ATCHISON COUNTY—Authorities are investigating after an explosive device injured a woman outside a home in Atchison.

Just before 9:30p.m. Saturday, officers responded to the 800 block North 9th Street in Atchison where an explosion had occurred, according to Police Chief Mike Wilson.

First responders found a 59-year-old woman in front of a residence with injuries to a hand, arm and chest. EMS transported her to Mosaic in St. Joseph. 

Investigators determined that the victim was outside a residence going through some miscellaneous items she had obtained earlier in the evening and was holding onto what was a probable fireworks device. The victim was smoking at the time and the device ignited as she was holding it, according to Wilson.

&nbsp;The Kansas Fire Marshal’s Office assisted police at the scene and the Leavenworth Police Bomb Squad also checked the scene for additional explosive devices and none were found.

ATCHISON COUNTY—Authorities are investigating after an explosive device injured a woman outside a home in Atchison.Just before 9:30p.m. Saturday, officers responded to the 800 block North 9th Street in Atchison where an explosion had occurred, according to Police Chief Mike Wilson.First responders found a 59-year-old woman in front of a residence with injuries to a hand, arm and chest. EMS transported her to Mosaic in St. Joseph. Investigators determined that the victim was outside a residence going through some miscellaneous items she had obtained earlier in the evening and was holding onto what was a probable fireworks device. The victim was smoking at the time and the device ignited as she was holding it, according to Wilson.&nbsp;The Kansas Fire Marshal’s Office assisted police at the scene and the Leavenworth Police Bomb Squad also checked the scene for additional explosive devices and none were found.

Explosive device injured woman outside Kansas home

TOPEKA (AP) —Republicans have long enjoyed a voter registration advantage in Kansas; a Democratic presidential candidate hasn’t carried the state since Lyndon Johnson in 1964, and former President Donald Trump carried it by big margins in 2016 and 2020. Yet the electorate also can have a sizeable number of independent and moderate GOP voters, and voters in August&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-primary-elections-kansas-abortion-b6d62a852c2ce4617f2c03589fbb523e">decisively rejected</a>&nbsp;a proposed amendment to the Kansas Constitution that would have allowed the GOP-controlled Legislature to further restrict or ban abortion.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-abortion-vote-gop-limits-cd7ec762b2567751bc4af1f7ed6f8d52">That scrambled the national conversation</a>&nbsp;on the issue.

Democrats hoped that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-2022-midterm-elections-voting-rights-health-d67531f2dd6856ac167ce48b3ec890ab">the energy from the August vote</a>&nbsp;would linger and help Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly, while Republicans saw high inflation and worries about the economy helping Kelly’s GOP challenger, Derek Schmidt, the state’s three-term attorney general and Republican candidates down the ballot. Kelly won her first term in 2018 by 5 percentage points over two-term Secretary of State Kris Kobach, known nationally for advocating stricter immigration and election laws.

Kobach was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-abortion-voting-rights-presidential-immigration-3ec99db94c0d772465d3a7ccf015ccc6">trying for a comeback</a>&nbsp;in the attorney general’s race&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/32816d964acc49e188c9de18b9acb3b9">after losing to Kelly in 2018</a>&nbsp;and losing a U.S. Senate primary in 2020. His Democratic opponent was Chris Mann, a former police officer and local prosecutor making his first run for elective office.

A Democrat hasn’t won a U.S. Senate race in Kansas since 1932, and Republican U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran won his 2016 race for reelection by almost 30 points. His Democratic opponent is former Kansas City, Kansas, Mayor Mark Holland.

Three of the state’s four U.S. House seats were considered relatively safe for their Republican incumbents under&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-and-politics-elections-legislature-kansas-topeka-e6e6dfe3cfc63ddae5492980e04a0329">new district lines</a>&nbsp;drawn this year by the Republican-controlled Legislature to balance out their populations. The lone Democrat in the state’s congressional delegation, Sharice Davids,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-abortion-voting-rights-donald-trump-49ab209fceda7313471b6f3de82563ec">has a rematch</a>&nbsp;of her Kansas City-area race in 2020 with Republican Amanda Adkins, a former health care IT company executive. Davids won the 2020 race by 10 percentage points, but redistricting divided Kansas City, Kansas, between two districts and cost Davids portions where she performed best while bringing in the bulk of three heavily Republican counties on the edge of the metro area.

In the wake of the abortion vote, legal groups and abortion rights advocates were worried about attempts to oust justices on the Kansas Supreme Court, which in 2019 ruled that the state constitution protects abortion rights. Six of the seven justices, including three Kelly appointees, face a yes-or-no vote on whether they remain on the court for another six years.

Here’s a look at what to expect on election night:

Polls close at 7 p.m. local time (8 p.m. ET). Four counties in the state are in Mountain Time Zone (9 p.m. ET).

Kansas voters can cast ballots now through Nov. 8 to decide on the next governor and other statewide offices, as well as congressional representatives to send to Washington, D.C., and state representatives to serve in Topeka. Voters in Sedgwick County and some others also will choose county commissioners.

AP will tabulate and declare winners in more than 175 contested elections in Kansas, including governor, Senate, statewide races and two ballot issues. In the 2020 general election, AP first reported results around 9:40 p.m. Eastern Time and had 100% of results at 4:40 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 4.

<a href="https://www.ap.org/about/our-role-in-elections/how-we-call-races">The AP may call a statewide or U.S. House race</a>&nbsp;in which the margin between the top two candidates is 0.5% or less, if we determine the lead is too large for a recount to change the outcome.

Kansas does not require automatic recounts.

The AP will not call down-ballot races on election night if the margin between the top two candidates is less than 2% or if the leading candidate is within 2% of the 50% runoff threshold. AP will revisit those races later in the week to confirm there aren’t enough outstanding votes left to count that could change the outcome.

Schmidt’s effort to unseat Kelly in the governor’s race is complicated by the independent candidacy of state Sen. Dennis Pyle, formerly Republican, one of the Legislature’s most conservative members. Republicans fear he could take votes from Schmidt on the right.

Voters also are considering a proposed amendment to the state constitution to make it easier for the Republican-controlled Legislature to overturn state agencies’ rules.

A: Kansas made international news in the wake of the abortion vote.

Q: WHAT’S CHANGED SINCE THE PANDEMIC ELECTION OF 2020?

Q: WHAT DO TURNOUT AND ADVANCE VOTE LOOK LIKE?

A: Expected to be very high in the wake of Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision. As of September, there were 1,957,576 registered voters in Kansas. Advanced voting is high, and turnout on Election Day is expected to be strong.

A: Any candidate may request a recount. If the margin between candidates is less than or equal to 0.5%, the state covers the costs. In all other instances, candidates are responsible for costs associated with the recount. Costs paid by the candidate are refunded if the recount changes the election outcome. For a recount in a single county, that request must be made by 5 p.m. on the day following the county canvass. For recounts in multiple counties, the request must be made no later than 5 p.m. on the second Friday following the election. The deadline for completion is the fifth day after the request. Partial recounts can also be requested.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1603281700086.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA (AP) —Republicans have long enjoyed a voter registration advantage in Kansas; a Democratic presidential candidate hasn’t carried the state since Lyndon Johnson in 1964, and former President Donald Trump carried it by big margins in 2016 and 2020. Yet the electorate also can have a sizeable number of independent and moderate GOP voters, and voters in August&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-primary-elections-kansas-abortion-b6d62a852c2ce4617f2c03589fbb523e">decisively rejected</a>&nbsp;a proposed amendment to the Kansas Constitution that would have allowed the GOP-controlled Legislature to further restrict or ban abortion.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-abortion-vote-gop-limits-cd7ec762b2567751bc4af1f7ed6f8d52">That scrambled the national conversation</a>&nbsp;on the issue.Democrats hoped that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-2022-midterm-elections-voting-rights-health-d67531f2dd6856ac167ce48b3ec890ab">the energy from the August vote</a>&nbsp;would linger and help Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly, while Republicans saw high inflation and worries about the economy helping Kelly’s GOP challenger, Derek Schmidt, the state’s three-term attorney general and Republican candidates down the ballot. Kelly won her first term in 2018 by 5 percentage points over two-term Secretary of State Kris Kobach, known nationally for advocating stricter immigration and election laws.Kobach was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-abortion-voting-rights-presidential-immigration-3ec99db94c0d772465d3a7ccf015ccc6">trying for a comeback</a>&nbsp;in the attorney general’s race&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/32816d964acc49e188c9de18b9acb3b9">after losing to Kelly in 2018</a>&nbsp;and losing a U.S. Senate primary in 2020. His Democratic opponent was Chris Mann, a former police officer and local prosecutor making his first run for elective office.A Democrat hasn’t won a U.S. Senate race in Kansas since 1932, and Republican U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran won his 2016 race for reelection by almost 30 points. His Democratic opponent is former Kansas City, Kansas, Mayor Mark Holland.Three of the state’s four U.S. House seats were considered relatively safe for their Republican incumbents under&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-and-politics-elections-legislature-kansas-topeka-e6e6dfe3cfc63ddae5492980e04a0329">new district lines</a>&nbsp;drawn this year by the Republican-controlled Legislature to balance out their populations. The lone Democrat in the state’s congressional delegation, Sharice Davids,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-abortion-voting-rights-donald-trump-49ab209fceda7313471b6f3de82563ec">has a rematch</a>&nbsp;of her Kansas City-area race in 2020 with Republican Amanda Adkins, a former health care IT company executive. Davids won the 2020 race by 10 percentage points, but redistricting divided Kansas City, Kansas, between two districts and cost Davids portions where she performed best while bringing in the bulk of three heavily Republican counties on the edge of the metro area.In the wake of the abortion vote, legal groups and abortion rights advocates were worried about attempts to oust justices on the Kansas Supreme Court, which in 2019 ruled that the state constitution protects abortion rights. Six of the seven justices, including three Kelly appointees, face a yes-or-no vote on whether they remain on the court for another six years.Here’s a look at what to expect on election night:ELECTION NIGHTPolls close at 7 p.m. local time (8 p.m. ET). Four counties in the state are in Mountain Time Zone (9 p.m. ET).HOW KANSAS VOTESKansas voters can cast ballots now through Nov. 8 to decide on the next governor and other statewide offices, as well as congressional representatives to send to Washington, D.C., and state representatives to serve in Topeka. Voters in Sedgwick County and some others also will choose county commissioners.DECISION NOTESAP will tabulate and declare winners in more than 175 contested elections in Kansas, including governor, Senate, statewide races and two ballot issues. In the 2020 general election, AP first reported results around 9:40 p.m. Eastern Time and had 100% of results at 4:40 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 4.<a href="https://www.ap.org/about/our-role-in-elections/how-we-call-races">The AP may call a statewide or U.S. House race</a>&nbsp;in which the margin between the top two candidates is 0.5% or less, if we determine the lead is too large for a recount to change the outcome.Kansas does not require automatic recounts.The AP will not call down-ballot races on election night if the margin between the top two candidates is less than 2% or if the leading candidate is within 2% of the 50% runoff threshold. AP will revisit those races later in the week to confirm there aren’t enough outstanding votes left to count that could change the outcome.WHAT ELSE SHOULD I KNOW?Schmidt’s effort to unseat Kelly in the governor’s race is complicated by the independent candidacy of state Sen. Dennis Pyle, formerly Republican, one of the Legislature’s most conservative members. Republicans fear he could take votes from Schmidt on the right.Voters also are considering a proposed amendment to the state constitution to make it easier for the Republican-controlled Legislature to overturn state agencies’ rules.Q: WHAT DID WE LEARN FROM THE PRIMARY?A: Kansas made international news in the wake of the abortion vote.Q: WHAT’S CHANGED SINCE THE PANDEMIC ELECTION OF 2020?A: High number of mail-in ballots.Q: WHAT DO TURNOUT AND ADVANCE VOTE LOOK LIKE?A: Expected to be very high in the wake of Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision. As of September, there were 1,957,576 registered voters in Kansas. Advanced voting is high, and turnout on Election Day is expected to be strong.Q: WHAT HAPPENS AFTER TUESDAY?A: Any candidate may request a recount. If the margin between candidates is less than or equal to 0.5%, the state covers the costs. In all other instances, candidates are responsible for costs associated with the recount. Costs paid by the candidate are refunded if the recount changes the election outcome. For a recount in a single county, that request must be made by 5 p.m. on the day following the county canvass. For recounts in multiple counties, the request must be made no later than 5 p.m. on the second Friday following the election. The deadline for completion is the fifth day after the request. Partial recounts can also be requested.

Kansas: What to expect on election night

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea’s military said Monday its recent&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-japan-united-states-seoul-south-korea-aed56829790621f0d0abfb4fafa91aca">barrage of missile tests</a>&nbsp;were practices to “mercilessly” strike key&nbsp; U.S. and&nbsp;South Korean targets such as air bases and operation command systems with a variety of missiles that likely included nuclear-capable weapons.

The North’s announcement underscored leader Kim Jong Un’s determination not to back down in the face of his rivals’ push to expand their military exercises. But some experts say Kim also used their drills as an excuse to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-korea-missiles-analysis-9683ee74c60b9bc132e4f342a66a9c39">modernize his nuclear arsenal</a>&nbsp;and increase his leverage in future dealings with Washington and Seoul.

North Korea fired dozens of missiles and flew warplanes toward the sea last week —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-japan-united-states-seoul-south-korea-aed56829790621f0d0abfb4fafa91aca">triggering evacuation alerts</a>&nbsp;in some South Korean and Japanese areas — in protest of massive U.S.-South Korean air force drills that the North views as an invasion rehearsal.

U.S. and South Korean officials responded they would further enhance their joint training events and warned the North that the use of nuclear weapons would result in the end of Kim’s regime.

“The recent corresponding military operations by the Korean People’s Army are a clear answer of (North Korea) that the more persistently the enemies’ provocative military moves continue, the more thoroughly and mercilessly the KPA will counter them,” the General Staff of North Korea’s military said in a statement carried by state media.

It said the weapons tests involved ballistic missiles loaded with dispersion warheads and underground infiltration warheads meant to launch strikes on enemy air bases; ground-to-air missiles designed to “annihilate” enemy aircraft at different altitudes and distances; and strategic cruise missiles that fell in international waters about 80 kilometers (50 miles) off South Korea’s southeastern costal city of Ulsan.

The North’s military said it also carried out an important test of a ballistic missile with a special functional warhead missioned with “paralyzing the operation command system of the enemy.” This could mean a simulation of electromagnetic pulse attacks, but some observers doubt whether North Korea has mastered key technologies to obtain such an attack capability.

The North's military statement didn’t explicitly mention a reported launch Thursday of an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-japan-united-states-seoul-south-korea-aed56829790621f0d0abfb4fafa91aca">intercontinental ballistic missile</a>&nbsp;aimed at hitting the U.S. mainland, though its main newspaper published a photo of an ICBM-like missile as one of the weapons mobilized during last week’s testing activities.

Some experts say many other North Korean missiles launched last week were short-range nuclear-capable weapons that place key military targets in South Korea, including U.S. military bases there, within striking range.

Later Monday, South Korea’s military disputed some of the North’s accounts of its missile tests. Spokesperson Kim Jun-rak said South Korea didn’t detect the North’s cruise missile launches and that it’s also notable that North Korea didn’t mention what Seoul assessed as an abnormal flight by an ICBM.

This year’s “Vigilant Storm” air force drills between the United States and South Korea were the largest-ever for the annual fall maneuvers. The drills involved 240 warplanes including advanced F-35 fighter jets from both countries. The allies were initially supposed to run the drills for five days ending on Friday, but extended the training by another day in reaction to the North’s missile tests.

On Saturday, the final day of the air force exercises, the United States flew two B-1B supersonic bombers over South Korea in a display of strength against North Korea, the aircraft’s first such flyover since December 2017.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the participation of the B-1Bs in the joint drills demonstrated the allies’ readiness to sternly respond to North Korean provocations and the U.S. commitment to defend its ally with the full range of its military capabilities, including nuclear.

After their annual meeting Thursday in Washington, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and South Korean Defense Minister Lee Jong-Sup issued a joint statement strongly condemning the North’s recent launches and carrying Austin’s warning that any nuclear attacks against the United States or its allies and partners “is unacceptable and will result in the end of the Kim regime.” South Korea’s military has previously warned the North that using its nuclear weapons would put it on a “path of self-destruction.”

Both defense chiefs also agreed on the need to enhance combined exercises and training events to strengthen readiness against North Korean nuclear and missile threats.

Even before the “Vigilant Storm” drills, North Korea test-launched a slew of missiles in what it called&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-seoul-south-korea-nuclear-weapons-north-6ce0a8da47f8eb9228d4b33223ebfa3b">simulated nuclear attacks</a>&nbsp;on U.S. and South Korean targets in protests of its rivals’ other sets of military exercises that involved a U.S. aircraft for the first time in five years. In September, North Korea also adopted a new law authorizing the preemptive use of its nuclear weapons in a broad range of situations.

South Korean and U.S. officials have steadfastly maintained their drills are defensive in nature and that they have no intentions of invading the North.

U.S. and South Korean militaries have been expanding their regular military drills since the May inauguration of conservative South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, who has promised to take a tougher stance on North Korean provocations. Some of the allies’ drills had been previously downsized or canceled to support now-stalled diplomacy on North Korea’s nuclear program or to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic.

For months, South Korean and U.S. officials have said North Korea has completed preparations to conduct its first nuclear test in five years. On Monday, South Korean Unification Minister Kwon Youngse told lawmakers that North Korea could carry out the nuclear test at any time but there were still no signs that such a test explosion was imminent.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1667483523229.png" alt="A TV screen showing a news program reporting about North Korea's missile launch with file footage is seen at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, Nov. 3, 2022. North Korea continued its barrage of weapons tests on Thursday, firing at least three missiles including a suspected intercontinental ballistic missile that forced the Japanese government to issue evacuation alerts and temporarily halt trains. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)" />
 <figcaption>A TV screen showing a news program reporting about North Korea's missile launch with file footage is seen at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, Nov. 3, 2022. North Korea continued its barrage of weapons tests on Thursday, firing at least three missiles including a suspected intercontinental ballistic missile that forced the Japanese government to issue evacuation alerts and temporarily halt trains. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)</figcaption>
 </figure>SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea’s military said Monday its recent&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-japan-united-states-seoul-south-korea-aed56829790621f0d0abfb4fafa91aca">barrage of missile tests</a>&nbsp;were practices to “mercilessly” strike key&nbsp; U.S. and&nbsp;South Korean targets such as air bases and operation command systems with a variety of missiles that likely included nuclear-capable weapons.The North’s announcement underscored leader Kim Jong Un’s determination not to back down in the face of his rivals’ push to expand their military exercises. But some experts say Kim also used their drills as an excuse to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-korea-missiles-analysis-9683ee74c60b9bc132e4f342a66a9c39">modernize his nuclear arsenal</a>&nbsp;and increase his leverage in future dealings with Washington and Seoul.North Korea fired dozens of missiles and flew warplanes toward the sea last week —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-japan-united-states-seoul-south-korea-aed56829790621f0d0abfb4fafa91aca">triggering evacuation alerts</a>&nbsp;in some South Korean and Japanese areas — in protest of massive U.S.-South Korean air force drills that the North views as an invasion rehearsal.U.S. and South Korean officials responded they would further enhance their joint training events and warned the North that the use of nuclear weapons would result in the end of Kim’s regime.“The recent corresponding military operations by the Korean People’s Army are a clear answer of (North Korea) that the more persistently the enemies’ provocative military moves continue, the more thoroughly and mercilessly the KPA will counter them,” the General Staff of North Korea’s military said in a statement carried by state media.It said the weapons tests involved ballistic missiles loaded with dispersion warheads and underground infiltration warheads meant to launch strikes on enemy air bases; ground-to-air missiles designed to “annihilate” enemy aircraft at different altitudes and distances; and strategic cruise missiles that fell in international waters about 80 kilometers (50 miles) off South Korea’s southeastern costal city of Ulsan.The North’s military said it also carried out an important test of a ballistic missile with a special functional warhead missioned with “paralyzing the operation command system of the enemy.” This could mean a simulation of electromagnetic pulse attacks, but some observers doubt whether North Korea has mastered key technologies to obtain such an attack capability.The North's military statement didn’t explicitly mention a reported launch Thursday of an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-japan-united-states-seoul-south-korea-aed56829790621f0d0abfb4fafa91aca">intercontinental ballistic missile</a>&nbsp;aimed at hitting the U.S. mainland, though its main newspaper published a photo of an ICBM-like missile as one of the weapons mobilized during last week’s testing activities.Some experts say many other North Korean missiles launched last week were short-range nuclear-capable weapons that place key military targets in South Korea, including U.S. military bases there, within striking range.Later Monday, South Korea’s military disputed some of the North’s accounts of its missile tests. Spokesperson Kim Jun-rak said South Korea didn’t detect the North’s cruise missile launches and that it’s also notable that North Korea didn’t mention what Seoul assessed as an abnormal flight by an ICBM.This year’s “Vigilant Storm” air force drills between the United States and South Korea were the largest-ever for the annual fall maneuvers. The drills involved 240 warplanes including advanced F-35 fighter jets from both countries. The allies were initially supposed to run the drills for five days ending on Friday, but extended the training by another day in reaction to the North’s missile tests.On Saturday, the final day of the air force exercises, the United States flew two B-1B supersonic bombers over South Korea in a display of strength against North Korea, the aircraft’s first such flyover since December 2017.South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the participation of the B-1Bs in the joint drills demonstrated the allies’ readiness to sternly respond to North Korean provocations and the U.S. commitment to defend its ally with the full range of its military capabilities, including nuclear.After their annual meeting Thursday in Washington, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and South Korean Defense Minister Lee Jong-Sup issued a joint statement strongly condemning the North’s recent launches and carrying Austin’s warning that any nuclear attacks against the United States or its allies and partners “is unacceptable and will result in the end of the Kim regime.” South Korea’s military has previously warned the North that using its nuclear weapons would put it on a “path of self-destruction.”Both defense chiefs also agreed on the need to enhance combined exercises and training events to strengthen readiness against North Korean nuclear and missile threats.Even before the “Vigilant Storm” drills, North Korea test-launched a slew of missiles in what it called&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-seoul-south-korea-nuclear-weapons-north-6ce0a8da47f8eb9228d4b33223ebfa3b">simulated nuclear attacks</a>&nbsp;on U.S. and South Korean targets in protests of its rivals’ other sets of military exercises that involved a U.S. aircraft for the first time in five years. In September, North Korea also adopted a new law authorizing the preemptive use of its nuclear weapons in a broad range of situations.South Korean and U.S. officials have steadfastly maintained their drills are defensive in nature and that they have no intentions of invading the North.U.S. and South Korean militaries have been expanding their regular military drills since the May inauguration of conservative South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, who has promised to take a tougher stance on North Korean provocations. Some of the allies’ drills had been previously downsized or canceled to support now-stalled diplomacy on North Korea’s nuclear program or to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic.For months, South Korean and U.S. officials have said North Korea has completed preparations to conduct its first nuclear test in five years. On Monday, South Korean Unification Minister Kwon Youngse told lawmakers that North Korea could carry out the nuclear test at any time but there were still no signs that such a test explosion was imminent.

North Korea: Missile tests were practice to attack U.S., So. Korea

SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are&nbsp;investigating a death, where an unidentified man was located in a canal.

Just before 10a.m. Sunday, police were dispatched to a submersion call at Lincoln and Interstate 135, according to Office Chad Ditch.

Officers arrived on the scene and located the victim believed to 34-45 years-old unresponsive and unconscious. He was pronounced deceased on the scene.

Police released no additional details late Sunday.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1667787808075.png" alt="First responders on the scene of the submersion photo courtesy KAKE" />
 <figcaption>First responders on the scene of the submersion photo courtesy KAKE</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are&nbsp;investigating a death, where an unidentified man was located in a canal.Just before 10a.m. Sunday, police were dispatched to a submersion call at Lincoln and Interstate 135, according to Office Chad Ditch.Officers arrived on the scene and located the victim believed to 34-45 years-old unresponsive and unconscious. He was pronounced deceased on the scene.Police released no additional details late Sunday.&nbsp;

Body of man found in Kansas canal

KANSAS CITY (AP) —Across America, faith leaders have squeezed in some final messages about the midterm elections during their worship services this weekend. Some passionately took stands on divisive issues such as immigration and abortion; others pleaded for an easing of the political polarization fracturing their communities and their nation.

“God has no team,” Rabbi David Wolpe told the politically diverse congregation at his Los Angeles synagogue, Sinai Temple.

“The notion that one party or faction is repository of all virtue is fatuous and dangerous,” Wolpe added. “God is greater than parties. If we catch some of that spirit, perhaps we can begin to heal the deep divisions that beset our nation and our world.”

Less than 50 miles away, at the Calvary Chapel Chino Hills megachurch, Pastor Jack Hibbs was eager to take sides in what he calls a “cultural war.” In addition to collecting ballots during Sunday worship, he urged his evangelical congregation to oppose a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-voting-rights-2022-midterm-elections-us-supreme-court-health-609602f2c648a9cafe3f8504aa7ea592">ballot measure</a>&nbsp;that would enshrine abortion rights in California’s Constitution, calling it “the death cult proposition.” He told them to be wary of local candidates who back it or receive support from groups like Planned Parenthood.

The measure -- Proposition 1 -- is a response to the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-supreme-court-decision-854f60302f21c2c35129e58cf8d8a7b0">U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in June</a>&nbsp;eliminating the longstanding constitutional right to abortion nationwide. While that ruling didn't affect access to abortion in California, Democratic politicians nonetheless sought the extra protection of a constitutional amendment.

Hibbs said that whether or not California continues to receive God’s grace hangs on the fate of this measure: “We must open our mouth to defend the defenseless.”

Opposition to abortion also has been an election-season priority for Mike Breininger, pastor of an evangelical church in Richland Center in Wisconsin. Breininger doesn’t shy from discussing political issues with his theologically conservative congregation at New House Richland, urging support for candidates who agree the government’s responsibility is to protect life and religious freedom.

“I don’t believe that all political candidates are the same -- some are biblically more righteous than others,” said Breininger, who often votes Republican.

Clergy didn’t confine their election messages to within the church walls. On Saturday, the Rev. Alyn Waller, senior pastor at Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church in Philadelphia, hosted a Black Bikers Vote rally. Motorcyclists gathered outside the church before riding through the city urging residents to vote.

“We think that categorically, if you’re a good citizen, a good faith person, a good Christian, you vote,” said Waller.

In a left-of-center Catholic parish in Hoboken, New Jersey, the Rev. Alex Santora exhorted his parishioners to be engaged on issues such as immigration, abortion and gun control.

"As Catholics we should always focus on the common good and what is best for the majority of people,“ he said in his homily at the Church of Our Lady of Grace &amp; St. Joseph.

“Living in the shadow of the Statue of Liberty, I reject all attempts to demonize migrants and immigrants, who have built up our country,” Santora added. “We should be magnanimous, not restrictive and unchristian.”

A few miles from Hoboken, at the Community Church of New York, the Rev. Peggy Clarke, a Unitarian minister, denounced statements by some Republicans, including Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado and Pennsylvania gubernatorial candidate Doug Mastriano.

As a minister with a degree in Peace Studies, Clarke has often asked people to reject impulses toward division. But “there are many times in life and in history when one side is wrong and the harm being done has to stop,” she said.

“Using propaganda to convince the public that an election was stolen is wrong,” she added. “Stopping teachers from educating students on uncomfortable truths about race in this country is wrong.”

“In Tuesday’s election, democracy itself is on the ballot,” she said.

Another New York City pastor, the Rev. Jacqui Lewis of Middle Collegiate Church, similarly stressed the urgency of the election, saying “matters of life and death are before of us.”

“Jesus was political. The church has always been political,” she said. “The question is what were the politics of Jesus, and what are ours?"

Lewis assailed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-pennsylvania-dc54eb97f65116e52ce1022947e14cd5">Christian nationalism</a>, saying its adherents posed a threat to LGBTQ people, to people of color, and to women's right to have a safe abortion.

“They believe a fake Jesus is coming back to earth to save them, with an assault rifle over one shoulder, his long blond hair held back by a camo head band, his blue eyes lit with hatred for the marginalized, including his own Jewish people,” Lewis said.

The Rev. Ingrid Rasmussen, pastor at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Minneapolis, also evoked Christian nationalism and partisan divisions in her sermon Sunday.

“We need the communion of saints to fill in the spaces of our disbelief and doubt... to weave a fragmented people together and help us to see God’s new way,” she preached.

In Texas, prominent megachurch pastor Robert Jeffress embraced confrontation, telling his First Baptist Dallas congregation he favored the imposition of “Christian values” in America.

Without specifying his partisan allegiance, Jeffress urged the audience to “go out and vote against the godless values -- the pro-abortion, pro-transgender values -- of the godless left.”

The Rev. Dumas A. Harshaw Jr., pastor of First Baptist Church in Raleigh, North Carolina, told his mostly Black congregation there was a crucial need to vote.

“It is our righteous privilege to engage in the process of creating a better society for us all," he said.

A similar message was shared with predominantly African American worshippers at Masjidullah, an Islamic community center in Philadelphia.

“As Muslims, we are to be positive change agents in the world,” the resident imam, Idris Abdul-Zahir, told The Associated Press. “Voting for and working with public servants who have that interest in mind is tantamount to faith.”

Voting is a priority, but so is unity at Allison Park Church in Pittsburgh, said the lead pastor, Jeff Leake, who encouraged his congregation to head to the polls: “We have the freedom to be a part of the process and to vote. Can I get an “amen” from somebody?”

He advised worshippers to weigh candidates' character — as well as their abilities — when deciding how to vote.

“No matter what happens on Tuesday, we believe that God is in control,” Leake said

Dan Trippie, a Southern Baptist pastor at Restoration Church in Buffalo, New York, has been urging his youthful, ethnically diverse congregation to support candidates who might seek middle ground on some important issues.

“No candidate or policy will ever achieve perfection in this world,” he said. “We cannot allow our idealized visions of society to prevent us from seeking workable solutions that care for the flourishing of all people.”

Members of The Associated Press' Global Religion Team — Jessie Wardarski, Deepa Bharath, Mariam Fam, Luis Andres Henao and Giovanna Dell'Orto — contributed to this report.

By DAVID CRARY and HOLLY MEYER&nbsp;KANSAS CITY (AP) —Across America, faith leaders have squeezed in some final messages about the midterm elections during their worship services this weekend. Some passionately took stands on divisive issues such as immigration and abortion; others pleaded for an easing of the political polarization fracturing their communities and their nation.“God has no team,” Rabbi David Wolpe told the politically diverse congregation at his Los Angeles synagogue, Sinai Temple.“The notion that one party or faction is repository of all virtue is fatuous and dangerous,” Wolpe added. “God is greater than parties. If we catch some of that spirit, perhaps we can begin to heal the deep divisions that beset our nation and our world.”Less than 50 miles away, at the Calvary Chapel Chino Hills megachurch, Pastor Jack Hibbs was eager to take sides in what he calls a “cultural war.” In addition to collecting ballots during Sunday worship, he urged his evangelical congregation to oppose a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-voting-rights-2022-midterm-elections-us-supreme-court-health-609602f2c648a9cafe3f8504aa7ea592">ballot measure</a>&nbsp;that would enshrine abortion rights in California’s Constitution, calling it “the death cult proposition.” He told them to be wary of local candidates who back it or receive support from groups like Planned Parenthood.The measure -- Proposition 1 -- is a response to the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-supreme-court-decision-854f60302f21c2c35129e58cf8d8a7b0">U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in June</a>&nbsp;eliminating the longstanding constitutional right to abortion nationwide. While that ruling didn't affect access to abortion in California, Democratic politicians nonetheless sought the extra protection of a constitutional amendment.Hibbs said that whether or not California continues to receive God’s grace hangs on the fate of this measure: “We must open our mouth to defend the defenseless.”Opposition to abortion also has been an election-season priority for Mike Breininger, pastor of an evangelical church in Richland Center in Wisconsin. Breininger doesn’t shy from discussing political issues with his theologically conservative congregation at New House Richland, urging support for candidates who agree the government’s responsibility is to protect life and religious freedom.“I don’t believe that all political candidates are the same -- some are biblically more righteous than others,” said Breininger, who often votes Republican.Clergy didn’t confine their election messages to within the church walls. On Saturday, the Rev. Alyn Waller, senior pastor at Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church in Philadelphia, hosted a Black Bikers Vote rally. Motorcyclists gathered outside the church before riding through the city urging residents to vote.“We think that categorically, if you’re a good citizen, a good faith person, a good Christian, you vote,” said Waller.In a left-of-center Catholic parish in Hoboken, New Jersey, the Rev. Alex Santora exhorted his parishioners to be engaged on issues such as immigration, abortion and gun control."As Catholics we should always focus on the common good and what is best for the majority of people,“ he said in his homily at the Church of Our Lady of Grace &amp; St. Joseph.“Living in the shadow of the Statue of Liberty, I reject all attempts to demonize migrants and immigrants, who have built up our country,” Santora added. “We should be magnanimous, not restrictive and unchristian.”A few miles from Hoboken, at the Community Church of New York, the Rev. Peggy Clarke, a Unitarian minister, denounced statements by some Republicans, including Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado and Pennsylvania gubernatorial candidate Doug Mastriano.As a minister with a degree in Peace Studies, Clarke has often asked people to reject impulses toward division. But “there are many times in life and in history when one side is wrong and the harm being done has to stop,” she said.“Using propaganda to convince the public that an election was stolen is wrong,” she added. “Stopping teachers from educating students on uncomfortable truths about race in this country is wrong.”“In Tuesday’s election, democracy itself is on the ballot,” she said.Another New York City pastor, the Rev. Jacqui Lewis of Middle Collegiate Church, similarly stressed the urgency of the election, saying “matters of life and death are before of us.”“Jesus was political. The church has always been political,” she said. “The question is what were the politics of Jesus, and what are ours?"Lewis assailed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-pennsylvania-dc54eb97f65116e52ce1022947e14cd5">Christian nationalism</a>, saying its adherents posed a threat to LGBTQ people, to people of color, and to women's right to have a safe abortion.“They believe a fake Jesus is coming back to earth to save them, with an assault rifle over one shoulder, his long blond hair held back by a camo head band, his blue eyes lit with hatred for the marginalized, including his own Jewish people,” Lewis said.The Rev. Ingrid Rasmussen, pastor at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Minneapolis, also evoked Christian nationalism and partisan divisions in her sermon Sunday.“We need the communion of saints to fill in the spaces of our disbelief and doubt... to weave a fragmented people together and help us to see God’s new way,” she preached.In Texas, prominent megachurch pastor Robert Jeffress embraced confrontation, telling his First Baptist Dallas congregation he favored the imposition of “Christian values” in America.Without specifying his partisan allegiance, Jeffress urged the audience to “go out and vote against the godless values -- the pro-abortion, pro-transgender values -- of the godless left.”The Rev. Dumas A. Harshaw Jr., pastor of First Baptist Church in Raleigh, North Carolina, told his mostly Black congregation there was a crucial need to vote.“It is our righteous privilege to engage in the process of creating a better society for us all," he said.A similar message was shared with predominantly African American worshippers at Masjidullah, an Islamic community center in Philadelphia.“As Muslims, we are to be positive change agents in the world,” the resident imam, Idris Abdul-Zahir, told The Associated Press. “Voting for and working with public servants who have that interest in mind is tantamount to faith.”Voting is a priority, but so is unity at Allison Park Church in Pittsburgh, said the lead pastor, Jeff Leake, who encouraged his congregation to head to the polls: “We have the freedom to be a part of the process and to vote. Can I get an “amen” from somebody?”He advised worshippers to weigh candidates' character — as well as their abilities — when deciding how to vote.“No matter what happens on Tuesday, we believe that God is in control,” Leake saidDan Trippie, a Southern Baptist pastor at Restoration Church in Buffalo, New York, has been urging his youthful, ethnically diverse congregation to support candidates who might seek middle ground on some important issues.“No candidate or policy will ever achieve perfection in this world,” he said. “We cannot allow our idealized visions of society to prevent us from seeking workable solutions that care for the flourishing of all people.”___Members of The Associated Press' Global Religion Team — Jessie Wardarski, Deepa Bharath, Mariam Fam, Luis Andres Henao and Giovanna Dell'Orto — contributed to this report.

As midterms near, clergy preach politics and civics lessons

SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating two women on drug allegations.

On Friday, members of the Topeka Police Department Narcotics Unit served a search warrant in the 2500 Block SE Wisconsin Avenue related to an ongoing investigation, according to Police Lt. Ronnie Connell.

 While conducting the search warrant, officers located methamphetamine and marijuana.

Officers arrested Merry Conrad, 49 and Christina Stevenson, 48, and&nbsp; transported them to the Shawnee County Department of Corrections.

Conrad is being held on requested charges of&nbsp; Distribution of methamphetamine, Possession of paraphernalia with intent, Possession of marijuana and Aggravated child endangerment.

Stevenson, is being held on Possession of methamphetamine, Possession of drug paraphernalia, Possession of marijuana and Aggravated child endangerment.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1667656811422.png" alt="Conrad-photo Shawnee Co." />
 <figcaption>Conrad-photo Shawnee Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating two women on drug allegations.On Friday, members of the Topeka Police Department Narcotics Unit served a search warrant in the 2500 Block SE Wisconsin Avenue related to an ongoing investigation, according to Police Lt. Ronnie Connell. While conducting the search warrant, officers located methamphetamine and marijuana.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1667657435520.png" alt="Stevenson photo Shawnee Co." />
 <figcaption>Stevenson photo Shawnee Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>Officers arrested Merry Conrad, 49 and Christina Stevenson, 48, and&nbsp; transported them to the Shawnee County Department of Corrections.Conrad is being held on requested charges of&nbsp; Distribution of methamphetamine, Possession of paraphernalia with intent, Possession of marijuana and Aggravated child endangerment.Stevenson, is being held on Possession of methamphetamine, Possession of drug paraphernalia, Possession of marijuana and Aggravated child endangerment.

Police find meth, marijuana with children at Kan. home

KANSAS CITY —A&nbsp; judge Friday sentenced a Kanas City-area man to 30 years in prison for the fatal shooting on Dec. 16, 2020, of his girlfriend Oriana Starr inside a residence, according to Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker.

The judge sentenced 28-year-old Brandon A. McDaniel to 27 years on the Murder 2nd Degree and three years on Armed Criminal Action charge. A Jackson County jury in August convicted McDaniel of those two felony charges.&nbsp;

According to court records, police responded to the 9900 block of E. 63rd Street in Independence on a reported shooting. The mother of the defendant had called police and reported he had killed his girlfriend, Oriana Starr. 

They had been arguing and he shot her. Police found the victim on the floor of the apartment. A second witness told police that the defendant told him of the fatal shooting and showed him the firearm he used. McDaniel later sold the firearm.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1659635022874.png" alt="McDaniel-photo Jackson County" />
 <figcaption>McDaniel-photo Jackson County</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —A&nbsp; judge Friday sentenced a Kanas City-area man to 30 years in prison for the fatal shooting on Dec. 16, 2020, of his girlfriend Oriana Starr inside a residence, according to Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker.The judge sentenced 28-year-old Brandon A. McDaniel to 27 years on the Murder 2nd Degree and three years on Armed Criminal Action charge. A Jackson County jury in August convicted McDaniel of those two felony charges.&nbsp;According to court records, police responded to the 9900 block of E. 63rd Street in Independence on a reported shooting. The mother of the defendant had called police and reported he had killed his girlfriend, Oriana Starr. They had been arguing and he shot her. Police found the victim on the floor of the apartment. A second witness told police that the defendant told him of the fatal shooting and showed him the firearm he used. McDaniel later sold the firearm.

KC-area man sold gun he used to kill his girlfriend

JACKSON COUNTY, Kansas —Authorities are working to determine the cause of a Sunday morning fire in rural Jackson County.&nbsp;

Just after 3:30a.m. Sunday morning, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a in a building that housed fireworks at 192nd and U.S. Highway 75, according to Sheriff Tim Morse.

Fire departments countywide responded to the blaze.&nbsp; The metal structure has housed fireworks and had been used as a fireworks provider over the years. 

 The report of fireworks discharging could be heard for miles, according to Morse. Firefighters stayed on scene until daylight. No injuries were reported during the incident and the facility was not occupied at the time of the fire, according to Morse.

Prairie Band Pottawatomie Nation, Hoyt, Mayetta, Delia, Holton, Whiting and Netawaka Fire Departments and Jackson County EMS responded to the scene.&nbsp;

JACKSON COUNTY, Kansas —Authorities are working to determine the cause of a Sunday morning fire in rural Jackson County.&nbsp;Just after 3:30a.m. Sunday morning, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a in a building that housed fireworks at 192nd and U.S. Highway 75, according to Sheriff Tim Morse.Fire departments countywide responded to the blaze.&nbsp; The metal structure has housed fireworks and had been used as a fireworks provider over the years. The report of fireworks discharging could be heard for miles, according to Morse. Firefighters stayed on scene until daylight. No injuries were reported during the incident and the facility was not occupied at the time of the fire, according to Morse.Prairie Band Pottawatomie Nation, Hoyt, Mayetta, Delia, Holton, Whiting and Netawaka Fire Departments and Jackson County EMS responded to the scene.&nbsp;

Sheriff: Fire destroys Kan. storage building that housed fireworks

By RACHEL MIPRO <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/11/03/parents-of-disabled-children-address-kansas-legislature-again-families-are-drowning/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA — Kansans who <a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/09/27/parents-of-disabled-kids-urge-kansas-lawmakers-to-expand-aid-and-fix-issues-with-health-care-system/">urged lawmakers to fix the state’s health care system</a> weeks ago say their situations have become untenable.

Kathy Keck, a mother of five kids, 
three of whom have developmental and medical disabilities, said she left
 the workforce more than five years ago to care for her children. In 
September, Keck told lawmakers that she was struggling to find child 
care for her children, especially since she had a mastectomy scheduled 
and wouldn’t be able to do any heavy lifting for a six- to eight-week 
period.

With her daughter’s full-time nurse 
covering 52 hours a week, and her husband, a full-time nurse, handling 
40 hours of child care per week, Keck was in charge of her daughter for 
about 76 hours per week, she said in testimony given to the Robert G. 
Bethell Joint Committee on Home and Community Based Services and KanCare
 Oversight.&nbsp;

Keck asked the committee to increase 
medically necessary nursing care for children on the Technology Assisted
 Waiver, a Kansan waiver that provides people with services such as 
personalized medical care. Keck had her mastectomy three weeks ago, and 
her husband had to take off work under the Family and Medical Leave Act&nbsp;
 to care for their children.

“As I have asked previously, who is 
being held accountable for the network inadequacy and workforce crisis? 
Families are drowning,” Keck said while testifying to the committee 
again on Wednesday.

Parent Rick Elskamp also testified to
 the committee in September on behalf of his 21-year-old daughter, 
Sheridan. Elskamp said Sheridan is mentally a 6-year-old and has sensory
 issues, a history of seizures, behavioral issues and communication 
delays. Elskamp and his wife work full time, and payment for her day 
care is very expensive.

Sheridan got on the Intellectual and 
Developmental Disabilities waiver program waitlist in 2013 and is still 
waiting for help, with advisers telling him the wait could be anywhere 
from 10 to 15 years. The family’s
 efforts to explore other options, such as putting in a funding crisis 
request and utilizing a respite care plan offered by their insurance, 
were unsuccessful.

More than 4,800 Kansans are currently
 on the waitlist, according to the Kansas Department for Aging and 
Disability Services. The waiver program provides extra resources, 
support staff and overnight care options, along with other disability 
aids.

Elskamp told the committee Wednesday 
he had no idea of when, if at all, Sheridan will be taken off the 
waitlist and enrolled in the program, with no progress made since the 
last time he addressed the committee. Sheridan has 15 people ahead of 
her on the Shawnee County waitlist and Elskamp said only one person had 
been taken off the waitlist and enrolled in the program in Shawnee 
County during the past year.

“All we had to go by was the seven- 
to eight-year wait time we were given in 2013. Now we are scrambling to 
figure out how we are going to pay for Sheridan’s day service for 
possibly the next 10 years,” Elskamp said in submitted testimony.

Fixing the Kansas health care system 
has been a rallying point for Democrats across the state ahead of the 
Nov. 8 election, with many Kansans supporting Medicaid expansion. Gov. 
Laura Kelly has run on a platform of expanding access to KanCare, as 
Medicaid is known in Kansas, saying she will introduce a fifth expansion
 proposal to the Legislature in January if she is reelected.

Her GOP opponent, Derek Schmidt, has expressed skepticism about expanding eligibility for Medicaid. Kansas
 is among a dozen states that still hasn’t broadened access among 
lower-income people to affordable health care coverage under Medicaid. 

Expansion legislation in Kansas was 
vetoed in 2017 by Republican Gov. Sam Brownback. GOP leadership in the 
Senate blocked a vote on a House-passed bill in 2019.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1667496920772.png" alt="Kathy Keck urged lawmakers to improve disability resources at Tuesday’s meeting. Keck said her husband had to leave work to care for their children after she had a mastectomy. (Kansas Reflector screen capture from Kansas Legislature YouTube channel)" />
 <figcaption>Kathy Keck urged lawmakers to improve disability resources at Tuesday’s meeting. Keck said her husband had to leave work to care for their children after she had a mastectomy. (Kansas Reflector screen capture from Kansas Legislature YouTube channel)</figcaption>
 </figure>By RACHEL MIPRO <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/11/03/parents-of-disabled-children-address-kansas-legislature-again-families-are-drowning/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — Kansans who <a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/09/27/parents-of-disabled-kids-urge-kansas-lawmakers-to-expand-aid-and-fix-issues-with-health-care-system/">urged lawmakers to fix the state’s health care system</a> weeks ago say their situations have become untenable.Kathy Keck, a mother of five kids, 
three of whom have developmental and medical disabilities, said she left
 the workforce more than five years ago to care for her children. In 
September, Keck told lawmakers that she was struggling to find child 
care for her children, especially since she had a mastectomy scheduled 
and wouldn’t be able to do any heavy lifting for a six- to eight-week 
period.With her daughter’s full-time nurse 
covering 52 hours a week, and her husband, a full-time nurse, handling 
40 hours of child care per week, Keck was in charge of her daughter for 
about 76 hours per week, she said in testimony given to the Robert G. 
Bethell Joint Committee on Home and Community Based Services and KanCare
 Oversight.&nbsp;Keck asked the committee to increase 
medically necessary nursing care for children on the Technology Assisted
 Waiver, a Kansan waiver that provides people with services such as 
personalized medical care. Keck had her mastectomy three weeks ago, and 
her husband had to take off work under the Family and Medical Leave Act&nbsp;
 to care for their children.“As I have asked previously, who is 
being held accountable for the network inadequacy and workforce crisis? 
Families are drowning,” Keck said while testifying to the committee 
again on Wednesday.Parent Rick Elskamp also testified to
 the committee in September on behalf of his 21-year-old daughter, 
Sheridan. Elskamp said Sheridan is mentally a 6-year-old and has sensory
 issues, a history of seizures, behavioral issues and communication 
delays. Elskamp and his wife work full time, and payment for her day 
care is very expensive.Sheridan got on the Intellectual and 
Developmental Disabilities waiver program waitlist in 2013 and is still 
waiting for help, with advisers telling him the wait could be anywhere 
from 10 to 15 years. The family’s
 efforts to explore other options, such as putting in a funding crisis 
request and utilizing a respite care plan offered by their insurance, 
were unsuccessful.More than 4,800 Kansans are currently
 on the waitlist, according to the Kansas Department for Aging and 
Disability Services. The waiver program provides extra resources, 
support staff and overnight care options, along with other disability 
aids.Elskamp told the committee Wednesday 
he had no idea of when, if at all, Sheridan will be taken off the 
waitlist and enrolled in the program, with no progress made since the 
last time he addressed the committee. Sheridan has 15 people ahead of 
her on the Shawnee County waitlist and Elskamp said only one person had 
been taken off the waitlist and enrolled in the program in Shawnee 
County during the past year.“All we had to go by was the seven- 
to eight-year wait time we were given in 2013. Now we are scrambling to 
figure out how we are going to pay for Sheridan’s day service for 
possibly the next 10 years,” Elskamp said in submitted testimony.Fixing the Kansas health care system 
has been a rallying point for Democrats across the state ahead of the 
Nov. 8 election, with many Kansans supporting Medicaid expansion. Gov. 
Laura Kelly has run on a platform of expanding access to KanCare, as 
Medicaid is known in Kansas, saying she will introduce a fifth expansion
 proposal to the Legislature in January if she is reelected.Her GOP opponent, Derek Schmidt, has expressed skepticism about expanding eligibility for Medicaid. Kansas
 is among a dozen states that still hasn’t broadened access among 
lower-income people to affordable health care coverage under Medicaid. Expansion legislation in Kansas was 
vetoed in 2017 by Republican Gov. Sam Brownback. GOP leadership in the 
Senate blocked a vote on a House-passed bill in 2019.

Parents of disabled children to Kan. Legislature: ‘Families are drowning’

DOUGLAS COUNTY – As the holiday shopping season approaches, detectives with the Lawrence Police Department warn the public to be on guard for members of the “Felony Lane Gang." 

The FLG typically travels in groups committing auto burglaries, then using the stolen credit/debit cards or checks to make large purchases in gift cards or to get cash.

The group got its name because they’re known for using bank drive thru lanes furthest from the teller, believing they’re less apt to be identified. They also use self-checkout lanes to purchase gift cards. Thieves are bold and known to hit quickly, even in broad daylight, in places where people may leave their purse or wallet. Dog parks, gyms, and day cares are clear targets because the thieves may be lucky enough to find an unlocked car. Even if they need to break a window, the group is known for their speed.

Lawrence Officers have taken several reports fitting this group’s characteristics in the past several months. It’s not the first time detectives at LKPD have suspected FLG of being in town. They usually come into a town then leave quickly.

“Many of us already lock our cars and that’s great, but we all really need to do a better job of not leaving purses and wallets in view. A car window is no barrier for this group. They’ll break a window out quicker than you and I can click our key fob. It’s important to get in the habit of putting anything of value in your trunk or taking it with you. This group moves fast,” says LKPD spokesperson Laura McCabe.

The thieves usually travel in pairs or more with a male doing the burglary. A female will then dress up to look like the person on the stolen ID, using wigs and sunglasses, and cash checks or use the cards. They generally have out of state tags registered to a rental car.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1667495520512.png" alt="Google image" />
 <figcaption>Google image</figcaption>
 </figure>DOUGLAS COUNTY – As the holiday shopping season approaches, detectives with the Lawrence Police Department warn the public to be on guard for members of the “Felony Lane Gang." The FLG typically travels in groups committing auto burglaries, then using the stolen credit/debit cards or checks to make large purchases in gift cards or to get cash.The group got its name because they’re known for using bank drive thru lanes furthest from the teller, believing they’re less apt to be identified. They also use self-checkout lanes to purchase gift cards. Thieves are bold and known to hit quickly, even in broad daylight, in places where people may leave their purse or wallet. Dog parks, gyms, and day cares are clear targets because the thieves may be lucky enough to find an unlocked car. Even if they need to break a window, the group is known for their speed.Lawrence Officers have taken several reports fitting this group’s characteristics in the past several months. It’s not the first time detectives at LKPD have suspected FLG of being in town. They usually come into a town then leave quickly.“Many of us already lock our cars and that’s great, but we all really need to do a better job of not leaving purses and wallets in view. A car window is no barrier for this group. They’ll break a window out quicker than you and I can click our key fob. It’s important to get in the habit of putting anything of value in your trunk or taking it with you. This group moves fast,” says LKPD spokesperson Laura McCabe.The thieves usually travel in pairs or more with a male doing the burglary. A female will then dress up to look like the person on the stolen ID, using wigs and sunglasses, and cash checks or use the cards. They generally have out of state tags registered to a rental car.

Police warn of ‘Felony Lane Gang’ committing burglaries in Kansas

By LUKE X. MARTIN <a href="https://www.kcur.org/arts-life/2022-10-28/a-new-rock-opera-tells-the-very-metal-story-of-a-kansas-college-student-who-died-fighting-fascism">Kansas News Service</a>

Frank Narwot first learned of Don Henry’s short life and sacrifice 
while glancing over a trivia display at a Lawrence, Kansas, brewpub.

“I read his story,” the <a href="https://franknawrot.com/" target="_blank">guitarist and music professor</a> at Wichita State University said, “and I was, like, ‘OK, I’ve got to write some music about this.”

What
 a muse. A college kid from bucolic Dodge City, Kansas, radicalized by 
friends and professors at the University of Kansas, lied to his family 
so he could fight fascists in the Spanish Civil War of the 1930s. Then 
he died on his first day in combat. A quest, a cause and a death fit for
 the stage.

It took Nawrot about five years, but in September he 
released the first opera to take on Henry’s story. Nawrot's “Don Henry” 
is a four-part series <a href="https://donhenry.buzzsprout.com/" target="_blank">available on many podcast platforms</a>. Its sound straddles genres.

“I
 grew up listening to, you know, Prince and (Swedish metal band) 
Meshuggah, popular music,” Nawrot said. “So the music that I create, and
 the music that I play, kind of blends those two worlds.”

Poetry and historical documents, too, served as inspiration.

“The
 opera experts, I don't know if they're gonna call it an opera or not … I
 don't have a problem with it being called an opera or a rock opera or a
 concept album or whatever,” he added. “As long as they listen to it.”

“He was a religious boy,” Nawrot said. “He went to church and did all the normal things a young man in Kansas would do.”

<a href="https://union.ku.edu/donald-eugene-henry" target="_blank">A short history of Henry’s life</a>
 written by Brian Drake, formerly of KU’s history department, says Henry
 was an active Boy Scout, a member of his high school debate club, and a
 devoted Methodist who considered a career with the church after 
graduation.

“It came as a considerable surprise, then, when a 
front-page story in the University Daily Kansan on October 3, 1937, 
revealed that ‘flaxen-haired Don Henry’ had been killed in combat the 
month before, fighting in Spain with the left-wing Loyalists against 
right-wing Nationalist rebels led by General Francisco Franco,” Drake 
wrote.

According to that 1937 edition of KU’s student newspaper, 
Henry and another KU student had traveled to Spain four months earlier 
and joined what was called the <a href="https://alba-valb.org/" target="_blank">Abraham Lincoln Brigade</a>.

“This
 was at a time when Mussolini had come to power and then Hitler and then
 in Spain … there was the threat of Francisco Franco, who was another 
sort of racial nationalist figure,” said Nawrot. “So Don Henry and 
thousands of people from around the world, from everywhere around the 
world, became part of what's known now as the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Brigades" target="_blank">International Brigades</a>.”

“He went to a foreign country to fight alongside people he's never 
met to stop an idea from spreading,” Nawrot said. “It gives me 
goosebumps to think about.”

News
 of Henry’s death set off a political firestorm when it reached his kin 
back in Kansas. Henry’s father blamed his son’s college experience for 
his decision to go to Spain and demanded KU’s chancellor, Ernest H. 
Lindley, launch an investigation.

Lindley’s personal inquiry was 
followed by a different investigation by the Kansas Board of Regents. 
Drake’s history says three Regents were told to look into “communistic 
activity” on campus. In turn, lawmakers in Topeka began their own probe 
into radicalism at KU. The Regents’ report eventually made its way to 
the the U.S. House of Representatives <a href="https://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/don-henry/press-release.html" target="_blank">Special Committee on UnAmerican Activities</a>.

“I
 saw this story that was so close to where I was — not only in location,
 but in time, right?” Nawrot said. “His story was in the ‘30s … Our 
story is now, but a lot of the same things were happening, and a lot of 
the same fears and anxieties were happening among working people.”

To
 help push this narrative, and listeners, into the 21st century, 
Nawrot’s opera used what sounds at first like the prototypical cable 
news broadcast.

“I kind of thought it would be funny, to be 
honest,” he said. “What would it be like if Fox News or, you know, CNBC 
or one of these other 24-hour news channels covered the Spanish Civil 
War of the late 1930s?”

The result resembles some amalgam of conservative media personalities Megyn Kelly and Bill O’Rielly.

“These
 types of people, they're great actors. They're great performers. 
They're great speakers, and they're really selling a particular brand of
 politics,” Nawrot said. “But they're doing it, you know, in this really
 vaudevillian way.”

Nawrot’s libretto, or opera text, also derives from the Kansas Board of Regents report, poems written by members of the <a href="https://international-brigades.org.uk/" target="_blank">British International Brigade</a>, and a letter Henry sent to his family before his death revealing the nature of his trip to Spain.

“At
 the very end, he says, ‘Oh, by the way, P.S., can you send me some 
socks?’” Nawrot said. “It gives me chills to think that he was brave 
enough at a point in his maturity to do what he did, but to also still 
be so connected to his family.”

With his opera now released into the wild, Nawrot’s hope is to have it staged.

“I have plans,” he said, “but nobody else does.”

But he has a recording, and a proof of concept, to pitch.

“If
 I do meet somebody who, you know, has an opera company or knows 
somebody who has an opera company,” he said, “I could say, ‘Hey, I have 
the whole thing recorded. Here's the libretto, here's the score, and 
here's all the music.’ ”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1667318025778.png" alt="The University of Kansas student ID of Donald Henry, a Dodge City native who died fighting in the Spanish Civil War. KU" />
 <figcaption>The University of Kansas student ID of Donald Henry, a Dodge City native who died fighting in the Spanish Civil War. KU</figcaption>
 </figure>By LUKE X. MARTIN <a href="https://www.kcur.org/arts-life/2022-10-28/a-new-rock-opera-tells-the-very-metal-story-of-a-kansas-college-student-who-died-fighting-fascism">Kansas News Service</a>Frank Narwot first learned of Don Henry’s short life and sacrifice 
while glancing over a trivia display at a Lawrence, Kansas, brewpub.“I read his story,” the <a href="https://franknawrot.com/" target="_blank">guitarist and music professor</a> at Wichita State University said, “and I was, like, ‘OK, I’ve got to write some music about this.”What
 a muse. A college kid from bucolic Dodge City, Kansas, radicalized by 
friends and professors at the University of Kansas, lied to his family 
so he could fight fascists in the Spanish Civil War of the 1930s. Then 
he died on his first day in combat. A quest, a cause and a death fit for
 the stage.It took Nawrot about five years, but in September he 
released the first opera to take on Henry’s story. Nawrot's “Don Henry” 
is a four-part series <a href="https://donhenry.buzzsprout.com/" target="_blank">available on many podcast platforms</a>. Its sound straddles genres.“I
 grew up listening to, you know, Prince and (Swedish metal band) 
Meshuggah, popular music,” Nawrot said. “So the music that I create, and
 the music that I play, kind of blends those two worlds.”Poetry and historical documents, too, served as inspiration.“The
 opera experts, I don't know if they're gonna call it an opera or not … I
 don't have a problem with it being called an opera or a rock opera or a
 concept album or whatever,” he added. “As long as they listen to it.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1667318100550.png" alt=""Don Henry" is guitarist and Wichita State University music professor Frank Nawrot's first opera. He first learned of Henry's story from a trivia card at a brewpub in Lawrence, Kansas." />
 <figcaption>"Don Henry" is guitarist and Wichita State University music professor Frank Nawrot's first opera. He first learned of Henry's story from a trivia card at a brewpub in Lawrence, Kansas.</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>A Kansas boy</h2>The real-life Henry was born in 1917.“He was a religious boy,” Nawrot said. “He went to church and did all the normal things a young man in Kansas would do.”<a href="https://union.ku.edu/donald-eugene-henry" target="_blank">A short history of Henry’s life</a>
 written by Brian Drake, formerly of KU’s history department, says Henry
 was an active Boy Scout, a member of his high school debate club, and a
 devoted Methodist who considered a career with the church after 
graduation.“It came as a considerable surprise, then, when a 
front-page story in the University Daily Kansan on October 3, 1937, 
revealed that ‘flaxen-haired Don Henry’ had been killed in combat the 
month before, fighting in Spain with the left-wing Loyalists against 
right-wing Nationalist rebels led by General Francisco Franco,” Drake 
wrote.According to that 1937 edition of KU’s student newspaper, 
Henry and another KU student had traveled to Spain four months earlier 
and joined what was called the <a href="https://alba-valb.org/" target="_blank">Abraham Lincoln Brigade</a>.“This
 was at a time when Mussolini had come to power and then Hitler and then
 in Spain … there was the threat of Francisco Franco, who was another 
sort of racial nationalist figure,” said Nawrot. “So Don Henry and 
thousands of people from around the world, from everywhere around the 
world, became part of what's known now as the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Brigades" target="_blank">International Brigades</a>.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1667318133350.png" alt="Album art for Frank Nawrot's opera, "Don Henry." It is available to stream on many podcast platforms." />
 <figcaption>Album art for Frank Nawrot's opera, "Don Henry." It is available to stream on many podcast platforms.</figcaption>
 </figure>“He went to a foreign country to fight alongside people he's never 
met to stop an idea from spreading,” Nawrot said. “It gives me 
goosebumps to think about.” <h2>A red scare</h2>News
 of Henry’s death set off a political firestorm when it reached his kin 
back in Kansas. Henry’s father blamed his son’s college experience for 
his decision to go to Spain and demanded KU’s chancellor, Ernest H. 
Lindley, launch an investigation.Lindley’s personal inquiry was 
followed by a different investigation by the Kansas Board of Regents. 
Drake’s history says three Regents were told to look into “communistic 
activity” on campus. In turn, lawmakers in Topeka began their own probe 
into radicalism at KU. The Regents’ report eventually made its way to 
the the U.S. House of Representatives <a href="https://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/don-henry/press-release.html" target="_blank">Special Committee on UnAmerican Activities</a>.“I
 saw this story that was so close to where I was — not only in location,
 but in time, right?” Nawrot said. “His story was in the ‘30s … Our 
story is now, but a lot of the same things were happening, and a lot of 
the same fears and anxieties were happening among working people.” <h2>An opera begat</h2>To
 help push this narrative, and listeners, into the 21st century, 
Nawrot’s opera used what sounds at first like the prototypical cable 
news broadcast.“I kind of thought it would be funny, to be 
honest,” he said. “What would it be like if Fox News or, you know, CNBC 
or one of these other 24-hour news channels covered the Spanish Civil 
War of the late 1930s?”The result resembles some amalgam of conservative media personalities Megyn Kelly and Bill O’Rielly.“These
 types of people, they're great actors. They're great performers. 
They're great speakers, and they're really selling a particular brand of
 politics,” Nawrot said. “But they're doing it, you know, in this really
 vaudevillian way.”Nawrot’s libretto, or opera text, also derives from the Kansas Board of Regents report, poems written by members of the <a href="https://international-brigades.org.uk/" target="_blank">British International Brigade</a>, and a letter Henry sent to his family before his death revealing the nature of his trip to Spain.“At
 the very end, he says, ‘Oh, by the way, P.S., can you send me some 
socks?’” Nawrot said. “It gives me chills to think that he was brave 
enough at a point in his maturity to do what he did, but to also still 
be so connected to his family.”With his opera now released into the wild, Nawrot’s hope is to have it staged.“I have plans,” he said, “but nobody else does.”But he has a recording, and a proof of concept, to pitch.“If
 I do meet somebody who, you know, has an opera company or knows 
somebody who has an opera company,” he said, “I could say, ‘Hey, I have 
the whole thing recorded. Here's the libretto, here's the score, and 
here's all the music.’ ”

Rock opera tells metal story of Kan. student who died fighting fascism

KANSAS CITY —A child was struck and killed in an accident just after 11p.m. Friday in Clay County, Missouri.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2014 Ford F150 driven by Lacy D. James, 33, Smithville, was backing up in a residential area at&nbsp;8 Jolisa Court in Smithville and struck a 3-year-0ld girl.

The child was transported to North Kansas City hospital where she was pronounced deceased.

Authorities arrested James on requested charges of felony driving while intoxicated and causing the death of another, not a passenger and driving while suspended. She was taken to the Clay County jail on a 12-hour hold, according to online arrest records.&nbsp; Authorities released no additional details.

KANSAS CITY —A child was struck and killed in an accident just after 11p.m. Friday in Clay County, Missouri.The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2014 Ford F150 driven by Lacy D. James, 33, Smithville, was backing up in a residential area at&nbsp;8 Jolisa Court in Smithville and struck a 3-year-0ld girl.The child was transported to North Kansas City hospital where she was pronounced deceased.Authorities arrested James on requested charges of felony driving while intoxicated and causing the death of another, not a passenger and driving while suspended. She was taken to the Clay County jail on a 12-hour hold, according to online arrest records.&nbsp; Authorities released no additional details.

KC-area woman arrested after pickup strikes, kills 3-year-old

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A mailer to voters across Kansas suggests removing state Supreme Court justices in Tuesday's election would protect access to abortion, when abortion rights advocates want to keep them on the bench.

The mailer's return address says it is from VMCF Inc., of Lenexa, a Kansas City suburb. For a brief time in October, that was the legal name of a charitable foundation run by a prominent Republican direct mail firm's owner, state records show.

One side says “Kansans pushed back” against the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in late June to overturn Roe v. Wade. Voters in August&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-primary-elections-kansas-abortion-b6d62a852c2ce4617f2c03589fbb523e">decisively rejected</a>&nbsp;a proposed anti-abortion amendment to the Kansas Constitution. The mailer includes the logo of the pro-amendment side with a red “X” through it.

The mailer's opposite side urges no votes Tuesday on retaining state Supreme Court justices. Six of the seven justices are on the ballot for yes-or-no votes on whether they stay on the bench another six years.

“LET THEM HEAR YOU AGAIN!” the mailer says under a bigger “NO!”

Abortion rights groups want to retain the justices, and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-abortion-topeka-government-and-politics-e6e0ddbbb45e99deef0165eb16576c5d">Kansans for Life, the state's most influential anti-abortion group,</a>&nbsp;wants to oust five of the six. The court in 2019 ruled that access to abortion is a “fundamental” right under the Kansas Constitution, spurring GOP legislators to push the proposed anti-abortion amendment.

“It's clearly designed to misinform,” said state Rep. Stephanie Clayton, a Kansas City-area Democrat, whose daughter was sent a mailer.

An online state records search for VMCF brought up documents for the nonprofit Van Meteren Charitable Foundation Inc. and showed that it switched from the longer name to the shorter one on Oct. 24 and back on Oct. 31.

Its 2021 annual report listed the same address as the return address on the mailer. Its only officer was Kristian Van Meteren, who owns the The Singularis Group direct mail firm, also in the Kansas City area. He did not immediately return telephone messages Friday seeking comment.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1667686694232.png" alt="&nbsp; The mailer includes the logo of the pro-amendment side with a red “X” through it(Kansas Reflector illustration from submitted photos)" />
 <figcaption>&nbsp; The mailer includes the logo of the pro-amendment side with a red “X” through it(Kansas Reflector illustration from submitted photos)</figcaption>
 </figure>By JOHN HANNA&nbsp;TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A mailer to voters across Kansas suggests removing state Supreme Court justices in Tuesday's election would protect access to abortion, when abortion rights advocates want to keep them on the bench.The mailer's return address says it is from VMCF Inc., of Lenexa, a Kansas City suburb. For a brief time in October, that was the legal name of a charitable foundation run by a prominent Republican direct mail firm's owner, state records show.One side says “Kansans pushed back” against the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in late June to overturn Roe v. Wade. Voters in August&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-primary-elections-kansas-abortion-b6d62a852c2ce4617f2c03589fbb523e">decisively rejected</a>&nbsp;a proposed anti-abortion amendment to the Kansas Constitution. The mailer includes the logo of the pro-amendment side with a red “X” through it.The mailer's opposite side urges no votes Tuesday on retaining state Supreme Court justices. Six of the seven justices are on the ballot for yes-or-no votes on whether they stay on the bench another six years.“LET THEM HEAR YOU AGAIN!” the mailer says under a bigger “NO!”Abortion rights groups want to retain the justices, and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-abortion-topeka-government-and-politics-e6e0ddbbb45e99deef0165eb16576c5d">Kansans for Life, the state's most influential anti-abortion group,</a>&nbsp;wants to oust five of the six. The court in 2019 ruled that access to abortion is a “fundamental” right under the Kansas Constitution, spurring GOP legislators to push the proposed anti-abortion amendment.“It's clearly designed to misinform,” said state Rep. Stephanie Clayton, a Kansas City-area Democrat, whose daughter was sent a mailer.An online state records search for VMCF brought up documents for the nonprofit Van Meteren Charitable Foundation Inc. and showed that it switched from the longer name to the shorter one on Oct. 24 and back on Oct. 31.Its 2021 annual report listed the same address as the return address on the mailer. Its only officer was Kristian Van Meteren, who owns the The Singularis Group direct mail firm, also in the Kansas City area. He did not immediately return telephone messages Friday seeking comment.___

Mailer on abortion, top Kansas court described as deceptive

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A record Powerball jackpot grew to an even larger $1.9 billion after no one won the lottery drawing on Saturday night.

The numbers for the drawing were: white balls 28, 45, 53, 56, 69 and red Powerball 20.

The website of the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.calottery.com/">California Lottery Association</a>&nbsp;said the next chance for someone to get lucky will be Monday.

The new $1.9 billion jackpot is for a winner who is paid through an annuity over 29 years. Winners of lottery jackpots usually prefer a lump sum of cash, which for Monday’s drawing would be $929.1 million, the California lottery site said.

The Powerball prize keeps getting more massive because of the inability of anyone to overcome the long odds of 1 in 292.2 million and win the jackpot. To take the top prize, players must match all five white balls and one red Powerball.

Since someone won the prize on Aug. 3, there have been 40 drawings without a winner.

Powerball is played in 45 states, as well as Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A record Powerball jackpot grew to an even larger $1.9 billion after no one won the lottery drawing on Saturday night.The numbers for the drawing were: white balls 28, 45, 53, 56, 69 and red Powerball 20.The website of the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.calottery.com/">California Lottery Association</a>&nbsp;said the next chance for someone to get lucky will be Monday.The new $1.9 billion jackpot is for a winner who is paid through an annuity over 29 years. Winners of lottery jackpots usually prefer a lump sum of cash, which for Monday’s drawing would be $929.1 million, the California lottery site said.The Powerball prize keeps getting more massive because of the inability of anyone to overcome the long odds of 1 in 292.2 million and win the jackpot. To take the top prize, players must match all five white balls and one red Powerball.Since someone won the prize on Aug. 3, there have been 40 drawings without a winner.Powerball is played in 45 states, as well as Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Powerball jackpot up to record $1.9 billion after no winner

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Another one of the 12 railroad unions narrowly approved its deal with the major freight railroads Saturday, offering some hope that the contract dispute might be resolved without a strike even though two other unions&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-business-strikes-government-and-politics-581babaeee804c37e4761424c02af21a">rejected</a>&nbsp;their agreements last month.

Now that 52% of International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers members who voted approved their deal, seven railroad unions have ratified contracts that include 24% raises and $5,000 in bonuses, but all 12 have to approve contracts to prevent a strike.

Concerns remain about the possibility of an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/economy-congress-government-and-politics-a53abd85fa6f8b3ccd622222ea9a4c46">economically devastating strike</a>&nbsp;because the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division and Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen unions&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-economy-government-and-politics-0744cffe919f0d48fcc02d16c8a298b3">voted down</a>&nbsp;their contracts, and many workers say these deals just don't address their&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-economy-government-and-politics-207229bcd558b6a6c1d58f3f85e2d804">quality-of life concerns</a>. No strike is imminent because those unions agreed to return to the bargaining table to try to work out a new deal, but those talks have been deadlocked over the unions' demands for paid sick time and there is a Nov. 19 deadline.

The railroads have rejected union demands for paid sick time because they say the deals they've been offering include higher wages that are intended to compensate workers for the lack of sick time and their other quality of life concerns. The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-norfolk-government-and-politics-eeedec386f2acba5d63181436ca03f3f">railroads want</a>&nbsp;any deal to closely follow the recommendations made this summer by a special panel of arbitrators that President Joe Biden&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-transportation-strikes-ba718974eb14fcd615d606bfcdffb3d2">appointed</a>.

The railroads have also maintained that the unions have agreed over the years to forego paid sick leave in favor of better wages and strong short-term disability benefits.

The group that negotiates on behalf of Norfolk Southern, Union Pacific, BNSF, Kansas City Southern, CSX and other railroads said the deal the Machinists approved includes “the largest wage package in nearly five decades” and implements the recommendations the Presidential Emergency Board made.

The deal the Machinists approved this weekend was the second one they voted on after rejecting their first agreement. This one includes all the raises and an additional paid leave day that was in the original deal, but it also included several additional benefits including a cap on health insurance expenses, an agreement that the railroads will study how much overtime employees are being forced to work and a promise that each railroad will negotiate individually over expense reimbursement.

The railroads also promised the Machinists that they won’t force workers to share hotel rooms when they’re on the road for work.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Another one of the 12 railroad unions narrowly approved its deal with the major freight railroads Saturday, offering some hope that the contract dispute might be resolved without a strike even though two other unions&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-business-strikes-government-and-politics-581babaeee804c37e4761424c02af21a">rejected</a>&nbsp;their agreements last month.Now that 52% of International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers members who voted approved their deal, seven railroad unions have ratified contracts that include 24% raises and $5,000 in bonuses, but all 12 have to approve contracts to prevent a strike.Concerns remain about the possibility of an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/economy-congress-government-and-politics-a53abd85fa6f8b3ccd622222ea9a4c46">economically devastating strike</a>&nbsp;because the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division and Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen unions&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-economy-government-and-politics-0744cffe919f0d48fcc02d16c8a298b3">voted down</a>&nbsp;their contracts, and many workers say these deals just don't address their&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-economy-government-and-politics-207229bcd558b6a6c1d58f3f85e2d804">quality-of life concerns</a>. No strike is imminent because those unions agreed to return to the bargaining table to try to work out a new deal, but those talks have been deadlocked over the unions' demands for paid sick time and there is a Nov. 19 deadline.The railroads have rejected union demands for paid sick time because they say the deals they've been offering include higher wages that are intended to compensate workers for the lack of sick time and their other quality of life concerns. The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-norfolk-government-and-politics-eeedec386f2acba5d63181436ca03f3f">railroads want</a>&nbsp;any deal to closely follow the recommendations made this summer by a special panel of arbitrators that President Joe Biden&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-transportation-strikes-ba718974eb14fcd615d606bfcdffb3d2">appointed</a>.The railroads have also maintained that the unions have agreed over the years to forego paid sick leave in favor of better wages and strong short-term disability benefits.The group that negotiates on behalf of Norfolk Southern, Union Pacific, BNSF, Kansas City Southern, CSX and other railroads said the deal the Machinists approved includes “the largest wage package in nearly five decades” and implements the recommendations the Presidential Emergency Board made.The deal the Machinists approved this weekend was the second one they voted on after rejecting their first agreement. This one includes all the raises and an additional paid leave day that was in the original deal, but it also included several additional benefits including a cap on health insurance expenses, an agreement that the railroads will study how much overtime employees are being forced to work and a promise that each railroad will negotiate individually over expense reimbursement.The railroads also promised the Machinists that they won’t force workers to share hotel rooms when they’re on the road for work.“Our union recognizes that the agreement wasn’t accepted overwhelmingly, so our team will continue conversing with our members at our rail yards across the nation,” the Machinists union's District 19 unit said in a statement. “This agreement is the first step in addressing some of the issues in our industry. Our fight was able to shine a light on the work-life balance issues as well as the lack of proper paid sick leave.”Three other unions are scheduled to vote later this month, including the largest ones that represent engineers and conductors.The workers represented by the Machinists union generally have more regular schedules than the engineers and conductors who say the railroads' strict attendance policies keep them on call 24/7. And the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen and the Transportation Division of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers unions won't even release the results of their votes until after the current Nov. 19 deadline in the BMWED talks.Because of the fears about a possible strike,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-business-economy-congress-government-and-politics-6b60d53fefc7b85f301b0a3e7011715b">business groups</a>&nbsp;have urged Biden and Congress to be ready to intervene if both sides can't reach an agreement. Biden played an active role in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-economy-strikes-congress-94089be6a4f469444da99fec9dde1b3e">securing</a>&nbsp;these original deals back in September, and Congress has the power to block a strike and impose terms on the workers if there is a walkout.