WASHINGTON (AP) —Boeing will plead guilty to a criminal fraud charge stemming from two crashes of 737 Max jetliners that killed 346 people after the government determined the company&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boeing-justice-department-737-max-82145b25ed988cd8cae0bce3de79ce9d">violated an agreement</a>&nbsp;that had protected it from prosecution for more than three years, the Justice Department said Sunday night.

Federal prosecutors gave Boeing&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boeing-criminal-charges-plea-deal-861175435e04039112fde0ac6bdbf75a">the choice</a>&nbsp;last week of entering a guilty plea and paying a fine as part of its sentence or facing a trial on the felony criminal charge of conspiracy to defraud the United States.

Prosecutors accused the American aerospace giant of deceiving regulators who approved the airplane and pilot-training requirements for it.

The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boeing-crash-plea-deal-fraud-d0531d9e9858689bf0d572584dc36b83">plea deal</a>, which still must receive the approval of a federal judge to take effect, calls for Boeing to pay an additional $243.6 million fine. That was the same amount it paid under the 2021 settlement that the Justice Department said&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boeing-justice-department-737-max-82145b25ed988cd8cae0bce3de79ce9d">the company breached</a>. An independent monitor would be named to oversee Boeing's safety and quality procedures for three years. The deal also requires Boeing to invest at least $455 million in its compliance and safety programs.

The plea deal covers only wrongdoing by Boeing before the crashes, which killed all 346 passengers and crew members aboard two new Max jets. It does not give Boeing immunity for other incidents, including a panel that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boeing-max-emergency-landing-alaska-airlines-79bc1ea98ee7fbc6edf46aff9319775b">blew off</a>&nbsp;a Max jetliner during an Alaska Airlines flight in January, a Justice Department official said.

The deal also does not cover any current or former Boeing officials, only the corporation. In a statement, Boeing confirmed it had reached the deal with the Justice Department but had no further comment.

In a court filing Sunday night, the Justice Department said it expected to file the written plea agreement with the court by July 19. Lawyers for some of the relatives of those who died in the two crashes have said they will ask the judge to reject the agreement.

“This sweetheart deal fails to recognize that because of Boeing’s conspiracy, 346 people died. Through crafty lawyering between Boeing and DOJ, the deadly consequences of Boeing’s crime are being hidden,” said Paul Cassell, a lawyer for some of the families.

Federal prosecutors alleged Boeing committed conspiracy to defraud the government by misleading regulators about a flight-control system that was implicated in the crashes, which took place&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/7c145dc3564045cea21cd387afebe5be">in Indonesia</a>&nbsp;in October 2018 and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/1108708781ba46808a16843bda8cc079">in Ethiopia</a>&nbsp;less five months later.

As part of the January 2021 settlement, the Justice Department said it&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-us-department-of-justice-texas-business-fraud-57db69f33fda9f62785e1fe5d3b2f538">would not prosecute</a>&nbsp;Boeing on the charge if the company complied with certain conditions for three years. Prosecutors last month alleged Boeing had breached the terms of that agreement.

The company’s guilty plea will be entered in U.S. District Court in Texas. The judge overseeing the case, who has criticized what he called&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/accidents-fort-worth-business-fraud-6c6e5e7de01c9b0b6f74db8057431627">“Boeing’s egregious criminal conduct,”</a>&nbsp;could accept the plea and the sentence that prosecutors offered with it or he could reject the agreement, likely leading to new negotiations between the Justice Department and Boeing.

The case goes back to the crashes in Indonesia and in Ethiopia. The Lion Air pilots in the first crash did not know about flight-control software that could push the nose of the plane down without their input. The pilots for Ethiopian Airlines knew about it but were unable to control the plane when the software activated based on information from a faulty sensor.

The Justice Department charged Boeing in 2021 with deceiving FAA regulators about the software, which did not exist in older 737s, and about how much training pilots would need to fly the plane safely. The department agreed not to prosecute Boeing at the time, however, if the company paid a $2.5 billion settlement, including the $243.6 million fine, and took steps to comply with anti-fraud laws for three years.

Boeing, which blamed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-texas-fort-worth-federal-aviation-administration-boeing-co-db0e14a239e43406d34d7dde99022089">two low-level employees</a>&nbsp;for misleading the regulators, tried to put the crashes behind it. After grounding Max jets for 20 months, regulators let them fly again after the Boeing reduced the power of the flight software. Max jets logged thousands of safe flights and orders from airlines picked up, increasing to about 750 in 2021, about 700 more in 2022 and nearly 1,000 in 2023.

The company based in Arlington, Virginia, has dozens of airline customers spanning the globe. The best customers for the 737 Max include Southwest, United, American, Alaska, Ryanair and flydubai.

That changed in January, when a panel covering an unused emergency exit&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boeing-max-emergency-landing-alaska-airlines-79bc1ea98ee7fbc6edf46aff9319775b">blew off</a>&nbsp;a Max during the Alaska Airlines flight over Oregon.

Pilots landed the 737 Max safely and no one was seriously injured, but the incident led to closer scrutiny of the company. The Justice Department opened a new investigation, the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boeing-fbi-investigation-crime-lawsuit-oregon-a4ffddc43f2000dd9d9466a335df6a93">FBI told passengers</a>&nbsp;on the Alaska plane that they might be victims of a crime and the FAA said it was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boeing-investigation-faa-panel-blowout-monitoring-06b098e57a8c65bdb0ba377f99290d32">stepping up oversight</a>&nbsp;of Boeing.

A criminal conviction could jeopardize Boeing’s status as a federal contractor, according to some legal experts. The plea announced Sunday does not address that question, leaving it to each government agency whether to bar Boeing.

The Air Force cited “compelling national interest” in letting Boeing continue competing for contracts after the company paid a $615 million fine in 2006 to settle criminal and civil charges, including that it used information stolen from a rival to win a space-launch contract.

The company has 170,000 employees and 37% of its revenue last year came from U.S. government contracts. Most of it was defense work, including military sales that Washington arranged for other countries.

Boeing also makes a capsule for NASA. Two astronauts will remain at the International Space Station longer than expected while Boeing and NASA engineers troubleshoot&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boeing-starliner-nasa-astronauts-space-station-2fe81a09bcd77563dadae2f86d4275fe">problems with the propulsion system</a>&nbsp;used to maneuver the capsule.

Even some Boeing critics have worried about crippling a key defense contractor.

“We want Boeing to succeed,” Richard Blumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat, said during a Senate hearing last month on what he termed the company’s broken safety culture. “Boeing needs to succeed for the sake of the jobs it provides, for the sake of local economies it supports, for the sake of the American traveling public, for the sake of our military.”

Relatives of the Max crash victims have pushed for a criminal trial that might illuminate what people inside Boeing knew about deceiving the FAA. They also want the Justice Department to prosecute top Boeing officials, not just the company.

“Boeing has paid fines many a time, and it doesn’t seem to make any change,” said Ike Riffel of Redding, California,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boeing-plane-crashes-737-max-justice-department-da2977c487811e873be2d118b3c5e529">whose sons</a>&nbsp;Melvin and Bennett died in the Ethiopian Airlines crash. “When people start going to prison, that’s when you are going to see a change.”

At a recent&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boeing-ceo-calhoun-safety-senate-investigations-de6a273e5ad69764f4e666cc4afda2c1">Senate hearing</a>, Boeing CEO David Calhoun defended the company’s safety record after turning and apologizing to Max crash victims’ relatives seated in the rows behind him “for the grief that we have caused.”

Hours before the hearing, the Senate investigations subcommittee released a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.hsgac.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024.06.17-PSI-Majority-Staff-Memorandum.pdf">204-page report</a>&nbsp;with new allegations from a whistleblower who said he worried that defective parts could be going into&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boeing-max-jet-incident-crashes-f73fb7b9eaff7f6549c88e958f7b8b38">737s</a>. The whistleblower was the latest in a string of current and former&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boeing-whistleblower-death-apparent-suicide-south-carolina-f7c8b8a614b069942a5f2e4773b99487">Boeing employees</a>&nbsp;who have raised safety concerns about the company and claimed they faced retaliation as a result.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/6/1718741633288.png" alt="During a Senate hearing in June Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun apologized to families in the audience of Boeing's Lion Air Flight 610 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 crash victims.&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>During a Senate hearing in June Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun apologized to families in the audience of Boeing's Lion Air Flight 610 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 crash victims.&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) —Boeing will plead guilty to a criminal fraud charge stemming from two crashes of 737 Max jetliners that killed 346 people after the government determined the company&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boeing-justice-department-737-max-82145b25ed988cd8cae0bce3de79ce9d">violated an agreement</a>&nbsp;that had protected it from prosecution for more than three years, the Justice Department said Sunday night.Federal prosecutors gave Boeing&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boeing-criminal-charges-plea-deal-861175435e04039112fde0ac6bdbf75a">the choice</a>&nbsp;last week of entering a guilty plea and paying a fine as part of its sentence or facing a trial on the felony criminal charge of conspiracy to defraud the United States.Prosecutors accused the American aerospace giant of deceiving regulators who approved the airplane and pilot-training requirements for it.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun apologizes to families in the audience of Boeing&#39;s Lion Air Flight 610 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 crash victims. <a href="https://t.co/2PJphR051S">pic.twitter.com/2PJphR051S</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1803140939575161269?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 18, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boeing-crash-plea-deal-fraud-d0531d9e9858689bf0d572584dc36b83">plea deal</a>, which still must receive the approval of a federal judge to take effect, calls for Boeing to pay an additional $243.6 million fine. That was the same amount it paid under the 2021 settlement that the Justice Department said&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boeing-justice-department-737-max-82145b25ed988cd8cae0bce3de79ce9d">the company breached</a>. An independent monitor would be named to oversee Boeing's safety and quality procedures for three years. The deal also requires Boeing to invest at least $455 million in its compliance and safety programs.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/6/1718741575107.png" alt="Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun during testimony before a Senate Committee in June" />
 <figcaption>Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun during testimony before a Senate Committee in June</figcaption>
 </figure>The plea deal covers only wrongdoing by Boeing before the crashes, which killed all 346 passengers and crew members aboard two new Max jets. It does not give Boeing immunity for other incidents, including a panel that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boeing-max-emergency-landing-alaska-airlines-79bc1ea98ee7fbc6edf46aff9319775b">blew off</a>&nbsp;a Max jetliner during an Alaska Airlines flight in January, a Justice Department official said.The deal also does not cover any current or former Boeing officials, only the corporation. In a statement, Boeing confirmed it had reached the deal with the Justice Department but had no further comment.In a court filing Sunday night, the Justice Department said it expected to file the written plea agreement with the court by July 19. Lawyers for some of the relatives of those who died in the two crashes have said they will ask the judge to reject the agreement.“This sweetheart deal fails to recognize that because of Boeing’s conspiracy, 346 people died. Through crafty lawyering between Boeing and DOJ, the deadly consequences of Boeing’s crime are being hidden,” said Paul Cassell, a lawyer for some of the families.Federal prosecutors alleged Boeing committed conspiracy to defraud the government by misleading regulators about a flight-control system that was implicated in the crashes, which took place&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/7c145dc3564045cea21cd387afebe5be">in Indonesia</a>&nbsp;in October 2018 and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/1108708781ba46808a16843bda8cc079">in Ethiopia</a>&nbsp;less five months later.As part of the January 2021 settlement, the Justice Department said it&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-us-department-of-justice-texas-business-fraud-57db69f33fda9f62785e1fe5d3b2f538">would not prosecute</a>&nbsp;Boeing on the charge if the company complied with certain conditions for three years. Prosecutors last month alleged Boeing had breached the terms of that agreement.The company’s guilty plea will be entered in U.S. District Court in Texas. The judge overseeing the case, who has criticized what he called&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/accidents-fort-worth-business-fraud-6c6e5e7de01c9b0b6f74db8057431627">“Boeing’s egregious criminal conduct,”</a>&nbsp;could accept the plea and the sentence that prosecutors offered with it or he could reject the agreement, likely leading to new negotiations between the Justice Department and Boeing.The case goes back to the crashes in Indonesia and in Ethiopia. The Lion Air pilots in the first crash did not know about flight-control software that could push the nose of the plane down without their input. The pilots for Ethiopian Airlines knew about it but were unable to control the plane when the software activated based on information from a faulty sensor.The Justice Department charged Boeing in 2021 with deceiving FAA regulators about the software, which did not exist in older 737s, and about how much training pilots would need to fly the plane safely. The department agreed not to prosecute Boeing at the time, however, if the company paid a $2.5 billion settlement, including the $243.6 million fine, and took steps to comply with anti-fraud laws for three years.Boeing, which blamed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-texas-fort-worth-federal-aviation-administration-boeing-co-db0e14a239e43406d34d7dde99022089">two low-level employees</a>&nbsp;for misleading the regulators, tried to put the crashes behind it. After grounding Max jets for 20 months, regulators let them fly again after the Boeing reduced the power of the flight software. Max jets logged thousands of safe flights and orders from airlines picked up, increasing to about 750 in 2021, about 700 more in 2022 and nearly 1,000 in 2023.The company based in Arlington, Virginia, has dozens of airline customers spanning the globe. The best customers for the 737 Max include Southwest, United, American, Alaska, Ryanair and flydubai.That changed in January, when a panel covering an unused emergency exit&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boeing-max-emergency-landing-alaska-airlines-79bc1ea98ee7fbc6edf46aff9319775b">blew off</a>&nbsp;a Max during the Alaska Airlines flight over Oregon.Pilots landed the 737 Max safely and no one was seriously injured, but the incident led to closer scrutiny of the company. The Justice Department opened a new investigation, the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boeing-fbi-investigation-crime-lawsuit-oregon-a4ffddc43f2000dd9d9466a335df6a93">FBI told passengers</a>&nbsp;on the Alaska plane that they might be victims of a crime and the FAA said it was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boeing-investigation-faa-panel-blowout-monitoring-06b098e57a8c65bdb0ba377f99290d32">stepping up oversight</a>&nbsp;of Boeing.A criminal conviction could jeopardize Boeing’s status as a federal contractor, according to some legal experts. The plea announced Sunday does not address that question, leaving it to each government agency whether to bar Boeing.The Air Force cited “compelling national interest” in letting Boeing continue competing for contracts after the company paid a $615 million fine in 2006 to settle criminal and civil charges, including that it used information stolen from a rival to win a space-launch contract.The company has 170,000 employees and 37% of its revenue last year came from U.S. government contracts. Most of it was defense work, including military sales that Washington arranged for other countries.Boeing also makes a capsule for NASA. Two astronauts will remain at the International Space Station longer than expected while Boeing and NASA engineers troubleshoot&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boeing-starliner-nasa-astronauts-space-station-2fe81a09bcd77563dadae2f86d4275fe">problems with the propulsion system</a>&nbsp;used to maneuver the capsule.Even some Boeing critics have worried about crippling a key defense contractor.“We want Boeing to succeed,” Richard Blumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat, said during a Senate hearing last month on what he termed the company’s broken safety culture. “Boeing needs to succeed for the sake of the jobs it provides, for the sake of local economies it supports, for the sake of the American traveling public, for the sake of our military.”Relatives of the Max crash victims have pushed for a criminal trial that might illuminate what people inside Boeing knew about deceiving the FAA. They also want the Justice Department to prosecute top Boeing officials, not just the company.“Boeing has paid fines many a time, and it doesn’t seem to make any change,” said Ike Riffel of Redding, California,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boeing-plane-crashes-737-max-justice-department-da2977c487811e873be2d118b3c5e529">whose sons</a>&nbsp;Melvin and Bennett died in the Ethiopian Airlines crash. “When people start going to prison, that’s when you are going to see a change.”At a recent&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boeing-ceo-calhoun-safety-senate-investigations-de6a273e5ad69764f4e666cc4afda2c1">Senate hearing</a>, Boeing CEO David Calhoun defended the company’s safety record after turning and apologizing to Max crash victims’ relatives seated in the rows behind him “for the grief that we have caused.”Hours before the hearing, the Senate investigations subcommittee released a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.hsgac.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024.06.17-PSI-Majority-Staff-Memorandum.pdf">204-page report</a>&nbsp;with new allegations from a whistleblower who said he worried that defective parts could be going into&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boeing-max-jet-incident-crashes-f73fb7b9eaff7f6549c88e958f7b8b38">737s</a>. The whistleblower was the latest in a string of current and former&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boeing-whistleblower-death-apparent-suicide-south-carolina-f7c8b8a614b069942a5f2e4773b99487">Boeing employees</a>&nbsp;who have raised safety concerns about the company and claimed they faced retaliation as a result.___

Boeing to plead guilty to criminal fraud charges over Max crashes

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. will remove all its forces and equipment from a small base in Niger this weekend and fewer than 500 remaining troops will leave a critical drone base in the West African country in August, ahead of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-niger-military-base-withdrawal-sahel-russia-92af307c383c0d23e89d6e6f93ddd7da">a Sept. 15 deadline</a>&nbsp;set in an agreement with the new ruling junta, the American commander there said Friday.

Air Force Maj. Gen. Kenneth Ekman said in an interview that a number of small teams of 10-20 U.S. troops, including special operations forces, have moved to other countries in West Africa. But the bulk of the forces will go to Europe, at least initially.

Niger's ouster of American troops&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/niger-tensions-presidential-guard-96f8f63b838af5467d4c95ba7b998b32">following a coup last year</a>&nbsp;has broad ramifications for the U.S. because it is forcing troops to abandon the critical drone base that was used for counterterrorism missions in the Sahel, a vast region south of the Sahara desert where groups linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group operate.

Ekman and other&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-africa-niger-chad-defense-brown-05cb62aff7faa0318f2e39290f708666">U.S. military leaders have said</a>&nbsp;other West African nations want to work with the U.S. and may be open to an expanded American presence. He did not detail the locations, but other U.S. officials have pointed to the Ivory Coast and Ghana as examples.

Ekman, who serves as the director for strategy at U.S. Africa Command, is leading&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-africa-niger-chad-defense-brown-05cb62aff7faa0318f2e39290f708666">the U.S. military withdrawal</a>&nbsp;from the small base at the airport in Niger's capital of Niamey and from the larger counterterrorism base in the city of Agadez. He said there will be a ceremony Sunday marking the completed pullout from the airport base, then the final 100 troops and the last C-17 transport aircraft will depart.

Under the junta agreement, two-thirds of U.S. troops and equipment must be out of the country by July 26, Ekman said. That deadline, which forced the Pentagon to move quickly, is a key reason why U.S. Africa Command will complete its withdrawal of all 1,000 troops from Niger early.

But it also leaves a counterterrorism gap that U.S. officials are struggling to fill as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/africa-niger-alqaida-islamic-state-26d23d581507515e96ff15bfdc96a60b">security threats from extremist groups in the Sahel grow</a>.

One of those groups, Jama’a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin, known as JNIM, is active in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger and is looking to expand into Benin and Togo. Those expansion locations could be used initially as hubs to rest, recuperate, get financing and gather weapons, according to U.S. officials, but the group also has increased attacks there.

“Niger was immensely helpful for us as a location because it was in the Sahel and it was adjacent to those areas where the threat is most concentrated,” Ekman said. Now, he said, the challenge is battling the insurgency while having to get access from outside Niger, which makes it more difficult.

He said other coastal West African nations are concerned about the Sahel-based threats and want to talk about how they can partner with American forces. Ekman added that the small teams of U.S. troops moving to other West African nations are not combat forces but advisers, as well as special operations, personnel recovery and intelligence and surveillance forces.

Talks with other nations continue, and Ekman said some may be interested but not ready to allow in more U.S. troops. One example, he said, is Togo, which is southwest of Niger on the coast.

“In Togo, what I find is a partner that is friendly to the U.S. but that right now is unresolved on the degree they want the presence of any additional U.S. military personnel there,” he said. “My assessment was, ‘Not yet.'”

Speaking to reporters from The Associated Press and Reuters from the U.S. embassy in Niamey, Ekman said that while portable buildings and vehicles that are no longer useful will be left behind when U.S. troops leave Niger, a lot of larger equipment will be pulled out. For example, he said 18 4,000-pound (1,800-kilograms) generators worth more than $1 million each will be taken out of Agadez.

Unlike the withdrawal from Afghanistan, he said the U.S. is not destroying equipment or facilities as it leaves.

“Our goal in the execution is, leave things in as good a state as possible,” he said. “If we went out and left it a wreck or we went out spitefully, or if we destroyed things as we went, we’d be foreclosing options” for future security relations.

Niger’s ruling junta ordered U.S. forces out of the country in the wake of last July’s ouster of the country’s democratically elected president by mutinous soldiers.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/france-niger-coup-military-withdrawal-bfa3afe3fdfa034dabe3dce265540411">French forces had also been asked to leave</a>&nbsp;as the junta turned to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/wagner-russia-coup-niger-military-force-e0e1108b58a9e955af465a3efe6605c0">the Russian mercenary group Wagner</a>&nbsp;for security assistance.

Washington officially designated the military takeover as a coup in October, triggering U.S. laws restricting the military support and aid.

Ekman said he has been told that there are fewer than 100 Russian troops at the base near in Niamey and that once they are done training Niger troops, they will also leave the country.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1720210727266.png" alt="Maj. Gen. Kenneth P. Ekman speaks in front of a "Welcome to Niamey" sign depicting U.S. military vehicles at Air Base 101 in Niger, May 30, 2024. As the Director of Strategy, Engagement and Programs for U.S. Africa Command, Ekman is coordinating the smooth transition of forces and gear out of Niger. This operation reflects the commitment to a safe, orderly, and responsible transition. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Christopher Dyer)" />
 <figcaption>Maj. Gen. Kenneth P. Ekman speaks in front of a "Welcome to Niamey" sign depicting U.S. military vehicles at Air Base 101 in Niger, May 30, 2024. As the Director of Strategy, Engagement and Programs for U.S. Africa Command, Ekman is coordinating the smooth transition of forces and gear out of Niger. This operation reflects the commitment to a safe, orderly, and responsible transition. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Christopher Dyer)</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. will remove all its forces and equipment from a small base in Niger this weekend and fewer than 500 remaining troops will leave a critical drone base in the West African country in August, ahead of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-niger-military-base-withdrawal-sahel-russia-92af307c383c0d23e89d6e6f93ddd7da">a Sept. 15 deadline</a>&nbsp;set in an agreement with the new ruling junta, the American commander there said Friday.Air Force Maj. Gen. Kenneth Ekman said in an interview that a number of small teams of 10-20 U.S. troops, including special operations forces, have moved to other countries in West Africa. But the bulk of the forces will go to Europe, at least initially.Niger's ouster of American troops&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/niger-tensions-presidential-guard-96f8f63b838af5467d4c95ba7b998b32">following a coup last year</a>&nbsp;has broad ramifications for the U.S. because it is forcing troops to abandon the critical drone base that was used for counterterrorism missions in the Sahel, a vast region south of the Sahara desert where groups linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group operate.Ekman and other&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-africa-niger-chad-defense-brown-05cb62aff7faa0318f2e39290f708666">U.S. military leaders have said</a>&nbsp;other West African nations want to work with the U.S. and may be open to an expanded American presence. He did not detail the locations, but other U.S. officials have pointed to the Ivory Coast and Ghana as examples.Ekman, who serves as the director for strategy at U.S. Africa Command, is leading&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-africa-niger-chad-defense-brown-05cb62aff7faa0318f2e39290f708666">the U.S. military withdrawal</a>&nbsp;from the small base at the airport in Niger's capital of Niamey and from the larger counterterrorism base in the city of Agadez. He said there will be a ceremony Sunday marking the completed pullout from the airport base, then the final 100 troops and the last C-17 transport aircraft will depart.Under the junta agreement, two-thirds of U.S. troops and equipment must be out of the country by July 26, Ekman said. That deadline, which forced the Pentagon to move quickly, is a key reason why U.S. Africa Command will complete its withdrawal of all 1,000 troops from Niger early.But it also leaves a counterterrorism gap that U.S. officials are struggling to fill as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/africa-niger-alqaida-islamic-state-26d23d581507515e96ff15bfdc96a60b">security threats from extremist groups in the Sahel grow</a>.One of those groups, Jama’a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin, known as JNIM, is active in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger and is looking to expand into Benin and Togo. Those expansion locations could be used initially as hubs to rest, recuperate, get financing and gather weapons, according to U.S. officials, but the group also has increased attacks there.“Niger was immensely helpful for us as a location because it was in the Sahel and it was adjacent to those areas where the threat is most concentrated,” Ekman said. Now, he said, the challenge is battling the insurgency while having to get access from outside Niger, which makes it more difficult.He said other coastal West African nations are concerned about the Sahel-based threats and want to talk about how they can partner with American forces. Ekman added that the small teams of U.S. troops moving to other West African nations are not combat forces but advisers, as well as special operations, personnel recovery and intelligence and surveillance forces.Talks with other nations continue, and Ekman said some may be interested but not ready to allow in more U.S. troops. One example, he said, is Togo, which is southwest of Niger on the coast.“In Togo, what I find is a partner that is friendly to the U.S. but that right now is unresolved on the degree they want the presence of any additional U.S. military personnel there,” he said. “My assessment was, ‘Not yet.'”Speaking to reporters from The Associated Press and Reuters from the U.S. embassy in Niamey, Ekman said that while portable buildings and vehicles that are no longer useful will be left behind when U.S. troops leave Niger, a lot of larger equipment will be pulled out. For example, he said 18 4,000-pound (1,800-kilograms) generators worth more than $1 million each will be taken out of Agadez.Unlike the withdrawal from Afghanistan, he said the U.S. is not destroying equipment or facilities as it leaves.“Our goal in the execution is, leave things in as good a state as possible,” he said. “If we went out and left it a wreck or we went out spitefully, or if we destroyed things as we went, we’d be foreclosing options” for future security relations.Niger’s ruling junta ordered U.S. forces out of the country in the wake of last July’s ouster of the country’s democratically elected president by mutinous soldiers.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/france-niger-coup-military-withdrawal-bfa3afe3fdfa034dabe3dce265540411">French forces had also been asked to leave</a>&nbsp;as the junta turned to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/wagner-russia-coup-niger-military-force-e0e1108b58a9e955af465a3efe6605c0">the Russian mercenary group Wagner</a>&nbsp;for security assistance.Washington officially designated the military takeover as a coup in October, triggering U.S. laws restricting the military support and aid.Ekman said he has been told that there are fewer than 100 Russian troops at the base near in Niamey and that once they are done training Niger troops, they will also leave the country.

US removing troops from bases in West African nation after coup

Frank Gabe Terry, 61, passed away July 2, 2024 at Country Living in Larned.

He was born October 6, 1962 in Larned, the son of Ralph and Tanya Simmons Terry.

A Larned resident since 2018, coming from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, he was in the oil and gas business. He was of the Catholic faith. &nbsp;Gabe served in the United States Army and was part of bowling league in Great Bend.

Survivors include: his mother, Tanya Terry, Larned; and brother, Raif Terry, Larned.

He was preceded in death by his father, Ralph Terry.

Cremation has taken place and a private graveside service will be at a later date. Inurnment will be in the Larned Cemetery.

Memorials may be given to Gentiva Hospice in care of Beckwith Mortuary, PO Box 477, Larned, Kansas 67550. Personal condolences may be left at www.beckwithmortuary.com.

Frank Gabe Terry, 61, passed away July 2, 2024 at Country Living in Larned.He was born October 6, 1962 in Larned, the son of Ralph and Tanya Simmons Terry.A Larned resident since 2018, coming from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, he was in the oil and gas business. He was of the Catholic faith. &nbsp;Gabe served in the United States Army and was part of bowling league in Great Bend.Survivors include: his mother, Tanya Terry, Larned; and brother, Raif Terry, Larned.He was preceded in death by his father, Ralph Terry.Cremation has taken place and a private graveside service will be at a later date. Inurnment will be in the Larned Cemetery.Memorials may be given to Gentiva Hospice in care of Beckwith Mortuary, PO Box 477, Larned, Kansas 67550. Personal condolences may be left at www.beckwithmortuary.com.

Frank Gabe Terry

<a>Donna Sue (Schoenthaler) Scheele passed away June 30, 2024 at Good Shepherd Hospice house in Manhattan, KS at the age of 56.&nbsp; She was born October 17, 1967 in Hays, KS to Oscar &amp; JoAnn Schoenthaler.&nbsp; She was raised on the family farm and graduated salutatorian from Ellis High School in 1986. She then attended Kansas State University and graduated in 1990.&nbsp; She was united in marriage to Steve Scheele on May 19, 1990 at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Ellis.&nbsp; Their marriage bore 3 children and they were later divorced.</a>

Donna spent 25 years working at United Bank &amp; Trust. She held multiple positions and was vital to the day to day operations. She finished her career as Community Bank President of the Manhattan branch. She was also elected President of the Downtown Manhattan Inc. Board of Directors and loved contributing to her community.

She was a lover of nature and the outdoors. An avid bird watcher, she spent many weekend mornings scouting out the birds on her back porch. She enjoyed hiking the Konza prairie and other trails of Kansas. She and her family and friends took many trips to Colorado to explore the mountains. She was also an avid kayaker.

When she wasn’t outdoors, Donna could be found helping her family and friends in any way she could, especially if the task called for something creative. She could always be counted on for planning a birthday party or decorating a cake, sewing a Halloween costume from scratch, or building swing sets and loft beds. She had a special love of spending time with her three granddaughters and shared many of her creative talents with them whenever they were visiting.

She is survived by her children Damen (Erica) Scheele and Jensen (Jason) Scheele-Foster; grandchildren Aubree, Lily, and Riley; mother JoAnn Schoenthaler; siblings Doug (Donna) Schoenthaler, Arthur (Sandy) Schoenthaler, Mary Jo (John) Walz, and Peggy (Troy) Rupp as well as many nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by father Oscar, brothers James &amp; Mark, and infant son Tyler.

The family will greet friends during a visitation from 6:00 until 8:0p.m. Friday July 5, 2024 at the Yorgensen-Meloan-Londeen Funeral Home in Manhattan.

Funeral Services will be at 10:00a.m. Saturday July 6, 2024 at the Westview Community Church in Manhattan.&nbsp; Graveside services will be at 4:00p.m. Saturday at the Mount Hope Cemetery in Ellis, Kansas.

Memorials may be directed to Yorgensen-Meloan-Londeen Funeral Home, 1616 Poyntz Avenue, Manhattan, Kansas, for benefit of Friends of Konza Prairie and Downtown Manhattan Inc.

Online condolences may be left for the family through the funeral home website at&nbsp;<a href="http://www.ymlfuneralhome.com/">www.ymlfuneralhome.com</a>

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1720212613311.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure><a>Donna Sue (Schoenthaler) Scheele passed away June 30, 2024 at Good Shepherd Hospice house in Manhattan, KS at the age of 56.&nbsp; She was born October 17, 1967 in Hays, KS to Oscar &amp; JoAnn Schoenthaler.&nbsp; She was raised on the family farm and graduated salutatorian from Ellis High School in 1986. She then attended Kansas State University and graduated in 1990.&nbsp; She was united in marriage to Steve Scheele on May 19, 1990 at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Ellis.&nbsp; Their marriage bore 3 children and they were later divorced.</a>Donna spent 25 years working at United Bank &amp; Trust. She held multiple positions and was vital to the day to day operations. She finished her career as Community Bank President of the Manhattan branch. She was also elected President of the Downtown Manhattan Inc. Board of Directors and loved contributing to her community.She was a lover of nature and the outdoors. An avid bird watcher, she spent many weekend mornings scouting out the birds on her back porch. She enjoyed hiking the Konza prairie and other trails of Kansas. She and her family and friends took many trips to Colorado to explore the mountains. She was also an avid kayaker.When she wasn’t outdoors, Donna could be found helping her family and friends in any way she could, especially if the task called for something creative. She could always be counted on for planning a birthday party or decorating a cake, sewing a Halloween costume from scratch, or building swing sets and loft beds. She had a special love of spending time with her three granddaughters and shared many of her creative talents with them whenever they were visiting.She is survived by her children Damen (Erica) Scheele and Jensen (Jason) Scheele-Foster; grandchildren Aubree, Lily, and Riley; mother JoAnn Schoenthaler; siblings Doug (Donna) Schoenthaler, Arthur (Sandy) Schoenthaler, Mary Jo (John) Walz, and Peggy (Troy) Rupp as well as many nieces and nephews.She was preceded in death by father Oscar, brothers James &amp; Mark, and infant son Tyler.The family will greet friends during a visitation from 6:00 until 8:0p.m. Friday July 5, 2024 at the Yorgensen-Meloan-Londeen Funeral Home in Manhattan.Funeral Services will be at 10:00a.m. Saturday July 6, 2024 at the Westview Community Church in Manhattan.&nbsp; Graveside services will be at 4:00p.m. Saturday at the Mount Hope Cemetery in Ellis, Kansas.Memorials may be directed to Yorgensen-Meloan-Londeen Funeral Home, 1616 Poyntz Avenue, Manhattan, Kansas, for benefit of Friends of Konza Prairie and Downtown Manhattan Inc.Online condolences may be left for the family through the funeral home website at&nbsp;<a href="http://www.ymlfuneralhome.com/">www.ymlfuneralhome.com</a>

Donna Sue (Schoenthaler) Scheele 

Interview with Bonita Oliva Written by Robin Hardman

October 12, 2024 marks the date for the Inaugural Nicodemus Township History Trail Bike Tour and Bonita Oliva who lives in Rural Woodson is looking forward to this debut event. Bonita became aware of the event when her long-time friend, Angela Bates, started picking her brain, trying to learn from a biker's perspective what makes a good bike ride.&nbsp; Bonita has ridden thousands of miles in the United States and other countries so she knows a thing or two about biking.

Bonita became interested in riding while watching participants in the 2000 Bike Across Kansas (BAK).&nbsp; She was immediately hooked and began her riding career at almost 60 years of age.&nbsp; She met a group of ladies who were also riding BAK and they quickly became known as the "60s Chicks”!&nbsp; 

Bonita experienced a near fatal bicycle crash that would have deterred most people from getting back on the “saddle".&nbsp; In her first BAK 2001, Bonita "clipped" the rear tire of another rider while “drafting" or following closely.&nbsp; This contact sent her into oncoming vehicle traffic and Bonita was airlifted to Wichita with multiple fractures and internal injuries.Bonita has completed BAK many times.&nbsp; She has also traveled the Eastern United States touring the Florida Keys, Erie Canal and she says the best ride was touring the Finger Lakes.&nbsp; Her longest ride was from Santa Fe, New Mexico to New Franklin Missouri which included 1,050 miles of the Santa Fe Trail.

Along with U. S. tours Bonita has traveled and ridden in Buenos Aires, over some of the Andes, Patagonia, Chili, Chiloe Island which is the second largest island in South America and where she felt her first earthquake.&nbsp; She’s also biked in Cuba.

Located in the Nicodemus Township Sign No. 3 at the Historic Baseball Diamond when asked what attracted Bonita to this ride, she had an endless supply of reasons with her Masters Degree and education in History.&nbsp; In the spirit of many natives, she considers Kansas to be a truly beautiful part of the country. The fact that the majority of the ride will be on dirt roads is appealing because it reduces traffic and allows the rider to enjoy the countryside and our abundant supply of hawks!

This ride in particular; however offers more than just scenery.&nbsp; It was carefully constructed to showcase the many historical markers explaining the history of Nicodemus and its founders.&nbsp; As a historical site, Nicodemus has a very unique history and Bonita knows that many descendants of the original settlers consider this area sacred as evidenced by the number who return for the annual Nicodemus Homecoming Emancipation Celebration (NHEC), which happens to be the last weekend of this month, July 25 - 28, 2024.

While Ms. Oliva says she's slowing down (at a mere 81 years old) she could have fooled me.&nbsp;&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1720212473368.png" alt=" Bonita was interviewed in the Nicodemus Township by Sign #3 and is reading about the Historic Blues Baseball Diamond." />
 <figcaption> Bonita was interviewed in the Nicodemus Township by Sign #3 and is reading about the Historic Blues Baseball Diamond.</figcaption>
 </figure>Interview with Bonita Oliva Written by Robin Hardman October 12, 2024 marks the date for the Inaugural Nicodemus Township History Trail Bike Tour and Bonita Oliva who lives in Rural Woodson is looking forward to this debut event. Bonita became aware of the event when her long-time friend, Angela Bates, started picking her brain, trying to learn from a biker's perspective what makes a good bike ride.&nbsp; Bonita has ridden thousands of miles in the United States and other countries so she knows a thing or two about biking.Bonita became interested in riding while watching participants in the 2000 Bike Across Kansas (BAK).&nbsp; She was immediately hooked and began her riding career at almost 60 years of age.&nbsp; She met a group of ladies who were also riding BAK and they quickly became known as the "60s Chicks”!&nbsp; Bonita experienced a near fatal bicycle crash that would have deterred most people from getting back on the “saddle".&nbsp; In her first BAK 2001, Bonita "clipped" the rear tire of another rider while “drafting" or following closely.&nbsp; This contact sent her into oncoming vehicle traffic and Bonita was airlifted to Wichita with multiple fractures and internal injuries.Bonita has completed BAK many times.&nbsp; She has also traveled the Eastern United States touring the Florida Keys, Erie Canal and she says the best ride was touring the Finger Lakes.&nbsp; Her longest ride was from Santa Fe, New Mexico to New Franklin Missouri which included 1,050 miles of the Santa Fe Trail.Along with U. S. tours Bonita has traveled and ridden in Buenos Aires, over some of the Andes, Patagonia, Chili, Chiloe Island which is the second largest island in South America and where she felt her first earthquake.&nbsp; She’s also biked in Cuba.Located in the Nicodemus Township Sign No. 3 at the Historic Baseball Diamond when asked what attracted Bonita to this ride, she had an endless supply of reasons with her Masters Degree and education in History.&nbsp; In the spirit of many natives, she considers Kansas to be a truly beautiful part of the country. The fact that the majority of the ride will be on dirt roads is appealing because it reduces traffic and allows the rider to enjoy the countryside and our abundant supply of hawks!This ride in particular; however offers more than just scenery.&nbsp; It was carefully constructed to showcase the many historical markers explaining the history of Nicodemus and its founders.&nbsp; As a historical site, Nicodemus has a very unique history and Bonita knows that many descendants of the original settlers consider this area sacred as evidenced by the number who return for the annual Nicodemus Homecoming Emancipation Celebration (NHEC), which happens to be the last weekend of this month, July 25 - 28, 2024.While Ms. Oliva says she's slowing down (at a mere 81 years old) she could have fooled me.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Nicodemus Township History Trail Bike Tour Interview Series

The merger between the Missouri community hospital and Kansas academic health center was met with resistance by some state lawmakers

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/allison-kite/">ALLISON KITE</a>&nbsp;-&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a>

Despite resistance from lawmakers in both Kansas and Missouri, Liberty Hospital has officially joined the University of Kansas Health System, executives announced Monday.

Leaders of the health system announced the completion of the merger Monday in a short video Monday alongside the CEO of Liberty Hospital, located in the Kansas City suburbs north of the Missouri River.

Liberty’s leadership began looking in May 2023 to partner with another health system to help the hospital meet growing demand. It announced in October that it had chosen the University of Kansas.&nbsp;

Raghu Adiga — who served as Liberty Hospital’s CEO and now is CEO of the Liberty market for KU —&nbsp;said the hospital’s board of trustees evaluated more than 30 potential partners. He said he’s “more than convinced” merging with the Kansas hospital system was the right decision.

“We share a commitment to putting patients first,” Adiga said. “We prioritize our people and believe in providing high quality care close to home. To have a strong community, we need to have strong healthcare. We believe this relationship not only strengthens Liberty Hospital, but the Liberty community and the entire Northland.”&nbsp;

Tammy Peterman, president of KU Health’s Kansas City Division, said about 35% of the health system’s patients currently come from Missouri, and KU already has clinics in the state.&nbsp;

“We knew eventually we would need a way to care for more patients in Missouri and the Northland to keep care close to home,” Peterman said. “…So today is a big milestone for us as well: our very first hospital in Missouri.”&nbsp;

Health system leaders did not take questions from journalists following the press conference. Asked about the terms of the deal, a spokeswoman for KU said in an email that the health system’s leaders are “celebrating the next couple of days” and were not available to comment.

KU and Liberty’s merger was met with disdain from some lawmakers in both Kansas and Missouri. Former-Missouri Sen. Greg Razer, a Kansas City Democrat, pushed&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/02/12/missouri-lawmakers-debate-blocking-university-of-kansas-deal-with-liberty-hospital/">legislation earlier this year to block the deal</a>, calling it “mind boggling” and saying the&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/12/11/university-of-kansas-deal-with-missouri-hospital-feels-terribly-wrong-to-lawmakers/" target="_blank">idea of a Kansas health system owning a Missouri hospital felt</a>&nbsp;“terribly wrong.”&nbsp;

But supporters of the deal argued Liberty needed a larger hospital partner to be able to grow and make investments in its facilities. A Liberty board member told lawmakers this spring that if the hospital didn’t merge with KU, it could be purchased by a for-profit chain and stop offering some of its services, becoming “little bit more than a triage center.”&nbsp;

Bob Page, president and CEO of the University of Kansas Health System, said it’s “incredibly difficult in health care today to remain a completely independent hospital” like Liberty.

“They found a new path forward to ensure they could continue to deliver high quality care in the Northland for generations to come,” Page said. “By becoming part of this health system, they will be able to offer some of the most advanced treatments and expertise anywhere in the country.”

Razer’s legislation made it out of a Senate committee but never received a floor vote.&nbsp;

Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey also opposed the merger, writing in a letter to Senate leadership in January that the deal was illegal unless the Missouri General Assembly signed off on it. An attorney for Liberty said, however, that the deal was structured to comply with state laws.&nbsp;

Kansas Senate President Ty Masterson, a Republican from Andover, expressed frustration about the merger in a committee meeting in November, saying struggling hospitals in Kansas could have benefitted from a partnership with KU.

And Kansas Sen. J.R. Claeys, a Salina Republican, filed legislation that would have required KU get permission from the Kansas Legislature before entering a deal that involves acquiring, building, repairing or improving property outside of Kansas. The bill never got a hearing.

In the meantime, the systems were working toward a finalized deal that is expected to include investment in Liberty’s facilities.&nbsp;

Peterman said over the coming months, KU leadership will learn more about how Liberty operates and how it can be best integrated into the health system.&nbsp;

“This includes everything from inpatient and ambulatory care to supply chain and branding,” she said. “Ultimately, we want to ensure we are one health system offering a seamless and consistent patient experience.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1719948777383.png" alt="The University of Kansas Health System, which has its primary location in Kansas City, Kansas, has entered a partnership Liberty Hospital in Missouri. News of the deal last fall sparked discontent among some state lawmakers. (Allison Kite/Missouri Independent)" />
 <figcaption>The University of Kansas Health System, which has its primary location in Kansas City, Kansas, has entered a partnership Liberty Hospital in Missouri. News of the deal last fall sparked discontent among some state lawmakers. (Allison Kite/Missouri Independent)</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>The merger between the Missouri community hospital and Kansas academic health center was met with resistance by some state lawmakers</h2>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/allison-kite/">ALLISON KITE</a>&nbsp;-&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a>Despite resistance from lawmakers in both Kansas and Missouri, Liberty Hospital has officially joined the University of Kansas Health System, executives announced Monday.Leaders of the health system announced the completion of the merger Monday in a short video Monday alongside the CEO of Liberty Hospital, located in the Kansas City suburbs north of the Missouri River.Liberty’s leadership began looking in May 2023 to partner with another health system to help the hospital meet growing demand. It announced in October that it had chosen the University of Kansas.&nbsp;Raghu Adiga — who served as Liberty Hospital’s CEO and now is CEO of the Liberty market for KU —&nbsp;said the hospital’s board of trustees evaluated more than 30 potential partners. He said he’s “more than convinced” merging with the Kansas hospital system was the right decision.“We share a commitment to putting patients first,” Adiga said. “We prioritize our people and believe in providing high quality care close to home. To have a strong community, we need to have strong healthcare. We believe this relationship not only strengthens Liberty Hospital, but the Liberty community and the entire Northland.”&nbsp;Tammy Peterman, president of KU Health’s Kansas City Division, said about 35% of the health system’s patients currently come from Missouri, and KU already has clinics in the state.&nbsp;“We knew eventually we would need a way to care for more patients in Missouri and the Northland to keep care close to home,” Peterman said. “…So today is a big milestone for us as well: our very first hospital in Missouri.”&nbsp;Health system leaders did not take questions from journalists following the press conference. Asked about the terms of the deal, a spokeswoman for KU said in an email that the health system’s leaders are “celebrating the next couple of days” and were not available to comment.KU and Liberty’s merger was met with disdain from some lawmakers in both Kansas and Missouri. Former-Missouri Sen. Greg Razer, a Kansas City Democrat, pushed&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/02/12/missouri-lawmakers-debate-blocking-university-of-kansas-deal-with-liberty-hospital/">legislation earlier this year to block the deal</a>, calling it “mind boggling” and saying the&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/12/11/university-of-kansas-deal-with-missouri-hospital-feels-terribly-wrong-to-lawmakers/" target="_blank">idea of a Kansas health system owning a Missouri hospital felt</a>&nbsp;“terribly wrong.”&nbsp;But supporters of the deal argued Liberty needed a larger hospital partner to be able to grow and make investments in its facilities. A Liberty board member told lawmakers this spring that if the hospital didn’t merge with KU, it could be purchased by a for-profit chain and stop offering some of its services, becoming “little bit more than a triage center.”&nbsp;Bob Page, president and CEO of the University of Kansas Health System, said it’s “incredibly difficult in health care today to remain a completely independent hospital” like Liberty.“They found a new path forward to ensure they could continue to deliver high quality care in the Northland for generations to come,” Page said. “By becoming part of this health system, they will be able to offer some of the most advanced treatments and expertise anywhere in the country.”Razer’s legislation made it out of a Senate committee but never received a floor vote.&nbsp;Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey also opposed the merger, writing in a letter to Senate leadership in January that the deal was illegal unless the Missouri General Assembly signed off on it. An attorney for Liberty said, however, that the deal was structured to comply with state laws.&nbsp;Kansas Senate President Ty Masterson, a Republican from Andover, expressed frustration about the merger in a committee meeting in November, saying struggling hospitals in Kansas could have benefitted from a partnership with KU.And Kansas Sen. J.R. Claeys, a Salina Republican, filed legislation that would have required KU get permission from the Kansas Legislature before entering a deal that involves acquiring, building, repairing or improving property outside of Kansas. The bill never got a hearing.In the meantime, the systems were working toward a finalized deal that is expected to include investment in Liberty’s facilities.&nbsp;Peterman said over the coming months, KU leadership will learn more about how Liberty operates and how it can be best integrated into the health system.&nbsp;“This includes everything from inpatient and ambulatory care to supply chain and branding,” she said. “Ultimately, we want to ensure we are one health system offering a seamless and consistent patient experience.”

Liberty Hospital joins University of Kansas Health System

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas businessman has pleaded guilty to illegally exporting sensitive aviation technology to Russian companies in violation of U.S. sanctions.

Douglas Edward Robertson, who lives in the Kansas City suburb of Olathe, was the second Kansas business executive to plead guilty to charges after being accused of smuggling, money laundering, violating U.S. export regulations, submitting false or misleading information to export regulators and conspiring to commit crimes against the U.S., all for profit.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-technology-crime-kansas-fa4fa00c9178f57783ffcf32e373867e">Their arrests</a>&nbsp;and the arrest of a Latvian associate in March 2023 came as the U.S. ramped up&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-us-department-of-the-treasury-government-janet-yellen-business-f85483ad976990a056c9bfc6b504a07d">sanctions and financial penalties on Russia</a>&nbsp;over its February 2022&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine">invasion of Ukraine</a>.

Robertson, 56, entered his plea Tuesday before U.S. District Judge Daniel Crabtree in Kansas City. The judge set his sentencing for Oct. 3. Robertson pleaded guilty to four of the 26 counts against him and could face up to 20 years in prison for either the money laundering or export violations convictions.

According to prosecutors, starting in October 2020, the defendants sought to sell electronics that included threat detection systems and flight, navigation and communications controls, to two Russian aircraft parts distributors, a Russian aircraft repair firm and a Russian aircraft services company. They sought to hide their unlicensed activities by going through companies and using bank accounts elsewhere, including Armenia, Cyprus, Germany, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and the United Arab Emirates.

“Those who seek to profit by illegally selling sophisticated U.S. technology to our adversaries are putting the national security of our country at risk," Robert Wells, the executive assistant director of the FBI's National Security Branch, said in a statement.

One of Robertson's attorneys, Branden Bell, declined to comment when reached Wednesday.

U.S. export controls were meant to limit Russia’s access to computer chips and other products needed to equip a modern military. The indictment against Robertson said the electronics he and the other two men sought to export “could make a significant contribution” to another nation's military.

Robertson, a commercial pilot, and Cyril Gregory Buyanovsky, an aviation engineer from Lawrence, operated the KanRus Trading Co. together and worked with Oleg Chistyakov, a Latvian citizen who frequently traveled to the UAE, according to prosecutors.

Buyanovsky&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-technology-crime-kansas-cf1dfe01f8aad778f1629048d52c00ed">pleaded guilty</a>&nbsp;in December to one count of conspiring to launder money and one count of conspiring to commit crimes against the U.S., and his sentencing is set for Nov. 14.

In a court filing last month, prosecutors said Chistyakov was arrested in Latvia in March and that a court approved his extradition to the U.S., though he has appealed the decision to Latvia's Supreme Court.

Chistyakov also sent a letter to the court last month, and the English translation describes him as having been under “house arrest” for more than a year. The letter also said he suffers from diabetes, high blood pressure and other medical conditions that could lead to a stroke or heart attack during a long flight. Crabtree noted in a filing Tuesday that he had received a letter from someone saying he is Chistyakov's Latvian attorney, seeking medical accommodations for him.

The indictment charging the three men lists nine exports of aviation electronics to Russian companies from February 2021 through December 2022 and attempts to export electronics once in February 2022 and twice in March 2023.

Prosecutors have said the U.S. government seized $450,000 in electronics blocked from export the day before Buyanovsky and Robertson were arrested.

“Robertson’s guilty plea is reflective of the strong evidence gathered against him by federal investigators and the solid case presented by federal prosecutors,” Kate E. Brubacher, the chief federal prosecutor in Kansas, said in a statement.

By JOHN HANNA&nbsp;TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas businessman has pleaded guilty to illegally exporting sensitive aviation technology to Russian companies in violation of U.S. sanctions.Douglas Edward Robertson, who lives in the Kansas City suburb of Olathe, was the second Kansas business executive to plead guilty to charges after being accused of smuggling, money laundering, violating U.S. export regulations, submitting false or misleading information to export regulators and conspiring to commit crimes against the U.S., all for profit.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-technology-crime-kansas-fa4fa00c9178f57783ffcf32e373867e">Their arrests</a>&nbsp;and the arrest of a Latvian associate in March 2023 came as the U.S. ramped up&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-us-department-of-the-treasury-government-janet-yellen-business-f85483ad976990a056c9bfc6b504a07d">sanctions and financial penalties on Russia</a>&nbsp;over its February 2022&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine">invasion of Ukraine</a>.Robertson, 56, entered his plea Tuesday before U.S. District Judge Daniel Crabtree in Kansas City. The judge set his sentencing for Oct. 3. Robertson pleaded guilty to four of the 26 counts against him and could face up to 20 years in prison for either the money laundering or export violations convictions.According to prosecutors, starting in October 2020, the defendants sought to sell electronics that included threat detection systems and flight, navigation and communications controls, to two Russian aircraft parts distributors, a Russian aircraft repair firm and a Russian aircraft services company. They sought to hide their unlicensed activities by going through companies and using bank accounts elsewhere, including Armenia, Cyprus, Germany, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and the United Arab Emirates.“Those who seek to profit by illegally selling sophisticated U.S. technology to our adversaries are putting the national security of our country at risk," Robert Wells, the executive assistant director of the FBI's National Security Branch, said in a statement.One of Robertson's attorneys, Branden Bell, declined to comment when reached Wednesday.U.S. export controls were meant to limit Russia’s access to computer chips and other products needed to equip a modern military. The indictment against Robertson said the electronics he and the other two men sought to export “could make a significant contribution” to another nation's military.Robertson, a commercial pilot, and Cyril Gregory Buyanovsky, an aviation engineer from Lawrence, operated the KanRus Trading Co. together and worked with Oleg Chistyakov, a Latvian citizen who frequently traveled to the UAE, according to prosecutors.Buyanovsky&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-technology-crime-kansas-cf1dfe01f8aad778f1629048d52c00ed">pleaded guilty</a>&nbsp;in December to one count of conspiring to launder money and one count of conspiring to commit crimes against the U.S., and his sentencing is set for Nov. 14.In a court filing last month, prosecutors said Chistyakov was arrested in Latvia in March and that a court approved his extradition to the U.S., though he has appealed the decision to Latvia's Supreme Court.Chistyakov also sent a letter to the court last month, and the English translation describes him as having been under “house arrest” for more than a year. The letter also said he suffers from diabetes, high blood pressure and other medical conditions that could lead to a stroke or heart attack during a long flight. Crabtree noted in a filing Tuesday that he had received a letter from someone saying he is Chistyakov's Latvian attorney, seeking medical accommodations for him.The indictment charging the three men lists nine exports of aviation electronics to Russian companies from February 2021 through December 2022 and attempts to export electronics once in February 2022 and twice in March 2023.Prosecutors have said the U.S. government seized $450,000 in electronics blocked from export the day before Buyanovsky and Robertson were arrested.“Robertson’s guilty plea is reflective of the strong evidence gathered against him by federal investigators and the solid case presented by federal prosecutors,” Kate E. Brubacher, the chief federal prosecutor in Kansas, said in a statement.

2nd Kan. man admits scheme to illegally sell avionics equipment to Russia

Rylan John Whitmer, of Wilson, KS, passed away on June 29, 2024, in Salina, KS, at the age of 22. He was born in Hays, KS on October 11, 2001, and adopted at age four to Terry and Debbie (Florian) Whitmer in Ellsworth, KS.

After graduating from Sowers Alternative School in Wichita in 2020, Rylan worked at Five Guys in Salina for awhile and helped many friends and family with various construction jobs. When he was younger, he worked at Grandma’s Soda Shop in Wilson. He was an avid Denver Broncos fan and very rarely missed a game on TV. He loved to go fishing with Grandpa - and Grandma when she would tag along. Rylan was a good friend to everyone. His idea that “friends don’t snitch on friends” landed him in trouble too many times!

Rylan is survived by his parents, Terry and Debbie Whitmer; brothers, Timothy Whitmer of Kansas City, KS, Bryson Parson of Ellis, KS, Cristian Weilert of Hays, KS, and Jesse Whitmer of Russell, KS; sisters, Tammy Endsley of Wilson and Tiffny Whitmer of Wilson; and many cousins.

Preceding Rylan in death is his brother-in-law, Gary Endsley.

A Funeral Service will be held on Friday, July 5, 2024, at 10AM the United Methodist Church in Wilson. Visitation will be on Thursday 5-6:30PM at the church.

Memorials are suggested to Ellsworth County EMS and may be sent to Plumer-Overlease Funeral Home, PO Box 533, Wilson, KS 67490.

Rylan John Whitmer, of Wilson, KS, passed away on June 29, 2024, in Salina, KS, at the age of 22. He was born in Hays, KS on October 11, 2001, and adopted at age four to Terry and Debbie (Florian) Whitmer in Ellsworth, KS.After graduating from Sowers Alternative School in Wichita in 2020, Rylan worked at Five Guys in Salina for awhile and helped many friends and family with various construction jobs. When he was younger, he worked at Grandma’s Soda Shop in Wilson. He was an avid Denver Broncos fan and very rarely missed a game on TV. He loved to go fishing with Grandpa - and Grandma when she would tag along. Rylan was a good friend to everyone. His idea that “friends don’t snitch on friends” landed him in trouble too many times!Rylan is survived by his parents, Terry and Debbie Whitmer; brothers, Timothy Whitmer of Kansas City, KS, Bryson Parson of Ellis, KS, Cristian Weilert of Hays, KS, and Jesse Whitmer of Russell, KS; sisters, Tammy Endsley of Wilson and Tiffny Whitmer of Wilson; and many cousins.Preceding Rylan in death is his brother-in-law, Gary Endsley.A Funeral Service will be held on Friday, July 5, 2024, at 10AM the United Methodist Church in Wilson. Visitation will be on Thursday 5-6:30PM at the church.Memorials are suggested to Ellsworth County EMS and may be sent to Plumer-Overlease Funeral Home, PO Box 533, Wilson, KS 67490.

Rylan John Whitmer

On June 23rd Debra (Debbie) Ann Hicks (64) passed away peacefully at her home in Beaverton, OR. She was born October 9, 1959, in Great Bend, KS, to Beverly &amp; Francis Weigel.

Debbie was known for her big heart &amp; her generosity. She loved her family more than anything. She cherished spending time with her children and grandchildren. She was an avid football fan &amp; loved watching the Broncos &amp; Chiefs play. The ocean was her safe harbor, she went as often as she could. Debbie passed the time with her many hobbies. She enjoyed gardening, baking, crocheting, reading, and watching a good movie.

Debbie was reunited in death with her son Joshua, her brother Craig Weigel, &amp; her father Francis Weigel.

Debbie is survived by her husband Fritz Cage (Beaverton, OR), daughter Heather Hicks (Hays, KS), son Dustin (Barb) Hicks (Beaverton, OR), grandchildren Shaun Koerner (Hays, KS), Makayla Koerner (Hays, KS), Conner Hicks (LaCrosse, KS), Kaitlyn Hicks (LaCrosse, KS), sister Rhonda (Jim) Guy (Ash Fork, AZ) and mother Beverly (Howard) Laflair (Bullhead City, AZ).

Private casting ceremony to be held at a later date.

On June 23rd Debra (Debbie) Ann Hicks (64) passed away peacefully at her home in Beaverton, OR. She was born October 9, 1959, in Great Bend, KS, to Beverly &amp; Francis Weigel.Debbie was known for her big heart &amp; her generosity. She loved her family more than anything. She cherished spending time with her children and grandchildren. She was an avid football fan &amp; loved watching the Broncos &amp; Chiefs play. The ocean was her safe harbor, she went as often as she could. Debbie passed the time with her many hobbies. She enjoyed gardening, baking, crocheting, reading, and watching a good movie.Debbie was reunited in death with her son Joshua, her brother Craig Weigel, &amp; her father Francis Weigel.Debbie is survived by her husband Fritz Cage (Beaverton, OR), daughter Heather Hicks (Hays, KS), son Dustin (Barb) Hicks (Beaverton, OR), grandchildren Shaun Koerner (Hays, KS), Makayla Koerner (Hays, KS), Conner Hicks (LaCrosse, KS), Kaitlyn Hicks (LaCrosse, KS), sister Rhonda (Jim) Guy (Ash Fork, AZ) and mother Beverly (Howard) Laflair (Bullhead City, AZ).Private casting ceremony to be held at a later date.

Debra (Debbie) Ann Hicks

Donald Ray Skubal, 66, Morland, Kansas, died May 29, 2024, at Hays Medical Center in Hays, Kansas. He was born October 8, 1957, to Robert and Wilma (Vaughn) Skubal in Oberlin, Kansas. He attended grade school through 5th grade in Oberlin and then finished school in Morland.

Donald’s junior year he submitted an essay to a contest sponsored by the Kansas REC Youth Tour, and won a six day all expense paid trip to Washington, D.C. One of the highlights of his trip was meeting Vice-President Gerald Ford, as well as senators and congressmen from various states. The winners were also given the opportunity to observe a debate and voting from the Senate Gallery. This trip spurred Don’s lifelong interest in political science and history. He enjoyed watching documentaries, especially ones with war planes. As someone who loved to fly planes, Don tried to talk his brother and sister into also learning to fly.

Don worked for Helberg Oil Company for many years. He also hauled water for his stepfather John Keith. In 1991 Don married Sherry Williams. They made their home in Morland. That year Don purchased his own water trucks, and later started his own company. Even after he became paralyzed and confined to a wheelchair in 2003, Don loved working in the shop. He was forced to change his career path but moved forward in life with extreme determination.

Like many men Don was an avid sports fan. He was a Kansas City Chiefs season ticket holder, and also loved and cheered for KU and K-State teams, and the Kansas City Royals. However, one of his favorite sports was taking Jack “wabbit” hunting. Jack was a black lab who belonged to his friend Cheri, though he often claimed Jack as his dog. For those of you who might be horrified, they never caught any “wabbits”. He also enjoyed children and constantly thought up pranks to pull on them. They often sat on his lap and helped guide his wheelchair.

Don was preceded in death by his parents Robert and Wilma Skubal; stepfather John Keith; grandparents Ladimir and Blanche (Sejkora) Skubal and Herbert and Nelda (Rhodes) Vaughn; sister Laura Keith; niece Cassidy Riggs; nephew Calvin Wayne Smith; cousins Bill McKenna and Kurt Sulzman; aunts Lillian Sulzman and Joyce Carlton; brothers-in-law: Sam, Dean, and Mark Williams and sister-in-law Janna Williams.

Survivors left to cherish his memory include his wife, Sherry; stepsons Dennis (Tammy) Mersch and Todd (Sandy) Mersch all of Hill City; granddaughters: Faith, Clair, and Kinley; special friend Crystal Lindenman (who he considered as a daughter); sister Donna (Karl) Hazen, Oberlin; brother Tom (Patti) Skubal, Gillette, Wyoming; sister Louise Keith, Hill City; brothers-in-law: Gary, Steve, and Paul Williams; sister-in-law Leann Morford, and a host of nieces and nephews whom he adored. Don showed incredible courage and determination. His family and loved ones are proud and humbled by all Don accomplished, endured, and worked to overcome throughout his life.

A “Celebration of Life” for Don will be held on Saturday, July 20, 2024, 11:00 a.m. at the Selden Community Hall, Selden, Kansas, and all family and friends are welcome to attend. Memorials in Don’s memory are suggested to the Hill City Kid’s Summer Cafe Program and may be sent in care of Stinemetz Funeral Home, 522 N. Pomeroy, Hill City, Kansas 67642.

Donald Ray Skubal, 66, Morland, Kansas, died May 29, 2024, at Hays Medical Center in Hays, Kansas. He was born October 8, 1957, to Robert and Wilma (Vaughn) Skubal in Oberlin, Kansas. He attended grade school through 5th grade in Oberlin and then finished school in Morland.Donald’s junior year he submitted an essay to a contest sponsored by the Kansas REC Youth Tour, and won a six day all expense paid trip to Washington, D.C. One of the highlights of his trip was meeting Vice-President Gerald Ford, as well as senators and congressmen from various states. The winners were also given the opportunity to observe a debate and voting from the Senate Gallery. This trip spurred Don’s lifelong interest in political science and history. He enjoyed watching documentaries, especially ones with war planes. As someone who loved to fly planes, Don tried to talk his brother and sister into also learning to fly.Don worked for Helberg Oil Company for many years. He also hauled water for his stepfather John Keith. In 1991 Don married Sherry Williams. They made their home in Morland. That year Don purchased his own water trucks, and later started his own company. Even after he became paralyzed and confined to a wheelchair in 2003, Don loved working in the shop. He was forced to change his career path but moved forward in life with extreme determination.Like many men Don was an avid sports fan. He was a Kansas City Chiefs season ticket holder, and also loved and cheered for KU and K-State teams, and the Kansas City Royals. However, one of his favorite sports was taking Jack “wabbit” hunting. Jack was a black lab who belonged to his friend Cheri, though he often claimed Jack as his dog. For those of you who might be horrified, they never caught any “wabbits”. He also enjoyed children and constantly thought up pranks to pull on them. They often sat on his lap and helped guide his wheelchair.Don was preceded in death by his parents Robert and Wilma Skubal; stepfather John Keith; grandparents Ladimir and Blanche (Sejkora) Skubal and Herbert and Nelda (Rhodes) Vaughn; sister Laura Keith; niece Cassidy Riggs; nephew Calvin Wayne Smith; cousins Bill McKenna and Kurt Sulzman; aunts Lillian Sulzman and Joyce Carlton; brothers-in-law: Sam, Dean, and Mark Williams and sister-in-law Janna Williams.Survivors left to cherish his memory include his wife, Sherry; stepsons Dennis (Tammy) Mersch and Todd (Sandy) Mersch all of Hill City; granddaughters: Faith, Clair, and Kinley; special friend Crystal Lindenman (who he considered as a daughter); sister Donna (Karl) Hazen, Oberlin; brother Tom (Patti) Skubal, Gillette, Wyoming; sister Louise Keith, Hill City; brothers-in-law: Gary, Steve, and Paul Williams; sister-in-law Leann Morford, and a host of nieces and nephews whom he adored. Don showed incredible courage and determination. His family and loved ones are proud and humbled by all Don accomplished, endured, and worked to overcome throughout his life.A “Celebration of Life” for Don will be held on Saturday, July 20, 2024, 11:00 a.m. at the Selden Community Hall, Selden, Kansas, and all family and friends are welcome to attend. Memorials in Don’s memory are suggested to the Hill City Kid’s Summer Cafe Program and may be sent in care of Stinemetz Funeral Home, 522 N. Pomeroy, Hill City, Kansas 67642.

Donald Ray Skubal

ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/boeing-co">Boeing</a>&nbsp;announced plans to acquire key supplier&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boeing-spirit-aerosystems-negotiations-outsourcing-75471aeaecf3144842ecdcbe2ed6f76f">Spirit AeroSystems</a>&nbsp;for $4.7 billion, a move that it says will improve plane quality and safety amid increasing scrutiny by Congress, airlines and the Department of Justice.

On his social media account Kansas Senior U.S. Senator Jerry Moran wrote that Boeing must earn the trust and respect of Wichita employees and the community.

Boeing previously owned Spirit, and the purchase would reverse a longtime Boeing strategy of outsourcing key work on its passenger planes. That approach has been criticized as problems at Spirit&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boeing-supplier-slow-production-737-max-2525b4c5a27a7332b80b3016645918db">disrupted production</a>&nbsp;and delivery of popular Boeing jetliners, including 737s and 787s.

“We believe this deal is in the best interest of the flying public, our airline customers, the employees of Spirit and Boeing, our shareholders and the country more broadly,” Boeing President and CEO Dave Calhoun said in a statement late Sunday.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boeing-max-emergency-landing-alaska-airlines-79bc1ea98ee7fbc6edf46aff9319775b">Concerns about safety</a>&nbsp;came to a head after the Jan. 5 blowout of a panel on an Alaska Airlines 737 Max 9 at 16,000 feet (4,876 meters) over Oregon. The Federal Aviation Administration soon after announced&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boeing-investigation-faa-panel-blowout-monitoring-06b098e57a8c65bdb0ba377f99290d32">increased oversight</a>&nbsp;of Boeing and Spirit, which supplied the fuselage for the plane.

No one was seriously injured in the Alaska Airlines door incident, which terrified passengers, but Boeing is under pressure from the U.S. Justice Department&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boeing-criminal-charges-plea-deal-861175435e04039112fde0ac6bdbf75a">to plead guilty</a>&nbsp;to criminal fraud in connection with two deadly plane crashes involving its 737 Max jetliners more than five years ago.

Boeing has until the end of the week to accept or reject the offer, which includes the giant aerospace company agreeing to an independent monitor who would oversee&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boeing-ceo-calhoun-safety-senate-investigations-de6a273e5ad69764f4e666cc4afda2c1">its compliance</a>&nbsp;with anti-fraud laws, according to several people who heard federal prosecutors detail a proposed offer Sunday.

The Justice Department said in a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boeing-violated-settlement-max-crashes-25cde72e154f60adae54177ce35c9176">May court filing</a>&nbsp;that Boeing violated terms of a 2021 settlement allowing the company to avoid prosecution for actions leading up to the crashes in Ethiopia and Indonesia,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boeing-plane-crashes-737-max-justice-department-da2977c487811e873be2d118b3c5e529">which killed 346 people</a>.

Those crashes were blamed on a faulty sensor in a flight-control system and the investigation is separate from the probe of the more recent Alaska Airlines blowout, which involved Spirit.

Boeing spun off Spirit, which is based in Wichita, Kansas, and not related to Spirit Airlines, in 2005. In recent years, quality problems have mounted, including fuselage panels that didn’t fit together precisely enough and holes that were improperly drilled.

Spirit&nbsp;<a href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/spirit-aerosystems-announces-leadership-transition-301944352.html">removed its CEO</a>&nbsp;in October and replaced him with Patrick Shanahan, a former Boeing executive who served as acting defense secretary in the Trump administration.

Things seemed to be going more smoothly until the Alaska Airlines incident. Investigators said a panel used in place of an extra emergency door had been removed at a Boeing factory to let Spirit workers fix damaged rivets, and bolts that help hold the panel in place&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boeing-emergency-landing-report-alaska-airlines-8543c90b68b4d932a700cf57ff8f1b8e">were missing</a>&nbsp;after the repair job. It is not clear who removed the bolts and failed to put them back.

Spirit said in May that it was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boeing-spirit-aerosystems-737-layoffs-c8da0ea0a2f4694cc9f22d7d63595ba7">laying off about 450</a>&nbsp;workers at its Wichita plant because of a production slowdown since the January incident. Its total workforce was just over 13,000 people.

“Bringing Spirit and Boeing together will enable greater integration of both companies’ manufacturing and engineering capabilities, including safety and quality systems,” Shanahan said.

The acquisition's equity value of $4.7 billion is $37.25 per share, while the total value of the deal is around $8.3 billion, which includes Spirit’s last reported net debt, the aerospace company said.

Boeing common stock will be exchanged for Spirit shares according to a variable formula that depends on a weighted average of the share price over a 15-trading-day period ending on the second day before the deal closes, Boeing said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/6/1687445400176.png" alt="Spirit Aerosystems" />
 <figcaption>Spirit Aerosystems</figcaption>
 </figure>ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/boeing-co">Boeing</a>&nbsp;announced plans to acquire key supplier&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boeing-spirit-aerosystems-negotiations-outsourcing-75471aeaecf3144842ecdcbe2ed6f76f">Spirit AeroSystems</a>&nbsp;for $4.7 billion, a move that it says will improve plane quality and safety amid increasing scrutiny by Congress, airlines and the Department of Justice.On his social media account Kansas Senior U.S. Senator Jerry Moran wrote that Boeing must earn the trust and respect of Wichita employees and the community.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">My full statement on Boeing’s agreement to acquire Spirit AeroSystems: <a href="https://t.co/VP30DmZrHM">pic.twitter.com/VP30DmZrHM</a>&mdash; Senator Jerry Moran (@JerryMoran) <a href="https://twitter.com/JerryMoran/status/1807574995561755056?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 1, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Boeing previously owned Spirit, and the purchase would reverse a longtime Boeing strategy of outsourcing key work on its passenger planes. That approach has been criticized as problems at Spirit&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boeing-supplier-slow-production-737-max-2525b4c5a27a7332b80b3016645918db">disrupted production</a>&nbsp;and delivery of popular Boeing jetliners, including 737s and 787s.“We believe this deal is in the best interest of the flying public, our airline customers, the employees of Spirit and Boeing, our shareholders and the country more broadly,” Boeing President and CEO Dave Calhoun said in a statement late Sunday.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boeing-max-emergency-landing-alaska-airlines-79bc1ea98ee7fbc6edf46aff9319775b">Concerns about safety</a>&nbsp;came to a head after the Jan. 5 blowout of a panel on an Alaska Airlines 737 Max 9 at 16,000 feet (4,876 meters) over Oregon. The Federal Aviation Administration soon after announced&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boeing-investigation-faa-panel-blowout-monitoring-06b098e57a8c65bdb0ba377f99290d32">increased oversight</a>&nbsp;of Boeing and Spirit, which supplied the fuselage for the plane.No one was seriously injured in the Alaska Airlines door incident, which terrified passengers, but Boeing is under pressure from the U.S. Justice Department&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boeing-criminal-charges-plea-deal-861175435e04039112fde0ac6bdbf75a">to plead guilty</a>&nbsp;to criminal fraud in connection with two deadly plane crashes involving its 737 Max jetliners more than five years ago.Boeing has until the end of the week to accept or reject the offer, which includes the giant aerospace company agreeing to an independent monitor who would oversee&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boeing-ceo-calhoun-safety-senate-investigations-de6a273e5ad69764f4e666cc4afda2c1">its compliance</a>&nbsp;with anti-fraud laws, according to several people who heard federal prosecutors detail a proposed offer Sunday.The Justice Department said in a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boeing-violated-settlement-max-crashes-25cde72e154f60adae54177ce35c9176">May court filing</a>&nbsp;that Boeing violated terms of a 2021 settlement allowing the company to avoid prosecution for actions leading up to the crashes in Ethiopia and Indonesia,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boeing-plane-crashes-737-max-justice-department-da2977c487811e873be2d118b3c5e529">which killed 346 people</a>.Those crashes were blamed on a faulty sensor in a flight-control system and the investigation is separate from the probe of the more recent Alaska Airlines blowout, which involved Spirit.Boeing spun off Spirit, which is based in Wichita, Kansas, and not related to Spirit Airlines, in 2005. In recent years, quality problems have mounted, including fuselage panels that didn’t fit together precisely enough and holes that were improperly drilled.Spirit&nbsp;<a href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/spirit-aerosystems-announces-leadership-transition-301944352.html">removed its CEO</a>&nbsp;in October and replaced him with Patrick Shanahan, a former Boeing executive who served as acting defense secretary in the Trump administration.Things seemed to be going more smoothly until the Alaska Airlines incident. Investigators said a panel used in place of an extra emergency door had been removed at a Boeing factory to let Spirit workers fix damaged rivets, and bolts that help hold the panel in place&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boeing-emergency-landing-report-alaska-airlines-8543c90b68b4d932a700cf57ff8f1b8e">were missing</a>&nbsp;after the repair job. It is not clear who removed the bolts and failed to put them back.Spirit said in May that it was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boeing-spirit-aerosystems-737-layoffs-c8da0ea0a2f4694cc9f22d7d63595ba7">laying off about 450</a>&nbsp;workers at its Wichita plant because of a production slowdown since the January incident. Its total workforce was just over 13,000 people.“Bringing Spirit and Boeing together will enable greater integration of both companies’ manufacturing and engineering capabilities, including safety and quality systems,” Shanahan said.The acquisition's equity value of $4.7 billion is $37.25 per share, while the total value of the deal is around $8.3 billion, which includes Spirit’s last reported net debt, the aerospace company said.Boeing common stock will be exchanged for Spirit shares according to a variable formula that depends on a weighted average of the share price over a 15-trading-day period ending on the second day before the deal closes, Boeing said.

Moran: Boeing must now earn the trust of workers in Kansas

WICHITA, Kan. – Former Fort Hays State standout women's basketball player and head coach Annette Wiles will be inducted into the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame on Sunday, October 13 in Topeka. Wiles is one of 12 individuals being inducted in the Class of 2024. She is already a member of the FHSU Tiger Sports Hall of Fame and the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Hall of Fame.

Wiles was a two-time NAIA All-America selection and the NAIA National Tournament MVP her senior year when she helped lead Fort Hays State to the 1991 NAIA Women's Basketball national title. Wiles is also the all-time leading scorer in Fort Hays State program history with 2,407 points and a scoring average of 20.4 points per game. She is the only player in the program's history to score 2,000 points in a career and only player with a career scoring average better than 16 points per game. Wiles still owns FHSU career records for the following categories – field goals made (993), field goals attempted (1,700), and field goal percentage (.584). She also owns the single-season records for points (880, 1990-91), scoring average (24.4 ppg), field goals made (358), field goals attempted (582), and rebounds (364).

Following her four-year playing career at Fort Hays State, Wiles went on to have a successful career as a women's collegiate basketball coach. She put together a career record 409-227 (.643). Her first head coaching position was at Bethany (Kan.) College (164-52 record) for seven years from 1994-2000 before leading her alma mater Fort Hays State (136-89 record) for eight years from 2000-2008. She moved on to become head coach for seven years at Minnesota Duluth (109-86 record) from 2008-2015. She was twice named Kansas Basketball Coaches Association Coach of the Year and twice named the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference Coach of the Year. She led three teams to NCAA Tournament appearances, which included Fort Hays State in 2005 and Minnesota Duluth in 2010 and 2012. She led Bethany College to four NAIA national tournament appearances. Following her time at Minnesota Duluth, Wiles returned to Kansas as athletic director at Topeka High School and then became the director of Hummer Sports Park in Topeka.

The 2024 Kansas Sports Hall of Fame class includes seven individuals who have ties to Olympic competition, including a gold medalist, paralympic medalist and the only American to be named a head track and field starter for two Olympic Games. The group also includes national champion coaches, collegiate champions and All-Americans, and American-record holders.

This year's class will bring the total number of inductees to 340, with the first class in 1961. Created by the Kansas State legislature in 1961, the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame has operated for 63 years and is located at the Wichita Boathouse.

The reception (5 p.m.), featuring appetizers and refreshments, and induction ceremony (6 p.m.) will be conducted in the Sunflower Ballroom of the Hotel Topeka City Center. The venue is located at 1717 Southwest Topeka Blvd., in Topeka.

"Topeka as the location for the induction makes sense for several reasons, but the fact that all of our inductees are either from, live or competed collegiately in the Manhattan-Topeka-Lawrence-Kansas City corridor creates an opportunity for more of their family and friends to attend," Kansas Sports Hall of Fame Chairman Jim Dunning said. "This event is about the honorees, and we want to do as much as we can to make it special for them."

Dunning said the Hall would be making an effort to invite past Olympians with Kansas ties and those past KSHOF inductees. He noted that the annual induction ceremony is not only a celebration for the incoming class, but also for past inductees. Tickets for the reception and induction ceremony are $100 and go on sale Monday, July 15 at&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kshof.org/">www.kshof.org</a>. For ticket packages and sponsorship opportunities, contact Dunning at 316-641-0162.

Dave Bingham&nbsp;- NAIA national champion baseball coach at Emporia State and head coach for College World Series qualifier Kansas

Erik Kynard&nbsp;– Olympic Gold Medalist High Jumper at Kansas State

Melvin Lister&nbsp;- National champion in the Long Jump at Leavenworth H.S., Butler County CC, and Arkansas

Mark Mangino&nbsp;- National Assistant Football Coach-of-the-Year at Oklahoma; and Head Coach for Orange Bowl Champion at Kansas

Ron Neugent&nbsp;- Swimming Gold Medalist in World University Games; and American Record-Holder at Kansas

Kelly Rankin&nbsp;- He's the only American to be the head starter for two Olympic Games

Scott Russell&nbsp;- NCAA champ and Olympic qualifier for Canada in the Javelin at Kansas

Kevin Saunders&nbsp;- Bronze Medalist and Record-Holder for U.S. in Paralympic Games

Will Shields&nbsp;- Native Kansan, 14-year NFL veteran with Kansas City Chiefs and member of College and NFL halls of fame

Sean Snyder&nbsp;- Consensus All-American punter and national special teams coach of the year at Kansas State

Mark Turgeon&nbsp;- All-State basketball player at Topeka Hayden H.S., four-time NCAA Tournament qualifier at Kansas, Missouri Valley (Wichita State) and Big Ten Champion (Maryland) Head Coach and conference Coach-of-the-Year.

Annette Wiles&nbsp;- Two-time NAIA Basketball All-American and NAIA Tournament MVP at Fort Hays State

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1719849185091.png" alt="2024-07-01.png" />
 <figcaption>2024-07-01.png</figcaption>
 </figure>FHSU AthleticsWICHITA, Kan. – Former Fort Hays State standout women's basketball player and head coach Annette Wiles will be inducted into the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame on Sunday, October 13 in Topeka. Wiles is one of 12 individuals being inducted in the Class of 2024. She is already a member of the FHSU Tiger Sports Hall of Fame and the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Hall of Fame.Wiles was a two-time NAIA All-America selection and the NAIA National Tournament MVP her senior year when she helped lead Fort Hays State to the 1991 NAIA Women's Basketball national title. Wiles is also the all-time leading scorer in Fort Hays State program history with 2,407 points and a scoring average of 20.4 points per game. She is the only player in the program's history to score 2,000 points in a career and only player with a career scoring average better than 16 points per game. Wiles still owns FHSU career records for the following categories – field goals made (993), field goals attempted (1,700), and field goal percentage (.584). She also owns the single-season records for points (880, 1990-91), scoring average (24.4 ppg), field goals made (358), field goals attempted (582), and rebounds (364).Following her four-year playing career at Fort Hays State, Wiles went on to have a successful career as a women's collegiate basketball coach. She put together a career record 409-227 (.643). Her first head coaching position was at Bethany (Kan.) College (164-52 record) for seven years from 1994-2000 before leading her alma mater Fort Hays State (136-89 record) for eight years from 2000-2008. She moved on to become head coach for seven years at Minnesota Duluth (109-86 record) from 2008-2015. She was twice named Kansas Basketball Coaches Association Coach of the Year and twice named the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference Coach of the Year. She led three teams to NCAA Tournament appearances, which included Fort Hays State in 2005 and Minnesota Duluth in 2010 and 2012. She led Bethany College to four NAIA national tournament appearances. Following her time at Minnesota Duluth, Wiles returned to Kansas as athletic director at Topeka High School and then became the director of Hummer Sports Park in Topeka.The 2024 Kansas Sports Hall of Fame class includes seven individuals who have ties to Olympic competition, including a gold medalist, paralympic medalist and the only American to be named a head track and field starter for two Olympic Games. The group also includes national champion coaches, collegiate champions and All-Americans, and American-record holders.This year's class will bring the total number of inductees to 340, with the first class in 1961. Created by the Kansas State legislature in 1961, the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame has operated for 63 years and is located at the Wichita Boathouse.The reception (5 p.m.), featuring appetizers and refreshments, and induction ceremony (6 p.m.) will be conducted in the Sunflower Ballroom of the Hotel Topeka City Center. The venue is located at 1717 Southwest Topeka Blvd., in Topeka."Topeka as the location for the induction makes sense for several reasons, but the fact that all of our inductees are either from, live or competed collegiately in the Manhattan-Topeka-Lawrence-Kansas City corridor creates an opportunity for more of their family and friends to attend," Kansas Sports Hall of Fame Chairman Jim Dunning said. "This event is about the honorees, and we want to do as much as we can to make it special for them."Dunning said the Hall would be making an effort to invite past Olympians with Kansas ties and those past KSHOF inductees. He noted that the annual induction ceremony is not only a celebration for the incoming class, but also for past inductees. Tickets for the reception and induction ceremony are $100 and go on sale Monday, July 15 at&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kshof.org/">www.kshof.org</a>. For ticket packages and sponsorship opportunities, contact Dunning at 316-641-0162.Kansas Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2024Dave Bingham&nbsp;- NAIA national champion baseball coach at Emporia State and head coach for College World Series qualifier KansasErik Kynard&nbsp;– Olympic Gold Medalist High Jumper at Kansas StateMelvin Lister&nbsp;- National champion in the Long Jump at Leavenworth H.S., Butler County CC, and ArkansasMark Mangino&nbsp;- National Assistant Football Coach-of-the-Year at Oklahoma; and Head Coach for Orange Bowl Champion at KansasRon Neugent&nbsp;- Swimming Gold Medalist in World University Games; and American Record-Holder at KansasKelly Rankin&nbsp;- He's the only American to be the head starter for two Olympic GamesScott Russell&nbsp;- NCAA champ and Olympic qualifier for Canada in the Javelin at KansasKevin Saunders&nbsp;- Bronze Medalist and Record-Holder for U.S. in Paralympic GamesWill Shields&nbsp;- Native Kansan, 14-year NFL veteran with Kansas City Chiefs and member of College and NFL halls of fameSean Snyder&nbsp;- Consensus All-American punter and national special teams coach of the year at Kansas StateMark Turgeon&nbsp;- All-State basketball player at Topeka Hayden H.S., four-time NCAA Tournament qualifier at Kansas, Missouri Valley (Wichita State) and Big Ten Champion (Maryland) Head Coach and conference Coach-of-the-Year.Annette Wiles&nbsp;- Two-time NAIA Basketball All-American and NAIA Tournament MVP at Fort Hays State

Former FHSU player/coach Wiles to be inducted into Kansas Sports HOF

ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) — Boeing announced plans to acquire key supplier Spirit AeroSystems for $4.7 billion, a move that it says will improve plane quality and safety amid increasing scrutiny by Congress, airlines and the Department of Justice.

Boeing previously owned Spirit, and the purchase would reverse a longtime Boeing strategy of outsourcing key work on its passenger planes. That approach has been criticized as problems at Spirit&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boeing-supplier-slow-production-737-max-2525b4c5a27a7332b80b3016645918db">disrupted production</a>&nbsp;and delivery of popular Boeing jetliners including 737s and 787s.

The companies also announced an agreement with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/airbus-se">Airbus</a>&nbsp;to negotiate the purchase of Spirit assets involved with programs operated by the European aerospace firm. The Airbus agreement is set to commence when Boeing's acquisition of Spirit is completed, the two U.S. companies said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/1/1580497975886.jpeg" alt="Photo by Elaine Thompson/AP/NPR" />
 <figcaption>Photo by Elaine Thompson/AP/NPR</figcaption>
 </figure>ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) — Boeing announced plans to acquire key supplier Spirit AeroSystems for $4.7 billion, a move that it says will improve plane quality and safety amid increasing scrutiny by Congress, airlines and the Department of Justice.Boeing previously owned Spirit, and the purchase would reverse a longtime Boeing strategy of outsourcing key work on its passenger planes. That approach has been criticized as problems at Spirit&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boeing-supplier-slow-production-737-max-2525b4c5a27a7332b80b3016645918db">disrupted production</a>&nbsp;and delivery of popular Boeing jetliners including 737s and 787s.“We believe this deal is in the best interest of the flying public, our airline customers, the employees of Spirit and Boeing, our shareholders and the country more broadly,” Boeing President and CEO Dave Calhoun said in a statement late Sunday.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boeing-max-emergency-landing-alaska-airlines-79bc1ea98ee7fbc6edf46aff9319775b">Concerns about safety</a>&nbsp;came to a head after the Jan. 5 blowout of a panel on an Alaska Airlines 737 Max 9 at 16,000 feet (4,876 meters) over Oregon. The Federal Aviation Administration soon after announced&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boeing-investigation-faa-panel-blowout-monitoring-06b098e57a8c65bdb0ba377f99290d32">increased oversight</a>&nbsp;of Boeing and Spirit, which supplied the fuselage for the plane.No one was seriously injured in the Alaska Airlines door incident, which terrified passengers, but Boeing is under pressure from the U.S. Justice Department&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boeing-criminal-charges-plea-deal-861175435e04039112fde0ac6bdbf75a">to plead guilty</a>&nbsp;to criminal fraud in connection with two deadly plane crashes involving its 737 Max jetliners more than five years ago.Boeing has until the end of the week to accept or reject the offer, which includes the giant aerospace company agreeing to an independent monitor who would oversee&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boeing-ceo-calhoun-safety-senate-investigations-de6a273e5ad69764f4e666cc4afda2c1">its compliance</a>&nbsp;with anti-fraud laws, according to several people who heard federal prosecutors detail a proposed offer Sunday.The Justice Department said in a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boeing-violated-settlement-max-crashes-25cde72e154f60adae54177ce35c9176">May court filing</a>&nbsp;that Boeing violated terms of a 2021 settlement allowing the company to avoid prosecution for actions leading up to the crashes in Ethiopia and Indonesia,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boeing-plane-crashes-737-max-justice-department-da2977c487811e873be2d118b3c5e529">which killed 346 people</a>.Those crashes were blamed on a faulty sensor in a flight-control system and the investigation is separate from the probe of the more recent Alaska Airlines blowout, which involved Spirit.Boeing spun off Spirit, which is based in Wichita, Kansas, and not related to Spirit Airlines, in 2005. In recent years, quality problems have mounted, including fuselage panels that didn’t fit together precisely enough and holes that were improperly drilled.Spirit&nbsp;<a href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/spirit-aerosystems-announces-leadership-transition-301944352.html">removed its CEO</a>&nbsp;in October and replaced him with Patrick Shanahan, a former Boeing executive who served as acting defense secretary in the Trump administration.Things seemed to be going more smoothly until the Alaska Airlines incident. Investigators said a panel used in place of an extra emergency door had been removed at a Boeing factory to let Spirit workers fix damaged rivets, and bolts that help hold the panel in place&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boeing-emergency-landing-report-alaska-airlines-8543c90b68b4d932a700cf57ff8f1b8e">were missing</a>&nbsp;after the repair job. It is not clear who removed the bolts and failed to put them back.Spirit said in May that it was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boeing-spirit-aerosystems-737-layoffs-c8da0ea0a2f4694cc9f22d7d63595ba7">laying off about 450</a>&nbsp;workers at its Wichita plant because of a production slowdown since the January incident. Its total workforce was just over 13,000 people.“Bringing Spirit and Boeing together will enable greater integration of both companies’ manufacturing and engineering capabilities, including safety and quality systems,” Shanahan said.The acquisition's equity value of $4.7 billion is $37.25 per share, while the total value of the deal is around $8.3 billion, which includes Spirit’s last reported net debt, the aerospace company said.Boeing common stock will be exchanged for Spirit shares according to a variable formula that depends on a weighted average of the share price over a 15-trading-day period ending on the second day before the deal closes, Boeing said.The companies also announced an agreement with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/airbus-se">Airbus</a>&nbsp;to negotiate the purchase of Spirit assets involved with programs operated by the European aerospace firm. The Airbus agreement is set to commence when Boeing's acquisition of Spirit is completed, the two U.S. companies said.

Boeing agrees to buy Kan. aircraft parts maker for $4.7 billion

Law enforcement officials are seeking information which will lead to the identification of an unknown individual known as John Doe 48. It is believed that this individual may have critical information pertaining to the identity of a child victim in a sexual exploitation investigation, according to a statement from the agency.

The video depicting John Doe, 48 is believed to have been produced in October of 2023.

John Doe, 48 is described as a White male between the ages of 45 and 65-years-old.&nbsp; He has dark hair, a gray beard, and has a tattoo on each of his forearms.&nbsp; He is seen in the back of a 2018-2019 Nissan NV Cargo Van wearing a blue t-shirt and a dark-colored hat.&nbsp; He is heard speaking English in the video.&nbsp;

If you have any information concerning this case, please call the FBI's toll-free tip-line at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324), contact a Crimes Against Children Investigator at your<a href="http://www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field/" target="_blank">local FBI office</a>, or the nearest&nbsp;<a href="http://www.fbi.gov/contact-us/legat/" target="_blank">American Embassy or Consulate</a>.

<a href="https://tips.fbi.gov/?fugitive_name=UNKNOWN+INDIVIDUAL+-+JOHN+DOE+48&amp;fugitive_type=ecap" target="_blank">Click here to submit an anonymous tip online</a>

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/6/1719430482057.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Law enforcement officials are seeking information which will lead to the identification of an unknown individual known as John Doe 48. It is believed that this individual may have critical information pertaining to the identity of a child victim in a sexual exploitation investigation, according to a statement from the agency.The video depicting John Doe, 48 is believed to have been produced in October of 2023.John Doe, 48 is described as a White male between the ages of 45 and 65-years-old.&nbsp; He has dark hair, a gray beard, and has a tattoo on each of his forearms.&nbsp; He is seen in the back of a 2018-2019 Nissan NV Cargo Van wearing a blue t-shirt and a dark-colored hat.&nbsp; He is heard speaking English in the video.&nbsp;<h2>Submit a Tip:</h2>If you have any information concerning this case, please call the FBI's toll-free tip-line at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324), contact a Crimes Against Children Investigator at your<a href="http://www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field/" target="_blank">local FBI office</a>, or the nearest&nbsp;<a href="http://www.fbi.gov/contact-us/legat/" target="_blank">American Embassy or Consulate</a>.<a href="https://tips.fbi.gov/?fugitive_name=UNKNOWN+INDIVIDUAL+-+JOHN+DOE+48&amp;fugitive_type=ecap" target="_blank">Click here to submit an anonymous tip online</a>

FBI working to ID suspect in child sex crime investigation

Neal Raymond Schmidtberger, 70, of Hutchinson, died June 28, 2024, at his home, with his family by his side. He was born May 30, 1954, in Hays, to Alvin R. and Martina R. (Dreher) Schmidtberger of Victoria.

Neal graduated from Victoria High School in 1972. He worked for more than 40 years as a grocery manager, starting with Safeway and then for Dillons, working in all 5 Hutchinson stores. Neal was an all-around handyman who loved doing for others. He loved playing the guitar and singing at various functions and even wrote some songs. Neal was also known for his whistling everywhere he went. He was a member of Eastwood Church of Christ, Lions Club of Russell, and volunteered on the Food Bank of Reno County board for 20 years.

On October 7, 1977, Neal married Patricia Ann Childs, in Hutchinson. She survives.

Also surviving are: his daughters, Audra Gray and husband Randall of Hutchinson, Jennifer Stringfellow and husband Russ of Hutchinson; grandchildren, Jordan and Yelmy Gray, Emily Winkler, Britney Winkler, Sophia Gray, all of Hutchinson, Ellissa and Dylan Becker of Kansas City, Trevor Stringfellow of Hutchinson; siblings, Galen Schmidtberger of Russell, Wayne and Patty Schmidtberger of California, Jim Schmidtberger of Russell, Joe and Debbie Schmidtberger of Lawrence, Brenda Yoder of Russell, Pam and Bill Gasper of Hays, Myra and Tom Meder of Pfeifer, Glenn and Elsa Schmidtberger of California; mother-in-law, Alice Childs of Hutchinson; brothers-in-law, David Childs of California, Galen and Cindy Childs of Abbyville, Craig and Carla Childs of Abbyville; and many extended family members.

He was preceded in death by: his parents; father-in-law, Robert D. Childs; and brothers-in-law, Rocky Yoder and Mark Childs.

Funeral service will be 11 a.m. Friday, July 5, 2024 at Eastwood Church of Christ, 2500 N. Plum St., Hutchinson. Burial will follow in Memorial Park Cemetery.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/6/1719709152928.jpeg" alt="\" />
 <figcaption>\</figcaption>
 </figure>Neal Raymond Schmidtberger, 70, of Hutchinson, died June 28, 2024, at his home, with his family by his side. He was born May 30, 1954, in Hays, to Alvin R. and Martina R. (Dreher) Schmidtberger of Victoria.Neal graduated from Victoria High School in 1972. He worked for more than 40 years as a grocery manager, starting with Safeway and then for Dillons, working in all 5 Hutchinson stores. Neal was an all-around handyman who loved doing for others. He loved playing the guitar and singing at various functions and even wrote some songs. Neal was also known for his whistling everywhere he went. He was a member of Eastwood Church of Christ, Lions Club of Russell, and volunteered on the Food Bank of Reno County board for 20 years.On October 7, 1977, Neal married Patricia Ann Childs, in Hutchinson. She survives.Also surviving are: his daughters, Audra Gray and husband Randall of Hutchinson, Jennifer Stringfellow and husband Russ of Hutchinson; grandchildren, Jordan and Yelmy Gray, Emily Winkler, Britney Winkler, Sophia Gray, all of Hutchinson, Ellissa and Dylan Becker of Kansas City, Trevor Stringfellow of Hutchinson; siblings, Galen Schmidtberger of Russell, Wayne and Patty Schmidtberger of California, Jim Schmidtberger of Russell, Joe and Debbie Schmidtberger of Lawrence, Brenda Yoder of Russell, Pam and Bill Gasper of Hays, Myra and Tom Meder of Pfeifer, Glenn and Elsa Schmidtberger of California; mother-in-law, Alice Childs of Hutchinson; brothers-in-law, David Childs of California, Galen and Cindy Childs of Abbyville, Craig and Carla Childs of Abbyville; and many extended family members.He was preceded in death by: his parents; father-in-law, Robert D. Childs; and brothers-in-law, Rocky Yoder and Mark Childs.Funeral service will be 11 a.m. Friday, July 5, 2024 at Eastwood Church of Christ, 2500 N. Plum St., Hutchinson. Burial will follow in Memorial Park Cemetery.Friends may call from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday, with the family present to receive friends from 5-7 p.m. Wednesday at Elliott Mortuary.Memorials may be made to Cancer Council of Reno County, Eastwood Church of Christ, or All Stars of Hutchinson – Special Olympics, in care of Elliott Mortuary, 1219 N. Main, Hutchinson, KS 67501.