BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/rmipro/">RACHEL MIPRO</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA — Kansas lawmakers, health care advocates and lobbyists lined the walls of a jam-packed room Wednesday to give their views on Medicaid expansion, their first opportunity to do so in years.&nbsp;

It’s been four years since legislative leaders have allowed hearings on expanding state health care coverage for Kansans who can’t afford to buy marketplace health insurance.&nbsp;

The joint Senate committee informational hearing on what this extended eligibility would look like is one of two Medicaid expansion hearings scheduled Wednesday. Sen. Beverly Gossage, a Eudora Republican, said the current state health insurance plan should not be changed.&nbsp;

“For multiple reasons, I urge my fellow legislators to vote against Medicaid expansion,” Gossage wrote in submitted testimony. “Kansas is wise to preserve limited Medicaid funds for the truly vulnerable for whom Medicaid was originally designed. And not to displace people from their private plans onto a government program that will stretch the state budget and withhold funds from other vital projects.”

Kansas is one of 10 states left that have not expanded, as Republican leadership in the Legislature — where the party holds a supermajority in both chambers — has withheld approval despite widespread public support for expansion.&nbsp;

Under the Affordable Care Act, the federal government covers 90% of the extra cost of Medicaid services in exchange for expanding eligibility to 138% of the federal poverty rate. Medicaid expansion would unlock $700 million in annual federal funding and could potentially save 59 rural hospitals on the brink of closure.&nbsp;

Among the conservative national lobbying groups that voiced opposition to expansion were Americans for Prosperity, the Cato Institute and Opportunity Solutions Project.&nbsp;

Dean Clancy, senior health policy fellow with Americans for Prosperity, said expansion would take away funds from “truly needy patients.”&nbsp;

“Every Medicaid dollar that the state spends on able-bodied adults is one less dollar it can spend on individuals with disabilities, pregnant mothers, and children in poverty,” Clancy said. “States that expand Medicaid have fewer resources to treat truly needy patients.”

Most of the estimated 150,000 Kansans who would benefit from expansion are low-income workers or those suffering from chronic illness.

Christine Osterlund, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment’s deputy secretary and the state’s Medicaid director, said increasing access to affordable health care would result in more Kansans receiving preventative health care, addressing health issues before they worsen and result in hospitalization or emergency room visits.&nbsp;

“Expansion states show more mothers accessing services, including postpartum care, than in non-expansion states, and children with parents enrolled in Medicaid are more likely to receive health care services,” Osterlund said. “Eligible individuals with behavioral health conditions see increased access to behavioral health treatment and other services under Medicaid expansion.”&nbsp;

&nbsp;Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly has spent months rallying across the state for expansion, leveraging 2024’s election year status to jolt Kansas lawmakers into action before they face their constituents in fall.&nbsp;

Democrats introduced Medicaid expansion bills into House and Senate committees in January, waiting weeks for action. The House will hear the Medicaid expansion bill, encapsulated as House Bill&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/hb2556/">2556</a>, later this afternoon.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1710961845832.png" alt=" Christine Osterlund, the Kansas Medicaid director, opens a Kansas Senate hearing Wednesday on benefits and disadvantages of expanding eligibility for Medicaid statewide. The Kansas House scheduled a comparable hearing Wednesday at the Capitol. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption> Christine Osterlund, the Kansas Medicaid director, opens a Kansas Senate hearing Wednesday on benefits and disadvantages of expanding eligibility for Medicaid statewide. The Kansas House scheduled a comparable hearing Wednesday at the Capitol. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/rmipro/">RACHEL MIPRO</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — Kansas lawmakers, health care advocates and lobbyists lined the walls of a jam-packed room Wednesday to give their views on Medicaid expansion, their first opportunity to do so in years.&nbsp;(Click below to watch the hearing)<div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GwpzfLj1a7Y?si=sVN2h0yo5hX3ySVT&amp;start=3" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>It’s been four years since legislative leaders have allowed hearings on expanding state health care coverage for Kansans who can’t afford to buy marketplace health insurance.&nbsp;The joint Senate committee informational hearing on what this extended eligibility would look like is one of two Medicaid expansion hearings scheduled Wednesday. Sen. Beverly Gossage, a Eudora Republican, said the current state health insurance plan should not be changed.&nbsp;“For multiple reasons, I urge my fellow legislators to vote against Medicaid expansion,” Gossage wrote in submitted testimony. “Kansas is wise to preserve limited Medicaid funds for the truly vulnerable for whom Medicaid was originally designed. And not to displace people from their private plans onto a government program that will stretch the state budget and withhold funds from other vital projects.”Kansas is one of 10 states left that have not expanded, as Republican leadership in the Legislature — where the party holds a supermajority in both chambers — has withheld approval despite widespread public support for expansion.&nbsp;Under the Affordable Care Act, the federal government covers 90% of the extra cost of Medicaid services in exchange for expanding eligibility to 138% of the federal poverty rate. Medicaid expansion would unlock $700 million in annual federal funding and could potentially save 59 rural hospitals on the brink of closure.&nbsp;Among the conservative national lobbying groups that voiced opposition to expansion were Americans for Prosperity, the Cato Institute and Opportunity Solutions Project.&nbsp;Dean Clancy, senior health policy fellow with Americans for Prosperity, said expansion would take away funds from “truly needy patients.”&nbsp;“Every Medicaid dollar that the state spends on able-bodied adults is one less dollar it can spend on individuals with disabilities, pregnant mothers, and children in poverty,” Clancy said. “States that expand Medicaid have fewer resources to treat truly needy patients.”Most of the estimated 150,000 Kansans who would benefit from expansion are low-income workers or those suffering from chronic illness.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1710961876510.png" alt=" An overflow crowd attended a Kansas Senate hearing Wednesday on implications of Kansas expanding Medicaid to about 150,000 lower-income adults and children. It was to be followed by a Kansas House committee hearing on Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly’s Medicaid expansion bill. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption> An overflow crowd attended a Kansas Senate hearing Wednesday on implications of Kansas expanding Medicaid to about 150,000 lower-income adults and children. It was to be followed by a Kansas House committee hearing on Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly’s Medicaid expansion bill. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>Christine Osterlund, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment’s deputy secretary and the state’s Medicaid director, said increasing access to affordable health care would result in more Kansans receiving preventative health care, addressing health issues before they worsen and result in hospitalization or emergency room visits.&nbsp;“Expansion states show more mothers accessing services, including postpartum care, than in non-expansion states, and children with parents enrolled in Medicaid are more likely to receive health care services,” Osterlund said. “Eligible individuals with behavioral health conditions see increased access to behavioral health treatment and other services under Medicaid expansion.”&nbsp;&nbsp;Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly has spent months rallying across the state for expansion, leveraging 2024’s election year status to jolt Kansas lawmakers into action before they face their constituents in fall.&nbsp;Democrats introduced Medicaid expansion bills into House and Senate committees in January, waiting weeks for action. The House will hear the Medicaid expansion bill, encapsulated as House Bill&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/hb2556/">2556</a>, later this afternoon.

🎥Kan. Senate held first Capitol committee hearing on Medicaid expansion in years

KANSAS CITY —Authorities are working to determine the cause of a fire at a home in Kansas City.

Just after noon Tuesday, crews&nbsp;responded to the report of a house fire in the 4500 block of N. Agnes, according to Battalion Chief Michael Hopkins. On arrival crews reported fire and smoke from a one-story home.

 Searches of the structure came back all clear. The fire was brought under control at 12:20 pm. No injuries have been reported at this incident.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1710874087469.png" alt="Photos KC Fire Department" />
 <figcaption>Photos KC Fire Department</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —Authorities are working to determine the cause of a fire at a home in Kansas City.Just after noon Tuesday, crews&nbsp;responded to the report of a house fire in the 4500 block of N. Agnes, according to Battalion Chief Michael Hopkins. On arrival crews reported fire and smoke from a one-story home.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1710874058400.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure> Searches of the structure came back all clear. The fire was brought under control at 12:20 pm. No injuries have been reported at this incident.&nbsp;

Cause of Kansas City house fire under investigation

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal Reserve officials signaled Wednesday that they still expect to cut their key interest rate three times in 2024 despite signs that inflation stayed surprisingly high at the start of the year. Yet they foresee fewer rate cuts in 2025, and they slightly raised their inflation forecasts.

After ending their latest meeting, the officials kept their benchmark interest rate unchanged for a fifth straight time.

In new quarterly projections they issued, the Fed officials forecast that stronger growth and stubborn inflation would persist this year and next. As a result, they predicted that interest rates would have to stay slightly higher for longer.

Speaking at a news conference, Chair Jerome Powell noted that inflation has cooled considerably from its peak. But, he added, "inflation is still too high, ongoing progress in bringing it down is not assured and the path forward is uncertain.”

“The risks are really two-sided here,” Powell said. "We’re in a situation where if we ease too much or too soon, we could see inflation come back. And if we ease too late, we could see unnecessary harm to employment.”

Rate cuts would, over time, lead to lower costs for home and auto loans, credit card borrowing and business loans. They might also aid President Joe Biden’s re-election bid, which is facing&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-inflation-election-2024-eggs-trump-6690e93b2817f28ebc314c088cbec267">widespread public unhappiness</a>&nbsp;over higher prices and could benefit from an economic jolt stemming from lower borrowing rates.

The Fed's policymakers now foresee three rate cuts in 2025, down from four in their December projections. They expect “core” inflation, which excludes volatile food and energy costs, to still be 2.6% by the end of 2024, up from their previous projection of 2.4%. In January, core inflation was 2.8%, according to the Fed's preferred measure.

As a whole, Wednesday's forecasts suggest that the policymakers expect the U.S. economy to continue enjoying an unusual combination: A healthy job market and economy in tandem with inflation that continues to cool — just more gradually than they had predicted three months ago.

The Fed’s officials signaled that they also now foresee their benchmark rate as being higher in the future than it was in recent years — high enough to keep inflation in check but low enough to keep the economy growing. They had long pegged this “neutral rate” at 2.5%. But on Wednesday, the officials estimated that it's now 2.6%. If so, this means rates are less likely to return to the ultra-low levels that prevailed for years before the pandemic struck.

When the Fed raises its benchmark rate above the neutral rate, it seeks to slow growth and tame inflation. If the neutral rate is actually higher than the Fed had thought, it means its key rate should be higher, too, to cool the economy and inflation.

Most economists have pegged the Fed’s June meeting as the most likely time for it to announce its first rate cut, which would begin to reverse the 11 hikes it imposed beginning two years ago. The Fed’s hikes have helped lower annual inflation from a peak of 9.1% in June 2022 to 3.2%. But they have also made borrowing much costlier for businesses and households.

Two recent government reports pointed to higher-than-expected inflation. One showed that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-prices-rates-economy-biden-federal-reserve-4ac316b6a435ef44c370ce7686da67c0">consumer prices jumped</a>&nbsp;from January to February by much more than is consistent with the Fed’s target. The second showed that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-wholesale-prices-consumer-federal-reserve-rates-b0456bd9bdc0cfdb5945f443ff75d865">wholesale inflation</a>&nbsp;came in surprisingly high — a possible sign of inflation pressures in the pipeline that could cause consumer price increases to remain elevated.

Powell and the 18 other officials on the Fed’s interest-rate-setting committee have been considering how — or whether — those figures should affect their timetable for cutting rates. The central question is whether they have kept rates high enough for long enough to fully tame inflation.

Though consumer inflation has tumbled since mid-2022, it has remained stuck above 3%. And in the first two months of 2024, the costs of services, like rents, hotels and hospital stays, remained elevated. That suggested that high borrowing rates weren’t sufficiently slowing inflation in the economy’s vast service sector.

While the Fed’s rate hikes typically make borrowing more expensive for homes, cars, appliances and other costly goods, they have much less effect on services spending, which doesn’t usually involve loans. With the economy still healthy, there is no compelling reason for the Fed to cut rates until it feels inflation is sustainably under control.

At the same time, the central bank faces a competing concern: If it waits too long to cut rates, a long period of high borrowing costs could seriously weaken the economy and even tip it into a recession.

In most respects, the U.S. economy remains remarkably heathy.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jobs-hiring-unemployment-economy-inflation-federal-reserve-96162ff805670eb19a44cdf67fa20e3e">Employers keep hiring</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jobs-hiring-unemployment-economy-inflation-federal-reserve-96162ff805670eb19a44cdf67fa20e3e">unemployment remains low</a>, and the stock market is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/stock-markets-rates-fed-inflation-cba7b728da06fa6ee309bd5c26e08e20">hovering at record highs</a>. Yet average consumer prices remain much higher than they were before the pandemic — a source of unhappiness for many Americans for which Republicans have sought to pin blame on Biden.

And there are signs that the economy could weaken in the coming months. Americans&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/retail-sales-economy-inflation-9136c3aeecb2afeee14a3a4b64ab3773">slowed their spending at retailers</a>&nbsp;in January and February, for example. The unemployment rate has reached 3.9% — still a healthy level, but up from a half-century low last year of 3.4%. And much of the hiring in recent months has occurred in government, health care and private education, with many other industries barely adding any jobs.

Other major central banks are also keeping rates high to ensure that they have a firm handle on consumer price spikes. In Europe,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/bank-of-england-interest-rates-britain-308acb9c0e72c57869d53b336dada7ca">pressure is building to lower borrowing costs</a>&nbsp;as inflation drops and economic growth stalls. The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/european-central-bank-interest-rates-inflation-7af79779d91d04076b169111254f82fd">European Central Bank’s leader hinted</a>&nbsp;this month that a possible rate cut could come in June, while the Bank of England isn’t expected to open the door to any imminent cut when it meets Thursday.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal Reserve officials signaled Wednesday that they still expect to cut their key interest rate three times in 2024 despite signs that inflation stayed surprisingly high at the start of the year. Yet they foresee fewer rate cuts in 2025, and they slightly raised their inflation forecasts.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Federal Reserve Chair Powell: &quot;Today, the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FOMC?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FOMC</a> decided to leave our policy interest rate unchanged and to continue to reduce our securities holdings.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/hoobsvmcO6">pic.twitter.com/hoobsvmcO6</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1770532861285732679?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 20, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>After ending their latest meeting, the officials kept their benchmark interest rate unchanged for a fifth straight time.In new quarterly projections they issued, the Fed officials forecast that stronger growth and stubborn inflation would persist this year and next. As a result, they predicted that interest rates would have to stay slightly higher for longer.Speaking at a news conference, Chair Jerome Powell noted that inflation has cooled considerably from its peak. But, he added, "inflation is still too high, ongoing progress in bringing it down is not assured and the path forward is uncertain.”“The risks are really two-sided here,” Powell said. "We’re in a situation where if we ease too much or too soon, we could see inflation come back. And if we ease too late, we could see unnecessary harm to employment.”Rate cuts would, over time, lead to lower costs for home and auto loans, credit card borrowing and business loans. They might also aid President Joe Biden’s re-election bid, which is facing&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-inflation-election-2024-eggs-trump-6690e93b2817f28ebc314c088cbec267">widespread public unhappiness</a>&nbsp;over higher prices and could benefit from an economic jolt stemming from lower borrowing rates.The Fed's policymakers now foresee three rate cuts in 2025, down from four in their December projections. They expect “core” inflation, which excludes volatile food and energy costs, to still be 2.6% by the end of 2024, up from their previous projection of 2.4%. In January, core inflation was 2.8%, according to the Fed's preferred measure.As a whole, Wednesday's forecasts suggest that the policymakers expect the U.S. economy to continue enjoying an unusual combination: A healthy job market and economy in tandem with inflation that continues to cool — just more gradually than they had predicted three months ago.The Fed’s officials signaled that they also now foresee their benchmark rate as being higher in the future than it was in recent years — high enough to keep inflation in check but low enough to keep the economy growing. They had long pegged this “neutral rate” at 2.5%. But on Wednesday, the officials estimated that it's now 2.6%. If so, this means rates are less likely to return to the ultra-low levels that prevailed for years before the pandemic struck.When the Fed raises its benchmark rate above the neutral rate, it seeks to slow growth and tame inflation. If the neutral rate is actually higher than the Fed had thought, it means its key rate should be higher, too, to cool the economy and inflation.Most economists have pegged the Fed’s June meeting as the most likely time for it to announce its first rate cut, which would begin to reverse the 11 hikes it imposed beginning two years ago. The Fed’s hikes have helped lower annual inflation from a peak of 9.1% in June 2022 to 3.2%. But they have also made borrowing much costlier for businesses and households.Two recent government reports pointed to higher-than-expected inflation. One showed that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-prices-rates-economy-biden-federal-reserve-4ac316b6a435ef44c370ce7686da67c0">consumer prices jumped</a>&nbsp;from January to February by much more than is consistent with the Fed’s target. The second showed that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-wholesale-prices-consumer-federal-reserve-rates-b0456bd9bdc0cfdb5945f443ff75d865">wholesale inflation</a>&nbsp;came in surprisingly high — a possible sign of inflation pressures in the pipeline that could cause consumer price increases to remain elevated.Powell and the 18 other officials on the Fed’s interest-rate-setting committee have been considering how — or whether — those figures should affect their timetable for cutting rates. The central question is whether they have kept rates high enough for long enough to fully tame inflation.Though consumer inflation has tumbled since mid-2022, it has remained stuck above 3%. And in the first two months of 2024, the costs of services, like rents, hotels and hospital stays, remained elevated. That suggested that high borrowing rates weren’t sufficiently slowing inflation in the economy’s vast service sector.While the Fed’s rate hikes typically make borrowing more expensive for homes, cars, appliances and other costly goods, they have much less effect on services spending, which doesn’t usually involve loans. With the economy still healthy, there is no compelling reason for the Fed to cut rates until it feels inflation is sustainably under control.At the same time, the central bank faces a competing concern: If it waits too long to cut rates, a long period of high borrowing costs could seriously weaken the economy and even tip it into a recession.In most respects, the U.S. economy remains remarkably heathy.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jobs-hiring-unemployment-economy-inflation-federal-reserve-96162ff805670eb19a44cdf67fa20e3e">Employers keep hiring</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jobs-hiring-unemployment-economy-inflation-federal-reserve-96162ff805670eb19a44cdf67fa20e3e">unemployment remains low</a>, and the stock market is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/stock-markets-rates-fed-inflation-cba7b728da06fa6ee309bd5c26e08e20">hovering at record highs</a>. Yet average consumer prices remain much higher than they were before the pandemic — a source of unhappiness for many Americans for which Republicans have sought to pin blame on Biden.And there are signs that the economy could weaken in the coming months. Americans&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/retail-sales-economy-inflation-9136c3aeecb2afeee14a3a4b64ab3773">slowed their spending at retailers</a>&nbsp;in January and February, for example. The unemployment rate has reached 3.9% — still a healthy level, but up from a half-century low last year of 3.4%. And much of the hiring in recent months has occurred in government, health care and private education, with many other industries barely adding any jobs.Other major central banks are also keeping rates high to ensure that they have a firm handle on consumer price spikes. In Europe,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/bank-of-england-interest-rates-britain-308acb9c0e72c57869d53b336dada7ca">pressure is building to lower borrowing costs</a>&nbsp;as inflation drops and economic growth stalls. The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/european-central-bank-interest-rates-inflation-7af79779d91d04076b169111254f82fd">European Central Bank’s leader hinted</a>&nbsp;this month that a possible rate cut could come in June, while the Bank of England isn’t expected to open the door to any imminent cut when it meets Thursday.

🎥Americans will continue paying higher costs to borrow

KANSAS CITY —Tech giant Google announced Wednesday it will locate a&nbsp; new data center in Kansas City with an initial $1 billion investment supporting 1,300 jobs.

Elected officials and dignitaries made the announcement at the Hunt Midwest Business Center.

The project includes bringing a free Skilled Trades and Readiness program to the Kansas City area and a $100,000 contribution to the North Kansas City School District for a STEAM center, according to a media release.

The company plans to power the new data center with 400 megawatts of carbon-free solar energy from the Beavertail Solar farm in Missouri. The plan calls for a power purchase agreement with Ranger Power and D.E. Shaw Renewable Investments.

"We’re proud this data center represents the company’s first in Missouri and its largest investment in a single location," said Missouri Governor Mike Parson.

"Google selecting the Kansas City region is another example of our state’s ability to attract and support world-class companies. Our skilled workforce, superior infrastructure, and prime business climate continue to result in investments from leading employer."

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1710956913009.png" alt="courtesy photo" />
 <figcaption>courtesy photo</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —Tech giant Google announced Wednesday it will locate a&nbsp; new data center in Kansas City with an initial $1 billion investment supporting 1,300 jobs.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">After years of hard work, proud to welcome <a href="https://twitter.com/Google?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Google</a> and a $1,000,000,000 investment to Kansas City and Missouri today. We look forward to 1,300 construction jobs coming to KC and more investment in the tech industry here for years to come. Kansas City keeps growing and winning! <a href="https://t.co/YwH5XZXqUz">pic.twitter.com/YwH5XZXqUz</a>&mdash; Mayor Q (@QuintonLucasKC) <a href="https://twitter.com/QuintonLucasKC/status/1770490199346221518?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 20, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Elected officials and dignitaries made the announcement at the Hunt Midwest Business Center.The project includes bringing a free Skilled Trades and Readiness program to the Kansas City area and a $100,000 contribution to the North Kansas City School District for a STEAM center, according to a media release.The company plans to power the new data center with 400 megawatts of carbon-free solar energy from the Beavertail Solar farm in Missouri. The plan calls for a power purchase agreement with Ranger Power and D.E. Shaw Renewable Investments."We’re proud this data center represents the company’s first in Missouri and its largest investment in a single location," said Missouri Governor Mike Parson."Google selecting the Kansas City region is another example of our state’s ability to attract and support world-class companies. Our skilled workforce, superior infrastructure, and prime business climate continue to result in investments from leading employer."

Google selects Kansas City as home of new $1 billion data center

SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities investigating a burglary and robbery are asking the public for help to locate a suspect.

The Topeka Police Department is attempting to locate Thomas “Tommy” Lathrom, 33, of Topeka, about an ongoing aggravated robbery and aggravated burglary incident that happened on March 1, 2024. 

If you have any information about where Lathrom might be, please contact investigators at telltpd@topeka.org or report anonymously to <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ShawneeCountyCrimeStoppers?__cft__[0]=AZUQ2nJohm0OavDTrC-CsCSWp1QW-jtHtArYszAz1ousQtPMrDnRIfIa7JMeM4IxmZfV7905jelLDJl04WYJzs6cGJOPwvrxt9tDiQo9xjwaaE1Zey8MNnUNBMVNIyHNv7jE5RdeoQAobOs8w5f_V-SfyaUpJ0JL6U0jYI1a2Hn1y5vU5DF8-rPrdk4TsFuooyM&amp;__tn__=-]K-R">Shawnee County Crime Stoppers</a> at 785-234-0007 or online at <a href="http://www.p3tips.com/128?fbclid=IwAR3DjHu8LE4sIf4fen5IbhWHzY7IlDpKClIiD4dXXd3UEnOeoloFK9sGjT8" target="_blank">www.p3tips.com/128</a>

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1710947696116.png" alt="Lathrom-photo Topeka Police" />
 <figcaption>Lathrom-photo Topeka Police</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities investigating a burglary and robbery are asking the public for help to locate a suspect.The Topeka Police Department is attempting to locate Thomas “Tommy” Lathrom, 33, of Topeka, about an ongoing aggravated robbery and aggravated burglary incident that happened on March 1, 2024. If you have any information about where Lathrom might be, please contact investigators at telltpd@topeka.org or report anonymously to <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ShawneeCountyCrimeStoppers?__cft__[0]=AZUQ2nJohm0OavDTrC-CsCSWp1QW-jtHtArYszAz1ousQtPMrDnRIfIa7JMeM4IxmZfV7905jelLDJl04WYJzs6cGJOPwvrxt9tDiQo9xjwaaE1Zey8MNnUNBMVNIyHNv7jE5RdeoQAobOs8w5f_V-SfyaUpJ0JL6U0jYI1a2Hn1y5vU5DF8-rPrdk4TsFuooyM&amp;__tn__=-]K-R">Shawnee County Crime Stoppers</a> at 785-234-0007 or online at <a href="http://www.p3tips.com/128?fbclid=IwAR3DjHu8LE4sIf4fen5IbhWHzY7IlDpKClIiD4dXXd3UEnOeoloFK9sGjT8" target="_blank">www.p3tips.com/128</a>

Police ask for help to find suspect in violent Kansas robbery 

KANSAS CITY (AP) —JetBlue Airways will end service at several cities and reduce flying out of Los Angeles in a move to retrench and focus on stronger markets after years of losing money.

The changes will also help the airline cope with the grounding of some of its planes for inspections of their Pratt &amp; Whitney engines, an executive told employees Tuesday.

Beginning June 13, JetBlue will pull out of Kansas City, Missouri; Bogota, Colombia; Quito, Ecuador; and Lima, Peru.

“These markets are unprofitable and our aircraft time can be better utilized elsewhere,” Dave Jehn, the airline's vice president of network planning, said in a memo to employees.

Also in June, the New York-based airline will drop several destinations from Los Angeles including Seattle, San Francisco, Las Vegas and Miami. It will end flights between Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and Atlanta; Austin, Texas; Nashville; New Orleans and Salt Lake City, and service between New York and Detroit.

JetBlue has lost more than $2 billion since its last profitable year, 2019. The airline tried to grow through a partnership and a merger, but the Biden administration’s Justice Department sued to kill both deals.

Last May, a federal judge ordered JetBlue and American Airlines to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/airlines-american-jetblue-antitrust-competition-04516894671f1f44461ffaa76663dbf0">dissolve a partnership</a>&nbsp;they created in Boston and New York. In January another judge&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jetblue-spirit-antitrust-acquisition-45568e98f87b549ba2c66ac89821812d">blocked JetBlue</a>&nbsp;from buying Spirit, saying the proposed $3.8 billion deal violated antitrust law.

The architect of those unsuccessful deals, Robin Hayes, stepped down as CEO in February and was replaced by Joanna Geraghty.

Frustrated by the courtroom defeats, JetBlue under Geraghty is turning toward growing on its own, which will take much longer.

Even before the change in CEOs, investor Carl Icahn began to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jetblue-icahn-spirit-bb8803524df1fa84f3f0a121fe17c259">buy nearly 10%</a>&nbsp;of JetBlue stock, and his side got two seats on the airline board.

The airline has struggled to improve its operation. JetBlue&nbsp;<a href="https://www.transportation.gov/sites/dot.gov/files/2024-03/February%202024%20ATCR.pdf">ranked ninth</a>&nbsp;out of the nation’s 10 largest airlines in both canceled flights and on-time arrivals last year, according to U.S. Transportation Department numbers.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1710947435476.png" alt="Photo courtesy JetBlue" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy JetBlue</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY (AP) —JetBlue Airways will end service at several cities and reduce flying out of Los Angeles in a move to retrench and focus on stronger markets after years of losing money.The changes will also help the airline cope with the grounding of some of its planes for inspections of their Pratt &amp; Whitney engines, an executive told employees Tuesday.Beginning June 13, JetBlue will pull out of Kansas City, Missouri; Bogota, Colombia; Quito, Ecuador; and Lima, Peru.“These markets are unprofitable and our aircraft time can be better utilized elsewhere,” Dave Jehn, the airline's vice president of network planning, said in a memo to employees.Also in June, the New York-based airline will drop several destinations from Los Angeles including Seattle, San Francisco, Las Vegas and Miami. It will end flights between Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and Atlanta; Austin, Texas; Nashville; New Orleans and Salt Lake City, and service between New York and Detroit.JetBlue has lost more than $2 billion since its last profitable year, 2019. The airline tried to grow through a partnership and a merger, but the Biden administration’s Justice Department sued to kill both deals.Last May, a federal judge ordered JetBlue and American Airlines to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/airlines-american-jetblue-antitrust-competition-04516894671f1f44461ffaa76663dbf0">dissolve a partnership</a>&nbsp;they created in Boston and New York. In January another judge&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jetblue-spirit-antitrust-acquisition-45568e98f87b549ba2c66ac89821812d">blocked JetBlue</a>&nbsp;from buying Spirit, saying the proposed $3.8 billion deal violated antitrust law.The architect of those unsuccessful deals, Robin Hayes, stepped down as CEO in February and was replaced by Joanna Geraghty.Frustrated by the courtroom defeats, JetBlue under Geraghty is turning toward growing on its own, which will take much longer.Even before the change in CEOs, investor Carl Icahn began to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jetblue-icahn-spirit-bb8803524df1fa84f3f0a121fe17c259">buy nearly 10%</a>&nbsp;of JetBlue stock, and his side got two seats on the airline board.The airline has struggled to improve its operation. JetBlue&nbsp;<a href="https://www.transportation.gov/sites/dot.gov/files/2024-03/February%202024%20ATCR.pdf">ranked ninth</a>&nbsp;out of the nation’s 10 largest airlines in both canceled flights and on-time arrivals last year, according to U.S. Transportation Department numbers.

JetBlue set to end service in Kansas City

Missouri is approaching its third straight year of dry conditions.

According to the most recent data from the U.S. Drought Monitor, 96% of the state is experiencing dry conditions. State climatologist Zach Leasor says that the state is behind on moisture, which could affect the growing season.

&nbsp;“Unless we see above normal precipitation soon in the rest of March and in April, we’re going to be pretty vulnerable to rapid onset of seeing some agricultural drought impacts if we don’t get some of that above normal precipitation.”

Leasor says that if Mother Nature does not bring above normal rainfall this spring, the drought this summer could get even worse.

“Right now, the soil moisture across the state, which is so important for the agricultural sector in making that water available for plants, it is much below normal for this time of year because of what we saw in February, but also soils are much drier this time, right now, then they were in March of 2023.”

As the El Niño weather pattern begins to come to an end and La Niña follows, summer could bring uncertainty. Leasor says that the state has seen this pattern eight times dating back to 1950.

“Overall, there’s a tendency for maybe a little bit of a warmer summer, but the precipitation is all over the board. So, when we flipped from El Niño to La Niña, we’ve had our wettest year on record in Missouri, which was 1973, but we’ve also had drought years like 1954 and 1988.”

He says that if drought continues for a third-straight year, the already dry soil conditions could intensify. El Niño and La Niña climate patterns affect weather across the globe through the cooling of water in the Pacific Ocean. Warmer or colder than average ocean temperatures in one part of the world can influence weather around the world.

Missouri is approaching its third straight year of dry conditions.According to the most recent data from the U.S. Drought Monitor, 96% of the state is experiencing dry conditions. State climatologist Zach Leasor says that the state is behind on moisture, which could affect the growing season.&nbsp;“Unless we see above normal precipitation soon in the rest of March and in April, we’re going to be pretty vulnerable to rapid onset of seeing some agricultural drought impacts if we don’t get some of that above normal precipitation.”Leasor says that if Mother Nature does not bring above normal rainfall this spring, the drought this summer could get even worse.“Right now, the soil moisture across the state, which is so important for the agricultural sector in making that water available for plants, it is much below normal for this time of year because of what we saw in February, but also soils are much drier this time, right now, then they were in March of 2023.”As the El Niño weather pattern begins to come to an end and La Niña follows, summer could bring uncertainty. Leasor says that the state has seen this pattern eight times dating back to 1950.“Overall, there’s a tendency for maybe a little bit of a warmer summer, but the precipitation is all over the board. So, when we flipped from El Niño to La Niña, we’ve had our wettest year on record in Missouri, which was 1973, but we’ve also had drought years like 1954 and 1988.”He says that if drought continues for a third-straight year, the already dry soil conditions could intensify. El Niño and La Niña climate patterns affect weather across the globe through the cooling of water in the Pacific Ocean. Warmer or colder than average ocean temperatures in one part of the world can influence weather around the world.-Missourinet

Could Missouri expect drought relief this spring?

DOUGLAS COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities investigating a hit-and-run incident that critically injured a woman and killed. her dog have located the vehicle involved, according to the Lawrence Police Department.

On Monday, the driver of a vehicle captured on security camera struck a 74-year-old woman and a dog at 23rd and Barker in Lawrence. The woman was hospitalized with critical injuries, and the dog was killed. The driver never stopped.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Police reported late Tuesday they have interviewed the driver and continue to investigate.

&nbsp;Tips on this case can also be submitted anonymously to Crime Stoppers at (785)843-TIPS (8477)

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1710784655210.png" alt="Photo Lawrence Police" />
 <figcaption>Photo Lawrence Police</figcaption>
 </figure>DOUGLAS COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities investigating a hit-and-run incident that critically injured a woman and killed. her dog have located the vehicle involved, according to the Lawrence Police Department.On Monday, the driver of a vehicle captured on security camera struck a 74-year-old woman and a dog at 23rd and Barker in Lawrence. The woman was hospitalized with critical injuries, and the dog was killed. The driver never stopped.&nbsp;&nbsp;Police reported late Tuesday they have interviewed the driver and continue to investigate.&nbsp;Tips on this case can also be submitted anonymously to Crime Stoppers at (785)843-TIPS (8477)

Police locate driver in Kan. hit-and-run that injured woman, killed dog

DES MOINES (AP) —The Mega Millions jackpot has reached $977 million for Friday night’s drawing after no tickets matched all six numbers drawn on Tuesday night.

The winning numbers drawn on Tuesday were 24, 46, 49, 62, 66 and the gold Mega Ball was 7. The estimated jackpot was $893 million with a cash prize of $421.4 million. The cash prize for Friday's drawing is $461 million.

Four people won $1 million each in California, Texas, Virginia and Florida.

It’s just the sixth time in the game’s nearly 22-year history that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/largest-lottery-jackpots-mega-millions-powerball-cb473805c48cd3b74a84d7ee4127450d">the jackpot has reached this level</a>; only five jackpots exceeding $1 billion have been higher.

Mega Millions is the only lottery game that has awarded five jackpots exceeding $1 billion, all in different states. South Carolina was the first in 2018, followed by Michigan in 2021, Illinois in 2022, Maine in early 2023 and Florida last August.

The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/powerball-mega-millions-winning-odds-numbers-a3e5a8e8e7ed15d7500c1d6acdab6785">odds of winning any lottery jackpot are very slim</a>. Mega Millions players have a 1 in 302.6 million chance of taking home the top prize.

Mega Millions tickets cost $2 and are sold in 45 states, Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

DES MOINES (AP) —The Mega Millions jackpot has reached $977 million for Friday night’s drawing after no tickets matched all six numbers drawn on Tuesday night.The winning numbers drawn on Tuesday were 24, 46, 49, 62, 66 and the gold Mega Ball was 7. The estimated jackpot was $893 million with a cash prize of $421.4 million. The cash prize for Friday's drawing is $461 million.Four people won $1 million each in California, Texas, Virginia and Florida.It’s just the sixth time in the game’s nearly 22-year history that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/largest-lottery-jackpots-mega-millions-powerball-cb473805c48cd3b74a84d7ee4127450d">the jackpot has reached this level</a>; only five jackpots exceeding $1 billion have been higher.Mega Millions is the only lottery game that has awarded five jackpots exceeding $1 billion, all in different states. South Carolina was the first in 2018, followed by Michigan in 2021, Illinois in 2022, Maine in early 2023 and Florida last August.The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/powerball-mega-millions-winning-odds-numbers-a3e5a8e8e7ed15d7500c1d6acdab6785">odds of winning any lottery jackpot are very slim</a>. Mega Millions players have a 1 in 302.6 million chance of taking home the top prize.Mega Millions tickets cost $2 and are sold in 45 states, Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Mega Millions jackpot reaches $977 million after no winner Tuesday

JOHNSON COUNTY—A man was injured in an accident Tuesday evening in Johnson County.

Police assisted MEDACT with the investigation of a construction worker/truck driver who fell off the bridge at U.S. 69 Highway and 119th Street, according to Overland Park Police Captain Ray Tisinger.&nbsp;

The worker received a serious injuries from the fall. He was transported to a local hospital.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1710930256913.png" alt="Image KC Scout camera" />
 <figcaption>Image KC Scout camera</figcaption>
 </figure>JOHNSON COUNTY—A man was injured in an accident Tuesday evening in Johnson County.Police assisted MEDACT with the investigation of a construction worker/truck driver who fell off the bridge at U.S. 69 Highway and 119th Street, according to Overland Park Police Captain Ray Tisinger.&nbsp;The worker received a serious injuries from the fall. He was transported to a local hospital.&nbsp;Police released no additional details.

Construction worker injured after fall from Kansas bridge

McALLEN, Texas (AP) — Texas'&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-texas-2edc0f202156bf792cd531e814bbf2f5">plans to arrest migrants</a>&nbsp;suspected of entering the U.S. illegally were again on hold Wednesday after setting off uncertainty along the border and anger from Mexico flared during a brief few hours that the law was allowed to take effect.

A&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-migrant-arrests-texas-13ffaed316d16f42e928f6958f0658f2">late-night order Tuesday</a>&nbsp;from a 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel temporarily put on hold — again — Texas' dramatic state expansion into border enforcement. Earlier in the day, the U.S. Supreme Court had cleared the way for the strict immigration law, dealing a victory to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/greg-abbott">Republican Gov. Greg Abbott</a>&nbsp;and encouraging GOP lawmakers in other states that are pushing for similar measures.

But later in a 2-1 order, an appeals court panel continued the legal seesaw surrounding the Texas law, again putting it on pause ahead of oral arguments that were scheduled for Wednesday. It was not clear how quickly the next decision might come.

During the short time the law was in effect Tuesday, Texas authorities did not announce that any arrests had been made or say whether it was being actively enforced. Along the border in Kinney County, Sheriff Brad Coe embraced the arrest powers but said deputies would need probable cause.

“It is unlikely that observers will see an overnight change,” said Coe, whose county covers a stretch of border near Del Rio that until recently had been the busiest corridor for illegal crossings but has quieted considerably.

The Supreme Court did not rule on the merits of the law. It instead kicked back to the lower appeals court a challenge led by the Justice Department, which has argued that Texas is overstepping the federal government's immigration authority.

The latest appeals court order included no explanation from the panel. But it had the effect of restoring an injunction&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-migrant-arrests-court-ruling-3bcded91620cbd9686575caa6bcac203">issued in February</a>&nbsp;by U.S. District Judge David Ezra, who rebuked the law on multiple fronts. His 114-page opinion brushed off Republicans' claims of an “invasion” along the southern border due to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-border-crossings-mexico-biden-18ac91ef502e0c5433f74de6cc629b32">record-high</a>&nbsp;illegal crossings. Ezra, an appointee of former President Ronald Reagan, also warned that the law could hamper U.S. foreign relations.

Under the Texas law, once defendants are in custody on illegal entry charges, they can agree to a judge's order to leave the U.S. or face prosecution. On Tuesday, Mexico’s Foreign Affairs Secretary said in a sharply worded statement that it would refuse to take anyone back who is ordered to cross the border.

“Mexico reiterates the legitimate right to protect the rights of its nationals in the United States and to determine its own policies regarding entry into its territory,” the government said.

The impact extends far beyond the Texas border. Republican legislators wrote the law so that it applies in all of the state’s 254 counties, although Steve McCraw, the director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, has said he expects it will mostly be enforced near the border.

Other GOP-led states are already looking to follow Texas’ path. In Iowa, the state House on Tuesday gave final approval to a bill that would also give its state law enforcement the power to arrest people who are in the U.S. illegally and have previously been denied entry into the country.

It now goes to Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds. If signed, it would take effect in July.

“The federal government has abdicated its responsibilities and states can and must act,” Republican Iowa state Rep. Steven Holt said.

In Texas, El Paso County Judge Ricardo Samaniego, the top county executive, said immigration enforcement should remain a federal, not state, responsibility, echoing the Biden administration's view. He said heightened law enforcement presence in the city of El Paso during a previous migrant surge brought high-speed chases and traffic stops based on assumptions that passengers were in the country illegally.

“We had accidents, we had injuries, we got a little glimpse of what would happen if the state begins to control what happens in respect to immigration,” Samaniego said.

Skylor Hearn, executive director of the Sheriffs’ Association of Texas, said sheriffs' offices have been training since last year.

“If a county chooses to take it on themselves, they are choosing for their taxpayers to take it on themselves as well,” Hearn said. “As long as the federal government is willing to do its part that it is supposed to be doing, it is ideal for them to take possession and custody of these people."

Daniel Morales, an associate professor of law at the University of Houston Law Center, said the Texas law "will be a mess, very clearly, to enforce.”

“It’s very clear that Greg Abbott wants to enforce the law so he can get lots of photo ops and opportunities, but it’s gonna take a lot of state resources to implement. And I don’t know, in fact, how much appetite and capacity for that the state government actually has,” Morales said. Texas will find enforcement is “difficult and taxing,” he said.

Arrests for illegal crossings&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-border-security-migrants-homeland-security-1c6e9f612dff721191c0254f980947a5">fell by half in January</a>&nbsp;from a record-high of 250,000 in December, with sharp declines in Texas. Arrests in the Border Patrol's Del Rio sector, the focus of Abbott's enforcement, fell 76% from December. Rio Grande Valley, the busiest corridor for illegal crossings for much of the last decade, recorded its fewest arrests since June 2020.

Tucson, Arizona, has been the busiest corridor in recent months, followed by San Diego in January, but reasons for sudden shifts are often complicated and are dictated by smuggling organizations.

When President Joe Biden visited the Rio Grande Valley for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/border-immigration-biden-trump-42c945d02742b169bde40601a27fde02">his second trip to the border</a>&nbsp;as president last month, administration officials credited Mexico for heightened enforcement on that part of the border for the drop in arrests. They said conditions were more challenging for Mexican law enforcement in Sonora, the state that lies south of Arizona.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/12/1671577993523.png" alt="Photo courtesy Rep. Tony Gonzales" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy Rep. Tony Gonzales</figcaption>
 </figure>McALLEN, Texas (AP) — Texas'&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-texas-2edc0f202156bf792cd531e814bbf2f5">plans to arrest migrants</a>&nbsp;suspected of entering the U.S. illegally were again on hold Wednesday after setting off uncertainty along the border and anger from Mexico flared during a brief few hours that the law was allowed to take effect.A&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-migrant-arrests-texas-13ffaed316d16f42e928f6958f0658f2">late-night order Tuesday</a>&nbsp;from a 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel temporarily put on hold — again — Texas' dramatic state expansion into border enforcement. Earlier in the day, the U.S. Supreme Court had cleared the way for the strict immigration law, dealing a victory to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/greg-abbott">Republican Gov. Greg Abbott</a>&nbsp;and encouraging GOP lawmakers in other states that are pushing for similar measures.But later in a 2-1 order, an appeals court panel continued the legal seesaw surrounding the Texas law, again putting it on pause ahead of oral arguments that were scheduled for Wednesday. It was not clear how quickly the next decision might come.During the short time the law was in effect Tuesday, Texas authorities did not announce that any arrests had been made or say whether it was being actively enforced. Along the border in Kinney County, Sheriff Brad Coe embraced the arrest powers but said deputies would need probable cause.“It is unlikely that observers will see an overnight change,” said Coe, whose county covers a stretch of border near Del Rio that until recently had been the busiest corridor for illegal crossings but has quieted considerably.The Supreme Court did not rule on the merits of the law. It instead kicked back to the lower appeals court a challenge led by the Justice Department, which has argued that Texas is overstepping the federal government's immigration authority.The latest appeals court order included no explanation from the panel. But it had the effect of restoring an injunction&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-migrant-arrests-court-ruling-3bcded91620cbd9686575caa6bcac203">issued in February</a>&nbsp;by U.S. District Judge David Ezra, who rebuked the law on multiple fronts. His 114-page opinion brushed off Republicans' claims of an “invasion” along the southern border due to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-border-crossings-mexico-biden-18ac91ef502e0c5433f74de6cc629b32">record-high</a>&nbsp;illegal crossings. Ezra, an appointee of former President Ronald Reagan, also warned that the law could hamper U.S. foreign relations.Under the Texas law, once defendants are in custody on illegal entry charges, they can agree to a judge's order to leave the U.S. or face prosecution. On Tuesday, Mexico’s Foreign Affairs Secretary said in a sharply worded statement that it would refuse to take anyone back who is ordered to cross the border.“Mexico reiterates the legitimate right to protect the rights of its nationals in the United States and to determine its own policies regarding entry into its territory,” the government said.The impact extends far beyond the Texas border. Republican legislators wrote the law so that it applies in all of the state’s 254 counties, although Steve McCraw, the director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, has said he expects it will mostly be enforced near the border.Other GOP-led states are already looking to follow Texas’ path. In Iowa, the state House on Tuesday gave final approval to a bill that would also give its state law enforcement the power to arrest people who are in the U.S. illegally and have previously been denied entry into the country.It now goes to Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds. If signed, it would take effect in July.“The federal government has abdicated its responsibilities and states can and must act,” Republican Iowa state Rep. Steven Holt said.In Texas, El Paso County Judge Ricardo Samaniego, the top county executive, said immigration enforcement should remain a federal, not state, responsibility, echoing the Biden administration's view. He said heightened law enforcement presence in the city of El Paso during a previous migrant surge brought high-speed chases and traffic stops based on assumptions that passengers were in the country illegally.“We had accidents, we had injuries, we got a little glimpse of what would happen if the state begins to control what happens in respect to immigration,” Samaniego said.Skylor Hearn, executive director of the Sheriffs’ Association of Texas, said sheriffs' offices have been training since last year.“If a county chooses to take it on themselves, they are choosing for their taxpayers to take it on themselves as well,” Hearn said. “As long as the federal government is willing to do its part that it is supposed to be doing, it is ideal for them to take possession and custody of these people."Daniel Morales, an associate professor of law at the University of Houston Law Center, said the Texas law "will be a mess, very clearly, to enforce.”“It’s very clear that Greg Abbott wants to enforce the law so he can get lots of photo ops and opportunities, but it’s gonna take a lot of state resources to implement. And I don’t know, in fact, how much appetite and capacity for that the state government actually has,” Morales said. Texas will find enforcement is “difficult and taxing,” he said.Arrests for illegal crossings&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-border-security-migrants-homeland-security-1c6e9f612dff721191c0254f980947a5">fell by half in January</a>&nbsp;from a record-high of 250,000 in December, with sharp declines in Texas. Arrests in the Border Patrol's Del Rio sector, the focus of Abbott's enforcement, fell 76% from December. Rio Grande Valley, the busiest corridor for illegal crossings for much of the last decade, recorded its fewest arrests since June 2020.Tucson, Arizona, has been the busiest corridor in recent months, followed by San Diego in January, but reasons for sudden shifts are often complicated and are dictated by smuggling organizations.When President Joe Biden visited the Rio Grande Valley for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/border-immigration-biden-trump-42c945d02742b169bde40601a27fde02">his second trip to the border</a>&nbsp;as president last month, administration officials credited Mexico for heightened enforcement on that part of the border for the drop in arrests. They said conditions were more challenging for Mexican law enforcement in Sonora, the state that lies south of Arizona.___

Texas' illegal migrant arrest law back on hold after Appeals Court ruling

Topeka (AP) — As Joe Biden and Donald Trump moved closer to a November rematch, primary voters around the country on Tuesday urged their favored candidate to keep up the fight and worried about what might happen if their side loses this fall.

<a href="https://ent.sos.ks.gov/kssos_ent.html">Click here to see&nbsp;</a>the county results from the Kan. Secretary of State

There was little suspense about Tuesday's results as both candidates are already their parties' presumptive nominees. Trump easily won Republican primaries in Arizona, Florida, Illinois, Kansas and Ohio. Biden did the same except in Florida, where Democrats had canceled their primary and opted to award all 224 of their delegates to Biden.

Instead, the primaries and key downballot races became a reflection of the national political mood. With many Americans&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-trump-2024-campaign-democrats-republicans-440088966619e68dbf89f745788bb372">unenthusiastic about 2024’s choice for the White House</a>, both Biden and Trump’s campaigns are working to fire up their bases by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-biden-primary-georgia-washington-mississippi-hawaii-15bb0084ad656903ffef14cfae822abd">tearing into each other</a>&nbsp;and warning of the perils of the opponent.

Those who did turn out to vote Tuesday seemed to hear that.

Pat Shackleford, an 84-year-old caregiver in Mesa, Arizona, said she voted for Trump in Arizona's primary to send the former president a message.

“I wanted to encourage him that the fight has been worthwhile, that more of us are behind him than maybe the media tells you,” Shackleford said.

Jamie and Cassandra Neal, sisters who both live in Phoenix, said they were unenthusiastic Biden supporters until they saw the vigor the president brought to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/state-of-union-biden-gaza-ukraine-israel-1a42ff9d4ef3e0f2753e43ac8d39fc18">his State of the Union speech</a>. It fired them up for the coming election.

“Beforehand it was like, ‘Well, he’s the only decent one there,’” said Cassandra Neal, 42. “After his address it was like, ‘OK, let’s do it!’”

Jamie Neal, 45, said Biden had been “way too nice” before and needed to match Trump, whom she described as “vicious.”

“I hate to say it, sometimes you need to equal the lowness to get the person out," she said. “Sometimes you have to fight fire with fire.”

In&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2024-senate-ohio-moreno-larose-dolan-cffe7722ac68e79deebae8353dd2fb18">Ohio’s Republican Senate primary</a>, Trump-backed businessman Bernie Moreno defeated two challengers, Ohio Secretary of State Frank Frank LaRose and Matt Dolan, whose family owns the Cleveland Guardians baseball team.

Moreno and Trump appeared together Saturday at a rally where Trump praised his endorsed candidate as a “warrior” and ramped up his dark rhetoric, saying that were he not to be elected, “it's going to be a bloodbath for the country.” His campaign insists he was referring to the auto industry and not the country as a whole.

In the final days of the campaign, The Associated Press&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ohio-senate-election-2024-bernie-moreno-09e34f6331708c192c89d7c1727c2458">reported on Thursday</a>&nbsp;that in 2008, someone with access to Moreno’s work email account created a profile on an adult website seeking “Men for 1-on-1 sex.” The AP could not definitively confirm that it was created by Moreno himself. Moreno’s lawyer said a former intern created the account and provided a statement from the intern, Dan Ricci, who said he created the account as “part of a juvenile prank.”

Questions about the profile have circulated in GOP circles for the past month, sparking frustration among senior Republican operatives about Moreno’s potential vulnerability in a general election, according to seven people who are directly familiar with conversations about how to address the matter. They requested anonymity to avoid running afoul of Trump and his allies.

Trump and Biden have for weeks been focused on the general election, aiming their campaigns lately on states that could be competitive in November rather than merely those holding primaries.

Trump, a Florida voter, cast his ballot at a recreation center in Palm Beach on Tuesday and told reporters, “I voted for Donald Trump.”

Trump and Biden are running on their records in office and casting the other as a threat to America. Trump, 77, portrays the 81-year-old Biden as mentally unfit. The president has described his Republican rival as a threat to democracy after his attempt to overturn the 2020 election results and his praise of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-orban-hungary-conservatives-autocrats-biden-97d6998f747d3543f2f1df069b0f9165">foreign strongmen</a>.

Those themes were evident Tuesday at some polling locations.

“President Biden, I don't think he knows how to tie his shoes anymore,” said Trump supporter Linda Bennet, a resident of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, not far from the former president's Mar-a-Lago resort.

Even as she echoed Trump's arguments about Biden, she criticized Trump's rhetoric and “the way he composes himself” as “not presidential at all.” But she said the former president is “a man of his word,” and she said the country, especially the economy, felt stronger to her under Trump's leadership.

In Columbus, Ohio, Democrat Brenda Woodfolk voted for Biden and shared the president's framing of the choice this fall.

“It's scary,” she said of the prospect that Trump could be in the Oval Office again. “Trump wants to be a dictator, talking about making America white again and all this kind of crap. There's too much hate going on."

Bennet and Woodfolk agreed that immigration is one of their top concerns, though they offered different takes on why.

“This border thing is out of control,” said Bennet, the Republican voter. “I think it's the government's plot or plan to bring these people in to change the whole dynamic for their benefit, so I'm pretty peeved.”

Woodfolk, the Democrat, said she doesn't mind immigrants “sharing” opportunities in the U.S. but worried it comes at the expense of “people who've been here all their lives.”

Trump and Republicans have hammered Biden on the influx of migrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border in recent years, seeking to capitalize on the issue well beyond border states. Biden has ratcheted up a counteroffensive in recent weeks after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-ukraine-aid-border-security-386dcc54b29a5491f8bd87b727a284f8">Senate Republicans killed a migration compromise</a>&nbsp;they had negotiated with the White House, withholding their support only after Trump said he opposed the deal. Biden has used the circumstances to argue that Trump and Republicans have no interest in solving the issue but instead want to inflame voters in an election year.

For the last year, Trump has coupled his campaign with his legal challenges, including dozens of criminal counts and civil cases in which he faces&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-fraud-bond-appeal-million-75ef3efb5b70d6ea43bea85b65ff7810">more than $500 million</a>&nbsp;in fines.

His first criminal trial was scheduled to start Monday in New York on allegations he falsified business records to cover up hush money payments. But a judge&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-hush-money-criminal-trial-delay-8e41f4be00f0420056433d2381189df8">delayed the trial for 30 days</a>&nbsp;after the recent disclosure of new evidence that Trump's lawyers said they needed time to review.

Speaking outside his polling place with a voter's sticker affixed to his lapel, Trump insisted the cases against him were political and defended himself against criticism of his attacks a day earlier on Jewish Democrats, in which he alleged they hate Israel and their own religion. Democratic leaders on Tuesday criticized his comments as promoting antisemitic tropes about having divided loyalties.

Standing next to him was former first lady Melania Trump, who didn't have on a sticker. She has rarely appeared in public with Trump since he launched his third bid for the White House.

Asked if she would campaign with him, she replied: “Stay tuned.”

TOPEKA (AP) — Joe Biden and Donald Trump won their parties' primaries in Kansas on Tuesday, notching more delegates as they continue their march to a rematch in November's presidential election.

Biden and Trump also easily won primaries Tuesday in Ohio and Illinois. Trump also won Florida's Republican primary. There was no contest for Biden to win in Florida as Democrats there canceled their primary and opted to award all 224 of their delegates to him, a move that has precedence for an incumbent president. Trump and Biden are also expected to easily win primaries Tuesday in Arizona, banking more support after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/presumptive-nominee-biden-trump-6b2a3beb31896894ded9e96aa30cfcec">becoming their parties’ presumptive nominees</a>&nbsp;last week.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/elections-march-19-ohio-senate-chicago-homeless-tax-9e839e351af47872e9ff812fa5ef5adb">Other races outside of the presidency</a>&nbsp;could provide insight into the national political mood. In&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2024-senate-ohio-moreno-larose-dolan-cffe7722ac68e79deebae8353dd2fb18">Ohio's Republican Senate primary</a>, Trump-backed businessman Bernie Moreno defeated two challengers, Ohio Secretary of State Frank Frank LaRose and Matt Dolan, whose family owns the Cleveland Guardians baseball team.

Chicago voters will decide whether to assess a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/elections-march-19-ohio-senate-chicago-homeless-tax-9e839e351af47872e9ff812fa5ef5adb">one-time real estate tax</a>&nbsp;to pay for new homeless services. And voters in California will move toward deciding a replacement for former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who resigned his seat after being pushed out of Republican leadership.

Trump on Saturday rallied in Ohio, which has for several years been reliably Republican after once being a national bellwether in presidential elections. Trump won the state by about 8 percentage points in 2016 and 2020. But there are&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2024-senate-race-ohio-sherrod-brown-873f34413637043dc6b1ff6edb83d181">signs the state could be more competitive</a>&nbsp;in 2024. Last year, Ohio voted&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ohio-abortion-amendment-election-2023-fe3e06747b616507d8ca21ea26485270">overwhelmingly to protect abortion rights</a>&nbsp;in its constitution and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ohio-marijuana-legalization-election-2023-6d15efb27fdcd41e7364f2b7cd3177f4">voted to legalize marijuana</a>.

Biden, meanwhile, is visiting Nevada and Arizona on Tuesday, two states that were among the closest in 2020 and remain&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-trump-battleground-super-tuesday-republican-democrat-c02530a6e86e63f72eb6a616c16b0b4a">top priorities for both</a>&nbsp;campaigns.

Bennet and Woodfolk agreed that immigration in one of their top concerns, though they offered different takes on why.

His first criminal trial was scheduled to start Monday in New York on allegations he falsified business records to cover up hush money payments. But a judge&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-hush-money-criminal-trial-delay-8e41f4be00f0420056433d2381189df8">delayed the trial for 30 days</a>&nbsp;after the recent disclosure of new evidence that Trump's lawyers said they needed time to review. — Jackson reported from Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. Price reported from New York. Barrow reported from Atlanta. Associated Press writer Jill Colvin in New York contributed to this report.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1710295653190.png" alt="Trump and Biden have for weeks been focused on the general election, aiming their campaigns lately on states that could be competitive in November rather than merely those holding primaries.-AP file photo" />
 <figcaption>Trump and Biden have for weeks been focused on the general election, aiming their campaigns lately on states that could be competitive in November rather than merely those holding primaries.-AP file photo</figcaption>
 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1710929146933.png" alt="Unofficial vote totals from the Kansas Secretary of State" />
 <figcaption>Unofficial vote totals from the Kansas Secretary of State</figcaption>
 </figure>Topeka (AP) — As Joe Biden and Donald Trump moved closer to a November rematch, primary voters around the country on Tuesday urged their favored candidate to keep up the fight and worried about what might happen if their side loses this fall.<a href="https://ent.sos.ks.gov/kssos_ent.html">Click here to see&nbsp;</a>the county results from the Kan. Secretary of StateThere was little suspense about Tuesday's results as both candidates are already their parties' presumptive nominees. Trump easily won Republican primaries in Arizona, Florida, Illinois, Kansas and Ohio. Biden did the same except in Florida, where Democrats had canceled their primary and opted to award all 224 of their delegates to Biden.Instead, the primaries and key downballot races became a reflection of the national political mood. With many Americans&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-trump-2024-campaign-democrats-republicans-440088966619e68dbf89f745788bb372">unenthusiastic about 2024’s choice for the White House</a>, both Biden and Trump’s campaigns are working to fire up their bases by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-biden-primary-georgia-washington-mississippi-hawaii-15bb0084ad656903ffef14cfae822abd">tearing into each other</a>&nbsp;and warning of the perils of the opponent.Those who did turn out to vote Tuesday seemed to hear that.Pat Shackleford, an 84-year-old caregiver in Mesa, Arizona, said she voted for Trump in Arizona's primary to send the former president a message.“I wanted to encourage him that the fight has been worthwhile, that more of us are behind him than maybe the media tells you,” Shackleford said.Jamie and Cassandra Neal, sisters who both live in Phoenix, said they were unenthusiastic Biden supporters until they saw the vigor the president brought to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/state-of-union-biden-gaza-ukraine-israel-1a42ff9d4ef3e0f2753e43ac8d39fc18">his State of the Union speech</a>. It fired them up for the coming election.“Beforehand it was like, ‘Well, he’s the only decent one there,’” said Cassandra Neal, 42. “After his address it was like, ‘OK, let’s do it!’”Jamie Neal, 45, said Biden had been “way too nice” before and needed to match Trump, whom she described as “vicious.”“I hate to say it, sometimes you need to equal the lowness to get the person out," she said. “Sometimes you have to fight fire with fire.”In&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2024-senate-ohio-moreno-larose-dolan-cffe7722ac68e79deebae8353dd2fb18">Ohio’s Republican Senate primary</a>, Trump-backed businessman Bernie Moreno defeated two challengers, Ohio Secretary of State Frank Frank LaRose and Matt Dolan, whose family owns the Cleveland Guardians baseball team.Moreno and Trump appeared together Saturday at a rally where Trump praised his endorsed candidate as a “warrior” and ramped up his dark rhetoric, saying that were he not to be elected, “it's going to be a bloodbath for the country.” His campaign insists he was referring to the auto industry and not the country as a whole.In the final days of the campaign, The Associated Press&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ohio-senate-election-2024-bernie-moreno-09e34f6331708c192c89d7c1727c2458">reported on Thursday</a>&nbsp;that in 2008, someone with access to Moreno’s work email account created a profile on an adult website seeking “Men for 1-on-1 sex.” The AP could not definitively confirm that it was created by Moreno himself. Moreno’s lawyer said a former intern created the account and provided a statement from the intern, Dan Ricci, who said he created the account as “part of a juvenile prank.”Questions about the profile have circulated in GOP circles for the past month, sparking frustration among senior Republican operatives about Moreno’s potential vulnerability in a general election, according to seven people who are directly familiar with conversations about how to address the matter. They requested anonymity to avoid running afoul of Trump and his allies.Trump and Biden have for weeks been focused on the general election, aiming their campaigns lately on states that could be competitive in November rather than merely those holding primaries.Trump, a Florida voter, cast his ballot at a recreation center in Palm Beach on Tuesday and told reporters, “I voted for Donald Trump.”Trump and Biden are running on their records in office and casting the other as a threat to America. Trump, 77, portrays the 81-year-old Biden as mentally unfit. The president has described his Republican rival as a threat to democracy after his attempt to overturn the 2020 election results and his praise of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-orban-hungary-conservatives-autocrats-biden-97d6998f747d3543f2f1df069b0f9165">foreign strongmen</a>.Those themes were evident Tuesday at some polling locations.“President Biden, I don't think he knows how to tie his shoes anymore,” said Trump supporter Linda Bennet, a resident of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, not far from the former president's Mar-a-Lago resort.Even as she echoed Trump's arguments about Biden, she criticized Trump's rhetoric and “the way he composes himself” as “not presidential at all.” But she said the former president is “a man of his word,” and she said the country, especially the economy, felt stronger to her under Trump's leadership.In Columbus, Ohio, Democrat Brenda Woodfolk voted for Biden and shared the president's framing of the choice this fall.“It's scary,” she said of the prospect that Trump could be in the Oval Office again. “Trump wants to be a dictator, talking about making America white again and all this kind of crap. There's too much hate going on."Bennet and Woodfolk agreed that immigration is one of their top concerns, though they offered different takes on why.“This border thing is out of control,” said Bennet, the Republican voter. “I think it's the government's plot or plan to bring these people in to change the whole dynamic for their benefit, so I'm pretty peeved.”Woodfolk, the Democrat, said she doesn't mind immigrants “sharing” opportunities in the U.S. but worried it comes at the expense of “people who've been here all their lives.”Trump and Republicans have hammered Biden on the influx of migrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border in recent years, seeking to capitalize on the issue well beyond border states. Biden has ratcheted up a counteroffensive in recent weeks after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-ukraine-aid-border-security-386dcc54b29a5491f8bd87b727a284f8">Senate Republicans killed a migration compromise</a>&nbsp;they had negotiated with the White House, withholding their support only after Trump said he opposed the deal. Biden has used the circumstances to argue that Trump and Republicans have no interest in solving the issue but instead want to inflame voters in an election year.For the last year, Trump has coupled his campaign with his legal challenges, including dozens of criminal counts and civil cases in which he faces&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-fraud-bond-appeal-million-75ef3efb5b70d6ea43bea85b65ff7810">more than $500 million</a>&nbsp;in fines.His first criminal trial was scheduled to start Monday in New York on allegations he falsified business records to cover up hush money payments. But a judge&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-hush-money-criminal-trial-delay-8e41f4be00f0420056433d2381189df8">delayed the trial for 30 days</a>&nbsp;after the recent disclosure of new evidence that Trump's lawyers said they needed time to review.Speaking outside his polling place with a voter's sticker affixed to his lapel, Trump insisted the cases against him were political and defended himself against criticism of his attacks a day earlier on Jewish Democrats, in which he alleged they hate Israel and their own religion. Democratic leaders on Tuesday criticized his comments as promoting antisemitic tropes about having divided loyalties.Standing next to him was former first lady Melania Trump, who didn't have on a sticker. She has rarely appeared in public with Trump since he launched his third bid for the White House.Asked if she would campaign with him, she replied: “Stay tuned.”--------------TOPEKA (AP) — Joe Biden and Donald Trump won their parties' primaries in Kansas on Tuesday, notching more delegates as they continue their march to a rematch in November's presidential election.Biden and Trump also easily won primaries Tuesday in Ohio and Illinois. Trump also won Florida's Republican primary. There was no contest for Biden to win in Florida as Democrats there canceled their primary and opted to award all 224 of their delegates to him, a move that has precedence for an incumbent president. Trump and Biden are also expected to easily win primaries Tuesday in Arizona, banking more support after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/presumptive-nominee-biden-trump-6b2a3beb31896894ded9e96aa30cfcec">becoming their parties’ presumptive nominees</a>&nbsp;last week.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/elections-march-19-ohio-senate-chicago-homeless-tax-9e839e351af47872e9ff812fa5ef5adb">Other races outside of the presidency</a>&nbsp;could provide insight into the national political mood. In&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2024-senate-ohio-moreno-larose-dolan-cffe7722ac68e79deebae8353dd2fb18">Ohio's Republican Senate primary</a>, Trump-backed businessman Bernie Moreno defeated two challengers, Ohio Secretary of State Frank Frank LaRose and Matt Dolan, whose family owns the Cleveland Guardians baseball team.Chicago voters will decide whether to assess a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/elections-march-19-ohio-senate-chicago-homeless-tax-9e839e351af47872e9ff812fa5ef5adb">one-time real estate tax</a>&nbsp;to pay for new homeless services. And voters in California will move toward deciding a replacement for former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who resigned his seat after being pushed out of Republican leadership.Trump and Biden have for weeks been focused on the general election, aiming their campaigns lately on states that could be competitive in November rather than merely those holding primaries.Trump, a Florida voter, cast his ballot at a recreation center in Palm Beach on Tuesday and told reporters, “I voted for Donald Trump.”Trump on Saturday rallied in Ohio, which has for several years been reliably Republican after once being a national bellwether in presidential elections. Trump won the state by about 8 percentage points in 2016 and 2020. But there are&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2024-senate-race-ohio-sherrod-brown-873f34413637043dc6b1ff6edb83d181">signs the state could be more competitive</a>&nbsp;in 2024. Last year, Ohio voted&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ohio-abortion-amendment-election-2023-fe3e06747b616507d8ca21ea26485270">overwhelmingly to protect abortion rights</a>&nbsp;in its constitution and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ohio-marijuana-legalization-election-2023-6d15efb27fdcd41e7364f2b7cd3177f4">voted to legalize marijuana</a>.Biden, meanwhile, is visiting Nevada and Arizona on Tuesday, two states that were among the closest in 2020 and remain&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-trump-battleground-super-tuesday-republican-democrat-c02530a6e86e63f72eb6a616c16b0b4a">top priorities for both</a>&nbsp;campaigns.Trump and Biden are running on their records in office and casting the other as a threat to America. Trump, 77, portrays the 81-year-old Biden as mentally unfit. The president has described his Republican rival as a threat to democracy after his attempt to overturn the 2020 election results and his praise of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-orban-hungary-conservatives-autocrats-biden-97d6998f747d3543f2f1df069b0f9165">foreign strongmen</a>.Those themes were evident Tuesday at some polling locations.“President Biden, I don't think he knows how to tie his shoes anymore,” said Trump supporter Linda Bennet, a resident of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, not far from the former president's Mar-a-Lago resort.Even as she echoed Trump's arguments about Biden, she criticized Trump's rhetoric and “the way he composes himself” as “not presidential at all.” But she said the former president is “a man of his word,” and she said the country, especially the economy, felt stronger to her under Trump's leadership.In Columbus, Ohio, Democrat Brenda Woodfolk voted for Biden and shared the president's framing of the choice this fall.“It's scary,” she said of the prospect that Trump could be in the Oval Office again. “Trump wants to be a dictator, talking about making America white again and all this kind of crap. There's too much hate going on."Bennet and Woodfolk agreed that immigration in one of their top concerns, though they offered different takes on why.“This border thing is out of control,” said Bennet, the Republican voter. “I think it's the government's plot or plan to bring these people in to change the whole dynamic for their benefit, so I'm pretty peeved.”Woodfolk, the Democrat, said she doesn't mind immigrants “sharing” opportunities in the U.S. but worried it comes at the expense of “people who've been here all their lives.”Trump and Republicans have hammered Biden on the influx of migrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border in recent years, seeking to capitalize on the issue well beyond border states. Biden has ratcheted up a counteroffensive in recent weeks after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-ukraine-aid-border-security-386dcc54b29a5491f8bd87b727a284f8">Senate Republicans killed a migration compromise</a>&nbsp;they had negotiated with the White House, withholding their support only after Trump said he opposed the deal. Biden has used the circumstances to argue that Trump and Republicans have no interest in solving the issue but instead want to inflame voters in an election year.For the last year, Trump has coupled his campaign with his legal challenges, including dozens of criminal counts and civil cases in which he faces&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-fraud-bond-appeal-million-75ef3efb5b70d6ea43bea85b65ff7810">more than $500 million</a>&nbsp;in fines.His first criminal trial was scheduled to start Monday in New York on allegations he falsified business records to cover up hush money payments. But a judge&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-hush-money-criminal-trial-delay-8e41f4be00f0420056433d2381189df8">delayed the trial for 30 days</a>&nbsp;after the recent disclosure of new evidence that Trump's lawyers said they needed time to review. — Jackson reported from Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. Price reported from New York. Barrow reported from Atlanta. Associated Press writer Jill Colvin in New York contributed to this report.

Final vote totals: Biden and Trump win presidential primaries in Kansas

TOPEKA, Kan. — Winfield Correctional Facility (WCF) resident Michael Lynn Youngblood died Tuesday, according to a media release from the Kansas Department of Corrections.

He collapsed while working with a crew picking up trash along a highway near Wichita. EMS was called to administer life-saving measures. The cause of death is pending the results of an independent autopsy and is currently under investigation.

Youngblood, 59, was serving a 56-month sentence of Drug Possession with intent to distribute heroin or methamphetamine in McPherson County, Kansas. He had eleven previous convictions in McPherson and Harvey County for drugs, criminal threat, domestic battery and disorderly conduct, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.

Per protocol, when a resident dies in the custody of the KDOC, the death is under investigation by the KDOC and the Kansas Bureau of Investigation.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1710895275972.png" alt="Youngblood from his arrest in McPherson County" />
 <figcaption>Youngblood from his arrest in McPherson County</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA, Kan. — Winfield Correctional Facility (WCF) resident Michael Lynn Youngblood died Tuesday, according to a media release from the Kansas Department of Corrections.He collapsed while working with a crew picking up trash along a highway near Wichita. EMS was called to administer life-saving measures. The cause of death is pending the results of an independent autopsy and is currently under investigation.Youngblood, 59, was serving a 56-month sentence of Drug Possession with intent to distribute heroin or methamphetamine in McPherson County, Kansas. He had eleven previous convictions in McPherson and Harvey County for drugs, criminal threat, domestic battery and disorderly conduct, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.Per protocol, when a resident dies in the custody of the KDOC, the death is under investigation by the KDOC and the Kansas Bureau of Investigation.

Kansas inmate dies while picking up trash on highway

JOHNSON COUNTY —Law enforcement investigating the death of a man in pond have identified the victim as 53-year-old Christopher Larson of Bucyrus, Kansas.

Just before 9:30p.m. Monday, police and fire crews&nbsp;responded to a home in the 19300 block of Flint in Overland Park reference a drowning, according to Officer John Lacy.&nbsp; First responders found Larson in a pond behind a private residence.

 Prior to arrival of police, emergency medical staff on scene declared Larson as deceased

The Johnson County Medical Examiner Office was notified and responded to the scene.&nbsp; Police released no additional details.

JOHNSON COUNTY —Law enforcement investigating the death of a man in pond have identified the victim as 53-year-old Christopher Larson of Bucyrus, Kansas.Just before 9:30p.m. Monday, police and fire crews&nbsp;responded to a home in the 19300 block of Flint in Overland Park reference a drowning, according to Officer John Lacy.&nbsp; First responders found Larson in a pond behind a private residence. Prior to arrival of police, emergency medical staff on scene declared Larson as deceasedThe Johnson County Medical Examiner Office was notified and responded to the scene.&nbsp; Police released no additional details.

Police ID man found deceased in pond behind Kansas home

SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect on drug allegations.

On Friday, members of the Topeka Police Department Narcotics Unit served search warrants in 3400 Block SE Girard Street in Topeka.related to an ongoing investigation, according to Lt. Ronnie Connell.

While conducting the search warrant, officers located cocaine and drug paraphernalia.

As a result, Ford Sanders, 64 years of age, was transported to the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges that include Distribution of a cocaine, Possession of drug paraphernalia with intent to distribute, Drug tax stamp and Unlawful to acquire proceeds from drug transactions, according to Connell.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1710703600548.png" alt="Sanders-photo Shawnee Co." />
 <figcaption>Sanders-photo Shawnee Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect on drug allegations.On Friday, members of the Topeka Police Department Narcotics Unit served search warrants in 3400 Block SE Girard Street in Topeka.related to an ongoing investigation, according to Lt. Ronnie Connell.While conducting the search warrant, officers located cocaine and drug paraphernalia.As a result, Ford Sanders, 64 years of age, was transported to the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges that include Distribution of a cocaine, Possession of drug paraphernalia with intent to distribute, Drug tax stamp and Unlawful to acquire proceeds from drug transactions, according to Connell.

Police: Kansas man was selling cocaine from his home

KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating an officer-involved shooting in Kansas City.

Just after 10a.m. Tuesday, police responded to North Ambassador Drive and NW Polo Drive of a call from petitioner of an ex parte order of protection who had concerns about the respondent and wanted police to speak to the respondent, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol who is in charge of the investigation.

As the two officers responded along North Ambassador Drive they observed a woman, the respondent, walking along the road. Officers attempted to speak with her. She was not compliant.&nbsp; She was armed and presented a hand gun. One of the officers discharged his duty gun and wounded the woman.

&nbsp;Officers immediately rendered medical aid&nbsp; and she was transported to an area hospital for treatment of non-life threatening injuries.

The patrol released no additional details Tuesday afternoon.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1710870929165.png" alt="Police on the scene of the KCPD officer-involved shooting Tuesday morning-photo courtesy KCTV" />
 <figcaption>Police on the scene of the KCPD officer-involved shooting Tuesday morning-photo courtesy KCTV</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating an officer-involved shooting in Kansas City.Just after 10a.m. Tuesday, police responded to North Ambassador Drive and NW Polo Drive of a call from petitioner of an ex parte order of protection who had concerns about the respondent and wanted police to speak to the respondent, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol who is in charge of the investigation.As the two officers responded along North Ambassador Drive they observed a woman, the respondent, walking along the road. Officers attempted to speak with her. She was not compliant.&nbsp; She was armed and presented a hand gun. One of the officers discharged his duty gun and wounded the woman.&nbsp;Officers immediately rendered medical aid&nbsp; and she was transported to an area hospital for treatment of non-life threatening injuries.The patrol released no additional details Tuesday afternoon.&nbsp;

Woman wounded in Kansas City officer shooting

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/rmipro/">RACHEL MIPRO</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA — A&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1GewzdRccawj4l4WPJcOuerDaGYOm1IJY/view?usp=sharing">survey of Kansans’ attitudes</a>&nbsp;on lawmakers, health care and economic issues found a wellspring of support for expanding Medicaid eligibility — along with a prevailing belief that lawmakers aren’t tuned into the financial challenges Kansas families are facing and are not passing policies that help Kansans.

Nonpartisan research firm Perry Undem conducted the study on behalf of the Kansas Common Sense Fund, and with support from the United Methodist Health Ministry Fund. The study surveyed approximately 1,000 Kansas voters in February on health care, child care and hunger.

“It’s pretty clear that Kansans are feeling a significant amount of financial stress, due to the high cost of food, health care, child care and housing,” said David Jordan, president of United Methodist Health Ministry Fund. “… It is pretty striking that there’s significant agreement on the challenges that Kansans face, on solutions that could help address those challenges and on the fact that policymakers aren’t recognizing and acting in accordance with where Kansans are on these issues.”

Seventy-nine percent of voters said most Kansas policymakers aren’t in touch with the financial challenges facing average families. Seventy percent of voters did not think Kansas politicians were looking out for working families.

More than 80% of voters said housing, health care, child care and healthy food are increasingly difficult for the average Kansas family to afford. About 70% felt the average Kansas family is currently under financial strain.

“The vast majority of Kansans believe that policymakers are not listening to working people as they push through new laws and policy changes,” said Ashley All, executive director for Kansas Common Sense Fund. “Kansans agree that lawmakers should be doing more to support parents and families who are struggling to make ends meet. Kansas needs to focus on commonsense policies that make child care more affordable and drive down costs for everyone.”

Of those surveyed, 90%&nbsp; were concerned about rural hospitals closing and 73% supported Medicaid expansion, which would expand state health insurance coverage for lower-income families. Under the Affordable Care Act, the federal government covers 90% of the extra cost of Medicaid services in exchange for expanding eligibility to those at 138% of the federal poverty rate and below. Kansas is among 10 states that haven’t yet expanded Medicaid.

Most of the estimated 150,000 Kansans who would benefit from expansion are low-income workers or Kansans suffering from chronic illness. Medicaid expansion would also unlock $700 million in annual federal funding and could save 59 rural hospitals on the brink of closing.

While expansion has been blocked by top Republican state lawmakers in the House and Senate, long-time advocate Gov. Laura Kelly, along with health care groups, has pressured lawmakers to take another crack at the issue this session. Her proposal is scheduled for two hearings Wednesday.&nbsp;

The new survey, like others released in recent years, showed expansion has bipartisan support. About 90% of Democrats, 74% of independents and 61% of Republicans supported expansion. Ninety-five percent of residents said they were worried about health care costs increasing, and 87% were worried about the number of uninsured people in the state increasing.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1710861810230.png" alt="A February study of Kansas voters found widespread concern over rising costs and child care issues, among other statewide concerns. (Sam Bailey/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>A February study of Kansas voters found widespread concern over rising costs and child care issues, among other statewide concerns. (Sam Bailey/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/rmipro/">RACHEL MIPRO</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — A&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1GewzdRccawj4l4WPJcOuerDaGYOm1IJY/view?usp=sharing">survey of Kansans’ attitudes</a>&nbsp;on lawmakers, health care and economic issues found a wellspring of support for expanding Medicaid eligibility — along with a prevailing belief that lawmakers aren’t tuned into the financial challenges Kansas families are facing and are not passing policies that help Kansans.Nonpartisan research firm Perry Undem conducted the study on behalf of the Kansas Common Sense Fund, and with support from the United Methodist Health Ministry Fund. The study surveyed approximately 1,000 Kansas voters in February on health care, child care and hunger.“It’s pretty clear that Kansans are feeling a significant amount of financial stress, due to the high cost of food, health care, child care and housing,” said David Jordan, president of United Methodist Health Ministry Fund. “… It is pretty striking that there’s significant agreement on the challenges that Kansans face, on solutions that could help address those challenges and on the fact that policymakers aren’t recognizing and acting in accordance with where Kansans are on these issues.”Seventy-nine percent of voters said most Kansas policymakers aren’t in touch with the financial challenges facing average families. Seventy percent of voters did not think Kansas politicians were looking out for working families.More than 80% of voters said housing, health care, child care and healthy food are increasingly difficult for the average Kansas family to afford. About 70% felt the average Kansas family is currently under financial strain.“The vast majority of Kansans believe that policymakers are not listening to working people as they push through new laws and policy changes,” said Ashley All, executive director for Kansas Common Sense Fund. “Kansans agree that lawmakers should be doing more to support parents and families who are struggling to make ends meet. Kansas needs to focus on commonsense policies that make child care more affordable and drive down costs for everyone.”Of those surveyed, 90%&nbsp; were concerned about rural hospitals closing and 73% supported Medicaid expansion, which would expand state health insurance coverage for lower-income families. Under the Affordable Care Act, the federal government covers 90% of the extra cost of Medicaid services in exchange for expanding eligibility to those at 138% of the federal poverty rate and below. Kansas is among 10 states that haven’t yet expanded Medicaid.Most of the estimated 150,000 Kansans who would benefit from expansion are low-income workers or Kansans suffering from chronic illness. Medicaid expansion would also unlock $700 million in annual federal funding and could save 59 rural hospitals on the brink of closing.While expansion has been blocked by top Republican state lawmakers in the House and Senate, long-time advocate Gov. Laura Kelly, along with health care groups, has pressured lawmakers to take another crack at the issue this session. Her proposal is scheduled for two hearings Wednesday.&nbsp;The new survey, like others released in recent years, showed expansion has bipartisan support. About 90% of Democrats, 74% of independents and 61% of Republicans supported expansion. Ninety-five percent of residents said they were worried about health care costs increasing, and 87% were worried about the number of uninsured people in the state increasing.Most people also wanted government action to help Kansans access healthy food and groceries, and opposed adding restrictions to food aid. About 76% of voters said the cost of food was a problem, and 79% supported more state programs on food access.Most people wanted more state investment in programs that help Kansans afford child care, with 78% in favor of expansion of a child care tax credit.&nbsp;&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://stage.worklifesystems.com/Kansas?county=all">Child care data</a>&nbsp;in the state suggests only 46% of children in Kansas receive child care services, and that an additional 85,000 child care slots are needed to meet demand.&nbsp;&nbsp;This year, Kelly has recommended a $56 million allocation for child care as part of her proposed budget for<a target="_blank" href="https://governor.kansas.gov/governor-kelly-announces-fiscal-year-2025-budget/">&nbsp;fiscal year 2025</a>. The funding includes nearly $30 million for the construction of child care facilities and $5 million for a northwest Kansas pilot program seeking to test practices for public-private child care partnerships in rural areas.In the previous year, lawmakers attempted to roll back regulations on child care facilities to address the shortage, but Kelly vetoed the bill due to concerns that decreasing staff training and packing more children into the facilities could be damaging. The survey showed 73% of&nbsp; Kansans are against legislators passing policies that would loosen qualifications and standards for child care providers.&nbsp;“There’s broad support for tax credits,” Jordan said. “But then there’s also nearly identical agreement that policymakers should not loosen qualifications for childcare providers, just recognizing that the solution is not on par with the need to invest in early childhood affordability and the need to look at creative tax credits that can help make child care more affordable.”