DOUGLAS COUNTY—The search for the driver of a fatal hit and run accident is over.

On Saturday, U.S. Marshals and Indiana State Troopers notified the Douglas County Kansas Sheriff’s Office that 28-year-old Jose Alfredo Galiano Mesa of Overland Park, was in custody in Martinsville, Indiana, according to Douglas County Sheriff Jay Armbrister.

The Sheriff’s Office had a warrant for Mesa’s arrest as the suspected driver that struck a motorcycle about 5:19 p.m., May 14 at East 1900 Road and Kansas Highway 10. Brooklyn Brouhard, 10, of Eudora, later died from injuries suffered in the crash. She was a passenger on the motorcycle driven by her grandfather Barry Larson, 54, of Eudora, who was also injured.

Authorities in Indiana located a vehicle with Mesa inside and took him into custody, and the Sheriff’s Office will now work on getting him extradited to Kansas to face charges.

“We are grateful for this arrest to begin the next chapter in the process in bringing answers to Brooklyn and her family. We thank all law enforcement agencies, especially the U.S. Marshals for their hard work.” Armbrister said.

“I also want to thank the public for their patience and trust in us in this process as we were limited in information we could provide while trying to locate a suspect in this serious crime who was eluding us.”

Mesa’s immigration status played a very large role in the need to keep his name from the public, Armbrister said.

“It was our fear that he would flee the country if we made him famous for all the wrong reasons, and we were poised to do so if it appeared he was moving south,” the sheriff said. “However, through tireless investigation, we knew he was still in the Midwest and could not risk pushing him out of the area, and due to those efforts, we were able to bring him safely into custody.”

After conducting an extensive investigation that included witness interviews, deputies early in the investigation were able to identify Mesa as the driver of the van that struck the motorcycle and left the scene. Mesa had been in Lawrence earlier in the day on May 14 for a painting job and was driving back to the Kansas City area.

Witnesses reported the driver of the white van after the collision proceeded down the ramp leaving its bumper behind and returned to eastbound K-10. Based on vehicle debris at the scene, witness interviews and assistance from area law enforcement agencies, deputies identified the vehicle and seized it on May 16 in the Kansas City area. After identifying Mesa, deputies and fellow law enforcement agencies, including the U.S. Marshals Service had attempted to locate Mesa.

DOUGLAS COUNTY— The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office has identified the driver of a fatal hit-and-run crash on May 14 at East 1900 Road and Kansas Highway 10, and investigators are actively searching for the suspect, according to Sheriff Jay Armbrister.

“The driver of the van was identified immediately after locating the van, and a warrant has been issued for his arrest. Authorities believe publicly disclosing his name will hinder law enforcement's ability to take him into custody. 

We ask for the community's continued patience as we work tirelessly to locate and bring this person safely into custody,” Armbrister said. “Once the driver is apprehended and we can provide more information, we believe the community will understand the circumstances.”

After conducting an extensive investigation that included witness interviews, deputies early in the investigation were able to identify the man suspected of driving the van that struck a motorcycle about 5:19 p.m., May 14. Brooklyn Brouhard, 10, of Eudora, later died from injuries suffered in the crash. 

She was a passenger on the motorcycle driven by her grandfather Barry Larson, 54, also of Eudora, who was also injured.

Witnesses reported the driver of the white van after the collision proceeded down the ramp leaving its bumper behind and returned to eastbound K-10. Based on vehicle debris at the scene, witness interviews and assistance from area law enforcement agencies, deputies identified the vehicle and seized it on May 16 in the Kansas City area. 

After identifying the driver, deputies have worked to locate him and bring him into custody.

Authorities continue to make a plea to the driver to turn himself in. “The

Sheriff’s Office will continue to do everything we can to bring answers for Brooklyn and her family," said Armbrister.

Anyone with knowledge or information about the suspected driver’s whereabouts is encouraged to contact Douglas County Crime Stoppers, 785-843-TIPS (8477), where callers may be eligible for a reward for credible information leading to an arrest.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/6/1654365394422.png" alt="Mesa-photo Morgan Co. Jail" />
 <figcaption>Mesa-photo Morgan Co. Jail</figcaption>
 </figure>DOUGLAS COUNTY—The search for the driver of a fatal hit and run accident is over.On Saturday, U.S. Marshals and Indiana State Troopers notified the Douglas County Kansas Sheriff’s Office that 28-year-old Jose Alfredo Galiano Mesa of Overland Park, was in custody in Martinsville, Indiana, according to Douglas County Sheriff Jay Armbrister.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/5/1652731134056.png" alt="Image Douglas Co. Sheriff" />
 <figcaption>Image Douglas Co. Sheriff</figcaption>
 </figure>The Sheriff’s Office had a warrant for Mesa’s arrest as the suspected driver that struck a motorcycle about 5:19 p.m., May 14 at East 1900 Road and Kansas Highway 10. Brooklyn Brouhard, 10, of Eudora, later died from injuries suffered in the crash. She was a passenger on the motorcycle driven by her grandfather Barry Larson, 54, of Eudora, who was also injured.Authorities in Indiana located a vehicle with Mesa inside and took him into custody, and the Sheriff’s Office will now work on getting him extradited to Kansas to face charges.“We are grateful for this arrest to begin the next chapter in the process in bringing answers to Brooklyn and her family. We thank all law enforcement agencies, especially the U.S. Marshals for their hard work.” Armbrister said.“I also want to thank the public for their patience and trust in us in this process as we were limited in information we could provide while trying to locate a suspect in this serious crime who was eluding us.”Mesa’s immigration status played a very large role in the need to keep his name from the public, Armbrister said.“It was our fear that he would flee the country if we made him famous for all the wrong reasons, and we were poised to do so if it appeared he was moving south,” the sheriff said. “However, through tireless investigation, we knew he was still in the Midwest and could not risk pushing him out of the area, and due to those efforts, we were able to bring him safely into custody.”After conducting an extensive investigation that included witness interviews, deputies early in the investigation were able to identify Mesa as the driver of the van that struck the motorcycle and left the scene. Mesa had been in Lawrence earlier in the day on May 14 for a painting job and was driving back to the Kansas City area.Witnesses reported the driver of the white van after the collision proceeded down the ramp leaving its bumper behind and returned to eastbound K-10. Based on vehicle debris at the scene, witness interviews and assistance from area law enforcement agencies, deputies identified the vehicle and seized it on May 16 in the Kansas City area. After identifying Mesa, deputies and fellow law enforcement agencies, including the U.S. Marshals Service had attempted to locate Mesa.--------DOUGLAS COUNTY— The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office has identified the driver of a fatal hit-and-run crash on May 14 at East 1900 Road and Kansas Highway 10, and investigators are actively searching for the suspect, according to Sheriff Jay Armbrister.“The driver of the van was identified immediately after locating the van, and a warrant has been issued for his arrest. Authorities believe publicly disclosing his name will hinder law enforcement's ability to take him into custody. We ask for the community's continued patience as we work tirelessly to locate and bring this person safely into custody,” Armbrister said. “Once the driver is apprehended and we can provide more information, we believe the community will understand the circumstances.”After conducting an extensive investigation that included witness interviews, deputies early in the investigation were able to identify the man suspected of driving the van that struck a motorcycle about 5:19 p.m., May 14. Brooklyn Brouhard, 10, of Eudora, later died from injuries suffered in the crash. She was a passenger on the motorcycle driven by her grandfather Barry Larson, 54, also of Eudora, who was also injured.Witnesses reported the driver of the white van after the collision proceeded down the ramp leaving its bumper behind and returned to eastbound K-10. Based on vehicle debris at the scene, witness interviews and assistance from area law enforcement agencies, deputies identified the vehicle and seized it on May 16 in the Kansas City area. After identifying the driver, deputies have worked to locate him and bring him into custody.Authorities continue to make a plea to the driver to turn himself in. “TheSheriff’s Office will continue to do everything we can to bring answers for Brooklyn and her family," said Armbrister.Anyone with knowledge or information about the suspected driver’s whereabouts is encouraged to contact Douglas County Crime Stoppers, 785-843-TIPS (8477), where callers may be eligible for a reward for credible information leading to an arrest.-------------

US Marshals arrest driver in hit-and-run that killed Kansas girl

FRANKLIN COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a shooting on a Kansas highway and have made an arrest.

Just after 6:30a.m. Friday, Sheriff's Deputies arrested 22-year-old Devin W. Fuller of Baldwin City following an investigation that suggested he shot a gun from his vehicle at another vehicle, according to a media release from the Franklin County Sheriff.

The incident occurred as Fuller was chasing the other vehicle&nbsp; southbound on U.S. 59 Highway at a high rate of speed.

Fuller is jailed on a $1,000,000 bond on requested charges of attempted first-degree murder, endangerment, criminal discharge of a firearm and criminal possession of a firearm.

FRANKLIN COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a shooting on a Kansas highway and have made an arrest.Just after 6:30a.m. Friday, Sheriff's Deputies arrested 22-year-old Devin W. Fuller of Baldwin City following an investigation that suggested he shot a gun from his vehicle at another vehicle, according to a media release from the Franklin County Sheriff.The incident occurred as Fuller was chasing the other vehicle&nbsp; southbound on U.S. 59 Highway at a high rate of speed.Fuller is jailed on a $1,000,000 bond on requested charges of attempted first-degree murder, endangerment, criminal discharge of a firearm and criminal possession of a firearm.

Sheriff: Kan. driver jailed for chasing, shooting gun at vehicle

WASHINGTON (AP) — Abbott Nutrition has restarted production at the Michigan baby formula factory that has been closed for months due to contamination, the company said Saturday, taking a step toward easing a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/baby-formula-shortage-what-to-know-735cef06e68ed9c5a46233bdfcf0573d">nationwide supply shortage</a>&nbsp;expected to persist into the summer.

The February shutdown of the largest formula factory in the country led to the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/covid-science-business-health-d3e32ba9e2381f77c299391e762abe21">supply problems</a>&nbsp;that have forced some parents to seek formula from food banks, friends and doctor’s offices.

Abbott said it initially will prioritize production of its EleCare specialty formulas for infants with severe food allergies and digestive problems who have few other options for nutrition. The company said it will take about three weeks before new formula from the plant begins showing up on store shelves.

“We will ramp production as quickly as we can while meeting all requirements,” Abbott said in a statement.

The plant’s reopening is one of several federal actions that are expected to improve supplies in the weeks ahead. President Joe Biden’s administration has eased&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-health-government-and-politics-53857b4ba1006a8bf85caad251517f4c">import rules</a>&nbsp;for foreign manufacturers,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-health-indianapolis-00f39fd46778ecdd543c22f3630d79ba">airlifted</a>&nbsp;formula from Europe and invoked federal&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-health-government-and-politics-45fec7e9bc83e67a4b4ac27655243820">emergency rules</a>&nbsp;to prioritize U.S. production.

Abbott closed the Sturgis, Michigan,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/science-health-government-and-politics-1e54ff345ab2a4be93f2e24d991e4450">factory</a>&nbsp;in February after the Food and Drug Administration began investigating four bacterial infections among infants who consumed powdered formula from the plant. Two of the babies died. The company continues to state that its products have not been directly linked to the infections, which involved different bacterial strains.

FDA inspectors eventually uncovered a host of violations at the plant, including bacterial contamination, a leaky roof and lax safety protocols. The FDA has faced intense scrutiny for taking months to close the plant and then negotiate its reopening. Agency leaders recently told Congress they had to enter a legally binding agreement with Abbott to assure all the problems were fixed.

Abbott’s February recall of several leading brands, including Similac, squeezed supplies that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/baby-formula-shortage-what-to-know-735cef06e68ed9c5a46233bdfcf0573d">had already been strained</a>&nbsp;by supply chain disruptions and stockpiling during COVID-19 shutdowns.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/3/1648164055231.png" alt="“We will ramp production as quickly as we can while meeting all requirements,” Abbott said in a statement-photo FDA" />
 <figcaption>“We will ramp production as quickly as we can while meeting all requirements,” Abbott said in a statement-photo FDA</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — Abbott Nutrition has restarted production at the Michigan baby formula factory that has been closed for months due to contamination, the company said Saturday, taking a step toward easing a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/baby-formula-shortage-what-to-know-735cef06e68ed9c5a46233bdfcf0573d">nationwide supply shortage</a>&nbsp;expected to persist into the summer.The February shutdown of the largest formula factory in the country led to the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/covid-science-business-health-d3e32ba9e2381f77c299391e762abe21">supply problems</a>&nbsp;that have forced some parents to seek formula from food banks, friends and doctor’s offices.Abbott said it initially will prioritize production of its EleCare specialty formulas for infants with severe food allergies and digestive problems who have few other options for nutrition. The company said it will take about three weeks before new formula from the plant begins showing up on store shelves.“We will ramp production as quickly as we can while meeting all requirements,” Abbott said in a statement.The plant’s reopening is one of several federal actions that are expected to improve supplies in the weeks ahead. President Joe Biden’s administration has eased&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-health-government-and-politics-53857b4ba1006a8bf85caad251517f4c">import rules</a>&nbsp;for foreign manufacturers,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-health-indianapolis-00f39fd46778ecdd543c22f3630d79ba">airlifted</a>&nbsp;formula from Europe and invoked federal&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-health-government-and-politics-45fec7e9bc83e67a4b4ac27655243820">emergency rules</a>&nbsp;to prioritize U.S. production.Abbott closed the Sturgis, Michigan,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/science-health-government-and-politics-1e54ff345ab2a4be93f2e24d991e4450">factory</a>&nbsp;in February after the Food and Drug Administration began investigating four bacterial infections among infants who consumed powdered formula from the plant. Two of the babies died. The company continues to state that its products have not been directly linked to the infections, which involved different bacterial strains.FDA inspectors eventually uncovered a host of violations at the plant, including bacterial contamination, a leaky roof and lax safety protocols. The FDA has faced intense scrutiny for taking months to close the plant and then negotiate its reopening. Agency leaders recently told Congress they had to enter a legally binding agreement with Abbott to assure all the problems were fixed.Abbott’s February recall of several leading brands, including Similac, squeezed supplies that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/baby-formula-shortage-what-to-know-735cef06e68ed9c5a46233bdfcf0573d">had already been strained</a>&nbsp;by supply chain disruptions and stockpiling during COVID-19 shutdowns.

Abbott restarts baby formula plant linked to contamination

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A jury has found that a white Topeka police officer did not use excessive force when he arrested a Black man in 2018. Timothy Harris sued Officer Christopher Janes after his arrest during a traffic stop in Topeka. 

He alleged Janes violated his civil rights by taking him to the ground, hitting him and using pepper spray while his hands were handcuffed behind his back. A federal jury on Thursday ruled in Janes' favor. 

During closing arguments, Janes' attorney argued that Harris was resisting arrest during the confrontation and the officer's conduct was reasonable. Harris' attorney argued Harris was cooperating when he was thrown to the ground.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/6/1654286384210.png" alt="Harris as seen in police body camera images of the arrest-photo courtesy WIBW-TV" />
 <figcaption>Harris as seen in police body camera images of the arrest-photo courtesy WIBW-TV</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A jury has found that a white Topeka police officer did not use excessive force when he arrested a Black man in 2018. Timothy Harris sued Officer Christopher Janes after his arrest during a traffic stop in Topeka. He alleged Janes violated his civil rights by taking him to the ground, hitting him and using pepper spray while his hands were handcuffed behind his back. A federal jury on Thursday ruled in Janes' favor. During closing arguments, Janes' attorney argued that Harris was resisting arrest during the confrontation and the officer's conduct was reasonable. Harris' attorney argued Harris was cooperating when he was thrown to the ground.

Jury: Kansas officer did not use excessive force in 2018 arrest

By TIM CARPENTER <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/05/30/kansas-action-for-children-focuses-on-early-education-food-security-and-health-insurance/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA — Kansas Action for Children’s Adrienne Olejnik knows the look
 of kids enduring without a sustainable food source, quality early 
childhood education and benefit of routine medical care.

Her job required she look squarely in the eye politicians of the 2022
 Kansas Legislature making decisions that didn’t always place those 
needy children high on the agenda despite the state’s extraordinary 
financial surplus.

“I would like them to have the conversations that they have ignored 
for the last several years,” Olejnik said on the Kansas Reflector 
podcast.&nbsp;“We have too many uninsured kids. Too many kids are going 
hungry.”

Here’s a peek at three statistics motivating Olejnik: 86,000 under 
age six are without licensed childcare, 43,000 went without health 
insurance in 2019 prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, and one in six face 
food insecurity.

“We’re sitting on that budget surplus, and I know they want to be 
cautious and somewhat frugal, but they rush to make tax cuts all the 
time, and yet they don’t rush to invest in kids. So, if I had a magic 
wand, I would really have them consider what their role is to our next 
generation,” said Olejnik, vice president at Kansas Action for Children.

KAC, a nonpartisan and nonprofit organization based in Topeka, works 
with local organizations, state policymakers and other advocates to make
 a difference in lives of children across Kansas. Their quest is to 
build a state where every child secures the care, education and 
resources to thrive.

The Legislature annually produces bills aimed at the welfare of 
children, but KAC believes lawmakers frequently settled for status quo. 
The 2022 Legislature voted to hold hundreds of millions of dollars in 
reserve funds, which would be available for future investments rather 
than have immediate impact.

“You know, right now, families are surviving — not necessarily 
thriving,” said Jessica Herrera Russell, also of Kansas Action for 
Children.

The House and Senate did agree to lower the state’s food sales tax 
from 6.5% to 4% on Jan. 1, 2023. The legislation signed by Gov. Laura 
Kelly, who preferred the state’s regressive sales tax on groceries be 
eliminated July 1, would result in zeroing out the state’s portion of 
food sales tax Jan. 1, 2025.

“When the initial cut does start, it will help … with these rising 
costs due to inflation on groceries,” Russell said. “Hopefully, that 
money can go back into families’ pockets.”

The Legislature passed an economic development bill that featured 
expansion of the employer childcare tax credit. Since 2012, it’s been 
limited to certain types of businesses. Going forward, all sorts of 
companies will be able to deploy the credit to improve affordability and
 availability of childcare for their workers.

Olejnik said a wave of organizations and individuals pleaded with the
 Legislature to amend state law to widen access to a program designed to
 support workers struggling to secure childcare.

“That’s one of the successes for us this session,” Olejnik said. “A 
business can support their employees by either providing onsite 
childcare, and some businesses here in Kansas do that. It could also 
subsidize the cost of child care for their employees. So, they can make 
some level of contribution to make it more affordable.”

The Legislature declined to expand eligibility for Medicaid to more 
than 100,000 Kansans under the Affordable Care Act. The governor 
recommended expansion. Polling has indicated most Kansans support 
extension of KanCare to lower-income families, but resistance among some
 Republican lawmakers remained. They argued the program could be too 
costly or creation of a bigger entitlement program wasn’t good for 
Kansas.

Olejnik said the state ought to enlarge the category of people 
covered by Medicaid and invest more in delivery of Medicaid services to 
people with disabilities on waiting lists.

The Legislature approved, despite a veto from Kelly, a bill 
forbidding the Democratic governor from proceeding with rewriting the $4
 billion annual contract with three for-profit insurance companies that 
provide KanCare services statewide. That legislation was controversial 
because no individual, group, company or lobbyist stepped forward to 
claim ownership of the bill.

Olejnik said the current state contract with KanCare providers fell 
short because it didn’t require disclosure of important information 
about availability and quality of services to children.

The Legislature did, however, adopt a bill adding Kansas to a new 
federal program boosting postpartum depression coverage through Medicaid
 from the current two months after birth to 12 months after birth. It 
was recommended in January by Kelly, and the House and Senate included 
the necessary language in the state’s new budget.

“We know that when mothers are healthy, their babies are healthy,” 
Russell said. “They’re on that right path to getting their health care 
needs bet. So, this was really important.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/5/1654014551242.png" alt="Kansas Action for Children staff members Jessica Herrera Russell, left, and Adrienne Olejnik welcomed several policy changes by the 2022 Legislature, but urged lawmakers to look closer at the need for childcare, health and food assistance helpful to kids. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>Kansas Action for Children staff members Jessica Herrera Russell, left, and Adrienne Olejnik welcomed several policy changes by the 2022 Legislature, but urged lawmakers to look closer at the need for childcare, health and food assistance helpful to kids. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>By TIM CARPENTER <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/05/30/kansas-action-for-children-focuses-on-early-education-food-security-and-health-insurance/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — Kansas Action for Children’s Adrienne Olejnik knows the look
 of kids enduring without a sustainable food source, quality early 
childhood education and benefit of routine medical care.Her job required she look squarely in the eye politicians of the 2022
 Kansas Legislature making decisions that didn’t always place those 
needy children high on the agenda despite the state’s extraordinary 
financial surplus.“I would like them to have the conversations that they have ignored 
for the last several years,” Olejnik said on the Kansas Reflector 
podcast.&nbsp;“We have too many uninsured kids. Too many kids are going 
hungry.”Here’s a peek at three statistics motivating Olejnik: 86,000 under 
age six are without licensed childcare, 43,000 went without health 
insurance in 2019 prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, and one in six face 
food insecurity.“We’re sitting on that budget surplus, and I know they want to be 
cautious and somewhat frugal, but they rush to make tax cuts all the 
time, and yet they don’t rush to invest in kids. So, if I had a magic 
wand, I would really have them consider what their role is to our next 
generation,” said Olejnik, vice president at Kansas Action for Children.<div><iframe width="100%" height="300" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" allow="autoplay" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/1276068529&color=%232b7fb4&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true&visual=true"></iframe><div style="font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc;line-break: anywhere;word-break: normal;overflow: hidden;white-space: nowrap;text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 100;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/kansas-reflector-podcast" title="Reflector Podcast" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">Reflector Podcast</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/kansas-reflector-podcast/kansas-children-in-the-legislature" title="How the Kansas Legislature impacts Kansas children" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">How the Kansas Legislature impacts Kansas children</a></div></div>KAC, a nonpartisan and nonprofit organization based in Topeka, works 
with local organizations, state policymakers and other advocates to make
 a difference in lives of children across Kansas. Their quest is to 
build a state where every child secures the care, education and 
resources to thrive.The Legislature annually produces bills aimed at the welfare of 
children, but KAC believes lawmakers frequently settled for status quo. 
The 2022 Legislature voted to hold hundreds of millions of dollars in 
reserve funds, which would be available for future investments rather 
than have immediate impact.“You know, right now, families are surviving — not necessarily 
thriving,” said Jessica Herrera Russell, also of Kansas Action for 
Children.The House and Senate did agree to lower the state’s food sales tax 
from 6.5% to 4% on Jan. 1, 2023. The legislation signed by Gov. Laura 
Kelly, who preferred the state’s regressive sales tax on groceries be 
eliminated July 1, would result in zeroing out the state’s portion of 
food sales tax Jan. 1, 2025.“When the initial cut does start, it will help … with these rising 
costs due to inflation on groceries,” Russell said. “Hopefully, that 
money can go back into families’ pockets.”The Legislature passed an economic development bill that featured 
expansion of the employer childcare tax credit. Since 2012, it’s been 
limited to certain types of businesses. Going forward, all sorts of 
companies will be able to deploy the credit to improve affordability and
 availability of childcare for their workers.Olejnik said a wave of organizations and individuals pleaded with the
 Legislature to amend state law to widen access to a program designed to
 support workers struggling to secure childcare.“That’s one of the successes for us this session,” Olejnik said. “A 
business can support their employees by either providing onsite 
childcare, and some businesses here in Kansas do that. It could also 
subsidize the cost of child care for their employees. So, they can make 
some level of contribution to make it more affordable.”The Legislature declined to expand eligibility for Medicaid to more 
than 100,000 Kansans under the Affordable Care Act. The governor 
recommended expansion. Polling has indicated most Kansans support 
extension of KanCare to lower-income families, but resistance among some
 Republican lawmakers remained. They argued the program could be too 
costly or creation of a bigger entitlement program wasn’t good for 
Kansas.Olejnik said the state ought to enlarge the category of people 
covered by Medicaid and invest more in delivery of Medicaid services to 
people with disabilities on waiting lists.The Legislature approved, despite a veto from Kelly, a bill 
forbidding the Democratic governor from proceeding with rewriting the $4
 billion annual contract with three for-profit insurance companies that 
provide KanCare services statewide. That legislation was controversial 
because no individual, group, company or lobbyist stepped forward to 
claim ownership of the bill.Olejnik said the current state contract with KanCare providers fell 
short because it didn’t require disclosure of important information 
about availability and quality of services to children.The Legislature did, however, adopt a bill adding Kansas to a new 
federal program boosting postpartum depression coverage through Medicaid
 from the current two months after birth to 12 months after birth. It 
was recommended in January by Kelly, and the House and Senate included 
the necessary language in the state’s new budget.“We know that when mothers are healthy, their babies are healthy,” 
Russell said. “They’re on that right path to getting their health care 
needs bet. So, this was really important.”

🎙 Kan. nonprofit focuses on early education, food security, health insurance

WASHINGTON (AP) — Mary Jane Riva, CEO of the Pizza Factory, has a cautionary message for her customers this summer: Prepare to wait longer for your Hawaiian pie or calzone.

The Pizza Factory’s 100 West Coast locations are desperately short of workers. With about 12 employees per store, they’re barely half-staffed — just when many more Americans are venturing out to restaurant chains like hers.

“The days of 15-minute orders,” Riva said, “may not be happening anymore.”

Talk to other employers in America’s vast hospitality sector — hotels, restaurants, public pools, ice cream parlors, pick-your-own strawberry farms — and you’ll hear a similar lament. They can’t fill many of their summer jobs because the number of open positions far exceeds the number of people willing and able to fill them — even at increased wages.

Some help may be coming: School’s out for summer, cutting loose millions of high school and college students for the next three months. Riva, for one, is hoping to field more job applications from students seeking summertime spending money.

Teens are in an unusually commanding position — at least those among them who want a job. Researchers at Drexel University’s Center for Labor Markets and Policy predicted in a report last month that an average of 33% of youths ages 16 to 19 will be employed each month from June through August this year, the highest such rate since 34% in the summer of 2007.

Among them is Samuel Castillo, a 19-year-old four-year veteran of Miami’s Summer Jobs Connect program who’s already built an impressive resume. In one former job with the program, he worked in a legislative office, registering constituent complaints. His first summer, he saved $900 to buy parts to build his own computer.

Now, he’s studying computer engineering technology in college and working in the Jobs Connect program again this summer, earning $15 an hour teaching other students how to manage money.

“The goal for working is to pay my bills,” he said. “School costs money. Books cost money.’’

Likewise, Lara Beckius, a junior at Connecticut College, said she went from being stressed out about finding a summer job to being stressed out about choosing among multiple offers. In the end, Beckius settled on an internship at the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens in Boothbay, Maine.

After several offers arrived within a week, she frantically sought advice from others and searched on Google for a courteous way to turn down job offers.

“It was a little crazy,” said Beckius, a 19-year-old from Avon, Connecticut. “It went from, ‘Am I going to have something this summer?’ to having four opportunities and, ‘Which one am I going to take?’ ”

This year, for the first time in a couple of years, employers might get more help from overseas. After restricting immigration as a COVID-19 precaution, the government is beginning to loosen up: The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has raised the limit on H-2B temporary work permits — used for seasonal work — by 35,000 visas.

Cape Resorts, which operates several boutique hotels, cottages and restaurants in Cape May and elsewhere in New Jersey and New York, will employ about 120 international students this summer on J-1 visas, work permits that also serve as a kind of cultural exchange program. The company employs about 950 staffers.

“Finding staff that are eager to fill hospitality roles remains a challenge,” said Cindy D’Aoust, a company executive. “But it is great to see the return of our international students as well as returning college students for the summer season.”

Still, today’s level of teen employment isn’t close to what it used to be. In August 1978, 50% of America’s teenagers were working. Around 2000, teenage employment went into a decade-long slide. In June 2010, during the agonizingly slow recovery from the 2007-2009 Great Recession, teenage employment bottomed at 25% before slowly rising again as the economy recovered.

It was more than economic doldrums that kept teens away from work. Longer-term economic forces and changing personal choices contributed, too. The U.S. economy now offers fewer low-skill, entry-level jobs — ready-made for teens — than in the 1970s and 1980s. Many such jobs that do remain, from supermarket clerk to fast-food burger flipper, are increasingly likely to be taken by older workers, many of them immigrants.

And many teens from affluent families, eyeing admission to top universities, have chosen to forgo summer jobs for summer school or volunteer work that bear mention on college applications. Others now spend their summers playing sports.

But COVID and its economic damage changed everything. At first, the economy collapsed as businesses locked down and consumers hunkered down at home. Soon, vast federal aid and ultra-low interest rates ignited an unexpectedly fast recovery. Businesses scrambled to recall employees they had laid off and to find new ones to keep up with resurgent customer orders.

The U.S. unemployment rate has dropped to 3.6%, just above a half-century low. This week, the government reported that employers posted 11.4 job openings in April, down from a record 11.9 million in March but still extraordinarily high. On average, there are now roughly two jobs available for every unemployed American.

Suddenly, teenagers are in much greater demand. And the pay available to them — $15 or $16 an hour for entry-level work — is drawing some back into the job market. Teenage employment has already topped pre-pandemic levels even though the overall job market still hasn’t.

With desperate employers jacking up hourly wages, many teens can take jobs that pay better than the usual seasonal openings at summer camps, RV parks, and resorts, said Julia Pollak, an economist at ZipRecruiter.

“We have this big gap in the market now,” she said. “There are no takers for jobs that are typically given to teens for pocket money.”

It’s become a serious headache for Melissa Mroczek, who owns Nomad Wax Co., which makes soy candles and scented products in Omaha, Nebraska. Mroczek has been struggling to fill a position for a paid marketing intern. A few candidates showed interest. Two got to the hiring stage — and then disappeared, even though Mroczek is offering above minimum wage pay, plus school credits and a flexible schedule.

Never in her four years of running Nomad Candle, and 15 years before that as a hiring manager for a national financial services firm, has Mroczek had so much difficulty hiring.

“We still haven’t filled it, and at this point we may not be able to,” she said. “So we may look to find a high school student or try to move this to the fall semester instead and work directly with a professor to offer course credit.”

For teens who do want to work and have their choice of jobs, economists and other analysts welcome the reversal in fortune. Summertime jobs give young people experience and make it more likely they will work later in life, the Drexel researchers say — good news for a U.S. labor force that is losing the vast baby boom generation to retirement. Entry-level jobs also give teens the opportunity to learn how to handle money and to mingle with colleagues and customers from diverse economic and cultural backgrounds.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Mary Jane Riva, CEO of the Pizza Factory, has a cautionary message for her customers this summer: Prepare to wait longer for your Hawaiian pie or calzone.The Pizza Factory’s 100 West Coast locations are desperately short of workers. With about 12 employees per store, they’re barely half-staffed — just when many more Americans are venturing out to restaurant chains like hers.“The days of 15-minute orders,” Riva said, “may not be happening anymore.”Talk to other employers in America’s vast hospitality sector — hotels, restaurants, public pools, ice cream parlors, pick-your-own strawberry farms — and you’ll hear a similar lament. They can’t fill many of their summer jobs because the number of open positions far exceeds the number of people willing and able to fill them — even at increased wages.Some help may be coming: School’s out for summer, cutting loose millions of high school and college students for the next three months. Riva, for one, is hoping to field more job applications from students seeking summertime spending money.Teens are in an unusually commanding position — at least those among them who want a job. Researchers at Drexel University’s Center for Labor Markets and Policy predicted in a report last month that an average of 33% of youths ages 16 to 19 will be employed each month from June through August this year, the highest such rate since 34% in the summer of 2007.Among them is Samuel Castillo, a 19-year-old four-year veteran of Miami’s Summer Jobs Connect program who’s already built an impressive resume. In one former job with the program, he worked in a legislative office, registering constituent complaints. His first summer, he saved $900 to buy parts to build his own computer.Now, he’s studying computer engineering technology in college and working in the Jobs Connect program again this summer, earning $15 an hour teaching other students how to manage money.“The goal for working is to pay my bills,” he said. “School costs money. Books cost money.’’Likewise, Lara Beckius, a junior at Connecticut College, said she went from being stressed out about finding a summer job to being stressed out about choosing among multiple offers. In the end, Beckius settled on an internship at the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens in Boothbay, Maine.After several offers arrived within a week, she frantically sought advice from others and searched on Google for a courteous way to turn down job offers.“It was a little crazy,” said Beckius, a 19-year-old from Avon, Connecticut. “It went from, ‘Am I going to have something this summer?’ to having four opportunities and, ‘Which one am I going to take?’ ”This year, for the first time in a couple of years, employers might get more help from overseas. After restricting immigration as a COVID-19 precaution, the government is beginning to loosen up: The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has raised the limit on H-2B temporary work permits — used for seasonal work — by 35,000 visas.Cape Resorts, which operates several boutique hotels, cottages and restaurants in Cape May and elsewhere in New Jersey and New York, will employ about 120 international students this summer on J-1 visas, work permits that also serve as a kind of cultural exchange program. The company employs about 950 staffers.“Finding staff that are eager to fill hospitality roles remains a challenge,” said Cindy D’Aoust, a company executive. “But it is great to see the return of our international students as well as returning college students for the summer season.”Still, today’s level of teen employment isn’t close to what it used to be. In August 1978, 50% of America’s teenagers were working. Around 2000, teenage employment went into a decade-long slide. In June 2010, during the agonizingly slow recovery from the 2007-2009 Great Recession, teenage employment bottomed at 25% before slowly rising again as the economy recovered.It was more than economic doldrums that kept teens away from work. Longer-term economic forces and changing personal choices contributed, too. The U.S. economy now offers fewer low-skill, entry-level jobs — ready-made for teens — than in the 1970s and 1980s. Many such jobs that do remain, from supermarket clerk to fast-food burger flipper, are increasingly likely to be taken by older workers, many of them immigrants.And many teens from affluent families, eyeing admission to top universities, have chosen to forgo summer jobs for summer school or volunteer work that bear mention on college applications. Others now spend their summers playing sports.But COVID and its economic damage changed everything. At first, the economy collapsed as businesses locked down and consumers hunkered down at home. Soon, vast federal aid and ultra-low interest rates ignited an unexpectedly fast recovery. Businesses scrambled to recall employees they had laid off and to find new ones to keep up with resurgent customer orders.The U.S. unemployment rate has dropped to 3.6%, just above a half-century low. This week, the government reported that employers posted 11.4 job openings in April, down from a record 11.9 million in March but still extraordinarily high. On average, there are now roughly two jobs available for every unemployed American.Suddenly, teenagers are in much greater demand. And the pay available to them — $15 or $16 an hour for entry-level work — is drawing some back into the job market. Teenage employment has already topped pre-pandemic levels even though the overall job market still hasn’t.With desperate employers jacking up hourly wages, many teens can take jobs that pay better than the usual seasonal openings at summer camps, RV parks, and resorts, said Julia Pollak, an economist at ZipRecruiter.“We have this big gap in the market now,” she said. “There are no takers for jobs that are typically given to teens for pocket money.”It’s become a serious headache for Melissa Mroczek, who owns Nomad Wax Co., which makes soy candles and scented products in Omaha, Nebraska. Mroczek has been struggling to fill a position for a paid marketing intern. A few candidates showed interest. Two got to the hiring stage — and then disappeared, even though Mroczek is offering above minimum wage pay, plus school credits and a flexible schedule.Never in her four years of running Nomad Candle, and 15 years before that as a hiring manager for a national financial services firm, has Mroczek had so much difficulty hiring.“We still haven’t filled it, and at this point we may not be able to,” she said. “So we may look to find a high school student or try to move this to the fall semester instead and work directly with a professor to offer course credit.”For teens who do want to work and have their choice of jobs, economists and other analysts welcome the reversal in fortune. Summertime jobs give young people experience and make it more likely they will work later in life, the Drexel researchers say — good news for a U.S. labor force that is losing the vast baby boom generation to retirement. Entry-level jobs also give teens the opportunity to learn how to handle money and to mingle with colleagues and customers from diverse economic and cultural backgrounds.

Red-hot summer job market awaits US teens as employers sweat

LYON COUNTY—One person died in an accident just after 5p.m. Friday in Lyon County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a bicycle ridden by&nbsp; Gregory&nbsp;Bachman, 61, Frisco, Colorado, was northbound on County Road F at County Road 190.&nbsp;

The bicycle entered the intersection and struck a westbound 2011 Chevy Silverado driven by Cory E. Smith, 52, Emporia.&nbsp;

Bachman was pronounced dead at the scene.&nbsp;Smith was not injured. Bachman was wearing a helmet, according to the KHP.

LYON COUNTY—One person died in an accident just after 5p.m. Friday in Lyon County.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a bicycle ridden by&nbsp; Gregory&nbsp;Bachman, 61, Frisco, Colorado, was northbound on County Road F at County Road 190.&nbsp;The bicycle entered the intersection and struck a westbound 2011 Chevy Silverado driven by Cory E. Smith, 52, Emporia.&nbsp;Bachman was pronounced dead at the scene.&nbsp;Smith was not injured. Bachman was wearing a helmet, according to the KHP.

Man dies after bicycle, pickup accident on Kansas road

By ERIC THOMAS <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/06/03/screaming-on-the-sidelines-confessions-of-a-semi-reformed-sports-dad-in-kansas/">Courtesy Kansas Reflector</a>

Any parent who has a child playing sports has a story like this.

This weekend we were watching the 
closing minutes of a soccer game before my son was taking the field with
 his team. The game was between teams of 18-year-olds in a tournament, 
and clearly something contentious had happened earlier.

The coaches were jawing at the 
referee. The players seemed more focused on pushing each other around 
than winning the ball or scoring goals. It was tense, but also lazy, 
soccer. My wife and I watched the feisty grind to pass time.

As a loose ball skittered into a 
dangerous area, a defender lost track of the forward he was marking. 
Once he relocated him, it was too late to do anything but foul him. The 
defender brought his opponent down in a dangerous rugby tackle, 
maliciously hooking the forward’s legs as they rolled on the ground. The
 forward sprung up from the tackle, prepared for a fight. And he got 
it.&nbsp;

The goalkeeper rushed forward and blindsided him with a shove.&nbsp;

What followed was a predictable 
shower of yellow cards and red cards, eventually sending off three 
players. That’s where the drama should have ended. As someone who didn’t
 care a bit about which team won, I judged that the referee had done his
 job. Tempers subsided.

But then, the dad from the sidelines piped up.

“That’s just terrible,” he said to the referee. “How can you do that to my son? You are just terrible!”

The ref spun on his heels and asked, rhetorically he hoped, “Do you want to leave too?”

“You should be parking cars!” the dad shouted. “You are awful. You should be parking cars!”

If I printed here the number of times
 the dad mentioned the referee’s acumen with storing automobiles, you 
wouldn’t believe it. It was his furious public mantra. Over and over, 
louder and louder, with “parking cars!”

A field marshal arrived. More 
shouting, plus an escort to the parking lot (fittingly) for the dad. 
After five minutes, the game resumed.

This story is just this weekend’s 
installment from our experience watching parent madness in youth soccer.
 We’ve seen parents ejected. Parents mouthing at opposing 12-year-olds 
while they are playing. One parent glowered over a referee as he stalked
 after him, saying, “I’m gonna kick your a**.”

Years ago, while photographing a 
football game, I saw a referee call off the rest of the game after a 
parent stormed onto the field on the opening kickoff! Just one play was 
the entirety of a game. Thanks to one parent.

I write these words with full 
understanding of how unreasonable I have been. My family even has a meme
 of something I once said to a teenage ref — during a soccer game for 
10-year-olds — after his call led to a goal.&nbsp;

I screamed, “That’s on you, sir!” with a toxic blend of accusation and mocking respect.

I have found it difficult to be the 
good sports parent that I hope to be. We want our kids to win. We want 
them to compete fairly. And we get particularly livid when we feel 
missed calls put them at risk of injury. There are reasons behind the 
madness festering in the folding chair on the sidelines.

This year, I made a promise to my 
son. I would stop coaching him from the sidelines. We pay a coach who is
 far more talented than me for that. I would also stop screaming at the 
refs.

At the outset of my promise, I kept 
score using a note on my phone. Each game that I avoided coaching my kid
 or the ref earned me a tally. It helped me see that I was making 
progress.

And it worked — mostly. I made it 
through a season with dozens of games without coaching my boy. My wife 
only occasionally has to reach over with a calming hand on my forearm to
 remind me of my silliness toward officials.

The irony is that my son is now 
reffing games. What would I think if I saw a dad yelling at my son that 
he is awful or that he had ruined a family’s weekend by failing to raise
 an offside flag?

Sports leagues <a target="_blank" href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2021/12/06/youth-sports-referees-quitting-shortage-sports-officials-quit/">struggle to fill officiating slots</a>.
 We have an insatiable appetite for youth sports that requires hundreds 
of referees for games every weekend: Baseball, soccer, basketball and 
volleyball run essentially year-round. Yet our ferocity towards 
officials <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/21/sports/referee-shortage-youth-sports.html">repels so many potential young refs</a>. One <a target="_blank" href="https://www.facebook.com/youreoffside">social media account</a> documents the nationwide problems of parents who yell during youth sports.

As I work to be more reasonable, I 
have realized the biggest reward for being a sane parent comes on the 
ride home after the game. You might think “venting” toward the ref about
 a missed offsides call or a questionable foul would have left me 
feeling relieved.

But the truth is, time after time, I 
felt ashamed. My focus was on how I embarrassed myself, wishing I could 
take it back, rather than on the truly incredible thing: My son was 
playing soccer — a far more elegant brand of soccer than any soccer I 
ever played — with a gaggle of friends he loves and a coach he admires.

That is my goal these days: to shut 
up with my negativity on the sidelines so that after the game I can 
return home with a light heart, and do an incredible job of parking my 
car.

<a target="_blank" href="https://journalism.ku.edu/eric-thomas">Eric Thomas</a>&nbsp;directs the Kansas Scholastic Press Association and teaches visual journalism and photojournalism at the University of Kansas.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/6/1654266244855.png" alt="A foul? Not a foul? Youth sports games can turn parents into abusive maniacs rather than supportive fans, writes our columnist. (Eric Thomas)" />
 <figcaption>A foul? Not a foul? Youth sports games can turn parents into abusive maniacs rather than supportive fans, writes our columnist. (Eric Thomas)</figcaption>
 </figure>By ERIC THOMAS <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/06/03/screaming-on-the-sidelines-confessions-of-a-semi-reformed-sports-dad-in-kansas/">Courtesy Kansas Reflector</a>Any parent who has a child playing sports has a story like this.This weekend we were watching the 
closing minutes of a soccer game before my son was taking the field with
 his team. The game was between teams of 18-year-olds in a tournament, 
and clearly something contentious had happened earlier.The coaches were jawing at the 
referee. The players seemed more focused on pushing each other around 
than winning the ball or scoring goals. It was tense, but also lazy, 
soccer. My wife and I watched the feisty grind to pass time.But then chaos broke out.As a loose ball skittered into a 
dangerous area, a defender lost track of the forward he was marking. 
Once he relocated him, it was too late to do anything but foul him. The 
defender brought his opponent down in a dangerous rugby tackle, 
maliciously hooking the forward’s legs as they rolled on the ground. The
 forward sprung up from the tackle, prepared for a fight. And he got 
it.&nbsp;The goalkeeper rushed forward and blindsided him with a shove.&nbsp;What followed was a predictable 
shower of yellow cards and red cards, eventually sending off three 
players. That’s where the drama should have ended. As someone who didn’t
 care a bit about which team won, I judged that the referee had done his
 job. Tempers subsided.But then, the dad from the sidelines piped up.“That’s just terrible,” he said to the referee. “How can you do that to my son? You are just terrible!”The ref spun on his heels and asked, rhetorically he hoped, “Do you want to leave too?”“You should be parking cars!” the dad shouted. “You are awful. You should be parking cars!”If I printed here the number of times
 the dad mentioned the referee’s acumen with storing automobiles, you 
wouldn’t believe it. It was his furious public mantra. Over and over, 
louder and louder, with “parking cars!”A field marshal arrived. More 
shouting, plus an escort to the parking lot (fittingly) for the dad. 
After five minutes, the game resumed.This story is just this weekend’s 
installment from our experience watching parent madness in youth soccer.
 We’ve seen parents ejected. Parents mouthing at opposing 12-year-olds 
while they are playing. One parent glowered over a referee as he stalked
 after him, saying, “I’m gonna kick your a**.”Years ago, while photographing a 
football game, I saw a referee call off the rest of the game after a 
parent stormed onto the field on the opening kickoff! Just one play was 
the entirety of a game. Thanks to one parent.I write these words with full 
understanding of how unreasonable I have been. My family even has a meme
 of something I once said to a teenage ref — during a soccer game for 
10-year-olds — after his call led to a goal.&nbsp;I screamed, “That’s on you, sir!” with a toxic blend of accusation and mocking respect.I have found it difficult to be the 
good sports parent that I hope to be. We want our kids to win. We want 
them to compete fairly. And we get particularly livid when we feel 
missed calls put them at risk of injury. There are reasons behind the 
madness festering in the folding chair on the sidelines.But it’s madness still.This year, I made a promise to my 
son. I would stop coaching him from the sidelines. We pay a coach who is
 far more talented than me for that. I would also stop screaming at the 
refs.At the outset of my promise, I kept 
score using a note on my phone. Each game that I avoided coaching my kid
 or the ref earned me a tally. It helped me see that I was making 
progress.And it worked — mostly. I made it 
through a season with dozens of games without coaching my boy. My wife 
only occasionally has to reach over with a calming hand on my forearm to
 remind me of my silliness toward officials.The irony is that my son is now 
reffing games. What would I think if I saw a dad yelling at my son that 
he is awful or that he had ruined a family’s weekend by failing to raise
 an offside flag?Sports leagues <a target="_blank" href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2021/12/06/youth-sports-referees-quitting-shortage-sports-officials-quit/">struggle to fill officiating slots</a>.
 We have an insatiable appetite for youth sports that requires hundreds 
of referees for games every weekend: Baseball, soccer, basketball and 
volleyball run essentially year-round. Yet our ferocity towards 
officials <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/21/sports/referee-shortage-youth-sports.html">repels so many potential young refs</a>. One <a target="_blank" href="https://www.facebook.com/youreoffside">social media account</a> documents the nationwide problems of parents who yell during youth sports.As I work to be more reasonable, I 
have realized the biggest reward for being a sane parent comes on the 
ride home after the game. You might think “venting” toward the ref about
 a missed offsides call or a questionable foul would have left me 
feeling relieved.But the truth is, time after time, I 
felt ashamed. My focus was on how I embarrassed myself, wishing I could 
take it back, rather than on the truly incredible thing: My son was 
playing soccer — a far more elegant brand of soccer than any soccer I 
ever played — with a gaggle of friends he loves and a coach he admires.That is my goal these days: to shut 
up with my negativity on the sidelines so that after the game I can 
return home with a light heart, and do an incredible job of parking my 
car.<a target="_blank" href="https://journalism.ku.edu/eric-thomas">Eric Thomas</a>&nbsp;directs the Kansas Scholastic Press Association and teaches visual journalism and photojournalism at the University of Kansas.

Screaming on the sidelines: Confessions of a semi-reformed sports dad

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

On May 30, an Osage County Sheriff’s Deputy arrived at a residence in the 12600 block of South Lewelling Road, near Carbondale, to serve a civil paper. As the deputy approached, he encountered two subjects engaged in illegal narcotic use. One was taken into custody without incident. Another subject fled the scene on foot. A sheriff’s office K9 was requested at the scene and was utilized by tracking the subject that fled.

Marie E. Bagby, 59, of Carbondale, was taken into custody and transported to the Osage County Jail Facility on requested charges of possession of methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia, and two warrants.

Dennis D. Lee, 68, of Carbondale, was taken into custody on suspicion of felony interference with law enforcement.

The Osage County Sheriff’s Office was assisted by Kansas Highway Patrol and Carbondale Police Department, according to Sheriff Chris Wells.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/6/1654079710408.png" alt="Lee-photo Osage Co. Sheriff" />
 <figcaption>Lee-photo Osage Co. Sheriff</figcaption>
 </figure>OSAGE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating two people on drug charges after a traffic stop.On May 30, an Osage County Sheriff’s Deputy arrived at a residence in the 12600 block of South Lewelling Road, near Carbondale, to serve a civil paper. As the deputy approached, he encountered two subjects engaged in illegal narcotic use. One was taken into custody without incident. Another subject fled the scene on foot. A sheriff’s office K9 was requested at the scene and was utilized by tracking the subject that fled.Marie E. Bagby, 59, of Carbondale, was taken into custody and transported to the Osage County Jail Facility on requested charges of possession of methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia, and two warrants.Dennis D. Lee, 68, of Carbondale, was taken into custody on suspicion of felony interference with law enforcement.The Osage County Sheriff’s Office was assisted by Kansas Highway Patrol and Carbondale Police Department, according to Sheriff Chris Wells.

Sheriff's deputy finds Kansas couple using drugs

KANSAS CITY—This week the Kansas City Kansas Police Narcotics Unit served a warrant on a home and seized approximately 6,000 counterfeit prescription pills laced with the deadly drug fentanyl,&nbsp; firearms and other drugs, according to a media release.

Police encouraged the public to take a close look at the pills. They are made to look exactly like the ones you would get from a pharmacy but contain lethal amounts of fentanyl- a drug fifty times stronger than heroin and one hundred times stronger than morphine. Once inhaled or ingested the overdose can occur within seconds to minutes.

The signs of overdose include: lips turning blue, gurgling sounds with breathing, stiffening of the body of seizure-like activity, foaming of the mouth and confusion or strange behavior before the individual loses consciousness.

If you are with someone who exhibits these symptoms, call 911 immediately.

These pills could have ended up in your neighborhood. Report any suspected drug activity to the narcotics hotline 913-573-6287.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/6/1654283457356.png" alt="photo KCPD" />
 <figcaption>photo KCPD</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY—This week the Kansas City Kansas Police Narcotics Unit served a warrant on a home and seized approximately 6,000 counterfeit prescription pills laced with the deadly drug fentanyl,&nbsp; firearms and other drugs, according to a media release.Police encouraged the public to take a close look at the pills. They are made to look exactly like the ones you would get from a pharmacy but contain lethal amounts of fentanyl- a drug fifty times stronger than heroin and one hundred times stronger than morphine. Once inhaled or ingested the overdose can occur within seconds to minutes.The signs of overdose include: lips turning blue, gurgling sounds with breathing, stiffening of the body of seizure-like activity, foaming of the mouth and confusion or strange behavior before the individual loses consciousness.If you are with someone who exhibits these symptoms, call 911 immediately.These pills could have ended up in your neighborhood. Report any suspected drug activity to the narcotics hotline 913-573-6287.

Police: 6,000 fentanyl-laced prescription pills at Kan. home

SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities investigating a stabbing at Dillons on Wednesday have identified the suspect as 41-year-old Jason Bulger.

Just after 2:30p.m. Wednesday, police were dispatched to the Dillons store at 2010 SE 29th Street in Topeka in reference to a stabbing that had just occurred, according to Police Lt. Michael Hern.

EMS transported the male victim to a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries.&nbsp;

The possible suspect vehicle was located abandoned in the 2200 block of SW Edgewater Terrace, according to Hern.&nbsp;

The Topeka Police Department is looking to speak Bulger in connection with the attack. Anyone with information on Bulger is asked to contact police. 

He has previous convictions for aggravated assault, aggravated burglary, theft, driving while suspended and  flee or attempt to elude police, according to the Kansas Dept. of Corrections.

SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a stabbing and continue to search for a suspect.

The male victim was transported to a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries.&nbsp;

The possible suspect vehicle was located abandoned in the 2200 block of SW Edgewater Terrace, according to Hern. An area search was conducted. Police have not reported an arrest.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/6/1654286765668.png" alt="Bulger has previous convictions for aggravated assault, aggravated burglary, theft, driving while suspended and&nbsp; flee or attempt to elude police, according to the Kansas Dept. of Corrections-photo Topeka Police" />
 <figcaption>Bulger has previous convictions for aggravated assault, aggravated burglary, theft, driving while suspended and&nbsp; flee or attempt to elude police, according to the Kansas Dept. of Corrections-photo Topeka Police</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities investigating a stabbing at Dillons on Wednesday have identified the suspect as 41-year-old Jason Bulger.Just after 2:30p.m. Wednesday, police were dispatched to the Dillons store at 2010 SE 29th Street in Topeka in reference to a stabbing that had just occurred, according to Police Lt. Michael Hern.EMS transported the male victim to a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries.&nbsp;The possible suspect vehicle was located abandoned in the 2200 block of SW Edgewater Terrace, according to Hern.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/6/1654167037449.png" alt="The possible suspect vehicle was located abandoned in the 2200 block of SW Edgewater Terrace-photo courtesy WIBW TV" />
 <figcaption>The possible suspect vehicle was located abandoned in the 2200 block of SW Edgewater Terrace-photo courtesy WIBW TV</figcaption>
 </figure>The Topeka Police Department is looking to speak Bulger in connection with the attack. Anyone with information on Bulger is asked to contact police. He has previous convictions for aggravated assault, aggravated burglary, theft, driving while suspended and flee or attempt to elude police, according to the Kansas Dept. of Corrections.---------------SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a stabbing and continue to search for a suspect.Just after 2:30p.m. Wednesday, police were dispatched to the Dillons store at 2010 SE 29th Street in Topeka in reference to a stabbing that had just occurred, according to Police Lt. Michael Hern.The male victim was transported to a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries.&nbsp;The possible suspect vehicle was located abandoned in the 2200 block of SW Edgewater Terrace, according to Hern. An area search was conducted. Police have not reported an arrest.

Police ask for help to locate Kan. felon for stabbing at Dillons

By ARIANA FIGUEROA <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/fourth-grader-who-survived-uvalde-school-shooting-will-testify-before-congress/">States Newsroom</a>

WASHINGTON
 — Survivors of two mass shootings in New York and Texas will appear 
before the U.S. House Oversight and Reform Committee on Wednesday to 
relate their experiences.

The
 witnesses will include fourth grader Miah Cerrillo of Uvalde, Texas, 
where 19 children and two adults were gunned down at Robb Elementary 
School on May 24. Her <a target="_blank" href="https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/uvalde-survivor-interview-covered-herself-blood-played-dead-1359600/">harrowing story of having to cover herself in her friend’s blood</a> in order to appear dead to the 18-year-old gunman has gripped Americans, including lawmakers.&nbsp;

Felix and Kimberly Rubio, parents of Lexi Rubio, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.npr.org/2022/05/29/1101960044/texas-uvalde-shooting-church-victim-pastor">a 10-year-old student at Robb Elementary School who was killed</a> in the mass shooting, will also speak before lawmakers.

Zeneta Everhart, a survivor of a mass shooting May 14 by a white supremacist in Buffalo, New York, will also testify. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.wkbw.com/news/local-news/buffalo-strong/family-of-buffalo-mass-shooting-survivor-collecting-books-on-racism-and-black-history-to-distribute-to-community">Everhart was at a supermarket in a predominantly Black neighborhood with her son</a>, Zaire Goodman, who was shot in the neck.

The hearing at 9 a.m. CT will be live-streamed <a target="_blank" href="https://oversight.house.gov">here</a>.&nbsp;

“Our
 hearing will examine the terrible impact of gun violence and the urgent
 need to rein in the weapons of war used to perpetrate these crimes,” Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney, the chairwoman of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, said in a statement.

“It
 is my hope that all my colleagues will listen with an open heart as gun
 violence survivors and loved ones recount one of the darkest days of 
their lives,” Maloney said. “This hearing is ultimately about saving 
lives, and I hope it will galvanize my colleagues on both sides of the 
aisle to pass legislation to do just that.”

Firearm related injuries are now the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMc2201761">leading cause of death</a> for children and adolescents in the United States, according to the New England Journal of Medicine.

The
 House Judiciary Committee held an emergency meeting Thursday to mark up
 a legislative package that contains eight bills related to gun control.
 President Joe Biden also <a target="_blank" href="https://www.penncapital-star.com/dc-bureau/biden-urges-assault-weapons-ban-as-u-s-house-democrats-advance-gun-control-bills/">addressed the nation late Thursday</a> and urged Congress to move forward on passing gun control legislation.&nbsp;

The
 hearing will be broken into two panels of witnesses. The first panel 
includes survivors and victims of gun violence, and the second panel 
will be made up of gun safety advocates, experts and law enforcement.

The only pediatrician in Uvalde, Dr. Roy Guerrero, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/uvaldes-only-pediatrician-shares-horror-treating-school-shooting-victi-rcna31045">who treated the school shooting victims</a>, will testify.&nbsp;

The
 second panel will include Greg Jackson Jr., the executive director of 
the Community Justice Action Fund, which advocates to end gun violence; 
Joseph Gramaglia, a police commissioner in Buffalo; Becky Pringle, the 
president of the National Education Association, a labor union 
representing public school teachers and staff; and Nick Suplina, the 
senior vice president for law and policy at Everytown for Gun Safety, an
 organization that advocates for gun control formed a year after the 
Sandy Hook mass school shooting.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/5/1653483385339.png" alt="Felix and Kimberly Rubio, parents of Lexi Rubio,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.npr.org/2022/05/29/1101960044/texas-uvalde-shooting-church-victim-pastor">a 10-year-old student at Robb Elementary School who was killed</a>&nbsp;in the mass shooting, will also speak before lawmakers.-photo courtesy KSAT TV" />
 <figcaption>Felix and Kimberly Rubio, parents of Lexi Rubio,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.npr.org/2022/05/29/1101960044/texas-uvalde-shooting-church-victim-pastor">a 10-year-old student at Robb Elementary School who was killed</a>&nbsp;in the mass shooting, will also speak before lawmakers.-photo courtesy KSAT TV</figcaption>
 </figure>By ARIANA FIGUEROA <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/fourth-grader-who-survived-uvalde-school-shooting-will-testify-before-congress/">States Newsroom</a>WASHINGTON
 — Survivors of two mass shootings in New York and Texas will appear 
before the U.S. House Oversight and Reform Committee on Wednesday to 
relate their experiences.The
 witnesses will include fourth grader Miah Cerrillo of Uvalde, Texas, 
where 19 children and two adults were gunned down at Robb Elementary 
School on May 24. Her <a target="_blank" href="https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/uvalde-survivor-interview-covered-herself-blood-played-dead-1359600/">harrowing story of having to cover herself in her friend’s blood</a> in order to appear dead to the 18-year-old gunman has gripped Americans, including lawmakers.&nbsp;Felix and Kimberly Rubio, parents of Lexi Rubio, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.npr.org/2022/05/29/1101960044/texas-uvalde-shooting-church-victim-pastor">a 10-year-old student at Robb Elementary School who was killed</a> in the mass shooting, will also speak before lawmakers.Zeneta Everhart, a survivor of a mass shooting May 14 by a white supremacist in Buffalo, New York, will also testify. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.wkbw.com/news/local-news/buffalo-strong/family-of-buffalo-mass-shooting-survivor-collecting-books-on-racism-and-black-history-to-distribute-to-community">Everhart was at a supermarket in a predominantly Black neighborhood with her son</a>, Zaire Goodman, who was shot in the neck.The hearing at 9 a.m. CT will be live-streamed <a target="_blank" href="https://oversight.house.gov">here</a>.&nbsp;“Our
 hearing will examine the terrible impact of gun violence and the urgent
 need to rein in the weapons of war used to perpetrate these crimes,” Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney, the chairwoman of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, said in a statement.“It
 is my hope that all my colleagues will listen with an open heart as gun
 violence survivors and loved ones recount one of the darkest days of 
their lives,” Maloney said. “This hearing is ultimately about saving 
lives, and I hope it will galvanize my colleagues on both sides of the 
aisle to pass legislation to do just that.”Firearm related injuries are now the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMc2201761">leading cause of death</a> for children and adolescents in the United States, according to the New England Journal of Medicine.The
 House Judiciary Committee held an emergency meeting Thursday to mark up
 a legislative package that contains eight bills related to gun control.
 President Joe Biden also <a target="_blank" href="https://www.penncapital-star.com/dc-bureau/biden-urges-assault-weapons-ban-as-u-s-house-democrats-advance-gun-control-bills/">addressed the nation late Thursday</a> and urged Congress to move forward on passing gun control legislation.&nbsp;The
 hearing will be broken into two panels of witnesses. The first panel 
includes survivors and victims of gun violence, and the second panel 
will be made up of gun safety advocates, experts and law enforcement.The only pediatrician in Uvalde, Dr. Roy Guerrero, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/uvaldes-only-pediatrician-shares-horror-treating-school-shooting-victi-rcna31045">who treated the school shooting victims</a>, will testify.&nbsp;The
 second panel will include Greg Jackson Jr., the executive director of 
the Community Justice Action Fund, which advocates to end gun violence; 
Joseph Gramaglia, a police commissioner in Buffalo; Becky Pringle, the 
president of the National Education Association, a labor union 
representing public school teachers and staff; and Nick Suplina, the 
senior vice president for law and policy at Everytown for Gun Safety, an
 organization that advocates for gun control formed a year after the 
Sandy Hook mass school shooting.&nbsp;

4th grader who survived Uvalde school shooting will testify before Congress

NEW YORK (AP) — Researchers are drawing attention to a rise in poisonings in children involving the sleep aid melatonin — including a big jump during the pandemic.

Last year, U.S. poison control centers received more than 52,000 calls about children consuming worrisome amounts of the dietary supplement — a six-fold increase from about a decade earlier. Most such calls are about young children who accidentally got into bottles of melatonin, some of which come in the form of gummies for kids.

Parents may think of melatonin as the equivalent of a vitamin and leave it on a nightstand, said Dr. Karima Lelak, an emergency physician at Children’s Hospital of Michigan and the lead author of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/71/wr/mm7122a1.htm?s_cid=mm7122a1_w" target="_blank">the study</a>&nbsp;published Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “But really it’s a medication that has the potential to cause harm, and should be put way in the medicine cabinet,” Lelak said.

<a href="https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/melatonin-what-you-need-to-know" target="_blank">Melatonin</a>&nbsp;is a hormone that helps control the body’s sleep cycle. It has become a popular over-the-counter sleeping aid, with sales increasing 150% between 2016 and 2020, the authors said.

In the U.S., melatonin is sold as a supplement, not regulated as a drug. Because melatonin is unregulated, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration doesn’t have oversight over the purity of ingredients or the accuracy of dosage claims.

Other researchers&nbsp;<a href="https://jcsm.aasm.org/doi/10.5664/jcsm.6462" target="_blank">have found</a>&nbsp;that what’s on the label may not match what’s actually in the bottle, and some countries have banned the sale of over-the-counter melatonin.

Many people can tolerate even relatively large doses of melatonin without significant harm, experts say. But there is no antidote for an overdose. In cases of a child accidentally ingesting melatonin, experts often ask a reliable adult to monitor them at home.

But slowed breathing or other worrisome signs can mean a child should be taken to a hospital.

Lelak and her colleagues looked at reports to poison control centers from 2012 to 2021, counting more than 260,000 calls about kids taking too much melatonin. They represented 0.6% of all poison control calls in 2012 and about 5% in 2021.

In about 83% of those calls, the children did not show any symptoms. But other children endured vomiting, had altered breathing or showed other symptoms. Over the 10 years studied, more than 4,000 kids were hospitalized, five needed to be put on machines to help them breathe, and two — both younger than 2 — died.

Most of the hospitalized children were teenagers, and many of those were believed to be suicide attempts.

Reported melatonin poisonings have been increasing for at least a decade, but the largest increases happened after the COVID-19 pandemic hit the United States in 2020. Between 2019 and 2020, the count shot up 38%.

There may be several reasons, Lelak said. Because of lockdowns and virtual learning, more children were at home all day, meaning there were more opportunities for kids to access melatonin. Also, the pandemic caused sleep-disrupting stress and anxiety that may have caused more families to consider melatonin.

“Children were upset about being home, teenagers were closed off from friends. And on top of all that everyone’s looking at screens for hours and hours a day,” Lelak said.

NEW YORK (AP) — Researchers are drawing attention to a rise in poisonings in children involving the sleep aid melatonin — including a big jump during the pandemic.Last year, U.S. poison control centers received more than 52,000 calls about children consuming worrisome amounts of the dietary supplement — a six-fold increase from about a decade earlier. Most such calls are about young children who accidentally got into bottles of melatonin, some of which come in the form of gummies for kids.Parents may think of melatonin as the equivalent of a vitamin and leave it on a nightstand, said Dr. Karima Lelak, an emergency physician at Children’s Hospital of Michigan and the lead author of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/71/wr/mm7122a1.htm?s_cid=mm7122a1_w" target="_blank">the study</a>&nbsp;published Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “But really it’s a medication that has the potential to cause harm, and should be put way in the medicine cabinet,” Lelak said.WHAT IS MELATONIN?<a href="https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/melatonin-what-you-need-to-know" target="_blank">Melatonin</a>&nbsp;is a hormone that helps control the body’s sleep cycle. It has become a popular over-the-counter sleeping aid, with sales increasing 150% between 2016 and 2020, the authors said.In the U.S., melatonin is sold as a supplement, not regulated as a drug. Because melatonin is unregulated, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration doesn’t have oversight over the purity of ingredients or the accuracy of dosage claims.Other researchers&nbsp;<a href="https://jcsm.aasm.org/doi/10.5664/jcsm.6462" target="_blank">have found</a>&nbsp;that what’s on the label may not match what’s actually in the bottle, and some countries have banned the sale of over-the-counter melatonin.HOW ARE MELATONIN OVERDOSES TREATED?Many people can tolerate even relatively large doses of melatonin without significant harm, experts say. But there is no antidote for an overdose. In cases of a child accidentally ingesting melatonin, experts often ask a reliable adult to monitor them at home.But slowed breathing or other worrisome signs can mean a child should be taken to a hospital.WHAT DID THE RESEARCHERS FIND?Lelak and her colleagues looked at reports to poison control centers from 2012 to 2021, counting more than 260,000 calls about kids taking too much melatonin. They represented 0.6% of all poison control calls in 2012 and about 5% in 2021.In about 83% of those calls, the children did not show any symptoms. But other children endured vomiting, had altered breathing or showed other symptoms. Over the 10 years studied, more than 4,000 kids were hospitalized, five needed to be put on machines to help them breathe, and two — both younger than 2 — died.Most of the hospitalized children were teenagers, and many of those were believed to be suicide attempts.WHAT HAPPENED DURING THE PANDEMIC?Reported melatonin poisonings have been increasing for at least a decade, but the largest increases happened after the COVID-19 pandemic hit the United States in 2020. Between 2019 and 2020, the count shot up 38%.There may be several reasons, Lelak said. Because of lockdowns and virtual learning, more children were at home all day, meaning there were more opportunities for kids to access melatonin. Also, the pandemic caused sleep-disrupting stress and anxiety that may have caused more families to consider melatonin.“Children were upset about being home, teenagers were closed off from friends. And on top of all that everyone’s looking at screens for hours and hours a day,” Lelak said.___

Study: Melatonin poisoning reports are up in kids

By TIM CARPENTER <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/06/03/covid-19-pandemic-contributes-to-closure-of-115-kansas-home-child-care-providers/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA — Economic disruption in 
Kansas associated with COVID-19 contributed to demise of 115 family home
 child-care providers in the pandemic’s first year and left nearly 
one-fifth of the state’s counties without child care slots for infants 
or toddlers, a new report said.

The Kansas Department for Children and Families collaborated with 
Child Care Aware of Kansas to release a survey Thursday of the 
pandemic’s influence on the state’s licensed family and group homes, 
care centers, preschools and Head Start facilities.

The downward trend among child care providers in Kansas operating 
from residential homes was evident before the pandemic. The total of 
this type of provider in Kansas crashed from 2,915 in 2017 to 2,419 in 
2019 — a drop of nearly 500. The number was compressed to 2,259 in 2020 
during the first year of the pandemic. In 2021, the state lost 115 more 
of these in-home providers, settling at 2,144. The report doesn’t 
include a census for 2022.

The closure of so many family child care providers since 2017 created stiffer competition for slots among Kansas families.

The report said the state’s collection of 2,000 licensed group homes,
 child care centers and Head Start programs held steady into 2021. The 
number of preschool programs declined from 163 in 2020 to 158 in 2021, 
the report said.

“This report highlights the challenges facing not only 
families and child care providers, but Kansas’ economy in general,” said
 Kelly Davydov, executive director of Child Care Aware of Kansas. 
“Dependable, high-quality early care and education is a basic 
requirement that all working families need.”

Davydov said the “Know Better, Do Better” report was 
designed to help the state outline a strategy for expanding child care 
services.

The report said 21 of the state’s 105 counties in 2021 had no slots 
for toddlers and infants, an increase from 16 counties in that situation
 in 2020. Sixty counties in Kansas experienced fallout of having no 
providers of child care during evening, weekend and overnight hours.

Demand for care outstripped supply before the pandemic reached Kansas
 in March 2020, but the challenge of securing child care in rural 
counties intensified during the health calamity that has now infected 
nearly 790,000 and contributed to the death of 8,900.

The pandemic broaden complexities faced by parents searching for 
child care from staff capable of speaking a second language other than 
English and with personnel prepared to care for children with 
disabilities, the report said.

In 2020, the report said, 63,500 children in Kansas under age 5 had 
special needs related to disabilities. Of concern, the report said, was 
35 rural counties in the state had three or fewer providers that 
acknowledged employing workers prepared to care for Down Syndrome 
children.

“We deeply appreciate the work of Child Care Aware of Kansas 
collecting data for the report,” said Laura Howard, secretary of the DCF
 agency.

The state passed out more than $40 million in federal relief dollars 
to child care providers struggling with loss of customers as parents 
stayed home from work and with higher operating costs associated with 
acquisition of pandemic supplies and materials necessary in a public 
health crisis.

The 2022 Legislature approved and Gov. Laura Kelly signed a bill 
expanding a state child care income tax credit. For the past decade, the
 state limited the tax credit to certain companies. The new law opened 
the incentive to all sorts of businesses in Kansas interested in helping
 workers solve the child care riddle.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/6/1654266401160.png" alt="A new report on status of Kansas’ child care system indicated the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to closure of more than 500 providers statewide, deepening the shortage in rural counties. (Emma Fotovich/USD 497)" />
 <figcaption>A new report on status of Kansas’ child care system indicated the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to closure of more than 500 providers statewide, deepening the shortage in rural counties. (Emma Fotovich/USD 497)</figcaption>
 </figure>By TIM CARPENTER <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/06/03/covid-19-pandemic-contributes-to-closure-of-115-kansas-home-child-care-providers/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — Economic disruption in 
Kansas associated with COVID-19 contributed to demise of 115 family home
 child-care providers in the pandemic’s first year and left nearly 
one-fifth of the state’s counties without child care slots for infants 
or toddlers, a new report said.The Kansas Department for Children and Families collaborated with 
Child Care Aware of Kansas to release a survey Thursday of the 
pandemic’s influence on the state’s licensed family and group homes, 
care centers, preschools and Head Start facilities.The downward trend among child care providers in Kansas operating 
from residential homes was evident before the pandemic. The total of 
this type of provider in Kansas crashed from 2,915 in 2017 to 2,419 in 
2019 — a drop of nearly 500. The number was compressed to 2,259 in 2020 
during the first year of the pandemic. In 2021, the state lost 115 more 
of these in-home providers, settling at 2,144. The report doesn’t 
include a census for 2022.The closure of so many family child care providers since 2017 created stiffer competition for slots among Kansas families.The report said the state’s collection of 2,000 licensed group homes,
 child care centers and Head Start programs held steady into 2021. The 
number of preschool programs declined from 163 in 2020 to 158 in 2021, 
the report said.“This report highlights the challenges facing not only 
families and child care providers, but Kansas’ economy in general,” said
 Kelly Davydov, executive director of Child Care Aware of Kansas. 
“Dependable, high-quality early care and education is a basic 
requirement that all working families need.”Davydov said the “Know Better, Do Better” report was 
designed to help the state outline a strategy for expanding child care 
services.The report said 21 of the state’s 105 counties in 2021 had no slots 
for toddlers and infants, an increase from 16 counties in that situation
 in 2020. Sixty counties in Kansas experienced fallout of having no 
providers of child care during evening, weekend and overnight hours.Demand for care outstripped supply before the pandemic reached Kansas
 in March 2020, but the challenge of securing child care in rural 
counties intensified during the health calamity that has now infected 
nearly 790,000 and contributed to the death of 8,900.The pandemic broaden complexities faced by parents searching for 
child care from staff capable of speaking a second language other than 
English and with personnel prepared to care for children with 
disabilities, the report said.In 2020, the report said, 63,500 children in Kansas under age 5 had 
special needs related to disabilities. Of concern, the report said, was 
35 rural counties in the state had three or fewer providers that 
acknowledged employing workers prepared to care for Down Syndrome 
children.“We deeply appreciate the work of Child Care Aware of Kansas 
collecting data for the report,” said Laura Howard, secretary of the DCF
 agency.The state passed out more than $40 million in federal relief dollars 
to child care providers struggling with loss of customers as parents 
stayed home from work and with higher operating costs associated with 
acquisition of pandemic supplies and materials necessary in a public 
health crisis.The 2022 Legislature approved and Gov. Laura Kelly signed a bill 
expanding a state child care income tax credit. For the past decade, the
 state limited the tax credit to certain companies. The new law opened 
the incentive to all sorts of businesses in Kansas interested in helping
 workers solve the child care riddle.