WICHITA Kan— Merchants from across Kansas met with Senator Roger Marshall Friday to emphasize how lack of competition over credit card processing drives up prices paid by consumers and thanked him for introducing the bipartisan Credit Card Competition Act, according to a media release from Merchants Payment Coalition. “Kansans and other Americans pay the highest ‘swipe’ fees in the industrialized world and lack of competition is the reason why,” Merchants Payments Coalition Executive Committee member and National Association of Convenience Stores Director of Government Relations Anna Ready Blom said. “These fees drive up prices paid by consumers and Visa and Mastercard have refused to hold off on increases despite raging inflation. This legislation is carefully crafted to apply only to giant Wall Street banks and would have no impact on community banks or credit unions in Kansas. Consumers’ credit card rewards would be protected since banks, not processing networks, issue those rewards. And security would be enhanced because independent networks have less fraud and networks backed by foreign governments like China’s Union Pay would be barred from entering the U.S. market.” “This bill is a win for everybody except the largest big-city banks that have profited off small businesses and consumers across America for far too long,” Blom said. Blom was one of about 20 merchants and trade association executives who met with the Republican senator at the district office the Dillons supermarket chain in Wichita today. The gathering included retailers, restaurants, grocers, convenience store owners and fuel merchants, among others. Marshall and Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Richard Durbin, D-Ill., joined last month to introduce the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.durbin.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/durbin-marshall-introduce-bipartisan-credit-card-competition-act" target="_blank">Credit Card Competition Act</a>. The action came three months after Visa and Mastercard&nbsp;<a href="https://www.durbin.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/Letter%20to%20Mr.%20Kelly%20and%20Mr.%20Miebach%20-%20April%2015,%202022.pdf" target="_blank">refused a request</a>&nbsp;from the two senators and other members of Congress to withdraw an increase in fees that the lawmakers said would add to inflationary pressures. The bill is aimed at “swipe” fees averaging more than 2 percent of the transaction that banks and payment networks like Visa and Mastercard charge merchants to process credit card transactions. Credit and debit card swipe fees have more than doubled over the past decade, soaring 25 percent last year alone to a record $137.8 billion. They are most merchants’ highest cost after labor and drive up consumer prices by about $900 a year for the average family. Visa and Mastercard, which control more than 80 percent of the credit card market, restrict processing to their own networks and set the fees the banks charge, prohibiting competition among those banks and blocking innovative independent payment networks that offer both lower fees and better security. To address the issue, the legislation would require that credit cards issued by the nation’s largest banks be enabled to be processed over at least two unaffiliated networks – Visa or Mastercard plus an independent network such as NYCE, Star or Shazam. Domestic credit card networks like American Express or Discover could also be the second network, but not networks supported by foreign governments like China’s Union Pay. Merchants would be allowed to choose which of the two networks to use, meaning networks would have to compete on pricing, security and service. The bill would apply only to financial institutions with at least $100 billion in assets – fewer than three dozen institutions nationwide but 90 percent of Visa and Mastercard credit card volume – and would have no impact on small community banks or small credit unions.

WICHITA Kan— Merchants from across Kansas met with Senator Roger Marshall Friday to emphasize how lack of competition over credit card processing drives up prices paid by consumers and thanked him for introducing the bipartisan Credit Card Competition Act, according to a media release from Merchants Payment Coalition. “Kansans and other Americans pay the highest ‘swipe’ fees in the industrialized world and lack of competition is the reason why,” Merchants Payments Coalition Executive Committee member and National Association of Convenience Stores Director of Government Relations Anna Ready Blom said. “These fees drive up prices paid by consumers and Visa and Mastercard have refused to hold off on increases despite raging inflation. This legislation is carefully crafted to apply only to giant Wall Street banks and would have no impact on community banks or credit unions in Kansas. Consumers’ credit card rewards would be protected since banks, not processing networks, issue those rewards. And security would be enhanced because independent networks have less fraud and networks backed by foreign governments like China’s Union Pay would be barred from entering the U.S. market.” “This bill is a win for everybody except the largest big-city banks that have profited off small businesses and consumers across America for far too long,” Blom said. Blom was one of about 20 merchants and trade association executives who met with the Republican senator at the district office the Dillons supermarket chain in Wichita today. The gathering included retailers, restaurants, grocers, convenience store owners and fuel merchants, among others. Marshall and Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Richard Durbin, D-Ill., joined last month to introduce the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.durbin.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/durbin-marshall-introduce-bipartisan-credit-card-competition-act" target="_blank">Credit Card Competition Act</a>. The action came three months after Visa and Mastercard&nbsp;<a href="https://www.durbin.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/Letter%20to%20Mr.%20Kelly%20and%20Mr.%20Miebach%20-%20April%2015,%202022.pdf" target="_blank">refused a request</a>&nbsp;from the two senators and other members of Congress to withdraw an increase in fees that the lawmakers said would add to inflationary pressures. The bill is aimed at “swipe” fees averaging more than 2 percent of the transaction that banks and payment networks like Visa and Mastercard charge merchants to process credit card transactions. Credit and debit card swipe fees have more than doubled over the past decade, soaring 25 percent last year alone to a record $137.8 billion. They are most merchants’ highest cost after labor and drive up consumer prices by about $900 a year for the average family. Visa and Mastercard, which control more than 80 percent of the credit card market, restrict processing to their own networks and set the fees the banks charge, prohibiting competition among those banks and blocking innovative independent payment networks that offer both lower fees and better security. To address the issue, the legislation would require that credit cards issued by the nation’s largest banks be enabled to be processed over at least two unaffiliated networks – Visa or Mastercard plus an independent network such as NYCE, Star or Shazam. Domestic credit card networks like American Express or Discover could also be the second network, but not networks supported by foreign governments like China’s Union Pay. Merchants would be allowed to choose which of the two networks to use, meaning networks would have to compete on pricing, security and service. The bill would apply only to financial institutions with at least $100 billion in assets – fewer than three dozen institutions nationwide but 90 percent of Visa and Mastercard credit card volume – and would have no impact on small community banks or small credit unions.

Marshall meets with Kan. merchants on credit card ‘swipe’ fees

RILEY COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a woman for crimes involving small children.

Just after 2 p.m. Thursday, police arrested 26-year-old Maria Bryan of Manhattan on a Riley County District Court Warrant for aggravated battery and three counts of endangering a child, according to the Riley County Police Department activity report.

The arrest is in connection with a March 22, incident where where Bryan allegedly caused bodily harm to and placed a two-year-old girl in a situation where the child's wellbeing was endangered and a June 5,&nbsp; incident where she placed the same victim and a now seven-year-old boy in an additional situation where the child's wellbeing was endangered. 

Bryan remains jailed on a bond of $13,000, according to the RCPD.

RILEY COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a woman for crimes involving small children.Just after 2 p.m. Thursday, police arrested 26-year-old Maria Bryan of Manhattan on a Riley County District Court Warrant for aggravated battery and three counts of endangering a child, according to the Riley County Police Department activity report.The arrest is in connection with a March 22, incident where where Bryan allegedly caused bodily harm to and placed a two-year-old girl in a situation where the child's wellbeing was endangered and a June 5,&nbsp; incident where she placed the same victim and a now seven-year-old boy in an additional situation where the child's wellbeing was endangered. Bryan remains jailed on a bond of $13,000, according to the RCPD.

Kansas woman jailed for alleged child endangerment 

FINNEY COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a southwest Kansas man for alleged possession of a stolen vehicle.

On Wednesday, police in Guymon, Oklahoma&nbsp;contacted Garden City Police&nbsp; about a stolen vehicle in the Garden City area, according to a media release.

On Tuesday, officers located the vehicle and initiated a high-risk traffic stop in the 400 block of N. 4th Street in Garden City.

The driver of the vehicle, identified as 29-year-old Manuel Melendez-Davila of Garden City was taken into custody without incident. 

He is being held in the Finney County Jail on four active felony warrants and an active misdemeanor warrant.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1661350874328.png" alt="Melendez-Davila-photo Finney Co." />
 <figcaption>Melendez-Davila-photo Finney Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>FINNEY COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a southwest Kansas man for alleged possession of a stolen vehicle.On Wednesday, police in Guymon, Oklahoma&nbsp;contacted Garden City Police&nbsp; about a stolen vehicle in the Garden City area, according to a media release.On Tuesday, officers located the vehicle and initiated a high-risk traffic stop in the 400 block of N. 4th Street in Garden City.The driver of the vehicle, identified as 29-year-old Manuel Melendez-Davila of Garden City was taken into custody without incident. He is being held in the Finney County Jail on four active felony warrants and an active misdemeanor warrant.&nbsp;

Police: Kan. man captured driving vehicle stolen in Oklahoma

JUNCTION CITY —Geary County Commissioners outlined the plan Thursday night to save Geary Community Hospital through an agreement with Stormont Vail Health. That company will oversee the operations at the hospital completely in January, and they are already providing assistance.

Some of the key points during a public presentation at the C.L. Hoover Opera House included the fact that GCH has been operating at a one million dollar per month deficit.&nbsp; That is expected to change in the future.

Stormont Vail will install the record management billing system called Epic, which should lead to monetary savings, will schedule more surgeries including nine yesterday ( Thursday ) alone, and will employ some of their own doctors in the emergency room. Stormont will be investing $20 million of their own money into the GCH facility for infrastructure improvements over the next five years. Geary County will issue revenue bonds totaling approximately $32 million to cover existing debt, short term operational funds and infrastructure improvements needed this year and money for $20 million in future infrastructure improvements. County debt would be retired in 2048.&nbsp;

All current GCH employees are being given the opportunity to interview for jobs if they would like to remain at the hospital, and there is no reason to expect they would not be retained.

Annual property taxes to support the hospital will not increase.

Commissioner Keith Ascher told the audience at the Opera House this has been a long struggle but officials wanted to be sure that they had all the i's dotted and t's crossed before they could share information with the public.&nbsp;

During&nbsp; the process to make a future decision on the hospital, Commissioner Trish Giordano commented that they had three options. They included operating at a $1 million per month deficit, closing the hospital but with debt the building couldn't be reopened until grandfathered code violations were addressed, or they could partner with someone. The latter option was chosen.

The end goal was to ensure Junction City still has a hospital.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1661481153771.jpeg" alt="-Commissioner Trish Giordano speaking at the podium. Seated were County Finance Director Tami Robison plus Commissioners Alex Tyson and Keith Ascher." />
 <figcaption>-Commissioner Trish Giordano speaking at the podium. Seated were County Finance Director Tami Robison plus Commissioners Alex Tyson and Keith Ascher.</figcaption>
 </figure>By Dewey TerrillJC PostJUNCTION CITY —Geary County Commissioners outlined the plan Thursday night to save Geary Community Hospital through an agreement with Stormont Vail Health. That company will oversee the operations at the hospital completely in January, and they are already providing assistance.Some of the key points during a public presentation at the C.L. Hoover Opera House included the fact that GCH has been operating at a one million dollar per month deficit.&nbsp; That is expected to change in the future.Stormont Vail will install the record management billing system called Epic, which should lead to monetary savings, will schedule more surgeries including nine yesterday ( Thursday ) alone, and will employ some of their own doctors in the emergency room. Stormont will be investing $20 million of their own money into the GCH facility for infrastructure improvements over the next five years. Geary County will issue revenue bonds totaling approximately $32 million to cover existing debt, short term operational funds and infrastructure improvements needed this year and money for $20 million in future infrastructure improvements. County debt would be retired in 2048.&nbsp;All current GCH employees are being given the opportunity to interview for jobs if they would like to remain at the hospital, and there is no reason to expect they would not be retained.Annual property taxes to support the hospital will not increase.Commissioner Keith Ascher told the audience at the Opera House this has been a long struggle but officials wanted to be sure that they had all the i's dotted and t's crossed before they could share information with the public.&nbsp;During&nbsp; the process to make a future decision on the hospital, Commissioner Trish Giordano commented that they had three options. They included operating at a $1 million per month deficit, closing the hospital but with debt the building couldn't be reopened until grandfathered code violations were addressed, or they could partner with someone. The latter option was chosen.The end goal was to ensure Junction City still has a hospital.

Commissioners outline plan to save Kansas hospital

SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities investigating an attempted ATM theft have made a second arrest.&nbsp; Just after 12:30p.m. Thursday, police located 43-year-old Michael E. Frink of Topeka in the 1500 block of South Kansas Avenue, according to Deputy Abigail Christian.

Just after 5a.m. August 11, the Shawnee County Emergency Communications Center received a burglary alarm at a bank in the 1700 block of North Washington Street in Auburn, Kansas, according to Deputy Abigail Christian.

Deputies learned there was an attempted theft of an ATM. A K9 Unit located the suspect vehicle that refused to stop and a pursuit was initiated. The vehicle pursuit ended in the 5700 block of Southwest Urish Road and suspects fled.

The Shawnee County Sheriff's office asked residents from SW Fairlawn Road to Southwest Urish Road and Southwest 41st Street to Southwest 77th street, to be aware of any suspicious activity or individuals.

Just after 6p.m. that day, the sheriff's office reported they had arrested 35-year-old&nbsp; Trimaine Munroe Baker on requested charges of&nbsp;Aggravated criminal damage &gt;$5K; intent to obtain currency from automated cash dispenser/ATM, theft, burglary and&nbsp; Criminal damage to property; Without consent value $1000 to $25,000, according to online jail records.

"Thanks to assistance from citizens reporting timely information to deputies, Baker was apprehended near Southwest&nbsp; 53rd Street and Southwest Wanamaker Road, " according to Christian.&nbsp; The sheriff's&nbsp; office K9 units and drone operators assisted in this search, along with the Kansas Highway Patrol’s Aircraft Unit and the Topeka Police Department.

Frink is being held in the Shawnee County Department of Corrections and on requested charges of flee and elude, burglary, criminal damage, theft, attempted theft and criminal damage over $25,000.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1660265229824.png" alt="The damaged ATM at Landmark Bank 1741 N. Washington in Auburn, Kansas --photo courtesy WIBW TV" />
 <figcaption>The damaged ATM at Landmark Bank 1741 N. Washington in Auburn, Kansas --photo courtesy WIBW TV</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities investigating an attempted ATM theft have made a second arrest.&nbsp; Just after 12:30p.m. Thursday, police located 43-year-old Michael E. Frink of Topeka in the 1500 block of South Kansas Avenue, according to Deputy Abigail Christian.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1660335348360.png" alt="Frink-photo Shawnee Co." />
 <figcaption>Frink-photo Shawnee Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>Just after 5a.m. August 11, the Shawnee County Emergency Communications Center received a burglary alarm at a bank in the 1700 block of North Washington Street in Auburn, Kansas, according to Deputy Abigail Christian.Deputies learned there was an attempted theft of an ATM. A K9 Unit located the suspect vehicle that refused to stop and a pursuit was initiated. The vehicle pursuit ended in the 5700 block of Southwest Urish Road and suspects fled.The Shawnee County Sheriff's office asked residents from SW Fairlawn Road to Southwest Urish Road and Southwest 41st Street to Southwest 77th street, to be aware of any suspicious activity or individuals.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1660304454814.png" alt="Baker-photo Shawnee County" />
 <figcaption>Baker-photo Shawnee County</figcaption>
 </figure>Just after 6p.m. that day, the sheriff's office reported they had arrested 35-year-old&nbsp; Trimaine Munroe Baker on requested charges of&nbsp;Aggravated criminal damage &gt;$5K; intent to obtain currency from automated cash dispenser/ATM, theft, burglary and&nbsp; Criminal damage to property; Without consent value $1000 to $25,000, according to online jail records."Thanks to assistance from citizens reporting timely information to deputies, Baker was apprehended near Southwest&nbsp; 53rd Street and Southwest Wanamaker Road, " according to Christian.&nbsp; The sheriff's&nbsp; office K9 units and drone operators assisted in this search, along with the Kansas Highway Patrol’s Aircraft Unit and the Topeka Police Department.Frink is being held in the Shawnee County Department of Corrections and on requested charges of flee and elude, burglary, criminal damage, theft, attempted theft and criminal damage over $25,000.

Police capture wanted Kansas ATM theft suspect 

HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — Creighton University economist Ernie Goss believes that the student loan forgiveness plan from the Biden administration will have an impact on inflation.

"The expected $300 billion, which would now be, instead of the individuals paying off their loans to the government or other lending institutions, they will be buying other things, going out to restaurants or whatever," Goss said. "It will increase demand for those products and will add to inflation. Now, the impact is still up in the air, but it certainly will contribute to inflation."

Goss also can see how that might delay the return of some borrowers to the workforce.

"It certainly could have an impact on what we economists call the participation rate," Goss said. "We've already seen other programs, stimulus programs that had that same impact, encouraging individuals to engage in what we say, leisure, instead of working. The gap between what you get paid for leisure and not working and what you get paid for working is just too small."

Goss admits that higher education, including the school he works for, is complicit in the student loan debt problem.

"In my judgment, it's a real transfer of income, at least to universities," Goss said. "Universities have huge endowments and they continue, we continue, I'm part of that group, we continue our tuition. If you raise the lending to students, we tend to raise our tuition."

If the student loan forgiveness contributes to inflation as Goss expects, then it will likely take further work from the Federal Reserve in raising interest rates to get the economy to continue to cool down.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/6/1622642233344.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>NICK GOSNELL Hutch PostHUTCHINSON,
Kan. — Creighton University economist Ernie Goss believes that the student loan forgiveness plan from the Biden administration will have an impact on inflation."The expected $300 billion, which would now be, instead of the individuals paying off their loans to the government or other lending institutions, they will be buying other things, going out to restaurants or whatever," Goss said. "It will increase demand for those products and will add to inflation. Now, the impact is still up in the air, but it certainly will contribute to inflation."Goss also can see how that might delay the return of some borrowers to the workforce."It certainly could have an impact on what we economists call the participation rate," Goss said. "We've already seen other programs, stimulus programs that had that same impact, encouraging individuals to engage in what we say, leisure, instead of working. The gap between what you get paid for leisure and not working and what you get paid for working is just too small."Goss admits that higher education, including the school he works for, is complicit in the student loan debt problem."In my judgment, it's a real transfer of income, at least to universities," Goss said. "Universities have huge endowments and they continue, we continue, I'm part of that group, we continue our tuition. If you raise the lending to students, we tend to raise our tuition."If the student loan forgiveness contributes to inflation as Goss expects, then it will likely take further work from the Federal Reserve in raising interest rates to get the economy to continue to cool down.

Goss: Student loan forgiveness could have inflation, employment impact

The Biden Administration <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/08/24/fact-sheet-president-biden-announces-student-loan-relief-for-borrowers-who-need-it-most/" target="_blank">recently announced</a>
 that the federal government will cancel up to $20,000 of Federal 
student loans per person. Millions of Americans will be recipients of 
the student loan debt relief; unfortunately, this creates an excellent 
opportunity for scammers. See our <a href="https://www.bbb.org/article/news-releases/18066-scam-alert-student-loan-forgiveness" target="_blank">recent warning about student loan forgiveness scams</a>.

As student loan holders navigate the new forgiveness program, con 
artists will undoubtedly be there to take advantage of any confusion. It
 happens with any big government initiative, including the <a href="https://www.bbb.org/article/scams/23475-bbb-scam-alert-as-covid-19-vaccine-rolls-out-scammers-cash-in" target="_blank">COVID-19 vaccine roll-out</a>, <a href="https://www.bbb.org/article/scams/24672-bbb-scam-alert-watch-out-for-false-promises-as-eviction-moratoriums-end" target="_blank">eviction moratorium</a> and <a href="https://www.bbb.org/article/business/23585-bbb-scam-alert-covid-relief-scams-target-small-business-owners" target="_blank">pandemic relief programs</a>. Always be sure to do your research before sharing any personal information. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Tips to avoid student loan forgiveness scams

Read more on BBB.org about <a href="https://www.bbb.org/article/news-releases/22444-bbb-tip-new-college-grads-watch-out-for-these-scams" target="_blank">scams targeting recent college graduates</a> and <a href="https://www.bbb.org/article/news-releases/22776-government-impostors-press-release" target="_blank">government impostors</a>. Get further insight by reading&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bbb.org/article/tips/14101-bbb-tip-loans" target="_blank">BBB’s tips on loans</a> and <a href="https://www.bbb.org/article/tips/14106-tip-credit-repair-and-debt-relief-services" target="_blank">credit repair services</a>.&nbsp;

If you’ve spotted a student loan forgiveness scam (whether or not you’ve lost money), report it to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bbb.org/ScamTracker" target="_blank">BBB.org/ScamTracker</a>. Your report can help others avoid falling victim to scams.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/1/1579883951052.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>BBBThe Biden Administration <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/08/24/fact-sheet-president-biden-announces-student-loan-relief-for-borrowers-who-need-it-most/" target="_blank">recently announced</a>
 that the federal government will cancel up to $20,000 of Federal 
student loans per person. Millions of Americans will be recipients of 
the student loan debt relief; unfortunately, this creates an excellent 
opportunity for scammers. See our <a href="https://www.bbb.org/article/news-releases/18066-scam-alert-student-loan-forgiveness" target="_blank">recent warning about student loan forgiveness scams</a>.As student loan holders navigate the new forgiveness program, con 
artists will undoubtedly be there to take advantage of any confusion. It
 happens with any big government initiative, including the <a href="https://www.bbb.org/article/scams/23475-bbb-scam-alert-as-covid-19-vaccine-rolls-out-scammers-cash-in" target="_blank">COVID-19 vaccine roll-out</a>, <a href="https://www.bbb.org/article/scams/24672-bbb-scam-alert-watch-out-for-false-promises-as-eviction-moratoriums-end" target="_blank">eviction moratorium</a> and <a href="https://www.bbb.org/article/business/23585-bbb-scam-alert-covid-relief-scams-target-small-business-owners" target="_blank">pandemic relief programs</a>. Always be sure to do your research before sharing any personal information. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<h2>Tips to avoid student loan forgiveness scams</h2><ul>
 <li>Get to know the terms of your student loan and the relief program before acting. Always
 do your research before sharing personal information. Be sure to 
understand the ins and outs of your specific loan, as well as how 
student loan relief impacts you. Go straight to official government 
websites, such as <a href="https://www.ed.gov" target="_blank">ED.gov</a> and <a href="https://www.studentaid.gov" target="_blank">studentaid.gov</a>, for information. </li><li>Never pay money for a free government program.&nbsp;Scammers often <a href="https://www.bbb.org/article/news-releases/16920-bbb-tip-government-grant-scam" target="_blank">trick victims into paying</a>
 for free government programs – or they claim you can get additional 
benefits, faster benefits, etc., for a fee. A real government agency 
will not ask for an advanced processing fee. These are all red flags of a
 scam. </li><li>Be wary of out-of-the-blue calls, emails or text messages claiming to be from the government. In general, the government will not contact you using these methods unless you grant permission. </li><li>Watch out for phony government agencies or programs. If
 you speak to someone claiming to be a government representative who is 
offering you student loan relief, do some research before you agree to 
anything. Scammers often make up <a href="https://www.bbb.org/article/news-releases/16920-bbb-tip-government-grant-scam" target="_blank">look-alike government websites</a> that sound similar to legitimate agencies or programs.</li>
 </ul><ul>
 <li>Think something seems suspicious? Reach out to the agency directly.
 If you have any concerns about an alleged government representative's 
legitimacy, hang up the phone or stop emailing/texting. Then, report the
 suspicious calls or messages. Then, find the official contact 
information (look on <a href="https://www.ed.gov" target="_blank">ED.gov</a> and <a href="https://www.studentaid.gov" target="_blank">studentaid.gov</a> or other official sites) and call to verify. </li><li>Be careful, even if the information comes from a friend.&nbsp;Even
 if a close friend or family member you trust sent you the information 
regarding student loan relief, make sure the claims are real first. 
During the COVID-19 pandemic, BBB received many reports of <a href="https://www.bbb.org/article/scams/2012-bbb-scam-alert-imposters-using-facebook-for-covid-grant-scams" target="_blank">hacked social media accounts</a> being used to spread government impostor scams. </li>
 </ul><h2>For more information:</h2>Read more on BBB.org about <a href="https://www.bbb.org/article/news-releases/22444-bbb-tip-new-college-grads-watch-out-for-these-scams" target="_blank">scams targeting recent college graduates</a> and <a href="https://www.bbb.org/article/news-releases/22776-government-impostors-press-release" target="_blank">government impostors</a>. Get further insight by reading&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bbb.org/article/tips/14101-bbb-tip-loans" target="_blank">BBB’s tips on loans</a> and <a href="https://www.bbb.org/article/tips/14106-tip-credit-repair-and-debt-relief-services" target="_blank">credit repair services</a>.&nbsp;If you’ve spotted a student loan forgiveness scam (whether or not you’ve lost money), report it to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bbb.org/ScamTracker" target="_blank">BBB.org/ScamTracker</a>. Your report can help others avoid falling victim to scams.

Student loan forgiveness is here. Here’s how to avoid scams

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — Attorneys for a Colorado woman accused of killing her 11-year-old stepson in 2020 have requested a second evaluation of her mental health after the judge in the case received a state evaluation.

Letecia Stauch has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity in the death of Gannon Stauch.&nbsp;After her March 2020 arrest in South Carolina Stauch was held in the Saline County, Kansas jail on her return to Colorado.

Fourth Judicial District Judge Gregory Werner set a Sept. 15 hearing after defense attorneys challenged the state report and requested that Stauch be evaluated again by defense-appointed psychiatrists,&nbsp;<a href="https://gazette.com/news/courts/letecia-stauch-deemed-sane-in-mental-health-evaluation-but-trial-on-hold/article_113ac830-247b-11ed-9969-2744676d63c6.html">The Gazette reported</a>.

The report on the sanity evaluation at the Colorado Mental Health Institute at Pueblo wasn't released.

Prosecutors last year presented alleged evidence linking Stauch to the January 2020 murder. They said that investigators found Gannon’s blood on Stauch’s shoe, found her DNA on a gun linked to his death and learned that she traveled to the Florida Panhandle shortly after he disappeared. The child’s remains were found there in March 2020, authorities have said.

Defense attorneys had sought to create doubt that Stauch committed the murder by suggesting someone else could have entered their Colorado Springs home around the time Gannon died.

Stauch is charged with first-degree murder, child abuse resulting in death, tampering with a deceased human body and tampering with physical evidence.

After her March 2020 arrest in South Carolina Stauch was held in the Saline County jail on her return to Colorado.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/3/1583413880453.png" alt="After her March 2020 arrest in South Carolina, Letecia Stauch was held in the Saline County jail on her return to Colorado -Photo Saline County Sheriff" />
 <figcaption>After her March 2020 arrest in South Carolina, Letecia Stauch was held in the Saline County jail on her return to Colorado -Photo Saline County Sheriff</figcaption>
 </figure>COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — Attorneys for a Colorado woman accused of killing her 11-year-old stepson in 2020 have requested a second evaluation of her mental health after the judge in the case received a state evaluation.Letecia Stauch has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity in the death of Gannon Stauch.&nbsp;After her March 2020 arrest in South Carolina Stauch was held in the Saline County, Kansas jail on her return to Colorado.Fourth Judicial District Judge Gregory Werner set a Sept. 15 hearing after defense attorneys challenged the state report and requested that Stauch be evaluated again by defense-appointed psychiatrists,&nbsp;<a href="https://gazette.com/news/courts/letecia-stauch-deemed-sane-in-mental-health-evaluation-but-trial-on-hold/article_113ac830-247b-11ed-9969-2744676d63c6.html">The Gazette reported</a>.The report on the sanity evaluation at the Colorado Mental Health Institute at Pueblo wasn't released.Prosecutors last year presented alleged evidence linking Stauch to the January 2020 murder. They said that investigators found Gannon’s blood on Stauch’s shoe, found her DNA on a gun linked to his death and learned that she traveled to the Florida Panhandle shortly after he disappeared. The child’s remains were found there in March 2020, authorities have said.Defense attorneys had sought to create doubt that Stauch committed the murder by suggesting someone else could have entered their Colorado Springs home around the time Gannon died.Stauch is charged with first-degree murder, child abuse resulting in death, tampering with a deceased human body and tampering with physical evidence.After her March 2020 arrest in South Carolina Stauch was held in the Saline County jail on her return to Colorado.

Trial on hold for woman charged in stepson's death

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department is set to release Friday a heavily blacked out document explaining the justification for an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/florida-donald-trump-mar-a-lago-merrick-garland-government-and-politics-f63c018b600e1539ff3660a896a132d0">FBI search</a>&nbsp;of former President Donald Trump's Florida estate earlier this month, when agents removed top secret government records and other classified documents.

The document, expected by noon, is likely to offer at least some new details about an ongoing criminal investigation that has brought fresh legal peril for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Trump</a>&nbsp;just as he lays the groundwork for another presidential run. Though Justice Department officials are expected to have removed sensitive details about witnesses, and the scope and direction of the probe, the affidavit may offer the fullest explanation yet about the events leading up to the Aug. 8 search of Mar-a-Lago.

The document being released is the redacted form of an affidavit, or sworn statement, that the FBI submitted to a judge so it could obtain a warrant to search Trump's property. Affidavits typically contain vital information about an investigation, with agents spelling out to a judge the justification for why they want to search a particular property and why they believe they’re likely to find evidence of a potential crime there. But affidavits routinely remain sealed during pending investigations, making the judge’s decision to reveal portions of it all the more striking.

In an acknowledgment of the extraordinary public interest in the investigation, U.S. Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart on Thursday ordered the department by Friday to make public a redacted version of the affidavit. The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/justice-providing-redacted-trump-affidavit-a734bd242eef7f9a47fc11293c35e396">directive</a>&nbsp;came hours after federal law enforcement officials submitted under seal the portions of the affidavit that they want to keep secret as their investigation moves forward.

The redactions proposed by the Justice Department are likely to be extensive given the sensitivity of the investigation, lessening the likelihood that the document will offer a comprehensive look at the basis for the unprecedented search or significant insights about the direction of the probe. Yet even a redacted affidavit can contain at least some fresh revelations about the investigation, and is likely to help explain why federal agents who had tried for months to recover sensitive government records from Mar-a-Lago ultimately felt compelled to obtain a search warrant.

<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/22131425-mar-a-lago-search-documents">Documents already made public</a>&nbsp;show the FBI retrieved from the property 11 sets of classified documents, including information marked at the top secret level. They also show that federal agents are investigating potential violations of three different federal laws, including one that governs gathering, transmitting or losing defense information under the Espionage Act. The other statutes address the concealment, mutilation or removal of records and the destruction, alteration or falsification of records in federal investigations.

It's possible that the affidavit, particularly in its unredacted form, could shed light on key unanswered questions, including why sensitive presidential documents — classified documents, among them — were transported to Mar-a-Lago after Trump left the White House and why Trump and his representatives did not supply the entire tranche of material to the National Archives and Records Administration despite repeated entreaties.

It could also offer additional details on the back-and-forth between Trump and the FBI, including a subpoena for documents that was issued last spring, as well as a June visit by FBI and Justice Department officials to assess how the materials were being stored.

The Justice Department had earlier contested arguments by media organizations to make any portion of the affidavit public, saying the disclosure could contain private information about witnesses and about investigative tactics. But Reinhart, acknowledging the extraordinary public interest in the investigation, said last week that he was disinclined to keep the entire document sealed and told federal officials to submit to him in private the redactions it wanted to make.

In his order Thursday, Reinhart said the department had made compelling arguments to leave sealed broad swaths of the document that, if disclosed, would reveal grand jury information; the identities of witnesses and “uncharged parties"; and details about the investigation's “strategy, direction, scope, sources and methods.”

But he also said he was satisfied “that the Government has met its burden of showing that its proposed redactions are narrowly tailored to serve the Government’s legitimate interest in the integrity of the ongoing investigation and are the least onerous alternative to sealing the entire Affidavit.”

WASHINGTON (AP) — A judge on Thursday ordered the Justice Department to make public a redacted version of the affidavit it relied on when federal agents&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/florida-donald-trump-mar-a-lago-merrick-garland-government-and-politics-f63c018b600e1539ff3660a896a132d0">searched the Florida estate of former President Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;to look for classified documents.

The directive from U.S. Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart came hours after federal law enforcement officials submitted under seal the portions of the affidavit that they want to keep secret as their investigation moves forward. The judge set a deadline of noon Friday for a redacted, or blacked-out, version of the document.

The order means the public could soon get at least some additional details about what led FBI officials to search Mar-a-Lago on Aug. 8 as part of an investigation into classified documents being retained at the Palm Beach property.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/22131425-mar-a-lago-search-documents">Documents already made public</a>&nbsp;as part of the investigation show that the FBI retrieved from the property 11 sets of classified documents, including information marked at the top secret level.

Still, the redactions proposed by the Justice Department are likely to be extensive given the sensitivity of the investigation and unprecedented nature of the search, so it's unlikely that the public will receive a detailed glimpse of the basis for the search or the direction of the probe.

The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/florida-donald-trump-mar-a-lago-criminal-investigations-government-and-politics-3c956774e0930c6f9c2c8591c43cfddc">department had contested arguments</a>&nbsp;by media organizations to make any portion of the affidavit public, but a judge last week said he was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/florida-donald-trump-west-palm-beach-bf4bd77e66e22d0b089a2a56c4ffc9a7">disinclined to keep the entire document sealed</a>&nbsp;and told federal officials to submit to him in private the redactions it wanted to make. Even so, he acknowledged that the blacked-out portions might be so extensive as to leave the public version of the document without any meaningful information.

Multiple news media organizations, including The Associated Press, argued in court last week for the disclosure of the affidavit, citing the extraordinary public interest in the federal search of a former president's home. Trump and some of his supporters have also encouraged the document's release.

After the Justice Department submitted its filing under seal on Thursday, the media coalition responded by asking the judge to unseal portions of the department's brief and to direct the government, “going forward," to file publicly a redacted version of any sealed document it submits. The groups noted that significant information about the investigation is already public.

“At a minimum, any portions of the Brief that recite those facts about the investigation, without revealing additional ones not yet publicly available — in addition to any other portions that pose no threat to the investigation — should be unsealed,” the news organizations wrote.

They added, “If and when additional facts come to light and are confirmed to be accurate, or certain facts no longer pose a threat to the investigation for any other reason, there is no justification for maintaining them under seal either.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1660337904040.jpeg" alt="The receipt for property that was seized during the execution of a search warrant by the FBI at former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Fla., is photographed Friday, Aug. 12, 2022. (AP Photo/Jon Elswick)" />
 <figcaption>The receipt for property that was seized during the execution of a search warrant by the FBI at former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Fla., is photographed Friday, Aug. 12, 2022. (AP Photo/Jon Elswick)</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department is set to release Friday a heavily blacked out document explaining the justification for an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/florida-donald-trump-mar-a-lago-merrick-garland-government-and-politics-f63c018b600e1539ff3660a896a132d0">FBI search</a>&nbsp;of former President Donald Trump's Florida estate earlier this month, when agents removed top secret government records and other classified documents.The document, expected by noon, is likely to offer at least some new details about an ongoing criminal investigation that has brought fresh legal peril for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Trump</a>&nbsp;just as he lays the groundwork for another presidential run. Though Justice Department officials are expected to have removed sensitive details about witnesses, and the scope and direction of the probe, the affidavit may offer the fullest explanation yet about the events leading up to the Aug. 8 search of Mar-a-Lago.The document being released is the redacted form of an affidavit, or sworn statement, that the FBI submitted to a judge so it could obtain a warrant to search Trump's property. Affidavits typically contain vital information about an investigation, with agents spelling out to a judge the justification for why they want to search a particular property and why they believe they’re likely to find evidence of a potential crime there. But affidavits routinely remain sealed during pending investigations, making the judge’s decision to reveal portions of it all the more striking.In an acknowledgment of the extraordinary public interest in the investigation, U.S. Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart on Thursday ordered the department by Friday to make public a redacted version of the affidavit. The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/justice-providing-redacted-trump-affidavit-a734bd242eef7f9a47fc11293c35e396">directive</a>&nbsp;came hours after federal law enforcement officials submitted under seal the portions of the affidavit that they want to keep secret as their investigation moves forward.The redactions proposed by the Justice Department are likely to be extensive given the sensitivity of the investigation, lessening the likelihood that the document will offer a comprehensive look at the basis for the unprecedented search or significant insights about the direction of the probe. Yet even a redacted affidavit can contain at least some fresh revelations about the investigation, and is likely to help explain why federal agents who had tried for months to recover sensitive government records from Mar-a-Lago ultimately felt compelled to obtain a search warrant.<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/22131425-mar-a-lago-search-documents">Documents already made public</a>&nbsp;show the FBI retrieved from the property 11 sets of classified documents, including information marked at the top secret level. They also show that federal agents are investigating potential violations of three different federal laws, including one that governs gathering, transmitting or losing defense information under the Espionage Act. The other statutes address the concealment, mutilation or removal of records and the destruction, alteration or falsification of records in federal investigations.It's possible that the affidavit, particularly in its unredacted form, could shed light on key unanswered questions, including why sensitive presidential documents — classified documents, among them — were transported to Mar-a-Lago after Trump left the White House and why Trump and his representatives did not supply the entire tranche of material to the National Archives and Records Administration despite repeated entreaties.It could also offer additional details on the back-and-forth between Trump and the FBI, including a subpoena for documents that was issued last spring, as well as a June visit by FBI and Justice Department officials to assess how the materials were being stored.The Justice Department had earlier contested arguments by media organizations to make any portion of the affidavit public, saying the disclosure could contain private information about witnesses and about investigative tactics. But Reinhart, acknowledging the extraordinary public interest in the investigation, said last week that he was disinclined to keep the entire document sealed and told federal officials to submit to him in private the redactions it wanted to make.In his order Thursday, Reinhart said the department had made compelling arguments to leave sealed broad swaths of the document that, if disclosed, would reveal grand jury information; the identities of witnesses and “uncharged parties"; and details about the investigation's “strategy, direction, scope, sources and methods.”But he also said he was satisfied “that the Government has met its burden of showing that its proposed redactions are narrowly tailored to serve the Government’s legitimate interest in the integrity of the ongoing investigation and are the least onerous alternative to sealing the entire Affidavit.”------------WASHINGTON (AP) — A judge on Thursday ordered the Justice Department to make public a redacted version of the affidavit it relied on when federal agents&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/florida-donald-trump-mar-a-lago-merrick-garland-government-and-politics-f63c018b600e1539ff3660a896a132d0">searched the Florida estate of former President Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;to look for classified documents.The directive from U.S. Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart came hours after federal law enforcement officials submitted under seal the portions of the affidavit that they want to keep secret as their investigation moves forward. The judge set a deadline of noon Friday for a redacted, or blacked-out, version of the document.The order means the public could soon get at least some additional details about what led FBI officials to search Mar-a-Lago on Aug. 8 as part of an investigation into classified documents being retained at the Palm Beach property.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/22131425-mar-a-lago-search-documents">Documents already made public</a>&nbsp;as part of the investigation show that the FBI retrieved from the property 11 sets of classified documents, including information marked at the top secret level.Still, the redactions proposed by the Justice Department are likely to be extensive given the sensitivity of the investigation and unprecedented nature of the search, so it's unlikely that the public will receive a detailed glimpse of the basis for the search or the direction of the probe.The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/florida-donald-trump-mar-a-lago-criminal-investigations-government-and-politics-3c956774e0930c6f9c2c8591c43cfddc">department had contested arguments</a>&nbsp;by media organizations to make any portion of the affidavit public, but a judge last week said he was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/florida-donald-trump-west-palm-beach-bf4bd77e66e22d0b089a2a56c4ffc9a7">disinclined to keep the entire document sealed</a>&nbsp;and told federal officials to submit to him in private the redactions it wanted to make. Even so, he acknowledged that the blacked-out portions might be so extensive as to leave the public version of the document without any meaningful information.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1660098153905.png" alt="Earlier this month, former President Trump delivered keynote remarks at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Dallas-photo courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Earlier this month, former President Trump delivered keynote remarks at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Dallas-photo courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>Multiple news media organizations, including The Associated Press, argued in court last week for the disclosure of the affidavit, citing the extraordinary public interest in the federal search of a former president's home. Trump and some of his supporters have also encouraged the document's release.After the Justice Department submitted its filing under seal on Thursday, the media coalition responded by asking the judge to unseal portions of the department's brief and to direct the government, “going forward," to file publicly a redacted version of any sealed document it submits. The groups noted that significant information about the investigation is already public.“At a minimum, any portions of the Brief that recite those facts about the investigation, without revealing additional ones not yet publicly available — in addition to any other portions that pose no threat to the investigation — should be unsealed,” the news organizations wrote.They added, “If and when additional facts come to light and are confirmed to be accurate, or certain facts no longer pose a threat to the investigation for any other reason, there is no justification for maintaining them under seal either.”

Trump search redacted affidavit set to be released

FINNEY COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities in many areas of the state are investigating&nbsp; reports of a post office scam.

According to the Garden City&nbsp; Police Department, citizens are receiving text and email notifications claiming to be from the United State's Postal Service stating they are having issues with the customer's delivery address and request your personal information to have your package(s) redelivered. 

In these notifications, the customers are provided a link to verify their address and reschedule delivery. 

Clicking on the link, however, will take you to a page where it asks for your personal information and request payment to have your package redelivered. 

Other law enforcement agencies in Kansas have encountered this scam, and citizens have also received scam calls and letters appearing to be from the Postal Service.

The Post Office will not ask for this information. Police warn&nbsp; not to give out your personal or financial information. If you have questions or believe you have been a victim of fraud, contact police. If you have given out your financial information, contact your bank and/or credit card company immediately. You can also call your local post office directly to verify the status of your parcel(s).

FINNEY COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities in many areas of the state are investigating&nbsp; reports of a post office scam.According to the Garden City&nbsp; Police Department, citizens are receiving text and email notifications claiming to be from the United State's Postal Service stating they are having issues with the customer's delivery address and request your personal information to have your package(s) redelivered. In these notifications, the customers are provided a link to verify their address and reschedule delivery. Clicking on the link, however, will take you to a page where it asks for your personal information and request payment to have your package redelivered. Other law enforcement agencies in Kansas have encountered this scam, and citizens have also received scam calls and letters appearing to be from the Postal Service.The Post Office will not ask for this information. Police warn&nbsp; not to give out your personal or financial information. If you have questions or believe you have been a victim of fraud, contact police. If you have given out your financial information, contact your bank and/or credit card company immediately. You can also call your local post office directly to verify the status of your parcel(s).

Police investigate post office delivery scam in Kansas

KANSAS CITY— A Kansas City-area man has been charged in the fatal shooting of a 21-year-old man in Independence on Sunday, Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker announced Wednesday.

Jayvon D. Rabb, 23, Independence, faces Murder 2nd Degree and Armed Criminal Action charges.

According to court records filed today, Independence police were dispatched to the intersection of 14th Street and Scott in an Independence apartment complex on a reported fatal shooting. Officers found two deceased men at the scene. The defendant told police that he admitted to firing his weapon at the victim while the victim was on the ground.&nbsp;

Prosecutors requested a $300,000 cash-only bond.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1661290244340.png" alt="Rabb-photo Jackson Co." />
 <figcaption>Rabb-photo Jackson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY— A Kansas City-area man has been charged in the fatal shooting of a 21-year-old man in Independence on Sunday, Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker announced Wednesday.Jayvon D. Rabb, 23, Independence, faces Murder 2nd Degree and Armed Criminal Action charges.According to court records filed today, Independence police were dispatched to the intersection of 14th Street and Scott in an Independence apartment complex on a reported fatal shooting. Officers found two deceased men at the scene. The defendant told police that he admitted to firing his weapon at the victim while the victim was on the ground.&nbsp;Prosecutors requested a $300,000 cash-only bond.

Kansas City-area man admits firing fatal shot at victim on the ground

JOHNSON COUNTY—A small plane made an emergency landing just after 5p.m. Thursday in Johnson County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a&nbsp;&nbsp;single engine Cessna 172 E piloted by Bruce A. Gatton, 72,&nbsp; Apollo Beach, Florida, was taking off for the pilots two year review. 

The plane was climbing and the engine died. The pilot saw the open field&nbsp; and landed the plane without damage at&nbsp;18970 Edgerton Road.

Gatton and a passenger James R. Dexter, 68, Olathe, were not injured.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1661477084823.png" alt="Google map" />
 <figcaption>Google map</figcaption>
 </figure>JOHNSON COUNTY—A small plane made an emergency landing just after 5p.m. Thursday in Johnson County.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a&nbsp;&nbsp;single engine Cessna 172 E piloted by Bruce A. Gatton, 72,&nbsp; Apollo Beach, Florida, was taking off for the pilots two year review. The plane was climbing and the engine died. The pilot saw the open field&nbsp; and landed the plane without damage at&nbsp;18970 Edgerton Road.Gatton and a passenger James R. Dexter, 68, Olathe, were not injured.

Small plane makes emergency landing in Kansas field

KANSAS CITY —The Missouri Supreme Court has set a Nov. 29 execution date for a man who shot and killed a suburban St. Louis police sergeant in 2005.

The court announced Wednesday that Kevin Johnson, 36, is scheduled to die by lethal injection for the death of 43-year-old Kirkwood Police Sgt. Bill McEntee.

The execution date comes despite opposition from the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, which wants a special prosecutor to investigate whether Johnson’s conviction and death sentence resulted from racial bias.

Johnson, who was 19 when he shot McEntee, was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/st-louis-missouri-government-and-politics-27917870336346e0b7f01ec8b74e8219">convicted of first-degree murder</a>&nbsp;after his second trial in 2008. His first trial ended in a hung jury.

On July 5, 2005, police were looking for Johnson on an alleged probation violation when his 12-year-old brother suffered a seizure at their home. Several officers, including McEntee, responded to the medical emergency. Johnson's brother later died at a hospital from a heart condition.

When McEntee, a 20-year veteran, returned to the neighborhood later that day to investigate a report about fireworks, Johnson shot him several times in front of witnesses, according to court records.

Then-St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Robert McCulloch argued that Johnson believed officers had not done enough to help his brother earlier in the day and shot McEntee, the father of three, in revenge.

Johnson testified at both trials that he was in a trance-like state caused by his brother's death when he shot McEntee.

Johnson's attorneys appealed his conviction on several issues, including whether he lacked the deliberation necessary for a first-degree murder conviction.

The U.S. Supreme Court in March declined to hear the case, leading to the setting of the execution date.

Johnson's attorney, Shawn Nolan, said in a statement that Johnson's execution was the result of racial bias in McCulloch's administration. She said Johnson, who is Black, is remorseful and has been a model prisoner who does not deserve the death penalty.

Because the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney's office agrees that Johnson's conviction and death sentence should be investigated, "the court should not have scheduled his execution," Nolan said. "We plan to pursue all available avenues for judicial relief and executive clemency on Kevin’s behalf.”

Johnson's execution would be the second this year in Missouri. Carman Deck, 56, of the St. Louis area,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-supreme-court-executions-st-louis-sentencing-missouri-30fa4991720e49efc6690f4c99244061">was put to death in May</a>&nbsp;for the killings of James and Zelma Long in in their home near De Soto in 1996.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1661445268889.png" alt="Johnson-photo MODOC" />
 <figcaption>Johnson-photo MODOC</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —The Missouri Supreme Court has set a Nov. 29 execution date for a man who shot and killed a suburban St. Louis police sergeant in 2005.The court announced Wednesday that Kevin Johnson, 36, is scheduled to die by lethal injection for the death of 43-year-old Kirkwood Police Sgt. Bill McEntee.The execution date comes despite opposition from the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, which wants a special prosecutor to investigate whether Johnson’s conviction and death sentence resulted from racial bias.Johnson, who was 19 when he shot McEntee, was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/st-louis-missouri-government-and-politics-27917870336346e0b7f01ec8b74e8219">convicted of first-degree murder</a>&nbsp;after his second trial in 2008. His first trial ended in a hung jury.On July 5, 2005, police were looking for Johnson on an alleged probation violation when his 12-year-old brother suffered a seizure at their home. Several officers, including McEntee, responded to the medical emergency. Johnson's brother later died at a hospital from a heart condition.When McEntee, a 20-year veteran, returned to the neighborhood later that day to investigate a report about fireworks, Johnson shot him several times in front of witnesses, according to court records.Then-St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Robert McCulloch argued that Johnson believed officers had not done enough to help his brother earlier in the day and shot McEntee, the father of three, in revenge.Johnson testified at both trials that he was in a trance-like state caused by his brother's death when he shot McEntee.Johnson's attorneys appealed his conviction on several issues, including whether he lacked the deliberation necessary for a first-degree murder conviction.The U.S. Supreme Court in March declined to hear the case, leading to the setting of the execution date.Johnson's attorney, Shawn Nolan, said in a statement that Johnson's execution was the result of racial bias in McCulloch's administration. She said Johnson, who is Black, is remorseful and has been a model prisoner who does not deserve the death penalty.Because the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney's office agrees that Johnson's conviction and death sentence should be investigated, "the court should not have scheduled his execution," Nolan said. "We plan to pursue all available avenues for judicial relief and executive clemency on Kevin’s behalf.”Johnson's execution would be the second this year in Missouri. Carman Deck, 56, of the St. Louis area,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-supreme-court-executions-st-louis-sentencing-missouri-30fa4991720e49efc6690f4c99244061">was put to death in May</a>&nbsp;for the killings of James and Zelma Long in in their home near De Soto in 1996.

Court sets execution date for man who shot police officer

By BECKY GOFF Little Apple Post

MANHATTAN, Kan. — The Riley County Police Department has posted a warning on their social media accounts, letting the community know of an increase in overdoses presumably due to fake pills.

RCPD said authorities have responded to four overdoses in the last week, with two of them involving juveniles, one of them occurring at Manhattan High School during school hours.

RCPD said the overdoses are presumed to be caused by the individuals taking fake, pressed prescription pills containing Fentanyl.

Fentanyl has reached the top of the list for cause of death in Americans between the ages of 18 to 45 in just one year.

RCPD recommends parents have a conversation with their children about how dangerous the fake pills can be.

RCPD says if someone overdoses, that person is not a suspect in the investigation, their goal is to identify, apprehend and prosecute the individual(s) who are distributing the fake pills.

If you have any information about the distribution of these counterfeit pills you can submit a tip anonymously through Crime Stoppers at (785) 539-7777 or contact RCPD at (785) 537-2112 and ask to speak with the Special Investigations Unit (SIU).

An anonymous report can be <a href="https://www.p3tips.com/tipform.aspx?ID=353&amp;fbclid=IwAR1SmeNcAmJq6V73iTieGr6GsaItdeNqOF4Mmq_WqGoWMo3Cg1urOwzr9bg">submitted online using this link</a>.

Additional details can be found in the post below by RileyCountyPD.

By BECKY GOFF Little Apple PostMANHATTAN, Kan. — The Riley County Police Department has posted a warning on their social media accounts, letting the community know of an increase in overdoses presumably due to fake pills.RCPD said authorities have responded to four overdoses in the last week, with two of them involving juveniles, one of them occurring at Manhattan High School during school hours.RCPD said the overdoses are presumed to be caused by the individuals taking fake, pressed prescription pills containing Fentanyl.Fentanyl has reached the top of the list for cause of death in Americans between the ages of 18 to 45 in just one year.RCPD recommends parents have a conversation with their children about how dangerous the fake pills can be.RCPD says if someone overdoses, that person is not a suspect in the investigation, their goal is to identify, apprehend and prosecute the individual(s) who are distributing the fake pills.If you have any information about the distribution of these counterfeit pills you can submit a tip anonymously through Crime Stoppers at (785) 539-7777 or contact RCPD at (785) 537-2112 and ask to speak with the Special Investigations Unit (SIU).An anonymous report can be <a href="https://www.p3tips.com/tipform.aspx?ID=353&amp;fbclid=IwAR1SmeNcAmJq6V73iTieGr6GsaItdeNqOF4Mmq_WqGoWMo3Cg1urOwzr9bg">submitted online using this link</a>.Additional details can be found in the post below by RileyCountyPD.<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FRileyCountyPD%2Fposts%2Fpfbid035Ggzs3RyZf8wuMTeB5aneUPSYgX97464pyFH12FmYd9dTLrWSXhUvE1sMcfKDzHSl&show_text=true&width=500" width="500" height="757" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share"></iframe></div>

Police warn of overdoses involving fentanyl at Kan. high school

MANHATTAN —Law enforcement authorities are investigating alleged child sex crimes and have made an arrest.

On Thursday, the Riley County Police Department arrested 39-year-old Leif Forster of Salina in connection to sex crimes reported to have occurred in Ogden between August 2021 and May 2022 involving two, now nine-year-old female victims.

Forster was arrested on a Riley County District Court warrant on requested charges of aggravated criminal sodomy and aggravated indecent liberties with a child. He remains confined in the Riley County Jail on a total bond of $500,000.

MANHATTAN —Law enforcement authorities are investigating alleged child sex crimes and have made an arrest.On Thursday, the Riley County Police Department arrested 39-year-old Leif Forster of Salina in connection to sex crimes reported to have occurred in Ogden between August 2021 and May 2022 involving two, now nine-year-old female victims.Forster was arrested on a Riley County District Court warrant on requested charges of aggravated criminal sodomy and aggravated indecent liberties with a child. He remains confined in the Riley County Jail on a total bond of $500,000.

Kansas man accused of child sex crimes with 2 victims

By JARED STRONG <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2022/08/25/usda-plans-historic-funding-to-help-struggling-farmers-and-develop-new-ag-leaders/">Iowa Capital Dispatch</a>

The U.S. Department of Agriculture will distribute up to $550 million
 to expand certain farmers’ access to land, money and markets and to 
create educational opportunities for students of higher-education 
institutions that cater to racial and ethnic minorities.

“The idea here obviously is to enlarge the number of people that are 
engaged in this very important occupation and calling,” U.S. Secretary 
of Agriculture Tom Vilsack said Wednesday during a call with reporters. 
“Why? Because we have an aging farming population. Why? Because we want 
to build a vibrant local and regional food system that is more resilient
 than the system we had as exposed by the pandemic. Why? Because we 
think it helps economic opportunity in rural communities and small 
towns.”

The new federal funding opportunities were created by two 
wide-ranging spending bills — the American Rescue Plan Act and the 
Inflation Reduction Act — and would devote up to $300 million for 
projects that help “underserved” farmers. Those generally have included 
agricultural producers who have had no or limited assistance from USDA 
programs in the past, including new farmers and ranchers, those with low
 incomes and those of racial or ethnic minorities.

Vilsack cited military veterans as a key underserved group in Iowa.

“Because Iowa is a home to so many returning veterans, that is a 
group of people that historically have sometimes wanted to get into 
farming but have had a difficult time knowing how to do it,” he said.

The USDA seeks proposals for projects that are “innovative and help 
move underserved producers from surviving to thriving.” The application 
deadline is Oct. 28.

Concurrently, Vilsack said, the USDA is working to provide billions 
of dollars of debt relief to struggling farmers and indicated that about
 one-fifth of USDA farm loans are or have been delinquent.

Also on Wednesday, the USDA announced up to $250 million of funding 
for minority-serving colleges and universities to help educate food and 
agriculture professionals, especially those who eventually work for the 
federal government.

Eligible applicants are 1890 land-grant institutions, 1994 land-grant
 institutions, Alaska Native-serving institutions, Native 
Hawaiian-serving institutions, certified Hispanic-serving institutions 
and Insular Area institutions of higher education located in the U.S. 
territories.

Some of that money will support internships and fellowships that place students in workplaces, including at the USDA.

“There’s roughly 120 scholars this year that are being assisted and 
helped under existing programs at USDA, which is, I think, a record 
number,” he said.

The country’s agricultural industry as a whole is aging, he warned. 
The most-recent Census of Agriculture in 2017 revealed that the average 
age of all farmers was 57.5 years and that 8% of farmers were younger 
than 35. The results of the 2022 census are expected to be published in 
2024.

“It’s really necessary and important for us in the food and 
agriculture industry to continue to look for ways in which we can 
recruit, train, educate and attract the next generation of leaders at 
USDA and in the food and agriculture industry,” Vilsack said.

He said the new funding is “historic and part of USDA’s unwavering commitment to advancing equity for all.”

The notice of funding opportunity will be available at&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="http://grants.gov/">grants.gov</a>&nbsp;in the coming days.

Last week, during <a target="_blank" href="https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2022/08/18/biden-administration-plays-long-game-for-agriculture-and-trade/">a visit to a central Iowa farm</a>,
 Vilsack and U.S. Rep. Cindy Axne, D-Iowa, touted other aspects of the 
Inflation Reduction Act that pertain to agriculture. Chief among them 
for Axne was a $500 million earmark for biofuels infrastructure, which 
has become increasingly important as state and federal officials have 
sought to expand the availability of higher ethanol fuel blends.

Ethanol is a key market for Iowa’s corn — more than half of the state’s crop is used to produce it.

“We know that it will do multiple things, including to continue to 
lower the price of gas at the pump, creating great jobs here in Iowa and
 ensuring we address the issues that climate change is causing.”

Ethanol is a cleaner-burning fuel than gasoline made from oil, but 
studies have questioned whether its overall carbon footprint is smaller 
than gasoline.

Vilsack called the recent legislation “the largest investment in 
conservation since the Dust Bowl” because of its $18 billion of 
additional funding for existing USDA land conservation programs.

The Inflation Reduction Act also includes considerable funding for 
forest management, drought mitigation and renewable energy projects in 
rural areas.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1661444535766.png" alt="U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack talks international trade at a Woodward farm on Aug. 18, 2022. (Jared Strong/Iowa Capital Dispatch)" />
 <figcaption>U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack talks international trade at a Woodward farm on Aug. 18, 2022. (Jared Strong/Iowa Capital Dispatch)</figcaption>
 </figure>By JARED STRONG <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2022/08/25/usda-plans-historic-funding-to-help-struggling-farmers-and-develop-new-ag-leaders/">Iowa Capital Dispatch</a>The U.S. Department of Agriculture will distribute up to $550 million
 to expand certain farmers’ access to land, money and markets and to 
create educational opportunities for students of higher-education 
institutions that cater to racial and ethnic minorities.“The idea here obviously is to enlarge the number of people that are 
engaged in this very important occupation and calling,” U.S. Secretary 
of Agriculture Tom Vilsack said Wednesday during a call with reporters. 
“Why? Because we have an aging farming population. Why? Because we want 
to build a vibrant local and regional food system that is more resilient
 than the system we had as exposed by the pandemic. Why? Because we 
think it helps economic opportunity in rural communities and small 
towns.”The new federal funding opportunities were created by two 
wide-ranging spending bills — the American Rescue Plan Act and the 
Inflation Reduction Act — and would devote up to $300 million for 
projects that help “underserved” farmers. Those generally have included 
agricultural producers who have had no or limited assistance from USDA 
programs in the past, including new farmers and ranchers, those with low
 incomes and those of racial or ethnic minorities.Vilsack cited military veterans as a key underserved group in Iowa.“Because Iowa is a home to so many returning veterans, that is a 
group of people that historically have sometimes wanted to get into 
farming but have had a difficult time knowing how to do it,” he said.The USDA seeks proposals for projects that are “innovative and help 
move underserved producers from surviving to thriving.” The application 
deadline is Oct. 28.<h2>Billions in debt relief</h2>Concurrently, Vilsack said, the USDA is working to provide billions 
of dollars of debt relief to struggling farmers and indicated that about
 one-fifth of USDA farm loans are or have been delinquent.Also on Wednesday, the USDA announced up to $250 million of funding 
for minority-serving colleges and universities to help educate food and 
agriculture professionals, especially those who eventually work for the 
federal government.Eligible applicants are 1890 land-grant institutions, 1994 land-grant
 institutions, Alaska Native-serving institutions, Native 
Hawaiian-serving institutions, certified Hispanic-serving institutions 
and Insular Area institutions of higher education located in the U.S. 
territories.Some of that money will support internships and fellowships that place students in workplaces, including at the USDA.“There’s roughly 120 scholars this year that are being assisted and 
helped under existing programs at USDA, which is, I think, a record 
number,” he said.The country’s agricultural industry as a whole is aging, he warned. 
The most-recent Census of Agriculture in 2017 revealed that the average 
age of all farmers was 57.5 years and that 8% of farmers were younger 
than 35. The results of the 2022 census are expected to be published in 
2024.“It’s really necessary and important for us in the food and 
agriculture industry to continue to look for ways in which we can 
recruit, train, educate and attract the next generation of leaders at 
USDA and in the food and agriculture industry,” Vilsack said.He said the new funding is “historic and part of USDA’s unwavering commitment to advancing equity for all.”The notice of funding opportunity will be available at&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="http://grants.gov/">grants.gov</a>&nbsp;in the coming days.<h2>Support for biofuels infrastructure</h2>Last week, during <a target="_blank" href="https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2022/08/18/biden-administration-plays-long-game-for-agriculture-and-trade/">a visit to a central Iowa farm</a>,
 Vilsack and U.S. Rep. Cindy Axne, D-Iowa, touted other aspects of the 
Inflation Reduction Act that pertain to agriculture. Chief among them 
for Axne was a $500 million earmark for biofuels infrastructure, which 
has become increasingly important as state and federal officials have 
sought to expand the availability of higher ethanol fuel blends.Ethanol is a key market for Iowa’s corn — more than half of the state’s crop is used to produce it.“We know that it will do multiple things, including to continue to 
lower the price of gas at the pump, creating great jobs here in Iowa and
 ensuring we address the issues that climate change is causing.”Ethanol is a cleaner-burning fuel than gasoline made from oil, but 
studies have questioned whether its overall carbon footprint is smaller 
than gasoline.Vilsack called the recent legislation “the largest investment in 
conservation since the Dust Bowl” because of its $18 billion of 
additional funding for existing USDA land conservation programs.The Inflation Reduction Act also includes considerable funding for 
forest management, drought mitigation and renewable energy projects in 
rural areas.

USDA: 'Historic’ funding to help struggling farmers, develop ag leaders

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas anti-abortion activist is suing for a complete hand recount of an election in which voters soundly&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-primary-elections-kansas-abortion-b6d62a852c2ce4617f2c03589fbb523e">rejected a proposal to remove abortion rights from the state’s constitution</a>.

Mark Gietzen is representing himself in a lawsuit filed this week in Sedgwick County District Court after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/voting-rights-abortion-2022-midterm-elections-health-election-recounts-0baf939e0a2d461e919ddac8579a9ec5">a nine-county hand recount</a>&nbsp;that his supporters largely funded wrapped up over the weekend. Fewer than 100 votes changed out of more than 500,000 cast in those counties. The measure failed by about 165,000 votes statewide.

Republican Secretary of State Scott Schwab said in a news release that the recount results should “put to rest the unfounded claims of election fraud.”

In the lawsuit, Gietzen alleges without evidence that votes statewide might have been vulnerable to the same type of programming error that initially switched results in a county commission race. The suit also seeks a revote “where necessary."

A judge quickly dismissed a lawsuit Gietzen filed before the election seeking to have ballot drop boxes removed across the state.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1661435926662.png" alt="Mark Gietzen-photo courtesy KWCH" />
 <figcaption>Mark Gietzen-photo courtesy KWCH</figcaption>
 </figure>WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas anti-abortion activist is suing for a complete hand recount of an election in which voters soundly&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-primary-elections-kansas-abortion-b6d62a852c2ce4617f2c03589fbb523e">rejected a proposal to remove abortion rights from the state’s constitution</a>.Mark Gietzen is representing himself in a lawsuit filed this week in Sedgwick County District Court after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/voting-rights-abortion-2022-midterm-elections-health-election-recounts-0baf939e0a2d461e919ddac8579a9ec5">a nine-county hand recount</a>&nbsp;that his supporters largely funded wrapped up over the weekend. Fewer than 100 votes changed out of more than 500,000 cast in those counties. The measure failed by about 165,000 votes statewide.Republican Secretary of State Scott Schwab said in a news release that the recount results should “put to rest the unfounded claims of election fraud.”In the lawsuit, Gietzen alleges without evidence that votes statewide might have been vulnerable to the same type of programming error that initially switched results in a county commission race. The suit also seeks a revote “where necessary."A judge quickly dismissed a lawsuit Gietzen filed before the election seeking to have ballot drop boxes removed across the state.

Kansas activist sues for a statewide abortion recount

By TIM CARPENTER <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/08/24/kansas-shortage-of-mental-health-hospital-beds-a-factor-in-violence-against-workers/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA — A patient in mental 
health crisis undergoing treatment at the overcrowded Ascension Via 
Christi St. Joseph in Wichita brutally attacked a nurse checking his 
vital signs.

“He comes off the bed and grabs her neck and he is intent on 
squeezing the life out of her,” said Robyn Chadwick, president of 
Ascension Via Christi St. Joseph. “Before he completely had his hands 
tight around her neck she was able to get out a squeal.”

Her cry for help summoned other staff members who subdued the patient
 at south-central Kansas’ largest provider of acute mental health 
services. The violent incident was a symptom of overcrowding in the 
Ascension hospital’s emergency room and a reminder of the longstanding 
shortage of bed space at state mental hospitals in Osawatomie and 
Larned, Chadwick said.

She endorsed construction of a 50-bed behaviorial health facility in 
Sedgwick County, a proposal under consideration Tuesday by a House and 
Senate committee.

The catch, Chadwick said, was additional hospital beds wouldn’t 
automatically close the statewide gap in access to mental health 
services because of staffing shortages plaguing health care facilities 
in Kansas.

She recommended the state invest in development of nurses, social 
workers, counselors and other health workers by offering in-state 
tuition rates to nonresidents, creating student loan forgiveness 
programs and modifying licensing and certification protocol to allow 
reciprocity with other states. The state needs to expand eligibility for
 Medicaid to provide wider insurance coverage of lower-income 
individuals and generate revenue for hospitals struggling to recruit and
 retain staff, she said.

“I have great anxiety and trepidation about adding a 50-bed hospital,” Chadwick said. “I don’t know how we would staff it.”

Sedgwick County officials requested an appropriation of $40 million 
from the Legislature for construction of the regional behavioral health 
facility. In addition, Gov. Laura Kelly recommended the state budget 
include $15 million to support the project.

Separately, Ascension Via Christi St. Joseph submitted a proposal to 
the Legislature for $22 million to expand its emergency room. The 
objective is to incorporate a 20-bed psychiatric safe area at the 
hospital to better segregate patients in the emergency room, she said.

Rep. Kyle Hoffman, a Coldwater Republican on the joint committee 
studying mental health bed space issues, asked Chadwick whether it was 
necessary to add a new state psychiatric hospital and expand at 
Ascension Via Christi. Chadwick said hundreds of Wichita hospital beds 
devoted to patients with mental health challenges had been lost during 
the past 30 years.

“I truly believe both are needed,” Chadwick said. “We will stay in this business, but we need your help to do it.”

Laura Howard, secretary of the Kansas Department for Aging and 
Disability Services, said the state concentrated in recent years on 
investments in community-based initiatives that included crisis 
stabilization centers and mobile crisis teams working to divert people 
from in-patient hospital care.

Funding approved for renovation at Osawatomie State Hospital will 
increase bed capacity there from 163 to 218 within 18 months, she said. 
Expanding Larned State Hospital wasn’t practical because the local labor
 supply was insufficient to staff more beds, she said.

However, Howard told legislators the sustained high volume of people 
with serious mental health conditions was straining health care systems 
and law enforcement agencies. A new state hospital in Wichita could be 
justified because nearly 20% of patients admitted to the state hospitals
 at Osawatomie and Larned come from Sedgwick County, she said.

“There’s a lot of reasons why Sedgwick County makes a lot of sense if we’re looking at the cost of adding beds,” Howard said.

Amy Campbell, who works for the Kansas Mental Health Coalition, said 
Kansas had too few hospital beds for people requiring acute psychiatric 
care. In 2019, a report recommended Kansas add 131 to 172 beds to treat 
patients with chronic mental health challenges.

“We must have in-patient beds within our mental health system in 
order to properly serve people who have serious mental illness,” she 
said.

She said the Legislature for many years ignored budget requests for 
more hospital staffing, modernization of facilities and bed capacity.

Rep. Henry Helgerson, D-Wichita, said details remained to be worked 
out before the Legislature signed off on a new state hospital. He said 
construction and operating budgets needed to be hashed out and questions
 remained about whether the hospital staff would be state employees.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1661444222389.png" alt="Robyn Chadwick, president of Ascension Via Christi St. Joseph in Wichita, urged a House and Senate committee to approve funding for a new 50-bed hospital for patients with acute mental illness and to support a $22 million request for Ascension for 20 more emergency room beds for psychiatric patients. (Kansas Reflector screen capture from Kansas Legislature’s YouTube channel)" />
 <figcaption>Robyn Chadwick, president of Ascension Via Christi St. Joseph in Wichita, urged a House and Senate committee to approve funding for a new 50-bed hospital for patients with acute mental illness and to support a $22 million request for Ascension for 20 more emergency room beds for psychiatric patients. (Kansas Reflector screen capture from Kansas Legislature’s YouTube channel)</figcaption>
 </figure>By TIM CARPENTER <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/08/24/kansas-shortage-of-mental-health-hospital-beds-a-factor-in-violence-against-workers/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — A patient in mental 
health crisis undergoing treatment at the overcrowded Ascension Via 
Christi St. Joseph in Wichita brutally attacked a nurse checking his 
vital signs.“He comes off the bed and grabs her neck and he is intent on 
squeezing the life out of her,” said Robyn Chadwick, president of 
Ascension Via Christi St. Joseph. “Before he completely had his hands 
tight around her neck she was able to get out a squeal.”Her cry for help summoned other staff members who subdued the patient
 at south-central Kansas’ largest provider of acute mental health 
services. The violent incident was a symptom of overcrowding in the 
Ascension hospital’s emergency room and a reminder of the longstanding 
shortage of bed space at state mental hospitals in Osawatomie and 
Larned, Chadwick said.She endorsed construction of a 50-bed behaviorial health facility in 
Sedgwick County, a proposal under consideration Tuesday by a House and 
Senate committee.The catch, Chadwick said, was additional hospital beds wouldn’t 
automatically close the statewide gap in access to mental health 
services because of staffing shortages plaguing health care facilities 
in Kansas.She recommended the state invest in development of nurses, social 
workers, counselors and other health workers by offering in-state 
tuition rates to nonresidents, creating student loan forgiveness 
programs and modifying licensing and certification protocol to allow 
reciprocity with other states. The state needs to expand eligibility for
 Medicaid to provide wider insurance coverage of lower-income 
individuals and generate revenue for hospitals struggling to recruit and
 retain staff, she said.“I have great anxiety and trepidation about adding a 50-bed hospital,” Chadwick said. “I don’t know how we would staff it.”Sedgwick County officials requested an appropriation of $40 million 
from the Legislature for construction of the regional behavioral health 
facility. In addition, Gov. Laura Kelly recommended the state budget 
include $15 million to support the project.Separately, Ascension Via Christi St. Joseph submitted a proposal to 
the Legislature for $22 million to expand its emergency room. The 
objective is to incorporate a 20-bed psychiatric safe area at the 
hospital to better segregate patients in the emergency room, she said.Rep. Kyle Hoffman, a Coldwater Republican on the joint committee 
studying mental health bed space issues, asked Chadwick whether it was 
necessary to add a new state psychiatric hospital and expand at 
Ascension Via Christi. Chadwick said hundreds of Wichita hospital beds 
devoted to patients with mental health challenges had been lost during 
the past 30 years.“I truly believe both are needed,” Chadwick said. “We will stay in this business, but we need your help to do it.”Laura Howard, secretary of the Kansas Department for Aging and 
Disability Services, said the state concentrated in recent years on 
investments in community-based initiatives that included crisis 
stabilization centers and mobile crisis teams working to divert people 
from in-patient hospital care.Funding approved for renovation at Osawatomie State Hospital will 
increase bed capacity there from 163 to 218 within 18 months, she said. 
Expanding Larned State Hospital wasn’t practical because the local labor
 supply was insufficient to staff more beds, she said.However, Howard told legislators the sustained high volume of people 
with serious mental health conditions was straining health care systems 
and law enforcement agencies. A new state hospital in Wichita could be 
justified because nearly 20% of patients admitted to the state hospitals
 at Osawatomie and Larned come from Sedgwick County, she said.“There’s a lot of reasons why Sedgwick County makes a lot of sense if we’re looking at the cost of adding beds,” Howard said.Amy Campbell, who works for the Kansas Mental Health Coalition, said 
Kansas had too few hospital beds for people requiring acute psychiatric 
care. In 2019, a report recommended Kansas add 131 to 172 beds to treat 
patients with chronic mental health challenges.“We must have in-patient beds within our mental health system in 
order to properly serve people who have serious mental illness,” she 
said.She said the Legislature for many years ignored budget requests for 
more hospital staffing, modernization of facilities and bed capacity.Rep. Henry Helgerson, D-Wichita, said details remained to be worked 
out before the Legislature signed off on a new state hospital. He said 
construction and operating budgets needed to be hashed out and questions
 remained about whether the hospital staff would be state employees.

Kan. mental health hospital bed shortage  a factor in violence against workers

McALESTER, Okla. (AP) — Oklahoma executed a man Thursday for a 1997 killing, despite a recommendation from the state's Pardon and Parole Board that his life be spared.

James Coddington, 50, received a lethal injection at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester and was pronounced dead at 10:16 a.m. Gov. Kevin Stitt declined to commute Coddington’s sentence to life in prison without parole and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/executions-oklahoma-city-albert-hale-5d098021bc683709655e82de48511883">rejected his petition for clemency</a>. Coddington was the fifth Oklahoma inmate to be put to death since the state resumed executions last year.

“To all my family and friends, lawyers, everyone who's been around me and loved me, thank you," Coddington said while strapped to a gurney inside the death chamber. “Gov. Stitt, I don't blame you and I forgive you."

After delivering his last words, Coddington lifted his head and flashed a thumbs up to his attorney, Emma Rolls, who cried quietly in the witness room.

After the first drug, midazolam, was administered, Coddington's breathing became labored and his chest hitched several times. A doctor on the execution team declared him unconscious at 10:08 a.m., and Coddington could be heard snoring inside the chamber.

Coddington was convicted and sentenced to die for beating 73-year-old Albert Hale to death with a hammer. Prosecutors say Coddington, then 24, became enraged when Hale refused to give him money to buy cocaine.

During a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/oklahoma-city-albert-hale-34dc29abe23b8d4d1e73a03fd81fc20e">clemency hearing this month</a>&nbsp;before the state’s five-member Pardon and Parole Board, an emotional Coddington apologized to Hale’s family and said he was a different man today.

But Mitch Hale, Albert Hale’s son who witnessed the execution, said he didn't believe Coddington was sincerely remorseful, noting that he never mentioned his father or the Hale family during his last words.

“He proved today it wasn't genuine. He never apologized," Hale said. “He didn't bring up my dad."

Hale added: “I forgive him, but that doesn't release him from the consequences of his actions."

Rolls, Coddington’s attorney, said during the clemency hearing that Coddington was impaired by years of alcohol and drug abuse that began as an infant when his father put beer and whiskey into his baby bottles.

Coddington was twice sentenced to death for Hale’s killing, the second time in 2008 after his initial sentence was overturned on appeal.

After killing Hale, Coddington committed at least six armed robberies at gas stations and convenience stores across Oklahoma City.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1661446552542.png" alt="Coddington-from Feb. 2021 Oklahoma Dept. of Corrections" />
 <figcaption>Coddington-from Feb. 2021 Oklahoma Dept. of Corrections</figcaption>
 </figure>McALESTER, Okla. (AP) — Oklahoma executed a man Thursday for a 1997 killing, despite a recommendation from the state's Pardon and Parole Board that his life be spared.James Coddington, 50, received a lethal injection at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester and was pronounced dead at 10:16 a.m. Gov. Kevin Stitt declined to commute Coddington’s sentence to life in prison without parole and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/executions-oklahoma-city-albert-hale-5d098021bc683709655e82de48511883">rejected his petition for clemency</a>. Coddington was the fifth Oklahoma inmate to be put to death since the state resumed executions last year.“To all my family and friends, lawyers, everyone who's been around me and loved me, thank you," Coddington said while strapped to a gurney inside the death chamber. “Gov. Stitt, I don't blame you and I forgive you."After delivering his last words, Coddington lifted his head and flashed a thumbs up to his attorney, Emma Rolls, who cried quietly in the witness room.After the first drug, midazolam, was administered, Coddington's breathing became labored and his chest hitched several times. A doctor on the execution team declared him unconscious at 10:08 a.m., and Coddington could be heard snoring inside the chamber.Coddington was convicted and sentenced to die for beating 73-year-old Albert Hale to death with a hammer. Prosecutors say Coddington, then 24, became enraged when Hale refused to give him money to buy cocaine.During a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/oklahoma-city-albert-hale-34dc29abe23b8d4d1e73a03fd81fc20e">clemency hearing this month</a>&nbsp;before the state’s five-member Pardon and Parole Board, an emotional Coddington apologized to Hale’s family and said he was a different man today.But Mitch Hale, Albert Hale’s son who witnessed the execution, said he didn't believe Coddington was sincerely remorseful, noting that he never mentioned his father or the Hale family during his last words.“He proved today it wasn't genuine. He never apologized," Hale said. “He didn't bring up my dad."Hale added: “I forgive him, but that doesn't release him from the consequences of his actions."Rolls, Coddington’s attorney, said during the clemency hearing that Coddington was impaired by years of alcohol and drug abuse that began as an infant when his father put beer and whiskey into his baby bottles.Coddington was twice sentenced to death for Hale’s killing, the second time in 2008 after his initial sentence was overturned on appeal.After killing Hale, Coddington committed at least six armed robberies at gas stations and convenience stores across Oklahoma City.“When the full circumstances of the murder, related robberies, and extensive history of violence on Mr. Coddington’s part are considered, one thing is clear: death is the only just punishment for him,” prosecutors in the state attorney general’s office wrote to the Pardon and Parole Board.The state had halted executions in September 2015 when prison officials realized they&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/eb707c6c064444f29ab1bac58f890ac9">had received the wrong lethal drug.</a>&nbsp;It later came to light that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-supreme-court-executions-oklahoma-scott-pruitt-mary-fallin-fae49518b1d24b89a4bc7a6a2255a2ec">the same wrong drug</a>&nbsp;had been used to execute an inmate, and executions in the state were put on hold.