DETROIT (AP) — The global shortage of semiconductors has forced General Motors and Ford to further cut production at their North American factories as chip supplies seem to be growing tighter.

The shutdowns likely will crimp dealer inventory of vehicles made at the plants.

GM says it has managed to keep humming factories that make hot-selling and very profitable full-size pickup trucks and SUVs.

“GM continues to leverage every available semiconductor to build and ship our most popular and in-demand products,” the company said Thursday in a statement.

The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/computer-chips-shortage-explained-c4eec42c97364908d60a35fcc0e11ea5">chip shortage</a>&nbsp;has already been rippling through various markets since last summer. It has made it difficult for schools to buy enough laptops for students forced to learn from home, delayed the release of popular products such as the iPhone 12 and created mad scrambles to find the latest video game consoles, such as the PlayStation 5.

But things have been getting even worse in recent weeks, particularly in the auto industry, where factories are shutting down because there aren’t enough chips to finish building vehicles that are starting to look like computers on wheels. The problem was recently compounded by a grounded container ship that blocked the Suez Canal for nearly a week, choking off chips headed from Asia to Europe.

These snags are likely to frustrate consumers who can’t find the vehicle they want and sometimes find themselves settling for a lower-end models without as many fancy electronic features. And it threatens to leave a big dent in the auto industry, which by some estimates stands to lose $60 billion in sales during the first half of his year.

GM said that the cuts will take place at its Spring Hill, Tennessee; Ramos Arizpe, Mexico; Ingersoll, Ontario; Fairfax, Kansas; Lansing, Michigan, Delta Township; and Lansing, Michigan, Grand River factories.

Spring Hill, which makes the Cadillac XT5, XT6 and GMC Acadia SUVs, will shut down the weeks of April 12 and 19. Production of the Chevrolet Blazer at Ramos Arizpe will stop for a week on April 19, while the Lansing Grand River plant, which makes the Chevrolet Camaro and Cadillac CT4 and CT5 sedans, will stay shut down through the week of April 26.

The Lansing Delta Township plant will be down for a week starting April 19, cutting production of the Chevy Traverse and Buick Enclave SUVs, while the Ontario and Kansas plants will be shut down through the week of May 10. Both have been idle since the week of Feb. 8. The Ontario plant makes the Chevrolet Equinox SUV, while the Kansas plant manufactures the Chevy Malibu sedan and Cadillac XT4 SUV.

Also Thursday, Ford said it would shut down its Chicago, Flat Rock, Michigan, and the Transit van side of the Kansas City Assembly Plant in Claycomo, Missouri, during the week of April 12. But seven U.S. plants will run through the two traditional summer shutdown weeks in late June and early July. The Chicago plant makes the Ford Explorer and Lincoln Aviator SUVs, while Flat Rock makes the Mustang sports car.

GM expects the chip shortage to cost it up to $2 billion in pretax profits this year from lost production and sales. Ford is bracing for a similar blow. In addition to GM and Ford, Nissan, Stellantis, Volkswagen and Honda seem to have been hit the hardest.

IHS Markit estimates that from January through March, the chip shortage reduced North American auto production by about 100,000 vehicles. In January of last year, before the pandemic, the U.S. auto industry had enough vehicles to supply 77 days of demand. By February of 2021 it was down almost 30% to 55 days. Edmunds.com says discounts are down and prices for new and used vehicles are up.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/3/1585229143795.png" alt=" Kami Hunt, Ford Motor Company employee, assembles the Ford Transit at Kansas City Assembly Plant. Photo Courtesy Ford Motor Company" />
 <figcaption> Kami Hunt, Ford Motor Company employee, assembles the Ford Transit at Kansas City Assembly Plant. Photo Courtesy Ford Motor Company</figcaption>
 </figure>DETROIT (AP) — The global shortage of semiconductors has forced General Motors and Ford to further cut production at their North American factories as chip supplies seem to be growing tighter.The shutdowns likely will crimp dealer inventory of vehicles made at the plants.GM says it has managed to keep humming factories that make hot-selling and very profitable full-size pickup trucks and SUVs.“GM continues to leverage every available semiconductor to build and ship our most popular and in-demand products,” the company said Thursday in a statement.The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/computer-chips-shortage-explained-c4eec42c97364908d60a35fcc0e11ea5">chip shortage</a>&nbsp;has already been rippling through various markets since last summer. It has made it difficult for schools to buy enough laptops for students forced to learn from home, delayed the release of popular products such as the iPhone 12 and created mad scrambles to find the latest video game consoles, such as the PlayStation 5.But things have been getting even worse in recent weeks, particularly in the auto industry, where factories are shutting down because there aren’t enough chips to finish building vehicles that are starting to look like computers on wheels. The problem was recently compounded by a grounded container ship that blocked the Suez Canal for nearly a week, choking off chips headed from Asia to Europe.These snags are likely to frustrate consumers who can’t find the vehicle they want and sometimes find themselves settling for a lower-end models without as many fancy electronic features. And it threatens to leave a big dent in the auto industry, which by some estimates stands to lose $60 billion in sales during the first half of his year.GM said that the cuts will take place at its Spring Hill, Tennessee; Ramos Arizpe, Mexico; Ingersoll, Ontario; Fairfax, Kansas; Lansing, Michigan, Delta Township; and Lansing, Michigan, Grand River factories.Spring Hill, which makes the Cadillac XT5, XT6 and GMC Acadia SUVs, will shut down the weeks of April 12 and 19. Production of the Chevrolet Blazer at Ramos Arizpe will stop for a week on April 19, while the Lansing Grand River plant, which makes the Chevrolet Camaro and Cadillac CT4 and CT5 sedans, will stay shut down through the week of April 26.The Lansing Delta Township plant will be down for a week starting April 19, cutting production of the Chevy Traverse and Buick Enclave SUVs, while the Ontario and Kansas plants will be shut down through the week of May 10. Both have been idle since the week of Feb. 8. The Ontario plant makes the Chevrolet Equinox SUV, while the Kansas plant manufactures the Chevy Malibu sedan and Cadillac XT4 SUV.Also Thursday, Ford said it would shut down its Chicago, Flat Rock, Michigan, and the Transit van side of the Kansas City Assembly Plant in Claycomo, Missouri, during the week of April 12. But seven U.S. plants will run through the two traditional summer shutdown weeks in late June and early July. The Chicago plant makes the Ford Explorer and Lincoln Aviator SUVs, while Flat Rock makes the Mustang sports car.GM expects the chip shortage to cost it up to $2 billion in pretax profits this year from lost production and sales. Ford is bracing for a similar blow. In addition to GM and Ford, Nissan, Stellantis, Volkswagen and Honda seem to have been hit the hardest.IHS Markit estimates that from January through March, the chip shortage reduced North American auto production by about 100,000 vehicles. In January of last year, before the pandemic, the U.S. auto industry had enough vehicles to supply 77 days of demand. By February of 2021 it was down almost 30% to 55 days. Edmunds.com says discounts are down and prices for new and used vehicles are up.

Chip shortage forces production cuts in Kan., Missouri

LONDON (AP) — Prince Philip, the irascible and tough-minded husband of Queen Elizabeth II who spent more than seven decades supporting his wife in a role that both defined and constricted his life, has died, Buckingham Palace said Friday. He was 99.

His life spanned nearly a century of European history, starting with his birth as a member of the Greek royal family and ending as Britain’s longest serving consort during a turbulent reign in which the thousand-year-old monarchy was forced to reinvent itself for the 21st century.

He was known for his occasionally racist and sexist remarks — and for gamely fulfilling more than 20,000 royal engagements to boost British interests at home and abroad. He headed hundreds of charities, founded programs that helped British schoolchildren participate in challenging outdoor adventures, and played a prominent part in raising his four children, including his eldest son, Prince Charles, the heir to the throne.

Philip spent a month in hospital earlier this year before being released on March 16 to return to Windsor Castle.

“It is with deep sorrow that Her Majesty The Queen has announced the death of her beloved husband, His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh,” the palace said. “His Royal Highness passed away peacefully this morning at Windsor Castle.”

Philip saw his sole role as providing support for his wife, who began her reign as Britain retreated from empire and steered the monarchy through decades of declining social deference and U.K. power into a modern world where people demand intimacy from their icons.

In the 1970s, Michael Parker, an old navy friend and former private secretary of the prince, said of him: “He told me the first day he offered me my job, that his job — first, second and last — was never to let her down.”

Speaking outside 10 Downing St., Prime Minister Boris Johnson noted the support Philip provided to the queen, saying he “helped to steer the royal family and the monarchy so that it remains an institution indisputably vital to the balance and happiness of our national life.”

The queen, a very private person not given to extravagant displays of affection, once called him “her rock” in public.

In private, Philip called his wife Lilibet; but he referred to her in conversation with others as “The Queen.”

Over the decades, Philip’s image changed from that of handsome, dashing athlete to arrogant and insensitive curmudgeon. In his later years, the image finally settled into that of droll and philosophical observer of the times, an elderly, craggy-faced man who maintained his military bearing despite ailments.

The popular Netflix series “The Crown” gave Philip a central role, with a slightly racy, swashbuckling image. He never commented on it in public, but the portrayal struck a chord with many Britons, including younger viewers who had only known him as an elderly man.

Philip’s position was a challenging one — there is no official role for the husband of a sovereign queen — and his life was marked by extraordinary contradictions between his public and private duties. He always walked three paces behind his wife in public, in a show of deference to the monarch, but he was the head of the family in private. Still, his son Charles, as heir to the throne, had a larger income, as well as access to the high-level government papers Philip was not permitted to see.

Philip often took a wry approach to his unusual place at the royal table.

“Constitutionally, I don’t exist,” said Philip, who in 2009 became the longest-serving consort in British history, surpassing Queen Charlotte, who married King George III in the18th century.

He frequently struggled to find his place — a friction that would later be echoed in his grandson Prince Harry’s decision to give up royal duties.

“There was no precedent,” he said in a rare interview with the BBC to mark his 90th birthday. “If I asked somebody, ‘What do you expect me to do?’ they all looked blank.”

But having given up a promising naval career to become consort when Elizabeth became queen at age 25, Philip was not content to stay on the sidelines and enjoy a life of ease and wealth. He promoted British industry and science, espoused environmental preservation long before it became fashionable, and traveled widely and frequently in support of his many charities.

In those frequent public appearances, Philip developed a reputation for being impatient and demanding and was sometimes blunt to the point of rudeness.

Many Britons appreciated what they saw as his propensity to speak his mind, while others criticized behavior they labeled offensive and out of touch.

In 1995, for example, he asked a Scottish driving instructor, “How do you keep the natives off the booze long enough to pass the test?” Seven years later in Australia, when visiting Aboriginal people with the queen, he asked: “Do you still throw spears at each other?”

Many believe his propensity to speak his mind meant he provided needed, unvarnished advice to the queen.

“The way that he survived in the British monarchy system was to be his own man, and that was a source of support to the queen,” said royal historian Robert Lacey. “All her life she was surrounded by men who said, ‘yes ma’am’ and he was one man who always told her how it really was, or at least how he saw it.”

Lacey said at the time of the royal family’s difficult relations with Princess Diana after her marriage to Charles broke down, Philip spoke for the family with authority, showing that he did not automatically defer to the queen.

Philip’s relationship with Diana became complicated as her separation from Charles and their eventual divorce played out in a series of public battles that damaged the monarchy’s standing.

It was widely assumed that he was critical of Diana’s use of broadcast interviews, including one in which she accused Charles of infidelity. But letters between Philip and Diana released after her death showed that the older man was at times supportive of his daughter-in-law.

After Diana’s death in a car crash in Paris in 1997, Philip had to endure allegations by former Harrods owner Mohamed Al Fayed that he had plotted the princess’s death. Al Fayed’s son, Dodi, also died in the crash.

During a lengthy inquest into their deaths, a senior judge acting as coroner instructed the jury that there was no evidence to support the allegations against Philip, who did not publicly respond to Al Fayed’s charges.

Philip’s final years were clouded by controversy and fissures in the royal family.

His third child, Prince Andrew, was embroiled in scandal over his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein, an American financier who died in a New York prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.

U.S. authorities accused Andrew of rebuffing their request to interview him as a witness, and Andrew faced accusations from a woman who said that she had several sexual encounters with the prince at Epstein’s behest. He denied the claim but withdrew from public royal duties amid the scandal.

At the start of 2020, Philip’s grandson Harry and his wife, the American former actress Meghan Markle, announced they were quitting royal duties and moving to North America to escape intense media scrutiny that they found unbearable.

Born June 10, 1921, on the dining room table at his parents’ home on the Greek island of Corfu, Philip was the fifth child and only son of Prince Andrew, younger brother of the king of Greece. His grandfather had come from Denmark during the 1860s to be adopted by Greece as the country’s monarch.

Philip’s mother was Princess Alice of Battenberg, a descendent of German princes. Like his future wife, Elizabeth, Philip was also a great-great-grandchild of Queen Victoria.

When Philip was 18 months old, his parents fled to France. His father, an army commander, had been tried after a devastating military defeat by the Turks. After British intervention, the Greek junta agreed not to sentence Andrew to death if he left the country.

The family was not exactly poor but, Philip said: “We weren’t well off” — and they got by with help from relatives. He later brought only his navy pay to a marriage with one of the world’s richest women.

Philip’s parents drifted apart when he was a child, and Andrew died in Monte Carlo in 1944. Alice founded a religious order that did not succeed and spent her old age at Buckingham Palace. A reclusive figure, often dressed in a nun’s habit, she was little seen by the British public. She died in 1969 and was posthumously honored by Britain and Israel for sheltering a Jewish family in Nazi-occupied Athens during the war.

Philip went to school in Britain and entered Britannia Royal Naval College Dartmouth as a cadet in 1939. He got his first posting in 1940 but was not allowed near the main war zone because he was a foreign prince of a neutral nation. When the Italian invasion of Greece ended that neutrality, he joined the war, serving on battleships in the Indian Ocean, the Mediterranean and the Pacific.

On leave in Britain, he visited his royal cousins, and, by the end of war, it was clear he was courting Princess Elizabeth, eldest child and heir of King George VI. Their engagement was announced July 10, 1947, and they were married on Nov. 20.

After an initial flurry of disapproval that Elizabeth was marrying a foreigner, Philip’s athletic skills, good looks and straight talk lent a distinct glamour to the royal family.

Elizabeth beamed in his presence, and they had a son and daughter while she was still free of the obligations of serving as monarch.

But King George VI died of cancer in 1952 at age 56.

Philip had to give up his naval career, and his subservient status was formally sealed at the coronation, when he knelt before his wife and pledged to become “her liege man of life and limb, and of earthly worship.”

The change in Philip’s life was dramatic.

“Within the house, and whatever we did, it was together,” Philip told biographer Basil Boothroyd of the years before Elizabeth became queen. “People used to come to me and ask me what to do. In 1952, the whole thing changed, very, very considerably.”

Said Boothroyd: “He had a choice between just tagging along, the second handshake in the receiving line, or finding other outlets for his bursting energies.”

So Philip took over management of the royal estates and expanded his travels to all corners of the world, building a role for himself.

From 1956, he was Patron and Chairman of Trustees for the largest youth activity program in Britain, the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, a program of practical, cultural and adventurous activities for young people that exists in over 100 countries. Millions of British children have had some contact with the award and its famous camping expeditions.

He painted, collected modern art, was interested in industrial design and planned a garden at Windsor Castle. But, he once said, “the arts world thinks of me as an uncultured, polo-playing clot.”

In time, the famous blond hair thinned and the long, fine-boned face acquired a few lines. He gave up polo but remained trim and vigorous.

To a friend’s suggestion that he ease up a bit, the prince is said to have replied, “Well, what would I do? Sit around and knit?”

But when he turned 90 in 2011, Philip told the BBC he was “winding down” his workload and he reckoned he had “done my bit.”

The next few years saw occasional hospital stays as Philip’s health flagged.

He announced in May 2017 that he planned to step back from royal duties, and he stopped scheduling new commitments — after roughly 22,000 royal engagements since his wife’s coronation. In 2019, he gave up his driver’s license after a serious car crash.

Philip is survived by the queen and their four children — Prince Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward — as well as eight grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.

The grandchildren are Charles’ sons, Prince William and Prince Harry; Anne’s children, Peter and Zara Phillips; Andrew’s daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie; and Edward’s children, Lady Louise and Viscount Severn.

The great-grandchildren are William and Kate’s children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis; Harry and Meghan’s son, Archie; Savannah and Isla, the daughters of Peter Phillips and his wife, Autumn; Mia, Lena and Lucas, the children of Zara Phillips and her husband, Mike Tindall; and Eugenie’s son, August, with her husband, Jack Brooksbank

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/2/1613578226437.png" alt="Prince Phillip, the Duke of Edinburgh during a stop in Virginia with Queen Elizabeth II in 2007 image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Prince Phillip, the Duke of Edinburgh during a stop in Virginia with Queen Elizabeth II in 2007 image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>LONDON (AP) — Prince Philip, the irascible and tough-minded husband of Queen Elizabeth II who spent more than seven decades supporting his wife in a role that both defined and constricted his life, has died, Buckingham Palace said Friday. He was 99.His life spanned nearly a century of European history, starting with his birth as a member of the Greek royal family and ending as Britain’s longest serving consort during a turbulent reign in which the thousand-year-old monarchy was forced to reinvent itself for the 21st century.He was known for his occasionally racist and sexist remarks — and for gamely fulfilling more than 20,000 royal engagements to boost British interests at home and abroad. He headed hundreds of charities, founded programs that helped British schoolchildren participate in challenging outdoor adventures, and played a prominent part in raising his four children, including his eldest son, Prince Charles, the heir to the throne.Philip spent a month in hospital earlier this year before being released on March 16 to return to Windsor Castle.“It is with deep sorrow that Her Majesty The Queen has announced the death of her beloved husband, His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh,” the palace said. “His Royal Highness passed away peacefully this morning at Windsor Castle.”Philip saw his sole role as providing support for his wife, who began her reign as Britain retreated from empire and steered the monarchy through decades of declining social deference and U.K. power into a modern world where people demand intimacy from their icons.In the 1970s, Michael Parker, an old navy friend and former private secretary of the prince, said of him: “He told me the first day he offered me my job, that his job — first, second and last — was never to let her down.”Speaking outside 10 Downing St., Prime Minister Boris Johnson noted the support Philip provided to the queen, saying he “helped to steer the royal family and the monarchy so that it remains an institution indisputably vital to the balance and happiness of our national life.”The queen, a very private person not given to extravagant displays of affection, once called him “her rock” in public.In private, Philip called his wife Lilibet; but he referred to her in conversation with others as “The Queen.”Over the decades, Philip’s image changed from that of handsome, dashing athlete to arrogant and insensitive curmudgeon. In his later years, the image finally settled into that of droll and philosophical observer of the times, an elderly, craggy-faced man who maintained his military bearing despite ailments.The popular Netflix series “The Crown” gave Philip a central role, with a slightly racy, swashbuckling image. He never commented on it in public, but the portrayal struck a chord with many Britons, including younger viewers who had only known him as an elderly man.Philip’s position was a challenging one — there is no official role for the husband of a sovereign queen — and his life was marked by extraordinary contradictions between his public and private duties. He always walked three paces behind his wife in public, in a show of deference to the monarch, but he was the head of the family in private. Still, his son Charles, as heir to the throne, had a larger income, as well as access to the high-level government papers Philip was not permitted to see.Philip often took a wry approach to his unusual place at the royal table.“Constitutionally, I don’t exist,” said Philip, who in 2009 became the longest-serving consort in British history, surpassing Queen Charlotte, who married King George III in the18th century.He frequently struggled to find his place — a friction that would later be echoed in his grandson Prince Harry’s decision to give up royal duties.“There was no precedent,” he said in a rare interview with the BBC to mark his 90th birthday. “If I asked somebody, ‘What do you expect me to do?’ they all looked blank.”But having given up a promising naval career to become consort when Elizabeth became queen at age 25, Philip was not content to stay on the sidelines and enjoy a life of ease and wealth. He promoted British industry and science, espoused environmental preservation long before it became fashionable, and traveled widely and frequently in support of his many charities.In those frequent public appearances, Philip developed a reputation for being impatient and demanding and was sometimes blunt to the point of rudeness.Many Britons appreciated what they saw as his propensity to speak his mind, while others criticized behavior they labeled offensive and out of touch.In 1995, for example, he asked a Scottish driving instructor, “How do you keep the natives off the booze long enough to pass the test?” Seven years later in Australia, when visiting Aboriginal people with the queen, he asked: “Do you still throw spears at each other?”Many believe his propensity to speak his mind meant he provided needed, unvarnished advice to the queen.“The way that he survived in the British monarchy system was to be his own man, and that was a source of support to the queen,” said royal historian Robert Lacey. “All her life she was surrounded by men who said, ‘yes ma’am’ and he was one man who always told her how it really was, or at least how he saw it.”Lacey said at the time of the royal family’s difficult relations with Princess Diana after her marriage to Charles broke down, Philip spoke for the family with authority, showing that he did not automatically defer to the queen.Philip’s relationship with Diana became complicated as her separation from Charles and their eventual divorce played out in a series of public battles that damaged the monarchy’s standing.It was widely assumed that he was critical of Diana’s use of broadcast interviews, including one in which she accused Charles of infidelity. But letters between Philip and Diana released after her death showed that the older man was at times supportive of his daughter-in-law.After Diana’s death in a car crash in Paris in 1997, Philip had to endure allegations by former Harrods owner Mohamed Al Fayed that he had plotted the princess’s death. Al Fayed’s son, Dodi, also died in the crash.During a lengthy inquest into their deaths, a senior judge acting as coroner instructed the jury that there was no evidence to support the allegations against Philip, who did not publicly respond to Al Fayed’s charges.Philip’s final years were clouded by controversy and fissures in the royal family.His third child, Prince Andrew, was embroiled in scandal over his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein, an American financier who died in a New York prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.U.S. authorities accused Andrew of rebuffing their request to interview him as a witness, and Andrew faced accusations from a woman who said that she had several sexual encounters with the prince at Epstein’s behest. He denied the claim but withdrew from public royal duties amid the scandal.At the start of 2020, Philip’s grandson Harry and his wife, the American former actress Meghan Markle, announced they were quitting royal duties and moving to North America to escape intense media scrutiny that they found unbearable.Born June 10, 1921, on the dining room table at his parents’ home on the Greek island of Corfu, Philip was the fifth child and only son of Prince Andrew, younger brother of the king of Greece. His grandfather had come from Denmark during the 1860s to be adopted by Greece as the country’s monarch.Philip’s mother was Princess Alice of Battenberg, a descendent of German princes. Like his future wife, Elizabeth, Philip was also a great-great-grandchild of Queen Victoria.When Philip was 18 months old, his parents fled to France. His father, an army commander, had been tried after a devastating military defeat by the Turks. After British intervention, the Greek junta agreed not to sentence Andrew to death if he left the country.The family was not exactly poor but, Philip said: “We weren’t well off” — and they got by with help from relatives. He later brought only his navy pay to a marriage with one of the world’s richest women.Philip’s parents drifted apart when he was a child, and Andrew died in Monte Carlo in 1944. Alice founded a religious order that did not succeed and spent her old age at Buckingham Palace. A reclusive figure, often dressed in a nun’s habit, she was little seen by the British public. She died in 1969 and was posthumously honored by Britain and Israel for sheltering a Jewish family in Nazi-occupied Athens during the war.Philip went to school in Britain and entered Britannia Royal Naval College Dartmouth as a cadet in 1939. He got his first posting in 1940 but was not allowed near the main war zone because he was a foreign prince of a neutral nation. When the Italian invasion of Greece ended that neutrality, he joined the war, serving on battleships in the Indian Ocean, the Mediterranean and the Pacific.On leave in Britain, he visited his royal cousins, and, by the end of war, it was clear he was courting Princess Elizabeth, eldest child and heir of King George VI. Their engagement was announced July 10, 1947, and they were married on Nov. 20.After an initial flurry of disapproval that Elizabeth was marrying a foreigner, Philip’s athletic skills, good looks and straight talk lent a distinct glamour to the royal family.Elizabeth beamed in his presence, and they had a son and daughter while she was still free of the obligations of serving as monarch.But King George VI died of cancer in 1952 at age 56.Philip had to give up his naval career, and his subservient status was formally sealed at the coronation, when he knelt before his wife and pledged to become “her liege man of life and limb, and of earthly worship.”The change in Philip’s life was dramatic.“Within the house, and whatever we did, it was together,” Philip told biographer Basil Boothroyd of the years before Elizabeth became queen. “People used to come to me and ask me what to do. In 1952, the whole thing changed, very, very considerably.”Said Boothroyd: “He had a choice between just tagging along, the second handshake in the receiving line, or finding other outlets for his bursting energies.”So Philip took over management of the royal estates and expanded his travels to all corners of the world, building a role for himself.From 1956, he was Patron and Chairman of Trustees for the largest youth activity program in Britain, the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, a program of practical, cultural and adventurous activities for young people that exists in over 100 countries. Millions of British children have had some contact with the award and its famous camping expeditions.He painted, collected modern art, was interested in industrial design and planned a garden at Windsor Castle. But, he once said, “the arts world thinks of me as an uncultured, polo-playing clot.”In time, the famous blond hair thinned and the long, fine-boned face acquired a few lines. He gave up polo but remained trim and vigorous.To a friend’s suggestion that he ease up a bit, the prince is said to have replied, “Well, what would I do? Sit around and knit?”But when he turned 90 in 2011, Philip told the BBC he was “winding down” his workload and he reckoned he had “done my bit.”The next few years saw occasional hospital stays as Philip’s health flagged.He announced in May 2017 that he planned to step back from royal duties, and he stopped scheduling new commitments — after roughly 22,000 royal engagements since his wife’s coronation. In 2019, he gave up his driver’s license after a serious car crash.Philip is survived by the queen and their four children — Prince Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward — as well as eight grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.The grandchildren are Charles’ sons, Prince William and Prince Harry; Anne’s children, Peter and Zara Phillips; Andrew’s daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie; and Edward’s children, Lady Louise and Viscount Severn.The great-grandchildren are William and Kate’s children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis; Harry and Meghan’s son, Archie; Savannah and Isla, the daughters of Peter Phillips and his wife, Autumn; Mia, Lena and Lucas, the children of Zara Phillips and her husband, Mike Tindall; and Eugenie’s son, August, with her husband, Jack Brooksbank

More on death of Prince Philip, husband of Queen Elizabeth II

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas conservatives appeared likely Friday to push a proposed ban on transgender athletes in girl’s and women’s school sports through the Republican-controlled Legislature but weren’t generating enough support to overcome a possible veto by the state’s Democratic governor.

The House approved&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/documents/ccrb_sb55_02_student_athletes.pdf" target="_blank">the bill</a>&nbsp;late Thursday,&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/vote_view/je_20210408234417_335249/" target="_blank">76-43.</a>&nbsp;The Senate was expected to follow sometime Friday and send the measure to Gov. Laura Kelly.

The Democratic governor typically does not say what she’ll do with legislation before it reaches her desk, but she has dropped strong hints that she plans to veto such a ban. She’s a supporter of LGBTQ rights, and she’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-legislature-discrimination-kansas-gender-identity-64dcb878d8f393098437dcd87e6a352f">called the bill “regressive”</a>&nbsp;and suggested it would hurt the state’s efforts to recruit businesses — an argument critics echoed during the House’s debate.

Kansas is among more than 20 states that have considered such a ban this year, pushing back against an executive order from Democratic President Joe Biden aimed at preventing discrimination against transgender students. Idaho enacted such a ban last year, and Republican governors in Arkansas, Mississippi and Tennessee have signed measures into law this year.

“It’s about scoring points in the culture wars,” said Democratic state Rep. Boog Highberger, of Lawrence, home to the University of Kansas. “Instead of finding new ways to persecute people for being the way that God made them, why don’t we work on understanding — increasing our understanding and compassion instead.”

Supporters argued that they’re trying to preserving decades of hard-won opportunities for “biological” girls and women to compete in K-12 sports and win college athletic scholarships. They suggested that failing to enact such a ban represented discrimination against girls and women.

“I don’t mistreat any student. They have a right to live their life however they want,” said Republican state Sen. Renee Erickson, of Wichita, a former K-12 school principal and ex-college basketball point guard who is the measure’s primary sponsor. “But we also have to be fair to all of the students in that school setting. That’s what this bill does.”

With Idaho’s law on hold because of a federal lawsuit, the American Civil Liberties Union has promised to file a lawsuit if Kansas enacts a law.

But if Kelly vetoed the bill, conservatives would need two-thirds majorities in both chambers to override her action. They were eight votes short in the 125-member House, and LGBTQ-rights advocates also think the bill would be short in the 40-member Senate as well.

The threat of a lawsuit — and arguments that Kansas could lose collegiate sports tournaments or business development — irritated some conservative lawmakers.

Supporters of such bans have pointed repeatedly to the 15 championships won between 2017 and 2019 by two transgender high school runners in Connecticut, which prompted a federal lawsuit. They argue that “biological boys” have innate physical advantages in girls’ and women’s sports that would ruin competition.

“We cannot allow the business community to bully the women and girls in Kansas,” said state Rep. Barbara Wasinger, a western Kansas Republican.

Yet supporters generally have been&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/lawmakers-unable-to-cite-local-trans-girls-sports-914a982545e943ecc1e265e8c41042e7">unable to cite local examples</a>&nbsp;of problems. The association overseeing extracurricular activities in Kansas K-12 schools says it has been notified of only five active transgender athletes, and there is no known case of a transgender athlete having won a Kansas championship.

State Rep. Jerry Stogsdill, a Kansas City-area Democrat, called the proposal “morally wrong,” but also argued that enacting the ban would be “shooting ourselves in the economic foot.” Rep. Brandon Woodard, another Kansas City-area Democrat and one of two openly gay lawmakers, said young people already leaving Kansas “in droves” over “backward policies.”

LGBTQ-rights advocates predicted that enacting the bill would increase&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-legislature-discrimination-kansas-bullying-576f42af35ef03f81dd930b487797a8b">bullying&nbsp;</a>of transgender students.

Freshman Democratic Rep. Stephanie Byers, of Wichita, the state’s first transgender lawmaker, read from a note left by a harassed transgender Ohio girl who committed suicide in 2014, urging people “to fix society.”

“This is about someone who is different that you may not understand and your desire to prevent them from being a part of our society in all fullness,” she told her colleagues. “Trans girls are girls. Trans women are women.”

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas conservatives appeared likely Friday to push a proposed ban on transgender athletes in girl’s and women’s school sports through the Republican-controlled Legislature but weren’t generating enough support to overcome a possible veto by the state’s Democratic governor.The House approved&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/documents/ccrb_sb55_02_student_athletes.pdf" target="_blank">the bill</a>&nbsp;late Thursday,&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/vote_view/je_20210408234417_335249/" target="_blank">76-43.</a>&nbsp;The Senate was expected to follow sometime Friday and send the measure to Gov. Laura Kelly.The Democratic governor typically does not say what she’ll do with legislation before it reaches her desk, but she has dropped strong hints that she plans to veto such a ban. She’s a supporter of LGBTQ rights, and she’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-legislature-discrimination-kansas-gender-identity-64dcb878d8f393098437dcd87e6a352f">called the bill “regressive”</a>&nbsp;and suggested it would hurt the state’s efforts to recruit businesses — an argument critics echoed during the House’s debate.Kansas is among more than 20 states that have considered such a ban this year, pushing back against an executive order from Democratic President Joe Biden aimed at preventing discrimination against transgender students. Idaho enacted such a ban last year, and Republican governors in Arkansas, Mississippi and Tennessee have signed measures into law this year.“It’s about scoring points in the culture wars,” said Democratic state Rep. Boog Highberger, of Lawrence, home to the University of Kansas. “Instead of finding new ways to persecute people for being the way that God made them, why don’t we work on understanding — increasing our understanding and compassion instead.”Supporters argued that they’re trying to preserving decades of hard-won opportunities for “biological” girls and women to compete in K-12 sports and win college athletic scholarships. They suggested that failing to enact such a ban represented discrimination against girls and women.“I don’t mistreat any student. They have a right to live their life however they want,” said Republican state Sen. Renee Erickson, of Wichita, a former K-12 school principal and ex-college basketball point guard who is the measure’s primary sponsor. “But we also have to be fair to all of the students in that school setting. That’s what this bill does.”With Idaho’s law on hold because of a federal lawsuit, the American Civil Liberties Union has promised to file a lawsuit if Kansas enacts a law.But if Kelly vetoed the bill, conservatives would need two-thirds majorities in both chambers to override her action. They were eight votes short in the 125-member House, and LGBTQ-rights advocates also think the bill would be short in the 40-member Senate as well.The threat of a lawsuit — and arguments that Kansas could lose collegiate sports tournaments or business development — irritated some conservative lawmakers.Supporters of such bans have pointed repeatedly to the 15 championships won between 2017 and 2019 by two transgender high school runners in Connecticut, which prompted a federal lawsuit. They argue that “biological boys” have innate physical advantages in girls’ and women’s sports that would ruin competition.“We cannot allow the business community to bully the women and girls in Kansas,” said state Rep. Barbara Wasinger, a western Kansas Republican.Yet supporters generally have been&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/lawmakers-unable-to-cite-local-trans-girls-sports-914a982545e943ecc1e265e8c41042e7">unable to cite local examples</a>&nbsp;of problems. The association overseeing extracurricular activities in Kansas K-12 schools says it has been notified of only five active transgender athletes, and there is no known case of a transgender athlete having won a Kansas championship.State Rep. Jerry Stogsdill, a Kansas City-area Democrat, called the proposal “morally wrong,” but also argued that enacting the ban would be “shooting ourselves in the economic foot.” Rep. Brandon Woodard, another Kansas City-area Democrat and one of two openly gay lawmakers, said young people already leaving Kansas “in droves” over “backward policies.”LGBTQ-rights advocates predicted that enacting the bill would increase&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-legislature-discrimination-kansas-bullying-576f42af35ef03f81dd930b487797a8b">bullying&nbsp;</a>of transgender students.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/2/1614129390572.png" alt="Rep. Stephanie Byers" />
 <figcaption>Rep. Stephanie Byers</figcaption>
 </figure>Freshman Democratic Rep. Stephanie Byers, of Wichita, the state’s first transgender lawmaker, read from a note left by a harassed transgender Ohio girl who committed suicide in 2014, urging people “to fix society.”“This is about someone who is different that you may not understand and your desire to prevent them from being a part of our society in all fullness,” she told her colleagues. “Trans girls are girls. Trans women are women.”___

Kansas House approves bill that bans transgender athletes

NORTON COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities in Northwest Kansas are investigating two suspects after a significant drug bust.

On Tuesday, Norton Police along with the Phillips County Sheriff's Department furthered their investigation into an illegal narcotics ring, according to a media release. The combined effort resulted in the seizure of 4 and one half pounds of meth, 50 Fentanyl tablets, a quantity of marijuana, $700 cash and the vehicle used to transported the illegal drugs.

They also made to arrests. The estimated street value of all the drugs is approximately $80-$90,000, according to police.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/4/1617965203496.png" alt="The estimated street value of all the drugs is approximately $80-$90,000- photo Norton Police" />
 <figcaption>The estimated street value of all the drugs is approximately $80-$90,000- photo Norton Police</figcaption>
 </figure>NORTON COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities in Northwest Kansas are investigating two suspects after a significant drug bust.On Tuesday, Norton Police along with the Phillips County Sheriff's Department furthered their investigation into an illegal narcotics ring, according to a media release. The combined effort resulted in the seizure of 4 and one half pounds of meth, 50 Fentanyl tablets, a quantity of marijuana, $700 cash and the vehicle used to transported the illegal drugs.They also made to arrests. The estimated street value of all the drugs is approximately $80-$90,000, according to police.

Authorities seize Fentanyl, meth and cash in NW Kansas

KANSAS CITY — Law enforcement authorities investigating a fatal weekend crash have identified the victim as 16-year-old Boyd Knight.

While on patrol just before 11:30p.m. Kansas City, Kanas police came upon a two vehicle crash in the 6700 Block of Parallel Parkway, according to a media release.

&nbsp;Knight was pronounced dead at the scene.&nbsp;EMS transported three, ranging in age from 13-19, to area hospitals for treatment of serious injuries. They remain hospitalized and are expected to recover.

The initial investigation indicates that the vehicle that struck the car carrying Knight may have been speeding, according to police.&nbsp;

Police asked parents to talk to teens about the dangers of speeding and sent a good example.

KANSAS City, Kan.—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a crash that killed one and sent three others to a hospital.

EMS transported two minors and one adult to area hospitals for treatment of serious injuries. A minor was also pronounced dead at the scene, according to the release.

The initial investigation indicates speed may have been a factor in the crash.

Police closed the westbound lanes of Parallel Parkway from 64th to 68th Street overnight while they investigated.

Police released no additional details early Sunday.

KANSAS CITY — Law enforcement authorities investigating a fatal weekend crash have identified the victim as 16-year-old Boyd Knight.While on patrol just before 11:30p.m. Kansas City, Kanas police came upon a two vehicle crash in the 6700 Block of Parallel Parkway, according to a media release.&nbsp;Knight was pronounced dead at the scene.&nbsp;EMS transported three, ranging in age from 13-19, to area hospitals for treatment of serious injuries. They remain hospitalized and are expected to recover.The initial investigation indicates that the vehicle that struck the car carrying Knight may have been speeding, according to police.&nbsp;Police asked parents to talk to teens about the dangers of speeding and sent a good example.---------KANSAS City, Kan.—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a crash that killed one and sent three others to a hospital.While on patrol just before 11:30p.m. Kansas City, Kanas police came upon a two vehicle crash in the 6700 Block of Parallel Parkway, according to a media release.EMS transported two minors and one adult to area hospitals for treatment of serious injuries. A minor was also pronounced dead at the scene, according to the release.The initial investigation indicates speed may have been a factor in the crash.Police closed the westbound lanes of Parallel Parkway from 64th to 68th Street overnight while they investigated.Police released no additional details early Sunday.

Police ID Kansas teen who died in weekend crash

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A proposal to lower the legal age in Kansas to carry concealed firearms from 21 to 18 won final approval Thursday in the Legislature.

The Republican-controlled Senate approved the bill,&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/vote_view/je_20210408110357_900561/" target="_blank">30-8,</a>&nbsp;and the GOP-controlled House passed it hours later,&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/vote_view/je_20210408212500_206192/" target="_blank">80-43,</a>&nbsp;sending it to Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly.

People as young as 18 already can carry firearms in the open in Kansas. Under&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/documents/supp_note_hb2058_03_0000.pdf" target="_blank">the bill</a>&nbsp;approved by legislators, 18-, 19-, and 20-year-olds would have to obtain a license to carry concealed, although older gun owners do not have to get one.

The measure would increase the number of university and college students eligible to carry concealed firearms on campus, but education groups say it wouldn’t change current laws that allow high schools to prohibit guns on school grounds.

On Wednesday, the Senate rejected amendments from Democrats that included allowing law enforcement to remove firearms from people who pose a danger to themselves or others.

The bill includes a provision from Sen. Richard Hilderbrand, a Galena Republican, that would allow people who have been convicted of crimes including misdemeanor domestic battery to possess firearms after their criminal records are expunged.

The bill would also expand Kansas’ recognition of other states’ concealed carry permits.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/3/1616093843611.jpeg" alt="The bill includes a provision from Sen. Richard Hilderbrand (Center) that would allow people who have been convicted of crimes including misdemeanor domestic battery to possess firearms after their criminal records are expunged.- photo Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector" />
 <figcaption>The bill includes a provision from Sen. Richard Hilderbrand (Center) that would allow people who have been convicted of crimes including misdemeanor domestic battery to possess firearms after their criminal records are expunged.- photo Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A proposal to lower the legal age in Kansas to carry concealed firearms from 21 to 18 won final approval Thursday in the Legislature.The Republican-controlled Senate approved the bill,&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/vote_view/je_20210408110357_900561/" target="_blank">30-8,</a>&nbsp;and the GOP-controlled House passed it hours later,&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/vote_view/je_20210408212500_206192/" target="_blank">80-43,</a>&nbsp;sending it to Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly.People as young as 18 already can carry firearms in the open in Kansas. Under&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/documents/supp_note_hb2058_03_0000.pdf" target="_blank">the bill</a>&nbsp;approved by legislators, 18-, 19-, and 20-year-olds would have to obtain a license to carry concealed, although older gun owners do not have to get one.The measure would increase the number of university and college students eligible to carry concealed firearms on campus, but education groups say it wouldn’t change current laws that allow high schools to prohibit guns on school grounds.On Wednesday, the Senate rejected amendments from Democrats that included allowing law enforcement to remove firearms from people who pose a danger to themselves or others.The bill includes a provision from Sen. Richard Hilderbrand, a Galena Republican, that would allow people who have been convicted of crimes including misdemeanor domestic battery to possess firearms after their criminal records are expunged.The bill would also expand Kansas’ recognition of other states’ concealed carry permits.

Bill to drop concealed carry age clears Kansas Legislature

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas man accused of stabbing a woman who he didn't know has been convicted of attempted second-degree murder. A Sedgwick Count jury convicted Wade Dunn Thursday. 

He stabbed the 28-year-old woman 30 times in September 2019 as she unloaded items from her car. Dunn said he was high on K2 and methamphetamine when he saw the woman as he walked in her neighborhood. The victim survived her injuries. 

The jury initially convicted Dunn of first-degree attempted murder but told the judge not everyone agreed. After being sent back to deliberate again, the jury returned with the second-degree attempted murder conviction.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/4/1617915130539.png" alt="Dunn photo Sedgwick Co." />
 <figcaption>Dunn photo Sedgwick Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas man accused of stabbing a woman who he didn't know has been convicted of attempted second-degree murder. A Sedgwick Count jury convicted Wade Dunn Thursday. He stabbed the 28-year-old woman 30 times in September 2019 as she unloaded items from her car. Dunn said he was high on K2 and methamphetamine when he saw the woman as he walked in her neighborhood. The victim survived her injuries. The jury initially convicted Dunn of first-degree attempted murder but told the judge not everyone agreed. After being sent back to deliberate again, the jury returned with the second-degree attempted murder conviction.

Kansas man convicted of random knife attack on woman

SHAWNEE COUNTY –Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas man for multiple charges following a traffic stop.

Just before 4p.m. April 6, a K9 unit conducted a traffic stop on a white 2003 Hyundai Tiburon near mile post 370 on NE U.S. 24 Highway for failure to wear seat belts, according to Deputy Abigail Christian.

The passenger, Christopher L. Allen, 38, of Topeka, had a civil warrant for his arrest. During the investigation, the K9 was deployed and illegal narcotics and drug paraphernalia were located.

Allen was arrested for his warrant and booked into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges of possession of methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia and failure to wear a seat belt.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/4/1617831603651.png" alt="Allen photo Shawnee Co." />
 <figcaption>Allen photo Shawnee Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY –Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas man for multiple charges following a traffic stop.Just before 4p.m. April 6, a K9 unit conducted a traffic stop on a white 2003 Hyundai Tiburon near mile post 370 on NE U.S. 24 Highway for failure to wear seat belts, according to Deputy Abigail Christian.The passenger, Christopher L. Allen, 38, of Topeka, had a civil warrant for his arrest. During the investigation, the K9 was deployed and illegal narcotics and drug paraphernalia were located.Allen was arrested for his warrant and booked into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges of possession of methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia and failure to wear a seat belt.

Wanted Kan. man jailed after stop for seat belt violation

LIBERTY, Mo. (AP) — A powerful Kansas lawmaker accused of drunken driving had a blood alcohol level that was twice the legal limit and taunted the Highway Patrol officer who&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-wichita-arrests-topeka-driving-under-the-influence-7380a7e3e4fbe335536f78e0a5bf719d">arrested</a>&nbsp;him last month for allegedly speeding the wrong way on an interstate, according to documents released Thursday.

Kansas GOP Senate Majority Leader Gene Suellentrop&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-wichita-arrests-topeka-driving-under-the-influence-53d21c4172c5cd87cbeaec02c0dcb882">faces five counts</a>, including a felony fleeing to avoid arrest and a misdemeanor driving under the influence charge stemming from his March 16 arrest on Interstate 70 in Topeka.

An affidavit submitted by Kansas Highway Patrol Trooper Austin Shepley said tests indicated Suellentrop’s blood alcohol level was .17. The legal limit is .08.

After Suellentrop, 69, refused to take a breathalyzer test, he was taken to a Topeka hospital. At one point, he called Shepley “donut boy,” according to the affidavit, and said the events were “all for going the wrong way.”

“While the phlebotomist was administering the blood kit, Gene Suellentop’s demeanor becoming slightly aggressive in his tone, he made reference to physically going up against me,” Shepley said. “He looked me up and down, stating he played state sports competitively in high school. He stated he could ‘take me.’ ”

Suellentrop’s office said he would issue a statement later Thursday. His attorney, Tom Lemon, did not immediately return a telephone message seeking comment.

Suellentrop holds the state Senate’s second-highest leadership job, and the majority leader decides which proposals are debated each day. He has stepped away from most of his legislative duties until the criminal case is resolved.

Suellentrop was not at the Statehouse on Thursday afternoon and will be absent Friday, according to GOP staffers.

In the affidavit, Shepley said he initially saw Suellentrop driving west in the eastbound lanes of Interstate 470 and witnessed him narrowly miss another car. The trooper said he, too, had to swerve to avoid Suellentrop’s car. The ensuing chase reached speeds up to 90 mph in the 65 mph zone.

Shepley, with help from Topeka police officers, eventually used a tactical maneuver to force Suellentrop to stop on Interstate 70.

Shepley said when he approached the car, Suellentrop looked at him with a “confused, frightened, blank” stare and did not respond to commands to get out of the car. The patrolman said he smelled alcohol inside Suellentrop’s vehicle.

A Topeka police officer and Shepley removed Suellentrop from the car and placed him in handcuffs. The trooper could not understand what Suellentrop was saying because he was mumbling with slurred speech, according to the affidavit.

Because the car was stopped in a dangerous location, Suellentrop was taken to a state building for further testing, and the senator had trouble walking while he was there, according to the affidavit. Suellentrop refused to take a breathalyzer test, so Shepley obtained a search warrant and took him to the hospital for the blood test.

The Wichita Republican was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-wichita-arrests-topeka-driving-under-the-influence-7380a7e3e4fbe335536f78e0a5bf719d">released</a>&nbsp;later that day after a Shawnee County District Court judge found during a first hearing that “pertinent information” wasn’t included in the arrest report, meaning there was no probable cause to support his arrest.

Shawnee County District Attorney Mike Kagay refiled the charges against him last week.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/3/1616963978358.jpeg" alt="Senate Majority Leader Gene Suellentrop was booked into the Shawnee County Jail and released after posting $5,000 bond. -photo-Shawnee County Jail" />
 <figcaption>Senate Majority Leader Gene Suellentrop was booked into the Shawnee County Jail and released after posting $5,000 bond. -photo-Shawnee County Jail</figcaption>
 </figure>LIBERTY, Mo. (AP) — A powerful Kansas lawmaker accused of drunken driving had a blood alcohol level that was twice the legal limit and taunted the Highway Patrol officer who&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-wichita-arrests-topeka-driving-under-the-influence-7380a7e3e4fbe335536f78e0a5bf719d">arrested</a>&nbsp;him last month for allegedly speeding the wrong way on an interstate, according to documents released Thursday.Kansas GOP Senate Majority Leader Gene Suellentrop&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-wichita-arrests-topeka-driving-under-the-influence-53d21c4172c5cd87cbeaec02c0dcb882">faces five counts</a>, including a felony fleeing to avoid arrest and a misdemeanor driving under the influence charge stemming from his March 16 arrest on Interstate 70 in Topeka.An affidavit submitted by Kansas Highway Patrol Trooper Austin Shepley said tests indicated Suellentrop’s blood alcohol level was .17. The legal limit is .08.After Suellentrop, 69, refused to take a breathalyzer test, he was taken to a Topeka hospital. At one point, he called Shepley “donut boy,” according to the affidavit, and said the events were “all for going the wrong way.”“While the phlebotomist was administering the blood kit, Gene Suellentop’s demeanor becoming slightly aggressive in his tone, he made reference to physically going up against me,” Shepley said. “He looked me up and down, stating he played state sports competitively in high school. He stated he could ‘take me.’ ”Suellentrop’s office said he would issue a statement later Thursday. His attorney, Tom Lemon, did not immediately return a telephone message seeking comment.Suellentrop holds the state Senate’s second-highest leadership job, and the majority leader decides which proposals are debated each day. He has stepped away from most of his legislative duties until the criminal case is resolved.Suellentrop was not at the Statehouse on Thursday afternoon and will be absent Friday, according to GOP staffers.In the affidavit, Shepley said he initially saw Suellentrop driving west in the eastbound lanes of Interstate 470 and witnessed him narrowly miss another car. The trooper said he, too, had to swerve to avoid Suellentrop’s car. The ensuing chase reached speeds up to 90 mph in the 65 mph zone.Shepley, with help from Topeka police officers, eventually used a tactical maneuver to force Suellentrop to stop on Interstate 70.Shepley said when he approached the car, Suellentrop looked at him with a “confused, frightened, blank” stare and did not respond to commands to get out of the car. The patrolman said he smelled alcohol inside Suellentrop’s vehicle.A Topeka police officer and Shepley removed Suellentrop from the car and placed him in handcuffs. The trooper could not understand what Suellentrop was saying because he was mumbling with slurred speech, according to the affidavit.Because the car was stopped in a dangerous location, Suellentrop was taken to a state building for further testing, and the senator had trouble walking while he was there, according to the affidavit. Suellentrop refused to take a breathalyzer test, so Shepley obtained a search warrant and took him to the hospital for the blood test.The Wichita Republican was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-wichita-arrests-topeka-driving-under-the-influence-7380a7e3e4fbe335536f78e0a5bf719d">released</a>&nbsp;later that day after a Shawnee County District Court judge found during a first hearing that “pertinent information” wasn’t included in the arrest report, meaning there was no probable cause to support his arrest.Shawnee County District Attorney Mike Kagay refiled the charges against him last week.

More bizarre details on DUI arrest of Kansas lawmaker

WICHITA — The dedication of the Jerry Moran Center for Advanced Virtual Engineering and Testing was held Thursday afternoon.

The building’s renaming is a tribute to Kansas Sen. Jerry Moran’s commitment to provide vital resources and connections that help Wichita State offer impactful student experiences to drive prosperity for the city, region and state, according to a media release from WSU.

The Jerry Moran Center is a 20,000-square-foot facility on WSU’s Innovation Campus. The building houses Crash Dynamics, Building Block, Virtual Engineering and Flight Test Labs, part of the National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR). AVET supports cutting-edge virtual and physical crash dynamics testing capabilities for the aviation and greater transportation industries, while providing Wichita State students with valuable applied learning experiences in an industry-based setting.

Through the dedication of the Jerry Moran Center for Advanced Virtual Engineering and Testing, Wichita State recognizes Sen. Moran’s focus on Kansans, the advancement of our nation’s defense and the future learning research.

“The Senator’s commitment to strengthen Wichita State and our nation’s defense programs has raised awareness of the technology and talent available at Wichita State and led to new partnerships focused on improving the efficiency of our military fleet,” said John Tomblin, WSU Senior Vice President for Industry and Defense Programs.These technologies include machine learning applications for fleet readiness; next generation high temperature materials for long-range precision fires; and advanced technologies for aircraft sustainment and repair.

Recently AVET collaborated with Air Force Life Cycle Management Center’s Engineering Directorate in the virtual development and evaluation of various seating concepts to ensure the safety of passengers being transported in Negatively Pressurized Conex (NPC) modules designed to be carried by USAF cargo aircraft. The NPC system enables the safe transport of individuals infected with the COVID-19 virus and other highly infectious diseases.

“In a period of four weeks, the AVET team was able to evaluate the dynamic response of various seat designs when subjected to emergency landing conditions,” said Lawrence Rogers, Technical Director, Flight Systems Engineering Division, Engineering Directorate for the U.S. Air Force. “NIAR’s virtual evaluation capability gave us the ability to clearly identify and lower risk to our warfighters. Even if we would’ve had this level of analysis fidelity, Dr. Olivares’ team still saved several months to a year.”

WICHITA — The dedication of the Jerry Moran Center for Advanced Virtual Engineering and Testing was held Thursday afternoon.<div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/W9fbq8miQrY?start=31" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>The building’s renaming is a tribute to Kansas Sen. Jerry Moran’s commitment to provide vital resources and connections that help Wichita State offer impactful student experiences to drive prosperity for the city, region and state, according to a media release from WSU.The Jerry Moran Center is a 20,000-square-foot facility on WSU’s Innovation Campus. The building houses Crash Dynamics, Building Block, Virtual Engineering and Flight Test Labs, part of the National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR). AVET supports cutting-edge virtual and physical crash dynamics testing capabilities for the aviation and greater transportation industries, while providing Wichita State students with valuable applied learning experiences in an industry-based setting.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/4/1617917091855.png" alt="Senator Moran thanked those in attendance for all the compliments" />
 <figcaption>Senator Moran thanked those in attendance for all the compliments</figcaption>
 </figure>Through the dedication of the Jerry Moran Center for Advanced Virtual Engineering and Testing, Wichita State recognizes Sen. Moran’s focus on Kansans, the advancement of our nation’s defense and the future learning research.“The Senator’s commitment to strengthen Wichita State and our nation’s defense programs has raised awareness of the technology and talent available at Wichita State and led to new partnerships focused on improving the efficiency of our military fleet,” said John Tomblin, WSU Senior Vice President for Industry and Defense Programs.These technologies include machine learning applications for fleet readiness; next generation high temperature materials for long-range precision fires; and advanced technologies for aircraft sustainment and repair.Recently AVET collaborated with Air Force Life Cycle Management Center’s Engineering Directorate in the virtual development and evaluation of various seating concepts to ensure the safety of passengers being transported in Negatively Pressurized Conex (NPC) modules designed to be carried by USAF cargo aircraft. The NPC system enables the safe transport of individuals infected with the COVID-19 virus and other highly infectious diseases.“In a period of four weeks, the AVET team was able to evaluate the dynamic response of various seat designs when subjected to emergency landing conditions,” said Lawrence Rogers, Technical Director, Flight Systems Engineering Division, Engineering Directorate for the U.S. Air Force. “NIAR’s virtual evaluation capability gave us the ability to clearly identify and lower risk to our warfighters. Even if we would’ve had this level of analysis fidelity, Dr. Olivares’ team still saved several months to a year.”

🎥  Jerry Moran Center Dedication Ceremony at WSU

Businesses can temporarily deduct 100% beginning January 1, 2021

WASHINGTON — The Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service today issued <a href="https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-drop/n-21-25.pdf">Notice 2021-25&nbsp;PDF</a>
 providing guidance under the Taxpayer Certainty and Disaster Relief Act
 of 2020. The Act added a temporary exception to the 50% limit on the 
amount that businesses may deduct for food or beverages. The temporary 
exception allows a 100% deduction for food or beverages from 
restaurants.

Beginning January 1, 2021, through December 31, 2022, businesses can 
claim 100% of their food or beverage expenses paid to restaurants as 
long as the business owner (or an employee of the business) is present 
when food or beverages are provided and the expense is not lavish or 
extravagant under the circumstances.

Where can businesses get food and beverages and claim 100%?

Under the temporary provision, restaurants include businesses that 
prepare and sell food or beverages to retail customers for immediate 
on-premises and/or off-premises consumption. However, restaurants do not
 include businesses that primarily sell pre-packaged goods not for 
immediate consumption, such as grocery stores and convenience stores.

Additionally, an employer may not treat certain employer-operated 
eating facilities as restaurants, even if these facilities are operated 
by a third party under contract with the employer.

More <a href="https://www.irs.gov/coronavirus/coronavirus-tax-relief-for-businesses-and-tax-exempt-entities">information for businesses seeking coronavirus related tax relief</a> can be found at IRS.gov.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/9/1599869632873.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>IRS<h2>Businesses can temporarily deduct 100% beginning January 1, 2021</h2>IR-2021-79, April 8, 2021WASHINGTON — The Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service today issued <a href="https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-drop/n-21-25.pdf">Notice 2021-25&nbsp;PDF</a>
 providing guidance under the Taxpayer Certainty and Disaster Relief Act
 of 2020. The Act added a temporary exception to the 50% limit on the 
amount that businesses may deduct for food or beverages. The temporary 
exception allows a 100% deduction for food or beverages from 
restaurants.Beginning January 1, 2021, through December 31, 2022, businesses can 
claim 100% of their food or beverage expenses paid to restaurants as 
long as the business owner (or an employee of the business) is present 
when food or beverages are provided and the expense is not lavish or 
extravagant under the circumstances.<h2>Where can businesses get food and beverages and claim 100%?</h2>Under the temporary provision, restaurants include businesses that 
prepare and sell food or beverages to retail customers for immediate 
on-premises and/or off-premises consumption. However, restaurants do not
 include businesses that primarily sell pre-packaged goods not for 
immediate consumption, such as grocery stores and convenience stores.Additionally, an employer may not treat certain employer-operated 
eating facilities as restaurants, even if these facilities are operated 
by a third party under contract with the employer.More <a href="https://www.irs.gov/coronavirus/coronavirus-tax-relief-for-businesses-and-tax-exempt-entities">information for businesses seeking coronavirus related tax relief</a> can be found at IRS.gov.

IRS: Business meals 100% deductible through 2022

JACKSON COUNTY—A Kansas woman critically injured in an accident just after 7:30a.m. Tuesday in Jackson County has died.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2005 Infiniti G5 driven by Wayne A. Dunn, 83, Lyndon, was northbound on U.S. 75 at 158th Road.

The car struck an eastbound 2003 Ford F150 driven by Rachael Louise McCoy, 29, Holton.&nbsp; She was ejected from the pickup, according to Jackson County Sheriff Tim Morse.

EMS transported McCoy, Dunn and two children — a 10-year-old and a 7-year-old, both from Holton — to Stormont Vail in Topeka where McCoy died on Wednesday, the agency reported.

The occupants of the pickup were not wearing seat belts, according to the KHP.

JACKSON COUNTY—Four people including two children were seriously injured in an accident just after 7:30a.m. Tuesday in Jackson County.

EMS transported McCoy, Dunn and two children in the pickup — a 10-year-old and a 7-year-old, both from Holton — to Stormont Vail in Topeka.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/4/1617734931246.png" alt="Kansas Highway Patrol investigating Tuesday's violent crash / photo courtesy WIBW TV" />
 <figcaption>Kansas Highway Patrol investigating Tuesday's violent crash / photo courtesy WIBW TV</figcaption>
 </figure>JACKSON COUNTY—A Kansas woman critically injured in an accident just after 7:30a.m. Tuesday in Jackson County has died.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2005 Infiniti G5 driven by Wayne A. Dunn, 83, Lyndon, was northbound on U.S. 75 at 158th Road.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/4/1617734844820.png" alt="View of the crash damage to the Infiniti G5 -photo courtesy WIBW TV" />
 <figcaption>View of the crash damage to the Infiniti G5 -photo courtesy WIBW TV</figcaption>
 </figure>The car struck an eastbound 2003 Ford F150 driven by Rachael Louise McCoy, 29, Holton.&nbsp; She was ejected from the pickup, according to Jackson County Sheriff Tim Morse.EMS transported McCoy, Dunn and two children — a 10-year-old and a 7-year-old, both from Holton — to Stormont Vail in Topeka where McCoy died on Wednesday, the agency reported.The occupants of the pickup were not wearing seat belts, according to the KHP.-----------JACKSON COUNTY—Four people including two children were seriously injured in an accident just after 7:30a.m. Tuesday in Jackson County.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2005 Infiniti G5 driven by Wayne A. Dunn, 83, Lyndon, was northbound on U.S. 75 at 158th Road.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/4/1617734844820.png" alt="View of the crash damage to the Infiniti G5 -photo courtesy WIBW TV" />
 <figcaption>View of the crash damage to the Infiniti G5 -photo courtesy WIBW TV</figcaption>
 </figure>The car struck an eastbound 2003 Ford F150 driven by Rachael Louise McCoy, 29, Holton.&nbsp; She was ejected from the pickup, according to Jackson County Sheriff Tim Morse.EMS transported McCoy, Dunn and two children in the pickup — a 10-year-old and a 7-year-old, both from Holton — to Stormont Vail in Topeka.The occupants of the pickup were not wearing seat belts, according to the KHP.

Kansas woman injured in crash has died

TOPEKA – The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) has amended its travel quarantine list to add several states and countries – Connecticut and Pennsylvania and the countries of Andorra, Bermuda, Curacao, Poland, Serbia and Uruguay. Two countries, Czechia and Montenegro are removed.

A comprehensive list of those individuals needing to quarantine includes visitors and Kansans who have:

The travel quarantine period is seven days with a negative test result or 10 days without testing, with release from quarantine on Day 8 and Day 11, respectively. Further information on quarantine periods can be found on KDHE’s&nbsp;<a href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJidWxsZXRpbl9saW5rX2lkIjoxMDAsInVyaSI6ImJwMjpjbGljayIsImJ1bGxldGluX2lkIjoiMjAyMTA0MDguMzg0NjAxODEiLCJ1cmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5jb3JvbmF2aXJ1cy5rZGhla3MuZ292L0RvY3VtZW50Q2VudGVyL1ZpZXcvMTY0MC9TaG9ydGVuZWQtUXVhcmFudGluZS1HdWlkYW5jZS1QREYtLTEyLTgtMjA_YmlkSWQ9JnV0bV9tZWRpdW09ZW1haWwmdXRtX3NvdXJjZT1nb3ZkZWxpdmVyeSJ9.uZmnKRIOipTWOQqOV9eB-u7A8dclje_oL4Drp0LrUFo/s/1305913448/br/101705673882-l" target="_blank">website</a>.

For those traveling internationally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is requiring testing within three days of flights into the U.S.&nbsp;For further information on this and other requirements, visit&nbsp;their&nbsp;<a href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJidWxsZXRpbl9saW5rX2lkIjoxMDEsInVyaSI6ImJwMjpjbGljayIsImJ1bGxldGluX2lkIjoiMjAyMTA0MDguMzg0NjAxODEiLCJ1cmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5jZGMuZ292L2Nvcm9uYXZpcnVzLzIwMTktbmNvdi90cmF2ZWxlcnMvaW5kZXguaHRtbD91dG1fbWVkaXVtPWVtYWlsJnV0bV9zb3VyY2U9Z292ZGVsaXZlcnkifQ.n180nx-8szA2PHPy78yHCIx2HOJA8t5c7GTzAfVqERs/s/1305913448/br/101705673882-l" target="_blank">website</a>.

For those who are fully vaccinated (meaning it has been greater than two weeks since they completed their vaccinations) they are not required to quarantine regarding travel if they meet all of the following criteria:

Persons who do not meet all three of the above criteria should continue to follow current quarantine guidance for travel.

Additionally, people with previous COVID-19 disease are not required to quarantine following travel if they meet all of the following criteria:

The travel quarantine list is determined using a formula to evaluate new cases over a two-week period, then adjusted for population size to provide a case rate per 100,000 population. This provides a number that can then be compared to the rate in Kansas. Locations with significantly higher rates -- approximately 3x higher -- are added to the list.

For more information on COVID-19, please visit the KDHE website at&nbsp;<a href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJidWxsZXRpbl9saW5rX2lkIjoxMDIsInVyaSI6ImJwMjpjbGljayIsImJ1bGxldGluX2lkIjoiMjAyMTA0MDguMzg0NjAxODEiLCJ1cmwiOiJodHRwOi8vd3d3LmtkaGUua3MuZ292L2Nvcm9uYXZpcnVzP3V0bV9tZWRpdW09ZW1haWwmdXRtX3NvdXJjZT1nb3ZkZWxpdmVyeSJ9.1IBa6321YV7Vnl4c9ciGqO0m_n_FP6tPZyD2KNVxIm8/s/1305913448/br/101705673882-l" target="_blank">www.kdhe.ks.gov/coronavirus</a>.

TOPEKA – The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) has amended its travel quarantine list to add several states and countries – Connecticut and Pennsylvania and the countries of Andorra, Bermuda, Curacao, Poland, Serbia and Uruguay. Two countries, Czechia and Montenegro are removed.A comprehensive list of those individuals needing to quarantine includes visitors and Kansans who have:<ul>
 <li>Traveled on or after April 8 to Connecticut or Pennsylvania</li><li>Traveled on or after April 8 to Andorra, Bermuda, Curacao, Poland, Serbia or Uruguay</li><li>Traveled on or after March 26 to Delaware, Michigan or Rhode Island</li><li>Traveled on or after March 26 to Hungary or Jordan</li><li>Traveled on or after March 12 to New Jersey or New York</li><li>Traveled on or after March 12 to State of Palestine or Estonia</li><li>Traveled on or after Feb. 26 to San Marino</li><li>Traveled between Feb. 26 – April 8 to Czechia or Montenegro.</li><li>Attendance at any out-of-state mass gatherings of 500 or more where individuals do not socially distance (6 feet)&nbsp;and&nbsp;wear a mask.</li><li>Been on a cruise ship or river cruise on or after March 15, 2020.</li>
 </ul>The travel quarantine period is seven days with a negative test result or 10 days without testing, with release from quarantine on Day 8 and Day 11, respectively. Further information on quarantine periods can be found on KDHE’s&nbsp;<a href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJidWxsZXRpbl9saW5rX2lkIjoxMDAsInVyaSI6ImJwMjpjbGljayIsImJ1bGxldGluX2lkIjoiMjAyMTA0MDguMzg0NjAxODEiLCJ1cmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5jb3JvbmF2aXJ1cy5rZGhla3MuZ292L0RvY3VtZW50Q2VudGVyL1ZpZXcvMTY0MC9TaG9ydGVuZWQtUXVhcmFudGluZS1HdWlkYW5jZS1QREYtLTEyLTgtMjA_YmlkSWQ9JnV0bV9tZWRpdW09ZW1haWwmdXRtX3NvdXJjZT1nb3ZkZWxpdmVyeSJ9.uZmnKRIOipTWOQqOV9eB-u7A8dclje_oL4Drp0LrUFo/s/1305913448/br/101705673882-l" target="_blank">website</a>.For those traveling internationally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is requiring testing within three days of flights into the U.S.&nbsp;For further information on this and other requirements, visit&nbsp;their&nbsp;<a href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJidWxsZXRpbl9saW5rX2lkIjoxMDEsInVyaSI6ImJwMjpjbGljayIsImJ1bGxldGluX2lkIjoiMjAyMTA0MDguMzg0NjAxODEiLCJ1cmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5jZGMuZ292L2Nvcm9uYXZpcnVzLzIwMTktbmNvdi90cmF2ZWxlcnMvaW5kZXguaHRtbD91dG1fbWVkaXVtPWVtYWlsJnV0bV9zb3VyY2U9Z292ZGVsaXZlcnkifQ.n180nx-8szA2PHPy78yHCIx2HOJA8t5c7GTzAfVqERs/s/1305913448/br/101705673882-l" target="_blank">website</a>.For those who are fully vaccinated (meaning it has been greater than two weeks since they completed their vaccinations) they are not required to quarantine regarding travel if they meet all of the following criteria:<ul>
 <li>Are fully vaccinated (i.e., ≥2 weeks following receipt of the second dose in a 2- dose series, or ≥2 weeks following receipt of one dose of a single-dose vaccine)</li><li>Are within 6 months following receipt of the last dose in the series</li><li>Have remained asymptomatic since the travel</li>
 </ul>Persons who do not meet all three of the above criteria should continue to follow current quarantine guidance for travel.Additionally, people with previous COVID-19 disease are not required to quarantine following travel if they meet all of the following criteria:<ul>
 <li>Have evidence of a previous infection supported by a positive PCR or antigen test</li><li>Are within 6 months following infection. If an investigation was done documenting the date that symptoms resolved, or the date isolation measures were discontinued for asymptomatic patients, then the 6-month period can start from that end date. If those dates are not available, then the period will start from the date of the positive laboratory test. A serology or antibody test may not be substituted for a laboratory report of a viral diagnostic test.</li><li>Have remained asymptomatic since the travel</li>
 </ul>Persons who do not meet all three of the above criteria should continue to follow current quarantine guidance for travel.The travel quarantine list is determined using a formula to evaluate new cases over a two-week period, then adjusted for population size to provide a case rate per 100,000 population. This provides a number that can then be compared to the rate in Kansas. Locations with significantly higher rates -- approximately 3x higher -- are added to the list.For more information on COVID-19, please visit the KDHE website at&nbsp;<a href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJidWxsZXRpbl9saW5rX2lkIjoxMDIsInVyaSI6ImJwMjpjbGljayIsImJ1bGxldGluX2lkIjoiMjAyMTA0MDguMzg0NjAxODEiLCJ1cmwiOiJodHRwOi8vd3d3LmtkaGUua3MuZ292L2Nvcm9uYXZpcnVzP3V0bV9tZWRpdW09ZW1haWwmdXRtX3NvdXJjZT1nb3ZkZWxpdmVyeSJ9.1IBa6321YV7Vnl4c9ciGqO0m_n_FP6tPZyD2KNVxIm8/s/1305913448/br/101705673882-l" target="_blank">www.kdhe.ks.gov/coronavirus</a>.

KDHE makes changes to the travel quarantine list

JACKSON COUNTY —The Kansas Highway Patrol is investigating an injury accident involving a tow truck driver that occurred just after 6a.m. Thursday in Jackson County.

A 2014 Dodge Challenger hydroplaned and slid into the median near 118th Road on U.S. Highway 75, according to Sheriff Tim Morse.

A sheriff’s deputy responded to check on the vehicle and driver. An area tow truck arrived to pull the vehicle out of the median. The vehicles of both first responders had their emergency lights activated, according to the KHP.

A northbound 1997 Dodge Caravan driven by Tyler Allen Morrison, 33, Topeka, failed to yield to the emergency vehicles while traveling in the passing lane, according to the KHP. The van nearly struck the deputy’s patrol vehicle and drove into the median, according to Morse.

As the van passed between tow truck and the disabled Dodge, it&nbsp; struck the tow truck's cable for the vehicle that was being removed from the median, according to Morse.

The tow cable broke and struck the tow driver identified as Timothy Joseph Reino, 59, Holton,&nbsp; who was outside of the vehicle.

EMS transported Reion to a Topeka hospital for treatment. Morrison and two children in the van were properly restrained and not injured.&nbsp; One lane of northbound U.S. 75 highway was temporarily closed after the incident.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/4/1617895648529.png" alt="First responders at the scene of the accident photo by Phil Anderson courtesy WIBW TV" />
 <figcaption>First responders at the scene of the accident photo by Phil Anderson courtesy WIBW TV</figcaption>
 </figure>JACKSON COUNTY —The Kansas Highway Patrol is investigating an injury accident involving a tow truck driver that occurred just after 6a.m. Thursday in Jackson County.A 2014 Dodge Challenger hydroplaned and slid into the median near 118th Road on U.S. Highway 75, according to Sheriff Tim Morse.A sheriff’s deputy responded to check on the vehicle and driver. An area tow truck arrived to pull the vehicle out of the median. The vehicles of both first responders had their emergency lights activated, according to the KHP.A northbound 1997 Dodge Caravan driven by Tyler Allen Morrison, 33, Topeka, failed to yield to the emergency vehicles while traveling in the passing lane, according to the KHP. The van nearly struck the deputy’s patrol vehicle and drove into the median, according to Morse.As the van passed between tow truck and the disabled Dodge, it&nbsp; struck the tow truck's cable for the vehicle that was being removed from the median, according to Morse.The tow cable broke and struck the tow driver identified as Timothy Joseph Reino, 59, Holton,&nbsp; who was outside of the vehicle.EMS transported Reion to a Topeka hospital for treatment. Morrison and two children in the van were properly restrained and not injured.&nbsp; One lane of northbound U.S. 75 highway was temporarily closed after the incident.&nbsp;

Tow truck driver injured working accident on Kan. highway

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden, in his first&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/04/07/fact-sheet-biden-harris-administration-announces-initial-actions-to-address-the-gun-violence-public-health-epidemic/" target="_blank">gun control measures</a>&nbsp;since taking office, announced a half-dozen executive actions Thursday aimed at addressing a proliferation of gun violence across the nation that he called an “epidemic and an international embarrassment.”

<a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?510636-1/president-biden-delivers-remarks-gun-violence-prevention">Click here to watch </a>a replay of the President's announcement

<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/04/07/fact-sheet-biden-harris-administration-announces-initial-actions-to-address-the-gun-violence-public-health-epidemic/">Click here&nbsp;</a>to read the White House fact sheet on the actions to prevent gun violence.

“It is actually a public health crisis,” Biden said during remarks at the White House.

Greeting the families of gun violence victims and activists, he assured them: “We’re absolutely determined to make change.”

His Thursday announcement delivers on a pledge Biden made last month to take what he termed immediate “common-sense steps” to address gun violence, after a series of mass shootings drew renewed attention to the issue. His announcement came the same day as yet another shooting, this one in South Carolina, where five people were killed.

But Thursday’s announcement underscores the limitations of Biden’s executive power to act on guns. They include moves to tighten regulations on homemade guns and provide more resources for gun-violence prevention, but fall far short of the sweeping gun-control agenda Biden laid out on the campaign trail.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/4/1617899711537.png" alt="President Biden was joined at the Rose Garden event by Vice President Harris and Attorney General Merrick Garland-image courtesy White House" />
 <figcaption>President Biden was joined at the Rose Garden event by Vice President Harris and Attorney General Merrick Garland-image courtesy White House</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden, in his first&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/04/07/fact-sheet-biden-harris-administration-announces-initial-actions-to-address-the-gun-violence-public-health-epidemic/" target="_blank">gun control measures</a>&nbsp;since taking office, announced a half-dozen executive actions Thursday aimed at addressing a proliferation of gun violence across the nation that he called an “epidemic and an international embarrassment.”<a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?510636-1/president-biden-delivers-remarks-gun-violence-prevention">Click here to watch </a>a replay of the President's announcement<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/04/07/fact-sheet-biden-harris-administration-announces-initial-actions-to-address-the-gun-violence-public-health-epidemic/">Click here&nbsp;</a>to read the White House fact sheet on the actions to prevent gun violence.“It is actually a public health crisis,” Biden said during remarks at the White House.Greeting the families of gun violence victims and activists, he assured them: “We’re absolutely determined to make change.”His Thursday announcement delivers on a pledge Biden made last month to take what he termed immediate “common-sense steps” to address gun violence, after a series of mass shootings drew renewed attention to the issue. His announcement came the same day as yet another shooting, this one in South Carolina, where five people were killed.But Thursday’s announcement underscores the limitations of Biden’s executive power to act on guns. They include moves to tighten regulations on homemade guns and provide more resources for gun-violence prevention, but fall far short of the sweeping gun-control agenda Biden laid out on the campaign trail.Indeed, the White House has repeatedly emphasized the need for legislative action to tackle the issue. But while the House passed a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-shootings-legislation-gun-politics-bills-fbb6872ac0575551e2fc190f3aefbd73">background-check bill</a>&nbsp;last month, gun control measures face slim prospects in an evenly divided Senate, where Republicans remain near-unified against most proposals.Biden is tightening regulations of buyers of “ghost guns” — homemade firearms that usually are assembled from parts and milled with a metal-cutting machine and often lack serial numbers used to trace them. It’s legal to build a gun in a home or a workshop and there is no federal requirement for a background check. The goal is to “help stop the proliferation of these firearms,” according to the White House.The Justice Department will issue a proposed rule aimed at reining in ghost guns within 30 days, though details of the rule weren’t immediately issued.A second proposed rule, expected within 60 days, will tighten regulations on pistol-stabilizing braces, like the one used by the Boulder, Colorado, shooter in a rampage last month that left 10 dead. The rule will designate pistols used with stabilizing braces as short-barreled rifles, which require a federal license to own and are subject to a more thorough application process and a $200 tax.The department also is publishing model legislation within 60 days that is intended to make it easier for states to adopt their own “red flag” laws. Such laws allow for individuals to petition a court to allow the police to confiscate weapons from a person deemed to be a danger to themselves or others.The department also will begin to provide more data on firearms trafficking, starting with a new comprehensive report on the issue. The administration says that hasn’t been done in more than two decades.Biden is also nominating David Chipman, a former federal agent and adviser at the gun control group Giffords, to be director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.The Biden administration will also make investments in community violence intervention programs, which are aimed at reducing gun violence in urban communities, across five federal agencies.Officials said the executive actions were “initial steps” completed during Garland’s first weeks on the job and more may be coming.The ATF is currently run by an acting director, Regina Lombardo. Gun-control advocates have emphasized the significance of this position in enforcing gun laws, and Chipman is certain to win praise from this group. During his time as a senior policy adviser with Giffords, he spent considerable effort pushing for greater regulation and enforcement on ghost guns, changes to the background check system and measures to reduce the trafficking of illegal firearms.Chipman spent 25 years as an agent at the ATF, where he worked on stopping a trafficking ring that sent illegal firearms from Virginia to New York, and served on the ATF’s SWAT team. Chipman is a gun owner.He is an explosives expert and was among the team involved in investigating the Oklahoma City bombing and the first World Trade Center bombing. He also was involved in investigating a series of church bombings in Alabama in the 1990s. He retired from the ATF in 2012.The White House fact sheet said Chipman has worked “to advance common-sense gun safety laws.”During his campaign, Biden promised to prioritize new gun control measures as president, including enacting universal background check legislation, banning online sales of firearms and the manufacture and sale of assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. But&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-gun-bills-background-checks-631ad363c97e5ff483f631713f92b1b8">gun-control advocates have said</a>&nbsp;that while they were heartened by signs from the White House that they took the issue seriously, they’ve been disappointed by the lack of early action.With the announcement of the new measures, however, advocates lauded Biden’s first moves to combat gun violence.“Each of these executive actions will start to address the epidemic of gun violence that has raged throughout the pandemic, and begin to make good on President Biden’s promise to be the strongest gun safety president in history,” said John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety.Feinblatt in particular praised the move to regulate ghost guns, which he said “will undoubtedly save countless lives,” and lauded Chipman as an “invaluable point person” in the fight against illegal gun trafficking. He also said the group is looking forward to continuing to work with the Biden administration on further gun control measures, but it’s unclear what next moves the White House, or lawmakers on Capitol Hill, will be able to take.Biden himself expressed uncertainty late last month when asked if he had the political capital to pass new gun control proposals, telling reporters, “I haven’t done any counting yet.”For years, federal officials have been sounding the alarm about an increasing black market for homemade, military-style semi-automatic rifles and handguns. Ghost guns have increasingly turned up at crime scenes and in recent years have been turning up more and more when federal agents are purchasing guns in undercover operations from gang members and other criminals.It is hard to say how many are circulating on the streets, in part because in many cases police departments don’t even contact the federal government about the guns because they can’t be traced.Some states, like California, have enacted laws in recent years to require serial numbers be stamped on ghost guns.The critical component in building an untraceable gun is what is known as the lower receiver, a part typically made of metal or polymer. An unfinished receiver — sometimes referred to as an “80-percent receiver” — can be legally bought online with no serial numbers or other markings on it, no license required.A gunman who&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/0bdd2294957c49f1b730640758e41b54">killed his wife and four others</a>&nbsp;in Northern California in 2017 had been prohibited from owning firearms, but he built his own to skirt the court order before his rampage. And in 2019, a teenager&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/f56aedfde481467283dedb18a1c401fa">used a homemade handgun</a>&nbsp;to fatally shoot two classmates and wound three others at a school in suburban Los Angeles.------WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden, in his first major&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/04/07/fact-sheet-biden-harris-administration-announces-initial-actions-to-address-the-gun-violence-public-health-epidemic/" target="_blank">gun control measures</a>&nbsp;since taking office, is announcing executive actions aimed at addressing what the White House calls a “gun violence public health epidemic.”<div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KLLANPysHoc" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>Biden also is nominating&nbsp;<a href="https://giffords.org/people/david-chipman/" target="_blank">David Chipman</a>, a former federal agent and adviser at the gun control group Giffords, to be director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.Biden has faced increasing pressure to act after a recent series of mass shootings, but the White House has repeatedly emphasized the need for legislative action. While the House passed a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-shootings-legislation-gun-politics-bills-fbb6872ac0575551e2fc190f3aefbd73">background-check bill</a>&nbsp;last month, gun control measures face slim prospects in an evenly divided Senate, where Republicans remain near-unified against most proposals.A White House&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/04/07/fact-sheet-biden-harris-administration-announces-initial-actions-to-address-the-gun-violence-public-health-epidemic/" target="_blank">fact sheet</a>&nbsp;said those shootings “underscored the relentlessness” of the epidemic.Biden is to be joined at the late morning Rose Garden event by Attorney General Merrick Garland. Most of the actions are coming from the Justice Department.Biden is tightening regulations of buyers of “ghost guns” — homemade firearms that usually are assembled from parts and milled with a metal-cutting machine and often lack serial numbers used to trace them. It’s legal to build a gun in a home or a workshop and there is no federal requirement for a background check. The goal is to “help stop the proliferation of these firearms,” according to the White House.The Justice Department will issue a proposed rule aimed at reining in ghost guns within 30 days, though details of the rule weren’t immediately issued.A second proposed rule, expected within 60 days, will tighten regulations on pistol-stabilizing braces, like the one used by the Boulder, Colorado, shooter in a rampage last month that left 10 dead. The rule will designate pistols used with stabilizing braces as short-barreled rifles, which require a federal license to own and are subject to a more thorough application process and a $200 tax.The department also is publishing model legislation within 60 days that is intended to make it easier for states to adopt their own “red flag” laws. Such laws allow for individuals to petition a court to allow the police to confiscate weapons from a person deemed to be a danger to themselves or others.The department also will begin to provide more data on firearms trafficking, starting with a new comprehensive report on the issue. The administration says that hasn’t been done in more than two decades.Biden also is making investments in community violence intervention programs, which are aimed at reducing gun violence in urban communities, across five federal agencies.Officials said the executive actions were “initial steps” completed during Garland’s first weeks on the job and more may be coming.The ATF is currently run by an acting director, Regina Lombardo. Gun-control advocates have emphasized the significance of this position in enforcing gun laws, and Chipman is certain to win praise from this group. During his time as a senior policy adviser with Giffords, he spent considerable effort pushing for greater regulation and enforcement on ghost guns, changes to the background check system and measures to reduce the trafficking of illegal firearms.Chipman spent 25 years as an agent at the ATF, where he worked on stopping a trafficking ring that sent illegal firearms from Virginia to New York, and served on the ATF’s SWAT team. Chipman is a gun owner.He is an explosives expert and was among the team involved in investigating the Oklahoma City bombing and the first World Trade Center bombing. He also was involved in investigating a series of church bombings in Alabama in the 1990s. He retired from the ATF in 2012.The White House fact sheet said Chipman has worked “to advance common-sense gun safety laws.”During his campaign, Biden promised to prioritize new gun control measures as president, including enacting universal background check legislation, banning online sales of firearms and the manufacture and sale of assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. But&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-gun-bills-background-checks-631ad363c97e5ff483f631713f92b1b8">gun-control advocates have said</a>&nbsp;that while they were heartened by signs from the White House that they took the issue seriously, they’ve been disappointed by the lack of early action.With the announcement of the new measures, however, advocates lauded Biden’s first moves to combat gun violence.“Each of these executive actions will start to address the epidemic of gun violence that has raged throughout the pandemic, and begin to make good on President Biden’s promise to be the strongest gun safety president in history,” said John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety.Feinblatt in particular praised the move to regulate ghost guns, which he said “will undoubtedly save countless lives,” and lauded Chipman as an “invaluable point person” in the fight against illegal gun trafficking. He also said the group is looking forward to continuing to work with the Biden administration on further gun control measures, but it’s unclear what next moves the White House, or lawmakers on Capitol Hill, will be able to take.Biden himself expressed uncertainty late last month when asked if he had the political capital to pass new gun control proposals, telling reporters, “I haven’t done any counting yet.”For years, federal officials have been sounding the alarm about an increasing black market for homemade, military-style semi-automatic rifles and handguns. Ghost guns have increasingly turned up at crime scenes and in recent years have been turning up more and more when federal agents are purchasing guns in undercover operations from gang members and other criminals.It is hard to say how many are circulating on the streets, in part because in many cases police departments don’t even contact the federal government about the guns because they can’t be traced.Some states, like California, have enacted laws in recent years to require serial numbers be stamped on ghost guns.The critical component in building an untraceable gun is what is known as the lower receiver, a part typically made of metal or polymer. An unfinished receiver — sometimes referred to as an “80-percent receiver” — can be legally bought online with no serial numbers or other markings on it, no license required.A gunman who&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/0bdd2294957c49f1b730640758e41b54">killed his wife and four others</a>&nbsp;in Northern California in 2017 had been prohibited from owning firearms, but he built his own to skirt the court order before his rampage. And in 2019, a teenager&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/f56aedfde481467283dedb18a1c401fa">used a homemade handgun</a>&nbsp;to fatally shoot two classmates and wound three others at a school in suburban Los Angeles.