FINNEY COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a fatal shooting and have two suspects in custody.

Just before 10:30 a.m. Sunday police&nbsp;were dispatched to report of a shooting in the 800 block of N. 5th Street in Garden City, according to a media release.

Officers located Jesus Hector Flores, 36, of&nbsp; Garden City, KS, who had been shot. EMS transported Flores to St. Catherine Hospital where he later died.

Through the investigation police identified 18-year-old Alexander Goetting and 28-year-old Dalton Pister both of Garden City, KS, as being involved in the shooting.

Police located Goetting and took him into custody. Pister was located and arrested in Scott City, with the assistance of the Scott City Police Department and the Scott County Sheriff’s Department. 

Goetting is being held on requested charges of of First-Degree Murder, Aggravated Robbery, and weapons violations. Pister is being held on requested charges of First-Degree Murder and Aggravated Robbery.

Updated 8:20 a.m. Tuesday to correct photo.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/2/1644866390586.png" alt="Goetting-photo Finney Co." />
 <figcaption>Goetting-photo Finney Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>FINNEY COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a fatal shooting and have two suspects in custody.Just before 10:30 a.m. Sunday police&nbsp;were dispatched to report of a shooting in the 800 block of N. 5th Street in Garden City, according to a media release.Officers located Jesus Hector Flores, 36, of&nbsp; Garden City, KS, who had been shot. EMS transported Flores to St. Catherine Hospital where he later died.Through the investigation police identified 18-year-old Alexander Goetting and 28-year-old Dalton Pister both of Garden City, KS, as being involved in the shooting.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/2/1644934626650.png" alt="Dalton Pister-photo Finney Co." />
 <figcaption>Dalton Pister-photo Finney Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>Police located Goetting and took him into custody. Pister was located and arrested in Scott City, with the assistance of the Scott City Police Department and the Scott County Sheriff’s Department. Goetting is being held on requested charges of of First-Degree Murder, Aggravated Robbery, and weapons violations. Pister is being held on requested charges of First-Degree Murder and Aggravated Robbery.Updated 8:20 a.m. Tuesday to correct photo.&nbsp;

Police: 2 accused of murder during SW Kansas robbery

RICE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a wanted Kansas felon on new charges after a weekend chase in Rice County.&nbsp;

Just after 4:30p.m. Saturday, police conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle in the city of Lyons, according to Sheriff Bryant Evans. The driver, identified as 39-year-old Bradley Wicks, wanted on multiple warrants, fled in his car.&nbsp; 

Police and Rice County deputies chased Wicks to a rural home where a 2-hour standoff began.&nbsp; Wicks had been living at that home. The homeowner was not there and no one else was inside. 

Wicks eventually left the home peacefully. Officers arrested and booked him into the Rice County Jail. Officials are still working to determine charges, according to Evans.&nbsp; There were no injuries. Sterling police and the Kansas Highway Patrol assisted with the investigation, according to&nbsp; Evans.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/2/1644838855940.png" alt="Wicks has previous convictions for burglary, theft, drugs and aggravated failure to appear, according to the Kan. Dept. of Corrections.- photo Rice County Sheriff" />
 <figcaption>Wicks has previous convictions for burglary, theft, drugs and aggravated failure to appear, according to the Kan. Dept. of Corrections.- photo Rice County Sheriff</figcaption>
 </figure>RICE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a wanted Kansas felon on new charges after a weekend chase in Rice County.&nbsp;Just after 4:30p.m. Saturday, police conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle in the city of Lyons, according to Sheriff Bryant Evans. The driver, identified as 39-year-old Bradley Wicks, wanted on multiple warrants, fled in his car.&nbsp; Police and Rice County deputies chased Wicks to a rural home where a 2-hour standoff began.&nbsp; Wicks had been living at that home. The homeowner was not there and no one else was inside. Wicks eventually left the home peacefully. Officers arrested and booked him into the Rice County Jail. Officials are still working to determine charges, according to Evans.&nbsp; There were no injuries. Sterling police and the Kansas Highway Patrol assisted with the investigation, according to&nbsp; Evans.

Sheriff: Kansas felon jailed after chase, 2-hour standoff

SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a fatal shooting at a home in Wichita.

Just after 3:30 p.m.&nbsp; Sunday, police responded to a shooting call at a home in the 2100 block of South Erie in Wichita, according to Officer Charley Davidson.&nbsp; Upon arrival, officers located two victims, a 38-year-old woman and a 30-year-old man who had been shot.&nbsp; Both were pronounced deceased on the scene.

The investigation revealed a resident of the home found the victims shot and called the police.&nbsp;

This was not a random incident and is believed to involve illegal and dangerous drugs.&nbsp; The victims were known to frequent the home. Police have not released the names of the victims.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/2/1644862888477.png" alt="Police on the scene of the fatal shooting -photo courtesy KWCH" />
 <figcaption>Police on the scene of the fatal shooting -photo courtesy KWCH</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a fatal shooting at a home in Wichita.Just after 3:30 p.m.&nbsp; Sunday, police responded to a shooting call at a home in the 2100 block of South Erie in Wichita, according to Officer Charley Davidson.&nbsp; Upon arrival, officers located two victims, a 38-year-old woman and a 30-year-old man who had been shot.&nbsp; Both were pronounced deceased on the scene.The investigation revealed a resident of the home found the victims shot and called the police.&nbsp;This was not a random incident and is believed to involve illegal and dangerous drugs.&nbsp; The victims were known to frequent the home. Police have not released the names of the victims.

Double murder: Man, woman found dead in Kansas home

By NOAH TABORDA <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/02/14/kansas-panel-balances-transparency-costs-in-open-records-act-update/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA — A Kansas Senate panel 
considered Monday how best to proceed with amending the state’s open 
records act to increase transparency without triggering unintended 
consequences and placing an undue burden on municipalities.

<a target="_blank" href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/sb386/">Senate Bill 386</a>
 would limit fees for copying and providing records, including the cost 
of staff time, under the Kansas Open Records Act to the lowest hourly 
rate of the person qualified to provide the records. The bill would also
 ensure no fee is charged if a search determines the record does not 
exist.

It would also give the record custodian the discretion to waive any fee should it be in the public interest to do so.

Emily Bradbury, executive director of the Kansas Press Association, 
pointed to a 2020 incident following a series of personnel firings in 
Frontenac where the city attorney wanted to charge $3,500 for records 
without explanation of how he arrived at that figure.

“While a majority of KORA requests from journalists are handled well,
 with efficiency and grace from government entities, there are many 
instances where this is not the case,” Bradbury said. “Because there are
 no real statutory guidelines for what can be charged, newspaper 
reporters and private citizens have had to deal with exorbitant costs 
for gaining access to public records.”

A 2020 Northwestern University Law review labeled Kansas as a 
“transparency desert.” In 2015, the Center for Public Integrity gave 
Kansas an F grade for transparency, placing the state 43rd overall.

An investigation conducted by the Kansas Attorney General’s Office 
found the city government of Frontenac to have violated its own policies
 by charging unreasonable rates. Caleb Smith, campaign director for 
Kansas Appleseed Center for Law and Justice, pointed to additional 
instances, such KAKE receiving a bill totaling more than $40,000 when 
pursuing records about fraudulent unemployment claims.

“This bill puts in place best practices for limiting the fee barrier 
to transparency,” Smith said. “It limits the charging of staff time to 
the lowest rate of a person qualified to fulfill the request, prevents 
fees from being charged just to determine if a record exists and 
provides for the discretionary waiver of fees if requested records are 
in the public interest.”

However, opponents of the bill say existing law already addresses rare cases, such as Frontenac.

Michael Koss, an attorney for the City of Overland Park, said most 
concerning was that by changing wording regarding furnishing copies, the
 bill could require local taxpayers to subsidize the costs of redacting 
public records. He used a recent request of more than 15,000 emails 
related to multiple lawsuits to illustrate the potential issue.

“Many of those emails contained information about juvenile victims 
and were subject to attorney-client privilege, so staff had to review 
and redact such information from the emails,” Koss said. “That change 
arguably removes the basis for local governments to recoup the cost of 
staff time to redact records, thus creating an expensive unfunded 
mandate on local taxpayers who have to assume that cost.”

If passed, the law would go into effect July 1.

Sen. Kellie Warren, a Leawood Republican, also noted the laborious 
nature of the redaction process, from her firsthand experience as an 
attorney participating in significant litigation.

“Is there a balance we can bring to the need to keep private 
information private, to allow our responding agencies and departments to
 do the research and to the need for being transparent to the public?” 
Warren said.

Erik Sartorius, executive director for the Kansas League of 
Municipalities, said his organization had already been engaging in 
dialogue with the Kansas Press Association to close these gaps. One area
 he said could easily be bridged was the provision requiring the lowest 
hourly rate of the person qualified to provide the records.

While he accepted the concept, he pushed for a better definition to be applied.

“The person who works the check-in desk at the rec center may have 
the capacity to get a record, but if the record is housed at City Hall” 
it could cause a problem, he said. “If it’s not a workable situation, 
just because that is the lowest possible wage that could conceivably do 
the work, then that’s an area where it seems a little murky.”

Disclosure: Hays Post is a member of the Kansas Press Association.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/2/1644868167712.png" alt="While most KORA requests from journalists are handled well, said Emily Bradbury, executive director of the Kansas Press Association, Senate Bill 386 would target excessive fees and increase transparency (Kansas Reflector screen capture of Kansas Legislature YouTube.)" />
 <figcaption>While most KORA requests from journalists are handled well, said Emily Bradbury, executive director of the Kansas Press Association, Senate Bill 386 would target excessive fees and increase transparency (Kansas Reflector screen capture of Kansas Legislature YouTube.)</figcaption>
 </figure>By NOAH TABORDA <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/02/14/kansas-panel-balances-transparency-costs-in-open-records-act-update/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — A Kansas Senate panel 
considered Monday how best to proceed with amending the state’s open 
records act to increase transparency without triggering unintended 
consequences and placing an undue burden on municipalities.<a target="_blank" href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/sb386/">Senate Bill 386</a>
 would limit fees for copying and providing records, including the cost 
of staff time, under the Kansas Open Records Act to the lowest hourly 
rate of the person qualified to provide the records. The bill would also
 ensure no fee is charged if a search determines the record does not 
exist.It would also give the record custodian the discretion to waive any fee should it be in the public interest to do so.Emily Bradbury, executive director of the Kansas Press Association, 
pointed to a 2020 incident following a series of personnel firings in 
Frontenac where the city attorney wanted to charge $3,500 for records 
without explanation of how he arrived at that figure.“While a majority of KORA requests from journalists are handled well,
 with efficiency and grace from government entities, there are many 
instances where this is not the case,” Bradbury said. “Because there are
 no real statutory guidelines for what can be charged, newspaper 
reporters and private citizens have had to deal with exorbitant costs 
for gaining access to public records.”A 2020 Northwestern University Law review labeled Kansas as a 
“transparency desert.” In 2015, the Center for Public Integrity gave 
Kansas an F grade for transparency, placing the state 43rd overall.An investigation conducted by the Kansas Attorney General’s Office 
found the city government of Frontenac to have violated its own policies
 by charging unreasonable rates. Caleb Smith, campaign director for 
Kansas Appleseed Center for Law and Justice, pointed to additional 
instances, such KAKE receiving a bill totaling more than $40,000 when 
pursuing records about fraudulent unemployment claims.“This bill puts in place best practices for limiting the fee barrier 
to transparency,” Smith said. “It limits the charging of staff time to 
the lowest rate of a person qualified to fulfill the request, prevents 
fees from being charged just to determine if a record exists and 
provides for the discretionary waiver of fees if requested records are 
in the public interest.”However, opponents of the bill say existing law already addresses rare cases, such as Frontenac.Michael Koss, an attorney for the City of Overland Park, said most 
concerning was that by changing wording regarding furnishing copies, the
 bill could require local taxpayers to subsidize the costs of redacting 
public records. He used a recent request of more than 15,000 emails 
related to multiple lawsuits to illustrate the potential issue.“Many of those emails contained information about juvenile victims 
and were subject to attorney-client privilege, so staff had to review 
and redact such information from the emails,” Koss said. “That change 
arguably removes the basis for local governments to recoup the cost of 
staff time to redact records, thus creating an expensive unfunded 
mandate on local taxpayers who have to assume that cost.”If passed, the law would go into effect July 1.Sen. Kellie Warren, a Leawood Republican, also noted the laborious 
nature of the redaction process, from her firsthand experience as an 
attorney participating in significant litigation.“Is there a balance we can bring to the need to keep private 
information private, to allow our responding agencies and departments to
 do the research and to the need for being transparent to the public?” 
Warren said.Erik Sartorius, executive director for the Kansas League of 
Municipalities, said his organization had already been engaging in 
dialogue with the Kansas Press Association to close these gaps. One area
 he said could easily be bridged was the provision requiring the lowest 
hourly rate of the person qualified to provide the records.While he accepted the concept, he pushed for a better definition to be applied.“The person who works the check-in desk at the rec center may have 
the capacity to get a record, but if the record is housed at City Hall” 
it could cause a problem, he said. “If it’s not a workable situation, 
just because that is the lowest possible wage that could conceivably do 
the work, then that’s an area where it seems a little murky.”Disclosure: Hays Post is a member of the Kansas Press Association.

Kan. panel balances transparency, costs in open records act update

By LESLIE EIKLEBERRY Salina Post

Law enforcement authorities arrested a Salina man Sunday after his pickup left the interstate, struck a fence and started a grass fire northeast of Salina.

Just after 3 a.m., emergency personnel were sent just east of Niles Road on eastbound Interstate 70 for the report of a vehicle that had left the roadway, according to Sheriff Roger Soldan.

When they arrived, they found a 1998 Chevrolet S10 pickup up against the fence that runs along the interstate.. Both the pickup and nearby grass were burning.

The driver, identified as Aaron Powers, 24, of Salina, was eastbound in the pickup when he lost control of the vehicle and it traveled off the highway. Powers sustained only minor injuries and refused treatment.

An estimate $500 in damage was done to the fence and the grass, Soldan said. The fire burned approximately 50 acres of grassland before it was extinguished by rural fire department personnel. 

Powers was arrested on the following requested charges of Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs and Not wearing a seatbelt.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/2/1644857056701.jpeg" alt="A grass fire caused by the crash backlights the scene of the single-vehicle wreck along Interstate 70 early Sunday morning. Photo courtesy Saline County Sheriff" />
 <figcaption>A grass fire caused by the crash backlights the scene of the single-vehicle wreck along Interstate 70 early Sunday morning. Photo courtesy Saline County Sheriff</figcaption>
 </figure>By LESLIE EIKLEBERRY Salina PostLaw enforcement authorities arrested a Salina man Sunday after his pickup left the interstate, struck a fence and started a grass fire northeast of Salina.Just after 3 a.m., emergency personnel were sent just east of Niles Road on eastbound Interstate 70 for the report of a vehicle that had left the roadway, according to Sheriff Roger Soldan.When they arrived, they found a 1998 Chevrolet S10 pickup up against the fence that runs along the interstate.. Both the pickup and nearby grass were burning.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/2/1644763005553.jpeg" alt="Aaron Powers-photo&nbsp;Saline County" />
 <figcaption>Aaron Powers-photo&nbsp;Saline County</figcaption>
 </figure>The driver, identified as Aaron Powers, 24, of Salina, was eastbound in the pickup when he lost control of the vehicle and it traveled off the highway. Powers sustained only minor injuries and refused treatment.An estimate $500 in damage was done to the fence and the grass, Soldan said. The fire burned approximately 50 acres of grassland before it was extinguished by rural fire department personnel. Powers was arrested on the following requested charges of Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs and Not wearing a seatbelt.

50 acres of grass burned after reported I-70 DUI crash

By TIM CARPENTER <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/02/14/states-director-of-indigent-defense-argues-budget-woes-undercut-judicial-system/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA — Criminal defense attorneys taking on challenging work of the
 Kansas State Board of Indigents’ Defense are struggling under weight of
 insufficient state funding and the burdens of withering caseloads, 
modest wages and high turnover.

Kansas’ indigent defense program provides staff public defenders or 
appointed private defense attorneys to deal with 85% of all adult felony
 cases Kansas. Pressure to come to terms with attorney demand-and-supply
 imbalances has grown as administrators of the program shared 
statistical evidence of difficulties providing sound legal counsel for 
about 25,000 impoverished defendants annually.

Heather Cessna, executive director of the Board of Indigents’ 
Defense, said on the Kansas Reflector podcast that breakdowns in the 
system didn’t serve interests of crime victims, posed ethical issues for
 lawyers and raised constitutional complexities. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.prisonpolicy.org/blog/2021/07/27/public-defenders/">Other states are facing comparable obstacles</a> to delivering on the promise of representing poor criminal defendants.

The Kansas Legislature raised salaries of attorneys appointed to pick
 up cases the Board of Indigents’ Defense staff lawyers couldn’t get to,
 but that one-year budget provision is set to expire. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/blogs/stateline/2017/11/21/public-defenders-fight-back-against-budget-cuts-growing-caseloads">An
 argument can be made for adopting a comprehensive approach for bringing
 the public defender system in line with reasonable expectations,</a> Cessna said.

She said people who cherished the U.S. Constitution and the Kansas 
Constitution should be concerned about financial integrity of the 
public-defender system.

“Not to sound too overly pessimistic, but it comes down to the 
ultimate end of the criminal justice system,” Cessna said. “Our 
appointed counsel and our public defenders are an integral part of that 
criminal justice system in Kansas. Without sufficient funding and 
sufficient attorneys to meet those caseload needs, that system will 
fail.”

She said Kansas taxpayers could be part of the budget solution or end
 up paying for consequences of indifference, including wrongful 
convictions that could stem from an insufficiently funded legal system 
for defendants. In the past few years, she said, Kansas has paid out 
millions of dollars in compensation to defendants incorrectly convicted 
of murder. It’s plausible there are more of those cases on the horizon, 
she said.

“The Legislature is starting to understand the complexities of the 
problem and the amount of additional funding that we’re in need of,” 
Cessna said. “I’m optimistic, cautiously optimistic, I would say, for 
where we’re going with some of these issues.”

The Board of Indigents’ Defense serves clients with staff public 
defense lawyers and by hiring attorneys to take on defense cases. They 
work out of 11 trial offices in Kansas and six specialty offices dealing
 that concentrate on capital murder trials and cases on appeal.

Cessna said the board needed to retain experienced staff and build a 
larger pipeline of attorneys eager to work as public defenders. 
Recruiting those people to grow the staff wouldn’t be such a hurdle if 
salaries came closer to amounts paid prosecutors with comparable years 
of experience. Twelve percent of attorneys working for the Board of 
Indigents’ Defense left in 2021, she said. Some are poached by 
prosecution offices offering substantive raises, she said.

In addition, Cessna said, compensation of part-time appointed defense
 attorneys needed to be increased so those people weren’t “losing their 
shirts” on the cases. The current rate for outside defense counsel is 
$100 per hour, but without legislative action that would fall back to 
$80 per hour. She’d like the rate to be reset at $120 an hour. For 
comparison sake, she said, a private attorney hired by a defendant in a 
complex case might cost $400 per hour.

“They’re doing this partially as an attempt to provide some pro bono 
services, but we also have to be able to compensate them so that they 
can keep their lights on and keep taking cases,” Cessna said.

Cessna said the staff attorneys with the Board of Indigents’ Defense 
averaged about 13 hours per attorney per case, which would be considered
 below appropriate standards for effective assistance of counsel. She 
said some public defender offices were temporarily refusing cases.

Appointed defense lawyers are being paid for windshield time to drive
 from the Kansas City area to handle cases in Junction City or to drive 
from southcentral Kansas communities to help cover cases in Wichita.

“One of the first conversations I had when I came into this position 
two years ago was with one of our line defenders in one of our regional 
offices,” Cessna said. “She started off the conversation and said, 
‘Look, I’m concerned I’m going to lose my law license.’ We’re all 
capable of making mistakes.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/2/1644850091504.png" alt="Heather Cessna, executive director of the Kansas State Board of Indigents’ Defense, said lack of state funding, high case loads, significant attorney turnover, modest wages raise constitutional questions. (Noah Taborda/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>Heather Cessna, executive director of the Kansas State Board of Indigents’ Defense, said lack of state funding, high case loads, significant attorney turnover, modest wages raise constitutional questions. (Noah Taborda/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>By TIM CARPENTER <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/02/14/states-director-of-indigent-defense-argues-budget-woes-undercut-judicial-system/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — Criminal defense attorneys taking on challenging work of the
 Kansas State Board of Indigents’ Defense are struggling under weight of
 insufficient state funding and the burdens of withering caseloads, 
modest wages and high turnover.Kansas’ indigent defense program provides staff public defenders or 
appointed private defense attorneys to deal with 85% of all adult felony
 cases Kansas. Pressure to come to terms with attorney demand-and-supply
 imbalances has grown as administrators of the program shared 
statistical evidence of difficulties providing sound legal counsel for 
about 25,000 impoverished defendants annually.Heather Cessna, executive director of the Board of Indigents’ 
Defense, said on the Kansas Reflector podcast that breakdowns in the 
system didn’t serve interests of crime victims, posed ethical issues for
 lawyers and raised constitutional complexities. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.prisonpolicy.org/blog/2021/07/27/public-defenders/">Other states are facing comparable obstacles</a> to delivering on the promise of representing poor criminal defendants.<div><iframe width="100%" height="300" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" allow="autoplay" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/1215271558&color=%232b7fb4&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true&visual=true"></iframe><div style="font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc;line-break: anywhere;word-break: normal;overflow: hidden;white-space: nowrap;text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 100;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/kansas-reflector-podcast" title="Reflector Podcast" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">Reflector Podcast</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/kansas-reflector-podcast/defense-attorney-crisis-in-kansas" title="Defense attorney crisis in Kansas" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">Defense attorney crisis in Kansas</a></div></div>The Kansas Legislature raised salaries of attorneys appointed to pick
 up cases the Board of Indigents’ Defense staff lawyers couldn’t get to,
 but that one-year budget provision is set to expire. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/blogs/stateline/2017/11/21/public-defenders-fight-back-against-budget-cuts-growing-caseloads">An
 argument can be made for adopting a comprehensive approach for bringing
 the public defender system in line with reasonable expectations,</a> Cessna said.She said people who cherished the U.S. Constitution and the Kansas 
Constitution should be concerned about financial integrity of the 
public-defender system.“Not to sound too overly pessimistic, but it comes down to the 
ultimate end of the criminal justice system,” Cessna said. “Our 
appointed counsel and our public defenders are an integral part of that 
criminal justice system in Kansas. Without sufficient funding and 
sufficient attorneys to meet those caseload needs, that system will 
fail.”She said Kansas taxpayers could be part of the budget solution or end
 up paying for consequences of indifference, including wrongful 
convictions that could stem from an insufficiently funded legal system 
for defendants. In the past few years, she said, Kansas has paid out 
millions of dollars in compensation to defendants incorrectly convicted 
of murder. It’s plausible there are more of those cases on the horizon, 
she said.“The Legislature is starting to understand the complexities of the 
problem and the amount of additional funding that we’re in need of,” 
Cessna said. “I’m optimistic, cautiously optimistic, I would say, for 
where we’re going with some of these issues.”The Board of Indigents’ Defense serves clients with staff public 
defense lawyers and by hiring attorneys to take on defense cases. They 
work out of 11 trial offices in Kansas and six specialty offices dealing
 that concentrate on capital murder trials and cases on appeal.Cessna said the board needed to retain experienced staff and build a 
larger pipeline of attorneys eager to work as public defenders. 
Recruiting those people to grow the staff wouldn’t be such a hurdle if 
salaries came closer to amounts paid prosecutors with comparable years 
of experience. Twelve percent of attorneys working for the Board of 
Indigents’ Defense left in 2021, she said. Some are poached by 
prosecution offices offering substantive raises, she said.In addition, Cessna said, compensation of part-time appointed defense
 attorneys needed to be increased so those people weren’t “losing their 
shirts” on the cases. The current rate for outside defense counsel is 
$100 per hour, but without legislative action that would fall back to 
$80 per hour. She’d like the rate to be reset at $120 an hour. For 
comparison sake, she said, a private attorney hired by a defendant in a 
complex case might cost $400 per hour.“They’re doing this partially as an attempt to provide some pro bono 
services, but we also have to be able to compensate them so that they 
can keep their lights on and keep taking cases,” Cessna said.Cessna said the staff attorneys with the Board of Indigents’ Defense 
averaged about 13 hours per attorney per case, which would be considered
 below appropriate standards for effective assistance of counsel. She 
said some public defender offices were temporarily refusing cases.Appointed defense lawyers are being paid for windshield time to drive
 from the Kansas City area to handle cases in Junction City or to drive 
from southcentral Kansas communities to help cover cases in Wichita.“One of the first conversations I had when I came into this position 
two years ago was with one of our line defenders in one of our regional 
offices,” Cessna said. “She started off the conversation and said, 
‘Look, I’m concerned I’m going to lose my law license.’ We’re all 
capable of making mistakes.”

🎙 Kan. director of indigent defense: Budget woes undercut judicial system

Charles ( Chuck ) and Deanna Munson bid $926,000 during a bankruptcy sale in Abilene on Monday to acquire the former Brookville Hotel restaurant property. Pinnacle Bank had put the property up&nbsp; for sale with the Munson's submitting the lone bid. They plan to open a new restaurant called Legacy Kansas, with a subtitle acknowledging both the Brookville Hotel and Munson's Prime.&nbsp;

Charles and Deanna owned the Munson Prime steakhouse in Junction City that was destroyed by fire in February of 2021. They now plan to open the new restaurant with what Deanna termed "the best of both worlds. We will continue the traditional family style served chicken the way it was done at Brookville. " Munson said in at least three of the rooms, there will be a bar with high top tables and the other available rooms will serve menu items including "high-end Munson steaks and also burgers." In that latter area customers will also be able to order a plated Brookville chicken dinner. There are also plans to serve Munson homemade ice cream.

There is work to be done to prepare the facility with the goal of a June 24th, 2022 opening, explained Deanna. "We have a ways to go. First of all it deteriorated in the last year and there are things missing that were there before that are not there now." The work can progress again on remodeling the bar in&nbsp; the building, the ice cream machine has to be remade and a facility must be built to hold that machine.&nbsp;There will need to be some work as well to staff the new restaurant

The original plan called for the restaurant to be open by June 24th, 2021, but back tax issues facing the previous owners of the Brookville Hotel resulted in a delay and eventually concluded with the sale on Monday.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Deanna explained how this project fits their dream. "To do something like this, not to own a restaurant, not to have a steakhouse. " She said they want the farm community. "The Legacy Kansas is perfect for what Chuck ,and especially my dream is, for where we leave Munson Farms when we leave this world. We've got the next generation that as far as our management team that probably are as eager to make it we want it to be as we are, and they're young!"

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/2/1644863571031.jpeg" alt="Brookville Hotel restaurant building in Abilene" />
 <figcaption>Brookville Hotel restaurant building in Abilene</figcaption>
 </figure>By Dewey TerrillJC PostCharles ( Chuck ) and Deanna Munson bid $926,000 during a bankruptcy sale in Abilene on Monday to acquire the former Brookville Hotel restaurant property. Pinnacle Bank had put the property up&nbsp; for sale with the Munson's submitting the lone bid. They plan to open a new restaurant called Legacy Kansas, with a subtitle acknowledging both the Brookville Hotel and Munson's Prime.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/2/1644863556399.jpeg" alt="Front entry way of the former Munson's Prime steakhouse in Junction City" />
 <figcaption>Front entry way of the former Munson's Prime steakhouse in Junction City</figcaption>
 </figure>Charles and Deanna owned the Munson Prime steakhouse in Junction City that was destroyed by fire in February of 2021. They now plan to open the new restaurant with what Deanna termed "the best of both worlds. We will continue the traditional family style served chicken the way it was done at Brookville. " Munson said in at least three of the rooms, there will be a bar with high top tables and the other available rooms will serve menu items including "high-end Munson steaks and also burgers." In that latter area customers will also be able to order a plated Brookville chicken dinner. There are also plans to serve Munson homemade ice cream.There is work to be done to prepare the facility with the goal of a June 24th, 2022 opening, explained Deanna. "We have a ways to go. First of all it deteriorated in the last year and there are things missing that were there before that are not there now." The work can progress again on remodeling the bar in&nbsp; the building, the ice cream machine has to be remade and a facility must be built to hold that machine.&nbsp;There will need to be some work as well to staff the new restaurantThe original plan called for the restaurant to be open by June 24th, 2021, but back tax issues facing the previous owners of the Brookville Hotel resulted in a delay and eventually concluded with the sale on Monday.&nbsp;&nbsp;Deanna explained how this project fits their dream. "To do something like this, not to own a restaurant, not to have a steakhouse. " She said they want the farm community. "The Legacy Kansas is perfect for what Chuck ,and especially my dream is, for where we leave Munson Farms when we leave this world. We've got the next generation that as far as our management team that probably are as eager to make it we want it to be as we are, and they're young!"

Former Brookville Hotel building sells to Junction City couple

TOPEKA — The number of confirmed coronavirus cases* (see below) in Kansas increased by 1,996 to a total of 758,237 since Friday, the state health department reported Monday afternoon.&nbsp; &nbsp;

The state reported 14 additional COVID-19 deaths since Friday for a total of 7,860.

<a href="https://www.kansasvaccine.gov/158/Data">Click here for Data</a> 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.

As of August 1, 2021, in accordance with an&nbsp;<a href="https://ndc.services.cdc.gov/conditions/coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19/" target="_blank">updated CDC/CSTE surveillance case definition</a>, a confirmed case is defined as a person who tested positive by molecular detection (e.g., PCR, NAA) or identification of SARS-CoV-2 through genetic sequencing. A probable case is defined as a person with: a) presumptive lab evidence (antigen) or b) no lab testing but meeting clinical case criteria and is epi-linked. A person will be counted as a new surveillance case (e.g. reinfection) if they test positive for SARS-CoV-2 by a diagnostic test (i.e., molecular, antigen) and it has been greater than 90 days since the previous positive diagnostic test. In addition, a person with sequencing results identifying different SARS-CoV-2 lineages regardless of the time since the previous specimen sequenced will be counted as a new surveillance case.&nbsp;

Cases occurring between&nbsp;September 1, 2020&nbsp;and July 29, 2021 were classified by&nbsp;<a href="https://ndc.services.cdc.gov/conditions/coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19/" target="_blank">previous CDC/CSTE case definition,&nbsp;</a>and cases prior to September 1, 2020 were classified by the&nbsp;<a href="https://ndc.services.cdc.gov/case-definitions/coronavirus-disease-2019-2020/" target="_blank">original case definition</a>.

TOPEKA — The number of confirmed coronavirus cases* (see below) in Kansas increased by 1,996 to a total of 758,237 since Friday, the state health department reported Monday afternoon.&nbsp; &nbsp;The state reported 14 additional COVID-19 deaths since Friday for a total of 7,860.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/2/1644861542915.png" alt="Monday February 14, 2022 KDHE image" />
 <figcaption>Monday February 14, 2022 KDHE image</figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://www.kansasvaccine.gov/158/Data">Click here for Data</a> 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.As of August 1, 2021, in accordance with an&nbsp;<a href="https://ndc.services.cdc.gov/conditions/coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19/" target="_blank">updated CDC/CSTE surveillance case definition</a>, a confirmed case is defined as a person who tested positive by molecular detection (e.g., PCR, NAA) or identification of SARS-CoV-2 through genetic sequencing. A probable case is defined as a person with: a) presumptive lab evidence (antigen) or b) no lab testing but meeting clinical case criteria and is epi-linked. A person will be counted as a new surveillance case (e.g. reinfection) if they test positive for SARS-CoV-2 by a diagnostic test (i.e., molecular, antigen) and it has been greater than 90 days since the previous positive diagnostic test. In addition, a person with sequencing results identifying different SARS-CoV-2 lineages regardless of the time since the previous specimen sequenced will be counted as a new surveillance case.&nbsp;Cases occurring between&nbsp;September 1, 2020&nbsp;and July 29, 2021 were classified by&nbsp;<a href="https://ndc.services.cdc.gov/conditions/coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19/" target="_blank">previous CDC/CSTE case definition,&nbsp;</a>and cases prior to September 1, 2020 were classified by the&nbsp;<a href="https://ndc.services.cdc.gov/case-definitions/coronavirus-disease-2019-2020/" target="_blank">original case definition</a>.

KDHE: 1,996 new cases, 14 more COVID 19 deaths

By DEREK KRAVITZ and RUDI KELLER <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/02/14/missouri-lawmaker-admits-illegally-selling-prescription-drugs-says-it-was-unintentional/">Missouri Independent</a>

A Missouri lawmaker facing a 23-count federal indictment for <a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2021/02/01/missouri-republican-legislator-indicted-for-fraud-illegal-prescriptions/">allegedly selling fake stem-cell treatments and fraudulently using federal pandemic relief funds</a>
 has settled with the state health department, resulting in a three-year
 probation of her narcotics license while admitting to illegally 
purchasing and prescribing pharmaceutical drugs.

The administrative settlement, signed
 Jan. 28 with the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services’ 
Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs, acknowledges that state Rep. 
Patricia Derges, R-Nixa, violated state and federal controlled substance
 laws. 

It also includes details about Derges
 illegally prescribing oxycodone, an opioid, and amphetamines and 
illegally purchasing and stocking tramadol, an opioid used for pain 
management, in her Ozark Valley clinics in southwestern Missouri.&nbsp;

The settlement was obtained by the <a target="_blank" href="https://documentingcovid19.io/">Documenting COVID-19 project</a>
 through a Sunshine Law request, as part of an ongoing collaboration 
with The Missouri Independent. (The full settlement agreement can be <a target="_blank" href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/21202516-derges-dhss-settlement-agrement">found here</a>.)

The settlement does not address some 
of the other charges Derges faces, which include administering amniotic 
fluid, which she allegedly claimed contained stem cells, as a treatment 
for erectile dysfunction, Lyme disease and urinary incontinence, among 
other ailments.&nbsp;

Despite acknowledging breaking the 
law, Derges’s attorney, Albert Watkins of Kodner Watkins in St. Louis, 
said the drug purchases and prescriptions “are not criminal,” as Derges 
didn’t intend to break a law she had little, if any, understanding of.

Derges is still fighting the criminal
 charges case in U.S. District Court and she has repeatedly professed 
her innocence in public and on social media. A jury trial has been set 
for June.

“The settlement is the appropriate 
action, not a criminal prosecution that requires intent,” Watkins said. 
“[The prosecution] makes no sense, it’s wrong, it’s inappropriate and 
it’s an abhorrent waste of taxpayer dollars.”

Derges told investigators with the state health department that
 controlled substance laws were not taught in her medical school and she
 could not find a place in a medical residency program. Derges is a 
licensed assistant physician, which is a mid-level practitioner beneath a
 board-certified medical doctor, and she received her medical training 
at the<a target="_blank" href="https://cmumed.org/"> Caribbean Medical University in the Netherland Antilles</a>.

The agreement notes that Derges began
 “practicing with controlled substances and has been learning as she 
goes. The violations revealed were not intentional and were because she 
did not know. Once she learned of the violations, she took prompt 
corrective measures.”

She also did not document and log prescriptions and did not maintain receipts or transfer records, the settlement states.

Derges, who was elected to represent 
Christian County for a two-year term in November 2020, did not directly 
respond to requests for comment.

Shortly after the charges against her were announced a year ago, Derges was <a target="_blank" href="https://s37744.p1438.sites.pressdns.com/briefs/missouri-house-speaker-calls-on-indicted-lawmaker-to-resign/">called on to resign by House GOP leadership</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://s37744.p1438.sites.pressdns.com/briefs/missouri-house-gop-boots-indicted-lawmaker-out-caucus-though-she-says-she-wont-resign/">kicked out of the Republican caucus</a> and <a target="_blank" href="https://s37744.p1438.sites.pressdns.com/2021/02/02/indicted-missouri-lawmaker-stripped-of-committee-assignments/">stripped of her committee posts</a>.
 During her first legislative session, she filed 10 bills — four of 
which deal with medical licensing in ways that could allow her to 
convert her license as an assistant physician to a physician.

Refusing to resign, <a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2021/02/12/missouri-house-tucks-lawmakers-cast-out-of-caucuses-into-tiny-offices/">she has been relegated to a tiny, windowless room set aside for castoff legislators</a>.

A spokesman for House Speaker Rob 
Vescovo, R-Arnold, noted that the speaker has called for Derges to 
resign and hasn’t changed his position on that.

Derges still has no plans to resign from her elected position, her attorney said.

The Independent’s Jason Hancock contributed to this story.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/2/1644868593011.png" alt="State Rep. Tricia Derges, R-Nixa (photo courtesy of Missouri House Communications)" />
 <figcaption>State Rep. Tricia Derges, R-Nixa (photo courtesy of Missouri House Communications)</figcaption>
 </figure>By DEREK KRAVITZ and RUDI KELLER <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/02/14/missouri-lawmaker-admits-illegally-selling-prescription-drugs-says-it-was-unintentional/">Missouri Independent</a>A Missouri lawmaker facing a 23-count federal indictment for <a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2021/02/01/missouri-republican-legislator-indicted-for-fraud-illegal-prescriptions/">allegedly selling fake stem-cell treatments and fraudulently using federal pandemic relief funds</a>
 has settled with the state health department, resulting in a three-year
 probation of her narcotics license while admitting to illegally 
purchasing and prescribing pharmaceutical drugs.The administrative settlement, signed
 Jan. 28 with the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services’ 
Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs, acknowledges that state Rep. 
Patricia Derges, R-Nixa, violated state and federal controlled substance
 laws. It also includes details about Derges
 illegally prescribing oxycodone, an opioid, and amphetamines and 
illegally purchasing and stocking tramadol, an opioid used for pain 
management, in her Ozark Valley clinics in southwestern Missouri.&nbsp;The settlement was obtained by the <a target="_blank" href="https://documentingcovid19.io/">Documenting COVID-19 project</a>
 through a Sunshine Law request, as part of an ongoing collaboration 
with The Missouri Independent. (The full settlement agreement can be <a target="_blank" href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/21202516-derges-dhss-settlement-agrement">found here</a>.)The settlement does not address some 
of the other charges Derges faces, which include administering amniotic 
fluid, which she allegedly claimed contained stem cells, as a treatment 
for erectile dysfunction, Lyme disease and urinary incontinence, among 
other ailments.&nbsp;Despite acknowledging breaking the 
law, Derges’s attorney, Albert Watkins of Kodner Watkins in St. Louis, 
said the drug purchases and prescriptions “are not criminal,” as Derges 
didn’t intend to break a law she had little, if any, understanding of.Derges is still fighting the criminal
 charges case in U.S. District Court and she has repeatedly professed 
her innocence in public and on social media. A jury trial has been set 
for June.“The settlement is the appropriate 
action, not a criminal prosecution that requires intent,” Watkins said. 
“[The prosecution] makes no sense, it’s wrong, it’s inappropriate and 
it’s an abhorrent waste of taxpayer dollars.”Derges told investigators with the state health department that
 controlled substance laws were not taught in her medical school and she
 could not find a place in a medical residency program. Derges is a 
licensed assistant physician, which is a mid-level practitioner beneath a
 board-certified medical doctor, and she received her medical training 
at the<a target="_blank" href="https://cmumed.org/"> Caribbean Medical University in the Netherland Antilles</a>.The agreement notes that Derges began
 “practicing with controlled substances and has been learning as she 
goes. The violations revealed were not intentional and were because she 
did not know. Once she learned of the violations, she took prompt 
corrective measures.”She also did not document and log prescriptions and did not maintain receipts or transfer records, the settlement states.Derges, who was elected to represent 
Christian County for a two-year term in November 2020, did not directly 
respond to requests for comment.Shortly after the charges against her were announced a year ago, Derges was <a target="_blank" href="https://s37744.p1438.sites.pressdns.com/briefs/missouri-house-speaker-calls-on-indicted-lawmaker-to-resign/">called on to resign by House GOP leadership</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://s37744.p1438.sites.pressdns.com/briefs/missouri-house-gop-boots-indicted-lawmaker-out-caucus-though-she-says-she-wont-resign/">kicked out of the Republican caucus</a> and <a target="_blank" href="https://s37744.p1438.sites.pressdns.com/2021/02/02/indicted-missouri-lawmaker-stripped-of-committee-assignments/">stripped of her committee posts</a>.
 During her first legislative session, she filed 10 bills — four of 
which deal with medical licensing in ways that could allow her to 
convert her license as an assistant physician to a physician.Refusing to resign, <a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2021/02/12/missouri-house-tucks-lawmakers-cast-out-of-caucuses-into-tiny-offices/">she has been relegated to a tiny, windowless room set aside for castoff legislators</a>.A spokesman for House Speaker Rob 
Vescovo, R-Arnold, noted that the speaker has called for Derges to 
resign and hasn’t changed his position on that.Derges still has no plans to resign from her elected position, her attorney said.The Independent’s Jason Hancock contributed to this story.&nbsp;

SW Mo. lawmaker admits to illegally selling prescription drugs

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Democrats, a civil rights group and a national elections watchdog filed two lawsuits Monday against&nbsp;Kansas&nbsp;officials over a Republican redistricting law that costs the state's only Democrat in Congress some of the territory in her Kansas City-area district that she carries by wide margins in elections.

Kansas is part of a broader national battle over redrawing congressional districts. Republicans hope to recapture a U.S. House majority in this year’s elections, and both parties are watching states’ redistricting efforts because they could help either pick up or defend individual seats.

Both lawsuits were filed in Wyandotte County District Court in the Kansas City area, on behalf of aggrieved voters. Both sue Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab, a Republican and the state’s top elections official.

Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt, this year’s presumed GOP nominee for governor, promised a vigorous defense of the new law.

“The plaintiffs are hoping state courts, which in the past have not reviewed federal congressional districts, will write new rules to their advantage,” Schmidt spokesperson John Milburn said in an email.

For decades, lawsuits over congressional redistricting in Kansas have been filed and resolved in federal court. The Kansas Constitution doesn't say whether the state courts can review congressional maps.

In 2019, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that complaints of partisan gerrymandering are political issues and not for federal courts to resolve. The Kansas lawsuits ask state courts to declare that Republicans' map represents racial and partisan gerrymandering that violate the state Constitution’s guarantee of voting rights,equal rights for all residents and freedom of speech and assembly.

“The dominant party manipulates the district boundaries to dilute the voting power of the minority party’s voters,” said one lawsuit, filed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas and the Washington-based Campaign Legal Center.

The Kansas redistricting law removes the northern part of Kansas City, Kansas, from the 3rd District that U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids represents and puts it in the neighboring 2nd District, which includes the state capital of Topeka but also rural communities across eastern Kansas. Kansas City is among Republican-leaning Kansas’ few Democratic strongholds.

The law 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.

The new redistricting law took effect last week after the GOP-controlled Legislature overrode Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly’s veto of it.

Republicans have defended all of their moves as necessary to make the state’s four congressional districts as close in population in possible after a decade of population shifts. Under the law, each district has the ideal population of 734,470 residents.

Kansas House Majority Leader Dan Hawkins dismissed the lawsuits as arising from "just the partisan nature of things.”

“I'm not too upset about anything that they say,” the Wichita Republican said.

Prominent Democratic attorney Marc Elias' firm filed one lawsuit. Elias has been involved in lawsuits in multiple states, including&nbsp;Georgia,&nbsp;North Carolina&nbsp;and&nbsp;Ohio. His firm represents five voters and a Kansas voting-rights group, Loud Light, and sued both Schwab and the election commissioner for Kansas City, Kansas.

Shortly afterward, the ACLU and Campaign Legal Center filed their lawsuit on behalf of 11 voters against Schwab.

The lawsuits argue that Republicans set out to draw Davids out of her seat, and diluted Black and Hispanic voters' clout by cutting their numbers in her district. They also argue that the new map is unacceptable because it fails to keep the core of the state's side of the Kansas City area in a single district.

“It unnecessarily and inexplicably shifts large numbers of Kansans out of their prior districts, with no population-based need or other legitimate justification,” the Elias group's lawsuit alleges.

As evidence of Republicans' intentions, both lawsuits quote comments to a Republican gathering in September 2020 by then-retiring Kansas Senate President Susan Wagle. She said if Republicans won legislative supermajorities — which they did — GOP lawmakers could ensure that Republicans captured all four Kansas congressional districts.

“I guarantee you,” she said in remarks captured on video.

The Kansas City area has too many residents for a single congressional district. Republicans opted to split more diverse Kansas City, Kansas, rather than whiter and wealthier suburbs to the south because those suburbs have never been divided between two districts.

GOP lawmakers also rejected criticism of the map as racial gerrymandering, noting that while the percentages of Black and Hispanic voters dropped in the 3rd District, they increased in the 2nd. They argued that even with the new lines, Davids would have won in 2020.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Democrats sued&nbsp;Kansas&nbsp;officials on Monday over a Republican redistricting law that costs the state's only Democrat in Congress some of the territory in her Kansas City-area district that she carries by wide margins in elections.

A team of attorneys led by Democratic attorney Marc Elias' firm filed the lawsuit in Wyandotte County District Court in the Kansas City area. Elias has been involved in lawsuits in multiple states, including&nbsp;Georgia,&nbsp;North Carolina&nbsp;and&nbsp;Ohio, and he promised that the new Kansas map would be challenged when the GOP-controlled Legislature on Wednesday overrode Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly's veto of it.

The lawsuit was filed on behalf of five voters and a Kansas voting-rights group, Loud Light. The defendants are the elections commissioner for Kansas City, Kansas, and Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab, the state's top elections official.

Kansas is part of a broader national battle over redrawing congressional districts. Republicans hope to recapture a U.S. House majority in this year's elections, and both parties are watching states' redistricting efforts because they could help either pick up or defend individual seats.

The Kansas redistricting law removes the northern part of Kansas City, Kansas, from the 3rd District that U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids represents and puts it in the neighboring 2nd District, which includes the state capital of Topeka but also rural communities across eastern Kansas. Kansas City is among Republican-leaning Kansas' few Democratic strongholds.

Elias has said the GOP map for Kansas is “blatantly unconstitutional.” Democrats argued that it amounts to partisan gerrymandering aimed at costing Davids' her seat, while diluting the clout of Black and Hispanic voters by cutting their numbers in her district. They also have argued that the map is unacceptable because it fails to keep the core of the state's side of the Kansas City area in a single district.

“I think Sharice has always been a target,” Kelly said in an interview after her veto was overridden. “Now, would it be Sharice specifically? It's the fact that there's a Democrat in the 3rd District congressional seat. They want that to change.”

The redistricting law 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 about 40 miles (64 kilometers) west of Kansas is now in the already sprawling 1st District of central and western Kansas with small conservative communities, some six hours away by car.

Republicans have defended all of those moves as necessary to make the state's four congressional districts as close in population in possible after a decade of population shifts. Under the law, each of the districts has the ideal population of 734,470 residents.

Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt, the presumed Republican nominee for governor this year, said of the new district lines: "We are prepared to vigorously defend them against any partisan political lawsuits that long have been threatened.”

The Kansas City area has too many residents for a single congressional districts, and Republicans opted to split more diverse Kansas City, Kansas, rather than whiter and wealthier suburbs to the south. They've noted that those suburbs have never been divided between two districts.

GOP lawmakers also rejected criticism of the map as racial gerrymandering, noting that while the percentages of Black and Hispanic voters dropped in the 3rd District, they increased in the 2nd. And they argued that even with the new lines, Davids would have won in 2020.

For decades, lawsuits over congressional redistricting in Kansas have been filed in federal court and decided by a panel of three federal judges. But in 2019, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that complaints of partisan gerrymandering are political issues and not for federal courts to resolve.

The Kansas Supreme Court traditionally has not reviewed congressional maps, and the state constitution doesn't deal specifically with congressional redistricting. But some lawyers argue that fact doesn't prevent the Kansas Supreme Court from weighing in.

Some Democrats hope that the Kansas courts will limit or prohibit partisan gerrymandering or set other guidelines that doom the GOP map. Five of the Kansas Supreme Court's seven justices were appointed by Democratic governors, including three by Kelly.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/1/1643147273216.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>By JOHN HANNA and ROXANA HEGEMANTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Democrats, a civil rights group and a national elections watchdog filed two lawsuits Monday against&nbsp;Kansas&nbsp;officials over a Republican redistricting law that costs the state's only Democrat in Congress some of the territory in her Kansas City-area district that she carries by wide margins in elections.Kansas is part of a broader national battle over redrawing congressional districts. Republicans hope to recapture a U.S. House majority in this year’s elections, and both parties are watching states’ redistricting efforts because they could help either pick up or defend individual seats.Both lawsuits were filed in Wyandotte County District Court in the Kansas City area, on behalf of aggrieved voters. Both sue Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab, a Republican and the state’s top elections official.Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt, this year’s presumed GOP nominee for governor, promised a vigorous defense of the new law.“The plaintiffs are hoping state courts, which in the past have not reviewed federal congressional districts, will write new rules to their advantage,” Schmidt spokesperson John Milburn said in an email.For decades, lawsuits over congressional redistricting in Kansas have been filed and resolved in federal court. The Kansas Constitution doesn't say whether the state courts can review congressional maps.In 2019, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that complaints of partisan gerrymandering are political issues and not for federal courts to resolve. The Kansas lawsuits ask state courts to declare that Republicans' map represents racial and partisan gerrymandering that violate the state Constitution’s guarantee of voting rights,equal rights for all residents and freedom of speech and assembly.“The dominant party manipulates the district boundaries to dilute the voting power of the minority party’s voters,” said one lawsuit, filed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas and the Washington-based Campaign Legal Center.The Kansas redistricting law removes the northern part of Kansas City, Kansas, from the 3rd District that U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids represents and puts it in the neighboring 2nd District, which includes the state capital of Topeka but also rural communities across eastern Kansas. Kansas City is among Republican-leaning Kansas’ few Democratic strongholds.The law 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.The new redistricting law took effect last week after the GOP-controlled Legislature overrode Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly’s veto of it.Republicans have defended all of their moves as necessary to make the state’s four congressional districts as close in population in possible after a decade of population shifts. Under the law, each district has the ideal population of 734,470 residents.Kansas House Majority Leader Dan Hawkins dismissed the lawsuits as arising from "just the partisan nature of things.”“I'm not too upset about anything that they say,” the Wichita Republican said.Prominent Democratic attorney Marc Elias' firm filed one lawsuit. Elias has been involved in lawsuits in multiple states, including&nbsp;Georgia,&nbsp;North Carolina&nbsp;and&nbsp;Ohio. His firm represents five voters and a Kansas voting-rights group, Loud Light, and sued both Schwab and the election commissioner for Kansas City, Kansas.Shortly afterward, the ACLU and Campaign Legal Center filed their lawsuit on behalf of 11 voters against Schwab.The lawsuits argue that Republicans set out to draw Davids out of her seat, and diluted Black and Hispanic voters' clout by cutting their numbers in her district. They also argue that the new map is unacceptable because it fails to keep the core of the state's side of the Kansas City area in a single district.“It unnecessarily and inexplicably shifts large numbers of Kansans out of their prior districts, with no population-based need or other legitimate justification,” the Elias group's lawsuit alleges.As evidence of Republicans' intentions, both lawsuits quote comments to a Republican gathering in September 2020 by then-retiring Kansas Senate President Susan Wagle. She said if Republicans won legislative supermajorities — which they did — GOP lawmakers could ensure that Republicans captured all four Kansas congressional districts.“I guarantee you,” she said in remarks captured on video.The Kansas City area has too many residents for a single congressional district. Republicans opted to split more diverse Kansas City, Kansas, rather than whiter and wealthier suburbs to the south because those suburbs have never been divided between two districts.GOP lawmakers also rejected criticism of the map as racial gerrymandering, noting that while the percentages of Black and Hispanic voters dropped in the 3rd District, they increased in the 2nd. They argued that even with the new lines, Davids would have won in 2020.-------TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Democrats sued&nbsp;Kansas&nbsp;officials on Monday over a Republican redistricting law that costs the state's only Democrat in Congress some of the territory in her Kansas City-area district that she carries by wide margins in elections.A team of attorneys led by Democratic attorney Marc Elias' firm filed the lawsuit in Wyandotte County District Court in the Kansas City area. Elias has been involved in lawsuits in multiple states, including&nbsp;Georgia,&nbsp;North Carolina&nbsp;and&nbsp;Ohio, and he promised that the new Kansas map would be challenged when the GOP-controlled Legislature on Wednesday overrode Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly's veto of it.The lawsuit was filed on behalf of five voters and a Kansas voting-rights group, Loud Light. The defendants are the elections commissioner for Kansas City, Kansas, and Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab, the state's top elections official.Kansas is part of a broader national battle over redrawing congressional districts. Republicans hope to recapture a U.S. House majority in this year's elections, and both parties are watching states' redistricting efforts because they could help either pick up or defend individual seats.The Kansas redistricting law removes the northern part of Kansas City, Kansas, from the 3rd District that U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids represents and puts it in the neighboring 2nd District, which includes the state capital of Topeka but also rural communities across eastern Kansas. Kansas City is among Republican-leaning Kansas' few Democratic strongholds.Elias has said the GOP map for Kansas is “blatantly unconstitutional.” Democrats argued that it amounts to partisan gerrymandering aimed at costing Davids' her seat, while diluting the clout of Black and Hispanic voters by cutting their numbers in her district. They also have argued that the map is unacceptable because it fails to keep the core of the state's side of the Kansas City area in a single district.“I think Sharice has always been a target,” Kelly said in an interview after her veto was overridden. “Now, would it be Sharice specifically? It's the fact that there's a Democrat in the 3rd District congressional seat. They want that to change.”The redistricting law 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 about 40 miles (64 kilometers) west of Kansas is now in the already sprawling 1st District of central and western Kansas with small conservative communities, some six hours away by car.Republicans have defended all of those moves as necessary to make the state's four congressional districts as close in population in possible after a decade of population shifts. Under the law, each of the districts has the ideal population of 734,470 residents.Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt, the presumed Republican nominee for governor this year, said of the new district lines: "We are prepared to vigorously defend them against any partisan political lawsuits that long have been threatened.”The Kansas City area has too many residents for a single congressional districts, and Republicans opted to split more diverse Kansas City, Kansas, rather than whiter and wealthier suburbs to the south. They've noted that those suburbs have never been divided between two districts.GOP lawmakers also rejected criticism of the map as racial gerrymandering, noting that while the percentages of Black and Hispanic voters dropped in the 3rd District, they increased in the 2nd. And they argued that even with the new lines, Davids would have won in 2020.For decades, lawsuits over congressional redistricting in Kansas have been filed in federal court and decided by a panel of three federal judges. But in 2019, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that complaints of partisan gerrymandering are political issues and not for federal courts to resolve.The Kansas Supreme Court traditionally has not reviewed congressional maps, and the state constitution doesn't deal specifically with congressional redistricting. But some lawyers argue that fact doesn't prevent the Kansas Supreme Court from weighing in.Some Democrats hope that the Kansas courts will limit or prohibit partisan gerrymandering or set other guidelines that doom the GOP map. Five of the Kansas Supreme Court's seven justices were appointed by Democratic governors, including three by Kelly.

Democrats, ACLU sue over new Kansas Congressional districts

BARTON COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities searching for a meth distribution point in Great Bend have made three arrests.

Just after 3:30 p.m. Friday,&nbsp; sheriff's detectives and deputies executed a search warrant at 5210 10th Street, Apt. 9 in Great Bend, according to Sheriff Brian Bellendir.&nbsp;

When the occupants of the apartment failed to answer the door, the Sheriff’s Office forced entry. Deputies located methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia at the location.

They arrested 51-year-old Kenneth Reed of Great Bend on requested charges of possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute and no drug tax stamp. Reed is being held in lieu of a $50,000 bond.

Misty Bryant, age 42 of Hoisington, and Michael Hurd age 44, of Great Bend, were also arrested. Both Bryant on requested charges of possession of methamphetamine. They are both being held on a $10,000 bond.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/2/1644858103513.jpeg" alt="Photo Barton Co. Sheriff" />
 <figcaption>Photo Barton Co. Sheriff</figcaption>
 </figure>BARTON COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities searching for a meth distribution point in Great Bend have made three arrests.Just after 3:30 p.m. Friday,&nbsp; sheriff's detectives and deputies executed a search warrant at 5210 10th Street, Apt. 9 in Great Bend, according to Sheriff Brian Bellendir.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/2/1644858124560.jpeg" alt="Kenneth Reed-photo Barton Co." />
 <figcaption>Kenneth Reed-photo Barton Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>When the occupants of the apartment failed to answer the door, the Sheriff’s Office forced entry. Deputies located methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia at the location.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/2/1644858138992.jpeg" alt="Misty Bryant-photo Barton Co." />
 <figcaption>Misty Bryant-photo Barton Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>They arrested 51-year-old Kenneth Reed of Great Bend on requested charges of possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute and no drug tax stamp. Reed is being held in lieu of a $50,000 bond.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/2/1644858153313.jpeg" alt="Michael Hurd" />
 <figcaption>Michael Hurd</figcaption>
 </figure>Misty Bryant, age 42 of Hoisington, and Michael Hurd age 44, of Great Bend, were also arrested. Both Bryant on requested charges of possession of methamphetamine. They are both being held on a $10,000 bond.

Deputies force entry into Kan. apartment during drug investigation

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — First responders have rescued a baby who was born on an Omaha sidewalk and left there by his mother in sub-freezing temperatures. 

The Omaha World-Herald reports that a woman gave birth to the baby around 10 a.m. Sunday on a pile of blankets on the sidewalk in southeast Omaha. The temperature at the time was around 16 degrees, with wind chills in the single digits.

 Firefighters called to the scene found the newborn boy being attended by two passersby and took the baby to a hospital. Witnesses told officials that the woman who had given birth to the baby wrapped herself in a black coat and wandered off. 

Firefighters found her a short distance away and also took her to a hospital.

From the Associated PressOMAHA, Neb. (AP) — First responders have rescued a baby who was born on an Omaha sidewalk and left there by his mother in sub-freezing temperatures. The Omaha World-Herald reports that a woman gave birth to the baby around 10 a.m. Sunday on a pile of blankets on the sidewalk in southeast Omaha. The temperature at the time was around 16 degrees, with wind chills in the single digits. Firefighters called to the scene found the newborn boy being attended by two passersby and took the baby to a hospital. Witnesses told officials that the woman who had given birth to the baby wrapped herself in a black coat and wandered off. Firefighters found her a short distance away and also took her to a hospital.

First responders rescue baby born, left on Omaha sidewalk

2022 Senate Scene Week 4 and 5 February 14, 2022

TOPEKA - Last week, the Senate standing committees continued to hold hearings and bring forward legislation after a short week last week due to the weather which moved across the state. The Ways and Means Committee is starting to work the budget bill with subcommittee meetings to report to the full committee in a few weeks.

SNAPSHOT OF THE KANSAS LEGISLATURE 2022

The Kansas Senate consists of forty Senators – twenty-nine Republicans, eleven Democrats with sixteen women and twenty-four men. Eleven Senators live in cities of 100,000+ population, eleven with 20,000 to 100,000, six with 5,000-20,000 and six with 2,000-5,000 and six with 0-2,000. The Kansas House of Representatives consists of one-hundred twenty-five members with eighty-six Republicans and thirty-nine Democrats with thirty-three women and ninety-two men.

Late last week, Governor Kelly vetoed the legislation containing the Ad Astra 2 Congressional Map. This week, the legislature overrode her veto (27- 11) thus making the map law.

The map only splits four counties. Pawnee, Douglas, Jackson and Wyandotte are the only split counties on the new map. Both Douglas and Wyandotte are primarily divided along natural and geographic barriers such as highways and rivers. Marshall County would be entirely in the First District. The First District contains both University of Kansas and Kansas State University, which have aligned goals, returning them to the same Congressional district. The Second District includes several military installations, including Ft. Riley, Ft. Leavenworth, Forbes Field, and the Kansas National Guard. The Third District keeps Johnson County together, blending the Kansas City suburbs with nearby bedroom communities. The Fourth District includes Wichita and surrounding communities. Also, Indian Reservations are kept wholly within Congressional districts.

A few historical facts on maps over the decades:&nbsp; the 3rd Congressional District for
instance, has had the following shifts over time:

Mid-1960s – 5 districts – Anderson County was in CD 3

1973-1982 – 5 districts – Wyandotte County was split, and Franklin
County was in CD 3

1983-1992 – 5 districts – All of Miami County was included in CD 3

1993-2002 – 4 districts – All of Miami County was included in CD
3, Douglas County split

2003-2013 – 4 districts – Douglas County split, City of Lawrence
split

Some citizens have asked about the process of drawing the 3rd District. Because of population shifts in the last decade, placing Wyandotte County and Johnson County both completely within the 3rd District was not possible. The decision was made to keep Johnson County whole, which then necessitated dividing Wyandotte County. The Kansas River and I-70 provided a natural&nbsp;and geographic barrier, so people within Wyandotte County would easily understand which Congressional district they resided in. The resulting population shift resulted in then adding Miami, Franklin, and Anderson Counties, followed by minor adjustments to bring the deviation between districts to 0. The Ad Astra 2 map keeps all four members of Congress within their districts and all four members of Congress would have still won in 2020. In addition, the results for President in 2020 and Governor in 2018 would not have been different in any of the four districts.

SB 347 – APEX – Attracting Powerful Economic Expansion Act

Last week, the House and Senate both adopted the finalized version of the state’s new Attracting Powerful Economic Expansion (APEX) economic growth plan with the Governor signing on February 10th. The final APEX Plan includes important oversight components, including by the State Finance Council. The initial target of the incentive package is a $4.0 billion manufacturing project that would employ over 4,000 people and be one of the most significant private sector investments in Kansas history. It would establish new economic development incentives targeted at specific industries that agree to invest at least $1.0 billion within the State of Kansas. The APEX Act also targets incentives at the suppliers involved in the APEX project. The APEX Program would be under the purview of the Secretary of Commerce for the purpose of attracting large capital investments in new facilities and operations by businesses engaged in specified industries and encouraging the development of Kansas-based supply chains. To help drive taxes down for all who do business in Kansas, an important provision of the bill would lower the corporate income tax by .5% per project with a cap of two. Finally, the bill has claw-back provisions in case the company relocates outside of the state in the 11th through 15th years following the year the manufacturer entered into the agreement with the state. The sunset of the program is on March 31, 2024, to ensure that the full legislature reviews the provisions of the APEX Act in just two years.

SB 329 amends law in order to make the Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) savings program compliant with the federal Internal Revenue Code and mandatory federal regulations. The program allows individuals with a disability and their families to save private funds without violating federal means tested benefit requirements. SB 329 passed the Senate 40-0.

SB 330 would place a permanent memorial honoring Kansas Gold Star families on the Statehouse grounds. “Gold Star families” are families who have lost a family member in the line of military duty. SB 330 passed the Senate 40-0.

SB 358 would allow financing from the Public Water Supply Loan Fund (PWSLF) for public water supply projects that acquire water through a water transfer. SB 358 passed the Senate 40-0.

HB 2005 amend provisions of law related to the Boiler Safety Act. The bill would increase the maximum nominal water capacity of an exempt hot water supply boiler to 120 gallons from the current maximum of 85 gallons. HB 2005 passed the Senate 40-0.

SB 327 would exclude delivery charges that are separately stated on an invoice or similar document from the sales price for purposes of retail sales and compensating use tax. SB 327 passed the Senate 40-0.

Sub for SB 300 would amend definitions in the Kansas Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization Act (Kansas RICO Act). The bill would add to the definition of “covered person” a person who has engaged in identity theft or identity fraud. This will be a useful tool for Unemployment fraud which we witnessed last year and continues to be an issue. Sub for SB 300 passed the Senate 40-0.

SB 346 would allow for the on-farm retail sale of milk or milk products, regulate the labeling and advertising of such products, extend the sunset date for certain milk and dairy license fees. SB 346 passed the Senate 38-0-2.

HB 2109 would amend the statute governing membership of the State Board of Indigents’ Defense Services (BIDS) to raise the population threshold from 100,000 to 115,000 for a county to automatically qualify for a lawyer member of BIDS. HB 2109 passed the Senate 35-5.

Local Award-Winning Students from Senate District 36

Congratulations to Olivia Richardson, Marysville, and Katelyn Binder, Beloit, as essay winners for the League of Kansas Municipalities “My City, My Home” essay contest. Olivia, Marysville Jr/Sr High School, was the Northeast region winner and Katelyn, Beloit Jr/Sr High School, was the North Central region winner.

Congratulations to Dreyton Hughes, Phillipsburg High School, who was chosen the 11th Grade KDHE Bureau of Waste Management "Keep It Clean Kansas" Calendar Winner. If you would like a copy of the yearly KDHE Calendar – call Randi in our office and we will mail you a copy.

As always, I’ll keep you updated on the activities of the Senate while we continue through the last few weeks before turn-around. I always encourage you to stay informed of the issues under consideration by the Kansas Legislature. Committee schedules, bills, and other helpful information can be easily accessed through the legislature’s website at <a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/">www.kslegislature.org</a>. You are also able to ‘listen in live’ at this website. Please do not hesitate to contact me with your thoughts, concerns, and suggestions. An email is the best at this point in the session.

Senator Elaine Bowers Kansas State Capitol Building Room 223-E 300 SW 10th St. <a href="mailto:elaine.bowers@senate.ks.gov" target="_blank">elaine.bowers@senate.ks.gov</a> 785-296-7389 <a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/">www.kslegislature.org</a>

Elaine Bowers, R-Concordia, is senator of the 36th District in Kansas which includes:

* Cloud, Jewell, Lincoln, Mitchell, Osborne, Ottawa, Republic, Rooks, Russell,&nbsp;Smith and Washington Counties * Marshall County: Cities: Blue Rapids, Marysville, Oketo and Waterville;&nbsp;Townships: Blue Rapids, Blue Rapids City, Cottage Hill, Elm Creek,&nbsp;Herkimer, Logan, Marysville, Oketo, Walnut and Waterville * Phillips County: Cities: Agra, Glade, Kirwin and Phillipsburg;&nbsp;Townships: Arcade, Bow Creek, Crystal Deer Creek, Freedom,&nbsp;Glenwood, Greenwood, Kirwin, Phillipsburg, Plum,&nbsp;Rushville, Solomon(part), Sumner,&nbsp;Valley and Walnut

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/2/1644853578448.jpeg" alt="State Sen. Elaine Bowers, R-Concordia, 36th Dist." />
 <figcaption>State Sen. Elaine Bowers, R-Concordia, 36th Dist.</figcaption>
 </figure>2022 Senate Scene Week 4 and 5 February 14, 2022SENATE HAPPENINGSTOPEKA - Last week, the Senate standing committees continued to hold hearings and bring forward legislation after a short week last week due to the weather which moved across the state. The Ways and Means Committee is starting to work the budget bill with subcommittee meetings to report to the full committee in a few weeks.SNAPSHOT OF THE KANSAS LEGISLATURE 2022The Kansas Senate consists of forty Senators – twenty-nine Republicans, eleven Democrats with sixteen women and twenty-four men. Eleven Senators live in cities of 100,000+ population, eleven with 20,000 to 100,000, six with 5,000-20,000 and six with 2,000-5,000 and six with 0-2,000. The Kansas House of Representatives consists of one-hundred twenty-five members with eighty-six Republicans and thirty-nine Democrats with thirty-three women and ninety-two men.Senate Floor ActionSB 355 - AD ASTRA 2 MAPLate last week, Governor Kelly vetoed the legislation containing the Ad Astra 2 Congressional Map. This week, the legislature overrode her veto (27- 11) thus making the map law.Highlights of the map include:The map only splits four counties. Pawnee, Douglas, Jackson and Wyandotte are the only split counties on the new map. Both Douglas and Wyandotte are primarily divided along natural and geographic barriers such as highways and rivers. Marshall County would be entirely in the First District. The First District contains both University of Kansas and Kansas State University, which have aligned goals, returning them to the same Congressional district. The Second District includes several military installations, including Ft. Riley, Ft. Leavenworth, Forbes Field, and the Kansas National Guard. The Third District keeps Johnson County together, blending the Kansas City suburbs with nearby bedroom communities. The Fourth District includes Wichita and surrounding communities. Also, Indian Reservations are kept wholly within Congressional districts.A few historical facts on maps over the decades:&nbsp; the 3rd Congressional District for
instance, has had the following shifts over time:Mid-1960s – 5 districts – Anderson County was in CD 31973-1982 – 5 districts – Wyandotte County was split, and Franklin
County was in CD 31983-1992 – 5 districts – All of Miami County was included in CD 31993-2002 – 4 districts – All of Miami County was included in CD
3, Douglas County split2003-2013 – 4 districts – Douglas County split, City of Lawrence
splitSome citizens have asked about the process of drawing the 3rd District. Because of population shifts in the last decade, placing Wyandotte County and Johnson County both completely within the 3rd District was not possible. The decision was made to keep Johnson County whole, which then necessitated dividing Wyandotte County. The Kansas River and I-70 provided a natural&nbsp;and geographic barrier, so people within Wyandotte County would easily understand which Congressional district they resided in. The resulting population shift resulted in then adding Miami, Franklin, and Anderson Counties, followed by minor adjustments to bring the deviation between districts to 0. The Ad Astra 2 map keeps all four members of Congress within their districts and all four members of Congress would have still won in 2020. In addition, the results for President in 2020 and Governor in 2018 would not have been different in any of the four districts.SB 347 – APEX – Attracting Powerful Economic Expansion ActLast week, the House and Senate both adopted the finalized version of the state’s new Attracting Powerful Economic Expansion (APEX) economic growth plan with the Governor signing on February 10th. The final APEX Plan includes important oversight components, including by the State Finance Council. The initial target of the incentive package is a $4.0 billion manufacturing project that would employ over 4,000 people and be one of the most significant private sector investments in Kansas history. It would establish new economic development incentives targeted at specific industries that agree to invest at least $1.0 billion within the State of Kansas. The APEX Act also targets incentives at the suppliers involved in the APEX project. The APEX Program would be under the purview of the Secretary of Commerce for the purpose of attracting large capital investments in new facilities and operations by businesses engaged in specified industries and encouraging the development of Kansas-based supply chains. To help drive taxes down for all who do business in Kansas, an important provision of the bill would lower the corporate income tax by .5% per project with a cap of two. Finally, the bill has claw-back provisions in case the company relocates outside of the state in the 11th through 15th years following the year the manufacturer entered into the agreement with the state. The sunset of the program is on March 31, 2024, to ensure that the full legislature reviews the provisions of the APEX Act in just two years.SB 329 amends law in order to make the Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) savings program compliant with the federal Internal Revenue Code and mandatory federal regulations. The program allows individuals with a disability and their families to save private funds without violating federal means tested benefit requirements. SB 329 passed the Senate 40-0.SB 330 would place a permanent memorial honoring Kansas Gold Star families on the Statehouse grounds. “Gold Star families” are families who have lost a family member in the line of military duty. SB 330 passed the Senate 40-0.SB 358 would allow financing from the Public Water Supply Loan Fund (PWSLF) for public water supply projects that acquire water through a water transfer. SB 358 passed the Senate 40-0.HB 2005 amend provisions of law related to the Boiler Safety Act. The bill would increase the maximum nominal water capacity of an exempt hot water supply boiler to 120 gallons from the current maximum of 85 gallons. HB 2005 passed the Senate 40-0.SB 327 would exclude delivery charges that are separately stated on an invoice or similar document from the sales price for purposes of retail sales and compensating use tax. SB 327 passed the Senate 40-0.Sub for SB 300 would amend definitions in the Kansas Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization Act (Kansas RICO Act). The bill would add to the definition of “covered person” a person who has engaged in identity theft or identity fraud. This will be a useful tool for Unemployment fraud which we witnessed last year and continues to be an issue. Sub for SB 300 passed the Senate 40-0.SB 346 would allow for the on-farm retail sale of milk or milk products, regulate the labeling and advertising of such products, extend the sunset date for certain milk and dairy license fees. SB 346 passed the Senate 38-0-2.HB 2109 would amend the statute governing membership of the State Board of Indigents’ Defense Services (BIDS) to raise the population threshold from 100,000 to 115,000 for a county to automatically qualify for a lawyer member of BIDS. HB 2109 passed the Senate 35-5.Local Award-Winning Students from Senate District 36Congratulations to Olivia Richardson, Marysville, and Katelyn Binder, Beloit, as essay winners for the League of Kansas Municipalities “My City, My Home” essay contest. Olivia, Marysville Jr/Sr High School, was the Northeast region winner and Katelyn, Beloit Jr/Sr High School, was the North Central region winner.Congratulations to Dreyton Hughes, Phillipsburg High School, who was chosen the 11th Grade KDHE Bureau of Waste Management "Keep It Clean Kansas" Calendar Winner. If you would like a copy of the yearly KDHE Calendar – call Randi in our office and we will mail you a copy.As always, I’ll keep you updated on the activities of the Senate while we continue through the last few weeks before turn-around. I always encourage you to stay informed of the issues under consideration by the Kansas Legislature. Committee schedules, bills, and other helpful information can be easily accessed through the legislature’s website at <a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/">www.kslegislature.org</a>. You are also able to ‘listen in live’ at this website. Please do not hesitate to contact me with your thoughts, concerns, and suggestions. An email is the best at this point in the session.Thank you for the honor of serving you!Senator Elaine Bowers Kansas State Capitol Building Room 223-E 300 SW 10th St. <a href="mailto:elaine.bowers@senate.ks.gov" target="_blank">elaine.bowers@senate.ks.gov</a> 785-296-7389 <a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/">www.kslegislature.org</a> Elaine Bowers, R-Concordia, is senator of the 36th District in Kansas which includes:* Cloud, Jewell, Lincoln, Mitchell, Osborne, Ottawa, Republic, Rooks, Russell,&nbsp;Smith and Washington Counties * Marshall County: Cities: Blue Rapids, Marysville, Oketo and Waterville;&nbsp;Townships: Blue Rapids, Blue Rapids City, Cottage Hill, Elm Creek,&nbsp;Herkimer, Logan, Marysville, Oketo, Walnut and Waterville * Phillips County: Cities: Agra, Glade, Kirwin and Phillipsburg;&nbsp;Townships: Arcade, Bow Creek, Crystal Deer Creek, Freedom,&nbsp;Glenwood, Greenwood, Kirwin, Phillipsburg, Plum,&nbsp;Rushville, Solomon(part), Sumner,&nbsp;Valley and Walnut

BOWERS: 2022 Senate Scene, Weeks 4 and 5

MANHATTAN —Monday opens the next chapter in university leadership. at K-State. The university welcomes new President Richard and First Lady Sally Linton and family to Manhattan.

&nbsp;On December 2, The Kansas Board of Regents selected Richard Linton&nbsp; as the 15th president of K-State. Linton was the dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at North Carolina State University. "I am honored to take on the role of president of Kansas State University," Linton said. "The university is on an exciting trajectory, and its community has a contagious passion, culture and connectivity. I'm energized to help K-State forward and build on this positive momentum.” Linton is strongly connected to land-grant institutions, which is one of the reasons why he applied to become the president of K-State. He earned his bachelor's degree in biology, master's degree in food science and doctorate in food science from Virginia Tech. From 1994-2011, he was a food science faculty member, director — and founder — of the Center for Food Safety Engineering and associate director of agricultural research programs at Purdue University. He served as department chair of food science and technology at The Ohio State University from 2011-2012 before accepting his current position with NC State. During his 27-year career, Linton has published over 60 referred journal articles, 11 textbooks, and over 75 Extension publications. He has also presented over 250 invited talks at state, national, and international meetings and has received more than $15 million in research funding. &nbsp;Linton said he plans to spend his first few weeks on campus listening and learning. "I will be spending a lot of my early time getting to know all of you both on campus and off campus, and listening and learning about the Kansas State culture and your programmatic direction," Linton said. "I want to know your aspirations and your dreams for the future, and I want to help find pathways to get there. I can't wait to be your president, and go Cats!" Linton and his wife, Sally, are parents of two: Lily, a senior in high school, and Chris, a sophomore in high school.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/2/1644852343615.png" alt="Photo courtesy KSU" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy KSU</figcaption>
 </figure>MANHATTAN —Monday opens the next chapter in university leadership. at K-State. The university welcomes new President Richard and First Lady Sally Linton and family to Manhattan.&nbsp;On December 2, The Kansas Board of Regents selected Richard Linton&nbsp; as the 15th president of K-State. Linton was the dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at North Carolina State University. "I am honored to take on the role of president of Kansas State University," Linton said. "The university is on an exciting trajectory, and its community has a contagious passion, culture and connectivity. I'm energized to help K-State forward and build on this positive momentum.” Linton is strongly connected to land-grant institutions, which is one of the reasons why he applied to become the president of K-State. He earned his bachelor's degree in biology, master's degree in food science and doctorate in food science from Virginia Tech. From 1994-2011, he was a food science faculty member, director — and founder — of the Center for Food Safety Engineering and associate director of agricultural research programs at Purdue University. He served as department chair of food science and technology at The Ohio State University from 2011-2012 before accepting his current position with NC State. During his 27-year career, Linton has published over 60 referred journal articles, 11 textbooks, and over 75 Extension publications. He has also presented over 250 invited talks at state, national, and international meetings and has received more than $15 million in research funding. &nbsp;Linton said he plans to spend his first few weeks on campus listening and learning. "I will be spending a lot of my early time getting to know all of you both on campus and off campus, and listening and learning about the Kansas State culture and your programmatic direction," Linton said. "I want to know your aspirations and your dreams for the future, and I want to help find pathways to get there. I can't wait to be your president, and go Cats!" Linton and his wife, Sally, are parents of two: Lily, a senior in high school, and Chris, a sophomore in high school.

K-State opens the next chapter in university leadership

JOHNSON COUNTY&nbsp; — Authorities investigating the cause of a fatal Kansas house fire say the victim was an infant boy,&nbsp;according to Deputy Fire Chief Corey Sands.

Just before 1a.m. Sunday, fire crews responded to the fire in a home at 10502 west 69th Terrace in Shawnee. The home was fully engulfed in flames when fire crews arrived.

Crews located the boy inside the home who was pronounced dead at the scene. Sands said three or four people lived at the home. Investigators were on the scene most of Sunday working to determine what caused the fire, according to Sands.&nbsp; Name of the victim has not been released.

JOHNSON COUNTY&nbsp; — Authorities investigating the cause of a fatal Kansas house fire say the victim was an infant boy,&nbsp;according to Deputy Fire Chief Corey Sands.Just before 1a.m. Sunday, fire crews responded to the fire in a home at 10502 west 69th Terrace in Shawnee. The home was fully engulfed in flames when fire crews arrived.Crews located the boy inside the home who was pronounced dead at the scene. Sands said three or four people lived at the home. Investigators were on the scene most of Sunday working to determine what caused the fire, according to Sands.&nbsp; Name of the victim has not been released.

Deputy Fire Chief: Baby boy dies in Kansas house fire

WASHINGTON — To help taxpayers and tax professionals, the Internal Revenue Service today announced <a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/help-for-taxpayers-and-tax-professionals-special-filing-season-alerts">a special new page</a>
 on IRS.gov to provide the latest details and information affecting the 
2022 filing season and ongoing efforts by the agency to address the 
inventory of previously filed tax returns.

During this tax season, taxpayers face a number of issues due to 
critical tax law changes that took place in 2021 and ongoing challenges 
related to the pandemic. To raise awareness about these issues and 
provide people with the latest timely information, the IRS has created a
 special tax season web page. This page will provide people with a quick
 overview of information to help people filing tax returns as well as 
those who have previous year tax returns awaiting processing by the IRS.

"The IRS is taking numerous steps to keep this tax season going 
smoothly while also taking additional action to address the inventory of
 tax returns filed last year," said IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig. 
"We're off to a good start processing tax returns and issuing refunds. 
But we want people to have an easy way to see the latest information. 
This new page provides a one-stop shop for the latest key information 
people and the tax community may need."

The <a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/help-for-taxpayers-and-tax-professionals-special-filing-season-alerts">"special tax season alerts" page</a> will be available through the IRS.gov home page and shared through social media and other channels.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/9/1599869632873.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>IRSWASHINGTON — To help taxpayers and tax professionals, the Internal Revenue Service today announced <a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/help-for-taxpayers-and-tax-professionals-special-filing-season-alerts">a special new page</a>
 on IRS.gov to provide the latest details and information affecting the 
2022 filing season and ongoing efforts by the agency to address the 
inventory of previously filed tax returns.During this tax season, taxpayers face a number of issues due to 
critical tax law changes that took place in 2021 and ongoing challenges 
related to the pandemic. To raise awareness about these issues and 
provide people with the latest timely information, the IRS has created a
 special tax season web page. This page will provide people with a quick
 overview of information to help people filing tax returns as well as 
those who have previous year tax returns awaiting processing by the IRS."The IRS is taking numerous steps to keep this tax season going 
smoothly while also taking additional action to address the inventory of
 tax returns filed last year," said IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig. 
"We're off to a good start processing tax returns and issuing refunds. 
But we want people to have an easy way to see the latest information. 
This new page provides a one-stop shop for the latest key information 
people and the tax community may need."The <a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/help-for-taxpayers-and-tax-professionals-special-filing-season-alerts">"special tax season alerts" page</a> will be available through the IRS.gov home page and shared through social media and other channels.The page will include the latest filing season updates. The IRS began
 tax season on January 24, and in less than two weeks more than 4 
million tax refunds have <a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/filing-season-statistics-by-year">gone out</a> worth nearly $10 billon. Millions more will go out in the weeks ahead as the IRS enters an important period of the tax season.The page also includes links to important information related to 
ongoing efforts by the IRS to address the inventory of unprocessed tax 
returns filed before this year. This includes steps to <a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-continues-work-to-help-taxpayers-suspends-mailing-of-additional-letters">stop more than a dozen common letters</a> to taxpayers, and updates on IRS operations and the number of unprocessed tax returns."The combination of the pandemic, new tax laws and numerous other 
factors led to an unprecedented amount of unprocessed tax returns and 
correspondence remaining in the IRS inventory during 2021," Rettig said.
 "We must continue pursuing innovative strategies while supporting the 
hard work and dedication of our employees to fulfill our commitment to 
return inventories to a healthy level before entering the 2023 filing 
season. These steps are making a difference. Refunds for tax returns and
 amended tax returns in the inventory continue to flow out to 
taxpayers."The IRS continues to urge taxpayers to carefully review their tax 
filings for accuracy and file electronically with direct deposit to 
speed refunds. Special tips are available in several places on IRS.gov, 
including <a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/top-5-things-to-remember-when-filing-income-tax-returns-in-2022">these top 5 tips</a>; <a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-begins-2022-tax-season-urges-extra-caution-for-taxpayers-to-file-accurate-tax-returns-electronically-to-speed-refunds-avoid-delays">basics on the 2022 tax season</a> and IRS <a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/tax-time-guide">Tax Time Guide</a>.