RILEY COUNTY&nbsp; —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect for alleged sex assault.

On Sunday, police took 40-year-old Brandon Cameron of Manhattan&nbsp; into custody&nbsp; following a report he allegedly broke into a home and committed a sexual assault Saturday night, according to a media release from the Riley County Police Department.

Just before midnight Saturday, the Riley County Communications Center received a 911 call from a 26-year-old woman reporting a burglary in the 1300 block of Flint Hills Place in Manhattan.

Officers discovered a sexual assault had taken place during the burglary. After further investigation and assistance from the victim, Cameron was subsequently identified as the suspect.

At 4:30a.m. Sunday, police located him in the 2700 block of N. Brookglen Circle in Manhattan on requested charges of aggravated burglary and rape. He remains confined in the Riley County Jail with a total bond of $200,000.&nbsp; He has previous convictions for theft and burglary, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.

RILEY COUNTY&nbsp; —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect for alleged sex assault.On Sunday, police took 40-year-old Brandon Cameron of Manhattan&nbsp; into custody&nbsp; following a report he allegedly broke into a home and committed a sexual assault Saturday night, according to a media release from the Riley County Police Department.Just before midnight Saturday, the Riley County Communications Center received a 911 call from a 26-year-old woman reporting a burglary in the 1300 block of Flint Hills Place in Manhattan.Officers discovered a sexual assault had taken place during the burglary. After further investigation and assistance from the victim, Cameron was subsequently identified as the suspect.At 4:30a.m. Sunday, police located him in the 2700 block of N. Brookglen Circle in Manhattan on requested charges of aggravated burglary and rape. He remains confined in the Riley County Jail with a total bond of $200,000.&nbsp; He has previous convictions for theft and burglary, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.

Kansas man jailed for alleged home invasion sex assault

JOHNSON COUNTY —The Kansas Highway Patrol is seeking assistance from the public to identify witnesses to a fatal hit-and-run fatal that occurred just before 2:30a.m. Saturday on southbound Interstate 35 just north of the exit to Santa Fe in Johnson County, Kansas.

The collision involved a pedestrian and a maroon Volvo truck tractor, commercial vehicle, hauling a white trailer.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a maroon Volvo semi hauling a white trailer was southbound and struck a pedestrian identified as 27-year-old Maxwell Michael&nbsp;&nbsp;Pozek of Lenexa and didn't stop. 

Pozek was pronounced dead at the scene and transported to&nbsp;Johnson County Medical Examiner's office.&nbsp;

Anyone with information on the crime is asked to contact the KHP.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1692022398573.png" alt="Security camera images Kansas Highway Patrol" />
 <figcaption>Security camera images Kansas Highway Patrol</figcaption>
 </figure>JOHNSON COUNTY —The Kansas Highway Patrol is seeking assistance from the public to identify witnesses to a fatal hit-and-run fatal that occurred just before 2:30a.m. Saturday on southbound Interstate 35 just north of the exit to Santa Fe in Johnson County, Kansas.The collision involved a pedestrian and a maroon Volvo truck tractor, commercial vehicle, hauling a white trailer.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a maroon Volvo semi hauling a white trailer was southbound and struck a pedestrian identified as 27-year-old Maxwell Michael&nbsp;&nbsp;Pozek of Lenexa and didn't stop. Pozek was pronounced dead at the scene and transported to&nbsp;Johnson County Medical Examiner's office.&nbsp;Anyone with information on the crime is asked to contact the KHP.

KHP looking for witnesses to fatal hit-and-run

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

Just after 2:30p.m. Sunday, police to report of stabbing at a residence in the 2500 Block SE Ohio, according to Police Captain Jerry Monasmith.

First responders&nbsp;located&nbsp;Lois Brown, 92, of Topeka, unresponsive with life threatening injuries. Medical personnel pronounced her dead at the scene.&nbsp;

As a result of the investigation, Stephanie Miller, 43 years of age, of Topeka, was transported to the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charge of First-Degree murder, according to Monasmith.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1692007893684.png" alt="Miller-photo Shawnee Co." />
 <figcaption>Miller-photo Shawnee Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a deadly stabbing and have made an arrest.Just after 2:30p.m. Sunday, police to report of stabbing at a residence in the 2500 Block SE Ohio, according to Police Captain Jerry Monasmith.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1692008058271.png" alt="Police on the scene of the investigation Sunday-photo courtesy WiBW TV" />
 <figcaption>Police on the scene of the investigation Sunday-photo courtesy WiBW TV</figcaption>
 </figure>First responders&nbsp;located&nbsp;Lois Brown, 92, of Topeka, unresponsive with life threatening injuries. Medical personnel pronounced her dead at the scene.&nbsp;As a result of the investigation, Stephanie Miller, 43 years of age, of Topeka, was transported to the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charge of First-Degree murder, according to Monasmith.

Police investigate deadly stabbing of 92-year-old Kan. woman

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Gone was the helicopter, but&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump" target="_blank">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;over the weekend renewed his reputation for defying norms and creating a mega-celebrity’s spectacle at the Iowa State Fair.

Trump, in fewer than two hours on the steaming fairgrounds in Des Moines, attracted thousands of sweating, chanting supporters to his stops at the Iowa Pork Producers tent, a baby farm animal exhibit and a popular Grand Concourse pub.

All the while, Trump not-so-subtly tried to set himself apart from Florida Gov.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/ron-desantis" target="_blank">Ron DeSantis</a>, Trump’s main rival with more than five months until&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iowa-caucuses-2024-new-hampshire-primary-republican-election-ab362c03166a97c50a4db87c3bb494d9" target="_blank">Iowa’s leadoff caucuses</a>&nbsp;and who was on the fairgrounds at the same time.

Just as DeSantis and his family were wrapping up their day at the fair, meeting with Iowa Republican leaders and activists, Trump descended into the huge scrum of backers accompanied by about a dozen Florida U.S. House members, a shot at DeSantis who is making an aggressive pitch to Iowa Republicans.

Trump spoke little to the public in his short time at the fair, except to talk individually to some fairgoers. However, he repeated during remarks to hundreds crammed into the fair favorite “Steer and Stein” the disproven claim that the 2020 election was “rigged,” and that “we got millions and millions more votes.”

Instead, while most candidates seeking caucus support tout Iowa political endorsements, Trump spent most of his public remarks introducing Florida lawmakers who traveled with him to Iowa. The effort, Trump aides said, demonstrates feelings of those who know DeSantis best, but also clearly stoke outrage among those who feel the former president has been persecuted with the two federal indictments he now faces.

“So to all my friends in Iowa when you see them come for this man, know that they are coming for this movement, and they are coming for all of us,” said Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla.

Before taking his three children to ride bumper cars and the Ferris wheel, DeSantis boasted about the delegation of state lawmakers in Iowa that flanked him when reporters asked about the Florida representatives surrounding Trump.

“I think it’s fine to bring folks in from Washington, but I think Iowans really are more concerned about the people in their communities,” he said.

DeSantis and other candidates at the fair called out Trump for his criticism of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/kim-reynolds" target="_blank">Gov. Kim Reynolds</a>, who has taken a pledge of neutrality and hosted a series of one-on-one conversations that most GOP candidates accepted but Trump declined.

“That’s just how he operates, to attack one of the best governors in the country,” DeSantis said. “I think as Republicans we should be thankful and proud to see other Republicans doing well.”

Most candidates effused praise on Reynolds throughout their appearances at the fair and enjoyed her company on walks around the fairground or flipping pork burgers.

Former Vice President Mike Pence said he was “for Governor Kim Reynolds before it was cool.” Business entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy encouraged fairgoers to give her a round of applause.

Trump also sought to soothe tension between him and Reynolds Saturday even though he didn’t appear with her. But in addressing the drama with Reynolds, Trump repeated his claim that he was responsible for her election. Trump campaigned with Reynolds during her 2018 bid, which she won narrowly. She won reelection by a much larger margin in 2022.

“I have a very nice relationship with her,” he said. “I got her elected.”

For Trump’s team, there was not a trace of concern in the air — given the concentration of supporters, the range of ages and the sea of Make America Great Again hats — about&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-indicted-jan-6-investigation-special-counsel-debb59bb7a4d9f93f7e2dace01feccdc" target="_blank">Trump’s indictment this month on federal felony changes he worked to overturn the 2020 election</a>&nbsp;in the run-up to the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/capitol-siege" target="_blank">violent riot by his supporters at the U.S. Capitol</a>&nbsp;on Jan. 6, 2021.

Stopping briefly to talk to reporters, he declined to say whether he would comply with a protective order by the judge overseeing the election conspiracy case, limiting what the former president can publicly say about evidence in the investigation as he campaigns.

“I’ll have to take a look at the order,” Trump said. “The whole thing is a fake — it was put out by Biden, because they can’t win an election the fair way.”

Asked later whether he would agree to plead guilty to lesser charges, Trump called the reporter “a wise guy.” “We don’t do plea deals,” he said.

In 2015, as the emerging Republican presidential nominee, Trump commanded attention at the fair by offering children rides on his personal helicopter. In suit and tie, the then-TV celebrity and New York real estate executive cut a far different figure than candidates typically in jeans and cowboy boots.

In just as brazen style Saturday, Trump’s Boeing 757 circled the fairgrounds ahead of his landing just as DeSantis was manning the grill at the Iowa Pork Producers tent.

It was one of several episodes this year in Iowa where Trump has sought to outshine DeSantis while both were in the state. DeSantis trails Trump in national and Iowa polls but is viewed still early in the race as his strongest potential challenger and has recently accelerated his Iowa outreach in an attempt to land an early blow against the former president who remains extremely popular within the GOP base.

Cheers of “Trump, Trump, Trump” erupted at the three stops the former president made — in a blue suit, but this time in an open-collared shirt — trudging shoulder-to-shoulder crowds.

Though so much of Trump’s stop was out of the ordinary, at the pork tent, he bowed to state fair protocol.

He held a pork chop on a stick up to the crowd and waved it.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Gone was the helicopter, but&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump" target="_blank">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;over the weekend renewed his reputation for defying norms and creating a mega-celebrity’s spectacle at the Iowa State Fair.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">WATCH: (from Saturday) Former President Trump: &quot;We don&#39;t take plea deals because I did nothing wrong. It&#39;s called election interference.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/Ch2w7InRnm">pic.twitter.com/Ch2w7InRnm</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1690737890425200640?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 13, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Trump, in fewer than two hours on the steaming fairgrounds in Des Moines, attracted thousands of sweating, chanting supporters to his stops at the Iowa Pork Producers tent, a baby farm animal exhibit and a popular Grand Concourse pub.All the while, Trump not-so-subtly tried to set himself apart from Florida Gov.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/ron-desantis" target="_blank">Ron DeSantis</a>, Trump’s main rival with more than five months until&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iowa-caucuses-2024-new-hampshire-primary-republican-election-ab362c03166a97c50a4db87c3bb494d9" target="_blank">Iowa’s leadoff caucuses</a>&nbsp;and who was on the fairgrounds at the same time.Just as DeSantis and his family were wrapping up their day at the fair, meeting with Iowa Republican leaders and activists, Trump descended into the huge scrum of backers accompanied by about a dozen Florida U.S. House members, a shot at DeSantis who is making an aggressive pitch to Iowa Republicans.Trump spoke little to the public in his short time at the fair, except to talk individually to some fairgoers. However, he repeated during remarks to hundreds crammed into the fair favorite “Steer and Stein” the disproven claim that the 2020 election was “rigged,” and that “we got millions and millions more votes.”Instead, while most candidates seeking caucus support tout Iowa political endorsements, Trump spent most of his public remarks introducing Florida lawmakers who traveled with him to Iowa. The effort, Trump aides said, demonstrates feelings of those who know DeSantis best, but also clearly stoke outrage among those who feel the former president has been persecuted with the two federal indictments he now faces.“So to all my friends in Iowa when you see them come for this man, know that they are coming for this movement, and they are coming for all of us,” said Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla.Before taking his three children to ride bumper cars and the Ferris wheel, DeSantis boasted about the delegation of state lawmakers in Iowa that flanked him when reporters asked about the Florida representatives surrounding Trump.“I think it’s fine to bring folks in from Washington, but I think Iowans really are more concerned about the people in their communities,” he said.DeSantis and other candidates at the fair called out Trump for his criticism of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/kim-reynolds" target="_blank">Gov. Kim Reynolds</a>, who has taken a pledge of neutrality and hosted a series of one-on-one conversations that most GOP candidates accepted but Trump declined.“That’s just how he operates, to attack one of the best governors in the country,” DeSantis said. “I think as Republicans we should be thankful and proud to see other Republicans doing well.”Most candidates effused praise on Reynolds throughout their appearances at the fair and enjoyed her company on walks around the fairground or flipping pork burgers.Former Vice President Mike Pence said he was “for Governor Kim Reynolds before it was cool.” Business entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy encouraged fairgoers to give her a round of applause.Trump also sought to soothe tension between him and Reynolds Saturday even though he didn’t appear with her. But in addressing the drama with Reynolds, Trump repeated his claim that he was responsible for her election. Trump campaigned with Reynolds during her 2018 bid, which she won narrowly. She won reelection by a much larger margin in 2022.“I have a very nice relationship with her,” he said. “I got her elected.”For Trump’s team, there was not a trace of concern in the air — given the concentration of supporters, the range of ages and the sea of Make America Great Again hats — about&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-indicted-jan-6-investigation-special-counsel-debb59bb7a4d9f93f7e2dace01feccdc" target="_blank">Trump’s indictment this month on federal felony changes he worked to overturn the 2020 election</a>&nbsp;in the run-up to the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/capitol-siege" target="_blank">violent riot by his supporters at the U.S. Capitol</a>&nbsp;on Jan. 6, 2021.Stopping briefly to talk to reporters, he declined to say whether he would comply with a protective order by the judge overseeing the election conspiracy case, limiting what the former president can publicly say about evidence in the investigation as he campaigns.“I’ll have to take a look at the order,” Trump said. “The whole thing is a fake — it was put out by Biden, because they can’t win an election the fair way.”Asked later whether he would agree to plead guilty to lesser charges, Trump called the reporter “a wise guy.” “We don’t do plea deals,” he said.In 2015, as the emerging Republican presidential nominee, Trump commanded attention at the fair by offering children rides on his personal helicopter. In suit and tie, the then-TV celebrity and New York real estate executive cut a far different figure than candidates typically in jeans and cowboy boots.In just as brazen style Saturday, Trump’s Boeing 757 circled the fairgrounds ahead of his landing just as DeSantis was manning the grill at the Iowa Pork Producers tent.It was one of several episodes this year in Iowa where Trump has sought to outshine DeSantis while both were in the state. DeSantis trails Trump in national and Iowa polls but is viewed still early in the race as his strongest potential challenger and has recently accelerated his Iowa outreach in an attempt to land an early blow against the former president who remains extremely popular within the GOP base.Cheers of “Trump, Trump, Trump” erupted at the three stops the former president made — in a blue suit, but this time in an open-collared shirt — trudging shoulder-to-shoulder crowds.Though so much of Trump’s stop was out of the ordinary, at the pork tent, he bowed to state fair protocol.He held a pork chop on a stick up to the crowd and waved it.

🎥Trump seizes the spotlight at Iowa State Fair

The funeral service for officer Johah Oswald is scheduled for 11:00 a.m. Monday at the Westside Family Church, 8500 Woodsonia Drive in Lenexa.

Kansas Governor Laura Kelly is directing flags be flown at half-staff at all state grounds, buildings and facilities from sunrise to sundown on Monday to honor Officer Oswald.

There will be no graveside service, however there will be a short ceremony outside of the church when the service is concluded.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1691612574385.png" alt="Jonah Oswald-courtesy photo" />
 <figcaption>Jonah Oswald-courtesy photo</figcaption>
 </figure>The funeral service for officer Johah Oswald is scheduled for 11:00 a.m. Monday at the Westside Family Church, 8500 Woodsonia Drive in Lenexa.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1691977093751.png" alt="A view of the Parade of Blue honoring Officer Oswald on Saturday evening-image courtesy KCTV" />
 <figcaption>A view of the Parade of Blue honoring Officer Oswald on Saturday evening-image courtesy KCTV</figcaption>
 </figure>Kansas Governor Laura Kelly is directing flags be flown at half-staff at all state grounds, buildings and facilities from sunrise to sundown on Monday to honor Officer Oswald.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Here are some additional pictures taken by one of our LKPD officers who participated in the Parade of Blue to respectfully pay tribute to Fairway Police Officer Jonah Oswald. 💙 If you’d like to donate to the family, click here:<a href="https://t.co/Jn0EKJMWmy">https://t.co/Jn0EKJMWmy</a> <a href="https://t.co/Bfwgc3obDs">pic.twitter.com/Bfwgc3obDs</a>&mdash; Lawrence Police (@LawrenceKS_PD) <a href="https://twitter.com/LawrenceKS_PD/status/1690889372835483648?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 14, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Ceremonial honors&nbsp;There will be no graveside service, however there will be a short ceremony outside of the church when the service is concluded.

Funeral service for fallen Kansas police officer

ST. CHARLES COUNTY, Mo. —One person died and another arrested after an accident just after 3:30a.m. Saturday in St. Charles County, Missouri.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2022 Hyundai Venue driven by Dioavian R. Cook, 24, Wichita, was eastbound in the westbound lanes of Interstate 70 just east of David Hoekel Parkway.

The SUV struck a 2012 Ford Explorer driven by Jared R. Allan, 42, Kansas City head-on.

St Charles County ambulance transported Allan, and passengers in the Ford Carri L. Allan, 42, Kansas City and a 7-year-old Kansas City boy to SSM Health St. Joseph Hospital Lake St. Louis.&nbsp; The boy was pronounced dead just after 4a.m.

St. Charles County ambulance transported Cook to Mercy Hospital in St. Louis. The MSHP later arrested him on requested charges of driving while intoxicated resulting in the death of another.

ST. CHARLES COUNTY, Mo. —One person died and another arrested after an accident just after 3:30a.m. Saturday in St. Charles County, Missouri.The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2022 Hyundai Venue driven by Dioavian R. Cook, 24, Wichita, was eastbound in the westbound lanes of Interstate 70 just east of David Hoekel Parkway.The SUV struck a 2012 Ford Explorer driven by Jared R. Allan, 42, Kansas City head-on.St Charles County ambulance transported Allan, and passengers in the Ford Carri L. Allan, 42, Kansas City and a 7-year-old Kansas City boy to SSM Health St. Joseph Hospital Lake St. Louis.&nbsp; The boy was pronounced dead just after 4a.m.St. Charles County ambulance transported Cook to Mercy Hospital in St. Louis. The MSHP later arrested him on requested charges of driving while intoxicated resulting in the death of another.

7-year-old dies after crash with Kan. driver accused of DWI

MARION, Kan. (AP) — A small central Kansas police department is facing a torrent of criticism for raiding a local newspaper’s office and the home of its owner and publisher, seizing computers and cellphones, and, in the publisher’s view, stressing his 98-year-old mother enough to cause her weekend death.

Several press freedom watchdogs condemned the Marion Police Department's actions as a blatant violation of the U.S. Constitution’s protection for a free press. The Marion County Record's editor and publisher, Eric Meyer, worked with his staff Sunday to reconstruct stories, ads and other materials for its next edition Wednesday, even as he took time in the afternoon to provide a local funeral home with information about his mother, Joan, the paper's co-owner.

A search warrant tied Friday morning raids, led by Marion Police Chief Gideon Cody, to a dispute between the newspaper and a local restaurant owner, Kari Newell. She is accusing the newspaper of invading her privacy and illegally accessing information about her and her driving record and suggested that the newspaper targeted her after she threw Meyer and a reporter out of restaurant during a political event.

While Meyer saw Newell's complaints — which he said were untrue — as prompting the raids, he also believes the newspaper's aggressive coverage of local politics and issues played a role. He said the newspaper was examining Cody's past work with the Kansas City, Missouri, police as well.

“This is the type of stuff that, you know, that Vladimir Putin does, that Third World dictators do," Meyer said during an interview in his office. "This is Gestapo tactics from World War II.”

Cody said Sunday that the raid was legal and tied to an investigation.

The raids occurred in a town of about 1,900 people, nestled among rolling prairie hills, about 150 miles (241 kilometers) southwest of Kansas City, making the small weekly newspaper the latest to find itself in the headlines and possibly targeted for its reporting.

Last year in New Hampshire, the publisher of a weekly newspaper&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/arrests-new-hampshire-newspapers-attorney-generals-office-b3e29c1d243cdab3e43b942e4b92a8f2">accused the state attorney general’s office of government overreach</a>&nbsp;after she was arrested for allegedly publishing advertisements for local races without properly marking them as political advertising. In Las Vegas, former Democratic elected official Robert Telles is scheduled to face trial in November for allegedly fatally stabbing&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-nevada-state-government-las-vegas-homicide-4065890378111c7f913c4d97d2b96f7e">Las Vegas Review-Journal reporter Jeff German</a>&nbsp;after German wrote articles critical of Telles and his managerial conduct.

Meyer said that on Friday, one Record reporter suffered an injury to a finger when Cody wrested her cellphone out of her hand, according to the report. The newspaper's surveillance video showed officers reading that reporter her rights while Cody watched, though she wasn't arrested or detained. Newspaper employees were hustled out of the building while the search continued for more than 90 minutes, according to the footage.

Meanwhile, Meyer said, police simultaneously raided his home, seizing computers, his cellphone and the home’s internet router.

But as Meyer fielded messages from reporters and editors as far away as London and reviewed footage from the newsroom’s surveillance camera, Newell was receiving death threats from as far away, she said. She said the Record engages in “tabloid trash reporting” and was trying to hush her up.

“I fully believe that the intent was to do harm and merely tarnish my reputation, and I think if had it been left at that, I don’t think that it would have blown up as big as it was,” Newell said in a telephone interview.

Newell said she threw Meyer and the Record reporter out of the event for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/43776f9e6a0d4cd6ea07ab802a548f8d">Republican U.S. Rep. Jake LaTurner</a>&nbsp;at the request of others who are upset with the “toxic” newspaper. On the town's main street, one storefront included a handmade “Support Marion PD” sign."

The police chief and other officials also attended and were acknowledged at the reception, and the Marion Police Department highlighted the event on its Facebook page.

LaTurner's office did not immediately return phone messages left Sunday at his Washington and district offices seeking comment.

Newell said she believes the newspaper violated the law to get her personal information as it checked on the status of her driver's license following a 2008 drunken driving conviction and other driving violations.

The newspaper countered that it received that information unsolicited, which it verified through public online records. It eventually decided not to run a story because it wasn’t sure the source who supplied it had obtained it legally. But the newspaper did run a story on the city council meeting, in which Newell herself confirmed she'd had a DUI conviction and that she had continued to drive even after her license was suspended.

A two-page search warrant, signed by a local judge, lists Newell as the victim of alleged crimes by the newspaper. When the newspaper asked for a copy of the probable cause affidavit required by law to issue a search warrant, the district court issued a signed statement saying no such affidavit was on file, the Record reported.

Cody, the police chief, defended the raid on Sunday, saying in an email to The Associated Press that while federal law usually requires a subpoena — not just a search warrant — to raid a newsroom, there is an exception “when there is reason to believe the journalist is taking part in the underlying wrongdoing.”

Cody did not give details about what that alleged wrongdoing entailed.

Cody, who was hired in late April as Marion's police chief after serving 24 years in the Kansas City police, did not respond to questions about whether police filed a probable cause affidavit for the search warrant. He also did not answer questions about how police believe Newell was victimized.

Press freedom and civil rights organizations said that police, the local prosecutor's office and the judge who signed off on the search warrant overstepped their authority.

“It seems like one of the most aggressive police raids of a news organization or entity in quite some time,” said Sharon Brett, legal director for the American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas, adding that it seemed “quite an alarming abuse of authority."

Seth Stern, director of advocacy for Freedom of the Press Foundation, said in a statement that the raid appeared to have violated federal law, the First Amendment, “and basic human decency.”

“The anti-press rhetoric that’s become so pervasive in this country has become more than just talk and is creating a dangerous environment for journalists trying to do their jobs," Stern said.

Meyer said he has been flooded with offers of help from press freedom groups and other news organizations. But he said what he and his staff need is more hours in the day to get their next edition put together.

Both he and Newell are contemplating lawsuits — Newell against the newspaper and Meyer against the public officials who staged the raid.

As for the criticism of the raid as a violation of First Amendment rights, Newell said her privacy rights were violated, and they are “just as important as anybody else’s.”

By JOHN HANNA and MARGERY A. BECK&nbsp;MARION, Kan. (AP) — A small central Kansas police department is facing a torrent of criticism for raiding a local newspaper’s office and the home of its owner and publisher, seizing computers and cellphones, and, in the publisher’s view, stressing his 98-year-old mother enough to cause her weekend death.Several press freedom watchdogs condemned the Marion Police Department's actions as a blatant violation of the U.S. Constitution’s protection for a free press. The Marion County Record's editor and publisher, Eric Meyer, worked with his staff Sunday to reconstruct stories, ads and other materials for its next edition Wednesday, even as he took time in the afternoon to provide a local funeral home with information about his mother, Joan, the paper's co-owner.<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fmarionpoliceks%2Fposts%2Fpfbid02fzBK6Mp4voBLB39mF6p1ug9uQreXjZ8yPnK5mWFqYwsXdkkzBzBUj46sQeeeP6mHl&show_text=true&width=500" width="500" height="278" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share"></iframe></div>A search warrant tied Friday morning raids, led by Marion Police Chief Gideon Cody, to a dispute between the newspaper and a local restaurant owner, Kari Newell. She is accusing the newspaper of invading her privacy and illegally accessing information about her and her driving record and suggested that the newspaper targeted her after she threw Meyer and a reporter out of restaurant during a political event.While Meyer saw Newell's complaints — which he said were untrue — as prompting the raids, he also believes the newspaper's aggressive coverage of local politics and issues played a role. He said the newspaper was examining Cody's past work with the Kansas City, Missouri, police as well.“This is the type of stuff that, you know, that Vladimir Putin does, that Third World dictators do," Meyer said during an interview in his office. "This is Gestapo tactics from World War II.”Cody said Sunday that the raid was legal and tied to an investigation.The raids occurred in a town of about 1,900 people, nestled among rolling prairie hills, about 150 miles (241 kilometers) southwest of Kansas City, making the small weekly newspaper the latest to find itself in the headlines and possibly targeted for its reporting.Last year in New Hampshire, the publisher of a weekly newspaper&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/arrests-new-hampshire-newspapers-attorney-generals-office-b3e29c1d243cdab3e43b942e4b92a8f2">accused the state attorney general’s office of government overreach</a>&nbsp;after she was arrested for allegedly publishing advertisements for local races without properly marking them as political advertising. In Las Vegas, former Democratic elected official Robert Telles is scheduled to face trial in November for allegedly fatally stabbing&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-nevada-state-government-las-vegas-homicide-4065890378111c7f913c4d97d2b96f7e">Las Vegas Review-Journal reporter Jeff German</a>&nbsp;after German wrote articles critical of Telles and his managerial conduct.Meyer said that on Friday, one Record reporter suffered an injury to a finger when Cody wrested her cellphone out of her hand, according to the report. The newspaper's surveillance video showed officers reading that reporter her rights while Cody watched, though she wasn't arrested or detained. Newspaper employees were hustled out of the building while the search continued for more than 90 minutes, according to the footage.Meanwhile, Meyer said, police simultaneously raided his home, seizing computers, his cellphone and the home’s internet router.But as Meyer fielded messages from reporters and editors as far away as London and reviewed footage from the newsroom’s surveillance camera, Newell was receiving death threats from as far away, she said. She said the Record engages in “tabloid trash reporting” and was trying to hush her up.“I fully believe that the intent was to do harm and merely tarnish my reputation, and I think if had it been left at that, I don’t think that it would have blown up as big as it was,” Newell said in a telephone interview.Newell said she threw Meyer and the Record reporter out of the event for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/43776f9e6a0d4cd6ea07ab802a548f8d">Republican U.S. Rep. Jake LaTurner</a>&nbsp;at the request of others who are upset with the “toxic” newspaper. On the town's main street, one storefront included a handmade “Support Marion PD” sign."The police chief and other officials also attended and were acknowledged at the reception, and the Marion Police Department highlighted the event on its Facebook page.<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fmarionpoliceks%2Fposts%2Fpfbid02sWeqoeuTe4eZCtkA4dQZaT1gRUADb3uAamKRphxWTG7zoqErRQwcJ1VUQvmMgAA1l&show_text=true&width=500" width="500" height="800" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share"></iframe></div>LaTurner's office did not immediately return phone messages left Sunday at his Washington and district offices seeking comment.Newell said she believes the newspaper violated the law to get her personal information as it checked on the status of her driver's license following a 2008 drunken driving conviction and other driving violations.The newspaper countered that it received that information unsolicited, which it verified through public online records. It eventually decided not to run a story because it wasn’t sure the source who supplied it had obtained it legally. But the newspaper did run a story on the city council meeting, in which Newell herself confirmed she'd had a DUI conviction and that she had continued to drive even after her license was suspended.A two-page search warrant, signed by a local judge, lists Newell as the victim of alleged crimes by the newspaper. When the newspaper asked for a copy of the probable cause affidavit required by law to issue a search warrant, the district court issued a signed statement saying no such affidavit was on file, the Record reported.Cody, the police chief, defended the raid on Sunday, saying in an email to The Associated Press that while federal law usually requires a subpoena — not just a search warrant — to raid a newsroom, there is an exception “when there is reason to believe the journalist is taking part in the underlying wrongdoing.”Cody did not give details about what that alleged wrongdoing entailed.Cody, who was hired in late April as Marion's police chief after serving 24 years in the Kansas City police, did not respond to questions about whether police filed a probable cause affidavit for the search warrant. He also did not answer questions about how police believe Newell was victimized.Press freedom and civil rights organizations said that police, the local prosecutor's office and the judge who signed off on the search warrant overstepped their authority.“It seems like one of the most aggressive police raids of a news organization or entity in quite some time,” said Sharon Brett, legal director for the American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas, adding that it seemed “quite an alarming abuse of authority."Seth Stern, director of advocacy for Freedom of the Press Foundation, said in a statement that the raid appeared to have violated federal law, the First Amendment, “and basic human decency.”“The anti-press rhetoric that’s become so pervasive in this country has become more than just talk and is creating a dangerous environment for journalists trying to do their jobs," Stern said.Meyer said he has been flooded with offers of help from press freedom groups and other news organizations. But he said what he and his staff need is more hours in the day to get their next edition put together.Both he and Newell are contemplating lawsuits — Newell against the newspaper and Meyer against the public officials who staged the raid.As for the criticism of the raid as a violation of First Amendment rights, Newell said her privacy rights were violated, and they are “just as important as anybody else’s.”

Central Kan. police force comes under constitutional criticism after raiding a newspaper

LAHAINA, Hawaii&nbsp; (AP) —Hawaii officials urged tourists to avoid traveling to Maui as many hotels prepared to house evacuees and first responders on the island that faces a long recovery from the wildfire that demolished a historic town and killed more than 90 people.

About 46,000 residents and visitors have flown out of Kahului Airport in West Maui since the devastation in Lahaina became clear Wednesday, according to the Hawaii Tourism Authority.

"In the weeks ahead, the collective resources and attention of the federal, state and county government, the West Maui community, and the travel industry must be focused on the recovery of residents who were forced to evacuate their homes and businesses," the agency said in a statement late Saturday. Tourists are encouraged to visit Hawaii's other islands.

Gov. Josh Green said 500 hotels rooms will be made available for locals who have been displaced. An additional 500 hotel rooms will be set aside for workers from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Some hotels will carry on with normal business to help preserve jobs and sustain the local economy, Green said.

The state wants to work with Airbnb to make sure that rental homes can be made available for locals. Green hopes that the company will be able to provide three- to nine-month rentals for those who have lost homes.

As the death toll from a wildfire that razed a historic Maui town reached 93, authorities warned Saturday that the effort to find and identify the dead was still in its early stages. It's already the deadliest U.S. wildfire for over a century.

Crews with cadaver dogs have covered just 3% of the search area, Maui Police Chief John Pelletier said.

"We've got an area that we have to contain that is at least 5 square miles and it is full of our loved ones," noting that the death toll is likely to grow and "none of us really know the size of it yet."

He spoke as federal emergency workers picked through the ashen moonscape left by the fire that razed the centuries-old town of Lahaina. Teams marked the ruins of homes with a bright orange X to record an initial search, and HR when they found human remains.

Pelletier said identifying the dead is extremely challenging because "we pick up the remains and they fall apart ... When we find our family and our friends, the remains that we're finding is through a fire that melted metal." Two people have been identified so far, he said.

Dogs worked the rubble, and their occasional bark — used to alert their handlers to a possible corpse — echoed over the hot and colorless landscape.

"It will certainly be the worst natural disaster that Hawaii ever faced," Gov. Josh Green remarked Saturday as he toured the devastation on historic Front Street. "We can only wait and support those who are living. Our focus now is to reunite people when we can and get them housing and get them health care, and then turn to rebuilding."

At least 2,200 buildings were damaged or destroyed in West Maui, Green said, of which 86% were residential. Across the island, he added, damage was estimated at close to $6 billion. He said it would take "an incredible amount of time" to recover."

The confirmed death toll was later raised to 93 from the total of 89 announced in a press conference with Green and other officials.

At least two other fires have been burning on Maui, with no fatalities reported thus far: in south Maui's Kihei area and in the mountainous, inland communities known as Upcountry. A fourth broke out Friday evening in Kaanapali, a coastal community north of Lahaina, but crews were able to extinguish it, authorities said.

Green said the Upcountry fire had affected 544 structures, of which 96% were residential.

Emergency managers in Maui were searching for places to house people displaced from their homes. As many as 4,500 people are in need of shelter, county officials said on Facebook early Saturday, citing figures from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Pacific Disaster Center.

He encouraged those with missing family members to go to the family assistance center.

"We need you to do the DNA test. We need to identify your loved ones," Pelletier said.

Those who escaped counted their blessings, thankful to be alive as they mourned those who didn't make it.

Retired fire captain Geoff Bogar and his friend of 35 years, Franklin Trejos, initially stayed behind to help others in Lahaina and save Bogar's house. But as the flames moved closer and closer Tuesday afternoon, they knew they had to get out. Each escaped to his own car. When Bogar's wouldn't start, he broke through a window to get out, then crawled on the ground until a police patrol found him and brought him to a hospital.

Trejos wasn't as lucky. When Bogar returned the next day, he found the bones of his 68-year-old friend in the back seat of his car, lying on top of the remains of the Bogars' beloved 3-year-old golden retriever Sam, whom he had tried to protect.

Trejos, a native of Costa Rica, had lived for years with Bogar and his wife, Shannon Weber-Bogar, helping her with her seizures when her husband couldn't. He filled their lives with love and laughter.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1691978468130.png" alt="FEMA along with federal and local partners, <a href="https://twitter.com/NationalVOAD">@NationalVOAD</a> member organizations, and other volunteer and faith-based organizations continue to respond to survivors’ immediate needs following the devastating wildfires in Maui.-FEMA photo" />
 <figcaption>FEMA along with federal and local partners, <a href="https://twitter.com/NationalVOAD">@NationalVOAD</a> member organizations, and other volunteer and faith-based organizations continue to respond to survivors’ immediate needs following the devastating wildfires in Maui.-FEMA photo</figcaption>
 </figure>LAHAINA, Hawaii&nbsp; (AP) —Hawaii officials urged tourists to avoid traveling to Maui as many hotels prepared to house evacuees and first responders on the island that faces a long recovery from the wildfire that demolished a historic town and killed more than 90 people. About 46,000 residents and visitors have flown out of Kahului Airport in West Maui since the devastation in Lahaina became clear Wednesday, according to the Hawaii Tourism Authority.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Our team is working in coordination with the County, the Red Cross, and FEMA to immediately move the survivors into hotel rooms and vacation rentals. Help is pouring in both locally and around the world as our hearts are with the people of Maui. <a href="https://t.co/WMUNl70LAX">pic.twitter.com/WMUNl70LAX</a>&mdash; Governor Josh Green (@GovJoshGreenMD) <a href="https://twitter.com/GovJoshGreenMD/status/1690583706602500098?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 13, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>"In the weeks ahead, the collective resources and attention of the federal, state and county government, the West Maui community, and the travel industry must be focused on the recovery of residents who were forced to evacuate their homes and businesses," the agency said in a statement late Saturday. Tourists are encouraged to visit Hawaii's other islands.Gov. Josh Green said 500 hotels rooms will be made available for locals who have been displaced. An additional 500 hotel rooms will be set aside for workers from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Some hotels will carry on with normal business to help preserve jobs and sustain the local economy, Green said.The state wants to work with Airbnb to make sure that rental homes can be made available for locals. Green hopes that the company will be able to provide three- to nine-month rentals for those who have lost homes.As the death toll from a wildfire that razed a historic Maui town reached 93, authorities warned Saturday that the effort to find and identify the dead was still in its early stages. It's already the deadliest U.S. wildfire for over a century. Crews with cadaver dogs have covered just 3% of the search area, Maui Police Chief John Pelletier said."We've got an area that we have to contain that is at least 5 square miles and it is full of our loved ones," noting that the death toll is likely to grow and "none of us really know the size of it yet."He spoke as federal emergency workers picked through the ashen moonscape left by the fire that razed the centuries-old town of Lahaina. Teams marked the ruins of homes with a bright orange X to record an initial search, and HR when they found human remains.Pelletier said identifying the dead is extremely challenging because "we pick up the remains and they fall apart ... When we find our family and our friends, the remains that we're finding is through a fire that melted metal." Two people have been identified so far, he said.Dogs worked the rubble, and their occasional bark — used to alert their handlers to a possible corpse — echoed over the hot and colorless landscape."It will certainly be the worst natural disaster that Hawaii ever faced," Gov. Josh Green remarked Saturday as he toured the devastation on historic Front Street. "We can only wait and support those who are living. Our focus now is to reunite people when we can and get them housing and get them health care, and then turn to rebuilding."At least 2,200 buildings were damaged or destroyed in West Maui, Green said, of which 86% were residential. Across the island, he added, damage was estimated at close to $6 billion. He said it would take "an incredible amount of time" to recover."The confirmed death toll was later raised to 93 from the total of 89 announced in a press conference with Green and other officials.At least two other fires have been burning on Maui, with no fatalities reported thus far: in south Maui's Kihei area and in the mountainous, inland communities known as Upcountry. A fourth broke out Friday evening in Kaanapali, a coastal community north of Lahaina, but crews were able to extinguish it, authorities said.Green said the Upcountry fire had affected 544 structures, of which 96% were residential.Emergency managers in Maui were searching for places to house people displaced from their homes. As many as 4,500 people are in need of shelter, county officials said on Facebook early Saturday, citing figures from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Pacific Disaster Center.He encouraged those with missing family members to go to the family assistance center."We need you to do the DNA test. We need to identify your loved ones," Pelletier said.Those who escaped counted their blessings, thankful to be alive as they mourned those who didn't make it.Retired fire captain Geoff Bogar and his friend of 35 years, Franklin Trejos, initially stayed behind to help others in Lahaina and save Bogar's house. But as the flames moved closer and closer Tuesday afternoon, they knew they had to get out. Each escaped to his own car. When Bogar's wouldn't start, he broke through a window to get out, then crawled on the ground until a police patrol found him and brought him to a hospital.Trejos wasn't as lucky. When Bogar returned the next day, he found the bones of his 68-year-old friend in the back seat of his car, lying on top of the remains of the Bogars' beloved 3-year-old golden retriever Sam, whom he had tried to protect.Trejos, a native of Costa Rica, had lived for years with Bogar and his wife, Shannon Weber-Bogar, helping her with her seizures when her husband couldn't. He filled their lives with love and laughter.

Tourists urged to avoid Maui as hotels prepare to take in evacuees 

CLOUD COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a vehicle theft and asking the public for help to locate a suspect.

According to social media report from Concordia Police, officers are looking for 34-year-lold Ric Jacob Meczywor. Aka Jake.

He is wanted for allegedly stealing a&nbsp;silver 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix&nbsp; with Kansas tag 808SBZ. He is also accused of entering another vehicle&nbsp; in same parking lot Saturday night.&nbsp;

Meczywor was booked into the Cloud County Jail in May and released from custody July 6, according to online jail records.

Anyone with information on Meczywor or the vehicle should contact police.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1691967204362.png" alt="MECZYWOR photo Concordia Police" />
 <figcaption>MECZYWOR photo Concordia Police</figcaption>
 </figure>CLOUD COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a vehicle theft and asking the public for help to locate a suspect.According to social media report from Concordia Police, officers are looking for 34-year-lold Ric Jacob Meczywor. Aka Jake.He is wanted for allegedly stealing a&nbsp;silver 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix&nbsp; with Kansas tag 808SBZ. He is also accused of entering another vehicle&nbsp; in same parking lot Saturday night.&nbsp;Meczywor was booked into the Cloud County Jail in May and released from custody July 6, according to online jail records.Anyone with information on Meczywor or the vehicle should contact police.

Police search for stolen car, suspect in north central Kansas

TOPEKA&nbsp;– Governor Kelly will welcome&nbsp;Dolly&nbsp;Parton&nbsp;for a celebration of the statewide success of&nbsp;Dolly&nbsp;Parton's Imagination Library Monday afternoon in Overland&nbsp; Park. This event is&nbsp;hosted by the Imagination Library of Kansas. Governor Kelly will deliver brief remarks and participate in a sit-down conversation with&nbsp;Dolly&nbsp;Parton&nbsp;on stage.&nbsp; The event is&nbsp;closed to the public.

Every child in Kansas from birth to age five can receive free books every month from&nbsp;Dolly&nbsp;Parton’s Imagination Library. This is made possible through increased funding provided to the Kansas Children’s Cabinet and Trust Fund by Governor Laura Kelly and the Kansas Legislature. These funds supplement local and regional resources to ensure equitable opportunity across the state. The Imagination Library has gifted over 200 million books worldwide since its launch in 1995.&nbsp;&nbsp;

"I am pleased that we have reached this amazing milestone – being able to provide the gift of reading for children and families across Kansas,”&nbsp;said Governor Laura Kelly.&nbsp;“We know that a child’s first five years are critical for health development and childhood literacy. By increasing access to the Imagination Library, we will be nurturing a love for reading and supporting the foundation of a child’s social-emotional, physical, and cognitive future. I urge all eligible Kansas families to sign their children up for the Imagination Library of Kansas.”&nbsp;

The early childhood period (birth to five years) is the most influential for a child’s future, providing the foundation for a child to grow, learn, and thrive. Leaders across Kansas have been focused on developing strategies to promote early literacy and support educators, parents, and families in fostering commitments to reading. Forming an Imagination Library of Kansas is a significant step towards actualizing these goals by placing books directly in the child’s home.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Pratt, Kansas, has the distinction of starting the first Imagination Library site outside Tennessee in 2005. Today, Kansas is celebrating over 52,200 children enrolled and celebrating the milestone of gifting more than 3.8 million books to children since 2005.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Inspired by her father’s inability to read and write,&nbsp;Dolly&nbsp;Parton started her Imagination Library in 1995 to foster a love of reading for the children within her home county. Today, her program mails over 2 million high-quality, age-appropriate books directly to children’s homes each month. Each child enrolled in the program receives one book per month until their fifth birthday - at no cost to families. The program's impact has been widely researched, and results suggest positive increases in key early childhood literacy metrics. Penguin Random House is the exclusive publisher of&nbsp;Dolly&nbsp;Parton’s Imagination Library.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1692013525128.png" alt="Every child in Kansas from birth to age five can receive free books every month from Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.-courtesy photo&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>Every child in Kansas from birth to age five can receive free books every month from Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.-courtesy photo&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA&nbsp;– Governor Kelly will welcome&nbsp;Dolly&nbsp;Parton&nbsp;for a celebration of the statewide success of&nbsp;Dolly&nbsp;Parton's Imagination Library Monday afternoon in Overland&nbsp; Park. This event is&nbsp;hosted by the Imagination Library of Kansas. Governor Kelly will deliver brief remarks and participate in a sit-down conversation with&nbsp;Dolly&nbsp;Parton&nbsp;on stage.&nbsp; The event is&nbsp;closed to the public.Every child in Kansas from birth to age five can receive free books every month from&nbsp;Dolly&nbsp;Parton’s Imagination Library. This is made possible through increased funding provided to the Kansas Children’s Cabinet and Trust Fund by Governor Laura Kelly and the Kansas Legislature. These funds supplement local and regional resources to ensure equitable opportunity across the state. The Imagination Library has gifted over 200 million books worldwide since its launch in 1995.&nbsp;&nbsp;"I am pleased that we have reached this amazing milestone – being able to provide the gift of reading for children and families across Kansas,”&nbsp;said Governor Laura Kelly.&nbsp;“We know that a child’s first five years are critical for health development and childhood literacy. By increasing access to the Imagination Library, we will be nurturing a love for reading and supporting the foundation of a child’s social-emotional, physical, and cognitive future. I urge all eligible Kansas families to sign their children up for the Imagination Library of Kansas.”&nbsp;The early childhood period (birth to five years) is the most influential for a child’s future, providing the foundation for a child to grow, learn, and thrive. Leaders across Kansas have been focused on developing strategies to promote early literacy and support educators, parents, and families in fostering commitments to reading. Forming an Imagination Library of Kansas is a significant step towards actualizing these goals by placing books directly in the child’s home.&nbsp;&nbsp;Pratt, Kansas, has the distinction of starting the first Imagination Library site outside Tennessee in 2005. Today, Kansas is celebrating over 52,200 children enrolled and celebrating the milestone of gifting more than 3.8 million books to children since 2005.&nbsp;&nbsp;Inspired by her father’s inability to read and write,&nbsp;Dolly&nbsp;Parton started her Imagination Library in 1995 to foster a love of reading for the children within her home county. Today, her program mails over 2 million high-quality, age-appropriate books directly to children’s homes each month. Each child enrolled in the program receives one book per month until their fifth birthday - at no cost to families. The program's impact has been widely researched, and results suggest positive increases in key early childhood literacy metrics. Penguin Random House is the exclusive publisher of&nbsp;Dolly&nbsp;Parton’s Imagination Library.&nbsp;

Dolly Parton will meet with governor in Kansas today

KANSAS CITY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating an alleged road rage incident near Kansas City and have a suspect in custody.

Just after 7:30 p.m. Aug. 8, sheriff's deputies were dispatched to the area of Monks Walk Road in Loch Lloyd in reference to a possible road rage incident, according to the Cass County Sheriff.

Deputies made contact with a food delivery driver and two passengers who stated a subject chased them down the road, pulled in front of their vehicle, and pointed a firearm at them. 

 The subject, identified as Damon Lounds, 49, from Loch Lloyd, was taken into custody a short time later.  He was transported to the Cass County Jail for processing without incident. 

  Investigators obtained a search warrant for. Lounds residence in the 16000 East Heather Lane in Loch Lloyd.  During the execution of the search warrant a firearm, matching the description of the one used in the incident, as well as other evidence was collected. 

On Wednesday Lounds was charged in a Cass County Court with one count of Unlawful Use Of A Weapon. He was also found to have 14 outstanding arrest warrants from the Kansas City Police Department. The Judge&nbsp; ordered Lounds be held in the Cass County Jail without bond.  His next scheduled court date is set for August 16, according to the sheriff's office.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1691759257057.png" alt="Lounds-photo Caass Co." />
 <figcaption>Lounds-photo Caass Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating an alleged road rage incident near Kansas City and have a suspect in custody.Just after 7:30 p.m. Aug. 8, sheriff's deputies were dispatched to the area of Monks Walk Road in Loch Lloyd in reference to a possible road rage incident, according to the Cass County Sheriff.Deputies made contact with a food delivery driver and two passengers who stated a subject chased them down the road, pulled in front of their vehicle, and pointed a firearm at them. The subject, identified as Damon Lounds, 49, from Loch Lloyd, was taken into custody a short time later. He was transported to the Cass County Jail for processing without incident. Investigators obtained a search warrant for. Lounds residence in the 16000 East Heather Lane in Loch Lloyd. During the execution of the search warrant a firearm, matching the description of the one used in the incident, as well as other evidence was collected. On Wednesday Lounds was charged in a Cass County Court with one count of Unlawful Use Of A Weapon. He was also found to have 14 outstanding arrest warrants from the Kansas City Police Department. The Judge&nbsp; ordered Lounds be held in the Cass County Jail without bond. His next scheduled court date is set for August 16, according to the sheriff's office.

Road rage: Suspect pulled gun on food delivery driver

SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect caught driving a stolen car.

Just after 11:30p.m&nbsp; Thursday, a deputy with the Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office attempted to conduct a traffic stop in the 3300 block of SW Gage Boulevard on a white 2019 Ford Fusion that was reported stolen out of Kansas City. 

The driver, later identified as&nbsp;Paul M. Eicholz, 24, of Topeka, failed to stop and initiated a pursuit. The pursuit ended in the 500 block of SW 39th Street where Eicholz fled the scene on foot.

A sheriff's department drone was used to quickly locate. He was arrested and transported to a local hospital by American Medical Response (AMR) due to a nonlife-threatening injury suffered while running away from the vehicle.

Eicholz was medically cleared and booked into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges of felony interference with law enforcement, felony flee or attempt to elude, two counts of possession of stolen property, speeding, failure to yield at a stop sign and possession of drug paraphernalia.

&nbsp;The passenger was interviewed and released from the scene.&nbsp;This incident is still under investigation.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1691780419210.png" alt="Eicholz-photo Shawnee Co." />
 <figcaption>Eicholz-photo Shawnee Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect caught driving a stolen car.Just after 11:30p.m&nbsp; Thursday, a deputy with the Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office attempted to conduct a traffic stop in the 3300 block of SW Gage Boulevard on a white 2019 Ford Fusion that was reported stolen out of Kansas City. The driver, later identified as&nbsp;Paul M. Eicholz, 24, of Topeka, failed to stop and initiated a pursuit. The pursuit ended in the 500 block of SW 39th Street where Eicholz fled the scene on foot.A sheriff's department drone was used to quickly locate. He was arrested and transported to a local hospital by American Medical Response (AMR) due to a nonlife-threatening injury suffered while running away from the vehicle.Eicholz was medically cleared and booked into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges of felony interference with law enforcement, felony flee or attempt to elude, two counts of possession of stolen property, speeding, failure to yield at a stop sign and possession of drug paraphernalia.&nbsp;The passenger was interviewed and released from the scene.&nbsp;This incident is still under investigation.

Drone used to help catch Kan. man who ran from stolen car

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The new National Archives leader whose nomination was swept into&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-mar-a-lago-merrick-garland-congress-library-of-cebd12237bb1d0587cbefa304bc59a87">the partisan furor</a>&nbsp;over the criminal documents-hoarding case against ex-President Donald Trump says she is now preparing the agency that's responsible for preserving historical records for an expected flood of digital documents.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-politics-district-of-columbia-us-federal-bureau-investigation-united-states-e94c38c45ed2accf09918070a23617fa">Colleen Shogan,</a>&nbsp;a political scientist with deep Washington ties, says the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-mar-a-lago-criminal-investigations-nicolas-cage-453df9fb3e6741fa1886b621b55423fd">spotlight on the Archives during the past year</a>&nbsp;shows that Americans are invested in preserving historical materials. After events in Kansas on Wednesday, she reiterated that she had no role in decisions made when the Trump investigation began and said the Archives depends upon the White House to deliver documents when a president leaves office.

“It provides an opportunity for us to discuss, quite frankly, why records are important,” Shogan said. “What we’re seeing is that Americans care about records. They want to have access to the records.”

Shogan was in the Midwest this week for visits to two presidential libraries. She went Wednesday to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.eisenhowerlibrary.gov/">Dwight Eisenhower's library</a>&nbsp;in the small town of Abilene on the rolling Kansas prairie, and on Thursday to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.trumanlibrary.gov/">Harry Truman's library</a>&nbsp;in Independence, Missouri, in the Kansas City area.

The Archives is the custodian of cherished documents such as the U.S. Constitution and the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/declaration?_ga=2.72333715.1030973626.1662129218-1886877231.1651854556">Declaration of Independence,</a>&nbsp;but also billions of pages of other records and millions of maps, charts, photographs and films. An order from President Joe Biden will require U.S. government agencies — but not the White House — to provide their records to the Archives in a digital format starting at the end of June 2024.

“We are responsible for the preservation of those records and the storage of those records, but also sharing those records with the American people,” Shogan said in an interview by Google Meet from the Eisenhower library. "That’s a large task, and it's not getting any smaller, obviously.”

Biden nominated Shogan as archivist last year, but the U.S. Senate did not confirm her appointment until May. She was then an executive at the White House Historical Association, having served under both the Trump and Biden administrations. Before that, she worked at the Congressional Research Service, which provides nonpartisan analysis for lawmakers and their staff.

While the Archives generally has been staid and low-key, Shogan's nomination was not the first to create a stir. In 1995, then-President Bill Clinton picked former two-term Kansas Gov.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.archives.gov/about/history/archivists/carlin">John Carlin,</a>&nbsp;a fellow Democrat, and the leaders of three groups of historians opposed the appointment, questioning whether he was qualified. Carlin held the post for a decade, and an archivists' society honored him near the end of his tenure.

But Biden nominated Shogan amid an investigation of Trump's handling of sensitive documents after he left office, which led to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-new-indictment-classified-documents-81b982b8195dcfb85b7ae8789f108b0b">dozens of federal felony charges</a>&nbsp;against the former president in Florida, home to his Mar-a-Lago estate. On Thursday, his valet&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-classified-documents-maralago-arraignment-eaa8eed74b2de9416210cf9f2af15e65">pleaded not guilty</a>&nbsp;to new charges in that case.

The Archives set the investigation in motion with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-donald-trump-mar-a-lago-subpoenas-b8082283fc599738c92d1f1ec8680924">a referral</a>&nbsp;to the FBI after Trump returned 15 boxes of documents that contained dozens of records with classified markings.

Senate Republicans sought to portray Shogan as an actor for the political left, and during her first confirmation hearing Republican Sen. Josh Hawley, of Missouri, declared that the Archives was part of a “political weaponization” of government. She told senators that she would be nonpartisan in the job.

Under a 1978 law, documents from the White House belong to the National Archives when a president leaves office.

“But when a president is in office, until the term is is concluded, which is January 20th at noon, then those records are the property of the incumbent president,” Shogan said.

She said that while the Archives works with an administration as the end of a president's time in office nears, “We are relying once again upon the White House and those designated officials to be executing the transfer of those records.”

Shogan agrees with experts that the National Archives and Records Administration does not have enough money and staff but after only a few months on the job, she hasn't yet set a figure for what would be necessary.

“We want to make sure that NARA is able to continue its mission as it goes forward, as the large volume of records increases, both in the paper format and also in the digital explosion that we will be seeing in the near future,” she said.

By JOHN HANNA&nbsp;TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The new National Archives leader whose nomination was swept into&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-mar-a-lago-merrick-garland-congress-library-of-cebd12237bb1d0587cbefa304bc59a87">the partisan furor</a>&nbsp;over the criminal documents-hoarding case against ex-President Donald Trump says she is now preparing the agency that's responsible for preserving historical records for an expected flood of digital documents.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">I really enjoyed visiting ⁦<a href="https://twitter.com/USNatArchives?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@USNatArchives</a>⁩ ⁦<a href="https://twitter.com/IkeLibrary?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@IkeLibrary</a>⁩ - the Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum today in Abilene Kansas. It includes his boyhood home, his presidential papers and objects and a wonderful museum memorializing his service to the nation. <a href="https://t.co/PxBdRdAOFf">pic.twitter.com/PxBdRdAOFf</a>&mdash; Dr. Colleen Shogan (@AOTUS11_Shogan) <a href="https://twitter.com/AOTUS11_Shogan/status/1689447633042001920?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 10, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-politics-district-of-columbia-us-federal-bureau-investigation-united-states-e94c38c45ed2accf09918070a23617fa">Colleen Shogan,</a>&nbsp;a political scientist with deep Washington ties, says the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-mar-a-lago-criminal-investigations-nicolas-cage-453df9fb3e6741fa1886b621b55423fd">spotlight on the Archives during the past year</a>&nbsp;shows that Americans are invested in preserving historical materials. After events in Kansas on Wednesday, she reiterated that she had no role in decisions made when the Trump investigation began and said the Archives depends upon the White House to deliver documents when a president leaves office.“It provides an opportunity for us to discuss, quite frankly, why records are important,” Shogan said. “What we’re seeing is that Americans care about records. They want to have access to the records.”Shogan was in the Midwest this week for visits to two presidential libraries. She went Wednesday to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.eisenhowerlibrary.gov/">Dwight Eisenhower's library</a>&nbsp;in the small town of Abilene on the rolling Kansas prairie, and on Thursday to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.trumanlibrary.gov/">Harry Truman's library</a>&nbsp;in Independence, Missouri, in the Kansas City area.The Archives is the custodian of cherished documents such as the U.S. Constitution and the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/declaration?_ga=2.72333715.1030973626.1662129218-1886877231.1651854556">Declaration of Independence,</a>&nbsp;but also billions of pages of other records and millions of maps, charts, photographs and films. An order from President Joe Biden will require U.S. government agencies — but not the White House — to provide their records to the Archives in a digital format starting at the end of June 2024.“We are responsible for the preservation of those records and the storage of those records, but also sharing those records with the American people,” Shogan said in an interview by Google Meet from the Eisenhower library. "That’s a large task, and it's not getting any smaller, obviously.”Biden nominated Shogan as archivist last year, but the U.S. Senate did not confirm her appointment until May. She was then an executive at the White House Historical Association, having served under both the Trump and Biden administrations. Before that, she worked at the Congressional Research Service, which provides nonpartisan analysis for lawmakers and their staff.While the Archives generally has been staid and low-key, Shogan's nomination was not the first to create a stir. In 1995, then-President Bill Clinton picked former two-term Kansas Gov.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.archives.gov/about/history/archivists/carlin">John Carlin,</a>&nbsp;a fellow Democrat, and the leaders of three groups of historians opposed the appointment, questioning whether he was qualified. Carlin held the post for a decade, and an archivists' society honored him near the end of his tenure.But Biden nominated Shogan amid an investigation of Trump's handling of sensitive documents after he left office, which led to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-new-indictment-classified-documents-81b982b8195dcfb85b7ae8789f108b0b">dozens of federal felony charges</a>&nbsp;against the former president in Florida, home to his Mar-a-Lago estate. On Thursday, his valet&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-classified-documents-maralago-arraignment-eaa8eed74b2de9416210cf9f2af15e65">pleaded not guilty</a>&nbsp;to new charges in that case.The Archives set the investigation in motion with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-donald-trump-mar-a-lago-subpoenas-b8082283fc599738c92d1f1ec8680924">a referral</a>&nbsp;to the FBI after Trump returned 15 boxes of documents that contained dozens of records with classified markings.Senate Republicans sought to portray Shogan as an actor for the political left, and during her first confirmation hearing Republican Sen. Josh Hawley, of Missouri, declared that the Archives was part of a “political weaponization” of government. She told senators that she would be nonpartisan in the job.Under a 1978 law, documents from the White House belong to the National Archives when a president leaves office.“But when a president is in office, until the term is is concluded, which is January 20th at noon, then those records are the property of the incumbent president,” Shogan said.She said that while the Archives works with an administration as the end of a president's time in office nears, “We are relying once again upon the White House and those designated officials to be executing the transfer of those records.”Shogan agrees with experts that the National Archives and Records Administration does not have enough money and staff but after only a few months on the job, she hasn't yet set a figure for what would be necessary.“We want to make sure that NARA is able to continue its mission as it goes forward, as the large volume of records increases, both in the paper format and also in the digital explosion that we will be seeing in the near future,” she said.

Once a target of pro-Trump anger, U.S. archivist preps agency for a digital flood

By ELAINE S. POVICH <a href="https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/blogs/stateline/2022/08/15/state-attorneys-general-unite-against-robocalls">Stateline</a>

Thousands of college students will get hundreds of dollars in compensation as colleges and universities move this summer to settle multimillion-dollar lawsuits stemming from canceled classes and activities during COVID-19 pandemic shutdowns.

While some of the class-action suits against the colleges and universities are still in litigation, and still others dismissed, several major cases have been settled in recent weeks.

The settlements mean students who were charged tuition and fees but weren’t able to use in-person services during the pandemic shutdowns will receive some compensation, though they won’t be refunded for all the on-campus amenities they lost.

The amounts depend on the total settlement figure, minus legal fees and other court expenses. Each case has a different timeline.

Most recently, the University of Delaware agreed in June to set up a $6.3 million fund to partially reimburse tuition and fees that the students paid for classes, housing and activities in 2020. The students argued that they did not receive the full benefit of in-person participation in academics and extra-curricular activities. Each student is expected to receive&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.delawareonline.com/story/news/local/2023/06/14/university-of-delaware-students-covid19-lawsuit-payments-settlement-remote-learning/70317763007/">several hundred dollars in cash</a>&nbsp;as part of the agreement.

But the university did not admit wrongdoing and maintained that extenuating circumstances of the pandemic, and the lack of an official contract between the school and each student, meant it was justified in taking the tuition and fees — an argument made by many other schools.

Many universities also have argued that they incurred significant expense in making the almost immediate transition to online classes. In interviews with Stateline, attorneys for some schools argued that the students’ argument was undercut by the fact that many chose to remain in remote classes after the campuses reopened, for convenience or health concerns.

Florida attorney Mendy Halberstam, who was not involved in the Delaware case but who represents other universities that have been similarly sued, said in an interview that the schools feel compelled to defend themselves against cases they believe “are lacking in merit.”

“They are not looking to make life difficult for their students,” he said, “but they also have to make sure of their [lack of] liability.”

There have been about 300 such lawsuits, according to&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/leading-us-universities-settle-covid-online-teaching-lawsuits">Times Higher Education,</a>&nbsp;a British publication that partners with The Wall Street Journal on rankings and evaluations of U.S. schools.

The University of Colorado, for example,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.denverpost.com/2023/04/19/university-of-colorado-class-action-lawsuit-2020-5-million/">settled a similar class-action case</a>&nbsp;in April for $5 million.

Attorney Igor Raykin, who represented the Colorado students, said the settlement was “a reasonable offer given the challenges of the suit itself and the legal landscape in general.”

Among the challenges, Raykin said, is the fact that these were precedent-setting cases and that a lengthy legal process meant many of the students have already graduated and gotten on with their lives.

“We wanted to make sure the students would be getting something that would benefit them.” Individual awards will vary, he said, but typically will be in the hundreds of dollars.

In May, the University of Minnesota&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.twincities.com/2023/06/01/umn-students-to-get-bigger-refunds-from-pandemic-semester-as-class-action-lawsuit-settles/">also settled a class-action lawsuit</a>, allowing students to get bigger refunds of tuition and fees than the school initially allowed. And in June, a judge&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.hbsslaw.com/sites/default/files/case-downloads/tuition-university-of-washington/2023-06-28-order-granting-class-certification.PDF">certified</a>&nbsp;a group of students in a class-action suit against the University of Washington.

However, early this year a judge in Rhode Island&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.providencejournal.com/story/news/courts/2023/02/04/judge-dismisses-students-covid-claims-against-university-of-rhode-island/69870262007/">dismissed a case</a>&nbsp;against the University of Rhode Island and several other schools in that state,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.brown.edu/sites/default/files/order-03-04-21-web-small.pdf">ruling</a>&nbsp;that there were no enforceable contracts breached in the shutdowns. The plaintiffs argued that the shutdowns denied them university experiences they expected, based on the schools’ marketing materials, websites, course catalogs, student handbooks and the like.

But U.S. District Judge John McConnell Jr. ruled that, “unfortunately for [the] plaintiffs, these general advertisements and distinctions do not create obligations on the part of the university — they are vague and more akin to puffery, rather than enforceable promises.”

Two weeks ago, the Florida Supreme Court&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://acis-api.flcourts.gov/courts/68f021c4-6a44-4735-9a76-5360b2e8af13/cms/case/0cbc501c-e5e1-44a0-9b8b-0781e2a31586/docketentrydocuments/2c17d27a-4160-48cf-a0fd-8bd31d9ec0aa">announced</a>&nbsp;it would consider a class-action suit from University of Florida students asking for compensation for being denied services during the COVID-19 shutdown.

But in another Florida case, the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://media.ca11.uscourts.gov/opinions/pub/files/202310299.pdf">upheld</a>&nbsp;a ruling from a lower court dismissing a student’s lawsuit against the University of Miami, a private school.

The university refunded pro-rated fees for housing, dining, student centers and gyms. The student argued that wasn’t enough, but the court ruled that she was “not entitled to damages stemming from any alleged breach of contract, unjust enrichment, or inadequate refunds on the part of Miami.”

“The pandemic forced students of all ages to learn from behind their computer screens for a period of time, and we certainly harbor a great deal of sympathy for those students whose educations and relationships were affected by the transition,” the court wrote.

“We hope that some comfort can be found, however, in our certainty that despite enduring the hardships created by the pandemic, any student who has earned a degree from a school like the University of Miami retains the unspoiled potential for a fulfilling and prosperous future.”

Florida attorney Jeffrey Ostrow, who represented students in a lawsuit against Barry University, a private school in Miami, said the cases have been “a mixed bag all over the place.” In one of the earliest settlements, Barry University in September 2021&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.flsd.570668/gov.uscourts.flsd.570668.84.0.pdf">agreed to set up a $2.4 million</a>&nbsp;compensation fund for students.

Ostrow maintains that universities did enter contracts for in-person learning and campus activities.

“All these students signed up for a program in class,” he said, noting that schools often charged less for online classes before the pandemic. “Whether [the university] was forced to, or decided unilaterally to shut those things down, it’s not fair for them to keep the [in-class payments].”

He also noted that many schools got pandemic relief payments from the federal government to help them weather the pandemic.

“There was federal money that a lot of the schools were able to get,” Ostrow said. “And we believe that money should have gone back to the students.”

<a target="_blank" href="https://stateline.org/">Stateline</a>&nbsp;is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Stateline maintains editorial independence.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/9/1599528423128.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>By ELAINE S. POVICH <a href="https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/blogs/stateline/2022/08/15/state-attorneys-general-unite-against-robocalls">Stateline</a>Thousands of college students will get hundreds of dollars in compensation as colleges and universities move this summer to settle multimillion-dollar lawsuits stemming from canceled classes and activities during COVID-19 pandemic shutdowns.While some of the class-action suits against the colleges and universities are still in litigation, and still others dismissed, several major cases have been settled in recent weeks.The settlements mean students who were charged tuition and fees but weren’t able to use in-person services during the pandemic shutdowns will receive some compensation, though they won’t be refunded for all the on-campus amenities they lost.The amounts depend on the total settlement figure, minus legal fees and other court expenses. Each case has a different timeline.Most recently, the University of Delaware agreed in June to set up a $6.3 million fund to partially reimburse tuition and fees that the students paid for classes, housing and activities in 2020. The students argued that they did not receive the full benefit of in-person participation in academics and extra-curricular activities. Each student is expected to receive&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.delawareonline.com/story/news/local/2023/06/14/university-of-delaware-students-covid19-lawsuit-payments-settlement-remote-learning/70317763007/">several hundred dollars in cash</a>&nbsp;as part of the agreement.But the university did not admit wrongdoing and maintained that extenuating circumstances of the pandemic, and the lack of an official contract between the school and each student, meant it was justified in taking the tuition and fees — an argument made by many other schools.Many universities also have argued that they incurred significant expense in making the almost immediate transition to online classes. In interviews with Stateline, attorneys for some schools argued that the students’ argument was undercut by the fact that many chose to remain in remote classes after the campuses reopened, for convenience or health concerns.Florida attorney Mendy Halberstam, who was not involved in the Delaware case but who represents other universities that have been similarly sued, said in an interview that the schools feel compelled to defend themselves against cases they believe “are lacking in merit.”“They are not looking to make life difficult for their students,” he said, “but they also have to make sure of their [lack of] liability.”There have been about 300 such lawsuits, according to&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/leading-us-universities-settle-covid-online-teaching-lawsuits">Times Higher Education,</a>&nbsp;a British publication that partners with The Wall Street Journal on rankings and evaluations of U.S. schools.The University of Colorado, for example,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.denverpost.com/2023/04/19/university-of-colorado-class-action-lawsuit-2020-5-million/">settled a similar class-action case</a>&nbsp;in April for $5 million.Attorney Igor Raykin, who represented the Colorado students, said the settlement was “a reasonable offer given the challenges of the suit itself and the legal landscape in general.”Among the challenges, Raykin said, is the fact that these were precedent-setting cases and that a lengthy legal process meant many of the students have already graduated and gotten on with their lives.“We wanted to make sure the students would be getting something that would benefit them.” Individual awards will vary, he said, but typically will be in the hundreds of dollars.In May, the University of Minnesota&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.twincities.com/2023/06/01/umn-students-to-get-bigger-refunds-from-pandemic-semester-as-class-action-lawsuit-settles/">also settled a class-action lawsuit</a>, allowing students to get bigger refunds of tuition and fees than the school initially allowed. And in June, a judge&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.hbsslaw.com/sites/default/files/case-downloads/tuition-university-of-washington/2023-06-28-order-granting-class-certification.PDF">certified</a>&nbsp;a group of students in a class-action suit against the University of Washington.However, early this year a judge in Rhode Island&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.providencejournal.com/story/news/courts/2023/02/04/judge-dismisses-students-covid-claims-against-university-of-rhode-island/69870262007/">dismissed a case</a>&nbsp;against the University of Rhode Island and several other schools in that state,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.brown.edu/sites/default/files/order-03-04-21-web-small.pdf">ruling</a>&nbsp;that there were no enforceable contracts breached in the shutdowns. The plaintiffs argued that the shutdowns denied them university experiences they expected, based on the schools’ marketing materials, websites, course catalogs, student handbooks and the like.But U.S. District Judge John McConnell Jr. ruled that, “unfortunately for [the] plaintiffs, these general advertisements and distinctions do not create obligations on the part of the university — they are vague and more akin to puffery, rather than enforceable promises.”Two weeks ago, the Florida Supreme Court&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://acis-api.flcourts.gov/courts/68f021c4-6a44-4735-9a76-5360b2e8af13/cms/case/0cbc501c-e5e1-44a0-9b8b-0781e2a31586/docketentrydocuments/2c17d27a-4160-48cf-a0fd-8bd31d9ec0aa">announced</a>&nbsp;it would consider a class-action suit from University of Florida students asking for compensation for being denied services during the COVID-19 shutdown.But in another Florida case, the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://media.ca11.uscourts.gov/opinions/pub/files/202310299.pdf">upheld</a>&nbsp;a ruling from a lower court dismissing a student’s lawsuit against the University of Miami, a private school.The university refunded pro-rated fees for housing, dining, student centers and gyms. The student argued that wasn’t enough, but the court ruled that she was “not entitled to damages stemming from any alleged breach of contract, unjust enrichment, or inadequate refunds on the part of Miami.”“The pandemic forced students of all ages to learn from behind their computer screens for a period of time, and we certainly harbor a great deal of sympathy for those students whose educations and relationships were affected by the transition,” the court wrote.“We hope that some comfort can be found, however, in our certainty that despite enduring the hardships created by the pandemic, any student who has earned a degree from a school like the University of Miami retains the unspoiled potential for a fulfilling and prosperous future.”Florida attorney Jeffrey Ostrow, who represented students in a lawsuit against Barry University, a private school in Miami, said the cases have been “a mixed bag all over the place.” In one of the earliest settlements, Barry University in September 2021&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.flsd.570668/gov.uscourts.flsd.570668.84.0.pdf">agreed to set up a $2.4 million</a>&nbsp;compensation fund for students.Ostrow maintains that universities did enter contracts for in-person learning and campus activities.“All these students signed up for a program in class,” he said, noting that schools often charged less for online classes before the pandemic. “Whether [the university] was forced to, or decided unilaterally to shut those things down, it’s not fair for them to keep the [in-class payments].”He also noted that many schools got pandemic relief payments from the federal government to help them weather the pandemic.“There was federal money that a lot of the schools were able to get,” Ostrow said. “And we believe that money should have gone back to the students.”<a target="_blank" href="https://stateline.org/">Stateline</a>&nbsp;is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Stateline maintains editorial independence.&nbsp;

Some students blocked from campus when COVID hit get refunds

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

Just after 1:30a.m. Wednesday, crews responded to a vehicle fire&nbsp; at 1106 SW 17th Street in Topeka, according to Fire Department spokesperson Rosie Nichols.

Fire crews found three unoccupied passenger vans engulfed in flames. Firefighters began an offensive fire attack extinguishing the fires. No injuries were reported during the incident.

After a preliminary investigation the fire cause was intentionally set.

The total estimated loss was $49,000, all of which is associated with the loss of the vehicles.

As a result of the investigation police arrested 31-year-old Nicholas A. Darnell of Topeka on requested charges of Arson, Criminal use of explosives, Theft and Criminal damage to property.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1691699854566.png" alt="Darnell-photo Shawnee Co." />
 <figcaption>Darnell-photo Shawnee Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a fire and have made an arrest.Just after 1:30a.m. Wednesday, crews responded to a vehicle fire&nbsp; at 1106 SW 17th Street in Topeka, according to Fire Department spokesperson Rosie Nichols.Fire crews found three unoccupied passenger vans engulfed in flames. Firefighters began an offensive fire attack extinguishing the fires. No injuries were reported during the incident.After a preliminary investigation the fire cause was intentionally set.The total estimated loss was $49,000, all of which is associated with the loss of the vehicles.As a result of the investigation police arrested 31-year-old Nicholas A. Darnell of Topeka on requested charges of Arson, Criminal use of explosives, Theft and Criminal damage to property.