information about his whereabouts, please immediately contact 911, or the Butler County Sheriff’s Office at 316-322-4398.