SEDGWICK COUNTY—A Kansas man accused in the abduction of a 14-year-old girl from Arkansas made his first court appearance on Monday.

David Roark, 35, Wichita, was charged with kidnapping, abuse of a child, 5 counts of rape or in the alternative 5 counts of aggravated indecent liberties with a child, electronic solicitation, and 8 counts of sexual exploitation of a child, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.

Just after midnight Dec. 14, a detective with the White County, Arkansas Sheriff’s Office contacted Wichita Police requesting assistance locating a missing child from their jurisdiction, according to Officer Chad Ditch.

&nbsp; A 14-year-old girl had left her home in Arkansas in early November and not returned.&nbsp; A follow-up investigation by White County detectives revealed she had been <a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=466582265583859&amp;set=pcb.461551719420247">seen in a convenience store</a> with a man before leaving in a vehicle with the same man later identified as 35-year-old&nbsp;David E. Roark of Wichita. Police also learned Roark was wanted on two warrants from the state of Kentucky.

Additional information provided by White County suggested that Roark was possibly in the Wichita area. 

The Wichita Police Exploited and Missing Child Unit and the Internet Crimes Against Children Unit began investigating and located an address in the 1800 block of N. Litchfield in Wichita, where they believed Roark was staying. 

Police observed Roark leaving the home and took him into custody. Officers then found the missing girl in a closet inside the house. Police took both of them for additional interviews, where it was discovered further crimes had occurred in Wichita.

A search warrant for the residence was completed, and David Roark was booked into the Sedgwick County Jail. He is being held on&nbsp;<a href="https://ssc.sedgwickcounty.org/sheriffinmates/SheriffInmateDetail.aspx?nameId=20080133">$1.5 million dollar bond</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/12/1671221717558.png" alt="Roark-photo Sedgwick County" />
 <figcaption>Roark-photo Sedgwick County</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY—A Kansas man accused in the abduction of a 14-year-old girl from Arkansas made his first court appearance on Monday.David Roark, 35, Wichita, was charged with kidnapping, abuse of a child, 5 counts of rape or in the alternative 5 counts of aggravated indecent liberties with a child, electronic solicitation, and 8 counts of sexual exploitation of a child, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/12/1671545735044.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Just after midnight Dec. 14, a detective with the White County, Arkansas Sheriff’s Office contacted Wichita Police requesting assistance locating a missing child from their jurisdiction, according to Officer Chad Ditch.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/12/1671287383491.png" alt="Security camera image White County, Arkansas sheriff" />
 <figcaption>Security camera image White County, Arkansas sheriff</figcaption>
 </figure>&nbsp; A 14-year-old girl had left her home in Arkansas in early November and not returned.&nbsp; A follow-up investigation by White County detectives revealed she had been <a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=466582265583859&amp;set=pcb.461551719420247">seen in a convenience store</a> with a man before leaving in a vehicle with the same man later identified as 35-year-old&nbsp;David E. Roark of Wichita. Police also learned Roark was wanted on two warrants from the state of Kentucky.Additional information provided by White County suggested that Roark was possibly in the Wichita area. The Wichita Police Exploited and Missing Child Unit and the Internet Crimes Against Children Unit began investigating and located an address in the 1800 block of N. Litchfield in Wichita, where they believed Roark was staying. Police observed Roark leaving the home and took him into custody. Officers then found the missing girl in a closet inside the house. Police took both of them for additional interviews, where it was discovered further crimes had occurred in Wichita.A search warrant for the residence was completed, and David Roark was booked into the Sedgwick County Jail. He is being held on&nbsp;<a href="https://ssc.sedgwickcounty.org/sheriffinmates/SheriffInmateDetail.aspx?nameId=20080133">$1.5 million dollar bond</a>.

Kansas man charged after abducted 14-year-old rescued from closet

KANSAS CITY —Caring for sick children has become extra stressful recently for many U.S. parents due to shortages of Children’s Tylenol and other medicines.

Doctors and other experts say the problem could persist through the winter cold-and-flu season but should not last as long as other recent shortages of baby formula or prescription drugs.

They also say parents have alternatives if they encounter empty store shelves.

An unusually fast start to the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/science-health-pandemics-covid-flu-7c784678637e51d4a8508f5dde70cded">annual U.S. flu season</a>, plus a spike in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/science-health-covid-pandemics-072e11e5e3af77aac19fe95773a69610">other respiratory illnesses</a>, created a surge in demand for fever relievers and other products people can buy without a prescription.

“There are more sick kids at this time of year than we have seen in the past couple years,” said Dr. Shannon Dillon, a pediatrician at Riley Children’s Health in Indianapolis.

Experts say that’s the main factor behind the shortages, which vary around the country and even within communities.

“At this point, it’s more like toilet paper at the beginning of the (COVID-19) pandemic,” Dillon said “You just have to look in the right place at the right time.”

Drugmaker Johnson &amp; Johnson says it is not experiencing widespread shortages of Children’s Tylenol, but the product may be “less readily available” at some stores. The company said it is running its production lines around the clock.

In the meantime, CVS Health has placed a two-product limit on all children’s pain relief products bought through its pharmacies or online.

Walgreens is limiting customers online to six purchases of children’s over-the-counter fever reducing products. That limit doesn’t apply in stores.

Aside from over-the-counter products, the prescription antibiotic amoxicillin also is in short supply due to increased demand, according to the Food and Drug Administration. The drug is often used to treat nose and throat infections in children.

Check first for alternatives in the store if some products aren’t available. Generic versions of brand-name products are “perfectly safe and often a much more affordable option,” Dillon said.

Other stores nearby also may have better options. Manufacturers say there are no widespread national shortages of these medications, according to the Consumer Healthcare Products Association.

A family doctor may know which stores have decent supplies.

A doctor also may be able to tell parents whether they can try alternatives like crushing the proper dose of a pill version and mixing it with food or chocolate syrup. Doctors say parents or caregivers should not try this on their own, because determining proper doses for children can be tricky.

“You don’t need to experiment at home,” said Dr. Sarah Nosal, a South Bronx family physician. “Your family doctor wants to talk to you and see you.”

Doctors also caution that fevers don’t always have to be treated. They are a body’s natural defense against infection, and they make it hard for a virus to replicate.

Dillon noted, for instance, that a fever may not be intrinsically harmful to older children. However, parents should take a newborn under 2 months old to the doctor if the child has a fever of 100.4 degrees or more. And doctors say any child with a fever should be monitored for behavior changes.

Instead of medicine, consider giving the child a bath in lukewarm water. Cold water makes the body shiver, which can actually raise the temperature.

Put fans in the child’s room or set up a cool mist humidifier to help their lungs.

Nosal also said two teaspoons of honey can help control coughs in children older than a year. Avoid using honey for young children because it carries a risk of infant botulism.

Shortages might last in some communities until early next year.

Resolving them can depend on whether there are enough workers at warehouses and stores to deliver the product and stock the shelves, noted Erin Fox. She researches drug shortages and is the senior pharmacy director at University of Utah Health, which runs five hospitals.

Fox said there are no problems at factories or a lack of ingredients contributing to current shortages. Those obstacles can lead to long supply disruptions.

“I don’t expect this to last a year or more like some of our other shortages do,” she said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/12/1671488759640.jpeg" alt="A sign is placed near the section for children's medicine, Sunday, Dec. 18, 2022 at a CVS in Greenlawn, N.Y. Caring for a sick child has become even more stressful than usual for many U.S. parents in recent weeks due to shortages of Children’s Tylenol and other medicines. (AP Photo/Leon Keith)" />
 <figcaption>A sign is placed near the section for children's medicine, Sunday, Dec. 18, 2022 at a CVS in Greenlawn, N.Y. Caring for a sick child has become even more stressful than usual for many U.S. parents in recent weeks due to shortages of Children’s Tylenol and other medicines. (AP Photo/Leon Keith)</figcaption>
 </figure>By TOM MURPHYKANSAS CITY —Caring for sick children has become extra stressful recently for many U.S. parents due to shortages of Children’s Tylenol and other medicines.Doctors and other experts say the problem could persist through the winter cold-and-flu season but should not last as long as other recent shortages of baby formula or prescription drugs.They also say parents have alternatives if they encounter empty store shelves.Here’s a closer look:WHAT’S HAPPENINGAn unusually fast start to the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/science-health-pandemics-covid-flu-7c784678637e51d4a8508f5dde70cded">annual U.S. flu season</a>, plus a spike in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/science-health-covid-pandemics-072e11e5e3af77aac19fe95773a69610">other respiratory illnesses</a>, created a surge in demand for fever relievers and other products people can buy without a prescription.“There are more sick kids at this time of year than we have seen in the past couple years,” said Dr. Shannon Dillon, a pediatrician at Riley Children’s Health in Indianapolis.Experts say that’s the main factor behind the shortages, which vary around the country and even within communities.“At this point, it’s more like toilet paper at the beginning of the (COVID-19) pandemic,” Dillon said “You just have to look in the right place at the right time.”Drugmaker Johnson &amp; Johnson says it is not experiencing widespread shortages of Children’s Tylenol, but the product may be “less readily available” at some stores. The company said it is running its production lines around the clock.In the meantime, CVS Health has placed a two-product limit on all children’s pain relief products bought through its pharmacies or online.Walgreens is limiting customers online to six purchases of children’s over-the-counter fever reducing products. That limit doesn’t apply in stores.Aside from over-the-counter products, the prescription antibiotic amoxicillin also is in short supply due to increased demand, according to the Food and Drug Administration. The drug is often used to treat nose and throat infections in children.WHAT TO DOCheck first for alternatives in the store if some products aren’t available. Generic versions of brand-name products are “perfectly safe and often a much more affordable option,” Dillon said.Other stores nearby also may have better options. Manufacturers say there are no widespread national shortages of these medications, according to the Consumer Healthcare Products Association.A family doctor may know which stores have decent supplies.A doctor also may be able to tell parents whether they can try alternatives like crushing the proper dose of a pill version and mixing it with food or chocolate syrup. Doctors say parents or caregivers should not try this on their own, because determining proper doses for children can be tricky.“You don’t need to experiment at home,” said Dr. Sarah Nosal, a South Bronx family physician. “Your family doctor wants to talk to you and see you.”GOING WITHOUTDoctors also caution that fevers don’t always have to be treated. They are a body’s natural defense against infection, and they make it hard for a virus to replicate.Dillon noted, for instance, that a fever may not be intrinsically harmful to older children. However, parents should take a newborn under 2 months old to the doctor if the child has a fever of 100.4 degrees or more. And doctors say any child with a fever should be monitored for behavior changes.Instead of medicine, consider giving the child a bath in lukewarm water. Cold water makes the body shiver, which can actually raise the temperature.Put fans in the child’s room or set up a cool mist humidifier to help their lungs.Nosal also said two teaspoons of honey can help control coughs in children older than a year. Avoid using honey for young children because it carries a risk of infant botulism.WHEN WILL SUPPLIES GET BETTER?Shortages might last in some communities until early next year.Resolving them can depend on whether there are enough workers at warehouses and stores to deliver the product and stock the shelves, noted Erin Fox. She researches drug shortages and is the senior pharmacy director at University of Utah Health, which runs five hospitals.Fox said there are no problems at factories or a lack of ingredients contributing to current shortages. Those obstacles can lead to long supply disruptions.“I don’t expect this to last a year or more like some of our other shortages do,” she said.___

Children's medicine shortage; pharmacy chains restricting purchases

NEW YORK (AP) — The Republican Party quickly and forcefully rallied behind Donald Trump in the hours after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-mar-a-lago-government-and-politics-9e8d683afe87389407950af7ccfdbdd6">federal agents seized classified documents</a>&nbsp;from his Florida estate this summer.

Four months later, that sense of intensity and urgency was missing — at least for now — after the Jan. 6 House committee&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/january-6-final-hearing-investigation-wraps-0bceb95826c1c836023d2810ccbeccca?utm_source=homepage&amp;utm_medium=TopNews&amp;utm_campaign=position_01">voted to recommend</a>&nbsp;the Justice Department bring criminal charges against him. Leading Republicans largely avoided the historic&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-donald-trump-1b38ff48d28c08edd005454836efed44">criminal referral</a>&nbsp;Monday, while others pressed to weigh in offered muted defenses — or none at all.

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, a Trump critic who suggested the former president likely benefited — politically, at least — from the FBI’s summertime search of his Florida home, said Trump was at least partly responsible for the deadly attack on the Capitol.

“No man is above the law,”&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/larry-hogan-maryland-ap-interview-aedd3c96fc4c8cfde31cef65dada580f">Hogan told The Associated Press</a>&nbsp;shortly before the committee’s vote.

The divergent responses are a sign of how quickly the political landscape has shifted for Trump as he faces a new legal threat and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-2024-updates-cd5339d48064a149527e8f9a1aa7614e">mounts a third bid for the presidency</a>. It’s a marked change for a party that has been defined, above all, by its unconditional loyalty to Trump under any and all circumstances for the last six years.

Monday’s hearing of the Jan. 6 House committee, comprised of seven Democrats and two Republican Trump critics, likely marks Congress’ final attempt to hold the former president accountable for the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/capitol-siege">attack on the U.S. Capitol</a>&nbsp;by hundreds of his loyalists as elected officials worked to certify President Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory. The criminal referral, which is nonbinding, is the culmination of a yearlong investigation that included more than 1,000 witnesses, 10 televised public hearing and over 1 million documents.

The committee, which Republican House leader Kevin McCarthy boycotted and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-government-and-politics-capitol-siege-93956045f7ab96c331a1ad515e3eca19">dismissed as a “sham process,”</a>&nbsp;will formally disband on Jan. 3 as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-house-control-79475a4fc11e4375cd0dded651b9eede">Republicans take over the House majority</a>.

Ever defiant, Trump predicted the criminal referral would ultimately help him.

“These folks don’t get it that when they come after me, people who love freedom rally around me. It strengthens me. What doesn’t kill me makes me stronger,” Trump said in a statement posted on his social network, condemning the criminal referral as “a partisan attempt to sideline me and the Republican Party.”

This week’s vote comes just one month after Trump formally launched his 2024 White House campaign. He had hoped that his status as an announced candidate might give him new leverage in his many legal entanglements while warding off potential Republican primary challengers.

Such hopes have yet to materialize. Early polls suggest the 76-year-old former president is no lock to win the 2024 nomination as emboldened Republican rivals prepare to line up to run against him.

Already weakened, Trump is also bracing for the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-donald-trump-richard-neal-c697c4e300948a9e2638d0d9fbbe2f96">potential release of his tax returns</a>, which he has worked for years to keep out of the public eye. The House Ways and Means Committee on Tuesday was scheduled to consider the release of six years of Trump’s taxes, as well as those related to his businesses, although it wasn’t immediately clear when any documents might be available to the public.

Trump’s greatest liability heading into the next presidential election may have little to do with his legal challenges, however. Republicans are increasingly worried about his ability to win.

The GOP’s concerns about Trump’s electability intensified after the November midterm elections, when&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-donald-trump-00c770068d8b82f165a9f4871eee983b">Trump’s hand-picked candidates in several high-profile contests</a>&nbsp;were defeated. The setbacks followed deeper Republican losses in the two previous national elections under Trump’s leadership.

Indeed, the initial weeks of Trump’s third presidential campaign are going so poorly that some Trump allies are privately wondering whether he’s serious about his 2024 ambitions at all.

Trump faced Republican demands to apologize for his decision last month to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-kanye-west-entertainment-donald-trump-21ea30fc30a9a97074581015b25e18bf">share a private meal with noted white supremacist Nick Fuentes</a>. Days later, Trump called for the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/social-media-donald-trump-8e6e2f0a092135428c82c0cfa6598444">“termination” of parts of the Constitution</a>&nbsp;over his lie that the 2020 election was stolen. And days after that, his hand-picked candidate in Georgia’s high-stakes Senate race, former football star Herschel Walker,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-walker-warnock-runoff-3d4e4d1ab1760792454e1cbd618ce332">lost his runoff election</a>.

Trump has not held a single campaign event.

At the same time, Trump’s legal challenges are mounting.

Attorney General Merrick Garland last month&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-donald-trump-merrick-garland-government-and-550c01de053c08db4d53ca57f315feb6">appointed a special counsel</a>&nbsp;to oversee the Justice Department’s investigation into the presence of classified documents at Trump’s Florida estate as well as key aspects of a separate probe involving the insurrection and efforts to undo the 2020 election. The Fulton County, Georgia, district attorney is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-donald-trump-georgia-atlanta-f8222a15b5af7a789a77e8cee372c7b4">separately investigatin</a>&nbsp;g attempts to overturn that state’s 2020 election results.

It’s impossible to predict how much longer the investigations will last or whether the DOJ will take the unprecedented step of indicting a former president and current candidate. But Trump is no longer shielded from prosecution the way he was as president.

And his party is becoming less willing to stand behind him.

The Republican National Committee announced it would stop paying some of Trump’s legal bills after he launched his 2024 presidential campaign.

Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell called for “an immediate and thorough explanation” after the FBI executed a search warrant at Trump’s estate in August. On Monday, he told reporters he had only one “immediate observation” about the criminal referral: “The entire nation knows who is responsible for that day.”

Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., called for Garland’s resignation over the summer, but on Monday, he was silent on the committee’s referral, focusing instead on alleged FBI missteps.

Former Vice President Mike Pence, a 2024 presidential prospect himself who aggressively condemned the FBI after it seized classified documents from Trump’s estate, offered somewhat muted criticism of the Jan. 6 committee when given the chance.

“As I wrote in my book, the president’s actions and words on Jan. 6 were reckless. But I don’t know that it’s criminal to take bad advice from lawyers,” Pence told Fox News. He added, “When it comes to the Justice Department’s decision about bringing charges in the future, I would hope that they would not bring charges against the former president.”

Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, who is also considering a 2024 White House campaign, acknowledged Trump’s role in Jan. 6 but said the criminal referral “isn’t helpful” to the DOJ’s investigation.

“The record is clear that former Pres. Trump is responsible for what happened on January 6, but accountability is most likely to come from the American people who are ready for our country to move beyond the events of January 6,” he tweeted.

So far, only a handful of members of Congress have endorsed Trump’s 2024 bid.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-elise-stefanik-a6db4f53af168be7f8483f29495eaba1">One of them</a>, No. 3 House Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik, called the Democratic-led committee “unconstitutional and illegitimate.” She said Trump was well positioned heading into the 2024 presidential contest.

“As of today — he announced a few weeks ago at this point — the only candidate is Donald Trump, and he is winning significantly against the field,” Stefanik told The Associated Press on Monday. “So, we’ll see what happens. But I think he’s in a very strong position.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/12/1671542816891.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>NEW YORK (AP) — The Republican Party quickly and forcefully rallied behind Donald Trump in the hours after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-mar-a-lago-government-and-politics-9e8d683afe87389407950af7ccfdbdd6">federal agents seized classified documents</a>&nbsp;from his Florida estate this summer.Four months later, that sense of intensity and urgency was missing — at least for now — after the Jan. 6 House committee&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/january-6-final-hearing-investigation-wraps-0bceb95826c1c836023d2810ccbeccca?utm_source=homepage&amp;utm_medium=TopNews&amp;utm_campaign=position_01">voted to recommend</a>&nbsp;the Justice Department bring criminal charges against him. Leading Republicans largely avoided the historic&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-donald-trump-1b38ff48d28c08edd005454836efed44">criminal referral</a>&nbsp;Monday, while others pressed to weigh in offered muted defenses — or none at all.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/12/1671542965902.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, a Trump critic who suggested the former president likely benefited — politically, at least — from the FBI’s summertime search of his Florida home, said Trump was at least partly responsible for the deadly attack on the Capitol.“No man is above the law,”&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/larry-hogan-maryland-ap-interview-aedd3c96fc4c8cfde31cef65dada580f">Hogan told The Associated Press</a>&nbsp;shortly before the committee’s vote.The divergent responses are a sign of how quickly the political landscape has shifted for Trump as he faces a new legal threat and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-2024-updates-cd5339d48064a149527e8f9a1aa7614e">mounts a third bid for the presidency</a>. It’s a marked change for a party that has been defined, above all, by its unconditional loyalty to Trump under any and all circumstances for the last six years.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/12/1671478126439.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Monday’s hearing of the Jan. 6 House committee, comprised of seven Democrats and two Republican Trump critics, likely marks Congress’ final attempt to hold the former president accountable for the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/capitol-siege">attack on the U.S. Capitol</a>&nbsp;by hundreds of his loyalists as elected officials worked to certify President Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory. The criminal referral, which is nonbinding, is the culmination of a yearlong investigation that included more than 1,000 witnesses, 10 televised public hearing and over 1 million documents.The committee, which Republican House leader Kevin McCarthy boycotted and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-government-and-politics-capitol-siege-93956045f7ab96c331a1ad515e3eca19">dismissed as a “sham process,”</a>&nbsp;will formally disband on Jan. 3 as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-house-control-79475a4fc11e4375cd0dded651b9eede">Republicans take over the House majority</a>.Ever defiant, Trump predicted the criminal referral would ultimately help him.“These folks don’t get it that when they come after me, people who love freedom rally around me. It strengthens me. What doesn’t kill me makes me stronger,” Trump said in a statement posted on his social network, condemning the criminal referral as “a partisan attempt to sideline me and the Republican Party.”This week’s vote comes just one month after Trump formally launched his 2024 White House campaign. He had hoped that his status as an announced candidate might give him new leverage in his many legal entanglements while warding off potential Republican primary challengers.Such hopes have yet to materialize. Early polls suggest the 76-year-old former president is no lock to win the 2024 nomination as emboldened Republican rivals prepare to line up to run against him.Already weakened, Trump is also bracing for the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-donald-trump-richard-neal-c697c4e300948a9e2638d0d9fbbe2f96">potential release of his tax returns</a>, which he has worked for years to keep out of the public eye. The House Ways and Means Committee on Tuesday was scheduled to consider the release of six years of Trump’s taxes, as well as those related to his businesses, although it wasn’t immediately clear when any documents might be available to the public.Trump’s greatest liability heading into the next presidential election may have little to do with his legal challenges, however. Republicans are increasingly worried about his ability to win.The GOP’s concerns about Trump’s electability intensified after the November midterm elections, when&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-donald-trump-00c770068d8b82f165a9f4871eee983b">Trump’s hand-picked candidates in several high-profile contests</a>&nbsp;were defeated. The setbacks followed deeper Republican losses in the two previous national elections under Trump’s leadership.Indeed, the initial weeks of Trump’s third presidential campaign are going so poorly that some Trump allies are privately wondering whether he’s serious about his 2024 ambitions at all.Trump faced Republican demands to apologize for his decision last month to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-kanye-west-entertainment-donald-trump-21ea30fc30a9a97074581015b25e18bf">share a private meal with noted white supremacist Nick Fuentes</a>. Days later, Trump called for the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/social-media-donald-trump-8e6e2f0a092135428c82c0cfa6598444">“termination” of parts of the Constitution</a>&nbsp;over his lie that the 2020 election was stolen. And days after that, his hand-picked candidate in Georgia’s high-stakes Senate race, former football star Herschel Walker,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-walker-warnock-runoff-3d4e4d1ab1760792454e1cbd618ce332">lost his runoff election</a>.Trump has not held a single campaign event.At the same time, Trump’s legal challenges are mounting.Attorney General Merrick Garland last month&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-donald-trump-merrick-garland-government-and-550c01de053c08db4d53ca57f315feb6">appointed a special counsel</a>&nbsp;to oversee the Justice Department’s investigation into the presence of classified documents at Trump’s Florida estate as well as key aspects of a separate probe involving the insurrection and efforts to undo the 2020 election. The Fulton County, Georgia, district attorney is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-donald-trump-georgia-atlanta-f8222a15b5af7a789a77e8cee372c7b4">separately investigatin</a>&nbsp;g attempts to overturn that state’s 2020 election results.It’s impossible to predict how much longer the investigations will last or whether the DOJ will take the unprecedented step of indicting a former president and current candidate. But Trump is no longer shielded from prosecution the way he was as president.And his party is becoming less willing to stand behind him.The Republican National Committee announced it would stop paying some of Trump’s legal bills after he launched his 2024 presidential campaign.Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell called for “an immediate and thorough explanation” after the FBI executed a search warrant at Trump’s estate in August. On Monday, he told reporters he had only one “immediate observation” about the criminal referral: “The entire nation knows who is responsible for that day.”Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., called for Garland’s resignation over the summer, but on Monday, he was silent on the committee’s referral, focusing instead on alleged FBI missteps.Former Vice President Mike Pence, a 2024 presidential prospect himself who aggressively condemned the FBI after it seized classified documents from Trump’s estate, offered somewhat muted criticism of the Jan. 6 committee when given the chance.“As I wrote in my book, the president’s actions and words on Jan. 6 were reckless. But I don’t know that it’s criminal to take bad advice from lawyers,” Pence told Fox News. He added, “When it comes to the Justice Department’s decision about bringing charges in the future, I would hope that they would not bring charges against the former president.”Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, who is also considering a 2024 White House campaign, acknowledged Trump’s role in Jan. 6 but said the criminal referral “isn’t helpful” to the DOJ’s investigation.“The record is clear that former Pres. Trump is responsible for what happened on January 6, but accountability is most likely to come from the American people who are ready for our country to move beyond the events of January 6,” he tweeted.So far, only a handful of members of Congress have endorsed Trump’s 2024 bid.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-elise-stefanik-a6db4f53af168be7f8483f29495eaba1">One of them</a>, No. 3 House Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik, called the Democratic-led committee “unconstitutional and illegitimate.” She said Trump was well positioned heading into the 2024 presidential contest.“As of today — he announced a few weeks ago at this point — the only candidate is Donald Trump, and he is winning significantly against the field,” Stefanik told The Associated Press on Monday. “So, we’ll see what happens. But I think he’s in a very strong position.”___

Trump responds to Jan. 6 panel’s criminal referral

WASHINGTON (AP) — Congressional leaders unveiled a $1.7 trillion spending package early Tuesday that includes another large round of aid to Ukraine, a nearly 10% boost in defense spending and roughly $40 billon to assist communities across the country recovering from drought, hurricanes and other natural disasters.

The bill includes about $772.5 billion for non-defense discretionary programs and $858 billion in defense funding.

Lawmakers are working to stuff in as many priorities as they can into what is likely to be the last major bill of the current Congress. They are racing to complete passage of the bill before a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-race-and-ethnicity-716f72268376aad8e3e4fa8b2b9cd026">midnight Friday deadline</a>&nbsp;or face the prospect of a partial government shutdown going into the Christmas holiday. Lawmakers leading the negotiations released the details of the bill shortly before 2 a.m. Tuesday.

The U.S. has provided about $68 billion in previous rounds of military, economic and humanitarian assistance for Ukraine. President Joe Biden has requested more than&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-europe-congress-government-and-politics-bddc8fc02afcc2a072bbdd388dc1a658">$37 billion more</a>. Congress is going further with Sen. Patrick Leahy, the Democratic chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, saying the spending package includes about $45 billion in emergency assistance to Ukraine.

“Finalizing the omnibus is critical, absolutely critical for supporting our friends in Ukraine,” said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.

Republican leader Mitch McConnell has warned that if the fiscal year 2023 spending measure fails to gain bipartisan support this week, he would seek another short-term patch into next year, guaranteeing that the new Republican majority in the House would get to shape the package.

Leahy argued against that approach in releasing the bill saying, “the choice is clear. We can either do our jobs and fund the government, or we can abandon our responsibilities without a real path forward."

Despite the warning, McConnell framed the longer-term spending bill as a victory for the GOP, even as many will undoubtedly vote against it. He said Republicans were successful in increasing defense spending far beyond Biden's request while scaling back some of the increase Biden wanted for domestic spending.

“The Congress is rejecting the Biden administration's vision and doing the exact opposite," McConnell said.

The bill's unveiling was delayed by haggling over language related to location of the FBI's future headquarters. Maryland lawmakers have argued that ensuring predominately Black communities get their fair share of federal investments should be more thoroughly considered as part of the selection process. They are advocating for building the headquarters at one of two sites in Maryland's Prince George's County.

In September, the General Services Administration issued a site selection plan based on five criteria, the most heavily weighted at 35% was proximity to the FBI training academy in Quantico, Virginia. Advancing equity was weighted at 15%.

Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., said at a recent forum that a Biden executive order early in his administration emphasized that the issue of racial equity is not just an issue for any one department, but it has to be the business of the whole government.

“I would submit that the GSA and the FBI clearly haven’t gotten the message, given the low weight they’ve given to this factor," Van Hollen said.

A Senate Democratic aide familiar with the negotiations said Schumer worked to incorporate language in the spending bill ensuring the GSA administrator conduct “separate and detailed consultations" with lawmakers representing the Maryland and Virginia sites to get their perspectives.

Lawmakers are nearing completion of the 2023 spending package nearly three months late. It was supposed to be finished by last Oct. 1, when the government’s fiscal year began.

The last time Congress enacted all its spending bills by then was in 1996, when the Senate finished its work on Sept. 30, the very last day of the budget year. Then-President Bill Clinton signed it that same day.

The Senate is expected to vote on the spending bill first where support from at least 10 Republican senators will be needed to pass it before the measure is considered by the House. As has been the case with recent catchall spending bills, lawmakers voiced concerns about passing legislation containing thousands of pages on short notice.

“We still haven’t seen a single page of the Pelosi-Schumer spending bill, and they’re expecting us to pass it by the end of this week," tweeted Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla. “It’s insane."

WASHINGTON (AP) — Congressional leaders unveiled a $1.7 trillion spending package early Tuesday that includes another large round of aid to Ukraine, a nearly 10% boost in defense spending and roughly $40 billon to assist communities across the country recovering from drought, hurricanes and other natural disasters.The bill includes about $772.5 billion for non-defense discretionary programs and $858 billion in defense funding.Lawmakers are working to stuff in as many priorities as they can into what is likely to be the last major bill of the current Congress. They are racing to complete passage of the bill before a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-race-and-ethnicity-716f72268376aad8e3e4fa8b2b9cd026">midnight Friday deadline</a>&nbsp;or face the prospect of a partial government shutdown going into the Christmas holiday. Lawmakers leading the negotiations released the details of the bill shortly before 2 a.m. Tuesday.The U.S. has provided about $68 billion in previous rounds of military, economic and humanitarian assistance for Ukraine. President Joe Biden has requested more than&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-europe-congress-government-and-politics-bddc8fc02afcc2a072bbdd388dc1a658">$37 billion more</a>. Congress is going further with Sen. Patrick Leahy, the Democratic chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, saying the spending package includes about $45 billion in emergency assistance to Ukraine.“Finalizing the omnibus is critical, absolutely critical for supporting our friends in Ukraine,” said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.Republican leader Mitch McConnell has warned that if the fiscal year 2023 spending measure fails to gain bipartisan support this week, he would seek another short-term patch into next year, guaranteeing that the new Republican majority in the House would get to shape the package.Leahy argued against that approach in releasing the bill saying, “the choice is clear. We can either do our jobs and fund the government, or we can abandon our responsibilities without a real path forward."Despite the warning, McConnell framed the longer-term spending bill as a victory for the GOP, even as many will undoubtedly vote against it. He said Republicans were successful in increasing defense spending far beyond Biden's request while scaling back some of the increase Biden wanted for domestic spending.“The Congress is rejecting the Biden administration's vision and doing the exact opposite," McConnell said.The bill's unveiling was delayed by haggling over language related to location of the FBI's future headquarters. Maryland lawmakers have argued that ensuring predominately Black communities get their fair share of federal investments should be more thoroughly considered as part of the selection process. They are advocating for building the headquarters at one of two sites in Maryland's Prince George's County.In September, the General Services Administration issued a site selection plan based on five criteria, the most heavily weighted at 35% was proximity to the FBI training academy in Quantico, Virginia. Advancing equity was weighted at 15%.Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., said at a recent forum that a Biden executive order early in his administration emphasized that the issue of racial equity is not just an issue for any one department, but it has to be the business of the whole government.“I would submit that the GSA and the FBI clearly haven’t gotten the message, given the low weight they’ve given to this factor," Van Hollen said.A Senate Democratic aide familiar with the negotiations said Schumer worked to incorporate language in the spending bill ensuring the GSA administrator conduct “separate and detailed consultations" with lawmakers representing the Maryland and Virginia sites to get their perspectives.Lawmakers are nearing completion of the 2023 spending package nearly three months late. It was supposed to be finished by last Oct. 1, when the government’s fiscal year began.The last time Congress enacted all its spending bills by then was in 1996, when the Senate finished its work on Sept. 30, the very last day of the budget year. Then-President Bill Clinton signed it that same day.The Senate is expected to vote on the spending bill first where support from at least 10 Republican senators will be needed to pass it before the measure is considered by the House. As has been the case with recent catchall spending bills, lawmakers voiced concerns about passing legislation containing thousands of pages on short notice.“We still haven’t seen a single page of the Pelosi-Schumer spending bill, and they’re expecting us to pass it by the end of this week," tweeted Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla. “It’s insane."

Lawmakers unveil $1.7 trillion spending bill to avoid gov't shutdown

KANSAS CITY (AP) — A Kansas City charter school with a largely minority student population has fired a white teacher who was recorded repeatedly using a racial slur in his classes, school administrators said.

University Academy officials said in a letter to families that Johnny Wolfe, a history and African American studies teacher in the upper school, had been fired after an investigation prompted by concerns raised last month by students and alumni.

University Academy is a public charter school with about 1,100 students, 96% of whom are students of color, and most are Black.

Several videos and recordings of students confronting Wolfe about using the racial slur multiple times were posted on KC Defender, a Black community media platform.

In the recordings, he defends his use of the slur, saying that he was speaking in an “educational context.”

“You can like it, not like it, be upset about it all you like,” he said. “But ultimately this is a ridiculous conversation.”

Students, parents and community members then held a town hall to address racism at the school and a Change.org petition was started to demand that Wolfe be fired.

After an investigation, University Academy officials fired Wolfe and committed to taking several steps to improve diversity and racial awareness, according to the letter.

The steps include mandatory harassment and discrimination training for staff, plus culturally responsive leadership training for administrators. University Academy officials say they will also work to increase the racial diversity of the school's, which is currently 59% white, 39% Black, 1% Asian and 1% Hispanic.

Officials said they are using the incident as an opportunity “to understand where we have fallen short and made mistakes. We are committed to evolve and improve. Our objective is to return University Academy to a manner that ensures an incident of this nature does not occur again.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/12/1671477713658.png" alt="University Academy is a public charter school with about 1,100 students, 96% of whom are students of color, and most are Black.-Google image" />
 <figcaption>University Academy is a public charter school with about 1,100 students, 96% of whom are students of color, and most are Black.-Google image</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY (AP) — A Kansas City charter school with a largely minority student population has fired a white teacher who was recorded repeatedly using a racial slur in his classes, school administrators said.University Academy officials said in a letter to families that Johnny Wolfe, a history and African American studies teacher in the upper school, had been fired after an investigation prompted by concerns raised last month by students and alumni.University Academy is a public charter school with about 1,100 students, 96% of whom are students of color, and most are Black.Several videos and recordings of students confronting Wolfe about using the racial slur multiple times were posted on KC Defender, a Black community media platform.In the recordings, he defends his use of the slur, saying that he was speaking in an “educational context.”“You can like it, not like it, be upset about it all you like,” he said. “But ultimately this is a ridiculous conversation.”Students, parents and community members then held a town hall to address racism at the school and a Change.org petition was started to demand that Wolfe be fired.After an investigation, University Academy officials fired Wolfe and committed to taking several steps to improve diversity and racial awareness, according to the letter.The steps include mandatory harassment and discrimination training for staff, plus culturally responsive leadership training for administrators. University Academy officials say they will also work to increase the racial diversity of the school's, which is currently 59% white, 39% Black, 1% Asian and 1% Hispanic.Officials said they are using the incident as an opportunity “to understand where we have fallen short and made mistakes. We are committed to evolve and improve. Our objective is to return University Academy to a manner that ensures an incident of this nature does not occur again.”

Kansas City teacher fired after repeated use of racial slur

TOPEKA, KAN.– A federal grand jury returned an indictment charging a Kansas man with producing, receiving, and distributing child pornography, according to the United State's Attorney.

According to court documents, Andrew Joseph Greeve, 20, of Topeka was indicted on three counts of sexual exploitation of a child – production of child pornography, one count of sexual exploitation of a minor – distribution of child pornography, one count of sexual exploitation of a minor – receipt of child pornography, one count of sexual exploitation of a child – possession of child pornography, and two counts of commission of sex offense by registered offender.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) are investigating the case.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/12/1671291263980.png" alt="Greeve-photo Shawnee Co." />
 <figcaption>Greeve-photo Shawnee Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA, KAN.– A federal grand jury returned an indictment charging a Kansas man with producing, receiving, and distributing child pornography, according to the United State's Attorney.According to court documents, Andrew Joseph Greeve, 20, of Topeka was indicted on three counts of sexual exploitation of a child – production of child pornography, one count of sexual exploitation of a minor – distribution of child pornography, one count of sexual exploitation of a minor – receipt of child pornography, one count of sexual exploitation of a child – possession of child pornography, and two counts of commission of sex offense by registered offender.The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) are investigating the case.

Registered Kansas offender accused of additional sex crimes 

SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities investigating the death of a man whose body was found in rural Sumner County have&nbsp; suspects in custody. A tip from CrimeStoppers helped officer make a second arrest Thursday afternoon, according to Officer Trevor Macy.

On November 29, police were contacted by a 69-year-old man who reported 41-year-old Brent Boone, of Wichita, missing under unusual circumstances.

Boone was last seen on November 24, 2022, at 9:30 pm at his residence in the 1300 block of N. Pershing in Wichita before leaving in a vehicle with two individuals – identified as Valenciana and 19- year-old Tehya Turner, both of Wichita.

It is believed that an altercation occurred inside the car, during which Boone was killed.

On Wednesday, November 30, follow-up investigation led officers to a crime scene in the 9300 block of S. Pattie in Haysville, where they began processing evidence. Police located the vehicle on December 1, near 21st and Ridge, abandoned, according to Ditch.

Further investigation led officers to a rural area Southwest of Clearwater, one mile west of N Clearwater Road and 140th Ave N, where a body was located. Investigators with WPD and members of the Sumner County Sheriff's Office are working to confirm the body's identity, but at this time, it is believed to be Boone.

Police took Turner into custody Dec. 2 and she is being held on a $1 million dollar bond charged with first degree murder, burglary and possession of marijuana, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.

On Thursday, a Crime Stoppers tip identified a possible vehicle associated with Valenciana. Just after noon Thursday, police located the car near Wilma and Bluffview in Wichita, according to Macy. Officers attempted a traffic stop, resulting in a short pursuit. The pursuit ended when the vehicle crashed near Harry and Pinecrest, and the driver, 35-year-old Jeremy Moen of Wichita, was arrested and booked for traffic charges and a state parole warrant.

Further investigation revealed that Saul Valenciana was possibly inside a residence in the 1600 block of S. Parkwood. Units established a perimeter, made contact with Valenciana via phone, and began negotiations for his surrender.

Neighboring homes were evacuated as a precaution, and the WPD Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team and WPD crisis negotiators were called to the scene to assist. They made contact with another male inside the residence, and he was able to exit safely. Valenciana exited the home at approximately 3:23 p.m. and was taken into custody without incident.

During negotiations, information was received about potential explosive devices inside the residence. As a precaution, the WPD Bomb Squad was called in to assess the situation. The scene was deemed safe, and released to investigators.

Valenciana <a href="https://ssc.sedgwickcounty.org/sheriffinmates/SheriffInmateDetail.aspx?nameId=366093">was booked into the</a> Sedgwick county jail and has been charged with murder, burglary, and theft, according to the Sedgwick County District attorney.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/12/1671195110870.png" alt="Valenciana-photo Sedgwick County" />
 <figcaption>Valenciana-photo Sedgwick County</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities investigating the death of a man whose body was found in rural Sumner County have&nbsp; suspects in custody. A tip from CrimeStoppers helped officer make a second arrest Thursday afternoon, according to Officer Trevor Macy.On November 29, police were contacted by a 69-year-old man who reported 41-year-old Brent Boone, of Wichita, missing under unusual circumstances.Boone was last seen on November 24, 2022, at 9:30 pm at his residence in the 1300 block of N. Pershing in Wichita before leaving in a vehicle with two individuals – identified as Valenciana and 19- year-old Tehya Turner, both of Wichita.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/12/1670173983028.png" alt="-Turner-photo Sedgwick Co." />
 <figcaption>-Turner-photo Sedgwick Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>It is believed that an altercation occurred inside the car, during which Boone was killed.On Wednesday, November 30, follow-up investigation led officers to a crime scene in the 9300 block of S. Pattie in Haysville, where they began processing evidence. Police located the vehicle on December 1, near 21st and Ridge, abandoned, according to Ditch.Further investigation led officers to a rural area Southwest of Clearwater, one mile west of N Clearwater Road and 140th Ave N, where a body was located. Investigators with WPD and members of the Sumner County Sheriff's Office are working to confirm the body's identity, but at this time, it is believed to be Boone.Police took Turner into custody Dec. 2 and she is being held on a $1 million dollar bond charged with first degree murder, burglary and possession of marijuana, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/12/1671201025906.png" alt="Moen-photo Sedgwick Co." />
 <figcaption>Moen-photo Sedgwick Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>On Thursday, a Crime Stoppers tip identified a possible vehicle associated with Valenciana. Just after noon Thursday, police located the car near Wilma and Bluffview in Wichita, according to Macy. Officers attempted a traffic stop, resulting in a short pursuit. The pursuit ended when the vehicle crashed near Harry and Pinecrest, and the driver, 35-year-old Jeremy Moen of Wichita, was arrested and booked for traffic charges and a state parole warrant.Further investigation revealed that Saul Valenciana was possibly inside a residence in the 1600 block of S. Parkwood. Units established a perimeter, made contact with Valenciana via phone, and began negotiations for his surrender.Neighboring homes were evacuated as a precaution, and the WPD Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team and WPD crisis negotiators were called to the scene to assist. They made contact with another male inside the residence, and he was able to exit safely. Valenciana exited the home at approximately 3:23 p.m. and was taken into custody without incident.During negotiations, information was received about potential explosive devices inside the residence. As a precaution, the WPD Bomb Squad was called in to assess the situation. The scene was deemed safe, and released to investigators.Valenciana <a href="https://ssc.sedgwickcounty.org/sheriffinmates/SheriffInmateDetail.aspx?nameId=366093">was booked into the</a> Sedgwick county jail and has been charged with murder, burglary, and theft, according to the Sedgwick County District attorney.

Crime Stoppers tip helped police catch Kansas murder suspect

LYON COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a fatal hit and run have identified the victim as 50-year-old Osvaldo Laffita-Ramirez of Emporia, according to Police Captain Lisa Hayes.

The suspect identified as 29-year-old&nbsp;Angel Manuel Alvarado of Emporia&nbsp;has come forward and is cooperating with the investigation, according to Hayes.

Just before 7:30p.m. Dec. 16, the Lyon County Emergency Communications Center received a report of a car striking a pedestrian at 6th Ave and Constitution Street, according to Captain Lisa Hayes. 

The driver put the pedestrian into the vehicle and then drove to 4th Ave. and Congress Street. The driver got out of the vehicle and fled on foot leaving the victim pedestrian in the vehicle.

Emporia Police and Fire responded to the scenes and the victim was transported to Newman Regional Health where he was pronounced dead.

The suspected driver and registered owner of the vehicle Alvarado is described as&nbsp; 4-foot-11 and weights approximately 145 pounds. He has black hair and brown eyes.

After some investigation, police have determined there was a dark colored SUV, possibly a Chevy Suburban, in the immediate area at the time of the collision.

If you have any information about Alvarado’s location or this crash, please contact the Emporia Police Department at 620 343-4225.&nbsp; Police have not released the name of the victim.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/12/1671221075834.png" alt="Alvarado-photo Lyon Co.&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>Alvarado-photo Lyon Co.&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>LYON COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a fatal hit and run have identified the victim as 50-year-old Osvaldo Laffita-Ramirez of Emporia, according to Police Captain Lisa Hayes.The suspect identified as 29-year-old&nbsp;Angel Manuel Alvarado of Emporia&nbsp;has come forward and is cooperating with the investigation, according to Hayes.Just before 7:30p.m. Dec. 16, the Lyon County Emergency Communications Center received a report of a car striking a pedestrian at 6th Ave and Constitution Street, according to Captain Lisa Hayes. The driver put the pedestrian into the vehicle and then drove to 4th Ave. and Congress Street. The driver got out of the vehicle and fled on foot leaving the victim pedestrian in the vehicle.Emporia Police and Fire responded to the scenes and the victim was transported to Newman Regional Health where he was pronounced dead.The suspected driver and registered owner of the vehicle Alvarado is described as&nbsp; 4-foot-11 and weights approximately 145 pounds. He has black hair and brown eyes.After some investigation, police have determined there was a dark colored SUV, possibly a Chevy Suburban, in the immediate area at the time of the collision.If you have any information about Alvarado’s location or this crash, please contact the Emporia Police Department at 620 343-4225.&nbsp; Police have not released the name of the victim.

Driver in fatal Kansas hit-and-run turns himself in

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court is temporarily blocking an order that would lift pandemic-era restrictions on asylum seekers. But it is leaving open the prospect of lifting the restrictions by Wednesday.

The order Monday by Chief Justice John Roberts comes as conservative states are pushing to keep limits on asylum seekers that were put in place during the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic. They are appealing to the U.S. Supreme Court in a last-ditch effort before the limits are set to expire.

In the one-page order, Roberts granted a stay pending further order and asked the government to respond by 5 p.m. Tuesday. That is just hours before the restrictions are slated to expire on Wednesday.

The order by Roberts means the high-profile case that has drawn intense scrutiny will go down to the wire.

The immigration restrictions, often referred to as Title 42, were put in place under then-President Donald Trump in March 2020 and have prevented hundreds of thousands of migrants from seeking asylum in the U.S. in recent years. But as they’re set to expire, thousands more migrants are packed in shelters on Mexico’s border with the U.S.

Immigration advocates sued to stop the use of Title 42 to limit who can apply for asylum, saying that the policy goes against American and international obligations to people fleeing to the U.S. to escape persecution. And they’ve argued that things like vaccines and treatments for the coronavirus have made the policy outdated.

Conservative-leaning states have argued that lifting of Title 42 will lead to a surge of migrants into their states and take a toll on government services like health care or law enforcement. They also charge that the federal government has no plan to deal with an increase in migrants.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/9/1632317742720.png" alt="In the one-page order, Chief Justice Roberts granted a stay pending further order and asked the government to respond by 5 p.m. Tuesday- photo Rep. Tony Gonzales" />
 <figcaption>In the one-page order, Chief Justice Roberts granted a stay pending further order and asked the government to respond by 5 p.m. Tuesday- photo Rep. Tony Gonzales</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court is temporarily blocking an order that would lift pandemic-era restrictions on asylum seekers. But it is leaving open the prospect of lifting the restrictions by Wednesday.The order Monday by Chief Justice John Roberts comes as conservative states are pushing to keep limits on asylum seekers that were put in place during the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic. They are appealing to the U.S. Supreme Court in a last-ditch effort before the limits are set to expire.In the one-page order, Roberts granted a stay pending further order and asked the government to respond by 5 p.m. Tuesday. That is just hours before the restrictions are slated to expire on Wednesday.The order by Roberts means the high-profile case that has drawn intense scrutiny will go down to the wire.The immigration restrictions, often referred to as Title 42, were put in place under then-President Donald Trump in March 2020 and have prevented hundreds of thousands of migrants from seeking asylum in the U.S. in recent years. But as they’re set to expire, thousands more migrants are packed in shelters on Mexico’s border with the U.S.Immigration advocates sued to stop the use of Title 42 to limit who can apply for asylum, saying that the policy goes against American and international obligations to people fleeing to the U.S. to escape persecution. And they’ve argued that things like vaccines and treatments for the coronavirus have made the policy outdated.Conservative-leaning states have argued that lifting of Title 42 will lead to a surge of migrants into their states and take a toll on government services like health care or law enforcement. They also charge that the federal government has no plan to deal with an increase in migrants.

Supreme Court temporarily blocks lifting of asylum restrictions

By ANNELISE HANSHAW <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/12/19/4-day-school-week-teacher-shortage/">Missouri Independent</a>

Over a quarter of Missouri school 
districts learn on a four-day schedule. And up until last week, they 
were small, rural districts – some with as few as 50 students.

That changed when Independence School District voted to implement the schedule for its 14,000 students next fall.

Missouri policymakers are taking 
notice, with varying ideas to deal with the key factor for many 
districts’ shift to a four-day week: Teacher recruitment and retainment.

Four-day school weeks have been 
growing exponentially across Missouri’s rural school districts since 
2009. That year, the state legislature removed a requirement that set a 
minimum number of days schools must open their doors, leaving a mandate 
for 1,044 hours of learning.

Roughly 12% of the state’s public school K-8 students now attend class four days per week, according to <a target="_blank" href="https://dese.mo.gov/media/pdf/mo-school-statistics">Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education</a> and <a target="_blank" href="https://sites.google.com/view/four-day-school-week/home">Missouri State University College of Education</a> data.

Only two of the districts educate 
over 3,000 students, meaning Independence will be by far the largest in 
Missouri to make the switch.

“Just the sheer magnitude of the size
 of the school district makes them a unique case,” said Jon Turner, an 
associate professor at Missouri State University studying the 
implementation of the four-day school week.

Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas 
voiced concerns on Twitter, calling for salary raises for educators and 
naming a four-day school week a “gimmick.”

“I am concerned this is more about adults than our kids. I hope I am wrong,” he wrote.

Dale Herl, superintendent of the 
Independence School District, starred in a few short videos explaining 
the four-day school week to families in the run up to the school board’s
 vote. The first video made it clear what the district’s motivation was 
for cutting Mondays off the schedule.

“The main thing, looking at this, is we wanted to see if it would help retain and recruit staff,” he said.

State Rep. Doug Richey, R- Excelsior Springs and co-chair of the legislature’s <a target="_blank" href="https://www.house.mo.gov/Committees.aspx?category=all&amp;committee=2232&amp;year=2020&amp;code=R%20&amp;cluster=true">Joint Committee on Education</a>, said an employment perk is what he hears as the key reason for switching to a four-day school week.

Turner has watched rural districts 
adopt a four-day week in order to have a large enough workforce to 
operate. Now, he said he wonders if larger districts are having the same
 problem.

“The dynamic of the four-day week is 
that many of those districts are smaller, rural school districts, and 
where they lose their competitive angle is with mid- and late-career 
teachers,” Turner said.

Department of Elementary and 
Secondary Education data shows that 40.5% of Missouri teachers are 
leaving their school districts after three years. In Independence, that 
rate is slightly higher, with 43.7% choosing to leave their positions.

A four-day work week, which is 
growing in popularity in the tech industry, is pitched as&nbsp; an incentive 
for school staff to stay loyal to their professions and the district.

Senate Minority Leader John Rizzo, 
D-Independence, doesn't just represent the state's newest four-day 
school district. His children also attend and he expressed frustration 
with the district's decision in an interview with The Independent.

Rizzo said he and his wife are considering taking their children out of their current schools.

He wants to see the state increase its investment in public education.

“We're at the bottom when it comes to
 teacher pay, and we're expecting miracles. We shouldn’t educate on 
miracles,” he said. “We should educate on dollars and cents and in fully
 funding the schools in our state.”

Missouri ranks 50th in the nation for the average teacher starting salary, paying new educators an average of $33,234, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nea.org/resource-library/educator-pay-and-student-spending-how-does-your-state-rank">according to the National Education Association</a>. The state is 47th for overall teacher salary, paying an average of $51,557.

Richey touts local control, wary of raising the state’s minimum wage for educators.

He pointed to Hickman Mills School 
District, which is also located outside of Kansas City. The district is 
raising teacher salaries with an operational levy passed by voters in 
August.

Independence pays teachers an average
 salary of $53,528, according to DESE data. The Lee’s Summit R-7 School 
District, located less than 30 minutes away, pays an average of $64,350;
 less than 30% of its educators leave the district after three years.

“Unless the taxpayers are really 
ready to kick in with a much higher salary to compensate these people, 
the only way we can [retain teachers] is by figuring out ways within the
 schedule, like four days a week, that seem to be attractive to people,”
 Turner said.

He said he has heard anecdotal 
evidence that educators are leaving higher-paying jobs to teach at 
schools that operate four days per week.

Numerous bills filed ahead of the 
upcoming legislative session address the apparent shortage of teachers. 
Multiple suggest raising the minimum teacher salary to $38,000.

The current minimum is $25,000, but a
 one-year grant program allowed participating schools to raise their 
salary floors to $38,000 with a year of state help.

“I wasn't entirely excited about that
 because it's a one-year grant program. And districts really can't plan 
around that,” said Richey, who also serves on the House Budget 
Committee. “I just thought that was more of a band-aid approach.”

This month, DESE <a target="_blank" href="https://dese.mo.gov/media/pdf/december-2022-consideration-legislative-priorities">released its legislative priorities</a>. Sitting atop the list is raising teachers’ minimum wage to at least $38,000, along with urging the legislature to establish a fund to help districts afford the higher salaries.

Turner said he can’t predict whether 
Independence’s shift will help or hurt student outcomes. Either way, he 
says the impact will be small.

“I have not seen any data that has 
said over the long term – and I'm talking about more than five years – 
that you're seeing long-term negative or positive impacts of the 
four-day week,” he said.

He said it could help keep 
high-quality instructors around students, but the kids could suffer from
 more memory loss over longer weekends.

The weekday students are home also 
allows for more professional development than teachers could otherwise 
get on the calendar, Turner said.

<a target="_blank" href="https://www.edworkingpapers.com/ai22-630">Oregon State University and NWEA researchers</a>
 looked at standardized test scores across multiple states over 12 years
 and tracked academic growth. They found that schools with four-days per
 week had less academic growth, especially in urban areas.

The effect gets worse the more years a school meets only four days per week, the researchers write.

But they were not able to measure how many hours of instruction students get annually.

<a target="_blank" href="https://docs.iza.org/dp14461.pdf">Another study, by researchers at Oregon State and the RAND Corporation</a>, divided their data into three categories: Low, medium and high-time at school.

Only those with a low amount of time in the classroom had negative effects from the four-day schedule, they wrote.

Independence School District will be 
adding 35 minutes to each day, so students will not lose the equivalent 
of an entire day of class, the district said <a target="_blank" href="https://www.isdschools.org/four-day-instructional-week-resource-center/">in an informational video</a>.

Independence will provide its after 
school program, called "Kids Safari," on the weekday students have off 
for Kindergarten through eighth grade.&nbsp;

Families can utilize childcare on 
Mondays for elementary and middle-school-aged children for $225 per year
 per child. Transportation is not provided.

Rizzo described Independence as a 
“blue-collar, hard-working, middle-class area.” He didn’t know the 
district’s plan for the fifth day yet, but he said having something 
would be important to families.

A way he’ll measure the four-day school week’s success is by the district’s enrollment numbers the following year.

Richey said he will be looking at the
 absenteeism rate and measures of teacher morale. Then, around five 
years from now, a successful program should have improved test scores, 
he said.

By ANNELISE HANSHAW <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/12/19/4-day-school-week-teacher-shortage/">Missouri Independent</a>Over a quarter of Missouri school 
districts learn on a four-day schedule. And up until last week, they 
were small, rural districts – some with as few as 50 students.That changed when Independence School District voted to implement the schedule for its 14,000 students next fall.Missouri policymakers are taking 
notice, with varying ideas to deal with the key factor for many 
districts’ shift to a four-day week: Teacher recruitment and retainment.Four-day school weeks have been 
growing exponentially across Missouri’s rural school districts since 
2009. That year, the state legislature removed a requirement that set a 
minimum number of days schools must open their doors, leaving a mandate 
for 1,044 hours of learning.Roughly 12% of the state’s public school K-8 students now attend class four days per week, according to <a target="_blank" href="https://dese.mo.gov/media/pdf/mo-school-statistics">Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education</a> and <a target="_blank" href="https://sites.google.com/view/four-day-school-week/home">Missouri State University College of Education</a> data.Only two of the districts educate 
over 3,000 students, meaning Independence will be by far the largest in 
Missouri to make the switch.“Just the sheer magnitude of the size
 of the school district makes them a unique case,” said Jon Turner, an 
associate professor at Missouri State University studying the 
implementation of the four-day school week.Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas 
voiced concerns on Twitter, calling for salary raises for educators and 
naming a four-day school week a “gimmick.”“I am concerned this is more about adults than our kids. I hope I am wrong,” he wrote.<h2>Motive</h2>Dale Herl, superintendent of the 
Independence School District, starred in a few short videos explaining 
the four-day school week to families in the run up to the school board’s
 vote. The first video made it clear what the district’s motivation was 
for cutting Mondays off the schedule.“The main thing, looking at this, is we wanted to see if it would help retain and recruit staff,” he said.State Rep. Doug Richey, R- Excelsior Springs and co-chair of the legislature’s <a target="_blank" href="https://www.house.mo.gov/Committees.aspx?category=all&amp;committee=2232&amp;year=2020&amp;code=R%20&amp;cluster=true">Joint Committee on Education</a>, said an employment perk is what he hears as the key reason for switching to a four-day school week.Turner has watched rural districts 
adopt a four-day week in order to have a large enough workforce to 
operate. Now, he said he wonders if larger districts are having the same
 problem.“The dynamic of the four-day week is 
that many of those districts are smaller, rural school districts, and 
where they lose their competitive angle is with mid- and late-career 
teachers,” Turner said.Department of Elementary and 
Secondary Education data shows that 40.5% of Missouri teachers are 
leaving their school districts after three years. In Independence, that 
rate is slightly higher, with 43.7% choosing to leave their positions.A four-day work week, which is 
growing in popularity in the tech industry, is pitched as&nbsp; an incentive 
for school staff to stay loyal to their professions and the district.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/12/1671483398686.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Teacher pay</h2>Senate Minority Leader John Rizzo, 
D-Independence, doesn't just represent the state's newest four-day 
school district. His children also attend and he expressed frustration 
with the district's decision in an interview with The Independent.Rizzo said he and his wife are considering taking their children out of their current schools.He wants to see the state increase its investment in public education.“We're at the bottom when it comes to
 teacher pay, and we're expecting miracles. We shouldn’t educate on 
miracles,” he said. “We should educate on dollars and cents and in fully
 funding the schools in our state.”Missouri ranks 50th in the nation for the average teacher starting salary, paying new educators an average of $33,234, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nea.org/resource-library/educator-pay-and-student-spending-how-does-your-state-rank">according to the National Education Association</a>. The state is 47th for overall teacher salary, paying an average of $51,557.Richey touts local control, wary of raising the state’s minimum wage for educators.He pointed to Hickman Mills School 
District, which is also located outside of Kansas City. The district is 
raising teacher salaries with an operational levy passed by voters in 
August.Independence pays teachers an average
 salary of $53,528, according to DESE data. The Lee’s Summit R-7 School 
District, located less than 30 minutes away, pays an average of $64,350;
 less than 30% of its educators leave the district after three years.“Unless the taxpayers are really 
ready to kick in with a much higher salary to compensate these people, 
the only way we can [retain teachers] is by figuring out ways within the
 schedule, like four days a week, that seem to be attractive to people,”
 Turner said.He said he has heard anecdotal 
evidence that educators are leaving higher-paying jobs to teach at 
schools that operate four days per week.Numerous bills filed ahead of the 
upcoming legislative session address the apparent shortage of teachers. 
Multiple suggest raising the minimum teacher salary to $38,000.The current minimum is $25,000, but a
 one-year grant program allowed participating schools to raise their 
salary floors to $38,000 with a year of state help.“I wasn't entirely excited about that
 because it's a one-year grant program. And districts really can't plan 
around that,” said Richey, who also serves on the House Budget 
Committee. “I just thought that was more of a band-aid approach.”This month, DESE <a target="_blank" href="https://dese.mo.gov/media/pdf/december-2022-consideration-legislative-priorities">released its legislative priorities</a>. Sitting atop the list is raising teachers’ minimum wage to at least $38,000, along with urging the legislature to establish a fund to help districts afford the higher salaries.<h2>Research</h2>Turner said he can’t predict whether 
Independence’s shift will help or hurt student outcomes. Either way, he 
says the impact will be small.“I have not seen any data that has 
said over the long term – and I'm talking about more than five years – 
that you're seeing long-term negative or positive impacts of the 
four-day week,” he said.He said it could help keep 
high-quality instructors around students, but the kids could suffer from
 more memory loss over longer weekends.The weekday students are home also 
allows for more professional development than teachers could otherwise 
get on the calendar, Turner said.<a target="_blank" href="https://www.edworkingpapers.com/ai22-630">Oregon State University and NWEA researchers</a>
 looked at standardized test scores across multiple states over 12 years
 and tracked academic growth. They found that schools with four-days per
 week had less academic growth, especially in urban areas.The effect gets worse the more years a school meets only four days per week, the researchers write.But they were not able to measure how many hours of instruction students get annually.<a target="_blank" href="https://docs.iza.org/dp14461.pdf">Another study, by researchers at Oregon State and the RAND Corporation</a>, divided their data into three categories: Low, medium and high-time at school.Only those with a low amount of time in the classroom had negative effects from the four-day schedule, they wrote.Independence School District will be 
adding 35 minutes to each day, so students will not lose the equivalent 
of an entire day of class, the district said <a target="_blank" href="https://www.isdschools.org/four-day-instructional-week-resource-center/">in an informational video</a>.<h2>Fifth day</h2>Independence will provide its after 
school program, called "Kids Safari," on the weekday students have off 
for Kindergarten through eighth grade.&nbsp;But it would not be free.Families can utilize childcare on 
Mondays for elementary and middle-school-aged children for $225 per year
 per child. Transportation is not provided.Rizzo described Independence as a 
“blue-collar, hard-working, middle-class area.” He didn’t know the 
district’s plan for the fifth day yet, but he said having something 
would be important to families.A way he’ll measure the four-day school week’s success is by the district’s enrollment numbers the following year.Richey said he will be looking at the
 absenteeism rate and measures of teacher morale. Then, around five 
years from now, a successful program should have improved test scores, 
he said.

Mo. teacher shortage: Growing number of 4-day school weeks

KANSAS CITY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a shooting that has left one person dead.

Just after 9:30p.m. Sunday, police were dispatched to a shooting in the 4000 block of Lloyd Street in Kansas City, Kansas, according to a media release.&nbsp; 

At the scene, police discovered one person with apparent gunshot wounds. EMS transported them to an area hospital, where the victim later died of their injuries.

The KCKPD Major Case Unit is in charge of the investigation. Anyone with information on this case is urged to call the Crime Stoppers TIPS hotline at 816-474-TIPS (8477). All tips remain anonymous and may qualify for a cash reward.

KANSAS CITY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a shooting that has left one person dead.Just after 9:30p.m. Sunday, police were dispatched to a shooting in the 4000 block of Lloyd Street in Kansas City, Kansas, according to a media release.&nbsp; At the scene, police discovered one person with apparent gunshot wounds. EMS transported them to an area hospital, where the victim later died of their injuries.The KCKPD Major Case Unit is in charge of the investigation. Anyone with information on this case is urged to call the Crime Stoppers TIPS hotline at 816-474-TIPS (8477). All tips remain anonymous and may qualify for a cash reward.

Police: One dead in Kansas shooting

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House Jan. 6 committee urged the Justice Department on Monday to bring criminal charges against former President Donald Trump, delivering what it called a “roadmap to justice” in response to the violent 2021&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/capitol-siege">Capitol insurrection.</a>

(Click below to watch a replay of Monday's hearing)

After one of the most exhaustive and aggressive congressional probes in memory,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-congress-donald-trump-subpoenas-government-and-politics-af491858a41ce4f42416fe3a7131592e">the panel’s seven Democrats and two Republicans</a>&nbsp;are recommending criminal charges against Trump and associates who helped him launch a wide-ranging&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/Jan-6-hearings-Trump-capitol-10351fe6d555eaee7554379ceed8bb24">pressure campaign</a>&nbsp;to try to overturn his 2020 election loss. The panel also released a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/23466462-jan6-committee-final">lengthy summary</a>&nbsp;of its final report, with findings that Trump engaged in a “multi-part conspiracy” to thwart the will of voters.

At a final meeting Monday, the committee alleged violations of four criminal statutes by Trump, in both the run-up to the riot and during the insurrection itself, as it recommended the former president for prosecution to the Justice Department. Among the charges they recommend for prosecution is aiding an insurrection — an effort to hold him directly accountable for his supporters who stormed the Capitol that day.

The committee also voted to refer conservative lawyer John Eastman, who devised dubious legal maneuvers aimed at keeping Trump in power, for prosecution on two of the same statutes as Trump: conspiracy to defraud the United States and obstructing an official proceeding.

While a criminal referral is mostly symbolic, with the Justice Department ultimately deciding whether to prosecute Trump or others, it is a decisive end to a probe that had an almost&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/Jan-6-hearings-key-moments-b374e48ab5a1a0a597fd5b6ec69048c2">singular focus</a>&nbsp;from the start.

Chairman Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., said the criminal justice system can provide accountability after Trump “broke the faith” that people have when they cast ballots in a democracy.