WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate has dismissed all impeachment charges against Homeland Security Secretary&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/alejandro-mayorkas">Alejandro Mayorkas</a>, ending the House Republican push to remove the Cabinet secretary from office over his handling of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-border-security-migrants-homeland-security-1c6e9f612dff721191c0254f980947a5">the U.S.-Mexico border</a>&nbsp;and ending his trial before arguments even began.

<a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?534981-1/senate-session&amp;live">Click here to watch the Senate</a> impeachment trial 12 noon CDT

<a href="https://d3i6fh83elv35t.cloudfront.net/static/2024/01/Articles-of-Impeachment.pdf">Click here to read full</a>&nbsp;articles of impeachment against Sec. Mayorkas

Senators voted to dismiss both articles of impeachment and end the trial, with Democrats arguing that the articles were unconstitutional. The first article charged Mayorkas with “willful and systemic refusal to comply" with immigration law. The second article charged Mayorkas with a “breach of trust” for saying the border was secure. The votes were 51-48 and 51-49, both along party lines.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said the House Republicans’ case failed to meet “the high standard of high crimes and misdemeanors” and could set a dangerous precedent.

“For the sake of the Senate’s integrity and to protect impeachment for those rare cases we truly need it, senators should dismiss today’s charges,” said Schumer, D-N.Y., as he opened Wednesday’s session.

Senate Republicans had argued for a full impeachment trial after the House&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/house-mayorkas-impeachment-vote-border-security-80cbd5bbb8f512c6814f155f825a1214">narrowly voted</a>&nbsp;in February to impeach Mayorkas for his handling of the border, arguing in the two articles that he “willfully and systematically” refused to enforce immigration laws. The House vote was the first time in nearly 150 years that a Cabinet secretary was impeached.

An outright dismissal of House Republicans’ prosecution of Mayorkas, with no chance to argue the case, is an embarrassing defeat for House Republicans and embattled House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., who made the impeachment a priority. And it is likely to resonate politically for both Republicans and Democrats in a presidential election year when border security has been a top issue.

Republicans argue that President Joe Biden has been weak on the border as arrests for illegal crossings skyrocketed to more than 2 million people during the last two years of his term, though they have fallen from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-border-crossings-mexico-biden-18ac91ef502e0c5433f74de6cc629b32">a record-high</a>&nbsp;of 250,000 in December amid heightened enforcement in Mexico. Democrats say that instead of impeaching Mayorkas, Republicans should have accepted a bipartisan Senate compromise aimed at reducing the number of migrants who come into the U.S. illegally.

House impeachment managers&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/senate-mayorkas-impeachment-trial-border-security-63e9ec242ec8a2f0a95f84497c506e0d">delivered the charges to the Senate</a>&nbsp;on Tuesday, standing in the well of the Senate and reading them aloud to a captive audience of senators. But they did not get a chance to present the case before the Senate dismissed it.

Once the senators were sworn in on Wednesday, the chamber turned into the court of impeachment, with Democratic Sen. Patty Murray of Washington presiding. Murray is the president pro tempore of the Senate, or the senior-most member of the majority party who sits in for the vice president. Senators approached the front of the Senate in groups of four to sign an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/political-news-57ef0cdd29d9875b13713f4974eab9d5">oath book</a>&nbsp;that is stored in the National Archives.

Schumer then called for the votes to dismiss the trial after Republicans rejected a proposed agreement for Senate debate time and several votes on GOP objections. Missouri Sen. Eric Schmitt said Democrats were “bulldozing 200 years of precedent" on impeachments by trying to dismiss the trial.

Angry Republicans called for several votes to delay the inevitable final outcome, but none of them passed as all Democrats and three Independents held together.

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said “history will not judge this moment well.”

“This process must not be abused," McConnell said. "It must not be short-circuited."

Still, Republicans similarly moved to dismiss former President Donald Trump's second impeachment trial in 2021, weeks after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/2021-united-states-capitol-riot">the Jan. 6, 2021, attack</a>&nbsp;on the Capitol. All but five GOP senators — including McConnell — voted to end the trial, arguing it was unconstitutional because Trump had already left office.

As Johnson signed the articles Monday in preparation for sending them across the Capitol, he said Schumer should convene a trial to “hold those who engineered this crisis to full account.”

Schumer “is the only impediment to delivering accountability for the American people,” Johnson said. “Pursuant to the Constitution, the House demands a trial.”

Even if the Senate held a trial, Republicans would not be able to win the support of the two-thirds of the Senate that is needed to convict and remove Mayorkas from office — Democrats control the Senate, 51-49, and they appear to be united against the impeachment effort. Not one House Democrat supported it, either.

Mayorkas, who was in New York on Wednesday to launch a campaign for children’s online safety, reiterated that he’s focused on the work of his department. “The Senate is going to do what the Senate considers to be appropriate as that proceeds,” he said. “I am here in New York City on Wednesday morning fighting online sexual exploitation and abuse. I’m focused on our mission.”

Johnson delayed sending the articles to the Senate for weeks while both chambers finished work on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-shutdown-budget-speaker-johnson-85dc1e93f6c49c154c02a166d0e8e784">government funding</a>&nbsp;legislation and took a two-week recess. Johnson had said he would send them to the Senate last week, but he&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mayorkas-impeachment-house-speaker-johnson-border-534cbf59e92c9cf141bba1ff38dc01cf">punted again</a>&nbsp;after Senate Republicans said they wanted more time to prepare.

At a hearing with Mayorkas on Tuesday about President Joe Biden's budget request for the department, some of the House impeachment managers previewed the arguments they would have made.

Tennessee Rep. Mark Green, the chairman of the House Homeland Security panel, told the secretary that he has a duty under the law to control and guard U.S. borders, and “during your three years as secretary, you have failed to fulfill this oath. You have refused to comply with the laws passed by Congress, and you have breached the public trust.”

Mayorkas defended the department's efforts but said the nation's immigration system is “fundamentally broken, and only Congress can fix it."

The impeachment trial is the third in five years. Democrats impeached President Donald Trump twice, once over&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-ap-top-news-elections-politics-election-2020-d78192d45b176f73ad435ae9fb926ed3">his dealings with Ukraine</a>&nbsp;and the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-impeachment-vote-capitol-siege-0a6f2a348a6e43f27d5e1dc486027860">second time</a>&nbsp;in the days after the Capitol attack.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-ap-top-news-ut-state-wire-acquittals-politics-93c85dcfb0e6b2185391965e77ebea51">Trump was acquitted</a>&nbsp;by the Senate&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-capitol-siege-riots-trials-impeachments-b245b52fd7d4a079ae199c954baba452">both times</a>.

If the Senate had moved to a trial on Mayorkas, senators would have been forced to sit in their seats for the duration, maybe weeks, while the House impeachment managers and lawyers representing Mayorkas made their cases.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate has voted to dismiss the first of two articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/alejandro-mayorkas">Alejandro Mayorkas</a>, the first step in ending its trial on his handling of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-border-security-migrants-homeland-security-1c6e9f612dff721191c0254f980947a5">the U.S.-Mexico border</a>,

Democrats said the article, which charged Mayorkas with “willful and systemic refusal to comply with the law,” is unconstitutional. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has called for a second vote that would dismiss the second article, which charges Mayorkas with a breach of trust over saying that the border was secure.

The vote to dismiss the first article was 51-48 along party lines, with Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska voting “present.”

If the Senate votes to dismiss both articles, the trial will be over before arguments start. Schumer said the House Republicans' case fails to meet "the high standard of high crimes and misdemeanors" and could set a dangerous precedent.

“For the sake of the Senate's integrity and to protect impeachment for those rare cases we truly need it, senators should dismiss today's charges,” said Schumer, D-N.Y., as he opened Wednesday's session.

The House&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/house-mayorkas-impeachment-vote-border-security-80cbd5bbb8f512c6814f155f825a1214">narrowly voted</a>&nbsp;in February to impeach Mayorkas for his handling of the border, arguing in the two articles that he “willfully and systematically” refused to enforce immigration laws. House impeachment managers&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/senate-mayorkas-impeachment-trial-border-security-63e9ec242ec8a2f0a95f84497c506e0d">delivered the charges to the Senate</a>&nbsp;on Tuesday, standing in the well of the Senate and reading them aloud to a captive audience of senators.

An outright dismissal of House Republicans’ prosecution of Mayorkas, with no chance to argue the case, would be an embarrassing defeat for House Republicans and embattled House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., who made the impeachment a priority. And it is likely to resonate politically for both Republicans and Democrats in a presidential election year when border security has been a top issue.

Schumer then called for the votes to dismiss the trial after Republicans rejected a proposed agreement for Senate debate time and several votes on GOP objections. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell called for a delay in the proceedings while Republican senators huddled on the floor to discuss how to proceed and called for several votes to delay the final outcome. All the votes were party-line.

In any case, Republicans would not be able to win the support of the two-thirds of the Senate that is needed to convict and remove Mayorkas from office — Democrats control the Senate, 51-49, and they appear to be united against the impeachment effort. Not one House Democrat supported it, either.

While most Republicans oppose quick dismissal, some have hinted they could vote with Democrats.

Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, said last week he wasn’t sure what he would do if there were a move to dismiss the trial. “I think it’s virtually certain that there will not be the conviction of someone when the constitutional test has not been met,” he said.

At the same time, Romney said he wants to at least express his view that “Mayorkas has done a terrible job, but he’s following the direction of the president and has not met the constitutional test of a high crime or misdemeanor.”

The two articles argue that Mayorkas not only refused to enforce existing law but also breached the public trust by lying to Congress and saying the border was secure. The House vote was the first time in nearly 150 years that a Cabinet secretary was impeached.

Since then, Johnson delayed sending the articles to the Senate for weeks while both chambers finished work on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-shutdown-budget-speaker-johnson-85dc1e93f6c49c154c02a166d0e8e784">government funding</a>&nbsp;legislation and took a two-week recess. Johnson had said he would send them to the Senate last week, but he&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mayorkas-impeachment-house-speaker-johnson-border-534cbf59e92c9cf141bba1ff38dc01cf">punted again</a>&nbsp;after Senate Republicans said they wanted more time to prepare.

House impeachment managers previewed some of their arguments at a hearing with Mayorkas on Tuesday morning about President Joe Biden's budget request for the department.

Other impeachment managers are Michael McCaul of Texas, Andy Biggs of Arizona, Ben Cline of Virginia, Andrew Garbarino of New York, Michael Guest of Mississippi, Harriet Hageman of Wyoming, Clay Higgins of Louisiana, Laurel Lee of Florida, August Plfuger of Texas and Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia.

If Democrats were unable to dismiss or table both articles, they could follow the precedent of several impeachment trials for federal judges over the last century and hold a vote to create a trial committee that would investigate the charges. While there is sufficient precedent for this approach, Democrats may prefer to end the process completely, especially in a presidential election year when immigration and border security are top issues.

The impeachment trial is the third in five years. Democrats impeached President Donald Trump twice, once over&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-ap-top-news-elections-politics-election-2020-d78192d45b176f73ad435ae9fb926ed3">his dealings with Ukraine</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-impeachment-vote-capitol-siege-0a6f2a348a6e43f27d5e1dc486027860">a second time</a>&nbsp;in the days after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/2021-united-states-capitol-riot">the Jan. 6, 2021, attack</a>&nbsp;on the Capitol.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-ap-top-news-ut-state-wire-acquittals-politics-93c85dcfb0e6b2185391965e77ebea51">Trump was acquitted</a>&nbsp;by the Senate&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-capitol-siege-riots-trials-impeachments-b245b52fd7d4a079ae199c954baba452">both times</a>.

At a trial, senators would be forced to sit in their seats for the duration, maybe weeks, while the House impeachment managers and lawyers representing Mayorkas make their cases. The Senate is allowed to call witnesses, as well, if it so decides, and it can ask questions of both sides after the opening arguments are finished.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate on Wednesday opened the impeachment trial of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/alejandro-mayorkas">Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas</a>&nbsp;over his handling of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-border-security-migrants-homeland-security-1c6e9f612dff721191c0254f980947a5">the U.S.-Mexico border</a>, swearing in senators as jurors while Democrats said they wanted to end the trial before arguments even begin.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said that he will move to dismiss the trial, arguing that House Republicans' two impeachment articles “fail to meet the high standard of high crimes and misdemeanors" and could set a dangerous precedent.

“For the sake of the Senate's integrity and to protect impeachment for those rare cases we truly need it, senators should dismiss today's charges,” Schumer, D-N.Y., said as he opened the Senate.

Now that the the senators are sworn in, the chamber has turned into the court of impeachment, with Democratic Sen. Patty Murray of Washington presiding. Murray is the president pro tempore of the Senate, or the senior-most member of the majority party who sits in for the vice president. Senators approached the front of the Senate in groups of four to sign an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/political-news-57ef0cdd29d9875b13713f4974eab9d5">oath book</a>&nbsp;that is stored in the National Archives.

The entire process could be done within hours. Schumer said he will seek an agreement from Republicans for a period of debate — an offer they are unlikely to accept — and then allow some Republican objections. He will them move to dismiss the trial and hold a vote.

To win that vote, Schumer will need the support of all of the Senate's Democrats and three independents.

If Democrats are unable to dismiss or table the articles, they could follow the precedent of several impeachment trials for federal judges over the last century and hold a vote to create a trial committee that would investigate the charges. While there is sufficient precedent for this approach, Democrats may prefer to end the process completely, especially in a presidential election year when immigration and border security are top issues.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Democrats could end the impeachment trial of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/alejandro-mayorkas">Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas</a>&nbsp;on Wednesday before arguments even begin.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is expected to call votes to dismiss two articles of impeachment against Mayorkas after senators are sworn in as jurors midday, a move that could scuttle the trial and frustrate Republicans who have demanded that House prosecutors be able to make their case. Democrats appear to be united in opposition to moving forward.

The House&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/house-mayorkas-impeachment-vote-border-security-80cbd5bbb8f512c6814f155f825a1214">narrowly voted</a>&nbsp;in February to impeach Mayorkas for his handling of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-border-security-migrants-homeland-security-1c6e9f612dff721191c0254f980947a5">the U.S.-Mexico border</a>, arguing in the two articles that he “willfully and systematically” refused to enforce immigration laws. House impeachment managers appointed by Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., delivered the charges to the Senate on Tuesday, standing in the well of the Senate and reading them aloud to a captive audience of senators.

The entire process could be done within hours on Wednesday. Majority Democrats have said the GOP case against Mayorkas doesn’t rise to the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/cc4471115abf4d7bad43e07cb64958d7">“high crimes and misdemeanors”</a>&nbsp;laid out as a bar for impeachment in the Constitution, and Schumer probably has enough votes to end the trial immediately if he decides to do so.

Schumer has said he wants to “address this issue as expeditiously as possible.”

“Impeachment should never be used to settle a policy disagreement,” Schumer said. “That would set a horrible precedent for the Congress.”

🎥 Historic impeachment trial of DHS Secretary Mayorkas 

TEXAS COUNTY, OK – On March 30, 2024, the Texas County Sheriff’s Office requested the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation to investigate the suspicious disappearance of 27-year-old Veronica Butler and 39-year-old Jilian Kelley of Hugoton Kansas, according to a media release from the Bureau.

 Their vehicle was found abandoned near Highway 95 and Road L, south of Elkhart, Kansas, in rural Texas County. OSBI special agents immediately began investigating the vehicle and determined there was evidence to indicate foul play. 

On April 13, 43-year-old Tad Bert Cullum; 54-year-old Tifany Machel Adams; 50-year-old Cole Earl Twombly, and 44-year-old Cora Twombly were arrested in Texas and Cimarron Counties, according to Hunter McKee with the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation.

All four individuals were booked into the Texas County Jail on requested charges that include two counts of First-Degree Murder, two counts of Kidnapping, and one count of Conspiracy to Commit Murder in the First Degree.

The OSBI and local law enforcement are still currently working to locate the two victims. 

Anyone with information regarding this case is asked to contact the OSBI at tips@osbi.ok.gov or 1-800-522-8017. Our agency would like to thank the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/texascountysheriff?__cft__[0]=AZW3UnIxpH36GuYONjM79vnoR-oyo5ufQLc8XHZABg_GpMGLPEZV5Gfh7QUusxGecGwmgMDkVhRdYnnVPSCBiHn1brMVnJQXPpT9GBDGKZ2rxsUrW2teAM97dm3kGLsyTx9NyWPu4w3KB71ojGy_IdT1f21qAnn0FXL-GxthYpmGpn1LrlfLncwu8_W58TtO6W4&amp;__tn__=-]K-R">Texas County Sheriff's Department</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/FBI?__cft__[0]=AZW3UnIxpH36GuYONjM79vnoR-oyo5ufQLc8XHZABg_GpMGLPEZV5Gfh7QUusxGecGwmgMDkVhRdYnnVPSCBiHn1brMVnJQXPpT9GBDGKZ2rxsUrW2teAM97dm3kGLsyTx9NyWPu4w3KB71ojGy_IdT1f21qAnn0FXL-GxthYpmGpn1LrlfLncwu8_W58TtO6W4&amp;__tn__=-]K-R">FBI – Federal Bureau of Investigation</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Oklahoma.Highway.Patrol?__cft__[0]=AZW3UnIxpH36GuYONjM79vnoR-oyo5ufQLc8XHZABg_GpMGLPEZV5Gfh7QUusxGecGwmgMDkVhRdYnnVPSCBiHn1brMVnJQXPpT9GBDGKZ2rxsUrW2teAM97dm3kGLsyTx9NyWPu4w3KB71ojGy_IdT1f21qAnn0FXL-GxthYpmGpn1LrlfLncwu8_W58TtO6W4&amp;__tn__=-]K-R">Oklahoma Highway Patrol</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/KBIKansas?__cft__[0]=AZW3UnIxpH36GuYONjM79vnoR-oyo5ufQLc8XHZABg_GpMGLPEZV5Gfh7QUusxGecGwmgMDkVhRdYnnVPSCBiHn1brMVnJQXPpT9GBDGKZ2rxsUrW2teAM97dm3kGLsyTx9NyWPu4w3KB71ojGy_IdT1f21qAnn0FXL-GxthYpmGpn1LrlfLncwu8_W58TtO6W4&amp;__tn__=-]K-R">Kansas Bureau of Investigation</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/kshighwayPatrol?__cft__[0]=AZW3UnIxpH36GuYONjM79vnoR-oyo5ufQLc8XHZABg_GpMGLPEZV5Gfh7QUusxGecGwmgMDkVhRdYnnVPSCBiHn1brMVnJQXPpT9GBDGKZ2rxsUrW2teAM97dm3kGLsyTx9NyWPu4w3KB71ojGy_IdT1f21qAnn0FXL-GxthYpmGpn1LrlfLncwu8_W58TtO6W4&amp;__tn__=-]K-R">Kansas Highway Patrol</a>, and several other local agencies for assisting us with this case.&nbsp;

TEXAS COUNTY, OK—The search for two Kansas women continues as authorities have taken four suspects into custody in connection with their&nbsp;disappearance two weeks ago, according to Hunter McKe with the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation.

Veronica Butler, 27, and Jilian Kelley, 39, of Hugoton, Kansas, were driving to Oklahoma to pick up Butler’s children to attend a March 30 birthday party in Kansas but never showed up.&nbsp;

On Saturday, authorities arrested one suspect in Texas County, Oklahoma and three in Cimarron County, Oklahoma. All four were being processed in Texas County.&nbsp; &nbsp;Authorities released no additional details Saturday afternoon.

Check the Post for additional details as they become available.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1712053989356.png" alt="Photo OSBI" />
 <figcaption>Photo OSBI</figcaption>
 </figure>TEXAS COUNTY, OK – On March 30, 2024, the Texas County Sheriff’s Office requested the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation to investigate the suspicious disappearance of 27-year-old Veronica Butler and 39-year-old Jilian Kelley of Hugoton Kansas, according to a media release from the Bureau. Their vehicle was found abandoned near Highway 95 and Road L, south of Elkhart, Kansas, in rural Texas County. OSBI special agents immediately began investigating the vehicle and determined there was evidence to indicate foul play. <figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1713056452999.png" alt="Counterclockwise from top-43-year-old Tad Bert Cullum; 54-year-old Tifany Machel Adams, 50-year-old Cole Earl Twombly, and 44-year-old Cora Twombly -photos Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation" />
 <figcaption>Counterclockwise from top-43-year-old Tad Bert Cullum; 54-year-old Tifany Machel Adams, 50-year-old Cole Earl Twombly, and 44-year-old Cora Twombly -photos Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation</figcaption>
 </figure>On April 13, 43-year-old Tad Bert Cullum; 54-year-old Tifany Machel Adams; 50-year-old Cole Earl Twombly, and 44-year-old Cora Twombly were arrested in Texas and Cimarron Counties, according to Hunter McKee with the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation.All four individuals were booked into the Texas County Jail on requested charges that include two counts of First-Degree Murder, two counts of Kidnapping, and one count of Conspiracy to Commit Murder in the First Degree.The OSBI and local law enforcement are still currently working to locate the two victims. Anyone with information regarding this case is asked to contact the OSBI at tips@osbi.ok.gov or 1-800-522-8017. Our agency would like to thank the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/texascountysheriff?__cft__[0]=AZW3UnIxpH36GuYONjM79vnoR-oyo5ufQLc8XHZABg_GpMGLPEZV5Gfh7QUusxGecGwmgMDkVhRdYnnVPSCBiHn1brMVnJQXPpT9GBDGKZ2rxsUrW2teAM97dm3kGLsyTx9NyWPu4w3KB71ojGy_IdT1f21qAnn0FXL-GxthYpmGpn1LrlfLncwu8_W58TtO6W4&amp;__tn__=-]K-R">Texas County Sheriff's Department</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/FBI?__cft__[0]=AZW3UnIxpH36GuYONjM79vnoR-oyo5ufQLc8XHZABg_GpMGLPEZV5Gfh7QUusxGecGwmgMDkVhRdYnnVPSCBiHn1brMVnJQXPpT9GBDGKZ2rxsUrW2teAM97dm3kGLsyTx9NyWPu4w3KB71ojGy_IdT1f21qAnn0FXL-GxthYpmGpn1LrlfLncwu8_W58TtO6W4&amp;__tn__=-]K-R">FBI – Federal Bureau of Investigation</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Oklahoma.Highway.Patrol?__cft__[0]=AZW3UnIxpH36GuYONjM79vnoR-oyo5ufQLc8XHZABg_GpMGLPEZV5Gfh7QUusxGecGwmgMDkVhRdYnnVPSCBiHn1brMVnJQXPpT9GBDGKZ2rxsUrW2teAM97dm3kGLsyTx9NyWPu4w3KB71ojGy_IdT1f21qAnn0FXL-GxthYpmGpn1LrlfLncwu8_W58TtO6W4&amp;__tn__=-]K-R">Oklahoma Highway Patrol</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/KBIKansas?__cft__[0]=AZW3UnIxpH36GuYONjM79vnoR-oyo5ufQLc8XHZABg_GpMGLPEZV5Gfh7QUusxGecGwmgMDkVhRdYnnVPSCBiHn1brMVnJQXPpT9GBDGKZ2rxsUrW2teAM97dm3kGLsyTx9NyWPu4w3KB71ojGy_IdT1f21qAnn0FXL-GxthYpmGpn1LrlfLncwu8_W58TtO6W4&amp;__tn__=-]K-R">Kansas Bureau of Investigation</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/kshighwayPatrol?__cft__[0]=AZW3UnIxpH36GuYONjM79vnoR-oyo5ufQLc8XHZABg_GpMGLPEZV5Gfh7QUusxGecGwmgMDkVhRdYnnVPSCBiHn1brMVnJQXPpT9GBDGKZ2rxsUrW2teAM97dm3kGLsyTx9NyWPu4w3KB71ojGy_IdT1f21qAnn0FXL-GxthYpmGpn1LrlfLncwu8_W58TtO6W4&amp;__tn__=-]K-R">Kansas Highway Patrol</a>, and several other local agencies for assisting us with this case.&nbsp;------------TEXAS COUNTY, OK—The search for two Kansas women continues as authorities have taken four suspects into custody in connection with their&nbsp;disappearance two weeks ago, according to Hunter McKe with the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation.Veronica Butler, 27, and Jilian Kelley, 39, of Hugoton, Kansas, were driving to Oklahoma to pick up Butler’s children to attend a March 30 birthday party in Kansas but never showed up.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1711967700182.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>On Saturday, authorities arrested one suspect in Texas County, Oklahoma and three in Cimarron County, Oklahoma. All four were being processed in Texas County.&nbsp; &nbsp;Authorities released no additional details Saturday afternoon.Check the Post for additional details as they become available.

4 in custody as search for 2 Kansas women continues

DOUGLAS COUNTY&nbsp; –Law enforcement authorities investigating alleged domestic violence continue asking the public for help to locate Cole Brings Plenty after an incident Sunday morning at an apartment in Lawrence, according to a media release.

The Lawrence Police drone team worked most of Thursday afternoon south of Lawrence to try to cover a lot of ground quickly - hoping to uncover any leads.&nbsp; Police are following up on all the calls and information coming in.

Police also are in close contact with the family, who are very concerned as the days pass and are collaborating with the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/298304525732132/about/?locale=pt_PT">Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, Two-Spirit, and Trans </a>Chapter of Lawrence.

On Sunday officers responded to reports of a woman screaming for help, but the suspect fled before officers arrived. The investigation identified Brings Plenty and traffic cameras showed him leaving the city immediately after the incident.

Brings Plenty’s car was last seen on 59 Highway headed south out of Lawrence.  He drives the 2005 Ford Explorer bearing Kansas license plate 368PXB. If you have any information on his whereabouts or his vehicle, call 911, LKPD at 785.832.7509, or make an anonymous tip to Crime Stoppers at (785) 843-8477.

&nbsp;If you see Cole Brings Plenty, or his vehicle, call 911 or you can make an anonymous tip to Crime Stoppers of Lawrence and Douglas County at (785)843-8477

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1712085646947.png" alt="Plenty-photo Lawrence Police" />
 <figcaption>Plenty-photo Lawrence Police</figcaption>
 </figure>DOUGLAS COUNTY&nbsp; –Law enforcement authorities investigating alleged domestic violence continue asking the public for help to locate Cole Brings Plenty after an incident Sunday morning at an apartment in Lawrence, according to a media release.The Lawrence Police drone team worked most of Thursday afternoon south of Lawrence to try to cover a lot of ground quickly - hoping to uncover any leads.&nbsp; Police are following up on all the calls and information coming in.Police also are in close contact with the family, who are very concerned as the days pass and are collaborating with the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/298304525732132/about/?locale=pt_PT">Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, Two-Spirit, and Trans </a>Chapter of Lawrence.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1712085673888.png" alt="Brings Plenty was last known to be driving the 2005 Ford Explorer bearing Kansas license plate 368PXB - photo Lawrence Police" />
 <figcaption>Brings Plenty was last known to be driving the 2005 Ford Explorer bearing Kansas license plate 368PXB - photo Lawrence Police</figcaption>
 </figure>On Sunday officers responded to reports of a woman screaming for help, but the suspect fled before officers arrived. The investigation identified Brings Plenty and traffic cameras showed him leaving the city immediately after the incident.Brings Plenty’s car was last seen on 59 Highway headed south out of Lawrence. He drives the 2005 Ford Explorer bearing Kansas license plate 368PXB. If you have any information on his whereabouts or his vehicle, call 911, LKPD at 785.832.7509, or make an anonymous tip to Crime Stoppers at (785) 843-8477.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1712086415073.png" alt="Cole Hauser, who also starred in "Yellowstone"&nbsp; sent&nbsp; i<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C5QoyFJuLOm/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">nformation about Brings Plenty's disappearance on social media</a>" />
 <figcaption>Cole Hauser, who also starred in "Yellowstone"&nbsp; sent&nbsp; i<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C5QoyFJuLOm/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">nformation about Brings Plenty's disappearance on social media</a></figcaption>
 </figure>&nbsp;If you see Cole Brings Plenty, or his vehicle, call 911 or you can make an anonymous tip to Crime Stoppers of Lawrence and Douglas County at (785)843-8477

Alleged Kan. domestic violence suspect still hiding from police

DES MOINES (AP) —The stars have aligned in the lottery universe like never before, with two jackpots totaling nearly $2 billion.

With an estimated $1.1 billion Mega Millions prize and an estimated $800 million Powerball jackpot, it's the first time the two nearly national lottery games have each&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/largest-lottery-jackpots-mega-millions-powerball-cb473805c48cd3b74a84d7ee4127450d">grown so large</a>&nbsp;at the same time.

Both massive prizes are the results of months without a big winner, but the larger jackpots entice more people to play the games, increasing the chance that someone, somewhere, will finally hit it rich.

Up first is the Powerball drawing on Monday night, followed by Tuesday night's Mega Millions drawing. If there isn't a winner, the next chance to win Powerball will be Wednesday night and the next drawing for Mega Millions will be Friday night.

Lottery prizes have been larger than the current jackpots, but it's the first time both games have offered top prizes of $800 million or more since the games were created decades ago.

The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mega-millions-lottery-jackpot-66aa7beb592c6bb408da87d5b677dcab">prizes have grown so big</a>&nbsp;because it has been months since anyone has won a jackpot.

The last Mega Millions jackpot winner was on Dec. 8. Since then, there have been 30 consecutive drawings without a winner of the grand prize. No one has won the Powerball jackpot since Jan. 1, making for 35 consecutive drawings without a big winner of the game, which holds three weekly drawings.

The Mega Millions prize ranks as the 8th largest in U.S. lottery history and is about half the size of the largest jackpot, a $2.04 billion Powerball prize won in November 2022.

“There’s always an air of excitement around the country when the Mega Millions and Powerball jackpots soar simultaneously,” said Gretchen Corbin, president of the Georgia Lottery Corporation and lead director of the Mega Millions Consortium.

It's no mystery why months have passed without a jackpot winner — the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-america-lottery-us-news-ap-top-news-ia-state-wire-b5572da1e5d74f6e974bea45c707b5cb">odds of snagging the big prizes</a>&nbsp;are terrible.

For Mega Millions, the odds of matching all six numbers are 1 in 302.6 million. Powerball has slightly better odds of 1 in 292.2 million.

To put those odds in perspective, lottery officials note that after a win when jackpots reset at $20 million, total ticket sales typically cover less than 10% of all the possible number combinations. As jackpots climb to $1 billion or more, sales increase dramatically but still usually cover only about half of the possible combinations.

That means, there is still a good chance no one will hit a jackpot.

Of course, millions or people do win smaller prizes that range from $2 to $2 million. Players of both games have about a 1 in 4 chance of winning some kind of prize.

And remember, regardless of how large jackpots grow, the odds of an individual ticket winning never changes.

As massive as the jackpots are, winners should brace for much smaller payoffs than the figures advertised on billboards.

That's because the state lotteries that run the games promote the total payoff if the prize is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/powerball-jackpot-annuity-vs-cash-0e741f164106c0f4dba89707c5763c99">paid through an annuity</a>&nbsp;over 30 years. That figure is now roughly double the cash prize, which nearly all winners choose because they want to invest the money themselves rather than opt for a defined payout.

For Mega Millions, that means the $1.1 billion jackpot actually would pay out an estimated $525.8 million cash prize. For Powerball, the $800 million annuity prize would mean an estimated $384.8 million cash prize.

Those prizes will be subject to federal taxes, and many states also tax lottery winnings. There also is a chance that multiple players will hit a jackpot, which would then be split between the winners.

Mega Millions is played in 45 states plus Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Powerball also is played in those states as well as Washington, D.C., the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.

The Mega Millions numbers are drawn at a TV studio in Atlanta and Powerball draws numbers at a Florida Lottery studio in Tallahassee.

Profits from the games fund state programs.

DES MOINES (AP) —The stars have aligned in the lottery universe like never before, with two jackpots totaling nearly $2 billion.With an estimated $1.1 billion Mega Millions prize and an estimated $800 million Powerball jackpot, it's the first time the two nearly national lottery games have each&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/largest-lottery-jackpots-mega-millions-powerball-cb473805c48cd3b74a84d7ee4127450d">grown so large</a>&nbsp;at the same time.Both massive prizes are the results of months without a big winner, but the larger jackpots entice more people to play the games, increasing the chance that someone, somewhere, will finally hit it rich.WHEN ARE THE DRAWINGS?Up first is the Powerball drawing on Monday night, followed by Tuesday night's Mega Millions drawing. If there isn't a winner, the next chance to win Powerball will be Wednesday night and the next drawing for Mega Millions will be Friday night.TWO MASSIVE PRIZESLottery prizes have been larger than the current jackpots, but it's the first time both games have offered top prizes of $800 million or more since the games were created decades ago.The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mega-millions-lottery-jackpot-66aa7beb592c6bb408da87d5b677dcab">prizes have grown so big</a>&nbsp;because it has been months since anyone has won a jackpot.The last Mega Millions jackpot winner was on Dec. 8. Since then, there have been 30 consecutive drawings without a winner of the grand prize. No one has won the Powerball jackpot since Jan. 1, making for 35 consecutive drawings without a big winner of the game, which holds three weekly drawings.The Mega Millions prize ranks as the 8th largest in U.S. lottery history and is about half the size of the largest jackpot, a $2.04 billion Powerball prize won in November 2022.“There’s always an air of excitement around the country when the Mega Millions and Powerball jackpots soar simultaneously,” said Gretchen Corbin, president of the Georgia Lottery Corporation and lead director of the Mega Millions Consortium.THE DISMAL ODDSIt's no mystery why months have passed without a jackpot winner — the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-america-lottery-us-news-ap-top-news-ia-state-wire-b5572da1e5d74f6e974bea45c707b5cb">odds of snagging the big prizes</a>&nbsp;are terrible.For Mega Millions, the odds of matching all six numbers are 1 in 302.6 million. Powerball has slightly better odds of 1 in 292.2 million.To put those odds in perspective, lottery officials note that after a win when jackpots reset at $20 million, total ticket sales typically cover less than 10% of all the possible number combinations. As jackpots climb to $1 billion or more, sales increase dramatically but still usually cover only about half of the possible combinations.That means, there is still a good chance no one will hit a jackpot.Of course, millions or people do win smaller prizes that range from $2 to $2 million. Players of both games have about a 1 in 4 chance of winning some kind of prize.And remember, regardless of how large jackpots grow, the odds of an individual ticket winning never changes.THE WINNINGSAs massive as the jackpots are, winners should brace for much smaller payoffs than the figures advertised on billboards.That's because the state lotteries that run the games promote the total payoff if the prize is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/powerball-jackpot-annuity-vs-cash-0e741f164106c0f4dba89707c5763c99">paid through an annuity</a>&nbsp;over 30 years. That figure is now roughly double the cash prize, which nearly all winners choose because they want to invest the money themselves rather than opt for a defined payout.For Mega Millions, that means the $1.1 billion jackpot actually would pay out an estimated $525.8 million cash prize. For Powerball, the $800 million annuity prize would mean an estimated $384.8 million cash prize.Those prizes will be subject to federal taxes, and many states also tax lottery winnings. There also is a chance that multiple players will hit a jackpot, which would then be split between the winners.THE GAMESMega Millions is played in 45 states plus Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Powerball also is played in those states as well as Washington, D.C., the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.The Mega Millions numbers are drawn at a TV studio in Atlanta and Powerball draws numbers at a Florida Lottery studio in Tallahassee.Profits from the games fund state programs.___

Nearly $2 billion up for grabs: Mega Millions and Powerball jackpots soar

KANSAS CITY, Mo.&nbsp; –&nbsp;The Shawnee Police Department reported that Harold Nossaman, 91, was located in Kansas City, Missouri. He was transported to an area hospital for evaluation.

The silver alert is now canceled. Thank you for your assistance during the alert.

JOHNSON COUNTY –&nbsp;The Shawnee Police Department requested the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) issue a statewide Silver Alert for a missing Shawnee man.

The whereabouts of 91-year-old Harold Nossaman are unknown, and the public’s assistance is requested to help locate him.

Nossaman is believed to be driving a black 2012 GMC Terrain bearing Kansas tag QHS680.

Nossaman was last seen in Shawnee, Kansas, around 7 p.m. Saturday, March 23. He was supposed to meet a family member for lunch on Sunday, but never arrived. Investigators believe Nossaman’s vehicle traveled near Truman and Woodland in Kansas City, Missouri, around 4:30 p.m. today, March 24.

Nossaman is a white male who is around 5 ft. 11 in tall, and weighs approximately 170 lbs. He is balding, but has gray hair on the sides, and blue eyes.&nbsp; Nossaman has symptoms of dementia.

If you see Harold Nossaman or his vehicle, please call 911 immediately. If you have other information about his whereabouts, please call the Shawnee Police Department at&nbsp;913-631-2150.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1711360990898.png" alt="Nossaman -courtesy photo" />
 <figcaption>Nossaman -courtesy photo</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY, Mo.&nbsp; –&nbsp;The Shawnee Police Department reported that Harold Nossaman, 91, was located in Kansas City, Missouri. He was transported to an area hospital for evaluation.The silver alert is now canceled. Thank you for your assistance during the alert.--------------JOHNSON COUNTY –&nbsp;The Shawnee Police Department requested the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) issue a statewide Silver Alert for a missing Shawnee man.The whereabouts of 91-year-old Harold Nossaman are unknown, and the public’s assistance is requested to help locate him.Nossaman is believed to be driving a black 2012 GMC Terrain bearing Kansas tag QHS680.Nossaman was last seen in Shawnee, Kansas, around 7 p.m. Saturday, March 23. He was supposed to meet a family member for lunch on Sunday, but never arrived. Investigators believe Nossaman’s vehicle traveled near Truman and Woodland in Kansas City, Missouri, around 4:30 p.m. today, March 24.Nossaman is a white male who is around 5 ft. 11 in tall, and weighs approximately 170 lbs. He is balding, but has gray hair on the sides, and blue eyes.&nbsp; Nossaman has symptoms of dementia.If you see Harold Nossaman or his vehicle, please call 911 immediately. If you have other information about his whereabouts, please call the Shawnee Police Department at&nbsp;913-631-2150.

KBI: Silver Alert canceled; Missing Kansas man found in Missouri

WASHINGTON (AP) —A divided Supreme Court on Tuesday lifted a stay on a Texas law that gives police&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-texas-2edc0f202156bf792cd531e814bbf2f5#:~:text=Under%20the%20law%2C%20any%20police,law%20could%20potentially%20take%20effect.">broad powers to arrest migrants</a>&nbsp;suspected of crossing the border illegally, while a legal battle over immigration authority plays out.

The Biden administration is suing to strike down the measure, arguing it’s a clear violation of federal authority that would hurt international relations and create chaos in administering immigration law. Texas has argued it has a right to take action over what authorities have called an ongoing crisis at the southern border.

Opponents say the law, known as Senate Bill 4, the most dramatic attempt by a state to police immigration since an Arizona law more than a decade ago, portions of which were struck down by the Supreme Court. Critics have also said the Texas law could lead to civil rights violations and racial profiling.

A federal judge in Texas struck down the law in late February, but the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals quickly stayed that ruling, leading the federal government to appeal to the Supreme Court.

The majority did not write a detailed opinion in the case, as it typical in emergency appeals. But the decision to let the law go into effect drew dissents from liberal justices Ketanji Brown Jackson, Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor.

Sotomayor wrote in a blistering dissent that allowing Texas to enforce the law “invites further chaos and crisis” and “upends the federal-state balance of power that has existed for over a century"

In a separate dissent, Kagan wrote that the type of order entered by the 5th Circuit “should not spell the difference between respecting and revoking long-settled immigration law.”

Justice Amy Coney Barrett, joined by fellow conservative Justice Brett Kavanaugh, suggested in a concurring opinion that her vote in favor of Texas stemmed from the technicalities of the appeals process rather than agreement with the state on the substance of the law.

“So far as I know, this Court has never reviewed the decision of a court of appeals to enter — or not enter — an administrative stay. I would not get into the business. When entered, an administrative stay is supposed to be a short-lived prelude to the main event: a ruling on the motion for a stay pending appeal,” she wrote.

The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals could potentially block the measure again, and either side can return to the Supreme Court once the 5th Circuit acts.

Texas Gov Greg Abbott said the ruling allows Texas to begin enforcing the law, calling the decision a “positive development” while noting that an appeals court is still weighing whether the law is constitutional. He has previously said Texas has a right to take action on the border crisis.

The Texas Department of Criminal Justice is “prepared to handle any influx in population” spokeswoman Amanda Hernandez said in a statement.

Other Texas officials sounded a cautious note.

“A lot of the local police chiefs here, we don’t believe it will survive a constitutional challenge. It doesn’t look like it’s going to, because a Texas peace officer is not trained. We have no training whatsoever to determine whether an individual is here in this country, legally,” said Sheriff Eddie Guerra of Hidalgo County.

Guerra is also the president of the Southwestern Border Sheriffs’ Coalition representing 31 border counties from Texas to California.

The battle over the Texas immigration law is one of multiple legal disputes between Texas officials and the Biden administration over how far the state can go to patrol the Texas-Mexico border and prevent illegal border crossings.

Several Republican governors have backed Gov. Greg Abbott’s efforts, saying the federal government is not doing enough to enforce existing immigration laws.

The Supreme Court in 2012 struck down key parts of an Arizona law that would have allowed police to arrest people for federal immigration violations, often referred to by opponents as the “show me your papers” bill. The divided high court found then that the impasse in Washington over immigration reform did not justify state intrusion.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/5/1683898210525.png" alt="Photo Texas Dept. of Public Safety" />
 <figcaption>Photo Texas Dept. of Public Safety</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) —A divided Supreme Court on Tuesday lifted a stay on a Texas law that gives police&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-texas-2edc0f202156bf792cd531e814bbf2f5#:~:text=Under%20the%20law%2C%20any%20police,law%20could%20potentially%20take%20effect.">broad powers to arrest migrants</a>&nbsp;suspected of crossing the border illegally, while a legal battle over immigration authority plays out.The Biden administration is suing to strike down the measure, arguing it’s a clear violation of federal authority that would hurt international relations and create chaos in administering immigration law. Texas has argued it has a right to take action over what authorities have called an ongoing crisis at the southern border.Opponents say the law, known as Senate Bill 4, the most dramatic attempt by a state to police immigration since an Arizona law more than a decade ago, portions of which were struck down by the Supreme Court. Critics have also said the Texas law could lead to civil rights violations and racial profiling.A federal judge in Texas struck down the law in late February, but the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals quickly stayed that ruling, leading the federal government to appeal to the Supreme Court.The majority did not write a detailed opinion in the case, as it typical in emergency appeals. But the decision to let the law go into effect drew dissents from liberal justices Ketanji Brown Jackson, Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor.Sotomayor wrote in a blistering dissent that allowing Texas to enforce the law “invites further chaos and crisis” and “upends the federal-state balance of power that has existed for over a century"In a separate dissent, Kagan wrote that the type of order entered by the 5th Circuit “should not spell the difference between respecting and revoking long-settled immigration law.”Justice Amy Coney Barrett, joined by fellow conservative Justice Brett Kavanaugh, suggested in a concurring opinion that her vote in favor of Texas stemmed from the technicalities of the appeals process rather than agreement with the state on the substance of the law.“So far as I know, this Court has never reviewed the decision of a court of appeals to enter — or not enter — an administrative stay. I would not get into the business. When entered, an administrative stay is supposed to be a short-lived prelude to the main event: a ruling on the motion for a stay pending appeal,” she wrote.The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals could potentially block the measure again, and either side can return to the Supreme Court once the 5th Circuit acts.Texas Gov Greg Abbott said the ruling allows Texas to begin enforcing the law, calling the decision a “positive development” while noting that an appeals court is still weighing whether the law is constitutional. He has previously said Texas has a right to take action on the border crisis.The Texas Department of Criminal Justice is “prepared to handle any influx in population” spokeswoman Amanda Hernandez said in a statement.Other Texas officials sounded a cautious note.“A lot of the local police chiefs here, we don’t believe it will survive a constitutional challenge. It doesn’t look like it’s going to, because a Texas peace officer is not trained. We have no training whatsoever to determine whether an individual is here in this country, legally,” said Sheriff Eddie Guerra of Hidalgo County.Guerra is also the president of the Southwestern Border Sheriffs’ Coalition representing 31 border counties from Texas to California.The battle over the Texas immigration law is one of multiple legal disputes between Texas officials and the Biden administration over how far the state can go to patrol the Texas-Mexico border and prevent illegal border crossings.Several Republican governors have backed Gov. Greg Abbott’s efforts, saying the federal government is not doing enough to enforce existing immigration laws.The Supreme Court in 2012 struck down key parts of an Arizona law that would have allowed police to arrest people for federal immigration violations, often referred to by opponents as the “show me your papers” bill. The divided high court found then that the impasse in Washington over immigration reform did not justify state intrusion.

Supreme Court will now allow police in Texas to arrest illegal migrants

FRANKLIN COUNTY –&nbsp;The Ottawa Police&nbsp;reported that 74-year-old Linda Duncan was located and is now safe.&nbsp;The&nbsp;Statewide Silver Alert is now canceled.&nbsp;

FRANKLIN COUNTY –&nbsp;The Ottawa Police Department requested the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) issue a statewide Silver Alert for a missing Ottawa woman.&nbsp;

The Ottawa Police Department is asking for help locating&nbsp; missing 74-year-old Linda K. Duncan, from Ottawa, Kansas. Linda is 5-foot-2, 145 pounds, with white hair and blue eyes.

 She may be driving a Red/Maroon, 2007, Kia, Rondo, displaying Kansas License Plate 040-GSY. The vehicle is registered to an address in Ottawa, Kansas.

The vehicle was last seen traveling near the intersection of Webb and Kellogg Streets in Wichita, Kansas on March 7, 2024, at 4:08 p.m. It is not known why Linda would be traveling in the Wichita area.

The department asks anyone with information to contact Ottawa Police Department at 785-242-1700 (Police Dispatch) or immediately call 911. Anyone with tips or information can email the department at&nbsp;opdtips@ottawaks.gov.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1709983374536.png" alt="Linda Duncan courtesy photo" />
 <figcaption>Linda Duncan courtesy photo</figcaption>
 </figure>FRANKLIN COUNTY –&nbsp;The Ottawa Police&nbsp;reported that 74-year-old Linda Duncan was located and is now safe.&nbsp;The&nbsp;Statewide Silver Alert is now canceled.&nbsp;--------------FRANKLIN COUNTY –&nbsp;The Ottawa Police Department requested the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) issue a statewide Silver Alert for a missing Ottawa woman.&nbsp;The Ottawa Police Department is asking for help locating&nbsp; missing 74-year-old Linda K. Duncan, from Ottawa, Kansas. Linda is 5-foot-2, 145 pounds, with white hair and blue eyes. She may be driving a Red/Maroon, 2007, Kia, Rondo, displaying Kansas License Plate 040-GSY. The vehicle is registered to an address in Ottawa, Kansas.The vehicle was last seen traveling near the intersection of Webb and Kellogg Streets in Wichita, Kansas on March 7, 2024, at 4:08 p.m. It is not known why Linda would be traveling in the Wichita area.The department asks anyone with information to contact Ottawa Police Department at 785-242-1700 (Police Dispatch) or immediately call 911. Anyone with tips or information can email the department at&nbsp;opdtips@ottawaks.gov.

KBI: Silver Alert canceled, missing Kansas woman found

DOUGLAS COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a homicide and asking the public’s assistance in locating 21-year-old Dawson Edward Paine.

He is suspected in a deadly shooting Tuesday night in the 2900 block of Crestline Drive, according to a media release from Lawrence Police.

Just after 10:30p.m. Tuesday, police were dispatched to a residence where Paine allegedly shot 18-year-old&nbsp; Davin Gregory Kerr of Lawrence.

After the shooting, Paine left the area prior to the arrival of officers. Kerr was transported by ambulance to a Kansas City area trauma center where he was later pronounced dead.

Police ask that anyone who may have information on the whereabouts of Dawson Paine call 911. He should be considered armed and dangerous, and no one should try approach or contact him other than law enforcement.&nbsp;

Contact police anonymously by calling Crime Stoppers of Lawrence and Douglas County at (785)843-TIPS (8477).

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1709737558547.png" alt="Paine photo Lawrence Police" />
 <figcaption>Paine photo Lawrence Police</figcaption>
 </figure>DOUGLAS COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a homicide and asking the public’s assistance in locating 21-year-old Dawson Edward Paine.He is suspected in a deadly shooting Tuesday night in the 2900 block of Crestline Drive, according to a media release from Lawrence Police.Just after 10:30p.m. Tuesday, police were dispatched to a residence where Paine allegedly shot 18-year-old&nbsp; Davin Gregory Kerr of Lawrence.After the shooting, Paine left the area prior to the arrival of officers. Kerr was transported by ambulance to a Kansas City area trauma center where he was later pronounced dead.Police ask that anyone who may have information on the whereabouts of Dawson Paine call 911. He should be considered armed and dangerous, and no one should try approach or contact him other than law enforcement.&nbsp;Contact police anonymously by calling Crime Stoppers of Lawrence and Douglas County at (785)843-TIPS (8477).

Search continues for armed, dangerous Kan. murder suspect

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. will begin airdropping emergency humanitarian assistance into Gaza, President Joe Biden said Friday, a day after more than 100 Palestinians were killed during a chaotic encounter with Israeli troops.

The president&nbsp;<a href="https://pronto.associatedpress.com/web/search/text?all=false&amp;sourceType=allSources&amp;dateRangeType=live&amp;mediaSortType=newest&amp;pagesize=10&amp;viewType=conversation&amp;keyword=wire:dsa%20AND%20Gaza&amp;storyType=all&amp;mediatype=text&amp;pagenumber=0">announced the move</a>&nbsp;after at least 115 Palestinians were killed and more than 750 others were injured, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry, on Thursday when witnesses said Israeli troops opened fire as huge crowds raced to pull goods off an aid convoy.

Biden said the airdrops&nbsp;<a href="https://pronto.associatedpress.com/web/search/text?all=false&amp;sourceType=allSources&amp;dateRangeType=live&amp;mediaSortType=newest&amp;pagesize=10&amp;viewType=conversation&amp;keyword=wire:dsa%20AND%20Gaza&amp;storyType=all&amp;mediatype=text&amp;pagenumber=0">would begin soon</a>&nbsp;and that the United States was looking into additional ways to facilitate getting badly needed aid into&nbsp;<a href="https://pronto.associatedpress.com/web/search/text?all=false&amp;sourceType=allSources&amp;dateRangeType=live&amp;mediaSortType=newest&amp;pagesize=10&amp;viewType=conversation&amp;keyword=wire:dsa%20AND%20Gaza&amp;storyType=all&amp;mediatype=text&amp;pagenumber=0">the war-battered territory</a>&nbsp;to ease the suffering of Palestinians.

“In the coming days we’re going to join with our friends in Jordan and others who are providing airdrops of additional food and supplies” and will "seek to open up other avenues in, including possibly a marine corridor,” Biden said.

The president twice referred to airdrops to help Ukraine, but White House officials clarified that he was referring to Gaza.

Israel said many of the dead were trampled in a stampede linked to the chaos and that its troops fired at some in the crowd who they believed moved toward them in a threatening way. The Israeli government has said it is investigating the matter.

The head of a Gaza City hospital that treated some of those wounded said Friday that&nbsp;<a href="https://pronto.associatedpress.com/web/search/text?all=false&amp;sourceType=allSources&amp;dateRangeType=live&amp;mediaSortType=newest&amp;pagesize=10&amp;viewType=conversation&amp;keyword=wire:dsa%20AND%20Gaza&amp;storyType=all&amp;mediatype=text&amp;pagenumber=0">more than 80% had been struck by gunfire.</a>

Biden made his announcement while hosting Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni at the White house.

“Aid flowing to Gaza is nowhere nearly enough," Biden said. "Now, it’s nowhere nearly enough. Innocent lives are on the line and children’s lives are on the line. We won’t stand by until we get more aid in there. We should be getting hundreds of trucks in, not just several.”

The White House, State Department and Pentagon had been weighing the merits of U.S. military airdrops of assistance for several months, but had held off due to concerns that the method is inefficient, has no way of ensuring the aid gets to civilians in need and cannot make up for overland aid deliveries.

Administration officials said their preference was to further increase overland aid deliveries through the Rafah and Kerem Shalom border points and to try to get Israel to open the Erez Crossing into northern Gaza.

The incident on Thursday appeared to tip the balance and push Biden to approve airdrops. White House national security spokesman John Kirby said that airdrops are difficult operations, but the acute need for aid in Gaza informed the president's decision.

He stressed that ground routes will be continued to be used to get aid into Gaza, and that the airdrops are a supplemental effort.

“It’s not the kind of thing you want to do in a heartbeat. you want to think it through carefully," Kirby said. He added, “There’s few military operations that are more complicated than humanitarian assistance airdrops”

Pressure has been mounting for Biden to move more aggressively to ease Palestinian suffering, including from lawmakers of Biden’s Democratic Party. Even before Thursday’s deaths, Sen. Jack Reed, chairman of the Senate’s Armed Services Committee, wrote Biden this week to urge that the administration deploy a military hospital ship and support units to help treat Gaza’s wounded and open a sea route to Gaza for delivery of humanitarian aid.

“Yesterday’s event, I think, underscores the need to find more creative ways of getting assistance in faster and at greater scale,” Kirby said.

Egypt, France, Jordan, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates have already used airdrops to get aid into Gaza since the conflict started in October.

Biden in his visit with Meloni at the White House also sought to assure European leaders that the U.S. remains behind Ukraine even as he's been unable to win passage of a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-aid-congress-senate-china-d7b4846de76a1dfe5d2207b7eb6eeead">supplemental foreign aid package</a>&nbsp;that includes $60 billion for Ukraine in addition to $35 billion for Israel and Taiwan. The legislation has passed the Senate, but Republican Speaker Mike Johnson has refused to put it up for a vote in the House.

Ahead of Meloni's visit, White House officials said they don't have good answers for allies about finding an end to the impasse with House Republicans and reopening the American spigot of aid to Kyiv that's badly needed as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine">Ukraine tries to fend off Russia's</a>&nbsp;invasion.

Biden, along with top Democrats and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, strongly&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-johnson-israel-ukraine-shutdown-government-dc6d39b2a652130c6e3021394c1a3ee3">urged</a>&nbsp;Johnson during a White House meeting this week to take up the foreign aid package, but Johnson responded by saying that Congress “must take care of America’s needs first.”

The leaders also discussed efforts by the U.S., Egypt and Qatar to broker an extended cease-fire between Israel and Hamas, Italy's priorities for a G7 presidency, migrant flows into Italy from North Africa, and their countries' China policies.

Biden said earlier this week that a cease-fire deal could be reached by Monday, before tempering his optimism after Thursday's incident. But on Friday, Biden said he still held hope that a deal can be struck, possibly before Muslims around the globe begin observing the holy month of Ramadan that is expected to begin on March 10.

“I'm still hoping so,” Biden told reporters on Friday evening before departing the White House for the presidential retreat at Camp David, Md. "We’re still working real hard at it. We’re not there yet.”

Meloni said solving the humanitarian crisis in Gaza was Italy's top priority.

“We need to coordinate our actions to avoid an escalation, and this regard we fully support the U.S. mediation efforts,” she said.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. will begin airdropping emergency humanitarian assistance into Gaza, President Joe Biden said Friday, a day after more than 100 Palestinians were killed during a chaotic encounter with Israeli troops.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">President Biden: &quot;We&#39;re trying to work out a deal between Israel and Hamas the hostages being returned and immediate ceasefire in Gaza for at least the next six weeks.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/caW7nQFKov">pic.twitter.com/caW7nQFKov</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1763659658089083168?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 1, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The president&nbsp;<a href="https://pronto.associatedpress.com/web/search/text?all=false&amp;sourceType=allSources&amp;dateRangeType=live&amp;mediaSortType=newest&amp;pagesize=10&amp;viewType=conversation&amp;keyword=wire:dsa%20AND%20Gaza&amp;storyType=all&amp;mediatype=text&amp;pagenumber=0">announced the move</a>&nbsp;after at least 115 Palestinians were killed and more than 750 others were injured, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry, on Thursday when witnesses said Israeli troops opened fire as huge crowds raced to pull goods off an aid convoy.Biden said the airdrops&nbsp;<a href="https://pronto.associatedpress.com/web/search/text?all=false&amp;sourceType=allSources&amp;dateRangeType=live&amp;mediaSortType=newest&amp;pagesize=10&amp;viewType=conversation&amp;keyword=wire:dsa%20AND%20Gaza&amp;storyType=all&amp;mediatype=text&amp;pagenumber=0">would begin soon</a>&nbsp;and that the United States was looking into additional ways to facilitate getting badly needed aid into&nbsp;<a href="https://pronto.associatedpress.com/web/search/text?all=false&amp;sourceType=allSources&amp;dateRangeType=live&amp;mediaSortType=newest&amp;pagesize=10&amp;viewType=conversation&amp;keyword=wire:dsa%20AND%20Gaza&amp;storyType=all&amp;mediatype=text&amp;pagenumber=0">the war-battered territory</a>&nbsp;to ease the suffering of Palestinians.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">In the coming days, the United States will carry out airdrops of aid to Gaza, redouble our efforts to open a maritime corridor, and expand deliveries by land. The aid flowing into Gaza is nowhere near enough. We all need to do more. And the United States will do more.&mdash; President Biden (@POTUS) <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS/status/1763702007469085066?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 1, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>“In the coming days we’re going to join with our friends in Jordan and others who are providing airdrops of additional food and supplies” and will "seek to open up other avenues in, including possibly a marine corridor,” Biden said.The president twice referred to airdrops to help Ukraine, but White House officials clarified that he was referring to Gaza.Israel said many of the dead were trampled in a stampede linked to the chaos and that its troops fired at some in the crowd who they believed moved toward them in a threatening way. The Israeli government has said it is investigating the matter.The head of a Gaza City hospital that treated some of those wounded said Friday that&nbsp;<a href="https://pronto.associatedpress.com/web/search/text?all=false&amp;sourceType=allSources&amp;dateRangeType=live&amp;mediaSortType=newest&amp;pagesize=10&amp;viewType=conversation&amp;keyword=wire:dsa%20AND%20Gaza&amp;storyType=all&amp;mediatype=text&amp;pagenumber=0">more than 80% had been struck by gunfire.</a>Biden made his announcement while hosting Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni at the White house.“Aid flowing to Gaza is nowhere nearly enough," Biden said. "Now, it’s nowhere nearly enough. Innocent lives are on the line and children’s lives are on the line. We won’t stand by until we get more aid in there. We should be getting hundreds of trucks in, not just several.”The White House, State Department and Pentagon had been weighing the merits of U.S. military airdrops of assistance for several months, but had held off due to concerns that the method is inefficient, has no way of ensuring the aid gets to civilians in need and cannot make up for overland aid deliveries.Administration officials said their preference was to further increase overland aid deliveries through the Rafah and Kerem Shalom border points and to try to get Israel to open the Erez Crossing into northern Gaza.The incident on Thursday appeared to tip the balance and push Biden to approve airdrops. White House national security spokesman John Kirby said that airdrops are difficult operations, but the acute need for aid in Gaza informed the president's decision.He stressed that ground routes will be continued to be used to get aid into Gaza, and that the airdrops are a supplemental effort.“It’s not the kind of thing you want to do in a heartbeat. you want to think it through carefully," Kirby said. He added, “There’s few military operations that are more complicated than humanitarian assistance airdrops”Pressure has been mounting for Biden to move more aggressively to ease Palestinian suffering, including from lawmakers of Biden’s Democratic Party. Even before Thursday’s deaths, Sen. Jack Reed, chairman of the Senate’s Armed Services Committee, wrote Biden this week to urge that the administration deploy a military hospital ship and support units to help treat Gaza’s wounded and open a sea route to Gaza for delivery of humanitarian aid.“Yesterday’s event, I think, underscores the need to find more creative ways of getting assistance in faster and at greater scale,” Kirby said.Egypt, France, Jordan, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates have already used airdrops to get aid into Gaza since the conflict started in October.Biden in his visit with Meloni at the White House also sought to assure European leaders that the U.S. remains behind Ukraine even as he's been unable to win passage of a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-aid-congress-senate-china-d7b4846de76a1dfe5d2207b7eb6eeead">supplemental foreign aid package</a>&nbsp;that includes $60 billion for Ukraine in addition to $35 billion for Israel and Taiwan. The legislation has passed the Senate, but Republican Speaker Mike Johnson has refused to put it up for a vote in the House.Ahead of Meloni's visit, White House officials said they don't have good answers for allies about finding an end to the impasse with House Republicans and reopening the American spigot of aid to Kyiv that's badly needed as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine">Ukraine tries to fend off Russia's</a>&nbsp;invasion.Biden, along with top Democrats and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, strongly&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-johnson-israel-ukraine-shutdown-government-dc6d39b2a652130c6e3021394c1a3ee3">urged</a>&nbsp;Johnson during a White House meeting this week to take up the foreign aid package, but Johnson responded by saying that Congress “must take care of America’s needs first.”The leaders also discussed efforts by the U.S., Egypt and Qatar to broker an extended cease-fire between Israel and Hamas, Italy's priorities for a G7 presidency, migrant flows into Italy from North Africa, and their countries' China policies.Biden said earlier this week that a cease-fire deal could be reached by Monday, before tempering his optimism after Thursday's incident. But on Friday, Biden said he still held hope that a deal can be struck, possibly before Muslims around the globe begin observing the holy month of Ramadan that is expected to begin on March 10.“I'm still hoping so,” Biden told reporters on Friday evening before departing the White House for the presidential retreat at Camp David, Md. "We’re still working real hard at it. We’re not there yet.”Meloni said solving the humanitarian crisis in Gaza was Italy's top priority.“We need to coordinate our actions to avoid an escalation, and this regard we fully support the U.S. mediation efforts,” she said.___

🎥Biden: US military to airdrop food and supplies into Gaza

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — The moon’s newest arrival was said to be “alive and well” a day after making the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/moon-landing-private-company-intuitive-machines-9c896bfca61582773d381f4045fd35d7">first U.S. landing</a>&nbsp;in half a century, but flight controllers were still trying to get a better handle on its bearings.

Intuitive Machines reported Friday that it’s communicating with its lander, Odysseus, and sending commands to acquire science data. But it noted: “We continue to learn more about the vehicle’s specific information” regarding location, overall health and positioning.

(click below to watch a replay of the landing)

The Houston company was shooting for the south polar region, near the Malapert A crater, closer to the pole than anyone else so NASA could scout out the area before astronauts show up later this decade.

With Thursday’s touchdown, Intuitive Machines became the first private business to pull off a moon landing, a feat previously achieved by only five countries. The mission was sponsored in large part by NASA, whose experiments were on board. NASA paid $118 million for the delivery under a program meant to jump-start the lunar economy.

One of the NASA experiments was pressed into service when the lander's navigation system failed in the final few hours before touchdown. The lander took an extra lap around the moon to allow time for the last-minute switch to NASA's laser system.

“Odie is a scrapper,” mission director Tim Crain said late Thursday via X, formerly Twitter.

Another experiment didn't go so well. Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University's EagleCam — a set of six cameras — was supposed to eject 30 seconds before touchdown so it could capture pictures from afar of Odysseus' touchdown. EagleCam landed, instead, still attached to the lander.

The original plan had to be modified during the last orbit due to “unexpected events,” a university spokeswoman explained.

Intuitive Machines was the second company to aim for the moon under NASA's commercial lunar services program. Last month, Pittsburgh's Astrobotic Technology gave it a shot, but a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/moon-landing-spacecraft-reenter-burned-e7abeeac01711633eaa807b050704084">fuel leak on the lander</a>&nbsp;cut the mission short and the craft ended up crashing back to Earth.

Until Thursday, the U.S. had not landed on the moon since Apollo 17's Gene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt closed out NASA's famed moon-landing program in December 1972. NASA's new effort to return astronauts to the moon is named Artemis after Apollo's mythological twin sister. The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nasa-moon-landings-artemis-delay-23e425d490c0c9e65ae774ec2e00f090">first Artemis crew landing</a>&nbsp;is planned for 2026 at the earliest.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/2/1708707904055.png" alt="Image from a simulation video provided by Intuitive Machines&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>Image from a simulation video provided by Intuitive Machines&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — The moon’s newest arrival was said to be “alive and well” a day after making the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/moon-landing-private-company-intuitive-machines-9c896bfca61582773d381f4045fd35d7">first U.S. landing</a>&nbsp;in half a century, but flight controllers were still trying to get a better handle on its bearings.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Lunar Surface Day One Update (23FEB2024 0818 CST) Odysseus is alive and well. Flight controllers are communicating and commanding the vehicle to download science data. The lander has good telemetry and solar charging. We continue to learn more about the vehicle’s specific…&mdash; Intuitive Machines (@Int_Machines) <a href="https://twitter.com/Int_Machines/status/1761032731729739804?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 23, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Intuitive Machines reported Friday that it’s communicating with its lander, Odysseus, and sending commands to acquire science data. But it noted: “We continue to learn more about the vehicle’s specific information” regarding location, overall health and positioning.(click below to watch a replay of the landing)<div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Dg2ffigGcYM?si=faNrnj88EqV5Ek9W" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>The Houston company was shooting for the south polar region, near the Malapert A crater, closer to the pole than anyone else so NASA could scout out the area before astronauts show up later this decade.With Thursday’s touchdown, Intuitive Machines became the first private business to pull off a moon landing, a feat previously achieved by only five countries. The mission was sponsored in large part by NASA, whose experiments were on board. NASA paid $118 million for the delivery under a program meant to jump-start the lunar economy.One of the NASA experiments was pressed into service when the lander's navigation system failed in the final few hours before touchdown. The lander took an extra lap around the moon to allow time for the last-minute switch to NASA's laser system.“Odie is a scrapper,” mission director Tim Crain said late Thursday via X, formerly Twitter.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/2/1708646787215.png" alt="-Members of the Intuitive Machines team celebrate the success Thursday evening" />
 <figcaption>-Members of the Intuitive Machines team celebrate the success Thursday evening</figcaption>
 </figure>Another experiment didn't go so well. Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University's EagleCam — a set of six cameras — was supposed to eject 30 seconds before touchdown so it could capture pictures from afar of Odysseus' touchdown. EagleCam landed, instead, still attached to the lander.The original plan had to be modified during the last orbit due to “unexpected events,” a university spokeswoman explained.Intuitive Machines was the second company to aim for the moon under NASA's commercial lunar services program. Last month, Pittsburgh's Astrobotic Technology gave it a shot, but a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/moon-landing-spacecraft-reenter-burned-e7abeeac01711633eaa807b050704084">fuel leak on the lander</a>&nbsp;cut the mission short and the craft ended up crashing back to Earth.Until Thursday, the U.S. had not landed on the moon since Apollo 17's Gene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt closed out NASA's famed moon-landing program in December 1972. NASA's new effort to return astronauts to the moon is named Artemis after Apollo's mythological twin sister. The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nasa-moon-landings-artemis-delay-23e425d490c0c9e65ae774ec2e00f090">first Artemis crew landing</a>&nbsp;is planned for 2026 at the earliest.

Lander 'alive and well' after first US moon landing in a half century

POTTAWATOMIE COUNTY — The Riley County Police Department reported just before 10a.m. Wednesday, that missing Anabelle Deacon has been located.

POTTAWATOMIE COUNTY –&nbsp;The Pottawatomie County Sheriff’s Office requested the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) issue an endangered persons advisory for a missing Manhattan girl, according to a media release from the KBI.

The whereabouts of 12-year-old Anabelle C. Deacon are unknown, and the public’s assistance is requested to help locate her.

Anabelle lives in Manhattan, Kansas, and in rural Pottawatomie County. She was last seen walking east on Heather Lane in Manhattan on Wednesday morning around 6:50 a.m. She was last known wearing a St. Francis Xavier’s catholic school uniform, which is tan khaki pants, and a blue polo shirt. She may also be wearing a black hoodie.

Anabelle is described as a white female, approximately 5 foot 5 inches tall, and weighing around 110 pounds. She has brown curly hair, brown eyes, and wears glasses.

If you see Anabelle, call 911 immediately. If you have any other information about this case, please call the&nbsp;Pottawatomie County Sheriff’s Office at&nbsp;(785) 457-3353.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/2/1707925699200.png" alt="Anabelle C. Deacon courtesy photo" />
 <figcaption>Anabelle C. Deacon courtesy photo</figcaption>
 </figure>POTTAWATOMIE COUNTY — The Riley County Police Department reported just before 10a.m. Wednesday, that missing Anabelle Deacon has been located.---------POTTAWATOMIE COUNTY –&nbsp;The Pottawatomie County Sheriff’s Office requested the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) issue an endangered persons advisory for a missing Manhattan girl, according to a media release from the KBI.The whereabouts of 12-year-old Anabelle C. Deacon are unknown, and the public’s assistance is requested to help locate her.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/2/1707925762367.png" alt="Anabelle C. Deacon courtesy photo" />
 <figcaption>Anabelle C. Deacon courtesy photo</figcaption>
 </figure>Anabelle lives in Manhattan, Kansas, and in rural Pottawatomie County. She was last seen walking east on Heather Lane in Manhattan on Wednesday morning around 6:50 a.m. She was last known wearing a St. Francis Xavier’s catholic school uniform, which is tan khaki pants, and a blue polo shirt. She may also be wearing a black hoodie.Anabelle is described as a white female, approximately 5 foot 5 inches tall, and weighing around 110 pounds. She has brown curly hair, brown eyes, and wears glasses.If you see Anabelle, call 911 immediately. If you have any other information about this case, please call the&nbsp;Pottawatomie County Sheriff’s Office at&nbsp;(785) 457-3353.

Police: Missing Manhattan girl found safe

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Several elected leaders in Oregon declared a state of emergency last week for downtown Portland over the public health and public safety crisis fueled by fentanyl.

This comes as&nbsp;Democratic lawmakers in Oregon last month unveiled a sweeping new bill that would undo a key part of the state’s first-in-the-nation drug decriminalization law, a recognition that public opinion has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/oregon-drugs-decriminalization-pushback-bb209e6ba9835c69f95b093c8ee00279">soured on the measure</a>&nbsp;amid rampant public drug use during the fentanyl crisis.

Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek, Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler and Multnomah County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson made the emergency declaration for a 90-day period during which collaboration and response will come from a command center downtown. The three governments are directing their agencies to work with first responders in connecting people addicted to the synthetic opioid with resources including drug treatment programs and to crack down on drug sales.

“Our country and our state have never seen a drug this deadly addictive, and all are grappling with how to respond,” Kotek said in a statement.

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Several elected leaders in Oregon declared a state of emergency last week for downtown Portland over the public health and public safety crisis fueled by fentanyl.This comes as&nbsp;Democratic lawmakers in Oregon last month unveiled a sweeping new bill that would undo a key part of the state’s first-in-the-nation drug decriminalization law, a recognition that public opinion has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/oregon-drugs-decriminalization-pushback-bb209e6ba9835c69f95b093c8ee00279">soured on the measure</a>&nbsp;amid rampant public drug use during the fentanyl crisis.Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek, Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler and Multnomah County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson made the emergency declaration for a 90-day period during which collaboration and response will come from a command center downtown. The three governments are directing their agencies to work with first responders in connecting people addicted to the synthetic opioid with resources including drug treatment programs and to crack down on drug sales.“Our country and our state have never seen a drug this deadly addictive, and all are grappling with how to respond,” Kotek said in a statement.The declaration is a recommendation from a governor-established task force that met for several months last year to determine ways to rejuvenate downtown Portland.People addicted to fentanyl who interact with first responders in Portland’s downtown in the next 90 days will be triaged by this new command center. Staff can connect people with various resources from a bed in a drug treatment center to meeting with a behavioral health clinician to help with registering for food stamps.“We cannot underestimate the tremendous value of bringing leaders from different disciplines in a room on a daily basis who all account for a different part of the solution,” Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler said in a statement.Mike Myers, the director of Portland’s Community Safety Division, will head the city’s command team. Nathan Reynolds, deputy policy chief at the state’s Office of Resilience and Emergency Management, will be the state’s incident commander.The effort also extends the Portland Police Bureau’s partnership with Oregon State Police to jointly patrol downtown streets for fentanyl sales. It additionally kicks off information campaigns centered on drug use prevention and recovery programs across the region. The county will expand outreach and training on how to administer Narcan, an overdose-reversal drug.The program doesn’t establish any goals to measure success. Kotek said the next 90 days will provide a road map for the next steps.The synthetic opioid addiction and overdose crisis that has gripped the U.S. for over two decades has left governments at the federal, state and local levels&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fentanyl-opioids-oregon-washington-legislature-2db8e01e0cdc26fb72f119fe99cdb73a" target="_blank">scrambling for solutions</a>.At the state level, Oregon lawmakers have introduced a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/oregon-drug-decriminalization-law-3f851183d45e9c29609360b09e996d04" target="_blank">new bill</a>&nbsp;that would undo a key part of the state’s drug decriminalization law.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/oregon-drugs-decriminalization-pushback-bb209e6ba9835c69f95b093c8ee00279" target="_blank">Public opinion has soured</a>&nbsp;on it as public drug use has become more visible because of growing homelessness.And President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping announced last fall that China was telling its chemical companies to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-xi-fentanyl-agreement-mexico-china-opioids-1fa57facd0dbdac714b616d705952d92" target="_blank">restrict shipments to Latin America and elsewhere of the materials used to produce fentanyl</a>, which is largely finished in Mexico and then smuggled into the U.S.

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