By CRISTINA JANNEY Hays Post

Betty Cadoret of Stockton has been a volunteer in the Senior Companion Program for 28 years.

Cadoret, 91, joined the program shortly before her husband died.

"I have lovely companions," she said at a recent banquet celebrating the 50th anniversary of the program.

Cadoret, who still drives, visits with her companions and sometimes takes them to eat lunch, get a pop or go shopping.

"I always told my ladies when I got there, 'I've come to do what you want to do, so whatever you want to do, you tell me,'" she said.

The Senior Companion Program is part of the AmeriCorps Seniors program and is sponsored by Fort Hays State University in northwest Kansas.

In addition to offering friendship to older adults, who are often unable to leave their homes unaided, some companions help with light chores, such as dishes or laundry. They may help fill pill reminders, take a companion to a doctor's appointment or provide respite care for family caregivers.

The program helps seniors stay in their homes and gives the volunteers purpose, Tawnya Rohr, director, said.

"Especially in rural Kansas where families aren't always close and can't always provide those needed services," she said, "they help individuals remain living at home, so they don't have to go to that next level of care. 

"Our volunteers can go in and just provide that little bit of support to help them remain living independently at home."&nbsp;

Volunteers must be 55 years old or older. Incoming-qualifying seniors receive a small stipend for their service, and all volunteers are reimbursed for mileage.

FHSU's Senior Companion Program covers 13 counties, including Phillips, Graham, Rooks, Gove, Trego, Ellis, Russell, Ness, Rush, Barton, Hodgeman, Pawnee and Ford.

Cadoret said she looks forward to "meeting with her ladies."

"What I do is do her sink of dishes, and then we just sit and visit," she said of her current companion. 

"She says, 'I like to visit,' and I say, 'So do I," Cadoret said with a giggle. "We talk about this, that and the other. We have so much fun. It really makes my day because when I go home, I feel like I really have done a day's work."

Beverly Prescott, 84, of Larned, has been a senior companion for 21 years. She became a companion because her husband was a volunteer.

Prescott recalled a fond memory of one her comapnions.

"I had one companion, and I knew her all my life. We did a lot of things together. She had a little red Volkswagen that we would toodle around in. We had a great time. It was lots of fun," Prescott said.&nbsp;

"It gets me out of the house," she said, "and I see the satisfaction when I have done something for them. They are so appreciative."

She strongly urged others to participate in the program.

"Go for it," she said. "It's very inspiring. You get as much out of it as they do."

Adrienne Cargile, 89, of Hays, shares her faith with her companions. They pray together.

"It's so wonderful," Cargile said. "We're both blessed—myself and my senior companion.

"It gives me purpose. When you get to a certain age, you get away from activities and socializing. These people, we have so much in common. We go back to reminiscing about how life used to be."

Juanita Lumpkins of Great Bend was honored at the recent 50th-anniversary banquet for her 20 years of service as a senior companion. She also urged others to volunteer, saying more companions are needed and that she receives great joy from being a volunteer.

At the recent companions' banquet, Kristi Clore discussed how the program has helped her mother. She said her mother became very lonely after her husband died unexpectedly.

"My mom fell in between," Clore said. "'Where do I fit? Who do I help?' Someone like herself who had spent her whole life giving to her family felt as if she didn't fit anywhere."&nbsp;

Clore's mother was matched with Pat Bieker, now a 13-year veteran of the program from Ellis.

Clore said her mother talked about Pat every day.&nbsp;

When Clore's mother moved to Hays, Phyllis Robertson became her companion. Clore said Phyllis brings her mom cheeseburgers and Dr. Pepper Snoballs, which she loves.&nbsp;

"Those are some of the things she does for my mom, not because it's her job, but because she cares," Clore said.

Both women spent hours conversing with her mother, which she said is a great talent.

"My dad used to tell me long before he passed away that the goal in life is to change one person's day," Clore said. "If you change one person's day, you've succeeded as a human. Between Pat and Phyllis, they've done just that over and over and over again."

The program has 55 volunteers across its service area, considerably down from before the pandemic. Rohr said the program has a long list of clients who need volunteer companions.

For those who may need a companion, call 785-628-5809. If you are interested in volunteering, call the same number.

You can also learn more on the program's <a href="https://www.fhsu.edu/seniorcompanions/">website</a>. You can also follow the program on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/fhsu.fgp.scp">Facebook</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1721756289684.jpeg" alt="Betty Cadoret, far right, a senior companion volunteer for 28 years, said she loves visiting with "her ladies." Photo by Cristina Janney/Hays Post" />
 <figcaption>Betty Cadoret, far right, a senior companion volunteer for 28 years, said she loves visiting with "her ladies." Photo by Cristina Janney/Hays Post</figcaption>
 </figure><div><iframe title="Seniors help seniors as FHSU companion program celebrates 50 years" allowtransparency="true" height="150" width="100%" style="border: none; min-width: min(100%, 430px);height:150px;" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player" src="https://www.podbean.com/player-v2/?i=ps2sc-1678f43-pb&from=pb6admin&share=1&download=1&rtl=0&fonts=Arial&skin=3267a3&font-color=auto&logo_link=podcast_page&btn-skin=60a0c8&size=315" loading="lazy"></iframe></div>By CRISTINA JANNEY Hays PostBetty Cadoret of Stockton has been a volunteer in the Senior Companion Program for 28 years.Cadoret, 91, joined the program shortly before her husband died."I have lovely companions," she said at a recent banquet celebrating the 50th anniversary of the program.Cadoret, who still drives, visits with her companions and sometimes takes them to eat lunch, get a pop or go shopping."I always told my ladies when I got there, 'I've come to do what you want to do, so whatever you want to do, you tell me,'" she said.The Senior Companion Program is part of the AmeriCorps Seniors program and is sponsored by Fort Hays State University in northwest Kansas.In addition to offering friendship to older adults, who are often unable to leave their homes unaided, some companions help with light chores, such as dishes or laundry. They may help fill pill reminders, take a companion to a doctor's appointment or provide respite care for family caregivers.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1721756989882.jpeg" alt="Beverly Prescott of Larned, a 21-year volunteer for the Senior Companion Program, said other seniors should volunteer for the program. "Go for it," she said. Photo by Cristina Janney/Hays Post" />
 <figcaption>Beverly Prescott of Larned, a 21-year volunteer for the Senior Companion Program, said other seniors should volunteer for the program. "Go for it," she said. Photo by Cristina Janney/Hays Post</figcaption>
 </figure>The program helps seniors stay in their homes and gives the volunteers purpose, Tawnya Rohr, director, said."Especially in rural Kansas where families aren't always close and can't always provide those needed services," she said, "they help individuals remain living at home, so they don't have to go to that next level of care. "Our volunteers can go in and just provide that little bit of support to help them remain living independently at home."&nbsp;Volunteers must be 55 years old or older. Incoming-qualifying seniors receive a small stipend for their service, and all volunteers are reimbursed for mileage.FHSU's Senior Companion Program covers 13 counties, including Phillips, Graham, Rooks, Gove, Trego, Ellis, Russell, Ness, Rush, Barton, Hodgeman, Pawnee and Ford.Cadoret said she looks forward to "meeting with her ladies.""What I do is do her sink of dishes, and then we just sit and visit," she said of her current companion. "She says, 'I like to visit,' and I say, 'So do I," Cadoret said with a giggle. "We talk about this, that and the other. We have so much fun. It really makes my day because when I go home, I feel like I really have done a day's work."<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1721757403714.jpeg" alt="Kristi Clore's mother has received services from the Senior Companion Program. She was a featured speaker at the 50th anniversary celebration banquet for the program on July 18. Photo by Cristina Janney/Hays Post" />
 <figcaption>Kristi Clore's mother has received services from the Senior Companion Program. She was a featured speaker at the 50th anniversary celebration banquet for the program on July 18. Photo by Cristina Janney/Hays Post</figcaption>
 </figure>Beverly Prescott, 84, of Larned, has been a senior companion for 21 years. She became a companion because her husband was a volunteer.Prescott recalled a fond memory of one her comapnions."I had one companion, and I knew her all my life. We did a lot of things together. She had a little red Volkswagen that we would toodle around in. We had a great time. It was lots of fun," Prescott said.&nbsp;"It gets me out of the house," she said, "and I see the satisfaction when I have done something for them. They are so appreciative."She strongly urged others to participate in the program."Go for it," she said. "It's very inspiring. You get as much out of it as they do."Adrienne Cargile, 89, of Hays, shares her faith with her companions. They pray together."It's so wonderful," Cargile said. "We're both blessed—myself and my senior companion."It gives me purpose. When you get to a certain age, you get away from activities and socializing. These people, we have so much in common. We go back to reminiscing about how life used to be."Juanita Lumpkins of Great Bend was honored at the recent 50th-anniversary banquet for her 20 years of service as a senior companion. She also urged others to volunteer, saying more companions are needed and that she receives great joy from being a volunteer.At the recent companions' banquet, Kristi Clore discussed how the program has helped her mother. She said her mother became very lonely after her husband died unexpectedly."My mom fell in between," Clore said. "'Where do I fit? Who do I help?' Someone like herself who had spent her whole life giving to her family felt as if she didn't fit anywhere."&nbsp;Clore's mother was matched with Pat Bieker, now a 13-year veteran of the program from Ellis.Clore said her mother talked about Pat every day.&nbsp;When Clore's mother moved to Hays, Phyllis Robertson became her companion. Clore said Phyllis brings her mom cheeseburgers and Dr. Pepper Snoballs, which she loves.&nbsp;"Those are some of the things she does for my mom, not because it's her job, but because she cares," Clore said.Both women spent hours conversing with her mother, which she said is a great talent."My dad used to tell me long before he passed away that the goal in life is to change one person's day," Clore said. "If you change one person's day, you've succeeded as a human. Between Pat and Phyllis, they've done just that over and over and over again."The program has 55 volunteers across its service area, considerably down from before the pandemic. Rohr said the program has a long list of clients who need volunteer companions.For those who may need a companion, call 785-628-5809. If you are interested in volunteering, call the same number.You can also learn more on the program's <a href="https://www.fhsu.edu/seniorcompanions/">website</a>. You can also follow the program on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/fhsu.fgp.scp">Facebook</a>.

Seniors help seniors as FHSU companion program celebrates 50 years

By ALANNA DURKIN RICHER, CLAUDIA LAUER and MICHAEL KUNZELMAN

WASHINGTON (AP) — Two local law enforcement officers stationed in the complex of buildings where a gunman&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-assassination-attempt-thomas-matthew-crooks-shooter-881581c46c07025898027143fc9132e5">opened fire at former President Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;left to go search for the man before the shooting, the head of Pennsylvania State Police said Tuesday, raising questions about whether a key post was left unattended as the shooter climbed onto a roof.

Pennsylvania State Police Col. Christopher Paris told a congressional committee that two Butler County Emergency Services Unit officers were stationed at a second-floor window in the complex of buildings that form AGR International Inc. They spotted&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-rally-shooting-guns-fbi-motive-08e925cb85e52c5266878cd76e796ad2">Thomas Matthew Crooks</a>&nbsp;acting suspiciously on the ground and left their post to go look for him along with other law enforcement officers, he said.

Paris said he didn't know whether officers would have been able to see Crooks climbing onto the roof of an adjacent building had they remained at the window. A video taken by a lawmaker who visited the shooting site on Monday shows a second-story window of the building had a clear view of the roof where Crooks opened fire; it was unclear if the video showed the window where the officers had been stationed.

The Pennsylvania State Police commissioner's testimony before the House Homeland Security Committee provides new insight into security preparations for the Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13, but raises further questions about law enforcement's decisions before Crooks opened fire.

Butler County District Attorney Richard Goldinger, who oversees the emergency services unit, didn't immediately respond to a text message Tuesday from The Associated Press. A Secret Service spokesperson didn't respond to questions from the AP, including who gave the command for those officers to leave their post.

The revelation comes amid growing questions about a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-shooting-rally-a1bcbaa4a604e09be8cc22893751895b">multitude of security failures</a>&nbsp;that allowed the 20-year-old gunman to get onto the roof and fire eight shots with an AR-style rifle into the crowd shortly after Trump began speaking. One spectator was killed and two others were injured. Trump suffered an ear injury but was not seriously hurt.

Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/secret-service-director-trump-rally-8b1b13cece2ff25590c81093032dceb4">resigned earlier Tuesday</a>, a day after she was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/secret-service-trump-rally-shooting-kimberly-cheatle-fabaf9a0e57d5545e5b60f0b2215778f">berated for hours</a>&nbsp;by Democrats and Republicans over the agency's failure to protect the Republican presidential nominee. Cheatle told lawmakers on the House Oversight and Accountability Committee on Monday that the assassination attempt was the Secret Service's “most significant operational failure" in decades.

The Homeland Security Committee also had asked Cheatle to testify but lawmakers said she refused. Cheatle’s name was on a card on a table in front of an empty chair during the hearing, which began shortly before her decision to step down became public.

Several investigations into the shooting by the Biden administration and lawmakers are underway. Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson and Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said Tuesday they are supporting a bipartisan task force to investigate the attempt on Trump's life. The House could vote as soon as Wednesday to establish the task force, which will be comprised of seven Republicans and six Democrats.

Local law enforcement began to search for Crooks after they noticed him acting strangely and saw him with a rangefinder, a small device resembling binoculars that hunters use to measure distance from a target. Law enforcement went to look for him but didn't find him around the building and a local officer climbed up to the roof to investigate. The gunman turned and pointed his rifle at him. The officer did not — or could not — fire a single shot. Crooks opened fire toward the former president seconds later, officials have said.

Cheatle acknowledged that the Secret Service was told about a suspicious person two to five times before the shooting, but there was no indication at that time that he had a weapon. She also revealed that the roof from which Crooks opened fire had been identified as a potential vulnerability days before the rally. Cheatle said Trump would never have been brought onto the stage had Secret Service been aware there was an “actual threat," but Crooks wasn't deemed to be a “threat” until seconds before began shooting.

Authorities have been hunting for clues into what motivated Crooks but have not found any ideological bent that could help explain his actions. Investigators who searched his phone&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-assassination-attempt-shooting-federal-investigation-2a90bdfd23ba9c3569cb9c29a459e87b">found photos of Trump</a>, Biden and other senior government officials and found that he had looked up the dates for the Democratic National Conventional as well as Trump’s appearances. He also searched for information about major depressive disorder.

Lauer reported from Philadelphia. Associated Press reporters Michael R. Sisak in New York and Kevin Freking in Washington contributed.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1721783126074.png" alt="Pennsylvania State Police Col. Christopher Paris-image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Pennsylvania State Police Col. Christopher Paris-image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>By ALANNA DURKIN RICHER, CLAUDIA LAUER and MICHAEL KUNZELMANWASHINGTON (AP) — Two local law enforcement officers stationed in the complex of buildings where a gunman&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-assassination-attempt-thomas-matthew-crooks-shooter-881581c46c07025898027143fc9132e5">opened fire at former President Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;left to go search for the man before the shooting, the head of Pennsylvania State Police said Tuesday, raising questions about whether a key post was left unattended as the shooter climbed onto a roof.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">PA State Police Commissioner Col. Christopher Paris testifies that the Butler County Emergency Services Unit was responsible for the security of the AGR building, where the shooter fired from at the July 13 Trump rally. <a href="https://t.co/MSQeQGDbF7">pic.twitter.com/MSQeQGDbF7</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1815791830371336418?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 23, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Pennsylvania State Police Col. Christopher Paris told a congressional committee that two Butler County Emergency Services Unit officers were stationed at a second-floor window in the complex of buildings that form AGR International Inc. They spotted&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-rally-shooting-guns-fbi-motive-08e925cb85e52c5266878cd76e796ad2">Thomas Matthew Crooks</a>&nbsp;acting suspiciously on the ground and left their post to go look for him along with other law enforcement officers, he said.Paris said he didn't know whether officers would have been able to see Crooks climbing onto the roof of an adjacent building had they remained at the window. A video taken by a lawmaker who visited the shooting site on Monday shows a second-story window of the building had a clear view of the roof where Crooks opened fire; it was unclear if the video showed the window where the officers had been stationed.The Pennsylvania State Police commissioner's testimony before the House Homeland Security Committee provides new insight into security preparations for the Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13, but raises further questions about law enforcement's decisions before Crooks opened fire.Butler County District Attorney Richard Goldinger, who oversees the emergency services unit, didn't immediately respond to a text message Tuesday from The Associated Press. A Secret Service spokesperson didn't respond to questions from the AP, including who gave the command for those officers to leave their post.The revelation comes amid growing questions about a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-shooting-rally-a1bcbaa4a604e09be8cc22893751895b">multitude of security failures</a>&nbsp;that allowed the 20-year-old gunman to get onto the roof and fire eight shots with an AR-style rifle into the crowd shortly after Trump began speaking. One spectator was killed and two others were injured. Trump suffered an ear injury but was not seriously hurt.Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/secret-service-director-trump-rally-8b1b13cece2ff25590c81093032dceb4">resigned earlier Tuesday</a>, a day after she was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/secret-service-trump-rally-shooting-kimberly-cheatle-fabaf9a0e57d5545e5b60f0b2215778f">berated for hours</a>&nbsp;by Democrats and Republicans over the agency's failure to protect the Republican presidential nominee. Cheatle told lawmakers on the House Oversight and Accountability Committee on Monday that the assassination attempt was the Secret Service's “most significant operational failure" in decades.The Homeland Security Committee also had asked Cheatle to testify but lawmakers said she refused. Cheatle’s name was on a card on a table in front of an empty chair during the hearing, which began shortly before her decision to step down became public.Several investigations into the shooting by the Biden administration and lawmakers are underway. Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson and Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said Tuesday they are supporting a bipartisan task force to investigate the attempt on Trump's life. The House could vote as soon as Wednesday to establish the task force, which will be comprised of seven Republicans and six Democrats.Local law enforcement began to search for Crooks after they noticed him acting strangely and saw him with a rangefinder, a small device resembling binoculars that hunters use to measure distance from a target. Law enforcement went to look for him but didn't find him around the building and a local officer climbed up to the roof to investigate. The gunman turned and pointed his rifle at him. The officer did not — or could not — fire a single shot. Crooks opened fire toward the former president seconds later, officials have said.Cheatle acknowledged that the Secret Service was told about a suspicious person two to five times before the shooting, but there was no indication at that time that he had a weapon. She also revealed that the roof from which Crooks opened fire had been identified as a potential vulnerability days before the rally. Cheatle said Trump would never have been brought onto the stage had Secret Service been aware there was an “actual threat," but Crooks wasn't deemed to be a “threat” until seconds before began shooting.Authorities have been hunting for clues into what motivated Crooks but have not found any ideological bent that could help explain his actions. Investigators who searched his phone&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-assassination-attempt-shooting-federal-investigation-2a90bdfd23ba9c3569cb9c29a459e87b">found photos of Trump</a>, Biden and other senior government officials and found that he had looked up the dates for the Democratic National Conventional as well as Trump’s appearances. He also searched for information about major depressive disorder._____Lauer reported from Philadelphia. Associated Press reporters Michael R. Sisak in New York and Kevin Freking in Washington contributed.

Letter: FHSU students should have more accessible voting location

JACKSON COUNTY —One teen died and five others were injured in an accident just after 9p.m. Tuesday in Jackson County, Missouri.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2022 Honda HR-V driven by Preston A. McCarty, 18, Holden, Missouri, and a 2008 Chevy Cobalt driven by Nathanel J. Jankura, 19, Holden, Missouri, were both southbound on U.S. 50 at Milton Thompson Road.

The drivers failed to stop at a posted stop sign, struck the highway median and both became airborne. The Chevy then rolled and a 15-year-old&nbsp; passenger was ejected. The Chevy came to rest on its top. The Honda struck the road and came to rest after striking the passenger of the Honda in the south outer road median.

The 15-year-old from Holden was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported by the county medical examiner. Lee's Summit Fire transported Jankura, a 17-year-old male passenger in from the Chevy and a 17-year-old female passenger in the Honda to Centerpoint Hospital.

Southern Jackson County Fire transported McCarty and a 19-year-old passenger in the Honda identified as Mercadez J. Baker to Research Hospital. Baker, Jankura and the 15-year-old who died were not wearing seat belts, according to the MSHP. All the passengers were from Holden, Missouri, a community located southeast of Kansas City, according to the MSHP.

JACKSON COUNTY —One teen died and five others were injured in an accident just after 9p.m. Tuesday in Jackson County, Missouri.The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2022 Honda HR-V driven by Preston A. McCarty, 18, Holden, Missouri, and a 2008 Chevy Cobalt driven by Nathanel J. Jankura, 19, Holden, Missouri, were both southbound on U.S. 50 at Milton Thompson Road.The drivers failed to stop at a posted stop sign, struck the highway median and both became airborne. The Chevy then rolled and a 15-year-old&nbsp; passenger was ejected. The Chevy came to rest on its top. The Honda struck the road and came to rest after striking the passenger of the Honda in the south outer road median.The 15-year-old from Holden was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported by the county medical examiner. Lee's Summit Fire transported Jankura, a 17-year-old male passenger in from the Chevy and a 17-year-old female passenger in the Honda to Centerpoint Hospital.Southern Jackson County Fire transported McCarty and a 19-year-old passenger in the Honda identified as Mercadez J. Baker to Research Hospital. Baker, Jankura and the 15-year-old who died were not wearing seat belts, according to the MSHP. All the passengers were from Holden, Missouri, a community located southeast of Kansas City, according to the MSHP.

Teen dead, 5 injured after violent 2-vehicle crash near Kansas City

By TONY GUERRERO Hays Post

Hays Police officers reported witnessing an allegedly intoxicated driver traveling in the wrong direction before colliding with a parked vehicle.

At about 10:23 p.m., officers observed a black sedan traveling southbound in the opposite direction on a one-way street at the 800 block of Ash St., according to Hays Police Chief Don Scheibler.

Someone driving another vehicle attempted to stop the sedan by blocking it and honking. Scheibler said the sedan maneuvered around the other vehicle. Officers then initiated a traffic stop.

The sedan driver then accelerated her vehicle, turned a corner and crashed into a parked car in the 400 block of West Fifth Street.

Scheibler said officers contacted the driver, 35-year-old Audrey Stuart of Clifton Hill, Missouri, and initiated a DUI investigation.

She was arrested on charges of fleeing or attempting to elude, second-time DUI, second-time possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of a depressant, transporting an open container and reckless driving.

"This reinforces the dangers of driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs," Scheibler said. "It's a recipe for disaster."

EMS took Stuart to Hays Medical Center, and then she was transported to the Ellis County Jail. Both vehicles involved in the accident were towed from the scene.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1721767995127.png" alt="Stuart photo Ellis Co." />
 <figcaption>Stuart photo Ellis Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>By TONY GUERRERO Hays PostHays Police officers reported witnessing an allegedly intoxicated driver traveling in the wrong direction before colliding with a parked vehicle.At about 10:23 p.m., officers observed a black sedan traveling southbound in the opposite direction on a one-way street at the 800 block of Ash St., according to Hays Police Chief Don Scheibler.Someone driving another vehicle attempted to stop the sedan by blocking it and honking. Scheibler said the sedan maneuvered around the other vehicle. Officers then initiated a traffic stop.The sedan driver then accelerated her vehicle, turned a corner and crashed into a parked car in the 400 block of West Fifth Street.Scheibler said officers contacted the driver, 35-year-old Audrey Stuart of Clifton Hill, Missouri, and initiated a DUI investigation.She was arrested on charges of fleeing or attempting to elude, second-time DUI, second-time possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of a depressant, transporting an open container and reckless driving."This reinforces the dangers of driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs," Scheibler said. "It's a recipe for disaster."EMS took Stuart to Hays Medical Center, and then she was transported to the Ellis County Jail. Both vehicles involved in the accident were towed from the scene.

Missouri woman arrested in Hays for DUI after crashing into vehicle

Preliminary estimates reported by the Labor Market Information Services division of the Kansas Department of Labor and the Bureau of Labor Statistics show a seasonally adjusted unemployment rate of 3.1% in June. This is an increase from 2.9% in May and an increase from 2.6% in June 2023.

The Ellis County unemployment rate was 2.7% in May and 3.1% in June.

<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/b6494bc6-04be-4643-a7e4-7d558c627ad2">Enersys announced an undisclosed number of layoffs in mid-May in Ellis County.</a>

Decatur County had the highest jobless rate in the region at 4.2% followed by Rooks at 3.9% and Russell at 3.8%.

Seasonally adjusted job estimates for Kansas indicate total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 7,600 from May. Total nonfarm includes private sector and government employers. Private sector jobs&nbsp;increased by 2,200 over the month, while government increased by 5,400.

Since June 2023&nbsp;Kansas' seasonally adjusted total nonfarm jobs have increased by 17,900. This change is due to an increase of 15,300 private sector jobs and an increase of 2,600 government jobs.

Technical Note:&nbsp;This release includes nonfarm jobs and labor force estimates for June 2024, which are produced using data from two monthly surveys. Data for nonfarm job estimates is collected through a survey of employers while the main input for labor force estimates is a survey of households. Data collected for this report references the week including June 12.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1721766525564.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Hays PostPreliminary estimates reported by the Labor Market Information Services division of the Kansas Department of Labor and the Bureau of Labor Statistics show a seasonally adjusted unemployment rate of 3.1% in June. This is an increase from 2.9% in May and an increase from 2.6% in June 2023.The Ellis County unemployment rate was 2.7% in May and 3.1% in June.<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/b6494bc6-04be-4643-a7e4-7d558c627ad2">Enersys announced an undisclosed number of layoffs in mid-May in Ellis County.</a>Decatur County had the highest jobless rate in the region at 4.2% followed by Rooks at 3.9% and Russell at 3.8%.Seasonally adjusted job estimates for Kansas indicate total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 7,600 from May. Total nonfarm includes private sector and government employers. Private sector jobs&nbsp;increased by 2,200 over the month, while government increased by 5,400.Since June 2023&nbsp;Kansas' seasonally adjusted total nonfarm jobs have increased by 17,900. This change is due to an increase of 15,300 private sector jobs and an increase of 2,600 government jobs.Technical Note:&nbsp;This release includes nonfarm jobs and labor force estimates for June 2024, which are produced using data from two monthly surveys. Data for nonfarm job estimates is collected through a survey of employers while the main input for labor force estimates is a survey of households. Data collected for this report references the week including June 12.

Ellis County, Kansas unemployment rates creep up slightly

Smith Center - Don Royce Wichers, 79, passed away Saturday, July 20, 2024, in Wichita, KS.  He was born on December 19, 1944, in Hutchison, KS to C.D. “Doc” and Joyce A. (Bos) Wichers. He was the 3rd child of 4, having 3 sisters: Doris, Delores and Vickie.  The family moved to a homestead outside of Dispatch KS. He attended school in Downs, KS, graduating in 1962.

Don lived in Smith Center for over 50 years; working and raising his family. He served as a Deacon at the First Christian Church in Smith Center.

Don loved to hunt, fish, and camp. He fished in innumerable tournaments, and he hunted many big bucks in the area. In his early years, he was an avid racecar driver, driving the famous #45. He won the Red Cloud, NE Speedbowl track championship and popular driver awards in the early 70’s. He had a 1925 Ford Model “T” Sinclair gas delivery wagon that he drove in the Old Settler’s Day parade for many years. In his retirement years, he enjoyed woodworking and tinkering on little projects.

He is preceded in death by both parents and his older sister and husband, Doris and Larry Haas.

His survivors include his wife Judy (Miller), his children, Donna Carter (Jeff) of Bel Aire, KS, Deitra “Dee” Losey (Mark) of Agra, KS, Don Wichers of Chama, NM, and Royce Wichers of Hays, KS and his stepchildren, Brad Schoen (Susan) of Manhattan, KS, Stacey Pasch (Ken) of Longmont, CO, and Amy Atlee (Tom) of Broomfield, CO; two sisters, Delores “Dee” VanderGeisen (Gene) of Rock Valley, IA and Vickie Collicott (Joe) of Cozad, NE; he was blessed with numerous grandkids, great grandkids, nieces, nephews, family  and friends.

A community remembrance &amp; luncheon will be held on Friday, July 26, 2024, from 11:30 am – 2:30 p.m., at the VFW Post 1141, 602 A. St., Smith Center, KS.  Memorials may be given to the Don R. Wichers Memorial Fund and can be sent in care of All Faiths Funeral Chapel, 113 S. Madison St., Smith Center, KS  66967. 

Smith Center - Don Royce Wichers, 79, passed away Saturday, July 20, 2024, in Wichita, KS. He was born on December 19, 1944, in Hutchison, KS to C.D. “Doc” and Joyce A. (Bos) Wichers. He was the 3rd child of 4, having 3 sisters: Doris, Delores and Vickie. The family moved to a homestead outside of Dispatch KS. He attended school in Downs, KS, graduating in 1962.Don lived in Smith Center for over 50 years; working and raising his family. He served as a Deacon at the First Christian Church in Smith Center.Don loved to hunt, fish, and camp. He fished in innumerable tournaments, and he hunted many big bucks in the area. In his early years, he was an avid racecar driver, driving the famous #45. He won the Red Cloud, NE Speedbowl track championship and popular driver awards in the early 70’s. He had a 1925 Ford Model “T” Sinclair gas delivery wagon that he drove in the Old Settler’s Day parade for many years. In his retirement years, he enjoyed woodworking and tinkering on little projects.He is preceded in death by both parents and his older sister and husband, Doris and Larry Haas.His survivors include his wife Judy (Miller), his children, Donna Carter (Jeff) of Bel Aire, KS, Deitra “Dee” Losey (Mark) of Agra, KS, Don Wichers of Chama, NM, and Royce Wichers of Hays, KS and his stepchildren, Brad Schoen (Susan) of Manhattan, KS, Stacey Pasch (Ken) of Longmont, CO, and Amy Atlee (Tom) of Broomfield, CO; two sisters, Delores “Dee” VanderGeisen (Gene) of Rock Valley, IA and Vickie Collicott (Joe) of Cozad, NE; he was blessed with numerous grandkids, great grandkids, nieces, nephews, family and friends.A community remembrance &amp; luncheon will be held on Friday, July 26, 2024, from 11:30 am – 2:30 p.m., at the VFW Post 1141, 602 A. St., Smith Center, KS. Memorials may be given to the Don R. Wichers Memorial Fund and can be sent in care of All Faiths Funeral Chapel, 113 S. Madison St., Smith Center, KS 66967.

Don Royce Wichers

REHOBOTH BEACH, Delaware (AP) — President Joe Biden will address the nation from the Oval Office on Wednesday evening on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-drops-out-2024-election-ddffde72838370032bdcff946cfc2ce6">his decision to drop his 2024 Democratic reelection bid</a>.

Biden posted on X that he would speak “on what lies ahead” and how he will “finish the job for the American people.” He will speak at 8 p.m. ET.

The president is scheduled to return to the White House on Tuesday after isolating at his Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, home after being diagnosed last week with COVID-19.

Biden has not been seen publicly since July 17, but he called into a campaign meeting on Monday to address staff and express his support for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/harris-election-president-wisconsin-democrats-012c6474b8b23960d2cf616e92989a4b">Vice President Kamala Harris’ bid</a>&nbsp;to replace him a day after announcing he would leave the race.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1721330243670.png" alt="File photo President Biden prepares to board Air Force One in Las Vegas July 17- image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>File photo President Biden prepares to board Air Force One in Las Vegas July 17- image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>REHOBOTH BEACH, Delaware (AP) — President Joe Biden will address the nation from the Oval Office on Wednesday evening on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-drops-out-2024-election-ddffde72838370032bdcff946cfc2ce6">his decision to drop his 2024 Democratic reelection bid</a>.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Tomorrow evening at 8 PM ET, I will address the nation from the Oval Office on what lies ahead, and how I will finish the job for the American people.&mdash; President Biden (@POTUS) <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS/status/1815766423056080912?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 23, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Biden posted on X that he would speak “on what lies ahead” and how he will “finish the job for the American people.” He will speak at 8 p.m. ET.The president is scheduled to return to the White House on Tuesday after isolating at his Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, home after being diagnosed last week with COVID-19.Biden has not been seen publicly since July 17, but he called into a campaign meeting on Monday to address staff and express his support for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/harris-election-president-wisconsin-democrats-012c6474b8b23960d2cf616e92989a4b">Vice President Kamala Harris’ bid</a>&nbsp;to replace him a day after announcing he would leave the race.

Biden to give a White House address on decision to exit the race

By JONATHAN ZWEYGARDT Hays Post

Ellis County fire crews responded to a semi-truck fire just
after 5 p.m. Monday on Interstate 70 west of Hays.

According to Ellis County Assistant Fire Chief Lyle Pantle, the first
crews arrived at mile marker 161 at 5:13 p.m. and found a fire on
the axle of a truck hauling antique tractors.

Pantle said the driver was able to disconnect the truck from
the trailer before crews arrived on the scene.

The fire was contained to the driver’s side rear axle of
the vehicle.

Crews were able to extinguish the fire in less than 10
minutes and Pantle said most of the damage was contained to the running gear of
the vehicle.

After monitoring hotspots and cooling the area, crews left
the scene just before 6 p.m. 

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1721743271900.jpeg" alt="Photo by Hays Post" />
 <figcaption>Photo by Hays Post</figcaption>
 </figure>By JONATHAN ZWEYGARDT Hays PostEllis County fire crews responded to a semi-truck fire just
after 5 p.m. Monday on Interstate 70 west of Hays.According to Ellis County Assistant Fire Chief Lyle Pantle, the first
crews arrived at mile marker 161 at 5:13 p.m. and found a fire on
the axle of a truck hauling antique tractors.Pantle said the driver was able to disconnect the truck from
the trailer before crews arrived on the scene.The fire was contained to the driver’s side rear axle of
the vehicle.Crews were able to extinguish the fire in less than 10
minutes and Pantle said most of the damage was contained to the running gear of
the vehicle.After monitoring hotspots and cooling the area, crews left
the scene just before 6 p.m.

Ellis County fire crews put out semi fire on I-70

HAYS – The Hays Larks entered the final game of the
regular season Monday night a half-game back of idle Liberal and the top spot
in the Rocky Mountain Baseball League, need a win to claim their fifth straight
league championship.

The Larks and Bee Jays finished with identical 22-6 RMBL
records with Hays taking three-of-four in the head-to-head matchups.

And they wasted no time scoring 6 runs over the first four
innings in a 11-3 win over the Dodge City A’s.

The Larks scored single runs in the first two innings,
scoring on a bases loaded walk in the first and a Kaleb Duncan triple in the
second for a 2-1 lead.

After Dodge City scored two runs in the top of the third
Hays answered with two runs in the bottom of the third and fourth innings. 

Trent Baker tripled in a run and then Thomas Lyssy followed with
an RBI double in the third making it 4-3 Larks.

Wilbert Espinal homered in the bottom of the fourth
extending the Larks lead to 6-3.

After scoring on a Kaleb Duncan RBI groundout in the sixth
the Larks broke the game open with four runs in the bottom of the seventh
inning.

Bakers singled home a run, followed by a two-run double for
Lyssy who then scored on a wild pitch putting Hays up 11-3.

Lyssy doubled three times and drove in three runs and
Wilbert Espinal homered and drove in three runs. 

Dalton Campbell earned the win for Hays. He allowed three
runs on five hits with five strikeouts and two walks in five innings.

The Larks (28-8 &amp; 22-6 RMLB) open play at the NBC World
Series Friday in the 8:30 p.m. game against the Air Capital Flyers. 

Hays PostHAYS – The Hays Larks entered the final game of the
regular season Monday night a half-game back of idle Liberal and the top spot
in the Rocky Mountain Baseball League, need a win to claim their fifth straight
league championship.The Larks and Bee Jays finished with identical 22-6 RMBL
records with Hays taking three-of-four in the head-to-head matchups. And they wasted no time scoring 6 runs over the first four
innings in a 11-3 win over the Dodge City A’s.The Larks scored single runs in the first two innings,
scoring on a bases loaded walk in the first and a Kaleb Duncan triple in the
second for a 2-1 lead.After Dodge City scored two runs in the top of the third
Hays answered with two runs in the bottom of the third and fourth innings. Trent Baker tripled in a run and then Thomas Lyssy followed with
an RBI double in the third making it 4-3 Larks.Wilbert Espinal homered in the bottom of the fourth
extending the Larks lead to 6-3.After scoring on a Kaleb Duncan RBI groundout in the sixth
the Larks broke the game open with four runs in the bottom of the seventh
inning.Bakers singled home a run, followed by a two-run double for
Lyssy who then scored on a wild pitch putting Hays up 11-3.Lyssy doubled three times and drove in three runs and
Wilbert Espinal homered and drove in three runs. Dalton Campbell earned the win for Hays. He allowed three
runs on five hits with five strikeouts and two walks in five innings.The Larks (28-8 &amp; 22-6 RMLB) open play at the NBC World
Series Friday in the 8:30 p.m. game against the Air Capital Flyers.

⚾Larks claim 5th straight RMBL title with win over A’s

PHILLIPSBURG — In the early morning hours of February 14, 2021, deputies were dispatched to a reported shooting in the 600 block of 7th Street in Phillipsburg. The incident resulted in the death of Janna Lea Constable, 43.

Monday evening, July 22, at approximately 5:30 p.m., the Phillips County Sheriff's office executed an arrest warrant for 37-year-old Phillipsburg resident Kevin Lee Hadley, according to Sheriff Kyle Pinkerton, in a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/plsoks">social media post</a>.

Hadley was arrested on charges of second degree murder, interference with a law enforcement officer and possession of a firearm by an intoxicated person.  He remains in custody with a $125,000 bond. 

All persons are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.&nbsp;&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1721730738856.png" alt="Hadley-photo Phillips County" />
 <figcaption>Hadley-photo Phillips County</figcaption>
 </figure>Phillips County SheriffPHILLIPSBURG — In the early morning hours of February 14, 2021, deputies were dispatched to a reported shooting in the 600 block of 7th Street in Phillipsburg. The incident resulted in the death of Janna Lea Constable, 43.Monday evening, July 22, at approximately 5:30 p.m., the Phillips County Sheriff's office executed an arrest warrant for 37-year-old Phillipsburg resident Kevin Lee Hadley, according to Sheriff Kyle Pinkerton, in a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/plsoks">social media post</a>. Hadley was arrested on charges of second degree murder, interference with a law enforcement officer and possession of a firearm by an intoxicated person. He remains in custody with a $125,000 bond. All persons are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Phillipsburg man arrested for 2021 shooting death 

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A newly posted video of Miss Kansas calling out her domestic violence abuser from the stage the night she was crowned is whipping up a maelstrom of support on social media.

Alexis Smith, who works overnight shifts as a cardiothoracic intensive care nurse in Wichita, was crowned Miss Kansas on June 8, but posted the video of her on-stage comments just this past week on the platform now known as X. Her comments are resonating with thousands in part because she called out her own abuser from the stage while she said the perpetrator was sitting in the audience.

<a href="https://x.com/MissAmericaKS/status/1813197140606288016">The video</a>&nbsp;Smith posted July 16 has been viewed more than 60,000 times and generated a rash of news stories.

“My vision as the next Miss Kansas is to eliminate unhealthy and abusive relationships,” Smith said during the interview portion of the pageant last month. “Matter of fact, some of you in this audience saw me very emotional because my abuser is here today. But that’s not going to stop me from being on this Miss Kansas stage and from representing as the next Miss Kansas.”

Smith just recently started her reign and began raising concerns about the issue in interviews and social media posts. Her bold pageant statement against domestic abuse and her courage to speak out is being praised online by dozens of people as her video gets shared again and again.

The beauty queen cares deeply about domestic violence issues because not only was she a victim, but so were many of the other women in her family, she has said.

“My family, every single woman in my family, was impacted by domestic violence,” she said in an&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ksn.com/news/local/miss-kansas-a-survivor-advocates-against-domestic-violence/">interview</a>&nbsp;with Wichita television station KSN. “At the age of 14, I got in my first relationship, but it was also an abusive relationship that I was in until about 2018, 2019. It’s something that I’m still experiencing and dealing with today.”

Smith said she even moved to Texas for a couple years after she escaped the relationship. She returned to Wichita to study nursing at Newman University.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/6/1718101435215.png" alt="Miss Kansas 2024 Alexis Smith-courtesy photo" />
 <figcaption>Miss Kansas 2024 Alexis Smith-courtesy photo</figcaption>
 </figure>WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A newly posted video of Miss Kansas calling out her domestic violence abuser from the stage the night she was crowned is whipping up a maelstrom of support on social media.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Respect Reclaimed! Our time is now for healthy relationships.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MissAmerica?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MissAmerica</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ThereSheIs?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ThereSheIs</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Pageants?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Pageants</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RespectReclaimed?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RespectReclaimed</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MissKansas?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MissKansas</a> <a href="https://t.co/npejBb6CCs">pic.twitter.com/npejBb6CCs</a>&mdash; Alexis Smith, Miss Kansas (@MissAmericaKS) <a href="https://twitter.com/MissAmericaKS/status/1813197140606288016?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 16, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Alexis Smith, who works overnight shifts as a cardiothoracic intensive care nurse in Wichita, was crowned Miss Kansas on June 8, but posted the video of her on-stage comments just this past week on the platform now known as X. Her comments are resonating with thousands in part because she called out her own abuser from the stage while she said the perpetrator was sitting in the audience.<a href="https://x.com/MissAmericaKS/status/1813197140606288016">The video</a>&nbsp;Smith posted July 16 has been viewed more than 60,000 times and generated a rash of news stories.“My vision as the next Miss Kansas is to eliminate unhealthy and abusive relationships,” Smith said during the interview portion of the pageant last month. “Matter of fact, some of you in this audience saw me very emotional because my abuser is here today. But that’s not going to stop me from being on this Miss Kansas stage and from representing as the next Miss Kansas.”Smith just recently started her reign and began raising concerns about the issue in interviews and social media posts. Her bold pageant statement against domestic abuse and her courage to speak out is being praised online by dozens of people as her video gets shared again and again.The beauty queen cares deeply about domestic violence issues because not only was she a victim, but so were many of the other women in her family, she has said.“My family, every single woman in my family, was impacted by domestic violence,” she said in an&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ksn.com/news/local/miss-kansas-a-survivor-advocates-against-domestic-violence/">interview</a>&nbsp;with Wichita television station KSN. “At the age of 14, I got in my first relationship, but it was also an abusive relationship that I was in until about 2018, 2019. It’s something that I’m still experiencing and dealing with today.”Smith said she even moved to Texas for a couple years after she escaped the relationship. She returned to Wichita to study nursing at Newman University.

🎥Miss Kansas called out her abuser in public. Her campaign against domestic violence is going viral

WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;Vice President Kamala Harris&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kamala-harris-joe-biden-2024-presidential-campaign-aad5c42336bd1e4db58aa0868b4586b5">is being thrust into the most scrutinizing of spotlights</a>, suddenly the leading candidate to succeed President Joe Biden as the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee and her&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-harris-election-2024-democrats-withdrawal-trump-c8b82fa105953e8f485c769580f7da49">party’s main hope</a>&nbsp;of defeating Donald Trump.

She spoke Monday at a White House celebration with the NCAA championship teams, her first appearance since Biden announced he was leaving the race.

Biden's exit Sunday, prompted by Democratic worries over his fitness for office, was a seismic shift to the presidential contest that upended both major political parties' carefully honed plans for the 2024 race.

Aiming to put weeks of intraparty drama over Biden's candidacy behind them, prominent Democratic elected officials, party leaders and political organizations quickly&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/harris-biden-democratic-convention-2fb8b1bc88b99e919872e63efdd8c275">lined up behind Harris</a>&nbsp;in the hours after Biden announced he was dropping&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-election-2024-president-democrats-trump-9c72115656855da89a41cac3f79aa65b">his reelection campaign</a>.

Biden's departure&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/projects/election-results-2024/ap-dnc-delegate-survey/">frees his delegates</a>&nbsp;to vote for whomever they choose. Harris, whom Biden backed after ending his candidacy, is thus far the only declared candidate and was working to quickly secure endorsements from a majority of delegates.

Additional endorsements Monday, including Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, left a dwindling list of potential rivals to Harris.

Winning the nomination is only the first item on a staggering political to-do list for her after Biden's decision to exit the race, which she learned about on a Sunday morning call with the president. If she's successful at locking up the nomination, she must also pick a running mate and pivot a massive political operation to boost her candidacy instead of Biden's with just over 100 days until Election Day.

On Sunday afternoon, Biden’s campaign formally changed its name to Harris for President, reflecting that she is inheriting his political operation of more than 1,000 staffers and a war chest that stood at nearly $96 million at the end of June. It got bigger by Monday morning: Campaign spokesperson Lauren Hitt said Harris had raised $49.6 million in donations in the first 15 hours after Biden’s endorsement.

Harris spent much of Sunday surrounded by family and staff, making more than 100 calls to Democratic officials to line up their support for her candidacy, according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the effort. It comes as she tries to move her party past the painful, public wrangling that had defined the weeks since the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/debate-trump-biden-presidential-campaign-44e71c900a1c4af2bed93041fdfe923d">Biden's disastrous June 27 debate</a>&nbsp;with Trump.

Speaking to party leaders, Harris expressed gratitude for Biden's endorsement but insisted she was looking to earn the nomination in her own right, the person said.

In a sign that the Democratic Party was moving to coalesce behind her, Harris quickly won endorsements from the leadership of several influential caucuses and political organizations, including the AAPI Victory Fund, which focuses on Asian American and Pacific Islander voters, The Collective PAC, focused on building Black political power, and the Latino Victory Fund, as well as the chairs of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and the entire Congressional Black Caucus. Harris, if elected, would be the first woman and first person of South Asian descent to be president.

Notably, a handful of men who had already been discussed as potential running mates for Harris — Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper and Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly — also swiftly issued statements endorsing her. Aides to Shapiro and Cooper confirmed that Harris spoke with them Sunday afternoon. In her brief call with Cooper, the North Carolina governor told Harris he was backing her to be the Democratic nominee, according to Cooper spokeswoman Sadie Weiner.

But former President Barack Obama held off on an immediate endorsement, as some in the party have expressed worry that the quick shift to Harris would appear to be a coronation, instead pledging his support behind the eventual party nominee.

West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, who left the party earlier this year but considered re-registering as a Democrat to vie for the nomination against the vice president, told CBS News on Monday that he would not be a candidate.

Harris is set to travel to Wilmington, where the Biden campaign had been headquartered, to meet with her new campaign staff.

Harris, in a statement, praised Biden’s “selfless and patriotic act” in deciding to leave the race and said she intends to “earn and win” her party’s nomination.

“I will do everything in my power to unite the Democratic Party — and unite our nation — to defeat Donald Trump and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/rnc-republicans-heritage-foundation-project-2025-8cce6cfef6f5bdf45269146739222f80">his extreme Project 2025 agenda</a>,” she said.

Biden planned to discuss his decision to step aside later this week in an address to the nation. He wrote in a letter posted Sunday to his X account, “I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term."

Nearly 30 minutes after he delivered the news that he was folding his campaign, Biden threw his support behind Harris.

“Today I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year,” he said in another post on X. “Democrats — it’s time to come together and beat Trump.”

<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/democratic-national-convention">The Democratic National Convention</a>&nbsp;is scheduled to be held Aug. 19-22 in Chicago, but the party had announced it would hold&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ohio-ballot-biden-access-3bf359cce8e73714be45cb99a6e31546">a virtual roll call</a>&nbsp;to formally nominate Biden before in-person proceedings begin. The convention's rules committee is scheduled to meet this week to finalize its nomination process and it is unclear how it will be adjusted to reflect Biden's exit.

Congressional Hispanic Caucus chairwoman Nanette Barragan, who emphasized that she was “all in” behind the vice president, said she spoke Sunday with Harris, who communicated that she preferred to forego a virtual roll call for the nomination process and instead hold a process that adheres to regular order.

The Democratic National Committee’s chair, Jaime Harrison, said in a statement that the party would “undertake a transparent and orderly process” to select “a candidate who can defeat Donald Trump in November.”

WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;Vice President Kamala Harris&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kamala-harris-joe-biden-2024-presidential-campaign-aad5c42336bd1e4db58aa0868b4586b5">is being thrust into the most scrutinizing of spotlights</a>, suddenly the leading candidate to succeed President Joe Biden as the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee and her&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-harris-election-2024-democrats-withdrawal-trump-c8b82fa105953e8f485c769580f7da49">party’s main hope</a>&nbsp;of defeating Donald Trump.She spoke Monday at a White House celebration with the NCAA championship teams, her first appearance since Biden announced he was leaving the race.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/VP?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@VP</a>: &quot;Joe Biden&#39;s legacy of accomplishment over the past three years is unmatched in modern history.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/m12gjVAkD6">pic.twitter.com/m12gjVAkD6</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1815421541628125644?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 22, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Biden's exit Sunday, prompted by Democratic worries over his fitness for office, was a seismic shift to the presidential contest that upended both major political parties' carefully honed plans for the 2024 race.Aiming to put weeks of intraparty drama over Biden's candidacy behind them, prominent Democratic elected officials, party leaders and political organizations quickly&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/harris-biden-democratic-convention-2fb8b1bc88b99e919872e63efdd8c275">lined up behind Harris</a>&nbsp;in the hours after Biden announced he was dropping&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-election-2024-president-democrats-trump-9c72115656855da89a41cac3f79aa65b">his reelection campaign</a>.Biden's departure&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/projects/election-results-2024/ap-dnc-delegate-survey/">frees his delegates</a>&nbsp;to vote for whomever they choose. Harris, whom Biden backed after ending his candidacy, is thus far the only declared candidate and was working to quickly secure endorsements from a majority of delegates.Additional endorsements Monday, including Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, left a dwindling list of potential rivals to Harris.Winning the nomination is only the first item on a staggering political to-do list for her after Biden's decision to exit the race, which she learned about on a Sunday morning call with the president. If she's successful at locking up the nomination, she must also pick a running mate and pivot a massive political operation to boost her candidacy instead of Biden's with just over 100 days until Election Day.On Sunday afternoon, Biden’s campaign formally changed its name to Harris for President, reflecting that she is inheriting his political operation of more than 1,000 staffers and a war chest that stood at nearly $96 million at the end of June. It got bigger by Monday morning: Campaign spokesperson Lauren Hitt said Harris had raised $49.6 million in donations in the first 15 hours after Biden’s endorsement.Harris spent much of Sunday surrounded by family and staff, making more than 100 calls to Democratic officials to line up their support for her candidacy, according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the effort. It comes as she tries to move her party past the painful, public wrangling that had defined the weeks since the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/debate-trump-biden-presidential-campaign-44e71c900a1c4af2bed93041fdfe923d">Biden's disastrous June 27 debate</a>&nbsp;with Trump.Speaking to party leaders, Harris expressed gratitude for Biden's endorsement but insisted she was looking to earn the nomination in her own right, the person said.In a sign that the Democratic Party was moving to coalesce behind her, Harris quickly won endorsements from the leadership of several influential caucuses and political organizations, including the AAPI Victory Fund, which focuses on Asian American and Pacific Islander voters, The Collective PAC, focused on building Black political power, and the Latino Victory Fund, as well as the chairs of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and the entire Congressional Black Caucus. Harris, if elected, would be the first woman and first person of South Asian descent to be president.Notably, a handful of men who had already been discussed as potential running mates for Harris — Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper and Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly — also swiftly issued statements endorsing her. Aides to Shapiro and Cooper confirmed that Harris spoke with them Sunday afternoon. In her brief call with Cooper, the North Carolina governor told Harris he was backing her to be the Democratic nominee, according to Cooper spokeswoman Sadie Weiner.But former President Barack Obama held off on an immediate endorsement, as some in the party have expressed worry that the quick shift to Harris would appear to be a coronation, instead pledging his support behind the eventual party nominee.West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, who left the party earlier this year but considered re-registering as a Democrat to vie for the nomination against the vice president, told CBS News on Monday that he would not be a candidate.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1721650226823.png" alt="" />
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 </figure>Harris is set to travel to Wilmington, where the Biden campaign had been headquartered, to meet with her new campaign staff.Harris, in a statement, praised Biden’s “selfless and patriotic act” in deciding to leave the race and said she intends to “earn and win” her party’s nomination.“I will do everything in my power to unite the Democratic Party — and unite our nation — to defeat Donald Trump and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/rnc-republicans-heritage-foundation-project-2025-8cce6cfef6f5bdf45269146739222f80">his extreme Project 2025 agenda</a>,” she said.Biden planned to discuss his decision to step aside later this week in an address to the nation. He wrote in a letter posted Sunday to his X account, “I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term."Nearly 30 minutes after he delivered the news that he was folding his campaign, Biden threw his support behind Harris.“Today I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year,” he said in another post on X. “Democrats — it’s time to come together and beat Trump.”<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/democratic-national-convention">The Democratic National Convention</a>&nbsp;is scheduled to be held Aug. 19-22 in Chicago, but the party had announced it would hold&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ohio-ballot-biden-access-3bf359cce8e73714be45cb99a6e31546">a virtual roll call</a>&nbsp;to formally nominate Biden before in-person proceedings begin. The convention's rules committee is scheduled to meet this week to finalize its nomination process and it is unclear how it will be adjusted to reflect Biden's exit.Congressional Hispanic Caucus chairwoman Nanette Barragan, who emphasized that she was “all in” behind the vice president, said she spoke Sunday with Harris, who communicated that she preferred to forego a virtual roll call for the nomination process and instead hold a process that adheres to regular order.The Democratic National Committee’s chair, Jaime Harrison, said in a statement that the party would “undertake a transparent and orderly process” to select “a candidate who can defeat Donald Trump in November.”

🎥Harris makes first public comments since Biden ended campaign

The Plainville community continues to respond to the death of a fifth-grader in Plainville last week.

How the youth, Aiden Sherraden, died has not been released.

Crisis counselors met with youth and caregivers during the weekend.

Multiple fundraisers for the family have been set.

<a href="https://facebook.com/events/s/ride-for-aiden/1129820271456830/">https://facebook.com/events/s/ride-for-aiden/1129820271456830/</a>

Hays PostThe Plainville community continues to respond to the death of a fifth-grader in Plainville last week.How the youth, Aiden Sherraden, died has not been released.Crisis counselors met with youth and caregivers during the weekend.Multiple fundraisers for the family have been set.See below.<figure>
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 </figure><a href="https://facebook.com/events/s/ride-for-aiden/1129820271456830/">https://facebook.com/events/s/ride-for-aiden/1129820271456830/</a>

Fundraisers set for family of fifth-grader who died in Plainville

WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-assassination-attempt-secret-service-cheatle-biden-48d384057a894b71859f945034092902">Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle</a>&nbsp;said Monday that her agency failed in its mission to protect former President Donald Trump during a highly contentious congressional hearing with lawmakers of both major political parties demanding she resign over security failures that allowed a gunman&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-assassination-attempt-thomas-matthew-crooks-shooter-881581c46c07025898027143fc9132e5">to scale a roof and open fire at a campaign rally</a>.

Click below to watch a replay of the hearing.

Cheatle was berated for hours by Republicans and Democrats, repeatedly angering lawmakers by evading questions about the investigation in her first congressional hearing over the July 13 assassination attempt She called the attempt on Trump’s life the Secret Service’s “most significant operational failure” in decades.

“The Secret Service’s solemn mission is to protect our nation’s leaders. On July 13th, we failed,” Cheatle said.

Cheatle acknowledged that the Secret Service was told about a suspicious person two to five times before the shooting. She also revealed that the roof from which Thomas Matthew Crooks opened fire had been identified as a potential vulnerability days before the rally. Cheatle said she apologized to Trump in a phone call after the shooting.

Yet Cheatle remained defiant that she was the “right person” to lead the Secret Service, even as she said she takes full responsibility for any security lapses at the Butler, Pennsylvania, rally.

When Republican Rep. Nancy Mace suggested Cheatle begin drafting her resignation letter from the hearing room, Cheatle responded, “No, thank you.”

Democrats and Republicans were united in their exasperation as Cheatle said she didn't know or couldn't answer numerous questions more than a week after the shooting, which left one spectator dead.

"It has been 10 days since an assassination attempt on a former president of the United States. Regardless of party, there need to be answers,” said Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-New York.

Lawmakers peppered Cheatle with questions about&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-assassination-attempt-thomas-matthew-crooks-shooter-881581c46c07025898027143fc9132e5">how the gunman could get so close</a>&nbsp;to the Republican presidential nominee when he was supposed to be carefully guarded and about why Trump was allowed to take the stage after local law enforcement had identified&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-rally-shooting-guns-fbi-motive-08e925cb85e52c5266878cd76e796ad2">Thomas Matthew Crooks</a>&nbsp;as suspicious.

Cheatle acknowledged that Crooks had been seen by local law enforcement before the shooting with a rangefinder, a small device resembling binoculars that hunters use to measure distance from a target. She said the Secret Service would never have taken Trump onto the stage if it had known there was an “actual threat." But while Crooks had been reported as suspicious, he wasn't identified as a threat until seconds before the shooting, she said.

“An individual with a backpack is not a threat,” Cheatle said. “An individual with a range finder is not a threat.”

Asked about why there were no agents on the roof where the shooter was located or if the Secret Service used drones to monitor the area, Cheatle said she is still waiting for the investigation to play out, prompting groans and outbursts from members on the committee.

“Director Cheatle, because Donald Trump is alive, and thank God he is, you look incompetent," said Rep. Mike Turner, R-Ohio. “If he were killed you would look culpable.”

Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., noted that the Secret Service director who presided over the agency when there was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/reagan-assassination-attempt-trump-butler-gunman-bd3c038d706de55a64727f7d15dffbc8">an attempted assassination of President Ronald Reagan</a>&nbsp;later stepped down.

“The one thing we have to have in this country are agencies that transcend politics and have the confidence of independents, Democrats, Republicans, progressives and conservatives,” Khanna said, adding that the Secret Service was no longer one of those agencies.

Trump was wounded in the ear, a former Pennsylvania fire chief&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-rally-fatal-shooting-corey-comperatore-8c09711e88a56432424ef3f980321ed2">was killed</a>&nbsp;and two other attendees were injured after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-rally-shooting-guns-fbi-motive-08e925cb85e52c5266878cd76e796ad2">Crooks</a>&nbsp;climbed atop the roof of a nearby building and opened fire with an AR-style rifle shortly after Trump started speaking at the July 13 rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/us-secret-service">The Secret Service</a>&nbsp;has acknowledged it denied some requests by Trump's campaign for increased security at his events in the years before&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/secret-service-trump-rally-4e3415b1461f5acefbc8e1fadad0375b">the assassination attempt</a>. But Cheatle said that there were “no assets denied" for the rally.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has called what happened a “failure” while several lawmakers have called on Cheatle to resign or for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">President Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;to fire her. The Secret Service has said Cheatle does not intend to step down. So far, she retains the support of Biden, a Democrat, and Mayorkas.

WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-assassination-attempt-secret-service-cheatle-biden-48d384057a894b71859f945034092902">Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle</a>&nbsp;said Monday that her agency failed in its mission to protect former President Donald Trump during a highly contentious congressional hearing with lawmakers of both major political parties demanding she resign over security failures that allowed a gunman&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-assassination-attempt-thomas-matthew-crooks-shooter-881581c46c07025898027143fc9132e5">to scale a roof and open fire at a campaign rally</a>.Click below to watch a replay of the hearing.<div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hyP3tKtgtnw?si=Pqhet5TaSu_xleoJ&amp;start=999" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>Cheatle was berated for hours by Republicans and Democrats, repeatedly angering lawmakers by evading questions about the investigation in her first congressional hearing over the July 13 assassination attempt She called the attempt on Trump’s life the Secret Service’s “most significant operational failure” in decades.“The Secret Service’s solemn mission is to protect our nation’s leaders. On July 13th, we failed,” Cheatle said.Cheatle acknowledged that the Secret Service was told about a suspicious person two to five times before the shooting. She also revealed that the roof from which Thomas Matthew Crooks opened fire had been identified as a potential vulnerability days before the rally. Cheatle said she apologized to Trump in a phone call after the shooting.Yet Cheatle remained defiant that she was the “right person” to lead the Secret Service, even as she said she takes full responsibility for any security lapses at the Butler, Pennsylvania, rally.When Republican Rep. Nancy Mace suggested Cheatle begin drafting her resignation letter from the hearing room, Cheatle responded, “No, thank you.”Democrats and Republicans were united in their exasperation as Cheatle said she didn't know or couldn't answer numerous questions more than a week after the shooting, which left one spectator dead."It has been 10 days since an assassination attempt on a former president of the United States. Regardless of party, there need to be answers,” said Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-New York.Lawmakers peppered Cheatle with questions about&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-assassination-attempt-thomas-matthew-crooks-shooter-881581c46c07025898027143fc9132e5">how the gunman could get so close</a>&nbsp;to the Republican presidential nominee when he was supposed to be carefully guarded and about why Trump was allowed to take the stage after local law enforcement had identified&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-rally-shooting-guns-fbi-motive-08e925cb85e52c5266878cd76e796ad2">Thomas Matthew Crooks</a>&nbsp;as suspicious.Cheatle acknowledged that Crooks had been seen by local law enforcement before the shooting with a rangefinder, a small device resembling binoculars that hunters use to measure distance from a target. She said the Secret Service would never have taken Trump onto the stage if it had known there was an “actual threat." But while Crooks had been reported as suspicious, he wasn't identified as a threat until seconds before the shooting, she said.“An individual with a backpack is not a threat,” Cheatle said. “An individual with a range finder is not a threat.”Asked about why there were no agents on the roof where the shooter was located or if the Secret Service used drones to monitor the area, Cheatle said she is still waiting for the investigation to play out, prompting groans and outbursts from members on the committee.“Director Cheatle, because Donald Trump is alive, and thank God he is, you look incompetent," said Rep. Mike Turner, R-Ohio. “If he were killed you would look culpable.”Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., noted that the Secret Service director who presided over the agency when there was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/reagan-assassination-attempt-trump-butler-gunman-bd3c038d706de55a64727f7d15dffbc8">an attempted assassination of President Ronald Reagan</a>&nbsp;later stepped down.“The one thing we have to have in this country are agencies that transcend politics and have the confidence of independents, Democrats, Republicans, progressives and conservatives,” Khanna said, adding that the Secret Service was no longer one of those agencies.Trump was wounded in the ear, a former Pennsylvania fire chief&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-rally-fatal-shooting-corey-comperatore-8c09711e88a56432424ef3f980321ed2">was killed</a>&nbsp;and two other attendees were injured after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-rally-shooting-guns-fbi-motive-08e925cb85e52c5266878cd76e796ad2">Crooks</a>&nbsp;climbed atop the roof of a nearby building and opened fire with an AR-style rifle shortly after Trump started speaking at the July 13 rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/us-secret-service">The Secret Service</a>&nbsp;has acknowledged it denied some requests by Trump's campaign for increased security at his events in the years before&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/secret-service-trump-rally-4e3415b1461f5acefbc8e1fadad0375b">the assassination attempt</a>. But Cheatle said that there were “no assets denied" for the rally.Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has called what happened a “failure” while several lawmakers have called on Cheatle to resign or for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">President Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;to fire her. The Secret Service has said Cheatle does not intend to step down. So far, she retains the support of Biden, a Democrat, and Mayorkas.Before the shooting, local law enforcement had noticed Crooks pacing around the edges of the rally, peering into the lens of a rangefinder toward the rooftops behind the stage where the president later stood, officials have told The Associated Press. An image of Crooks was circulated by officers stationed outside the security perimeter.Witnesses later saw him climbing up the side of a squat manufacturing building that was within 135 meters (157 yards) of the stage. He then set up his rifle and lay on the rooftop, a detonator in his pocket to set off crude explosive devices that were stashed in his car parked nearby.The attack on Trump was the most serious attempt to assassinate a president or presidential candidate since&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/reagan-assassination-attempt-trump-butler-gunman-bd3c038d706de55a64727f7d15dffbc8">Reagan was shot in 1981</a>. It was the latest in a series of security lapses by the agency that has drawn investigations and public scrutiny over the years.Authorities have been hunting for clues into what motivated Crooks but have not found any ideological bent that could help explain his actions. Investigators who searched his phone&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-assassination-attempt-shooting-federal-investigation-2a90bdfd23ba9c3569cb9c29a459e87b">found photos of Trump</a>, Biden and other senior government officials and found that he had looked up the dates for the Democratic National Conventional as well as Trump’s appearances. He also searched for information about major depressive order.-------------WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-assassination-attempt-secret-service-cheatle-biden-48d384057a894b71859f945034092902">The Secret Service director</a>&nbsp;is set to testify Monday before the House Oversight Committee as calls mount for her to resign over security failures at a rally where a 20-year-old gunman&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-assassination-attempt-thomas-matthew-crooks-shooter-881581c46c07025898027143fc9132e5">attempted to assassinate</a>&nbsp;former President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>.The House Oversight Committee hearing will be Kimberly Cheatle's first appearance before lawmakers since the July 13 Pennsylvania rally shooting that left one spectator dead. Trump was wounded in the ear and two other attendees were injured after Thomas Matthew Crooks climbed atop the roof of a nearby building and opened fire.Kansas Congressman Jake LaTurner is a member of the committee.Lawmakers have been expressing anger over how the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-assassination-attempt-thomas-matthew-crooks-shooter-881581c46c07025898027143fc9132e5">gunman could get so close</a>&nbsp;to the Republican presidential nominee when he was supposed to be carefully guarded. The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/us-secret-service">Secret Service</a>&nbsp;has acknowledged it denied some requests by Trump's campaign for increased security at his events in the years before the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/secret-service-trump-rally-4e3415b1461f5acefbc8e1fadad0375b">assassination attempt</a>.Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has called what happened a “failure” while several lawmakers have called on Cheatle to resign or for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">President Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;to fire her. The Secret Service has said Cheatle does not intend to step down. So far, she retains the support of Biden, a Democrat, and Mayorkas.Before the shooting, local law enforcement had noticed Crooks pacing around the edges of the rally, peering into the lens of a rangefinder toward the rooftops behind the stage where the president later stood, officials have told The Associated Press. An image of Crooks was circulated by officers stationed outside the security perimeter.Witnesses later saw him climbing up the side of a squat manufacturing building that was within 135 meters (157 yards) from the stage. He then set up his AR-style rifle and lay on the rooftop, a detonator in his pocket to set off crude explosive devices that were stashed in his car parked nearby.The attack on Trump was the most serious attempt to assassinate a president or presidential candidate since Ronald Reagan was shot in 1981. It was the latest in a series of security lapses by the agency that has drawn investigations and public scrutiny over the years.Authorities have been hunting for clues into what motivated Crooks, but so far have not found any ideological bent that could help explain his actions. Investigators who searched his phone&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-assassination-attempt-shooting-federal-investigation-2a90bdfd23ba9c3569cb9c29a459e87b">found photos of Trump</a>, Biden and other senior government officials, and also found that he had looked up the dates for the Democratic National Conventional as well as Trump’s appearances. He also searched for information about major depressive order.------------WASHINGTON —The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/us-secret-service">Secret Service</a>&nbsp;has acknowledged it denied some requests by Republican presidential nominee&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump's campaign</a>&nbsp;for increased security at his events in the years before the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/secret-service-trump-rally-4e3415b1461f5acefbc8e1fadad0375b">assassination attempt</a>&nbsp;on him at a recent rally.In the immediate aftermath of the July 13 attack, the law enforcement agency had denied rejecting such requests. But the Secret Service acknowledged late Saturday, a week after the attempt on Trump's life, that it had turned back some requests to increase security around the former president.The reversal is likely to be a key focus of a congressional hearing Monday where&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-assassination-attempt-secret-service-cheatle-biden-48d384057a894b71859f945034092902">Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle</a>&nbsp;is expected to appear before lawmakers who have been expressing anger over security lapses that allowed a 20-year-old gunman to climb atop the roof of a nearby building at Trump's rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, and fire his weapon.Trump was wounded in the right ear, one rallygoer was killed and two others were injured. Secret Service gunmen killed the shooter.The attack on Trump was the most serious attempt to assassinate a president or presidential candidate since Ronald Reagan was shot in 1981. It was the latest in a series of security lapses by the agency that has drawn investigations and public scrutiny over the years.“The Secret Service has a vast, dynamic, and intricate mission. Every day we work in a dynamic threat environment to ensure our protectees are safe and secure across multiple events, travel, and other challenging environments,” the agency's chief spokesperson, Anthony Guglielmi, said in a statement released late Saturday to The Washington Post. The newspaper was first to report on the agency's reversal, which it said was based on detailed questions submitted to the agency.“We execute a comprehensive and layered strategy to balance personnel, technology, and specialized operational needs,” Guglielmi said.He said the agency will rely on state and local law enforcement departments in some cases where specialized Secret Service units are unavailable.“In some instances where specific Secret Service specialized units or resources were not provided, the agency made modifications to ensure the security of the protectee,” Gugliemi said. “This may include utilizing state or local partners to provide specialized functions or otherwise identifying alternatives to reduce public exposure of a protectee.”After the assassination attempt, as reports began to circulate that the agency had denied the Trump campaign's requests, Guglielmi issued a denial.There is "an untrue assertion that a member of the former President’s team requested additional security resources &amp; that those were rebuffed,”&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/SecretSvcSpox/status/1812451649387933912">Gugliemi said</a>&nbsp;in a social media post. “This is absolutely false. In fact, we added protective resources &amp; technology &amp; capabilities as part of the increased campaign travel tempo.”Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has called what happened a “failure” while several lawmakers have called on Cheatle to resign or for President Joe Biden to fire her. The Secret Service has said Cheatle does not intend to step down. So far, she retains the support of Biden, a Democrat, and Mayorkas.But the agency's acknowledgement that it had denied some of the campaign's requests sparked fresh condemnation on Sunday.House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said on CNN’s “State of the Union, that the reversal “is just beyond the pale" and that Cheatle's "got a lot to answer for.”Johnson said lawmakers on Monday would release details about a bipartisan congressional task force that will investigate the Secret Service.Rep. James Comer, chairman of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, which has subpoenaed Cheatle to appear at a hearing on Monday, said the Secret Service has a more than $3 billion annual budget that “is more than enough” to provide adequate protection.“We want to know who’s at fault for what happened,” the Kentucky Republican said.Trump’s son, Eric Trump, said Cheatle should resign in “absolute disgrace.”“The fact that she is still in her job is beyond,” he said on Fox News' “Sunday Morning Futures,”Biden has ordered an independent investigation. The Homeland Security Department and congressional committee are also investigating.Trump says he was given no indication that law enforcement had identified a suspicious person when the former president took the stage in Pennsylvania. Some rallygoers said in interviews after the attempted assassination that they saw the gunman on the roof before Trump walked out onto the stage and had alerted law enforcement authorities on site.In an interview with Fox News host Jesse Watters set to air Monday, Trump said, “No, nobody mentioned it, nobody said there was a problem” before he took the stage and a gunman opened fire. “They could’ve said, ‘Let’s wait for 15 minutes, 20 minutes, 5 minutes, something.’ Nobody said. I think that was a mistake.”Trump also questioned the security lapses and how the gunman was able to access the roof of the building.“How did somebody get on that roof? And why wasn’t he reported? Because people saw that he was on the roof,” Trump said. “So you would’ve thought someone would’ve done something about it.”Local law enforcement officers had seen the man and deemed him suspicious enough to circulate his photo and witnesses reported seeing him scaling the building.Trump's campaign and the White House did not immediately respond to emailed requests for comment.