TOPEKA— Governor Laura Kelly directed&nbsp;flags to be flown at half-staff from sunrise until sunset on Saturday, February 24, in honor of Elizabeth “Lisa” Lopez-Galvan, a Kansan who died in the shooting at the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl Parade and Rally, and the 22 other victims injured on Wednesday, February 14, 2024.&nbsp;

“This senseless violence turned a day that should have been filled with joyous celebration into a tragedy,”&nbsp;said Governor Laura Kelly.&nbsp;“Kansans and the entire Kansas City community are mourning the loss of Lisa Lopez-Galvan, a DJ and mother of two from Shawnee. I’m grieving for her family and for all the victims and their loved ones.”&nbsp;

TOPEKA— Governor Laura Kelly directed&nbsp;flags to be flown at half-staff from sunrise until sunset on Saturday, February 24, in honor of Elizabeth “Lisa” Lopez-Galvan, a Kansan who died in the shooting at the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl Parade and Rally, and the 22 other victims injured on Wednesday, February 14, 2024.&nbsp;<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FMcGilleyMidtown%2Fposts%2Fpfbid0ak2cb1MTNkpEyXquXiiGHgpCM9TfaFPHAwbqfuE1Sv4nm1prxVG2XZaYjnJseAMYl&show_text=true&width=500" width="500" height="725" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share"></iframe></div>“This senseless violence turned a day that should have been filled with joyous celebration into a tragedy,”&nbsp;said Governor Laura Kelly.&nbsp;“Kansans and the entire Kansas City community are mourning the loss of Lisa Lopez-Galvan, a DJ and mother of two from Shawnee. I’m grieving for her family and for all the victims and their loved ones.”&nbsp;

Flags at half-staff Saturday to honor Chiefs rally shooting victim

LYON COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect on multiple allegations&nbsp;

Just after 9p.m. Tuesday, police were dispatched to a report of gunshots in the 700 block of Neosho Street in Emporia, according to Police Captain Ray Mattas.

 Several officers went to locate the source of the gunfire and located a man later identified as 33-year-old Juan Cervantes Jr. in the area of the gunfire. 

Cervantes ran from the officers and was found again and arrested. In the 700 block of Rural, according to Mattas.

Officers also located several shell casings. A Lyon County Sheriff’s Office deputy, using a drone, located a firearm that had been discarded. Cervantes is being held in the Lyon County Jail on requested charges of Felon in Possession of a Firearm, Unlawful Discharge of a Firearm, Interference with a Law Enforcement Officer, Possession of Marijuana, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/2/1708528194710.png" alt="Cervantes-photo Lyon County" />
 <figcaption>Cervantes-photo Lyon County</figcaption>
 </figure>LYON COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect on multiple allegations&nbsp;Just after 9p.m. Tuesday, police were dispatched to a report of gunshots in the 700 block of Neosho Street in Emporia, according to Police Captain Ray Mattas. Several officers went to locate the source of the gunfire and located a man later identified as 33-year-old Juan Cervantes Jr. in the area of the gunfire. Cervantes ran from the officers and was found again and arrested. In the 700 block of Rural, according to Mattas.Officers also located several shell casings. A Lyon County Sheriff’s Office deputy, using a drone, located a firearm that had been discarded. Cervantes is being held in the Lyon County Jail on requested charges of Felon in Possession of a Firearm, Unlawful Discharge of a Firearm, Interference with a Law Enforcement Officer, Possession of Marijuana, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.

Drone helped Kan. officers recover gun used in shooting

DOUGLAS COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating the death of a woman and have a suspect in custody.

Just after 4:30a.m. Thursday,  emergency responders found a 51-year-old woman later identified as Crystal White of Lawrence.  with apparent stab wounds in a tent just north of the city's sanctioned camp near 100 Maple near the Kansas River in Lawrence, according to a Police Department spokesperson&nbsp;Laura McCabe. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

Patrol officers immediately started interviewing witnesses, the investigations unit responded, a suspect was quickly identified, and an area canvass was underway.&nbsp; The Lawrence Police Unoccupied Aerial Vehicle (Drone) and Patrol Service Dog Units were also deployed.

By about 9:00am, police personnel located a person of interest in Burcham Park and detained him.&nbsp;&nbsp;The teams are working diligently through the evidence, talking with witnesses, acquaintances, and gathering information.

Police do not believe there is an ongoing danger to the community directly related to this crime.&nbsp;

Just after 4:30a.m. Thursday,&nbsp;&nbsp;emergency responders found a 51-year-old woman dead in a tent&nbsp;in the unsanctioned camp near 100 Maple near the Kansas River in Lawrence, according to a statement from Lawrence Police.

The woman was suffering from apparent stab wounds. At approximately 9:00 a.m., LKPD personnel located a person of interest in Burcham Park and detained him for questioning.

The death is being investigated as a homicide.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/2/1708615630038.png" alt="File photo of the unsanctioned camp -Google image" />
 <figcaption>File photo of the unsanctioned camp -Google image</figcaption>
 </figure>DOUGLAS COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating the death of a woman and have a suspect in custody.Just after 4:30a.m. Thursday, emergency responders found a 51-year-old woman later identified as Crystal White of Lawrence. with apparent stab wounds in a tent just north of the city's sanctioned camp near 100 Maple near the Kansas River in Lawrence, according to a Police Department spokesperson&nbsp;Laura McCabe. She was pronounced dead at the scene.Patrol officers immediately started interviewing witnesses, the investigations unit responded, a suspect was quickly identified, and an area canvass was underway.&nbsp; The Lawrence Police Unoccupied Aerial Vehicle (Drone) and Patrol Service Dog Units were also deployed.By about 9:00am, police personnel located a person of interest in Burcham Park and detained him.&nbsp;&nbsp;The teams are working diligently through the evidence, talking with witnesses, acquaintances, and gathering information.Police do not believe there is an ongoing danger to the community directly related to this crime.&nbsp;DOUGLAS COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating the death of a woman and have a suspect in custody.Just after 4:30a.m. Thursday,&nbsp;&nbsp;emergency responders found a 51-year-old woman dead in a tent&nbsp;in the unsanctioned camp near 100 Maple near the Kansas River in Lawrence, according to a statement from Lawrence Police.The woman was suffering from apparent stab wounds. At approximately 9:00 a.m., LKPD personnel located a person of interest in Burcham Park and detained him for questioning.The death is being investigated as a homicide.

Police investigating deadly Kansas knife attack

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A private lander touched down on the moon Thursday but managed just a weak signal back, as flight controllers scrambled to gain better contact with the first U.S. spacecraft to reach the lunar surface in more than 50 years.

Despite the spotty communication, Intuitive Machines, the company that built and managed the craft, confirmed that it had landed. There was no immediate word from the company on the condition — or even the exact location — of the lander. The company ended its live webcast soon after confirming a touchdown.

(click below to watch a replay of the landing)

Mission director Tim Crain said the team was evaluating how to refine the lone signal from the lander, named Odysseus.

“But we can confirm, without a doubt, that our equipment is on the surface of the moon," he said.

Added Intuitive Machines CEO Steve Altemus: “I know this was a nail-biter, but we are on the surface and we are transmitting. Welcome to the moon.”

The landing put the U.S. back on the surface for the first time since NASA’s famed Apollo moonwalkers.

Intuitive Machines also became the first private business to pull off a lunar landing, a feat achieved by only five countries. Another company gave it a shot last month, but never made it to the moon, and the lander crashed back to Earth.

Odysseus descended from a moon-skimming orbit and guided itself toward the surface, searching for a relatively flat spot among all the cliffs and craters near the south pole.

Tension mounted in the company's Houston command center following the designated touchdown time, as controllers awaited a signal from the spacecraft some 250,000 miles (400,000 kilometers) away. After close to 15 minutes, the company announced it had received a weak signal from the lander.

Launched last week, the six-footed carbon fiber and titanium lander — towering 14 feet (4.3 meters) — carried six experiments for NASA. The space agency gave the company $118 million to build and fly the lander, part of its effort to commercialize lunar deliveries ahead of the planned return of astronauts in a few years.

Intuitive Machines' entry is the latest in a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/moon-landing-private-company-fed3a76d25c9f68cf20d2b6efd48b593">series of landing attempts</a>&nbsp;by countries and private outfits looking to explore the moon and, if possible, capitalize on it.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/japan-moon-lander-slim-probe-pinpoint-2908c74d9e3c4c8a5eabfb6b1625c617">Japan scored a lunar landing</a>&nbsp;last month, joining earlier triumphs by Russia, U.S., China and India.

The U.S. bowed out of the lunar landscape in 1972 after NASA's Apollo program put 12 astronauts on the surface. A Pittsburgh company, Astrobotic Technology, gave it a shot last month, but was derailed by a fuel leak that resulted in the lander plunging back through Earth's atmosphere and burning up.

Intuitive Machines’ target was 186 miles (300 kilometers) shy of the south pole, around 80 degrees latitude and closer to the pole than any other spacecraft has come. The site is relatively flat, but surrounded by boulders, hills, cliffs and craters that could hold frozen water, a big part of the allure. The lander was programmed to pick, in real time, the safest spot near the so-called Malapert A crater.

The solar-powered lander was intended to operate for a week, until the long lunar night.

Besides NASA’s tech and navigation experiments, Intuitive Machines sold space on the lander to Columbia Sportswear to fly its newest insulating jacket fabric; sculptor Jeff Koons for 125 mini moon figurines; and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University for a set of cameras to capture pictures of the descending lander.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A private lunar lander circled the moon while aiming for a touchdown Thursday that would put the U.S. back on the surface for the first time since NASA’s famed Apollo moonwalkers.

The Intuitive Machines lunar lander is now scheduled for landing on the surface of the moon at approximately 5:24pm CST

Intuitive Machines was striving to become the first private business to successfully pull off a lunar landing, a feat achieved by only five countries. A&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/moon-landing-spacecraft-reenter-burned-e7abeeac01711633eaa807b050704084">rival company’s lander missed</a>&nbsp;the moon last month.

The newest lander, named Odysseus, reached the moon Wednesday, six days after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/moon-lander-launch-intuitive-machines-nasa-84092096eadf1ec5bb4042c945cdec7e">rocketing from Kennedy Space Center in Florida</a>. The lander maneuvered into a low lunar orbit in preparation for an early evening touchdown.

Flight controllers monitored the action unfolding some 250,000 miles (400,000 kilometers) away from a command center at company headquarters in Houston.

The six-footed carbon fiber and titanium lander — towering 14 feet (4.3 meters) — carried six experiments for NASA. The space agency gave the company $118 million to build and fly the lander, part of its effort to commercialize lunar deliveries ahead of the planned return of astronauts in a few years.

The U.S. bowed out of the lunar landscape in 1972 after NASA's Apollo program put 12 astronauts on the surface . A Pittsburgh company, Astrobotic Technology, gave it a shot last month, but was derailed by a fuel leak that resulted in the lander plunging back through Earth's atmosphere and burning up.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/2/1708646787215.png" alt="Member of the Intuitive Machines team celebrate the success Thursday evening" />
 <figcaption>Member of the Intuitive Machines team celebrate the success Thursday evening</figcaption>
 </figure>CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A private lander touched down on the moon Thursday but managed just a weak signal back, as flight controllers scrambled to gain better contact with the first U.S. spacecraft to reach the lunar surface in more than 50 years.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">“Odysseus has a new home” <a href="https://t.co/oVgLobxH8T">https://t.co/oVgLobxH8T</a>&mdash; Intuitive Machines (@Int_Machines) <a href="https://twitter.com/Int_Machines/status/1760815975581016418?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 22, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Despite the spotty communication, Intuitive Machines, the company that built and managed the craft, confirmed that it had landed. There was no immediate word from the company on the condition — or even the exact location — of the lander. The company ended its live webcast soon after confirming a touchdown.(click below to watch a replay of the landing)<div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Dg2ffigGcYM?si=faNrnj88EqV5Ek9W" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>Mission director Tim Crain said the team was evaluating how to refine the lone signal from the lander, named Odysseus.“But we can confirm, without a doubt, that our equipment is on the surface of the moon," he said.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/2/1708649070409.png" alt="Moments before the landing was confirmed-image from NASA video" />
 <figcaption>Moments before the landing was confirmed-image from NASA video</figcaption>
 </figure>Added Intuitive Machines CEO Steve Altemus: “I know this was a nail-biter, but we are on the surface and we are transmitting. Welcome to the moon.”The landing put the U.S. back on the surface for the first time since NASA’s famed Apollo moonwalkers.Intuitive Machines also became the first private business to pull off a lunar landing, a feat achieved by only five countries. Another company gave it a shot last month, but never made it to the moon, and the lander crashed back to Earth.Odysseus descended from a moon-skimming orbit and guided itself toward the surface, searching for a relatively flat spot among all the cliffs and craters near the south pole.Tension mounted in the company's Houston command center following the designated touchdown time, as controllers awaited a signal from the spacecraft some 250,000 miles (400,000 kilometers) away. After close to 15 minutes, the company announced it had received a weak signal from the lander.Launched last week, the six-footed carbon fiber and titanium lander — towering 14 feet (4.3 meters) — carried six experiments for NASA. The space agency gave the company $118 million to build and fly the lander, part of its effort to commercialize lunar deliveries ahead of the planned return of astronauts in a few years.Intuitive Machines' entry is the latest in a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/moon-landing-private-company-fed3a76d25c9f68cf20d2b6efd48b593">series of landing attempts</a>&nbsp;by countries and private outfits looking to explore the moon and, if possible, capitalize on it.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/japan-moon-lander-slim-probe-pinpoint-2908c74d9e3c4c8a5eabfb6b1625c617">Japan scored a lunar landing</a>&nbsp;last month, joining earlier triumphs by Russia, U.S., China and India.The U.S. bowed out of the lunar landscape in 1972 after NASA's Apollo program put 12 astronauts on the surface. A Pittsburgh company, Astrobotic Technology, gave it a shot last month, but was derailed by a fuel leak that resulted in the lander plunging back through Earth's atmosphere and burning up.Intuitive Machines’ target was 186 miles (300 kilometers) shy of the south pole, around 80 degrees latitude and closer to the pole than any other spacecraft has come. The site is relatively flat, but surrounded by boulders, hills, cliffs and craters that could hold frozen water, a big part of the allure. The lander was programmed to pick, in real time, the safest spot near the so-called Malapert A crater.The solar-powered lander was intended to operate for a week, until the long lunar night.Besides NASA’s tech and navigation experiments, Intuitive Machines sold space on the lander to Columbia Sportswear to fly its newest insulating jacket fabric; sculptor Jeff Koons for 125 mini moon figurines; and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University for a set of cameras to capture pictures of the descending lander.------------<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/2/1708634893763.png" alt="This image provided by Intuitive Machines shows its Odysseus lunar lander over the near side of the moon following lunar orbit insertion on Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2024.&nbsp; (Click below to watch the coverage as long as it is available) " />
 <figcaption>This image provided by Intuitive Machines shows its Odysseus lunar lander over the near side of the moon following lunar orbit insertion on Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2024.&nbsp; (Click below to watch the coverage as long as it is available) </figcaption>
 </figure>CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A private lunar lander circled the moon while aiming for a touchdown Thursday that would put the U.S. back on the surface for the first time since NASA’s famed Apollo moonwalkers.The Intuitive Machines lunar lander is now scheduled for landing on the surface of the moon at approximately 5:24pm CSTIntuitive Machines was striving to become the first private business to successfully pull off a lunar landing, a feat achieved by only five countries. A&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/moon-landing-spacecraft-reenter-burned-e7abeeac01711633eaa807b050704084">rival company’s lander missed</a>&nbsp;the moon last month.The newest lander, named Odysseus, reached the moon Wednesday, six days after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/moon-lander-launch-intuitive-machines-nasa-84092096eadf1ec5bb4042c945cdec7e">rocketing from Kennedy Space Center in Florida</a>. The lander maneuvered into a low lunar orbit in preparation for an early evening touchdown.Flight controllers monitored the action unfolding some 250,000 miles (400,000 kilometers) away from a command center at company headquarters in Houston.The six-footed carbon fiber and titanium lander — towering 14 feet (4.3 meters) — carried six experiments for NASA. The space agency gave the company $118 million to build and fly the lander, part of its effort to commercialize lunar deliveries ahead of the planned return of astronauts in a few years.Intuitive Machines' entry is the latest in a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/moon-landing-private-company-fed3a76d25c9f68cf20d2b6efd48b593">series of landing attempts</a>&nbsp;by countries and private outfits looking to explore the moon and, if possible, capitalize on it.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/japan-moon-lander-slim-probe-pinpoint-2908c74d9e3c4c8a5eabfb6b1625c617">Japan scored a lunar landing</a>&nbsp;last month, joining earlier triumphs by Russia, U.S., China and India.The U.S. bowed out of the lunar landscape in 1972 after NASA's Apollo program put 12 astronauts on the surface . A Pittsburgh company, Astrobotic Technology, gave it a shot last month, but was derailed by a fuel leak that resulted in the lander plunging back through Earth's atmosphere and burning up.Intuitive Machines’ target was 186 miles (300 kilometers) shy of the south pole, around 80 degrees latitude and closer to the pole than any other spacecraft has come. The site is relatively flat, but surrounded by boulders, hills, cliffs and craters that could hold frozen water, a big part of the allure. The lander was programmed to pick, in real time, the safest spot near the so-called Malapert A crater.The solar-powered lander was intended to operate for a week, until the long lunar night.Besides NASA’s tech and navigation experiments, Intuitive Machines sold space on the lander to Columbia Sportswear to fly its newest insulating jacket fabric; sculptor Jeff Koons for 125 mini moon figurines; and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University for a set of cameras to capture pictures of the descending lander.___

🎥Success: First U.S. landing on the moon in a half century

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Drivers in eight Midwestern states will be able to fuel up with a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ethanol-e15-gasoline-midwest-epa-40550ba65a308617fdc490dcf9e57ad9">higher blend of ethanol</a>&nbsp;throughout the year under a final rule announced Thursday by the Environmental Protection Agency.

The biofuels industry and farming groups, with support of Midwest governors, sought the end of a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-biden-business-smog-environment-4a877e9afc2837609c4a0aee72a042bc">summertime ban</a>&nbsp;on sales of gasoline blended with 15% ethanol for years. The higher blend has been prohibited because of concerns it could worsen smog during warm weather.

The move reflects the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-debt-ceiling-iowa-ethanol-fb4c486ef4ee2aab944946a187a8c128">importance of ethanol to agriculture</a>. The fuel additive consumes roughly 40% of the nation's corn crop, so higher sales of ethanol could mean greater profits for corn farmers.

The rule, which takes effect in April 2025, will apply in Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin. Those states grow the bulk of the U.S. corn crop and are home to much of the nation's ethanol production.

The EPA said it delayed implementation of the new rule because of concerns there wasn't enough supply to meet demand this summer. Ethanol producers welcomed the change but criticized the EPA for that delay.

“While we are pleased to see EPA has finally approved year-round E15 in these eight states, we are extremely disappointed by the agency’s needless decision to delay implementation until 2025,” the Renewable Fuels Association, a trade group, said in a statement. “It’s helpful to finally have some certainty about 2025 and beyond, but what happens this summer?”

Most gasoline sold across the country is blended with 10% ethanol, though 15% blends are becoming increasingly common, especially in the Midwest. E15 summer sales still will not be allowed in most of the country during summer, though agricultural groups are pushing for a nationwide policy change.

The biofuels industry and politicians of both parties have portrayed ethanol as a product that helps farmers, reduces prices at the pump and lessens greenhouse gas releases because the fuel burns more cleanly than straight gasoline. However, environmentalists and others have said increased ethanol production can increase carbon releases because it results in more corn production, leading to increased use of fertilizer and greater releases of nitrate. Synthetic and natural fertilizers also are a leading source of water pollution.

The EPA has approved sales of E15 for cars and trucks manufactured after 2000. Grow Energy, another bioenergy trade association, estimates the higher blend will cost consumers 15 cents a gallon less than 10% ethanol.

Petroleum refiners have opposed the Midwest-specific rules, saying a special blend in one region would increase costs and could lead to tighter fuel supplies.

The American Petroleum Institute, a trade group, said a national standard was needed.

“We are concerned this piecemeal approach could weaken the resiliency of the region’s fuel supply chain," Will Hupman, a vice president at the group said in a statement. "We continue to call on Congress to pass the bipartisan Nationwide Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act, which would bring much needed consistency to the marketplace by allowing for the year-round sale of E15 nationwide, preserving access to E10 and eliminating the need for regional or state-specific waiver petitions.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1639069226448.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Drivers in eight Midwestern states will be able to fuel up with a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ethanol-e15-gasoline-midwest-epa-40550ba65a308617fdc490dcf9e57ad9">higher blend of ethanol</a>&nbsp;throughout the year under a final rule announced Thursday by the Environmental Protection Agency.The biofuels industry and farming groups, with support of Midwest governors, sought the end of a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-biden-business-smog-environment-4a877e9afc2837609c4a0aee72a042bc">summertime ban</a>&nbsp;on sales of gasoline blended with 15% ethanol for years. The higher blend has been prohibited because of concerns it could worsen smog during warm weather.The move reflects the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-debt-ceiling-iowa-ethanol-fb4c486ef4ee2aab944946a187a8c128">importance of ethanol to agriculture</a>. The fuel additive consumes roughly 40% of the nation's corn crop, so higher sales of ethanol could mean greater profits for corn farmers.The rule, which takes effect in April 2025, will apply in Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin. Those states grow the bulk of the U.S. corn crop and are home to much of the nation's ethanol production.The EPA said it delayed implementation of the new rule because of concerns there wasn't enough supply to meet demand this summer. Ethanol producers welcomed the change but criticized the EPA for that delay.“While we are pleased to see EPA has finally approved year-round E15 in these eight states, we are extremely disappointed by the agency’s needless decision to delay implementation until 2025,” the Renewable Fuels Association, a trade group, said in a statement. “It’s helpful to finally have some certainty about 2025 and beyond, but what happens this summer?”Most gasoline sold across the country is blended with 10% ethanol, though 15% blends are becoming increasingly common, especially in the Midwest. E15 summer sales still will not be allowed in most of the country during summer, though agricultural groups are pushing for a nationwide policy change.The biofuels industry and politicians of both parties have portrayed ethanol as a product that helps farmers, reduces prices at the pump and lessens greenhouse gas releases because the fuel burns more cleanly than straight gasoline. However, environmentalists and others have said increased ethanol production can increase carbon releases because it results in more corn production, leading to increased use of fertilizer and greater releases of nitrate. Synthetic and natural fertilizers also are a leading source of water pollution.The EPA has approved sales of E15 for cars and trucks manufactured after 2000. Grow Energy, another bioenergy trade association, estimates the higher blend will cost consumers 15 cents a gallon less than 10% ethanol.Petroleum refiners have opposed the Midwest-specific rules, saying a special blend in one region would increase costs and could lead to tighter fuel supplies.The American Petroleum Institute, a trade group, said a national standard was needed.“We are concerned this piecemeal approach could weaken the resiliency of the region’s fuel supply chain," Will Hupman, a vice president at the group said in a statement. "We continue to call on Congress to pass the bipartisan Nationwide Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act, which would bring much needed consistency to the marketplace by allowing for the year-round sale of E15 nationwide, preserving access to E10 and eliminating the need for regional or state-specific waiver petitions.”

EPA approves year-round sales of higher ethanol blend in 8 Midwest states

One of the bills would mandate ultrasound and description of embryo

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/sherman-smith/">SHERMAN SMITH</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA — House and Senate Republicans — in their latest attempts to weaken the state’s constitutional right to bodily autonomy — have introduced legislation to require prison time for coercing a pregnant person into getting an abortion and to mandate ultrasounds before terminating a pregnancy.

<a target="_blank" href="https://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/hb2813/">House Bill 2813</a>&nbsp;and<a target="_blank" href="https://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/sb527/">&nbsp;Senate Bill 527</a>&nbsp;would create the felony crime of “coercion to obtain an abortion,” which means convincing someone to get an abortion by threatening physical of financial harm, threatening deportation, destroying or hiding a passport, or controlling medications.

<a target="_blank" href="https://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/hb2814/">House Bill 2814</a>&nbsp;and<a target="_blank" href="https://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/sb528/">&nbsp;Senate Bill 528</a>&nbsp;would create the Kansas Ultrasound Act, requiring an obstetric ultrasound to be performed before having an abortion.

The bills are the latest&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/05/18/church-and-state-kansas-republicans-ignore-voters-and-pass-new-anti-abortion-laws/">in a long line</a>&nbsp;to be introduced following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in June 2022 to overturn Roe v. Wade, which gave states authority over reproductive health care, and the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/08/02/kansas-voters-defeat-abortion-amendment-in-unexpected-landslide-1/">August 2022 vote</a>&nbsp;in Kansas to preserve access to abortion.

The Kansas Supreme Court in 2019 determined the state constitution’s right to bodily autonomy extends to the decision to terminate a pregnancy, and set a high standard for justifying restrictions. A state court last year blocked enforcement of long-standing restrictions, including an ultrasound requirement.

The new legislation to mandate ultrasounds would allow “a woman to avert her eyes from such images.”

“The voters spoke. The courts ruled. And still, extremist politicians are hellbent on interfering in private medical decisions,” said Anamarie Rebori Simmons, spokeswoman for Planned Parenthood Great Plains Votes. “The ultrasound proposal does nothing but double down on an unconstitutional law, and the coercion bill creates a false narrative. Medical providers are listening to patients in a way the Legislature never has. The true source of coercion — in the form of scare tactics, nonmedical requirements, and taxpayer dollars sent to misleading anti-abortion facilities — is under the Capitol dome.”

Sen. Kristen O’Shea, R-Topeka, introduced the Senate version of the bills, although they are officially attributed to the Federal and State Affairs Committee. In the House, Rep. Rebecca Schmoe, R-Ottawa, introduced the “coercion” bill, and Rep. Leah Howell, R-Derby, introduced the ultrasound bill at the request of anti-abortion groups Kansans for Life and Kansas Family Voice.

Jeanne Gawdun, director of government relations for Kansans for Life, said the ultrasound bill is narrowly tailored “to protect a woman from the dangers of an undetected ectopic pregnancy that could be life-threatening without an ultrasound to discover it, chemical abortion pills being administered to her late in pregnancy, and other safety risks.”

She also said everyone should agree that “every woman in Kansas should have protection from being coerced into an abortion.”

The proposed legislation creates a felony crime for “engaging in coercion with knowledge that a woman is pregnant and with the intent to compel such woman to obtain an abortion when such woman has expressed her desire to not obtain an abortion.”

The bill would require at least 30 days and no more than 1 year in prison, along with a fine of $500 to $5,000. If the crime is committed by a father who is older than 18 and the pregnant individual is younger than 18, the minimum prison time is 90 days and the fine ranges from $1,000 to $10,000.

The ultrasound bill would require a physician to display images and describe the “dimensions of the embryo or fetus” and the presence of internal and external organs. The physician also must offer “a sonogram picture of her unborn child” at no additional cost.

Physicians who fail to comply with the bill would be guilty of a felony crime, and subject to civil lawsuits by a father who is married to the pregnant person at the time of the abortion.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/2/1708622082125.png" alt=" Sen. Kristen O'Shea, seen during a Feb. 15, 2023, committee hearing, introduced two anti-abortion bills in the Senate. Republicans Leah Howell and Rebecca Schmoe introduced companion bills in the House. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption> Sen. Kristen O'Shea, seen during a Feb. 15, 2023, committee hearing, introduced two anti-abortion bills in the Senate. Republicans Leah Howell and Rebecca Schmoe introduced companion bills in the House. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>One of the bills would mandate ultrasound and description of embryo</h2>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/sherman-smith/">SHERMAN SMITH</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — House and Senate Republicans — in their latest attempts to weaken the state’s constitutional right to bodily autonomy — have introduced legislation to require prison time for coercing a pregnant person into getting an abortion and to mandate ultrasounds before terminating a pregnancy.<a target="_blank" href="https://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/hb2813/">House Bill 2813</a>&nbsp;and<a target="_blank" href="https://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/sb527/">&nbsp;Senate Bill 527</a>&nbsp;would create the felony crime of “coercion to obtain an abortion,” which means convincing someone to get an abortion by threatening physical of financial harm, threatening deportation, destroying or hiding a passport, or controlling medications.<a target="_blank" href="https://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/hb2814/">House Bill 2814</a>&nbsp;and<a target="_blank" href="https://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/sb528/">&nbsp;Senate Bill 528</a>&nbsp;would create the Kansas Ultrasound Act, requiring an obstetric ultrasound to be performed before having an abortion.The bills are the latest&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/05/18/church-and-state-kansas-republicans-ignore-voters-and-pass-new-anti-abortion-laws/">in a long line</a>&nbsp;to be introduced following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in June 2022 to overturn Roe v. Wade, which gave states authority over reproductive health care, and the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/08/02/kansas-voters-defeat-abortion-amendment-in-unexpected-landslide-1/">August 2022 vote</a>&nbsp;in Kansas to preserve access to abortion.The Kansas Supreme Court in 2019 determined the state constitution’s right to bodily autonomy extends to the decision to terminate a pregnancy, and set a high standard for justifying restrictions. A state court last year blocked enforcement of long-standing restrictions, including an ultrasound requirement.The new legislation to mandate ultrasounds would allow “a woman to avert her eyes from such images.”“The voters spoke. The courts ruled. And still, extremist politicians are hellbent on interfering in private medical decisions,” said Anamarie Rebori Simmons, spokeswoman for Planned Parenthood Great Plains Votes. “The ultrasound proposal does nothing but double down on an unconstitutional law, and the coercion bill creates a false narrative. Medical providers are listening to patients in a way the Legislature never has. The true source of coercion — in the form of scare tactics, nonmedical requirements, and taxpayer dollars sent to misleading anti-abortion facilities — is under the Capitol dome.”Sen. Kristen O’Shea, R-Topeka, introduced the Senate version of the bills, although they are officially attributed to the Federal and State Affairs Committee. In the House, Rep. Rebecca Schmoe, R-Ottawa, introduced the “coercion” bill, and Rep. Leah Howell, R-Derby, introduced the ultrasound bill at the request of anti-abortion groups Kansans for Life and Kansas Family Voice.Jeanne Gawdun, director of government relations for Kansans for Life, said the ultrasound bill is narrowly tailored “to protect a woman from the dangers of an undetected ectopic pregnancy that could be life-threatening without an ultrasound to discover it, chemical abortion pills being administered to her late in pregnancy, and other safety risks.”She also said everyone should agree that “every woman in Kansas should have protection from being coerced into an abortion.”The proposed legislation creates a felony crime for “engaging in coercion with knowledge that a woman is pregnant and with the intent to compel such woman to obtain an abortion when such woman has expressed her desire to not obtain an abortion.”The bill would require at least 30 days and no more than 1 year in prison, along with a fine of $500 to $5,000. If the crime is committed by a father who is older than 18 and the pregnant individual is younger than 18, the minimum prison time is 90 days and the fine ranges from $1,000 to $10,000.The ultrasound bill would require a physician to display images and describe the “dimensions of the embryo or fetus” and the presence of internal and external organs. The physician also must offer “a sonogram picture of her unborn child” at no additional cost.Physicians who fail to comply with the bill would be guilty of a felony crime, and subject to civil lawsuits by a father who is married to the pregnant person at the time of the abortion.

Kansas Republicans introduce new anti-abortion bills, including prison time for ‘coercion’

By RUDI KELLER,&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-senate-committee-advances-bill-to-ban-texting-while-driving/">Missouri Independent</a>

After weeks of&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.news-leader.com/story/news/politics/elections/2024/01/30/springfield-senator-lincoln-hough-considers-run-missouri-lieutenant-governor/72408265007/">flirting with the idea</a>, state Sen. Lincoln Hough of Springfield jumped into the Republican Primary for lieutenant governor on Thursday.

Hough, who is serving his second term in the Missouri Senate, joins a field that includes a colleague, state Sen. Holly Thompson Rehder of Scott City, House Speaker Dean Plocher, Franklin County Clerk Tim Baker and St. Louis County businessman Paul Berry III.&nbsp;

In an interview with The Independent, Hough said he will highlight his&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/09/29/legislature-sends-764-million-income-tax-cut-to-missouri-governor/">sponsorship of a 2022 tax cut</a>&nbsp;as a signature accomplishment, as well as the infrastructure funding he’s put into the state budget as chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee.&nbsp;

Last year, when Gov. Mike Parson proposed spending $859 million to improve three sections of Interstate 70, Hough&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/04/19/missouri-senate-committee-triples-funding-for-widening-i-70-across-the-state/">bumped it to $2.8 billion</a>&nbsp;to add new lanes across the state and got the rest of the General Assembly to go along with it.

“We’ve made investments in infrastructure and in education, and taken care of our firefighters and our first responders,” Hough said. “I’ve had a good run in the Senate and this is just the next step.”

Hough first won election to the Missouri House in 2010 and won a seat on the Greene County Commission in 2016. Two years later, he won election to the Senate and was re-elected last year with almost 58% of the vote.

Over the past three years, Hough has been one of the more vocal antagonists of the hardcore conservatives that have engaged in factional warfare with the GOP Senate leadership. And in the upcoming primary, some of those fights could become fodder for attack ads.

In 2021, after voters approved&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2021/04/29/missouri-senate-rejects-funding-for-voter-approved-medicaid-expansion/">Medicaid expansion</a>&nbsp;to add coverage for adults ages 18 to 64, Hough was one of only two Senate Republicans who voted to include money in the budget to pay for it.

The Missouri Supreme Court, a few months later, said the state had no choice but to provide the coverage even if the budget did not include funds specifically earmarked for the expansion group.

At the time, Hough said Missourii should act to get the $1.2 billion in additional support for its traditional Medicaid program only available if it expanded Medicaid eligibility.

“I believe in my heart,” Hough said during the 2021 floor debate, “it is the right thing to do.”

Asked how he would defend himself against attacks that he had voted for Obamacare, Hough said he accepted the will of the voters that approved expansion and the ruling from the state Supreme Court.

“It’s less about expanding Obamacare and it’s more about reimbursing healthcare providers that are providing services to that population,” he said.

In this year’s session, Hough is sponsoring a bill renewing provider taxes that fund a large portion of the state’s Medicaid program. He’s under fire from the Freedom Caucus, the current name of the faction fighting leadership, for seeking to keep off amendments that would bar Planned Parenthood from providing Medicaid services.

Hough said he’s ready for any attacks and will point out that the budgets he’s written as Appropriations Committee chairman&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/02/23/missouri-senate-passes-4-6b-spending-bill-with-pay-raises-federal-school-funds/">have set zero dollars</a>&nbsp;as the amount available for paying Planned Parenthood.

“There are no dollars in fiscal year 2024 being appropriated or being reimbursed to that provider,” Hough said.

The Missouri Supreme Court, in a ruling issued Feb. 14, said the state&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-supreme-court-again-says-state-cant-deny-medicaid-funds-to-planned-parenthood/">could not deny payments</a>&nbsp;to Planned Parenthood through an appropriation bill.

Hough enters the race well-stocked with cash. His campaign fund held $405,000 on Dec. 31 after raising $66,275 in the final three months of 2023. A joint fundraising PAC, LincolnPAC, raised $171,800 in the final three months of 2023 and had $367,500 on hand.

His two best-funded rivals are Plocher and Rehder.&nbsp;

Plocher had $542,008 in the bank in his campaign fund on Dec. 31 and $832,779 in Missouri United, his joint fundraising PAC. Rehder had $267,170 in her campaign fund and $238,434 in Southern Drawl PAC, her joint fundraising committee.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/2/1708625104345.png" alt="Sen. Lincoln Hough, R-Springfield, on the first day of the 2024 legislative session (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent)." />
 <figcaption>Sen. Lincoln Hough, R-Springfield, on the first day of the 2024 legislative session (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent).</figcaption>
 </figure>By RUDI KELLER,&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-senate-committee-advances-bill-to-ban-texting-while-driving/">Missouri Independent</a>After weeks of&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.news-leader.com/story/news/politics/elections/2024/01/30/springfield-senator-lincoln-hough-considers-run-missouri-lieutenant-governor/72408265007/">flirting with the idea</a>, state Sen. Lincoln Hough of Springfield jumped into the Republican Primary for lieutenant governor on Thursday.Hough, who is serving his second term in the Missouri Senate, joins a field that includes a colleague, state Sen. Holly Thompson Rehder of Scott City, House Speaker Dean Plocher, Franklin County Clerk Tim Baker and St. Louis County businessman Paul Berry III.&nbsp;In an interview with The Independent, Hough said he will highlight his&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/09/29/legislature-sends-764-million-income-tax-cut-to-missouri-governor/">sponsorship of a 2022 tax cut</a>&nbsp;as a signature accomplishment, as well as the infrastructure funding he’s put into the state budget as chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee.&nbsp;Last year, when Gov. Mike Parson proposed spending $859 million to improve three sections of Interstate 70, Hough&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/04/19/missouri-senate-committee-triples-funding-for-widening-i-70-across-the-state/">bumped it to $2.8 billion</a>&nbsp;to add new lanes across the state and got the rest of the General Assembly to go along with it.“We’ve made investments in infrastructure and in education, and taken care of our firefighters and our first responders,” Hough said. “I’ve had a good run in the Senate and this is just the next step.”Hough first won election to the Missouri House in 2010 and won a seat on the Greene County Commission in 2016. Two years later, he won election to the Senate and was re-elected last year with almost 58% of the vote.Over the past three years, Hough has been one of the more vocal antagonists of the hardcore conservatives that have engaged in factional warfare with the GOP Senate leadership. And in the upcoming primary, some of those fights could become fodder for attack ads.In 2021, after voters approved&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2021/04/29/missouri-senate-rejects-funding-for-voter-approved-medicaid-expansion/">Medicaid expansion</a>&nbsp;to add coverage for adults ages 18 to 64, Hough was one of only two Senate Republicans who voted to include money in the budget to pay for it.The Missouri Supreme Court, a few months later, said the state had no choice but to provide the coverage even if the budget did not include funds specifically earmarked for the expansion group.At the time, Hough said Missourii should act to get the $1.2 billion in additional support for its traditional Medicaid program only available if it expanded Medicaid eligibility.“I believe in my heart,” Hough said during the 2021 floor debate, “it is the right thing to do.”Asked how he would defend himself against attacks that he had voted for Obamacare, Hough said he accepted the will of the voters that approved expansion and the ruling from the state Supreme Court.“It’s less about expanding Obamacare and it’s more about reimbursing healthcare providers that are providing services to that population,” he said.In this year’s session, Hough is sponsoring a bill renewing provider taxes that fund a large portion of the state’s Medicaid program. He’s under fire from the Freedom Caucus, the current name of the faction fighting leadership, for seeking to keep off amendments that would bar Planned Parenthood from providing Medicaid services.Hough said he’s ready for any attacks and will point out that the budgets he’s written as Appropriations Committee chairman&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/02/23/missouri-senate-passes-4-6b-spending-bill-with-pay-raises-federal-school-funds/">have set zero dollars</a>&nbsp;as the amount available for paying Planned Parenthood.“There are no dollars in fiscal year 2024 being appropriated or being reimbursed to that provider,” Hough said.The Missouri Supreme Court, in a ruling issued Feb. 14, said the state&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-supreme-court-again-says-state-cant-deny-medicaid-funds-to-planned-parenthood/">could not deny payments</a>&nbsp;to Planned Parenthood through an appropriation bill.Hough enters the race well-stocked with cash. His campaign fund held $405,000 on Dec. 31 after raising $66,275 in the final three months of 2023. A joint fundraising PAC, LincolnPAC, raised $171,800 in the final three months of 2023 and had $367,500 on hand.His two best-funded rivals are Plocher and Rehder.&nbsp;Plocher had $542,008 in the bank in his campaign fund on Dec. 31 and $832,779 in Missouri United, his joint fundraising PAC. Rehder had $267,170 in her campaign fund and $238,434 in Southern Drawl PAC, her joint fundraising committee.Filing for office opens Tuesday.

Springfield Sen. Lincoln Hough joins race for Missouri lieutenant governor

SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a fatal accident that left a Kansas woman dead.

&nbsp;A Ford F150 pickup truck was&nbsp;westbound in the 6000 Block SE U.S. 40 Highway and struck a woman identified as 63-year-old Patricia S. McDonald who was pushing a bicycle in the roadway, according to Shawnee County Sheriff's Deputy Abigail Christian.

Just before 10 a.m. Wednesday, the Shawnee County Emergency Communications Center received a phone call reporting the accident.&nbsp; Deputies located McDonald's body just off the roadway.

SE US 40 Highway between SE Dupont Road and SE Green Road. SE Shawnee Heights Road were temporarily closed between SE 10th Street and SE US 40 Highway during the investigation.

The driver of the vehicle is cooperating with law enforcement, according to Christian.

Upon arrival, deputies located a deceased female just off the roadway.

At this time, investigators are currently on scene.

SE US 40 Highway is currently closed between SE Dupont Road and SE Green Road. SE Shawnee

Heights Road is currently closed between SE 10th Street and SE US 40 Highway.

More information will be released once it is available.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/2/1708552670329.png" alt="Near the scene of the investigation -photo courtesy WIBW TV" />
 <figcaption>Near the scene of the investigation -photo courtesy WIBW TV</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a fatal accident that left a Kansas woman dead.&nbsp;A Ford F150 pickup truck was&nbsp;westbound in the 6000 Block SE U.S. 40 Highway and struck a woman identified as 63-year-old Patricia S. McDonald who was pushing a bicycle in the roadway, according to Shawnee County Sheriff's Deputy Abigail Christian.Just before 10 a.m. Wednesday, the Shawnee County Emergency Communications Center received a phone call reporting the accident.&nbsp; Deputies located McDonald's body just off the roadway.SE US 40 Highway between SE Dupont Road and SE Green Road. SE Shawnee Heights Road were temporarily closed between SE 10th Street and SE US 40 Highway during the investigation.The driver of the vehicle is cooperating with law enforcement, according to Christian.Upon arrival, deputies located a deceased female just off the roadway.At this time, investigators are currently on scene.SE US 40 Highway is currently closed between SE Dupont Road and SE Green Road. SE ShawneeHeights Road is currently closed between SE 10th Street and SE US 40 Highway.More information will be released once it is available.

Sheriff: Pickup struck, killed Kansas woman pushing bicycle 

SEDGWICK COUNTY— A suspect accused in the death of a Kansas woman made his first court appearance in the case Wednesday.

Jose Velazquez-Carrillo, 24 of Wichita, was charged with 1st degree murder, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.

Just after 4p.m. Feb. 15, police responded to a shooting in the 1400 block of South George Washington Blvd. in&nbsp; Wichita, according to Police Lt. Aaron Moses.

The victim, identified as<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/9deb3242-2e61-4f75-a01d-f06b8a4c50e5?utm_source=dlvr.it&amp;utm_medium=facebook"> 42-year-old Candace Amack </a>of Wichita, was found outside of a residence, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. She was&nbsp; was pronounced deceased on the scene.

Employing FLOCK, cutting-edge technology, Wichita Police Officers were able to identify a possible suspect vehicle leaving the area after the reported shooting.

Officers quickly identified and located the vehicle at a residence in the 1300 block of North Jackson in Wichita. In collaboration with the Kansas Highway Patrol air section, the Wichita Police Department coordinated efforts resulting in the safe apprehension of the suspects at approximately 7:45 pm near 13th and Hydraulic on a vehicle stop.

&nbsp;Velazquez-Carillo remains jailed on a $500,000 bond, according to the district attorney's office&nbsp; and 33-year-old Martin Velazquez-Villa is awaiting a court appearance on a requested charge of First-Degree Murder, according to online jail records.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/2/1708119236620.png" alt="Velazquez-Carrillo-photo Sedgwick Co." />
 <figcaption>Velazquez-Carrillo-photo Sedgwick Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY— A suspect accused in the death of a Kansas woman made his first court appearance in the case Wednesday.Jose Velazquez-Carrillo, 24 of Wichita, was charged with 1st degree murder, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/2/1708101627898.png" alt="Police at the scene of the investigation -Photo courtesy KWCH" />
 <figcaption>Police at the scene of the investigation -Photo courtesy KWCH</figcaption>
 </figure>Just after 4p.m. Feb. 15, police responded to a shooting in the 1400 block of South George Washington Blvd. in&nbsp; Wichita, according to Police Lt. Aaron Moses.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/2/1708546408247.jpeg" alt="Candace Amack courtesy photo" />
 <figcaption>Candace Amack courtesy photo</figcaption>
 </figure> The victim, identified as<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/9deb3242-2e61-4f75-a01d-f06b8a4c50e5?utm_source=dlvr.it&amp;utm_medium=facebook"> 42-year-old Candace Amack </a>of Wichita, was found outside of a residence, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. She was&nbsp; was pronounced deceased on the scene.Employing FLOCK, cutting-edge technology, Wichita Police Officers were able to identify a possible suspect vehicle leaving the area after the reported shooting.Officers quickly identified and located the vehicle at a residence in the 1300 block of North Jackson in Wichita. In collaboration with the Kansas Highway Patrol air section, the Wichita Police Department coordinated efforts resulting in the safe apprehension of the suspects at approximately 7:45 pm near 13th and Hydraulic on a vehicle stop.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/2/1708119197632.png" alt="Velazquez-Villa-photo Sedgwick Co." />
 <figcaption>Velazquez-Villa-photo Sedgwick Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>&nbsp;Velazquez-Carillo remains jailed on a $500,000 bond, according to the district attorney's office&nbsp; and 33-year-old Martin Velazquez-Villa is awaiting a court appearance on a requested charge of First-Degree Murder, according to online jail records.

Suspect charged after Kan. woman found dead outside her home

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House is considering using provisions of federal immigration law repeatedly tapped by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-ap-top-news-international-news-politics-latin-america-6bef9ed6c48b4c2ea203cbbea3ccacad">former President Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;to unilaterally enact a sweeping crackdown at the southern border, according to three people familiar with the deliberations.

The administration, stymied by Republican lawmakers&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-border-security-ukraine-058876834b48bacf5b3678b067d8dd9a">who rejected a negotiated border bill</a>&nbsp;earlier this month, has been exploring options that President Joe Biden could deploy on his own without congressional approval, multiple officials and others familiar with the talks said. But the plans are nowhere near finalized and it’s unclear how the administration would draft any such executive actions in a way that would survive the inevitable legal challenges. The officials and those familiar with the talks spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to comment on private ongoing White House discussions.

The exploration of such avenues&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-immigration-congress-government-and-politics-a6b7a3f19297e9d6675fd625634dd41f">by Biden’s team underscores the pressure</a>&nbsp;the president faces this election year on immigration and the border, which have been among his biggest political liabilities since he took office. For now,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/border-immigration-election-2182fec11fa008ec96c4202e5656d19e#:~:text=%E2%80%9CIt'll%20also%20give%20me,now%20and%20fix%20it%20quickly.%E2%80%9D">the White House has been hammering congressional Republicans</a>&nbsp;for refusing to act on border legislation that the GOP demanded, but the administration is also aware of the political perils that high numbers of migrants could pose for the president and is scrambling to figure out how Biden could ease the problem on his own.

White House spokesperson Angelo Fernández Hernández stressed that “no executive action, no matter how aggressive, can deliver the significant policy reforms and additional resources Congress can provide and that Republicans rejected.”

“The administration spent months negotiating in good faith to deliver the toughest and fairest bipartisan border security bill in decades because we need Congress to make significant policy reforms and to provide additional funding to secure our border and fix our broken immigration system,” he said. “Congressional Republicans chose to put partisan politics ahead of our national security, rejected what border agents have said they need, and then gave themselves a two-week vacation.”

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-border-security-migrants-homeland-security-1c6e9f612dff721191c0254f980947a5">Arrests for illegal crossings on the U.S. border with Mexico fell by half</a>&nbsp;in January from record highs in December to the third lowest month of Biden’s presidency. But officials fear those figures could eventually rise again, particularly as the November presidential election nears.

The immigration authority the administration has been looking into is outlined in Section 212(f) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, which gives a president broad leeway to block entry of certain immigrants into the United States if it would be “detrimental” to the national interest of the United States.

Trump, who is the likely GOP candidate to face off against Biden this fall, repeatedly leaned on the 212(f) power while in office,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/3a20abe305bd4c989116f82bf535393b">including his controversial ban to bar travelers from Muslim-majority nations.</a>&nbsp;Biden rescinded that ban on his first day in office through executive order.

But now, how Biden would deploy that power to deal with his own immigration challenges is currently being considered, and it could be used in a variety of ways, according to the people familiar with the discussions. For example, the ban could kick in when border crossings hit a certain number. That echoes a provision in the Senate border deal, which would have activated expulsions of migrants if the number of illegal border crossings reached above 5,000 daily for a five-day average.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has also called on Biden to use the 212(f) authority. Yet the comprehensive immigration overhaul Biden also introduced on his first day in office — which the White House continues to tout — includes provisions that would effectively scale back a president’s powers to bar immigrants under that authority.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/12/1671577993523.png" alt="Photo courtesy Rep. Tony Gonzales" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy Rep. Tony Gonzales</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House is considering using provisions of federal immigration law repeatedly tapped by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-ap-top-news-international-news-politics-latin-america-6bef9ed6c48b4c2ea203cbbea3ccacad">former President Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;to unilaterally enact a sweeping crackdown at the southern border, according to three people familiar with the deliberations.The administration, stymied by Republican lawmakers&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-border-security-ukraine-058876834b48bacf5b3678b067d8dd9a">who rejected a negotiated border bill</a>&nbsp;earlier this month, has been exploring options that President Joe Biden could deploy on his own without congressional approval, multiple officials and others familiar with the talks said. But the plans are nowhere near finalized and it’s unclear how the administration would draft any such executive actions in a way that would survive the inevitable legal challenges. The officials and those familiar with the talks spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to comment on private ongoing White House discussions.The exploration of such avenues&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-immigration-congress-government-and-politics-a6b7a3f19297e9d6675fd625634dd41f">by Biden’s team underscores the pressure</a>&nbsp;the president faces this election year on immigration and the border, which have been among his biggest political liabilities since he took office. For now,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/border-immigration-election-2182fec11fa008ec96c4202e5656d19e#:~:text=%E2%80%9CIt'll%20also%20give%20me,now%20and%20fix%20it%20quickly.%E2%80%9D">the White House has been hammering congressional Republicans</a>&nbsp;for refusing to act on border legislation that the GOP demanded, but the administration is also aware of the political perils that high numbers of migrants could pose for the president and is scrambling to figure out how Biden could ease the problem on his own.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/5/1683151099285.png" alt="White House file photo President Biden at the border&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>White House file photo President Biden at the border&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>White House spokesperson Angelo Fernández Hernández stressed that “no executive action, no matter how aggressive, can deliver the significant policy reforms and additional resources Congress can provide and that Republicans rejected.”“The administration spent months negotiating in good faith to deliver the toughest and fairest bipartisan border security bill in decades because we need Congress to make significant policy reforms and to provide additional funding to secure our border and fix our broken immigration system,” he said. “Congressional Republicans chose to put partisan politics ahead of our national security, rejected what border agents have said they need, and then gave themselves a two-week vacation.”<a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-border-security-migrants-homeland-security-1c6e9f612dff721191c0254f980947a5">Arrests for illegal crossings on the U.S. border with Mexico fell by half</a>&nbsp;in January from record highs in December to the third lowest month of Biden’s presidency. But officials fear those figures could eventually rise again, particularly as the November presidential election nears.The immigration authority the administration has been looking into is outlined in Section 212(f) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, which gives a president broad leeway to block entry of certain immigrants into the United States if it would be “detrimental” to the national interest of the United States.Trump, who is the likely GOP candidate to face off against Biden this fall, repeatedly leaned on the 212(f) power while in office,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/3a20abe305bd4c989116f82bf535393b">including his controversial ban to bar travelers from Muslim-majority nations.</a>&nbsp;Biden rescinded that ban on his first day in office through executive order.But now, how Biden would deploy that power to deal with his own immigration challenges is currently being considered, and it could be used in a variety of ways, according to the people familiar with the discussions. For example, the ban could kick in when border crossings hit a certain number. That echoes a provision in the Senate border deal, which would have activated expulsions of migrants if the number of illegal border crossings reached above 5,000 daily for a five-day average.House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has also called on Biden to use the 212(f) authority. Yet the comprehensive immigration overhaul Biden also introduced on his first day in office — which the White House continues to tout — includes provisions that would effectively scale back a president’s powers to bar immigrants under that authority.

White House considering new border crackdown

WYANDOTTE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities investigating a deadly Kansas shooting have identified the victim as 43-year-old Peter Long of Kansas City, Kansas.

1100 Block of County Line Rd.Detectives with the Kansas City, Kansas Police Department have identified the male victim from early Saturday morning 2-17-2024. The victim has been identified as Peter Long, 8-20-1981. He was a resident of Kansas City,

Just before 3a.m. Feb. 17, police were dispatched to the Southridge Apartments in the 1100 Block of County Line Road, according to a media release. First responders discovered Long deceased inside an apartment with apparent gunshot wounds. 

The suspect, an adult male remains in custody. This incident is under investigation by the KCKPD Major Case Unit. This death is the first homicide of 2024 in Kansas City, Kansas.

WYANDOTTE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities investigating a deadly Kansas shooting have identified the victim as 43-year-old Peter Long of Kansas City, Kansas.1100 Block of County Line Rd.Detectives with the Kansas City, Kansas Police Department have identified the male victim from early Saturday morning 2-17-2024. The victim has been identified as Peter Long, 8-20-1981. He was a resident of Kansas City,Just before 3a.m. Feb. 17, police were dispatched to the Southridge Apartments in the 1100 Block of County Line Road, according to a media release. First responders discovered Long deceased inside an apartment with apparent gunshot wounds. The suspect, an adult male remains in custody. This incident is under investigation by the KCKPD Major Case Unit. This death is the first homicide of 2024 in Kansas City, Kansas.

Homicide: Police ID man found dead in Kansas apartment

SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement will conduct no further investigation of an accidental discharge of a firearm that occurred last weekend at a Gun and Knife Show at&nbsp;Century II Performing Arts and Convention Center,&nbsp;225 W Douglas Avenue in Wichita.

There was an accidental discharge of a handgun by a patron, according to Sedgwick County Sheriff's Lt. Nathan Gibbs. The firearm was located on a dealer’s table, according GIbbs. No one was injured.&nbsp; &nbsp;The case was documented and closed.

The sheriff's office released no additional details including the model or caliber of the gun involved.&nbsp; Management for<a href="https://macshows.com/contact-us/"> Midwest Arms Collectors</a> or MAC Shows, who are in charge of the event refused to comment on the incident.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/12/1575373706482.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement will conduct no further investigation of an accidental discharge of a firearm that occurred last weekend at a Gun and Knife Show at&nbsp;Century II Performing Arts and Convention Center,&nbsp;225 W Douglas Avenue in Wichita.There was an accidental discharge of a handgun by a patron, according to Sedgwick County Sheriff's Lt. Nathan Gibbs. The firearm was located on a dealer’s table, according GIbbs. No one was injured.&nbsp; &nbsp;The case was documented and closed.The sheriff's office released no additional details including the model or caliber of the gun involved.&nbsp; Management for<a href="https://macshows.com/contact-us/"> Midwest Arms Collectors</a> or MAC Shows, who are in charge of the event refused to comment on the incident.

No investigation after accident at gun and knife show in Kansas

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A suspected missile attack by Yemen's Houthi rebels set a ship ablaze in the Gulf of Aden on Thursday as Israel intercepted what appeared to be another Houthi attack near the port city of Eilat, authorities said.

The attacks come as the rebels escalate their assaults over&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war">Israel's war against Hamas</a>&nbsp;in the Gaza Strip.

The attack Thursday in the Gulf of Aden saw two missiles fired, the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said. It said the unnamed ship was ablaze, without elaborating.

Ship-tracking data analyzed by The Associated Press identified the vessel ablaze as a Palau-flagged cargo ship named Islander. It had been coming from Thailand bound for Egypt and previously sent out messages saying “SYRIAN CREW ON BOARD” to potentially avoid being targeted by the Houthis.

“The missile attack lead to a fire onboard and coalition military assets were responding to the incident,” the private security firm Ambrey said.

The ship's Liberian-listed owners could not be immediately reached for comment.

Meanwhile, sirens sounded early Thursday morning over Eilat, followed by videos posted online of what appeared to be an interception in the sky overhead.

The Israeli military later said the interception was carried out by its Arrow missile defense system.

Israel did not identify what the fire was, nor where it came from. However, the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/germany-israel-missile-defense-arrow-61f9019cc118b806be40c9167b490c60">Arrow system intercepts long-range ballistic missiles</a>&nbsp;with a warhead designed to destroy targets while they are in space.

The system “successfully intercepted a launch which was identified in the area of the Red Sea and was en route to Israel,” the Israeli military said. “The target did not cross into Israeli territory and did not pose a threat to civilians.”

The Houthis did not immediately claim either attack. They typically acknowledge assaults they conduct hours afterward.

Eilat, on the Red Sea, is a key port city of Israel. On Oct. 31, Houthis first&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-war-yemen-houthis-iran-34eab8bc1d3cf3606d874166fef2f018">claimed a missile-and-drone barrage targeting the city</a>. The rebels have claimed other attacks targeting Eilat, which have caused no damage in the city.

Since November, the rebels have repeatedly targeted ships in the Red Sea and surrounding waters over Israel’s war against Hamas. They have frequently targeted vessels with tenuous or no clear links to Israel, imperiling shipping in a key route for trade among Asia, the Mideast and Europe. Those vessels have included&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/yemen-ship-missile-houthi-rebels-attack-bab-elmandeb-strait-999b911c916f9266c07a6d29cc020e9e">at least one with cargo for Iran</a>, the Houthis’ main benefactor.

Despite a month of U.S.-led airstrikes,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/yemen-attacks-iran-ships-retaliation-houthis-d770a3fb0fab4c4b72e2459771833e11">Houthi rebels remain capable</a>&nbsp;of launching significant attacks. This week,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/yemen-houthi-red-sea-israel-hamas-6ac2a1bf5032ed0531258816907cfe2c">they seriously damaged a ship in a crucial strait and downed an American drone</a>&nbsp;worth tens of millions of dollars. The Houthis insist their attacks will continue until Israel stops its combat operations in the Gaza Strip, which have enraged the wider Arab world and seen the Houthis gain international recognition.

On Wednesday, ships in the Red Sea off the Houthi-held port city of Hodeida in Yemen reported seeing an explosion, though all vessels in the area were said to be safe, the UKTMO said. The UKMTO earlier reported heavy drone activity in the area.

The U.S. military’s Central Command acknowledged shooting down a Houthi bomb-carrying drone during that time. U.S. airstrikes separately targeted seven mobile anti-ship cruise missiles and one mobile anti-ship ballistic missile prepared to target ships in the Red Sea, Central Command said.

The U.S. State Department criticized “the reckless and indiscriminate attacks on civilian cargo ships by the Houthis” that have delayed humanitarian aid including food and medicine bound for Ethiopia, Sudan and Yemen. That includes the Sea Champion, a ship carrying corn and other aid to both Aden and Hodeida.

“Contrary to what the Houthis may attempt to claim, their attacks do nothing to help the Palestinians,” State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement. “Their actions are not bringing a single morsel of assistance or food to the Palestinian people.”

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A suspected missile attack by Yemen's Houthi rebels set a ship ablaze in the Gulf of Aden on Thursday as Israel intercepted what appeared to be another Houthi attack near the port city of Eilat, authorities said.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">U.S. Department of State statement condemning the reckless and indiscriminate attacks on civilian cargo ships by the Houthis.<a href="https://t.co/MYUMPCP9WD">https://t.co/MYUMPCP9WD</a>&mdash; U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) <a href="https://twitter.com/CENTCOM/status/1760450457494077647?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 21, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The attacks come as the rebels escalate their assaults over&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war">Israel's war against Hamas</a>&nbsp;in the Gaza Strip.The attack Thursday in the Gulf of Aden saw two missiles fired, the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said. It said the unnamed ship was ablaze, without elaborating.Ship-tracking data analyzed by The Associated Press identified the vessel ablaze as a Palau-flagged cargo ship named Islander. It had been coming from Thailand bound for Egypt and previously sent out messages saying “SYRIAN CREW ON BOARD” to potentially avoid being targeted by the Houthis.“The missile attack lead to a fire onboard and coalition military assets were responding to the incident,” the private security firm Ambrey said.The ship's Liberian-listed owners could not be immediately reached for comment.Meanwhile, sirens sounded early Thursday morning over Eilat, followed by videos posted online of what appeared to be an interception in the sky overhead.The Israeli military later said the interception was carried out by its Arrow missile defense system.Israel did not identify what the fire was, nor where it came from. However, the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/germany-israel-missile-defense-arrow-61f9019cc118b806be40c9167b490c60">Arrow system intercepts long-range ballistic missiles</a>&nbsp;with a warhead designed to destroy targets while they are in space.The system “successfully intercepted a launch which was identified in the area of the Red Sea and was en route to Israel,” the Israeli military said. “The target did not cross into Israeli territory and did not pose a threat to civilians.”The Houthis did not immediately claim either attack. They typically acknowledge assaults they conduct hours afterward.Eilat, on the Red Sea, is a key port city of Israel. On Oct. 31, Houthis first&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-war-yemen-houthis-iran-34eab8bc1d3cf3606d874166fef2f018">claimed a missile-and-drone barrage targeting the city</a>. The rebels have claimed other attacks targeting Eilat, which have caused no damage in the city.Since November, the rebels have repeatedly targeted ships in the Red Sea and surrounding waters over Israel’s war against Hamas. They have frequently targeted vessels with tenuous or no clear links to Israel, imperiling shipping in a key route for trade among Asia, the Mideast and Europe. Those vessels have included&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/yemen-ship-missile-houthi-rebels-attack-bab-elmandeb-strait-999b911c916f9266c07a6d29cc020e9e">at least one with cargo for Iran</a>, the Houthis’ main benefactor.Despite a month of U.S.-led airstrikes,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/yemen-attacks-iran-ships-retaliation-houthis-d770a3fb0fab4c4b72e2459771833e11">Houthi rebels remain capable</a>&nbsp;of launching significant attacks. This week,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/yemen-houthi-red-sea-israel-hamas-6ac2a1bf5032ed0531258816907cfe2c">they seriously damaged a ship in a crucial strait and downed an American drone</a>&nbsp;worth tens of millions of dollars. The Houthis insist their attacks will continue until Israel stops its combat operations in the Gaza Strip, which have enraged the wider Arab world and seen the Houthis gain international recognition.On Wednesday, ships in the Red Sea off the Houthi-held port city of Hodeida in Yemen reported seeing an explosion, though all vessels in the area were said to be safe, the UKTMO said. The UKMTO earlier reported heavy drone activity in the area.The U.S. military’s Central Command acknowledged shooting down a Houthi bomb-carrying drone during that time. U.S. airstrikes separately targeted seven mobile anti-ship cruise missiles and one mobile anti-ship ballistic missile prepared to target ships in the Red Sea, Central Command said.The U.S. State Department criticized “the reckless and indiscriminate attacks on civilian cargo ships by the Houthis” that have delayed humanitarian aid including food and medicine bound for Ethiopia, Sudan and Yemen. That includes the Sea Champion, a ship carrying corn and other aid to both Aden and Hodeida.“Contrary to what the Houthis may attempt to claim, their attacks do nothing to help the Palestinians,” State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement. “Their actions are not bringing a single morsel of assistance or food to the Palestinian people.”

U.S. condemns attacks on civilian cargo ships by Iran-backed rebels

NEW YORK (AP) — A never-published biography of the Eagles delved deeply into the superstar classic rock band's 1980 breakup, their longtime manager testified Wednesday, saying co-founders Glenn Frey and Don Henley were “very disappointed” with the manuscript.

The book never found a publisher. But four decades later, it’s part of another story: a criminal trial that opened Wednesday and involves roughly 100 pages of hand-drafted&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hotel-california-lyrics-manuscript-trial-eagles-henley-973e74e795416821e6f022895b47b78e">lyrics to “Hotel California”</a>&nbsp;and other Eagles hits.

The defendants — rare-books dealer Glenn Horowitz, former Rock &amp; Roll Hall of Fame curator Craig Inciardi and memorabilia seller Edward Kosinski — got the documents via Ed Sanders, a noted poet and nonfiction writer who also co-founded the avant-garde rock group the Fugs.

Sanders isn't charged with anything, but a key question is whether he had the right to sell the lyrics pages he obtained while researching the biography.

Manhattan prosecutors say Horowitz, Inciardi and Kosinski peddled the pages while knowing their ownership history was shaky at best. Then, prosecutors say, they schemed to thwart Henley’s efforts to reclaim what he says are stolen pieces of his legacy.

“All these lyrics are very personal to him, they’re a part of musical history, and it was simply unacceptable to him that they be stolen by anyone else,” Irving Azoff, the Eagles' manager, said during testimony. He said he had never known Henley to part with any of the legal pads on which he, alongside Frey, worked out some of the best-known lyrics in the rock songbook.

Defense lawyers say Henley voluntarily gave away the documents and leveraged prosecutors to try to take them back.

“They have accused three innocent men of a crime that never occurred,” Inciardi’s lawyer, Stacey Richman, told Judge Curtis Farber during opening statements. Farber will decide the verdict, as the defendants chose to forgo a jury.

The documents include lyrics-in-development for tracks from 1976's “Hotel California,” the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/3c0b39a1bb5b4e44aafe2c4e05a4b67f">third-biggest selling album ever</a>&nbsp;in the U.S.

Frey and Henley crafted them in a Beverly Hills house rented for the purpose, since the tidy Henley's tendency to pick up after Frey “would drive them crazy” if they worked in their own homes, Azoff testified.

Henley did most of the writing, he added, with Frey leaning in to make suggestions such as the phrase “Life in the Fast Lane," which became the title of a hit single.

The disputed pages include lyrics to that song, to “New Kid in Town” and, of course, to “Hotel California,” the more than six-minute-long, somewhat mysterious musical tale of a hedonistic but ultimately dark place where “you can check out any time you like, but you can never leave.”

If scorned by some as an overexposed artifact of the '70s, the Grammy-winning song is still a touchstone on classic rock radio and many personal playlists. The entertainment data company Luminate counted more than 220 million streams and 136,000 radio plays of “Hotel California” in the U.S. last year.

The case was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-music-new-york-california-290e31743f028951408a4a80a681f880">brought in 2022</a>, a decade after some of the pages began popping up for auction and Henley took umbrage. He bought four pages for $8,500 but also reported the documents stolen, prosecutors said.

At the time, the lyrics sheets were in the hands of Kosinski and Inciardi, who had bought them from Horowitz for $65,000. His company had purchased them for $50,000 in 2005 from Sanders.

A friend of Frey's, he was hired in 1979 to write a band biography for $25,000 and enjoyed extensive access. But Azoff testified that the co-founders disliked the resulting manuscript and that, “for me personally, all the stuff about the Eagles' breakup was unacceptable.”

As the project stalled, a frustrated Sanders asked Azoff in a 1982 letter for “a substantial amount of money,” saying he'd “behaved with great reserve” by not approaching a major magazine with a story about the Eagles' split.

“He had inside knowledge,” Azoff said, and with Frey and Henley cultivating solo careers, “we didn’t want some ugly story of the breakup of the Eagles to be published.”

They ultimately paid Sanders about $75,000 and agreed to let him look for a publisher, comfortable that any book still would need the band's approval under his 1979 contract, Azoff said.

Sanders hasn't responded to a phone message seeking comment about the case. Emails sent to him bounced back.

Sanders told Horowitz in 2005 that Henley's assistant had mailed along any documents he wanted for the biography, though the writer worried that Henley "might conceivably be upset” if they were sold, according to an email shown in court.

“It cast significant doubt on whether Sanders actually owned Henley’s lyric notes or had the right to sell them,” Assistant District Attorney Nicholas Penfold said in opening remarks.

Sanders' contract said the Eagles owned any material they furnished to Sanders for the book. Defense lawyers said their clients knew nothing about the contract until after they were indicted.

Prosecutors say once Henley's lawyers asserted the documents were stolen, Inciardi and Horowitz gave evolving accounts of how Sanders obtained them.

According to emails recounted in the indictment, those explanations ranged over the next five years from Sanders finding them abandoned in a backstage dressing room to getting them from Frey, who&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-music-8169f05ac21d43dda4b1c1dd8b065e28">died in 2016</a>.

There was some input and assent from Sanders, but he also also rejected some, including the backstage-salvage story, according to the emails.

Horowitz’ lawyer, Jonathan Bach, said the messages weren’t suspicious efforts to cover tracks, but rather an effort by Horowitz and Inciardi to get “a simple statement from Ed Sanders to rebut an allegation they know to be baseless.”

Kosinski forwarded one of the various explanations to Henley’s lawyer, then told an auction house that the rocker had “no claim” to the documents, the indictment says. He also asked the auctioneers not to tell potential bidders about the ownership dispute.

His lawyer, Matthew Laroche, said Kosinski was upfront with all and “acted diligently and appropriately.”

Henley is expected to testify. Defense lawyers have indicated that they plan to question how clearly he remembers his dealings with Sanders and the lyric sheets at a time when the rock star was living life in the fast lane himself.

NEW YORK (AP) — Nearly half a century after “Hotel California” became a rock megahit, three men went on trial Wednesday in a criminal case about what became of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hotel-california-lyrics-manuscript-trial-eagles-henley-973e74e795416821e6f022895b47b78e">a cache of hand-drafted lyrics</a>&nbsp;to the song and other Eagles favorites.

The case centers on roughly 100 pages of legal-pad pages inscribed with developmental versions of some of the most well-known lines in the rock songbook.

The key witness is expected to be Eagles co-founder Don Henley, who wants to recover the manuscripts. The defendants are all well-established professionals in the collectibles world, and they got the documents from a writer and 1960s counterculture figure with rock roots of his own.

Prosecutors say the defendants — rare-books dealer Glenn Horowitz, former Rock &amp; Roll Hall of Fame curator Craig Inciardi, and memorabilia seller Edward Kosinski — peddled the pages while knowing their ownership history was shaky at best. Then, prosecutors claim, the men schemed to thwart Henley’s efforts to reclaim what he says are stolen pieces of his legacy.

“The defendants were not businessmen acting in good faith, but criminal actors,” Manhattan District Attorney Nicholas Penfold said in an opening statement.

The men have pleaded not guilty to charges including conspiracy to possess stolen property. Their lawyers say the documents simply weren't stolen and that the men did nothing illegal by buying or trying to sell them.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/2/1708429319229.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>NEW YORK (AP) — A never-published biography of the Eagles delved deeply into the superstar classic rock band's 1980 breakup, their longtime manager testified Wednesday, saying co-founders Glenn Frey and Don Henley were “very disappointed” with the manuscript.The book never found a publisher. But four decades later, it’s part of another story: a criminal trial that opened Wednesday and involves roughly 100 pages of hand-drafted&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hotel-california-lyrics-manuscript-trial-eagles-henley-973e74e795416821e6f022895b47b78e">lyrics to “Hotel California”</a>&nbsp;and other Eagles hits.The defendants — rare-books dealer Glenn Horowitz, former Rock &amp; Roll Hall of Fame curator Craig Inciardi and memorabilia seller Edward Kosinski — got the documents via Ed Sanders, a noted poet and nonfiction writer who also co-founded the avant-garde rock group the Fugs.Sanders isn't charged with anything, but a key question is whether he had the right to sell the lyrics pages he obtained while researching the biography.Manhattan prosecutors say Horowitz, Inciardi and Kosinski peddled the pages while knowing their ownership history was shaky at best. Then, prosecutors say, they schemed to thwart Henley’s efforts to reclaim what he says are stolen pieces of his legacy.“All these lyrics are very personal to him, they’re a part of musical history, and it was simply unacceptable to him that they be stolen by anyone else,” Irving Azoff, the Eagles' manager, said during testimony. He said he had never known Henley to part with any of the legal pads on which he, alongside Frey, worked out some of the best-known lyrics in the rock songbook.Defense lawyers say Henley voluntarily gave away the documents and leveraged prosecutors to try to take them back.“They have accused three innocent men of a crime that never occurred,” Inciardi’s lawyer, Stacey Richman, told Judge Curtis Farber during opening statements. Farber will decide the verdict, as the defendants chose to forgo a jury.The documents include lyrics-in-development for tracks from 1976's “Hotel California,” the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/3c0b39a1bb5b4e44aafe2c4e05a4b67f">third-biggest selling album ever</a>&nbsp;in the U.S.Frey and Henley crafted them in a Beverly Hills house rented for the purpose, since the tidy Henley's tendency to pick up after Frey “would drive them crazy” if they worked in their own homes, Azoff testified.Henley did most of the writing, he added, with Frey leaning in to make suggestions such as the phrase “Life in the Fast Lane," which became the title of a hit single.The disputed pages include lyrics to that song, to “New Kid in Town” and, of course, to “Hotel California,” the more than six-minute-long, somewhat mysterious musical tale of a hedonistic but ultimately dark place where “you can check out any time you like, but you can never leave.”If scorned by some as an overexposed artifact of the '70s, the Grammy-winning song is still a touchstone on classic rock radio and many personal playlists. The entertainment data company Luminate counted more than 220 million streams and 136,000 radio plays of “Hotel California” in the U.S. last year.The case was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-music-new-york-california-290e31743f028951408a4a80a681f880">brought in 2022</a>, a decade after some of the pages began popping up for auction and Henley took umbrage. He bought four pages for $8,500 but also reported the documents stolen, prosecutors said.At the time, the lyrics sheets were in the hands of Kosinski and Inciardi, who had bought them from Horowitz for $65,000. His company had purchased them for $50,000 in 2005 from Sanders.A friend of Frey's, he was hired in 1979 to write a band biography for $25,000 and enjoyed extensive access. But Azoff testified that the co-founders disliked the resulting manuscript and that, “for me personally, all the stuff about the Eagles' breakup was unacceptable.”As the project stalled, a frustrated Sanders asked Azoff in a 1982 letter for “a substantial amount of money,” saying he'd “behaved with great reserve” by not approaching a major magazine with a story about the Eagles' split.That worried them.“He had inside knowledge,” Azoff said, and with Frey and Henley cultivating solo careers, “we didn’t want some ugly story of the breakup of the Eagles to be published.”They ultimately paid Sanders about $75,000 and agreed to let him look for a publisher, comfortable that any book still would need the band's approval under his 1979 contract, Azoff said.Sanders hasn't responded to a phone message seeking comment about the case. Emails sent to him bounced back.Sanders told Horowitz in 2005 that Henley's assistant had mailed along any documents he wanted for the biography, though the writer worried that Henley "might conceivably be upset” if they were sold, according to an email shown in court.“It cast significant doubt on whether Sanders actually owned Henley’s lyric notes or had the right to sell them,” Assistant District Attorney Nicholas Penfold said in opening remarks.Sanders' contract said the Eagles owned any material they furnished to Sanders for the book. Defense lawyers said their clients knew nothing about the contract until after they were indicted.Prosecutors say once Henley's lawyers asserted the documents were stolen, Inciardi and Horowitz gave evolving accounts of how Sanders obtained them.According to emails recounted in the indictment, those explanations ranged over the next five years from Sanders finding them abandoned in a backstage dressing room to getting them from Frey, who&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-music-8169f05ac21d43dda4b1c1dd8b065e28">died in 2016</a>.There was some input and assent from Sanders, but he also also rejected some, including the backstage-salvage story, according to the emails.Horowitz’ lawyer, Jonathan Bach, said the messages weren’t suspicious efforts to cover tracks, but rather an effort by Horowitz and Inciardi to get “a simple statement from Ed Sanders to rebut an allegation they know to be baseless.”Kosinski forwarded one of the various explanations to Henley’s lawyer, then told an auction house that the rocker had “no claim” to the documents, the indictment says. He also asked the auctioneers not to tell potential bidders about the ownership dispute.His lawyer, Matthew Laroche, said Kosinski was upfront with all and “acted diligently and appropriately.”Henley is expected to testify. Defense lawyers have indicated that they plan to question how clearly he remembers his dealings with Sanders and the lyric sheets at a time when the rock star was living life in the fast lane himself.___NEW YORK (AP) — Nearly half a century after “Hotel California” became a rock megahit, three men went on trial Wednesday in a criminal case about what became of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hotel-california-lyrics-manuscript-trial-eagles-henley-973e74e795416821e6f022895b47b78e">a cache of hand-drafted lyrics</a>&nbsp;to the song and other Eagles favorites.The case centers on roughly 100 pages of legal-pad pages inscribed with developmental versions of some of the most well-known lines in the rock songbook.The key witness is expected to be Eagles co-founder Don Henley, who wants to recover the manuscripts. The defendants are all well-established professionals in the collectibles world, and they got the documents from a writer and 1960s counterculture figure with rock roots of his own.Prosecutors say the defendants — rare-books dealer Glenn Horowitz, former Rock &amp; Roll Hall of Fame curator Craig Inciardi, and memorabilia seller Edward Kosinski — peddled the pages while knowing their ownership history was shaky at best. Then, prosecutors claim, the men schemed to thwart Henley’s efforts to reclaim what he says are stolen pieces of his legacy.“The defendants were not businessmen acting in good faith, but criminal actors,” Manhattan District Attorney Nicholas Penfold said in an opening statement.The men have pleaded not guilty to charges including conspiracy to possess stolen property. Their lawyers say the documents simply weren't stolen and that the men did nothing illegal by buying or trying to sell them.“They have accused three innocent men of a crime that never occurred,” Inciardi's lawyer, Stacey Richman, said during opening statements.The defense says Henley voluntarily gave away the documents and leveraged prosecutors to try to take them back. The prosecution effectively makes a crime out of any circumstance in which “a celebrity tells you, ‘That property is mine,’ and you don’t give it back when they ask for it," said one of Kosinski's lawyers, Matthew LaRoche.The trial concerns about 100 pages of drafts of song lyrics from the 1976 release “Hotel California," which is the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/3c0b39a1bb5b4e44aafe2c4e05a4b67f">third-biggest selling album ever</a>&nbsp;in the U.S.The documents include lyrics-in-development for the songs “Life in the Fast Lane,” “New Kid in Town” and, of course, “Hotel California,” the more than six-minute-long, somewhat mysterious musical tale of the goings-on at a hedonistic but ultimately dark place where “you can check out any time you like, but you can never leave.”If scorned by some as an overexposed artifact of the '70s, the Grammy-winning song is still a touchstone on classic rock radio and many personal playlists. The entertainment data company Luminate counted more than 220 million streams and 136,000 radio plays of “Hotel California” in the U.S. last year.The case was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-music-new-york-california-290e31743f028951408a4a80a681f880">brought in 2022</a>, a decade after some of the pages began popping up for auction and Henley took notice — and took umbrage. He bought four pages for $8,500 but also reported the documents stolen, prosecutors said.At the time, the lyrics sheets were in the hands of Kosinski and Inciardi, who had bought them from Horowitz for $65,000. His company had purchased them for $50,000 in 2005 from Sanders, a noted poet, nonfiction writer and activist who also co-founded the avant-garde rock group the Fugs. He worked with the Eagles on a band biography that was shelved in the early ‘80s, amassing boxes full of material.“The Eagles confided all sorts of things to Mr. Sanders about their lives, things that I'm quite confident they wished they didn’t share … and they want to get back,” LaRoche told Judge Curtis Farber during opening statements. Farber will decide the verdict, as the defendants chose to forgo a jury.Sanders isn't charged in the case and hasn't responded to a phone message seeking comment about it.Sanders told Horowitz in 2005 that Henley's assistant had mailed along any documents he wanted for the biography, though the writer worried that Henley “might conceivably be upset” if they were sold, according to an email shown in court.“It cast significant doubt on whether Sanders actually owned Henley’s lyric notes or had the right to sell them,” said Penfold, the prosecutor.Sanders signed a 1979 contract that said that the Eagles remained the owners of material they furnished to Sanders for the book. Defense lawyers said their clients knew nothing about the contract until after they were indicted.Prosecutors say that once Henley's lawyers began asking questions and asserting the documents were stolen, Horowitz, Inciardi and Kosinski started maneuvering to gin up and disseminate a legally viable ownership history for the manuscripts.According to emails recounted in the indictment, Inciardi and Horowitz floated evolving accounts of how Sanders obtained the documents. The explanations ranged over the next five years from Sanders finding them abandoned in a backstage dressing room to the writer getting them from Eagles co-founder Glenn Frey, who&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-music-8169f05ac21d43dda4b1c1dd8b065e28">died in 2016</a>.Emails show some input and assent from Sanders, but he also also rejected some the backstage-salvage story, according to emails recounted in the indictment. In messages that didn't include him, Horowitz wrote about getting Sanders' “'explanation' shaped into a communication" and giving him “gentle handling” and assurances “that he's not going to the can," the indictment says.Horowitz’ lawyer, Jonathan Bach, said the emails weren’t suspicious efforts to cover tracks, but rather an effort by Horowitz and Inciardi to get “a simple statement from Ed Sanders to rebut an allegation they know to be baseless.”The indictment doesn't show Kosinki participating in the back-and-forth with Sanders. But Kosinski forwarded one of the various explanations to Henley’s lawyer, then told an auction house that the rocker had “no claim” to the manuscripts, the indictment says. He also asked the auctioneers not to tell potential bidders about the ownership dispute.LaRoche, his lawyer, said Kosinski was upfront with all and “acted diligently and appropriately.”Defense lawyers have indicated that they plan to question how clearly Henley remembers his dealings with Sanders and the lyric sheets at a time when the rock star was living life in the fast lane himself.“His attitudes today, as a mature, successful, older businessman, regarding materials he helped compose and create nearly 50 years ago are very different from the attitudes that he held in his youth ... way back when he was far more carefree," Bach said.