SHAWNEE COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a burglary and have two suspects in custody.

After 12:15 a.m. on Thursday, deputies were checking the security of a business in the 5500 block of SW Randolph Avenue, according to Shawnee County Sheriff's Deputy Abigail Christian. Deputies found indications of recent damage to the property and evidence of a suspected burglary. Evidence was collected and they continued surveillance of the property.

The Sheriff’s Office said around 4:40 a.m., a black 2000 Mercury Mountaineer arrived and parked near the area where deputies observed the damage to the property. Multiple law enforcement officers surrounded the property and deployed a drone. A few minutes later, an individual wearing a face mask and carrying a pry bar emerged from the property and was immediately arrested. A second individual located inside the suspect vehicle was also arrested at the scene.

According to the Sheriff’s Office, Zackery W. Slover, 42, and Richard M. Lane, 42, both of Topeka, were booked into the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.snco.us/doc/" target="_blank">Shawnee County Department of Corrections</a>&nbsp;on requested charges of burglary.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1716151885045.png" alt="Lane-photo Shawnee Co." />
 <figcaption>Lane-photo Shawnee Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a burglary and have two suspects in custody.After 12:15 a.m. on Thursday, deputies were checking the security of a business in the 5500 block of SW Randolph Avenue, according to Shawnee County Sheriff's Deputy Abigail Christian. Deputies found indications of recent damage to the property and evidence of a suspected burglary. Evidence was collected and they continued surveillance of the property.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1716151826361.png" alt="Slover -photo Shawnee Co." />
 <figcaption>Slover -photo Shawnee Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>The Sheriff’s Office said around 4:40 a.m., a black 2000 Mercury Mountaineer arrived and parked near the area where deputies observed the damage to the property. Multiple law enforcement officers surrounded the property and deployed a drone. A few minutes later, an individual wearing a face mask and carrying a pry bar emerged from the property and was immediately arrested. A second individual located inside the suspect vehicle was also arrested at the scene.According to the Sheriff’s Office, Zackery W. Slover, 42, and Richard M. Lane, 42, both of Topeka, were booked into the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.snco.us/doc/" target="_blank">Shawnee County Department of Corrections</a>&nbsp;on requested charges of burglary.

Kansas burglary suspect caught carrying a pry bar

WICHITA, KAN. – A $23,197.00 default judgment was entered against a Wichita pawnbroker for engaging in deceptive and unconscionable acts under the Kansas Consumer Protection Act (KCPA), according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.

The matter was investigated by the Office of the District Attorney’s Consumer Protection Division after receiving a consumer complaint against Ethan Ma, doing business as 1st Gold, 2408 S. Hillside.

The Consumer Protection Division alleged Ethan Ma violated the Kansas Consumer Protection Act (KCPA) by acting as an unlicensed pawnbroker and failing to return a consumer’s property offered as surety on a loan. The Court found these alleged violations to be deceptive and unconscionable under the KCPA. As part of the ruling, the Court ordered Ethan Ma to pay $2,000.00 in restitution to the consumer, $20,000.00 in civil penalties, as well as court costs and investigation fees. The court also ordered Ethan Ma to refrain from engaging in consumer transactions in Kansas until he is properly licensed and all restitution, costs and fees are paid.

The District Attorney reminds consumers to exercise care when pawning items of value, especially those with sentimental value, because they may be difficult or impossible to recover. The City of Wichita requires all pawnbrokers to be licensed, and every loan must be evidenced by a written contract, a copy of which must be provided to the borrower. The City of Wichita also requires all pawnbrokers to post their license in a conspicuous place at or near the entrance to the licensed pawnshop.

The default judgment was ordered on April 30, 2024 by Judge Stephen Ternes. The case was investigated by Kristen Zluticky of the District Attorney’s Office.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1716135972435.png" alt="The default judgment was ordered on April 30, by Judge Stephen Ternes. -Google image" />
 <figcaption>The default judgment was ordered on April 30, by Judge Stephen Ternes. -Google image</figcaption>
 </figure>WICHITA, KAN. – A $23,197.00 default judgment was entered against a Wichita pawnbroker for engaging in deceptive and unconscionable acts under the Kansas Consumer Protection Act (KCPA), according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.The matter was investigated by the Office of the District Attorney’s Consumer Protection Division after receiving a consumer complaint against Ethan Ma, doing business as 1st Gold, 2408 S. Hillside.The Consumer Protection Division alleged Ethan Ma violated the Kansas Consumer Protection Act (KCPA) by acting as an unlicensed pawnbroker and failing to return a consumer’s property offered as surety on a loan. The Court found these alleged violations to be deceptive and unconscionable under the KCPA. As part of the ruling, the Court ordered Ethan Ma to pay $2,000.00 in restitution to the consumer, $20,000.00 in civil penalties, as well as court costs and investigation fees. The court also ordered Ethan Ma to refrain from engaging in consumer transactions in Kansas until he is properly licensed and all restitution, costs and fees are paid.The District Attorney reminds consumers to exercise care when pawning items of value, especially those with sentimental value, because they may be difficult or impossible to recover. The City of Wichita requires all pawnbrokers to be licensed, and every loan must be evidenced by a written contract, a copy of which must be provided to the borrower. The City of Wichita also requires all pawnbrokers to post their license in a conspicuous place at or near the entrance to the licensed pawnshop.The default judgment was ordered on April 30, 2024 by Judge Stephen Ternes. The case was investigated by Kristen Zluticky of the District Attorney’s Office.

Kansas pawn shop ordered to pay thousands of dollars in fines

BEIRUT (AP) — The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-president-ebrahim-raisi-426c6f4ae2dd1f0801c73875bb696f48">helicopter crash that killed Iran’s president</a>&nbsp;and foreign minister has sent shock waves around the region.

Iranian state media on Monday said that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/ebrahim-raisi">President Ebrahim Raisi</a>, the country’s foreign minister, Hossein Amirabdollahian, and others had been found dead after an hourslong search through a foggy, mountainous region of the country’s northwest. State TV gave no immediate cause for the crash.

WHO WAS ON BOARD AND WHERE WERE THEY GOING?

The helicopter on Sunday was carrying Raisi, Amirabdollahian, the governor of Iran’s East Azerbaijan province and other officials, according to the state-run IRNA news agency.

Raisi was returning after traveling to Iran’s border with Azerbaijan to inaugurate a dam with Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev when the crash occurred in the Dizmar forest in East Azerbaijan province.

IRNA said the crash killed eight people including three crew members aboard the Bell helicopter, which Iran purchased in the early 2000s.

Iranian officials said the mountainous, forested terrain and heavy fog impeded search-and-rescue operations, which continued overnight.

The president of the Iranian Red Crescent Society, Pir-Hossein Koulivand, said Sunday evening that 40 search teams were on the ground despite “challenging weather conditions.” Because of the bad weather, it was "impossible to conduct aerial searches” via drones, Koulivand said, according to IRNA.

It was not until early Monday that officials announced the helicopter had been found and all of its occupants were dead.

Early Monday, Turkish authorities released what they described as drone footage showing what appeared to be a fire in the wilderness that they “suspected to be wreckage of a helicopter.” The coordinates listed in the footage put the fire about 20 kilometers (12 miles) south of the Azerbaijan-Iranian border on the side of a steep mountain.

Footage released by IRNA showed what the agency described as the crash site, across a steep valley in a mountain range. Soldiers speaking in the local Azeri language said: “There it is, we found it.” Shortly after that, state TV in an on-screen scrolling text said: “There is no sign of life from people on board.”

Raisi was seen as a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-president-raisi-helicopter-a02630b6dca3cac455cacd16690b710f">protege to Iran’s supreme leader</a>&nbsp;Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and a potential successor for his position within the country’s Shiite theocracy.

Under the Iranian constitution, if a president dies, the country’s first vice president — in this case,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-mohammad-mokhber-raisi-crash-2cf93c2e6fb11f9c2aff13fed133db41">Mohammad Mokhber</a>&nbsp;— would become president. Khamenei has publicly assured Iranians that there would be “no disruption to the operations of the country” as a result of the crash.

After news broke of the search operation, countries including Russia, Iraq and Qatar made statements of concern about Raisi’s fate and offered to assist in the search.

Azerbaijani President Aliyev offered any support necessary. Relations between the two countries have been chilly due to Azerbaijan’s diplomatic relations with Israel, Iran's regional arch-enemy.

Saudi Arabia, traditionally a rival of Iran although the two countries&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/china-iran-saudi-diplomatic-relations-beijing-d12dc5dc4049052c6228caceaa2a2b9f">recently made a rapprochement</a>, said it stands by "Iran in these difficult circumstances.”

There was no immediate official reaction from Israel. Last month, following an Israeli strike on an Iranian consular building in Damascus that killed two Iranian generals, Tehran&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-israel-mideast-consulate-drones-attack-f3c5ba6491d9c01a84456a2ef3faeb6c">launched hundreds of missiles</a>&nbsp;and drones at Israel. They were mostly shot down and tensions have apparently subsided.

The U.S., which has its own history of tensions with Tehran, issued condolences in a State Department statement and added that "we reaffirm our support for the Iranian people and their struggle for human rights and fundamental freedoms.”

BEIRUT (AP) — The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-president-ebrahim-raisi-426c6f4ae2dd1f0801c73875bb696f48">helicopter crash that killed Iran’s president</a>&nbsp;and foreign minister has sent shock waves around the region.Iranian state media on Monday said that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/ebrahim-raisi">President Ebrahim Raisi</a>, the country’s foreign minister, Hossein Amirabdollahian, and others had been found dead after an hourslong search through a foggy, mountainous region of the country’s northwest. State TV gave no immediate cause for the crash.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Q: &quot;Are you concerned that Iran is going to try and blame Israel or even the United States for the crash that killed the president yesterday? .<a href="https://twitter.com/SecDef?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SecDef</a> Austin: &quot;The United States had no part to play in that crash and that&#39;s a fact, plain and simple.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/eU7ew3NTeS">pic.twitter.com/eU7ew3NTeS</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1792603940665565386?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 20, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Here’s what we know so far.WHO WAS ON BOARD AND WHERE WERE THEY GOING?The helicopter on Sunday was carrying Raisi, Amirabdollahian, the governor of Iran’s East Azerbaijan province and other officials, according to the state-run IRNA news agency.Raisi was returning after traveling to Iran’s border with Azerbaijan to inaugurate a dam with Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev when the crash occurred in the Dizmar forest in East Azerbaijan province.IRNA said the crash killed eight people including three crew members aboard the Bell helicopter, which Iran purchased in the early 2000s.HOW DID THE SEARCH OPERATION GO?Iranian officials said the mountainous, forested terrain and heavy fog impeded search-and-rescue operations, which continued overnight.The president of the Iranian Red Crescent Society, Pir-Hossein Koulivand, said Sunday evening that 40 search teams were on the ground despite “challenging weather conditions.” Because of the bad weather, it was "impossible to conduct aerial searches” via drones, Koulivand said, according to IRNA.It was not until early Monday that officials announced the helicopter had been found and all of its occupants were dead.HOW WAS THE CRASH SITE FOUND?Early Monday, Turkish authorities released what they described as drone footage showing what appeared to be a fire in the wilderness that they “suspected to be wreckage of a helicopter.” The coordinates listed in the footage put the fire about 20 kilometers (12 miles) south of the Azerbaijan-Iranian border on the side of a steep mountain.Footage released by IRNA showed what the agency described as the crash site, across a steep valley in a mountain range. Soldiers speaking in the local Azeri language said: “There it is, we found it.” Shortly after that, state TV in an on-screen scrolling text said: “There is no sign of life from people on board.”HOW WILL RAISI'S DEATH IMPACT IRAN?Raisi was seen as a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-president-raisi-helicopter-a02630b6dca3cac455cacd16690b710f">protege to Iran’s supreme leader</a>&nbsp;Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and a potential successor for his position within the country’s Shiite theocracy.Under the Iranian constitution, if a president dies, the country’s first vice president — in this case,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-mohammad-mokhber-raisi-crash-2cf93c2e6fb11f9c2aff13fed133db41">Mohammad Mokhber</a>&nbsp;— would become president. Khamenei has publicly assured Iranians that there would be “no disruption to the operations of the country” as a result of the crash.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/StateDeptSpox?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@StateDeptSpox</a> on death of Iranian President Raisi: &quot;We regret any loss of life, we don&#39;t want to see anyone die in a helicopter crash, but that doesn&#39;t change the reality of his record both as a judge and as the president of Iran, the fact that he has blood on his hands...&quot; <a href="https://t.co/EbLIS2vqeq">pic.twitter.com/EbLIS2vqeq</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1792620008419233979?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 20, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>WHAT HAS INTERNATIONAL REACTION BEEN?After news broke of the search operation, countries including Russia, Iraq and Qatar made statements of concern about Raisi’s fate and offered to assist in the search.Azerbaijani President Aliyev offered any support necessary. Relations between the two countries have been chilly due to Azerbaijan’s diplomatic relations with Israel, Iran's regional arch-enemy.Saudi Arabia, traditionally a rival of Iran although the two countries&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/china-iran-saudi-diplomatic-relations-beijing-d12dc5dc4049052c6228caceaa2a2b9f">recently made a rapprochement</a>, said it stands by "Iran in these difficult circumstances.”There was no immediate official reaction from Israel. Last month, following an Israeli strike on an Iranian consular building in Damascus that killed two Iranian generals, Tehran&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-israel-mideast-consulate-drones-attack-f3c5ba6491d9c01a84456a2ef3faeb6c">launched hundreds of missiles</a>&nbsp;and drones at Israel. They were mostly shot down and tensions have apparently subsided.The U.S., which has its own history of tensions with Tehran, issued condolences in a State Department statement and added that "we reaffirm our support for the Iranian people and their struggle for human rights and fundamental freedoms.”

🎥 U.S. denies involvment in crash that killed Iran's president

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Missouri lawmakers will have to pay out of their own pockets if they lose defamation cases filed against them for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/chiefs-parade-shooting-lawmakers-lawsuit-e7fe8d9910c0a9518155c71ff2e7d558">falsely accusing</a>&nbsp;a Kansas man of being one of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/chiefs-super-bowl-parade-shooting-kansas-city-d9f4466b69cbb2dfe0f007414aebe730">Kansas City Chiefs parade</a>&nbsp;shooters and an immigrant in the country illegally.

Missouri's Republican Gov. Mike Parson on Monday told his administration not to use taxpayer dollars to pay any potential damages awarded to Denton Loudermill Jr., of Olathe, Kansas, as part of his lawsuits against three state lawmakers.

But Missouri Republican Attorney General Andrew Bailey’s office will continue to represent the state senators, despite Parson earlier this month calling that “problematic.”

“We are not going to target innocent people in this state,” Parson told reporters earlier this month. “This gentleman did nothing wrong whatsoever other than he went to a parade and he drank beer and he was inspected.”

The Feb. 14 shooting outside the historic Union Station in Kansas City, Missouri, killed a well-known DJ and injured more than 20 others, many of them children.

Loudermill, who was never cited or arrested in the shooting, is seeking at least $75,000 in damages in each of the suits.

“Missourians should not be held liable for legal expenses on judgments due to state senators falsely attacking a private citizen on social media,” Parson wrote in a Monday letter to his administration commissioner.

Loudermill last month filed nearly identical federal lawsuits against three Republican Missouri state senators: Rick Brattin, of Harrisonville; Denny Hoskins, of Warrensburg; and Nick Schroer, of St. Charles County.

The complaints say Loudermill suffered “humiliation, embarrassment, insult, and inconvenience” over the “highly offensive” posts.

A spokesperson for the Missouri attorney general’s office did not immediately respond to an Associated Press request for comment Monday about Parson's request not to pay for potential damages or the lawsuits filed against the senators.

Loudermill froze for so long after gunfire erupted that police had time to put up crime scene tape, according to the suits. As he tried to go under the tape to leave, officers stopped him and told him he was moving “too slow.”

They handcuffed him and put him on a curb, where people began taking pictures and posting them on social media. Loudermill ultimately was led away from the area and told he was free to go.

But posts soon began appearing on the lawmakers’ accounts on the social platform X, formerly known as Twitter, that included a picture of Loudermill and accusations that he is an “illegal alien” and a “shooter,” the suits said.

Loudermill, who was born and raised in the U.S., received death threats even though he had no involvement in the shooting, according to the complaints.

The litigation described him as a “contributing member of his African-American family, a family with deep and long roots in his Kansas community.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1709724744698.png" alt="State Sen. Denny Hoskins, R-Warrensburg-photo (Mo Senate Communications)." />
 <figcaption>State Sen. Denny Hoskins, R-Warrensburg-photo (Mo Senate Communications).</figcaption>
 </figure>COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Missouri lawmakers will have to pay out of their own pockets if they lose defamation cases filed against them for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/chiefs-parade-shooting-lawmakers-lawsuit-e7fe8d9910c0a9518155c71ff2e7d558">falsely accusing</a>&nbsp;a Kansas man of being one of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/chiefs-super-bowl-parade-shooting-kansas-city-d9f4466b69cbb2dfe0f007414aebe730">Kansas City Chiefs parade</a>&nbsp;shooters and an immigrant in the country illegally.Missouri's Republican Gov. Mike Parson on Monday told his administration not to use taxpayer dollars to pay any potential damages awarded to Denton Loudermill Jr., of Olathe, Kansas, as part of his lawsuits against three state lawmakers.But Missouri Republican Attorney General Andrew Bailey’s office will continue to represent the state senators, despite Parson earlier this month calling that “problematic.”“We are not going to target innocent people in this state,” Parson told reporters earlier this month. “This gentleman did nothing wrong whatsoever other than he went to a parade and he drank beer and he was inspected.”The Feb. 14 shooting outside the historic Union Station in Kansas City, Missouri, killed a well-known DJ and injured more than 20 others, many of them children.Loudermill, who was never cited or arrested in the shooting, is seeking at least $75,000 in damages in each of the suits.“Missourians should not be held liable for legal expenses on judgments due to state senators falsely attacking a private citizen on social media,” Parson wrote in a Monday letter to his administration commissioner.Loudermill last month filed nearly identical federal lawsuits against three Republican Missouri state senators: Rick Brattin, of Harrisonville; Denny Hoskins, of Warrensburg; and Nick Schroer, of St. Charles County.The complaints say Loudermill suffered “humiliation, embarrassment, insult, and inconvenience” over the “highly offensive” posts.A spokesperson for the Missouri attorney general’s office did not immediately respond to an Associated Press request for comment Monday about Parson's request not to pay for potential damages or the lawsuits filed against the senators.Loudermill froze for so long after gunfire erupted that police had time to put up crime scene tape, according to the suits. As he tried to go under the tape to leave, officers stopped him and told him he was moving “too slow.”They handcuffed him and put him on a curb, where people began taking pictures and posting them on social media. Loudermill ultimately was led away from the area and told he was free to go.But posts soon began appearing on the lawmakers’ accounts on the social platform X, formerly known as Twitter, that included a picture of Loudermill and accusations that he is an “illegal alien” and a “shooter,” the suits said.Loudermill, who was born and raised in the U.S., received death threats even though he had no involvement in the shooting, according to the complaints.The litigation described him as a “contributing member of his African-American family, a family with deep and long roots in his Kansas community.”

Mo. senators, not taxpayers, will pay potential damages in Chiefs rally shooting case

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/jason-hancock/">JASON HANCOCK</a>&nbsp;AND&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/rudi-keller/">RUDI KELLER</a>&nbsp;-&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/02/20/state-senator-throws-first-punches-of-2024-missouri-governors-campaign/">Missouri Independent</a>

The final day of the 2024 legislative session lasted less than 10 minutes in the Missouri Senate.&nbsp;

The lightning-quick adjournment was aimed at avoiding bitter flare ups that plagued the previous day, when a member of the Freedom Caucus tried to amend the Senate Journal to say a “<a target="_blank" href="https://x.com/BillEigel/status/1791136502799327575">stampeding herd of rhinoceroses</a>” had rumbled through the chamber while another offered an amendment&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://x.com/J_Hancock/status/1791191821600673998">admonishing the attorney general</a>&nbsp;for using taxpayer money to represent Freedom Caucus members in a defamation lawsuit.&nbsp;

It was a fitting end to a session that included one Republican&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/01/25/missouri-senate-gop-warfare-escalates-with-suggestion-of-expelling-freedom-caucus-leader/">publicly musing about expelling a colleague</a>&nbsp;from the Senate and another essentially&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://x.com/J_Hancock/status/1791507188919267385">expelling a fellow Senator</a>&nbsp;from their shared Jefferson City apartment.&nbsp;

The infighting — along with the more typical disagreements between the House and Senate and between Democrats and Republicans — caused lawmakers to head home with<a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/05/17/a-bizarre-session-missouri-lawmakers-head-home-after-year-defined-by-gridlock-infighting/">&nbsp;a new record for futility</a>, passing fewer bills than the previous low set during the COVID-shortened session of 2020.&nbsp;

So who were the big winners and losers of the legislative session?&nbsp;

The Independence Democrat exuded relief on the final day of the legislative session.&nbsp;

Part of it was that he’s heading home after eight years in the chamber and four as the leader of his caucus. Part of it was that after orchestrating a 50-hour filibuster of changes to the initiative petition process, the bill was finally dead.&nbsp;

But mostly, Rizzo’s relief stemmed from optimism about the Senate’s future.&nbsp;

Rizzo built a reputation as a good-faith negotiator who respected the Senate’s traditions and the limitations of his party’s power in a building with GOP super majorities. And for years, as ever-intensifying factional fights within the GOP left the Senate mired in gridlock, he publicly pleaded with Republican leaders to stand up to dissidents he argued weren’t interested in governing.&nbsp;

He got his wish in the final week of the session, when leadership rebuffed the Freedom Caucus push to cut off debate and kill the Democratic filibuster.&nbsp;

“There has to be follow up next year,” Rizzo told reporters Friday. “Don’t regress. Keep moving forward. Don’t let the bullies win. I’ve been waiting for it for four or five years. I think they finally did it.”&nbsp;

For the first time in six years as chairman of the House Budget Committee, Smith got what he most wanted this session —&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/05/10/democrats-say-final-missouri-budget-pads-special-interests-with-state-cash/">a final budget</a>&nbsp;that spends less than&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/01/24/gov-mike-parson-proposes-record-52-7-billion-missouri-state-budget/">the one the governor&nbsp; proposed in January</a>.

In each of the past two years, as the state surplus built up and a flood of federal COVID-19 relief cash was spent, Smith guided the House to spending plans below the governor’s.

But a familiar pattern would always play out, where the Senate would largely ignore Smith’s efforts, restore the money and add a few million dollars of spending of their own into the kitty. Then, House Democrats and a unified Senate would leave Smith on the outside looking in as the budget was shipped off to the governor.&nbsp;

It was looking like deja vu all over again this year before the Freedom Caucus hijacked the Senate for 41 hours to demand action on a bill changing the initiative petition process.&nbsp;

That filibuster kept the Senate from taking up the budget until just before the constitutional deadline. With no time to go to conference to work out differences, the House played hardball and won concessions that trimmed $1 billion from the spending plan.&nbsp;

Despite Smith’s success, state agencies, the governor and Senate leaders are already questioning whether ongoing programs have enough cash to make it through the fiscal year.&nbsp;

Parson leaves office in January and has said he would not leave it to his successor to fill in the gaps, making it a near certainty that a special session will be convened at some point this fall to debate a supplemental budget.

In a legislative session where nothing came easy and even bills with wide bipartisan support struggled to get traction, it’s telling that a bill<a target="_blank" href="https://house.mo.gov/Bill.aspx?bill=HB2111&amp;year=2024&amp;code=R">&nbsp;expanding the powers of the Missouri auditor</a>&nbsp;sailed to the governor’s desk with unanimous support.

Rather than having to wait for permission from cities, counties and other local governments in order to launch an audit, the bill will let Fitzpatrick move in if he believes “improper activities” are taking place.

The legislation, and its overwhelming support from lawmakers, is a huge vote of confidence for the first-term auditor. And at 36 years old, with no term limits and every other statewide office occupied by one of his fellow Republicans, the bill expands Fitzpatrick’s authority in an office he seems likely to hold for many years to come.&nbsp;

Two years ago, proponents of “school choice” policies scored historic wins by convincing skeptical lawmakers to create a voucher-like scholarship program for private schools and to boost funding for charter schools.&nbsp;

They returned this year facing long odds and a buzzsaw of opposition from all sides in their efforts to build on those wins.&nbsp;

Public school advocates feared taxpayer resources being drained away to benefit private, often religious, institutions. And homeschool families voiced fears about overbearing state regulations.

In the end, in exchange for&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-governor-signs-468m-education-bill-that-boosts-teacher-pay-expands-charters/">committing the state to hundreds of millions of dollars</a>&nbsp;of additional spending on public schools, the legislature signed off on expanding the private school scholarship program statewide and allowing charter schools in Boone County for the first time.

On one hand, the Freedom Caucus got exactly what it wanted this year.&nbsp;

Despite holding only five of 34 seats in the Missouri Senate, the caucus dominated the legislative session, repeatedly holding up the chamber with procedural hijinks and largely dictating whether bills could find their way to the governor’s desk.

The caucus’ leader, GOP state Sen. Bill Eigel of Weldon Spring, referred to the group as the goalie of a hockey team that forgoes the glory of scoring points in favor of stopping the other team.&nbsp;

“…a lot of the bad things that didn’t happen this session didn’t happen because of the folks you see standing behind me,” Eigel said of his caucus’ work this year.&nbsp;

Yet those tactics galvanized critics, sinking the group’s top legislative priority — an initiative petition making it harder to amend the constitution — and making life easier for backers of an&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/05/03/missourians-signatures-abortion-amendment-viability/">abortion-rights amendment likely to end up on the November ballot</a>.&nbsp;

Much of the group’s other legislative priorities didn’t fare much better, with Republicans growing weary of the caucus and unwilling to grant them even small victories.&nbsp;

Whether or not the 2024 session was a win or a loss for the Freedom Caucus will ultimately be determined by the outcome of the August GOP primaries. Three members are seeking statewide office. Another is being challenged for his seat by a pair of House Republicans. Open Senate seats are shaping up as a showdown over the idea of the Freedom Caucus itself.&nbsp;

The embattled Republican from Des Peres spent most of this final year as speaker under investigation for&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/02/27/dark-cloud-ethics-investigation-of-dean-plocher-continues-to-hang-over-missouri-house/">a litany of alleged misconduct</a>.&nbsp;

Even when that inquiry was finally dropped, Plocher’s celebration was muted. None of his leadership team showed up to his celebratory press conference, and he continued to be hounded by allegations he&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/04/15/speaker-dean-plocher-accused-of-absolute-obstruction-in-house-ethics-investigation/">obstructed the committee’s work</a>&nbsp;and threatened potential witnesses and legislative staff.&nbsp;

As the session wore on, Plocher&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/02/12/im-absolutely-being-punished-dean-plocher-accused-of-retaliating-against-gop-critics/">stalled or killed bills carried by his critics</a>&nbsp;and often refused to recognize them to speak during floor debate. He stormed out of press conferences when faced with questions he didn’t like, and endured criticism, and&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://x.com/LauraAnnSTL/status/1782055025407086756">a fair amount of mockery</a>, over a $60,000 remodel of his office that included converting another lawmaker’s office&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/12/20/in-a-statehouse-short-on-space-dean-plocher-converted-an-office-into-a-liquor-pantry/">into a makeshift liquor pantry</a>.&nbsp;

And after raising $1.3 million last year between his candidate committee and PAC, his political fundraising dried up. He took in just $15,000 during the first quarter of 2024.&nbsp;

Throughout it all, Plocher denied any wrongdoing. And he still has a larger campaign war chest than any of his eight GOP rivals for secretary of state. His exuberance was on display the night the ethics inquiry was dismissed, when he made the same joke over and over again.&nbsp;

“If the glove doesn’t fit,” he proclaimed to anyone in his proximity, quoting O.J. Simpson’s former lawyer, “you must acquit.”

The 2024 legislative session will be remembered for its futility, with fewer bills finding success than any other year in living memory.&nbsp;

But that’s not the only remarkable thing about the session that ended Friday.&nbsp;

An entire session came and went without a single conference committee, the sometimes pro-forma joint House and Senate panels assigned to work out the differences on particular bills. And on the session’s final day, the Senate refused to accept messages from the House, a breach of legislative decorum that contributed to the death of the initiative petition bill.&nbsp;

But just because legislation didn’t pass doesn’t mean legislative staff could sit around on their hands.

Just to start the session, staff had to prepare hundreds of bills for pre-filing, and hundreds more after it started. In all, a record 3,494 proposals to change state laws or the Missouri Constitution were filed this year, along with unknown thousands of amendments that never came up for debate.

When the Senate was kept up all night by filibusters, staff had to be there, ready to draft amendments and substitute bills. Long hours preparing bills and amendments that weren’t used specifically hard on appropriations staff, especially in the House, where&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/03/26/democrats-gripe-over-limited-time-for-debating-proposed-50-billion-missouri-budget/">lawmakers had staff draft myriad&nbsp;</a>changes to the budget that they were never allowed to offer.&nbsp;

On top of the workload, the ethics investigation of the speaker&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/05/07/house-leader-says-discussion-of-alleged-staff-intimidation-will-wait-for-sessions-end/">revealed many staffers fearful for their futures</a>.&nbsp;

“In my over 21 years of state government service, I have never witnessed or even been involved in such a hostile work environment that is so horrible that I am living in fear every day of losing my job,” House Director of Administration Lori Hughes wrote in a&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/04/29/missouri-house-ethics-panel-drops-probe-of-dean-plocher-after-blocking-pushing-to-release-evidence/">March 5 email&nbsp;</a>to the Ethics Committee Chair Hannah Kelly.

Senate leadership gave Coleman the job of shepherding two major priorities for the GOP and the anti-abortion movement through to passage this year&nbsp;— a bill banning Medicaid payments to Planned Parenthood and another&nbsp;raising the threshold for passing constitutional amendments by initiative petition.&nbsp;

It was a huge vote of confidence for a first-term senator.

The Planned Parenthood bill made its way to the governor’s desk&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/04/24/bill-medicaid-reimbursements-planned-parenthood-governor/">with only minor turbulence along the way</a>.

By March,&nbsp;with the initiative petition bill out of the Senate and in the hands of the House — and its success looking promising — Coleman jumped into the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/republican-senator-leaves-congressional-race-to-run-for-missouri-secretary-of-state/">secretary of state’s race</a>, saying there is “no more important job than protecting the integrity of our elections and our founding documents.”

But around the time Coleman decided to run for secretary of state, she managed to enrage her Democratic colleagues in the Senate by&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/03/13/missouri-initiative-petition-reform-elections/">publicly asking the House to restore “ballot candy” to the initiative petition bill</a>, a move seen as a betrayal of the deal cut to get the bill out of the Senate in the first place.&nbsp;

When it finally returned to the Senate, she was accused of betrayal again — this time from the other side of the ideological spectrum, when the Freedom Caucus decried her decision to send the legislation back to the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/05/15/50-hour-filibuster-forces-more-negotiations-on-gop-backed-initiative-petition-changes/">House for further negotiation</a>.

Coleman noted that the bill was dead either way if Republicans couldn’t muster the votes to end the 50-hour Democratic filibuster. Sending it back to the House, she argued, at least left the door open.

But the House slammed that door shut the next day, and the loudest proponents of the bill&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://x.com/BillEigel/status/1791922517499637992">heaped much of their scorn onto Coleman</a>.

Winners and losers of Missouri’s 2024 legislative session

NEW YORK (AP) —A former OpenAI leader who resigned from the company earlier this week said Friday that safety has “taken a backseat to shiny products” at the influential artificial intelligence company.

Jan Leike, who ran OpenAI’s “Superalignment” team alongside a company co-founder who also resigned this week, wrote in a series of posts on the social media platform X that he joined the San Francisco-based company because he thought it would be the best place to do AI research.

“However, I have been disagreeing with OpenAI leadership about the company’s core priorities for quite some time, until we finally reached a breaking point,” wrote Leike, whose last day was Thursday.

An AI researcher by training, Leike said he believes there should be more focus on preparing for the next generation of AI models, including on things like safety and analyzing the societal impacts of such technologies. He said building “smarter-than-human machines is an inherently dangerous endeavor” and that the company “is shouldering an enormous responsibility on behalf of all of humanity.”

“OpenAI must become a safety-first AGI company,” wrote Leike, using the abbreviated version of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/agi-artificial-general-intelligence-existential-risk-meta-openai-deepmind-science-ff5662a056d3cf3c5889a73e929e5a34">artificial general intelligence</a>, a futuristic vision of machines that are as broadly smart as humans or at least can do many things as well as people can.

Open AI CEO Sam Altman wrote in a reply to Leike’s posts that he was “super appreciative” of Leike’s contributions to the company was “very sad to see him leave.”

Leike is “right we have a lot more to do; we are committed to doing it,” Altman said, pledging to write a longer post on the subject in the coming days.

The company also confirmed Friday that it had disbanded Leike’s&nbsp;<a href="https://openai.com/index/introducing-superalignment/" target="_blank">Superalignment team</a>, which was launched last year to focus on AI risks, and is integrating the team’s members across its research efforts.

Leike’s resignation came after OpenAI co-founder and chief scientist Ilya Sutskever said Tuesday that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/openai-ilya-sutskever-leaving-chatgpt-cofounder-419276b50007ad41adfd27764da3188c">he was leaving the company</a>&nbsp;after nearly a decade. Sutskever was one of four board members last fall who voted to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/altman-ai-chatgpt-murati-893e4a460c10eb3a8f1afefa6156eca3">push out Altman</a>&nbsp;— only to quickly&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/altman-openai-chatgpt-31187f7f6eca8ff9d0eef7585aac6ace">reinstate him</a>. It was Sutskever who told Altman last November that he was being fired, but he later said he regretted doing so.

Sutskever said he is working on a new project that’s meaningful to him without offering additional details. He will be replaced by&nbsp;<a href="https://openai.com/index/jakub-pachocki-announced-as-chief-scientist/" target="_blank">Jakub Pachocki&nbsp;</a>as chief scientist. Altman called Pachocki “also easily one of the greatest minds of our generation” and said he is “very confident he will lead us to make rapid and safe progress towards our mission of ensuring that AGI benefits everyone.”

On Monday, OpenAI showed off the latest update to its artificial intelligence model, which can mimic human cadences in its verbal responses and can even try to detect people’s moods.

NEW YORK (AP) —A former OpenAI leader who resigned from the company earlier this week said Friday that safety has “taken a backseat to shiny products” at the influential artificial intelligence company.Jan Leike, who ran OpenAI’s “Superalignment” team alongside a company co-founder who also resigned this week, wrote in a series of posts on the social media platform X that he joined the San Francisco-based company because he thought it would be the best place to do AI research.“However, I have been disagreeing with OpenAI leadership about the company’s core priorities for quite some time, until we finally reached a breaking point,” wrote Leike, whose last day was Thursday.An AI researcher by training, Leike said he believes there should be more focus on preparing for the next generation of AI models, including on things like safety and analyzing the societal impacts of such technologies. He said building “smarter-than-human machines is an inherently dangerous endeavor” and that the company “is shouldering an enormous responsibility on behalf of all of humanity.”“OpenAI must become a safety-first AGI company,” wrote Leike, using the abbreviated version of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/agi-artificial-general-intelligence-existential-risk-meta-openai-deepmind-science-ff5662a056d3cf3c5889a73e929e5a34">artificial general intelligence</a>, a futuristic vision of machines that are as broadly smart as humans or at least can do many things as well as people can.Open AI CEO Sam Altman wrote in a reply to Leike’s posts that he was “super appreciative” of Leike’s contributions to the company was “very sad to see him leave.”Leike is “right we have a lot more to do; we are committed to doing it,” Altman said, pledging to write a longer post on the subject in the coming days.The company also confirmed Friday that it had disbanded Leike’s&nbsp;<a href="https://openai.com/index/introducing-superalignment/" target="_blank">Superalignment team</a>, which was launched last year to focus on AI risks, and is integrating the team’s members across its research efforts.Leike’s resignation came after OpenAI co-founder and chief scientist Ilya Sutskever said Tuesday that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/openai-ilya-sutskever-leaving-chatgpt-cofounder-419276b50007ad41adfd27764da3188c">he was leaving the company</a>&nbsp;after nearly a decade. Sutskever was one of four board members last fall who voted to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/altman-ai-chatgpt-murati-893e4a460c10eb3a8f1afefa6156eca3">push out Altman</a>&nbsp;— only to quickly&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/altman-openai-chatgpt-31187f7f6eca8ff9d0eef7585aac6ace">reinstate him</a>. It was Sutskever who told Altman last November that he was being fired, but he later said he regretted doing so.Sutskever said he is working on a new project that’s meaningful to him without offering additional details. He will be replaced by&nbsp;<a href="https://openai.com/index/jakub-pachocki-announced-as-chief-scientist/" target="_blank">Jakub Pachocki&nbsp;</a>as chief scientist. Altman called Pachocki “also easily one of the greatest minds of our generation” and said he is “very confident he will lead us to make rapid and safe progress towards our mission of ensuring that AGI benefits everyone.”On Monday, OpenAI showed off the latest update to its artificial intelligence model, which can mimic human cadences in its verbal responses and can even try to detect people’s moods.——

No safeguards: OpenAI disbands high-profile safety team

SEDGWICK COUNTY —A Kansas man accused of shooting a teen in a Walmart parking lot made his first court appearance on Wednesday and is now out of jail.

Ruben Contreras, 47 of Wichita, is charged with attempted 1st&nbsp;degree murder, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.&nbsp;He met the condition of a $300-thousand bond and is out of jail, according to online records. 

Just before 5p.m. May 11, officers were dispatched to a call involving a weapon at Walmart, 18631 W. Kellogg in Goddard, according to a statement from the Sedgwick County Sheriff's office. 

First responders located an 18-year-old in a vehicle&nbsp;suffering from a gunshot wound, in the Walmart parking lot.&nbsp; EMS transported the teen to the hospital in serious condition. He has since been upgraded to stable condition.&nbsp;

A suspect identified as&nbsp;<a href="https://ssc.sedgwickcounty.org/InmateSearch/Details.aspx?Id=748186">Contreras,</a>&nbsp;remained on the scene when law enforcement arrived and was taken into custody.

Contreras was transported to Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Investigation to be interviewed. He was later booked into Sedgwick County Detention Facility.

&nbsp;His next court date is May 28, according to the district attorney's office.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1715641692899.png" alt="Contreras-photo Sedgwick County" />
 <figcaption>Contreras-photo Sedgwick County</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY —A Kansas man accused of shooting a teen in a Walmart parking lot made his first court appearance on Wednesday and is now out of jail.Ruben Contreras, 47 of Wichita, is charged with attempted 1st&nbsp;degree murder, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.&nbsp;He met the condition of a $300-thousand bond and is out of jail, according to online records. Just before 5p.m. May 11, officers were dispatched to a call involving a weapon at Walmart, 18631 W. Kellogg in Goddard, according to a statement from the Sedgwick County Sheriff's office. First responders located an 18-year-old in a vehicle&nbsp;suffering from a gunshot wound, in the Walmart parking lot.&nbsp; EMS transported the teen to the hospital in serious condition. He has since been upgraded to stable condition.&nbsp;A suspect identified as&nbsp;<a href="https://ssc.sedgwickcounty.org/InmateSearch/Details.aspx?Id=748186">Contreras,</a>&nbsp;remained on the scene when law enforcement arrived and was taken into custody. Contreras was transported to Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Investigation to be interviewed. He was later booked into Sedgwick County Detention Facility.&nbsp;His next court date is May 28, according to the district attorney's office.

Man charged in Kan. Walmart parking lot shooting is out of jail

TOPEKA —Governor Laura Kelly issued a verbal state of disaster emergency proclamation Monday due to severe weather that impacted the state during the day on Sunday and overnight into Monday, according to a media release from the Kansas Adjutant General's office.

This declaration activates the Kansas Response Plan and the ability to expedite state agency assistance to communities in need.

The spring thunderstorms brought flooding rain, large hail and extreme winds Sunday afternoon and evening across Kansas. There are no injuries reported.

The Kansas Division of Emergency Management is coordinating requests for support from impact counties. &nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1716159390070.jpeg" alt="Halstead and Pleasent Hill Road Outside Salina looking west at 5:35 p.m. on May 19, 2024. " />
 <figcaption>Halstead and Pleasent Hill Road Outside Salina looking west at 5:35 p.m. on May 19, 2024. </figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA —Governor Laura Kelly issued a verbal state of disaster emergency proclamation Monday due to severe weather that impacted the state during the day on Sunday and overnight into Monday, according to a media release from the Kansas Adjutant General's office.This declaration activates the Kansas Response Plan and the ability to expedite state agency assistance to communities in need.The spring thunderstorms brought flooding rain, large hail and extreme winds Sunday afternoon and evening across Kansas. There are no injuries reported.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1716198838451.png" alt="Storm damage photo Harvey County Emergency Management" />
 <figcaption>Storm damage photo Harvey County Emergency Management</figcaption>
 </figure>The Kansas Division of Emergency Management is coordinating requests for support from impact counties. &nbsp;

Gov. issues disaster declaration for storm on Sunday, Monday

GOODHOPE, Mo. (AP) —Four people in rural Missouri died when an explosion that could be heard 10 miles away occurred at a house. The explosion happened Saturday night near the unincorporated town of Goodhope. 

Douglas County Sheriff Chris Degase says the home was undergoing renovations and a propane leak was found. The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Missouri Fire Marshal’s Office and local officials continue investigating. 

Names of those killed have not been released. Degase told KYTV-TV that the explosion was unusual because it didn’t cause a fire. An official with the fire marshal’s office described it as a “flash” that happened so quickly the house didn’t burn.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1716217028482.png" alt="photo courtesy KYTV" />
 <figcaption>photo courtesy KYTV</figcaption>
 </figure>GOODHOPE, Mo. (AP) —Four people in rural Missouri died when an explosion that could be heard 10 miles away occurred at a house. The explosion happened Saturday night near the unincorporated town of Goodhope. Douglas County Sheriff Chris Degase says the home was undergoing renovations and a propane leak was found. The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Missouri Fire Marshal’s Office and local officials continue investigating. Names of those killed have not been released. Degase told KYTV-TV that the explosion was unusual because it didn’t cause a fire. An official with the fire marshal’s office described it as a “flash” that happened so quickly the house didn’t burn.

Four  killed in a house explosion in southwestern Missouri

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/ariana-figueroa/">ARIANA FIGUEROA</a>

WASHINGTON — The U.S. House Agriculture Committee Friday released the draft bill text of the long-awaited $1.5 trillion farm bill, which is likely to face opposition in the Senate from Democrats because of disagreements over federal anti-hunger programs and climate change requirements.

The chair of the committee, GOP Rep. Glenn “GT” Thompson of Pennsylvania, said in a statement that the bill, which will set farm, nutrition, commodity and conservation policy for the next five years, is a “product of extensive feedback from stakeholders and all Members of the House, and is responsive to the needs of farm country through the incorporation of hundreds of bipartisan policies.”

The legislation funds programs across 12 titles for five years.

It would boost rural farming, promote a new global market for farmers to sell their products abroad, require new reporting requirements for the foreign purchase of farmland, increase funding for specialty crops and expand eligibility for disaster assistance, among other initiatives.

“The markup is one step in a greater House process, that should not be compromised by misleading arguments, false narratives, or edicts from the Senate,” Thompson said.

The House Agriculture Committee plans to mark up the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://agriculture.house.gov/uploadedfiles/discussion_draft_ffns.pdf">942-page bill</a>&nbsp;on Thursday. It is expected to cost $1.5 trillion over 10 years. A title-by-title summary can be found&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://agriculture.house.gov/uploadedfiles/detailed_summary_final.pdf">here</a>.

In a statement, the top Democrat on the committee, Rep. David Scott of Georgia, slammed the draft bill for “taking food out of the mouths of America’s hungry children, restricting farmers from receiving the climate-smart conservation funding they so desperately need, and barring the USDA from providing financial assistance to farmers in times of crisis.”

Scott warned that the current draft bill is unlikely to pass the House. Although Republicans have a slim majority, any piece of legislation will have to be bipartisan in order to make it through the Senate, which Democrats control.

The current farm bill extension expires Sept. 30.

On the Senate side, Sen. Debbie Stabenow, a Michigan Democrat who leads the Committee on Agriculture, released Democrats’&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.agriculture.senate.gov/newsroom/dem/press/release/chairwoman-stabenow-unveils-the-rural-prosperity-and-food-security-act">own proposal</a>&nbsp;in early May. Among other things, it would boost eligibility for nutrition programs for low-income people like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. Stabenow made public a summary of the bill, but not legislative text.

Scott and Stabenow released a joint statement Tuesday following a meeting with House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Democrats on the House Agriculture committee. They advocated for Republicans to craft a bipartisan farm bill.

“House Republicans are undermining this goal by proposing policies that split the broad, bipartisan coalition that has always been the foundation of a successful farm bill,” they wrote.

“We need a farm bill that holds the coalition together and upholds the historic tradition of providing food assistance to our most vulnerable Americans while keeping our commitment to our farmers battling the effects of the climate crisis every day,” they continued.

The House bill has a few provisions that Democrats oppose.

One would remove climate-smart policy requirements for about $13 billion in conservation projects funded by the Inflation Reduction Act. Another&nbsp; would limit future updates to the Thrifty Food Plan, the formula that calculates benefits for SNAP. “The economic impact of the SNAP cuts alone would be staggering,” Scott said.

A freeze in the Thrifty Food Plan would result in a roughly $30 billion SNAP cut over the next decade,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.cbpp.org/research/food-assistance/chair-thompsons-plan-would-cut-snap-benefits-and-ignore-scientific">according</a>&nbsp;to the liberal-leaning Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. There are more than 41 million people who use SNAP benefits,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/food-nutrition-assistance/supplemental-nutrition-assistance-program-snap/key-statistics-and-research/#:~:text=The%20Supplemental%20Nutrition%20Assistance%20Program,fiscal%20year%20(FY)%202022.&amp;text=Download%20chart%20data%20in%20Excel,41.2%20million%20participants%20per%20month.">according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.&nbsp;</a>

However, the House farm bill would remove the ban on low-income Americans who have a drug conviction felony from obtaining SNAP benefits.

Environmental groups are also opposing the draft of the farm bill, raising concerns about reallocating IRA money and including a bill relating to how states regulate animal practices.

A watchdog group that focuses on government and corporate accountability in water, food and corporate overreach, Food &amp; Water Watch Managing Director of Policy and Litigation Mitch Jones said in a statement that the draft bill would gut important climate-smart provisions.

“Some of leadership’s more dangerous proposals would take us backwards on animal welfare, and climate-smart agriculture,” Jones said. “It’s time Congress put the culture wars aside and got back to work on a Farm Bill that puts consumers, farmers, and the environment above politicking and Big Ag handouts.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1716210763832.png" alt=" Doug Goyings, a fifth-generation farmer in northwestern Ohio, received a USDA Rural Energy for America Program grant in 2023 to install a 288-panel solar array (seen at left) at his family grain farm, meeting 100 percent of the farm’s energy needs and saving money that he can re-invest back into the operation. (Mark McCann/USDA)" />
 <figcaption> Doug Goyings, a fifth-generation farmer in northwestern Ohio, received a USDA Rural Energy for America Program grant in 2023 to install a 288-panel solar array (seen at left) at his family grain farm, meeting 100 percent of the farm’s energy needs and saving money that he can re-invest back into the operation. (Mark McCann/USDA)</figcaption>
 </figure>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/ariana-figueroa/">ARIANA FIGUEROA</a>WASHINGTON — The U.S. House Agriculture Committee Friday released the draft bill text of the long-awaited $1.5 trillion farm bill, which is likely to face opposition in the Senate from Democrats because of disagreements over federal anti-hunger programs and climate change requirements.The chair of the committee, GOP Rep. Glenn “GT” Thompson of Pennsylvania, said in a statement that the bill, which will set farm, nutrition, commodity and conservation policy for the next five years, is a “product of extensive feedback from stakeholders and all Members of the House, and is responsive to the needs of farm country through the incorporation of hundreds of bipartisan policies.”The legislation funds programs across 12 titles for five years.It would boost rural farming, promote a new global market for farmers to sell their products abroad, require new reporting requirements for the foreign purchase of farmland, increase funding for specialty crops and expand eligibility for disaster assistance, among other initiatives.“The markup is one step in a greater House process, that should not be compromised by misleading arguments, false narratives, or edicts from the Senate,” Thompson said.The House Agriculture Committee plans to mark up the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://agriculture.house.gov/uploadedfiles/discussion_draft_ffns.pdf">942-page bill</a>&nbsp;on Thursday. It is expected to cost $1.5 trillion over 10 years. A title-by-title summary can be found&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://agriculture.house.gov/uploadedfiles/detailed_summary_final.pdf">here</a>.In a statement, the top Democrat on the committee, Rep. David Scott of Georgia, slammed the draft bill for “taking food out of the mouths of America’s hungry children, restricting farmers from receiving the climate-smart conservation funding they so desperately need, and barring the USDA from providing financial assistance to farmers in times of crisis.”Scott warned that the current draft bill is unlikely to pass the House. Although Republicans have a slim majority, any piece of legislation will have to be bipartisan in order to make it through the Senate, which Democrats control.The current farm bill extension expires Sept. 30.On the Senate side, Sen. Debbie Stabenow, a Michigan Democrat who leads the Committee on Agriculture, released Democrats’&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.agriculture.senate.gov/newsroom/dem/press/release/chairwoman-stabenow-unveils-the-rural-prosperity-and-food-security-act">own proposal</a>&nbsp;in early May. Among other things, it would boost eligibility for nutrition programs for low-income people like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. Stabenow made public a summary of the bill, but not legislative text.Scott and Stabenow released a joint statement Tuesday following a meeting with House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Democrats on the House Agriculture committee. They advocated for Republicans to craft a bipartisan farm bill.“House Republicans are undermining this goal by proposing policies that split the broad, bipartisan coalition that has always been the foundation of a successful farm bill,” they wrote.“We need a farm bill that holds the coalition together and upholds the historic tradition of providing food assistance to our most vulnerable Americans while keeping our commitment to our farmers battling the effects of the climate crisis every day,” they continued.The House bill has a few provisions that Democrats oppose.One would remove climate-smart policy requirements for about $13 billion in conservation projects funded by the Inflation Reduction Act. Another&nbsp; would limit future updates to the Thrifty Food Plan, the formula that calculates benefits for SNAP. “The economic impact of the SNAP cuts alone would be staggering,” Scott said.A freeze in the Thrifty Food Plan would result in a roughly $30 billion SNAP cut over the next decade,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.cbpp.org/research/food-assistance/chair-thompsons-plan-would-cut-snap-benefits-and-ignore-scientific">according</a>&nbsp;to the liberal-leaning Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. There are more than 41 million people who use SNAP benefits,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/food-nutrition-assistance/supplemental-nutrition-assistance-program-snap/key-statistics-and-research/#:~:text=The%20Supplemental%20Nutrition%20Assistance%20Program,fiscal%20year%20(FY)%202022.&amp;text=Download%20chart%20data%20in%20Excel,41.2%20million%20participants%20per%20month.">according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.&nbsp;</a>However, the House farm bill would remove the ban on low-income Americans who have a drug conviction felony from obtaining SNAP benefits.Environmental groups are also opposing the draft of the farm bill, raising concerns about reallocating IRA money and including a bill relating to how states regulate animal practices.A watchdog group that focuses on government and corporate accountability in water, food and corporate overreach, Food &amp; Water Watch Managing Director of Policy and Litigation Mitch Jones said in a statement that the draft bill would gut important climate-smart provisions.“Some of leadership’s more dangerous proposals would take us backwards on animal welfare, and climate-smart agriculture,” Jones said. “It’s time Congress put the culture wars aside and got back to work on a Farm Bill that puts consumers, farmers, and the environment above politicking and Big Ag handouts.”

Farm bill text released in U.S. House, setting up fight with Senate

SEDGWICK COUNTY —The Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office is assisting the Kansas Bureau of Investigation and the Sumner County Sheriff’s Office in the investigation after two bodies were located near the 300 Block of River Road in rural Sumner County, according to Sedgwick County Sheriff's Lt. Nathan Gibbs.&nbsp; &nbsp;The Sheriff’s Office has identified several suspects in the case. Authorities have not reported an arrest.

 One of the bodies was located on May 10,&nbsp; the other on May 13.&nbsp; Both bodies were transported to the Sedgwick County Regional Forensic Science Center for further testing and examination. &nbsp;

On Friday, the sheriff's office received confirmation through DNA testing on the identities of the two deceased individuals as 30-year-old Monica R. Williams and 24-year-old Kevin M. Ledesma. Both had been reporteed missing and were last seen&nbsp;at a residence in the 9500 block South Hydraulic in Wichita on January 1, 2024. The sheriff's office also reported there were homicide victims.

The circumstances in which Williams and Ledesma were killed remains under investigation by the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office. 

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1715979738614.png" alt="Williams photo Sedgwick Co." />
 <figcaption>Williams photo Sedgwick Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY —The Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office is assisting the Kansas Bureau of Investigation and the Sumner County Sheriff’s Office in the investigation after two bodies were located near the 300 Block of River Road in rural Sumner County, according to Sedgwick County Sheriff's Lt. Nathan Gibbs.&nbsp; &nbsp;The Sheriff’s Office has identified several suspects in the case. Authorities have not reported an arrest. One of the bodies was located on May 10,&nbsp; the other on May 13.&nbsp; Both bodies were transported to the Sedgwick County Regional Forensic Science Center for further testing and examination. &nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1715980197399.png" alt="Kevin Ledesma-photo Kansas Dept. of Corrections" />
 <figcaption>Kevin Ledesma-photo Kansas Dept. of Corrections</figcaption>
 </figure>On Friday, the sheriff's office received confirmation through DNA testing on the identities of the two deceased individuals as 30-year-old Monica R. Williams and 24-year-old Kevin M. Ledesma. Both had been reporteed missing and were last seen&nbsp;at a residence in the 9500 block South Hydraulic in Wichita on January 1, 2024. The sheriff's office also reported there were homicide victims.The circumstances in which Williams and Ledesma were killed remains under investigation by the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office.

Police ID suspects after 2 bodies found in rural Kansas homicide

KANSAS CITY (AP) —Red Lobster has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection days after shuttering dozens of restaurants.

The seafood chain has been struggling with rising lease and labor costs in recent years and also promotions like its iconic all-you-can-eat shrimp deal that backfired.

Demand for one such recent promotion overwhelmed restaurants,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/food/2023/11/27/red-lobster-endless-shrimp-earnings-report/71723659007/">reportedly</a>&nbsp;contributing to millions in losses.

The seafood restaurant chain said in a court filing late Sunday that it has more than 100,000 creditors and estimated assets between $1 billion and $10 billion. The company's estimated liabilities are between $1 billion and $10 billion.

The bankruptcy petition is signed by CEO Jonathan Tibus, a corporate restructuring specialist who took the top post at Red Lobster in March.

Restaurant liquidator TAGeX Brands announced last week that it would be&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/red-lobster-closures-endless-shrimp-bankruptcy-c0cad9fde7d39e479674ea497ac9a36f">auctioning</a>&nbsp;off the equipment of over 50 Red Lobster locations that were recently closed. The store closures span across more than 20 states — reducing Red Lobster’s presence in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.tagexbrands.com/red-lobster/">cities like</a>&nbsp;Denver, San Antonio, Indianapolis and Sacramento, California.

Maintaining stability at the Florida chain has been problematic due to multiple ownership changes over its 56-year history. Earlier this year, Red Lobster co-owner Thai Union Group, one of the world’s largest seafood suppliers, announced its intention to exit its minority investment in the dining chain.

Thai Union first&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-6e252dbd4ff84eb1b44ba97809ca49ee">invested in Red Lobster in 2016</a>&nbsp;and upped its stake in 2020. At the time of the January announcement on its plans to divest, CEO Thiraphong Chansiri said the COVID-19 pandemic, industry headwinds and rising operating costs had hit the dining chain hard and caused “prolonged negative financial contributions to Thai Union and its shareholders.”

For the first nine months of 2023, the Thailand company reported a $19 million share of loss from Red Lobster.

Red Lobster’s roots date back to 1968, when the first restaurant <a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-9b65b21164c445ac89e134f2165efecf">opened</a>&nbsp;in Lakeland, Florida. The chain expanded rapidly since then and runs more than 700 locations worldwide.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1715638363133.jpeg" alt="Sign on the entrance to the Red Lobster Restaurant in Salina, Kansas-photo by Nathan King" />
 <figcaption>Sign on the entrance to the Red Lobster Restaurant in Salina, Kansas-photo by Nathan King</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY (AP) —Red Lobster has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection days after shuttering dozens of restaurants.The seafood chain has been struggling with rising lease and labor costs in recent years and also promotions like its iconic all-you-can-eat shrimp deal that backfired.Demand for one such recent promotion overwhelmed restaurants,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/food/2023/11/27/red-lobster-endless-shrimp-earnings-report/71723659007/">reportedly</a>&nbsp;contributing to millions in losses.The seafood restaurant chain said in a court filing late Sunday that it has more than 100,000 creditors and estimated assets between $1 billion and $10 billion. The company's estimated liabilities are between $1 billion and $10 billion.The bankruptcy petition is signed by CEO Jonathan Tibus, a corporate restructuring specialist who took the top post at Red Lobster in March.Restaurant liquidator TAGeX Brands announced last week that it would be&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/red-lobster-closures-endless-shrimp-bankruptcy-c0cad9fde7d39e479674ea497ac9a36f">auctioning</a>&nbsp;off the equipment of over 50 Red Lobster locations that were recently closed. The store closures span across more than 20 states — reducing Red Lobster’s presence in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.tagexbrands.com/red-lobster/">cities like</a>&nbsp;Denver, San Antonio, Indianapolis and Sacramento, California.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1715638338504.jpeg" alt="Red Lobster in Salina, Kansas -photo by Nathan King" />
 <figcaption>Red Lobster in Salina, Kansas -photo by Nathan King</figcaption>
 </figure>Maintaining stability at the Florida chain has been problematic due to multiple ownership changes over its 56-year history. Earlier this year, Red Lobster co-owner Thai Union Group, one of the world’s largest seafood suppliers, announced its intention to exit its minority investment in the dining chain.Thai Union first&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-6e252dbd4ff84eb1b44ba97809ca49ee">invested in Red Lobster in 2016</a>&nbsp;and upped its stake in 2020. At the time of the January announcement on its plans to divest, CEO Thiraphong Chansiri said the COVID-19 pandemic, industry headwinds and rising operating costs had hit the dining chain hard and caused “prolonged negative financial contributions to Thai Union and its shareholders.”For the first nine months of 2023, the Thailand company reported a $19 million share of loss from Red Lobster.Red Lobster’s roots date back to 1968, when the first restaurant <a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-9b65b21164c445ac89e134f2165efecf">opened</a>&nbsp;in Lakeland, Florida. The chain expanded rapidly since then and runs more than 700 locations worldwide.

Red Lobster files for bankruptcy days after unlimited shrimp deal

KANSAS CITY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating another homicide in Kansas City.

Just before 2p.m. Saturday, police were dispatched to 34th and Wyoming on a recovered stolen auto, according to Sheriff Daryl Forte'.

  Call was later upgraded to a shooting. First responders found a man suffering from gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Three subjects were questioned.&nbsp;

Police indicated that a preliminary investigation found a fight broke out among multiple individuals. Several individuals fired shots before the victim was hit. Three suspects were taken into custody.

Detectives and crime scene investigators said they continue to speak with witnesses as they continue to process the scene. Anyone with information about the incident should report it to KCPD at 816-234-5043 or the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1716088530027.png" alt="Photo Sheriff Daryl Forte'" />
 <figcaption>Photo Sheriff Daryl Forte'</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating another homicide in Kansas City.Just before 2p.m. Saturday, police were dispatched to 34th and Wyoming on a recovered stolen auto, according to Sheriff Daryl Forte'. Call was later upgraded to a shooting. First responders found a man suffering from gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Three subjects were questioned.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1716119122322.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Police indicated that a preliminary investigation found a fight broke out among multiple individuals. Several individuals fired shots before the victim was hit. Three suspects were taken into custody.Detectives and crime scene investigators said they continue to speak with witnesses as they continue to process the scene. Anyone with information about the incident should report it to KCPD at 816-234-5043 or the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS.

Police investigate deadly shooting at KC apartment complex

RUSSELL COUNTY — Spring thunderstorms brought flooding rain, large hail and extreme winds Sunday afternoon and evening across Kansas. There are no injuries reported.

The storms started tracking across the state just after 2p.m. and prompted numerous watches and tornado warnings.

Just before 5p.m. the Salina Airport recorded winds of of 100 miles per hour. Heavy rain caused flooding over Highway 14 in Ellsworth County.

The storms in Harvey and Sedgwick counties produced 80-90mph winds that caused structural damage, downed power lines, and turned over semis, according to the National Weather Service.&nbsp;

&nbsp;Russell experienced golf ball-sized hail and 82 mph wind gusts as a tornado-warned storm passed through the area causing significant damage across the community.&nbsp; Power was out in most of the community and at least three structures were leveled, according to a report on the city's social media page. Power lines are down and trees are blocking roadways in Russell and many communities across the region.

Newton USD 373 canceled school for Monday at Chisholm Middle School due to weather damage.&nbsp;Unified School District 407, Russell also cancelled classes due to weather related issues.

There were over 18,000 residents in Hutchinson without power Sunday night according to the Evergy outage map, after a severe thunderstorm with 86 mile per hour winds, measured at 7:40p.m. at the Hutchinson Airport.

The storm caused significant damage in Burrton, with Highway 50 shut down between Yoder Road and the Harvey County line Sunday night due to a chemical leak. Haven Road was also closed due to power poles down east of town.&nbsp;Burrton residents were temporarily asked to shelter in place due to a the possible chemical leak at the damaged oil facility west of the city. The alert was issued just after 9 p.m and lifted at approximately 11 p.m. 

Several damaged buildings were reported throughout Harvey county.

Other roadways in Harvey were closed as of Sunday night due to flooding, tree damage or power line damage include:

· North Burmac Road from U.S. 50 to Northwest 24th Street

· Southwest 36th Street between Halstead Road and Old Settlers Road

· North Spring Lake Road from U.S. 50 to West First Street

· North Golden Prairie Road from U.S. 50 to Northwest 24th Street

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1716159390070.jpeg" alt="Halstead and Pleasent Hill Road Outside Salina looking west at 5:35 p.m. on Sunday May 19." />
 <figcaption>Halstead and Pleasent Hill Road Outside Salina looking west at 5:35 p.m. on Sunday May 19.</figcaption>
 </figure>RUSSELL COUNTY — Spring thunderstorms brought flooding rain, large hail and extreme winds Sunday afternoon and evening across Kansas. There are no injuries reported.The storms started tracking across the state just after 2p.m. and prompted numerous watches and tornado warnings.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1716165740455.png" alt="Photo city of Russell" />
 <figcaption>Photo city of Russell</figcaption>
 </figure>Just before 5p.m. the Salina Airport recorded winds of of 100 miles per hour. Heavy rain caused flooding over Highway 14 in Ellsworth County.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">At 5:55PM, quarter to golf ball sized hail was reported in Salina. A 100 mph measured wind gust was just reported at Salina Airport at 6PM. Get into shelter now if you are in Salina! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/kswx?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#kswx</a>&mdash; NWS Wichita (@NWSWichita) <a href="https://twitter.com/NWSWichita/status/1792331022694338766?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 19, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1716162978638.png" alt="Drivers parking under the overpass at I-70 and I-135 in Salina during the storm-image KanDrive camera" />
 <figcaption>Drivers parking under the overpass at I-70 and I-135 in Salina during the storm-image KanDrive camera</figcaption>
 </figure>The storms in Harvey and Sedgwick counties produced 80-90mph winds that caused structural damage, downed power lines, and turned over semis, according to the National Weather Service.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1716168322617.png" alt="Storm damage photo city of Russell" />
 <figcaption>Storm damage photo city of Russell</figcaption>
 </figure>&nbsp;Russell experienced golf ball-sized hail and 82 mph wind gusts as a tornado-warned storm passed through the area causing significant damage across the community.&nbsp; Power was out in most of the community and at least three structures were leveled, according to a report on the city's social media page. Power lines are down and trees are blocking roadways in Russell and many communities across the region.Newton USD 373 canceled school for Monday at Chisholm Middle School due to weather damage.&nbsp;Unified School District 407, Russell also cancelled classes due to weather related issues.There were over 18,000 residents in Hutchinson without power Sunday night according to the Evergy outage map, after a severe thunderstorm with 86 mile per hour winds, measured at 7:40p.m. at the Hutchinson Airport.The storm caused significant damage in Burrton, with Highway 50 shut down between Yoder Road and the Harvey County line Sunday night due to a chemical leak. Haven Road was also closed due to power poles down east of town.&nbsp;Burrton residents were temporarily asked to shelter in place due to a the possible chemical leak at the damaged oil facility west of the city. The alert was issued just after 9 p.m and lifted at approximately 11 p.m. <figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1716198838451.png" alt="Photo Harvey County Emergency Management" />
 <figcaption>Photo Harvey County Emergency Management</figcaption>
 </figure>Several damaged buildings were reported throughout Harvey county.Other roadways in Harvey were closed as of Sunday night due to flooding, tree damage or power line damage include:· North Burmac Road from U.S. 50 to Northwest 24th Street· Southwest 36th Street between Halstead Road and Old Settlers Road· North Spring Lake Road from U.S. 50 to West First Street· North Golden Prairie Road from U.S. 50 to Northwest 24th Street· North River Park Road from U.S. 50 to West First StreetPower outages were numerous throughout Harvey county. Evergy reported more than 10,000 customers affected in Harvey County, and Butler Electric reported 98 customers without power.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1716202728350.png" alt="-Photo Harvey County Emergency Management" />
 <figcaption>-Photo Harvey County Emergency Management</figcaption>
 </figure>Harvey County issued a verbal disaster declaration due to the weather damage. Disaster declarations aid with coordination of resources if needed.Haven Police reported that there is damage to various structures throughout that city. The Senior Center is open for those who need power as of Sunday night, but if you don't have to get out, travel is not recommended until at least sunrise.According to the Evergy&nbsp;<a href="https://outagemap.evergy.com/" target="_blank">outage map</a>, at least 20,000 people living in and around Overland Park, Kansas, had experienced a power outage. About 20,000 people in and around Kansas City, Missouri, also were without power.