By SHERMAN SMITH <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/kansas-house-agrees-to-raise-legal-smoking-age-to-21/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA — An investigation into Emporia State University’s realignment plan, which included the firing of tenured professors, faults the university for “shifting and incoherent rationales” and concludes university administrators and Kansas Board of Regents members are “unfit to lead.”

The American Association of University Professors&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/aaup_EmporiaState_Final.pdf">released its findings</a>&nbsp;Monday following months of interviews and review of documentation. Investigators said the actions taken by ESU president Ken Hush with&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/09/14/emporia-state-receives-green-light-to-move-rapidly-with-faculty-program-realignment/">the blessing of KBOR</a>&nbsp;amounts to an attack on academic freedom.

“This does not reflect well on the university,” said Michael DeCesare, a senior program officer for AAUP and a professor of sociology at Merrimack College in Massachusetts. “If I were a prospective faculty member reading this report and reading your reporting on what’s going on since the fall, I would have serious reservations about even considering a position at Emporia State.”

<a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/09/22/emporia-state-university-faculty-leaders-wait-for-answers-after-rapid-firing-of-tenured-professors/">ESU fired 30 tenured and tenure-track professors in September 2022</a>&nbsp;under a temporary COVID-19 emergency policy that was put in place January 2021, before vaccines were widely available, and set to expire Dec. 31, 2022. The university cited “extreme financial pressure” when presenting its “framework” for campus realignment to KBOR, even though the university wasn’t facing financial exigency.

The university subsequently reinvested in new programs,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/04/05/emporia-state-university-awarded-bonuses-to-68-faculty-after-firing-tenured-professors/">handed out secret “performance bonuses,”</a>&nbsp;offered to rehire fired professors as adjuncts, and is looking to hire new professors with the same qualifications as ones who were fired.

Last week, an appeals officer for the state Office of Administrative Hearings reinstated Michael Behrens, an associate professor of English. He is the third fired faculty member to get his job back through the appeals process, with 10 more awaiting decisions.&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/04/19/two-emporia-state-university-professors-reinstated-as-bonus-tension-swirls/">All three were reinstated</a>&nbsp;for the same reason: The university refused to say why they were fired.

Meanwhile, the university last week announced restructuring plans, which include the merger and renaming of various departments or programs and a stated desire to eliminate middle management. The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences was moved into the new School of Science &amp; Mathematics, prompting some professors to joke that they now teach “S&amp;M.”

“When you just look at the big picture from a distance, what it appears to be is a relatively new president comes on board and within a few months of becoming a permanent president, he applies to take advantage of this board policy that’s been sitting dormant for over a year and a half, for no reason,” DeCesare said. “And suddenly, 30 tenured and tenure track faculty members are out of jobs. The curriculum is being completely redefined. Now they’ve eliminated, quote unquote, middle management positions. But the stated rationale for any of these major changes, when stated at all, seems to shift constantly. If I were faculty over at Emporia State, my head would be spinning right now.”

KBOR and ESU communications staff didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment for this story.

Hush took over as ESU interim president in November 2021. KBOR, after a secret hiring process, named Hush president on June 22, 2022.

In a letter to AAUP, Hush emphasized that changes were the result of a campus-wide study that began in July 2021 and was completed in February 2022. Hush then formed a team of 12 individuals, “selected for their contributions to the university,” he wrote, “to evaluate, question and consider the operational, financial and marketplace value of all academic programs.”

Hush denied making any personnel decisions based on any person’s personal, professional or political views. He provided an accompanying letter by a history professor who noted his career had blossomed since Hush’s arrival even though the history professor identifies as an outspoken political conservative.

The AAUP report notes that “this faculty member appeared to overlook the possibility that these very characteristics protected him from the fate suffered by dozens of his tenured colleagues.”

AAUP&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/10/20/national-faculty-group-to-investigate-layoffs-finances-and-academic-freedom-at-emporia-state/">formed an investigative committee</a>&nbsp;in November. That team conducted interviews by video conference in December and January with 15 current and former faculty members, Kansas AAUP conference leaders, a former interim president of ESU and KBOR chairman Jon Rolph. The committee also reviewed “voluminous evidence” associated with appeals, policies, KBOR and faculty senate meetings, and news reports.

The report found the appeals process, in which faculty members were not allowed to gather evidence or call witnesses, to be “shockingly inadequate.” They were given a bullet-point list of nine possible reasons for their dismissal, copied from the “framework” policy approved by KBOR.

Lynnette Sievert, professor of biological sciences, asked the investigating committee: “How do you write an appeal letter when you don’t know why you’re being fired?”

During appeals hearings, the administration “proceeded to chastise faculty members for failing to intuit the precise reasons for their selection,” the AAUP report said. The report also said administration was “breathtaking in its feigned incredulity.”

At times, the AAUP report said, the university mispresented evidence during appeals and made “a mockery of basic due process rights.”

The university cited part of Sievert’s own appeal as a reason for why he should be fired. Sievert, the university noted, had written that it would have to replace him with “someone who can teach healthcare type classes[.]” The AAUP noted that the university deleted the rest of Sievert’s sentence: “which I am fully capable of doing.”

The report highlighted “shifting and incoherent rationales” for the university’s actions.

The “framework” presented to KBOR provides no financial or enrollment data. The university never explained how its financial pressures differ from hundreds of other colleges and universities that have overcome those challenges without resorting to such extreme measures. In stating its case to the regents, administration referenced “substantive changes in the educational marketplace.”

The rationale was further clouded, the report said, by public statements from ESU that faculty were dismissed as part of a “strategic alignment.”

“In other words, while the administration pleaded financial hardship and warned of an impending crisis when submitting its framework for KBOR approval, its media messaging painted a different picture,” the report said. “While soft-pedaling budgetary motivations for the terminations, the administration consistently emphasized the programmatic reinvestments to come.”

It also wasn’t clear why the university needed to use the emergency policy offered by KBOR instead of following existing procedures for eliminating programs.

“A critical question lingers: If KBOR and the administration could take such extreme measures once on such flimsy grounds, what is to prevent them from doing it again?” the report said.

The report noted the effect the university’s actions would have on donations. H. Edward Flentje,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/briefs/former-interim-emporia-state-president-condemns-mass-firing-of-tenured-faculty/">a former interim president</a>, told AAUP that he and his wife had asked the university to return money they gave to endow a scholarship in political science, a program that was discontinued.

In conclusion, the report said the willingness of KBOR members to approve a 2.5-page “framework” was so stunning it brings into question the qualification of board members.

“The unilateral termination of 30 tenured and tenure-track faculty appointments by the administration of Emporia State University is a signal event in American higher education,” the report said. “Remarkably, the Kansas Board of Regents and the ESU administration have insisted that they support tenure and academic freedom. If we take them at their word, we must conclude that they are unfit to lead, least of all during a crisis.

<figure>
 <img src="https://kansasreflector.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/P4180680-1024x576.jpg" alt="A sign from April 18, 2023, on the Emporia State University campus promises improvements. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>A sign from April 18, 2023, on the Emporia State University campus promises improvements. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>By SHERMAN SMITH <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/kansas-house-agrees-to-raise-legal-smoking-age-to-21/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — An investigation into Emporia State University’s realignment plan, which included the firing of tenured professors, faults the university for “shifting and incoherent rationales” and concludes university administrators and Kansas Board of Regents members are “unfit to lead.”The American Association of University Professors&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/aaup_EmporiaState_Final.pdf">released its findings</a>&nbsp;Monday following months of interviews and review of documentation. Investigators said the actions taken by ESU president Ken Hush with&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/09/14/emporia-state-receives-green-light-to-move-rapidly-with-faculty-program-realignment/">the blessing of KBOR</a>&nbsp;amounts to an attack on academic freedom.“This does not reflect well on the university,” said Michael DeCesare, a senior program officer for AAUP and a professor of sociology at Merrimack College in Massachusetts. “If I were a prospective faculty member reading this report and reading your reporting on what’s going on since the fall, I would have serious reservations about even considering a position at Emporia State.”<a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/09/22/emporia-state-university-faculty-leaders-wait-for-answers-after-rapid-firing-of-tenured-professors/">ESU fired 30 tenured and tenure-track professors in September 2022</a>&nbsp;under a temporary COVID-19 emergency policy that was put in place January 2021, before vaccines were widely available, and set to expire Dec. 31, 2022. The university cited “extreme financial pressure” when presenting its “framework” for campus realignment to KBOR, even though the university wasn’t facing financial exigency.The university subsequently reinvested in new programs,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/04/05/emporia-state-university-awarded-bonuses-to-68-faculty-after-firing-tenured-professors/">handed out secret “performance bonuses,”</a>&nbsp;offered to rehire fired professors as adjuncts, and is looking to hire new professors with the same qualifications as ones who were fired.Last week, an appeals officer for the state Office of Administrative Hearings reinstated Michael Behrens, an associate professor of English. He is the third fired faculty member to get his job back through the appeals process, with 10 more awaiting decisions.&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/04/19/two-emporia-state-university-professors-reinstated-as-bonus-tension-swirls/">All three were reinstated</a>&nbsp;for the same reason: The university refused to say why they were fired.Meanwhile, the university last week announced restructuring plans, which include the merger and renaming of various departments or programs and a stated desire to eliminate middle management. The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences was moved into the new School of Science &amp; Mathematics, prompting some professors to joke that they now teach “S&amp;M.”“When you just look at the big picture from a distance, what it appears to be is a relatively new president comes on board and within a few months of becoming a permanent president, he applies to take advantage of this board policy that’s been sitting dormant for over a year and a half, for no reason,” DeCesare said. “And suddenly, 30 tenured and tenure track faculty members are out of jobs. The curriculum is being completely redefined. Now they’ve eliminated, quote unquote, middle management positions. But the stated rationale for any of these major changes, when stated at all, seems to shift constantly. If I were faculty over at Emporia State, my head would be spinning right now.”KBOR and ESU communications staff didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment for this story.Hush took over as ESU interim president in November 2021. KBOR, after a secret hiring process, named Hush president on June 22, 2022.In a letter to AAUP, Hush emphasized that changes were the result of a campus-wide study that began in July 2021 and was completed in February 2022. Hush then formed a team of 12 individuals, “selected for their contributions to the university,” he wrote, “to evaluate, question and consider the operational, financial and marketplace value of all academic programs.”Hush denied making any personnel decisions based on any person’s personal, professional or political views. He provided an accompanying letter by a history professor who noted his career had blossomed since Hush’s arrival even though the history professor identifies as an outspoken political conservative.The AAUP report notes that “this faculty member appeared to overlook the possibility that these very characteristics protected him from the fate suffered by dozens of his tenured colleagues.”AAUP&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/10/20/national-faculty-group-to-investigate-layoffs-finances-and-academic-freedom-at-emporia-state/">formed an investigative committee</a>&nbsp;in November. That team conducted interviews by video conference in December and January with 15 current and former faculty members, Kansas AAUP conference leaders, a former interim president of ESU and KBOR chairman Jon Rolph. The committee also reviewed “voluminous evidence” associated with appeals, policies, KBOR and faculty senate meetings, and news reports.The report found the appeals process, in which faculty members were not allowed to gather evidence or call witnesses, to be “shockingly inadequate.” They were given a bullet-point list of nine possible reasons for their dismissal, copied from the “framework” policy approved by KBOR.Lynnette Sievert, professor of biological sciences, asked the investigating committee: “How do you write an appeal letter when you don’t know why you’re being fired?”During appeals hearings, the administration “proceeded to chastise faculty members for failing to intuit the precise reasons for their selection,” the AAUP report said. The report also said administration was “breathtaking in its feigned incredulity.”At times, the AAUP report said, the university mispresented evidence during appeals and made “a mockery of basic due process rights.”The university cited part of Sievert’s own appeal as a reason for why he should be fired. Sievert, the university noted, had written that it would have to replace him with “someone who can teach healthcare type classes[.]” The AAUP noted that the university deleted the rest of Sievert’s sentence: “which I am fully capable of doing.”The report highlighted “shifting and incoherent rationales” for the university’s actions.The “framework” presented to KBOR provides no financial or enrollment data. The university never explained how its financial pressures differ from hundreds of other colleges and universities that have overcome those challenges without resorting to such extreme measures. In stating its case to the regents, administration referenced “substantive changes in the educational marketplace.”The rationale was further clouded, the report said, by public statements from ESU that faculty were dismissed as part of a “strategic alignment.”“In other words, while the administration pleaded financial hardship and warned of an impending crisis when submitting its framework for KBOR approval, its media messaging painted a different picture,” the report said. “While soft-pedaling budgetary motivations for the terminations, the administration consistently emphasized the programmatic reinvestments to come.”It also wasn’t clear why the university needed to use the emergency policy offered by KBOR instead of following existing procedures for eliminating programs.“A critical question lingers: If KBOR and the administration could take such extreme measures once on such flimsy grounds, what is to prevent them from doing it again?” the report said.The report noted the effect the university’s actions would have on donations. H. Edward Flentje,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/briefs/former-interim-emporia-state-president-condemns-mass-firing-of-tenured-faculty/">a former interim president</a>, told AAUP that he and his wife had asked the university to return money they gave to endow a scholarship in political science, a program that was discontinued.In conclusion, the report said the willingness of KBOR members to approve a 2.5-page “framework” was so stunning it brings into question the qualification of board members.“The unilateral termination of 30 tenured and tenure-track faculty appointments by the administration of Emporia State University is a signal event in American higher education,” the report said. “Remarkably, the Kansas Board of Regents and the ESU administration have insisted that they support tenure and academic freedom. If we take them at their word, we must conclude that they are unfit to lead, least of all during a crisis.

Investigation: Emporia State, Kan. Board of Regents members ‘unfit to lead.'

KANSAS CITY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating an accident that left one dead and two injured following an ambulance crash in Johnson County, Missouri.

Just after 4p.m. Sunday, police responded to the grass median between north and southbound U.S. 71 at Bannister Road, according to Kansas City Police.

The driver of a Johnson County, Missouri ambulance lost control of the vehicle while traveling in the No. 2 lane of travel on the Bannister Road overpass.

&nbsp;The ambulance left the road and rolled, according to KCPD. A&nbsp;patient on board was pronounced deceased at the scene.

Two Emergency Medical Technicians were transported to an area hospital.

Johnson County Ambulance Chief Shane Lockard reported in a media release "both EMTs were recovering after the tragic accident. Please keep the friends and family of our patient in your hearts as we mourn their loss." The accident remains under investigation.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/5/1682959235438.png" alt="Traffic backed up near the accident scene Sunday-image KC Scout" />
 <figcaption>Traffic backed up near the accident scene Sunday-image KC Scout</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating an accident that left one dead and two injured following an ambulance crash in Johnson County, Missouri.Just after 4p.m. Sunday, police responded to the grass median between north and southbound U.S. 71 at Bannister Road, according to Kansas City Police.The driver of a Johnson County, Missouri ambulance lost control of the vehicle while traveling in the No. 2 lane of travel on the Bannister Road overpass.&nbsp;The ambulance left the road and rolled, according to KCPD. A&nbsp;patient on board was pronounced deceased at the scene.Two Emergency Medical Technicians were transported to an area hospital.Johnson County Ambulance Chief Shane Lockard reported in a media release "both EMTs were recovering after the tragic accident. Please keep the friends and family of our patient in your hearts as we mourn their loss." The accident remains under investigation.

Patient dies in ambulance crash near Kansas City

WASHINGTON (AP) — Hundreds of Americans fleeing two weeks of deadly fighting in Sudan reached the east African nation’s port Saturday in the first U.S.-run evacuation, completing a dangerous land journey under escort of armed drones.

American unmanned aircraft, which have been keeping an eye on overland evacuation routes for days, provided armed overwatch for a bus convoy carrying 200 to 300 Americans over 500 miles, or 800 kilometers, to Port Sudan, a place of relative safety, U.S. officials said.

The U.S., which had none of its officials on the ground for the evacuation, has been criticized by families of trapped Americans in Sudan for initially ruling out any U.S.-run evacuation for Americans who wanted out, calling it too dangerous.

U.S. special operations troops briefly flew to the capital, Khartoum, on April 22 to airlift out American staffers at the embassy and other American government personnel. Several thousand U.S. citizens were left behind, many of them dual-nationals.

More than a dozen other nations had already been carrying out evacuations for their citizens, using a mix of military planes, navy vessels and on the ground personnel.

A wide-ranging group of international mediators — including African and Arab nations, the United Nations and the United States — has only managed to achieve a series of fragile temporary cease-fires that failed to stop clashes but created enough of a lull for tens of thousands of Sudanese to flee to safer areas and for foreign nations to evacuate thousands of their citizens by land, air and sea.

Since the conflict between two rival generals broke out April 15, the U.S. has warned its citizens that they needed to find their own way out of the country, though U.S. officials have tried to link up Americans with other nations’ evacuation efforts. But that changed as U.S. officials exploited a relative lull in the fighting and, from afar, organized their own convoy for Americans, officials said.

Without the evacuation flights near the capital that other countries have been offering their citizens, many U.S. citizens have been left to make the dangerous overland journey from Khartoum to the country’s main Red Sea port, Port Sudan. One Sudanese-American family that made the trip earlier described passing through numerous checkpoints manned by armed men and passing bodies lying in the street and vehicles of other fleeing families who had been killed along the way.

State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said the convoy carried U.S. citizens, local people employed by the U.S. and citizens of allied countries. “We reiterate our warning to Americans not to travel to Sudan,” he said.

From Port Sudan, away from the fighting, the Americans in the convoy can seek spots on vessels crossing the Red Sea to the Saudi port city of Jeddah. U.S. officials also are working with Saudi Arabia to see if one of the kingdom’s naval vessels can carry a larger number of Americans to Jeddah.

U.S. consular officials will be waiting for the Americans once they reach the dock in Jeddah, but there are no U.S. personnel in Port Sudan, officials said.

Two Americans are confirmed killed in the fighting that erupted April 15. One was a U.S. civilian whom officials said was caught in crossfire. The other was an Iowa City, Iowa, doctor, who was stabbed to death in front of his house and family in Khartoum, in the lawless violence that has accompanied the fighting.

In all, the fighting in the east African country has killed more than 500 people.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Hundreds of Americans fleeing two weeks of deadly fighting in Sudan reached the east African nation’s port Saturday in the first U.S.-run evacuation, completing a dangerous land journey under escort of armed drones.American unmanned aircraft, which have been keeping an eye on overland evacuation routes for days, provided armed overwatch for a bus convoy carrying 200 to 300 Americans over 500 miles, or 800 kilometers, to Port Sudan, a place of relative safety, U.S. officials said.The U.S., which had none of its officials on the ground for the evacuation, has been criticized by families of trapped Americans in Sudan for initially ruling out any U.S.-run evacuation for Americans who wanted out, calling it too dangerous.U.S. special operations troops briefly flew to the capital, Khartoum, on April 22 to airlift out American staffers at the embassy and other American government personnel. Several thousand U.S. citizens were left behind, many of them dual-nationals.More than a dozen other nations had already been carrying out evacuations for their citizens, using a mix of military planes, navy vessels and on the ground personnel.A wide-ranging group of international mediators — including African and Arab nations, the United Nations and the United States — has only managed to achieve a series of fragile temporary cease-fires that failed to stop clashes but created enough of a lull for tens of thousands of Sudanese to flee to safer areas and for foreign nations to evacuate thousands of their citizens by land, air and sea.Since the conflict between two rival generals broke out April 15, the U.S. has warned its citizens that they needed to find their own way out of the country, though U.S. officials have tried to link up Americans with other nations’ evacuation efforts. But that changed as U.S. officials exploited a relative lull in the fighting and, from afar, organized their own convoy for Americans, officials said.Without the evacuation flights near the capital that other countries have been offering their citizens, many U.S. citizens have been left to make the dangerous overland journey from Khartoum to the country’s main Red Sea port, Port Sudan. One Sudanese-American family that made the trip earlier described passing through numerous checkpoints manned by armed men and passing bodies lying in the street and vehicles of other fleeing families who had been killed along the way.State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said the convoy carried U.S. citizens, local people employed by the U.S. and citizens of allied countries. “We reiterate our warning to Americans not to travel to Sudan,” he said.From Port Sudan, away from the fighting, the Americans in the convoy can seek spots on vessels crossing the Red Sea to the Saudi port city of Jeddah. U.S. officials also are working with Saudi Arabia to see if one of the kingdom’s naval vessels can carry a larger number of Americans to Jeddah.U.S. consular officials will be waiting for the Americans once they reach the dock in Jeddah, but there are no U.S. personnel in Port Sudan, officials said.Two Americans are confirmed killed in the fighting that erupted April 15. One was a U.S. civilian whom officials said was caught in crossfire. The other was an Iowa City, Iowa, doctor, who was stabbed to death in front of his house and family in Khartoum, in the lawless violence that has accompanied the fighting.In all, the fighting in the east African country has killed more than 500 people.

US conducts 1st evacuation of Americans from Sudan war

KANSAS CITY —Two men in Kansas City for the NFL Draft face burglary and&nbsp; other charges for stealing NFL jerseys for top draft picks from areas requiring special NFL Draft access credentials, according to Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker.

Jude Ocanas, 19, Los Angeles, California and Eric F. Lambkins, 41, of Marietta, Georgia each face Burglary 2nd Degree, Stealing, and a misdemeanor count of Trespass 1st Degree.

According to court records filed Saturday, NFL officials reported Friday that three NFL jerseys were stolen from the Nike Room of the NFL draft. 

KCPD detectives reviewed video from security cameras that showed the defendants entering areas early in the morning on Friday, including the Talent Waiting Room, which is adjacent to the Nike Room. 

NFL officials advised that the defendants had credentials for the NFL Draft but not for those areas and not at that time of the morning. Three jerseys, valued by the NFL at $350 each, were stolen. One was a blue Dallas Cowboy's jersey, a second was a red San Francisco 49ers jersey and the third was a Minnesota Vikings jersey. Each jersey had a No. 1 on the back and were available for first-round picks for those teams.&nbsp;

The defendants, according to court records, were arrested later Friday as they were attempting to leave for their home states. Two of the jerseys were found in their luggage.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/4/1682821638304.png" alt="Ocanas-photo Jackson Co." />
 <figcaption>Ocanas-photo Jackson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —Two men in Kansas City for the NFL Draft face burglary and&nbsp; other charges for stealing NFL jerseys for top draft picks from areas requiring special NFL Draft access credentials, according to Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker.Jude Ocanas, 19, Los Angeles, California and Eric F. Lambkins, 41, of Marietta, Georgia each face Burglary 2nd Degree, Stealing, and a misdemeanor count of Trespass 1st Degree.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/4/1682821576371.png" alt="Lambkins-photo Jackson Co." />
 <figcaption>Lambkins-photo Jackson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>According to court records filed Saturday, NFL officials reported Friday that three NFL jerseys were stolen from the Nike Room of the NFL draft. KCPD detectives reviewed video from security cameras that showed the defendants entering areas early in the morning on Friday, including the Talent Waiting Room, which is adjacent to the Nike Room. NFL officials advised that the defendants had credentials for the NFL Draft but not for those areas and not at that time of the morning. Three jerseys, valued by the NFL at $350 each, were stolen. One was a blue Dallas Cowboy's jersey, a second was a red San Francisco 49ers jersey and the third was a Minnesota Vikings jersey. Each jersey had a No. 1 on the back and were available for first-round picks for those teams.&nbsp;The defendants, according to court records, were arrested later Friday as they were attempting to leave for their home states. Two of the jerseys were found in their luggage.

2 accused of stealing jerseys meant for top NFL draft picks

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. (AP) — General Mills has issued a nationwide recall of its bleached and unbleached flour after discovering salmonella during a sampling of a 5-pound (2.3-kilogram) bag.

The company is recalling 2-, 5- and 10-pound (0.9-, 2.3- and 4.5-kilogram) bags of its Gold Medal Unbleached and Bleached All Purpose Flour with a “better if used by” date of March 27, 2024, and March 28, 2024, according to a notice <a href="https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/general-mills-recalls-four-gold-medal-unbleached-and-bleached-all-purpose-flour-varieties-dated">posted on its website.</a>

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say people should not consume raw products made with flour. Salmonella is killed by heat through baking, frying or boiling products made with flour.

General Mills is encouraging customers to check their pantries and dispose of any product affected by the recall. Customers who had to throw out products may contact General Mills Consumer Relations at 1-800-230-8103.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/5/1682945009373.png" alt="Image FDA" />
 <figcaption>Image FDA</figcaption>
 </figure>MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. (AP) — General Mills has issued a nationwide recall of its bleached and unbleached flour after discovering salmonella during a sampling of a 5-pound (2.3-kilogram) bag.The company is recalling 2-, 5- and 10-pound (0.9-, 2.3- and 4.5-kilogram) bags of its Gold Medal Unbleached and Bleached All Purpose Flour with a “better if used by” date of March 27, 2024, and March 28, 2024, according to a notice <a href="https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/general-mills-recalls-four-gold-medal-unbleached-and-bleached-all-purpose-flour-varieties-dated">posted on its website.</a><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/5/1682944992154.png" alt="Image FDA" />
 <figcaption>Image FDA</figcaption>
 </figure>The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say people should not consume raw products made with flour. Salmonella is killed by heat through baking, frying or boiling products made with flour.General Mills is encouraging customers to check their pantries and dispose of any product affected by the recall. Customers who had to throw out products may contact General Mills Consumer Relations at 1-800-230-8103.

General Mills issues flour recall after salmonella discovery

LYON COUNTY—One person died in an accident during a law enforcement pursuit just before 10:30p.m. Saturday in Lyon County.

Kansas Highway Patrol was northbound on Interstate 35 just south of the Emporia exit pursing a 2017 Chevy Malibu driven by Adonis Keshawn Isaiah Dailey, 22, Wichita.

The car rear-ended a trailer pulled by a 1999 Freightliner driven by&nbsp;Gabino Garcia, 61, Magnolia, South Carolina. After striking the trailer the car struck the median barrier wall multiple times.

A passenger in the Chevy identified as&nbsp;Kejuan Cortez Shugart, 27, Wichita, was pronounced dead at the scene. EMS transported Dailey to Stomont Vail in Topeka. Garcia was not injured. All three were properly restrained, according to the KHP.

Shugart had previous convictions for second degree murder and robbery in 2013, according to the Kansas Dept. of Corrections.&nbsp;Dailey was&nbsp; &nbsp;convicted in 2020 for Flee and elude law enforcement with five or more previous violations.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/4/1682873360637.png" alt="Shugart had previous convictions for murder and robbery, according to the Kansas Dept. of Corrections-photo Shugart" />
 <figcaption>Shugart had previous convictions for murder and robbery, according to the Kansas Dept. of Corrections-photo Shugart</figcaption>
 </figure>LYON COUNTY—One person died in an accident during a law enforcement pursuit just before 10:30p.m. Saturday in Lyon County.Kansas Highway Patrol was northbound on Interstate 35 just south of the Emporia exit pursing a 2017 Chevy Malibu driven by Adonis Keshawn Isaiah Dailey, 22, Wichita.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/4/1682873283037.png" alt="Dailey has a previous conviction for Flee and elude law enforcement" />
 <figcaption>Dailey has a previous conviction for Flee and elude law enforcement</figcaption>
 </figure>The car rear-ended a trailer pulled by a 1999 Freightliner driven by&nbsp;Gabino Garcia, 61, Magnolia, South Carolina. After striking the trailer the car struck the median barrier wall multiple times.A passenger in the Chevy identified as&nbsp;Kejuan Cortez Shugart, 27, Wichita, was pronounced dead at the scene. EMS transported Dailey to Stomont Vail in Topeka. Garcia was not injured. All three were properly restrained, according to the KHP.Shugart had previous convictions for second degree murder and robbery in 2013, according to the Kansas Dept. of Corrections.&nbsp;Dailey was&nbsp; &nbsp;convicted in 2020 for Flee and elude law enforcement with five or more previous violations.

Kan. man convicted of murder killed in crash during KHP chase

ROME (AP) — Pope Francis on Sunday revealed that a secret peace “mission” in Russia's war in Ukraine was under way, though he gave no details, and said the Vatican is willing to help facilitate the return of Ukrainian children taken to Russia during the war.

“I’m available to do anything,” Francis said during an airborne press conference en route home from Hungary. “There’s a mission that’s not public that’s underway; when it’s public I’ll talk about it.”

Francis gave no details when asked whether he spoke about peace initiatives during his talks in Budapest this weekend with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban or the representative of the Russian Orthodox Church in Hungary.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ukrainian-children-russia-7493cb22c9086c6293c1ac7986d85ef6">Deportations of Ukrainian children</a>&nbsp;have been a concern since Russia invaded Ukraine last year. Francis said the Holy See had already helped mediate some prisoner exchanges and would do “all that is humanly possible” to reunite families.

“All human gestures help. Gestures of cruelty don’t help,” Francis said.

The International Criminal Court in March&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/icc-putin-war-crimes-ukraine-9857eb68d827340394960eccf0589253">issued an arrest warrant</a>&nbsp;for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russia’s children’s commissioner, accusing them of war crimes for abducting children from Ukraine. Russia has denied any wrongdoing, contending the children were moved for their safety.

Last week Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal met with Francis at the Vatican and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-pope-francis-russia-abducted-children-c2dedb2e8440aa458bfe3532d42a73b4">asked him to help return Ukrainian children</a>&nbsp;taken following the Russian invasion.

“I asked His Holiness to help us return home Ukrainians, Ukrainian children who are detained, arrested, and criminally deported to Russia,″ Shmyhal told the Foreign Press Association after the audience.

Francis recalled that the Holy See had facilitated some prisoner exchanges, working through embassies, and was open to Ukraine’s request to reunite Ukrainian children with their families.

The prisoner exchanges “went well. I think it could go well also for this. It’s important,” he said of the family reunifications. “The Holy See is available to do it because it’s the right thing,” he added. “We have to do all that is humanly possible.” ___

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/3/1615845367722.png" alt="Pope Francis gave no details when asked whether he spoke about peace initiatives during his talks in Budapest this weekend with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban or the representative of the Russian Orthodox Church in Hungary-photo courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Pope Francis gave no details when asked whether he spoke about peace initiatives during his talks in Budapest this weekend with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban or the representative of the Russian Orthodox Church in Hungary-photo courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>ROME (AP) — Pope Francis on Sunday revealed that a secret peace “mission” in Russia's war in Ukraine was under way, though he gave no details, and said the Vatican is willing to help facilitate the return of Ukrainian children taken to Russia during the war.“I’m available to do anything,” Francis said during an airborne press conference en route home from Hungary. “There’s a mission that’s not public that’s underway; when it’s public I’ll talk about it.”Francis gave no details when asked whether he spoke about peace initiatives during his talks in Budapest this weekend with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban or the representative of the Russian Orthodox Church in Hungary.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ukrainian-children-russia-7493cb22c9086c6293c1ac7986d85ef6">Deportations of Ukrainian children</a>&nbsp;have been a concern since Russia invaded Ukraine last year. Francis said the Holy See had already helped mediate some prisoner exchanges and would do “all that is humanly possible” to reunite families.“All human gestures help. Gestures of cruelty don’t help,” Francis said.The International Criminal Court in March&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/icc-putin-war-crimes-ukraine-9857eb68d827340394960eccf0589253">issued an arrest warrant</a>&nbsp;for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russia’s children’s commissioner, accusing them of war crimes for abducting children from Ukraine. Russia has denied any wrongdoing, contending the children were moved for their safety.Last week Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal met with Francis at the Vatican and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-pope-francis-russia-abducted-children-c2dedb2e8440aa458bfe3532d42a73b4">asked him to help return Ukrainian children</a>&nbsp;taken following the Russian invasion.“I asked His Holiness to help us return home Ukrainians, Ukrainian children who are detained, arrested, and criminally deported to Russia,″ Shmyhal told the Foreign Press Association after the audience.Francis recalled that the Holy See had facilitated some prisoner exchanges, working through embassies, and was open to Ukraine’s request to reunite Ukrainian children with their families.The prisoner exchanges “went well. I think it could go well also for this. It’s important,” he said of the family reunifications. “The Holy See is available to do it because it’s the right thing,” he added. “We have to do all that is humanly possible.” ___Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

Pope speaks of secret peace 'mission' in Ukraine 

KAY COUNTY— Emergency crews from Kansas assisted an ambulance crew from Oklahoma over the weekend,

According to Newkirk Oklahoma Fire and EMS, an ambulance from their service struck a deer just after 4:30a.m. Saturday while transported a patient in Kansas. 

Arkansas City, Kansas Fire and EMS transported the patient the rest of the way to the hospital, according to a social media report. The Newkirk ambulance "was not drivable."￼

The ambulance service reminded, "continue to use caution when driving especially at night because deer are still moving about and are on the road ways."&nbsp;

There were no injuries reported as a result of the crash.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/5/1682937592582.png" alt="photo courtesy Newkirk Fire and EMS" />
 <figcaption>photo courtesy Newkirk Fire and EMS</figcaption>
 </figure>KAY COUNTY— Emergency crews from Kansas assisted an ambulance crew from Oklahoma over the weekend,According to Newkirk Oklahoma Fire and EMS, an ambulance from their service struck a deer just after 4:30a.m. Saturday while transported a patient in Kansas. Arkansas City, Kansas Fire and EMS transported the patient the rest of the way to the hospital, according to a social media report. The Newkirk ambulance "was not drivable."￼The ambulance service reminded, "continue to use caution when driving especially at night because deer are still moving about and are on the road ways."&nbsp;There were no injuries reported as a result of the crash.

Kan. EMS crew steps up after Okla. ambulance strikes deer

SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas man after his child was found in possession of illegal narcotics at school.

Just after 1pm Wednesday, a Sheriff’s Office deputy/school resource officer and members of the Shawnee County Sheriff's Office’s Drug Enforcement Unit (DEU) responded to an elementary school in southwest Shawnee County after a student was found to have inadvertently brought illegal narcotics to school, in a backpack. During the investigation, it was discovered that the student found items in his backpack that did not belong to him and immediately told a school staff member. The staff member then notified school administration, who promptly contacted law enforcement. Deputies went to the child's home in the 6500 BLock of SW 21st Street in Topeka and arrested the father of the student identified as 39-year-old Christopher G. Hernandez of Topeka,

&nbsp;Hernandez was booked into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on charges of possession of a hallucinogenic drug and endangering a child.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/4/1682677631190.png" alt="Hernandez-photo Shawnee Co." />
 <figcaption>Hernandez-photo Shawnee Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas man after his child was found in possession of illegal narcotics at school. Just after 1pm Wednesday, a Sheriff’s Office deputy/school resource officer and members of the Shawnee County Sheriff's Office’s Drug Enforcement Unit (DEU) responded to an elementary school in southwest Shawnee County after a student was found to have inadvertently brought illegal narcotics to school, in a backpack. During the investigation, it was discovered that the student found items in his backpack that did not belong to him and immediately told a school staff member. The staff member then notified school administration, who promptly contacted law enforcement. Deputies went to the child's home in the 6500 BLock of SW 21st Street in Topeka and arrested the father of the student identified as 39-year-old Christopher G. Hernandez of Topeka, &nbsp;Hernandez was booked into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on charges of possession of a hallucinogenic drug and endangering a child.

Kansas dad jailed after child found drugs in backpack at school

LYON COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a registered Kansas offender in connection with a shooting.

Just before 6p.m. Thursday, the Lyon County Emergency Communications Center received multiple reports of shots fired toward a vehicle near East 9th Avenue and Whittier Street in Empiria, according to Police Captain Ray Mattas.

Upon arrival, officers located evidence of shots being fired. They located the vehicle believed to have been shot at and the victim who were unharmed. 

Investigators determined 48-year-old Michael Bradley shot at 67-year-old Samuel Gardenhire.&nbsp;Bradley then ran from the area. Police located him a short distance away and arrested him. 

Officers also found a firearm in the area a short time later. 

Bradley is being held on requested charges of Attempted First Degree Murder, Criminal Discharge of a Firearm, Aggravated Assault, Criminal Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon, Possession of Methamphetamine, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.

Bradley has been registered as a Kansas offender since 2011 for a conviction on conspiracy on sale or distribution of a controlled substance.&nbsp; Has has additional convictions for violation of the offender registration, according to the Kansas Dept. of Corrections.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/4/1682699741160.png" alt="Bradley photo KBI offender registry" />
 <figcaption>Bradley photo KBI offender registry</figcaption>
 </figure>LYON COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a registered Kansas offender in connection with a shooting.Just before 6p.m. Thursday, the Lyon County Emergency Communications Center received multiple reports of shots fired toward a vehicle near East 9th Avenue and Whittier Street in Empiria, according to Police Captain Ray Mattas.Upon arrival, officers located evidence of shots being fired. They located the vehicle believed to have been shot at and the victim who were unharmed. Investigators determined 48-year-old Michael Bradley shot at 67-year-old Samuel Gardenhire.&nbsp;Bradley then ran from the area. Police located him a short distance away and arrested him. Officers also found a firearm in the area a short time later. Bradley is being held on requested charges of Attempted First Degree Murder, Criminal Discharge of a Firearm, Aggravated Assault, Criminal Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon, Possession of Methamphetamine, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.Bradley has been registered as a Kansas offender since 2011 for a conviction on conspiracy on sale or distribution of a controlled substance.&nbsp; Has has additional convictions for violation of the offender registration, according to the Kansas Dept. of Corrections.

Kansas offender accused of attempted murder

Kansas among states proposing limits on long trains

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Federal regulators are warning railroads that the long trains they favor can cause all kinds of problems and contribute to derailments, so they want the railroads to ensure their training and operating procedures account for that.

The Federal Railroad Administration stopped short of recommending in its latest safety advisory issued Thursday that railroads limit the size of their trains, which can routinely stretch more than 2 miles long. However, they did suggest a number of precautions including making sure engineers know how to handle them and that locomotives don't lose communication with devices at the end of trains that can help trigger the brakes in an emergency.

Currently, there aren't any restrictions on train length but&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/derailment-ohio-safety-senate-legislation-brown-vance-82c55dc95aca9524d6ae8e6d01336dbe">members of Congress</a>&nbsp;and state lawmakers in at least six states have proposed establishing limits particularly in the wake of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/video/hospitality-and-leisure-industry-children-parkinsons-disease-architecture-associated-press-a151cadb732e470091d9c186e189d3d4">fiery Feb. 3 Norfolk Southern derailment</a>&nbsp;in Ohio. The major freight railroads have&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ohio-train-derailment-congress-6288cdfb0b4381de4c9bfb05199b8ba6">pushed back</a>&nbsp;against that idea because they have increasingly come to rely on longer trains to help them move cargo with fewer crews and mechanics as they overhauled their operations over the past six years. Union Pacific CEO Lance Fritz&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/union-pacific-railroad-first-quarter-earnings-economy-bf63a5eeadb902e901b8aed4d8975ff9">said recently</a>&nbsp;that he doesn't think accident data shows that long trains are riskier.

But the Federal Railroad Administration cited three derailments involving trains longer than 12,250 feet (3,734 meters) where train length was a factor in its advisory. That agency and the National Academies of Sciences are both in the middle of studying the impact of long trains, and they expect to issue reports next year on whether they are a problem.

"FRA believes these incidents demonstrate the need for railroads and railroad employees to be particularly mindful of the complexities of operating longer trains," the agency said.

The derailments mentioned as examples of the problems that can accompany long trains were in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/norfolk-southern-springfield-train-derailment-1b08c84e0788082dd24a4f4ca447f459">Springfield, Ohio</a>, in March; in Ravenna, Ohio, last November; and in Rockwell, Iowa, in March 2022. In each of those cases, the way cars in different parts of the train pulled and pushed against each other contributed to the derailments.

The fiery February derailment that prompted evacuations in East Palestine, Ohio, and sparked a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/railroad-safety-derailments-tank-car-ohio-minnesota-c60f33b64e9c7dc05768a78ae20f3ce5">nationwide focus</a>&nbsp;on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/palestinian-territories-ohio-canada-business-accidents-d57651e17b2f9e0163c50298106950a3">rail safety</a>&nbsp;wasn't mentioned as an example. The National Transportation Safety Board&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-pete-buttigieg-evacuations-ohio-explosions-64908a6416662b5866809387f210aee5">has said</a>&nbsp;that an overheated bearing that caused an axle to fail on one of the railcars likely caused that derailment.

This latest advisory follows&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/federal-railroad-administration-freight-safety-derailments-53145452535c089190565ee43eceaafc">one earlier this month</a>&nbsp;that directed railroads to re-examine the way they assemble their trains to minimize those kind of forces that often come into play as a train goes over hills and around corners. Parts of a train can be pulling forward going up a hill while the middle or back of the train pushes against the rest of the cars while going down a hill.

Those forces make it challenging for engineers to control a train, so regulators said railroads need to adjust their training to make sure their engineers are prepared to handle the monster trains they are operating. The common practice of putting locomotives in the middle of long trains as well as in the front can help manage a long train, but having to control those additional locomotives also complicates the engineer's job.

“A locomotive engineer cannot be expected to safely operate in a more demanding service without proper additional training that covers the unique challenges and complexities those trains present,” regulators said in the advisory.

A spokeswoman for the Association of American Railroads trade group said railroads are already working to manage the challenges associated with long trains and looking for ways to improve safety.

“All stakeholders – the FRA, railroads, and elected officials – share the same goal of continuously enhancing rail safety, minimizing adverse impacts to surrounding communities and keeping the goods that power our economy flowing," AAR spokeswoman Jessica Kahanek said. "The recommendations within this advisory align closely with the prudent steps railroads already take to do just that.”

The Federal Railroad Administration said that in addition to the concerns about derailments, long trains can block crossings for extended periods of time. When crossings are blocked, firefighters, police and ambulance drivers may be delayed in getting someone the help that they need, and pedestrians may risk their lives by crawling under or across stopped trains that could start moving without warning.

The states proposing limits on train size this year include Arizona, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Nevada and Washington.

Kansas among states proposing limits on long trains<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/9/1663119327130.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Federal regulators are warning railroads that the long trains they favor can cause all kinds of problems and contribute to derailments, so they want the railroads to ensure their training and operating procedures account for that.The Federal Railroad Administration stopped short of recommending in its latest safety advisory issued Thursday that railroads limit the size of their trains, which can routinely stretch more than 2 miles long. However, they did suggest a number of precautions including making sure engineers know how to handle them and that locomotives don't lose communication with devices at the end of trains that can help trigger the brakes in an emergency.Currently, there aren't any restrictions on train length but&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/derailment-ohio-safety-senate-legislation-brown-vance-82c55dc95aca9524d6ae8e6d01336dbe">members of Congress</a>&nbsp;and state lawmakers in at least six states have proposed establishing limits particularly in the wake of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/video/hospitality-and-leisure-industry-children-parkinsons-disease-architecture-associated-press-a151cadb732e470091d9c186e189d3d4">fiery Feb. 3 Norfolk Southern derailment</a>&nbsp;in Ohio. The major freight railroads have&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ohio-train-derailment-congress-6288cdfb0b4381de4c9bfb05199b8ba6">pushed back</a>&nbsp;against that idea because they have increasingly come to rely on longer trains to help them move cargo with fewer crews and mechanics as they overhauled their operations over the past six years. Union Pacific CEO Lance Fritz&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/union-pacific-railroad-first-quarter-earnings-economy-bf63a5eeadb902e901b8aed4d8975ff9">said recently</a>&nbsp;that he doesn't think accident data shows that long trains are riskier.But the Federal Railroad Administration cited three derailments involving trains longer than 12,250 feet (3,734 meters) where train length was a factor in its advisory. That agency and the National Academies of Sciences are both in the middle of studying the impact of long trains, and they expect to issue reports next year on whether they are a problem."FRA believes these incidents demonstrate the need for railroads and railroad employees to be particularly mindful of the complexities of operating longer trains," the agency said.The derailments mentioned as examples of the problems that can accompany long trains were in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/norfolk-southern-springfield-train-derailment-1b08c84e0788082dd24a4f4ca447f459">Springfield, Ohio</a>, in March; in Ravenna, Ohio, last November; and in Rockwell, Iowa, in March 2022. In each of those cases, the way cars in different parts of the train pulled and pushed against each other contributed to the derailments.The fiery February derailment that prompted evacuations in East Palestine, Ohio, and sparked a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/railroad-safety-derailments-tank-car-ohio-minnesota-c60f33b64e9c7dc05768a78ae20f3ce5">nationwide focus</a>&nbsp;on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/palestinian-territories-ohio-canada-business-accidents-d57651e17b2f9e0163c50298106950a3">rail safety</a>&nbsp;wasn't mentioned as an example. The National Transportation Safety Board&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-pete-buttigieg-evacuations-ohio-explosions-64908a6416662b5866809387f210aee5">has said</a>&nbsp;that an overheated bearing that caused an axle to fail on one of the railcars likely caused that derailment.This latest advisory follows&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/federal-railroad-administration-freight-safety-derailments-53145452535c089190565ee43eceaafc">one earlier this month</a>&nbsp;that directed railroads to re-examine the way they assemble their trains to minimize those kind of forces that often come into play as a train goes over hills and around corners. Parts of a train can be pulling forward going up a hill while the middle or back of the train pushes against the rest of the cars while going down a hill.Those forces make it challenging for engineers to control a train, so regulators said railroads need to adjust their training to make sure their engineers are prepared to handle the monster trains they are operating. The common practice of putting locomotives in the middle of long trains as well as in the front can help manage a long train, but having to control those additional locomotives also complicates the engineer's job.“A locomotive engineer cannot be expected to safely operate in a more demanding service without proper additional training that covers the unique challenges and complexities those trains present,” regulators said in the advisory.A spokeswoman for the Association of American Railroads trade group said railroads are already working to manage the challenges associated with long trains and looking for ways to improve safety.“All stakeholders – the FRA, railroads, and elected officials – share the same goal of continuously enhancing rail safety, minimizing adverse impacts to surrounding communities and keeping the goods that power our economy flowing," AAR spokeswoman Jessica Kahanek said. "The recommendations within this advisory align closely with the prudent steps railroads already take to do just that.”The Federal Railroad Administration said that in addition to the concerns about derailments, long trains can block crossings for extended periods of time. When crossings are blocked, firefighters, police and ambulance drivers may be delayed in getting someone the help that they need, and pedestrians may risk their lives by crawling under or across stopped trains that could start moving without warning.The states proposing limits on train size this year include Arizona, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Nevada and Washington.

Railroads warned about the problems long trains can cause

By TIM CARPENTER <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/04/06/grieving-moms-plea-to-kansas-lawmakers-do-something-this-epidemic-is-killing-our-kids/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA — Former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said much had changed since his previous appearance at a Kansas Chamber annual dinner.

“I’ve lost a lot of weight since you saw me last. I have a much bigger security detail, since the Iranians are trying to kill me. They have a million dollar bounty on my head,” Pompeo told more than 600 people Wednesday night.

Pompeo, who served the 4th District of Kansas in the U.S. House before joining the administration of President Donald Trump, said he had to be the first and last operator of a Wichita aviation machine shop to become the nation’s top diplomat. Before serving in the U.S. State Department, he was director of the CIA.

While working for Trump, a prolific fan of social media, Pompeo would get up in the morning and search his phone to confirm he hadn’t been dismissed via Twitter.

“I had four crazy years in an administration that was radically different from any that had come before it,” he said. “Now, some of you are laughing. I can see. I get it. We were different. I made it four years. You Kansans should be very proud of that. You taught me to be tough and resilient.”

Pompeo’s former boss is a candidate for the Republican Party’s nomination for president and stands as GOP frontrunner in a campaign featuring Democrat Joe Biden, who defeated Trump in 2020. Less than two weeks ago, Pompeo made the “deeply personal decision”&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/04/19/kansas-political-analysts-pompeo-wisely-steps-aside-in-2024-presidential-election-cycle/">not to run for president in 2024</a>, declaring “this isn’t our moment.”

During his dinner speech, Pompeo briefly touted his memoir, “Never Give an Inch: Fighting for the America I Love.” It was a platform for testing his presidential appeal and concentrated on his work implementing Trump foreign policy. He suggested the book was “pretty good.”

“It was an even better book before the CIA cleared it. It’s a little shorter and a little less interesting, but still good,” he said.

He said Trump allowed him to do wonderful things throughout the world, and never asked him to apologize on behalf of the United States of America. The model was, of course, to put America first, he said.

“We absolutely knew that America may get it wrong, but mostly we were a force for good,” he said. “I will never forget the first trip I took almost exactly five years ago now to North Korea. It was wild.”

He was CIA director and Trump asked if it was possible to communicate with North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un.

“Yes, sir, I think we can,” Pompeo recalled. “He said, ‘Well good. You should tell them that you’re going to come see them. Tell them that I’m going to come see them, but you’re going to go first.’ ”

“All right, I get the joke,” Pompeo said. “CIA directors are expendable. Presidents are not.”

Pompeo, who graduated from West Point and earned a law degree at Harvard University, recalled climbing off a helicopter in a Middle East country at about 3 a.m. to thank some people stationed in a difficult place.

“I could see the shadows of five men and the very first person to reach out and shake my hand said, ‘Rock chalk, sir.’ ” Pompeo knew the unnamed person was referring to the University of Kansas chant familiar to all Jayhawks. He joked he responded as someone who lived and worked near Wichita State University: “I was a Shocker fan, so I didn’t appreciate it.”

He said the exchange reminded him of the greatness of Kansas and the nation, which “raises young men and women to do hard things to allow us to come to places like this to build our businesses and to take care of our families and do all the things we are so blessed to be able to do here in America.”

He also said the Trump administration “got much right, but not everything.”

“We understood that the greatness of America didn’t come from Washington, D.C. We understood deeply the greatest of America sits in places like here,” Pompeo said. “You should know as I traveled the world as America’s secretary of state, it mattered that we had a capable military. It was important that our diplomatic team was good. But what really mattered was American economic power.”

Leaders in countries large and small wisely concluded being close to the United States mattered, Pompeo said. The Trump administration appreciated the “bad guys of the world” in Russia, China and elsewhere would exploit signs of American weakness, he said.

“I met them all,” Pompeo said. “I spent hours with Vladimir Putin. I spent too many hours with Xi Jinping of China. I knew that when I was with these people, who are in fact pure evil, that I represented a nation that was fundamentally different from that.”

Pompeo said he aggressively sought to undermine the Chinese Communist Party, especially in terms of China’s campaign to steal U.S. intellectual property and diminish U.S. economic advantages. He said it led to a telephone conversation between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping that culminated with a demand the president fire Pompeo.

“Xi Jinping railed on me in this phone call,” Pompeo recalled. “He said, ‘Your secretary of state is saying the Communist Party is evil. He’s saying that we don’t care about our own people. He’s saying we’re holding a million people in internment camps in the western part of our country.’ All, of course, true.

“I remember listening to that thinking, ‘I wonder how this will end?’ Thirty seconds later the phone rings. It is the White House. President Trump comes on the line and in that famous voice, without saying hello, says, ‘Man, that f****** guy hates you.’ ”

Pompeo said Americans should honor the nation’s Judeo-Christian heritage and understand deviating from that tradition placed the country in jeopardy.

“When we forget those things that make this country unique and special, then we’re truly at risk,” Pompeo said. “When in our schools, we fail to teach our children, the next generation of American greatness, then Xi Jinping may well get what it is he wants. He is desperate to find an America in decline. I’ll be damned if any of us should let that happen.”

At the same time, Pompeo urged the Kansas Chamber dinner audience — dozens of members of the Kansas Legislature were in attendance — not to tolerate politicians who manipulated the public by undermining the power of reasoning possessed by individuals. He pointed to issues of immigration, energy policy and the fentanyl crisis as examples of how politicians engaged in gaslighting.

“Believe what you see with your own two eyes. Don’t let them gaslight you,” Pompeo said. “We know that fossil fuels will be a central part of the American economy for 30, 40 years yet. And while we all ought to do the things we can to make sure we have safe drinking water and clean air, we can’t pretend that the world will be run on sunshine and windmills.”

He said rampant human trafficking and a flood of cheap fentanyl at the U.S. border demonstrated lack of security despite political claims to the contrary.

“Don’t let your leaders, whether they be city council members or school board members, whether they be state elected officials or members of the Board of Regents, don’t let them gaslight you,” he said. “Don’t let them tell you things you know to be true, aren’t true.”

He said he was confident the nation would prevail despite daily reminders the country appeared to be stumbling to a crossroad.

“No adversary from abroad can take down the United States of America in the same we that we risk being undermined by decadence and decline, and moving away from our heritage, our faith and our founding ideas here at home. This is, in fact, the real risk,” Pompeo said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/3/1647123002389.png" alt="Pompeo served the 4th District of Kansas in the U.S. House before joining the administration of President Donald Trump -Courtesy photo" />
 <figcaption>Pompeo served the 4th District of Kansas in the U.S. House before joining the administration of President Donald Trump -Courtesy photo</figcaption>
 </figure>By TIM CARPENTER <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/04/06/grieving-moms-plea-to-kansas-lawmakers-do-something-this-epidemic-is-killing-our-kids/">Kansas Reflector</a> TOPEKA — Former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said much had changed since his previous appearance at a Kansas Chamber annual dinner.“I’ve lost a lot of weight since you saw me last. I have a much bigger security detail, since the Iranians are trying to kill me. They have a million dollar bounty on my head,” Pompeo told more than 600 people Wednesday night.Pompeo, who served the 4th District of Kansas in the U.S. House before joining the administration of President Donald Trump, said he had to be the first and last operator of a Wichita aviation machine shop to become the nation’s top diplomat. Before serving in the U.S. State Department, he was director of the CIA.While working for Trump, a prolific fan of social media, Pompeo would get up in the morning and search his phone to confirm he hadn’t been dismissed via Twitter.“I had four crazy years in an administration that was radically different from any that had come before it,” he said. “Now, some of you are laughing. I can see. I get it. We were different. I made it four years. You Kansans should be very proud of that. You taught me to be tough and resilient.”Pompeo’s former boss is a candidate for the Republican Party’s nomination for president and stands as GOP frontrunner in a campaign featuring Democrat Joe Biden, who defeated Trump in 2020. Less than two weeks ago, Pompeo made the “deeply personal decision”&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/04/19/kansas-political-analysts-pompeo-wisely-steps-aside-in-2024-presidential-election-cycle/">not to run for president in 2024</a>, declaring “this isn’t our moment.”During his dinner speech, Pompeo briefly touted his memoir, “Never Give an Inch: Fighting for the America I Love.” It was a platform for testing his presidential appeal and concentrated on his work implementing Trump foreign policy. He suggested the book was “pretty good.”“It was an even better book before the CIA cleared it. It’s a little shorter and a little less interesting, but still good,” he said.<h2>‘It was wild’</h2>He said Trump allowed him to do wonderful things throughout the world, and never asked him to apologize on behalf of the United States of America. The model was, of course, to put America first, he said.“We absolutely knew that America may get it wrong, but mostly we were a force for good,” he said. “I will never forget the first trip I took almost exactly five years ago now to North Korea. It was wild.”He was CIA director and Trump asked if it was possible to communicate with North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un.“Yes, sir, I think we can,” Pompeo recalled. “He said, ‘Well good. You should tell them that you’re going to come see them. Tell them that I’m going to come see them, but you’re going to go first.’ ”“All right, I get the joke,” Pompeo said. “CIA directors are expendable. Presidents are not.”Pompeo, who graduated from West Point and earned a law degree at Harvard University, recalled climbing off a helicopter in a Middle East country at about 3 a.m. to thank some people stationed in a difficult place.“I could see the shadows of five men and the very first person to reach out and shake my hand said, ‘Rock chalk, sir.’ ” Pompeo knew the unnamed person was referring to the University of Kansas chant familiar to all Jayhawks. He joked he responded as someone who lived and worked near Wichita State University: “I was a Shocker fan, so I didn’t appreciate it.”He said the exchange reminded him of the greatness of Kansas and the nation, which “raises young men and women to do hard things to allow us to come to places like this to build our businesses and to take care of our families and do all the things we are so blessed to be able to do here in America.”<h2>Pure evil out there</h2>He also said the Trump administration “got much right, but not everything.”“We understood that the greatness of America didn’t come from Washington, D.C. We understood deeply the greatest of America sits in places like here,” Pompeo said. “You should know as I traveled the world as America’s secretary of state, it mattered that we had a capable military. It was important that our diplomatic team was good. But what really mattered was American economic power.”Leaders in countries large and small wisely concluded being close to the United States mattered, Pompeo said. The Trump administration appreciated the “bad guys of the world” in Russia, China and elsewhere would exploit signs of American weakness, he said.“I met them all,” Pompeo said. “I spent hours with Vladimir Putin. I spent too many hours with Xi Jinping of China. I knew that when I was with these people, who are in fact pure evil, that I represented a nation that was fundamentally different from that.”Pompeo said he aggressively sought to undermine the Chinese Communist Party, especially in terms of China’s campaign to steal U.S. intellectual property and diminish U.S. economic advantages. He said it led to a telephone conversation between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping that culminated with a demand the president fire Pompeo.“Xi Jinping railed on me in this phone call,” Pompeo recalled. “He said, ‘Your secretary of state is saying the Communist Party is evil. He’s saying that we don’t care about our own people. He’s saying we’re holding a million people in internment camps in the western part of our country.’ All, of course, true.“I remember listening to that thinking, ‘I wonder how this will end?’ Thirty seconds later the phone rings. It is the White House. President Trump comes on the line and in that famous voice, without saying hello, says, ‘Man, that f****** guy hates you.’ ”<h2>Stop the gaslighting</h2>Pompeo said Americans should honor the nation’s Judeo-Christian heritage and understand deviating from that tradition placed the country in jeopardy.“When we forget those things that make this country unique and special, then we’re truly at risk,” Pompeo said. “When in our schools, we fail to teach our children, the next generation of American greatness, then Xi Jinping may well get what it is he wants. He is desperate to find an America in decline. I’ll be damned if any of us should let that happen.”At the same time, Pompeo urged the Kansas Chamber dinner audience — dozens of members of the Kansas Legislature were in attendance — not to tolerate politicians who manipulated the public by undermining the power of reasoning possessed by individuals. He pointed to issues of immigration, energy policy and the fentanyl crisis as examples of how politicians engaged in gaslighting.“Believe what you see with your own two eyes. Don’t let them gaslight you,” Pompeo said. “We know that fossil fuels will be a central part of the American economy for 30, 40 years yet. And while we all ought to do the things we can to make sure we have safe drinking water and clean air, we can’t pretend that the world will be run on sunshine and windmills.”He said rampant human trafficking and a flood of cheap fentanyl at the U.S. border demonstrated lack of security despite political claims to the contrary.“Don’t let your leaders, whether they be city council members or school board members, whether they be state elected officials or members of the Board of Regents, don’t let them gaslight you,” he said. “Don’t let them tell you things you know to be true, aren’t true.”He said he was confident the nation would prevail despite daily reminders the country appeared to be stumbling to a crossroad.“No adversary from abroad can take down the United States of America in the same we that we risk being undermined by decadence and decline, and moving away from our heritage, our faith and our founding ideas here at home. This is, in fact, the real risk,” Pompeo said.

Pompeo jokes about $1 million bounty on his life, delves into ‘crazy’ 4 years with Trump

SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a deadly shooting 

Just before 4a.m. Saturday, police were dispatched to a shooting in the 2800 block of East Shadybrook Lane in Wichita, according to Officer Juan Rebolledo. 

Officers arrived and learned that the shooting took place in the 2800 block of East Stadium Drive. Once on the scene officers located the 36-year-old man in the front passenger seat of a white SUV deceased.&nbsp;

Police released no suspect information and have not released the victim's name.

SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a deadly shooting Just before 4a.m. Saturday, police were dispatched to a shooting in the 2800 block of East Shadybrook Lane in Wichita, according to Officer Juan Rebolledo. Officers arrived and learned that the shooting took place in the 2800 block of East Stadium Drive. Once on the scene officers located the 36-year-old man in the front passenger seat of a white SUV deceased.&nbsp;Police released no suspect information and have not released the victim's name.

Kan. man with fatal gunshot wound found in SUV

Critics denounce measure as misguided blowback in wake of COVID-19 pandemic

By TIM CARPENTER <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/04/20/kansas-hospital-officials-say-new-criminal-penalties-needed-to-deter-patient-visitor-violence/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA — The Kansas Legislature narrowly passed a bill forbidding state and county public health officials from issuing test, isolation and closure mandates to counter spread of infectious disease and blocking the state from requiring COVID-19 vaccinations of children in schools or daycare facilities.

The measure was sent Friday to Gov. Laura Kelly on the final day of the 2023 legislative session despite bipartisan opposition. The bill also would require the secretary of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment to conduct a study of overdose deaths in Kansas with an emphasis on the role of fentanyl poisoning.

Proponents seeking to restraint authority of public health officials argued personal liberty interests should supersede government action on behalf of the overall population. Supporters bristled at appointed health professionals directing disease response rather than relying on elected officials with authority derived from voters.

“Really, this bill is very simple,” said Rep. Will Carpenter, a Republican from El Dorado. “It’s about accountability to elected officials. It’s about personal responsibility and personal freedom.”

Skeptics characterized the bill’s limitations as a dangerous and politically motivated response to the COVID-19 pandemic. KDHE says the virus contributed to the death of more than 10,000 people in Kansas.

Sen. Kristin O’Shea, R-Topeka, said she couldn’t understand why a majority in the Legislature was willing to view the act of knowingly infecting people with a potentially deadly illness such as COVID-19 as less of an offense than knowingly exposing an animal to infection. As an example, she said Kansas considered it a crime to make chickens sick in a bid to inflate egg prices.

“How do you justify legislation that would result in our statute putting a higher value on the price of eggs than the life and health of its citizens?” O’Shea said.

Following lengthy debates, the bill emerged with little wiggle room from the Senate on a vote of 22-18 and the House at 63-56.

Sen. Beverly Gossage, a Eudora Republican and one of the GOP negotiators on the bill, said constituents demanded the Legislature restraint government ahead of the next public health calamity. She said constituents who survived COVID-19 complained temporary closure of businesses culminated with many never reopening. She said others objected to closing public K-12 school buildings and moving students to an online model, which set children back academically.

“We heard from our constituents: Has anything been done about that? Could this happen again?” Gossage said.

Under House Bill 2285, authority of health officers to prohibit “public gatherings” in response to spread of contagious disease would evaporate. KDHE secretaries could not direct people to undergo testing, evaluation, treatment or quarantine if exposed to infectious disease.

KDHE secretaries and local health officials could no longer issue formal orders in response to health emergencies, but could make recommendations intended to slow spread of disease.

Sen. Jeff Longbine, a Republican from Emporia, said the bill presented to legislators by House and Senate negotiators included a bizarre provision requiring KDHE to submit rules and regulations for dealing with infectious disease directly to the Kansas House speaker and Kansas Senate president.

He said the bill contained contradictory language on how public health officials would handle disease outbreaks.

“I think this conference committee report will cause huge havoc in public health,” Longbine said. “It is confusing to employers and is not great public policy.”

Under the bill, the KDHE secretary would be limited to making suggestions about how to prevent introduction or spread of disease among physicians and nurses, people working in clinical or forensic laboratories, emergency medical services, firefighting, law enforcement, correctional facilities and any individual with an occupation in which a person could be exposed to blood or infectious material.

No longer would law enforcement officers be expected to enforce compliance with infectious disease rules or regulations. The legislation also would forbid public or private employers from dismissing an employ because the person for following isolation recommendations of health officers.

Longbine said he was concerned some legislators didn’t understand the gravity of adopting a bill designed to erode the state’s health system.

He said his father died at age 63 after contracting Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, a rapidly progressive and fatal neurodegenerative disorder sometimes referred to as mad cow disease.

“There are diseases out there that need to be controlled — that have to be controlled,” said Longbine, who argued health freedom of one person shouldn’t mean other people had to be exposed to lethal illnesses.

Shawnee GOP Sen. Mike Thompson said people convinced public health officials or “anyone can control a disease, you don’t understand science.” He said the Legislature was forced to act because of flawed local, state and federal decisions made in response to COVID-19.

Unelected health agency employees at the state or local levels shouldn’t be allowed to force people to comply with government overreach that usurped individual liberty, Thompson said. Government’s role was to attempt to educate people about options and get out of the way, he said.

“The farther we get away from COVID, the more our memories fade about what actually happened,” Thompson said. “If we wait too long some future Legislature is going to have to deal with this again. We will have to relearn the lessons.”

Rep. Pat Proctor, the Leavenworth Republican, said Kansans endured three years of abuse as bureaucrats made decisions about COVID-19 without proper checks and balances. He said health officials sought to politicize the pandemic, even when those decisions ran the state’s economy off a cliff.

“It seemed the more people objected to the nonsensical rules the more unelected bureaucrats doubled down,” Proctor said. “Our Constitution does not get suspended because people are scared. Our Constitution, our inalienable rights, are given to us by God, not by government. They don’t get suspended because of an emergency.”

Rep. Brenda Landwehr, R-Wichita, rattled off a series of questions she said GOP advocates of the bill couldn’t answer. She said the legislation was far from simple and proposed development of solid public health law ought to be taken up during the 2024 session.

“Our Founding Fathers did not rush to make the decisions that did give us the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. We should do the same on this,” she said. “Let’s truly stand up for freedom, but let’s do it the right way.”

John Eplee, a physician and an Atchison Republican in the House, said the bill was a mistake. He said it was a political reflection of anger felt by some Kansans who believed health officials came down on them in a negative way during the pandemic.

“This is a knee-jerk reaction to what we’ve just lived through,” he said. “We’re still trying to recover from what happened during the pandemic. I understand that we had restaurants that closed and they’ll never come back, but who’s to say that not even more would have closed if we hadn’t had isolation, we hadn’t had shutdowns.”

He said implementation of the bill was an attempt to dismantle the vision of public health that had endured throughout his career in medicine.

Rep. Jo Ella Hoye, D-Lenexa, agreed removing authority of health experts to devise a response to spread of horrible diseases was short-sighted and dangerous.

“If a plane arrives to Kansas and they realize somebody tested positive on that plane, there would be no authority to make sure those folks are tested before they go back into our communities,” Hoye said.

She said a likely consequence of the legislation would be to discourage Kansans from getting vaccinations for COVID-19 and preventable diseases.

<figure>
 <img src="https://kansasreflector.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/P4271143-1024x576.jpg" alt="Rep. John Eplee, an Atchison Republican and family physician, said the Legislature’s passage of a bill restricting authority of state and local&nbsp;public health officials was a misguided response to government actions during the COVID-19 pandemic that contributed to the death of more than 10,000 people in Kansas. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>Rep. John Eplee, an Atchison Republican and family physician, said the Legislature’s passage of a bill restricting authority of state and local&nbsp;public health officials was a misguided response to government actions during the COVID-19 pandemic that contributed to the death of more than 10,000 people in Kansas. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Critics denounce measure as misguided blowback in wake of COVID-19 pandemic</h2>By TIM CARPENTER <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/04/20/kansas-hospital-officials-say-new-criminal-penalties-needed-to-deter-patient-visitor-violence/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — The Kansas Legislature narrowly passed a bill forbidding state and county public health officials from issuing test, isolation and closure mandates to counter spread of infectious disease and blocking the state from requiring COVID-19 vaccinations of children in schools or daycare facilities.The measure was sent Friday to Gov. Laura Kelly on the final day of the 2023 legislative session despite bipartisan opposition. The bill also would require the secretary of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment to conduct a study of overdose deaths in Kansas with an emphasis on the role of fentanyl poisoning.Proponents seeking to restraint authority of public health officials argued personal liberty interests should supersede government action on behalf of the overall population. Supporters bristled at appointed health professionals directing disease response rather than relying on elected officials with authority derived from voters.“Really, this bill is very simple,” said Rep. Will Carpenter, a Republican from El Dorado. “It’s about accountability to elected officials. It’s about personal responsibility and personal freedom.”Skeptics characterized the bill’s limitations as a dangerous and politically motivated response to the COVID-19 pandemic. KDHE says the virus contributed to the death of more than 10,000 people in Kansas.Sen. Kristin O’Shea, R-Topeka, said she couldn’t understand why a majority in the Legislature was willing to view the act of knowingly infecting people with a potentially deadly illness such as COVID-19 as less of an offense than knowingly exposing an animal to infection. As an example, she said Kansas considered it a crime to make chickens sick in a bid to inflate egg prices.“How do you justify legislation that would result in our statute putting a higher value on the price of eggs than the life and health of its citizens?” O’Shea said.Following lengthy debates, the bill emerged with little wiggle room from the Senate on a vote of 22-18 and the House at 63-56.<h2>Just do something</h2>Sen. Beverly Gossage, a Eudora Republican and one of the GOP negotiators on the bill, said constituents demanded the Legislature restraint government ahead of the next public health calamity. She said constituents who survived COVID-19 complained temporary closure of businesses culminated with many never reopening. She said others objected to closing public K-12 school buildings and moving students to an online model, which set children back academically.“We heard from our constituents: Has anything been done about that? Could this happen again?” Gossage said.Under House Bill 2285, authority of health officers to prohibit “public gatherings” in response to spread of contagious disease would evaporate. KDHE secretaries could not direct people to undergo testing, evaluation, treatment or quarantine if exposed to infectious disease.KDHE secretaries and local health officials could no longer issue formal orders in response to health emergencies, but could make recommendations intended to slow spread of disease.Sen. Jeff Longbine, a Republican from Emporia, said the bill presented to legislators by House and Senate negotiators included a bizarre provision requiring KDHE to submit rules and regulations for dealing with infectious disease directly to the Kansas House speaker and Kansas Senate president.He said the bill contained contradictory language on how public health officials would handle disease outbreaks.“I think this conference committee report will cause huge havoc in public health,” Longbine said. “It is confusing to employers and is not great public policy.”Under the bill, the KDHE secretary would be limited to making suggestions about how to prevent introduction or spread of disease among physicians and nurses, people working in clinical or forensic laboratories, emergency medical services, firefighting, law enforcement, correctional facilities and any individual with an occupation in which a person could be exposed to blood or infectious material.No longer would law enforcement officers be expected to enforce compliance with infectious disease rules or regulations. The legislation also would forbid public or private employers from dismissing an employ because the person for following isolation recommendations of health officers.Longbine said he was concerned some legislators didn’t understand the gravity of adopting a bill designed to erode the state’s health system.He said his father died at age 63 after contracting Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, a rapidly progressive and fatal neurodegenerative disorder sometimes referred to as mad cow disease.“There are diseases out there that need to be controlled — that have to be controlled,” said Longbine, who argued health freedom of one person shouldn’t mean other people had to be exposed to lethal illnesses.<h2>Can’t control disease</h2>Shawnee GOP Sen. Mike Thompson said people convinced public health officials or “anyone can control a disease, you don’t understand science.” He said the Legislature was forced to act because of flawed local, state and federal decisions made in response to COVID-19.Unelected health agency employees at the state or local levels shouldn’t be allowed to force people to comply with government overreach that usurped individual liberty, Thompson said. Government’s role was to attempt to educate people about options and get out of the way, he said.“The farther we get away from COVID, the more our memories fade about what actually happened,” Thompson said. “If we wait too long some future Legislature is going to have to deal with this again. We will have to relearn the lessons.”Rep. Pat Proctor, the Leavenworth Republican, said Kansans endured three years of abuse as bureaucrats made decisions about COVID-19 without proper checks and balances. He said health officials sought to politicize the pandemic, even when those decisions ran the state’s economy off a cliff.“It seemed the more people objected to the nonsensical rules the more unelected bureaucrats doubled down,” Proctor said. “Our Constitution does not get suspended because people are scared. Our Constitution, our inalienable rights, are given to us by God, not by government. They don’t get suspended because of an emergency.”<h2>A knee-jerk response</h2>Rep. Brenda Landwehr, R-Wichita, rattled off a series of questions she said GOP advocates of the bill couldn’t answer. She said the legislation was far from simple and proposed development of solid public health law ought to be taken up during the 2024 session.“Our Founding Fathers did not rush to make the decisions that did give us the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. We should do the same on this,” she said. “Let’s truly stand up for freedom, but let’s do it the right way.”John Eplee, a physician and an Atchison Republican in the House, said the bill was a mistake. He said it was a political reflection of anger felt by some Kansans who believed health officials came down on them in a negative way during the pandemic.“This is a knee-jerk reaction to what we’ve just lived through,” he said. “We’re still trying to recover from what happened during the pandemic. I understand that we had restaurants that closed and they’ll never come back, but who’s to say that not even more would have closed if we hadn’t had isolation, we hadn’t had shutdowns.”He said implementation of the bill was an attempt to dismantle the vision of public health that had endured throughout his career in medicine.Rep. Jo Ella Hoye, D-Lenexa, agreed removing authority of health experts to devise a response to spread of horrible diseases was short-sighted and dangerous.“If a plane arrives to Kansas and they realize somebody tested positive on that plane, there would be no authority to make sure those folks are tested before they go back into our communities,” Hoye said.She said a likely consequence of the legislation would be to discourage Kansans from getting vaccinations for COVID-19 and preventable diseases.“I don’t think we should be putting ourselves out and trying to make people afraid to get vaccines that could save their lives,” she said.