WYANDOTTE COUNTY —Law enforcement investigating a fatal shooting on October 3, have released the name of the victim as 21-year-old Jai'Marion Miller of Kansas City, Kansas.

Just after 7a.m. October 3, police responded to report of a shooting in the 4900 Block of Dickinson Road in Kansas City, Kansas, according to a media release.

First responders found Miller on the road with apparent gunshot wounds.&nbsp; He was pronounced dead at the scene.&nbsp; Police have not reported an arrest or released suspect information.

WYANDOTTE COUNTY —Law enforcement investigating a fatal shooting on October 3, have released the name of the victim as 21-year-old Jai'Marion Miller of Kansas City, Kansas.Just after 7a.m. October 3, police responded to report of a shooting in the 4900 Block of Dickinson Road in Kansas City, Kansas, according to a media release.First responders found Miller on the road with apparent gunshot wounds.&nbsp; He was pronounced dead at the scene.&nbsp; Police have not reported an arrest or released suspect information.

Homicide: Police ID Kan. man found with gunshot wound on the road

WASHINGTON (AP) — Thousands of copies of Donald Trump’s “God Bless the USA” Bible were printed in a country that the former president has repeatedly accused of stealing American jobs and engaging in unfair trade practices: China.

Global trade records reviewed by The Associated Press show a printing company in China’s eastern city of Hangzhou shipped close to 120,000 of the Bibles to the United States earlier this year.

The estimated value of the three separate shipments was $342,000, or less than $3 per Bible, according to databases that track exports and imports. The minimum price for the Trump-backed Bible is $59.99, putting the potential sales revenue at about $7 million.

The Trump Bible’s connection to China reveals a deep divide between the former president’s harsh anti-China rhetoric and his efforts to raise cash while campaigning.

The Trump campaign did not respond to emails and calls seeking comment.

In a March 26 video posted on his Truth Social platform, Trump announced a partnership with country singer Lee Greenwood to hawk the Bibles, inspired by Greenwood's “God Bless the USA” hit song.

In the video, Trump blended religion with his campaign message as he urged viewers to buy the Bible, which includes copies of the U.S. Constitution, Declaration of Independence, Bill of Rights and Pledge of Allegiance.

“This Bible is a reminder that the biggest thing we have to bring back in America, and to make America great again, is our religion," Trump said.

Trump didn’t say where the “God Bless the USA” Bibles are printed, what they cost or how much he earns per sale. A version of the $59.99 Bible memorializes the July 13 assassination attempt on the former president in Pennsylvania. Trump’s name is stamped on the cover above the phrase, “The Day God Intervened.”

The Bibles are sold exclusively through a website that states it is not affiliated with any political campaign nor is it owned or controlled by Trump.

The website states that Trump’s name and image are used under a paid license from CIC Ventures, a company Trump reported owning in a financial disclosure released in August. CIC Ventures earned $300,000 in Bible sales royalties, according to the disclosure. It’s unclear if Trump has received additional payments.

AP received no response to questions sent to the Bible website and to a publicist for Greenwood.

For years, Trump has castigated Beijing as an obstacle to America’s economic success, slapping hefty tariffs on Chinese imports while president and threatening even more stringent measures if he’s elected again. He blamed China for the COVID-19 outbreak and recently suggested, without evidence, that Chinese immigrants are flooding the U.S. to build an “army” and attack America.

But Trump also has an eye on his personal finances. Pitching Bibles is one of a dizzying number of for-profit ventures he’s launched or promoted, including diamond-encrusted watches, sneakers, photo books, cryptocurrency and digital trading cards.

The web of enterprises has stoked conflict of interest concerns. Selling products at prices that exceed their value may be considered a campaign contribution, said Claire Finkelstein, founder of the nonpartisan Center for Ethics and the Rule of Law and a law professor at the University of Pennsylvania.

“You have to assume that everything that the individual does is being done as a candidate and so that any money that flows through to him benefits him as a candidate,” Finkelstein said. “Suppose Vladimir Putin were to buy a Trump watch. Is that a campaign finance violation? I would think so.”

There’s a potentially lucrative opportunity for Trump to sell 55,000 of the Bibles to Oklahoma after the state’s education department ordered public schools to incorporate Scripture into lessons. Oklahoma plans to buy Bibles that initially matched Trump’s edition: a King James Version that contains the U.S. founding documents. The request was revised Monday to allow the U.S. historical documents to be bound with the Bible or provided separately.

The first delivery of Trump Bibles was labeled “God Bless USA,” according to the information from the Panjiva and Import Genius databases. The other two were described as “Bibles.” All the books were shipped by New Ade Cultural Media, a printing company in Hangzhou, to Freedom Park Design, a company in Alabama that databases identified as the importer of the Bibles.

Tammy Tang, a sales representative for New Ade, told AP all three shipments were “God Bless the USA” Bibles. She said New Ade received the orders from Freedom Park Design via the WhatsApp messaging service. The books were printed on presses near the company’s office, she said.

Freedom Park Design was incorporated in Florida on March 1. An aspiring country singer named Jared Ashley is the company’s president. He also co-founded 16 Creative, a marketing firm that uses the same Gulf Shores address and processes online orders for branded merchandise.

Ashley hung up on a reporter who called to ask about the Bibles. Greenwood is a client of 16 Creative, according to the firm’s website. He launched the American-flag emblazoned Bible in 2021.

Religious scholars have denounced the merger of Scripture and government documents as a “toxic mix” that would fuel Christian nationalism, a movement that fuses American and Christian values, symbols and identity and seeks to privilege Christianity in public life. Other critics have called the Trump Bible blasphemous.

Tim Wildsmith, a Baptist minister who reviews Bibles on his YouTube channel, said he quickly noticed the signs of a cheaply made book when his “God Bless the USA” Bible arrived in the mail.

It had a faux leather cover, and words were jammed together on the pages, making it hard to read. He also found sticky pages that ripped when pulled apart, and there was no copyright page or information about who printed the Bible, or where.

“I was shocked by how poor the quality of it was,” Wildsmith said. “It says to me that it’s more about the love of money than it is the love of our country.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1711546280758.png" alt="Image from the&nbsp;<a href="https://godblesstheusabible.com/">GodBlessTheUSABible.com</a>&nbsp;web site" />
 <figcaption>Image from the&nbsp;<a href="https://godblesstheusabible.com/">GodBlessTheUSABible.com</a>&nbsp;web site</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — Thousands of copies of Donald Trump’s “God Bless the USA” Bible were printed in a country that the former president has repeatedly accused of stealing American jobs and engaging in unfair trade practices: China.Global trade records reviewed by The Associated Press show a printing company in China’s eastern city of Hangzhou shipped close to 120,000 of the Bibles to the United States earlier this year.The estimated value of the three separate shipments was $342,000, or less than $3 per Bible, according to databases that track exports and imports. The minimum price for the Trump-backed Bible is $59.99, putting the potential sales revenue at about $7 million.The Trump Bible’s connection to China reveals a deep divide between the former president’s harsh anti-China rhetoric and his efforts to raise cash while campaigning.The Trump campaign did not respond to emails and calls seeking comment.In a March 26 video posted on his Truth Social platform, Trump announced a partnership with country singer Lee Greenwood to hawk the Bibles, inspired by Greenwood's “God Bless the USA” hit song.In the video, Trump blended religion with his campaign message as he urged viewers to buy the Bible, which includes copies of the U.S. Constitution, Declaration of Independence, Bill of Rights and Pledge of Allegiance.“This Bible is a reminder that the biggest thing we have to bring back in America, and to make America great again, is our religion," Trump said.Trump didn’t say where the “God Bless the USA” Bibles are printed, what they cost or how much he earns per sale. A version of the $59.99 Bible memorializes the July 13 assassination attempt on the former president in Pennsylvania. Trump’s name is stamped on the cover above the phrase, “The Day God Intervened.”The Bibles are sold exclusively through a website that states it is not affiliated with any political campaign nor is it owned or controlled by Trump.The website states that Trump’s name and image are used under a paid license from CIC Ventures, a company Trump reported owning in a financial disclosure released in August. CIC Ventures earned $300,000 in Bible sales royalties, according to the disclosure. It’s unclear if Trump has received additional payments.AP received no response to questions sent to the Bible website and to a publicist for Greenwood.For years, Trump has castigated Beijing as an obstacle to America’s economic success, slapping hefty tariffs on Chinese imports while president and threatening even more stringent measures if he’s elected again. He blamed China for the COVID-19 outbreak and recently suggested, without evidence, that Chinese immigrants are flooding the U.S. to build an “army” and attack America.But Trump also has an eye on his personal finances. Pitching Bibles is one of a dizzying number of for-profit ventures he’s launched or promoted, including diamond-encrusted watches, sneakers, photo books, cryptocurrency and digital trading cards.The web of enterprises has stoked conflict of interest concerns. Selling products at prices that exceed their value may be considered a campaign contribution, said Claire Finkelstein, founder of the nonpartisan Center for Ethics and the Rule of Law and a law professor at the University of Pennsylvania.“You have to assume that everything that the individual does is being done as a candidate and so that any money that flows through to him benefits him as a candidate,” Finkelstein said. “Suppose Vladimir Putin were to buy a Trump watch. Is that a campaign finance violation? I would think so.”There’s a potentially lucrative opportunity for Trump to sell 55,000 of the Bibles to Oklahoma after the state’s education department ordered public schools to incorporate Scripture into lessons. Oklahoma plans to buy Bibles that initially matched Trump’s edition: a King James Version that contains the U.S. founding documents. The request was revised Monday to allow the U.S. historical documents to be bound with the Bible or provided separately.The first delivery of Trump Bibles was labeled “God Bless USA,” according to the information from the Panjiva and Import Genius databases. The other two were described as “Bibles.” All the books were shipped by New Ade Cultural Media, a printing company in Hangzhou, to Freedom Park Design, a company in Alabama that databases identified as the importer of the Bibles.Tammy Tang, a sales representative for New Ade, told AP all three shipments were “God Bless the USA” Bibles. She said New Ade received the orders from Freedom Park Design via the WhatsApp messaging service. The books were printed on presses near the company’s office, she said.Freedom Park Design was incorporated in Florida on March 1. An aspiring country singer named Jared Ashley is the company’s president. He also co-founded 16 Creative, a marketing firm that uses the same Gulf Shores address and processes online orders for branded merchandise.Ashley hung up on a reporter who called to ask about the Bibles. Greenwood is a client of 16 Creative, according to the firm’s website. He launched the American-flag emblazoned Bible in 2021.Religious scholars have denounced the merger of Scripture and government documents as a “toxic mix” that would fuel Christian nationalism, a movement that fuses American and Christian values, symbols and identity and seeks to privilege Christianity in public life. Other critics have called the Trump Bible blasphemous.Tim Wildsmith, a Baptist minister who reviews Bibles on his YouTube channel, said he quickly noticed the signs of a cheaply made book when his “God Bless the USA” Bible arrived in the mail.It had a faux leather cover, and words were jammed together on the pages, making it hard to read. He also found sticky pages that ripped when pulled apart, and there was no copyright page or information about who printed the Bible, or where.“I was shocked by how poor the quality of it was,” Wildsmith said. “It says to me that it’s more about the love of money than it is the love of our country.”

Trump blasted China's trade practices. His 'God Bless the USA' Bibles were printed there

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/clarkkauffman/">CLARK KAUFFMAN</a>&nbsp;

The state of Iowa, where nursing homes have compiled one of the nation’s worst records for staffing-level violations, has joined 19 other states in suing the Biden administration to block the implementation of new staffing requirements.

The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Iowa, seeks to overturn the nursing home staffing requirements approved earlier this year by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

In their petition, the 20 states, including Kansas, and more than a dozen industry associations argue that the new staffing requirements pose “an existential threat to the nursing home industry as many nursing homes that are already struggling will have no choice but to go out of business. And the main victims will be the patients who will have nowhere else to go.”

The lawsuit is in response to CMS’ decision in April to finalize new minimum staffing standards that will require homes to conduct assessments of their residents’ needs and provide 3.48 hours of direct nursing care per resident, per day. The rule also requires the homes to have a registered nurse available 24 hours per day, seven days a week.

Earlier this year,&nbsp;<a href="https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2024/04/16/iowa-nursing-homes-staffing-levels-are-among-the-nations-worst/" target="_blank">the Iowa Capital Dispatch reported</a>&nbsp;that Iowa nursing homes have the sixth-worst record in the nation for staffing-level violations. Data from CMS show that 14% of the state’s 422 nursing facilities were cited for insufficient staffing in fiscal year 2023. That was more than double the national average, which was 5.9%.

Only five other states — Hawaii, Michigan, Montana, New Mexico and Oregon — had a worse record of compliance with the sufficient-staffing requirement.

Des Moines’ Fleur Heights care facility compiled Iowa’s worst record of compliance.&nbsp; Over a nine-month period between May 2023 and February 2024, Fleur Heights was cited, but never fined, five times for insufficient staff — more than any other facility in the state.

Lawsuit: CMS pulls an elephant out of a mousehole

Federal data suggest many care facilities already meet the new standards, but industry officials allege nursing homes will need to hire an additional 27,000 full-time registered nurses and 78,000 full-time certified nurse aides, at a cost of more than $7 billion, to meet the requirements.

<a href="https://nursinghome411.org/alert-staffing-q4-2023/" target="_blank">A report from the Long-Term Care Community Coalition</a>&nbsp;earlier this year showed that 6 in 10 of all U.S. nursing homes would have met the new nurse-staffing standard of 3.48 hours in the fourth quarter of 2023. Iowa homes fell below the national average, with 56.5% of them meeting the new standard.

The fact that a majority of facilities already meet the new minimum standard while still facing quality-of-care issues has been an issue with many advocates who say&nbsp;<a href="https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2024/05/03/new-report-details-low-staffing-high-turnover-in-iowa-nursing-homes/" target="_blank">the new standards don’t go far enough.</a>&nbsp;They point to a federal study that shows each resident needs at least 4.1 hours of nursing care each day – which is a standard met by only 26% of all nursing homes nationally.

The lawsuit alleges the new requirements, which apply only to homes that accept taxpayer money through Medicaid and Medicare funding for resident care, are “not even close to lawful.”

That claim appears to be based on the plaintiffs’ argument that CMS lacks the broad authority needed to enact a rule that would “result in at least $43 billion of compliance costs for nursing homes nationwide over the next ten years” without first obtaining congressional approval. The lawsuit likens CMS’ action to pulling an elephant out of a mousehole.

The lawsuit also notes that the previous standards included a “flexible staffing standard” that dates back to 1972 and which required only that a nursing home “provide 24-hour licensed nursing services which are sufficient to meet the nursing needs of its residents.”

For at least 40 years, that standard came under fire from advocates for seniors who alleged it allowed corporate nursing home owners to define for themselves what constituted a “sufficient” level of staffing, even as federal studies showed inadequate staffing to be the single largest contributor to poor quality care in nursing homes.

Congress, the lawsuit points out, chose not to take action on complaints regarding the rule on “sufficient” staff.

“For decades, Congress, CMS, and its predecessors have considered — and rejected — proposals to replace the flexible staffing standards with a one-size-fits-all requirement,” the lawsuit argues, adding that the new mandate “threatens the health, safety, and well-being of millions of nursing home patients across the country.”

Although the new staffing requirements are to be phased in over two to three years, and include a waiver for homes in rural areas with labor-pool shortages, “the reality of a tight labor market requires nursing homes to hire immediately because the available supply of nurses will dwindle as the implementation date approaches,” the lawsuit claims.

The lawsuit characterizes the new staffing mandate of having a nurse available on a 24/7 basis as “a one-size-fits-all approach,” but acknowledges other elements of the mandate would be based on a care facility’s own assessment of residents’ needs.

Although the new rule includes a financial-hardship waiver for homes that can’t afford to meet the new staffing level requirements, the plaintiffs argue that in order to get such a waiver, a home must prove there’s a significant local shortage of health care workers, show evidence of staff recruitment efforts and competitive wages, and document their spending on staffing in relation to their overall revenue.

Even then, the plaintiffs argue, a “hardship exemption” can still be denied if a nursing home is designated a “special focus facility” due to major, recurring violations of resident-care standards.

Another point of contention referenced in the lawsuit is the new rule’s lack of recognition for the use of licensed practical nurses. The plaintiffs argue that the rule creates an incentive for facilities to fire LPNs and replace them with less skilled certified nurse aides. The rule “pressures long-term care facilities to replace experienced LPNs” with less-qualified new hires, the lawsuit alleges.

The lawsuit seeks a declaration by the court that CMS lacks the authority to impose the new requirements as well as orders vacating and setting aside specific requirements such as the 24/7 requirement for a registered nurse.

Plaintiffs in the lawsuit include the states of Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, South Carolina, Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, Montana, Oklahoma, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, Virginia, and West Virginia.

Co-plaintiffs include the LeadingAge lobbying and professional associations in Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota, Kansas, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Missouri, New Jersey, Ohio, Colorado, Delaware, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Michigan.

The defendants, CMS and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, have yet to file a response to the lawsuit. In other, similar lawsuits, such as one filed in Texas by industry officials, the agencies have denied any wrongdoing.

Iowa Capital-Dispatch, a States Newsroom affiliate,&nbsp;<a href="https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2024/10/09/iowa-19-other-states-sue-feds-to-block-staffing-mandates-for-nursing-homes/" target="_blank">produced this story</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1608503689153.jpg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/clarkkauffman/">CLARK KAUFFMAN</a>&nbsp;The state of Iowa, where nursing homes have compiled one of the nation’s worst records for staffing-level violations, has joined 19 other states in suing the Biden administration to block the implementation of new staffing requirements.The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Iowa, seeks to overturn the nursing home staffing requirements approved earlier this year by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.In their petition, the 20 states, including Kansas, and more than a dozen industry associations argue that the new staffing requirements pose “an existential threat to the nursing home industry as many nursing homes that are already struggling will have no choice but to go out of business. And the main victims will be the patients who will have nowhere else to go.”The lawsuit is in response to CMS’ decision in April to finalize new minimum staffing standards that will require homes to conduct assessments of their residents’ needs and provide 3.48 hours of direct nursing care per resident, per day. The rule also requires the homes to have a registered nurse available 24 hours per day, seven days a week.Earlier this year,&nbsp;<a href="https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2024/04/16/iowa-nursing-homes-staffing-levels-are-among-the-nations-worst/" target="_blank">the Iowa Capital Dispatch reported</a>&nbsp;that Iowa nursing homes have the sixth-worst record in the nation for staffing-level violations. Data from CMS show that 14% of the state’s 422 nursing facilities were cited for insufficient staffing in fiscal year 2023. That was more than double the national average, which was 5.9%.Only five other states — Hawaii, Michigan, Montana, New Mexico and Oregon — had a worse record of compliance with the sufficient-staffing requirement.Des Moines’ Fleur Heights care facility compiled Iowa’s worst record of compliance.&nbsp; Over a nine-month period between May 2023 and February 2024, Fleur Heights was cited, but never fined, five times for insufficient staff — more than any other facility in the state.<h2>Lawsuit: CMS pulls an elephant out of a mousehole</h2>Federal data suggest many care facilities already meet the new standards, but industry officials allege nursing homes will need to hire an additional 27,000 full-time registered nurses and 78,000 full-time certified nurse aides, at a cost of more than $7 billion, to meet the requirements.<a href="https://nursinghome411.org/alert-staffing-q4-2023/" target="_blank">A report from the Long-Term Care Community Coalition</a>&nbsp;earlier this year showed that 6 in 10 of all U.S. nursing homes would have met the new nurse-staffing standard of 3.48 hours in the fourth quarter of 2023. Iowa homes fell below the national average, with 56.5% of them meeting the new standard.The fact that a majority of facilities already meet the new minimum standard while still facing quality-of-care issues has been an issue with many advocates who say&nbsp;<a href="https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2024/05/03/new-report-details-low-staffing-high-turnover-in-iowa-nursing-homes/" target="_blank">the new standards don’t go far enough.</a>&nbsp;They point to a federal study that shows each resident needs at least 4.1 hours of nursing care each day – which is a standard met by only 26% of all nursing homes nationally.The lawsuit alleges the new requirements, which apply only to homes that accept taxpayer money through Medicaid and Medicare funding for resident care, are “not even close to lawful.”That claim appears to be based on the plaintiffs’ argument that CMS lacks the broad authority needed to enact a rule that would “result in at least $43 billion of compliance costs for nursing homes nationwide over the next ten years” without first obtaining congressional approval. The lawsuit likens CMS’ action to pulling an elephant out of a mousehole.The lawsuit also notes that the previous standards included a “flexible staffing standard” that dates back to 1972 and which required only that a nursing home “provide 24-hour licensed nursing services which are sufficient to meet the nursing needs of its residents.”For at least 40 years, that standard came under fire from advocates for seniors who alleged it allowed corporate nursing home owners to define for themselves what constituted a “sufficient” level of staffing, even as federal studies showed inadequate staffing to be the single largest contributor to poor quality care in nursing homes.Congress, the lawsuit points out, chose not to take action on complaints regarding the rule on “sufficient” staff.“For decades, Congress, CMS, and its predecessors have considered — and rejected — proposals to replace the flexible staffing standards with a one-size-fits-all requirement,” the lawsuit argues, adding that the new mandate “threatens the health, safety, and well-being of millions of nursing home patients across the country.”<h2>Hardship exemptions are questioned</h2>Although the new staffing requirements are to be phased in over two to three years, and include a waiver for homes in rural areas with labor-pool shortages, “the reality of a tight labor market requires nursing homes to hire immediately because the available supply of nurses will dwindle as the implementation date approaches,” the lawsuit claims.The lawsuit characterizes the new staffing mandate of having a nurse available on a 24/7 basis as “a one-size-fits-all approach,” but acknowledges other elements of the mandate would be based on a care facility’s own assessment of residents’ needs.Although the new rule includes a financial-hardship waiver for homes that can’t afford to meet the new staffing level requirements, the plaintiffs argue that in order to get such a waiver, a home must prove there’s a significant local shortage of health care workers, show evidence of staff recruitment efforts and competitive wages, and document their spending on staffing in relation to their overall revenue.Even then, the plaintiffs argue, a “hardship exemption” can still be denied if a nursing home is designated a “special focus facility” due to major, recurring violations of resident-care standards.Another point of contention referenced in the lawsuit is the new rule’s lack of recognition for the use of licensed practical nurses. The plaintiffs argue that the rule creates an incentive for facilities to fire LPNs and replace them with less skilled certified nurse aides. The rule “pressures long-term care facilities to replace experienced LPNs” with less-qualified new hires, the lawsuit alleges.The lawsuit seeks a declaration by the court that CMS lacks the authority to impose the new requirements as well as orders vacating and setting aside specific requirements such as the 24/7 requirement for a registered nurse.Plaintiffs in the lawsuit include the states of Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, South Carolina, Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, Montana, Oklahoma, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, Virginia, and West Virginia.Co-plaintiffs include the LeadingAge lobbying and professional associations in Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota, Kansas, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Missouri, New Jersey, Ohio, Colorado, Delaware, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Michigan.The defendants, CMS and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, have yet to file a response to the lawsuit. In other, similar lawsuits, such as one filed in Texas by industry officials, the agencies have denied any wrongdoing.Iowa Capital-Dispatch, a States Newsroom affiliate,&nbsp;<a href="https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2024/10/09/iowa-19-other-states-sue-feds-to-block-staffing-mandates-for-nursing-homes/" target="_blank">produced this story</a>.

Kansas, 19 other states sue feds to block staffing mandates for nursing homes

MANHATTAN—Law enforcement are investigating a shooting in Manhattan.

Just before 8p.m. Wednesday, police responded to a report of shots fired in the 900 block of Yuma Street, according to a media release.

Officers located a 23-year-old man from Manhattan who had been shot in the parking lot of the Douglass Activity Complex. The victim was transported by EMS to Ascension Via Christi Hospital, where he was air-lifted to Stormont Vail Hospital for treatment of life-threatening injuries.

Preliminary information indicates the shooter, a 26-year-old man, acted in self-defense. There is believed to be little to no relationship between the individuals involved, and this appears to be an isolated incident with no threat to public safety.

This is an open and ongoing investigation. Additional details will be released as they become available.

RILEY COUNTY —Officers were on the scene of a shooting Wednesday evening in the 900 block of Yuma in Manhattan near the Douglas Recreation Center, according to the Riley County Police Department. 

One person has been shot and transported to Via Christi for treatment of their injuries.

Police asked drivers to find alternate routes&nbsp; to avoid the 900 blocks of Yuma and Fort Riley Boulevard so officers continue to work the scene.&nbsp;

if your child was participating in activities at the Douglas Center, please follow the cones on the 900 block of Fort Riley Boulevard for pick-up. Police believed the shooting was in isolated incident and there was no&nbsp; danger to the public.

Few details are available. Check the Post for more information as it is released from the RCPD.

MANHATTAN—Law enforcement are investigating a shooting in Manhattan.Just before 8p.m. Wednesday, police responded to a report of shots fired in the 900 block of Yuma Street, according to a media release.Officers located a 23-year-old man from Manhattan who had been shot in the parking lot of the Douglass Activity Complex. The victim was transported by EMS to Ascension Via Christi Hospital, where he was air-lifted to Stormont Vail Hospital for treatment of life-threatening injuries.Preliminary information indicates the shooter, a 26-year-old man, acted in self-defense. There is believed to be little to no relationship between the individuals involved, and this appears to be an isolated incident with no threat to public safety.This is an open and ongoing investigation. Additional details will be released as they become available.----------------RILEY COUNTY —Officers were on the scene of a shooting Wednesday evening in the 900 block of Yuma in Manhattan near the Douglas Recreation Center, according to the Riley County Police Department. One person has been shot and transported to Via Christi for treatment of their injuries.Police asked drivers to find alternate routes&nbsp; to avoid the 900 blocks of Yuma and Fort Riley Boulevard so officers continue to work the scene.&nbsp;if your child was participating in activities at the Douglas Center, please follow the cones on the 900 block of Fort Riley Boulevard for pick-up. Police believed the shooting was in isolated incident and there was no&nbsp; danger to the public.Few details are available. Check the Post for more information as it is released from the RCPD.

Police: Shooter in Manhattan parking lot acted in self defense

BOSTON, Mass. (AP) — Ethel Kennedy, the widow of Sen. Robert F. Kennedy who raised their 11 children after he was assassinated and remained dedicated to social causes and the family’s legacy for decades thereafter, died on Thursday, her family said. She was 96.

Kennedy had been hospitalized after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ethel-kennedy-stroke-robert-f-kennedy-camelot-d54fb65f161bee60e32d27049778f761">suffering a stroke</a>&nbsp;in her sleep on Oct. 3, her family said.

“It is with our hearts full of love that we announce the passing of our amazing grandmother,” Joe Kennedy III posted on X. “She died this morning from complications related to a stroke suffered last week.”

“Along with a lifetime’s work in social justice and human rights, our mother leaves behind nine children, 34 grandchildren and 24 great-great grandchildren along with numerous nieces and nephews, all of whom love her dearly,” the family statement said.

The Kennedy matriarch, whose children were Kathleen, Joseph II, Robert Jr., David, Courtney, Michael, Kerry, Christopher, Max, Douglas and Rory, was one of the last remaining members of a generation that included President John F. Kennedy. Her family said she had recently enjoyed seeing many of her relatives, before falling ill.

A millionaire’s daughter who married the future senator and attorney general in 1950, Ethel Kennedy had endured more death by the age of 40, for the whole world to see, than most would in a lifetime.

She was by Robert F. Kennedy’s side when he was fatally shot in the kitchen of the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles on June 5, 1968, just after winning the Democratic presidential primary in California. Her brother-in-law, President John F. Kennedy, had been assassinated in Dallas less than five years earlier.

Her parents were killed in a plane crash in 1955, and her brother died in a 1966 crash. Her son David Kennedy later died of a drug overdose, son Michael Kennedy in a skiing accident and nephew John F. Kennedy Jr. in a plane crash. Another nephew, Michael Skakel, was found guilty of murder in 2002, although a judge in 2013 ordered a new trial and the Connecticut Supreme Court vacated his conviction in 2018.

In 2019, she was grieving again after granddaughter&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/0112adae889247ba897319279a696ae9">Saoirse Kennedy Hill died</a>&nbsp;of an apparent drug overdose.

“One wonders how much this family must be expected to absorb,” family friend Philip Johnson, founder of the Robert F. Kennedy Foundation, told the Boston Herald after Michael Kennedy’s death.

Ethel Kennedy sustained herself through her faith and devotion to family.

“She was a devout Catholic and a daily communicant, and we are comforted in knowing she is reunited with the love of her life, our father, Robert. F. Kennedy; her children David and Michael; her daughter-in-law Mary; her grandchildren Maeve and Saorise and her great-grandchildren Gideon and Josie. Please keep our mother in your hearts and prayers,” the family statement said.

Ethel's mother-in-law, Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy, initially worried about how she would handle so much tragedy.

“I knew how difficult it was going to be for her to raise that big family without the guiding role and influence that Bobby would have provided,” Rose recalled in her memoir, “Times to Remember.” “And, of course, she realized this too, fully and keenly. Yet she did not give way.”

She founded the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights soon after husband’s death and advocated for causes including gun control and human rights. She rarely spoke about her husband’s assassination. When her filmmaker daughter, Rory, brought it up in the 2012 HBO documentary, “Ethel,” she couldn't share her grief.

“When we lost Daddy ...” she began, then teared up and asked that her youngest daughter “talk about something else.”

In 2008, she joined brother-in-law Ted Kennedy and niece Caroline Kennedy in endorsing Sen. Barack Obama for president, likening him to her late husband. She made several trips to the White House during the Obama years, receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2014 and meeting Pope Francis in 2015.

Many of her progeny became well known. Daughter Kathleen became lieutenant governor of Maryland; Joseph represented Massachusetts in Congress; Courtney married Paul Hill, who had been wrongfully convicted of an IRA bombing; Kerry became a human rights activist and president of the RFK center; Christopher ran for governor of Illinois; Max served as a prosecutor in Philadelphia and Douglas reported for Fox News Channel.

Her Robert F. Kennedy Jr., also became a national figure, although not as a liberal in the family tradition. First known as an environmental lawyer, he evolved into a conspiracy theorist who spread false theories about vaccines. He ran for president as an independent after briefly challenging President Joe Biden, and his name remained on ballots in multiple states after he suspended his campaign and endorsed Donald Trump.

Ethel Kennedy did not comment publicly on her son's actions, although several other family members denounced him.

Decades earlier, she seemed to thrive on her in-laws’ rising power. She was an enthusiastic backer of JFK’s 1960 run and during the Kennedy administration hosted some of the era’s most well-attended parties at their Hickory Hill estate in McLean, Virginia, including one where historian Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr. was pushed fully clothed into the swimming pool. In the Kennedy spirit, she also was known as an avid and highly competitive tennis player and a compulsive planner.

“Petite and peppy Ethel, who doesn’t look one bit the outdoorsy type, considers outdoor activity so important for the children that she has arranged her busy Cabinet-wife schedule so she can personally take them on two daily outings,” The Washington Post reported in 1962.

In February of that year, she accompanied her husband on a round-the-world goodwill tour, stopping in Japan, Hong Kong, Italy and other countries. She said it was important for Americans to meet ordinary people overseas.

“People have a distinct liking for Americans,” she told the Post. “But the Communists have been so vocal, it was a surprise for some Asians to hear America’s point of view. It is good for Americans to travel and get our viewpoint across.”

Kennedy was born Ethel Skakel on April 11, 1928, in Chicago, the sixth of seven children of coal magnate George Skakel and Ann Brannack Skakel, a devout Roman Catholic. She grew up in a 31-room English country manor house in Greenwich, Connecticut, and attended Greenwich Academy before graduating from the Convent of the Sacred Heart in the Bronx in 1945.

She met Robert Kennedy through his sister Jean, her roommate at Manhattanville College in New York. They moved to Charlottesville, Virginia, where he finished his last year of law school at the University of Virginia, and then in 1957, they bought Hickory Hill from by John and Jacqueline Kennedy, who had bought it in 1953.

Robert Kennedy became chief counsel to the Senate Select Committee in 1957. He later was appointed attorney general by his brother, the newly elected President Kennedy.

She had supported her husband in his successful 1964 campaign for the U.S. Senate in New York and his subsequent presidential bid. Pregnant with their 11th child when he was gunned down by Sirhan Sirhan, her look of shock and horror was captured by photographers in images that remained indelible decades later.

The assassination traumatized the family, especially son David Kennedy, who watched the news in a hotel room. He was just days before his 13th birthday and never recovered, struggling with addiction problems for years and overdosing in 1984.

In 2021, she said Sirhan Sirhan should not be released from prison, a view not shared&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/middle-east-d5e12df9cc3c0241ab108bfc124dda1b">by some others in her family.</a>&nbsp;Two years later, a California panel denied him parole.

Although Ethel Kennedy was linked to several men after her husband’s death, most notably singer Andy Williams, she never remarried.

In April 2008, Ethel Kennedy visited Indianapolis on the 40th anniversary of the assassination of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. A monument there commemorated King’s death and the speech her husband had given that night in 1968, which was credited with averting rioting in the city.

“Of all the Kennedy women, she was the one I would end up admiring the most,” Harry Belafonte would write of her. “She wasn’t playacting. She looked at you and immediately got what you were about. Often in the coming years, when Bobby was balking at something we wanted him to do for the movement, I’d take my case to Ethel. ‘We have to talk to him,’ she’d say, and she would.”

Ethel Kennedy joined President Obama and former President Bill Clinton — each held one of her hands — as they climbed stairs to lay a wreath at President Kennedy’s gravesite during a November 2013 observance of the 50th anniversary of JFK’s death.

The nonprofit center she founded remains dedicated to advancing human rights through litigation, advocacy, education and inspiration, giving annual awards to journalists, authors and others who have made significant contributions to human rights.

She also was active in the Coalition of Gun Control, Special Olympics, and the Earth Conservation Corps. And she showed up in person, participating in a 2016 demonstration in support of higher pay for farmworkers in Florida and a 2018 hunger strike against the Trump administration’s immigration policies.

Hickory Hill was sold in 2009 for $8.25 million, and Ethel Kennedy divided her time between homes in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts, and Palm Beach, Florida.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/10/1728495330718.png" alt="FILE - Ethel Kennedy, widow of Senator Robert F. Kennedy, watches a video about her late husband during the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights awards ceremony on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, June 5, 2018. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)" />
 <figcaption>FILE - Ethel Kennedy, widow of Senator Robert F. Kennedy, watches a video about her late husband during the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights awards ceremony on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, June 5, 2018. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)</figcaption>
 </figure>BOSTON, Mass. (AP) — Ethel Kennedy, the widow of Sen. Robert F. Kennedy who raised their 11 children after he was assassinated and remained dedicated to social causes and the family’s legacy for decades thereafter, died on Thursday, her family said. She was 96.<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=476&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FRFKHumanRights%2Fvideos%2F1216503226075492%2F&show_text=false&width=267&t=1" width="267" height="476" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowFullScreen="true"></iframe></div>Kennedy had been hospitalized after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ethel-kennedy-stroke-robert-f-kennedy-camelot-d54fb65f161bee60e32d27049778f761">suffering a stroke</a>&nbsp;in her sleep on Oct. 3, her family said.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">It is with our hearts full of love that we announce the passing of our mother, Ethel Kennedy. Please keep our mother in your hearts and prayers. <a href="https://t.co/bdIQFsC0CS">pic.twitter.com/bdIQFsC0CS</a>&mdash; Kerry Kennedy (@KerryKennedyRFK) <a href="https://twitter.com/KerryKennedyRFK/status/1844397785065664700?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 10, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>“It is with our hearts full of love that we announce the passing of our amazing grandmother,” Joe Kennedy III posted on X. “She died this morning from complications related to a stroke suffered last week.”“Along with a lifetime’s work in social justice and human rights, our mother leaves behind nine children, 34 grandchildren and 24 great-great grandchildren along with numerous nieces and nephews, all of whom love her dearly,” the family statement said.The Kennedy matriarch, whose children were Kathleen, Joseph II, Robert Jr., David, Courtney, Michael, Kerry, Christopher, Max, Douglas and Rory, was one of the last remaining members of a generation that included President John F. Kennedy. Her family said she had recently enjoyed seeing many of her relatives, before falling ill.A millionaire’s daughter who married the future senator and attorney general in 1950, Ethel Kennedy had endured more death by the age of 40, for the whole world to see, than most would in a lifetime.She was by Robert F. Kennedy’s side when he was fatally shot in the kitchen of the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles on June 5, 1968, just after winning the Democratic presidential primary in California. Her brother-in-law, President John F. Kennedy, had been assassinated in Dallas less than five years earlier.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Ethel Kennedy was a dear friend with a passion for justice, an irrepressible spirit, and a great sense of humor. She touched the lives of countless people around the world with her generosity and grace, and was an emblem of enduring faith and hope, even in the face of… <a href="https://t.co/lTukrEl9hI">pic.twitter.com/lTukrEl9hI</a>&mdash; Barack Obama (@BarackObama) <a href="https://twitter.com/BarackObama/status/1844421243644039471?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 10, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Her parents were killed in a plane crash in 1955, and her brother died in a 1966 crash. Her son David Kennedy later died of a drug overdose, son Michael Kennedy in a skiing accident and nephew John F. Kennedy Jr. in a plane crash. Another nephew, Michael Skakel, was found guilty of murder in 2002, although a judge in 2013 ordered a new trial and the Connecticut Supreme Court vacated his conviction in 2018.In 2019, she was grieving again after granddaughter&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/0112adae889247ba897319279a696ae9">Saoirse Kennedy Hill died</a>&nbsp;of an apparent drug overdose.“One wonders how much this family must be expected to absorb,” family friend Philip Johnson, founder of the Robert F. Kennedy Foundation, told the Boston Herald after Michael Kennedy’s death.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">From 2014, Ethel Kennedy receives Presidential Medal of Freedom: &quot;She&#39;s an emblem of enduring faith and enduring hope, even in the face of unimaginable loss and unimaginable grief...she has touched the lives of countless people around the world with her generosity and her grace.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/GiStGMP18Y">pic.twitter.com/GiStGMP18Y</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1844431442702631079?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 10, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Ethel Kennedy sustained herself through her faith and devotion to family.“She was a devout Catholic and a daily communicant, and we are comforted in knowing she is reunited with the love of her life, our father, Robert. F. Kennedy; her children David and Michael; her daughter-in-law Mary; her grandchildren Maeve and Saorise and her great-grandchildren Gideon and Josie. Please keep our mother in your hearts and prayers,” the family statement said.Ethel's mother-in-law, Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy, initially worried about how she would handle so much tragedy.“I knew how difficult it was going to be for her to raise that big family without the guiding role and influence that Bobby would have provided,” Rose recalled in her memoir, “Times to Remember.” “And, of course, she realized this too, fully and keenly. Yet she did not give way.”She founded the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights soon after husband’s death and advocated for causes including gun control and human rights. She rarely spoke about her husband’s assassination. When her filmmaker daughter, Rory, brought it up in the 2012 HBO documentary, “Ethel,” she couldn't share her grief.“When we lost Daddy ...” she began, then teared up and asked that her youngest daughter “talk about something else.”In 2008, she joined brother-in-law Ted Kennedy and niece Caroline Kennedy in endorsing Sen. Barack Obama for president, likening him to her late husband. She made several trips to the White House during the Obama years, receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2014 and meeting Pope Francis in 2015.Many of her progeny became well known. Daughter Kathleen became lieutenant governor of Maryland; Joseph represented Massachusetts in Congress; Courtney married Paul Hill, who had been wrongfully convicted of an IRA bombing; Kerry became a human rights activist and president of the RFK center; Christopher ran for governor of Illinois; Max served as a prosecutor in Philadelphia and Douglas reported for Fox News Channel.Her Robert F. Kennedy Jr., also became a national figure, although not as a liberal in the family tradition. First known as an environmental lawyer, he evolved into a conspiracy theorist who spread false theories about vaccines. He ran for president as an independent after briefly challenging President Joe Biden, and his name remained on ballots in multiple states after he suspended his campaign and endorsed Donald Trump.Ethel Kennedy did not comment publicly on her son's actions, although several other family members denounced him.Decades earlier, she seemed to thrive on her in-laws’ rising power. She was an enthusiastic backer of JFK’s 1960 run and during the Kennedy administration hosted some of the era’s most well-attended parties at their Hickory Hill estate in McLean, Virginia, including one where historian Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr. was pushed fully clothed into the swimming pool. In the Kennedy spirit, she also was known as an avid and highly competitive tennis player and a compulsive planner.“Petite and peppy Ethel, who doesn’t look one bit the outdoorsy type, considers outdoor activity so important for the children that she has arranged her busy Cabinet-wife schedule so she can personally take them on two daily outings,” The Washington Post reported in 1962.In February of that year, she accompanied her husband on a round-the-world goodwill tour, stopping in Japan, Hong Kong, Italy and other countries. She said it was important for Americans to meet ordinary people overseas.“People have a distinct liking for Americans,” she told the Post. “But the Communists have been so vocal, it was a surprise for some Asians to hear America’s point of view. It is good for Americans to travel and get our viewpoint across.”Kennedy was born Ethel Skakel on April 11, 1928, in Chicago, the sixth of seven children of coal magnate George Skakel and Ann Brannack Skakel, a devout Roman Catholic. She grew up in a 31-room English country manor house in Greenwich, Connecticut, and attended Greenwich Academy before graduating from the Convent of the Sacred Heart in the Bronx in 1945.She met Robert Kennedy through his sister Jean, her roommate at Manhattanville College in New York. They moved to Charlottesville, Virginia, where he finished his last year of law school at the University of Virginia, and then in 1957, they bought Hickory Hill from by John and Jacqueline Kennedy, who had bought it in 1953.Robert Kennedy became chief counsel to the Senate Select Committee in 1957. He later was appointed attorney general by his brother, the newly elected President Kennedy.She had supported her husband in his successful 1964 campaign for the U.S. Senate in New York and his subsequent presidential bid. Pregnant with their 11th child when he was gunned down by Sirhan Sirhan, her look of shock and horror was captured by photographers in images that remained indelible decades later.The assassination traumatized the family, especially son David Kennedy, who watched the news in a hotel room. He was just days before his 13th birthday and never recovered, struggling with addiction problems for years and overdosing in 1984.In 2021, she said Sirhan Sirhan should not be released from prison, a view not shared&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/middle-east-d5e12df9cc3c0241ab108bfc124dda1b">by some others in her family.</a>&nbsp;Two years later, a California panel denied him parole.Although Ethel Kennedy was linked to several men after her husband’s death, most notably singer Andy Williams, she never remarried.In April 2008, Ethel Kennedy visited Indianapolis on the 40th anniversary of the assassination of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. A monument there commemorated King’s death and the speech her husband had given that night in 1968, which was credited with averting rioting in the city.“Of all the Kennedy women, she was the one I would end up admiring the most,” Harry Belafonte would write of her. “She wasn’t playacting. She looked at you and immediately got what you were about. Often in the coming years, when Bobby was balking at something we wanted him to do for the movement, I’d take my case to Ethel. ‘We have to talk to him,’ she’d say, and she would.”Ethel Kennedy joined President Obama and former President Bill Clinton — each held one of her hands — as they climbed stairs to lay a wreath at President Kennedy’s gravesite during a November 2013 observance of the 50th anniversary of JFK’s death.The nonprofit center she founded remains dedicated to advancing human rights through litigation, advocacy, education and inspiration, giving annual awards to journalists, authors and others who have made significant contributions to human rights.She also was active in the Coalition of Gun Control, Special Olympics, and the Earth Conservation Corps. And she showed up in person, participating in a 2016 demonstration in support of higher pay for farmworkers in Florida and a 2018 hunger strike against the Trump administration’s immigration policies.Hickory Hill was sold in 2009 for $8.25 million, and Ethel Kennedy divided her time between homes in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts, and Palm Beach, Florida.

Robert F. Kennedy widow Ethel Kennedy has died

PAWNEE COUNTY —A special question regarding Liquor by the Drink in Pawnee County will appear on the backside of the Pawnee County Nov. 5, 2024, General Election ballot.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Currently all licensed drinking establishments in Pawnee that offer alcoholic liquor for consumption by the individual drink are required to derive at least 30 percent of their gross receipts from the sales of food.

In February, the Board of County Commissioners of Pawnee County determined that the voters should be given a choice as to the appropriate restriction to the sale of alcoholic liquor for consumption by the individual drink in Pawnee County.

A vote of YES would eliminate the 30 percent food sales requirement. A Vote of NO would maintain the current 30 percent food sales requirement.

If passed, the new liquor by the drink rule would become effective Jan. 1, 2025.&nbsp;Advanced voting starts next week.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/10/1728499456312.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>PAWNEE COUNTY —A special question regarding Liquor by the Drink in Pawnee County will appear on the backside of the Pawnee County Nov. 5, 2024, General Election ballot.&nbsp;&nbsp;Currently all licensed drinking establishments in Pawnee that offer alcoholic liquor for consumption by the individual drink are required to derive at least 30 percent of their gross receipts from the sales of food.In February, the Board of County Commissioners of Pawnee County determined that the voters should be given a choice as to the appropriate restriction to the sale of alcoholic liquor for consumption by the individual drink in Pawnee County.A vote of YES would eliminate the 30 percent food sales requirement. A Vote of NO would maintain the current 30 percent food sales requirement.If passed, the new liquor by the drink rule would become effective Jan. 1, 2025.&nbsp;Advanced voting starts next week.

Liquor by the drink on the ballot in one Kansas county

WASHINGTON (AP) — Millions of Social Security recipients will get a 2.5% cost-of-living increase to their monthly checks beginning in January, the Social Security Administration announced Thursday.

The cost-of-living adjustment, or COLA, for retirees translates to an average increase of more than $50 for retirees every month, agency officials said.

About&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/chartbooks/fast_facts/2023/fast_facts23.html">72.5 million</a>&nbsp;people, including retirees, disabled people and children, get Social Security benefit.

Commissioner Martin O’Malley said the adjustment will help “tens of millions of people keep up with expenses even as inflation has started to cool."

But even before the announcement, retirees voiced concern that the increase would not be enough to counter rising costs.

Sherri Myers, an 82-year-old retiree from Pensacola City, Florida, is now hoping to get an hourly job at Walmart to help make ends meet.

“I would like to eat good but I can’t. When I’m at the grocery store, I just walk past the vegetables because they are too expensive. I have to be very selective about what I eat — even McDonald’s is expensive,” she said.

Recipients received a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/social-security-cost-of-living-adjustment-cola-ef9255c0da3c3d2391dadac4515db2e7">3.2% increase in their benefits</a>&nbsp;in 2024, after a historically large&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/social-security-cola-increase-8778d4aa9da4102edc79762ea622196f">8.7% benefit increase</a>&nbsp;in 2023, brought on by record&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/inflation">40-year-high inflation</a>.

The smaller increase for 2025 reflects moderating inflation.

The agency will begin notifying recipients about their new benefit amount by mail starting in early December. Adjusted payments to nearly 7.5 million people receiving Supplemental Security Income will begin on December 31.

The program is financed by payroll taxes collected from workers and their employers and that is slated to increase to $176,100. The maximum amount of earnings subject to Social Security payroll taxes was $168,600 for 2024, up from $160,200 in 2023.

The announcement comes as the national social insurance plan faces a severe financial shortfall in the coming years.

The annual Social Security and Medicare trustees&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/social-security-medicare-entitlements-treasury-35a2913a3f21a3b0ff40f2c88cbf9cbc">report released in May</a>&nbsp;said the program’s trust fund will be unable to pay full benefits beginning in 2035. If the trust fund is depleted, the government will be able to pay only 83% of scheduled benefits, the report said.

AARP CEO Jo Ann Jenkins said in a statement that “there is more we must do to ensure older Americans can continue to count on Social Security. AARP continues to call on Congress to take bipartisan action to strengthen Social Security and secure a long-term solution that Americans can rely on.”

The presidential candidates, Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump, have presented dueling plans on how they would strengthen Social Security.

AARP conducted&nbsp;<a href="https://www.aarp.org/politics-society/government-elections/info-2024/harris-trump-election-issues.html">interviews with both Harris and Trump in late August</a>&nbsp;and asked how the candidates would protect the Social Security Trust Fund.

Harris said she would make up for the shortfall by “making billionaires and big corporations pay their fair share in taxes and use that money to protect and strengthen Social Security for the long haul.”

WASHINGTON (AP) — Millions of Social Security recipients will get a 2.5% cost-of-living increase to their monthly checks beginning in January, the Social Security Administration announced Thursday.The cost-of-living adjustment, or COLA, for retirees translates to an average increase of more than $50 for retirees every month, agency officials said.About&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/chartbooks/fast_facts/2023/fast_facts23.html">72.5 million</a>&nbsp;people, including retirees, disabled people and children, get Social Security benefit.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/10/1728570541677.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Commissioner Martin O’Malley said the adjustment will help “tens of millions of people keep up with expenses even as inflation has started to cool."<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/10/1728570588387.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>But even before the announcement, retirees voiced concern that the increase would not be enough to counter rising costs.Sherri Myers, an 82-year-old retiree from Pensacola City, Florida, is now hoping to get an hourly job at Walmart to help make ends meet.“I would like to eat good but I can’t. When I’m at the grocery store, I just walk past the vegetables because they are too expensive. I have to be very selective about what I eat — even McDonald’s is expensive,” she said.Recipients received a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/social-security-cost-of-living-adjustment-cola-ef9255c0da3c3d2391dadac4515db2e7">3.2% increase in their benefits</a>&nbsp;in 2024, after a historically large&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/social-security-cola-increase-8778d4aa9da4102edc79762ea622196f">8.7% benefit increase</a>&nbsp;in 2023, brought on by record&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/inflation">40-year-high inflation</a>.The smaller increase for 2025 reflects moderating inflation.The agency will begin notifying recipients about their new benefit amount by mail starting in early December. Adjusted payments to nearly 7.5 million people receiving Supplemental Security Income will begin on December 31.The program is financed by payroll taxes collected from workers and their employers and that is slated to increase to $176,100. The maximum amount of earnings subject to Social Security payroll taxes was $168,600 for 2024, up from $160,200 in 2023.The announcement comes as the national social insurance plan faces a severe financial shortfall in the coming years.The annual Social Security and Medicare trustees&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/social-security-medicare-entitlements-treasury-35a2913a3f21a3b0ff40f2c88cbf9cbc">report released in May</a>&nbsp;said the program’s trust fund will be unable to pay full benefits beginning in 2035. If the trust fund is depleted, the government will be able to pay only 83% of scheduled benefits, the report said.AARP CEO Jo Ann Jenkins said in a statement that “there is more we must do to ensure older Americans can continue to count on Social Security. AARP continues to call on Congress to take bipartisan action to strengthen Social Security and secure a long-term solution that Americans can rely on.”The presidential candidates, Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump, have presented dueling plans on how they would strengthen Social Security.AARP conducted&nbsp;<a href="https://www.aarp.org/politics-society/government-elections/info-2024/harris-trump-election-issues.html">interviews with both Harris and Trump in late August</a>&nbsp;and asked how the candidates would protect the Social Security Trust Fund.Harris said she would make up for the shortfall by “making billionaires and big corporations pay their fair share in taxes and use that money to protect and strengthen Social Security for the long haul.”

Social Security confirms 2025 cost of living increase

SEDGWICK COUNTY– Law enforcement are investigating a shooting that sent a teen to the hospital in critical condition and his mother, identified as 46-year-old Tesha L. Florence as <a href="https://ssc.sedgwickcounty.org/InmateSearch/Details.aspx?Id=168822">identified by booking records</a> to jail.

Just after 8 a.m. Wednesday, Sedgwick County Emergency Communications received a 911 call from Florence reporting that she shot her son, according to Wichita Police Captain Aaron Moses.

Police, Sedgwick County EMS and Wichita Fire Department personnel, responded to the scene. 

First responders located a 16-year-old boy inside an apartment with a single gunshot wound. EMS transported him to an area hospital where he was extremely critical condition.

Officers detained a 46-year-old Florence of Wichita who is the victim’s mother. During the investigation into this case, detectives learned of a previously unreported incident from March 2024 where Florence threatened an ex-husband and his current girlfriend with a gun. 

Just after 4:30p.m. Wednesday, Florence was booked into the Sedgwick County Jail on requested charges Aggravated Battery, Aggravated Assault Domestic Violence and Aggravated Assault

Investigators continue to gather information and the facts will be presented to the Sedgwick County District Attorney for formal charging consideration.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/10/1728555306481.png" alt="Florence photo Sedgwick County" />
 <figcaption>Florence photo Sedgwick County</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY– Law enforcement are investigating a shooting that sent a teen to the hospital in critical condition and his mother, identified as 46-year-old Tesha L. Florence as <a href="https://ssc.sedgwickcounty.org/InmateSearch/Details.aspx?Id=168822">identified by booking records</a> to jail.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/10/1728510375843.png" alt="Police on the scene of the investigation -photo courtesy KWCH" />
 <figcaption>Police on the scene of the investigation -photo courtesy KWCH</figcaption>
 </figure>Just after 8 a.m. Wednesday, Sedgwick County Emergency Communications received a 911 call from Florence reporting that she shot her son, according to Wichita Police Captain Aaron Moses.Police, Sedgwick County EMS and Wichita Fire Department personnel, responded to the scene. First responders located a 16-year-old boy inside an apartment with a single gunshot wound. EMS transported him to an area hospital where he was extremely critical condition.Officers detained a 46-year-old Florence of Wichita who is the victim’s mother. During the investigation into this case, detectives learned of a previously unreported incident from March 2024 where Florence threatened an ex-husband and his current girlfriend with a gun. Just after 4:30p.m. Wednesday, Florence was booked into the Sedgwick County Jail on requested charges Aggravated Battery, Aggravated Assault Domestic Violence and Aggravated AssaultInvestigators continue to gather information and the facts will be presented to the Sedgwick County District Attorney for formal charging consideration.&nbsp;

Kan. woman who called 911 after shooting her son identified

BUTLER COUNTY —A Kansas pilot avoided injury in a crash after a landing just after 5:30p.m. Wednesday in Butler County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2026 Fixed wing-single engine Zodiac piloted by Randall Dean&nbsp;McFarland, 68, Augusta, landed in a private landing strip at&nbsp;11157 SW 75th Street just west of SW Santa Fe Lake Road.

The pilot lost control of the airplane and it struck a fence. McFarland was not injured. The KHP released no additional details.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/10/1728554708344.png" alt="Location of the crash-Google map" />
 <figcaption>Location of the crash-Google map</figcaption>
 </figure>BUTLER COUNTY —A Kansas pilot avoided injury in a crash after a landing just after 5:30p.m. Wednesday in Butler County.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2026 Fixed wing-single engine Zodiac piloted by Randall Dean&nbsp;McFarland, 68, Augusta, landed in a private landing strip at&nbsp;11157 SW 75th Street just west of SW Santa Fe Lake Road.The pilot lost control of the airplane and it struck a fence. McFarland was not injured. The KHP released no additional details.&nbsp;

Small plane crashed into fence after landing in Kansas

WASHINGTON (AP) —President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;on Wednesday blasted his predecessor for spreading an “onslaught of lies” about how the federal government is handling the damage from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/hurricane-helene">Hurricane Helene</a>&nbsp;as another hurricane,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hurricane-milton-tampa-florida-08bde4b9c29460f471d43c6512821c93">Milton</a>, was on the verge of making landfall in Florida.

“Quite frankly, these lies are un-American,” Biden said from the White House. “Former President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Trump</a>&nbsp;has led this onslaught of lies.”

Biden said that Donald Trump and his allies have&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hurricane-helene-trump-musk-conspiracy-theories-misinformation-fe81869765d778ac2ff3dc5f9ac18e10">misrepresented the response and resources</a>&nbsp;of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The president singled out Republican Rep.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/marjorie-taylor-greene">Marjorie Taylor Greene</a>&nbsp;of Georgia who claimed the federal government could control the weather.

Asked why he believed his Republican opponents were not talking accurately about the government’s response, Biden said, “I don’t know. I simply don’t know. ... I use a phrase more than I did in my whole career, un-American. It’s un-American. It’s not who in the hell we are.”

The president talked about the potential damage from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/live/hurricane-milton-florida-tracker-updates">Hurricane Milton</a>&nbsp;and encouraged people near its path to seek shelter. Biden said the government had staged 20 million meals and 40 million liters of water in anticipation of the storm and that military units were ready with search and rescue teams to help victims of it.

“We’ve got your back,” Biden said, then referring to Vice President Kamala Harris, who replaced him in July at the top of the presidential ticket: “Kamala and I will be there for as long as it takes to rescue, recover and rebuild.”

Bristling at misinformation is something Biden and Harris&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-harris-hurricane-helene-misinformation-552e413dfb6c1b3e37eca0d2114668ea">have done</a>&nbsp;a lot of lately, including earlier Wednesday during a virtual briefing at the White House on federal preparations for Milton. The president had even harsher words for Greene then, saying her comments on the weather were “beyond ridiculous.”

“It’s gotta stop,” Biden said, adding that such assertions were “off the wall” and “like out of a comic book.”

Still, most of his criticism has been directed at Trump. At rallies for November’s presidential election, the former president has sought to energize his voters by criticizing how Biden and Harris have handled the response to the severe weather.

At a recent rally in Wisconsin, Trump said it was worse than the government’s response in 2005 to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/hurricane-katrina">Hurricane Katrina</a>, which resulted in 1,392 fatalities. By contrast, Hurricane Helene has resulted in roughly 230 deaths.

“This is the worst response to a storm or a catastrophe or a hurricane that we’ve ever seen, ever,” Trump said. “Probably worse than Katrina, and that’s hard to beat, right?”

WASHINGTON (AP) —President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;on Wednesday blasted his predecessor for spreading an “onslaught of lies” about how the federal government is handling the damage from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/hurricane-helene">Hurricane Helene</a>&nbsp;as another hurricane,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hurricane-milton-tampa-florida-08bde4b9c29460f471d43c6512821c93">Milton</a>, was on the verge of making landfall in Florida.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">President Biden: &quot;At this point, evacuation is probably difficult, so I encourage people to look for safer shelter. Sometimes moving just a few miles can mean the difference between life and death.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/SFNsukLnAl">pic.twitter.com/SFNsukLnAl</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1844152480541598154?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 9, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>“Quite frankly, these lies are un-American,” Biden said from the White House. “Former President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Trump</a>&nbsp;has led this onslaught of lies.”Biden said that Donald Trump and his allies have&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hurricane-helene-trump-musk-conspiracy-theories-misinformation-fe81869765d778ac2ff3dc5f9ac18e10">misrepresented the response and resources</a>&nbsp;of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The president singled out Republican Rep.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/marjorie-taylor-greene">Marjorie Taylor Greene</a>&nbsp;of Georgia who claimed the federal government could control the weather.Asked why he believed his Republican opponents were not talking accurately about the government’s response, Biden said, “I don’t know. I simply don’t know. ... I use a phrase more than I did in my whole career, un-American. It’s un-American. It’s not who in the hell we are.”The president talked about the potential damage from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/live/hurricane-milton-florida-tracker-updates">Hurricane Milton</a>&nbsp;and encouraged people near its path to seek shelter. Biden said the government had staged 20 million meals and 40 million liters of water in anticipation of the storm and that military units were ready with search and rescue teams to help victims of it.“We’ve got your back,” Biden said, then referring to Vice President Kamala Harris, who replaced him in July at the top of the presidential ticket: “Kamala and I will be there for as long as it takes to rescue, recover and rebuild.”Bristling at misinformation is something Biden and Harris&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-harris-hurricane-helene-misinformation-552e413dfb6c1b3e37eca0d2114668ea">have done</a>&nbsp;a lot of lately, including earlier Wednesday during a virtual briefing at the White House on federal preparations for Milton. The president had even harsher words for Greene then, saying her comments on the weather were “beyond ridiculous.”“It’s gotta stop,” Biden said, adding that such assertions were “off the wall” and “like out of a comic book.”Still, most of his criticism has been directed at Trump. At rallies for November’s presidential election, the former president has sought to energize his voters by criticizing how Biden and Harris have handled the response to the severe weather.At a recent rally in Wisconsin, Trump said it was worse than the government’s response in 2005 to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/hurricane-katrina">Hurricane Katrina</a>, which resulted in 1,392 fatalities. By contrast, Hurricane Helene has resulted in roughly 230 deaths.“This is the worst response to a storm or a catastrophe or a hurricane that we’ve ever seen, ever,” Trump said. “Probably worse than Katrina, and that’s hard to beat, right?”

🎥Biden condemns ‘un-American’ ‘lies’ about federal storm response 

KANSAS CITY– A physical therapist who owns a clinic in California was sentenced in federal court this week for distributing child pornography, according to the United State's Attorney.

Esteban E. Manale, 47, of Hacienda Heights, Calif., was sentenced by U.S. Chief District Judge Beth Phillips to 12 years in federal prison without parole.

Manale, the owner of a physical therapy clinic in Bellflower, Calif., pleaded guilty on May 3, 2024, to three counts of distributing child pornography. Manale admitted that on three separate occasions in August 2022 he sent images of child pornography to an undercover FBI task force officer whom he believed to be a Missouri woman he met online through a dating application.

Manale originally contacted a woman in Missouri on a dating application in August 2022. He told her that he worked at a physical therapy clinic primarily dealing with athletes, including minor females who were cheerleaders and volleyball players. He stated that he would get touchy with the athletes and liked to flirt with all of the girls who came to the clinic, and disclosed that he has had sex with patients at the clinic. He indicated that he liked children and had slept with a 13-year-old girl he met at the beach. He talked about his fascination with Ted Bundy, said he wanted to “use a rope to choke a young one,” use “knife play,” and “rape a young virgin girl while her mom watches me” while the mother is tied up.

The Missouri woman contacted law enforcement. An undercover officer assumed her identity and continued to communicate with Manale. In those conversations, Manale told the undercover officer that he had sexual contact with “preteens about 10 times,” defining them as being between 10 and 13 years old, and claimed to also have sexual contact “with older teens and about 20 plus.” In one communication, Manale claimed that he visited malls to “hunt” for young, cute girls over the weekend.

Manale discussed his desire to come to Kansas City to meet the undercover officer’s purported 8-year-old niece and have her record the encounter. He sent images of child pornography to the undercover officer via social media from Aug. 22, 2022, through Nov. 9, 2022.

On Dec. 14, 2022, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Manale’s residence and seized three cell phones. Two of the phones were hidden on top of the bathroom vanity, in a small space that was difficult to access. Investigators found 507 images and 154 videos of child pornography on those two cell phones.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Maureen A. Brackett. It was investigated by the FBI, the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department, and the Los Angeles, Calif., Sheriff’s Department.

KANSAS CITY– A physical therapist who owns a clinic in California was sentenced in federal court this week for distributing child pornography, according to the United State's Attorney.Esteban E. Manale, 47, of Hacienda Heights, Calif., was sentenced by U.S. Chief District Judge Beth Phillips to 12 years in federal prison without parole.Manale, the owner of a physical therapy clinic in Bellflower, Calif., pleaded guilty on May 3, 2024, to three counts of distributing child pornography. Manale admitted that on three separate occasions in August 2022 he sent images of child pornography to an undercover FBI task force officer whom he believed to be a Missouri woman he met online through a dating application.Manale originally contacted a woman in Missouri on a dating application in August 2022. He told her that he worked at a physical therapy clinic primarily dealing with athletes, including minor females who were cheerleaders and volleyball players. He stated that he would get touchy with the athletes and liked to flirt with all of the girls who came to the clinic, and disclosed that he has had sex with patients at the clinic. He indicated that he liked children and had slept with a 13-year-old girl he met at the beach. He talked about his fascination with Ted Bundy, said he wanted to “use a rope to choke a young one,” use “knife play,” and “rape a young virgin girl while her mom watches me” while the mother is tied up.The Missouri woman contacted law enforcement. An undercover officer assumed her identity and continued to communicate with Manale. In those conversations, Manale told the undercover officer that he had sexual contact with “preteens about 10 times,” defining them as being between 10 and 13 years old, and claimed to also have sexual contact “with older teens and about 20 plus.” In one communication, Manale claimed that he visited malls to “hunt” for young, cute girls over the weekend.Manale discussed his desire to come to Kansas City to meet the undercover officer’s purported 8-year-old niece and have her record the encounter. He sent images of child pornography to the undercover officer via social media from Aug. 22, 2022, through Nov. 9, 2022.On Dec. 14, 2022, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Manale’s residence and seized three cell phones. Two of the phones were hidden on top of the bathroom vanity, in a small space that was difficult to access. Investigators found 507 images and 154 videos of child pornography on those two cell phones.This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Maureen A. Brackett. It was investigated by the FBI, the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department, and the Los Angeles, Calif., Sheriff’s Department.

Physical therapist sent child porn to KCPD undercover officer

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/akaminski/">ANNA KAMINSKI</a> <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a>

LAWRENCE — A lecturer at the University of Kansas was placed on administrative leave Wednesday after a video surfaced showing him addressing students saying men who refuse to vote for a woman president because they don’t think women are smart enough to be president should be shot.&nbsp;

The lecturer’s comments were posted on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter, Wednesday morning and garnered more than 2 million views by afternoon. The video is a recording of a lecture from earlier this semester.&nbsp;

“There are going to be some males in our society that will refuse to vote for a potential female president because they don’t think females are smart enough to be president. We could line all those guys up and shoot ‘em. They clearly don’t understand the way the world works.”&nbsp;

He continued: “Did I say that? Scratch that from the recording. I don’t want the deans hearing that I said that.”&nbsp;

KU’s student newspaper, the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kansan.com/news/video-of-ku-professor-making-inappropriate-remarks-goes-viral-on-x/article_7076e9c6-865f-11ef-af99-936139c18202.html" target="_blank">University Daily Kansan</a>, identified the lecturer based on online exchanges. A KU representative did not respond to a Kansas Reflector request to confirm the lecturer’s name.

KU issued a statement via&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/UnivOfKansas/status/1844066744018796645" target="_blank">X</a>&nbsp;calling the comments an “inappropriate reference to violence,” and confirmed the lecturer was placed on administrative leave.

“The instructor offers his sincerest apologies and deeply regrets the situation. His intent was to emphasize his advocacy for women’s rights and equality, and he recognizes he did a very poor job of doing so,” the statement said.&nbsp;

U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall wrote Wednesday afternoon in a post on X, “This guy shouldn’t be within 100 yards of a university and I am calling for his swift termination.”&nbsp;

The senator also called for KU to fire the lecturer.

U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran called the video “disturbing and inappropriate” in&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/JerryMoran/status/1844086506744578265" target="_blank">a post on X</a>. He condemned calls for violence in classrooms and emphasized mitigating political rhetoric and valuing respect and civility.

A statement from the Kansas GOP chairman, Mike Brown, misidentified the lecturer in the video and condemned the rhetoric. “Every legislature should examine their funding of programs that allow extremism like this to persist, and every parent should seek institutions aligned with their core values,” Brown said.

Governor Laura Kelly said in a statement that violent rhetoric is unacceptable.

“We must strive to make our classrooms a place where diverse viewpoints are respectfully discussed, and politics is not weaponized to make our students feel unsafe or demonized for having differing opinions,” she said. “I appreciate the university’s swift action to address this matter.”

Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach made&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/KrisKobach1787/status/1844046414176977304" target="_blank">a post on X</a>&nbsp;criticizing the Kansas Board of Regents. He wrote:

“​​KS Regents: We educate leaders, build communities, and make discoveries that change the world.

KU prof: Some males in our society will refuse to vote for a female prez, because they don’t think females are smart enough to be Prez. We could line all those guys up and shoot them.”

Ned Ryun, a conservative pundit and activist and son of former Republican U.S. Rep. Jim Ryun of Kansas, initially posted the 32-second&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/nedryun/status/1843991931530993667" target="_blank">video on X</a>.&nbsp;

A similar incident occurred at KU more than a decade ago when a professor of journalism, David Guth, was placed on administrative leave after making comments critical of the National Rifle Association, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://www2.ljworld.com/news/2013/sep/20/ku-journalism-professor-guth-placed-leave-school-r/" target="_blank">2013 reporting by the Lawrence Journal-World</a>. Guth was not terminated, but he retired in 2019, according to his KU website and his personal résumé.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/10/1728508235506.png" alt=" Strong Hall at the University of Kansas on August 22, 2020. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption> Strong Hall at the University of Kansas on August 22, 2020. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/akaminski/">ANNA KAMINSKI</a> <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a>LAWRENCE — A lecturer at the University of Kansas was placed on administrative leave Wednesday after a video surfaced showing him addressing students saying men who refuse to vote for a woman president because they don’t think women are smart enough to be president should be shot.&nbsp;The lecturer’s comments were posted on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter, Wednesday morning and garnered more than 2 million views by afternoon. The video is a recording of a lecture from earlier this semester.&nbsp;In it, the lecturer says the following:“There are going to be some males in our society that will refuse to vote for a potential female president because they don’t think females are smart enough to be president. We could line all those guys up and shoot ‘em. They clearly don’t understand the way the world works.”&nbsp;He continued: “Did I say that? Scratch that from the recording. I don’t want the deans hearing that I said that.”&nbsp;<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Seriously ⁦<a href="https://twitter.com/UnivOfKansas?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@UnivOfKansas</a>⁩? You’re letting this be said in your classrooms? That men who won’t vote for Kamala Harris for President should be lined up and shot?? ⁦<a href="https://twitter.com/RogerMarshallMD?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RogerMarshallMD</a>⁩ ⁦<a href="https://twitter.com/JerryMoran?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JerryMoran</a>⁩ <a href="https://t.co/7hHihxScEg">pic.twitter.com/7hHihxScEg</a>&mdash; Ned Ryun (@nedryun) <a href="https://twitter.com/nedryun/status/1843991931530993667?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 9, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>KU’s student newspaper, the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kansan.com/news/video-of-ku-professor-making-inappropriate-remarks-goes-viral-on-x/article_7076e9c6-865f-11ef-af99-936139c18202.html" target="_blank">University Daily Kansan</a>, identified the lecturer based on online exchanges. A KU representative did not respond to a Kansas Reflector request to confirm the lecturer’s name.KU issued a statement via&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/UnivOfKansas/status/1844066744018796645" target="_blank">X</a>&nbsp;calling the comments an “inappropriate reference to violence,” and confirmed the lecturer was placed on administrative leave.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">A statement from the university regarding a classroom video. <a href="https://t.co/SWnmhsNuPa">pic.twitter.com/SWnmhsNuPa</a>&mdash; University of Kansas (@UnivOfKansas) <a href="https://twitter.com/UnivOfKansas/status/1844066744018796645?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 9, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>“The instructor offers his sincerest apologies and deeply regrets the situation. His intent was to emphasize his advocacy for women’s rights and equality, and he recognizes he did a very poor job of doing so,” the statement said.&nbsp;U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall wrote Wednesday afternoon in a post on X, “This guy shouldn’t be within 100 yards of a university and I am calling for his swift termination.”&nbsp;The senator also called for KU to fire the lecturer.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">This is disturbing and inappropriate. There should never be a call for violence anytime or anywhere in the classroom. We must cool down the political rhetoric and be respectful and civil to each other, &amp; that is especially true for someone charged with teaching our young people. <a href="https://t.co/SWVnmteC0k">https://t.co/SWVnmteC0k</a>&mdash; Senator Jerry Moran (@JerryMoran) <a href="https://twitter.com/JerryMoran/status/1844086506744578265?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 9, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran called the video “disturbing and inappropriate” in&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/JerryMoran/status/1844086506744578265" target="_blank">a post on X</a>. He condemned calls for violence in classrooms and emphasized mitigating political rhetoric and valuing respect and civility.A statement from the Kansas GOP chairman, Mike Brown, misidentified the lecturer in the video and condemned the rhetoric. “Every legislature should examine their funding of programs that allow extremism like this to persist, and every parent should seek institutions aligned with their core values,” Brown said.Governor Laura Kelly said in a statement that violent rhetoric is unacceptable.“We must strive to make our classrooms a place where diverse viewpoints are respectfully discussed, and politics is not weaponized to make our students feel unsafe or demonized for having differing opinions,” she said. “I appreciate the university’s swift action to address this matter.”Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach made&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/KrisKobach1787/status/1844046414176977304" target="_blank">a post on X</a>&nbsp;criticizing the Kansas Board of Regents. He wrote:“​​KS Regents: We educate leaders, build communities, and make discoveries that change the world.KU prof: Some males in our society will refuse to vote for a female prez, because they don’t think females are smart enough to be Prez. We could line all those guys up and shoot them.”Ned Ryun, a conservative pundit and activist and son of former Republican U.S. Rep. Jim Ryun of Kansas, initially posted the 32-second&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/nedryun/status/1843991931530993667" target="_blank">video on X</a>.&nbsp;A similar incident occurred at KU more than a decade ago when a professor of journalism, David Guth, was placed on administrative leave after making comments critical of the National Rifle Association, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://www2.ljworld.com/news/2013/sep/20/ku-journalism-professor-guth-placed-leave-school-r/" target="_blank">2013 reporting by the Lawrence Journal-World</a>. Guth was not terminated, but he retired in 2019, according to his KU website and his personal résumé.

KU lecturer on leave after ‘inappropriate reference to violence’ during class

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks set records Wednesday after the latest wild swerves for Chinese stocks left few ripples in markets worldwide.

The S&amp;P 500 rose 0.7% to top the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/stock-markets-nikkei-japan-ishiba-rates-0e6b0a4e7dd6dc3499f8984e310ff1a9">all-time high</a>&nbsp;it had set last week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 431 points, or 1%, to hit its own record, while the Nasdaq composite gained 0.6%.

Leading the way were cruise-ship companies, whose customers stand to benefit from the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jobs-hiring-federal-reserve-inflation-unemployment-economy-87447d5187b37bb0f5cf996e25bad808">surprisingly strong U.S. job market</a>. Norwegian Cruise Line steamed 10.9% higher after analysts at Citi upgraded its stock and said data suggests growth for the cruise industry “has real legs” into 2025 and beyond. Carnival rose 7%, and Royal Caribbean Group gained 5.3%.

Helen of Troy, the company behind Hydro Flask water bottles and OXO kitchen tools, jumped 17.9% after reporting profit and revenue for the latest quarter that were better than analysts expected. That was even though the company said it’s still seeing customers feeling increasingly stretched amid lingering inflation.

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks set records Wednesday after the latest wild swerves for Chinese stocks left few ripples in markets worldwide.The S&amp;P 500 rose 0.7% to top the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/stock-markets-nikkei-japan-ishiba-rates-0e6b0a4e7dd6dc3499f8984e310ff1a9">all-time high</a>&nbsp;it had set last week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 431 points, or 1%, to hit its own record, while the Nasdaq composite gained 0.6%.Leading the way were cruise-ship companies, whose customers stand to benefit from the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jobs-hiring-federal-reserve-inflation-unemployment-economy-87447d5187b37bb0f5cf996e25bad808">surprisingly strong U.S. job market</a>. Norwegian Cruise Line steamed 10.9% higher after analysts at Citi upgraded its stock and said data suggests growth for the cruise industry “has real legs” into 2025 and beyond. Carnival rose 7%, and Royal Caribbean Group gained 5.3%.Helen of Troy, the company behind Hydro Flask water bottles and OXO kitchen tools, jumped 17.9% after reporting profit and revenue for the latest quarter that were better than analysts expected. That was even though the company said it’s still seeing customers feeling increasingly stretched amid lingering inflation.KinderCare Learning rose 8.9% in its debut on the New York Stock Exchange. It has over 2,400 early childhood education centers and before- and after-school sites across the country for kids aged between six weeks and 12 years.They helped offset a 3.4% slump for Boeing. The aerospace giant&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boeing-strike-workers-union-pay-e50b65fbbf34e74b42d4a65ef0d7da76">withdrew a contract offer</a>&nbsp;that would have given striking workers 30% raises over four years following a break down in labor talks.Alphabet also kept the market’s gains in check after the heavyweight stock sank 1.5%. The U.S. Department of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/google-search-antitrust-case-59114d8bf1dc4c8453c08acaa4051f14">Justice is considering</a>&nbsp;asking a federal judge to break up its Google business after its search engine was declared an illegal monopoly. A breakup is one of many possible remedies under review.If a breakup were to happen, the question would become what happens with other Big Tech stocks like Amazon, Meta Platforms or Apple, and whether any would try to spin off business units before possibly being forcibly broken apart, according to JJ Kinahan, CEO of IG North America.All told, the S&amp;P 500 rose 40.91 points to 5,792.04. The Dow jumped 431.63 to 42,512.00, and the Nasdaq composite gained 108.70 to 18,291.62.The relative calm on Wall Street followed another manic day in China. After earlier surging on hopes for stimulus to prop up the world’s second-largest economy, Chinese stocks have since slumped on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/china-economy-monetary-fiscal-stimulus-85d066a30085549200cdff18984c343a">disappointment that more isn’t on the way</a>.Stocks in Shanghai tumbled 6.6% for their worst loss since February 2020, when fears were rising about a virus seen in Wuhan and other cities in China. In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng index fell 1.4% after dropping&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/stocks-markets-treasury-china-rates-c1c41b35ddbb4fd0bf93ee93df1f1a2c">more than 9% the day before</a>, which was its worst loss since the global financial crisis of 2008.Moves announced by China in late September fueled a rally that has since fizzled. But analysts have pointed out that a news conference on Tuesday by China’s main planning agency, the National Development and Reform Commission, was unlikely to convey much information about government spending, which is the purview of the Finance Ministry.That ministry is due to hold a briefing on Saturday that could provide further details on planned government outlays that so far have fallen short of what investors have been hoping for.The Shanghai Composite is still up 9.5% for the year so far, while Hong Kong’s index is up 21.1%.Indexes were more stable elsewhere around the world on Wednesday and rose 0.9% in Japan and 1% in Germany.In the oil market, prices eased further. A barrel of Brent crude, the international standard, fell 0.4% to settle at $73.24 after briefly topping $81 early this week. Benchmark U.S. crude fell 0.8% to $76.58 per barrel.Earlier leaps for oil driven by worries about worsening tensions in the Middle East had helped drag the S&amp;P 500 on Monday to its&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/stocks-markets-rates-japan-oil-24925e5840a2491fbc1acc07543bc37d">worst loss in a month</a>.In the bond market, the yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 4.07% from 4.01% late Tuesday.Treasury yields have swung recently, first sharply downward through the spring and summer and then turning upward in the last week or so.They’ve followed traders’ expectations for what the Federal Reserve is likely to do with overnight interest rates. The central bank has just begun&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/interest-rates-inflation-prices-federal-reserve-economy-0283bc6f92e9f9920094b78d821df227">cutting interest rates</a>&nbsp;from a two-decade high, as it widens its focus to include&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/interest-rates-inflation-prices-federal-reserve-economy-31e05db08464c58ce8a3f2db0270f2d3">keeping the economy humming</a>&nbsp;instead of just&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-economy-prices-consumer-74e1a5c9bced40460e4079f62e980095">fighting high inflation</a>.That caused the sharp easing of rates through the summer, but recent reports have shown the U.S. economy remains stronger than expected. That in turn has forced traders to downshift forecasts for how much the Fed will ultimately cut rates by.The Fed on Wednesday released the minutes from its last policy meeting, which included few surprises. It reiterated the Fed’s message from September, emphasizing that its larger-than-usual cut of half a percentage point was not necessarily a signal of big cuts in the future.