TOPEKA —Governor Laura Kelly hosted the NCAA Men's Basketball National Champions Kansas Jayhawks at the Statehouse Monday for a special celebration.

The governor greeting the players and coaches and then read a proclamation designating April 25 as the "KU men's basketball national championship victory day."&nbsp;

The official proclamation signed by Governor Kelly can be found&nbsp;<a href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJidWxsZXRpbl9saW5rX2lkIjoxMDEsInVyaSI6ImJwMjpjbGljayIsImJ1bGxldGluX2lkIjoiMjAyMjA0MjUuNTY5NjExOTEiLCJ1cmwiOiJodHRwczovL2dvdmVybm9yLmthbnNhcy5nb3Yvd3AtY29udGVudC91cGxvYWRzLzIwMjIvMDQvS1UtTWVucy1CYXNrZXRiYWxsLU5hdGlvbmFsLUNoYW1waW9uc2hpcC1WaWN0b3J5LURheS5wZGYifQ.0T-iMX5-_leI7mMpDqcCNT56GzL3bQl0a-L4bTqsCcM/s/1303160919/br/130336748313-l" target="_blank">here</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Coach Self then presented the governor with a basketball autographed by members of the team.&nbsp;

Following the proclamation, the Governor joined Senate President Masterson and House Speaker Ryckman for a reception honoring the national champions.

On April 4, the Jayhawks pulled off the biggest comeback in national championship history getting a big game from David McCormack, crucial shots from Remy Martin and surviving a tying 3-pointer by North Carolina's Caleb Love that missed everything at the buzzer for a 72-69 victory in the Superdome.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/4/1650914589271.png" alt="Head coach Bill Self along with KU Athletic Director Travis Goff listen as Governor Laura Kelly reads the proclamation-courtesy photo" />
 <figcaption>Head coach Bill Self along with KU Athletic Director Travis Goff listen as Governor Laura Kelly reads the proclamation-courtesy photo</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA —Governor Laura Kelly hosted the NCAA Men's Basketball National Champions Kansas Jayhawks at the Statehouse Monday for a special celebration.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/4/1650914179296.png" alt="Governor Kelly met all the players including Remy Martin-courtesy photo" />
 <figcaption>Governor Kelly met all the players including Remy Martin-courtesy photo</figcaption>
 </figure>The governor greeting the players and coaches and then read a proclamation designating April 25 as the "KU men's basketball national championship victory day."&nbsp;The official proclamation signed by Governor Kelly can be found&nbsp;<a href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJidWxsZXRpbl9saW5rX2lkIjoxMDEsInVyaSI6ImJwMjpjbGljayIsImJ1bGxldGluX2lkIjoiMjAyMjA0MjUuNTY5NjExOTEiLCJ1cmwiOiJodHRwczovL2dvdmVybm9yLmthbnNhcy5nb3Yvd3AtY29udGVudC91cGxvYWRzLzIwMjIvMDQvS1UtTWVucy1CYXNrZXRiYWxsLU5hdGlvbmFsLUNoYW1waW9uc2hpcC1WaWN0b3J5LURheS5wZGYifQ.0T-iMX5-_leI7mMpDqcCNT56GzL3bQl0a-L4bTqsCcM/s/1303160919/br/130336748313-l" target="_blank">here</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/4/1650914563590.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Coach Self then presented the governor with a basketball autographed by members of the team.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/4/1650918424328.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Following the proclamation, the Governor joined Senate President Masterson and House Speaker Ryckman for a reception honoring the national champions.On April 4, the Jayhawks pulled off the biggest comeback in national championship history getting a big game from David McCormack, crucial shots from Remy Martin and surviving a tying 3-pointer by North Carolina's Caleb Love that missed everything at the buzzer for a 72-69 victory in the Superdome.

Governor honors KU basketball national championship team

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Monday rejected an appeal by Kansas to revive a law, earlier struck down by lower courts, that banned secret filming at slaughterhouses and other livestock facilities.

The justices did not comment in leaving in place&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-courts-kansas-1d6b49724d11eb58ce619f33aa7ea32c">a ruling by a federal appeals court panel</a>&nbsp;that the so-called ag-gag law violated the First Amendment by stifling speech critical of animal agriculture.

A three-judge panel of the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in a split decision ruled that even if deception is used to enter private property, Kansas may not discriminate based on whether the person intends to harm or help the enterprise.

The appellate ruling upheld&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/e5a3a2be0e2d6db40cba10ccea52d8e4">a permanent injunction</a>&nbsp;issued by a federal judge in 2020.

The Kansas law made it a crime for anyone to take a picture or video at an animal facility without the owner’s consent or to enter the facility under false pretenses.

The Animal Legal Defense Fund and the Center for Food Safety were among the groups that challenged the ban.

Federal appeals courts considering similar laws&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-iowa-animal-welfare-a6326dc5ea1999118c8147808edb3691">in Iowa</a>&nbsp;and Idaho had split over the issue, raising Kansas’ hope that the high court would step in.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/7/1562343189353.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Monday rejected an appeal by Kansas to revive a law, earlier struck down by lower courts, that banned secret filming at slaughterhouses and other livestock facilities.The justices did not comment in leaving in place&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-courts-kansas-1d6b49724d11eb58ce619f33aa7ea32c">a ruling by a federal appeals court panel</a>&nbsp;that the so-called ag-gag law violated the First Amendment by stifling speech critical of animal agriculture.A three-judge panel of the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in a split decision ruled that even if deception is used to enter private property, Kansas may not discriminate based on whether the person intends to harm or help the enterprise.The appellate ruling upheld&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/e5a3a2be0e2d6db40cba10ccea52d8e4">a permanent injunction</a>&nbsp;issued by a federal judge in 2020.The Kansas law made it a crime for anyone to take a picture or video at an animal facility without the owner’s consent or to enter the facility under false pretenses.The Animal Legal Defense Fund and the Center for Food Safety were among the groups that challenged the ban.Federal appeals courts considering similar laws&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-iowa-animal-welfare-a6326dc5ea1999118c8147808edb3691">in Iowa</a>&nbsp;and Idaho had split over the issue, raising Kansas’ hope that the high court would step in.

Court won't revive Kan. ban on secret filming at slaughterhouses

DALLAS (AP) — A ruling by a federal judge has ended — at least for now — the requirement that people wear masks on planes and public transportation, and there is plenty of confusion about the new, post-mask world of travel.

The Justice Department appealed the ruling after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the mandate is necessary.&nbsp;

The decision&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-health-business-travel-tampa-3408cc825582126fbda5fbedd3a49dd3">by a lone judge in Florida</a>&nbsp;toppled 14 months of government insistence that travelers wear masks to reduce transmission of COVID-19. Within hours, all major U.S. airlines and many airports announced — sometimes to passengers&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/judge-strikes-down-mask-mandates-1fccaa750b6d42b6b609ef75d3c14c26">in the middle of flights&nbsp;</a>— that travelers could take off their masks.

In a 59-page opinion, U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle in Tampa, Florida, said the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention overstepped its authority in issuing the original health order that the Transportation Security Administration used to impose the mask mandate. She said the CDC didn’t follow proper rulemaking procedures.

Once TSA said it would no longer enforce the rule, airlines, airports, transit systems and ride-share services were free to decide for themselves whether to require masks. United, Delta, American, Southwest, Alaska, JetBlue and other airlines all made masks voluntary.

On the ground, however, requirements could vary from place to place. New York City’s public transit system planned to keep its mask requirement in effect. In San Francisco, the regional commuter rail system known as BART made masks voluntary, but the city transit authority did not.

The transit agency serving Philadelphia and its suburbs said masks will no longer be required on subways, buses and trains or in stations, even though the city has a mask mandate.

Uber and Lyft said they won’t require passengers to wear masks.

Air filtration on planes is generally excellent, but boarding and exiting a plane can put people close together in spaces with poor ventilation, said Dr. Babak Javid, a physician-scientist at the University of California, San Francisco. The risk on other forms of transportation varies.

Dr. David Dowdy, an infectious-disease epidemiologist at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, said planes can carry the virus from place to place, but that we should be focusing more on big indoor events such as concerts and sporting events — even large weddings — where people get together and talk, shout and sing.

The CDC continues to recommend that people mask up indoors while traveling.

Yes, masks still give some protection from COVID-19, but they work better if others wear them too.

High-quality masks work in two ways, said Carl Bergstrom, a University of Washington evolutionary biologist who studies emerging infectious diseases: They protect the wearer by limiting the number of infectious particles inhaled, and they protect others by limiting particles exhaled if the wearer is infected.

Probably not. Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian, who favored dropping the rule, said before the judge’s order that he expected to see a “surprising number” of passengers and airline employees wear masks even after the mandate expired.

“I may choose to wear a mask once in a while,” he said.

Still, tension among passengers over mask-wearing could continue, said Eileen Ogintz, who writes about family travel and advises parents of small children who can’t be vaccinated to keep masking up.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if you got some dirty looks or nasty comments” from unmasked passengers, she said. “That’s a conversation to have with the kids ahead of time — why you’re wearing masks.”

CAN I GET A REFUND IF I DON’T WANT TO FLY NOW?

No, unless the airline cancels your flight.

However, if you call the airline and explain why you’re not comfortable traveling without a mask mandate, most will let you change the flight for free or give you a credit that you can use later, said Scott Keyes, founder of Scott’s Cheap Flights travel site.

WILL THE LIFTING OF THE BAN AFFECT INTERNATIONAL FLIGHTS?

When flying between two countries, expect your airline to follow the rules in whichever country is more restrictive. Passengers flying to Canada, for example, will have to don masks at some point during the flight, but it’s not clear exactly whether that means when crossing into Canadian airspace or some other point.

Henry Harteveldt, a travel analyst for Atmosphere Research Group, said there might be international airlines that will still require masks even on flights to and from the United States.

WILL THIS MAKE MORE PEOPLE WILLING TO FLY?

Industry officials don’t expect that. They say that there could be a small number of people who will start flying now because they don’t have to wear a mask, but that will be offset by a few people deciding not to fly if others are unmasked.

Although the airline industry lobbied to kill the mandate — after supporting it originally — airlines don’t expect the rule’s demise to affect revenue. They are far more interested in seeing the United States repeal another pandemic-era rule: The requirement that people test clear of the virus within a day of flying to the U.S.

A Biden administration official said Tuesday that there were no changes expected to the pre-departure testing requirement.

The mask mandate for transportation began in February 2021, shortly after President Joe Biden took office, and was extended several times. Last week, the CDC extended it again until May 3. The CDC said the extra time was needed to study the BA.2 omicron subvariant, which is now responsible for the vast majority of cases in the U.S.

HOW CAN A SINGLE JUDGE HAVE SO MUCH POWER?

Usually, decisions by a federal judge affect only the people involved in one case, or a limited geographic area. But judges can also issue so-called nationwide or universal injunctions that apply across the country, and it is happening more often — a practice that has drawn criticism from conservative members of the U.S. Supreme Court.

Mizelle was nominated in 2020 by former President Donald Trump and confirmed in a party-line vote in the Senate, which was then controlled by Republicans, after Trump had lost his bid for re-election. At 33 when confirmed, she was the youngest Trump appointee on the federal bench, and the American Bar Association had&nbsp;<a href="https://www.americanbar.org/content/dam/aba/administrative/government_affairs_office/2020-09-08chair-rating-letter-to-graham-and-feinstein-re-nomination-of-kathryn-kimball-mizelle.pdf" target="_blank">rated her “not qualified”</a>&nbsp;in part because she had been practicing law for only eight years.

The Justice Department said Tuesday it won’t appeal Mizelle’s ruling unless the CDC believes that the mask requirement is still necessary. The announcement doesn’t mean that an appeal is certain, but it signals that one could be filed if the CDC decides later that the mandate should be revived.

While the mask ban was popular in the beginning, support has waned over time, according to public-opinion polls. As state and local mask rules were scrapped, and Americans grew accustomed to going bare-faced, the mandate for transportation drew fire from Republican politicians and several Senate Democrats who face tough re-election fights in November.

New reported U.S. cases of COVID-19 are relatively low compared with the past two years, but they have increased lately and are likely an undercount. Hospitalizations are nearly flat and deaths are still declining.

Dowdy, the Johns Hopkins epidemiologist, said it’s reasonable to consider removing the mask mandate on travel given the lull in severe disease.

“It would just be nice to do it when cases are falling rather than rising,” he said, “and for the decision to be made by people trained in public health rather than law and politics.”

A new surge in cases might not be enough to revive the mask rule, but it could roil travel in other ways. U.S. airlines&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/flights-canceled-coronavirus-weather-640d9bf645e9d070870ccc0e4fe7c061">canceled thousands of flights</a>&nbsp;in late December and early January, largely because so many employees were out sick with omicron.

“Imagine what would happen if a critical mass of Southwest Airlines pilots are sick and can’t fly this summer?” said Harteveldt, the travel analyst. “Whether it’s Southwest or any airline, it could be highly disruptive to summer travel.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/9/1632163961062.png" alt="Once TSA said it would no longer enforce the rule, airlines, airports, transit systems and ride-share services were free to decide for themselves whether to require masks.-Photo U.S. Department of Transportation" />
 <figcaption>Once TSA said it would no longer enforce the rule, airlines, airports, transit systems and ride-share services were free to decide for themselves whether to require masks.-Photo U.S. Department of Transportation</figcaption>
 </figure>DALLAS (AP) — A ruling by a federal judge has ended — at least for now — the requirement that people wear masks on planes and public transportation, and there is plenty of confusion about the new, post-mask world of travel.The Justice Department appealed the ruling after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the mandate is necessary.&nbsp;The decision&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-health-business-travel-tampa-3408cc825582126fbda5fbedd3a49dd3">by a lone judge in Florida</a>&nbsp;toppled 14 months of government insistence that travelers wear masks to reduce transmission of COVID-19. Within hours, all major U.S. airlines and many airports announced — sometimes to passengers&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/judge-strikes-down-mask-mandates-1fccaa750b6d42b6b609ef75d3c14c26">in the middle of flights&nbsp;</a>— that travelers could take off their masks.WHAT EXACTLY WAS THE RULING?In a 59-page opinion, U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle in Tampa, Florida, said the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention overstepped its authority in issuing the original health order that the Transportation Security Administration used to impose the mask mandate. She said the CDC didn’t follow proper rulemaking procedures.___WHAT DOES IT MEAN?Once TSA said it would no longer enforce the rule, airlines, airports, transit systems and ride-share services were free to decide for themselves whether to require masks. United, Delta, American, Southwest, Alaska, JetBlue and other airlines all made masks voluntary.On the ground, however, requirements could vary from place to place. New York City’s public transit system planned to keep its mask requirement in effect. In San Francisco, the regional commuter rail system known as BART made masks voluntary, but the city transit authority did not.The transit agency serving Philadelphia and its suburbs said masks will no longer be required on subways, buses and trains or in stations, even though the city has a mask mandate.Uber and Lyft said they won’t require passengers to wear masks.___HOW SAFE IS IT TO TRAVEL NOW?Air filtration on planes is generally excellent, but boarding and exiting a plane can put people close together in spaces with poor ventilation, said Dr. Babak Javid, a physician-scientist at the University of California, San Francisco. The risk on other forms of transportation varies.Dr. David Dowdy, an infectious-disease epidemiologist at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, said planes can carry the virus from place to place, but that we should be focusing more on big indoor events such as concerts and sporting events — even large weddings — where people get together and talk, shout and sing.___SHOULD I STILL WEAR A MASK ON PLANES?The CDC continues to recommend that people mask up indoors while traveling.___DO MASKS WORK IF NOBODY ELSE WEARS ONE?Yes, masks still give some protection from COVID-19, but they work better if others wear them too.High-quality masks work in two ways, said Carl Bergstrom, a University of Washington evolutionary biologist who studies emerging infectious diseases: They protect the wearer by limiting the number of infectious particles inhaled, and they protect others by limiting particles exhaled if the wearer is infected.___WILL I STAND OUT?Probably not. Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian, who favored dropping the rule, said before the judge’s order that he expected to see a “surprising number” of passengers and airline employees wear masks even after the mandate expired.“I may choose to wear a mask once in a while,” he said.Still, tension among passengers over mask-wearing could continue, said Eileen Ogintz, who writes about family travel and advises parents of small children who can’t be vaccinated to keep masking up.“I wouldn’t be surprised if you got some dirty looks or nasty comments” from unmasked passengers, she said. “That’s a conversation to have with the kids ahead of time — why you’re wearing masks.”___CAN I GET A REFUND IF I DON’T WANT TO FLY NOW?No, unless the airline cancels your flight.However, if you call the airline and explain why you’re not comfortable traveling without a mask mandate, most will let you change the flight for free or give you a credit that you can use later, said Scott Keyes, founder of Scott’s Cheap Flights travel site.___WILL THE LIFTING OF THE BAN AFFECT INTERNATIONAL FLIGHTS?When flying between two countries, expect your airline to follow the rules in whichever country is more restrictive. Passengers flying to Canada, for example, will have to don masks at some point during the flight, but it’s not clear exactly whether that means when crossing into Canadian airspace or some other point.Henry Harteveldt, a travel analyst for Atmosphere Research Group, said there might be international airlines that will still require masks even on flights to and from the United States.___WILL THIS MAKE MORE PEOPLE WILLING TO FLY?Industry officials don’t expect that. They say that there could be a small number of people who will start flying now because they don’t have to wear a mask, but that will be offset by a few people deciding not to fly if others are unmasked.Although the airline industry lobbied to kill the mandate — after supporting it originally — airlines don’t expect the rule’s demise to affect revenue. They are far more interested in seeing the United States repeal another pandemic-era rule: The requirement that people test clear of the virus within a day of flying to the U.S.A Biden administration official said Tuesday that there were no changes expected to the pre-departure testing requirement.___WHEN DID THE U.S. REQUIRE MASKS?The mask mandate for transportation began in February 2021, shortly after President Joe Biden took office, and was extended several times. Last week, the CDC extended it again until May 3. The CDC said the extra time was needed to study the BA.2 omicron subvariant, which is now responsible for the vast majority of cases in the U.S.___HOW CAN A SINGLE JUDGE HAVE SO MUCH POWER?Usually, decisions by a federal judge affect only the people involved in one case, or a limited geographic area. But judges can also issue so-called nationwide or universal injunctions that apply across the country, and it is happening more often — a practice that has drawn criticism from conservative members of the U.S. Supreme Court.___WHO IS JUDGE KATHRYN KIMBALL MIZELLE?Mizelle was nominated in 2020 by former President Donald Trump and confirmed in a party-line vote in the Senate, which was then controlled by Republicans, after Trump had lost his bid for re-election. At 33 when confirmed, she was the youngest Trump appointee on the federal bench, and the American Bar Association had&nbsp;<a href="https://www.americanbar.org/content/dam/aba/administrative/government_affairs_office/2020-09-08chair-rating-letter-to-graham-and-feinstein-re-nomination-of-kathryn-kimball-mizelle.pdf" target="_blank">rated her “not qualified”</a>&nbsp;in part because she had been practicing law for only eight years.___WILL THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION RESPOND?The Justice Department said Tuesday it won’t appeal Mizelle’s ruling unless the CDC believes that the mask requirement is still necessary. The announcement doesn’t mean that an appeal is certain, but it signals that one could be filed if the CDC decides later that the mandate should be revived.While the mask ban was popular in the beginning, support has waned over time, according to public-opinion polls. As state and local mask rules were scrapped, and Americans grew accustomed to going bare-faced, the mandate for transportation drew fire from Republican politicians and several Senate Democrats who face tough re-election fights in November.___IS THE TIMING OF THIS RIGHT?New reported U.S. cases of COVID-19 are relatively low compared with the past two years, but they have increased lately and are likely an undercount. Hospitalizations are nearly flat and deaths are still declining.Dowdy, the Johns Hopkins epidemiologist, said it’s reasonable to consider removing the mask mandate on travel given the lull in severe disease.“It would just be nice to do it when cases are falling rather than rising,” he said, “and for the decision to be made by people trained in public health rather than law and politics.”___WHAT IF COVID CASES INCREASE?A new surge in cases might not be enough to revive the mask rule, but it could roil travel in other ways. U.S. airlines&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/flights-canceled-coronavirus-weather-640d9bf645e9d070870ccc0e4fe7c061">canceled thousands of flights</a>&nbsp;in late December and early January, largely because so many employees were out sick with omicron.“Imagine what would happen if a critical mass of Southwest Airlines pilots are sick and can’t fly this summer?” said Harteveldt, the travel analyst. “Whether it’s Southwest or any airline, it could be highly disruptive to summer travel.”___

What happens in the post-mask world of travel?

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A&nbsp;Kansas&nbsp;district court judge on Monday struck down a new Republican-backed congressional map that would likely make it harder for the only Democrat in the state's delegation to win reelection this year.

It was the first time a court has declared that the Kansas Constitution prohibits political gerrymandering. The state is expected to appeal to the Kansas Supreme Court.

The decision from Wyandotte County District Judge Bill Klapper in the Kansas City area came a little more than five weeks before the state's June 1 candidate filing deadline. He ordered legislators to draft a new one.

“How strong are Kansans?” Klepper wrote in his 209-page opinion. “Strong enough to expect nothing more than a level playing field devoid of partisan advantage for one group of Kansans. Strong enough for the merits of the issue to be the deciding factor. Strong enough to make their political decisions based upon the content of a candidate’s character rather than the color of their political party.”

Democrats have criticized the map as political gerrymandering. Lawsuits claimed it violated voting rights and constitutional guarantees of equal rights for all Kansas residents and freedom of speech and assembly. Critics also said the map was unacceptable under the state constitution because it diluted the political power of Black and Hispanic voters in the Kansas City area by splitting them up. The state rejected all of those allegations.

The map moved the northern part of Kansas City, Kansas, out of the 3rd District represented by Democratic Rep. Sharice Davids and into the larger 2nd District of eastern Kansas represented by Republican Rep. Jake LaTurner. Kansas City, Kansas, is among the few Democratic strongholds in GOP-leaning Kansas.

Davids lost territory where she performs well, while the new map added several rural, heavily Republican counties to her district. She has gained national attention for her resume as a lesbian, Native American lawyer who fought mixed-martial arts bouts.

The map also moved the liberal northeast Kansas city of Lawrence — another Democratic stronghold and home to the main University of Kansas campus — out of the 2nd District. The city of 95,000 is now in the already sprawling 1st District of central and western Kansas with small conservative communities, some six hours away by car.

Klapper ruled in three consolidated lawsuits filed by a voting rights group, Loud Light, and 20 voters in the Kansas City and Lawrence areas. Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab, the state's top elections official, and local elections officials are the defendants.

The state argued that Davids' district emerged slightly more competitive than it had been. They also said the changes were driven by the need to satisfy past federal court decisions requiring districts to have as equal a number of residents as possible after 10 years of population shifts.

But the state's attorneys also argued that nothing in the Kansas Constitution allows state courts — rather than federal courts — to review congressional maps or to consider political gerrymandering as an issue. Federal judges have decided challenges to congressional redistricting in the past, and the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2019 that complaints about partisan gerrymandering are political issues and not for the federal courts to resolve.

Meanwhile, the Kansas Supreme Court must review a separate law redrawing Kansas House, Kansas Senate and State Board of Education districts. The state constitution requires a decision by June 5.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/1/1643147273216.png" alt="Democrats have criticized the map as political gerrymandering." />
 <figcaption>Democrats have criticized the map as political gerrymandering.</figcaption>
 </figure>By JOHN HANNATOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A&nbsp;Kansas&nbsp;district court judge on Monday struck down a new Republican-backed congressional map that would likely make it harder for the only Democrat in the state's delegation to win reelection this year.It was the first time a court has declared that the Kansas Constitution prohibits political gerrymandering. The state is expected to appeal to the Kansas Supreme Court.The decision from Wyandotte County District Judge Bill Klapper in the Kansas City area came a little more than five weeks before the state's June 1 candidate filing deadline. He ordered legislators to draft a new one.“How strong are Kansans?” Klepper wrote in his 209-page opinion. “Strong enough to expect nothing more than a level playing field devoid of partisan advantage for one group of Kansans. Strong enough for the merits of the issue to be the deciding factor. Strong enough to make their political decisions based upon the content of a candidate’s character rather than the color of their political party.”Democrats have criticized the map as political gerrymandering. Lawsuits claimed it violated voting rights and constitutional guarantees of equal rights for all Kansas residents and freedom of speech and assembly. Critics also said the map was unacceptable under the state constitution because it diluted the political power of Black and Hispanic voters in the Kansas City area by splitting them up. The state rejected all of those allegations.The map moved the northern part of Kansas City, Kansas, out of the 3rd District represented by Democratic Rep. Sharice Davids and into the larger 2nd District of eastern Kansas represented by Republican Rep. Jake LaTurner. Kansas City, Kansas, is among the few Democratic strongholds in GOP-leaning Kansas.Davids lost territory where she performs well, while the new map added several rural, heavily Republican counties to her district. She has gained national attention for her resume as a lesbian, Native American lawyer who fought mixed-martial arts bouts.The map also moved the liberal northeast Kansas city of Lawrence — another Democratic stronghold and home to the main University of Kansas campus — out of the 2nd District. The city of 95,000 is now in the already sprawling 1st District of central and western Kansas with small conservative communities, some six hours away by car.Klapper ruled in three consolidated lawsuits filed by a voting rights group, Loud Light, and 20 voters in the Kansas City and Lawrence areas. Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab, the state's top elections official, and local elections officials are the defendants.The state argued that Davids' district emerged slightly more competitive than it had been. They also said the changes were driven by the need to satisfy past federal court decisions requiring districts to have as equal a number of residents as possible after 10 years of population shifts.But the state's attorneys also argued that nothing in the Kansas Constitution allows state courts — rather than federal courts — to review congressional maps or to consider political gerrymandering as an issue. Federal judges have decided challenges to congressional redistricting in the past, and the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2019 that complaints about partisan gerrymandering are political issues and not for the federal courts to resolve.Meanwhile, the Kansas Supreme Court must review a separate law redrawing Kansas House, Kansas Senate and State Board of Education districts. The state constitution requires a decision by June 5.___

Judge rejects Kan. congressional map; appeal expected

SEDGWICK COUNTY —The search for an inmate released from jail by mistake last month is over.

On March 24, inmate Elijah Nehemiah Reed, 20,&nbsp; was released from the Sedgwick County Detention Facility in error, according to Sheriff's Lt. Benjamin Blick.

On April 8 police&nbsp; arrested Reed in Fort Worth, Texas on an outstanding warrant related to his pending criminal case in Sedgwick County District Court, Blick confirmed on Monday.

The Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office Extradition Unit flew to Fort Worth on April 20 and<a href="https://ssc.sedgwickcounty.org/sheriffinmates/SheriffInmateDetail.aspx?nameId=20060773"> returned Elijah Reed to</a> the Sedgwick County Detention Facility.

Reed was in custody on two writs to detain through the Juvenile District Court and a criminal possession of a firearm charge through the Adult District Court. After the adult case was dismissed by the District Court a paperwork error in the Sheriff’s Office was made concerning the sentencing status of the two juvenile cases and Reed was released from custody in error. Authorities said he was dangerous and possibly armed.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/4/1650888449322.png" alt="Reed-photo Sedgwick County" />
 <figcaption>Reed-photo Sedgwick County</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY —The search for an inmate released from jail by mistake last month is over.On March 24, inmate Elijah Nehemiah Reed, 20,&nbsp; was released from the Sedgwick County Detention Facility in error, according to Sheriff's Lt. Benjamin Blick.On April 8 police&nbsp; arrested Reed in Fort Worth, Texas on an outstanding warrant related to his pending criminal case in Sedgwick County District Court, Blick confirmed on Monday.The Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office Extradition Unit flew to Fort Worth on April 20 and<a href="https://ssc.sedgwickcounty.org/sheriffinmates/SheriffInmateDetail.aspx?nameId=20060773"> returned Elijah Reed to</a> the Sedgwick County Detention Facility.Reed was in custody on two writs to detain through the Juvenile District Court and a criminal possession of a firearm charge through the Adult District Court. After the adult case was dismissed by the District Court a paperwork error in the Sheriff’s Office was made concerning the sentencing status of the two juvenile cases and Reed was released from custody in error. Authorities said he was dangerous and possibly armed.

Kansas inmate released by mistake captured in Texas

TOPEKA — A deck of playing cards – each including information about an unsolved crime in Kansas – will soon be distributed in state prisons and county jails across the state.

The Kansas Department of Corrections (KDOC) and the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI), in partnership with the Kansas Association of Chiefs of Police (KACP), the Kansas Sheriff’s Association (KSA) and the Kansas Peace Officers Association (KPOA), have developed the Cold Case Playing Cards as a way of generating tips that may help resolve cases of unsolved homicides, missing persons or unidentified remains, according to a media release from the KBI.

Each card in the deck includes brief information about an unsolved crime along with a phone number for anyone with information to call: 1-800-KS-CRIME. These cards highlight case details in the hope that a person or persons familiar with a case will come forward with information leading to its resolution. The Cold Case Playing Cards will replace current decks of standard playing cards available in prisons and county jails. Decks will be placed in dayrooms and other common areas, and available through the commissary for purchase by KDOC residents.

“Our agency and our state’s criminal justice community have a commitment to the victims of crimes,” said Kansas Secretary of Corrections Jeff Zmuda. “Our staff members see the unresolved pain experienced by the many families we work with. Hearing the responses from surviving family members when notified that their loved one’s case has been selected for the deck has been powerful and humbling. These families have waited a long time for answers, and this brings some hope.”

“Every call or tip that is shared with law enforcement will be vetted by investigators assigned to the case,” said KBI Director Kirk Thompson. “No matter how small, each tip has the potential of being the missing piece of information needed to finally provide justice to crime victims and their families.”

Other states have solved multiple cold case homicides, missing person cases and suspicious deaths by making these cards available.

“Not every tip received leads to resolution of a case, but someone usually knows something,” Secretary Zmuda said. “Within Kansas correctional facilities and jails, we have segments of our population who want to do something good, perhaps atone for past mistakes, and they may have information about unsolved cases. Our hope is that we receive actionable intelligence that leads to solving cases.”

Development of the project began in March 2021 and included law enforcement partners, representatives from victim services, facility-based programs, private industry, media and families whose lives have been impacted by homicide. Through a submissions process that began in December 2021, local law enforcement from across Kansas provided 81 cases to be highlighted. A selection committee with representatives from KDOC, KBI, the Kansas Attorney General’s Office and local law enforcement prioritized 59 cases to highlight on the first deck of 52 cards.

The oldest case is from 1976 and the most recent case is from 2020. Unsolved homicide cases are from Cherokee, Dickinson, Doniphan, Finney, Ford, Franklin, Geary, Johnson, Leavenworth, Mitchell, Montgomery, Osage, Saline, Sedgwick, Shawnee and Wyandotte counties. Missing person cases are from Leavenworth, Lincoln, Pottawatomie, Saline and Sedgwick counties. The unidentified remains case is from Geary County.

“For many of these cases even after years of investigative work has occurred, questions still remain that need answers before a perpetrator can be held accountable,” Director Thompson said. “It’s our hope that by distributing this deck more attention is drawn to these cases, and that someone comes forward with details that will move us one step closer to providing justice.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/4/1650882531763.png" alt="Each card in the deck includes brief information about an unsolved crime along with a phone number for anyone with information to call: 1-800-KS-CRIME." />
 <figcaption>Each card in the deck includes brief information about an unsolved crime along with a phone number for anyone with information to call: 1-800-KS-CRIME.</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA — A deck of playing cards – each including information about an unsolved crime in Kansas – will soon be distributed in state prisons and county jails across the state.The Kansas Department of Corrections (KDOC) and the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI), in partnership with the Kansas Association of Chiefs of Police (KACP), the Kansas Sheriff’s Association (KSA) and the Kansas Peace Officers Association (KPOA), have developed the Cold Case Playing Cards as a way of generating tips that may help resolve cases of unsolved homicides, missing persons or unidentified remains, according to a media release from the KBI.Each card in the deck includes brief information about an unsolved crime along with a phone number for anyone with information to call: 1-800-KS-CRIME. These cards highlight case details in the hope that a person or persons familiar with a case will come forward with information leading to its resolution. The Cold Case Playing Cards will replace current decks of standard playing cards available in prisons and county jails. Decks will be placed in dayrooms and other common areas, and available through the commissary for purchase by KDOC residents.“Our agency and our state’s criminal justice community have a commitment to the victims of crimes,” said Kansas Secretary of Corrections Jeff Zmuda. “Our staff members see the unresolved pain experienced by the many families we work with. Hearing the responses from surviving family members when notified that their loved one’s case has been selected for the deck has been powerful and humbling. These families have waited a long time for answers, and this brings some hope.”“Every call or tip that is shared with law enforcement will be vetted by investigators assigned to the case,” said KBI Director Kirk Thompson. “No matter how small, each tip has the potential of being the missing piece of information needed to finally provide justice to crime victims and their families.”Other states have solved multiple cold case homicides, missing person cases and suspicious deaths by making these cards available.“Not every tip received leads to resolution of a case, but someone usually knows something,” Secretary Zmuda said. “Within Kansas correctional facilities and jails, we have segments of our population who want to do something good, perhaps atone for past mistakes, and they may have information about unsolved cases. Our hope is that we receive actionable intelligence that leads to solving cases.”Development of the project began in March 2021 and included law enforcement partners, representatives from victim services, facility-based programs, private industry, media and families whose lives have been impacted by homicide. Through a submissions process that began in December 2021, local law enforcement from across Kansas provided 81 cases to be highlighted. A selection committee with representatives from KDOC, KBI, the Kansas Attorney General’s Office and local law enforcement prioritized 59 cases to highlight on the first deck of 52 cards.The oldest case is from 1976 and the most recent case is from 2020. Unsolved homicide cases are from Cherokee, Dickinson, Doniphan, Finney, Ford, Franklin, Geary, Johnson, Leavenworth, Mitchell, Montgomery, Osage, Saline, Sedgwick, Shawnee and Wyandotte counties. Missing person cases are from Leavenworth, Lincoln, Pottawatomie, Saline and Sedgwick counties. The unidentified remains case is from Geary County.“For many of these cases even after years of investigative work has occurred, questions still remain that need answers before a perpetrator can be held accountable,” Director Thompson said. “It’s our hope that by distributing this deck more attention is drawn to these cases, and that someone comes forward with details that will move us one step closer to providing justice.”

Law enforcement heats up cold cases with playing cards for prisoners

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — As state lawmakers moved to ban transgender kids from girls’ sports, Kansas’ most visible LGBTQ-rights lobbyist recently said during an interview in a Statehouse corridor that conservatives don’t mind if kindergartners “have their genitals inspected.”

The politically needling comment was bold enough to make Tom Witt’s point, and loud enough for a lobbyist supporter of the ban to hear as she walked by. It was also classic Witt: Boisterous. Engaged. And well-targeted.

Witt is a key reason Kansas is unlikely to join a growing number of states this year with a ban, despite Republican supermajorities in its Legislature. With lawmakers returning Monday from a spring break, supporters don’t yet have the two-thirds majorities to override&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/topeka-kansas-legislature-libraries-9ffb07cf3b25faf848dda6d78bff8856">Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly’s veto</a>&nbsp;of their bill. They didn’t&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-government-and-politics-9393276adde526a5afbd7e0b9ff05067">last year,</a>&nbsp;either.

Witt, 60, is executive director of Equality Kansas and a Democratic consultant. During 18 years at the Statehouse, he’s spotlighted conservatives’ bills so that unwanted publicity prompts Republican leaders&nbsp;<a href="https://news.yahoo.com/senator-declares-kan-anti-gay-marriage-bill-dead-014108712.html" target="_blank">to disavow them</a>&nbsp;or discourages GOP-led committees from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/legislature-kansas-legislation-topeka-state-legislature-9f41644482b94ad9224f9064f403b3ae">even holding hearings.</a>&nbsp;Others describe him as relentless in pursuing just enough “no” votes when it counts, and was influential enough in the state Democratic Party to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/elections-legislature-gay-rights-kansas-topeka-edc2c8b9f3694e48877e71243beffb1a">help push it to the left.</a>

He’s even let his health slide. In 2017, he ignored growing fatigue to successfully lobby against&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/3926c6f3919e457596640ce567204c95">requiring transgender students</a>&nbsp;to use facilities associated with their genders assigned at birth — then had a heart attack and bypass surgery.

As for this year’s bill, he said unnamed Republicans told him they “really hate” it before voting for it anyway. He said he’s bitter that they might have considered the political cost of voting no.

“This is life and death for some kids,” he said. “This is not trivial. This is not politics.”

Witt plans to retire from activism, lobbying and consulting by year’s end, having mentored younger, self-described progressive lobbyists.

Democratic state Rep. Stephanie Byers,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/legislature-wichita-kansas-general-elections-elections-4e965ac75a3a70be9164bca28ba0c1f0">the state’s first elected transgender lawmaker</a>&nbsp;and a retired Wichita band director, credits Witt with connecting her to national groups and making media interviews easier to navigate during her 2020 campaign. Kari Rinker, a friend and American Heart Association lobbyist, said he taught her how to fundraise and work with a nonprofit board.

But Witt is sometimes profane and often pugnacious, even with friends. As for lawmakers, he said, party doesn’t matter: “If they vote against LGBT rights, I’m going to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-gay-rights-kansas-topeka-6f85a71fb87040678da6494ed586ad53">go after them.”</a>

Brittany Jones, the conservative lobbyist who was walking by Witt’s recent hallway interview, begins her recollection of their Statehouse introduction in 2019 with, “I believe he’s made in the image of God just like I am.”

“As soon as he found out who I worked for, he dropped my hand, walked away and wouldn’t speak to me,” said Jones, policy director for the conservative group Kansas Family Voice. Witt doesn’t dispute that.

As Witt fights to keep Kansas from following at least 15 other states in banning transgender athletes from female school and college sports, some Kansas lawmakers are conflicted.

State Sen. David Haley, a Kansas City Democrat, voted no earlier this month but said “reasonable” constituents see the bill as common sense. He was the deciding vote last year against a veto override, giving a speech weighing both sides before voting no — as Witt sat in the main visitors’ gallery, visibly on edge.

“You know, it’s kind of like he’s a Marine Corps drill sergeant when he is committed to the advocacy for his ideology,” Haley said. “It’s like, ‘Everybody line up. This is the way it’s going to go.’”

The Kansas measures have applied to K-12 students, and a few lawmakers&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/sports-kansas-topeka-education-legislature-6972397127e6ebc77984fd23b6d0e6ec">cite that as a problem.</a>&nbsp;Witt said elementary schools would be forced to physically inspect children as young as 5 to settle disputes over transgender kids competing against other girls.

The&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/documents/sb160_enrolled.pdf" target="_blank">bill’s text</a>&nbsp;doesn’t says exactly how disputes would be resolved, and Haley called Witt’s argument “a little bit beyond belief.” State Rep. Barbara Wasinger, a Republican from western Kansas, said Witt’s argument is diverting attention from what she sees as the real issues, fair competition and scholarship opportunities for young women.

But Witt sees this year’s proposals triggering bullying and suicides. He pointed out a scar on his left cheek and said it’s from being attacked and cut with a knife in a high school bathroom in the 1970s.

“In some respects, not a damn thing has changed,” he said. “In the 70s, the things that trans people are being called today are what gays and lesbians were called then. The panic about bathrooms? We had the bathroom panic in the 70s.”

He also recalled how his activism began ahead of&nbsp;<a href="http://archive.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2005/04/06/kansans_vote_to_ban_same_sex_marriage/" target="_blank">a 2005 statewide vote</a>&nbsp;in favor of banning same-sex marriage in Kansas. A computer software writer and IT troubleshooter, he was living in Wichita with his future husband and their daughter.

“All I ever wanted in my life was a family,” Witt said. “And it felt like those people were coming after it.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/4/1650634763671.png" alt="Tom Witt, executive director of Equality Kansas- photo courtesy ACLU Kansas" />
 <figcaption>Tom Witt, executive director of Equality Kansas- photo courtesy ACLU Kansas</figcaption>
 </figure>By JOHN HANNATOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — As state lawmakers moved to ban transgender kids from girls’ sports, Kansas’ most visible LGBTQ-rights lobbyist recently said during an interview in a Statehouse corridor that conservatives don’t mind if kindergartners “have their genitals inspected.”The politically needling comment was bold enough to make Tom Witt’s point, and loud enough for a lobbyist supporter of the ban to hear as she walked by. It was also classic Witt: Boisterous. Engaged. And well-targeted.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Tom Witt, <a href="https://twitter.com/KansasEquality?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KansasEquality</a>: “This is my 18th legislative session working for equality in Kansas, and during every damn one of them I’ve had to come up here to stop anti-LGBTQ legislation.” <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ksleg?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ksleg</a>&mdash; ACLU of Kansas (@aclukansas) <a href="https://twitter.com/aclukansas/status/1500929427085139969?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 7, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Witt is a key reason Kansas is unlikely to join a growing number of states this year with a ban, despite Republican supermajorities in its Legislature. With lawmakers returning Monday from a spring break, supporters don’t yet have the two-thirds majorities to override&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/topeka-kansas-legislature-libraries-9ffb07cf3b25faf848dda6d78bff8856">Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly’s veto</a>&nbsp;of their bill. They didn’t&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-government-and-politics-9393276adde526a5afbd7e0b9ff05067">last year,</a>&nbsp;either.Witt, 60, is executive director of Equality Kansas and a Democratic consultant. During 18 years at the Statehouse, he’s spotlighted conservatives’ bills so that unwanted publicity prompts Republican leaders&nbsp;<a href="https://news.yahoo.com/senator-declares-kan-anti-gay-marriage-bill-dead-014108712.html" target="_blank">to disavow them</a>&nbsp;or discourages GOP-led committees from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/legislature-kansas-legislation-topeka-state-legislature-9f41644482b94ad9224f9064f403b3ae">even holding hearings.</a>&nbsp;Others describe him as relentless in pursuing just enough “no” votes when it counts, and was influential enough in the state Democratic Party to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/elections-legislature-gay-rights-kansas-topeka-edc2c8b9f3694e48877e71243beffb1a">help push it to the left.</a>He’s even let his health slide. In 2017, he ignored growing fatigue to successfully lobby against&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/3926c6f3919e457596640ce567204c95">requiring transgender students</a>&nbsp;to use facilities associated with their genders assigned at birth — then had a heart attack and bypass surgery.As for this year’s bill, he said unnamed Republicans told him they “really hate” it before voting for it anyway. He said he’s bitter that they might have considered the political cost of voting no.“This is life and death for some kids,” he said. “This is not trivial. This is not politics.”Witt plans to retire from activism, lobbying and consulting by year’s end, having mentored younger, self-described progressive lobbyists.Democratic state Rep. Stephanie Byers,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/legislature-wichita-kansas-general-elections-elections-4e965ac75a3a70be9164bca28ba0c1f0">the state’s first elected transgender lawmaker</a>&nbsp;and a retired Wichita band director, credits Witt with connecting her to national groups and making media interviews easier to navigate during her 2020 campaign. Kari Rinker, a friend and American Heart Association lobbyist, said he taught her how to fundraise and work with a nonprofit board.But Witt is sometimes profane and often pugnacious, even with friends. As for lawmakers, he said, party doesn’t matter: “If they vote against LGBT rights, I’m going to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-gay-rights-kansas-topeka-6f85a71fb87040678da6494ed586ad53">go after them.”</a>Brittany Jones, the conservative lobbyist who was walking by Witt’s recent hallway interview, begins her recollection of their Statehouse introduction in 2019 with, “I believe he’s made in the image of God just like I am.”“As soon as he found out who I worked for, he dropped my hand, walked away and wouldn’t speak to me,” said Jones, policy director for the conservative group Kansas Family Voice. Witt doesn’t dispute that.As Witt fights to keep Kansas from following at least 15 other states in banning transgender athletes from female school and college sports, some Kansas lawmakers are conflicted.State Sen. David Haley, a Kansas City Democrat, voted no earlier this month but said “reasonable” constituents see the bill as common sense. He was the deciding vote last year against a veto override, giving a speech weighing both sides before voting no — as Witt sat in the main visitors’ gallery, visibly on edge.“You know, it’s kind of like he’s a Marine Corps drill sergeant when he is committed to the advocacy for his ideology,” Haley said. “It’s like, ‘Everybody line up. This is the way it’s going to go.’”The Kansas measures have applied to K-12 students, and a few lawmakers&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/sports-kansas-topeka-education-legislature-6972397127e6ebc77984fd23b6d0e6ec">cite that as a problem.</a>&nbsp;Witt said elementary schools would be forced to physically inspect children as young as 5 to settle disputes over transgender kids competing against other girls.The&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/documents/sb160_enrolled.pdf" target="_blank">bill’s text</a>&nbsp;doesn’t says exactly how disputes would be resolved, and Haley called Witt’s argument “a little bit beyond belief.” State Rep. Barbara Wasinger, a Republican from western Kansas, said Witt’s argument is diverting attention from what she sees as the real issues, fair competition and scholarship opportunities for young women.But Witt sees this year’s proposals triggering bullying and suicides. He pointed out a scar on his left cheek and said it’s from being attacked and cut with a knife in a high school bathroom in the 1970s.“In some respects, not a damn thing has changed,” he said. “In the 70s, the things that trans people are being called today are what gays and lesbians were called then. The panic about bathrooms? We had the bathroom panic in the 70s.”He also recalled how his activism began ahead of&nbsp;<a href="http://archive.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2005/04/06/kansans_vote_to_ban_same_sex_marriage/" target="_blank">a 2005 statewide vote</a>&nbsp;in favor of banning same-sex marriage in Kansas. A computer software writer and IT troubleshooter, he was living in Wichita with his future husband and their daughter.“All I ever wanted in my life was a family,” Witt said. “And it felt like those people were coming after it.”

Lawmakers continue battle over ban on trans athletes in Kansas

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The U.S. secretaries of state and defense met Sunday night with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the highest-level visit to the country’s capital by an American delegation since the start of Russia’s invasion.

The secretive meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin came as Ukraine pressed the West for more powerful weapons against Russia’s campaign in the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-kyiv-boris-johnson-business-europe-521e64467d1ffdbefbd7fdb3cc54fa7c">Donbas region of eastern Ukraine</a>, where Moscow’s forces sought to dislodge the last Ukrainian troops in the battered port of Mariupol.

Blinken and Austin told Ukraine’s president, Volodomyr Zelenskyy, and his advisers that the United States would provide more than $300 million in foreign military financing and had approved a $165 million sale of ammunition.

They also said that U.S. President Joe Biden would soon announce his nominee for ambassador to Ukraine and that American diplomats who left Ukraine before the war would start returning to the country this coming week

Reporters who accompanied Austin and Blinken to Poland were barred by Pentagon and State Department officials from reporting the Kyiv visit until the two men physically left Ukraine. U.S. officials cited security concerns.

Before the session with Blinken and Austin, Zelenskyy said he was looking for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-putin-business-europe-united-states-a7f618d26d917d9a713e9dca3dc51afb">the Americans</a>&nbsp;to produce results, both in arms and security guarantees.

“You can’t come to us empty-handed today, and we are expecting not just presents or some kind of cakes, we are expecting specific things and specific weapons,″ he said.

Zelenskyy’s last face-to-face meeting with a top U.S. official was Feb. 19 in Munich with Vice President Kamala Harris, five days before Russia’s invasion. While the West has funneled military equipment to Ukraine, Zelenskyy has stressed repeatedly that his country needs more heavy weapons, including long-range air defense systems and warplanes.

In an apparent boost for Ukraine, polling agencies said French&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-french-election-voting-results-f5b549e3b99930ee05bed17a9d3870b6">President Emmanuel Macron would win reelection over far right candidate Marine Le Pen</a>, who has faced questions about her ties to Moscow.

The result was hailed by France’s allies in the European Union as a reassuring sign of stability and continued support for Ukraine. France has played a leading role in international efforts to punish Russia with sanctions and is supplying weapons systems to Ukraine.

Zelenskyy’s meeting with U.S. officials took place as Ukrainians and Russians&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-kyiv-europe-lifestyle-religion-9d076d8ea61a6d5d4ac054108d7b1f83">observed Orthodox Easter</a>. Speaking from Kyiv’s ancient St. Sophia Cathedral, Zelenskyy, who is Jewish, highlighted its significance to a nation wracked by nearly two months of war.

“The great holiday today gives us great hope and unwavering faith that light will overcome darkness, good will overcome evil, life will overcome death, and therefore Ukraine will surely win!” he said.

Still,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-europe-religion-soviet-union-world-war-ii-c8a4785266692df05d421ebdb748cf2e">the war cast a shadow</a>&nbsp;over celebrations. In the northern village of Ivanivka, where Russian tanks still littered the roads, Olena Koptyl said “the Easter holiday doesn’t bring any joy. I’m crying a lot. We cannot forget how we lived.”

The Russian military reported hitting 423 Ukrainian targets overnight, including fortified positions and troop concentrations, while its warplanes destroyed 26 Ukrainian military sites, including an explosives factory and several artillery depots.

Since failing to capture Kyiv, the Russians have aimed to gain full control over&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-europe-donetsk-4231f7c36291f7ecf6df2a597c4400fd">the eastern industrial heartland,&nbsp;</a>where Moscow-backed separatists controlled some territory before the war.

Russian forces launched fresh airstrikes on a Mariupol steel plant where an estimated 1,000 civilians are sheltering along with about 2,000 Ukrainian fighters. The Azovstal steel mill where the defenders are holed up is the last corner of resistance in the city, otherwise occupied by the Russians.

Zelenskyy said he stressed the need to evacuate civilians from Mariupol, including from the steel plant, in a Sunday call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is scheduled to speak later with Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

Arestovych, the Zelenskyy adviser, said Ukraine has proposed holding talks with Russia next to the sprawling steel mill. Arestovych said on the Telegram messaging app that Russia has not responded to the proposal that would include establishing humanitarian corridors and the exchange of Russian war prisoners for the fighters still in the plant.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is scheduled to travel to Turkey on Monday and then Moscow and Kyiv. Zelenskyy said it was a mistake for Guterres to visit Russia before Ukraine.

“Why? To hand over signals from Russia? What should we look for?” Zelenskyy said Saturday. “There are no corpses scattered on the Kutuzovsky Prospect,” he said, referring to one of Moscow’s main avenues.

Mariupol has endured fierce fighting since the start of the war because of its location on the Sea of Azov. Its capture would deprive Ukraine of a vital port, free up Russian troops to fight elsewhere, and allow Moscow to establish a land corridor to the Crimean Peninsula, which it seized from Ukraine in 2014.

More than 100,000 people — down from a prewar population of about 430,000 — are believed to remain in Mariupol with scant food, water or heat. Ukrainian authorities estimate over 20,000 civilians have been killed. Recent satellite images showed what appeared to be mass graves to the west and east of Mariupol.

Children in an underground bunker were seen receiving Easter presents in a video released Sunday by the far-right Azov Battalion, which is among the Ukrainian forces at the steel plant in Mariupol. The group’s deputy commander, Sviatoslav Palamar, said the video was shot at the plant.

One toddler is seen wearing homemade diapers made of cellophane and people are seen hanging laundry on makeshift hangers.

“Please help us,” one woman in the video said through tears, appealing to world leaders. “We want to live in our city, in our country. We are tired of these bombings, constant air strikes on our land. How much longer will this continue?”

Mykhailo Podolyak, another presidential adviser, tweeted that the Russian military was attacking the plant with heavy bombs and artillery while accumulating forces and equipment for a direct assault.

Zelenskyy over the weekend accused Russians of committing war crimes by killing civilians and of setting up “filtration camps” near Mariupol for people trying to leave the city. He said the Ukrainians — many of them children — are then sent to areas under Russian occupation or to Russia itself, often as far as Siberia or the Far East. The claims could not be independently verified.

Zelenskyy highlighted the death of a 3-month old girl in a Russian missile strike Saturday on the Black Sea port of Odesa. The baby was among eight people killed when Russia fired cruise missiles at Odesa, Ukrainian officials said.

Ukrainian news agency UNIAN, citing social media, reported that the infant’s mother, Valeria Glodan, and grandmother also died when a missile hit a residential area. Zelenskyy promised to find and punish those responsible.

“The war started when this baby was 1 month old,″ Zelenskyy said. “Can you imagine what is happening? They are filthy scum; there are no other words for it.”

For the Donbas offensive, Russia has reassembled troops who fought&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-europe-2c77447fda4b362dfcd99e4331f9d6ae">around Kyiv and in northern Ukraine</a>. The British Ministry of Defense said Ukrainian forces had repelled numerous assaults in the past week and “inflicted significant cost on Russian forces.”

A fire erupted early Monday at an oil depot in Russia near its border with Ukraine, but Russia’s Tass news agency gave no immediate cause for the blaze in oil storage tanks.

NASA satellites that track fires showed something burning at coordinates that corresponded to a Rosneft facility some 110 kilometers (70 miles) north of the Ukrainian border. Moscow previously has blamed Ukraine for attacks on the Russian region of Bryansk, which borders Ukraine.

The spiritual leaders of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-lifestyle-religion-pennsylvania-europe-5458f9a894bbac7cb80d4e6f6d55849d">the world’s Orthodox Christians</a>&nbsp;and Roman Catholics on Sunday appealed for relief for Ukraine’s suffering population.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/4/1650883422666.png" alt="Reporters who accompanied Austin and Blinken to Poland were barred by Pentagon and State Department officials from reporting the Kyiv visit until the two men physically left Ukraine-photo U.S. Defense Department" />
 <figcaption>Reporters who accompanied Austin and Blinken to Poland were barred by Pentagon and State Department officials from reporting the Kyiv visit until the two men physically left Ukraine-photo U.S. Defense Department</figcaption>
 </figure>KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The U.S. secretaries of state and defense met Sunday night with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the highest-level visit to the country’s capital by an American delegation since the start of Russia’s invasion.The secretive meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin came as Ukraine pressed the West for more powerful weapons against Russia’s campaign in the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-kyiv-boris-johnson-business-europe-521e64467d1ffdbefbd7fdb3cc54fa7c">Donbas region of eastern Ukraine</a>, where Moscow’s forces sought to dislodge the last Ukrainian troops in the battered port of Mariupol.Blinken and Austin told Ukraine’s president, Volodomyr Zelenskyy, and his advisers that the United States would provide more than $300 million in foreign military financing and had approved a $165 million sale of ammunition.They also said that U.S. President Joe Biden would soon announce his nominee for ambassador to Ukraine and that American diplomats who left Ukraine before the war would start returning to the country this coming week<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/4/1650881393752.png" alt="U.S. Airmen prepare supply crates containing Stinger anti-aircraft systems, Javelin anti-armor systems, and other equipment bound for Ukraine at Dover Air Force Base in April 2022 -photo U.S.Defense Department" />
 <figcaption>U.S. Airmen prepare supply crates containing Stinger anti-aircraft systems, Javelin anti-armor systems, and other equipment bound for Ukraine at Dover Air Force Base in April 2022 -photo U.S.Defense Department</figcaption>
 </figure>Reporters who accompanied Austin and Blinken to Poland were barred by Pentagon and State Department officials from reporting the Kyiv visit until the two men physically left Ukraine. U.S. officials cited security concerns.Before the session with Blinken and Austin, Zelenskyy said he was looking for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-putin-business-europe-united-states-a7f618d26d917d9a713e9dca3dc51afb">the Americans</a>&nbsp;to produce results, both in arms and security guarantees.“You can’t come to us empty-handed today, and we are expecting not just presents or some kind of cakes, we are expecting specific things and specific weapons,″ he said.Zelenskyy’s last face-to-face meeting with a top U.S. official was Feb. 19 in Munich with Vice President Kamala Harris, five days before Russia’s invasion. While the West has funneled military equipment to Ukraine, Zelenskyy has stressed repeatedly that his country needs more heavy weapons, including long-range air defense systems and warplanes.In an apparent boost for Ukraine, polling agencies said French&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-french-election-voting-results-f5b549e3b99930ee05bed17a9d3870b6">President Emmanuel Macron would win reelection over far right candidate Marine Le Pen</a>, who has faced questions about her ties to Moscow.The result was hailed by France’s allies in the European Union as a reassuring sign of stability and continued support for Ukraine. France has played a leading role in international efforts to punish Russia with sanctions and is supplying weapons systems to Ukraine.Zelenskyy’s meeting with U.S. officials took place as Ukrainians and Russians&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-kyiv-europe-lifestyle-religion-9d076d8ea61a6d5d4ac054108d7b1f83">observed Orthodox Easter</a>. Speaking from Kyiv’s ancient St. Sophia Cathedral, Zelenskyy, who is Jewish, highlighted its significance to a nation wracked by nearly two months of war.“The great holiday today gives us great hope and unwavering faith that light will overcome darkness, good will overcome evil, life will overcome death, and therefore Ukraine will surely win!” he said.Still,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-europe-religion-soviet-union-world-war-ii-c8a4785266692df05d421ebdb748cf2e">the war cast a shadow</a>&nbsp;over celebrations. In the northern village of Ivanivka, where Russian tanks still littered the roads, Olena Koptyl said “the Easter holiday doesn’t bring any joy. I’m crying a lot. We cannot forget how we lived.”The Russian military reported hitting 423 Ukrainian targets overnight, including fortified positions and troop concentrations, while its warplanes destroyed 26 Ukrainian military sites, including an explosives factory and several artillery depots.Since failing to capture Kyiv, the Russians have aimed to gain full control over&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-europe-donetsk-4231f7c36291f7ecf6df2a597c4400fd">the eastern industrial heartland,&nbsp;</a>where Moscow-backed separatists controlled some territory before the war.Russian forces launched fresh airstrikes on a Mariupol steel plant where an estimated 1,000 civilians are sheltering along with about 2,000 Ukrainian fighters. The Azovstal steel mill where the defenders are holed up is the last corner of resistance in the city, otherwise occupied by the Russians.Zelenskyy said he stressed the need to evacuate civilians from Mariupol, including from the steel plant, in a Sunday call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is scheduled to speak later with Russian leader Vladimir Putin.Arestovych, the Zelenskyy adviser, said Ukraine has proposed holding talks with Russia next to the sprawling steel mill. Arestovych said on the Telegram messaging app that Russia has not responded to the proposal that would include establishing humanitarian corridors and the exchange of Russian war prisoners for the fighters still in the plant.U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is scheduled to travel to Turkey on Monday and then Moscow and Kyiv. Zelenskyy said it was a mistake for Guterres to visit Russia before Ukraine.“Why? To hand over signals from Russia? What should we look for?” Zelenskyy said Saturday. “There are no corpses scattered on the Kutuzovsky Prospect,” he said, referring to one of Moscow’s main avenues.Mariupol has endured fierce fighting since the start of the war because of its location on the Sea of Azov. Its capture would deprive Ukraine of a vital port, free up Russian troops to fight elsewhere, and allow Moscow to establish a land corridor to the Crimean Peninsula, which it seized from Ukraine in 2014.More than 100,000 people — down from a prewar population of about 430,000 — are believed to remain in Mariupol with scant food, water or heat. Ukrainian authorities estimate over 20,000 civilians have been killed. Recent satellite images showed what appeared to be mass graves to the west and east of Mariupol.Children in an underground bunker were seen receiving Easter presents in a video released Sunday by the far-right Azov Battalion, which is among the Ukrainian forces at the steel plant in Mariupol. The group’s deputy commander, Sviatoslav Palamar, said the video was shot at the plant.One toddler is seen wearing homemade diapers made of cellophane and people are seen hanging laundry on makeshift hangers.“Please help us,” one woman in the video said through tears, appealing to world leaders. “We want to live in our city, in our country. We are tired of these bombings, constant air strikes on our land. How much longer will this continue?”Mykhailo Podolyak, another presidential adviser, tweeted that the Russian military was attacking the plant with heavy bombs and artillery while accumulating forces and equipment for a direct assault.Zelenskyy over the weekend accused Russians of committing war crimes by killing civilians and of setting up “filtration camps” near Mariupol for people trying to leave the city. He said the Ukrainians — many of them children — are then sent to areas under Russian occupation or to Russia itself, often as far as Siberia or the Far East. The claims could not be independently verified.Zelenskyy highlighted the death of a 3-month old girl in a Russian missile strike Saturday on the Black Sea port of Odesa. The baby was among eight people killed when Russia fired cruise missiles at Odesa, Ukrainian officials said.Ukrainian news agency UNIAN, citing social media, reported that the infant’s mother, Valeria Glodan, and grandmother also died when a missile hit a residential area. Zelenskyy promised to find and punish those responsible.“The war started when this baby was 1 month old,″ Zelenskyy said. “Can you imagine what is happening? They are filthy scum; there are no other words for it.”For the Donbas offensive, Russia has reassembled troops who fought&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-europe-2c77447fda4b362dfcd99e4331f9d6ae">around Kyiv and in northern Ukraine</a>. The British Ministry of Defense said Ukrainian forces had repelled numerous assaults in the past week and “inflicted significant cost on Russian forces.”A fire erupted early Monday at an oil depot in Russia near its border with Ukraine, but Russia’s Tass news agency gave no immediate cause for the blaze in oil storage tanks.NASA satellites that track fires showed something burning at coordinates that corresponded to a Rosneft facility some 110 kilometers (70 miles) north of the Ukrainian border. Moscow previously has blamed Ukraine for attacks on the Russian region of Bryansk, which borders Ukraine.The spiritual leaders of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-lifestyle-religion-pennsylvania-europe-5458f9a894bbac7cb80d4e6f6d55849d">the world’s Orthodox Christians</a>&nbsp;and Roman Catholics on Sunday appealed for relief for Ukraine’s suffering population.______

Secret trip: US delegation meets with Ukrainian President 

SEDGWICK COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a fatal weekend shooting.

At approximately 1:20 a.m. on Sunday, police responded to a shooting call in the 1300 block of North Hydraulic in Wichita, according to Officer Chad Ditch.

 Upon arrival, officers located&nbsp;d 31-yearold Nyron Bowen of Wichita. on the ground with multiple gunshot wounds to his body. Bowen would be transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced deceased. 

The investigation revealed Bowen was on foot leaving a nightclub. Witnesses reported hearing several gunshots and Bowen was located just south of the nightclub with multiple gunshot wounds to his body. 

SEDGWICK COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a fatal weekend shooting.At approximately 1:20 a.m. on Sunday, police responded to a shooting call in the 1300 block of North Hydraulic in Wichita, according to Officer Chad Ditch. Upon arrival, officers located&nbsp;d 31-yearold Nyron Bowen of Wichita. on the ground with multiple gunshot wounds to his body. Bowen would be transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced deceased. The investigation revealed Bowen was on foot leaving a nightclub. Witnesses reported hearing several gunshots and Bowen was located just south of the nightclub with multiple gunshot wounds to his body.

Kansas man shot to death walking from from nightclub

CAMBRIDGE, Neb. (AP) — Wind-driven wildfires sweeping through parts of Nebraska killed a retired fire chief and injured at least 11 firefighters, authorities said Sunday.

The man who died Friday night was a retired Cambridge fire chief who was working with firefighters as a spotter in Red Willow County in the southwestern corner of the state. Alyssa Sanders, of the Nebraska Emergency Management Agency, said 66-year-old John P. Trumble, of Arapahoe, was overcome by smoke and fire after his vehicle left the road because of poor visibility from smoke and dust. His body was found early Saturday.

Sanders said 11 firefighters have been injured battling the blazes, but she didn’t say where they were injured or how severe their injuries were.

Blazes have been reported in 12 counties in around the state since Friday. The state agency said they were still burning Saturday night in five counties in Nebraska’s southwest: Perkins, Hayes, Furnas, Red Willow and Frontier. The agency didn’t provide estimates of the total area that had been burned or the number of homes or other structures that had been destroyed.

Sanders said her agency didn’t have all of the details about the fires because local fire departments were managing the response to most of them.

Several small towns, including Cambridge, Bartley, Indianola and Wilsonville, in Nebraska’s southwest and Macy in its northeast, were forced to temporarily evacuate because of the fires. The evacuation orders were lifted Saturday.

The Nebraska National Guard deployed three helicopters and several support trucks to help battle the blazes.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/4/1650733136045.png" alt="The Nebraska National Guard deployed three helicopters and several support trucks to help battle the blazes-photo Nebraska State Patrol" />
 <figcaption>The Nebraska National Guard deployed three helicopters and several support trucks to help battle the blazes-photo Nebraska State Patrol</figcaption>
 </figure>CAMBRIDGE, Neb. (AP) — Wind-driven wildfires sweeping through parts of Nebraska killed a retired fire chief and injured at least 11 firefighters, authorities said Sunday.The man who died Friday night was a retired Cambridge fire chief who was working with firefighters as a spotter in Red Willow County in the southwestern corner of the state. Alyssa Sanders, of the Nebraska Emergency Management Agency, said 66-year-old John P. Trumble, of Arapahoe, was overcome by smoke and fire after his vehicle left the road because of poor visibility from smoke and dust. His body was found early Saturday.Sanders said 11 firefighters have been injured battling the blazes, but she didn’t say where they were injured or how severe their injuries were.Blazes have been reported in 12 counties in around the state since Friday. The state agency said they were still burning Saturday night in five counties in Nebraska’s southwest: Perkins, Hayes, Furnas, Red Willow and Frontier. The agency didn’t provide estimates of the total area that had been burned or the number of homes or other structures that had been destroyed.Sanders said her agency didn’t have all of the details about the fires because local fire departments were managing the response to most of them.Several small towns, including Cambridge, Bartley, Indianola and Wilsonville, in Nebraska’s southwest and Macy in its northeast, were forced to temporarily evacuate because of the fires. The evacuation orders were lifted Saturday.The Nebraska National Guard deployed three helicopters and several support trucks to help battle the blazes.

SW Nebraska wildfire kills ex-fire chief, injured 11 firefighters

OSAGE COUNTY– Law enforcement authorities have been conducting an investigation regarding the online solicitation of a child by an adult.

On April 19, Osage County Sheriff’s Office’s Criminal Investigation Unit (CIU) took into custody an adult male who had made plans to meet with someone he believed to be a minor, according to Sheriff Chris Wells.

Joseph A. Vonsoosten, 39, of Topeka, was taken into custody without incident and transported to the Osage County Jail Facility on requested charges of electronic solicitation and attempted aggravated indecent liberties with a child.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/4/1650536117350.png" alt="Vonsoosten-photo Osage Co. Jail" />
 <figcaption>Vonsoosten-photo Osage Co. Jail</figcaption>
 </figure>OSAGE COUNTY– Law enforcement authorities have been conducting an investigation regarding the online solicitation of a child by an adult.On April 19, Osage County Sheriff’s Office’s Criminal Investigation Unit (CIU) took into custody an adult male who had made plans to meet with someone he believed to be a minor, according to Sheriff Chris Wells.Joseph A. Vonsoosten, 39, of Topeka, was taken into custody without incident and transported to the Osage County Jail Facility on requested charges of electronic solicitation and attempted aggravated indecent liberties with a child.

Sex crime: Kansas man thought he was meeting with juvenile

KANSAS CITY —A Kansas City area man, convicted already of felonies, has been charged in connection with the fatal shooting on April 14, 2022, of George R. Dale in an Independence store parking lot, according to Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker.

Darrel M. Maggard, 35, faces Murder 2nd Degree, Armed Criminal Action and Unlawful Possession of a Firearm charges

According to court records, on April 14, police were dispatched to the parking lot of a Cargo Largo Store on E. 35th Street. They found the victim, George R. Dale, deceased inside his vehicle after he had been shot numerous times. 

A witness told police he had been with the victim when the defendant, who owed the victim money, arranged to meet the victim at the location where he was shot. An argument ensued between the victim and the defendant until Maggard pulled a handgun from his pants and fired multiple shots, striking the victim. 

Detectives recovered video showing the defendant drawing and firing his handgun and hitting the victim multiple times.

Prosecutors requested the defendant be held on no bond.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/4/1650572289102.png" alt="Maaggard-photo Jackson County" />
 <figcaption>Maaggard-photo Jackson County</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —A Kansas City area man, convicted already of felonies, has been charged in connection with the fatal shooting on April 14, 2022, of George R. Dale in an Independence store parking lot, according to Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker.Darrel M. Maggard, 35, faces Murder 2nd Degree, Armed Criminal Action and Unlawful Possession of a Firearm chargesAccording to court records, on April 14, police were dispatched to the parking lot of a Cargo Largo Store on E. 35th Street. They found the victim, George R. Dale, deceased inside his vehicle after he had been shot numerous times. A witness told police he had been with the victim when the defendant, who owed the victim money, arranged to meet the victim at the location where he was shot. An argument ensued between the victim and the defendant until Maggard pulled a handgun from his pants and fired multiple shots, striking the victim. Detectives recovered video showing the defendant drawing and firing his handgun and hitting the victim multiple times.Prosecutors requested the defendant be held on no bond.&nbsp;

Police: Kansas City-area killing involved dispute over money

KANSAS CITY (AP) —Browse any medical dictionary, and before hitting appendectomy and anesthesia, you’ll find abortion.

The first two procedures are part of standard physician education. But for many U.S. medical school students and residents who want to learn about abortions, options are scarce.

And new restrictions are piling up: Within the past year, bills or laws seeking to limit abortion education have been proposed or enacted in at least eight states. The changes are coming from abortion opponents emboldened by new limits on the procedure itself, as well as a pending Supreme Court decision that could upend the landmark Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion.

“It’s quite terrifying what’s going on,” said Ian Peake, a third-year medical student in Oklahoma, where the governor on April 12 signed a measure outlawing most abortions.

Abortion training is not offered at Oklahoma’s two medical schools and education on the topic is limited. Aspiring doctors who want to learn about it typically seek out doctors providing abortions outside the traditional medical education system.

Peake, 32, said if he wanted to learn to do colonoscopies, for example, he could work with school staff to shadow a doctor doing research or working in a clinic.

“That would be easy,” he said. “To do the same for abortion, that’s almost impossible.” He said it took him six months to find a provider willing to teach him.

Nevada medical student Natasha McGlaun got outside training and created a workshop on how to perform a standard medical procedure used in abortions. She offers it at night, in her own free time.

The 27-year-old is the daughter of “pro-feminist” parents and the mother of two young girls whose right to reproductive choice she wants to protect.

“It was kind of a joke in my family: If people tell me I can’t do something, I’m going to do it twice as hard,” she said. “I kind of feel this moral, righteous drive to go for it.”

U.S. physician education typically includes four years of medical school, where students learn the basics of general medicine and hands-on patient care. They graduate with a medical degree that officially makes them doctors. Most then spend at least three years in residency programs where they receive intense on-the-job training and specialty skills.

U.S. medical schools require students to complete a clerkship in obstetrics and gynecology, but there is no mandate that it include abortion education. At the post-graduate level, OB-GYN residency programs are required by an accrediting group to provide access to abortion training, though residents who object can opt out of performing abortions.

OB-GYNs perform most U.S. abortions, followed by family medicine specialists. But these aren’t always the first doctors that women encounter when they learn of an unintended pregnancy. Abortion rights supporters argue all physicians should know enough about the procedure to inform and counsel patients, and that such education should start in medical school.

In 2020, Stanford University researchers said they found that half of medical schools included no formal abortion training or only a single lecture.

“Abortion is one of the most common medical procedures,” they wrote. “Yet abortion-related topics are glaringly absent from medical school curricula.”

McGlaun helped sponsor a measure last year that asked the American Medical Association to support mandated abortion education in medical schools, with an opt-out provision. The influential group has long opposed curriculum mandates and turned down the proposal, but it said it supports giving medical students and residents the chance to learn about abortion and opposes efforts to interfere with such training.

Legislative efforts to curb abortion target all levels of medical education.

An Idaho law enacted last year exemplifies the trend. It bars using tuition and fees for abortion and related activities in school-based clinics at institutions that receive state funds.

Other efforts include a Wisconsin bill that would bar employees of the University of Wisconsin and its hospitals from participating in abortions, including training. It failed to advance in March but its sponsor plans to reintroduce the measure. Similar proposals target public universities in Missouri and Ohio.

Divya Jain’s introduction to abortion came not at her Missouri medical school — where she said the procedure is rarely discussed — but at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Kansas. She was a clinic volunteer and saw the hurdles out-of-state women faced in obtaining the procedure. Some mistakenly ended up at a crisis pregnancy center across the street that tried to change their minds, Jain said.

Jain, 23, said her first experience observing an abortion was “anti-climactic,” far from the scary image she’d heard opponents describe.

“It’s just a normal in-house procedure,” she said. “It’s just patients seeking medical treatment.”

At that moment, she knew she wanted to provide abortions. “It was like a snap of finger. That kind of changed it for me,” said Jain, who is studying public policy at Harvard while on leave from medical school at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

The daughter of open-minded but traditional parents who immigrated to Kansas from India, Jain recalls growing up feeling trapped by her family’s traditional culture and a conservative white community where abortion was never discussed.

By LINDSEY TANNERKANSAS CITY (AP) —Browse any medical dictionary, and before hitting appendectomy and anesthesia, you’ll find abortion.The first two procedures are part of standard physician education. But for many U.S. medical school students and residents who want to learn about abortions, options are scarce.And new restrictions are piling up: Within the past year, bills or laws seeking to limit abortion education have been proposed or enacted in at least eight states. The changes are coming from abortion opponents emboldened by new limits on the procedure itself, as well as a pending Supreme Court decision that could upend the landmark Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion.“It’s quite terrifying what’s going on,” said Ian Peake, a third-year medical student in Oklahoma, where the governor on April 12 signed a measure outlawing most abortions.Abortion training is not offered at Oklahoma’s two medical schools and education on the topic is limited. Aspiring doctors who want to learn about it typically seek out doctors providing abortions outside the traditional medical education system.Peake, 32, said if he wanted to learn to do colonoscopies, for example, he could work with school staff to shadow a doctor doing research or working in a clinic.“That would be easy,” he said. “To do the same for abortion, that’s almost impossible.” He said it took him six months to find a provider willing to teach him.Nevada medical student Natasha McGlaun got outside training and created a workshop on how to perform a standard medical procedure used in abortions. She offers it at night, in her own free time.The 27-year-old is the daughter of “pro-feminist” parents and the mother of two young girls whose right to reproductive choice she wants to protect.“It was kind of a joke in my family: If people tell me I can’t do something, I’m going to do it twice as hard,” she said. “I kind of feel this moral, righteous drive to go for it.”‘GLARINGLY ABSENT’ LESSONSU.S. physician education typically includes four years of medical school, where students learn the basics of general medicine and hands-on patient care. They graduate with a medical degree that officially makes them doctors. Most then spend at least three years in residency programs where they receive intense on-the-job training and specialty skills.U.S. medical schools require students to complete a clerkship in obstetrics and gynecology, but there is no mandate that it include abortion education. At the post-graduate level, OB-GYN residency programs are required by an accrediting group to provide access to abortion training, though residents who object can opt out of performing abortions.OB-GYNs perform most U.S. abortions, followed by family medicine specialists. But these aren’t always the first doctors that women encounter when they learn of an unintended pregnancy. Abortion rights supporters argue all physicians should know enough about the procedure to inform and counsel patients, and that such education should start in medical school.In 2020, Stanford University researchers said they found that half of medical schools included no formal abortion training or only a single lecture.“Abortion is one of the most common medical procedures,” they wrote. “Yet abortion-related topics are glaringly absent from medical school curricula.”McGlaun helped sponsor a measure last year that asked the American Medical Association to support mandated abortion education in medical schools, with an opt-out provision. The influential group has long opposed curriculum mandates and turned down the proposal, but it said it supports giving medical students and residents the chance to learn about abortion and opposes efforts to interfere with such training.FURTHER RESTRICTIONSLegislative efforts to curb abortion target all levels of medical education.An Idaho law enacted last year exemplifies the trend. It bars using tuition and fees for abortion and related activities in school-based clinics at institutions that receive state funds.Other efforts include a Wisconsin bill that would bar employees of the University of Wisconsin and its hospitals from participating in abortions, including training. It failed to advance in March but its sponsor plans to reintroduce the measure. Similar proposals target public universities in Missouri and Ohio.Divya Jain’s introduction to abortion came not at her Missouri medical school — where she said the procedure is rarely discussed — but at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Kansas. She was a clinic volunteer and saw the hurdles out-of-state women faced in obtaining the procedure. Some mistakenly ended up at a crisis pregnancy center across the street that tried to change their minds, Jain said.Jain, 23, said her first experience observing an abortion was “anti-climactic,” far from the scary image she’d heard opponents describe.“It’s just a normal in-house procedure,” she said. “It’s just patients seeking medical treatment.”At that moment, she knew she wanted to provide abortions. “It was like a snap of finger. That kind of changed it for me,” said Jain, who is studying public policy at Harvard while on leave from medical school at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.The daughter of open-minded but traditional parents who immigrated to Kansas from India, Jain recalls growing up feeling trapped by her family’s traditional culture and a conservative white community where abortion was never discussed.“I liked to stir the pot” and push boundaries, she said.Jain knows the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision on whether to uphold Mississippi’s ban on abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy could drastically change the U.S. abortion landscape. Regardless of the decision — expected by summer — Jain said her goal is set: to perform abortions in “hostile” states where providers are scarce.“It’s really hard for patients to get the care that patients deserve and need, and I just think it’s wrong,” Jain said.EXPANDING TRAININGDr. Keith Reisinger-Kindle, 33, associate director of the OB-GYN residency program at Wright State University’s medical school in Dayton, Ohio, said his aim to boost abortion training “has been an uphill battle” because of legislative obstacles.When he arrived at the school almost two years ago, he said, “there was zero formal abortion education available.” He created and implemented abortion coursework for medical students and residents, with support from his university, and offers training at a nearby clinic where he also performs abortions.The physician said a state legislator has lobbied university administrators to fire him. And in December, Ohio’s governor signed into law a measure that limits doctors who work at state institutions from working as backup doctors at abortion clinics when rare complications occur. The clinic where Reisinger-Kindle works is suing to block the law.“There are days that are certainly challenging,” Reisinger-Kindle said. Young doctors eager to learn help keep him going. The program currently has 24 residents. They can opt out of abortion training, but he said nearly all have chosen to participate “in at least some capacity.”He fears more abortion restrictions are coming, but adds: “In the long-term, I believe we will get this right. I just hope that my students don’t have to suffer.”___