KANSAS CITY (AP) — The recent court ruling striking down a national eviction moratorium has heightened concerns that tenants won’t receive tens of billions of dollars in promised federal aid in time to avoid getting kicked out of their homes.

A federal judge on May 5, found the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention exceeded its authority when it imposed the moratorium last year. Housing advocates believe the ban saved lives and not only should continue, but be extended past its initial June 30 deadline.

For now, the moratorium remains: A judge stayed the court’s order following an appeal from the Justice Department.

Without the moratorium, advocates say, the only thing standing between many tenants and eviction is the nearly $50 billion allocated by Congress for rental assistance. Advocates say very few tenants have received any of the money — which is up to individual states to distribute — and they fear it won’t get to the neediest people in time if the moratorium is scrapped.

“Unfortunately, rental assistance funds are not reaching struggling families nearly as quickly as is needed,” said Oren Sellstrom, litigation director for the Lawyers for Civil Rights in Boston. “Here in Massachusetts, tenants report that submitting a rental assistance application is like sending it into a black hole.”

The government didn’t do much better last year, when several states failed to spend the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pandemics-new-york-andrew-cuomo-coronavirus-pandemic-us-news-bfbf0744510d50a1e173247ee5f9ba1b">federal coronavirus relief monies</a>&nbsp;they had set aside for rental assistance, the advocates said. Among them were New York, Pennsylvania, Louisiana, Mississippi and Kansas.

Diane Yentel, CEO of the National Low Income Housing Coalition, said some of the same problems are being seen now, namely landlords refusing to participate, programs refusing to give money directly to tenants and cumbersome application processes.

“The CDC moratorium is essential to our efforts to prevent people from getting evicted before they can get rental assistance,” said Caitlin Cedfeldt, a staff attorney at Legal Aid of Nebraska.

Landlords, many of whom have challenged the moratorium, say the court’s decision increases pressure on the federal and state governments to speed up rental assistance distribution.

“Instead of propping up legally-questionable policies, government at every level needs to cut the red tape and focus on distributing the $46 billion in rental assistance efficiently,” Bob Pinnegar, president &amp; CEO of the National Apartment Association, said in an email interview. “Getting rental assistance funds into the hands of those renters and rental housing providers who need it most is the only way to prevent irrevocable harm to our nation’s housing supply.”

President Joe Biden’s administration on Friday announced changes aimed at doing just that. Government agencies implementing the rental relief program will be required to offer assistance directly to renters if landlords choose not to participate, said Gene Sperling. Sperling is the White House coordinator of Biden’s American Rescue Plan, a sweeping, $1.9 trillion pandemic relief package Congress passed to help the country defeat the coronavirus and nurse the economy back to health. Also, the waiting time for delivering the assistance to renters is cut in half if landlords aren’t involved, Sperling said.

“We need to make sure that as we implement these emergency funds that we are nimble enough to address growing needs,” he said.

The eviction ban was put in place last year to prevent families from losing their homes and moving into shelters or sharing crowded conditions with relatives or friends, conditions health officials said could exacerbate the spread of the highly contagious coronavirus.

Proponents of the moratorium argue it is necessary since the pandemic is still a threat and so many people are at risk of eviction or foreclosure. Nearly 4 million people in the U.S. said they faced eviction or foreclosure in the next two months, according to the Census Bureau’s biweekly Household Pulse Survey.

“In the short term, Congress and the Biden administration have the power to strengthen the moratorium across the country and halt all evictions for the remainder of the pandemic,” Dawn Phillips, executive director of Right To The City Alliance, a national coalition of 90 housing-justice organizations, said in an email interview.

A handful of states are picking up the slack themselves. The state of Connecticut and the city of Philadelphia both have their own eviction moratoriums in place.

“While we’re ahead of the curve in working to get our rental relief money out compared to our peers, we still have a long way to go,” said Democratic Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont, who indicated that his state’s moratorium would probably remain in place for another month. ” ... We’re trying to work with tenants and landlords to put together something that allows people to stay in their homes a lot longer.”

In Philadelphia, lawmakers credit a local moratorium with helping to reduce evictions from about 20,000 a year to only 5,000 last year. On top of that, a program started in September requires landlords to apply for rental assistance prior to going to court to evict tenants. The so-called diversion program has been credited with preventing thousands of evictions.

“We had to create alternatives to eviction,” said Philadelphia City Council member Helen Gym, who helped put the program in place.

KANSAS CITY (AP) — The recent court ruling striking down a national eviction moratorium has heightened concerns that tenants won’t receive tens of billions of dollars in promised federal aid in time to avoid getting kicked out of their homes.A federal judge on May 5, found the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention exceeded its authority when it imposed the moratorium last year. Housing advocates believe the ban saved lives and not only should continue, but be extended past its initial June 30 deadline.For now, the moratorium remains: A judge stayed the court’s order following an appeal from the Justice Department.Without the moratorium, advocates say, the only thing standing between many tenants and eviction is the nearly $50 billion allocated by Congress for rental assistance. Advocates say very few tenants have received any of the money — which is up to individual states to distribute — and they fear it won’t get to the neediest people in time if the moratorium is scrapped.“Unfortunately, rental assistance funds are not reaching struggling families nearly as quickly as is needed,” said Oren Sellstrom, litigation director for the Lawyers for Civil Rights in Boston. “Here in Massachusetts, tenants report that submitting a rental assistance application is like sending it into a black hole.”The government didn’t do much better last year, when several states failed to spend the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pandemics-new-york-andrew-cuomo-coronavirus-pandemic-us-news-bfbf0744510d50a1e173247ee5f9ba1b">federal coronavirus relief monies</a>&nbsp;they had set aside for rental assistance, the advocates said. Among them were New York, Pennsylvania, Louisiana, Mississippi and Kansas.Diane Yentel, CEO of the National Low Income Housing Coalition, said some of the same problems are being seen now, namely landlords refusing to participate, programs refusing to give money directly to tenants and cumbersome application processes.“The CDC moratorium is essential to our efforts to prevent people from getting evicted before they can get rental assistance,” said Caitlin Cedfeldt, a staff attorney at Legal Aid of Nebraska.Landlords, many of whom have challenged the moratorium, say the court’s decision increases pressure on the federal and state governments to speed up rental assistance distribution.“Instead of propping up legally-questionable policies, government at every level needs to cut the red tape and focus on distributing the $46 billion in rental assistance efficiently,” Bob Pinnegar, president &amp; CEO of the National Apartment Association, said in an email interview. “Getting rental assistance funds into the hands of those renters and rental housing providers who need it most is the only way to prevent irrevocable harm to our nation’s housing supply.”President Joe Biden’s administration on Friday announced changes aimed at doing just that. Government agencies implementing the rental relief program will be required to offer assistance directly to renters if landlords choose not to participate, said Gene Sperling. Sperling is the White House coordinator of Biden’s American Rescue Plan, a sweeping, $1.9 trillion pandemic relief package Congress passed to help the country defeat the coronavirus and nurse the economy back to health. Also, the waiting time for delivering the assistance to renters is cut in half if landlords aren’t involved, Sperling said.“We need to make sure that as we implement these emergency funds that we are nimble enough to address growing needs,” he said.The eviction ban was put in place last year to prevent families from losing their homes and moving into shelters or sharing crowded conditions with relatives or friends, conditions health officials said could exacerbate the spread of the highly contagious coronavirus.Proponents of the moratorium argue it is necessary since the pandemic is still a threat and so many people are at risk of eviction or foreclosure. Nearly 4 million people in the U.S. said they faced eviction or foreclosure in the next two months, according to the Census Bureau’s biweekly Household Pulse Survey.“In the short term, Congress and the Biden administration have the power to strengthen the moratorium across the country and halt all evictions for the remainder of the pandemic,” Dawn Phillips, executive director of Right To The City Alliance, a national coalition of 90 housing-justice organizations, said in an email interview.A handful of states are picking up the slack themselves. The state of Connecticut and the city of Philadelphia both have their own eviction moratoriums in place.“While we’re ahead of the curve in working to get our rental relief money out compared to our peers, we still have a long way to go,” said Democratic Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont, who indicated that his state’s moratorium would probably remain in place for another month. ” ... We’re trying to work with tenants and landlords to put together something that allows people to stay in their homes a lot longer.”In Philadelphia, lawmakers credit a local moratorium with helping to reduce evictions from about 20,000 a year to only 5,000 last year. On top of that, a program started in September requires landlords to apply for rental assistance prior to going to court to evict tenants. The so-called diversion program has been credited with preventing thousands of evictions.“We had to create alternatives to eviction,” said Philadelphia City Council member Helen Gym, who helped put the program in place.___

After court nixes eviction ban, race is on for federal help

COWLEY COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating recent rash of vehicle burglaries and thefts in southern Kansas and have arrested a suspect.

The theft investigation began when an Arkansas City resident reported their vehicle as stolen May 6, according to a media release from police.&nbsp; With the assistance of OnStar, the vehicle was disabled, located and recovered.

While that vehicle was being recovered, several other citizens began to discover they also had been the victim of burglaries involving their unlocked vehicles. Efforts apparently were made in many of these incidents to steal the vehicles and damage to their steering columns was present.

Additionally, another vehicle was stolen, wrecked and left abandoned a couple blocks away from where it had been taken. 

The suspect later identified as Jonathan Eugene Jester, 34, of Wichita, then entered a vacant residence.

Also on May 6, police located a vehicle stolen from Sumner County&nbsp; behind a&nbsp; hotel in Arkansas City.

The same suspect responsible for that particular vehicle theft also are thought to be responsible for rash of break-ins that occurred May 5, in Sumner County. 

On May 7, police located Jester and had to chase him down. During that pursuit, Jester allegedly threw away a firearm and backpack, which were recovered later.

Jester was brought back to the Arkansas City Police Department and questioned about the recent crimes. He remains jailed on requested charges that include four felony counts of burglary of a motor vehicle, as well as one felony count each of criminal possession of a firearm by a felon, interference with a law enforcement officer, possession of stolen property, and theft of a motor vehicle. He also was arrested on suspicion of four misdemeanor counts of theft and one misdemeanor count of criminal trespass. Police are still seeking addition suspects in the case.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/5/1620665147642.png" alt="Jester photo Cowley County" />
 <figcaption>Jester photo Cowley County</figcaption>
 </figure>COWLEY COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating recent rash of vehicle burglaries and thefts in southern Kansas and have arrested a suspect.The theft investigation began when an Arkansas City resident reported their vehicle as stolen May 6, according to a media release from police.&nbsp; With the assistance of OnStar, the vehicle was disabled, located and recovered.While that vehicle was being recovered, several other citizens began to discover they also had been the victim of burglaries involving their unlocked vehicles. Efforts apparently were made in many of these incidents to steal the vehicles and damage to their steering columns was present.Additionally, another vehicle was stolen, wrecked and left abandoned a couple blocks away from where it had been taken. The suspect later identified as Jonathan Eugene Jester, 34, of Wichita, then entered a vacant residence.Also on May 6, police located a vehicle stolen from Sumner County&nbsp; behind a&nbsp; hotel in Arkansas City.The same suspect responsible for that particular vehicle theft also are thought to be responsible for rash of break-ins that occurred May 5, in Sumner County. On May 7, police located Jester and had to chase him down. During that pursuit, Jester allegedly threw away a firearm and backpack, which were recovered later.Jester was brought back to the Arkansas City Police Department and questioned about the recent crimes. He remains jailed on requested charges that include four felony counts of burglary of a motor vehicle, as well as one felony count each of criminal possession of a firearm by a felon, interference with a law enforcement officer, possession of stolen property, and theft of a motor vehicle. He also was arrested on suspicion of four misdemeanor counts of theft and one misdemeanor count of criminal trespass. Police are still seeking addition suspects in the case.

Police: Kan. burglary suspect dumped handgun during chase

WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service today provided an overview 
of some of the key tax provisions in the American Rescue Plan Act.

Several provisions affect the 2020 tax return people are filling out 
this filing season, including one exempting up to $10,200 in 
unemployment compensation from tax and another benefiting many people 
who purchased subsidized health coverage through either federal or state
 Health Insurance Marketplaces. In addition, the law also includes a 
third round of Economic Impact Payments, now going out to eligible 
Americans, that are generally equal to $1,400 per person for most 
people, as well as several other key changes for tax-year 2021.

The best way to keep up with tax law developments is by regularly checking IRS.gov.

In the meantime, the IRS urges taxpayers who have already filed their
 2020 returns to avoid filing amended returns, refund claims or 
contacting the IRS about obtaining newly-enacted tax benefits. Taking 
any of these actions now will not speed up a future refund and may even 
slow down an existing refund claim. Instead, as noted below, the IRS 
will automatically provide these benefits to eligible filers.

Some unemployment compensation not taxed for many

For tax year 2020 only, the first $10,200 of unemployment 
compensation is not taxable for most households. This tax benefit is 
only available to those whose modified adjusted gross income is below 
$150,000 during 2020. The same income cap applies to all filing 
statuses.

This means that those eligible who haven't filed a 2020 return yet 
can subtract the first $10,200 from the total compensation received and 
only include the difference in their taxable income. For couples where 
both spouses received unemployment compensation, each spouse can 
subtract $10,200. <a href="https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/new-exclusion-of-up-to-10200-of-unemployment-compensation">Details</a>, including a worksheet, are available at <a href="https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-form-1040">IRS.gov/form1040</a>.

For any eligible taxpayer who has already filed and reported their 
compensation as fully taxable, the IRS is automatically adjusting their 
return and providing them this tax benefit. Refunds, based on this 
adjustment, are being issued in May and continuing through the summer.

Repayment of excess Advance Premium Tax Credit suspended

Taxpayers who purchased health insurance through a federal or state 
Health Insurance Marketplace won't report an excess repayment or attach 
Form 8962, Premium Tax Credit, when they file. Taxpayers use Form 8962 
to figure the amount of the premium tax credit (PTC) they are entitled 
to receive and reconcile it with any advance premium tax credit (APTC) 
they receive through the Marketplace. If the advance payment was too 
little, they claim a net premium tax credit. The process remains 
unchanged for taxpayers claiming a net PTC for 2020. They must file Form
 8962 when they file their 2020 tax return.

However, if the advance payment was higher than their allowable PTC, 
they need to pay back the difference, known as the excess APTC.

The new law suspends the repayment requirement for 2020. This means 
that affected taxpayers do not need to report excess APTC or file Form 
8962. The IRS will automatically reduce the repayment amount to zero. In
 addition, the agency will automatically reimburse anyone who has 
already repaid their 2020 excess APTC.

Child and dependent care credit increased for 2021 only

The new law increases the amount of the credit and eligible expenses 
for child and dependent care, modifies the phase-out of the credit for 
higher earners and makes it refundable.

For 2021, the top credit percentage of qualifying expenses increased from 35% to 50%.

In addition, eligible taxpayers can claim qualifying child and dependent care expenses of up to:

This means that the maximum credit in 2021 of 50% for one 
dependent's qualifying expenses is $4,000, or $8,000 for two or more 
dependents.

When figuring the credit, employer-provided dependent care benefits, 
such as those provided through a flexible spending account (FSA), must 
be subtracted from total eligible expenses.

As before, the more a taxpayer earns, the lower the credit 
percentage. But under the new law, more people will qualify for the new 
maximum 50% credit rate. That's because the adjusted gross income (AGI) 
level at which the credit percentage is reduced is raised substantially 
from $15,000 to $125,000.

Above $125,000, the 50% credit percentage is reduced as income rises,
 plateauing at a 20% rate for taxpayers with an AGI above $183,000. The 
credit percentage level remains at 20% until reaching $400,000 and is 
then phased out above that level. It is completely unavailable for any 
taxpayer with AGI exceeding $438,000.

In 2021, for the first time, the credit is fully refundable. This 
means that an eligible family can get it, even if they owe no federal 
income tax.

Workers can set aside more in a Dependent Care FSA

For 2021, the maximum amount of tax-free employer-provided dependent 
care benefits increased from $5,000 to $10,500. This means that an 
employee can set aside $10,500 in a dependent care FSA, if their 
employer has one, instead of the normal $5,000.

Workers can only do that if their employer adopts this change. Interested employees should contact their employer for details.

For 2021 only, more childless workers and couples can qualify for the
 Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), a fully refundable tax benefit that 
helps many low- and moderate-income workers and working families. That's
 because the maximum credit is nearly tripled for these taxpayers and 
is, for the first time, made available to both younger workers and 
senior citizens.

In 2021, the maximum EITC for those with no dependents is $1,502, up 
from $538 in 2020. Available to filers with an AGI below $27,380 in 
2021, it can be claimed by eligible workers who are at least 19 years of
 age. Full-time students under age 24 don't qualify. In the past, the 
EITC for those with no dependents was only available to people ages 25 
to 64.

Another change is available to both childless workers and families 
with dependents. For 2021, it allows them to choose to figure the EITC 
using their 2019 income, as long as it was higher than their 2021 
income. In some instances, this option will give them a larger credit.

Changes expanding EITC for 2021 and future years

Changes expanding the EITC for 2021 and future years include:

The new law increases the amount of the Child Tax Credit, makes it 
available for 17-year-old dependents, makes it fully refundable and 
makes it possible for families to receive up to half of it, in advance, 
during the last half of 2021. Moreover, families can get the credit, 
even if they have little or no income from a job, business or other 
source.

Currently, the credit is worth up to $2,000 per eligible child. The 
new law increases it to as much as $3,000 per child for dependents ages 6
 through 17, and $3,600 for dependents ages 5 and under.

The maximum credit is available to taxpayers with a modified AGI of:

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.

Also, the credit is fully refundable for 2021. Before this year, the refundable portion was limited to $1,400 per child.

From July through December 2021, up to half the credit will be 
advanced to eligible families by Treasury and the IRS. The advance 
payments will be estimated from their 2020 return, or if not available, 
their 2019 return.

For that reason, the IRS urges families to file their 2020 return as 
soon as possible. This includes many low-and moderate-income families 
who don't normally file returns. Often, those families will qualify for 
an Economic Impact Payment or tax benefits, such as the EITC. This year,
 taxpayers have until May 17, 2021, to file a return.

To speed delivery of any refund, be sure to file electronically and 
choose direct deposit. Doing so will also ensure quick delivery of the 
Advance Child Tax Credit payments, later this year.

In the next few weeks, eligible families can choose to decline 
receiving the advance payments. Likewise, families will also be able to 
notify Treasury and IRS of changes in their income, filing status or 
number of qualifying children. Details will be available soon.

The IRS also urges community groups, non-profits, associations, 
education groups and anyone else with connections to people with 
children to share this critical information about the Child Tax Credit 
as well as other important benefits. The IRS will be providing 
additional materials and information in the near future that can be 
easily shared by social media, email and other methods.

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>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/9/1599869632873.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>IRSWASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service today provided an overview 
of some of the key tax provisions in the American Rescue Plan Act.Several provisions affect the 2020 tax return people are filling out 
this filing season, including one exempting up to $10,200 in 
unemployment compensation from tax and another benefiting many people 
who purchased subsidized health coverage through either federal or state
 Health Insurance Marketplaces. In addition, the law also includes a 
third round of Economic Impact Payments, now going out to eligible 
Americans, that are generally equal to $1,400 per person for most 
people, as well as several other key changes for tax-year 2021.The best way to keep up with tax law developments is by regularly checking IRS.gov.In the meantime, the IRS urges taxpayers who have already filed their
 2020 returns to avoid filing amended returns, refund claims or 
contacting the IRS about obtaining newly-enacted tax benefits. Taking 
any of these actions now will not speed up a future refund and may even 
slow down an existing refund claim. Instead, as noted below, the IRS 
will automatically provide these benefits to eligible filers.<h2>Retroactive changes for 2020</h2><h2>Some unemployment compensation not taxed for many</h2>For tax year 2020 only, the first $10,200 of unemployment 
compensation is not taxable for most households. This tax benefit is 
only available to those whose modified adjusted gross income is below 
$150,000 during 2020. The same income cap applies to all filing 
statuses.This means that those eligible who haven't filed a 2020 return yet 
can subtract the first $10,200 from the total compensation received and 
only include the difference in their taxable income. For couples where 
both spouses received unemployment compensation, each spouse can 
subtract $10,200. <a href="https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/new-exclusion-of-up-to-10200-of-unemployment-compensation">Details</a>, including a worksheet, are available at <a href="https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-form-1040">IRS.gov/form1040</a>.For any eligible taxpayer who has already filed and reported their 
compensation as fully taxable, the IRS is automatically adjusting their 
return and providing them this tax benefit. Refunds, based on this 
adjustment, are being issued in May and continuing through the summer.<h2>Repayment of excess Advance Premium Tax Credit suspended</h2>Taxpayers who purchased health insurance through a federal or state 
Health Insurance Marketplace won't report an excess repayment or attach 
Form 8962, Premium Tax Credit, when they file. Taxpayers use Form 8962 
to figure the amount of the premium tax credit (PTC) they are entitled 
to receive and reconcile it with any advance premium tax credit (APTC) 
they receive through the Marketplace. If the advance payment was too 
little, they claim a net premium tax credit. The process remains 
unchanged for taxpayers claiming a net PTC for 2020. They must file Form
 8962 when they file their 2020 tax return.However, if the advance payment was higher than their allowable PTC, 
they need to pay back the difference, known as the excess APTC.The new law suspends the repayment requirement for 2020. This means 
that affected taxpayers do not need to report excess APTC or file Form 
8962. The IRS will automatically reduce the repayment amount to zero. In
 addition, the agency will automatically reimburse anyone who has 
already repaid their 2020 excess APTC.<h2>Looking ahead to the 2021 tax season</h2><h2>Child and dependent care credit increased for 2021 only</h2>The new law increases the amount of the credit and eligible expenses 
for child and dependent care, modifies the phase-out of the credit for 
higher earners and makes it refundable.For 2021, the top credit percentage of qualifying expenses increased from 35% to 50%.In addition, eligible taxpayers can claim qualifying child and dependent care expenses of up to:<ul>
 <li>$8,000 for one qualifying child or dependent, up from $3,000 in prior years, or</li><li>$16,000 for two or more qualifying dependents, up from $6,000 before 2021.</li>
 </ul>This means that the maximum credit in 2021 of 50% for one 
dependent's qualifying expenses is $4,000, or $8,000 for two or more 
dependents.When figuring the credit, employer-provided dependent care benefits, 
such as those provided through a flexible spending account (FSA), must 
be subtracted from total eligible expenses.As before, the more a taxpayer earns, the lower the credit 
percentage. But under the new law, more people will qualify for the new 
maximum 50% credit rate. That's because the adjusted gross income (AGI) 
level at which the credit percentage is reduced is raised substantially 
from $15,000 to $125,000.Above $125,000, the 50% credit percentage is reduced as income rises,
 plateauing at a 20% rate for taxpayers with an AGI above $183,000. The 
credit percentage level remains at 20% until reaching $400,000 and is 
then phased out above that level. It is completely unavailable for any 
taxpayer with AGI exceeding $438,000.In 2021, for the first time, the credit is fully refundable. This 
means that an eligible family can get it, even if they owe no federal 
income tax.<h2>Workers can set aside more in a Dependent Care FSA</h2>For 2021, the maximum amount of tax-free employer-provided dependent 
care benefits increased from $5,000 to $10,500. This means that an 
employee can set aside $10,500 in a dependent care FSA, if their 
employer has one, instead of the normal $5,000.Workers can only do that if their employer adopts this change. Interested employees should contact their employer for details.<h2>Childless EITC expanded for 2021</h2>For 2021 only, more childless workers and couples can qualify for the
 Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), a fully refundable tax benefit that 
helps many low- and moderate-income workers and working families. That's
 because the maximum credit is nearly tripled for these taxpayers and 
is, for the first time, made available to both younger workers and 
senior citizens.In 2021, the maximum EITC for those with no dependents is $1,502, up 
from $538 in 2020. Available to filers with an AGI below $27,380 in 
2021, it can be claimed by eligible workers who are at least 19 years of
 age. Full-time students under age 24 don't qualify. In the past, the 
EITC for those with no dependents was only available to people ages 25 
to 64.Another change is available to both childless workers and families 
with dependents. For 2021, it allows them to choose to figure the EITC 
using their 2019 income, as long as it was higher than their 2021 
income. In some instances, this option will give them a larger credit.<h2>Changes expanding EITC for 2021 and future years</h2>Changes expanding the EITC for 2021 and future years include:<ul>
 <li>Singles and couples who have Social Security numbers can claim 
the credit, even if their children don't have SSNs. In this instance, 
they would get the smaller credit available to childless workers. In the
 past, these filers didn't qualify for the credit</li><li>More workers and working families who also have investment income 
can get the credit. Starting in 2021, the limit on investment income is 
increased to $10,000. After 2021, the $10,000 limit is indexed for 
inflation. The current limit is $3,650.</li><li>Married but Separated spouses can choose to be treated as not 
married for EITC purposes. To qualify, the spouse claiming the credit 
cannot file jointly with the other spouse, cannot have the same 
principal residence as the other spouse for at least six months out of 
the year and must have a qualifying child living with them for more than
 half the year.</li>
 </ul><h2>Expanded Child Tax Credit for 2021 only</h2>The new law increases the amount of the Child Tax Credit, makes it 
available for 17-year-old dependents, makes it fully refundable and 
makes it possible for families to receive up to half of it, in advance, 
during the last half of 2021. Moreover, families can get the credit, 
even if they have little or no income from a job, business or other 
source.Currently, the credit is worth up to $2,000 per eligible child. The 
new law increases it to as much as $3,000 per child for dependents ages 6
 through 17, and $3,600 for dependents ages 5 and under.The maximum credit is available to taxpayers with a modified 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>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.Also, the credit is fully refundable for 2021. Before this year, the refundable portion was limited to $1,400 per child.<h2>Advance Child Tax Credit payments</h2>From July through December 2021, up to half the credit will be 
advanced to eligible families by Treasury and the IRS. The advance 
payments will be estimated from their 2020 return, or if not available, 
their 2019 return.For that reason, the IRS urges families to file their 2020 return as 
soon as possible. This includes many low-and moderate-income families 
who don't normally file returns. Often, those families will qualify for 
an Economic Impact Payment or tax benefits, such as the EITC. This year,
 taxpayers have until May 17, 2021, to file a return.To speed delivery of any refund, be sure to file electronically and 
choose direct deposit. Doing so will also ensure quick delivery of the 
Advance Child Tax Credit payments, later this year.In the next few weeks, eligible families can choose to decline 
receiving the advance payments. Likewise, families will also be able to 
notify Treasury and IRS of changes in their income, filing status or 
number of qualifying children. Details will be available soon.The IRS also urges community groups, non-profits, associations, 
education groups and anyone else with connections to people with 
children to share this critical information about the Child Tax Credit 
as well as other important benefits. The IRS will be providing 
additional materials and information in the near future that can be 
easily shared by social media, email and other methods.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>.

IRS: Retroactive benefits help Americans filing 2020 tax returns

By TOM SHINE <a href="https://www.kmuw.org/post/fourteen-years-and-pandemic-it-left-minor-league-baseball-returns-wichita">Kansas News Service</a>

Nearly three years ago, then-Mayor Jeff Longwell announced in a news 
conference at Lawrence-Dumont Stadium that the New Orleans Baby Cakes 
were planning to relocate to Wichita.

After a long, twisting 
journey that included controversy over the stadium development deal, the
 cancellation of the 2020 season and the <a href="https://www.kmuw.org/post/wind-surge-owner-lou-schwechheimer-dies" target="_blank">death of the team's managing partner</a>, affiliated minor league baseball will return to Wichita Tuesday night.

Fans here haven’t seen an affiliated game since the Wichita Wranglers
 lost 10-1 to the Tulsa Drillers on Aug. 27, 2007, in front of just 
3,319 fans. The Wranglers then departed for a new stadium in Arkansas. A
 lot has changed since then.

Aging Lawrence-Dumont Stadium <a href="https://www.kmuw.org/post/fans-say-goodbye-lawrence-dumont-city-makes-way-new-stadium" target="_blank">was knocked down</a>
 and replaced with $75 million Riverfront Stadium. Its first event, a 
baseball game between Wichita State and Houston, drew more than 7,000 
people.

And the Baby Cakes have become the Wichita Wind Surge, the Double-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins.

Here’s a quick recap of the journey from Longwell’s announcement to the May 11 game against the Amarillo Sod Poodles.

The team that would become the Wind Surge – the New Orleans Baby Cakes – originally was destined for Havana, Cuba.

Lou Schwechheimer and Jordan Kobritz were part of the Caribbean 
Baseball Initiative, which bought the Baby Cakes in 2015. But efforts to
 normalize relations with Cuba, which moved forward under the Obama 
administration, ended when Donald Trump was elected president in 2016.

“The political winds changed in Washington, and I mean Havana was a long, long way off, if ever, at that point,” Kobritz said.

“So here we are in New Orleans and wondering, ‘Now what do we do? We need a new facility.’ ”

But
 the city of Wichita had hired a consultant to find a team willing to 
move. Kobritz said he was initially skeptical of the idea.

“I 
said, ‘Lou! You’ve been around minor league baseball longer than I have.
 You know the history of baseball in Wichita, it’s never been successful
 long-term,’” Kobritz recalled. “I can tell you my gut reaction is 
that’s not an opportunity for us.

“He said, ‘Well, I’m going to check it out.’

“So he came in, gets back to Pawtucket (Rhode Island), and he calls me, he says, ‘You need to go to Wichita.’”

Kobritz
 said he and Matt White, the Wind Surge’s chief financial officer, 
traveled to Wichita. They each got up one morning and – without the 
other one knowing – walked along the Arkansas River near their hotel.

“I
 mean, you could see the potential,” Kobritz said. “Anybody that had 
been in baseball for 40 years like Lou and I had could come in here and 
look at this and say, ‘Oh my gosh, this is a tiger by the tail.’

“There
 were some people here that could picture it, and they were right. They 
were absolutely right, what this potential could be.”

Longwell, who led the effort to find a team, announced in September 2018 that the Baby Cakes planned to relocate to Wichita.

The city also announced that Lawrence-Dumont Stadium, built in 1934, 
would be torn down. In its place would be a modern $75 million stadium, 
which could be used for baseball and other community events.

The 
city said a number of tax packages would be used to pay for the project,
 including a Tax Increment Finance (TIF) district, Sales Tax Revenue 
(STAR) Bonds, and Community Improvement District that would impose an 
additional 2% sales tax within the CID.

Several months later, the
 city announced it was selling about 4 acres of undeveloped land around 
the stadium to a private development group, which included the team’s 
owners. <a href="https://www.kmuw.org/post/city-moves-forward-private-development-deal-near-baseball-stadium" target="_blank">The cost: $1 an acre</a>.

Many residents, and some elected officials, complained about the cost and the lack of transparency over the deal.

Kobritz
 said the Pacific Coast League and Minor League Baseball told the team 
it would not approve its move to Wichita without the land development 
deal.

“If we were going to move here, we had to be successful,” 
Kobritz said “They (Minor League Baseball) didn't want us to come in and
 duplicate what the last three teams in here did.

“So what they 
said was, if you can get some development land so that you are creating a
 city around this ballpark that will help you be successful long term, 
we'll approve you.

“Now, could it have been handled differently 
in hindsight? I'm sure it could have been. We did not drive that bus, 
but, of course, fingers got pointed our way, which I understand why 
people would do that.”

Just as the pandemic wiped out last season, it also has slowed 
development of the land around the stadium, including a separate private
 deal for about seven acres to the north.

“We were all prepared and the stadium was ready to go, and the wonderful pandemic hit,” said Assistant City Manager Scot Rigby.

“Obviously
 that shelved baseball for a year, and obviously that impacted not only 
the stadium, but impacted everybody, whether you’re development around 
the stadium or development around Wichita. … That put everybody back a 
year.”

Rigby estimates the city lost about six months of 
development opportunities, but says the delay won’t have a significant 
impact on the tax districts funding the project. He says between $3 
million and $4 million in federal funds from the American Recovery Plan 
Act went to back-fill the revenue the city had expected to collect in 
2020.

“We’ll see commercial development here in the next year or 
two coming out of the ground and around the stadium,” Rigby said. “So it
 is … I’ll call it on project timeline.”

Kobritz said he hopes that before the end of the season, the team will make an announcement about a firm development plan.

The Wind Surge – then the Triple-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins – 
was scheduled to begin play on April 14, 2020, against the Memphis 
Redbirds.

But the start of the season was delayed by the 
pandemic. Then the inevitable was announced: All minor league seasons 
were canceled.

“While the writing might have been on the wall, 
certainly disappointment is the sentiment throughout the office,” Jared 
Forma, the Wind Surge’s senior vice president and general manager, said 
at the time.

During the offseason, Major League Baseball absorbed
 all operations of minor league baseball. It also reduced the number of 
minor leagues teams from 160 to 120 and changed the affiliations of many
 others.

Wichita was one of them, becoming part of the Twins’ organization.

Wind
 Surge fans, though, can still commemorate the 2020 season: During its 
first homestand, the team will give away baseballs and caps emblazoned 
with “2020 Inaugural Season.”

Schwechheimer, the 
catalyst behind bringing minor league baseball back to Wichita, never 
got to see the Wind Surge play a game here.

After the 2020 season
 was canceled because of the pandemic, Schwechheimer died from 
complications of COVID-19 last July. He was 62.

“There are no 
words to express the loss of the entire Wind Surge family,” Forma said 
in a statement at the time. “Lou was truly one of a kind, someone who 
never met a stranger.

“He will be deeply missed by his family and many friends, which included an extended baseball family.”

Schwechheimer
 spent more than 40 years in minor league baseball. He was an active 
presence in Wichita in the year before his death, overseeing 
construction of the stadium, working on the team’s name and branding, 
and talking to civic groups about the team.

“We became as close 
as brothers during the decade that we were together with the CBI group,”
 Kobritz said, referring to the Caribbean Baseball Initiative. “If it 
wasn't for Lou, I wouldn't be here, plain and simple.

“So this was his idea. Nobody’s ever going to take that away from … his legacy.”

The city’s minor 
league baseball history stretches back more than 100 years. But Wichita 
hasn’t fielded an affiliated minor league team since 2007, when the 
Wranglers left for Arkansas.

Leigh Bellinger was a Wranglers fan,
 even though he didn’t live in Wichita for much of their tenure because 
of his Air Force career. When he was stationed in San Antonio, he had 
season tickets for the San Antonio Missions, who played in the same 
league as Wichita.

“When the Wranglers would come to town, I 
wasn't a San Antonio fan, I was a Wranglers fan,” Bellinger said. “So 
I'd wear my Wranglers jersey. Obviously my San Antonio friends didn't 
appreciate that.

“But I always rooted for the Wranglers, for the Wichita team.”

Bellinger also was a season ticket-holder for the Bowie, Maryland, Baysox when he was stationed at Fort Meade.

So
 he was eager to buy season tickets for Wichita’s new baseball team. So 
eager, in fact, that he bought the first two season tickets: box seats 
between the Wind Surge dugout and the on-deck circle.

“When I got
 here and I heard that they were working on the stadium to bring in a 
team, I was just, I was overjoyed,” said Bellinger, who is retired from 
the Air Force and now works as chief of Community Relations at McConnell
 Air Force Base.

“So for someone who has been involved with the 
Wichita Baseball 2020 from, if not day one, day two, I am counting down 
the minutes until opening day’s here.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/4/1619793100630.png" alt=" The field at Riverfront Stadium Nadya Faulx / KMUW" />
 <figcaption> The field at Riverfront Stadium Nadya Faulx / KMUW</figcaption>
 </figure>By TOM SHINE <a href="https://www.kmuw.org/post/fourteen-years-and-pandemic-it-left-minor-league-baseball-returns-wichita">Kansas News Service</a>Nearly three years ago, then-Mayor Jeff Longwell announced in a news 
conference at Lawrence-Dumont Stadium that the New Orleans Baby Cakes 
were planning to relocate to Wichita.After a long, twisting 
journey that included controversy over the stadium development deal, the
 cancellation of the 2020 season and the <a href="https://www.kmuw.org/post/wind-surge-owner-lou-schwechheimer-dies" target="_blank">death of the team's managing partner</a>, affiliated minor league baseball will return to Wichita Tuesday night.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/4/1619793157396.jpeg" alt=" The Wind Surge reveal their team name and logo at an event in 2019. Credit Nadya Faulx / KMUW/File photo" />
 <figcaption> The Wind Surge reveal their team name and logo at an event in 2019. Credit Nadya Faulx / KMUW/File photo</figcaption>
 </figure>Fans here haven’t seen an affiliated game since the Wichita Wranglers
 lost 10-1 to the Tulsa Drillers on Aug. 27, 2007, in front of just 
3,319 fans. The Wranglers then departed for a new stadium in Arkansas. A
 lot has changed since then.Aging Lawrence-Dumont Stadium <a href="https://www.kmuw.org/post/fans-say-goodbye-lawrence-dumont-city-makes-way-new-stadium" target="_blank">was knocked down</a>
 and replaced with $75 million Riverfront Stadium. Its first event, a 
baseball game between Wichita State and Houston, drew more than 7,000 
people.And the Baby Cakes have become the Wichita Wind Surge, the Double-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins.Here’s a quick recap of the journey from Longwell’s announcement to the May 11 game against the Amarillo Sod Poodles.<h2>Coming to Wichita</h2>The team that would become the Wind Surge – the New Orleans Baby Cakes – originally was destined for Havana, Cuba.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/4/1619793189211.jpeg" alt=" Jordan Kobritz, CEO of the Wind Surge, outside the team's corporate office. Credit Nadya Faulx / KMUW" />
 <figcaption> Jordan Kobritz, CEO of the Wind Surge, outside the team's corporate office. Credit Nadya Faulx / KMUW</figcaption>
 </figure>Lou Schwechheimer and Jordan Kobritz were part of the Caribbean 
Baseball Initiative, which bought the Baby Cakes in 2015. But efforts to
 normalize relations with Cuba, which moved forward under the Obama 
administration, ended when Donald Trump was elected president in 2016.“The political winds changed in Washington, and I mean Havana was a long, long way off, if ever, at that point,” Kobritz said.“So here we are in New Orleans and wondering, ‘Now what do we do? We need a new facility.’ ”But
 the city of Wichita had hired a consultant to find a team willing to 
move. Kobritz said he was initially skeptical of the idea.“I 
said, ‘Lou! You’ve been around minor league baseball longer than I have.
 You know the history of baseball in Wichita, it’s never been successful
 long-term,’” Kobritz recalled. “I can tell you my gut reaction is 
that’s not an opportunity for us.“He said, ‘Well, I’m going to check it out.’“So he came in, gets back to Pawtucket (Rhode Island), and he calls me, he says, ‘You need to go to Wichita.’”Kobritz
 said he and Matt White, the Wind Surge’s chief financial officer, 
traveled to Wichita. They each got up one morning and – without the 
other one knowing – walked along the Arkansas River near their hotel.“I
 mean, you could see the potential,” Kobritz said. “Anybody that had 
been in baseball for 40 years like Lou and I had could come in here and 
look at this and say, ‘Oh my gosh, this is a tiger by the tail.’“There
 were some people here that could picture it, and they were right. They 
were absolutely right, what this potential could be.”<h2>The land deal</h2>Longwell, who led the effort to find a team, announced in September 2018 that the Baby Cakes planned to relocate to Wichita.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/4/1619793218787.jpeg" alt=" Then-Mayor Jeff Longwell at a news conference announcing the new team and stadium in 2018. Credit Nadya Faulx / KMUW/File photo" />
 <figcaption> Then-Mayor Jeff Longwell at a news conference announcing the new team and stadium in 2018. Credit Nadya Faulx / KMUW/File photo</figcaption>
 </figure>The city also announced that Lawrence-Dumont Stadium, built in 1934, 
would be torn down. In its place would be a modern $75 million stadium, 
which could be used for baseball and other community events.The 
city said a number of tax packages would be used to pay for the project,
 including a Tax Increment Finance (TIF) district, Sales Tax Revenue 
(STAR) Bonds, and Community Improvement District that would impose an 
additional 2% sales tax within the CID.Several months later, the
 city announced it was selling about 4 acres of undeveloped land around 
the stadium to a private development group, which included the team’s 
owners. <a href="https://www.kmuw.org/post/city-moves-forward-private-development-deal-near-baseball-stadium" target="_blank">The cost: $1 an acre</a>.Many residents, and some elected officials, complained about the cost and the lack of transparency over the deal.Kobritz
 said the Pacific Coast League and Minor League Baseball told the team 
it would not approve its move to Wichita without the land development 
deal.“If we were going to move here, we had to be successful,” 
Kobritz said “They (Minor League Baseball) didn't want us to come in and
 duplicate what the last three teams in here did.“So what they 
said was, if you can get some development land so that you are creating a
 city around this ballpark that will help you be successful long term, 
we'll approve you.“Now, could it have been handled differently 
in hindsight? I'm sure it could have been. We did not drive that bus, 
but, of course, fingers got pointed our way, which I understand why 
people would do that.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/4/1619793243932.jpeg" alt="Credit Nadya Faulx / KMUW" />
 <figcaption>Credit Nadya Faulx / KMUW</figcaption>
 </figure>Just as the pandemic wiped out last season, it also has slowed 
development of the land around the stadium, including a separate private
 deal for about seven acres to the north.“We were all prepared and the stadium was ready to go, and the wonderful pandemic hit,” said Assistant City Manager Scot Rigby.“Obviously
 that shelved baseball for a year, and obviously that impacted not only 
the stadium, but impacted everybody, whether you’re development around 
the stadium or development around Wichita. … That put everybody back a 
year.”Rigby estimates the city lost about six months of 
development opportunities, but says the delay won’t have a significant 
impact on the tax districts funding the project. He says between $3 
million and $4 million in federal funds from the American Recovery Plan 
Act went to back-fill the revenue the city had expected to collect in 
2020.“We’ll see commercial development here in the next year or 
two coming out of the ground and around the stadium,” Rigby said. “So it
 is … I’ll call it on project timeline.”Kobritz said he hopes that before the end of the season, the team will make an announcement about a firm development plan.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/4/1619793243932.jpeg" alt="Credit Nadya Faulx / KMUW" />
 <figcaption>Credit Nadya Faulx / KMUW</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Season canceled</h2>The Wind Surge – then the Triple-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins – 
was scheduled to begin play on April 14, 2020, against the Memphis 
Redbirds.But the start of the season was delayed by the 
pandemic. Then the inevitable was announced: All minor league seasons 
were canceled.“While the writing might have been on the wall, 
certainly disappointment is the sentiment throughout the office,” Jared 
Forma, the Wind Surge’s senior vice president and general manager, said 
at the time.During the offseason, Major League Baseball absorbed
 all operations of minor league baseball. It also reduced the number of 
minor leagues teams from 160 to 120 and changed the affiliations of many
 others.Wichita was one of them, becoming part of the Twins’ organization.Wind
 Surge fans, though, can still commemorate the 2020 season: During its 
first homestand, the team will give away baseballs and caps emblazoned 
with “2020 Inaugural Season.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/4/1619793316260.jpeg" alt=" A Wichita Wind Surge jersey that still carries the Miami Marlins logo. Credit Nadya Faulx" />
 <figcaption> A Wichita Wind Surge jersey that still carries the Miami Marlins logo. Credit Nadya Faulx</figcaption>
 </figure>Lou Schwechheimer’s deathSchwechheimer, the 
catalyst behind bringing minor league baseball back to Wichita, never 
got to see the Wind Surge play a game here.After the 2020 season
 was canceled because of the pandemic, Schwechheimer died from 
complications of COVID-19 last July. He was 62.“There are no 
words to express the loss of the entire Wind Surge family,” Forma said 
in a statement at the time. “Lou was truly one of a kind, someone who 
never met a stranger.“He will be deeply missed by his family and many friends, which included an extended baseball family.”Schwechheimer
 spent more than 40 years in minor league baseball. He was an active 
presence in Wichita in the year before his death, overseeing 
construction of the stadium, working on the team’s name and branding, 
and talking to civic groups about the team.“We became as close 
as brothers during the decade that we were together with the CBI group,”
 Kobritz said, referring to the Caribbean Baseball Initiative. “If it 
wasn't for Lou, I wouldn't be here, plain and simple.“So this was his idea. Nobody’s ever going to take that away from … his legacy.”<h2>Wichita’s baseball history</h2>The city’s minor 
league baseball history stretches back more than 100 years. But Wichita 
hasn’t fielded an affiliated minor league team since 2007, when the 
Wranglers left for Arkansas.Leigh Bellinger was a Wranglers fan,
 even though he didn’t live in Wichita for much of their tenure because 
of his Air Force career. When he was stationed in San Antonio, he had 
season tickets for the San Antonio Missions, who played in the same 
league as Wichita.“When the Wranglers would come to town, I 
wasn't a San Antonio fan, I was a Wranglers fan,” Bellinger said. “So 
I'd wear my Wranglers jersey. Obviously my San Antonio friends didn't 
appreciate that.“But I always rooted for the Wranglers, for the Wichita team.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/4/1619793365551.jpeg" alt=" Leigh Bellinger bought the Surge's first season tickets in 2019: box seats along third base between the Wind Surge dugout and the on-deck circle. Credit Nadya Faulx / KMUW" />
 <figcaption> Leigh Bellinger bought the Surge's first season tickets in 2019: box seats along third base between the Wind Surge dugout and the on-deck circle. Credit Nadya Faulx / KMUW</figcaption>
 </figure>Bellinger also was a season ticket-holder for the Bowie, Maryland, Baysox when he was stationed at Fort Meade.So
 he was eager to buy season tickets for Wichita’s new baseball team. So 
eager, in fact, that he bought the first two season tickets: box seats 
between the Wind Surge dugout and the on-deck circle.“When I got
 here and I heard that they were working on the stadium to bring in a 
team, I was just, I was overjoyed,” said Bellinger, who is retired from 
the Air Force and now works as chief of Community Relations at McConnell
 Air Force Base.“So for someone who has been involved with the 
Wichita Baseball 2020 from, if not day one, day two, I am counting down 
the minutes until opening day’s here.”

After 14 years, minor league baseball returns to Kansas

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Prosecutors: KC man wrongly convicted of 1978 murder

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Republicans pushed through tighter restrictions on voting.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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