SHAWNEE COUNTY —The Kansas State Fire Marshal's office is working to determine the cause of the large&nbsp;industrial warehouse fire at 929 SW University Boulevard in Topeka.

Crews responded to the fire just before 4p.m. Thursday and remained on the scene through the night. Multiple business used the building, according to Shawnee Heights Fire Department Chief Rick Deibert.&nbsp;

MTAA Fire Department, 190th Air National Guard Fire Department, Topeka Fire Department and the  Mission Township Fire Department all battled the blaze.&nbsp; Check

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/3/1678414055676.png" alt="Crews on the scene of the multi-building industrial complex fire Thursday photo courtesy WIBW-TV" />
 <figcaption>Crews on the scene of the multi-building industrial complex fire Thursday photo courtesy WIBW-TV</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY —The Kansas State Fire Marshal's office is working to determine the cause of the large&nbsp;industrial warehouse fire at 929 SW University Boulevard in Topeka.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/3/1678482070177.png" alt="Photo courtesy WIBW -TV" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy WIBW -TV</figcaption>
 </figure>Crews responded to the fire just before 4p.m. Thursday and remained on the scene through the night. Multiple business used the building, according to Shawnee Heights Fire Department Chief Rick Deibert.&nbsp;There were no injuries.MTAA Fire Department, 190th Air National Guard Fire Department, Topeka Fire Department and the Mission Township Fire Department all battled the blaze.&nbsp; Check

Cause of Kan. industrial complex fire still under investigation

NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S rushed to seize the assets of Silicon Valley Bank on Friday after it experienced a run on the bank, the largest failure of a financial institution since&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/08aeb5a6c9d542ccb6d6154d4fa1e3a6">Washington Mutual</a>&nbsp;during the height of the financial crisis more than a decade ago.

Silicon Valley, the nation's 16th largest bank, failed after depositors — mostly technology workers and venture capital-backed companies — hurried to withdraw money this week as anxiety over the bank's balance sheet spread. It is the second biggest bank failure in history, behind Washington Mutual.

Silicon Valley was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-amazoncom-inc-europe-software-business-b23cd72310f20ce2320a36eadc26eded">heavily exposed to tech industry</a>&nbsp;and there is little chance of contagion in the banking sector similar to the chaos in the months leading up to the Great Recession more than a decade ago. The biggest banks — those most likely to cause a systemic economic issue — have healthy balance sheets and plenty of capital.

In 2007, the biggest financial crisis since the Great Depression rippled across the globe after mortgage-backed securities tied to ill-advised housing loans rippled from the U.S. to Asia and Europe. The panic on Wall Street led to the collapse of the storied Lehman Brothers, founded in 1847. Because major banks had extensive exposure to one another, it led to cascading disruption throughout the global financial system, putting millions out of work.

However, there has been unease in the banking sector all week and the collapse of Silicon Valley pushed shares of almost all financial institutions lower Friday, shares that had already tumbled by double digits since Monday.

Silicon Valley Bank’s failure arrived with incredible speed, with some industry analysts on Friday suggesting it was a good company and still likely a wise investment. Silicon Valley Bank executives were trying to raise capital early Friday and find additional investors. However, trading in the bank’s shares was halted before the opening bell due to extreme volatility.

Shortly before noon eastern, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation moved to shutter the bank. Notably, the FDIC did not wait until the close of business to seize the bank, as is typical in an orderly wind down of a financial institution. The FDIC could not immediately find a buyer for the bank's assets, signaling how fast depositors had cashed out. The bank's remaining uninsured deposits will now be locked up in receivership.

The bank had $209 billion in total assets at the time of failure, the FDIC said. It was unclear how much of its deposits were above the $250,000 insurance limit at the moment, but previous regulatory reports showed that much of Silicon Valley Bank's deposits exceeded that limit.

The FDIC said Friday that deposits below the $250,000 limit would be available Monday morning.

Silicon Valley Bank still appeared stable this year, but on Thursday it announced plans to raise up to $1.75 billion in order to strengthen its capital position. That sent investors scurrying and shares plunged 60%. They rocketed lower again Friday before the open of the Nasdaq where it is traded.

As its name implied, Silicon Valley Bank was a major financial conduit between the technology sector, its founders and startups as well as its workers. Hundreds of companies held their operating capital with the bank, and it was seen as good business sense to develop a relationship with Silicon Valley Bank if a founder wanted to find new investors or go public.

“We saw building a relationship with Silicon Valley Bank as a logical step, given their reach,” said Ashley Tyrner, CEO of FarmboxRx, a company that delivers food as medicine to Medicaid and Medicare recipients. While Tyrner has money in other banks and can make payroll, she said a good portion of her business' profits are now locked up with the bank.

But Silicon Valley's connections to the tech sector became a liability rapidly. Technology stocks have been&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-amazoncom-inc-europe-software-business-b23cd72310f20ce2320a36eadc26eded">hit hard in the past 18 months</a>&nbsp;after a growth surge during the pandemic and layoffs have spread throughout the industry.

At the same time, the bank was hit hard by the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-federal-reserve-interest-rates-powell-unemployment-79b7ead4530ab381a17638a6c9df2d90">Federal Reserve's fight against inflation</a>&nbsp;and an aggressive series of interest rate hikes to cool the economy.

As the Fed raises its benchmark interest rate, the value of bonds, typically a stable asset, start to fall. That is not typically a problem as the declines lead to “unrealized losses,” or losses that are not counted against them when calculating the capital cushion than banks can use should there be a downturn in the future.

However, when depositors grow anxious and begin withdrawing their money, banks sometimes have to sell those bonds before they mature to cover that exodus.

That is exactly what happened to Silicon Valley Bank, which had to sell $21 billion in highly liquid assets to cover the exodus of deposits. It took a $1.8 billion loss on that sale.

Tyrner said she's spoken to several friends who are backed by venture capital. She described those friends as being “beside themselves” over the bank's failure. Tyrner's chief operating officer tried to withdraw her company's funds on Thursday, but failed to do so in time.

“One friend said they couldn't make payroll today and cried when they had to inform 200 employees because of this issue,” Tyrner said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/3/1678473965518.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S rushed to seize the assets of Silicon Valley Bank on Friday after it experienced a run on the bank, the largest failure of a financial institution since&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/08aeb5a6c9d542ccb6d6154d4fa1e3a6">Washington Mutual</a>&nbsp;during the height of the financial crisis more than a decade ago.Silicon Valley, the nation's 16th largest bank, failed after depositors — mostly technology workers and venture capital-backed companies — hurried to withdraw money this week as anxiety over the bank's balance sheet spread. It is the second biggest bank failure in history, behind Washington Mutual.Silicon Valley was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-amazoncom-inc-europe-software-business-b23cd72310f20ce2320a36eadc26eded">heavily exposed to tech industry</a>&nbsp;and there is little chance of contagion in the banking sector similar to the chaos in the months leading up to the Great Recession more than a decade ago. The biggest banks — those most likely to cause a systemic economic issue — have healthy balance sheets and plenty of capital.In 2007, the biggest financial crisis since the Great Depression rippled across the globe after mortgage-backed securities tied to ill-advised housing loans rippled from the U.S. to Asia and Europe. The panic on Wall Street led to the collapse of the storied Lehman Brothers, founded in 1847. Because major banks had extensive exposure to one another, it led to cascading disruption throughout the global financial system, putting millions out of work.However, there has been unease in the banking sector all week and the collapse of Silicon Valley pushed shares of almost all financial institutions lower Friday, shares that had already tumbled by double digits since Monday.Silicon Valley Bank’s failure arrived with incredible speed, with some industry analysts on Friday suggesting it was a good company and still likely a wise investment. Silicon Valley Bank executives were trying to raise capital early Friday and find additional investors. However, trading in the bank’s shares was halted before the opening bell due to extreme volatility.Shortly before noon eastern, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation moved to shutter the bank. Notably, the FDIC did not wait until the close of business to seize the bank, as is typical in an orderly wind down of a financial institution. The FDIC could not immediately find a buyer for the bank's assets, signaling how fast depositors had cashed out. The bank's remaining uninsured deposits will now be locked up in receivership.The bank had $209 billion in total assets at the time of failure, the FDIC said. It was unclear how much of its deposits were above the $250,000 insurance limit at the moment, but previous regulatory reports showed that much of Silicon Valley Bank's deposits exceeded that limit.The FDIC said Friday that deposits below the $250,000 limit would be available Monday morning.Silicon Valley Bank still appeared stable this year, but on Thursday it announced plans to raise up to $1.75 billion in order to strengthen its capital position. That sent investors scurrying and shares plunged 60%. They rocketed lower again Friday before the open of the Nasdaq where it is traded.As its name implied, Silicon Valley Bank was a major financial conduit between the technology sector, its founders and startups as well as its workers. Hundreds of companies held their operating capital with the bank, and it was seen as good business sense to develop a relationship with Silicon Valley Bank if a founder wanted to find new investors or go public.“We saw building a relationship with Silicon Valley Bank as a logical step, given their reach,” said Ashley Tyrner, CEO of FarmboxRx, a company that delivers food as medicine to Medicaid and Medicare recipients. While Tyrner has money in other banks and can make payroll, she said a good portion of her business' profits are now locked up with the bank.But Silicon Valley's connections to the tech sector became a liability rapidly. Technology stocks have been&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-amazoncom-inc-europe-software-business-b23cd72310f20ce2320a36eadc26eded">hit hard in the past 18 months</a>&nbsp;after a growth surge during the pandemic and layoffs have spread throughout the industry.At the same time, the bank was hit hard by the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-federal-reserve-interest-rates-powell-unemployment-79b7ead4530ab381a17638a6c9df2d90">Federal Reserve's fight against inflation</a>&nbsp;and an aggressive series of interest rate hikes to cool the economy.As the Fed raises its benchmark interest rate, the value of bonds, typically a stable asset, start to fall. That is not typically a problem as the declines lead to “unrealized losses,” or losses that are not counted against them when calculating the capital cushion than banks can use should there be a downturn in the future.However, when depositors grow anxious and begin withdrawing their money, banks sometimes have to sell those bonds before they mature to cover that exodus.That is exactly what happened to Silicon Valley Bank, which had to sell $21 billion in highly liquid assets to cover the exodus of deposits. It took a $1.8 billion loss on that sale.Tyrner said she's spoken to several friends who are backed by venture capital. She described those friends as being “beside themselves” over the bank's failure. Tyrner's chief operating officer tried to withdraw her company's funds on Thursday, but failed to do so in time.“One friend said they couldn't make payroll today and cried when they had to inform 200 employees because of this issue,” Tyrner said.---------------------

Bank seized by FDIC; largest bank failure since Great Recession

WASHINGTON —On Sunday morning, Americans will once again change their clocks, moving from Standard Time to Daylight Saving Time (DST).&nbsp;

U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) continues to make the case for permanent Daylight Savings Time. This month, Rubio&nbsp;<a href="https://www.rubio.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=804D6349-084E-45C2-AB86-4DFEFA577378">reintroduced</a>&nbsp;his bipartisan&nbsp;<a href="https://www.rubio.senate.gov/public/_cache/files/fe0d7211-57e1-4b89-90dd-0789768e41dc/1055A4494B96C496B17D26F68F852E1C.sunshine-protection-act-of-2023.pdf">legislation</a>&nbsp;to lock the clock.&nbsp; Last year, the legislation was referred to as the Sunshine Protection Act. The United&nbsp; States Senate passed it unanimously.

“We’re one of the few countries on Earth that continues to do this ritual of springing forward and falling back and changing our clock twice a year, said Rubio.

“That makes no sense. It’s time to end it. I think we should pick one and stick with it. “This really began back in 1918 as a practice that was supposed to save energy, and since then we've adjusted it. Today, Daylight Saving Time, which started out as six months, was extended to eight months in 2005, clearly showing you where people's preference [is].&nbsp; “So we're doing this back-and-forth clock changing for about 16 weeks of Standard Time a year. I think the majority of the American people's preference is just to stop the back and forth changing. But beyond that, I think their preference is — certainly at least based on today's vote, and what we've heard — is to make Daylight Saving Time permanent. I'll just tell you a couple of the reasons why I think that's important.&nbsp; “There's some strong science behind it that is now showing and making people aware of the harm that clock switching has. We see an increase in heart attacks and car accidents and pedestrian accidents in the week[s] that follow the changes. “The benefits of Daylight Saving Time have also been accounted for in the research. For example, reduced crime as there's light later in the day. We've seen decreases in child obesity. A decrease in seasonal depression that many feel during Standard Time.&nbsp; “And then the practical one, one that I've witnessed with my own eyes…. We're a country [in which] we desperately want our kids to be outside, to be playing, to be doing sports, not just to be sitting in front of a TV or a computer terminal or playing video games all day. And it gets really tough, in many parts of the country, to be able to do that. Because what ends up happening is, especially for these 16 weeks a year, if you don't have a park or an outdoor facility with lights, you're basically shut down around five p.m. — in some cases as early as four or 4:30 p.m. And these lights in parks and things like that are expensive, and then a lot of communities are resistant to them. It makes it tough to do [activities].&nbsp; “I've seen it with my own eyes. I've watched youth sporting events be called in the middle or near the end of the game, before it's actually concluded, because there's not enough lights.&nbsp; “That's one of the practical reasons why, if you look at the way we live in this country, you want to have the ability to spend more time in the evenings outdoors. Not just to enjoy the outdoors, but to make sporting and outdoor activities available for people at a time when, frankly, we're losing an hour, an hour-and-a-half in some parts of the country, because of [the time change]. &nbsp; “The good news is that we can get this passed. We don't have to keep doing this stupidity anymore. Why we would enshrine this in our laws and keep it for so long is beyond me.&nbsp; “Hopefully, this is the year that this gets done. And pardon the pun, but this is an idea whose time has come.”

WASHINGTON —On Sunday morning, Americans will once again change their clocks, moving from Standard Time to Daylight Saving Time (DST).&nbsp;U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) continues to make the case for permanent Daylight Savings Time. This month, Rubio&nbsp;<a href="https://www.rubio.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=804D6349-084E-45C2-AB86-4DFEFA577378">reintroduced</a>&nbsp;his bipartisan&nbsp;<a href="https://www.rubio.senate.gov/public/_cache/files/fe0d7211-57e1-4b89-90dd-0789768e41dc/1055A4494B96C496B17D26F68F852E1C.sunshine-protection-act-of-2023.pdf">legislation</a>&nbsp;to lock the clock.&nbsp; Last year, the legislation was referred to as the Sunshine Protection Act. The United&nbsp; States Senate passed it unanimously.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/3/1678458259046.png" alt="In 2022, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Sunshine Protection Act" />
 <figcaption>In 2022, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Sunshine Protection Act</figcaption>
 </figure>“We’re one of the few countries on Earth that continues to do this ritual of springing forward and falling back and changing our clock twice a year, said Rubio.“That makes no sense. It’s time to end it. I think we should pick one and stick with it. “This really began back in 1918 as a practice that was supposed to save energy, and since then we've adjusted it. Today, Daylight Saving Time, which started out as six months, was extended to eight months in 2005, clearly showing you where people's preference [is].&nbsp; “So we're doing this back-and-forth clock changing for about 16 weeks of Standard Time a year. I think the majority of the American people's preference is just to stop the back and forth changing. But beyond that, I think their preference is — certainly at least based on today's vote, and what we've heard — is to make Daylight Saving Time permanent. I'll just tell you a couple of the reasons why I think that's important.&nbsp; “There's some strong science behind it that is now showing and making people aware of the harm that clock switching has. We see an increase in heart attacks and car accidents and pedestrian accidents in the week[s] that follow the changes. “The benefits of Daylight Saving Time have also been accounted for in the research. For example, reduced crime as there's light later in the day. We've seen decreases in child obesity. A decrease in seasonal depression that many feel during Standard Time.&nbsp; “And then the practical one, one that I've witnessed with my own eyes…. We're a country [in which] we desperately want our kids to be outside, to be playing, to be doing sports, not just to be sitting in front of a TV or a computer terminal or playing video games all day. And it gets really tough, in many parts of the country, to be able to do that. Because what ends up happening is, especially for these 16 weeks a year, if you don't have a park or an outdoor facility with lights, you're basically shut down around five p.m. — in some cases as early as four or 4:30 p.m. And these lights in parks and things like that are expensive, and then a lot of communities are resistant to them. It makes it tough to do [activities].&nbsp; “I've seen it with my own eyes. I've watched youth sporting events be called in the middle or near the end of the game, before it's actually concluded, because there's not enough lights.&nbsp; “That's one of the practical reasons why, if you look at the way we live in this country, you want to have the ability to spend more time in the evenings outdoors. Not just to enjoy the outdoors, but to make sporting and outdoor activities available for people at a time when, frankly, we're losing an hour, an hour-and-a-half in some parts of the country, because of [the time change]. &nbsp; “The good news is that we can get this passed. We don't have to keep doing this stupidity anymore. Why we would enshrine this in our laws and keep it for so long is beyond me.&nbsp; “Hopefully, this is the year that this gets done. And pardon the pun, but this is an idea whose time has come.”

Senator makes case again for permanent Daylight Savings Time

BARTON COUNTY —Just after 2 p.m. Friday, officers located hit-and-run suspect Timothy Chism at a Great Bend residence. Chism has been previously booked into the Barton County jail 52 times and was on Community Corrections at the time of the accident that injured two Thursday night.

BARTON COUNTY, Kan. — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a hit and run accident and asking for help to locate a Kansas felon who left the scene.

Just before 9p.m. Thursday, sheriff deputies were notified of an injury accident in the 5600 block of Railroad Avenue, just south of the city of Great Bend, according to Sheriff Brian Bellendir.

 Deputies were advised two individuals were injured, and one driver had fled the scene. Investigation at the scene indicates a blue 2008 Dodge Caravan was westbound, operated by the driver who fled. That driver, later identified as Timothy Chism, crossed left of center and struck a 2012 Chevrolet Equinox operated by Amanda Staub of Hudson.

EMS transported Staub and a passenger in the Chism vehicle, identified as Mary Schlotthauer of Great Bend to the hospital in Great Bend. Staub was later transported to a Wichita area hospital.

The sheriff’s office is currently looking for Chism on requested charges of felony leaving the scene of an accident and other crimes. Chism has been previously booked into the Barton County jail 52 times and was on Community Corrections at the time of the accident. He has previous convictions for Lewd and Lascivious Behavior; Exposure &lt;16, theft, criminal possession of a weapon and for drugs, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.

If you have information as to the whereabouts of Chism, call 911 or crime stoppers at 620-792-1300.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/3/1678468081836.png" alt="Chism has previous convictions for Lewd and Lascivious Behavior; Exposure &lt;16, theft, criminal possession of a weapon and for drugs, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections." />
 <figcaption>Chism has previous convictions for Lewd and Lascivious Behavior; Exposure &lt;16, theft, criminal possession of a weapon and for drugs, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.</figcaption>
 </figure>BARTON COUNTY —Just after 2 p.m. Friday, officers located hit-and-run suspect Timothy Chism at a Great Bend residence. Chism has been previously booked into the Barton County jail 52 times and was on Community Corrections at the time of the accident that injured two Thursday night.---------BARTON COUNTY, Kan. — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a hit and run accident and asking for help to locate a Kansas felon who left the scene.Just before 9p.m. Thursday, sheriff deputies were notified of an injury accident in the 5600 block of Railroad Avenue, just south of the city of Great Bend, according to Sheriff Brian Bellendir.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/3/1678466213556.jpeg" alt="photo Barton County." />
 <figcaption>photo Barton County.</figcaption>
 </figure> Deputies were advised two individuals were injured, and one driver had fled the scene. Investigation at the scene indicates a blue 2008 Dodge Caravan was westbound, operated by the driver who fled. That driver, later identified as Timothy Chism, crossed left of center and struck a 2012 Chevrolet Equinox operated by Amanda Staub of Hudson.EMS transported Staub and a passenger in the Chism vehicle, identified as Mary Schlotthauer of Great Bend to the hospital in Great Bend. Staub was later transported to a Wichita area hospital.The sheriff’s office is currently looking for Chism on requested charges of felony leaving the scene of an accident and other crimes. Chism has been previously booked into the Barton County jail 52 times and was on Community Corrections at the time of the accident. He has previous convictions for Lewd and Lascivious Behavior; Exposure &lt;16, theft, criminal possession of a weapon and for drugs, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.If you have information as to the whereabouts of Chism, call 911 or crime stoppers at 620-792-1300.

Update: Kan. hit-and-run suspect has been jailed 52 times

By RACHEL MIPRO <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/03/09/kansas-lawmaker-faults-biden-lack-of-border-control-for-spike-in-drug-overdoses/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA
 — A Republic lawmaker Thursday blamed President Joe Biden’s 
administration for the rise in fentanyl overdose deaths in Kansas.

Sen. Mark Steffen, a Hutchinson 
Republican, said Biden’s failure to secure the southern border was the 
root of Kansas’ growing drug overdose problem.

“We’ve got an open southern border 
and we’ve got a presidential administration that’s not doing their job 
to prevent the flow of narcotics into this country, and here we sit, 
trying to solve the problem downstream,” Steffen said during a Thursday 
Senate Public Health Committee hearing on legalizing fentanyl testing 
strips.

In 2021, Kansas had the highest 
number of drug-related deaths recorded in the past 20 years, with opioid
 cases nearly doubling between 2020 and 2021.

The number of accidental deaths caused by drugs went from 432 cases in 2020 to <a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/01/06/report-kansas-documents-54-surge-in-drug-overdose-fatalities-in-early-2021/">635 cases in 2021</a>.
 Opioids were involved in 416 of these deaths in 2021, compared with 239
 similar deaths in 2020. Many of these overdoses involved fentanyl, a 
synthetic opioid 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine.

Since fentanyl isn’t detectable 
without a test strip, people taking fentanyl-laced drugs are at a 
greater risk of overdose. In an effort to mitigate the problem, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/hb2390/">House Bill 2390 </a>would
 legalize testing strips for fentanyl, ketamine and gamma hydroxybutyric
 acid, known informally as the date rape drug. The House passed the bill
 121-0 on Feb. 23.

Current state law classifies these testing strips as drug paraphernalia. A bill legalizing fentanyl testing strips was <a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/05/02/as-opioid-overdoses-spike-in-kansas-senators-block-fentanyl-test-strip-provision/">shot down by Senate Republicans last year</a>. &nbsp;

The bill also would establish a 
Kansas overdose fatality review board to prevent and mitigate drug 
overdoses, a rising problem statewide.

Nick Reinecker, the only opponent of 
the bill who spoke at the hearing, said he was concerned that 
implementing the review board would grow the government. Reinecker, who 
identified himself as a private citizen, said the state should focus on 
free means of harm reduction, and “not go down these deep rabbit trail 
holes and everything like that.”

Steffen objected to the board’s 
creation as well, because he felt it was redundant and costly. The 
Kansas Department of Health and Environment estimated the board’s 3.5 
full-time positions would cost $300,000 annually.

“How do we square together the 
creation of this monstrous, expensive board full of bureaucrats when we 
clearly already have a platform to do this?” Steffen said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/3/1678395640476.png" alt="Sen. Mark Steffen attributes rising drug cases to a lack of southern border control. (Rachel Mipro/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>Sen. Mark Steffen attributes rising drug cases to a lack of southern border control. (Rachel Mipro/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>By RACHEL MIPRO <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/03/09/kansas-lawmaker-faults-biden-lack-of-border-control-for-spike-in-drug-overdoses/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA
 — A Republic lawmaker Thursday blamed President Joe Biden’s 
administration for the rise in fentanyl overdose deaths in Kansas.Sen. Mark Steffen, a Hutchinson 
Republican, said Biden’s failure to secure the southern border was the 
root of Kansas’ growing drug overdose problem.“We’ve got an open southern border 
and we’ve got a presidential administration that’s not doing their job 
to prevent the flow of narcotics into this country, and here we sit, 
trying to solve the problem downstream,” Steffen said during a Thursday 
Senate Public Health Committee hearing on legalizing fentanyl testing 
strips.In 2021, Kansas had the highest 
number of drug-related deaths recorded in the past 20 years, with opioid
 cases nearly doubling between 2020 and 2021.The number of accidental deaths caused by drugs went from 432 cases in 2020 to <a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/01/06/report-kansas-documents-54-surge-in-drug-overdose-fatalities-in-early-2021/">635 cases in 2021</a>.
 Opioids were involved in 416 of these deaths in 2021, compared with 239
 similar deaths in 2020. Many of these overdoses involved fentanyl, a 
synthetic opioid 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine.Since fentanyl isn’t detectable 
without a test strip, people taking fentanyl-laced drugs are at a 
greater risk of overdose. In an effort to mitigate the problem, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/hb2390/">House Bill 2390 </a>would
 legalize testing strips for fentanyl, ketamine and gamma hydroxybutyric
 acid, known informally as the date rape drug. The House passed the bill
 121-0 on Feb. 23.Current state law classifies these testing strips as drug paraphernalia. A bill legalizing fentanyl testing strips was <a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/05/02/as-opioid-overdoses-spike-in-kansas-senators-block-fentanyl-test-strip-provision/">shot down by Senate Republicans last year</a>. &nbsp;The bill also would establish a 
Kansas overdose fatality review board to prevent and mitigate drug 
overdoses, a rising problem statewide.Nick Reinecker, the only opponent of 
the bill who spoke at the hearing, said he was concerned that 
implementing the review board would grow the government. Reinecker, who 
identified himself as a private citizen, said the state should focus on 
free means of harm reduction, and “not go down these deep rabbit trail 
holes and everything like that.”Steffen objected to the board’s 
creation as well, because he felt it was redundant and costly. The 
Kansas Department of Health and Environment estimated the board’s 3.5 
full-time positions would cost $300,000 annually.“How do we square together the 
creation of this monstrous, expensive board full of bureaucrats when we 
clearly already have a platform to do this?” Steffen said.

Kansas lawmaker faults Biden, border chaos for overdose spike

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — U.S. railroads were warned to take certain cars out of service Thursday after Norfolk Southern discovered loose wheels on a car involved in last weekend's&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/norfolk-southern-springfield-train-derailment-1b08c84e0788082dd24a4f4ca447f459">derailment in Ohio</a>.

It's not clear that the loose wheels caused the derailment near Springfield last Saturday because the National Transportation Safety Board has just begun investigating that crash — the latest in a string of high-profile&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/alabama-train-derailment-norfolk-southern-ohio-49e36d8b7f89a8e23ed8cd4e9cf96c55">derailments</a>&nbsp;that have been&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/railroad-safety-ohio-derailment-hazardous-materials-74d7aec638500c52d1eb9fda0acf9f26">grabbing headlines</a>. But the railroad said the loose wheels on the car could cause a derailment.

Norfolk Southern said in a statement that after the railroad discovered “additional cases of unusual wheel movement,” it acted quickly to notify accident investigators and the rest of the industry. The Association of American Railroads trade group responded Thursday by issuing an advisory about the suspect cars.

The trade group said the problem was linked to new wheel sets that were installed on specialized steel coil cars beginning in August. The association said all of the cars with those wheels should be inspected and have their wheels replaced immediately.

Railroads nationwide initially identified 675 cars affected by the advisory and pulled them off the tracks, Association of American Railroads spokeswoman Jessica Kahanek said.

Railroad safety has been in the spotlight since a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pennsylvania-ohio-evacuations-fires-5d399dc745f51ef746e22828083d8591">fiery Norfolk Southern derailment</a>&nbsp;in Ohio last month. Roughly half of the town of East Palestine had to be evacuated after several hazardous materials cars caught fire. The railroad's CEO&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ohio-train-derailment-ceo-norfolk-southern-railroad-e709db3c9945a35c8b92b99e2ba82b2e">answered questions</a>&nbsp;about that wreck at a congressional hearing on Thursday.

Besides the Springfield derailment, two&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/train-derailment-west-virginia-new-river-666564e6d74d66bf2550da4e1348ccd4">others</a>&nbsp;have been reported across the country in the past week, although none of those involved hazardous materials.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/3/1678141665059.png" alt="-Union Pacific train derailment on March 4 in Sumner County Kansas -photo courtesy KWCH" />
 <figcaption>-Union Pacific train derailment on March 4 in Sumner County Kansas -photo courtesy KWCH</figcaption>
 </figure>OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — U.S. railroads were warned to take certain cars out of service Thursday after Norfolk Southern discovered loose wheels on a car involved in last weekend's&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/norfolk-southern-springfield-train-derailment-1b08c84e0788082dd24a4f4ca447f459">derailment in Ohio</a>.It's not clear that the loose wheels caused the derailment near Springfield last Saturday because the National Transportation Safety Board has just begun investigating that crash — the latest in a string of high-profile&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/alabama-train-derailment-norfolk-southern-ohio-49e36d8b7f89a8e23ed8cd4e9cf96c55">derailments</a>&nbsp;that have been&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/railroad-safety-ohio-derailment-hazardous-materials-74d7aec638500c52d1eb9fda0acf9f26">grabbing headlines</a>. But the railroad said the loose wheels on the car could cause a derailment.Norfolk Southern said in a statement that after the railroad discovered “additional cases of unusual wheel movement,” it acted quickly to notify accident investigators and the rest of the industry. The Association of American Railroads trade group responded Thursday by issuing an advisory about the suspect cars.The trade group said the problem was linked to new wheel sets that were installed on specialized steel coil cars beginning in August. The association said all of the cars with those wheels should be inspected and have their wheels replaced immediately.Railroads nationwide initially identified 675 cars affected by the advisory and pulled them off the tracks, Association of American Railroads spokeswoman Jessica Kahanek said.Railroad safety has been in the spotlight since a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pennsylvania-ohio-evacuations-fires-5d399dc745f51ef746e22828083d8591">fiery Norfolk Southern derailment</a>&nbsp;in Ohio last month. Roughly half of the town of East Palestine had to be evacuated after several hazardous materials cars caught fire. The railroad's CEO&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ohio-train-derailment-ceo-norfolk-southern-railroad-e709db3c9945a35c8b92b99e2ba82b2e">answered questions</a>&nbsp;about that wreck at a congressional hearing on Thursday.Besides the Springfield derailment, two&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/train-derailment-west-virginia-new-river-666564e6d74d66bf2550da4e1348ccd4">others</a>&nbsp;have been reported across the country in the past week, although none of those involved hazardous materials.

Railroad group warns that car flaw could cause derailments

FINNEY COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas felon in connection with a stolen vehicle and high speed chase in southwest Kansas.

Just after 12:30a.m. Thursday,&nbsp;12:40 a.m., police were dispatched to an auto theft that had just occurred in the 500 block of Inge Avenue in Garden City, according to a media release.

 Officers learned that 43-year-old Roberto Gallegos was driving&nbsp; Chevrolet 1500 that was stolen from the residence.

Officers located the vehicle at the Lowe's Travel Stop, 3200 E. Highway 50 and attempted a traffic stop. Gallegos refused to stop, and a vehicle pursuit was initiated. 

The pursuit headed east on U.S. Highway 50, and the Finney County Sheriff’s Office responded to assist. As stop sticks were being set up to end the pursuit, Gallegos swerved at several Deputies in an attempt to strike them. 

The vehicle drove onto the shoulder and continued eastbound on U.S. Highway 50. The pursuit traveled into Gray County past Ingalls before stopping near mile marker 99, and Gallegos was taken into custody.

 The Kansas Highway Patrol and the Gray County Sheriff’s Office also assisted in the pursuit. 

Gallegos is being held on requested charges of Aggravated Assault LEO, Flee and Elude, Interference LEO, Theft,&nbsp; Reckless Driving and No Valid Driver’s License. There were no injuries reported.

Gallegos was released from prison in December. He has previous convictions for aggravated arson, burglary and aggravated battery, according to the Kansas Dept. of Corrections.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/3/1678392653381.png" alt="Gallegos was released from prison in December. He has previous convictions for aggravated arson, burglary and aggravated battery, according to the Kansas Dept. of Corrections-photo Finney Co." />
 <figcaption>Gallegos was released from prison in December. He has previous convictions for aggravated arson, burglary and aggravated battery, according to the Kansas Dept. of Corrections-photo Finney Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>FINNEY COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas felon in connection with a stolen vehicle and high speed chase in southwest Kansas.Just after 12:30a.m. Thursday,&nbsp;12:40 a.m., police were dispatched to an auto theft that had just occurred in the 500 block of Inge Avenue in Garden City, according to a media release. Officers learned that 43-year-old Roberto Gallegos was driving&nbsp; Chevrolet 1500 that was stolen from the residence.Officers located the vehicle at the Lowe's Travel Stop, 3200 E. Highway 50 and attempted a traffic stop. Gallegos refused to stop, and a vehicle pursuit was initiated. The pursuit headed east on U.S. Highway 50, and the Finney County Sheriff’s Office responded to assist. As stop sticks were being set up to end the pursuit, Gallegos swerved at several Deputies in an attempt to strike them. The vehicle drove onto the shoulder and continued eastbound on U.S. Highway 50. The pursuit traveled into Gray County past Ingalls before stopping near mile marker 99, and Gallegos was taken into custody. The Kansas Highway Patrol and the Gray County Sheriff’s Office also assisted in the pursuit. Gallegos is being held on requested charges of Aggravated Assault LEO, Flee and Elude, Interference LEO, Theft,&nbsp; Reckless Driving and No Valid Driver’s License. There were no injuries reported.Gallegos was released from prison in December. He has previous convictions for aggravated arson, burglary and aggravated battery, according to the Kansas Dept. of Corrections.

Police: Kan. felon in stolen pickup swerved at officers during chase

WASHINGTON–President Joe Biden on Thursday released a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-budget-deficit-trillion-republicans-economy-810ff80dcd8812f2138eef571f2444f3">budget plan</a>&nbsp;that he said would cut deficits by $2.9 trillion over the next decade — a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-budget-highlights-taxes-deficits-medicare-3f0d64293eb6bf84d114d937627119b8">proposal that Republicans already intend to reject</a>.

 U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, a member of the U.S. Senate Budget Committee, did just that in a statement from his office.

“President Biden missed this year’s deadline by nearly a month just so he could submit to Congress a budget that doubles down on the tax and spend policies that have lit the fire for the historic, persistent inflation Americans are grappling with every single day. Over the next ten years, this budget adds up to $4.7 trillion in new taxes and calls for $82.2 trillion in federal spending."

"This includes billions for wasteful line items related to ‘climate change’ and ‘equity,’ and money to hire 1,300 new government attorneys, but only 350 new border patrol agents to address the crisis at our southern border and only four new Drug Enforcement Administration agents to stop fentanyl from further poisoning our communities. At a time when Washington needs to get serious about tackling our out of control debt, it is disturbing to see our president submit to Congress an unserious budget proposal like the one released Thursday.”

Biden’s package of tax and spending priorities is unlikely to pass the GOP-run House or the Senate, where Democrats hold a slim edge, as proposed.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/3/1678411791432.png" alt="But the GOP has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-politics-united-states-government-us-republican-party-kevin-mccarthy-895d66dcb52739ea06a505859ac9fff3">no counteroffer</a>&nbsp;so far, other than a flat “no” to a Biden blueprint with tax increases on the wealthy that could form the policy backbone of Biden's yet-to-be-declared campaign for reelection in 2024." />
 <figcaption>But the GOP has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-politics-united-states-government-us-republican-party-kevin-mccarthy-895d66dcb52739ea06a505859ac9fff3">no counteroffer</a>&nbsp;so far, other than a flat “no” to a Biden blueprint with tax increases on the wealthy that could form the policy backbone of Biden's yet-to-be-declared campaign for reelection in 2024.</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON–President Joe Biden on Thursday released a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-budget-deficit-trillion-republicans-economy-810ff80dcd8812f2138eef571f2444f3">budget plan</a>&nbsp;that he said would cut deficits by $2.9 trillion over the next decade — a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-budget-highlights-taxes-deficits-medicare-3f0d64293eb6bf84d114d937627119b8">proposal that Republicans already intend to reject</a>. U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, a member of the U.S. Senate Budget Committee, did just that in a statement from his office.“President Biden missed this year’s deadline by nearly a month just so he could submit to Congress a budget that doubles down on the tax and spend policies that have lit the fire for the historic, persistent inflation Americans are grappling with every single day. Over the next ten years, this budget adds up to $4.7 trillion in new taxes and calls for $82.2 trillion in federal spending.""This includes billions for wasteful line items related to ‘climate change’ and ‘equity,’ and money to hire 1,300 new government attorneys, but only 350 new border patrol agents to address the crisis at our southern border and only four new Drug Enforcement Administration agents to stop fentanyl from further poisoning our communities. At a time when Washington needs to get serious about tackling our out of control debt, it is disturbing to see our president submit to Congress an unserious budget proposal like the one released Thursday.”Biden’s package of tax and spending priorities is unlikely to pass the GOP-run House or the Senate, where Democrats hold a slim edge, as proposed.

Senator Marshall finds nothing positive in Biden's $6.8T budget

WASHINGTON (AP) — House leaders say the impact of a hack of a health insurance marketplace used by members of Congress “could be extraordinary,” exposing sensitive personal data of lawmakers, their employees and families. In all, thousands of people could be affected.

DC Health Link, which runs the exchange, said an unspecified number of customers were impacted and it was notifying them and working with law enforcement to quantify the damage. It said it was offering identity theft service to those affected and extending credit monitoring to all customers.

Some 11,000 of the exchange’s more than 100,000 participants work in the House and Senate — in the nation's capital and district offices across the nation — or are relatives.

<a href="https://twitter.com/MarkBednar/status/1633800558539669504?s=20">In a letter to the exchange's director posted on Twitter,</a>&nbsp;House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said the breach “significantly increase the risk that Members, staff and their families will experience identity theft, financial crimes, and physical threats.” The stolen data includes Social Security numbers, phones, addresses, emails and employer names.

The FBI said in a brief statement Wednesday evening it was aware of the incident and was assisting.

In the letter, McCarthy and Jeffries said the FBI had not yet determined the extent of the breach but that thousands of House members, employees and their families have enrolled in health insurance through DC Health Link since 2014. “The size and scope of impacted House customers could be extraordinary.”

They said the FBI told them it was able to purchase the stolen data on the dark web, where it was offered for sale for an unspecified amount Monday on a hacker forum popular with cybercriminals.

It was not clear, though, whether and how the FBI could guarantee that copies of the stolen data were not circulating in the cybercrime underworld. Indeed, on Thursday, a new user on the forum claimed a hacker known as “thekilob” had stolen more than 55,000 records and exclaimed “Glory to Russia” in Cyrillic. Some of the most active cybercriminals are Russian speakers and operate with little interference from the Kremlin.

The user posted 200 records from the hack online and The Associated Press confirmed the sample's authenticity with two of the victims listed.

"This is big. This isn't just like regular folks. This is everyone," said one victim who works in Washington, D.C. In all, 24 people in her office had their records in the dump. The AP is not naming victims or their workplaces to avoid further potential harm.

Sample data posted to the hacker forum by a different account — and removed overnight Thursday — listed data for a dozen DC Link participants. The AP reached one by phone.

“Oh my God,” the man said, when informed the information was public. All 12 people listed work for the same company or are family members.

In an email to all Senate email account holders on Wednesday, the sergeant at arms recommended that anyone registered on the health insurance exchange freeze their credit to prevent identity theft.

An email sent out by the office of the Chief Administrative Office of the House on behalf of McCarthy and Jeffries called the breach “egregious” and urged members to use credit and identity theft monitoring resources.

In an emailed statement on Wednesday, Rep. Joe Morelle of New York said House leadership was informed by Capitol Police that DC Health Link “suffered an extraordinarily large data breach of enrollee information" that posed a “great risk” to members, employees and their family members. He said the FBI was still determining the “cause, size, and scope of the data breach.”

The hack follows several recent breaches affecting U.S. agencies. Hackers broke into a U.S. Marshals Service computer system and activated ransomware on Feb. 17 after stealing personally identifiable data about agency employees and targets of investigations.

An FBI computer system was recently breached at the bureau's New York field office, CNN reported in mid-February. Asked about that intrusion, the FBI issued a statement calling it "an isolated incident that has been contained.” It declined further comment, including when it occurred and whether ransomware was involved.

There was no indication the DC Health breach was ransomware-related.

WASHINGTON (AP) — House leaders say the impact of a hack of a health insurance marketplace used by members of Congress “could be extraordinary,” exposing sensitive personal data of lawmakers, their employees and families. In all, thousands of people could be affected.DC Health Link, which runs the exchange, said an unspecified number of customers were impacted and it was notifying them and working with law enforcement to quantify the damage. It said it was offering identity theft service to those affected and extending credit monitoring to all customers.Some 11,000 of the exchange’s more than 100,000 participants work in the House and Senate — in the nation's capital and district offices across the nation — or are relatives.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/SpeakerMcCarthy?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SpeakerMcCarthy</a> &amp; Minority Leader Jeffries&#39; letter regarding the DC Health Link data breach: <a href="https://t.co/v6H3VtdGX4">pic.twitter.com/v6H3VtdGX4</a>&mdash; Mark Bednar (@MarkBednar) <a href="https://twitter.com/MarkBednar/status/1633800558539669504?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 9, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><a href="https://twitter.com/MarkBednar/status/1633800558539669504?s=20">In a letter to the exchange's director posted on Twitter,</a>&nbsp;House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said the breach “significantly increase the risk that Members, staff and their families will experience identity theft, financial crimes, and physical threats.” The stolen data includes Social Security numbers, phones, addresses, emails and employer names.The FBI said in a brief statement Wednesday evening it was aware of the incident and was assisting.In the letter, McCarthy and Jeffries said the FBI had not yet determined the extent of the breach but that thousands of House members, employees and their families have enrolled in health insurance through DC Health Link since 2014. “The size and scope of impacted House customers could be extraordinary.”They said the FBI told them it was able to purchase the stolen data on the dark web, where it was offered for sale for an unspecified amount Monday on a hacker forum popular with cybercriminals.It was not clear, though, whether and how the FBI could guarantee that copies of the stolen data were not circulating in the cybercrime underworld. Indeed, on Thursday, a new user on the forum claimed a hacker known as “thekilob” had stolen more than 55,000 records and exclaimed “Glory to Russia” in Cyrillic. Some of the most active cybercriminals are Russian speakers and operate with little interference from the Kremlin.The user posted 200 records from the hack online and The Associated Press confirmed the sample's authenticity with two of the victims listed."This is big. This isn't just like regular folks. This is everyone," said one victim who works in Washington, D.C. In all, 24 people in her office had their records in the dump. The AP is not naming victims or their workplaces to avoid further potential harm.Sample data posted to the hacker forum by a different account — and removed overnight Thursday — listed data for a dozen DC Link participants. The AP reached one by phone.“Oh my God,” the man said, when informed the information was public. All 12 people listed work for the same company or are family members.In an email to all Senate email account holders on Wednesday, the sergeant at arms recommended that anyone registered on the health insurance exchange freeze their credit to prevent identity theft.An email sent out by the office of the Chief Administrative Office of the House on behalf of McCarthy and Jeffries called the breach “egregious” and urged members to use credit and identity theft monitoring resources.In an emailed statement on Wednesday, Rep. Joe Morelle of New York said House leadership was informed by Capitol Police that DC Health Link “suffered an extraordinarily large data breach of enrollee information" that posed a “great risk” to members, employees and their family members. He said the FBI was still determining the “cause, size, and scope of the data breach.”The hack follows several recent breaches affecting U.S. agencies. Hackers broke into a U.S. Marshals Service computer system and activated ransomware on Feb. 17 after stealing personally identifiable data about agency employees and targets of investigations.An FBI computer system was recently breached at the bureau's New York field office, CNN reported in mid-February. Asked about that intrusion, the FBI issued a statement calling it "an isolated incident that has been contained.” It declined further comment, including when it occurred and whether ransomware was involved.There was no indication the DC Health breach was ransomware-related.

Health data breach hitting Congress 'could be extraordinary'

KANSAS CITY —The FBI this week announced a $5,000&nbsp; reward for information regarding the whereabouts of missing juvenile Jayden Robker.

The boy was last seen Feb. 2 at 3p.m. in the are of NW Plaza Drive and NW Plaza Avenue in Kansas City. He was wearing a green camouflage hoodie, grey sweat pants, black puma tennis shoes and was riding a black razor skate board.&nbsp;

Anyone with information on Jayden's whereabouts is encouraged to call law enforcement immediately.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/3/1678305651900.png" alt="Jayden Robker" />
 <figcaption>Jayden Robker</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —The FBI this week announced a $5,000&nbsp; reward for information regarding the whereabouts of missing juvenile Jayden Robker.The boy was last seen Feb. 2 at 3p.m. in the are of NW Plaza Drive and NW Plaza Avenue in Kansas City. He was wearing a green camouflage hoodie, grey sweat pants, black puma tennis shoes and was riding a black razor skate board.&nbsp;<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NEW?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NEW</a> - The FBI has announced a $5k reward for information regarding the whereabouts of missing juvenile Jayden Robker. Anyone with information on Jayden&#39;s whereabouts is encouraged to call law enforcement immediately. <a href="https://t.co/EEIvoHaie2">pic.twitter.com/EEIvoHaie2</a>&mdash; FBI Kansas City (@FBIKansasCity) <a href="https://twitter.com/FBIKansasCity/status/1633500779117166593?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 8, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Anyone with information on Jayden's whereabouts is encouraged to call law enforcement immediately.

FBI: $5K reward, search continues for KC-area 13-year-old 

SHAWNEE COUNTY—Crews battled a&nbsp;large industrial warehouse fire at 929 SW University Boulevard in Topeka alongside firefighters from across the region Thursday afternoon and evening, according to Metropolitan Topeka Airport Authority Fire&nbsp;&nbsp;Chief Bill Wempe.

&nbsp;There were no injuries reported. Authorities have not reported the cause of the fire or an estimate of damage.&nbsp;Fire crews remained on the scene early Friday, according to Wempe.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/3/1678414055676.png" alt="Crews on the scene of the multi-building industrial complex fire Thursday photo courtesy WIBW-TV" />
 <figcaption>Crews on the scene of the multi-building industrial complex fire Thursday photo courtesy WIBW-TV</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY—Crews battled a&nbsp;large industrial warehouse fire at 929 SW University Boulevard in Topeka alongside firefighters from across the region Thursday afternoon and evening, according to Metropolitan Topeka Airport Authority Fire&nbsp;&nbsp;Chief Bill Wempe.&nbsp;There were no injuries reported. Authorities have not reported the cause of the fire or an estimate of damage.&nbsp;Fire crews remained on the scene early Friday, according to Wempe.

Crews battle large fire at Kansas industrial complex

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Republican-controlled Kansas Legislature gave final approval Thursday to a ban on transgender athletes in girls' and women's sports, and they appear for now to have the votes to override the Democratic governor's expected veto.

The state Senate voted 28-11 to approve the bill, which would impose the ban for K-12, college and club sports, starting July 1. It next goes to Gov. Laura Kelly, as the state House approved it two weeks earlier on an 82-40 vote.

Kelly&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/topeka-kansas-legislature-libraries-9ffb07cf3b25faf848dda6d78bff8856">vetoed two previous versions</a>&nbsp;of the ban. Republicans&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-education-legislature-gay-rights-kansas-e32307ef93c0c64056e34f2d8a51efe2">made it a major issue</a>&nbsp;when she ran for reelection last year, focusing multiple television ads on it. While&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-biden-donald-trump-kansas-topeka-39afdff811fd2f30a212036d5ec6e3fa">she won a narrow victory,</a>&nbsp;supporters of a ban appeared to pick up just enough legislative seats to have the two-thirds majorities necessary in both chambers to override a veto.

If they are successful, Kansas would join at least 18 other states with laws limiting girls' and women's sports to athletes who had female anatomy at birth. The measure also is part of GOP conservatives' broader national campaign against transgender rights, which includes&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/transgender-malpractice-lgbtq-arkansas-gender-affirming-care-562d0a41429e9cd63c5fff398ef62e28">bans on gender-affirming care</a>&nbsp;for minors, preventing transgender people from using facilities associated with their gender identities and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-kansas-state-government-arkansas-health-8f2edaa40b962e5642e108b83bc14246">blocking them from changing their driver's licenses and birth certificates.</a>

“This is a really, really aggressive backlash — this sort of very pointed, very vicious attack on trans rights,” said Jenna Bellemere, a 19-year-old transgender woman and University of Kansas student. “It’s a backlash to the fact that the world is changing and it’s been changing for a very long time.”

Supporters of restricting transgender athletes argue that it's necessary to preserve fair competition. They also argue that allowing transgender athletes to compete costs cisgender girls and women scholarships and other opportunities, and undoes decades of progress against sex discrimination in sports.

Kansas officials and LGBTQ-rights advocates say only a handful of transgender youth participate in high school activities — and possibly only one trans Kansas girl is on a sports team. But backers of the bill argue that the state should act before transgender athletes become more prevalent.

Republican state Sen. Renee Erickson, a former college basketball player, said that opponents of&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/documents/hb2238_00_0000.pdf">the bill</a>&nbsp;don't seem concerned about the mental health of cisgender girls “who will be forced to undress” around transgender girls or women.

“I'm not willing to wait until a Kansas girl is put into this situation,” she said.

In the Senate, supporters on Thursday had one more vote than a two-thirds majority — the minimum needed to override Kelly's expected veto.

In the House, supporters need 84 votes for a two-thirds majority. While they had 82 votes last month, two Republicans were absent.

Last year, supporters appeared to be two votes short of a two-thirds majority in the House. But in last year's elections, three GOP freshmen who supported a ban replaced three Republicans who'd voted against overriding Kelly's veto last year.

“Who wouldn't vote for fairness in women's sports?” said state Rep. Carrie Barth, one of the three new Republicans, summarizing what she said were bipartisan comments in her eastern Kansas district.

Last year, no Democrats voted to override Kelly's veto. In the House last month, one lawmaker, Rep. Ford Carr, of Wichita, did. While Carr did not immediately respond to a cell phone message seeking comment Thursday,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kansascity.com/news/politics-government/article272575305.html">he told the Kansas City Star last month</a>&nbsp;that he had listened to his constituents in deciding how to vote.

Opponents of the bill are working to get Carr or a Republican to switch to no for a vote on overriding the expected Kelly veto.

Meanwhile, LGBTQ-rights advocates also are bracing for further legislative battles this year.

“Targeting a marginalized population for the sake of political advantage is a time-honored tradition in conservative politics,” said Rabbi Moti Rieber, executive director of Kansas Interfaith Action, which supports LGBTQ rights.

The Senate last month approved a bill aimed at blocking gender-affirming care for minors, and it is awaiting a House committee hearing.

The Senate also passed a measure to legally define male and female based only on a person's anatomy at birth, which advocates say would erase transgender people's legal existence. A House committee approved it Wednesday, and a debate in the full House is possible as early as next week.

Adam Kellogg, a 19-year-old transgender man and University of Kansas student, said the message from the Legislature is, "We don’t want you. We don’t care about you.”

He added: “This hurts real people in real time, and it’s an active attempt to take us off the map entirely.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/3/1678410028413.png" alt="Adam Kellogg, a University of Kansas student and transgender man, follows a Kansas Senate health committee hearing on legislation aimed at preventing gender-affirming care for minors, Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2023, at the Statehouse in Topeka, Kan. The Republican-controlled Kansas Legislature is also considering a measure to define male and female in state law in such a way that it could prevent transgender men and women from changing their driver's licenses and birth certificates. (AP Photo/John Hanna)" />
 <figcaption>Adam Kellogg, a University of Kansas student and transgender man, follows a Kansas Senate health committee hearing on legislation aimed at preventing gender-affirming care for minors, Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2023, at the Statehouse in Topeka, Kan. The Republican-controlled Kansas Legislature is also considering a measure to define male and female in state law in such a way that it could prevent transgender men and women from changing their driver's licenses and birth certificates. (AP Photo/John Hanna)</figcaption>
 </figure>By JOHN HANNA&nbsp;TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Republican-controlled Kansas Legislature gave final approval Thursday to a ban on transgender athletes in girls' and women's sports, and they appear for now to have the votes to override the Democratic governor's expected veto.The state Senate voted 28-11 to approve the bill, which would impose the ban for K-12, college and club sports, starting July 1. It next goes to Gov. Laura Kelly, as the state House approved it two weeks earlier on an 82-40 vote.Kelly&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/topeka-kansas-legislature-libraries-9ffb07cf3b25faf848dda6d78bff8856">vetoed two previous versions</a>&nbsp;of the ban. Republicans&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-education-legislature-gay-rights-kansas-e32307ef93c0c64056e34f2d8a51efe2">made it a major issue</a>&nbsp;when she ran for reelection last year, focusing multiple television ads on it. While&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-biden-donald-trump-kansas-topeka-39afdff811fd2f30a212036d5ec6e3fa">she won a narrow victory,</a>&nbsp;supporters of a ban appeared to pick up just enough legislative seats to have the two-thirds majorities necessary in both chambers to override a veto.If they are successful, Kansas would join at least 18 other states with laws limiting girls' and women's sports to athletes who had female anatomy at birth. The measure also is part of GOP conservatives' broader national campaign against transgender rights, which includes&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/transgender-malpractice-lgbtq-arkansas-gender-affirming-care-562d0a41429e9cd63c5fff398ef62e28">bans on gender-affirming care</a>&nbsp;for minors, preventing transgender people from using facilities associated with their gender identities and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-kansas-state-government-arkansas-health-8f2edaa40b962e5642e108b83bc14246">blocking them from changing their driver's licenses and birth certificates.</a>“This is a really, really aggressive backlash — this sort of very pointed, very vicious attack on trans rights,” said Jenna Bellemere, a 19-year-old transgender woman and University of Kansas student. “It’s a backlash to the fact that the world is changing and it’s been changing for a very long time.”Supporters of restricting transgender athletes argue that it's necessary to preserve fair competition. They also argue that allowing transgender athletes to compete costs cisgender girls and women scholarships and other opportunities, and undoes decades of progress against sex discrimination in sports.Kansas officials and LGBTQ-rights advocates say only a handful of transgender youth participate in high school activities — and possibly only one trans Kansas girl is on a sports team. But backers of the bill argue that the state should act before transgender athletes become more prevalent.Republican state Sen. Renee Erickson, a former college basketball player, said that opponents of&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/documents/hb2238_00_0000.pdf">the bill</a>&nbsp;don't seem concerned about the mental health of cisgender girls “who will be forced to undress” around transgender girls or women.“I'm not willing to wait until a Kansas girl is put into this situation,” she said.In the Senate, supporters on Thursday had one more vote than a two-thirds majority — the minimum needed to override Kelly's expected veto.In the House, supporters need 84 votes for a two-thirds majority. While they had 82 votes last month, two Republicans were absent.Last year, supporters appeared to be two votes short of a two-thirds majority in the House. But in last year's elections, three GOP freshmen who supported a ban replaced three Republicans who'd voted against overriding Kelly's veto last year.“Who wouldn't vote for fairness in women's sports?” said state Rep. Carrie Barth, one of the three new Republicans, summarizing what she said were bipartisan comments in her eastern Kansas district.Last year, no Democrats voted to override Kelly's veto. In the House last month, one lawmaker, Rep. Ford Carr, of Wichita, did. While Carr did not immediately respond to a cell phone message seeking comment Thursday,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kansascity.com/news/politics-government/article272575305.html">he told the Kansas City Star last month</a>&nbsp;that he had listened to his constituents in deciding how to vote.Opponents of the bill are working to get Carr or a Republican to switch to no for a vote on overriding the expected Kelly veto.Meanwhile, LGBTQ-rights advocates also are bracing for further legislative battles this year.“Targeting a marginalized population for the sake of political advantage is a time-honored tradition in conservative politics,” said Rabbi Moti Rieber, executive director of Kansas Interfaith Action, which supports LGBTQ rights.The Senate last month approved a bill aimed at blocking gender-affirming care for minors, and it is awaiting a House committee hearing.The Senate also passed a measure to legally define male and female based only on a person's anatomy at birth, which advocates say would erase transgender people's legal existence. A House committee approved it Wednesday, and a debate in the full House is possible as early as next week.Adam Kellogg, a 19-year-old transgender man and University of Kansas student, said the message from the Legislature is, "We don’t want you. We don’t care about you.”He added: “This hurts real people in real time, and it’s an active attempt to take us off the map entirely.”___

Kansas nears ban on transgender athletes in women's sports

WAYNESVILLE, Mo. (AP) — Two southwest Missouri women are charged with second-degree murder in the death of a 5-year-old girl at their home, police said.

The Waynesville police department said in a news release that one of the girl's siblings told a school resource officer on Tuesday that he had seen her unconscious and unresponsive at their home that morning.

Another sibling answered the door and told officers her younger sister was dead, police said. The Pulaski County coroner later declared her dead at the scene.

Angela West, 39, and Shamira Buford, 36, were charged with second-degree murder, involuntary manslaughter endangering the welfare of a child and child abuse.

The women told officers they sometimes tied the girl up to prevent her from stealing food, and sometimes put a sock in her mouth to keep her from “whining and crying," according to a probable cause statement.

The women's relationship to the girl was not released. They are being held without bond in the Pulaski County jail.

A public defender representing the women did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/3/1678389979366.png" alt="Buford-photo Pulaski Co." />
 <figcaption>Buford-photo Pulaski Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>WAYNESVILLE, Mo. (AP) — Two southwest Missouri women are charged with second-degree murder in the death of a 5-year-old girl at their home, police said.The Waynesville police department said in a news release that one of the girl's siblings told a school resource officer on Tuesday that he had seen her unconscious and unresponsive at their home that morning.Another sibling answered the door and told officers her younger sister was dead, police said. The Pulaski County coroner later declared her dead at the scene.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/3/1678389957796.png" alt="West-photo Pulaski Co." />
 <figcaption>West-photo Pulaski Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>Angela West, 39, and Shamira Buford, 36, were charged with second-degree murder, involuntary manslaughter endangering the welfare of a child and child abuse.The women told officers they sometimes tied the girl up to prevent her from stealing food, and sometimes put a sock in her mouth to keep her from “whining and crying," according to a probable cause statement.The women's relationship to the girl was not released. They are being held without bond in the Pulaski County jail.A public defender representing the women did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

2 SW Missouri women charged after 5-year-old girl found dead

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Kansas coach Bill Self will miss the Big 12 Tournament after going to the emergency room Wednesday night for what doctors called “a standard procedure,” and it's uncertain whether he will be back for the NCAA Tournament.

Dr. Steve Stites, the chief medical officer at the University of Kansas Health System, said Self did not have a heart attack, which some outlets had reported, but that he remained a patient Thursday. Stites also did not describe the nature or extent of the procedure, though Self is expected to make a full recovery.

“We didn't really let the guys know until this morning because nothing was concrete what was going on,” said Kansas assistant Norm Roberts, who led the No. 3 Jayhawks to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-west-virginia-big-12-98660b6b6b3faef70391aa1b7524f715">a 78-61 win over West Virginia</a>&nbsp;in the quarterfinal round.

“Coach is doing good,” Roberts added. “I talked to him on the phone (after the game). He's doing well. He already wants to watch film and all of that. He's doing well. He's doing better.”

Kansas officials announced that Self was ill about five hours before tipoff Thursday and that Roberts would be the acting coach. It's a role he filled earlier in the season when Self served a school-imposed four-game suspension.

The Jayhawks are the defending Big 12 Tournament champions and are trying to secure a No. 1 seed for the NCAA Tournament, where they will attempt to defend the national championship they won last April.

“Just come together through it all. Coach Self obviously would want that,” Kansas guard Gradey Dick said. “A lot of what he preaches with us is next man up, and in this case it was coach. And it's kind of a little similar to the start of the season. Obviously a little more serious now with Coach Self but we're hearing it's all good.”

The 60-year-old Hall of Fame coach led Kansas to the regular-season championship in the toughest conference in the nation this season, despite losing several key players from the team that beat North Carolina for the national title last April.

He was present Wednesday for a shootaround at T-Mobile Center and appeared healthy. He met with reporters for about 20 minutes outside the locker room and said his team was ready for another March run.

“We’ve talked about we’re going to Kansas City to try to put ourselves in position to win this thing, but knowing we better take one game at a time,” Self said Wednesday. “I’ve put the emphasis on, ‘Let’s go play our best.’ What the (Big 12) tournament does, it can validate what your regular season’s been. And this is an opportunity to validate it.”

Self is 581-130 during his two decades with Kansas, and is 788-235 in his 30 seasons as a head coach, including stops at Oral Roberts, Tulsa and Illinois. He's led the Jayhawks to a pair of national championships, beating Memphis for the title in 2008, and the regular-season Big 12 title was his 17th in 20 seasons in Lawrence.

With the retirement of Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim on Wednesday, Self climbed up the list of the winningest active coaches in men's college basketball behind Bob Huggins, John Calipari and Rick Pitino.

“Coach Self has always treated me very well. Really respect him and respect their program,” said Iowa State coach TJ Otzelberger, whose team will face the Jayhawks in Friday night's Big 12 Tournament semifinals. “Certainly want to wish him the best. I texted him earlier today and let him know we're keeping him in our thoughts.”

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Kansas coach Bill Self will miss the third-ranked Jayhawks' quarterfinal game against West Virginia in the Big 12 Tournament on Thursday with what the school called an undisclosed illness.

Kansas officials announced the news about five hours before tipoff between the top-seeded Jayhawks and eighth-seeded Mountaineers. Assistant Norm Roberts will serve as the acting coach for the Jayhawks, a role he filled earlier in the season when Self served a school-imposed four-game suspension and won each of the games.

“Self is doing well and receiving great care at the University of Kansas Health System,” the school said Thursday in a statement. It did not say whether Self would be back should the Jayhawks advance to the semifinals.

The 60-year-old Hall of Fame coach led Kansas to the regular-season championship in the toughest conference in the nation this season, despite losing several key players from the team that beat North Carolina the national title.

He was present Wednesday for a shoot-around at T-Mobile Center and appeared to be in normal condition. He met with reporters for about 20 minutes outside the locker room and said his team was ready for another March run.

“We’ve talked about we’re going to Kansas City to try to put ourselves in position to win this thing, but knowing we better take one game at a time,” Self said. "I’ve put the emphasis on, ‘Let’s go play our best.’ What the (Big 12) tournament does, it can validate what your regular season’s been. And this is an opportunity to validate it.”

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Kansas coach Bill Self will miss the Big 12 Tournament after going to the emergency room Wednesday night for what doctors called “a standard procedure,” and it's uncertain whether he will be back for the NCAA Tournament.Dr. Steve Stites, the chief medical officer at the University of Kansas Health System, said Self did not have a heart attack, which some outlets had reported, but that he remained a patient Thursday. Stites also did not describe the nature or extent of the procedure, though Self is expected to make a full recovery.“We didn't really let the guys know until this morning because nothing was concrete what was going on,” said Kansas assistant Norm Roberts, who led the No. 3 Jayhawks to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-west-virginia-big-12-98660b6b6b3faef70391aa1b7524f715">a 78-61 win over West Virginia</a>&nbsp;in the quarterfinal round.“Coach is doing good,” Roberts added. “I talked to him on the phone (after the game). He's doing well. He already wants to watch film and all of that. He's doing well. He's doing better.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/3/1678402776530.png" alt="Statement from KU Athletics" />
 <figcaption>Statement from KU Athletics</figcaption>
 </figure>Kansas officials announced that Self was ill about five hours before tipoff Thursday and that Roberts would be the acting coach. It's a role he filled earlier in the season when Self served a school-imposed four-game suspension.The Jayhawks are the defending Big 12 Tournament champions and are trying to secure a No. 1 seed for the NCAA Tournament, where they will attempt to defend the national championship they won last April.“Just come together through it all. Coach Self obviously would want that,” Kansas guard Gradey Dick said. “A lot of what he preaches with us is next man up, and in this case it was coach. And it's kind of a little similar to the start of the season. Obviously a little more serious now with Coach Self but we're hearing it's all good.”The 60-year-old Hall of Fame coach led Kansas to the regular-season championship in the toughest conference in the nation this season, despite losing several key players from the team that beat North Carolina for the national title last April.He was present Wednesday for a shootaround at T-Mobile Center and appeared healthy. He met with reporters for about 20 minutes outside the locker room and said his team was ready for another March run.“We’ve talked about we’re going to Kansas City to try to put ourselves in position to win this thing, but knowing we better take one game at a time,” Self said Wednesday. “I’ve put the emphasis on, ‘Let’s go play our best.’ What the (Big 12) tournament does, it can validate what your regular season’s been. And this is an opportunity to validate it.”Self is 581-130 during his two decades with Kansas, and is 788-235 in his 30 seasons as a head coach, including stops at Oral Roberts, Tulsa and Illinois. He's led the Jayhawks to a pair of national championships, beating Memphis for the title in 2008, and the regular-season Big 12 title was his 17th in 20 seasons in Lawrence.With the retirement of Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim on Wednesday, Self climbed up the list of the winningest active coaches in men's college basketball behind Bob Huggins, John Calipari and Rick Pitino.“Coach Self has always treated me very well. Really respect him and respect their program,” said Iowa State coach TJ Otzelberger, whose team will face the Jayhawks in Friday night's Big 12 Tournament semifinals. “Certainly want to wish him the best. I texted him earlier today and let him know we're keeping him in our thoughts.”-----------KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Kansas coach Bill Self will miss the third-ranked Jayhawks' quarterfinal game against West Virginia in the Big 12 Tournament on Thursday with what the school called an undisclosed illness.Kansas officials announced the news about five hours before tipoff between the top-seeded Jayhawks and eighth-seeded Mountaineers. Assistant Norm Roberts will serve as the acting coach for the Jayhawks, a role he filled earlier in the season when Self served a school-imposed four-game suspension and won each of the games.The Jayhawks are the defending Big 12 Tournament champions and are trying to secure a No. 1 seed for the NCAA Tournament, where they will attempt to defend the national championship they won last April.“Self is doing well and receiving great care at the University of Kansas Health System,” the school said Thursday in a statement. It did not say whether Self would be back should the Jayhawks advance to the semifinals.The 60-year-old Hall of Fame coach led Kansas to the regular-season championship in the toughest conference in the nation this season, despite losing several key players from the team that beat North Carolina the national title.He was present Wednesday for a shoot-around at T-Mobile Center and appeared to be in normal condition. He met with reporters for about 20 minutes outside the locker room and said his team was ready for another March run.“We’ve talked about we’re going to Kansas City to try to put ourselves in position to win this thing, but knowing we better take one game at a time,” Self said. "I’ve put the emphasis on, ‘Let’s go play our best.’ What the (Big 12) tournament does, it can validate what your regular season’s been. And this is an opportunity to validate it.”Self is 581-130 during his two decades with Kansas, and is 788-235 in his 30 seasons as a head coach, including stops at Oral Roberts, Tulsa and Illinois. He's led the Jayhawks to a pair of national championships, beating Memphis for the title in 2008, and the regular-season Big 12 title was his 17th in 20 seasons in Lawrence.With the retirement of Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim on Wednesday, Self climbed up the list of the winningest active coaches in men's college basketball behind Bob Huggins, John Calipari and Rick Pitino.----------

Update: KU coach Self to miss Big 12 tourney after medical procedure

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — As political gridlock puts the government at risk of defaulting, President Joe Biden on Thursday made an opening bid with a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-budget-deficit-trillion-republicans-economy-810ff80dcd8812f2138eef571f2444f3">budget plan</a>&nbsp;that would cut deficits by $2.9 trillion over the next decade — a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-budget-highlights-taxes-deficits-medicare-3f0d64293eb6bf84d114d937627119b8">proposal that Republicans already intend to reject</a>. (Click below to watch the President's comments)

It's part of a broader attempt by the president to call out House Republicans who are demanding severe cuts to spending in return for lifting the government's&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-us-department-of-the-treasury-united-states-government-janet-yellen-business-6fe9b54dcdfea58bead0f4c5f9f89a64">legal borrowing limit</a>. But the GOP has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-politics-united-states-government-us-republican-party-kevin-mccarthy-895d66dcb52739ea06a505859ac9fff3">no counteroffer</a>&nbsp;so far, other than a flat “no” to a Biden blueprint with tax increases on the wealthy that could form the policy backbone of Biden's yet-to-be-declared campaign for reelection in 2024.

Striding around a stage at a union training center in Philadelphia, Biden seemed to be in full campaign mode as he spoke about his plan for the government's finances and how his values contrasted with Republican priorities.

“I just laid out the bulk of my budget,” Biden said. “Republicans in Congress should do the same thing. Then we can sit down and see where we disagree.”

Yet the president doubted that GOP lawmakers could make their numbers match their calls for a balanced budget and he suggested that any efforts to do so could come at the expense of middle-class families.

“How are they going to make the math work?" Biden said. "What are they going to cut?”

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., said the president's proposed deficit reduction was inadequate. “It just seems like it’s going to create the biggest government in history. I don’t think that’s what we need at this time,” he said.

In addition to deficit reduction, Biden's 10-year budget largely revolves around the idea of taxing the wealthy to help fund programs for the middle class, older adults and families. It would raise $4.7 trillion from higher taxes, with an additional $800 billion in savings from changes to programs.

The tax increases include a reversal of the 2017 tax cuts made by President Donald Trump on people earning more than $400,000 a year.

Biden has floated a new 25% minimum tax on households worth $100 million or more. Also, the tax that companies pay on stock buybacks would rise fourfold and those earning more than $400,000 would pay an additional Medicare tax that would help to keep the program solvent beyond the year 2050. Medicare could negotiate on the prices of more prescription drugs, helping to save the government money.

Accompanying that would be $2.6 trillion worth of new spending, including the restoration of the expanded child tax credit that would give families as much as $3,600 per child, compared with the current level of $2,000. That credit would be “fully refundable,” which means households could receive all of that sum even if they don’t owe any taxes. The budget proposal would impose a $35-a-month cap on insulin prices, matching a change that Biden already put in place for Medicare recipients.

At a time of increased tensions with Russia and China, the budget shows a decline in military spending as a share of the U.S. economy over the next decade. But federal spending would be equal to roughly one-quarter of economic output as the spending on Social Security and Medicare climbs, essentially keeping the government the same size as it is currently.

The budget would seek to close the “carried interest” loophole that allows wealthy hedge fund managers and others to pay their taxes at a lower rate, and prevent billionaires from being able to set aside large amounts of their holdings in tax-favored retirement accounts. The plan also projects saving $24 billion over 10 years by removing a tax subsidy for cryptocurrency transactions.

McCarthy has called for putting the U.S. government on a path toward a balanced budget. But by refusing to raise taxes or cut Social Security and Medicare spending, GOP lawmakers face some harsh math that makes it hard to reduce deficits without risking a voter backlash before a presidential election. He has said his plan's release was pushed back because Biden's proposal was only now coming out.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., expressed skepticism that McCarthy has any coherent plan that House Republicans can coalesce around. “Enough with the dodging, enough with the excuses," Schumer said. "Show us your plan. And then show us how it’s going to get 218 votes on your side of the aisle.”

Biden's deficit reduction goal is significantly higher than the $2 trillion that he had promised in his&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/state-of-the-union-biden-2023-b9bebd876a42a9510f068a04a3f2a348">State of the Union</a>&nbsp;address last month.

With the economy already in a fragile state because of high inflation, if Biden and Congress cannot agree to raise the statutory debt cap of $31.4 trillion by this summer, the government could&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-us-department-of-the-treasury-united-states-government-district-columbia-china-0f7f0d85ed38353940a18cd262de8b09">default on payments</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-us-department-of-the-treasury-united-states-government-janet-yellen-business-6fe9b54dcdfea58bead0f4c5f9f89a64">perhaps shove the country into a recession.</a>

The budget also shows the shadow of Trump's legacy, as provisions in his 2017 tax cuts will expire after 2025. Biden wants to eliminate elements of that overhaul, arguing that lower taxes failed to produce the growth that Trump promised. But Biden's budget does not address tax cuts that benefited households making less than $400,000: Their expiration could amount to a tax increase that would violate a pledge by Biden to only raise taxes on the wealthy.

Based off the data, the cost of extending the tax breaks for people making less than $400,000 would be $1.5 trillion, according to Kyle Pomerleau, a senior fellow at the center-right American Enterprise Institute. That would halve the deficit savings being promoted by Biden, but Pomerleau cautioned that his estimates might be high because the president's plan includes the cost of the expanded child tax credit.

Biden’s proposal would increase the top marginal tax rate to 39.6% on income above $400,000. For households with $1 million in income, earnings from capital gains, such as stocks or property sales, would no longer enjoy a discounted tax rate compared with wages. The president would increase the corporate tax rate to 28% and increase the tax rate on U.S. multinationals’ foreign earnings from 10.5% to 21%.

In February, the nonpartisan&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cbo.gov/system/files/2023-02/58848-Outlook.pdf">Congressional Budget Office</a>&nbsp;estimated that the national debt held by the public will grow by more than $20 trillion over the next decade. The publicly held debt, which reflects the cumulative impact of yearly deficits, would be equal to 118% of U.S. gross domestic product, compared with 98% this year. Biden's budget would reduce the debt, though it would still be high relative to historical levels.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — As political gridlock puts the government at risk of defaulting, President Joe Biden on Thursday made an opening bid with a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-budget-deficit-trillion-republicans-economy-810ff80dcd8812f2138eef571f2444f3">budget plan</a>&nbsp;that would cut deficits by $2.9 trillion over the next decade — a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-budget-highlights-taxes-deficits-medicare-3f0d64293eb6bf84d114d937627119b8">proposal that Republicans already intend to reject</a>. (Click below to watch the President's comments)<div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qpJnCELX3Ag?start=814" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>It's part of a broader attempt by the president to call out House Republicans who are demanding severe cuts to spending in return for lifting the government's&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-us-department-of-the-treasury-united-states-government-janet-yellen-business-6fe9b54dcdfea58bead0f4c5f9f89a64">legal borrowing limit</a>. But the GOP has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-politics-united-states-government-us-republican-party-kevin-mccarthy-895d66dcb52739ea06a505859ac9fff3">no counteroffer</a>&nbsp;so far, other than a flat “no” to a Biden blueprint with tax increases on the wealthy that could form the policy backbone of Biden's yet-to-be-declared campaign for reelection in 2024.Striding around a stage at a union training center in Philadelphia, Biden seemed to be in full campaign mode as he spoke about his plan for the government's finances and how his values contrasted with Republican priorities.“I just laid out the bulk of my budget,” Biden said. “Republicans in Congress should do the same thing. Then we can sit down and see where we disagree.”Yet the president doubted that GOP lawmakers could make their numbers match their calls for a balanced budget and he suggested that any efforts to do so could come at the expense of middle-class families.“How are they going to make the math work?" Biden said. "What are they going to cut?”Biden’s package of tax and spending priorities is unlikely to pass the GOP-run House or the Senate, where Democrats hold a slim edge, as proposed.House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., said the president's proposed deficit reduction was inadequate. “It just seems like it’s going to create the biggest government in history. I don’t think that’s what we need at this time,” he said.In addition to deficit reduction, Biden's 10-year budget largely revolves around the idea of taxing the wealthy to help fund programs for the middle class, older adults and families. It would raise $4.7 trillion from higher taxes, with an additional $800 billion in savings from changes to programs.The tax increases include a reversal of the 2017 tax cuts made by President Donald Trump on people earning more than $400,000 a year.Biden has floated a new 25% minimum tax on households worth $100 million or more. Also, the tax that companies pay on stock buybacks would rise fourfold and those earning more than $400,000 would pay an additional Medicare tax that would help to keep the program solvent beyond the year 2050. Medicare could negotiate on the prices of more prescription drugs, helping to save the government money.Accompanying that would be $2.6 trillion worth of new spending, including the restoration of the expanded child tax credit that would give families as much as $3,600 per child, compared with the current level of $2,000. That credit would be “fully refundable,” which means households could receive all of that sum even if they don’t owe any taxes. The budget proposal would impose a $35-a-month cap on insulin prices, matching a change that Biden already put in place for Medicare recipients.At a time of increased tensions with Russia and China, the budget shows a decline in military spending as a share of the U.S. economy over the next decade. But federal spending would be equal to roughly one-quarter of economic output as the spending on Social Security and Medicare climbs, essentially keeping the government the same size as it is currently.The budget would seek to close the “carried interest” loophole that allows wealthy hedge fund managers and others to pay their taxes at a lower rate, and prevent billionaires from being able to set aside large amounts of their holdings in tax-favored retirement accounts. The plan also projects saving $24 billion over 10 years by removing a tax subsidy for cryptocurrency transactions.McCarthy has called for putting the U.S. government on a path toward a balanced budget. But by refusing to raise taxes or cut Social Security and Medicare spending, GOP lawmakers face some harsh math that makes it hard to reduce deficits without risking a voter backlash before a presidential election. He has said his plan's release was pushed back because Biden's proposal was only now coming out.Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., expressed skepticism that McCarthy has any coherent plan that House Republicans can coalesce around. “Enough with the dodging, enough with the excuses," Schumer said. "Show us your plan. And then show us how it’s going to get 218 votes on your side of the aisle.”Biden's deficit reduction goal is significantly higher than the $2 trillion that he had promised in his&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/state-of-the-union-biden-2023-b9bebd876a42a9510f068a04a3f2a348">State of the Union</a>&nbsp;address last month.With the economy already in a fragile state because of high inflation, if Biden and Congress cannot agree to raise the statutory debt cap of $31.4 trillion by this summer, the government could&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-us-department-of-the-treasury-united-states-government-district-columbia-china-0f7f0d85ed38353940a18cd262de8b09">default on payments</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-us-department-of-the-treasury-united-states-government-janet-yellen-business-6fe9b54dcdfea58bead0f4c5f9f89a64">perhaps shove the country into a recession.</a>The budget also shows the shadow of Trump's legacy, as provisions in his 2017 tax cuts will expire after 2025. Biden wants to eliminate elements of that overhaul, arguing that lower taxes failed to produce the growth that Trump promised. But Biden's budget does not address tax cuts that benefited households making less than $400,000: Their expiration could amount to a tax increase that would violate a pledge by Biden to only raise taxes on the wealthy.Based off the data, the cost of extending the tax breaks for people making less than $400,000 would be $1.5 trillion, according to Kyle Pomerleau, a senior fellow at the center-right American Enterprise Institute. That would halve the deficit savings being promoted by Biden, but Pomerleau cautioned that his estimates might be high because the president's plan includes the cost of the expanded child tax credit.Biden’s proposal would increase the top marginal tax rate to 39.6% on income above $400,000. For households with $1 million in income, earnings from capital gains, such as stocks or property sales, would no longer enjoy a discounted tax rate compared with wages. The president would increase the corporate tax rate to 28% and increase the tax rate on U.S. multinationals’ foreign earnings from 10.5% to 21%.In February, the nonpartisan&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cbo.gov/system/files/2023-02/58848-Outlook.pdf">Congressional Budget Office</a>&nbsp;estimated that the national debt held by the public will grow by more than $20 trillion over the next decade. The publicly held debt, which reflects the cumulative impact of yearly deficits, would be equal to 118% of U.S. gross domestic product, compared with 98% this year. Biden's budget would reduce the debt, though it would still be high relative to historical levels.___

🎥Biden rolls out $6.8T budget plan, challenges GOP to follow suit

OMAHA, NE (AP) — The major freight railroads announced a number of steps Wednesday that they are taking to improve safety in the wake of last month’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pennsylvania-ohio-evacuations-fires-5d399dc745f51ef746e22828083d8591">fiery Ohio derailment</a>, but it’s not clear if their actions will be enough to satisfy regulators and members of Congress who are pushing for changes.

Many of the proposals from the Association of American Railroads trade group focus on strengthening the network of trackside detectors that railroads use to spot problems before they can cause derailments. The railroads plan to do this by installing 1,000 more of the detectors nationwide and tweaking the way railroads use the data from them.

Norfolk Southern, the railroad responsible for the Feb. 3 derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, near the Pennsylvania border,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/derailment-ohio-safety-norfolk-southern-railroad-171b7d3f8e0dbced1336efafb098badf">proposed similar changes</a>&nbsp;earlier this week, but the Federal Railroad Administration responded saying the company wasn't doing nearly enough.

And several members of Congress — led by Ohio's two senators — have proposed a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/derailment-ohio-safety-senate-legislation-brown-vance-82c55dc95aca9524d6ae8e6d01336dbe">sweeping package of rail reforms</a>&nbsp;that go well beyond what the industry is proposing. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has also&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/rail-accidents-transportation-pete-buttigieg-ohio-pennsylvania-f1cd9d79cdd66b1f45d1dcdf1e53ff58">urged the railroads</a>&nbsp;to make immediate changes.

Federal regulators didn't immediately respond Wednesday to questions about the industry's proposals. Congress plans to scrutinize Norfolk Southern's safety record and its response to the Ohio derailment at a Senate hearing Thursday morning that will also examine the reforms Ohio's senators proposed. Two federal agencies also&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ohio-train-derailment-norfolk-southern-safety-investigation-2c819f2c469102332d4b1abf4c6e8923">announced broad investigations</a>&nbsp;into Norfolk Southern's safety record Tuesday.

Overall, railroads are proud of their safety record, which reflects a decline in derailments over the past several years, and they like to tout the statistic that 99.9% of all hazardous materials shipments railroads handle reach their destinations safely. Still, there were 1,049 derailments nationwide last year — and the East Palestine one showed how even a single mishap involving hazardous materials can be disastrous.

“Rail is indisputably the safest way to move dangerous commodities,” AAR President Ian Jefferies said. “Yet we fully appreciate that these data do not comfort the residents of East Palestine and that public trust must be restored through action."

The major freight railroads — which include Norfolk Southern, CSX, Union Pacific, BNSF, Canadian Pacific, Kansas City Southern and Canadian National — said they will tighten up the spacing between the hot-bearing detectors to ensure they average no more than 15 miles (24 kilometers) apart along the main routes they use to transport hazardous chemicals. Currently, there are no federal rules on those detectors, which can be spaced up to 40 miles (64 kilometers) apart in places, though most of them are much closer together.

Rail safety expert Allan Zarembski said the existing network of detectors was already quite effective and allowed only a handful of derailments every year related to overheating bearings. But these changes will undoubtedly catch even more of these problems, said the University of Delaware professor who leads the railroad engineering and safety program there.

Zarembski said he believes these changes are likely to be “pretty effective.”

The railroads said they will also commit to stopping and inspecting any train that has a bearing that registers more than 170 degrees above the outside temperature. That’s in line with the standards Norfolk Southern already uses.

The National Transportation Safety Board&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/Documents/RRD23MR005%20East%20Palestine%20OH%20Prelim.pdf">has said</a>&nbsp;the Norfolk Southern crew&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-pete-buttigieg-evacuations-ohio-explosions-64908a6416662b5866809387f210aee5">received a warning</a>&nbsp;about an overheating bearing just before the derailment but wasn’t able to stop the train before 38 cars, including 11 carrying hazardous materials, jumped off the tracks and caught fire. About half the town of East Palestine — about 2,500 residents — had to evacuate a couple days later because officials were worried that five of the cars carrying vinyl chloride might explode. They then&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ohio-train-derailment-updates-bf5a60de2243cd6f7f730096aa33294c">released the chemical and burned</a>&nbsp;it off.

In addition to stopping trains anytime a bearing exceeds 170 degrees, the railroads also analyze the data from sensors all across their networks to identify problems even before a bearing hits that threshold. The trade group said all the major railroads plan to discuss ways to improve that analysis by the end of March.

The railroads said they also plan to train about 20,000 first responders nationwide this year to deal with hazardous materials incidents. As part of that, Norfolk Southern announced plans Wednesday to build a new regional training center in Ohio. Gov. Mike DeWine praised the effort.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/3/1678141665059.png" alt="&nbsp;Union&nbsp; Pacific train derailment on March 4 in Sumner County Kansas -photo courtesy KWCH" />
 <figcaption>&nbsp;Union&nbsp; Pacific train derailment on March 4 in Sumner County Kansas -photo courtesy KWCH</figcaption>
 </figure>OMAHA, NE (AP) — The major freight railroads announced a number of steps Wednesday that they are taking to improve safety in the wake of last month’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pennsylvania-ohio-evacuations-fires-5d399dc745f51ef746e22828083d8591">fiery Ohio derailment</a>, but it’s not clear if their actions will be enough to satisfy regulators and members of Congress who are pushing for changes.Many of the proposals from the Association of American Railroads trade group focus on strengthening the network of trackside detectors that railroads use to spot problems before they can cause derailments. The railroads plan to do this by installing 1,000 more of the detectors nationwide and tweaking the way railroads use the data from them.Norfolk Southern, the railroad responsible for the Feb. 3 derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, near the Pennsylvania border,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/derailment-ohio-safety-norfolk-southern-railroad-171b7d3f8e0dbced1336efafb098badf">proposed similar changes</a>&nbsp;earlier this week, but the Federal Railroad Administration responded saying the company wasn't doing nearly enough.And several members of Congress — led by Ohio's two senators — have proposed a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/derailment-ohio-safety-senate-legislation-brown-vance-82c55dc95aca9524d6ae8e6d01336dbe">sweeping package of rail reforms</a>&nbsp;that go well beyond what the industry is proposing. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has also&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/rail-accidents-transportation-pete-buttigieg-ohio-pennsylvania-f1cd9d79cdd66b1f45d1dcdf1e53ff58">urged the railroads</a>&nbsp;to make immediate changes.Federal regulators didn't immediately respond Wednesday to questions about the industry's proposals. Congress plans to scrutinize Norfolk Southern's safety record and its response to the Ohio derailment at a Senate hearing Thursday morning that will also examine the reforms Ohio's senators proposed. Two federal agencies also&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ohio-train-derailment-norfolk-southern-safety-investigation-2c819f2c469102332d4b1abf4c6e8923">announced broad investigations</a>&nbsp;into Norfolk Southern's safety record Tuesday.Overall, railroads are proud of their safety record, which reflects a decline in derailments over the past several years, and they like to tout the statistic that 99.9% of all hazardous materials shipments railroads handle reach their destinations safely. Still, there were 1,049 derailments nationwide last year — and the East Palestine one showed how even a single mishap involving hazardous materials can be disastrous.“Rail is indisputably the safest way to move dangerous commodities,” AAR President Ian Jefferies said. “Yet we fully appreciate that these data do not comfort the residents of East Palestine and that public trust must be restored through action."The major freight railroads — which include Norfolk Southern, CSX, Union Pacific, BNSF, Canadian Pacific, Kansas City Southern and Canadian National — said they will tighten up the spacing between the hot-bearing detectors to ensure they average no more than 15 miles (24 kilometers) apart along the main routes they use to transport hazardous chemicals. Currently, there are no federal rules on those detectors, which can be spaced up to 40 miles (64 kilometers) apart in places, though most of them are much closer together.Rail safety expert Allan Zarembski said the existing network of detectors was already quite effective and allowed only a handful of derailments every year related to overheating bearings. But these changes will undoubtedly catch even more of these problems, said the University of Delaware professor who leads the railroad engineering and safety program there.Zarembski said he believes these changes are likely to be “pretty effective.”The railroads said they will also commit to stopping and inspecting any train that has a bearing that registers more than 170 degrees above the outside temperature. That’s in line with the standards Norfolk Southern already uses.The National Transportation Safety Board&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/Documents/RRD23MR005%20East%20Palestine%20OH%20Prelim.pdf">has said</a>&nbsp;the Norfolk Southern crew&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-pete-buttigieg-evacuations-ohio-explosions-64908a6416662b5866809387f210aee5">received a warning</a>&nbsp;about an overheating bearing just before the derailment but wasn’t able to stop the train before 38 cars, including 11 carrying hazardous materials, jumped off the tracks and caught fire. About half the town of East Palestine — about 2,500 residents — had to evacuate a couple days later because officials were worried that five of the cars carrying vinyl chloride might explode. They then&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ohio-train-derailment-updates-bf5a60de2243cd6f7f730096aa33294c">released the chemical and burned</a>&nbsp;it off.In addition to stopping trains anytime a bearing exceeds 170 degrees, the railroads also analyze the data from sensors all across their networks to identify problems even before a bearing hits that threshold. The trade group said all the major railroads plan to discuss ways to improve that analysis by the end of March.The railroads said they also plan to train about 20,000 first responders nationwide this year to deal with hazardous materials incidents. As part of that, Norfolk Southern announced plans Wednesday to build a new regional training center in Ohio. Gov. Mike DeWine praised the effort.“The derailment in East Palestine made clear that ensuring first responders are prepared for disasters involving hazardous materials is vitally important to the safety of communities,” DeWine said. “Often, first responders are volunteers, and their need to have the most up-to-date training and equipment is vitally important."