Bitcoin, RockItCoin and other crypto ATM companies are plentiful in low-income Kansas City neighborhoods. Experts say the machines are targeting residents with extraordinary fees

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/danmika/">DAN MIKA</a>

Finance professor Jocelyn Evans first encountered a cryptocurrency ATM on the way to talk about financial education with students last fall.

Evans stopped at a gas station on her way to Sumner Academy in Kansas City, Kansas. She came across the machine with the word “BITCOIN” on the screen. Store staffers weren’t familiar with the machine, which didn’t provide much explanation about how cryptocurrencies work.

“It’s a low-income area with primarily Hispanic, African-American, people who are immigrants,”&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://bloch.umkc.edu/profiles/faculty-directory/jocelyn-evans.html">said Evans</a>, the Henry W. Bloch endowed chair of finance and an associate dean at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. “I just wondered how much people know about cryptocurrency and, with a standalone machine, how much people knew when they made transactions with these machines.”

The ATM that caught Evans’ attention is one of more than 100 cryptocurrency kiosks installed in gas stations, liquor stores, smoke shops and elsewhere across the Kansas City area in the last few years.

The companies running the machines argue they’re providing communities an alternative to traditional financial institutions that have historically given worse deals to poorer neighborhoods and communities of color.

But critics call the machines a targeted attempt to exploit financially vulnerable people with steep fees for a volatile product that’s difficult to cash out from.

“This is no different than people who target the Black community for payday loans or subprime loans,” Evans said. “They’re targeting people with the least financial knowledge and understanding of how you invest in cryptocurrencies.”

Cryptocurrency machines tend to be placed in and around neighborhoods with larger numbers of Black and Latino residents, and in areas with lower median household incomes, according to a Beacon analysis comparing ATM locations provided by&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="http://coinatmradar.com/">CoinATMRadar</a>&nbsp;against recent estimates from the U.S. Census.

<a target="_blank" href="https://www.fdic.gov/analysis/household-survey/2021report.pdf">Research</a>&nbsp;from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. shows those populations are more likely to lack bank accounts — or to use nontraditional financial services like payday loans or title loan services that often carry steep fees.

Crypto ATMs promise access to the world of cryptocurrency to financially disadvantaged groups. However, they often charge fees far above industry standards and sometimes offer little explanation of the risks inherent in crypto. All of these ATMs will accept cash to buy crypto, but most aren’t equipped to sell crypto and dispense cash.

Also, cryptocurrency accounts are not insured by the federal government, while the vast majority of bank accounts with less than $250,000 are. The machines also come with pricey surcharges. They often charge more than 10% per transaction and, in one case found by The Beacon, up to 40%.

Cryptocurrencies are meant to be a digital form of money. No specific entity like a bank or government controls how much of the currency is available or manages and tracks currency transfers between people.

Instead, cryptocurrency ledger updates are pushed to a decentralized network of computers that acts as an ever-updating history of every transaction within that currency.

Such an arrangement can appeal to people who don’t trust the financial system, since cryptocurrency wallets in theory don’t require users to identify themselves. Some machines visited by The Beacon required a government ID to put in cash or transact, while others only required a phone number and name without any additional verification.

At least one crypto ATM provider has acknowledged placing machines near unbanked communities. In an&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUnt2AgClDk">interview</a>&nbsp;with a crypto trade publication earlier this year, Bitcoin Depot CEO Brandon Mintz said his company views the unbanked as a primary customer segment. A&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.federalreserve.gov/publications/files/2021-report-economic-well-being-us-households-202205.pdf">2021 survey</a>&nbsp;from the Federal Reserve showed people who used cryptocurrencies for paying others were twice as likely to be unbanked than those who don’t use crypto.

Bitcoin Depot did not respond to multiple requests from The Beacon for comment.

Bitcoin Depot’s projections show how lucrative the crypto ATM business can be. The company, which recently went public,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://ir.bitcoindepot.com/news-events/press-releases/detail/46/bitcoin-depot-reports-preliminary-second-quarter-revenue">estimates</a>&nbsp;revenues of between $700 million and $730 million this year, with nearly all of that coming from transaction fees.

The first crypto ATM in Kansas City launched in November 2016 at a currency exchange on Broadway Boulevard in midtown. Bitcoin and Ethereum, the two largest cryptocurrencies, had a combined market capitalization of $12 billion at the time. A bitcoin cost around $700, while one ethereum costs $10.

At their peak, around the fall of 2021, Bitcoin and Ethereum combined were valued at the equivalent of nearly $1.8 trillion. Crypto ATMs followed the rise of the coins they sold. The number of ATMs operating in the U.S. rocketed from nearly 4,200 from the start of 2020 to more than 30,000 at the end of 2022.

Only 16 ATMs opened in the Kansas City region during 2018 and 2019. But as cryptocurrencies began to rise in the summer of 2020 amid broader financial speculation, ATM companies added 31 more in the region by the end of the year. Another 50 ATMs were installed in 2021 as pandemic anxieties began to wane.

But economic conditions soured in 2022, as decades-high inflation and fears of global recession created a drag on speculative assets that were flying high during the pandemic.

If the crypto market was an airliner, the end of low interest rates set by the Federal Reserve was like stalling out at 40,000 feet. Just more than a year off its highs, the combined value of Bitcoin and Ethereum sat at about $453 billion in late November 2022 — a decline of nearly 75%.

Yet 40 more ATMs started operating in Kansas City in 2022, while the crypto crash sapped hundreds of billions of dollars out of the ecosystem.

Globally, the crypto research firm Chainalysis estimates that the entirety of the crypto ATM ecosystem accepted deposits worth nearly $3.8 billion in 2021; that amount fell sharply in 2022 alongside the larger slump in crypto prices.

The cost to buy crypto at stand-alone machines is often hidden or poorly advertised. The average buy rate among ATMs providing information to CoinATMRadar is&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://coinatmradar.com/city/78/bitcoin-atm-kansas-city/">16%</a>, and often a flat fee ranging from $1 to $5 is added to the transaction.

A customer who purchased $20 of bitcoin would pay $3.20 in percentage fees, bringing the total fee to between $4.20 and $8.20 when buying crypto. The dollar equivalent of what remains after those fees is rarely the same day to day due to volatile price swings in crypto compared to government-backed currencies.

Cashing out is also expensive. Selling fees could take another&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://coinatmradar.com/charts/sell-fees/united-states/">7% to 15%</a>&nbsp;out of the withdrawal.

And those transaction fees can run much higher, and be hidden in plain sight.

A Beacon reporter visited a store in northeast Kansas City on July 19 to buy $20 worth of bitcoin, which was trading around&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/BTC-USD/history?period1=1658188800&amp;period2=1689724800&amp;interval=1d&amp;filter=history&amp;frequency=1d&amp;includeAdjustedClose=true">$30,000 per coin</a>&nbsp;throughout the day. While there was no flat fee, the machine issued the equivalent of $20 of bitcoin at the equivalent of bitcoin priced at approximately $45,000 — a difference of more than 40% over the market price. The price discrepancy was not disclosed.

Transaction fees are far lower on fully online exchanges. The popular crypto exchange&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://help.coinbase.com/en/exchange/trading-and-funding/exchange-fees">Coinbase</a>&nbsp;doesn’t charge fees for deposits and withdrawals of funds in a bank account to and from crypto. SoFi, another online financial brokerage, charges 1.25% per transaction.

The spread of crypto ATMs in the region coincides with a recent increase in unbanked Kansas Citians. An estimated 6.4% of Kansas City area residents were unbanked in 2021, according to FDIC estimates, an increase from 5.8% two years earlier.

FDIC surveys show the most commonly cited reason Americans forgo bank accounts is because they cannot maintain the minimum balance required to avoid monthly fees, which are more likely to be charged to&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.cnbc.com/2021/01/13/black-and-hispanics-paying-twice-amount-banking-fees-than-whites-survey.html">Black and Latino customers</a>.

Discriminatory practices like “redlining,” or denying bank loans and services to residents in communities with significant numbers of racial or ethnic minorities, were banned at the federal level in 1974.

The long-lasting effects of redlining and more modern disadvantages continue to pose a hurdle for low-income people and communities of color to build wealth.

Geoff Jolley, executive director of the community nonprofit Local Initiatives Support Corp. of Greater Kansas City, said access to traditional financial services still lags in communities of color.

The lack of traditional lenders in those areas leaves alternative financial services providers to fill the gap, often with exorbitant fees and interest rates.

“I’m not surprised to see things like cryptocurrency ATMs, payday loans, title companies, that tend to be more exploitative, located in Hispanic or Black communities,” Jolley said.

Crypto ATMs also may not allow customers to convert their crypto into cash. Nearly one in five crypto ATMs in the Kansas City area do not offer cash withdrawals, according to CoinATMRadar data. These factors combined make it fairly easy to put cash into the world of cryptocurrencies, but far more difficult to withdraw if a user relies heavily on ATMs.

Several crypto ATM companies with locations in Kansas City did not respond to requests for comment for this story.

One company that did respond was RockItCoin. In an emailed statement, CEO Michael Dalesandro said five of the company’s 18 ATMs in Kansas City take and dispense cash. He said machines that do both are more expensive to maintain, so they’re deployed less often.

Dalesandro said RockItCoin’s kiosks are placed in high-traffic areas. He said they do not target specific communities because ATMs aren’t limited to only serving residents that live nearby. Customers search for ATMs and travel to conduct their transactions, he said.

He said RockItCoin’s ATMs do not target specific communities and argued that crypto ATMs are the opposite of exploitative because they offer people without bank accounts or internet access to cryptocurrencies.

“We are leveling the playing field, not creating barriers to entry or methods of exploitation,” he said.

Dalesandro said RockItCoin’s fees reflect the “premium service” it provides along with the risks involved in buying cryptocurrencies and the costs of maintaining the machines and employing customer support and regulatory compliance staff.

Dalesandro said it would be “unfair” to compare RockItCoin’s higher fees with centralized exchanges like CoinBase and SoFi. Those companies are much larger and have other revenue streams that may allow lower transaction fees to entice new customers, he argued.

“One cannot criticize the mom-and-pop convenience store for charging $4 for a gallon of milk when Wal-Mart charges only $1.69 — they have different costs of production,” Dalesandro said.

A Beacon reporter visited several stores in Kansas City and asked employees how often they saw people using the machines. Some said they have never seen the machines used. Others said they see a small number each week.

Many of the machines were not functioning, and store employees described difficulty reaching ATM providers for service. One worker in a store a few blocks east of Troost Avenue said his machine had been broken for three to four months before a repairman came. When a Beacon reporter tested that machine, the keypad was unresponsive.

Jared Girma, co-owner of Ethio Mart in Shawnee, signed a contract three years ago with the crypto ATM provider Coin Cloud to place a machine in his store. One of the company’s selling points was the possibility of more foot traffic and more sales, he said.

But Girma said crypto customers would walk into his store, use the machine and immediately leave.

“Not many people used it (and) then shopped,” he said.

Coin Cloud&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nvb.409411/gov.uscourts.nvb.409411.1.0.pdf">filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy</a>&nbsp;protection in February. Girma said the machine hasn’t been working since. Girma also said he’s only been paid $150 so far this year despite agreeing to a $200 per month rental fee.

Someone came to remove the machine from his store several weeks ago, but Girma refused to let Coin Cloud recover the ATM until his rent agreement is paid in full.

In an emailed response, Brett Axelrod, Coin Cloud’s attorney, said several of Coin Cloud’s ATM lease contracts were not purchased in the bankruptcy process and are effectively terminated. He said the bankruptcy court has allowed Coin Cloud to recover its machines if the party providing the lease space hadn’t filed a dispute.

Regulations and the future of crypto ATMs

A&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-bill/2355?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22jack+reed%22%5D%7D&amp;s=4&amp;r=1">recently introduced U.S. Senate bill</a>&nbsp;would among other things require cryptocurrency ATMs to collect the same level of identity information as banks would for anti-money laundering purposes. Crypto supporters such as the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://digitalchamber.org/chamber-opposes-s2355/">Chamber of Digital Commerce</a>, a crypto industry trade group, are calling that bill an excessive effort to regulate the industry.

The chamber declined to comment on the record about crypto ATM business practices when reached by The Beacon. The DeFi Education Fund, another trade group for crypto-related companies, would not comment on the bill or crypto ATMs in Kansas City.

Evans, the UMKC finance professor, argues crypto ATMs should be banned in lieu of cheaper, more highly regulated online exchanges for people who want to use cryptocurrencies. She also said state governments need to widen access to financial education programs.

Meanwhile, cryptocurrency ATMs remain plugged into stores across Kansas City, charging steep fees and presenting themselves as an alternative to a financial system that doesn’t maintain the same presence in lower-income neighborhoods that it does elsewhere.

LISC Executive Director Jolley lives in northeast Kansas City, an area that’s relatively low-income and home to a relatively high number of immigrants. It has three crypto ATMs and just two bank branches between Independence Avenue and the Missouri River, according to a Beacon analysis of crypto ATM and FDIC location data.

“Financial institutions have not done their part to ensure that there is equitable access to financial opportunity,” Jolley said. “It has created a bit of a vacuum for payday loans (and) cryptocurrency, for other measures with the promise of wealth building being the attraction, but not necessarily the reality.”

This story was supported by the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://watchdogwritersgroup.com/">Watchdog Writers Group</a>, a non-profit journalism institute that produces in-depth reporting. It is based at the University of Missouri School of Journalism.

This&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://kcbeacon.org/stories/2023/08/15/high-fee-crypto-atms-center-around-low-income-parts-of-kansas-city/">article</a>&nbsp;first appeared on&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://kcbeacon.org/">The Beacon</a>&nbsp;and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1692308597824.png" alt=" Cryptocurrency ATMs are plentiful in lower-income neighborhoods around Kansas City (Barbara Shelly/The Beacon)." />
 <figcaption> Cryptocurrency ATMs are plentiful in lower-income neighborhoods around Kansas City (Barbara Shelly/The Beacon).</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Bitcoin, RockItCoin and other crypto ATM companies are plentiful in low-income Kansas City neighborhoods. Experts say the machines are targeting residents with extraordinary fees</h2>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/danmika/">DAN MIKA</a>Finance professor Jocelyn Evans first encountered a cryptocurrency ATM on the way to talk about financial education with students last fall.Evans stopped at a gas station on her way to Sumner Academy in Kansas City, Kansas. She came across the machine with the word “BITCOIN” on the screen. Store staffers weren’t familiar with the machine, which didn’t provide much explanation about how cryptocurrencies work.“It’s a low-income area with primarily Hispanic, African-American, people who are immigrants,”&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://bloch.umkc.edu/profiles/faculty-directory/jocelyn-evans.html">said Evans</a>, the Henry W. Bloch endowed chair of finance and an associate dean at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. “I just wondered how much people know about cryptocurrency and, with a standalone machine, how much people knew when they made transactions with these machines.”The ATM that caught Evans’ attention is one of more than 100 cryptocurrency kiosks installed in gas stations, liquor stores, smoke shops and elsewhere across the Kansas City area in the last few years.The companies running the machines argue they’re providing communities an alternative to traditional financial institutions that have historically given worse deals to poorer neighborhoods and communities of color.But critics call the machines a targeted attempt to exploit financially vulnerable people with steep fees for a volatile product that’s difficult to cash out from.“This is no different than people who target the Black community for payday loans or subprime loans,” Evans said. “They’re targeting people with the least financial knowledge and understanding of how you invest in cryptocurrencies.”Cryptocurrency machines tend to be placed in and around neighborhoods with larger numbers of Black and Latino residents, and in areas with lower median household incomes, according to a Beacon analysis comparing ATM locations provided by&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="http://coinatmradar.com/">CoinATMRadar</a>&nbsp;against recent estimates from the U.S. Census.<a target="_blank" href="https://www.fdic.gov/analysis/household-survey/2021report.pdf">Research</a>&nbsp;from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. shows those populations are more likely to lack bank accounts — or to use nontraditional financial services like payday loans or title loan services that often carry steep fees.Crypto ATMs promise access to the world of cryptocurrency to financially disadvantaged groups. However, they often charge fees far above industry standards and sometimes offer little explanation of the risks inherent in crypto. All of these ATMs will accept cash to buy crypto, but most aren’t equipped to sell crypto and dispense cash.Also, cryptocurrency accounts are not insured by the federal government, while the vast majority of bank accounts with less than $250,000 are. The machines also come with pricey surcharges. They often charge more than 10% per transaction and, in one case found by The Beacon, up to 40%.<h2>The promise, rise and crash of crypto</h2>Cryptocurrencies are meant to be a digital form of money. No specific entity like a bank or government controls how much of the currency is available or manages and tracks currency transfers between people.Instead, cryptocurrency ledger updates are pushed to a decentralized network of computers that acts as an ever-updating history of every transaction within that currency.Such an arrangement can appeal to people who don’t trust the financial system, since cryptocurrency wallets in theory don’t require users to identify themselves. Some machines visited by The Beacon required a government ID to put in cash or transact, while others only required a phone number and name without any additional verification.At least one crypto ATM provider has acknowledged placing machines near unbanked communities. In an&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUnt2AgClDk">interview</a>&nbsp;with a crypto trade publication earlier this year, Bitcoin Depot CEO Brandon Mintz said his company views the unbanked as a primary customer segment. A&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.federalreserve.gov/publications/files/2021-report-economic-well-being-us-households-202205.pdf">2021 survey</a>&nbsp;from the Federal Reserve showed people who used cryptocurrencies for paying others were twice as likely to be unbanked than those who don’t use crypto.Bitcoin Depot did not respond to multiple requests from The Beacon for comment.Bitcoin Depot’s projections show how lucrative the crypto ATM business can be. The company, which recently went public,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://ir.bitcoindepot.com/news-events/press-releases/detail/46/bitcoin-depot-reports-preliminary-second-quarter-revenue">estimates</a>&nbsp;revenues of between $700 million and $730 million this year, with nearly all of that coming from transaction fees.The first crypto ATM in Kansas City launched in November 2016 at a currency exchange on Broadway Boulevard in midtown. Bitcoin and Ethereum, the two largest cryptocurrencies, had a combined market capitalization of $12 billion at the time. A bitcoin cost around $700, while one ethereum costs $10.At their peak, around the fall of 2021, Bitcoin and Ethereum combined were valued at the equivalent of nearly $1.8 trillion. Crypto ATMs followed the rise of the coins they sold. The number of ATMs operating in the U.S. rocketed from nearly 4,200 from the start of 2020 to more than 30,000 at the end of 2022.Only 16 ATMs opened in the Kansas City region during 2018 and 2019. But as cryptocurrencies began to rise in the summer of 2020 amid broader financial speculation, ATM companies added 31 more in the region by the end of the year. Another 50 ATMs were installed in 2021 as pandemic anxieties began to wane.But economic conditions soured in 2022, as decades-high inflation and fears of global recession created a drag on speculative assets that were flying high during the pandemic.If the crypto market was an airliner, the end of low interest rates set by the Federal Reserve was like stalling out at 40,000 feet. Just more than a year off its highs, the combined value of Bitcoin and Ethereum sat at about $453 billion in late November 2022 — a decline of nearly 75%.Yet 40 more ATMs started operating in Kansas City in 2022, while the crypto crash sapped hundreds of billions of dollars out of the ecosystem.Globally, the crypto research firm Chainalysis estimates that the entirety of the crypto ATM ecosystem accepted deposits worth nearly $3.8 billion in 2021; that amount fell sharply in 2022 alongside the larger slump in crypto prices.<h2>Steep fees, little disclosure</h2>The cost to buy crypto at stand-alone machines is often hidden or poorly advertised. The average buy rate among ATMs providing information to CoinATMRadar is&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://coinatmradar.com/city/78/bitcoin-atm-kansas-city/">16%</a>, and often a flat fee ranging from $1 to $5 is added to the transaction.A customer who purchased $20 of bitcoin would pay $3.20 in percentage fees, bringing the total fee to between $4.20 and $8.20 when buying crypto. The dollar equivalent of what remains after those fees is rarely the same day to day due to volatile price swings in crypto compared to government-backed currencies.Cashing out is also expensive. Selling fees could take another&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://coinatmradar.com/charts/sell-fees/united-states/">7% to 15%</a>&nbsp;out of the withdrawal.And those transaction fees can run much higher, and be hidden in plain sight.A Beacon reporter visited a store in northeast Kansas City on July 19 to buy $20 worth of bitcoin, which was trading around&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/BTC-USD/history?period1=1658188800&amp;period2=1689724800&amp;interval=1d&amp;filter=history&amp;frequency=1d&amp;includeAdjustedClose=true">$30,000 per coin</a>&nbsp;throughout the day. While there was no flat fee, the machine issued the equivalent of $20 of bitcoin at the equivalent of bitcoin priced at approximately $45,000 — a difference of more than 40% over the market price. The price discrepancy was not disclosed.Transaction fees are far lower on fully online exchanges. The popular crypto exchange&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://help.coinbase.com/en/exchange/trading-and-funding/exchange-fees">Coinbase</a>&nbsp;doesn’t charge fees for deposits and withdrawals of funds in a bank account to and from crypto. SoFi, another online financial brokerage, charges 1.25% per transaction.The spread of crypto ATMs in the region coincides with a recent increase in unbanked Kansas Citians. An estimated 6.4% of Kansas City area residents were unbanked in 2021, according to FDIC estimates, an increase from 5.8% two years earlier.FDIC surveys show the most commonly cited reason Americans forgo bank accounts is because they cannot maintain the minimum balance required to avoid monthly fees, which are more likely to be charged to&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.cnbc.com/2021/01/13/black-and-hispanics-paying-twice-amount-banking-fees-than-whites-survey.html">Black and Latino customers</a>.Discriminatory practices like “redlining,” or denying bank loans and services to residents in communities with significant numbers of racial or ethnic minorities, were banned at the federal level in 1974.The long-lasting effects of redlining and more modern disadvantages continue to pose a hurdle for low-income people and communities of color to build wealth.Geoff Jolley, executive director of the community nonprofit Local Initiatives Support Corp. of Greater Kansas City, said access to traditional financial services still lags in communities of color.The lack of traditional lenders in those areas leaves alternative financial services providers to fill the gap, often with exorbitant fees and interest rates.“I’m not surprised to see things like cryptocurrency ATMs, payday loans, title companies, that tend to be more exploitative, located in Hispanic or Black communities,” Jolley said.Crypto ATMs also may not allow customers to convert their crypto into cash. Nearly one in five crypto ATMs in the Kansas City area do not offer cash withdrawals, according to CoinATMRadar data. These factors combined make it fairly easy to put cash into the world of cryptocurrencies, but far more difficult to withdraw if a user relies heavily on ATMs.<h2>Equitable crypto access?</h2>Several crypto ATM companies with locations in Kansas City did not respond to requests for comment for this story.One company that did respond was RockItCoin. In an emailed statement, CEO Michael Dalesandro said five of the company’s 18 ATMs in Kansas City take and dispense cash. He said machines that do both are more expensive to maintain, so they’re deployed less often.Dalesandro said RockItCoin’s kiosks are placed in high-traffic areas. He said they do not target specific communities because ATMs aren’t limited to only serving residents that live nearby. Customers search for ATMs and travel to conduct their transactions, he said.He said RockItCoin’s ATMs do not target specific communities and argued that crypto ATMs are the opposite of exploitative because they offer people without bank accounts or internet access to cryptocurrencies.“We are leveling the playing field, not creating barriers to entry or methods of exploitation,” he said.Dalesandro said RockItCoin’s fees reflect the “premium service” it provides along with the risks involved in buying cryptocurrencies and the costs of maintaining the machines and employing customer support and regulatory compliance staff.Dalesandro said it would be “unfair” to compare RockItCoin’s higher fees with centralized exchanges like CoinBase and SoFi. Those companies are much larger and have other revenue streams that may allow lower transaction fees to entice new customers, he argued.“One cannot criticize the mom-and-pop convenience store for charging $4 for a gallon of milk when Wal-Mart charges only $1.69 — they have different costs of production,” Dalesandro said.<h2>Malfunctioning crypto ATMs</h2>A Beacon reporter visited several stores in Kansas City and asked employees how often they saw people using the machines. Some said they have never seen the machines used. Others said they see a small number each week.Many of the machines were not functioning, and store employees described difficulty reaching ATM providers for service. One worker in a store a few blocks east of Troost Avenue said his machine had been broken for three to four months before a repairman came. When a Beacon reporter tested that machine, the keypad was unresponsive.Jared Girma, co-owner of Ethio Mart in Shawnee, signed a contract three years ago with the crypto ATM provider Coin Cloud to place a machine in his store. One of the company’s selling points was the possibility of more foot traffic and more sales, he said.But Girma said crypto customers would walk into his store, use the machine and immediately leave.“Not many people used it (and) then shopped,” he said.Coin Cloud&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nvb.409411/gov.uscourts.nvb.409411.1.0.pdf">filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy</a>&nbsp;protection in February. Girma said the machine hasn’t been working since. Girma also said he’s only been paid $150 so far this year despite agreeing to a $200 per month rental fee.Someone came to remove the machine from his store several weeks ago, but Girma refused to let Coin Cloud recover the ATM until his rent agreement is paid in full.In an emailed response, Brett Axelrod, Coin Cloud’s attorney, said several of Coin Cloud’s ATM lease contracts were not purchased in the bankruptcy process and are effectively terminated. He said the bankruptcy court has allowed Coin Cloud to recover its machines if the party providing the lease space hadn’t filed a dispute.<h2>Regulations and the future of crypto ATMs</h2>A&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-bill/2355?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22jack+reed%22%5D%7D&amp;s=4&amp;r=1">recently introduced U.S. Senate bill</a>&nbsp;would among other things require cryptocurrency ATMs to collect the same level of identity information as banks would for anti-money laundering purposes. Crypto supporters such as the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://digitalchamber.org/chamber-opposes-s2355/">Chamber of Digital Commerce</a>, a crypto industry trade group, are calling that bill an excessive effort to regulate the industry.The chamber declined to comment on the record about crypto ATM business practices when reached by The Beacon. The DeFi Education Fund, another trade group for crypto-related companies, would not comment on the bill or crypto ATMs in Kansas City.Evans, the UMKC finance professor, argues crypto ATMs should be banned in lieu of cheaper, more highly regulated online exchanges for people who want to use cryptocurrencies. She also said state governments need to widen access to financial education programs.Meanwhile, cryptocurrency ATMs remain plugged into stores across Kansas City, charging steep fees and presenting themselves as an alternative to a financial system that doesn’t maintain the same presence in lower-income neighborhoods that it does elsewhere.LISC Executive Director Jolley lives in northeast Kansas City, an area that’s relatively low-income and home to a relatively high number of immigrants. It has three crypto ATMs and just two bank branches between Independence Avenue and the Missouri River, according to a Beacon analysis of crypto ATM and FDIC location data.“Financial institutions have not done their part to ensure that there is equitable access to financial opportunity,” Jolley said. “It has created a bit of a vacuum for payday loans (and) cryptocurrency, for other measures with the promise of wealth building being the attraction, but not necessarily the reality.”This story was supported by the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://watchdogwritersgroup.com/">Watchdog Writers Group</a>, a non-profit journalism institute that produces in-depth reporting. It is based at the University of Missouri School of Journalism.This&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://kcbeacon.org/stories/2023/08/15/high-fee-crypto-atms-center-around-low-income-parts-of-kansas-city/">article</a>&nbsp;first appeared on&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://kcbeacon.org/">The Beacon</a>&nbsp;and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

Kansas City has over 100 high-fee crypto ATMs, mostly in low-income neighborhoods

RILEY COUNTY&nbsp; –&nbsp;Law enforcement authorities are investigating a&nbsp;shooting adjacent to the Aggieville Business District that sent a woman to the hospital.

Just before 2a.m. Sunday, police heard and responded to multiple gunshots in the 1100 block of Laramie Street, according to a media release from the Riley County Police Department.

Officers arrived on scene immediately and found a 35-year-old woman suffering from an apparent gunshot wound to the back. EMS transported her to Via Christi for treatment of her injuries which are not believed to be life-threatening.

No arrests have been made at this time.&nbsp;

Anyone with information can contact us at (785) 537-2112 or Crime Stoppers at (785) 539-7777. Using Crime Stoppers allows you to remain anonymous and could qualify you for a cash reward of up to $1,000.

RILEY COUNTY&nbsp; –&nbsp;Law enforcement authorities are investigating a&nbsp;shooting adjacent to the Aggieville Business District that sent a woman to the hospital.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1692547211729.png" alt="Google map" />
 <figcaption>Google map</figcaption>
 </figure>Just before 2a.m. Sunday, police heard and responded to multiple gunshots in the 1100 block of Laramie Street, according to a media release from the Riley County Police Department.Officers arrived on scene immediately and found a 35-year-old woman suffering from an apparent gunshot wound to the back. EMS transported her to Via Christi for treatment of her injuries which are not believed to be life-threatening.No arrests have been made at this time.&nbsp;Anyone with information can contact us at (785) 537-2112 or Crime Stoppers at (785) 539-7777. Using Crime Stoppers allows you to remain anonymous and could qualify you for a cash reward of up to $1,000.

Police: Woman injured in shooting in Manhattan

By JOHN HANNA and HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTH&nbsp;

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A central Kansas police chief was not only on legally shaky ground when he ordered the raid of a weekly newspaper, experts said, but it may have been a criminal violation of civil rights, a former federal prosecutor added, saying: “I'd probably have the FBI starting to look.”

Some legal experts believe the Aug. 11 raid on the Marion County Record's offices and the home of its publisher violated a federal privacy law that protects journalists from having their newsrooms searched. Some believe it violated a Kansas law that makes it more difficult to force reporters and editors to disclose their sources or unpublished material.

Part of the debate centers around Marion Police Chief Gideon Cody’s reasons for the raid. A warrant suggested that police were looking for evidence that the Record’s staff broke state laws against identity theft and computer crimes while verifying information about a local restaurant owner. But the police also seized the computer tower and personal cellphone belonging to a reporter who had investigated Cody’s background.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/marion-kansas-newspaper-raid-aca057365ea3925328a69acd615c9893">The raid</a>&nbsp;brought international attention to the newspaper and the small town of 1,900 — foisted to the center of a debate over&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/marion-county-record-kansas-newspaper-raid-f1e49c4e542ddb3cf19c9ca02a0a21fb">press freedoms</a>. Recent events have exposed roiling divisions over local politics and the newspaper’s aggressive coverage. But it also focused an intense spotlight on Cody in only his third month on the job.

The investigation into whether the newspaper broke state laws continues, now led by the Kansas Bureau of Investigation. State Attorney General Kris Kobach has said he doesn't see the KBI's role as investigating the police's conduct, and that prompted some to question whether the federal government would get involved. Spokespersons for the FBI and the U.S. Department of Justice declined to comment.

Stephen McAllister, a U.S. attorney for Kansas during former President Donald Trump's administration, said the raid opened Cody, the city and others to lawsuits for alleged civil right violations. And, he added, “We also have some exposure to federal criminal prosecution.”

“I would be surprised if they are not looking at this, if they haven’t already been asked by various interests to look at it, and I would think they would take it seriously,” McAllister, a University of Kansas law professor who also served as the state's solicitor general, said of federal officials.

Cody did not respond to an email seeking comment Friday, as he has not responded to other emails. But he did defend the raid in a Facebook post afterward, saying the federal law shielding journalists from newsroom searches makes an exception specifically for “when there is reason to believe the journalist is taking part in the underlying wrongdoing.”

Police seized computers, personal cellphones and a router from the newspaper. All items were released Wednesday to a computer forensics auditing firm hired by the newspaper's attorney, after the local prosecutor concluded there wasn't enough evidence to justify their seizure. The firm is examining whether files were accessed or copied.

The five-member Marion City Council was scheduled to have its first meeting since the raid Monday afternoon.

<a href="https://www.marionks.net/sites/g/files/vyhlif7226/f/agendas/august_21_2023_agenda.pdf">The agenda</a>&nbsp;says, in red: “COUNCIL WILL NOT COMMENT ON THE ONGOING CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION AT THIS MEETING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

The Record is known for its aggressive coverage of local politics and its community about 150 miles (161 kilometers) southwest of Kansas City, Missouri. It received an outpouring of support from other news organizations and media groups after the raid, and Editor and Publisher Eric Meyer said Friday that it had picked up 4,000 additional subscribers, enough to double the size of its press run, though many of the new subscriptions are digital.

But the raids did have some backers in town. Jared Smith blames the newspaper's coverage for the demise of his wife's day spa business and believes the newspaper is too negative.

“I would love to see the paper go down,” he said.

And Kari Newell, whose allegations that the newspaper violated her privacy have been cited as reasons for the raid, said of the paper, "They do twist and contort — misquote individuals in our community — all the time.”

Meyer rejects criticism of his newspaper's reporting and said critics are upset because it's attempting to hold local officials accountable. And he blames the stress from the raid for the Aug. 12 death of his 98-year-old mother, Joan Meyer, the paper’s co-owner.

Meyer said that after the mayor offered Cody the police chief's job in late April, the newspaper received anonymous tips on “a variety of tales” about why Cody gave up a Kansas City position paying $115,848 a year to take a job paying $60,000, according to a sister paper. Meyer said the newspaper could not verify the tips to its satisfaction.

Days before Cody was sworn in as chief on May 30, Meyer said that he asked Cody directly about the tips he received and Cody told him: "If you print that, I will sue you.”

“We get confidential things from people all the time and we check them out,” said Doug Anstaett, a retired Kansas Press Association executive director. "And sometimes we know they’re silly, but most of the time we get a tip, we check it out. And that’s exactly what they’re doing.”

Anstaett said he believes the state's shield law for journalists, enacted in 2010 by the Republican-controlled Legislature, should have protected the paper. It allows law enforcement agencies to seek subpoenas to obtain confidential information from news organizations, but it requires them to show that they have a compelling interest and can't obtain it in another way.

Former Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt, a Republican who helped write the shield law as a state senator, said the law doesn't contemplate law enforcement using a search warrant to get information without going to court to get a subpoena. Still, he said, “The spirit of the law is that it should be broadly applied.”

Jeffrey Jackson, interim dean of the law school at Washburn University in Topeka, said he recently wrapped up a summer constitutional law course that dealt with press freedoms and the federal privacy law and told his students — before the Marion raid — that a police search of a newspaper “really just never happens.”

Jackson said whether the raid violated the state’s shield law would depend on Cody’s motives, whether he was trying to identify sources. But even if Cody was searching for evidence of a crime by newspaper staff, Jackson believes he likely violated the federal privacy law because it, like the state law, contemplates a law enforcement agency getting a subpoena.

“Either they violated the shield law or they probably violated the federal law,” Jackson said. “Either way, it's a mess.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1692219843330.png" alt="<a href="https://apnews.com/article/marion-kansas-newspaper-raid-aca057365ea3925328a69acd615c9893">The raid</a>&nbsp;brought international attention to the newspaper and the small town of 1,900 — foisted to the center of a debate over&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/marion-county-record-kansas-newspaper-raid-f1e49c4e542ddb3cf19c9ca02a0a21fb">press freedoms</a>. photo courtesy KWCH" />
 <figcaption><a href="https://apnews.com/article/marion-kansas-newspaper-raid-aca057365ea3925328a69acd615c9893">The raid</a>&nbsp;brought international attention to the newspaper and the small town of 1,900 — foisted to the center of a debate over&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/marion-county-record-kansas-newspaper-raid-f1e49c4e542ddb3cf19c9ca02a0a21fb">press freedoms</a>. photo courtesy KWCH</figcaption>
 </figure> By JOHN HANNA and HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTH&nbsp;TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A central Kansas police chief was not only on legally shaky ground when he ordered the raid of a weekly newspaper, experts said, but it may have been a criminal violation of civil rights, a former federal prosecutor added, saying: “I'd probably have the FBI starting to look.”Some legal experts believe the Aug. 11 raid on the Marion County Record's offices and the home of its publisher violated a federal privacy law that protects journalists from having their newsrooms searched. Some believe it violated a Kansas law that makes it more difficult to force reporters and editors to disclose their sources or unpublished material.Part of the debate centers around Marion Police Chief Gideon Cody’s reasons for the raid. A warrant suggested that police were looking for evidence that the Record’s staff broke state laws against identity theft and computer crimes while verifying information about a local restaurant owner. But the police also seized the computer tower and personal cellphone belonging to a reporter who had investigated Cody’s background.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/marion-kansas-newspaper-raid-aca057365ea3925328a69acd615c9893">The raid</a>&nbsp;brought international attention to the newspaper and the small town of 1,900 — foisted to the center of a debate over&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/marion-county-record-kansas-newspaper-raid-f1e49c4e542ddb3cf19c9ca02a0a21fb">press freedoms</a>. Recent events have exposed roiling divisions over local politics and the newspaper’s aggressive coverage. But it also focused an intense spotlight on Cody in only his third month on the job.The investigation into whether the newspaper broke state laws continues, now led by the Kansas Bureau of Investigation. State Attorney General Kris Kobach has said he doesn't see the KBI's role as investigating the police's conduct, and that prompted some to question whether the federal government would get involved. Spokespersons for the FBI and the U.S. Department of Justice declined to comment.Stephen McAllister, a U.S. attorney for Kansas during former President Donald Trump's administration, said the raid opened Cody, the city and others to lawsuits for alleged civil right violations. And, he added, “We also have some exposure to federal criminal prosecution.”“I would be surprised if they are not looking at this, if they haven’t already been asked by various interests to look at it, and I would think they would take it seriously,” McAllister, a University of Kansas law professor who also served as the state's solicitor general, said of federal officials.Cody did not respond to an email seeking comment Friday, as he has not responded to other emails. But he did defend the raid in a Facebook post afterward, saying the federal law shielding journalists from newsroom searches makes an exception specifically for “when there is reason to believe the journalist is taking part in the underlying wrongdoing.”Police seized computers, personal cellphones and a router from the newspaper. All items were released Wednesday to a computer forensics auditing firm hired by the newspaper's attorney, after the local prosecutor concluded there wasn't enough evidence to justify their seizure. The firm is examining whether files were accessed or copied.The five-member Marion City Council was scheduled to have its first meeting since the raid Monday afternoon.<a href="https://www.marionks.net/sites/g/files/vyhlif7226/f/agendas/august_21_2023_agenda.pdf">The agenda</a>&nbsp;says, in red: “COUNCIL WILL NOT COMMENT ON THE ONGOING CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION AT THIS MEETING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"The Record is known for its aggressive coverage of local politics and its community about 150 miles (161 kilometers) southwest of Kansas City, Missouri. It received an outpouring of support from other news organizations and media groups after the raid, and Editor and Publisher Eric Meyer said Friday that it had picked up 4,000 additional subscribers, enough to double the size of its press run, though many of the new subscriptions are digital.But the raids did have some backers in town. Jared Smith blames the newspaper's coverage for the demise of his wife's day spa business and believes the newspaper is too negative.“I would love to see the paper go down,” he said.And Kari Newell, whose allegations that the newspaper violated her privacy have been cited as reasons for the raid, said of the paper, "They do twist and contort — misquote individuals in our community — all the time.”Meyer rejects criticism of his newspaper's reporting and said critics are upset because it's attempting to hold local officials accountable. And he blames the stress from the raid for the Aug. 12 death of his 98-year-old mother, Joan Meyer, the paper’s co-owner.Meyer said that after the mayor offered Cody the police chief's job in late April, the newspaper received anonymous tips on “a variety of tales” about why Cody gave up a Kansas City position paying $115,848 a year to take a job paying $60,000, according to a sister paper. Meyer said the newspaper could not verify the tips to its satisfaction.Days before Cody was sworn in as chief on May 30, Meyer said that he asked Cody directly about the tips he received and Cody told him: "If you print that, I will sue you.”“We get confidential things from people all the time and we check them out,” said Doug Anstaett, a retired Kansas Press Association executive director. "And sometimes we know they’re silly, but most of the time we get a tip, we check it out. And that’s exactly what they’re doing.”Anstaett said he believes the state's shield law for journalists, enacted in 2010 by the Republican-controlled Legislature, should have protected the paper. It allows law enforcement agencies to seek subpoenas to obtain confidential information from news organizations, but it requires them to show that they have a compelling interest and can't obtain it in another way.Former Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt, a Republican who helped write the shield law as a state senator, said the law doesn't contemplate law enforcement using a search warrant to get information without going to court to get a subpoena. Still, he said, “The spirit of the law is that it should be broadly applied.”Jeffrey Jackson, interim dean of the law school at Washburn University in Topeka, said he recently wrapped up a summer constitutional law course that dealt with press freedoms and the federal privacy law and told his students — before the Marion raid — that a police search of a newspaper “really just never happens.”Jackson said whether the raid violated the state’s shield law would depend on Cody’s motives, whether he was trying to identify sources. But even if Cody was searching for evidence of a crime by newspaper staff, Jackson believes he likely violated the federal privacy law because it, like the state law, contemplates a law enforcement agency getting a subpoena.“Either they violated the shield law or they probably violated the federal law,” Jackson said. “Either way, it's a mess.”

Raid on a Kan. newspaper likely broke the law, experts say. But which one?

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia's Luna-25 spacecraft crashed into the moon after it spun into an uncontrolled orbit, the country's Roscosmos space agency said Sunday.

The pilotless spacecraft was aiming to be the first ever to land on the south pole of the moon, an area where scientists believe there could be important reserves of frozen water and precious elements. It had been expected to land Monday.

However, Roscosmos said it lost contact with the Luna-25 on Saturday after the spacecraft ran into difficulties and reported an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-moon-mission-luna-25-glitch-0eccbb5427af29ca7fb4c90369389dbf">“abnormal situation</a>&nbsp;”.

“The apparatus moved into an unpredictable orbit and ceased to exist as a result of a collision with the surface of the moon,” read a statement from the agency.

The Luna-25 was in a race with an Indian spacecraft&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/india-lunar-mission-space-launch-d67a041cb93df070d191523680203653">launched on July 14</a>&nbsp;to be the first to reach the south pole. Both were expected to reach the moon between Aug. 21 and 23.

Vitaly Egorov, a popular Russian space analyst, said despite the crash the mission had some successes.

“Luna 25 showed important progress. It flew toward the Moon, carried out orbit correction, and tested onboard electronics and scientific tools," he said via videocall. "It even managed to collect some small scientific data during the flight and from the lunar orbit. It also sent photos of the Moon. Russian cosmonautics was not at this level before. But then, an error occurred somehow.”

The lunar mission was Russia’s first since 1976, when it was part of the Soviet Union. Only three governments have managed successful moon landings: the Soviet Union, the United States and China.

The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/more-water-on-moon-science-349b42556e36b99fd6a87295b34e39cf">lunar south pole</a>&nbsp;is of particular interest to scientists, who believe the permanently shadowed polar craters may contain frozen water in the rocks that future explorers could transform into air and rocket fuel.

A previous&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/8533918d2dd348d6819057968182c6f4">Indian attempt to land</a>&nbsp;at the south pole in 2019 ended when the spacecraft crashed into the moon’s surface.

Roscosmos said it wanted to show Russia “is a state capable of delivering a payload to the moon,” and “ensure Russia’s guaranteed access to the moon’s surface.”

Egorov said Roscosmos needs the experience of landing on the Moon.

“It will not be able to talk with China on equal terms, because China has already three successful landings on the moon, while Roscosmos has none,” he said. "Roscosmos will lag starkly behind the Chinese lunar program.”

Sanctions imposed on Russia since it began its actions in Ukraine have affected its space program, making it more difficult to access Western technology.

The Luna-25 was initially meant to carry a small moon rover but that idea was abandoned to reduce the weight of the craft for improved reliability, analysts said.

The craft launched from the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia’s Far East on Aug. 10. The spaceport is a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/d23d2e5dda5041c69e2a48ab8fc61b33">pet project</a>&nbsp;of Russian President Vladimir Putin and key to his efforts to make Russia a space superpower.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1692533896521.png" alt="In this photo taken from video and released by Roscosmos State Space Corporation, the Soyuz-2.1b rocket with the moon lander Luna-25 automatic station takes off from a launch pad at the Vostochny Cosmodrome in the Russia's Far East, on Friday, Aug. 11, 2023. The Russian space agency says its Luna-25 spacecraft has crashed into the moon. Russia’s unmanned robot lander crashed after it had spun into uncontrolled orbit, the country’s space agency Roscosmos reported on Sunday, Aug. 20. 2023. (Roscosmos State Space Corporation via AP)" />
 <figcaption>In this photo taken from video and released by Roscosmos State Space Corporation, the Soyuz-2.1b rocket with the moon lander Luna-25 automatic station takes off from a launch pad at the Vostochny Cosmodrome in the Russia's Far East, on Friday, Aug. 11, 2023. The Russian space agency says its Luna-25 spacecraft has crashed into the moon. Russia’s unmanned robot lander crashed after it had spun into uncontrolled orbit, the country’s space agency Roscosmos reported on Sunday, Aug. 20. 2023. (Roscosmos State Space Corporation via AP)</figcaption>
 </figure>MOSCOW (AP) — Russia's Luna-25 spacecraft crashed into the moon after it spun into an uncontrolled orbit, the country's Roscosmos space agency said Sunday.The pilotless spacecraft was aiming to be the first ever to land on the south pole of the moon, an area where scientists believe there could be important reserves of frozen water and precious elements. It had been expected to land Monday.However, Roscosmos said it lost contact with the Luna-25 on Saturday after the spacecraft ran into difficulties and reported an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-moon-mission-luna-25-glitch-0eccbb5427af29ca7fb4c90369389dbf">“abnormal situation</a>&nbsp;”.“The apparatus moved into an unpredictable orbit and ceased to exist as a result of a collision with the surface of the moon,” read a statement from the agency.The Luna-25 was in a race with an Indian spacecraft&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/india-lunar-mission-space-launch-d67a041cb93df070d191523680203653">launched on July 14</a>&nbsp;to be the first to reach the south pole. Both were expected to reach the moon between Aug. 21 and 23.Vitaly Egorov, a popular Russian space analyst, said despite the crash the mission had some successes.“Luna 25 showed important progress. It flew toward the Moon, carried out orbit correction, and tested onboard electronics and scientific tools," he said via videocall. "It even managed to collect some small scientific data during the flight and from the lunar orbit. It also sent photos of the Moon. Russian cosmonautics was not at this level before. But then, an error occurred somehow.”The lunar mission was Russia’s first since 1976, when it was part of the Soviet Union. Only three governments have managed successful moon landings: the Soviet Union, the United States and China.The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/more-water-on-moon-science-349b42556e36b99fd6a87295b34e39cf">lunar south pole</a>&nbsp;is of particular interest to scientists, who believe the permanently shadowed polar craters may contain frozen water in the rocks that future explorers could transform into air and rocket fuel.A previous&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/8533918d2dd348d6819057968182c6f4">Indian attempt to land</a>&nbsp;at the south pole in 2019 ended when the spacecraft crashed into the moon’s surface.Roscosmos said it wanted to show Russia “is a state capable of delivering a payload to the moon,” and “ensure Russia’s guaranteed access to the moon’s surface.”Egorov said Roscosmos needs the experience of landing on the Moon.“It will not be able to talk with China on equal terms, because China has already three successful landings on the moon, while Roscosmos has none,” he said. "Roscosmos will lag starkly behind the Chinese lunar program.”Sanctions imposed on Russia since it began its actions in Ukraine have affected its space program, making it more difficult to access Western technology.The Luna-25 was initially meant to carry a small moon rover but that idea was abandoned to reduce the weight of the craft for improved reliability, analysts said.The craft launched from the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia’s Far East on Aug. 10. The spaceport is a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/d23d2e5dda5041c69e2a48ab8fc61b33">pet project</a>&nbsp;of Russian President Vladimir Putin and key to his efforts to make Russia a space superpower.

Putin's pet project: Russian spacecraft crashed into the moon 

Mandate lowers financial barrier to lifesaving treatment of diabetes

BY: TIM CARPENTER <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA — U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids recoiled at evidence people with diabetes in the United States paid up to five times more for insulin than patients in other countries.

She was troubled insulin-producing manufacturers Sanofi, Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk had systematically increased prices in the United States over the past two decades to levels that meant her constituents in the 3rd District around Kansas City risked serious health problems, including heart disease, stroke, kidney failure and blindness. She said Kansans were rationing their supply of medication regulating blood-sugar levels or ending the treatment entirely.

“For too long,” Davids said, “Kansans have been forced to pay extremely high prices for insulin while drug companies rake in massive profits.”

The federal government also grappled with skyrocketing costs of insulin for millions of Medicare beneficiaries, she said.

That led the Democrat to support passage one year ago of the Inflation Reduction Act, which included provisions making health care more affordable for seniors. At the start of this year, the federal law capped the out-of-pocket cost of insulin for people enrolled in Medicare’s prescription drug plan at $35 for a one-month supply. It also imposed a requirement insulin manufacturers pay a rebate to Medicare if their prices grew faster than inflation.

Under pressure from consumers eager for an affordable supply of insulin, the three drug companies dominating the U.S. market agreed to extend the $35 cap to people with private health insurance.

Had the Inflation Reduction Act been in place in 2020, about 15,000 Kansas residents would have saved an estimated $650 annually on out-of-pocket costs.

Davids, the Kansas congressional delegation’s lone Democrat, went against the grain of Republicans from Kansas who opposed the bill signed in August 2022 by President Joe Biden. U.S. Sens. Jerry Moran and Roger Marshall voted against the bill along with U.S. Reps. Ron Estes, Tracey Mann and Jake LaTurner.

At that time, LaTurner objected because the massive federal spending package was oriented to support Democrats’ “radical agenda under the guise of lowering inflation.” He said $700 billion earmarked for the law would implement liberal environmental policy, make it harder for businesses to create jobs and prompt tax increases.

Marshall said he anticipated the law would help push the nation’s economy into recession, while Moran urged Congress to concentrate on lowering fuel prices and the cost of other goods and services for Kansans battered by inflation.

“Rather than taking steps to curb spending and expand energy production, the so-called Inflation Reduction Act will raise taxes on small businesses and working families,” Moran said.

At the one-year mark, Davids said the law held great promise for growing the U.S. economy and dealing with climate change. She said health care pieces of the law succeeded in lowering the burden on thousands of Kansans and illustrated the need to push ahead with mandates capping the price for all insulin users.

“I voted for this historic legislation to lower costs for Kansas families,” she said. “The law is lowering health care costs, growing the middle class with new clean energy and manufacturing jobs, and making the largest investment in the fight against climate change in our nation’s history.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1692358864019.png" alt="U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids, a Kansas Democrat, said health care provisions of the federal Inflation Reduction Act approved one year ago had prompted substantial reductions in the cost of insulin relied upon by people with diabetes. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids, a Kansas Democrat, said health care provisions of the federal Inflation Reduction Act approved one year ago had prompted substantial reductions in the cost of insulin relied upon by people with diabetes. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Mandate lowers financial barrier to lifesaving treatment of diabetes</h2>BY: TIM CARPENTER <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids recoiled at evidence people with diabetes in the United States paid up to five times more for insulin than patients in other countries.She was troubled insulin-producing manufacturers Sanofi, Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk had systematically increased prices in the United States over the past two decades to levels that meant her constituents in the 3rd District around Kansas City risked serious health problems, including heart disease, stroke, kidney failure and blindness. She said Kansans were rationing their supply of medication regulating blood-sugar levels or ending the treatment entirely.“For too long,” Davids said, “Kansans have been forced to pay extremely high prices for insulin while drug companies rake in massive profits.”The federal government also grappled with skyrocketing costs of insulin for millions of Medicare beneficiaries, she said.That led the Democrat to support passage one year ago of the Inflation Reduction Act, which included provisions making health care more affordable for seniors. At the start of this year, the federal law capped the out-of-pocket cost of insulin for people enrolled in Medicare’s prescription drug plan at $35 for a one-month supply. It also imposed a requirement insulin manufacturers pay a rebate to Medicare if their prices grew faster than inflation.Under pressure from consumers eager for an affordable supply of insulin, the three drug companies dominating the U.S. market agreed to extend the $35 cap to people with private health insurance.Had the Inflation Reduction Act been in place in 2020, about 15,000 Kansas residents would have saved an estimated $650 annually on out-of-pocket costs.Davids, the Kansas congressional delegation’s lone Democrat, went against the grain of Republicans from Kansas who opposed the bill signed in August 2022 by President Joe Biden. U.S. Sens. Jerry Moran and Roger Marshall voted against the bill along with U.S. Reps. Ron Estes, Tracey Mann and Jake LaTurner.At that time, LaTurner objected because the massive federal spending package was oriented to support Democrats’ “radical agenda under the guise of lowering inflation.” He said $700 billion earmarked for the law would implement liberal environmental policy, make it harder for businesses to create jobs and prompt tax increases.Marshall said he anticipated the law would help push the nation’s economy into recession, while Moran urged Congress to concentrate on lowering fuel prices and the cost of other goods and services for Kansans battered by inflation.“Rather than taking steps to curb spending and expand energy production, the so-called Inflation Reduction Act will raise taxes on small businesses and working families,” Moran said.At the one-year mark, Davids said the law held great promise for growing the U.S. economy and dealing with climate change. She said health care pieces of the law succeeded in lowering the burden on thousands of Kansans and illustrated the need to push ahead with mandates capping the price for all insulin users.“I voted for this historic legislation to lower costs for Kansas families,” she said. “The law is lowering health care costs, growing the middle class with new clean energy and manufacturing jobs, and making the largest investment in the fight against climate change in our nation’s history.”

Davids: Inflation reduction law injecting restraint into U.S. insulin pricing

CRAWFORD COUNTY&nbsp;– The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) and the Crawford County Sheriff’s Office renew their request to the public for any information that may help resolve the 1993 disappearance of Ginger Hudson.

Ginger May Hudson was 33 years old when she went missing from Pittsburg, Kansas on Aug. 19, 1993. This Saturday, Aug. 19, will mark 30 years since she suddenly disappeared.

Ginger was last seen by a neighbor around 3:30 p.m. outside her mobile home, which was one-eighth of a mile north of 560th&nbsp;Ave. on 180th&nbsp;Street in Pittsburg. 

When Ginger’s boyfriend arrived home around 7:30 p.m., Ginger was gone but all of her belongings had been left behind. Ginger is a white female, who was 5 foot 4 inches tall and weighed around 150 pounds. She had auburn hair, hazel eyes and a surgical scar on the inside of her bottom lip. Ginger was last known wearing a white, sleeveless shirt and dark-colored shorts. Today Ginger would be 63 years old.

Ginger had four young children, and it would be unlike her to abruptly leave. Foul play is suspected in her disappearance.

We thank the public for the tips provided in this case over the years. We urge anyone who knows even the slightest detail related to Ginger’s disappearance to contact the KBI at 1-800-KS-CRIME, or the Crawford County Sheriff’s Office at 620-724-8274. Information can also be submitted anonymously at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kbi.ks.gov/sar" target="_blank">https://www.kbi.ks.gov/sar</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1692389004549.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>CRAWFORD COUNTY&nbsp;– The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) and the Crawford County Sheriff’s Office renew their request to the public for any information that may help resolve the 1993 disappearance of Ginger Hudson.Ginger May Hudson was 33 years old when she went missing from Pittsburg, Kansas on Aug. 19, 1993. This Saturday, Aug. 19, will mark 30 years since she suddenly disappeared.Ginger was last seen by a neighbor around 3:30 p.m. outside her mobile home, which was one-eighth of a mile north of 560th&nbsp;Ave. on 180th&nbsp;Street in Pittsburg. When Ginger’s boyfriend arrived home around 7:30 p.m., Ginger was gone but all of her belongings had been left behind. Ginger is a white female, who was 5 foot 4 inches tall and weighed around 150 pounds. She had auburn hair, hazel eyes and a surgical scar on the inside of her bottom lip. Ginger was last known wearing a white, sleeveless shirt and dark-colored shorts. Today Ginger would be 63 years old.Ginger had four young children, and it would be unlike her to abruptly leave. Foul play is suspected in her disappearance.We thank the public for the tips provided in this case over the years. We urge anyone who knows even the slightest detail related to Ginger’s disappearance to contact the KBI at 1-800-KS-CRIME, or the Crawford County Sheriff’s Office at 620-724-8274. Information can also be submitted anonymously at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kbi.ks.gov/sar" target="_blank">https://www.kbi.ks.gov/sar</a>.

After 30 years: Kan. woman’s disappearance still a mystery

RILEY COUNTY —Preliminary data shows that Manhattan, Kansas had the highest temperature on Saturday across the contiguous United States at 115 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.

After Saturday's extreme heat, expect more of the same through at least Wednesday with heat indices of 105-115 degrees each day, according to the National Weather Service.

 Sunday heat indices could reach 120 degrees in some spots. Take extra precautions and avoid being outdoors in the afternoon if possible.

RILEY COUNTY —Preliminary data shows that Manhattan, Kansas had the highest temperature on Saturday across the contiguous United States at 115 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Preliminary data shows that Manhattan, Kansas had the highest temperature today, August 19th, across the contiguous United States at 115 degrees! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/kswx?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#kswx</a>&mdash; NWS Wichita (@NWSWichita) <a href="https://twitter.com/NWSWichita/status/1693065231679807915?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 20, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>After Saturday's extreme heat, expect more of the same through at least Wednesday with heat indices of 105-115 degrees each day, according to the National Weather Service. Sunday heat indices could reach 120 degrees in some spots. Take extra precautions and avoid being outdoors in the afternoon if possible.

Manhattan sizzles: Highest temperature in U.S. on Saturday

SEDGWICK COUNTY —A Kansas man accused for his role in an April 2020 shooting death has entered a guilty plea in the case.

This week, 32-year-old <a href="https://ssc.sedgwickcounty.org/InmateSearch/Details.aspx?Id=224582">Jesse Sweeney </a>pleaded guilty to&nbsp;kidnapping and aggravated assault, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.&nbsp;

On April 23, of 2020, police responded to a shooting call at a home in the 200 block of North Charles in Wichita, according to officer Charley Davidson.&nbsp;

Upon arrival, police found 30-year-old Blake Mayes on the front porch of the home with a gunshot wound to his body.&nbsp; EMS transported him to an area hospital where he died.

The investigation revealed a disturbance occurred at the home between Mayes and three other individuals including Sweeney,  51-year-old William Moore of Wichita and Mayes' girlfriend 36-year-old Bobbie Williams of Topeka. During the disturbance, Mayes was shot one time, causing his fatal injuries.

Police arrested Moore in Wichita and Williams in the Topeka.&nbsp;

Two weeks after the shooting, an alert citizen called 911 reporting seeing Sweeney at an apartment complex in the 200 block of North Topeka in Wichita, according to officer Charley Davidson. Upon arrival, officers attempted to contact Sweeney at an apartment, and he fled out a window onto the fire escape and onto a separate floor of the apartments.

Police closed off the area, located Sweeney, and arrested him without further incident.&nbsp;&nbsp;Sweeney had previously been arrested and convicted of charges of possession of narcotic drugs, according to Davidson.

<a href="https://ssc.sedgwickcounty.org/InmateSearch/Details.aspx?Id=514556">William Moore,</a>&nbsp;faces charges of aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping, and criminal possession of a firearm by a felon.&nbsp;

In February, 38-year-old Bobbie Williams was sentenced to 27-years in prison, according to the district attorney's office. Sweeney is scheduled for sentencing in September.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/5/1588334948493.png" alt="Sweeney-photo Sedgwick County" />
 <figcaption>Sweeney-photo Sedgwick County</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY —A Kansas man accused for his role in an April 2020 shooting death has entered a guilty plea in the case.This week, 32-year-old <a href="https://ssc.sedgwickcounty.org/InmateSearch/Details.aspx?Id=224582">Jesse Sweeney </a>pleaded guilty to&nbsp;kidnapping and aggravated assault, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.&nbsp;On April 23, of 2020, police responded to a shooting call at a home in the 200 block of North Charles in Wichita, according to officer Charley Davidson.&nbsp;Upon arrival, police found 30-year-old Blake Mayes on the front porch of the home with a gunshot wound to his body.&nbsp; EMS transported him to an area hospital where he died.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/4/1587900733026.png" alt="In February,&nbsp;38-year-old Bobbie Williams was sentenced to 27-years in prison, according to the district attorney's office.-photo Sedgwick Co." />
 <figcaption>In February,&nbsp;38-year-old Bobbie Williams was sentenced to 27-years in prison, according to the district attorney's office.-photo Sedgwick Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>The investigation revealed a disturbance occurred at the home between Mayes and three other individuals including Sweeney, 51-year-old William Moore of Wichita and Mayes' girlfriend 36-year-old Bobbie Williams of Topeka. During the disturbance, Mayes was shot one time, causing his fatal injuries.Police arrested Moore in Wichita and Williams in the Topeka.&nbsp;Two weeks after the shooting, an alert citizen called 911 reporting seeing Sweeney at an apartment complex in the 200 block of North Topeka in Wichita, according to officer Charley Davidson. Upon arrival, officers attempted to contact Sweeney at an apartment, and he fled out a window onto the fire escape and onto a separate floor of the apartments.Police closed off the area, located Sweeney, and arrested him without further incident.&nbsp;&nbsp;Sweeney had previously been arrested and convicted of charges of possession of narcotic drugs, according to Davidson.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/4/1587856746805.png" alt="Moore photo Sedgwick Co." />
 <figcaption>Moore photo Sedgwick Co.</figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://ssc.sedgwickcounty.org/InmateSearch/Details.aspx?Id=514556">William Moore,</a>&nbsp;faces charges of aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping, and criminal possession of a firearm by a felon.&nbsp;In February, 38-year-old Bobbie Williams was sentenced to 27-years in prison, according to the district attorney's office. Sweeney is scheduled for sentencing in September.

Kan. man admits role in the murder of woman's boyfriend

SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a robbery and have a suspect in custody.

&nbsp;Just before 9:30 p.m. Aug. 15,&nbsp; police responded to report of a theft at the Dollar General Store, 2515 SE 6th Street in Topeka, according to Police Lt. Michael Hren.

As the suspect was leaving, he allegedly pointed a firearm at an employee in the store parking lot. 

Officers located the suspect vehicle nearby and a suspect identified as 26-year-old Antonio V. Arreola was apprehended and transported to police headquarters.

Arreola is being held on requested charges of Aggravated Assault, Theft and Felony Interference and criminal possession of a weapon by a felon, according to online jail records.&nbsp; He has previous convictions for theft, robbery, obstruction, interference with law enforcement and criminal possession of a weapon by a felon, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1692188995900.png" alt="Arreola has previous convictions for theft, robbery, obstruction, interference with law enforcement and criminal possession of a weapon by a felon, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.-photo Shawnee Co." />
 <figcaption>Arreola has previous convictions for theft, robbery, obstruction, interference with law enforcement and criminal possession of a weapon by a felon, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.-photo Shawnee Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a robbery and have a suspect in custody.&nbsp;Just before 9:30 p.m. Aug. 15,&nbsp; police responded to report of a theft at the Dollar General Store, 2515 SE 6th Street in Topeka, according to Police Lt. Michael Hren.As the suspect was leaving, he allegedly pointed a firearm at an employee in the store parking lot. Officers located the suspect vehicle nearby and a suspect identified as 26-year-old Antonio V. Arreola was apprehended and transported to police headquarters.Arreola is being held on requested charges of Aggravated Assault, Theft and Felony Interference and criminal possession of a weapon by a felon, according to online jail records.&nbsp; He has previous convictions for theft, robbery, obstruction, interference with law enforcement and criminal possession of a weapon by a felon, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.

Police: Kansas felon used gun during store robbery

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Planned Parenthood of the Heartland has appealed a judge's ruling that left a new Nebraska law intact that bans&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/transgender-health-care-abortion-ban-nebraska-1a88067bf403559116df7c09e004e472">abortions</a>&nbsp;after 12 weeks of pregnancy and imposes restrictions on gender-affirming surgery.

Planned Parenthood filed its appeal Friday with help from the American Civil Liberties Union of Nebraska, one week after a judge sided with the state and rejected the challenge to the law&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trans-health-abortion-laws-nebraska-3bd01980e0df33bc89afc3d5b0c11f93">Nebraska lawmakers approved</a>&nbsp;earlier this year.

The lawsuit had argued that the law violated a Nebraska constitutional rule that bills cannot contain more than one subject, but the judge disagreed. Lawmakers&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-transgender-ban-nebraska-filibuster-94f1e637e2d9034f608c793bf929e888">added the abortion ban</a>&nbsp;to an existing bill dealing with gender-related care.

The law outlaws abortion after 12 weeks of pregnancy with exceptions for rape, incest and to save the life of the mother. As of Oct. 1, it also will prevent people under 19 from receiving gender-affirming surgery and restricts the use of hormone treatments and puberty blockers for minors.

Ruth Richardson, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood North Central States, said her organization “will never stop fighting for the reproductive freedom, bodily autonomy and health of our Nebraska communities.”

Richardson said Planned Parenthood will continue to provide abortions to women up to the 12th week of pregnancy in compliance with state law, and it will work with anyone who needs care later in pregnancy to find treatment in another state.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Planned Parenthood of the Heartland has appealed a judge's ruling that left a new Nebraska law intact that bans&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/transgender-health-care-abortion-ban-nebraska-1a88067bf403559116df7c09e004e472">abortions</a>&nbsp;after 12 weeks of pregnancy and imposes restrictions on gender-affirming surgery.Planned Parenthood filed its appeal Friday with help from the American Civil Liberties Union of Nebraska, one week after a judge sided with the state and rejected the challenge to the law&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trans-health-abortion-laws-nebraska-3bd01980e0df33bc89afc3d5b0c11f93">Nebraska lawmakers approved</a>&nbsp;earlier this year.The lawsuit had argued that the law violated a Nebraska constitutional rule that bills cannot contain more than one subject, but the judge disagreed. Lawmakers&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-transgender-ban-nebraska-filibuster-94f1e637e2d9034f608c793bf929e888">added the abortion ban</a>&nbsp;to an existing bill dealing with gender-related care.The law outlaws abortion after 12 weeks of pregnancy with exceptions for rape, incest and to save the life of the mother. As of Oct. 1, it also will prevent people under 19 from receiving gender-affirming surgery and restricts the use of hormone treatments and puberty blockers for minors.Ruth Richardson, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood North Central States, said her organization “will never stop fighting for the reproductive freedom, bodily autonomy and health of our Nebraska communities.”Richardson said Planned Parenthood will continue to provide abortions to women up to the 12th week of pregnancy in compliance with state law, and it will work with anyone who needs care later in pregnancy to find treatment in another state.

Planned Parenthood appeals ruling that let Neb. abortion ban stand

Payment linked to state’s role in a wrongful conviction leading to 16 years in prison

BY:&nbsp;TIM CARPENTER <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA — House and Senate lawmakers and Gov. Laura Kelly agreed Wednesday to settle for $11.25 million&nbsp;a lawsuit brought by exoneree Floyd Bledsoe that accused Kansas Bureau of Investigation and Jefferson County officials of misconduct in a notorious murder case.

The settlement recommended by the office of Attorney General Kris Kobach wasn’t adopted unanimously by the State Finance Council. It was endorsed by the governor, four senators and two representatives, but state Rep. Troy Waymaster, a Bunker Hill Republican who chairs the House budget committee, voted against the deal.

No member of the State Finance Council commented on the settlement during the public portion of the remotely conducted meeting of the council, which met for an hour behind closed doors.

Bledsoe, who spent 16 years in state prison for crimes later attributed to his brother, agreed to the settlement presented to the State Finance Council. The council acts in the absence of the Kansas Legislature.

His convictions were vacated and he was released from prison in 2015 one month after his brother, Tom Bledsoe, committed suicide in Bonner Springs and left suicide notes confessing to assaulting and killing Camille Arfmann, 14, in 1999. Initially, Tom Bledsoe had admitted to the murder but changed his story and implicated Floyd Bledsoe, who was charged with first-degree murder. No forensic evidence was presented at trial implicating Floyd Bledsoe, but he was convicted and sentenced to life behind bars.

An order signed prior to his trial by a representative of the KBI, the county sheriff and the local prosecutor put a halt to DNA testing of evidence in the case. In 2014, however, DNA testing of a vaginal swab matched Tom Bledsoe and excluded Floyd Bledsoe.

Floyd Bledsoe filed a federal civil rights lawsuit in 2016 alleging he was framed by a coalition of county and state law enforcement officers.

In 2019, the state of Kansas awarded $1 million to Floyd Bledsoe under a law dictating year-by-year compensation for wrongfully convicted Kansans. The Jefferson County Commission, which was liable for conduct of county officials in the murder case, agreed earlier this year to pay him $7.5 million over 10 years.

The State Finance Council unanimously approved a $500,000 settlement of the lawsuit brought against the Kansas Highway Patrol for the death of a motorist fatally injured in Topeka when a trooper forced a vehicle off the road.

The suit was brought by the family of Anita Benz, who died of injuries sustained in a March 2021 police chase. The suit was filed against the KHP alleging Trooper Justin Dobler and alleged he using lethal force to stop a vehicle that he contended had a cracked windshield.

Dobler, who was fired by KHP but won reinstatement to his job, began following a white Ford Crown Victoria that he suspected was stolen. The driver, Jeremy Cline, refused to pull over. Dobler pursued the car through residential streets, but didn’t stop when informed the car wasn’t stolen.

Despite warnings from KHP supervisors against using tactical maneuvers to immobilize vehicles in violation of agency policy, Dobler used his cruiser to run the Ford off the road. The Crown Victoria slammed into a utility pole, causing head trauma and other injuries that killed Benz.

Prosecutors charged Cline with felony murder, but the Kansas Court of Appeals this year upheld a district court judge’s decision to suppress evidence recovered after the vehicle maneuver by Dobler. The appellate court concluded Dobler’s actions were “an objectively unreasonable use of excessive force.”

In March, the family of Benz filed the lawsuit alleging excessive force and negligence. It said Dobler had been reprimanded by KHP in two previous vehicle chases. The suit named Dobler as well as Cline as defendants

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1692284195449.png" alt=" Gov. Laura Kelly and leaders of the Kansas Legislature voted to settle a lawsuit with wrongfully convicted Floyd Bledsoe for $11.25 million. The council met remotely, leaving two IT staff in an otherwise empty room at the Capitol. (Kansas Reflector screen capture of the Kansas Legislature’s YouTube channel)" />
 <figcaption> Gov. Laura Kelly and leaders of the Kansas Legislature voted to settle a lawsuit with wrongfully convicted Floyd Bledsoe for $11.25 million. The council met remotely, leaving two IT staff in an otherwise empty room at the Capitol. (Kansas Reflector screen capture of the Kansas Legislature’s YouTube channel)</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Payment linked to state’s role in a wrongful conviction leading to 16 years in prison</h2>BY:&nbsp;TIM CARPENTER <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — House and Senate lawmakers and Gov. Laura Kelly agreed Wednesday to settle for $11.25 million&nbsp;a lawsuit brought by exoneree Floyd Bledsoe that accused Kansas Bureau of Investigation and Jefferson County officials of misconduct in a notorious murder case.The settlement recommended by the office of Attorney General Kris Kobach wasn’t adopted unanimously by the State Finance Council. It was endorsed by the governor, four senators and two representatives, but state Rep. Troy Waymaster, a Bunker Hill Republican who chairs the House budget committee, voted against the deal.No member of the State Finance Council commented on the settlement during the public portion of the remotely conducted meeting of the council, which met for an hour behind closed doors.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1668633834190.png" alt="Bledsoe as he appeared in a KDOC booking photo" />
 <figcaption>Bledsoe as he appeared in a KDOC booking photo</figcaption>
 </figure>Bledsoe, who spent 16 years in state prison for crimes later attributed to his brother, agreed to the settlement presented to the State Finance Council. The council acts in the absence of the Kansas Legislature.His convictions were vacated and he was released from prison in 2015 one month after his brother, Tom Bledsoe, committed suicide in Bonner Springs and left suicide notes confessing to assaulting and killing Camille Arfmann, 14, in 1999. Initially, Tom Bledsoe had admitted to the murder but changed his story and implicated Floyd Bledsoe, who was charged with first-degree murder. No forensic evidence was presented at trial implicating Floyd Bledsoe, but he was convicted and sentenced to life behind bars.An order signed prior to his trial by a representative of the KBI, the county sheriff and the local prosecutor put a halt to DNA testing of evidence in the case. In 2014, however, DNA testing of a vaginal swab matched Tom Bledsoe and excluded Floyd Bledsoe.Floyd Bledsoe filed a federal civil rights lawsuit in 2016 alleging he was framed by a coalition of county and state law enforcement officers.In 2019, the state of Kansas awarded $1 million to Floyd Bledsoe under a law dictating year-by-year compensation for wrongfully convicted Kansans. The Jefferson County Commission, which was liable for conduct of county officials in the murder case, agreed earlier this year to pay him $7.5 million over 10 years.<h2>KHP trooper’s car chase</h2>The State Finance Council unanimously approved a $500,000 settlement of the lawsuit brought against the Kansas Highway Patrol for the death of a motorist fatally injured in Topeka when a trooper forced a vehicle off the road.The suit was brought by the family of Anita Benz, who died of injuries sustained in a March 2021 police chase. The suit was filed against the KHP alleging Trooper Justin Dobler and alleged he using lethal force to stop a vehicle that he contended had a cracked windshield.Dobler, who was fired by KHP but won reinstatement to his job, began following a white Ford Crown Victoria that he suspected was stolen. The driver, Jeremy Cline, refused to pull over. Dobler pursued the car through residential streets, but didn’t stop when informed the car wasn’t stolen.Despite warnings from KHP supervisors against using tactical maneuvers to immobilize vehicles in violation of agency policy, Dobler used his cruiser to run the Ford off the road. The Crown Victoria slammed into a utility pole, causing head trauma and other injuries that killed Benz.Prosecutors charged Cline with felony murder, but the Kansas Court of Appeals this year upheld a district court judge’s decision to suppress evidence recovered after the vehicle maneuver by Dobler. The appellate court concluded Dobler’s actions were “an objectively unreasonable use of excessive force.”In March, the family of Benz filed the lawsuit alleging excessive force and negligence. It said Dobler had been reprimanded by KHP in two previous vehicle chases. The suit named Dobler as well as Cline as defendants

Gov., legislators agree to settle lawsuit with Kansan exonerated of murder

By&nbsp;ROBIN OPSAHL&nbsp; <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/03/30/u-s-judge-rules-insurers-dont-have-to-cover-many-free-preventive-health-services/">States Newsroom</a>

As former President Donald Trump faces his fourth indictment in Georgia, his previous running mate former Vice President Mike Pence on Wednesday disputed Trump’s claims that the Georgia election was “stolen” while still criticizing the federal justice system.

<a href="https://fm.cnbc.com/applications/cnbc.com/resources/editorialfiles/2023/08/14/23SC188947_-_CRIMINAL_INDICTMENT.pdf">Click here to read the full</a>&nbsp;Georgia indictment from&nbsp;

Pence is one of many candidates competing against Trump for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination who are working to balance a campaign message that shows voters why they should be the party pick to take on President Joe Biden while not alienating those who believe the federal justice system is being used unfairly against the former president.

Since his appearance at the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2023/08/12/trump-desantis-and-more-2024-candidates-pack-iowa-state-fair/">Iowa State Fair Saturday</a>, Trump and 18 others&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2023/08/15/fulton-grand-jury-indicts-trump-members-of-his-inner-circle/">have been indicted in Fulton County, Georgia</a>&nbsp;on 41 charges in relation to alleged interference in the 2020 election.&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/110895258274128390">On TruthSocial</a>, the social media platform Trump co-founded, the former president criticized Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis for bringing charges on election interference against him.

“No, Fani, the only Election Interference was done by those that Rigged and Stole the Election,” Trump wrote Tuesday. “Those are the ones you should be going after, not the innocent people that are fighting for Election Integrity!”

Some of the Republican presidential hopefuls have dismissed the alleged crimes. Others that have criticized Trump’s alleged actions in the 2020 election cycle — candidates like Pence and former U.S. Rep. Will Hurd — have been heckled and booed for their comments on Trump while speaking in Iowa.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1691976202111.png" alt="Former President Donald Trump on the campaign trail last week at the Iowa State Fair-image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Former President Donald Trump on the campaign trail last week at the Iowa State Fair-image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>By&nbsp;ROBIN OPSAHL&nbsp; <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/03/30/u-s-judge-rules-insurers-dont-have-to-cover-many-free-preventive-health-services/">States Newsroom</a>As former President Donald Trump faces his fourth indictment in Georgia, his previous running mate former Vice President Mike Pence on Wednesday disputed Trump’s claims that the Georgia election was “stolen” while still criticizing the federal justice system.<a href="https://fm.cnbc.com/applications/cnbc.com/resources/editorialfiles/2023/08/14/23SC188947_-_CRIMINAL_INDICTMENT.pdf">Click here to read the full</a>&nbsp;Georgia indictment from&nbsp;Pence is one of many candidates competing against Trump for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination who are working to balance a campaign message that shows voters why they should be the party pick to take on President Joe Biden while not alienating those who believe the federal justice system is being used unfairly against the former president.Since his appearance at the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2023/08/12/trump-desantis-and-more-2024-candidates-pack-iowa-state-fair/">Iowa State Fair Saturday</a>, Trump and 18 others&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2023/08/15/fulton-grand-jury-indicts-trump-members-of-his-inner-circle/">have been indicted in Fulton County, Georgia</a>&nbsp;on 41 charges in relation to alleged interference in the 2020 election.&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/110895258274128390">On TruthSocial</a>, the social media platform Trump co-founded, the former president criticized Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis for bringing charges on election interference against him.“No, Fani, the only Election Interference was done by those that Rigged and Stole the Election,” Trump wrote Tuesday. “Those are the ones you should be going after, not the innocent people that are fighting for Election Integrity!”Some of the Republican presidential hopefuls have dismissed the alleged crimes. Others that have criticized Trump’s alleged actions in the 2020 election cycle — candidates like Pence and former U.S. Rep. Will Hurd — have been heckled and booed for their comments on Trump while speaking in Iowa.Here’s how Republican candidates are approaching the issue of Trump’s legal battles on the campaign trail:<h2>Former Vice President Mike Pence</h2>Pence said Wednesday that the “Georgia election was not stolen” while speaking at the National Conference of State Legislatures’ summit in Indianapolis, the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://indianacapitalchronicle.com/2023/08/16/pence-defends-georgia-election-after-trump-indictment-announces-states-rights-plan/">Indiana Capital Chronicle</a>&nbsp;reported.Pence disagreed with Trump and his allies’ statements on the Georgia election, in addition to criticizing Trump’s pressure for him to not confirm the 2020 presidential election results on Jan. 6, 2021.“Despite what the former president and his allies have said … the Georgia election was not stolen, and I had no right to overturn the election,” Pence said.Pence has defended his decision to certify the 2020 election results, citing it as a reason why he decided to launch his bid for president. When an audience member&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2023/08/10/three-2024-republican-candidates-kick-off-iowa-state-fair-events/">accused him Thursday at the Iowa State Fair</a>&nbsp;of committing treason for his actions, Pence said he did not have the right under the Constitution to reject states’ election results.“It doesn’t say ‘may,’ it doesn’t say you could send them back to the states, it doesn’t say you can reject votes, even though my former running mate and many of his outside lawyers told me that that authority was there, I knew there never was,” Pence said.Though he criticized Trump, Pence said in Indianapolis that the federal justice system is “politicized,” and that there is not enough scrutiny placed on Democrats like Hillary Clinton and the president’s son Hunter Biden.“I’ve said many times (that) I’d hoped the judgment about those days would be left to the American people. Such is not the case,” Pence said.<h2>Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis</h2>Though Trump has gone after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on the campaign trail, DeSantis has criticized the charges against Trump. He<a target="_blank" href="https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/4153958-desantis-says-recent-trump-indictment-exemplifies-criminalization-of-politics/">&nbsp;said Tuesday in New Hampshire</a>&nbsp;that the latest charges are an example of the “criminalization of politics.” He criticized the Georgia judicial officials for bringing racketeering charges against the former president.“They’re now doing an inordinate amount of resources to try to shoehorn this contest over the 2020 election into a RICO statute, which was really designed to be able to go after organized crime, not necessarily to go after political activity,” DeSantis said. “… I don’t think that this is something that is good for the country.”Though the Florida governor has often avoided talking about Trump directly in campaign events, he has said he&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.newsnationnow.com/politics/ron-desantis-overhaul-doj-fbi-elected-plans/">has a plan</a>&nbsp;to overhaul the “weaponized” Department of Justice and Federal Bureau of Investigation if elected president.In an<a target="_blank" href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/ron-desantis-of-course-trump-lost-2020-election-rcna98200">&nbsp;interview with NBC News</a>&nbsp;at the Iowa State Fair Saturday, DeSantis said Trump lost the 2020 election, despite false claims by the former president that the election was rigged.“No, of course he lost,” DeSantis said. “Joe Biden’s the president.”<h2>U.S. Sen. Tim Scott</h2>Speaking with reporters in Iowa, U.S. Sen. Tim Scott criticized the legal actions against Trump.“We’ve seen the legal system being weaponized against political opponents,” Scott said. “That is un-American and unacceptable. At the end of the day, we need a better system than that.”Scott, a South Carolina Republican, has repeatedly&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2023/07/27/u-s-sen-tim-scott-calls-for-end-of-doj-weaponization-criticizes-florida-black-history-curriculum/">called for the end of “weaponization”</a>&nbsp;of the Department of Justice in response to questions on indictments against the former president during his time campaigning in Iowa. At an Ankeny event in July, Scott said the country — and federal government — needs to be “very careful on how we use this power against political opponents.” He said he would eliminate political appointees from the DOJ, in addition to making leadership changes at the FBI and other federal law enforcement agencies.At the fair, Scott was also asked specifically about the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/14/us/elections/trump-georgia-election-audio-raffensperger.html">recorded phone conversation</a>&nbsp;between Trump and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, in which Trump asked the election official to “find” votes to help him win the state. Scott said he had “just drawn different conclusions” from the reporter about the conversation.<h2>Vivek Ramaswamy</h2>One of entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy’s promises on the campaign trail is to pardon Trump if elected. In response to the Georgia charges, Ramaswamy&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/VivekGRamaswamy/status/1691149756272095248">wrote on X</a>, formerly Twitter, that Trump should “immediately file a motion to dismiss for a constitutional due process violation for publicly issuing an indictment before the grand jury had actually signed one.”“As someone who’s running for President against Trump, I’d volunteer to write the amicus brief to the court myself: prosecutors should not be deciding U.S. presidential elections, and if they’re so overzealous that they commit constitutional violations, then the cases should be thrown out &amp; they should be held accountable,” he wrote.Reuters&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.reuters.com/legal/us-state-georgia-appears-set-file-charges-against-donald-trump-court-document-2023-08-14/">reported Monday that a document</a>&nbsp;outlining charges against Trump appeared briefly on the Fulton County court’s website before the grand jury issued the indictments, according to&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://georgiarecorder.com/2023/08/14/fulton-grand-jury-indicts-trump-members-of-his-inner-circle/">Georgia Recorder</a>. A Fulton County courts spokesperson issued a statement Monday in response to a “fictitious document that has been circulated online and reported by various media outlets.”<h2>Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson</h2>The latest Trump indictment did not come up in the conversation between former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson and Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds Tuesday at her “fair-side chat” interview, but the candidate made a statement Monday that saying the most recent indictment was “another day of challenge for our democracy.”“Over a year ago, I said that Donald Trump’s actions disqualified him from ever serving as President again,” Hutchinson said. “Those words are more true today than ever before. I will have additional comments after I review the details of the indictment.”Hutchinson is one of the better-known critics of Trump from within the Republican Party. The former U.S. attorney, who served as administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration under former President George W. Bush, said he would not sign the Republican National Committee pledge to support the eventual GOP in the 2024 general election if Trump is convicted.“I’m not going to vote for him if he’s a convicted felon,” Hutchinson&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.politico.com/news/2023/06/14/asa-hutchinson-trump-indictment-00101971">told Politico in June</a>. “If he’s convicted of espionage, I’m not going to vote for him.”<h2>Former U.S. Rep. Will Hurd</h2>Former U.S. Rep. Will Hurd said in a statement that the Republican Party needs to move on from Trump in light of his legal battles, saying the former president would lose against Biden again in 2024 if he becomes the Republican nominee.“This is further evidence that Trump knew he lost the 2020 election and was ready to do anything it took to cling to power,” Hurd said in a statement. “It’s time we move beyond dealing with the former president’s baggage. The Republican Party needs a leader who isn’t afraid of bullies like Trump.”Hurd was&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2023/07/28/iowa-republicans-cheer-trump-as-most-opponents-tread-carefully/">booed off the stage</a>&nbsp;at the Iowa GOP Lincoln Dinner in July for bringing up Trump’s indictments.“Donald Trump is not running to make America great again,” Hurd said. “Donald Trump is not running to represent the people that voted for him in 2016 and 2020.&nbsp; He’s running to stay out of prison.”