BARTON—Law enforcement authorities are investigating an alleged sex crime and have a suspect in custody.

Just after noon March 14, police responded to a domestic violence call that occurred at a residence located in Great Bend, according to a media release.

Detectives and officers later executed a search warrant at the residence in connection to this investigation and items of evidence were recovered at the scene.

The suspect identified as 24-year-old Jacob Behnke was believed to be in the Claflin area and was later located in Rice County. Sheriff's deputies and police officers responded to the area and arrested him. The vehicle Behnke was driving at the time of the arrest was impounded as evidence pending a search warrant and he was transported to the Barton County Detention Facility. 

Behnke was booked on requested charges of rape, aggravated kidnapping, aggravated burglary, aggravated battery (DV), criminal threat and harassment by telephone.&nbsp; He remains in custody on a $1,000,000 cash surety bond.&nbsp; 

Great Bend Police were assisted in the investigation by the Barton County Sheriff's Office, the Rice County Sheriff's Office and the Family Crisis Center in Great Bend.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1710787847763.jpeg" alt="Behnke-photo Barton Co." />
 <figcaption>Behnke-photo Barton Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>BARTON—Law enforcement authorities are investigating an alleged sex crime and have a suspect in custody.Just after noon March 14, police responded to a domestic violence call that occurred at a residence located in Great Bend, according to a media release.Detectives and officers later executed a search warrant at the residence in connection to this investigation and items of evidence were recovered at the scene.The suspect identified as 24-year-old Jacob Behnke was believed to be in the Claflin area and was later located in Rice County. Sheriff's deputies and police officers responded to the area and arrested him. The vehicle Behnke was driving at the time of the arrest was impounded as evidence pending a search warrant and he was transported to the Barton County Detention Facility. Behnke was booked on requested charges of rape, aggravated kidnapping, aggravated burglary, aggravated battery (DV), criminal threat and harassment by telephone.&nbsp; He remains in custody on a $1,000,000 cash surety bond.&nbsp; Great Bend Police were assisted in the investigation by the Barton County Sheriff's Office, the Rice County Sheriff's Office and the Family Crisis Center in Great Bend.

Suspect captured after report of alleged violent sex crime

WICHITA, KAN.– A federal grand jury in Wichita returned an indictment charging a Kansas businessman with 27 counts of criminal misconduct connected to altering vehicle odometers, according to the U.S. Attorney's office.

According to court documents, Adam Newbrey, 31, of Derby operated three used car dealerships in Wichita including Ideal Motors, Midwest Wholesale, and Prestige Motors.

In 2020 and 2021, Newbrey allegedly purchased used vehicles in Kansas and Oklahoma, altered the odometers, and then used fraudulent documents to obtain titles from the Kansas Department of Revenue reflecting the falsified odometer readings. He is also accused of using the titles with the mispresented mileage to defraud customers who purchased vehicles.

Newbrey is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit odometer fraud, nine counts of odometer tampering, seven counts of mail fraud,, nine counts of aggravated identity theft and one count of wire fraud.

The defendant made his initial court appearance March 15, 2024, before U.S. Magistrate Judge&nbsp; Brooks Severson of the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas. 

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1710781040448.png" alt="Google image" />
 <figcaption>Google image</figcaption>
 </figure>WICHITA, KAN.– A federal grand jury in Wichita returned an indictment charging a Kansas businessman with 27 counts of criminal misconduct connected to altering vehicle odometers, according to the U.S. Attorney's office.According to court documents, Adam Newbrey, 31, of Derby operated three used car dealerships in Wichita including Ideal Motors, Midwest Wholesale, and Prestige Motors.In 2020 and 2021, Newbrey allegedly purchased used vehicles in Kansas and Oklahoma, altered the odometers, and then used fraudulent documents to obtain titles from the Kansas Department of Revenue reflecting the falsified odometer readings. He is also accused of using the titles with the mispresented mileage to defraud customers who purchased vehicles.Newbrey is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit odometer fraud, nine counts of odometer tampering, seven counts of mail fraud,, nine counts of aggravated identity theft and one count of wire fraud.The defendant made his initial court appearance March 15, 2024, before U.S. Magistrate Judge&nbsp; Brooks Severson of the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas.

Kansas car dealer accused of rolling back odometers

NASHVILLE —The search continues for a University of Missouri Student who has been missing since March 8.

On Monday, police in Nashville released a new video of 22-year-old Riley Strain.

&nbsp;It show a brief exchange of greetings with Officer Reginald Young on Gay Street, south of the Woodland Street bridge, in in Nashville on the March 8. Riley did not appear distressed. Officer Young was there on a vehicle burglary call and remained on that portion of Gay Street for 45 minutes. No video has been discovered that shows Riley away from Gay Street after the 9:52 p.m. timeframe.

On Sunday police reported Riley Strain's bank card was discovered on the embankment between Gay Street and the Cumberland River, according to a statement from Metro Nashville Police.

Police have said Strain was last seen just before 10 p.m. March 8, after drinking downtown. They searched the area, including the banks of the Cumberland River, by helicopter and on the ground, but did not find him.

University of Missouri officials said in a statement that they were alerted last weekend that Strain was missing after traveling to Nashville to attend a private event and that they have been in touch with family and authorities.

Strain’s mother, Michelle Whiteid, and his stepfather, Chris Whiteid, drove to Nashville from Springfield, Missouri, after they learned he disappeared while on a fraternity trip, news outlets reported.

“I just need to know where my son is,” Michelle Whiteid said. “We talk every day, multiple times a day. This is the longest I’ve ever gone without talking to him. It’s devastating. I just want to find him and hug him.”

After the bus ride from Columbia, Strain and some of his fraternity brothers went out, according to Chris Whiteid. Strain was asked to leave a bar, and they got separated, he said.

“The boys called him, and he said, ‘I’m walking back to my hotel,’" Chris Strain said. “They didn’t think anything about it.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1710335346952.png" alt="Riley Strain courtesy photo" />
 <figcaption>Riley Strain courtesy photo</figcaption>
 </figure>NASHVILLE —The search continues for a University of Missouri Student who has been missing since March 8.On Monday, police in Nashville released a new video of 22-year-old Riley Strain.<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=314&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FMetroNashvillePoliceDepartment%2Fvideos%2F603220672026656%2F&show_text=false&width=560&t=1" width="560" height="314" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowFullScreen="true"></iframe></div>&nbsp;It show a brief exchange of greetings with Officer Reginald Young on Gay Street, south of the Woodland Street bridge, in in Nashville on the March 8. Riley did not appear distressed. Officer Young was there on a vehicle burglary call and remained on that portion of Gay Street for 45 minutes. No video has been discovered that shows Riley away from Gay Street after the 9:52 p.m. timeframe.On Sunday police reported Riley Strain's bank card was discovered on the embankment between Gay Street and the Cumberland River, according to a statement from Metro Nashville Police.Police have said Strain was last seen just before 10 p.m. March 8, after drinking downtown. They searched the area, including the banks of the Cumberland River, by helicopter and on the ground, but did not find him.University of Missouri officials said in a statement that they were alerted last weekend that Strain was missing after traveling to Nashville to attend a private event and that they have been in touch with family and authorities.Strain’s mother, Michelle Whiteid, and his stepfather, Chris Whiteid, drove to Nashville from Springfield, Missouri, after they learned he disappeared while on a fraternity trip, news outlets reported.“I just need to know where my son is,” Michelle Whiteid said. “We talk every day, multiple times a day. This is the longest I’ve ever gone without talking to him. It’s devastating. I just want to find him and hug him.”After the bus ride from Columbia, Strain and some of his fraternity brothers went out, according to Chris Whiteid. Strain was asked to leave a bar, and they got separated, he said.“The boys called him, and he said, ‘I’m walking back to my hotel,’" Chris Strain said. “They didn’t think anything about it.”

🎥New police video shows Mizzou student missing since March 8

WASHINGTON (AP) — The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/us-supreme-court">Supreme Court</a>&nbsp;seemed likely Monday to side with the Biden administration in a dispute with Republican-led states over how far the federal government can go to combat&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/social-media-biden-administration-lawsuit-injunction-6322aae981bdc5c9009babde4b31ab60">controversial social media posts</a>&nbsp;on topics including COVID-19 and election security in a case that could set standards for free speech in the digital age.

<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/audio/2023/23-411/">Click here to listen to a replay</a>&nbsp;of the oral argument&nbsp;

The justices seemed broadly skeptical during nearly two hours of arguments that a lawyer for Louisiana, Missouri and other parties presented accusing officials in the Democratic administration of leaning on the social media platforms to unconstitutionally squelch conservative points of view.

Lower courts have sided with the states, but the Supreme Court blocked those rulings while it considers the issue.

Several justices said they were concerned that common interactions between government officials and the platforms could be affected by a ruling for the states.

In one example, Justice Amy Coney Barrett expressed surprise when Louisiana Solicitor General J. Benjamin Aguiñaga questioned whether the FBI could call Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) to encourage them to take down posts that maliciously released someone's personal information without permission, the practice known as doxxing.

“Do you know how often the FBI makes those calls?” Barrett asked, suggesting they happen frequently.

Justice Brett Kavanaugh also signaled that a ruling for the states would mean that “traditional, everyday communications would suddenly be deemed problematic.”

The case Monday was among several the court is considering that affect social media companies in the context of free speech. Last week, the court laid out&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-social-media-public-officials-973f1d18e74faccaa4bfce3bd65cc1af">standards for when public officials can block their social media followers</a>. Less than a month ago, the court heard arguments over&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-social-media-florida-texas-820e90e58e49c1146b69101ece4dd9d5">Republican-passed laws in Florida and Texas</a>&nbsp;that prohibit large social media companies from taking down posts because of the views they express.

The cases over state laws and the one that was argued Monday are variations on the same theme, complaints that the platforms are censoring conservative viewpoints.

The states argue that White House communications staffers, the surgeon general, the FBI and the U.S. cybersecurity agency are among those who coerced changes in online content on social media platforms.

Aguiñaga put the situation in stark terms, telling the justices that “the record reveals unrelenting pressure by the government to coerce social media platforms to suppress the speech of millions of Americans.”

He said that calls merely encouraging the platforms to act also could violate speech rights, responding to a hypothetical situation conjured by Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, about an online challenge that “involved teens jumping out of windows at increasing elevations.”

Jackson, joined by Chief Justice John Roberts, pressed the Louisiana lawyer about whether platforms could be encouraged to remove such posts.

“I was with you right until that last comment, Your Honor,” Aguiñaga said. “I think they absolutely can call and say this is a problem, it’s going rampant on your platforms, but the moment that the government tries to use its ability as the government and its stature as the government to pressure them to take it down, that is when you’re interfering with the third party’s speech rights.”

Justice Samuel Alito appeared most open to the states' arguments, at one point referring to the government's “constant pestering of Facebook and some of the other platforms.” Alito, along with Justices Neil Gorsuch and Clarence Thomas, would have allowed the restrictions on government contacts with the platforms to go into effect.

Justice Department lawyer Brian Fletcher argued that none of the actions the states complain about come close to problematic coercion and that the federal government would lose its ability to communicate with the social media companies about antisemitic and anti-Muslim posts, as well as on issues of national security, public health and election integrity.

The platforms are large sophisticated actors with no reluctance to stand up to the government, “saying no repeatedly when they disagree with what the government is asking them to do,” Fletcher said.

Justice Elena Kagan and Kavanaugh, two justices who served in the White House earlier in their careers, seemed to agree, likening the exchanges between officials and the platforms to relationships between the government and more traditional media.

Kavanaugh described “experienced government press people throughout the federal government who regularly call up the media and -- and berate them.”

Later, Kagan said, “I mean, this happens literally thousands of times a day in the federal government.”

Alito, gesturing at the courtroom's press section, mused that whenever reporters “write something we don't like,” the court's chief spokeswoman “can call them up and curse them out and say...why don’t we be partners? We’re on the same team. Why don’t you show us what you’re going to write beforehand? We’ll edit it for you, make sure it’s accurate.”

Free speech advocates said the court should use the case to draw an appropriate line between the government's acceptable use of the bully pulpit and coercive threats to free speech.

“We’re encouraged that the Court was sensitive both to the First Amendment rights of platforms and their users, and to the public interest in having a government empowered to participate in public discourse. To that end, we hope that the Court resolves these cases by making clear that the First Amendment prohibits coercion but permits the government to attempt to shape public opinion through the use of persuasion.” Alex Abdo, litigation director of the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University, said in a statement.

A panel of three judges on the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals had ruled earlier that the Biden administration had probably brought unconstitutional pressure on the media platforms. The appellate panel said officials cannot attempt to “coerce or significantly encourage” changes in online content. The panel had previously narrowed a more sweeping order from a federal judge, who wanted to include even more government officials and prohibit mere encouragement of content changes.

A divided Supreme Court put the 5th Circuit ruling on hold in October, when it agreed to take up the case.

A decision in Murthy v. Missouri, 23-411, is expected by early summer.

WASHINGTON (AP) — In a busy term that could set standards for free speech in the digital age, the Supreme Court on Monday is taking up a dispute between Republican-led states and the Biden administration over how far the federal government can go to combat&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/social-media-biden-administration-lawsuit-injunction-6322aae981bdc5c9009babde4b31ab60">controversial social media posts</a>&nbsp;on topics including COVID-19 and election security.

<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/audio/2023/23-411\">Click here to listen to a replay</a> of the oral argument&nbsp;

The justices are hearing arguments in a lawsuit filed by Louisiana, Missouri and other parties accusing officials in the Democratic administration of leaning on the social media platforms to unconstitutionally squelch conservative points of view. Lower courts have sided with the states, but the Supreme Court blocked those rulings while it considers the issue.

The high court is in the midst of a term heavy with social media issues. On Friday, the court laid out&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-social-media-public-officials-973f1d18e74faccaa4bfce3bd65cc1af">standards for when public officials can block their social media followers</a>. Less than a month ago, the court heard arguments over&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-social-media-florida-texas-820e90e58e49c1146b69101ece4dd9d5">Republican-passed laws in Florida and Texas</a>&nbsp;that prohibit large social media companies from taking down posts because of the views they express.

The cases over state laws and the one being argued Monday are variations on the same theme, complaints that the platforms are censoring conservative viewpoints.

The states argue that White House communications staffers, the surgeon general, the FBI and the U.S. cybersecurity agency are among those who coerced changes in online content on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter) and other media platforms.

“It’s a very, very threatening thing when the federal government uses the power and authority of the government to block people from exercising their freedom of speech,” Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill said in a video her office posted online.

The administration responds that none of the actions the states complain about come close to problematic coercion. The states “still have not identified any instance in which any government official sought to coerce a platform’s editorial decisions with a threat of adverse government action,” wrote Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar, the administration's top Supreme Court lawyer. Prelogar wrote that states also can't “point to any evidence that the government ever imposed any sanction when the platforms declined to moderate content the government had flagged — as routinely occurred.”

The companies themselves are not involved in the case.

Free speech advocates say the court should use the case to draw an appropriate line between the government's acceptable use of the bully pulpit and coercive threats to free speech.

"The government has no authority to threaten platforms into censoring protected speech, but it must have the ability to participate in public discourse so that it can effectively govern and inform the public of its views,” Alex Abdo, litigation director of the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University, said in a statement.

Justices Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch and Clarence Thomas would have rejected the emergency appeal from the Biden administration.

Alito wrote in dissent in October: “At this time in the history of our country, what the Court has done, I fear, will be seen by some as giving the Government a green light to use heavy-handed tactics to skew the presentation of views on the medium that increasingly dominates the dissemination of news. That is most unfortunate."

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1710764500358.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/us-supreme-court">Supreme Court</a>&nbsp;seemed likely Monday to side with the Biden administration in a dispute with Republican-led states over how far the federal government can go to combat&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/social-media-biden-administration-lawsuit-injunction-6322aae981bdc5c9009babde4b31ab60">controversial social media posts</a>&nbsp;on topics including COVID-19 and election security in a case that could set standards for free speech in the digital age.<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/audio/2023/23-411/">Click here to listen to a replay</a>&nbsp;of the oral argument&nbsp;The justices seemed broadly skeptical during nearly two hours of arguments that a lawyer for Louisiana, Missouri and other parties presented accusing officials in the Democratic administration of leaning on the social media platforms to unconstitutionally squelch conservative points of view.Lower courts have sided with the states, but the Supreme Court blocked those rulings while it considers the issue.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">When I was AG I filed Missouri v Biden. On Monday the Supreme Court hears the case. It’s the most important Free Speech case in our nation’s history. The government can’t censor speech &amp; it can’t outsource censorship to social media giants either.<a href="https://t.co/jWzshevGsl">pic.twitter.com/jWzshevGsl</a>&mdash; Eric Schmitt (@Eric_Schmitt) <a href="https://twitter.com/Eric_Schmitt/status/1769025010948067493?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 16, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Several justices said they were concerned that common interactions between government officials and the platforms could be affected by a ruling for the states.In one example, Justice Amy Coney Barrett expressed surprise when Louisiana Solicitor General J. Benjamin Aguiñaga questioned whether the FBI could call Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) to encourage them to take down posts that maliciously released someone's personal information without permission, the practice known as doxxing.“Do you know how often the FBI makes those calls?” Barrett asked, suggesting they happen frequently.Justice Brett Kavanaugh also signaled that a ruling for the states would mean that “traditional, everyday communications would suddenly be deemed problematic.”The case Monday was among several the court is considering that affect social media companies in the context of free speech. Last week, the court laid out&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-social-media-public-officials-973f1d18e74faccaa4bfce3bd65cc1af">standards for when public officials can block their social media followers</a>. Less than a month ago, the court heard arguments over&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-social-media-florida-texas-820e90e58e49c1146b69101ece4dd9d5">Republican-passed laws in Florida and Texas</a>&nbsp;that prohibit large social media companies from taking down posts because of the views they express.The cases over state laws and the one that was argued Monday are variations on the same theme, complaints that the platforms are censoring conservative viewpoints.The states argue that White House communications staffers, the surgeon general, the FBI and the U.S. cybersecurity agency are among those who coerced changes in online content on social media platforms.Aguiñaga put the situation in stark terms, telling the justices that “the record reveals unrelenting pressure by the government to coerce social media platforms to suppress the speech of millions of Americans.”He said that calls merely encouraging the platforms to act also could violate speech rights, responding to a hypothetical situation conjured by Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, about an online challenge that “involved teens jumping out of windows at increasing elevations.”Jackson, joined by Chief Justice John Roberts, pressed the Louisiana lawyer about whether platforms could be encouraged to remove such posts.“I was with you right until that last comment, Your Honor,” Aguiñaga said. “I think they absolutely can call and say this is a problem, it’s going rampant on your platforms, but the moment that the government tries to use its ability as the government and its stature as the government to pressure them to take it down, that is when you’re interfering with the third party’s speech rights.”Justice Samuel Alito appeared most open to the states' arguments, at one point referring to the government's “constant pestering of Facebook and some of the other platforms.” Alito, along with Justices Neil Gorsuch and Clarence Thomas, would have allowed the restrictions on government contacts with the platforms to go into effect.Justice Department lawyer Brian Fletcher argued that none of the actions the states complain about come close to problematic coercion and that the federal government would lose its ability to communicate with the social media companies about antisemitic and anti-Muslim posts, as well as on issues of national security, public health and election integrity.The platforms are large sophisticated actors with no reluctance to stand up to the government, “saying no repeatedly when they disagree with what the government is asking them to do,” Fletcher said.Justice Elena Kagan and Kavanaugh, two justices who served in the White House earlier in their careers, seemed to agree, likening the exchanges between officials and the platforms to relationships between the government and more traditional media.Kavanaugh described “experienced government press people throughout the federal government who regularly call up the media and -- and berate them.”Later, Kagan said, “I mean, this happens literally thousands of times a day in the federal government.”Alito, gesturing at the courtroom's press section, mused that whenever reporters “write something we don't like,” the court's chief spokeswoman “can call them up and curse them out and say...why don’t we be partners? We’re on the same team. Why don’t you show us what you’re going to write beforehand? We’ll edit it for you, make sure it’s accurate.”Free speech advocates said the court should use the case to draw an appropriate line between the government's acceptable use of the bully pulpit and coercive threats to free speech.“We’re encouraged that the Court was sensitive both to the First Amendment rights of platforms and their users, and to the public interest in having a government empowered to participate in public discourse. To that end, we hope that the Court resolves these cases by making clear that the First Amendment prohibits coercion but permits the government to attempt to shape public opinion through the use of persuasion.” Alex Abdo, litigation director of the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University, said in a statement.A panel of three judges on the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals had ruled earlier that the Biden administration had probably brought unconstitutional pressure on the media platforms. The appellate panel said officials cannot attempt to “coerce or significantly encourage” changes in online content. The panel had previously narrowed a more sweeping order from a federal judge, who wanted to include even more government officials and prohibit mere encouragement of content changes.A divided Supreme Court put the 5th Circuit ruling on hold in October, when it agreed to take up the case.A decision in Murthy v. Missouri, 23-411, is expected by early summer.----------<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1710764500358.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — In a busy term that could set standards for free speech in the digital age, the Supreme Court on Monday is taking up a dispute between Republican-led states and the Biden administration over how far the federal government can go to combat&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/social-media-biden-administration-lawsuit-injunction-6322aae981bdc5c9009babde4b31ab60">controversial social media posts</a>&nbsp;on topics including COVID-19 and election security.<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/audio/2023/23-411\">Click here to listen to a replay</a> of the oral argument&nbsp;The justices are hearing arguments in a lawsuit filed by Louisiana, Missouri and other parties accusing officials in the Democratic administration of leaning on the social media platforms to unconstitutionally squelch conservative points of view. Lower courts have sided with the states, but the Supreme Court blocked those rulings while it considers the issue.The high court is in the midst of a term heavy with social media issues. On Friday, the court laid out&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-social-media-public-officials-973f1d18e74faccaa4bfce3bd65cc1af">standards for when public officials can block their social media followers</a>. Less than a month ago, the court heard arguments over&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-social-media-florida-texas-820e90e58e49c1146b69101ece4dd9d5">Republican-passed laws in Florida and Texas</a>&nbsp;that prohibit large social media companies from taking down posts because of the views they express.The cases over state laws and the one being argued Monday are variations on the same theme, complaints that the platforms are censoring conservative viewpoints.The states argue that White House communications staffers, the surgeon general, the FBI and the U.S. cybersecurity agency are among those who coerced changes in online content on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter) and other media platforms.“It’s a very, very threatening thing when the federal government uses the power and authority of the government to block people from exercising their freedom of speech,” Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill said in a video her office posted online.The administration responds that none of the actions the states complain about come close to problematic coercion. The states “still have not identified any instance in which any government official sought to coerce a platform’s editorial decisions with a threat of adverse government action,” wrote Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar, the administration's top Supreme Court lawyer. Prelogar wrote that states also can't “point to any evidence that the government ever imposed any sanction when the platforms declined to moderate content the government had flagged — as routinely occurred.”The companies themselves are not involved in the case.Free speech advocates say the court should use the case to draw an appropriate line between the government's acceptable use of the bully pulpit and coercive threats to free speech."The government has no authority to threaten platforms into censoring protected speech, but it must have the ability to participate in public discourse so that it can effectively govern and inform the public of its views,” Alex Abdo, litigation director of the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University, said in a statement.A panel of three judges on the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals had ruled earlier that the Biden administration had probably brought unconstitutional pressure on the media platforms. The appellate panel said officials cannot attempt to “coerce or significantly encourage” changes in online content. The panel had previously narrowed a more sweeping order from a federal judge, who wanted to include even more government officials and prohibit mere encouragement of content changes.A divided Supreme Court put the 5th Circuit ruling on hold in October, when it agreed to take up the case.Justices Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch and Clarence Thomas would have rejected the emergency appeal from the Biden administration.Alito wrote in dissent in October: “At this time in the history of our country, what the Court has done, I fear, will be seen by some as giving the Government a green light to use heavy-handed tactics to skew the presentation of views on the medium that increasingly dominates the dissemination of news. That is most unfortunate."

🎧 Social media censorship: Supreme Court’s oral arguments

DOUGLAS COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a hit-and-run incident in Lawrence. 

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, according to Lawrence Police. The woman has critical injuries, and the dog was killed. The driver never stopped. Police need the public’s help identifying the driver.

If you can identify the driver, or see this vehicle with front end damage, call dispatch at (785)832-7509. Tips 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 are investigating a hit-and-run incident in Lawrence. 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, according to Lawrence Police. The woman has critical injuries, and the dog was killed. The driver never stopped. Police need the public’s help identifying the driver.If you can identify the driver, or see this vehicle with front end damage, call dispatch at (785)832-7509. Tips can also be submitted anonymously to Crime Stoppers at (785)843-TIPS (8477)

Kansas hit-and-run: 74-year-old critically injured, dog killed

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/suzanneking/">SUZANNE KING</a>&nbsp;

When nurses rallied outside Research Medical Center last week to kick off contract negotiations, the refrain rang familiar.

“Hey HCA,” the nurses’ signs read. “Put patients over profits.”

In an increasingly unionized health care industry, still recovering from the pandemic, nurses across the country demand that hospitals beef up staffing and improve working conditions. And, when bargaining doesn’t work, they insist they’re ready to walk off the job.

Kansas City nurses from&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://hcamidwest.com/locations/research-medical-center/">Research</a>&nbsp;in Kansas City and&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://hcamidwest.com/locations/menorah-medical-center/">Menorah Medical Center</a>&nbsp;in Overland Park, both owned by HCA Healthcare, want to make it clear that they are prepared to fight for change in their new contract.

About 1,000 nurses at the two hospitals are working under a contract that will expire May 31. Their union,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.nationalnursesunited.org/">National Nurses United</a>&nbsp;(NNU), said 150 nurses left jobs at Research last year, while 89 left Menorah. The union wants HCA to improve nurse retention and schedule more nurses to work each shift.

The union said nurses are “prepared to make demands for their new agreements that will improve patient care by addressing critical issues with staffing and safety, and services at their hospitals.”

In a statement, HCA, which reported 2023 net income of $5.2 billion, called its staffing at Research and Menorah “safe and appropriate.”

HCA’s statement also said the two area hospitals had added 842 members to its “nursing organization” in 2023 and were “building our nursing pipeline.” The statement touted recently announced plans to invest $34.5 million in the Research College of Nursing.

“We value our nurses and are hopeful that we can quickly reach an agreement on a new contract that is fair and reasonable for both sides,” the statement said.

But Cheryl Rodarmel, a rehabilitation nurse from Research who will be at the negotiating table, said the existing conditions leave nurses exhausted.

Rodarmel, who has worked at Research for three decades, often has to care for six patients at a time. She worries about patients falling and not getting enough care.

“Nurses are being morally injured every day because we’re not given the resources that we need to provide the care to our patients,” she said.

In strikes and contract negotiations around the country, unionized nurses often echo that notion of being “morally injured” — when a person feels they have been forced to take part in something that violates their principles.

After COVID’s heavy toll and an ongoing drive among many hospitals to cut costs, the industry has seen a year with more than two dozen strikes around the country. Nurses say they come face-to-face with patients they can’t adequately care for. Increasingly, they are lining up behind labor unions to demand change.

NNU, the union representing Research and Menorah nurses, also represents 950 nurses at two Ascension Via Christi hospitals in Wichita. For close to a year, those nurses have been struggling to come to an agreement on their first contract, a process that has led them to walk off the job twice since June — and forcing the hospitals to pay premium prices for replacements. And earlier this month they&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://wichitabeacon.org/stories/2024/03/05/wichita-nurses-ready-to-strike-again/">vowed</a>&nbsp;to strike again if progress isn’t made.

Nurses in Missouri and Kansas are far from alone. Just at HCA-owned hospitals, NNU said it is representing thousands of nurses this year in contract negotiations with 18 hospitals in six states. And the union’s climbing membership — up to 225,000 from 150,000 pre-pandemic — marks a national trend in health care.

More workers in the industry, including nurses, doctors in training, and other health care workers, are joining unions and, increasingly, walking off the job to demand better working conditions and higher pay.

Of the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.bls.gov/news.release/wkstp.nr0.htm">33 major work stoppages</a>&nbsp;the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported last year,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.epi.org/publication/major-strike-activity-in-2023/">14 took place</a>&nbsp;in health care. And that’s only strikes or lockouts involving 1,000 or more workers. Nurse Together, a&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.nursetogether.com/nurse-strikes/">website</a>&nbsp;that focuses on the profession, counted 27 nursing strikes last year, including the largest health care strike in U.S. history, when 75,000 nurses, technicians and support staff walked away from jobs at Kaiser Permanente in October.

Union representatives consistently point to the same reason for the increase in labor actions: a shortage of nurses. The issue became glaring in many hospitals during the pandemic. Now they pose the central backdrop to nursing strikes — and one reason more nurses feel emboldened to unionize. Their skills are in high demand, giving them bargaining table leverage.

Hospital companies tend to argue that they face a shortage of nurses available. Unions typically counter that nurses are fleeing the field because of working conditions.

A 2022&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2799909">study</a>&nbsp;in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that health care workers represented by unions between 2009 and 2021 made better wages and got better benefits — like full premium-covered health insurance and retirement benefits — than those without unions. The study also found that unions helped erase the pay disparity between white workers and racial and ethnic minority groups.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that registered nurses working in Kansas City in 2022 had a mean annual salary of&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_28140.htm#29-0000">$76,580</a>, compared with&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.bls.gov/oes/2019/may/oes_28140.htm#29-0000">$68,130</a>&nbsp;in 2019, the year before the pandemic. Nationally, the mean salary for nurses was&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes291141.htm">$89,010</a>&nbsp;in 2022, compared with&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.bls.gov/oes/2019/may/oes291141.htm">$77,460</a>&nbsp;in 2019.

Nurses from Research and Menorah have butted heads with HCA before. In the fall of 2020, the height of COVID, nurses at Research&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://kcbeacon.org/stories/2020/11/23/feeling-a-lack-of-protections-against-covid-19-workers-file-complaints-with-osha/">filed a complaint</a>&nbsp;with the federal&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.osha.gov/">Occupational Safety and Health Administration</a>&nbsp;demanding better protections against the virus. In their last contract, Rodamel said, they gained protections for members’ paid time off so that nurses no longer have to use their leave if they get sick caring for patients.

The company also has a history with the Service Employees International Union. In 2021, that union lost a decertification vote at Research, meaning employees — including patient care technicians, certified nursing assistants, imaging technologists and respiratory therapists — voted to ditch the union’s representation.

Before the decertification vote became official, and after the union members had secured a new contract, Research stopped recognizing the union. A National Labor Relations Board judge later&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/hr/hca-hospital-violated-labor-law-in-pulling-union-recognition-judge-says.html">ruled</a>&nbsp;that the hospital had violated federal labor law. The union was still decertified and no longer represents employees at the hospital.

This&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://kcbeacon.org/stories/2024/03/15/kansas-city-nurse-union-prepared-to-strike-if-they-have-to/">article</a>&nbsp;first appeared on&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://kcbeacon.org/">The Beacon</a>&nbsp;and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1710779860482.png" alt=" Research Medical Center in Kansas City is one of two HCA-owned area hospitals where the nurses union faces contract negotiations (Scott Canon/The Beacon)." />
 <figcaption> Research Medical Center in Kansas City is one of two HCA-owned area hospitals where the nurses union faces contract negotiations (Scott Canon/The Beacon).</figcaption>
 </figure>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/suzanneking/">SUZANNE KING</a>&nbsp;When nurses rallied outside Research Medical Center last week to kick off contract negotiations, the refrain rang familiar.“Hey HCA,” the nurses’ signs read. “Put patients over profits.”In an increasingly unionized health care industry, still recovering from the pandemic, nurses across the country demand that hospitals beef up staffing and improve working conditions. And, when bargaining doesn’t work, they insist they’re ready to walk off the job.Kansas City nurses from&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://hcamidwest.com/locations/research-medical-center/">Research</a>&nbsp;in Kansas City and&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://hcamidwest.com/locations/menorah-medical-center/">Menorah Medical Center</a>&nbsp;in Overland Park, both owned by HCA Healthcare, want to make it clear that they are prepared to fight for change in their new contract.About 1,000 nurses at the two hospitals are working under a contract that will expire May 31. Their union,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.nationalnursesunited.org/">National Nurses United</a>&nbsp;(NNU), said 150 nurses left jobs at Research last year, while 89 left Menorah. The union wants HCA to improve nurse retention and schedule more nurses to work each shift.The union said nurses are “prepared to make demands for their new agreements that will improve patient care by addressing critical issues with staffing and safety, and services at their hospitals.”In a statement, HCA, which reported 2023 net income of $5.2 billion, called its staffing at Research and Menorah “safe and appropriate.”HCA’s statement also said the two area hospitals had added 842 members to its “nursing organization” in 2023 and were “building our nursing pipeline.” The statement touted recently announced plans to invest $34.5 million in the Research College of Nursing.“We value our nurses and are hopeful that we can quickly reach an agreement on a new contract that is fair and reasonable for both sides,” the statement said.But Cheryl Rodarmel, a rehabilitation nurse from Research who will be at the negotiating table, said the existing conditions leave nurses exhausted.Rodarmel, who has worked at Research for three decades, often has to care for six patients at a time. She worries about patients falling and not getting enough care.“Nurses are being morally injured every day because we’re not given the resources that we need to provide the care to our patients,” she said.In strikes and contract negotiations around the country, unionized nurses often echo that notion of being “morally injured” — when a person feels they have been forced to take part in something that violates their principles.After COVID’s heavy toll and an ongoing drive among many hospitals to cut costs, the industry has seen a year with more than two dozen strikes around the country. Nurses say they come face-to-face with patients they can’t adequately care for. Increasingly, they are lining up behind labor unions to demand change.NNU, the union representing Research and Menorah nurses, also represents 950 nurses at two Ascension Via Christi hospitals in Wichita. For close to a year, those nurses have been struggling to come to an agreement on their first contract, a process that has led them to walk off the job twice since June — and forcing the hospitals to pay premium prices for replacements. And earlier this month they&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://wichitabeacon.org/stories/2024/03/05/wichita-nurses-ready-to-strike-again/">vowed</a>&nbsp;to strike again if progress isn’t made.Nurses in Missouri and Kansas are far from alone. Just at HCA-owned hospitals, NNU said it is representing thousands of nurses this year in contract negotiations with 18 hospitals in six states. And the union’s climbing membership — up to 225,000 from 150,000 pre-pandemic — marks a national trend in health care.More workers in the industry, including nurses, doctors in training, and other health care workers, are joining unions and, increasingly, walking off the job to demand better working conditions and higher pay.Of the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.bls.gov/news.release/wkstp.nr0.htm">33 major work stoppages</a>&nbsp;the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported last year,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.epi.org/publication/major-strike-activity-in-2023/">14 took place</a>&nbsp;in health care. And that’s only strikes or lockouts involving 1,000 or more workers. Nurse Together, a&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.nursetogether.com/nurse-strikes/">website</a>&nbsp;that focuses on the profession, counted 27 nursing strikes last year, including the largest health care strike in U.S. history, when 75,000 nurses, technicians and support staff walked away from jobs at Kaiser Permanente in October.Union representatives consistently point to the same reason for the increase in labor actions: a shortage of nurses. The issue became glaring in many hospitals during the pandemic. Now they pose the central backdrop to nursing strikes — and one reason more nurses feel emboldened to unionize. Their skills are in high demand, giving them bargaining table leverage.Hospital companies tend to argue that they face a shortage of nurses available. Unions typically counter that nurses are fleeing the field because of working conditions.A 2022&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2799909">study</a>&nbsp;in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that health care workers represented by unions between 2009 and 2021 made better wages and got better benefits — like full premium-covered health insurance and retirement benefits — than those without unions. The study also found that unions helped erase the pay disparity between white workers and racial and ethnic minority groups.The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that registered nurses working in Kansas City in 2022 had a mean annual salary of&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_28140.htm#29-0000">$76,580</a>, compared with&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.bls.gov/oes/2019/may/oes_28140.htm#29-0000">$68,130</a>&nbsp;in 2019, the year before the pandemic. Nationally, the mean salary for nurses was&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes291141.htm">$89,010</a>&nbsp;in 2022, compared with&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.bls.gov/oes/2019/may/oes291141.htm">$77,460</a>&nbsp;in 2019.Nurses from Research and Menorah have butted heads with HCA before. In the fall of 2020, the height of COVID, nurses at Research&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://kcbeacon.org/stories/2020/11/23/feeling-a-lack-of-protections-against-covid-19-workers-file-complaints-with-osha/">filed a complaint</a>&nbsp;with the federal&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.osha.gov/">Occupational Safety and Health Administration</a>&nbsp;demanding better protections against the virus. In their last contract, Rodamel said, they gained protections for members’ paid time off so that nurses no longer have to use their leave if they get sick caring for patients.The company also has a history with the Service Employees International Union. In 2021, that union lost a decertification vote at Research, meaning employees — including patient care technicians, certified nursing assistants, imaging technologists and respiratory therapists — voted to ditch the union’s representation.Before the decertification vote became official, and after the union members had secured a new contract, Research stopped recognizing the union. A National Labor Relations Board judge later&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/hr/hca-hospital-violated-labor-law-in-pulling-union-recognition-judge-says.html">ruled</a>&nbsp;that the hospital had violated federal labor law. The union was still decertified and no longer represents employees at the hospital.This&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://kcbeacon.org/stories/2024/03/15/kansas-city-nurse-union-prepared-to-strike-if-they-have-to/">article</a>&nbsp;first appeared on&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://kcbeacon.org/">The Beacon</a>&nbsp;and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.<figure>
 <img src="https://i0.wp.com/kcbeacon.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/cropped-The-Beacon-Symbol-Gold.png?fit=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1" alt="" />
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 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://kcbeacon.org/?republication-pixel=true&amp;post=19022" alt="" />
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 </figure>

Kansas City nurses kick off contract talks saying they’re prepared to strike

PULASKI COUNTY —One person died in an accident just before 6:30p.m. Sunday in Pulaski County.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2008 Harley Davidson driven by Mikel E. Hartness, 54, Waynesville, was eastbound on Reporter Road one half mile north of Waynesville.

The motorcycle traveled off the right side of the road, struck a fence, a tree and the driver was ejected.

Mercy Lifeline air-lifted Hartness to Mercy Springfield. He was pronounced deceased early Monday morning. He was not wearing a helmet, according to the MSHP.

PULASKI COUNTY —One person died in an accident just before 6:30p.m. Sunday in Pulaski County.The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2008 Harley Davidson driven by Mikel E. Hartness, 54, Waynesville, was eastbound on Reporter Road one half mile north of Waynesville.The motorcycle traveled off the right side of the road, struck a fence, a tree and the driver was ejected.Mercy Lifeline air-lifted Hartness to Mercy Springfield. He was pronounced deceased early Monday morning. He was not wearing a helmet, according to the MSHP.

Missouri man dies from injuries in motorcycle crash

SALINE COUNTY—Two Kansas teens died in an accident just before 6:30p.m. Friday in Saline County.

According to Saline County Sheriff Roger Soldan, a 2001 Chevrolet Camero driven by Vance McComber 17, Salina, was drag racing a 2017 Chevy Camaro westbound in the 2800 Block of West Crawford Street just west of Fairchild Road.

The 2001 Camaro struck an eastbound 2022 Chevrolet Silverado driven by&nbsp;41-year-old Rosa Vasquez head-on.

In addition to McComber, a passenger identified as 17-year-old Anthony Windell of Salina, who sat in the passenger seat of the 2001 Camaro also died in the crash.

EMS transported a second passenger in the 2001 Camaro, 17-year-old Alphonso Torres Ramirez to Salina Regional Health Center with serious but non-life-threatening injuries. EMS transported Vasquez and a 12-year-old passenger in the pickup to Salina Regional Health Center with severe but non-life-threatening injuries.

"We are still investigating all the circumstances of the crash, but at this time, it appears there were indications that they were drag racing west, but for whatever reason, they didn't see the truck coming," Soldan said. "Whether it was the sun or they were distracted by watching what's going on with the guy beside him or what."

Soldan said another vehicle was present at the scene of the crash, which veered out of the way of McComber's Camaro before the head-on crash.

SALINE COUNTY—Two Kansas teens died in an accident just before 6:30p.m. Friday in Saline County.According to Saline County Sheriff Roger Soldan, a 2001 Chevrolet Camero driven by Vance McComber 17, Salina, was drag racing a 2017 Chevy Camaro westbound in the 2800 Block of West Crawford Street just west of Fairchild Road.The 2001 Camaro struck an eastbound 2022 Chevrolet Silverado driven by&nbsp;41-year-old Rosa Vasquez head-on.In addition to McComber, a passenger identified as 17-year-old Anthony Windell of Salina, who sat in the passenger seat of the 2001 Camaro also died in the crash.EMS transported a second passenger in the 2001 Camaro, 17-year-old Alphonso Torres Ramirez to Salina Regional Health Center with serious but non-life-threatening injuries. EMS transported Vasquez and a 12-year-old passenger in the pickup to Salina Regional Health Center with severe but non-life-threatening injuries."We are still investigating all the circumstances of the crash, but at this time, it appears there were indications that they were drag racing west, but for whatever reason, they didn't see the truck coming," Soldan said. "Whether it was the sun or they were distracted by watching what's going on with the guy beside him or what."Soldan said another vehicle was present at the scene of the crash, which veered out of the way of McComber's Camaro before the head-on crash.&nbsp;

Sheriff: Kan. teens were drag racing before fatal head-on crash

KANSAS CITY—Investigators are working to determine the cause of an apartment fire in Kansas City.

Just after 3:30a.m. Monday, crews responded to an apartment fire in the 3800 block of Paseo Boulevard in Kansas City, according to Battalion Chief Michael Hopkins.

First arriving crews reported heavy fire on all three floors in the rear of a three-story building. The building was vacant.

 Approximately ten minutes into the operation a partial collapse of the north and east walls occurred. The fire was placed under control shortly after 5 am.&nbsp; No injuries were reported at this incident.&nbsp; Check the post for additional details as they become available.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1710776902632.png" alt="Photo KC Fire Department" />
 <figcaption>Photo KC Fire Department</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY—Investigators are working to determine the cause of an apartment fire in Kansas City.Just after 3:30a.m. Monday, crews responded to an apartment fire in the 3800 block of Paseo Boulevard in Kansas City, according to Battalion Chief Michael Hopkins.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1710777036566.png" alt="Photo KC Fire Department" />
 <figcaption>Photo KC Fire Department</figcaption>
 </figure>First arriving crews reported heavy fire on all three floors in the rear of a three-story building. The building was vacant. Approximately ten minutes into the operation a partial collapse of the north and east walls occurred. The fire was placed under control shortly after 5 am.&nbsp; No injuries were reported at this incident.&nbsp; Check the post for additional details as they become available.

Partial collapse after fire in 3-story KC apartment building 

SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforceement authorities are investigating a Kansas felon on new allegations after an arrest.

Just after 4a.m. March 14, police responded to a burglary in progress in the 500 block of SW Taylor Street in Topeka, according a media release.&nbsp;

Police found a suspect who later identified as 39-year-old as Jerry L. Harmon II, 39, of Topeka. He had a firearm and officers took him into custody.

He is being held on requested charges of Aggravated burglary, criminal trespass, criminal possession of a weapon, drug possession and failire to obey an officer.

Harmon has a dozen previous felony convictions that include aggravated assault, aggravated battery, theft, obstruction, flee or attempt to elude law enforcement and for drugs, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.&nbsp; He was released from prison in July.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1710706310596.png" alt="Harmon photo Shawnee Co." />
 <figcaption>Harmon photo Shawnee Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforceement authorities are investigating a Kansas felon on new allegations after an arrest.Just after 4a.m. March 14, police responded to a burglary in progress in the 500 block of SW Taylor Street in Topeka, according a media release.&nbsp;Police found a suspect who later identified as 39-year-old as Jerry L. Harmon II, 39, of Topeka. He had a firearm and officers took him into custody.He is being held on requested charges of Aggravated burglary, criminal trespass, criminal possession of a weapon, drug possession and failire to obey an officer.Harmon has a dozen previous felony convictions that include aggravated assault, aggravated battery, theft, obstruction, flee or attempt to elude law enforcement and for drugs, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.&nbsp; He was released from prison in July.

Kan. man with a dozen previous convictions jailed for burglary

KANSAS CITY—Two brothers have been charged in connection with a shooting during a basketball tournament outside North Kansas City High School earlier this month.

On Friday, 19-year-old Michael Smallwood was charged with unlawful use of a weapon and armed criminal action, according to Clay County Prosecuting Attorney&nbsp;Zachary Thompson.

His brother Lavondre Smallwood, 18, was charged with first-degree assault, unlawful use of a weapon and armed criminal action.

On March 5, police responded after two people were shot outside the High School, 620 E 23rd Ave, North Kansas City, as North Kansas City Hornets and Staley Falcons were participating in the Class 6 District 8 High School Basketball Tournament.   The school was also hosting a debate tournament that evening, according to the school web site.

According to police, the juvenile victim was a North Kansas City High School student, who had non-life-threatening injuries. He was an innocent bystander to the shooting.&nbsp; The second victim was an adult not affiliated with the NKC School District.

Five people from two groups shot firearms during the gunfight and all five were in possession of their guns inside the school gym during the game, according to Thompson.&nbsp;

The brothers were booked into the Clay County Jail Friday, according to online booking records.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1710548925072.png" alt="Michael Smallwood-photo Clay Co.&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>Michael Smallwood-photo Clay Co.&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY—Two brothers have been charged in connection with a shooting during a basketball tournament outside North Kansas City High School earlier this month.On Friday, 19-year-old Michael Smallwood was charged with unlawful use of a weapon and armed criminal action, according to Clay County Prosecuting Attorney&nbsp;Zachary Thompson.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1710548893028.png" alt="Lavondre Smallwood-photo Clay Co." />
 <figcaption>Lavondre Smallwood-photo Clay Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>His brother Lavondre Smallwood, 18, was charged with first-degree assault, unlawful use of a weapon and armed criminal action.On March 5, police responded after two people were shot outside the High School, 620 E 23rd Ave, North Kansas City, as North Kansas City Hornets and Staley Falcons were participating in the Class 6 District 8 High School Basketball Tournament. The school was also hosting a debate tournament that evening, according to the school web site.According to police, the juvenile victim was a North Kansas City High School student, who had non-life-threatening injuries. He was an innocent bystander to the shooting.&nbsp; The second victim was an adult not affiliated with the NKC School District.Five people from two groups shot firearms during the gunfight and all five were in possession of their guns inside the school gym during the game, according to Thompson.&nbsp;The brothers were booked into the Clay County Jail Friday, according to online booking records.

2 jailed for gunfight outside Kansas City high school basketball game

MIAMI (AP) — A charter flight carrying dozens of U.S. citizens fleeing&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/haiti-gangs-violence-guatemala-looting-e253c80da9e58fc9f2c809aed27fbe9a">spiraling gang violence</a>&nbsp;in Haiti landed Sunday in Miami, U.S. State Department officials said.

More than 30 U.S. citizens were on the government-chartered flight, officials said in a statement. It arrived in the Miami International Airport after the U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince earlier this month urged U.S. citizens to leave “as soon as possible” as chaos grips Haiti.

Passenger Avlot Quessa, who lives in Boston, traveled from the center of the country to board the charter flight after going to Haiti last month for was supposed to be a weeklong trip to visit his mother.

On Saturday, Kansas U.S. Senator Roger Marshall's office encouraged anyone in Haiti or with family in the country to email&nbsp;<a href="mailto:EvacHelp@marshall.senate.gov">EvacHelp@marshall.senate.gov</a>&nbsp;or call (785) 829-9000.

“It’s just terrible ... The suffering, you can only imagine,” Quessa told&nbsp;<a href="https://www.miamiherald.com/article286799990.html">the Miami Herald</a>&nbsp;of the nearby Caribbean nation. “Haiti is my homeland and it’s very stressful to see the homeland going through this act of violence, destruction ... and they are our neighbors.”

Haiti’s main airport in Port-au-Prince remains closed following gang attacks that have raged through Haiti in recent weeks, pushing many people to the brink of famine. Government and aid agencies this weekend reported looting of aid supplies as the situation worsened.

The State Department announced Saturday that it would offer limited charter flights for American citizens from the less chaotic northern city of Cap-Haïtien.

Officials said they could not provide ground transportation to Cap-Haïtien and that U.S. citizens should consider the charter flights “only if you think you can reach Cap-Haïtien airport safely.”

“We encourage U.S. citizens still in Haiti who seek to depart to contact the Department of State using the crisis intake form on our website if they have not already done so,” the agency said.

People taking the U.S. government-coordinated flights must sign a promissory bill agreeing to reimburse the government.

Another passenger on Sunday’s flight, Marie Lucie St. Fleur, 69, of West Palm Beach, said she feels most at home in Haiti and it pains her to see what her homeland is enduring.

“I don’t feel well at all. I would like to live in my country and I can’t,” she said while sitting in a wheelchair.

The State Department said government officials in Miami were helping the newly arrived evacuees to determine their next steps.

The U.S. military last week flew in additional forces&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/haiti-us-embassy-security-gang-violence-1b720280fa85c87ccf0768d3156dbd23">to bolster security</a>&nbsp;at the U.S. Embassy, which is in a neighborhood largely controlled by gangs.

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 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1710725528636.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>MIAMI (AP) — A charter flight carrying dozens of U.S. citizens fleeing&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/haiti-gangs-violence-guatemala-looting-e253c80da9e58fc9f2c809aed27fbe9a">spiraling gang violence</a>&nbsp;in Haiti landed Sunday in Miami, U.S. State Department officials said.More than 30 U.S. citizens were on the government-chartered flight, officials said in a statement. It arrived in the Miami International Airport after the U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince earlier this month urged U.S. citizens to leave “as soon as possible” as chaos grips Haiti.<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FACSPortauPrince%2Fposts%2Fpfbid0bae6RV3HXLRpFB3Jy6oNLkVbQS9gqQ6122cVmPspeh51PbT6q6igC37FiVsxhUthl&show_text=true&width=500" width="500" height="370" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share"></iframe></div>Passenger Avlot Quessa, who lives in Boston, traveled from the center of the country to board the charter flight after going to Haiti last month for was supposed to be a weeklong trip to visit his mother.On Saturday, Kansas U.S. Senator Roger Marshall's office encouraged anyone in Haiti or with family in the country to email&nbsp;<a href="mailto:EvacHelp@marshall.senate.gov">EvacHelp@marshall.senate.gov</a>&nbsp;or call (785) 829-9000.“It’s just terrible ... The suffering, you can only imagine,” Quessa told&nbsp;<a href="https://www.miamiherald.com/article286799990.html">the Miami Herald</a>&nbsp;of the nearby Caribbean nation. “Haiti is my homeland and it’s very stressful to see the homeland going through this act of violence, destruction ... and they are our neighbors.”Haiti’s main airport in Port-au-Prince remains closed following gang attacks that have raged through Haiti in recent weeks, pushing many people to the brink of famine. Government and aid agencies this weekend reported looting of aid supplies as the situation worsened.The State Department announced Saturday that it would offer limited charter flights for American citizens from the less chaotic northern city of Cap-Haïtien.Officials said they could not provide ground transportation to Cap-Haïtien and that U.S. citizens should consider the charter flights “only if you think you can reach Cap-Haïtien airport safely.”“We encourage U.S. citizens still in Haiti who seek to depart to contact the Department of State using the crisis intake form on our website if they have not already done so,” the agency said.People taking the U.S. government-coordinated flights must sign a promissory bill agreeing to reimburse the government.Another passenger on Sunday’s flight, Marie Lucie St. Fleur, 69, of West Palm Beach, said she feels most at home in Haiti and it pains her to see what her homeland is enduring.“I don’t feel well at all. I would like to live in my country and I can’t,” she said while sitting in a wheelchair.The State Department said government officials in Miami were helping the newly arrived evacuees to determine their next steps.The U.S. military last week flew in additional forces&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/haiti-us-embassy-security-gang-violence-1b720280fa85c87ccf0768d3156dbd23">to bolster security</a>&nbsp;at the U.S. Embassy, which is in a neighborhood largely controlled by gangs.

First charter flight with US citizens fleeing Haiti lands in U.S.

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

Just after 1:30a.m. Sunday, police responded to 94th Terrace and Cable Road after report of a dead body found, according to Sheriff Daryl Forte'.

Officers located the body of a man suffering from gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene.&nbsp; Police have not reported an arrest or suspect information.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1710680138551.png" alt="Photo of search area- Sheriff Daryl Forte'" />
 <figcaption>Photo of search area- Sheriff Daryl Forte'</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Sunday homicide in Kansas City.Just after 1:30a.m. Sunday, police responded to 94th Terrace and Cable Road after report of a dead body found, according to Sheriff Daryl Forte'.Officers located the body of a man suffering from gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene.&nbsp; Police have not reported an arrest or suspect information.

Homicide: Body of man found with gunshot wounds in Kansas City

WASHINGTON (AP) — The big news this week, President Joe Biden said at a weekend Washington roast, was that two candidates&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-biden-primary-georgia-washington-mississippi-hawaii-15bb0084ad656903ffef14cfae822abd">had clinched their party's nomination</a>&nbsp;for president. But one was too old, too mentally unfit for the job, he said.

The digs&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-ohio-moreno-senate-social-security-3b450dcfc24a02c8cac3a3feb657ddc8">against Republican Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;kept coming from the president at the annual Gridiron Club and Foundation Dinner, as Biden deflected ongoing criticism&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-memory-age-special-counsel-report-doj-f4232bc8316e556ed467185b67c3e0a8">that his memory is hazy</a>&nbsp;and he appears confused, instead highlighting moments when the 77-year-old Trump has slipped up, too.

“Don't tell him, he thinks he's running against Barack Obama, that's what he said," said Biden, 81, who also quipped that he was staying up way past his bedtime.

It was the first time Biden has attended the dinner during his presidency, and comes as the 2024 election looms and the rematch between Biden and Trump heats up. The annual bacchanalia, now in its 139th year, traces its history to 1885 — that was the year President Grover Cleveland refused to attend. Every president since has come to at least one Gridiron.

Biden veered quickly into the somber, though, highlighting what he sees as a real threat to democracy should Trump — who continues to falsely claim the 2020 election was stolen — return to the White House. The speech had echoes of Biden's campaign remarks, criticizing Trump as well as too soft on Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“We live in an unprecedented moment in democracy,” he said. “An unprecedented moment for history. Democracy and freedom are literally under attack. Putin's on the march in Europe. My predecessor bows down to him and says to him, ‘do whatever the hell you want.’”

Biden then introduced the Ukrainian ambassador, Oksana Markarova, and Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas.

“We will not bow down. They will not bow down, and I will not bow down,” he said.

Biden, dressed in white-tie attire as is the custom, brought his daughter Ashley.

The dinner has a reputation as a night of bipartisan mirth, and was jam-packed with politicians and who's-who of Washington, including Vice President Kamala Harris and her husband Doug Emhoff, at least eight other Cabinet members, at least five members of Congress, five governors and at least five ambassadors. Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, who’s in town for St. Patrick’s Day, also attended.

Also speaking at the dinner were Harris, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, and Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, a Republican.

Biden closed out the dinner, speaking also about the importance of a free press. Although he may not agree with everything the news media prints, he said, he understands the necessity of journalism and said he was still working to bring home&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/gershkovich-russia-jailed-journalist-putin-custody-extended-e53ec909dd55b3cfe94a11e4d4b713ed">journalists Evan Gershovich</a>&nbsp;and Austin Tice, one held in Russia, the other&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-syria-lebanon-middle-east-beirut-1ed67016bc0594b4e8e998bad8659fdd">who disappeared during a reporting trip in Syria</a>.

“Good journalism holds a mirror up to society,” he said. “We need you.”

Biden and Harris were seated at the head table along with other administration officials and the foreign leaders, plus Gridiron president Dan Balz of the Washington Post. Seated also at the table were Balz's bosses, the Post's Executive Editor Sally Buzbee and the newspaper’s owner, Jeff Bezos.

The dinner was held at the Grand Hyatt. No photos or TV were allowed.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1710675638300.png" alt="President Joe Biden during a meeting on Friday with Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar in the Oval Office -White House photo" />
 <figcaption>President Joe Biden during a meeting on Friday with Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar in the Oval Office -White House photo</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The big news this week, President Joe Biden said at a weekend Washington roast, was that two candidates&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-biden-primary-georgia-washington-mississippi-hawaii-15bb0084ad656903ffef14cfae822abd">had clinched their party's nomination</a>&nbsp;for president. But one was too old, too mentally unfit for the job, he said.“The other's me," Biden quipped.The digs&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-ohio-moreno-senate-social-security-3b450dcfc24a02c8cac3a3feb657ddc8">against Republican Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;kept coming from the president at the annual Gridiron Club and Foundation Dinner, as Biden deflected ongoing criticism&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-memory-age-special-counsel-report-doj-f4232bc8316e556ed467185b67c3e0a8">that his memory is hazy</a>&nbsp;and he appears confused, instead highlighting moments when the 77-year-old Trump has slipped up, too.“Don't tell him, he thinks he's running against Barack Obama, that's what he said," said Biden, 81, who also quipped that he was staying up way past his bedtime.It was the first time Biden has attended the dinner during his presidency, and comes as the 2024 election looms and the rematch between Biden and Trump heats up. The annual bacchanalia, now in its 139th year, traces its history to 1885 — that was the year President Grover Cleveland refused to attend. Every president since has come to at least one Gridiron.Biden veered quickly into the somber, though, highlighting what he sees as a real threat to democracy should Trump — who continues to falsely claim the 2020 election was stolen — return to the White House. The speech had echoes of Biden's campaign remarks, criticizing Trump as well as too soft on Russian President Vladimir Putin.“We live in an unprecedented moment in democracy,” he said. “An unprecedented moment for history. Democracy and freedom are literally under attack. Putin's on the march in Europe. My predecessor bows down to him and says to him, ‘do whatever the hell you want.’”Biden then introduced the Ukrainian ambassador, Oksana Markarova, and Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas.“We will not bow down. They will not bow down, and I will not bow down,” he said.Biden, dressed in white-tie attire as is the custom, brought his daughter Ashley.The dinner has a reputation as a night of bipartisan mirth, and was jam-packed with politicians and who's-who of Washington, including Vice President Kamala Harris and her husband Doug Emhoff, at least eight other Cabinet members, at least five members of Congress, five governors and at least five ambassadors. Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, who’s in town for St. Patrick’s Day, also attended.Also speaking at the dinner were Harris, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, and Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, a Republican.Biden closed out the dinner, speaking also about the importance of a free press. Although he may not agree with everything the news media prints, he said, he understands the necessity of journalism and said he was still working to bring home&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/gershkovich-russia-jailed-journalist-putin-custody-extended-e53ec909dd55b3cfe94a11e4d4b713ed">journalists Evan Gershovich</a>&nbsp;and Austin Tice, one held in Russia, the other&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-syria-lebanon-middle-east-beirut-1ed67016bc0594b4e8e998bad8659fdd">who disappeared during a reporting trip in Syria</a>.“Good journalism holds a mirror up to society,” he said. “We need you.”Biden and Harris were seated at the head table along with other administration officials and the foreign leaders, plus Gridiron president Dan Balz of the Washington Post. Seated also at the table were Balz's bosses, the Post's Executive Editor Sally Buzbee and the newspaper’s owner, Jeff Bezos.The dinner was held at the Grand Hyatt. No photos or TV were allowed.

Biden at DC roast: Of 2 presidential candidates, 1 mentally unfit. 'The other's me'

JOHNSON COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities in Olathe are investigating a Kansas teacher on child sex allegations.

Micah Horton, 35, the former Choir Director at Olathe North High School has been charged with sexual exploitation of a child and unlawful sexual relations, according to the Johnson County District Attorney's office.&nbsp; He made his first court appearance in the case Wednesday.

He is being held on a $500,000 bond and is due back in court March 21, according to the district attorney's office.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1710373305440.png" alt="Horton-photo Johnson Co." />
 <figcaption>Horton-photo Johnson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>JOHNSON COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities in Olathe are investigating a Kansas teacher on child sex allegations.Micah Horton, 35, the former Choir Director at Olathe North High School has been charged with sexual exploitation of a child and unlawful sexual relations, according to the Johnson County District Attorney's office.&nbsp; He made his first court appearance in the case Wednesday.He is being held on a $500,000 bond and is due back in court March 21, according to the district attorney's office.

Former Kan. choir director accused of sex crimes with student

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — A second man has been charged in connection with the 2005 theft of a pair of ruby slippers that Judy Garland wore in “The Wizard of Oz," according to an indictment made public Sunday.

Jerry Hal Saliterman, 76, of Crystal, Minnesota, was charged with theft of a major artwork and witness tampering. He did not enter a plea when he made his first appearance Friday in U.S. District Court in St. Paul.

The slippers, adorned with sequins and glass beads, were stolen from the Judy Garland Museum in the late actor's hometown of Grand Rapids, Minnesota, nearly 20 years ago and their whereabouts remained a mystery until&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/5f15402e28f04341b6a25d179b070fc5">the FBI recovered them in 2018</a>.

The indictment says that from August 2005 to July 2018 Saliterman “received, concealed, and disposed of an object of cultural heritage" — specifically, "an authentic pair of ‘ruby slippers’ worn by Judy Garland in the 1939 movie ‘The Wizard of Oz.’" The indictment says Saliterman knew they were stolen, and that he threatened to release a sex tape of a woman and “take her down with him” if she didn’t keep her mouth shut about the slippers.

Saliterman was in a wheelchair and on supplemental oxygen during his Friday court appearance. His oxygen machine hummed throughout the hearing and he bounced his knee nervously during breaks in the proceedings. He responded with “yes,” when U.S. Magistrate Judge Elizabeth Cowan Wright asked whether he understood the charges against him, but he said nothing about the allegations.

The case was not openly discussed in court. The magistrate ordered Friday that the indictment be unsealed, but it did not become publicly available until Sunday.

Saliterman’s attorney, John Brink, said after Friday's hearing that he couldn’t say much about the case, but: “He’s not guilty. He hasn’t done anything wrong.” Saliterman, who was released on his own recognizance, declined to comment to The Associated Press outside the courthouse.

The man who stole the slippers, Terry Jon Martin, 76,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/wizard-oz-stolen-ruby-slippers-judy-garland-f2bd6d4455a9821c311d1d0a03f6d77a">pleaded guilty in October</a>&nbsp;to theft of a major artwork, admitting to using a hammer to smash the glass of the museum's door and display case in what his attorney said was an attempt to pull off “one last score” after turning away from a life of crime. He was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/oz-stolen-ruby-slippers-sentencing-2479d587123b97eda5c47672322d2d6e">sentenced in January</a>&nbsp;to time served because of his poor health.

Martin’s lawyer&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/stolen-ruby-slippers-judy-garland-wizard-oz-f93b3da8331f050cc81bf7f1f79877e8">said in court documents</a>&nbsp;that an old associate of Martin's with connections to the mob told him the shoes had to be adorned with real jewels to justify their $1 million insured value.

Martin, who lives near Grand Rapids, said at an October hearing that he hoped to take what he thought were real rubies from the shoes and sell them. But a person who deals in stolen goods, known as a fence, informed him the rubies weren’t real, Martin said. So he got rid of the slippers.

Defense attorney Dane DeKrey wrote in court documents that Martin’s unidentified former associate persuaded him to steal the slippers as “one last score,” even though Martin had seemed to have “finally put his demons to rest” after finishing his last prison term nearly 10 years earlier.

“But old habits die hard, and the thought of a ‘final score’ kept him up at night,” DeKrey wrote.

According to DeKrey’s memo, Martin had no idea about the cultural significance of the ruby slippers and had never seen “The Wizard of Oz.”

The documents unsealed Sunday do not indicate how Martin and Saliterman may have been connected.

In the classic 1939 musical, Garland’s character, Dorothy, had to click the heels of her ruby slippers three times and repeat, “There’s no place like home,” to return to Kansas from Oz. She wore several pairs during filming, but only four authentic pairs are known to remain.

The FBI never disclosed exactly how it tracked down the slippers. The bureau said a man approached the insurer in 2017 and claimed he could help recover them but demanded more than the $200,000 reward being offered. The slippers were recovered during an FBI sting in Minneapolis the next year. Federal prosecutors have put the slippers’ market value at about $3.5 million.

Hollywood memorabilia collector Michael Shaw had loaned the pair to the museum before Martin stole them. The other pairs are held by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.si.edu/object/dorothys-ruby-slippers:nmah_670130">Smithsonian Museum of American History</a>&nbsp;and a private collector. According to John Kelsh, founding director of the museum, the slippers were returned to Shaw and are being held by an auction house that plans to sell them.

Garland was born Frances Gumm in 1922. She&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/16889e9c55dd4728a45ee11a783b74de">lived in Grand Rapids</a>, about 200 miles (320 kilometers) north of Minneapolis, until she was 4, when her family moved to Los Angeles. She died in 1969. The&nbsp;<a href="http://www.judygarlandmuseum.com/">Judy Garland Museum,</a>&nbsp;which includes the house where she lived, says it has the world’s largest collection of Garland and “Wizard of Oz” memorabilia.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/5/1684352824766.png" alt="FILE - A pair of ruby slippers once worn by actress Judy Garland in the "The Wizard of Oz" sit on display at a news conference on Sept. 4, 2018, at the FBI office in Brooklyn Center, Minn. Federal prosecutors say a man has been indicted by a grand jury on Tuesday, May 16, 2023, on charges of stealing a pair of ruby red slippers worn by Judy Garland in “The Wizard of Oz.” The FBI recovered the slippers in 2018. (AP Photo/Jeff Baenen, File)" />
 <figcaption>FILE - A pair of ruby slippers once worn by actress Judy Garland in the "The Wizard of Oz" sit on display at a news conference on Sept. 4, 2018, at the FBI office in Brooklyn Center, Minn. Federal prosecutors say a man has been indicted by a grand jury on Tuesday, May 16, 2023, on charges of stealing a pair of ruby red slippers worn by Judy Garland in “The Wizard of Oz.” The FBI recovered the slippers in 2018. (AP Photo/Jeff Baenen, File)</figcaption>
 </figure>ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — A second man has been charged in connection with the 2005 theft of a pair of ruby slippers that Judy Garland wore in “The Wizard of Oz," according to an indictment made public Sunday.Jerry Hal Saliterman, 76, of Crystal, Minnesota, was charged with theft of a major artwork and witness tampering. He did not enter a plea when he made his first appearance Friday in U.S. District Court in St. Paul.The slippers, adorned with sequins and glass beads, were stolen from the Judy Garland Museum in the late actor's hometown of Grand Rapids, Minnesota, nearly 20 years ago and their whereabouts remained a mystery until&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/5f15402e28f04341b6a25d179b070fc5">the FBI recovered them in 2018</a>.The indictment says that from August 2005 to July 2018 Saliterman “received, concealed, and disposed of an object of cultural heritage" — specifically, "an authentic pair of ‘ruby slippers’ worn by Judy Garland in the 1939 movie ‘The Wizard of Oz.’" The indictment says Saliterman knew they were stolen, and that he threatened to release a sex tape of a woman and “take her down with him” if she didn’t keep her mouth shut about the slippers.Saliterman was in a wheelchair and on supplemental oxygen during his Friday court appearance. His oxygen machine hummed throughout the hearing and he bounced his knee nervously during breaks in the proceedings. He responded with “yes,” when U.S. Magistrate Judge Elizabeth Cowan Wright asked whether he understood the charges against him, but he said nothing about the allegations.The case was not openly discussed in court. The magistrate ordered Friday that the indictment be unsealed, but it did not become publicly available until Sunday.Saliterman’s attorney, John Brink, said after Friday's hearing that he couldn’t say much about the case, but: “He’s not guilty. He hasn’t done anything wrong.” Saliterman, who was released on his own recognizance, declined to comment to The Associated Press outside the courthouse.The man who stole the slippers, Terry Jon Martin, 76,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/wizard-oz-stolen-ruby-slippers-judy-garland-f2bd6d4455a9821c311d1d0a03f6d77a">pleaded guilty in October</a>&nbsp;to theft of a major artwork, admitting to using a hammer to smash the glass of the museum's door and display case in what his attorney said was an attempt to pull off “one last score” after turning away from a life of crime. He was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/oz-stolen-ruby-slippers-sentencing-2479d587123b97eda5c47672322d2d6e">sentenced in January</a>&nbsp;to time served because of his poor health.Martin’s lawyer&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/stolen-ruby-slippers-judy-garland-wizard-oz-f93b3da8331f050cc81bf7f1f79877e8">said in court documents</a>&nbsp;that an old associate of Martin's with connections to the mob told him the shoes had to be adorned with real jewels to justify their $1 million insured value.Martin, who lives near Grand Rapids, said at an October hearing that he hoped to take what he thought were real rubies from the shoes and sell them. But a person who deals in stolen goods, known as a fence, informed him the rubies weren’t real, Martin said. So he got rid of the slippers.Defense attorney Dane DeKrey wrote in court documents that Martin’s unidentified former associate persuaded him to steal the slippers as “one last score,” even though Martin had seemed to have “finally put his demons to rest” after finishing his last prison term nearly 10 years earlier.“But old habits die hard, and the thought of a ‘final score’ kept him up at night,” DeKrey wrote.According to DeKrey’s memo, Martin had no idea about the cultural significance of the ruby slippers and had never seen “The Wizard of Oz.”The documents unsealed Sunday do not indicate how Martin and Saliterman may have been connected.In the classic 1939 musical, Garland’s character, Dorothy, had to click the heels of her ruby slippers three times and repeat, “There’s no place like home,” to return to Kansas from Oz. She wore several pairs during filming, but only four authentic pairs are known to remain.The FBI never disclosed exactly how it tracked down the slippers. The bureau said a man approached the insurer in 2017 and claimed he could help recover them but demanded more than the $200,000 reward being offered. The slippers were recovered during an FBI sting in Minneapolis the next year. Federal prosecutors have put the slippers’ market value at about $3.5 million.Hollywood memorabilia collector Michael Shaw had loaned the pair to the museum before Martin stole them. The other pairs are held by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.si.edu/object/dorothys-ruby-slippers:nmah_670130">Smithsonian Museum of American History</a>&nbsp;and a private collector. According to John Kelsh, founding director of the museum, the slippers were returned to Shaw and are being held by an auction house that plans to sell them.Garland was born Frances Gumm in 1922. She&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/16889e9c55dd4728a45ee11a783b74de">lived in Grand Rapids</a>, about 200 miles (320 kilometers) north of Minneapolis, until she was 4, when her family moved to Los Angeles. She died in 1969. The&nbsp;<a href="http://www.judygarlandmuseum.com/">Judy Garland Museum,</a>&nbsp;which includes the house where she lived, says it has the world’s largest collection of Garland and “Wizard of Oz” memorabilia.