NEW YORK (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/andrew-cuomo-sexual-harassment-pandemic-c435b9afd5d95032f941c2da48b9bb01">Gov. Andrew Cuomo</a>&nbsp;announced his resignation Tuesday over a barrage of sexual harassment allegations in a fall from grace a year after he was widely hailed nationally for his detailed daily briefings and leadership during some of the darkest days of the COVID-19 pandemic.

<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/21033681-cuomo-sexual-harassment-report">CLICK here </a>to read the full sexual harassment report from the NY Attorney General

In a televised address, the 63-year-old Democrat emphatically denied intentionally showing any disrespect toward women but said that fighting back against what he called the “politically motivated” attack on him would subject the state to months of turmoil, and “I cannot be the cause of that.”

“The best way I can help now is if I step aside and let government get back to governing,” Cuomo said.

The three-term Democratic governor’s decision, which will take effect in two weeks, was announced as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/cuomo-harassment-investigation-impeachment-26edc9cf16cd378cc3573ed85613e797">momentum built in the Legislature to remove him by impeachment</a>. It came after New York’s attorney general released the results of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/andrew-cuomo-investigation-sexual-harassment-04b0e7ba80db368124a5e9c9bcf4dc0d">an investigation that found Cuomo sexually harassed at least 11 women</a>.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/cuomo-harassment-investigation-impeachment-26edc9cf16cd378cc3573ed85613e797">Investigators said he subjected women</a>&nbsp;to unwanted kisses; groped their breasts or buttocks or otherwise touched them inappropriately; made insinuating remarks about their looks and their sex lives; and created a work environment “rife with fear and intimidation.”

Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul, a 62-year-old Democrat and former member of Congress from the Buffalo area,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kathy-hochul-lieutenant-governor-new-york-andrew-cuomo-5984949e6c5c59063598409eec10ba5a">will become the state’s 57th governor</a>&nbsp;and the first woman to hold the post.

“I agree with Governor Cuomo’s decision to step down. It is the right thing to do and in the best interest of New Yorkers,” Hochul tweeted.

Cuomo was seen leaving his Manhattan office in a car shortly after he announced his resignation before departing in a helicopter without stopping to speak to reporters.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/cuomo-sexual-harassment-what-to-know-2628bf06d048720cc265fa66771a5976">The #MeToo-era scandal</a>&nbsp;cut short not just a career but a dynasty: Cuomo’s father, Mario Cuomo, was governor in the 1980s and ’90s, and the younger Cuomo was often mentioned as a potential candidate for president, an office his father famously contemplated seeking. Even as the scandal mushroomed, Cuomo was planning to run for reelection in 2022.

Cuomo still&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/andrew-cuomo-albany-8cb6fd33c7a88034e0274fd112f7ffce">faces the possibility of criminal charges</a>, with a number of prosecutors around the state moving to investigate him.

The string of accusations that spelled the governor’s downfall began to unfold in news reports last December and went on for months.

Cuomo called some of the allegations fabricated, forcefully denying he touched anyone inappropriately. But he acknowledged making some aides uncomfortable with comments he said he intended as playful, and he apologized for some of his behavior.

He portrayed some of the encounters as misunderstandings attributable to “generational or cultural” differences, a reference in part to his upbringing in an affectionate Italian American family.

As a defiant Cuomo clung to office, state lawmakers launched an impeachment investigation, and nearly the entire Democratic establishment in New York deserted him — not only over the accusations, but also because of the discovery that his administration had concealed thousands of COVID-19 deaths among nursing home patients.

The harassment investigation ordered up by the attorney general and conducted by two outside lawyers corroborated the women’s accounts and added lurid new ones. The release of the report left the governor more isolated than ever, with some of his most loyal supporters abandoning him and President Joe Biden joining those calling on him to resign.

His accusers included an aide who said Cuomo groped her breast at the governor’s mansion. Investigators also said the governor’s staff retaliated against one of his accusers by leaking confidential personnel files about her.

As governor, Cuomo touted himself as an example of a “progressive Democrat” who gets things done: Since taking office in 2011, he helped push through legislation that legalized gay marriage, began lifting the minimum wage to $15 and expanded paid family leave benefits. He also backed big infrastructure projects, including airport overhauls and construction of a new bridge over the Hudson River that he named after his father.

At the same time the behavior that got him into trouble was going on, he was publicly championing the #MeToo movement and surrounding himself with women’s rights activists, signing into law sweeping new protections against sexual harassment and lengthening the statute of limitations in rape cases.

His national popularity soared during the harrowing spring of 2020, when New York became the epicenter of the nation’s coronavirus outbreak.

His tough-minded but empathetic response made for riveting television well beyond New York, and his stern warnings to people to stay home and wear masks stood in sharp contrast to President Donald Trump’s brush-off of the virus. His briefings won an international Emmy Award, and he went on to write a book on leadership in a crisis.

But even those accomplishments were soon tainted when it was learned that the state’s official count of nursing home deaths had excluded many patients who had been transferred to hospitals before they succumbed. A Cuomo aide acknowledged the administration feared the true numbers would be “used against us” by the Trump White House.

Also, Cuomo’s administration was fiercely criticized for forcing nursing homes to accept patients recovering from the virus.

The U.S. Justice Department is investigating the state’s handling of data on nursing home deaths. In addition, the state attorney general is looking into whether Cuomo broke the law in using members of his staff to help write and promote his book, from which he stood to make more than $5 million.

The governor had also increasingly come under fire over his rough and sometimes vindictive treatment of fellow politicians and his own staff, with former aides telling stories of a brutal work environment.

Cuomo has been divorced since 2005 from the author and activist Kerry Kennedy, a member of the Kennedy family, and was romantically involved up until 2019 with TV lifestyle personality Sandra Lee. He has three adult daughters.

During his resignation speech, he directly addressed his daughters, saying: “I want them to know, from the bottom of my heart: I never did, and I never would, intentionally disrespect a woman or treat a woman differently than I would want them treated. Your dad made mistakes. And he apologized. And he learned from it. And that’s what life is all about.”

He gained political experience early on as his father’s hard-nosed and often ruthless campaign manager, and went on to become New York attorney general and U.S. housing secretary under President Bill Clinton before getting elected governor in 2010.

New York has seen a string of high-level political figures brought down in disgrace in recent years.

Gov. Eliot Spitzer resigned in 2008 in a prostitution scandal. Rep. Anthony Weiner went to prison for sexting with a 15-year-old girl. Attorney General Eric Schneiderman stepped down in 2018 after four women accused him of abuse. And the top two leaders in the Legislature were convicted of corruption.

NEW YORK (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/andrew-cuomo-sexual-harassment-pandemic-c435b9afd5d95032f941c2da48b9bb01">Gov. Andrew Cuomo</a>&nbsp;announced his resignation Tuesday over a barrage of sexual harassment allegations in a fall from grace a year after he was widely hailed nationally for his detailed daily briefings and leadership during some of the darkest days of the COVID-19 pandemic.<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=314&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FGovernorAndrewCuomo%2Fvideos%2F540033083711656%2F&show_text=false&width=560&t=0" width="560" height="314" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowFullScreen="true"></iframe></div><a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/21033681-cuomo-sexual-harassment-report">CLICK here </a>to read the full sexual harassment report from the NY Attorney GeneralIn a televised address, the 63-year-old Democrat emphatically denied intentionally showing any disrespect toward women but said that fighting back against what he called the “politically motivated” attack on him would subject the state to months of turmoil, and “I cannot be the cause of that.”“The best way I can help now is if I step aside and let government get back to governing,” Cuomo said.The three-term Democratic governor’s decision, which will take effect in two weeks, was announced as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/cuomo-harassment-investigation-impeachment-26edc9cf16cd378cc3573ed85613e797">momentum built in the Legislature to remove him by impeachment</a>. It came after New York’s attorney general released the results of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/andrew-cuomo-investigation-sexual-harassment-04b0e7ba80db368124a5e9c9bcf4dc0d">an investigation that found Cuomo sexually harassed at least 11 women</a>.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/cuomo-harassment-investigation-impeachment-26edc9cf16cd378cc3573ed85613e797">Investigators said he subjected women</a>&nbsp;to unwanted kisses; groped their breasts or buttocks or otherwise touched them inappropriately; made insinuating remarks about their looks and their sex lives; and created a work environment “rife with fear and intimidation.”Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul, a 62-year-old Democrat and former member of Congress from the Buffalo area,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kathy-hochul-lieutenant-governor-new-york-andrew-cuomo-5984949e6c5c59063598409eec10ba5a">will become the state’s 57th governor</a>&nbsp;and the first woman to hold the post.“I agree with Governor Cuomo’s decision to step down. It is the right thing to do and in the best interest of New Yorkers,” Hochul tweeted.Cuomo was seen leaving his Manhattan office in a car shortly after he announced his resignation before departing in a helicopter without stopping to speak to reporters.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/cuomo-sexual-harassment-what-to-know-2628bf06d048720cc265fa66771a5976">The #MeToo-era scandal</a>&nbsp;cut short not just a career but a dynasty: Cuomo’s father, Mario Cuomo, was governor in the 1980s and ’90s, and the younger Cuomo was often mentioned as a potential candidate for president, an office his father famously contemplated seeking. Even as the scandal mushroomed, Cuomo was planning to run for reelection in 2022.Cuomo still&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/andrew-cuomo-albany-8cb6fd33c7a88034e0274fd112f7ffce">faces the possibility of criminal charges</a>, with a number of prosecutors around the state moving to investigate him.The string of accusations that spelled the governor’s downfall began to unfold in news reports last December and went on for months.Cuomo called some of the allegations fabricated, forcefully denying he touched anyone inappropriately. But he acknowledged making some aides uncomfortable with comments he said he intended as playful, and he apologized for some of his behavior.He portrayed some of the encounters as misunderstandings attributable to “generational or cultural” differences, a reference in part to his upbringing in an affectionate Italian American family.As a defiant Cuomo clung to office, state lawmakers launched an impeachment investigation, and nearly the entire Democratic establishment in New York deserted him — not only over the accusations, but also because of the discovery that his administration had concealed thousands of COVID-19 deaths among nursing home patients.The harassment investigation ordered up by the attorney general and conducted by two outside lawyers corroborated the women’s accounts and added lurid new ones. The release of the report left the governor more isolated than ever, with some of his most loyal supporters abandoning him and President Joe Biden joining those calling on him to resign.His accusers included an aide who said Cuomo groped her breast at the governor’s mansion. Investigators also said the governor’s staff retaliated against one of his accusers by leaking confidential personnel files about her.As governor, Cuomo touted himself as an example of a “progressive Democrat” who gets things done: Since taking office in 2011, he helped push through legislation that legalized gay marriage, began lifting the minimum wage to $15 and expanded paid family leave benefits. He also backed big infrastructure projects, including airport overhauls and construction of a new bridge over the Hudson River that he named after his father.At the same time the behavior that got him into trouble was going on, he was publicly championing the #MeToo movement and surrounding himself with women’s rights activists, signing into law sweeping new protections against sexual harassment and lengthening the statute of limitations in rape cases.His national popularity soared during the harrowing spring of 2020, when New York became the epicenter of the nation’s coronavirus outbreak.His tough-minded but empathetic response made for riveting television well beyond New York, and his stern warnings to people to stay home and wear masks stood in sharp contrast to President Donald Trump’s brush-off of the virus. His briefings won an international Emmy Award, and he went on to write a book on leadership in a crisis.But even those accomplishments were soon tainted when it was learned that the state’s official count of nursing home deaths had excluded many patients who had been transferred to hospitals before they succumbed. A Cuomo aide acknowledged the administration feared the true numbers would be “used against us” by the Trump White House.Also, Cuomo’s administration was fiercely criticized for forcing nursing homes to accept patients recovering from the virus.The U.S. Justice Department is investigating the state’s handling of data on nursing home deaths. In addition, the state attorney general is looking into whether Cuomo broke the law in using members of his staff to help write and promote his book, from which he stood to make more than $5 million.The governor had also increasingly come under fire over his rough and sometimes vindictive treatment of fellow politicians and his own staff, with former aides telling stories of a brutal work environment.Cuomo has been divorced since 2005 from the author and activist Kerry Kennedy, a member of the Kennedy family, and was romantically involved up until 2019 with TV lifestyle personality Sandra Lee. He has three adult daughters.During his resignation speech, he directly addressed his daughters, saying: “I want them to know, from the bottom of my heart: I never did, and I never would, intentionally disrespect a woman or treat a woman differently than I would want them treated. Your dad made mistakes. And he apologized. And he learned from it. And that’s what life is all about.”He gained political experience early on as his father’s hard-nosed and often ruthless campaign manager, and went on to become New York attorney general and U.S. housing secretary under President Bill Clinton before getting elected governor in 2010.New York has seen a string of high-level political figures brought down in disgrace in recent years.Gov. Eliot Spitzer resigned in 2008 in a prostitution scandal. Rep. Anthony Weiner went to prison for sexting with a 15-year-old girl. Attorney General Eric Schneiderman stepped down in 2018 after four women accused him of abuse. And the top two leaders in the Legislature were convicted of corruption.

🎥  New York Gov. Cuomo resigns, maintains innocence

HUTCHINSON — Anyone wanting to see last night's video recording
 of the Hutchinson USD 308 Board meeting found nothing on the district's
 Facebook Page. Marissa Meis with USD 308 says it appears that the 
meeting was censored by Facebook due to the large amount of discussion 
surrounding COVID and the district's mask policy:

“It has come to 
our attention that the Facebook Live recording of the Board of Education
 meeting Monday, August 9th 2021, was removed,”&nbsp; Meis said. “This was 
not done by USD 308 staff and appears to be a censorship issue.”

Mies
 says the video was taken down without the district's knowledge and 
could be tied to the spirited discussion regarding the district COVID 
policy.

“Due to the nature of the discussion from last night it 
appears that the video was taken down without our knowledge,” Meis said.
 “There is precedent of social media platforms removing content that 
mentions COVID-19 and vaccinations and other issues, and that is what we
 believe to have happened.”

Meis says they are making changes to 
make sure such incidents don’t happen again and if they do the district 
will have a video back up.&nbsp;

“We are working with Facebook and Zoom
 and their help centers and IT centers to get to the bottom of what 
actually happened," Meis said.

The district is the only one in the
 area where masks are required in all buildings and vehicles. The policy
 discussion drew a large crowd of patrons at Monday’s meeting voicing 
their objections to the policy.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/12/1575668793667.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>HUTCHINSON — Anyone wanting to see last night's video recording
 of the Hutchinson USD 308 Board meeting found nothing on the district's
 Facebook Page. Marissa Meis with USD 308 says it appears that the 
meeting was censored by Facebook due to the large amount of discussion 
surrounding COVID and the district's mask policy:“It has come to 
our attention that the Facebook Live recording of the Board of Education
 meeting Monday, August 9th 2021, was removed,”&nbsp; Meis said. “This was 
not done by USD 308 staff and appears to be a censorship issue.”Mies
 says the video was taken down without the district's knowledge and 
could be tied to the spirited discussion regarding the district COVID 
policy.“Due to the nature of the discussion from last night it 
appears that the video was taken down without our knowledge,” Meis said.
 “There is precedent of social media platforms removing content that 
mentions COVID-19 and vaccinations and other issues, and that is what we
 believe to have happened.”Meis says they are making changes to 
make sure such incidents don’t happen again and if they do the district 
will have a video back up.&nbsp;“We are working with Facebook and Zoom
 and their help centers and IT centers to get to the bottom of what 
actually happened," Meis said.The district is the only one in the
 area where masks are required in all buildings and vehicles. The policy
 discussion drew a large crowd of patrons at Monday’s meeting voicing 
their objections to the policy.

Hutch schools: Facebook removed board meeting video due to COVID talk

LEAVENWORTH, Kan. (AP) — A 31-year-old Kansas City man has pleaded guilty in a crash in Kansas that killed an Illinois man. Leavenworth County Attorney Todd Thompson said 

Anthony Dorsey pleaded guilty Monday to second-degree murder in the death of 19-year-old Nathan Pena, of Brookfield, Illinois.

The Kansas Highway Patrol says the crash occurred on Interstate 70 in Leavenworth County in September 2019 when Dorsey was fleeing troopers over an alleged vehicle registration violation. 

The patrol says Pena was driving another vehicle and both men swerved to avoid a collision but their vehicles crashed. Dorsey faces up to 49 years in prison when he is sentenced Sept. 17.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/8/1628539161423.png" alt="Traffic backed up due to the Sept. 2019 fatal crash-photo courtesy Kansas City Scout" />
 <figcaption>Traffic backed up due to the Sept. 2019 fatal crash-photo courtesy Kansas City Scout</figcaption>
 </figure>LEAVENWORTH, Kan. (AP) — A 31-year-old Kansas City man has pleaded guilty in a crash in Kansas that killed an Illinois man. Leavenworth County Attorney Todd Thompson said Anthony Dorsey pleaded guilty Monday to second-degree murder in the death of 19-year-old Nathan Pena, of Brookfield, Illinois.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/8/1628539326591.png" alt="Dorsey photo Leavenworth Co." />
 <figcaption>Dorsey photo Leavenworth Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>The Kansas Highway Patrol says the crash occurred on Interstate 70 in Leavenworth County in September 2019 when Dorsey was fleeing troopers over an alleged vehicle registration violation. The patrol says Pena was driving another vehicle and both men swerved to avoid a collision but their vehicles crashed. Dorsey faces up to 49 years in prison when he is sentenced Sept. 17.

Guilty plea in Kan. police pursuit crash that killed man

WASHINGTON (AP) — With a robust vote after weeks of fits and starts, the Senate has approved the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure plan. 

A rare coalition of Democrats and Republicans joined together Tuesday to deliver a cornerstone of President Joe Biden’s agenda. The final vote count 69 to 30. Kansas Senators Jerry Moran and Roger Marshall voted against the measure. Missouri Senator Roy Blunt voted with the majority.

Passage provides momentum as it's now headed to the House. 

The package would provide almost $550 billion in new spending over five years for roads, bridges, broadband internet, water pipes and other public works systems. 

Senate Democratic Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said it will “do a lot of good for America.” The Senate turns next to Biden’s bigger package, a $3.5 trillion plan with debate likely to extend into the fall.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/7/1626283910947.png" alt="The bill survived the Senate and now moves to the House of Representative-photo courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>The bill survived the Senate and now moves to the House of Representative-photo courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — With a robust vote after weeks of fits and starts, the Senate has approved the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure plan. A rare coalition of Democrats and Republicans joined together Tuesday to deliver a cornerstone of President Joe Biden’s agenda. The final vote count 69 to 30. Kansas Senators Jerry Moran and Roger Marshall voted against the measure. Missouri Senator Roy Blunt voted with the majority.Passage provides momentum as it's now headed to the House. The package would provide almost $550 billion in new spending over five years for roads, bridges, broadband internet, water pipes and other public works systems. Senate Democratic Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said it will “do a lot of good for America.” The Senate turns next to Biden’s bigger package, a $3.5 trillion plan with debate likely to extend into the fall.

Moran votes no; $1T infrastructure bill passes the Senate

BARTON COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities investigating four suspects following a theft at a convenience store in Great Bend.

Just after 3:30p.m. Aug. 5, police responded to the Finer Mobile Homes Trailer Park, 5501 9th Street, Lot #105 in Great Bend in reference to the execution of a Felony Theft and Narcotics Search Warrant, according to a media release.

The police department had been investigating a felony theft that was reported to have occurred on Aug. 1, 2021 at a local Kwik Shop in Great Bend. 

During further investigation, the suspect of the theft identified as Garry Smith III, 33, and tracked back to the residence at the trailer park.

Police arrested Smith; 34-year-old Amanda Kramer, 43-year-old Shirley Burrow and a juvenile male runaway. Three minor children were also located inside of the residence. 

During a search of the residence, items from the felony theft were located and seized, as well as illegal drugs and items of drug paraphernalia. 

Smith, Kramer and Burrow were arrested on requested charges of felony theft, possession of marijuana, possession of methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia, no drug tax stamp, interference with law enforcement, contribute to a child's misconduct and aggravated endangering of a child.

&nbsp;The juvenile male was arrested on a requested charge of interference with law enforcement and transported to Barton County Detention Center. The three minor children located inside of the residence were documented as Child In Need of Care and later released to family members. 

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/8/1628601909498.png" alt="Garry Smith III-photo Barton County" />
 <figcaption>Garry Smith III-photo Barton County</figcaption>
 </figure>BARTON COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities investigating four suspects following a theft at a convenience store in Great Bend.Just after 3:30p.m. Aug. 5, police responded to the Finer Mobile Homes Trailer Park, 5501 9th Street, Lot #105 in Great Bend in reference to the execution of a Felony Theft and Narcotics Search Warrant, according to a media release.The police department had been investigating a felony theft that was reported to have occurred on Aug. 1, 2021 at a local Kwik Shop in Great Bend. During further investigation, the suspect of the theft identified as Garry Smith III, 33, and tracked back to the residence at the trailer park.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/8/1628601932930.png" alt="Amanda Kramer-photo Barton Co." />
 <figcaption>Amanda Kramer-photo Barton Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>Police arrested Smith; 34-year-old Amanda Kramer, 43-year-old Shirley Burrow and a juvenile male runaway. Three minor children were also located inside of the residence. During a search of the residence, items from the felony theft were located and seized, as well as illegal drugs and items of drug paraphernalia. Smith, Kramer and Burrow were arrested on requested charges of felony theft, possession of marijuana, possession of methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia, no drug tax stamp, interference with law enforcement, contribute to a child's misconduct and aggravated endangering of a child.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/8/1628601951602.png" alt="Shirley Burrow photo Barton Co." />
 <figcaption>Shirley Burrow photo Barton Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>&nbsp;The juvenile male was arrested on a requested charge of interference with law enforcement and transported to Barton County Detention Center. The three minor children located inside of the residence were documented as Child In Need of Care and later released to family members.

Police: 3 adults, juvenile jailed after Kan. theft investigation 

FEMA, partnering with the Federal Communication Commission, will conduct a national test of the Emergency Alert System and Wireless Emergency Alert with radio, TV, cable stations, and wireless carriers at 1:20p.m. CDT Wednesday, according to a media release from the agency.

 The EAS test is expected to last around one minute and will confirm the ability of the system to deliver a national EAS message.

FEMA, partnering with the Federal Communication Commission, will conduct a national test of the Emergency Alert System and Wireless Emergency Alert with radio, TV, cable stations, and wireless carriers at 1:20p.m. CDT Wednesday, according to a media release from the agency.<div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fu2H4MM832w" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></div> The EAS test is expected to last around one minute and will confirm the ability of the system to deliver a national EAS message.

FEMA: Emergency Alert System test Wednesday afternoon

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas House member said Monday that someone has pretended to campaign for him door-to-door in his Kansas City district, prompting him to file a police report.

Democratic state Rep. Aaron Coleman said he believes the “imposter” wants to force his way into homes or burglarize them later. Coleman said he saw comments Saturday about the man on a private Facebook group for local residents and said people have told him of incidents over the past two weeks. Coleman said the man even has had stolen campaign literature.

Coleman has been campaigning door to door, including Saturday, and said he would be nearby on any street supporters visit. Coleman also said he and his team wear blue campaign shirts, while the alleged impersonator did not.

Coleman provided copies of two home-security system photos of the man and a third showing the man on a scooter. Coleman also provided screenshots of Facebook posts about the man and&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/Aaron4KS37/status/1424183981159890944" target="_blank">tweeted about him.</a>

“This poses an extreme danger to members of the public,” Coleman said Monday.

The 20-year-old freshman lawmaker himself faced scrutiny over allegations of abusive behavior before taking office and received&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/race-and-ethnicity-legislature-kansas-city-kansas-topeka-768126190ab7c98965245d7808a2bf58">a written warning</a>&nbsp;in February from a House committee.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/8/1628538283006.png" alt="Photo courtesy State Rep. Aaron Coleman" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy State Rep. Aaron Coleman</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas House member said Monday that someone has pretended to campaign for him door-to-door in his Kansas City district, prompting him to file a police report.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">If you see this individual please call 911 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ksleg?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ksleg</a> <a href="https://t.co/o2jvJ0ftTw">https://t.co/o2jvJ0ftTw</a> <a href="https://t.co/XEQpz821eA">pic.twitter.com/XEQpz821eA</a>&mdash; Rep. Aaron Coleman 🌹✡️ (@Aaron4KS37) <a href="https://twitter.com/Aaron4KS37/status/1424184511210926080?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 8, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Democratic state Rep. Aaron Coleman said he believes the “imposter” wants to force his way into homes or burglarize them later. Coleman said he saw comments Saturday about the man on a private Facebook group for local residents and said people have told him of incidents over the past two weeks. Coleman said the man even has had stolen campaign literature.Coleman has been campaigning door to door, including Saturday, and said he would be nearby on any street supporters visit. Coleman also said he and his team wear blue campaign shirts, while the alleged impersonator did not.Coleman provided copies of two home-security system photos of the man and a third showing the man on a scooter. Coleman also provided screenshots of Facebook posts about the man and&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/Aaron4KS37/status/1424183981159890944" target="_blank">tweeted about him.</a>“This poses an extreme danger to members of the public,” Coleman said Monday.The 20-year-old freshman lawmaker himself faced scrutiny over allegations of abusive behavior before taking office and received&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/race-and-ethnicity-legislature-kansas-city-kansas-topeka-768126190ab7c98965245d7808a2bf58">a written warning</a>&nbsp;in February from a House committee.

Kan. lawmaker: Man pretending to be on team visiting homes

By KEN CARPENTER <a href="https://greatbendpost.com">Great Bend Post</a>

GREAT BEND — The Great 
Bend&nbsp;School Board&nbsp;decided Monday night that students, teachers and staff
 will not be required to wear masks&nbsp;when school resumes later this 
month.&nbsp;That is the&nbsp;same&nbsp;policy that was in place&nbsp;at the end of the 
school year last May.&nbsp;

School Board President Jacquie Disque summarized&nbsp;the&nbsp;COVID policies before&nbsp;the board voted to approve&nbsp;them.&nbsp;

“Masks
 will be recommended but not required with weekly reassessments done and
 communicated with parents&nbsp;and the public, more often if needed,” Disque
 said. “Quarantine will follow the&nbsp;ten-day&nbsp;calendar days&nbsp;for 
unvaccinated or vaccinated with symptoms. All of the things from last 
year, the social distancing, the handwashing, everything we had in place
 last year for those measures will continue. And then,&nbsp;with 
transportation on all vehicles, any school district vehicles with 
greater than one person in it, everyone must&nbsp;be masked.”&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

The federal government requires that everyone on a school bus or school vehicle must wear a mask.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Students,
 teachers and staff who are vaccinated will not be required to 
quarantine unless they show symptoms of a COVID infection.&nbsp;&nbsp;

There
 will be one major difference in&nbsp;USD 428&nbsp;operations from last year. No 
remote learning will be offered to students even if they are 
quarantined.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

The board voted unanimously to approve the policies.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/8/1628601422463.jpeg" alt="The USD 428 Board on Monday night discussed COVID policies for the upcoming school year" />
 <figcaption>The USD 428 Board on Monday night discussed COVID policies for the upcoming school year</figcaption>
 </figure>By KEN CARPENTER <a href="https://greatbendpost.com">Great Bend Post</a>GREAT BEND — The Great 
Bend&nbsp;School Board&nbsp;decided Monday night that students, teachers and staff
 will not be required to wear masks&nbsp;when school resumes later this 
month.&nbsp;That is the&nbsp;same&nbsp;policy that was in place&nbsp;at the end of the 
school year last May.&nbsp;School Board President Jacquie Disque summarized&nbsp;the&nbsp;COVID policies before&nbsp;the board voted to approve&nbsp;them.&nbsp;“Masks
 will be recommended but not required with weekly reassessments done and
 communicated with parents&nbsp;and the public, more often if needed,” Disque
 said. “Quarantine will follow the&nbsp;ten-day&nbsp;calendar days&nbsp;for 
unvaccinated or vaccinated with symptoms. All of the things from last 
year, the social distancing, the handwashing, everything we had in place
 last year for those measures will continue. And then,&nbsp;with 
transportation on all vehicles, any school district vehicles with 
greater than one person in it, everyone must&nbsp;be masked.”&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The federal government requires that everyone on a school bus or school vehicle must wear a mask.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Students,
 teachers and staff who are vaccinated will not be required to 
quarantine unless they show symptoms of a COVID infection.&nbsp;&nbsp;There
 will be one major difference in&nbsp;USD 428&nbsp;operations from last year. No 
remote learning will be offered to students even if they are 
quarantined.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The board voted unanimously to approve the policies.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

Great Bend schools will not require mask as new school year begins

With continued uncertainty, universities could 
face their biggest financial crisis

By SUZANNE PEREZ <a href="https://www.kmuw.org/education/2021-08-09/covid-19-challenged-the-business-model-at-kansas-universities-and-revealed-a-tectonic-shift">Kansas News Service</a>

WICHITA&nbsp;— The college business model — one that 
depends on students living on campus and attending classes in person — 
was broken even before the pandemic.

COVID-19 just <a href="https://hechingerreport.org/how-higher-educations-own-choices-left-it-vulnerable-to-the-pandemic-crisis/" target="_blank">made things more obvious</a>.

Classes moved online. Campus buildings and dormitories sat empty. Students flocked home.

Enrollment at Kansas colleges and universities fell by 8.1% last fall — <a href="https://www.studentclearinghouse.org/blog/spring-undergraduate-enrollment-down-5-9-steepest-decline-so-far-since-the-pandemic/" target="_blank">more than the national average</a>.
 With continued uncertainty over COVID-19 and the highly contagious 
delta variant, universities could face the biggest money crisis in their
 history.

“The pandemic ... converged with longer-term challenges 
facing enrollment,” said Blake Flanders, president and CEO of the Kansas
 Board of Regents.

Those problems include a steady decline in the 
college-going rate of Kansas high school graduates, as well as struggles
 recruiting international students who’ve proven so lucrative to public 
universities. Meanwhile, schools can’t keep many of the students they’ve
 already enrolled.

But it’s more than that, says Guy Smith, executive editor of the <a href="https://syned.org/reportout-library?utm_source=prnewswire&amp;utm_medium=pressrelease&amp;utm_campaign=report%20out" target="_blank">ReportOUT</a> education journal.

“Faith in the value of higher education is suffering the greatest decline in recent history,” he said.

As
 high school students and their families consider the options — public 
and private universities, trade schools, certificate programs and a 
growing array of online options — they’re weighing the return on 
investment, Smith said.

Since the 1980s, the cost of a four-year degree has risen nearly <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/camilomaldonado/2018/07/24/price-of-college-increasing-almost-8-times-faster-than-wages/" target="_blank">eight times faster than wages</a>. Student loan debt in the United States <a href="https://educationdata.org/student-loan-debt-statistics" target="_blank">totals more than $1.7 trillion</a> and is growing six times faster than the nation’s economy.

And <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2020/02/18/41-recent-grads-work-jobs-not-requiring-degree" target="_blank">according to new data</a>, more than a third of college graduates hold jobs that don’t require a college degree.

“If
 the point of going to college is to have a four-year experience living 
with others away from home and studying liberal arts and studying your 
passion — great,” Smith said. “If the point of college is to find a 
career and eventual employment, colleges are woefully inadequate.”

University
 enrollment is down, and so are revenues from tuition and fees. Colleges
 also lose money when kids aren’t living in dorms, eating in dining 
halls or shopping in the bookstore.

Nationwide, more than 60 colleges have closed or merged in the past decade, and <a href="https://www.highereddive.com/news/are-more-college-closures-ahead/597746/" target="_blank">experts expect that decline to continue</a>, particularly as the impact of federal stimulus funds fades.

Joshua Kim, director of online programs at Dartmouth University’s <a href="https://dcal.dartmouth.edu/" target="_blank">Center for the Advancement of Learning</a>, said the pandemic launched colleges online and put their technology plans on fast-forward.

And <a href="https://dcal.dartmouth.edu/news/2021/07/what-weve-learned-what-well-keep" target="_blank">many saw benefits</a>
 — not only in the move to more flexible online teaching, but things 
like telehealth and telecounseling. Universities that once required 
students to meet with advisors in person, for example, embraced the 
convenience of Zoom calls or doing business via email.

“I don’t 
think, coming out of COVID, that we will ever think of our students in 
the same way,” Kim said. “And I don’t think we’ll think of teaching and 
learning in the same way.”

At Wichita State University, more than a
 fourth of the school’s credit hours came from online classes even 
before the pandemic. More and more, students use that option to better 
fit classes into their schedules.

“I could see ... that percentage
 moving up a little bit,” said Teri Hall, vice president of student 
affairs at WSU. “But I think that there are still going to be students 
who want the in-person experience.”

Hall said traditional, in-person college has a level of “educational serendipity” you can’t get elsewhere.

“You
 might come across something that’s happening in one of the courtyards 
that is a powerful experience, that might change the way you think about
 your major or the way you think about life,” she said.

Beginning next fall, Kansas State University will become the fifth of the state’s six major universities to <a href="https://www.k-state.edu/media/newsreleases/2021-07/first-year-housing71621.html" target="_blank">require first-year students to live on campus</a>.

The
 move is intended to ease students’ transition to college and “enhance 
student success,” said Thomas Lane, K-State’s vice president for student
 life. Freshmen who live on campus tend to make better grades, stay in 
school and graduate.

They also represent more revenue for the university.

The
 new requirement could add costs for students and their families upward 
of $12,000 a year for a basic room-and-board plan. And it signals a 
doubling down on the traditional college business model, which depends 
on students living and eating on campus.

Overall college attendance dropped about 5% last spring. Two-year schools <a href="https://hechingerreport.org/its-just-too-much-why-students-are-abandoning-community-colleges-in-droves/" target="_blank">saw even steeper declines</a>.

Robert Vela, president of <a href="https://www.alamo.edu/sac/" target="_blank">San Antonio College</a>
 in Texas, said higher-ed should use federal COVID relief funds not just
 to repair deficits, but to rethink the way they do business.

“The
 money needs to be an investment in changing some of these structural 
kinds of components ... that have been there for many years,” Vela said.

His school bucked the trend and <a href="https://nscresearchcenter.org/stay-informed/" target="_blank">boosted enrollment</a> during the pandemic.

“You
 ask somebody, ‘Why is that there?’,” he said. “And they say, ‘Well, 
it’s been like that forever. ... It’s just what we do.’”

Smith, the ReportOUT editor, says what universities have done doesn’t work, and the pandemic laid bare many of the problems.

“Higher
 education is in for a tectonic shift here,” he said. “When the history 
of our world is written, it will be pre-COVID and post-COVID. 
Everything’s going to change . . . and colleges are no different.”

Suzanne
 Perez reports on education for KMUW in Wichita and the Kansas News 
Service. You can follow her on Twitter @SuzPerezICT or email her at 
perez@kmuw.org.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/8/1628525683723.png" alt="As high school students and their families consider their options — public and private universities, trade schools, certificate programs and a growing array of online options — they’re weighing the return on investment. KMUW" />
 <figcaption>As high school students and their families consider their options — public and private universities, trade schools, certificate programs and a growing array of online options — they’re weighing the return on investment. KMUW</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>With continued uncertainty, universities could 
face their biggest financial crisis</h2>By SUZANNE PEREZ <a href="https://www.kmuw.org/education/2021-08-09/covid-19-challenged-the-business-model-at-kansas-universities-and-revealed-a-tectonic-shift">Kansas News Service</a>WICHITA&nbsp;— The college business model — one that 
depends on students living on campus and attending classes in person — 
was broken even before the pandemic.COVID-19 just <a href="https://hechingerreport.org/how-higher-educations-own-choices-left-it-vulnerable-to-the-pandemic-crisis/" target="_blank">made things more obvious</a>.Classes moved online. Campus buildings and dormitories sat empty. Students flocked home.And many haven’t returned.Enrollment at Kansas colleges and universities fell by 8.1% last fall — <a href="https://www.studentclearinghouse.org/blog/spring-undergraduate-enrollment-down-5-9-steepest-decline-so-far-since-the-pandemic/" target="_blank">more than the national average</a>.
 With continued uncertainty over COVID-19 and the highly contagious 
delta variant, universities could face the biggest money crisis in their
 history.“The pandemic ... converged with longer-term challenges 
facing enrollment,” said Blake Flanders, president and CEO of the Kansas
 Board of Regents.Those problems include a steady decline in the 
college-going rate of Kansas high school graduates, as well as struggles
 recruiting international students who’ve proven so lucrative to public 
universities. Meanwhile, schools can’t keep many of the students they’ve
 already enrolled.But it’s more than that, says Guy Smith, executive editor of the <a href="https://syned.org/reportout-library?utm_source=prnewswire&amp;utm_medium=pressrelease&amp;utm_campaign=report%20out" target="_blank">ReportOUT</a> education journal.“Faith in the value of higher education is suffering the greatest decline in recent history,” he said.<h2>Return on investment</h2>As
 high school students and their families consider the options — public 
and private universities, trade schools, certificate programs and a 
growing array of online options — they’re weighing the return on 
investment, Smith said.Since the 1980s, the cost of a four-year degree has risen nearly <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/camilomaldonado/2018/07/24/price-of-college-increasing-almost-8-times-faster-than-wages/" target="_blank">eight times faster than wages</a>. Student loan debt in the United States <a href="https://educationdata.org/student-loan-debt-statistics" target="_blank">totals more than $1.7 trillion</a> and is growing six times faster than the nation’s economy.And <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2020/02/18/41-recent-grads-work-jobs-not-requiring-degree" target="_blank">according to new data</a>, more than a third of college graduates hold jobs that don’t require a college degree.“If
 the point of going to college is to have a four-year experience living 
with others away from home and studying liberal arts and studying your 
passion — great,” Smith said. “If the point of college is to find a 
career and eventual employment, colleges are woefully inadequate.”University
 enrollment is down, and so are revenues from tuition and fees. Colleges
 also lose money when kids aren’t living in dorms, eating in dining 
halls or shopping in the bookstore.Nationwide, more than 60 colleges have closed or merged in the past decade, and <a href="https://www.highereddive.com/news/are-more-college-closures-ahead/597746/" target="_blank">experts expect that decline to continue</a>, particularly as the impact of federal stimulus funds fades.<h2>Thinking differently</h2>Joshua Kim, director of online programs at Dartmouth University’s <a href="https://dcal.dartmouth.edu/" target="_blank">Center for the Advancement of Learning</a>, said the pandemic launched colleges online and put their technology plans on fast-forward.And <a href="https://dcal.dartmouth.edu/news/2021/07/what-weve-learned-what-well-keep" target="_blank">many saw benefits</a>
 — not only in the move to more flexible online teaching, but things 
like telehealth and telecounseling. Universities that once required 
students to meet with advisors in person, for example, embraced the 
convenience of Zoom calls or doing business via email.“I don’t 
think, coming out of COVID, that we will ever think of our students in 
the same way,” Kim said. “And I don’t think we’ll think of teaching and 
learning in the same way.”At Wichita State University, more than a
 fourth of the school’s credit hours came from online classes even 
before the pandemic. More and more, students use that option to better 
fit classes into their schedules.“I could see ... that percentage
 moving up a little bit,” said Teri Hall, vice president of student 
affairs at WSU. “But I think that there are still going to be students 
who want the in-person experience.”Hall said traditional, in-person college has a level of “educational serendipity” you can’t get elsewhere.“You
 might come across something that’s happening in one of the courtyards 
that is a powerful experience, that might change the way you think about
 your major or the way you think about life,” she said.<h2>Doubling down</h2>Beginning next fall, Kansas State University will become the fifth of the state’s six major universities to <a href="https://www.k-state.edu/media/newsreleases/2021-07/first-year-housing71621.html" target="_blank">require first-year students to live on campus</a>.The
 move is intended to ease students’ transition to college and “enhance 
student success,” said Thomas Lane, K-State’s vice president for student
 life. Freshmen who live on campus tend to make better grades, stay in 
school and graduate.They also represent more revenue for the university.The
 new requirement could add costs for students and their families upward 
of $12,000 a year for a basic room-and-board plan. And it signals a 
doubling down on the traditional college business model, which depends 
on students living and eating on campus.Overall college attendance dropped about 5% last spring. Two-year schools <a href="https://hechingerreport.org/its-just-too-much-why-students-are-abandoning-community-colleges-in-droves/" target="_blank">saw even steeper declines</a>.Robert Vela, president of <a href="https://www.alamo.edu/sac/" target="_blank">San Antonio College</a>
 in Texas, said higher-ed should use federal COVID relief funds not just
 to repair deficits, but to rethink the way they do business.“The
 money needs to be an investment in changing some of these structural 
kinds of components ... that have been there for many years,” Vela said.His school bucked the trend and <a href="https://nscresearchcenter.org/stay-informed/" target="_blank">boosted enrollment</a> during the pandemic.“You
 ask somebody, ‘Why is that there?’,” he said. “And they say, ‘Well, 
it’s been like that forever. ... It’s just what we do.’”Smith, the ReportOUT editor, says what universities have done doesn’t work, and the pandemic laid bare many of the problems.“Higher
 education is in for a tectonic shift here,” he said. “When the history 
of our world is written, it will be pre-COVID and post-COVID. 
Everything’s going to change . . . and colleges are no different.”Suzanne
 Perez reports on education for KMUW in Wichita and the Kansas News 
Service. You can follow her on Twitter @SuzPerezICT or email her at 
perez@kmuw.org.

COVID challenged the business model at Kansas universities

WASHINGTON — In a continuing twist on a common scam, the Internal 
Revenue Service, state tax agencies and tax industry today warned tax 
professionals to beware of evolving phishing scams that use various 
pandemic-related themes to steal client data.

The <a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/security-summit">Security Summit</a>
 partners continue to see instances where tax professionals, especially 
those who engage in remote transactions, have been vulnerable this year 
to identity thieves posing as potential clients. The criminals then 
trick practitioners into opening email links or attachments that infect 
computer systems.

Avoiding phishing emails is the fourth in a five-part series 
sponsored by the IRS, state tax agencies and the nation's tax community –
 working together as the Security Summit – highlighting critical steps 
tax professionals can take to protect client data. This year's theme "<a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/boost-security-immunity-fight-against-identity-theft">Boost Security Immunity: Fight Against Identity Theft</a>,"
 is an effort to urge tax professionals to work to strengthen their 
systems and protect client data during this pandemic and its aftermath.

"Identity thieves have been relentless in exploiting the pandemic and
 the resulting economic pain to trick taxpayers and tax professionals to
 disclose sensitive information," said IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig. 
"Fighting back against phishing scams requires constant vigilance, and 
we urge tax pros to take some basic steps to help protect their clients 
and themselves."

Phishing emails or SMS/texts (known as "smishing") attempt to trick 
the person receiving the message into disclosing personal information 
such as passwords, bank account numbers, credit card numbers or Social 
Security numbers. Tax pros are a common target.

Scams may differ in themes, but they generally have two traits:

A specific kind of phishing email is called spear phishing. 
Rather than the scattershot nature of general phishing emails, scammers 
take time to identify their victim and craft a more enticing phishing 
email known as a lure. Scammers often use spear phishing to target tax 
professionals.

In a reoccurring and very successful scam this year, criminals posed 
as potential clients, exchanging several emails with tax professionals 
before following up with an attachment that they claimed was their tax 
information. This scam was popular as many tax professionals worked 
remotely and communicated with clients over email versus in-person or 
over the telephone because of COVID.

Once the tax pro clicks on the URL and/or opens the attachment, 
malware secretly downloads onto their computers, giving thieves access 
to passwords to client accounts or remote access to the computers 
themselves.

Thieves then use this malware known as a remote access trojan (RAT) 
to take over the tax professional's office computer systems, identify 
pending tax returns, complete them and e-file them, changing only the 
bank account information to steal the refund.

In recent months, international criminals have used a ransomware 
attack to shut down a variety of companies. Criminals use similar, 
smaller scale tactics against tax pros. When the unsuspecting tax 
professional opens a link or attachment, malware attacks the tax pro's 
computer system to encrypt files and hold the data for ransom.

These scams highlight the importance of the basic security steps recommended by the Security Summit to protect data.

For example, using the two-factor (2FA) or the multi-factor 
authentication (MFA) option offered by tax preparation providers or 
storage providers would protect client accounts even if passwords were 
inadvertently disclosed. Keeping anti-virus software automatically 
updated helps prevent scams that target software vulnerabilities. Using 
drive encryption and regularly backing up files helps stop theft and 
ransomware attacks.

For tax professionals, securing their network to protect taxpayer data is their responsibility as a tax preparer.

To help tax professionals guard against phishing scams and better protect taxpayer information, the IRS recently updated <a href="https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p4557.pdf">Publication 4557, Safeguarding Taxpayer Data&nbsp;PDF</a>.
 The July 2021 version contains some of the latest suggestions such as 
using the multi-factor authentication option offered by tax software 
products and helping clients get an Identity Protection Pin.

In addition to reviewing the recently revised IRS&nbsp;<a href="https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p4557.pdf">Publication 4557, Safeguarding Taxpayer Data&nbsp;PDF</a>, tax professionals can also get help with security recommendations by reviewing <a href="https://nvlpubs.nist.gov/nistpubs/ir/2016/NIST.IR.7621r1.pdf">Small Business Information Security: The Fundamentals&nbsp;PDF</a>&nbsp;by the National Institute of Standards and Technology. The IRS <a href="https://www.irs.gov/identity-theft-central">Identity Theft Central</a> pages for tax pros, individuals and businesses have important details as well.

<a href="https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p5293.pdf">Publication 5293, Data Security Resource Guide for Tax Professionals&nbsp;PDF</a>,
 provides a compilation of data theft information available on IRS.gov. 
Also, tax professionals should stay connected to the IRS through 
subscriptions to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.irs.gov/e-file-providers/join-e-news-for-tax-professionals">e-News for Tax Professionals</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-new-media-1">Social Media</a>.

For more information, see <a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/boost-security-immunity-fight-against-identity-theft">Boost Security Immunity: Fight Against Identity Theft</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/9/1599869632873.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>IRSWASHINGTON — In a continuing twist on a common scam, the Internal 
Revenue Service, state tax agencies and tax industry today warned tax 
professionals to beware of evolving phishing scams that use various 
pandemic-related themes to steal client data.The <a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/security-summit">Security Summit</a>
 partners continue to see instances where tax professionals, especially 
those who engage in remote transactions, have been vulnerable this year 
to identity thieves posing as potential clients. The criminals then 
trick practitioners into opening email links or attachments that infect 
computer systems.Avoiding phishing emails is the fourth in a five-part series 
sponsored by the IRS, state tax agencies and the nation's tax community –
 working together as the Security Summit – highlighting critical steps 
tax professionals can take to protect client data. This year's theme "<a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/boost-security-immunity-fight-against-identity-theft">Boost Security Immunity: Fight Against Identity Theft</a>,"
 is an effort to urge tax professionals to work to strengthen their 
systems and protect client data during this pandemic and its aftermath."Identity thieves have been relentless in exploiting the pandemic and
 the resulting economic pain to trick taxpayers and tax professionals to
 disclose sensitive information," said IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig. 
"Fighting back against phishing scams requires constant vigilance, and 
we urge tax pros to take some basic steps to help protect their clients 
and themselves."Phishing emails or SMS/texts (known as "smishing") attempt to trick 
the person receiving the message into disclosing personal information 
such as passwords, bank account numbers, credit card numbers or Social 
Security numbers. Tax pros are a common target.Scams may differ in themes, but they generally have two traits:<ul>
 <li>They appear to come from a known or trusted source, such as a 
colleague, bank, credit card company, cloud storage provider, tax 
software provider or even the IRS.</li><li>They tell a story, often with an urgent tone, to trick the receiver into opening a link or attachment.</li>
 </ul>A specific kind of phishing email is called spear phishing. 
Rather than the scattershot nature of general phishing emails, scammers 
take time to identify their victim and craft a more enticing phishing 
email known as a lure. Scammers often use spear phishing to target tax 
professionals.In a reoccurring and very successful scam this year, criminals posed 
as potential clients, exchanging several emails with tax professionals 
before following up with an attachment that they claimed was their tax 
information. This scam was popular as many tax professionals worked 
remotely and communicated with clients over email versus in-person or 
over the telephone because of COVID.Once the tax pro clicks on the URL and/or opens the attachment, 
malware secretly downloads onto their computers, giving thieves access 
to passwords to client accounts or remote access to the computers 
themselves.Thieves then use this malware known as a remote access trojan (RAT) 
to take over the tax professional's office computer systems, identify 
pending tax returns, complete them and e-file them, changing only the 
bank account information to steal the refund.In recent months, international criminals have used a ransomware 
attack to shut down a variety of companies. Criminals use similar, 
smaller scale tactics against tax pros. When the unsuspecting tax 
professional opens a link or attachment, malware attacks the tax pro's 
computer system to encrypt files and hold the data for ransom.These scams highlight the importance of the basic security steps recommended by the Security Summit to protect data.For example, using the two-factor (2FA) or the multi-factor 
authentication (MFA) option offered by tax preparation providers or 
storage providers would protect client accounts even if passwords were 
inadvertently disclosed. Keeping anti-virus software automatically 
updated helps prevent scams that target software vulnerabilities. Using 
drive encryption and regularly backing up files helps stop theft and 
ransomware attacks.For tax professionals, securing their network to protect taxpayer data is their responsibility as a tax preparer.To help tax professionals guard against phishing scams and better protect taxpayer information, the IRS recently updated <a href="https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p4557.pdf">Publication 4557, Safeguarding Taxpayer Data&nbsp;PDF</a>.
 The July 2021 version contains some of the latest suggestions such as 
using the multi-factor authentication option offered by tax software 
products and helping clients get an Identity Protection Pin.<h2>Additional resources</h2>In addition to reviewing the recently revised IRS&nbsp;<a href="https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p4557.pdf">Publication 4557, Safeguarding Taxpayer Data&nbsp;PDF</a>, tax professionals can also get help with security recommendations by reviewing <a href="https://nvlpubs.nist.gov/nistpubs/ir/2016/NIST.IR.7621r1.pdf">Small Business Information Security: The Fundamentals&nbsp;PDF</a>&nbsp;by the National Institute of Standards and Technology. The IRS <a href="https://www.irs.gov/identity-theft-central">Identity Theft Central</a> pages for tax pros, individuals and businesses have important details as well.<a href="https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p5293.pdf">Publication 5293, Data Security Resource Guide for Tax Professionals&nbsp;PDF</a>,
 provides a compilation of data theft information available on IRS.gov. 
Also, tax professionals should stay connected to the IRS through 
subscriptions to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.irs.gov/e-file-providers/join-e-news-for-tax-professionals">e-News for Tax Professionals</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-new-media-1">Social Media</a>.For more information, see <a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/boost-security-immunity-fight-against-identity-theft">Boost Security Immunity: Fight Against Identity Theft</a>.

IRS: Tax professionals now the target of email scammers

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Democrats unwrapped a budget resolution envisioning a massive $3.5 trillion, 10-year cascade of federal resources, aiming historic sums at family support, health and education programs and an aggressive drive to heal the climate.

<a href="https://www.democrats.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/HEN21B52.pdf?utm_source=newsletter&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=newsletter_axiospm&amp;stream=top">Click here to read </a>what's in the $3.5 Trillion Budget Plan

<a href="https://www.democrats.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/HEN21B52.pdf?utm_source=newsletter&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=newsletter_axiospm&amp;stream=top">The measure is </a>a pivotal first step in what will likely be a tumultuous, months-long Democratic legislative march toward a progressive reshaping of the federal government that also hews to President Joe Biden’s top domestic policy ambitions.

The blueprint released Monday reflects many Democrats’ tilt leftward in the wake of Donald Trump’s presidency and bears the imprint of Senate Budget Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., a longtime progressive voice now at the hub of the Democratic Party’s power structure in Congress.

Many of its proposals would be financed by raising taxes on the wealthy and large corporations while sparing people earning under $400,000 annually, an oft-repeated Biden pledge and liberal goal. Though party leaders say the measure will be fully paid for, the budget resolution does not require that, instead giving Congress’ tax-writing committees unspecified license to raise money that a summary calls “substantial.”

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-business-1333a1cd50305a028e16482ef9cafa15">The Senate was expected to approve the budget plan this week</a>&nbsp;over solid Republican opposition. Meanwhile, senators were nearing approval of a separate&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-business-c299d5d2a32188989b58cb5feec12f5d">$1 trillion package financing road, water and other infrastructure projects,</a>&nbsp;a bill with broad support.

The vote on that bipartisan plan was scheduled for Tuesday morning. After that, the Senate will immediately launch votes on the $3.5 trillion plan.

Crucially, congressional approval of the budget outline would let Democrats pass a detailed follow-up bill this fall enacting the blueprint’s proposed spending and tax changes without facing a GOP filibuster that would certainly kill it. It would take 60 votes to end those delaying tactics, an impossible hurdle on a sharply partisan issue in today’s 50-50 Senate.

It is unclear when the House, now on summer recess, will vote on the budget. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., praised it as “a clear declaration of the value that congressional Democrats place on America’s workers and families.”

The budget outlines expanding Medicare coverage to dental, vision and hearing benefits and lowering the program’s eligibility age below its current 65, though the age reduction would be costly and is considered a long shot to survive. The children’s tax credit, expanded during the pandemic to provide millions of families with $300 monthly checks, would be extended beyond its current 2022 expiration. Other tax breaks for some low-earning workers and for child care would also be renewed.

Unveiled the same day the United Nations warned of a “code red for humanity” because of rapid climate heating, the fiscal plan would unsheathe a vast effort to move the U.S. toward clean energy. That would include a new tax on imported fuels that spew carbon emissions, federal aid for clean energy developers and investments in low-polluting vehicles.

“The question is not complicated,” Sanders said Monday of the budget plan. He asked if lawmakers have the courage to make special interests pay a “fair share of taxes so that we can create millions of good paying jobs for working families, so we can protect our children, protect the elderly, and address the threat of climate change.”

In one illustration of hurdles ahead, around $198 billion of the blueprint’s climate proposals would have to move through the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. That panel is chaired by West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, a centrist and staunch defender of his state’s energy interests who has pointedly warned that he supports an energy policy that’s “not elimination, it’s innovation.”

Following the budget outline, the $3.5 trillion spending and revenue bill is certain to cause agita for Democratic leaders as they struggle to find a sweet spot between the demands of their party’s competing progressive and moderate factions, with each having decisive leverage.

Besides the evenly split Senate, which only Vice President Kamala Harris’ tie-breaking vote lets them control, Democrats can lose no more than three votes in the narrowly divided House.

Moderates back the $1 trillion package financing road, water and other&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-business-c299d5d2a32188989b58cb5feec12f5d">infrastructure projects&nbsp;</a>that the Senate was on the cusp of approving. Progressives are strongly behind the huge social and environment plan, and each group is worried that disagreements will result in the other scuttling its favored measure.

“We’re going to tell middle-class families, ‘We’re going to make it easier for you to stay there,’” said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. He added, “We’re going to tell poorer families, ‘We’re going to make it easier for you to climb into the middle class.’”

Democrats revealed their budget as the Senate was on the cusp of approving the smaller&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-business-health-coronavirus-pandemic-804fc9475e440f7f970d6599c242734f">compromise infrastructure measure.</a>&nbsp;That bill, another Biden priority, was garnering significant support from Republicans eager to bring some public works spending to their home states.

But the GOP was united against Democrats’ larger $3.5 trillion plan, calling it laden with overspending and tax increases that would wound the economy and burden families.

With an eye to 2022 elections for congressional control, Republicans were readying amendments that would force Democrats to vote on politically delicate issues including immigration, crime and inflation. They were also amplifying their often-used theme of accusing Democrats of socialism.

“They’ve set out trying to tax and spend our country into oblivion,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. “They’ve handed the keys to domestic policymaking to Chairman Sanders and some socialist House members.”

Democrats’ budget blueprint seeks extensions of federal subsidies for people buying health insurance through President Barack Obama’s 2010 health care law, and money would be provided for states that haven’t yet expanded Medicaid coverage. There would be a first-ever federally paid family leave program, and some pre-kindergarten and two years of community college would be tuition-free.

There would also be more money for home health care, housing, job training, child nutrition and Pell Grants to lower-income college students.

It would also open a path for millions of immigrants in the U.S. illegally to move toward citizenship, and allow language strengthening enforcement of labor laws. Such provisions will have to pass muster with the Senate parliamentarian, who can bar provisions that are not primarily related to the budget.

The budget plans additional savings by letting the government negotiate lower prices on the pharmaceuticals it buys for Medicare recipients. It also seeks to strengthen the IRS so it can collect more unpaid taxes, though analysts are wary of the savings lawmakers might claim because estimates of that proposal’s impact vary widely.

The fiscal plan also suggests easing a ceiling on federal deductions people can take for their state and local taxes, a contentious proposal among Democrats. Relaxing those limits is a top priority for high-tax states, such as in the Northeast, but it would cost the government billions annually, making it harder for Democrats to finance other priorities.

The measure has no language extending the federal debt limit, the ceiling on government borrowing that has already expired. The Treasury Department is using accounting maneuvers to keep the government paying its bills, but&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-business-9fa48bfe5daeb95179cf539b59c4b7e2">Republicans have vowed to vote against extending the borrowing cap,&nbsp;</a>and that battle will be joined on other legislation.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/8/1628592285760.png" alt="Many of the bill's proposals would be financed by raising taxes on the wealthy and large corporations while sparing people earning under $400,000 annually, an oft-repeated Biden pledge and liberal goal. -image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Many of the bill's proposals would be financed by raising taxes on the wealthy and large corporations while sparing people earning under $400,000 annually, an oft-repeated Biden pledge and liberal goal. -image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Democrats unwrapped a budget resolution envisioning a massive $3.5 trillion, 10-year cascade of federal resources, aiming historic sums at family support, health and education programs and an aggressive drive to heal the climate.<a href="https://www.democrats.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/HEN21B52.pdf?utm_source=newsletter&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=newsletter_axiospm&amp;stream=top">Click here to read </a>what's in the $3.5 Trillion Budget Plan<a href="https://www.democrats.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/HEN21B52.pdf?utm_source=newsletter&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=newsletter_axiospm&amp;stream=top">The measure is </a>a pivotal first step in what will likely be a tumultuous, months-long Democratic legislative march toward a progressive reshaping of the federal government that also hews to President Joe Biden’s top domestic policy ambitions.The blueprint released Monday reflects many Democrats’ tilt leftward in the wake of Donald Trump’s presidency and bears the imprint of Senate Budget Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., a longtime progressive voice now at the hub of the Democratic Party’s power structure in Congress.Many of its proposals would be financed by raising taxes on the wealthy and large corporations while sparing people earning under $400,000 annually, an oft-repeated Biden pledge and liberal goal. Though party leaders say the measure will be fully paid for, the budget resolution does not require that, instead giving Congress’ tax-writing committees unspecified license to raise money that a summary calls “substantial.”<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-business-1333a1cd50305a028e16482ef9cafa15">The Senate was expected to approve the budget plan this week</a>&nbsp;over solid Republican opposition. Meanwhile, senators were nearing approval of a separate&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-business-c299d5d2a32188989b58cb5feec12f5d">$1 trillion package financing road, water and other infrastructure projects,</a>&nbsp;a bill with broad support.The vote on that bipartisan plan was scheduled for Tuesday morning. After that, the Senate will immediately launch votes on the $3.5 trillion plan.Crucially, congressional approval of the budget outline would let Democrats pass a detailed follow-up bill this fall enacting the blueprint’s proposed spending and tax changes without facing a GOP filibuster that would certainly kill it. It would take 60 votes to end those delaying tactics, an impossible hurdle on a sharply partisan issue in today’s 50-50 Senate.It is unclear when the House, now on summer recess, will vote on the budget. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., praised it as “a clear declaration of the value that congressional Democrats place on America’s workers and families.”The budget outlines expanding Medicare coverage to dental, vision and hearing benefits and lowering the program’s eligibility age below its current 65, though the age reduction would be costly and is considered a long shot to survive. The children’s tax credit, expanded during the pandemic to provide millions of families with $300 monthly checks, would be extended beyond its current 2022 expiration. Other tax breaks for some low-earning workers and for child care would also be renewed.Unveiled the same day the United Nations warned of a “code red for humanity” because of rapid climate heating, the fiscal plan would unsheathe a vast effort to move the U.S. toward clean energy. That would include a new tax on imported fuels that spew carbon emissions, federal aid for clean energy developers and investments in low-polluting vehicles.“The question is not complicated,” Sanders said Monday of the budget plan. He asked if lawmakers have the courage to make special interests pay a “fair share of taxes so that we can create millions of good paying jobs for working families, so we can protect our children, protect the elderly, and address the threat of climate change.”In one illustration of hurdles ahead, around $198 billion of the blueprint’s climate proposals would have to move through the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. That panel is chaired by West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, a centrist and staunch defender of his state’s energy interests who has pointedly warned that he supports an energy policy that’s “not elimination, it’s innovation.”Following the budget outline, the $3.5 trillion spending and revenue bill is certain to cause agita for Democratic leaders as they struggle to find a sweet spot between the demands of their party’s competing progressive and moderate factions, with each having decisive leverage.Besides the evenly split Senate, which only Vice President Kamala Harris’ tie-breaking vote lets them control, Democrats can lose no more than three votes in the narrowly divided House.Moderates back the $1 trillion package financing road, water and other&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-business-c299d5d2a32188989b58cb5feec12f5d">infrastructure projects&nbsp;</a>that the Senate was on the cusp of approving. Progressives are strongly behind the huge social and environment plan, and each group is worried that disagreements will result in the other scuttling its favored measure.“We’re going to tell middle-class families, ‘We’re going to make it easier for you to stay there,’” said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. He added, “We’re going to tell poorer families, ‘We’re going to make it easier for you to climb into the middle class.’”Democrats revealed their budget as the Senate was on the cusp of approving the smaller&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-business-health-coronavirus-pandemic-804fc9475e440f7f970d6599c242734f">compromise infrastructure measure.</a>&nbsp;That bill, another Biden priority, was garnering significant support from Republicans eager to bring some public works spending to their home states.But the GOP was united against Democrats’ larger $3.5 trillion plan, calling it laden with overspending and tax increases that would wound the economy and burden families.With an eye to 2022 elections for congressional control, Republicans were readying amendments that would force Democrats to vote on politically delicate issues including immigration, crime and inflation. They were also amplifying their often-used theme of accusing Democrats of socialism.“They’ve set out trying to tax and spend our country into oblivion,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. “They’ve handed the keys to domestic policymaking to Chairman Sanders and some socialist House members.”Democrats’ budget blueprint seeks extensions of federal subsidies for people buying health insurance through President Barack Obama’s 2010 health care law, and money would be provided for states that haven’t yet expanded Medicaid coverage. There would be a first-ever federally paid family leave program, and some pre-kindergarten and two years of community college would be tuition-free.There would also be more money for home health care, housing, job training, child nutrition and Pell Grants to lower-income college students.It would also open a path for millions of immigrants in the U.S. illegally to move toward citizenship, and allow language strengthening enforcement of labor laws. Such provisions will have to pass muster with the Senate parliamentarian, who can bar provisions that are not primarily related to the budget.The budget plans additional savings by letting the government negotiate lower prices on the pharmaceuticals it buys for Medicare recipients. It also seeks to strengthen the IRS so it can collect more unpaid taxes, though analysts are wary of the savings lawmakers might claim because estimates of that proposal’s impact vary widely.The fiscal plan also suggests easing a ceiling on federal deductions people can take for their state and local taxes, a contentious proposal among Democrats. Relaxing those limits is a top priority for high-tax states, such as in the Northeast, but it would cost the government billions annually, making it harder for Democrats to finance other priorities.The measure has no language extending the federal debt limit, the ceiling on government borrowing that has already expired. The Treasury Department is using accounting maneuvers to keep the government paying its bills, but&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-business-9fa48bfe5daeb95179cf539b59c4b7e2">Republicans have vowed to vote against extending the borrowing cap,&nbsp;</a>and that battle will be joined on other legislation.

Read what's in the Senate Dems  massive $3.5T budget plan

SEDGWICK COUNTY—&nbsp;The school board for the state's largest school district is not calling for a mask mandate to start the school year. After hearing tearful statements from parents and others, USD 259 board members voted 4-3 Monday night to follow last week's administrative recommendation and strongly encourage every employee and student to wear a face mask as the school year begins, regardless of vaccination status.

In addition, the recommendation will include that all visitors&nbsp; be required to wear a mask when they are inside of school buildings, regardless of vaccination status. Anyone who doesn’t have a WPS-issued identification badge falls within this expectation.

"This recommendation aligns directly with national and state guidelines regarding masking. If we all do our part and model the behavior we want to see from our students, then we will maintain safe schools and allow both staff and students to maximize teaching and learning time in schools, which experts across the country say is the best-possible place for our students to be," according to the Superintendent Alicia Thompson.

Many other Kansas school districts including Topeka, Salina, Hutchinson and Shawnee Mission will require masks.

The Johnson County Commission&nbsp; also voted Thursday&nbsp; for a mask requirement for schools from kindergarten through the sixth grade.&nbsp; Supporters of the mandate said it's crucial to having in-person learning.&nbsp;&nbsp;Full-time learning online is not available this school year.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/8/1628553688175.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY—&nbsp;The school board for the state's largest school district is not calling for a mask mandate to start the school year. After hearing tearful statements from parents and others, USD 259 board members voted 4-3 Monday night to follow last week's administrative recommendation and strongly encourage every employee and student to wear a face mask as the school year begins, regardless of vaccination status.In addition, the recommendation will include that all visitors&nbsp; be required to wear a mask when they are inside of school buildings, regardless of vaccination status. Anyone who doesn’t have a WPS-issued identification badge falls within this expectation.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/8/1628551921636.png" alt="USD 259 board members voted 4-3 against a mask mandate-image courtesy Wichita Public Schools" />
 <figcaption>USD 259 board members voted 4-3 against a mask mandate-image courtesy Wichita Public Schools</figcaption>
 </figure>"This recommendation aligns directly with national and state guidelines regarding masking. If we all do our part and model the behavior we want to see from our students, then we will maintain safe schools and allow both staff and students to maximize teaching and learning time in schools, which experts across the country say is the best-possible place for our students to be," according to the Superintendent Alicia Thompson.Many other Kansas school districts including Topeka, Salina, Hutchinson and Shawnee Mission will require masks.The Johnson County Commission&nbsp; also voted Thursday&nbsp; for a mask requirement for schools from kindergarten through the sixth grade.&nbsp; Supporters of the mandate said it's crucial to having in-person learning.&nbsp;&nbsp;Full-time learning online is not available this school year.

No mask mandate in state's largest school district 

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The state Supreme Court has upheld the convictions of a northeast Kansas woman serving a “Hard 50” prison sentence for shooting the father of her child six times and setting his body on fire in his mother’s home. 

The court on Friday unanimously rejected arguments from Tria Evans’ attorney that a Douglas County judge shouldn’t have allowed testimony that 34-year-old victim Joel Wales told others he feared Evans would kill him. 

The now 42-year-old Evans was convicted of first-degree murder and arson over Wales’ death in November 2017. She was sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 50 years.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/8/1628269045227.png" alt="Evans photo KDOC" />
 <figcaption>Evans photo KDOC</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The state Supreme Court has upheld the convictions of a northeast Kansas woman serving a “Hard 50” prison sentence for shooting the father of her child six times and setting his body on fire in his mother’s home. The court on Friday unanimously rejected arguments from Tria Evans’ attorney that a Douglas County judge shouldn’t have allowed testimony that 34-year-old victim Joel Wales told others he feared Evans would kill him. The now 42-year-old Evans was convicted of first-degree murder and arson over Wales’ death in November 2017. She was sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 50 years.

Court rejects Kan. woman's appeal in ex-boyfriend's murder

COWLEY COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect on numerous drug charges after an arrest.

Just before 8:30p.m. August 5, police responded to a report of possible drug activity at Windsor Court Apartments, 305 E. Windsor Road in northeast Arkansas City, according to a media release.

The report included a description of a vehicle known to police from previous calls at that location. When officers&nbsp; arrived, they contacted a man sitting in the driver’s seat, later identified as 20-year-old David David. While speaking with him, they observed alleged criminal activity inside the vehicle, which was searched. 

Police located numerous illegal substances and also items associated with their sale. Police obtained a search warrant and executed it at David’s residence at 510 North A Street. Investigators found more illegal substances and items associated with their sale.

Police arrested David on requested charges of one felony count each of possession of a controlled substance, possession with intent to distribute cocaine, possession with intent to distribute marijuana within 1,000 feet of school,  no drug tax stamp and use of a communication device to arrange a drug sale.

He also was arrested on suspicion of one misdemeanor count each of consumption of alcohol by a minor, possession of drug paraphernalia and unlawfully obtaining a prescription-only drug.

David was transported to and booked into the Cowley County Jail in Winfield on a bond of $23,300.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/8/1628517793634.png" alt="David-photo Cowley County Jail" />
 <figcaption>David-photo Cowley County Jail</figcaption>
 </figure>COWLEY COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect on numerous drug charges after an arrest.Just before 8:30p.m. August 5, police responded to a report of possible drug activity at Windsor Court Apartments, 305 E. Windsor Road in northeast Arkansas City, according to a media release.The report included a description of a vehicle known to police from previous calls at that location. When officers&nbsp; arrived, they contacted a man sitting in the driver’s seat, later identified as 20-year-old David David. While speaking with him, they observed alleged criminal activity inside the vehicle, which was searched. Police located numerous illegal substances and also items associated with their sale. Police obtained a search warrant and executed it at David’s residence at 510 North A Street. Investigators found more illegal substances and items associated with their sale.Police arrested David on requested charges of one felony count each of possession of a controlled substance, possession with intent to distribute cocaine, possession with intent to distribute marijuana within 1,000 feet of school, no drug tax stamp and use of a communication device to arrange a drug sale.He also was arrested on suspicion of one misdemeanor count each of consumption of alcohol by a minor, possession of drug paraphernalia and unlawfully obtaining a prescription-only drug.David was transported to and booked into the Cowley County Jail in Winfield on a bond of $23,300.

Police catch Kan. man selling drugs from his car

JEWELL COUNTY —Another in a series of earthquakes shook north-central Kansas Monday.&nbsp; 

Just before 2:30p.m., a quake that measured a magnitude 3.5 struck approximately six miles southeast of Esbon.&nbsp; The Kansas Geological Survey reported the quake measured a magnitude 3.9.

Monday's quake follows magnitude 2.4 quake on July 29 and a magnitude 3 quake August 4.&nbsp; There are no reports of damage or injuries.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/8/1628553077487.png" alt="Location of Monday's quake-USGS image" />
 <figcaption>Location of Monday's quake-USGS image</figcaption>
 </figure>JEWELL COUNTY —Another in a series of earthquakes shook north-central Kansas Monday.&nbsp; Just before 2:30p.m., a quake that measured a magnitude 3.5 struck approximately six miles southeast of Esbon.&nbsp; The Kansas Geological Survey reported the quake measured a magnitude 3.9.Monday's quake follows magnitude 2.4 quake on July 29 and a magnitude 3 quake August 4.&nbsp; There are no reports of damage or injuries.

USGS: 3.5 magnitude quake shakes north-central Kansas

NEOSHO COUNTY —A Kansas man died in an accident just before 1p.m. Monday in Neosho County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2021 Honda Odyssey driven by&nbsp;Hucke, Carol Sue Hucke, 71, Parsons, was eastbound on Kansas 47 at Elk Road.

The minivan&nbsp; turned left in front of a westbound 2011 Freightliner semi driven by Caili Wen. 49, Arcadia, California.

NEOSHO COUNTY —A Kansas man died in an accident just before 1p.m. Monday in Neosho County.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2021 Honda Odyssey driven by&nbsp;Hucke, Carol Sue Hucke, 71, Parsons, was eastbound on Kansas 47 at Elk Road.The minivan&nbsp; turned left in front of a westbound 2011 Freightliner semi driven by Caili Wen. 49, Arcadia, California.A passenger in the van identified as Charles Edward Greer, 71, Humboldt, was pronounced dead at the scene. EMS transported Hucke to Labette Health and Wen to Neosho Memorial Hospital. Greer was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.