SEDWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities investigating a series of alleged sexual assaults have made an arrest.

Just after 11:30a.m. on Thursday, police responded to a sexual assault report at the Towne East Mall. A female victim told police a male suspect later identified as 26-year-old Andrew Jones sexually assaulted her outside a store inside the mall, according to Officer Trevor Macy. The suspect then running away.

Shortly after this incident occurred, officers learned of another incident within the Towne East Mall. A female victim reported being sexually assaulted by a man with a similar description to the suspect in the first incident. 

The suspect later identified as Jones was seen leaving the mall and heading toward the southeast.

Officers were attempting to locate the suspect when a third 911 call was made regarding another sexual assault in the 8000 block of E Morris in Wichita. A woman reported a man, matching the suspect's description in the previous assaults, sexually assaulted her outside her home. Her husband heard the commotion and saw the suspect fleeing.&nbsp; The husband&nbsp; began to chase him but stopped chasing after the suspect produced a knife and threatened him with it.

Officers were in the area when they located Jones who attempted to flee. There was a brief foot pursuit, which ended when Jones claimed to have a firearm and entered a residence in the 8000 block of E Gilbert. The house was surrounded, and crisis negotiators were called in to de-escalate the situation.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/7/1625242997638.png" alt="Jones-photo Sedgwick County" />
 <figcaption>Jones-photo Sedgwick County</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities investigating a series of alleged sexual assaults have made an arrest.Just after 11:30a.m. on Thursday, police responded to a sexual assault report at the Towne East Mall. A female victim told police a male suspect later identified as 26-year-old Andrew Jones sexually assaulted her outside a store inside the mall, according to Officer Trevor Macy. The suspect then running away.Shortly after this incident occurred, officers learned of another incident within the Towne East Mall. A female victim reported being sexually assaulted by a man with a similar description to the suspect in the first incident. The suspect later identified as Jones was seen leaving the mall and heading toward the southeast.Officers were attempting to locate the suspect when a third 911 call was made regarding another sexual assault in the 8000 block of E Morris in Wichita. A woman reported a man, matching the suspect's description in the previous assaults, sexually assaulted her outside her home. Her husband heard the commotion and saw the suspect fleeing.&nbsp; The husband&nbsp; began to chase him but stopped chasing after the suspect produced a knife and threatened him with it.Officers were in the area when they located Jones who attempted to flee. There was a brief foot pursuit, which ended when Jones claimed to have a firearm and entered a residence in the 8000 block of E Gilbert. The house was surrounded, and crisis negotiators were called in to de-escalate the situation.

Police: 2 women sexually assaulted at Kansas mall

WASHINGTON (AP) — The remaining fencing that has surrounded the U.S. Capitol since a mob of pro-Trump rioters stormed the building in January is likely to come down as soon as next week, three people familiar with the matter told The Associated Press.

Capitol Police&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-capitol-siege-sports-fencing-government-and-politics-306c493c5c4bfcdd7cbfacea28068760">removed an outer fence&nbsp;</a>in March that had cut off a wide swath of the area to cars and pedestrians, blocking major traffic arteries that cross the city. An interior perimeter fence has remained around the Capitol, with signs warning that the area is closed to the public.

A plan being put in place by the U.S. Capitol Police Board calls for the fence to be removed by July 9, the people said. They could not discuss details of the plan publicly and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity. The Capitol Police Board, which has oversight of the police force, is made up of the sergeants at arms of the House and Senate and the Architect of the Capitol.

The fencing has been a stark symbol of the fear many in the Capitol felt after the mob pushed its way past overwhelmed police officers, broke through windows and doors and ransacked the Capitol as Congress was voting to certify Joe Biden’s electoral win.

“We cannot talk about security, which includes any potential physical security infrastructure plans,” a Capitol Police spokesman said.

The fence has also&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-959046e70443c6137975be5ba78746e7">become a political symbol</a>, blocking off one of the country’s most visible public buildings as lawmakers and police work to come up with a plan to allow the public back inside but also keep the Capitol and members of Congress safe.

More than 500 people have been charged with federal crimes for their roles in the Jan. 6 riot and dozens of others are still being sought by federal agents. Thousands of National Guard troops who were sent to assist the Capitol Police with securing the complex left months ago.

Just a few weeks after the outer fence came down in March, a man rammed his car into a police checkpoint barrier, killing a Capitol Police officer. The driver was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-politics-451c5c5154045d404d0db76270f78aac">shot and killed</a>&nbsp;after he ran his car into&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-news-nancy-pelosi-42e4c9eee490dfd6056c10ea7a1c3c1a">Police Officer Billy Evans</a>&nbsp;and another officer, got out and lunged at police with a knife.

The Capitol Police Board asked congressional leaders in February to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-fencing-d6f4db885059e6dd30f3c37f57cece8b">keep the fence in place</a>&nbsp;until September, in part because investigators are tracking continuing threats against lawmakers and the Capitol complex.

On Wednesday, the House&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/house-to-investigate-capitol-insurrection-6d939eaf5e7bf39e463edaebb32277c5">launched a new investigation</a>&nbsp;of the Jan. 6 attack, approving a special committee to probe the insurrection.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/3/1615213886851.png" alt="Photo courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The remaining fencing that has surrounded the U.S. Capitol since a mob of pro-Trump rioters stormed the building in January is likely to come down as soon as next week, three people familiar with the matter told The Associated Press.Capitol Police&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-capitol-siege-sports-fencing-government-and-politics-306c493c5c4bfcdd7cbfacea28068760">removed an outer fence&nbsp;</a>in March that had cut off a wide swath of the area to cars and pedestrians, blocking major traffic arteries that cross the city. An interior perimeter fence has remained around the Capitol, with signs warning that the area is closed to the public.A plan being put in place by the U.S. Capitol Police Board calls for the fence to be removed by July 9, the people said. They could not discuss details of the plan publicly and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity. The Capitol Police Board, which has oversight of the police force, is made up of the sergeants at arms of the House and Senate and the Architect of the Capitol.The fencing has been a stark symbol of the fear many in the Capitol felt after the mob pushed its way past overwhelmed police officers, broke through windows and doors and ransacked the Capitol as Congress was voting to certify Joe Biden’s electoral win.“We cannot talk about security, which includes any potential physical security infrastructure plans,” a Capitol Police spokesman said.The fence has also&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-959046e70443c6137975be5ba78746e7">become a political symbol</a>, blocking off one of the country’s most visible public buildings as lawmakers and police work to come up with a plan to allow the public back inside but also keep the Capitol and members of Congress safe.More than 500 people have been charged with federal crimes for their roles in the Jan. 6 riot and dozens of others are still being sought by federal agents. Thousands of National Guard troops who were sent to assist the Capitol Police with securing the complex left months ago.Just a few weeks after the outer fence came down in March, a man rammed his car into a police checkpoint barrier, killing a Capitol Police officer. The driver was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-politics-451c5c5154045d404d0db76270f78aac">shot and killed</a>&nbsp;after he ran his car into&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-news-nancy-pelosi-42e4c9eee490dfd6056c10ea7a1c3c1a">Police Officer Billy Evans</a>&nbsp;and another officer, got out and lunged at police with a knife.The Capitol Police Board asked congressional leaders in February to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-fencing-d6f4db885059e6dd30f3c37f57cece8b">keep the fence in place</a>&nbsp;until September, in part because investigators are tracking continuing threats against lawmakers and the Capitol complex.On Wednesday, the House&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/house-to-investigate-capitol-insurrection-6d939eaf5e7bf39e463edaebb32277c5">launched a new investigation</a>&nbsp;of the Jan. 6 attack, approving a special committee to probe the insurrection.

Remaining fence around US Capitol to be removed

MANHATTAN— Authorities say a Friday morning fire in Manhattan was accidental.

Just after 8a.m., the Manhattan Fire Department was dispatched to 1621 Woodcrest Drive for a report of a fire in the garage, according to Deputy Chief Ryan Almes.

Upon arrival, crews found a one-story structure with light smoke showing. The fire was knocked down within five minutes.. No injuries were reported. The one-story building contains three townhomes.&nbsp; The fire was contained to one home with only smoke damage in the other two units. Loss is estimated at $20,000 to contents and $20,000 to the structure. The owner is listed as Judy Roland of the same address. The fire cause is accidental due to self-heating of stain-soaked rags.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/7/1625243127879.png" alt="Loss from the fire is estimated at $20,000 to contents and $20,000 to the structure-photo courtesy Manhattan Fire Dept." />
 <figcaption>Loss from the fire is estimated at $20,000 to contents and $20,000 to the structure-photo courtesy Manhattan Fire Dept.</figcaption>
 </figure>MANHATTAN— Authorities say a Friday morning fire in Manhattan was accidental.Just after 8a.m., the Manhattan Fire Department was dispatched to 1621 Woodcrest Drive for a report of a fire in the garage, according to Deputy Chief Ryan Almes.Upon arrival, crews found a one-story structure with light smoke showing. The fire was knocked down within five minutes.. No injuries were reported. The one-story building contains three townhomes.&nbsp; The fire was contained to one home with only smoke damage in the other two units. Loss is estimated at $20,000 to contents and $20,000 to the structure. The owner is listed as Judy Roland of the same address. The fire cause is accidental due to self-heating of stain-soaked rags.

Stain-soaked rags blamed for fire at Kansas home

TOPEKA&nbsp;– Kansas marks the end of Fiscal Year 2021 with $8.9 billion in total tax collections for the year. That is a $758.1 million, or 9.3%, growth over the estimate, according to a media release from the Kansas Department of Revenue.

 For June, total tax collections were $854.4 million; $157.4 million, or 22.6%, more than the estimate. That is $110.0 million more than last June.

<a href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.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.YQQ3eb4lshWAfSk5f4IavOGlmQ9NGkVSon0wnI_MhLw/s/1303160919/br/108799256122-l" target="_blank">Click here to view the revenue numbers</a>

“Our positive June tax receipt numbers show that our efforts to rebuild our state’s economic foundation and strengthen our economy are paying off,”&nbsp;Governor Laura Kelly said. “As we transition into the next fiscal year, my administration will continue moving our economy forward by prioritizing pro-growth policies that will support Kansas businesses and families.”

Individual income tax collections were $372.7 million. That is $48.7 million, or 15.0%, more than the estimate and $19.6 million, or 5.5%, more than June of last fiscal year. Corporate income tax collections were $111.2 million. That is $64.2 million, or 136.5%, more than the estimate and $56.5 million, or 103.2%, more than the same month last year.

“The strong performances from both individual and corporate estimated tax would suggest that perhaps the capital gains from the stock market activity for individuals, and overall corporate profits continue to far exceed expectations,”&nbsp;Secretary of Revenue Mark Burghart&nbsp;said.

June retail sales tax collections were $224.2 million, which is $24.4 million, or 12.2% more than the estimate. That is also $21.3 million, or 10.5%, more than the same month of last fiscal year. Compensating use tax collections were $50.3 million; a $10.3 million, or 25.7%, growth over the estimate. That is also $6.9 million, or 15.8%, more than last June.

TOPEKA&nbsp;– Kansas marks the end of Fiscal Year 2021 with $8.9 billion in total tax collections for the year. That is a $758.1 million, or 9.3%, growth over the estimate, according to a media release from the Kansas Department of Revenue. For June, total tax collections were $854.4 million; $157.4 million, or 22.6%, more than the estimate. That is $110.0 million more than last June.<a href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.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.YQQ3eb4lshWAfSk5f4IavOGlmQ9NGkVSon0wnI_MhLw/s/1303160919/br/108799256122-l" target="_blank">Click here to view the revenue numbers</a>“Our positive June tax receipt numbers show that our efforts to rebuild our state’s economic foundation and strengthen our economy are paying off,”&nbsp;Governor Laura Kelly said. “As we transition into the next fiscal year, my administration will continue moving our economy forward by prioritizing pro-growth policies that will support Kansas businesses and families.”Individual income tax collections were $372.7 million. That is $48.7 million, or 15.0%, more than the estimate and $19.6 million, or 5.5%, more than June of last fiscal year. Corporate income tax collections were $111.2 million. That is $64.2 million, or 136.5%, more than the estimate and $56.5 million, or 103.2%, more than the same month last year.“The strong performances from both individual and corporate estimated tax would suggest that perhaps the capital gains from the stock market activity for individuals, and overall corporate profits continue to far exceed expectations,”&nbsp;Secretary of Revenue Mark Burghart&nbsp;said.June retail sales tax collections were $224.2 million, which is $24.4 million, or 12.2% more than the estimate. That is also $21.3 million, or 10.5%, more than the same month of last fiscal year. Compensating use tax collections were $50.3 million; a $10.3 million, or 25.7%, growth over the estimate. That is also $6.9 million, or 15.8%, more than last June.

Kansas ends fiscal year with $758M growth over the estimate

TOPEKA— The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Kansas increased by 409 to a total of 318,515, the state health department reported Friday afternoon.&nbsp;

The state reported 3 new COVID-19 deaths for a total of 5159.

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

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

TOPEKA— The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Kansas increased by 409 to a total of 318,515, the state health department reported Friday afternoon.&nbsp;The state reported 3 new COVID-19 deaths for a total of 5159.<a href="https://www.kansasvaccine.gov/158/Data">Click here for Data</a> about the COVID-19 vaccine.<a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/160/COVID-19-in-Kansas">Click here&nbsp;</a>for additional virus numbers from the KDHE.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/7/1625245756367.png" alt="Friday July 2, 2021 KDHE image" />
 <figcaption>Friday July 2, 2021 KDHE image</figcaption>
 </figure>

KDHE: Latest coronavirus numbers in Kansas

PAWNEE COUNTY –As the search for a Kansas sex offender continues for a third day, law enforcement officials released disturbing information on the timeline and a lack of communication on John Freeman Colt's escape from the Sexual Predator Program at Larned State Hospital.

According to the Pawnee County Sheriff's office and a media release from the&nbsp;Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services, 42-year-old Colt walked away from Larned State Hospital's Dillon Building just after 7a.m. on Wednesday.

Officials at Larned State Hospital did not notify law enforcement until 12:47p.m., according to the Pawnee County Sheriff's office.&nbsp; &nbsp;

Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services issued a state-wide media release on the search for Colt just before 5 p.m. Wednesday that included a statement from&nbsp;Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services Secretary Laura Howard, "My leadership team at Larned is working closely with local law enforcement to ensure this resident is apprehended quickly and without incident. I am in constant contact with the superintendent at Larned and am actively monitoring the situation."

Barton County Sheriff Brian Bellendir explained how Colt made it into the community.&nbsp; “He caught a ride into town and gave a story he had a broken-down vehicle,” Bellendir said. “He was dressed in dress clothes. He didn’t look like what you’d expect an inmate to be. He looked more like a social worker, and that’s probably how he managed to escape, which the state investigators for DOC (the Department of Corrections) are over there trying to figure all of that out&nbsp;right now.”&nbsp;

Bellendir said&nbsp;Colt had altered his appearance by cutting his hair and shaving off a beard.&nbsp; The sheriff also said Colt is known to be violent to law enforcement officers.

Colt is described as a white male, medium skin tone, 5-foot-7, 200 pounds, blue eyes, and&nbsp; short brown hair. He also has a tattoo on his left arm of a heart with the letters BH.

He was last seen wearing a gray long sleeve shirt, black pants ( possibly dress pants ) and a dark face mask. Subject possibly has an ID badge "C JONES", and may have a cell phone. He should be considered dangerous.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/6/1625086515798.png" alt="Colt as seen on a security camera following his escape-image Pawnee Co. Sheriff" />
 <figcaption>Colt as seen on a security camera following his escape-image Pawnee Co. Sheriff</figcaption>
 </figure>PAWNEE COUNTY –As the search for a Kansas sex offender continues for a third day, law enforcement officials released disturbing information on the timeline and a lack of communication on John Freeman Colt's escape from the Sexual Predator Program at Larned State Hospital.According to the Pawnee County Sheriff's office and a media release from the&nbsp;Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services, 42-year-old Colt walked away from Larned State Hospital's Dillon Building just after 7a.m. on Wednesday.Officials at Larned State Hospital did not notify law enforcement until 12:47p.m., according to the Pawnee County Sheriff's office.&nbsp; &nbsp;Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services issued a state-wide media release on the search for Colt just before 5 p.m. Wednesday that included a statement from&nbsp;Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services Secretary Laura Howard, "My leadership team at Larned is working closely with local law enforcement to ensure this resident is apprehended quickly and without incident. I am in constant contact with the superintendent at Larned and am actively monitoring the situation."<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/7/1625150026523.png" alt="Colt-photo from KBI Offender Registry" />
 <figcaption>Colt-photo from KBI Offender Registry</figcaption>
 </figure>Barton County Sheriff Brian Bellendir explained how Colt made it into the community.&nbsp; “He caught a ride into town and gave a story he had a broken-down vehicle,” Bellendir said. “He was dressed in dress clothes. He didn’t look like what you’d expect an inmate to be. He looked more like a social worker, and that’s probably how he managed to escape, which the state investigators for DOC (the Department of Corrections) are over there trying to figure all of that out&nbsp;right now.”&nbsp;Bellendir said&nbsp;Colt had altered his appearance by cutting his hair and shaving off a beard.&nbsp; The sheriff also said Colt is known to be violent to law enforcement officers.Colt is described as a white male, medium skin tone, 5-foot-7, 200 pounds, blue eyes, and&nbsp; short brown hair. He also has a tattoo on his left arm of a heart with the letters BH.He was last seen wearing a gray long sleeve shirt, black pants ( possibly dress pants ) and a dark face mask. Subject possibly has an ID badge "C JONES", and may have a cell phone. He should be considered dangerous.

Questions about timeline of escape from Kan. sexual predator program

SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating multiple paintball shootings and have made an arrest.

During the month of June, police received multiple reports of paintball shooting incidents throughout Topeka that resulted in injuries and property damage, according to police spokesperson Gretchen Spiker.

Police asked the public for assistance which resulted in various tips. Throughout the course of the investigation, police identified a suspect as Kendall K. Young, 26 of Topeka.

On Thursday, police located Young in Lawrence where he was arrested on requested charges of Aggravated battery.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/7/1625176149502.png" alt="Young photo Shawnee Co." />
 <figcaption>Young photo Shawnee Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating multiple paintball shootings and have made an arrest.During the month of June, police received multiple reports of paintball shooting incidents throughout Topeka that resulted in injuries and property damage, according to police spokesperson Gretchen Spiker.Police asked the public for assistance which resulted in various tips. Throughout the course of the investigation, police identified a suspect as Kendall K. Young, 26 of Topeka.On Thursday, police located Young in Lawrence where he was arrested on requested charges of Aggravated battery.

Tips lead to arrest in series of Kan. paintball shooting incidents

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

Just before 10p.m. Thursday, crews responded to the fire in a home at 216 NW Laurent Street in&nbsp; Topeka, according to department spokesman Alan Stahl.

Firefighters found heavy smoke and fire coming from multiple windows of the one story home and began a defensive exterior fire attack, and then finished fighting the fire from the interior.

Residents escaped without injury.&nbsp; The fire caused minor heat damage to a neighboring house.

Investigators determined the estimated dollar loss – $31,000; $29,000 of which is associated with at total structural loss, and $2,000 related to contents loss. There were no working smoke detectors located within the home, according to Stahl.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/7/1625230777308.png" alt="Crews on the scene of the house fire Thursday -photo courtesy WIBW TV" />
 <figcaption>Crews on the scene of the house fire Thursday -photo courtesy WIBW TV</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY—Authorities are working to determine the cause of a Kansas house fire.Just before 10p.m. Thursday, crews responded to the fire in a home at 216 NW Laurent Street in&nbsp; Topeka, according to department spokesman Alan Stahl.Firefighters found heavy smoke and fire coming from multiple windows of the one story home and began a defensive exterior fire attack, and then finished fighting the fire from the interior.Residents escaped without injury.&nbsp; The fire caused minor heat damage to a neighboring house.Investigators determined the estimated dollar loss – $31,000; $29,000 of which is associated with at total structural loss, and $2,000 related to contents loss. There were no working smoke detectors located within the home, according to Stahl.

Investigators work to determine cause of Kan. house fire

BEL AIRE, Kan. (AP) — Authorities say a pilot suffered only minor injuries when he was forced to make a crash landing near the Wichita suburb of Bel Aire. The Sedgwick County Sheriff's Office says the single-engine plane was flying from Nebraska to Kansas when it suffered a mechanical failure. 

Officials say the pilot — described as a Wichita man in his 30s — was trying to reach Jabara Airport in Wichita, but was forced to put the plane down in a field just northeast of the city. 

Officials say the rough landing destroyed the plane, but left the pilot with only minor injuries that were treated at the scene. The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration are investigating.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/7/1625234522950.png" alt="Officials said the rough landing destroyed the plane -photo courtesy KWCH" />
 <figcaption>Officials said the rough landing destroyed the plane -photo courtesy KWCH</figcaption>
 </figure>BEL AIRE, Kan. (AP) — Authorities say a pilot suffered only minor injuries when he was forced to make a crash landing near the Wichita suburb of Bel Aire. The Sedgwick County Sheriff's Office says the single-engine plane was flying from Nebraska to Kansas when it suffered a mechanical failure. Officials say the pilot — described as a Wichita man in his 30s — was trying to reach Jabara Airport in Wichita, but was forced to put the plane down in a field just northeast of the city. Officials say the rough landing destroyed the plane, but left the pilot with only minor injuries that were treated at the scene. The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration are investigating.

Pilot suffers minor injuries after crash landing in Kansas field

DOVER, Del. (AP) — The Boy Scouts of America have reached an $850 million agreement with attorneys representing some 60,000 victims of child sex abuse in what could prove to be a pivotal moment in the organization’s bankruptcy case.

The settlement would mark one of the largest sums in U.S. history involving cases of sexual abuse.

Attorneys for the BSA filed court papers late Thursday outlining a restructuring support agreement with attorneys representing abuse victims. The agreement also includes attorneys representing local Boy Scouts councils and lawyers appointed to represent victims who might file future claims.

“After months of intensive negotiations, the debtors have reached resolution with every single official and major creditor constituency in these Chapter 11 cases,” BSA attorneys wrote.

The Boy Scouts of America, based in Irving, Texas, sought bankruptcy protection in February 2020, moving to halt hundreds of lawsuits and create a compensation fund for men who were molested as youngsters decades ago by scoutmasters or other leaders.

But BSA attorneys have been unable to get attorneys for victims, the BSA’s local councils and sponsoring organizations, and insurers to agree on a global resolution that would compensate abuse victims while allowing the 111-year-old organization to continue operating.

The agreement signals the BSA’s acknowledgment that the gulf between attorneys representing abuse victims and those representing the BSA’s insurers is currently too broad to be resolved. They may very well be left to resolve their differences in future court battles, a prospect that the BSA had sought to avoid.

In an earlier court filing Thursday, attorneys for certain insurance companies accused the BSA of allowing attorneys for abuse victims to rewrite the BSA’s restructuring plan to include terms favorable to their clients.

“With only the fox guarding the henhouse, the outcome is utterly at odds with what BSA itself asserted was necessary for a confirmable plan and is permissible under the bankruptcy code,” the insurers wrote.

Attorneys for insurers appear to be particularly concerned that the BSA’s liability for abuse claims would be adjudicated under proposed trust distribution procedures in an effort to decide insurance coverage issues.

Meanwhile, in connection with the restructuring support agreement, attorneys for the Boy Scouts are asking for U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Laurie Selber Silverstein to declare that they have no obligation to seek court approval of a previously announced settlement with The Hartford, one of the BSA’s insurers.

The Hartford agreed to pay $650 million into the victims’ trust in exchange for being released from any further obligations under policies dating to 1971. The agreement allowed The Hartford to pay a lesser amount if the BSA or the settlement trust reaches an agreement with another major BSA insurer, Century Insurance Group, and Century’s settlement amount is less than two times The Hartford’s, or $1.3 billion.

The Hartford settlement was roundly criticized by attorneys for abuse victims, who estimate the insurer’s liability exposure at several billion dollars. They made it clear that victims would not support any plan that includes the Hartford settlement.

The Boy Scouts have said that between $2.4 billion and $7.1 billion, including insurance rights, might be available for abuse victims. Attorneys for the tort claimants committee, which is charged with acting as a fiduciary in the bankruptcy case for all abuse victims, have estimated the value of some 82,500 sexual abuse claims at about $103 billion.

“All plaintiff representatives, who represent the vast majority of the holders of direct abuse claims, have indicated that any plan containing the Hartford Settlement would be categorically rejected,” BSA attorneys wrote in Thursday’s court filing. “Without their support, to be forced to pursue a plan that incorporates the Hartford settlement appears futile.”

Matthew Sturdevant, a spokesperson for The Hartford, said the company’s agreement with the Boy Scouts “is a crucial building block to move this bankruptcy case toward a conclusion.”

“We are disappointed that the Boy Scouts of America have chosen to flout the organization’s tenet of keeping promises by seeking to discard a thoughtfully negotiated and mutually agreed upon deal that appropriately values The Hartford’s obligations,” Sturdevant said.

In a joint statement, representatives for the victims as well as future claimants representative said the restructuring support agreement will allow the Boy Scouts to emerge from bankruptcy “while providing meaningful compensation to the victims, and holding the Boy Scouts’ insurers to the terms of the insurance policies purchased by the Boy Scouts and their affiliates over many decades.”

In a revised plan submitted barely two weeks ago, the BSA offered to issue an $80 million unsecured promissory note to a trust fund for abuse victims. It also proposed using restricted assets to help cover post-bankruptcy operational expenses, which would make up to $50 million in unrestricted cash available for abuse survivors. With the changes, the BSA’s proposed contribution to the trust fund would increase from about $120 million under a previous plan to as much as roughly $250 million.

Under a new plan expected to be filed Friday, the BSA’s 250-odd local councils would contribute $600 million into the fund for abuse victims, double an offer of $300 million from earlier this year.

In return for their contributions to the trust fund and the transfer of insurance rights, the BSA and local councils would be released from liability. Sponsoring organizations such as churches and civic groups also could be released from further liability in exchange for contributing to the fund and transferring insurance rights.

A hearing in the case is schedule for July 20.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/2/1582026338805.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>DOVER, Del. (AP) — The Boy Scouts of America have reached an $850 million agreement with attorneys representing some 60,000 victims of child sex abuse in what could prove to be a pivotal moment in the organization’s bankruptcy case.The settlement would mark one of the largest sums in U.S. history involving cases of sexual abuse.Attorneys for the BSA filed court papers late Thursday outlining a restructuring support agreement with attorneys representing abuse victims. The agreement also includes attorneys representing local Boy Scouts councils and lawyers appointed to represent victims who might file future claims.“After months of intensive negotiations, the debtors have reached resolution with every single official and major creditor constituency in these Chapter 11 cases,” BSA attorneys wrote.The Boy Scouts of America, based in Irving, Texas, sought bankruptcy protection in February 2020, moving to halt hundreds of lawsuits and create a compensation fund for men who were molested as youngsters decades ago by scoutmasters or other leaders.But BSA attorneys have been unable to get attorneys for victims, the BSA’s local councils and sponsoring organizations, and insurers to agree on a global resolution that would compensate abuse victims while allowing the 111-year-old organization to continue operating.The agreement signals the BSA’s acknowledgment that the gulf between attorneys representing abuse victims and those representing the BSA’s insurers is currently too broad to be resolved. They may very well be left to resolve their differences in future court battles, a prospect that the BSA had sought to avoid.In an earlier court filing Thursday, attorneys for certain insurance companies accused the BSA of allowing attorneys for abuse victims to rewrite the BSA’s restructuring plan to include terms favorable to their clients.“With only the fox guarding the henhouse, the outcome is utterly at odds with what BSA itself asserted was necessary for a confirmable plan and is permissible under the bankruptcy code,” the insurers wrote.Attorneys for insurers appear to be particularly concerned that the BSA’s liability for abuse claims would be adjudicated under proposed trust distribution procedures in an effort to decide insurance coverage issues.Meanwhile, in connection with the restructuring support agreement, attorneys for the Boy Scouts are asking for U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Laurie Selber Silverstein to declare that they have no obligation to seek court approval of a previously announced settlement with The Hartford, one of the BSA’s insurers.The Hartford agreed to pay $650 million into the victims’ trust in exchange for being released from any further obligations under policies dating to 1971. The agreement allowed The Hartford to pay a lesser amount if the BSA or the settlement trust reaches an agreement with another major BSA insurer, Century Insurance Group, and Century’s settlement amount is less than two times The Hartford’s, or $1.3 billion.The Hartford settlement was roundly criticized by attorneys for abuse victims, who estimate the insurer’s liability exposure at several billion dollars. They made it clear that victims would not support any plan that includes the Hartford settlement.The Boy Scouts have said that between $2.4 billion and $7.1 billion, including insurance rights, might be available for abuse victims. Attorneys for the tort claimants committee, which is charged with acting as a fiduciary in the bankruptcy case for all abuse victims, have estimated the value of some 82,500 sexual abuse claims at about $103 billion.“All plaintiff representatives, who represent the vast majority of the holders of direct abuse claims, have indicated that any plan containing the Hartford Settlement would be categorically rejected,” BSA attorneys wrote in Thursday’s court filing. “Without their support, to be forced to pursue a plan that incorporates the Hartford settlement appears futile.”Matthew Sturdevant, a spokesperson for The Hartford, said the company’s agreement with the Boy Scouts “is a crucial building block to move this bankruptcy case toward a conclusion.”“We are disappointed that the Boy Scouts of America have chosen to flout the organization’s tenet of keeping promises by seeking to discard a thoughtfully negotiated and mutually agreed upon deal that appropriately values The Hartford’s obligations,” Sturdevant said.In a joint statement, representatives for the victims as well as future claimants representative said the restructuring support agreement will allow the Boy Scouts to emerge from bankruptcy “while providing meaningful compensation to the victims, and holding the Boy Scouts’ insurers to the terms of the insurance policies purchased by the Boy Scouts and their affiliates over many decades.”In a revised plan submitted barely two weeks ago, the BSA offered to issue an $80 million unsecured promissory note to a trust fund for abuse victims. It also proposed using restricted assets to help cover post-bankruptcy operational expenses, which would make up to $50 million in unrestricted cash available for abuse survivors. With the changes, the BSA’s proposed contribution to the trust fund would increase from about $120 million under a previous plan to as much as roughly $250 million.Under a new plan expected to be filed Friday, the BSA’s 250-odd local councils would contribute $600 million into the fund for abuse victims, double an offer of $300 million from earlier this year.In return for their contributions to the trust fund and the transfer of insurance rights, the BSA and local councils would be released from liability. Sponsoring organizations such as churches and civic groups also could be released from further liability in exchange for contributing to the fund and transferring insurance rights.A hearing in the case is schedule for July 20.

Boy Scouts reach $850M agreement with sex abuse victims

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department is halting federal executions after a historic use of capital punishment by the Trump administration, which carried out 13 executions in six months.

Attorney General Merrick Garland made the announcement Thursday night, saying he was imposing a moratorium on federal executions while the Justice Department conducts a review of its policies and procedures. He gave no timetable.

“The Department of Justice must ensure that everyone in the federal criminal justice system is not only afforded the rights guaranteed by the Constitution and laws of the United States, but is also treated fairly and humanely,” Garland said. “That obligation has special force in capital cases.”

Garland said the department would review the protocols put in place by former Attorney General William Barr. A federal lawsuit has been filed over the protocols — including the risk of pain and suffering associated with the use of pentobarbital, the drug used for lethal injection.

The decision puts executions on hold for now, but it doesn’t end their use and keeps the door open for another administration to simply restart them. It also doesn’t stop federal prosecutors from seeking the death penalty; the Biden administration recently asked the U.S. Supreme Court to reinstate the Boston Marathon bomber’s original death sentence.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-joe-biden-executions-health-coronavirus-pandemic-67ed5dd28d92f11629310ddb7590357a">President Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;has said he opposes the death penalty and his team vowed that he would take action to stop its use while in office. But the issue is uncomfortable one for Biden. As a then-proponent of the death penalty, Biden helped craft 1994 laws that added 60 federal crimes for which someone could be put to death, including several that did not cause death. He later conceded the laws disproportionately impacted Black people. Black people are also overrepresented on death rows across the United States.

Anti-death penalty advocates had hoped for a more definitive answer from the Biden administration. Sup​port for the death penalty among Americans is at near-historic lows after peaking in the mid-1990s and steadily declining since, with most recent polls indicating support now hovers around 55%, according to the nonpartisan Death Penalty Information Center in Washington, D.C.

Ruth Friedman, Director of the Federal Capital Habeas Project, which represented some of the prisoners on death row, said Garland’s action was a step in the right direction, but it’s not enough. She called on Biden to commute the sentences.

“We know the federal death penalty system is marred by racial bias, arbitrariness, over-reaching, and grievous mistakes by defense lawyers and prosecutors that make it broken beyond repair,” she said. There are 46 people still on federal death row.

White House spokesman Andrew Bates said Biden was “pleased the Attorney General is taking these steps” and emphasized that the president has “significant concerns about the death penalty and how it is implemented.”

The review is strikingly similar to one to one imposed during the Obama administration. In 2014, following a botched state execution in Oklahoma, President Barack Obama directed the Justice Department to conduct a broad review of capital punishment and issues surrounding lethal injection drugs.

Barr announced the restarting of executions in 2019, saying the Obama-era review had been completed and clearing the way for executions to resume. He approved the new procedure for lethal injections that replaced the three-drug combination previously used in federal executions with one drug, pentobarbital. This is similar to the procedure used in several states, including Georgia, Missouri and Texas, but not all.

Donald Trump’s Justice Department resumed federal executions in July, following a 17-year hiatus. No president in more than 120 years had overseen as many federal executions. The last inmate to be executed, Dustin Higgs, was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-wildlife-coronavirus-pandemic-crime-terre-haute-28e44cc5c026dc16472751bbde0ead50">put to death</a>&nbsp;at the federal prison complex in Terre Haute, Indiana, less than a week before Trump left office.

They were carried out during a worsening coronavirus pandemic. Toward the end of the string of executions, 70% of death row inmates were sick with COVID-19, guards were ill and traveling prisons staff on the execution team had the virus. It’s impossible to know precisely who introduced the infections and how they started to spread, in part because prisons officials didn’t consistently do contact tracing and haven’t been fully transparent about the number of cases. But an Associated Press analysis found the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/public-health-prisons-health-coronavirus-pandemic-executions-956da680790108d8b7e2d8f1567f3803">executions were likely a superspreader event.</a>

There were major discrepancies in the way executioners who put the 13 inmates to death described the process of dying by lethal injection. They likened the process in official court papers to falling asleep and called gurneys “beds” and final breaths “snores.”

But those&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/executioners-sanitized-accounts-of-death-25d133f59039150c2e308ba1a2a5caef">tranquil accounts are at odds</a>&nbsp;with reports by The Associated Press and other media witnesses of how prisoners’ stomachs rolled, shook and shuddered as the pentobarbital took effect inside the U.S. penitentiary death chamber in Terre Haute. The AP witnessed every execution.

Secrecy surrounded all aspects of the executions. Courts relied on those carrying them out to volunteer information about glitches. None of the executioners mentioned any.

Lawyers argued that one of the men put to death last year,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mo-state-wire-courts-in-state-wire-united-states-virus-outbreak-2b06e7abdb84118a1977ba5c084c6516">Wesley Purkey</a>, suffered “extreme pain” as he received a dose of pentobarbital. The court papers were filed by another inmate, Keith Nelson, in an effort to halt or delay his execution. But it went forward.

The federal Bureau of Prisons has declined to explain how it obtained pentobarbital for the lethal injections under Trump. But states have resorted to other means as the drugs used in lethal injections have become increasingly hard to procure. Pharmaceutical companies in the 2000s began banning the use of their products for executions, saying they were meant to save lives, not take them.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/11/1574950995361.png" alt="In July of 2020, Wesley Ira Purkey from Kansas&nbsp; was put to death at the Federal Correctional Complex in Terre Haute, Indiana. Lawyers argued that he suffered “extreme pain” as he received a dose of pentobarbital.&nbsp;Purkey was convicted of kidnapping and killing a 16-year-old girl before dismembering, burning and dumping her body in a septic pond. He also was convicted in a state court in Kansas after using a claw hammer to kill an 80-year-old woman who had polio. Purkey expressed remorse right before he was executed." />
 <figcaption>In July of 2020, Wesley Ira Purkey from Kansas&nbsp; was put to death at the Federal Correctional Complex in Terre Haute, Indiana. Lawyers argued that he suffered “extreme pain” as he received a dose of pentobarbital.&nbsp;Purkey was convicted of kidnapping and killing a 16-year-old girl before dismembering, burning and dumping her body in a septic pond. He also was convicted in a state court in Kansas after using a claw hammer to kill an 80-year-old woman who had polio. Purkey expressed remorse right before he was executed.</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department is halting federal executions after a historic use of capital punishment by the Trump administration, which carried out 13 executions in six months.Attorney General Merrick Garland made the announcement Thursday night, saying he was imposing a moratorium on federal executions while the Justice Department conducts a review of its policies and procedures. He gave no timetable.“The Department of Justice must ensure that everyone in the federal criminal justice system is not only afforded the rights guaranteed by the Constitution and laws of the United States, but is also treated fairly and humanely,” Garland said. “That obligation has special force in capital cases.”Garland said the department would review the protocols put in place by former Attorney General William Barr. A federal lawsuit has been filed over the protocols — including the risk of pain and suffering associated with the use of pentobarbital, the drug used for lethal injection.The decision puts executions on hold for now, but it doesn’t end their use and keeps the door open for another administration to simply restart them. It also doesn’t stop federal prosecutors from seeking the death penalty; the Biden administration recently asked the U.S. Supreme Court to reinstate the Boston Marathon bomber’s original death sentence.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-joe-biden-executions-health-coronavirus-pandemic-67ed5dd28d92f11629310ddb7590357a">President Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;has said he opposes the death penalty and his team vowed that he would take action to stop its use while in office. But the issue is uncomfortable one for Biden. As a then-proponent of the death penalty, Biden helped craft 1994 laws that added 60 federal crimes for which someone could be put to death, including several that did not cause death. He later conceded the laws disproportionately impacted Black people. Black people are also overrepresented on death rows across the United States.Anti-death penalty advocates had hoped for a more definitive answer from the Biden administration. Sup​port for the death penalty among Americans is at near-historic lows after peaking in the mid-1990s and steadily declining since, with most recent polls indicating support now hovers around 55%, according to the nonpartisan Death Penalty Information Center in Washington, D.C.Ruth Friedman, Director of the Federal Capital Habeas Project, which represented some of the prisoners on death row, said Garland’s action was a step in the right direction, but it’s not enough. She called on Biden to commute the sentences.“We know the federal death penalty system is marred by racial bias, arbitrariness, over-reaching, and grievous mistakes by defense lawyers and prosecutors that make it broken beyond repair,” she said. There are 46 people still on federal death row.White House spokesman Andrew Bates said Biden was “pleased the Attorney General is taking these steps” and emphasized that the president has “significant concerns about the death penalty and how it is implemented.”The review is strikingly similar to one to one imposed during the Obama administration. In 2014, following a botched state execution in Oklahoma, President Barack Obama directed the Justice Department to conduct a broad review of capital punishment and issues surrounding lethal injection drugs.Barr announced the restarting of executions in 2019, saying the Obama-era review had been completed and clearing the way for executions to resume. He approved the new procedure for lethal injections that replaced the three-drug combination previously used in federal executions with one drug, pentobarbital. This is similar to the procedure used in several states, including Georgia, Missouri and Texas, but not all.Donald Trump’s Justice Department resumed federal executions in July, following a 17-year hiatus. No president in more than 120 years had overseen as many federal executions. The last inmate to be executed, Dustin Higgs, was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-wildlife-coronavirus-pandemic-crime-terre-haute-28e44cc5c026dc16472751bbde0ead50">put to death</a>&nbsp;at the federal prison complex in Terre Haute, Indiana, less than a week before Trump left office.They were carried out during a worsening coronavirus pandemic. Toward the end of the string of executions, 70% of death row inmates were sick with COVID-19, guards were ill and traveling prisons staff on the execution team had the virus. It’s impossible to know precisely who introduced the infections and how they started to spread, in part because prisons officials didn’t consistently do contact tracing and haven’t been fully transparent about the number of cases. But an Associated Press analysis found the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/public-health-prisons-health-coronavirus-pandemic-executions-956da680790108d8b7e2d8f1567f3803">executions were likely a superspreader event.</a>There were major discrepancies in the way executioners who put the 13 inmates to death described the process of dying by lethal injection. They likened the process in official court papers to falling asleep and called gurneys “beds” and final breaths “snores.”But those&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/executioners-sanitized-accounts-of-death-25d133f59039150c2e308ba1a2a5caef">tranquil accounts are at odds</a>&nbsp;with reports by The Associated Press and other media witnesses of how prisoners’ stomachs rolled, shook and shuddered as the pentobarbital took effect inside the U.S. penitentiary death chamber in Terre Haute. The AP witnessed every execution.Secrecy surrounded all aspects of the executions. Courts relied on those carrying them out to volunteer information about glitches. None of the executioners mentioned any.Lawyers argued that one of the men put to death last year,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mo-state-wire-courts-in-state-wire-united-states-virus-outbreak-2b06e7abdb84118a1977ba5c084c6516">Wesley Purkey</a>, suffered “extreme pain” as he received a dose of pentobarbital. The court papers were filed by another inmate, Keith Nelson, in an effort to halt or delay his execution. But it went forward.The federal Bureau of Prisons has declined to explain how it obtained pentobarbital for the lethal injections under Trump. But states have resorted to other means as the drugs used in lethal injections have become increasingly hard to procure. Pharmaceutical companies in the 2000s began banning the use of their products for executions, saying they were meant to save lives, not take them.___

Justice Department orders halt to federal executions again

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — A voter-approved&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/legislature-virus-outbreak-health-us-news-ap-top-news-dc52dffc2b8792e88aeec28b9569a041">expansion of Medicaid</a>&nbsp;took effect Thursday in Oklahoma after a decade of Republican resistance in a state that has become emblematic of the political struggle to extend the federal health insurance program in conservative strongholds.

Oklahoma moved ahead with its expansion at a time when Democrats in Washington and across the states are pressing to complete the work of the Obama-era Affordable Care Act, recently upheld by the Supreme Court for the third time in a decade. So far, 38 states and Washington, D.C., have expanded Medicaid, and expansion in a dozen mostly Southern states may be the biggest piece of unfinished business.

“Anyone banking on the idea that Obamacare was just going to be struck down — the Supreme Court has moved past that,” said Cindy Mann, who served as federal Medicaid chief during the Barack Obama administration.

“All of the states that are still debating the issue are constantly looking at other states’ experience to get a sense of what they can expect,” added Mann, now with the Manatt Health consultancy. “Having Oklahoma — a very red state — moving forward judiciously and with very strong enrollment is showing that this is a sensible path to go.”

More than 123,000 low-income people already have been approved for Medicaid coverage in Oklahoma, a state where nearly 15% of the population has been uninsured — the highest rate in the nation behind Texas, according to the non-profit Kaiser Family Foundation. State Medicaid officials say they expect that number to increase to more than 200,000 as more people get approved.

Danielle Gaddis of Oklahoma City is 26 and preparing to begin medical school. She has been without private health insurance since her mother, whose health plan she was on, retired two years ago.

When Gaddis began running a fever over the winter, she couldn’t afford to see a doctor and instead spent two weeks trying to recover on her own. That will change since she's been approved for Medicaid thanks to the expansion.

“Just the financial worry is gone," Gaddis said. “It's nice to know that's something I don't have to worry about."

Oklahoma voters narrowly approved a constitutional amendment last year to expand eligibility for benefits. Now, an individual who earns up to $17,796 annually, or $36,588 for a family of four, qualifies for Medicaid health care coverage. By contrast, the median income limit for parents in states that didn't expand their program is about $8,905 for a family of three, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.

“I want to congratulate Oklahoma on joining the ranks of states that are bringing quality health coverage to our neighbors and families," said U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, who visited Oklahoma Thursday to discuss the significance of Medicaid expansion.

Medicaid started out in the 1960s as a federal-state health insurance program for severely disabled people and low-income families on welfare, but it now covers nearly 74 million people, or more than one in five Americans. The program expansion under Obama brought in some 12 million low-income people, mostly low-wage workers.

The states most closely watching Oklahoma are Missouri – where voters&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-primary-elections-columbia-constitutions-health-0c1399c1322750a5ed2372043cf4ac12">approved an expansion</a>&nbsp;but GOP legislators balked at funding it – as well as Kansas, where Medicaid expansion has been actively debated. In Missouri, a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mo-state-wire-michael-brown-medicaid-government-and-politics-525baefcb548b3a36d3570784a652f9a">judge recently ruled</a>&nbsp;that the ballot question there was unconstitutional.

In&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/sd-state-wire-south-dakota-medicaid-health-business-714177bad59844471f580e642f65571a">South Dakota</a>, several major health care systems last month announced plans to begin gathering signatures for a ballot measure to expand Medicaid there.

Opponents of expansion argue that the costs to the states are excessive. Missouri Gov. Mike Parson has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/235916309b3091c93fcb001c82ce455b">described the expansion</a>&nbsp;as “a massive tax increase that Missourians cannot afford.” Oklahoma helped offset the costs by increasing a fee that hospitals must pay.

President Joe Biden’s coronavirus relief law dangles a significant financial bonus in front of states that expand their programs now. Oklahoma is the first to qualify.

Under the Biden legislation, states newly expanding will receive a two-year, 5-percentage-point bump up in federal matching funds for their regular Medicaid programs. That’s on top of a 90% federal match for the costs of covering the newly insured through the expansion. Manatt estimates the bonus alone would work out to $786 million for Oklahoma, but bigger states like Texas and Florida would reap much more.

More than 2 million low-income uninsured people remain in a coverage gap as long as Medicaid expansion is unfinished. They make too much to qualify for Medicaid under their individual state’s rules, but not enough to qualify for “Obamacare’s” subsidized private insurance.

“Right now, millions of Americans do not have health care coverage through no fault of their own because their states haven’t expanded their Medicaid programs,” said Rep. Frank Pallone, D-N.J., chair of the U.S. House committee that oversees Medicaid.

In Washington, there’s a growing demand among Democrats for the federal government to step in and take direct action if states continue to hold out. It’s seen as a health equity issue, since many of the uninsured people in the coverage gap are racial and ethnic minorities.

“Having Oklahoma and Missouri going in two different directions really illustrates the need for the federal government to do something,” said Jesse Cross-Call, a health policy expert with the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities in Washington, which advocates for low-income people. “There continue to be states that are going to throw up roadblocks and resist this no matter what you put in front of them.”

James Capretta, a health policy expert with the business-oriented American Enterprise Institute in Washington, said there’s also been a reluctance among Democrats to compromise, since they reject ideas that would alter the basic terms of the Obama health law.

Nonetheless, “there ought to be a bipartisan consensus here, since there really is no alternative to Medicaid as the safety net health insurance program,” Capretta added. “We already have a program. And there is still a gap population. The logical thing to do is find some way to make sure these people are at least being helped.”

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — A voter-approved&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/legislature-virus-outbreak-health-us-news-ap-top-news-dc52dffc2b8792e88aeec28b9569a041">expansion of Medicaid</a>&nbsp;took effect Thursday in Oklahoma after a decade of Republican resistance in a state that has become emblematic of the political struggle to extend the federal health insurance program in conservative strongholds.Oklahoma moved ahead with its expansion at a time when Democrats in Washington and across the states are pressing to complete the work of the Obama-era Affordable Care Act, recently upheld by the Supreme Court for the third time in a decade. So far, 38 states and Washington, D.C., have expanded Medicaid, and expansion in a dozen mostly Southern states may be the biggest piece of unfinished business.“Anyone banking on the idea that Obamacare was just going to be struck down — the Supreme Court has moved past that,” said Cindy Mann, who served as federal Medicaid chief during the Barack Obama administration.“All of the states that are still debating the issue are constantly looking at other states’ experience to get a sense of what they can expect,” added Mann, now with the Manatt Health consultancy. “Having Oklahoma — a very red state — moving forward judiciously and with very strong enrollment is showing that this is a sensible path to go.”More than 123,000 low-income people already have been approved for Medicaid coverage in Oklahoma, a state where nearly 15% of the population has been uninsured — the highest rate in the nation behind Texas, according to the non-profit Kaiser Family Foundation. State Medicaid officials say they expect that number to increase to more than 200,000 as more people get approved.Danielle Gaddis of Oklahoma City is 26 and preparing to begin medical school. She has been without private health insurance since her mother, whose health plan she was on, retired two years ago.When Gaddis began running a fever over the winter, she couldn’t afford to see a doctor and instead spent two weeks trying to recover on her own. That will change since she's been approved for Medicaid thanks to the expansion.“Just the financial worry is gone," Gaddis said. “It's nice to know that's something I don't have to worry about."Oklahoma voters narrowly approved a constitutional amendment last year to expand eligibility for benefits. Now, an individual who earns up to $17,796 annually, or $36,588 for a family of four, qualifies for Medicaid health care coverage. By contrast, the median income limit for parents in states that didn't expand their program is about $8,905 for a family of three, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.“I want to congratulate Oklahoma on joining the ranks of states that are bringing quality health coverage to our neighbors and families," said U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, who visited Oklahoma Thursday to discuss the significance of Medicaid expansion.Medicaid started out in the 1960s as a federal-state health insurance program for severely disabled people and low-income families on welfare, but it now covers nearly 74 million people, or more than one in five Americans. The program expansion under Obama brought in some 12 million low-income people, mostly low-wage workers.The states most closely watching Oklahoma are Missouri – where voters&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-primary-elections-columbia-constitutions-health-0c1399c1322750a5ed2372043cf4ac12">approved an expansion</a>&nbsp;but GOP legislators balked at funding it – as well as Kansas, where Medicaid expansion has been actively debated. In Missouri, a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mo-state-wire-michael-brown-medicaid-government-and-politics-525baefcb548b3a36d3570784a652f9a">judge recently ruled</a>&nbsp;that the ballot question there was unconstitutional.In&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/sd-state-wire-south-dakota-medicaid-health-business-714177bad59844471f580e642f65571a">South Dakota</a>, several major health care systems last month announced plans to begin gathering signatures for a ballot measure to expand Medicaid there.Opponents of expansion argue that the costs to the states are excessive. Missouri Gov. Mike Parson has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/235916309b3091c93fcb001c82ce455b">described the expansion</a>&nbsp;as “a massive tax increase that Missourians cannot afford.” Oklahoma helped offset the costs by increasing a fee that hospitals must pay.President Joe Biden’s coronavirus relief law dangles a significant financial bonus in front of states that expand their programs now. Oklahoma is the first to qualify.Under the Biden legislation, states newly expanding will receive a two-year, 5-percentage-point bump up in federal matching funds for their regular Medicaid programs. That’s on top of a 90% federal match for the costs of covering the newly insured through the expansion. Manatt estimates the bonus alone would work out to $786 million for Oklahoma, but bigger states like Texas and Florida would reap much more.More than 2 million low-income uninsured people remain in a coverage gap as long as Medicaid expansion is unfinished. They make too much to qualify for Medicaid under their individual state’s rules, but not enough to qualify for “Obamacare’s” subsidized private insurance.“Right now, millions of Americans do not have health care coverage through no fault of their own because their states haven’t expanded their Medicaid programs,” said Rep. Frank Pallone, D-N.J., chair of the U.S. House committee that oversees Medicaid.In Washington, there’s a growing demand among Democrats for the federal government to step in and take direct action if states continue to hold out. It’s seen as a health equity issue, since many of the uninsured people in the coverage gap are racial and ethnic minorities.“Having Oklahoma and Missouri going in two different directions really illustrates the need for the federal government to do something,” said Jesse Cross-Call, a health policy expert with the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities in Washington, which advocates for low-income people. “There continue to be states that are going to throw up roadblocks and resist this no matter what you put in front of them.”James Capretta, a health policy expert with the business-oriented American Enterprise Institute in Washington, said there’s also been a reluctance among Democrats to compromise, since they reject ideas that would alter the basic terms of the Obama health law.Nonetheless, “there ought to be a bipartisan consensus here, since there really is no alternative to Medicaid as the safety net health insurance program,” Capretta added. “We already have a program. And there is still a gap population. The logical thing to do is find some way to make sure these people are at least being helped.”

Medicaid expansion takes effect in another deep-red state

PAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities continue to search for 42-year-old John Freeman Colt according to the Pawnee County Sheriff's office.

Just after 7a.m. Wednesday, he walked out of the Sexual Predator Treatment Program at the Larned State Hospital, according to the Pawnee County Sheriff.&nbsp; The search for Colt continued Friday morning.

He was last seen at 11:10am walking north bound from Kwik Shop on Broadway.

Barton County Sheriff Bellendir explained how Colt made it&nbsp;that far.&nbsp; “He caught a ride into town and gave a story he had a broken-down vehicle,” Bellendir said. “He was dressed in dress clothes. He didn’t look like what you’d expect an inmate to be. He looked more like a social worker, and that’s probably how he managed to escape, which the state investigators for DOC (the Department of Corrections) are over there trying to figure all of that out&nbsp;right now.”&nbsp;

Bellendir said&nbsp;Colt had altered his appearance by cutting his hair and shaving off a beard.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Colt is described as a white male, medium skin tone, 5-foot-7 200 pounds, blue eyes, and&nbsp; short brown hair. 

 He also has a tattoo on his left arm of a heart with the letters BH. 

He was last seen wearing a gray long sleeve shirt, black pants ( possibly dress pants ) and a dark face mask.  Subject possibly has an ID badge "C JONES", and may have a cell phone. He should be considered dangerous.

If seen, or you know his whereabouts, please call 911.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/7/1625150026523.png" alt="Colt photo Kansas Public Offender Registry" />
 <figcaption>Colt photo Kansas Public Offender Registry</figcaption>
 </figure>PAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities continue to search for 42-year-old John Freeman Colt according to the Pawnee County Sheriff's office.Just after 7a.m. Wednesday, he walked out of the Sexual Predator Treatment Program at the Larned State Hospital, according to the Pawnee County Sheriff.&nbsp; The search for Colt continued Friday morning.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/6/1625086515798.png" alt="Colt has previous convictions for aggravated sexual battery, theft, forgery, aggravated burglary, interference with parental custody and criminal damage, according to the Kansas Dept. of Corrections photos Pawnee Co. Sheriff" />
 <figcaption>Colt has previous convictions for aggravated sexual battery, theft, forgery, aggravated burglary, interference with parental custody and criminal damage, according to the Kansas Dept. of Corrections photos Pawnee Co. Sheriff</figcaption>
 </figure>He was last seen at 11:10am walking north bound from Kwik Shop on Broadway.Barton County Sheriff Bellendir explained how Colt made it&nbsp;that far.&nbsp; “He caught a ride into town and gave a story he had a broken-down vehicle,” Bellendir said. “He was dressed in dress clothes. He didn’t look like what you’d expect an inmate to be. He looked more like a social worker, and that’s probably how he managed to escape, which the state investigators for DOC (the Department of Corrections) are over there trying to figure all of that out&nbsp;right now.”&nbsp;Bellendir said&nbsp;Colt had altered his appearance by cutting his hair and shaving off a beard.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Colt is described as a white male, medium skin tone, 5-foot-7 200 pounds, blue eyes, and&nbsp; short brown hair. He also has a tattoo on his left arm of a heart with the letters BH. He was last seen wearing a gray long sleeve shirt, black pants ( possibly dress pants ) and a dark face mask. Subject possibly has an ID badge "C JONES", and may have a cell phone. He should be considered dangerous.If seen, or you know his whereabouts, please call 911.

Search continues for man from Kan. sexual predator program 

KANSAS CITY – A recent operation resulted in the rescue of 31 victims of human trafficking for sexual exploitation. Of the total, 14 were missing children with the youngest child being four years old and 17 were adults, according to a media release from U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement.

The operation took place June 17 -26 in Wichita, Kansas, Independence and Kansas City, Missouri and the results of the operation were announced by Homeland Security Investigations this week.

The enforcement operation resulted in the arrest of 82 individuals who will be charged with crimes related to soliciting prostitution, commercial sex trafficking, sodomy, narcotics violations, felony assault on a police officer, sex offender registry violations and outstanding warrants.

HSI is the principal investigative arm of DHS and a vital U.S. asset in combatting transnational crime and threats. One of HSI’s top priorities is to protect the public from crimes of victimization, and HSI’s child exploitation investigations program is a central component of this mission set. HSI is recognized as a global leader in this investigative discipline, and is committed to utilizing its vast authorities, international footprint and strong government and non-government partnerships to identify and rescue child victims, identify and apprehend offenders, prevent transnational child sexual abuse, and help make the internet a safer place for children.

KANSAS CITY – A recent operation resulted in the rescue of 31 victims of human trafficking for sexual exploitation. Of the total, 14 were missing children with the youngest child being four years old and 17 were adults, according to a media release from U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement.The operation took place June 17 -26 in Wichita, Kansas, Independence and Kansas City, Missouri and the results of the operation were announced by Homeland Security Investigations this week.The enforcement operation resulted in the arrest of 82 individuals who will be charged with crimes related to soliciting prostitution, commercial sex trafficking, sodomy, narcotics violations, felony assault on a police officer, sex offender registry violations and outstanding warrants.HSI is the principal investigative arm of DHS and a vital U.S. asset in combatting transnational crime and threats. One of HSI’s top priorities is to protect the public from crimes of victimization, and HSI’s child exploitation investigations program is a central component of this mission set. HSI is recognized as a global leader in this investigative discipline, and is committed to utilizing its vast authorities, international footprint and strong government and non-government partnerships to identify and rescue child victims, identify and apprehend offenders, prevent transnational child sexual abuse, and help make the internet a safer place for children.

31 rescued from Kan, Mo., human trafficking operation

WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service today upgraded a key online
 tool to enable families to quickly and easily update their bank account
 information so they can receive their monthly Child Tax Credit payment.

The bank account update feature was added to the <a href="https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/child-tax-credit-update-portal">Child Tax Credit Update Portal</a>,
 available only on IRS.gov. Any updates made by August&nbsp;2 will apply to 
the August&nbsp;13 payment and all subsequent monthly payments for the rest 
of 2021.

Families will receive their July 15 payment by direct deposit in the 
bank account currently on file with the IRS. Those who are not enrolled 
for direct deposit will receive a check. The IRS encourages people 
without current bank account information to use the tool to update their
 information so they can get the payments sooner.

The IRS also urges people to be on the lookout for scams related to 
the Child Tax Credit. People who need to update their bank account 
information should go directly to the IRS.gov site and not click on 
links received by email, text or phone.

First, families should use the Child Tax Credit Update Portal to 
confirm their eligibility for the payments. If eligible, the tool will 
also indicate whether they are enrolled to receive their payments by 
direct deposit.

If so, it will list the full bank routing number and the last four 
digits of their account number. This is the account that will receive 
their July 15 payment, and if they don't change the account, all future 
payments will go there as well.

Next, if they choose, they can change the bank account receiving the 
payment starting with the August&nbsp;13 payment. They can do that by 
updating the routing number and account number and indicating whether it
 is a savings or checking account. Note that only one account number is 
permitted for each recipient—that is, the entire payment must be direct 
deposited in only one account.

How to switch from paper check to direct deposit

If the Update Portal shows that a family is eligible to receive 
payments but not enrolled to receive direct deposits, they will receive a
 check each month. If they want to switch to receiving their payments by
 direct deposit, they can use the tool to add their bank account 
information. They do that by entering their bank routing number and 
account number and indicating whether it is a savings or checking 
account.

The IRS urges any family receiving checks to consider switching to 
direct deposit. With direct deposit, families can access their money 
more quickly. Direct deposit removes the time, worry and expense of 
cashing a check. In addition, direct deposit eliminates the chance of a 
lost, stolen or undelivered check.

Even after payments begin, families can stop all future monthly 
payments if they choose. They do that by using the unenroll feature in 
the Child Tax Credit Update Portal. Eligible families who make this 
choice will still receive the rest of their Child Tax Credit as a lump 
sum when they file their 2021 federal income tax return next year.

To stop all payments starting in August and the rest of 2021, they must unenroll by August&nbsp;2, 2021.

For more information about the unenrollment process, including a schedule of deadlines for each monthly payment, see <a href="https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/2021-child-tax-credit-and-advance-child-tax-credit-payments-topic-j-unenrolling-from-advance-payments">Topic J</a> of the Child Tax Credit FAQs on IRS.gov.

Instead of receiving these advance payments, some families may prefer
 to wait until the end of the year and receive the entire credit as a 
refund when they file their 2021 return. The Child Tax Credit Update 
Portal enables these families to quickly and easily do that.

The unenroll feature can also be helpful to any family that no longer
 qualifies for the Child Tax Credit or believes they will not qualify 
when they file their 2021 return. This could happen if, for example:

What is the Child Tax Credit Update Portal?

The Child Tax Credit Update Portal is a secure, password-protected 
tool, available to any eligible family with internet access and a smart 
phone or computer. It is designed to enable them to manage their Child 
Tax Credit accounts. Right now, this includes updating their bank 
account information with the IRS or unenrolling from monthly payments. 
Soon, it will allow people to check on the status of their payments. 
Later this year, the tool will also enable them to make other status 
updates and be available in Spanish.

To access the Child Tax Credit Update Portal, a person must first 
verify their identity. If a person has an existing IRS username or an <a href="https://sa.www4.irs.gov/secureaccess/ui/?TYPE=33554433&amp;REALMOID=06-0005eaac-e22a-10b8-928e-7c2b0ad00000&amp;GUID=&amp;SMAUTHREASON=0&amp;METHOD=GET&amp;SMAGENTNAME=-SM-u0ktItgVFneUJDzkQ7tjvLYXyclDooCJJ7%2bjXGjg3YC5id2x9riHE98hoVgd1BBv&amp;TARGET=-SM-http%3a%2f%2fsa%2ewww4%2eirs%2egov%2fctc%2f">ID.me</a>
 account with a verified identity, they can use those accounts to easily
 sign in. People without an existing account will be asked to verify 
their identity with a form of photo identification using ID.me, a 
trusted third party for the IRS. Identity verification is an important 
safeguard and will protect the user's account from identity theft.

Anyone who lacks internet access or otherwise cannot use the online 
tool may unenroll by contacting the IRS at the phone number included in 
the outreach letter they received from the IRS.

In general, monthly payments will go to eligible families who:

An eligible family who took any of these steps does not need to do anything else to get their payments.

Normally, the IRS will calculate the advance payment based on the 
2020 income tax return. If that return is not available, either because 
it has not yet been filed or it has not yet been processed, the IRS is 
instead determining the payment using the 2019 tax return.

Eligible families will receive advance payments, either by direct 
deposit or check. Each payment will be up to $300 per month for each 
child under age 6 and up to $250 per month for each child ages 6 through
 17. The IRS will issue advance Child Tax Credit payments on these 
dates: July 15, August&nbsp;13, September&nbsp;15, October&nbsp;15, November&nbsp;15 and 
December&nbsp;15.

Tax returns processed by June 28 will be reflected in the first batch of monthly payments scheduled for July 15.

Taxpayers will also receive several letters related to the Child Tax 
Credit. In the next few weeks, letters are going to eligible families 
who filed either a 2019 or 2020 federal income tax return or who used 
the Non-Filers tool on IRS.gov to register for an Economic Impact 
Payment. The letters will confirm their eligibility, the amount of 
payments they'll receive and that the payments begin July 15. Families 
who receive these letters do not need to take any further action. The 
personalized letters follow up on the Advance Child Tax Credit <a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-sending-letters-to-more-than-36-million-families-who-may-qualify-for-monthly-child-tax-credits-payments-start-july-15">Outreach Letter</a>, sent in early- and mid-June, to every family who appeared to qualify for the advance payments.

The IRS has created a special <a href="https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/advance-child-tax-credit-payments-in-2021">Advance Child Tax Credit 2021</a> page, designed to provide the most up-to-date information about the credit and the advance payments.

Among other things, it provides direct links to the Child Tax Credit 
Update Portal, as well as two other online tools −the Non-filer Sign-up 
Tool and the Child Tax Credit Eligibility Assistant, a set of frequently
 asked questions and other useful resources.

The American Rescue Plan raised the maximum Child Tax Credit in 2021 
to $3,600 for children under the age of 6 and to $3,000 per child for 
children ages 6 through 17. Before 2021, the credit was worth up to 
$2,000 per eligible child.

The new maximum credit is available to taxpayers with a modified adjusted gross income (AGI) of:

For most people, modified AGI is the amount shown on Line 11 of 
their 2020 Form 1040 or 1040-SR. Above these income thresholds, the 
extra amount above the original $2,000 credit — either $1,000 or $1,600 
per child — is reduced by $50 for every $1,000 in modified AGI. In 
addition, the credit is fully refundable for 2021. This means that 
eligible families can get it, even if they owe no federal income tax. 
Before this year, the refundable portion was limited to $1,400 per 
child.

For the most up-to-date information on the Child Tax Credit and advance payments, visit <a href="https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/advance-child-tax-credit-payments-in-2021">Advance Child Tax Credit Payments in 2021</a>.

IRSWASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service today upgraded a key online
 tool to enable families to quickly and easily update their bank account
 information so they can receive their monthly Child Tax Credit payment.The bank account update feature was added to the <a href="https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/child-tax-credit-update-portal">Child Tax Credit Update Portal</a>,
 available only on IRS.gov. Any updates made by August&nbsp;2 will apply to 
the August&nbsp;13 payment and all subsequent monthly payments for the rest 
of 2021.Families will receive their July 15 payment by direct deposit in the 
bank account currently on file with the IRS. Those who are not enrolled 
for direct deposit will receive a check. The IRS encourages people 
without current bank account information to use the tool to update their
 information so they can get the payments sooner.The IRS also urges people to be on the lookout for scams related to 
the Child Tax Credit. People who need to update their bank account 
information should go directly to the IRS.gov site and not click on 
links received by email, text or phone.<h2>How to update direct deposit information</h2>First, families should use the Child Tax Credit Update Portal to 
confirm their eligibility for the payments. If eligible, the tool will 
also indicate whether they are enrolled to receive their payments by 
direct deposit.If so, it will list the full bank routing number and the last four 
digits of their account number. This is the account that will receive 
their July 15 payment, and if they don't change the account, all future 
payments will go there as well.Next, if they choose, they can change the bank account receiving the 
payment starting with the August&nbsp;13 payment. They can do that by 
updating the routing number and account number and indicating whether it
 is a savings or checking account. Note that only one account number is 
permitted for each recipient—that is, the entire payment must be direct 
deposited in only one account.<h2>How to switch from paper check to direct deposit</h2>If the Update Portal shows that a family is eligible to receive 
payments but not enrolled to receive direct deposits, they will receive a
 check each month. If they want to switch to receiving their payments by
 direct deposit, they can use the tool to add their bank account 
information. They do that by entering their bank routing number and 
account number and indicating whether it is a savings or checking 
account.The IRS urges any family receiving checks to consider switching to 
direct deposit. With direct deposit, families can access their money 
more quickly. Direct deposit removes the time, worry and expense of 
cashing a check. In addition, direct deposit eliminates the chance of a 
lost, stolen or undelivered check.<h2>Families can stop payments anytime</h2>Even after payments begin, families can stop all future monthly 
payments if they choose. They do that by using the unenroll feature in 
the Child Tax Credit Update Portal. Eligible families who make this 
choice will still receive the rest of their Child Tax Credit as a lump 
sum when they file their 2021 federal income tax return next year.To stop all payments starting in August and the rest of 2021, they must unenroll by August&nbsp;2, 2021.For more information about the unenrollment process, including a schedule of deadlines for each monthly payment, see <a href="https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/2021-child-tax-credit-and-advance-child-tax-credit-payments-topic-j-unenrolling-from-advance-payments">Topic J</a> of the Child Tax Credit FAQs on IRS.gov.<h2>Who should unenroll?</h2>Instead of receiving these advance payments, some families may prefer
 to wait until the end of the year and receive the entire credit as a 
refund when they file their 2021 return. The Child Tax Credit Update 
Portal enables these families to quickly and easily do that.The unenroll feature can also be helpful to any family that no longer
 qualifies for the Child Tax Credit or believes they will not qualify 
when they file their 2021 return. This could happen if, for example:<ul>
 <li>Their income in 2021 is too high to qualify them for the credit.</li><li>Someone else (an ex-spouse or another family member, for example) 
qualifies to claim their child or children as dependents in 2021.</li><li>Their main home was outside of the United States for more than half of 2021.</li>
 </ul><h2>What is the Child Tax Credit Update Portal?</h2>The Child Tax Credit Update Portal is a secure, password-protected 
tool, available to any eligible family with internet access and a smart 
phone or computer. It is designed to enable them to manage their Child 
Tax Credit accounts. Right now, this includes updating their bank 
account information with the IRS or unenrolling from monthly payments. 
Soon, it will allow people to check on the status of their payments. 
Later this year, the tool will also enable them to make other status 
updates and be available in Spanish.To access the Child Tax Credit Update Portal, a person must first 
verify their identity. If a person has an existing IRS username or an <a href="https://sa.www4.irs.gov/secureaccess/ui/?TYPE=33554433&amp;REALMOID=06-0005eaac-e22a-10b8-928e-7c2b0ad00000&amp;GUID=&amp;SMAUTHREASON=0&amp;METHOD=GET&amp;SMAGENTNAME=-SM-u0ktItgVFneUJDzkQ7tjvLYXyclDooCJJ7%2bjXGjg3YC5id2x9riHE98hoVgd1BBv&amp;TARGET=-SM-http%3a%2f%2fsa%2ewww4%2eirs%2egov%2fctc%2f">ID.me</a>
 account with a verified identity, they can use those accounts to easily
 sign in. People without an existing account will be asked to verify 
their identity with a form of photo identification using ID.me, a 
trusted third party for the IRS. Identity verification is an important 
safeguard and will protect the user's account from identity theft.Anyone who lacks internet access or otherwise cannot use the online 
tool may unenroll by contacting the IRS at the phone number included in 
the outreach letter they received from the IRS.<h2>Who is getting a monthly payment?</h2>In general, monthly payments will go to eligible families who:<ul>
 <li>Filed either a 2019 or 2020 federal income tax return.</li><li>Used the Non-Filers tool on IRS.gov in 2020 to register for an Economic Impact Payment.</li><li>Registered for the advance Child Tax Credit this year using the new Non-Filer Sign-up Tool on IRS.gov.</li>
 </ul>An eligible family who took any of these steps does not need to do anything else to get their payments.Normally, the IRS will calculate the advance payment based on the 
2020 income tax return. If that return is not available, either because 
it has not yet been filed or it has not yet been processed, the IRS is 
instead determining the payment using the 2019 tax return.Eligible families will receive advance payments, either by direct 
deposit or check. Each payment will be up to $300 per month for each 
child under age 6 and up to $250 per month for each child ages 6 through
 17. The IRS will issue advance Child Tax Credit payments on these 
dates: July 15, August&nbsp;13, September&nbsp;15, October&nbsp;15, November&nbsp;15 and 
December&nbsp;15.Tax returns processed by June 28 will be reflected in the first batch of monthly payments scheduled for July 15.<h2>Taxpayers will receive several letters</h2>Taxpayers will also receive several letters related to the Child Tax 
Credit. In the next few weeks, letters are going to eligible families 
who filed either a 2019 or 2020 federal income tax return or who used 
the Non-Filers tool on IRS.gov to register for an Economic Impact 
Payment. The letters will confirm their eligibility, the amount of 
payments they'll receive and that the payments begin July 15. Families 
who receive these letters do not need to take any further action. The 
personalized letters follow up on the Advance Child Tax Credit <a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-sending-letters-to-more-than-36-million-families-who-may-qualify-for-monthly-child-tax-credits-payments-start-july-15">Outreach Letter</a>, sent in early- and mid-June, to every family who appeared to qualify for the advance payments.<h2>Child Tax Credit 2021</h2>The IRS has created a special <a href="https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/advance-child-tax-credit-payments-in-2021">Advance Child Tax Credit 2021</a> page, designed to provide the most up-to-date information about the credit and the advance payments.Among other things, it provides direct links to the Child Tax Credit 
Update Portal, as well as two other online tools −the Non-filer Sign-up 
Tool and the Child Tax Credit Eligibility Assistant, a set of frequently
 asked questions and other useful resources.<h2>Child Tax Credit changes</h2>The American Rescue Plan raised the maximum Child Tax Credit in 2021 
to $3,600 for children under the age of 6 and to $3,000 per child for 
children ages 6 through 17. Before 2021, the credit was worth up to 
$2,000 per eligible child.The new maximum credit is available to taxpayers with a modified adjusted gross income (AGI) of:<ul>
 <li>$75,000 or less for singles,</li><li>$112,500 or less for heads of household and</li><li>$150,000 or less for married couples filing a joint return and qualified widows and widowers.</li>
 </ul>For most people, modified AGI is the amount shown on Line 11 of 
their 2020 Form 1040 or 1040-SR. Above these income thresholds, the 
extra amount above the original $2,000 credit — either $1,000 or $1,600 
per child — is reduced by $50 for every $1,000 in modified AGI. In 
addition, the credit is fully refundable for 2021. This means that 
eligible families can get it, even if they owe no federal income tax. 
Before this year, the refundable portion was limited to $1,400 per 
child.For the most up-to-date information on the Child Tax Credit and advance payments, visit <a href="https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/advance-child-tax-credit-payments-in-2021">Advance Child Tax Credit Payments in 2021</a>.

Families receiving Child Tax Credit payments can now update direct deposit info

The
 operators of a scheme that falsely promised participants could earn 
large sums of money from memberships sold to other participants will be 
permanently prohibited from engaging in any future business and 
investment opportunity as part of a settlement with the Federal Trade 
Commission.

In a <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2020/12/scammers-leverage-pandemic-fears-ftc-law-enforcement-partners">complaint first announced in November 2020</a>
 as part of the Operation Income Illusion crackdown on work-from-home 
and employment scams, the FTC alleged that Digital Income System, Inc., 
and five individual defendants falsely told consumers they could earn 
commissions from the sale of memberships in the defendants’ programs. 
For example, the website stated, “Consumers will earn between $500 and 
$12,500 per sale,” and “Every time one of our professionals closes a 
sale on your behalf, we will send you a huge commission check right to 
your doorstep.”

The defendants allegedly charged consumers between $1,000 and $25,000
 for Digital Income System’s memberships, which gave consumers access to
 their own website where they could earn commissions from the sale of 
memberships to other consumers. Despite these promises, the vast 
majority of consumers who paid the defendants never earned substantial 
income, and in fact many consumers earned nothing, the FTC alleged.

The settlement is part of the Commission’s ongoing efforts to target 
those who trick people into handing over their money with the false 
promise of big earnings.

Under the settlement with the FTC, Digital Income System, along with 
its owners Derek Jones Foley and William Foley and promoter Jennifer 
Hedrick are permanently prohibited from creating, advertising, 
marketing, promoting, offering for sale, or selling any business or 
investment opportunity or misrepresenting the amount of money someone 
can earn from any type of business; prohibited from assisting anyone 
else in such activity; and prohibited from owning any financial interest
 in a business engaging in such activity.

The settlement also imposes a nearly $3.6 million judgment against <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/cases/202_3074_dis.final_order.disandfoleys.pdf">Digital Income System and Derek and William Foley</a>&nbsp;and a $217,426 judgment against <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/cases/202_3074_dis.final_order.hedrick.pdf">Hedrick</a>.
 The judgments will be partially suspended, due to the defendants’ 
inability to pay the full amount, after all four defendants turn over 
various assets. If they are found to have misrepresented their finances,
 they will be required to pay the full amount.

A <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/cases/x210004defaultjudgmentfryescott.pdf">default judgment</a>&nbsp;was
 entered on March 23, 2021, against two additional defendants who 
promoted the scheme, Christopher Brandon Frye and Kaitlyn Scott, that 
includes similar requirements. It also includes a $600,000 monetary 
judgment against Frye and $171,500 against Scott.

The Commission vote approving the stipulated final orders with 
Digital Income System, Derek and William Foley, and Jennifer Hedrick was
 4-0. The FTC filed the&nbsp;stipulated final orders in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.&nbsp;The Court approved the final orders on July 1, 2021.

NOTE: Stipulated final orders have the force of law when approved and signed by the District Court judge.

The Federal Trade Commission works to promote competition and to <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/about-ftc/bureaus-offices/bureau-consumer-protection">protect and educate consumers</a>. You can <a href="https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/">learn more about consumer topics</a> and report scams, fraud, and bad business practices online at <a href="https://reportfraud.ftc.gov">ReportFraud.ftc.gov</a>. Like the FTC on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/federaltradecommission">Facebook(link is external)</a>, follow us on <a href="https://twitter.com/FTC">Twitter(link is external)</a>, get <a href="http://ftc.gov/subscribe">consumer alerts</a>, read our <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/blogs">blogs</a>, and <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/stay-connected">subscribe to press releases</a> for the latest FTC news and resources.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/7/1625243913629.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>FTCThe
 operators of a scheme that falsely promised participants could earn 
large sums of money from memberships sold to other participants will be 
permanently prohibited from engaging in any future business and 
investment opportunity as part of a settlement with the Federal Trade 
Commission.<figure>
 <img src="https://www.ftc.gov/sites/default/files/income_illusion_logo.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>In a <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2020/12/scammers-leverage-pandemic-fears-ftc-law-enforcement-partners">complaint first announced in November 2020</a>
 as part of the Operation Income Illusion crackdown on work-from-home 
and employment scams, the FTC alleged that Digital Income System, Inc., 
and five individual defendants falsely told consumers they could earn 
commissions from the sale of memberships in the defendants’ programs. 
For example, the website stated, “Consumers will earn between $500 and 
$12,500 per sale,” and “Every time one of our professionals closes a 
sale on your behalf, we will send you a huge commission check right to 
your doorstep.”The defendants allegedly charged consumers between $1,000 and $25,000
 for Digital Income System’s memberships, which gave consumers access to
 their own website where they could earn commissions from the sale of 
memberships to other consumers. Despite these promises, the vast 
majority of consumers who paid the defendants never earned substantial 
income, and in fact many consumers earned nothing, the FTC alleged.The settlement is part of the Commission’s ongoing efforts to target 
those who trick people into handing over their money with the false 
promise of big earnings.Under the settlement with the FTC, Digital Income System, along with 
its owners Derek Jones Foley and William Foley and promoter Jennifer 
Hedrick are permanently prohibited from creating, advertising, 
marketing, promoting, offering for sale, or selling any business or 
investment opportunity or misrepresenting the amount of money someone 
can earn from any type of business; prohibited from assisting anyone 
else in such activity; and prohibited from owning any financial interest
 in a business engaging in such activity.The settlement also imposes a nearly $3.6 million judgment against <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/cases/202_3074_dis.final_order.disandfoleys.pdf">Digital Income System and Derek and William Foley</a>&nbsp;and a $217,426 judgment against <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/cases/202_3074_dis.final_order.hedrick.pdf">Hedrick</a>.
 The judgments will be partially suspended, due to the defendants’ 
inability to pay the full amount, after all four defendants turn over 
various assets. If they are found to have misrepresented their finances,
 they will be required to pay the full amount.A <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/cases/x210004defaultjudgmentfryescott.pdf">default judgment</a>&nbsp;was
 entered on March 23, 2021, against two additional defendants who 
promoted the scheme, Christopher Brandon Frye and Kaitlyn Scott, that 
includes similar requirements. It also includes a $600,000 monetary 
judgment against Frye and $171,500 against Scott.The Commission vote approving the stipulated final orders with 
Digital Income System, Derek and William Foley, and Jennifer Hedrick was
 4-0. The FTC filed the&nbsp;stipulated final orders in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.&nbsp;The Court approved the final orders on July 1, 2021.NOTE: Stipulated final orders have the force of law when approved and signed by the District Court judge.The Federal Trade Commission works to promote competition and to <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/about-ftc/bureaus-offices/bureau-consumer-protection">protect and educate consumers</a>. You can <a href="https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/">learn more about consumer topics</a> and report scams, fraud, and bad business practices online at <a href="https://reportfraud.ftc.gov">ReportFraud.ftc.gov</a>. Like the FTC on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/federaltradecommission">Facebook(link is external)</a>, follow us on <a href="https://twitter.com/FTC">Twitter(link is external)</a>, get <a href="http://ftc.gov/subscribe">consumer alerts</a>, read our <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/blogs">blogs</a>, and <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/stay-connected">subscribe to press releases</a> for the latest FTC news and resources.

FTC cracks down on scheme that falsely promised big earnings

KANSAS CITY (AP)— A Kansas City man is charged with fatally shooting a friend at a hotel in the city's upscale Country Club Plaza shopping district.

Derell Thompson, 35, is jailed without bond on a charge of second-degree murder in the Tuesday morning shooting of Darron Mitchem at the Sheraton Suites County Club Plaza. Thompson then allegedly fled with his 12-year-old son.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/7/1625150650156.png" alt="Thompson photo Jackson County" />
 <figcaption>Thompson photo Jackson County</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY (AP)— A Kansas City man is charged with fatally shooting a friend at a hotel in the city's upscale Country Club Plaza shopping district.Derell Thompson, 35, is jailed without bond on a charge of second-degree murder in the Tuesday morning shooting of Darron Mitchem at the Sheraton Suites County Club Plaza. Thompson then allegedly fled with his 12-year-old son.Thompson told detectives that he shot Mitchem because he had a feeling that Mitchem had killed his son, though no dead child was found. He said he feared that Mitchem was going to kill him also, a detective wrote in the probably cause statement.No attorney is listed for Thompson in online court records to comment on the allegations.The shooting happened after Thompson approached a hotel desk clerk with his 12-year-old son and calmly told her another child was dead in his hotel room — something that was not true, according to police spokeswoman Capt. Leslie Foreman said. Thompson then asked for a spare room key, according to the probable cause statement.The clerk told Thompson the computer system was slow, so he sat down at the bar in the dining area. A waitress then observed Mitchem sit next to Thompson and his son.A few minutes later, the child returned to the clerk and asked for a spare key. The clerk eventually handed Thompson a fake key card to try to diffuse the situation. Thompson and the child then walked toward the elevators, where she heard Thompson shout, “You think you are going to get away with killing my son?” followed by several gunshots, according to the probable cause statement.Hotel video surveillance captured the shooting of Mitchem, followed by Thomson's son running out of the hotel, with Thomason behind him, the detective wrote. Officers later tracked down Thompson and his son less than a mile away. Police found a handgun in the landscaped area nearby.Thompson also is charged with armed criminal action, endangering the welfare of a child and unlawful possession of a firearm.A search of the room where Thompson had been staying yielded three handguns with extended magazines, along with ammunition, three cellphones, narcotics and a scale. Thompson has a past felony drug conviction, court records show.