By SHERMAN SMITH <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/02/20/kansas-senate-president-roll-back-food-tax-relief-so-state-can-afford-flat-tax-plan/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA — Senate President Ty Masterson’s “broader picture” for tax 
policy changes came into focus Monday with a plan that involves rolling 
back tax relief on food so the state can afford to cut income taxes for 
the highest wage earners.

The Senate tax committee passed a flat tax plan that would lower the 
income tax rate for all wage brackets to 4.75% at an estimated cost of 
about $566 million in the next calendar year. The impact on state 
revenue would be lessened by applying the sales tax on food to just 
“healthy” items.

Masterson appeared before the committee to promote the two pieces of legislation.

“Is this meant to only help those less fortunate? I think the answer 
is no,” Masterson said. “They’re to be helped, but it’s to help all 
Kansans, not just those less fortunate, because the structure’s there. 
The best thing for them is a job. We can’t keep on the train of buying 
economic development. You have to put a tax structure in place where 
those jobs remain. And so that helps everybody.”

He praised Gov. Laura Kelly for effectively using her “axe the tax” 
line during last year’s gubernatorial campaign, where she touted passage
 of legislation to gradually eliminate the 6.5% state sales tax on food.
 But he urged lawmakers to consider the “broader picture.”

Masterson’s proposal would repeal the gradual elimination of state 
sales tax on food, which would reduce annual revenues by about $450 
million when fully implemented on Jan. 1, 2025. Instead, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/sb248/">Senate Bill 248</a>
 would exempt select food items from both state and local sales tax, 
reducing state revenues by about $284 million in the next fiscal year.

The goal, Masterson said, is not to incentivize healthy food choices. The plan is to afford tax cuts elsewhere, he said.

“You can do things in an overall package, like take tax off Social 
Security, and if you’re truly interested in helping those in their 
golden years, you want to look at stuff like that,” Masterson said. “The
 other thing we need to do is look at the structure that we’re under. 
The states that are doing the best are the zero income tax states. And 
this is not even an attempt to get there. The second tier are those with
 the single rate flat tax. So the structure is actually the most 
important thing to get to. And this would allow you to get to a 
structure with a lower rate.”

Opponents of the “healthy foods” legislation include grocers and 
family advocates who say the change would be confusing, difficult to 
implement, and reduce revenue for local governments. They also raised 
concerns about which items qualify as “healthy.”

The list of healthy items is based on foods that qualify for the 
federal Women, Infants and Children nutrition program. The legislation 
specifies fruits and vegetables; meat, poultry and fish; eggs, milk, 
cheese and yogurt; infant formula; whole wheat or whole grain bread; 
corn or flour tortillas; pasta; brown rice, bulgur, oatmeal and whole 
grain barley; breakfast cereals; beans and nuts; and peanut butter.

Jami Reever, executive director of Kansas Appleseed, said one in four
 Kansas kids lives in a household that cannot afford to eat nutritious 
meals.

Additionally, Reever said, one in six Kansans lives in a food desert,
 which means they don’t have access to a grocery store. Those who get 
their food from a convenience store, for example, might have to choose 
white rice over brown rice because that is what is available.

“Families have to make really tough choices every single day about 
what they feed their families,” Reever said. “I think it’s better that 
kids go to bed with a full tummy than with no food at all. And I’m 
worried that by just adding on to the food bill, they’ll have to make 
some really impossible choices.”

Sen. Caryn Tyson, a Parker Republican who chairs the tax committee, 
took issue with mailers sent by Kansas Appleseed that urged support for 
eliminating the sales tax on food. Tyson’s complaint: The sales tax 
reduction passed last year applied to “groceries,” not “food.”

Tyson: “Your fliers were absolutely misleading, then, because you said remove it on food.”

Reever:&nbsp;“We called it the food sales tax.”

Reever: “I thank you for pointing that out.”

The committee concluded the hearing on the sales tax bill in the 
morning, then met again over the lunch hour to consider other proposals.
 They included <a target="_blank" href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/sb169/">Senate Bill 169</a>, an alternative to the Kansas Chamber’s proposed flat tax plan.

Under current law, the income tax rate is 3.1% for income under 
$15,000, 5.25% for income between $15,000 and $30,000, and 5.7% for 
income above $30,000. The dollar amounts are doubled for couples filing 
jointly.

SB 169 would eliminate the income tax for those earning less than $5,225 annually and apply a 4.75% rate to all others.

Critics of the flat tax compare it to former Gov. Sam Brownback’s 
“tax experiment” because it involves a dramatic sudden reduction in 
state revenue and disproportionately favors the highest wage earners.

“For the life of me, I don’t understand why the committee is going 
down this path,” said Sen. Tom Holland, D-Baldwin City. “We tried 
something very similar with the Brownback tax experiment. My concern is 
not only is it a more aggressive tax, once again, it’s really 
effectively reducing the tax rate for the wealthiest Kansans. The second
 thing is that we simply can’t afford this.”

Sen. Virgil Peck, R-Havana, said he wanted to “make sure it’s on the 
record” that the flat tax is different from legislation passed in 2012, 
which cut the rate for top earners and eliminated the income tax for 
businesses.

Peck said he supported the 2012 plan and believes it would have worked if the Legislature had controlled spending.

“That’s ancient history — or at least history, not ancient,” Peck 
said. “And so I just thought that I would mention that this is not the 
Brownback tax plan. This is the Legislature’s attempt to do some things 
to make our state more competitive for our workers, for bringing 
business and citizens to our state.”

The committee passed the flat tax bill on a party line vote, sending it to the full Senate for consideration.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/2/1676932634208.png" alt="Senate President Ty Masterson appears Jan. 20, 2023, before the Senate tax committee to urge lawmakers to support plans to limit tax relief on food to “healthy” items in order to afford a lower income tax rate. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>Senate President Ty Masterson appears Jan. 20, 2023, before the Senate tax committee to urge lawmakers to support plans to limit tax relief on food to “healthy” items in order to afford a lower income tax rate. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>By SHERMAN SMITH <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/02/20/kansas-senate-president-roll-back-food-tax-relief-so-state-can-afford-flat-tax-plan/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — Senate President Ty Masterson’s “broader picture” for tax 
policy changes came into focus Monday with a plan that involves rolling 
back tax relief on food so the state can afford to cut income taxes for 
the highest wage earners.The Senate tax committee passed a flat tax plan that would lower the 
income tax rate for all wage brackets to 4.75% at an estimated cost of 
about $566 million in the next calendar year. The impact on state 
revenue would be lessened by applying the sales tax on food to just 
“healthy” items.Masterson appeared before the committee to promote the two pieces of legislation.“Is this meant to only help those less fortunate? I think the answer 
is no,” Masterson said. “They’re to be helped, but it’s to help all 
Kansans, not just those less fortunate, because the structure’s there. 
The best thing for them is a job. We can’t keep on the train of buying 
economic development. You have to put a tax structure in place where 
those jobs remain. And so that helps everybody.”He praised Gov. Laura Kelly for effectively using her “axe the tax” 
line during last year’s gubernatorial campaign, where she touted passage
 of legislation to gradually eliminate the 6.5% state sales tax on food.
 But he urged lawmakers to consider the “broader picture.”Masterson’s proposal would repeal the gradual elimination of state 
sales tax on food, which would reduce annual revenues by about $450 
million when fully implemented on Jan. 1, 2025. Instead, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/sb248/">Senate Bill 248</a>
 would exempt select food items from both state and local sales tax, 
reducing state revenues by about $284 million in the next fiscal year.The goal, Masterson said, is not to incentivize healthy food choices. The plan is to afford tax cuts elsewhere, he said.“You can do things in an overall package, like take tax off Social 
Security, and if you’re truly interested in helping those in their 
golden years, you want to look at stuff like that,” Masterson said. “The
 other thing we need to do is look at the structure that we’re under. 
The states that are doing the best are the zero income tax states. And 
this is not even an attempt to get there. The second tier are those with
 the single rate flat tax. So the structure is actually the most 
important thing to get to. And this would allow you to get to a 
structure with a lower rate.”Opponents of the “healthy foods” legislation include grocers and 
family advocates who say the change would be confusing, difficult to 
implement, and reduce revenue for local governments. They also raised 
concerns about which items qualify as “healthy.”The list of healthy items is based on foods that qualify for the 
federal Women, Infants and Children nutrition program. The legislation 
specifies fruits and vegetables; meat, poultry and fish; eggs, milk, 
cheese and yogurt; infant formula; whole wheat or whole grain bread; 
corn or flour tortillas; pasta; brown rice, bulgur, oatmeal and whole 
grain barley; breakfast cereals; beans and nuts; and peanut butter.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/2/1676932717720.png" alt="Jami Reever, executive director of Kansas Appleseed, says struggling families need more relief from high grocery bills, not less. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>Jami Reever, executive director of Kansas Appleseed, says struggling families need more relief from high grocery bills, not less. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>Jami Reever, executive director of Kansas Appleseed, said one in four
 Kansas kids lives in a household that cannot afford to eat nutritious 
meals.Additionally, Reever said, one in six Kansans lives in a food desert,
 which means they don’t have access to a grocery store. Those who get 
their food from a convenience store, for example, might have to choose 
white rice over brown rice because that is what is available.“Families have to make really tough choices every single day about 
what they feed their families,” Reever said. “I think it’s better that 
kids go to bed with a full tummy than with no food at all. And I’m 
worried that by just adding on to the food bill, they’ll have to make 
some really impossible choices.”Sen. Caryn Tyson, a Parker Republican who chairs the tax committee, 
took issue with mailers sent by Kansas Appleseed that urged support for 
eliminating the sales tax on food. Tyson’s complaint: The sales tax 
reduction passed last year applied to “groceries,” not “food.”Tyson: “Your fliers were absolutely misleading, then, because you said remove it on food.”Reever:&nbsp;“We called it the food sales tax.”Tyson: “Yeah, which is misleading.”Reever: “I thank you for pointing that out.”The committee concluded the hearing on the sales tax bill in the 
morning, then met again over the lunch hour to consider other proposals.
 They included <a target="_blank" href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/sb169/">Senate Bill 169</a>, an alternative to the Kansas Chamber’s proposed flat tax plan.Under current law, the income tax rate is 3.1% for income under 
$15,000, 5.25% for income between $15,000 and $30,000, and 5.7% for 
income above $30,000. The dollar amounts are doubled for couples filing 
jointly.SB 169 would eliminate the income tax for those earning less than $5,225 annually and apply a 4.75% rate to all others.Critics of the flat tax compare it to former Gov. Sam Brownback’s 
“tax experiment” because it involves a dramatic sudden reduction in 
state revenue and disproportionately favors the highest wage earners.“For the life of me, I don’t understand why the committee is going 
down this path,” said Sen. Tom Holland, D-Baldwin City. “We tried 
something very similar with the Brownback tax experiment. My concern is 
not only is it a more aggressive tax, once again, it’s really 
effectively reducing the tax rate for the wealthiest Kansans. The second
 thing is that we simply can’t afford this.”Sen. Virgil Peck, R-Havana, said he wanted to “make sure it’s on the 
record” that the flat tax is different from legislation passed in 2012, 
which cut the rate for top earners and eliminated the income tax for 
businesses.Peck said he supported the 2012 plan and believes it would have worked if the Legislature had controlled spending.“That’s ancient history — or at least history, not ancient,” Peck 
said. “And so I just thought that I would mention that this is not the 
Brownback tax plan. This is the Legislature’s attempt to do some things 
to make our state more competitive for our workers, for bringing 
business and citizens to our state.”The committee passed the flat tax bill on a party line vote, sending it to the full Senate for consideration.

Kan. Senate president: Roll back food relief so state can afford flat tax

SEDGWICK COUNTY —The Sedgwick County Sheriff's office is investigating a fatal Kansas police officer-involved shooting.

Just before 10 a.m. Monday a police officer in Goddard attempted to make a traffic stop for an alleged traffic violation, according to a media release.

The driver refused to stop. The officer followed the driver south of Goddard at reasonable speeds and eventually discontinued the pursuit but followed the vehicle.

At one point, the driver gestured and showed a handgun from inside his vehicle. The driver stopped at 183rd West and 63rd South, got out of the vehicle and approached the officer.

The officer gave numerous commands for the man to drop the gun, but the man refused.&nbsp;&nbsp;The officer fired his service revolver at the man who was pronounced dead at the scene.

The Goddard Police officer has been placed on administrative leave.

Sedgwick County Sheriff Jeff Easter and&nbsp;Goddard Police Chief Lance Beagley are expected to release more information on the case Tuesday, according to Sheriff's Lt. Nathan Gibbs.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/2/1676979844559.png" alt="First responders at the scene of the officer-involved shooting" />
 <figcaption>First responders at the scene of the officer-involved shooting</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY —The Sedgwick County Sheriff's office is investigating a fatal Kansas police officer-involved shooting.Just before 10 a.m. Monday a police officer in Goddard attempted to make a traffic stop for an alleged traffic violation, according to a media release.The driver refused to stop. The officer followed the driver south of Goddard at reasonable speeds and eventually discontinued the pursuit but followed the vehicle.At one point, the driver gestured and showed a handgun from inside his vehicle. The driver stopped at 183rd West and 63rd South, got out of the vehicle and approached the officer.The officer gave numerous commands for the man to drop the gun, but the man refused.&nbsp;&nbsp;The officer fired his service revolver at the man who was pronounced dead at the scene.The Goddard Police officer has been placed on administrative leave.Sedgwick County Sheriff Jeff Easter and&nbsp;Goddard Police Chief Lance Beagley are expected to release more information on the case Tuesday, according to Sheriff's Lt. Nathan Gibbs.&nbsp;

Man dies in Kansas officer-involved shooting

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — President Joe Biden’s motorcade slipped out of the White House around 3:30 a.m. Sunday. No big, flashy Air Force One for this trip -– the president vanished into the darkness on an Air Force C-32, a modified Boeing 757 normally used for domestic trips to smaller airports.

The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-zelenskyy-biden-f00af220669457d5ba07127c7e57a27b?utm_source=homepage&amp;utm_medium=TopNews&amp;utm_campaign=position_01">next time he turned up</a>&nbsp;— 20 hours later — it was in downtown Kyiv, Ukraine.

Biden’s surprise 23-hour visit to Ukraine on Monday was the first time in modern history that a U.S. leader visited a warzone outside the aegis of the U.S. military — a feat the White House said carried some risk even though Moscow was given a heads-up.

Over the next five hours, the president made multiple stops around town — ferried about in a white SUV rather than the presidential limousine — without any announcement to the Ukrainian public that he was there. But all that activity attracted enough attention that word of his presence leaked out well before he could get back to Poland, which was the original plan. Aides at the White House were surprised the secret held as long as it did.

But Russia knew what the Ukrainian public did not. U.S. officials had given Moscow notice of Biden’s trip.

The president had been itching since last year to join the parade of other Western officials who have visited Kyiv to pledge support standing shoulder to shoulder with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the capital.

Biden’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-kyiv-russia-government-andrzej-duda-poland-1a3fae5e20c14d2e6b4f7628f1ae4262">planned trip to Warsaw, Poland</a>, and the Presidents’ Day holiday provided an obvious opening to tack on a stop in Kyiv. A small group of senior officials at the White House and across U.S. national security agencies set about working in secret for months to make it happen, national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Monday. Biden only gave the final sign-off Friday.

Sullivan said the trip “required a security, operational, and logistical effort from professionals across the U.S. government to take what was an inherently risky undertaking and make it a manageable risk.”

Once Biden was secreted aboard the Air Force jet, the call sign “SAM060,” for Special Air Mission, was used for the plane instead of the usual “Air Force One.” It was parked in the dark with the window-shades down, and took off from Joint Base Andrews at 4:15 a.m. Eastern time.

Biden makes surprise visit to KyivBiden makes surprise visit to Kyiv0 seconds of 1 minute, 16 secondsVolume 90%

After a refueling stop in Germany, where the president was kept aboard the aircraft, Biden’s plane switched off its transponder for the roughly hour-long flight to Rzeszow, Poland, the airport that has served as the gateway for billions of dollars in Western arms and VIP visitors into Ukraine. From there, he boarded a train for the roughly 10-hour overnight trip to Kyiv.

He arrived in the capital at 8 a.m. Monday, was greeted by Ambassador Bridget Brink and entered his motorcade for the drive to Mariinsky Palace. Even while he was on the ground in Ukraine, flights transporting military equipment and other goods were continuing unabated to Rzeszow from Western cities.

Meanwhile, in Kyiv, many main streets and central blocks were cordoned off without explanation. People started sharing videos of long motorcades of cars speeding along streets where access was restricted — the first clues that Biden had arrived.

Biden traveled with a far smaller than usual retinue: Sullivan, deputy chief of staff Jen O’Malley Dillon and the director of Oval Office operations, Annie Tomasini. They were joined by his Secret Service detail, the military aide carrying the so-called “nuclear football,” a small medical team and the official White House photographer.

Only two journalists were on board instead of the usual complement of 13. Their electronic devices were powered off and turned over to the White House for the duration of the trip into Ukraine. A small number of journalists based in Ukraine were summoned to a downtown hotel on Monday morning to join them, not informed that Biden was visiting until shortly before his arrival.

Even with Western surface-to-air missile systems bolstering Ukraine’s defenses, it was rare for a U.S. leader to travel to a conflict zone where the U.S. or its allies did not have control over the airspace.

The U.S. military does not have a presence in Ukraine other than a small detachment of Marines guarding the embassy in Kyiv, making Biden’s visit more complicated than visits by prior U.S. leaders to war zones.

“We did notify the Russians that President Biden will be traveling to Kyiv,” Sullivan told reporters. “We did so some hours before his departure for deconfliction purposes.” He declined to specify the exact message or to whom it was delivered but said the heads-up was to avoid any miscalculation that could bring the two nuclear-armed nations into direct conflict.

While Biden was in Kyiv, U.S. surveillance planes, including E-3 Sentry airborne radar and an electronic RC-135W Rivet Joint aircraft, were keeping watch over Kyiv from Polish airspace.

The sealing off of Kyiv roads that are usually humming with traffic brought an eerie calm to the center of the capital. It was so quiet that crows could be heard cawing as Biden and Zelenskyy walked from their motorcade to the gold-domed St. Michael’s Cathedral under skies as blue as the outer walls of the cathedral itself.

“Let’s walk in and take a look,” Biden said, wearing his trademark aviator sunglasses against the glare. The presidents disappeared inside as heavily armed soldiers stood guard outside.

Cathedral bells chirped at the stroke of 11:30 a.m. followed shortly by air raid alarms, at 11:34 a.m., just before the men reemerged. The sirens were first a distant howl rising over the city, followed seconds later by alarms from mobile phone apps wailing from people’s pockets.

Those alarms are voiced by “Star Wars” actor Mark Hamill, and his Luke Skywalker voice urged people to take cover, warning: “Don’t be careless. Your overconfidence is your weakness.”

The two leaders walked at a measured pace with no outward signs of concern through the cathedral’s arched front gate onto the square in front, where the rusting hulks of destroyed Russian tanks and other armored vehicles have been stationed as grim reminders of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine">the war</a>.

When the square isn’t blocked off, as it was during the leaders’ visit, people come to look at the vehicles, many taking selfies.

Biden appeared to pay the hulks no mind as he and Zelenskyy followed behind honor guards carrying two wreaths to the wall of remembrance honoring Ukrainian soldiers killed since 2014, the year Russia annexed Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula and Russian-backed fighting erupted in eastern Ukraine.

It was only then that the first images of Biden in the capital popped up on Ukrainian social media and the secret visit became global news.

“He is like an example of a president who is not afraid to show up in Ukraine and to support us,” said Kyiv resident Myroslava Renova, 23, after Biden’s visit became known.

Biden headed to the U.S. Embassy for a brief stop before departing the country by train back to Poland aboard a well-appointed, wood-paneled train car with tightly drawn curtains, a dining table and a leather sofa.

The all-clear notice, also voiced by Hamill, sounded at 1:07 p.m., as Biden’s train was pulling away from the station.

“The air alert is over,” Hamill said. “May the force be with you.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/2/1676938829757.png" alt="President Biden and Jake Sullivan (NSC) on the train from Kyiv to Poland-White House pool photo" />
 <figcaption>President Biden and Jake Sullivan (NSC) on the train from Kyiv to Poland-White House pool photo</figcaption>
 </figure>KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — President Joe Biden’s motorcade slipped out of the White House around 3:30 a.m. Sunday. No big, flashy Air Force One for this trip -– the president vanished into the darkness on an Air Force C-32, a modified Boeing 757 normally used for domestic trips to smaller airports.The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-zelenskyy-biden-f00af220669457d5ba07127c7e57a27b?utm_source=homepage&amp;utm_medium=TopNews&amp;utm_campaign=position_01">next time he turned up</a>&nbsp;— 20 hours later — it was in downtown Kyiv, Ukraine.Biden’s surprise 23-hour visit to Ukraine on Monday was the first time in modern history that a U.S. leader visited a warzone outside the aegis of the U.S. military — a feat the White House said carried some risk even though Moscow was given a heads-up.Over the next five hours, the president made multiple stops around town — ferried about in a white SUV rather than the presidential limousine — without any announcement to the Ukrainian public that he was there. But all that activity attracted enough attention that word of his presence leaked out well before he could get back to Poland, which was the original plan. Aides at the White House were surprised the secret held as long as it did.But Russia knew what the Ukrainian public did not. U.S. officials had given Moscow notice of Biden’s trip.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/2/1676938918672.png" alt="Biden on&nbsp; the train after Monday's visit with Zelenskyy in Kyiv — White House pool photo" />
 <figcaption>Biden on&nbsp; the train after Monday's visit with Zelenskyy in Kyiv — White House pool photo</figcaption>
 </figure>The president had been itching since last year to join the parade of other Western officials who have visited Kyiv to pledge support standing shoulder to shoulder with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the capital.Biden’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-kyiv-russia-government-andrzej-duda-poland-1a3fae5e20c14d2e6b4f7628f1ae4262">planned trip to Warsaw, Poland</a>, and the Presidents’ Day holiday provided an obvious opening to tack on a stop in Kyiv. A small group of senior officials at the White House and across U.S. national security agencies set about working in secret for months to make it happen, national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Monday. Biden only gave the final sign-off Friday.Sullivan said the trip “required a security, operational, and logistical effort from professionals across the U.S. government to take what was an inherently risky undertaking and make it a manageable risk.”Once Biden was secreted aboard the Air Force jet, the call sign “SAM060,” for Special Air Mission, was used for the plane instead of the usual “Air Force One.” It was parked in the dark with the window-shades down, and took off from Joint Base Andrews at 4:15 a.m. Eastern time.Biden makes surprise visit to KyivBiden makes surprise visit to Kyiv0 seconds of 1 minute, 16 secondsVolume 90% After a refueling stop in Germany, where the president was kept aboard the aircraft, Biden’s plane switched off its transponder for the roughly hour-long flight to Rzeszow, Poland, the airport that has served as the gateway for billions of dollars in Western arms and VIP visitors into Ukraine. From there, he boarded a train for the roughly 10-hour overnight trip to Kyiv.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/2/1676893663408.png" alt="White House photo" />
 <figcaption>White House photo</figcaption>
 </figure>He arrived in the capital at 8 a.m. Monday, was greeted by Ambassador Bridget Brink and entered his motorcade for the drive to Mariinsky Palace. Even while he was on the ground in Ukraine, flights transporting military equipment and other goods were continuing unabated to Rzeszow from Western cities.Meanwhile, in Kyiv, many main streets and central blocks were cordoned off without explanation. People started sharing videos of long motorcades of cars speeding along streets where access was restricted — the first clues that Biden had arrived.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/2/1676898277789.png" alt="White House photo" />
 <figcaption>White House photo</figcaption>
 </figure>Biden traveled with a far smaller than usual retinue: Sullivan, deputy chief of staff Jen O’Malley Dillon and the director of Oval Office operations, Annie Tomasini. They were joined by his Secret Service detail, the military aide carrying the so-called “nuclear football,” a small medical team and the official White House photographer.Only two journalists were on board instead of the usual complement of 13. Their electronic devices were powered off and turned over to the White House for the duration of the trip into Ukraine. A small number of journalists based in Ukraine were summoned to a downtown hotel on Monday morning to join them, not informed that Biden was visiting until shortly before his arrival.Even with Western surface-to-air missile systems bolstering Ukraine’s defenses, it was rare for a U.S. leader to travel to a conflict zone where the U.S. or its allies did not have control over the airspace.The U.S. military does not have a presence in Ukraine other than a small detachment of Marines guarding the embassy in Kyiv, making Biden’s visit more complicated than visits by prior U.S. leaders to war zones.“We did notify the Russians that President Biden will be traveling to Kyiv,” Sullivan told reporters. “We did so some hours before his departure for deconfliction purposes.” He declined to specify the exact message or to whom it was delivered but said the heads-up was to avoid any miscalculation that could bring the two nuclear-armed nations into direct conflict.While Biden was in Kyiv, U.S. surveillance planes, including E-3 Sentry airborne radar and an electronic RC-135W Rivet Joint aircraft, were keeping watch over Kyiv from Polish airspace.The sealing off of Kyiv roads that are usually humming with traffic brought an eerie calm to the center of the capital. It was so quiet that crows could be heard cawing as Biden and Zelenskyy walked from their motorcade to the gold-domed St. Michael’s Cathedral under skies as blue as the outer walls of the cathedral itself.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/2/1676899116771.png" alt="White House photo" />
 <figcaption>White House photo</figcaption>
 </figure>“Let’s walk in and take a look,” Biden said, wearing his trademark aviator sunglasses against the glare. The presidents disappeared inside as heavily armed soldiers stood guard outside.Cathedral bells chirped at the stroke of 11:30 a.m. followed shortly by air raid alarms, at 11:34 a.m., just before the men reemerged. The sirens were first a distant howl rising over the city, followed seconds later by alarms from mobile phone apps wailing from people’s pockets.Those alarms are voiced by “Star Wars” actor Mark Hamill, and his Luke Skywalker voice urged people to take cover, warning: “Don’t be careless. Your overconfidence is your weakness.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/2/1676918110537.png" alt="White House photo" />
 <figcaption>White House photo</figcaption>
 </figure>The two leaders walked at a measured pace with no outward signs of concern through the cathedral’s arched front gate onto the square in front, where the rusting hulks of destroyed Russian tanks and other armored vehicles have been stationed as grim reminders of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine">the war</a>.When the square isn’t blocked off, as it was during the leaders’ visit, people come to look at the vehicles, many taking selfies.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/2/1676925054906.png" alt="White House photo" />
 <figcaption>White House photo</figcaption>
 </figure>Biden appeared to pay the hulks no mind as he and Zelenskyy followed behind honor guards carrying two wreaths to the wall of remembrance honoring Ukrainian soldiers killed since 2014, the year Russia annexed Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula and Russian-backed fighting erupted in eastern Ukraine.It was only then that the first images of Biden in the capital popped up on Ukrainian social media and the secret visit became global news.“He is like an example of a president who is not afraid to show up in Ukraine and to support us,” said Kyiv resident Myroslava Renova, 23, after Biden’s visit became known.Biden headed to the U.S. Embassy for a brief stop before departing the country by train back to Poland aboard a well-appointed, wood-paneled train car with tightly drawn curtains, a dining table and a leather sofa.The all-clear notice, also voiced by Hamill, sounded at 1:07 p.m., as Biden’s train was pulling away from the station.“The air alert is over,” Hamill said. “May the force be with you.”___

Months of planning, secrecy led to Biden’s historic trip to Ukraine

SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating an accidental shooting that injured a 33-year-old man.

Just before 10 a.m. Monday, police were dispatched to a shooting call at a motel in the 8400 block of West Kellogg Drive in Wichita, according to Officer Juan Rebolledo.

First responders found the man with a gunshot wound to his upper body. EMS transported him to an area hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.&nbsp;

The investigation revealed the 33-year-old victim was with an acquaintance of his when the handgun the acquaintance had in his waistband was accidentally dropped and a round was fired, striking him in his abdominal area. 

The victim's acquaintance left the scene of the incident before the officers arrived.&nbsp;The victim was treated for his injury and released.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/2/1676940049662.png" alt="Police at the scene of the shooting investigation -photo courtesy KWCH" />
 <figcaption>Police at the scene of the shooting investigation -photo courtesy KWCH</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating an accidental shooting that injured a 33-year-old man.Just before 10 a.m. Monday, police were dispatched to a shooting call at a motel in the 8400 block of West Kellogg Drive in Wichita, according to Officer Juan Rebolledo.First responders found the man with a gunshot wound to his upper body. EMS transported him to an area hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.&nbsp;The investigation revealed the 33-year-old victim was with an acquaintance of his when the handgun the acquaintance had in his waistband was accidentally dropped and a round was fired, striking him in his abdominal area. The victim's acquaintance left the scene of the incident before the officers arrived.&nbsp;The victim was treated for his injury and released.

Police: Man accidentally dropped gun, shot man and ran

SEDGWICK COUNTY —A 4-year-old Kansas girl died from injuries in an accident that occurred just before 5:30p.m. Sunday

&nbsp;Britne Costello 32, Douglas, was driving a vehicle westbound on MacArthur at about 20000 west with her two children, according to Sheriff's Lt. Nathan Gibbs.

 Costello's was passing another vehicle. She overcorrected and her vehicle left the road, rolled and caught fire.

Through the heroic actions of a Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Deputy and several citizens all three occupants were extricated from the burning vehicle. 

EMS transported Costello and the two year old boy to a local hospital in serious condition. The four year old girl was transported in critical condition. She later died at the hospital, according to Gibbs.&nbsp; The

SEDGWICK COUNTY —A 4-year-old Kansas girl died from injuries in an accident that occurred just before 5:30p.m. Sunday&nbsp;Britne Costello 32, Douglas, was driving a vehicle westbound on MacArthur at about 20000 west with her two children, according to Sheriff's Lt. Nathan Gibbs. Costello's was passing another vehicle. She overcorrected and her vehicle left the road, rolled and caught fire.Through the heroic actions of a Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Deputy and several citizens all three occupants were extricated from the burning vehicle. EMS transported Costello and the two year old boy to a local hospital in serious condition. The four year old girl was transported in critical condition. She later died at the hospital, according to Gibbs.&nbsp; The

4-year-old Kan. girl dies from injuries in rollover crash, fire

JOHNSON COUNTY —A Kansas man has been sentenced to consecutive life sentences for first degree murder and attempted capital murder. Matthew Bibee, Jr., 22, Overland Park, will be eligible for parole after serving 50-years, according to the Johnson County District Attorney's office.

In October, a jury found Bibee guilty in the death of 17-year-old Rowan Padgett, who was murdered in the 12300 block of South Mullen Court as part in a failed $8 Xanax deal.

In Jan. of 2020, Jordan Denny, of Olathe was sentenced&nbsp; for drug charges in connection with the case. She originally was charged with felony murder in the March 2019 death of Padgett.

The affidavit said Matthew Lee Bibee Jr. arranged to buy the anxiety medication through Denny, who was then 16. She told authorities her supplier fell through and that she asked Padgett to leave with Bibee because her father had called police.

Padgett was killed after getting into the car with Bibee, who was wounded two days later in an exchange of gunfire with police.

Another teen was sentenced to more than four years in a juvenile corrections facility for helping to set up the deal.

In March of 2019, Bibee was also involved in shooting at a police officer in Olathe. The officer, who was investigating a carjecking, was not hurt..

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/2/1676656170093.png" alt="Bibee" />
 <figcaption>Bibee</figcaption>
 </figure>JOHNSON COUNTY —A Kansas man has been sentenced to consecutive life sentences for first degree murder and attempted capital murder. Matthew Bibee, Jr., 22, Overland Park, will be eligible for parole after serving 50-years, according to the Johnson County District Attorney's office.In October, a jury found Bibee guilty in the death of 17-year-old Rowan Padgett, who was murdered in the 12300 block of South Mullen Court as part in a failed $8 Xanax deal.In Jan. of 2020, Jordan Denny, of Olathe was sentenced&nbsp; for drug charges in connection with the case. She originally was charged with felony murder in the March 2019 death of Padgett.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/1/1578656299375.png" alt="Rowan Padgett photo <a href="https://www.penwellgabelkc.com/Obituary/170460/Rowan-Padgett/Olathe-KS">courtesy Penwell Gable&nbsp;</a>" />
 <figcaption>Rowan Padgett photo <a href="https://www.penwellgabelkc.com/Obituary/170460/Rowan-Padgett/Olathe-KS">courtesy Penwell Gable&nbsp;</a></figcaption>
 </figure>The affidavit said Matthew Lee Bibee Jr. arranged to buy the anxiety medication through Denny, who was then 16. She told authorities her supplier fell through and that she asked Padgett to leave with Bibee because her father had called police.Padgett was killed after getting into the car with Bibee, who was wounded two days later in an exchange of gunfire with police.Another teen was sentenced to more than four years in a juvenile corrections facility for helping to set up the deal.In March of 2019, Bibee was also involved in shooting at a police officer in Olathe. The officer, who was investigating a carjecking, was not hurt..

Kan. man sentenced in connection with $8 Xanax deal killing

SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a violent knife attack.

Just before 4 p.m., Sunday, police responded to a report of a stabbing in the 600 block of N Kansas Avenue in Topeka, according to Police Lt. Edward Stanley.

First responders located a man who was transported to a local hospital with non life-threatening injuries.

As a result of the investigation, police took 24-year-old Davis A. Lee of Topeka into custody. He is being held on a requested charge of Aggravated Battery.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/2/1676911930803.png" alt="Lee photo Shawnee Co." />
 <figcaption>Lee photo Shawnee Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a violent knife attack.Just before 4 p.m., Sunday, police responded to a report of a stabbing in the 600 block of N Kansas Avenue in Topeka, according to Police Lt. Edward Stanley.First responders located a man who was transported to a local hospital with non life-threatening injuries.As a result of the investigation, police took 24-year-old Davis A. Lee of Topeka into custody. He is being held on a requested charge of Aggravated Battery.

Kansas man jailed for alleged knife attack

COFFEY COUNTY, Kan. –&nbsp;Governor Laura Kelly on Monday announced that EMP Shield, an industry leader in protecting electronic devices from destructive magnetic pulses, plans to invest $1.9 billion in a computer chip manufacturing facility in Burlington. The facility will create more than 1,200 jobs averaging $66,000 annually.&nbsp;

EMP Shield will build its facility on 300 acres in a secure campus located at Silicon Prairie Industrial Park. The company will be joined by six out-of-state suppliers, resulting in an additional 1,000 jobs created in Coffey County.&nbsp;

“Bringing economic prosperity to every corner of the state – particularly rural Kansas – has been a priority since my very first day in office,”&nbsp;Governor Laura Kelly said. “We achieve that with this project, creating thousands of high-paying jobs that don’t require a four-year degree and proving that every Kansas community is ripe for investment and growth.”&nbsp;&nbsp;

EMP Shield plans to have four production lines operating in approximately 235,000 square feet of facilities in the new industrial park that will produce thousands of chips per week. Its suppliers will manufacture necessary components and prepare the final products for delivery.&nbsp;

“This high-tech advanced manufacturing project will provide lucrative career opportunities for hard-working Kansans,”&nbsp;Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of Commerce David Toland said. “Our economic development strategy is designed to keep nurturing the roots of our young talent so they can remain here in Kansas.”&nbsp;

EMP Shield will leverage state support to apply for CHIPS Act funding to see its plans to fruition.&nbsp;

The project came together shortly after the Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors (CHIPS) Act was signed into law last August. The bipartisan legislation called for every aspect of computer chip production to be brought back to the United States – specifically into rural areas of the Midwest. Additional stipulations include private-public partnerships as well as the involvement of higher education institutions.&nbsp;

“Coffey County appears to really hit the sweet spot for everything requested for CHIPS Act funding,”&nbsp;EMP Shield Founder and Lead Engineer Tim Carty said. “Everything is falling into place, and the state’s strong support hopefully gets us one step closer to a favorable federal response.”&nbsp;

EMP Shield is working with area partners such as Coffey County; Flint Hills Technical College; Allen County Community College; Pittsburg State University; the University of Kansas; Heartland Black Chamber of Commerce; Wichita Hispanic Chamber of Commerce; and Unified School Districts 243, 244 and 245.&nbsp;

“There are workforce development programs already in place that will enable high school graduates and those with two-year degrees to train up and get very high-paying jobs,”&nbsp;Carty said.&nbsp;“This will allow those who grow up here to stay in Kansas, enjoy our quality of life, and not have to go to San Francisco.”&nbsp;

Bus routes to transport workers from metropolitan areas will be established, and there will be purposeful diversity, equity, and inclusion outreach.&nbsp;

“This next-generation technology project will help our community grow and make our country safer. That’s a win for everyone,”&nbsp;Carty said.&nbsp;

COFFEY COUNTY, Kan. –&nbsp;Governor Laura Kelly on Monday announced that EMP Shield, an industry leader in protecting electronic devices from destructive magnetic pulses, plans to invest $1.9 billion in a computer chip manufacturing facility in Burlington. The facility will create more than 1,200 jobs averaging $66,000 annually.&nbsp;<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">BIG NEWS: I just announced that <a href="https://twitter.com/Emp_Shield?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@EMP_Shield</a> plans to invest $1.9B in a computer chip production facility in Burlington that creates 1,200 good-paying jobs. <a href="https://t.co/MlJH9LELAW">pic.twitter.com/MlJH9LELAW</a>&mdash; Governor Laura Kelly (@GovLauraKelly) <a href="https://twitter.com/GovLauraKelly/status/1627762131058987008?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 20, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>EMP Shield will build its facility on 300 acres in a secure campus located at Silicon Prairie Industrial Park. The company will be joined by six out-of-state suppliers, resulting in an additional 1,000 jobs created in Coffey County.&nbsp;“Bringing economic prosperity to every corner of the state – particularly rural Kansas – has been a priority since my very first day in office,”&nbsp;Governor Laura Kelly said. “We achieve that with this project, creating thousands of high-paying jobs that don’t require a four-year degree and proving that every Kansas community is ripe for investment and growth.”&nbsp;&nbsp;EMP Shield plans to have four production lines operating in approximately 235,000 square feet of facilities in the new industrial park that will produce thousands of chips per week. Its suppliers will manufacture necessary components and prepare the final products for delivery.&nbsp;“This high-tech advanced manufacturing project will provide lucrative career opportunities for hard-working Kansans,”&nbsp;Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of Commerce David Toland said. “Our economic development strategy is designed to keep nurturing the roots of our young talent so they can remain here in Kansas.”&nbsp;EMP Shield will leverage state support to apply for CHIPS Act funding to see its plans to fruition.&nbsp;The project came together shortly after the Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors (CHIPS) Act was signed into law last August. The bipartisan legislation called for every aspect of computer chip production to be brought back to the United States – specifically into rural areas of the Midwest. Additional stipulations include private-public partnerships as well as the involvement of higher education institutions.&nbsp;“Coffey County appears to really hit the sweet spot for everything requested for CHIPS Act funding,”&nbsp;EMP Shield Founder and Lead Engineer Tim Carty said. “Everything is falling into place, and the state’s strong support hopefully gets us one step closer to a favorable federal response.”&nbsp;EMP Shield is working with area partners such as Coffey County; Flint Hills Technical College; Allen County Community College; Pittsburg State University; the University of Kansas; Heartland Black Chamber of Commerce; Wichita Hispanic Chamber of Commerce; and Unified School Districts 243, 244 and 245.&nbsp;“There are workforce development programs already in place that will enable high school graduates and those with two-year degrees to train up and get very high-paying jobs,”&nbsp;Carty said.&nbsp;“This will allow those who grow up here to stay in Kansas, enjoy our quality of life, and not have to go to San Francisco.”&nbsp;Bus routes to transport workers from metropolitan areas will be established, and there will be purposeful diversity, equity, and inclusion outreach.&nbsp;“This next-generation technology project will help our community grow and make our country safer. That’s a win for everyone,”&nbsp;Carty said.&nbsp;

$1.9B computer chip manufacturing plant to be built in Kansas  

WYANDOTTE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities investigating a fatal shooting in Kansas City, Kansas have identified the victim as 19-year-old Ricardo Apodaca.

Just before 8:30p.m. Thursday, officers were dispatched to a shooting in the 2300 block of N 11th Street, according to a media release. When officers arrived, they discovered Apodaca dead an apparent gunshot wound. 

Police have not released suspect information.

 Anyone with information on this case is urged to call the Crime Stoppers TIPS hotline at 816-474-TIPS (8477). All tips remain anonymous and may qualify for a cash reward

WYANDOTTE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities investigating a fatal shooting in Kansas City, Kansas have identified the victim as 19-year-old Ricardo Apodaca.Just before 8:30p.m. Thursday, officers were dispatched to a shooting in the 2300 block of N 11th Street, according to a media release. When officers arrived, they discovered Apodaca dead an apparent gunshot wound. Police have not released suspect information. Anyone with information on this case is urged to call the Crime Stoppers TIPS hotline at 816-474-TIPS (8477). All tips remain anonymous and may qualify for a cash reward

Police ID 19-year-old victim in deadly Kansas shooting

BEIJING (AP) — Nearly&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-one-year-anniversary-timeline-a1304c6fb319bf1c0e93635f6f6a2633">one year after Russia invaded Ukraine</a>, new questions are rising over China’s potential willingness to offer military aid to Moscow in the increasingly drawn-out conflict.

In an interview that aired Sunday, U.S. Secretary of State&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-putin-politics-antony-blinken-xi-jinping-4501b49359d73b6efbac87b2af54f189">Antony Blinken said American intelligence suggests China is considering providing arms</a>&nbsp;and ammunition to Russia, an involvement in the Kremlin’s war effort that he said would be a “serious problem.”

China has refused to criticize Russia for its actions or even to call it an invasion in deference to Moscow. At the same time, it insists that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all nations must be upheld.

The question now is whether China is willing to convert that rhetorical backing into material support.

On Monday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin accused the United States of “fanning flames and stoking confrontations” by providing Ukraine with defensive weapons, and said Beijing would “never accept (U.S.) finger-pointing and even coercion and pressure on China-Russia relations."

Here's a look at where China stands on the conflict.

DOES CHINA BACK RUSSIA IN ITS WAR ON UKRAINE?

China has tried to walk a fine — and often contradictory — line on the Russian invasion.

China says Russia was provoked into taking action by NATO's eastward expansion. Just weeks before the Feb. 24, 2022, invasion,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-sports-business-china-russia-b92f4d266b4d8d2e7711ab930c6e9fd1">Chinese President Xi Jinping hosted Russian President Vladimir Putin in Beijing</a>&nbsp;for the opening of the Winter Olympics, at which time the sides issued a joint statement pledging their commitment to a “no limits" friendship. China has since ignored Western criticism and reaffirmed that pledge.

But China has yet to confirm the visit Putin has said he expects from Xi this spring.

China is “trying to have it both ways," Blinken said Sunday on NBC. "Publicly, they present themselves as a country striving for peace in Ukraine, but privately, as I said, we’ve seen already over these past months the provision of non-lethal assistance that does go directly to aiding and abetting Russia’s war effort.”

HAS CHINA PROVIDED MATERIAL SUPPORT TO RUSSIA?

So far, China's support for Russia has been rhetorical and political, with Beijing helping prevent efforts to condemn Moscow at the United Nations.

Blinken, at a security conference in Munich, Germany, said the U.S. has long been concerned that China would provide weapons to Russia and that “we have information that gives us concern that they are considering providing lethal support to Russia in the war against Ukraine.” That came a day after Blinken held talks with Wang Yi, the Chinese Communist Party’s most senior foreign policy official, in a meeting that offered little sign of a reduction in tensions or progress on the Ukraine issue.

“It was important for me to share very clearly with Wang Yi that this would be a serious problem,” Blinken said, referring to potential military support for Russia.

The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, also expressed her concern about any effort by the Chinese to arm Russia, saying “that would be a red line.”

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/china-beijing-98262d8c8f054f80455114cea4ded115">Russian and Chinese forces have held joint military drills</a>&nbsp;since Russia invaded Ukraine a year ago, most recently sending ships to take part in exercises with the South African navy in a key shipping lane off the South African coast.

“It is the U.S. who kept providing weapons to the battlefield, not China," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said Monday. “The principle that China follows on the Ukraine issue can be simply put as promoting peace talks.”

After the meeting between Wang Yi and Blinken, China's Foreign Ministry issued a statement that it has always played a constructive role in the Ukraine conflict by adhering to principles, encouraging peace and promoting talks.

The ministry said the China-Russia partnership “is established on the basis of non-alignment, non-confrontation, and non-targeting of third parties,” and that the U.S. was adding “fuel to the fire to take advantage of the opportunity to make profits.”

Beijing says it has continued a normal trade relationship with Russia, including purchases of oil and gas, as have other countries such as India. That trade is seen as throwing an economic lifeline to Moscow, but there have been no documented cases of China providing direct aid to the Russian military along the lines of the inexpensive&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-iran-politics-us-department-of-the-treasury-military-technology-44d79e61be9ae00e52fb14dfc8cbf21c">military drones that Iran sells to Moscow</a>.

There would be “real consequences … were China to provide lethal assistance to Russia” or help Moscow evade sanctions in a “systematic way,” Blinken said Monday in the Turkey capital, Ankara. He did not specify what measures Washington would take in response to Chinese military support for Russia, but said other countries would join the U.S. with similar actions.

Efforts to put a floor under ties that have deteriorated to their lowest level in decades have so far been unsuccessful. The U.S. has sought to limit Chinese access to the latest microprocessors and manufacturing equipment, and has continued to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-united-states-government-south-china-sea-beijing-084fbd1d64120859467b7f9157c4a797">challenge Chinese territorial claims in the South China Sea</a>.

For China, the most sensitive issue is U.S. support for Taiwan, the self-governing island democracy that Beijing considers its own territory to be conquered by military force if deemed necessary. Taiwan is a major customer for U.S. defensive arms and has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-taiwan-politics-government-united-states-f1dd90976ff4a2a9537ee30205e7277d">hosted a growing number of prominent American elected officials</a>, enraging Beijing.

Meanwhile, U.S. Congress members have called for the banning of TikTok and other Chinese-owned social media platforms, as well as increased sanctions on Chinese firms backed by the Communist Party, which wields ultimate control over the Chinese economy and suppresses independent media and political opposition voices.

MUNICH (AP) — The top diplomats from the United States and China met on Saturday in the first high-level contact between their countries since the U.S.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-united-states-government-china-antony-blinken-51e49202f2a0a50541cde059934c4cfb">shot down an alleged Chinese spy balloon</a>&nbsp;two weeks ago, with Secretary of State Antony Blinken sending the message that Beijing's surveillance program had been “exposed to the world.”&nbsp;&nbsp;

Blinken and Wang Yi, the Chinese Communist Party’s most senior foreign policy official, held the hourlong talks in Munich, where they were attending an international security conference, according to the U.S. State Department. They discussed the spy balloon and the war in Ukraine.

“I made very clear to him that China sending its surveillance balloon over the United States in violation of our sovereignty, in violation of international law, was unacceptable and must never happen again," Blinken said Saturday in an interview for CBS' “Face the Nation.”

His spokesman, Ned Price, said in a statement that Blinken also told the Chinese official that his nation's “high-altitude surveillance balloon program — which has intruded into the airspace of over 40 countries across five continents — has been exposed to the world.”

Blinken had&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/g-20-summit-politics-united-states-government-china-antony-blinken-0a0469109e8776f1676d7b813e46854f">canceled a trip to Beijing</a>&nbsp;earlier this month due to the balloon incident, which has become a major issue of contention between the two countries. A meeting at the conference in Germany had been widely anticipated.

Blinken also told Wang that the U.S. does not seek conflict with China, repeating a standard talking point that the Biden administration has provided since it has come into office.

“The United States will compete and will unapologetically stand up for our values and interests, but that we do not want conflict with the PRC and are not looking for a new Cold War," Price said. Blinken "underscored the importance of maintaining diplomatic dialogue and open lines of communication at all times.”

In addition to the balloon incident, Price said Blinken had reiterated&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/putin-kyiv-politics-ukraine-government-russia-43a55a56f9cd1f50dd1d280fcb1ffa65">a warning to China</a>&nbsp;on providing assistance to Russia to help with its war against Ukraine, including assisting Moscow with evading sanctions the West has imposed on Russia.

“I warned China against providing materiel support to Russia,” Blinken said in a tweet. "I also emphasized the importance of keeping open lines of communication.”

Earlier Saturday, Wang had renewed Beijing's criticism of the United States for shooting down the balloon, arguing that the move did not point to U.S. strength.

Beijing insists the white orb shot down off the Carolina coast on Feb. 4 was just an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-united-states-government-antony-blinken-china-b1b03193b7abeb7bbeca169bbc7c2c53">errant civilian airship</a>&nbsp;used mainly for meteorological research that went off course due to winds and had only limited “self-steering” capabilities.

Wang, the director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs, repeated that insistence in a speech at the conference and accused the U.S. of violating international legal norms in destroying the object with a missile fired from an U.S. fighter jet.

“The actions don’t show that the U.S. is big and strong, but describe the exact opposite,” Wang said.

Wang also accused the U.S. of denying China’s economic advances and seeking to impede its further development.

“What we hope for from the U.S. is a pragmatic and positive approach to China that allows us to work together,” Wang said.

His comments came shortly before an address to the conference by Vice President Kamala Harris, who didn't mention the balloon controversy or respond to Wang's comments. She stressed the importance of upholding the “international rules-based order.”

She said Washington is “troubled that Beijing has deepened its relationship with Moscow since the war began” in Ukraine and that “looking ahead, any steps by China to provide lethal support to Russia would only reward aggression, continue the killing and further undermine a rules-based order.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/2/1675438225859.png" alt="&nbsp;Blinken reiterated&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/putin-kyiv-politics-ukraine-government-russia-43a55a56f9cd1f50dd1d280fcb1ffa65">a warning to China</a>&nbsp;on providing assistance to Russia to help with its war against Ukraine. -State Dept. photo" />
 <figcaption>&nbsp;Blinken reiterated&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/putin-kyiv-politics-ukraine-government-russia-43a55a56f9cd1f50dd1d280fcb1ffa65">a warning to China</a>&nbsp;on providing assistance to Russia to help with its war against Ukraine. -State Dept. photo</figcaption>
 </figure>BEIJING (AP) — Nearly&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-one-year-anniversary-timeline-a1304c6fb319bf1c0e93635f6f6a2633">one year after Russia invaded Ukraine</a>, new questions are rising over China’s potential willingness to offer military aid to Moscow in the increasingly drawn-out conflict.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Just met with the PRC’s top diplomat, Wang Yi. I condemned the incursion of the PRC surveillance balloon and stressed it must never happen again. I warned China against providing materiel support to Russia. I also emphasized the importance of keeping open lines of communication.&mdash; Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) <a href="https://twitter.com/SecBlinken/status/1627051377112539136?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 18, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>In an interview that aired Sunday, U.S. Secretary of State&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-putin-politics-antony-blinken-xi-jinping-4501b49359d73b6efbac87b2af54f189">Antony Blinken said American intelligence suggests China is considering providing arms</a>&nbsp;and ammunition to Russia, an involvement in the Kremlin’s war effort that he said would be a “serious problem.”China has refused to criticize Russia for its actions or even to call it an invasion in deference to Moscow. At the same time, it insists that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all nations must be upheld.The question now is whether China is willing to convert that rhetorical backing into material support.On Monday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin accused the United States of “fanning flames and stoking confrontations” by providing Ukraine with defensive weapons, and said Beijing would “never accept (U.S.) finger-pointing and even coercion and pressure on China-Russia relations."Here's a look at where China stands on the conflict.___DOES CHINA BACK RUSSIA IN ITS WAR ON UKRAINE?China has tried to walk a fine — and often contradictory — line on the Russian invasion.China says Russia was provoked into taking action by NATO's eastward expansion. Just weeks before the Feb. 24, 2022, invasion,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-sports-business-china-russia-b92f4d266b4d8d2e7711ab930c6e9fd1">Chinese President Xi Jinping hosted Russian President Vladimir Putin in Beijing</a>&nbsp;for the opening of the Winter Olympics, at which time the sides issued a joint statement pledging their commitment to a “no limits" friendship. China has since ignored Western criticism and reaffirmed that pledge.But China has yet to confirm the visit Putin has said he expects from Xi this spring.China is “trying to have it both ways," Blinken said Sunday on NBC. "Publicly, they present themselves as a country striving for peace in Ukraine, but privately, as I said, we’ve seen already over these past months the provision of non-lethal assistance that does go directly to aiding and abetting Russia’s war effort.”___HAS CHINA PROVIDED MATERIAL SUPPORT TO RUSSIA?So far, China's support for Russia has been rhetorical and political, with Beijing helping prevent efforts to condemn Moscow at the United Nations.Blinken, at a security conference in Munich, Germany, said the U.S. has long been concerned that China would provide weapons to Russia and that “we have information that gives us concern that they are considering providing lethal support to Russia in the war against Ukraine.” That came a day after Blinken held talks with Wang Yi, the Chinese Communist Party’s most senior foreign policy official, in a meeting that offered little sign of a reduction in tensions or progress on the Ukraine issue.“It was important for me to share very clearly with Wang Yi that this would be a serious problem,” Blinken said, referring to potential military support for Russia.The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, also expressed her concern about any effort by the Chinese to arm Russia, saying “that would be a red line.”<a href="https://apnews.com/article/china-beijing-98262d8c8f054f80455114cea4ded115">Russian and Chinese forces have held joint military drills</a>&nbsp;since Russia invaded Ukraine a year ago, most recently sending ships to take part in exercises with the South African navy in a key shipping lane off the South African coast.___WHAT HAS CHINA SAID ON THE MATTER?“It is the U.S. who kept providing weapons to the battlefield, not China," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said Monday. “The principle that China follows on the Ukraine issue can be simply put as promoting peace talks.”After the meeting between Wang Yi and Blinken, China's Foreign Ministry issued a statement that it has always played a constructive role in the Ukraine conflict by adhering to principles, encouraging peace and promoting talks.The ministry said the China-Russia partnership “is established on the basis of non-alignment, non-confrontation, and non-targeting of third parties,” and that the U.S. was adding “fuel to the fire to take advantage of the opportunity to make profits.”Beijing says it has continued a normal trade relationship with Russia, including purchases of oil and gas, as have other countries such as India. That trade is seen as throwing an economic lifeline to Moscow, but there have been no documented cases of China providing direct aid to the Russian military along the lines of the inexpensive&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-iran-politics-us-department-of-the-treasury-military-technology-44d79e61be9ae00e52fb14dfc8cbf21c">military drones that Iran sells to Moscow</a>.___WHAT COULD HAPPEN IF CHINA AIDS RUSSIA?There would be “real consequences … were China to provide lethal assistance to Russia” or help Moscow evade sanctions in a “systematic way,” Blinken said Monday in the Turkey capital, Ankara. He did not specify what measures Washington would take in response to Chinese military support for Russia, but said other countries would join the U.S. with similar actions.Efforts to put a floor under ties that have deteriorated to their lowest level in decades have so far been unsuccessful. The U.S. has sought to limit Chinese access to the latest microprocessors and manufacturing equipment, and has continued to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-united-states-government-south-china-sea-beijing-084fbd1d64120859467b7f9157c4a797">challenge Chinese territorial claims in the South China Sea</a>.For China, the most sensitive issue is U.S. support for Taiwan, the self-governing island democracy that Beijing considers its own territory to be conquered by military force if deemed necessary. Taiwan is a major customer for U.S. defensive arms and has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-taiwan-politics-government-united-states-f1dd90976ff4a2a9537ee30205e7277d">hosted a growing number of prominent American elected officials</a>, enraging Beijing.Meanwhile, U.S. Congress members have called for the banning of TikTok and other Chinese-owned social media platforms, as well as increased sanctions on Chinese firms backed by the Communist Party, which wields ultimate control over the Chinese economy and suppresses independent media and political opposition voices.---------MUNICH (AP) — The top diplomats from the United States and China met on Saturday in the first high-level contact between their countries since the U.S.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-united-states-government-china-antony-blinken-51e49202f2a0a50541cde059934c4cfb">shot down an alleged Chinese spy balloon</a>&nbsp;two weeks ago, with Secretary of State Antony Blinken sending the message that Beijing's surveillance program had been “exposed to the world.”&nbsp;&nbsp;<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Just met with the PRC’s top diplomat, Wang Yi. I condemned the incursion of the PRC surveillance balloon and stressed it must never happen again. I warned China against providing materiel support to Russia. I also emphasized the importance of keeping open lines of communication.&mdash; Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) <a href="https://twitter.com/SecBlinken/status/1627051377112539136?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 18, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Blinken and Wang Yi, the Chinese Communist Party’s most senior foreign policy official, held the hourlong talks in Munich, where they were attending an international security conference, according to the U.S. State Department. They discussed the spy balloon and the war in Ukraine.“I made very clear to him that China sending its surveillance balloon over the United States in violation of our sovereignty, in violation of international law, was unacceptable and must never happen again," Blinken said Saturday in an interview for CBS' “Face the Nation.”His spokesman, Ned Price, said in a statement that Blinken also told the Chinese official that his nation's “high-altitude surveillance balloon program — which has intruded into the airspace of over 40 countries across five continents — has been exposed to the world.”Blinken had&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/g-20-summit-politics-united-states-government-china-antony-blinken-0a0469109e8776f1676d7b813e46854f">canceled a trip to Beijing</a>&nbsp;earlier this month due to the balloon incident, which has become a major issue of contention between the two countries. A meeting at the conference in Germany had been widely anticipated.Blinken also told Wang that the U.S. does not seek conflict with China, repeating a standard talking point that the Biden administration has provided since it has come into office.“The United States will compete and will unapologetically stand up for our values and interests, but that we do not want conflict with the PRC and are not looking for a new Cold War," Price said. Blinken "underscored the importance of maintaining diplomatic dialogue and open lines of communication at all times.”In addition to the balloon incident, Price said Blinken had reiterated&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/putin-kyiv-politics-ukraine-government-russia-43a55a56f9cd1f50dd1d280fcb1ffa65">a warning to China</a>&nbsp;on providing assistance to Russia to help with its war against Ukraine, including assisting Moscow with evading sanctions the West has imposed on Russia.“I warned China against providing materiel support to Russia,” Blinken said in a tweet. "I also emphasized the importance of keeping open lines of communication.”Earlier Saturday, Wang had renewed Beijing's criticism of the United States for shooting down the balloon, arguing that the move did not point to U.S. strength.Beijing insists the white orb shot down off the Carolina coast on Feb. 4 was just an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-united-states-government-antony-blinken-china-b1b03193b7abeb7bbeca169bbc7c2c53">errant civilian airship</a>&nbsp;used mainly for meteorological research that went off course due to winds and had only limited “self-steering” capabilities.Wang, the director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs, repeated that insistence in a speech at the conference and accused the U.S. of violating international legal norms in destroying the object with a missile fired from an U.S. fighter jet.“The actions don’t show that the U.S. is big and strong, but describe the exact opposite,” Wang said.Wang also accused the U.S. of denying China’s economic advances and seeking to impede its further development.“What we hope for from the U.S. is a pragmatic and positive approach to China that allows us to work together,” Wang said.His comments came shortly before an address to the conference by Vice President Kamala Harris, who didn't mention the balloon controversy or respond to Wang's comments. She stressed the importance of upholding the “international rules-based order.”She said Washington is “troubled that Beijing has deepened its relationship with Moscow since the war began” in Ukraine and that “looking ahead, any steps by China to provide lethal support to Russia would only reward aggression, continue the killing and further undermine a rules-based order.”

U.S. warns China against lethal support to Russia in Ukraine

TOPEKA - In response to a Feb. 6 letter from Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach warning Walgreens not to send abortion pills into Kansas in violation of state and federal laws, Walgreens on Monday announced it will not dispense Mifepristone in the Sunflower State, according to a statement from the attorney general's office.

<a href="https://ag.ks.gov/docs/default-source/documents/abortion-pill-letter.pdf?sfvrsn=ec26bd1a_2">Click here to read</a>&nbsp;Kobach's letter

<a href="https://ag.ks.gov/docs/default-source/documents/dg-mifepristone-letter-to-ks-ag.pdf?sfvrsn=bc6bd1a_2">Click here to read </a>Walgreen's response

“This is a significant victory for the pro-life cause and for women’s health,” Kobach said. “The dispensing of these pills without a supervising physician present would expose women to complications and potentially to coercion as well. I’m grateful Walgreens has responded quickly and reasonably and intends to fully comply with the law.”

Walgreens responded to the Kansas attorney general’s warning with a letter dated Feb. 17.

“Walgreens does not intend to dispense Mifepristone within your state and does not intend to ship Mifepristone into your state from any of our pharmacies. If this approach changes, we will be sure to notify you,” the letter from Walgreens Executive Vice President Danielle C. Gray reads.

TOPEKA - In response to a Feb. 6 letter from Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach warning Walgreens not to send abortion pills into Kansas in violation of state and federal laws, Walgreens on Monday announced it will not dispense Mifepristone in the Sunflower State, according to a statement from the attorney general's office.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Walgreens announced it will not send abortion pills into Kansas in response to a letter the KS AG&#39;s office sent earlier this month. <a href="https://t.co/EFn59HICUT">https://t.co/EFn59HICUT</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ksleg?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ksleg</a>&mdash; Kansas AG&#39;s Office (@KSAGOffice) <a href="https://twitter.com/KSAGOffice/status/1627691211958980610?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 20, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><a href="https://ag.ks.gov/docs/default-source/documents/abortion-pill-letter.pdf?sfvrsn=ec26bd1a_2">Click here to read</a>&nbsp;Kobach's letter<a href="https://ag.ks.gov/docs/default-source/documents/dg-mifepristone-letter-to-ks-ag.pdf?sfvrsn=bc6bd1a_2">Click here to read </a>Walgreen's response“This is a significant victory for the pro-life cause and for women’s health,” Kobach said. “The dispensing of these pills without a supervising physician present would expose women to complications and potentially to coercion as well. I’m grateful Walgreens has responded quickly and reasonably and intends to fully comply with the law.”Walgreens responded to the Kansas attorney general’s warning with a letter dated Feb. 17.“Walgreens does not intend to dispense Mifepristone within your state and does not intend to ship Mifepristone into your state from any of our pharmacies. If this approach changes, we will be sure to notify you,” the letter from Walgreens Executive Vice President Danielle C. Gray reads.

Walgreens won't send abortion pills to Kan. after warning from AG

COWLEY COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities continue working to identify the driver in a fatal accident that occurred just after 11p.m. Saturday in Cowley County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 1995 Chevy Camaro was eastbound on 33rd Avenue at Meadowlark in Winfield. The car crossed the centerline, left the roadway, rolled and struck a telephone pole.

A passenger in the car identified as Nicholas R. Morris, 27, Arkansas City, was pronounced dead at the scene and transported Miles Mortuary. The driver of the vehicle fled the scene of the accident.&nbsp; 

As of Monday afternoon, the KHP has not reported the name of the driver or additional details.

COWLEY COUNTY —One person died in an accident just after 11p.m. Saturday in Cowley County.

A passenger in the car identified as Nicholas R. Morris, 27, Arkansas City, was pronounced dead at the scene and transported Miles Mortuary. The driver of the vehicle fled the scene of the accident.

COWLEY COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities continue working to identify the driver in a fatal accident that occurred just after 11p.m. Saturday in Cowley County.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 1995 Chevy Camaro was eastbound on 33rd Avenue at Meadowlark in Winfield. The car crossed the centerline, left the roadway, rolled and struck a telephone pole.A passenger in the car identified as Nicholas R. Morris, 27, Arkansas City, was pronounced dead at the scene and transported Miles Mortuary. The driver of the vehicle fled the scene of the accident.&nbsp; As of Monday afternoon, the KHP has not reported the name of the driver or additional details.------------COWLEY COUNTY —One person died in an accident just after 11p.m. Saturday in Cowley County.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 1995 Chevy Camaro was eastbound on 33rd Avenue at Meadowlark in Winfield. The car crossed the centerline, left the roadway, rolled and struck a telephone pole.A passenger in the car identified as Nicholas R. Morris, 27, Arkansas City, was pronounced dead at the scene and transported Miles Mortuary. The driver of the vehicle fled the scene of the accident.

KHP working to ID driver who fled crash that killed Kan. man

By CASEY QUINLAN <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/02/19/rural-hospitals-gird-for-unwinding-of-pandemic-medicaid-coverage/">States Newsroom</a>

Donald
 Lloyd, CEO and president of St. Claire HealthCare in Morehead, 
Kentucky, has spent more than a year dealing with higher costs for food 
and medical supplies for his regional hospital.

Now he’s trying to prepare for 
another financial hit — the loss of Medicaid reimbursements for treating
 people in rural Appalachia.

“We are all being forced to try to 
eke out a sustainable margin because of those (inflation) factors,” he 
said. “And then with the potential loss of reimbursement for those who 
did qualify, that’s just going to add an additional layer of burden upon
 rural institutions.”

Lloyd is referring to the unwinding 
of a policy that began in 2020 as a response to the public health 
emergency created by COVID-19. The ​​Families First Coronavirus Response
 Act required states to allow Medicaid recipients to stay enrolled even 
if their eligibility changed. But that requirement ends on April 1, and 
with states once again able to remove people from the program, health 
care officials across the country are worried about how the loss of 
those Medicaid reimbursements will affect the financial health of their 
hospitals.

The loss of the federal revenue is 
expected to be particularly hard on rural hospitals that operate in 
areas with higher poverty rates and serve an older population and people
 with lower incomes — all factors that contribute to the financial 
pressure on hospitals, health care officials said. Rural hospitals were 
already closing at a rapid rate before the pandemic — more than 150 
closed between 2005 and 2019, according to the <a target="_blank" href="https://ruralhospitals.chqpr.org/downloads/Rural_Hospitals_at_Risk_of_Closing.pdf">Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform</a>.
 Without the federal money to prop them up, the Center estimates that 
200 rural hospitals across the country are at risk of closing within the
 next two to three years.

A <a target="_blank" href="https://publichealth.gwu.edu/content/federal-medicaid-%E2%80%9Cunwinding%E2%80%9D-could-cause-community-health-centers-lose-care-capacity-many-21">report</a>
 released in January from George Washington University found that up to 
2.5 million patients of community health centers, which treat both 
underserved rural and urban communities, could lose coverage as a result
 of eligibility redeterminations,
 costing the health centers somewhere from $1.5 billion to $2.5 billion 
in revenue. The Kaiser Family Foundation estimates that between 5 
million and 14 million people will lose their coverage, and that <a target="_blank" href="https://www.kff.org/medicaid/press-release/as-states-prepare-to-unwind-the-medicaid-continuous-enrollment-provision-past-patterns-show-that-most-people-who-are-disenrolled-from-medicaid-become-uninsured-for-all-or-part-of-th/">two-thirds</a> could be uninsured for several months up to a year.

Carrie Cochran-McClain, chief policy 
officer at the National Rural Health Association, a nonprofit focused on
 education and advocacy on rural health issues, said the financial 
impact will be twofold.

“It’s the loss of reimbursement for 
services, but then also a potential increase in the number of patients 
that are going to be uninsured who delayed care because they lose their 
coverage and they’re coming in when they have a more severe situation,” 
she said.

Simple mistakes in paperwork could 
result in many people losing Medicaid even though they’re still eligible
 for it, said Leighton Ku, professor and director of the center for 
health policy research at the Milken Institute School of Public Health 
at George Washington University. Ku said states can help by making the 
renewal process easier, and pointed out that people who can’t get 
Medicaid can find insurance at subsidized rates through the Affordable 
Care Act markets, and benefit from expanded premium subsidies through 
2025 because of the Inflation Reduction Act. Still, there will be 
problems, he said.

“We still expect there’s going to be 
some increase in the number of uninsured people in the U.S. over the 
next year, no matter how hard we try, so hospitals and community health 
centers are going to have some rough times ahead,” Ku said.

Toni Lawson, vice president of 
governmental relations at the Idaho Hospital Association, said that the 
state department of health and welfare is sending out letters to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.spokanepublicradio.org/regional-news/2023-02-06/medicaid-unwinding-and-its-effect-in-washington-and-idaho">tens of thousands of people</a>
 alerting them to the change and their options. Still, she’s concerned 
about the effect of so many people losing coverage. Idaho has estimated 
that 150,000 people could be vulnerable to losing Medicaid, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.spokanepublicradio.org/regional-news/2023-02-06/medicaid-unwinding-and-its-effect-in-washington-and-idaho">according to</a> <a target="_blank" href="https://idahocapitalsun.com/2023/02/06/uncertainty-looms-as-nearly-150000-idahoans-could-lose-medicaid/">Idaho Capital Sun</a>.

“We see a large percentage of our 
rural hospitals with a negative operating margin right now,” Lawson 
said. “We need to be particularly careful in making policy decisions 
that impact them negatively that maybe five years ago it would have been
 like, okay, this is a hit to your reimbursement, but you’ll survive. 
That same decision today could affect whether they stay open or close, 
she said.

Lloyd said he expects less than 3,000
 people would lose coverage in the communities that St. Claire serves, 
which could cost the hospital about $5 million in Medicaid revenue.

The hospital is preparing for the 
decrease by slowing down its capital investments even though it needs to
 replace operating room tables and to repair and do maintenance on a 
wing built in the 1960s, he said. St. Claire is also looking at 
“reprioritizing a number of strategic growth projects,” Lloyd added, 
such as accommodating robotic surgery.

Family Health Centers in Louisville 
plans to cut back on the low-cost or free medical, dental, behavioral 
health and pharmacy services it has been offering to uninsured patients 
because of the expected revenue dip, according to the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.courier-journal.com/story/life/wellness/health/2023/01/06/kentucky-medicaid-redetermination-april-2023-what-to-know/69776641007/">Louisville Courier-Journal.</a> Hospitals also have announced other budget cuts, including <a target="_blank" href="https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/finance/north-carolina-system-cuts-200-jobs.html">layoffs,</a> <a target="_blank" href="https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/providers/hospital-and-health-systems-dire-finances-are-spurring-layoffs-heres-23-examples-2022">citing</a> the end of pandemic payments.&nbsp;

The COVID-19 pandemic both helped and hurt rural hospitals.

“In rural communities, the majority 
of their revenue comes from outpatient-like business and it comes from 
doing outpatient surgeries and imaging and visits,” said Steve Lawler, 
president and CEO of the North Carolina Healthcare Association. “When 
you shut those things down to protect your hospital assets to take care 
of COVID patients, it has a significant financial impact and that has 
carried on through the current economic conditions where the cost of 
goods and services and talent for hospitals is up 30% but revenue is 
only up 2%.”

During the pandemic, billions in 
federal money from the Paycheck Protection Program, Provider Relief 
Funds and the American Rescue Plan Act helped keep rural hospitals 
afloat even as they dealt with revenue losses and higher costs for 
everything from protective gear to salaries.&nbsp;

“COVID sort of interrupted the 
long-term trend of unprofitability and closure of rural hospitals,” said
 George Pink, deputy director of the NC Rural Health Research Program at
 the University of North Carolina. “But that funding is now over.”&nbsp;

Health care experts say policy 
changes, including more states expanding access to Medicaid, is needed 
to keep rural hospitals viable.&nbsp;

By CASEY QUINLAN <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/02/19/rural-hospitals-gird-for-unwinding-of-pandemic-medicaid-coverage/">States Newsroom</a>Donald
 Lloyd, CEO and president of St. Claire HealthCare in Morehead, 
Kentucky, has spent more than a year dealing with higher costs for food 
and medical supplies for his regional hospital.Now he’s trying to prepare for 
another financial hit — the loss of Medicaid reimbursements for treating
 people in rural Appalachia.“We are all being forced to try to 
eke out a sustainable margin because of those (inflation) factors,” he 
said. “And then with the potential loss of reimbursement for those who 
did qualify, that’s just going to add an additional layer of burden upon
 rural institutions.”Lloyd is referring to the unwinding 
of a policy that began in 2020 as a response to the public health 
emergency created by COVID-19. The ​​Families First Coronavirus Response
 Act required states to allow Medicaid recipients to stay enrolled even 
if their eligibility changed. But that requirement ends on April 1, and 
with states once again able to remove people from the program, health 
care officials across the country are worried about how the loss of 
those Medicaid reimbursements will affect the financial health of their 
hospitals.The loss of the federal revenue is 
expected to be particularly hard on rural hospitals that operate in 
areas with higher poverty rates and serve an older population and people
 with lower incomes — all factors that contribute to the financial 
pressure on hospitals, health care officials said. Rural hospitals were 
already closing at a rapid rate before the pandemic — more than 150 
closed between 2005 and 2019, according to the <a target="_blank" href="https://ruralhospitals.chqpr.org/downloads/Rural_Hospitals_at_Risk_of_Closing.pdf">Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform</a>.
 Without the federal money to prop them up, the Center estimates that 
200 rural hospitals across the country are at risk of closing within the
 next two to three years.A <a target="_blank" href="https://publichealth.gwu.edu/content/federal-medicaid-%E2%80%9Cunwinding%E2%80%9D-could-cause-community-health-centers-lose-care-capacity-many-21">report</a>
 released in January from George Washington University found that up to 
2.5 million patients of community health centers, which treat both 
underserved rural and urban communities, could lose coverage as a result
 of eligibility redeterminations,
 costing the health centers somewhere from $1.5 billion to $2.5 billion 
in revenue. The Kaiser Family Foundation estimates that between 5 
million and 14 million people will lose their coverage, and that <a target="_blank" href="https://www.kff.org/medicaid/press-release/as-states-prepare-to-unwind-the-medicaid-continuous-enrollment-provision-past-patterns-show-that-most-people-who-are-disenrolled-from-medicaid-become-uninsured-for-all-or-part-of-th/">two-thirds</a> could be uninsured for several months up to a year.Carrie Cochran-McClain, chief policy 
officer at the National Rural Health Association, a nonprofit focused on
 education and advocacy on rural health issues, said the financial 
impact will be twofold.“It’s the loss of reimbursement for 
services, but then also a potential increase in the number of patients 
that are going to be uninsured who delayed care because they lose their 
coverage and they’re coming in when they have a more severe situation,” 
she said.Simple mistakes in paperwork could 
result in many people losing Medicaid even though they’re still eligible
 for it, said Leighton Ku, professor and director of the center for 
health policy research at the Milken Institute School of Public Health 
at George Washington University. Ku said states can help by making the 
renewal process easier, and pointed out that people who can’t get 
Medicaid can find insurance at subsidized rates through the Affordable 
Care Act markets, and benefit from expanded premium subsidies through 
2025 because of the Inflation Reduction Act. Still, there will be 
problems, he said.“We still expect there’s going to be 
some increase in the number of uninsured people in the U.S. over the 
next year, no matter how hard we try, so hospitals and community health 
centers are going to have some rough times ahead,” Ku said.Toni Lawson, vice president of 
governmental relations at the Idaho Hospital Association, said that the 
state department of health and welfare is sending out letters to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.spokanepublicradio.org/regional-news/2023-02-06/medicaid-unwinding-and-its-effect-in-washington-and-idaho">tens of thousands of people</a>
 alerting them to the change and their options. Still, she’s concerned 
about the effect of so many people losing coverage. Idaho has estimated 
that 150,000 people could be vulnerable to losing Medicaid, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.spokanepublicradio.org/regional-news/2023-02-06/medicaid-unwinding-and-its-effect-in-washington-and-idaho">according to</a> <a target="_blank" href="https://idahocapitalsun.com/2023/02/06/uncertainty-looms-as-nearly-150000-idahoans-could-lose-medicaid/">Idaho Capital Sun</a>.“We see a large percentage of our 
rural hospitals with a negative operating margin right now,” Lawson 
said. “We need to be particularly careful in making policy decisions 
that impact them negatively that maybe five years ago it would have been
 like, okay, this is a hit to your reimbursement, but you’ll survive. 
That same decision today could affect whether they stay open or close, 
she said.Lloyd said he expects less than 3,000
 people would lose coverage in the communities that St. Claire serves, 
which could cost the hospital about $5 million in Medicaid revenue.The hospital is preparing for the 
decrease by slowing down its capital investments even though it needs to
 replace operating room tables and to repair and do maintenance on a 
wing built in the 1960s, he said. St. Claire is also looking at 
“reprioritizing a number of strategic growth projects,” Lloyd added, 
such as accommodating robotic surgery.Family Health Centers in Louisville 
plans to cut back on the low-cost or free medical, dental, behavioral 
health and pharmacy services it has been offering to uninsured patients 
because of the expected revenue dip, according to the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.courier-journal.com/story/life/wellness/health/2023/01/06/kentucky-medicaid-redetermination-april-2023-what-to-know/69776641007/">Louisville Courier-Journal.</a> Hospitals also have announced other budget cuts, including <a target="_blank" href="https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/finance/north-carolina-system-cuts-200-jobs.html">layoffs,</a> <a target="_blank" href="https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/providers/hospital-and-health-systems-dire-finances-are-spurring-layoffs-heres-23-examples-2022">citing</a> the end of pandemic payments.&nbsp;<h2>Help from Medicaid expansion</h2>The COVID-19 pandemic both helped and hurt rural hospitals.“In rural communities, the majority 
of their revenue comes from outpatient-like business and it comes from 
doing outpatient surgeries and imaging and visits,” said Steve Lawler, 
president and CEO of the North Carolina Healthcare Association. “When 
you shut those things down to protect your hospital assets to take care 
of COVID patients, it has a significant financial impact and that has 
carried on through the current economic conditions where the cost of 
goods and services and talent for hospitals is up 30% but revenue is 
only up 2%.”During the pandemic, billions in 
federal money from the Paycheck Protection Program, Provider Relief 
Funds and the American Rescue Plan Act helped keep rural hospitals 
afloat even as they dealt with revenue losses and higher costs for 
everything from protective gear to salaries.&nbsp;“COVID sort of interrupted the 
long-term trend of unprofitability and closure of rural hospitals,” said
 George Pink, deputy director of the NC Rural Health Research Program at
 the University of North Carolina. “But that funding is now over.”&nbsp;Health care experts say policy 
changes, including more states expanding access to Medicaid, is needed 
to keep rural hospitals viable.&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.kff.org/medicaid/issue-brief/status-of-state-medicaid-expansion-decisions-interactive-map/">Eleven states</a>,
 including Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Kansas, Tennessee and Wisconsin, 
still haven’t expanded Medicaid coverage through the Affordable Care 
Act, and rural hospitals in those states are at a particular 
disadvantage, health care officials said. Researchers have agreed. A 
January 2018 research article <a target="_blank" href="https://www.healthaffairs.org/doi/10.1377/hlthaff.2017.0976">found</a>
 that Medicaid expansion was associated with better financial 
performance for hospitals and lower likelihoods of closure. This was 
particularly true for rural markets and counties that had many uninsured
 adults before states adopted expansion.&nbsp;In North Carolina, where the 
legislature is currently considering a bill to expand Medicaid, 11 
hospitals have closed since 2006, and ECU Health, which provides medical
 care to 29 counties, is shutting down five clinics in the coming weeks,
 mostly due to financial pressure, the Greenville Daily Reflector <a target="_blank" href="https://www.reflector.com/news/local/ecu-health-five-clinics-behavioral-health-unit-are-closing/article_33b224fd-a714-56fa-8bce-acc7e0ff781c.html">reported</a> in January.Brian Floyd, ECU Health chief 
operating officer and president of ECU Health Medical Center, told 
States Newsroom, “We’ve reached the point of operating loss that we are 
then at a place where we have to decide what’s the best way to ration 
out our resources and had to make some tough decisions about whether or 
not we close some clinics. … This is the story when you don’t have 
expansion of Medicaid. This is what happens. Poor rural communities 
start to lose access to their health care.”Lawler added that Medicaid expansion 
in North Carolina would help people manage chronic health issues instead
 of waiting for their health to reach a crisis point that requires 
hospitalization and expensive care. His organization supports <a target="_blank" href="https://www.ncleg.gov/Sessions/2023/Bills/House/PDF/H76v1.pdf">House Bill 76</a>, the bill to expand Medicaid that <a target="_blank" href="https://pulse.ncpolicywatch.org/2023/02/16/nc-house-gives-final-approval-to-its-medicaid-expansion-bill/#sthash.1Wx1TL8b.dpbs">passed the state House</a>
 on Thursday. If negotiations with the state Senate result in passage, 
Gov. Roy Cooper is expected to sign the measure, benefiting 600,000 
North Carolinians.Lawler said that there may finally be enough political will for the state to join the rest of the nation in expanding Medicaid.&nbsp;“It makes so much sense if we’re 
going to make the state healthier and help address the behavioral health
 crisis and, and the substance abuse crisis in North Carolina,” he said 
“It creates new jobs, so it grows economies. It’s going to help rural 
communities stabilize their hospitals and health care safety net.”Lloyd, the St. Claire HealthCare CEO,
 said that there’s no doubt that Medicaid expansion makes a difference 
for hospitals. Before coming to St. Claire, he was president and CEO at 
CHRISTUS Health Southwest Louisiana. Louisiana expanded Medicaid in 2016
 and Kentucky in 2014.&nbsp;“There was greater access to care and
 a greater sustainability to the hospitals post-expansion, both in 
Louisiana and here in Kentucky. We’ve just been very fortunate in the 
commonwealth that we’ve had a Medicaid expansion longer than some of the
 other states that were kind of slow to expand,” he said. “… It’s just a
 matter of economics and even though in some states the gap between the 
actual cost of care and the Medicaid reimbursement is very significant, 
at least it does offset some of the expense of operations.”<h2>Will a new hospital designation help?</h2>A new payment model that became <a target="_blank" href="https://nashp.org/medicares-new-rural-emergency-hospital-designation-considerations-for-states/">effective</a>
 in January could offer support to some rural health care facilities but
 health care officials caution that it is not the answer for all rural 
hospitals.&nbsp;Under the change, hospitals that 
agree to a new rural emergency hospital designation would receive more 
Medicare reimbursements and a monthly facility payment. The hospitals 
would have emergency rooms, clinics and outpatient care, but patients 
couldn’t stay for more than 24 hours. The hospitals also can’t have more
 than 50 beds and must meet other eligibility requirements.Kansas, Michigan, Nebraska and South Dakota have already <a target="_blank" href="https://www.ncsl.org/health/rural-emergency-hospitals">enacted laws</a> establishing licensing rules for Rural Emergency Hospitals.&nbsp;“In (rural hospitals) in areas with a
 large number of residents who are 65 plus and qualify for Medicare, 
this model would help those hospitals and perhaps help offset any losses
 due the formerly Medicaid patients becoming uninsured,” said Richard 
Lindrooth, professor in the department of health systems, management, 
and policy at the Colorado School of Public Health at the University of 
Colorado.Pink, with the NC Rural Health Research Program, said the new model isn’t a “panacea for rural health.”“It really is directed at small rural
 hospitals that are at imminent risk of closure. It’s not designed to be
 a replacement for a rural hospital that’s breaking even or getting by 
in their community. … We’re not going to see 1,000 rural emergency 
hospitals in the country anytime soon. It’s a much smaller number of 
hospitals that this might be of interest to,” he said.Floyd said ECU Health is studying whether this designation would be a good fit in some cases.“There are trade-offs in that there 
is a higher payment plan per patient but you have to meet the conditions
 of 24 hours a day. We have to look at the market and say if it were 
only 24 hours, what does that do to that community? Do we have access 
elsewhere … for them to be?” he said.Lloyd said it’s possible that a 
hospital in the area of Kentucky that St. Claire HealthCare serves could
 convert to the new designation, which would have implications for his 
health care system.“Obviously we would handle the 
inpatient admissions for those institutions and so it would increase our
 capacity, but we’re prepared to do so if necessary,” he said.