KANSAS CITY (AP) — With other state lawmakers seated around her in the Ohio House, Democratic state Rep. Tavia Galonski got to her feet and began to loudly chant, "One person, one vote!"

The former Teamster's cry spread quickly through the visitors gallery, then began to rise from the throng of protesters gathered outside in the statehouse rotunda. Struggling to be heard over the din, the Republican speaker ordered spectators cleared from the chamber.

Last week's striking scene came as Ohio joined a growing number of Republican-leaning states that are moving to undermine direct democracy by restricting citizens' ability to bypass lawmakers through ballot initiatives and constitutional amendments.

The Ohio proposal will ask voters during an August special election to boost the threshold for passing constitutional amendments to 60% rather than a simple majority. It also would double the number of counties where signatures must be collected, adding an extra layer of difficulty to qualifying initiatives for the ballot.

The Missouri Legislature failed to approve a similar measure on Friday, but Republicans vowed to bring the issue back in 2024 in an attempt to head off a citizens' attempt to restore abortion rights in the state through a constitutional amendment.

A similar measure will be on North Dakota's ballot next year, while one in the works in Idaho would ask voters to increase signature requirements imposed on petition gatherers. In Wisconsin, which does not allow statewide citizen initiatives, Republicans who control the Legislature have proposed prohibiting local governments from placing advisory questions on ballots. Such referenda are sometimes used to boost voter turnout, though results don't carry the weight of law. Florida Republicans added new hurdles to that state's constitutional amendment process in 2020.

The trend has taken off as Democrats and left-leaning groups frustrated by legislative gerrymandering that locks them out of power in state legislatures are increasingly turning to the initiative process to force public votes on issues that are opposed by Republican lawmakers yet popular among voters. Only about half the states, mostly in the Western U.S., allow some form of citizen ballot initiative.

In Ohio, voters have proposed using the initiative process to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution this November, as well as to increase the minimum wage, to legalize recreational marijuana and to reform a redistricting system that has produced persistently unconstitutional political maps favoring Republicans.

Arkansas Sen. Bryan King, a Republican who has joined the League of Women Voters in a lawsuit challenging his state's latest initiative restriction, said he views efforts to undermine the initiative process as anti-democratic.

A measure approved earlier this year by Arkansas' majority-GOP Legislature and signed by Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders makes it harder to get initiatives on the ballot by raising the number of counties where signatures must be gathered from 15 to 50.

"I think one of the things it does is, no matter what party is in power, when you start trying to make it harder for citizens to challenge what their government does or make changes, then it just makes people not have faith in the process," King said. "So I do think that making it harder is wrong."

In Ohio, former governors and attorneys general of both major parties have lined up against the proposed constitutional amendment that would alter the simple majority threshold for passing citizen-led initiative that has been in place since 1912.

Democratic legislators point to the bipartisan opposition and the maneuvering that allowed the proposal to be on an August ballot as evidence that today's Republicans are extremist in their desire to maintain political power.

Republican state Rep. Brian Stewart, the Ohio plan's sponsor, argued during last week's raucous floor session that a simple majority of voters will get to decide whether to impose the stricter requirements on future ballot initiatives.

"SJR 2 will ask Ohioans, not us, whether Ohio's constitution should require a 60% vote threshold to adopt amendments going forward. It will ask Ohioans, not us, to decide whether all 88 counties should have a voice in determining what amendments make it onto the ballot and to eliminate the cumbersome 'cure' period, which gives initiative petitions effectively a do-over when they fail to meet the requirements for ballot access," he said. "Putting this issue in front of Ohioans, that is democratic."

What Stewart didn't address is how Republicans circumvented a law they had just passed so they could put the proposed amendment on a summertime ballot when voter turnout is typically quite low, rather than putting it before voters in the regular election this November.

Democratic Rep. Casey Weinstein called out Stewart and Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, a Republican, for previously opposing the very August special elections that they supported for offering the 60% question.

Weinstein read in its entirety LaRose's testimony from December advocating for the provisions of a new law — signed in January — that eliminated most August elections. LaRose argued that making big decisions, including those regarding ballot issues, in chronically low-turnout August elections "isn't the way democracy is supposed to work" and that such elections "aren't good for taxpayers, election officials or the civic health of our state."

In testimony, Mark Gavin Sr., outreach director for the Black Environmental Leaders Association, referred to the U.S. Constitution's counting of enslaved people by calling the Ohio proposal "the new Three-Fifths Compromise."

Gavin was among hundreds of protesters who packed statehouse hearings and overflow rooms, testified and marched in opposition to the Republican proposal, which he said is intended to dilute the power of individual voters.

"I've been a voter in Ohio for 15 years, and it's getting really old to always have to have new rules and regulations on a ballot," he said.

Anti-abortion and pro-gun groups were the primary forces behind the push in favor of the proposed Ohio amendment. Since the Supreme Court's decision last year overturning Roe v. Wade, voters in Michigan, Kentucky and Kansas have protected abortion rights through statewide votes.

David Couch, an attorney who has worked on citizens' initiatives in Arkansas, said Republicans' efforts to thwart direct democracy are uniquely partisan.

"If you look in Arkansas history in the '90s, when the Democrats controlled Arkansas, the conservative right passed same-sex marriage amendments, they passed adoption amendments," he said. "They passed all sorts of reforms, and the Democrats didn't try to change the process."

Democrats in Missouri did try to cripple the initiative process through legislation in 1992. Then-Gov. John Ashcroft, a Republican who went on to serve as U.S. attorney general, vetoed the bill. Ashcroft's son, Jay, is the state's current secretary of state.

"It is through the initiative process that those who have no influence with elective representatives may take their cause directly to the people," the elder Ashcroft said in a veto letter that became part of this year's debate. "The General Assembly should be reluctant, therefore, to enact legislation which places any impediments on the initiative power which are inconsistent with the reservation found in the Constitution."

Missouri's Republican lawmakers are singing a different tune today. Fearing a constitutional amendment to protect abortion rights, they vowed last week to make it a priority in 2024 to adopt a ballot measure that would establish a 57% threshold for passing future amendments.

Not all Republicans in the state think that's a good idea. Former Republican House Speaker Pro Tem Carl Bearden said the proposal would infringe on the rights of Missouri voters while noting that the initiative process is intended to be a check on the power of the Legislature.

"It is not a conservative policy," he said of the Republican plan.

Associated Press writers Ayanna Alexander in Washington, Summer Ballentine in Jefferson City, Mo., Scott Bauer in Madison, Wis., and Andrew DeMillo in Little Rock, Ark., contributed to this report.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1603990248864.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>By JULIE CARR SMYTH&nbsp;KANSAS CITY (AP) — With other state lawmakers seated around her in the Ohio House, Democratic state Rep. Tavia Galonski got to her feet and began to loudly chant, "One person, one vote!"The former Teamster's cry spread quickly through the visitors gallery, then began to rise from the throng of protesters gathered outside in the statehouse rotunda. Struggling to be heard over the din, the Republican speaker ordered spectators cleared from the chamber.Last week's striking scene came as Ohio joined a growing number of Republican-leaning states that are moving to undermine direct democracy by restricting citizens' ability to bypass lawmakers through ballot initiatives and constitutional amendments.The Ohio proposal will ask voters during an August special election to boost the threshold for passing constitutional amendments to 60% rather than a simple majority. It also would double the number of counties where signatures must be collected, adding an extra layer of difficulty to qualifying initiatives for the ballot.The Missouri Legislature failed to approve a similar measure on Friday, but Republicans vowed to bring the issue back in 2024 in an attempt to head off a citizens' attempt to restore abortion rights in the state through a constitutional amendment.A similar measure will be on North Dakota's ballot next year, while one in the works in Idaho would ask voters to increase signature requirements imposed on petition gatherers. In Wisconsin, which does not allow statewide citizen initiatives, Republicans who control the Legislature have proposed prohibiting local governments from placing advisory questions on ballots. Such referenda are sometimes used to boost voter turnout, though results don't carry the weight of law. Florida Republicans added new hurdles to that state's constitutional amendment process in 2020.The trend has taken off as Democrats and left-leaning groups frustrated by legislative gerrymandering that locks them out of power in state legislatures are increasingly turning to the initiative process to force public votes on issues that are opposed by Republican lawmakers yet popular among voters. Only about half the states, mostly in the Western U.S., allow some form of citizen ballot initiative.In Ohio, voters have proposed using the initiative process to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution this November, as well as to increase the minimum wage, to legalize recreational marijuana and to reform a redistricting system that has produced persistently unconstitutional political maps favoring Republicans.Arkansas Sen. Bryan King, a Republican who has joined the League of Women Voters in a lawsuit challenging his state's latest initiative restriction, said he views efforts to undermine the initiative process as anti-democratic.A measure approved earlier this year by Arkansas' majority-GOP Legislature and signed by Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders makes it harder to get initiatives on the ballot by raising the number of counties where signatures must be gathered from 15 to 50."I think one of the things it does is, no matter what party is in power, when you start trying to make it harder for citizens to challenge what their government does or make changes, then it just makes people not have faith in the process," King said. "So I do think that making it harder is wrong."In Ohio, former governors and attorneys general of both major parties have lined up against the proposed constitutional amendment that would alter the simple majority threshold for passing citizen-led initiative that has been in place since 1912.Democratic legislators point to the bipartisan opposition and the maneuvering that allowed the proposal to be on an August ballot as evidence that today's Republicans are extremist in their desire to maintain political power.Republican state Rep. Brian Stewart, the Ohio plan's sponsor, argued during last week's raucous floor session that a simple majority of voters will get to decide whether to impose the stricter requirements on future ballot initiatives."SJR 2 will ask Ohioans, not us, whether Ohio's constitution should require a 60% vote threshold to adopt amendments going forward. It will ask Ohioans, not us, to decide whether all 88 counties should have a voice in determining what amendments make it onto the ballot and to eliminate the cumbersome 'cure' period, which gives initiative petitions effectively a do-over when they fail to meet the requirements for ballot access," he said. "Putting this issue in front of Ohioans, that is democratic."What Stewart didn't address is how Republicans circumvented a law they had just passed so they could put the proposed amendment on a summertime ballot when voter turnout is typically quite low, rather than putting it before voters in the regular election this November.Democratic Rep. Casey Weinstein called out Stewart and Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, a Republican, for previously opposing the very August special elections that they supported for offering the 60% question.Weinstein read in its entirety LaRose's testimony from December advocating for the provisions of a new law — signed in January — that eliminated most August elections. LaRose argued that making big decisions, including those regarding ballot issues, in chronically low-turnout August elections "isn't the way democracy is supposed to work" and that such elections "aren't good for taxpayers, election officials or the civic health of our state."In testimony, Mark Gavin Sr., outreach director for the Black Environmental Leaders Association, referred to the U.S. Constitution's counting of enslaved people by calling the Ohio proposal "the new Three-Fifths Compromise."Gavin was among hundreds of protesters who packed statehouse hearings and overflow rooms, testified and marched in opposition to the Republican proposal, which he said is intended to dilute the power of individual voters."I've been a voter in Ohio for 15 years, and it's getting really old to always have to have new rules and regulations on a ballot," he said.Anti-abortion and pro-gun groups were the primary forces behind the push in favor of the proposed Ohio amendment. Since the Supreme Court's decision last year overturning Roe v. Wade, voters in Michigan, Kentucky and Kansas have protected abortion rights through statewide votes.David Couch, an attorney who has worked on citizens' initiatives in Arkansas, said Republicans' efforts to thwart direct democracy are uniquely partisan."If you look in Arkansas history in the '90s, when the Democrats controlled Arkansas, the conservative right passed same-sex marriage amendments, they passed adoption amendments," he said. "They passed all sorts of reforms, and the Democrats didn't try to change the process."Democrats in Missouri did try to cripple the initiative process through legislation in 1992. Then-Gov. John Ashcroft, a Republican who went on to serve as U.S. attorney general, vetoed the bill. Ashcroft's son, Jay, is the state's current secretary of state."It is through the initiative process that those who have no influence with elective representatives may take their cause directly to the people," the elder Ashcroft said in a veto letter that became part of this year's debate. "The General Assembly should be reluctant, therefore, to enact legislation which places any impediments on the initiative power which are inconsistent with the reservation found in the Constitution."Missouri's Republican lawmakers are singing a different tune today. Fearing a constitutional amendment to protect abortion rights, they vowed last week to make it a priority in 2024 to adopt a ballot measure that would establish a 57% threshold for passing future amendments.Not all Republicans in the state think that's a good idea. Former Republican House Speaker Pro Tem Carl Bearden said the proposal would infringe on the rights of Missouri voters while noting that the initiative process is intended to be a check on the power of the Legislature."It is not a conservative policy," he said of the Republican plan.___Associated Press writers Ayanna Alexander in Washington, Summer Ballentine in Jefferson City, Mo., Scott Bauer in Madison, Wis., and Andrew DeMillo in Little Rock, Ark., contributed to this report.

GOP state lawmakers try to restrict ballot initiatives, partly to thwart abortion protections

LYON COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating alleged inappropriate touching by an adult at a middle school dance in Emporia on Friday,&nbsp;according to Police Captain Lisa Hayes.

Police have conducted interviews and are reviewing security video from inside the school, according to Hayes.&nbsp; USD 253 Emporia and the alleged suspect have been cooperative with the investigation.

Police expect to conduct additional interviews and ask those with 'firsthand' information and directly witnessed the incident to contact them at 620-343-4225.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/5/1684147771319.png" alt="Google image" />
 <figcaption>Google image</figcaption>
 </figure>LYON COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating alleged inappropriate touching by an adult at a middle school dance in Emporia on Friday,&nbsp;according to Police Captain Lisa Hayes.Police have conducted interviews and are reviewing security video from inside the school, according to Hayes.&nbsp; USD 253 Emporia and the alleged suspect have been cooperative with the investigation.Police expect to conduct additional interviews and ask those with 'firsthand' information and directly witnessed the incident to contact them at 620-343-4225.&nbsp;

Police investigating adult for incident at Kan. middle school dance

WASHINGTON (AP) — One outcome is clear as Washington reaches for a budget deal in the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-debt-limit-coin-constitution-mccarthy-77be7f00b81cebec44fbaf807b9642ff">debt ceiling standoff</a>: The ambitious COVID-19 era of government spending to cope with the pandemic and rebuild is giving way to a new focus on tailored investments and stemming deficits.

President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;has said recouping unspent coronavirus money is “on the table” in budget talks with Congress. While the White House has threatened to veto Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/debt-limit-bill-house-republicans-kevin-mccarthy-f73e6c2fce8abdfab4973c727ea79517">debt ceiling bill</a>&nbsp;with its “devastating cuts” to federal programs, the administration has signaled a willingness to consider other budget caps.

The end result is a turnaround from just a few years ago, when Congress passed and then-president Donald Trump signed the historic&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/b8680bcb2177068ef00ef87b27657400">$2.2 trillion CARES Act</a>&nbsp;at the start of the public health crisis in 2020. It’s a dramatic realignment even as Biden’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-congress-infrastructure-bill-signing-b5b8cca843133de060778f049861b144#:~:text=WASHINGTON%20(AP)%20%E2%80%94%20President%20Joe,better%E2%80%9D%20for%20the%20American%20people.">bipartisan infrastructure law</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-biden-health-climate-and-environment-7a267eeea21af0f44318e6b9d888c36c">Inflation Reduction Act</a>&nbsp;are now investing billions of dollars into paving streets, shoring up the federal safety net and restructuring the U.S. economy.

“The appetite to throw a lot more money at major problems right now is significantly diminished, given what we’ve seen over the past several years,” said Shai Akabas, director of economic policy at the Bipartisan Policy Center, a nonpartisan organization in Washington.

The Treasury Department has warned it will begin running out of money to pay the nation’s bills&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tax-debt-ceiling-budget-deficit-8062bd6b9afebc37e2a1eb4c9e9c152f">as soon as June 1</a>, though an estimate Friday by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget office put the deadline at the first two weeks of June, potentially buying the negotiators time.

The contours of an agreement between the White House and Congress are within reach even if the political will to end the standoff is uncertain. Negotiators are considering clawing back some $30 billion in unused COVID-19 funds, imposing spending caps over the next several years and approving permitting reforms to ease construction of energy projects and other developments, according to those familiar with the closed-door staff discussions. They were not authorized to discuss the private deliberations and spoke on condition of anonymity.

The White House has been hesitant to engage in talks, insisting it is only willing to negotiate over the annual budget, not the debt ceiling, and Biden's team is skeptical that McCarthy can cut any deal with his far-right House majority.

(Click below to watch&nbsp;White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre's statement)

“There’s no deal to be had on the debt ceiling. There’s no negotiation to be had on the debt ceiling," said White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.

<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/kevin-mccarthy">McCarthy's</a>&nbsp;allies say the White House has fundamentally underestimated what the new Republican leader has been able to accomplish — first in the grueling fight to become House speaker and now in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kevin-mccarthy-house-speaker-100-days-trump-6c028bd4508883cb0afc11ec16af2be0">having passed the House bill</a>&nbsp;with $4.5 trillion in savings as an opening offer in negotiations. Both have emboldened McCarthy to push hard for a deal.

“The White House has been wrong every single time with understanding where we are with the House,” said Russ Vought, president of Center for American Renewal and Trump's former director of the Office of Management and Budget. “They're dealing with a new animal.”

The nation’s debt load has ballooned in recent years to $31 trillion. That's virtually double what it was during the last major debt ceiling showdown a decade ago, when Biden, as vice president to President Barack Obama, faced the new class of tea party Republicans demanding spending cuts in exchange for raising the debt limit.

While the politics of the debt limit have intensified, the nation's debt is nothing new. The U.S. balance sheets have been operating in the red for much of its history, dating to before the Civil War. That’s because government expenditures are routinely more than tax revenues, helping to subsidize the comforts Americans depend on — national security, public works, a federal safety net and basic operations to keep a civil society running. In the U.S., individuals pay the bulk of the taxes, while corporations pay less than 10%.

Much of the COVID-19 spending approved at the start of the pandemic has run its course and government spending is back to its typical levels, experts said. That includes the free vaccines, small business payroll funds, emergency payments to individuals, monthly child tax credits and supplemental food aid that protected Americans and the economy.

“Most of the big things we did are done — and they did an enormous amount of good,” said Sharon Parrott, president of the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities in Washington.

“We actually showed that we know how to drive down poverty and drive up health insurance amid what would have been rising hardship,” she said.

Last year, Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, which was signed into law over Republican opposition, was largely paid for with savings and new revenues elsewhere.

The popularity of some spending, particularly the child tax credits in the COVID-19 relief and the Inflation Reduction Act's efforts to tackle climate change, shows the political hunger in the country for the kinds of investments that some Americans believe will help push the U.S. fully into a 21st century economy.

A case in point: A core group of Midwestern Republican lawmakers prevented a rollback of the Inflation Reduction Act's biofuel tax credits their colleagues wanted to scrap, persuading McCarthy to leave that out of the House bill. The federal money is propping up new investments in corn-heavy agriculture states.

As McCarthy’s House Republicans now demand budget reductions in exchange for raising the debt limit, they have a harder time saying what government programs and services, in fact, they plan to cut.

House Republicans pushed back strenuously against Biden's claims their bill would slash veterans and other services.

McCarthy, in his meeting with the president, went so far as to tell Biden that's “a lie.”

The Republicans promise they will exempt the Defense Department and veterans' health care once they draft the actual spending bills to match up with the House debt ceiling proposal, but there are no written guarantees those programs would not face cuts.

In fact, Democrats say if Republicans spare defense and veterans from reductions, the cuts on the other departments would be as high as 22%.

Budget watchers often reiterate that the debt problem is not necessarily the amount of the debt load, approaching 100% of the nation’s gross domestic product, but whether the federal government can continue making the payments on the debt, especially as interest rates rise.

From the White House on Friday, Mitch Landrieu, the infrastructure implementation coordinator, talked up the $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill Biden signed into law 18 months ago. He said it is creating jobs, spurring private investment and showing what can happen when the sides comes together.

“We say once in a generation because it hasn't happened in our lifetimes, and quite frankly it may not happen again in the near future,” he said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/5/1683929680797.png" alt="President&nbsp;Joe Biden&nbsp;has said recouping unspent coronavirus money is “on the table” in budget talks with Congress-White House photo" />
 <figcaption>President&nbsp;Joe Biden&nbsp;has said recouping unspent coronavirus money is “on the table” in budget talks with Congress-White House photo</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — One outcome is clear as Washington reaches for a budget deal in the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-debt-limit-coin-constitution-mccarthy-77be7f00b81cebec44fbaf807b9642ff">debt ceiling standoff</a>: The ambitious COVID-19 era of government spending to cope with the pandemic and rebuild is giving way to a new focus on tailored investments and stemming deficits.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">I&#39;m happy to work with House Republicans on budget and spending priorities – but not under the threat of default. <a href="https://t.co/aLKqF3a5gD">pic.twitter.com/aLKqF3a5gD</a>&mdash; President Biden (@POTUS) <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS/status/1657143617151025155?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 12, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;has said recouping unspent coronavirus money is “on the table” in budget talks with Congress. While the White House has threatened to veto Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/debt-limit-bill-house-republicans-kevin-mccarthy-f73e6c2fce8abdfab4973c727ea79517">debt ceiling bill</a>&nbsp;with its “devastating cuts” to federal programs, the administration has signaled a willingness to consider other budget caps.The end result is a turnaround from just a few years ago, when Congress passed and then-president Donald Trump signed the historic&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/b8680bcb2177068ef00ef87b27657400">$2.2 trillion CARES Act</a>&nbsp;at the start of the public health crisis in 2020. It’s a dramatic realignment even as Biden’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-congress-infrastructure-bill-signing-b5b8cca843133de060778f049861b144#:~:text=WASHINGTON%20(AP)%20%E2%80%94%20President%20Joe,better%E2%80%9D%20for%20the%20American%20people.">bipartisan infrastructure law</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-biden-health-climate-and-environment-7a267eeea21af0f44318e6b9d888c36c">Inflation Reduction Act</a>&nbsp;are now investing billions of dollars into paving streets, shoring up the federal safety net and restructuring the U.S. economy.“The appetite to throw a lot more money at major problems right now is significantly diminished, given what we’ve seen over the past several years,” said Shai Akabas, director of economic policy at the Bipartisan Policy Center, a nonpartisan organization in Washington.The Treasury Department has warned it will begin running out of money to pay the nation’s bills&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tax-debt-ceiling-budget-deficit-8062bd6b9afebc37e2a1eb4c9e9c152f">as soon as June 1</a>, though an estimate Friday by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget office put the deadline at the first two weeks of June, potentially buying the negotiators time.The contours of an agreement between the White House and Congress are within reach even if the political will to end the standoff is uncertain. Negotiators are considering clawing back some $30 billion in unused COVID-19 funds, imposing spending caps over the next several years and approving permitting reforms to ease construction of energy projects and other developments, according to those familiar with the closed-door staff discussions. They were not authorized to discuss the private deliberations and spoke on condition of anonymity.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/5/1683679819499.png" alt="Republicans came to the White House last week hoping to negotiate sweeping cuts to federal spending in exchange for allowing new borrowing to avoid default.&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>Republicans came to the White House last week hoping to negotiate sweeping cuts to federal spending in exchange for allowing new borrowing to avoid default.&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>The White House has been hesitant to engage in talks, insisting it is only willing to negotiate over the annual budget, not the debt ceiling, and Biden's team is skeptical that McCarthy can cut any deal with his far-right House majority.(Click below to watch&nbsp;White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre's statement)<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=314&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FWhiteHouse%2Fvideos%2F987102719126530%2F&show_text=false&width=560&t=1791" width="560" height="314" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowFullScreen="true"></iframe></div>“There’s no deal to be had on the debt ceiling. There’s no negotiation to be had on the debt ceiling," said White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/kevin-mccarthy">McCarthy's</a>&nbsp;allies say the White House has fundamentally underestimated what the new Republican leader has been able to accomplish — first in the grueling fight to become House speaker and now in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kevin-mccarthy-house-speaker-100-days-trump-6c028bd4508883cb0afc11ec16af2be0">having passed the House bill</a>&nbsp;with $4.5 trillion in savings as an opening offer in negotiations. Both have emboldened McCarthy to push hard for a deal.“The White House has been wrong every single time with understanding where we are with the House,” said Russ Vought, president of Center for American Renewal and Trump's former director of the Office of Management and Budget. “They're dealing with a new animal.”The nation’s debt load has ballooned in recent years to $31 trillion. That's virtually double what it was during the last major debt ceiling showdown a decade ago, when Biden, as vice president to President Barack Obama, faced the new class of tea party Republicans demanding spending cuts in exchange for raising the debt limit.While the politics of the debt limit have intensified, the nation's debt is nothing new. The U.S. balance sheets have been operating in the red for much of its history, dating to before the Civil War. That’s because government expenditures are routinely more than tax revenues, helping to subsidize the comforts Americans depend on — national security, public works, a federal safety net and basic operations to keep a civil society running. In the U.S., individuals pay the bulk of the taxes, while corporations pay less than 10%.Much of the COVID-19 spending approved at the start of the pandemic has run its course and government spending is back to its typical levels, experts said. That includes the free vaccines, small business payroll funds, emergency payments to individuals, monthly child tax credits and supplemental food aid that protected Americans and the economy.“Most of the big things we did are done — and they did an enormous amount of good,” said Sharon Parrott, president of the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities in Washington.“We actually showed that we know how to drive down poverty and drive up health insurance amid what would have been rising hardship,” she said.Last year, Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, which was signed into law over Republican opposition, was largely paid for with savings and new revenues elsewhere.The popularity of some spending, particularly the child tax credits in the COVID-19 relief and the Inflation Reduction Act's efforts to tackle climate change, shows the political hunger in the country for the kinds of investments that some Americans believe will help push the U.S. fully into a 21st century economy.A case in point: A core group of Midwestern Republican lawmakers prevented a rollback of the Inflation Reduction Act's biofuel tax credits their colleagues wanted to scrap, persuading McCarthy to leave that out of the House bill. The federal money is propping up new investments in corn-heavy agriculture states.As McCarthy’s House Republicans now demand budget reductions in exchange for raising the debt limit, they have a harder time saying what government programs and services, in fact, they plan to cut.House Republicans pushed back strenuously against Biden's claims their bill would slash veterans and other services.McCarthy, in his meeting with the president, went so far as to tell Biden that's “a lie.”The Republicans promise they will exempt the Defense Department and veterans' health care once they draft the actual spending bills to match up with the House debt ceiling proposal, but there are no written guarantees those programs would not face cuts.In fact, Democrats say if Republicans spare defense and veterans from reductions, the cuts on the other departments would be as high as 22%.Budget watchers often reiterate that the debt problem is not necessarily the amount of the debt load, approaching 100% of the nation’s gross domestic product, but whether the federal government can continue making the payments on the debt, especially as interest rates rise.From the White House on Friday, Mitch Landrieu, the infrastructure implementation coordinator, talked up the $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill Biden signed into law 18 months ago. He said it is creating jobs, spurring private investment and showing what can happen when the sides comes together.“We say once in a generation because it hasn't happened in our lifetimes, and quite frankly it may not happen again in the near future,” he said.__

🎥White House: There’s no deal to be had on the debt ceiling 

SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating two suspects on drug and weapons charges.

Just before 9:30 a.m. May 5, a narcotics search warrant was executed by the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team after the Narcotics Section developed information that a residence in the 1800 block of South Topeka in Wichita was involved in the distribution of Methamphetamines, according to a media release.

 During the execution of the warrant, Wichita Police sized over ½ pounds of Methamphetamines, 700+ Percocet 30 pills, 3 ounces of marijuana, 2 handguns, 1 rifle, and over $2,300 in cash.

Police arrested 22-year-old Jose Aguilar on requested charges of distribution of methamphetamine, felon in possession of a firearm, possession of paraphernalia, and one KDOC warrant. 

They also arrested 33-year-old Max Carbajal on requested charges of distribution of methamphetamine, criminal possession of a firearm and possession of paraphernalia.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/5/1683917917074.png" alt="Photo Wichita Police" />
 <figcaption>Photo Wichita Police</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating two suspects on drug and weapons charges.Just before 9:30 a.m. May 5, a narcotics search warrant was executed by the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team after the Narcotics Section developed information that a residence in the 1800 block of South Topeka in Wichita was involved in the distribution of Methamphetamines, according to a media release.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/5/1683917898309.png" alt="Photo Wichita Police" />
 <figcaption>Photo Wichita Police</figcaption>
 </figure> During the execution of the warrant, Wichita Police sized over ½ pounds of Methamphetamines, 700+ Percocet 30 pills, 3 ounces of marijuana, 2 handguns, 1 rifle, and over $2,300 in cash.Police arrested 22-year-old Jose Aguilar on requested charges of distribution of methamphetamine, felon in possession of a firearm, possession of paraphernalia, and one KDOC warrant. They also arrested 33-year-old Max Carbajal on requested charges of distribution of methamphetamine, criminal possession of a firearm and possession of paraphernalia.&nbsp;

Police seize 700 Percocet 30 pills, guns and cash from Kan. home

Hesston College, a small Mennonite institution, has history of sexual abuse and harassment cases

By RACHEL MIPRO <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/04/05/kansas-lawmakers-debate-definition-of-female-and-male-for-county-jails/">Kansas Reflector</a>

HESSTON — An audit of a small Mennonite college in rural Kansas has found systemic failings, with sexual abuse reporters pressured to meet their abusers face-to-face and “forgive and forget” the abuse.

In November 2022, Hesston College commissioned international law firm Cozen O’Connor to review legal compliance and make recommendations about the college’s policies, procedures and practices addressing sexual and gender-based harassment and violence under Title IX and the Clery Act.

In the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.hesston.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Hesston-College-Report-of-External-Review-April-13-2023.pdf">64-page report</a>&nbsp;released in April, reviewers found frequent Title IX violations, including cases in which administrators failed to adequately respond to reports and failed to give the person reporting abuse access to support and resources. The audit also found evidence of mishandled sexual harassment and violence complaint resolutions, including cases in which the survivor had to met face-to-face with their abuser without necessary safeguards.

Due to the small size and religious nature of the campus community, which has about 325 students, the audit posited that reporting was made more difficult. Several report filers said the college’s religious values put pressure on survivors to forgive those accused of abuse.

The audit found the college had a common practice of having abuse survivors meet with their abusers for a discussion about their experiences and what they need to do to move forward.

“If you are the victim, the burden is placed on you to forgive and forget. It is made to sound like it’s your responsibility to reconcile the behavior,” one report filer said.

Another person said they weren’t allowed to emotionally process the situation.

“A lot of what I experienced with admin and professors was the faith portion,” the interviewee said. “They really pushed to forgive. That is really sore for me. I was never allowed to be mad. They pushed so much forgiveness. I was told about counseling options, but I was never followed up with again. I was under suicide watch, but no one came to check on me.”

Students told the auditors that they felt blamed by college administrators for sexual harassment, including employees telling students not to go out late or wear “flashy things.”

Auditors reported that only three out of the 35 Title IX cases they reviewed were formally investigated and they found many examples of institutional responses that didn’t meet Title IX legal requirements.

Advocacy groups such as Into Account have said sexual misconduct and assault has been a systemic issue at Hesston since the college’s beginning. Daniel Bender, the Mennonite bishop who founded the college in 1909, confessed to repeatedly sexually abusing his daughter.

The November review was the result of multiple student complaints about mishandled sexual misconduct reports and a student campus protest demanding action. Students also demanded that Bender’s portrait be removed from the college’s administration building, or a plaque be put up explaining his abuse. The portrait was removed months later, following the audit’s publication.&nbsp;

The audit recommended more professional training, student outreach and oversight of the campus Title IX office, along with changing the college’s approach to having survivors reconcile with their abusers.&nbsp;

“The experiences we heard as part of this review — of students being further traumatized by pressure to engage in swift reconciliation efforts, or not reporting at all because they do not want to be prematurely asked to offer forgiveness — reflects the challenges of using a forgiveness-based reconciliation approach in a manner that is not nuanced, informed by the law, or steeped in an understanding of the dynamics of sexual and interpersonal violence and trauma,” the audit read

<figure>
 <img src="https://kansasreflector.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/P4071237-1024x768.jpg" alt="An audit of Hesston College found systemic failure to adequately address sexual abuse and harassment complaints. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>An audit of Hesston College found systemic failure to adequately address sexual abuse and harassment complaints. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Hesston College, a small Mennonite institution, has history of sexual abuse and harassment cases</h2>By RACHEL MIPRO <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/04/05/kansas-lawmakers-debate-definition-of-female-and-male-for-county-jails/">Kansas Reflector</a>HESSTON — An audit of a small Mennonite college in rural Kansas has found systemic failings, with sexual abuse reporters pressured to meet their abusers face-to-face and “forgive and forget” the abuse.In November 2022, Hesston College commissioned international law firm Cozen O’Connor to review legal compliance and make recommendations about the college’s policies, procedures and practices addressing sexual and gender-based harassment and violence under Title IX and the Clery Act.In the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.hesston.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Hesston-College-Report-of-External-Review-April-13-2023.pdf">64-page report</a>&nbsp;released in April, reviewers found frequent Title IX violations, including cases in which administrators failed to adequately respond to reports and failed to give the person reporting abuse access to support and resources. The audit also found evidence of mishandled sexual harassment and violence complaint resolutions, including cases in which the survivor had to met face-to-face with their abuser without necessary safeguards.Due to the small size and religious nature of the campus community, which has about 325 students, the audit posited that reporting was made more difficult. Several report filers said the college’s religious values put pressure on survivors to forgive those accused of abuse.The audit found the college had a common practice of having abuse survivors meet with their abusers for a discussion about their experiences and what they need to do to move forward.“If you are the victim, the burden is placed on you to forgive and forget. It is made to sound like it’s your responsibility to reconcile the behavior,” one report filer said.Another person said they weren’t allowed to emotionally process the situation.“A lot of what I experienced with admin and professors was the faith portion,” the interviewee said. “They really pushed to forgive. That is really sore for me. I was never allowed to be mad. They pushed so much forgiveness. I was told about counseling options, but I was never followed up with again. I was under suicide watch, but no one came to check on me.”Students told the auditors that they felt blamed by college administrators for sexual harassment, including employees telling students not to go out late or wear “flashy things.”Auditors reported that only three out of the 35 Title IX cases they reviewed were formally investigated and they found many examples of institutional responses that didn’t meet Title IX legal requirements.Advocacy groups such as Into Account have said sexual misconduct and assault has been a systemic issue at Hesston since the college’s beginning. Daniel Bender, the Mennonite bishop who founded the college in 1909, confessed to repeatedly sexually abusing his daughter.The November review was the result of multiple student complaints about mishandled sexual misconduct reports and a student campus protest demanding action. Students also demanded that Bender’s portrait be removed from the college’s administration building, or a plaque be put up explaining his abuse. The portrait was removed months later, following the audit’s publication.&nbsp;The audit recommended more professional training, student outreach and oversight of the campus Title IX office, along with changing the college’s approach to having survivors reconcile with their abusers.&nbsp;“The experiences we heard as part of this review — of students being further traumatized by pressure to engage in swift reconciliation efforts, or not reporting at all because they do not want to be prematurely asked to offer forgiveness — reflects the challenges of using a forgiveness-based reconciliation approach in a manner that is not nuanced, informed by the law, or steeped in an understanding of the dynamics of sexual and interpersonal violence and trauma,” the audit read

Title IX audit of Kansas college shows pressure to forgive abusers, reconcile

KANSAS CITY – A dozen Kansas City metropolitan residents have been indicted for their roles in a conspiracy that resulted in nearly $250,000 in fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans being issued under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, according to the United State's Attorney.

Renetta Golden-Larimore, 54, Don A. Baker, 47, Stephan Booth, 40, Candace E. Hill-Williams, 25, Reisjon Larimore, 25, Teiara M. Mercer, 23, Padgit L. Smith, 48, Joseph Valdivia III, 45, Salvadore Valdivia, 41, and Mone’y C. Woods, 21, all of Kansas City, Mo.; Cameron P. Henderson, 27, of Independence, Mo.; and Roger Larimore, 27, of Raytown, Mo., were charged in a 13-count indictment returned under seal by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo., on April 26, 2023. The indictment was unsealed and made public Tuesday upon the arrests and initial court appearances of several defendants.

According to the indictment, Golden-Larimore prepared and filed fraudulent PPP loan applications on behalf of the other co-conspirators. She allegedly received payments between $2,000 and $7,000 from the loan proceeds for her assistance in filing false and fraudulent PPP loan applications. 

Golden-Larimore created counterfeit IRS forms for nonexistent businesses, the indictment says, and inflated income for existing businesses in order to qualify the borrower for a PPP loan.

Each of the defendants received a PPP loan of either $20,832 or $20,833.

In addition to the conspiracy, Golden-Larimore is charged with 12 counts of wire fraud. Each of the remaining defendants are also charged with aiding and abetting her in one of those wire fraud counts for the fraudulent loan they received.

The indictment also contains a forfeiture allegation, which would require each of the defendants to forfeit to the government any property obtained from the proceeds of the alleged offenses, including a money judgment of $20,832 for each defendant.

In a separate case that arose from the federal investigation, Theresa R. Griswold, 42, of Olathe, Kansas, has pleaded guilty to wire fraud after obtaining a fraudulent PPP loan during this conspiracy. Griswold admitted she received a fraudulent $20,832 PPP loan.

The charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul S. Becker. It was investigated by IRS-Criminal Investigation and the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/4/1588075781384.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY – A dozen Kansas City metropolitan residents have been indicted for their roles in a conspiracy that resulted in nearly $250,000 in fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans being issued under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, according to the United State's Attorney.Renetta Golden-Larimore, 54, Don A. Baker, 47, Stephan Booth, 40, Candace E. Hill-Williams, 25, Reisjon Larimore, 25, Teiara M. Mercer, 23, Padgit L. Smith, 48, Joseph Valdivia III, 45, Salvadore Valdivia, 41, and Mone’y C. Woods, 21, all of Kansas City, Mo.; Cameron P. Henderson, 27, of Independence, Mo.; and Roger Larimore, 27, of Raytown, Mo., were charged in a 13-count indictment returned under seal by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo., on April 26, 2023. The indictment was unsealed and made public Tuesday upon the arrests and initial court appearances of several defendants.According to the indictment, Golden-Larimore prepared and filed fraudulent PPP loan applications on behalf of the other co-conspirators. She allegedly received payments between $2,000 and $7,000 from the loan proceeds for her assistance in filing false and fraudulent PPP loan applications. Golden-Larimore created counterfeit IRS forms for nonexistent businesses, the indictment says, and inflated income for existing businesses in order to qualify the borrower for a PPP loan.Each of the defendants received a PPP loan of either $20,832 or $20,833.In addition to the conspiracy, Golden-Larimore is charged with 12 counts of wire fraud. Each of the remaining defendants are also charged with aiding and abetting her in one of those wire fraud counts for the fraudulent loan they received.The indictment also contains a forfeiture allegation, which would require each of the defendants to forfeit to the government any property obtained from the proceeds of the alleged offenses, including a money judgment of $20,832 for each defendant.In a separate case that arose from the federal investigation, Theresa R. Griswold, 42, of Olathe, Kansas, has pleaded guilty to wire fraud after obtaining a fraudulent PPP loan during this conspiracy. Griswold admitted she received a fraudulent $20,832 PPP loan.The charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul S. Becker. It was investigated by IRS-Criminal Investigation and the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department.

12 KC-area residents indicted in COVID fraud conspiracy

TOPEKA — Gov. Laura Kelly approved tax breaks for suicide prevention and senior assistance organizations, legislation meant to bolster resources for vulnerable people across the state.&nbsp;

Kelly announced the signing of bipartisan&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJidWxsZXRpbl9saW5rX2lkIjoxMDEsInVyaSI6ImJwMjpjbGljayIsInVybCI6Imh0dHA6Ly93d3cua3NsZWdpc2xhdHVyZS5vcmcvbGkvYjIwMjNfMjQvbWVhc3VyZXMvaGIyMDAyLyIsImJ1bGxldGluX2lkIjoiMjAyMzA1MTAuNzY1MTQ1MDEifQ.KxG7bMhl3pF-9q-mpnawI3D1Ptuke0d8GjE7FHgZubg/s/2897855304/br/184350495348-l">House Bill 2002</a>&nbsp;Wednesday. The bill, which passed&nbsp;the Senate 37-0 and the House 122-0, creates sales tax exemptions for the Kansas Suicide Prevention HQ and the Area Agencies on Aging.

“Our Area Agencies on Aging and the Kansas Suicide Prevention HQ are vital to the lives of Kansans,” Kelly said. “This bill stretches the impact of the funds they receive, furthering their ability to improve the quality of life for those they serve.”

The exemption is meant to expand Kansas Suicide Prevention HQ’s&nbsp; prevention training statewide and increase awareness of mental health resources for those in need. Area Agencies on Aging officials said the tax exemption would help the organization increase services for Kansas seniors and individuals with disabilities.&nbsp;

“This bill will help older Kansans and caregivers receive those services, including support for senior centers, Friendship Meals and home-delivered meals, and other in-home services to maintain an independent, positive quality of life,” said Julie Govert Walter, executive director of North Central-Flint Hills Area Agency on Aging.&nbsp;

HB2002 also allows counties to provide electronic tax notices depending on taxpayer wishes, among other provisions.

<figure>
 <img src="https://kansasreflector.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/P2020030-1024x576.jpg" alt="Gov. Laura Kelly signed into law a bill that provides sales tax exemptions for two organizations geared toward helping vulnerable groups. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>Gov. Laura Kelly signed into law a bill that provides sales tax exemptions for two organizations geared toward helping vulnerable groups. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>By RACHEL MIPRO <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/04/05/kansas-lawmakers-debate-definition-of-female-and-male-for-county-jails/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — Gov. Laura Kelly approved tax breaks for suicide prevention and senior assistance organizations, legislation meant to bolster resources for vulnerable people across the state.&nbsp;Kelly announced the signing of bipartisan&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJidWxsZXRpbl9saW5rX2lkIjoxMDEsInVyaSI6ImJwMjpjbGljayIsInVybCI6Imh0dHA6Ly93d3cua3NsZWdpc2xhdHVyZS5vcmcvbGkvYjIwMjNfMjQvbWVhc3VyZXMvaGIyMDAyLyIsImJ1bGxldGluX2lkIjoiMjAyMzA1MTAuNzY1MTQ1MDEifQ.KxG7bMhl3pF-9q-mpnawI3D1Ptuke0d8GjE7FHgZubg/s/2897855304/br/184350495348-l">House Bill 2002</a>&nbsp;Wednesday. The bill, which passed&nbsp;the Senate 37-0 and the House 122-0, creates sales tax exemptions for the Kansas Suicide Prevention HQ and the Area Agencies on Aging.“Our Area Agencies on Aging and the Kansas Suicide Prevention HQ are vital to the lives of Kansans,” Kelly said. “This bill stretches the impact of the funds they receive, furthering their ability to improve the quality of life for those they serve.”The exemption is meant to expand Kansas Suicide Prevention HQ’s&nbsp; prevention training statewide and increase awareness of mental health resources for those in need. Area Agencies on Aging officials said the tax exemption would help the organization increase services for Kansas seniors and individuals with disabilities.&nbsp;“This bill will help older Kansans and caregivers receive those services, including support for senior centers, Friendship Meals and home-delivered meals, and other in-home services to maintain an independent, positive quality of life,” said Julie Govert Walter, executive director of North Central-Flint Hills Area Agency on Aging.&nbsp;HB2002 also allows counties to provide electronic tax notices depending on taxpayer wishes, among other provisions.

New law provides tax exemptions for suicide prevention and senior services organizations

KANSAS CITY (AP) —As Republican-governed states across the nation advance myriad bills targeting transgender young people, America's faith leaders are starkly divided in their assessment. Some view the legislation as reflecting God's will; others voice outrage that Christianity is being invoked to justify laws they view as cruel and hateful.

In one camp are many legislators who have cited their conservative religious beliefs while promoting these bills, as well as leaders of America's two largest denominations — the Catholic Church and the Southern Baptist Convention.

U.S. Catholic bishops have rejected the concept of gender transition; they issued guidelines in March to stop Catholic hospitals from assisting in such transitions. The SBC has been on record since 2014 asserting that gender transition is "contrary to God's design."

In an online article, the Rev. Albert Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, depicted gender transition as "a blatant attempt to undermine the very order of creation."

"The Bible reveals that any attempt to subvert creation ends in disaster, not in human liberation," he wrote.

Faith leaders who support transgender rights bristle at the use of religious rhetoric to marginalize trans people.

"As a Christian leader, it's horrifying to me that Christianity and the Bible are being used by the religious right to bludgeon people through these many bills," said Serene Jones, the president of Union Theological Seminary in New York City.

"To use religious language like that is an abomination," she said. "They are threatening the lives and well-being of so many people around the U.S. and the world."

Jones said it was wrong to cite the Bible in rejecting transgender identity.

"It wasn't something that the Bible even thought about," she said. "The larger message there is a message of love and inclusion."

By the latest count, at least 20 states have imposed bans or limits on transgender athletes' sports participation at the K-12 or collegiate level. And at least 18 states have adopted laws or policies — including some blocked by courts — barring gender-affirming medical care, such as puberty blockers, hormone therapy and surgery for minors.

In Oklahoma, state Sen. David Bullard cited a biblical passage in introducing what he calls the Millstone Act — a bill that would make it a felony for doctors to provide gender transition procedures to anyone under the age of 26. Bullard, who has served as a deacon at his Baptist church, said the act's name alludes to a passage in the Book of Matthew suggesting that anyone causing a child to sin should be drowned in the sea with a millstone hung around their neck.

In the Texas legislature, one of the leading backers of anti-trans legislation is an ordained minister — Rep. Steve Toth. One bill he introduced also proposes making it a felony to provide gender-affirming care for minors.

Bills in other states have sought to restrict transgender people's use of public restrooms and limit their ability to be called by the pronouns that reflect their gender identity.

In recent months, several of the Southern Baptists' state affiliates have adopted resolutions embracing the overall thrust of the anti-trans bills.

A resolution approved by the Tennessee Baptist Convention depicted gender dysphoria as a "sexual perversion."

The South Carolina Baptist Convention urged its followers "to resist speaking falsely and giving credence to the philosophies of the LGBTQ+ movement by adopting preferred pronouns that do not refer to a person's created sex and biological makeup." And the Southern Baptists of Texas cited a verse from Genesis in rejecting "any type of false doctrine or deceptive application related to gender identity and sexuality."

In various communities across the U.S. — including Knoxville, Tennessee, and Madison, Wisconsin — interfaith groups of moderate and liberal religious leaders have held events to show support for transgender people and denounce the wave of anti-trans legislation.

In Pasadena, California, one such event took place on March 31, bringing together Christian, Jewish and Muslim leaders for a news conference at All Saints Church, home to an Episcopal congregation that embraces LGBTQ inclusion.

Even though California's Democratic-controlled legislature would not approve any anti-trans measures, an organizer of the event said it was important to speak out in support of trans people in states enacting such bills.

"If our voices can be heard by some trans kid in Kentucky, realizing there are faith leaders who've got their back, they might hang on a little bit longer," said the Rev. Pat Langlois, senior pastor of Metropolitan Community Church United Church of Christ in the Valley.

"These bills are the most vitriolic and cruel legislation I've seen," she said. "I have a non-binary teenager, so I take this really personally, not just as a person of faith and as a lesbian, but as a mom."

Langlois, whose LGBTQ activism spans several decades, described the current situation as "probably the scariest time" because of the array of hostile bills.

Her worries were compounded on May 4, when the rector of All Saints, Mike Kinman, told his congregation that the church had received two threats — that a bomb would be detonated during Sunday worship, and that someone would come to a service with a gun to kill the pastor.

In response, Kinman said the church would be deploying security guards, requesting that police conduct a sweep of church property before the services and closing the church balcony to the public.

The leader of one of the largest mainline Protestant denominations, the Rev. Elizabeth Eaton of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, has condemned the anti-trans bills as an attack on trans people's humanity.

"While members of our church hold various convictions regarding gender, the teaching of our church supports legislation and policies to protect every person's human dignity and civil rights," Eaton said in a recent statement. "Our church teaches that we affirm transgender and nonbinary siblings as God's children."

As for U.S. Catholics, there are diverse views among church personnel.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has told Catholic hospitals they must not perform "interventions, whether surgical or chemical, that aim to transform the sexual characteristics of a human body into those of the opposite sex."

Christine Zuba, a transgender woman who lives in New Jersey, was disappointed that transgender people weren't even mentioned in the USCCB's 14-page document, except in a footnote.

"All we ask is listen to us," she said. "Open your hearts and try to understand."

Yet some parish priests — including Zuba's pastor — have welcomed transgender people into their congregations, and honored their decisions to transition. In March, several thousand Catholic nuns, representing orders across the U.S., signed a statement urging people to oppose anti-transgender legislation in their states.

"As members of the body of Christ, we cannot be whole without the full inclusion of transgender, nonbinary, and gender-expansive individuals," the statement said.

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP's collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

By DAVID CRARY AP National WriterKANSAS CITY (AP) —As Republican-governed states across the nation advance myriad bills targeting transgender young people, America's faith leaders are starkly divided in their assessment. Some view the legislation as reflecting God's will; others voice outrage that Christianity is being invoked to justify laws they view as cruel and hateful.In one camp are many legislators who have cited their conservative religious beliefs while promoting these bills, as well as leaders of America's two largest denominations — the Catholic Church and the Southern Baptist Convention.U.S. Catholic bishops have rejected the concept of gender transition; they issued guidelines in March to stop Catholic hospitals from assisting in such transitions. The SBC has been on record since 2014 asserting that gender transition is "contrary to God's design."In an online article, the Rev. Albert Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, depicted gender transition as "a blatant attempt to undermine the very order of creation.""The Bible reveals that any attempt to subvert creation ends in disaster, not in human liberation," he wrote.Faith leaders who support transgender rights bristle at the use of religious rhetoric to marginalize trans people."As a Christian leader, it's horrifying to me that Christianity and the Bible are being used by the religious right to bludgeon people through these many bills," said Serene Jones, the president of Union Theological Seminary in New York City."To use religious language like that is an abomination," she said. "They are threatening the lives and well-being of so many people around the U.S. and the world."Jones said it was wrong to cite the Bible in rejecting transgender identity."It wasn't something that the Bible even thought about," she said. "The larger message there is a message of love and inclusion."By the latest count, at least 20 states have imposed bans or limits on transgender athletes' sports participation at the K-12 or collegiate level. And at least 18 states have adopted laws or policies — including some blocked by courts — barring gender-affirming medical care, such as puberty blockers, hormone therapy and surgery for minors.In Oklahoma, state Sen. David Bullard cited a biblical passage in introducing what he calls the Millstone Act — a bill that would make it a felony for doctors to provide gender transition procedures to anyone under the age of 26. Bullard, who has served as a deacon at his Baptist church, said the act's name alludes to a passage in the Book of Matthew suggesting that anyone causing a child to sin should be drowned in the sea with a millstone hung around their neck.In the Texas legislature, one of the leading backers of anti-trans legislation is an ordained minister — Rep. Steve Toth. One bill he introduced also proposes making it a felony to provide gender-affirming care for minors.Bills in other states have sought to restrict transgender people's use of public restrooms and limit their ability to be called by the pronouns that reflect their gender identity.In recent months, several of the Southern Baptists' state affiliates have adopted resolutions embracing the overall thrust of the anti-trans bills.A resolution approved by the Tennessee Baptist Convention depicted gender dysphoria as a "sexual perversion."The South Carolina Baptist Convention urged its followers "to resist speaking falsely and giving credence to the philosophies of the LGBTQ+ movement by adopting preferred pronouns that do not refer to a person's created sex and biological makeup." And the Southern Baptists of Texas cited a verse from Genesis in rejecting "any type of false doctrine or deceptive application related to gender identity and sexuality."In various communities across the U.S. — including Knoxville, Tennessee, and Madison, Wisconsin — interfaith groups of moderate and liberal religious leaders have held events to show support for transgender people and denounce the wave of anti-trans legislation.In Pasadena, California, one such event took place on March 31, bringing together Christian, Jewish and Muslim leaders for a news conference at All Saints Church, home to an Episcopal congregation that embraces LGBTQ inclusion.Even though California's Democratic-controlled legislature would not approve any anti-trans measures, an organizer of the event said it was important to speak out in support of trans people in states enacting such bills."If our voices can be heard by some trans kid in Kentucky, realizing there are faith leaders who've got their back, they might hang on a little bit longer," said the Rev. Pat Langlois, senior pastor of Metropolitan Community Church United Church of Christ in the Valley."These bills are the most vitriolic and cruel legislation I've seen," she said. "I have a non-binary teenager, so I take this really personally, not just as a person of faith and as a lesbian, but as a mom."Langlois, whose LGBTQ activism spans several decades, described the current situation as "probably the scariest time" because of the array of hostile bills.Her worries were compounded on May 4, when the rector of All Saints, Mike Kinman, told his congregation that the church had received two threats — that a bomb would be detonated during Sunday worship, and that someone would come to a service with a gun to kill the pastor.In response, Kinman said the church would be deploying security guards, requesting that police conduct a sweep of church property before the services and closing the church balcony to the public.The leader of one of the largest mainline Protestant denominations, the Rev. Elizabeth Eaton of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, has condemned the anti-trans bills as an attack on trans people's humanity."While members of our church hold various convictions regarding gender, the teaching of our church supports legislation and policies to protect every person's human dignity and civil rights," Eaton said in a recent statement. "Our church teaches that we affirm transgender and nonbinary siblings as God's children."As for U.S. Catholics, there are diverse views among church personnel.The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has told Catholic hospitals they must not perform "interventions, whether surgical or chemical, that aim to transform the sexual characteristics of a human body into those of the opposite sex."Christine Zuba, a transgender woman who lives in New Jersey, was disappointed that transgender people weren't even mentioned in the USCCB's 14-page document, except in a footnote."All we ask is listen to us," she said. "Open your hearts and try to understand."Yet some parish priests — including Zuba's pastor — have welcomed transgender people into their congregations, and honored their decisions to transition. In March, several thousand Catholic nuns, representing orders across the U.S., signed a statement urging people to oppose anti-transgender legislation in their states."As members of the body of Christ, we cannot be whole without the full inclusion of transgender, nonbinary, and gender-expansive individuals," the statement said.___Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP's collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

Wave of anti-transgender bills in GOP-led states divides US faith leaders

KANSAS CITY— Law enforcement authorities continue searching for 21-year-old Jae’veon Marquice Mitchell-Locke, a suspect in the April 5, shooting of three Kansas police officers during an undercover fentanyl trafficking investigation, according&nbsp; to the Platte County Sheriff's office.

Officials at the Platte County, Missouri Detention Center released him inadvertently on April 20.

Mitchell-Locke and two other suspects in the gunfight are charged in Wyandotte County with attempted murder, aggravated battery against law enforcement, criminal discharge of a firearm at an occupied building or vehicle, aggravated endangering a child, aggravated assault of law enforcement officers and distribution or possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute, according to online jail records.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/4/1682111930463.png" alt="Mitchell-Locke-photo Platte County" />
 <figcaption>Mitchell-Locke-photo Platte County</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY— Law enforcement authorities continue searching for 21-year-old Jae’veon Marquice Mitchell-Locke, a suspect in the April 5, shooting of three Kansas police officers during an undercover fentanyl trafficking investigation, according&nbsp; to the Platte County Sheriff's office.Officials at the Platte County, Missouri Detention Center released him inadvertently on April 20.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/4/1681993393030.png" alt="Scene of the shooting investigation on April 5 -photo courtesy KCTV" />
 <figcaption>Scene of the shooting investigation on April 5 -photo courtesy KCTV</figcaption>
 </figure>Mitchell-Locke and two other suspects in the gunfight are charged in Wyandotte County with attempted murder, aggravated battery against law enforcement, criminal discharge of a firearm at an occupied building or vehicle, aggravated endangering a child, aggravated assault of law enforcement officers and distribution or possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute, according to online jail records.

Suspect in Kan. officer shooting released by mistake is still missing

WASHINGTON (AP) — President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;on Saturday told graduates of a&nbsp;<a href="https://howard.edu/about/history">leading historically Black university</a>&nbsp;that American history “has not always been a fairy tale” and that “racism has long torn us apart." But on the nation's best days, he said “enough of us have the guts and the heart to stand up for the best in us.”

(Click below to watch the President's address)

As Biden spoke, more than a dozen cap-and-gowned Howard University students stood with their backs to him holding handmade signs in silent protest over what they said were many forms of white supremacist violence.

In his speech, Biden described the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/charlottesville-a-year-later-north-america-us-news-ap-top-news-virginia-b8560c3ebaac4deb9043bb695f2eb1db">2017 white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia</a>, which he has said helped&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-america-donald-trump-ap-top-news-joe-biden-virginia-0da41bc7243c434b8d6522cc344c61bc">compel him to run for president</a>&nbsp;in 2020.

Hate “never goes away” and “silence is complicity,” Biden said.

“We know that American history has not always been a fairy tale,” Biden said, describing a constant “push and pull” between the idea that at all people are created equal and “the harsh reality that racism has long torn us apart."

”But on the best days enough of us have the guts and the hearts to stand up for the best in us," he continued. “To choose love over hate, unity over disunion, progress over retreat.”

Biden, who recently announced that he is running for a second term in 2024, said he came to Howard to “continue the work to redeem the soul of this nation,” which was a theme of his 2020 campaign.

He told the graduates they feed his optimism for the future.

“You're part of the most gifted, tolerant, talented, best-educated generation in American history. That's a fact,” he said. “And it's your generation, more than anyone else’s, who will answer the questions for America: Who are we, what do we stand for, what do we believe, what do we want to be.”

It was unclear whether Biden was aware that several students had turned their backs as they held handmade signs protesting some of the injustices he mentioned in his speech. One sign named&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jordan-neely-subway-chokehold-3f36c61a13532eead65cf4f8155f13b8">Jordan Neely</a>, the New York City subway performer who died May 1 after he was restrained in a chokehold by another passenger.

The passenger, Daniel Penny, 24, a former Marine, surrendered to police on Friday to face a manslaughter charge. He was freed pending trial.

"We as graduates stand united for change, for Black Lives globally," the students said in a statement. The White House had no comment.

Biden spoke after he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Letters degree.

The speech at Howard was the first of two commencement addresses Biden will deliver this year. He is scheduled to address graduates of the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado on June 1.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/5/1684022629870.png" alt="Biden spoke after he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Letters degree-White House photo" />
 <figcaption>Biden spoke after he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Letters degree-White House photo</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;on Saturday told graduates of a&nbsp;<a href="https://howard.edu/about/history">leading historically Black university</a>&nbsp;that American history “has not always been a fairy tale” and that “racism has long torn us apart." But on the nation's best days, he said “enough of us have the guts and the heart to stand up for the best in us.”(Click below to watch the President's address)<div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hxqYIl3eP0M?start=980" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>As Biden spoke, more than a dozen cap-and-gowned Howard University students stood with their backs to him holding handmade signs in silent protest over what they said were many forms of white supremacist violence.In his speech, Biden described the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/charlottesville-a-year-later-north-america-us-news-ap-top-news-virginia-b8560c3ebaac4deb9043bb695f2eb1db">2017 white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia</a>, which he has said helped&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-america-donald-trump-ap-top-news-joe-biden-virginia-0da41bc7243c434b8d6522cc344c61bc">compel him to run for president</a>&nbsp;in 2020.Hate “never goes away” and “silence is complicity,” Biden said.“We know that American history has not always been a fairy tale,” Biden said, describing a constant “push and pull” between the idea that at all people are created equal and “the harsh reality that racism has long torn us apart."”But on the best days enough of us have the guts and the hearts to stand up for the best in us," he continued. “To choose love over hate, unity over disunion, progress over retreat.”Biden, who recently announced that he is running for a second term in 2024, said he came to Howard to “continue the work to redeem the soul of this nation,” which was a theme of his 2020 campaign.He told the graduates they feed his optimism for the future.“You're part of the most gifted, tolerant, talented, best-educated generation in American history. That's a fact,” he said. “And it's your generation, more than anyone else’s, who will answer the questions for America: Who are we, what do we stand for, what do we believe, what do we want to be.”It was unclear whether Biden was aware that several students had turned their backs as they held handmade signs protesting some of the injustices he mentioned in his speech. One sign named&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jordan-neely-subway-chokehold-3f36c61a13532eead65cf4f8155f13b8">Jordan Neely</a>, the New York City subway performer who died May 1 after he was restrained in a chokehold by another passenger.The passenger, Daniel Penny, 24, a former Marine, surrendered to police on Friday to face a manslaughter charge. He was freed pending trial."We as graduates stand united for change, for Black Lives globally," the students said in a statement. The White House had no comment.Biden spoke after he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Letters degree.The speech at Howard was the first of two commencement addresses Biden will deliver this year. He is scheduled to address graduates of the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado on June 1.

🎥Biden to grads: White supremacy is ‘most dangerous terrorist threat’

RAY COUNTY —A child died in an accident just before 9 a.m., Saturday in Ray County, approximately 45 minutes east of Kansas City.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported&nbsp; an eastbound Burlington Northern train struck the 1-year-old girl who was stationary on railroad tracks at Route J and Elm Street in the city of Hardin. She was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported fo Forensic Medial.

Authorities released no additional details.

RAY COUNTY —A child died in an accident just before 9 a.m., Saturday in Ray County, approximately 45 minutes east of Kansas City.<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fpermalink.php%3Fstory_fbid%3Dpfbid0whV8z9wDBMYMa3tJsAsMkJUyjBBRN7U3ttYqEv1koiWEnopxBR4CVyrGWKtuUNCGl%26id%3D100064883972742&show_text=true&width=500" width="500" height="234" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share"></iframe></div>The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported&nbsp; an eastbound Burlington Northern train struck the 1-year-old girl who was stationary on railroad tracks at Route J and Elm Street in the city of Hardin. She was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported fo Forensic Medial.Authorities released no additional details.

Patrol: 1-year-old girl dies after struck by a train

WICHITA, KAN. – A man has been sentenced after sexually assaulting three women in one day during the summer of 2021.

 District Judge Faith Maughan sentenced 28-year-old Andrew Jones, 28 of Wichita, to 95 months in prison, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's offie.

On July 1, 2021, Jones grabbed two women inside Towne East Square shopping mall in east Wichita. After the assaults at Towne East, a third woman was removing groceries from her car on E. Morris Street when a man grabbed her in a sexual manner.

The woman yelled for her husband who chased the man before he stopped and pointed a knife at the husband.

That same day, an officer spotted a man wearing a gray hoodie and shorts who matched the description of the suspect in the sexual assaults. The officer chased the man later identified as Jones over a mile before he entered a house in the 8000 block of E. Gilbert.

When the suspect threatened to shoot the officer, he backed off. Other officers later entered the home and arrested Jones.

On March 9, Jones pled no contest to attempted rape, two counts of aggravated sexual battery, and criminal threat.

Along with the prison sentence, Judge Maughan ordered Jones to serve lifetime post release and offender registration.

Lifetime post release requires the Department of Corrections to watch him the rest of his life. Jones is subject to conditions on the release. If he violates those conditions, he could be sent back to prison.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/5/1683834580237.png" alt="Jones-photo KBI offender registry" />
 <figcaption>Jones-photo KBI offender registry</figcaption>
 </figure>WICHITA, KAN. – A man has been sentenced after sexually assaulting three women in one day during the summer of 2021. District Judge Faith Maughan sentenced 28-year-old Andrew Jones, 28 of Wichita, to 95 months in prison, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's offie.On July 1, 2021, Jones grabbed two women inside Towne East Square shopping mall in east Wichita. After the assaults at Towne East, a third woman was removing groceries from her car on E. Morris Street when a man grabbed her in a sexual manner.The woman yelled for her husband who chased the man before he stopped and pointed a knife at the husband.That same day, an officer spotted a man wearing a gray hoodie and shorts who matched the description of the suspect in the sexual assaults. The officer chased the man later identified as Jones over a mile before he entered a house in the 8000 block of E. Gilbert.When the suspect threatened to shoot the officer, he backed off. Other officers later entered the home and arrested Jones.On March 9, Jones pled no contest to attempted rape, two counts of aggravated sexual battery, and criminal threat.Along with the prison sentence, Judge Maughan ordered Jones to serve lifetime post release and offender registration.Lifetime post release requires the Department of Corrections to watch him the rest of his life. Jones is subject to conditions on the release. If he violates those conditions, he could be sent back to prison.

Kan. man admits committing series of sex crimes on same day 

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) — A sophomore at a Missouri high school who recorded a teacher using a racial slur during class was suspended for three days.

Mary Walton, a student at Glendale High School in Springfield, said she was told Friday that she would not be allowed to return to school until Wednesday because she violated district policy on inappropriate use of electronic devices, the Springfield News-Leader&nbsp;<a href="https://www.news-leader.com/story/news/education/2023/05/13/glendale-student-suspended-after-recording-teacher-saying-racial-slur/70177873007/">reported</a>.

The teacher, whose name has not been released, was put on paid administrative leave after using the racial slur on Tuesday.

Walton said the teacher used the racial slur six times — two of which were recorded on her video. Walton wasn't sure what prompted the exchange but she said the teacher asked some of her classmates why they were allowed to use the slur but he wasn't.

She said the teacher told her to put her phone away when he realized Walton was recording him. When she refused, he told her to go to the office but stopped short of sending her.

Walton sent the video to her mom and shared it with one friend. Walton said she didn't upload it, but it spread “really, really fast.”

Glendale principal Josh Groves said in a message to school employees and families that the comments expressed in the video were inappropriate and did not meet the Springfield district's professional standards.

District officials said they couldn't comment on student disciplinary actions.

Welborn said she understands that the district does not want students taking “vigilante” recordings of any slight infraction by teachers but she said this teacher's actions needed to be brought to light.

“What you are tacitly doing is discouraging students from reporting whenever a teacher does something outrageous,” she said.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) — A sophomore at a Missouri high school who recorded a teacher using a racial slur during class was suspended for three days.Mary Walton, a student at Glendale High School in Springfield, said she was told Friday that she would not be allowed to return to school until Wednesday because she violated district policy on inappropriate use of electronic devices, the Springfield News-Leader&nbsp;<a href="https://www.news-leader.com/story/news/education/2023/05/13/glendale-student-suspended-after-recording-teacher-saying-racial-slur/70177873007/">reported</a>.The teacher, whose name has not been released, was put on paid administrative leave after using the racial slur on Tuesday.Walton said the teacher used the racial slur six times — two of which were recorded on her video. Walton wasn't sure what prompted the exchange but she said the teacher asked some of her classmates why they were allowed to use the slur but he wasn't.She said the teacher told her to put her phone away when he realized Walton was recording him. When she refused, he told her to go to the office but stopped short of sending her.Walton sent the video to her mom and shared it with one friend. Walton said she didn't upload it, but it spread “really, really fast.”Glendale principal Josh Groves said in a message to school employees and families that the comments expressed in the video were inappropriate and did not meet the Springfield district's professional standards.District officials said they couldn't comment on student disciplinary actions.Welborn said she understands that the district does not want students taking “vigilante” recordings of any slight infraction by teachers but she said this teacher's actions needed to be brought to light.“What you are tacitly doing is discouraging students from reporting whenever a teacher does something outrageous,” she said.

Student suspended after reporting teacher used racial slur

SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating four suspects on drug allegations.

On May 11, members of the Topeka Police Department Narcotics Unit and Shawnee County Drug Task Force served a search warrant in the 2600 Block SE Adams Street in Topeka in reference an ongoing investigation, according to Deputy Abigail Christian.

While conducting the search warrant, officers located marijuana, methamphetamine, firearms and drug paraphernalia.

As a result, 28-year-old Dakota Lehrbach; 26-year-old Steven Thorne, 34-year-old Kimber Jameson and 24-year-old&nbsp; Tieler Lay were transported to the Shawnee Co. Dept. of Corrections.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/5/1683899291704.png" alt="Lehrbach-photo Shawnee Co." />
 <figcaption>Lehrbach-photo Shawnee Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating four suspects on drug allegations.On May 11, members of the Topeka Police Department Narcotics Unit and Shawnee County Drug Task Force served a search warrant in the 2600 Block SE Adams Street in Topeka in reference an ongoing investigation, according to Deputy Abigail Christian.While conducting the search warrant, officers located marijuana, methamphetamine, firearms and drug paraphernalia.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/5/1683899367358.png" alt="Jameson-photo Shawnee Co." />
 <figcaption>Jameson-photo Shawnee Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>As a result, 28-year-old Dakota Lehrbach; 26-year-old Steven Thorne, 34-year-old Kimber Jameson and 24-year-old&nbsp; Tieler Lay were transported to the Shawnee Co. Dept. of Corrections.Dakota Lehrbach is being held on requested charges of Distribution of methamphetamine within 1000’ of a school, Criminal possession of a weapon by a felon, Possession of drug paraphernalia with intent<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/5/1683899274006.png" alt="Thorne-photo Shawnee Co." />
 <figcaption>Thorne-photo Shawnee Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>Steven Thorne is jailed on requested charges of Distribution of methamphetamine within 1000’ of a school and Criminal possession of a weapon by a felon.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/5/1683899408974.png" alt="Lay-photo Shawnee Co." />
 <figcaption>Lay-photo Shawnee Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>Kimber Jameson remains jails on requested charges of Distribution of methamphetamine within 1000’ of a school and Tieler Lay was booked on Two arrest warrants.