JOPLIN, Mo. (AP) — The mother of a Joplin High School football player is suing the school district over his death after he suffered breathing problems during a football practice.

<a href="https://www.parkermortuary.com/obituary/kadin-roberts-day">Kadin Roberts-Day, a sophomore, died on Sept. 4</a>, 2019, after suffering a medical emergency during practice, which was held indoors because of high temperatures.

His mother, Lashonda Roberts, alleges in the lawsuit filed earlier this month that several coaches and trainers with the football team watched her son have trouble breathing for 26 minutes and called emergency workers only after he became unconscious, The Joplin Globe&nbsp;<a href="https://www.joplinglobe.com/news/local_news/mother-joplin-coaches-let-player-struggle-to-breathe-didnt-call-911/article_08d97bca-dc58-11ec-a9aa-5f1663d7c30d.html">reported</a>.

Former Jasper County coroner Rob Chappell said Roberts-Day died of cardiac arrest, and that asthma was a contributing factor in the death.

Roberts is asking for a jury trial and is seeking damages in excess of $25,000.

A spokesperson for Joplin Schools said Wednesday the district will not comment on pending litigation.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/5/1653561998632.png" alt="Kadin Roberts-Day-photo courtesy Parker Mortuary" />
 <figcaption>Kadin Roberts-Day-photo courtesy Parker Mortuary</figcaption>
 </figure>JOPLIN, Mo. (AP) — The mother of a Joplin High School football player is suing the school district over his death after he suffered breathing problems during a football practice.<a href="https://www.parkermortuary.com/obituary/kadin-roberts-day">Kadin Roberts-Day, a sophomore, died on Sept. 4</a>, 2019, after suffering a medical emergency during practice, which was held indoors because of high temperatures.His mother, Lashonda Roberts, alleges in the lawsuit filed earlier this month that several coaches and trainers with the football team watched her son have trouble breathing for 26 minutes and called emergency workers only after he became unconscious, The Joplin Globe&nbsp;<a href="https://www.joplinglobe.com/news/local_news/mother-joplin-coaches-let-player-struggle-to-breathe-didnt-call-911/article_08d97bca-dc58-11ec-a9aa-5f1663d7c30d.html">reported</a>.Former Jasper County coroner Rob Chappell said Roberts-Day died of cardiac arrest, and that asthma was a contributing factor in the death.Roberts is asking for a jury trial and is seeking damages in excess of $25,000.A spokesperson for Joplin Schools said Wednesday the district will not comment on pending litigation.

Mother of football player who died sues school district

WASHINGTON — The Federal Communications Commission this week announced it has received requests for $2,814,736,532 in the third application filing window of the Emergency Connectivity Fund program to fund 5,120,453 connected devices and 4,285,794 broadband connections.  Applications will be prioritized to fund schools and libraries with the greatest need first, with a preference for schools and libraries located in rural areas.  With the estimated $1.5 billion remaining in the program, the Commission expects to be able to fund requests from many of the 7,369 schools and school districts, 628 libraries and library systems, and 133 consortia which applied from across the country.  

“The continued interest in the Emergency Connectivity Fund demonstrates what we’ve known for a long time – far too many kids across the country need off-campus support to get online and keep up with their schoolwork.  This program has been able to help millions of students over the past year and into the coming school year.  I’m proud of that,” said Chairwoman Rosenworcel.  “We received more requests than Congress gave us funds to support for this final round of applications, so we’re prioritizing those with the greatest need.  But the work doesn’t stop there.  We’ll continue to look for ways to close the Homework Gap and ensure no child is left offline.”

During the third, and final, application filing window, the Commission received applications from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.

The funding can be used to support off-campus learning, such as nightly homework, to ensure

students across the country have the necessary support to keep up with their education. To date, the program has helped over 12.5 million students, and provided schools and libraries with over 10 million connected devices and 5 million broadband connections.  Over $4.8 billion in program funding commitments have been approved to date, with over $4 billion from Window 1 applications and over $815 million in commitments from Window 2 applications.

More details about which schools and libraries have received funding commitments can be found <a href="https://www.fcc.gov/emergency-connectivity-fund">HERE</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/3/1584977952684.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>FCCWASHINGTON — The Federal Communications Commission this week announced it has received requests for $2,814,736,532 in the third application filing window of the Emergency Connectivity Fund program to fund 5,120,453 connected devices and 4,285,794 broadband connections. Applications will be prioritized to fund schools and libraries with the greatest need first, with a preference for schools and libraries located in rural areas. With the estimated $1.5 billion remaining in the program, the Commission expects to be able to fund requests from many of the 7,369 schools and school districts, 628 libraries and library systems, and 133 consortia which applied from across the country. “The continued interest in the Emergency Connectivity Fund demonstrates what we’ve known for a long time – far too many kids across the country need off-campus support to get online and keep up with their schoolwork. This program has been able to help millions of students over the past year and into the coming school year. I’m proud of that,” said Chairwoman Rosenworcel. “We received more requests than Congress gave us funds to support for this final round of applications, so we’re prioritizing those with the greatest need. But the work doesn’t stop there. We’ll continue to look for ways to close the Homework Gap and ensure no child is left offline.”During the third, and final, application filing window, the Commission received applications from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.The funding can be used to support off-campus learning, such as nightly homework, to ensurestudents across the country have the necessary support to keep up with their education. To date, the program has helped over 12.5 million students, and provided schools and libraries with over 10 million connected devices and 5 million broadband connections. Over $4.8 billion in program funding commitments have been approved to date, with over $4 billion from Window 1 applications and over $815 million in commitments from Window 2 applications.More details about which schools and libraries have received funding commitments can be found <a href="https://www.fcc.gov/emergency-connectivity-fund">HERE</a>.

$2.8B in funding requests for final emergency broadband window

JACKSON COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating a suspect&nbsp;&nbsp;following a Monday night manhunt south in rural northeast Kansas.

Just before 9p.m. Monday, The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office was notified by neighbors of a burglary in progress at 2830 102nd Road south of Delia, according to Sheriff Tim Morse.

Deputies and KHP troopers arrived where the alleged burglar fled into the woods.  The Kansas Highway Patrol helicopter also responded and assisted with the search. 

 During the search, the suspect managed to return to his pickup truck that was parked on the property and nearly struck a Jackson County Deputy and a Kansas State Trooper. 

 The man sped across a cornfield and ran into a heavily wooded area northwest of the residence. Deputies and troopers used K-9s during the search. The search continued until approximately 4 A.M. Tuesday, which was reduced to deputies patrolling the immediate area.  The Sheriff’s Office issued an alert, warning the public to be alert that this suspect may be in the area on foot, and to lock doors and remove keys from vehicles. 

At approximately 9:45 a.m. Tuesday after receiving a report of a subject approaching a residence near the Shawnee and Jackson County line, Jackson County deputies and detectives located the suspect later identified as 41-year-old Dallas Eugene Harrmon about 1 mile south of the Jackson County line on Capper Road. 

Deputies arrested and transported Harrmon to the Jackson County Jail.  He is being held on requested charges of aggravated assault of law enforcement officers, burglary and theft and fleeing and eluding law enforcement.  Harmon was also wanted on a full-extradition warrant of the State of Colorado.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/5/1653428867638.png" alt="Harrmon-photo Jackson Co." />
 <figcaption>Harrmon-photo Jackson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>JACKSON COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating a suspect&nbsp;&nbsp;following a Monday night manhunt south in rural northeast Kansas.Just before 9p.m. Monday, The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office was notified by neighbors of a burglary in progress at 2830 102nd Road south of Delia, according to Sheriff Tim Morse.Deputies and KHP troopers arrived where the alleged burglar fled into the woods. The Kansas Highway Patrol helicopter also responded and assisted with the search. During the search, the suspect managed to return to his pickup truck that was parked on the property and nearly struck a Jackson County Deputy and a Kansas State Trooper. The man sped across a cornfield and ran into a heavily wooded area northwest of the residence. Deputies and troopers used K-9s during the search. The search continued until approximately 4 A.M. Tuesday, which was reduced to deputies patrolling the immediate area. The Sheriff’s Office issued an alert, warning the public to be alert that this suspect may be in the area on foot, and to lock doors and remove keys from vehicles. At approximately 9:45 a.m. Tuesday after receiving a report of a subject approaching a residence near the Shawnee and Jackson County line, Jackson County deputies and detectives located the suspect later identified as 41-year-old Dallas Eugene Harrmon about 1 mile south of the Jackson County line on Capper Road. Deputies arrested and transported Harrmon to the Jackson County Jail. He is being held on requested charges of aggravated assault of law enforcement officers, burglary and theft and fleeing and eluding law enforcement. Harmon was also wanted on a full-extradition warrant of the State of Colorado.

Sheriff: Man wanted in Colorado captured after manhunt in Kansas

CHANTILLY, Va. (AP) — Jill Biden and Surgeon General Vivek Murthy welcomed the delivery Wednesday of a second shipment of tens of thousands of pounds of baby formula that the Biden administration is importing from Europe to ease&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/covid-science-health-robert-califf-cce94aeeb3b53af5617d32086df01410">critical supply shortages</a>&nbsp;in the U.S.

The first lady and the nation’s doctor each sought to empathize with anxious parents nationwide who have been scrambling to find enough formula for their children.

Both said President Joe Biden and his team understand what parents are going through and were working hard to solve the latest domestic crisis to challenge the administration. Biden has come under growing political pressure for not acting more quickly to try to head off the supply crisis.

“As a mom and a Nana, it’s impossible to hear the stories of children suffering and not imagine your own children in the same position,” the first lady said, using her grandchildren’s nickname for her. “Food is the first and most important way we nurture our children.”

Murthy, a father of two young children, said he knows “how important it is to parents that they have confidence in their ability to safely and securely feed their child. And I know how frustrating and scary it can be when that security feels out of reach.”

“That is why we will not rest until every parent has the formula they need for their child,” he pledged.

Biden and Murthy spoke on the tarmac at Dulles International Airport in Virginia in front of a FedEx Express plane that had just delivered 120,000 pounds, or 60 tons, of infant formula from Ramstein Air Base in Germany under the administration’s Operation Fly Formula program.

With Wednesday’s delivery and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-health-indianapolis-00f39fd46778ecdd543c22f3630d79ba">a shipment of 78000 pounds</a>&nbsp;(35,380 kilograms) of specialty infant formula that was flown by military aircraft to Indianapolis over the weekend, “we now have brought the equivalent of 1.5 million eight-ounce bottles of infant formula to the United States,” Murthy said.

More deliveries are scheduled to arrive soon. The administration has cut the timeframe for deliveries to three days, down from up to four weeks, he said.

Jill Biden said her husband knows there is “more to do” to solve the baby formula shortages.

“I’m here today to say to parents, ‘you aren’t alone,’” she said. “At the highest levels of Joe’s administration, he and his team understand what you’re going through and they are finding solutions. And they won’t stop until all parents can get the formula all their children need.”

Under Operation Fly Formula, infant formula that meets U.S. health and safety standards is imported from overseas manufacturers and delivered to hospitals and retailers in the United States.

The first shipment arrived Sunday, bringing 132 pallets of Nestle Health Science Alfamino Infant and Alfamino Junior formula to Indianapolis — enough for 500,000 eight-ounce bottles.

The 114 pallets of Nestle’s Gerber Good Start Extensive HA formula delivered Wednesday will be transported by FedEx to a Nestle distribution facility near Allentown, Pennsylvania, the White House said.

The three formulas are for children who are allergic to cow’s milk protein.

The baby formula shortage stems mostly from Abbott Nutrition’s plant in Sturgis, Michigan, which the FDA closed in February due to contamination issues. Abbott, one of a handful of companies that control the vast majority of the market for infant formula, then announced a massive recall of its product on Feb. 17, which led to the nationwide supply shortage.

Abbott and the Food and Drug Administration recently reached an agreement to reopen the plant next week. But it will take about two months before product is ready for delivery.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/5/1653517823167.png" alt="The first lady and the nation’s doctor each sought to empathize with anxious parents nationwide who have been scrambling to find enough formula for their children.-photo courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>The first lady and the nation’s doctor each sought to empathize with anxious parents nationwide who have been scrambling to find enough formula for their children.-photo courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>CHANTILLY, Va. (AP) — Jill Biden and Surgeon General Vivek Murthy welcomed the delivery Wednesday of a second shipment of tens of thousands of pounds of baby formula that the Biden administration is importing from Europe to ease&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/covid-science-health-robert-califf-cce94aeeb3b53af5617d32086df01410">critical supply shortages</a>&nbsp;in the U.S.The first lady and the nation’s doctor each sought to empathize with anxious parents nationwide who have been scrambling to find enough formula for their children.Both said President Joe Biden and his team understand what parents are going through and were working hard to solve the latest domestic crisis to challenge the administration. Biden has come under growing political pressure for not acting more quickly to try to head off the supply crisis.“As a mom and a Nana, it’s impossible to hear the stories of children suffering and not imagine your own children in the same position,” the first lady said, using her grandchildren’s nickname for her. “Food is the first and most important way we nurture our children.”Murthy, a father of two young children, said he knows “how important it is to parents that they have confidence in their ability to safely and securely feed their child. And I know how frustrating and scary it can be when that security feels out of reach.”“That is why we will not rest until every parent has the formula they need for their child,” he pledged.Biden and Murthy spoke on the tarmac at Dulles International Airport in Virginia in front of a FedEx Express plane that had just delivered 120,000 pounds, or 60 tons, of infant formula from Ramstein Air Base in Germany under the administration’s Operation Fly Formula program.With Wednesday’s delivery and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-health-indianapolis-00f39fd46778ecdd543c22f3630d79ba">a shipment of 78000 pounds</a>&nbsp;(35,380 kilograms) of specialty infant formula that was flown by military aircraft to Indianapolis over the weekend, “we now have brought the equivalent of 1.5 million eight-ounce bottles of infant formula to the United States,” Murthy said.More deliveries are scheduled to arrive soon. The administration has cut the timeframe for deliveries to three days, down from up to four weeks, he said.Jill Biden said her husband knows there is “more to do” to solve the baby formula shortages.“I’m here today to say to parents, ‘you aren’t alone,’” she said. “At the highest levels of Joe’s administration, he and his team understand what you’re going through and they are finding solutions. And they won’t stop until all parents can get the formula all their children need.”Under Operation Fly Formula, infant formula that meets U.S. health and safety standards is imported from overseas manufacturers and delivered to hospitals and retailers in the United States.The first shipment arrived Sunday, bringing 132 pallets of Nestle Health Science Alfamino Infant and Alfamino Junior formula to Indianapolis — enough for 500,000 eight-ounce bottles.The 114 pallets of Nestle’s Gerber Good Start Extensive HA formula delivered Wednesday will be transported by FedEx to a Nestle distribution facility near Allentown, Pennsylvania, the White House said.The three formulas are for children who are allergic to cow’s milk protein.The baby formula shortage stems mostly from Abbott Nutrition’s plant in Sturgis, Michigan, which the FDA closed in February due to contamination issues. Abbott, one of a handful of companies that control the vast majority of the market for infant formula, then announced a massive recall of its product on Feb. 17, which led to the nationwide supply shortage.Abbott and the Food and Drug Administration recently reached an agreement to reopen the plant next week. But it will take about two months before product is ready for delivery.

Jill Biden welcomes 2nd mass delivery of baby formula

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

Just after 1:30a.m. Wednesday, police responded to report of a shooting in the the 500 block of N. Milstead in Wichita, according to Officer Chad Ditch.

At the scene, officers located a woman and child in front of the residence. The victims told police a 39-year-old suspect, who police later learned had active warrant for aggravated kidnapping, was inside the residence. 

The suspect pointed a firearm and shot at the victims, according to Ditch. At one point, officers&nbsp; witnessed the suspect go back into the house carrying a gun.

The victims also told police there were two other victims inside the home. Those victims left the home a short time later. The Wichita Police SWAT and SWAT negotiators responded to the home.

 Just after 10:30 a.m., the SWAT team entered the home and there was an exchange gunfire, according to Ditch. 

The suspect was pronounced dead at the scene. None of the other victims or officers were injured. The Kansas Bureau of Investigation is assisting with the investigation, according to Ditch. Police have not released the name of the suspect.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/5/1653513804719.png" alt="Police on the scene of the fatal officer-involved shooting -photo courtesy KWCH" />
 <figcaption>Police on the scene of the fatal officer-involved shooting -photo courtesy KWCH</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a fatal officer involved shooting.Just after 1:30a.m. Wednesday, police responded to report of a shooting in the the 500 block of N. Milstead in Wichita, according to Officer Chad Ditch.At the scene, officers located a woman and child in front of the residence. The victims told police a 39-year-old suspect, who police later learned had active warrant for aggravated kidnapping, was inside the residence. The suspect pointed a firearm and shot at the victims, according to Ditch. At one point, officers&nbsp; witnessed the suspect go back into the house carrying a gun.The victims also told police there were two other victims inside the home. Those victims left the home a short time later. The Wichita Police SWAT and SWAT negotiators responded to the home. Just after 10:30 a.m., the SWAT team entered the home and there was an exchange gunfire, according to Ditch. The suspect was pronounced dead at the scene. None of the other victims or officers were injured. The Kansas Bureau of Investigation is assisting with the investigation, according to Ditch. Police have not released the name of the suspect.

Police: Man wanted for alleged kidnapping dies in Kan. officer shooting

By JAMES DENSLEY and JILLIAN PETERSON <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-we-know-about-mass-school-shootings-in-the-us-and-the-gunmen-who-carry-them-out-183812">The Conversation</a>

When the <a href="https://www.history.com/topics/1990s/columbine-high-school-shootings">Columbine High School massacre took place in 1999</a> it was seen as a watershed moment in the United States – the worst mass shooting at a school in the country’s history.

Now, it ranks fourth. The three school shootings to surpass its death
 toll of 13 – 12 students, one teacher – have all taken place within the
 last decade: 2012’s <a href="https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2012/12/us/sandy-hook-timeline/index.html">Sandy Hook Elementary attack</a>,
 in which a gunman killed 26 children and school staff; the 2018 
shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, 
which <a href="https://theconversation.com/parkland-shooting-one-year-later-congress-still-avoids-action-on-gun-control-111796">claimed the lives of 17 people</a>; and now the <a href="https://theconversation.com/19-children-2-adults-killed-in-texas-elementary-school-shooting-3-essential-reads-on-americas-relentless-gun-violence-183811">Robb Elementary School assault in Uvalde, Texas</a>, where on May 24, 2022, at least 19 children and two adults were murdered.

We <a href="https://www.metrostate.edu/about/directory/james-densley">are criminologists</a> <a href="https://www.hamline.edu/faculty-staff/jillian-peterson/">who study</a> <a href="https://www.theviolenceproject.org/">the life histories</a> of public mass shooters in the U.S. As part of that research, we built <a href="https://www.theviolenceproject.org/mass-shooter-database/">a comprehensive database</a>
 of mass public shootings using public data, with the shooters coded on 
over 200 different variables, including location and racial profile. For
 the purposes of our database, mass public shootings are defined as 
incidents in which four or more victims are murdered with at least one 
of those homicides taking place in a public location and with no 
connection to underlying criminal activity, such as gangs or drugs.

Our database shows that since 1966, when our database timeline 
begins, there have been 13 such shootings at schools across the U.S – 
the first in <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1989/01/18/us/five-children-killed-as-gunman-attacks-a-california-school.html">Stockton, California</a>, in 1989.

Four of those shootings – including the one at Robb Elementary School
 – involved a killing at another location, always a family member at a 
residence. The most recent perpetrator <a href="https://www.npr.org/live-updates/texas-school-shooting-2022-05-24">shot his grandmother</a> prior to going to the school in Uvalde.

The majority of mass school shootings were carried out by a lone gunman, with just two – Columbine and the <a href="https://www.kait8.com/2022/03/24/24-years-later-remembering-westside-school-shooting-victims/">1988 shooting at Westside School in Jonesboro</a>, Arkansas – carried out by two gunmen. In all, some 146 people were killed in the attacks and at least 182 victims injured.

The choice of “gunmen” to describe the perpetrators is accurate – all of the mass school shootings in our database were <a href="https://www.theviolenceproject.org/mass-shooter-database/">carried out by men or boys</a>. And the average age of those involved in carrying out the attacks was 18.

This fits with the picture that has emerged of the <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/robb-elementary-school-gunman-salvador-ramos-bought-two-rifles-on-his-18th-birthday-texas-officials-say">shooter in the Robb Elementary School attack</a>. He turned 18 just days ago and reportedly <a href="https://www.star-telegram.com/news/state/texas/article261766762.html">purchased two military-style weapons</a>. It is believed that the shooter used one miltary-style weapon in the attack, authorities said May 25, 2022.

Police have <a href="https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2022-05-24/texas-elementary-school-shooting">yet to release key information</a>
 on the shooter, including what motivated him to kill the children and 
adults at Robb Elementary School. The picture of the shooter that has 
emerged conforms to the profile we have built up from past perpetrators 
in some ways, but diverges in others.

We know that most school shooters have a connection to the school 
they target. Twelve of the 14 school shooters in our database prior to 
the most recent attack in Texas were either current or former students 
of the school. Any prior connection between the latest shooter and Robb 
Elementary School has not been released to the public.

Our research and <a href="https://www.theviolenceproject.org/about-us/our-book/">dozens of interviews with incarcerated perpetrators of mass shootings</a>
 suggests that for most perpetrators, the mass shooting event is 
intended to be a final act. The majority of school mass shooters die in 
the attack. Of the 15 mass school shooters in our database, just seven 
were apprehended. The rest died on the scene, nearly all by suicide – 
the lone exception being the Robb Elementary shooter, who was shot dead 
by police.

And school shooters tend to preempt their attacks by leaving posts, messages or videos warning of their intent. 

Inspired by past school shooters, some perpetrators are <a href="https://theconversation.com/a-quest-for-significance-gone-horribly-wrong-how-mass-shooters-pervert-a-universal-desire-to-make-a-difference-in-the-world-183199">seeking fame and notoriety</a>.
 However, most school shooters are motivated by a generalized anger. 
Their path to violence involves self-hate and despair turned outward at 
the world, and our research finds they often communicate their intent to
 do harm in advance as a final, desperate <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2785799">cry for help</a>. The key to stopping these tragedies is for society to be <a href="https://theconversation.com/accused-buffalo-mass-shooter-had-threatened-a-shooting-while-in-high-school-could-more-have-been-done-to-avert-the-tragedy-183455">alert to these warning signs</a> and act on them immediately.

James Densley is a Professor of Criminal Justice at Metropolitan State University. Jillian Peterson is a Professor of Criminal Justice at Hamline University.

<div><iframe src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/183812/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-advanced" width="1" height="1"></iframe></div>By JAMES DENSLEY and JILLIAN PETERSON <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-we-know-about-mass-school-shootings-in-the-us-and-the-gunmen-who-carry-them-out-183812">The Conversation</a>When the <a href="https://www.history.com/topics/1990s/columbine-high-school-shootings">Columbine High School massacre took place in 1999</a> it was seen as a watershed moment in the United States – the worst mass shooting at a school in the country’s history.Now, it ranks fourth. The three school shootings to surpass its death
 toll of 13 – 12 students, one teacher – have all taken place within the
 last decade: 2012’s <a href="https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2012/12/us/sandy-hook-timeline/index.html">Sandy Hook Elementary attack</a>,
 in which a gunman killed 26 children and school staff; the 2018 
shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, 
which <a href="https://theconversation.com/parkland-shooting-one-year-later-congress-still-avoids-action-on-gun-control-111796">claimed the lives of 17 people</a>; and now the <a href="https://theconversation.com/19-children-2-adults-killed-in-texas-elementary-school-shooting-3-essential-reads-on-americas-relentless-gun-violence-183811">Robb Elementary School assault in Uvalde, Texas</a>, where on May 24, 2022, at least 19 children and two adults were murdered.We <a href="https://www.metrostate.edu/about/directory/james-densley">are criminologists</a> <a href="https://www.hamline.edu/faculty-staff/jillian-peterson/">who study</a> <a href="https://www.theviolenceproject.org/">the life histories</a> of public mass shooters in the U.S. As part of that research, we built <a href="https://www.theviolenceproject.org/mass-shooter-database/">a comprehensive database</a>
 of mass public shootings using public data, with the shooters coded on 
over 200 different variables, including location and racial profile. For
 the purposes of our database, mass public shootings are defined as 
incidents in which four or more victims are murdered with at least one 
of those homicides taking place in a public location and with no 
connection to underlying criminal activity, such as gangs or drugs.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/5/1653505039759.png" alt="Mass shootings are defined here as events in which four or more people are killed with firearms in a public place, with the murders not being attributed to any other underlying criminal activity. Map: The Conversation, CC-BY-ND Source: The Violence Project Database " />
 <figcaption>Mass shootings are defined here as events in which four or more people are killed with firearms in a public place, with the murders not being attributed to any other underlying criminal activity. Map: The Conversation, CC-BY-ND Source: The Violence Project Database </figcaption>
 </figure>Our database shows that since 1966, when our database timeline 
begins, there have been 13 such shootings at schools across the U.S – 
the first in <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1989/01/18/us/five-children-killed-as-gunman-attacks-a-california-school.html">Stockton, California</a>, in 1989.Four of those shootings – including the one at Robb Elementary School
 – involved a killing at another location, always a family member at a 
residence. The most recent perpetrator <a href="https://www.npr.org/live-updates/texas-school-shooting-2022-05-24">shot his grandmother</a> prior to going to the school in Uvalde.The majority of mass school shootings were carried out by a lone gunman, with just two – Columbine and the <a href="https://www.kait8.com/2022/03/24/24-years-later-remembering-westside-school-shooting-victims/">1988 shooting at Westside School in Jonesboro</a>, Arkansas – carried out by two gunmen. In all, some 146 people were killed in the attacks and at least 182 victims injured.The choice of “gunmen” to describe the perpetrators is accurate – all of the mass school shootings in our database were <a href="https://www.theviolenceproject.org/mass-shooter-database/">carried out by men or boys</a>. And the average age of those involved in carrying out the attacks was 18. This fits with the picture that has emerged of the <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/robb-elementary-school-gunman-salvador-ramos-bought-two-rifles-on-his-18th-birthday-texas-officials-say">shooter in the Robb Elementary School attack</a>. He turned 18 just days ago and reportedly <a href="https://www.star-telegram.com/news/state/texas/article261766762.html">purchased two military-style weapons</a>. It is believed that the shooter used one miltary-style weapon in the attack, authorities said May 25, 2022.Police have <a href="https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2022-05-24/texas-elementary-school-shooting">yet to release key information</a>
 on the shooter, including what motivated him to kill the children and 
adults at Robb Elementary School. The picture of the shooter that has 
emerged conforms to the profile we have built up from past perpetrators 
in some ways, but diverges in others.We know that most school shooters have a connection to the school 
they target. Twelve of the 14 school shooters in our database prior to 
the most recent attack in Texas were either current or former students 
of the school. Any prior connection between the latest shooter and Robb 
Elementary School has not been released to the public.Our research and <a href="https://www.theviolenceproject.org/about-us/our-book/">dozens of interviews with incarcerated perpetrators of mass shootings</a>
 suggests that for most perpetrators, the mass shooting event is 
intended to be a final act. The majority of school mass shooters die in 
the attack. Of the 15 mass school shooters in our database, just seven 
were apprehended. The rest died on the scene, nearly all by suicide – 
the lone exception being the Robb Elementary shooter, who was shot dead 
by police.And school shooters tend to preempt their attacks by leaving posts, messages or videos warning of their intent. Inspired by past school shooters, some perpetrators are <a href="https://theconversation.com/a-quest-for-significance-gone-horribly-wrong-how-mass-shooters-pervert-a-universal-desire-to-make-a-difference-in-the-world-183199">seeking fame and notoriety</a>.
 However, most school shooters are motivated by a generalized anger. 
Their path to violence involves self-hate and despair turned outward at 
the world, and our research finds they often communicate their intent to
 do harm in advance as a final, desperate <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2785799">cry for help</a>. The key to stopping these tragedies is for society to be <a href="https://theconversation.com/accused-buffalo-mass-shooter-had-threatened-a-shooting-while-in-high-school-could-more-have-been-done-to-avert-the-tragedy-183455">alert to these warning signs</a> and act on them immediately.James Densley is a Professor of Criminal Justice at Metropolitan State University. Jillian Peterson is a Professor of Criminal Justice at Hamline University.

What we know about mass school shootings, gunmen who carry them out

KANSAS CITY (AP) — A&nbsp; man will be laid to rest on Saturday, more than 80 years after he died in the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor.

The U.S. Navy returned the remains of Seaman 1st Class <a href="https://dpaa-mil.sites.crmforce.mil/dpaaProfile?id=a0Jt0000000Xe0PEAS">Wilbur Francis Newton</a> to Kansas City International Airport on Tuesday.

Newton was among more than 400 crewman killed on the USS Oklahoma during the Pearl Harbor attack.

His remains were identified as part of a project by the Department of Defense agency known as The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA).

Researchers needed maternal DNA to get a match, and reached the last living relative on Newton’s mother’s side before she died in 2012.

Robin Deeds, a child of one of Newton's cousins, said Newton will be buried Saturday at Mount Hope Cemetery in Mound City. He said more than 50 cousins plan to attend the service, KCTV-TV&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kctv5.com/2022/05/25/missouri-mans-remains-come-home-81-years-after-his-death-pearl-harbor/">reported</a>.

Newton will be laid to rest in a burial plot with a grave marker that his parents bought for him before they died in the late 1940s.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/5/1653508433984.png" alt="Wilbur Francis Newton will be laid to rest in a burial plot with a grave marker that his parents bought for him before they died in the late 1940s-photo courtesy Kansas City International Airport" />
 <figcaption>Wilbur Francis Newton will be laid to rest in a burial plot with a grave marker that his parents bought for him before they died in the late 1940s-photo courtesy Kansas City International Airport</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY (AP) — A&nbsp; man will be laid to rest on Saturday, more than 80 years after he died in the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor.The U.S. Navy returned the remains of Seaman 1st Class <a href="https://dpaa-mil.sites.crmforce.mil/dpaaProfile?id=a0Jt0000000Xe0PEAS">Wilbur Francis Newton</a> to Kansas City International Airport on Tuesday.Newton was among more than 400 crewman killed on the USS Oklahoma during the Pearl Harbor attack.His remains were identified as part of a project by the Department of Defense agency known as The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA).Researchers needed maternal DNA to get a match, and reached the last living relative on Newton’s mother’s side before she died in 2012.Robin Deeds, a child of one of Newton's cousins, said Newton will be buried Saturday at Mount Hope Cemetery in Mound City. He said more than 50 cousins plan to attend the service, KCTV-TV&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kctv5.com/2022/05/25/missouri-mans-remains-come-home-81-years-after-his-death-pearl-harbor/">reported</a>.Newton will be laid to rest in a burial plot with a grave marker that his parents bought for him before they died in the late 1940s.

Remains of man killed at Pearl Harbor arrive in Kansas City

KANSAS CITY (AP) — With a staunch anti-abortion Republican governor and large GOP legislative majorities, Iowa would seem poised to ban abortion if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/what-is-roe-v-wade-33c08858dc8b0aa5f0450858b51a648a">Roe v. Wade.</a>

There’s just one catch: a 2018 Iowa Supreme Court ruling that established the right to abortion under the state constitution.

“I don’t know if the people of Iowa know that things aren’t going to change immediately if Roe. v. Wade is overturned,” said state Rep. Sandy Salmon, a Republican and farm manager from northeast Iowa who has made abortion restrictions a cornerstone of her five legislative terms.

Supreme courts in a handful of states, including others controlled by Republicans, have recognized the right to abortion. But in no state is the issue more immediate than Iowa, where Republicans are calling for a state high court with new, conservative justices to reverse a decision made just four years ago.

The Iowa court’s decision, due within weeks, is an example of the complexities that loom in states&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-abortion-draft-opinion-07439f9fc4542f1500ab78dfd34036b1">should the U.S. Supreme Court overturn its 1973 decision</a>&nbsp;that legalized abortion nationwide. Specifically, it highlights the inevitable confrontation between new abortion bans being prepared in anticipation of Roe’s reversal and state constitutions.

“There are states where this is to some extent unknown and an issue that state courts will likely have to confront,” said Helene Krasnof, vice president of public policy, litigation and law for abortion rights advocates Planned Parenthood Federation of America. “But this is an issue that’s present in Iowa in this very moment.”

The Iowa Supreme Court decision that’s under consideration&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/882e886e3a504e34b6586aa5b882f77f">struck down a 2017 law</a>&nbsp;signed by then-Gov. Terry Branstad requiring a woman to wait 72 hours before receiving an abortion. The court ruled 5-2 that an abortion is a fundamental right protected by the state constitution’s guarantee of liberty.

“Autonomy and dominion over one’s body go to the very heart of what it means to be free,” wrote then-Chief Justice Mark Cady, who died in 2019. “Implicit in the concept of ordered liberty is the ability to decide whether to continue or terminate a pregnancy.”

Since that decision, Branstad’s successor, Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds, has signed other restrictions, including&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-iowa-us-news-ap-top-news-des-moines-47954c73f5be430f842fe8bfe1b2b9bb">outlawing abortion once cardiac activity is detected in the embryo</a>&nbsp;and requiring a 24-hour waiting period. Both measures were struck down in state district court. Reynolds appealed the waiting-period decision to the Iowa Supreme Court last year.

In the years since Cady’s opinion, Reynolds has appointed four of the court’s seven members. The Republican-controlled Legislature also gave her more control over the process of selecting the panel that recommends potential nominees.

Drake University Law School professor Sally Frank said if the court were to overturn a right established only four years ago, it “would give an even more political look to a decision here than the U.S. Supreme Court.”

Yet abortion opponents argued that court rulings in a half-dozen states, including Iowa, are examples of laws inappropriately established by judges rather than elected officials.

“This case presents the opportunity for the Iowa Supreme Court to return the issue back to the people to decide through their elected representatives in the Legislature,” said Mallory Carroll, a spokeswoman for the anti-abortion Susan B. Anthony List.

Polls indicate support for keeping abortion legal. The Des Moines Register Iowa Poll found in September that 57% supported keeping abortion legal in most or all cases, compared with 38% who said it should be illegal in most or all cases. According to AP VoteCast, a 2020 survey of the electorate, 65% of Iowa voters said the U.S. Supreme Court should leave Roe v. Wade as it is, while a third said it should be overturned.

Reynolds has said she is “proud of the legislation she signed in 2018,” including the ban on abortions once cardiac activity is detected, as early as six weeks and before many women know they are pregnant. While the measure included exceptions to protect the life of the mother and for pregnancies that are the result of incest or rape, Reynolds recently declined to endorse any exceptions.

“I’m not going to set any parameters,” she told reporters last week. “We have a ruling before the Iowa Supreme Court and we’re going to wait and see what they do, and that actually will affect what our next steps are moving forward.”

Supreme courts in Alaska, Florida, Kansas, Montana and Minnesota have ruled that their constitutions protect the right to abortion. Among them, Republicans hold legislative majorities and the governorships in Florida and Montana.

In Montana and Florida, challenges to abortion restrictions are before those states’ supreme courts.

Majority Republicans in the Kansas Legislature are seeking to invalidate a 2019 state Supreme Court decision that declared access to abortion a “fundamental right” with a referendum on the August primary ballot to amend the state constitution.

Iowa Republicans also are pursuing a constitutional amendment that specifies the state constitution does not recognize, grant, or secure a right to abortion. The amendment could not stop the Legislature from enacting a statutory right to abortion, but would present an obstacle to any court weighing what the state would be required to enforce.

The measure needs a second approval in the Legislature and will likely come up next year, Salmon, the GOP state lawmaker, said. If approved it would go before voters, probably in 2024.

It’s the removal of the abortion guarantee in the 2018 court ruling that would clear the way for lawmakers to ban the procedure, Salmon’s ultimate goal.

“That means that abortion would not be a service offered in this state,” Salmon said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/5/1652558835992.png" alt="Abortion protesters in Kansas City -photo Planned Parenthood&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>Abortion protesters in Kansas City -photo Planned Parenthood&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY (AP) — With a staunch anti-abortion Republican governor and large GOP legislative majorities, Iowa would seem poised to ban abortion if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/what-is-roe-v-wade-33c08858dc8b0aa5f0450858b51a648a">Roe v. Wade.</a>There’s just one catch: a 2018 Iowa Supreme Court ruling that established the right to abortion under the state constitution.“I don’t know if the people of Iowa know that things aren’t going to change immediately if Roe. v. Wade is overturned,” said state Rep. Sandy Salmon, a Republican and farm manager from northeast Iowa who has made abortion restrictions a cornerstone of her five legislative terms.Supreme courts in a handful of states, including others controlled by Republicans, have recognized the right to abortion. But in no state is the issue more immediate than Iowa, where Republicans are calling for a state high court with new, conservative justices to reverse a decision made just four years ago.The Iowa court’s decision, due within weeks, is an example of the complexities that loom in states&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-abortion-draft-opinion-07439f9fc4542f1500ab78dfd34036b1">should the U.S. Supreme Court overturn its 1973 decision</a>&nbsp;that legalized abortion nationwide. Specifically, it highlights the inevitable confrontation between new abortion bans being prepared in anticipation of Roe’s reversal and state constitutions.“There are states where this is to some extent unknown and an issue that state courts will likely have to confront,” said Helene Krasnof, vice president of public policy, litigation and law for abortion rights advocates Planned Parenthood Federation of America. “But this is an issue that’s present in Iowa in this very moment.”The Iowa Supreme Court decision that’s under consideration&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/882e886e3a504e34b6586aa5b882f77f">struck down a 2017 law</a>&nbsp;signed by then-Gov. Terry Branstad requiring a woman to wait 72 hours before receiving an abortion. The court ruled 5-2 that an abortion is a fundamental right protected by the state constitution’s guarantee of liberty.“Autonomy and dominion over one’s body go to the very heart of what it means to be free,” wrote then-Chief Justice Mark Cady, who died in 2019. “Implicit in the concept of ordered liberty is the ability to decide whether to continue or terminate a pregnancy.”Since that decision, Branstad’s successor, Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds, has signed other restrictions, including&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-iowa-us-news-ap-top-news-des-moines-47954c73f5be430f842fe8bfe1b2b9bb">outlawing abortion once cardiac activity is detected in the embryo</a>&nbsp;and requiring a 24-hour waiting period. Both measures were struck down in state district court. Reynolds appealed the waiting-period decision to the Iowa Supreme Court last year.In the years since Cady’s opinion, Reynolds has appointed four of the court’s seven members. The Republican-controlled Legislature also gave her more control over the process of selecting the panel that recommends potential nominees.Drake University Law School professor Sally Frank said if the court were to overturn a right established only four years ago, it “would give an even more political look to a decision here than the U.S. Supreme Court.”Yet abortion opponents argued that court rulings in a half-dozen states, including Iowa, are examples of laws inappropriately established by judges rather than elected officials.“This case presents the opportunity for the Iowa Supreme Court to return the issue back to the people to decide through their elected representatives in the Legislature,” said Mallory Carroll, a spokeswoman for the anti-abortion Susan B. Anthony List.Polls indicate support for keeping abortion legal. The Des Moines Register Iowa Poll found in September that 57% supported keeping abortion legal in most or all cases, compared with 38% who said it should be illegal in most or all cases. According to AP VoteCast, a 2020 survey of the electorate, 65% of Iowa voters said the U.S. Supreme Court should leave Roe v. Wade as it is, while a third said it should be overturned.Reynolds has said she is “proud of the legislation she signed in 2018,” including the ban on abortions once cardiac activity is detected, as early as six weeks and before many women know they are pregnant. While the measure included exceptions to protect the life of the mother and for pregnancies that are the result of incest or rape, Reynolds recently declined to endorse any exceptions.“I’m not going to set any parameters,” she told reporters last week. “We have a ruling before the Iowa Supreme Court and we’re going to wait and see what they do, and that actually will affect what our next steps are moving forward.”Supreme courts in Alaska, Florida, Kansas, Montana and Minnesota have ruled that their constitutions protect the right to abortion. Among them, Republicans hold legislative majorities and the governorships in Florida and Montana.In Montana and Florida, challenges to abortion restrictions are before those states’ supreme courts.Majority Republicans in the Kansas Legislature are seeking to invalidate a 2019 state Supreme Court decision that declared access to abortion a “fundamental right” with a referendum on the August primary ballot to amend the state constitution.Iowa Republicans also are pursuing a constitutional amendment that specifies the state constitution does not recognize, grant, or secure a right to abortion. The amendment could not stop the Legislature from enacting a statutory right to abortion, but would present an obstacle to any court weighing what the state would be required to enforce.The measure needs a second approval in the Legislature and will likely come up next year, Salmon, the GOP state lawmaker, said. If approved it would go before voters, probably in 2024.It’s the removal of the abortion guarantee in the 2018 court ruling that would clear the way for lawmakers to ban the procedure, Salmon’s ultimate goal.“That means that abortion would not be a service offered in this state,” Salmon said.___

Courts stymie abortion bans in GOP-led states

By JENNIFER SHUTT <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/commission-recommends-new-names-for-9-army-bases-to-end-ties-to-confederacy/">States Newsroom</a>

WASHINGTON — The group in charge 
of renaming military installations that have continued to honor 
Confederates released its recommendations for nine bases on Tuesday.

The Naming Commission, created by Congress in a defense authorization
 bill, is set to give its final report to the U.S. House and Senate 
Armed Services committees before Oct. 1, though its recommendations this
 week show where changes are likely to occur.

The group, made up of eight individuals including retired military 
officers, proposed changing the names of three Virginia installations, 
two Georgia bases, and one facility each in Alabama, Louisiana, North 
Carolina and Texas.

​​“This was an exhaustive process that entailed hundreds of hours of 
research, community engagement and internal deliberations,” retired Navy
 Adm. Michelle Howard, chair of the Naming Commission, said in a 
statement.

“This recommendation list includes American heroes whose stories 
deserve to be told and remembered; people who fought and sacrificed 
greatly on behalf of our nation.”

In Georgia, ​​Fort Benning would be renamed Fort Moore after Lt. Gen.
 Hal and Julia Moore, and Fort Gordon would be renamed Fort Eisenhower 
after General of the Army Dwight Eisenhower.

Hal Moore had a 32-year career in the U.S. Army that spanned from 
1945 to 1977, including deployments in Japan, Korea, Norway and Vietnam.

During the Vietnam War, while he was deployed, Julia worked to change
 the way the U.S. military handled death notifications, which at the 
time were delivered by cabbies carrying a telegram.

“Her complaints to the Pentagon led to the creation of casualty 
notification teams (as well as survivor support networks) that still 
carry out this difficult task today,” the commission writes.

Eisenhower, who began his education at West Point in 1911, would go 
on to become the Supreme Commander of Allied Expeditionary Forces 
throughout Europe during World War II. He was also the first Supreme 
Allied Commander Europe for NATO before he was elected as U.S. president
 in 1952 and re-elected in 1956.

In North Carolina, Fort Bragg would be renamed Fort Liberty. The 
commission wrote: “At the greatest moments of its history, the United 
States Army and its soldiers have earned our nation’s liberty, secured 
it for all Americans, and expanded it internationally.”

Louisiana’s Fort Polk would be renamed Fort Johnson after Sgt. 
William Henry Johnson, a Black soldier who enlisted in the segregated 
military and during World War I became “the United States’ first hero of
 the Great War, immediately receiving the French Croix de Guerre for his
 actions.”

“Upon returning to Jim Crow America, he was not awarded equal 
benefits as white soldiers,” the commission writes. “Unable to 
effectively work as a result of his wounds and lacking appropriate 
treatment for them, he died destitute in 1929. Though buried with 
military honors in Arlington National Cemetery, he faded from major 
memory for most of a century. Indeed, even his resting place was unknown
 for most of that time.”

Johnson was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart in 1996 and the Distinguished Service Cross in 2002.

In Texas, Fort Hood would be named Fort Cavazos for Gen. Richard 
Cavazos, who enrolled in the ROTC program at Texas Technical University 
and was commissioned into the Army right after graduation in 1951.

His actions during the Korean and Vietnam wars would earn him the 
Distinguished Service Cross, two Legions of Merit, a Silver Star, five 
Bronze Stars, the Purple Heart, and many other medals.

“In 1982, he became the first Hispanic-American to pin on four stars,” the commission wrote.

Alabama’s Fort Rucker would be renamed as Fort Novosel after Chief Warrant Officer Michael J. Novosel, Sr.

Novosel served in World War II in the Army Air Corps, in Korea in the
 Air Force and in Vietnam as an Army warrant officer and helicopter 
pilot.

“Assigned to Vietnam as a ‘Dustoff’ pilot, he flew helicopters 
evacuating combat zone casualties; a dangerous mission in which 
approximately one third of all medevac pilots became casualties 
themselves,” the commission wrote. “In Novosel’s two tours in Vietnam, 
he flew 2,543 extraction missions, rescuing over 5,500 seriously wounded
 soldiers.”

<a target="_blank" href="https://www.virginiamercury.com/2022/05/24/federal-commission-recommends-new-names-for-military-bases-named-for-confederates/">In Virginia</a>,
 Fort A.P. Hill would be renamed Fort Walker after Dr. Mary Walker, Fort
 Lee would become Fort Gregg-Adams after Lt. Gen. Arthur Gregg and Lt. 
Col. Charity Adams, and Fort Pickett would be renamed Fort Barfoot after
 Tech. Sgt. Van T. Barfoot.

Walker became the first female surgeon in Army history in 1863 and received the Medal of Honor in 1865.

The Commission wrote that “proud of her service and committed to the 
causes of equality for which she served, Mary Walker continued to wear 
the medal everyday thereafter, including through five decades of 
campaigning for women’s equality and women’s rights.”

Adams joined the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps in 1942 before being 
selected to command the first unit of Black women to serve overseas in 
1944.

“Gender discrimination limited her promotion to lieutenant colonel, 
the highest rank attainable by any woman during the war. But her 
effectiveness was made clear when it took three units of men to replace 
her battalion after they disbanded,” the commission wrote.

Gregg, who would share the base name with Adams, enlisted in the Army
 in 1945 and was a soldier in 1948 when Truman ordered the armed forces 
to desegregate. “Gregg did so with great skill, leading by example and 
embarking on a career of excellence,” the commission wrote.

Barfoot enlisted in the Army in 1940, later receiving the Medal of 
Honor for his actions in May 1944 in Italy while fighting Nazi German 
soldiers. He would stay in the military for 34 years, including tours in
 Korea and Vietnam.

Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III said in a statement Tuesday 
that he’s pleased to see the Naming Commission making progress and that 
he looks forward to seeing the completed report later this year.

“Today’s announcement,” Austin said, “highlights the Commission’s 
efforts to propose nine new installation names that reflect the courage,
 values, sacrifices, and diversity of our military men and women.”

By JENNIFER SHUTT <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/commission-recommends-new-names-for-9-army-bases-to-end-ties-to-confederacy/">States Newsroom</a>WASHINGTON — The group in charge 
of renaming military installations that have continued to honor 
Confederates released its recommendations for nine bases on Tuesday.The Naming Commission, created by Congress in a defense authorization
 bill, is set to give its final report to the U.S. House and Senate 
Armed Services committees before Oct. 1, though its recommendations this
 week show where changes are likely to occur.The group, made up of eight individuals including retired military 
officers, proposed changing the names of three Virginia installations, 
two Georgia bases, and one facility each in Alabama, Louisiana, North 
Carolina and Texas.​​“This was an exhaustive process that entailed hundreds of hours of 
research, community engagement and internal deliberations,” retired Navy
 Adm. Michelle Howard, chair of the Naming Commission, said in a 
statement.“This recommendation list includes American heroes whose stories 
deserve to be told and remembered; people who fought and sacrificed 
greatly on behalf of our nation.”<h2>Georgia bases</h2>In Georgia, ​​Fort Benning would be renamed Fort Moore after Lt. Gen.
 Hal and Julia Moore, and Fort Gordon would be renamed Fort Eisenhower 
after General of the Army Dwight Eisenhower.Hal Moore had a 32-year career in the U.S. Army that spanned from 
1945 to 1977, including deployments in Japan, Korea, Norway and Vietnam.During the Vietnam War, while he was deployed, Julia worked to change
 the way the U.S. military handled death notifications, which at the 
time were delivered by cabbies carrying a telegram.“Her complaints to the Pentagon led to the creation of casualty 
notification teams (as well as survivor support networks) that still 
carry out this difficult task today,” the commission writes.Eisenhower, who began his education at West Point in 1911, would go 
on to become the Supreme Commander of Allied Expeditionary Forces 
throughout Europe during World War II. He was also the first Supreme 
Allied Commander Europe for NATO before he was elected as U.S. president
 in 1952 and re-elected in 1956.<h2>North Carolina, Louisiana</h2>In North Carolina, Fort Bragg would be renamed Fort Liberty. The 
commission wrote: “At the greatest moments of its history, the United 
States Army and its soldiers have earned our nation’s liberty, secured 
it for all Americans, and expanded it internationally.”Louisiana’s Fort Polk would be renamed Fort Johnson after Sgt. 
William Henry Johnson, a Black soldier who enlisted in the segregated 
military and during World War I became “the United States’ first hero of
 the Great War, immediately receiving the French Croix de Guerre for his
 actions.”“Upon returning to Jim Crow America, he was not awarded equal 
benefits as white soldiers,” the commission writes. “Unable to 
effectively work as a result of his wounds and lacking appropriate 
treatment for them, he died destitute in 1929. Though buried with 
military honors in Arlington National Cemetery, he faded from major 
memory for most of a century. Indeed, even his resting place was unknown
 for most of that time.”Johnson was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart in 1996 and the Distinguished Service Cross in 2002.<h2>Texas, Alabama</h2>In Texas, Fort Hood would be named Fort Cavazos for Gen. Richard 
Cavazos, who enrolled in the ROTC program at Texas Technical University 
and was commissioned into the Army right after graduation in 1951.His actions during the Korean and Vietnam wars would earn him the 
Distinguished Service Cross, two Legions of Merit, a Silver Star, five 
Bronze Stars, the Purple Heart, and many other medals.“In 1982, he became the first Hispanic-American to pin on four stars,” the commission wrote.Alabama’s Fort Rucker would be renamed as Fort Novosel after Chief Warrant Officer Michael J. Novosel, Sr.Novosel served in World War II in the Army Air Corps, in Korea in the
 Air Force and in Vietnam as an Army warrant officer and helicopter 
pilot.“Assigned to Vietnam as a ‘Dustoff’ pilot, he flew helicopters 
evacuating combat zone casualties; a dangerous mission in which 
approximately one third of all medevac pilots became casualties 
themselves,” the commission wrote. “In Novosel’s two tours in Vietnam, 
he flew 2,543 extraction missions, rescuing over 5,500 seriously wounded
 soldiers.”3 bases in Virginia<a target="_blank" href="https://www.virginiamercury.com/2022/05/24/federal-commission-recommends-new-names-for-military-bases-named-for-confederates/">In Virginia</a>,
 Fort A.P. Hill would be renamed Fort Walker after Dr. Mary Walker, Fort
 Lee would become Fort Gregg-Adams after Lt. Gen. Arthur Gregg and Lt. 
Col. Charity Adams, and Fort Pickett would be renamed Fort Barfoot after
 Tech. Sgt. Van T. Barfoot.Walker became the first female surgeon in Army history in 1863 and received the Medal of Honor in 1865.The Commission wrote that “proud of her service and committed to the 
causes of equality for which she served, Mary Walker continued to wear 
the medal everyday thereafter, including through five decades of 
campaigning for women’s equality and women’s rights.”Adams joined the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps in 1942 before being 
selected to command the first unit of Black women to serve overseas in 
1944.“Gender discrimination limited her promotion to lieutenant colonel, 
the highest rank attainable by any woman during the war. But her 
effectiveness was made clear when it took three units of men to replace 
her battalion after they disbanded,” the commission wrote.Gregg, who would share the base name with Adams, enlisted in the Army
 in 1945 and was a soldier in 1948 when Truman ordered the armed forces 
to desegregate. “Gregg did so with great skill, leading by example and 
embarking on a career of excellence,” the commission wrote.Barfoot enlisted in the Army in 1940, later receiving the Medal of 
Honor for his actions in May 1944 in Italy while fighting Nazi German 
soldiers. He would stay in the military for 34 years, including tours in
 Korea and Vietnam.Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III said in a statement Tuesday 
that he’s pleased to see the Naming Commission making progress and that 
he looks forward to seeing the completed report later this year.“Today’s announcement,” Austin said, “highlights the Commission’s 
efforts to propose nine new installation names that reflect the courage,
 values, sacrifices, and diversity of our military men and women.”

Name changes for 9 Army bases to end ties to Confederacy recommended

TOPEKA — The Kansas Department of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/160/COVID-19-in-Kansas">Health reported&nbsp;</a>&nbsp;3,114 new coronavirus cases in Kansas from Wednesday May 18, to Wednesday May 25, for a total of 785,916 cases.

<a href="https://eaglepost.netlify.app/dashboard/littleapple/posts/e934d6dc-37db-451e-8c65-7278e0aa6cf0">The state reported</a> 137 additional COVID-19 deaths in the past week for a total of 8,939.

<a href="https://www.kansasvaccine.gov/158/Data">Click here for Data</a>&nbsp;about the COVID-19 vaccine.

<a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/160/COVID-19-in-Kansas">Click here&nbsp;</a>for additional virus numbers from the KDHE.

Kansas is providing fewer updates of its data about COVID-19 now that Gov. Laura Kelly formally declared that the state is moving toward treating COVID-19 as a disease like the flu that spreads regularly and isn't considered a pandemic.&nbsp;The health department plans to update data about cases and vaccinations each Wednesday.

The state continue to support access to free COVID-19 testing, work to ensure that vulnerable populations can get vaccinated, see that providers serve a broad population and give “comprehensive guidance” about the virus. She called the new phase “endemic normalcy.”

The health department plans to update data about cases and vaccinations each Wednesday.

TOPEKA — The Kansas Department of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/160/COVID-19-in-Kansas">Health reported&nbsp;</a>&nbsp;3,114 new coronavirus cases in Kansas from Wednesday May 18, to Wednesday May 25, for a total of 785,916 cases.<a href="https://eaglepost.netlify.app/dashboard/littleapple/posts/e934d6dc-37db-451e-8c65-7278e0aa6cf0">The state reported</a> 137 additional COVID-19 deaths in the past week for a total of 8,939.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/5/1653497884452.png" alt="Wednesday May 25, 2022 KDHE image" />
 <figcaption>Wednesday May 25, 2022 KDHE image</figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://www.kansasvaccine.gov/158/Data">Click here for Data</a>&nbsp;about the COVID-19 vaccine.<a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/160/COVID-19-in-Kansas">Click here&nbsp;</a>for additional virus numbers from the KDHE.Kansas is providing fewer updates of its data about COVID-19 now that Gov. Laura Kelly formally declared that the state is moving toward treating COVID-19 as a disease like the flu that spreads regularly and isn't considered a pandemic.&nbsp;The health department plans to update data about cases and vaccinations each Wednesday.The state continue to support access to free COVID-19 testing, work to ensure that vulnerable populations can get vaccinated, see that providers serve a broad population and give “comprehensive guidance” about the virus. She called the new phase “endemic normalcy.”The health department plans to update data about cases and vaccinations each Wednesday.

KDHE reports 137 additional COVID-19 deaths

WASHINGTON (AP) — The president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, Esther George, said Wednesday that she will retire in January, as required by the Fed's mandatory retirement rules.

George, who has typically supported higher interest rates to ward off inflation — a “hawk,” in Fed parlance — spent 40 years at the Kansas City Fed and became president nearly 11 years ago. Historically, Kansas City Fed presidents have had hawkish views, so her retirement may not have a significant impact on interest rate policy.

George's departure will extend a period of significant turnover among top Fed officials, just as the central bank is confronting the worst inflation in 40 years. The president of the Chicago Fed, Charles Evans, also faces a mandatory retirement in the coming months.

The Senate this month confirmed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-california-kamala-harris-inflation-73518d966d7ac7fb6b21b79bfccf27c9">two new members</a>&nbsp;to the Fed's board of governors in Washington, and also approved Chair Jerome Powell to a second four-year term. Governor Lael Brainard was confirmed as Vice Chair, replacing Richard Clarida, who resigned in January.

The turnover has increased the Fed's diversity. Biden's two new governors, Lisa Cook and Philip Jefferson, are the fourth and fifth Black governors in the Fed's 108-year history.

And on July 1, Susan Collins, an economist and provost at the University of Michigan, will become president of the Boston Federal Reserve, the first Black woman to run a regional Fed bank.

In August, Lorie Logan, an executive vice president at the New York Federal Reserve, will become president of the Dallas Fed. Logan currently oversees the Fed's trillions of dollars of Treasury and mortgage-backed bond holdings.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/5/1653495657941.png" alt="Esther George photo courtesy Federal Reserve Kansas City" />
 <figcaption>Esther George photo courtesy Federal Reserve Kansas City</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, Esther George, said Wednesday that she will retire in January, as required by the Fed's mandatory retirement rules.George, who has typically supported higher interest rates to ward off inflation — a “hawk,” in Fed parlance — spent 40 years at the Kansas City Fed and became president nearly 11 years ago. Historically, Kansas City Fed presidents have had hawkish views, so her retirement may not have a significant impact on interest rate policy.George's departure will extend a period of significant turnover among top Fed officials, just as the central bank is confronting the worst inflation in 40 years. The president of the Chicago Fed, Charles Evans, also faces a mandatory retirement in the coming months.The Senate this month confirmed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-california-kamala-harris-inflation-73518d966d7ac7fb6b21b79bfccf27c9">two new members</a>&nbsp;to the Fed's board of governors in Washington, and also approved Chair Jerome Powell to a second four-year term. Governor Lael Brainard was confirmed as Vice Chair, replacing Richard Clarida, who resigned in January.The turnover has increased the Fed's diversity. Biden's two new governors, Lisa Cook and Philip Jefferson, are the fourth and fifth Black governors in the Fed's 108-year history.And on July 1, Susan Collins, an economist and provost at the University of Michigan, will become president of the Boston Federal Reserve, the first Black woman to run a regional Fed bank.In August, Lorie Logan, an executive vice president at the New York Federal Reserve, will become president of the Dallas Fed. Logan currently oversees the Fed's trillions of dollars of Treasury and mortgage-backed bond holdings.

Kansas City Fed President announces retirement

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. births bumped up last year for the first time since 2014. The number of babies born was still lower than before the coronavirus pandemic.

The 1% increase was a bit of a rebound from 2020, the first year of the pandemic, which witnessed the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/birth-rates-science-coronavirus-pandemic-health-d51571bda4aa02eafdd42265912f1202">largest one-year drop in the U.S. births</a>&nbsp;in nearly 50 years.

But there were still about 86,000 fewer births last year than in 2019, according to a government report released Tuesday.

“We’re still not returning to pre-pandemic levels,” said Dr. Denise Jamieson, chair of gynecology and obstetrics at Emory University School of Medicine.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/virus-outbreak-health-us-news-ap-top-news-pandemics-8f871bc2cbe89b72e9eb01a21ebddb5b">U.S. births had been declining</a>&nbsp;for more than a decade before COVID-19 hit, and “I would expect that we would continue to see small, modest decreases,” she said.

Officials think last year’s uptick reflects births from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-science-health-3dc7033a62728f1a99a176c5577af58c">pregnancies that had been put off</a>&nbsp;during the uncertain early days of the pandemic. Deliveries were way down in January 2021, but improved as the year went on, said Brady Hamilton of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Much of the increase was seen in older moms.

“These are births that were postponed,” said Hamilton, lead author of the new report.

The report is based on a review of nearly all birth certificates issued last year.

— Nearly 3.7 million births were reported last year, up from the roughly 3.6 million recorded in 2020.

— Birth rates dropped again for teens and for women younger than 25, but rose 3% for women in their early 30s, 5% for women in their late 30s, and 3% for women in their early 40s.

— Birth rates rose 1% for Hispanic women and 3% for white women. But they fell 1% for Asian women, 3% for Black women, and 4% Native American and Alaska Native women. That may reflect the pandemic’s harsher impact on the health and lives of some racial groups, experts said.

—The U.S. was once among only a few developed countries with a fertility rate that ensured each generation had enough children to replace itself — about 2.1 kids per woman. But it’s been sliding, and in 2020 dropped to about 1.6, the lowest rate on record. It rose slightly last year, to nearly 1.7.

—The percentage of infants born small and premature — at less than 37 weeks — rose 4%, to about 10.5%. It was the highest it’s been since 2007.

The premature birth rate had declined slightly in 2020, and health officials aren’t sure why the increase occurred. But older moms are more likely to have preterm births, as are women infected with COVID-19, said the CDC’s Joyce Martin, a study co-author.

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. births bumped up last year for the first time since 2014. The number of babies born was still lower than before the coronavirus pandemic.The 1% increase was a bit of a rebound from 2020, the first year of the pandemic, which witnessed the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/birth-rates-science-coronavirus-pandemic-health-d51571bda4aa02eafdd42265912f1202">largest one-year drop in the U.S. births</a>&nbsp;in nearly 50 years.But there were still about 86,000 fewer births last year than in 2019, according to a government report released Tuesday.“We’re still not returning to pre-pandemic levels,” said Dr. Denise Jamieson, chair of gynecology and obstetrics at Emory University School of Medicine.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/virus-outbreak-health-us-news-ap-top-news-pandemics-8f871bc2cbe89b72e9eb01a21ebddb5b">U.S. births had been declining</a>&nbsp;for more than a decade before COVID-19 hit, and “I would expect that we would continue to see small, modest decreases,” she said.Officials think last year’s uptick reflects births from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-science-health-3dc7033a62728f1a99a176c5577af58c">pregnancies that had been put off</a>&nbsp;during the uncertain early days of the pandemic. Deliveries were way down in January 2021, but improved as the year went on, said Brady Hamilton of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Much of the increase was seen in older moms.“These are births that were postponed,” said Hamilton, lead author of the new report.The report is based on a review of nearly all birth certificates issued last year.Some of the key findings:— Nearly 3.7 million births were reported last year, up from the roughly 3.6 million recorded in 2020.— Birth rates dropped again for teens and for women younger than 25, but rose 3% for women in their early 30s, 5% for women in their late 30s, and 3% for women in their early 40s.— Birth rates rose 1% for Hispanic women and 3% for white women. But they fell 1% for Asian women, 3% for Black women, and 4% Native American and Alaska Native women. That may reflect the pandemic’s harsher impact on the health and lives of some racial groups, experts said.—The U.S. was once among only a few developed countries with a fertility rate that ensured each generation had enough children to replace itself — about 2.1 kids per woman. But it’s been sliding, and in 2020 dropped to about 1.6, the lowest rate on record. It rose slightly last year, to nearly 1.7.—The percentage of infants born small and premature — at less than 37 weeks — rose 4%, to about 10.5%. It was the highest it’s been since 2007.The premature birth rate had declined slightly in 2020, and health officials aren’t sure why the increase occurred. But older moms are more likely to have preterm births, as are women infected with COVID-19, said the CDC’s Joyce Martin, a study co-author.___

US births rose last year for the first time since 2014

By LESLIE EIKLEBERRY Salina Post

For Saline County Sheriff Roger Soldan, his trip last week with U.S. Senator Roger Marshall to the Mexican border near McAllen, Texas, was an eye opener.

Soldan was one of five Kansas sheriffs selected to accompany Marshall to the McAllen, Texas, area of the border for briefings, tours, and meetings with border patrol, Homeland Security, and State of Texas officials. The trip came amid the growing fentanyl crisis that is wreaking havoc in Kansas and across the nation.

“After visiting the southern border with Sheriffs Hayden, Hill, Soldan, Richards, and Morse, it’s clear that what is going on is a human tragedy in every sense of the word. At nighttime, it even looks like a war zone and there is a humanitarian crisis here that is lived out every day,” Marshall said in a statement issued after the trip. “Border patrol officers are simply overwhelmed and this is an unsustainable situation."&nbsp;&nbsp;

Other Kansas sheriffs making the trip were Calvin Hayden of Johnson County, Brian Hill of Shawnee County, Jeff Richards of Franklin County, and Tim Morse of Jackson County.

According to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is 50-100 times stronger than morphine. While pharmaceutical fentanyl was developed for pain management treatment for cancer patients, it also has become a dangerous illegally used drug. Fentanyl that is sold illegally is primarily manufactured in Mexico, the DEA noted.

Fentanyl produces effects similar to other opioid analgesics, such as relaxation, euphoria, pain relief, sedation, confusion, drowsiness, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, urinary retention, pupillary constriction, and respiratory depression, according to the DEA.

Fentanyl also is playing a major role in fatal drug overdoses in Kansas. 

According to a January report from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, "Fentanyl continues to drive the uptick in fatal drug overdoses in Kansas. This is largely attributed to increased availability, accessibility and use of illegally manufactured fentanyl statewide. Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid that is often combined with other drugs, such as heroin and cocaine, or used as a standalone drug. Due to its potency, fentanyl-involved overdoses have a fast onset and may be difficult to reverse."

Marshall recently announced support for the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.congress.gov/117/bills/s3336/BILLS-117s3336is.pdf">HALT Fentanyl Act</a>. The legislation would permanently give law enforcement the tools to help combat the fentanyl crisis, according to information from the senator's office. The legislation would permanently place fentanyl-related substances as a class into Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act. A Schedule I controlled substance is a drug, substance, or chemical that has a high potential for abuse; has no currently accepted medical value; and is subject to regulatory controls and administrative, civil, and criminal penalties under the Controlled Substances Act. Fentanyl-related substances’ current Schedule I classification is temporary and set to expire later this year, Marshall's office noted.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Soldan said that just in the McAllen, Texas, area, U.S. Border Patrol personnel encounter up to 1,000 immigrants a night trying to cross into the United States.

"Most of them are not Mexican citizens. They're mostly from other countries and come through Mexico to get to the U.S.," Soldan said. "The cartels are bring them up and then they'll send a wave of them across and then they'll follow that with people smuggling drugs or whatever because the border patrol is overwhelmed by the number of just immigrants, people trying to better their lives."

Soldan said he was struck by the number of children at the border. One night his group encountered a couple of girls under the age of 10 who had been sent by themselves to the U.S. border.

"They (their families) paid to get them brought here and all they had when they get to the United States is a phone number of someone to call to help them," Soldan said. 

Soldan's group went out Thursday night with the Texas Highway Patrol. The next morning, the group received a briefing about Operation Lone Star, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's response to the rise in illegal immigration.

The group then when out with the Texas Highway Patrol boat team on the Rio Grande River before visiting one of the check points, Soldan said.

The group then met with one of the ranchers who's land is near a check point. 

"The check point's 70 miles north of the border. It's on the highway going out. It's kind of a last defense against people coming north. That was an interesting stop, because on his ground, he's (rancher) getting over 100 dead people a year. People bring them up close (to the check point) and then tell them to walk across the ranch to get to the north side and then they get picked up for a ride to go north so they don't go through the check point," Soldan said.

"Its like walking on a superfine sandy beach in 115-degree weather," he continued. "They call it the 'Death Valley' for immigrants."

Friday night, Soldan's group went out with the Brooks County Sheriff Office personnel whose county includes the check point and the ranch. Within about 45 minutes, they had detected via camera some people jumping the fence between the ranch and a rest area.

"So they walk for two days through his ranch, jump the fence, come into the rest area, and then they all pile into a car that came down from Houston to pick 'em up," Soldan said.

He said two women from Houston were going to get paid $1,500 to pick up the illegal immigrants. 

"They picked them up. They all piled into the car and the truck and took off north and we stopped them," Soldan said. "Five of them fled over the fence into the brush. We had two immigrants and the two suspects that picked them up."

Soldan said it is a felony in Texas to smuggle people. 

The four remaining people were arrested and Border Patrol officers searched in a field and located one of the female immigrants that fled from the car.

"She was so dehydrated that they ended up carrying her back in the dark," he said.

All of the officers Soldan's group was with treated the immigrants in a humanitarian way.

"Contrary to what you would see on TV or what people want you to believe, they treated them very well," Soldan said.

"If you think about it, if it's that busy in that 35-mile stretch of the border, there's a whole lot of border down there. The governor has activated 10,000 Texas National Guard troops that are working on helping them. And they've got a thousand of their highway patrol, fish and game, Texas Rangers, he's got 1,000 of those guys down there helping just with border security and it's still coming," he said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/5/1653415194346.png" alt="U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, center, and select Kansas sheriffs, including Saline County Sheriff Roger Soldan (standing behind the senator) receive a briefing from a local farmer who is dealing with the border crisis. Photos courtesy U.S. Senator Roger Marshall's office" />
 <figcaption>U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, center, and select Kansas sheriffs, including Saline County Sheriff Roger Soldan (standing behind the senator) receive a briefing from a local farmer who is dealing with the border crisis. Photos courtesy U.S. Senator Roger Marshall's office</figcaption>
 </figure>By LESLIE EIKLEBERRY Salina PostFor Saline County Sheriff Roger Soldan, his trip last week with U.S. Senator Roger Marshall to the Mexican border near McAllen, Texas, was an eye opener.Soldan was one of five Kansas sheriffs selected to accompany Marshall to the McAllen, Texas, area of the border for briefings, tours, and meetings with border patrol, Homeland Security, and State of Texas officials. The trip came amid the growing fentanyl crisis that is wreaking havoc in Kansas and across the nation.“After visiting the southern border with Sheriffs Hayden, Hill, Soldan, Richards, and Morse, it’s clear that what is going on is a human tragedy in every sense of the word. At nighttime, it even looks like a war zone and there is a humanitarian crisis here that is lived out every day,” Marshall said in a statement issued after the trip. “Border patrol officers are simply overwhelmed and this is an unsustainable situation."&nbsp;&nbsp;Other Kansas sheriffs making the trip were Calvin Hayden of Johnson County, Brian Hill of Shawnee County, Jeff Richards of Franklin County, and Tim Morse of Jackson County.About fentanylAccording to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is 50-100 times stronger than morphine. While pharmaceutical fentanyl was developed for pain management treatment for cancer patients, it also has become a dangerous illegally used drug. Fentanyl that is sold illegally is primarily manufactured in Mexico, the DEA noted.Fentanyl produces effects similar to other opioid analgesics, such as relaxation, euphoria, pain relief, sedation, confusion, drowsiness, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, urinary retention, pupillary constriction, and respiratory depression, according to the DEA.Fentanyl also is playing a major role in fatal drug overdoses in Kansas. According to a January report from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, "Fentanyl continues to drive the uptick in fatal drug overdoses in Kansas. This is largely attributed to increased availability, accessibility and use of illegally manufactured fentanyl statewide. Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid that is often combined with other drugs, such as heroin and cocaine, or used as a standalone drug. Due to its potency, fentanyl-involved overdoses have a fast onset and may be difficult to reverse."Marshall recently announced support for the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.congress.gov/117/bills/s3336/BILLS-117s3336is.pdf">HALT Fentanyl Act</a>. The legislation would permanently give law enforcement the tools to help combat the fentanyl crisis, according to information from the senator's office. The legislation would permanently place fentanyl-related substances as a class into Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act. A Schedule I controlled substance is a drug, substance, or chemical that has a high potential for abuse; has no currently accepted medical value; and is subject to regulatory controls and administrative, civil, and criminal penalties under the Controlled Substances Act. Fentanyl-related substances’ current Schedule I classification is temporary and set to expire later this year, Marshall's office noted.&nbsp;&nbsp;<div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/T-JPV-qtKWA" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>At the borderSoldan said that just in the McAllen, Texas, area, U.S. Border Patrol personnel encounter up to 1,000 immigrants a night trying to cross into the United States."Most of them are not Mexican citizens. They're mostly from other countries and come through Mexico to get to the U.S.," Soldan said. "The cartels are bring them up and then they'll send a wave of them across and then they'll follow that with people smuggling drugs or whatever because the border patrol is overwhelmed by the number of just immigrants, people trying to better their lives."Soldan said he was struck by the number of children at the border. One night his group encountered a couple of girls under the age of 10 who had been sent by themselves to the U.S. border."They (their families) paid to get them brought here and all they had when they get to the United States is a phone number of someone to call to help them," Soldan said. <figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/5/1653415159179.png" alt="The group received a briefing about the border situation and what was being done." />
 <figcaption>The group received a briefing about the border situation and what was being done.</figcaption>
 </figure>Soldan's group went out Thursday night with the Texas Highway Patrol. The next morning, the group received a briefing about Operation Lone Star, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's response to the rise in illegal immigration.The group then when out with the Texas Highway Patrol boat team on the Rio Grande River before visiting one of the check points, Soldan said.The group then met with one of the ranchers who's land is near a check point. "The check point's 70 miles north of the border. It's on the highway going out. It's kind of a last defense against people coming north. That was an interesting stop, because on his ground, he's (rancher) getting over 100 dead people a year. People bring them up close (to the check point) and then tell them to walk across the ranch to get to the north side and then they get picked up for a ride to go north so they don't go through the check point," Soldan said."Its like walking on a superfine sandy beach in 115-degree weather," he continued. "They call it the 'Death Valley' for immigrants."<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/5/1653415106396.png" alt="Marshall and Kansas sheriffs receive a night tour with Brooks County Sheriff's Office personnel." />
 <figcaption>Marshall and Kansas sheriffs receive a night tour with Brooks County Sheriff's Office personnel.</figcaption>
 </figure>Friday night, Soldan's group went out with the Brooks County Sheriff Office personnel whose county includes the check point and the ranch. Within about 45 minutes, they had detected via camera some people jumping the fence between the ranch and a rest area."So they walk for two days through his ranch, jump the fence, come into the rest area, and then they all pile into a car that came down from Houston to pick 'em up," Soldan said.He said two women from Houston were going to get paid $1,500 to pick up the illegal immigrants. "They picked them up. They all piled into the car and the truck and took off north and we stopped them," Soldan said. "Five of them fled over the fence into the brush. We had two immigrants and the two suspects that picked them up."Soldan said it is a felony in Texas to smuggle people. The four remaining people were arrested and Border Patrol officers searched in a field and located one of the female immigrants that fled from the car."She was so dehydrated that they ended up carrying her back in the dark," he said.All of the officers Soldan's group was with treated the immigrants in a humanitarian way."Contrary to what you would see on TV or what people want you to believe, they treated them very well," Soldan said."If you think about it, if it's that busy in that 35-mile stretch of the border, there's a whole lot of border down there. The governor has activated 10,000 Texas National Guard troops that are working on helping them. And they've got a thousand of their highway patrol, fish and game, Texas Rangers, he's got 1,000 of those guys down there helping just with border security and it's still coming," he said.