KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs placed outside linebackers coach Britt Reid on administrative leave while an investigation continues into a crash that injured two children. 

The team has said Reid, who is head coach Andy Reid's son, was involved in a multi-vehicle crash last Thursday that injured two young children near the team’s training complex next to Arrowhead Stadium. 

A 5-year-old girl, identified by the Chiefs as Ariel Young, remained in critical condition on Tuesday. The Chiefs said the team has contacted the girl's family and is offering support and resources to them. Andy Reid said this week that Britt underwent surgery after the crash.&nbsp;

Friends have established a <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/5-year-old-ariel-medical-expenses">GoFundMe</a> page to raise funds to pay the medical expenses for Ariel.

Andy Reid said Sunday night that his “heart bleeds” for those injured in the crash involving his son.

The crash occurred&nbsp; two days before the Chiefs were due to leave for the Super Bowl in Tampa, Florida. A vehicle had run out of gas on a highway entrance ramp and another vehicle had parked nearby to assist when the younger Reid’s pickup truck struck the left front of the first car before hitting the rear of the second car.

Britt Reid told police he had “two or three drinks” and had a prescription for Adderall when the accident occurred, according to a search warrant filed late Thursday night.&nbsp;

Britt Reid has been in legal trouble several times.

He was arrested in January 2007 in Pennsylvania a road-rage incident in which he pointed a gun at another driver, and he was sentenced to up to 23 months in jail and five years of probation after pleading guilty to charges of carrying an unlicensed firearm, simple assault, possession of a controlled substance and possession of an instrument of crime.

Seven months later, Reid was arrested and charged with driving under the influence, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to up to six months in jail.

Reid appeared to get his life on track, beginning his coaching career as an intern for his father with the Eagles in 2009. He spent the next two years as a graduate assistant at Temple, his alma mater, before joining the staff in Kansas City.

After two seasons as a defensive quality control coach, Reid was promoted to assistant defensive line coach. He then spent three seasons as the defensive line coach before shifting to outside linebackers for the past two seasons.

His father refused to say the traffic accident near Arrowhead Stadium last week had anything to do with the outcome of the Super Bowl.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/2/1612570726901.png" alt="Britt Reid photo courtesy KC Chiefs" />
 <figcaption>Britt Reid photo courtesy KC Chiefs</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs placed outside linebackers coach Britt Reid on administrative leave while an investigation continues into a crash that injured two children. The team has said Reid, who is head coach Andy Reid's son, was involved in a multi-vehicle crash last Thursday that injured two young children near the team’s training complex next to Arrowhead Stadium. <figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/2/1612784011749.png" alt="Ariel Young photo GoFundMe" />
 <figcaption>Ariel Young photo GoFundMe</figcaption>
 </figure>A 5-year-old girl, identified by the Chiefs as Ariel Young, remained in critical condition on Tuesday. The Chiefs said the team has contacted the girl's family and is offering support and resources to them. Andy Reid said this week that Britt underwent surgery after the crash.&nbsp;Friends have established a <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/5-year-old-ariel-medical-expenses">GoFundMe</a> page to raise funds to pay the medical expenses for Ariel. Andy Reid said Sunday night that his “heart bleeds” for those injured in the crash involving his son.The crash occurred&nbsp; two days before the Chiefs were due to leave for the Super Bowl in Tampa, Florida. A vehicle had run out of gas on a highway entrance ramp and another vehicle had parked nearby to assist when the younger Reid’s pickup truck struck the left front of the first car before hitting the rear of the second car.Britt Reid told police he had “two or three drinks” and had a prescription for Adderall when the accident occurred, according to a search warrant filed late Thursday night.&nbsp;Britt Reid has been in legal trouble several times.He was arrested in January 2007 in Pennsylvania a road-rage incident in which he pointed a gun at another driver, and he was sentenced to up to 23 months in jail and five years of probation after pleading guilty to charges of carrying an unlicensed firearm, simple assault, possession of a controlled substance and possession of an instrument of crime.Seven months later, Reid was arrested and charged with driving under the influence, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to up to six months in jail.Reid appeared to get his life on track, beginning his coaching career as an intern for his father with the Eagles in 2009. He spent the next two years as a graduate assistant at Temple, his alma mater, before joining the staff in Kansas City.After two seasons as a defensive quality control coach, Reid was promoted to assistant defensive line coach. He then spent three seasons as the defensive line coach before shifting to outside linebackers for the past two seasons.His father refused to say the traffic accident near Arrowhead Stadium last week had anything to do with the outcome of the Super Bowl.

Chiefs assistant Britt Reid placed on leave; child in critical condition

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — A former University of Kansas Medical Center administrator has pleaded guilty to bank fraud in a scheme that saw him embezzle more than $500,000 from the institution, federal prosecutors for Kansas said.

Michael Tae Kim Ahlers, 49, of Lenexa, was the administrative officer for the occupational therapy education department at KUMC in Kansas City from 2009 through 2015, when he stole more than $500,000 for his personal use, federal prosecutors said Tuesday in a news release.

Investigators said Ahlers deposited the funds into a KUMC Credit Union account that allowed him to avoid the oversight he would have had if he had deposited the money into a state-controlled bank account. Ahlers also created invoices outside of the normal system, which prevented others within KUMC from learning about the credit union account and Ahlers’ use of it for personal gain, investigators said.

Because Ahlers failed to include embezzled funds on his federal tax returns, he also pleaded guilty to filing a false tax return, prosecutors said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/2/1612904961409.png" alt="Ahlers photo Wyandotte Co." />
 <figcaption>Ahlers photo Wyandotte Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — A former University of Kansas Medical Center administrator has pleaded guilty to bank fraud in a scheme that saw him embezzle more than $500,000 from the institution, federal prosecutors for Kansas said.Michael Tae Kim Ahlers, 49, of Lenexa, was the administrative officer for the occupational therapy education department at KUMC in Kansas City from 2009 through 2015, when he stole more than $500,000 for his personal use, federal prosecutors said Tuesday in a news release.Investigators said Ahlers deposited the funds into a KUMC Credit Union account that allowed him to avoid the oversight he would have had if he had deposited the money into a state-controlled bank account. Ahlers also created invoices outside of the normal system, which prevented others within KUMC from learning about the credit union account and Ahlers’ use of it for personal gain, investigators said.Because Ahlers failed to include embezzled funds on his federal tax returns, he also pleaded guilty to filing a false tax return, prosecutors said.Ahlers is set to be sentenced on May 13.

Prosecutors: Ex-KUMC employee embezzled more than $500K

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas man who authorities accuse of attacking a police officer is now facing five charges. Shawnee County District Attorney Mike Kagay announced Monday that he charged 22-year-old Justin Reed of Topeka with aggravated battery of a law enforcement officer, two counts of interference with law enforcement and two drug charges. 

Authorities say an officer who was responding to an unrelated call on Thursday was attacked by a man who rode by on a bicycle. Investigators say the attacker tried unsuccessfully to grab the officer's gun. A bystander helped pull the man off the officer, who was not seriously injured.

SHAWNEE COUNTY– A Topeka Police officer was charged and attacked by a suspect Thursday morning while responding to an unrelated call for service.

Just after 9:00 a.m. the officer was dispatched to a home in the 200 block of SE 34th St. to investigate a possible unwanted subject, according to police spokesperson Gretchen Spiker.

When the officer arrived on scene at a boarded up home, a man unrelated to the original call came riding by on a bicycle.&nbsp; Police Sgt. Scott Scurlock says the bicyclist tried to get the officer's attention. 

Scurlock says when the officer asked the man to wait, the suspect charged the officer, knocked him over and punched him several times. During the tussle, the man tried unsuccessfully to grab the officer's gun.&nbsp;

A community member immediately stepped in to assist the officer. The suspect later identified as 22-year-old Justin Reed was then taken into custody. The officer was not seriously hurt in the attack, according to Spiker.

“The Topeka Police Department is very grateful to the citizen who assisted during the incident. Above and beyond that, we have all been profoundly moved by the widespread community outpouring of support and concern that we received afterwards,” said Topeka Police Chief Bryan Wheeles. “I am very proud of the brave work that our police officers do every day to keep us safe.”

As a result of the investigation Reed was booked into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges including Aggravated battery on LEO, Interference with LEO, Robbery and Possession of marijuana.

The circumstances of this attack remain under investigation. 

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/2/1612474840434.png" alt="Reed-photo Shawnee Co." />
 <figcaption>Reed-photo Shawnee Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas man who authorities accuse of attacking a police officer is now facing five charges. Shawnee County District Attorney Mike Kagay announced Monday that he charged 22-year-old Justin Reed of Topeka with aggravated battery of a law enforcement officer, two counts of interference with law enforcement and two drug charges. Authorities say an officer who was responding to an unrelated call on Thursday was attacked by a man who rode by on a bicycle. Investigators say the attacker tried unsuccessfully to grab the officer's gun. A bystander helped pull the man off the officer, who was not seriously injured.-----------SHAWNEE COUNTY– A Topeka Police officer was charged and attacked by a suspect Thursday morning while responding to an unrelated call for service.Just after 9:00 a.m. the officer was dispatched to a home in the 200 block of SE 34th St. to investigate a possible unwanted subject, according to police spokesperson Gretchen Spiker.When the officer arrived on scene at a boarded up home, a man unrelated to the original call came riding by on a bicycle.&nbsp; Police Sgt. Scott Scurlock says the bicyclist tried to get the officer's attention. Scurlock says when the officer asked the man to wait, the suspect charged the officer, knocked him over and punched him several times. During the tussle, the man tried unsuccessfully to grab the officer's gun.&nbsp;A community member immediately stepped in to assist the officer. The suspect later identified as 22-year-old Justin Reed was then taken into custody. The officer was not seriously hurt in the attack, according to Spiker.“The Topeka Police Department is very grateful to the citizen who assisted during the incident. Above and beyond that, we have all been profoundly moved by the widespread community outpouring of support and concern that we received afterwards,” said Topeka Police Chief Bryan Wheeles. “I am very proud of the brave work that our police officers do every day to keep us safe.”As a result of the investigation Reed was booked into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges including Aggravated battery on LEO, Interference with LEO, Robbery and Possession of marijuana.The circumstances of this attack remain under investigation.

Bicycle rider charged in attack on Kansas police officer

WASHINGTON — With some areas seeing mail delays, the Internal Revenue
 Service reminds taxpayers to double-check to make sure they have all of
 their tax documents, including Forms W-2 and 1099, before filing a tax 
return.

The IRS reminds taxpayers that many of these forms may be available online. When other options aren't available, <a href="https://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc154">taxpayers who haven't received a W-2 or Form 1099</a>
 should contact the employer, payer or issuing agency directly to 
request the missing documents before filing their 2020 federal tax 
return. This also applies for those who received an incorrect W-2 or 
Form 1099.

Those who don't get a response, are unable to reach the 
employer/payer/issuing agency or cannot otherwise get copies or 
corrected copies of their Forms W-2 or 1099 must still file their tax 
return on time by the April 15 deadline (or October 15 if requesting an 
automatic extension). They may need to use <a href="https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-form-4852">Form 4852, Substitute for Form W-2, Wage and Tax Statement</a>, or <a href="https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-form-1099-r">Form 1099-R, Distributions From Pensions, Annuities, Retirement or Profit-Sharing Plans, IRAs, Insurance Contracts, etc.</a> to avoid filing an incomplete or amended return.

If the taxpayer doesn't receive the missing or corrected form in time
 to file their tax return by the April deadline, they may estimate the 
wages or payments made to them, as well as any taxes withheld. Use Form 
4852 to report this information on their federal tax return.

If the taxpayer receives the missing or corrected Form W-2 or Form 
1099-R after filing their return and the information differs from their 
previous estimate, they must file <a href="https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-form-1040x">Form 1040-X, Amended U.S. Individual Income Tax Return</a>. For additional information on filing an amended return, see <a href="https://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc308">Topic No. 308</a> and <a href="https://www.irs.gov/help/ita/should-i-file-an-amended-return">Should I File an Amended Return?</a>

Taxpayers should allow enough time for tax records to arrive in the 
mail before filing their 2020 tax return. In a normal year, most 
taxpayers should have received income documents near the end of January,
 including:

Incorrect Form 1099-G for unemployment benefits

Millions of Americans received unemployment compensation in 2020, 
many of them for the first time. This compensation is taxable and must 
be included as gross income on their tax return.

Taxpayers who receive an incorrect <a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-offers-guidance-to-taxpayers-on-identity-theft-involving-unemployment-benefits">Form 1099-G for unemployment benefits</a>
 they did not receive should contact the issuing state agency to request
 a revised Form 1099-G showing they did not receive these benefits. 
Taxpayers who are unable to obtain a timely, corrected form from states 
should still file an accurate tax return, reporting only the income they
 received.

IRS tax help is available 24 hours a day on IRS.gov, the official IRS
 website, where people can find answers to tax questions and resolve tax
 issues online. The <a href="https://www.irs.gov/help/telephone-assistance">Let Us Help You</a> page helps answer most tax questions, and the <a href="https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p5136.pdf">IRS Services Guide &nbsp;PDF</a>links to other important IRS services.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/9/1599869632873.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>IRSWASHINGTON — With some areas seeing mail delays, the Internal Revenue
 Service reminds taxpayers to double-check to make sure they have all of
 their tax documents, including Forms W-2 and 1099, before filing a tax 
return.The IRS reminds taxpayers that many of these forms may be available online. When other options aren't available, <a href="https://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc154">taxpayers who haven't received a W-2 or Form 1099</a>
 should contact the employer, payer or issuing agency directly to 
request the missing documents before filing their 2020 federal tax 
return. This also applies for those who received an incorrect W-2 or 
Form 1099.Those who don't get a response, are unable to reach the 
employer/payer/issuing agency or cannot otherwise get copies or 
corrected copies of their Forms W-2 or 1099 must still file their tax 
return on time by the April 15 deadline (or October 15 if requesting an 
automatic extension). They may need to use <a href="https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-form-4852">Form 4852, Substitute for Form W-2, Wage and Tax Statement</a>, or <a href="https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-form-1099-r">Form 1099-R, Distributions From Pensions, Annuities, Retirement or Profit-Sharing Plans, IRAs, Insurance Contracts, etc.</a> to avoid filing an incomplete or amended return.If the taxpayer doesn't receive the missing or corrected form in time
 to file their tax return by the April deadline, they may estimate the 
wages or payments made to them, as well as any taxes withheld. Use Form 
4852 to report this information on their federal tax return.If the taxpayer receives the missing or corrected Form W-2 or Form 
1099-R after filing their return and the information differs from their 
previous estimate, they must file <a href="https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-form-1040x">Form 1040-X, Amended U.S. Individual Income Tax Return</a>. For additional information on filing an amended return, see <a href="https://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc308">Topic No. 308</a> and <a href="https://www.irs.gov/help/ita/should-i-file-an-amended-return">Should I File an Amended Return?</a>Taxpayers should allow enough time for tax records to arrive in the 
mail before filing their 2020 tax return. In a normal year, most 
taxpayers should have received income documents near the end of January,
 including:<ul>
 <li>Forms W-2, Wage and Tax Statement</li><li>Form 1099-MISC, Miscellaneous Income</li><li>Form 1099-INT, Interest Income</li><li>Form 1099-NEC, Nonemployee Compensation</li><li>Form 1099-G, Certain Government Payments;&nbsp;like unemployment compensation or state tax refund</li>
 </ul><h2>Incorrect Form 1099-G for unemployment benefits</h2>Millions of Americans received unemployment compensation in 2020, 
many of them for the first time. This compensation is taxable and must 
be included as gross income on their tax return.Taxpayers who receive an incorrect <a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-offers-guidance-to-taxpayers-on-identity-theft-involving-unemployment-benefits">Form 1099-G for unemployment benefits</a>
 they did not receive should contact the issuing state agency to request
 a revised Form 1099-G showing they did not receive these benefits. 
Taxpayers who are unable to obtain a timely, corrected form from states 
should still file an accurate tax return, reporting only the income they
 received.<h2>Use IRS.gov</h2>IRS tax help is available 24 hours a day on IRS.gov, the official IRS
 website, where people can find answers to tax questions and resolve tax
 issues online. The <a href="https://www.irs.gov/help/telephone-assistance">Let Us Help You</a> page helps answer most tax questions, and the <a href="https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p5136.pdf">IRS Services Guide &nbsp;PDF</a>links to other important IRS services.

Double-check for missing or incorrect Forms W-2, 1099 before filing taxes

FORD COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a home burglary and have suspects in custody.

Just before 3a.m. February 6, police responded to the 400 block of East Plaza Avenue for an aggravated burglary and battery that had just occurred, according to a media release.

When officers arrived, all suspects had fled the scene. Police learned that that four juvenile boys and one juvenile girl ages 13-15 entered the victim's home without consent and stole items from the residence while the homeowner slept. 

The homeowner awoke and confronted one of the boys. However, the boy struck the homeowner and, after a short struggle, was able to get away. 

Through investigation, police were able to identify and locate all five suspects and place them under arrest. 

&nbsp;All are being held in the Southwest Kansas Regional Juvenile Detention Center in Garden City on requested charges that of Aggravated burglary, theft, and battery.

FORD COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a home burglary and have suspects in custody.Just before 3a.m. February 6, police responded to the 400 block of East Plaza Avenue for an aggravated burglary and battery that had just occurred, according to a media release.When officers arrived, all suspects had fled the scene. Police learned that that four juvenile boys and one juvenile girl ages 13-15 entered the victim's home without consent and stole items from the residence while the homeowner slept. The homeowner awoke and confronted one of the boys. However, the boy struck the homeowner and, after a short struggle, was able to get away. Through investigation, police were able to identify and locate all five suspects and place them under arrest. &nbsp;All are being held in the Southwest Kansas Regional Juvenile Detention Center in Garden City on requested charges that of Aggravated burglary, theft, and battery.

Police: Teen burglary suspect struck homeowner

WASHINGTON (AP) —Senators in Donald Trump’s historic second impeachment trial have agreed to consider the case, rejecting an attempt by the former president’s defense team and some Republican allies to halt the trial because he is no longer in office.

The vote was 56-44 on Tuesday on the question of whether the Senate has jurisdiction and could proceed. Six Republicans voted with the Democrats.

<a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?508293-1/impeachment-trial">CLICK here&nbsp;</a>to watch a replay of Tuesday's trial

<a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?c4944572/house-impeachment-managers-video-compilation-january-6-attack-us-capitol">Click here</a> to watch the House Impeachment Managers' video compilation of the Jan. 6, attack on the U.S. Capitol

Trump is facing a charge of incitement of insurrection for his role in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump’s historic second impeachment trial opened Tuesday in the Senate with graphic video of the deadly&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/capitol-siege">Jan. 6 attack on Congress&nbsp;</a>and the defeated former president whipping up a rally crowd — “We’re going to walk down to the Capitol!” — as he encouraged a futile fight over his presidency.

<a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?508293-1/impeachment-trial">CLICK here&nbsp;</a>to watch the trial

The lead House prosecutor told senators the case would present “cold, hard facts” against Trump, who is charged with inciting the siege of the Capitol to overturn the election he lost to Democrat Joe Biden. Senators sitting as jurors, many who themselves fled for safety that day, watched the jarring video of the chaotic scene, rioters pushing past police to storm the halls, Trump flags waving.

“That’s a high crime and misdemeanor,” said Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., in opening remarks. “If that’s not an impeachable offense, then there’s no such thing.”

Trump is the first president to face impeachment charges after leaving office and the first to be twice impeached . The Capitol siege stunned the world as rioters ransacked the building to try to stop the certification of Biden’s victory, a domestic attack on the nation’s seat of government unlike any in its history. Five people died.

Acquittal is likely, but the trial will test the nation’s attitude toward his brand of presidential power, the Democrats’ resolve in pursuing him, and the loyalty of Trump’s Republican allies defending him.

Trump’s lawyers are insisting that he is not guilty of the sole charge of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-impeachments-united-states-constitutions-capitol-siege-8c5849fb738765a5c467044498356e1c">“incitement of insurrection,”&nbsp;</a>his fiery words just a figure of speech as he encouraged a rally crowd to “fight like hell” for his presidency. But prosecutors say he “has no good defense” and they promise new evidence.

“Hear ye, hear ye, hear ye,” the acting sergeant at arms intoned to start the trial.

Security remained extremely tight at the Capitol, a changed place after the attack, fenced off with razor wire and armed National Guard troops on patrol. The nine House managers walked across the shuttered building to prosecute the case before the Senate.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Tuesday that Biden would not be watching the trial of his predecessor.

“Joe Biden is the president, he’s not a pundit, he’s not going to opine on back and forth arguments,” she said.

With senators gathered as the court of impeachment, sworn to deliver “impartial justice,” the trial was starting with debate and a vote over whether it’s constitutionally permissible to prosecute Trump after he is no longer in the White House.

Trump’s defense team has focused on the question of constitutionality, which could resonate with Republicans eager to acquit Trump without being seen as condoning his behavior.

But the House prosecutors argued there is no “January exception” for a president on his way out the door. Rep. Joe Neguse, D-Colo., referred to the corruption case of William Belknap, a war secretary in the Grant administration, who was impeached, tried and ultimately acquitted by the Senate after leaving office.

“President Trump was not impeached for run of the mill corruption, misconduct. He was impeached for inciting a violent insurrection - an insurrection where people died, in this building,” Neguse said.“If Congress stands by, it would invite future presidents to use their power without any fear of accountability.”

It appears unlikely that the House prosecutors will call witnesses, in part because the senators were witnesses themselves. At his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida, Trump has declined a request to testify.

Trump’s defense team has said it plans to counter with its own cache of videos of Democratic politicians making fiery speeches. “We have some videos up our sleeve,” senior Trump adviser Jason Miller said on a podcast Monday.

“In trying to make sense of a second Trump trial, the public should keep in mind that Donald Trump was the first president ever to refuse to accept his defeat,” said Timothy Naftali, a clinical associate professor at New York University and an expert on impeachment.

“This trial is one way of having that difficult national conversation about the difference between dissent and insurrection,” Naftali said.

A first test Tuesday will be on a vote on the constitutionality of the trial, signaling attitudes in the Senate. The chamber is divided 50-50 between Democrats and Republicans, with a two-thirds vote, 67 senators, required for conviction.

A similar question was posed late last month, when Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky forced a vote to set aside the trial because Trump was no longer in office. At that time, 45 Republicans voted in favor of Paul’s measure. Just five Republicans joined with Democrats to pursue the trial: Mitt Romney of Utah, Ben Sasse of Nebraska, Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania

Presidential impeachment trials have been conducted only three times before, leading to acquittals for Andrew Johnson, Bill Clinton and then Trump last year.

Typically senators sit at their desks for such occasions, but the COVID-19 crisis has upended even this tradition. Instead, senators will be allowed to spread out, in the “marble room” just off the Senate floor, where proceedings will be shown on TV, and in the public galleries above the chamber, to accommodate social distancing, according to a person familiar with the discussions.

Presiding is not the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, as has been tradition for the nation’s few presidential impeachment trials, but the chamber’s senior-most member of the majority party, Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont.

Under an agreement between Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Republican leader Mitch McConnell, the opening arguments would begin at noon Wednesday, with up to 16 hours per side for presentations. The trial is expected to continue into the weekend.

<a href="https://beta.documentcloud.org/documents/20474874-trump-impeachment-trial-memo" target="_blank">In filings,</a>&nbsp;lawyers for the former president lobbed a wide-ranging attack against the House case, dismissing the trial as “political theater” on the same Senate floor invaded by the mob.

Trump’s defenders suggest he was simply exercising his First Amendment rights when he encouraged his supporters to protest at the Capitol, and they argue the Senate is not entitled to try Trump now that he has left office.

<a href="https://beta.documentcloud.org/documents/20474952-house-managers-response-to-trump-team" target="_blank">House impeachment managers, in their own filings,</a>&nbsp;assert that Trump “betrayed the American people” and has no valid excuse or defense.

Trump’s second&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/trump-impeachment">impeachment trial&nbsp;</a>is expected to diverge from the lengthy, complicated affair of a year ago. In that case, Trump was charged with having privately pressured Ukraine to dig up dirt on Biden, then a Democratic rival for the presidency.

This time, Trump’s “stop the steal” rally rhetoric and the storming of the Capitol played out for the world to see. The trial could be over in half the time.

The Democratic-led House impeached the president swiftly, one week after the most violent attack on Congress in more than 200 years. Five people died, including a woman shot by police inside the building and a police officer who died the next day of his injuries.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump’s historic second impeachment trial is an undertaking like no other in U.S. history, the defeated former president charged by the House with inciting the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/capitol-siege">violent mob attack on the U.S. Capitol&nbsp;</a>to overturn the election in what prosecutors argue is the “most grievous constitutional crime.”

Trump’s lawyers insist as the Senate trial opens Tuesday that he is not guilty on the sole charge of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-impeachments-united-states-constitutions-capitol-siege-8c5849fb738765a5c467044498356e1c">“incitement of insurrection,”&nbsp;</a>his fiery words just a figure of speech, even as he encouraged a rally crowd to “fight like hell” for his presidency. The Capitol siege on Jan. 6 stunned the world as rioters stormed the building to try to stop the certification of President-elect Joe Biden’s victory.

No witnesses are expected to be called, in part because the senators sworn as jurors, forced to flee for safety, will be presented with graphic videos recorded that day. Holed up at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida, Trump has declined a request to testify.

The first president to face charges after leaving office and the first to be twice impeached for high crimes and misdemeanors while in office, Trump continues to challenge the nation’s civic norms and traditions even in defeat. Security remains extremely tight at the Capitol. While acquittal is likely, the trial will test the nation’s attitude toward his brand of presidential power, the Democrats’ resolve in pursuing him, and the loyalty of Trump’s Republican allies defending him.

“In trying to make sense of a second Trump trial, the public should keep in mind that Donald Trump was the first president ever to refuse to accept his defeat,” said Timothy Naftali, a clinical associate professor at New York University and an expert on Richard Nixon’s impeachment saga, which ended with Nixon’s resignation rather than his impeachment.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Monday that Biden will be busy with the business of the presidency and won’t spend much time watching the televised proceedings. “He’ll leave it to his former colleagues in the Senate,” she said.

Trump’s defenders are preparing to challenge both the constitutionality of the trial and any suggestion that he was to blame for the insurrection. They suggest that Trump was simply exercising his First Amendment rights when he encouraged his supporters to protest at the Capitol, and they argue the Senate is not entitled to try Trump now that he has left office.

<a href="https://beta.documentcloud.org/documents/20474952-house-managers-response-to-trump-team" target="_blank">House impeachment managers, in their own filings,</a>&nbsp;asserted that Trump had “betrayed the American people” and there is no valid excuse or defense.

“His incitement of insurrection against the United States government — which disrupted the peaceful transfer of power — is the most grievous constitutional crime ever committed by a president,” the Democrats said.

With senators gathered as the court of impeachment, the trial will begin Tuesday with a debate and vote on whether it’s constitutionally permissible to prosecute the former president, an argument that could resonate with Republicans keen on voting to acquit Trump without being seen as condoning his behavior.

Under an agreement between Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Republican leader Mitch McConnell, the opening arguments would begin at noon Wednesday, with up to 16 hours per side for presentations.

After that there are hours for deliberations, witnesses and closing arguments. The trial was set to break Friday evening for the Jewish Sabbath, but Trump’s defense team withdrew the request, concerned about the delay, and now the trial can continue into the weekend and next week.

A presidential impeachment trial has been conducted only three times before, leading to acquittals for Andrew Johnson, Bill Clinton and then Trump last year.

House prosecutors are expected to rely on videos from the siege, along with Trump’s incendiary rhetoric refusing to concede the election, to make their case. His new defense team has said it plans to counter with its own cache of videos of Democratic politicians making fiery speeches.

Initially repulsed by the graphic images of the attack, a number of Republican senators have cooled their criticism as the intervening weeks have provided some distance.

Senators were sworn in as jurors late last month, shortly after Biden was inaugurated, but the trial was delayed as Democrats focused on confirming the new president’s initial Cabinet picks and Republicans sought to stall.

At the time, Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky forced a vote to set aside the trial as unconstitutional because Trump is no longer in office. The 45 Republican votes in favor of Paul’s measure suggest the near impossibility of reaching a conviction in a Senate where Democrats hold 50 seats but a two-thirds vote — or 67 senators — would be needed to convict Trump.

Only five Republicans joined with Democrats to reject Paul’s motion: Mitt Romney of Utah, Ben Sasse of Nebraska, Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/2/1612909479692.png" alt="Senator Patrick Leahy presiding over the trial read the result of Tuesday's vote. GOP Senators&nbsp;Cassidy, Louisiana; Collins, Maine;&nbsp;Murkowski, Alaska; Romney, Utah; Sasse, Nebraska and Toomey, Pennsylvania voted with Democrats." />
 <figcaption>Senator Patrick Leahy presiding over the trial read the result of Tuesday's vote. GOP Senators&nbsp;Cassidy, Louisiana; Collins, Maine;&nbsp;Murkowski, Alaska; Romney, Utah; Sasse, Nebraska and Toomey, Pennsylvania voted with Democrats.</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) —Senators in Donald Trump’s historic second impeachment trial have agreed to consider the case, rejecting an attempt by the former president’s defense team and some Republican allies to halt the trial because he is no longer in office.The vote was 56-44 on Tuesday on the question of whether the Senate has jurisdiction and could proceed. Six Republicans voted with the Democrats.<a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?508293-1/impeachment-trial">CLICK here&nbsp;</a>to watch a replay of Tuesday's trial<a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?c4944572/house-impeachment-managers-video-compilation-january-6-attack-us-capitol">Click here</a> to watch the House Impeachment Managers' video compilation of the Jan. 6, attack on the U.S. CapitolTrump is facing a charge of incitement of insurrection for his role in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.--------WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump’s historic second impeachment trial opened Tuesday in the Senate with graphic video of the deadly&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/capitol-siege">Jan. 6 attack on Congress&nbsp;</a>and the defeated former president whipping up a rally crowd — “We’re going to walk down to the Capitol!” — as he encouraged a futile fight over his presidency.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/2/1612893918710.png" alt="The Senate impeachment trial of former President Trump began with arguments and a vote on the constitutionality of the trial. Opening arguments from the House impeachment managers and the former president’s defense team are expected to follow. Senator Patrick Leahy is presiding over the trial-image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>The Senate impeachment trial of former President Trump began with arguments and a vote on the constitutionality of the trial. Opening arguments from the House impeachment managers and the former president’s defense team are expected to follow. Senator Patrick Leahy is presiding over the trial-image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?508293-1/impeachment-trial">CLICK here&nbsp;</a>to watch the trial<a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?c4944572/house-impeachment-managers-video-compilation-january-6-attack-us-capitol">Click here</a> to watch the House Impeachment Managers' video compilation of the Jan. 6, attack on the U.S. CapitolThe lead House prosecutor told senators the case would present “cold, hard facts” against Trump, who is charged with inciting the siege of the Capitol to overturn the election he lost to Democrat Joe Biden. Senators sitting as jurors, many who themselves fled for safety that day, watched the jarring video of the chaotic scene, rioters pushing past police to storm the halls, Trump flags waving.“That’s a high crime and misdemeanor,” said Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., in opening remarks. “If that’s not an impeachable offense, then there’s no such thing.”Trump is the first president to face impeachment charges after leaving office and the first to be twice impeached . The Capitol siege stunned the world as rioters ransacked the building to try to stop the certification of Biden’s victory, a domestic attack on the nation’s seat of government unlike any in its history. Five people died.Acquittal is likely, but the trial will test the nation’s attitude toward his brand of presidential power, the Democrats’ resolve in pursuing him, and the loyalty of Trump’s Republican allies defending him.Trump’s lawyers are insisting that he is not guilty of the sole charge of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-impeachments-united-states-constitutions-capitol-siege-8c5849fb738765a5c467044498356e1c">“incitement of insurrection,”&nbsp;</a>his fiery words just a figure of speech as he encouraged a rally crowd to “fight like hell” for his presidency. But prosecutors say he “has no good defense” and they promise new evidence.“Hear ye, hear ye, hear ye,” the acting sergeant at arms intoned to start the trial.Security remained extremely tight at the Capitol, a changed place after the attack, fenced off with razor wire and armed National Guard troops on patrol. The nine House managers walked across the shuttered building to prosecute the case before the Senate.White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Tuesday that Biden would not be watching the trial of his predecessor.“Joe Biden is the president, he’s not a pundit, he’s not going to opine on back and forth arguments,” she said.With senators gathered as the court of impeachment, sworn to deliver “impartial justice,” the trial was starting with debate and a vote over whether it’s constitutionally permissible to prosecute Trump after he is no longer in the White House.Trump’s defense team has focused on the question of constitutionality, which could resonate with Republicans eager to acquit Trump without being seen as condoning his behavior.But the House prosecutors argued there is no “January exception” for a president on his way out the door. Rep. Joe Neguse, D-Colo., referred to the corruption case of William Belknap, a war secretary in the Grant administration, who was impeached, tried and ultimately acquitted by the Senate after leaving office.“President Trump was not impeached for run of the mill corruption, misconduct. He was impeached for inciting a violent insurrection - an insurrection where people died, in this building,” Neguse said.“If Congress stands by, it would invite future presidents to use their power without any fear of accountability.”It appears unlikely that the House prosecutors will call witnesses, in part because the senators were witnesses themselves. At his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida, Trump has declined a request to testify.Trump’s defense team has said it plans to counter with its own cache of videos of Democratic politicians making fiery speeches. “We have some videos up our sleeve,” senior Trump adviser Jason Miller said on a podcast Monday.“In trying to make sense of a second Trump trial, the public should keep in mind that Donald Trump was the first president ever to refuse to accept his defeat,” said Timothy Naftali, a clinical associate professor at New York University and an expert on impeachment.“This trial is one way of having that difficult national conversation about the difference between dissent and insurrection,” Naftali said.A first test Tuesday will be on a vote on the constitutionality of the trial, signaling attitudes in the Senate. The chamber is divided 50-50 between Democrats and Republicans, with a two-thirds vote, 67 senators, required for conviction.A similar question was posed late last month, when Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky forced a vote to set aside the trial because Trump was no longer in office. At that time, 45 Republicans voted in favor of Paul’s measure. Just five Republicans joined with Democrats to pursue the trial: Mitt Romney of Utah, Ben Sasse of Nebraska, Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Pat Toomey of PennsylvaniaPresidential impeachment trials have been conducted only three times before, leading to acquittals for Andrew Johnson, Bill Clinton and then Trump last year.Typically senators sit at their desks for such occasions, but the COVID-19 crisis has upended even this tradition. Instead, senators will be allowed to spread out, in the “marble room” just off the Senate floor, where proceedings will be shown on TV, and in the public galleries above the chamber, to accommodate social distancing, according to a person familiar with the discussions.Presiding is not the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, as has been tradition for the nation’s few presidential impeachment trials, but the chamber’s senior-most member of the majority party, Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont.Under an agreement between Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Republican leader Mitch McConnell, the opening arguments would begin at noon Wednesday, with up to 16 hours per side for presentations. The trial is expected to continue into the weekend.<a href="https://beta.documentcloud.org/documents/20474874-trump-impeachment-trial-memo" target="_blank">In filings,</a>&nbsp;lawyers for the former president lobbed a wide-ranging attack against the House case, dismissing the trial as “political theater” on the same Senate floor invaded by the mob.Trump’s defenders suggest he was simply exercising his First Amendment rights when he encouraged his supporters to protest at the Capitol, and they argue the Senate is not entitled to try Trump now that he has left office.<a href="https://beta.documentcloud.org/documents/20474952-house-managers-response-to-trump-team" target="_blank">House impeachment managers, in their own filings,</a>&nbsp;assert that Trump “betrayed the American people” and has no valid excuse or defense.Trump’s second&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/trump-impeachment">impeachment trial&nbsp;</a>is expected to diverge from the lengthy, complicated affair of a year ago. In that case, Trump was charged with having privately pressured Ukraine to dig up dirt on Biden, then a Democratic rival for the presidency.This time, Trump’s “stop the steal” rally rhetoric and the storming of the Capitol played out for the world to see. The trial could be over in half the time.The Democratic-led House impeached the president swiftly, one week after the most violent attack on Congress in more than 200 years. Five people died, including a woman shot by police inside the building and a police officer who died the next day of his injuries.------WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump’s historic second impeachment trial is an undertaking like no other in U.S. history, the defeated former president charged by the House with inciting the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/capitol-siege">violent mob attack on the U.S. Capitol&nbsp;</a>to overturn the election in what prosecutors argue is the “most grievous constitutional crime.”<a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?508293-1/impeachment-trial">CLICK here&nbsp;</a>to watch the trialTrump’s lawyers insist as the Senate trial opens Tuesday that he is not guilty on the sole charge of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-impeachments-united-states-constitutions-capitol-siege-8c5849fb738765a5c467044498356e1c">“incitement of insurrection,”&nbsp;</a>his fiery words just a figure of speech, even as he encouraged a rally crowd to “fight like hell” for his presidency. The Capitol siege on Jan. 6 stunned the world as rioters stormed the building to try to stop the certification of President-elect Joe Biden’s victory.No witnesses are expected to be called, in part because the senators sworn as jurors, forced to flee for safety, will be presented with graphic videos recorded that day. Holed up at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida, Trump has declined a request to testify.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/2/1612894247655.png" alt="Senators during the vote on the rules for the trial - Senator Marshall of Kansas and Senator Hawley of Missouri voted no on the resolution-image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Senators during the vote on the rules for the trial - Senator Marshall of Kansas and Senator Hawley of Missouri voted no on the resolution-image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>The first president to face charges after leaving office and the first to be twice impeached for high crimes and misdemeanors while in office, Trump continues to challenge the nation’s civic norms and traditions even in defeat. Security remains extremely tight at the Capitol. While acquittal is likely, the trial will test the nation’s attitude toward his brand of presidential power, the Democrats’ resolve in pursuing him, and the loyalty of Trump’s Republican allies defending him.“In trying to make sense of a second Trump trial, the public should keep in mind that Donald Trump was the first president ever to refuse to accept his defeat,” said Timothy Naftali, a clinical associate professor at New York University and an expert on Richard Nixon’s impeachment saga, which ended with Nixon’s resignation rather than his impeachment.“This trial is one way of having that difficult national conversation about the difference between dissent and insurrection,” Naftali said.White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Monday that Biden will be busy with the business of the presidency and won’t spend much time watching the televised proceedings. “He’ll leave it to his former colleagues in the Senate,” she said.<a href="https://beta.documentcloud.org/documents/20474874-trump-impeachment-trial-memo" target="_blank">In filings,</a>&nbsp;lawyers for the former president lobbed a wide-ranging attack against the House case, dismissing the trial as “political theater” on the same Senate floor invaded by the mob.Trump’s defenders are preparing to challenge both the constitutionality of the trial and any suggestion that he was to blame for the insurrection. They suggest that Trump was simply exercising his First Amendment rights when he encouraged his supporters to protest at the Capitol, and they argue the Senate is not entitled to try Trump now that he has left office.<a href="https://beta.documentcloud.org/documents/20474952-house-managers-response-to-trump-team" target="_blank">House impeachment managers, in their own filings,</a>&nbsp;asserted that Trump had “betrayed the American people” and there is no valid excuse or defense.“His incitement of insurrection against the United States government — which disrupted the peaceful transfer of power — is the most grievous constitutional crime ever committed by a president,” the Democrats said.With senators gathered as the court of impeachment, the trial will begin Tuesday with a debate and vote on whether it’s constitutionally permissible to prosecute the former president, an argument that could resonate with Republicans keen on voting to acquit Trump without being seen as condoning his behavior.Under an agreement between Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Republican leader Mitch McConnell, the opening arguments would begin at noon Wednesday, with up to 16 hours per side for presentations.After that there are hours for deliberations, witnesses and closing arguments. The trial was set to break Friday evening for the Jewish Sabbath, but Trump’s defense team withdrew the request, concerned about the delay, and now the trial can continue into the weekend and next week.A presidential impeachment trial has been conducted only three times before, leading to acquittals for Andrew Johnson, Bill Clinton and then Trump last year.Typically senators sit at their desks for such occasions, but the COVID-19 crisis has upended even this tradition. Instead, senators will be allowed to spread out, in the “marble room” just off the Senate floor, where proceedings will be shown on TV, and in the public galleries above the chamber, to accommodate social distancing, according to a person familiar with the discussions.Trump’s second&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/trump-impeachment">impeachment trial&nbsp;</a>is expected to diverge from the lengthy, complicated affair of a year ago. In that case, Trump was charged with having privately pressured Ukraine to dig up dirt on Biden, then a Democratic rival for the presidency.This time, Trump’s “stop the steal” rally rhetoric and the storming of the Capitol played out for the world to see. The trial could be over in half the time.The Democratic-led House impeached the president swiftly, one week after the most violent attack on Congress in more than 200 years. Five people died, including a woman shot by police inside the building and a police officer who died the next day of his injuries.House prosecutors are expected to rely on videos from the siege, along with Trump’s incendiary rhetoric refusing to concede the election, to make their case. His new defense team has said it plans to counter with its own cache of videos of Democratic politicians making fiery speeches.Initially repulsed by the graphic images of the attack, a number of Republican senators have cooled their criticism as the intervening weeks have provided some distance.Senators were sworn in as jurors late last month, shortly after Biden was inaugurated, but the trial was delayed as Democrats focused on confirming the new president’s initial Cabinet picks and Republicans sought to stall.At the time, Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky forced a vote to set aside the trial as unconstitutional because Trump is no longer in office. The 45 Republican votes in favor of Paul’s measure suggest the near impossibility of reaching a conviction in a Senate where Democrats hold 50 seats but a two-thirds vote — or 67 senators — would be needed to convict Trump.Only five Republicans joined with Democrats to reject Paul’s motion: Mitt Romney of Utah, Ben Sasse of Nebraska, Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania.___

🎥  Senate votes: Trump impeachment trial is constitutional

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly on Tuesday denounced a Republican plan for cutting Kansas income taxes as “unthinkable” during the COVID-19 pandemic and proposed an alternative that would pay for its relief by taxing online music, movies and streaming services.

Kelly outlined her proposal just hours before the Kansas Senate was set to debate&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/documents/supp_note_sb22_01_0000.pdf" target="_blank">the GOP’s measure,</a>&nbsp;which is aimed at providing $423 million in relief over three years to businesses and individuals paying more to the state since an overhaul of federal tax laws in 2017. The Senate’s top Democrat, Minority Leader Dinah Sykes, said she would offer Kelly’s proposal as an amendment to the Republican bill.

The governor’s proposal appeared unlikely to pass in its entirety with Republicans in control of the Legislature, because many of them oppose the provision to impose the state’s 6.5% sales tax on digital products, such as online music and streaming services. Kelly’s plan is designed to avoid costing the state any net revenues and to provide its relief to a broader group of individual taxpayers — and no relief for businesses.

Top Republicans contend they’re trying to help the people and businesses whose higher state tax bills have generated unexpected revenues for the state, comparing the windfall to finding&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/9a8b10659b6b436980cf5fd0040e2860">someone’s lost wallet</a>&nbsp;full of cash on a sidewalk. But Kelly&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/02d4aa92788e4ef09d187211d949e2be">vetoed two similar GOP bills</a>&nbsp;in 2019, arguing that they would undermine funding for public schools and critical state services.

“It would be bad enough to introduce this bill in a normal year, but this year makes it particularly irresponsible,” Kelly said of the GOP plan during a Statehouse news conference. “It is unthinkable that legislative leadership, during a health and economic crisis the likes of which we haven’t seen for 100 years, when we are trying to steer Kansas toward recovery from the pandemic, that they would even consider such action.”

Kelly’s comments signaled that she is likely to veto the GOP tax plan if lawmakers passed it, though she stopped short of a public promise. Republican leaders didn’t have the two-thirds majorities necessary in 2019 to override Kelly’s vetoes, but elections last year made the GOP supermajorities in both chambers more conservative.

Senate approval of the GOP plan would send it to the House, where a committee already has been reviewing tax issues. Republican leaders have made cutting income taxes a top priority.

“We need a balancing act,” said Senate tax committee Chair Caryn Tyson, a Parker Republican. “We need a level playing field, and that is what I am trying to do.”

The federal tax changes in 2017 were championed by former President Donald Trump and discouraged people from claiming itemized deductions on their federal returns. Kansas law does not allow people to itemize on their state returns if they don’t on their federal returns, resulting in larger state tax bills for some.

The GOP plan would allow individuals to itemize on their state returns even if they didn’t on their federal returns and allow them to do so even for last year. That’s the majority of the relief provided by the bill over three years, but about 45% of the savings for taxpayers would go to businesses.

Kelly’s plan is focused solely on individuals and would increase the state’s standard income tax deductions for individuals by 35% over two years. She and fellow Democrats argued Tuesday said the governor’s plan would not only provide relief to more people but help low-income and working-class families more than the GOP plan.

That part of Kelly’s plan could appeal to some Republicans — as something to add to the GOP plan. Senate President Ty Masterson, an Andover Republican, said increasing the standard deduction “does help people.”

But Republicans have derided the idea of imposing the sales tax on online music, movies and streaming services as a “Netflix” or “Baby Yoda” tax that will hit families stuck at home because of the pandemic. Kelly’s plan also would require websites like Amazon, eBay and Etsy to collect the state’s tax when they sell other businesses’ goods to Kansas residents.

Kelly and other Democrats argued that those provisions merely modernize the state’s tax laws, but the changes would raise about $101 million a year.

TOPEKA – Governor Laura Kelly held a press conference Tuesday to discuss Senate Bill 22 that she says would blow a $423M hole in the state budget. "The bill also targets tax cuts for only the top 6 per cent of Kansas tax payers," she said. "We've seen what happens in Kansas when reckless tax cut bills are passed. Our schools, roads, pension system and other essential services take the hit."

Senate Minority Leader Dinah Sykes and House Minority Leader Tom Sawyer joined the governor for the press conference to announce they have crafted a proposed tax bill that would generate $97 million in additional revenue for Kansas, support small businesses, and give 94% of Kansans a tax cut – all with a neutral, balanced state budget.

“COVID-19 has brought unprecedented challenges for hard-working Kansans, their families, and their businesses,”&nbsp;Governor Laura Kelly said.&nbsp;“We know they need relief - and they need it as soon as possible. 

Our proposal is an amendment to Senate Bill 22, that will provide tax relief to the vast majority of Kansas families and assist in our state's economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.”

All remote sellers - whether selling through a marketplace platform like Amazon or Etsy, or on their own - have been instructed to register and collect tax on property that is shipped into Kansas. But under current tax code, out-of-state retailers are able to dodge the use tax on sales to Kansas customers.

With today’s proposed plan, the marketplace facilitator would be responsible for collecting and remitting the tax on behalf of the remote sellers on their platform. This would allow the state to collect from fewer entities and increase compliance. Kansas is one of three states that has not enacted a marketplace facilitator provision.

The new plan also imposes taxes on digital products, like video streaming services.

“When out-of-state retailers can duck taxes, there is no way for the local clothing store up the street or the local book store to try and compete with out of state prices,”&nbsp;Governor Kelly said. “By requiring marketplace facilitators to collect use tax on out-of-state products, we level the playing field for Kansas main street businesses.”

Together, these marketplace facilitator and digital goods provisions would generate approximately $97 million in additional revenue for the state. That revenue would then be used to increase Kansas's standard tax deduction by 20% in tax year 2021 and 35% in tax year 2022.  If the revenue neutral proposal were implemented, 94% of Kansans will see a tax cut.

The plan is proposed as an alternative to Senate Bill 22, which will be heard by the Kansas Senate Tuesday.

“At a time when we’re facing huge unemployment rates and an unsteady economy, we do not need tax cuts for the rich which have no impact on unemployment,”&nbsp;Senate Democratic Leader Dinah Sykes said. “At a time when we’re facing economic uncertainty, we do not need to repeat failed tax experiments which studies have shown – and which we have seen firsthand here in Kansas – have no impact on economic growth. Senate Democrats are proposing solutions that will grow our economy, keep Kansas businesses competitive, and keep more money in the pockets of Kansas families.”

“During a time of economic uncertainty and in the midst of a pandemic, Republicans are pushing to spend over $600 million in tax cuts for giant multi-national corporations,”&nbsp;House Democratic Leader Tom Sawyer said.&nbsp;“The vast majority of Kansans would receive no tax relief. We will always continue to fight for tax cuts that help working Kansans lessen their financial burden.”

By JOHN HANNATOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly on Tuesday denounced a Republican plan for cutting Kansas income taxes as “unthinkable” during the COVID-19 pandemic and proposed an alternative that would pay for its relief by taxing online music, movies and streaming services.<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=314&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FGovLauraKelly%2Fvideos%2F816949302366185%2F&show_text=false&width=560" width="560" height="314" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowFullScreen="true"></iframe></div>Kelly outlined her proposal just hours before the Kansas Senate was set to debate&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/documents/supp_note_sb22_01_0000.pdf" target="_blank">the GOP’s measure,</a>&nbsp;which is aimed at providing $423 million in relief over three years to businesses and individuals paying more to the state since an overhaul of federal tax laws in 2017. The Senate’s top Democrat, Minority Leader Dinah Sykes, said she would offer Kelly’s proposal as an amendment to the Republican bill.The governor’s proposal appeared unlikely to pass in its entirety with Republicans in control of the Legislature, because many of them oppose the provision to impose the state’s 6.5% sales tax on digital products, such as online music and streaming services. Kelly’s plan is designed to avoid costing the state any net revenues and to provide its relief to a broader group of individual taxpayers — and no relief for businesses.Top Republicans contend they’re trying to help the people and businesses whose higher state tax bills have generated unexpected revenues for the state, comparing the windfall to finding&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/9a8b10659b6b436980cf5fd0040e2860">someone’s lost wallet</a>&nbsp;full of cash on a sidewalk. But Kelly&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/02d4aa92788e4ef09d187211d949e2be">vetoed two similar GOP bills</a>&nbsp;in 2019, arguing that they would undermine funding for public schools and critical state services.“It would be bad enough to introduce this bill in a normal year, but this year makes it particularly irresponsible,” Kelly said of the GOP plan during a Statehouse news conference. “It is unthinkable that legislative leadership, during a health and economic crisis the likes of which we haven’t seen for 100 years, when we are trying to steer Kansas toward recovery from the pandemic, that they would even consider such action.”Kelly’s comments signaled that she is likely to veto the GOP tax plan if lawmakers passed it, though she stopped short of a public promise. Republican leaders didn’t have the two-thirds majorities necessary in 2019 to override Kelly’s vetoes, but elections last year made the GOP supermajorities in both chambers more conservative.Senate approval of the GOP plan would send it to the House, where a committee already has been reviewing tax issues. Republican leaders have made cutting income taxes a top priority.“We need a balancing act,” said Senate tax committee Chair Caryn Tyson, a Parker Republican. “We need a level playing field, and that is what I am trying to do.”The federal tax changes in 2017 were championed by former President Donald Trump and discouraged people from claiming itemized deductions on their federal returns. Kansas law does not allow people to itemize on their state returns if they don’t on their federal returns, resulting in larger state tax bills for some.The GOP plan would allow individuals to itemize on their state returns even if they didn’t on their federal returns and allow them to do so even for last year. That’s the majority of the relief provided by the bill over three years, but about 45% of the savings for taxpayers would go to businesses.Kelly’s plan is focused solely on individuals and would increase the state’s standard income tax deductions for individuals by 35% over two years. She and fellow Democrats argued Tuesday said the governor’s plan would not only provide relief to more people but help low-income and working-class families more than the GOP plan.That part of Kelly’s plan could appeal to some Republicans — as something to add to the GOP plan. Senate President Ty Masterson, an Andover Republican, said increasing the standard deduction “does help people.”But Republicans have derided the idea of imposing the sales tax on online music, movies and streaming services as a “Netflix” or “Baby Yoda” tax that will hit families stuck at home because of the pandemic. Kelly’s plan also would require websites like Amazon, eBay and Etsy to collect the state’s tax when they sell other businesses’ goods to Kansas residents.Kelly and other Democrats argued that those provisions merely modernize the state’s tax laws, but the changes would raise about $101 million a year.___TOPEKA – Governor Laura Kelly held a press conference Tuesday to discuss Senate Bill 22 that she says would blow a $423M hole in the state budget. "The bill also targets tax cuts for only the top 6 per cent of Kansas tax payers," she said. "We've seen what happens in Kansas when reckless tax cut bills are passed. Our schools, roads, pension system and other essential services take the hit."Senate Minority Leader Dinah Sykes and House Minority Leader Tom Sawyer joined the governor for the press conference to announce they have crafted a proposed tax bill that would generate $97 million in additional revenue for Kansas, support small businesses, and give 94% of Kansans a tax cut – all with a neutral, balanced state budget.“COVID-19 has brought unprecedented challenges for hard-working Kansans, their families, and their businesses,”&nbsp;Governor Laura Kelly said.&nbsp;“We know they need relief - and they need it as soon as possible. Our proposal is an amendment to Senate Bill 22, that will provide tax relief to the vast majority of Kansas families and assist in our state's economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.”All remote sellers - whether selling through a marketplace platform like Amazon or Etsy, or on their own - have been instructed to register and collect tax on property that is shipped into Kansas. But under current tax code, out-of-state retailers are able to dodge the use tax on sales to Kansas customers.With today’s proposed plan, the marketplace facilitator would be responsible for collecting and remitting the tax on behalf of the remote sellers on their platform. This would allow the state to collect from fewer entities and increase compliance. Kansas is one of three states that has not enacted a marketplace facilitator provision.The new plan also imposes taxes on digital products, like video streaming services.“When out-of-state retailers can duck taxes, there is no way for the local clothing store up the street or the local book store to try and compete with out of state prices,”&nbsp;Governor Kelly said. “By requiring marketplace facilitators to collect use tax on out-of-state products, we level the playing field for Kansas main street businesses.”Together, these marketplace facilitator and digital goods provisions would generate approximately $97 million in additional revenue for the state. That revenue would then be used to increase Kansas's standard tax deduction by 20% in tax year 2021 and 35% in tax year 2022.  If the revenue neutral proposal were implemented, 94% of Kansans will see a tax cut.The plan is proposed as an alternative to Senate Bill 22, which will be heard by the Kansas Senate Tuesday.“At a time when we’re facing huge unemployment rates and an unsteady economy, we do not need tax cuts for the rich which have no impact on unemployment,”&nbsp;Senate Democratic Leader Dinah Sykes said. “At a time when we’re facing economic uncertainty, we do not need to repeat failed tax experiments which studies have shown – and which we have seen firsthand here in Kansas – have no impact on economic growth. Senate Democrats are proposing solutions that will grow our economy, keep Kansas businesses competitive, and keep more money in the pockets of Kansas families.”“During a time of economic uncertainty and in the midst of a pandemic, Republicans are pushing to spend over $600 million in tax cuts for giant multi-national corporations,”&nbsp;House Democratic Leader Tom Sawyer said.&nbsp;“The vast majority of Kansans would receive no tax relief. We will always continue to fight for tax cuts that help working Kansans lessen their financial burden.”

🎥  Gov's plan would tax online music, streaming services

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Two Kansas men have been formally charged in connection with the armed hold up of two convenience stores January 31.

&nbsp;Kevon Ford, 22 and Trevor McDade, 21, both of Hutchinson are being held on two counts of aggravated robbery.

The two are accused of the armed hold ups of the 17th and Monroe and the 43rd and Plum Kwik Shop stores. In both cases an armed man using an ice scraper or a hand saw as a weapon made off with either money or tobacco products or both.&nbsp;

The two were arrested when officers arrived in the area of 43rd and Plum located a suspect just outside a vehicle identified as a grey 2013 Ford Fusion. 

The man was similar in appearance to the suspect in both robberies. While speaking with the man, police located another suspect in the front driver’s seat of the vehicle. Inside the Fusion, police found evidence associated with the robberies. The car was reported stolen later that morning.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/2/1612902805415.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Two Kansas men have been formally charged in connection with the armed hold up of two convenience stores January 31.&nbsp;Kevon Ford, 22 and Trevor McDade, 21, both of Hutchinson are being held on two counts of aggravated robbery.The two are accused of the armed hold ups of the 17th and Monroe and the 43rd and Plum Kwik Shop stores. In both cases an armed man using an ice scraper or a hand saw as a weapon made off with either money or tobacco products or both.&nbsp;The two were arrested when officers arrived in the area of 43rd and Plum located a suspect just outside a vehicle identified as a grey 2013 Ford Fusion. The man was similar in appearance to the suspect in both robberies. While speaking with the man, police located another suspect in the front driver’s seat of the vehicle. Inside the Fusion, police found evidence associated with the robberies. The car was reported stolen later that morning.&nbsp;

Ice scraper, hand saw used in Kan. armed robberies

WASHINGTON (AP) — When a party sparked a COVID-19 outbreak at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, school officials conducted rapid screening on more than 1,000 students in a week, including many who didn’t have symptoms.

Although such asymptomatic screening isn’t approved by regulators and the 15-minute tests aren’t as sensitive as the genetic one that can take days to yield results, the testing director at the historically Black college credits the approach with quickly containing the infections and allowing the campus to remain open.

“Within the span of a week, we had crushed the spread. If we had had to stick with the PCR test, we would have been dead in the water,” said Dr. Robert Doolittle, referring to the polymerase chain reaction test that is considered the gold standard by many doctors and Food and Drug Administration regulators.

With President Joe Biden vowing to get elementary and middle school students&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-health-coronavirus-pandemic-80275870d7fca89bd38992a611b26616">back to the classroom</a>&nbsp;by spring and the country’s testing system still unable to keep pace with the spread of COVID-19, some experts see an opportunity to refocus U.S. testing less on medical precision than on mass screening that they believe could save hundreds of thousands of lives. As vaccines slowly roll out, they say the nation could suppress the outbreak and reopen much of the economy by easing regulatory hurdles to allow millions more rapid tests that, while technically less accurate, may actually be better at identifying sick people when they are most contagious.

“Our whole testing approach, which has failed, has tried to tackle this pandemic as though it’s a bunch of little medical problems,” said Dr. Michael Mina, a Harvard University testing specialist. “Instead, we need to take a big step back and say, ‘Wait, this isn’t a lot of medical problems, it’s an epidemic. And if we resolve the epidemic, we resolve the medical problems.’”

The U.S. reports about 2 million tests per day, the vast majority of which are the slower, PCR variety. The initial tests developed to detect COVID-19 all used the cutting-edge technique, which quickly became the standard at U.S. hospitals and labs. It also became the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/38967d1644ef374d1bcbc7806b383b8e">benchmark for accuracy&nbsp;</a>at the FDA, which has greenlighted more than 230 PCR tests but only about a dozen rapid tests. Priced as low as $5, the quick tests look for viral proteins, which are generally considered a less rigorous measure of infection.

The FDA said in a statement it supports “innovation in testing” and “has not hesitated” to make rapid tests available.

But most experts agree that the current U.S. system, which relies heavily on lab testing, is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-covid-19-testing-strained-holidays-db20ebbcc1fa8a411be8f9ebc241af3b">still incapable</a>&nbsp;of containing the virus that is killing more than 3,000 Americans per day and has pushed the country’s death toll to nearly 460,000.

Compounding the problem is that an estimated 40% of people infected don’t develop symptoms. It’s among these silent spreaders that Mina says rapid tests have the clear advantage over lab tests. With its medical precision, he argues that the PCR test continues to detect COVID-19 in many people who have already fought off the virus and are no longer contagious. The rapid test, while less sensitive, is better at quickly catching the virus during the critical early days of infection when it can spread explosively through communities.

“This isn’t a clinical test — it’s a public health screening test,” Mina said.

The case for widescale rapid testing is getting a boost from universities and school systems that have used the approach to stay open through the latest waves of the pandemic. And proponents point to apparent success stories like the small European nation of Slovakia, which saw infections drop after screening two-thirds of its roughly 5 million people with the tests.

But many lab specialists worry about vastly expanding the use of rapid tests, which are more prone to false results, and have never been used at the massive scale being proposed.

“There’s a lot of people trying to portray things as black and white, and there’s a lot of gray here, unfortunately,” says Susan Butler-Wu, of the University of Southern California’s Keck School of Medicine.

She points out that testing campaigns in Slovakia, the U.K. and elsewhere have been paired with strict lockdown orders. Without such measures in the U.S., critics say there is no way to predict whether people who test positive will self-isolate.

That’s a particular worry with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/will-us-national-virus-testing-strategy-ceeda0ed971631f47666882eaef89a8e">proposals</a>&nbsp;from Mina and others to blanket the U.S. in millions of rapid, home tests that would allow people to regularly screen themselves without medical supervision.

“I want to believe in people making good decisions when left to their own devices,” said Butler-Wu. “But the fact that we are where we are right now really shows you people don’t make good decisions when left to their own devices.”

One area where consensus may be emerging is in public schools, where many parents and districts are eager for a return to in-person instruction. Biden has proposed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-unveil-plan-coronavirus-economy-a512629b3af12e89ab42097a81668960">spending $50 billion</a>&nbsp;to vastly expand rapid testing as part of his push to return most K-8 students to classes within his first 100 days.

One of his first&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-executive-orders-b5b409da08e42414b9a12e2c67ee2df6">executive orders</a>&nbsp;called for using the Defense Production Act to scale up supplies needed for rapid tests. And key members of his administration, including the new surgeon general and head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, vigorously support a revamped testing strategy focused on such screening. This week, the White House said it enlisted six manufacturers to mass produce the tests, with the goal of providing 60 million by the end of the summer.

Biden’s team has been in discussions with the nonprofit Rockefeller Foundation, which has outlined a plan to use 300 million tests per month to return most U.S. students to the classroom beginning in March.

The initial results from&nbsp;<a href="https://www.rockefellerfoundation.org/report/covid-19-antigen-testing-in-k-12-schools-early-lessons-from-six-pilot-sites/" target="_blank">a new pilot study</a>&nbsp;in six city school systems give an early glimpse of the potential opportunity and pitfalls.

Weekly screening of teachers, students and staff appeared to reduce infections by 50%, according to the study commissioned by the foundation, which is coordinating the effort. That’s a bigger impact than requiring students and teachers to wear masks when not eating but less effective than enforcing social distancing, the study found.

It also flagged major logistical challenges, including schools that faced difficulty providing the staff, technical expertise and community outreach needed to roll out their testing programs.

“People are doing it and it’s possible, but it’s not easy,” said Andrew Sweet, a managing director with the foundation.

WASHINGTON (AP) — When a party sparked a COVID-19 outbreak at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, school officials conducted rapid screening on more than 1,000 students in a week, including many who didn’t have symptoms.Although such asymptomatic screening isn’t approved by regulators and the 15-minute tests aren’t as sensitive as the genetic one that can take days to yield results, the testing director at the historically Black college credits the approach with quickly containing the infections and allowing the campus to remain open.“Within the span of a week, we had crushed the spread. If we had had to stick with the PCR test, we would have been dead in the water,” said Dr. Robert Doolittle, referring to the polymerase chain reaction test that is considered the gold standard by many doctors and Food and Drug Administration regulators.With President Joe Biden vowing to get elementary and middle school students&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-health-coronavirus-pandemic-80275870d7fca89bd38992a611b26616">back to the classroom</a>&nbsp;by spring and the country’s testing system still unable to keep pace with the spread of COVID-19, some experts see an opportunity to refocus U.S. testing less on medical precision than on mass screening that they believe could save hundreds of thousands of lives. As vaccines slowly roll out, they say the nation could suppress the outbreak and reopen much of the economy by easing regulatory hurdles to allow millions more rapid tests that, while technically less accurate, may actually be better at identifying sick people when they are most contagious.“Our whole testing approach, which has failed, has tried to tackle this pandemic as though it’s a bunch of little medical problems,” said Dr. Michael Mina, a Harvard University testing specialist. “Instead, we need to take a big step back and say, ‘Wait, this isn’t a lot of medical problems, it’s an epidemic. And if we resolve the epidemic, we resolve the medical problems.’”The U.S. reports about 2 million tests per day, the vast majority of which are the slower, PCR variety. The initial tests developed to detect COVID-19 all used the cutting-edge technique, which quickly became the standard at U.S. hospitals and labs. It also became the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/38967d1644ef374d1bcbc7806b383b8e">benchmark for accuracy&nbsp;</a>at the FDA, which has greenlighted more than 230 PCR tests but only about a dozen rapid tests. Priced as low as $5, the quick tests look for viral proteins, which are generally considered a less rigorous measure of infection.The FDA said in a statement it supports “innovation in testing” and “has not hesitated” to make rapid tests available.But most experts agree that the current U.S. system, which relies heavily on lab testing, is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-covid-19-testing-strained-holidays-db20ebbcc1fa8a411be8f9ebc241af3b">still incapable</a>&nbsp;of containing the virus that is killing more than 3,000 Americans per day and has pushed the country’s death toll to nearly 460,000.Compounding the problem is that an estimated 40% of people infected don’t develop symptoms. It’s among these silent spreaders that Mina says rapid tests have the clear advantage over lab tests. With its medical precision, he argues that the PCR test continues to detect COVID-19 in many people who have already fought off the virus and are no longer contagious. The rapid test, while less sensitive, is better at quickly catching the virus during the critical early days of infection when it can spread explosively through communities.“This isn’t a clinical test — it’s a public health screening test,” Mina said.The case for widescale rapid testing is getting a boost from universities and school systems that have used the approach to stay open through the latest waves of the pandemic. And proponents point to apparent success stories like the small European nation of Slovakia, which saw infections drop after screening two-thirds of its roughly 5 million people with the tests.But many lab specialists worry about vastly expanding the use of rapid tests, which are more prone to false results, and have never been used at the massive scale being proposed.“There’s a lot of people trying to portray things as black and white, and there’s a lot of gray here, unfortunately,” says Susan Butler-Wu, of the University of Southern California’s Keck School of Medicine.She points out that testing campaigns in Slovakia, the U.K. and elsewhere have been paired with strict lockdown orders. Without such measures in the U.S., critics say there is no way to predict whether people who test positive will self-isolate.That’s a particular worry with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/will-us-national-virus-testing-strategy-ceeda0ed971631f47666882eaef89a8e">proposals</a>&nbsp;from Mina and others to blanket the U.S. in millions of rapid, home tests that would allow people to regularly screen themselves without medical supervision.“I want to believe in people making good decisions when left to their own devices,” said Butler-Wu. “But the fact that we are where we are right now really shows you people don’t make good decisions when left to their own devices.”One area where consensus may be emerging is in public schools, where many parents and districts are eager for a return to in-person instruction. Biden has proposed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-unveil-plan-coronavirus-economy-a512629b3af12e89ab42097a81668960">spending $50 billion</a>&nbsp;to vastly expand rapid testing as part of his push to return most K-8 students to classes within his first 100 days.One of his first&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-executive-orders-b5b409da08e42414b9a12e2c67ee2df6">executive orders</a>&nbsp;called for using the Defense Production Act to scale up supplies needed for rapid tests. And key members of his administration, including the new surgeon general and head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, vigorously support a revamped testing strategy focused on such screening. This week, the White House said it enlisted six manufacturers to mass produce the tests, with the goal of providing 60 million by the end of the summer.Biden’s team has been in discussions with the nonprofit Rockefeller Foundation, which has outlined a plan to use 300 million tests per month to return most U.S. students to the classroom beginning in March.The initial results from&nbsp;<a href="https://www.rockefellerfoundation.org/report/covid-19-antigen-testing-in-k-12-schools-early-lessons-from-six-pilot-sites/" target="_blank">a new pilot study</a>&nbsp;in six city school systems give an early glimpse of the potential opportunity and pitfalls.Weekly screening of teachers, students and staff appeared to reduce infections by 50%, according to the study commissioned by the foundation, which is coordinating the effort. That’s a bigger impact than requiring students and teachers to wear masks when not eating but less effective than enforcing social distancing, the study found.It also flagged major logistical challenges, including schools that faced difficulty providing the staff, technical expertise and community outreach needed to roll out their testing programs.“People are doing it and it’s possible, but it’s not easy,” said Andrew Sweet, a managing director with the foundation.

Calls grow for US to rely on rapid tests to fight pandemic

SEDGWICK COUNTY — Wichita Police Chief Gordon Ramsay said the weekend death of a 13-year-old girl is "one of the saddest cases I have been associated with in my over 28-years of law enforcement."

On Saturday, the 13-year-old later identified as<a href="https://www.ky3.com/2021/02/09/american-airlines-plane-makes-emergency-landing-in-springfield-mo/"> Brianna Ibarra</a> died while being dragged for miles by her family's SUV that had been stolen.

Police arrested&nbsp;<a href="https://ssc.sedgwickcounty.org/sheriffinmates/SheriffInmateDetail.aspx?nameId=294355">34-year-old Kevin Palmer of Wichita</a>&nbsp;on a charge of felony murder, according to Officer Charley Davidson.

Just after noon on Saturday, police responded to a call of a grey Ford Escape traveling westbound on Kellogg at Meridian dragging a girl.

Officers located the Ford Escape at Kellogg and West Street with the girl caught on the outside of the vehicle. First responders pronounced her dead at the scene.

Investigators learned the girl was sitting in the back seat of the SUV while it was parked outside of a nearby restaurant running. Her family went into the restaurant to get food as she remained in the vehicle.&nbsp;

The suspect later identified as Palmer got into the driver’s seat and fled in the vehicle. The girl attempted to exit the vehicle while it was moving and became caught in the seatbelt on the outside of the SUV. Palmer continued to flee for several miles.

A citizen saw the deadly situation, called 911, and followed the vehicle. At Kellogg and West Street, Palmer stopped the SUV and fled on foot.&nbsp; Arriving officers quickly arrested him, according to Davidson.

Friends <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-a-friend-with-an-unexpected-loss-of-a-child?utm_source=customer&amp;utm_medium=sms&amp;utm_campaign=p_cp%20share-sheet&amp;fbclid=IwAR0FPqgsMFu6f2Wl0PSjc2lwUFFXVtU387tlDfhj6N74_cMQjhc_7oBgCCQ">established a GoFundMe </a>to assist the Ibarra family.

Palmer is being held <a href="https://ssc.sedgwickcounty.org/sheriffinmates/SheriffInmateDetail.aspx?nameId=294355">on bonds totaling over $500,000,</a> according to online jail records. He is scheduled for a first court appearance in the case this week.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/2/1612732717380.png" alt="Palmer has nearly a dozen previous felony convictions that include theft, burglary, flee or attempt to elude law enforcement, driving while suspended and for drugs, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections- photo Sedgwick County Sheriff" />
 <figcaption>Palmer has nearly a dozen previous felony convictions that include theft, burglary, flee or attempt to elude law enforcement, driving while suspended and for drugs, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections- photo Sedgwick County Sheriff</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY — Wichita Police Chief Gordon Ramsay said the weekend death of a 13-year-old girl is "one of the saddest cases I have been associated with in my over 28-years of law enforcement."On Saturday, the 13-year-old later identified as<a href="https://www.ky3.com/2021/02/09/american-airlines-plane-makes-emergency-landing-in-springfield-mo/"> Brianna Ibarra</a> died while being dragged for miles by her family's SUV that had been stolen.Police arrested&nbsp;<a href="https://ssc.sedgwickcounty.org/sheriffinmates/SheriffInmateDetail.aspx?nameId=294355">34-year-old Kevin Palmer of Wichita</a>&nbsp;on a charge of felony murder, according to Officer Charley Davidson.Just after noon on Saturday, police responded to a call of a grey Ford Escape traveling westbound on Kellogg at Meridian dragging a girl.Officers located the Ford Escape at Kellogg and West Street with the girl caught on the outside of the vehicle. First responders pronounced her dead at the scene.Investigators learned the girl was sitting in the back seat of the SUV while it was parked outside of a nearby restaurant running. Her family went into the restaurant to get food as she remained in the vehicle.&nbsp;The suspect later identified as Palmer got into the driver’s seat and fled in the vehicle. The girl attempted to exit the vehicle while it was moving and became caught in the seatbelt on the outside of the SUV. Palmer continued to flee for several miles.A citizen saw the deadly situation, called 911, and followed the vehicle. At Kellogg and West Street, Palmer stopped the SUV and fled on foot.&nbsp; Arriving officers quickly arrested him, according to Davidson.Friends <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-a-friend-with-an-unexpected-loss-of-a-child?utm_source=customer&amp;utm_medium=sms&amp;utm_campaign=p_cp%20share-sheet&amp;fbclid=IwAR0FPqgsMFu6f2Wl0PSjc2lwUFFXVtU387tlDfhj6N74_cMQjhc_7oBgCCQ">established a GoFundMe </a>to assist the Ibarra family.Palmer is being held <a href="https://ssc.sedgwickcounty.org/sheriffinmates/SheriffInmateDetail.aspx?nameId=294355">on bonds totaling over $500,000,</a> according to online jail records. He is scheduled for a first court appearance in the case this week.

Police Chief: Kan. teen's death one the saddest cases I've seen

LOS ANGELES (AP) — U.S. safety investigators said Tuesday that the pilot of Kobe Bryant’s helicopter flew through clouds last year in an apparent violation of federal standards and likely became disoriented just before the helicopter crashed, killing Bryant and eight others.

Pilot Ara Zobayan was flying under visual flight rules, which meant that he needed to be able to see where he was going, Robert Sumwalt, chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board, said during a hearing to specify the likely cause or causes of the crash.

Zobayan piloted the aircraft to climb sharply and had nearly broken through the clouds when the Sikorsky S-76 helicopter banked abruptly and plunged into the Southern California hills below, killing all aboard.

The helicopter did not have the so-called “black box” recording devices, which were not required.

The revelation during the hearing followed plenty of finger-pointing. Bryant’s widow had blamed the pilot. She and relatives of the other victims also faulted the companies that owned and operated the helicopter.

The brother of the pilot didn’t blame Bryant but said he knew about the risks of flying. The helicopter companies have said that foggy weather before the helicopter hit the ground was an act of God and blamed air traffic controllers.

The federal hearing focused on the long-awaited probable cause or causes of the tragedy that unleashed worldwide grief for the retired basketball star, launched several lawsuits and prompted state and federal legislation.

“I think the whole world is watching because it’s Kobe,” said Ed Coleman, an Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University professor and aircraft safety science expert.

Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, and six other passengers were flying from Orange County to a youth basketball tournament at his Mamba Sports Academy in Ventura County on Jan. 26, 2020, when the helicopter encountered thick fog in the San Fernando Valley north of Los Angeles.

The Sikorsky S-76 helicopter banked abruptly and plunged into hills below, killing all nine aboard instantly before flames engulfed the wreckage.

There was no sign of mechanical failure and the crash was believed to be an accident, the National Transportation Safety Board has said previously.

The board during its hearing Tuesday is likely to make nonbinding recommendations to prevent future crashes when it meets remotely and announces its findings about the crash.

The NTSB is an independent federal agency that investigates transportation-related crashes but has no enforcement powers.

It submits suggestions to agencies like the Federal Aviation Administration or the Coast Guard, which have repeatedly rejected some board safety recommendations after other disasters.

Over the past year, experts have speculated that the crash could lead to requiring Terrain Awareness and Warning Systems, devices that signal when aircraft are in danger of crashing, on helicopters.

The helicopter that Bryant was flying in did not have the system, which the NTSB has recommended as mandatory for helicopters. The FAA requires it only for air ambulances.

However, NTSB investigator-in-charge Bill English said Tuesday that the system, known as TAWS, would likely not have been helpful in the scenario in which Bryant’s helicopter crashed.

The hilly terrain, combined with the pilot’s spatial disorientation in the clouds, would have been “a confusing factor,” English said.

“The pilot doesn’t know which way is up,” English said.

Federal investigators said Zobayan, an experienced pilot who often flew Bryant, may have “misperceived” the angles at which he was descending and banking, which can occur when pilots become disoriented in low visibility, according to NTSB documents.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/1/1580070681755.png" alt="Scene of the fatal crash photo courtesy LA County Sheriff" />
 <figcaption>Scene of the fatal crash photo courtesy LA County Sheriff</figcaption>
 </figure>LOS ANGELES (AP) — U.S. safety investigators said Tuesday that the pilot of Kobe Bryant’s helicopter flew through clouds last year in an apparent violation of federal standards and likely became disoriented just before the helicopter crashed, killing Bryant and eight others.Pilot Ara Zobayan was flying under visual flight rules, which meant that he needed to be able to see where he was going, Robert Sumwalt, chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board, said during a hearing to specify the likely cause or causes of the crash.Zobayan piloted the aircraft to climb sharply and had nearly broken through the clouds when the Sikorsky S-76 helicopter banked abruptly and plunged into the Southern California hills below, killing all aboard.The helicopter did not have the so-called “black box” recording devices, which were not required.The revelation during the hearing followed plenty of finger-pointing. Bryant’s widow had blamed the pilot. She and relatives of the other victims also faulted the companies that owned and operated the helicopter.The brother of the pilot didn’t blame Bryant but said he knew about the risks of flying. The helicopter companies have said that foggy weather before the helicopter hit the ground was an act of God and blamed air traffic controllers.The federal hearing focused on the long-awaited probable cause or causes of the tragedy that unleashed worldwide grief for the retired basketball star, launched several lawsuits and prompted state and federal legislation.“I think the whole world is watching because it’s Kobe,” said Ed Coleman, an Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University professor and aircraft safety science expert.Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, and six other passengers were flying from Orange County to a youth basketball tournament at his Mamba Sports Academy in Ventura County on Jan. 26, 2020, when the helicopter encountered thick fog in the San Fernando Valley north of Los Angeles.The Sikorsky S-76 helicopter banked abruptly and plunged into hills below, killing all nine aboard instantly before flames engulfed the wreckage.There was no sign of mechanical failure and the crash was believed to be an accident, the National Transportation Safety Board has said previously.The board during its hearing Tuesday is likely to make nonbinding recommendations to prevent future crashes when it meets remotely and announces its findings about the crash.The NTSB is an independent federal agency that investigates transportation-related crashes but has no enforcement powers.It submits suggestions to agencies like the Federal Aviation Administration or the Coast Guard, which have repeatedly rejected some board safety recommendations after other disasters.Over the past year, experts have speculated that the crash could lead to requiring Terrain Awareness and Warning Systems, devices that signal when aircraft are in danger of crashing, on helicopters.The helicopter that Bryant was flying in did not have the system, which the NTSB has recommended as mandatory for helicopters. The FAA requires it only for air ambulances.However, NTSB investigator-in-charge Bill English said Tuesday that the system, known as TAWS, would likely not have been helpful in the scenario in which Bryant’s helicopter crashed.The hilly terrain, combined with the pilot’s spatial disorientation in the clouds, would have been “a confusing factor,” English said.“The pilot doesn’t know which way is up,” English said.Federal investigators said Zobayan, an experienced pilot who often flew Bryant, may have “misperceived” the angles at which he was descending and banking, which can occur when pilots become disoriented in low visibility, according to NTSB documents.Investigators on Tuesday also faulted Zobayan for banking to the left instead of ascending straight up while trying to climb out of the bad weather.The others killed in the crash were Orange Coast College baseball coach John Altobelli, his wife, Keri, and their daughter Alyssa; Christina Mauser, who helped Bryant coach his daughter’s basketball team; and Sarah Chester and her daughter Payton. Alyssa and Payton were Gianna’s teammates.The crash has generated lawsuits and countersuits.On the day that a massive memorial service was held at the Staples Center, where Bryant played most of his career, Vanessa Bryant sued Zobayan and the companies that owned and operated the helicopter for alleged negligence and the wrongful deaths of her husband and daughter. Families of other victims sued the helicopter companies but not the pilot.Vanessa Bryant said Island Express Helicopters Inc., which operated the aircraft, and its owner, Island Express Holding Corp., did not properly train or supervise Zobayan. She said the pilot was careless and negligent to fly in fog and should have aborted the flight.Zobayan’s brother, Berge Zobayan, has said Kobe Bryant knew the risks of flying in a helicopter and that his survivors aren’t entitled to damages from the pilot’s estate. Island Express Helicopters Inc. denied responsibility and said the crash was “an act of God” that it could not control.The company also countersued two FAA air traffic controllers, saying the crash was caused by their “series of erroneous acts and/or omissions.”The countersuit claims one controller improperly denied Zobayan’s request for “flight following,” or radar assistance, as he proceeded in the fog. Officials have said the controller terminated service because radar could not be maintained at the altitude the aircraft was flying.According to the lawsuit, the controller said he was going to lose radar and communications shortly, but radar contact was not lost.When a second controller took over, the lawsuit said, the first controller failed to brief him about the helicopter, and because the radar services were not terminated correctly, the pilot believed he was being tracked.Vanessa Bryant also sued the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, accusing deputies of sharing unauthorized photos of the crash site. California now has a state law prohibiting such conduct.___