CLEVELAND (AP) — A federal judge has ruled that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lacked the authority to issue a nationwide moratorium on rental evictions, the second such ruling issued by a federal judge in two weeks.

U.S. District Judge J. Philip Calabrese, sitting in Cleveland, ruled this week that the CDC went beyond what the federal Public Health Service Act allows it to do in ordering a halt to evictions. However, he did not grant an injunction that would have stopped the agency from enforcing the moratorium.

The ruling comes two weeks after U.S. District Judge J. Campbell Barker in the Eastern District of Texas determined that the moratorium was unconstitutional. The Justice Department is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-donald-trump-pandemics-coronavirus-pandemic-covid-19-pandemic-5c1dec620b158295dca66f51a73b4d04">appealing</a>&nbsp;that order.

The National Association of Homebuilders and a group of property owners from across northern Ohio had filed a federal lawsuit last October, claiming the CDC’s order was overreaching and arbitrary.

The chair of the NAHB said the group was pleased with the judge’s ruling.

“Saddling landlords with the responsibility to provide free rent during this pandemic ignores their financial obligations and ability to provide safe, decent and affordable housing,” Chuck Fowke said in a statement. “Even during emergencies, federal agencies must abide by the law.”

The suit was one of several filed in federal courts across the country by property owners who have struggled financially because of the coronavirus. Other courts around the country have upheld the eviction ban, said Diane Yentel, president of the National Low-Income Housing Coalition. She added that challenges to the moratorium made little sense when tens of billions of dollars in federal rental assistance are coming in the recently passed coronavirus relief bill.

“These attempts to overturn the moratorium are frivolous,” Yentel said. “These landlords that are bringing these suits and working so hard to overturn the eviction moratorium will be made whole by the unprecedented amount of resources that Congress has made available. But it is going to take time to get the money into their hands.”

The CDC eviction moratorium was signed in September by President Donald Trump and extended by President Joe Biden through March 31.

CLEVELAND (AP) — A federal judge has ruled that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lacked the authority to issue a nationwide moratorium on rental evictions, the second such ruling issued by a federal judge in two weeks.U.S. District Judge J. Philip Calabrese, sitting in Cleveland, ruled this week that the CDC went beyond what the federal Public Health Service Act allows it to do in ordering a halt to evictions. However, he did not grant an injunction that would have stopped the agency from enforcing the moratorium.The ruling comes two weeks after U.S. District Judge J. Campbell Barker in the Eastern District of Texas determined that the moratorium was unconstitutional. The Justice Department is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-donald-trump-pandemics-coronavirus-pandemic-covid-19-pandemic-5c1dec620b158295dca66f51a73b4d04">appealing</a>&nbsp;that order.The National Association of Homebuilders and a group of property owners from across northern Ohio had filed a federal lawsuit last October, claiming the CDC’s order was overreaching and arbitrary.The chair of the NAHB said the group was pleased with the judge’s ruling.“Saddling landlords with the responsibility to provide free rent during this pandemic ignores their financial obligations and ability to provide safe, decent and affordable housing,” Chuck Fowke said in a statement. “Even during emergencies, federal agencies must abide by the law.”The suit was one of several filed in federal courts across the country by property owners who have struggled financially because of the coronavirus. Other courts around the country have upheld the eviction ban, said Diane Yentel, president of the National Low-Income Housing Coalition. She added that challenges to the moratorium made little sense when tens of billions of dollars in federal rental assistance are coming in the recently passed coronavirus relief bill.“These attempts to overturn the moratorium are frivolous,” Yentel said. “These landlords that are bringing these suits and working so hard to overturn the eviction moratorium will be made whole by the unprecedented amount of resources that Congress has made available. But it is going to take time to get the money into their hands.”The CDC eviction moratorium was signed in September by President Donald Trump and extended by President Joe Biden through March 31.

Judge: CDC exceeded authority on eviction moratorium

FLAGSTAFF, ARIZ. (AP) —&nbsp;President Eugene Hughes, who served as president of Wichita State and Northern Arizona University died Wednesday in Flagstaff. He was 86.

Northern Arizona University <a href="https://news.nau.edu/eugene-hughes-obit/#.YE0U-rRKjEY">announced the death on its website. </a>Cause of death was not stated.

Hughes served as NAU president for 14 years, serving from 1979 to 1993 while grappling with state budget cuts and expanding student enrollment and academic programs.

After meeting then-NAU President J. Lawrence Walkup at a conference, Hughes was hired as dean of arts and sciences in 1970 and promoted academic vice president in 1977.

Hughes left NAU to become president of Wichita State University, serving six years before retiring in 1998. Services will be announced at a later date, NAU said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/3/1615664467851.png" alt="&nbsp;Dr. Hughes served as president of Wichita State University from 1993-1999, retiring as president emeritus.-photo courtesy NAU" />
 <figcaption>&nbsp;Dr. Hughes served as president of Wichita State University from 1993-1999, retiring as president emeritus.-photo courtesy NAU</figcaption>
 </figure>FLAGSTAFF, ARIZ. (AP) —&nbsp;President Eugene Hughes, who served as president of Wichita State and Northern Arizona University died Wednesday in Flagstaff. He was 86.Northern Arizona University <a href="https://news.nau.edu/eugene-hughes-obit/#.YE0U-rRKjEY">announced the death on its website. </a>Cause of death was not stated.Hughes served as NAU president for 14 years, serving from 1979 to 1993 while grappling with state budget cuts and expanding student enrollment and academic programs.After meeting then-NAU President J. Lawrence Walkup at a conference, Hughes was hired as dean of arts and sciences in 1970 and promoted academic vice president in 1977.Hughes left NAU to become president of Wichita State University, serving six years before retiring in 1998. Services will be announced at a later date, NAU said.

Former Wichita State president Eugene Hughes dead at 86

CASS COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating an incident and asking the public for help to identify a vehicle.

Just before 11:30a.m. Friday, a person suspiciously fell from a moving vehicle along northbound Interstate 49 just north of Harrisonville, Missouri (approximately 40 miles south of Kansas City, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

 The person received minor injuries but was unable to describe how the incident occurred. A witness captured dash-cam video of a vehicle that was seen immediately after the person fell onto the highway.&nbsp;

 If you recognize the vehicle or have information, please contact Troop A at 816-622-0800 and leave a message for Tpr D. Bradshaw.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/3/1615658553886.png" alt="Image of possible suspect vehicle from video provided by Missouri State Highway Patrol" />
 <figcaption>Image of possible suspect vehicle from video provided by Missouri State Highway Patrol</figcaption>
 </figure>CASS COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating an incident and asking the public for help to identify a vehicle.Just before 11:30a.m. Friday, a person suspiciously fell from a moving vehicle along northbound Interstate 49 just north of Harrisonville, Missouri (approximately 40 miles south of Kansas City, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol. The person received minor injuries but was unable to describe how the incident occurred. A witness captured dash-cam video of a vehicle that was seen immediately after the person fell onto the highway.&nbsp; If you recognize the vehicle or have information, please contact Troop A at 816-622-0800 and leave a message for Tpr D. Bradshaw.

Patrol investigates after victim fell from moving vehicle

By WHITNEE ICE St. Joseph Post

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — A scarcity of ammunition and firearms came with the onset of the coronavirus pandemic.

Owner of Brothers Arms Clay Bricker in St. Joseph said manufacturing companies have been hurt by the shutdown from the pandemic.

"I can contest to say that COVID has been the biggest contributor to the scarcity of ammunition," Bricker told St. Joseph Post.

Bricker said statistics have shown a significant increase in gun purchases.

"There were 3.2 million new or beginner firearm purchases from people in 2020," said Bricker.

Now that the circumstances of the pandemic have started to improve, St. Joseph Gun and Knife show organizers are excited to host the show this weekend at the Civic Arena.

Bricker says this event is something everyone can apricate during the pandemic.

"Vendors coming into this event to bring a good variety of ammunition, firearms, accessories, all sorts of different merchandise to this event that I think truly everyone can appreciate," said Bricker.

March 13th and 14th, 250 tables of guns and ammunition with dealers from six states will be at the Civic Arena ready to sell or trade. Guns won’t be the only show-stoppers this weekend, lipstick knives, personal alarms, and stun guns will be available as well. Tickets are $12 for adults and $5 for children 6 to 12 years old.

By WHITNEE ICE St. Joseph PostST. JOSEPH, Mo. — A scarcity of ammunition and firearms came with the onset of the coronavirus pandemic.Owner of Brothers Arms Clay Bricker in St. Joseph said manufacturing companies have been hurt by the shutdown from the pandemic."I can contest to say that COVID has been the biggest contributor to the scarcity of ammunition," Bricker told St. Joseph Post.Bricker said statistics have shown a significant increase in gun purchases."There were 3.2 million new or beginner firearm purchases from people in 2020," said Bricker.Now that the circumstances of the pandemic have started to improve, St. Joseph Gun and Knife show organizers are excited to host the show this weekend at the Civic Arena.Bricker says this event is something everyone can apricate during the pandemic."Vendors coming into this event to bring a good variety of ammunition, firearms, accessories, all sorts of different merchandise to this event that I think truly everyone can appreciate," said Bricker.March 13th and 14th, 250 tables of guns and ammunition with dealers from six states will be at the Civic Arena ready to sell or trade. Guns won’t be the only show-stoppers this weekend, lipstick knives, personal alarms, and stun guns will be available as well. Tickets are $12 for adults and $5 for children 6 to 12 years old.

A pandemic effect: Gun sales up, ammunition scarce

WASHINGTON (AP) —As members of the Oath Keepers paramilitary group shouldered their way through the mob and up the steps to the U.S. Capitol, their plans for Jan. 6 were clear, authorities say. “Arrest this assembly, we have probable cause for acts of treason, election fraud,” someone commanded over an encrypted messaging app some extremists used to communicate during the siege.

A little while earlier, Proud Boys carrying two-way radios and wearing earpieces spread out and tried to blend in with the crowd as they invaded the Capitol led by a man assigned “war powers” to oversee the group’s attack, prosecutors say.

These two extremist groups that traveled to Washington along with thousands of other Trump supporters weren’t whipped into an impulsive frenzy by President Donald Trump that day, officials say. They’d been laying attack plans. And their internal communications and other evidence emerging in court papers and in hearings show how authorities are trying to build a case that small&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-extremist-groups-80e309418abecd0b1d50ec4762e6d9c6">cells hidden within the masses</a>&nbsp;mounted an organized, military-style assault on the heart of American democracy.

“This was not simply a march. This was an incredible attack on our institutions of government,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason McCullough said during a recent hearing.

The Proud Boys and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-ohio-4ae41a1dc529fc96879c618b5b64126d">the Oath Keepers make up a fraction</a>&nbsp;of the more than 300 Trump supporters charged so far in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/capitol-siege">the siege</a>&nbsp;that led to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-impeachment-vote-capitol-siege-0a6f2a348a6e43f27d5e1dc486027860">Trump’s second impeachment</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/docs-expose-depth-january-6-capitol-siege-chaos-fd3204574c11e453be8fb4e3c81258c3">resulted in the deaths of five people, including a police officer</a>. But several of their leaders, members and associates have become the central targets of the Justice Department’s sprawling investigation.

It could mean more serious criminal charges for some rioters. On the other hand, mounting evidence of advance planning could also fuel Trump’s and his supporters’&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-impeachment-trial-update-2-12-2021-f831653160706c49987c9d33228ccbbb">claims that the Republican former president did not incite the riot</a>&nbsp;and therefore should not be liable for it.

Defense attorneys have accused prosecutors of distorting their clients’ words and actions to falsely portray the attack as a premeditated, orchestrated insurrection instead of a spontaneous outpouring of election-fueled rage to stop Congress’ certification of Trump’s defeat by Democrat Joe Biden.

And prosecutors’ case against a man described as a leader in the Proud Boys’ attack took a hit last week when a judge ordered him released while he awaits trial, calling some of the evidence against him “weak to say the least.”

The Oath Keepers began readying for violence as early as last November, authorities say. Communications show the group discussing logistics, weapons and training, including “2 days of wargames.”

“I need you fighting fit” by the inauguration, one Ohio member, Jessica Watkins, told a recruit in November, according to court documents. “If Biden becomes president our way of life as we know it is over. Our Republic would be over. Then it is our duty as Americans to fight, kill and die for our rights,” she said in another message later that month.

As Jan. 6 neared, they discussed stationing a “quick reaction force” outside Washington that could bring in weapons “if something goes to hell,” according to court documents. Days before the attack, one man suggested getting a boat to ferry “heavy weapons” across the Potomac River into their “waiting arms.”

“I believe we will have to get violent to stop this,” that man, Thomas Caldwell of Virginia, said in a November message to Watkins. On Jan. 1, he took to Facebook to decry what he viewed as a rigged election, saying “we must smite them now and drive them down,” authorities say.

Authorities have acknowledged there’s no evidence Caldwell was a dues-paying member of the Oath Keepers but have described him as a supporter who appeared to play a “leadership role” within the group.

There were plans for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-capitol-siege-politics-impeachments-7d2334edf7da4e2d50e4c6f1f386dec1">some Oath Keepers</a>&nbsp;to be there in “grey man” mode without identifiable militia gear so they could blend in with the crowd.

“For every Oath Keeper you see, there are at least two you don’t see,” said a Jan. 4 email sent to members.

Two days before the attack, the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/henry-tarrio-proud-boys-arrested-d00d08b026669c150832d1e4c19aeab6">Proud Boys’ top leader, Enrique Tarrio,</a>&nbsp;was arrested shortly after he arrived in Washington and was charged with vandalizing a Black Lives Matter banner at a historic Black church during a December protest.

Tarrio was ordered to stay away from the nation’s capital, so Ethan Nordean was given “war powers” to take charge of the group’s Jan. 6 activities, prosecutors say.

Nordean, a Proud Boys chapter president from Washington state known as Ruffio Panman, tapped his social media following to solicit donations of money and tactical gear for the rally, prosecutors said. On the day of Tarrio’s arrest, Nordean posted a link to a podcast in which he discussed baseless claims about fraud in the election.

“Democracy is dead? Well, then no peace for you. No democracy, no peace,” he said.

Publicly, Tarrio announced on social media that the Proud Boys wouldn’t be wearing their customary yellow-and-black polo shirts on Jan. 6 so they could be “incognito.” Joseph Biggs, a self-described Proud Boys organizer from Florida, echoed that in a social media post directed at counter-protesters.

“We will be blending in as one of you. You won’t see us,” Biggs wrote. “We are going to smell like you, move like you, and look like you.”

Privately, according to prosecutors, the Proud Boys arranged for members to communicate using specific frequencies on Baofeng radios, Chinese-made devices that can be programmed for use on hundreds of frequencies, making it difficult for outsiders to eavesdrop.

One of the Proud Boys who heeded the call to meet in Washington was Dominic Pezzola. He traveled from Syracuse, New York, on Jan. 5 and stayed with other members at a hotel, authorities say.

Another group of members came from the Kansas City area. Investigators believe their chapter leader, William Chrestman, brought a helmet, a gas mask and an ax handle that he would conceal as a flag.

They were ready for a fight, prosecutors say.

Long before the riot, Trump refused to condemn the Proud Boys during his Sept. 29 presidential debate against Biden, instead saying&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-joe-biden-race-and-ethnicity-donald-trump-chris-wallace-0b32339da25fbc9e8b7c7c7066a1db0f">the group should “stand back and stand by.”</a>&nbsp;Proud Boys members celebrated his words on social media, before the president later claimed not to know who they were. It’s unclear whether the Oath Keepers were on the White House radar.

Proud Boys members, who describe themselves as a politically incorrect men’s club for “Western chauvinists,” have frequently engaged in street fights with antifascist activists at rallies and protests. Vice Media co-founder Gavin McInnes, who founded the Proud Boys in 2016, sued the Southern Poverty Law Center for labeling it as a hate group.

The Oath Keepers are a loosely organized group of extremists who actively recruit current and former military, police and first responders who pledge to fulfill the oath to defend the Constitution against all enemies — foreign or domestic.

In the weeks before the attack, Trump and his supporters were making increasingly false and incendiary comments, designed to mobilize supporters to work to overturn the election results — even though&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-ap-fact-check-joe-biden-donald-trump-technology-49a24edd6d10888dbad61689c24b05a5">there was no widespread fraud</a>&nbsp;in the election, as was confirmed by election officials across the country and by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/barr-no-widespread-election-fraud-b1f1488796c9a98c4b1a9061a6c7f49d">Trump’s attorney general</a>.

Trump encouraged thousands at the rally preceding the riot to “fight like hell,” but lawyers for the former president adamantly denied during his impeachment trial that he had incited the attack. They pointed to a remark during his speech in which he told the crowd to behave “peacefully” that day.

He was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-capitol-siege-riots-trials-impeachments-b245b52fd7d4a079ae199c954baba452">acquitted in a Senate trial</a>&nbsp;of inciting the riot after he was impeached by the House, but GOP leaders said a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-capitol-siege-riots-acquittals-impeachments-6fb642f97be5f2bd202e8bc002d6a167">more appropriate venue</a>&nbsp;for his actions could be the courts.

As the mob swarmed the Capitol, Stewart Rhodes, the leader of the Oath Keepers, was communicating with some of the alleged rioters.

“All I see Trump doing is complaining. I see no intent by him to do anything. So the patriots are taking it into their own hands. They’ve had enough,” he said in a Signal message to a group around 1:40 p.m., authorities say. A little later, Rhodes, who has not been charged in the attack, instructed the group to “come to South Side of Capitol on steps.”

Around 2:40 p.m., members of a military-style “stack” who moved up Capitol stairs in a line entered the building through a door on the east side, authorities say. Lawmakers and Vice President Mike Pence had been evacuated from the House and Senate chambers just about 20 minutes earlier.

“We are in the mezzanine. We are in the main dome right now. We are rocking it. They are throwing grenades, they are fricking shooting people with paint balls. But we are in here,” Watkins declared over a channel called Stop the Steal J6 on the walkie-talkie app Zello.

“Get it, Jess. ... Everything we (expletive) trained for,” someone responded, according to the communications&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/otm/segments/zello-tapes-walkie-talkie-app-used-during-insurrection-on-the-media" target="_blank">obtained by WNYC’s “On the Media” program</a>&nbsp;and detailed in court documents.

Caldwell, who did not join the stack, climbed up to the west side balcony, authorities say.

“We are surging forward, doors breached,” he said in a Facebook message about 10 minutes after the group went inside, according to court documents. Roughly 15 minutes later he sent another message: “Inside.”

Caldwell received a Facebook message saying “all members are in the tunnels under capital seal them in,” authorities said. “Turn on gas,” the message said.

Hours after the siege, Caldwell was already talking about another attack “at the local level,” authorities say.

“If we’d had guns I guarantee we would have killed 100 politicians. They ran off and were spirited away through their underground tunnels like the rats they were,” Caldwell said in a message to a friend.

The Proud Boys met at the Washington Monument and were already at the Capitol before Trump finished addressing thousands of supporters near the White House. Listening to the president’s speech wasn’t part of their plan, prosecutors say.

Nordean led the way with a bullhorn while they wore headgear marked with orange tape. Pezzola appeared to have an earpiece in his right ear. Biggs had what looked like a walkie-talkie device on his chest.

Nordean was spotted having a brief exchange near the Capitol with Robert Gieswein, a bat-wielding Colorado man. Proud Boys planning for Jan. 6 had discussed using non-members, or “normies,” like Gieswein to “burn that city to ash” and “smash some pigs to dust,” prosecutors said.

The Proud Boys arrived at the east side of the Capitol before noon. Nordean allegedly positioned them at a Capitol grounds pedestrian entrance guarded by a handful of police officers behind a movable metal barrier.

Around 12:50 p.m., just before the joint session of Congress was scheduled to start, a crowd including Proud Boys members broke through a front line of Capitol police officers and past sets of metal barriers. Nordean moved to the front of the crowd and “stalked” the line of officers to intimidate them and rile up the crowd, prosecutors wrote.

As the mob advanced to another line of officers in the Capitol’s west plaza, Chrestman faced them and shouted, “Do you want your house back?”

Gieswein and Pezzola were among the first to enter the Capitol, through a window Pezzola shattered with a riot shield that he snatched from police, prosecutors say. It took Pezzola more than an hour to fight his way from the exterior of the Capitol grounds to the building’s interior, they say.

Inside, Pezzola joined others in confronting Capitol Police Officer Eugene Goodman, who led the mob away from an entrance to the Senate chamber. Pezzola later took a video of himself smoking a cigar.

“Victory smoke in the Capitol, boys,” he said.

Nine people linked to the Oath Keepers have been indicted on charges that they planned and coordinated with one another in the siege. At least 11 leaders, members or associates of the Proud Boys charged in the riots are accused by the Justice Department of participating in a coordinated attack.

Several from both groups remain in federal custody while awaiting trial.

Their defense attorneys say prosecutors have painted a misleading account of the day’s events based on shaky evidence. Other lawyers for those charged with storming the Capitol have tried to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-capitol-siege-us-news-75b5963841a2263fe8d79b1d18ef552b">pin the blame on Trump for inciting the rioters</a>.

Nordean’s lawyers said prosecutors haven’t presented any evidence that he used encrypted communications to lead a group’s attack on the Capitol. While the government said investigators found a Baofeng radio in Nordean’s home, his lawyers said he did not obtain it until after the day after the riot.

“The government has made repeated claims about Ethan’s activities and then backed away from them without providing any support,” said one of his attorneys, Nicholas Smith.

Caldwell’s lawyer has accused prosecutors of twisting social media posts and messages to make fantastic claims with no hard evidence that any person or group had a premeditated plan to storm the Capitol. David Fischer described Caldwell as a Hollywood-addicted amateur screenwriter full of bravado. The prosecutors’ case is heavy on “dramatic language” but “light on specifics,” the lawyer said in a recent court filing.

“What time was the ‘invasion’ scheduled to begin? Who would lead the attack? What was the goal once the planners entered the Capitol? Who was the leader in the attack? What was the exit strategy of the planners?” Fischer wrote.

Fischer said prosecutors’ case crumbles when closely examined. The “quick reaction force” prosecutors have alleged the Oath Keepers were planning, for example, was actually one person — an obese man in his late 60s with a bad back — who planned to come to their aid if they were attacked by left-wing protesters, Fischer said.

During a hearing last month in which a judge ordered him to remain behind bars while he awaits trial, Caldwell exclaimed that his messages were being “taken out of context.”

“These Oath Keepers thought they — ” he said, before the audio was disconnected and the judge cut in to warn him that anything he said could be used against him by prosecutors.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/2/1613070062571.png" alt="In February, a Capitol. Chief U.S. District Judge ordered&nbsp; that 47-year-old William Chrestman of Olathe be taken from Kansas to Washington to be held until his trial. Chrestman is charged with conspiracy and several other counts. Federal authorities allege he led members of the Kansas City-area Proud Boys who stormed the Capitol Jan. 6.&nbsp; photo Wyandotte County Jail" />
 <figcaption>In February, a Capitol. Chief U.S. District Judge ordered&nbsp; that 47-year-old William Chrestman of Olathe be taken from Kansas to Washington to be held until his trial. Chrestman is charged with conspiracy and several other counts. Federal authorities allege he led members of the Kansas City-area Proud Boys who stormed the Capitol Jan. 6.&nbsp; photo Wyandotte County Jail</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) —As members of the Oath Keepers paramilitary group shouldered their way through the mob and up the steps to the U.S. Capitol, their plans for Jan. 6 were clear, authorities say. “Arrest this assembly, we have probable cause for acts of treason, election fraud,” someone commanded over an encrypted messaging app some extremists used to communicate during the siege.A little while earlier, Proud Boys carrying two-way radios and wearing earpieces spread out and tried to blend in with the crowd as they invaded the Capitol led by a man assigned “war powers” to oversee the group’s attack, prosecutors say.These two extremist groups that traveled to Washington along with thousands of other Trump supporters weren’t whipped into an impulsive frenzy by President Donald Trump that day, officials say. They’d been laying attack plans. And their internal communications and other evidence emerging in court papers and in hearings show how authorities are trying to build a case that small&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-extremist-groups-80e309418abecd0b1d50ec4762e6d9c6">cells hidden within the masses</a>&nbsp;mounted an organized, military-style assault on the heart of American democracy.“This was not simply a march. This was an incredible attack on our institutions of government,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason McCullough said during a recent hearing.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/2/1614042711157.png" alt="Protesters at the U.S. Capitol on January 6-image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Protesters at the U.S. Capitol on January 6-image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>The Proud Boys and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-ohio-4ae41a1dc529fc96879c618b5b64126d">the Oath Keepers make up a fraction</a>&nbsp;of the more than 300 Trump supporters charged so far in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/capitol-siege">the siege</a>&nbsp;that led to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-impeachment-vote-capitol-siege-0a6f2a348a6e43f27d5e1dc486027860">Trump’s second impeachment</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/docs-expose-depth-january-6-capitol-siege-chaos-fd3204574c11e453be8fb4e3c81258c3">resulted in the deaths of five people, including a police officer</a>. But several of their leaders, members and associates have become the central targets of the Justice Department’s sprawling investigation.It could mean more serious criminal charges for some rioters. On the other hand, mounting evidence of advance planning could also fuel Trump’s and his supporters’&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-impeachment-trial-update-2-12-2021-f831653160706c49987c9d33228ccbbb">claims that the Republican former president did not incite the riot</a>&nbsp;and therefore should not be liable for it.Defense attorneys have accused prosecutors of distorting their clients’ words and actions to falsely portray the attack as a premeditated, orchestrated insurrection instead of a spontaneous outpouring of election-fueled rage to stop Congress’ certification of Trump’s defeat by Democrat Joe Biden.And prosecutors’ case against a man described as a leader in the Proud Boys’ attack took a hit last week when a judge ordered him released while he awaits trial, calling some of the evidence against him “weak to say the least.”___The Oath Keepers began readying for violence as early as last November, authorities say. Communications show the group discussing logistics, weapons and training, including “2 days of wargames.”“I need you fighting fit” by the inauguration, one Ohio member, Jessica Watkins, told a recruit in November, according to court documents. “If Biden becomes president our way of life as we know it is over. Our Republic would be over. Then it is our duty as Americans to fight, kill and die for our rights,” she said in another message later that month.As Jan. 6 neared, they discussed stationing a “quick reaction force” outside Washington that could bring in weapons “if something goes to hell,” according to court documents. Days before the attack, one man suggested getting a boat to ferry “heavy weapons” across the Potomac River into their “waiting arms.”“I believe we will have to get violent to stop this,” that man, Thomas Caldwell of Virginia, said in a November message to Watkins. On Jan. 1, he took to Facebook to decry what he viewed as a rigged election, saying “we must smite them now and drive them down,” authorities say.Authorities have acknowledged there’s no evidence Caldwell was a dues-paying member of the Oath Keepers but have described him as a supporter who appeared to play a “leadership role” within the group.There were plans for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-capitol-siege-politics-impeachments-7d2334edf7da4e2d50e4c6f1f386dec1">some Oath Keepers</a>&nbsp;to be there in “grey man” mode without identifiable militia gear so they could blend in with the crowd.“For every Oath Keeper you see, there are at least two you don’t see,” said a Jan. 4 email sent to members.____Two days before the attack, the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/henry-tarrio-proud-boys-arrested-d00d08b026669c150832d1e4c19aeab6">Proud Boys’ top leader, Enrique Tarrio,</a>&nbsp;was arrested shortly after he arrived in Washington and was charged with vandalizing a Black Lives Matter banner at a historic Black church during a December protest.Tarrio was ordered to stay away from the nation’s capital, so Ethan Nordean was given “war powers” to take charge of the group’s Jan. 6 activities, prosecutors say.Nordean, a Proud Boys chapter president from Washington state known as Ruffio Panman, tapped his social media following to solicit donations of money and tactical gear for the rally, prosecutors said. On the day of Tarrio’s arrest, Nordean posted a link to a podcast in which he discussed baseless claims about fraud in the election.“Democracy is dead? Well, then no peace for you. No democracy, no peace,” he said.Publicly, Tarrio announced on social media that the Proud Boys wouldn’t be wearing their customary yellow-and-black polo shirts on Jan. 6 so they could be “incognito.” Joseph Biggs, a self-described Proud Boys organizer from Florida, echoed that in a social media post directed at counter-protesters.“We will be blending in as one of you. You won’t see us,” Biggs wrote. “We are going to smell like you, move like you, and look like you.”Privately, according to prosecutors, the Proud Boys arranged for members to communicate using specific frequencies on Baofeng radios, Chinese-made devices that can be programmed for use on hundreds of frequencies, making it difficult for outsiders to eavesdrop.One of the Proud Boys who heeded the call to meet in Washington was Dominic Pezzola. He traveled from Syracuse, New York, on Jan. 5 and stayed with other members at a hotel, authorities say.Another group of members came from the Kansas City area. Investigators believe their chapter leader, William Chrestman, brought a helmet, a gas mask and an ax handle that he would conceal as a flag.They were ready for a fight, prosecutors say.___Long before the riot, Trump refused to condemn the Proud Boys during his Sept. 29 presidential debate against Biden, instead saying&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-joe-biden-race-and-ethnicity-donald-trump-chris-wallace-0b32339da25fbc9e8b7c7c7066a1db0f">the group should “stand back and stand by.”</a>&nbsp;Proud Boys members celebrated his words on social media, before the president later claimed not to know who they were. It’s unclear whether the Oath Keepers were on the White House radar.Proud Boys members, who describe themselves as a politically incorrect men’s club for “Western chauvinists,” have frequently engaged in street fights with antifascist activists at rallies and protests. Vice Media co-founder Gavin McInnes, who founded the Proud Boys in 2016, sued the Southern Poverty Law Center for labeling it as a hate group.The Oath Keepers are a loosely organized group of extremists who actively recruit current and former military, police and first responders who pledge to fulfill the oath to defend the Constitution against all enemies — foreign or domestic.In the weeks before the attack, Trump and his supporters were making increasingly false and incendiary comments, designed to mobilize supporters to work to overturn the election results — even though&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-ap-fact-check-joe-biden-donald-trump-technology-49a24edd6d10888dbad61689c24b05a5">there was no widespread fraud</a>&nbsp;in the election, as was confirmed by election officials across the country and by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/barr-no-widespread-election-fraud-b1f1488796c9a98c4b1a9061a6c7f49d">Trump’s attorney general</a>.Trump encouraged thousands at the rally preceding the riot to “fight like hell,” but lawyers for the former president adamantly denied during his impeachment trial that he had incited the attack. They pointed to a remark during his speech in which he told the crowd to behave “peacefully” that day.He was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-capitol-siege-riots-trials-impeachments-b245b52fd7d4a079ae199c954baba452">acquitted in a Senate trial</a>&nbsp;of inciting the riot after he was impeached by the House, but GOP leaders said a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-capitol-siege-riots-acquittals-impeachments-6fb642f97be5f2bd202e8bc002d6a167">more appropriate venue</a>&nbsp;for his actions could be the courts.___As the mob swarmed the Capitol, Stewart Rhodes, the leader of the Oath Keepers, was communicating with some of the alleged rioters.“All I see Trump doing is complaining. I see no intent by him to do anything. So the patriots are taking it into their own hands. They’ve had enough,” he said in a Signal message to a group around 1:40 p.m., authorities say. A little later, Rhodes, who has not been charged in the attack, instructed the group to “come to South Side of Capitol on steps.”Around 2:40 p.m., members of a military-style “stack” who moved up Capitol stairs in a line entered the building through a door on the east side, authorities say. Lawmakers and Vice President Mike Pence had been evacuated from the House and Senate chambers just about 20 minutes earlier.“We are in the mezzanine. We are in the main dome right now. We are rocking it. They are throwing grenades, they are fricking shooting people with paint balls. But we are in here,” Watkins declared over a channel called Stop the Steal J6 on the walkie-talkie app Zello.“Get it, Jess. ... Everything we (expletive) trained for,” someone responded, according to the communications&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/otm/segments/zello-tapes-walkie-talkie-app-used-during-insurrection-on-the-media" target="_blank">obtained by WNYC’s “On the Media” program</a>&nbsp;and detailed in court documents.Caldwell, who did not join the stack, climbed up to the west side balcony, authorities say.“We are surging forward, doors breached,” he said in a Facebook message about 10 minutes after the group went inside, according to court documents. Roughly 15 minutes later he sent another message: “Inside.”Caldwell received a Facebook message saying “all members are in the tunnels under capital seal them in,” authorities said. “Turn on gas,” the message said.Hours after the siege, Caldwell was already talking about another attack “at the local level,” authorities say.“If we’d had guns I guarantee we would have killed 100 politicians. They ran off and were spirited away through their underground tunnels like the rats they were,” Caldwell said in a message to a friend.___The Proud Boys met at the Washington Monument and were already at the Capitol before Trump finished addressing thousands of supporters near the White House. Listening to the president’s speech wasn’t part of their plan, prosecutors say.Nordean led the way with a bullhorn while they wore headgear marked with orange tape. Pezzola appeared to have an earpiece in his right ear. Biggs had what looked like a walkie-talkie device on his chest.Nordean was spotted having a brief exchange near the Capitol with Robert Gieswein, a bat-wielding Colorado man. Proud Boys planning for Jan. 6 had discussed using non-members, or “normies,” like Gieswein to “burn that city to ash” and “smash some pigs to dust,” prosecutors said.The Proud Boys arrived at the east side of the Capitol before noon. Nordean allegedly positioned them at a Capitol grounds pedestrian entrance guarded by a handful of police officers behind a movable metal barrier.Around 12:50 p.m., just before the joint session of Congress was scheduled to start, a crowd including Proud Boys members broke through a front line of Capitol police officers and past sets of metal barriers. Nordean moved to the front of the crowd and “stalked” the line of officers to intimidate them and rile up the crowd, prosecutors wrote.As the mob advanced to another line of officers in the Capitol’s west plaza, Chrestman faced them and shouted, “Do you want your house back?”“Yes!” the crowd replied.“Take it!” Chrestman yelled.Gieswein and Pezzola were among the first to enter the Capitol, through a window Pezzola shattered with a riot shield that he snatched from police, prosecutors say. It took Pezzola more than an hour to fight his way from the exterior of the Capitol grounds to the building’s interior, they say.Inside, Pezzola joined others in confronting Capitol Police Officer Eugene Goodman, who led the mob away from an entrance to the Senate chamber. Pezzola later took a video of himself smoking a cigar.“Victory smoke in the Capitol, boys,” he said.___Nine people linked to the Oath Keepers have been indicted on charges that they planned and coordinated with one another in the siege. At least 11 leaders, members or associates of the Proud Boys charged in the riots are accused by the Justice Department of participating in a coordinated attack.Several from both groups remain in federal custody while awaiting trial.Their defense attorneys say prosecutors have painted a misleading account of the day’s events based on shaky evidence. Other lawyers for those charged with storming the Capitol have tried to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-capitol-siege-us-news-75b5963841a2263fe8d79b1d18ef552b">pin the blame on Trump for inciting the rioters</a>.Nordean’s lawyers said prosecutors haven’t presented any evidence that he used encrypted communications to lead a group’s attack on the Capitol. While the government said investigators found a Baofeng radio in Nordean’s home, his lawyers said he did not obtain it until after the day after the riot.“The government has made repeated claims about Ethan’s activities and then backed away from them without providing any support,” said one of his attorneys, Nicholas Smith.Caldwell’s lawyer has accused prosecutors of twisting social media posts and messages to make fantastic claims with no hard evidence that any person or group had a premeditated plan to storm the Capitol. David Fischer described Caldwell as a Hollywood-addicted amateur screenwriter full of bravado. The prosecutors’ case is heavy on “dramatic language” but “light on specifics,” the lawyer said in a recent court filing.“What time was the ‘invasion’ scheduled to begin? Who would lead the attack? What was the goal once the planners entered the Capitol? Who was the leader in the attack? What was the exit strategy of the planners?” Fischer wrote.Fischer said prosecutors’ case crumbles when closely examined. The “quick reaction force” prosecutors have alleged the Oath Keepers were planning, for example, was actually one person — an obese man in his late 60s with a bad back — who planned to come to their aid if they were attacked by left-wing protesters, Fischer said.During a hearing last month in which a judge ordered him to remain behind bars while he awaits trial, Caldwell exclaimed that his messages were being “taken out of context.”“These Oath Keepers thought they — ” he said, before the audio was disconnected and the judge cut in to warn him that anything he said could be used against him by prosecutors.____

US narrows in on organized extremists in Capitol siege probe

By CELIA LLOPIS-JEPSEN <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2021-03-11/kansas-schools-can-fight-covid-19-with-fresh-air-but-its-unclear-how-many-even-track-ventilation">Kansas News Service</a>

After the pandemic hit, the largest school district in Kansas set to 
calculating how much outdoor air it should pull into its buildings.

Wichita Public Schools turned to the nation’s top sources for <a href="https://www.ashrae.org/technical-resources/reopening-of-schools-and-universities" target="_blank">expertise</a>, then boosted ventilation and filtration in ways that scientists say dramatically cut the risk of inhaling COVID-19.

Evidence
 that schools — as well as operators of other buildings that bring 
people together — should take those steps has solidified, buoyed by 
scientific findings that the virus <a href="https://health.ucdavis.edu/coronavirus/covid-19-information/coronavirus-mistakes.html" target="_blank">spreads primarily through particles in the air</a>, not by lurking on doorknobs and table tops.

Yet
 scientists say most American schools probably don’t bring in enough 
outdoor air or filter indoor air the way they should. In some schools, 
the windows don’t even open.

“We are under-ventilating nearly every space we spend time in indoors,” Harvard School of Public Health professor <a href="https://twitter.com/j_g_allen/status/1370120582948401152?s=20" target="_blank">Joseph Allen</a> said in a recent media briefing.

A
 year into the pandemic, some Kansas schools don’t know one of the most 
vital facts about their air quality: The rate at which air turns over.

In the course of a single hour, say experts at Harvard, the air in a typical classroom should effectively change out <a href="https://schools.forhealth.org/risk-reduction-strategies-for-reopening-schools/healthy-buildings/" target="_blank">four to six times</a>, replaced with outdoor air and appropriately recycled indoor air.

Harvard offers <a href="https://schools.forhealth.org/ventilation-guide/" target="_blank">a five-step guide</a> to help schools measure classroom ventilation and a <a href="https://schools.forhealth.org/risk-reduction-strategies-for-reopening-schools/faqs/" target="_blank">list of questions</a> that communities should ask their school leaders. Though the problem hardly starts and stops there.

Poor
 air quality takes a subtle daily toll on health, psychological 
well-being and ability to work and learn effectively, scientists warn. 
So though fending off COVID-19 is top of mind today, communities should 
push for proper ventilation and filtration in their buildings even after
 the pandemic is in the rearview mirror.

No regulation, little information in Kansas

No
 one tracks ventilation in Kansas schools, let alone whether the 
buildings make changes to hit targets set by engineers and public health
 experts for pandemic safety.

Though federal agencies say schools <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/ventilation.html" target="_blank">should take air quality seriously</a>, infectious disease experts and engineers say the government did too little, too late to explain the urgency and the options.

In
 the vacuum of information, schools in Kansas and elsewhere spent on a 
dazzling array of products (such as ionizers) that many experts 
recommend avoiding.

(Click on the Twitter thread above to read an example of experts' concerns regarding unproven technologies.)

State
 agencies, meanwhile, don’t employ staff with the right expertise to 
help districts measure their ventilation and plot a course to 
improvement.

The Kansas State Board of Education adopted <a href="https://www.ksde.org/Teaching-Learning/Resources/Navigating-Change-Kansas-Guide-to-Learning-and-School-Safety-Operations" target="_blank">guidelines</a> explaining the value of ventilation and pointing schools to filters recommended by the <a href="https://www.ashrae.org/technical-resources/resources" target="_blank">American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers</a>.

It doesn’t, however, require schools to act.

The layout of the ducts running through Wichita schools lets the district draw in more air when it needs to.

For that, facilities director Luke Newman is grateful.

“Fresh,
 outside air is always going to give you a healthier space,” he said. 
“Whether you’re fighting COVID or just in normal circumstances.”

But
 many schools across the country lack heating and cooling systems that 
allow for adequate changes to ventilation without shelling out millions 
of dollars. They don’t necessarily have windows that open, either.

Some schools can supplement their ventilation with high-quality filters, such as the <a href="https://www.ashrae.org/technical-resources/filtration-disinfection" target="_blank">MERV-13s</a>
 that Wichita schools installed in some high-risk areas. But many 
heating and cooling systems simply can’t handle those. Portable machines
 with <a href="https://schools.forhealth.org/risk-reduction-strategies-for-reopening-schools/healthy-buildings/" target="_blank">HEPA filters</a> offer another option, but don’t work in large spaces, for example.

<a href="https://schools.forhealth.org/risk-reduction-strategies-for-reopening-schools/healthy-buildings/#consider-advanced-air-quality-techniques" target="_blank">Other options</a>
 for buildings that can’t easily boost filtration and ventilation 
include tweaking humidity levels or attacking the virus with ultraviolet
 irradiation.

Before choosing an approach, though, schools need to do their homework: piece together a picture of their air-change rates.

Measuring
 airflow in every single classroom goes beyond what most districts can 
take on. In Wichita, for example, the district says it would simply cost
 too much. It uses building-wide averages, which it says greatly exceed 
Harvard’s recommendations.

Marcel Harmon is a building scientist 
in Lawrence and a former school board member there who hit the phones 
when the pandemic struck, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/statecounty-health-departments-time-address-aerosols-marcel-harmon/" target="_blank">urging state and local agencies</a> to help spread reliable information about air quality.

He recommends that schools spot-check their air-change rates in typical classrooms and other spaces around their buildings.

“At least we’d have a starting point,” he said. “We don’t even have a baseline.”

Then comes the next hurdle, exploring solutions.

“And
 sometimes it’s just really frustrating,” said Harmon, whose building 
consulting firm has worked with schools in other states. “They know they
 need to do something, but they don’t have it in the budget.”

<a href="https://twitter.com/CorsIAQ/status/1362618407066030083?s=20" target="_blank">Richard Corsi</a>,
 dean of engineering at Portland State University, estimates a portable 
machine with the right kind of filter costs about $10 a year per student
 in a typical classroom of 20 to 25 kids.

(Click on the Twitter thread above to read more on Corsi's cost estimates.)

But
 after a year in which many children attended school remotely and fell 
behind academically, Kansas urgently wants to catch them up. That means 
targeting money at summer or after-school programs, extra counseling or 
even lengthening the school year.

State education officials support improving air quality, but offer districts this advice:

“Don’t
 spend your first dollar upgrading your HVAC,” head of school finance 
Craig Neuenswander recommends. “Let’s look at some of the needs that 
your students are going to have coming out of the pandemic, and address 
those first.”

Celia Llopis-Jepsen reports on consumer health for the Kansas News Service.&nbsp;You can follow her on Twitter @celia_LJ or email her at celia@kcur.org.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/3/1615559364056.png" alt="Chris Neal / Kansas News Service" />
 <figcaption>Chris Neal / Kansas News Service</figcaption>
 </figure>By CELIA LLOPIS-JEPSEN <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2021-03-11/kansas-schools-can-fight-covid-19-with-fresh-air-but-its-unclear-how-many-even-track-ventilation">Kansas News Service</a>After the pandemic hit, the largest school district in Kansas set to 
calculating how much outdoor air it should pull into its buildings.Wichita Public Schools turned to the nation’s top sources for <a href="https://www.ashrae.org/technical-resources/reopening-of-schools-and-universities" target="_blank">expertise</a>, then boosted ventilation and filtration in ways that scientists say dramatically cut the risk of inhaling COVID-19.Evidence
 that schools — as well as operators of other buildings that bring 
people together — should take those steps has solidified, buoyed by 
scientific findings that the virus <a href="https://health.ucdavis.edu/coronavirus/covid-19-information/coronavirus-mistakes.html" target="_blank">spreads primarily through particles in the air</a>, not by lurking on doorknobs and table tops.Yet
 scientists say most American schools probably don’t bring in enough 
outdoor air or filter indoor air the way they should. In some schools, 
the windows don’t even open.“We are under-ventilating nearly every space we spend time in indoors,” Harvard School of Public Health professor <a href="https://twitter.com/j_g_allen/status/1370120582948401152?s=20" target="_blank">Joseph Allen</a> said in a recent media briefing.A
 year into the pandemic, some Kansas schools don’t know one of the most 
vital facts about their air quality: The rate at which air turns over.In the course of a single hour, say experts at Harvard, the air in a typical classroom should effectively change out <a href="https://schools.forhealth.org/risk-reduction-strategies-for-reopening-schools/healthy-buildings/" target="_blank">four to six times</a>, replaced with outdoor air and appropriately recycled indoor air.Harvard offers <a href="https://schools.forhealth.org/ventilation-guide/" target="_blank">a five-step guide</a> to help schools measure classroom ventilation and a <a href="https://schools.forhealth.org/risk-reduction-strategies-for-reopening-schools/faqs/" target="_blank">list of questions</a> that communities should ask their school leaders. Though the problem hardly starts and stops there.Poor
 air quality takes a subtle daily toll on health, psychological 
well-being and ability to work and learn effectively, scientists warn. 
So though fending off COVID-19 is top of mind today, communities should 
push for proper ventilation and filtration in their buildings even after
 the pandemic is in the rearview mirror.<h2>No regulation, little information in Kansas</h2>No
 one tracks ventilation in Kansas schools, let alone whether the 
buildings make changes to hit targets set by engineers and public health
 experts for pandemic safety.Though federal agencies say schools <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/ventilation.html" target="_blank">should take air quality seriously</a>, infectious disease experts and engineers say the government did too little, too late to explain the urgency and the options.In
 the vacuum of information, schools in Kansas and elsewhere spent on a 
dazzling array of products (such as ionizers) that many experts 
recommend avoiding.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">My school installed an electronic air cleaner system (EAC), what should I do?&mdash; Marwa Zaatari (@marwa_zaatari) <a href="https://twitter.com/marwa_zaatari/status/1359285590836060162?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 9, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> </div>(Click on the Twitter thread above to read an example of experts' concerns regarding unproven technologies.)State
 agencies, meanwhile, don’t employ staff with the right expertise to 
help districts measure their ventilation and plot a course to 
improvement.The Kansas State Board of Education adopted <a href="https://www.ksde.org/Teaching-Learning/Resources/Navigating-Change-Kansas-Guide-to-Learning-and-School-Safety-Operations" target="_blank">guidelines</a> explaining the value of ventilation and pointing schools to filters recommended by the <a href="https://www.ashrae.org/technical-resources/resources" target="_blank">American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers</a>.It doesn’t, however, require schools to act.<h2>Not all buildings are created equal</h2>The layout of the ducts running through Wichita schools lets the district draw in more air when it needs to.For that, facilities director Luke Newman is grateful.“Fresh,
 outside air is always going to give you a healthier space,” he said. 
“Whether you’re fighting COVID or just in normal circumstances.”But
 many schools across the country lack heating and cooling systems that 
allow for adequate changes to ventilation without shelling out millions 
of dollars. They don’t necessarily have windows that open, either.Some schools can supplement their ventilation with high-quality filters, such as the <a href="https://www.ashrae.org/technical-resources/filtration-disinfection" target="_blank">MERV-13s</a>
 that Wichita schools installed in some high-risk areas. But many 
heating and cooling systems simply can’t handle those. Portable machines
 with <a href="https://schools.forhealth.org/risk-reduction-strategies-for-reopening-schools/healthy-buildings/" target="_blank">HEPA filters</a> offer another option, but don’t work in large spaces, for example.<a href="https://schools.forhealth.org/risk-reduction-strategies-for-reopening-schools/healthy-buildings/#consider-advanced-air-quality-techniques" target="_blank">Other options</a>
 for buildings that can’t easily boost filtration and ventilation 
include tweaking humidity levels or attacking the virus with ultraviolet
 irradiation.<h2>Getting a ‘baseline’ picture</h2>Before choosing an approach, though, schools need to do their homework: piece together a picture of their air-change rates.Measuring
 airflow in every single classroom goes beyond what most districts can 
take on. In Wichita, for example, the district says it would simply cost
 too much. It uses building-wide averages, which it says greatly exceed 
Harvard’s recommendations.Marcel Harmon is a building scientist 
in Lawrence and a former school board member there who hit the phones 
when the pandemic struck, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/statecounty-health-departments-time-address-aerosols-marcel-harmon/" target="_blank">urging state and local agencies</a> to help spread reliable information about air quality.He recommends that schools spot-check their air-change rates in typical classrooms and other spaces around their buildings.“At least we’d have a starting point,” he said. “We don’t even have a baseline.”Then comes the next hurdle, exploring solutions.“And
 sometimes it’s just really frustrating,” said Harmon, whose building 
consulting firm has worked with schools in other states. “They know they
 need to do something, but they don’t have it in the budget.”<a href="https://twitter.com/CorsIAQ/status/1362618407066030083?s=20" target="_blank">Richard Corsi</a>,
 dean of engineering at Portland State University, estimates a portable 
machine with the right kind of filter costs about $10 a year per student
 in a typical classroom of 20 to 25 kids.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Portable HEPA Filter Systems. 1/ The cost of retrofitting EVERY public school classroom in the entire US w/ a portable HEPA air filter w/ CADR = 300 cfm is approximately $1 billion w/ recurring cost of about $300M/yr for replacement filters. To be clear, EVERY single classroom.&mdash; Dr. Richard Corsi (@CorsIAQ) <a href="https://twitter.com/CorsIAQ/status/1362618407066030083?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 19, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> </div>(Click on the Twitter thread above to read more on Corsi's cost estimates.)But
 after a year in which many children attended school remotely and fell 
behind academically, Kansas urgently wants to catch them up. That means 
targeting money at summer or after-school programs, extra counseling or 
even lengthening the school year.State education officials support improving air quality, but offer districts this advice:“Don’t
 spend your first dollar upgrading your HVAC,” head of school finance 
Craig Neuenswander recommends. “Let’s look at some of the needs that 
your students are going to have coming out of the pandemic, and address 
those first.”Celia Llopis-Jepsen reports on consumer health for the Kansas News Service.&nbsp;You can follow her on Twitter @celia_LJ or email her at celia@kcur.org.

Kan. schools can fight COVID with fresh air, but questions remain

WASHINGTON (AP) — Along with daylight saving time, this weekend could bring some Americans fatter bank balances.

Officials at the Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service said Friday that processing of the new round of stimulus payments has already begun, with the aim of having the first payments start showing up in bank accounts this weekend.

President Joe Biden signed the new $1.9 trillion rescue package on Thursday, the day after it won final passage in the House.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-personal-taxes-legislation-coronavirus-pandemic-unemployment-insurance-104c5477a7879abd4117abfea25c30d5">The measure</a>&nbsp;provides for payments to qualifying individuals of up to $1,400, with payments to a qualifying family of four of $5,600.

“The payments will be delivered automatically to taxpayers even as the IRS continues delivering regular tax refunds,” IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig said in a statement.

It is estimated that 85% of Americans will be eligible for the payments and the goal is to have millions of the payments disbursed in the next few weeks.

The relief measure, which passed on party-line votes in both the House and Senate, contains the third round of economic-impact payments. The first round passed last spring provided up to $1,200 per individual, and a second round of payments in December provided up to $600 per individual.

The latest package passed with no votes from Republicans, who objected to the size of the measure and argued it was not necessary given signs that the economy is beginning to recover.

Then-President Donald Trump called the payments in the $900 billion relief bill passed in December too small and Biden agreed, pushing the total for an individual up to $1,400 in the new package.

The latest round of relief payments will provide households with $1,400 for each adult, child and adult dependent, such as college students or elderly relatives. Adult dependents were not eligible to receive payments in the previous two rounds of payments.

The payments start declining for an individual once adjusted gross income exceeds $75,000 and go to zero once income hits $80,000. The payment starts declining for married couples when income exceeds $150,000 and goes to zero at $160,000.

Officials said that beginning on Monday, people can check the “Get My Payment” tool on the IRS.gov website to track their own payments.

Taxpayers who have provided bank information with the IRS will receive the direct-deposit payments, while others will get paper checks or debit cards mailed to them.

Officials said in the interest of speeding up the relief payments, the IRS will use the latest tax return available, either the 2019 return filed last year or the 2020 return that is due by April 15.

If a person’s job situation changed last year because of the pandemic, which led to millions of people losing jobs or being forced to work reduced hours, officials said that the IRS will adjust the size of the new impact payments after the 2020 return has been filed and provide a supplemental payment if that is called for. Officials said those adjustments will be made automatically by the IRS for people who have already filed their 2020 returns.

Officials said they wanted to handle the payments this way rather than waiting for the 2020 tax return to be filed in the interest of speeding payments to taxpayers.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1611863114554.png" alt="President Joe Biden signed the new $1.9 trillion rescue package on Thursday." />
 <figcaption>President Joe Biden signed the new $1.9 trillion rescue package on Thursday.</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — Along with daylight saving time, this weekend could bring some Americans fatter bank balances.Officials at the Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service said Friday that processing of the new round of stimulus payments has already begun, with the aim of having the first payments start showing up in bank accounts this weekend.President Joe Biden signed the new $1.9 trillion rescue package on Thursday, the day after it won final passage in the House.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-personal-taxes-legislation-coronavirus-pandemic-unemployment-insurance-104c5477a7879abd4117abfea25c30d5">The measure</a>&nbsp;provides for payments to qualifying individuals of up to $1,400, with payments to a qualifying family of four of $5,600.“The payments will be delivered automatically to taxpayers even as the IRS continues delivering regular tax refunds,” IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig said in a statement.It is estimated that 85% of Americans will be eligible for the payments and the goal is to have millions of the payments disbursed in the next few weeks.The relief measure, which passed on party-line votes in both the House and Senate, contains the third round of economic-impact payments. The first round passed last spring provided up to $1,200 per individual, and a second round of payments in December provided up to $600 per individual.The latest package passed with no votes from Republicans, who objected to the size of the measure and argued it was not necessary given signs that the economy is beginning to recover.Then-President Donald Trump called the payments in the $900 billion relief bill passed in December too small and Biden agreed, pushing the total for an individual up to $1,400 in the new package.The latest round of relief payments will provide households with $1,400 for each adult, child and adult dependent, such as college students or elderly relatives. Adult dependents were not eligible to receive payments in the previous two rounds of payments.The payments start declining for an individual once adjusted gross income exceeds $75,000 and go to zero once income hits $80,000. The payment starts declining for married couples when income exceeds $150,000 and goes to zero at $160,000.Officials said that beginning on Monday, people can check the “Get My Payment” tool on the IRS.gov website to track their own payments.Taxpayers who have provided bank information with the IRS will receive the direct-deposit payments, while others will get paper checks or debit cards mailed to them.Officials said in the interest of speeding up the relief payments, the IRS will use the latest tax return available, either the 2019 return filed last year or the 2020 return that is due by April 15.If a person’s job situation changed last year because of the pandemic, which led to millions of people losing jobs or being forced to work reduced hours, officials said that the IRS will adjust the size of the new impact payments after the 2020 return has been filed and provide a supplemental payment if that is called for. Officials said those adjustments will be made automatically by the IRS for people who have already filed their 2020 returns.Officials said they wanted to handle the payments this way rather than waiting for the 2020 tax return to be filed in the interest of speeding payments to taxpayers.___

IRS: Your next COVID relief payment is on the way

KANSAS CITY (AP) — A former Missouri jail guard has been convicted of convincing her terminally ill father to fatally shoot her estranged husband with whom she was embroiled in a custody dispute before killing himself so it appeared to be a murder-suicide, prosecutors said Thursday.

The Missouri Attorney General’s Office made the announcement five days after jurors found Elizabeth Kilgore guilty of first-degree murder, introducing a dangerous instrument into a county jail, acceding to corruption and possession of methamphetamine. Sentencing is set for April.

Prosecutors said 77-year-old Charles Sander killed his son-in-law, Lance Kilgore, and himself in September&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/62e6e6dc82864ade926237672b308db8">2018&nbsp;</a>during what was supposed to be a custody exchange of the couple’s then 2-year-old son at a convenience store in Osceola, about 90 miles&nbsp; southeast of Kansas City.

Witness testified at the trial that the defendant vowed that if Lance Kilgore sought custody of their son, she would kill him or have him killed.

After the couple separated, Elizabeth Kilgore moved in with her mother and began working at the St. Clair County Jail. While there, she asked two inmates for help killing her husband, a Missouri State Highway Patrol sergeant wrote in charging documents.

She was fired one month before the killing after one of the inmates reported that she’d made the request. She admitted under questioning to smuggling the inmate contraband but denied the solicitation allegation.

In a recorded call, however, she can be heard telling the second inmate that her father had offered to “handle my problem for me.”

Prosecutors said she also suggested that she wanted methamphetamine for her dad, a convicted felon with an extensive history of drug-related arrests, so that he could “go out with a bang.” She also threatened to turn her dad in for drugs if he did not take care of Lance Kilgore, the release said.

The murder-suicide was captured on store surveillance video. Elizabeth Kilgore arrived minutes later in another vehicle with her son, explaining that she was “running late,” the sergeant wrote.

Prosecutors said that when she was arrested, police found methamphetamine in her car, a note from an inmate and more than $9000 in cash, which she admitted was her “run money.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/3/1615555034509.png" alt="Kilgore photo St. Clair County Jail" />
 <figcaption>Kilgore photo St. Clair County Jail</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY (AP) — A former Missouri jail guard has been convicted of convincing her terminally ill father to fatally shoot her estranged husband with whom she was embroiled in a custody dispute before killing himself so it appeared to be a murder-suicide, prosecutors said Thursday.The Missouri Attorney General’s Office made the announcement five days after jurors found Elizabeth Kilgore guilty of first-degree murder, introducing a dangerous instrument into a county jail, acceding to corruption and possession of methamphetamine. Sentencing is set for April.Prosecutors said 77-year-old Charles Sander killed his son-in-law, Lance Kilgore, and himself in September&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/62e6e6dc82864ade926237672b308db8">2018&nbsp;</a>during what was supposed to be a custody exchange of the couple’s then 2-year-old son at a convenience store in Osceola, about 90 miles&nbsp; southeast of Kansas City.Witness testified at the trial that the defendant vowed that if Lance Kilgore sought custody of their son, she would kill him or have him killed.After the couple separated, Elizabeth Kilgore moved in with her mother and began working at the St. Clair County Jail. While there, she asked two inmates for help killing her husband, a Missouri State Highway Patrol sergeant wrote in charging documents.She was fired one month before the killing after one of the inmates reported that she’d made the request. She admitted under questioning to smuggling the inmate contraband but denied the solicitation allegation.In a recorded call, however, she can be heard telling the second inmate that her father had offered to “handle my problem for me.”Prosecutors said she also suggested that she wanted methamphetamine for her dad, a convicted felon with an extensive history of drug-related arrests, so that he could “go out with a bang.” She also threatened to turn her dad in for drugs if he did not take care of Lance Kilgore, the release said.The murder-suicide was captured on store surveillance video. Elizabeth Kilgore arrived minutes later in another vehicle with her son, explaining that she was “running late,” the sergeant wrote.Prosecutors said that when she was arrested, police found methamphetamine in her car, a note from an inmate and more than $9000 in cash, which she admitted was her “run money.”

Guilty: Woman who convinced dad to aid murder-suicide 

SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a shooting that sent a teen to the hospital.

Just after 7:00 pm on Thursday, police responded to a shooting call in the 1600 block of North Madison, according to officer Charley Davidson. 

Upon arrival, they located a 16-year-old boy in the street with multiple gunshot wounds. EMS transported him to an area hospital in serious condition.

Officers located several shell casings in the area and a vehicle with damage from a bullet strike. Witnesses reported seeing a dark-colored Dodge Charger in the area at the time of the incident. 

Police had not reported an arrest late Thursday afternoon or provided an update on the teen's condition.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/3/1615583556224.png" alt="Police near the scene of the investigation photo courtesy KWCH" />
 <figcaption>Police near the scene of the investigation photo courtesy KWCH</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a shooting that sent a teen to the hospital.Just after 7:00 pm on Thursday, police responded to a shooting call in the 1600 block of North Madison, according to officer Charley Davidson. Upon arrival, they located a 16-year-old boy in the street with multiple gunshot wounds. EMS transported him to an area hospital in serious condition.Officers located several shell casings in the area and a vehicle with damage from a bullet strike. Witnesses reported seeing a dark-colored Dodge Charger in the area at the time of the incident. Police had not reported an arrest late Thursday afternoon or provided an update on the teen's condition.

Police find Kan. teen in street with multiple gunshot wounds

TOPEKA —An El Dorado Correctional Facility resident, Ryan Mitchell, died Thursday, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections. The cause of death is pending an autopsy. Preliminary assessment indicates the death was not related to COVID-19.

Per protocol, when a resident dies in the custody of KDOC, the death is under investigation by KDOC and the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI).

Mitchell was serving a 176-month sentence for&nbsp;intent to distribute and a weapons charge.&nbsp;He had been imprisoned with KDOC since Oct. 2018.

The 1,955 bed El Dorado Correctional Facility opened in 1991 and was expanded in 1995 and 2001. The facility is designed for&nbsp;maximum- and medium-custody residents and serves as the Reception and Diagnostic Unit (RDU) for all adult males sentenced to KDOC. In RDU, residents receive orientation and are assigned to a custody classification, appropriate programs and a permanent housing assignment.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/3/1615582464697.png" alt="Ryan Mitchell, 38, had felony convictions dating back to 2012, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections." />
 <figcaption>Ryan Mitchell, 38, had felony convictions dating back to 2012, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA —An El Dorado Correctional Facility resident, Ryan Mitchell, died Thursday, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections. The cause of death is pending an autopsy. Preliminary assessment indicates the death was not related to COVID-19.Per protocol, when a resident dies in the custody of KDOC, the death is under investigation by KDOC and the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI).Mitchell was serving a 176-month sentence for&nbsp;intent to distribute and a weapons charge.&nbsp;He had been imprisoned with KDOC since Oct. 2018.The 1,955 bed El Dorado Correctional Facility opened in 1991 and was expanded in 1995 and 2001. The facility is designed for&nbsp;maximum- and medium-custody residents and serves as the Reception and Diagnostic Unit (RDU) for all adult males sentenced to KDOC. In RDU, residents receive orientation and are assigned to a custody classification, appropriate programs and a permanent housing assignment.

Death of 38-year-old Kan. inmate under investigation

TOPEKA – Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt issued the following statement on Friday's one-year anniversary of the COVID-19 state of disaster emergency, which was declared by the governor on March 12, 2020, and has been extended by legislative action until March 31, 2021:

“One year ago today, Kansas began its emergency response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The tumultuous past year has seen nearly 5,000 Kansans die with this disease, many more left to deal with lingering after-effects, countless livelihoods disrupted or destroyed, and ordinary life interrupted for everybody from our youngest children kept from school to our oldest seniors trapped alone in their homes. Thankfully, the development of vaccines has brought more-ordinary times into sight.

“On this anniversary, we also should reflect on how our institutions have operated. Emergency-management systems and executive orders should never become long-term substitutes for our familiar institutions of self-government. Yet during calendar year 2020, our system of lawmaking was turned on its head as the governor decreed by emergency executive order nearly four times as many ‘laws’ as the legislature enacted.

“In the absence of effective checks and balances, some of those executive orders predictably overstepped legal or constitutional bounds. A federal judge subsequently blocked closing churches, the legislature blocked closing businesses, and the state board of education blocked closing schools. Those actions became necessary because, as I said soon after this state of emergency was declared, ‘The Constitution protects our liberties&nbsp;especially&nbsp;during times of crisis, when history reveals governments too quick to sacrifice rights of the few to calm fears of the many.’

“On this somber&nbsp;anniversary, my heart goes out to all who have suffered loss during this pandemic.&nbsp;And I commend the dedicated legislators&nbsp;drawing lessons learned from the past year to thoughtfully reform emergency-management laws. I&nbsp;encourage all involved to redouble efforts to get that job done.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/3/1584989100031.png" alt="Governor Laura Kelly during a March 2020 pandemic press conference&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>Governor Laura Kelly during a March 2020 pandemic press conference&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA – Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt issued the following statement on Friday's one-year anniversary of the COVID-19 state of disaster emergency, which was declared by the governor on March 12, 2020, and has been extended by legislative action until March 31, 2021:“One year ago today, Kansas began its emergency response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The tumultuous past year has seen nearly 5,000 Kansans die with this disease, many more left to deal with lingering after-effects, countless livelihoods disrupted or destroyed, and ordinary life interrupted for everybody from our youngest children kept from school to our oldest seniors trapped alone in their homes. Thankfully, the development of vaccines has brought more-ordinary times into sight.“On this anniversary, we also should reflect on how our institutions have operated. Emergency-management systems and executive orders should never become long-term substitutes for our familiar institutions of self-government. Yet during calendar year 2020, our system of lawmaking was turned on its head as the governor decreed by emergency executive order nearly four times as many ‘laws’ as the legislature enacted.“In the absence of effective checks and balances, some of those executive orders predictably overstepped legal or constitutional bounds. A federal judge subsequently blocked closing churches, the legislature blocked closing businesses, and the state board of education blocked closing schools. Those actions became necessary because, as I said soon after this state of emergency was declared, ‘The Constitution protects our liberties&nbsp;especially&nbsp;during times of crisis, when history reveals governments too quick to sacrifice rights of the few to calm fears of the many.’“On this somber&nbsp;anniversary, my heart goes out to all who have suffered loss during this pandemic.&nbsp;And I commend the dedicated legislators&nbsp;drawing lessons learned from the past year to thoughtfully reform emergency-management laws. I&nbsp;encourage all involved to redouble efforts to get that job done.”

Kan. AG on anniversary of COVID-19 state of disaster emergency

KANSAS CITY (AP) — Police have identified a woman found fatally shot in Kansas City’s Pendleton Heights neighborhood.

The woman, identified Friday as 25-year-old Deja Veal, was found by officers who were on patrol nearby around 10 p.m. Wednesday when they heard gunshots. Veal was found lying in the street along Wabash Avenue after the officers searched the area, police said in a news release.

Arriving paramedics pronounced Veal dead at the scene.

Homicide detectives were called to the scene to gather evidence and canvass the area for witnesses, police said. No arrests or suspects in the shooting had been announced by Friday afternoon

KANSAS CITY (AP) — Police have identified a woman found fatally shot in Kansas City’s Pendleton Heights neighborhood.The woman, identified Friday as 25-year-old Deja Veal, was found by officers who were on patrol nearby around 10 p.m. Wednesday when they heard gunshots. Veal was found lying in the street along Wabash Avenue after the officers searched the area, police said in a news release.Arriving paramedics pronounced Veal dead at the scene.Homicide detectives were called to the scene to gather evidence and canvass the area for witnesses, police said. No arrests or suspects in the shooting had been announced by Friday afternoon

Police ID woman fatally shot in Kansas City neighborhood

NEW YORK (AP) — Netflix is testing a way to crack down on password sharing.

The popular streaming service has been asking some users of the popular streaming site to verify their account via email or text, or to “verify later."

“If you don't live with the owner of this account, you need your own account to keep watching," the screen reads, according to Streamable.com, which first reported the test.

The test comes as streaming services proliferate and more people share passwords and services. Netflix confirmed the test, but did not say how many people were part of the test or if it was only in the U.S. or elsewhere.

“This test is designed to help ensure that people using Netflix accounts are authorized to do so," the company said in a statement.

On the most basic plan, which costs $9 monthly, users can only stream on one screen at a time. The most popular plan, which is now $14 monthly, allows two simultaneous streams; the $18 premium plan allows 3.

But there has never been a limit on sharing an account when you aren't streaming at the same time.

Competition has definitely heated up in entertainment streaming, with recent entrants running from Disney+ in 2019 to Paramount+ most recently. Still, Netflix remains the one to beat with more than 200 million subscribers globally.

NEW YORK (AP) — Netflix is testing a way to crack down on password sharing.The popular streaming service has been asking some users of the popular streaming site to verify their account via email or text, or to “verify later."“If you don't live with the owner of this account, you need your own account to keep watching," the screen reads, according to Streamable.com, which first reported the test.The test comes as streaming services proliferate and more people share passwords and services. Netflix confirmed the test, but did not say how many people were part of the test or if it was only in the U.S. or elsewhere.“This test is designed to help ensure that people using Netflix accounts are authorized to do so," the company said in a statement.On the most basic plan, which costs $9 monthly, users can only stream on one screen at a time. The most popular plan, which is now $14 monthly, allows two simultaneous streams; the $18 premium plan allows 3.But there has never been a limit on sharing an account when you aren't streaming at the same time.Competition has definitely heated up in entertainment streaming, with recent entrants running from Disney+ in 2019 to Paramount+ most recently. Still, Netflix remains the one to beat with more than 200 million subscribers globally.