KANSAS CITY (AP) —Praise and lament for the overturning of abortion rights filled sacred spaces this weekend as clergy across the U.S. rearranged worship plans or rewrote sermons to provide their religious context -- and competing messages -- about the historic moment.

Abortion is a visceral issue for deeply divided religious Americans. Some are sad or angry in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s seismic Dobbs v. Jackson decision Friday. Others are grateful and elated.

At St. Paul Cathedral in Pittsburgh, the Very Rev. Kris Stubna discarded his planned Sunday homily and focused on the decision, calling it “a day of great joy and blessing.” He said the overturning of the nearly 50-year-old Roe v. Wade ruling was the result of prayers and efforts of many Catholics and others.

“This law violated the very law of God, that every life is sacred,” he said. “A person cannot support abortion and still be a faithful member of the church.”

Stubna’s comments would be considered divisive by some since U.S. Catholics disagree on abortion rights. Supporters include high-profile members of the faith like President Joe Biden and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi who face Communion restrictions as a result.

Not everyone sat through Stubna’s entire homily. Although unable to ask their reasons, an Associated Press photographer saw one woman leave during it. Security personnel estimated three others also exited early.

Views on abortions are not just polarizing within denominations; the divisions span the religious landscape.

“SCOTUS just dealt a terrible blow to women, to girls, to all childbearing people, to freedom,” said the Rev. Jacqui Lewis, senior minister at Middle Collegiate Church, a multicultural Protestant congregation in Manhattan.

She mourned the overturning of Roe, expressing deep emotions during a service Sunday, saying, “It took safe legal abortions off the table, opening the door for states to rush in and crush reproductive justice. We are reeling. Spinning. So hurt we can hardly move. We are feeling the loss, the pain of it.”

A majority of adults from Buddhist, Hindu, historically Black Protestant, Jewish, mainline Protestant, Muslim and Orthodox Christian faiths support legal abortion in all or most cases, according to a Pew Research Center’s Religious Landscape Study.

Rabbi Sarah DePaolo carved out time at the start of Friday night’s Shabbat service at Congregation Shir Ha-Ma’alot in Irvine, California, to express her disappointment, urging community members to support each other and create space for the fearful.

“One of the most upsetting things about this decision is that while it claims to represent people of faith, it does not represent our faith,” DePaolo said. “It does not reflect our Jewish law. It does not reflect our traditions. It does not reflect our community.”

Catholics are split on the issue while most evangelical Protestants, Jehovah’s Witnesses and members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints say abortion should be illegal in all or most instances, according to the Pew Research Center study.

The Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, views the ruling as a moral and spiritual victory. On Sunday, he told his California congregation at New Season that now is the time for an unprecedented adoption movement.

“We’re gonna adopt babies, but we’re gonna adopt moms, pregnant moms ... who have abortions because they can’t afford to have a baby,” he said.

Southern Baptists, who are members of the nation’s largest Protestant denomination, are staunch supporters of anti-abortion views. On Sunday, several pastors praised the ruling from their pulpits.

The congregation at First Baptist Concord in Knoxville, Tennessee, broke into applause when Pastor John Mark Harrison addressed it. He invited a panel of advocates to explain how everyone can continue supporting those with unwanted pregnancies via mentorship, fostering, adoption, addressing systemic issues and more.

“There’s so much anger and emotion,” Harrison said. “What we need to understand is that we’re not called to fuel the emotions of the right or the left. We’re called to walk in and through the gospel of Jesus Christ ... and minister to real people in real times of crisis.”

At Central Church, in College Station, Texas, lead Pastor Phillip Bethancourt echoed that overturning Roe is not the finish line: “It’s the starting gate of a new chapter. Abortion should be not just be unlawful but unnecessary and unthinkable.”

David Rhoades, lead pastor of Broadview Baptist Church in Lubbock, Texas, said in an email the court decision was on a par with the Emancipation Proclamation and Juneteenth, and will reverberate for years.

He hoped church members left Sunday’s service with a clear understanding of what they must do next, including ”minister to both the baby and its mother, and continue to work to elect pro-life representatives.”

Other faith leaders doubled down on their support for abortion rights.

Women should be able to make their own decisions, preached the Rev. Fletcher Harper at the Episcopal Church of Our Saviour in Secaucus, New Jersey.

“Outlawing abortion is a sinful act that perpetuates male domination and the subjugation of women,” he said. “It extends the coercive power of the state into a place where it should have no business.”

During a service Sunday at the Unitarian Universalist Church of the South Hills in Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania, director of music Mary Pratt read aloud a denominational statement affirming it would remain “committed to reproductive justice.”

Pratt said members were shocked and grieving, although they expected the outcome. “They were looking for reminders of why we need to get back out and fight,” she said.

The start of services at Pilgrim United Church of Christ in Durham, North Carolina, included two verses of “We Shall Overcome” and a prayer by the Rev. Melinda Keenan Wood for those outraged, heartbroken and fearful about Roe’s demise.

“We know that this decision will be measured in deaths, incarcerations and life-altering trauma as politicians rush to control the most painfully intimate of decisions,” Keenan Wood said.

A prominent Black pastor in Columbus, Ohio — Bishop Timothy Clarke of the First Church of God — tried to strike a balance in his Saturday message to congregants, acknowledging conflicting views on abortion and calling on the church to show compassion.

“I know and love persons in both camps,” Clarke said. “They are sincere, committed. ... They truly see this as a life altering issue.”

By HOLLY MEYER and DAVID CRARYKANSAS CITY (AP) —Praise and lament for the overturning of abortion rights filled sacred spaces this weekend as clergy across the U.S. rearranged worship plans or rewrote sermons to provide their religious context -- and competing messages -- about the historic moment.Abortion is a visceral issue for deeply divided religious Americans. Some are sad or angry in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s seismic Dobbs v. Jackson decision Friday. Others are grateful and elated.At St. Paul Cathedral in Pittsburgh, the Very Rev. Kris Stubna discarded his planned Sunday homily and focused on the decision, calling it “a day of great joy and blessing.” He said the overturning of the nearly 50-year-old Roe v. Wade ruling was the result of prayers and efforts of many Catholics and others.“This law violated the very law of God, that every life is sacred,” he said. “A person cannot support abortion and still be a faithful member of the church.”Stubna’s comments would be considered divisive by some since U.S. Catholics disagree on abortion rights. Supporters include high-profile members of the faith like President Joe Biden and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi who face Communion restrictions as a result.Not everyone sat through Stubna’s entire homily. Although unable to ask their reasons, an Associated Press photographer saw one woman leave during it. Security personnel estimated three others also exited early.Views on abortions are not just polarizing within denominations; the divisions span the religious landscape.“SCOTUS just dealt a terrible blow to women, to girls, to all childbearing people, to freedom,” said the Rev. Jacqui Lewis, senior minister at Middle Collegiate Church, a multicultural Protestant congregation in Manhattan.She mourned the overturning of Roe, expressing deep emotions during a service Sunday, saying, “It took safe legal abortions off the table, opening the door for states to rush in and crush reproductive justice. We are reeling. Spinning. So hurt we can hardly move. We are feeling the loss, the pain of it.”A majority of adults from Buddhist, Hindu, historically Black Protestant, Jewish, mainline Protestant, Muslim and Orthodox Christian faiths support legal abortion in all or most cases, according to a Pew Research Center’s Religious Landscape Study.Rabbi Sarah DePaolo carved out time at the start of Friday night’s Shabbat service at Congregation Shir Ha-Ma’alot in Irvine, California, to express her disappointment, urging community members to support each other and create space for the fearful.“One of the most upsetting things about this decision is that while it claims to represent people of faith, it does not represent our faith,” DePaolo said. “It does not reflect our Jewish law. It does not reflect our traditions. It does not reflect our community.”Catholics are split on the issue while most evangelical Protestants, Jehovah’s Witnesses and members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints say abortion should be illegal in all or most instances, according to the Pew Research Center study.The Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, views the ruling as a moral and spiritual victory. On Sunday, he told his California congregation at New Season that now is the time for an unprecedented adoption movement.“We’re gonna adopt babies, but we’re gonna adopt moms, pregnant moms ... who have abortions because they can’t afford to have a baby,” he said.Southern Baptists, who are members of the nation’s largest Protestant denomination, are staunch supporters of anti-abortion views. On Sunday, several pastors praised the ruling from their pulpits.The congregation at First Baptist Concord in Knoxville, Tennessee, broke into applause when Pastor John Mark Harrison addressed it. He invited a panel of advocates to explain how everyone can continue supporting those with unwanted pregnancies via mentorship, fostering, adoption, addressing systemic issues and more.“There’s so much anger and emotion,” Harrison said. “What we need to understand is that we’re not called to fuel the emotions of the right or the left. We’re called to walk in and through the gospel of Jesus Christ ... and minister to real people in real times of crisis.”At Central Church, in College Station, Texas, lead Pastor Phillip Bethancourt echoed that overturning Roe is not the finish line: “It’s the starting gate of a new chapter. Abortion should be not just be unlawful but unnecessary and unthinkable.”David Rhoades, lead pastor of Broadview Baptist Church in Lubbock, Texas, said in an email the court decision was on a par with the Emancipation Proclamation and Juneteenth, and will reverberate for years.He hoped church members left Sunday’s service with a clear understanding of what they must do next, including ”minister to both the baby and its mother, and continue to work to elect pro-life representatives.”Other faith leaders doubled down on their support for abortion rights.Women should be able to make their own decisions, preached the Rev. Fletcher Harper at the Episcopal Church of Our Saviour in Secaucus, New Jersey.“Outlawing abortion is a sinful act that perpetuates male domination and the subjugation of women,” he said. “It extends the coercive power of the state into a place where it should have no business.”During a service Sunday at the Unitarian Universalist Church of the South Hills in Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania, director of music Mary Pratt read aloud a denominational statement affirming it would remain “committed to reproductive justice.”Pratt said members were shocked and grieving, although they expected the outcome. “They were looking for reminders of why we need to get back out and fight,” she said.The start of services at Pilgrim United Church of Christ in Durham, North Carolina, included two verses of “We Shall Overcome” and a prayer by the Rev. Melinda Keenan Wood for those outraged, heartbroken and fearful about Roe’s demise.“We know that this decision will be measured in deaths, incarcerations and life-altering trauma as politicians rush to control the most painfully intimate of decisions,” Keenan Wood said.A prominent Black pastor in Columbus, Ohio — Bishop Timothy Clarke of the First Church of God — tried to strike a balance in his Saturday message to congregants, acknowledging conflicting views on abortion and calling on the church to show compassion.“I know and love persons in both camps,” Clarke said. “They are sincere, committed. ... They truly see this as a life altering issue.”___

After Roe's demise, clergy lead faithful in praise, laments

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Saturday signed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-gun-violence-bill-live-updates-20f7c9738fee4eba1d7fed155301ee25">the most sweeping gun violence bill</a>&nbsp;in decades, a bipartisan compromise that seemed unimaginable until a recent series of mass shootings, including the massacre of 19 students and two teachers at a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/uvalde-school-shooting">Texas elementary school</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/legislation/2022/06/25/bills-signed-s-2089-and-s-2938/">Click here to read </a>details on the legislation.

(click below to watch the President's comments)

“Time is of the essence. Lives will be saved,” he said in the Roosevelt Room of the White House. Citing the families of shooting victims he has met, the president said, “Their message to us was, ‘Do something.’ How many times did we hear that? ‘Just do something. For God’s sake, just do something.’ Today we did.”

The House gave final approval Friday, following Senate passage Thursday, and Biden acted just before leaving Washington for two summits in Europe.

“Today we say, ‘More than enough,’” Biden said. “It’s time, when it seems impossible to get anything done in Washington, we are doing something consequential.”

The legislation will toughen background checks for the youngest gun buyers, keep firearms from more domestic violence offenders and help states put in place red flag laws that make it easier for authorities to take weapons from people adjudged to be dangerous.

The president called it “a historic achievement.”

Most of its $13 billion cost will help bolster mental health programs and aid schools, which have been targeted in Newtown, Connecticut, and Parkland, Florida, and elsewhere in mass shootings.

Biden said the compromise hammered out by a bipartisan group of senators from both parties “doesn’t do everything I want” but “it does include actions I’ve long called for that are going to save lives.”

“I know there’s much more work to do, and I’m never going to give up, but this is a monumental day,” said the president, who was joined by his wife, Jill, a teacher, for the signing.

After sitting to sign the bill, Biden sat reflectively for a moment, then murmured, “God willing, this is gonna save a lot of lives.”

He also said they will host an event on July 11 for lawmakers and families affected by gun violence. The president spoke of families “who lost their souls to an epidemic of gun violence. They lost their child, their husband, their wife. Nothing is going to fill that void in their hearts. But they led the way so other families will not have the experience and the pain and trauma that they had to live through.”

Biden signed the measure two days after the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-guns-decision-what-to-know-a068d964981b6d1242a5ab124224f77a">Supreme Court’s ruling</a>&nbsp;Thursday striking down a New York law that restricted peoples’ ability to carry concealed weapons. And Saturday’s ceremony came less than 24 hours after the high court overturned the Roe v. Wade decision, which had legalized abortion nationwide for nearly five decades.

“Yesterday, I spoke about the Supreme Court’s shocking decision striking down Roe v. Wade,” Biden said. “Jill and I know how painful and devastating the decision is for so many Americans. I mean so many Americans.”

He noted that the abortion ruling leaves enforcement up to the states, some of which have already moved to ban abortion or will soon do so. Biden said his administration will “focus on how they administer it and whether or not they violate other laws, like deciding to not allow people to cross state lines to get health services.”

Asked by reporters about whether the Supreme Court was broken, Biden said, “I think the Supreme Court has made some terrible decisions.” He walked away without answering more questions, noting, ” “I have a helicopter waiting for me to take off.”

While the new gun law does not include tougher restrictions long championed by Democrats, such as a ban on assault-style weapons and background checks for all firearm transactions, it is the most impactful gun violence measure produced by Congress since enactment a long-expired assault weapons ban in 1993.

Enough congressional Republicans joined Democrats in supporting the steps after recent rampages in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/buffalo-supermarket-shooting">Buffalo, New York</a>&nbsp;and Uvalde, Texas. It took weeks of closed-door talks but senators emerged with a compromise.

Biden signed the bill just before departing Washington for a summit of the Group of Seven leading economic powers — the United States, Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan — in Germany. He will travel later to Spain for a NATO meeting.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/6/1656165369360.png" alt="“I know there’s much more work to do, and I’m never going to give up, but this is a monumental day,” said the president, who was joined by his wife, Jill, a teacher, for the signing.-White House photo" />
 <figcaption>“I know there’s much more work to do, and I’m never going to give up, but this is a monumental day,” said the president, who was joined by his wife, Jill, a teacher, for the signing.-White House photo</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Saturday signed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-gun-violence-bill-live-updates-20f7c9738fee4eba1d7fed155301ee25">the most sweeping gun violence bill</a>&nbsp;in decades, a bipartisan compromise that seemed unimaginable until a recent series of mass shootings, including the massacre of 19 students and two teachers at a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/uvalde-school-shooting">Texas elementary school</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/legislation/2022/06/25/bills-signed-s-2089-and-s-2938/">Click here to read </a>details on the legislation.(click below to watch the President's comments)<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=314&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FWhiteHouse%2Fvideos%2F1233508034120545%2F&show_text=false&width=560&t=631" width="560" height="314" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowFullScreen="true"></iframe></div>“Time is of the essence. Lives will be saved,” he said in the Roosevelt Room of the White House. Citing the families of shooting victims he has met, the president said, “Their message to us was, ‘Do something.’ How many times did we hear that? ‘Just do something. For God’s sake, just do something.’ Today we did.”The House gave final approval Friday, following Senate passage Thursday, and Biden acted just before leaving Washington for two summits in Europe.“Today we say, ‘More than enough,’” Biden said. “It’s time, when it seems impossible to get anything done in Washington, we are doing something consequential.”The legislation will toughen background checks for the youngest gun buyers, keep firearms from more domestic violence offenders and help states put in place red flag laws that make it easier for authorities to take weapons from people adjudged to be dangerous.The president called it “a historic achievement.”Most of its $13 billion cost will help bolster mental health programs and aid schools, which have been targeted in Newtown, Connecticut, and Parkland, Florida, and elsewhere in mass shootings.Biden said the compromise hammered out by a bipartisan group of senators from both parties “doesn’t do everything I want” but “it does include actions I’ve long called for that are going to save lives.”“I know there’s much more work to do, and I’m never going to give up, but this is a monumental day,” said the president, who was joined by his wife, Jill, a teacher, for the signing.After sitting to sign the bill, Biden sat reflectively for a moment, then murmured, “God willing, this is gonna save a lot of lives.”He also said they will host an event on July 11 for lawmakers and families affected by gun violence. The president spoke of families “who lost their souls to an epidemic of gun violence. They lost their child, their husband, their wife. Nothing is going to fill that void in their hearts. But they led the way so other families will not have the experience and the pain and trauma that they had to live through.”Biden signed the measure two days after the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-guns-decision-what-to-know-a068d964981b6d1242a5ab124224f77a">Supreme Court’s ruling</a>&nbsp;Thursday striking down a New York law that restricted peoples’ ability to carry concealed weapons. And Saturday’s ceremony came less than 24 hours after the high court overturned the Roe v. Wade decision, which had legalized abortion nationwide for nearly five decades.“Yesterday, I spoke about the Supreme Court’s shocking decision striking down Roe v. Wade,” Biden said. “Jill and I know how painful and devastating the decision is for so many Americans. I mean so many Americans.”He noted that the abortion ruling leaves enforcement up to the states, some of which have already moved to ban abortion or will soon do so. Biden said his administration will “focus on how they administer it and whether or not they violate other laws, like deciding to not allow people to cross state lines to get health services.”Asked by reporters about whether the Supreme Court was broken, Biden said, “I think the Supreme Court has made some terrible decisions.” He walked away without answering more questions, noting, ” “I have a helicopter waiting for me to take off.”While the new gun law does not include tougher restrictions long championed by Democrats, such as a ban on assault-style weapons and background checks for all firearm transactions, it is the most impactful gun violence measure produced by Congress since enactment a long-expired assault weapons ban in 1993.Enough congressional Republicans joined Democrats in supporting the steps after recent rampages in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/buffalo-supermarket-shooting">Buffalo, New York</a>&nbsp;and Uvalde, Texas. It took weeks of closed-door talks but senators emerged with a compromise.Biden signed the bill just before departing Washington for a summit of the Group of Seven leading economic powers — the United States, Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan — in Germany. He will travel later to Spain for a NATO meeting.

🎥 What's in the gun violence bill President Biden signed

SHAWNEE COUNTY –&nbsp;The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) is investigating an officer-involved shooting that occurred Friday in Topeka.

At approximately 9 a.m. on Friday, officers from the Topeka Police Department (TPD) responded to the area of 4th&nbsp;St. and SE Holliday, near the railroad, after 911 callers reported that a male subject armed with a knife had threatened them. The Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office and BNSF Police Department also responded to the incident.

Preliminary information indicates that when officers arrived, they located the man and attempted to convince him to put down the knife. As they negotiated with him, he cut himself several times with his knife. 

Law enforcement officers deployed bean bag rounds and used other less than lethal methods to try to subdue the man. These efforts were unsuccessful and at around 10 a.m., the man charged toward a group of officers with the knife. Three officers from TPD fired toward the man striking him multiple times.

Officers secured the knife and rendered aid to the man. EMS transported him to Stormont Vail Hospital where he died from his injuries.

Late Friday, the KBI reported they were still working to positively identify the man, and to make family notifications.

SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a fatal officer-involved shooting.

Just after 10:00 a.m. Friday, three police officers were involved in an officer-involved shooting with an armed individual near the Amtrak Station located at SE Holliday Place in Topeka, according to Police Lt. Manuel Munoz.&nbsp;

Police were on scene due to multiple citizen calls of a subject armed with a knife chasing and threatening people.

Officers made several attempts to negotiate with the armed individual to achieve a peaceful resolution, including the deployment of less-lethal munitions. Those attempts were ultimately unsuccessful, and the armed individual charged at the officers placing them in fear for their lives.

The involved officers were not injured in the incident, according to Munoz. American Medical Response transported the man to a local hospital with critical injuries. He was later pronounced deceased.

The Kansas Bureau of Investigation has been notified and will investigate this incident. Per policy, the involved the police officers have been placed on paid administrative leave while the incident is investigated.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/6/1656093522642.png" alt="The officers involved were not injured -photo courtesy WIBW TV" />
 <figcaption>The officers involved were not injured -photo courtesy WIBW TV</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY –&nbsp;The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) is investigating an officer-involved shooting that occurred Friday in Topeka.At approximately 9 a.m. on Friday, officers from the Topeka Police Department (TPD) responded to the area of 4th&nbsp;St. and SE Holliday, near the railroad, after 911 callers reported that a male subject armed with a knife had threatened them. The Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office and BNSF Police Department also responded to the incident.Preliminary information indicates that when officers arrived, they located the man and attempted to convince him to put down the knife. As they negotiated with him, he cut himself several times with his knife. Law enforcement officers deployed bean bag rounds and used other less than lethal methods to try to subdue the man. These efforts were unsuccessful and at around 10 a.m., the man charged toward a group of officers with the knife. Three officers from TPD fired toward the man striking him multiple times.Officers secured the knife and rendered aid to the man. EMS transported him to Stormont Vail Hospital where he died from his injuries.Late Friday, the KBI reported they were still working to positively identify the man, and to make family notifications.-----------SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a fatal officer-involved shooting.Just after 10:00 a.m. Friday, three police officers were involved in an officer-involved shooting with an armed individual near the Amtrak Station located at SE Holliday Place in Topeka, according to Police Lt. Manuel Munoz.&nbsp;Police were on scene due to multiple citizen calls of a subject armed with a knife chasing and threatening people.Officers made several attempts to negotiate with the armed individual to achieve a peaceful resolution, including the deployment of less-lethal munitions. Those attempts were ultimately unsuccessful, and the armed individual charged at the officers placing them in fear for their lives.The involved officers were not injured in the incident, according to Munoz. American Medical Response transported the man to a local hospital with critical injuries. He was later pronounced deceased.The Kansas Bureau of Investigation has been notified and will investigate this incident. Per policy, the involved the police officers have been placed on paid administrative leave while the incident is investigated.

KBI working to ID knife-wielding man who died in officer shooting

WASHINGTON (AP) —A federal court has put a temporary hold on the government's order for Juul to stop selling its electronic cigarettes. Juul filed the emergency motion so it can appeal the sales ban from the Food and Drug Administration. The U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington granted the request later Friday. 

A day earlier, the FDA said Juul must stop selling its vaping device and its cartridges. The agency said Juul didn't give it enough information to evaluate the potential health risks of its e-cigarettes. In its court filing, the company disagreed, saying it provided enough.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal health officials on Thursday ordered Juul to pull its electronic cigarettes from the U.S. market, the latest blow to the embattled company widely blamed for sparking a national surge in teen vaping.

The action is part of a sweeping effort by the Food and Drug Administration to bring scientific scrutiny to the multibillion-dollar vaping industry after years of regulatory delays.

Parents, politicians and anti-tobacco advocates wanted a ban on the devices that many blame for the rise in underage vaping. Supporters say they can help smokers cut back on regular cigarettes.

The FDA noted that Juul may have played a “disproportionate″ role in the rise in teen vaping and its application didn’t have enough evidence to show that marketing its products “would be appropriate for the protection of the public health.”

The agency has granted some e-cigarette applications. Since last fall, the agency has given its OK to tobacco-flavored e-cigarettes from R.J. Reynolds, Logic and other companies.

But industry players and anti-tobacco advocates have complained that those products account for just a tiny percent of the $6 billion vaping market in the U.S.

Regulators repeatedly delayed making decisions on devices from market leaders, including Juul, which remains the best-selling vaping brand although sales have dipped.

Last year, the agency rejected applications for more than a million other e-cigarettes and related products, mainly due to their potential appeal to underage teens.

To stay on the market, companies must show that their products benefit public health. In practice, that means proving that adult smokers who use the products are likely to quit or reduce their smoking, while teens are unlikely to get hooked on them.

E-cigarettes first appeared in the U.S. more than a decade ago with the promise of providing smokers a less harmful alternative. The devices heat a nicotine solution into a vapor that’s inhaled, bypassing many of the toxic chemicals produced by burning tobacco.

But studies have reached conflicting results about whether they truly help smokers quit. And efforts by the FDA to rule on vaping products and their claims were repeatedly slowed by industry lobbying and competing political interests.

The vaping market grew to include hundreds of companies selling an array of devices and nicotine solutions in various flavors and strengths.

The vaping issue took on new urgency in 2018 when Juul’s high-nicotine, fruity-flavored cartridges quickly became a nationwide craze among middle and high school students. The company faces a slew of federal and state investigations into its early marketing practices, which included distributing free Juul products at concerts and parties hosted by young influencers.

In 2019, the company was pressured into halting all advertising and eliminating its fruit and dessert flavors. The next year, the FDA limited flavors in small vaping devices to just tobacco and menthol. Separately, Congress raised the purchase age for all tobacco and vaping products to 21.

But the question of whether e-cigarettes should remain on the market at all remained.

The FDA has been working under a court order to render its decisions; anti-tobacco groups successfully sued the agency to speed up its review.

FDA regulators warned companies for years they would have to submit rigorous, long-term data showing a clear benefit for smokers who switch to vaping. But all but the largest e-cigarette manufacturers have resisted conducting that kind of expensive, time-consuming research.

While Juul remains a top seller, a recent federal survey shows that teen have been shifting away from the company. Last year’s survey showed Juul was the fourth most popular e-cigarette among high schoolers who regularly vape. The most popular brand was a disposable e-cigarette called Puff Bar that comes in flavors like pink lemonade, strawberry and mango. That company’s disposable e-cigarettes had been able to skirt regulation because they use synthetic nicotine, which until recently was outside the FDA’s jurisdiction. Congress recently closed that loophole.

Overall, the survey showed a drop of nearly 40% in the teen vaping rate as many kids were forced to learn from home during the pandemic. Still, federal officials cautioned about interpreting the results given they were collected online for the first time, instead of in classrooms.

The brainchild of two Stanford University students, Juul launched in 2015 and within two years rocketed to the top of the vaping market. Juul, which is partially owned by tobacco giant Altria, still accounts for nearly 50% of the U.S. e-cigarette market. It once controlled more than 75%.

On Tuesday, the FDA also laid out plans to establish a maximum nicotine level for certain tobacco products to reduce their addictiveness. In that announcement, the agency also noted that it has invested in a multimedia public education campaign aimed at warning young people about the potential risks of e-cigarette use.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/6/1561744117367.png" alt="A Juul electronic cigarette / Wikipedia Commons" />
 <figcaption>A Juul electronic cigarette / Wikipedia Commons</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) —A federal court has put a temporary hold on the government's order for Juul to stop selling its electronic cigarettes. Juul filed the emergency motion so it can appeal the sales ban from the Food and Drug Administration. The U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington granted the request later Friday. A day earlier, the FDA said Juul must stop selling its vaping device and its cartridges. The agency said Juul didn't give it enough information to evaluate the potential health risks of its e-cigarettes. In its court filing, the company disagreed, saying it provided enough.-------WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal health officials on Thursday ordered Juul to pull its electronic cigarettes from the U.S. market, the latest blow to the embattled company widely blamed for sparking a national surge in teen vaping.The action is part of a sweeping effort by the Food and Drug Administration to bring scientific scrutiny to the multibillion-dollar vaping industry after years of regulatory delays.Parents, politicians and anti-tobacco advocates wanted a ban on the devices that many blame for the rise in underage vaping. Supporters say they can help smokers cut back on regular cigarettes.The FDA noted that Juul may have played a “disproportionate″ role in the rise in teen vaping and its application didn’t have enough evidence to show that marketing its products “would be appropriate for the protection of the public health.”The agency has granted some e-cigarette applications. Since last fall, the agency has given its OK to tobacco-flavored e-cigarettes from R.J. Reynolds, Logic and other companies.But industry players and anti-tobacco advocates have complained that those products account for just a tiny percent of the $6 billion vaping market in the U.S.Regulators repeatedly delayed making decisions on devices from market leaders, including Juul, which remains the best-selling vaping brand although sales have dipped.Last year, the agency rejected applications for more than a million other e-cigarettes and related products, mainly due to their potential appeal to underage teens.To stay on the market, companies must show that their products benefit public health. In practice, that means proving that adult smokers who use the products are likely to quit or reduce their smoking, while teens are unlikely to get hooked on them.E-cigarettes first appeared in the U.S. more than a decade ago with the promise of providing smokers a less harmful alternative. The devices heat a nicotine solution into a vapor that’s inhaled, bypassing many of the toxic chemicals produced by burning tobacco.But studies have reached conflicting results about whether they truly help smokers quit. And efforts by the FDA to rule on vaping products and their claims were repeatedly slowed by industry lobbying and competing political interests.The vaping market grew to include hundreds of companies selling an array of devices and nicotine solutions in various flavors and strengths.The vaping issue took on new urgency in 2018 when Juul’s high-nicotine, fruity-flavored cartridges quickly became a nationwide craze among middle and high school students. The company faces a slew of federal and state investigations into its early marketing practices, which included distributing free Juul products at concerts and parties hosted by young influencers.In 2019, the company was pressured into halting all advertising and eliminating its fruit and dessert flavors. The next year, the FDA limited flavors in small vaping devices to just tobacco and menthol. Separately, Congress raised the purchase age for all tobacco and vaping products to 21.But the question of whether e-cigarettes should remain on the market at all remained.The FDA has been working under a court order to render its decisions; anti-tobacco groups successfully sued the agency to speed up its review.FDA regulators warned companies for years they would have to submit rigorous, long-term data showing a clear benefit for smokers who switch to vaping. But all but the largest e-cigarette manufacturers have resisted conducting that kind of expensive, time-consuming research.While Juul remains a top seller, a recent federal survey shows that teen have been shifting away from the company. Last year’s survey showed Juul was the fourth most popular e-cigarette among high schoolers who regularly vape. The most popular brand was a disposable e-cigarette called Puff Bar that comes in flavors like pink lemonade, strawberry and mango. That company’s disposable e-cigarettes had been able to skirt regulation because they use synthetic nicotine, which until recently was outside the FDA’s jurisdiction. Congress recently closed that loophole.Overall, the survey showed a drop of nearly 40% in the teen vaping rate as many kids were forced to learn from home during the pandemic. Still, federal officials cautioned about interpreting the results given they were collected online for the first time, instead of in classrooms.The brainchild of two Stanford University students, Juul launched in 2015 and within two years rocketed to the top of the vaping market. Juul, which is partially owned by tobacco giant Altria, still accounts for nearly 50% of the U.S. e-cigarette market. It once controlled more than 75%.On Tuesday, the FDA also laid out plans to establish a maximum nicotine level for certain tobacco products to reduce their addictiveness. In that announcement, the agency also noted that it has invested in a multimedia public education campaign aimed at warning young people about the potential risks of e-cigarette use.

Juul can keep selling e-cigarettes as court blocks FDA ban

Pfizer announced Saturday that tweaking its COVID-19 vaccine to better target the omicron variant is safe and works — just days before regulators debate whether to offer Americans&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/covid-science-business-health-centers-for-disease-control-and-prevention-0866f07f17c647e97199f86f950abd6f">updated booster shots</a>&nbsp;this fall.

The vaccines currently used in the U.S. still offer strong protection against severe COVID-19 disease and death -- especially if people have gotten a booster dose. But those vaccines target the original coronavirus strain and their effectiveness against any infection dropped markedly when the super-contagious omicron mutant emerged.

Now with omicron’s even more transmissible relatives spreading widely, the Food and Drug Administration is considering ordering a recipe change for the vaccines made by both Pfizer and rival Moderna in hopes that modified boosters could better protect against another COVID-19 surge expected this fall and winter.

Pfizer and its partner BioNTech studied two different ways of updating their shots -- targeting just omicron, or a combination booster that adds omicron protection to the original vaccine. They also tested whether to keep today’s standard dosage -- 30 micrograms -- or to double the shots’ strength.

In a study of more than 1,200 middle-aged and older adults who’d already had three vaccine doses, Pfizer said both booster approaches spurred a substantial jump in omicron-fighting antibodies.

“Based on these data, we believe we have two very strong omicron-adapted candidates,” Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said in a statement.

Pfizer’s omicron-only booster sparked the strongest immune response against that variant.

But many experts say combination shots may be the best approach because they would retain the proven benefits of the original COVID-19 vaccine while adding new protection against omicron. And Pfizer said a month after people received its combo shot, they had a 9 to 11-fold increase in omicron-fighting antibodies. That’s more than 1.5 times better than another dose of the original vaccine.

And importantly, preliminary lab studies show the tweaked shots also produce antibodies capable of fighting omicron’s genetically distinct relatives named BA.4 and BA.5, although those levels weren’t nearly as high.

Moderna recently announced&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/covid-science-health-business-cfa00d6c2a69b642bd44f779f7719c18">similar results</a>&nbsp;from tests of its combination shot, what scientists call a “bivalent” vaccine.

The studies weren’t designed to track how well updated boosters prevented COVID-19 cases. Nor is it clear how long any added protection would last.

But the FDA’s scientific advisers will publicly debate the data on Tuesday, as they grapple with whether to recommend a change to the vaccines’ recipes -- ahead of similar decisions by other countries.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/11/1604926559777.png" alt="Photo courtesy Pfizer" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy Pfizer</figcaption>
 </figure>By LAURAN NEERGAARD, Associated PressPfizer announced Saturday that tweaking its COVID-19 vaccine to better target the omicron variant is safe and works — just days before regulators debate whether to offer Americans&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/covid-science-business-health-centers-for-disease-control-and-prevention-0866f07f17c647e97199f86f950abd6f">updated booster shots</a>&nbsp;this fall.The vaccines currently used in the U.S. still offer strong protection against severe COVID-19 disease and death -- especially if people have gotten a booster dose. But those vaccines target the original coronavirus strain and their effectiveness against any infection dropped markedly when the super-contagious omicron mutant emerged.Now with omicron’s even more transmissible relatives spreading widely, the Food and Drug Administration is considering ordering a recipe change for the vaccines made by both Pfizer and rival Moderna in hopes that modified boosters could better protect against another COVID-19 surge expected this fall and winter.Pfizer and its partner BioNTech studied two different ways of updating their shots -- targeting just omicron, or a combination booster that adds omicron protection to the original vaccine. They also tested whether to keep today’s standard dosage -- 30 micrograms -- or to double the shots’ strength.In a study of more than 1,200 middle-aged and older adults who’d already had three vaccine doses, Pfizer said both booster approaches spurred a substantial jump in omicron-fighting antibodies.“Based on these data, we believe we have two very strong omicron-adapted candidates,” Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said in a statement.Pfizer’s omicron-only booster sparked the strongest immune response against that variant.But many experts say combination shots may be the best approach because they would retain the proven benefits of the original COVID-19 vaccine while adding new protection against omicron. And Pfizer said a month after people received its combo shot, they had a 9 to 11-fold increase in omicron-fighting antibodies. That’s more than 1.5 times better than another dose of the original vaccine.And importantly, preliminary lab studies show the tweaked shots also produce antibodies capable of fighting omicron’s genetically distinct relatives named BA.4 and BA.5, although those levels weren’t nearly as high.Moderna recently announced&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/covid-science-health-business-cfa00d6c2a69b642bd44f779f7719c18">similar results</a>&nbsp;from tests of its combination shot, what scientists call a “bivalent” vaccine.The studies weren’t designed to track how well updated boosters prevented COVID-19 cases. Nor is it clear how long any added protection would last.But the FDA’s scientific advisers will publicly debate the data on Tuesday, as they grapple with whether to recommend a change to the vaccines’ recipes -- ahead of similar decisions by other countries.___

Pfizer says tweaked COVID-19 shots boost omicron protection

DOUGLAS COUNTY— A Kansas man has been sentenced for sexual assault involving children in his home.

 Timothy Glen Martins, 47, of Lawrence, has been sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole for 25 years after he was convicted of child sex crimes, according to a media release from the Douglas County Attorney.

Martins also was sentenced to four years and one month for one other count of aggravated indecent liberties with a child, four years and five months for aggravated indecent liberties with a child, and two years and seven months for indecent liberties with a child.

Those sentences will run concurrently to the life sentence.

In May, a Douglas Co. jury found Martins guilty of four counts of aggravated indecent liberties with a child and one count of indecent liberties with a child. The charges stem from incidents that happened between 2012 and 2017, in which Martins engaged in sexual activity with girls under his care who lived at his home.

“The defendant preyed upon his own children,” District Attorney Suzanne Valdez  said. “I commend the survivors for exercising tremendous courage to bring this perpetrator to justice and making our community safer.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/6/1656084738326.png" alt="Martins-photo Douglas County" />
 <figcaption>Martins-photo Douglas County</figcaption>
 </figure>DOUGLAS COUNTY— A Kansas man has been sentenced for sexual assault involving children in his home. Timothy Glen Martins, 47, of Lawrence, has been sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole for 25 years after he was convicted of child sex crimes, according to a media release from the Douglas County Attorney.Martins also was sentenced to four years and one month for one other count of aggravated indecent liberties with a child, four years and five months for aggravated indecent liberties with a child, and two years and seven months for indecent liberties with a child.Those sentences will run concurrently to the life sentence.In May, a Douglas Co. jury found Martins guilty of four counts of aggravated indecent liberties with a child and one count of indecent liberties with a child. The charges stem from incidents that happened between 2012 and 2017, in which Martins engaged in sexual activity with girls under his care who lived at his home.“The defendant preyed upon his own children,” District Attorney Suzanne Valdez said. “I commend the survivors for exercising tremendous courage to bring this perpetrator to justice and making our community safer.”

Kan. man sentenced for sex crimes involving children in his home

SEDGWICK COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect in connection with a drug bust at a motel

On Wednesday, Wichita Police Department (WPD) Patrol East Community Police Officers were conducting drug interdiction activities in the 300 block of S. Webb Road when they conducted a traffic stop on an individual leaving a hotel in that area, according to a media release.

The driver, a 36-year-old man from Haysville, was found to be in possession of drug paraphernalia and three handguns. Officers learned that the man was staying in the hotel, and significant traffic was observed at the room he was staying in. 

The officers applied for, and were granted, a search warrant which resulted in the seizure of approximately 6 pounds of methamphetamine, 1,000 percocet pills which area a generic oxycodone, 100 ecstasy pills, an additional firearm and numerous items of drug paraphernalia. Police have not reported the suspect's name or an arrest.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/6/1656104010957.png" alt="Photo Wichita Police" />
 <figcaption>Photo Wichita Police</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect in connection with a drug bust at a motelOn Wednesday, Wichita Police Department (WPD) Patrol East Community Police Officers were conducting drug interdiction activities in the 300 block of S. Webb Road when they conducted a traffic stop on an individual leaving a hotel in that area, according to a media release.The driver, a 36-year-old man from Haysville, was found to be in possession of drug paraphernalia and three handguns. Officers learned that the man was staying in the hotel, and significant traffic was observed at the room he was staying in. The officers applied for, and were granted, a search warrant which resulted in the seizure of approximately 6 pounds of methamphetamine, 1,000 percocet pills which area a generic oxycodone, 100 ecstasy pills, an additional firearm and numerous items of drug paraphernalia. Police have not reported the suspect's name or an arrest.

Police seize 1000 generic oxycodone pills at Kansas motel

By JOEL MATHIS <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2022-06-22/years-after-nixing-a-deal-with-tyson-this-small-kansas-town-is-still-growing">Kansas Leadership Center</a>

TONGANOXIE, Kansas — The evening of Aug. 2, 2021, was a big one for this northeast Kansas town.

The major item on the<a href="http://www.tonganoxiemirror.com/news/2021/aug/04/tonganoxie-city-council-approves-additional-measur/" target="_blank"> </a><a href="http://www.tonganoxiemirror.com/news/2021/aug/04/tonganoxie-city-council-approves-additional-measur/" target="_blank">city council’s agenda?</a>
 A measure to give a 10-year, 100% tax abatement to Hill’s Pet 
Nutrition, a Topeka-based company with plans to bring a $250 million 
pet-food plant — along with 80 new jobs — to the community.

The project would later be dubbed a “deal of the year” by<a href="http://www.tonganoxiemirror.com/news/2022/mar/03/hills-pet-nutrition-receives-national-award-new-ex/#:~:text=Hill's%20Pet%20Nutrition%2C%20which%20is,Gov." target="_blank"> </a><a href="http://www.tonganoxiemirror.com/news/2022/mar/03/hills-pet-nutrition-receives-national-award-new-ex/#:~:text=Hill's%20Pet%20Nutrition%2C%20which%20is,Gov." target="_blank">Business Facilities</a> magazine.

But first, the council had to hold a public hearing to let Tonganoxie residents give their input.

Mayor David Frese opened the hearing. “Is there anyone who cares to speak?” he asked.

He looked around for a few seconds. Nobody came forward.

“OK.
 I’m not seeing anyone who cares to speak,” Frese said, “so at this 
point I will close the public hearing.” The big night turned 
anticlimactic. A few moments later, the council unanimously approved the
 abatement.

That was a far cry from 2017, after Kansas and 
Leavenworth County officials announced another big deal — to bring a big
 new Tyson chicken processing plant with hundreds of jobs to the area.

Then the community erupted in a<a href="https://klcjournal.com/understanding-the-reversal-of-fortunes-in-tonganoxie-chicken-plant-controversy/" target="_blank"> </a><a href="https://klcjournal.com/understanding-the-reversal-of-fortunes-in-tonganoxie-chicken-plant-controversy/" target="_blank">social-media driven furor</a>, replete with demonstrations and name-calling that drove one council member<a href="https://www.kcur.org/community/2018-06-27/poultry-plant-controversy-signaled-tonganoxies-demographic-transformation" target="_blank"> </a><a href="https://www.kcur.org/community/2018-06-27/poultry-plant-controversy-signaled-tonganoxies-demographic-transformation" target="_blank">to resign</a>, saying she had received threats.<a href="http://www.kansascity.com/news/local/article171977397.html" target="_blank"> </a><a href="http://www.kansascity.com/news/local/article171977397.html" target="_blank">Erin Brockovich</a>,
 the activist and Lawrence native played in the eponymous movie by Julia
 Roberts, weighed in. Tyson quickly gave up on its plans, eventually 
locating the new plant in Tennessee. The controversy drew national 
attention that left a shadow over Tonganoxie that lingers to this day.

“It
 split the town,” says Frese, a former Kansas City Star reporter who was
 elected mayor after the debate faded. “I don’t think anybody really 
wanted it though.”

But the dustup didn’t keep Hill’s from coming to town. And while the new project wasn’t totally<a href="https://fox4kc.com/news/its-going-to-disrupt-our-lives-tonganoxie-residents-worried-about-new-pet-food-manufacturing-plant/" target="_blank"> </a><a href="https://fox4kc.com/news/its-going-to-disrupt-our-lives-tonganoxie-residents-worried-about-new-pet-food-manufacturing-plant/" target="_blank">without opposition</a>, it didn’t attract nearly the scrutiny or anger that the Tyson project did.

Local
 residents say the Hill’s project was different from its predecessor — 
smaller in the cultural and environmental impacts it would have on 
Tonganoxie, less freighted with the baggage that Tyson brought from 
being a widely known national company with an already-controversial 
reputation among some. And city officials say they learned a lesson or 
two about transparency from the Tyson experience that they applied to 
subsequent projects.

The result? Relatively smooth sailing for 
Hill’s — and, perhaps, an example for other Kansas communities trying to
 overcome their own controversies, or seeking to balance economic 
development against their residents’ desires to preserve the character 
of their own towns.

“I feel like it’s a better fit than Tyson ever
 would have been,” says Steve Skeet, a real estate agent who opposed 
Tyson. “Tyson was just not a fit for this community.”

But it’s also interesting to consider what has and hasn’t really changed. In the aftermath of Tyson, the community started<a href="https://www.kcur.org/community/2018-06-27/poultry-plant-controversy-signaled-tonganoxies-demographic-transformation" target="_blank"> </a><a href="https://www.kcur.org/community/2018-06-27/poultry-plant-controversy-signaled-tonganoxies-demographic-transformation" target="_blank">talking</a>
 about filling downtown storefronts and getting more strategic about 
economic development. And in the years after the plant’s rejection, 
local entrepreneurship has certainly blossomed.

In fact, the 
downtown business district is doing as well as anybody can remember. “I 
think we only have one vacant building right now. It’s been a while 
since that’s been the case,” says Monica Gee, owner of the Wizard of 
Paws pet salon and president of the Tonganoxie Business Association. “I 
think our economy is just good right now for our businesses. People — 
because of COVID — are shopping local more sometimes. That’s been a huge
 plus for us.”

But the community remains keenly interested in wooing big companies 
to town to fill its slowly developing business park and broaden the tax 
base to fund growing demand for community services that commuting 
homeowners use but can’t fully pay for with their property taxes.

So big companies remain part of the community’s growth strategy. Just not ones named Tyson.

It’s
 not hard to get a sense of Tonganoxie. Just go downtown to Flashbacks, a
 diner owned by former fire chief Charlie “Tuna” Conrad and step inside.
 The walls are covered with the city’s history – trophies and pictures 
and hundreds of other items documenting the best of what “Tongie” has to
 offer. Stick around long enough, and you’ll probably get to talk to 
Conrad himself, and learn about the time decades ago when the city’s 
residents raised $500 for his ailing dad at a 10-cents-a-serving ice 
cream social.

“I’ll never forget it. I was a kid, and I’ll never 
forget it,” Conrad says. “The community came together. It pulls together
 when it’s the right thing to do.” He adds: “That’s who we are.”

Tonganoxie
 is also changing. It sits near three of the state’s largest cities – 
roughly 40 miles from Topeka, 20 from Lawrence, and just minutes away 
from the suburbs of Kansas City.

That location has fueled incredible growth: The town’s population<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tonganoxie,_Kansas" target="_blank"> </a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tonganoxie,_Kansas" target="_blank">nearly doubled</a>
 during the first decade of the 21st century, from a bit more than 2,700
 residents to nearly 5,000. The 2020 census showed another growth spurt,
 up to more than 5,500 people. That growth has brought new amenities to 
town, such as bigger, newer schools and a shiny new library at the 
entrance to downtown. But it has also brought pressures in the form of 
rising home prices, and unmistakable changes to the landscape: New 
multifamily housing developments have been built recently, the first new
 construction of that type in 30 years.

Longtime residents say 
Tonganoxie still has a small-town feel. “I like that there is a 
community and a sense of a town,” Gee says. “There’s a base that you 
want to come back to and your kids would want to come back to. You want 
to grow here.”

Some observers attributed the Tyson controversy to 
that growth: If Tonganoxie is still on the small-and-charming side, it 
isn’t quite as “rural” as it used to be. While most Kansas counties are 
losing population and looking to revive their fading fortunes, Tongie 
was<a href="https://www.hpj.com/ag_news/plans-on-hold-for-tyson-foods-poultry-production-complex/article_a12168ab-7a6e-5cb2-a08f-28345f6f79c0.html" target="_blank"> </a><a href="https://www.hpj.com/ag_news/plans-on-hold-for-tyson-foods-poultry-production-complex/article_a12168ab-7a6e-5cb2-a08f-28345f6f79c0.html" target="_blank">already bustling</a>.
 And the town’s newer residents, many of whom commute daily to work in 
Kansas City, weren’t used to having livestock or other ag operations as 
neighbors.

“We’ve got doctors, lawyers, media people, professionals of all kinds who live out there,” one opponent noted.

That meant many local residents weren’t quite ready in 2017 to accept an agricultural behemoth that planned to bring<a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/kansas-town-rejects-tyson-chicken-plant-1600-jobs/" target="_blank"> </a><a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/kansas-town-rejects-tyson-chicken-plant-1600-jobs/" target="_blank">1,600 new jobs</a>
 to the area, with the added expectation that the surrounding 
countryside would fill up with chicken farms to feed the new processing 
plant. Local residents complained about everything from low pay — 
they’re still sensitive to accusations of racism that went with that — 
to the likelihood the new facility would produce<a href="https://www.wave3.com/story/1149915/residents-say-smell-from-tyson-chicken-farm-violates-ordinance/" target="_blank"> </a><a href="https://www.wave3.com/story/1149915/residents-say-smell-from-tyson-chicken-farm-violates-ordinance/" target="_blank">foul odors</a> and other<a href="https://www.mightyearth.org/2018/04/04/tyson-responds-to-environmental-campaign-and-public-pressure-addresses-pollution-in-supply-chain/" target="_blank"> </a><a href="https://www.mightyearth.org/2018/04/04/tyson-responds-to-environmental-campaign-and-public-pressure-addresses-pollution-in-supply-chain/" target="_blank">environmental problems</a>.

Others
 were angry that Tyson’s announcement came seemingly from nowhere, an 
unwelcome surprise presented almost as a fait accompli to a community 
that hadn’t expected it. And some people simply didn’t want a 
meat-processing plant as their neighbor.

“One, it was going to be 
across from my parents’ farm, which would have absolutely destroyed 
that. Two, it made no economical sense to put a chicken house between KU
 and Kansas City — just the demographics of this area. It made 
absolutely no sense,” says Skeet. He also opposed Tyson “because of 
their<a href="https://www.mightyearth.org/2019/02/01/shareholders-push-tyson-on-water-pollution/#:~:text=In%20a%20recent%20report%20from,January%202016%20and%20June%202018." target="_blank"> </a><a href="https://www.mightyearth.org/2019/02/01/shareholders-push-tyson-on-water-pollution/#:~:text=In%20a%20recent%20report%20from,January%202016%20and%20June%202018." target="_blank">history with pollution</a>.
 … I went to K-State, majored in agriculture. So I’ve never been a fan 
of Tyson when I knew what their practices were in the first place.”

The fight was fierce and short. It took just <a href="https://klcjournal.com/understanding-the-reversal-of-fortunes-in-tonganoxie-chicken-plant-controversy/" target="_blank">14 days</a> for Tyson to reverse course. The company tried again in<a href="https://www.kansas.com/news/politics-government/article188550779.html" target="_blank"> </a><a href="https://www.kansas.com/news/politics-government/article188550779.html" target="_blank">Sedgwick County</a>, only to also give up there — eventually, the new plant was located in Gibson County, Tennessee, where it not only inspires<a href="https://wisconsinexaminer.com/2021/05/06/tyson-foods-west-tennessee/" target="_blank"> </a><a href="https://wisconsinexaminer.com/2021/05/06/tyson-foods-west-tennessee/" target="_blank">criticism</a> but was named in a<a href="https://tennesseelookout.com/briefs/lawsuit-tyson-foods-shorted-construction-firm-millions-for-gibson-county-plant/" target="_blank"> </a><a href="https://tennesseelookout.com/briefs/lawsuit-tyson-foods-shorted-construction-firm-millions-for-gibson-county-plant/" target="_blank">recent lawsuit</a> alleging the company stiffed the construction firm that built the facility.

But
 local and company officials celebrated the prospect of the $425 million
 project injecting more than $150 million a year into the Tennessee 
economy at the plant’s opening.

“Tyson Foods has been doing 
business in Tennessee for nearly 50 years and we’re committed to making a
 positive impact on Humboldt and the entire region,” Tom McCue, the 
complex’s manager, said in a Tyson press release.

Back in 
Tonganoxie, community leaders say they came under scrutiny that hasn’t 
entirely gone away – although, they say, it mostly takes the form of 
social media complaints rather than any organized campaign like the one 
that fought Tyson.

“I think it has made the community more aware 
of what’s going on development-wise,” says Gee, who also serves on the 
city’s planning commission. “People are seeing it and paying attention. 
Prior to that, it was going with the flow.”

Tyson
 remains a delicate subject for city leaders, who point out that the 
plant was actually proposed for a site several miles outside the city 
limits. The project was put together by state and county development 
officials — Tonganoxie was directly involved mostly because it would 
have had to approve extending water service to the plant.

Ask what
 changed between Tyson and Hill’s, and you’ll get this response from 
George Brajkovic, the city manager: “Well. That’s a pretty loaded 
question because really nothing changed.”

The Tyson controversy 
was mostly created by outsiders and also fought by outsiders, Brajkovic 
suggests. “A lot of the people we heard from during the Tyson thing 
weren’t city residents,” he says. “They were folks who lived outside the
 city limits.”

The Hill’s project, meanwhile, was more directly 
controlled by city officials – and planned for by them. The city 
purchased land for the industrial park in 2009, and the council approved
 a strategic plan in 2016 to serve partly as a guide to the kinds of 
businesses they wanted to bring to town. That was always going to be a 
slow process – just one other big employer, Unilock, has put down roots 
in the park over the years – but officials say that once the Tyson 
controversy blew over, they stuck to the plan.

There were some 
other notable differences between the Tyson and Hill’s projects. Lt. 
Gov. David Toland, who also heads the Kansas Department of Commerce, 
says one big change at the state level is that the Kansas Department of 
Agriculture had helped shepherd the earlier project into being. When 
Gov. Laura Kelly, a Democrat, took office more than a year after the 
Tyson controversy, he says, those responsibilities shifted to his 
department.

“There is both art and science to the work of economic
 development,” Toland says. “Economic development professionals know 
there needs to be the right balance of community interests. There’s got 
to be a desire for growth in a particular community. There’s got to be 
the local capacity, both political and infrastructure, to accommodate 
growth. There’s a lot of human elements. I think what’s happened in the 
past is that a lot of folks looked at a map and said, ‘This is a good 
place for X.’”

In any event, the Tyson controversy didn’t scare Hill’s. 

“Hill’s
 chose the site for its excellent location, access to a talented and 
diverse pool of workers, a strong and welcoming community, and proximity
 to distributors and suppliers,” Chad Sharp, plant manager for Hill’s 
Pet Nutrition, said in an emailed statement. “Our goal is to be a good 
neighbor to the community and we are committed to minimizing our 
environmental footprint.”

What made Hill’s a better fit for Tonganoxie? Locals say there were several elements.

Scale.
 Again, the Tyson plant was expected to bring as many as 1,600 new jobs 
to the area. The Hill’s plant, meanwhile, is a more automated affair: 
While the facility is plenty big — a $250 million construction project —
 company officials said they were bringing a mere 80 jobs to the 
community. The smaller number is less overwhelming to a small community.

“There’s
 something scalable to that,” Brajkovic says. Appropriately sized 
development is “always going to be a factor in a smaller community.”

Environmental impact.
 Tyson’s attempt to come to Leavenworth County came just a few years 
after the company had paid a $3.95 million settlement with the 
Environmental Protection Agency for alleged Clean Air Act violations at 
plants in Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and Iowa — a fact<a href="https://www.dtnpf.com/agriculture/web/ag/news/article/2017/09/15/kansas-towns-residents-say-chicken" target="_blank"> </a><a href="https://www.dtnpf.com/agriculture/web/ag/news/article/2017/09/15/kansas-towns-residents-say-chicken" target="_blank">widely</a>
 noted in media coverage at the time. With Hill’s, Tonganoxie officials 
say they worked to ensure the town’s newest employer would be a good 
environmental citizen. The company even asked for assurances that its 
future neighbors be environmentally sound, officials say, to avoid 
potential problems that might seep into its own product.

“We’ve 
turned down other projects in that business park because we had 
environmental concerns, and that’s just in the last two years,” Frese 
says. “We learned a lot of lessons from Tyson. People don’t want an 
environmental mess. They don’t want something that stinks. They don’t 
want something that’s going to hurt their water.” Frese says he went to 
Topeka several times to walk around — and smell — Hill’s flagship 
manufacturing plant. “I know I’m not the only one who went there.”

Transparency. Local officials signed nondisclosure<a href="https://www.cjonline.com/story/news/politics/government/2017/09/18/county-commission-votes-rescind-500m-pledge/16528161007/" target="_blank"> </a><a href="https://www.cjonline.com/story/news/politics/government/2017/09/18/county-commission-votes-rescind-500m-pledge/16528161007/" target="_blank">agreements</a>
 while working out the Tyson deal — a normal practice, company officials
 said, but a source of anger when the project finally became public. 
“Tyson has left the local officials there in just a hell of a bind,” 
State Sen. Tom Holland, a Democrat, said at the time.

Since then, 
Tonganoxie officials have worked to increase their day-to-day 
transparency with the public — starting up Facebook pages and streaming 
council meetings on YouTube. That has made it easier for residents to 
follow the process, says Brajkovic, instead of “just expecting folks to 
show up on a Monday night.” And when Hill’s came to town, Frese says, 
officials tried to keep everything aboveboard. “We didn’t want to sign 
any nondisclosure agreements, and they honored that.”

Conrad, who 
opposed the Tyson plant but welcomed Hill’s, agrees. “I think that’s 
helped a lot,” he says, “being a little more open and honest about 
things.”

There were other elements. Locals have the impression 
that the pay at Hill’s will be higher than what Tyson was offering. 
(Kelly’s office said in 2021 the average annual pay at Hill’s would be 
around $60,000.) And Hill’s is a Kansas-based company — increasing 
community members’ direct knowledge and comfort with the business. 
“People could go to Hill’s without getting on a plane,” Frese says.

Skeet
 agrees. “It’s not like a company that’s out of state that’s going to go
 to a state and ruin it and then pull out and never go back,” he says. 
“I mean: They’re from here.”

The Hill’s
 project ended up passing smoothly, but that doesn’t mean the legacy of 
the Tyson controversy has ended. “I think the Tyson thing brought us 
together a little more,” Conrad says. “The negative that came out of it 
is that people think they can oppose anything now.”

City officials
 are also more aware these days of social media criticism, and how it 
can affect their jobs. That’s not always comfortable or welcome. “I’ve 
dumped all of my Facebook accounts, hard delete of them,” Frese says.

One
 thing is for sure, though: There will be more big economic development 
projects coming to Tonganoxie. There has to be. City officials need to 
fill up the business park for several reasons. They need to provide jobs
 for the growing community — people who work out of town often spend a 
lot of their shopping dollars out of town. And somebody needs to pay for
 the new city services made necessary by the growing population.

“Rooftops do not bring money to take that tax burden off,” Gee says. “Businesses and industries will.”

Frese,
 meanwhile, hopes that economic development can help Tonganoxie preserve
 its character and control its own future instead of getting run over by
 the growth of nearby cities. “If we don’t establish our identity and 
our own financial independence, I think we will lose that rural feel,” 
he says.

That means learning the lessons of the Tyson controversy,
 and applying them to future projects. Nobody wants to endure that 
acrimony again.

“I got in a fight with a kid back home 100 years 
ago. And my dad said, ‘That’s fine if you want to fight, but you got to 
understand your mom and I have to live here,’” Frese says. “And I think 
of that every day. … You can say what you want, but at the end of the 
day, we have to live with each other. We have to get along.”

A version of this article appears in the Summer 2022 issue of<a href="https://klcjournal.com/about/" target="_blank"> </a><a href="https://klcjournal.com/about/" target="_blank">The Journal</a>, a publication of the Kansas Leadership Center. To learn more about KLC, visit<a href="http://kansasleadershipcenter.org/" target="_blank"> </a><a href="http://kansasleadershipcenter.org/" target="_blank">http://kansasleadershipcenter.org</a>. Order your copy of the magazine at the<a href="https://kansasleadershipcenter.org/klcstore/" target="_blank"> </a><a href="https://kansasleadershipcenter.org/klcstore/" target="_blank">KLC Store</a> or<a href="https://kansasleadershipcenter.org/store/one-year-subscription-to-the-journal-4-upcoming-issues/" target="_blank"> </a><a href="https://kansasleadershipcenter.org/store/one-year-subscription-to-the-journal-4-upcoming-issues/" target="_blank">subscribe to the print edition.</a> Both the Kansas Leadership Center and the Kansas News Service get significant funding from the Kansas Health Foundation.

Years after nixing Tyson deal, this small Kan. town still growing

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Sedgwick County has agreed to pay $22,000 to a former employee to settle his racial discrimination lawsuit.

David Partridge, who is biracial,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-lawsuits-discrimination-race-and-ethnicity-racial-injustice-e18f30b908edf0c69ca10b4f8c9d29f3">sued the county last year</a>, saying a coworker on a county work crew called him “boy” or the “colored guy” and sang slavery-era songs with his name added to the lyrics. Partridge’s lawsuit said he worked from December 2019 to August 2021 as a county bridge crewman and was subjected to a racially hostile work environment by his white crew chief.

Partridge said that after he complained, the county determined its racial discrimination policy had been violated, and Partridge was promised he would not have to return to the same work crew. But Partridge said he was denied a different position, offered a third with a lower salary and ultimately fired for refusing to return to the original work crew.

Attorneys for Partridge and the county informed a judge Wednesday of the settlement,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kansas.com/news/local/crime/article262825003.html" target="_blank">the Wichita Eagle reported</a>. Partridge had originally sought $75,000.

An attorney for the county, Jennifer Hill, said that as part of the settlement, Partridge agreed not to reapply for any open jobs with the county.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Sedgwick County has agreed to pay $22,000 to a former employee to settle his racial discrimination lawsuit.David Partridge, who is biracial,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-lawsuits-discrimination-race-and-ethnicity-racial-injustice-e18f30b908edf0c69ca10b4f8c9d29f3">sued the county last year</a>, saying a coworker on a county work crew called him “boy” or the “colored guy” and sang slavery-era songs with his name added to the lyrics. Partridge’s lawsuit said he worked from December 2019 to August 2021 as a county bridge crewman and was subjected to a racially hostile work environment by his white crew chief.Partridge said that after he complained, the county determined its racial discrimination policy had been violated, and Partridge was promised he would not have to return to the same work crew. But Partridge said he was denied a different position, offered a third with a lower salary and ultimately fired for refusing to return to the original work crew.Attorneys for Partridge and the county informed a judge Wednesday of the settlement,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kansas.com/news/local/crime/article262825003.html" target="_blank">the Wichita Eagle reported</a>. Partridge had originally sought $75,000.An attorney for the county, Jennifer Hill, said that as part of the settlement, Partridge agreed not to reapply for any open jobs with the county.

Kansas county settles racial discrimination lawsuit with $22K

WASHINGTON (AP) — Facing stubbornly high gas prices that average about $5 a gallon nationwide, President Joe Biden on Wednesday&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-barack-obama-holidays-221ce44407c35e38cd8007e77095eeb4">urged Congress to suspend federal gasoline and diesel taxes</a>&nbsp;for three months.

If savings from the 18.4 cents-a-gallon federal tax on gas are fully passed along to consumers, drivers would save about $2.76 for a 15-gallon fill-up.

It’s unclear, though, if Biden can push his proposal through Congress, where lawmakers, including some Democrats, are skeptical or even opposed to the idea. Many economists also are wary of a gas tax holiday.

A look at how the proposed gas tax holiday would work and what impact it might have on gas prices and a highway trust fund that is paid for in large part by taxes on gasoline and diesel fuel.

WHY IS BIDEN PROPOSING A GAS TAX HOLIDAY?

The price of gas is up dramatically around the world — and by nearly $2 per gallon in the United States — since&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine">Russian President Vladimir Putin began amassing troops</a>&nbsp;on the border of Ukraine. High gas prices pose a fundamental threat to Biden’s political and policy ambitions. They’ve caused confidence in the economy to slump, contributed to record inflation and adds to the formidable challenges that Democrats face in keeping control of the House and the Senate in November.

Biden’s past efforts to cut gas prices — including&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-business-prices-ae5200310e3d3c0390d9e1cbb3c5a964">release of oil from the U.S. strategic reserve</a>&nbsp;and greater ethanol blending this summer — have done little to produce savings at the pump. Biden says the gas tax holiday can provide some direct relief to consumers, and he is calling on states to follow suit by suspending their own gas taxes or helping consumers in other ways.

“I’m doing my part. I want Congress, states and industry to do their part as well,” he said in a White House speech.

It’s unclear exactly how much drivers would save; a lot depends on whether states lower or suspend their own gas taxes, as Biden has suggested. But it’s not clear how many would do so.

There’s also the question of whether the full savings would be passed on to drivers.

Still, recent studies indicate that a gas tax holiday would result in lower prices.

A Penn Wharton Budget Model analysis says recent suspensions of state gasoline taxes in Maryland, Georgia and Connecticut were mostly passed onto consumers in the form of lower gas prices. About 72% of tax savings in Maryland were passed onto consumers, up to 65% in Georgia and up to 87% in Connecticut, the report says.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/6/1655936757468.png" alt="Biden’s past efforts to cut gas prices — including&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-business-prices-ae5200310e3d3c0390d9e1cbb3c5a964">release of oil from the U.S. strategic reserve</a>&nbsp;and greater ethanol blending this summer — have done little to produce savings at the pump. -White House photo" />
 <figcaption>Biden’s past efforts to cut gas prices — including&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-business-prices-ae5200310e3d3c0390d9e1cbb3c5a964">release of oil from the U.S. strategic reserve</a>&nbsp;and greater ethanol blending this summer — have done little to produce savings at the pump. -White House photo</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — Facing stubbornly high gas prices that average about $5 a gallon nationwide, President Joe Biden on Wednesday&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-barack-obama-holidays-221ce44407c35e38cd8007e77095eeb4">urged Congress to suspend federal gasoline and diesel taxes</a>&nbsp;for three months.<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=314&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FWhiteHouse%2Fvideos%2F884500062509296%2F&show_text=false&width=560&t=404" width="560" height="314" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowFullScreen="true"></iframe></div>If savings from the 18.4 cents-a-gallon federal tax on gas are fully passed along to consumers, drivers would save about $2.76 for a 15-gallon fill-up.It’s unclear, though, if Biden can push his proposal through Congress, where lawmakers, including some Democrats, are skeptical or even opposed to the idea. Many economists also are wary of a gas tax holiday.A look at how the proposed gas tax holiday would work and what impact it might have on gas prices and a highway trust fund that is paid for in large part by taxes on gasoline and diesel fuel.WHY IS BIDEN PROPOSING A GAS TAX HOLIDAY?The price of gas is up dramatically around the world — and by nearly $2 per gallon in the United States — since&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine">Russian President Vladimir Putin began amassing troops</a>&nbsp;on the border of Ukraine. High gas prices pose a fundamental threat to Biden’s political and policy ambitions. They’ve caused confidence in the economy to slump, contributed to record inflation and adds to the formidable challenges that Democrats face in keeping control of the House and the Senate in November.Biden’s past efforts to cut gas prices — including&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-business-prices-ae5200310e3d3c0390d9e1cbb3c5a964">release of oil from the U.S. strategic reserve</a>&nbsp;and greater ethanol blending this summer — have done little to produce savings at the pump. Biden says the gas tax holiday can provide some direct relief to consumers, and he is calling on states to follow suit by suspending their own gas taxes or helping consumers in other ways.“I’m doing my part. I want Congress, states and industry to do their part as well,” he said in a White House speech.HOW MUCH MONEY WOULD DRIVERS SAVE?It’s unclear exactly how much drivers would save; a lot depends on whether states lower or suspend their own gas taxes, as Biden has suggested. But it’s not clear how many would do so.There’s also the question of whether the full savings would be passed on to drivers.Still, recent studies indicate that a gas tax holiday would result in lower prices.A Penn Wharton Budget Model analysis says recent suspensions of state gasoline taxes in Maryland, Georgia and Connecticut were mostly passed onto consumers in the form of lower gas prices. About 72% of tax savings in Maryland were passed onto consumers, up to 65% in Georgia and up to 87% in Connecticut, the report says.However, the price reductions were not sustained during the entire tax holiday, and prices rose once the holiday was lifted, the report said.HOW MUCH WOULD A GAS TAX HOLIDAY COST?The administration says the three-month pause would cost about $10 billion. The lost revenue would otherwise go to the Highway Trust Fund, which finances most federal government spending for highways and mass transit.Critics of the tax holiday say that could lead to decreased spending on roads, bridges and other infrastructure that are the hallmark of the Biden presidency. But the White House says the money could be transferred from other government accounts and that infrastructure remains a top priority for the president.If the holiday is extended, as some experts expect, the cost could be tens of billions higher and could jeopardize administration efforts to build and maintain roads and bridges.Even a temporary gas tax holiday “sets a bad precedent and undermines the funding mechanism in the infrastructure investment law that has been the signature policy achievement of the Biden presidency,″ said Dave Bauer, president and CEO of the American Road &amp; Transportation Builders Association.WHAT DOES CONGRESS SAY?Lawmakers from both parties expressed skepticism, or even outright opposition.House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said lawmakers “will see where the consensus lies on a path forward” for Biden’s plan, but she and other congressional Democrats have long worried that suspending the gas tax would allow oil companies to reap additional profits with no guarantee the savings would be passed along to consumers.Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, said he opposes the tax suspension in part because it provides minuscule relief and could become permanent. “You know what happens in this town: you suspend the tax, it’s gone forever,” he said Wednesday. “I do not want to compromise the highway trust fund. We have not raised the gas tax since 1993, and it’s worth 6 cents now compared to 1993. No, I do not support in any way degrading that contribution to rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure.”Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, meanwhile, mocked the gas tax holiday as an “ineffective stunt,” while Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash. called it a “political band-aid” that would do little to lower costs at the gas pump.The plan also could have long-term consequences on road safety and improvements by diverting funds away from infrastructure projects across the country, added McMorris Rodgers, the top Republican on the House Energy and Commerce Committee. “Under President Biden’s proposal, people will be forced to drive on unsafe, potholed roads to get the gas they can’t afford,” she said.House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., said he was unsure if Democrats have the votes to pass it. “We haven’t counted, so we don’t know yet.″WHAT DO EXPERTS SAY?Marc Goldwein, a senior policy director for the nonpartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, said the gas tax holiday would not make a dent in inflation or produce big savings at the pump. He also worried it may not be temporary, as the White House suggested.“Do we really think in three months gas prices will be down? Are we going to raise prices right before an election?″ Goldwein asked in an interview. A long-term suspension of the gas tax would be catastrophic to administration efforts to build and maintain roads and bridges, he said.But Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Analytics, said high gas prices are “the number one financial problem for many American households,″ especially those with low incomes. While small, a gas tax holiday “is a step to help these households,″ Zandi said. “They’re under a lot of pressure because of the high gasoline prices. And this is intended to provide some temporary relief. I mean, it’s pretty obvious why the administration is focused on this.″Still, Zandi said the plan “is not a slam-dunk solution. It’s on the margin.″___