HUTCHINSON, Kan. — After the decision following a public hearing Monday by the Reno County Planning Commission to send the Board of County Commissioners a recommendation not to ban solar in the zoned areas of Reno County, the Board of County Commissioners is going to give itself some time to look at the record before making a final decision.

The board plans to have a study session on the solar topic on Sept. 11 and then an agenda item on that same topic on Sept. 25. 

The board wanted to have both Public Works Director Don Brittain and County Planner Mark Vonachen available for questions and both are not available either one meeting day or the other in August, so the commission is pushing the decision out to give itself more time to read the record as entered at the planning commission and then hash it out through September.

<a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/5e73b532afae0f4d5f5d90ea">CLICK HERE&nbsp;to sign up for the daily Hutch Post email news update.</a>

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/5/1683731181866.jpg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>HUTCHINSON, Kan. — After the decision following a public hearing Monday by the Reno County Planning Commission to send the Board of County Commissioners a recommendation not to ban solar in the zoned areas of Reno County, the Board of County Commissioners is going to give itself some time to look at the record before making a final decision.The board plans to have a study session on the solar topic on Sept. 11 and then an agenda item on that same topic on Sept. 25. The board wanted to have both Public Works Director Don Brittain and County Planner Mark Vonachen available for questions and both are not available either one meeting day or the other in August, so the commission is pushing the decision out to give itself more time to read the record as entered at the planning commission and then hash it out through September.<a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/5e73b532afae0f4d5f5d90ea">CLICK HERE&nbsp;to sign up for the daily Hutch Post email news update.</a>

County commission to take up solar in Sept.

Unpredictable weather, equipment breakdowns and technology issues are part of the deal for the custom harvesting crews that traverse the Great Plains each summer chasing the next field ready to cut. Recently released by Fort Hays State University’s Tiger Media Network, the student documentary “Life on the Harvest Run” captures the story of two Kansas-based custom crews, the frustrations they face and whether or not the next generation is willing to take on those challenges.&nbsp;

“The harvest life is so spontaneous and so not planned from day to day,” custom harvest crew member Rebecca Froese said during the film. “There's a lot of adverse and strange conditions that throw themselves at us in harvest - rain, equipment breakdowns, you name it.”&nbsp;

Custom harvesters travel the country each summer to harvest crops for farmers or businesses that may not own the necessary large-scale or specialized equipment needed for harvesting or for producers facing time constraints during the busy fieldwork season. The work of these crews helps ensure crops are harvested efficiently and effectively.&nbsp;

“With harvesting, you’ve got to be crazy to be doing it,” said Brad Befort, a custom harvester, during the film. “It's almost like you're just a little boy that's grown up and you're playing with bigger toys in the sandbox than you did when you were little.”

The film focuses on two family operations - Brad Befort Harvesting in Hays and Froese Brothers Inc. in Inman. To produce the documentary, three FHSU students - Ryan Schuckman, Raegan Neufeld and John Billinger - interviewed active and retired custom harvesters from 20 to 91 years old to get a mix of present and past perspectives on the unique job.&nbsp;

“We were able to get a really interesting perspective from everyone,” Shuckman said in a&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://sfdzp7cab.cc.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001JtonqO3UOJeUN3R_36FFxcJbb2B2_iPDZ0gowtC9S_8sqLwIUhvpbcIGN6EpZFLBr319FsIaeeI5AMiDplXYSkcigAJrZX82PQXvA7AH8SjlNXYUZAGnF0O33E2UEiqt_ixZtCj6W4vc0VyAJ821DyJkB4o5x9dbzwnNcfbLgk4=&amp;c=JBO2g-aVO0_G6iEk6TaNEHXSI-yqJ7CaaJgmfIsZQQODVip_bPJC_A==&amp;ch=lybdG5c2x4Hni4JPilDZWZEAakuKm_QuCMrAgF1bKexyXSqzkm-aSw==">press release</a>&nbsp;about the film. “I am very proud of how we made the story, took what everyone said in the interviews, and made a really interesting documentary.”

The full documentary was released on July 25, the result of a summer internship with TMN. All three students are studying digital media production and journalism, meaning the project was a real-world glimpse into their potential future careers.&nbsp;

“One goal of Tiger Media Network is to give students a look into what the real-world working environment might be,” said Nick Schwien, director of TMN. “We want our FHSU students to stand out to potential employers when they apply for jobs post-graduation. Experiences like this fit perfectly into the Department of Informatics approach to preparing today’s students for tomorrow’s workforce.”

More than just a student project, “Life on the Harvest Run” captures the spirit and camaraderie of a family tradition filled with challenges and triumphs. This behind-the-scenes view of custom harvest crews also shares an important perspective on what it takes to get wheat from a farmer’s field to a consumer’s plate.&nbsp;

“Not only are we learning how to work as a team, but we’re also learning about events and history we wouldn't have known otherwise,” Billinger said in the release. “It helps preserve their stories and experiences for generations to come.”

Watch the full “Life on the Harvest Run” documentary at&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://sfdzp7cab.cc.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001JtonqO3UOJeUN3R_36FFxcJbb2B2_iPDZ0gowtC9S_8sqLwIUhvpbcIGN6EpZFLBS8T5_y6jhxhO8V8TRBA5is4srvVJ45qh1n9cnmYaCyMj3PgSI07BK2VhCkWnyBda8Mk2UvvcIlVeucMDM2Rn2UEphL3PaWWXm3vY5kFhKQo=&amp;c=JBO2g-aVO0_G6iEk6TaNEHXSI-yqJ7CaaJgmfIsZQQODVip_bPJC_A==&amp;ch=lybdG5c2x4Hni4JPilDZWZEAakuKm_QuCMrAgF1bKexyXSqzkm-aSw==">https://www.youtube.com/TigerMediaNetwork</a>.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/6/1655426692793.jpeg" alt="Kansas Wheat Commission logo.jpg" />
 <figcaption>Kansas Wheat Commission logo.jpg</figcaption>
 </figure>JULIA DEBES Kansas WheatUnpredictable weather, equipment breakdowns and technology issues are part of the deal for the custom harvesting crews that traverse the Great Plains each summer chasing the next field ready to cut. Recently released by Fort Hays State University’s Tiger Media Network, the student documentary “Life on the Harvest Run” captures the story of two Kansas-based custom crews, the frustrations they face and whether or not the next generation is willing to take on those challenges.&nbsp;“The harvest life is so spontaneous and so not planned from day to day,” custom harvest crew member Rebecca Froese said during the film. “There's a lot of adverse and strange conditions that throw themselves at us in harvest - rain, equipment breakdowns, you name it.”&nbsp;Custom harvesters travel the country each summer to harvest crops for farmers or businesses that may not own the necessary large-scale or specialized equipment needed for harvesting or for producers facing time constraints during the busy fieldwork season. The work of these crews helps ensure crops are harvested efficiently and effectively.&nbsp;“With harvesting, you’ve got to be crazy to be doing it,” said Brad Befort, a custom harvester, during the film. “It's almost like you're just a little boy that's grown up and you're playing with bigger toys in the sandbox than you did when you were little.”The film focuses on two family operations - Brad Befort Harvesting in Hays and Froese Brothers Inc. in Inman. To produce the documentary, three FHSU students - Ryan Schuckman, Raegan Neufeld and John Billinger - interviewed active and retired custom harvesters from 20 to 91 years old to get a mix of present and past perspectives on the unique job.&nbsp;“We were able to get a really interesting perspective from everyone,” Shuckman said in a&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://sfdzp7cab.cc.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001JtonqO3UOJeUN3R_36FFxcJbb2B2_iPDZ0gowtC9S_8sqLwIUhvpbcIGN6EpZFLBr319FsIaeeI5AMiDplXYSkcigAJrZX82PQXvA7AH8SjlNXYUZAGnF0O33E2UEiqt_ixZtCj6W4vc0VyAJ821DyJkB4o5x9dbzwnNcfbLgk4=&amp;c=JBO2g-aVO0_G6iEk6TaNEHXSI-yqJ7CaaJgmfIsZQQODVip_bPJC_A==&amp;ch=lybdG5c2x4Hni4JPilDZWZEAakuKm_QuCMrAgF1bKexyXSqzkm-aSw==">press release</a>&nbsp;about the film. “I am very proud of how we made the story, took what everyone said in the interviews, and made a really interesting documentary.”The full documentary was released on July 25, the result of a summer internship with TMN. All three students are studying digital media production and journalism, meaning the project was a real-world glimpse into their potential future careers.&nbsp;“One goal of Tiger Media Network is to give students a look into what the real-world working environment might be,” said Nick Schwien, director of TMN. “We want our FHSU students to stand out to potential employers when they apply for jobs post-graduation. Experiences like this fit perfectly into the Department of Informatics approach to preparing today’s students for tomorrow’s workforce.”More than just a student project, “Life on the Harvest Run” captures the spirit and camaraderie of a family tradition filled with challenges and triumphs. This behind-the-scenes view of custom harvest crews also shares an important perspective on what it takes to get wheat from a farmer’s field to a consumer’s plate.&nbsp;“Not only are we learning how to work as a team, but we’re also learning about events and history we wouldn't have known otherwise,” Billinger said in the release. “It helps preserve their stories and experiences for generations to come.”Watch the full “Life on the Harvest Run” documentary at&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://sfdzp7cab.cc.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001JtonqO3UOJeUN3R_36FFxcJbb2B2_iPDZ0gowtC9S_8sqLwIUhvpbcIGN6EpZFLBS8T5_y6jhxhO8V8TRBA5is4srvVJ45qh1n9cnmYaCyMj3PgSI07BK2VhCkWnyBda8Mk2UvvcIlVeucMDM2Rn2UEphL3PaWWXm3vY5kFhKQo=&amp;c=JBO2g-aVO0_G6iEk6TaNEHXSI-yqJ7CaaJgmfIsZQQODVip_bPJC_A==&amp;ch=lybdG5c2x4Hni4JPilDZWZEAakuKm_QuCMrAgF1bKexyXSqzkm-aSw==">https://www.youtube.com/TigerMediaNetwork</a>.&nbsp;<a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/5e73b532afae0f4d5f5d90ea">CLICK HERE&nbsp;to sign up for the daily Hutch Post email news update.</a>

Wheat Scoop: Student documentary captures custom harvester lifestyle

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1722533694371.jpeg" alt="Photo Courtesy Kansas Athletics" />
 <figcaption>Photo Courtesy Kansas Athletics</figcaption>
 </figure><div>Kansas Athletics
 
LAWRENCE, Kan.&nbsp;&ndash;&nbsp;The Horejsi name has been synonymous with the University of Kansas and KU Athletics for decades. The family&apos;s three generations of Jayhawks and thirty years of philanthropic support for KU started with Stewart Horejsi, a native of Salina, Kansas, who was the first in his family to attend college, earning a bachelor&apos;s degree in business at KU in 1959. Two more generations of Jayhawks and a legacy of impact across academics and athletics followed. Today, KU Chancellor Douglas Girod and KU Director of Athletics Travis Goff announce the family&apos;s $10 million commitment to the Gateway District Project and reimagined David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium. This is the latest gift in the family&apos;s continuous support for KU which includes contributions for KU Volleyball and the game-changing Horejsi Family Volleyball Arena, support for the School of Business, student scholarships, KU Golf, the Booth Hall of Athletics and the Wagnon Study Center. &quot;I am proud to have my children and grandchildren join me in committing to this gift that will make a difference across KU,&quot; Stewart Horejsi said. &quot;It&apos;s important to us and to so many other Jayhawks.&quot; Goff lauded the Horejsi family&apos;s latest commitment and its impact on KU and Kansas Athletics. &quot;An ambitious project and vision require ambitious supporters,&quot; Goff said. &quot;The Horejsi and Ciciora families are precisely that and have heeded the call to invest in the future of our University and Kansas Athletics. This is a family of remarkable Jayhawks and even better people and we are exceptionally grateful for their profound support.&quot; Stewart&apos;s daughter Susan (Horejsi) Ciciora, who earned her bachelor&apos;s degree in journalism in 1987, said the Gateway District, including the new north campus entrance, will be a fantastic addition to KU and a great place to gather for games &mdash; something that often brings three generations of the family together. The family agreed the project is an essential element for the university&apos;s growth and recruitment. &quot;We were raised as Jayhawks and KU has had a significant impact on our lives. This gift ensures future families will have the same opportunity we had to fall in love with this special place,&quot; said Susan, who with husband John Ciciora, have three children who are KU alumni. &nbsp;Son Jack graduated in 2017 with a bachelor&apos;s degree in liberal arts, followed in 2018 by daughter Amanda, who followed in her mother&apos;s footsteps with a bachelor&apos;s degree in journalism. The third child, daughter Courtney, graduated with a degree in journalism in 2022. The Gateway&nbsp;District will develop the north entrance to campus in a profound way to drive student enrollment and economic benefit to Lawrence and the state, while also bolstering the trajectory of the KU football program. The project includes a new campus gateway, hotel, multi-use&nbsp;space for conferences and transformed football facilities &mdash; all of which will strengthen KU&apos;s ability to recruit and retain students. &quot;The Horejsi family&apos;s support turned our volleyball venue into a world-class arena for our student-athletes and fans, and this latest commitment will have a similar impact on not just our football program, but the entire university through the Gateway District,&quot; said Chancellor Girod. &quot;We are grateful for their continued investment in the University of Kansas.&quot; Susan, who is a director of the Horejsi Charitable Foundation, said the family&apos;s philanthropy and profound loyalty to KU started with her father Stewart and sprang from a deep appreciation of his KU education and experiences. It has grown stronger through each generation&apos;s own KU journeys, including her brother John Horejsi, who graduated from KU in 1991 with a bachelor&apos;s degree in sociology. &quot;We are thrilled to provide this gift to support KU football and the whole KU family,&quot; said John. &quot;We hope other generational Jayhawk families continue to join us in investing in the future of KU and Kansas Athletics.&quot;</div>

🏐 Horejsi family makes $10 million commitment to KU Gateway District Project

WASHINGTON (AP) — Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, accused as the mastermind of al-Qaida’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/9-11-a-world-changed">Sept. 11, 2001, attacks</a>&nbsp;on the United States, has agreed to plead guilty, the Defense Department said Wednesday. The development points to a long-delayed resolution in an attack that killed thousands and altered the course of the United States and much of the Middle East.

Mohammed and two accomplices, Walid Bin Attash and Mustafa al-Hawsawi, are expected to enter the pleas at the military commission at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, as soon as next week.

Defense lawyers have requested the men receive life sentences in exchange for the guilty pleas, according to letters from the federal government received by relatives of some of the nearly 3,000 people killed outright on the morning of Sept. 11.

Terry Strada, the head of one group of families of the nearly 3,000 direct victims of the 9/11 attacks, invoked the dozens of relatives who have died while awaiting justice for the killings when she heard news of the plea agreement.

“They were cowards when they planned the attack," she said of the defendants. "And they’re cowards today."

Pentagon officials declined to immediately release the full terms of the plea bargains.

The U.S. agreement with the men comes more than 16 years after their prosecution began for al-Qaida's attack. It comes more than 20 years after militants commandeered four commercial airliners to use as fuel-filled missiles, flying them into the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon.

Al-Qaida hijackers headed a fourth plane to Washington, but crew members and passengers tried to storm the cockpit, and the plane crashed into a Pennsylvania field.

The attack triggered what President George W. Bush's administration called its war on terror, prompting the U.S. military invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq and years of U.S. operations against armed extremist groups elsewhere in the Middle East.

The attack and U.S. retaliation brought the overthrow of two governments outright, devastated communities and countries caught in the battle, and played a role in inspiring the 2011 Arab Spring popular uprisings against authoritarian Middle East governments.

At home, the attacks inspired a sharply more militaristic and nationalist turn to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/911-20-years-world-affairs-cc497f11743fcbd48b0b3e0c3ed2da5f">American society and culture</a>.

U.S. authorities point to Mohammed as the source of the idea to use planes as weapons. He allegedly received approval from al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden, whom U.S. forces killed in 2011, to craft what became the 9/11 hijackings and killings.

Authorities captured Mohammed in 2003. Mohammed was subjected to waterboarding 183 times while in CIA custody before coming to Guantanamo, and targeted by other forms of torture and coercive questioning.

The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/guantanamo-detainees-un-investigator-d79ecc69131ea790d95ac901fecb581c">use of torture has proven one of the most formidable obstacles in U.S. efforts</a>&nbsp;to try the men in the military commission at Guantanamo, owing to the inadmissibility of evidence linked to abuse.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/al-qaida-politics-united-states-government-belize-cuba-6037c1e52408df0576ef4e502fda01a4">Torture</a>&nbsp;has accounted for much of the delay of the proceedings, along with the courtroom's location a plane ride away from the United States.

Daphne Eviatar, a director at the Amnesty International USA rights group, said Wednesday she welcomed news of some accountability in the attacks.

She urged the Biden administration to close the Guantanamo Bay detention center, which holds people taken into custody in the so-called war on terror. Many have since been cleared, but are awaiting approval to leave for other countries.

Additionally, Eviatar said, “the Biden administration must also take all necessary measures to ensure that a program of state-sanctioned enforced disappearance, torture and other ill-treatment will never be perpetrated by the United States again."

Strada, national chairperson of a group of families of victims called 9/11 Families United, had been at Manhattan federal court for a hearing on one of many civil lawsuits when she heard news of the plea agreement.

Strada said many families have just wanted to see the men admit guilt.

“For me personally, I wanted to see a trial,” she said. “And they just took away the justice I was expecting, a trial and the punishment.”

Michael Burke, one of the family members receiving the government notice of the plea bargain, condemned the long wait for justice, and the outcome.

“It took months or a year at the Nuremberg trials,” said Burke, whose fire captain brother Billy died in the collapse of the World Trade Center’s North Tower. “To me, it always been disgraceful that these guys, 23 years later, have not been convicted and punished for their attacks, or the crime. I never understood how it took so long.”

“I think people would be shocked if you could go back in time and tell the people who just watched the towers go down, ‘Oh, hey, in 23 years, these guys who are responsible for this crime we just witnessed are going to be getting plea deals so they can avoid death and serve life in prison," he said.

Burke’s brother, New York City fire captain Billy Burke, ordered his men out but remained on the 27th floor of the North Tower with two men who’d stayed behind: a quadriplegic who, because the elevators had gone out, was essentially stuck there in his wheelchair and that man’s friend.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1722465359811.jpeg" alt="FILE - This Monday, Dec. 8, 2008 courtroom drawing by artist Janet Hamlin and reviewed by the U.S. military, shows Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, center, and co-defendant Walid Bin Attash, left, attending a pre-trial session at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba. The man accused of being the main plotter in al-Qaeda's Sept. 11, 2001 attacks has agreed to plead guilty, The Defense Department said Wednesday. (AP Photo/Janet Hamlin, Pool, File)" />
 <figcaption>FILE - This Monday, Dec. 8, 2008 courtroom drawing by artist Janet Hamlin and reviewed by the U.S. military, shows Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, center, and co-defendant Walid Bin Attash, left, attending a pre-trial session at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba. The man accused of being the main plotter in al-Qaeda's Sept. 11, 2001 attacks has agreed to plead guilty, The Defense Department said Wednesday. (AP Photo/Janet Hamlin, Pool, File)</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, accused as the mastermind of al-Qaida’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/9-11-a-world-changed">Sept. 11, 2001, attacks</a>&nbsp;on the United States, has agreed to plead guilty, the Defense Department said Wednesday. The development points to a long-delayed resolution in an attack that killed thousands and altered the course of the United States and much of the Middle East.Mohammed and two accomplices, Walid Bin Attash and Mustafa al-Hawsawi, are expected to enter the pleas at the military commission at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, as soon as next week.Defense lawyers have requested the men receive life sentences in exchange for the guilty pleas, according to letters from the federal government received by relatives of some of the nearly 3,000 people killed outright on the morning of Sept. 11.Terry Strada, the head of one group of families of the nearly 3,000 direct victims of the 9/11 attacks, invoked the dozens of relatives who have died while awaiting justice for the killings when she heard news of the plea agreement.“They were cowards when they planned the attack," she said of the defendants. "And they’re cowards today."Pentagon officials declined to immediately release the full terms of the plea bargains.The U.S. agreement with the men comes more than 16 years after their prosecution began for al-Qaida's attack. It comes more than 20 years after militants commandeered four commercial airliners to use as fuel-filled missiles, flying them into the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon.Al-Qaida hijackers headed a fourth plane to Washington, but crew members and passengers tried to storm the cockpit, and the plane crashed into a Pennsylvania field.The attack triggered what President George W. Bush's administration called its war on terror, prompting the U.S. military invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq and years of U.S. operations against armed extremist groups elsewhere in the Middle East.The attack and U.S. retaliation brought the overthrow of two governments outright, devastated communities and countries caught in the battle, and played a role in inspiring the 2011 Arab Spring popular uprisings against authoritarian Middle East governments.At home, the attacks inspired a sharply more militaristic and nationalist turn to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/911-20-years-world-affairs-cc497f11743fcbd48b0b3e0c3ed2da5f">American society and culture</a>.U.S. authorities point to Mohammed as the source of the idea to use planes as weapons. He allegedly received approval from al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden, whom U.S. forces killed in 2011, to craft what became the 9/11 hijackings and killings.Authorities captured Mohammed in 2003. Mohammed was subjected to waterboarding 183 times while in CIA custody before coming to Guantanamo, and targeted by other forms of torture and coercive questioning.The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/guantanamo-detainees-un-investigator-d79ecc69131ea790d95ac901fecb581c">use of torture has proven one of the most formidable obstacles in U.S. efforts</a>&nbsp;to try the men in the military commission at Guantanamo, owing to the inadmissibility of evidence linked to abuse.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/al-qaida-politics-united-states-government-belize-cuba-6037c1e52408df0576ef4e502fda01a4">Torture</a>&nbsp;has accounted for much of the delay of the proceedings, along with the courtroom's location a plane ride away from the United States.Daphne Eviatar, a director at the Amnesty International USA rights group, said Wednesday she welcomed news of some accountability in the attacks.She urged the Biden administration to close the Guantanamo Bay detention center, which holds people taken into custody in the so-called war on terror. Many have since been cleared, but are awaiting approval to leave for other countries.Additionally, Eviatar said, “the Biden administration must also take all necessary measures to ensure that a program of state-sanctioned enforced disappearance, torture and other ill-treatment will never be perpetrated by the United States again."Strada, national chairperson of a group of families of victims called 9/11 Families United, had been at Manhattan federal court for a hearing on one of many civil lawsuits when she heard news of the plea agreement.Strada said many families have just wanted to see the men admit guilt.“For me personally, I wanted to see a trial,” she said. “And they just took away the justice I was expecting, a trial and the punishment.”Michael Burke, one of the family members receiving the government notice of the plea bargain, condemned the long wait for justice, and the outcome.“It took months or a year at the Nuremberg trials,” said Burke, whose fire captain brother Billy died in the collapse of the World Trade Center’s North Tower. “To me, it always been disgraceful that these guys, 23 years later, have not been convicted and punished for their attacks, or the crime. I never understood how it took so long.”“I think people would be shocked if you could go back in time and tell the people who just watched the towers go down, ‘Oh, hey, in 23 years, these guys who are responsible for this crime we just witnessed are going to be getting plea deals so they can avoid death and serve life in prison," he said.Burke’s brother, New York City fire captain Billy Burke, ordered his men out but remained on the 27th floor of the North Tower with two men who’d stayed behind: a quadriplegic who, because the elevators had gone out, was essentially stuck there in his wheelchair and that man’s friend.

9/11 alleged mastermind and 2 other terrorists reach plea deal

CHICAGO (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;suggested&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/kamala-harris">Kamala Harris</a>&nbsp;had misled voters about&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kamala-harris-election-black-asian-multiracial-b57f251022d549e38b3c17946347f025">her race</a>&nbsp;as the former president appeared before the National Association of Black Journalists in Chicago Wednesday in an interview that quickly turned hostile.

The Republican former president wrongly claimed that Harris,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kamala-harris-vice-president-f86d6be83bf83fe9b823ae7e21f94796">the first Black woman and Asian American to serve as vice president</a>, had in the past only promoted her Indian heritage.

“I didn’t know she was Black until a number of years ago when she happened to turn Black and now she wants to be known as Black. So, I don’t know, is she Indian or is she Black?” Trump said while&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-black-journalists-convention-nabj-c84311a4e3bec3fe3052236151597d81">addressing the group's annual convention</a>.

Harris is the daughter of a Jamaican father and an Indian mother, both immigrants to the U.S. As an undergraduate, Harris attended Howard University, one of the nation’s most prominent historically Black colleges and universities, where she also pledged the historically Black sorority Alpha Kappa Alpha. As a U.S. senator, Harris was a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, supporting her colleagues’ legislation to strengthen voting rights and reforming policing.

Trump has leveled a wide range of criticism at Harris since she replaced President Joe Biden atop the likely Democratic ticket last week. Throughout his political career, the former president has repeatedly questioned the backgrounds of opponents who are racial minorities.

Michael Tyler, the communications director for Harris' campaign, said in a statement that “the hostility Donald Trump showed on stage today is the same hostility he has shown throughout his life, throughout his term in office, and throughout his campaign for president as he seeks to regain power.”

“Trump lobbed personal attacks and insults at Black journalists the same way he did throughout his presidency — while he failed Black families and left the entire country digging out of the ditch he left us in," Tyler said. "Donald Trump has already proven he cannot unite America, so he attempts to divide us.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was asked during her briefing with reporters on Wednesday about Trump's remarks and responded with disbelief, initially murmuring, “Wow.”

Jean-Pierre, who is Black, called what Trump said “repulsive” and said, “It’s insulting and no one has any right to tell someone who they are how they identify.”

Trump has repeatedly attacked his opponents and critics on the basis of race. He rose to prominence in Republican politics by propagating false theories that President Barack Obama, the nation’s first Black president, was not born in the United States. “Birtherism,” as it became known, was just the start of Trump’s history of questioning the credentials and qualifications of Black politicians.

During this year’s Republican primary, he once referred to former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, the daughter of Indian immigrants, as “Nimbra.”

Trump's appearance Wednesday at the annual gathering of Black journalists immediately became heated, with the former president sparring with interviewer Rachel Scott of ABC News and accusing her of giving him a “very rude introduction” with a tough first question about his past criticism of Black people and Black journalists, his attack on Black prosecutors who have pursued cases against him and the dinner he had at his Florida club with a white supremacist.

“I think it’s disgraceful," Trump said. "I came here in good spirit. I love the Black population of this country. I’ve done so much for the Black population of this country."

Trump continued his attacks on Scott's network, ABC News, which he has been arguing should not host the next presidential debate, despite his earlier agreement with the Biden campaign. He also several times described her tone and questions as “nasty,” a word he used in the past when describing women, including Hillary Clinton and Meghan the Duchess of Sussex.

The Republican also repeated his false claim that immigrants in the country illegally are “taking Black jobs.” When pushed by Scott on what constituted a “Black job,” Trump responded by saying "a Black job is anybody that has a job," drawing groans from the room.

At one point, he said, "I have been the best president for the Black population since Abraham Lincoln.”

The audience responded with a mix of boos and some applause.

Scott asked Trump about his pledge to pardon people convicted for their roles in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol and specifically whether he would pardon those who assaulted police officers.

Trump said, “Oh, absolutely I would,” and said, “If they’re innocent, I would pardon them.”

Scott pointed out they have been convicted and therefore are not innocent.

“Well, they were convicted by a very, very tough system,” he said.

At one point, when he was defending his supporters who entered the Capitol on Jan. 6, he said, “Nothing is perfect in life.”

He compared the 2021 insurrection to the protests in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/american-protests-us-news-arrests-minnesota-burglary-bb2404f9b13c8b53b94c73f818f6a0b7">Minneapolis and other cities in 2020</a>&nbsp;following the death of George Floyd by Minneapolis police and to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-netanyahu-gaza-war-congress-joint-session-9a7885972989b2397b49e5b971ffe0e0">more recent protests at the Capitol last week</a>&nbsp;by demonstrators opposed to the war in Gaza. Trump falsely claiming that no one was arrested in those other demonstrations and that only his supporters were targeted.

As Trump made the comparison, a man in the back of the room shouted out: “Sir, have you no shame?”

The former president’s invitation to address the organization sparked an intense internal debate among NABJ that spilled online. Organizations for journalists of color typically invite presidential candidates to speak at their summer gatherings in election years.

As he campaigns for the White House a third time, Trump has sought to appear outside his traditional strongholds of support and his campaign has touted his efforts to try to win over Black Americans, who have been Democrats’ most committed voting bloc.

His campaign has emphasized his messages on the economy and immigration as part of his appeal, but some of his outreach has played on racial stereotypes, including the suggestion that African Americans would&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-black-conservative-south-carolina-primary-aa1155c31bfc3b397a32b33eff04ada8">empathize with the criminal charges he has faced</a>&nbsp;and his&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-sneakers-sneaker-con-philadelphia-4de093eda6f8d1c68baf8fe8095f777b">promotion of branded sneakers</a>.

Trump and NABJ also have a tense history over his treatment of Black women journalists. In 2018, NABJ condemned Trump for repeatedly using words such as “stupid,” “loser” and “nasty” to describe Black women journalists.

The vice president is not scheduled to appear at the convention, but NABJ said in a statement posted on X that it was in conversation with her campaign to have her appear either virtually or in person for a conversation in September.

Trump posted on his social media network that he was told he could not do the event virtually.

“She declined, and I am getting ready to land in Chicago in order to be there,” Trump wrote. “Now I am told that she is doing the Event on ZOOM. WHAT’S GOING ON HERE?”

Trump later Wednesday is scheduled to hold a campaign rally in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania at 6 p.m. EDT.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1722460473060.png" alt="Image from CSPAN video" />
 <figcaption>Image from CSPAN video</figcaption>
 </figure>CHICAGO (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;suggested&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/kamala-harris">Kamala Harris</a>&nbsp;had misled voters about&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kamala-harris-election-black-asian-multiracial-b57f251022d549e38b3c17946347f025">her race</a>&nbsp;as the former president appeared before the National Association of Black Journalists in Chicago Wednesday in an interview that quickly turned hostile.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Former President Trump on Vice President Kamala Harris: &quot;She was Indian all the way and then all of a sudden she made a turn and she went, she became a Black person. I think somebody should look into that.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/RpEuRq6p5m">pic.twitter.com/RpEuRq6p5m</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1818717916285509891?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 31, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The Republican former president wrongly claimed that Harris,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kamala-harris-vice-president-f86d6be83bf83fe9b823ae7e21f94796">the first Black woman and Asian American to serve as vice president</a>, had in the past only promoted her Indian heritage.“I didn’t know she was Black until a number of years ago when she happened to turn Black and now she wants to be known as Black. So, I don’t know, is she Indian or is she Black?” Trump said while&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-black-journalists-convention-nabj-c84311a4e3bec3fe3052236151597d81">addressing the group's annual convention</a>.Harris is the daughter of a Jamaican father and an Indian mother, both immigrants to the U.S. As an undergraduate, Harris attended Howard University, one of the nation’s most prominent historically Black colleges and universities, where she also pledged the historically Black sorority Alpha Kappa Alpha. As a U.S. senator, Harris was a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, supporting her colleagues’ legislation to strengthen voting rights and reforming policing.Trump has leveled a wide range of criticism at Harris since she replaced President Joe Biden atop the likely Democratic ticket last week. Throughout his political career, the former president has repeatedly questioned the backgrounds of opponents who are racial minorities.Michael Tyler, the communications director for Harris' campaign, said in a statement that “the hostility Donald Trump showed on stage today is the same hostility he has shown throughout his life, throughout his term in office, and throughout his campaign for president as he seeks to regain power.”“Trump lobbed personal attacks and insults at Black journalists the same way he did throughout his presidency — while he failed Black families and left the entire country digging out of the ditch he left us in," Tyler said. "Donald Trump has already proven he cannot unite America, so he attempts to divide us.White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was asked during her briefing with reporters on Wednesday about Trump's remarks and responded with disbelief, initially murmuring, “Wow.”Jean-Pierre, who is Black, called what Trump said “repulsive” and said, “It’s insulting and no one has any right to tell someone who they are how they identify.”Trump has repeatedly attacked his opponents and critics on the basis of race. He rose to prominence in Republican politics by propagating false theories that President Barack Obama, the nation’s first Black president, was not born in the United States. “Birtherism,” as it became known, was just the start of Trump’s history of questioning the credentials and qualifications of Black politicians.During this year’s Republican primary, he once referred to former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, the daughter of Indian immigrants, as “Nimbra.”Trump's appearance Wednesday at the annual gathering of Black journalists immediately became heated, with the former president sparring with interviewer Rachel Scott of ABC News and accusing her of giving him a “very rude introduction” with a tough first question about his past criticism of Black people and Black journalists, his attack on Black prosecutors who have pursued cases against him and the dinner he had at his Florida club with a white supremacist.“I think it’s disgraceful," Trump said. "I came here in good spirit. I love the Black population of this country. I’ve done so much for the Black population of this country."Trump continued his attacks on Scott's network, ABC News, which he has been arguing should not host the next presidential debate, despite his earlier agreement with the Biden campaign. He also several times described her tone and questions as “nasty,” a word he used in the past when describing women, including Hillary Clinton and Meghan the Duchess of Sussex.The Republican also repeated his false claim that immigrants in the country illegally are “taking Black jobs.” When pushed by Scott on what constituted a “Black job,” Trump responded by saying "a Black job is anybody that has a job," drawing groans from the room.At one point, he said, "I have been the best president for the Black population since Abraham Lincoln.”The audience responded with a mix of boos and some applause.Scott asked Trump about his pledge to pardon people convicted for their roles in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol and specifically whether he would pardon those who assaulted police officers.Trump said, “Oh, absolutely I would,” and said, “If they’re innocent, I would pardon them.”Scott pointed out they have been convicted and therefore are not innocent.“Well, they were convicted by a very, very tough system,” he said.At one point, when he was defending his supporters who entered the Capitol on Jan. 6, he said, “Nothing is perfect in life.”He compared the 2021 insurrection to the protests in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/american-protests-us-news-arrests-minnesota-burglary-bb2404f9b13c8b53b94c73f818f6a0b7">Minneapolis and other cities in 2020</a>&nbsp;following the death of George Floyd by Minneapolis police and to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-netanyahu-gaza-war-congress-joint-session-9a7885972989b2397b49e5b971ffe0e0">more recent protests at the Capitol last week</a>&nbsp;by demonstrators opposed to the war in Gaza. Trump falsely claiming that no one was arrested in those other demonstrations and that only his supporters were targeted.As Trump made the comparison, a man in the back of the room shouted out: “Sir, have you no shame?”The former president’s invitation to address the organization sparked an intense internal debate among NABJ that spilled online. Organizations for journalists of color typically invite presidential candidates to speak at their summer gatherings in election years.As he campaigns for the White House a third time, Trump has sought to appear outside his traditional strongholds of support and his campaign has touted his efforts to try to win over Black Americans, who have been Democrats’ most committed voting bloc.His campaign has emphasized his messages on the economy and immigration as part of his appeal, but some of his outreach has played on racial stereotypes, including the suggestion that African Americans would&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-black-conservative-south-carolina-primary-aa1155c31bfc3b397a32b33eff04ada8">empathize with the criminal charges he has faced</a>&nbsp;and his&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-sneakers-sneaker-con-philadelphia-4de093eda6f8d1c68baf8fe8095f777b">promotion of branded sneakers</a>.Trump and NABJ also have a tense history over his treatment of Black women journalists. In 2018, NABJ condemned Trump for repeatedly using words such as “stupid,” “loser” and “nasty” to describe Black women journalists.The vice president is not scheduled to appear at the convention, but NABJ said in a statement posted on X that it was in conversation with her campaign to have her appear either virtually or in person for a conversation in September.Trump posted on his social media network that he was told he could not do the event virtually.“She declined, and I am getting ready to land in Chicago in order to be there,” Trump wrote. “Now I am told that she is doing the Event on ZOOM. WHAT’S GOING ON HERE?”Trump later Wednesday is scheduled to hold a campaign rally in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania at 6 p.m. EDT.

🎥Trump answers whether Kamala Harris is a DEI hire

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/jaredstrong/">JARED STRONG</a>&nbsp;

Federal health officials are encouraging farm workers who tend livestock and poultry to get vaccinated for seasonal influenza to help prevent a bird flu mutation that might spark a pandemic in people.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Tuesday it would devote up to $5 million to pay for the vaccinations, and that it will rely on states to implement the initiative.

There are 14 known human infections of highly pathogenic avian influenza that resulted from contact with infected dairy cattle and poultry in the United States, and all but one has happened in the past four months.

The virus has been circulated by wild birds for more than two years and has sporadically transmitted to domestic birds. A variation of the virus has been infecting U.S. dairy cattle since December, and four people who worked closely with infected cattle also became ill.

In recent weeks, nine people in Colorado who were tasked with culling infected poultry contracted the virus.

The CDC has maintained that the virus’ risk to humans is low — those who have been infected so far had minor symptoms of respiratory illness or pinkeye, or both.

It has not been shown to transmit between people, but the virus has the potential to rapidly gain that ability if it infects someone who also has a seasonal flu virus.

“Such dual infections, while rare, could potentially result in an exchange of genetic material between two different influenza viruses,” Dr. Nirav Shah, principal deputy director for the CDC, said in a call with reporters Tuesday.

Shah said that “reassortment” process could pose a “significant public health concern” if bird flu gains the ability to spread person-to-person the way seasonal flu does, potentially resulting in a virus that spreads easily and causes severe symptoms.

Shah said the CDC will devote up to $10 million for farm workers’ health related to avian flu. Half will be spent educating and training farm workers about how to avoid being infected.

The other half will pay for seasonal flu vaccines for an estimated 200,000 farm workers who tend livestock and poultry. The CDC hopes to vaccinate all of them but acknowledges that less than half of the general population typically gets a flu shot.

How the voluntary vaccination effort will proceed is unclear. State health officials are expected to implement them, most immediately in the 13 states that have confirmed infections among cows.

That includes Iowa, where 13 dairy herds have been infected. However, no new infections have been reported in the state in the past month.

A spokesperson for the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services — which presumably would coordinate with the CDC — did not immediately respond to a request to comment for this article.

The vaccine will not protect the workers from contracting bird flu, Shah said, nor will it guarantee they won’t be infected by seasonal flu. But he said it’s an important component of the public health response to the new virus’ threat.

“The risk here is a theoretical but important risk,” Shah said.

The confirmations of new bird flu infections among cattle have waned significantly in most states, except for in Colorado. In the past 30 days, two-thirds of the nation’s 32 newly infected herds were in that state, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture data.

Some of that might be due to Colorado’s&nbsp;<a href="https://coloradonewsline.com/briefs/colorado-requiring-dairy-products-to-be-regularly-tested-for-bird-flu-amid-outbreak/" target="_blank">robust testing protocols</a>, but it’s also “a quirk of history and geography,” said Eric Deeble, deputy under secretary for marketing and regulatory programs for the USDA.

The state has far fewer dairy farms than the leading milk-producing states, but most of them are concentrated in one county.

“They are all in very close proximity to one another, and so there is a lot of sharing of equipment, a lot of sharing of personnel and a lot of movement on and off farms to adjacent farms,” Deeble said.

The USDA has identified the movement of equipment and people between dairy farms as a primary vector for virus transmissions from herd to herd and from herd to flock.

The virus has been identified in 172 dairy herds in the United States this year. Fifty of them are in Colorado. In Texas, where the infections originated, the virus was confirmed in 22 herds, although there were many that went untested because they recovered before bird flu&nbsp;<a href="https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2024/04/17/two-veterinarians-hundreds-of-miles-apart-solved-a-cow-sickness-whodunit/" target="_blank">was identified</a>&nbsp;as the culprit.

This story was originally published by the&nbsp;<a href="https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2024/07/30/worried-about-bird-flu-mutation-feds-seek-livestock-worker-vaccinations/" target="_blank">Iowa Capital Dispatch</a>, a States Newsroom affiliate.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1722448527185.png" alt="Cow Photo courtesy of Iowa State Dairy Association)." />
 <figcaption>Cow Photo courtesy of Iowa State Dairy Association).</figcaption>
 </figure>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/jaredstrong/">JARED STRONG</a>&nbsp;Federal health officials are encouraging farm workers who tend livestock and poultry to get vaccinated for seasonal influenza to help prevent a bird flu mutation that might spark a pandemic in people.The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Tuesday it would devote up to $5 million to pay for the vaccinations, and that it will rely on states to implement the initiative.There are 14 known human infections of highly pathogenic avian influenza that resulted from contact with infected dairy cattle and poultry in the United States, and all but one has happened in the past four months.The virus has been circulated by wild birds for more than two years and has sporadically transmitted to domestic birds. A variation of the virus has been infecting U.S. dairy cattle since December, and four people who worked closely with infected cattle also became ill.In recent weeks, nine people in Colorado who were tasked with culling infected poultry contracted the virus.The CDC has maintained that the virus’ risk to humans is low — those who have been infected so far had minor symptoms of respiratory illness or pinkeye, or both.It has not been shown to transmit between people, but the virus has the potential to rapidly gain that ability if it infects someone who also has a seasonal flu virus.“Such dual infections, while rare, could potentially result in an exchange of genetic material between two different influenza viruses,” Dr. Nirav Shah, principal deputy director for the CDC, said in a call with reporters Tuesday.Shah said that “reassortment” process could pose a “significant public health concern” if bird flu gains the ability to spread person-to-person the way seasonal flu does, potentially resulting in a virus that spreads easily and causes severe symptoms.<h2>A new vaccination campaign</h2>Shah said the CDC will devote up to $10 million for farm workers’ health related to avian flu. Half will be spent educating and training farm workers about how to avoid being infected.The other half will pay for seasonal flu vaccines for an estimated 200,000 farm workers who tend livestock and poultry. The CDC hopes to vaccinate all of them but acknowledges that less than half of the general population typically gets a flu shot.How the voluntary vaccination effort will proceed is unclear. State health officials are expected to implement them, most immediately in the 13 states that have confirmed infections among cows.That includes Iowa, where 13 dairy herds have been infected. However, no new infections have been reported in the state in the past month.A spokesperson for the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services — which presumably would coordinate with the CDC — did not immediately respond to a request to comment for this article.The vaccine will not protect the workers from contracting bird flu, Shah said, nor will it guarantee they won’t be infected by seasonal flu. But he said it’s an important component of the public health response to the new virus’ threat.“The risk here is a theoretical but important risk,” Shah said.<h2>Colorado has most recent infections</h2>The confirmations of new bird flu infections among cattle have waned significantly in most states, except for in Colorado. In the past 30 days, two-thirds of the nation’s 32 newly infected herds were in that state, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture data.Some of that might be due to Colorado’s&nbsp;<a href="https://coloradonewsline.com/briefs/colorado-requiring-dairy-products-to-be-regularly-tested-for-bird-flu-amid-outbreak/" target="_blank">robust testing protocols</a>, but it’s also “a quirk of history and geography,” said Eric Deeble, deputy under secretary for marketing and regulatory programs for the USDA.The state has far fewer dairy farms than the leading milk-producing states, but most of them are concentrated in one county.“They are all in very close proximity to one another, and so there is a lot of sharing of equipment, a lot of sharing of personnel and a lot of movement on and off farms to adjacent farms,” Deeble said.The USDA has identified the movement of equipment and people between dairy farms as a primary vector for virus transmissions from herd to herd and from herd to flock.The virus has been identified in 172 dairy herds in the United States this year. Fifty of them are in Colorado. In Texas, where the infections originated, the virus was confirmed in 22 herds, although there were many that went untested because they recovered before bird flu&nbsp;<a href="https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2024/04/17/two-veterinarians-hundreds-of-miles-apart-solved-a-cow-sickness-whodunit/" target="_blank">was identified</a>&nbsp;as the culprit.This story was originally published by the&nbsp;<a href="https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2024/07/30/worried-about-bird-flu-mutation-feds-seek-livestock-worker-vaccinations/" target="_blank">Iowa Capital Dispatch</a>, a States Newsroom affiliate.&nbsp;

Worried about bird flu mutation, feds seek livestock worker vaccinations

WASHINGTON (AP) —CarShield will pay $10 million to settle charges that its advertisements and telemarketing for its extended auto warranty plans are deceptive and misleading, the Federal Trade Commission said.

Many customers found that repair claims were often not covered despite making payments of up to $120 per month, the FTC said Wednesday. The FTC also alleged that CarShield’s celebrity and consumer endorsers made false statements in its ads.

The FTC complaint states that CarShield advertises and sells vehicle service contracts in a monthly price range of about $80 to $120. Its ads have featured celebrities including sports commentator Chris Brown and actor and rapper Ice-T.

The complaint alleges many CarShield ads claim that all repairs or repairs to “covered” systems, such as the engine and transmission, will be covered and they use language that make consumers believe CarShield will pay for all necessary repairs.

But the FTC alleged that consumers often didn't receive the services they thought were covered under their payments, such as using the repair facility of their choice. Many consumers also found that repairs they thought were covered were not.

“Instead of delivering the ‘peace of mind’ promised by its advertisements, CarShield left many consumers with a financial headache,” Samuel Levine, director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, said in a prepared statement. “Worse still, CarShield used trusted personalities to deliver its empty promises. The FTC will hold advertisers accountable for using false or deceptive claims to exploit consumers’ financial anxieties.”

NRRM LLC does business under the CarShield name. American Auto Shield LLC is the administrator of the vehicle service contracts.

The settlement prevents CarShield and American Auto Shield from making deceptive and misleading statements in the future and requires them to ensure the testimonials from representatives, including celebrities, are truthful and accurate.

The company did not immediately respond to request for comment from The Associated Press on Wednesday.

WASHINGTON (AP) —CarShield will pay $10 million to settle charges that its advertisements and telemarketing for its extended auto warranty plans are deceptive and misleading, the Federal Trade Commission said.Many customers found that repair claims were often not covered despite making payments of up to $120 per month, the FTC said Wednesday. The FTC also alleged that CarShield’s celebrity and consumer endorsers made false statements in its ads.The FTC complaint states that CarShield advertises and sells vehicle service contracts in a monthly price range of about $80 to $120. Its ads have featured celebrities including sports commentator Chris Brown and actor and rapper Ice-T.The complaint alleges many CarShield ads claim that all repairs or repairs to “covered” systems, such as the engine and transmission, will be covered and they use language that make consumers believe CarShield will pay for all necessary repairs.But the FTC alleged that consumers often didn't receive the services they thought were covered under their payments, such as using the repair facility of their choice. Many consumers also found that repairs they thought were covered were not.“Instead of delivering the ‘peace of mind’ promised by its advertisements, CarShield left many consumers with a financial headache,” Samuel Levine, director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, said in a prepared statement. “Worse still, CarShield used trusted personalities to deliver its empty promises. The FTC will hold advertisers accountable for using false or deceptive claims to exploit consumers’ financial anxieties.”NRRM LLC does business under the CarShield name. American Auto Shield LLC is the administrator of the vehicle service contracts.The settlement prevents CarShield and American Auto Shield from making deceptive and misleading statements in the future and requires them to ensure the testimonials from representatives, including celebrities, are truthful and accurate.The company did not immediately respond to request for comment from The Associated Press on Wednesday.

CarShield to pay $10M to settle deceptive advertising charges

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri residents will get another tax cut in 2025, marking the fourth straight year of reductions.

Gov. Mike Parson's administration said Tuesday that the top income tax rate will decline from 4.8% to 4.7% effective Jan. 1. The reduction is a result of a 2022 state law that set a series of revenue benchmarks capable of triggering tax cuts in future years.

When Missouri's revenue figures for the 2024 fiscal year were released earlier this month, it was not immediately clear that they were high enough to cause a tax cut. But the formula also takes into account money set aside for savings, which helped Missouri reach the threshold.

Budget Director Dan Haug said the state made larger-than-usual transfers in the 2023 fiscal year to its constitutionally required savings fund and to a maintenance and repair fund for state facilities. That reduced the base-year revenue figure used in the tax-cutting formula, making the 2024 growth sufficient to trigger another rate reduction.

The top income tax rate was 5.4% before the series of gradual reductions began in 2022.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/7/1658243002664.jpeg" alt="(Unsplash)" />
 <figcaption>(Unsplash)</figcaption>
 </figure>JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri residents will get another tax cut in 2025, marking the fourth straight year of reductions.Gov. Mike Parson's administration said Tuesday that the top income tax rate will decline from 4.8% to 4.7% effective Jan. 1. The reduction is a result of a 2022 state law that set a series of revenue benchmarks capable of triggering tax cuts in future years.When Missouri's revenue figures for the 2024 fiscal year were released earlier this month, it was not immediately clear that they were high enough to cause a tax cut. But the formula also takes into account money set aside for savings, which helped Missouri reach the threshold.Budget Director Dan Haug said the state made larger-than-usual transfers in the 2023 fiscal year to its constitutionally required savings fund and to a maintenance and repair fund for state facilities. That reduced the base-year revenue figure used in the tax-cutting formula, making the 2024 growth sufficient to trigger another rate reduction.The top income tax rate was 5.4% before the series of gradual reductions began in 2022.

Missouri to cut income tax rate for the fourth straight year

&nbsp;WASHINGTON —The Secret Service's acting director told a United State's Senate committee Tuesday that he considered it indefensible that the roof used by the gunman in&nbsp;the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump&nbsp;was unsecured.&nbsp; Following the hearing, Kansas U.S. Senator Roger Marshall led colleagues in demanding accountability on Trump assassination attempt.

Marshall is calling for an independent commission that identifies all of the problems and mistakes that took place on July 13th.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1722374985803.png" alt="Kansas Senator Roger Marshall during Tuesday's hearing with Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe Jr.-image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Kansas Senator Roger Marshall during Tuesday's hearing with Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe Jr.-image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>&nbsp;WASHINGTON —The Secret Service's acting director told a United State's Senate committee Tuesday that he considered it indefensible that the roof used by the gunman in&nbsp;the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump&nbsp;was unsecured.&nbsp; Following the hearing, Kansas U.S. Senator Roger Marshall led colleagues in demanding accountability on Trump assassination attempt.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">I am demanding an independent commission that identifies all of the problems and mistakes that took place on July 13th. Corey’s family deserves more, President Trump deserves more and the American people deserve more. <a href="https://t.co/hk1YLYpPcB">pic.twitter.com/hk1YLYpPcB</a>&mdash; Dr. Roger Marshall (@RogerMarshallMD) <a href="https://twitter.com/RogerMarshallMD/status/1818379725024133403?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 30, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">We are 17 days out from the assassination attempt on Trump. I don&#39;t want conversations and processes- I want answers and accountability. Hiding behind a vague, slow-moving investigation is not going to cut it. We need full reform at the Secret Service and FBI now. <a href="https://t.co/vBwmq4FnCh">pic.twitter.com/vBwmq4FnCh</a>&mdash; Dr. Roger Marshall (@RogerMarshallMD) <a href="https://twitter.com/RogerMarshallMD/status/1818338263775547853?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 30, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Marshall is calling for an independent commission that identifies all of the problems and mistakes that took place on July 13th.

🎥Kan. U.S. Senator calls for independent investigation of Trump assassination attempt

HUTCHINSON, Kan. —Dozens of people showed up to the community engagement meeting with the City of Hutchinson held at Stringer Fine Arts Center on Tuesday evening, July 30.

"We're pretty excited," said City of Hutchinson Director of Strategic Growth Dave Sotelo. "With things like this, you never really know what to expect. I'm pretty pleased with the turnout and the work that the staff did to get this project going. It's been something we've been thinking about for a while and finally bringing it to fruition, something we've continued to do for a while. We really care about engaging people, and I think, you know, one of the big challenges we face is creating more trust with the folks who live in Hutchinson and call Hutchinson home, and so this is just one tool that we can do that to try to engage them more."

Sotelo said the challenge will be making sure that the city actually listens to what people have to say.

"People are really hungry for more avenues to communicate and connect with people, with their elected officials and city officials, so I think that's one thing," Sotelo said. "The other part of this is that, you know, when you think about a town hall meeting, you think about boring speeches from politicians and city officials, and you think about one person complaining about, oh, there's too many stray dogs in our community, and they spend 45 minutes talking about that. What we want to do is that every voice, through a sticky note, has the same level of value, right? So we're really trying to add some democracy here to kind of what people have to say, which is something I really care about. I have nightmares about people talking for 45 minutes at a community meeting. That's not what we want here. We want, you know, people to really engage with us through this method."

The intent is to have more of these meetings in the coming months and to move them around the city.

"We're listening to people about what works and what doesn't work, and so our hope is to try and maybe there are different times that might work for people," Sotelo said. "HCC is a good central first time, but we're thinking about moving it around according to the districts that people live in and that are represented by the different council members, and so, yeah, we want to think about how do we, the best we can, meet people where they are, and so moving it through schools or places where people already meet, I think that's really essential going forward."

All city department heads were present and each had a role in talking to community members about their concerns. There were more sticky notes on the sheets posted around the room than the city typically gets public input speakers in months for a regular council meeting.

<a href="https://hutchpost.com/download">CLICK HERE&nbsp;to download the Hutch Post mobile&nbsp;app.</a> <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/5e73b532afae0f4d5f5d90ea">CLICK HERE&nbsp;to sign up for the daily Hutch Post email news update.</a>

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1722384938378.jpeg" alt="The City of Hutchinson invited comments from residents at their meeting on Tuesday, July 30 at Stringer Fine Arts Center. Photo by Nick Gosnell." />
 <figcaption>The City of Hutchinson invited comments from residents at their meeting on Tuesday, July 30 at Stringer Fine Arts Center. Photo by Nick Gosnell.</figcaption>
 </figure>NICK GOSNELL Hutch PostHUTCHINSON, Kan. —Dozens of people showed up to the community engagement meeting with the City of Hutchinson held at Stringer Fine Arts Center on Tuesday evening, July 30."We're pretty excited," said City of Hutchinson Director of Strategic Growth Dave Sotelo. "With things like this, you never really know what to expect. I'm pretty pleased with the turnout and the work that the staff did to get this project going. It's been something we've been thinking about for a while and finally bringing it to fruition, something we've continued to do for a while. We really care about engaging people, and I think, you know, one of the big challenges we face is creating more trust with the folks who live in Hutchinson and call Hutchinson home, and so this is just one tool that we can do that to try to engage them more."Sotelo said the challenge will be making sure that the city actually listens to what people have to say."People are really hungry for more avenues to communicate and connect with people, with their elected officials and city officials, so I think that's one thing," Sotelo said. "The other part of this is that, you know, when you think about a town hall meeting, you think about boring speeches from politicians and city officials, and you think about one person complaining about, oh, there's too many stray dogs in our community, and they spend 45 minutes talking about that. What we want to do is that every voice, through a sticky note, has the same level of value, right? So we're really trying to add some democracy here to kind of what people have to say, which is something I really care about. I have nightmares about people talking for 45 minutes at a community meeting. That's not what we want here. We want, you know, people to really engage with us through this method."The intent is to have more of these meetings in the coming months and to move them around the city."We're listening to people about what works and what doesn't work, and so our hope is to try and maybe there are different times that might work for people," Sotelo said. "HCC is a good central first time, but we're thinking about moving it around according to the districts that people live in and that are represented by the different council members, and so, yeah, we want to think about how do we, the best we can, meet people where they are, and so moving it through schools or places where people already meet, I think that's really essential going forward."All city department heads were present and each had a role in talking to community members about their concerns. There were more sticky notes on the sheets posted around the room than the city typically gets public input speakers in months for a regular council meeting.<a href="https://hutchpost.com/download">CLICK HERE&nbsp;to download the Hutch Post mobile&nbsp;app.</a> <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/5e73b532afae0f4d5f5d90ea">CLICK HERE&nbsp;to sign up for the daily Hutch Post email news update.</a>

Community engagement meeting shows interest

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Family Community Theatre is hosting its first-ever Spotlight Gala on Saturday, August 3 at the Cosmosphere.&nbsp;

The gala will begin with a cocktail hour at 6 p.m., followed by dinner and musical entertainment at 7 p.m. There will also be a silent auction which begins on Friday, August 2 at 10 a.m. and will close at 8 p.m. The evening ends with a live auction at 8:15 p.m.&nbsp;

"We're really looking forward to this weekend," event chairperson Haley West said. "There will be a lot of entertainment, plus several local caterers. We will have about 10 live auction items for those attending, as well."

Tickets for the evening are $50 for an individual ticket, or you may purchase a table for eight for $500. Tickets may be purchased in advanced by clicking <a href="https://familycommunitytheatre.ejoinme.org/MyEvents/SpotlightGala2024/EVENTTICKETS/tabid/1490014/Default.aspx">here</a>.&nbsp;

"You can also purchase your tickets at the door on Saturday," West said. "We've sold around 100 tickets so far, and the space can seat up to 150, so there still is plenty of tickets available."

Proceeds from the event will help with renovations for the restrooms in the lobby of the Flag Theatre. The goal for the event is to raise $100,000.

"In 2022 we did the Phase I, which was the lobby renovations," West said. "We have all of our art deco theme in the lobby, and now we're moving on to Phase II, which is the lobby restrooms. That will include men's restroom, women's restroom and family restroom. They have not been touched since the 1930s."

If you wish to be an advertiser for the event, you can do so for $150. Advertisers for the event will appear on the event website, recognized during the event itself, and a logo will be rotating online through the bidding items.&nbsp;

Family Community Theatre is a mainstay to the city of Hutchinson and the surrounding communities.

"We are now in our 36th season," Family Community Theatre board president Craig Williams said. "We started at the Flag Theatre in 1992, when we purchased it, and our first show was Romeo and Juliet. We have had around 224 shows on our stage at the Flag Theatre, and that does not count for all of the children's show or the melodramas, or the murder mysteries we have done."

For more information on the Family Community Theatre Spotlight Gala, click <a href="https://familycommunitytheatre.ejoinme.org/MyEvents/SpotlightGala2024/tabid/1485652/Default.aspx">here</a>.&nbsp;

EAGLE Media sports director Glen Grunwald will emcee the event.

<a target="_blank" href="https://hutchpost.com/download">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to download the Hutch Post mobile&nbsp;app. <a target="_blank" href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/5e73b532afae0f4d5f5d90ea">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to sign up for the daily Hutch Post email news update.&nbsp;&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1721926431412.jpeg" alt="Photo Courtesy Family Community Theatre" />
 <figcaption>Photo Courtesy Family Community Theatre</figcaption>
 </figure>SEAN BOSTON Hutch PostHUTCHINSON, Kan. — Family Community Theatre is hosting its first-ever Spotlight Gala on Saturday, August 3 at the Cosmosphere.&nbsp;The gala will begin with a cocktail hour at 6 p.m., followed by dinner and musical entertainment at 7 p.m. There will also be a silent auction which begins on Friday, August 2 at 10 a.m. and will close at 8 p.m. The evening ends with a live auction at 8:15 p.m.&nbsp;"We're really looking forward to this weekend," event chairperson Haley West said. "There will be a lot of entertainment, plus several local caterers. We will have about 10 live auction items for those attending, as well."Tickets for the evening are $50 for an individual ticket, or you may purchase a table for eight for $500. Tickets may be purchased in advanced by clicking <a href="https://familycommunitytheatre.ejoinme.org/MyEvents/SpotlightGala2024/EVENTTICKETS/tabid/1490014/Default.aspx">here</a>.&nbsp;"You can also purchase your tickets at the door on Saturday," West said. "We've sold around 100 tickets so far, and the space can seat up to 150, so there still is plenty of tickets available."Proceeds from the event will help with renovations for the restrooms in the lobby of the Flag Theatre. The goal for the event is to raise $100,000."In 2022 we did the Phase I, which was the lobby renovations," West said. "We have all of our art deco theme in the lobby, and now we're moving on to Phase II, which is the lobby restrooms. That will include men's restroom, women's restroom and family restroom. They have not been touched since the 1930s."If you wish to be an advertiser for the event, you can do so for $150. Advertisers for the event will appear on the event website, recognized during the event itself, and a logo will be rotating online through the bidding items.&nbsp;Family Community Theatre is a mainstay to the city of Hutchinson and the surrounding communities."We are now in our 36th season," Family Community Theatre board president Craig Williams said. "We started at the Flag Theatre in 1992, when we purchased it, and our first show was Romeo and Juliet. We have had around 224 shows on our stage at the Flag Theatre, and that does not count for all of the children's show or the melodramas, or the murder mysteries we have done."For more information on the Family Community Theatre Spotlight Gala, click <a href="https://familycommunitytheatre.ejoinme.org/MyEvents/SpotlightGala2024/tabid/1485652/Default.aspx">here</a>.&nbsp;EAGLE Media sports director Glen Grunwald will emcee the event.<div><iframe title="Family Community Theatre 2024 Gala PodCast" allowtransparency="true" height="150" width="100%" style="border: none; min-width: min(100%, 430px);height:150px;" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player" src="https://www.podbean.com/player-v2/?i=bz452-1684554-pb&from=pb6admin&share=1&download=1&rtl=0&fonts=Arial&skin=60a0c8&font-color=&logo_link=episode_page&btn-skin=ff6d00" loading="lazy"></iframe></div><a target="_blank" href="https://hutchpost.com/download">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to download the Hutch Post mobile&nbsp;app. <a target="_blank" href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/5e73b532afae0f4d5f5d90ea">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to sign up for the daily Hutch Post email news update.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Family Community Theatre to host first-ever Spotlight Gala Saturday

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Secret Service's acting director told lawmakers Tuesday that he considered it indefensible that the roof used by the gunman in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/live/election-biden-trump-campaign-updates-07-13-2024">the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;was unsecured and said it was regrettable that local law enforcement had not alerted his agency before the shooting that an armed subject had been spotted on a nearby roof.

Ronald Rowe Jr. also testified that he recently visited the shooting site and lied down on the roof of the building where shots were fired in order to evaluate the gunman's line of sight during the July 13 shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania.

“What I saw made me ashamed. As a career law enforcement officer and a 25-year Secret Service veteran, I cannot defend why that roof was not better secured," he said.

The testimony was the most detailed catalog to date by the Secret Service of law enforcement failings and miscommunications, with Rowe accepting blame for his own agency's mistakes while also pointedly criticizing local law enforcement for communication breakdowns that resulted in his agency not receiving information that a gunman, later identified as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-assassination-attempt-thomas-matthew-crooks-shooter-881581c46c07025898027143fc9132e5">20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks</a>, had been seen on the roof of a building less than 150 yards (135 meters) from the rally stage where Trump was speaking.

“Neither the Secret Service counter sniper teams nor members of the former president’s security detail had any knowledge that there was a man on the roof of the building with a firearm,” Rowe said. “It is my understanding those personnel were not aware the assailant had a firearm until they heard gunshots.”

He said that the shooting amounted to a “failure on multiple levels,” including a failure of imagination and a “failure to challenge our assumptions.”

“We assumed that the state and locals had it,” Rowe said. “We made an assumption that there was going to be uniformed presence out there, that there would be sufficient eyes to cover that, that there was going to be counter-sniper teams” in the building from whose roof Crooks fired shots.

“And I can assure you,” Rowe added, "that we’re not going to make that mistake again.”

He said he had implemented multiple reforms since taking over as acting director last week, including mandating that every event security plan is vetted by multiple experienced supervisors before being implemented, expanding the use of aerial drones to improve visibility of roofs, dedicating more resources to improve communications at events where the Secret Service is operating. He said he's also directed that federal and local counter snipers work together on roofs.

Trump, the 2024 Republican presidential nominee, was struck in the ear by a bullet or a bullet fragment in the assassination attempt, one rallygoer was killed and two others were injured before the gunman was killed by a Secret Service counter-sniper.

The blunt and at times emotional testimony Tuesday, featuring combative exchanges with lawmakers, ensured that an already simmering blame game between federal and local authorities will continue. It also suggested that Rowe, with ready and generally detailed answers, was determined to strike a different posture than that of his predecessor,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/secret-service-director-trump-rally-8b1b13cece2ff25590c81093032dceb4">Kimberly Cheatle</a>, who resigned last week after facing intense criticism from lawmakers from both major political parties following responses at a congressional hearing that were seen as evasive and lacking in specifics.

Tuesday's hearing before the Senate Judiciary and Homeland Security committees was the latest in a series of congressional sessions dedicated to the law enforcement lapses and missed communications that preceded the shooting.

Local law enforcement officers had first observed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-shooting-rally-a1bcbaa4a604e09be8cc22893751895b">a suspicious-looking man</a>&nbsp;at the rally site more than an hour before the event and circulated that information, including photographs of a man who turned out to be Crooks. But the officers ultimately lost track of Crooks, who was able to scale the roof of a building at AGR International Inc., a supplier of automation equipment for the glass and plastic packaging industry, and fire an estimated eight shots with an AR-15-style rife.

Shortly before the shooting, a local officer climbed up to the roof to investigate. Crooks turned and pointed his rifle at the officer, who retreated.

Even though text messages among local snipers revealed anxiety about the man, Rowe said the only thing the Secret Service knew at the time of the shooting was that law enforcement was contending with a suspicious-looking man.

“No information regarding a weapon on a roof was ever passed to our personnel,” Rowe said. At another point, he noted, “It is troubling to me that we did not get that information as quickly as we should have. We didn’t know that there was this incident going on.”

But Rowe's willingness to assign blame to local law enforcement opened him up to harsh criticism from Senate Republicans, who saw him as failing to take sufficient responsibility.

“Isn’t the fact that a former president was shot, that a good American is dead, that other Americans were critically wounded — isn’t that enough mission failure for you to say to the person who decided that that building should not be in the security perimeter, probably ought to be stepped down?” said Sen. Josh Hawley, a Missouri Republican.

Rowe, raising his voice, responded that he has “lost sleep over this for the last 17 days” and that he would not be rushed “to judgment” by Congress. He assured lawmakers that “people will be held accountable.”

Sen. Lindsey Graham, the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said if something like this happened in the military, “a lot of people would be fired. And if a lot of people are not fired, the system failed yet again.”

He added: “Nothing’s going to change until somebody loses their job.”

The FBI, meanwhile, disclosed new details about Crooks, with Deputy Director Paul Abbate saying a social media account believed to be associated with the gunman suspected in the assassination attempt espoused political violence and included antisemitic and anti-immigrant sentiment. The posts were from the 2019-2020 timeframe, when Crooks would have been in high school.

Abbate did not identify the social media platform, saying investigators were still trying to definitively determine that it belonged to Crooks. However, he indicated that it was separate from an account on a different platform called Gab that was active in 2021.

The chief executive of Gab posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, during the Senate hearing that Crooks’s presence on that platform was consistent with being “pro-Biden and in particular pro-Biden’s immigration policy.”

On Monday,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-assassination-attempt-fbi-9c3838fcf9753b3e61caf97804112fca">the FBI revealed</a>&nbsp;that Crooks had looked online for information about mass shootings, power plants, improvised explosive devices and the May assassination attempt of the Slovakian prime minister&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/robert-fico-slovakia-shot-prime-minister-751051f2a36391919790c62d664a5e6d">Robert Fico</a>.

The FBI also said that Trump has agreed to be interviewed by agents as a crime victim.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1722371639124.png" alt="Secret Service Acting Director during testimony before a Senate committee on Tuesday-image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Secret Service Acting Director during testimony before a Senate committee on Tuesday-image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The Secret Service's acting director told lawmakers Tuesday that he considered it indefensible that the roof used by the gunman in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/live/election-biden-trump-campaign-updates-07-13-2024">the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;was unsecured and said it was regrettable that local law enforcement had not alerted his agency before the shooting that an armed subject had been spotted on a nearby roof.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Heated exchange between Sen. Ted Cruz and U.S. Secret Service Acting Director Rowe.<a href="https://twitter.com/SenTedCruz?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SenTedCruz</a>: &quot;I believe that the Secret Service leadership made a political decision to deny these requests...&quot; Rowe: &quot;Secret Service agents are not political.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/XFpD1ywlkc">pic.twitter.com/XFpD1ywlkc</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1818329181823889614?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 30, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Ronald Rowe Jr. also testified that he recently visited the shooting site and lied down on the roof of the building where shots were fired in order to evaluate the gunman's line of sight during the July 13 shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1722350953670.png" alt="Image of the roof used by the gunman during testimony from acting director of the Secret Service" />
 <figcaption>Image of the roof used by the gunman during testimony from acting director of the Secret Service</figcaption>
 </figure>“What I saw made me ashamed. As a career law enforcement officer and a 25-year Secret Service veteran, I cannot defend why that roof was not better secured," he said.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">We are 17 days out from the assassination attempt on Trump. I don&#39;t want conversations and processes- I want answers and accountability. Hiding behind a vague, slow-moving investigation is not going to cut it. We need full reform at the Secret Service and FBI now. <a href="https://t.co/vBwmq4FnCh">pic.twitter.com/vBwmq4FnCh</a>&mdash; Dr. Roger Marshall (@RogerMarshallMD) <a href="https://twitter.com/RogerMarshallMD/status/1818338263775547853?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 30, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The testimony was the most detailed catalog to date by the Secret Service of law enforcement failings and miscommunications, with Rowe accepting blame for his own agency's mistakes while also pointedly criticizing local law enforcement for communication breakdowns that resulted in his agency not receiving information that a gunman, later identified as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-assassination-attempt-thomas-matthew-crooks-shooter-881581c46c07025898027143fc9132e5">20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks</a>, had been seen on the roof of a building less than 150 yards (135 meters) from the rally stage where Trump was speaking.“Neither the Secret Service counter sniper teams nor members of the former president’s security detail had any knowledge that there was a man on the roof of the building with a firearm,” Rowe said. “It is my understanding those personnel were not aware the assailant had a firearm until they heard gunshots.”He said that the shooting amounted to a “failure on multiple levels,” including a failure of imagination and a “failure to challenge our assumptions.”“We assumed that the state and locals had it,” Rowe said. “We made an assumption that there was going to be uniformed presence out there, that there would be sufficient eyes to cover that, that there was going to be counter-sniper teams” in the building from whose roof Crooks fired shots.“And I can assure you,” Rowe added, "that we’re not going to make that mistake again.”<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">U.S. Secret Service Acting Director: &quot;Neither the Secret Service counter sniper teams nor members of the former president&#39;s security detail had any knowledge that there was a man on the roof...those personnel were not aware the assailant had a firearm until they heard gunshots.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/t3OU06Hy0p">pic.twitter.com/t3OU06Hy0p</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1818298232792895978?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 30, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>He said he had implemented multiple reforms since taking over as acting director last week, including mandating that every event security plan is vetted by multiple experienced supervisors before being implemented, expanding the use of aerial drones to improve visibility of roofs, dedicating more resources to improve communications at events where the Secret Service is operating. He said he's also directed that federal and local counter snipers work together on roofs.Trump, the 2024 Republican presidential nominee, was struck in the ear by a bullet or a bullet fragment in the assassination attempt, one rallygoer was killed and two others were injured before the gunman was killed by a Secret Service counter-sniper.The blunt and at times emotional testimony Tuesday, featuring combative exchanges with lawmakers, ensured that an already simmering blame game between federal and local authorities will continue. It also suggested that Rowe, with ready and generally detailed answers, was determined to strike a different posture than that of his predecessor,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/secret-service-director-trump-rally-8b1b13cece2ff25590c81093032dceb4">Kimberly Cheatle</a>, who resigned last week after facing intense criticism from lawmakers from both major political parties following responses at a congressional hearing that were seen as evasive and lacking in specifics.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">U.S. Secret Service Acting Director Rowe: &quot;The attempted assassination of former President Donald J. Trump on Saturday, July 13, 2024 in Butler, Pennsylvania was a failure on multiple levels.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/M6aKX5qyx5">pic.twitter.com/M6aKX5qyx5</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1818295295119118430?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 30, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Tuesday's hearing before the Senate Judiciary and Homeland Security committees was the latest in a series of congressional sessions dedicated to the law enforcement lapses and missed communications that preceded the shooting.Local law enforcement officers had first observed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-shooting-rally-a1bcbaa4a604e09be8cc22893751895b">a suspicious-looking man</a>&nbsp;at the rally site more than an hour before the event and circulated that information, including photographs of a man who turned out to be Crooks. But the officers ultimately lost track of Crooks, who was able to scale the roof of a building at AGR International Inc., a supplier of automation equipment for the glass and plastic packaging industry, and fire an estimated eight shots with an AR-15-style rife.Shortly before the shooting, a local officer climbed up to the roof to investigate. Crooks turned and pointed his rifle at the officer, who retreated.Even though text messages among local snipers revealed anxiety about the man, Rowe said the only thing the Secret Service knew at the time of the shooting was that law enforcement was contending with a suspicious-looking man.“No information regarding a weapon on a roof was ever passed to our personnel,” Rowe said. At another point, he noted, “It is troubling to me that we did not get that information as quickly as we should have. We didn’t know that there was this incident going on.”But Rowe's willingness to assign blame to local law enforcement opened him up to harsh criticism from Senate Republicans, who saw him as failing to take sufficient responsibility.“Isn’t the fact that a former president was shot, that a good American is dead, that other Americans were critically wounded — isn’t that enough mission failure for you to say to the person who decided that that building should not be in the security perimeter, probably ought to be stepped down?” said Sen. Josh Hawley, a Missouri Republican.Rowe, raising his voice, responded that he has “lost sleep over this for the last 17 days” and that he would not be rushed “to judgment” by Congress. He assured lawmakers that “people will be held accountable.”Sen. Lindsey Graham, the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said if something like this happened in the military, “a lot of people would be fired. And if a lot of people are not fired, the system failed yet again.”He added: “Nothing’s going to change until somebody loses their job.”The FBI, meanwhile, disclosed new details about Crooks, with Deputy Director Paul Abbate saying a social media account believed to be associated with the gunman suspected in the assassination attempt espoused political violence and included antisemitic and anti-immigrant sentiment. The posts were from the 2019-2020 timeframe, when Crooks would have been in high school.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Sen. <a href="https://twitter.com/JohnCornyn?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JohnCornyn</a>: &quot;You had a drone system but you had bandwidth problems. The bandwidth apparently was adequate for the shooter&#39;s drone, but not for the Secret Service. Can you explain that? U.S. Secret Service Acting Director Rowe: &quot;I have no explanation for it.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/RB1N1MDEoz">pic.twitter.com/RB1N1MDEoz</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1818320634729902376?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 30, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Abbate did not identify the social media platform, saying investigators were still trying to definitively determine that it belonged to Crooks. However, he indicated that it was separate from an account on a different platform called Gab that was active in 2021.The chief executive of Gab posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, during the Senate hearing that Crooks’s presence on that platform was consistent with being “pro-Biden and in particular pro-Biden’s immigration policy.”<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">U.S. <a href="https://twitter.com/SecretService?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SecretService</a> Acting Director Rowe: &quot;Sir, this could have been our Texas School Book Depository! I have lost sleep over that for the last 17 days.&quot; Sen. Josh <a href="https://twitter.com/HawleyMO?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@HawleyMO</a>: &quot;Then fire somebody!&quot; Rowe: &quot;I will not rush to judgement.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/759aoGAgpZ">pic.twitter.com/759aoGAgpZ</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1818324738424353150?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 30, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>On Monday,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-assassination-attempt-fbi-9c3838fcf9753b3e61caf97804112fca">the FBI revealed</a>&nbsp;that Crooks had looked online for information about mass shootings, power plants, improvised explosive devices and the May assassination attempt of the Slovakian prime minister&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/robert-fico-slovakia-shot-prime-minister-751051f2a36391919790c62d664a5e6d">Robert Fico</a>.The FBI also said that Trump has agreed to be interviewed by agents as a crime victim.

🎥Senators slam Secret Service Acting Director for Trump rally security

Nick Gosnell: We have the candidates for House District 114 with us, and that is an open seat because Michael Murphy, who has been serving District 114, is running for Kansas Senate, so it is an open seat. Two Republicans are running in the primary, Steve Schweizer and Kevin Schwertfeger, and Mr. Schwertfeger will be with us later on this morning, but Mr. Schweizer is with us first. And just to clarify, because I've had some calls, there really are no contested Democratic primaries at all other than I think there's one township race, if you happen to live in that township.&nbsp; But other than that, the Democratic primaries are just a single candidate that's going to get through regardless. The Republican ones are the ones that are contested for Tuesday, August the 6th. Good morning, Steve. How are you? 

Steve Schweizer: Good morning. So far, so good this morning. 

Nick Gosnell: All right. So why are you running for the state legislature? 

Steve Schweizer: Well, interestingly enough, I was approached by a state legislator out of the House of Representatives because of the need to fill this position. Mike Murphy, running for the Senate, had an opening here, and they didn't have a huge crowd running to sign up for the position. So I was asked if I'd consider, after a thoughtful and prayerful consideration, I decided to throw my hat in the ring, so to speak. And it goes back to I've lived in this area. I have an investment in this area. I want to see this area thrive, promote it for generations to come. And if I'm not there to represent, if I don't have people locally willing to represent, who are we going to have represent us in Topeka? And I think that's one of those things I needed to answer. 

Nick Gosnell: All right. So what's your experience thus far in government? 

Steve Schweizer: Well, so far, I've been on the local township board. I've been on Ark Valley Board of Directors for the first 12-year stint, and I was off for a year, and I'm back on there again. I had nine years of those. I was board president, some of those leadership. I've been on various church boards, participated in a school bond committee. And with the township board, I never even had to campaign for that when I got wrote in. So it's one of those things. It's a little different for me. I don't have a lot of political experience, but I do have a lot of experience working with others in leadership as far as boards go. 

Nick Gosnell: All right, so is there any particular issue that you say the state needs to address this? Maybe they haven't been doing it or they need to do more? 

Steve Schweizer: Well, I think a lot of my thoughts ahead of time, and it was kind of confirmed when I've been out on the campaign trail, is just the physical responsibility of the state, how they're spending the taxpayers' money, and what we can do to relieve the tax burden on the residents of Kansas. That's kind of a huge one. And then the other thing was just in the rural areas that the 114th serves, we have issues with emergency services. We have some areas losing ambulances, either because of staffing or funding. We have rural fire departments that are seeing some things coming down the road that may cause them to just cease to function as they can afford to. And so we really need a lot of those services for rural areas of Kansas. A lot of people rely on those. And with the trend of population moving towards more urban areas, we can't retain people if we don't have those services available. 

Nick Gosnell: All right. So what are some of the things, then, that government needs to do at the state level so that you can have it passed down to the local level? 

Steve Schweizer: Look, a lot of the things I can see is maybe just getting out of the way. When you look at local municipalities, some of the mandates maybe not coming from the state level, but from the federal level through the state. I see the state maybe at the state level being that fence that guards our local municipalities, local residents from the federal mandates that are being forced upon them with no recourse. And that's something that they need some defense of some kind. 

Nick Gosnell: All right. So what are maybe some things that the state should either do less of or differently emphasize in an effort to be able to cut costs? Because with the way inflation is now, you're going to have to stop doing something if you actually want to pull the fiscal reins back in. 

Steve Schweizer: Right. And that's one of those things that's going to be a tough call, because nobody wants to give up anything. Everybody wants what they've got. And so, it's going to be a tough road. It's not going to be an easy one. Without being able to name specifics, and I'd have to have more information probably to be more specific to answer that question. But it's going to require a broad scope of things across the board. You know, education is such a significant part of our budget as a state. And you look at what all that entails, that's going to be a tough fight just because of the needs there. You look at Medicare, Medicaid, that's another pretty good chunk of our budget. It's going to be hard for anybody. Nobody wants that being cut. And so, when you look at maybe what 15% of the budget left to work with, it's not going to be easy. But I think there's places where we can find efficiencies. 

Nick Gosnell: Medicaid expansion is a specific issue that's been before the legislature now. 2014 is when it was passed and vetoed by Governor Brownback. And then, it's been either on the floor via amendment or not on the floor at all in the last 10 years. But it's always been a discussion. Every single session, it comes up. So, what do you think about Medicaid expansion? And are you for it or against it? Or do you even know yet? 

Steve Schweizer: I am not for Medicaid expansion. And I use this analogy because it's the closest thing I could come up with. It's like if you have a three-inch gash on your arm and you reach into that multi-sized Band-Aid box, and what you grab is the very smallest Band-Aid in the box to try to cover it up. I mean, you might slow the bleeding down, but it's not the answer to the problem. We have a gap there, and it's a widening gap because of the increasing cost of the private health care insurers and the cost of private health care insurance. But I'm not sure exactly how to solve that gap yet. But it's something we're going to need to look into. The problem with Medicaid is just another step in the single government payer system. And what it will do is it will dictate how those hospitals, how those health care providers are reimbursed. And eventually, it will limit how much they're being reimbursed for each procedure. And so, the strain we're seeing on our rural health care system now, it will only exacerbate that if we went that route.

Nick Gosnell:&nbsp; All right. So, is there anything else state-wise? I mean, the one area we didn't talk about, and maybe I should because, frankly, without it, you don't have anything else, is transportation, at least with regard to western Reno County. You guys have to be able to get the crops you produce and the things that are out there to market, and that's what transportation infrastructure is all about, right? 

Steve Schweizer: Yeah. And I do appreciate what Reno County, what they've been working on as far as the roads go. They're kind of upgrading the roads, the paved roads out there to the 21st century. So many of those paved roads, when they were put down, they were made for cars, automobiles, pickup trucks. They were not made for heavy commercial equipment, agricultural equipment. And so, those improvements have been very beneficial. And it's just one of those things that's going to have to be continued. 

Nick Gosnell: Well, and the state level is kind of where a lot of that pass-through money comes from. The Kansas Department of Transportation does all kinds of things, not only for the state highways, but for bypass through to the counties and county roads and those kinds of things. So, that's also a big part of the budget. Now, do you have any specific committees that you say to yourself, my experience has put me in a position where I think I could do well on this? 

Schweizer: Well, yes. The Ag Committee, of course. I've grown up on a farm, a lifetime farmer. But my experience with the Ark Valley Electric Cooperative would certainly give me a good grasp of utilities. Just being on a township board, looking at the fundamentals of the budget on a year-to-year basis, maybe the ways and means, I think would at least give me a start. There may be others that I can't think of right at the moment.&nbsp; 

Nick Gosnell: Okay. And so, the hope is that no matter which of you wins the primary, that western Reno County is able to have a voice that understands what's going on in that part of the county. Because honestly, it's way different here in Hutchinson and in, say, Haven and Buhler and Inman and the areas where you drive 10 or 15 minutes to another town or grocery store or whatever else than it is out in Turon and Sylvia and even Pretty Prairie and those areas where it's 20 or 25 minutes, like I was talking to you out in the hall, 25 minutes to a head of lettuce sometimes, depending on exactly where you are. What is the unique perspective that, regardless of which of you it is, being from that part of the county will bring to the legislature? 

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1722350632623.jpeg" alt="Steve Schweizer" />
 <figcaption>Steve Schweizer</figcaption>
 </figure>Nick Gosnell: We have the candidates for House District 114 with us, and that is an open seat because Michael Murphy, who has been serving District 114, is running for Kansas Senate, so it is an open seat. Two Republicans are running in the primary, Steve Schweizer and Kevin Schwertfeger, and Mr. Schwertfeger will be with us later on this morning, but Mr. Schweizer is with us first. And just to clarify, because I've had some calls, there really are no contested Democratic primaries at all other than I think there's one township race, if you happen to live in that township.&nbsp; But other than that, the Democratic primaries are just a single candidate that's going to get through regardless. The Republican ones are the ones that are contested for Tuesday, August the 6th. Good morning, Steve. How are you? Steve Schweizer: Good morning. So far, so good this morning. Nick Gosnell: All right. So why are you running for the state legislature? Steve Schweizer: Well, interestingly enough, I was approached by a state legislator out of the House of Representatives because of the need to fill this position. Mike Murphy, running for the Senate, had an opening here, and they didn't have a huge crowd running to sign up for the position. So I was asked if I'd consider, after a thoughtful and prayerful consideration, I decided to throw my hat in the ring, so to speak. And it goes back to I've lived in this area. I have an investment in this area. I want to see this area thrive, promote it for generations to come. And if I'm not there to represent, if I don't have people locally willing to represent, who are we going to have represent us in Topeka? And I think that's one of those things I needed to answer. Nick Gosnell: All right. So what's your experience thus far in government? Steve Schweizer: Well, so far, I've been on the local township board. I've been on Ark Valley Board of Directors for the first 12-year stint, and I was off for a year, and I'm back on there again. I had nine years of those. I was board president, some of those leadership. I've been on various church boards, participated in a school bond committee. And with the township board, I never even had to campaign for that when I got wrote in. So it's one of those things. It's a little different for me. I don't have a lot of political experience, but I do have a lot of experience working with others in leadership as far as boards go. Nick Gosnell: All right, so is there any particular issue that you say the state needs to address this? Maybe they haven't been doing it or they need to do more? Steve Schweizer: Well, I think a lot of my thoughts ahead of time, and it was kind of confirmed when I've been out on the campaign trail, is just the physical responsibility of the state, how they're spending the taxpayers' money, and what we can do to relieve the tax burden on the residents of Kansas. That's kind of a huge one. And then the other thing was just in the rural areas that the 114th serves, we have issues with emergency services. We have some areas losing ambulances, either because of staffing or funding. We have rural fire departments that are seeing some things coming down the road that may cause them to just cease to function as they can afford to. And so we really need a lot of those services for rural areas of Kansas. A lot of people rely on those. And with the trend of population moving towards more urban areas, we can't retain people if we don't have those services available. Nick Gosnell: All right. So what are some of the things, then, that government needs to do at the state level so that you can have it passed down to the local level? Steve Schweizer: Look, a lot of the things I can see is maybe just getting out of the way. When you look at local municipalities, some of the mandates maybe not coming from the state level, but from the federal level through the state. I see the state maybe at the state level being that fence that guards our local municipalities, local residents from the federal mandates that are being forced upon them with no recourse. And that's something that they need some defense of some kind. Nick Gosnell: All right. So what are maybe some things that the state should either do less of or differently emphasize in an effort to be able to cut costs? Because with the way inflation is now, you're going to have to stop doing something if you actually want to pull the fiscal reins back in. Steve Schweizer: Right. And that's one of those things that's going to be a tough call, because nobody wants to give up anything. Everybody wants what they've got. And so, it's going to be a tough road. It's not going to be an easy one. Without being able to name specifics, and I'd have to have more information probably to be more specific to answer that question. But it's going to require a broad scope of things across the board. You know, education is such a significant part of our budget as a state. And you look at what all that entails, that's going to be a tough fight just because of the needs there. You look at Medicare, Medicaid, that's another pretty good chunk of our budget. It's going to be hard for anybody. Nobody wants that being cut. And so, when you look at maybe what 15% of the budget left to work with, it's not going to be easy. But I think there's places where we can find efficiencies. Nick Gosnell: Medicaid expansion is a specific issue that's been before the legislature now. 2014 is when it was passed and vetoed by Governor Brownback. And then, it's been either on the floor via amendment or not on the floor at all in the last 10 years. But it's always been a discussion. Every single session, it comes up. So, what do you think about Medicaid expansion? And are you for it or against it? Or do you even know yet? Steve Schweizer: I am not for Medicaid expansion. And I use this analogy because it's the closest thing I could come up with. It's like if you have a three-inch gash on your arm and you reach into that multi-sized Band-Aid box, and what you grab is the very smallest Band-Aid in the box to try to cover it up. I mean, you might slow the bleeding down, but it's not the answer to the problem. We have a gap there, and it's a widening gap because of the increasing cost of the private health care insurers and the cost of private health care insurance. But I'm not sure exactly how to solve that gap yet. But it's something we're going to need to look into. The problem with Medicaid is just another step in the single government payer system. And what it will do is it will dictate how those hospitals, how those health care providers are reimbursed. And eventually, it will limit how much they're being reimbursed for each procedure. And so, the strain we're seeing on our rural health care system now, it will only exacerbate that if we went that route.Nick Gosnell:&nbsp; All right. So, is there anything else state-wise? I mean, the one area we didn't talk about, and maybe I should because, frankly, without it, you don't have anything else, is transportation, at least with regard to western Reno County. You guys have to be able to get the crops you produce and the things that are out there to market, and that's what transportation infrastructure is all about, right? Steve Schweizer: Yeah. And I do appreciate what Reno County, what they've been working on as far as the roads go. They're kind of upgrading the roads, the paved roads out there to the 21st century. So many of those paved roads, when they were put down, they were made for cars, automobiles, pickup trucks. They were not made for heavy commercial equipment, agricultural equipment. And so, those improvements have been very beneficial. And it's just one of those things that's going to have to be continued. Nick Gosnell: Well, and the state level is kind of where a lot of that pass-through money comes from. The Kansas Department of Transportation does all kinds of things, not only for the state highways, but for bypass through to the counties and county roads and those kinds of things. So, that's also a big part of the budget. Now, do you have any specific committees that you say to yourself, my experience has put me in a position where I think I could do well on this? Schweizer: Well, yes. The Ag Committee, of course. I've grown up on a farm, a lifetime farmer. But my experience with the Ark Valley Electric Cooperative would certainly give me a good grasp of utilities. Just being on a township board, looking at the fundamentals of the budget on a year-to-year basis, maybe the ways and means, I think would at least give me a start. There may be others that I can't think of right at the moment.&nbsp; Nick Gosnell: Okay. And so, the hope is that no matter which of you wins the primary, that western Reno County is able to have a voice that understands what's going on in that part of the county. Because honestly, it's way different here in Hutchinson and in, say, Haven and Buhler and Inman and the areas where you drive 10 or 15 minutes to another town or grocery store or whatever else than it is out in Turon and Sylvia and even Pretty Prairie and those areas where it's 20 or 25 minutes, like I was talking to you out in the hall, 25 minutes to a head of lettuce sometimes, depending on exactly where you are. What is the unique perspective that, regardless of which of you it is, being from that part of the county will bring to the legislature? Steve Schweizer: How I communicate with others, how I'm willing to work with others that are going to be probably exactly on the opposite side of the spectrum, politically and every other way. Just having to be approachable, being willing to work with individuals, just establish common ground for the common good of the constituents of the district. Because rural Western County is part of it, but Kingman County, the whole Kingman County and then Pratt County up to 281 Highway is included. So, there's a lot of ground out there, wide open spaces to cover. Now, we have Kingman, it's kind of our population center, and then East Pratt, another population center, and they may have uniquely different needs there, but the vast majority of the ground is rural.