IRS online portal now available in Spanish

WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service this week launched a new 
Spanish-language version of the Child Tax Credit Update Portal (CTC-UP).
 This tool is designed to help families quickly and easily make changes 
to the monthly Child Tax Credit payments they are receiving from the 
IRS.

Families who are already receiving monthly payments use the CTC-UP to
 update their accounts. Now, all the features that have only been 
available in English are also available in Spanish. Updates made by 
11:59 pm Eastern Time on Nov. 29 will be reflected in the last monthly 
payment for 2021, scheduled for Dec. 15.

Under the American Rescue Plan, most eligible families began 
receiving monthly payments starting in July. For these families, 
each&nbsp;payment is up to $300 per month for each child under age 6 and up 
to $250 per month for each child ages 6 through 17. Payments are based 
on returns filed for 2019 or 2020, including those who registered online
 with the IRS. 
&nbsp; 
Available only on IRS.gov, CTC-UP allows families to verify their eligibility for the payments and then, if they choose to:

Be sure to make any changes by 11:59 pm ET on Nov. 29. To access the portal, visit <a href="https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/advance-child-tax-credit-payments-in-2021">IRS.gov/childtaxcredit2021</a>.

Families are typically receiving half of their total CTC in advance 
monthly payments during 2021. They can claim the rest of the credit when
 they file their 2021 federal income tax return next year. To help them 
do that, early in 2022, families will receive Letter 6419 documenting 
any advance payments issued to them during 2021 and the number of 
qualifying children used to calculate the advance payments.

Non-filers can get lump-sum next year; community partners can help

The IRS encourages partners and community groups to share information and use available <a href="https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/advance-child-tax-credit-payments-in-2021">online tools</a>
 to help non-filers, low-income families and other underserved groups 
learn about the expanded Child Tax Credit. While it’s now too late to 
sign up for advance payments of the CTC during 2021, it’s not too late 
for eligible families to get the full benefit of the credit.

To do that, any eligible family who missed out on this year’s monthly
 payments can still get a lump-sum payment by filing a 2021 federal 
income tax return next year. This includes families who don’t normally 
need to file a return with the IRS.

Links to online tools, answers to frequently asked questions and other helpful resources are available on the <a href="https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/advance-child-tax-credit-payments-in-2021">IRS’ special advance CTC 2021 page</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/9/1599869632873.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure><h2>IRS online portal now available in Spanish</h2>IRSWASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service this week launched a new 
Spanish-language version of the Child Tax Credit Update Portal (CTC-UP).
 This tool is designed to help families quickly and easily make changes 
to the monthly Child Tax Credit payments they are receiving from the 
IRS.Families who are already receiving monthly payments use the CTC-UP to
 update their accounts. Now, all the features that have only been 
available in English are also available in Spanish. Updates made by 
11:59 pm Eastern Time on Nov. 29 will be reflected in the last monthly 
payment for 2021, scheduled for Dec. 15.Under the American Rescue Plan, most eligible families began 
receiving monthly payments starting in July. For these families, 
each&nbsp;payment is up to $300 per month for each child under age 6 and up 
to $250 per month for each child ages 6 through 17. Payments are based 
on returns filed for 2019 or 2020, including those who registered online
 with the IRS. 
&nbsp; 
Available only on IRS.gov, CTC-UP allows families to verify their eligibility for the payments and then, if they choose to:<ul>
 <li>Switch from receiving a paper check to direct deposit;</li><li>Change the account where their payment is direct deposited;</li><li>Update their mailing address;</li><li>Stop monthly payments and</li><li>Reflect significant changes in their income that could potentially raise or lower their monthly payments.</li>
 </ul>Be sure to make any changes by 11:59 pm ET on Nov. 29. To access the portal, visit <a href="https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/advance-child-tax-credit-payments-in-2021">IRS.gov/childtaxcredit2021</a>.Families are typically receiving half of their total CTC in advance 
monthly payments during 2021. They can claim the rest of the credit when
 they file their 2021 federal income tax return next year. To help them 
do that, early in 2022, families will receive Letter 6419 documenting 
any advance payments issued to them during 2021 and the number of 
qualifying children used to calculate the advance payments.<h2>Non-filers can get lump-sum next year; community partners can help</h2>The IRS encourages partners and community groups to share information and use available <a href="https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/advance-child-tax-credit-payments-in-2021">online tools</a>
 to help non-filers, low-income families and other underserved groups 
learn about the expanded Child Tax Credit. While it’s now too late to 
sign up for advance payments of the CTC during 2021, it’s not too late 
for eligible families to get the full benefit of the credit.To do that, any eligible family who missed out on this year’s monthly
 payments can still get a lump-sum payment by filing a 2021 federal 
income tax return next year. This includes families who don’t normally 
need to file a return with the IRS.Links to online tools, answers to frequently asked questions and other helpful resources are available on the <a href="https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/advance-child-tax-credit-payments-in-2021">IRS’ special advance CTC 2021 page</a>.

Deadline looms for changes to Child Tax Credit payments

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A Topeka man has been sentenced to life in prison for a carjacking and an accident that led to the death of another man. 

Shawnee County District Attorney Mike Kagay announced the sentence Wednesday for Darren Matthew Johnson. Johnson was convicted in May of charges that included first-degree murder committed during an inherently dangerous felony and aggravated robbery. 

The carjacking happened in June 22. A short time after the carjacking, police saw the stolen Kia Soul, which sped away before running a red light and colliding head-on with another vehicle. The backseat passenger in the Kia, Ricardo Rodriguez, died at the scene.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A Topeka man has been sentenced to life in prison for a carjacking and an accident that led to the death of another man. Shawnee County District Attorney Mike Kagay announced the sentence Wednesday for Darren Matthew Johnson. Johnson was convicted in May of charges that included first-degree murder committed during an inherently dangerous felony and aggravated robbery. The carjacking happened in June 22. A short time after the carjacking, police saw the stolen Kia Soul, which sped away before running a red light and colliding head-on with another vehicle. The backseat passenger in the Kia, Ricardo Rodriguez, died at the scene.

Kan. man gets life sentence for carjacking, fatal wreck

ATCHISON COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities investigating a suspect for alleged child sex crimes have moved him to a jail in Kansas.

On November 17, U.S. Marshals arrested Cameron J. Johnson, 19, Atchison, in Kansas City Missouri on an Atchison District Court warrant for indecent liberties with a child, according to Police Chief Mike Wilson.

The U.S. Marshal’s Service had been assisting Atchison Police detectives locating Johnson. Atchison Police had initiated an investigation on October 18 that focused on a victim under the age of 16 which led to the warrant for Johnson. 

He was taken to the Jackson County Missouri jail on November 17, and transported to the Atchison County Jail on Monday. He is being held on a bond set at $75,000, according to Wilson.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/11/1637681768810.png" alt="Johnson-photo Atchison County" />
 <figcaption>Johnson-photo Atchison County</figcaption>
 </figure>ATCHISON COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities investigating a suspect for alleged child sex crimes have moved him to a jail in Kansas.On November 17, U.S. Marshals arrested Cameron J. Johnson, 19, Atchison, in Kansas City Missouri on an Atchison District Court warrant for indecent liberties with a child, according to Police Chief Mike Wilson.The U.S. Marshal’s Service had been assisting Atchison Police detectives locating Johnson. Atchison Police had initiated an investigation on October 18 that focused on a victim under the age of 16 which led to the warrant for Johnson. He was taken to the Jackson County Missouri jail on November 17, and transported to the Atchison County Jail on Monday. He is being held on a bond set at $75,000, according to Wilson.

U.S. Marshals track down Kansas child sex crime suspect

SEDGWICK COUNTY —On Tuesday, a Kansas man was placed on probation for 36 months&nbsp;for causing a crash that killed an off-duty Wichita police officer and the officer's 10-year-old son, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.

  In addition to other conditions of probation, James Dalrymple, 39, Valley Center,  is to serve 120 hours of jail and complete 200 hours of community service. If he violates probation, he faces 112 months in prison.

In September, Dalrymple pleaded guilty to two counts of involuntary manslaughter while driving under the influence in the death of 37-year-old Stacey Woodson and his son, Braeden, in April 2018.

Prosecutors said Dalrymple pulled his pickup truck in front of Woodson's motorcycle at a Wichita intersection. Court records say Dalrymple had alcohol and drugs in his system at the time of the crash. Woodson was a 16-year veteran of the Wichita police force.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/9/1631564009505.png" alt="Dalrymple-photo Sedgwick County" />
 <figcaption>Dalrymple-photo Sedgwick County</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY —On Tuesday, a Kansas man was placed on probation for 36 months&nbsp;for causing a crash that killed an off-duty Wichita police officer and the officer's 10-year-old son, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office. In addition to other conditions of probation, James Dalrymple, 39, Valley Center, is to serve 120 hours of jail and complete 200 hours of community service. If he violates probation, he faces 112 months in prison.In September, Dalrymple pleaded guilty to two counts of involuntary manslaughter while driving under the influence in the death of 37-year-old Stacey Woodson and his son, Braeden, in April 2018.Prosecutors said Dalrymple pulled his pickup truck in front of Woodson's motorcycle at a Wichita intersection. Court records say Dalrymple had alcohol and drugs in his system at the time of the crash. Woodson was a 16-year veteran of the Wichita police force.------------

Kan. man sentenced for DUI crash that killed Kan. officer and son

DICKINSON COUNTY - Law enforcement authorities are investigating a missing person and asking the public for help in locating a missing Enterprise, Kansas man.

In January of 2019 Alex Michael Head, 34, of Enterprise, was reported missing. Since that time, efforts to locate Head and his vehicle have been unsuccessful, Dickinson County Sheriff Jerry Davis said in a news release Tuesday.

Head was last seen on Jan. 14, 2019, in Dickinson County. He was driving a silver in color 2003 Dodge Durango. The vehicle had a unique United States Air Force decal affixed to the rear window. 

According to Davis, Head’s disappearance is suspicious in nature and investigators suspect that at least one person knows of his whereabouts or what happened to Head and his vehicle.

While previous media reports have stated that Head was last seen driving westbound toward Salina, there are no records, evidence, or information obtained during this investigation that supports that theory, according to the Dickinson County Sheriff's Office.

If you or anyone you know has information related to the disappearance of Alex Michael Head, please contact the Dickinson County Sheriff’s Office by calling (785) 263-4041. You may also leave a tip and remain anonymous by calling Dickinson County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-5DK-TIPS (1-800-535-8477) or by visiting the website <a href="http://www.p3tips.com">www.p3tips.com</a> or downloading the P3Tips application on your smart phone.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/11/1637707210285.jpeg" alt="Alex Michael Head. Photos Dickinson County Sheriff's Office" />
 <figcaption>Alex Michael Head. Photos Dickinson County Sheriff's Office</figcaption>
 </figure>DICKINSON COUNTY - Law enforcement authorities are investigating a missing person and asking the public for help in locating a missing Enterprise, Kansas man.In January of 2019 Alex Michael Head, 34, of Enterprise, was reported missing. Since that time, efforts to locate Head and his vehicle have been unsuccessful, Dickinson County Sheriff Jerry Davis said in a news release Tuesday.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/11/1637707289560.jpeg" alt="The Dodge Durango Head was driving when he was last seen in 2019." />
 <figcaption>The Dodge Durango Head was driving when he was last seen in 2019.</figcaption>
 </figure>Head was last seen on Jan. 14, 2019, in Dickinson County. He was driving a silver in color 2003 Dodge Durango. The vehicle had a unique United States Air Force decal affixed to the rear window. <figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/11/1637707394947.jpeg" alt="The United States Air Force decal on the back window of the Durango." />
 <figcaption>The United States Air Force decal on the back window of the Durango.</figcaption>
 </figure>According to Davis, Head’s disappearance is suspicious in nature and investigators suspect that at least one person knows of his whereabouts or what happened to Head and his vehicle.While previous media reports have stated that Head was last seen driving westbound toward Salina, there are no records, evidence, or information obtained during this investigation that supports that theory, according to the Dickinson County Sheriff's Office.If you or anyone you know has information related to the disappearance of Alex Michael Head, please contact the Dickinson County Sheriff’s Office by calling (785) 263-4041. You may also leave a tip and remain anonymous by calling Dickinson County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-5DK-TIPS (1-800-535-8477) or by visiting the website <a href="http://www.p3tips.com">www.p3tips.com</a> or downloading the P3Tips application on your smart phone.

Sheriff seeks tips about Kan. man missing since 2019

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — A former&nbsp;Kansas&nbsp;police detective, who last year sued a sheriff's deputy for running over him in a rural Kiowa County field, has been fatally shot by a police officer in Kansas City after disarming an officer and pointing a gun at another, police said Tuesday.

Lionel Womack was killed during the encounter Monday after police received 911 calls about a man standing in a road pointing at the sky and trying to jump in front of traffic.

“Those officers had no choice — this whole incident took place in 26 seconds," Police Chief Karl Oakman said at a news conference.

When officers arrived, Womack started running toward them in “an aggressive manner," Oakman said, adding that the entire encounter was captured on police body camera and dashcam video.

Womack attempted to get into the passenger side of the police car then ran around the vehicle where he came into contact with an officer. Womack reached toward the back of his pants and the officer — assuming he had a gun — drew his weapon, Oakman said. Womack then got into the driver's seat of the patrol car, and the same officer tried to get him out.

A fight ensued over the officer's weapon, which discharged two shots. Womack successfully disarmed the officer and pointed the weapon at that officer before then pointing it at the other officer, who shot and killed Womack. In the video, one officer can be heard saying to the other, “Man, you just saved my life,” the police chief said.

The two officers received non life-threatening injuries.

“He knows our tactics,” Oakman said. “I think that contributed to his ability to disarm our officer, which made it a very dangerous situation for our officers.”

Womack was hired by the Kansas City, Kansas, police department in 2007, promoted to detective in 2018, and terminated in August 2020 after numerous policy violations and conduct issues, the police chief said.

“We don't know what happened in his life that caused him to spiral like this,” Oakman said.

Lionel Womack came from a law enforcement family. His wife and mother are police officers in Kansas City, Kansas, and his stepfather is a retired police sergeant. Two aunts are city police dispatchers.

His wife, Zee Womack, tearfully told The Associated Press that her husband was killed in the altercation and that at least one of the officers involved knew him. She declined to comment further because she is still employed as a Kansas City police officer, and the investigation is ongoing.

Lionel Womack alleged last year in an excessive force lawsuit that Kiowa County Sheriff’s Deputy Jeremy Rodriguez intentionally drove over him on Aug. 15, 2020, in an incident that was captured on dashcam video. The deputy has denied the allegations and said he’s entitled to qualified immunity.

“The family of Lionel Womack thanks the members of the Kansas City community for your outpouring of support after their devastating loss yesterday,” said Michael Kuckelman, the attorney representing him in that lawsuit. “They are asking for privacy and your prayers, as they grieve.”

Police spokesman Thomas Tomasic said “we were all friends with the guy,” adding that everybody knew him and nobody had a problem with him. He said officers didn't know the 911 calls involved Womack until they arrived at the scene.

He denied the shooting was retribution for the civil lawsuit.

“He was a nice guy. He used to always come to the office and talk to us,” Tomasic said. “It is very weird. It is horrible. We don't like to kill anybody. We obviously don't want to kill somebody you work with for however many years.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1608224627585.png" alt="Image from the dashcam video / courtesy Attorney Michael Kuckelman" />
 <figcaption>Image from the dashcam video / courtesy Attorney Michael Kuckelman</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — A former&nbsp;Kansas&nbsp;police detective, who last year sued a sheriff's deputy for running over him in a rural Kiowa County field, has been fatally shot by a police officer in Kansas City after disarming an officer and pointing a gun at another, police said Tuesday.Lionel Womack was killed during the encounter Monday after police received 911 calls about a man standing in a road pointing at the sky and trying to jump in front of traffic.“Those officers had no choice — this whole incident took place in 26 seconds," Police Chief Karl Oakman said at a news conference.When officers arrived, Womack started running toward them in “an aggressive manner," Oakman said, adding that the entire encounter was captured on police body camera and dashcam video.Womack attempted to get into the passenger side of the police car then ran around the vehicle where he came into contact with an officer. Womack reached toward the back of his pants and the officer — assuming he had a gun — drew his weapon, Oakman said. Womack then got into the driver's seat of the patrol car, and the same officer tried to get him out.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1608219106986.png" alt="Womack-during a brief stay in Pratt Co. Jail" />
 <figcaption>Womack-during a brief stay in Pratt Co. Jail</figcaption>
 </figure>A fight ensued over the officer's weapon, which discharged two shots. Womack successfully disarmed the officer and pointed the weapon at that officer before then pointing it at the other officer, who shot and killed Womack. In the video, one officer can be heard saying to the other, “Man, you just saved my life,” the police chief said.The two officers received non life-threatening injuries.“He knows our tactics,” Oakman said. “I think that contributed to his ability to disarm our officer, which made it a very dangerous situation for our officers.”Womack was hired by the Kansas City, Kansas, police department in 2007, promoted to detective in 2018, and terminated in August 2020 after numerous policy violations and conduct issues, the police chief said.“We don't know what happened in his life that caused him to spiral like this,” Oakman said.Lionel Womack came from a law enforcement family. His wife and mother are police officers in Kansas City, Kansas, and his stepfather is a retired police sergeant. Two aunts are city police dispatchers.His wife, Zee Womack, tearfully told The Associated Press that her husband was killed in the altercation and that at least one of the officers involved knew him. She declined to comment further because she is still employed as a Kansas City police officer, and the investigation is ongoing.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/11/1637700587376.png" alt="Police at the scene of the investigation on Monday-photo courtesy KCTV" />
 <figcaption>Police at the scene of the investigation on Monday-photo courtesy KCTV</figcaption>
 </figure>Lionel Womack alleged last year in an excessive force lawsuit that Kiowa County Sheriff’s Deputy Jeremy Rodriguez intentionally drove over him on Aug. 15, 2020, in an incident that was captured on dashcam video. The deputy has denied the allegations and said he’s entitled to qualified immunity.“The family of Lionel Womack thanks the members of the Kansas City community for your outpouring of support after their devastating loss yesterday,” said Michael Kuckelman, the attorney representing him in that lawsuit. “They are asking for privacy and your prayers, as they grieve.”Police spokesman Thomas Tomasic said “we were all friends with the guy,” adding that everybody knew him and nobody had a problem with him. He said officers didn't know the 911 calls involved Womack until they arrived at the scene.He denied the shooting was retribution for the civil lawsuit.“He was a nice guy. He used to always come to the office and talk to us,” Tomasic said. “It is very weird. It is horrible. We don't like to kill anybody. We obviously don't want to kill somebody you work with for however many years.”

Ex-Kansas officer who sued sheriff's deputy killed by police

Waukesha , WI. (AP) —Prosecutors in Wisconsin on Tuesday charged a man with intentional homicide in the deaths of five people who were killed when an SUV was driven into a Christmas parade that also left 62 people injured, including many children.

Prosecutors said a sixth person, a child, has died and more charges are pending.

Darrell Brooks Jr. was charged with five counts of intentional homicide in the crash Sunday in Waukesha, a Milwaukee suburb. Conviction on first-degree intentional homicide carries a mandatory life sentence, Wisconsin’s stiffest penalty.

An 8-year-old boy, Jackson Sparks, died on Tuesday, according to his GoFundMe page. He was walking in the parade along with his brother, who is still hospitalized. The other five people who were killed were adults.

“This afternoon, our dear Jackson has sadly succumbed to his injuries and passed away,” the page’s organizer, Alyssa Albro, wrote.

Brooks made his initial appearance in court Tuesday. He could be heard crying during the proceeding, leaning over with his head nearly in his lap, with his attorney resting a hand on his back.

The city’s livestream video and bystander video captured the chaotic scene when an SUV sped along the parade route and then into the crowd. Several of those injured remain in critical condition.

According to the criminal complaint, witnesses told police that the vehicle “appeared to be intentionally moving side to side,” with no attempt to slow down or stop as it struck multiple people and sent bodies and objects flying.

Brooks ignored several attempts to stop him, according to the criminal complaint.

A detective — wearing police insignia and a neon orange safety vest — stepped in front of Brooks’ vehicle and pounded on the hood, shouting “Stop,” several times but Brooks drove past him, according to the complaint.

A uniformed police officer who saw Brooks’ SUV traveling toward the parade route also tried to get his attention, yelling “Stop, stop the vehicle” several times but was ignored, according to the complaint. Brooks braked at one point, but instead of turning away from the parade route, he turned into the crowd and appeared to rapidly accelerate, the complaint said.

Another police officer shot at the vehicle, striking it three times as it entered the parade route.

Brooks had been free on $1,000 bail for a case in Milwaukee County earlier in November in which he’s accused of intentionally striking a woman with his car. Prosecutors said they’re investigating their bail recommendation in that case, calling it inappropriately low.

Cash bail on the latest charges is set at $5 million, and a preliminary hearing is scheduled for Jan. 14 at 9:15 a.m.

Waukesha Police Chief Dan Thompson said Brooks, 39, was leaving the scene of a domestic dispute that had taken place just minutes earlier when he drove into the parade route.

“We have a gentleman that has a huge background, via multiple states,” said Waukesha Court Commissioner Kevin Costello.

Brooks has been charged with crimes more than a dozen times since 1999 and had two outstanding cases against him at the time of the parade disaster. That included resisting or obstructing an officer, reckless endangering, disorderly conduct, bail jumping and battery for the Nov. 2 incident.

Some Republicans were quick to jump on the case as an example of a broken legal system.

Republican Rebecca Kleefisch, a former Wisconsin lieutenant governor who is running for governor in 2022, called the killings “yet another avoidable tragedy that occurred because a violent career criminal was allowed to walk free and terrorize our community.”

And Republican state Rep. Cindi Duchow said she was reintroducing a constitutional amendment that would change the bail process in Wisconsin to allow judges to consider a defendant’s danger to the community when setting bail. Judges currently are only allowed to consider the possibility that defendants might not show up for a court appearance when setting bail.

“He tried to run over his girlfriend with his car — that’s attempted murder,” Duchow said. “If you’re a danger to society, you should have to work hard to get out.”

Thompson, the police chief, said that there was no evidence the bloodshed Sunday was a terrorist attack or that Brooks knew anyone in the parade. Brooks acted alone, the chief said.

NBC News published doorbell camera footage that appeared to capture Brooks’ arrest. It showed Brooks, shivering in just a T-shirt, knocking on a homeowner’s door and asking for help calling for a ride. Moments later, police surrounded the house and shouted, “Hands up!” Brooks, standing on the porch, held up his hands and said, “Whoa whoa whoa!”

Hundreds gathered at a downtown park Monday night in Waukesha, Wisconsin, for a candlelight vigil in honor of those lost and hurt. A pair of clergy solemnly read the names of those who died. Volunteers handed out sandwiches, hot chocolate and candles at the vigil, which was attended by interfaith leaders and elected officials.

“We are parents. We are neighbors. We are hurting. We are angry. We are sad. We are confused. We are thankful. We are all in this together. We are Waukesha Strong,” said a tearful Amanda Medina Roddy with the Waukesha school district.

Mayor Shawn Reilly described the parade as a “Norman Rockwell-type” event that “became a nightmare.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/11/1637624207281.png" alt="Brooks-photo&nbsp;Waukesha Co. Sheriff" />
 <figcaption>Brooks-photo&nbsp;Waukesha Co. Sheriff</figcaption>
 </figure>Waukesha , WI. (AP) —Prosecutors in Wisconsin on Tuesday charged a man with intentional homicide in the deaths of five people who were killed when an SUV was driven into a Christmas parade that also left 62 people injured, including many children.Prosecutors said a sixth person, a child, has died and more charges are pending.Darrell Brooks Jr. was charged with five counts of intentional homicide in the crash Sunday in Waukesha, a Milwaukee suburb. Conviction on first-degree intentional homicide carries a mandatory life sentence, Wisconsin’s stiffest penalty.An 8-year-old boy, Jackson Sparks, died on Tuesday, according to his GoFundMe page. He was walking in the parade along with his brother, who is still hospitalized. The other five people who were killed were adults.“This afternoon, our dear Jackson has sadly succumbed to his injuries and passed away,” the page’s organizer, Alyssa Albro, wrote.Brooks made his initial appearance in court Tuesday. He could be heard crying during the proceeding, leaning over with his head nearly in his lap, with his attorney resting a hand on his back.The city’s livestream video and bystander video captured the chaotic scene when an SUV sped along the parade route and then into the crowd. Several of those injured remain in critical condition.According to the criminal complaint, witnesses told police that the vehicle “appeared to be intentionally moving side to side,” with no attempt to slow down or stop as it struck multiple people and sent bodies and objects flying.Brooks ignored several attempts to stop him, according to the criminal complaint.A detective — wearing police insignia and a neon orange safety vest — stepped in front of Brooks’ vehicle and pounded on the hood, shouting “Stop,” several times but Brooks drove past him, according to the complaint.A uniformed police officer who saw Brooks’ SUV traveling toward the parade route also tried to get his attention, yelling “Stop, stop the vehicle” several times but was ignored, according to the complaint. Brooks braked at one point, but instead of turning away from the parade route, he turned into the crowd and appeared to rapidly accelerate, the complaint said.Another police officer shot at the vehicle, striking it three times as it entered the parade route.Brooks had been free on $1,000 bail for a case in Milwaukee County earlier in November in which he’s accused of intentionally striking a woman with his car. Prosecutors said they’re investigating their bail recommendation in that case, calling it inappropriately low.Cash bail on the latest charges is set at $5 million, and a preliminary hearing is scheduled for Jan. 14 at 9:15 a.m.Waukesha Police Chief Dan Thompson said Brooks, 39, was leaving the scene of a domestic dispute that had taken place just minutes earlier when he drove into the parade route.“We have a gentleman that has a huge background, via multiple states,” said Waukesha Court Commissioner Kevin Costello.Brooks has been charged with crimes more than a dozen times since 1999 and had two outstanding cases against him at the time of the parade disaster. That included resisting or obstructing an officer, reckless endangering, disorderly conduct, bail jumping and battery for the Nov. 2 incident.Some Republicans were quick to jump on the case as an example of a broken legal system.Republican Rebecca Kleefisch, a former Wisconsin lieutenant governor who is running for governor in 2022, called the killings “yet another avoidable tragedy that occurred because a violent career criminal was allowed to walk free and terrorize our community.”And Republican state Rep. Cindi Duchow said she was reintroducing a constitutional amendment that would change the bail process in Wisconsin to allow judges to consider a defendant’s danger to the community when setting bail. Judges currently are only allowed to consider the possibility that defendants might not show up for a court appearance when setting bail.“He tried to run over his girlfriend with his car — that’s attempted murder,” Duchow said. “If you’re a danger to society, you should have to work hard to get out.”Thompson, the police chief, said that there was no evidence the bloodshed Sunday was a terrorist attack or that Brooks knew anyone in the parade. Brooks acted alone, the chief said.NBC News published doorbell camera footage that appeared to capture Brooks’ arrest. It showed Brooks, shivering in just a T-shirt, knocking on a homeowner’s door and asking for help calling for a ride. Moments later, police surrounded the house and shouted, “Hands up!” Brooks, standing on the porch, held up his hands and said, “Whoa whoa whoa!”Hundreds gathered at a downtown park Monday night in Waukesha, Wisconsin, for a candlelight vigil in honor of those lost and hurt. A pair of clergy solemnly read the names of those who died. Volunteers handed out sandwiches, hot chocolate and candles at the vigil, which was attended by interfaith leaders and elected officials.“We are parents. We are neighbors. We are hurting. We are angry. We are sad. We are confused. We are thankful. We are all in this together. We are Waukesha Strong,” said a tearful Amanda Medina Roddy with the Waukesha school district.Mayor Shawn Reilly described the parade as a “Norman Rockwell-type” event that “became a nightmare.”

Child is 6th death in Christmas parade crash; suspect charged

CLEVELAND (AP) — CVS, Walgreens and Walmart pharmacies recklessly distributed massive amounts of pain pills in two Ohio counties, a federal jury said Tuesday in a verdict that could set the tone for U.S. city and county governments that want to hold pharmacies accountable for their roles in the opioid crisis.

Lake and Trumbull counties blamed the three chain pharmacies for not stopping the flood of pills that caused hundreds of overdose deaths and cost each of the two counties about $1 billion, their attorney said.

How much the pharmacies must pay in damages will be decided in the spring by a federal judge.

It was the first time pharmacy companies had completed a trial to defend themselves in a drug crisis that has killed a half-million Americans over the past two decades.

The counties were able to convince the jury that the pharmacies played an outsized role in creating a public nuisance in the way they dispensed pain medication into their communities.

“The law requires pharmacies to be diligent in dealing drugs. This case should be a wake-up call that failure will not be accepted,” said Mark Lanier, an attorney for the counties.

“The jury sounded a bell that should be heard through all pharmacies in America,” Lanier said.

Attorneys for the three pharmacy chains maintained they had policies to stem the flow of pills when their pharmacists had any concerns and would notify authorities about suspicious orders from doctors. They also said it was the doctors who controlled how many pills were being prescribed for legitimate medical needs.

Spokespeople for CVSHealth and Walgreen Co. said the companies disagree with the verdict and will appeal.

“As plaintiffs’ own experts testified, many factors have contributed to the opioid abuse issue, and solving this problem will require involvement from all stakeholders in our health care system and all members of our community,” CVS spokesperson Mike DeAngelis said in a statement.

Walgreen spokesperson Fraser Engerman said the company believes the court erred “in allowing the case to go before a jury on a flawed legal theory that is inconsistent with Ohio law.”

“As we have said throughout this process, we never manufactured or marketed opioids nor did we distribute them to the ‘pill mills’ and internet pharmacies that fueled this crisis,” Engerman said in a statement. “The plaintiffs’ attempt to resolve the opioid crisis with an unprecedented expansion of public nuisance law is misguided and unsustainable.”

Two other chains — Rite Aid and Giant Eagle —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-health-ohio-lawsuits-cleveland-21762b10e14a24bf0c67a4da04bdf606">already had settled lawsuits</a>&nbsp;with the two Ohio counties.

Lanier said during the trial that the pharmacies were attempting to blame everyone but themselves.

The opioid crisis has overwhelmed courts, social services agencies and law enforcement in Ohio’s blue-collar corner east of Cleveland, leaving behind heartbroken families and babies born to addicted mothers, Lanier told jurors.

Roughly 80 million prescription painkillers were dispensed in Trumbull County alone between 2012 and 2016 — equivalent to 400 for every resident.

In Lake County, some 61 million pills were distributed during that period.

The rise in physicians prescribing pain medications such as oxycodone and hydrocodone came at a time when medical groups began recognizing that patients have the right to be treated for pain, Kaspar Stoffelmayr, an attorney for Walgreens, said at the opening of the trial.

The problem, he said, was that “pharmaceutical manufacturers tricked doctors into writing way too many pills.”

The counties said pharmacies should be the last line of defense to prevent the pills from getting into the wrong hands.

They didn’t hire enough pharmacists and technicians or train them to stop that from happening and failed to implement systems that could flag suspicious orders, Lanier said.

The trial before U.S. District Judge Dan Polster in Cleveland was part of a broader constellation of federal opioid lawsuits — about 3,000 in all — that have been consolidated under the judge’s supervision. Other cases are moving ahead in state courts.

Kevin Roy, chief public policy officer at Shatterproof, an organization that advocates for solutions to addiction, said the verdict could lead pharmacies to follow the path of major distribution companies and some drugmakers that have reached nationwide settlements of opioid cases worth billions.

So far, no pharmacy has reached a nationwide settlement.

“It’s a signal that the public, at least in select places, feels that there’s been exposure and needs to be remedied,” Roy said.

Roy noted that courts have not been consistent on whether public nuisance law applies to such cases. “There’s been a variety of different decisions lately that should give us reason to be cautious about what this really means in the grand scheme,” he said.

It was one of five trials so far this year in the U.S. to test claims brought by governments against parts of the drug industry over the toll of prescription painkillers.

Trials against drugmakers in New York and distribution companies in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-seattle-california-bob-ferguson-opioids-fceeba90ed62557712f5d389d6f29bbc">Washington state</a>&nbsp;are underway now. A trial of claims against distribution companies in West Virginia has wrapped up, but the judge has not yet given a verdict.

Earlier in November, a California judge ruled in favor of top drug manufacturers in a lawsuit with three counties and the city of Oakland. The judge said the governments hadn’t proven that the pharmaceutical companies used deceptive marketing to increase unnecessary opioid prescriptions and create a public nuisance.

Also in November, Oklahoma’s supreme court&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-oklahoma-opioids-statutes-health-555d0e67459962416b251c8f15edd326">overturned a 2019 judgment</a>&nbsp;for $465 million in a suit brought by the state against drugmaker Johnson &amp; Johnson.

Other lawsuits have resulted in big settlements or proposed settlements before trials were completed.

The jury’s decision in Cleveland had little effect on the stock of CVS, Walgreens and Walmart. Shares of all three companies rose Tuesday. Shares of CVS and Walgreens are up by 36% and 19% this year, respectively.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/1/1580161711151.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>CLEVELAND (AP) — CVS, Walgreens and Walmart pharmacies recklessly distributed massive amounts of pain pills in two Ohio counties, a federal jury said Tuesday in a verdict that could set the tone for U.S. city and county governments that want to hold pharmacies accountable for their roles in the opioid crisis.Lake and Trumbull counties blamed the three chain pharmacies for not stopping the flood of pills that caused hundreds of overdose deaths and cost each of the two counties about $1 billion, their attorney said.How much the pharmacies must pay in damages will be decided in the spring by a federal judge.It was the first time pharmacy companies had completed a trial to defend themselves in a drug crisis that has killed a half-million Americans over the past two decades.The counties were able to convince the jury that the pharmacies played an outsized role in creating a public nuisance in the way they dispensed pain medication into their communities.“The law requires pharmacies to be diligent in dealing drugs. This case should be a wake-up call that failure will not be accepted,” said Mark Lanier, an attorney for the counties.“The jury sounded a bell that should be heard through all pharmacies in America,” Lanier said.Attorneys for the three pharmacy chains maintained they had policies to stem the flow of pills when their pharmacists had any concerns and would notify authorities about suspicious orders from doctors. They also said it was the doctors who controlled how many pills were being prescribed for legitimate medical needs.Spokespeople for CVSHealth and Walgreen Co. said the companies disagree with the verdict and will appeal.“As plaintiffs’ own experts testified, many factors have contributed to the opioid abuse issue, and solving this problem will require involvement from all stakeholders in our health care system and all members of our community,” CVS spokesperson Mike DeAngelis said in a statement.Walgreen spokesperson Fraser Engerman said the company believes the court erred “in allowing the case to go before a jury on a flawed legal theory that is inconsistent with Ohio law.”“As we have said throughout this process, we never manufactured or marketed opioids nor did we distribute them to the ‘pill mills’ and internet pharmacies that fueled this crisis,” Engerman said in a statement. “The plaintiffs’ attempt to resolve the opioid crisis with an unprecedented expansion of public nuisance law is misguided and unsustainable.”Two other chains — Rite Aid and Giant Eagle —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-health-ohio-lawsuits-cleveland-21762b10e14a24bf0c67a4da04bdf606">already had settled lawsuits</a>&nbsp;with the two Ohio counties.Lanier said during the trial that the pharmacies were attempting to blame everyone but themselves.The opioid crisis has overwhelmed courts, social services agencies and law enforcement in Ohio’s blue-collar corner east of Cleveland, leaving behind heartbroken families and babies born to addicted mothers, Lanier told jurors.Roughly 80 million prescription painkillers were dispensed in Trumbull County alone between 2012 and 2016 — equivalent to 400 for every resident.In Lake County, some 61 million pills were distributed during that period.The rise in physicians prescribing pain medications such as oxycodone and hydrocodone came at a time when medical groups began recognizing that patients have the right to be treated for pain, Kaspar Stoffelmayr, an attorney for Walgreens, said at the opening of the trial.The problem, he said, was that “pharmaceutical manufacturers tricked doctors into writing way too many pills.”The counties said pharmacies should be the last line of defense to prevent the pills from getting into the wrong hands.They didn’t hire enough pharmacists and technicians or train them to stop that from happening and failed to implement systems that could flag suspicious orders, Lanier said.The trial before U.S. District Judge Dan Polster in Cleveland was part of a broader constellation of federal opioid lawsuits — about 3,000 in all — that have been consolidated under the judge’s supervision. Other cases are moving ahead in state courts.Kevin Roy, chief public policy officer at Shatterproof, an organization that advocates for solutions to addiction, said the verdict could lead pharmacies to follow the path of major distribution companies and some drugmakers that have reached nationwide settlements of opioid cases worth billions.So far, no pharmacy has reached a nationwide settlement.“It’s a signal that the public, at least in select places, feels that there’s been exposure and needs to be remedied,” Roy said.Roy noted that courts have not been consistent on whether public nuisance law applies to such cases. “There’s been a variety of different decisions lately that should give us reason to be cautious about what this really means in the grand scheme,” he said.It was one of five trials so far this year in the U.S. to test claims brought by governments against parts of the drug industry over the toll of prescription painkillers.Trials against drugmakers in New York and distribution companies in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-seattle-california-bob-ferguson-opioids-fceeba90ed62557712f5d389d6f29bbc">Washington state</a>&nbsp;are underway now. A trial of claims against distribution companies in West Virginia has wrapped up, but the judge has not yet given a verdict.Earlier in November, a California judge ruled in favor of top drug manufacturers in a lawsuit with three counties and the city of Oakland. The judge said the governments hadn’t proven that the pharmaceutical companies used deceptive marketing to increase unnecessary opioid prescriptions and create a public nuisance.Also in November, Oklahoma’s supreme court&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-oklahoma-opioids-statutes-health-555d0e67459962416b251c8f15edd326">overturned a 2019 judgment</a>&nbsp;for $465 million in a suit brought by the state against drugmaker Johnson &amp; Johnson.Other lawsuits have resulted in big settlements or proposed settlements before trials were completed.The jury’s decision in Cleveland had little effect on the stock of CVS, Walgreens and Walmart. Shares of all three companies rose Tuesday. Shares of CVS and Walgreens are up by 36% and 19% this year, respectively.

Jury holds pharmacies responsible for role in opioid crisis

SEDGWICK COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities investigating a stabbing and after asking the public for help to identify a suspect made an arrest.

Just after 11:30p.m. Monday police booked 27-year-old Jeffrey Elam into the Sedgwick County Jail on <a href="https://ssc.sedgwickcounty.org/sheriffinmates/SheriffInmateDetail.aspx?nameId=20006712">requested charges</a> that include drug possession, failure to to comply and in connection with the stabbing, according to online jail records.

Just after midnight Monday, police responded to reports of a stabbing in the 100 block of North St. Francis in Wichita, according to a social media report from police.

When officers arrived, they located a 22-year-old woman with a stab wound to her abdomen. 

EMS transported her to an area hospital for treatment of serious but non-life-threatening injuries. The investigation revealed the victim was walking to her vehicle and was approached and stabbed by a suspect later identified as Elam, who fled northbound through the alley. Police released a security camera video of him.

Elam has previous convictions for aggravated indecent liberties with a child and is a registered Kansas sex offender, according to the KBI&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kbi.ks.gov/registeredoffender/OffenderDetails.aspx?Display=Main&amp;Id=28419">offender registry</a>. The&nbsp;crimes occurred in Wichita in 2012 and 2013 and included a 5-year-old victim. A jury convicted him of the crimes in 2014.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/11/1637681991929.png" alt="Elam photo Sedgwick Co." />
 <figcaption>Elam photo Sedgwick Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities investigating a stabbing and after asking the public for help to identify a suspect made an arrest.Just after 11:30p.m. Monday police booked 27-year-old Jeffrey Elam into the Sedgwick County Jail on <a href="https://ssc.sedgwickcounty.org/sheriffinmates/SheriffInmateDetail.aspx?nameId=20006712">requested charges</a> that include drug possession, failure to to comply and in connection with the stabbing, according to online jail records.Just after midnight Monday, police responded to reports of a stabbing in the 100 block of North St. Francis in Wichita, according to a social media report from police.When officers arrived, they located a 22-year-old woman with a stab wound to her abdomen. <figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/11/1637631064201.png" alt="Suspect as shown from security camera image- Wichita Police" />
 <figcaption>Suspect as shown from security camera image- Wichita Police</figcaption>
 </figure>EMS transported her to an area hospital for treatment of serious but non-life-threatening injuries. The investigation revealed the victim was walking to her vehicle and was approached and stabbed by a suspect later identified as Elam, who fled northbound through the alley. Police released a security camera video of him.Elam has previous convictions for aggravated indecent liberties with a child and is a registered Kansas sex offender, according to the KBI&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kbi.ks.gov/registeredoffender/OffenderDetails.aspx?Display=Main&amp;Id=28419">offender registry</a>. The&nbsp;crimes occurred in Wichita in 2012 and 2013 and included a 5-year-old victim. A jury convicted him of the crimes in 2014.

Kansas sex offender accused of stabbing woman

TOPEKA&nbsp;- On Tuesday afternoon,&nbsp; Governor Laura Kelly signed CCR for HB 2001 into law, the bill passed during Kansas’ 2021 Special Session, which requires exemptions and eligibility for unemployment benefits.

<a href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.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.jpCq6wb4wVPEBUhXXICXaxRra2Wu4dtwLz2Ix1PwSEg/s/1303160919/br/121591996305-l" target="_blank">&nbsp;Click here</a>&nbsp;for more information about CCR for HB 2001&nbsp;

In a statement from her office, Governor Laura Kelly said, “I have been clear that I believe it is too late to impose a federal standard. States have been leading the fight against COVID-19 for nearly two years. I know there are Kansans who believe this legislation goes too far, and there are others who believe this legislation doesn’t go far enough. But I was elected to lead, and leadership means seeking compromise.

“This bill is the result of compromise in action. Now that it is signed, we need to turn our attention towards pressing issues like growing our economy and passing my plan to Axe the Food Tax, so we can put money back into everyday Kansans’ pockets.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/11/1637699912169.png" alt="<a href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJidWxsZXRpbl9saW5rX2lkIjoxMDEsInVyaSI6ImJwMjpjbGljayIsImJ1bGxldGluX2lkIjoiMjAyMTExMjMuNDkyODgzOTEiLCJ1cmwiOiJodHRwczovL2djYzAyLnNhZmVsaW5rcy5wcm90ZWN0aW9uLm91dGxvb2suY29tLz91cmw9aHR0cCUzQSUyRiUyRnd3dy5rc2xlZ2lzbGF0dXJlLm9yZyUyRmxpXzIwMjFzJTJGYjIwMjFzJTJGbWVhc3VyZXMlMkZkb2N1bWVudHMlMkZjY3JiX2hiMjAwMV8wMl8wMDAwLnBkZiZkYXRhPTA0JTdDMDElN0NSZWV2ZXMuT3lzdGVyJTQwa3MuZ292JTdDMGU1YTU3MzIzNGYxNDg3NGJhOWQwOGQ5YWViY2M0M2QlN0NkY2FlODEwMWM5MmQ0ODBjYmM0M2M2NzYxY2NjY2M1YSU3QzAlN0MwJTdDNjM3NzMyOTQ4MDI0MzI1NzA5JTdDVW5rbm93biU3Q1RXRnBiR1pzYjNkOGV5SldJam9pTUM0d0xqQXdNREFpTENKUUlqb2lWMmx1TXpJaUxDSkJUaUk2SWsxaGFXd2lMQ0pYVkNJNk1uMCUzRCU3QzMwMDAmc2RhdGE9MXdRNUpXSDdZcVVxd3hGJTJGa0RKN0Jmc2syaFhUdzNVMUFYM3NISDEzdWRvJTNEJnJlc2VydmVkPTAifQ.jpCq6wb4wVPEBUhXXICXaxRra2Wu4dtwLz2Ix1PwSEg/s/1303160919/br/121591996305-l" target="_blank">&nbsp;Click here</a>&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li_2021s/b2021s/measures/documents/ccrb_hb2001_02_0000.pdf">for more information about CCR for HB 2001&nbsp;</a>" />
 <figcaption><a href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.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.jpCq6wb4wVPEBUhXXICXaxRra2Wu4dtwLz2Ix1PwSEg/s/1303160919/br/121591996305-l" target="_blank">&nbsp;Click here</a>&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li_2021s/b2021s/measures/documents/ccrb_hb2001_02_0000.pdf">for more information about CCR for HB 2001&nbsp;</a></figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA&nbsp;- On Tuesday afternoon,&nbsp; Governor Laura Kelly signed CCR for HB 2001 into law, the bill passed during Kansas’ 2021 Special Session, which requires exemptions and eligibility for unemployment benefits.<a href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.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.jpCq6wb4wVPEBUhXXICXaxRra2Wu4dtwLz2Ix1PwSEg/s/1303160919/br/121591996305-l" target="_blank">&nbsp;Click here</a>&nbsp;for more information about CCR for HB 2001&nbsp;In a statement from her office, Governor Laura Kelly said, “I have been clear that I believe it is too late to impose a federal standard. States have been leading the fight against COVID-19 for nearly two years. I know there are Kansans who believe this legislation goes too far, and there are others who believe this legislation doesn’t go far enough. But I was elected to lead, and leadership means seeking compromise.“This bill is the result of compromise in action. Now that it is signed, we need to turn our attention towards pressing issues like growing our economy and passing my plan to Axe the Food Tax, so we can put money back into everyday Kansans’ pockets.”

Kan. governor signs bill addressing federal COVID vaccine mandates

KANSAS CITY (AP) — A Kansas City man who has been jailed for more than 40 years for three murders was wrongfully convicted in 1979 and will be released, a Missouri judge ruled Tuesday.

Kevin Strickland, 62,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-city-kansas-9674fc613175a2b1b7a2e8eefd6301f9">has always maintained</a>&nbsp;that he was home watching television and had nothing to do with the killings, which happened when he was 18 years old.

Judge James Welsh, a retired Missouri Court of Appeals judge, ruled after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/missouri-kansas-city-kansas-c077050b39526e271b02219c4d9c44d0">a three-day evidentiary hearing</a>&nbsp;requested by a Jackson County prosecutor&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/missouri-816410e8eab142331d08c9d750153d28">who said evidence used to convict Strickland had been recanted or disproven&nbsp;</a>since his 1979 conviction.

Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt fought efforts led by Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker and other legal and political leaders to free Strickland. Schmitt, a Republican running for the U.S. Senate, said Strickland was guilty. Gov. Mike Parson declined Strickland’s clemency requests.

Strickland was convicted in the deaths of Larry Ingram, 21; John Walker, 20; and Sherrie Black, 22, at a home in Kansas City.

The evidentiary hearing focused largely on previous testimony from Cynthia Douglas, the only person to survive the April 25, 1978, shootings. She initially identified Strickland as one of four men who shot the victims and testified to that during his two trials.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/missouri-kansas-city-kansas-crime-2a8b2cc09dac67051c9c4701a5166d06">But she later said she was pressured by police to choose Strickland and tried for years to alert political and legal experts to help her prove she had identified the wrong man,</a>&nbsp;according to testimony during the hearing from her family, friends and a co-worker. Douglas died in 2015.

During the hearing, attorneys for the Missouri Attorney General’s office argued that Strickland’s advocates had not provided any kind of paper trail that proved Douglas tried to recant her identification of Strickland, saying the theory was based on “hearsay, upon hearsay, upon hearsay,”

Two other men convicted in the killings later insisted that Strickland wasn’t at the crime scene, The Kansas City Star reported. They named two other suspects, who were never charged.

During his testimony, Strickland denied suggestions that he offered Douglas $300 to “keep her mouth shut,” and said he had never visited the house where the murders occurred before they happened.

Strickland is Black, and his first trial ended in a hung jury when the only Black juror, a woman, held out for acquittal. After his second trial in 1979, he was convicted by an all-white jury of one count of capital murder and two counts of second-degree murder.

In May, Peters Baker announced that a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/06e726b7ef07be53ba7bdb6088282548" target="_blank">review of the case led her to believe that Strickland was innocent.</a>

In June, the Missouri Supreme Court declined to hear Strickland’s petition.

In August, Peters Baker&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/missouri-816410e8eab142331d08c9d750153d28">used a new state law</a>&nbsp;to seek the evidentiary hearing in Jackson County, where Strickland was convicted. The law allows local prosecutors to challenge convictions if they believe the defendant did not commit the crime. It was the first time — and so far the only time — that a prosecutor has used the law to fight a previous conviction.

The hearing was delayed several times by motions filed by Schmitt’s office, one of which successfully argued to have&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/courts-kansas-city-kansas-missouri-a99cc2a98fff1d85e2e2179961a9a4a6">all judges in the 16th Circuit, which includes Jackson County, recused from the hearings,</a>&nbsp;citing a letter in which the circuit’s presiding judge said he agreed Strickland should be exonerated. Welsh was then appointed to preside over the hearing.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/5/1620695920927.png" alt="Strickland-photo MODOC" />
 <figcaption>Strickland-photo MODOC</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY (AP) — A Kansas City man who has been jailed for more than 40 years for three murders was wrongfully convicted in 1979 and will be released, a Missouri judge ruled Tuesday.Kevin Strickland, 62,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-city-kansas-9674fc613175a2b1b7a2e8eefd6301f9">has always maintained</a>&nbsp;that he was home watching television and had nothing to do with the killings, which happened when he was 18 years old.Judge James Welsh, a retired Missouri Court of Appeals judge, ruled after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/missouri-kansas-city-kansas-c077050b39526e271b02219c4d9c44d0">a three-day evidentiary hearing</a>&nbsp;requested by a Jackson County prosecutor&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/missouri-816410e8eab142331d08c9d750153d28">who said evidence used to convict Strickland had been recanted or disproven&nbsp;</a>since his 1979 conviction.Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt fought efforts led by Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker and other legal and political leaders to free Strickland. Schmitt, a Republican running for the U.S. Senate, said Strickland was guilty. Gov. Mike Parson declined Strickland’s clemency requests.Strickland was convicted in the deaths of Larry Ingram, 21; John Walker, 20; and Sherrie Black, 22, at a home in Kansas City.The evidentiary hearing focused largely on previous testimony from Cynthia Douglas, the only person to survive the April 25, 1978, shootings. She initially identified Strickland as one of four men who shot the victims and testified to that during his two trials.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/missouri-kansas-city-kansas-crime-2a8b2cc09dac67051c9c4701a5166d06">But she later said she was pressured by police to choose Strickland and tried for years to alert political and legal experts to help her prove she had identified the wrong man,</a>&nbsp;according to testimony during the hearing from her family, friends and a co-worker. Douglas died in 2015.During the hearing, attorneys for the Missouri Attorney General’s office argued that Strickland’s advocates had not provided any kind of paper trail that proved Douglas tried to recant her identification of Strickland, saying the theory was based on “hearsay, upon hearsay, upon hearsay,”Two other men convicted in the killings later insisted that Strickland wasn’t at the crime scene, The Kansas City Star reported. They named two other suspects, who were never charged.During his testimony, Strickland denied suggestions that he offered Douglas $300 to “keep her mouth shut,” and said he had never visited the house where the murders occurred before they happened.Strickland is Black, and his first trial ended in a hung jury when the only Black juror, a woman, held out for acquittal. After his second trial in 1979, he was convicted by an all-white jury of one count of capital murder and two counts of second-degree murder.In May, Peters Baker announced that a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/06e726b7ef07be53ba7bdb6088282548" target="_blank">review of the case led her to believe that Strickland was innocent.</a>In June, the Missouri Supreme Court declined to hear Strickland’s petition.In August, Peters Baker&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/missouri-816410e8eab142331d08c9d750153d28">used a new state law</a>&nbsp;to seek the evidentiary hearing in Jackson County, where Strickland was convicted. The law allows local prosecutors to challenge convictions if they believe the defendant did not commit the crime. It was the first time — and so far the only time — that a prosecutor has used the law to fight a previous conviction.The hearing was delayed several times by motions filed by Schmitt’s office, one of which successfully argued to have&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/courts-kansas-city-kansas-missouri-a99cc2a98fff1d85e2e2179961a9a4a6">all judges in the 16th Circuit, which includes Jackson County, recused from the hearings,</a>&nbsp;citing a letter in which the circuit’s presiding judge said he agreed Strickland should be exonerated. Welsh was then appointed to preside over the hearing.

Judge will free KC man wrongfully convicted in 1979 triple-killing

By MAX MCCOY <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2021/11/21/love-rage-cranberry-sauce-welcome-to-the-week-that-has-it-all/">For the Kansas Reflector</a>

It’s that time of year again when we’re supposed to gather together 
and count our blessings, but a lot of us aren’t feeling particularly 
thankful on this second pandemic Thanksgiving week.

I don’t have any particular gratefulness metric to share with you, 
other than what we’ve all observed: a smoldering anger burning American 
life, beginning with the driver behind you leaning on his horn and 
screaming bloody murder because you’re not pulling away quick enough 
from a four-way stop. In the rear view you can almost feel his spittle 
flick the back of your neck from the mouthed curses that are the Supreme
 Court definition of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/fighting_words">fighting words</a>.
 There’s the freedom fighter who, seeing your mask, becomes agitated and
 generally tries to exhale as much unvaccinated carbon dioxide as 
possible in your direction, through cursing and shouting. And of course 
we can’t forget our current political amoral majority at the Kansas 
Statehouse, which has forced a historic <a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2021/11/11/kansas-republicans-force-special-session-to-deal-with-federal-vaccine-mandates/">special session</a> of the Legislature this holiday week for a rage festival to fight federal COVID vaccine mandates for large employers.

We got a preview of what to expect during <a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2021/11/12/kansas-hearing-on-vaccine-mandates-provides-stage-for-holocaust-comparisons/">public testimony</a>
 recently before the Special Committee on Government Overreach and the 
Impact of COVID-19 Mandates. Try saying the name of that committee 10 
times fast. There was more medical misinformation disseminated at the 
hearing than in any junior high school boys’ locker room in the land.

In addition to the typical anti-science, fear-mongering claptrap from the usual suspects, including <a target="_blank" href="https://www.kshf.org/">Kansans for Health Freedom</a>,
 we were also treated to the spectacle of anti-vaxivist Daran Duffy and 
his family sitting in the front row wearing yellow Stars of David on 
their chests, as if they were about to be hauled off to the gas 
chambers. Nope, Duffy said, he didn’t consider visual Holocaust 
analogies offensive because “we’re definitely moving in that direction.”
 His claim is wrong and offensive, but consistent with the authoritarian
 playbook. It’s another Big Lie told in service to a political 
objective, and it was widely employed by — you guessed it — the Nazis. 
Although the concept of the Big Lie has often been attributed to Joseph 
Goebbels, the Third Reich’s minister of propaganda, it probably 
originated with Hitler himself.

People will believe a big lie sooner than a little one, Hitler believed, according to a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/joseph-goebbels-on-the-quot-big-lie-quot">psychological profile</a>
 compiled by the American wartime intelligence services, the Office of 
Strategic Services. If you repeat the lie frequently enough, people will
 sooner or later believe it.

“His primary rules were: never allow the public to cool off,” the OSS
 profile reads, “never admit a fault or wrong; never concede that there 
may be good in your enemy; never leave room for alternatives; never 
accept blame; concentrate on one enemy at a time and blame him for 
everything that goes wrong.”

Our majority lawmakers in Kansas — and those in Florida, Missouri, 
and Tennessee — are not going to let the public cool off or let us 
forget that everything bad is the fault of Joe Biden and his 
Satan-worshipping cabal of Democrats. There’s a lot of talk about 
freedom and Jesus surrounding these special sessions, just so no 
political capital is left on the table. Never mind that the vast 
majority of the lawmakers beating their breasts about God and Country 
were themselves vaccinated against mumps, measles, rubella, and 
sometimes smallpox in elementary school, or that in red letters Jesus 
urged us to love (and presumably care for) our neighbors.

Instead, we’re going to be treated to more political spectacle, more 
medical quackery, and yet more calculated comparisons to the Holocaust. 
The anti-science dark side of the Force is so strong in Kansas that even
 the state’s governor, Democrat Laura Kelly, has caved.

“While I appreciate the intention to keep people safe, a goal I 
share, I don’t believe this (Biden administration ) directive is the 
correct, or the most effective, solution for Kansas,” she said in a <a target="_blank" href="https://governor.kansas.gov/governor-laura-kellys-statement-addressing-new-federal-vaccine-mandate/">statement</a>
 early this month. “It is too late to impose a federal standard now that
 we have already developed systems and strategies that are tailored to 
our specific needs.”

This, from the governor whose efforts to mount a coordinated, 
statewide effort to contain the virus was hamstrung by a hostile 
Legislature that demanded “<a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2021/03/25/house-senate-gop-leaders-pledge-to-derail-new-kansas-mask-order-if-re-issued-by-kelly/">oversight.</a>”
 The result was them crumbling under the anti-science, faux freedom 
lobby. The only need Kelly’s statement addresses is her own need for 
re-election, as she’s facing a tough campaign next year against expected
 GOP nominee Derek Schmidt, the state’s attorney general, who already <a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2021/11/05/kansas-governor-attorney-general-both-oppose-federal-vaccine-mandate/">came out against</a> Biden’s mandate.

Kelly believes she needs to retain her office in order to do good. 
But at what point do you stand up for what you know is right, instead of
 talking nonsense about “systems and strategies” tailored to specific 
needs? Why aren’t our leaders talking about the vaccine “mandate” in the
 same way we talked about the need to ban smoking in the workplace? 
Kansas has had the Clean Indoor Air Act for 10 years. There were no 
yellow star photo ops in protest. If the government can regulate smoking
 at work and public places for the sake of public safety, why balk at a 
“vaccine or testing” requirement for employers?

It’s because our leaders lack the courage to speak the truth. Most 
seem to fear medical fact will thwart our state’s specific emotional 
need to believe in hogwash. The pandemic has dragged on in Kansas 
because of vaccine refusal, and we may be facing a brutal fourth wave 
this winter. By the time we sit down to Thanksgiving dinner, our state 
may have <a target="_blank" href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/160/COVID-19-in-Kansas">recorded</a> 7,000 COVID deaths.

Nationally, we’ve logged more than 760,000 dead. It will be a million or more before it’s all over. I remember the <a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2020/07/26/we-need-to-see-more-names-and-faces-of-kansans-lost-to-covid-19/">first column</a>
 I wrote for Kansas Reflector, in July 2020, when the death toll was 
326. It’s now 21 times that. I still believe we need to see the names 
and faces of the coronavirus dead, run in local newspapers, just as news
 outlets ran the names and faces of the dead during the Vietnam War.

But I’m wondering now if death isn’t the attraction, however 
unconscious, for a large segment of vaccine deniers. I’ve been trying 
for months now to make sense of the resistance to vaccines that in any 
other circumstance would be hailed as medical miracles. Where is the 
irrational anger — the cathartic, liberating rage — coming from? I talk 
about this over the breakfast table with Kim, who is weary of my trying 
to find logic in irrational beliefs. You can’t argue with crazy, she 
tells me, because crazy plays by its own facts and will win every time. 
So instead of trying to find logic in crazy, I’ve been thinking about 
psychological factors that might explain things.

Americans will choose freedom, or the illusion of it, over life every time.

Way back in the 1920s, Edward Bernays, the father of modern public 
relations, was hired by the American Tobacco Company to sell cigarettes 
to an untapped market — women. Bernays had experience influencing large 
swaths of people. He was hired by the United States, for example, to 
prepare France for the influx of Doughboys during World War I and was so
 successful that when Woodrow Wilson visited at war’s end the president 
was hailed as a “liberator.” Bernays was smart and talented — imagine a 
Don Draper of the Jazz Age — but he had something going for him that his
 competitors didn’t.

Bernays used his uncle’s ideas about how human beings are driven to 
things that are bad or even deadly to us and turned them into campaigns.
 For the American Tobacco Company, he staged a publicity stunt at the 
1929 Easter Sunday parade in New York. At an appointed signal, young 
women in the parade brought out cigarettes and lit up in public. The 
cigarettes, the press was told, were “torches of freedom.” The idea of 
smoking and liberation were, for generations of women, forever linked, 
even after it was shown that, when used as directed, cigarettes would 
kill you.

My mother smoked from the time she was a young bride in the 1940s to 
the week of her death, of cancer, at age 58. I still remember the red 
pack of Pall Malls that was never far from her reach. Pall Malls were a 
brand of the American Tobacco Company, and are still produced by its 
successor, the R.J. Reynolds Company.

In his 1928 book, “<a target="_blank" href="https://www.amazon.com/Propaganda-Edward-Bernays/dp/0970312598">Propaganda</a>,” Bernays lays it out:

“The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits 
and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic 
society. Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society 
constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our
 country.”

His pioneering work in public relations — good and bad, but 
undeniably effective — set the stage for the marketing explosion of the 
20th century, particularly after World War II when most families had a 
little disposable income. His uncle’s ideas about the human fascination 
with death became a staple of marketing. The death drive, as Freud saw 
it, results in anger, compulsion and self-destructive behavior. These 
ideas may seem primitive to modern psychoanalysts and marketing experts,
 with their <a target="_blank" href="https://www.healthline.com/health/mmpi-test">MMPI</a> and social media algorithms, but Freud’s insights have been used for decades to sell us things that are bad for us.

I suspect it’s also being used to sell us ideas that are bad for us.

In 2006, the cultural anthropologist Clotaire Rapaille published “<a target="_blank" href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/139174/the-culture-code-by-clotaire-rapaille/">The Culture Code</a>,”
 a book that describes his work as a marketing guru for upscale brands. 
Rapaille is a little too glib to take everything he says without a 
generous dose of salt, but he writes clearly and has some compelling 
anecdotes. When Chrysler came to him in the 1990s to ask why Jeep 
Wrangler sales had stalled, Rapaille’s research told him it was because 
they’d changed the headlights to square. Change them back to round, he 
told them, because the code for Jeep was “horse,” and horses have round 
eyes. It worked.

Rapaille keeps his narrative positive, but he does have interesting 
things to say about the collective American mind. Our code for 
perfection, he says, is “death.” We’re an adolescent country and we fear
 getting things right the first time. We don’t like experts telling us 
what to do or holding us to their standards.

But what worked on the frontier isn’t a great strategy for public health.

The GOP of 2021 has an advantage over any reality-based political 
philosophy because it has completely surrendered to the irrational 
impulses that make us act against our own best interests. They have no 
need for new ideas or compelling solutions because the narrative they 
push is hardwired into the American brain. Freedom is about doing what 
you want because if it feels good, praise Jesus, and damn the 
consequences.

So, this Thanksgiving should be interesting.

Last year, the pandemic kept many of us apart, only sharing dinners 
with out-of-town family through a Zoom screen. Now, we are likely to be 
at the same table again. And along with the turkey and dressing and 
cranberry sauce will be love, anger and even rage. For most families, 
there will be plenty of eggshells to tiptoe around. But inevitably, 
after a glass or three of wine, politics will come up.

There may even be talk of JFK Jr. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/11/02/qanon-jfk-jr-dallas/">returning</a> from the dead.

Here’s my suggestion on how to handle it.

Show some kindness. Treat the loved one embracing political delusions
 or spouting medical misinformation or advocating an authoritarian 
worldview with the tolerance you would if they were heavy smokers who 
just hadn’t yet made the decision to quit. Don’t let them smoke at the 
table. Refuse to take a puff on their torch of freedom.

Then, on Black Friday, urge them to give the stuff up. Go back to 
rational arguments. Ask them to see a doctor for help with that cough. 
Don’t cave by allowing that yes, there may be some point to their 
vaccine denial, that voter fraud could be rampant, or that JFK Jr. just 
might return. You’re going to lose those arguments, because rage trumps 
fact every time, but at least you’ll have memories of one good holiday.

Then prepare yourself for the fourth wave.

Max McCoy is an award-winning author and journalist. A native Kansan, he started his career at the Pittsburg Morning Sun and was soon writing for national magazines.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/11/1637687459867.png" alt="This Thanksgiving, there will be plenty of rage to go along with the cranberry sauce. (Max McCoy/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>This Thanksgiving, there will be plenty of rage to go along with the cranberry sauce. (Max McCoy/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>By MAX MCCOY <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2021/11/21/love-rage-cranberry-sauce-welcome-to-the-week-that-has-it-all/">For the Kansas Reflector</a>It’s that time of year again when we’re supposed to gather together 
and count our blessings, but a lot of us aren’t feeling particularly 
thankful on this second pandemic Thanksgiving week.I don’t have any particular gratefulness metric to share with you, 
other than what we’ve all observed: a smoldering anger burning American 
life, beginning with the driver behind you leaning on his horn and 
screaming bloody murder because you’re not pulling away quick enough 
from a four-way stop. In the rear view you can almost feel his spittle 
flick the back of your neck from the mouthed curses that are the Supreme
 Court definition of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/fighting_words">fighting words</a>.
 There’s the freedom fighter who, seeing your mask, becomes agitated and
 generally tries to exhale as much unvaccinated carbon dioxide as 
possible in your direction, through cursing and shouting. And of course 
we can’t forget our current political amoral majority at the Kansas 
Statehouse, which has forced a historic <a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2021/11/11/kansas-republicans-force-special-session-to-deal-with-federal-vaccine-mandates/">special session</a> of the Legislature this holiday week for a rage festival to fight federal COVID vaccine mandates for large employers.We got a preview of what to expect during <a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2021/11/12/kansas-hearing-on-vaccine-mandates-provides-stage-for-holocaust-comparisons/">public testimony</a>
 recently before the Special Committee on Government Overreach and the 
Impact of COVID-19 Mandates. Try saying the name of that committee 10 
times fast. There was more medical misinformation disseminated at the 
hearing than in any junior high school boys’ locker room in the land.In addition to the typical anti-science, fear-mongering claptrap from the usual suspects, including <a target="_blank" href="https://www.kshf.org/">Kansans for Health Freedom</a>,
 we were also treated to the spectacle of anti-vaxivist Daran Duffy and 
his family sitting in the front row wearing yellow Stars of David on 
their chests, as if they were about to be hauled off to the gas 
chambers. Nope, Duffy said, he didn’t consider visual Holocaust 
analogies offensive because “we’re definitely moving in that direction.”
 His claim is wrong and offensive, but consistent with the authoritarian
 playbook. It’s another Big Lie told in service to a political 
objective, and it was widely employed by — you guessed it — the Nazis. 
Although the concept of the Big Lie has often been attributed to Joseph 
Goebbels, the Third Reich’s minister of propaganda, it probably 
originated with Hitler himself.People will believe a big lie sooner than a little one, Hitler believed, according to a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/joseph-goebbels-on-the-quot-big-lie-quot">psychological profile</a>
 compiled by the American wartime intelligence services, the Office of 
Strategic Services. If you repeat the lie frequently enough, people will
 sooner or later believe it.“His primary rules were: never allow the public to cool off,” the OSS
 profile reads, “never admit a fault or wrong; never concede that there 
may be good in your enemy; never leave room for alternatives; never 
accept blame; concentrate on one enemy at a time and blame him for 
everything that goes wrong.”Our majority lawmakers in Kansas — and those in Florida, Missouri, 
and Tennessee — are not going to let the public cool off or let us 
forget that everything bad is the fault of Joe Biden and his 
Satan-worshipping cabal of Democrats. There’s a lot of talk about 
freedom and Jesus surrounding these special sessions, just so no 
political capital is left on the table. Never mind that the vast 
majority of the lawmakers beating their breasts about God and Country 
were themselves vaccinated against mumps, measles, rubella, and 
sometimes smallpox in elementary school, or that in red letters Jesus 
urged us to love (and presumably care for) our neighbors.Instead, we’re going to be treated to more political spectacle, more 
medical quackery, and yet more calculated comparisons to the Holocaust. 
The anti-science dark side of the Force is so strong in Kansas that even
 the state’s governor, Democrat Laura Kelly, has caved.“While I appreciate the intention to keep people safe, a goal I 
share, I don’t believe this (Biden administration ) directive is the 
correct, or the most effective, solution for Kansas,” she said in a <a target="_blank" href="https://governor.kansas.gov/governor-laura-kellys-statement-addressing-new-federal-vaccine-mandate/">statement</a>
 early this month. “It is too late to impose a federal standard now that
 we have already developed systems and strategies that are tailored to 
our specific needs.”This, from the governor whose efforts to mount a coordinated, 
statewide effort to contain the virus was hamstrung by a hostile 
Legislature that demanded “<a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2021/03/25/house-senate-gop-leaders-pledge-to-derail-new-kansas-mask-order-if-re-issued-by-kelly/">oversight.</a>”
 The result was them crumbling under the anti-science, faux freedom 
lobby. The only need Kelly’s statement addresses is her own need for 
re-election, as she’s facing a tough campaign next year against expected
 GOP nominee Derek Schmidt, the state’s attorney general, who already <a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2021/11/05/kansas-governor-attorney-general-both-oppose-federal-vaccine-mandate/">came out against</a> Biden’s mandate.OK, I get it.Kelly believes she needs to retain her office in order to do good. 
But at what point do you stand up for what you know is right, instead of
 talking nonsense about “systems and strategies” tailored to specific 
needs? Why aren’t our leaders talking about the vaccine “mandate” in the
 same way we talked about the need to ban smoking in the workplace? 
Kansas has had the Clean Indoor Air Act for 10 years. There were no 
yellow star photo ops in protest. If the government can regulate smoking
 at work and public places for the sake of public safety, why balk at a 
“vaccine or testing” requirement for employers?<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/11/1637687524277.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>It’s because our leaders lack the courage to speak the truth. Most 
seem to fear medical fact will thwart our state’s specific emotional 
need to believe in hogwash. The pandemic has dragged on in Kansas 
because of vaccine refusal, and we may be facing a brutal fourth wave 
this winter. By the time we sit down to Thanksgiving dinner, our state 
may have <a target="_blank" href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/160/COVID-19-in-Kansas">recorded</a> 7,000 COVID deaths.Nationally, we’ve logged more than 760,000 dead. It will be a million or more before it’s all over. I remember the <a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2020/07/26/we-need-to-see-more-names-and-faces-of-kansans-lost-to-covid-19/">first column</a>
 I wrote for Kansas Reflector, in July 2020, when the death toll was 
326. It’s now 21 times that. I still believe we need to see the names 
and faces of the coronavirus dead, run in local newspapers, just as news
 outlets ran the names and faces of the dead during the Vietnam War.But I’m wondering now if death isn’t the attraction, however 
unconscious, for a large segment of vaccine deniers. I’ve been trying 
for months now to make sense of the resistance to vaccines that in any 
other circumstance would be hailed as medical miracles. Where is the 
irrational anger — the cathartic, liberating rage — coming from? I talk 
about this over the breakfast table with Kim, who is weary of my trying 
to find logic in irrational beliefs. You can’t argue with crazy, she 
tells me, because crazy plays by its own facts and will win every time. 
So instead of trying to find logic in crazy, I’ve been thinking about 
psychological factors that might explain things.Americans will choose freedom, or the illusion of it, over life every time.Way back in the 1920s, Edward Bernays, the father of modern public 
relations, was hired by the American Tobacco Company to sell cigarettes 
to an untapped market — women. Bernays had experience influencing large 
swaths of people. He was hired by the United States, for example, to 
prepare France for the influx of Doughboys during World War I and was so
 successful that when Woodrow Wilson visited at war’s end the president 
was hailed as a “liberator.” Bernays was smart and talented — imagine a 
Don Draper of the Jazz Age — but he had something going for him that his
 competitors didn’t.His uncle was Sigmund Freud.Bernays used his uncle’s ideas about how human beings are driven to 
things that are bad or even deadly to us and turned them into campaigns.
 For the American Tobacco Company, he staged a publicity stunt at the 
1929 Easter Sunday parade in New York. At an appointed signal, young 
women in the parade brought out cigarettes and lit up in public. The 
cigarettes, the press was told, were “torches of freedom.” The idea of 
smoking and liberation were, for generations of women, forever linked, 
even after it was shown that, when used as directed, cigarettes would 
kill you.My mother smoked from the time she was a young bride in the 1940s to 
the week of her death, of cancer, at age 58. I still remember the red 
pack of Pall Malls that was never far from her reach. Pall Malls were a 
brand of the American Tobacco Company, and are still produced by its 
successor, the R.J. Reynolds Company.Such is the reach of irrational desires.In his 1928 book, “<a target="_blank" href="https://www.amazon.com/Propaganda-Edward-Bernays/dp/0970312598">Propaganda</a>,” Bernays lays it out:“The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits 
and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic 
society. Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society 
constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our
 country.”Bernays lived to 103, dying in 1995.His pioneering work in public relations — good and bad, but 
undeniably effective — set the stage for the marketing explosion of the 
20th century, particularly after World War II when most families had a 
little disposable income. His uncle’s ideas about the human fascination 
with death became a staple of marketing. The death drive, as Freud saw 
it, results in anger, compulsion and self-destructive behavior. These 
ideas may seem primitive to modern psychoanalysts and marketing experts,
 with their <a target="_blank" href="https://www.healthline.com/health/mmpi-test">MMPI</a> and social media algorithms, but Freud’s insights have been used for decades to sell us things that are bad for us.I suspect it’s also being used to sell us ideas that are bad for us.In 2006, the cultural anthropologist Clotaire Rapaille published “<a target="_blank" href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/139174/the-culture-code-by-clotaire-rapaille/">The Culture Code</a>,”
 a book that describes his work as a marketing guru for upscale brands. 
Rapaille is a little too glib to take everything he says without a 
generous dose of salt, but he writes clearly and has some compelling 
anecdotes. When Chrysler came to him in the 1990s to ask why Jeep 
Wrangler sales had stalled, Rapaille’s research told him it was because 
they’d changed the headlights to square. Change them back to round, he 
told them, because the code for Jeep was “horse,” and horses have round 
eyes. It worked.Rapaille keeps his narrative positive, but he does have interesting 
things to say about the collective American mind. Our code for 
perfection, he says, is “death.” We’re an adolescent country and we fear
 getting things right the first time. We don’t like experts telling us 
what to do or holding us to their standards.That checks out.But what worked on the frontier isn’t a great strategy for public health.The GOP of 2021 has an advantage over any reality-based political 
philosophy because it has completely surrendered to the irrational 
impulses that make us act against our own best interests. They have no 
need for new ideas or compelling solutions because the narrative they 
push is hardwired into the American brain. Freedom is about doing what 
you want because if it feels good, praise Jesus, and damn the 
consequences.So, this Thanksgiving should be interesting.Last year, the pandemic kept many of us apart, only sharing dinners 
with out-of-town family through a Zoom screen. Now, we are likely to be 
at the same table again. And along with the turkey and dressing and 
cranberry sauce will be love, anger and even rage. For most families, 
there will be plenty of eggshells to tiptoe around. But inevitably, 
after a glass or three of wine, politics will come up.There may even be talk of JFK Jr. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/11/02/qanon-jfk-jr-dallas/">returning</a> from the dead.Here’s my suggestion on how to handle it.Show some kindness. Treat the loved one embracing political delusions
 or spouting medical misinformation or advocating an authoritarian 
worldview with the tolerance you would if they were heavy smokers who 
just hadn’t yet made the decision to quit. Don’t let them smoke at the 
table. Refuse to take a puff on their torch of freedom.Then, on Black Friday, urge them to give the stuff up. Go back to 
rational arguments. Ask them to see a doctor for help with that cough. 
Don’t cave by allowing that yes, there may be some point to their 
vaccine denial, that voter fraud could be rampant, or that JFK Jr. just 
might return. You’re going to lose those arguments, because rage trumps 
fact every time, but at least you’ll have memories of one good holiday.Then prepare yourself for the fourth wave.Max McCoy is an award-winning author and journalist. A native Kansan, he started his career at the Pittsburg Morning Sun and was soon writing for national magazines.&nbsp;

OPINION: Love, rage, cranberry sauce — this week has it all

KANSAS CITY (AP) — A Kansas widow says she's still waiting for answers, more than 40 days after her husband was fatally struck in a hit-and-run accident outside of Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri.

Steven and Laurie Hickle of Wichita left the stadium early on Oct. 10 during a rain delay in the Chiefs game. He was struck by two hit-and-run drivers while trying to cross Blue Ridge Cutoff.

Laurie Hickle said that her last conversation with Kansas City police was several weeks ago when they told her they found one of the vehicles that struck her 66-year-old husband.

Hickle said she is frustrated that the drivers who may have been responsible for her husband’s death have failed to step forward or cooperated with police.

Police spokeswoman Capt. Leslie Foreman said investigators are making some progress in this case, but still need the public’s assistance.

KANSAS CITY (AP) — A Kansas widow says she's still waiting for answers, more than 40 days after her husband was fatally struck in a hit-and-run accident outside of Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri.Steven and Laurie Hickle of Wichita left the stadium early on Oct. 10 during a rain delay in the Chiefs game. He was struck by two hit-and-run drivers while trying to cross Blue Ridge Cutoff.Laurie Hickle said that her last conversation with Kansas City police was several weeks ago when they told her they found one of the vehicles that struck her 66-year-old husband.Hickle said she is frustrated that the drivers who may have been responsible for her husband’s death have failed to step forward or cooperated with police.Police spokeswoman Capt. Leslie Foreman said investigators are making some progress in this case, but still need the public’s assistance.

Widow waiting for answers after hit-and-run near Arrowhead stadium

By
NICK GOSNELL<a href="https://hutchpost.com">Hutch
Post</a>


HUTCHINSON — There are multiple reasons that Kansas First District Congressman
 Tracey Mann voted against the latest spending package backed by the 
Biden administration.

"It's $1.75 trillion, which makes it one of 
the largest spending bills in the history of the country," Mann said. 
"It starts a lot of new programs. It's bad for the oil and gas industry.
 This bill spends $80 billion to hire almost 80,000 more IRS agents. It 
does not have the Hyde Amendment, which, you know, for decades has been 
our policy, that we do not have taxpayer funded abortions. That language
 is not included. This bill is bad, bad, bad, for the country and for 
the Big First. It's not something I could support."

Mann also isn't sure that the price tag is really what the administration is claiming, either.

"There's
 a group that scores it, meaning they are determining what it would cost
 and that's $1.75 trillion," Mann said. "But, a lot of the new programs 
and things that get started are only for a couple of years. Then they 
have to get reauthorized. If you look at this bill over the next 10 
years, I think, more than likely, it would cost more like $4 trillion 
than $1.75 trillion. This just further adds to our $30 trillion debt we 
already have. This spending is not sustainable."

For Mann and many Republicans, it is fundamental to keep government in its lane.

"Big
 picture, there's an inverse relationship between freedom and the size 
of government," Mann said. "When government grows, freedom shrinks and 
when government shrinks, freedom grows. We have seen an expansive growth
 of government, in spending and in intrusion in our lives. Things like 
vaccine mandates, which I strongly oppose. These things are not good for
 our individual freedoms and liberties going forward."

Mann 
believes if the election were held now, Republicans would retake control
 of the House, but it remains to be seen what will change between now 
and next November.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1611836622184.jpeg" alt="Rep. Tracey Mann" />
 <figcaption>Rep. Tracey Mann</figcaption>
 </figure>
By
NICK GOSNELL<a href="https://hutchpost.com">Hutch
Post</a> 
HUTCHINSON — There are multiple reasons that Kansas First District Congressman
 Tracey Mann voted against the latest spending package backed by the 
Biden administration."It's $1.75 trillion, which makes it one of 
the largest spending bills in the history of the country," Mann said. 
"It starts a lot of new programs. It's bad for the oil and gas industry.
 This bill spends $80 billion to hire almost 80,000 more IRS agents. It 
does not have the Hyde Amendment, which, you know, for decades has been 
our policy, that we do not have taxpayer funded abortions. That language
 is not included. This bill is bad, bad, bad, for the country and for 
the Big First. It's not something I could support."Mann also isn't sure that the price tag is really what the administration is claiming, either."There's
 a group that scores it, meaning they are determining what it would cost
 and that's $1.75 trillion," Mann said. "But, a lot of the new programs 
and things that get started are only for a couple of years. Then they 
have to get reauthorized. If you look at this bill over the next 10 
years, I think, more than likely, it would cost more like $4 trillion 
than $1.75 trillion. This just further adds to our $30 trillion debt we 
already have. This spending is not sustainable."For Mann and many Republicans, it is fundamental to keep government in its lane."Big
 picture, there's an inverse relationship between freedom and the size 
of government," Mann said. "When government grows, freedom shrinks and 
when government shrinks, freedom grows. We have seen an expansive growth
 of government, in spending and in intrusion in our lives. Things like 
vaccine mandates, which I strongly oppose. These things are not good for
 our individual freedoms and liberties going forward."Mann 
believes if the election were held now, Republicans would retake control
 of the House, but it remains to be seen what will change between now 
and next November.