DICKINSON COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Ohio woman caught with more than&nbsp;five pounds of fentanyl in her car during a traffic stop on Interstate 70, according to a media release from the Dickinson County Sheriff.&nbsp;

On May 5, a member of the Dickinson County Sheriff's Office Drug Enforcement Unit conducted a stop for numerous traffic violations on a passenger car at the Abilene exit. 

During the stop, the deputy became suspicious of criminal activity. The sheriff's office K-9 was deployed and helped find&nbsp; 5.2 pounds of fentanyl in the car.

Deputies arrested the driver, Latoya Walker, 39, of Dublin, Ohio, on requested narcotics-related charges for trafficking fentanyl.

Fentanyl can be lethal in extremely small doses. It is a synthetic opioid that is 80-100 times stronger than morphine and has been responsible for thousands of deaths across the United States, the sheriff's office noted.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/5/1620483422955.jpeg" alt="Walker photo Dickinson Co.&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>Walker photo Dickinson Co.&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>DICKINSON COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Ohio woman caught with more than&nbsp;five pounds of fentanyl in her car during a traffic stop on Interstate 70, according to a media release from the Dickinson County Sheriff.&nbsp;On May 5, a member of the Dickinson County Sheriff's Office Drug Enforcement Unit conducted a stop for numerous traffic violations on a passenger car at the Abilene exit. During the stop, the deputy became suspicious of criminal activity. The sheriff's office K-9 was deployed and helped find&nbsp; 5.2 pounds of fentanyl in the car.Deputies arrested the driver, Latoya Walker, 39, of Dublin, Ohio, on requested narcotics-related charges for trafficking fentanyl.Fentanyl can be lethal in extremely small doses. It is a synthetic opioid that is 80-100 times stronger than morphine and has been responsible for thousands of deaths across the United States, the sheriff's office noted.

Sheriff: Woman caught with 5 pounds of fentanyl on I-70

JACKSON COUNTY—A Kansas man died in a home explosion Monday in rural Jackson County.

Just after 6p.m., callers notified the Jackson County Sheriff's office of a large explosion that could be heard over 10 miles away, according to Sheriff Tim Morse.

Rescue units responded to the residence located at 27284 Q.4 Road three miles north of Holton or ¾ of a mile northeast of Jackson Heights School. 

First responders found the home to be completely leveled and on fire. 

Deputies located an injured woman outside the residence. She was was airlifted to a Kansas City hospital with serious injuries, according to Morse.

 Responders later located a man dead outside the residence. He was identified as 61-year-old Billy "Lu" Griffiths of Holton.&nbsp;It is believed that the home owners had been working on remodeling the residence, according to Morse.

The Kansas Fire Marshal’s Office and Jackson County Sheriff's office are working to determine the exact cause of the explosion.

The incident remains under investigation by the Kansas State Fire Marshal and the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/5/1620741074340.png" alt="Fire responders on the scene of Monday's home explosion and fire -photo courtesy WIBW TV" />
 <figcaption>Fire responders on the scene of Monday's home explosion and fire -photo courtesy WIBW TV</figcaption>
 </figure>JACKSON COUNTY—A Kansas man died in a home explosion Monday in rural Jackson County.Just after 6p.m., callers notified the Jackson County Sheriff's office of a large explosion that could be heard over 10 miles away, according to Sheriff Tim Morse.Rescue units responded to the residence located at 27284 Q.4 Road three miles north of Holton or ¾ of a mile northeast of Jackson Heights School. First responders found the home to be completely leveled and on fire. Deputies located an injured woman outside the residence. She was was airlifted to a Kansas City hospital with serious injuries, according to Morse. Responders later located a man dead outside the residence. He was identified as 61-year-old Billy "Lu" Griffiths of Holton.&nbsp;It is believed that the home owners had been working on remodeling the residence, according to Morse.The Kansas Fire Marshal’s Office and Jackson County Sheriff's office are working to determine the exact cause of the explosion.The incident remains under investigation by the Kansas State Fire Marshal and the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office.

Man dead, woman injured after Kan. home explosion, fire

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Identity theft rose sharply last year during the COVID-19 pandemic, and no place was hit harder than Kansas.

43,211 Kansans alerted the Federal Trade Commission in 2020 that someone had stolen or tried to steal their identity. That was 2,272 more cases than in 2019.

Kansas’ 1,802% year-over-year increase was the highest among the states and more than three times the national average. Rhode Island was next, with an increase of 1,002%.

Of all the 2020 identity theft reports in Kansas, 88% were classified as government documents or benefits fraud. The Kansas Department of Labor has cited a barrage of fraudulent unemployment claims since the coronavirus pandemic began.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/9/1601066765081.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Identity theft rose sharply last year during the COVID-19 pandemic, and no place was hit harder than Kansas.43,211 Kansans alerted the Federal Trade Commission in 2020 that someone had stolen or tried to steal their identity. That was 2,272 more cases than in 2019.Kansas’ 1,802% year-over-year increase was the highest among the states and more than three times the national average. Rhode Island was next, with an increase of 1,002%.Of all the 2020 identity theft reports in Kansas, 88% were classified as government documents or benefits fraud. The Kansas Department of Labor has cited a barrage of fraudulent unemployment claims since the coronavirus pandemic began.

Kan. leads the nation in ID theft during COVID-19 pandemic 

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Prosecutors <a href="https://www.jacksoncountyprosecutor.com/DocumentCenter/View/1747/Strickland-v-Chris-Brewer-Amicus-Brief-">called for the release</a> of a Missouri man who has spent more than 40 years in prison for a triple murder that the prosecutors concluded he didn’t commit, a letter released Monday showed.

The release of the letter, indicating overwhelming support for the release of Kevin Strickland, 62, came after his attorneys filed a petition urging the Missouri Supreme Court to free him immediately. In the letter, Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker and her chief deputy, Dan Nelson, said the evidence used to convict Strickland as a teenager has since been “eviscerated.”

Federal prosecutors in the Western District of Missouri, Jackson County’s presiding judge, Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas and members of the team that convicted Strickland four decades ago also now all agree that he deserves to be exonerated.

“This is a profound error we must correct now,” Baker said in the letter.

Strickland remains at the Western Missouri Correctional Center in Cameron. If he is exonerated, he will have suffered the longest wrongful imprisonment known in Missouri history.

Strickland, of Kansas City, was 18 when he was arrested, and prosecutors say the case was “thin from its inception,” resting almost entirely on the dubious identification of a traumatized shooting victim. Prosecutors said they wouldn’t charge Strickland with any crimes if the same case was before them today.

An investigation published in September said that for decades, two men who pleaded guilty in the killings swore Strickland was not with them and two other accomplices during the April 25, 1978, killings.

The testimony of Cynthia Douglas, the only eyewitness to the murders who herself was shot, was crucial. However, she later said detectives pressured her into identifying him. She tried to recant for years before dying in 2015.

Prosecutors at trial claimed Strickland carried a shotgun during the murders and elicited testimony that no fingerprints on the weapon could be compared. But new forensic testing done this year shows one fingerprint found on the gun is not Strickland’s.

The Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office began reviewing Strickland’s conviction in November after speaking with his lawyers and reviewing the investigation. Strickland’s case was the first tied to the murders to go to court.

The killings occurred when a group of assailants ransacked a Kansas City home. Larry Ingram, 21; Douglas’ boyfriend, John Walker, 20; and Douglas’ best friend, Sherrie Black, 22, were each fatally shot. Douglas was wounded but pretended to be dead.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/5/1620695920927.png" alt="Strickland photo MODOC" />
 <figcaption>Strickland photo MODOC</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Prosecutors <a href="https://www.jacksoncountyprosecutor.com/DocumentCenter/View/1747/Strickland-v-Chris-Brewer-Amicus-Brief-">called for the release</a> of a Missouri man who has spent more than 40 years in prison for a triple murder that the prosecutors concluded he didn’t commit, a letter released Monday showed.The release of the letter, indicating overwhelming support for the release of Kevin Strickland, 62, came after his attorneys filed a petition urging the Missouri Supreme Court to free him immediately. In the letter, Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker and her chief deputy, Dan Nelson, said the evidence used to convict Strickland as a teenager has since been “eviscerated.”Federal prosecutors in the Western District of Missouri, Jackson County’s presiding judge, Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas and members of the team that convicted Strickland four decades ago also now all agree that he deserves to be exonerated.“This is a profound error we must correct now,” Baker said in the letter.Strickland remains at the Western Missouri Correctional Center in Cameron. If he is exonerated, he will have suffered the longest wrongful imprisonment known in Missouri history.Strickland, of Kansas City, was 18 when he was arrested, and prosecutors say the case was “thin from its inception,” resting almost entirely on the dubious identification of a traumatized shooting victim. Prosecutors said they wouldn’t charge Strickland with any crimes if the same case was before them today.An investigation published in September said that for decades, two men who pleaded guilty in the killings swore Strickland was not with them and two other accomplices during the April 25, 1978, killings.The testimony of Cynthia Douglas, the only eyewitness to the murders who herself was shot, was crucial. However, she later said detectives pressured her into identifying him. She tried to recant for years before dying in 2015.Prosecutors at trial claimed Strickland carried a shotgun during the murders and elicited testimony that no fingerprints on the weapon could be compared. But new forensic testing done this year shows one fingerprint found on the gun is not Strickland’s.The Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office began reviewing Strickland’s conviction in November after speaking with his lawyers and reviewing the investigation. Strickland’s case was the first tied to the murders to go to court.The killings occurred when a group of assailants ransacked a Kansas City home. Larry Ingram, 21; Douglas’ boyfriend, John Walker, 20; and Douglas’ best friend, Sherrie Black, 22, were each fatally shot. Douglas was wounded but pretended to be dead.

Prosecutors: KC man wrongly convicted of 1978 murder

By ABIGAIL CENSKY &amp; STEPHEN KORANDA <a href="https://www.kcur.org/politics-elections-and-government/2021-05-09/from-taxes-to-banning-transgender-athletes-7-things-kansas-lawmakers-did-and-didnt-do">Kansas News Service</a>

TOPEKA, Kansas — After ousting moderates and <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2020-11-05/republican-gains-in-the-kansas-legislature-will-affect-vetoes-new-political-maps-and-more" target="_blank">electing more conservatives</a> in the 2020 elections, Kansas Republicans road-tested their brawny supermajority at the end of the 2021 legislative session.

That
 political muscle allowed the conservatives who control the Legislature 
to override several of Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly’s vetoes.

Senate
 President Ty Masterson pledged Republicans would go on a 
“veto-override-a-rama” after Kelly struck down multiple GOP priorities 
with her veto pen. They exercise the might of that supermajority on 
conservative bedrock issues like tax policy and Second Amendment rights.

Republicans issued a decisive rebuke to Kelly when they overrode the governor’s veto of <a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/sb50/" target="_blank">a tax-cutting bill</a>.

Democrats
 cautioned they were heading back to the atrophied years of tax cuts 
that defined the era when Sam Brownback was governor.

“I worry 
that we always seem to flirt with the same problem that we had with the 
last recession in 2008 when we came back and gave tax cuts,” Sen. Tom 
Hawk, a Manhattan Democrat said, “ and then our state did not recover as
 rapidly as those around us.”

But Caryn Tyson, the Republican chair of the tax committee, said that was just “gloom and doom.”

“That’s money that’s going to come back into the Kansas economy,” Tyson said, “not be used to grow government.”

The
 tax cuts increase the standardized deduction for individuals and let 
some people itemize their deductions in Kansas — even if they don’t 
itemize on their federal income tax returns. It’s expected to cut state 
tax collections by hundreds of millions of dollars over the next several
 years.

Kansas law already 
allows most people over 21 to carry a concealed gun without a permit. 
This year, lawmakers reversed the governor’s veto of <a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/hb2058/" target="_blank">a bill</a> letting 18- to 20-year-olds carry a concealed gun if they get a state permit.

Kelly said the lower age posed a safety issue, and she often cited the idea of how it might allow more guns on college campuses.

Republicans
 banded together to overturn her opposition. Some pointed out that 
18-year-olds are adults and should have the right to carry a concealed 
weapon.

Others said it was already legal for 18-year-olds to carry
 a weapon openly, and the added requirements of getting a state permit 
were beneficial.

“This requires them … to get training,” Republican Rep. John Barker said. “That’s a positive move.”

Republicans pushed through tighter restrictions on voting.

The<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/hb2183/" target="_blank"> </a><a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/hb2183/" target="_blank">new law</a>
 includes provisions that make it a misdemeanor to return more than 10 
advance ballots on behalf of other voters, and makes impersonating an 
election official a felony.

Republican Blaine Finch said the law change was needed to build confidence in free and fair elections.

“Our
 county clerks, election officials and secretary of state’s office, they
 do an amazing job, and we must support them by plugging gaps and 
closing loopholes and making our laws stronger, ” he said.

The new law mimics a <a href="https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/the-states-where-efforts-to-restrict-voting-are-escalating/" target="_blank">swath of voting restriction bills</a>
 passed in other state legislatures. It passed narrowly — squeaking out 
of both chambers with only one more vote than what’s necessary to 
override the governor’s veto.

Overland Park Democratic Rep. Brett 
Parker said Republicans bypassed the standard rigor of the legislative 
process in ways that make it harder for people to vote.

“This is not what we got elected to do,” he said. “We should be making it easier for people to legitimately vote.”

The supermajority <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2021-04-22/kansas-bill-banning-transgender-athletes-in-female-sports-vetoed-and-an-override-fight-brews" target="_blank">faltered on another bill</a> that would have banned transgender athletes from girls and women’s sports.

Senate President Ty Masterson defended the ban. Republicans said <a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/sb55/" target="_blank">the ban</a> would protect female sports from unfair competition.

Any discrimination, Masterson said, is “against that little girl or that college woman. That is the discrimination.”

Similar bills have been introduced in 33 other states, crafted from <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/state-anti-transgender-bills-represent-coordinated-attack-advocates-say-n1258124" target="_blank">model legislation </a>drafted
 by the conservative American Legislative Exchange Council. The bills 
triumphed in states like Tennessee, Mississippi, Arkansas, and South 
Dakota.

But in Kansas, even some Republicans blanched at 
legislating a ban that they argued would fly in the face of limited 
government and individual rights.

Sen. John Doll, a Republican and former teacher from Garden City said the Kansas State High School Activities Association<a href="https://www.kshsaa.org/Public/PDF/TransgenderPolicyRecommendations.pdf" target="_blank"> </a><a href="https://www.kshsaa.org/Public/PDF/TransgenderPolicyRecommendations.pdf" target="_blank">policy</a> already has policies against unfair competition.

“This is nothing but piling on,” he said.

The
 bill, deemed bullying by Democrats, was killed in the end by Kansas 
City Democratic Sen. David Haley, who cast the deciding vote after a 
parliamentary pause.

He said it was “probably one of the most difficult votes I’ve had to take.”

Republicans backed off the 
idea of creating a system that would let thousands of struggling 
students attend private schools using state tax dollars.

To give 
the idea a better chance, lawmakers tied the controversial voucher 
program to billions of dollars in state public school funding. But there
 was enough opposition that <a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/sb175/" target="_blank">the entire bill </a>ultimately failed.

During the final week of the session, lawmakers <a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/hb2134/" target="_blank">hashed out a compromise</a>
 that included the school funding and some policy changes Republicans 
wanted. It would set limits on remote learning and expand a tax credit 
for low-income scholarships to private schools.

The plan also 
included provisions aimed at measuring how students are performing, 
including guidelines for schools to monitor student improvement and 
report cards determining how well the state is doing educating kids in 
the foster care system.

Democrats like Rep. Valdenia Winn were 
willing to support those, and the bill ultimately passed with big 
bipartisan majorities. It continues the state on a<a href="https://www.kcur.org/education/2019-06-14/kansas-supreme-court-lawmakers-finally-put-enough-money-into-schools" target="_blank"> funding track</a> that ended a years-long lawsuit over school spending.

“The policy pieces are acceptable because they’re about accountability,” Winn said on the House floor.

Another critical <a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/hb2313/" target="_blank">school funding bill</a> was delayed after last-minute changes drew opposition.

The
 bill would reauthorize a statewide property tax that helps fund 
education. But more controversial provisions were added, including a 
program that would give property tax rebates to businesses that were 
forced to close or scale back operations during the pandemic because of 
government orders.

In the late hours of Friday night, a conference
 committee added an even more divisive idea by including a property tax 
exemption for private health clubs. The reasoning was that private 
health clubs face competition from government community centers and 
non-profit health clubs like the YMCA.

It was a priority of <a href="http://khfa.net/2021-join-fight-for-equality.html" target="_blank">an advocacy group</a>, including the wealthy owner of Genesis Health Clubs.

Opponents said groups like the YMCA offer community service programs that private health clubs do not.

Republican
 Sen. Mark Steffen said lawmakers need to explore whether government 
operations and non-profit groups compete with private businesses, but 
not with tax breaks for private gyms.

“There’s no question we’ve 
got a problem here,” Steffen said on the Senate floor. “Health clubs are
 just a symptom of the problem.”

After the measure failed, a conference committee removed the tax break for gyms and the pandemic property tax refunds.

Instead, the bill would commission a state study on government and non-profit groups competing with private businesses.

Historic medical marijuana legislation<a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2021-05-06/medical-marijuana-just-took-a-giant-step-toward-legalization-in-kansas" target="_blank"> </a><a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2021-05-06/medical-marijuana-just-took-a-giant-step-toward-legalization-in-kansas" target="_blank">passed in the House</a> but was never put up for a vote in the Senate.

The
 plan was tailor-made to garner support from the Legislature’s most 
conservative members. For instance, it came with rules that most 
patients need to have a six-month relationship with their doctor before 
receiving a medical marijuana recommendation, marijuana couldn’t be sold
 in forms that can be smoked or vaped and an option for counties to 
opt-out of growing and dispensing.

In the House, there was a split
 among Republicans. Some conservatives, like Rep. Brett Fairchild 
argued, legalization for medicinal use was a consistent small government
 position.

“We take that limited government position when it comes
 to guns, when it comes to taxes,” he said. Fairchild argued that same 
standard should apply to medical marijuna “if it’s prescribed by their 
doctors and it’s something they really need.”

Others like Rep. Pat
 Proctor of Leavenworth contended legalizing medical marijuana would be a
 gateway to legalizing recreational marijuana and “death blow” to his 
town.

“This bill is setting us on the path toward recreational 
marijuana,” he said. “If you don’t believe that then I would ask, why 
are we selling it in dispensaries instead of pharmacies? Why are we 
growing it in buildings instead of farms? Why are we dispensing it in 
any other form other than pill form?”

The measure passed 79-42 in 
the House. Masterson said the Senate hadn’t had enough time to 
thoroughly examine the legislation to warrant a vote. However, the bill 
which passed with bipartisan support will be ready for the 2022 session.

Abigail Censky is the political reporter for the Kansas News Service. You can follow her on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/AbigailCensky" target="_blank">@AbigailCensky</a> or email her at abigailcensky (at) kcur (dot) org.

Stephen Koranda is the Statehouse reporter and news editor for the Kansas News Service. You can follow him on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/Stephen_Koranda" target="_blank">@Stephen_Koranda</a> or email him at stephenkoranda (at) kcur (dot) org.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/5/1620652023135.png" alt="Stephen Koranda / Kansas News Service" />
 <figcaption>Stephen Koranda / Kansas News Service</figcaption>
 </figure>By ABIGAIL CENSKY &amp; STEPHEN KORANDA <a href="https://www.kcur.org/politics-elections-and-government/2021-05-09/from-taxes-to-banning-transgender-athletes-7-things-kansas-lawmakers-did-and-didnt-do">Kansas News Service</a>TOPEKA, Kansas — After ousting moderates and <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2020-11-05/republican-gains-in-the-kansas-legislature-will-affect-vetoes-new-political-maps-and-more" target="_blank">electing more conservatives</a> in the 2020 elections, Kansas Republicans road-tested their brawny supermajority at the end of the 2021 legislative session.That
 political muscle allowed the conservatives who control the Legislature 
to override several of Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly’s vetoes.Senate
 President Ty Masterson pledged Republicans would go on a 
“veto-override-a-rama” after Kelly struck down multiple GOP priorities 
with her veto pen. They exercise the might of that supermajority on 
conservative bedrock issues like tax policy and Second Amendment rights.<h2>Conservative Wins</h2><h2>Tax cuts triumph</h2>Republicans issued a decisive rebuke to Kelly when they overrode the governor’s veto of <a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/sb50/" target="_blank">a tax-cutting bill</a>.Democrats
 cautioned they were heading back to the atrophied years of tax cuts 
that defined the era when Sam Brownback was governor.“I worry 
that we always seem to flirt with the same problem that we had with the 
last recession in 2008 when we came back and gave tax cuts,” Sen. Tom 
Hawk, a Manhattan Democrat said, “ and then our state did not recover as
 rapidly as those around us.”But Caryn Tyson, the Republican chair of the tax committee, said that was just “gloom and doom.”“That’s money that’s going to come back into the Kansas economy,” Tyson said, “not be used to grow government.”The
 tax cuts increase the standardized deduction for individuals and let 
some people itemize their deductions in Kansas — even if they don’t 
itemize on their federal income tax returns. It’s expected to cut state 
tax collections by hundreds of millions of dollars over the next several
 years.<h2>Lower concealed carry age</h2>Kansas law already 
allows most people over 21 to carry a concealed gun without a permit. 
This year, lawmakers reversed the governor’s veto of <a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/hb2058/" target="_blank">a bill</a> letting 18- to 20-year-olds carry a concealed gun if they get a state permit.Kelly said the lower age posed a safety issue, and she often cited the idea of how it might allow more guns on college campuses.Republicans
 banded together to overturn her opposition. Some pointed out that 
18-year-olds are adults and should have the right to carry a concealed 
weapon.Others said it was already legal for 18-year-olds to carry
 a weapon openly, and the added requirements of getting a state permit 
were beneficial.“This requires them … to get training,” Republican Rep. John Barker said. “That’s a positive move.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/5/1620652142468.png" alt="Sens. Mike Petersen, left, John Doll and Dennis Pyle during a lull in the Legislature on Friday.Sens. Mike Petersen, left, John Doll and Dennis Pyle during a lull in the Legislature on Friday. Stephen Koranda" />
 <figcaption>Sens. Mike Petersen, left, John Doll and Dennis Pyle during a lull in the Legislature on Friday.Sens. Mike Petersen, left, John Doll and Dennis Pyle during a lull in the Legislature on Friday. Stephen Koranda</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Tighter voting rules</h2>Republicans pushed through tighter restrictions on voting.The<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/hb2183/" target="_blank"> </a><a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/hb2183/" target="_blank">new law</a>
 includes provisions that make it a misdemeanor to return more than 10 
advance ballots on behalf of other voters, and makes impersonating an 
election official a felony.Republican Blaine Finch said the law change was needed to build confidence in free and fair elections.“Our
 county clerks, election officials and secretary of state’s office, they
 do an amazing job, and we must support them by plugging gaps and 
closing loopholes and making our laws stronger, ” he said.The new law mimics a <a href="https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/the-states-where-efforts-to-restrict-voting-are-escalating/" target="_blank">swath of voting restriction bills</a>
 passed in other state legislatures. It passed narrowly — squeaking out 
of both chambers with only one more vote than what’s necessary to 
override the governor’s veto.Overland Park Democratic Rep. Brett 
Parker said Republicans bypassed the standard rigor of the legislative 
process in ways that make it harder for people to vote.“This is not what we got elected to do,” he said. “We should be making it easier for people to legitimately vote.”<h2>Conservatives Losses</h2><h2>Ban on transgender athletes fails</h2>The supermajority <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2021-04-22/kansas-bill-banning-transgender-athletes-in-female-sports-vetoed-and-an-override-fight-brews" target="_blank">faltered on another bill</a> that would have banned transgender athletes from girls and women’s sports.Senate President Ty Masterson defended the ban. Republicans said <a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/sb55/" target="_blank">the ban</a> would protect female sports from unfair competition.Any discrimination, Masterson said, is “against that little girl or that college woman. That is the discrimination.”Similar bills have been introduced in 33 other states, crafted from <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/state-anti-transgender-bills-represent-coordinated-attack-advocates-say-n1258124" target="_blank">model legislation </a>drafted
 by the conservative American Legislative Exchange Council. The bills 
triumphed in states like Tennessee, Mississippi, Arkansas, and South 
Dakota.But in Kansas, even some Republicans blanched at 
legislating a ban that they argued would fly in the face of limited 
government and individual rights.Sen. John Doll, a Republican and former teacher from Garden City said the Kansas State High School Activities Association<a href="https://www.kshsaa.org/Public/PDF/TransgenderPolicyRecommendations.pdf" target="_blank"> </a><a href="https://www.kshsaa.org/Public/PDF/TransgenderPolicyRecommendations.pdf" target="_blank">policy</a> already has policies against unfair competition.“This is nothing but piling on,” he said.The
 bill, deemed bullying by Democrats, was killed in the end by Kansas 
City Democratic Sen. David Haley, who cast the deciding vote after a 
parliamentary pause.He said it was “probably one of the most difficult votes I’ve had to take.”<h2>School vouchers flunk out</h2>Republicans backed off the 
idea of creating a system that would let thousands of struggling 
students attend private schools using state tax dollars.To give 
the idea a better chance, lawmakers tied the controversial voucher 
program to billions of dollars in state public school funding. But there
 was enough opposition that <a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/sb175/" target="_blank">the entire bill </a>ultimately failed.During the final week of the session, lawmakers <a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/hb2134/" target="_blank">hashed out a compromise</a>
 that included the school funding and some policy changes Republicans 
wanted. It would set limits on remote learning and expand a tax credit 
for low-income scholarships to private schools.The plan also 
included provisions aimed at measuring how students are performing, 
including guidelines for schools to monitor student improvement and 
report cards determining how well the state is doing educating kids in 
the foster care system.Democrats like Rep. Valdenia Winn were 
willing to support those, and the bill ultimately passed with big 
bipartisan majorities. It continues the state on a<a href="https://www.kcur.org/education/2019-06-14/kansas-supreme-court-lawmakers-finally-put-enough-money-into-schools" target="_blank"> funding track</a> that ended a years-long lawsuit over school spending.“The policy pieces are acceptable because they’re about accountability,” Winn said on the House floor.<h2>No tax cuts for gyms</h2>Another critical <a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/hb2313/" target="_blank">school funding bill</a> was delayed after last-minute changes drew opposition.The
 bill would reauthorize a statewide property tax that helps fund 
education. But more controversial provisions were added, including a 
program that would give property tax rebates to businesses that were 
forced to close or scale back operations during the pandemic because of 
government orders.In the late hours of Friday night, a conference
 committee added an even more divisive idea by including a property tax 
exemption for private health clubs. The reasoning was that private 
health clubs face competition from government community centers and 
non-profit health clubs like the YMCA.It was a priority of <a href="http://khfa.net/2021-join-fight-for-equality.html" target="_blank">an advocacy group</a>, including the wealthy owner of Genesis Health Clubs.Opponents said groups like the YMCA offer community service programs that private health clubs do not.Republican
 Sen. Mark Steffen said lawmakers need to explore whether government 
operations and non-profit groups compete with private businesses, but 
not with tax breaks for private gyms.“There’s no question we’ve 
got a problem here,” Steffen said on the Senate floor. “Health clubs are
 just a symptom of the problem.”After the measure failed, a conference committee removed the tax break for gyms and the pandemic property tax refunds.Instead, the bill would commission a state study on government and non-profit groups competing with private businesses.<h2>A draw on marijuana</h2>Historic medical marijuana legislation<a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2021-05-06/medical-marijuana-just-took-a-giant-step-toward-legalization-in-kansas" target="_blank"> </a><a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2021-05-06/medical-marijuana-just-took-a-giant-step-toward-legalization-in-kansas" target="_blank">passed in the House</a> but was never put up for a vote in the Senate.The
 plan was tailor-made to garner support from the Legislature’s most 
conservative members. For instance, it came with rules that most 
patients need to have a six-month relationship with their doctor before 
receiving a medical marijuana recommendation, marijuana couldn’t be sold
 in forms that can be smoked or vaped and an option for counties to 
opt-out of growing and dispensing.In the House, there was a split
 among Republicans. Some conservatives, like Rep. Brett Fairchild 
argued, legalization for medicinal use was a consistent small government
 position.“We take that limited government position when it comes
 to guns, when it comes to taxes,” he said. Fairchild argued that same 
standard should apply to medical marijuna “if it’s prescribed by their 
doctors and it’s something they really need.”Others like Rep. Pat
 Proctor of Leavenworth contended legalizing medical marijuana would be a
 gateway to legalizing recreational marijuana and “death blow” to his 
town.“This bill is setting us on the path toward recreational 
marijuana,” he said. “If you don’t believe that then I would ask, why 
are we selling it in dispensaries instead of pharmacies? Why are we 
growing it in buildings instead of farms? Why are we dispensing it in 
any other form other than pill form?”The measure passed 79-42 in 
the House. Masterson said the Senate hadn’t had enough time to 
thoroughly examine the legislation to warrant a vote. However, the bill 
which passed with bipartisan support will be ready for the 2022 session.Abigail Censky is the political reporter for the Kansas News Service. You can follow her on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/AbigailCensky" target="_blank">@AbigailCensky</a> or email her at abigailcensky (at) kcur (dot) org.Stephen Koranda is the Statehouse reporter and news editor for the Kansas News Service. You can follow him on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/Stephen_Koranda" target="_blank">@Stephen_Koranda</a> or email him at stephenkoranda (at) kcur (dot) org.

Taxes to transgender athletes: Recap of the 2021 Kan. legislative session

WASHINGTON (AP) — Hit by a cyberattack, the operator of a major U.S. fuel pipeline said it hopes to have services mostly restored by the end of the week as the FBI and administration officials identified the culprits as a gang of criminal hackers.

U.S. officials sought to soothe concerns about price spikes or damage to the economy by stressing that the fuel supply had so far not experienced widespread disruptions, and the company said Monday that it was working toward “substantially restoring operational service” by the weekend.

The White House said in a statement late Monday that it was monitoring supply shortages in parts of the Southeast and that President Joe Biden had directed federal agencies to bring their resources to bear.

Colonial Pipeline, which delivers about 45% of the fuel consumed on the East Coast, halted operations last week after revealing a ransomware attack that it said had affected some of its systems.

Nonetheless,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/europe-hacking-government-and-politics-technology-business-b2a867c0705acd953c90d6e2a58fabb9">the attack underscored the vulnerabilities of the nation’s energy sector</a>&nbsp;and other critical industries whose infrastructure is largely privately owned. Ransomware attacks are typically carried out by criminal hackers who scramble data, paralyzing victim networks, and demand large payments to decrypt it.

The Colonial attack was a potent reminder of the real-world implications of the burgeoning threat. Even as the Biden administration works to confront organized hacking campaigns sponsored by foreign governments, it must still contend with difficult-to-prevent attacks from cybercriminals.

“We need to invest to safeguard our critical infrastructure,” Biden said Monday. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said the attack “tells you how utterly vulnerable we are” to cyberattacks on U.S. infrastructure.

The attack came as the administration, still grappling with its response to massive breaches by Russia of federal agencies and private corporations, works on an executive order aimed at bolstering cybersecurity defenses. The Justice Department, meanwhile, has formed a ransomware task force designed for situations just like Colonial Pipeline, and the Energy Department on April 20 announced a 100-day initiative focused on protecting energy infrastructure from cyber threats. Similar actions are planned for other critical industries, such as water and natural gas.

Despite that, the challenge facing the government and the private sector remains immense.

In this case, the FBI publicly assigned blame Monday by saying the criminal syndicate whose ransomware was used in the attack is named DarkSide. The group’s members are Russian speakers, and the syndicate’s malware is coded not to attack networks using Russian-language keyboards.

Anne Neuberger, the White House deputy national security adviser for cyber and emerging technology, said at a briefing that the group has been on the FBI’s radar for months. She said its business model is to demand ransom payments from victims and then split the proceeds with the ransomware developers, relying on what she said was a “new and very troubling variant.”

WASHINGTON (AP) — Hit by a cyberattack, the operator of a major U.S. fuel pipeline said Monday it hopes to have services mostly restored by the end of the week as the FBI and administration officials identified the culprits as a gang of criminal hackers.

Colonial Pipeline, which delivers about 45% of the fuel consumed on the East Coast, halted operations last week after revealing a ransomware attack that it said had affected some of its systems. On Monday, U.S. officials sought to soothe concerns about price spikes or damage to the economy by stressing that the fuel supply had so far not been disrupted, and the company said it was working toward “substantially restoring operational service” by the weekend.

Nonetheless, the attack underscored the vulnerabilities of the nation’s energy sector and other critical industries whose infrastructure is largely privately owned. Ransomware attacks are typically carried out by criminal hackers who scramble data, paralyzing victim networks, and demand large payments to decrypt it.

“We need to invest to safeguard our critical infrastructure,” President Joe Biden said Monday.

The attack came as the administration, still grappling with its response to massive breaches by Russia of federal agencies and private corporations, works on an executive order aimed at bolstering cybersecurity defenses. The Justice Department, meanwhile, has formed a ransomware task force designed for situations just like Colonial Pipeline, and the Energy Department on April 20 announced a 100-day initiative focused on protecting energy infrastructure from cyber threats. Similar actions are planned for other critical industries.

In this case, the FBI moved with unusual speed to pinpoint blame, saying the criminal syndicate whose ransomware was used in the attack is named DarkSide. The group’s members are Russian speakers, and the syndicate’s malware is coded not to attack networks using Russian-language keyboards.

Anne Neuberger, the White House deputy national security adviser for cyber and emerging technology, said at a briefing that the group emerged just months ago. She said the group’s business model is to demand ransom payments from victims and then split the proceeds, relying on what she said was a “new and very troubling variant.”

She declined to say if Colonial Pipeline had paid any ransom, and the company has not given any indication of that one way or the other. Though the FBI has historically discouraged victims from making payments for fear of promoting additional attacks, she acknowledged “the very difficult” situation that victims face and said the administration needs to look “thoughtfully at this area” of how best to deter ransomware.

The U.S. sanctioned the Kremlin last month for a hack of federal government agencies that officials have linked to a military intelligence unit and described as an intelligence-gathering operation. In this case, though, the hackers are not known to be working at the behest of any foreign government.

The group posted a statement on its dark web site describing itself as apolitical. “Our goal is to make money, and not creating problems for society,” DarkSide said.

Asked Monday whether Russia was involved, Biden said, ”“I’m going to be meeting with President (Vladimir) Putin, and so far there is no evidence based on, from our intelligence people, that Russia is involved, although there is evidence that the actors, ransomware, is in Russia.

“They have some responsibility to deal with this,” he added.

U.S. officials have sought to head off anxieties about the prospect of a lingering economic impact and disruption to the fuel supply, especially given Colonial Pipeline’s key role in transporting gasoline, jet fuel, diesel and other petroleum products through 10 states between Texas and New Jersey.

Colonial is in the process of restarting portions of its network. It said Monday that it was evaluating the product inventory in storage tanks at its facilities. Administration officials stressed that the company proactively took some of its systems offline, as opposed to hackers doing it, and that its operating systems were spared.

In response to the attack, the administration loosened regulations for the transport of petroleum products on highways as part of an “all-hands-on-deck” effort to avoid disruptions in the fuel supply.

“The time of the outage is now approaching critical levels and if it continues to remain down we do expect an increase in East Coast gasoline and diesel prices,” said Debnil Chowdhury, IHS Markit Executive Director. The last time there was an outage of this magnitude was in 2016, he said, when gas prices rose 15 to 20 cents per gallon. But the Northeast had significantly more local refining capacity at that time, potentially intensifying any impact.

If the pipeline outage persists, the industry may want to turn to barges to transport fuel, but that could require a waiver of the Jones Act, a U.S. maritime law that requires products shipped between U.S. ports to be moved by American-flagged ships.

The pipeline utilizes both common and custom technology systems, which could complicate efforts to bring the entire network back online, according to analysts at Third Bridge.

Gasoline futures ticked higher Monday. Futures for crude and fuel, prices that traders pay for contracts for delivery in the future, typically begin to rise anyway each year as the driving season approaches. The price you pay at the pump tends to follow.

The average U.S. price of regular-grade gasoline has jumped 6 cents over the past two weeks, to $3.02 per gallon, which is $1.05 higher than a year ago. The year-ago numbers are skewed somewhat because the nation was going into lockdown due to the pandemic.

The attack on the Colonial Pipeline could exacerbate the upward pressure on prices if it is unresolved for a period of time.

NEW YORK (AP) — The cyberextortion attempt that has forced the shutdown of a vital U.S. pipeline was carried out by a criminal gang known as DarkSide that cultivates a Robin Hood image of stealing from corporations and giving a cut to charity, two people close to the investigation said Sunday.

<a href="https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/emergency/esc-ssc-wsc-regional-emergency-declaration-2021-002-05-09-2021">Click here to read </a>the emergency declaration from the Department of Transportation.

The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ga-state-wire-business-c6ef4314af911fb58b8445d2b121e82d">shutdown, meanwhile, stretched into its third day</a>, with the Biden administration loosening regulations for the transport of petroleum products on highways as part of an “all-hands-on-deck” effort to avoid disruptions in the fuel supply.

Experts said that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-342d43005020fbbc2fb279bd593428f7">gasoline prices</a>&nbsp;are unlikely to be affected if the pipeline is back to normal in the next few days but that the incident — the worst cyberattack to date on critical U.S. infrastructure — should serve as a wake-up call to companies about the vulnerabilities they face.

The pipeline, operated by Georgia-based Colonial Pipeline, carries gasoline and other fuel from Texas to the Northeast. It delivers roughly 45% of fuel consumed on the East Coast, according to the company.

It was hit by what Colonial called&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/europe-canada-health-coronavirus-technology-288c8979c10b648ba72a4b0fc34b02ac">a ransomware attack, in which hackers&nbsp;</a>typically lock up computer systems by encrypting data, paralyzing networks, and then demand a large ransom to unscramble it.

On Sunday, Colonial Pipeline said it was actively in the process of restoring some of its IT systems. It says it remains in contact with law enforcement and other federal agencies, including the Department of Energy, which is leading the federal government response. The company has not said what was demanded or who made the demand.

However, two people close to the investigation, speaking on condition of anonymity, identified the culprit as DarkSide. It is among ransomware gangs that have “professionalized” a criminal industry that has cost Western nations tens of billions of dollars in losses in the past three years.

DarkSide claims that it does not attack hospitals and nursing homes, educational or government targets and that it donates a portion of its take to charity. It has been active since August and, typical of the most potent ransomware gangs, is known to avoid targeting organizations in former Soviet bloc nations.

Colonial did not say whether it has paid or was negotiating a ransom, and DarkSide neither announced the attack on its dark web site nor responded to an Associated Press reporter’s queries. The lack of acknowledgment usually indicates a victim is either negotiating or has paid.

On Sunday, Colonial Pipeline said it is developing a “system restart” plan. It said its main pipeline remains offline but some smaller lines are now operational.

“We are in the process of restoring service to other laterals and will bring our full system back online only when we believe it is safe to do so, and in full compliance with the approval of all federal regulations,” the company said in a statement.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/gina-raimondo-commerce-secretary-cd2794577a58ccae4b7cca9ce47af79d">Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo</a>&nbsp;said Sunday that ransomware attacks are “what businesses now have to worry about,” and that she will work “very vigorously” with the Department of Homeland Security to address the problem, calling it a top priority for the administration.

“Unfortunately, these sorts of attacks are becoming more frequent,” she said on CBS’ “Face the Nation.” “We have to work in partnership with business to secure networks to defend ourselves against these attacks.”

She said President Joe Biden was briefed on the attack.

“It’s an all-hands-on-deck effort right now,” Raimondo said. “And we are working closely with the company, state and local officials to make sure that they get back up to normal operations as quickly as possible and there aren’t disruptions in supply.”

The Department of Transportation issued&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/emergency/esc-ssc-wsc-regional-emergency-declaration-2021-002-05-09-2021" target="_blank">a regional emergency declaration</a>&nbsp;Sunday, relaxing hours-of-service regulations for drivers carrying gasoline, diesel, jet fuel and other refined petroleum products in 17 states and the District of Columbia. It lets them work extra or more flexible hours to make up for any fuel shortage related to the pipeline outage.

One of the people close to the Colonial investigation said that the attackers also stole data from the company, presumably for extortion purposes. Sometimes stolen data is more valuable to ransomware criminals than the leverage they gain by crippling a network, because some victims are loath to see sensitive information of theirs dumped online.

Security experts said the attack should be a warning for operators of critical infrastructure — including electrical and water utilities and energy and transportation companies — that not investing in updating their security puts them at risk of catastrophe.

Ed Amoroso, CEO of TAG Cyber, said Colonial was lucky its attacker was at least ostensibly motivated only by profit, not geopolitics. State-backed hackers bent on more serious destruction use the same intrusion methods as ransomware gangs.

“For companies vulnerable to ransomware, it’s a bad sign because they are probably more vulnerable to more serious attacks,” he said. Russian cyberwarriors, for example, crippled the electrical grid in Ukraine during the winters of 2015 and 2016.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ransomware-gangs-hacking-police-cybercrime-pipeline-3a38c27c4fafe0c39461fb71bf91a42a">Cyberextortion attempts in the U.S.&nbsp;</a>have become a death-by-a-thousand-cuts phenomenon in the past year, with attacks forcing delays in cancer treatment&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fbi-ransomware-healthcare-system-7531ca8d2742d855cd374213d111821c">at hospitals,&nbsp;</a>interrupting schooling and paralyzing police and city governments.

Tulsa, Oklahoma, this week became the 32nd state or local government in the U.S. to come under ransomware attack, said Brett Callow, a threat analyst with the cybersecurity firm Emsisoft.

Average ransoms paid in the U.S. jumped nearly threefold to more than $310,000 last year. The average downtime for victims of ransomware attacks is 21 days, according to the firm Coveware, which helps victims respond.

David Kennedy, founder and senior principal security consultant at TrustedSec, said that once a ransomware attack is discovered, companies have little recourse but to completely rebuild their infrastructure, or pay the ransom.

“Ransomware is absolutely out of control and one of the biggest threats we face as a nation,” Kennedy said. “The problem we face is most companies are grossly underprepared to face these threats.”

Colonial transports gasoline, diesel, jet fuel and home heating oil from refineries on the Gulf Coast through pipelines running from Texas to New Jersey. Its pipeline system spans more than 5,500 miles, transporting more than 100 million gallons (380 million liters) a day.

Debnil Chowdhury at the research firm IHSMarkit said that if the outage stretches to one to three weeks, gas prices could begin to rise.

“I wouldn’t be surprised, if this ends up being an outage of that magnitude, if we see 15- to 20-cent rise in gas prices over next week or two,” he said.

The Justice Department has a new&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-hacking-business-45977e01475a23513051ac549026fffb">task force dedicated to countering ransomware attacks.</a>

While the U.S. has not suffered any serious cyberattacks on its critical infrastructure, officials say Russian hackers in particular are known to have infiltrated some crucial sectors positioning themselves to do damage if armed conflict were to break out. While there is no evidence&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-technology-general-news-government-and-politics-c9dab7eb3841be45dff2d93ed3102999">the Kremlin benefits financially from ransomware,</a>&nbsp;U.S. officials believe President Vladimir Putin savors the mayhem it wreaks in adversaries’ economies.

Iranian hackers have also been aggressive in trying to gain access to utilities, factories and oil and gas facilities. In one case in 2013, they&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-new-york-iran-new-york-city-hacking-20e754ada2eb49edbfe6f5ea823bf5c8">broke into the control system of a U.S. dam.</a>

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/5/1620643205978.png" alt="&nbsp;The pipeline system spans more than 5,500 miles between Houston, Texas and Linden, New Jersey-image courtesy Colonial Pipeline" />
 <figcaption>&nbsp;The pipeline system spans more than 5,500 miles between Houston, Texas and Linden, New Jersey-image courtesy Colonial Pipeline</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — Hit by a cyberattack, the operator of a major U.S. fuel pipeline said it hopes to have services mostly restored by the end of the week as the FBI and administration officials identified the culprits as a gang of criminal hackers.U.S. officials sought to soothe concerns about price spikes or damage to the economy by stressing that the fuel supply had so far not experienced widespread disruptions, and the company said Monday that it was working toward “substantially restoring operational service” by the weekend.The White House said in a statement late Monday that it was monitoring supply shortages in parts of the Southeast and that President Joe Biden had directed federal agencies to bring their resources to bear.Colonial Pipeline, which delivers about 45% of the fuel consumed on the East Coast, halted operations last week after revealing a ransomware attack that it said had affected some of its systems.Nonetheless,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/europe-hacking-government-and-politics-technology-business-b2a867c0705acd953c90d6e2a58fabb9">the attack underscored the vulnerabilities of the nation’s energy sector</a>&nbsp;and other critical industries whose infrastructure is largely privately owned. Ransomware attacks are typically carried out by criminal hackers who scramble data, paralyzing victim networks, and demand large payments to decrypt it.The Colonial attack was a potent reminder of the real-world implications of the burgeoning threat. Even as the Biden administration works to confront organized hacking campaigns sponsored by foreign governments, it must still contend with difficult-to-prevent attacks from cybercriminals.“We need to invest to safeguard our critical infrastructure,” Biden said Monday. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said the attack “tells you how utterly vulnerable we are” to cyberattacks on U.S. infrastructure.The attack came as the administration, still grappling with its response to massive breaches by Russia of federal agencies and private corporations, works on an executive order aimed at bolstering cybersecurity defenses. The Justice Department, meanwhile, has formed a ransomware task force designed for situations just like Colonial Pipeline, and the Energy Department on April 20 announced a 100-day initiative focused on protecting energy infrastructure from cyber threats. Similar actions are planned for other critical industries, such as water and natural gas.Despite that, the challenge facing the government and the private sector remains immense.In this case, the FBI publicly assigned blame Monday by saying the criminal syndicate whose ransomware was used in the attack is named DarkSide. The group’s members are Russian speakers, and the syndicate’s malware is coded not to attack networks using Russian-language keyboards.Anne Neuberger, the White House deputy national security adviser for cyber and emerging technology, said at a briefing that the group has been on the FBI’s radar for months. She said its business model is to demand ransom payments from victims and then split the proceeds with the ransomware developers, relying on what she said was a “new and very troubling variant.”---------WASHINGTON (AP) — Hit by a cyberattack, the operator of a major U.S. fuel pipeline said Monday it hopes to have services mostly restored by the end of the week as the FBI and administration officials identified the culprits as a gang of criminal hackers.Colonial Pipeline, which delivers about 45% of the fuel consumed on the East Coast, halted operations last week after revealing a ransomware attack that it said had affected some of its systems. On Monday, U.S. officials sought to soothe concerns about price spikes or damage to the economy by stressing that the fuel supply had so far not been disrupted, and the company said it was working toward “substantially restoring operational service” by the weekend.Nonetheless, the attack underscored the vulnerabilities of the nation’s energy sector and other critical industries whose infrastructure is largely privately owned. Ransomware attacks are typically carried out by criminal hackers who scramble data, paralyzing victim networks, and demand large payments to decrypt it.The Colonial attack was a potent reminder of the real-world implications of the burgeoning threat. Even as the Biden administration works to confront organized hacking campaigns sponsored by foreign governments, it must still contend with difficult-to-prevent attacks from cybercriminals.“We need to invest to safeguard our critical infrastructure,” President Joe Biden said Monday.The attack came as the administration, still grappling with its response to massive breaches by Russia of federal agencies and private corporations, works on an executive order aimed at bolstering cybersecurity defenses. The Justice Department, meanwhile, has formed a ransomware task force designed for situations just like Colonial Pipeline, and the Energy Department on April 20 announced a 100-day initiative focused on protecting energy infrastructure from cyber threats. Similar actions are planned for other critical industries.Despite that, the challenge facing the government and the private sector remains immense.In this case, the FBI moved with unusual speed to pinpoint blame, saying the criminal syndicate whose ransomware was used in the attack is named DarkSide. The group’s members are Russian speakers, and the syndicate’s malware is coded not to attack networks using Russian-language keyboards.Anne Neuberger, the White House deputy national security adviser for cyber and emerging technology, said at a briefing that the group emerged just months ago. She said the group’s business model is to demand ransom payments from victims and then split the proceeds, relying on what she said was a “new and very troubling variant.”She declined to say if Colonial Pipeline had paid any ransom, and the company has not given any indication of that one way or the other. Though the FBI has historically discouraged victims from making payments for fear of promoting additional attacks, she acknowledged “the very difficult” situation that victims face and said the administration needs to look “thoughtfully at this area” of how best to deter ransomware.The U.S. sanctioned the Kremlin last month for a hack of federal government agencies that officials have linked to a military intelligence unit and described as an intelligence-gathering operation. In this case, though, the hackers are not known to be working at the behest of any foreign government.The group posted a statement on its dark web site describing itself as apolitical. “Our goal is to make money, and not creating problems for society,” DarkSide said.Asked Monday whether Russia was involved, Biden said, ”“I’m going to be meeting with President (Vladimir) Putin, and so far there is no evidence based on, from our intelligence people, that Russia is involved, although there is evidence that the actors, ransomware, is in Russia.“They have some responsibility to deal with this,” he added.U.S. officials have sought to head off anxieties about the prospect of a lingering economic impact and disruption to the fuel supply, especially given Colonial Pipeline’s key role in transporting gasoline, jet fuel, diesel and other petroleum products through 10 states between Texas and New Jersey.Colonial is in the process of restarting portions of its network. It said Monday that it was evaluating the product inventory in storage tanks at its facilities. Administration officials stressed that the company proactively took some of its systems offline, as opposed to hackers doing it, and that its operating systems were spared.In response to the attack, the administration loosened regulations for the transport of petroleum products on highways as part of an “all-hands-on-deck” effort to avoid disruptions in the fuel supply.“The time of the outage is now approaching critical levels and if it continues to remain down we do expect an increase in East Coast gasoline and diesel prices,” said Debnil Chowdhury, IHS Markit Executive Director. The last time there was an outage of this magnitude was in 2016, he said, when gas prices rose 15 to 20 cents per gallon. But the Northeast had significantly more local refining capacity at that time, potentially intensifying any impact.If the pipeline outage persists, the industry may want to turn to barges to transport fuel, but that could require a waiver of the Jones Act, a U.S. maritime law that requires products shipped between U.S. ports to be moved by American-flagged ships.The pipeline utilizes both common and custom technology systems, which could complicate efforts to bring the entire network back online, according to analysts at Third Bridge.Gasoline futures ticked higher Monday. Futures for crude and fuel, prices that traders pay for contracts for delivery in the future, typically begin to rise anyway each year as the driving season approaches. The price you pay at the pump tends to follow.The average U.S. price of regular-grade gasoline has jumped 6 cents over the past two weeks, to $3.02 per gallon, which is $1.05 higher than a year ago. The year-ago numbers are skewed somewhat because the nation was going into lockdown due to the pandemic.The attack on the Colonial Pipeline could exacerbate the upward pressure on prices if it is unresolved for a period of time.----------NEW YORK (AP) — The cyberextortion attempt that has forced the shutdown of a vital U.S. pipeline was carried out by a criminal gang known as DarkSide that cultivates a Robin Hood image of stealing from corporations and giving a cut to charity, two people close to the investigation said Sunday.<a href="https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/emergency/esc-ssc-wsc-regional-emergency-declaration-2021-002-05-09-2021">Click here to read </a>the emergency declaration from the Department of Transportation.The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ga-state-wire-business-c6ef4314af911fb58b8445d2b121e82d">shutdown, meanwhile, stretched into its third day</a>, with the Biden administration loosening regulations for the transport of petroleum products on highways as part of an “all-hands-on-deck” effort to avoid disruptions in the fuel supply.Experts said that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-342d43005020fbbc2fb279bd593428f7">gasoline prices</a>&nbsp;are unlikely to be affected if the pipeline is back to normal in the next few days but that the incident — the worst cyberattack to date on critical U.S. infrastructure — should serve as a wake-up call to companies about the vulnerabilities they face.The pipeline, operated by Georgia-based Colonial Pipeline, carries gasoline and other fuel from Texas to the Northeast. It delivers roughly 45% of fuel consumed on the East Coast, according to the company.It was hit by what Colonial called&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/europe-canada-health-coronavirus-technology-288c8979c10b648ba72a4b0fc34b02ac">a ransomware attack, in which hackers&nbsp;</a>typically lock up computer systems by encrypting data, paralyzing networks, and then demand a large ransom to unscramble it.On Sunday, Colonial Pipeline said it was actively in the process of restoring some of its IT systems. It says it remains in contact with law enforcement and other federal agencies, including the Department of Energy, which is leading the federal government response. The company has not said what was demanded or who made the demand.However, two people close to the investigation, speaking on condition of anonymity, identified the culprit as DarkSide. It is among ransomware gangs that have “professionalized” a criminal industry that has cost Western nations tens of billions of dollars in losses in the past three years.DarkSide claims that it does not attack hospitals and nursing homes, educational or government targets and that it donates a portion of its take to charity. It has been active since August and, typical of the most potent ransomware gangs, is known to avoid targeting organizations in former Soviet bloc nations.Colonial did not say whether it has paid or was negotiating a ransom, and DarkSide neither announced the attack on its dark web site nor responded to an Associated Press reporter’s queries. The lack of acknowledgment usually indicates a victim is either negotiating or has paid.On Sunday, Colonial Pipeline said it is developing a “system restart” plan. It said its main pipeline remains offline but some smaller lines are now operational.“We are in the process of restoring service to other laterals and will bring our full system back online only when we believe it is safe to do so, and in full compliance with the approval of all federal regulations,” the company said in a statement.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/gina-raimondo-commerce-secretary-cd2794577a58ccae4b7cca9ce47af79d">Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo</a>&nbsp;said Sunday that ransomware attacks are “what businesses now have to worry about,” and that she will work “very vigorously” with the Department of Homeland Security to address the problem, calling it a top priority for the administration.“Unfortunately, these sorts of attacks are becoming more frequent,” she said on CBS’ “Face the Nation.” “We have to work in partnership with business to secure networks to defend ourselves against these attacks.”She said President Joe Biden was briefed on the attack.“It’s an all-hands-on-deck effort right now,” Raimondo said. “And we are working closely with the company, state and local officials to make sure that they get back up to normal operations as quickly as possible and there aren’t disruptions in supply.”The Department of Transportation issued&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/emergency/esc-ssc-wsc-regional-emergency-declaration-2021-002-05-09-2021" target="_blank">a regional emergency declaration</a>&nbsp;Sunday, relaxing hours-of-service regulations for drivers carrying gasoline, diesel, jet fuel and other refined petroleum products in 17 states and the District of Columbia. It lets them work extra or more flexible hours to make up for any fuel shortage related to the pipeline outage.One of the people close to the Colonial investigation said that the attackers also stole data from the company, presumably for extortion purposes. Sometimes stolen data is more valuable to ransomware criminals than the leverage they gain by crippling a network, because some victims are loath to see sensitive information of theirs dumped online.Security experts said the attack should be a warning for operators of critical infrastructure — including electrical and water utilities and energy and transportation companies — that not investing in updating their security puts them at risk of catastrophe.Ed Amoroso, CEO of TAG Cyber, said Colonial was lucky its attacker was at least ostensibly motivated only by profit, not geopolitics. State-backed hackers bent on more serious destruction use the same intrusion methods as ransomware gangs.“For companies vulnerable to ransomware, it’s a bad sign because they are probably more vulnerable to more serious attacks,” he said. Russian cyberwarriors, for example, crippled the electrical grid in Ukraine during the winters of 2015 and 2016.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ransomware-gangs-hacking-police-cybercrime-pipeline-3a38c27c4fafe0c39461fb71bf91a42a">Cyberextortion attempts in the U.S.&nbsp;</a>have become a death-by-a-thousand-cuts phenomenon in the past year, with attacks forcing delays in cancer treatment&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fbi-ransomware-healthcare-system-7531ca8d2742d855cd374213d111821c">at hospitals,&nbsp;</a>interrupting schooling and paralyzing police and city governments.Tulsa, Oklahoma, this week became the 32nd state or local government in the U.S. to come under ransomware attack, said Brett Callow, a threat analyst with the cybersecurity firm Emsisoft.Average ransoms paid in the U.S. jumped nearly threefold to more than $310,000 last year. The average downtime for victims of ransomware attacks is 21 days, according to the firm Coveware, which helps victims respond.David Kennedy, founder and senior principal security consultant at TrustedSec, said that once a ransomware attack is discovered, companies have little recourse but to completely rebuild their infrastructure, or pay the ransom.“Ransomware is absolutely out of control and one of the biggest threats we face as a nation,” Kennedy said. “The problem we face is most companies are grossly underprepared to face these threats.”Colonial transports gasoline, diesel, jet fuel and home heating oil from refineries on the Gulf Coast through pipelines running from Texas to New Jersey. Its pipeline system spans more than 5,500 miles, transporting more than 100 million gallons (380 million liters) a day.Debnil Chowdhury at the research firm IHSMarkit said that if the outage stretches to one to three weeks, gas prices could begin to rise.“I wouldn’t be surprised, if this ends up being an outage of that magnitude, if we see 15- to 20-cent rise in gas prices over next week or two,” he said.The Justice Department has a new&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-hacking-business-45977e01475a23513051ac549026fffb">task force dedicated to countering ransomware attacks.</a>While the U.S. has not suffered any serious cyberattacks on its critical infrastructure, officials say Russian hackers in particular are known to have infiltrated some crucial sectors positioning themselves to do damage if armed conflict were to break out. While there is no evidence&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-technology-general-news-government-and-politics-c9dab7eb3841be45dff2d93ed3102999">the Kremlin benefits financially from ransomware,</a>&nbsp;U.S. officials believe President Vladimir Putin savors the mayhem it wreaks in adversaries’ economies.Iranian hackers have also been aggressive in trying to gain access to utilities, factories and oil and gas facilities. In one case in 2013, they&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-new-york-iran-new-york-city-hacking-20e754ada2eb49edbfe6f5ea823bf5c8">broke into the control system of a U.S. dam.</a>-------

Cyberattack: Pipeline officials hope most service back by weekend

The Internal Revenue Services offers an online tool to track your federal tax refund status.

• Social Security number or TIN • Filing status • Exact refund amount

Click&nbsp;<a href="https://sa.www4.irs.gov/irfof/lang/en/irfofgetstatus.jsp">HERE</a>&nbsp;to track your refund.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/9/1599869632873.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>IRSThe Internal Revenue Services offers an online tool to track your federal tax refund status.To track a refund, taxpayers will need:• Social Security number or TIN • Filing status • Exact refund amountClick&nbsp;<a href="https://sa.www4.irs.gov/irfof/lang/en/irfofgetstatus.jsp">HERE</a>&nbsp;to track your refund.

IRS: Where's my tax refund? Here's how to find out

WASHINGTON (AP) — The federal government will protect gay and transgender people against sex discrimination in health care, the Biden administration declared Monday, reversing a Trump-era policy that narrowed rights at the intersection of changing social mores and sensitive medical decisions.

It marked the latest step by President Joe Biden to advance the rights of gay and transgender people across society, from military service, to housing, to employment opportunities.

The policy announcement by the Department of Health and Human Services affirms that federal laws forbidding sex discrimination in health care also protect gay and transgender people. The Trump administration had defined “sex” to mean gender assigned at birth, thereby excluding transgender people from the law’s umbrella of protection.

“Fear of discrimination can lead individuals to forgo care, which can have serious negative health consequences,” said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra. “Everyone — including LGBTQ people — should be able to access health care, free from discrimination or interference, period.”

Both opponents and supporters of Biden’s action said it’s likely to lead to litigation.

Speaking for the medical community, the American Medical Association said in a statement the Biden administration “did the right thing” by ending “a dismal chapter which a federal agency sought to remove civil rights protections.” But some conservatives warned that doctors could be forced to perform gender reassignment procedures against their professional judgement.

Becerra said HHS will now be aligned with a landmark 6-3&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/courts-supreme-courts-mi-state-wire-neil-gorsuch-ap-top-news-ef3c19a79b65c060fd9e82b9dd87a1d9">Supreme Court decision last year in a workplace discrimination case</a>, which established that federal laws against sex discrimination on the job also protect gay and transgender people.

In a tweet at the time, then-President Donald Trump called the decision “horrible &amp; politically charged.” Undeterred by the ruling, his administration proceeded&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/bae1456be55955aab379a3541391f93b">to try to narrow protections against discrimination in health care.&nbsp;</a>But Biden early on in his term directed government agencies to apply the Supreme Court’s reasoning to areas under their jurisdiction.

Monday’s action means that the HHS Office for Civil Rights will again investigate complaints of sex discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. Hospitals, clinics and other medical providers can face denial of Medicare and Medicaid payments for violations of the law.

Since the Trump transgender rule had been blocked by a federal judge, the Biden administration action essentially restores a policy established during the Obama years. The Affordable Care Act prohibited sex discrimination in health care but did not use the term “gender identity.” The Obama administration interpreted the law as shielding gay and transgender people as well.

Conservative lawyer Roger Severino, who as a former HHS official oversaw the drafting of the Trump rules, said the Biden administration cut corners in issuing its new policy.

“This is inflaming the culture wars, especially when you are trying to circumvent the process,” said Severino, now at the Ethics and Public Policy Center think tank. Partly because of conflicting lower court rulings on the Trump and Obama policies, Becerra should have undertaken a formal rule-making, which can take months. “I expect lawsuits,” Severino added.

But civil rights advocates said the Supreme Court’s ruling on transgender protections essentially wiped the slate clean for Biden. “The Supreme Court has already laid out the reasoning that applies under all sex discrimination laws,” said Omar Gonzalez-Pagan, a lawyer for Lambda Legal. “They did so in an employment case but their reasoning applies equally in health care, in education, and in housing.”

In recent years the understanding of sex has broadened to acknowledge a person’s inner sense of being male, female, neither or a combination.

Behind the dispute over rights for transgender people is a medically recognized condition called “gender dysphoria” — discomfort or distress caused by a discrepancy between the gender that a person identifies as and the gender assigned at birth. Consequences can include severe depression. Treatment can range from gender confirmation surgery and hormones to people changing their outward appearance by adopting a different hairstyle or clothing.

Under the Obama-era rule, a hospital could be required to perform gender-transition procedures such as hysterectomies if the facility provided that kind of treatment for other medical conditions.

LGBTQ groups say explicit protections are needed for people seeking gender transition treatment, and even for transgender people who need care for illnesses such as diabetes or heart problems.

But Tony Perkins, president of the religious conservative Family Research Council, called sex “an objective biological reality” and said the Biden administration is promulgating “a nonsensical definition” of discrimination. “While this decision will advance America’s cultural psychosis, it will potentially put the physical well-being of individuals at grave risk,” Perkins said in a statement.

More than 1.5 million Americans identify as transgender, according to the Williams Institute, a think tank focusing on LGBT policy at the UCLA School of Law. A bigger number — 4.5% of the population— identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender, according to Gallup.

HHS is a traditional battleground for conflicts over social issues. During the Trump administration the department bent to the will of conservatives. Other Trump policies applauded by the right restricted abortion referrals and broadened employers’ ability to opt out of providing birth control to women workers covered by their health plans. Under Biden, the policy pendulum has been swinging back in the opposite direction.

One of Biden’s first steps after taking office was a Jan. 20 executive order on combating discrimination on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation.

Biden quickly followed that up with another order&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-reverse-ban-transgender-military-f0ace4f9866e0ca0df021eba75b3af20">reversing a Trump-era Pentagon policy&nbsp;</a>that largely barred transgender individuals from serving in the military.

And earlier this spring, the Department of Housing and Urban Development&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-government-and-politics-db45d1468f7f8dde5dedfcffabbba697">withdrew a Trump policy</a>&nbsp;that would have allowed taxpayer-funded homeless shelters to deny access to transgender people.

At HHS, Biden’s term has seen the Senate confirmation of Dr. Rachel Levine to be assistant secretary for health, a senior position that involves oversight of public health initiatives, HIV/AIDS, women’s health and minority health, as well as other areas including research protections. Levine, formerly Pennsylvania’s top health official, is the first openly transgender person to be confirmed by the Senate.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The federal government will protect gay and transgender people against sex discrimination in health care, the Biden administration declared Monday, reversing a Trump-era policy that narrowed rights at the intersection of changing social mores and sensitive medical decisions.It marked the latest step by President Joe Biden to advance the rights of gay and transgender people across society, from military service, to housing, to employment opportunities.The policy announcement by the Department of Health and Human Services affirms that federal laws forbidding sex discrimination in health care also protect gay and transgender people. The Trump administration had defined “sex” to mean gender assigned at birth, thereby excluding transgender people from the law’s umbrella of protection.“Fear of discrimination can lead individuals to forgo care, which can have serious negative health consequences,” said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra. “Everyone — including LGBTQ people — should be able to access health care, free from discrimination or interference, period.”Both opponents and supporters of Biden’s action said it’s likely to lead to litigation.Speaking for the medical community, the American Medical Association said in a statement the Biden administration “did the right thing” by ending “a dismal chapter which a federal agency sought to remove civil rights protections.” But some conservatives warned that doctors could be forced to perform gender reassignment procedures against their professional judgement.Becerra said HHS will now be aligned with a landmark 6-3&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/courts-supreme-courts-mi-state-wire-neil-gorsuch-ap-top-news-ef3c19a79b65c060fd9e82b9dd87a1d9">Supreme Court decision last year in a workplace discrimination case</a>, which established that federal laws against sex discrimination on the job also protect gay and transgender people.In a tweet at the time, then-President Donald Trump called the decision “horrible &amp; politically charged.” Undeterred by the ruling, his administration proceeded&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/bae1456be55955aab379a3541391f93b">to try to narrow protections against discrimination in health care.&nbsp;</a>But Biden early on in his term directed government agencies to apply the Supreme Court’s reasoning to areas under their jurisdiction.Monday’s action means that the HHS Office for Civil Rights will again investigate complaints of sex discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. Hospitals, clinics and other medical providers can face denial of Medicare and Medicaid payments for violations of the law.Since the Trump transgender rule had been blocked by a federal judge, the Biden administration action essentially restores a policy established during the Obama years. The Affordable Care Act prohibited sex discrimination in health care but did not use the term “gender identity.” The Obama administration interpreted the law as shielding gay and transgender people as well.Conservative lawyer Roger Severino, who as a former HHS official oversaw the drafting of the Trump rules, said the Biden administration cut corners in issuing its new policy.“This is inflaming the culture wars, especially when you are trying to circumvent the process,” said Severino, now at the Ethics and Public Policy Center think tank. Partly because of conflicting lower court rulings on the Trump and Obama policies, Becerra should have undertaken a formal rule-making, which can take months. “I expect lawsuits,” Severino added.But civil rights advocates said the Supreme Court’s ruling on transgender protections essentially wiped the slate clean for Biden. “The Supreme Court has already laid out the reasoning that applies under all sex discrimination laws,” said Omar Gonzalez-Pagan, a lawyer for Lambda Legal. “They did so in an employment case but their reasoning applies equally in health care, in education, and in housing.”In recent years the understanding of sex has broadened to acknowledge a person’s inner sense of being male, female, neither or a combination.Behind the dispute over rights for transgender people is a medically recognized condition called “gender dysphoria” — discomfort or distress caused by a discrepancy between the gender that a person identifies as and the gender assigned at birth. Consequences can include severe depression. Treatment can range from gender confirmation surgery and hormones to people changing their outward appearance by adopting a different hairstyle or clothing.Under the Obama-era rule, a hospital could be required to perform gender-transition procedures such as hysterectomies if the facility provided that kind of treatment for other medical conditions.LGBTQ groups say explicit protections are needed for people seeking gender transition treatment, and even for transgender people who need care for illnesses such as diabetes or heart problems.But Tony Perkins, president of the religious conservative Family Research Council, called sex “an objective biological reality” and said the Biden administration is promulgating “a nonsensical definition” of discrimination. “While this decision will advance America’s cultural psychosis, it will potentially put the physical well-being of individuals at grave risk,” Perkins said in a statement.More than 1.5 million Americans identify as transgender, according to the Williams Institute, a think tank focusing on LGBT policy at the UCLA School of Law. A bigger number — 4.5% of the population— identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender, according to Gallup.HHS is a traditional battleground for conflicts over social issues. During the Trump administration the department bent to the will of conservatives. Other Trump policies applauded by the right restricted abortion referrals and broadened employers’ ability to opt out of providing birth control to women workers covered by their health plans. Under Biden, the policy pendulum has been swinging back in the opposite direction.One of Biden’s first steps after taking office was a Jan. 20 executive order on combating discrimination on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation.Biden quickly followed that up with another order&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-reverse-ban-transgender-military-f0ace4f9866e0ca0df021eba75b3af20">reversing a Trump-era Pentagon policy&nbsp;</a>that largely barred transgender individuals from serving in the military.And earlier this spring, the Department of Housing and Urban Development&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-government-and-politics-db45d1468f7f8dde5dedfcffabbba697">withdrew a Trump policy</a>&nbsp;that would have allowed taxpayer-funded homeless shelters to deny access to transgender people.At HHS, Biden’s term has seen the Senate confirmation of Dr. Rachel Levine to be assistant secretary for health, a senior position that involves oversight of public health initiatives, HIV/AIDS, women’s health and minority health, as well as other areas including research protections. Levine, formerly Pennsylvania’s top health official, is the first openly transgender person to be confirmed by the Senate.

US restores health protections for gay, transgender people

ATCHISON COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a robbery and have two in custody.

Just before 6:00AM on Sunday, officers responded to the area of 21st and Birch in Atchison after it was reported an injured man was outside a residence, according to Police Chief Mike Wilson.

Police located the 28-year-old injured man from Liberty, Missouri and EMS transported him to a local hospital by EMS with for treatment. 

After an investigation that continued throughout the day on Sunday, police learned the victim came to Atchison around 9p.m. on Saturday. The victim arrived to meet with a person who lived at a residence in the 2000 Block of Birch Street and had been communicating with them on-line, according to Wilson.

Five persons were gathered in the Birch Street residence when a disturbance occurred around 4:00a.m.

The suspects struck the man over the head with a ball bat and over the head and shoulder with a chair and liquor bottle, and threatened him with a knife, according to Wilson.

The suspects also took a credit card, an ID card, cash and a cellphone from him. 

The victim was later able to get out and away from the residence and went to a nearby neighbor’s residence for help and police were called.

Police took a 17-year-old boy into custody on requested charges of aggravated battery and aggravated robbery. He is being held in a juvenile detention facility.

Police also arrested Bailey R. Walker, 28, of Atchison, on requested charges of aggravated assault and aggravated robbery. She is being held in the Atchison County jail, according to Wilson.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/5/1620611598398.png" alt="Walker photo Atchison Co." />
 <figcaption>Walker photo Atchison Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>ATCHISON COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a robbery and have two in custody.Just before 6:00AM on Sunday, officers responded to the area of 21st and Birch in Atchison after it was reported an injured man was outside a residence, according to Police Chief Mike Wilson.Police located the 28-year-old injured man from Liberty, Missouri and EMS transported him to a local hospital by EMS with for treatment. After an investigation that continued throughout the day on Sunday, police learned the victim came to Atchison around 9p.m. on Saturday. The victim arrived to meet with a person who lived at a residence in the 2000 Block of Birch Street and had been communicating with them on-line, according to Wilson.Five persons were gathered in the Birch Street residence when a disturbance occurred around 4:00a.m.The suspects struck the man over the head with a ball bat and over the head and shoulder with a chair and liquor bottle, and threatened him with a knife, according to Wilson.The suspects also took a credit card, an ID card, cash and a cellphone from him. The victim was later able to get out and away from the residence and went to a nearby neighbor’s residence for help and police were called.Police took a 17-year-old boy into custody on requested charges of aggravated battery and aggravated robbery. He is being held in a juvenile detention facility.Police also arrested Bailey R. Walker, 28, of Atchison, on requested charges of aggravated assault and aggravated robbery. She is being held in the Atchison County jail, according to Wilson.