The
 Federal Trade Commission is sending nearly $30 million in refunds to 
people tricked by agents working on behalf of Career Education 
Corporation (currently operating as Perdoceo Education Corporation), the
 operator of several post-secondary schools.

<a href="https://public.tableau.com/profile/federal.trade.commission#!/vizhome/Refunds_15797958402020/RefundsbyCase"></a>
 CEC’s lead generators tricked consumers into providing their 
information and enrolling at CEC schools using a variety of deceptive 
methods, including pretending to be U.S. military recruiters, or 
affiliated with the military, and falsely promising to provide 
assistance with job placement and various public benefits, according to 
the FTC’s complaint.

<a href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2019/08/operator-colorado-technical-university-american-intercontinental">In 2019, CEC and its subsidiaries</a>,
 American InterContinental University, Inc., AIU Online, LLC, Marlin 
Acquisition Corporation, Colorado Technical University, Inc., and 
Colorado Tech., Inc., settled FTC charges that they used lead generators
 to engage in illegal conduct to market their schools. The FTC also 
charged that both CEC and its lead generators illegally called people 
registered on the National Do Not Call Registry.

The FTC is mailing approximately $30 million to more than 8,000 
recipients today.&nbsp; The average refund is more than $3,700 per person, 
the largest per person average in the agency’s history.

People who receive checks should deposit or cash their checks within 
90 days, as indicated on the check. Recipients who have questions about 
their checks can call the refund administrator, JND Legal 
Administration, at 1-833-916-3603. The FTC never requires people to pay 
money or provide account information to cash a refund check.

The FTC’s <a href="https://public.tableau.com/profile/federal.trade.commission#!/vizhome/Refunds_15797958402020/RefundsbyCase">interactive dashboards for refund data (link is external)</a>
 provide a state-by-state breakdown of FTC refunds. In 2020, FTC actions
 led to more than $483 million in refunds to consumers across the 
country, but recently the United States Supreme Court ruled the FTC 
lacks authority under Section 13(b) to seek monetary relief in federal 
court going forward. The <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2021/04/ftc-asks-congress-pass-legislation-reviving-agencys-authority">Commission has urged Congress</a>&nbsp;to restore the FTC’s ability to get money back for consumers.

The Federal Trade Commission works to promote competition and to <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/about-ftc/bureaus-offices/bureau-consumer-protection">protect and educate consumers</a>. You can <a href="https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/">learn more about consumer topics</a> and report scams, fraud, and bad business practices online at <a href="https://reportfraud.ftc.gov">ReportFraud.ftc.gov</a>. Like the FTC on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/federaltradecommission">Facebook(link is external)</a>, follow us on <a href="https://twitter.com/FTC">Twitter(link is external)</a>, get <a href="http://ftc.gov/subscribe">consumer alerts</a>, read our <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/blogs">blogs</a>, and <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/stay-connected">subscribe to press releases</a> for the latest FTC news and resources.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/4/1619632629588.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>FTCThe
 Federal Trade Commission is sending nearly $30 million in refunds to 
people tricked by agents working on behalf of Career Education 
Corporation (currently operating as Perdoceo Education Corporation), the
 operator of several post-secondary schools.<a href="https://public.tableau.com/profile/federal.trade.commission#!/vizhome/Refunds_15797958402020/RefundsbyCase"></a>
 CEC’s lead generators tricked consumers into providing their 
information and enrolling at CEC schools using a variety of deceptive 
methods, including pretending to be U.S. military recruiters, or 
affiliated with the military, and falsely promising to provide 
assistance with job placement and various public benefits, according to 
the FTC’s complaint.<a href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2019/08/operator-colorado-technical-university-american-intercontinental">In 2019, CEC and its subsidiaries</a>,
 American InterContinental University, Inc., AIU Online, LLC, Marlin 
Acquisition Corporation, Colorado Technical University, Inc., and 
Colorado Tech., Inc., settled FTC charges that they used lead generators
 to engage in illegal conduct to market their schools. The FTC also 
charged that both CEC and its lead generators illegally called people 
registered on the National Do Not Call Registry.The FTC is mailing approximately $30 million to more than 8,000 
recipients today.&nbsp; The average refund is more than $3,700 per person, 
the largest per person average in the agency’s history.People who receive checks should deposit or cash their checks within 
90 days, as indicated on the check. Recipients who have questions about 
their checks can call the refund administrator, JND Legal 
Administration, at 1-833-916-3603. The FTC never requires people to pay 
money or provide account information to cash a refund check.The FTC’s <a href="https://public.tableau.com/profile/federal.trade.commission#!/vizhome/Refunds_15797958402020/RefundsbyCase">interactive dashboards for refund data (link is external)</a>
 provide a state-by-state breakdown of FTC refunds. In 2020, FTC actions
 led to more than $483 million in refunds to consumers across the 
country, but recently the United States Supreme Court ruled the FTC 
lacks authority under Section 13(b) to seek monetary relief in federal 
court going forward. The <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2021/04/ftc-asks-congress-pass-legislation-reviving-agencys-authority">Commission has urged Congress</a>&nbsp;to restore the FTC’s ability to get money back for consumers.The Federal Trade Commission works to promote competition and to <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/about-ftc/bureaus-offices/bureau-consumer-protection">protect and educate consumers</a>. You can <a href="https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/">learn more about consumer topics</a> and report scams, fraud, and bad business practices online at <a href="https://reportfraud.ftc.gov">ReportFraud.ftc.gov</a>. Like the FTC on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/federaltradecommission">Facebook(link is external)</a>, follow us on <a href="https://twitter.com/FTC">Twitter(link is external)</a>, get <a href="http://ftc.gov/subscribe">consumer alerts</a>, read our <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/blogs">blogs</a>, and <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/stay-connected">subscribe to press releases</a> for the latest FTC news and resources.

FTC sends $30M to people tricked into enrolling in college

WASHINGTON (AP) — For months, President Joe Biden has laid out goal after goal for taming the coronavirus pandemic and then exceeded his own benchmarks. Now, though, the U.S. is unlikely to meet his target to have 70% of Americans at least partially vaccinated by July 4.

The White House has launched a month-long blitz to combat vaccine hesitancy and a lack of urgency to get shots, particularly in the South and Midwest, but it is increasingly resigned to missing the president’s vaccination target. The administration insists that even if the goal isn’t reached, it will have little effect on the overall U.S. recovery, which is already ahead of where Biden said it would be months ago.

About 15.5 million unvaccinated adults need to receive at least one dose in the next four weeks for Biden to meet his goal. But the pace of new vaccinations in the U.S. has dropped below 400,000 people per day — down from a high of nearly 2 million per day two months ago.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, told reporters at a briefing on Tuesday that he still hopes the goal will be met “and if we don’t, we’re going to continue to keep pushing.”

So far 14 states have reached 70% coverage among adults, with about a dozen more on pace to reach the milestone by July 4. But the state-to-state variation is stark.

Fauci said the administration is “pleading” with states, particularly those with low vaccination rates, to step up their efforts in the coming months, though some of the states trailing behind are hardly sharing the urgency.

On a conference call Tuesday, White House COVID-19 coordinator Jeff Zients delivered an impassioned call for governors to join the administration in “pulling out all the stops” on vaccinations this month. “We need your leadership on the ground – which is where it matters the most – more than ever,” he said.

In Mississippi, which trails the nation with only about 34% of its population vaccinated, Republican Gov. Tate Reeves has called Biden’s goal “arbitrary, to say the least.”

The vaccination rate in the state has dropped off so sharply that it would take the better part of a year for the state to reach the 70% target.

Speaking to CNN on Sunday, Reeves said he encouraged residents to get vaccinated, but that the more important marker was the decline in cases in the state.

That sentiment makes winning over people like University of Mississippi student Mary Crane all the more important to Biden meeting his goal. She hasn’t felt much urgency to get the COVID-19 vaccine because she’s already had the virus, and the family she’s living with during the summer break has been vaccinated.

“Initially, it was to wait on everyone else to get it and not take a vaccine,” she said, explaining why she hasn’t been vaccinated. “But now that it’s available, there’s really not a reason I haven’t gotten it, other than I just haven’t gotten it.”

Crane, 20, said she’s seen classmates who were eager to get the vaccine right away — there was a trend when the vaccine first came out of posting vaccination cards on social media sites like Instagram. But now that the vaccine has been available for a few months, Crane said she sees fewer young people talking about it.

“Everything’s pretty much back to normal now,” she said.

Fauci on Tuesday emphasized that increased vaccination was essential to stamping out potentially dangerous variants, including the so-called “Delta variant” first identified in India that is now the dominant strain in the United Kingdom and is growing in the U.S. Vaccines have proven less effective against that variant when people are not fully immunized, and evidence points to it being more transmissible and more deadly.

In an attempt to drive up the vaccination rate, the White House has worked to encourage an array of incentives for people to get shots — from paid time off to the chance to win a million dollars. It’s partnered with community groups, businesses and health providers to make it easier than ever to get a shot. Those efforts have helped sustain some of the interest, but the trends point to Biden missing the target by several percentage points.

In Ohio, Republican Gov. Mike DeWine created a lottery offering $1 million prizes for vaccinated adults and full-ride college scholarships for children. Ohio’s lottery kicked off a wave of similar incentive lotteries nationally.

DeWine’s May 12 announcement of the state’s Vax-a-Million program had the desired effect, leading to a 43% boost in state vaccination numbers over the previous week. But the impact was short-lived, with vaccinations falling again the following week.

For some, the chance of winning $1 million isn’t enough to overcome skepticism about the need for the vaccine.

Joanna Lawrence of Bethel in southwestern Ohio says the COVID-19 survivability rate is so high, and the experiences of people she knows who took the vaccine are so bad, that she sees no need to risk a shot for herself. She made it through her own bout of the coronavirus in August.

“My life is not worth money,” said Lawrence, 51, who farms and works in commercial real estate. “I can always get more money if I need to. I cannot get another life.”

White House press secretary Jen Psaki declined to make a prediction on whether the goal would be met but said the administration was using “ every tool at our disposal to get there,.”

“Regardless of where we are on July 4th, we’re not shutting down shop,” she said. “On July 5th, we’re going to continue to press to vaccinate more people across the country.”

Husband and wife Keila Moore 41, and Willie Moore, 42, of Pearl, Mississippi, have disagreed on whether to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

Willie said he knew he wanted to get it because he has high blood pressure and other preexisting conditions and is a frontline worker.

“As soon as I had the chance to get it, I took it,” said Willie, who was vaccinated in February.

But Keila, who doesn’t have preexisting conditions and works from home, has so far chosen not to be vaccinated.

After her husband was vaccinated, she tested positive for the virus. She said it was a mild case, but that it was still a scary experience. She said she’s feeling more open to getting the vaccine, and is considering getting it this fall, if reports of side effects continue to be minimal.

“I’m just still weighing the options and the time frame,” she said. “I’m a little bit more confident in it now as the time is going by because the time is going by and I’m not really seeing any side effects that are too worrisome.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/5/1620167937175.png" alt="“You do need to get vaccinated,” Biden said from the White House last month. “Even if your chance of getting seriously ill is low, why take the risk? It could save your life or the lives of somebody you love.”-photo courtesy White House" />
 <figcaption>“You do need to get vaccinated,” Biden said from the White House last month. “Even if your chance of getting seriously ill is low, why take the risk? It could save your life or the lives of somebody you love.”-photo courtesy White House</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — For months, President Joe Biden has laid out goal after goal for taming the coronavirus pandemic and then exceeded his own benchmarks. Now, though, the U.S. is unlikely to meet his target to have 70% of Americans at least partially vaccinated by July 4.The White House has launched a month-long blitz to combat vaccine hesitancy and a lack of urgency to get shots, particularly in the South and Midwest, but it is increasingly resigned to missing the president’s vaccination target. The administration insists that even if the goal isn’t reached, it will have little effect on the overall U.S. recovery, which is already ahead of where Biden said it would be months ago.About 15.5 million unvaccinated adults need to receive at least one dose in the next four weeks for Biden to meet his goal. But the pace of new vaccinations in the U.S. has dropped below 400,000 people per day — down from a high of nearly 2 million per day two months ago.Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, told reporters at a briefing on Tuesday that he still hopes the goal will be met “and if we don’t, we’re going to continue to keep pushing.”So far 14 states have reached 70% coverage among adults, with about a dozen more on pace to reach the milestone by July 4. But the state-to-state variation is stark.Fauci said the administration is “pleading” with states, particularly those with low vaccination rates, to step up their efforts in the coming months, though some of the states trailing behind are hardly sharing the urgency.On a conference call Tuesday, White House COVID-19 coordinator Jeff Zients delivered an impassioned call for governors to join the administration in “pulling out all the stops” on vaccinations this month. “We need your leadership on the ground – which is where it matters the most – more than ever,” he said.In Mississippi, which trails the nation with only about 34% of its population vaccinated, Republican Gov. Tate Reeves has called Biden’s goal “arbitrary, to say the least.”The vaccination rate in the state has dropped off so sharply that it would take the better part of a year for the state to reach the 70% target.Speaking to CNN on Sunday, Reeves said he encouraged residents to get vaccinated, but that the more important marker was the decline in cases in the state.That sentiment makes winning over people like University of Mississippi student Mary Crane all the more important to Biden meeting his goal. She hasn’t felt much urgency to get the COVID-19 vaccine because she’s already had the virus, and the family she’s living with during the summer break has been vaccinated.“Initially, it was to wait on everyone else to get it and not take a vaccine,” she said, explaining why she hasn’t been vaccinated. “But now that it’s available, there’s really not a reason I haven’t gotten it, other than I just haven’t gotten it.”Crane, 20, said she’s seen classmates who were eager to get the vaccine right away — there was a trend when the vaccine first came out of posting vaccination cards on social media sites like Instagram. But now that the vaccine has been available for a few months, Crane said she sees fewer young people talking about it.“Everything’s pretty much back to normal now,” she said.Fauci on Tuesday emphasized that increased vaccination was essential to stamping out potentially dangerous variants, including the so-called “Delta variant” first identified in India that is now the dominant strain in the United Kingdom and is growing in the U.S. Vaccines have proven less effective against that variant when people are not fully immunized, and evidence points to it being more transmissible and more deadly.In an attempt to drive up the vaccination rate, the White House has worked to encourage an array of incentives for people to get shots — from paid time off to the chance to win a million dollars. It’s partnered with community groups, businesses and health providers to make it easier than ever to get a shot. Those efforts have helped sustain some of the interest, but the trends point to Biden missing the target by several percentage points.In Ohio, Republican Gov. Mike DeWine created a lottery offering $1 million prizes for vaccinated adults and full-ride college scholarships for children. Ohio’s lottery kicked off a wave of similar incentive lotteries nationally.DeWine’s May 12 announcement of the state’s Vax-a-Million program had the desired effect, leading to a 43% boost in state vaccination numbers over the previous week. But the impact was short-lived, with vaccinations falling again the following week.For some, the chance of winning $1 million isn’t enough to overcome skepticism about the need for the vaccine.Joanna Lawrence of Bethel in southwestern Ohio says the COVID-19 survivability rate is so high, and the experiences of people she knows who took the vaccine are so bad, that she sees no need to risk a shot for herself. She made it through her own bout of the coronavirus in August.“My life is not worth money,” said Lawrence, 51, who farms and works in commercial real estate. “I can always get more money if I need to. I cannot get another life.”White House press secretary Jen Psaki declined to make a prediction on whether the goal would be met but said the administration was using “ every tool at our disposal to get there,.”“Regardless of where we are on July 4th, we’re not shutting down shop,” she said. “On July 5th, we’re going to continue to press to vaccinate more people across the country.”Husband and wife Keila Moore 41, and Willie Moore, 42, of Pearl, Mississippi, have disagreed on whether to get the COVID-19 vaccine.Willie said he knew he wanted to get it because he has high blood pressure and other preexisting conditions and is a frontline worker.“As soon as I had the chance to get it, I took it,” said Willie, who was vaccinated in February.But Keila, who doesn’t have preexisting conditions and works from home, has so far chosen not to be vaccinated.After her husband was vaccinated, she tested positive for the virus. She said it was a mild case, but that it was still a scary experience. She said she’s feeling more open to getting the vaccine, and is considering getting it this fall, if reports of side effects continue to be minimal.“I’m just still weighing the options and the time frame,” she said. “I’m a little bit more confident in it now as the time is going by because the time is going by and I’m not really seeing any side effects that are too worrisome.”___

US unlikely to meet Biden's July 4 vaccination goal

DICKINSON COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect who ran from a traffic stop and asking the public for help to locate him.

Just after 12:30a.m. Wednesday, On June 9, 2021 a Dickinson County Sheriff’s Deputy attempted to stop a black 2006 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 on Interstate 70 near the Fair Road exit, according to Undersheriff Brian Hornaday.

The driver&nbsp; later identified as Scott L. Leister, 46, of Abilene refused to stop, accelerated and the deputy initiated a vehicle pursuit that ended near the K43 Enterprise exit when the vehicle exited the Interstate, drove through a field and crashed into a tree.&nbsp; 

The driver fled on foot. Deputies pursued, but did not apprehend him.&nbsp; In addition to local charges as a result of the vehicle pursuit, Leister is also wanted in Geary County for unrelated offenses, according to Hornaday.

` you see Scott Leister or know of his location, please contact the Dickinson County Sheriff’s Office at (785) 263-4041 or your local law enforcement agency.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/6/1623238221152.png" alt="Leister -photo Dickinson Co." />
 <figcaption>Leister -photo Dickinson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>DICKINSON COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect who ran from a traffic stop and asking the public for help to locate him.Just after 12:30a.m. Wednesday, On June 9, 2021 a Dickinson County Sheriff’s Deputy attempted to stop a black 2006 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 on Interstate 70 near the Fair Road exit, according to Undersheriff Brian Hornaday.The driver&nbsp; later identified as Scott L. Leister, 46, of Abilene refused to stop, accelerated and the deputy initiated a vehicle pursuit that ended near the K43 Enterprise exit when the vehicle exited the Interstate, drove through a field and crashed into a tree.&nbsp; The driver fled on foot. Deputies pursued, but did not apprehend him.&nbsp; In addition to local charges as a result of the vehicle pursuit, Leister is also wanted in Geary County for unrelated offenses, according to Hornaday.` you see Scott Leister or know of his location, please contact the Dickinson County Sheriff’s Office at (785) 263-4041 or your local law enforcement agency.

Sheriff: Wanted Kan. man fled traffic stop after pickup crash

MCPHERSON, Kan. — The proposed McPherson USD 418 bond issue went down to defeat on Tuesday. Preliminary numbers show voters were against the bond by more than a two to one margin. The canvass of the votes is scheduled for next week. The proposed bond was $112.8 million.

In McPherson, there were two questions, one on the construction itself and a second on redirecting a portion of sales tax dollars to pay for a portion of that bond so that not all of it has to come from property taxes. Neither question came close to passage.

The bond included provisions for upgrades to all levels of McPherson schools, adding a middle school on to the current high school, moving 5th and 6th graders and the administrative offices to the current middle school and constructing new facilities for the McPherson football and track team.

MCPHERSON— Tuesday is Election Day for the proposed McPherson USD 418 bond issue. Polls are open in McPherson from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. The proposed bond is $112.8 million.

In McPherson, there are two questions, one on the construction itself and a second on redirecting a portion of sales tax dollars to pay for a portion of that bond so that not all of it has to come from property taxes.

The bond includes provisions for all ages.

Elementary Schools (all): Secure entrances, Updated HVAC, Limited Renovations (including carpet), Creation of Collaborative Spaces

Middle School (current): This building will be fully renovated into a 5th/6th grade center, as well as housing the district offices and central kitchen

Middle School (new): Construction of a new seventh and eighth grade middle school next to the high school (same site).

High School: Updates and renovations throughout, including the preservation of the historic roundhouse and performing arts center and new athletic fields on the high school property.

According to the district, if both questions pass, a USD 418 homeowner (whose home is valued at $150,000) will pay an additional $14.16 per month.

MCPHERSON, Kan. — The proposed McPherson USD 418 bond issue went down to defeat on Tuesday. Preliminary numbers show voters were against the bond by more than a two to one margin. The canvass of the votes is scheduled for next week. The proposed bond was $112.8 million.In McPherson, there were two questions, one on the construction itself and a second on redirecting a portion of sales tax dollars to pay for a portion of that bond so that not all of it has to come from property taxes. Neither question came close to passage.The bond included provisions for upgrades to all levels of McPherson schools, adding a middle school on to the current high school, moving 5th and 6th graders and the administrative offices to the current middle school and constructing new facilities for the McPherson football and track team.-------MCPHERSON— Tuesday is Election Day for the proposed McPherson USD 418 bond issue. Polls are open in McPherson from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. The proposed bond is $112.8 million.In McPherson, there are two questions, one on the construction itself and a second on redirecting a portion of sales tax dollars to pay for a portion of that bond so that not all of it has to come from property taxes.The bond includes provisions for all ages.Elementary Schools (all): Secure entrances, Updated HVAC, Limited Renovations (including carpet), Creation of Collaborative SpacesMiddle School (current): This building will be fully renovated into a 5th/6th grade center, as well as housing the district offices and central kitchenMiddle School (new): Construction of a new seventh and eighth grade middle school next to the high school (same site).High School: Updates and renovations throughout, including the preservation of the historic roundhouse and performing arts center and new athletic fields on the high school property.According to the district, if both questions pass, a USD 418 homeowner (whose home is valued at $150,000) will pay an additional $14.16 per month.

McPherson voters reject $112.8 million school bond issue 

FINNEY COUNTY —A child died in a&nbsp; 3-vehicle accident just after 3p.m. Tuesday in Finney County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2012 Ford Edge driven by Marcial A.Medina-Garcia, 21, Pierceville, Kansas, was eastbound on U.S. 50 ten miles east of the U.S. 83 Junction.

The Ford traveled left of center and side swiped a 2009 Chevy Traverse driven by&nbsp; Juliana&nbsp;Furaha, 25, Garden City.

The impact pushed the Chevy went into the westbound ditch. 

The Ford bounced off Chevy and struck a 2011 Toyota Tacoma&nbsp; driven by April A. Mullinix, 56,Colorado Springs, driver side to driver side. Both vehicles came to a rest on the westbound shoulder.

A passenger in the Chevy Plliana&nbsp;Mupenzi, 5, Garden City, was pronounced dead at the scene.

EMS transported Medina-Garcia, Furaha, Mullinix, and passengers in the Chevy identified as Matthew&nbsp;Bimeni, 29, and 7-month-old Byrlan L. Bimeni, both of Garden City, to St. Catherines Hospital.&nbsp; All six were properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the KHP.

FINNEY COUNTY —A child died in a&nbsp; 3-vehicle accident just after 3p.m. Tuesday in Finney County.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2012 Ford Edge driven by Marcial A.Medina-Garcia, 21, Pierceville, Kansas, was eastbound on U.S. 50 ten miles east of the U.S. 83 Junction.The Ford traveled left of center and side swiped a 2009 Chevy Traverse driven by&nbsp; Juliana&nbsp;Furaha, 25, Garden City.The impact pushed the Chevy went into the westbound ditch. The Ford bounced off Chevy and struck a 2011 Toyota Tacoma&nbsp; driven by April A. Mullinix, 56,Colorado Springs, driver side to driver side. Both vehicles came to a rest on the westbound shoulder.A passenger in the Chevy Plliana&nbsp;Mupenzi, 5, Garden City, was pronounced dead at the scene.EMS transported Medina-Garcia, Furaha, Mullinix, and passengers in the Chevy identified as Matthew&nbsp;Bimeni, 29, and 7-month-old Byrlan L. Bimeni, both of Garden City, to St. Catherines Hospital.&nbsp; All six were properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the KHP.

5-year-old Kan. girl dies after 3-vehicle crash

JACKSON COUNTY —A Kansas man was injured in an accident just before 7:30p.m. Tuesday in Jackson County.

A westbound 2015 Ford F-250 Super Duty truck struck the man from Hoyt in the 12000 block of 110th Road west of Q. Road, according to Sheriff Tim Morse.

EMS transported him Stormont Vail in Topeka for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries. 

Jackson County EMS, Hoyt and Mayetta Fire Departments responded to the scene. The accident remains under investigation, according to Morse.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/6/1623235791498.png" alt="First responders at the scene Tuesday evening photo courtesy WIBW-TV" />
 <figcaption>First responders at the scene Tuesday evening photo courtesy WIBW-TV</figcaption>
 </figure>JACKSON COUNTY —A Kansas man was injured in an accident just before 7:30p.m. Tuesday in Jackson County.A westbound 2015 Ford F-250 Super Duty truck struck the man from Hoyt in the 12000 block of 110th Road west of Q. Road, according to Sheriff Tim Morse.EMS transported him Stormont Vail in Topeka for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries. Jackson County EMS, Hoyt and Mayetta Fire Departments responded to the scene. The accident remains under investigation, according to Morse.

Sheriff: Kansas man struck by pickup on rural road

SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating an accidental shooting and have made an arrest.

Just after 8 p.m. on Monday, police responded to a shooting at apartments in the 3600 block of West 13th&nbsp;Street North in Wichita, according to Officer Charley Davidson.

 Upon arrival, officers contacted a 12-year-old girl who had been shot.&nbsp; She was taken to an area hospital for medical treatment of non-life-threatening injures.

The investigation revealed&nbsp;23-year-old Christian Lehl of Wichita was at the apartment watching his two nieces and nephew between the ages of 10 and 13.&nbsp; Lehl was handling and showing an 18-year-old friend at the house a handgun when it accidentally discharged and struck the 12-year-old in the arm and shoulder in an adjoining room.

Police arrested Lehl on requested charges of aggravated battery, criminal use of weapons and outstanding warrants, according to Davidson.

The case will be presented to the Sedgwick County District Attorney’s Office.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/6/1623152321832.png" alt="Police at the scene of the Monday evening investigation photo courtesy KWCH" />
 <figcaption>Police at the scene of the Monday evening investigation photo courtesy KWCH</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating an accidental shooting and have made an arrest.Just after 8 p.m. on Monday, police responded to a shooting at apartments in the 3600 block of West 13th&nbsp;Street North in Wichita, according to Officer Charley Davidson. Upon arrival, officers contacted a 12-year-old girl who had been shot.&nbsp; She was taken to an area hospital for medical treatment of non-life-threatening injures.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/6/1623152299428.png" alt="Lehl photo Sedgwick County" />
 <figcaption>Lehl photo Sedgwick County</figcaption>
 </figure>The investigation revealed&nbsp;23-year-old Christian Lehl of Wichita was at the apartment watching his two nieces and nephew between the ages of 10 and 13.&nbsp; Lehl was handling and showing an 18-year-old friend at the house a handgun when it accidentally discharged and struck the 12-year-old in the arm and shoulder in an adjoining room.Police arrested Lehl on requested charges of aggravated battery, criminal use of weapons and outstanding warrants, according to Davidson.The case will be presented to the Sedgwick County District Attorney’s Office.

Man asked to watch kids is jailed for accidental shooting

SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a drug deal shooting and have made an arrest.&nbsp;

Just before 11a.m. Monday, police responded to a shooting that had just occurred in the 2500 Block of SE Minnesota in Topeka, according to Lt. Jerry Monasmith.

 As officers arrived in the area,they located an adult victim who appeared to be suffering from a gunshot wound. Responding officers also discovered a person matching the suspect description provided by the victim. They took 30-year-old&nbsp;Irving Arambula – Valenzuela of Topeka into custody without incident and transported him to the Law Enforcement Center. 

The victim was transported to a local hospital, where his injuries were severe but non-life-threatening, according to Monasmith.

During the investigation, officers found cocaine at the location where the shooting took place.

Arambula – Valenzuela is being held in the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges of Aggravated Battery, Possession of Cocaine with the intent of distribution, Possession of drug paraphernalia with the intent of distribution and Use of communication facility in commission of a felony drug violation.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/6/1623156289496.png" alt="Arambula–Valenzuela-photo Shawnee County" />
 <figcaption>Arambula–Valenzuela-photo Shawnee County</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a drug deal shooting and have made an arrest.&nbsp;Just before 11a.m. Monday, police responded to a shooting that had just occurred in the 2500 Block of SE Minnesota in Topeka, according to Lt. Jerry Monasmith. As officers arrived in the area,they located an adult victim who appeared to be suffering from a gunshot wound. Responding officers also discovered a person matching the suspect description provided by the victim. They took 30-year-old&nbsp;Irving Arambula – Valenzuela of Topeka into custody without incident and transported him to the Law Enforcement Center. The victim was transported to a local hospital, where his injuries were severe but non-life-threatening, according to Monasmith.During the investigation, officers found cocaine at the location where the shooting took place.Arambula – Valenzuela is being held in the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges of Aggravated Battery, Possession of Cocaine with the intent of distribution, Possession of drug paraphernalia with the intent of distribution and Use of communication facility in commission of a felony drug violation.

Police find cocaine at scene of Kansas shooting

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Kansas’ senior senator and leaders from Wichita and Newton met with Amtrak CEO Bill Flynn and Amtrak President Stephen Gardner along with officials from Texas and Oklahoma Tuesday afternoon regarding the future of expanding rail passenger service.

Leading the meeting was Sen. Jerry Moran and Kansas Sen. Carolyn McGinn. Also involved was Newton City Manager Kelly McElroy.&nbsp;

The discussion centered around extending the Heartland Flyer from Oklahoma City to Newton. Such connections would make it easier for Wichita and Newton residents to travel south by train. Currently, the route is served by buses. While the route expansion has been bantered about for years, this is as far as talks have progressed.

The expansion would connect Amtrak routes run by the SW Chief and Texas Eagle, which also connects to service out to Arizona and California.

The expansion is part of an effort to expand Amtrak to more than 160 cities across the nation.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/6/1622746554124.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Kansas’ senior senator and leaders from Wichita and Newton met with Amtrak CEO Bill Flynn and Amtrak President Stephen Gardner along with officials from Texas and Oklahoma Tuesday afternoon regarding the future of expanding rail passenger service.Leading the meeting was Sen. Jerry Moran and Kansas Sen. Carolyn McGinn. Also involved was Newton City Manager Kelly McElroy.&nbsp;The discussion centered around extending the Heartland Flyer from Oklahoma City to Newton. Such connections would make it easier for Wichita and Newton residents to travel south by train. Currently, the route is served by buses. While the route expansion has been bantered about for years, this is as far as talks have progressed.The expansion would connect Amtrak routes run by the SW Chief and Texas Eagle, which also connects to service out to Arizona and California.The expansion is part of an effort to expand Amtrak to more than 160 cities across the nation.

Amtrak meets with Kansas officials on expansion of service 

RENO COUNTY— Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas man on numerous charges following a traffic stop Sunday afternoon in Hutchinson.

Just before 4:30p.m. Sunday, police arrested 21-year-old Zachary Bitter of Hoisington in the 1100 Block of South Severance, according to Police.

He was booked into the Reno County Correctional Facility on requested charges of possession of meth, marijuana and mushrooms all with intent to sell and for possession of drug paraphernalia.&nbsp; His bond is $150,000.

A second person involved, 26-year-old Ashley Robertson of Hutchinson was taken into custody on requested charges of possession of meth and drug paraphernalia. Her bond is set at $5,750.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/6/1623163904085.jpeg" alt="Bitter photo Reno County" />
 <figcaption>Bitter photo Reno County</figcaption>
 </figure>RENO COUNTY— Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas man on numerous charges following a traffic stop Sunday afternoon in Hutchinson.Just before 4:30p.m. Sunday, police arrested 21-year-old Zachary Bitter of Hoisington in the 1100 Block of South Severance, according to Police.He was booked into the Reno County Correctional Facility on requested charges of possession of meth, marijuana and mushrooms all with intent to sell and for possession of drug paraphernalia.&nbsp; His bond is $150,000.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/6/1623178386961.png" alt="Robertson from an earlier arrest in Barton County" />
 <figcaption>Robertson from an earlier arrest in Barton County</figcaption>
 </figure>A second person involved, 26-year-old Ashley Robertson of Hutchinson was taken into custody on requested charges of possession of meth and drug paraphernalia. Her bond is set at $5,750.

Kan. man accused of selling mushrooms, meth and pot

KANSAS CITY, Kan. —Law enforcement authorities report a teen injured in a shooting near a Kansas elementary school has died.

Just before noon Tuesday, police responded&nbsp; to the shooing in the 6600 Block of Cleveland near Hazel Grove Elementary School, according to a media release. Upon arrival, officers found the boy in his mid teens on the sidewalk, the victim of an apparent shooting. EMS transported him to an area hospital where he died.

The suspect fled in a vehicle just before police arrived.

Students participating in a public school summer program were in the building at the time of the shooting. School officials working with KCPD immediately placed the school on lockdown as a precaution until the area was secure. KCKPS officers were also at the school during dismissal.

Police have not released the name of the victim.

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — A teenager is hospitalized in serious condition after a shooting near an elementary school in Kansas City, Kansas.

The shooting happened Tuesday near Hazel Grove Elementary School. Police responding to calls about shots fired found a male teenager on the sidewalk near the school. Police say his injuries are potentially life-threatening.

The school, which is hosting summer school, went into lockdown after the shooting, but children were later released to go home.

In a letter to families, the school said no children were in danger but some students witnessed the incident.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/6/1623184131475.png" alt="Police on the scene of the investigation photo courtesy WDAF" />
 <figcaption>Police on the scene of the investigation photo courtesy WDAF</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY, Kan. —Law enforcement authorities report a teen injured in a shooting near a Kansas elementary school has died.Just before noon Tuesday, police responded&nbsp; to the shooing in the 6600 Block of Cleveland near Hazel Grove Elementary School, according to a media release. Upon arrival, officers found the boy in his mid teens on the sidewalk, the victim of an apparent shooting. EMS transported him to an area hospital where he died.The suspect fled in a vehicle just before police arrived.Students participating in a public school summer program were in the building at the time of the shooting. School officials working with KCPD immediately placed the school on lockdown as a precaution until the area was secure. KCKPS officers were also at the school during dismissal.Police have not released the name of the victim.------------KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — A teenager is hospitalized in serious condition after a shooting near an elementary school in Kansas City, Kansas.The shooting happened Tuesday near Hazel Grove Elementary School. Police responding to calls about shots fired found a male teenager on the sidewalk near the school. Police say his injuries are potentially life-threatening.No arrests have been made.The school, which is hosting summer school, went into lockdown after the shooting, but children were later released to go home.In a letter to families, the school said no children were in danger but some students witnessed the incident.

Teen injured in shooting near Kan. elementary school has died

NEW YORK (AP)— Pfizer says it is expanding testing of its COVID-19 vaccine in children younger than 12.

After a first-step study in a small number of young children to test different doses, Pfizer is ready to enroll about 4,500 young volunteers at more than 90 sites in the U.S., Finland, Poland and Spain.

The vaccine made by Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech already is authorized for emergency use in anyone 12 and older in the U.S. and European Union.

Enrollment of 5- to 11-year-olds began this week. Those youngsters will receive two vaccine doses of 10 micrograms each -- a third of the teen and adult dose -- or dummy shots. Enrollment of children as young as 6 months will start in a few weeks using an even lower dose, 3 micrograms per shot.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1608677701818.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>NEW YORK (AP)— Pfizer says it is expanding testing of its COVID-19 vaccine in children younger than 12.After a first-step study in a small number of young children to test different doses, Pfizer is ready to enroll about 4,500 young volunteers at more than 90 sites in the U.S., Finland, Poland and Spain.The vaccine made by Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech already is authorized for emergency use in anyone 12 and older in the U.S. and European Union.Enrollment of 5- to 11-year-olds began this week. Those youngsters will receive two vaccine doses of 10 micrograms each -- a third of the teen and adult dose -- or dummy shots. Enrollment of children as young as 6 months will start in a few weeks using an even lower dose, 3 micrograms per shot.

Pfizer expands COVID vaccine tests in kids under 12

WASHINGTON (AP) — A Senate investigation of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-capitol-lockdown-2f56a611445df15fb9640893bb9f7a93">the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol</a>&nbsp;found a broad intelligence breakdown across multiple agencies, along with widespread law enforcement and military failures that led to the violent attack.

There were clear warnings and tips that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/dc-wire-michael-pence-donald-trump-capitol-siege-government-and-politics-6434e5ba1e5d762be91dc971706dd0b9">supporters of former President Donald Trump</a>, including&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-insurrection-charges-roil-far-right-groups-1e0560dbd5572944e3435e225f8be616">right-wing extremist groups</a>, were planning to “storm the Capitol” with weapons and possibly infiltrate the tunnel system underneath the building. But that intelligence never made it up to top leadership.

The result was chaos. A&nbsp;<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/20801778-report-examining-the-jan-6-us-capitol-attack" target="_blank">Senate report</a>&nbsp;released Tuesday details how&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/docs-expose-depth-january-6-capitol-siege-chaos-fd3204574c11e453be8fb4e3c81258c3">officers on the front lines</a>&nbsp;suffered chemical burns, brain injuries and broken bones, among other injuries, after fighting the attackers, who quickly overwhelmed them and broke into the building. Officers told the Senate investigators they were left with no leadership or direction when command systems broke down.

The Senate report is the first — and could be the last — bipartisan review of how hundreds of Trump supporters were able to push violently past security lines and break into the Capitol that day, interrupting the certification of Joe Biden’s presidential election victory. It recommends immediate changes to give the Capitol Police chief more authority, to provide better planning and equipment for law enforcement and to streamline intelligence gathering among federal agencies.

As a bipartisan effort, the report does not delve into the root causes of the attack, including Trump’s role as he called for his supporters to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-impeachments-trump-impeachment-229927c6b3c8c6ccd4561d37f6dfdd3a">“fight like hell”</a>&nbsp;to overturn his election defeat that day. It does not call the attack an insurrection,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ap-fact-check-donald-trump-capitol-siege-violence-elections-507f4febbadecb84e1637e55999ac0ea">even though it was</a>. And it comes two weeks after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/michael-pence-donald-trump-capitol-siege-government-and-politics-4798a8617bacf27bbb576a4b805b85d9">Republicans blocked</a>&nbsp;a bipartisan, independent commission that would investigate the insurrection more broadly.

“This report is important in the fact that it allows us to make some immediate improvements to the security situation here in the Capitol,” said Michigan Sen. Gary Peters, the chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, which conducted the probe along with the Senate Rules Committee. “But it does not answer some of the bigger questions that we need to face, quite frankly, as a country and as a democracy.”

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Tuesday the findings show even greater need for a bipartisan commission to investigate the root causes of the attack, referring to Trump’s unfounded claims about the 2020 election.

“As the ‘big lie’ continues to spread, as faith in our elections continues to decline, it is crucial — crucial — that we establish a trusted, independent record of what transpired,” Schumer said.

But Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, who led the blockade against such a commission, said he’s confident the ongoing reviews by lawmakers and law enforcement will be sufficient.

The House in May passed legislation to create a commission that would be modeled after a panel that investigated the Sept. 11 terrorist attack two decades ago.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told colleagues in a letter Tuesday that if the Senate fails to approve the commission, her chamber will launch its own investigations.

The top Republican on the rules panel, Missouri Sen. Roy Blunt, has opposed the commission, arguing that investigation would take too long. He said the recommendations made in the Senate can be implemented faster, such as legislation that he and Minnesota Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar, the rules committee chair, intend to introduce soon that would give the chief of Capitol Police more authority to request assistance from the National Guard.

The Senate report recounts how the Guard was delayed for hours Jan. 6 as officials in multiple agencies took bureaucratic steps to release the troops. It details hours of calls between officials in the Capitol and the Pentagon and as the then-chief of the Capitol Police, Steven Sund, desperately begged for help.

It finds that the Pentagon spent hours “mission planning” and seeking multiple layers of approvals as Capitol Police were being overwhelmed and brutally beaten by the attackers. It also says the Defense Department’s hesitant response was influenced by criticism of its heavy-handed response to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nv-state-wire-az-state-wire-co-state-wire-fl-state-wire-virus-outbreak-baf3b29612527b8e9a841cb34f6f5789">protests in the summer of 2020</a>&nbsp;after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/death-of-george-floyd">the death of George Floyd</a>&nbsp;in police custody.

The senators are heavily critical of the Capitol Police Board, a three-member panel made up of the heads of security for the House and Senate and the Architect of the Capitol. The board now is required to approve requests by the police chief, even in urgent situations. The report recommends that its members “regularly review the policies and procedures” after senators found that the three board members on Jan. 6 did not understand their own authority and could not detail the statutory requirements for requesting National Guard assistance.

Two of the three board members, the House and Senate sergeants at arms, were pushed out in the days after the attack. Sund, the Capitol Police chief, resigned under pressure.

The report recommends a consolidated intelligence unit within the Capitol Police after widespread failures from multiple agencies that did not predict the attack even though insurrectionists were planning it openly on the internet.

The police intelligence unit “knew about social media posts calling for violence at the Capitol on January 6, including a plot to breach the Capitol, the online sharing of maps of the Capitol Complex’s tunnel systems, and other specific threats of violence,“ the report says, but agents did not properly inform leaders of everything they had found.

On Dec. 28, for example, the report notes that someone emailed a public Capitol Police account and warned about “countless tweets from Trump supporters saying they will be armed on January 6th” and “tweets from people organizing to ‘storm the Capitol.’” There were also internal warnings of an uptick in posts on various sites that showed maps of the Capitol, including its underground tunnels. But those specifics were never disseminated widely.

In a response to the report, the Capitol Police acknowledged the need for improvements and said some are already being made. “Law enforcement agencies across the country rely on intelligence, and the quality of that intelligence can mean the difference between life and death,” the statement said.

During the attack, the report says, Capitol Police were compromised by bad intelligence, poor planning, faulty equipment and a lack of leadership. The force’s incident command system “broke down during the attack,” leaving officers on the front lines without orders. There were no functional incident commanders, and some senior officers were fighting instead of giving orders. Capitol Police “leadership never took control of the radio system to communicate orders to front-line officers,” the investigation found.

“I was horrified that NO deputy chief or above was on the radio or helping us,” one officer told the committee in an anonymous statement. “For hours the screams on the radio were horrific(,) the sights were unimaginable and there was a complete loss of control. ... For hours NO Chief or above took command and control. Officers were begging and pleading for help for medical triage.”

The acting chief,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-politics-race-and-ethnicity-police-ef7977f9db3ca673c20ef35277dededf">Yogananda Pittman</a>, who replaced Sund after his resignation, told the committees that the lack of communication resulted from “incident commanders being overwhelmed and engaging with rioters, rather than issuing orders over the radio.”

The committee’s interviews with police officers detail “absolutely brutal” abuse from Trump’s supporters as they ran over them and broke into the building. The officers described hearing racial slurs and seeing Nazi salutes. One officer trying to evacuate the Senate said he had stopped several men in full tactical gear, one of whom said “You better get out of our way, boy, or we’ll go through you to get (the senators).’”

The insurrectionists told police officers they would kill them, then members of Congress.

At the same time, the senators acknowledge the officers’ bravery, noting that one officer told them, “The officers inside all behaved admirably and heroically and, even outnumbered, went on the offensive and took the Capitol back.”

WASHINGTON (AP) — A Senate investigation of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-capitol-lockdown-2f56a611445df15fb9640893bb9f7a93">the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol</a>&nbsp;found a broad intelligence breakdown across multiple agencies, along with widespread law enforcement and military failures that led to the violent attack.There were clear warnings and tips that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/dc-wire-michael-pence-donald-trump-capitol-siege-government-and-politics-6434e5ba1e5d762be91dc971706dd0b9">supporters of former President Donald Trump</a>, including&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-insurrection-charges-roil-far-right-groups-1e0560dbd5572944e3435e225f8be616">right-wing extremist groups</a>, were planning to “storm the Capitol” with weapons and possibly infiltrate the tunnel system underneath the building. But that intelligence never made it up to top leadership.The result was chaos. A&nbsp;<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/20801778-report-examining-the-jan-6-us-capitol-attack" target="_blank">Senate report</a>&nbsp;released Tuesday details how&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/docs-expose-depth-january-6-capitol-siege-chaos-fd3204574c11e453be8fb4e3c81258c3">officers on the front lines</a>&nbsp;suffered chemical burns, brain injuries and broken bones, among other injuries, after fighting the attackers, who quickly overwhelmed them and broke into the building. Officers told the Senate investigators they were left with no leadership or direction when command systems broke down.The Senate report is the first — and could be the last — bipartisan review of how hundreds of Trump supporters were able to push violently past security lines and break into the Capitol that day, interrupting the certification of Joe Biden’s presidential election victory. It recommends immediate changes to give the Capitol Police chief more authority, to provide better planning and equipment for law enforcement and to streamline intelligence gathering among federal agencies.As a bipartisan effort, the report does not delve into the root causes of the attack, including Trump’s role as he called for his supporters to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-impeachments-trump-impeachment-229927c6b3c8c6ccd4561d37f6dfdd3a">“fight like hell”</a>&nbsp;to overturn his election defeat that day. It does not call the attack an insurrection,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ap-fact-check-donald-trump-capitol-siege-violence-elections-507f4febbadecb84e1637e55999ac0ea">even though it was</a>. And it comes two weeks after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/michael-pence-donald-trump-capitol-siege-government-and-politics-4798a8617bacf27bbb576a4b805b85d9">Republicans blocked</a>&nbsp;a bipartisan, independent commission that would investigate the insurrection more broadly.“This report is important in the fact that it allows us to make some immediate improvements to the security situation here in the Capitol,” said Michigan Sen. Gary Peters, the chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, which conducted the probe along with the Senate Rules Committee. “But it does not answer some of the bigger questions that we need to face, quite frankly, as a country and as a democracy.”Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Tuesday the findings show even greater need for a bipartisan commission to investigate the root causes of the attack, referring to Trump’s unfounded claims about the 2020 election.“As the ‘big lie’ continues to spread, as faith in our elections continues to decline, it is crucial — crucial — that we establish a trusted, independent record of what transpired,” Schumer said.But Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, who led the blockade against such a commission, said he’s confident the ongoing reviews by lawmakers and law enforcement will be sufficient.The House in May passed legislation to create a commission that would be modeled after a panel that investigated the Sept. 11 terrorist attack two decades ago.House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told colleagues in a letter Tuesday that if the Senate fails to approve the commission, her chamber will launch its own investigations.The top Republican on the rules panel, Missouri Sen. Roy Blunt, has opposed the commission, arguing that investigation would take too long. He said the recommendations made in the Senate can be implemented faster, such as legislation that he and Minnesota Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar, the rules committee chair, intend to introduce soon that would give the chief of Capitol Police more authority to request assistance from the National Guard.The Senate report recounts how the Guard was delayed for hours Jan. 6 as officials in multiple agencies took bureaucratic steps to release the troops. It details hours of calls between officials in the Capitol and the Pentagon and as the then-chief of the Capitol Police, Steven Sund, desperately begged for help.It finds that the Pentagon spent hours “mission planning” and seeking multiple layers of approvals as Capitol Police were being overwhelmed and brutally beaten by the attackers. It also says the Defense Department’s hesitant response was influenced by criticism of its heavy-handed response to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nv-state-wire-az-state-wire-co-state-wire-fl-state-wire-virus-outbreak-baf3b29612527b8e9a841cb34f6f5789">protests in the summer of 2020</a>&nbsp;after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/death-of-george-floyd">the death of George Floyd</a>&nbsp;in police custody.The senators are heavily critical of the Capitol Police Board, a three-member panel made up of the heads of security for the House and Senate and the Architect of the Capitol. The board now is required to approve requests by the police chief, even in urgent situations. The report recommends that its members “regularly review the policies and procedures” after senators found that the three board members on Jan. 6 did not understand their own authority and could not detail the statutory requirements for requesting National Guard assistance.Two of the three board members, the House and Senate sergeants at arms, were pushed out in the days after the attack. Sund, the Capitol Police chief, resigned under pressure.The report recommends a consolidated intelligence unit within the Capitol Police after widespread failures from multiple agencies that did not predict the attack even though insurrectionists were planning it openly on the internet.The police intelligence unit “knew about social media posts calling for violence at the Capitol on January 6, including a plot to breach the Capitol, the online sharing of maps of the Capitol Complex’s tunnel systems, and other specific threats of violence,“ the report says, but agents did not properly inform leaders of everything they had found.On Dec. 28, for example, the report notes that someone emailed a public Capitol Police account and warned about “countless tweets from Trump supporters saying they will be armed on January 6th” and “tweets from people organizing to ‘storm the Capitol.’” There were also internal warnings of an uptick in posts on various sites that showed maps of the Capitol, including its underground tunnels. But those specifics were never disseminated widely.In a response to the report, the Capitol Police acknowledged the need for improvements and said some are already being made. “Law enforcement agencies across the country rely on intelligence, and the quality of that intelligence can mean the difference between life and death,” the statement said.During the attack, the report says, Capitol Police were compromised by bad intelligence, poor planning, faulty equipment and a lack of leadership. The force’s incident command system “broke down during the attack,” leaving officers on the front lines without orders. There were no functional incident commanders, and some senior officers were fighting instead of giving orders. Capitol Police “leadership never took control of the radio system to communicate orders to front-line officers,” the investigation found.“I was horrified that NO deputy chief or above was on the radio or helping us,” one officer told the committee in an anonymous statement. “For hours the screams on the radio were horrific(,) the sights were unimaginable and there was a complete loss of control. ... For hours NO Chief or above took command and control. Officers were begging and pleading for help for medical triage.”The acting chief,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-politics-race-and-ethnicity-police-ef7977f9db3ca673c20ef35277dededf">Yogananda Pittman</a>, who replaced Sund after his resignation, told the committees that the lack of communication resulted from “incident commanders being overwhelmed and engaging with rioters, rather than issuing orders over the radio.”The committee’s interviews with police officers detail “absolutely brutal” abuse from Trump’s supporters as they ran over them and broke into the building. The officers described hearing racial slurs and seeing Nazi salutes. One officer trying to evacuate the Senate said he had stopped several men in full tactical gear, one of whom said “You better get out of our way, boy, or we’ll go through you to get (the senators).’”The insurrectionists told police officers they would kill them, then members of Congress.At the same time, the senators acknowledge the officers’ bravery, noting that one officer told them, “The officers inside all behaved admirably and heroically and, even outnumbered, went on the offensive and took the Capitol back.”___

Senate report on Capitol riot identifies broad failures 

Maize, Kan. (AP) — A great horned owl is on the road to recovery after getting stuck in the netting of a Kansas batting cage. KSNW-TV reports that the owl was discovered Monday in the small town of Maize.

Police contacted a local raptor center for help. Ken Lockwood of Eagle Valley Raptor Center talked officers through the process of removing the owl from the netting. 

The owl was then placed in a carboard box and delivered to the center. The owl had some damaged feathers but is expected to heal in a few weeks.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/6/1623168485114.png" alt="A juvenile Great Horned Owl found itself in a tangled mess after getting caught in the net of a batter’s cage at the Maize South High School Baseball Complex-photo courtesy Maize Police" />
 <figcaption>A juvenile Great Horned Owl found itself in a tangled mess after getting caught in the net of a batter’s cage at the Maize South High School Baseball Complex-photo courtesy Maize Police</figcaption>
 </figure>Maize, Kan. (AP) — A great horned owl is on the road to recovery after getting stuck in the netting of a Kansas batting cage. KSNW-TV reports that the owl was discovered Monday in the small town of Maize.<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=476&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FMaizePolice%2Fvideos%2F477507533553042%2F&show_text=false&width=245&t=0" width="245" height="476" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowFullScreen="true"></iframe></div>Police contacted a local raptor center for help. Ken Lockwood of Eagle Valley Raptor Center talked officers through the process of removing the owl from the netting. The owl was then placed in a carboard box and delivered to the center. The owl had some damaged feathers but is expected to heal in a few weeks.

🎥 Owl rescued after getting stuck in batting cage in Kansas

KANSAS CITY (AP) — A suburban Kansas City sheriff’s deputy has fatally shot a woman after being called to a home to check on the welfare of a resident there, authorities said.

The shooting happened after deputies were called to a Garden City home around 3:40 p.m. Monday for a welfare check, the Cass County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.

When deputies arrived, they reported encountering a woman on the front porch of the home holding a gun. The deputies yelled repeatedly for the woman to drop the gun, but the woman instead pointed the gun at deputies, officials said. One deputy fired his service weapon, hitting the woman, according to the department.

The woman was taken to an area hospital, where she later died. Officials did not immediately release the woman’s name or the name of the deputy believed to have shot her.

The shooting remains under investigation.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/6/1623164834678.png" alt="Investigators at the scene following the fatal officer-shooting photo courtesy Fox4Kansas City" />
 <figcaption>Investigators at the scene following the fatal officer-shooting photo courtesy Fox4Kansas City</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY (AP) — A suburban Kansas City sheriff’s deputy has fatally shot a woman after being called to a home to check on the welfare of a resident there, authorities said.The shooting happened after deputies were called to a Garden City home around 3:40 p.m. Monday for a welfare check, the Cass County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.When deputies arrived, they reported encountering a woman on the front porch of the home holding a gun. The deputies yelled repeatedly for the woman to drop the gun, but the woman instead pointed the gun at deputies, officials said. One deputy fired his service weapon, hitting the woman, according to the department.The woman was taken to an area hospital, where she later died. Officials did not immediately release the woman’s name or the name of the deputy believed to have shot her.The shooting remains under investigation.

Investigators: KC-area deputy killed woman holding gun

FINNEY CO UNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating two suspects for a series of burglaries.

Just after 9:00a.m. June 5, police were dispatched to the area of 1300 Summit Street in Garden City in reference to a suspicious person, according to a media release.

Upon arrival, officers had contact with 36-year-old Ernest Whisler of Garden City. Through investigations, officers learned that Whisler allegedly committed several auto burglaries throughout the night in the city.

 Officers also learned that Whisler allegedly attempted to use stolen debit/credit cards for online purchases. Police took Whisler into custody.

A search warrant was served at Whisler’s residence at 203 S. 9th Street, Apt. B. Officers located additional stolen property, along with narcotics and narcotics paraphernalia. While at the scene, officers made contact with the other occupant of the residence, identified as 38-year-old Debra Escalante.&nbsp; Police also took her into custody.

Whisler remains jailed&nbsp; on requested charges of Burglary, Possession of Stolen Property, Unlawful Use of Computers, Criminal Use of a Financial Card, Possession of Methamphetamine, Possession of Paraphernalia and Possession of Paraphernalia. Police also arrested him on burglary charges in November of 2020.

 Escalante is jailed on requested charges of Possession of Methamphetamin, Felony Possession of Paraphernalia and Possession of Stolen Property.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/6/1623095470719.png" alt="Whisler-photo Finney Co." />
 <figcaption>Whisler-photo Finney Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>FINNEY CO UNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating two suspects for a series of burglaries.Just after 9:00a.m. June 5, police were dispatched to the area of 1300 Summit Street in Garden City in reference to a suspicious person, according to a media release.Upon arrival, officers had contact with 36-year-old Ernest Whisler of Garden City. Through investigations, officers learned that Whisler allegedly committed several auto burglaries throughout the night in the city. Officers also learned that Whisler allegedly attempted to use stolen debit/credit cards for online purchases. Police took Whisler into custody.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/6/1623095450847.png" alt="Escalanate photo Finney Co." />
 <figcaption>Escalanate photo Finney Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>A search warrant was served at Whisler’s residence at 203 S. 9th Street, Apt. B. Officers located additional stolen property, along with narcotics and narcotics paraphernalia. While at the scene, officers made contact with the other occupant of the residence, identified as 38-year-old Debra Escalante.&nbsp; Police also took her into custody.Whisler remains jailed&nbsp; on requested charges of Burglary, Possession of Stolen Property, Unlawful Use of Computers, Criminal Use of a Financial Card, Possession of Methamphetamine, Possession of Paraphernalia and Possession of Paraphernalia. Police also arrested him on burglary charges in November of 2020. Escalante is jailed on requested charges of Possession of Methamphetamin, Felony Possession of Paraphernalia and Possession of Stolen Property.

SW Kansas couple accused of ID theft, burglary

Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly described whether U.S. Reps. Jake LaTurner and Rep. Ron Estes had used earmarks. Estes opposed the return to using earmarks, and a spokesman for LaTurner previously said he did not participate, but both have made multiple earmark requests to the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

By ABIGAIL CENSKY <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2021-06-07/earmarks-pose-tricky-question-for-kansas-republicans-miss-out-on-money-or-keep-your-reputation">Kansas News Service</a>

TOPEKA, Kansas — Eleven years ago, in a navy-and-wood-paneled Topeka TV studio, then U.S. Reps. Jerry Moran and Todd Tiahrt <a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?294388-1/kansas-senate-republican-primary-debate" target="_blank">argued</a> ahead of the Republican primary for the U.S. Senate.

Looking
 directly into the camera, Moran told viewers he backed a moratorium on 
earmarks, but “Congressman Tiahrt led the effort to keep the earmarks 
process in place.”

“Well, when
 you listen to Congressman Moran, you’d think that I’m the only one in 
Washington or from Kansas that does earmarks,” Tiahrt said.

“In fact, just last year,” Tiahrt said, “Moran supported and requested more than $250 million dollars in earmarks.”

Earmarks
 give Congress a tool to tie money from a spending bill to a specific 
project without going through all of the hoops of a normal funding 
request.

They’d become a favorite target for Republicans, glaring 
examples of the soft corruption of incumbents that wasted money on 
things like a <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-alaska-bridge/alaskas-bridge-to-nowhere-plan-finally-scrapped-idUSKCN0SI00120151024" target="_blank">bridge to nowwhere.</a> And when the budget hawks of the Tea Party swept into the U.S. House, earmarks got swept away.

Tiahrt’s
 seat on the powerful appropriations committee and his desire to reform 
earmarks, rather than ditch them entirely, put a target on his back. He 
lost to Moran, who’s since become a senator.

This year, Democrats 
in Congress brought earmarks back, and they’ve invited Republicans to 
join in snagging money for special projects in their districts. Some 
Republicans are cashing in. But earmarks pose a double-edged sword for 
members of a party that has long stood for less spending and lower 
taxes. If they don’t play the earmark game, they leave money in 
Washington that could’ve come back to their districts — and won them 
votes.

In 2010, before Jerry Moran became a senator, gone were the days of touting the $142, 500 dollars he had secured to help <a href="https://www.cjonline.com/news/state/2010-07-02/earmarks_tricky_business" target="_blank">pay for </a>the McPherson Opera House, or the earmark requests he’d made to help a community college build a biotech center.

Shortly
 after the 2010 elections, the earmarks that helped build coalitions, 
pass big spending bills, and generally greased the wheels of Capitol 
Hill <a href="https://www.rollcall.com/2010/11/04/boehner-house-will-have-earmark-moratorium/" target="_blank">went away</a> when House Speaker John Boehner banned them.

Giving
 up earmarks also meant surrendering up a way to control some of the 
Republican Party’s most fiscally conservative firebrands. There weren’t 
as many incentives like campaign donations or spending money for special
 projects to bring people to middle ground.

“What else do you 
have? Well, you could really go nuclear, if someone is a real thorn in 
your side, and remove them from a committee,” said Laura Blessing, who 
studied earmarks as a senior fellow at the Georgetown Government Affairs
 Institute. “It's just too strong of a tool. That's a sledgehammer.”

Then-U.S.Rep.
 Tim Huelskamp felt that hammer’s blow. He’d had a stormy relationship 
with Boehner. The speaker booted the congressman from western Kansas, 
and leader of the House Freedom Caucus, off the House Agriculture 
Committee. And for the first time in 150 years, Kansas no longer had a 
player sitting at the table when farm policy got hashed out.

When he ran for reelection in 2016, attack ads blasted the Republican for losing that Ag seat.

Michael Smith, a political science professor at Emporia State University, said Huelskamp effectively <a href="https://www.npr.org/2016/08/03/488568404/tea-party-rep-tim-huelskamp-defeated-in-kansas-primary" target="_blank">lost re-election</a> when he lost his spot on the committee.

“When
 Roger Marshall challenged him in the primaries, he didn’t specifically 
run on earmarks. Earmarks are kind of politically touchy,” Smith said. 
But “he hammered Huelskamp on the idea (that) he is not the most 
effective of bringing home resources to this district. And earmarks are a
 part of that.”

Yet when asked about earmarks recently, now-Sen. Marshall<a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2021/05/05/senate-republicans-earmarks-485373" target="_blank"> told Politico</a>, “I’m gonna do everything I can to blow up the process so that no one does earmarks.”

Rep. Tracey Mann, a Republican from Salina, said in a <a href="https://mann.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-tracey-manns-statement-earmarks-117th-congress" target="_blank">statement</a>,
 “I did not run for office so I could be the caretaker in the slow 
demise of our great nation” noting he was worried a return to earmarks 
in the House, “will once again spiral out of control and lead to more 
government spending.”

U.S. Rep. Ron Estes, a Wichita Republican, 
agreed. A statement from his office said the earmarks process “detracts 
from focusing on how to reduce spending."

Smith said if 
Republicans continue to pass on earmarks, that’s leaving federal money 
that could benefit their districts on the table.

“Are they going 
to bring over that conservative ideology argument, no more big 
government?” he said. “Or are they going to go back to the more 
traditional kind of Bob Dole type politics of talking small government, 
but still making sure that their districts get their fair share of the 
pie?”

U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids is the lone Kansas Democrat in Congress. She supports earmarks to help <a href="https://www.kansascity.com/news/politics-government/article250974644.html" target="_blank">revamp a Kansas City highway</a> and buy more electric busses for her district. Davids has requested<a href="https://davids.house.gov/approps" target="_blank"> millions</a> of dollars in earmarks for a myriad of projects ranging from $43 million for a<a href="https://davids.house.gov/sites/davids.house.gov/files/wysiwyg_uploaded/Energy%20and%20Water%20Development%20CPF%20Requests%20-%20FY22.pdf" target="_blank"> levee and flood wall system</a> in Merriam to an <a href="https://davids.house.gov/sites/davids.house.gov/files/wysiwyg_uploaded/LaborHHS%20Ed%20CPF%20Requests%20-%20FY22.pdf" target="_blank">imaging machine</a> at the University of Kansas Cancer Center.

So far, the three Republicans who represent Kansas in the U.S. House have not requested<a href="https://appropriations.house.gov/transparency" target="_blank"> </a><a href="https://appropriations.house.gov/transparency" target="_blank">many earmarks</a>.

Estes
 opposed the return to using earmarks, and a spokesman for U.S. Rep. 
Jake LaTurner previously said he did not participate in requests this 
year. But the two congressmen have made<a href="https://transportation.house.gov/committee-activity/issue/member-designated-projects" target="_blank"> </a><a href="https://transportation.house.gov/committee-activity/issue/member-designated-projects" target="_blank">multiple</a> requests to the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

A
 spokesperson for LaTurner’s office said the congressman “stuck to his 
word” and didn’t request earmarks during the appropriations process this
 winter.

“(But) as Congress moved on to the transportation plan we
 had additional time and chose to submit office and state-vetted, 
approved, and sponsored transportation projects previously qualified to 
receive federal funds,” his office said in a statement. “Representative 
LaTurner is proud to utilize his Constitutionally derived authority to 
facilitate interstate commerce by seeking funds for critical 
infrastructure projects in eastern Kansas.”

The only member of the Kansas delegation who hasn’t decided on whether to participate yet is Moran.

When Politico <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2021/05/05/senate-republicans-earmarks-485373" target="_blank">polled senators</a>
 in early May, Moran was one of more than a dozen who were undecided if 
they would participate in earmarks this year. His office didn’t respond 
to multiple requests for comment.

Jim Slattery is a former 
Democratic member of Congress from Topeka. He said he thinks the Kansas 
delegation should request earmarks. If Congress doesn’t choose where to 
spend the money, he said, the president will. That cash could end up 
going to swing states that are more politically useful to the president.
 Not Kansas.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/3/1614817353591.png" alt="GOP members of the Kansas congressional delegation pose with Democrat Representative Sharice Davids during a January meeting- courtesy photo" />
 <figcaption>GOP members of the Kansas congressional delegation pose with Democrat Representative Sharice Davids during a January meeting- courtesy photo</figcaption>
 </figure>Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly described whether U.S. Reps. Jake LaTurner and Rep. Ron Estes had used earmarks. Estes opposed the return to using earmarks, and a spokesman for LaTurner previously said he did not participate, but both have made multiple earmark requests to the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.By ABIGAIL CENSKY <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2021-06-07/earmarks-pose-tricky-question-for-kansas-republicans-miss-out-on-money-or-keep-your-reputation">Kansas News Service</a>TOPEKA, Kansas — Eleven years ago, in a navy-and-wood-paneled Topeka TV studio, then U.S. Reps. Jerry Moran and Todd Tiahrt <a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?294388-1/kansas-senate-republican-primary-debate" target="_blank">argued</a> ahead of the Republican primary for the U.S. Senate.Looking
 directly into the camera, Moran told viewers he backed a moratorium on 
earmarks, but “Congressman Tiahrt led the effort to keep the earmarks 
process in place.”Tiahrt framed it differently.“Well, when
 you listen to Congressman Moran, you’d think that I’m the only one in 
Washington or from Kansas that does earmarks,” Tiahrt said.But, he said, everyone was using them.“In fact, just last year,” Tiahrt said, “Moran supported and requested more than $250 million dollars in earmarks.”Earmarks
 give Congress a tool to tie money from a spending bill to a specific 
project without going through all of the hoops of a normal funding 
request.They’d become a favorite target for Republicans, glaring 
examples of the soft corruption of incumbents that wasted money on 
things like a <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-alaska-bridge/alaskas-bridge-to-nowhere-plan-finally-scrapped-idUSKCN0SI00120151024" target="_blank">bridge to nowwhere.</a> And when the budget hawks of the Tea Party swept into the U.S. House, earmarks got swept away.Tiahrt’s
 seat on the powerful appropriations committee and his desire to reform 
earmarks, rather than ditch them entirely, put a target on his back. He 
lost to Moran, who’s since become a senator.This year, Democrats 
in Congress brought earmarks back, and they’ve invited Republicans to 
join in snagging money for special projects in their districts. Some 
Republicans are cashing in. But earmarks pose a double-edged sword for 
members of a party that has long stood for less spending and lower 
taxes. If they don’t play the earmark game, they leave money in 
Washington that could’ve come back to their districts — and won them 
votes.A moratoriumIn 2010, before Jerry Moran became a senator, gone were the days of touting the $142, 500 dollars he had secured to help <a href="https://www.cjonline.com/news/state/2010-07-02/earmarks_tricky_business" target="_blank">pay for </a>the McPherson Opera House, or the earmark requests he’d made to help a community college build a biotech center.Shortly
 after the 2010 elections, the earmarks that helped build coalitions, 
pass big spending bills, and generally greased the wheels of Capitol 
Hill <a href="https://www.rollcall.com/2010/11/04/boehner-house-will-have-earmark-moratorium/" target="_blank">went away</a> when House Speaker John Boehner banned them.Giving
 up earmarks also meant surrendering up a way to control some of the 
Republican Party’s most fiscally conservative firebrands. There weren’t 
as many incentives like campaign donations or spending money for special
 projects to bring people to middle ground.“What else do you 
have? Well, you could really go nuclear, if someone is a real thorn in 
your side, and remove them from a committee,” said Laura Blessing, who 
studied earmarks as a senior fellow at the Georgetown Government Affairs
 Institute. “It's just too strong of a tool. That's a sledgehammer.”Then-U.S.Rep.
 Tim Huelskamp felt that hammer’s blow. He’d had a stormy relationship 
with Boehner. The speaker booted the congressman from western Kansas, 
and leader of the House Freedom Caucus, off the House Agriculture 
Committee. And for the first time in 150 years, Kansas no longer had a 
player sitting at the table when farm policy got hashed out.When he ran for reelection in 2016, attack ads blasted the Republican for losing that Ag seat.Michael Smith, a political science professor at Emporia State University, said Huelskamp effectively <a href="https://www.npr.org/2016/08/03/488568404/tea-party-rep-tim-huelskamp-defeated-in-kansas-primary" target="_blank">lost re-election</a> when he lost his spot on the committee.“When
 Roger Marshall challenged him in the primaries, he didn’t specifically 
run on earmarks. Earmarks are kind of politically touchy,” Smith said. 
But “he hammered Huelskamp on the idea (that) he is not the most 
effective of bringing home resources to this district. And earmarks are a
 part of that.”Play or notYet when asked about earmarks recently, now-Sen. Marshall<a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2021/05/05/senate-republicans-earmarks-485373" target="_blank"> told Politico</a>, “I’m gonna do everything I can to blow up the process so that no one does earmarks.”Rep. Tracey Mann, a Republican from Salina, said in a <a href="https://mann.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-tracey-manns-statement-earmarks-117th-congress" target="_blank">statement</a>,
 “I did not run for office so I could be the caretaker in the slow 
demise of our great nation” noting he was worried a return to earmarks 
in the House, “will once again spiral out of control and lead to more 
government spending.”U.S. Rep. Ron Estes, a Wichita Republican, 
agreed. A statement from his office said the earmarks process “detracts 
from focusing on how to reduce spending."Smith said if 
Republicans continue to pass on earmarks, that’s leaving federal money 
that could benefit their districts on the table.“Are they going 
to bring over that conservative ideology argument, no more big 
government?” he said. “Or are they going to go back to the more 
traditional kind of Bob Dole type politics of talking small government, 
but still making sure that their districts get their fair share of the 
pie?”U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids is the lone Kansas Democrat in Congress. She supports earmarks to help <a href="https://www.kansascity.com/news/politics-government/article250974644.html" target="_blank">revamp a Kansas City highway</a> and buy more electric busses for her district. Davids has requested<a href="https://davids.house.gov/approps" target="_blank"> millions</a> of dollars in earmarks for a myriad of projects ranging from $43 million for a<a href="https://davids.house.gov/sites/davids.house.gov/files/wysiwyg_uploaded/Energy%20and%20Water%20Development%20CPF%20Requests%20-%20FY22.pdf" target="_blank"> levee and flood wall system</a> in Merriam to an <a href="https://davids.house.gov/sites/davids.house.gov/files/wysiwyg_uploaded/LaborHHS%20Ed%20CPF%20Requests%20-%20FY22.pdf" target="_blank">imaging machine</a> at the University of Kansas Cancer Center.So far, the three Republicans who represent Kansas in the U.S. House have not requested<a href="https://appropriations.house.gov/transparency" target="_blank"> </a><a href="https://appropriations.house.gov/transparency" target="_blank">many earmarks</a>.Estes
 opposed the return to using earmarks, and a spokesman for U.S. Rep. 
Jake LaTurner previously said he did not participate in requests this 
year. But the two congressmen have made<a href="https://transportation.house.gov/committee-activity/issue/member-designated-projects" target="_blank"> </a><a href="https://transportation.house.gov/committee-activity/issue/member-designated-projects" target="_blank">multiple</a> requests to the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.A
 spokesperson for LaTurner’s office said the congressman “stuck to his 
word” and didn’t request earmarks during the appropriations process this
 winter.“(But) as Congress moved on to the transportation plan we
 had additional time and chose to submit office and state-vetted, 
approved, and sponsored transportation projects previously qualified to 
receive federal funds,” his office said in a statement. “Representative 
LaTurner is proud to utilize his Constitutionally derived authority to 
facilitate interstate commerce by seeking funds for critical 
infrastructure projects in eastern Kansas.”The only member of the Kansas delegation who hasn’t decided on whether to participate yet is Moran.When Politico <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2021/05/05/senate-republicans-earmarks-485373" target="_blank">polled senators</a>
 in early May, Moran was one of more than a dozen who were undecided if 
they would participate in earmarks this year. His office didn’t respond 
to multiple requests for comment.Jim Slattery is a former 
Democratic member of Congress from Topeka. He said he thinks the Kansas 
delegation should request earmarks. If Congress doesn’t choose where to 
spend the money, he said, the president will. That cash could end up 
going to swing states that are more politically useful to the president.
 Not Kansas.“Why,” he said, “would they not aggressively pursue 
the money that is being appropriated to build highways and build 
infrastructure to improve the internet and broadband capability in 
Kansas?”Abigail Censky is the political reporter for the Kansas News Service. You can follow her on Twitter<a href="https://twitter.com/AbigailCensky" target="_blank"> @AbigailCensky</a> or email her at abigailcensky (at) kcur (dot) org.Abigail Censky is the political reporter for the Kansas News Service. You can follow her on Twitter<a href="https://twitter.com/AbigailCensky" target="_blank"> @AbigailCensky</a> or email her at abigailcensky@kcur.org.