KANSAS CITY—One person died in an accident just before 9a.m. Friday in Kansas City.

A Hyundai Elantra was southbound on U.S. 169 Highway at a very high rate of speed, according to KCPD Officer Alayna Gonzalez.

 The driver of the Hyundai, for unknown reasons was passing cars on the shoulder and splitting the two lanes of travel and passing on the center lane line. 

The driver lost control of the car. It traveled off the roadway to the left, struck the guardrail and rolled. 

All four of the occupants were not wearing seatbelts. The front right passenger was pronounced dead on the scene. The driver and two passengers were transported to area hospitals, with critical injuries. 

Both directions on US 169 were closed down for approximately three hours.

KANSAS CITY—One person died in an accident just before 9a.m. Friday in Kansas City.A Hyundai Elantra was southbound on U.S. 169 Highway at a very high rate of speed, according to KCPD Officer Alayna Gonzalez. The driver of the Hyundai, for unknown reasons was passing cars on the shoulder and splitting the two lanes of travel and passing on the center lane line. The driver lost control of the car. It traveled off the roadway to the left, struck the guardrail and rolled. All four of the occupants were not wearing seatbelts. The front right passenger was pronounced dead on the scene. The driver and two passengers were transported to area hospitals, with critical injuries. Both directions on US 169 were closed down for approximately three hours.

KCPD: 1 dead, 3 injured in crash of car passing on shoulder 

SALINE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect after an alleged violent attack.

Just after 6:30p.m. Wednesday,&nbsp;a witness reported a domestic disturbance at the Roadway Inn, 429 West Diamond Drive in Salina, according to Salina Police Captain James Feldman. A woman was reported screaming for help.

"It was reported that a man was breaking out a car window with a hammer," Feldman said. "He wanted the 42-year-old victim to exit her car.&nbsp; She refused, and he then went to his vehicle and got a hammer, then walked up and broke out the driver's door window and was supposed to have threatened to hit her with the hammer."

The victim from Winfield reported that the former boyfriend, later identified as 48-year-old Jay Weigel of Hays was following her around town until she stopped in the Rodeway Inn parking lot.

After Weigel demanded that the victim exit the car, she did and ran from the scene. Feldman said Weigel then allegedly slashed the victim's driver-side tire and stole her cell phone and wallet from the car.

"The damage to the car was valued at $200 and the missing items were valued at over $1,100," Feldman said.

Officers took the victim's report and then began looking for the assailant.&nbsp; Officer located Weigel early Thursday morning after a Salina resident called police to report someone following them in town.

After the resident described the car, officers then found the vehicle and discovered it was Weigel who had committed the alleged assault the previous evening.

Officers arrested Weigel without incident in the area of North College Avenue and West Elm Street and he is being held on requested charges for aggravated assault, criminal threat, vehicle burglary, theft and damage to property.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1711728062848.png" alt="Weigel photo Saline County Jail" />
 <figcaption>Weigel photo Saline County Jail</figcaption>
 </figure>SALINE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect after an alleged violent attack.Just after 6:30p.m. Wednesday,&nbsp;a witness reported a domestic disturbance at the Roadway Inn, 429 West Diamond Drive in Salina, according to Salina Police Captain James Feldman. A woman was reported screaming for help."It was reported that a man was breaking out a car window with a hammer," Feldman said. "He wanted the 42-year-old victim to exit her car.&nbsp; She refused, and he then went to his vehicle and got a hammer, then walked up and broke out the driver's door window and was supposed to have threatened to hit her with the hammer."The victim from Winfield reported that the former boyfriend, later identified as 48-year-old Jay Weigel of Hays was following her around town until she stopped in the Rodeway Inn parking lot.After Weigel demanded that the victim exit the car, she did and ran from the scene. Feldman said Weigel then allegedly slashed the victim's driver-side tire and stole her cell phone and wallet from the car."The damage to the car was valued at $200 and the missing items were valued at over $1,100," Feldman said.Officers took the victim's report and then began looking for the assailant.&nbsp; Officer located Weigel early Thursday morning after a Salina resident called police to report someone following them in town.After the resident described the car, officers then found the vehicle and discovered it was Weigel who had committed the alleged assault the previous evening.Officers arrested Weigel without incident in the area of North College Avenue and West Elm Street and he is being held on requested charges for aggravated assault, criminal threat, vehicle burglary, theft and damage to property.

Kansas man accused of hammer attack, theft involving ex-girlfriend

CRAWFORD COUNTY—One person was injured in an accident just before 3:30a.m. Friday in Crawford County.

According to the Kansas Highway Patrol, law enforcement was conducting an investigation with emergency lights on at Kansas 126 one half mile west of U.S. 69.

A 2013 Chevy Silverado driven by Austin Leonard&nbsp;Lallemand, 25, Walnut, was westbound on K126 and struck a 2020 Dodge Durango driven by Raven Dawn&nbsp;Edwards, 20, Pittsburg and a 2023 Ford F150 driven by Josh J. Myers, 45, Columbus, and fled the scene westbound.

Edwards was treated at Girard Medical Center for a minor injury.

Myers and Lallemand were not injured. The KHP did not report possible charges Lallemand would face.

CRAWFORD COUNTY—One person was injured in an accident just before 3:30a.m. Friday in Crawford County.According to the Kansas Highway Patrol, law enforcement was conducting an investigation with emergency lights on at Kansas 126 one half mile west of U.S. 69.A 2013 Chevy Silverado driven by Austin Leonard&nbsp;Lallemand, 25, Walnut, was westbound on K126 and struck a 2020 Dodge Durango driven by Raven Dawn&nbsp;Edwards, 20, Pittsburg and a 2023 Ford F150 driven by Josh J. Myers, 45, Columbus, and fled the scene westbound.Edwards was treated at Girard Medical Center for a minor injury.Myers and Lallemand were not injured. The KHP did not report possible charges Lallemand would face.

Kansas driver fled after crash at scene of police investigation

ROME (AP) — Pope Francis skipped the traditional Good Friday procession at Rome’s Colosseum to protect his health, the Vatican said, adding to concerns about his frail condition during a particularly busy liturgical period.

Francis had been expected to preside over the Way of the Cross procession, which re-enacts Christ’s Passion and crucifixion, and composed the meditations that are read aloud at each station. But just as the event was about to begin, the Vatican announced that Francis was following the event from his home at the Vatican.

“To conserve his health in view of the vigil tomorrow and Mass on Easter Sunday, Pope Francis will follow the Via Crucis at the Colosseum this evening from the Casa Santa Marta,” a statement from the Vatican press office said.

It was the first time he had skipped the traditional, evocative event in his 11-year papacy, and recalled the Good Friday that St. John Paul II famously watched from the Apostolic Palace just before he died in 2005.

The 87-year-old Francis, who had part of one lung removed as a young man, has been battling what he and the Vatican have described as a case of the flu, bronchitis or a cold all winter long. For the last several weeks he has occasionally&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/vatican-pope-francis-health-flu-gender-ideology-3b83706d19aa42b7998055f17f965927">asked an aide to read aloud</a>&nbsp;his speeches and skipped his Palm Sunday homily altogether.

The decision to not attend the Good Friday procession appeared to be very last-minute: Francis’ chair was in place on the platform where he was to preside over the rite. His closest aide, Monsignor Leonardo Sapienza, was on hand and moved the television screen around on the platform so Francis would have a better view of what was going on inside the Colosseum itself.

But at 9:10 p.m., five minutes before the official start of the procession, the Vatican press office announced on Telegram that he wouldn’t show up. The chair was quickly taken away.

The hasty announcement recalled Francis' last-minute decision on Palm Sunday, when the Vatican issued the pope's homily in advance to journalists, and his aide got up to give him his glasses to read it, when Francis made clear he was skipping it.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1711361555231.png" alt="FILE photo Pope Francis celebrates the Palm Sunday mass in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Sunday, March 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)" />
 <figcaption>FILE photo Pope Francis celebrates the Palm Sunday mass in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Sunday, March 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)</figcaption>
 </figure>ROME (AP) — Pope Francis skipped the traditional Good Friday procession at Rome’s Colosseum to protect his health, the Vatican said, adding to concerns about his frail condition during a particularly busy liturgical period.Francis had been expected to preside over the Way of the Cross procession, which re-enacts Christ’s Passion and crucifixion, and composed the meditations that are read aloud at each station. But just as the event was about to begin, the Vatican announced that Francis was following the event from his home at the Vatican.“To conserve his health in view of the vigil tomorrow and Mass on Easter Sunday, Pope Francis will follow the Via Crucis at the Colosseum this evening from the Casa Santa Marta,” a statement from the Vatican press office said.It was the first time he had skipped the traditional, evocative event in his 11-year papacy, and recalled the Good Friday that St. John Paul II famously watched from the Apostolic Palace just before he died in 2005.The 87-year-old Francis, who had part of one lung removed as a young man, has been battling what he and the Vatican have described as a case of the flu, bronchitis or a cold all winter long. For the last several weeks he has occasionally&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/vatican-pope-francis-health-flu-gender-ideology-3b83706d19aa42b7998055f17f965927">asked an aide to read aloud</a>&nbsp;his speeches and skipped his Palm Sunday homily altogether.The decision to not attend the Good Friday procession appeared to be very last-minute: Francis’ chair was in place on the platform where he was to preside over the rite. His closest aide, Monsignor Leonardo Sapienza, was on hand and moved the television screen around on the platform so Francis would have a better view of what was going on inside the Colosseum itself.But at 9:10 p.m., five minutes before the official start of the procession, the Vatican press office announced on Telegram that he wouldn’t show up. The chair was quickly taken away.The hasty announcement recalled Francis' last-minute decision on Palm Sunday, when the Vatican issued the pope's homily in advance to journalists, and his aide got up to give him his glasses to read it, when Francis made clear he was skipping it.

Vatican: Pope skips Good Friday event ahead of Easter

BY&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/aj-dome/">AJ DOME</a><a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/09/21/kansas-board-of-regents-sculpts-plan-for-boosting-state-aid-to-public-higher-education/?emci=78717300-c858-ee11-9937-00224832eb73&amp;emdi=fc107f78-2659-ee11-9937-00224832eb73&amp;ceid=115039">Kansas Reflector</a>

GARDEN CITY — Meteorologists at the National Weather Service office in Dodge City say the tornado that struck Garden City on Sunday afternoon wasn’t obvious on radar.

NWS Dodge City lead forecaster Bill Turner said the storm which spawned the tornado at 3:30 p.m. indicated embedded rotation on radar as it developed on the southeast side of the Dairy Farmers of America plant. A brief, weak tornado then formed and tracked north, causing damage consistent with an EF-0 or EF-1 rated twister.

“Most of the tornadoes we get, like in May, are more obvious,” Turner said. “This was not that. It was much weaker and formed in a more chaotic environment.”

The tornado swept along the ground for 2.5 miles, with peak winds estimated at 90 mph. After causing minor damage to the roofs and siding of several homes and businesses, the tornado dissipated around 3:55 p.m. near Garden City High School.

Numerous photos and videos of the storm were shared on social media. Turner said his colleagues used a video of the twister striking a car wash to determine the damage path.

“If this thing had happened five miles further east, between the (Garden City Regional) Airport and the city, nobody would’ve known about it,” Turner said. “It happened right where there’s a lot of stuff to hit. We usually don’t get damage indicators (for tornadic storms), but this time we got a lot.”

Finney County Emergency Management officials sounded the outdoor warning sirens in Garden City after receiving 911 calls regarding a tornado. Turner said those 911 calls, even from residents in rural areas, can make a difference when it comes to warning the public of a potential tornado.

“Cows make very poor storm spotters,” Turner said.

For two days, Garden City police and other first responders cordoned off the damaged neighborhood along Spruce Street on the eastern edge of the city. Garden City officials wrote on Facebook immediately after the tornado that public works crews would start clearing debris on Monday.

But on Monday, up to three inches of snow fell across southwest Kansas, while the northwest corner of the state experienced blizzard conditions with wind gusts over 40 mph.

Turner said the weather extremes — from a tornado to snow — were caused by a powerful extra-tropical cyclone that centered over southwest Kansas on Sunday. Behind the cyclone came an area of low pressure along the surface that pulled in more moisture as the cyclone moved out of the region. Turner said a large amount of cold air filled the void created by the surface low, in turn bringing frozen precipitation to Kansas.

“Most places never see something like that,” Turner said. “You get away from the Plains, and it’s near impossible to get a tornado and then snow a little while later.”

Turner said the Easter Sunday forecast looks much more hospitable across western Kansas. Temperatures will reach 80 degrees across much of the state on Sunday. Windy conditions will persist however, and with dried vegetation still present, Turner warned of an increased fire danger for the coming weekend.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1711324894171.png" alt="Garden City tornado photo courtesy Millestone Custom Homes" />
 <figcaption>Garden City tornado photo courtesy Millestone Custom Homes</figcaption>
 </figure>BY&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/aj-dome/">AJ DOME</a><a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/09/21/kansas-board-of-regents-sculpts-plan-for-boosting-state-aid-to-public-higher-education/?emci=78717300-c858-ee11-9937-00224832eb73&amp;emdi=fc107f78-2659-ee11-9937-00224832eb73&amp;ceid=115039">Kansas Reflector</a>GARDEN CITY — Meteorologists at the National Weather Service office in Dodge City say the tornado that struck Garden City on Sunday afternoon wasn’t obvious on radar.NWS Dodge City lead forecaster Bill Turner said the storm which spawned the tornado at 3:30 p.m. indicated embedded rotation on radar as it developed on the southeast side of the Dairy Farmers of America plant. A brief, weak tornado then formed and tracked north, causing damage consistent with an EF-0 or EF-1 rated twister.“Most of the tornadoes we get, like in May, are more obvious,” Turner said. “This was not that. It was much weaker and formed in a more chaotic environment.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1711497664150.png" alt="-This graphic shows the path of a tornado on March 24 as it struck Garden&nbsp;City. (National Weather Service Dodge City Office)" />
 <figcaption>-This graphic shows the path of a tornado on March 24 as it struck Garden&nbsp;City. (National Weather Service Dodge City Office)</figcaption>
 </figure>The tornado swept along the ground for 2.5 miles, with peak winds estimated at 90 mph. After causing minor damage to the roofs and siding of several homes and businesses, the tornado dissipated around 3:55 p.m. near Garden City High School.Numerous photos and videos of the storm were shared on social media. Turner said his colleagues used a video of the twister striking a car wash to determine the damage path.“If this thing had happened five miles further east, between the (Garden City Regional) Airport and the city, nobody would’ve known about it,” Turner said. “It happened right where there’s a lot of stuff to hit. We usually don’t get damage indicators (for tornadic storms), but this time we got a lot.”Finney County Emergency Management officials sounded the outdoor warning sirens in Garden City after receiving 911 calls regarding a tornado. Turner said those 911 calls, even from residents in rural areas, can make a difference when it comes to warning the public of a potential tornado.“Cows make very poor storm spotters,” Turner said.For two days, Garden City police and other first responders cordoned off the damaged neighborhood along Spruce Street on the eastern edge of the city. Garden City officials wrote on Facebook immediately after the tornado that public works crews would start clearing debris on Monday.But on Monday, up to three inches of snow fell across southwest Kansas, while the northwest corner of the state experienced blizzard conditions with wind gusts over 40 mph.Turner said the weather extremes — from a tornado to snow — were caused by a powerful extra-tropical cyclone that centered over southwest Kansas on Sunday. Behind the cyclone came an area of low pressure along the surface that pulled in more moisture as the cyclone moved out of the region. Turner said a large amount of cold air filled the void created by the surface low, in turn bringing frozen precipitation to Kansas.“Most places never see something like that,” Turner said. “You get away from the Plains, and it’s near impossible to get a tornado and then snow a little while later.”Turner said the Easter Sunday forecast looks much more hospitable across western Kansas. Temperatures will reach 80 degrees across much of the state on Sunday. Windy conditions will persist however, and with dried vegetation still present, Turner warned of an increased fire danger for the coming weekend.

Tornado that hit southwest Kansas ahead of snowstorm wasn’t obvious on radar

SEDGWICK COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating an accidental shooting that sent a Kansas boy to the hospital and his mother to jail.

Just before noon Thursday, police were dispatched to a reported shooting at the intersection of Hydraulic and Industrial in Wichita, according to police spokesman Andrew Ford.

The call to 911 was made by a juvenile in a car who reported he had been shot. Within a minute of the call, a Sedgwick County Sheriff's Deputy conducted a traffic stop of a&nbsp;gold Chevy Impala driven by 40-year-old Alvina Horner of Wichita who was northbound on Interstate 135 at Kansas 15 with a 10-year-old boy later identified as her son in the front passenger seat. The boy was suffering from a gunshot wound to his upper left leg. 

Recognizing the severity of the situation, the deputy called for assistance, prompting a response from additional Wichita Police Officers and Sedgwick County EMS. EMS personnel provided triage at the scene and transported the boy to a nearby hospital with injuries deemed non-life-threatening.

A subsequent search of the vehicle led to the discovery of a loaded firearm under the front driver's seat, where the driver, identified as&nbsp; Horner was seated. 

Police took Horner to police headquarters for further questioning. Detectives from the Exploited and Missing Child Unit (EMCU) were dispatched to interview the boy at the hospital.

<a href="https://ssc.sedgwickcounty.org/InmateSearch/Details.aspx?Id=747199">Alvina Horner was booked </a>into the Sedgwick County Jail on a requested charge of felony Aggravated Battery; Reckless deadly weapon cause great bodily harm and a felony count of Aggravated endangering a child.

The Wichita Police Department continues investigating this incident and urges anyone with information to come forward and contact investigators at 316-268-4407. 

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1711710292646.png" alt="Horner-photo Sedgwick Co." />
 <figcaption>Horner-photo Sedgwick Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating an accidental shooting that sent a Kansas boy to the hospital and his mother to jail.Just before noon Thursday, police were dispatched to a reported shooting at the intersection of Hydraulic and Industrial in Wichita, according to police spokesman Andrew Ford.The call to 911 was made by a juvenile in a car who reported he had been shot. Within a minute of the call, a Sedgwick County Sheriff's Deputy conducted a traffic stop of a&nbsp;gold Chevy Impala driven by 40-year-old Alvina Horner of Wichita who was northbound on Interstate 135 at Kansas 15 with a 10-year-old boy later identified as her son in the front passenger seat. The boy was suffering from a gunshot wound to his upper left leg. Recognizing the severity of the situation, the deputy called for assistance, prompting a response from additional Wichita Police Officers and Sedgwick County EMS. EMS personnel provided triage at the scene and transported the boy to a nearby hospital with injuries deemed non-life-threatening.A subsequent search of the vehicle led to the discovery of a loaded firearm under the front driver's seat, where the driver, identified as&nbsp; Horner was seated. Police took Horner to police headquarters for further questioning. Detectives from the Exploited and Missing Child Unit (EMCU) were dispatched to interview the boy at the hospital.<a href="https://ssc.sedgwickcounty.org/InmateSearch/Details.aspx?Id=747199">Alvina Horner was booked </a>into the Sedgwick County Jail on a requested charge of felony Aggravated Battery; Reckless deadly weapon cause great bodily harm and a felony count of Aggravated endangering a child.The Wichita Police Department continues investigating this incident and urges anyone with information to come forward and contact investigators at 316-268-4407.

Gun under Kan. woman's car seat fired and injured 10-year-old son 

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

TOPEKA — Republican lawmakers in Topeka are trying to snuff out liberal Lawrence’s reign as a plastic bag-free city. If history is a guide, the GOP likely won’t have enough votes to overturn a veto from the governor.

For the fourth year in a row, lawmakers worked to prohibit municipalities from regulating the bags, straws, cups, bottles and other single-use containers through&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/hb2446/">House Bill 2446</a>.&nbsp;The bill passed the House 72-51 last year, and Senate lawmakers on Wednesday voted 24-16 to send the legislation to the governor’s desk.&nbsp;

Lawrence implemented a plastic bag ban March 1 due to environmental concerns over the state’s plastic pollution, potential microplastic contamination from bags degrading and animal deaths from eating the bags, among other concerns. The city allows exemptions for other plastic products, such as produce bags and garment bags.&nbsp;

Lawrence’s ban added urgency to Republican-driven efforts to prevent similar bans from going into effect.

“It can take thousands of years for a plastic bag to decompose and that seems to be the case for this bill as well,” Sen. Cindy Holscher, an Overland Park Democrat said. “Citizens want local governments to make decisions that reflect their local and unique communities. This bill violates the spirit of local control that is ingrained in our constitution.”

Gov. Laura Kelly, a Democrat, vetoed the bill last year, and is likely to do so again. With 27 votes in the Senate and 84 in the House needed to override her veto, Republican lawmakers likely won’t have the support to force through the ban.&nbsp;

Another bill bound for the governor’s desk would increase criminal and financial penalties for people who injure or kill a police dog or horse.&nbsp;

<a target="_blank" href="https://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/hb2583/">House Bill 2583</a>,&nbsp;given final approval Wednesday by a 25-15 Senate vote, would make inflicting harm on law enforcement dogs or horses a felony punishable by a minimum of 90 days in jail and a minimum fine of $10,000. Kansas statute currently requires a minimum of 30 days in jail and a fine of more than $500 and less than $5,000 for this crime.&nbsp;

In previous debate, other lawmakers have pointed out the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2024/02/28/as-black-history-month-ends-wichita-democrat-condemns-racism-in-kansas-statehouse/">potential race-based implications</a>&nbsp;of the bill. Rep. Ford Carr, D-Wichita, mentioned the historical use of police dogs to harm people fighting for equality during the Civil Rights movement.&nbsp;

In addition, the House bill would make the perpetrator who harmed or killed a police horse or dog responsible for restitution to the law enforcement agency, such as paying for the injured animal’s medical treatment, as well as funeral expenses if the animal dies, and the cost of replacing and training a new animal.&nbsp;

House lawmakers approved the bill 107-4&nbsp; in early February. The bill now goes to Kelly.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1711638564022.png" alt=" Senate lawmakers on Wednesday approved a ban that would stop local governments from regulating plastic use. (Clay Wirestone/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption> Senate lawmakers on Wednesday approved a ban that would stop local governments from regulating plastic use. (Clay Wirestone/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>By&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/rmipro/">RACHEL MIPRO</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;Kansas ReflectorTOPEKA — Republican lawmakers in Topeka are trying to snuff out liberal Lawrence’s reign as a plastic bag-free city. If history is a guide, the GOP likely won’t have enough votes to overturn a veto from the governor.For the fourth year in a row, lawmakers worked to prohibit municipalities from regulating the bags, straws, cups, bottles and other single-use containers through&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/hb2446/">House Bill 2446</a>.&nbsp;The bill passed the House 72-51 last year, and Senate lawmakers on Wednesday voted 24-16 to send the legislation to the governor’s desk.&nbsp;Lawrence implemented a plastic bag ban March 1 due to environmental concerns over the state’s plastic pollution, potential microplastic contamination from bags degrading and animal deaths from eating the bags, among other concerns. The city allows exemptions for other plastic products, such as produce bags and garment bags.&nbsp;Lawrence’s ban added urgency to Republican-driven efforts to prevent similar bans from going into effect.“It can take thousands of years for a plastic bag to decompose and that seems to be the case for this bill as well,” Sen. Cindy Holscher, an Overland Park Democrat said. “Citizens want local governments to make decisions that reflect their local and unique communities. This bill violates the spirit of local control that is ingrained in our constitution.”Gov. Laura Kelly, a Democrat, vetoed the bill last year, and is likely to do so again. With 27 votes in the Senate and 84 in the House needed to override her veto, Republican lawmakers likely won’t have the support to force through the ban.&nbsp;<h2>Police animals</h2>Another bill bound for the governor’s desk would increase criminal and financial penalties for people who injure or kill a police dog or horse.&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/hb2583/">House Bill 2583</a>,&nbsp;given final approval Wednesday by a 25-15 Senate vote, would make inflicting harm on law enforcement dogs or horses a felony punishable by a minimum of 90 days in jail and a minimum fine of $10,000. Kansas statute currently requires a minimum of 30 days in jail and a fine of more than $500 and less than $5,000 for this crime.&nbsp;In previous debate, other lawmakers have pointed out the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2024/02/28/as-black-history-month-ends-wichita-democrat-condemns-racism-in-kansas-statehouse/">potential race-based implications</a>&nbsp;of the bill. Rep. Ford Carr, D-Wichita, mentioned the historical use of police dogs to harm people fighting for equality during the Civil Rights movement.&nbsp;In addition, the House bill would make the perpetrator who harmed or killed a police horse or dog responsible for restitution to the law enforcement agency, such as paying for the injured animal’s medical treatment, as well as funeral expenses if the animal dies, and the cost of replacing and training a new animal.&nbsp;House lawmakers approved the bill 107-4&nbsp; in early February. The bill now goes to Kelly.

Kansas senators pass plastic bag ban that would nullify Lawrence order

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

WASHINGTON — U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson announced Thursday that two articles of impeachment against Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas will be sent to the U.S. Senate in early April when senators return from recess.

“We call upon you to fulfill your constitutional obligation to hold this trial,” Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, wrote in a&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.speaker.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Schumer-Letter-from-Impeachment-Managers.pdf">letter</a>&nbsp;to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat.

“The American people demand a secure border, an end to this crisis, and accountability for those responsible,” said Johnson. “To table articles of impeachment without ever hearing a single argument or reviewing a piece of evidence would be a violation of our constitutional order and an affront to the American people whom we all serve.”

With Democrats holding a slim majority in the Senate, it’s unlikely Mayorkas will be removed from office. But the push for a trial is a mark of House Republicans’ escalation of their opposition to the White House’s immigration policy. The topic has also taken center stage in the 2024 presidential campaigns.

<a target="_blank" href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/what-happens-next-impeachment-homeland-security-secretary-mayorkas">The process for a trial</a>&nbsp;in the Senate will kick-start when the House impeachment managers walk over the two articles of impeachment to the upper chamber on April 10.

“As we have said previously, after the House impeachment managers present the articles of impeachment to the Senate, Senators will be sworn in as jurors in the trial the next day,” Schumer’s office said in a statement.

Senate President Pro Tempore Sen. Patty Murray, a Washington state Democrat, will preside, Schumer’s office said.

According to the rules currently on the books, the Senate must act in some way when the articles of impeachment are presented.

For example, senators can follow the already established rules, vote to make new rules or even take a procedural step to dispose of the impeachment resolution.

The House impeachment managers are Republican Reps. Mark Green of Tennessee, Michael McCaul of Texas, Andy Biggs of Arizona, Ben Cline of Virginia, Andrew Garbarino of New York, Michael Guest of Mississippi, Harriet Hageman of Wyoming, Clay Higgins of Louisiana, Laurel Lee of Florida, August Pfluger of Texas and Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia.

The White House has in the past condemned House Republicans’ efforts to impeach Mayorkas, calling it “shameless,” and an “unconstitutional stunt.”

“This political and unconstitutional exercise is also drawing broad condemnation by conservatives in the U.S. Senate, where the impeachment will now be sent and where Republican senators have sharply dismissed it as baseless and a waste of time,” the White House said in mid-February.

House Republicans, who hold a slim majority,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://northdakotamonitor.com/2024/02/13/u-s-house-republicans-impeach-homeland-security-chief-mayorkas-on-second-try/">impeached Mayorkas on their second try</a>, on the grounds that Mayorkas willfully ignored immigration law and lied to Congress about the status of border security.

Following Mayorkas’ impeachment on Feb. 13, Schumer called the efforts a “sham.”

“House Republicans failed to present any evidence of anything resembling an impeachable offense,” Schumer said on the Senate floor on Feb. 13.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/7/1690419772316.png" alt="File photo Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas testifies before the House Judiciary Committee.&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>File photo Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas testifies before the House Judiciary Committee.&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/ariana-figueroa/">ARIANA FIGUEROA</a>&nbsp;WASHINGTON — U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson announced Thursday that two articles of impeachment against Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas will be sent to the U.S. Senate in early April when senators return from recess.“We call upon you to fulfill your constitutional obligation to hold this trial,” Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, wrote in a&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.speaker.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Schumer-Letter-from-Impeachment-Managers.pdf">letter</a>&nbsp;to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Sec. Mayorkas has played an active role in peddling Joe Biden’s deliberate destruction of America’s borders. I look forward to holding a full impeachment trial in the Senate. <a href="https://t.co/X469F9doFr">https://t.co/X469F9doFr</a>&mdash; Dr. Roger Marshall (@RogerMarshallMD) <a href="https://twitter.com/RogerMarshallMD/status/1773747429101203853?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 29, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>“The American people demand a secure border, an end to this crisis, and accountability for those responsible,” said Johnson. “To table articles of impeachment without ever hearing a single argument or reviewing a piece of evidence would be a violation of our constitutional order and an affront to the American people whom we all serve.”With Democrats holding a slim majority in the Senate, it’s unlikely Mayorkas will be removed from office. But the push for a trial is a mark of House Republicans’ escalation of their opposition to the White House’s immigration policy. The topic has also taken center stage in the 2024 presidential campaigns.<a target="_blank" href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/what-happens-next-impeachment-homeland-security-secretary-mayorkas">The process for a trial</a>&nbsp;in the Senate will kick-start when the House impeachment managers walk over the two articles of impeachment to the upper chamber on April 10.“As we have said previously, after the House impeachment managers present the articles of impeachment to the Senate, Senators will be sworn in as jurors in the trial the next day,” Schumer’s office said in a statement.Senate President Pro Tempore Sen. Patty Murray, a Washington state Democrat, will preside, Schumer’s office said.According to the rules currently on the books, the Senate must act in some way when the articles of impeachment are presented.For example, senators can follow the already established rules, vote to make new rules or even take a procedural step to dispose of the impeachment resolution.The House impeachment managers are Republican Reps. Mark Green of Tennessee, Michael McCaul of Texas, Andy Biggs of Arizona, Ben Cline of Virginia, Andrew Garbarino of New York, Michael Guest of Mississippi, Harriet Hageman of Wyoming, Clay Higgins of Louisiana, Laurel Lee of Florida, August Pfluger of Texas and Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia.The White House has in the past condemned House Republicans’ efforts to impeach Mayorkas, calling it “shameless,” and an “unconstitutional stunt.”“This political and unconstitutional exercise is also drawing broad condemnation by conservatives in the U.S. Senate, where the impeachment will now be sent and where Republican senators have sharply dismissed it as baseless and a waste of time,” the White House said in mid-February.House Republicans, who hold a slim majority,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://northdakotamonitor.com/2024/02/13/u-s-house-republicans-impeach-homeland-security-chief-mayorkas-on-second-try/">impeached Mayorkas on their second try</a>, on the grounds that Mayorkas willfully ignored immigration law and lied to Congress about the status of border security.Following Mayorkas’ impeachment on Feb. 13, Schumer called the efforts a “sham.”“House Republicans failed to present any evidence of anything resembling an impeachable offense,” Schumer said on the Senate floor on Feb. 13.

U.S. House Speaker sets date to deliver Mayorkas impeachment articles to Senate

COWLEY COUNTY —On Wednesday, Arkansas City Police Department officers executed a search warrant at Cowley College's Kirk Dale Dorms, cumulating a month-long counterfeit currency investigation.

Over the past month, officers have been getting reports of a man&nbsp; going to a local business and paying or attempting to pay with what was believed to be counterfeit currency.

Officers talked with employees and witnesses and developed a suspect identified as 20-year-old<a href="https://cowleytigers.com/sports/mbkb/2023-24/bios/kuany_lam_f7u6"> Lam Gok Kuany</a> of Omaha, Nebraska. He is a sophomore member of the Cowley College basketball team, according to the school<a href="https://cowleytigers.com/sports/mbkb/2023-24/bios/kuany_lam_f7u6"> athletic department web site.</a>

Arkansas City officers, in cooperation with Cowley College Campus Security, executed a search warrant at Kirk Dale Dorms. Inside the room, they found over $28,000 in different denominations in what is believed to be counterfeit currency. Officers also located suspected illegal substances and items associated with their use.

On Thursday, police took Kuany into custody without incident. He faces requested charges that include five counts of counterfeiting currency, four counts of theft by deception, possession of marijuana, and possession of drug paraphernalia. His Bond is $17,500.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1711731829807.png" alt="Kuany photo Cowley Co. Jail" />
 <figcaption>Kuany photo Cowley Co. Jail</figcaption>
 </figure>COWLEY COUNTY —On Wednesday, Arkansas City Police Department officers executed a search warrant at Cowley College's Kirk Dale Dorms, cumulating a month-long counterfeit currency investigation.Over the past month, officers have been getting reports of a man&nbsp; going to a local business and paying or attempting to pay with what was believed to be counterfeit currency.Officers talked with employees and witnesses and developed a suspect identified as 20-year-old<a href="https://cowleytigers.com/sports/mbkb/2023-24/bios/kuany_lam_f7u6"> Lam Gok Kuany</a> of Omaha, Nebraska. He is a sophomore member of the Cowley College basketball team, according to the school<a href="https://cowleytigers.com/sports/mbkb/2023-24/bios/kuany_lam_f7u6"> athletic department web site.</a><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1711669134600.png" alt="Kuany photo Cowley College Athletics" />
 <figcaption>Kuany photo Cowley College Athletics</figcaption>
 </figure>Arkansas City officers, in cooperation with Cowley College Campus Security, executed a search warrant at Kirk Dale Dorms. Inside the room, they found over $28,000 in different denominations in what is believed to be counterfeit currency. Officers also located suspected illegal substances and items associated with their use.On Thursday, police took Kuany into custody without incident. He faces requested charges that include five counts of counterfeiting currency, four counts of theft by deception, possession of marijuana, and possession of drug paraphernalia. His Bond is $17,500.

Police found $28,000 of counterfeit cash in Kan. college dorm

LOS ANGELES (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/movies-arts-and-entertainment-52a0c3410b8e40f1983b1ee3198fb761">Louis Gossett Jr.,</a>&nbsp;the first Black man to win a supporting actor Oscar and an Emmy winner for his role in the seminal&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2a591506822546aea66f4e9b7de3ef52">TV miniseries “Roots,”</a>&nbsp;has died. He was 87.

Gossett's first cousin Neal L. Gossett told The Associated Press that the actor died Thursday night in Santa Monica, California. No cause of death was revealed.

Gossett’s cousin remembered a man who walked with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/nelson-mandela">Nelson Mandela</a>&nbsp;and who also was a great joke teller, a relative who faced and fought racism with dignity and humor.

“Never mind the awards, never mind the glitz and glamor, the Rolls-Royces and the big houses in Malibu. It’s about the humanity of the people that he stood for,” his cousin said.

Louis Gossett always thought of his early career as a reverse Cinderella story, with success finding him from an early age and propelling him forward, toward his&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/academy-awards">Academy Award</a>&nbsp;for “An Officer and a Gentleman.”

He earned his first acting credit in his Brooklyn high school’s production of “You Can’t Take It with You” while he was sidelined from the basketball team with an injury.

“I was hooked — and so was my audience,” he wrote in his 2010 memoir “An Actor and a Gentleman.”

His English teacher urged him to go into Manhattan to try out for “Take a Giant Step.” He got the part and made his Broadway debut in 1953 at age 16.

“I knew too little to be nervous,” Gossett wrote. “In retrospect, I should have been scared to death as I walked onto that stage, but I wasn’t.”

Gossett attended New York University on a basketball and drama scholarship. He was soon acting and singing on TV shows hosted by David Susskind, Ed Sullivan, Red Buttons, Merv Griffin, Jack Paar and Steve Allen.

Gossett became friendly with James Dean and studied acting with Marilyn Monroe, Martin Landau and Steve McQueen at an offshoot of the Actors Studio taught by Frank Silvera.

In 1959, Gossett received critical acclaim for his role in the Broadway production of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/sidney-poitier-bill-cosby-entertainment-movies-race-and-ethnicity-021dd55f8f818603514dc00d7421f875">“A Raisin in the Sun”</a>&nbsp;along with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/sidney-poitier-dead-214e66b7e52909bdc64465e9ff4a1339">Sidney Poitier,</a><a href="https://apnews.com/movies-general-news-domestic-news-domestic-news-dbee7820e34b414db490c7843843904f">Ruby Dee</a>&nbsp;and Diana Sands.

He went on to become a star on Broadway, replacing Billy Daniels in “Golden Boy” with Sammy Davis Jr. in 1964.

Gossett went to Hollywood for the first time in 1961 to make the film version of “A Raisin in the Sun.” He had bitter memories of that trip, staying in a cockroach-infested motel that was one of the few places to allow Black people.

In 1968, he returned to Hollywood for a major role in “Companions in Nightmare,” NBC’s first made-for-TV movie that starred Melvyn Douglas, Anne Baxter and Patrick O’Neal.

This time, Gossett was booked into the Beverly Hills Hotel and Universal Studios had rented him a convertible. Driving back to the hotel after picking up the car, he was stopped by a Los Angeles County sheriff’s officer who ordered him to turn down the radio and put up the car’s roof before letting him go.

Within minutes, he was stopped by eight sheriff’s officers, who had him lean against the car and made him open the trunk while they called the car rental agency before letting him go.

“Though I understood that I had no choice but to put up with this abuse, it was a terrible way to be treated, a humiliating way to feel,” Gossett wrote in his memoir. “I realized this was happening because I was Black and had been showing off with a fancy car — which, in their view, I had no right to be driving.”

After dinner at the hotel, he went for a walk and was stopped a block away by a police officer, who told him he broke a law prohibiting walking around residential Beverly Hills after 9 p.m. Two other officers arrived and Gossett said he was chained to a tree and handcuffed for three hours. He was eventually freed when the original police car returned.

"Now I had come face-to-face with racism, and it was an ugly sight,” he wrote. “But it was not going to destroy me.”

In the late 1990s, Gossett said he was pulled over by police on the Pacific Coast Highway while driving his restored 1986 Rolls Royce Corniche II. The officer told him he looked like someone they were searching for, but the officer recognized Gossett and left.

He founded the Eracism Foundation to help create a world where racism doesn’t exist.

Gossett made a series of guest appearances on such shows as “Bonanza,” “The Rockford Files,” “The Mod Squad,” “McCloud” and a memorable turn with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/richard-pryor">Richard Pryor</a>&nbsp;on “The Partridge Family.”

In August 1969, Gossett had been partying with members of the Mamas and the Papas when they were invited to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-news-charles-manson-movies-ca-state-wire-celebrities-0b0dc1522c4343448685269dd1a5f91a">actor Sharon Tate’s house.</a>&nbsp;He headed home first to shower and change clothes. As he was getting ready to leave, he caught a news flash on TV about Tate’s murder. She and others were killed by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/manson-van-houten-ap-was-there-1971-convictions-6637ef9365bfcd017f4cad50af70fe61">Charles Manson’s associates</a>&nbsp;that night.

“There had to be a reason for my escaping this bullet,” he wrote.

Louis Cameron Gossett was born on May 27, 1936, in the Coney Island section of Brooklyn, New York, to Louis Sr., a porter, and Hellen, a nurse. He later added Jr. to his name to honor his father.

Gossett broke through on the small screen as Fiddler in the groundbreaking 1977 miniseries “Roots,” which&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/movies-arts-and-entertainment-cd100d1097c24619a1d4983ebcc38b2d">depicted the atrocities of slavery</a>&nbsp;on TV. The sprawling cast included Ben Vereen, LeVar Burton and John Amos.

Gossett became the third Black Oscar nominee in the supporting actor category in 1983. He won for his performance as the intimidating Marine drill instructor in “An Officer and a Gentleman” opposite Richard Gere and Debra Winger. He also won a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/golden-globe-awards">Golden Globe</a>&nbsp;for the same role.

“More than anything, it was a huge affirmation of my position as a Black actor,” he wrote in his memoir.

“The Oscar gave me the ability of being able to choose good parts in movies like ‘Enemy Mine,’ ‘Sadat’ and ‘Iron Eagle,’” Gossett said in Dave Karger's 2024 book “50 Oscar Nights.”

“I’m going to donate it to a library so I don’t have to keep an eye on it,” he said in the book. “I need to be free of it.”

Gossett appeared in such TV movies as “The Story of Satchel Paige,” “Backstairs at the White House, “The Josephine Baker Story,” for which he won another Golden Globe, and “Roots Revisited.”

But he said winning an Oscar didn’t change the fact that all his roles were supporting ones.

He played an obstinate patriarch in the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/color-purple-movie-review-8845576ca18a1b33cfc20dc25788d0ca">2023 remake of “The Color Purple.”</a>

Gossett struggled with alcohol and cocaine addiction for years after his Oscar win. He went to rehab, where he was diagnosed with toxic mold syndrome, which he attributed to his house in Malibu.

In 2010, Gossett announced he had prostate cancer, which he said was caught in the early stages. In 2020, he was hospitalized with COVID-19.

He also is survived by sons Satie, a producer-director from his second marriage, and Sharron, a chef whom he adopted after seeing the 7-year-old in a TV segment on children in desperate situations. His first cousin is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/daytime-emmy-awards-7e9fc824fe6965b9ffdcf0acb807f4ef">actor Robert Gossett.</a>

Gossett’s first marriage to Hattie Glascoe was annulled. His second, to Christina Mangosing, ended in divorce in 1975 as did his third to actor Cyndi James-Reese in 1992.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1711717301515.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>LOS ANGELES (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/movies-arts-and-entertainment-52a0c3410b8e40f1983b1ee3198fb761">Louis Gossett Jr.,</a>&nbsp;the first Black man to win a supporting actor Oscar and an Emmy winner for his role in the seminal&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2a591506822546aea66f4e9b7de3ef52">TV miniseries “Roots,”</a>&nbsp;has died. He was 87.Gossett's first cousin Neal L. Gossett told The Associated Press that the actor died Thursday night in Santa Monica, California. No cause of death was revealed.Gossett’s cousin remembered a man who walked with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/nelson-mandela">Nelson Mandela</a>&nbsp;and who also was a great joke teller, a relative who faced and fought racism with dignity and humor.“Never mind the awards, never mind the glitz and glamor, the Rolls-Royces and the big houses in Malibu. It’s about the humanity of the people that he stood for,” his cousin said.Louis Gossett always thought of his early career as a reverse Cinderella story, with success finding him from an early age and propelling him forward, toward his&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/academy-awards">Academy Award</a>&nbsp;for “An Officer and a Gentleman.”He earned his first acting credit in his Brooklyn high school’s production of “You Can’t Take It with You” while he was sidelined from the basketball team with an injury.“I was hooked — and so was my audience,” he wrote in his 2010 memoir “An Actor and a Gentleman.”His English teacher urged him to go into Manhattan to try out for “Take a Giant Step.” He got the part and made his Broadway debut in 1953 at age 16.“I knew too little to be nervous,” Gossett wrote. “In retrospect, I should have been scared to death as I walked onto that stage, but I wasn’t.”Gossett attended New York University on a basketball and drama scholarship. He was soon acting and singing on TV shows hosted by David Susskind, Ed Sullivan, Red Buttons, Merv Griffin, Jack Paar and Steve Allen.Gossett became friendly with James Dean and studied acting with Marilyn Monroe, Martin Landau and Steve McQueen at an offshoot of the Actors Studio taught by Frank Silvera.In 1959, Gossett received critical acclaim for his role in the Broadway production of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/sidney-poitier-bill-cosby-entertainment-movies-race-and-ethnicity-021dd55f8f818603514dc00d7421f875">“A Raisin in the Sun”</a>&nbsp;along with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/sidney-poitier-dead-214e66b7e52909bdc64465e9ff4a1339">Sidney Poitier,</a><a href="https://apnews.com/movies-general-news-domestic-news-domestic-news-dbee7820e34b414db490c7843843904f">Ruby Dee</a>&nbsp;and Diana Sands.He went on to become a star on Broadway, replacing Billy Daniels in “Golden Boy” with Sammy Davis Jr. in 1964.Gossett went to Hollywood for the first time in 1961 to make the film version of “A Raisin in the Sun.” He had bitter memories of that trip, staying in a cockroach-infested motel that was one of the few places to allow Black people.In 1968, he returned to Hollywood for a major role in “Companions in Nightmare,” NBC’s first made-for-TV movie that starred Melvyn Douglas, Anne Baxter and Patrick O’Neal.This time, Gossett was booked into the Beverly Hills Hotel and Universal Studios had rented him a convertible. Driving back to the hotel after picking up the car, he was stopped by a Los Angeles County sheriff’s officer who ordered him to turn down the radio and put up the car’s roof before letting him go.Within minutes, he was stopped by eight sheriff’s officers, who had him lean against the car and made him open the trunk while they called the car rental agency before letting him go.“Though I understood that I had no choice but to put up with this abuse, it was a terrible way to be treated, a humiliating way to feel,” Gossett wrote in his memoir. “I realized this was happening because I was Black and had been showing off with a fancy car — which, in their view, I had no right to be driving.”After dinner at the hotel, he went for a walk and was stopped a block away by a police officer, who told him he broke a law prohibiting walking around residential Beverly Hills after 9 p.m. Two other officers arrived and Gossett said he was chained to a tree and handcuffed for three hours. He was eventually freed when the original police car returned."Now I had come face-to-face with racism, and it was an ugly sight,” he wrote. “But it was not going to destroy me.”In the late 1990s, Gossett said he was pulled over by police on the Pacific Coast Highway while driving his restored 1986 Rolls Royce Corniche II. The officer told him he looked like someone they were searching for, but the officer recognized Gossett and left.He founded the Eracism Foundation to help create a world where racism doesn’t exist.Gossett made a series of guest appearances on such shows as “Bonanza,” “The Rockford Files,” “The Mod Squad,” “McCloud” and a memorable turn with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/richard-pryor">Richard Pryor</a>&nbsp;on “The Partridge Family.”In August 1969, Gossett had been partying with members of the Mamas and the Papas when they were invited to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-news-charles-manson-movies-ca-state-wire-celebrities-0b0dc1522c4343448685269dd1a5f91a">actor Sharon Tate’s house.</a>&nbsp;He headed home first to shower and change clothes. As he was getting ready to leave, he caught a news flash on TV about Tate’s murder. She and others were killed by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/manson-van-houten-ap-was-there-1971-convictions-6637ef9365bfcd017f4cad50af70fe61">Charles Manson’s associates</a>&nbsp;that night.“There had to be a reason for my escaping this bullet,” he wrote.Louis Cameron Gossett was born on May 27, 1936, in the Coney Island section of Brooklyn, New York, to Louis Sr., a porter, and Hellen, a nurse. He later added Jr. to his name to honor his father.Gossett broke through on the small screen as Fiddler in the groundbreaking 1977 miniseries “Roots,” which&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/movies-arts-and-entertainment-cd100d1097c24619a1d4983ebcc38b2d">depicted the atrocities of slavery</a>&nbsp;on TV. The sprawling cast included Ben Vereen, LeVar Burton and John Amos.Gossett became the third Black Oscar nominee in the supporting actor category in 1983. He won for his performance as the intimidating Marine drill instructor in “An Officer and a Gentleman” opposite Richard Gere and Debra Winger. He also won a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/golden-globe-awards">Golden Globe</a>&nbsp;for the same role.“More than anything, it was a huge affirmation of my position as a Black actor,” he wrote in his memoir.“The Oscar gave me the ability of being able to choose good parts in movies like ‘Enemy Mine,’ ‘Sadat’ and ‘Iron Eagle,’” Gossett said in Dave Karger's 2024 book “50 Oscar Nights.”He said his statue was in storage.“I’m going to donate it to a library so I don’t have to keep an eye on it,” he said in the book. “I need to be free of it.”Gossett appeared in such TV movies as “The Story of Satchel Paige,” “Backstairs at the White House, “The Josephine Baker Story,” for which he won another Golden Globe, and “Roots Revisited.”But he said winning an Oscar didn’t change the fact that all his roles were supporting ones.He played an obstinate patriarch in the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/color-purple-movie-review-8845576ca18a1b33cfc20dc25788d0ca">2023 remake of “The Color Purple.”</a>Gossett struggled with alcohol and cocaine addiction for years after his Oscar win. He went to rehab, where he was diagnosed with toxic mold syndrome, which he attributed to his house in Malibu.In 2010, Gossett announced he had prostate cancer, which he said was caught in the early stages. In 2020, he was hospitalized with COVID-19.He also is survived by sons Satie, a producer-director from his second marriage, and Sharron, a chef whom he adopted after seeing the 7-year-old in a TV segment on children in desperate situations. His first cousin is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/daytime-emmy-awards-7e9fc824fe6965b9ffdcf0acb807f4ef">actor Robert Gossett.</a>Gossett’s first marriage to Hattie Glascoe was annulled. His second, to Christina Mangosing, ended in divorce in 1975 as did his third to actor Cyndi James-Reese in 1992.___

Louis Gossett Jr., 1st Black man to win supporting actor Oscar, dies 

WYANDOTTE COUNTY&nbsp; —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a deadly shooting.

Just before 8p.m. Thursday, police responded to report of a shooting in the 3700 Block of State Avenue in Kansas City, Kansas, according to a media release. Officers found two men with gunshot wounds inside a vehicle.

One man was pronounced dead at the scene. EMS transported the second man to an area hospital for treatment. Police released no suspect details and did not identify the victims.

Check the Post for additional details as they become available.

WYANDOTTE COUNTY&nbsp; —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a deadly shooting.Just before 8p.m. Thursday, police responded to report of a shooting in the 3700 Block of State Avenue in Kansas City, Kansas, according to a media release. Officers found two men with gunshot wounds inside a vehicle.One man was pronounced dead at the scene. EMS transported the second man to an area hospital for treatment. Police released no suspect details and did not identify the victims.Check the Post for additional details as they become available.

Homicide: Police found 2 Kan. gunshot victims in a vehicle

KANSAS CITY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a fatal hit-and-run that occurred Thursday morning in the parking garage of the University of Kansas Cancer Center., 2650 Shawnee Mission Pkwy, Westwood, Kansas.

Just before 8a.m., a vehicle struck the man identified as 94-year-old William J. Ward of Leawood, Kansas, according to Johnson County Sheriff Calvin Hayden.&nbsp;&nbsp;Ward died of his injuries.

The driver left the scene of the accident but was later located and taken in for questioning.

As law enforcement investigated at the scene, patient parking was temporarily re-routed, and employees were asked to park in nearby surface lots.

Despite the tragedy, KU Cancer Center officials said care continued inside the facility.&nbsp; The hospital released a statement on the tragedy.

"Employees and health system leaders are feeling what many in our community are experiencing… shock and extreme sadness in this moment. We are dedicated to helping and healing patients, and so the news that this accident involved an employee is especially tragic to us on many levels."

"We are also extremely proud of how employees stayed focused on providing care to the many patients with clinic visits and cancer care appointments immediately after the accident and throughout the day. That patient care continues at the Cancer Center uninterrupted. We are providing counselors to anyone and everyone at the cancer center that feels a need. Our thoughts are with the families of all involved in this tragic accident."

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1711707455954.png" alt="Police at the scene of the investigation-photo courtesy KCTV" />
 <figcaption>Police at the scene of the investigation-photo courtesy KCTV</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a fatal hit-and-run that occurred Thursday morning in the parking garage of the University of Kansas Cancer Center., 2650 Shawnee Mission Pkwy, Westwood, Kansas.Just before 8a.m., a vehicle struck the man identified as 94-year-old William J. Ward of Leawood, Kansas, according to Johnson County Sheriff Calvin Hayden.&nbsp;&nbsp;Ward died of his injuries. The driver left the scene of the accident but was later located and taken in for questioning.As law enforcement investigated at the scene, patient parking was temporarily re-routed, and employees were asked to park in nearby surface lots.Despite the tragedy, KU Cancer Center officials said care continued inside the facility.&nbsp; The hospital released a statement on the tragedy."Employees and health system leaders are feeling what many in our community are experiencing… shock and extreme sadness in this moment. We are dedicated to helping and healing patients, and so the news that this accident involved an employee is especially tragic to us on many levels.""We are also extremely proud of how employees stayed focused on providing care to the many patients with clinic visits and cancer care appointments immediately after the accident and throughout the day. That patient care continues at the Cancer Center uninterrupted. We are providing counselors to anyone and everyone at the cancer center that feels a need. Our thoughts are with the families of all involved in this tragic accident."

Sheriff IDs man killed in hit-and-run in parking garage at KU Cancer Center

JERUSALEM(AP)—For a second straight day this week U.S. warships faced a terrorist threat in the Red Sea.

Between 6:00 and 10:56 p.m. Thursday the United States Central Command successfully engaged and destroyed four unmanned aerial systems (UAS) launched by Iranian backed Houthi terrorists in Yemen

These UAS were aimed at a Coalition vessel and a U.S. warship and were engaged in self defense over the Red Sea. There were no injuries or damage reported to U.S. or coalition ships. The Central Command did not identify which U.S. warship was involved.


It was determined these weapons presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels and U.S. Navy ships in the region. These actions are taken to protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure for U.S. Navy and merchant vessels.

Meanwhile, the top U.S. general says the Biden administration has not given Israel all of the weapons it has requested as the war against Hamas in Gaza grinds on.

Gen. CQ Brown, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters Thursday that he makes recommendations, but not the final decision, on what military aid will be provided.

U.S. officials have been under pressure to use the ongoing delivery of weapons as leverage to get Israel to increase humanitarian support in Gaza and to provide greater protection for civilians, particularly as Israel looks to go after Hamas battalions and leadership in the southern city of Rafah.

Asked if the U.S. has held back some weapons to press Israel to expand humanitarian aid, Brown said, “some of that is because they’ve asked for stuff that we either don’t have the capacity, right, or not willing to provide right now in particular. But it is a constant dialogue with them.”

Speaking at a forum sponsored by George Washington University’s Project for Media and National Security, Brown said the U.S. does make such decisions based on how it could impact America’s military readiness, especially when it involved sending weapons from Pentagon stockpiles.

Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, Pentagon press secretary, declined to provide details on which systems the U.S. has so far opted not to send.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1703418619283.png" alt="Photo U.S. Central Command" />
 <figcaption>Photo U.S. Central Command</figcaption>
 </figure>JERUSALEM(AP)—For a second straight day this week U.S. warships faced a terrorist threat in the Red Sea.Between 6:00 and 10:56 p.m. Thursday the United States Central Command successfully engaged and destroyed four unmanned aerial systems (UAS) launched by Iranian backed Houthi terrorists in YemenThese UAS were aimed at a Coalition vessel and a U.S. warship and were engaged in self defense over the Red Sea. There were no injuries or damage reported to U.S. or coalition ships. The Central Command did not identify which U.S. warship was involved.
It was determined these weapons presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels and U.S. Navy ships in the region. These actions are taken to protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure for U.S. Navy and merchant vessels.Meanwhile, the top U.S. general says the Biden administration has not given Israel all of the weapons it has requested as the war against Hamas in Gaza grinds on.Gen. CQ Brown, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters Thursday that he makes recommendations, but not the final decision, on what military aid will be provided.U.S. officials have been under pressure to use the ongoing delivery of weapons as leverage to get Israel to increase humanitarian support in Gaza and to provide greater protection for civilians, particularly as Israel looks to go after Hamas battalions and leadership in the southern city of Rafah.Asked if the U.S. has held back some weapons to press Israel to expand humanitarian aid, Brown said, “some of that is because they’ve asked for stuff that we either don’t have the capacity, right, or not willing to provide right now in particular. But it is a constant dialogue with them.”Speaking at a forum sponsored by George Washington University’s Project for Media and National Security, Brown said the U.S. does make such decisions based on how it could impact America’s military readiness, especially when it involved sending weapons from Pentagon stockpiles.Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, Pentagon press secretary, declined to provide details on which systems the U.S. has so far opted not to send.

Terrorists target U.S. warship for 2nd straight day in the Red Sea

LEAVENWORTH COUNTY —Lansing Correctional Facility (LCF) resident Charles Homer Roberson, 58, died Monday. He was found unresponsive in his cell, according to a statement from the Kansas Department of Corrections.

Staff and EMS administered life-saving measures but were unable to revive him. The cause of death is pending the results of an independent autopsy.

Roberson was serving a life sentence for convictions of first-degree murder, aggravated robbery, aggravated battery, and forgery in Wyandotte County.

Per protocol, when a resident dies in the custody of the Kansas Department of Corrections (KDOC), the death is under investigation by the KDOC and the Kansas Bureau of Investigation. The investigation is ongoing.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1711657089188.png" alt="Roberson-photo Kansas Offender Registry" />
 <figcaption>Roberson-photo Kansas Offender Registry</figcaption>
 </figure>LEAVENWORTH COUNTY —Lansing Correctional Facility (LCF) resident Charles Homer Roberson, 58, died Monday. He was found unresponsive in his cell, according to a statement from the Kansas Department of Corrections.Staff and EMS administered life-saving measures but were unable to revive him. The cause of death is pending the results of an independent autopsy.Roberson was serving a life sentence for convictions of first-degree murder, aggravated robbery, aggravated battery, and forgery in Wyandotte County.Per protocol, when a resident dies in the custody of the Kansas Department of Corrections (KDOC), the death is under investigation by the KDOC and the Kansas Bureau of Investigation. The investigation is ongoing.

Inmate serving time for murder dies in Kansas prison

WASHINGTON – In a superseding indictment returned by a grand jury, a citizen of the Republic of Latvia is charged with crimes related to a years-long conspiracy to sell sophisticated avionics equipment to Russian companies, in violation of U.S. export laws. The defendant is the third to be arrested and charged in connection with the conspiracy led by a Kansas company and two U.S. nationals, according to the United State's Attorney.

According to the superseding indictment, Oleg Chistyakov, also known as Olegs Čitsjakovs, 55, conspired with U.S. citizens Cyril Gregory Buyanovsky, 60, Lawrence and Douglas Edward Robertson, 56, Olathe, Kansas, to facilitate the sale, repair and shipment of U.S. avionics equipment to customers in Russia and in other countries that operate Russian-built aircraft, including the Federal Security Service of Russia (FSB). 

Chistyakov was arrested on March 19 near Riga, Latvia, and remains detained pending extradition proceedings. In December 2023, Buyanovsky&nbsp;<a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/owner-kansas-company-pleads-guilty-crimes-related-scheme-illegally-export-us-avionics" target="_blank">pleaded guilty</a>&nbsp;to conspiracy and conspiracy to commit money laundering, and consented to the forfeiture of over $450,000 worth of avionics equipment and a $50,000 personal forfeiture judgment.

“As alleged, Mr. Chistyakov facilitated hundreds of thousands of dollars in illicit transactions to funnel sophisticated U.S. aerospace technology to companies in Russia,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “This arrest is another example of the Justice Department’s unwavering mission to hold accountable those who enable Russian aggression, including those involved in facilitation networks that fuel the Russian war effort.”

“The Justice Department upholds the laws of the United States and prosecutes those who break them regardless of whether those individuals are on U.S. soil or the other side of the world,” said U.S. Attorney Kate E. Brubacher for the District of Kansas. “Oleg Chistyakov’s arrest was only possible due to the assistance and cooperation of authorities in Latvia. This type of international cooperative effort makes it immensely challenging for those accused of committing crimes against the U.S. to find safe havens beyond reach of our judicial system.”

“The FBI and our partners continue to pursue anyone who aids Russia in its unjust and autocratic behavior or to violate export control laws or any other law for that matter,” said Executive Assistant Director Larissa Knapp of the FBI’s National Security Branch. “Today’s indictment and forfeiture judgment should serve as a reminder that we will not tolerate attempts to transfer sensitive avionics equipment and technology to hostile nations.”

“It doesn't matter if you’re in Kansas or in Latvia — if you violate American law, you risk facing American justice,” said Assistant Secretary of Commerce Matthew S. Axelrod for Export Enforcement. “We continue to work closely with law enforcement partners across the globe to pursue those who seek to send military-grade aerospace equipment to support the Russian military.”&nbsp;

According to court documents, after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and despite additional U.S. economic countermeasures levied against Russia, Chistyakov and his conspirators continued to smuggle and export sophisticated and controlled avionics equipment to companies in Russia without the required licenses from the U.S. Department of Commerce.&nbsp;

As further alleged, Chistyakov, while operating from Latvia, worked with Buyanovsky and Robertson through their U.S. company, KanRus Trading Company Inc. (KanRus), to circumvent U.S export laws by purchasing avionics equipment from U.S. companies for customers in Russia. Chistyakov allegedly acted as a broker for KanRus by soliciting quotes, negotiating prices and terms of delivery, and facilitating payments between KanRus and customers in Russia.&nbsp;

The superseding indictment details actions allegedly taken by Chistyakov and his conspirators to conceal their illegal activities including by creating false invoices, transshipping items through third-party countries, such as Germany and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), using bank accounts in third-party countries, such as Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and the UAE, and exporting items to intermediary companies which then reexported the items to the ultimate end destinations.&nbsp;

On Dec. 6, 2023, the U.S. Department of Commerce&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bis.doc.gov/index.php/documents/about-bis/newsroom/press-releases/3390-press-release-12-5-entity-list-package-hans-de-geetere/file" target="_blank">added many of the entities and individuals involved in Chistyakov’s alleged illegal export scheme to the Commerce Department’s Entity List</a>&nbsp;as part of the U.S. government’s interagency efforts to dismantle Russian procurement networks designed to circumvent U.S. export controls and sanctions imposed in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The Entity List imposes specific license requirements on all listed individuals and entities.

Chistyakov is charged with one count of conspiracy, two counts of violation of Export Control Reform Act, multiple counts of smuggling goods from the United States, conspiracy to commit international money laundering and two counts of international money laundering. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of five years 8inh prison for conspiracy, 20 years in prison for each Export Control count, 10 years in prison for each smuggling count and 20 years in prison for each money laundering count.

The FBI and the Department of Commerce’s Office of Export Enforcement are investigating the case, including participation in Latvia following Chistyakov’s arrest. Procedural actions were carried out in close cooperation with the State Security Service of the Republic of Latvia and assistance of the Prosecutor-General’s Office.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Scott Rask and Ryan Huschka for the District of Kansas and Trial Attorney Adam Barry of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs is providing valuable assistance.&nbsp;

The investigation was coordinated through the Justice Department’s Task Force KleptoCapture, an interagency law enforcement task force dedicated to enforcing the sweeping sanctions, export controls and economic countermeasures that the United States, along with its foreign allies and partners, has imposed in response to Russia’s unprovoked military invasion of Ukraine. Announced by the Attorney General on March 2, 2022, and under the leadership of the Office of the Deputy Attorney General, the task force will continue to leverage all of the department’s tools and authorities to combat efforts to evade or undermine the collective actions taken by the U.S. government in response to Russian military aggression.

WASHINGTON – In a superseding indictment returned by a grand jury, a citizen of the Republic of Latvia is charged with crimes related to a years-long conspiracy to sell sophisticated avionics equipment to Russian companies, in violation of U.S. export laws. The defendant is the third to be arrested and charged in connection with the conspiracy led by a Kansas company and two U.S. nationals, according to the United State's Attorney.According to the superseding indictment, Oleg Chistyakov, also known as Olegs Čitsjakovs, 55, conspired with U.S. citizens Cyril Gregory Buyanovsky, 60, Lawrence and Douglas Edward Robertson, 56, Olathe, Kansas, to facilitate the sale, repair and shipment of U.S. avionics equipment to customers in Russia and in other countries that operate Russian-built aircraft, including the Federal Security Service of Russia (FSB). Chistyakov was arrested on March 19 near Riga, Latvia, and remains detained pending extradition proceedings. In December 2023, Buyanovsky&nbsp;<a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/owner-kansas-company-pleads-guilty-crimes-related-scheme-illegally-export-us-avionics" target="_blank">pleaded guilty</a>&nbsp;to conspiracy and conspiracy to commit money laundering, and consented to the forfeiture of over $450,000 worth of avionics equipment and a $50,000 personal forfeiture judgment.“As alleged, Mr. Chistyakov facilitated hundreds of thousands of dollars in illicit transactions to funnel sophisticated U.S. aerospace technology to companies in Russia,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “This arrest is another example of the Justice Department’s unwavering mission to hold accountable those who enable Russian aggression, including those involved in facilitation networks that fuel the Russian war effort.”“The Justice Department upholds the laws of the United States and prosecutes those who break them regardless of whether those individuals are on U.S. soil or the other side of the world,” said U.S. Attorney Kate E. Brubacher for the District of Kansas. “Oleg Chistyakov’s arrest was only possible due to the assistance and cooperation of authorities in Latvia. This type of international cooperative effort makes it immensely challenging for those accused of committing crimes against the U.S. to find safe havens beyond reach of our judicial system.”“The FBI and our partners continue to pursue anyone who aids Russia in its unjust and autocratic behavior or to violate export control laws or any other law for that matter,” said Executive Assistant Director Larissa Knapp of the FBI’s National Security Branch. “Today’s indictment and forfeiture judgment should serve as a reminder that we will not tolerate attempts to transfer sensitive avionics equipment and technology to hostile nations.”“It doesn't matter if you’re in Kansas or in Latvia — if you violate American law, you risk facing American justice,” said Assistant Secretary of Commerce Matthew S. Axelrod for Export Enforcement. “We continue to work closely with law enforcement partners across the globe to pursue those who seek to send military-grade aerospace equipment to support the Russian military.”&nbsp;According to court documents, after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and despite additional U.S. economic countermeasures levied against Russia, Chistyakov and his conspirators continued to smuggle and export sophisticated and controlled avionics equipment to companies in Russia without the required licenses from the U.S. Department of Commerce.&nbsp;As further alleged, Chistyakov, while operating from Latvia, worked with Buyanovsky and Robertson through their U.S. company, KanRus Trading Company Inc. (KanRus), to circumvent U.S export laws by purchasing avionics equipment from U.S. companies for customers in Russia. Chistyakov allegedly acted as a broker for KanRus by soliciting quotes, negotiating prices and terms of delivery, and facilitating payments between KanRus and customers in Russia.&nbsp;The superseding indictment details actions allegedly taken by Chistyakov and his conspirators to conceal their illegal activities including by creating false invoices, transshipping items through third-party countries, such as Germany and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), using bank accounts in third-party countries, such as Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and the UAE, and exporting items to intermediary companies which then reexported the items to the ultimate end destinations.&nbsp;On Dec. 6, 2023, the U.S. Department of Commerce&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bis.doc.gov/index.php/documents/about-bis/newsroom/press-releases/3390-press-release-12-5-entity-list-package-hans-de-geetere/file" target="_blank">added many of the entities and individuals involved in Chistyakov’s alleged illegal export scheme to the Commerce Department’s Entity List</a>&nbsp;as part of the U.S. government’s interagency efforts to dismantle Russian procurement networks designed to circumvent U.S. export controls and sanctions imposed in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The Entity List imposes specific license requirements on all listed individuals and entities.Chistyakov is charged with one count of conspiracy, two counts of violation of Export Control Reform Act, multiple counts of smuggling goods from the United States, conspiracy to commit international money laundering and two counts of international money laundering. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of five years 8inh prison for conspiracy, 20 years in prison for each Export Control count, 10 years in prison for each smuggling count and 20 years in prison for each money laundering count.The FBI and the Department of Commerce’s Office of Export Enforcement are investigating the case, including participation in Latvia following Chistyakov’s arrest. Procedural actions were carried out in close cooperation with the State Security Service of the Republic of Latvia and assistance of the Prosecutor-General’s Office.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;Assistant U.S. Attorneys Scott Rask and Ryan Huschka for the District of Kansas and Trial Attorney Adam Barry of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs is providing valuable assistance.&nbsp;The investigation was coordinated through the Justice Department’s Task Force KleptoCapture, an interagency law enforcement task force dedicated to enforcing the sweeping sanctions, export controls and economic countermeasures that the United States, along with its foreign allies and partners, has imposed in response to Russia’s unprovoked military invasion of Ukraine. Announced by the Attorney General on March 2, 2022, and under the leadership of the Office of the Deputy Attorney General, the task force will continue to leverage all of the department’s tools and authorities to combat efforts to evade or undermine the collective actions taken by the U.S. government in response to Russian military aggression.

Another arrest in Kan. man's illegal attempt to sell equipment to Russia

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/tim-carpenter/">TIM CARPENTER</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a>

Skeptics range from pro-cannabis activists wary of bill details to just-say-no pot foes

TOPEKA — Pro-marijuana activists and law enforcement officials opposed for different reasons Thursday legislation introduced in the Kansas Senate to authorize a five-year pilot program for production, processing and distribution of cannabis for medical purposes through pharmacies.

Hemp industry participants, physicians and a retired U.S. Marine Corps officer urged the Senate Federal and State Affairs Committee to bring Kansas into the conversation about potential of a heavily regulated system of providing consumers with medical marijuana. The Kansas House passed a broader, highly regulated medical marijuana bill in 2021, but the Kansas Senate didn’t vote on that measure and movement of the issue came to a standstill.

Twenty-four U.S. states have legalized marijuana for recreational consumption and at least 16 other states have authorized medical marijuana programs.

Cheryl Kumberg, president of the Kansas Cannabis Coalition, said the pilot program rolled into Senate Bill 555 would fall short of meeting patient needs and create a bottleneck by limiting the program to only four cannabis providers who would grow, manufacture and sell the product.

“Limiting licensed cannabis producers to four creates a monopoly leaving out established producers across the state who have been involved in the cannabis industry for years,” Kumberg said. “This is neither fair nor equitable.”

She said the bill’s proposed minimum age of 21 for consumption of medical cannabis would exclude adult patients and the mandate that pre-purchases of medical cannabis be conducted via the internet disregarded the reality that not all Kansans had computer or banking access.

Tony Mattivi, director of the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, said he opposed the legislation because the pilot concept was a wolf in sheep clothing and, if approved, would lead to legalization of recreational marijuana in Kansas. Colorado and Missouri allow marijuana sales for recreational purposes, but Mattivi said there was no legitimate need for Kansas to trail those states with with medicinal sale of THC products.

“There are two true purposes for this bill: incrementalism and profit,” the KBI director said. “Incrementalism means that this bill is one step toward the cannabis industry’s goal to normalize marijuana use at any level. The next step, of course, would be to widen the ‘medical marijuana’ approvals. The second purpose of SB 555 is clearly profit. This is evidenced by the fact that the bill aims to open the Kansas cannabis market to an extremely limited pool of already existing hemp producers.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1711656095998.png" alt=" Tony Mattivi, director of the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, said legislation legalizing medical marijuana in Kansas would eventually lead to adopting of recreational use law and invite criminals from Mexico and China to increase violent crime in the state. (Kansas Reflector screen capture of Legislature’s YouTube channel)" />
 <figcaption> Tony Mattivi, director of the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, said legislation legalizing medical marijuana in Kansas would eventually lead to adopting of recreational use law and invite criminals from Mexico and China to increase violent crime in the state. (Kansas Reflector screen capture of Legislature’s YouTube channel)</figcaption>
 </figure>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/tim-carpenter/">TIM CARPENTER</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a><h2>Skeptics range from pro-cannabis activists wary of bill details to just-say-no pot foes</h2>TOPEKA — Pro-marijuana activists and law enforcement officials opposed for different reasons Thursday legislation introduced in the Kansas Senate to authorize a five-year pilot program for production, processing and distribution of cannabis for medical purposes through pharmacies.Hemp industry participants, physicians and a retired U.S. Marine Corps officer urged the Senate Federal and State Affairs Committee to bring Kansas into the conversation about potential of a heavily regulated system of providing consumers with medical marijuana. The Kansas House passed a broader, highly regulated medical marijuana bill in 2021, but the Kansas Senate didn’t vote on that measure and movement of the issue came to a standstill.Twenty-four U.S. states have legalized marijuana for recreational consumption and at least 16 other states have authorized medical marijuana programs.Cheryl Kumberg, president of the Kansas Cannabis Coalition, said the pilot program rolled into Senate Bill 555 would fall short of meeting patient needs and create a bottleneck by limiting the program to only four cannabis providers who would grow, manufacture and sell the product.“Limiting licensed cannabis producers to four creates a monopoly leaving out established producers across the state who have been involved in the cannabis industry for years,” Kumberg said. “This is neither fair nor equitable.”She said the bill’s proposed minimum age of 21 for consumption of medical cannabis would exclude adult patients and the mandate that pre-purchases of medical cannabis be conducted via the internet disregarded the reality that not all Kansans had computer or banking access.Tony Mattivi, director of the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, said he opposed the legislation because the pilot concept was a wolf in sheep clothing and, if approved, would lead to legalization of recreational marijuana in Kansas. Colorado and Missouri allow marijuana sales for recreational purposes, but Mattivi said there was no legitimate need for Kansas to trail those states with with medicinal sale of THC products.“There are two true purposes for this bill: incrementalism and profit,” the KBI director said. “Incrementalism means that this bill is one step toward the cannabis industry’s goal to normalize marijuana use at any level. The next step, of course, would be to widen the ‘medical marijuana’ approvals. The second purpose of SB 555 is clearly profit. This is evidenced by the fact that the bill aims to open the Kansas cannabis market to an extremely limited pool of already existing hemp producers.”Mattivi said real-life experience in other states demonstrated organized crime would squeeze Kansas producers and result in higher incidence of crime in the state. He objected to the “nearly non-existent” regulatory and law enforcement oversight provisions in the bill and suggested Mexican cartels and Chinese criminal syndicates would take advantage of statutory gaps.After about 90 minutes of testimony, Sen. Renee Erickson, R-Wichita, offered a motion to table the bill until opening of the 2025 legislative session in January. Her motion was approved on a voice vote.“It has become abundantly clear to me that this is not the conservative, restrictive, controlled pilot program its been characterized as,” Erickson said.<h2>A Kansas model</h2>Samuel Jones, a Wichita resident and chief operating officer of hemp marketer Kansas Natural Remedies, said the Senate bill was the culmination of dialogue and feedback with conservative legislators, medical professionals, university professors and law enforcement personnel. He said the objective was to provide patients freedom to choose medical cannabis instead of prescription narcotics to treat illnesses.“It addresses all the concerns that have been raised with prior medical cannabis bills and will avoid the negative consequences from ‘medical’ cannabis programs in other states such as Oklahoma,” he said. “This is not an opening for a recreational cannabis program. Our polling shows that there is little desire by Kansans to pass a recreational cannabis program in Kansas.”Under SB 555, he said, smoking, vaping and edibles related to medical cannabis would be prohibited, but it could be sold as cannabis flowers, pills, tablets, patches or ointments. The THC level of the medicinal product would be capped at 35%. Advertising prohibitions were included in the bill, which generated constitutional questions during the committee hearing.Patients would have to be 21 or older. Jones said the bill would require a patient’s primary care physician or a doctor appointed by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment to issue a certificate allowing a patient to secure medical cannabis, a provision designed to deal with doctor shopping common in other states.The maximum of four producers authorized in Kansas could operate up to seven distribution hubs, which would distribute medical cannabis to patients and caregivers. The bill would set an 8% sales tax on gross receipts on sales by the operators. Twenty percent of the state’s revenue would be earmarked for a medical cannabis research and education fund.Jones said the bill established “bright-line” 4th Amendment authority regarding search and seizure for cannabis possession that would allow officers to quickly determine during a traffic stop whether possession of the medical marijuana product was legally obtained in Kansas.In addition, Jones said, the pilot program would enable medical cannabis to be provided to patients through as many as 950 pharmacies scattered across Kansas. He said the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommended marijuana be moved from a Schedule I drug, such as cocaine, to a Schedule III drug, which would be a first step toward federal decriminalization and legalization. Opponents of the Senate bill said it was unlikely pharmacies would be cleared to dispense in Kansas.“If cannabis is decriminalized or legalized at the federal level,” Jones said, “then out-of-state cannabis businesses will be able to sell cannabis indiscriminately in Kansas because we will not have passed a legal framework.”Michael Snyder, a retired U.S. Marine Corps lieutenant colonel, said he testified in support of the bill on behalf of 155,000 veterans in Kansas. He said he was weary of watching military friends with physical and emotional issues suffer while reluctant politicians refused to close an alarming hole in medical care.“These aren’t stoners or druggies. These are real people who are in pain,” he said. “Please overcome the slippery-slope fallacies on this issue and let’s pass this bill. To not vote in favor of this bill is a vote for continued over-reliance on opioids and all the addiction and needless pain and death it brings.”<h2>Other perspectives</h2>Gary Upah, president of Kansas Hemp Growers, said his company grew and manufactured legal CBD products. He was one of the original hemp licensees who entered the market after the state opened a program for the plant product in 2019. He objected to structure of the medical pilot, which could disadvantage hemp growers.“This bill does not meet the needs of Kansans, nor is it a fair bill to those who have worked diligently to build the current hemp program in Kansas,” he said. “SB 555 must be stopped entirely or delayed in order to review the other (medical marijuana) bills.”Sarah Stephens, the hemp chair of the Kansas Cannabis Chamber of Commerce, said the Senate committee should discard SB 555 and move on to development of a safe and fairly regulated medical cannabis framework for Kansas.“SB 555 will immediately result in lawsuits against the state of Kansas an any regulatory authorities attached to it,” Stephens said. “Why would anyone suggest that an ultra-conservative pilot program is necessary when established regulatory frameworks exist all across the country?”Lenexa resident Juanita Ramos, who has testified in the Legislature in the past on behalf of medical marijuana bills, said the measure presented to the Senate committee unacceptably served interests of Kansas Natural Remedies, the companied tied to Jones.“This group of wealthy, white powerbrokers no way represents patients or the average Kansan,” Ramos said. “The exorbitant cost of $50,000 license fees serves as a substantial barrier to entry, effectively excluding many of your constituents, including small businesses, mom-and-pop enterprises who may aspire to participate in the medical cannabis industry.”Emergency medicine physician and U.S. Navy veteran Bryon McNeil, of Wichita, said the reality of drug abuse should be taken into account as the Legislature considered a medical marijuana program. He said consequences of addiction and abuse of fentanyl, methamphetamine, heroin and alcohol were routinely on display in hospital emergency rooms. He rarely saw patients in the ER with cannabis issues.“The fear surrounding cannabis is simply not rooted in reality,” he said. “Give Kansans the medical freedom to choose cannabis over prescription drugs.”After conclusion of the Senate committee hearing, Senate President Ty Masterson issued a statement that said he had concluded the issue of medical marijuana had matured to the point it warranted serious discussion in the Legislature. Consideration by the federal government of proposals to reschedule cannabis in terms of the substance’s health risk added impetus to that idea, he said.The Wichita Republican said the hearing demonstrated there were concerns about SB 555 that deviated from a framework that combined meaningful regulation with safe deliver of medical benefits to Kansans.“Discussions will no doubt continue in future sessions, especially if and when the federal government acts,” Masterson said.