SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities investigating a New Year's Day shooting have arrested&nbsp;22-year-old Deajuan C. Smith of Wichita, according to Officer Paul Cruz.

At 4 a.m. January 1, police responded to a shooting at a home in the 2600 block of North Bullinger. Upon arrival, officers located 26-year-old Nicholas Sims of Wichita, who had been shot. He was pronounced deceased on the scene.

The investigation revealed a party was taking place at the home with at least 50 individuals. During the party, an argument ensued between Sims and Deajuan Smith inside the home.

The argument moved to outside of the home, where Smith shot Sims, according to Cruz. The case will be presented to the Sedgwick County District Attorney’s Office.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/2/1613684755160.png" alt="Smith photo Sedgwick County." />
 <figcaption>Smith photo Sedgwick County.</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities investigating a New Year's Day shooting have arrested&nbsp;22-year-old Deajuan C. Smith of Wichita, according to Officer Paul Cruz.At 4 a.m. January 1, police responded to a shooting at a home in the 2600 block of North Bullinger. Upon arrival, officers located 26-year-old Nicholas Sims of Wichita, who had been shot. He was pronounced deceased on the scene.The investigation revealed a party was taking place at the home with at least 50 individuals. During the party, an argument ensued between Sims and Deajuan Smith inside the home.The argument moved to outside of the home, where Smith shot Sims, according to Cruz. The case will be presented to the Sedgwick County District Attorney’s Office.

Kansas man arrested for fatal New Year's party shooting

WASHINGTON (AP) — After decades of failed attempts to pass comprehensive immigration legislation, congressional Democrats and President Joe Biden are signaling openness to a piece-by-piece approach.

They unveiled a broad bill on Thursday that would provide an eight-year pathway to citizenship for 11 million people living in the country without legal status. There are other provisions, too, but the Democrats are not talking all-or-nothing.

“Even though I support full, comprehensive immigration reform, I’m ready to move on piecemeal, because I don’t want to end up with good intentions on my hands and not have anything,” said Texas Rep. Henry Cuellar. “I’d rather have progress.”

The pragmatic approach is a clear recognition of the past failures to deliver on a large-scale immigration overhaul — and how success could be even more difficult in a highly polarized, closely divided Congress.

The Democrats’ legislation reflects the broad priorities for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-donald-trump-immigration-crime-national-security-4c159dbec4ff15bdc10d4f8b524f964e">immigration changes that Biden laid out&nbsp;</a>on his first day in office, including an increase in visas, more money to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-donald-trump-honduras-mexico-coronavirus-pandemic-0843f8a08ed4dbde2bb2c32a94964706">process asylum applications</a>, new technology at the southern border and funding for economic development in Latin American countries.

But advocates for expansive immigration say they could pursue smaller bills focused on citizenship for groups such as young immigrants brought to the U.S. by their parents as children, for agricultural workers and other essential labor.

“I know what it’s like to lose on big bills and small bills. The fear that people have experienced in the last four years deserves every single opportunity, every single bill to remedy,” said Greisa Martinez Rosas, executive director for United We Dream, an immigration advocacy group.

“The biggest thing here is that we’re going to get something across the finish line, because not doing so is not an option.”

The broad legislation — which includes a pathway to citizenship, but not much in the way of the enhanced border security that’s typically offered to win Republican votes — faces long odds with Democrats holding only a slender majority in Congress.

Even before the new bill was unveiled, Democrats were&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-immigration-jen-psaki-12e9346eef0af68dbd604feda32ec1e5">reigning in expectations</a>&nbsp;for their final result. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin has said that any final Senate bill likely “will not reach the same levels” as Biden’s proposal.

Indeed, comprehensive bills negotiated by bipartisan teams of lawmakers failed multiple times during Republican George W. Bush’s administration and again in 2013 during Democrat Barack Obama’s.

Republican Donald Trump signed legislation that increased border security, and took executive action to restrict legal immigration to the U.S. and remove some protections for immigrants living in the country set by Obama. Biden has signed a number of executive orders rolling back some of the Trump restrictions, but he promised throughout his campaign and transition that immigration overhaul would be a top priority.

The White House insisted Thursday there have been no decisions on strategy. But multiple immigration organizations said administration officials had signaled in recent conversations that they were open to a multilevel approach in which lawmakers would press forward on the comprehensive bill while also pursuing individual pieces.

Cuellar, who was in office for most of those early, failed attempts, said many in the Congressional Hispanic Caucus are still committed to a comprehensive overhaul. He said the White House reached out to him and he advised them to start with a broad bill, but he added that “reality is going to hit people, hopefully,” and more lawmakers will get on board with a more incremental approach.

Indeed, Biden himself suggested in a CNN town hall Tuesday night that “there’s things I would deal by itself.” One of the lead sponsors of the bill, New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez, too, seemed to suggest Thursday he was open to a less expansive approach.

“If we can get certain elements of this standing up and passed individually both in the House and the Senate, that’s great,” he said.

Tom Jawetz, vice president for immigration policy at the Center for American Progress, said that Biden’s decades of experience in the Senate have given him a realistic view of what’s possible.

“He also knows how to count votes, and he knows what it takes to get legislation across the line,” he said. “And so I think there is real energy behind pressing forward on all fronts and seeing what shakes out.”

Democrats have a third option: Using a parliamentary maneuver to attach some immigration items to a budget bill, which would then require just 51 votes to pass. Advocates have been pressing the new administration to consider attaching a pathway to citizenship for some to an economic stimulus package that they’re expected to introduce after they’ve passed the COVID-19 bill. That approach would almost certainly face a strong procedural challenge.

“The ultimate goal is to make sure that 2022 doesn’t come around, and we have done nothing on immigration for another Congress,” said Jawetz.

Democrats have expressed optimism that this time will be different not just because of the shift in strategy, but also because they say the politics of the issue have changed. They point to support from business groups for reform, and they note that Latinos are not a monolithic Democratic voting bloc, that Trump improved his showing with Latino voters in the 2020 election.

Martinez Rosas said that if Congress fails to take action on reform, it will “absolutely” be a problem for Democrats in elections in 2022 and beyond.

“This will be the fight, the defining fight,” she said. “The difference between now and in 2013, is that the progressive movement is unified around the acknowledgment that immigration is a must-fix issue.”

WASHINGTON (AP) — After decades of failed attempts to pass comprehensive immigration legislation, congressional Democrats and President Joe Biden are signaling openness to a piece-by-piece approach.They unveiled a broad bill on Thursday that would provide an eight-year pathway to citizenship for 11 million people living in the country without legal status. There are other provisions, too, but the Democrats are not talking all-or-nothing.“Even though I support full, comprehensive immigration reform, I’m ready to move on piecemeal, because I don’t want to end up with good intentions on my hands and not have anything,” said Texas Rep. Henry Cuellar. “I’d rather have progress.”The pragmatic approach is a clear recognition of the past failures to deliver on a large-scale immigration overhaul — and how success could be even more difficult in a highly polarized, closely divided Congress.The Democrats’ legislation reflects the broad priorities for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-donald-trump-immigration-crime-national-security-4c159dbec4ff15bdc10d4f8b524f964e">immigration changes that Biden laid out&nbsp;</a>on his first day in office, including an increase in visas, more money to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-donald-trump-honduras-mexico-coronavirus-pandemic-0843f8a08ed4dbde2bb2c32a94964706">process asylum applications</a>, new technology at the southern border and funding for economic development in Latin American countries.But advocates for expansive immigration say they could pursue smaller bills focused on citizenship for groups such as young immigrants brought to the U.S. by their parents as children, for agricultural workers and other essential labor.“I know what it’s like to lose on big bills and small bills. The fear that people have experienced in the last four years deserves every single opportunity, every single bill to remedy,” said Greisa Martinez Rosas, executive director for United We Dream, an immigration advocacy group.“The biggest thing here is that we’re going to get something across the finish line, because not doing so is not an option.”The broad legislation — which includes a pathway to citizenship, but not much in the way of the enhanced border security that’s typically offered to win Republican votes — faces long odds with Democrats holding only a slender majority in Congress.Even before the new bill was unveiled, Democrats were&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-immigration-jen-psaki-12e9346eef0af68dbd604feda32ec1e5">reigning in expectations</a>&nbsp;for their final result. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin has said that any final Senate bill likely “will not reach the same levels” as Biden’s proposal.Indeed, comprehensive bills negotiated by bipartisan teams of lawmakers failed multiple times during Republican George W. Bush’s administration and again in 2013 during Democrat Barack Obama’s.Republican Donald Trump signed legislation that increased border security, and took executive action to restrict legal immigration to the U.S. and remove some protections for immigrants living in the country set by Obama. Biden has signed a number of executive orders rolling back some of the Trump restrictions, but he promised throughout his campaign and transition that immigration overhaul would be a top priority.The White House insisted Thursday there have been no decisions on strategy. But multiple immigration organizations said administration officials had signaled in recent conversations that they were open to a multilevel approach in which lawmakers would press forward on the comprehensive bill while also pursuing individual pieces.Cuellar, who was in office for most of those early, failed attempts, said many in the Congressional Hispanic Caucus are still committed to a comprehensive overhaul. He said the White House reached out to him and he advised them to start with a broad bill, but he added that “reality is going to hit people, hopefully,” and more lawmakers will get on board with a more incremental approach.Indeed, Biden himself suggested in a CNN town hall Tuesday night that “there’s things I would deal by itself.” One of the lead sponsors of the bill, New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez, too, seemed to suggest Thursday he was open to a less expansive approach.“If we can get certain elements of this standing up and passed individually both in the House and the Senate, that’s great,” he said.Tom Jawetz, vice president for immigration policy at the Center for American Progress, said that Biden’s decades of experience in the Senate have given him a realistic view of what’s possible.“He also knows how to count votes, and he knows what it takes to get legislation across the line,” he said. “And so I think there is real energy behind pressing forward on all fronts and seeing what shakes out.”Democrats have a third option: Using a parliamentary maneuver to attach some immigration items to a budget bill, which would then require just 51 votes to pass. Advocates have been pressing the new administration to consider attaching a pathway to citizenship for some to an economic stimulus package that they’re expected to introduce after they’ve passed the COVID-19 bill. That approach would almost certainly face a strong procedural challenge.“The ultimate goal is to make sure that 2022 doesn’t come around, and we have done nothing on immigration for another Congress,” said Jawetz.Democrats have expressed optimism that this time will be different not just because of the shift in strategy, but also because they say the politics of the issue have changed. They point to support from business groups for reform, and they note that Latinos are not a monolithic Democratic voting bloc, that Trump improved his showing with Latino voters in the 2020 election.Martinez Rosas said that if Congress fails to take action on reform, it will “absolutely” be a problem for Democrats in elections in 2022 and beyond.“This will be the fight, the defining fight,” she said. “The difference between now and in 2013, is that the progressive movement is unified around the acknowledgment that immigration is a must-fix issue.”———

Biden immigration plan provides path to citizenship for millions

SHAWNEE COUNTY — Authorities are working to determine the cause of a Thursday afternoon house fire.

Just before 5p.m. Thursday, crews responded to a fire in a home at 1244 SE Lawrence Street in Topeka, according to Fire Marshal Todd Harrison. Upon arrival, fire crews found smoke and flames coming from the single story residence. 

Firefighters conducted a primary search of the structure. None of the occupants were home and but they were able to rescue a dog from the fire.

A preliminary investigation indicates the cause of the fire as Undetermined. Estimated dollar loss – $12,500.00; of which $10,000.00 is associated with structural loss and $2,500.00 associated with contents loss, according to Harrison.

Working smoke detectors were not located within the home, according to Harrison.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/2/1613734022184.png" alt="Crews on the scene of a Thursday house fire photo courtesy WIBW TV" />
 <figcaption>Crews on the scene of a Thursday house fire photo courtesy WIBW TV</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY — Authorities are working to determine the cause of a Thursday afternoon house fire.Just before 5p.m. Thursday, crews responded to a fire in a home at 1244 SE Lawrence Street in Topeka, according to Fire Marshal Todd Harrison. Upon arrival, fire crews found smoke and flames coming from the single story residence. Firefighters conducted a primary search of the structure. None of the occupants were home and but they were able to rescue a dog from the fire.A preliminary investigation indicates the cause of the fire as Undetermined. Estimated dollar loss – $12,500.00; of which $10,000.00 is associated with structural loss and $2,500.00 associated with contents loss, according to Harrison.Working smoke detectors were not located within the home, according to Harrison.

Firefighters rescue dog from fire at Kansas home

KANSAS CITY —A man faces felony charges after police in Blue Springs found the man's girlfriend stranded in a bathtub and two 5-year-old girls malnourished and describing abuse, according to Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker.

According to court records, police were dispatched on Feb. 12, to the 400 block of SW Moreland School Road and found in the residence a 27-year-old woman stuck in the bathtub. 

She suffers from Multiple Sclerosis and was unable to get out of the tub. The woman was suffering from horrific wounds from sitting in the tub reportedly for days. 

She was sitting in inches of human waste. A doctor, after examining her, stated that she faced a life-threatening situation if she had not been treated. 

In a bedroom in the house, police also found two malnourished 5-year-old girls. One was "skin and bones" in the words of one police officer and the girls were eating out of a cereal bag. 

The girls underwent a forensic interview later at the Child Protection Center and detailed other abuse. In 2020, the Children's Division reported repeated contacts with the victims and told police that the defendant, by agreement, was not supposed to have contact with the girls.&nbsp;

Police arrested Bryan Snow, 30, Blue Springs. He faces two counts of felony Endangering the Welfare of a Child Creating Substantial Risk 1st Degree and a felony charge of Domestic Abuse 2nd Degree, according to the Jackson County Attorney's office. Prosecutor's requested a bond of $65,000.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/2/1613562361297.png" alt="Bryan Snow-photo Jackson County" />
 <figcaption>Bryan Snow-photo Jackson County</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —A man faces felony charges after police in Blue Springs found the man's girlfriend stranded in a bathtub and two 5-year-old girls malnourished and describing abuse, according to Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker.According to court records, police were dispatched on Feb. 12, to the 400 block of SW Moreland School Road and found in the residence a 27-year-old woman stuck in the bathtub. She suffers from Multiple Sclerosis and was unable to get out of the tub. The woman was suffering from horrific wounds from sitting in the tub reportedly for days. She was sitting in inches of human waste. A doctor, after examining her, stated that she faced a life-threatening situation if she had not been treated. In a bedroom in the house, police also found two malnourished 5-year-old girls. One was "skin and bones" in the words of one police officer and the girls were eating out of a cereal bag. The girls underwent a forensic interview later at the Child Protection Center and detailed other abuse. In 2020, the Children's Division reported repeated contacts with the victims and told police that the defendant, by agreement, was not supposed to have contact with the girls.&nbsp;Police arrested Bryan Snow, 30, Blue Springs. He faces two counts of felony Endangering the Welfare of a Child Creating Substantial Risk 1st Degree and a felony charge of Domestic Abuse 2nd Degree, according to the Jackson County Attorney's office. Prosecutor's requested a bond of $65,000.

Man accused of leaving disabled girlfriend in bathtub, abusing children

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. is scrambling to expand DNA mapping of coronavirus samples taken from patients to identify potentially deadlier mutations that are starting to spread around the country.

On Wednesday, the White House announced a scaled up push by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and by a U.S. Army biodefense institute. But the more significant action is on Capitol Hill, where a House bill headed for floor debate would provide $1.75 billion for genomic sequencing.

“I don’t think this is going to be a light switch; I think its going to be a dial,” CDC head Dr. Rochelle Walensky told reporters, as she described the effort.

The U.S. now maps only the genetic makeup of a minuscule fraction of positive virus samples, a situation some experts liken to flying blind. It means the true domestic spread of problematic mutations first identified in the United Kingdom and South Africa remains a matter of guesswork.

Such ignorance could prove costly. One worry is that more transmissible forms such as the UK variant could move faster than the nation’s ability to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/when-do-we-reach-herd-immunity-explained-8da12b3d4f6e33c0c6562f29f81ca52a">get the vaccine into Americans’ arms.</a>

“You’ve got a small number of academic and public health labs that have been basically doing the genomic surveillance,” said David O’Connor, an AIDS researcher at the University of Wisconsin. “But there is no national coherence to the strategy.”

The CDC is trying to shepherd those efforts and align them with the government’s own expanded commitment. Officials said Wednesday the administration will spend $200 million for the CDC to increase genomic sequencing to about 25,000 samples a week, or triple the current level.

On a parallel track, a U.S. Army biodefense institute will increase coronavirus gene mapping to 10,000 samples a week by the end of the month, up from about 4,000.

Provisions of President Joe Biden’s COVID relief bill would take the hunt to another level.

Besides a $1.75 billion budget for gene mapping, House legislation that cleared the Energy and Commerce Committee last week calls for the CDC to organize a national network to use the technology to track the spread of mutations and guide public health countermeasures.

In the Senate, Wisconsin Democrat Tammy Baldwin has introduced a bill that would provide $2 billion. Baldwin says the U.S. should be analyzing at least 15% of positive virus samples. That might not sound like much, but the current rate is believed to be 0.3% to 0.5%. Analyzing 15% of positive samples would expand surveillance by at least 30 times.

Genomic sequencing essentially involves mapping the DNA of an organism, the key to its unique features. It’s done by high-tech machines that can cost from several hundred thousand dollars to $1 million or more. Technicians trained to run the machines and computing capacity to support the whole process add to costs.

In the case of the UK variant first detected in England, the changes in the virus allowed it to spread more easily and are also believed to cause deadlier COVID-19 disease. Walensky said it has already been identified in more than 40 states.

“Genomic sequencing testing is how we will spot variants early before they spread,” said White House COVID response coordinator Jeff Zients.

Sequencing 0.3% to 0.5% of virus samples, as the U.S. is now doing, “just doesn’t give us the ability to detect strains as they develop and become dominant,” said Dr. Phil Febbo, chief medical officer for Illumina, a San Diego-based company that develops genomic sequencing technologies.

The Biden administration has to “set a very clear goal,” he added. “What’s the hill that we are going to charge?”

“We need that data. Otherwise, in some ways, we’re flying blind,” said Esther Krofah, who directs the FasterCures initiative of the Milken Institute.

Even more worrisome than the UK variant is a strain first detected in South Africa that scientists suspect may diminish the protective effect of some of the coronavirus vaccines. That variant has also been identified in the U.S. in a limited number of cases.

At the University of Wisconsin, AIDS scientist O’Connor said the CDC’s new goal of gene-mapping 25,000 samples a week works out to about 5% of U.S. cases, still below the level of surveillance in the United Kingdom. He and his colleagues started sequencing coronavirus samples from the Madison area “because that’s where we live.”

His colleague, virology expert Thomas Friedrich, said a national effort will require more than money to purchase new genomic sequencing machines. The CDC will have to set standards for state health officials and academic research institutions to fully share the information they glean from analyzing virus samples. Currently, there’s a hodgepodge of state regulations and practices, and some of them restrict access to key details.

“We need to look at this as a Manhattan Project or an Apollo program,” said Friedrich, invoking the government-led scientific endeavors that developed the atomic bomb and landed men on the moon.

The United Kingdom was able to identify its variant because the national health system there has a coordinated gene mapping program that aims to sequence about 10% of samples, he added. Since that happened, there’s been greater urgency on this side of the Atlantic Ocean.

“The utility of doing this may not have been as apparent to as many people until these variants started popping up,” Friedrich said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/2/1613699035300.png" alt="CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky during the White House COVID -19 response briefing Wednesday -photo courtesy White House" />
 <figcaption>CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky during the White House COVID -19 response briefing Wednesday -photo courtesy White House</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. is scrambling to expand DNA mapping of coronavirus samples taken from patients to identify potentially deadlier mutations that are starting to spread around the country.On Wednesday, the White House announced a scaled up push by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and by a U.S. Army biodefense institute. But the more significant action is on Capitol Hill, where a House bill headed for floor debate would provide $1.75 billion for genomic sequencing.“I don’t think this is going to be a light switch; I think its going to be a dial,” CDC head Dr. Rochelle Walensky told reporters, as she described the effort.The U.S. now maps only the genetic makeup of a minuscule fraction of positive virus samples, a situation some experts liken to flying blind. It means the true domestic spread of problematic mutations first identified in the United Kingdom and South Africa remains a matter of guesswork.Such ignorance could prove costly. One worry is that more transmissible forms such as the UK variant could move faster than the nation’s ability to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/when-do-we-reach-herd-immunity-explained-8da12b3d4f6e33c0c6562f29f81ca52a">get the vaccine into Americans’ arms.</a>“You’ve got a small number of academic and public health labs that have been basically doing the genomic surveillance,” said David O’Connor, an AIDS researcher at the University of Wisconsin. “But there is no national coherence to the strategy.”The CDC is trying to shepherd those efforts and align them with the government’s own expanded commitment. Officials said Wednesday the administration will spend $200 million for the CDC to increase genomic sequencing to about 25,000 samples a week, or triple the current level.On a parallel track, a U.S. Army biodefense institute will increase coronavirus gene mapping to 10,000 samples a week by the end of the month, up from about 4,000.Provisions of President Joe Biden’s COVID relief bill would take the hunt to another level.Besides a $1.75 billion budget for gene mapping, House legislation that cleared the Energy and Commerce Committee last week calls for the CDC to organize a national network to use the technology to track the spread of mutations and guide public health countermeasures.In the Senate, Wisconsin Democrat Tammy Baldwin has introduced a bill that would provide $2 billion. Baldwin says the U.S. should be analyzing at least 15% of positive virus samples. That might not sound like much, but the current rate is believed to be 0.3% to 0.5%. Analyzing 15% of positive samples would expand surveillance by at least 30 times.Genomic sequencing essentially involves mapping the DNA of an organism, the key to its unique features. It’s done by high-tech machines that can cost from several hundred thousand dollars to $1 million or more. Technicians trained to run the machines and computing capacity to support the whole process add to costs.In the case of the UK variant first detected in England, the changes in the virus allowed it to spread more easily and are also believed to cause deadlier COVID-19 disease. Walensky said it has already been identified in more than 40 states.“Genomic sequencing testing is how we will spot variants early before they spread,” said White House COVID response coordinator Jeff Zients.Sequencing 0.3% to 0.5% of virus samples, as the U.S. is now doing, “just doesn’t give us the ability to detect strains as they develop and become dominant,” said Dr. Phil Febbo, chief medical officer for Illumina, a San Diego-based company that develops genomic sequencing technologies.The Biden administration has to “set a very clear goal,” he added. “What’s the hill that we are going to charge?”“We need that data. Otherwise, in some ways, we’re flying blind,” said Esther Krofah, who directs the FasterCures initiative of the Milken Institute.Even more worrisome than the UK variant is a strain first detected in South Africa that scientists suspect may diminish the protective effect of some of the coronavirus vaccines. That variant has also been identified in the U.S. in a limited number of cases.At the University of Wisconsin, AIDS scientist O’Connor said the CDC’s new goal of gene-mapping 25,000 samples a week works out to about 5% of U.S. cases, still below the level of surveillance in the United Kingdom. He and his colleagues started sequencing coronavirus samples from the Madison area “because that’s where we live.”His colleague, virology expert Thomas Friedrich, said a national effort will require more than money to purchase new genomic sequencing machines. The CDC will have to set standards for state health officials and academic research institutions to fully share the information they glean from analyzing virus samples. Currently, there’s a hodgepodge of state regulations and practices, and some of them restrict access to key details.“We need to look at this as a Manhattan Project or an Apollo program,” said Friedrich, invoking the government-led scientific endeavors that developed the atomic bomb and landed men on the moon.The United Kingdom was able to identify its variant because the national health system there has a coordinated gene mapping program that aims to sequence about 10% of samples, he added. Since that happened, there’s been greater urgency on this side of the Atlantic Ocean.“The utility of doing this may not have been as apparent to as many people until these variants started popping up,” Friedrich said.

Government rushes virus gene-mapping as mutations spread

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas man who was charged with a misdemeanor after he shared a social media post that encouraged violence in suburban Wichita neighborhoods during last summer’s racial injustice protests has been placed on diversion.

Rashawn L. Mayes Jr. of Park City was placed on diversion Thursday and ordered to write a letter of apology to Wichita police, the Sedgwick County District Attorney’s Office said.

Mayes and Michael E. Boston Jr. of Wichita&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/840a8ffd403d4b82e582a0b323903687">were arrested&nbsp;</a>after a post on Snapchat urged groups of people to meet in several locations around Sedgwick County, according to court documents.

Their arrests caused a public outcry that led to their prompt release.

Mayes was charged with one count of conspiracy to commit a riot. Boston will not be charged, Sedgwick County District Attorney Marc Bennett said.

Mayes’ attorney, John Rapp, said his client is happy to have the incident settled.

Mayes’ mother said on Facebook in June that her son didn’t create the post and had instead shared it to warn other Park City residents to stay away from Park City and Bel Aire because of potential violence.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/6/1591288010763.png" alt="Mayes photo Sedgwick County" />
 <figcaption>Mayes photo Sedgwick County</figcaption>
 </figure>WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas man who was charged with a misdemeanor after he shared a social media post that encouraged violence in suburban Wichita neighborhoods during last summer’s racial injustice protests has been placed on diversion.Rashawn L. Mayes Jr. of Park City was placed on diversion Thursday and ordered to write a letter of apology to Wichita police, the Sedgwick County District Attorney’s Office said.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/6/1591287646883.png" alt="Boston-photo Sedgwick County." />
 <figcaption>Boston-photo Sedgwick County.</figcaption>
 </figure>Mayes and Michael E. Boston Jr. of Wichita&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/840a8ffd403d4b82e582a0b323903687">were arrested&nbsp;</a>after a post on Snapchat urged groups of people to meet in several locations around Sedgwick County, according to court documents.Their arrests caused a public outcry that led to their prompt release.Mayes was charged with one count of conspiracy to commit a riot. Boston will not be charged, Sedgwick County District Attorney Marc Bennett said.Mayes’ attorney, John Rapp, said his client is happy to have the incident settled.Mayes’ mother said on Facebook in June that her son didn’t create the post and had instead shared it to warn other Park City residents to stay away from Park City and Bel Aire because of potential violence.

Kan. man sentenced for social media post during violent protests 

Former Kansas Sen. Bob Dole announced Thursday that he has been diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer and would begin treatment on Monday.&nbsp;

Governor Laura Kelly and some members of the Kansas congressional delegation have offered their support with statements on social media.

&nbsp;The 97-year-old Dole said on his own twitter account, “While I certainly have some hurdles ahead, I also know that I join millions of Americans who face significant health challenges of their own." 

Dole, a Republican, represented Kansas in Congress for almost 36 years, serving twice as majority leader. He resigned from the Senate in 1996 when he became the Republican presidential nominee.&nbsp;

Former Kansas Sen. Bob Dole announced Thursday that he has been diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer and would begin treatment on Monday.&nbsp;Governor Laura Kelly and some members of the Kansas congressional delegation have offered their support with statements on social media.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Saddened to hear that <a href="https://twitter.com/SenatorDole?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SenatorDole</a> has been diagnosed with cancer. Sen. Dole is someone I respect as a leader and consider a friend to me and Robba. We are praying for him and Sen. Elizabeth Dole as they tackle this new challenge. <a href="https://t.co/xVySE0ToUd">pic.twitter.com/xVySE0ToUd</a>&mdash; Senator Jerry Moran (@JerryMoran) <a href="https://twitter.com/JerryMoran/status/1362459253387235340?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 18, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">I haven&#39;t known a better public servant, a man w/ a bigger heart, someone more focused on the good of the nation, more opposed to political drama, or a more incredible negotiator than <a href="https://twitter.com/SenatorDole?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SenatorDole</a>. 1/6 <a href="https://t.co/BxF4fNUngI">pic.twitter.com/BxF4fNUngI</a>&mdash; Dr. Roger Marshall (@RogerMarshallMD) <a href="https://twitter.com/RogerMarshallMD/status/1362428760646164487?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 18, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">I was saddened to hear the news that <a href="https://twitter.com/SenatorDole?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SenatorDole</a> - a Kansas son and American hero - has stage 4 lung cancer. Bob Dole is a true statesman and an incredible, tireless advocate for our nation’s service members and veterans. Audrey and I are praying for him and his entire family. <a href="https://t.co/kcBQhw9WfQ">pic.twitter.com/kcBQhw9WfQ</a>&mdash; Tracey Mann (@RepMann) <a href="https://twitter.com/RepMann/status/1362434993176379396?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 18, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Wishing my friend Senator Bob Dole a swift recovery. <a href="https://t.co/N4Phw56SXH">https://t.co/N4Phw56SXH</a>&mdash; Governor Laura Kelly (@GovLauraKelly) <a href="https://twitter.com/GovLauraKelly/status/1362419340482670596?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 18, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>&nbsp;The 97-year-old Dole said on his own twitter account, “While I certainly have some hurdles ahead, I also know that I join millions of Americans who face significant health challenges of their own." Dole, a Republican, represented Kansas in Congress for almost 36 years, serving twice as majority leader. He resigned from the Senate in 1996 when he became the Republican presidential nominee.&nbsp;

Kan. legislative leaders show support for Bob Dole in medical battle

SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities arrested a Kansas teen&nbsp;as part of an ongoing drug investigation.

On Wednesday, members of the Topeka Police Department Narcotics Unit and the Shawnee County Drug Task Force served a search warrant in the 2800 Block of SE Minnesota in Topeka, according to Lt. Jerry Monasmith.

While conducting the search warrant, authorities found 18-year-old Yancy Whitehead, had marijuana, drug paraphernalia, and a firearm.

Officers transported Whitehead to the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges that include, Aggravated endangering a child; reckless situation, Possession of marijuana with the intent for distribution, Possession of drug paraphernalia with intent and No drug tax stamp for marijuana or controlled substance, according to Monasmith.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/2/1613663359153.png" alt="Whitehead photo Shawnee Co." />
 <figcaption>Whitehead photo Shawnee Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities arrested a Kansas teen&nbsp;as part of an ongoing drug investigation.On Wednesday, members of the Topeka Police Department Narcotics Unit and the Shawnee County Drug Task Force served a search warrant in the 2800 Block of SE Minnesota in Topeka, according to Lt. Jerry Monasmith.While conducting the search warrant, authorities found 18-year-old Yancy Whitehead, had marijuana, drug paraphernalia, and a firearm.Officers transported Whitehead to the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges that include, Aggravated endangering a child; reckless situation, Possession of marijuana with the intent for distribution, Possession of drug paraphernalia with intent and No drug tax stamp for marijuana or controlled substance, according to Monasmith.&nbsp;

Kansas teen jailed after drug task force investigation 

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A NASA rover streaked through the orange Martian sky and landed on the planet Thursday, accomplishing the riskiest step yet in an epic quest to bring back rocks that could answer whether life ever existed on Mars.

Ground controllers at the space agency’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, cheered and exchanged fist bumps and high-fives in triumph — and relief — on receiving confirmation that the six-wheeled Perseverance had touched down on the red planet, long a deathtrap for incoming spacecraft.

It took a tension-filled 11 1/2 minutes for the signal to reach Earth.

“Touchdown confirmed! Perseverance safely on the surface of Mars, ready to begin seeking signs of past life,” flight controller Swati Mohan announced to back-slapping colleagues wearing masks against the coronavirus.

The landing marks the third visit to Mars in just over a week. Two spacecraft from the United Arab Emirates and China swung into orbit around Mars on successive days last week. All three missions lifted off in July to take advantage of the close alignment of Earth and Mars, traveling some 300 million miles in nearly seven months.

Perseverance, the biggest, most advanced rover ever sent by NASA, became the ninth spacecraft to successfully land on Mars, every one of them from the U.S.

The car-size, plutonium-powered vehicle arrived at Jezero Crater, hitting NASA’s smallest and trickiest target yet: a 5--by-4-mile strip on an ancient river delta full of pits, cliffs and fields of rock. Scientists believe that if life ever flourished on Mars, it would have happened 3 billion to 4 billion years ago, when water still flowed on the planet.

Over the next two years, Percy, as it is nicknamed, will use its 7-foot (2-meter) arm to drill down and collect rock samples with possible signs of bygone microscopic life. Three to four dozen chalk-size samples will be sealed in tubes and set aside on Mars to be retrieved by a fetch rover and brought homeward by another rocket ship. The goal is to get them back to Earth as early as 2031.

Scientists hope to answer one of the central questions of theology, philosophy and space exploration.

“Are we alone in this sort of vast cosmic desert, just flying through space, or is life much more common? Does it just emerge whenever and wherever the conditions are ripe?” said deputy project scientist Ken Williford. “We’re really on the verge of being able to potentially answer these enormous questions.”

China’s spacecraft includes a smaller rover that also will be seeking evidence of life — if it makes it safely down from orbit in May or June.

Perseverance was on its own during the NASA-described “seven minutes of terror” descent.

Flight controllers waited helplessly as the preprogrammed spacecraft hit the thin, 95% carbon dioxide Martian atmosphere at 12,100 mph (19,500 kph), or 16 times the speed of sound, slowing as it plummeted.

It released its 70-foot (21-meter) parachute, jettisoned its heat shield, and then used a rocket-steered platform known as a sky crane to lower the rover the final 60 or so feet (18 meters) to the surface. Perseverance appeared to touch down about 35 yards from the nearest rocks.

“Take that, Jezero!” a controller called out.

Mars has proved a treacherous place: In the span of less than three months in 1999, a U.S. spacecraft was destroyed upon entering orbit because engineers had mixed up metric and English units, and an American lander crashed on Mars after its engines cut out prematurely.

Perseverance will conduct an experiment in which it will convert small amounts of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere into oxygen, a process that could be a boon to future astronauts by providing breathable air and an ingredient for rocket fuel.

The rover is also equipped with a record 25 cameras and two microphones, many of them turned on during descent. Among the never-before-seen views NASA intends to send back in the next couple days: the enormous supersonic parachute billowing open and the ground getting closer.

“A feast for the eyes and ears. It’s really going to be spectacular,” observed Arizona State University’s Jim Bell, lead scientist for a pair of mast cameras that will serve as the rover’s eyes.

NASA is teaming up with the European Space Agency to bring the rocks home. Perseverance’s mission alone costs nearly $3 billion.

The only way to confirm — or rule out — signs of past life is to analyze the samples in the world’s best labs. Instruments small enough to be sent to Mars wouldn’t have the necessary precision.

“It’s really the most extraordinary, mind-boggingly complicated and will-be history-making exploration campaign,” David Parker, the European Space Agency’s director of human and robotic exploration, said on the eve of landing.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A NASA rover streaked through the orange Martian sky and landed on the planet Thursday, accomplishing the riskiest step yet in an epic quest to bring back rocks that could answer whether life ever existed on Mars.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Hello, world. My first look at my forever home. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CountdownToMars?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CountdownToMars</a> <a href="https://t.co/dkM9jE9I6X">pic.twitter.com/dkM9jE9I6X</a>&mdash; NASA&#39;s Perseverance Mars Rover (@NASAPersevere) <a href="https://twitter.com/NASAPersevere/status/1362507436611956736?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 18, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Ground controllers at the space agency’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, cheered and exchanged fist bumps and high-fives in triumph — and relief — on receiving confirmation that the six-wheeled Perseverance had touched down on the red planet, long a deathtrap for incoming spacecraft.It took a tension-filled 11 1/2 minutes for the signal to reach Earth.“Touchdown confirmed! Perseverance safely on the surface of Mars, ready to begin seeking signs of past life,” flight controller Swati Mohan announced to back-slapping colleagues wearing masks against the coronavirus.The landing marks the third visit to Mars in just over a week. Two spacecraft from the United Arab Emirates and China swung into orbit around Mars on successive days last week. All three missions lifted off in July to take advantage of the close alignment of Earth and Mars, traveling some 300 million miles in nearly seven months.Perseverance, the biggest, most advanced rover ever sent by NASA, became the ninth spacecraft to successfully land on Mars, every one of them from the U.S.The car-size, plutonium-powered vehicle arrived at Jezero Crater, hitting NASA’s smallest and trickiest target yet: a 5--by-4-mile strip on an ancient river delta full of pits, cliffs and fields of rock. Scientists believe that if life ever flourished on Mars, it would have happened 3 billion to 4 billion years ago, when water still flowed on the planet.Over the next two years, Percy, as it is nicknamed, will use its 7-foot (2-meter) arm to drill down and collect rock samples with possible signs of bygone microscopic life. Three to four dozen chalk-size samples will be sealed in tubes and set aside on Mars to be retrieved by a fetch rover and brought homeward by another rocket ship. The goal is to get them back to Earth as early as 2031.Scientists hope to answer one of the central questions of theology, philosophy and space exploration.“Are we alone in this sort of vast cosmic desert, just flying through space, or is life much more common? Does it just emerge whenever and wherever the conditions are ripe?” said deputy project scientist Ken Williford. “We’re really on the verge of being able to potentially answer these enormous questions.”China’s spacecraft includes a smaller rover that also will be seeking evidence of life — if it makes it safely down from orbit in May or June.Perseverance was on its own during the NASA-described “seven minutes of terror” descent.Flight controllers waited helplessly as the preprogrammed spacecraft hit the thin, 95% carbon dioxide Martian atmosphere at 12,100 mph (19,500 kph), or 16 times the speed of sound, slowing as it plummeted.It released its 70-foot (21-meter) parachute, jettisoned its heat shield, and then used a rocket-steered platform known as a sky crane to lower the rover the final 60 or so feet (18 meters) to the surface. Perseverance appeared to touch down about 35 yards from the nearest rocks.“Take that, Jezero!” a controller called out.Mars has proved a treacherous place: In the span of less than three months in 1999, a U.S. spacecraft was destroyed upon entering orbit because engineers had mixed up metric and English units, and an American lander crashed on Mars after its engines cut out prematurely.Perseverance will conduct an experiment in which it will convert small amounts of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere into oxygen, a process that could be a boon to future astronauts by providing breathable air and an ingredient for rocket fuel.The rover is also equipped with a record 25 cameras and two microphones, many of them turned on during descent. Among the never-before-seen views NASA intends to send back in the next couple days: the enormous supersonic parachute billowing open and the ground getting closer.“A feast for the eyes and ears. It’s really going to be spectacular,” observed Arizona State University’s Jim Bell, lead scientist for a pair of mast cameras that will serve as the rover’s eyes.NASA is teaming up with the European Space Agency to bring the rocks home. Perseverance’s mission alone costs nearly $3 billion.The only way to confirm — or rule out — signs of past life is to analyze the samples in the world’s best labs. Instruments small enough to be sent to Mars wouldn’t have the necessary precision.“It’s really the most extraordinary, mind-boggingly complicated and will-be history-making exploration campaign,” David Parker, the European Space Agency’s director of human and robotic exploration, said on the eve of landing.___

NASA rover lands on Mars to look for signs of ancient life

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — College students who lost class time or were forced into online classes because of the pandemic could have some of their tuition refunded under a measure Kansas lawmakers are debating.

A House panel amended the state’s higher education budget Wednesday to require that colleges, community colleges and technical schools reimburse students for 50% of the tuition paid every day they spent online instead of in the classroom. The amendment would reimburse at 100% for days that students missed class entirely.

The state’s Republican-leaning Legislature also has been pushing back against online learning in K-12 schools.

Another House committee has approved a measure that, if passed by the House and Senate, would allow parents of K-12 students with at least 120 consecutive hours of online instruction to use their state per-pupil funding on private schools through an education savings account.

Lawmakers have expressed concern that students are falling behind academically and suffering psychologically in online school.

“I’ve talked to many parents who tell me that their kids aren’t learning, that several of them watch their kids cheat on their final exams because they take it together,” said Rep. Sean Tarwater, a Stillwell Republican who introduced the amendment.

Kansas colleges finished their spring semester online last March as the coronavirus began to spread. They’ve adjusted schedules and kept some courses online in an effort to limit new infections.

“It wasn’t something they by any means chose to do, it’s something they felt they had to do. It was a safety measure,” said Rep. Barbara Ballard, a Lawrence Democrat who teaches at the University of Kansas.

Using federal relief funds, colleges have already refunded students some fees for lost housing and food services.

Any further refunds would involve thousands of students and could further harm budgets. Higher education institutions already been been warning of cuts and layoffs. Though an exact cost is unknown, it would likely run into the millions, stretching a proposed budget that already assumes a 5.5% cut in higher education.

Rep. Brandon Woodard, a Lenexa Democrat, described the proposal as “reckless.”

Tarwater said he would coordinate with the Board of Regents, which governs the state’s colleges, before they are called before the committee in the coming weeks to testify on the issue.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/9/1599528423128.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — College students who lost class time or were forced into online classes because of the pandemic could have some of their tuition refunded under a measure Kansas lawmakers are debating.A House panel amended the state’s higher education budget Wednesday to require that colleges, community colleges and technical schools reimburse students for 50% of the tuition paid every day they spent online instead of in the classroom. The amendment would reimburse at 100% for days that students missed class entirely.The state’s Republican-leaning Legislature also has been pushing back against online learning in K-12 schools.Another House committee has approved a measure that, if passed by the House and Senate, would allow parents of K-12 students with at least 120 consecutive hours of online instruction to use their state per-pupil funding on private schools through an education savings account.Lawmakers have expressed concern that students are falling behind academically and suffering psychologically in online school.“I’ve talked to many parents who tell me that their kids aren’t learning, that several of them watch their kids cheat on their final exams because they take it together,” said Rep. Sean Tarwater, a Stillwell Republican who introduced the amendment.Kansas colleges finished their spring semester online last March as the coronavirus began to spread. They’ve adjusted schedules and kept some courses online in an effort to limit new infections.“It wasn’t something they by any means chose to do, it’s something they felt they had to do. It was a safety measure,” said Rep. Barbara Ballard, a Lawrence Democrat who teaches at the University of Kansas.Using federal relief funds, colleges have already refunded students some fees for lost housing and food services.Any further refunds would involve thousands of students and could further harm budgets. Higher education institutions already been been warning of cuts and layoffs. Though an exact cost is unknown, it would likely run into the millions, stretching a proposed budget that already assumes a 5.5% cut in higher education.Rep. Brandon Woodard, a Lenexa Democrat, described the proposal as “reckless.”Tarwater said he would coordinate with the Board of Regents, which governs the state’s colleges, before they are called before the committee in the coming weeks to testify on the issue.

Kan. lawmakers want tuition refunds for COVID-19 disruptions

BELLE PLAINE, Kan. (AP) — An Arizona woman charged in connection with the Jan. 6 onslaught of the U.S. Capitol bragged in a Snapchat video that she was recently recruited by a Kansas City chapter of the Proud Boys, a neofascist organization that describes itself as “Western chauvinists” and has long forbidden female members.

Felicia Konold’s claim that the chapter recruited her and she was “with them now,” even though she’s not from the Kansas City area, has intrigued experts who study extremist right-wing movements.

“It is ironic that such a deeply misogynistic organization has attracted someone who is a woman to join their organization,” said Eric Ward, a senior fellow with the Southern Poverty Law Center. “It tells us there is dissention in the ranks of Proud Boys right now.”

Details of the video surfaced last week in a probable cause affidavit against Konold, 26, of Tucson, who is charged with conspiracy, civil disorder and other&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-kansas-city-michael-brown-kansas-arrests-e36fad2440cbcf1a4b73ca7cc7a18950">federal charges&nbsp;</a>stemming from the melee.

Konold sounded almost euphoric in the Snapchat video she posted after the Capitol attack, saying she never could have imagined having such an influence on the events that unfolded that day. She laughingly references “all my boys, behind me, holding me up in the air, pushing back. We (expletive) did it!”

In order to seemingly prove her point that she had just been “recruited into a (expletive) chapter from Kansas City,” she displayed on the video a two-sided “challenge coin” that appears to have markings that designate it as belonging to the Kansas City Proud Boys.

The challenge coin denotes membership, something that seems to go against the rhetoric about women from the organization’s national leadership, Ward said.

“The fact she has that coin, the challenge coin, tells me there is something happening around gender in the Proud Boys — and it is something worth paying attention to,” said Ward, who is also the executive director of the Western States Center, a civil rights advocacy group that works to advance gender equity.

Experts who monitor right-wing extremist groups point to the controversy that erupted when former mixed martial arts fighter Tara LaRosa tried in December to establish a Proud Girls offshoot on the social media app Telegram.

The Proud Boys’ social media channels quickly responded, calling auxiliary groups such as Proud Boy’s Girls or Proud Girls “ridiculous ideas.” “Don’t ride our coattails,” one post read. “Want to support us? Get married, have babies, and take care of your family.”

Alex DiBranco, executive director of the Institute for Research on Male Supremacism, said there are differences among Proud Boys chapters over whether to embrace women as Proud Girls, even as the group as a whole has become more hostile to women’s auxiliaries in recent years. Mothers of Proud Boys have posted about Proud Boys gatherings they hosted for their sons.

But DiBranco said the people in her group who have worked on this topic are still unaware of a situation where a woman was actually recruited to be a member of a Proud Boys’ chapter itself, which is strictly against the Proud Boys rules.

Cassie Miller, a senior research analyst for the Southern Poverty Law Center, said that for a period of time there were auxiliary groups of Proud Boys’ Girls made up of the wives and girlfriends of members, but they were not allowed full membership within the group. She said as far as she knows, none of those auxiliary groups are active right now.

“The group has been very clear from the beginning it is an organization for men only and they hold misogynistic believes and believe that women are best suited for domestic labor and should act as mothers and homemakers,” Miller said.

Prosecutors allege in a court filing that William Chrestman, who they described as the leader of Kansas City Proud Boys cell, “readily recruited” Felicia Konold and her brother, Cory Konold, from Arizona to join the group of Kansas City Proud Boys.

Neither her defense attorney nor her father immediately responded to messages Tuesday seeking comment.

The Proud Boys have been known to incite street violence with counter-protesters. The group gained widespread attention during a presidential debate in September when then-President Donald Trump famously told them to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-joe-biden-race-and-ethnicity-donald-trump-chris-wallace-0b32339da25fbc9e8b7c7c7066a1db0f">“stand back and stand by.”</a>

Prosecutors allege that that beginning in December, the Proud Boys encouraged its members to attend the Jan. 6 demonstration in Washington, D.C. A large group of them, including Felicia Konold and other members of its Kansas City cell, was captured on video marching together and later entering the U.S. Capitol.

While there were plenty of white women at the Jan. 6 protests, white supremacists groups generally tend to be dominated by white men, DiBranco said. Groups like QAnon tend to be popular with women, but Proud Boys supporters and QAnon supporters come together at these types of protests. The anti-vaxxer movement against vaccinations is dominated by women.

“Those lockdown protests exposed their members to these elements of a far-right coalition that these women might not otherwise be a part of,” DiBranco said. “Women may have moved from anti-vaxxer into QAnon and other kinds of conspiracies.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/2/1613579788229.png" alt="Felicia Konold photo FBI" />
 <figcaption>Felicia Konold photo FBI</figcaption>
 </figure>By ROXANA HEGEMANBELLE PLAINE, Kan. (AP) — An Arizona woman charged in connection with the Jan. 6 onslaught of the U.S. Capitol bragged in a Snapchat video that she was recently recruited by a Kansas City chapter of the Proud Boys, a neofascist organization that describes itself as “Western chauvinists” and has long forbidden female members.Felicia Konold’s claim that the chapter recruited her and she was “with them now,” even though she’s not from the Kansas City area, has intrigued experts who study extremist right-wing movements.“It is ironic that such a deeply misogynistic organization has attracted someone who is a woman to join their organization,” said Eric Ward, a senior fellow with the Southern Poverty Law Center. “It tells us there is dissention in the ranks of Proud Boys right now.”Details of the video surfaced last week in a probable cause affidavit against Konold, 26, of Tucson, who is charged with conspiracy, civil disorder and other&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-kansas-city-michael-brown-kansas-arrests-e36fad2440cbcf1a4b73ca7cc7a18950">federal charges&nbsp;</a>stemming from the melee.Konold sounded almost euphoric in the Snapchat video she posted after the Capitol attack, saying she never could have imagined having such an influence on the events that unfolded that day. She laughingly references “all my boys, behind me, holding me up in the air, pushing back. We (expletive) did it!”In order to seemingly prove her point that she had just been “recruited into a (expletive) chapter from Kansas City,” she displayed on the video a two-sided “challenge coin” that appears to have markings that designate it as belonging to the Kansas City Proud Boys.The challenge coin denotes membership, something that seems to go against the rhetoric about women from the organization’s national leadership, Ward said.“The fact she has that coin, the challenge coin, tells me there is something happening around gender in the Proud Boys — and it is something worth paying attention to,” said Ward, who is also the executive director of the Western States Center, a civil rights advocacy group that works to advance gender equity.Experts who monitor right-wing extremist groups point to the controversy that erupted when former mixed martial arts fighter Tara LaRosa tried in December to establish a Proud Girls offshoot on the social media app Telegram.The Proud Boys’ social media channels quickly responded, calling auxiliary groups such as Proud Boy’s Girls or Proud Girls “ridiculous ideas.” “Don’t ride our coattails,” one post read. “Want to support us? Get married, have babies, and take care of your family.”Alex DiBranco, executive director of the Institute for Research on Male Supremacism, said there are differences among Proud Boys chapters over whether to embrace women as Proud Girls, even as the group as a whole has become more hostile to women’s auxiliaries in recent years. Mothers of Proud Boys have posted about Proud Boys gatherings they hosted for their sons.But DiBranco said the people in her group who have worked on this topic are still unaware of a situation where a woman was actually recruited to be a member of a Proud Boys’ chapter itself, which is strictly against the Proud Boys rules.Cassie Miller, a senior research analyst for the Southern Poverty Law Center, said that for a period of time there were auxiliary groups of Proud Boys’ Girls made up of the wives and girlfriends of members, but they were not allowed full membership within the group. She said as far as she knows, none of those auxiliary groups are active right now.“The group has been very clear from the beginning it is an organization for men only and they hold misogynistic believes and believe that women are best suited for domestic labor and should act as mothers and homemakers,” Miller said.Prosecutors allege in a court filing that William Chrestman, who they described as the leader of Kansas City Proud Boys cell, “readily recruited” Felicia Konold and her brother, Cory Konold, from Arizona to join the group of Kansas City Proud Boys.Neither her defense attorney nor her father immediately responded to messages Tuesday seeking comment.The Proud Boys have been known to incite street violence with counter-protesters. The group gained widespread attention during a presidential debate in September when then-President Donald Trump famously told them to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-joe-biden-race-and-ethnicity-donald-trump-chris-wallace-0b32339da25fbc9e8b7c7c7066a1db0f">“stand back and stand by.”</a>Prosecutors allege that that beginning in December, the Proud Boys encouraged its members to attend the Jan. 6 demonstration in Washington, D.C. A large group of them, including Felicia Konold and other members of its Kansas City cell, was captured on video marching together and later entering the U.S. Capitol.While there were plenty of white women at the Jan. 6 protests, white supremacists groups generally tend to be dominated by white men, DiBranco said. Groups like QAnon tend to be popular with women, but Proud Boys supporters and QAnon supporters come together at these types of protests. The anti-vaxxer movement against vaccinations is dominated by women.“Those lockdown protests exposed their members to these elements of a far-right coalition that these women might not otherwise be a part of,” DiBranco said. “Women may have moved from anti-vaxxer into QAnon and other kinds of conspiracies.”

Woman charged in Capitol melee says KC group recruited her

DEXTER, Kan. (AP) — A 67-year-old Kansas woman who wandered out of her home during the night was found dead in subzero temperatures. 

Cowley County Sheriff David Falletti says deputies responding to a call about a missing woman found Linda Patton in front of her Dexter home sometime between 3:30 a.m. and 4 a.m. Tuesday. 

Falletti said she was wearing only a nightgown and likely died from the cold.  He said he did not know how long she had been outside.

DEXTER, Kan. (AP) — A 67-year-old Kansas woman who wandered out of her home during the night was found dead in subzero temperatures. Cowley County Sheriff David Falletti says deputies responding to a call about a missing woman found Linda Patton in front of her Dexter home sometime between 3:30 a.m. and 4 a.m. Tuesday. Falletti said she was wearing only a nightgown and likely died from the cold. He said he did not know how long she had been outside.

Sheriff: Kansas woman who wandered out likely died from cold

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Former longtime Sen. Bob Dole has announced that he has been diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer. Dole, who is 97, said in a short statement that he was diagnosed recently and would begin treatment on Monday. He said: “While I certainly have some hurdles ahead, I also know that I join millions of Americans who face significant health challenges of their own." 

Dole, a Republican, represented Kansas in Congress for almost 36 years, serving twice as majority leader. He resigned from the Senate in 1996 when he became the Republican presidential nominee. He lost to incumbent President Bill Clinton.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/9/1600390580413.png" alt="Former Kansas Senator Bob Dole -courtesy photo" />
 <figcaption>Former Kansas Senator Bob Dole -courtesy photo</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Former longtime Sen. Bob Dole has announced that he has been diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer. Dole, who is 97, said in a short statement that he was diagnosed recently and would begin treatment on Monday. He said: “While I certainly have some hurdles ahead, I also know that I join millions of Americans who face significant health challenges of their own." <div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">STATEMENT BY SENATOR BOB DOLE ON HEALTH CHALLENGES <a href="https://t.co/ndRxqNWb30">pic.twitter.com/ndRxqNWb30</a>&mdash; Senator Bob Dole (@SenatorDole) <a href="https://twitter.com/SenatorDole/status/1362417124606677008?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 18, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Dole, a Republican, represented Kansas in Congress for almost 36 years, serving twice as majority leader. He resigned from the Senate in 1996 when he became the Republican presidential nominee. He lost to incumbent President Bill Clinton.

Bob Dole issues statement on his health challenges

SALINE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas felon on new charges after an arrest in Salina.

Just after 3p.m. Wednesday, a police officer driving by StuJo's Carwash, 120 North Broadway Boulevard in Salina noticed a suspect and vehicle that matched the description of those involved in a theft from Menards in Salina on Monday, according to Police Captain Paul Forrester.

In that case, the suspect entered the store and left with two Schlage Sense Bluetooth door handle locks, valued at $400. The suspect, described as a man wearing a red Nike hoodie, gray sweatpants, a black hat, and black facemask, left Menards in a silver four-door hatchback station wagon type vehicle.

When the officer attempted to make contact with the wanted suspect at StuJo's, the the man disobeyed the officer's orders and left in a 1997 silver Ford Escort station wagon with a temporary tag.

Another officer located the vehicle parked in the alley behind a residence in the 100 block of South 11th Street.&nbsp; Officers made contact with the resident and learned the suspect, identified as Dillon Sonnier, 22, Salina, was hiding inside the house. He was located by officers hiding in a closet.

Officers then learned that on Jan. 24, other officers responded to Walmart, 2900 South Ninth Street, for the report of a theft. In that case, a suspect had taken two barcode stickers from two 10-cent tumbler cups, placed them onto two speakers valued at $288, and purchased those speakers for 20 cents, according to Forrester. The person named as the suspect in that case was Sonnier.

Police arrested Sonnier was arrested on&nbsp; requested charges that include Felony theft, two or more prior convictions, Theft by deception, two or more convictions, interference with law enforcement, Driving while suspended, Failure to stop at stop sign and for an Improper signal\, according to Forrester.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/2/1613655792892.jpeg" alt="Sonnier has previous felony convictions for theft, aggravated failure to appear and for drugs, according to the Kansas Dept. of Corrections." />
 <figcaption>Sonnier has previous felony convictions for theft, aggravated failure to appear and for drugs, according to the Kansas Dept. of Corrections.</figcaption>
 </figure>SALINE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas felon on new charges after an arrest in Salina.Just after 3p.m. Wednesday, a police officer driving by StuJo's Carwash, 120 North Broadway Boulevard in Salina noticed a suspect and vehicle that matched the description of those involved in a theft from Menards in Salina on Monday, according to Police Captain Paul Forrester.In that case, the suspect entered the store and left with two Schlage Sense Bluetooth door handle locks, valued at $400. The suspect, described as a man wearing a red Nike hoodie, gray sweatpants, a black hat, and black facemask, left Menards in a silver four-door hatchback station wagon type vehicle.When the officer attempted to make contact with the wanted suspect at StuJo's, the the man disobeyed the officer's orders and left in a 1997 silver Ford Escort station wagon with a temporary tag.Another officer located the vehicle parked in the alley behind a residence in the 100 block of South 11th Street.&nbsp; Officers made contact with the resident and learned the suspect, identified as Dillon Sonnier, 22, Salina, was hiding inside the house. He was located by officers hiding in a closet.Officers then learned that on Jan. 24, other officers responded to Walmart, 2900 South Ninth Street, for the report of a theft. In that case, a suspect had taken two barcode stickers from two 10-cent tumbler cups, placed them onto two speakers valued at $288, and purchased those speakers for 20 cents, according to Forrester. The person named as the suspect in that case was Sonnier.Police arrested Sonnier was arrested on&nbsp; requested charges that include Felony theft, two or more prior convictions, Theft by deception, two or more convictions, interference with law enforcement, Driving while suspended, Failure to stop at stop sign and for an Improper signal\, according to Forrester.

Police find Kansas theft suspect hiding in a closet

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas will put a priority on vaccinating teachers and other school staff against COVID-19 so that K-12 students across the state can resume in-person classes as quickly as possible, Gov. Laura Kelly said Wednesday.

The Democratic governor’s announcement came a week after she told leaders of the Republican-controlled Legislature that 60% of the state’s 286 school districts had&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/teaching-kansas-coronavirus-pandemic-944ea12853ff15976997696fec91b74f">started inoculating teachers.</a>&nbsp;The state’s public schools have about 72,000 staff members, including 34,000 certified teachers.

Kelly said the state will be able to inoculate school staff because it expects the federal government to start next week to ship an additional 25,000 vaccine doses a week. She said the federal government has promised Kansas a total of 115,000 doses a week.

The governor also said the state would make rapid-response COVID-19 testing available to schools as well.

“We want our kids back in the classroom,” Kelly said during a Statehouse news conference. “We all know that virtual school is not ideal.”

In mid-March 2020, shortly after the pandemic reached Kansas, Kelly ordered K-12 school building closed until the end of the spring semester, and she continues to argue that it was necessary to check the spread of COVID-19. But she faced heavy criticism from Republican lawmakers that the action was too drastic and hurt children’s learning.

Senate President Ty Masterson, an Andover Republican, last week introduced&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-kansas-coronavirus-pandemic-1784260eee9b7629078ba41042d0297a">a bill</a>&nbsp;that would require the state’s K-12 schools to offer in-person classes to all students starting March 26. Kelly said she hopes “we can get some of them back sooner than that.”

“Some schools have started to do that,” she said. “Some counties have already started to focus on teachers and staff in the schools in anticipation of being able to bring kids back. We all know this has not been a good situation.”

Kelly’s announcement came a day after the Kansas-National Association, the state’s largest teachers union, invited hundreds of teacher-leaders to a Zoom panel discussion in which health experts discussed the importance of COVID-19 vaccines.

“We are supportive of the governor’s efforts to get vaccine to educators because we know that that is what will help us get back to safe in-person instruction according to the medical experts, said Marcus Baltzell, a union spokesperson.

But Kelly announced the focus on teachers and school staff after a winter cold snap led to rolling power outages, disrupted vaccine shipments, canceled some immunization clinics and shrank the number of people being tested.

Dennis Kriesel, executive director of the Kansas Association of Local Health Departments, said vaccine shipments that were supposed to go out earlier this week were delayed again on Wednesday. He said state health officials hope that most facilities will receive their weekly allotment by Friday.

Multiple communities, including some in the Topeka and Kansas City area, canceled vaccination clinics and testing Tuesday as temperatures dipped below zero and snow fell.

Testing had been falling even before the cold snap, with state health department data showing that the most people were tested in November, almost 186,000, or 6188 per day, and then it dropped to 182,000 in December or 5,873 a day — perhaps because of the holidays — and then it was less than 139,000 in January, or 4468 per day.

The lower number of tests has coincided with a drop in the number of positive tests. Kansas added just 1,267 new confirmed cases from Monday to Wednesday, pushing the state’s pandemic total to 288,717. That brought the state’s rolling seven-day average to 546 new COVID-19 cases a day, the lowest its been since mid-September. The number of COVID-19 deaths also rose by 115 to 4,521.

But the number of hospitalizations and the positivity rate also has been shrinking, leading health officials to believe the situation is actually improving.

In Wichita, the two major hospitals now have available beds in their intensive care units after 15 weeks of full ICUs, the Sedgwick County Health Department said.

There also is room at Kansas City area hospitals, said Elizabeth Holzschuh, an epidemiologist with the Johnson County health department, during a conference call Tuesday.

Dr. Dana Hawkinson, director of infection control for the University of Kansas Health System, said the vaccination rollout is helping reduce infections — particularly among nursing home residents — but doesn’t fully explain the drop. He said it is more likely the result of better masking, adding that the recent winter weather also has caused a “nature induced shutdown.”

Dr. Steve Stites, the chief medical officer at the University of Kansas Health System, said during a daily webcast that the cold snap forced people indoors.

“You are staying within your bubble because you want to stay warm,” he said. “We will take that.”

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas will put a priority on vaccinating teachers and other school staff against COVID-19 so that K-12 students across the state can resume in-person classes as quickly as possible, Gov. Laura Kelly said Wednesday.<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=314&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FGovLauraKelly%2Fvideos%2F179149120309819%2F&show_text=false&width=560" width="560" height="314" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowFullScreen="true"></iframe></div>The Democratic governor’s announcement came a week after she told leaders of the Republican-controlled Legislature that 60% of the state’s 286 school districts had&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/teaching-kansas-coronavirus-pandemic-944ea12853ff15976997696fec91b74f">started inoculating teachers.</a>&nbsp;The state’s public schools have about 72,000 staff members, including 34,000 certified teachers.Kelly said the state will be able to inoculate school staff because it expects the federal government to start next week to ship an additional 25,000 vaccine doses a week. She said the federal government has promised Kansas a total of 115,000 doses a week.The governor also said the state would make rapid-response COVID-19 testing available to schools as well.“We want our kids back in the classroom,” Kelly said during a Statehouse news conference. “We all know that virtual school is not ideal.”In mid-March 2020, shortly after the pandemic reached Kansas, Kelly ordered K-12 school building closed until the end of the spring semester, and she continues to argue that it was necessary to check the spread of COVID-19. But she faced heavy criticism from Republican lawmakers that the action was too drastic and hurt children’s learning.Senate President Ty Masterson, an Andover Republican, last week introduced&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-kansas-coronavirus-pandemic-1784260eee9b7629078ba41042d0297a">a bill</a>&nbsp;that would require the state’s K-12 schools to offer in-person classes to all students starting March 26. Kelly said she hopes “we can get some of them back sooner than that.”“Some schools have started to do that,” she said. “Some counties have already started to focus on teachers and staff in the schools in anticipation of being able to bring kids back. We all know this has not been a good situation.”Kelly’s announcement came a day after the Kansas-National Association, the state’s largest teachers union, invited hundreds of teacher-leaders to a Zoom panel discussion in which health experts discussed the importance of COVID-19 vaccines.“We are supportive of the governor’s efforts to get vaccine to educators because we know that that is what will help us get back to safe in-person instruction according to the medical experts, said Marcus Baltzell, a union spokesperson.But Kelly announced the focus on teachers and school staff after a winter cold snap led to rolling power outages, disrupted vaccine shipments, canceled some immunization clinics and shrank the number of people being tested.Dennis Kriesel, executive director of the Kansas Association of Local Health Departments, said vaccine shipments that were supposed to go out earlier this week were delayed again on Wednesday. He said state health officials hope that most facilities will receive their weekly allotment by Friday.Multiple communities, including some in the Topeka and Kansas City area, canceled vaccination clinics and testing Tuesday as temperatures dipped below zero and snow fell.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/2/1613584997529.png" alt="Wednesday Feb. 17, 2021 KDHE image" />
 <figcaption>Wednesday Feb. 17, 2021 KDHE image</figcaption>
 </figure>Testing had been falling even before the cold snap, with state health department data showing that the most people were tested in November, almost 186,000, or 6188 per day, and then it dropped to 182,000 in December or 5,873 a day — perhaps because of the holidays — and then it was less than 139,000 in January, or 4468 per day.The lower number of tests has coincided with a drop in the number of positive tests. Kansas added just 1,267 new confirmed cases from Monday to Wednesday, pushing the state’s pandemic total to 288,717. That brought the state’s rolling seven-day average to 546 new COVID-19 cases a day, the lowest its been since mid-September. The number of COVID-19 deaths also rose by 115 to 4,521.But the number of hospitalizations and the positivity rate also has been shrinking, leading health officials to believe the situation is actually improving.In Wichita, the two major hospitals now have available beds in their intensive care units after 15 weeks of full ICUs, the Sedgwick County Health Department said.There also is room at Kansas City area hospitals, said Elizabeth Holzschuh, an epidemiologist with the Johnson County health department, during a conference call Tuesday.Dr. Dana Hawkinson, director of infection control for the University of Kansas Health System, said the vaccination rollout is helping reduce infections — particularly among nursing home residents — but doesn’t fully explain the drop. He said it is more likely the result of better masking, adding that the recent winter weather also has caused a “nature induced shutdown.”Dr. Steve Stites, the chief medical officer at the University of Kansas Health System, said during a daily webcast that the cold snap forced people indoors.“You are staying within your bubble because you want to stay warm,” he said. “We will take that.”

🎥  More COVID vaccine coming to Kansas for teachers, school staff

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Power outages in&nbsp;Texas&nbsp;dropped below 1 million on Thursday morning for the first time in four days, but many people remained without electricity or safe drinking water after winter storms wreaked havoc on the state's power grid and utilities.

During a news conference Wednesday, Andrew French, Chairman of the Kansas Corporation Commission said energy usage in the region was lower than forecast. "That tells me our conservation measures by businesses and residents in Kansas are making a difference," he said. 

"Conservation has been really important to keep the lights on for everyone and for keeping natural gas flowing."&nbsp; He offered thanks for the effort and asked the public to continue conservation measures.

French said the <a href="https://spp.org/">Southwest Power Pool</a> had notified him Wednesday afternoon that the region remained in their emergency operation. However, the organization had dropped their alert level to an EA-1. "This is two notches below where they were calling for coordinated blackouts." Those blackouts occurred midday on Monday and Tuesday morning in portions of Kansas.

"Our hope is that we can get through the next day or so, get into warmer temperatures to relieve the strain on the energy system," he said.

In Little Rock,&nbsp;Arkansas, 15 inches of snow was on the ground Thursday after back-to-back storms, tying a record for snow depth set in 1918, the National Weather Service said.

This week's extreme weather has been blamed for the deaths of more than 30 people, some of whom perished while struggling to keep warm inside their homes. In the Houston area, one family succumbed to carbon monoxide from car exhaust in their garage. A grandmother and three children died when flames escaped the fireplace they were using to keep warm.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/2/1613601077409.png" alt="Kansas Corporation Commission Chairman Andrew French during Wednesday's news conference with Governor Kelly." />
 <figcaption>Kansas Corporation Commission Chairman Andrew French during Wednesday's news conference with Governor Kelly.</figcaption>
 </figure>AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Power outages in&nbsp;Texas&nbsp;dropped below 1 million on Thursday morning for the first time in four days, but many people remained without electricity or safe drinking water after winter storms wreaked havoc on the state's power grid and utilities.During a news conference Wednesday, Andrew French, Chairman of the Kansas Corporation Commission said energy usage in the region was lower than forecast. "That tells me our conservation measures by businesses and residents in Kansas are making a difference," he said. "Conservation has been really important to keep the lights on for everyone and for keeping natural gas flowing."&nbsp; He offered thanks for the effort and asked the public to continue conservation measures.French said the <a href="https://spp.org/">Southwest Power Pool</a> had notified him Wednesday afternoon that the region remained in their emergency operation. However, the organization had dropped their alert level to an EA-1. "This is two notches below where they were calling for coordinated blackouts." Those blackouts occurred midday on Monday and Tuesday morning in portions of Kansas."Our hope is that we can get through the next day or so, get into warmer temperatures to relieve the strain on the energy system," he said.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Why has the SPP region been so affected by the current cold-weather event? This map shows overlap between the coldest temperatures in the nation and SPP’s 14-state balancing authority area. <a href="https://t.co/floZvwYktZ">pic.twitter.com/floZvwYktZ</a>&mdash; Southwest Power Pool (@SPPorg) <a href="https://twitter.com/SPPorg/status/1362141548008275970?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 17, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>In Little Rock,&nbsp;Arkansas, 15 inches of snow was on the ground Thursday after back-to-back storms, tying a record for snow depth set in 1918, the National Weather Service said.This week's extreme weather has been blamed for the deaths of more than 30 people, some of whom perished while struggling to keep warm inside their homes. In the Houston area, one family succumbed to carbon monoxide from car exhaust in their garage. A grandmother and three children died when flames escaped the fireplace they were using to keep warm.In Texas, about 560,000 homes and businesses were still without electricity Thursday morning, down from about 3 million the day before. But Texas’ grid manager, under fire for its response to the winter storm, has warned that the outages could fluctuate during hours of peak energy demand.Adding to the misery, the snowy weather has jeopardized drinking water systems throughout the state.Texas officials ordered 7 million people — a quarter of the population of the nation’s second-largest state — to boil tap water before drinking it following days of record low temperatures that damaged infrastructure and froze pipes.In Austin, some hospitals faced a loss in water pressure and in some cases, heat.“Because this is a state-wide emergency situation that is also impacting other hospitals within the Austin area, no one hospital currently has the capacity to accept transport of a large number of patients,” St. David's South Austin Medical Center CEO David Huffstutler said in a statement.Water pressure has fallen across the state because lines have frozen, and many residents are leaving faucets dripping in hopes of preventing pipes from freezing, said Toby Baker, executive director of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.Texas Gov. Greg Abbott urged residents to shut off water to their homes, if possible, to prevent more busted pipes and preserve pressure in municipal systems.Weather-related outages have been particularly stubborn in&nbsp;Oregon, where some customers have been without power for almost a week. A Portland supermarket without power threw perishable food into dumpsters, leading to a clash between scavengers and police.The damage to the power system was the worst in 40 years, said Maria Pope, CEO of Portland General Electric. At the peak of the storm, more than 350,000 customers in the Portland area were in the dark. More than 100,000 customers remained without power Thursday in Oregon.“These are the most dangerous conditions we’ve ever seen in the history of PGE,” said Dale Goodman, director of utility operations, who declined to predict when all customers would have power restored.Utilities from&nbsp;Minnesota&nbsp;to Texas have implemented rolling blackouts to ease the burden on strained power grids. The Southwest Power Pool, a group of utilities covering 14 states, said the blackouts were “a last resort to preserve the reliability of the electric system as a whole.”The weather also disrupted water systems in several Southern cities, including in New Orleans and Shreveport,&nbsp;Louisiana, where city fire trucks delivered water to several hospitals, and bottled water was being brought in for patients and staff, Shreveport television station KSLA reported.Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards sought a presidential emergency declaration Wednesday evening, seeking federal money and supplies in response to extended power outages in his state.Power was cut to a New Orleans facility that pumps drinking water from the&nbsp;Mississippi&nbsp;River. A spokeswoman for the Sewerage and Water Board said on-site generators were used until electricity was restored.In the southwest Louisiana city of Lake Charles, Mayor Nic Hunter said Wednesday that water reserves remained low and local hospitals were faced with the possibility they might have to transfer patients to other areas.___