WASHINGTON (AP) — Students who were defrauded by their colleges and received only partial relief from their federal loans could now see them fully canceled, the Biden administration announced Thursday, reversing a Trump administration policy.

The change could lead to $1 billion in loans being canceled for 72,000 borrowers, all of whom attended for-profit schools, the Education Department said.

“Borrowers deserve a simplified and fair path to relief when they have been harmed by their institution’s misconduct,” said Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. “A close review of these claims and the associated evidence showed these borrowers have been harmed, and we will grant them a fresh start from their debt.”

The department said it was rescinding the formula used by the Trump administration to determine partial relief and putting in place “a streamlined path to receiving full loan discharges.”

The decision applies to students who already had their claims approved and received only partial relief, the department said.

A senior department official briefing reporters said the agency was continuing to review both the backlog of claims yet to be decided and those that have been denied.

The department described Thursday’s action as “a first step” and said it would be looking at rewriting the regulations down the road.

In addition to having their loans fully canceled, students will be reimbursed for any payments made on the loans and have their eligibility for federal student aid reinstated. The department said it also would ask credit bureaus to remove any negative ratings tied to the loans.

“Abandoning partial relief is a strong start for a narrow subset of borrowers, but what we need from the Education Department is an overhaul of the current borrower defense process,” said Toby Merrill, director of the Project on Predatory Student Lending, which represents former students at for-profit colleges.

“The previous administration turned borrower defense into a total sham that was rigged to deny claims without any true consideration,” Merrill said. “The Biden-Harris administration must now address these failings or else perpetuate a system that is stacked against the very students they are supposed to protect.”

Career Education Colleges and Universities, an industry lobbying group, said it had no comment on the Biden administration’s actions.

The borrower defense to repayment program allows students to have their federal loans canceled if they were defrauded by their colleges. The Obama administration had expanded the program aimed at helping students who attended for-profit colleges. But President Donald Trump’s education secretary,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ab84626294d6faa0494e9c5ac7f6421e">Betsy DeVos, pulled it back</a>, saying it had become too easy for students to have their loans erased, and revised the program to make it harder for them to get relief, including providing only partial cancellation of the loans.

Congress voted to overturn DeVos’ changes last March, but it was vetoed by Trump.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/00c9b70689a3a5fdcb54e63661608b11">Nearly two dozen state attorneys general had sued the Trump administration</a>&nbsp;over its implementation of the borrower defense to repayment program, which allows borrowers to have their loans canceled if their colleges made false claims to get them to enroll. One of the plaintiffs in that suit was California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, who was confirmed Thursday as President Joe Biden’s health secretary.

The lawsuit, which was filed last July, argued that DeVos had changed the policy without justification, failed to provide a meaningful process for students to get their loans forgiven and created “arbitrary impediments” for them, including forcing them to prove that their schools knowingly misled them.

Sen. Patty Murray, who heads the Senate committee overseeing education, said DeVos used “faulty math” to deny student full relief. Rep. Bobby Scott, chair of the House Committee on Education and Labor, called it “a nonsensical formula.”

“This announcement is life-changing for tens of thousands of people across the country,” Scott said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/3/1616100370459.png" alt="Education Secretary Miguel Cardona during a press briefing Wednesday-photo courtesy White House" />
 <figcaption>Education Secretary Miguel Cardona during a press briefing Wednesday-photo courtesy White House</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — Students who were defrauded by their colleges and received only partial relief from their federal loans could now see them fully canceled, the Biden administration announced Thursday, reversing a Trump administration policy.The change could lead to $1 billion in loans being canceled for 72,000 borrowers, all of whom attended for-profit schools, the Education Department said.“Borrowers deserve a simplified and fair path to relief when they have been harmed by their institution’s misconduct,” said Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. “A close review of these claims and the associated evidence showed these borrowers have been harmed, and we will grant them a fresh start from their debt.”The department said it was rescinding the formula used by the Trump administration to determine partial relief and putting in place “a streamlined path to receiving full loan discharges.”The decision applies to students who already had their claims approved and received only partial relief, the department said.A senior department official briefing reporters said the agency was continuing to review both the backlog of claims yet to be decided and those that have been denied.The department described Thursday’s action as “a first step” and said it would be looking at rewriting the regulations down the road.In addition to having their loans fully canceled, students will be reimbursed for any payments made on the loans and have their eligibility for federal student aid reinstated. The department said it also would ask credit bureaus to remove any negative ratings tied to the loans.“Abandoning partial relief is a strong start for a narrow subset of borrowers, but what we need from the Education Department is an overhaul of the current borrower defense process,” said Toby Merrill, director of the Project on Predatory Student Lending, which represents former students at for-profit colleges.“The previous administration turned borrower defense into a total sham that was rigged to deny claims without any true consideration,” Merrill said. “The Biden-Harris administration must now address these failings or else perpetuate a system that is stacked against the very students they are supposed to protect.”Career Education Colleges and Universities, an industry lobbying group, said it had no comment on the Biden administration’s actions.The borrower defense to repayment program allows students to have their federal loans canceled if they were defrauded by their colleges. The Obama administration had expanded the program aimed at helping students who attended for-profit colleges. But President Donald Trump’s education secretary,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ab84626294d6faa0494e9c5ac7f6421e">Betsy DeVos, pulled it back</a>, saying it had become too easy for students to have their loans erased, and revised the program to make it harder for them to get relief, including providing only partial cancellation of the loans.Congress voted to overturn DeVos’ changes last March, but it was vetoed by Trump.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/00c9b70689a3a5fdcb54e63661608b11">Nearly two dozen state attorneys general had sued the Trump administration</a>&nbsp;over its implementation of the borrower defense to repayment program, which allows borrowers to have their loans canceled if their colleges made false claims to get them to enroll. One of the plaintiffs in that suit was California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, who was confirmed Thursday as President Joe Biden’s health secretary.The lawsuit, which was filed last July, argued that DeVos had changed the policy without justification, failed to provide a meaningful process for students to get their loans forgiven and created “arbitrary impediments” for them, including forcing them to prove that their schools knowingly misled them.Sen. Patty Murray, who heads the Senate committee overseeing education, said DeVos used “faulty math” to deny student full relief. Rep. Bobby Scott, chair of the House Committee on Education and Labor, called it “a nonsensical formula.”“This announcement is life-changing for tens of thousands of people across the country,” Scott said.

Students who got partial loan relief to see full discharge

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Police in Kansas City have identified a man whose body was found by firefighters who were battling a house fire near the city’s east side.

The body was that of 37-year-old Edwyn Roland, Kansas City police said in a news release.

Roland’s body was discovered around 9 p.m. Tuesday as fire crews worked to extinguish the blaze along Wabash Avenue in a house believed to have been vacant, police said. An initial investigation led detectives to believe that Roland’s death was a homicide, police said.

Police have not released details about how he died and said they were seeking leads in developing a suspect in the case.

KANSAS CITY (AP) — Firefighters in Kansas City discovered the body of a man while battling a house fire near the city’s east side, police said.

The discovery was made around 9 p.m. Tuesday as fire crews worked to extinguish the blaze along Wabash Avenue in a house believed to have been vacant, Kansas City police said in a news release. An initial investigation led detectives to believe the man’s death was a homicide, police said.

Police had not released the man’s name or details about how he died by Wednesday morning. Investigators are seeking leads in developing a suspect in the case, police said.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Police in Kansas City have identified a man whose body was found by firefighters who were battling a house fire near the city’s east side.The body was that of 37-year-old Edwyn Roland, Kansas City police said in a news release.Roland’s body was discovered around 9 p.m. Tuesday as fire crews worked to extinguish the blaze along Wabash Avenue in a house believed to have been vacant, police said. An initial investigation led detectives to believe that Roland’s death was a homicide, police said.Police have not released details about how he died and said they were seeking leads in developing a suspect in the case.---------KANSAS CITY (AP) — Firefighters in Kansas City discovered the body of a man while battling a house fire near the city’s east side, police said.The discovery was made around 9 p.m. Tuesday as fire crews worked to extinguish the blaze along Wabash Avenue in a house believed to have been vacant, Kansas City police said in a news release. An initial investigation led detectives to believe the man’s death was a homicide, police said.Police had not released the man’s name or details about how he died by Wednesday morning. Investigators are seeking leads in developing a suspect in the case, police said.

Firefighters ID body found in burning Kansas City home

<a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/d5a0fee7-ec64-4423-8a5d-e189df743e0d">RELATED:&nbsp;IRS: No stimulus check? You may be eligible for Recovery Rebate Credit. Click HERE for more.</a>

<a href="https://greatbendpost.com/posts/3820050f-0695-4338-858b-9312156bda8a">RELATED:&nbsp;$1,400 payments begin by weekend</a>

As part of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, which included $1,400 payments to most Americans, the Internal Revenue Service offers an online tool to track those payments.

The Get My Payment tool can be accessed <a href="https://www.irs.gov/coronavirus/get-my-payment">HERE</a>. .

The link also contains information on what to do if you have not received the first and second round of relief payments.

<a href="https://jcpost.com/posts/b1dffc64-ce07-49b4-a374-8b42b5ca23a3">READ MORE:&nbsp;Big Red One Soldiers support FEMA vaccination efforts</a>.

<a href="https://stjosephpost.com/posts/7104b600-820f-49e9-a109-7ec945681f03">READ MORE:&nbsp;A pandemic effect — gun sales up, ammunition scarce</a>.&nbsp;

<a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/d5a0fee7-ec64-4423-8a5d-e189df743e0d">RELATED:&nbsp;IRS: No stimulus check? You may be eligible for Recovery Rebate Credit. Click HERE for more.</a><a href="https://greatbendpost.com/posts/3820050f-0695-4338-858b-9312156bda8a">RELATED:&nbsp;$1,400 payments begin by weekend</a>IRSAs part of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, which included $1,400 payments to most Americans, the Internal Revenue Service offers an online tool to track those payments.The Get My Payment tool can be accessed <a href="https://www.irs.gov/coronavirus/get-my-payment">HERE</a>. .The link also contains information on what to do if you have not received the first and second round of relief payments.<a href="https://jcpost.com/posts/b1dffc64-ce07-49b4-a374-8b42b5ca23a3">READ MORE:&nbsp;Big Red One Soldiers support FEMA vaccination efforts</a>.<a href="https://stjosephpost.com/posts/7104b600-820f-49e9-a109-7ec945681f03">READ MORE:&nbsp;A pandemic effect — gun sales up, ammunition scarce</a>.&nbsp;

IRS: Check the status of your third COVID stimulus check

GOP using federal COVID-19 aid to cover state’s obligations to schools

By TIM CARPENTER <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2021/03/18/gov-kelly-denounces-kansas-senates-budget-plan-as-sabotage-of-k-12-education-system/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA — Gov. Laura Kelly 
responded with contempt to a feeling of deja vu after the Kansas Senate 
voted to rely on federal COVID-19 funding rather than Kansas tax dollars
 to cover as much as $568 million in public education obligations in a 
proposed two-year state budget.

The Republican-controlled 
Senate wants to explore opportunities to earmark COVID-19 assistance to 
cover the state’s obligations to Kansas for public education, but not 
make a final decision until May. Passage of <a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/documents/bill_exp_sb267_01_0000.pdf">Senate Bill 267</a>
 signaled the Senate would delay final K-12 budget decisions a couple 
months to seek clarity on the state’s tax revenue picture and to await 
guidance from the federal government on spending pandemic aid funneled 
into the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund.

“If Senate Bill 267 
becomes law it would cut funding for Kansas public schools by more than 
half a billion dollars,” Kelly said. “The last thing Kansas needs — just
 as our teachers are vaccinated and our kids are returning to in-person 
learning — is to sabotage our education system by subverting critical 
COVID recovery funds.”

Kelly, a Democrat, was 
serving in the Kansas Senate during a national recession more than a 
decade ago when temporary federal stimulus money was rolled into Kansas’
 education budget to free state tax dollars for other purposes. The move
 offered immediate relief from budget pressures, but reliance on 
one-time money eventually meant the state faced a budgetary reckoning.

The Legislature dealt with
 its post-recession budget problems by abandoning school-funding 
promises and passing aggressive income tax cuts embraced by then-Gov. 
Sam Brownback. The inevitable lawsuit filed by public school districts 
led to intervention by the Kansas Supreme Court, which affirmed the 
Legislature’s constitutional duty to suitably finance K-12 public 
schools. The Supreme Court retained jurisdiction over the latest lawsuit
 in anticipation legislators might again fail to complete a muli-year 
plan to improve funding of public education. Much of the Brownback tax 
program was repealed in 2017.

“I promised when I became 
governor that Kansas would not make the mistakes of the past, and that 
we would fulfill our constitutional obligation to fully fund our public 
schools, and I will keep that promise,” Kelly said.

On Wednesday, the <a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/vote_view/je_20210317145444_300058/">Senate voted 24-13</a>
 to send a two-year budget bill to the House. GOP senators defended the 
decision to shoehorn CARES Act money into the state’s K-12 budget — $236
 million in the fiscal year starting July 1 and $332 million in the 
subsequent fiscal year.

Senate President Ty 
Masterson, R-Andover, said objections to the Senate bill were a “red 
herring” and “scare tactic” because nothing about the state government’s
 budget had been set in stone. He said the Senate’s approach did have a 
“chicken-and-egg” feel, but did nothing to jeopardize K-12 aid designed 
specifically to address academic inequities across the state. The 
prudent decision is to wait for more information about appropriation of 
the COVID-19 relief targeting the nation’s schools, he said.

Masterson rejected a 
proposal by Democrats to put state general fund dollars into K-12 now 
and leave open the option of replacing that money with federal aid if 
permitted.

“This would be akin to 
committing to pay a bill that you don’t know that you need,” Masterson 
said. “We want more information. That’s never a bad thing. It would be 
unwise to handcuff ourselves to something.”

Masterson said the state’s
 experience after the Great Recession should convince lawmakers of the 
prudence in banking state general fund dollars for the day when COVID-19
 relief ended. At that point, the GOP senator said, the state could need
 financial reserves to confront a type of financial cliff.

“By saying we’re going to 
use these federal dollars, which are one-time dollars, that is setting a
 cliff,” said Senate Minority Leader Dinah Sykes, D-Lenexa.

Sen. Tom Hawk, a Manhattan
 Democrat, said the Kansas Department of Education concluded federal 
coronavirus aid to schools couldn’t be used to replace state tax dollars
 for K-12 schools. He said the department believes the federal aid in 
question must be spent on costs directly tied to the pandemic.

He said it would be better
 to set COVID-19 money aside and plug state tax dollars into the K-12 
budget until more was known about expenditure options. He also pointed 
to the Senate’s passage of <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2021/02/09/kansas-senate-jettisons-restraint-to-transform-modest-tax-bill-into-470-million-behemoth/">Senate Bill 22</a>
 slashing state taxes by an estimated $478 million, which wasn’t 
accounted for when Senate Republicans cobbled together the two-year 
budget plan because it could eventually lead the state to a $78 million 
deficit.

“This is not a sustainable
 budget for the resources we have beyond the one-time money,” Hawk said.
 “This really puts us, in my mind, in a difficult position.”

Sen. Richard Billinger, a 
Goodland Republican and chairman of the Senate Ways and Means Committee, 
said advocates of swapping state tax dollars for federal relief funding 
in the budget weren’t walking away from promises to invest in the quest 
to close achievement gaps among low-income and minority students in 
public schools.

The approach doesn’t 
signal abandonment of a six-year strategy to close funding inadequacies 
affirmed by the Supreme Court, he said.

“I fully believe that 
we’re going to fund them,” Billinger said. “We need to fund them. It’s 
just how we do that and when. We want to utilize all available federal 
funds. It’s prudent on our part to try to look at avenues that help fill
 in the state general fund.”

Overall, the Senate budget
 plan would spend $56 million more than recommended by the governor. 
That inspired Sen. Richard Hilderbrand, R-Baxter Springs, to propose a 
3% cut in budgets not related to K-12 education, public safety and 
obligations to Medicaid recipients. He said the proposal would reduce 
expenditures by about $60 million. The GOP-led chamber rejected his 
amendment 14-19.

Hilderbrand said it was 
“really ironic and, I’m sorry, just downright comical” that the 31 
senators not on the Ways and Means Committee were repeatedly thwarted 
from advancing budget amendments on the Senate floor. The full Senate is
 the proper venue despite the view of those running the Senate’s budget 
committee, he said.

“Sooner or later that 
sledgehammer will fall,” Hilderbrand said. “It’s going to hurt. It’s 
going to hurt bad. We’re not being fiscally responsible.”

Sykes, the Democratic 
leader in the Senate, offered this closing thought: “We cannot pay for 
tax cuts for giant multinational corporations, keep the lights on and 
keep our state running, and operate with a positive balance under this 
proposed budget. Furthermore, this budget punts our constitutional 
obligation to fund our schools. One-time federal funds during a pandemic
 do not a finance formula make.”

Tim Carpenter has reported on Kansas for 35 years. He covered the Capitol for 16 years at the Topeka Capital-Journal and previously worked for the Lawrence Journal-World and United Press International.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/3/1616093543140.png" alt="Gov. Laura Kelly said the budget bill passed by the Kansas Senate would inappropriately replace $570 million in state funding to K-12 education with one-time federal COVID-19 aid..(Noah Taborda/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>Gov. Laura Kelly said the budget bill passed by the Kansas Senate would inappropriately replace $570 million in state funding to K-12 education with one-time federal COVID-19 aid..(Noah Taborda/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>GOP using federal COVID-19 aid to cover state’s obligations to schools</h2>By TIM CARPENTER <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2021/03/18/gov-kelly-denounces-kansas-senates-budget-plan-as-sabotage-of-k-12-education-system/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — Gov. Laura Kelly 
responded with contempt to a feeling of deja vu after the Kansas Senate 
voted to rely on federal COVID-19 funding rather than Kansas tax dollars
 to cover as much as $568 million in public education obligations in a 
proposed two-year state budget.The Republican-controlled 
Senate wants to explore opportunities to earmark COVID-19 assistance to 
cover the state’s obligations to Kansas for public education, but not 
make a final decision until May. Passage of <a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/documents/bill_exp_sb267_01_0000.pdf">Senate Bill 267</a>
 signaled the Senate would delay final K-12 budget decisions a couple 
months to seek clarity on the state’s tax revenue picture and to await 
guidance from the federal government on spending pandemic aid funneled 
into the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund.“If Senate Bill 267 
becomes law it would cut funding for Kansas public schools by more than 
half a billion dollars,” Kelly said. “The last thing Kansas needs — just
 as our teachers are vaccinated and our kids are returning to in-person 
learning — is to sabotage our education system by subverting critical 
COVID recovery funds.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/3/1616093764891.jpeg" alt="Sen. Rick Billinger, a Goodland Republican and chairman of the Senate’s Ways and Means Committee, gestures to Sen. Dan Kerschen, left, and Sen. Mike Petersen before debating a budget relying on one-time federal funding to cover state obligations to public K-12 education. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>Sen. Rick Billinger, a Goodland Republican and chairman of the Senate’s Ways and Means Committee, gestures to Sen. Dan Kerschen, left, and Sen. Mike Petersen before debating a budget relying on one-time federal funding to cover state obligations to public K-12 education. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>Kelly, a Democrat, was 
serving in the Kansas Senate during a national recession more than a 
decade ago when temporary federal stimulus money was rolled into Kansas’
 education budget to free state tax dollars for other purposes. The move
 offered immediate relief from budget pressures, but reliance on 
one-time money eventually meant the state faced a budgetary reckoning.The Legislature dealt with
 its post-recession budget problems by abandoning school-funding 
promises and passing aggressive income tax cuts embraced by then-Gov. 
Sam Brownback. The inevitable lawsuit filed by public school districts 
led to intervention by the Kansas Supreme Court, which affirmed the 
Legislature’s constitutional duty to suitably finance K-12 public 
schools. The Supreme Court retained jurisdiction over the latest lawsuit
 in anticipation legislators might again fail to complete a muli-year 
plan to improve funding of public education. Much of the Brownback tax 
program was repealed in 2017.“I promised when I became 
governor that Kansas would not make the mistakes of the past, and that 
we would fulfill our constitutional obligation to fully fund our public 
schools, and I will keep that promise,” Kelly said.On Wednesday, the <a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/vote_view/je_20210317145444_300058/">Senate voted 24-13</a>
 to send a two-year budget bill to the House. GOP senators defended the 
decision to shoehorn CARES Act money into the state’s K-12 budget — $236
 million in the fiscal year starting July 1 and $332 million in the 
subsequent fiscal year.Senate President Ty 
Masterson, R-Andover, said objections to the Senate bill were a “red 
herring” and “scare tactic” because nothing about the state government’s
 budget had been set in stone. He said the Senate’s approach did have a 
“chicken-and-egg” feel, but did nothing to jeopardize K-12 aid designed 
specifically to address academic inequities across the state. The 
prudent decision is to wait for more information about appropriation of 
the COVID-19 relief targeting the nation’s schools, he said.Masterson rejected a 
proposal by Democrats to put state general fund dollars into K-12 now 
and leave open the option of replacing that money with federal aid if 
permitted.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/3/1616093812547.jpeg" alt="Senate President Ty Masterson talks with Sen. Virgil Peck in a doorway to the Senate chamber prior to debate on a state budget bill replacing state aid to K-12 schools with federal COVID-19 aid allocated for education. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>Senate President Ty Masterson talks with Sen. Virgil Peck in a doorway to the Senate chamber prior to debate on a state budget bill replacing state aid to K-12 schools with federal COVID-19 aid allocated for education. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>“This would be akin to 
committing to pay a bill that you don’t know that you need,” Masterson 
said. “We want more information. That’s never a bad thing. It would be 
unwise to handcuff ourselves to something.”Masterson said the state’s
 experience after the Great Recession should convince lawmakers of the 
prudence in banking state general fund dollars for the day when COVID-19
 relief ended. At that point, the GOP senator said, the state could need
 financial reserves to confront a type of financial cliff.“By saying we’re going to 
use these federal dollars, which are one-time dollars, that is setting a
 cliff,” said Senate Minority Leader Dinah Sykes, D-Lenexa.Sen. Tom Hawk, a Manhattan
 Democrat, said the Kansas Department of Education concluded federal 
coronavirus aid to schools couldn’t be used to replace state tax dollars
 for K-12 schools. He said the department believes the federal aid in 
question must be spent on costs directly tied to the pandemic.He said it would be better
 to set COVID-19 money aside and plug state tax dollars into the K-12 
budget until more was known about expenditure options. He also pointed 
to the Senate’s passage of <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2021/02/09/kansas-senate-jettisons-restraint-to-transform-modest-tax-bill-into-470-million-behemoth/">Senate Bill 22</a>
 slashing state taxes by an estimated $478 million, which wasn’t 
accounted for when Senate Republicans cobbled together the two-year 
budget plan because it could eventually lead the state to a $78 million 
deficit.“This is not a sustainable
 budget for the resources we have beyond the one-time money,” Hawk said.
 “This really puts us, in my mind, in a difficult position.”Sen. Richard Billinger, a 
Goodland Republican and chairman of the Senate Ways and Means Committee, 
said advocates of swapping state tax dollars for federal relief funding 
in the budget weren’t walking away from promises to invest in the quest 
to close achievement gaps among low-income and minority students in 
public schools.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/3/1616093843611.jpeg" alt="Sen. Richard Hilderbrand, center, proposed a 3% cut in state spending that exempted K-12 schools, public safety and other mandatory expenditures. His amendment cutting $60 million was rejected by the GOP-led Senate. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>Sen. Richard Hilderbrand, center, proposed a 3% cut in state spending that exempted K-12 schools, public safety and other mandatory expenditures. His amendment cutting $60 million was rejected by the GOP-led Senate. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>The approach doesn’t 
signal abandonment of a six-year strategy to close funding inadequacies 
affirmed by the Supreme Court, he said.“I fully believe that 
we’re going to fund them,” Billinger said. “We need to fund them. It’s 
just how we do that and when. We want to utilize all available federal 
funds. It’s prudent on our part to try to look at avenues that help fill
 in the state general fund.”Overall, the Senate budget
 plan would spend $56 million more than recommended by the governor. 
That inspired Sen. Richard Hilderbrand, R-Baxter Springs, to propose a 
3% cut in budgets not related to K-12 education, public safety and 
obligations to Medicaid recipients. He said the proposal would reduce 
expenditures by about $60 million. The GOP-led chamber rejected his 
amendment 14-19.Hilderbrand said it was 
“really ironic and, I’m sorry, just downright comical” that the 31 
senators not on the Ways and Means Committee were repeatedly thwarted 
from advancing budget amendments on the Senate floor. The full Senate is
 the proper venue despite the view of those running the Senate’s budget 
committee, he said.“Sooner or later that 
sledgehammer will fall,” Hilderbrand said. “It’s going to hurt. It’s 
going to hurt bad. We’re not being fiscally responsible.”Sykes, the Democratic 
leader in the Senate, offered this closing thought: “We cannot pay for 
tax cuts for giant multinational corporations, keep the lights on and 
keep our state running, and operate with a positive balance under this 
proposed budget. Furthermore, this budget punts our constitutional 
obligation to fund our schools. One-time federal funds during a pandemic
 do not a finance formula make.”Tim Carpenter has reported on Kansas for 35 years. He covered the Capitol for 16 years at the Topeka Capital-Journal and previously worked for the Lawrence Journal-World and United Press International.&nbsp;

Kelly denounces senate's budget plan as ‘sabotage’ of K-12 system

CORVALLIS, Ore. (AP) — Oregon State’s board of trustees have placed president F. King Alexander on probation for his role in handling sexual misconduct complaints while he was at LSU.

After a seven-hour meeting Wednesday night, the board ordered Alexander to come up with an “action plan” to regain the trust of his campus.

A report commissioned by the LSU board found there was a “serious institutional failure” in the school’s handling of Title IX cases, including allegations against football coach Les Miles during Alexander’s tenure. 

Alexander served at LSU from July 2013 through 2019 and took the same position at Oregon State in 2020.

A number of Oregon State faculty and students testified in a public hearing earlier in the day, calling for Alexander’s firing.

The board considered firing Alexander,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/investigations/2021/03/17/oregon-states-puts-former-lsu-president-f-king-alexander-probation/4741812001/" target="_blank">USA Today reported.</a>

“Questions were raised about whether we had all of the pertinent information that we need to make a sound, well-informed judgment,” trustee Paul Kelly told the newspaper, explaining the board’s thinking.

Les Miles resigned earlier this month as the University of Kansas head football coach just days after he was placed on administrative leave amid sexual misconduct allegations from his tenure at LSU.&nbsp; &nbsp;Two days later KU Athletic Director Jeff Long resigned.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1602186466103.png" alt="On March 8, KU mutually parted with coach Les Miles amid sexual misconduct allegations dating to the football coach’s time at LSU.&nbsp;Kansas athletic director Jeff Long resigned two days later." />
 <figcaption>On March 8, KU mutually parted with coach Les Miles amid sexual misconduct allegations dating to the football coach’s time at LSU.&nbsp;Kansas athletic director Jeff Long resigned two days later.</figcaption>
 </figure>CORVALLIS, Ore. (AP) — Oregon State’s board of trustees have placed president F. King Alexander on probation for his role in handling sexual misconduct complaints while he was at LSU.After a seven-hour meeting Wednesday night, the board ordered Alexander to come up with an “action plan” to regain the trust of his campus.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Dear Members of the OSU Community, I share this message providing my commitment to evaluate and improve Title IX reporting and survivor support services within OSU; address concerns regarding my leadership of the university; and rebuild relationships and trust. 1/2&mdash; Oregon State University (@OregonState) <a href="https://twitter.com/OregonState/status/1372420099517288449?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 18, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>A report commissioned by the LSU board found there was a “serious institutional failure” in the school’s handling of Title IX cases, including allegations against football coach Les Miles during Alexander’s tenure. Alexander served at LSU from July 2013 through 2019 and took the same position at Oregon State in 2020.A number of Oregon State faculty and students testified in a public hearing earlier in the day, calling for Alexander’s firing.The board considered firing Alexander,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/investigations/2021/03/17/oregon-states-puts-former-lsu-president-f-king-alexander-probation/4741812001/" target="_blank">USA Today reported.</a>“Questions were raised about whether we had all of the pertinent information that we need to make a sound, well-informed judgment,” trustee Paul Kelly told the newspaper, explaining the board’s thinking.Les Miles resigned earlier this month as the University of Kansas head football coach just days after he was placed on administrative leave amid sexual misconduct allegations from his tenure at LSU.&nbsp; &nbsp;Two days later KU Athletic Director Jeff Long resigned.&nbsp;

More fallout from allegations against former KU coach

SEDGWICK COUNTY —A Kansas man accused of rape made his first court appearance in the case Wednesday.

Arden Vanhorn, 32, Wichita, was charged with&nbsp;11 crimes, two of which are misdemeanors, four counts of aggravated battery, rape, aggravated criminal sodomy, aggravated kidnapping, criminal damage to property (misdemeanor), criminal threat, theft (misdemeanor), and attempted aggravated escape from custody, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney.

Just after 4 p.m. on March 14, police responded to check the welfare of a citizen at Harry and Poplar, according to officer Charley Davidson.&nbsp; 

Upon arrival, officers contacted a 47-year-old woman who had injuries and learned an unknown suspect entered the business she was working at in the 1500 block of East Harry in Wichita, held a knife to her, strangled and battered her, and sexually assaulted her.&nbsp; She was able to flee the business and call the police.

Through the investigation, investigators learned of Vanhorn’s involvement in the case. They learned he had been arrested and booked into jail stemming from an aggravated battery and theft investigation on Sunday evening.

His bond is $325,000, according to the district attorney.  His next court appearance is March 25.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/3/1615913023670.png" alt="Vanhorn has previous felony convictions that include theft, burglary, aggravated assault and criminal use of a financial card, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections - photo Sedgwick County Jail" />
 <figcaption>Vanhorn has previous felony convictions that include theft, burglary, aggravated assault and criminal use of a financial card, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections - photo Sedgwick County Jail</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY —A Kansas man accused of rape made his first court appearance in the case Wednesday.Arden Vanhorn, 32, Wichita, was charged with&nbsp;11 crimes, two of which are misdemeanors, four counts of aggravated battery, rape, aggravated criminal sodomy, aggravated kidnapping, criminal damage to property (misdemeanor), criminal threat, theft (misdemeanor), and attempted aggravated escape from custody, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney.Just after 4 p.m. on March 14, police responded to check the welfare of a citizen at Harry and Poplar, according to officer Charley Davidson.&nbsp; Upon arrival, officers contacted a 47-year-old woman who had injuries and learned an unknown suspect entered the business she was working at in the 1500 block of East Harry in Wichita, held a knife to her, strangled and battered her, and sexually assaulted her.&nbsp; She was able to flee the business and call the police.Through the investigation, investigators learned of Vanhorn’s involvement in the case. They learned he had been arrested and booked into jail stemming from an aggravated battery and theft investigation on Sunday evening.His bond is $325,000, according to the district attorney. His next court appearance is March 25.&nbsp;

Kan. man accused of violent sex assault charged with 11 crimes

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Attorneys general from 21 states on Wednesday sued to to overturn President Joe Biden’s cancellation of the contentious Keystone XL oil pipeline from Canada.

<a href="https://ago.mo.gov/docs/default-source/press-releases/tx-and-mt-v-biden-complaint6e0db0e103df4720bfd10092d018af6d.pdf?sfvrsn=9c2e3f35_2">Click here to read</a> the lawsuit documents

Led by Ken Paxton of Texas and Austin Knudsen of Montana, the states said Biden had overstepped his authority when he revoked the permit for the Keystone pipeline on his first day in office.

Because the line would run through multiple U.S. states, Congress should have the final say over whether it’s built, according to the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Texas.

Construction on the 1,200-mile pipeline began last year when former President Donald Trump revived the long-delayed project after it had stalled under the Obama administration.

It would move up to 830,000 barrels (35 million gallons) of crude daily from the oil sand fields of western Canada to Steele City, Nebraska, where it would connect to other pipelines that feed oil refineries on the U.S. Gulf Coast.

Biden cancelled its permit over longstanding concerns that burning oil sands crude would make climate change worse.

Some moderate Democratic lawmakers also have urged Biden to reverse his decision, including Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Jon Tester of Montana.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/3/1616084357111.png" alt="From the lawsuit" />
 <figcaption>From the lawsuit</figcaption>
 </figure>BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Attorneys general from 21 states on Wednesday sued to to overturn President Joe Biden’s cancellation of the contentious Keystone XL oil pipeline from Canada.<a href="https://ago.mo.gov/docs/default-source/press-releases/tx-and-mt-v-biden-complaint6e0db0e103df4720bfd10092d018af6d.pdf?sfvrsn=9c2e3f35_2">Click here to read</a> the lawsuit documentsLed by Ken Paxton of Texas and Austin Knudsen of Montana, the states said Biden had overstepped his authority when he revoked the permit for the Keystone pipeline on his first day in office.Because the line would run through multiple U.S. states, Congress should have the final say over whether it’s built, according to the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Texas.Construction on the 1,200-mile pipeline began last year when former President Donald Trump revived the long-delayed project after it had stalled under the Obama administration.It would move up to 830,000 barrels (35 million gallons) of crude daily from the oil sand fields of western Canada to Steele City, Nebraska, where it would connect to other pipelines that feed oil refineries on the U.S. Gulf Coast.Biden cancelled its permit over longstanding concerns that burning oil sands crude would make climate change worse.Some moderate Democratic lawmakers also have urged Biden to reverse his decision, including Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Jon Tester of Montana.

Kan., 20 other states sue Biden to revive Keystone XL pipeline

CRAWFORD COUNTY —One person died in an accident just after 1a.m. Thursday in Crawford County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2016 Freightliner semi driven by Michael J. Brogoto, 60, Independence, MO., was southbound on Kansas 7 approaching E. 630th Avenue.

The vehicle struck a westbound 2002 Ford F150 driven by Gregory A.&nbsp;Puffinbarger, 57, Girard, that was had stopped at the stop sign at the intersection and then proceeded to cross the intersection.

Puffinbarger was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported to&nbsp; Frontier Forensics.&nbsp; Brogoto was not injured.&nbsp; Puffinbarger was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.

CRAWFORD COUNTY —One person died in an accident just after 1a.m. Thursday in Crawford County.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2016 Freightliner semi driven by Michael J. Brogoto, 60, Independence, MO., was southbound on Kansas 7 approaching E. 630th Avenue.The vehicle struck a westbound 2002 Ford F150 driven by Gregory A.&nbsp;Puffinbarger, 57, Girard, that was had stopped at the stop sign at the intersection and then proceeded to cross the intersection.Puffinbarger was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported to&nbsp; Frontier Forensics.&nbsp; Brogoto was not injured.&nbsp; Puffinbarger was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.

Kansas man dies after pickup, semi crash

SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigatating a shooting that sent a woman to the hospital.

Just before 10p.m.&nbsp; Tuesday, police responded to the 2600 block of S Topeka in Wichita after report that a woman had been shot and left in a vehicle at that location, according to officer Trevor Macey.&nbsp;

Police stopped the vehicle in the 1500 block of Pawnee and located a 21-year-old woman&nbsp;inside with a gunshot wound. EMS transported her to an area hospital in serious condition, according to Macey. She is expected to recover.

Police have not reported an arrest or additional details.

SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigatating a shooting that sent a woman to the hospital.Just before 10p.m.&nbsp; Tuesday, police responded to the 2600 block of S Topeka in Wichita after report that a woman had been shot and left in a vehicle at that location, according to officer Trevor Macey.&nbsp;Police stopped the vehicle in the 1500 block of Pawnee and located a 21-year-old woman&nbsp;inside with a gunshot wound. EMS transported her to an area hospital in serious condition, according to Macey. She is expected to recover.Police have not reported an arrest or additional details.

Police: Kan. woman found in car with gunshot wound

The Internal Revenue Services offers an online tool to track your federal tax refund status.

• Social Security number or TIN • Filing status • Exact refund amount

Click <a href="https://sa.www4.irs.gov/irfof/lang/en/irfofgetstatus.jsp">HERE</a> to track your refund.

<a href="https://jcpost.com/posts/5111ac96-78e8-40b9-bae8-47365bed8d87">RELATED: IRS will delay tax filing deadline.</a>

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/9/1599869632873.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>The Internal Revenue Services offers an online tool to track your federal tax refund status.To track a refund, taxpayers will need:• Social Security number or TIN • Filing status • Exact refund amountClick <a href="https://sa.www4.irs.gov/irfof/lang/en/irfofgetstatus.jsp">HERE</a> to track your refund.<a href="https://jcpost.com/posts/5111ac96-78e8-40b9-bae8-47365bed8d87">RELATED: IRS will delay tax filing deadline.</a>

IRS: Where's my tax refund? Here's how to find out

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas legislators on Wednesday traded sometimes-bitter accusations of misogyny as conservative Republicans advanced a proposal to ban transgender students from girls’ and women’s school sports that Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly labeled “regressive.”

(Click below to watch Wednesday night's debate on the bill)

The GOP-controlled state Senate approved&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/documents/supp_note_sb208_01_0000.pdf" target="_blank">a bill&nbsp;</a>that would enact the ban on&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/vote_view/je_20210317203940_351043/" target="_blank">a 24-10 vote,</a>&nbsp;sending the measure to the Republican-controlled House. Kelly predicted ahead of Wednesday’s two-hour debate that the policy would make it more difficult to recruit businesses to the state, but supporters of the measure dismissed her criticism.

Top Republicans in the Senate made the bill&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/legislature-topeka-kansas-wichita-coronavirus-pandemic-e174bf500007ef461f0caa58666558d0">a priority,</a>&nbsp;joining Republicans in Congress and more than 20 state legislatures who are pushing for similar bans.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boise-lawsuits-politics-gender-identity-courts-89b70fd5f82812c9368f985e389c485d">Idaho enacted</a>&nbsp;a similar law last year that’s being challenged in federal court, and Mississippi Republican Gov. Tate Reeves&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-mississippi-discrimination-gender-identity-tate-reeves-9dfa2829f12e5f7efbb1653aaf468941">signed a measure&nbsp;</a>into law last week. South Dakota lawmakers passed a ban earlier this month, and GOP Gov. Kristi Noem&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/sports-school-athletics-south-dakota-kristi-noem-courts-636ce23aad050114f2fde800b5bdd9c7">has promised</a>&nbsp;to sign it.

Like their counterparts across the U.S., supporters of the Kansas proposal said it would preserve fair competition in girl’s and women’s sports, though backers of such bans largely&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/lawmakers-unable-to-cite-local-trans-girls-sports-914a982545e943ecc1e265e8c41042e7">haven’t been able to cite local examples</a>&nbsp;of transgender students’ participation causing problems. In Wednesday’s debate, they repeatedly referred to transgender girls as “biological boys” and argued that without the bill, women would be robbed of college scholarships and other life-changing opportunities available after decades of struggle.

“Do we want to set women’s rights back 50 years?” said Sen. Renee Erickson, a Wichita Republican and former college basketball point guard, who led the debate for supporters.

However, Senate Minority Leader Dinah Sykes, a Kansas City-area Democrat, called the measure “hateful” and “rooted in bigotry.” And she grew irritated during the debate with a key message from supporters of the bill, that natural differences mean that men are naturally the superior athletes in almost every sport.

“I appreciate several of my male colleagues telling me how they want to protect the underdog, how men are superior. I actually find that rather misogynistic and rude,” she said. “Excluding women who are trans hurts all women.”

Erickson called Sykes’ arguments “incredibly insulting” and suggested that critics were “insulted by facts, by trying to provide a level playing field.”

The state association that oversees middle and high school activities in Kansas has said it knows of only five transgender students currently active in K-12 activities, and there’s no record of any transgender school sports champions. But supporters repeatedly point to the 15 championships won between 2017 and 2019 by two transgender high school runners in Connecticut, which prompted a federal lawsuit.

Sen. Mark Steffen, a Republican from south-central Kansas and an anesthesiologist, said the bill was based on “indisputable physiological facts” that demonstrate “the male as a genetically and time-engineered superior machine.” Sen. Virgil Peck, a southeast Kansas Republican, said he backed the bill because he believes in ”old-fashioned chivalry” and wants to take a stand for “young ladies, natural-born females.”

“Have we — men — given away our manpower to the snowflakes? Are we going to allow someone to carry around our manhood in their fanny pack or in their purse?” Peck said. “Are there no longer any alpha males who will stand and defend our young ladies, our wives, our daughters, our granddaughters, our neighbors’ wives, daughters, and granddaughters?”

Kelly stopped short Wednesday of promising to veto the Kansas measure if it passes. She pointed to a past executive order on LGBTQ rights as signaling her position. A day after taking office in 2019, Kelly prohibited discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity in state hiring or employment decisions.

“We know from lots of experience in other states that when you implement these kinds of regressive social policies that you significantly decrease the ability to attract businesses here,” Kelly said. “Businesses want us to be inclusive.”

LGBTQ-rights advocates see the bill as an attack on transgender kids that is likely to increase bullying of them, and they argue that the debate itself is damaging their mental health.

“They’ve gotten some affirmation, and now they’re seeing that being stripped and being stripped by a governmental organization,” said first-term state Rep. Stephanie Byers, a Wichita Democrat and Kansas’ first transgender lawmaker.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/3/1616068900162.png" alt="GOP State Senator Renee Erickson&nbsp; said,“Do we want to set women’s rights back 50 years?”" />
 <figcaption>GOP State Senator Renee Erickson&nbsp; said,“Do we want to set women’s rights back 50 years?”</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas legislators on Wednesday traded sometimes-bitter accusations of misogyny as conservative Republicans advanced a proposal to ban transgender students from girls’ and women’s school sports that Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly labeled “regressive.”(Click below to watch Wednesday night's debate on the bill)<div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wiFDJXtKwQc?start=12834" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>The GOP-controlled state Senate approved&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/documents/supp_note_sb208_01_0000.pdf" target="_blank">a bill&nbsp;</a>that would enact the ban on&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/vote_view/je_20210317203940_351043/" target="_blank">a 24-10 vote,</a>&nbsp;sending the measure to the Republican-controlled House. Kelly predicted ahead of Wednesday’s two-hour debate that the policy would make it more difficult to recruit businesses to the state, but supporters of the measure dismissed her criticism.Top Republicans in the Senate made the bill&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/legislature-topeka-kansas-wichita-coronavirus-pandemic-e174bf500007ef461f0caa58666558d0">a priority,</a>&nbsp;joining Republicans in Congress and more than 20 state legislatures who are pushing for similar bans.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boise-lawsuits-politics-gender-identity-courts-89b70fd5f82812c9368f985e389c485d">Idaho enacted</a>&nbsp;a similar law last year that’s being challenged in federal court, and Mississippi Republican Gov. Tate Reeves&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-mississippi-discrimination-gender-identity-tate-reeves-9dfa2829f12e5f7efbb1653aaf468941">signed a measure&nbsp;</a>into law last week. South Dakota lawmakers passed a ban earlier this month, and GOP Gov. Kristi Noem&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/sports-school-athletics-south-dakota-kristi-noem-courts-636ce23aad050114f2fde800b5bdd9c7">has promised</a>&nbsp;to sign it.Like their counterparts across the U.S., supporters of the Kansas proposal said it would preserve fair competition in girl’s and women’s sports, though backers of such bans largely&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/lawmakers-unable-to-cite-local-trans-girls-sports-914a982545e943ecc1e265e8c41042e7">haven’t been able to cite local examples</a>&nbsp;of transgender students’ participation causing problems. In Wednesday’s debate, they repeatedly referred to transgender girls as “biological boys” and argued that without the bill, women would be robbed of college scholarships and other life-changing opportunities available after decades of struggle.“Do we want to set women’s rights back 50 years?” said Sen. Renee Erickson, a Wichita Republican and former college basketball point guard, who led the debate for supporters.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/3/1616069152124.png" alt="Senator Dinah Sykes called the measure hateful." />
 <figcaption>Senator Dinah Sykes called the measure hateful.</figcaption>
 </figure>However, Senate Minority Leader Dinah Sykes, a Kansas City-area Democrat, called the measure “hateful” and “rooted in bigotry.” And she grew irritated during the debate with a key message from supporters of the bill, that natural differences mean that men are naturally the superior athletes in almost every sport.“I appreciate several of my male colleagues telling me how they want to protect the underdog, how men are superior. I actually find that rather misogynistic and rude,” she said. “Excluding women who are trans hurts all women.”Erickson called Sykes’ arguments “incredibly insulting” and suggested that critics were “insulted by facts, by trying to provide a level playing field.”The state association that oversees middle and high school activities in Kansas has said it knows of only five transgender students currently active in K-12 activities, and there’s no record of any transgender school sports champions. But supporters repeatedly point to the 15 championships won between 2017 and 2019 by two transgender high school runners in Connecticut, which prompted a federal lawsuit.Sen. Mark Steffen, a Republican from south-central Kansas and an anesthesiologist, said the bill was based on “indisputable physiological facts” that demonstrate “the male as a genetically and time-engineered superior machine.” Sen. Virgil Peck, a southeast Kansas Republican, said he backed the bill because he believes in ”old-fashioned chivalry” and wants to take a stand for “young ladies, natural-born females.”“Have we — men — given away our manpower to the snowflakes? Are we going to allow someone to carry around our manhood in their fanny pack or in their purse?” Peck said. “Are there no longer any alpha males who will stand and defend our young ladies, our wives, our daughters, our granddaughters, our neighbors’ wives, daughters, and granddaughters?”Kelly stopped short Wednesday of promising to veto the Kansas measure if it passes. She pointed to a past executive order on LGBTQ rights as signaling her position. A day after taking office in 2019, Kelly prohibited discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity in state hiring or employment decisions.“We know from lots of experience in other states that when you implement these kinds of regressive social policies that you significantly decrease the ability to attract businesses here,” Kelly said. “Businesses want us to be inclusive.”LGBTQ-rights advocates see the bill as an attack on transgender kids that is likely to increase bullying of them, and they argue that the debate itself is damaging their mental health.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/2/1614129442761.png" alt="Rep. Stephanie Bryers" />
 <figcaption>Rep. Stephanie Bryers</figcaption>
 </figure>“They’ve gotten some affirmation, and now they’re seeing that being stripped and being stripped by a governmental organization,” said first-term state Rep. Stephanie Byers, a Wichita Democrat and Kansas’ first transgender lawmaker.____

🎥  Watch Kansas Senate debate, pass transgender sports ban   

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas Highway Patrol official said Wednesday that basic information won’t be available for more than a week on its arrest early Tuesday of a top legislative leader on suspicion of driving under the influence and attempting to flee from law enforcement while driving the wrong way on a highway in Topeka.

The disclosure from Luther Ganieany, the patrol’s general counsel, came shortly before Senate Majority Leader Gene Suellentrop announced that he was stepping away from most of his office’s duties until matters related to his arrest are resolved. Suellentrop, a Wichita Republican, is the Senate’s No. 2 leader, and the majority leader sets the chamber’s daily debate calendar.

The patrol’s Capitol Police division&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-wichita-arrests-topeka-driving-under-the-influence-7380a7e3e4fbe335536f78e0a5bf719d">arrested Suellentrop</a>&nbsp;on Interstate 70 near downtown Topeka after his SUV was reported traveling east in the highway’s westbound lanes. He was booked into the Shawnee County jail, but a judge ordered him released hours later, saying there was not sufficient evidence to support his arrest.

The Associated Press and other news organizations filed open records requests seeking the public, front page of the report on the arrest, as well as copies of any patrol car dash-camera or officer body-camera video.

Ganieany told The AP in an email that the videos are investigative records and the patrol is not required to disclose them. He said the public portion of the arrest report would be available “on or before” March 26.

The judge who released Suellentrop from jail was not specific about what evidence she lacked to support his arrest. While Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly declined to comment about Suellentrop, she described his first court hearing as “pretty typical” and said people are released “if the paperwork is not simply completed.”

“If you look at the timeframe, I don’t think there was enough time to get all of it taken care of,” Kelly told reporters after touring an east Topeka childcare center. The patrol reports to her.

Suellentrop was at the Statehouse on Wednesday and attended a meeting of Republican senators to discuss the day’s agenda. A GOP staffer handed out a written statement from Suellentrop after the meeting, and Suellentrop did not answer questions as he left.

His statement said most of his duties will be handled by Assistant Majority Leader Larry Alley, a Winfield Republican, and that Suellentrop regretted that “this incident” had caused “a distraction” for colleagues and from the Senate’s business.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/3/1616027734246.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas Highway Patrol official said Wednesday that basic information won’t be available for more than a week on its arrest early Tuesday of a top legislative leader on suspicion of driving under the influence and attempting to flee from law enforcement while driving the wrong way on a highway in Topeka.The disclosure from Luther Ganieany, the patrol’s general counsel, came shortly before Senate Majority Leader Gene Suellentrop announced that he was stepping away from most of his office’s duties until matters related to his arrest are resolved. Suellentrop, a Wichita Republican, is the Senate’s No. 2 leader, and the majority leader sets the chamber’s daily debate calendar.The patrol’s Capitol Police division&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-wichita-arrests-topeka-driving-under-the-influence-7380a7e3e4fbe335536f78e0a5bf719d">arrested Suellentrop</a>&nbsp;on Interstate 70 near downtown Topeka after his SUV was reported traveling east in the highway’s westbound lanes. He was booked into the Shawnee County jail, but a judge ordered him released hours later, saying there was not sufficient evidence to support his arrest.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/3/1615906870531.png" alt="Sullentrop photo Shawnee Co. Detention Center" />
 <figcaption>Sullentrop photo Shawnee Co. Detention Center</figcaption>
 </figure>The Associated Press and other news organizations filed open records requests seeking the public, front page of the report on the arrest, as well as copies of any patrol car dash-camera or officer body-camera video.Ganieany told The AP in an email that the videos are investigative records and the patrol is not required to disclose them. He said the public portion of the arrest report would be available “on or before” March 26.The judge who released Suellentrop from jail was not specific about what evidence she lacked to support his arrest. While Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly declined to comment about Suellentrop, she described his first court hearing as “pretty typical” and said people are released “if the paperwork is not simply completed.”“If you look at the timeframe, I don’t think there was enough time to get all of it taken care of,” Kelly told reporters after touring an east Topeka childcare center. The patrol reports to her.Suellentrop was at the Statehouse on Wednesday and attended a meeting of Republican senators to discuss the day’s agenda. A GOP staffer handed out a written statement from Suellentrop after the meeting, and Suellentrop did not answer questions as he left.His statement said most of his duties will be handled by Assistant Majority Leader Larry Alley, a Winfield Republican, and that Suellentrop regretted that “this incident” had caused “a distraction” for colleagues and from the Senate’s business.___

Kan. legislative leader turns over some duties after arrest

SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities investigating multiple incidents of theft from ATMs in Wichita and asking the public for help in identifying suspects.

Just before 4.a.m. March 3, two unknown suspects damaged an ATM in the 4000 block of W Maple and stole money from inside, according to officer Trevor Macey.

At 3a.m. March 16, two unknown suspects used a stolen vehicle to drag an ATM off its base in the 8000 block of E Harry. They succeeded in removing the ATM and taking money from the machine.

&nbsp;Anyone with information on these crimes to should contact the Wichita Police Department investigations division.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/3/1615991511893.png" alt="Suspect security camera images from Wichita Police" />
 <figcaption>Suspect security camera images from Wichita Police</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities investigating multiple incidents of theft from ATMs in Wichita and asking the public for help in identifying suspects.Just before 4.a.m. March 3, two unknown suspects damaged an ATM in the 4000 block of W Maple and stole money from inside, according to officer Trevor Macey.At 3a.m. March 16, two unknown suspects used a stolen vehicle to drag an ATM off its base in the 8000 block of E Harry. They succeeded in removing the ATM and taking money from the machine.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/3/1615991752888.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>&nbsp;Anyone with information on these crimes to should contact the Wichita Police Department investigations division.

Police work to ID suspects in Kansas ATM thefts

WASHINGTON (AP) — Authorities in Washington, D.C., have arrested a Texas man near the vice president’s official residence on a weapons charge. Vice President Kamala Harris has not yet moved into the home, which is undergoing renovations. 

The Metropolitan Police Department says in a statement issued Wednesday that the man was seen on Massachusetts Avenue and then detained by Secret Service stationed near the residence following an intelligence bulletin from Texas. 

Police say Paul Murray of San Antonio is being on held charges that he carried a large-capacity ammunition-feeding device, a dangerous weapon, a rifle and unregistered ammunition.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/3/1616070087656.png" alt="Paul Murray from an alert by the College Station, Texas police" />
 <figcaption>Paul Murray from an alert by the College Station, Texas police</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — Authorities in Washington, D.C., have arrested a Texas man near the vice president’s official residence on a weapons charge. Vice President Kamala Harris has not yet moved into the home, which is undergoing renovations. The Metropolitan Police Department says in a statement issued Wednesday that the man was seen on Massachusetts Avenue and then detained by Secret Service stationed near the residence following an intelligence bulletin from Texas. Police say Paul Murray of San Antonio is being on held charges that he carried a large-capacity ammunition-feeding device, a dangerous weapon, a rifle and unregistered ammunition.

Man arrested on weapons charge near vice president's home

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly on Wednesday derided a proposed Kansas ban on transgender athletes in girls’ and women’s school sports as “regressive” as conservative Republicans prepared to advance it in the GOP-controlled Legislature.

Kelly predicted ahead of a state Senate debate on the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/documents/supp_note_sb208_01_0000.pdf" target="_blank">bill&nbsp;</a>that the policy would make it more difficult to recruit businesses to the state. But supporters dismissed her criticism, and the measure was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/legislature-topeka-kansas-wichita-coronavirus-pandemic-e174bf500007ef461f0caa58666558d0">a priority&nbsp;</a>for top Republicans in the Senate, where the GOP has a supermajority.

Republicans in Congress and more than 20 state legislatures are pushing for similar bans, though supporters largely&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/lawmakers-unable-to-cite-local-trans-girls-sports-914a982545e943ecc1e265e8c41042e7">haven’t been able to cite examples</a>&nbsp;of transgender students’ participation causing problems.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boise-lawsuits-politics-gender-identity-courts-89b70fd5f82812c9368f985e389c485d">Idaho enacted</a>&nbsp;a similar law last year that’s being challenged in federal court, and Mississippi Republican Gov. Tate Reeves&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-mississippi-discrimination-gender-identity-tate-reeves-9dfa2829f12e5f7efbb1653aaf468941">signed a measure&nbsp;</a>into law last week.

Kelly stopped short Wednesday of promising to veto the Kansas measure that passed the Senate and is headed to the the House. However, she pointed to a past executive order on LGBTQ rights as signaling her position. A day after taking office in 2019, Kelly prohibited discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity in state hiring or employment decisions.

The state association that oversees middle and high school activities in Kansas has said it knows of only five transgender students currently active in K-12 activities, and there’s no record of any transgender school sports champions. Supporters argue that a ban would promote fairness in girls’ and women’s sports and repeatedly point to the 15 championships won between 2017 and 2019 by two transgender high school runners in Connecticut, which prompted a federal lawsuit.

Supporters of the Kansas bill also said they’re protecting the hard-won opportunities in sports and other activities since federal civil rights laws in the 1970s.

“It’s a very positive step for girls in Kansas,” said Brittany Jones, advocacy director for the conservative Family Policy Alliance of Kansas.

State Sen. Renee Erickson, a Wichita Republican, said it’s fairer for Kansas to impose the ban before transgender athletes participate widely in girls’ and women’s sports. She said Kelly “put money over what’s best for our women” by worrying about business recruiting.

“It simply requires an equal and level playing field for women and girls, what we’ve had in place,” said Erickson, a former college basketball player.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/3/1616028076289.png" alt="Gov. Laura Kelly predicted ahead of a state Senate debate on the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/documents/supp_note_sb208_01_0000.pdf" target="_blank">bill&nbsp;</a>that the policy would make it more difficult to recruit businesses to the state-photo courtesy WIBW TV" />
 <figcaption>Gov. Laura Kelly predicted ahead of a state Senate debate on the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/documents/supp_note_sb208_01_0000.pdf" target="_blank">bill&nbsp;</a>that the policy would make it more difficult to recruit businesses to the state-photo courtesy WIBW TV</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly on Wednesday derided a proposed Kansas ban on transgender athletes in girls’ and women’s school sports as “regressive” as conservative Republicans prepared to advance it in the GOP-controlled Legislature.Kelly predicted ahead of a state Senate debate on the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/documents/supp_note_sb208_01_0000.pdf" target="_blank">bill&nbsp;</a>that the policy would make it more difficult to recruit businesses to the state. But supporters dismissed her criticism, and the measure was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/legislature-topeka-kansas-wichita-coronavirus-pandemic-e174bf500007ef461f0caa58666558d0">a priority&nbsp;</a>for top Republicans in the Senate, where the GOP has a supermajority.Republicans in Congress and more than 20 state legislatures are pushing for similar bans, though supporters largely&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/lawmakers-unable-to-cite-local-trans-girls-sports-914a982545e943ecc1e265e8c41042e7">haven’t been able to cite examples</a>&nbsp;of transgender students’ participation causing problems.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boise-lawsuits-politics-gender-identity-courts-89b70fd5f82812c9368f985e389c485d">Idaho enacted</a>&nbsp;a similar law last year that’s being challenged in federal court, and Mississippi Republican Gov. Tate Reeves&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-mississippi-discrimination-gender-identity-tate-reeves-9dfa2829f12e5f7efbb1653aaf468941">signed a measure&nbsp;</a>into law last week.Kelly stopped short Wednesday of promising to veto the Kansas measure that passed the Senate and is headed to the the House. However, she pointed to a past executive order on LGBTQ rights as signaling her position. A day after taking office in 2019, Kelly prohibited discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity in state hiring or employment decisions.“We know from lots of experience in other states that when you implement these kinds of regressive social policies that you significantly decrease the ability to attract businesses here,” Kelly said. “Businesses want us to be inclusive.”The state association that oversees middle and high school activities in Kansas has said it knows of only five transgender students currently active in K-12 activities, and there’s no record of any transgender school sports champions. Supporters argue that a ban would promote fairness in girls’ and women’s sports and repeatedly point to the 15 championships won between 2017 and 2019 by two transgender high school runners in Connecticut, which prompted a federal lawsuit.Supporters of the Kansas bill also said they’re protecting the hard-won opportunities in sports and other activities since federal civil rights laws in the 1970s.“It’s a very positive step for girls in Kansas,” said Brittany Jones, advocacy director for the conservative Family Policy Alliance of Kansas.State Sen. Renee Erickson, a Wichita Republican, said it’s fairer for Kansas to impose the ban before transgender athletes participate widely in girls’ and women’s sports. She said Kelly “put money over what’s best for our women” by worrying about business recruiting.“It simply requires an equal and level playing field for women and girls, what we’ve had in place,” said Erickson, a former college basketball player.LGBTQ-rights advocates see the bill as an attack on transgender kids that is likely to increase bullying of them, and they argue that the debate itself is damaging their mental health.“They’ve gotten some affirmation, and now they’re seeing that being stripped and being stripped by a governmental organization,” said first-term state Rep. Stephanie Byers, a Wichita Democrat and Kansas’ first transgender lawmaker.

Gov. critical of proposed Kan. ban on transgender athletes

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) - A woman has been sentenced to jail but may be able to avoid time behind bars for helping her daughter dump her car after she was involved in a hit-and-run crash that killed a pedestrian.

Kimberly Cowell, 52,&nbsp; Lincoln, Nebraska, said at her sentencing Tuesday that she responded "in the worst way possible" after the Oct. 18 crash that left Tina Mortensen dead.

Court documents said police found the car that was involved in the crash partially submerged in a creek. Surveillance video showed a car belonging to her daughter, Casey Maxfield, and another car that police said was Cowell's pulling in a parking lot in the area.

"I mistakenly thought what I could do to help my daughter instead of thinking about the person she hit," she said.

Lancaster County District Judge Robert Otte sentenced Cowell to 360 days in the county jail but allowed her to get into a program that will allow her to stay out of jail and be monitored.

She has custody of her two grandchildren after their mother began serving a prison term of a little more than two years.

Otte said if Cowell screws up, she will have to serve the remainder of her sentence in jail.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/3/1615941680386.png" alt="Cowell photo Lancaster County" />
 <figcaption>Cowell photo Lancaster County</figcaption>
 </figure>LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) - A woman has been sentenced to jail but may be able to avoid time behind bars for helping her daughter dump her car after she was involved in a hit-and-run crash that killed a pedestrian.Kimberly Cowell, 52,&nbsp; Lincoln, Nebraska, said at her sentencing Tuesday that she responded "in the worst way possible" after the Oct. 18 crash that left Tina Mortensen dead.Court documents said police found the car that was involved in the crash partially submerged in a creek. Surveillance video showed a car belonging to her daughter, Casey Maxfield, and another car that police said was Cowell's pulling in a parking lot in the area."I mistakenly thought what I could do to help my daughter instead of thinking about the person she hit," she said.Lancaster County District Judge Robert Otte sentenced Cowell to 360 days in the county jail but allowed her to get into a program that will allow her to stay out of jail and be monitored.She has custody of her two grandchildren after their mother began serving a prison term of a little more than two years.Otte said if Cowell screws up, she will have to serve the remainder of her sentence in jail.

Mom sentenced for helping daughter after deadly hit-and-run

WASHINGTON (AP) —The IRS will delay the traditional April 15 tax filing due date until May 17 to cope with added duties and provide Americans more flexibility. 

The IRS announced the decision Wednesday and said it would provide further guidance in coming days. The move provides more breathing room for taxpayers and the IRS alike to cope with changes brought on by the pandemic. 

The decision postpones when individual taxpayers must file their return and when their payment is due. The IRS said taxpayers who owe money would not face any further penalties or interest if they pay by May 17.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/1/1579706571729.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) —The IRS will delay the traditional April 15 tax filing due date until May 17 to cope with added duties and provide Americans more flexibility. The IRS announced the decision Wednesday and said it would provide further guidance in coming days. The move provides more breathing room for taxpayers and the IRS alike to cope with changes brought on by the pandemic. The decision postpones when individual taxpayers must file their return and when their payment is due. The IRS said taxpayers who owe money would not face any further penalties or interest if they pay by May 17.

IRS will delay tax filing due date until May 17

KANSAS CITY - The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center has released its annual report. The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ic3.gov/Media/PDF/AnnualReport/2020_IC3Report.pdf" target="_blank">2020 Internet Crime Report</a>&nbsp;includes information from 791,790 complaints of suspected internet crime—an increase of more than 300,000 complaints from 2019—and reported losses exceeding $4.2 billion. State-specific statistics have also been released and can be found within the&nbsp;2020 Internet Crime Report&nbsp;and in the accompanying&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ic3.gov/Media/PDF/AnnualReport/2020State/StateReport.aspx" target="_blank">2020 State Reports</a>.

Click <a href="https://www.ic3.gov/Media/PDF/AnnualReport/2020State/StateReport.aspx#?s=19">here</a> for Kansas statistics.&nbsp;

The top three crimes reported by victims in 2020 were phishing scams, non-payment/non-delivery scams, and extortion. Victims lost the most money to business email compromise scams, romance and confidence schemes, and investment fraud. Notably, 2020 saw the emergence of scams exploiting the COVID-19 pandemic. The IC3 received over 28,500 complaints related to COVID-19, with fraudsters targeting both businesses and individuals.

In addition to statistics, the IC3’s&nbsp;2020 Internet Crime Report&nbsp;contains information about the most prevalent internet scams affecting the public and offers guidance for prevention and protection. It also highlights the FBI’s work combating internet crime, including recent case examples. Finally, the&nbsp;2020 Internet Crime Report&nbsp;explains the IC3, its mission, and functions.

The IC3 gives the public a reliable and convenient mechanism to report suspected internet crime to the FBI. The FBI analyzes and shares information from submitted complaints for investigative and intelligence purposes, for law enforcement, and for public awareness.

With the release of the&nbsp;2020 Internet Crime Report, the FBI wants to remind the public to immediately report suspected criminal internet activity to the IC3 at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ic3.gov/" target="_blank">ic3.gov</a>. By reporting internet crime, victims are not only alerting law enforcement to the activity, but aiding in the overall fight against cybercrime.

<figure>
 <img src="https://www.fbi.gov/image-repository/2020-ic3-report-infographic.jpg/@@images/image/high" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY - The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center has released its annual report. The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ic3.gov/Media/PDF/AnnualReport/2020_IC3Report.pdf" target="_blank">2020 Internet Crime Report</a>&nbsp;includes information from 791,790 complaints of suspected internet crime—an increase of more than 300,000 complaints from 2019—and reported losses exceeding $4.2 billion. State-specific statistics have also been released and can be found within the&nbsp;2020 Internet Crime Report&nbsp;and in the accompanying&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ic3.gov/Media/PDF/AnnualReport/2020State/StateReport.aspx" target="_blank">2020 State Reports</a>.Click <a href="https://www.ic3.gov/Media/PDF/AnnualReport/2020State/StateReport.aspx#?s=19">here</a> for Kansas statistics.&nbsp;The top three crimes reported by victims in 2020 were phishing scams, non-payment/non-delivery scams, and extortion. Victims lost the most money to business email compromise scams, romance and confidence schemes, and investment fraud. Notably, 2020 saw the emergence of scams exploiting the COVID-19 pandemic. The IC3 received over 28,500 complaints related to COVID-19, with fraudsters targeting both businesses and individuals.In addition to statistics, the IC3’s&nbsp;2020 Internet Crime Report&nbsp;contains information about the most prevalent internet scams affecting the public and offers guidance for prevention and protection. It also highlights the FBI’s work combating internet crime, including recent case examples. Finally, the&nbsp;2020 Internet Crime Report&nbsp;explains the IC3, its mission, and functions.The IC3 gives the public a reliable and convenient mechanism to report suspected internet crime to the FBI. The FBI analyzes and shares information from submitted complaints for investigative and intelligence purposes, for law enforcement, and for public awareness.With the release of the&nbsp;2020 Internet Crime Report, the FBI wants to remind the public to immediately report suspected criminal internet activity to the IC3 at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ic3.gov/" target="_blank">ic3.gov</a>. By reporting internet crime, victims are not only alerting law enforcement to the activity, but aiding in the overall fight against cybercrime.Resources: <ul>
 <li><a href="https://www.ic3.gov/Media/PDF/AnnualReport/2020_IC3Report.pdf" target="_blank">2020 Internet Crime Report&nbsp;(pdf)</a> </li><li><a href="https://www.ic3.gov/Media/PDF/AnnualReport/2020State/StateReport.aspx" target="_blank">2020 State Reports (pdf)</a> </li><li><a href="https://www.ic3.gov/Home/AnnualReports" target="_blank">More IC3 annual reports</a></li>
 </ul>

Ages 40 and older top FBI internet victims list in Kansas 

MISSION, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas man arrested in the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol told the FBI that an officer shrugged his shoulders when he asked whether he could join the throngs streaming into the building and that he then filmed himself walking around inside, according to court records.

Mark Roger Rebegila, of St. Mary’s, was taken into custody Monday in Topeka on charges of knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority, and violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds. No attorney is listed for him in online court records.

He is among five people from Kansas and dozens nationwide who have been charged in the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol while Congress was meeting to certify Democrat Joe Biden as the winner of the 2020 presidential race.

Rebegila was interviewed at his home in January after a tipster reported seeing a video of Rebegila inside the Capitol, an FBI task force officer wrote in the complaint.

Rebegila told the FBI that by the time he entered the Capitol, crowds were already streaming into the building. More than 800 supporters of then-President Donald Trump are believed to have made it inside during the siege. Five people died in the melee, including a Capitol police officer who was struck in the head with a fire extinguisher who later died of an unrelated medical condition.&nbsp;Clarified, 1:20 p.m. March 24

Rebegila also said that he also used his phone to film himself walking through the building but later deleted it because he did not want to get into trouble, the complaint said. He also is seen on video surveillance inside the building, apparently shooting pictures and videos.

The complaint said an investigation also is underway into reports that Rebegila sat in a lawmaker’s chair and stole a bottle of liquor from an office in the Capitol. The complaint said Rebegila denied stealing property, assaulting law enforcement officers or damaging property.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/2/1614042711157.png" alt="Mark Roger Rebegila was interviewed at his home in January after a tipster reported seeing a video of him inside the Capitol- photo courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Mark Roger Rebegila was interviewed at his home in January after a tipster reported seeing a video of him inside the Capitol- photo courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>MISSION, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas man arrested in the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol told the FBI that an officer shrugged his shoulders when he asked whether he could join the throngs streaming into the building and that he then filmed himself walking around inside, according to court records.Mark Roger Rebegila, of St. Mary’s, was taken into custody Monday in Topeka on charges of knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority, and violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds. No attorney is listed for him in online court records.He is among five people from Kansas and dozens nationwide who have been charged in the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol while Congress was meeting to certify Democrat Joe Biden as the winner of the 2020 presidential race.Rebegila was interviewed at his home in January after a tipster reported seeing a video of Rebegila inside the Capitol, an FBI task force officer wrote in the complaint.Rebegila told the FBI that by the time he entered the Capitol, crowds were already streaming into the building. More than 800 supporters of then-President Donald Trump are believed to have made it inside during the siege. Five people died in the melee, including a Capitol police officer who was struck in the head with a fire extinguisher who later died of an unrelated medical condition.&nbsp;Clarified, 1:20 p.m. March 24Rebegila also said that he also used his phone to film himself walking through the building but later deleted it because he did not want to get into trouble, the complaint said. He also is seen on video surveillance inside the building, apparently shooting pictures and videos.The complaint said an investigation also is underway into reports that Rebegila sat in a lawmaker’s chair and stole a bottle of liquor from an office in the Capitol. The complaint said Rebegila denied stealing property, assaulting law enforcement officers or damaging property.

FBI: Kan. man said he asked officer if he could enter Capitol

WASHINGTON (AP) — The head of the Department of Homeland Security pushed back Wednesday against Republican criticism of the Biden administration’s border policies, refusing to say that the surge of migrant children entering the United States is a “crisis.”

As GOP members of Congress argued that President Joe Biden had wrongly rolled back immigration policies enacted by former President Donald Trump, DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas pointed to another Trump policy that was widely reviled: the separation of immigrant families under a “zero tolerance” policy on border crossings.

“A crisis is when a nation is willing to rip a 9-year-old child out of the hands of his or her parent and separate that family to deter future migration,” Mayorkas told the House Homeland Security Committee. “That, to me, is a humanitarian crisis.”

The number of migrants being stopped at the U.S.-Mexico border has been rising since last April, and the administration is still rapidly sending back most single adults and families&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/public-health-mexico-health-coronavirus-pandemic-immigration-74eba36e8cd2f842987c0e6e57bcfae1">under a public health order&nbsp;</a>issued by Trump at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. But the U.S. is now allowing teens and children to stay, at least temporarily, and they have been coming in ever larger numbers. Border agents have also been prevented from expelling families with young children from Texas’ Rio Grande Valley because of changes in Mexican policy.

More than 4,000 migrant children were being held by the Border Patrol as of Sunday, including at least 3,000 in custody longer than the 72-hour limit set by a court order, according to a U.S. official. The agency took in an additional 561 on Monday, twice the recent average, according to a second official. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss figures not yet publicly released.

The rise has left Biden in a difficult spot. He is criticized by Republicans for what they view as encouragement to illegal border crossings and by some Democrats over the prolonged detention of minors.

Rep. Jeff Van Drew, R-N.J., referenced a photo of a small crowd of demonstrators in Tijuana, Mexico, wearing matching T-shirts with the words “Biden, please let us in” that circulated widely on social media in recent days.

“I look at two months ago, and we had a certain situation. We were under control,” Van Drew said. “And I look now with people crossing the border illegally in much larger numbers with shirts with our president’s name on it. That means something under anybody’s standard.”

The situation is also a challenge to Biden’s effort to overhaul broader Trump policies intended to curtail&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-united-nations-mexico-d613e1e5093857cef10221f0e906e225">both legal and illegal immigration</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/3/1615805147594.png" alt="Migrants on Sunday near the Texas-Mexico border -photo courtesy Senator Roger Marshall." />
 <figcaption>Migrants on Sunday near the Texas-Mexico border -photo courtesy Senator Roger Marshall.</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The head of the Department of Homeland Security pushed back Wednesday against Republican criticism of the Biden administration’s border policies, refusing to say that the surge of migrant children entering the United States is a “crisis.”As GOP members of Congress argued that President Joe Biden had wrongly rolled back immigration policies enacted by former President Donald Trump, DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas pointed to another Trump policy that was widely reviled: the separation of immigrant families under a “zero tolerance” policy on border crossings.“A crisis is when a nation is willing to rip a 9-year-old child out of the hands of his or her parent and separate that family to deter future migration,” Mayorkas told the House Homeland Security Committee. “That, to me, is a humanitarian crisis.”The number of migrants being stopped at the U.S.-Mexico border has been rising since last April, and the administration is still rapidly sending back most single adults and families&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/public-health-mexico-health-coronavirus-pandemic-immigration-74eba36e8cd2f842987c0e6e57bcfae1">under a public health order&nbsp;</a>issued by Trump at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. But the U.S. is now allowing teens and children to stay, at least temporarily, and they have been coming in ever larger numbers. Border agents have also been prevented from expelling families with young children from Texas’ Rio Grande Valley because of changes in Mexican policy.More than 4,000 migrant children were being held by the Border Patrol as of Sunday, including at least 3,000 in custody longer than the 72-hour limit set by a court order, according to a U.S. official. The agency took in an additional 561 on Monday, twice the recent average, according to a second official. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss figures not yet publicly released.The rise has left Biden in a difficult spot. He is criticized by Republicans for what they view as encouragement to illegal border crossings and by some Democrats over the prolonged detention of minors.Rep. Jeff Van Drew, R-N.J., referenced a photo of a small crowd of demonstrators in Tijuana, Mexico, wearing matching T-shirts with the words “Biden, please let us in” that circulated widely on social media in recent days.“I look at two months ago, and we had a certain situation. We were under control,” Van Drew said. “And I look now with people crossing the border illegally in much larger numbers with shirts with our president’s name on it. That means something under anybody’s standard.”The situation is also a challenge to Biden’s effort to overhaul broader Trump policies intended to curtail&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-united-nations-mexico-d613e1e5093857cef10221f0e906e225">both legal and illegal immigration</a>.“I can say quite clearly: Don’t come over,” Biden said in an ABC News interview that aired Wednesday.The number of migrants attempting to cross the border is at the highest level since March 2019. Mayorkas on Tuesday said it was on pace to hit a 20-year peak.“The situation at the southwest border is difficult,” Mayorkas said in his most extensive remarks to date on the subject. “We are working around the clock to manage it and we will continue to do so. That is our job.”Under questioning Wednesday, Mayorkas and some Democrats also highlighted nonimmigration issues, including the threat of domestic extremism following the violent insurrection at the Capitol, while Republicans focused primarily on the border.Several Republicans argued that Biden’s rescinding of the Trump-era “Remain in Mexico” policy was a mistake. Small numbers of immigrants — far from the more than 70,000 people barred from entry under the policy — have been allowed into the U.S. during the first weeks of the new administration after they pass a COVID-19 screening. Human rights groups and lawyers have documented kidnappings, rapes and attacks in border cities against many migrants forced to wait in Mexico.Republican Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas defended Trump’s agreements to send people from Central America to other countries in the region instead of letting them seek asylum under American law.“The Trump administration, in my judgment, did a masterful job in negotiating the ‘Remain in Mexico’ policy and the asylum cooperative agreements with Central America,” McCaul said. “It was actually a foreign policy achievement.”Biden has moved to roll back those policies and restore a program allowing Central American children to seek asylum while in their home countries. Said Mayorkas, “Sometimes the tools of deterrence defy values and principles for which we all stand.”The Health and Human Services Department plans to open shelter facilities at Moffett Federal Airfield near San Francisco and in Pecos, Texas, to handle the flow. It is also looking to expand a facility in Donna, Texas, in the Rio Grande Valley, to hold 2,000 people.Also, the Dallas Convention Center was to begin holding children as early as Wednesday, with plans to accommodate up to 3,000. A makeshift holding center in Midland, Texas, that opened last weekend for 700 children had 485 on Monday.___