SEDGWICK COUNTY —A Kansas man was sentenced to prison Monday for a shooting death at motel in the fall of 2018.&nbsp;

&nbsp;District Judge Bruce Brown sentenced Cory Bentley, 25 of Wichita, to over 46-years in prison&nbsp; for the shooting death of Jackie Jerome, 43 of Wichita, according to Sedgwick County District Attorney Marc Bennett.

In October of 2018, Bentley shot Jerome&nbsp;in the parking lot of the Delux Inn at 8401 W. Kellogg in Wichita. He died of multiple gunshot wounds.

On May 14, 2021, Bentley pled guilty to second degree murder. In addition to the prison sentenceJudge Brown ordered Bentley to pay $759.50 for the funeral of Jerome and $500 in expenses to Mr. Jerome’s son who travelled from Iowa after learning of his father’s murder.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/6/1624915468710.png" alt="Bentley photo Sedgwick Co." />
 <figcaption>Bentley photo Sedgwick Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY —A Kansas man was sentenced to prison Monday for a shooting death at motel in the fall of 2018.&nbsp;&nbsp;District Judge Bruce Brown sentenced Cory Bentley, 25 of Wichita, to over 46-years in prison&nbsp; for the shooting death of Jackie Jerome, 43 of Wichita, according to Sedgwick County District Attorney Marc Bennett.In October of 2018, Bentley shot Jerome&nbsp;in the parking lot of the Delux Inn at 8401 W. Kellogg in Wichita. He died of multiple gunshot wounds.On May 14, 2021, Bentley pled guilty to second degree murder. In addition to the prison sentenceJudge Brown ordered Bentley to pay $759.50 for the funeral of Jerome and $500 in expenses to Mr. Jerome’s son who travelled from Iowa after learning of his father’s murder.

Judge: Kan. man must also pay for murder victim's funeral

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Gov. Laura Kelly and her top welfare official moved Tuesday to keep thousands of families from losing extra food aid because Kansas is no longer under a state of emergency for the coronavirus pandemic.

The announcement that Kelly plans to continue the extra $14.5 million a month in aid came two weeks after top Republicans in the GOP-controlled Legislature&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-and-politics-ks-state-wire-kansas-coronavirus-pandemic-health-7302d46eef675734fe1343f2640236f9">ended the state of emergency.</a>

The Democratic governor’s chief of staff had told reporters that the extra aid tied to the pandemic would be cut off once the state of emergency expired June 15. But Republican leaders had argued that the state could continue to manage its response to the pandemic without an emergency declaration.

The extra aid goes to about 63,000 households and provides an average of $230 a month.

Laura Howard, the top administrator at the state Department for Children and Families, said the federal government promised to continue providing the money for the extra benefits, possibly through the end of the year.

Kelly directed the department to continue the extra benefits, and Howard issued the necessary administrative order.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Gov. Laura Kelly and her top welfare official moved Tuesday to keep thousands of families from losing extra food aid because Kansas is no longer under a state of emergency for the coronavirus pandemic.The announcement that Kelly plans to continue the extra $14.5 million a month in aid came two weeks after top Republicans in the GOP-controlled Legislature&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-and-politics-ks-state-wire-kansas-coronavirus-pandemic-health-7302d46eef675734fe1343f2640236f9">ended the state of emergency.</a>The Democratic governor’s chief of staff had told reporters that the extra aid tied to the pandemic would be cut off once the state of emergency expired June 15. But Republican leaders had argued that the state could continue to manage its response to the pandemic without an emergency declaration.The extra aid goes to about 63,000 households and provides an average of $230 a month.Laura Howard, the top administrator at the state Department for Children and Families, said the federal government promised to continue providing the money for the extra benefits, possibly through the end of the year.Kelly directed the department to continue the extra benefits, and Howard issued the necessary administrative order.

Governor: Kan. will keep providing extra COVID food aid

CRAWFORD COUNTY —Two Kansas men died in an accident just before 7:30a.m. Tuesday in Crawford County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 1998 Toyota Tacoma driven by David E. Ross, 50, Fort Scott, was northbound on U.S. 69 twelve miles south of Fort Scott. 

The pickup crossed the center line and struck a southbound 1997 Ford F350 driven by George Walter Danley, 63, Mapleton, head-on.

Ross was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported to Frontier Forensics. EMS transported Danley to Via Christi were he died. A 13-year-old passenger in the Ford was not injured.

The drivers were not wearing seat belts, according to the KHP.

CRAWFORD COUNTY —Two Kansas men died in an accident just before 7:30a.m. Tuesday in Crawford County.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 1998 Toyota Tacoma driven by David E. Ross, 50, Fort Scott, was northbound on U.S. 69 twelve miles south of Fort Scott. The pickup crossed the center line and struck a southbound 1997 Ford F350 driven by George Walter Danley, 63, Mapleton, head-on.Ross was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported to Frontier Forensics. EMS transported Danley to Via Christi were he died. A 13-year-old passenger in the Ford was not injured.The drivers were not wearing seat belts, according to the KHP.

2 Kansas men dead after head-on pickup crash

KANSAS CITY (AP) — The family of a Black man fatally shot in 2019 in his own backyard by a white police detective is suing Kansas City police and the officer.

The lawsuit was filed Monday in federal court on behalf of Cameron Lamb’s four minor children. The lawsuit accuses detective Eric DeValkenaere of violating Lamb’s civil rights when he ran onto Lamb’s property without a warrant and fatally shot Lamb, 26, as he sat in his pickup truck.

The lawsuit seeks more than $10 million in damages against the Kansas City police board and DeValkenaere. The detective, who has been suspended for more than a year, is awaiting trial on first-degree involuntary manslaughter and armed criminal action in Lamb’s death.

It wasn’t immediately known whether DeValkenaere has a lawyer who could comment on the lawsuit. He’s represented in his criminal case by a public defender, who would not represent him in the lawsuit.

The police department declined to comment on the lawsuit, citing policy against commenting on pending litigation.

Court records in DeValkenaere’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-city-kansas-michael-brown-shootings-616bc5f23a132a855bbcd06c10993610">criminal case&nbsp;</a>say he and another officer were investigating an earlier disturbance involving Lamb’s truck and another vehicle when they went into Lamb’s backyard on Dec. 3, 2019. DeValkenaere said he shot Lamb, who was still in his truck after backing it into the garage, after Lamb pointed a gun at the other officer.

A&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/c55ef8d2398fd3b37781a31511c5e8e4">police investigation</a>&nbsp;into the shooting said Lamb’s left arm was hanging out of the truck and a gun was found on the ground beneath his hand.

But prosecutors and attorneys for Lamb’s family say Lamb was right-handed and did not have full use of his left hand as a result of an injury sustained in 2015. The lawsuit accuses Police Chief Rick Smith of assigning a former supervisor of DeValkenaere’s to conduct the investigation into the shooting and failing to tell prosecutors of the supervisor’s connection to DeValkenaere.

Lamb’s family has doggedly sought answers to questions about his killing,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/william-barr-donald-trump-mo-state-wire-racial-injustice-politics-033bd654df2deb5ece62af601d47b5df">meeting with then-President Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;last summer along with other families of people slain by police or while in custody. Lamb’s children are being represented by S. Lee Merritt, a Texas civil rights attorney who represents several other families of Black people killed by police.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/6/1592995037957.png" alt="Police on the scene of the December shooting investigation photo courtesy KCTV" />
 <figcaption>Police on the scene of the December shooting investigation photo courtesy KCTV</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY (AP) — The family of a Black man fatally shot in 2019 in his own backyard by a white police detective is suing Kansas City police and the officer.The lawsuit was filed Monday in federal court on behalf of Cameron Lamb’s four minor children. The lawsuit accuses detective Eric DeValkenaere of violating Lamb’s civil rights when he ran onto Lamb’s property without a warrant and fatally shot Lamb, 26, as he sat in his pickup truck.The lawsuit seeks more than $10 million in damages against the Kansas City police board and DeValkenaere. The detective, who has been suspended for more than a year, is awaiting trial on first-degree involuntary manslaughter and armed criminal action in Lamb’s death.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/6/1592994941014.png" alt="Detective Eric DeValkenaere -courtesy photo" />
 <figcaption>Detective Eric DeValkenaere -courtesy photo</figcaption>
 </figure>It wasn’t immediately known whether DeValkenaere has a lawyer who could comment on the lawsuit. He’s represented in his criminal case by a public defender, who would not represent him in the lawsuit.The police department declined to comment on the lawsuit, citing policy against commenting on pending litigation.Court records in DeValkenaere’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-city-kansas-michael-brown-shootings-616bc5f23a132a855bbcd06c10993610">criminal case&nbsp;</a>say he and another officer were investigating an earlier disturbance involving Lamb’s truck and another vehicle when they went into Lamb’s backyard on Dec. 3, 2019. DeValkenaere said he shot Lamb, who was still in his truck after backing it into the garage, after Lamb pointed a gun at the other officer.A&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/c55ef8d2398fd3b37781a31511c5e8e4">police investigation</a>&nbsp;into the shooting said Lamb’s left arm was hanging out of the truck and a gun was found on the ground beneath his hand.But prosecutors and attorneys for Lamb’s family say Lamb was right-handed and did not have full use of his left hand as a result of an injury sustained in 2015. The lawsuit accuses Police Chief Rick Smith of assigning a former supervisor of DeValkenaere’s to conduct the investigation into the shooting and failing to tell prosecutors of the supervisor’s connection to DeValkenaere.Lamb’s family has doggedly sought answers to questions about his killing,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/william-barr-donald-trump-mo-state-wire-racial-injustice-politics-033bd654df2deb5ece62af601d47b5df">meeting with then-President Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;last summer along with other families of people slain by police or while in custody. Lamb’s children are being represented by S. Lee Merritt, a Texas civil rights attorney who represents several other families of Black people killed by police.

Family of Black man slain by officer sues Kansas City police

WASHINGTON&nbsp;– U.S. Senators Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) asked the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) for more information on when and how the agencies will update their travel guidance for vaccinated people, according to a media release from Moran's office.

“As there has not yet been any change in the requirement for masks while traveling, we request an update on the CDC’s and TSA’s process for updating the mask requirement for fully vaccinated individuals and what the science is showing about the transmission of COVID-19 for fully vaccinated individuals while traveling,”&nbsp;the senators wrote.

The full letter can be found&nbsp;below.

Dear Dr. Walensky and Administrator Pekoske:

We are writing regarding the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) order and the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) security directive to require the wearing of masks by individuals on public transportation conveyances—such as airplanes, buses, and trains—or at transportation hubs to prevent the spread of the virus that causes COVID-19.&nbsp;We support measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and end the pandemic as soon as possible, but we also support steps to safely lift restrictions when appropriate.&nbsp;

We understand that CDC and TSA issued and have maintained the mask requirement for travel for several reasons, including that public transportation conveyances and transportation hubs are locations where many people gather, physical distancing can be difficult, and the option to get off or move to another area is not always available. In addition, people may need to take public transportation for their livelihoods, and individuals working or traveling on transportation conveyances may be unvaccinated or at increased risk of severe illness.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The CDC’s guidance on face masks for fully vaccinated people has evolved as new data have become available and as more individuals are vaccinated.&nbsp; In May, the CDC announced new guidance that fully vaccinated individuals could resume activities without wearing a mask or staying six feet apart.&nbsp;At that time, the CDC said that it would continue to update its guidance for travel as the science emerges and that it would need to collaborate with other agencies as the face mask requirement is an interagency policy.&nbsp;&nbsp;

As there has not yet been any change in the requirement for masks while traveling, we request an update on the CDC’s and TSA’s process for updating the mask requirement for fully vaccinated individuals and what the science is showing about the transmission of COVID-19 for fully vaccinated individuals while traveling.&nbsp;Specifically, we request answers by no later than July 12, 2021, to the following questions:

1.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;What has the CDC learned about the transmission of COVID-19 on airplanes and other forms of transportation for fully vaccinated individuals?

2.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;What additional factors beyond how COVID-19 spreads, such as the impact on flight attendants or airline operations, are informing the mask requirement for travel?

3.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Would removing the mask requirement for travel for fully vaccinated people encourage vaccination against COVID-19?

4.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Would lifting the mask requirement for fully vaccinated travelers create administrability challenges?

5.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;What steps have the CDC, TSA, and other relevant federal agencies taken together to update the travel guidance and mask requirement?

If the requirement for wearing masks while traveling can be safely lifted and would serve the public health interest, then we believe it would benefit the traveling public. We appreciate your prompt attention to this matter and hard work in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/4/1617380938877.png" alt="Photo courtesy Kansas City International Airport" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy Kansas City International Airport</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON&nbsp;– U.S. Senators Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) asked the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) for more information on when and how the agencies will update their travel guidance for vaccinated people, according to a media release from Moran's office.“As there has not yet been any change in the requirement for masks while traveling, we request an update on the CDC’s and TSA’s process for updating the mask requirement for fully vaccinated individuals and what the science is showing about the transmission of COVID-19 for fully vaccinated individuals while traveling,”&nbsp;the senators wrote.The full letter can be found&nbsp;below.Dear Dr. Walensky and Administrator Pekoske:We are writing regarding the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) order and the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) security directive to require the wearing of masks by individuals on public transportation conveyances—such as airplanes, buses, and trains—or at transportation hubs to prevent the spread of the virus that causes COVID-19.&nbsp;We support measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and end the pandemic as soon as possible, but we also support steps to safely lift restrictions when appropriate.&nbsp;We understand that CDC and TSA issued and have maintained the mask requirement for travel for several reasons, including that public transportation conveyances and transportation hubs are locations where many people gather, physical distancing can be difficult, and the option to get off or move to another area is not always available. In addition, people may need to take public transportation for their livelihoods, and individuals working or traveling on transportation conveyances may be unvaccinated or at increased risk of severe illness.&nbsp;&nbsp;The CDC’s guidance on face masks for fully vaccinated people has evolved as new data have become available and as more individuals are vaccinated.&nbsp; In May, the CDC announced new guidance that fully vaccinated individuals could resume activities without wearing a mask or staying six feet apart.&nbsp;At that time, the CDC said that it would continue to update its guidance for travel as the science emerges and that it would need to collaborate with other agencies as the face mask requirement is an interagency policy.&nbsp;&nbsp;As there has not yet been any change in the requirement for masks while traveling, we request an update on the CDC’s and TSA’s process for updating the mask requirement for fully vaccinated individuals and what the science is showing about the transmission of COVID-19 for fully vaccinated individuals while traveling.&nbsp;Specifically, we request answers by no later than July 12, 2021, to the following questions:1.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;What has the CDC learned about the transmission of COVID-19 on airplanes and other forms of transportation for fully vaccinated individuals?2.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;What additional factors beyond how COVID-19 spreads, such as the impact on flight attendants or airline operations, are informing the mask requirement for travel?3.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Would removing the mask requirement for travel for fully vaccinated people encourage vaccination against COVID-19?4.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Would lifting the mask requirement for fully vaccinated travelers create administrability challenges?5.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;What steps have the CDC, TSA, and other relevant federal agencies taken together to update the travel guidance and mask requirement?If the requirement for wearing masks while traveling can be safely lifted and would serve the public health interest, then we believe it would benefit the traveling public. We appreciate your prompt attention to this matter and hard work in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Moran asks TSA for update on travel guidance for vaccinated

In Nicodemus, Kansas, farmers say the help has come too late

By DAVID CONDOS <a href="https://www.hppr.org/hppr-news/2021-06-28/federal-payments-to-black-kansas-farmers-come-too-late-for-generations-who-faced-discrimination">Kansas News Service</a>

NICODEMUS&nbsp;— At his home in northwest Kansas, Bernard Bates thumbs through a stack of faded color photographs nearly 40 years old.

One
 shows a group of men in county sheriff’s jackets standing in front of a
 combine. In another, two men inspect plowing equipment on a flatbed 
truck.

“That’s when they loaded up my machinery,” Bates said. “They sold our machinery first. Then they sold the land.”

In
 the early 1980s, weather wiped out the crops on his 950-acre farm in 
Nicodemus, the last remaining African American settlement west of the 
Mississippi River. Bates tried to get his loans extended to make it to 
the next season. But he was denied. 

Among the papers on his desk sits an <a href="https://context-cdn.washingtonpost.com/notes/prod/default/documents/f998215b-52fa-4cd4-a8f3-c3801a502b09/note/cdb54622-404b-4c01-af73-555e89cbd78e." target="_blank">affidavit</a>
 from the president of the regional credit association that says he 
denied Bates the help he needed deliberately to push him out of farming.

A new <a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/03/13/976659142/black-farmers-have-long-faced-discrimination-new-aid-aims-to-boost-their-numbers" target="_blank">federal effort</a>
 plans to send more debt relief payments to Black farmers in recognition
 of how the USDA and local farm credit offices denied generations of 
people like Bates loans and foreclosed on their properties, effectively 
transferring farmland to their white neighbors. But for many, the money 
will be too late to reverse the decades of damage caused by 
discrimination in farming.

Bates wrote letters detailing the discrimination to Sen. Bob Dole, 
President Ronald Reagan and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. They did
 him no good. His lenders foreclosed. All he could do was watch his 
family farm, his tractor and even the wheat he had harvested get taken 
away.

“My wife tells everybody if I’d had a gun, I probably
 would’ve shot somebody,” Bates said. “I worked hard all year and then 
stood there and watched them steal wheat all night long.”

He was one of the original plaintiffs on a landmark discrimination settlement in the 1990s, <a href="https://www.clearinghouse.net/chDocs/public/FH-DC-0006-9000.pdf" target="_blank">Pigford v Glickman</a>, that was supposed to send more than $1 billion to Black farmers who had been treated unfairly by the USDA.

He’s still waiting for his first check.

The loss of Black-owned farmland is 
profoundly felt in this part of northwest Kansas, where hundreds of 
African American homesteaders built their own agricultural community 
following emancipation in the 19th century. For Angela Bates, Bernard’s 
cousin who now leads the <a href="https://www.nicodemushistoricalsociety.org/" target="_blank">Nicodemus Historical Society</a>, the land here represents more than just soil and crops.

“It reflects what African Americans did with their freedom,” Bates said. “This was the promised land.”

At the time, Nicodemus was one of many all-Black settlements that formerly enslaved people formed on the frontier from <a href="https://humanities.utulsa.edu/oklahoma-home-historically-black-towns-u-s-state/" target="_blank">Oklahoma</a> to <a href="https://www.historicwyoming.org/profiles/empire-wyoming" target="_blank">Wyoming</a>. In Kansas alone, <a href="https://www.stlpublicradio.org/projects/black-white/exodusters.php" target="_blank">more than 40,000</a> African Americans, referred to at the time as exodusters, made similar journeys and built a <a href="http://plainshumanities.unl.edu/encyclopedia/doc/egp.afam.006" target="_blank">dozen</a> Black farming colonies.

“When
 you think about farming in the historical context of African Americans 
and migration,” Bates said, “what you see is the land is the draw.”

But in Nicodemus and other communities across the U.S., that land 
steadily slipped out of African American hands. Bates said the area was 
home to nearly 150 Black farmers a century ago. Today, none of 
Nicodemus’ residents actively farm. And only a few Black farmers in 
neighboring towns are still going.

”The land loss has just 
been tremendous,” said JohnElla Holmes, who lives in Nicodemus and heads
 the Kansas Black Farmers Association. “It’s a loss of legacy.”

On
 a gravel road north of town, Holmes looks over the expansive prairie 
that Black homesteaders, including her great-great grandfather, settled 
here in 1877. Nicodemus is barely visible along the horizon as a line of
 small white homes and a skinny blue water tower.

“All of 
this was Black-owned at one time, six by six miles,” Holmes said, waving
 her hand over a field of golden wheat. “It’s as far as you can see.”

At its peak, the Nicodemus area was home to some <a href="https://www.kshs.org/kansapedia/nicodemus-graham-county/12157" target="_blank">600 people</a>.
 But like many other families who once owned homesteads here, Holmes’ 
parents sold their land long ago because of discrimination that blocked 
her father from getting the funds he needed to keep the farm running.

When Holmes moved back to town six years ago, she was one of only 15 residents.

It’s a pattern that’s 
repeated across the country. One hundred years ago, Holmes said Kansas 
was home to upward of 150,000 acres of Black-owned farmland. That 
number’s now closer to 10,000 acres.

Nationwide, Black farm ownership peaked in 1910, when <a href="http://lib-usda-05.serverfarm.cornell.edu/usda/AgCensusImages/1920/Farm_Statistics_By_Color_and_Tenure.pdf" target="_blank">nearly one million</a> Black farmers had between <a href="https://www.ers.usda.gov/webdocs/publications/46984/19353_ra174h_1_.pdf?v=0" target="_blank">16 and 19 million collective acres</a>. Since then, about <a href="https://www.chlpi.org/clinic-students-reflect-on-land-loss-wealth-and-reparations/" target="_blank">90% of it</a>
 has been lost — a chunk of land roughly the size of West Virginia. At 
the same time, the amount of farmland owned by white farmers has <a href="https://www.ers.usda.gov/webdocs/publications/46984/19353_ra174h_1_.pdf?v=41056#:%7E:text=Land%20ownership%20by%20Black%20farmers,acres%20owned%20by%20White%20farmers." target="_blank">increased</a>. Today, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2021/03/08/reparations-black-farmers-stimulus/" target="_blank">fewer than 50,000</a> African Americans continue to farm.

“If
 something is not done in the next few years,” Thomas Mitchell, a Land 
Loss and Reparations Project researcher, said, “30 years from now, we 
could literally be talking about there's only a few hundred Black 
farmers left in this country.”

Thomas Mitchell teaches law 
at Texas A&amp;M University and has worked with Black farmers across 
several states for the past 25 years. In that time, he said he’s heard 
from farmer after farmer driven off their land by systemic 
discrimination by the USDA and local loan offices where the agency hands
 jurisdiction over to county committees, which have been <a href="https://thehill.com/policy/finance/538598-democrats-make-historic-push-for-aid-equity-for-black-farmers" target="_blank">historically white</a>.

Many
 African Americans haven’t been able to buy land or the equipment they 
need to operate a farm because they were repeatedly denied credit for 
bogus reasons. Some applied for loans to buy seed, but were slow-walked 
so badly they missed the planting season. Others weren’t able to obtain a
 loan application at all.

“This wasn't the exception to the rule. This wasn't a bug,” Mitchell said. “This was a feature of the system.”

The discriminatory practices 
against Black farmers aren’t a new revelation. The USDA’s role in 
pushing Black farmers out of agriculture has been <a href="https://archive.org/details/timetoact1545usda" target="_blank">well documented</a> in the federal government’s <a href="http://thecounterorg.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/cr11b562z.pdf" target="_blank">own reports</a> over the past <a href="http://thecounterorg.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/cr12f22c2.pdf" target="_blank">several decades</a>.

For example, a <a href="http://1ejo4s1s17zg1kcty43jbni1.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/cr11b562z.pdf" target="_blank">report</a>
 from 1982 described “extensive deficiencies” in how the USDA’s farm 
credit arm treated Black farmers. It detailed widespread instances of 
the USDA offering Black farmers fewer loans, smaller loans and higher 
interest rates when compared to their white counterparts.

The
 report concluded that ongoing discrimination “could result in the 
extinction of Black farms in this country if immediate measures are not 
taken to counter the biases presently built into the system.”

But
 little seemed to change. In the years following that 1982 report, 
slashed budgets, staff turnover and poor leadership led the USDA’s civil
 rights program to grind to a halt. A <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1984/07/10/laxity-confusion-mar-usda-rights-program/dc532022-dc89-4fa4-863e-3361cb9bd8a5/" target="_blank">Washington Post report</a> from that time says the agency stopped looking into discrimination complaints entirely.

“The USDA actually acknowledged that with several of the claims,” Mitchell said, “they literally threw them in the garbage can.”

In recent years, there have been some efforts to reckon with the 
USDA’s checkered past — at least on the surface. During his previous 
tenure under the Obama Administration, current Secretary of Agriculture 
Tom Vilsack <a href="https://medium.com/usda-results/https-medium-com-usda-results-chapter-8-b57f91b64d49" target="_blank">heralded</a>
 the USDA’s recent turnaround as a “new era for civil rights” and 
claimed that he had overseen a 12% increase in the number of Black 
farmers.

But an <a href="http://thecounterorg.wpengine.com/usda-black-farmers-discrimination-tom-vilsack-reparations-civil-rights/#myth4" target="_blank">investigation</a>
 by Harvard Food Law and Policy Clinic research fellow Nate Rosenberg 
revealed that the department has misled the public by changing the 
methodology of its census to show a false uptick in Black farming.

“They
 portrayed it in a completely irresponsible way,” said Rosenberg, who is
 also lead researcher with the Land Loss and Reparations Project. “And 
they still do.”

Rosenberg said that has led to a perception
 that discrimination against Black farmers as a thing of the past and 
has made it even more challenging for farmers to get their concerns 
taken seriously. His two-year <a href="http://thecounterorg.wpengine.com/usda-black-farmers-discrimination-tom-vilsack-reparations-civil-rights/#myth4" target="_blank">investigation</a>
 into the USDA’s practices under Vilsack found that the agency continued
 to foreclose on Black farmers with unresolved civil rights complaints 
and failed to properly address new complaints that came in.

“There
 was a perception that the Vilsack administration was addressing it,” 
Rosenberg said, “when, in fact, it was getting worse.”

The new federal debt relief 
program within the American Rescue Plan slated to launch this month is 
intended to start righting some of those wrongs. It includes an <a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/03/13/976659142/black-farmers-have-long-faced-discrimination-new-aid-aims-to-boost-their-numbers" target="_blank">estimated $4 billion</a> to pay off some outstanding debts marginalized farmers owe the federal government.

But
 Mitchell, the Texas A&amp;M law professor, said that while $4 billion 
might sound like a lot, his team’s preliminary research estimates that 
the actual amount of wealth removed from Black communities as a result 
of lost farmland adds up to at least $300 billion. So even if this new 
relief program does end up putting money in some Black farmers’ pockets,
 it won’t even the score.

“It doesn't represent anything 
approaching a remedy that would make Black farmers whole,” Michell said.
 “I mean, not even close.”

And it’s still unclear whether or not the effort will come to fruition.

A federal judge issued a temporary order <a href="https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/2021/06/10/judge-suspends-biden-debt-relief-program-farmers-color/7646187002/" target="_blank">halting the debt relief</a>
 in response to a lawsuit filed by a conservative law firm in Wisconsin 
and a group of white farmers. And that’s not the only federal lawsuit 
that’s been brought by <a href="https://www.agriculture.com/news/business/trump-backed-legal-group-sues-for-debt-relief-for-white-farmers" target="_blank">white farmers</a> who say the program discriminates against them. Banks are also pressuring the USDA to rethink the plan, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/19/us/politics/black-farmers-debt-relief.html" target="_blank">arguing</a> that it would cut into their profits from interest payments.

JohnElla Holmes, the head of the Black farmers group, said her 
organization has received threats from people outraged at the idea of 
handouts going to farmers of color.

Yet she figures only a 
quarter of the farmers she works with will even be eligible for 
compensation. She said the decades of being denied federal farm loans 
pushed many Black farmers to seek private loans from banks, and those 
aren’t covered as part of this debt relief program.

Even 
among the Kansas farmers who are eligible, Holmes said many of them are 
skeptical about signing up. So, she has been seeking them out and trying
 to persuade them that the program offers at least a chance of shoring 
up their family farms for the future.

“Do I want handouts? 
Absolutely not,” Holmes said. “I just want to be treated fairly, and put
 in a position where we can be at least on the football field.”

David Condos covers western Kansas for High Plains Public Radio and the Kansas News Service. You can follow him on Twitter <a href="http://twitter.com/davidcondos" target="_blank">@davidcondos</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/6/1624973546110.png" alt="Bernard Bates holds a notebook of documents from the lawsuits he's been a part of while trying to get his farmland back. Photos by David Condos / Kansas News Service" />
 <figcaption>Bernard Bates holds a notebook of documents from the lawsuits he's been a part of while trying to get his farmland back. Photos by David Condos / Kansas News Service</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>In Nicodemus, Kansas, farmers say the help has come too late</h2>By DAVID CONDOS <a href="https://www.hppr.org/hppr-news/2021-06-28/federal-payments-to-black-kansas-farmers-come-too-late-for-generations-who-faced-discrimination">Kansas News Service</a>NICODEMUS&nbsp;— At his home in northwest Kansas, Bernard Bates thumbs through a stack of faded color photographs nearly 40 years old.One
 shows a group of men in county sheriff’s jackets standing in front of a
 combine. In another, two men inspect plowing equipment on a flatbed 
truck.“That’s when they loaded up my machinery,” Bates said. “They sold our machinery first. Then they sold the land.”In
 the early 1980s, weather wiped out the crops on his 950-acre farm in 
Nicodemus, the last remaining African American settlement west of the 
Mississippi River. Bates tried to get his loans extended to make it to 
the next season. But he was denied. Among the papers on his desk sits an <a href="https://context-cdn.washingtonpost.com/notes/prod/default/documents/f998215b-52fa-4cd4-a8f3-c3801a502b09/note/cdb54622-404b-4c01-af73-555e89cbd78e." target="_blank">affidavit</a>
 from the president of the regional credit association that says he 
denied Bates the help he needed deliberately to push him out of farming.A new <a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/03/13/976659142/black-farmers-have-long-faced-discrimination-new-aid-aims-to-boost-their-numbers" target="_blank">federal effort</a>
 plans to send more debt relief payments to Black farmers in recognition
 of how the USDA and local farm credit offices denied generations of 
people like Bates loans and foreclosed on their properties, effectively 
transferring farmland to their white neighbors. But for many, the money 
will be too late to reverse the decades of damage caused by 
discrimination in farming.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/6/1624973611650.png" alt="Photos showing the day Bernard Bates' farming equipment was sold in 1983." />
 <figcaption>Photos showing the day Bernard Bates' farming equipment was sold in 1983.</figcaption>
 </figure>Bates wrote letters detailing the discrimination to Sen. Bob Dole, 
President Ronald Reagan and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. They did
 him no good. His lenders foreclosed. All he could do was watch his 
family farm, his tractor and even the wheat he had harvested get taken 
away.“My wife tells everybody if I’d had a gun, I probably
 would’ve shot somebody,” Bates said. “I worked hard all year and then 
stood there and watched them steal wheat all night long.”He was one of the original plaintiffs on a landmark discrimination settlement in the 1990s, <a href="https://www.clearinghouse.net/chDocs/public/FH-DC-0006-9000.pdf" target="_blank">Pigford v Glickman</a>, that was supposed to send more than $1 billion to Black farmers who had been treated unfairly by the USDA.He’s still waiting for his first check.“I haven't got a penny yet.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/6/1624973641925.png" alt="Wheat grows in a northwest Kansas field with the town of Nicodemus in the distance." />
 <figcaption>Wheat grows in a northwest Kansas field with the town of Nicodemus in the distance.</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Promised land</h2>The loss of Black-owned farmland is 
profoundly felt in this part of northwest Kansas, where hundreds of 
African American homesteaders built their own agricultural community 
following emancipation in the 19th century. For Angela Bates, Bernard’s 
cousin who now leads the <a href="https://www.nicodemushistoricalsociety.org/" target="_blank">Nicodemus Historical Society</a>, the land here represents more than just soil and crops.“It reflects what African Americans did with their freedom,” Bates said. “This was the promised land.”At the time, Nicodemus was one of many all-Black settlements that formerly enslaved people formed on the frontier from <a href="https://humanities.utulsa.edu/oklahoma-home-historically-black-towns-u-s-state/" target="_blank">Oklahoma</a> to <a href="https://www.historicwyoming.org/profiles/empire-wyoming" target="_blank">Wyoming</a>. In Kansas alone, <a href="https://www.stlpublicradio.org/projects/black-white/exodusters.php" target="_blank">more than 40,000</a> African Americans, referred to at the time as exodusters, made similar journeys and built a <a href="http://plainshumanities.unl.edu/encyclopedia/doc/egp.afam.006" target="_blank">dozen</a> Black farming colonies.“When
 you think about farming in the historical context of African Americans 
and migration,” Bates said, “what you see is the land is the draw.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/6/1624973683126.png" alt="Angela Bates holds a picture of her great-great-great-grandparents, John and Lee Anna Samuels, who settled in Nicodemus after their emancipation from slavery. David Condos / Kansas News Service" />
 <figcaption>Angela Bates holds a picture of her great-great-great-grandparents, John and Lee Anna Samuels, who settled in Nicodemus after their emancipation from slavery. David Condos / Kansas News Service</figcaption>
 </figure>But in Nicodemus and other communities across the U.S., that land 
steadily slipped out of African American hands. Bates said the area was 
home to nearly 150 Black farmers a century ago. Today, none of 
Nicodemus’ residents actively farm. And only a few Black farmers in 
neighboring towns are still going.”The land loss has just 
been tremendous,” said JohnElla Holmes, who lives in Nicodemus and heads
 the Kansas Black Farmers Association. “It’s a loss of legacy.”On
 a gravel road north of town, Holmes looks over the expansive prairie 
that Black homesteaders, including her great-great grandfather, settled 
here in 1877. Nicodemus is barely visible along the horizon as a line of
 small white homes and a skinny blue water tower.“All of 
this was Black-owned at one time, six by six miles,” Holmes said, waving
 her hand over a field of golden wheat. “It’s as far as you can see.”At its peak, the Nicodemus area was home to some <a href="https://www.kshs.org/kansapedia/nicodemus-graham-county/12157" target="_blank">600 people</a>.
 But like many other families who once owned homesteads here, Holmes’ 
parents sold their land long ago because of discrimination that blocked 
her father from getting the funds he needed to keep the farm running.When Holmes moved back to town six years ago, she was one of only 15 residents.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/6/1624973714177.png" alt="A photograph of Bernard Bates' father as a child with his family on their Nicodemus farm in the early 1900s." />
 <figcaption>A photograph of Bernard Bates' father as a child with his family on their Nicodemus farm in the early 1900s.</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>‘This wasn’t a bug’</h2>It’s a pattern that’s 
repeated across the country. One hundred years ago, Holmes said Kansas 
was home to upward of 150,000 acres of Black-owned farmland. That 
number’s now closer to 10,000 acres.Nationwide, Black farm ownership peaked in 1910, when <a href="http://lib-usda-05.serverfarm.cornell.edu/usda/AgCensusImages/1920/Farm_Statistics_By_Color_and_Tenure.pdf" target="_blank">nearly one million</a> Black farmers had between <a href="https://www.ers.usda.gov/webdocs/publications/46984/19353_ra174h_1_.pdf?v=0" target="_blank">16 and 19 million collective acres</a>. Since then, about <a href="https://www.chlpi.org/clinic-students-reflect-on-land-loss-wealth-and-reparations/" target="_blank">90% of it</a>
 has been lost — a chunk of land roughly the size of West Virginia. At 
the same time, the amount of farmland owned by white farmers has <a href="https://www.ers.usda.gov/webdocs/publications/46984/19353_ra174h_1_.pdf?v=41056#:%7E:text=Land%20ownership%20by%20Black%20farmers,acres%20owned%20by%20White%20farmers." target="_blank">increased</a>. Today, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2021/03/08/reparations-black-farmers-stimulus/" target="_blank">fewer than 50,000</a> African Americans continue to farm.“If
 something is not done in the next few years,” Thomas Mitchell, a Land 
Loss and Reparations Project researcher, said, “30 years from now, we 
could literally be talking about there's only a few hundred Black 
farmers left in this country.”Thomas Mitchell teaches law 
at Texas A&amp;M University and has worked with Black farmers across 
several states for the past 25 years. In that time, he said he’s heard 
from farmer after farmer driven off their land by systemic 
discrimination by the USDA and local loan offices where the agency hands
 jurisdiction over to county committees, which have been <a href="https://thehill.com/policy/finance/538598-democrats-make-historic-push-for-aid-equity-for-black-farmers" target="_blank">historically white</a>.Many
 African Americans haven’t been able to buy land or the equipment they 
need to operate a farm because they were repeatedly denied credit for 
bogus reasons. Some applied for loans to buy seed, but were slow-walked 
so badly they missed the planting season. Others weren’t able to obtain a
 loan application at all.“This wasn't the exception to the rule. This wasn't a bug,” Mitchell said. “This was a feature of the system.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/6/1624973744045.png" alt="Bernard Bates, who lost his farm after facing discriminatory lending practices, stands with his wife, Ava, outside their home west of Nicodemus." />
 <figcaption>Bernard Bates, who lost his farm after facing discriminatory lending practices, stands with his wife, Ava, outside their home west of Nicodemus.</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Little changed</h2>The discriminatory practices 
against Black farmers aren’t a new revelation. The USDA’s role in 
pushing Black farmers out of agriculture has been <a href="https://archive.org/details/timetoact1545usda" target="_blank">well documented</a> in the federal government’s <a href="http://thecounterorg.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/cr11b562z.pdf" target="_blank">own reports</a> over the past <a href="http://thecounterorg.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/cr12f22c2.pdf" target="_blank">several decades</a>.For example, a <a href="http://1ejo4s1s17zg1kcty43jbni1.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/cr11b562z.pdf" target="_blank">report</a>
 from 1982 described “extensive deficiencies” in how the USDA’s farm 
credit arm treated Black farmers. It detailed widespread instances of 
the USDA offering Black farmers fewer loans, smaller loans and higher 
interest rates when compared to their white counterparts.The
 report concluded that ongoing discrimination “could result in the 
extinction of Black farms in this country if immediate measures are not 
taken to counter the biases presently built into the system.”But
 little seemed to change. In the years following that 1982 report, 
slashed budgets, staff turnover and poor leadership led the USDA’s civil
 rights program to grind to a halt. A <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1984/07/10/laxity-confusion-mar-usda-rights-program/dc532022-dc89-4fa4-863e-3361cb9bd8a5/" target="_blank">Washington Post report</a> from that time says the agency stopped looking into discrimination complaints entirely.“The USDA actually acknowledged that with several of the claims,” Mitchell said, “they literally threw them in the garbage can.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/6/1624973773202.png" alt="An affidavit describing the local farm credit association's intent to discriminate against Bernard Bates." />
 <figcaption>An affidavit describing the local farm credit association's intent to discriminate against Bernard Bates.</figcaption>
 </figure>In recent years, there have been some efforts to reckon with the 
USDA’s checkered past — at least on the surface. During his previous 
tenure under the Obama Administration, current Secretary of Agriculture 
Tom Vilsack <a href="https://medium.com/usda-results/https-medium-com-usda-results-chapter-8-b57f91b64d49" target="_blank">heralded</a>
 the USDA’s recent turnaround as a “new era for civil rights” and 
claimed that he had overseen a 12% increase in the number of Black 
farmers.But an <a href="http://thecounterorg.wpengine.com/usda-black-farmers-discrimination-tom-vilsack-reparations-civil-rights/#myth4" target="_blank">investigation</a>
 by Harvard Food Law and Policy Clinic research fellow Nate Rosenberg 
revealed that the department has misled the public by changing the 
methodology of its census to show a false uptick in Black farming.“They
 portrayed it in a completely irresponsible way,” said Rosenberg, who is
 also lead researcher with the Land Loss and Reparations Project. “And 
they still do.”Rosenberg said that has led to a perception
 that discrimination against Black farmers as a thing of the past and 
has made it even more challenging for farmers to get their concerns 
taken seriously. His two-year <a href="http://thecounterorg.wpengine.com/usda-black-farmers-discrimination-tom-vilsack-reparations-civil-rights/#myth4" target="_blank">investigation</a>
 into the USDA’s practices under Vilsack found that the agency continued
 to foreclose on Black farmers with unresolved civil rights complaints 
and failed to properly address new complaints that came in.“There
 was a perception that the Vilsack administration was addressing it,” 
Rosenberg said, “when, in fact, it was getting worse.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/6/1624973803414.png" alt="JohnElla Holmes, president and executive director of the Kansas Black Farmers Association, stands next to a piece of farmland north of Nicodemus." />
 <figcaption>JohnElla Holmes, president and executive director of the Kansas Black Farmers Association, stands next to a piece of farmland north of Nicodemus.</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>The road ahead</h2>The new federal debt relief 
program within the American Rescue Plan slated to launch this month is 
intended to start righting some of those wrongs. It includes an <a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/03/13/976659142/black-farmers-have-long-faced-discrimination-new-aid-aims-to-boost-their-numbers" target="_blank">estimated $4 billion</a> to pay off some outstanding debts marginalized farmers owe the federal government.But
 Mitchell, the Texas A&amp;M law professor, said that while $4 billion 
might sound like a lot, his team’s preliminary research estimates that 
the actual amount of wealth removed from Black communities as a result 
of lost farmland adds up to at least $300 billion. So even if this new 
relief program does end up putting money in some Black farmers’ pockets,
 it won’t even the score.“It doesn't represent anything 
approaching a remedy that would make Black farmers whole,” Michell said.
 “I mean, not even close.”And it’s still unclear whether or not the effort will come to fruition.A federal judge issued a temporary order <a href="https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/2021/06/10/judge-suspends-biden-debt-relief-program-farmers-color/7646187002/" target="_blank">halting the debt relief</a>
 in response to a lawsuit filed by a conservative law firm in Wisconsin 
and a group of white farmers. And that’s not the only federal lawsuit 
that’s been brought by <a href="https://www.agriculture.com/news/business/trump-backed-legal-group-sues-for-debt-relief-for-white-farmers" target="_blank">white farmers</a> who say the program discriminates against them. Banks are also pressuring the USDA to rethink the plan, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/19/us/politics/black-farmers-debt-relief.html" target="_blank">arguing</a> that it would cut into their profits from interest payments.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/6/1624973832615.png" alt="The District No. 1 Schoolhouse is now part of the Nicodemus National Historic Site." />
 <figcaption>The District No. 1 Schoolhouse is now part of the Nicodemus National Historic Site.</figcaption>
 </figure>JohnElla Holmes, the head of the Black farmers group, said her 
organization has received threats from people outraged at the idea of 
handouts going to farmers of color.Yet she figures only a 
quarter of the farmers she works with will even be eligible for 
compensation. She said the decades of being denied federal farm loans 
pushed many Black farmers to seek private loans from banks, and those 
aren’t covered as part of this debt relief program.Even 
among the Kansas farmers who are eligible, Holmes said many of them are 
skeptical about signing up. So, she has been seeking them out and trying
 to persuade them that the program offers at least a chance of shoring 
up their family farms for the future.“Do I want handouts? 
Absolutely not,” Holmes said. “I just want to be treated fairly, and put
 in a position where we can be at least on the football field.”David Condos covers western Kansas for High Plains Public Radio and the Kansas News Service. You can follow him on Twitter <a href="http://twitter.com/davidcondos" target="_blank">@davidcondos</a>.

Payments to black farmers too late for generations who faced discrimination

WASHINGTON&nbsp;—&nbsp;The Internal Revenue Service today continues its "Dirty 
Dozen" scam series with a warning to taxpayers to watch out for 
unexpected schemes in the form of emails, text or social media messages 
and phone calls.

Unscrupulous individuals seek to obtain personal information for the 
purpose of tax-related identity theft. Whether through a telephone call,
 text message or email, the con artist tries to convince the recipient 
that they need to provide Social Security numbers, bank account or 
credit card information or passwords. The scam may also include sending 
links that once clicked on can download malicious software that 
collects, or "mines" personal data.

Often, criminals pose as someone the recipient knows or frequently 
interacts with, whether a social or family relationship or a business 
contact. They gather much of this information from social media. A 
person's contacts or 'friends' are used to bait the recipient into 
thinking they're dealing with someone they know.

More information on the IRS's "Dirty Dozen" list can be found on a <a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/dirty-dozen">special section of IRS.gov</a>.

The IRS warns taxpayers, businesses and tax professionals to be alert
 for a continuing surge of fake emails, text messages, websites and 
social media attempts to steal personal information. These attacks tend 
to increase during tax season and remain a major cause of identity theft
 throughout the year.

Phishing scams target individuals with communications appearing to 
come from legitimate sources to collect victims' personal and financial 
data and potentially infect their devices by convincing the target to 
download malicious programs. Cybercriminals usually send these phishing 
communications by email but may also use text messages or social media 
posts or messaging.

These phishing schemes can be tricky and cleverly disguised to look 
like they're from the IRS or from others in the tax community. Taxpayers
 are reminded to continually watch out for emails and other scams posing
 as the IRS, like those promising a big refund, missing stimulus payment
 or even issuing a threat. People should not open attachments or click 
on links in those emails or text messages.

Phishing scams targeting tax professionals

As part of the <a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/security-summit">Security Summit</a>
 effort, the IRS warns tax professionals about phishing scams involving 
verification of Electronic Filing Identification Numbers (EFIN) and 
Centralized Authorization File (CAF) numbers. The agency has seen an 
increase in these kinds of scams, along with offers to buy and sell 
EFINs and CAFs.

Tax professionals have reported receiving scam e-mails from the fictitious "<a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-summit-partners-issue-urgent-efin-scam-alert-to-tax-professionals">IRS Tax E-Filing</a>"
 and the IRS reminds tax professionals who receive those e-mails to not 
open any attachments or click any links. Rather, they should report the 
scam to the <a href="https://www.treasury.gov/tigta/">Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration</a>.

The IRS reminds tax professionals to protect themselves against the 
unauthorized use of an EFIN. Tax professionals must not transfer their 
EFIN or ETIN by sale, merger, loan, gift or otherwise to another entity.

Phishing – new client scams target tax pros

The "New Client" scam continues to be a prevalent form of phishing 
for tax pros. Here's an example in the form of an email: "I just moved 
here from Michigan. I have an urgent tax issue and I was hoping you 
could help," the email begins. "I hope you are taking on new clients."

The email says one attachment is an IRS notice and the other 
attachment is the prospective client's prior-year tax return. This scam 
has many variations so tax professionals should be wary and avoid 
opening attachments or clicking links when they don't know the e-mail 
sender.

Knowing what to watch for can help. Below is an actual example of another recent new client scam e-mail:

Individuals should be wary of unexpected phone calls asking for 
personal financial information. The IRS has seen an increase in 
voice-related phishing, or 'vishing,' particularly from scams related to
 federal tax liens. For those receiving phone calls out of the blue, 
security experts recommend asking questions of the caller but not 
providing any personal information. If in doubt, hang up immediately.

During 2020, almost 400 vishing scams were reported, a 14% increase 
from the prior year. Of those vishing scams, 25% were scammers who tried
 to use fake tax lien information. The number of tax-lien related scams 
increased from 58 in 2019 to 104 in 2020, an increase of 79%. The IRS 
urges taxpayers to refrain from engaging potential scammers on the phone
 or online.

While both the IRS and the Federal Trade Commission have seen a 
decline in the number of reports of scammers claiming to be from the IRS
 telephoning potential victims, the agency urges taxpayers to be wary. 
(The IRS has seen a 43% decrease in the number of reports of calls from 
callers claiming to be from the IRS: 20,500 in 2020 compared to 36,000 
in 2019. The FTC saw a 67% decline from 7,694 reports in 2019 to 2,571 
in 2020.)

While the numbers may be on the decline, the IRS urges taxpayers to 
remain vigilant and to remember the following things about the IRS:

Recipients of these calls should hang up before giving out any 
information. If anyone receives an unexpected call from the IRS that 
they believe to be a scam, they can report it to the <a href="https://www.treasury.gov/tigta/">Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA)</a>.

Taxpayers should be aware of social media scams, which frequently use
 events like COVID-19 to try to trick people. Social media enables 
unscrupulous individuals to lurk on accounts and extract personal 
information to use against the victim. These cons may send emails 
impersonating the victim's family, friends or co-workers.

Social media scams have also led to tax-related identity theft. The 
basic element of social media scams is convincing a potential victim 
that he or she is dealing with a person close to them that they trust 
via email, text or social media messaging.

Using personal information, a scammer may email a potential victim 
and include a link to something of interest to the recipient, but which 
contains malware intended to commit more crimes. Scammers also 
infiltrate their victim's emails and cell phones to go after their 
friends and family with fake emails that appear to be real, and text 
messages soliciting, for example, small donations to fake charities that
 are appealing to the victims.

Individuals should know that any of their information that is 
publicly shared on social media platforms can be collected and used 
against them. One way to circumvent these scams is to review privacy 
settings and limit data that is publicly shared.

Financial institutions should be aware of trends and indicators of 
ransomware, which is a form of malicious software ("malware") designed 
to block access to a computer system or data. Access is often blocked by
 encrypting data or programs on information technology (IT) systems to 
extort ransom payments from victims in exchange for decrypting the 
information and restoring victims' access to their systems or data. In 
some cases, in addition to the attack, the perpetrators threaten to 
publish sensitive files belonging to the victims, which can be 
individuals or business entities.

The U.S. Treasury Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FINCEN), has 
noted that ransomware attacks continue to rise across various sectors, 
particularly across governmental entities as well as financial, 
educational and healthcare institutions. Ransomware attacks on small 
municipalities and healthcare organizations have increased, likely due 
to the victims' weaker cybersecurity controls, such as inadequate system
 backups and ineffective incident response capabilities.

Cybercriminals using ransomware often resort to common tactics, such 
as wide-scale phishing and targeted spear-phishing campaigns that induce
 victims to download a malicious file or go to a malicious site. They 
may also exploit remote desktop protocol endpoints and software 
vulnerabilities or deploy "drive-by" malware attacks that host malicious
 code on legitimate websites. Proactive prevention through effective 
cyber hygiene, cybersecurity controls and other best practices are often
 the best defense against ransomware.

Ransomware actors are increasingly engaging in selective targeting of
 larger enterprises to demand bigger payouts – commonly referred to as 
"big game hunting." Many cybercriminals are sharing resources to enhance
 the effectiveness of ransomware attacks, such as ransomware 
exploit-kits that come with ready-made malicious codes and tools. These 
kits can be purchased, although they are also offered free of charge.

Some ransomware groups are also forming partnerships to share advice,
 code, trends, techniques and illegally obtained information over shared
 platforms.

Ransomware criminals are also increasingly engaging in "double 
extortion schemes," which involve removing sensitive data from the 
targeted networks, encrypting the system files and demanding ransom.

The consequences of a ransomware attack can be severe and 
far-reaching, with losses of sensitive, proprietary, and critical 
information and loss of business functionality. The role of financial 
intermediaries in facilitating ransomware payments and ransomware 
attacks are a growing concern for the financial sector because of the 
critical role financial institutions play in the collection of ransom 
payments.

The IRS reminds taxpayers and tax professionals to keep abreast of 
news about fraud-related behavior. Report any instances of fraud 
immediately.

For more information visit <a href="https://www.irs.gov/compliance/criminal-investigation/tax-fraud-alerts">Tax Fraud Alerts</a> and <a href="https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/tax-scams-how-to-report-them">Tax Scams – How to Report Them</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/9/1599869632873.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>IRSWASHINGTON&nbsp;—&nbsp;The Internal Revenue Service today continues its "Dirty 
Dozen" scam series with a warning to taxpayers to watch out for 
unexpected schemes in the form of emails, text or social media messages 
and phone calls.Unscrupulous individuals seek to obtain personal information for the 
purpose of tax-related identity theft. Whether through a telephone call,
 text message or email, the con artist tries to convince the recipient 
that they need to provide Social Security numbers, bank account or 
credit card information or passwords. The scam may also include sending 
links that once clicked on can download malicious software that 
collects, or "mines" personal data.Often, criminals pose as someone the recipient knows or frequently 
interacts with, whether a social or family relationship or a business 
contact. They gather much of this information from social media. A 
person's contacts or 'friends' are used to bait the recipient into 
thinking they're dealing with someone they know.More information on the IRS's "Dirty Dozen" list can be found on a <a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/dirty-dozen">special section of IRS.gov</a>.<h2>Tax-related phishing scams persist</h2>The IRS warns taxpayers, businesses and tax professionals to be alert
 for a continuing surge of fake emails, text messages, websites and 
social media attempts to steal personal information. These attacks tend 
to increase during tax season and remain a major cause of identity theft
 throughout the year.Phishing scams target individuals with communications appearing to 
come from legitimate sources to collect victims' personal and financial 
data and potentially infect their devices by convincing the target to 
download malicious programs. Cybercriminals usually send these phishing 
communications by email but may also use text messages or social media 
posts or messaging.These phishing schemes can be tricky and cleverly disguised to look 
like they're from the IRS or from others in the tax community. Taxpayers
 are reminded to continually watch out for emails and other scams posing
 as the IRS, like those promising a big refund, missing stimulus payment
 or even issuing a threat. People should not open attachments or click 
on links in those emails or text messages.<h2>Phishing scams targeting tax professionals</h2>As part of the <a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/security-summit">Security Summit</a>
 effort, the IRS warns tax professionals about phishing scams involving 
verification of Electronic Filing Identification Numbers (EFIN) and 
Centralized Authorization File (CAF) numbers. The agency has seen an 
increase in these kinds of scams, along with offers to buy and sell 
EFINs and CAFs.Tax professionals have reported receiving scam e-mails from the fictitious "<a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-summit-partners-issue-urgent-efin-scam-alert-to-tax-professionals">IRS Tax E-Filing</a>"
 and the IRS reminds tax professionals who receive those e-mails to not 
open any attachments or click any links. Rather, they should report the 
scam to the <a href="https://www.treasury.gov/tigta/">Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration</a>.The IRS reminds tax professionals to protect themselves against the 
unauthorized use of an EFIN. Tax professionals must not transfer their 
EFIN or ETIN by sale, merger, loan, gift or otherwise to another entity.<h2>Phishing – new client scams target tax pros</h2>The "New Client" scam continues to be a prevalent form of phishing 
for tax pros. Here's an example in the form of an email: "I just moved 
here from Michigan. I have an urgent tax issue and I was hoping you 
could help," the email begins. "I hope you are taking on new clients."The email says one attachment is an IRS notice and the other 
attachment is the prospective client's prior-year tax return. This scam 
has many variations so tax professionals should be wary and avoid 
opening attachments or clicking links when they don't know the e-mail 
sender.Knowing what to watch for can help. Below is an actual example of another recent new client scam e-mail:<figure>
 <img src="https://www.irs.gov/pub/image/email-scam-image_2.jpg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Impersonator phone calls/vishing</h2>Individuals should be wary of unexpected phone calls asking for 
personal financial information. The IRS has seen an increase in 
voice-related phishing, or 'vishing,' particularly from scams related to
 federal tax liens. For those receiving phone calls out of the blue, 
security experts recommend asking questions of the caller but not 
providing any personal information. If in doubt, hang up immediately.During 2020, almost 400 vishing scams were reported, a 14% increase 
from the prior year. Of those vishing scams, 25% were scammers who tried
 to use fake tax lien information. The number of tax-lien related scams 
increased from 58 in 2019 to 104 in 2020, an increase of 79%. The IRS 
urges taxpayers to refrain from engaging potential scammers on the phone
 or online.While both the IRS and the Federal Trade Commission have seen a 
decline in the number of reports of scammers claiming to be from the IRS
 telephoning potential victims, the agency urges taxpayers to be wary. 
(The IRS has seen a 43% decrease in the number of reports of calls from 
callers claiming to be from the IRS: 20,500 in 2020 compared to 36,000 
in 2019. The FTC saw a 67% decline from 7,694 reports in 2019 to 2,571 
in 2020.)While the numbers may be on the decline, the IRS urges taxpayers to 
remain vigilant and to remember the following things about the IRS:<ul>
 <li>The IRS generally first contacts people by mail - not by phone - about unpaid taxes.</li><li>The IRS may attempt to reach individuals by telephone but will not 
insist on payment using an iTunes card, gift card, prepaid debit card, 
money order or wire transfer.</li><li>The IRS will never request personal or financial information by e-mail, text or social media.</li>
 </ul>Recipients of these calls should hang up before giving out any 
information. If anyone receives an unexpected call from the IRS that 
they believe to be a scam, they can report it to the <a href="https://www.treasury.gov/tigta/">Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA)</a>.<h2>Social media scams continue</h2>Taxpayers should be aware of social media scams, which frequently use
 events like COVID-19 to try to trick people. Social media enables 
unscrupulous individuals to lurk on accounts and extract personal 
information to use against the victim. These cons may send emails 
impersonating the victim's family, friends or co-workers.Social media scams have also led to tax-related identity theft. The 
basic element of social media scams is convincing a potential victim 
that he or she is dealing with a person close to them that they trust 
via email, text or social media messaging.Using personal information, a scammer may email a potential victim 
and include a link to something of interest to the recipient, but which 
contains malware intended to commit more crimes. Scammers also 
infiltrate their victim's emails and cell phones to go after their 
friends and family with fake emails that appear to be real, and text 
messages soliciting, for example, small donations to fake charities that
 are appealing to the victims.Individuals should know that any of their information that is 
publicly shared on social media platforms can be collected and used 
against them. One way to circumvent these scams is to review privacy 
settings and limit data that is publicly shared.<h2>Ransomware on the rise</h2>Financial institutions should be aware of trends and indicators of 
ransomware, which is a form of malicious software ("malware") designed 
to block access to a computer system or data. Access is often blocked by
 encrypting data or programs on information technology (IT) systems to 
extort ransom payments from victims in exchange for decrypting the 
information and restoring victims' access to their systems or data. In 
some cases, in addition to the attack, the perpetrators threaten to 
publish sensitive files belonging to the victims, which can be 
individuals or business entities.The U.S. Treasury Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FINCEN), has 
noted that ransomware attacks continue to rise across various sectors, 
particularly across governmental entities as well as financial, 
educational and healthcare institutions. Ransomware attacks on small 
municipalities and healthcare organizations have increased, likely due 
to the victims' weaker cybersecurity controls, such as inadequate system
 backups and ineffective incident response capabilities.<h2>Tactics</h2>Cybercriminals using ransomware often resort to common tactics, such 
as wide-scale phishing and targeted spear-phishing campaigns that induce
 victims to download a malicious file or go to a malicious site. They 
may also exploit remote desktop protocol endpoints and software 
vulnerabilities or deploy "drive-by" malware attacks that host malicious
 code on legitimate websites. Proactive prevention through effective 
cyber hygiene, cybersecurity controls and other best practices are often
 the best defense against ransomware.Ransomware actors are increasingly engaging in selective targeting of
 larger enterprises to demand bigger payouts – commonly referred to as 
"big game hunting." Many cybercriminals are sharing resources to enhance
 the effectiveness of ransomware attacks, such as ransomware 
exploit-kits that come with ready-made malicious codes and tools. These 
kits can be purchased, although they are also offered free of charge.Some ransomware groups are also forming partnerships to share advice,
 code, trends, techniques and illegally obtained information over shared
 platforms.Ransomware criminals are also increasingly engaging in "double 
extortion schemes," which involve removing sensitive data from the 
targeted networks, encrypting the system files and demanding ransom.The consequences of a ransomware attack can be severe and 
far-reaching, with losses of sensitive, proprietary, and critical 
information and loss of business functionality. The role of financial 
intermediaries in facilitating ransomware payments and ransomware 
attacks are a growing concern for the financial sector because of the 
critical role financial institutions play in the collection of ransom 
payments.The IRS reminds taxpayers and tax professionals to keep abreast of 
news about fraud-related behavior. Report any instances of fraud 
immediately.For more information visit <a href="https://www.irs.gov/compliance/criminal-investigation/tax-fraud-alerts">Tax Fraud Alerts</a> and <a href="https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/tax-scams-how-to-report-them">Tax Scams – How to Report Them</a>.

IRS: Email, social media, phones used for 'Dirty Dozen' tax scams

KANSAS CITY (AP) — Three people, including two children, have been injured in an explosion at a suburban Kansas City duplex.

Firefighters, police and medics responded around 7 p.m. Monday to the explosion and subsequent fire at the Raytown home. Witnesses reported seeing two boys who were conscious and alert wheeled from the scene on gurneys. A man also was injured and taken to a hospital for treatment.

The victims' names were not immediately released.

Officials have not said what caused the explosion that leveled part of the duplex, but neighbors told television station KMBC they believed fireworks set off in the area led to the explosion and fire.

The Missouri Fire Marshal is investigating.

KANSAS CITY (AP) — Three people, including two children, have been injured in an explosion at a suburban Kansas City duplex.Firefighters, police and medics responded around 7 p.m. Monday to the explosion and subsequent fire at the Raytown home. Witnesses reported seeing two boys who were conscious and alert wheeled from the scene on gurneys. A man also was injured and taken to a hospital for treatment.The victims' names were not immediately released.Officials have not said what caused the explosion that leveled part of the duplex, but neighbors told television station KMBC they believed fireworks set off in the area led to the explosion and fire.The Missouri Fire Marshal is investigating.

3 injured in explosion, fire at suburban KC duplex

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — A Kansas man was booked into jail on suspicion of aggravated arson and criminal threat after an incident Monday in Hutchinson.

According to Hutchinson Police Lt. Dustin Loepp, officers were sent just after 5 p.m. Monday to the Kwik Shop at 17th and Plum.

A 51-year-old woman who drives for Roadrunner Taxi told police she was giving a ride to 35-year-old Jamal Anthony Williams, who she had been dating for a few days.

Williams had sent her threatening messages on her phone, demanding rides around town and she decided to put a stop to it and headed toward the convenience store. Williams continued making threats and pulled out a lighter and burned a seat inside the vehicle.

Officers found Williams close by and arrested him. He was booked into jail just before 6:30 p.m. Monday. There was only slight damage to the vehicle.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — A Kansas man was booked into jail on suspicion of aggravated arson and criminal threat after an incident Monday in Hutchinson.According to Hutchinson Police Lt. Dustin Loepp, officers were sent just after 5 p.m. Monday to the Kwik Shop at 17th and Plum.A 51-year-old woman who drives for Roadrunner Taxi told police she was giving a ride to 35-year-old Jamal Anthony Williams, who she had been dating for a few days.Williams had sent her threatening messages on her phone, demanding rides around town and she decided to put a stop to it and headed toward the convenience store. Williams continued making threats and pulled out a lighter and burned a seat inside the vehicle.Officers found Williams close by and arrested him. He was booked into jail just before 6:30 p.m. Monday. There was only slight damage to the vehicle.

Police: Kansas man tried to start fire in taxi

SURFSIDE, Florida (AP) — The slow work of sifting through the remnants of a collapsed Florida condo building stretched into a sixth day Tuesday, as families desperate for progress endured a wrenching wait for answers.

“We have people waiting and waiting and waiting for news,” Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava told reporters Monday. “We have them coping with the news that they might not have their loved ones come out alive and still hope against hope that they will. They’re learning that some of their loved ones will come out as body parts. This is the kind of information that is just excruciating for everyone.”

The work has been deliberate and treacherous. Just two additional bodies were found Monday, raising the count of confirmed dead to 11. That leaves 150 people still unaccounted for in the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fl-state-wire-lifestyle-technology-4558de9d4468d747d88d412d5d0ae772">community of Surfside</a>, just outside Miami.

Authorities are meeting frequently with families to explain what they’re doing and answer questions. They have discussed with families everything from how DNA matches are made to help identify the dead, to how will next of kin be contacted, to going into “extreme detail” about how they are searching the mound, the mayor said.

Armed with that knowledge, she said, families are coming to their own conclusions.

“Some are feeling more hopeful, some less hopeful, because we do not have definitive answers. We give them the facts. We take them to the site,” she said. “They have seen the operation. They understand now how it works, and they are preparing themselves for news, one way or the other.”

Rescuers are using bucket brigades and heavy machinery as they work atop a precarious mound of pulverized concrete, twisted steel and the remnants of dozens of households. The efforts included firefighters, sniffer dogs and search experts using radar and sonar devices.

Authorities said their efforts were still a search-and-rescue operation, but no one has been found alive since hours after the collapse on Thursday.

The pancake collapse of the building left layer upon layer of intertwined debris, frustrating efforts to reach anyone who may have survived in a pocket of space.

“Every time there’s an action, there’s a reaction,” Miami-Dade Assistant Fire Chief Raide Jadallah said during a news conference Monday. “It’s not an issue of we could just attach a couple of cords to a concrete boulder and lift it and call it a day.” Some of the concrete pieces are smaller, the size of basketballs or baseballs.

From outside a neighboring building on Monday, more than two dozen family members watched teams of searchers excavate the building site. Some held onto each other for support. Others hugged and prayed. Some people took photos.

Authorities on Monday insisted they are not losing hope.

Deciding to transition from search-and-rescue work to a recovery operation is agonizing, said Dr. Joseph A. Barbera, a professor at George Washington University. That decision is fraught with considerations, he said, that only those on the ground can make.

Barbera coauthored a study examining disasters where some people survived under rubble for prolonged periods of time. He has also advised teams on where to look for potential survivors and when to conclude “that the probability of continued survival is very, very small.”

“It’s an incredibly difficult decision, and I’ve never had to make that decision,” Barbera said.

The building collapsed just days before a deadline for condo owners to start making steep payments toward more than $9 million in repairs that had been recommended nearly three years earlier, in a report that warned of “major structural damage.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/6/1624963101916.png" alt="Photos courtesy Miami Dade County Fire and Rescue" />
 <figcaption>Photos courtesy Miami Dade County Fire and Rescue</figcaption>
 </figure>SURFSIDE, Florida (AP) — The slow work of sifting through the remnants of a collapsed Florida condo building stretched into a sixth day Tuesday, as families desperate for progress endured a wrenching wait for answers.“We have people waiting and waiting and waiting for news,” Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava told reporters Monday. “We have them coping with the news that they might not have their loved ones come out alive and still hope against hope that they will. They’re learning that some of their loved ones will come out as body parts. This is the kind of information that is just excruciating for everyone.”The work has been deliberate and treacherous. Just two additional bodies were found Monday, raising the count of confirmed dead to 11. That leaves 150 people still unaccounted for in the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fl-state-wire-lifestyle-technology-4558de9d4468d747d88d412d5d0ae772">community of Surfside</a>, just outside Miami.Authorities are meeting frequently with families to explain what they’re doing and answer questions. They have discussed with families everything from how DNA matches are made to help identify the dead, to how will next of kin be contacted, to going into “extreme detail” about how they are searching the mound, the mayor said.Armed with that knowledge, she said, families are coming to their own conclusions.“Some are feeling more hopeful, some less hopeful, because we do not have definitive answers. We give them the facts. We take them to the site,” she said. “They have seen the operation. They understand now how it works, and they are preparing themselves for news, one way or the other.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/6/1624963068360.png" alt="Miami Dade County Fire and Rescue" />
 <figcaption>Miami Dade County Fire and Rescue</figcaption>
 </figure>Rescuers are using bucket brigades and heavy machinery as they work atop a precarious mound of pulverized concrete, twisted steel and the remnants of dozens of households. The efforts included firefighters, sniffer dogs and search experts using radar and sonar devices.Authorities said their efforts were still a search-and-rescue operation, but no one has been found alive since hours after the collapse on Thursday.The pancake collapse of the building left layer upon layer of intertwined debris, frustrating efforts to reach anyone who may have survived in a pocket of space.“Every time there’s an action, there’s a reaction,” Miami-Dade Assistant Fire Chief Raide Jadallah said during a news conference Monday. “It’s not an issue of we could just attach a couple of cords to a concrete boulder and lift it and call it a day.” Some of the concrete pieces are smaller, the size of basketballs or baseballs.From outside a neighboring building on Monday, more than two dozen family members watched teams of searchers excavate the building site. Some held onto each other for support. Others hugged and prayed. Some people took photos.Authorities on Monday insisted they are not losing hope.Deciding to transition from search-and-rescue work to a recovery operation is agonizing, said Dr. Joseph A. Barbera, a professor at George Washington University. That decision is fraught with considerations, he said, that only those on the ground can make.Barbera coauthored a study examining disasters where some people survived under rubble for prolonged periods of time. He has also advised teams on where to look for potential survivors and when to conclude “that the probability of continued survival is very, very small.”“It’s an incredibly difficult decision, and I’ve never had to make that decision,” Barbera said.The building collapsed just days before a deadline for condo owners to start making steep payments toward more than $9 million in repairs that had been recommended nearly three years earlier, in a report that warned of “major structural damage.”___

Still a search-and-rescue operation at Florida condo collapse

TOPEKA&nbsp;– Governor Laura Kelly is encouraging all Kansans to get the COVID-19 vaccine to protect themselves and their communities from the rapidly spreading Delta variant, according to a statement from her office.

“The Delta variant is rapidly spreading in neighboring states, and the best way to protect yourself, your community, and finally get our state back to normal is by getting vaccinated,”&nbsp;said Governor Laura Kelly.&nbsp;“Kansas is moving in the right direction, but we can’t let our guard down now. Visit&nbsp;<a href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJidWxsZXRpbl9saW5rX2lkIjoxMDEsInVyaSI6ImJwMjpjbGljayIsImJ1bGxldGluX2lkIjoiMjAyMTA2MjguNDI1MTkyMjEiLCJ1cmwiOiJodHRwczovL2djYzAyLnNhZmVsaW5rcy5wcm90ZWN0aW9uLm91dGxvb2suY29tLz91cmw9aHR0cHMlM0ElMkYlMkZ3d3cua2Fuc2FzdmFjY2luZS5nb3YlMkYmZGF0YT0wNCU3QzAxJTdDUmVldmVzLk95c3RlciU0MGtzLmdvdiU3Q2I0Mjk5ODBhMTZjMDQ4NDA4ZTY0MDhkOTNhNThjNzJlJTdDZGNhZTgxMDFjOTJkNDgwY2JjNDNjNjc2MWNjY2NjNWElN0MwJTdDMCU3QzYzNzYwNDk3NTIzNjkzNDYyNyU3Q1Vua25vd24lN0NUV0ZwYkdac2IzZDhleUpXSWpvaU1DNHdMakF3TURBaUxDSlFJam9pVjJsdU16SWlMQ0pCVGlJNklrMWhhV3dpTENKWFZDSTZNbjAlM0QlN0MxMDAwJnNkYXRhPXl2anZJTlQyVFZ5Z2VFMXhiZ3phQlpvYll2VHpTdEh4WUFKakxyUjZoY0ElM0QmcmVzZXJ2ZWQ9MCJ9.75vATrGLh_d-xKsZvMSqzVI7oPwIMe48MOfy4ivIwyg/s/1303160919/br/108523759740-l" target="_blank">www.kansasvaccine.gov</a>&nbsp;today to find a vaccination site near you.”

According to the CDC, the Delta variant is 60% more transmissible than the B. 117 variant, which was previously the dominant strain. The new variant appears to be spreading most quickly in communities that have the lowest vaccination rates.

“The rapid increase of the Delta variant throughout the U.S. and in Kansas is of great concern to us,”&nbsp;Dr. Lee Norman, KDHE Secretary, said. “Vaccination continues to be the best defense in combating variants.”

Kansans are encouraged to take precautions to keep themselves and their loved ones safe, including getting vaccinated, following&nbsp;<a href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.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.tgeaj4nXKjfOf-cjUUJ5Tf2yGlECwi0Xs5grfunSMDo/s/1303160919/br/108523759740-l" target="_blank">CDC mask recommendations</a>, practicing physical distancing, good hygiene, getting tested if exposed to someone with COVID-19 or if experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, and staying home if ill.

The Delta variant first originated in India and has been found in more the 90 countries. A newly identified variant, Delta plus, has been recently identified in India and appears to be less responsive to monoclonal antibody treatment. High vaccination rates not only prevent the spread of COVID-19, they also prevent new variants from developing.

To find a vaccine near you, visit&nbsp;<a href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJidWxsZXRpbl9saW5rX2lkIjoxMDMsInVyaSI6ImJwMjpjbGljayIsImJ1bGxldGluX2lkIjoiMjAyMTA2MjguNDI1MTkyMjEiLCJ1cmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy52YWNjaW5lcy5nb3YvIn0.0Mu3EOZadZZLOn0peRuqTsuPPjLGrw46K-PScuif_dc/s/1303160919/br/108523759740-l" target="_blank">Vaccines.gov</a>.&nbsp;<a href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.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.30ZwbK9KDY78prl4Xocv1qOqcjOQBovIeNJtu_B2DzE/s/1303160919/br/108523759740-l" target="_blank">Testing</a>&nbsp;is available and free for all Kansans.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/11/1604959337305.png" alt="“The rapid increase of the Delta variant throughout the U.S. and in Kansas is of great concern to us,” Dr. Lee Norman, KDHE Secretary, said. “Vaccination continues to be the best defense in combating variants.”" />
 <figcaption>“The rapid increase of the Delta variant throughout the U.S. and in Kansas is of great concern to us,” Dr. Lee Norman, KDHE Secretary, said. “Vaccination continues to be the best defense in combating variants.”</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA&nbsp;– Governor Laura Kelly is encouraging all Kansans to get the COVID-19 vaccine to protect themselves and their communities from the rapidly spreading Delta variant, according to a statement from her office.“The Delta variant is rapidly spreading in neighboring states, and the best way to protect yourself, your community, and finally get our state back to normal is by getting vaccinated,”&nbsp;said Governor Laura Kelly.&nbsp;“Kansas is moving in the right direction, but we can’t let our guard down now. Visit&nbsp;<a href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJidWxsZXRpbl9saW5rX2lkIjoxMDEsInVyaSI6ImJwMjpjbGljayIsImJ1bGxldGluX2lkIjoiMjAyMTA2MjguNDI1MTkyMjEiLCJ1cmwiOiJodHRwczovL2djYzAyLnNhZmVsaW5rcy5wcm90ZWN0aW9uLm91dGxvb2suY29tLz91cmw9aHR0cHMlM0ElMkYlMkZ3d3cua2Fuc2FzdmFjY2luZS5nb3YlMkYmZGF0YT0wNCU3QzAxJTdDUmVldmVzLk95c3RlciU0MGtzLmdvdiU3Q2I0Mjk5ODBhMTZjMDQ4NDA4ZTY0MDhkOTNhNThjNzJlJTdDZGNhZTgxMDFjOTJkNDgwY2JjNDNjNjc2MWNjY2NjNWElN0MwJTdDMCU3QzYzNzYwNDk3NTIzNjkzNDYyNyU3Q1Vua25vd24lN0NUV0ZwYkdac2IzZDhleUpXSWpvaU1DNHdMakF3TURBaUxDSlFJam9pVjJsdU16SWlMQ0pCVGlJNklrMWhhV3dpTENKWFZDSTZNbjAlM0QlN0MxMDAwJnNkYXRhPXl2anZJTlQyVFZ5Z2VFMXhiZ3phQlpvYll2VHpTdEh4WUFKakxyUjZoY0ElM0QmcmVzZXJ2ZWQ9MCJ9.75vATrGLh_d-xKsZvMSqzVI7oPwIMe48MOfy4ivIwyg/s/1303160919/br/108523759740-l" target="_blank">www.kansasvaccine.gov</a>&nbsp;today to find a vaccination site near you.”According to the CDC, the Delta variant is 60% more transmissible than the B. 117 variant, which was previously the dominant strain. The new variant appears to be spreading most quickly in communities that have the lowest vaccination rates.“The rapid increase of the Delta variant throughout the U.S. and in Kansas is of great concern to us,”&nbsp;Dr. Lee Norman, KDHE Secretary, said. “Vaccination continues to be the best defense in combating variants.”Kansans are encouraged to take precautions to keep themselves and their loved ones safe, including getting vaccinated, following&nbsp;<a href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.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.tgeaj4nXKjfOf-cjUUJ5Tf2yGlECwi0Xs5grfunSMDo/s/1303160919/br/108523759740-l" target="_blank">CDC mask recommendations</a>, practicing physical distancing, good hygiene, getting tested if exposed to someone with COVID-19 or if experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, and staying home if ill.The Delta variant first originated in India and has been found in more the 90 countries. A newly identified variant, Delta plus, has been recently identified in India and appears to be less responsive to monoclonal antibody treatment. High vaccination rates not only prevent the spread of COVID-19, they also prevent new variants from developing.To find a vaccine near you, visit&nbsp;<a href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJidWxsZXRpbl9saW5rX2lkIjoxMDMsInVyaSI6ImJwMjpjbGljayIsImJ1bGxldGluX2lkIjoiMjAyMTA2MjguNDI1MTkyMjEiLCJ1cmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy52YWNjaW5lcy5nb3YvIn0.0Mu3EOZadZZLOn0peRuqTsuPPjLGrw46K-PScuif_dc/s/1303160919/br/108523759740-l" target="_blank">Vaccines.gov</a>.&nbsp;<a href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJidWxsZXRpbl9saW5rX2lkIjoxMDQsInVyaSI6ImJwMjpjbGljayIsImJ1bGxldGluX2lkIjoiMjAyMTA2MjguNDI1MTkyMjEiLCJ1cmwiOiJodHRwczovL2djYzAyLnNhZmVsaW5rcy5wcm90ZWN0aW9uLm91dGxvb2suY29tLz91cmw9aHR0cHMlM0ElMkYlMkZ3d3cuY29yb25hdmlydXMua2RoZWtzLmdvdiUyRjI4MCUyRkNPVklELTE5LVRlc3RpbmcmZGF0YT0wNCU3QzAxJTdDUmVldmVzLk95c3RlciU0MGtzLmdvdiU3Q2I0Mjk5ODBhMTZjMDQ4NDA4ZTY0MDhkOTNhNThjNzJlJTdDZGNhZTgxMDFjOTJkNDgwY2JjNDNjNjc2MWNjY2NjNWElN0MwJTdDMCU3QzYzNzYwNDk3NTIzNjk0NDUzMiU3Q1Vua25vd24lN0NUV0ZwYkdac2IzZDhleUpXSWpvaU1DNHdMakF3TURBaUxDSlFJam9pVjJsdU16SWlMQ0pCVGlJNklrMWhhV3dpTENKWFZDSTZNbjAlM0QlN0MxMDAwJnNkYXRhPVJRQUJ2U2pQckhRYmV3aDFmJTJGQUJYWWI1NkRwbGZGUG1MalM4ZmN5a0pENCUzRCZyZXNlcnZlZD0wIn0.30ZwbK9KDY78prl4Xocv1qOqcjOQBovIeNJtu_B2DzE/s/1303160919/br/108523759740-l" target="_blank">Testing</a>&nbsp;is available and free for all Kansans.

Kansas sounds alarm over rapidly spreading Delta variant

WASHINGTON (AP) — A new committee to investigate the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol would have 13 members and the power to subpoena witnesses, according to legislation released by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Monday. The House is expected to vote on the bill this week.

The effort comes after Senate Republicans blocked the formation of an independent, bipartisan commission to probe the attack, in which hundreds of former President Donald Trump’s supporters violently broke into the Capitol and interrupted the certification of President Joe Biden’s victory.

The new, partisan House panel would have eight members appointed by Pelosi and five appointed “after consultation with” Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy. A Pelosi aide said the speaker is considering including a Republican among her appointments, which would bring the likely partisan split to 7-6. The aide was granted anonymity to discuss her thinking.

Pelosi said in a statement that Jan. 6 was “one of the darkest days in our nation’s history” and that the committee will seek the truth about it.

“The Select Committee will investigate and report upon the facts and causes of the attack and report recommendations for preventing any future assault," she said.

Many Republicans were concerned about such a partisan probe, since majority Democrats are likely to investigate Trump’s role in the siege and the right wing groups that were present for it. Almost three dozen House Republicans voted to create an independent panel, which would have had an even partisan split among members. Seven Republicans in the Senate supported moving forward on that bill, but that was short of the 10 Senate Republicans who would be necessary to pass it.

As laid out in Pelosi’s legislation, the new select committee would have subpoena power and no specific end date. The panel can issue interim reports as it conducts the probe.

Trump is not explicitly referenced in the legislation, which directs the select committee to investigate “facts, circumstances and causes relating to the January 6, 2021, domestic terrorist attack upon the United States Capitol Complex and relating to the interference with the peaceful transfer of power." The panel would also study “influencing factors that fomented such an attack on American representative democracy while engaged in a constitutional process.”

The House passed the bill to form an independent commission last month, and Pelosi, D-Calif., said it was her preference to have an independent panel lead the inquiry. But she said last week that Congress could not wait any longer to begin a deeper look at the insurrection so she would form the select panel. She has not said who will lead it.

Still, Pelosi said that the select committee could be complementary to an independent panel, should one ever be formed, and that she is “hopeful there could be a commission at some point.” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., has said he might hold a second vote, but there’s no indication that any GOP votes have changed.

Many Republicans have made clear that they want to move on from the Jan. 6 attack, brushing aside the many unanswered questions about the insurrection, including how the government and law enforcement missed intelligence leading up to the rioting and the role of Trump before and during the insurrection.

Others in the GOP have gone further, with one suggesting the rioters looked like tourists and another insisting that a Trump supporter named Ashli Babbitt, who was shot and killed while trying to break into the House chamber, was “executed.”

Two officers who battled the rioters, Metropolitan Police Officer Michael Fanone and Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn, have been lobbying Republicans to support an independent commission and met with McCarthy on Friday. Afterward, they said they had asked McCarthy to denounce GOP comments downplaying the violence.

In the absence of an independent commission, Fanone said he asked McCarthy for a commitment not to put “the wrong people” on the new select panel and that McCarthy said he would take it seriously. McCarthy's office did not respond to requests for comment on either the meeting or the legislation to form the select committee.

The officers also asked McCarthy to denounce 21 Republicans who voted earlier this month against giving medals of honor to the U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police to thank them for their service on Jan. 6. Dozens of those officers suffered injuries, including chemical burns, brain injuries and broken bones.

McCarthy, who voted for the measure, told them he would deal with those members privately.

Seven people died during and after the rioting, including Babbitt and three other Trump supporters who died of medical emergencies. Two police officers died by suicide in the days that followed, and a third officer, Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick, collapsed and later died after engaging with the protesters. A medical examiner later determined he died of natural causes.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/6/1624924788291.png" alt="House Speaker Pelosi said in a statement that Jan. 6 was “one of the darkest days in our nation’s history” and that the committee will seek the truth about it.-photo courtesy House Speaker's Office." />
 <figcaption>House Speaker Pelosi said in a statement that Jan. 6 was “one of the darkest days in our nation’s history” and that the committee will seek the truth about it.-photo courtesy House Speaker's Office.</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — A new committee to investigate the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol would have 13 members and the power to subpoena witnesses, according to legislation released by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Monday. The House is expected to vote on the bill this week.The effort comes after Senate Republicans blocked the formation of an independent, bipartisan commission to probe the attack, in which hundreds of former President Donald Trump’s supporters violently broke into the Capitol and interrupted the certification of President Joe Biden’s victory.The new, partisan House panel would have eight members appointed by Pelosi and five appointed “after consultation with” Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy. A Pelosi aide said the speaker is considering including a Republican among her appointments, which would bring the likely partisan split to 7-6. The aide was granted anonymity to discuss her thinking.Pelosi said in a statement that Jan. 6 was “one of the darkest days in our nation’s history” and that the committee will seek the truth about it.“The Select Committee will investigate and report upon the facts and causes of the attack and report recommendations for preventing any future assault," she said.Many Republicans were concerned about such a partisan probe, since majority Democrats are likely to investigate Trump’s role in the siege and the right wing groups that were present for it. Almost three dozen House Republicans voted to create an independent panel, which would have had an even partisan split among members. Seven Republicans in the Senate supported moving forward on that bill, but that was short of the 10 Senate Republicans who would be necessary to pass it.As laid out in Pelosi’s legislation, the new select committee would have subpoena power and no specific end date. The panel can issue interim reports as it conducts the probe.Trump is not explicitly referenced in the legislation, which directs the select committee to investigate “facts, circumstances and causes relating to the January 6, 2021, domestic terrorist attack upon the United States Capitol Complex and relating to the interference with the peaceful transfer of power." The panel would also study “influencing factors that fomented such an attack on American representative democracy while engaged in a constitutional process.”The House passed the bill to form an independent commission last month, and Pelosi, D-Calif., said it was her preference to have an independent panel lead the inquiry. But she said last week that Congress could not wait any longer to begin a deeper look at the insurrection so she would form the select panel. She has not said who will lead it.Still, Pelosi said that the select committee could be complementary to an independent panel, should one ever be formed, and that she is “hopeful there could be a commission at some point.” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., has said he might hold a second vote, but there’s no indication that any GOP votes have changed.Many Republicans have made clear that they want to move on from the Jan. 6 attack, brushing aside the many unanswered questions about the insurrection, including how the government and law enforcement missed intelligence leading up to the rioting and the role of Trump before and during the insurrection.Others in the GOP have gone further, with one suggesting the rioters looked like tourists and another insisting that a Trump supporter named Ashli Babbitt, who was shot and killed while trying to break into the House chamber, was “executed.”Two officers who battled the rioters, Metropolitan Police Officer Michael Fanone and Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn, have been lobbying Republicans to support an independent commission and met with McCarthy on Friday. Afterward, they said they had asked McCarthy to denounce GOP comments downplaying the violence.In the absence of an independent commission, Fanone said he asked McCarthy for a commitment not to put “the wrong people” on the new select panel and that McCarthy said he would take it seriously. McCarthy's office did not respond to requests for comment on either the meeting or the legislation to form the select committee.The officers also asked McCarthy to denounce 21 Republicans who voted earlier this month against giving medals of honor to the U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police to thank them for their service on Jan. 6. Dozens of those officers suffered injuries, including chemical burns, brain injuries and broken bones.McCarthy, who voted for the measure, told them he would deal with those members privately.Seven people died during and after the rioting, including Babbitt and three other Trump supporters who died of medical emergencies. Two police officers died by suicide in the days that followed, and a third officer, Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick, collapsed and later died after engaging with the protesters. A medical examiner later determined he died of natural causes.

House to vote on bill launching investigation of Jan. 6 insurrection

FINNEY COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities in southwest Kansas are investigating an arson fire involving&nbsp; hay bales north of Garden City, according to a social media report from Garden City&nbsp; Police.

The fire occurred north of Garden City, from Jennie Barker Road to Big Lowe Road.&nbsp; All fires were extinguished and authorities reported no injured.&nbsp; Police reported no additional details.

Police asked the public for help with information on these fires.

FINNEY COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities in southwest Kansas are investigating an arson fire involving&nbsp; hay bales north of Garden City, according to a social media report from Garden City&nbsp; Police.The fire occurred north of Garden City, from Jennie Barker Road to Big Lowe Road.&nbsp; All fires were extinguished and authorities reported no injured.&nbsp; Police reported no additional details.Police asked the public for help with information on these fires.

Police: Possible arson fire involving hays bales in southwest Kansas

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Kansas City police identified on Monday the victims in two weekend homicides.

Officers found 49-year-old Erron I. Holley inside a vehicle with gunshot wounds around 2:30 a.m. Sunday after a shooting was reported near Independence and Lawn avenues, police said in a news release.

Holley was taken to a hospital where he died. Police said the investigation is continuing.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Kansas City police identified on Monday the victims in two weekend homicides.Officers found 49-year-old Erron I. Holley inside a vehicle with gunshot wounds around 2:30 a.m. Sunday after a shooting was reported near Independence and Lawn avenues, police said in a news release.Holley was taken to a hospital where he died. Police said the investigation is continuing.Investigators believe the man was shot by someone outside the vehicle.In a separate incident about two hours earlier, police were called to an apartment complex near East 80th and Campbell streets after a disturbance was reported. Officers found 27-year-old Ronnell Buchanan, who was wounded and later died at a hospital.Police said Monday a person of interest has been identified in that case, but no one has been charged at this time.