SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a robbery and have made an arrest.

Just before&nbsp;&nbsp;9 a.m. Dec. 22, police responded to a reported robbery at Dollar General, 1001 SW Fairlawn Road in Topeka, according to Police Lt. Edward Stanley.&nbsp;

Witnesses believed that the individual had a weapon and had stolen an undisclosed amount of cash from the store.

Investigators and patrol officers worked together to locate the individual, later identified as Chase W. Tillison, 37, of Topeka, in the 5300 block of SW 10th Street.&nbsp; 

As a result of the investigation, Tillison was arrested and booked into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges of Aggravated Robbery and Interference with a Law Enforcement Officer.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1703356535567.png" alt="Tillison-photo Shawnee Co." />
 <figcaption>Tillison-photo Shawnee Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a robbery and have made an arrest.Just before&nbsp;&nbsp;9 a.m. Dec. 22, police responded to a reported robbery at Dollar General, 1001 SW Fairlawn Road in Topeka, according to Police Lt. Edward Stanley.&nbsp;Witnesses believed that the individual had a weapon and had stolen an undisclosed amount of cash from the store.Investigators and patrol officers worked together to locate the individual, later identified as Chase W. Tillison, 37, of Topeka, in the 5300 block of SW 10th Street.&nbsp; As a result of the investigation, Tillison was arrested and booked into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges of Aggravated Robbery and Interference with a Law Enforcement Officer.

Police catch Kansas man who took cash from retail store

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Republican attorney general in Kansas has urged the state's most populous county to postpone a legally required destruction of old ballots because the sheriff there says his investigation of possible election crimes remains open even though it's led to no criminal charges in two years.

Attorney General Kris Kobach, an early supporter of former President Donald Trump who has for years described election fraud as a serious issue, sent a letter Wednesday to the election commissioner in Johnson County in the Kansas City area. Kobach said officials should preserve ballots from 2019, 2020 and 2021 even though state law required all of them to be destroyed by the fall of 2022.

“Allowing the Sheriff’s Office to complete its investigation is in the interest of justice and provides the public with confidence in the integrity of their electoral system and election outcomes,” Kobach wrote in his letter, which became public Thursday.

The county has yet to destroy the old ballots because&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/voting-rights-2022-midterm-elections-covid-health-47b643bd7f1794b90acc84af07ef005a">Sheriff Calvin Hayden</a>&nbsp;has said he received scores of tips about potential irregularities starting in the fall of 2021 and is still investigating. Hayden, a Republican, has questioned the integrity of the county's 2020 elections and in the summer of 2022 participated in a conference for a group that promotes a dubious theory that sheriffs have virtually unchecked power in their counties.

With no evidence of significant problems in the county's elections — and none statewide — the Johnson County Commission took a step earlier this month toward the destruction of old ballots by allowing its chair to appoint a Democratic and a Republican observer. Hayden then asked for officials to continue preserving them, County Commissioner Charlotte O'Hara said during a meeting.

Hayden's office said Thursday that its investigation is ongoing but declined further comment.

The attorney general's letter did not say whether he would file a lawsuit or pursue some other step should election officialis move ahead with destroying the ballots. His office did not immediately respond to an email asking questions about the letter.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-claims-biden-won-explained-bd53b14ce871412b462cb3fe2c563f18">Baseless conspiracy theories</a>&nbsp;have circulated widely among Republicans since the 2020 elections and prompted the GOP-controlled state Legislature to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/voting-rights-kansas-lawsuits-919154cb711185571fc73e01611ce28f">tighten election laws</a>&nbsp;in the name of restoring public confidence. Trump also continues to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-michael-pence-electoral-college-elections-health-2d9bd47a8bd3561682ac46c6b3873a10">falsely claim</a>&nbsp;that he won the 2020 election, and Hayden has said he began to question the previously solidly Republican county's elections when Trump lost there. The county's politics&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-abortion-biden-legislature-c33d92d6b33fc33c524f6b78024f3700">have become more Democratic</a>&nbsp;over time — in part because of some suburban voters' distaste for Trump.

Kobach served as Kansas secretary of state from 2011 through 2018 and served as the vice chairman of a short-lived Trump presidential commission on election fraud. He also championed tough voter ID laws, one of which required new voters to show papers documenting their U.S. citizenship when registering and was struck down by the federal courts.

Kobach's successor as secretary of state, Republican Scott Schwab, declined to comment Thursday, though Schwab&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-politics-donald-trump-arizona-9b675ed2223da37a90e5b53cfb6cf9b8">has strongly defended</a>&nbsp;the integrity of the state's elections. Elections in 101 of the state's 105 counties are run by elected county clerks, but the secretary of state appoints election commissioners in the four most populous ones. Schwab appointed Johnson County's Fred Sherman in 2020.

Johnson County Commission Chair Mike Kelly said Schwab's office would supervise the destruction of ballots and said in a statement Thursday that it has “deferred this matter” to Schwab. Sherman did not immediately return a telephone message seeking comment.

The conflict in Kansas' most populous county comes after activists who believe&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-michael-pence-electoral-college-elections-health-2d9bd47a8bd3561682ac46c6b3873a10">Trump's elections lies</a>&nbsp;challenged voter registrations from the 2020 elections across the U.S. even as county&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-voting-georgia-presidential-florida-dfbe7f00418a35c70c9d53fa3a260111">election officials were preparing</a>&nbsp;for the fall 2022 elections.

Kansas law requires election officials to destroy the ballots for local elections after six months, unless a result still is being contested. Ballots in state and national elections must be destroyed after 22 months. Under that rule, the ballots for the November 2020 election were to have been destroyed in September 2022.

But Kobach wrote in his letter that he is concerned that destroying the ballots would hinder Hayden's investigation.

“The preservation of any potential evidence is crucial to the integrity of this investigation, and the evidence should be retained until the case is formally closed and any and all resulting defendants are prosecuted,” Kobach wrote.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Republican attorney general in Kansas has urged the state's most populous county to postpone a legally required destruction of old ballots because the sheriff there says his investigation of possible election crimes remains open even though it's led to no criminal charges in two years.Attorney General Kris Kobach, an early supporter of former President Donald Trump who has for years described election fraud as a serious issue, sent a letter Wednesday to the election commissioner in Johnson County in the Kansas City area. Kobach said officials should preserve ballots from 2019, 2020 and 2021 even though state law required all of them to be destroyed by the fall of 2022.“Allowing the Sheriff’s Office to complete its investigation is in the interest of justice and provides the public with confidence in the integrity of their electoral system and election outcomes,” Kobach wrote in his letter, which became public Thursday.The county has yet to destroy the old ballots because&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/voting-rights-2022-midterm-elections-covid-health-47b643bd7f1794b90acc84af07ef005a">Sheriff Calvin Hayden</a>&nbsp;has said he received scores of tips about potential irregularities starting in the fall of 2021 and is still investigating. Hayden, a Republican, has questioned the integrity of the county's 2020 elections and in the summer of 2022 participated in a conference for a group that promotes a dubious theory that sheriffs have virtually unchecked power in their counties.With no evidence of significant problems in the county's elections — and none statewide — the Johnson County Commission took a step earlier this month toward the destruction of old ballots by allowing its chair to appoint a Democratic and a Republican observer. Hayden then asked for officials to continue preserving them, County Commissioner Charlotte O'Hara said during a meeting.Hayden's office said Thursday that its investigation is ongoing but declined further comment.The attorney general's letter did not say whether he would file a lawsuit or pursue some other step should election officialis move ahead with destroying the ballots. His office did not immediately respond to an email asking questions about the letter.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-claims-biden-won-explained-bd53b14ce871412b462cb3fe2c563f18">Baseless conspiracy theories</a>&nbsp;have circulated widely among Republicans since the 2020 elections and prompted the GOP-controlled state Legislature to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/voting-rights-kansas-lawsuits-919154cb711185571fc73e01611ce28f">tighten election laws</a>&nbsp;in the name of restoring public confidence. Trump also continues to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-michael-pence-electoral-college-elections-health-2d9bd47a8bd3561682ac46c6b3873a10">falsely claim</a>&nbsp;that he won the 2020 election, and Hayden has said he began to question the previously solidly Republican county's elections when Trump lost there. The county's politics&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-abortion-biden-legislature-c33d92d6b33fc33c524f6b78024f3700">have become more Democratic</a>&nbsp;over time — in part because of some suburban voters' distaste for Trump.Kobach served as Kansas secretary of state from 2011 through 2018 and served as the vice chairman of a short-lived Trump presidential commission on election fraud. He also championed tough voter ID laws, one of which required new voters to show papers documenting their U.S. citizenship when registering and was struck down by the federal courts.Kobach's successor as secretary of state, Republican Scott Schwab, declined to comment Thursday, though Schwab&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-politics-donald-trump-arizona-9b675ed2223da37a90e5b53cfb6cf9b8">has strongly defended</a>&nbsp;the integrity of the state's elections. Elections in 101 of the state's 105 counties are run by elected county clerks, but the secretary of state appoints election commissioners in the four most populous ones. Schwab appointed Johnson County's Fred Sherman in 2020.Johnson County Commission Chair Mike Kelly said Schwab's office would supervise the destruction of ballots and said in a statement Thursday that it has “deferred this matter” to Schwab. Sherman did not immediately return a telephone message seeking comment.The conflict in Kansas' most populous county comes after activists who believe&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-michael-pence-electoral-college-elections-health-2d9bd47a8bd3561682ac46c6b3873a10">Trump's elections lies</a>&nbsp;challenged voter registrations from the 2020 elections across the U.S. even as county&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-voting-georgia-presidential-florida-dfbe7f00418a35c70c9d53fa3a260111">election officials were preparing</a>&nbsp;for the fall 2022 elections.Kansas law requires election officials to destroy the ballots for local elections after six months, unless a result still is being contested. Ballots in state and national elections must be destroyed after 22 months. Under that rule, the ballots for the November 2020 election were to have been destroyed in September 2022.But Kobach wrote in his letter that he is concerned that destroying the ballots would hinder Hayden's investigation.“The preservation of any potential evidence is crucial to the integrity of this investigation, and the evidence should be retained until the case is formally closed and any and all resulting defendants are prosecuted,” Kobach wrote.

Kansas AG urges county to keep ballots longer than allowed to aid sheriff's probe

WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">President Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;ordered the United States military to carry out retaliatory airstrikes against Iranian-backed militia groups after three U.S. service members were injured in a drone attack in northern Iraq.

National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said one of the U.S. troops suffered critical injuries in the attack that occurred earlier Monday. The Iranian-backed militia Kataib Hezbollah and affiliated groups, under an umbrella of Iranian-backed militants, claimed credit for the attack that utilized a one-way attack drone.

Iraqi officials said U.S. strikes targeting militia sites early Tuesday killed one militant and injured 18. They came at a time of heightened&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iraq-iran-us-gaza-israel-hamas-0b99659922bf1174f86e390808e5bfde">fears of a regional spillover</a>&nbsp;of the Israel-Hamas war.

Iran announced Monday that an Israeli strike on the outskirts of the Syrian capital of Damascus&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/syria-israel-iran-irgc-damascus-airstrike-7ee8496d727ba69834002f0444515a36">killed one of its top generals</a>, Razi Mousavi, who had been a close companion of Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the former head of Iran’s elite Quds Force. Soleimani was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-politics-government-iraq-qassim-soleimani-3353602bd30e683afec45d8c78196886">slain in a U.S. drone strike</a>&nbsp;in Iraq in January 2020.

Iranian officials vowed revenge for the killing of Mousavi but did not immediately launch a retaliatory strike. The militia attack Monday in northern Iraq was launched prior to the strike in Syria that killed Mousavi.

Biden, who was spending Christmas at the presidential retreat at Camp David, Maryland, was alerted about the attack by White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan shortly after it occurred Monday and ordered the Pentagon and his top national security aides to prepare response options to the attack on an air base used by American troops in Irbil.

Sullivan consulted with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/lloyd-austin">Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin</a>. Biden's deputy national security adviser, Jon Finer, was with the president at Camp David and convened top aides to review options, according to a U.S. official, who was not authorized to comment publicly and requested anonymity.

Within hours, Biden convened his national security team for a call in which Austin and Gen. CQ Brown, chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, briefed Biden on the response options. Biden opted to target three locations used by Kataib Hezbollah and affiliated groups, the official said.

The U.S. strikes were carried out at about 4:45 a.m. Tuesday in Iraq, less than 13 hours after the U.S. personnel were attacked. According to U.S. Central Command, the retaliatory strikes on the three sites "destroyed the targeted facilities and likely killed a number of Kataib Hezbollah militants.”

"The President places no higher priority than the protection of American personnel serving in harm’s way," Watson said. “The United States will act at a time and in a manner of our choosing should these attacks continue.”

The latest attack on U.S. troops follows months of escalating threats and actions against American forces in the region since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel that sparked the devastating war in Gaza.

The dangerous back-and-forth strikes have escalated since Iranian-backed militant groups under the umbrella group called the Islamic Resistance in Iraq and Syria began striking U.S. facilities Oct. 17, the date that a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-gaza-hamas-war-biden-rafah-e062825a375d9eb62e95509cab95b80c">blast at a hospital in Gaza</a>&nbsp;killed hundreds. Iranian-backed militias have carried out more than 100 attacks on U.S. bases in Iraq and Syria since the start of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war">Israel-Hamas war</a>&nbsp;more than two months ago.

In November,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-iraq-airstrike-military-iran-d93d861feeef90cfeac3ba85f1f2f36d">U.S. fighter jets struck</a>&nbsp;a Kataib Hezbollah operations center and command and control node, following a short-range ballistic missile attack on U.S. forces at Al-Assad Air Base in western Iraq. Iranian-backed militias also&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iraq-militias-iran-us-base-attack-drone-hamas-israel-war-80f6739c3ab34662afba316285914e39">carried out a drone attack</a>&nbsp;at the same air base in October, causing minor injuries.

The U.S. has also blamed Iran, which has funded and trained&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hamas-gaza-palestinian-authority-israel-war-ed7018dbaae09b81513daf3bda38109a">Hamas</a>, for attacks by Yemen’s Houthi militants against commercial and military vessels through a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/red-sea-yemen-houthis-attack-ships-f67d941c260528ac40315ecab4c34ca3">critical shipping choke point in the Red Sea</a>.

The Biden administration has sought to prevent the Israel-Hamas war from spiraling into a wider regional conflict that either opens up new fronts of Israeli fighting or draws the U.S. in directly. The administration’s measured response — where not every attempt on American troops has been met with a counterattack — has drawn criticism from Republicans.

The U.S. has thousands of troops in Iraq training Iraqi forces and combating remnants of the Islamic State group, and hundreds in Syria, mostly on the counter-IS mission. They have come under dozens of attacks, though as yet none fatal, since the war began on Oct. 7, with the U.S. attributing responsibility to Iran-backed groups.

"While we do not seek to escalate conflict in the region, we are committed and fully prepared to take further necessary measures to protect our people and our facilities," Austin said in a statement.

The clashes put the government of Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani in a delicate position. He&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-middle-east-saudi-arabia-iraq-yemen-4ba00e2759f8e7b7605ab7429b581ca8">came to power in 2022</a>&nbsp;with the backing of a coalition of Iranian-backed parties, some of which are associated with the same militias launching the attacks on U.S. bases.

A group of Iranian-backed militias known as the Popular Mobilization Forces were key in the fight against Islamic State militants after the extremist group overran much of Iraq in 2014. The PMF is officially under the command of the Iraqi army, but in practice the militias operate independently.

In a statement Tuesday, Sudani condemned both the militia attack in Irbil and the U.S. response.

Attacks on “foreign diplomatic mission headquarters and sites hosting military advisors from friendly nations … infringe upon Iraq’s sovereignty and are deemed unacceptable under any circumstances,” the statement said.

However, it added that that the retaliatory strikes by the U.S. on “Iraqi military sites” — referring to the militia — “constitute a clear hostile act.” Sudani said some of those injured in the strikes were civilians.

&nbsp;Baghdad (AP) — &nbsp;In response to multiple attacks against coalition forces in Iraq and Syria, U.S. military forces conducted airstrikes against multiple facilities used by Kataib Hezbollah and affiliated groups in Iraq at 8:45 p.m. (EST) on Dec. 25, according to a statement from the U.S. Central Command.


Earlier in the day, Iranian sponsored Kataib Hezbollah terrorists and affiliated groups attacked coalition forces at Erbil, Iraq resulting in several injuries.



Early assessments indicate that these U.S. airstrikes destroyed the targeted facilities and likely killed a number of Kataib Hezbollah militants.  There are no indications that any civilian lives were affected. 

 The U.S. military will continue to evaluate the effectiveness of these strikes.

"These strikes are intended to hold accountable those elements directly responsible for attacks on coalition forces in Iraq and Syria and degrade their ability to continue attacks.  We will always protect our forces," said General Michael Erik Kurilla, U.S. Central Command Commander

Meanwhile, An Israeli airstrike Monday in a Damascus neighborhood killed a high-ranking Iranian general, Iranian state media said.

Iranian officials and allied militant groups in the region vowed revenge for the killing but did not immediately launch any retaliatory strike.

The killing of Seyed Razi Mousavi, a longtime adviser of the Iranian paramilitary Revolutionary Guard in Syria, comes amid ongoing fears of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war">the Israel-Hamas war</a>&nbsp;sparking a regional spillover. Iran-backed groups in Yemen, Lebanon, Syria and Iraq have launched attacks on Israel and its allies in support of Hamas.

Clashes along the Lebanon-Israel border between Hezbollah and Israel have continued to intensify, with daily exchanges of missiles, airstrikes and shelling across the frontier.

In the Red Sea,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/red-sea-ship-attacks-bp-yemen-houthis-dcece18717aa59648ff9a6b04fbc798c">attacks by Houthi rebels</a>&nbsp;in Yemen against ships they believe to be connected to Israel have disrupted trade and prompted the launch of a U.S.-led multinational naval operation to protect shipping routes.

Israeli strikes killed two other generals earlier this month in Syria.

Israel on Monday struck the Sayida Zeinab neighborhood, located near a Shiite Muslim shrine, Iran’s official news agency IRNA and Britain-based opposition war monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. IRNA described Mousavi as a close companion of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-politics-government-iraq-qassim-soleimani-3353602bd30e683afec45d8c78196886">Gen. Qassim Soleimani</a>, the head of Iran’s elite Quds Force who was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/syria-ap-top-news-tehran-international-news-iraq-3bb7af59e8b1bfd3e15222a98395ee85">slain in a U.S. drone strike</a>&nbsp;in Iraq in January 2020.

Neither the Israeli military nor Syrian state media immediately issued a statement about Monday's attack. Israeli officials declined to comment.

Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi in a statement said that Mousavi was “martyred while serving as an adviser for the resistance front, defending holy shrines in Syria as well as safeguarding Islamic ideals.” He threatened that the “Israeli regime will definitely pay for this crime.”

Hossein Akbari, Iran’s ambassador to Syria, condemned the killing, saying that Mousavi was in Syria as a “formal military advisor.”

“(Israel) will definitely get a response to this crime at the right time and the right situation,” Akbari said, speaking from Damascus.

Though IRNA didn't provide other details about the attack, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the Israeli military targeted Mousavi after he entered a farm in the area, which allegedly was one of several offices for Hezbollah. The Lebanese militant group, alongside Iran and Russia, has played a key military role in keeping President Bashar Assad's government in power throughout the Syrian conflict.

Hezbollah in a statement called Mousavi “one of the best of brothers who worked to support the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon for decades of his honorable life.”

WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">President Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;ordered the United States military to carry out retaliatory airstrikes against Iranian-backed militia groups after three U.S. service members were injured in a drone attack in northern Iraq.National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said one of the U.S. troops suffered critical injuries in the attack that occurred earlier Monday. The Iranian-backed militia Kataib Hezbollah and affiliated groups, under an umbrella of Iranian-backed militants, claimed credit for the attack that utilized a one-way attack drone.Iraqi officials said U.S. strikes targeting militia sites early Tuesday killed one militant and injured 18. They came at a time of heightened&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iraq-iran-us-gaza-israel-hamas-0b99659922bf1174f86e390808e5bfde">fears of a regional spillover</a>&nbsp;of the Israel-Hamas war.Iran announced Monday that an Israeli strike on the outskirts of the Syrian capital of Damascus&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/syria-israel-iran-irgc-damascus-airstrike-7ee8496d727ba69834002f0444515a36">killed one of its top generals</a>, Razi Mousavi, who had been a close companion of Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the former head of Iran’s elite Quds Force. Soleimani was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-politics-government-iraq-qassim-soleimani-3353602bd30e683afec45d8c78196886">slain in a U.S. drone strike</a>&nbsp;in Iraq in January 2020.Iranian officials vowed revenge for the killing of Mousavi but did not immediately launch a retaliatory strike. The militia attack Monday in northern Iraq was launched prior to the strike in Syria that killed Mousavi.Biden, who was spending Christmas at the presidential retreat at Camp David, Maryland, was alerted about the attack by White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan shortly after it occurred Monday and ordered the Pentagon and his top national security aides to prepare response options to the attack on an air base used by American troops in Irbil.Sullivan consulted with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/lloyd-austin">Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin</a>. Biden's deputy national security adviser, Jon Finer, was with the president at Camp David and convened top aides to review options, according to a U.S. official, who was not authorized to comment publicly and requested anonymity.Within hours, Biden convened his national security team for a call in which Austin and Gen. CQ Brown, chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, briefed Biden on the response options. Biden opted to target three locations used by Kataib Hezbollah and affiliated groups, the official said.The U.S. strikes were carried out at about 4:45 a.m. Tuesday in Iraq, less than 13 hours after the U.S. personnel were attacked. According to U.S. Central Command, the retaliatory strikes on the three sites "destroyed the targeted facilities and likely killed a number of Kataib Hezbollah militants.”"The President places no higher priority than the protection of American personnel serving in harm’s way," Watson said. “The United States will act at a time and in a manner of our choosing should these attacks continue.”The latest attack on U.S. troops follows months of escalating threats and actions against American forces in the region since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel that sparked the devastating war in Gaza.The dangerous back-and-forth strikes have escalated since Iranian-backed militant groups under the umbrella group called the Islamic Resistance in Iraq and Syria began striking U.S. facilities Oct. 17, the date that a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-gaza-hamas-war-biden-rafah-e062825a375d9eb62e95509cab95b80c">blast at a hospital in Gaza</a>&nbsp;killed hundreds. Iranian-backed militias have carried out more than 100 attacks on U.S. bases in Iraq and Syria since the start of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war">Israel-Hamas war</a>&nbsp;more than two months ago.In November,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-iraq-airstrike-military-iran-d93d861feeef90cfeac3ba85f1f2f36d">U.S. fighter jets struck</a>&nbsp;a Kataib Hezbollah operations center and command and control node, following a short-range ballistic missile attack on U.S. forces at Al-Assad Air Base in western Iraq. Iranian-backed militias also&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iraq-militias-iran-us-base-attack-drone-hamas-israel-war-80f6739c3ab34662afba316285914e39">carried out a drone attack</a>&nbsp;at the same air base in October, causing minor injuries.The U.S. has also blamed Iran, which has funded and trained&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hamas-gaza-palestinian-authority-israel-war-ed7018dbaae09b81513daf3bda38109a">Hamas</a>, for attacks by Yemen’s Houthi militants against commercial and military vessels through a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/red-sea-yemen-houthis-attack-ships-f67d941c260528ac40315ecab4c34ca3">critical shipping choke point in the Red Sea</a>.The Biden administration has sought to prevent the Israel-Hamas war from spiraling into a wider regional conflict that either opens up new fronts of Israeli fighting or draws the U.S. in directly. The administration’s measured response — where not every attempt on American troops has been met with a counterattack — has drawn criticism from Republicans.The U.S. has thousands of troops in Iraq training Iraqi forces and combating remnants of the Islamic State group, and hundreds in Syria, mostly on the counter-IS mission. They have come under dozens of attacks, though as yet none fatal, since the war began on Oct. 7, with the U.S. attributing responsibility to Iran-backed groups."While we do not seek to escalate conflict in the region, we are committed and fully prepared to take further necessary measures to protect our people and our facilities," Austin said in a statement.The clashes put the government of Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani in a delicate position. He&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-middle-east-saudi-arabia-iraq-yemen-4ba00e2759f8e7b7605ab7429b581ca8">came to power in 2022</a>&nbsp;with the backing of a coalition of Iranian-backed parties, some of which are associated with the same militias launching the attacks on U.S. bases.A group of Iranian-backed militias known as the Popular Mobilization Forces were key in the fight against Islamic State militants after the extremist group overran much of Iraq in 2014. The PMF is officially under the command of the Iraqi army, but in practice the militias operate independently.In a statement Tuesday, Sudani condemned both the militia attack in Irbil and the U.S. response.Attacks on “foreign diplomatic mission headquarters and sites hosting military advisors from friendly nations … infringe upon Iraq’s sovereignty and are deemed unacceptable under any circumstances,” the statement said.However, it added that that the retaliatory strikes by the U.S. on “Iraqi military sites” — referring to the militia — “constitute a clear hostile act.” Sudani said some of those injured in the strikes were civilians.-----------------&nbsp;Baghdad (AP) — &nbsp;In response to multiple attacks against coalition forces in Iraq and Syria, U.S. military forces conducted airstrikes against multiple facilities used by Kataib Hezbollah and affiliated groups in Iraq at 8:45 p.m. (EST) on Dec. 25, according to a statement from the U.S. Central Command.
Earlier in the day, Iranian sponsored Kataib Hezbollah terrorists and affiliated groups attacked coalition forces at Erbil, Iraq resulting in several injuries.

Early assessments indicate that these U.S. airstrikes destroyed the targeted facilities and likely killed a number of Kataib Hezbollah militants. There are no indications that any civilian lives were affected. The U.S. military will continue to evaluate the effectiveness of these strikes.

"These strikes are intended to hold accountable those elements directly responsible for attacks on coalition forces in Iraq and Syria and degrade their ability to continue attacks. We will always protect our forces," said General Michael Erik Kurilla, U.S. Central Command CommanderMeanwhile, An Israeli airstrike Monday in a Damascus neighborhood killed a high-ranking Iranian general, Iranian state media said.Iranian officials and allied militant groups in the region vowed revenge for the killing but did not immediately launch any retaliatory strike.The killing of Seyed Razi Mousavi, a longtime adviser of the Iranian paramilitary Revolutionary Guard in Syria, comes amid ongoing fears of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war">the Israel-Hamas war</a>&nbsp;sparking a regional spillover. Iran-backed groups in Yemen, Lebanon, Syria and Iraq have launched attacks on Israel and its allies in support of Hamas.Clashes along the Lebanon-Israel border between Hezbollah and Israel have continued to intensify, with daily exchanges of missiles, airstrikes and shelling across the frontier.In the Red Sea,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/red-sea-ship-attacks-bp-yemen-houthis-dcece18717aa59648ff9a6b04fbc798c">attacks by Houthi rebels</a>&nbsp;in Yemen against ships they believe to be connected to Israel have disrupted trade and prompted the launch of a U.S.-led multinational naval operation to protect shipping routes.Israeli strikes killed two other generals earlier this month in Syria.Israel on Monday struck the Sayida Zeinab neighborhood, located near a Shiite Muslim shrine, Iran’s official news agency IRNA and Britain-based opposition war monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. IRNA described Mousavi as a close companion of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-politics-government-iraq-qassim-soleimani-3353602bd30e683afec45d8c78196886">Gen. Qassim Soleimani</a>, the head of Iran’s elite Quds Force who was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/syria-ap-top-news-tehran-international-news-iraq-3bb7af59e8b1bfd3e15222a98395ee85">slain in a U.S. drone strike</a>&nbsp;in Iraq in January 2020.Neither the Israeli military nor Syrian state media immediately issued a statement about Monday's attack. Israeli officials declined to comment.Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi in a statement said that Mousavi was “martyred while serving as an adviser for the resistance front, defending holy shrines in Syria as well as safeguarding Islamic ideals.” He threatened that the “Israeli regime will definitely pay for this crime.”Hossein Akbari, Iran’s ambassador to Syria, condemned the killing, saying that Mousavi was in Syria as a “formal military advisor.”“(Israel) will definitely get a response to this crime at the right time and the right situation,” Akbari said, speaking from Damascus.Though IRNA didn't provide other details about the attack, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the Israeli military targeted Mousavi after he entered a farm in the area, which allegedly was one of several offices for Hezbollah. The Lebanese militant group, alongside Iran and Russia, has played a key military role in keeping President Bashar Assad's government in power throughout the Syrian conflict.Hezbollah in a statement called Mousavi “one of the best of brothers who worked to support the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon for decades of his honorable life.”

Biden orders strikes on Iranian-aligned group after US troops injured in attack

PAWNEE COUNTY—One person died in an accident just after 5p.m. Christmas Day in Pawnee County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 1994 Chevy S10 pickup driven by Brayden O. Smith, 27, Larned, was westbound on Kansas 156 five miles west of Larned.

The driver lost control of the vehicle on the ice and snow.&nbsp; The pickup traveled left of center and struck an eastbound 2019 Toyota Highlander driven by Daryl W.&nbsp;Reece, 58, Olathe, head-on.

A passenger in the SUV identified as Evelyn D. Reece, 86, Wichita, was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported to Beckwith Mortuary.

EMS transported&nbsp;Smith to Wesley Medical Center and two passengers in the SUV Geri Reece, 60, and Ashley T. Reece, 26, both of Olathe to the hospital in Larned. Daryl Reece was not injured.&nbsp; The KHP had incomplete seat belt usage information.

PAWNEE COUNTY—One person died in an accident just after 5p.m. Christmas Day in Pawnee County.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 1994 Chevy S10 pickup driven by Brayden O. Smith, 27, Larned, was westbound on Kansas 156 five miles west of Larned.The driver lost control of the vehicle on the ice and snow.&nbsp; The pickup traveled left of center and struck an eastbound 2019 Toyota Highlander driven by Daryl W.&nbsp;Reece, 58, Olathe, head-on.A passenger in the SUV identified as Evelyn D. Reece, 86, Wichita, was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported to Beckwith Mortuary.EMS transported&nbsp;Smith to Wesley Medical Center and two passengers in the SUV Geri Reece, 60, and Ashley T. Reece, 26, both of Olathe to the hospital in Larned. Daryl Reece was not injured.&nbsp; The KHP had incomplete seat belt usage information.

Kansas woman dead, 3 injured after Christmas Day head-on crash

COWLEY COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a body found in Cowley County as that of Kansas woman reported missing on Saturday, according to Undersheriff Christina McDonald.

On December 23, the Cowley County Sheriff’s Office was dispatched to the 17,000 block of 121st Road for a vehicle in a field. When Deputies contacted the Registered owner, it was discovered the driver, 69-year-old Janet J. Spoon of Winfield, was the person last driving the vehicle and had been out with friends the previous night. Over the course of three days several searches were conducted along with contact to businesses in the area. No further leads were developed.

On Christmas Day, the Cowley County Sheriff’s Office was dispatched to the area behind Gottlob Lawn and Landscape,&nbsp;5001 E 9th Ave, Winfield, for a deceased body found in a pond on the property. A preliminary identification was made of Janet Spoon pending autopsy.

Spoon had lived in Winfield with her husband, according to McDonald.

The Cowley County Sheriff’s Office is grateful for all the assistance, information and search efforts made by members of the community as well as the Winfield Police Department, Winfield Fire/EMS and the Blue Line Tracking Team.

COWLEY COUNTY —The Cowley County Sheriff’s Office along with the assistance of the Winfield Police Department continue their search for 69-year-old Janet Spoon, who was reported missing on Saturday.

 As of 1p.m. Sunday, the sheriff's office reported no new developments in the search, but the Sheriff’s Office continues to follow up on all leads coming into the Office, according to Sheriff Dave Faletti.

If you have any information about Mrs. Spoon’s whereabouts, please contact Cowley County Emergency Communications at 620-221-5447.

COWLEY COUNTY —The search continued Sunday morning for a woman reported missing in Cowley County.&nbsp; Just after 7:30a.m. Sunday, Deputy Mosqueda with the Cowley County Sheriff's office reported Janet Spoon was still missing.

&nbsp;Spoon was last seen in the area of 121st Road and U.S. 160 Highway when her vehicle became disabled. 

It is believed she left on foot. She is 69-year-old, a white female with blonde hair and blue eyes, approximately 5-foot-6 and 103 pounds.

The Blue Line Trackers had been working an area near Wheat Road and 360 Bypass Highway. If you have any information on her location, please contact the Sheriff’s Office at (620)221-5444.

COWLEY COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities were searching for a missing person on Saturday afternoon, according to Undersheriff Christina McDonald with the County County Sheriff's Office.

 Janet J. Spoon was last seen in the area of 121st Road and U.S. 160 Highway when her vehicle became disabled. 

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1703371809808.png" alt="Spoon-photo Cowley County Sheriff" />
 <figcaption>Spoon-photo Cowley County Sheriff</figcaption>
 </figure>COWLEY COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a body found in Cowley County as that of Kansas woman reported missing on Saturday, according to Undersheriff Christina McDonald.On December 23, the Cowley County Sheriff’s Office was dispatched to the 17,000 block of 121st Road for a vehicle in a field. When Deputies contacted the Registered owner, it was discovered the driver, 69-year-old Janet J. Spoon of Winfield, was the person last driving the vehicle and had been out with friends the previous night. Over the course of three days several searches were conducted along with contact to businesses in the area. No further leads were developed.On Christmas Day, the Cowley County Sheriff’s Office was dispatched to the area behind Gottlob Lawn and Landscape,&nbsp;5001 E 9th Ave, Winfield, for a deceased body found in a pond on the property. A preliminary identification was made of Janet Spoon pending autopsy.Spoon had lived in Winfield with her husband, according to McDonald.The Cowley County Sheriff’s Office is grateful for all the assistance, information and search efforts made by members of the community as well as the Winfield Police Department, Winfield Fire/EMS and the Blue Line Tracking Team.--------------COWLEY COUNTY —The Cowley County Sheriff’s Office along with the assistance of the Winfield Police Department continue their search for 69-year-old Janet Spoon, who was reported missing on Saturday. As of 1p.m. Sunday, the sheriff's office reported no new developments in the search, but the Sheriff’s Office continues to follow up on all leads coming into the Office, according to Sheriff Dave Faletti.If you have any information about Mrs. Spoon’s whereabouts, please contact Cowley County Emergency Communications at 620-221-5447.------------COWLEY COUNTY —The search continued Sunday morning for a woman reported missing in Cowley County.&nbsp; Just after 7:30a.m. Sunday, Deputy Mosqueda with the Cowley County Sheriff's office reported Janet Spoon was still missing.&nbsp;Spoon was last seen in the area of 121st Road and U.S. 160 Highway when her vehicle became disabled. It is believed she left on foot. She is 69-year-old, a white female with blonde hair and blue eyes, approximately 5-foot-6 and 103 pounds.The Blue Line Trackers had been working an area near Wheat Road and 360 Bypass Highway. If you have any information on her location, please contact the Sheriff’s Office at (620)221-5444.-------------------COWLEY COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities were searching for a missing person on Saturday afternoon, according to Undersheriff Christina McDonald with the County County Sheriff's Office. Janet J. Spoon was last seen in the area of 121st Road and U.S. 160 Highway when her vehicle became disabled. It is believed she left on foot. She is 69-year-old, a white female with blonde hair and blue eyes, approximately 5-foot-6 and 103 pounds.The Blue Line Trackers had been working an area near Wheat Road and 360 Bypass Highway. If you have any information on her location, please contact the Sheriff’s Office at (620)221-5444.

Body of missing Kan. woman, who left disabled car, found in pond

MONTGOMERY COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating two suspects who were captured after a SWAT team standoff in Kansas.

Just after 10p.m. December 11, Sheriff's Deputies received an anonymous tip, that two wanted suspects identified as 41-year-old Theodeous Armstrong and 46-year-old William Little were at a residence at 224 S. 15th Independence, Kansas, according to Sheriff Ron Wade.

 Theodeous Armstrong had four outstanding warrants, three for contempt of court and one for aggravated escape from custody.  William Little had five outstanding warrants, four for failure to appear.

Deputies were successful in confirming both subjects were inside the residence, however they refused to exit the residence.  The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office Emergency Response Team was activated, and Coffeyville Police Department’s SWAT team was requested. 

 The Independence Police Department and Independence Emergency services responded by providing additional support.    Deputies continuously gave announcements using a loudspeaker, requesting both subjects to exit the residence peacefully, eventually gaining compliance from both men. Theodeous and William were taken into custody and transported to the Montgomery County Jail without incident. Armstrong remains in custody on the warrants and for the aggravated escape from custody.&nbsp; Little is no longer in custody.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1703350649408.png" alt="Armstrong-photo Montgomery Co." />
 <figcaption>Armstrong-photo Montgomery Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>MONTGOMERY COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating two suspects who were captured after a SWAT team standoff in Kansas.Just after 10p.m. December 11, Sheriff's Deputies received an anonymous tip, that two wanted suspects identified as 41-year-old Theodeous Armstrong and 46-year-old William Little were at a residence at 224 S. 15th Independence, Kansas, according to Sheriff Ron Wade. Theodeous Armstrong had four outstanding warrants, three for contempt of court and one for aggravated escape from custody. William Little had five outstanding warrants, four for failure to appear.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1703350170650.png" alt="Little-photo Montgomer Co." />
 <figcaption>Little-photo Montgomer Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>Deputies were successful in confirming both subjects were inside the residence, however they refused to exit the residence. The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office Emergency Response Team was activated, and Coffeyville Police Department’s SWAT team was requested. The Independence Police Department and Independence Emergency services responded by providing additional support. Deputies continuously gave announcements using a loudspeaker, requesting both subjects to exit the residence peacefully, eventually gaining compliance from both men. Theodeous and William were taken into custody and transported to the Montgomery County Jail without incident. Armstrong remains in custody on the warrants and for the aggravated escape from custody.&nbsp; Little is no longer in custody.&nbsp;

Two wanted suspects captured after SWAT standoff at Kan. home

KANSAS CITY (AP) — A Texas man who was part of a romance scam that bilked a Missouri woman out of $1.2 million was sentenced on Tuesday to three years in federal prison and ordered to repay part of the money.

Rotimi Oladimeji, 38, of Richardson, Texas, was sentenced&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-st-louis-fraud-89f683110221a05e40734eae5e327c71">one year after he pleaded guilty</a>&nbsp;to two counts of mail fraud, two counts of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud, the U.S. Attorney's office said in a news release.

Oladimeji and two others spotted the victim on the “Silver Singles” online dating site, prosecutors said. Posing as a Belgian national who was a veterinarian and animal behaviorist living in St. Louis, they made plans to meet with her but never followed through.

The scammers claimed the man needed money because he was not being allowed to leave the United Arab Emirates, where he had gone for a business deal. Federal prosecutors said the victim lost nearly $1.2 million. Oladimeji had received about 20% of the money and is being ordered to pay that amount back, they said.

Oladimeji was born in Nigeria and could be deported after his release from prison, the U.S. Attorney's office said.

KANSAS CITY (AP) — A Texas man who was part of a romance scam that bilked a Missouri woman out of $1.2 million was sentenced on Tuesday to three years in federal prison and ordered to repay part of the money.Rotimi Oladimeji, 38, of Richardson, Texas, was sentenced&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-st-louis-fraud-89f683110221a05e40734eae5e327c71">one year after he pleaded guilty</a>&nbsp;to two counts of mail fraud, two counts of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud, the U.S. Attorney's office said in a news release.Oladimeji and two others spotted the victim on the “Silver Singles” online dating site, prosecutors said. Posing as a Belgian national who was a veterinarian and animal behaviorist living in St. Louis, they made plans to meet with her but never followed through.The scammers claimed the man needed money because he was not being allowed to leave the United Arab Emirates, where he had gone for a business deal. Federal prosecutors said the victim lost nearly $1.2 million. Oladimeji had received about 20% of the money and is being ordered to pay that amount back, they said.Oladimeji was born in Nigeria and could be deported after his release from prison, the U.S. Attorney's office said.

Romance Scam: Man bilked woman out of $1.2 million 

KANSAS CITY —Critical Incident Response Team K9 Lola is now the subject of a new children’s book.&nbsp; Pawsitively Lola, A Service Dog’s Adventures by author Mike Dickerson.

The book became available from Friesen Press on December 19. It’s the third in a series about service dogs in the Kansas City area. It’s available on Amazon and all other book-selling platforms as a soft cover, hard cover or e-book. 

Dickerson, of Lathrop, Missouri., tells the story of how K9 Lola went from rescue dog to a rescuer who helps people when they are in crisis, in partnership with her handler, Kim Hunter. 

The book features pictures of a day in the life of K9 Lola.“Through word of mouth, I had heard about Lola’s impact on people around Kansas City,” Dickerson said. “I wanted to show people what she does.”Dickerson is donating all proceeds from the book’s sales to the Clay County Sheriff’s Office HALO (Helping All Live Optimally) Team. The HALO Team is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that assists Sheriff’s Office employees experiencing financial crisis.

Dickerson's other book titles include Pawsitively Dax and Pawsitively Rasta.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1703112322410.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —Critical Incident Response Team K9 Lola is now the subject of a new children’s book.&nbsp; Pawsitively Lola, A Service Dog’s Adventures by author Mike Dickerson.The book became available from Friesen Press on December 19. It’s the third in a series about service dogs in the Kansas City area. It’s available on Amazon and all other book-selling platforms as a soft cover, hard cover or e-book. Dickerson, of Lathrop, Missouri., tells the story of how K9 Lola went from rescue dog to a rescuer who helps people when they are in crisis, in partnership with her handler, Kim Hunter. The book features pictures of a day in the life of K9 Lola.“Through word of mouth, I had heard about Lola’s impact on people around Kansas City,” Dickerson said. “I wanted to show people what she does.”Dickerson is donating all proceeds from the book’s sales to the Clay County Sheriff’s Office HALO (Helping All Live Optimally) Team. The HALO Team is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that assists Sheriff’s Office employees experiencing financial crisis.Dickerson's other book titles include Pawsitively Dax and Pawsitively Rasta.

Another KC-area sheriff's K9 featured in new children’s book

KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating two separate homicides that occurred in Kansas City on Christmas Eve.

Just after midnight Sunday, police were dispatched to a shooting at 1st Street and Holmes in Kansas City, according to Police Captain Corey Carlisle.

Officers conducted an area canvassing in the wooded area of an unhoused camp and located a man suffering from unknown bodily trauma.&nbsp;

 EMS arrived on scene and subsequently pronounced the victim deceased.&nbsp; It was later discovered by the medical examiner on scene, the victim suffered from apparent gunshot wounds.

Meanwhile, just before 10a.m. police were dispatched to 8th and Olive on a reported sound of shots.

First responders made contact with an adult male suffering from apparent gunshot wounds. He was transported to an area hospital with non-life threatening injuries.&nbsp; Officers were then directed to a second shooting victim inside a vehicle parked on the street. Officers checked for signs of life which were met with negative results, according to Carlisle.&nbsp; EMS arrived on scene and subsequently pronounced the victim deceased.

The circumstances leading up to these homicide are unknown.&nbsp; There is no one in custody at this time and police have no reason to believe there is an immediate risk to the public.

Homicide detectives and Crime Scene Personnel responded to process each scene to recover any evidence and speak to any potential witnesses.

These are homicide #177 and 178 in Kansas City in 2023, according to Carlisle.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1703430112733.png" alt="Investigation Sunday near 1st and Holmes photo courtesy Sheriff Daryl Forte'" />
 <figcaption>Investigation Sunday near 1st and Holmes photo courtesy Sheriff Daryl Forte'</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating two separate homicides that occurred in Kansas City on Christmas Eve.Just after midnight Sunday, police were dispatched to a shooting at 1st Street and Holmes in Kansas City, according to Police Captain Corey Carlisle.Officers conducted an area canvassing in the wooded area of an unhoused camp and located a man suffering from unknown bodily trauma.&nbsp; EMS arrived on scene and subsequently pronounced the victim deceased.&nbsp; It was later discovered by the medical examiner on scene, the victim suffered from apparent gunshot wounds.Meanwhile, just before 10a.m. police were dispatched to 8th and Olive on a reported sound of shots.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1703447540249.png" alt="8th and Olive Crime scene photo Sheriff Daryl Forte;" />
 <figcaption>8th and Olive Crime scene photo Sheriff Daryl Forte;</figcaption>
 </figure>First responders made contact with an adult male suffering from apparent gunshot wounds. He was transported to an area hospital with non-life threatening injuries.&nbsp; Officers were then directed to a second shooting victim inside a vehicle parked on the street. Officers checked for signs of life which were met with negative results, according to Carlisle.&nbsp; EMS arrived on scene and subsequently pronounced the victim deceased.The circumstances leading up to these homicide are unknown.&nbsp; There is no one in custody at this time and police have no reason to believe there is an immediate risk to the public.Homicide detectives and Crime Scene Personnel responded to process each scene to recover any evidence and speak to any potential witnesses.These are homicide #177 and 178 in Kansas City in 2023, according to Carlisle.

KCPD investigates 2 homicides on Christmas Eve

By&nbsp;RACHEL MIPRO&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA — Rep. Tobias Schlingensiepen, a Topeka Democrat and pastor, pointed to a parable from the Gospel of Matthew to question why his fellow Christian lawmakers aren’t working to expand Medicaid.&nbsp;

Schlingensiepen said the parable describes the importance of charity. He said he uses the gospel when navigating legislative decisions but is not sure his colleagues do the same.&nbsp;

“One of the things that one learns rather crassly in the statehouse, is that there is no paucity of Christian believers who support their faith in all kinds of ways while turning around and supporting policies, egregiously supporting policies without any explanation, that fly in the face of this most solemn criterion,” Schlingensiepen said during a Tuesday event on Medicaid expansion.&nbsp;

He joined several other faith leaders from different religions, covering different areas of the state, to voice support for Medicaid expansion.&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/11/22/kansas-clergy-place-faith-in-state-legislators-embracing-moral-truth-of-medicaid-expansion/">Other clergy members</a>&nbsp;have previously advocated for expansion ahead of the upcoming legislative session.&nbsp;

As the session approaches, Medicaid expansion has become the subject of renewed political debate, especially&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/12/14/kansas-governor-unveils-revenue-neutral-medicaid-expansion-plan-with-work-requirement-2/">due to Gov. Laura Kelly’s months-long efforts</a>&nbsp;in touring the state to advocate for it.

Medicaid expansion would allow an estimated 150,000 Kansans with low incomes to gain access to medical care and unlock $700 million in annual federal funding. The federal funding could also help support&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/12/12/kansas-unrivaled-rural-hospital-crisis-58-at-risk-of-closing-82-lost-money-on-patient-care/">59 of the state’s rural hospitals</a>&nbsp;that are at risk of closure.&nbsp;

To qualify for the current state-run Medicaid program, called KanCare, a person must be either under 19 or over 64, pregnant, or mentally or physically disabled. Caregivers are also eligible. Besides these requirements, the individual must be below a certain income level. A single mother with a child at home would have to make at or below $7,493.60 a year to qualify.&nbsp;

Republican leadership in the Legislature have said they will not support expansion, as it would&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/12/15/gop-leaders-reject-kansas-governors-proposal-for-medicaid-expansion/">“expand the welfare state</a>.”&nbsp;

During Tuesday’s event, Sister Therese Bangert, from the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth, emphasized the importance of human dignity, saying that “having health care is part of that dignity.”

She asked attendees to pray for lawmakers.&nbsp;

“Please raise your voices with us and pray for these legislators on their journey ahead,” Bangert said. “On this issue and all the issues.”&nbsp;

Saaliha Khan of Kansas Interfaith Action called continued inaction on Medicaid expansion an “injustice.”&nbsp;

“Our faith traditions, including Islam, teaches us to help alleviate suffering, not to contribute to suffering,” Khan said. “To help care for those who are the most vulnerable among us and not the other way around.”

The Rev. Bobby Love, a pastor at the Second Baptist Church of Olathe, mentioned ongoing efforts in the faith community to advocate for Medicaid expansion. A candlelight vigil at the Statehouse is set for late January, and several bike ride awareness events are also in the works, among other plans.&nbsp;

“Let us be continuous with our care, compassion and concern for those of our Kansans who fall in this gap,” Love said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1703169544734.png" alt=" Religious leaders in Kansas want legislators to work toward Medicaid expansion. (Noah Taborda/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption> Religious leaders in Kansas want legislators to work toward Medicaid expansion. (Noah Taborda/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>By&nbsp;RACHEL MIPRO&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — Rep. Tobias Schlingensiepen, a Topeka Democrat and pastor, pointed to a parable from the Gospel of Matthew to question why his fellow Christian lawmakers aren’t working to expand Medicaid.&nbsp;Schlingensiepen said the parable describes the importance of charity. He said he uses the gospel when navigating legislative decisions but is not sure his colleagues do the same.&nbsp;“One of the things that one learns rather crassly in the statehouse, is that there is no paucity of Christian believers who support their faith in all kinds of ways while turning around and supporting policies, egregiously supporting policies without any explanation, that fly in the face of this most solemn criterion,” Schlingensiepen said during a Tuesday event on Medicaid expansion.&nbsp;He joined several other faith leaders from different religions, covering different areas of the state, to voice support for Medicaid expansion.&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/11/22/kansas-clergy-place-faith-in-state-legislators-embracing-moral-truth-of-medicaid-expansion/">Other clergy members</a>&nbsp;have previously advocated for expansion ahead of the upcoming legislative session.&nbsp;As the session approaches, Medicaid expansion has become the subject of renewed political debate, especially&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/12/14/kansas-governor-unveils-revenue-neutral-medicaid-expansion-plan-with-work-requirement-2/">due to Gov. Laura Kelly’s months-long efforts</a>&nbsp;in touring the state to advocate for it.Medicaid expansion would allow an estimated 150,000 Kansans with low incomes to gain access to medical care and unlock $700 million in annual federal funding. The federal funding could also help support&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/12/12/kansas-unrivaled-rural-hospital-crisis-58-at-risk-of-closing-82-lost-money-on-patient-care/">59 of the state’s rural hospitals</a>&nbsp;that are at risk of closure.&nbsp;To qualify for the current state-run Medicaid program, called KanCare, a person must be either under 19 or over 64, pregnant, or mentally or physically disabled. Caregivers are also eligible. Besides these requirements, the individual must be below a certain income level. A single mother with a child at home would have to make at or below $7,493.60 a year to qualify.&nbsp;Republican leadership in the Legislature have said they will not support expansion, as it would&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/12/15/gop-leaders-reject-kansas-governors-proposal-for-medicaid-expansion/">“expand the welfare state</a>.”&nbsp;During Tuesday’s event, Sister Therese Bangert, from the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth, emphasized the importance of human dignity, saying that “having health care is part of that dignity.”She asked attendees to pray for lawmakers.&nbsp;“Please raise your voices with us and pray for these legislators on their journey ahead,” Bangert said. “On this issue and all the issues.”&nbsp;Saaliha Khan of Kansas Interfaith Action called continued inaction on Medicaid expansion an “injustice.”&nbsp;“Our faith traditions, including Islam, teaches us to help alleviate suffering, not to contribute to suffering,” Khan said. “To help care for those who are the most vulnerable among us and not the other way around.”The Rev. Bobby Love, a pastor at the Second Baptist Church of Olathe, mentioned ongoing efforts in the faith community to advocate for Medicaid expansion. A candlelight vigil at the Statehouse is set for late January, and several bike ride awareness events are also in the works, among other plans.&nbsp;“Let us be continuous with our care, compassion and concern for those of our Kansans who fall in this gap,” Love said.

Kan. faith leaders point to religious beliefs as motivation for Medicaid expansion

OSAGE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect on multiple allegations after a traffic stop.

Just after 1a.m. Thursday, a Sheriff’s Deputy conducted a traffic stop on Interstate 35 in Osage County for a traffic violation, according to Sheriff Chris Wells. During the stop, illegal narcotics were located.

The driver of the vehicle, Christine E. Shear, 40, of Emporia was taken into custody and transported to the Osage County Jail Facility on suspicion on requested charges of&nbsp;Possession of methamphetamine, Driving while license suspended, Endangering a child and an arrest warrant.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1703174815749.png" alt="Shear-photo Osage County" />
 <figcaption>Shear-photo Osage County</figcaption>
 </figure>OSAGE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect on multiple allegations after a traffic stop.Just after 1a.m. Thursday, a Sheriff’s Deputy conducted a traffic stop on Interstate 35 in Osage County for a traffic violation, according to Sheriff Chris Wells. During the stop, illegal narcotics were located.The driver of the vehicle, Christine E. Shear, 40, of Emporia was taken into custody and transported to the Osage County Jail Facility on suspicion on requested charges of&nbsp;Possession of methamphetamine, Driving while license suspended, Endangering a child and an arrest warrant.

Sheriff: Kansas woman transporting meth with child in the car

SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect for an alleged theft and additional crimes.

Just after 3p.m. Wednesday, police&nbsp; responded to a package theft in the 1700 block of SW Shunga Drive in Topeka, according to police spokesperson Rosie Nichols.

As a result of collaboration between patrol officers and community police officers, a suspect was identified as Edward L. Swarthout, 41, of Topeka.

Around 4 p.m., community police officers located Swarthout in the 700 block of SW Fairlawn Road. They also found&nbsp;the stolen items and narcotics. 

Police arrested Swarthout and booked him into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges of theft, Possession of opiate, opium, narcotic or certain stimulant, Possession of marijuana and Use/possess w/intent to use drug paraphernalia into human body.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1703173196930.png" alt="Swarthout -photo Shawnee County" />
 <figcaption>Swarthout -photo Shawnee County</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect for an alleged theft and additional crimes.Just after 3p.m. Wednesday, police&nbsp; responded to a package theft in the 1700 block of SW Shunga Drive in Topeka, according to police spokesperson Rosie Nichols.As a result of collaboration between patrol officers and community police officers, a suspect was identified as Edward L. Swarthout, 41, of Topeka.Around 4 p.m., community police officers located Swarthout in the 700 block of SW Fairlawn Road. They also found&nbsp;the stolen items and narcotics. Police arrested Swarthout and booked him into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges of theft, Possession of opiate, opium, narcotic or certain stimulant, Possession of marijuana and Use/possess w/intent to use drug paraphernalia into human body.

Police capture Kansas porch pirate, recover stolen items

NEW YORK (AP) — Look for flu and COVID-19 infections to ramp up in the coming weeks, U.S. health officials say, with increases fueled by holiday gatherings, too many unvaccinated people and a new version of the coronavirus that may be spreading more easily.

High levels of flu-like illnesses were reported last week in 17 states — up from 14 the week before, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday.

“Folks are traveling a lot more this season. They want to see their families,” said the CDC's Dr. Manisha Patel. "And all of that sort of adds to the mix” in the spread of viruses.

Health officials are keeping an eye on a version of the ever-evolving coronavirus, known as JN.1. The omicron variant was first detected in the U.S. in September and now accounts for an estimated 20% of cases. The CDC expects it to reach 50% in the next two weeks, Patel said.

It may spread easier or be better at evading our immune systems, but there is no evidence that the strain causes more severe disease than other recent variants, health officials say. And current evidence indicates vaccines and antiviral medications work against it.

As for flu, early signs suggest current vaccines are well-matched to the strain that is causing the most illnesses, and that strain usually doesn't cause as many deaths and hospitalizations as some other versions.

But the bad news is vaccinations are down this year, officials say. About 42% of U.S. adults had gotten flu shots by the first week of December, down from about 45% at the same time last year, according to the CDC.

Americans have also been slow to get other vaccinations. Only about 18% have gotten an updated COVID-19 shot that became available in September. At nursing homes, about a third of residents are up to date with COVID-19 vaccines.

And only 17% of adults 60 and older had received new shots against another respiratory virus. RSV, respiratory syncytial virus, is a common cause of mild coldlike symptoms but it can be dangerous for infants and older people.

The CDC last week took the unusual step of sending a health alert to U.S. doctors urging them to immunize their patients against the trio of viruses.

The Carolinas are currently seeing the heaviest traffic for respiratory infections in emergency rooms, according to CDC data posted this week.

It's not as dire as some past winters, but some patients are still waiting days to get a hospital bed, noted Dr. Scott Curry, an infectious diseases specialist at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston.

“We've barely been cold in South Carolina, and flu tends to hit us very hard when people actually get some cold weather to deal with,” he said. “We could get worse, very easily, in the next four to eight weeks.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1703335286337.png" alt="A flu vaccine is readied at the L.A. Care and Blue Shield of California Promise Health Plans’ Community Resource Center in Lynwood, Calif., on Friday, Oct. 28, 2022. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File)" />
 <figcaption>A flu vaccine is readied at the L.A. Care and Blue Shield of California Promise Health Plans’ Community Resource Center in Lynwood, Calif., on Friday, Oct. 28, 2022. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File)</figcaption>
 </figure>NEW YORK (AP) — Look for flu and COVID-19 infections to ramp up in the coming weeks, U.S. health officials say, with increases fueled by holiday gatherings, too many unvaccinated people and a new version of the coronavirus that may be spreading more easily.High levels of flu-like illnesses were reported last week in 17 states — up from 14 the week before, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday.“Folks are traveling a lot more this season. They want to see their families,” said the CDC's Dr. Manisha Patel. "And all of that sort of adds to the mix” in the spread of viruses.Health officials are keeping an eye on a version of the ever-evolving coronavirus, known as JN.1. The omicron variant was first detected in the U.S. in September and now accounts for an estimated 20% of cases. The CDC expects it to reach 50% in the next two weeks, Patel said.It may spread easier or be better at evading our immune systems, but there is no evidence that the strain causes more severe disease than other recent variants, health officials say. And current evidence indicates vaccines and antiviral medications work against it.As for flu, early signs suggest current vaccines are well-matched to the strain that is causing the most illnesses, and that strain usually doesn't cause as many deaths and hospitalizations as some other versions.But the bad news is vaccinations are down this year, officials say. About 42% of U.S. adults had gotten flu shots by the first week of December, down from about 45% at the same time last year, according to the CDC.Americans have also been slow to get other vaccinations. Only about 18% have gotten an updated COVID-19 shot that became available in September. At nursing homes, about a third of residents are up to date with COVID-19 vaccines.And only 17% of adults 60 and older had received new shots against another respiratory virus. RSV, respiratory syncytial virus, is a common cause of mild coldlike symptoms but it can be dangerous for infants and older people.The CDC last week took the unusual step of sending a health alert to U.S. doctors urging them to immunize their patients against the trio of viruses.The Carolinas are currently seeing the heaviest traffic for respiratory infections in emergency rooms, according to CDC data posted this week.It's not as dire as some past winters, but some patients are still waiting days to get a hospital bed, noted Dr. Scott Curry, an infectious diseases specialist at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston.“We've barely been cold in South Carolina, and flu tends to hit us very hard when people actually get some cold weather to deal with,” he said. “We could get worse, very easily, in the next four to eight weeks.”___

CDC: Flu and COVID infections rising, could get worse over the holidays

WASHINGTON —On Friday, President Biden signed into law:H.R. 2670, the “National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024,” which authorizes fiscal year 2024, according to a statement from the White House.The bill extends the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act; and other matters

Lawmakers have been negotiating a final defense policy bill for months after each chamber passed strikingly different versions in July. Some of the priorities championed by social conservatives were a no-go for Democrats. Negotiators dropped them from the final version to get it over the finish line.

That did not go over well with some Republican lawmakers, though most did end up voting for a bill that traditionally has broad, bipartisan support. About twice as many Republicans voted for the bill as voted against it.&nbsp;Kansas GOP Representatives Ron Estes and Tracey Man voted against the bill.

“You almost feel like a parent who's sent a child off to summer camp and they came back a monster,” Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., said in opposing the bill. “That's what we've done. This bill came back in far worse shape.”

As an example, Gaetz said the House bill eliminated the position of the chief diversity officer at the Defense Department, but the final measure did not include that provision.

Washington Rep. Adam Smith, the ranking Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, chided the bill's critics for what he described as an unwillingness to compromise.

“Apparently, you don't like democracy because that's what democracy is. You compromise and you work with people and you do it all the time,” Smith said.

Most notably, the bill does not include language sought by House Republicans to restrict gender-affirming health care for transgender service members and it does not block the Pentagon’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-biden-lloyd-austin-government-and-politics-dc6a0317775596ffc7945acc79b7559e">abortion travel</a>&nbsp;policy, which allows reimbursement for travel expenses when a service member has to go out of state for an abortion or other reproductive care.

Republicans did win some concessions on diversity and inclusion training in the military. For example, the bill freezes hiring for such training until a full accounting of the programming and costs is completed and reported to Congress.

One of the most divisive aspects of the bill was a short-term extension of a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fbi-surveillance-fisa-702-congress-reform-7dc1b506b58ce74de0d7983dfba98909">surveillance program</a>&nbsp;aimed at preventing terrorism and catching spies. The program has detractors on both sides of the political aisle who view it as a threat to the privacy of ordinary Americans.

Some House Republicans were incensed that the extension was included in the defense policy bill and not voted upon separately through other legislation that included proposed changes to Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, or FISA.

The extension continues a tool that permits the U.S. government to collect without a warrant the communications of non-Americans located outside the country, in an effort to gather foreign intelligence.

U.S. officials have said the tool, first authorized in 2008 and renewed several times since then, is crucial in disrupting terror attacks, cyber intrusions and other national security threats. It has produced vital intelligence that the U.S. has relied on for specific operations, such as the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/afghanistan-ayman-al-zawahri-qaida-biden-united-states-171556fce4719d012726fb979a14cc81">killing last year</a>&nbsp;of al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahri.

But the administration’s efforts to secure reauthorization of the program have encountered strong bipartisan pushback. Lawmakers are demanding better privacy protections for those Americans caught up in the monitoring. They wanted a separate vote on legislation making changes to the program.

“The FBI under President Biden has been weaponized against the American people and major reform is needed,” said Rep. Matt Rosendale, R-Mont. “FISA should not be combined with our national defense. And it is unacceptable that leadership is bypassing regular order to jam members by forcing them to vote on two unrelated bills with one vote.”

Matthew G. Olsen, an assistant attorney general at the Justice Department, praised the passage of the extension.

He said: “We cannot afford to be blinded to the many threats we face from foreign adversaries, including Iran and China, as well as terrorist organizations like Hamas and ISIS," or the Islamic State group.

Enough opposition to the bill had developed within the GOP ranks that it forced House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., to tee up the defense policy bill for a vote through a process generally reserved for noncontroversial legislation.

Under that process, at least two-thirds of the House had to vote in favor of the legislation for it to pass, but going that route avoided the prospect of a small number of Republicans blocking it from the floor.

Consideration of the bill comes at a dangerous time for the world, with wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, and as China increasingly flexes its military might in the South China Sea.

On Ukraine, the bill includes the creation of a special inspector general for Ukraine to address concerns about whether taxpayer dollars are being spent in Ukraine as intended. That’s on top of oversight work already being conducted by other agency watchdogs.

“We will continue to stay on top of this, but I want to assure my colleagues that there has been no evidence of diversion of weapons provided to Ukraine or any other assistance,” GOP Rep. Mike Rogers of Alabama, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, told lawmakers this week in advocating for the bill.

On China, the bill establishes a new training program with Taiwan, requires a plan to accelerate deliveries of Harpoon anti-ship missiles to Taiwan, and approves&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/australia-united-states-nuclear-submarines-biden-aukus-64a1d6c416ad9206153ad601c177869b">an agreement</a>&nbsp;that enables Australia to access nuclear-powered submarines, which are stealthier and more capable than conventionally powered vessels.

WASHINGTON —On Friday, President Biden signed into law:H.R. 2670, the “National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024,” which authorizes fiscal year 2024, according to a statement from the White House.The bill extends the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act; and other mattersLawmakers have been negotiating a final defense policy bill for months after each chamber passed strikingly different versions in July. Some of the priorities championed by social conservatives were a no-go for Democrats. Negotiators dropped them from the final version to get it over the finish line.That did not go over well with some Republican lawmakers, though most did end up voting for a bill that traditionally has broad, bipartisan support. About twice as many Republicans voted for the bill as voted against it.&nbsp;Kansas GOP Representatives Ron Estes and Tracey Man voted against the bill.“You almost feel like a parent who's sent a child off to summer camp and they came back a monster,” Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., said in opposing the bill. “That's what we've done. This bill came back in far worse shape.”As an example, Gaetz said the House bill eliminated the position of the chief diversity officer at the Defense Department, but the final measure did not include that provision.Washington Rep. Adam Smith, the ranking Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, chided the bill's critics for what he described as an unwillingness to compromise.“Apparently, you don't like democracy because that's what democracy is. You compromise and you work with people and you do it all the time,” Smith said.Most notably, the bill does not include language sought by House Republicans to restrict gender-affirming health care for transgender service members and it does not block the Pentagon’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-biden-lloyd-austin-government-and-politics-dc6a0317775596ffc7945acc79b7559e">abortion travel</a>&nbsp;policy, which allows reimbursement for travel expenses when a service member has to go out of state for an abortion or other reproductive care.Republicans did win some concessions on diversity and inclusion training in the military. For example, the bill freezes hiring for such training until a full accounting of the programming and costs is completed and reported to Congress.One of the most divisive aspects of the bill was a short-term extension of a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fbi-surveillance-fisa-702-congress-reform-7dc1b506b58ce74de0d7983dfba98909">surveillance program</a>&nbsp;aimed at preventing terrorism and catching spies. The program has detractors on both sides of the political aisle who view it as a threat to the privacy of ordinary Americans.Some House Republicans were incensed that the extension was included in the defense policy bill and not voted upon separately through other legislation that included proposed changes to Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, or FISA.The extension continues a tool that permits the U.S. government to collect without a warrant the communications of non-Americans located outside the country, in an effort to gather foreign intelligence.U.S. officials have said the tool, first authorized in 2008 and renewed several times since then, is crucial in disrupting terror attacks, cyber intrusions and other national security threats. It has produced vital intelligence that the U.S. has relied on for specific operations, such as the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/afghanistan-ayman-al-zawahri-qaida-biden-united-states-171556fce4719d012726fb979a14cc81">killing last year</a>&nbsp;of al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahri.But the administration’s efforts to secure reauthorization of the program have encountered strong bipartisan pushback. Lawmakers are demanding better privacy protections for those Americans caught up in the monitoring. They wanted a separate vote on legislation making changes to the program.“The FBI under President Biden has been weaponized against the American people and major reform is needed,” said Rep. Matt Rosendale, R-Mont. “FISA should not be combined with our national defense. And it is unacceptable that leadership is bypassing regular order to jam members by forcing them to vote on two unrelated bills with one vote.”Matthew G. Olsen, an assistant attorney general at the Justice Department, praised the passage of the extension.He said: “We cannot afford to be blinded to the many threats we face from foreign adversaries, including Iran and China, as well as terrorist organizations like Hamas and ISIS," or the Islamic State group.Enough opposition to the bill had developed within the GOP ranks that it forced House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., to tee up the defense policy bill for a vote through a process generally reserved for noncontroversial legislation.Under that process, at least two-thirds of the House had to vote in favor of the legislation for it to pass, but going that route avoided the prospect of a small number of Republicans blocking it from the floor.Consideration of the bill comes at a dangerous time for the world, with wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, and as China increasingly flexes its military might in the South China Sea.On Ukraine, the bill includes the creation of a special inspector general for Ukraine to address concerns about whether taxpayer dollars are being spent in Ukraine as intended. That’s on top of oversight work already being conducted by other agency watchdogs.“We will continue to stay on top of this, but I want to assure my colleagues that there has been no evidence of diversion of weapons provided to Ukraine or any other assistance,” GOP Rep. Mike Rogers of Alabama, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, told lawmakers this week in advocating for the bill.On China, the bill establishes a new training program with Taiwan, requires a plan to accelerate deliveries of Harpoon anti-ship missiles to Taiwan, and approves&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/australia-united-states-nuclear-submarines-biden-aukus-64a1d6c416ad9206153ad601c177869b">an agreement</a>&nbsp;that enables Australia to access nuclear-powered submarines, which are stealthier and more capable than conventionally powered vessels.

Biden signs $886B defense bill, extending controversial spying program

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1703371809808.png" alt="Janet Spoon-photo Cowley County Sheriff" />
 <figcaption>Janet Spoon-photo Cowley County Sheriff</figcaption>
 </figure>COWLEY COUNTY —The Cowley County Sheriff’s Office along with the assistance of the Winfield Police Department continue their search for 69-year-old Janet Spoon, who was reported missing on Saturday. As of 1p.m. Sunday, the sheriff's office reported no new developments in the search, but the Sheriff’s Office continues to follow up on all leads coming into the Office, according to Sheriff Dave Faletti.If you have any information about Mrs. Spoon’s whereabouts, please contact Cowley County Emergency Communications at 620-221-5447.------------COWLEY COUNTY —The search continued Sunday morning for a woman reported missing in Cowley County.&nbsp; Just after 7:30a.m. Sunday, Deputy Mosqueda with the Cowley County Sheriff's office reported Janet Spoon was still missing.&nbsp;Spoon was last seen in the area of 121st Road and U.S. 160 Highway when her vehicle became disabled. It is believed she left on foot. She is 69-year-old, a white female with blonde hair and blue eyes, approximately 5-foot-6 and 103 pounds.The Blue Line Trackers had been working an area near Wheat Road and 360 Bypass Highway. If you have any information on her location, please contact the Sheriff’s Office at (620)221-5444.-------------------COWLEY COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities were searching for a missing person on Saturday afternoon, according to Undersheriff Christina McDonald with the County County Sheriff's Office. Janet J. Spoon was last seen in the area of 121st Road and U.S. 160 Highway when her vehicle became disabled. It is believed she left on foot. She is 69-year-old, a white female with blonde hair and blue eyes, approximately 5-foot-6 and 103 pounds.The Blue Line Trackers had been working an area near Wheat Road and 360 Bypass Highway. If you have any information on her location, please contact the Sheriff’s Office at (620)221-5444.

Still missing: Woman walked away from disabled car in Kansas

SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities investigating a deadly shooting have made an arrest

Just before 6p.m. Friday, police were dispatched to a shooting in the 600 block of SW Fillmore in Topeka, according to Police Lt. Ron Ekis. First responders found&nbsp;45-year-old Jennifer Eisele of Topeka. suffering from a gunshot wound. She was pronounced deceased at the scene.&nbsp;

As a result of the investigation, police arrested Steven Hunter Jr., 46, of Topeka and booked him into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections, according to Police Lt. Donna Eubanks.

He is being held on requested charges of Murder in the 1st degree; intentional,&nbsp;&nbsp;Criminal possession of a weapon by a felon, Interference with law enforcement officer; knowingly flee by means other than a motor vehicle for felony case, according to&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1703433514556.png" alt="Hunter-photo Shawnee Co." />
 <figcaption>Hunter-photo Shawnee Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities investigating a deadly shooting have made an arrest<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1703333783490.png" alt="Police on the scene of the investigation -photo courtesy WIBW TV" />
 <figcaption>Police on the scene of the investigation -photo courtesy WIBW TV</figcaption>
 </figure>Just before 6p.m. Friday, police were dispatched to a shooting in the 600 block of SW Fillmore in Topeka, according to Police Lt. Ron Ekis. First responders found&nbsp;45-year-old Jennifer Eisele of Topeka. suffering from a gunshot wound. She was pronounced deceased at the scene.&nbsp;As a result of the investigation, police arrested Steven Hunter Jr., 46, of Topeka and booked him into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections, according to Police Lt. Donna Eubanks.He is being held on requested charges of Murder in the 1st degree; intentional,&nbsp;&nbsp;Criminal possession of a weapon by a felon, Interference with law enforcement officer; knowingly flee by means other than a motor vehicle for felony case, according to&nbsp;

Police capture suspect wanted for murder of Kansas woman

NEW YORK (AP) — If anything about Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas is You” annoys you, best to avoid shopping malls now. Or the radio. Maybe music altogether, for that matter.

Her 1994 carol dominates holiday music like nothing else.

The Christmas colossus has reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart the past four years in a row — measuring the most popular songs each week by airplay, sales and streaming, not just the holiday-themed — and it’s reasonable to assume 2023 will be no different. One expert predicts it will soon exceed $100 million in earnings. Even its ringtone has sold millions.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1703367567358.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>NEW YORK (AP) — If anything about Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas is You” annoys you, best to avoid shopping malls now. Or the radio. Maybe music altogether, for that matter.Her 1994 carol dominates holiday music like nothing else.The Christmas colossus has reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart the past four years in a row — measuring the most popular songs each week by airplay, sales and streaming, not just the holiday-themed — and it’s reasonable to assume 2023 will be no different. One expert predicts it will soon exceed $100 million in earnings. Even its ringtone has sold millions.“That song is just embedded in history now,” says&nbsp;<a href="https://davidfoster.com/">David Foster</a>, the 16-time Grammy-winning composer and producer. “It’s embedded in Christmas. When you think of Christmas right now, you think of that song.”Yet the story behind “All I Want for Christmas is You” is not all holly and mistletoe.The song’s co-authors, Carey and Walter Afanasieff, are in a mystifying feud. The authors of a different song with the same title have sued seeking $20 million in damages. While Carey calls herself the Queen of Christmas, her bid to trademark that title failed.Every year on Nov. 1, the song’s hibernation ends when Carey posts on social media that “it’s time” to play it again. This year’s message depicted her being freed from a block of ice to make the declaration.In both music and lyrics, the song was perfectly engineered for success, says&nbsp;<a href="https://college.berklee.edu/faculty/joe-bennett">Joe Bennett</a>, musicologist and professor at the Berklee College of Music. And it came from an artist who was at the top of her game at the time.“All I Want for Christmas is You” works as a love and holiday song. Carey sets it up: She doesn’t care about all the holiday trappings, she has one thing — one person — on her mind. She sprinkles in specific holiday references, from Santa Claus to mistletoe.The instruments and brisk arrangement recall Phil Spector’s 1965 album, “A Christmas Gift for You,” itself a holiday classic. To top it off, part of the melody slyly references “White Christmas,” Bennett says.“That was my goal, to do something timeless,” Carey explained in a recent “Good Morning America” interview.Billboard has produced lists of top seasonal hits since 2010, and “All I Want for Christmas is You” has been No. 1 for 57 of the 62 weeks it has run, said Gary Trust, chart director. Will Page, Spotify’s former chief economist and author of the book “Pivot,” estimates the song will exceed $100 million in earnings this holiday season.“By most objective measures,” Bennett says, “it’s the most successful Christmas song of all time.”As Afanasieff has told it, much of the work on “All I Want for Christmas is You” was done by him and Carey working in a rented house in the summer of 1994. The team had a history, working on Carey's albums “Emotions” and “Music Box.”He started with a boogie-woogie piano, tossing out melodic ideas that Carey would respond to with lyrics, he said on&nbsp;<a href="https://wdrv.com/mariah-careys-co-writer-says-her-version-of-how-her-christmas-hit-was-written-is-a-tall-tale/">last year’s podcast</a>, “Hot Takes &amp; Deep Dives with Jess Rothschild” (Afanasieff did not return messages from The Associated Press). Later, Carey completed the lyrics herself and Afanasieff recorded all the instruments, he said.Then things became complicated. Carey was married at the time to Tommy Mottola, head of Sony Music. They broke up in 1997 and her relationship with Afanasieff, who kept working for Mottola, became a casualty of that fractured marriage. Afanasieff said they've spoken once in more than 20 years, and it his contributions have been written out of Carey's telling of the song's creation.On “Good Morning America” last month, she said, "I was working on it by myself so I was writing on this little Casio keyboard, writing down words and thinking about, ’What do I think about Christmas? What do I love? What do I want? What do I dream of?” she says. “And that’s what started it.”Afanasieff sounds almost bewildered by the turn of events. He&nbsp;<a href="https://variety.com/2019/music/news/mariah-carey-all-i-want-for-christmas-co-writer-walter-afanasieff-interview-1203447527/">told Variety in 1999</a>&nbsp;that every holiday season he has to defend himself against people who don’t believe he co-wrote the song.“Mariah has been very wonderful, positive and a force of nature,” he told Variety. “She’s the one that made the song a hit and she’s awesome. But she definitely does not share credit where credit is due."Last month, songwriters Andy Stone and Troy Powers&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/hughmcintyre/2023/11/03/mariah-carey-is-being-sued-over-all-i-want-for-christmas-is-you-again/?sh=4d07dc9d2667">sued Carey and Afanasieff</a>&nbsp;in federal court in California, seeking $20 million in copyright infringement and citing their own 1989 country song, “All I Want for Christmas is You.”Their song has a similar theme, with a narrator desiring a love interest before Christmas comforts. The writers cite an “overwhelming likelihood” that Carey and Afanasieff had heard their song.The two songs have no musical similarities, Berklee’s Bennett says, and the theme is hardly unique. He pointed out Bing Crosby’s “You’re All I Want for Christmas,” Carla Thomas’ “All I Want for Christmas is You” and Buck Owens’ “All I Want for Christmas, Dear, is You.”Says the musicologist: “It’s nonsense.”In his podcast appearance, Afanasieff noted how Foster once told him that “All I Want for Christmas is You” was the last song to enter the Christmas canon and “that vault is sealed.”Foster told AP he exaggerated a little, but not a lot. Writing a new holiday song is brutally hard, since you’re competing with not just current hits but hundreds of years of songs and memories. The old classics never go away.“I just stay away from them, because they scare me,” Foster says. “Lyrically, it’s sort of all been done before — better than I can ever do.”While he appreciates Foster’s compliment, Afanasieff told Rothschild that he hoped others don’t take it to heart.