WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration is making it easier for refugees fleeing Russia’s war on Ukraine to come to the United States from Europe while trying to shut down an informal route through northern Mexico that has emerged in recent weeks.

Under a program announced Thursday, the U.S. will streamline refugee applications for Ukrainians and others fleeing the fighting, but will no longer routinely grant entry to those who show up at the U.S.-Mexico border seeking asylum.

Volunteers, many from American churches, were shuttling Ukrainians from a shelter in Tijuana, Mexico, to the closest border crossing as news spread of plans to discourage a means of entering the U.S. taken by thousands of refugees since the invasion ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin began almost two months ago.

“It is going to be good for people. I’m happy,” said San Diego resident Ludmilo Jaaniste, who was at the shelter to get her niece and her niece’s 12-year-old daughter after they fled Kyiv. “They (the U.S.) were taking people, so why not make it easier.”

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-biden-united-states-europe-southeast-asia-f0fc4c40066332332f16ad8efd1b02bb">The U.S. says it expects to admit up to 100,000 refugees from Ukraine</a>&nbsp;and about 15,000 have come since the Feb. 24 invasion, mostly through Mexico. Starting Monday, that will no longer be an option except in extreme circumstances, officials said.

It’s an effort by the U.S. to uphold its commitment to help Eastern European nations contend with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-travel-poland-europe-united-nations-a4c14d4959daa171eb8152fd1766f7fd">the 5 million refugees&nbsp;</a>who have fled Ukraine while trying to reduce the number of migrants seeking to cross the U.S.-Mexico border.

Complicating matters, however, the U.S. plans next month to lift a public health order, known as Title 42, that enables authorities to quickly turn away migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border without giving them a chance to claim asylum. The Biden administration has been exempting Ukrainian refugees, but will do so no longer.

“We are proud to deliver on President Biden’s commitment to welcome 100,000 Ukrainians and others fleeing Russian aggression to the United States,” Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas said in a statement announcing the effort. “The Ukrainian people continue to suffer immense tragedy and loss as a result of Putin’s unprovoked and unjustified attack on their country.”

U.S. officials say a majority of the Ukrainian refugees want to stay in Eastern Europe because many hope eventually to return home.

Advocates have said the U.S. should take more than 100,000 refugees and further expedite the process.

Public support doesn’t seem to be an issue.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnorc.org/projects/most-americans-oppose-sending-troops-to-ukraine/" target="_blank">An Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll&nbsp;</a>shows 65% of Americans favor accepting Ukrainian refugees into the U.S., while 15% oppose. An additional 19% say they neither favor nor oppose.

To qualify for admission to the U.S. under the new program, officially known as&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dhs.gov/news/2022/04/21/president-biden-announce-uniting-ukraine-new-streamlined-process-welcome-ukrainians" target="_blank">Uniting for Ukraine,</a>&nbsp;people must have been in Ukraine as of Feb. 11; have a sponsor, which could be family or an organization; meet vaccination and other public health requirements; and pass background checks.

Typically, people would start applications in their home country, but that’s no longer possible because the U.S. pulled its diplomats from Ukraine. The State Department will expand resettlement operations in Eastern Europe under the new program to compensate.

Most of those admitted will receive two years of residence and authorization to work in the United States under what’s known as humanitarian parole. Those coming to the U.S. through the formal refugee process, including members of religious minority groups, will receive permanent legal residency.

A downside of the new effort is that humanitarian parole generally does not include temporary housing support and other benefits provided through the traditional refugee program, which is only slowly recovering from Trump-era cutbacks, said Krish O’Mara Vignarajah, president of Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service.

Nevertheless, Vignarajah and other refugee advocates welcomed the announcement. “Families desperately seeking to bring their loved ones directly to safety in the U.S. have a glimmer of hope, where there once was exceedingly little,” she said.

Refugees will encounter a streamlined process in Europe, but they won’t be able to complete it in Mexico, senior administration officials told reporters, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the program before the public announcement.

Instead, Ukrainians who show up at the border will generally be turned away and told to apply for entry under the new program. That is the situation for most migrants under the public health order in place since the early in the pandemic in March 2020.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said the use of Title 42, which has been used to turn away more than 1.7 million people, is set to end May 23. The agency is under pressure to keep it in place not to control COVID-19, as it was supposedly intended, but to help ease an increase in migrants seeking to cross the border.

Critics of the use of Title 42 at the border have pointed out that it denies people their right under U.S law and international treaty to make claims for asylum and forces migrants to return to dangerous conditions in Northern Mexico and elsewhere.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/3/1648345290520.png" alt="In March,&nbsp;President Joe Biden met with Ukrainian refugees during a visit to Poland-photo courtesy White House" />
 <figcaption>In March,&nbsp;President Joe Biden met with Ukrainian refugees during a visit to Poland-photo courtesy White House</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration is making it easier for refugees fleeing Russia’s war on Ukraine to come to the United States from Europe while trying to shut down an informal route through northern Mexico that has emerged in recent weeks.Under a program announced Thursday, the U.S. will streamline refugee applications for Ukrainians and others fleeing the fighting, but will no longer routinely grant entry to those who show up at the U.S.-Mexico border seeking asylum.Volunteers, many from American churches, were shuttling Ukrainians from a shelter in Tijuana, Mexico, to the closest border crossing as news spread of plans to discourage a means of entering the U.S. taken by thousands of refugees since the invasion ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin began almost two months ago.“It is going to be good for people. I’m happy,” said San Diego resident Ludmilo Jaaniste, who was at the shelter to get her niece and her niece’s 12-year-old daughter after they fled Kyiv. “They (the U.S.) were taking people, so why not make it easier.”<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-biden-united-states-europe-southeast-asia-f0fc4c40066332332f16ad8efd1b02bb">The U.S. says it expects to admit up to 100,000 refugees from Ukraine</a>&nbsp;and about 15,000 have come since the Feb. 24 invasion, mostly through Mexico. Starting Monday, that will no longer be an option except in extreme circumstances, officials said.It’s an effort by the U.S. to uphold its commitment to help Eastern European nations contend with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-travel-poland-europe-united-nations-a4c14d4959daa171eb8152fd1766f7fd">the 5 million refugees&nbsp;</a>who have fled Ukraine while trying to reduce the number of migrants seeking to cross the U.S.-Mexico border.Complicating matters, however, the U.S. plans next month to lift a public health order, known as Title 42, that enables authorities to quickly turn away migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border without giving them a chance to claim asylum. The Biden administration has been exempting Ukrainian refugees, but will do so no longer.“We are proud to deliver on President Biden’s commitment to welcome 100,000 Ukrainians and others fleeing Russian aggression to the United States,” Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas said in a statement announcing the effort. “The Ukrainian people continue to suffer immense tragedy and loss as a result of Putin’s unprovoked and unjustified attack on their country.”U.S. officials say a majority of the Ukrainian refugees want to stay in Eastern Europe because many hope eventually to return home.Advocates have said the U.S. should take more than 100,000 refugees and further expedite the process.Public support doesn’t seem to be an issue.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnorc.org/projects/most-americans-oppose-sending-troops-to-ukraine/" target="_blank">An Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll&nbsp;</a>shows 65% of Americans favor accepting Ukrainian refugees into the U.S., while 15% oppose. An additional 19% say they neither favor nor oppose.To qualify for admission to the U.S. under the new program, officially known as&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dhs.gov/news/2022/04/21/president-biden-announce-uniting-ukraine-new-streamlined-process-welcome-ukrainians" target="_blank">Uniting for Ukraine,</a>&nbsp;people must have been in Ukraine as of Feb. 11; have a sponsor, which could be family or an organization; meet vaccination and other public health requirements; and pass background checks.Typically, people would start applications in their home country, but that’s no longer possible because the U.S. pulled its diplomats from Ukraine. The State Department will expand resettlement operations in Eastern Europe under the new program to compensate.Most of those admitted will receive two years of residence and authorization to work in the United States under what’s known as humanitarian parole. Those coming to the U.S. through the formal refugee process, including members of religious minority groups, will receive permanent legal residency.A downside of the new effort is that humanitarian parole generally does not include temporary housing support and other benefits provided through the traditional refugee program, which is only slowly recovering from Trump-era cutbacks, said Krish O’Mara Vignarajah, president of Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service.Nevertheless, Vignarajah and other refugee advocates welcomed the announcement. “Families desperately seeking to bring their loved ones directly to safety in the U.S. have a glimmer of hope, where there once was exceedingly little,” she said.Refugees will encounter a streamlined process in Europe, but they won’t be able to complete it in Mexico, senior administration officials told reporters, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the program before the public announcement.Instead, Ukrainians who show up at the border will generally be turned away and told to apply for entry under the new program. That is the situation for most migrants under the public health order in place since the early in the pandemic in March 2020.The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said the use of Title 42, which has been used to turn away more than 1.7 million people, is set to end May 23. The agency is under pressure to keep it in place not to control COVID-19, as it was supposedly intended, but to help ease an increase in migrants seeking to cross the border.Critics of the use of Title 42 at the border have pointed out that it denies people their right under U.S law and international treaty to make claims for asylum and forces migrants to return to dangerous conditions in Northern Mexico and elsewhere.—-

US to welcome Ukraine refugees but no longer through Mexico

SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspicious death in Shawnee County.

Just after 5:30 p.m.&nbsp; Friday, police responded to 901 NE River Rd on a report of a body in the river, according to Lt. Ron Ekis.

Topeka Fire Department personnel were requested to the scene to recover the body. Investigators with the Topeka Police Department and Shawnee County Coroner’s Office were also on scene. The circumstances surrounding this incident are not known. Police have not released the victim's name.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/4/1650716166152.png" alt="Investigators on the scene Friday evening -photo courtesy WIBW TV" />
 <figcaption>Investigators on the scene Friday evening -photo courtesy WIBW TV</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspicious death in Shawnee County.Just after 5:30 p.m.&nbsp; Friday, police responded to 901 NE River Rd on a report of a body in the river, according to Lt. Ron Ekis.Topeka Fire Department personnel were requested to the scene to recover the body. Investigators with the Topeka Police Department and Shawnee County Coroner’s Office were also on scene. The circumstances surrounding this incident are not known. Police have not released the victim's name.

Police investigate after body found in Kansas River

WALLACE COUNTY—Officials from the National Weather Service were in Sharon Springs Saturday to asses damage from a strong storm and possible tornado that damaged buildings across the county, according to the sheriff's department.

The National Weather Service issued severe thunder storm and tornado warnings for many areas of western Kansas late Friday.

There are no reports of injuries. Some residents still without power on Saturday afternoon, according to Sheriff Marshall Unruh. Officials hoped to have power restored by end of the day.

Check the post for additional details as they become available.

WALLACE COUNTY—Officials from the National Weather Service were in Sharon Springs Saturday to asses damage from a strong storm and possible tornado that damaged buildings across the county, according to the sheriff's department.The National Weather Service issued severe thunder storm and tornado warnings for many areas of western Kansas late Friday.There are no reports of injuries. Some residents still without power on Saturday afternoon, according to Sheriff Marshall Unruh. Officials hoped to have power restored by end of the day.Check the post for additional details as they become available.

Storm damage from reported tornado in western Kansas

By DAN DZURISIN <a href="https://dailymontanan.com/2022/04/21/where-rocks-flow-like-putty-the-strange-deep-workings-of-yellowstone-national-park/">Daily Montanan</a>

Deep beneath Yellowstone is a mysterious place, where water cannot 
penetrate and rocks flow like silly putty. Strange conditions exist in 
the deepest parts of Yellowstone’s hydrothermal system.

It’s nearly impossible to wrap your head around the way things are in
 the infinitesimally small realm of&nbsp;quantum mechanics, where objects can
 pop in and out of existence and be in two places at once. Even the 
nature of “objects” is ambiguous: Electrons and light both share 
properties of waves and particles. Huh? Strange, but true. If it 
weren’t,&nbsp;the sun wouldn’t shine and there would be no lasers or cell 
phones.

These ideas seem incongruous to us because we don’t consciously 
experience quantum effects in our daily lives. We don’t “live” in the 
quantum realm, where distances are measured in terms of the Planck 
length, which is 0.000000000000000000000000000000000016 meters. No need 
to express that in feet. Suffice it to say it’s really small.

Rather than straining to understand the weirdness of the quantum 
realm, let’s tackle something easier and closer to our everyday 
experience—hydrothermal systems. You’re reading this, so you’re probably
 already familiar with them at Yellowstone or elsewhere. But 
understanding some of their peculiarities still presents a challenge. 
Consider that&nbsp;active hydrothermal systems, like quantum effects, are 
mostly inaccessible to our direct experience. We can marvel at the 
spectacular surface features produced by hydrothermal activity in 
Yellowstone, but we never encounter the conditions that exist near the 
roots of the hydrothermal system. Nor would you want to. Temperatures 
and pressures there can exceed 400 degrees Celsius (750 degrees 
Fahrenheit) and 1,000 bars (15,000 pounds per square inch, about 1,000 
times atmospheric pressure at sea level).

Under those conditions, things get a little strange, too. For 
example, rocks at those temperatures are generally too hot to break. 
Unless they are stressed very quickly, they tend to flow like pulled 
taffy. In fact, rocks at those temperatures behave a little like silly 
putty…. slowly stretching unless they are pulled suddenly. That’s why 
few earthquakes occur below about 5 kilometers (3 miles) depth under 
Yellowstone Caldera. Starting at that depth, rocks transition from 
brittle (breaking) to plastic (like silly putty) behavior. They don’t 
break easily, so there aren’t many earthquakes, even if the rocks are 
stressed beyond what would be their breaking point at lower 
temperatures.

As a student of Yellowstone, you might be aware that the depth of the
 brittle-plastic transition coincides with deepest part of the 
hydrothermal system. Coincidence? Not at all. The two things are 
directly related. The “hydro” part of hydrothermal systems refers to 
water, and most of that water makes its way downward from the surface 
through permeable soils and rock. Permeability refers to interconnected 
fractures and other openings that provide passageways for down-going 
water. You might be surprised to learn that surface water can percolate 
as deep as 10 km (6 miles) into the <a target="_blank" href="https://cms.usgs.gov/glossary/volcano-hazards-program-glossary">crust</a>&nbsp;in many places.

Not so at Yellowstone. That’s because temperature at about 5 km (3 
miles) depth is high enough (~400°C) for rocks to flow like silly putty,
 closing any open spaces and making the rocks nearly impermeable to 
water flow. As a result, the hydrothermal system “bottoms out” near the 
brittle-plastic transition.

Rocks that flow aren’t the only oddity in deeper parts of 
Yellowstone’s hydrothermal system. In a zone not far above its base, 
temperatures are just low enough for fractures to form and fluid 
pressures are high enough for fluids, mostly water, to squeeze into 
(intrude) fractures and keep them open. The stress regime is such that 
the preferred orientation of new fractures is horizontal, so fluids in 
fractures means that fluid pressure had to be high enough to lift the 
weight of overlying rock (almost 5 km or 3 miles of it!) for the fluids 
to squeeze into the fractures. So even small increases in fluid pressure
 in the deep hydrothermal system can cause surface uplift, and small 
decreases that allow fluid-filled cracks to collapse can cause 
subsidence.

Active hydrothermal systems are mostly inaccessible to us, so you 
might wonder if there is any direct evidence that rocks can flow like 
silly putty and watery fluids can lift kilometers-thick sections of the 
crust. The answer is yes, and it comes from magmatic and hydrothermal 
systems that are long since dead.

Either by direct observation of ancient&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://cms.usgs.gov/glossary/volcano-hazards-program-glossary">magma</a>&nbsp;bodies
 (batholiths) exposed at the surface by uplift and erosion, or by 
drilling into them, geologists have found evidence of impermeable 
self-sealed zones at what must have been the brittle-plastic transition 
at one time, and mineral veins that can only have formed by 
crystallization in a crack or other open space. The mineralization 
process had to occur where temperatures were low enough for fractures to
 form, and in a zone accessible to fluids. The fluids might have come 
from above (surface water with dissolved minerals) or from magma below 
as it cooled (the sealed zone at the base of the hydrothermal system 
isn’t completely unbreachable; under some conditions, fluids can pass 
through it). In either case, the self-sealed zone formed because rocks 
behaved like silly putty, and the fractures opened because fluid 
pressure was high enough to lift the entire column of overlying crust.

Yellowstone&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://cms.usgs.gov/glossary/volcano-hazards-program-glossary">Caldera</a>&nbsp;Chronicles
 is a weekly column written by scientists and collaborators of the 
Yellowstone Volcano Observatory. This week’s contribution is from Dan 
Dzurisin, emeritus geologist with the U.S. Geological Survey.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/4/1650575829221.png" alt="Imperial Geyser looking south. This hot spring pool is about 30 meters (about 100 feett) across and contains alkaline waters with a steam vent in the pool and mudpots outside the pool area (in the upper right part of this photo). (Photo by Pat Shanks of the USGS)." />
 <figcaption>Imperial Geyser looking south. This hot spring pool is about 30 meters (about 100 feett) across and contains alkaline waters with a steam vent in the pool and mudpots outside the pool area (in the upper right part of this photo). (Photo by Pat Shanks of the USGS).</figcaption>
 </figure>By DAN DZURISIN <a href="https://dailymontanan.com/2022/04/21/where-rocks-flow-like-putty-the-strange-deep-workings-of-yellowstone-national-park/">Daily Montanan</a>Deep beneath Yellowstone is a mysterious place, where water cannot 
penetrate and rocks flow like silly putty. Strange conditions exist in 
the deepest parts of Yellowstone’s hydrothermal system.It’s nearly impossible to wrap your head around the way things are in
 the infinitesimally small realm of&nbsp;quantum mechanics, where objects can
 pop in and out of existence and be in two places at once. Even the 
nature of “objects” is ambiguous: Electrons and light both share 
properties of waves and particles. Huh? Strange, but true. If it 
weren’t,&nbsp;the sun wouldn’t shine and there would be no lasers or cell 
phones.These ideas seem incongruous to us because we don’t consciously 
experience quantum effects in our daily lives. We don’t “live” in the 
quantum realm, where distances are measured in terms of the Planck 
length, which is 0.000000000000000000000000000000000016 meters. No need 
to express that in feet. Suffice it to say it’s really small.Rather than straining to understand the weirdness of the quantum 
realm, let’s tackle something easier and closer to our everyday 
experience—hydrothermal systems. You’re reading this, so you’re probably
 already familiar with them at Yellowstone or elsewhere. But 
understanding some of their peculiarities still presents a challenge. 
Consider that&nbsp;active hydrothermal systems, like quantum effects, are 
mostly inaccessible to our direct experience. We can marvel at the 
spectacular surface features produced by hydrothermal activity in 
Yellowstone, but we never encounter the conditions that exist near the 
roots of the hydrothermal system. Nor would you want to. Temperatures 
and pressures there can exceed 400 degrees Celsius (750 degrees 
Fahrenheit) and 1,000 bars (15,000 pounds per square inch, about 1,000 
times atmospheric pressure at sea level).Under those conditions, things get a little strange, too. For 
example, rocks at those temperatures are generally too hot to break. 
Unless they are stressed very quickly, they tend to flow like pulled 
taffy. In fact, rocks at those temperatures behave a little like silly 
putty…. slowly stretching unless they are pulled suddenly. That’s why 
few earthquakes occur below about 5 kilometers (3 miles) depth under 
Yellowstone Caldera. Starting at that depth, rocks transition from 
brittle (breaking) to plastic (like silly putty) behavior. They don’t 
break easily, so there aren’t many earthquakes, even if the rocks are 
stressed beyond what would be their breaking point at lower 
temperatures.As a student of Yellowstone, you might be aware that the depth of the
 brittle-plastic transition coincides with deepest part of the 
hydrothermal system. Coincidence? Not at all. The two things are 
directly related. The “hydro” part of hydrothermal systems refers to 
water, and most of that water makes its way downward from the surface 
through permeable soils and rock. Permeability refers to interconnected 
fractures and other openings that provide passageways for down-going 
water. You might be surprised to learn that surface water can percolate 
as deep as 10 km (6 miles) into the <a target="_blank" href="https://cms.usgs.gov/glossary/volcano-hazards-program-glossary">crust</a>&nbsp;in many places.Not so at Yellowstone. That’s because temperature at about 5 km (3 
miles) depth is high enough (~400°C) for rocks to flow like silly putty,
 closing any open spaces and making the rocks nearly impermeable to 
water flow. As a result, the hydrothermal system “bottoms out” near the 
brittle-plastic transition.Rocks that flow aren’t the only oddity in deeper parts of 
Yellowstone’s hydrothermal system. In a zone not far above its base, 
temperatures are just low enough for fractures to form and fluid 
pressures are high enough for fluids, mostly water, to squeeze into 
(intrude) fractures and keep them open. The stress regime is such that 
the preferred orientation of new fractures is horizontal, so fluids in 
fractures means that fluid pressure had to be high enough to lift the 
weight of overlying rock (almost 5 km or 3 miles of it!) for the fluids 
to squeeze into the fractures. So even small increases in fluid pressure
 in the deep hydrothermal system can cause surface uplift, and small 
decreases that allow fluid-filled cracks to collapse can cause 
subsidence.Active hydrothermal systems are mostly inaccessible to us, so you 
might wonder if there is any direct evidence that rocks can flow like 
silly putty and watery fluids can lift kilometers-thick sections of the 
crust. The answer is yes, and it comes from magmatic and hydrothermal 
systems that are long since dead.Either by direct observation of ancient&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://cms.usgs.gov/glossary/volcano-hazards-program-glossary">magma</a>&nbsp;bodies
 (batholiths) exposed at the surface by uplift and erosion, or by 
drilling into them, geologists have found evidence of impermeable 
self-sealed zones at what must have been the brittle-plastic transition 
at one time, and mineral veins that can only have formed by 
crystallization in a crack or other open space. The mineralization 
process had to occur where temperatures were low enough for fractures to
 form, and in a zone accessible to fluids. The fluids might have come 
from above (surface water with dissolved minerals) or from magma below 
as it cooled (the sealed zone at the base of the hydrothermal system 
isn’t completely unbreachable; under some conditions, fluids can pass 
through it). In either case, the self-sealed zone formed because rocks 
behaved like silly putty, and the fractures opened because fluid 
pressure was high enough to lift the entire column of overlying crust.Strange, but true!Yellowstone&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://cms.usgs.gov/glossary/volcano-hazards-program-glossary">Caldera</a>&nbsp;Chronicles
 is a weekly column written by scientists and collaborators of the 
Yellowstone Volcano Observatory. This week’s contribution is from Dan 
Dzurisin, emeritus geologist with the U.S. Geological Survey.

Where rocks flow like putty: Strange deep workings of Yellowstone

PAWNEE COUNTY– Two of three suspects accused of scrap metal theft over ten years from the city of Larned appeared in Pawnee County Court Thursday.

Randall Parker, 59, and Randall Bird, 45, both of Larned, are&nbsp;charged with Conspiracy to Commit Theft of property worth at least $25,000, but less than $100,000, according to Pawnee County Attorney Doug McNett.

The charges stem from an ongoing investigation by the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) into an alleged theft of scrap materials owned by City of Larned dating back to at least January of 2011. 

The Larned Police Department first requested the assistance of the KBI in July of 2021 after an area scrap metal company notified the City of Larned of suspicion activity involving city employees.

Also charged in the conspiracy is Khristopher Foster, 45 of Larned. Foster’s First Appearance has been continued to May 23, 2022. The trio also each face a separate charge of Theft.

Preliminary hearings were scheduled for a later date, according to McNett.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/4/1650631096029.png" alt="Bird-photo Pawnee Co." />
 <figcaption>Bird-photo Pawnee Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>PAWNEE COUNTY– Two of three suspects accused of scrap metal theft over ten years from the city of Larned appeared in Pawnee County Court Thursday.Randall Parker, 59, and Randall Bird, 45, both of Larned, are&nbsp;charged with Conspiracy to Commit Theft of property worth at least $25,000, but less than $100,000, according to Pawnee County Attorney Doug McNett.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/4/1650631160527.png" alt="Parker-photo Pawnee Co." />
 <figcaption>Parker-photo Pawnee Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>The charges stem from an ongoing investigation by the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) into an alleged theft of scrap materials owned by City of Larned dating back to at least January of 2011. The Larned Police Department first requested the assistance of the KBI in July of 2021 after an area scrap metal company notified the City of Larned of suspicion activity involving city employees.Also charged in the conspiracy is Khristopher Foster, 45 of Larned. Foster’s First Appearance has been continued to May 23, 2022. The trio also each face a separate charge of Theft.Preliminary hearings were scheduled for a later date, according to McNett.

City employees accused of 10-years of scrap metal theft in Larned

KANSAS CITY —A Kansas City man has been charged with multiple felony counts in connection with the fatal shooting on April 15, 2022 at a gas station on East Gregory Blvd. in Kansas City, according to Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker.

Justin J. Owens-Harrell, 31, faces Involuntary Manslaughter, Armed Criminal Action and Unlawful Possession of a Firearm charges.

According to court records, Kansas City police were dispatched to the 3800 block of East Gregory Blvd. on a reported shooting. They found the victim, Skyler J. Smith, suffering from a gunshot. He was pronounced deceased later at the hospital. Witnesses said the victim and suspect had been inside and outside the store of the gas station when they struggled over a gun and it fired, hitting the victim. The shooting was captured on surveillance video.

Prosecutors requested $100,000 cash only bond.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/4/1650577758801.png" alt="Owens-Harrell-photo Jackson Co." />
 <figcaption>Owens-Harrell-photo Jackson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —A Kansas City man has been charged with multiple felony counts in connection with the fatal shooting on April 15, 2022 at a gas station on East Gregory Blvd. in Kansas City, according to Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker.Justin J. Owens-Harrell, 31, faces Involuntary Manslaughter, Armed Criminal Action and Unlawful Possession of a Firearm charges.According to court records, Kansas City police were dispatched to the 3800 block of East Gregory Blvd. on a reported shooting. They found the victim, Skyler J. Smith, suffering from a gunshot. He was pronounced deceased later at the hospital. Witnesses said the victim and suspect had been inside and outside the store of the gas station when they struggled over a gun and it fired, hitting the victim. The shooting was captured on surveillance video.Prosecutors requested $100,000 cash only bond.

Man died in struggle over a gun outside KC gas station

By LESLIE EIKLEBERRY Salina Post

The Salina Police Department on Friday identified the man who was killed in Salina early Wednesday.

The body of Chad Lee Jarrad Devinny, 37, of Salina, was found shortly after 12:25 a.m. Wednesday in the passenger seat of a green 2000 Mercury Grand Marquis in the area of S. Front Street and Gypsum Avenue. He appeared to have been shot.

On Wednesday morning, police said they were investigating the death as a homicide and were looking for a person of interest: Anthony Quentin Lopez-Garcia. By late Wednesday afternoon, the Salina Police Department had announced that "an arrest warrant was issued for Lopez-Garcia by Saline County District Court, for the charges of First Degree Murder and Criminal Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon."

Additionally, Salina police announced that someone in Kansas City, Mo., had recognized Lopez-Garcia. The Kansas City Police Department was contacted and Lopez-Garcia was taken into custody on unrelated local Kansas City charges.

"Lopez-Garcia will be extradited back to Kansas for the homicide upon completion of the extradition process," Salina police noted in a news release Wednesday afternoon

By LESLIE EIKLEBERRY Salina PostThe Salina Police Department on Friday identified the man who was killed in Salina early Wednesday.The body of Chad Lee Jarrad Devinny, 37, of Salina, was found shortly after 12:25 a.m. Wednesday in the passenger seat of a green 2000 Mercury Grand Marquis in the area of S. Front Street and Gypsum Avenue. He appeared to have been shot.On Wednesday morning, police said they were investigating the death as a homicide and were looking for a person of interest: Anthony Quentin Lopez-Garcia. By late Wednesday afternoon, the Salina Police Department had announced that "an arrest warrant was issued for Lopez-Garcia by Saline County District Court, for the charges of First Degree Murder and Criminal Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon."<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/4/1650503224275.png" alt="Lopez-Garcia.Photo courtesy Kansas City, Mo., Police Department" />
 <figcaption>Lopez-Garcia.Photo courtesy Kansas City, Mo., Police Department</figcaption>
 </figure>Additionally, Salina police announced that someone in Kansas City, Mo., had recognized Lopez-Garcia. The Kansas City Police Department was contacted and Lopez-Garcia was taken into custody on unrelated local Kansas City charges."Lopez-Garcia will be extradited back to Kansas for the homicide upon completion of the extradition process," Salina police noted in a news release Wednesday afternoon

Police ID man found shot to death in Salina

TOPEKA— The&nbsp;Kansas Supreme Court Friday upheld two hard-50 life sentences and a felony theft sentence for a Florida man, 56-year-old Michael Fowler, who was convicted in the murder of a Kansas couple who were vendors at the Barton County Fair.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The matter of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kscourts.org/KSCourts/media/KsCourts/Opinions/123820.pdf?ext=.pdf" target="_blank">Appeal No. 123,820:&nbsp;State of Kansas v. Michael A. Fowler</a>&nbsp;affirmed his sentence for two counts of first-degree murder and theft.

Following Fowler’s&nbsp;convictions&nbsp;for both counts of premeditated first-degree murder and one count of felony theft, Court records indicate the Barton Co. District Court denied Fowler’s motion for his sentence to be reduced.

In July of 2020, Fowler, who is from Sarasota, Fla., had originally received a sentence of two consecutive hard-50 life terms by District Court Judge Mike Keeley for the murders and one concurrent 21-month term for the theft.

On direct appeal, the Court said it affirmed Fowler’s sentence.

Fowler pleaded guilty to the charges in March 2019. Fowler was charged with the crimes in connection with the July 2018 deaths of Alfred “Sonny” Carpenter and Pauline Carpenter.

Their bodies&nbsp; were discovered in July in shallow graves near Van Buren, Arkansas. Prosecutors say the Carpenters were killed at the Barton County Fair, where they were vendors. Fowler and other suspects worked for the carnival company at the fair.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/2/1582210805867.png" alt="Police at the scene of the murder investigation near Van Buren Arkansas -photo courtesy KFSM TV" />
 <figcaption>Police at the scene of the murder investigation near Van Buren Arkansas -photo courtesy KFSM TV</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA— The&nbsp;Kansas Supreme Court Friday upheld two hard-50 life sentences and a felony theft sentence for a Florida man, 56-year-old Michael Fowler, who was convicted in the murder of a Kansas couple who were vendors at the Barton County Fair.&nbsp;&nbsp;The matter of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kscourts.org/KSCourts/media/KsCourts/Opinions/123820.pdf?ext=.pdf" target="_blank">Appeal No. 123,820:&nbsp;State of Kansas v. Michael A. Fowler</a>&nbsp;affirmed his sentence for two counts of first-degree murder and theft.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/4/1650653852708.png" alt="Fowler is being held in the El Dorado Correctional Facility&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>Fowler is being held in the El Dorado Correctional Facility&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>Following Fowler’s&nbsp;convictions&nbsp;for both counts of premeditated first-degree murder and one count of felony theft, Court records indicate the Barton Co. District Court denied Fowler’s motion for his sentence to be reduced.In July of 2020, Fowler, who is from Sarasota, Fla., had originally received a sentence of two consecutive hard-50 life terms by District Court Judge Mike Keeley for the murders and one concurrent 21-month term for the theft.On direct appeal, the Court said it affirmed Fowler’s sentence.Fowler pleaded guilty to the charges in March 2019. Fowler was charged with the crimes in connection with the July 2018 deaths of Alfred “Sonny” Carpenter and Pauline Carpenter.Their bodies&nbsp; were discovered in July in shallow graves near Van Buren, Arkansas. Prosecutors say the Carpenters were killed at the Barton County Fair, where they were vendors. Fowler and other suspects worked for the carnival company at the fair.

Court upholds sentence for murder of couple at Barton County Fair

KANSAS CITY (AP) — A Black Kansas City police sergeant claims in a lawsuit that two officers racially profiled him when they stopped his car and falsely accused him of misconduct.

Sgt. Herb Robinson, a 30-year veteran of the Kansas City Police Department, said the two officers yelled at him as they approached his unmarked police car on March 11, 2021.

He alleges in the lawsuit that officers Cole Modeer, who is white, and Marco Olivas, who is Hispanic, stopped him because of his race, The Kansas City Star&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kansascity.com/news/local/article260624312.html#storylink=cpy">reported</a>. They let him go after he stepped out of his car and identified himself.

Robinson, 59, who was a detective at the time he was stopped, is suing Olivas, Modeer and the Kansas City Board of Police Commissioners, which oversees the department.

“If they treat one of their own this way, I’m afraid to see how they are treating minorities who are not cops,” Gerald Gray, an attorney representing Robinson, said Thursday.

The officers are also accused in the lawsuit of falsely accusing Robinson of misconduct and other violations, and urging others to do the same.

Robinson said he reported the encounter to the police department but no action was taken.

Capt. Leslie Foreman, a police spokeswoman, said the department generally does not comment on pending litigation.

KANSAS CITY (AP) — A Black Kansas City police sergeant claims in a lawsuit that two officers racially profiled him when they stopped his car and falsely accused him of misconduct.Sgt. Herb Robinson, a 30-year veteran of the Kansas City Police Department, said the two officers yelled at him as they approached his unmarked police car on March 11, 2021.He alleges in the lawsuit that officers Cole Modeer, who is white, and Marco Olivas, who is Hispanic, stopped him because of his race, The Kansas City Star&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kansascity.com/news/local/article260624312.html#storylink=cpy">reported</a>. They let him go after he stepped out of his car and identified himself.Robinson, 59, who was a detective at the time he was stopped, is suing Olivas, Modeer and the Kansas City Board of Police Commissioners, which oversees the department.“If they treat one of their own this way, I’m afraid to see how they are treating minorities who are not cops,” Gerald Gray, an attorney representing Robinson, said Thursday.The officers are also accused in the lawsuit of falsely accusing Robinson of misconduct and other violations, and urging others to do the same.Robinson said he reported the encounter to the police department but no action was taken.Capt. Leslie Foreman, a police spokeswoman, said the department generally does not comment on pending litigation.

Black KC Police sergeant sues police after traffic stop

The $1 million winning Mega Millions ticket from the 
June 1, 2021 drawing has finally been claimed. The winning numbers in 
the June 1, 2021, Mega Millions drawing were 7 – 11 – 33 – 58 – 63 Mega 
Ball 23.&nbsp;

The winner, who chose to remain anonymous, said they have a habit of 
forgetting to check their tickets the day after the drawing. That is how
 this winning ticket went unclaimed for so long.&nbsp;

“I stack my tickets up in the kitchen, and I can go months sometimes 
without remembering to check them if the jackpot isn’t hit,” the winner 
said. “Finally my sister got on my case about how the prizes could 
expire, so she went through and checked them for me. That’s when she 
found the big winning ticket.”&nbsp;

Time was starting to run out for the winner to claim their prize. For
 draw games like Mega Millions, players have 365 days from the date of 
the drawing to claim a prize. That means that the million-dollar prize 
would have expired in less than six weeks.

Luckily, the prize has now been claimed. All the winner has left to do is figure out what they wish to do with their winnings.

“We haven’t really talked too much about our plans yet, but I know we
 plan on giving some to the rest of the family and to some charities,” 
said the winner. “The rest will go into savings and retirement. We also 
might splurge a little and take a big family trip.”&nbsp;

The winning ticket was sold at Jump Start 14 at 2035 N. Andover 
Road in Andover. The retailer is eligible for a $1,000 selling bonus for
 selling the winning ticket.

Kansas LotteryThe $1 million winning Mega Millions ticket from the 
June 1, 2021 drawing has finally been claimed. The winning numbers in 
the June 1, 2021, Mega Millions drawing were 7 – 11 – 33 – 58 – 63 Mega 
Ball 23.&nbsp;The winner, who chose to remain anonymous, said they have a habit of 
forgetting to check their tickets the day after the drawing. That is how
 this winning ticket went unclaimed for so long.&nbsp;“I stack my tickets up in the kitchen, and I can go months sometimes 
without remembering to check them if the jackpot isn’t hit,” the winner 
said. “Finally my sister got on my case about how the prizes could 
expire, so she went through and checked them for me. That’s when she 
found the big winning ticket.”&nbsp;Time was starting to run out for the winner to claim their prize. For
 draw games like Mega Millions, players have 365 days from the date of 
the drawing to claim a prize. That means that the million-dollar prize 
would have expired in less than six weeks.Luckily, the prize has now been claimed. All the winner has left to do is figure out what they wish to do with their winnings.“We haven’t really talked too much about our plans yet, but I know we
 plan on giving some to the rest of the family and to some charities,” 
said the winner. “The rest will go into savings and retirement. We also 
might splurge a little and take a big family trip.”&nbsp;The winning ticket was sold at Jump Start 14 at 2035 N. Andover 
Road in Andover. The retailer is eligible for a $1,000 selling bonus for
 selling the winning ticket.Cover image courtesy Pixabay

$1M Mega Millions ticket claimed in Kan. just before expiration

WASHINGTON (AP) — Applications for unemployment benefits inched down last week as the total number of Americans collecting aid fell to its lowest level in more than 50 years.

Jobless claims fell by 2,000 to 184,000 last week, the Labor Department said Thursday. The four-week average of claims, which levels out week-to-week volatility, rose by 4,500 to 177,250.

About 1.42 million Americans were collecting traditional unemployment benefits in the week of April 9, the fewest since February 21, 1970.

Two years after the coronavirus pandemic plunged the economy into a brief but devastating recession, American workers are enjoying extraordinary job security. Weekly applications for unemployment aid, which broadly track with layoffs, have remained consistently below the pre-pandemic level of 225,000.

Last year, employers added a record 6.7 million jobs, and they’ve added an average of 560,000 more each month so far in 2022. The unemployment rate, which soared to 14.7% in April 2020 in the depths of the COVID-19 recession, is now just 3.6%, barely above the lowest point in 50 years. And there is a record proportion of 1.7 job openings for every unemployed American.

The U.S. job market and overall economy has shown remarkable resiliency despite ongoing supply chain breakdowns, the economic consequences of Russia’s war against Ukraine and the highest consumer inflation in 40 years.

“The Kansas unemployment rate held steady at 2.5% in March,” said Secretary Amber Shultz. “Despite a slowdown in job growth this month, Kansas employers continue to show gains compared to last year.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/4/1650294285258.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — Applications for unemployment benefits inched down last week as the total number of Americans collecting aid fell to its lowest level in more than 50 years.Jobless claims fell by 2,000 to 184,000 last week, the Labor Department said Thursday. The four-week average of claims, which levels out week-to-week volatility, rose by 4,500 to 177,250.About 1.42 million Americans were collecting traditional unemployment benefits in the week of April 9, the fewest since February 21, 1970.Two years after the coronavirus pandemic plunged the economy into a brief but devastating recession, American workers are enjoying extraordinary job security. Weekly applications for unemployment aid, which broadly track with layoffs, have remained consistently below the pre-pandemic level of 225,000.Last year, employers added a record 6.7 million jobs, and they’ve added an average of 560,000 more each month so far in 2022. The unemployment rate, which soared to 14.7% in April 2020 in the depths of the COVID-19 recession, is now just 3.6%, barely above the lowest point in 50 years. And there is a record proportion of 1.7 job openings for every unemployed American.The U.S. job market and overall economy has shown remarkable resiliency despite ongoing supply chain breakdowns, the economic consequences of Russia’s war against Ukraine and the highest consumer inflation in 40 years.“The Kansas unemployment rate held steady at 2.5% in March,” said Secretary Amber Shultz. “Despite a slowdown in job growth this month, Kansas employers continue to show gains compared to last year.”

Fewest Americans collecting jobless aid since 1970

TOPEKA — The Kansas Department of <a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/160/COVID-19-in-Kansas">Health reported </a>&nbsp;1,574 new coronavirus cases in Kansas since Friday April 15, for a total of 773,796 cases.

The state reported 73 additional COVID-19 deaths in the past week for a total of 8,597.

<a href="https://www.kansasvaccine.gov/158/Data">Click here for Data</a>&nbsp;about the COVID-19 vaccine.

<a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/160/COVID-19-in-Kansas">Click here&nbsp;</a>for additional virus numbers from the KDHE.

Kansas is providing fewer updates of its data about COVID-19 now that Gov. Laura Kelly formally declared that the state is moving toward treating COVID-19 as a disease like the flu that spreads regularly and isn't considered a pandemic.

The state will continue to support access to free COVID-19 testing, work to ensure that vulnerable populations can get vaccinated, see that providers serve a broad population and give “comprehensive guidance” about the virus. She called the new phase “endemic normalcy.”

 The health department plans to update data about cases and vaccinations each Friday.

TOPEKA — The Kansas Department of <a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/160/COVID-19-in-Kansas">Health reported </a>&nbsp;1,574 new coronavirus cases in Kansas since Friday April 15, for a total of 773,796 cases.The state reported 73 additional COVID-19 deaths in the past week for a total of 8,597.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/4/1650646265277.png" alt="Friday April 22, 2022 -KDHE image" />
 <figcaption>Friday April 22, 2022 -KDHE image</figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://www.kansasvaccine.gov/158/Data">Click here for Data</a>&nbsp;about the COVID-19 vaccine.<a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/160/COVID-19-in-Kansas">Click here&nbsp;</a>for additional virus numbers from the KDHE.Kansas is providing fewer updates of its data about COVID-19 now that Gov. Laura Kelly formally declared that the state is moving toward treating COVID-19 as a disease like the flu that spreads regularly and isn't considered a pandemic.The state will continue to support access to free COVID-19 testing, work to ensure that vulnerable populations can get vaccinated, see that providers serve a broad population and give “comprehensive guidance” about the virus. She called the new phase “endemic normalcy.” The health department plans to update data about cases and vaccinations each Friday.

KDHE reports 73 additional COVID deaths, 1574 new cases

DOUGLAS COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities investigating an October 2021 aggravated robbery and burglary where a handgun was used have made an arrest.

On Wednesday, the U.S. Marshals Service located 25-year-old Wesley James Tolbert in Lawrence, according to the Douglas County Sheriff.

He was taken into custody about 10 a.m. before being turned over to Sheriff’s Office deputies who booked him into the Douglas County Jail on the outstanding warrant.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/4/1650622299866.png" alt="Tolbert-photo Douglas County" />
 <figcaption>Tolbert-photo Douglas County</figcaption>
 </figure>DOUGLAS COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities investigating an October 2021 aggravated robbery and burglary where a handgun was used have made an arrest.On Wednesday, the U.S. Marshals Service located 25-year-old Wesley James Tolbert in Lawrence, according to the Douglas County Sheriff.He was taken into custody about 10 a.m. before being turned over to Sheriff’s Office deputies who booked him into the Douglas County Jail on the outstanding warrant.

U.S. Marshals capture Kan. burglary suspect 7 months after crime

A new type of Dollar General is coming to the location of the former Save A Lot store on E. Iron Avenue.

The Dollar General Corporation announced Thursday that it plans to relocate its downtown Salina store from 140 S. Santa Fe Avenue to 511 E. Iron Avenue by early summer. The new location will be a DG Market, the first of its kind in Kansas, and will offer fresh meats and produce, as well as home décor and an expanded party preparation selection, in addition to the regular brands and products Dollar General is know to carry.

“We are excited to expand our offerings to Salina residents through our upcoming relocation, which includes the first DG Market in the Sunflower state,” said Matthew Simonsen, Dollar General’s senior vice president of real estate and store development. “At Dollar General, we are committed to serving our customers with a pleasant shopping experience and strive to be a good corporate citizen. Bringing the DG Market format to Salina aims to serve the community with affordable access to household essentials and healthier foods through a convenient location. Together with our developer partner Blue Beacon, we look forward to expanding our offerings in Saline County, and provide the community with closer access to fresh and healthier foods and a convenient location to purchase the items they want and need at everyday low prices. We hope our customers will enjoy the new store.”

The DG Market's produce section will include "the top 20 items typically sold in traditional grocery stores and covers approximately 80 percent of produce categories most grocery stores carry. It will include fresh fruits and vegetables including, tomatoes, onions, apples, strawberries, potatoes, sweet potatoes, lemons, limes, salad mixes, and more," Dollar General Corporation noted in a news release.

"The store will also continue to offer frozen and refrigerated food offerings in addition to the same categories, brands, and products that customers trust Dollar General to carry," the company noted.

The new DG Market store also will bring with it a commitment to the community.

"The Salina store provides the opportunity for schools, nonprofit organizations, and libraries within a 15-mile radius of the store to apply for Dollar General Literacy Foundation grants," Dollar General Corporation explained. "Since its inception in 1993, the Dollar General Literacy Foundation has awarded more than $203 million in grants to nonprofit organizations, helping more than 14.8 million individuals take their first steps toward literacy or continued education."

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/4/1650581655077.jpeg" alt="Location of the new DG Market -Salina Post photo" />
 <figcaption>Location of the new DG Market -Salina Post photo</figcaption>
 </figure>By SALINA POSTA new type of Dollar General is coming to the location of the former Save A Lot store on E. Iron Avenue.The Dollar General Corporation announced Thursday that it plans to relocate its downtown Salina store from 140 S. Santa Fe Avenue to 511 E. Iron Avenue by early summer. The new location will be a DG Market, the first of its kind in Kansas, and will offer fresh meats and produce, as well as home décor and an expanded party preparation selection, in addition to the regular brands and products Dollar General is know to carry.“We are excited to expand our offerings to Salina residents through our upcoming relocation, which includes the first DG Market in the Sunflower state,” said Matthew Simonsen, Dollar General’s senior vice president of real estate and store development. “At Dollar General, we are committed to serving our customers with a pleasant shopping experience and strive to be a good corporate citizen. Bringing the DG Market format to Salina aims to serve the community with affordable access to household essentials and healthier foods through a convenient location. Together with our developer partner Blue Beacon, we look forward to expanding our offerings in Saline County, and provide the community with closer access to fresh and healthier foods and a convenient location to purchase the items they want and need at everyday low prices. We hope our customers will enjoy the new store.”The DG Market's produce section will include "the top 20 items typically sold in traditional grocery stores and covers approximately 80 percent of produce categories most grocery stores carry. It will include fresh fruits and vegetables including, tomatoes, onions, apples, strawberries, potatoes, sweet potatoes, lemons, limes, salad mixes, and more," Dollar General Corporation noted in a news release."The store will also continue to offer frozen and refrigerated food offerings in addition to the same categories, brands, and products that customers trust Dollar General to carry," the company noted.The new DG Market store also will bring with it a commitment to the community."The Salina store provides the opportunity for schools, nonprofit organizations, and libraries within a 15-mile radius of the store to apply for Dollar General Literacy Foundation grants," Dollar General Corporation explained. "Since its inception in 1993, the Dollar General Literacy Foundation has awarded more than $203 million in grants to nonprofit organizations, helping more than 14.8 million individuals take their first steps toward literacy or continued education."

New version Dollar General opening first-in-state store in Salina

SHAWNEE COUNTY—A family pet died in a fire at a Kansas home on Thursday.

Just before 2p.m., fire crews were dispatched to a fire in a home at 5205 SW 32nd Street in Topeka, according to&nbsp;Interim Fire Marshal Dylan Smith.

Fire crews reported heavy fire involvement in the attached garage that was spreading to the interior of the residence.

The fire was extinguished, keeping it contained to the structure, with minor heat damage to the adjacent home west of the residence. 

A preliminary investigation indicates the cause of the fire as Accidental; more likely than not associated with improper disposal of smoking related materials, according to Smith. 

The estimated total damage is $60,000 to the structure; $30,000 contents loss. The family's pet cat died in the fire. The occupants of the home were able to escape without injuries.

Working smoke detectors were present within the home, according to Smith.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/4/1650635933899.png" alt="The estimated total damage is $60,000 to the structure-photo courtesy WIBW TV" />
 <figcaption>The estimated total damage is $60,000 to the structure-photo courtesy WIBW TV</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY—A family pet died in a fire at a Kansas home on Thursday.Just before 2p.m., fire crews were dispatched to a fire in a home at 5205 SW 32nd Street in Topeka, according to&nbsp;Interim Fire Marshal Dylan Smith.Fire crews reported heavy fire involvement in the attached garage that was spreading to the interior of the residence.The fire was extinguished, keeping it contained to the structure, with minor heat damage to the adjacent home west of the residence. A preliminary investigation indicates the cause of the fire as Accidental; more likely than not associated with improper disposal of smoking related materials, according to Smith. The estimated total damage is $60,000 to the structure; $30,000 contents loss. The family's pet cat died in the fire. The occupants of the home were able to escape without injuries.Working smoke detectors were present within the home, according to Smith.

Improper disposal of smoking materials: Pet dies in Kan. house fire

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Department leaders did not adequately discipline members of the Wichita Police Department who exchanged racist, sexist and homophobic texts and images, and mishandled their investigation of the incidents, according to a city report issued Thursday.

A committee appointed by Wichita City Manager Robert Layton said the department must crackdown on biased police officers, poor leadership, botched investigations and poor oversight, among other things, The Wichita Eagle&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kansas.com/news/local/article260602267.html" target="_blank">reported</a>.

The committee was formed in response to an investigation by The Eagle that found some members of the department’s SWAT team joked about the use of force and exchanged biased texts, including an offensive image of George Floyd, a Black man who was killed by Minneapolis police.

The committee’s findings mirror those of the Wichita Citizen’s Review Board, a group of citizens that reviews investigative reports on police cases,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-wichita-violence-race-and-ethnicity-26e2c9105ce0bfd5ecb4d77eec15c96d">released earlier this month</a>.

The report released Thursday found that then-Police Chief Gordon Ramsay and his deputy chiefs mishandled an internal investigation into the allegations against the SWAT team members, did not appropriately discipline them and did not report their findings to federal or state prosecutors.

“Arguably, no discipline was administered to those officers who received ‘education-based discipline’ or ‘coaching and mentoring,’” the report says.

The report also calls for more training and says those “who have demonstrable biases should be systematically removed from the department.”

The text messages, which were sent from 2015 to 2021, were first discovered in April 2021 while investigators were searching the phone of a Sedgwick County deputy in an unrelated case.

Interim Police Chief Lemuel Moore said during a news conference that he would decide in the coming weeks how the officers could be disciplined, KSN-TV reported.

“The discipline itself does need to be reviewed and, from my perspective, more discipline may be issued, needs to be issued in this matter,” Moore said.

The report also recommended an independent review by a third party to determine the extent of bias in the police department. City officials at the news conference said Wichita is moving toward hiring an independent firm.

Moore said the police department has already taken steps to improve community trust with law enforcement.

For example, the U.S. Department of Justice will conduct three training sessions every Friday in May to talk to all the nearly 700 officers about racial discrimination and civil rights violations.

The Justice Department also will host meetings in the next 45-60 days that will bring officers and members of community groups together, Moore said. Panels of Black and Hispanic community members are being formed, with plans for LGBTQ and other groups next year, he said.

Moore said all officers are required to attend and that he would have stern instructions for them.

“You’re getting paid to listen, so sit there and be quiet, no matter how tough it is, no matter how wrong the person speaking to you may be. It’s important we have an ear and that we listen to the community,” he said.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Department leaders did not adequately discipline members of the Wichita Police Department who exchanged racist, sexist and homophobic texts and images, and mishandled their investigation of the incidents, according to a city report issued Thursday.(Click below to listen to the report)<div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/eoDkJiSOxxk?start=143" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>A committee appointed by Wichita City Manager Robert Layton said the department must crackdown on biased police officers, poor leadership, botched investigations and poor oversight, among other things, The Wichita Eagle&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kansas.com/news/local/article260602267.html" target="_blank">reported</a>.The committee was formed in response to an investigation by The Eagle that found some members of the department’s SWAT team joked about the use of force and exchanged biased texts, including an offensive image of George Floyd, a Black man who was killed by Minneapolis police.The committee’s findings mirror those of the Wichita Citizen’s Review Board, a group of citizens that reviews investigative reports on police cases,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-wichita-violence-race-and-ethnicity-26e2c9105ce0bfd5ecb4d77eec15c96d">released earlier this month</a>.The report released Thursday found that then-Police Chief Gordon Ramsay and his deputy chiefs mishandled an internal investigation into the allegations against the SWAT team members, did not appropriately discipline them and did not report their findings to federal or state prosecutors.“Arguably, no discipline was administered to those officers who received ‘education-based discipline’ or ‘coaching and mentoring,’” the report says.The report also calls for more training and says those “who have demonstrable biases should be systematically removed from the department.”The text messages, which were sent from 2015 to 2021, were first discovered in April 2021 while investigators were searching the phone of a Sedgwick County deputy in an unrelated case.Interim Police Chief Lemuel Moore said during a news conference that he would decide in the coming weeks how the officers could be disciplined, KSN-TV reported.“The discipline itself does need to be reviewed and, from my perspective, more discipline may be issued, needs to be issued in this matter,” Moore said.The report also recommended an independent review by a third party to determine the extent of bias in the police department. City officials at the news conference said Wichita is moving toward hiring an independent firm.Moore said the police department has already taken steps to improve community trust with law enforcement.For example, the U.S. Department of Justice will conduct three training sessions every Friday in May to talk to all the nearly 700 officers about racial discrimination and civil rights violations.The Justice Department also will host meetings in the next 45-60 days that will bring officers and members of community groups together, Moore said. Panels of Black and Hispanic community members are being formed, with plans for LGBTQ and other groups next year, he said.Moore said all officers are required to attend and that he would have stern instructions for them.“You’re getting paid to listen, so sit there and be quiet, no matter how tough it is, no matter how wrong the person speaking to you may be. It’s important we have an ear and that we listen to the community,” he said.

🎥Committee criticizes Wichita police misconduct, racism

SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating&nbsp; suspects following work by the&nbsp;&nbsp;the Shawnee County Drug Enforcement Task Force.

Officers served a search warrant&nbsp; in the 1900 block of SW Arrowhead Road in Shawnee County,&nbsp; according to Deputy Abigail Christian. &nbsp;A large amount of heroin was located inside the residence. Bradley L. Hanvy, 31, and Logan N. Martin, 28, both of Topeka, were arrested on requested charges of possession of an opiate with intent to distribute and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Officers also conducted a traffic stop in the 4200 block of SW 6th Street in Topeka on a gray 2010 Dodge Caliber during their narcotics investigation.

During the traffic stop, illegal narcotics and drug paraphernalia were located. Tara C. Pittman, 34, of Topeka was arrested on requested charges of possession of heroin and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Pittman, Hanvy and Martin were booked into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections.

Officers conducted a traffic stop in the 4200 block of SW 6th Street on a gray 2010 Dodge Caliber during a narcotics investigation, according to Deputy Abigail Christian.

The Shawnee County Drug Enforcement Task Force, consisting of the Topeka Police Department and Rossville Police Department, was also assisted by the Sheriff’s Office Fugitive Warrants Unit, Detectives Unit and Uniformed Patrol Unit. 

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/4/1650623181975.png" alt="Martin-photo Shawnee County" />
 <figcaption>Martin-photo Shawnee County</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating&nbsp; suspects following work by the&nbsp;&nbsp;the Shawnee County Drug Enforcement Task Force.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/4/1650623028678.png" alt="Hanvy photo Shawnee Co." />
 <figcaption>Hanvy photo Shawnee Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>Officers served a search warrant&nbsp; in the 1900 block of SW Arrowhead Road in Shawnee County,&nbsp; according to Deputy Abigail Christian. &nbsp;A large amount of heroin was located inside the residence. Bradley L. Hanvy, 31, and Logan N. Martin, 28, both of Topeka, were arrested on requested charges of possession of an opiate with intent to distribute and possession of drug paraphernalia.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/4/1650622947994.png" alt="Pittman-photo Shawnee County" />
 <figcaption>Pittman-photo Shawnee County</figcaption>
 </figure>Officers also conducted a traffic stop in the 4200 block of SW 6th Street in Topeka on a gray 2010 Dodge Caliber during their narcotics investigation.During the traffic stop, illegal narcotics and drug paraphernalia were located. Tara C. Pittman, 34, of Topeka was arrested on requested charges of possession of heroin and possession of drug paraphernalia.Pittman, Hanvy and Martin were booked into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections.Officers conducted a traffic stop in the 4200 block of SW 6th Street on a gray 2010 Dodge Caliber during a narcotics investigation, according to Deputy Abigail Christian.During the traffic stop, illegal narcotics and drug paraphernalia were located. Tara C. Pittman, 34, of Topeka was arrested on requested charges of possession of heroin and possession of drug paraphernalia.The Shawnee County Drug Enforcement Task Force, consisting of the Topeka Police Department and Rossville Police Department, was also assisted by the Sheriff’s Office Fugitive Warrants Unit, Detectives Unit and Uniformed Patrol Unit.

Drug task force finds large amount of heroin at Kansas home

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden pledged an additional $1.3 billion Thursday&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-biden-business-europe-moscow-69f39ffb0c58c7fdbbf3154cca0a9230">for new weapons</a>&nbsp;and economic assistance to help Ukraine in its strong but increasingly difficult battle against&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-putin-kyiv-business-europe-f0e1cd893715eda1e6bef696d9c47db3">the Russian invasion</a>, and he promised to seek much more from Congress to keep the guns, ammunition and cash flowing.

The latest military aid, Biden said, will be sent “directly to the front lines of freedom.”

“Putin is banking on us losing interest,” Biden said. The Russian president is betting that “Western unity will crack ... and once again we’re going to prove him wrong.”

The new package includes $800 million in military aid for much-needed heavy artillery, 144,000 rounds of ammunition and drones for the escalating&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-putin-business-europe-moscow-67da12473ccd75fe02992f0eb751c5f4">battle in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine</a>. It builds on roughly $2.6 billion in military assistance that Biden previously approved.

There’s also a fresh&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-biden-business-world-bank-wally-adeyemo-e471f2542b0a02836cc4a5b3c92507e7">$500 million in direct economic assistance t</a>&nbsp;o Ukraine for government salaries, pensions and other programs. That raises the total U.S. economic support to $1 billion since Russia’s invasion began nearly two months ago.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed his gratitude to the United States in his nightly address in Ukraine, saying the military aid was “just what we were waiting for.” Earlier in a virtual address to the World Bank meeting in Washington, he said his nation will also need up to $7 billion each month to make up for economic losses.

With tens of thousands of buildings damaged and key infrastructure in ruins, Ukraine “will need hundreds of billions of dollars to rebuild,” Zelenskyy said.

Biden underscored a need for the United States and Western allies to remain resolved in their support for Ukraine amid&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-biden-europe-nato-3e68ceb4c389c84f395f6deecea3906d">signs that Americans may becoming more wary of the war</a>.

A poll published Thursday by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research shows Americans’ desire to get involved has waned somewhat. Some 32% say the U.S. should have a major role in the conflict. That’s ticked down from 40% last month, though it’s slightly higher than the 26% who said so in February. An additional 49% say the U.S. should have a minor role.

The president also announced that Russian-affiliated ships would be barred from U.S. ports, though that appeared to be largely symbolic. Russian ships bring a tiny amount of the cargo unloaded in the U.S., and “my guess is that ... a decent chunk of that was tankers transporting Russian oil which is now banned anyway,” said Colin Grabow, a research fellow who studies trade at the Cato Institute.

Overall, Biden said that $6.5 billion in security assistance that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-us-aid-package-41cc2e66c7714b37eca9d2bb8add53aa">Congress approved last month as part of a $13.6 billion package for Ukraine</a>&nbsp;could soon be “exhausted.” With the latest announcement, Biden has approved about $3.4 billion in military aid since Feb. 24. Congress’ overall total also included about $6.8 billion in direct economic assistance to care for refugees and provide economic aid to allies in the region impacted by the war — and additional funding for federal agencies to enforce economic sanctions against Russia and protect against cyber threats.

“Next week, I’m going to have to be sending to Congress a supplemental budget request to keep weapons and ammunition deployed without interruption,” Biden said.

Congress has signaled it is receptive to further requests and has been expecting there would be a need for further help for the Ukrainians. But the issue could become entwined with partisan fights over pandemic spending and immigration, complicating the pathway.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has expressed a willingness to consider more aid for Ukraine in recent weeks. “I think we need to say we want the Ukrainians to win, and we’re prepared to do everything we can to help them win,” McConnell said Monday in Shelbyville, Kentucky.

“We want to do more,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., told reporters at the Capitol, during an appearance with Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal. She said lawmakers would learn more about Biden’s latest funding request “in the next day or so, to be taken up as soon as we can. Next week.”

Biden has chosen retired Lt. Gen. Terry Wolff, a National Security Council official during the Obama administration, to oversee coordination of the security assistance to Ukraine, according to a White House official. The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the yet to be formally announced appointment, said Wolff was brought to the White House National Security Council team in recent days.

Biden spoke on the new assistance, and more broadly about the situation in Ukraine, hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed victory in the strategic city of Mariupol. Putin, however, ordered his troops not to risk more losses by storming the last pocket of Ukrainian resistance in the war’s iconic battleground.

Biden in an exchange with reporters following his remarks called Russia’s claim on Mariupol “questionable.”

Russian forces have destroyed much of southeastern port city, which has witnessed some of the fiercest fighting of the war. By Russian estimates, about 2,000 Ukrainian forces remain holed up in a sprawling steel plant, even as Russia continues to pound the industrial site and issue ultimatums for surrender.

Biden sought to make clear to Russians that plenty more military assistance for Ukraine would be coming.

“Sometimes we will speak softly and carry a large Javelin, because we’re sending a lot of those,” Biden said, paraphrasing Theodore Roosevelt and referring to an anti-tank missile system.

The new U.S. military assistance is to include 72 155mm howitzers, 144,000 artillery rounds, 72 vehicles used to tow to the howitzers onto battlefields, and over 121 Phoenix Ghost tactical drones, as well as field equipment and spare parts.

Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said the drones were developed by the Air Force and fit a specific need of Ukrainian forces in the battle for the Donbas. The drones are produced by a U.S. company, Aevex Aerospace, in a program that began before Russia invaded on Feb. 24. Kirby said the Phoenix Ghost is similar to the armed Switchblade kamikaze drones that the Pentagon already is providing to Ukraine.

The 72 howitzers are in addition to the 18 announced last week the U.S. was transferring to Ukraine.

Biden’s decision to quadruple the number pledged in an arms package announced just last week reflects what is shaping up as a major ground battle in the contested Donbas region of eastern Ukraine.

The Russians have been deploying additional artillery there in recent days as they aim to expand their offensive and attempt to take full control of the Donbas after retreating from a failed attempt to capture Kyiv, the capital. Heavy weaponry like artillery is expected to play a key role in the fighting in the relatively confined area where Ukrainian and Russian-backed separatists have been battling since 2014.

The announcements on new aid came against the backdrop of International Monetary Fund and World Bank meetings this week dominated by how to manage the spillover from Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Ahead of his remarks, Biden met with Ukrainian Prime Minister Shmyhal. The Ukrainian leader also met on Thursday with Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen as well as Pelosi.

Yellen at a news conference said the economic aid the U.S. and allies have sent “is only the beginning of what Ukraine will need to rebuild.” She added that she’d be discussing efforts to further aid Ukraine with her Western counterparts this week.

“I think we stand united in recognizing we’ve got to find ways to meet Ukraine’s needs,” she said.

The Biden administration also announced a new program Thursday aimed at&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-putin-immigration-covid-health-3f7893e2f47f4024b07bd897caf305a9">streamlining refugee applications for Ukrainians&nbsp;</a>and others fleeing the fighting, while they are still in Europe. The U.S. will no longer routinely grant entry to those who show up at the U.S.-Mexico border seeking asylum, as thousands have.

The U.S. expects to admit up to 100,000 refugees from Ukraine and about 15,000 have come, mostly through Mexico.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden pledged an additional $1.3 billion Thursday&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-biden-business-europe-moscow-69f39ffb0c58c7fdbbf3154cca0a9230">for new weapons</a>&nbsp;and economic assistance to help Ukraine in its strong but increasingly difficult battle against&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-putin-kyiv-business-europe-f0e1cd893715eda1e6bef696d9c47db3">the Russian invasion</a>, and he promised to seek much more from Congress to keep the guns, ammunition and cash flowing.<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=314&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FWhiteHouse%2Fvideos%2F511651257089093%2F&show_text=false&width=560&t=143" width="560" height="314" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowFullScreen="true"></iframe></div>The latest military aid, Biden said, will be sent “directly to the front lines of freedom.”“Putin is banking on us losing interest,” Biden said. The Russian president is betting that “Western unity will crack ... and once again we’re going to prove him wrong.”The new package includes $800 million in military aid for much-needed heavy artillery, 144,000 rounds of ammunition and drones for the escalating&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-putin-business-europe-moscow-67da12473ccd75fe02992f0eb751c5f4">battle in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine</a>. It builds on roughly $2.6 billion in military assistance that Biden previously approved.There’s also a fresh&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-biden-business-world-bank-wally-adeyemo-e471f2542b0a02836cc4a5b3c92507e7">$500 million in direct economic assistance t</a>&nbsp;o Ukraine for government salaries, pensions and other programs. That raises the total U.S. economic support to $1 billion since Russia’s invasion began nearly two months ago.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed his gratitude to the United States in his nightly address in Ukraine, saying the military aid was “just what we were waiting for.” Earlier in a virtual address to the World Bank meeting in Washington, he said his nation will also need up to $7 billion each month to make up for economic losses.With tens of thousands of buildings damaged and key infrastructure in ruins, Ukraine “will need hundreds of billions of dollars to rebuild,” Zelenskyy said.<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FWhiteHouse%2Fposts%2F304157638565030&show_text=true&width=500" width="500" height="609" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share"></iframe></div>Biden underscored a need for the United States and Western allies to remain resolved in their support for Ukraine amid&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-biden-europe-nato-3e68ceb4c389c84f395f6deecea3906d">signs that Americans may becoming more wary of the war</a>.A poll published Thursday by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research shows Americans’ desire to get involved has waned somewhat. Some 32% say the U.S. should have a major role in the conflict. That’s ticked down from 40% last month, though it’s slightly higher than the 26% who said so in February. An additional 49% say the U.S. should have a minor role.The president also announced that Russian-affiliated ships would be barred from U.S. ports, though that appeared to be largely symbolic. Russian ships bring a tiny amount of the cargo unloaded in the U.S., and “my guess is that ... a decent chunk of that was tankers transporting Russian oil which is now banned anyway,” said Colin Grabow, a research fellow who studies trade at the Cato Institute.Overall, Biden said that $6.5 billion in security assistance that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-us-aid-package-41cc2e66c7714b37eca9d2bb8add53aa">Congress approved last month as part of a $13.6 billion package for Ukraine</a>&nbsp;could soon be “exhausted.” With the latest announcement, Biden has approved about $3.4 billion in military aid since Feb. 24. Congress’ overall total also included about $6.8 billion in direct economic assistance to care for refugees and provide economic aid to allies in the region impacted by the war — and additional funding for federal agencies to enforce economic sanctions against Russia and protect against cyber threats.“Next week, I’m going to have to be sending to Congress a supplemental budget request to keep weapons and ammunition deployed without interruption,” Biden said.Congress has signaled it is receptive to further requests and has been expecting there would be a need for further help for the Ukrainians. But the issue could become entwined with partisan fights over pandemic spending and immigration, complicating the pathway.Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has expressed a willingness to consider more aid for Ukraine in recent weeks. “I think we need to say we want the Ukrainians to win, and we’re prepared to do everything we can to help them win,” McConnell said Monday in Shelbyville, Kentucky.“We want to do more,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., told reporters at the Capitol, during an appearance with Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal. She said lawmakers would learn more about Biden’s latest funding request “in the next day or so, to be taken up as soon as we can. Next week.”Biden has chosen retired Lt. Gen. Terry Wolff, a National Security Council official during the Obama administration, to oversee coordination of the security assistance to Ukraine, according to a White House official. The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the yet to be formally announced appointment, said Wolff was brought to the White House National Security Council team in recent days.Biden spoke on the new assistance, and more broadly about the situation in Ukraine, hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed victory in the strategic city of Mariupol. Putin, however, ordered his troops not to risk more losses by storming the last pocket of Ukrainian resistance in the war’s iconic battleground.Biden in an exchange with reporters following his remarks called Russia’s claim on Mariupol “questionable.”Russian forces have destroyed much of southeastern port city, which has witnessed some of the fiercest fighting of the war. By Russian estimates, about 2,000 Ukrainian forces remain holed up in a sprawling steel plant, even as Russia continues to pound the industrial site and issue ultimatums for surrender.Biden sought to make clear to Russians that plenty more military assistance for Ukraine would be coming.“Sometimes we will speak softly and carry a large Javelin, because we’re sending a lot of those,” Biden said, paraphrasing Theodore Roosevelt and referring to an anti-tank missile system.The new U.S. military assistance is to include 72 155mm howitzers, 144,000 artillery rounds, 72 vehicles used to tow to the howitzers onto battlefields, and over 121 Phoenix Ghost tactical drones, as well as field equipment and spare parts.Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said the drones were developed by the Air Force and fit a specific need of Ukrainian forces in the battle for the Donbas. The drones are produced by a U.S. company, Aevex Aerospace, in a program that began before Russia invaded on Feb. 24. Kirby said the Phoenix Ghost is similar to the armed Switchblade kamikaze drones that the Pentagon already is providing to Ukraine.The 72 howitzers are in addition to the 18 announced last week the U.S. was transferring to Ukraine.Biden’s decision to quadruple the number pledged in an arms package announced just last week reflects what is shaping up as a major ground battle in the contested Donbas region of eastern Ukraine.The Russians have been deploying additional artillery there in recent days as they aim to expand their offensive and attempt to take full control of the Donbas after retreating from a failed attempt to capture Kyiv, the capital. Heavy weaponry like artillery is expected to play a key role in the fighting in the relatively confined area where Ukrainian and Russian-backed separatists have been battling since 2014.The announcements on new aid came against the backdrop of International Monetary Fund and World Bank meetings this week dominated by how to manage the spillover from Russia’s war in Ukraine.Ahead of his remarks, Biden met with Ukrainian Prime Minister Shmyhal. The Ukrainian leader also met on Thursday with Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen as well as Pelosi.Yellen at a news conference said the economic aid the U.S. and allies have sent “is only the beginning of what Ukraine will need to rebuild.” She added that she’d be discussing efforts to further aid Ukraine with her Western counterparts this week.“I think we stand united in recognizing we’ve got to find ways to meet Ukraine’s needs,” she said.The Biden administration also announced a new program Thursday aimed at&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-putin-immigration-covid-health-3f7893e2f47f4024b07bd897caf305a9">streamlining refugee applications for Ukrainians&nbsp;</a>and others fleeing the fighting, while they are still in Europe. The U.S. will no longer routinely grant entry to those who show up at the U.S.-Mexico border seeking asylum, as thousands have.The U.S. expects to admit up to 100,000 refugees from Ukraine and about 15,000 have come, mostly through Mexico.___

🎥U.S. dramatically ramps up delivery of artillery guns to Ukraine

HAVEN, Kan. — A special consulting firm that deals with crisis and emergency management with fire disasters has been hired by Haven Midstream to help with the investigation and recovery from last week's explosion and fire at its gas facility near Haven.

IFO Group out of The Woodlands, Texas, is on-hand to assist Haven Midstream in helping mitigate any potential danger from the accident as well as consult recovery efforts.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/4/1650572392111.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>HAVEN, Kan. — A special consulting firm that deals with crisis and emergency management with fire disasters has been hired by Haven Midstream to help with the investigation and recovery from last week's explosion and fire at its gas facility near Haven.IFO Group out of The Woodlands, Texas, is on-hand to assist Haven Midstream in helping mitigate any potential danger from the accident as well as consult recovery efforts.It is unknown how long IFO Group will be at the site or what plans are to get operations back up and running. So far, the cause of the fire is undetermined by the State Fire Marshal's Office.The April 14 explosions and fire injured two people and forced the evacuation of the town of Haven overnight Thursday. Residents were allowed to return to their homes early Friday morning.