OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — When BNSF railroad conductor Justin Schaaf needed to take time off from work this summer, he had to make a choice: go to the dentist to get a cavity in his molar filled or attend a party for his son's 7th birthday.

"Ultimately I decided to take the day off for my kid’s birthday party,” Schaaf said. “Then when I am finally able to get into the dentist four, five, six months later, the tooth is too bad to repair at that point, so I have to get the tooth pulled out.”

Those are the kind of tradeoffs that railroad workers worry they might still have to make after Congress voted this week to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-politics-pete-buttigieg-strikes-congress-c95510555dcd4cdc2d839e61d1195b06">impose a contract</a>&nbsp;on them to avoid the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-economy-strikes-climate-and-environment-government-politics-92ea7632a29f807ccc0e2658c50d731e">economic disaster</a>&nbsp;that would accompany a railroad strike. Workers and their unions say the deal didn’t do enough to address their&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-economy-government-and-politics-207229bcd558b6a6c1d58f3f85e2d804">quality-of-life concerns</a>&nbsp;and didn’t add any sick days.

President Joe Biden&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-business-economy-government-and-politics-fe5f657b036b2b612d072368584e00cd">signed a bill</a>&nbsp;Friday to block a strike and force workers to accept the agreements union leaders made in September, even though four of the 12 unions — which include a majority of rail workers — voted to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-business-congress-government-and-politics-79d2e2c2779598b0a14396464ee4f7e9">reject them.</a>&nbsp;Business groups had been&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-business-economy-congress-government-and-politics-6b60d53fefc7b85f301b0a3e7011715b">urging</a>&nbsp;Biden to intervene for weeks.

For Schaaf, he's not sure if the new contract will make it any easier to find another day off sometime next year to pay to have a fake tooth implanted in his mouth.

“If I had the option of taking a sick day ... I would have never been in that situation,” he said from his home in Glasgow, Montana.

Schaaf said it was discouraging, but not surprising, to see Congress step in to settle the contract dispute ahead of next Friday's strike deadline. Lawmakers have made a habit of stepping in to impose contracts when railroads and their unions reach the brink of a strike — 18 times since the passage of the 1926 Railway Labor Act, by the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.uschamber.com/security/supply-chain/fact-sheet-congress-has-intervened-18-times-in-railroad-labor-negotiations">U.S. Chamber of Commerce's count</a>&nbsp;— because of the potential economic consequences.

Many businesses rely on railroads to deliver raw materials and ship their final products, so a rail strike would send a catastrophic ripple through the economy. Passenger railroads also would be disrupted because so many use tracks owned by the freight railroads.

The five-year deals that rail workers wound up with include 24% raises and $5,000 in bonuses. But concerns about the lack of paid sick time and the demanding schedules that unions say make it hard for workers to ever take a day off dominated the contract talks. The rail unions say they weren’t able to get more concessions out of the railroads because the big companies knew Congress would intervene.

The railroads&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-and-politics-business-strikes-940da8fc519f8c526ca614e201d01216">refused</a>&nbsp;to add paid sick days to the deal at the end of three years of negotiations because they didn’t want to pay much more than a special board of arbitrators appointed by Biden&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-strikes-a83dffef79d38e36dc25588b19bf54b4">recommended</a>&nbsp;this summer. Plus, the railroads say the unions have agreed over the years to forego paid sick leave in favor of higher wages and strong short-term disability benefits that kick in after as little as four days.

The railroads agreed to offer&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-government-and-politics-6172442e20ccf3295b39c2f3184e03cf">three unpaid days</a>&nbsp;for engineers and conductors to tend to medical needs as long as they are scheduled at least 30 days in advance. They also promised to negotiate further to improve the way regular days off are scheduled to help workers better know when they will be off.

But to retired engineer Jeff Kurtz, there is still a lot of work to be done to restore the quality of life he enjoyed before he left the railroad eight years ago. He doubts rail workers today would be able to get time off for key family events on short notice the way he did when he found out his son was getting his doctorate right before Christmas in 2009.

“You hear when you hire out on the railroad you’re going to miss some things. But you’re not supposed to miss everything,” said Kurtz, who remains active even in retirement with the Railroad Workers United coalition that includes workers from every union. “You shouldn’t miss your kids growing up. You shouldn’t miss the seminal moments in your family’s life.”

Over the past six years, the major railroads have eliminated nearly one-third of their jobs as they&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-aab7d3084a8d17d8d721d2cb750be323">overhauled operations</a>, making the work more demanding for those who remain.

The unions say they won’t stop fighting for more paid sick leave, but now they may have to wait for negotiations on the next contract beginning in 2025.

The head of the Association of American Railroads trade group, Ian Jefferies, acknowledged “there is more to be done to further address our employees’ work-life balance concerns” but he said the compromise deals that Congress voted to impose should help make schedules more predictable while delivering the biggest raises rail workers have seen in more than four decades.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/12/1669996927368.png" alt="President Joe Biden&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-business-economy-government-and-politics-fe5f657b036b2b612d072368584e00cd">signed a bill</a>&nbsp;Friday to block a strike and force workers to accept the agreements union leaders made in September-White House photo" />
 <figcaption>President Joe Biden&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-business-economy-government-and-politics-fe5f657b036b2b612d072368584e00cd">signed a bill</a>&nbsp;Friday to block a strike and force workers to accept the agreements union leaders made in September-White House photo</figcaption>
 </figure>OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — When BNSF railroad conductor Justin Schaaf needed to take time off from work this summer, he had to make a choice: go to the dentist to get a cavity in his molar filled or attend a party for his son's 7th birthday.He chose his son."Ultimately I decided to take the day off for my kid’s birthday party,” Schaaf said. “Then when I am finally able to get into the dentist four, five, six months later, the tooth is too bad to repair at that point, so I have to get the tooth pulled out.”Those are the kind of tradeoffs that railroad workers worry they might still have to make after Congress voted this week to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-politics-pete-buttigieg-strikes-congress-c95510555dcd4cdc2d839e61d1195b06">impose a contract</a>&nbsp;on them to avoid the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-economy-strikes-climate-and-environment-government-politics-92ea7632a29f807ccc0e2658c50d731e">economic disaster</a>&nbsp;that would accompany a railroad strike. Workers and their unions say the deal didn’t do enough to address their&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-economy-government-and-politics-207229bcd558b6a6c1d58f3f85e2d804">quality-of-life concerns</a>&nbsp;and didn’t add any sick days.President Joe Biden&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-business-economy-government-and-politics-fe5f657b036b2b612d072368584e00cd">signed a bill</a>&nbsp;Friday to block a strike and force workers to accept the agreements union leaders made in September, even though four of the 12 unions — which include a majority of rail workers — voted to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-business-congress-government-and-politics-79d2e2c2779598b0a14396464ee4f7e9">reject them.</a>&nbsp;Business groups had been&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-business-economy-congress-government-and-politics-6b60d53fefc7b85f301b0a3e7011715b">urging</a>&nbsp;Biden to intervene for weeks.For Schaaf, he's not sure if the new contract will make it any easier to find another day off sometime next year to pay to have a fake tooth implanted in his mouth.“If I had the option of taking a sick day ... I would have never been in that situation,” he said from his home in Glasgow, Montana.Schaaf said it was discouraging, but not surprising, to see Congress step in to settle the contract dispute ahead of next Friday's strike deadline. Lawmakers have made a habit of stepping in to impose contracts when railroads and their unions reach the brink of a strike — 18 times since the passage of the 1926 Railway Labor Act, by the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.uschamber.com/security/supply-chain/fact-sheet-congress-has-intervened-18-times-in-railroad-labor-negotiations">U.S. Chamber of Commerce's count</a>&nbsp;— because of the potential economic consequences.Many businesses rely on railroads to deliver raw materials and ship their final products, so a rail strike would send a catastrophic ripple through the economy. Passenger railroads also would be disrupted because so many use tracks owned by the freight railroads.The five-year deals that rail workers wound up with include 24% raises and $5,000 in bonuses. But concerns about the lack of paid sick time and the demanding schedules that unions say make it hard for workers to ever take a day off dominated the contract talks. The rail unions say they weren’t able to get more concessions out of the railroads because the big companies knew Congress would intervene.The railroads&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-and-politics-business-strikes-940da8fc519f8c526ca614e201d01216">refused</a>&nbsp;to add paid sick days to the deal at the end of three years of negotiations because they didn’t want to pay much more than a special board of arbitrators appointed by Biden&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-strikes-a83dffef79d38e36dc25588b19bf54b4">recommended</a>&nbsp;this summer. Plus, the railroads say the unions have agreed over the years to forego paid sick leave in favor of higher wages and strong short-term disability benefits that kick in after as little as four days.The railroads agreed to offer&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-government-and-politics-6172442e20ccf3295b39c2f3184e03cf">three unpaid days</a>&nbsp;for engineers and conductors to tend to medical needs as long as they are scheduled at least 30 days in advance. They also promised to negotiate further to improve the way regular days off are scheduled to help workers better know when they will be off.But to retired engineer Jeff Kurtz, there is still a lot of work to be done to restore the quality of life he enjoyed before he left the railroad eight years ago. He doubts rail workers today would be able to get time off for key family events on short notice the way he did when he found out his son was getting his doctorate right before Christmas in 2009.“You hear when you hire out on the railroad you’re going to miss some things. But you’re not supposed to miss everything,” said Kurtz, who remains active even in retirement with the Railroad Workers United coalition that includes workers from every union. “You shouldn’t miss your kids growing up. You shouldn’t miss the seminal moments in your family’s life.”Over the past six years, the major railroads have eliminated nearly one-third of their jobs as they&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-aab7d3084a8d17d8d721d2cb750be323">overhauled operations</a>, making the work more demanding for those who remain.The unions say they won’t stop fighting for more paid sick leave, but now they may have to wait for negotiations on the next contract beginning in 2025.The head of the Association of American Railroads trade group, Ian Jefferies, acknowledged “there is more to be done to further address our employees’ work-life balance concerns” but he said the compromise deals that Congress voted to impose should help make schedules more predictable while delivering the biggest raises rail workers have seen in more than four decades.

Railroad workers: Deal won't resolve quality-of-life concerns

NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. flu season keeps getting worse.

Health officials said Friday that 7.5% of outpatient medical visits last week were due to flu-like illnesses. That's as high as the peak of the 2017-18 flu season and higher than any season since.

The annual winter flu season usually doesn’t get going until December or January, but this one began early and has been complicated by the simultaneous spread of other viruses.

The measure of traffic in doctor's offices is based on reports of symptoms like coughs and sore throats, not on lab-confirmed diagnoses. So it may include other respiratory illnesses.

That makes it hard to compare to flu seasons from before the COVID-19 pandemic. Other years also didn't have this year's unusually strong wave of RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, a common cause of cold-like symptoms that can be serious for infants and the elderly.

Meanwhile, 44 states reported high or very high flu activity last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday.

That may not bode well for the near future. It's likely there was more spread of respiratory viruses during Thanksgiving gatherings and at crowded airports, experts say.

The dominant flu strain so far is the kind typically associated with higher rates of hospitalizations and deaths, particularly in people 65 and older.

The CDC estimates there have been at least 78,000 hospitalizations and 4,500 deaths from flu so far this season. The deaths include at least 14 children.

Flu shots are recommended for nearly all Americans who are at least 6 months old or older.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/12/1670014458189.png" alt="CDC Flu map&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>CDC Flu map&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. flu season keeps getting worse.Health officials said Friday that 7.5% of outpatient medical visits last week were due to flu-like illnesses. That's as high as the peak of the 2017-18 flu season and higher than any season since.The annual winter flu season usually doesn’t get going until December or January, but this one began early and has been complicated by the simultaneous spread of other viruses.The measure of traffic in doctor's offices is based on reports of symptoms like coughs and sore throats, not on lab-confirmed diagnoses. So it may include other respiratory illnesses.That makes it hard to compare to flu seasons from before the COVID-19 pandemic. Other years also didn't have this year's unusually strong wave of RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, a common cause of cold-like symptoms that can be serious for infants and the elderly.Meanwhile, 44 states reported high or very high flu activity last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday.That may not bode well for the near future. It's likely there was more spread of respiratory viruses during Thanksgiving gatherings and at crowded airports, experts say.The dominant flu strain so far is the kind typically associated with higher rates of hospitalizations and deaths, particularly in people 65 and older.The CDC estimates there have been at least 78,000 hospitalizations and 4,500 deaths from flu so far this season. The deaths include at least 14 children.Flu shots are recommended for nearly all Americans who are at least 6 months old or older.___

Flu season worsens as Kan. and Mo. report high activity

NEMAHA COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating&nbsp;&nbsp;an apparent drowning accident at the <a href="https://cityofcentraliaks.org/Centralia-Lake">Centralia Lake</a>, according to a social media report from the Nemaha County Sheriff's office.

&nbsp;The&nbsp; lake reopened to the public on Saturday. The sheriff's office reported no additional details.&nbsp;

Check the Post for additional details as they become available.

&nbsp;The&nbsp; lake is currently closed to the public and no boats will be allowed on the water at this time.

The sheriff's office reported no additional details.&nbsp;

NEMAHA COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating&nbsp;&nbsp;an apparent drowning accident at the <a href="https://cityofcentraliaks.org/Centralia-Lake">Centralia Lake</a>, according to a social media report from the Nemaha County Sheriff's office.&nbsp;The&nbsp; lake reopened to the public on Saturday. The sheriff's office reported no additional details.&nbsp;Check the Post for additional details as they become available.------------NEMAHA COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating&nbsp;&nbsp;an apparent drowning accident at the <a href="https://cityofcentraliaks.org/Centralia-Lake">Centralia Lake</a>, according to a social media report from the Nemaha County Sheriff's office.&nbsp;The&nbsp; lake is currently closed to the public and no boats will be allowed on the water at this time.The sheriff's office reported no additional details.&nbsp;Check the Post for additional details as they become available.

Kansas lake now open to the public after drowning investigation

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas providers might not be ready for months to do telemedicine abortions even though a state-court judge has blocked the state from enforcing its ban on teleconferencing with patients seeking pregnancy-ending medications.

Planned Parenthood Great Plains said it is evaluating its options following the order from Shawnee County District Judge Teresa Watson. It operates three clinics in Kansas providing abortions.

A spokesperson for Wichita clinic operator Trust Women said it hopes to resume telemedicine abortions but will move slowly. It provided them for a few months in 2018,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/990b0aab4eb54e598f088ffec8d88178">filing a lawsuit challenging the ban</a>&nbsp;just before it took effect at the start of 2019.

“There is a lot of infrastructure that needs to go into place to make sure it’s the right way to do it,” said Zack Gingrich-Gaylord, the Trust Women spokesperson, citing more staffing as a big need.

Kansas has required doctors to be physically present when a patient takes the first dose of what often is two doses of pregnancy-ending medication.

The Kansas Supreme Court&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/3f479b218a6140719e1694fcfcdb8036">ruled in April 2019</a>&nbsp;that access to abortion is a “fundamental” right under the state constitution, but Watson&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/c20774f4be7945f8a9a3e931557e65bd">refused in July 2019</a>&nbsp;to block enforcement of the ban while Trust Women's legal challenge moved forward. The state Court of Appeals overturned that decision in May and ordered Watson to reconsider not blocking the ban's enforcement.

Kansas voters in August&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-primary-elections-kansas-abortion-b6d62a852c2ce4617f2c03589fbb523e">decisively rejected</a>&nbsp;a proposed amendment to the state constitution to declare that it doesn't grant a right to abortion.

By JOHN HANNA&nbsp;TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas providers might not be ready for months to do telemedicine abortions even though a state-court judge has blocked the state from enforcing its ban on teleconferencing with patients seeking pregnancy-ending medications.Planned Parenthood Great Plains said it is evaluating its options following the order from Shawnee County District Judge Teresa Watson. It operates three clinics in Kansas providing abortions.A spokesperson for Wichita clinic operator Trust Women said it hopes to resume telemedicine abortions but will move slowly. It provided them for a few months in 2018,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/990b0aab4eb54e598f088ffec8d88178">filing a lawsuit challenging the ban</a>&nbsp;just before it took effect at the start of 2019.“There is a lot of infrastructure that needs to go into place to make sure it’s the right way to do it,” said Zack Gingrich-Gaylord, the Trust Women spokesperson, citing more staffing as a big need.Kansas has required doctors to be physically present when a patient takes the first dose of what often is two doses of pregnancy-ending medication.The Kansas Supreme Court&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/3f479b218a6140719e1694fcfcdb8036">ruled in April 2019</a>&nbsp;that access to abortion is a “fundamental” right under the state constitution, but Watson&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/c20774f4be7945f8a9a3e931557e65bd">refused in July 2019</a>&nbsp;to block enforcement of the ban while Trust Women's legal challenge moved forward. The state Court of Appeals overturned that decision in May and ordered Watson to reconsider not blocking the ban's enforcement.Kansas voters in August&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-primary-elections-kansas-abortion-b6d62a852c2ce4617f2c03589fbb523e">decisively rejected</a>&nbsp;a proposed amendment to the state constitution to declare that it doesn't grant a right to abortion.

Kansas providers cautious about doing telemedicine abortions

WICHITA —A federal grand jury in Wichita returned an indictment charging a Kansas man with one count of sexual exploitation of a child – production of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography according to the United State's Attorney.

As part of a 7 month investigation, Cherokee County Sheriff's Detectives arrested Joel Cypert, 35, of Columbus on Friday,&nbsp;according to Cherokee County Sheriff David Groves.

He is accused of creating sexually explicit images of a prepubescent, minor victim and accused of sending child pornography.

Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and U.S. Immigration and Customs (ICE) are investigating the case.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/12/1669913644714.png" alt="Cypert-photo Cherokee Co." />
 <figcaption>Cypert-photo Cherokee Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>WICHITA —A federal grand jury in Wichita returned an indictment charging a Kansas man with one count of sexual exploitation of a child – production of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography according to the United State's Attorney.As part of a 7 month investigation, Cherokee County Sheriff's Detectives arrested Joel Cypert, 35, of Columbus on Friday,&nbsp;according to Cherokee County Sheriff David Groves.He is accused of creating sexually explicit images of a prepubescent, minor victim and accused of sending child pornography.Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and U.S. Immigration and Customs (ICE) are investigating the case.

Kansas man accused of creating, sending child porn

PAWNEE COUNTY — Judi Lynn Allison, 50 of Delphos, Kansas, faced a jury trial in&nbsp;Pawnee County District Court this week regarding a felony criminal complaint, according to County Attorney Doug McNett.

The jury heard testimony that on September 28, 2019, the Pawnee County Sheriff’s Department was dispatched to a residence north of Garfield, Kansas, regarding a possible theft. Upon arrival, the deputy was advised the owner of the property passed away in December of 2018 and his eldest daughter named executrix of the estate. 

The deceased had been a self-employed farm mechanic. An estate auction was scheduled for October 5, 2019, to sell his equipment and shop tools. However, when the executrix and auctioneer arrived at the property to start putting items on trailers in preparation for the upcoming auction, they discovered all of the tools had been removed from her father's service truck which had been locked in a tool shed. There was no evidence of forced entry.

The auctioneer testified that approximately a month before he had gone through the property with the executrix’s husband making notes for a sale bill, and at that time the service trucks’ approximate eight toolboxes had been full of miscellaneous shop tools. At trial, the auctioneer valued the missing property at approximately $1,200 but acknowledged he had testified at the Preliminary Hearing he believed the items to be worth between $1,700 and $2,500.

Additional testimony was presented that over Labor Day weekend the executrix had invited her father’s siblings to come to the property and take items that held sentimental value to them from the house and outbuildings. Allison, who was the deceased’s youngest sister, selected a few large items that would not fit in her vehicle. The family moved those selected items to the locked tool shed and granted Allison permission to come back to the property at a later date to retrieve them.

A neighbor came forward after the auction and advised law enforcement that one evening he’d noticed the tool shed door open and so he stopped because he knew no one should be there. He testified at trial that he discovered Allison and her husband in the shed. He further testified that he saw approximately six large boxes of what he believed to be tools loaded in their enclosed trailer. Trail cam video confirmed that the Allisons spent approximately two hours on the property the evening of September 5, 2019.

When contacted by family and law enforcement, Allison denied any knowledge of the missing tools. A search warrant was executed on the Allison’s Ottawa County rural residence on December 12, 2019. The search warrant authorized law enforcement to search for 21 missing shop tools that were clearly identified on the auction sale bill. Law enforcement seized nine items from the Allison residence which they believed matched the property descriptions. At the time the search warrant was executed, Allison claimed the items seized were her husband’s.

At trial, however, Allison took the stand in her own defense and testified that four of the nine tools seized from her home had in fact came from her brother’s estate but argued her niece had given her permission to take the items.

The jury made up of 7 women and 5 men deliberated for approximately 30 minutes before returning Guilty verdict Wednesday evening of Theft of Property worth less than $1,500.

After accepting the verdict, Pawnee County District Judge Bruce Gatterman ordered a presentence investigation report be completed to determine a restitution amount. Sentencing will scheduled once the report is completed. The defendant remains free on her own recognizance.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/4/1618667325929.jpeg" alt="Allison photo from an earlier arrest in Saline Co." />
 <figcaption>Allison photo from an earlier arrest in Saline Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>PAWNEE COUNTY — Judi Lynn Allison, 50 of Delphos, Kansas, faced a jury trial in&nbsp;Pawnee County District Court this week regarding a felony criminal complaint, according to County Attorney Doug McNett.The jury heard testimony that on September 28, 2019, the Pawnee County Sheriff’s Department was dispatched to a residence north of Garfield, Kansas, regarding a possible theft. Upon arrival, the deputy was advised the owner of the property passed away in December of 2018 and his eldest daughter named executrix of the estate. The deceased had been a self-employed farm mechanic. An estate auction was scheduled for October 5, 2019, to sell his equipment and shop tools. However, when the executrix and auctioneer arrived at the property to start putting items on trailers in preparation for the upcoming auction, they discovered all of the tools had been removed from her father's service truck which had been locked in a tool shed. There was no evidence of forced entry.The auctioneer testified that approximately a month before he had gone through the property with the executrix’s husband making notes for a sale bill, and at that time the service trucks’ approximate eight toolboxes had been full of miscellaneous shop tools. At trial, the auctioneer valued the missing property at approximately $1,200 but acknowledged he had testified at the Preliminary Hearing he believed the items to be worth between $1,700 and $2,500.Additional testimony was presented that over Labor Day weekend the executrix had invited her father’s siblings to come to the property and take items that held sentimental value to them from the house and outbuildings. Allison, who was the deceased’s youngest sister, selected a few large items that would not fit in her vehicle. The family moved those selected items to the locked tool shed and granted Allison permission to come back to the property at a later date to retrieve them.A neighbor came forward after the auction and advised law enforcement that one evening he’d noticed the tool shed door open and so he stopped because he knew no one should be there. He testified at trial that he discovered Allison and her husband in the shed. He further testified that he saw approximately six large boxes of what he believed to be tools loaded in their enclosed trailer. Trail cam video confirmed that the Allisons spent approximately two hours on the property the evening of September 5, 2019.When contacted by family and law enforcement, Allison denied any knowledge of the missing tools. A search warrant was executed on the Allison’s Ottawa County rural residence on December 12, 2019. The search warrant authorized law enforcement to search for 21 missing shop tools that were clearly identified on the auction sale bill. Law enforcement seized nine items from the Allison residence which they believed matched the property descriptions. At the time the search warrant was executed, Allison claimed the items seized were her husband’s.At trial, however, Allison took the stand in her own defense and testified that four of the nine tools seized from her home had in fact came from her brother’s estate but argued her niece had given her permission to take the items.The jury made up of 7 women and 5 men deliberated for approximately 30 minutes before returning Guilty verdict Wednesday evening of Theft of Property worth less than $1,500.After accepting the verdict, Pawnee County District Judge Bruce Gatterman ordered a presentence investigation report be completed to determine a restitution amount. Sentencing will scheduled once the report is completed. The defendant remains free on her own recognizance.

Kansas woman found guilty of estate sale theft

PALMDALE , Calif. (AP) — America’s newest nuclear stealth bomber made its debut Friday after years of secret development and as part of the Pentagon’s answer to rising&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/europe-middle-east-china-united-states-beijing-4521a349b4171b4e9792a5ed96f6f44f">concerns over a future conflict with China</a>.

The B-21 Raider is the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ap-top-news-air-force-technology-mo-state-wire-politics-df0e81b91ad9a945032ba4972c754426">first new American bomber aircraft</a>&nbsp;in more than 30 years. Almost every aspect of the program is classified.

As evening fell over the Air Force’s Plant 42 in Palmdale, the public got its first glimpse of the Raider in a tightly controlled ceremony. It started with a flyover of the three bombers still in service: the B-52 Stratofortress, the B-1 Lancer and the B-2 Spirit. Then the hangar doors slowly opened and the B-21 was towed partially out of the building.

“This isn’t just another airplane,” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said. “It’s the embodiment of America’s determination to defend the republic that we all love.”

The B-21 is part of the Pentagon’s efforts to modernize all three legs of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-america-donald-trump-ap-top-news-nuclear-weapons-politics-01ec89ceb9224443880acd4213ef6c73">its nuclear triad</a>, which includes silo-launched nuclear ballistic missiles and submarine-launched warheads, as it shifts from the counterterrorism campaigns of recent decades to meet China’s rapid military modernization.

China is on track to have&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/taiwan-europe-china-united-states-beijing-af4dd76e993f450df7af8e63d1a0187c">1,500 nuclear weapons</a>&nbsp;by 2035, and its gains in hypersonics, cyber warfare and space capabilities present “the most consequential and systemic challenge to U.S. national security and the free and open international system,” the Pentagon said this week in its annual China report.

”We needed a new bomber for the 21st Century that would allow us to take on much more complicated threats, like the threats that we fear we would one day face from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-china-beijing-moscow-europe-3d694c61d318e083076b681cd913102d">China, Russia,</a>&nbsp;” said Deborah Lee James, the Air Force secretary when the Raider contract was announced in 2015.

While the Raider may resemble the B-2, once you get inside, the similarities stop, said Kathy Warden, chief executive of Northrop Grumman Corp., which is building the bomber.

“The way it operates internally is extremely advanced compared to the B-2, because the technology has evolved so much in terms of the computing capability that we can now embed in the software of the B-21,” Warden said.

Other changes include advanced materials used in coatings to make the bomber harder to detect, Austin said.

“Fifty years of advances in low-observable technology have gone into this aircraft,” Austin said. “Even the most sophisticated air defense systems will struggle to detect a B-21 in the sky.”

Other advances likely include new ways to control electronic emissions, so the bomber could spoof adversary radars and disguise itself as another object, and use of new propulsion technologies, several defense analysts said.

“It is incredibly low observability,” Warden said. “You’ll hear it, but you really won’t see it.”

Six Raiders are in production. The Air Force plans to build 100 that can deploy either nuclear weapons or conventional bombs and can be used with or without a human crew. Both the Air Force and Northrop also point to the Raider’s relatively quick development: The bomber went from contract award to debut in seven years. Other new fighter and ship programs have taken decades.

The cost of the bombers is unknown. The Air Force previously put the price at an average cost of $550 million each in 2010 dollars — roughly $753 million today — but it’s unclear how much is actually being spent. The total will depend on how many bombers the Pentagon buys.

“We will soon fly this aircraft, test it, and then move it into production. And we will build the bomber force in numbers suited to the strategic environment ahead,” Austin said.

The undisclosed cost troubles government watchdogs.

“It might be a big challenge for us to do our normal analysis of a major program like this,” said Dan Grazier, a senior defense policy fellow at the Project on Government Oversight. “It’s easy to say that the B-21 is still on schedule before it actually flies. Because it’s only when one of these programs goes into the actual testing phase when real problems are discovered." That, he said, is when schedules start to slip and costs rise.

The B-2 was also envisioned to be a fleet of more than 100 aircraft, but the Air Force built only 21, due to cost overruns and a changed security environment after the Soviet Union fell. Fewer than that are ready to fly on any given day due to the significant maintenance needs of the aging bomber.

The B-21 Raider, which takes its name from the 1942 Doolittle Raid over Tokyo, will be slightly smaller than the B-2 to increase its range, Warden said. It won’t make its first flight until 2023. However, Warden said Northrop Grumman has used advanced computing to test the bomber’s performance using a digital twin, a virtual replica of the one unveiled Friday.

Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota will house the bomber’s first training program and squadron, though the bombers are also expected to be stationed at bases in Texas and Missouri.

U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds, a Republican of South Dakota, led the state’s bid to host the bomber program. In a statement, he called it “the most advanced weapon system ever developed by our country to defend ourselves and our allies.”

Northrop Grumman has also incorporated maintenance lessons learned from the B-2, Warden said.

In October 2001, B-2 pilots set a record when they flew 44 hours straight to drop the first bombs in Afghanistan after the Sept. 11 attacks. The B-2 often does long round-trip missions because there are few hangars globally that can accommodate its wingspan, which limits where it can land for maintenance. The hangars also must be air-conditioned because the Spirit’s windows don’t open and hot climates can cook cockpit electronics.

The new Raider will also get new hangars to accommodate its size and complexity, Warden said.

However, with the Raider’s extended range, ’it won’t need to be based in-theater,” Austin said. “It won’t need logistical support to hold any target at risk.”

A final noticeable difference was in the debut itself. While both went public in Palmdale, the B-2 was rolled outdoors in 1988 amid much public fanfare. Given advances in surveillance satellites and cameras, the Raider was just partially exposed, keeping its sensitive propulsion systems and sensors under the hangar and protected from overhead eyes.

“The magic of the platform,” Warden said, “is what you don’t see.”

PALMDALE , Calif. (AP) — America’s newest nuclear stealth bomber made its debut Friday after years of secret development and as part of the Pentagon’s answer to rising&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/europe-middle-east-china-united-states-beijing-4521a349b4171b4e9792a5ed96f6f44f">concerns over a future conflict with China</a>.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Unveiled today, the B-21 Raider will be a dual-capable, penetrating-strike stealth bomber capable of delivering both conventional and nuclear munitions. The B-21 will form the backbone of the future Air Force bomber force consisting of B-21s and B-52s.(U.S. Air Force photo) <a href="https://t.co/X6KSU7sy6U">pic.twitter.com/X6KSU7sy6U</a>&mdash; U.S. Air Force (@usairforce) <a href="https://twitter.com/usairforce/status/1598858254615912448?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 3, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The B-21 Raider is the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ap-top-news-air-force-technology-mo-state-wire-politics-df0e81b91ad9a945032ba4972c754426">first new American bomber aircraft</a>&nbsp;in more than 30 years. Almost every aspect of the program is classified.As evening fell over the Air Force’s Plant 42 in Palmdale, the public got its first glimpse of the Raider in a tightly controlled ceremony. It started with a flyover of the three bombers still in service: the B-52 Stratofortress, the B-1 Lancer and the B-2 Spirit. Then the hangar doors slowly opened and the B-21 was towed partially out of the building.“This isn’t just another airplane,” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said. “It’s the embodiment of America’s determination to defend the republic that we all love.”The B-21 is part of the Pentagon’s efforts to modernize all three legs of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-america-donald-trump-ap-top-news-nuclear-weapons-politics-01ec89ceb9224443880acd4213ef6c73">its nuclear triad</a>, which includes silo-launched nuclear ballistic missiles and submarine-launched warheads, as it shifts from the counterterrorism campaigns of recent decades to meet China’s rapid military modernization.China is on track to have&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/taiwan-europe-china-united-states-beijing-af4dd76e993f450df7af8e63d1a0187c">1,500 nuclear weapons</a>&nbsp;by 2035, and its gains in hypersonics, cyber warfare and space capabilities present “the most consequential and systemic challenge to U.S. national security and the free and open international system,” the Pentagon said this week in its annual China report.”We needed a new bomber for the 21st Century that would allow us to take on much more complicated threats, like the threats that we fear we would one day face from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-china-beijing-moscow-europe-3d694c61d318e083076b681cd913102d">China, Russia,</a>&nbsp;” said Deborah Lee James, the Air Force secretary when the Raider contract was announced in 2015.While the Raider may resemble the B-2, once you get inside, the similarities stop, said Kathy Warden, chief executive of Northrop Grumman Corp., which is building the bomber.“The way it operates internally is extremely advanced compared to the B-2, because the technology has evolved so much in terms of the computing capability that we can now embed in the software of the B-21,” Warden said.Other changes include advanced materials used in coatings to make the bomber harder to detect, Austin said.“Fifty years of advances in low-observable technology have gone into this aircraft,” Austin said. “Even the most sophisticated air defense systems will struggle to detect a B-21 in the sky.”Other advances likely include new ways to control electronic emissions, so the bomber could spoof adversary radars and disguise itself as another object, and use of new propulsion technologies, several defense analysts said.“It is incredibly low observability,” Warden said. “You’ll hear it, but you really won’t see it.”Six Raiders are in production. The Air Force plans to build 100 that can deploy either nuclear weapons or conventional bombs and can be used with or without a human crew. Both the Air Force and Northrop also point to the Raider’s relatively quick development: The bomber went from contract award to debut in seven years. Other new fighter and ship programs have taken decades.The cost of the bombers is unknown. The Air Force previously put the price at an average cost of $550 million each in 2010 dollars — roughly $753 million today — but it’s unclear how much is actually being spent. The total will depend on how many bombers the Pentagon buys.“We will soon fly this aircraft, test it, and then move it into production. And we will build the bomber force in numbers suited to the strategic environment ahead,” Austin said.The undisclosed cost troubles government watchdogs.“It might be a big challenge for us to do our normal analysis of a major program like this,” said Dan Grazier, a senior defense policy fellow at the Project on Government Oversight. “It’s easy to say that the B-21 is still on schedule before it actually flies. Because it’s only when one of these programs goes into the actual testing phase when real problems are discovered." That, he said, is when schedules start to slip and costs rise.The B-2 was also envisioned to be a fleet of more than 100 aircraft, but the Air Force built only 21, due to cost overruns and a changed security environment after the Soviet Union fell. Fewer than that are ready to fly on any given day due to the significant maintenance needs of the aging bomber.The B-21 Raider, which takes its name from the 1942 Doolittle Raid over Tokyo, will be slightly smaller than the B-2 to increase its range, Warden said. It won’t make its first flight until 2023. However, Warden said Northrop Grumman has used advanced computing to test the bomber’s performance using a digital twin, a virtual replica of the one unveiled Friday.Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota will house the bomber’s first training program and squadron, though the bombers are also expected to be stationed at bases in Texas and Missouri.U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds, a Republican of South Dakota, led the state’s bid to host the bomber program. In a statement, he called it “the most advanced weapon system ever developed by our country to defend ourselves and our allies.”Northrop Grumman has also incorporated maintenance lessons learned from the B-2, Warden said.In October 2001, B-2 pilots set a record when they flew 44 hours straight to drop the first bombs in Afghanistan after the Sept. 11 attacks. The B-2 often does long round-trip missions because there are few hangars globally that can accommodate its wingspan, which limits where it can land for maintenance. The hangars also must be air-conditioned because the Spirit’s windows don’t open and hot climates can cook cockpit electronics.The new Raider will also get new hangars to accommodate its size and complexity, Warden said.However, with the Raider’s extended range, ’it won’t need to be based in-theater,” Austin said. “It won’t need logistical support to hold any target at risk.”A final noticeable difference was in the debut itself. While both went public in Palmdale, the B-2 was rolled outdoors in 1988 amid much public fanfare. Given advances in surveillance satellites and cameras, the Raider was just partially exposed, keeping its sensitive propulsion systems and sensors under the hangar and protected from overhead eyes.“The magic of the platform,” Warden said, “is what you don’t see.”

Pentagon debuts new stealth bomber, the B-21 Raider

WASHINGTON (AP) — FBI Director Chris Wray is raising national security concerns about TikTok, warning Friday that control of the popular video sharing app is in the hands of a Chinese government “that doesn't share our values.”

Wray said the FBI was concerned that the Chinese had the ability to control the app’s recommendation algorithm, “which allows them to manipulate content, and if they want to, to use it for influence operations.” He also asserted that China could use the app to collect data on its users that could be used for traditional espionage operations.

"All of these things are in the hands of a government that doesn’t share our values and that has a mission that's very much at odds with what’s in the best interests of the United States. That should concern us,” Wray told an audience at the University of Michigan’s Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy.

Those concerns are similar to ones he raised during congressional appearances last month when the issue came up. And they come during ongoing dialogue in Washington about the app.

TikTok is owned by Beijing-based ByteDance. A TikTok spokesperson did not immediately return an email seeking comment on Friday.

But at a Senate hearing in September, TikTok Chief Operating Officer Vanessa Pappas responded to questions from members of both parties by saying that the company protects all data from American users and that Chinese government officials have no access to it.

“We will never share data, period,” Pappas said.

Concerned about China’s influence over TikTok, the Trump administration in 2020 threatened to ban the app within the U.S. and pressured ByteDance to sell TikTok to a U.S. company. U.S. officials and the company are now in talks over a possible agreement that would resolve American security concerns, a process that Wray said was taking place across U.S. government agencies.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/12/1670097767255.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — FBI Director Chris Wray is raising national security concerns about TikTok, warning Friday that control of the popular video sharing app is in the hands of a Chinese government “that doesn't share our values.”Wray said the FBI was concerned that the Chinese had the ability to control the app’s recommendation algorithm, “which allows them to manipulate content, and if they want to, to use it for influence operations.” He also asserted that China could use the app to collect data on its users that could be used for traditional espionage operations."All of these things are in the hands of a government that doesn’t share our values and that has a mission that's very much at odds with what’s in the best interests of the United States. That should concern us,” Wray told an audience at the University of Michigan’s Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy.Those concerns are similar to ones he raised during congressional appearances last month when the issue came up. And they come during ongoing dialogue in Washington about the app.TikTok is owned by Beijing-based ByteDance. A TikTok spokesperson did not immediately return an email seeking comment on Friday.But at a Senate hearing in September, TikTok Chief Operating Officer Vanessa Pappas responded to questions from members of both parties by saying that the company protects all data from American users and that Chinese government officials have no access to it.“We will never share data, period,” Pappas said.Concerned about China’s influence over TikTok, the Trump administration in 2020 threatened to ban the app within the U.S. and pressured ByteDance to sell TikTok to a U.S. company. U.S. officials and the company are now in talks over a possible agreement that would resolve American security concerns, a process that Wray said was taking place across U.S. government agencies.

FBI director raises national security concerns about TikTok

By RUDI KELLER <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/12/02/lawmaker-wants-to-use-missouri-surplus-to-widen-i-70/">Missouri Independent</a>

For decades, motorists crossing Missouri have cursed congestion on Interstate 70.

And almost as long, the Missouri 
Department of Transportation has warned that the road, one of the first 
interstate highways to be built in the 1950s, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.columbiatribune.com/story/news/local/2012/01/18/i-70-needs-rebuilding-modot/21616984007/">needs major reconstruction</a>.

“The option to do nothing on I-70 is 
not there,” Kevin Keith, then-director of MODOT, said in January 2012. 
“If we do nothing, in 10 to 15 years, it will become a gravel parking 
lot.”

Funding for the biggest project of 
all – widening the interstate to three or four lanes in each direction –
 has eluded planners. But with the state enjoying an unprecedented <a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/11/28/missouri-state-budget-is-bulging-with-6-billion-in-surplus-cash/">surplus in excess of $6 billion</a>, now is the time to make the wish for money a reality, said state Sen. Bill Eigel, R-Weldon Spring.

As one of his first bills filed in 
advance of the legislative session that begins Jan. 4, Eigel is 
proposing lawmakers dedicate a portion of the surplus to widen the 
highway to four lanes from St. Louis to Kansas City.

“I don’t think it is necessarily a 
great thing for cash to be sitting in the government’s bank account,” 
Eigel said. “We need to invest those funds in actual big infrastructure 
projects like I-70.”

Under his proposal, any general 
revenue funds in excess of a $4 billion cash balance would be 
transferred to the project fund. And from ongoing revenue, Eigel would 
dedicate about 2% annually – nearly $300 million this year – for 10 
years.

That could generate up to $9 billion for the project, he said.

“That is a sufficient amount of funds based on the latest word I have from MODOT on the cost to rebuild I-70,” Eigel said.

No one is sure how much it would cost
 to widen I-70, said Patrick McKenna, MODOT’s current director. The 
department produced an estimate this summer that it would cost $2.75 
billion to add a third lane in each direction, mainly by construction 
within the current right-of-way.

“I would say I don’t have any good estimates of what the 4-lane approach would be,” McKenna said.

The difficulties of estimating the 
cost mainly involve the acquisition of the additional right-of-way, 
property that in many places is developed for businesses serving highway
 traffic, he said. Many of the exit interchanges would have to be 
rebuilt as well.&nbsp;

“That is really where the price tag goes substantially higher,” McKenna said.

There are $256 million in awarded 
projects – most of it the $240 million being spent to build new bridges 
over the Missouri River connecting Boone and Cooper counties – and $236 
million in planned projects.

Each of those is being built to accommodate three lanes of traffic in each direction, McKenna noted.

The difficulty of paying for a 
project like I-70 is that the state has already committed the federal 
highway funding it expects for the next five years and the cost would 
have to be borne entirely by state taxpayers.

But if lawmakers authorize the project, he said, MODOT will be ready to build it.

“I think it is great there are some creative ideas coming along,” McKenna said.

Eigel’s proposal, or any other that 
provides funds for I-70, will be welcome, said Jeff Glenn of Cape 
Girardeau, executive director of Missourians for Transportation 
Investment.

“I-70 is an economic engine for the 
state of Missouri and everyone knows it’s a problem,” Glenn said. “I-70 
is certainly among our highest priorities as an organization.”

There hasn’t been any time in the 
past 20 years when it was possible to think about multibillion-dollar 
infrastructure projects, Glenn said.

“There is no better time for us to look at a big project like this than when we have record state surpluses,” he said.

Eigel, who is considering whether to <a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/09/12/founding-member-of-senate-conservative-caucus-exploring-2024-run-for-missouri-governor/">run for governor in 2024</a>, said his proposal isn’t tied to that effort but it is the kind of big-idea project a governor should be presenting.

“I want to propose and move legislation to have an impact on the lives of Missouri citizens,” he said.

Eigel’s bill was one of hundreds 
filed Thursday, the first day for pre-filing bills for the upcoming 
session. Filing early doesn’t guarantee early action but it can spark 
debate.

By 5 p.m., there were 343 bills filed
 in the House proposing statutory changes and 23 proposing changes in 
the Missouri Constitution. The number in the Senate, which must sort 
proposals by seniority of members before numbering them and posting them
 online, was unknown at that time.

There are House bills to provide 
property tax cuts for senior citizens and veterans, rework how child 
custody is awarded in divorce cases, and make it harder to sell <a target="_blank" href="https://www.kmbc.com/article/thousands-catalytic-converters-stolen-million/40910293">stolen catalytic converters</a>.

There are six proposals filed so far 
in the House for changing the process of amending the state constitution
 and Sen. Andrew Koenig, R-Manchester, said he will be pushing a bill 
for changes in the Senate.

His proposal, he said, would lower 
the percentage of voters that must sign a petition proposing a 
constitutional amendment, but raise the majority needed for approval.

Of 89 initiative proposals <a target="_blank" href="https://www.sos.mo.gov/default.aspx?PageID=9975">submitted as proposals</a> for the 2022 ballot, only two gathered enough signatures to <a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/05/09/legal-marijuana-ranked-choice-voting-initiatives-submitted-for-missouri-ballot/">submit for verification</a> and only one, Amendment 3 to legalize recreational marijuana, <a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/11/09/missouri-voters-amend-state-constitution-to-legalize-recreational-marijuana/">made it to the ballot</a>.

“I want to make it easier to get on the ballot but harder to pass,” Koenig said.

Koenig said his idea is similar to a 
House proposal from this year’s session that would require enough votes 
to equal a majority of registered voters, rather than a majority of 
people actually voting, to pass a constitutional amendment submitted by 
initiative.&nbsp;

It would treat every voter who didn’t turn out as a ‘no’ vote.

One thing that will change in next year’s session is how lawmakers debate abortion rights following the <a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/06/24/u-s-supreme-court-overturns-right-to-abortion-in-landmark-decision/">June decision overturning Roe v. Wade</a>. That decision put Missouri’s strict abortion ban in place, denying abortions except in <a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/06/24/abortion-is-now-illegal-in-missouri-in-wake-of-u-s-supreme-court-ruling/">cases of medical emergency</a>.&nbsp;

While opponents of abortion rights 
have unassailable majorities in both legislative chambers, they will be 
on the watch for initiatives intended to put abortion to a statewide 
vote, said Sam Lee, lobbyist for Campaign Life Missouri.

Abortion opponents will be playing defense, he said.

“Our overall goal,” he said, “is to keep in force what we have now.”

Cover photo by Tessa Weinberg/Missouri Independent

By RUDI KELLER <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/12/02/lawmaker-wants-to-use-missouri-surplus-to-widen-i-70/">Missouri Independent</a>For decades, motorists crossing Missouri have cursed congestion on Interstate 70.And almost as long, the Missouri 
Department of Transportation has warned that the road, one of the first 
interstate highways to be built in the 1950s, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.columbiatribune.com/story/news/local/2012/01/18/i-70-needs-rebuilding-modot/21616984007/">needs major reconstruction</a>.“The option to do nothing on I-70 is 
not there,” Kevin Keith, then-director of MODOT, said in January 2012. 
“If we do nothing, in 10 to 15 years, it will become a gravel parking 
lot.”Funding for the biggest project of 
all – widening the interstate to three or four lanes in each direction –
 has eluded planners. But with the state enjoying an unprecedented <a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/11/28/missouri-state-budget-is-bulging-with-6-billion-in-surplus-cash/">surplus in excess of $6 billion</a>, now is the time to make the wish for money a reality, said state Sen. Bill Eigel, R-Weldon Spring.As one of his first bills filed in 
advance of the legislative session that begins Jan. 4, Eigel is 
proposing lawmakers dedicate a portion of the surplus to widen the 
highway to four lanes from St. Louis to Kansas City.“I don’t think it is necessarily a 
great thing for cash to be sitting in the government’s bank account,” 
Eigel said. “We need to invest those funds in actual big infrastructure 
projects like I-70.”Under his proposal, any general 
revenue funds in excess of a $4 billion cash balance would be 
transferred to the project fund. And from ongoing revenue, Eigel would 
dedicate about 2% annually – nearly $300 million this year – for 10 
years.That could generate up to $9 billion for the project, he said.“That is a sufficient amount of funds based on the latest word I have from MODOT on the cost to rebuild I-70,” Eigel said.No one is sure how much it would cost
 to widen I-70, said Patrick McKenna, MODOT’s current director. The 
department produced an estimate this summer that it would cost $2.75 
billion to add a third lane in each direction, mainly by construction 
within the current right-of-way.“I would say I don’t have any good estimates of what the 4-lane approach would be,” McKenna said.The difficulties of estimating the 
cost mainly involve the acquisition of the additional right-of-way, 
property that in many places is developed for businesses serving highway
 traffic, he said. Many of the exit interchanges would have to be 
rebuilt as well.&nbsp;“That is really where the price tag goes substantially higher,” McKenna said.There are $256 million in awarded 
projects – most of it the $240 million being spent to build new bridges 
over the Missouri River connecting Boone and Cooper counties – and $236 
million in planned projects.Each of those is being built to accommodate three lanes of traffic in each direction, McKenna noted.The difficulty of paying for a 
project like I-70 is that the state has already committed the federal 
highway funding it expects for the next five years and the cost would 
have to be borne entirely by state taxpayers.But if lawmakers authorize the project, he said, MODOT will be ready to build it.“I think it is great there are some creative ideas coming along,” McKenna said.Eigel’s proposal, or any other that 
provides funds for I-70, will be welcome, said Jeff Glenn of Cape 
Girardeau, executive director of Missourians for Transportation 
Investment.“I-70 is an economic engine for the 
state of Missouri and everyone knows it’s a problem,” Glenn said. “I-70 
is certainly among our highest priorities as an organization.”There hasn’t been any time in the 
past 20 years when it was possible to think about multibillion-dollar 
infrastructure projects, Glenn said.“There is no better time for us to look at a big project like this than when we have record state surpluses,” he said.Eigel, who is considering whether to <a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/09/12/founding-member-of-senate-conservative-caucus-exploring-2024-run-for-missouri-governor/">run for governor in 2024</a>, said his proposal isn’t tied to that effort but it is the kind of big-idea project a governor should be presenting.“I want to propose and move legislation to have an impact on the lives of Missouri citizens,” he said.<h2>Pre-filing bills</h2>Eigel’s bill was one of hundreds 
filed Thursday, the first day for pre-filing bills for the upcoming 
session. Filing early doesn’t guarantee early action but it can spark 
debate.By 5 p.m., there were 343 bills filed
 in the House proposing statutory changes and 23 proposing changes in 
the Missouri Constitution. The number in the Senate, which must sort 
proposals by seniority of members before numbering them and posting them
 online, was unknown at that time.There are House bills to provide 
property tax cuts for senior citizens and veterans, rework how child 
custody is awarded in divorce cases, and make it harder to sell <a target="_blank" href="https://www.kmbc.com/article/thousands-catalytic-converters-stolen-million/40910293">stolen catalytic converters</a>.There are six proposals filed so far 
in the House for changing the process of amending the state constitution
 and Sen. Andrew Koenig, R-Manchester, said he will be pushing a bill 
for changes in the Senate.His proposal, he said, would lower 
the percentage of voters that must sign a petition proposing a 
constitutional amendment, but raise the majority needed for approval.Of 89 initiative proposals <a target="_blank" href="https://www.sos.mo.gov/default.aspx?PageID=9975">submitted as proposals</a> for the 2022 ballot, only two gathered enough signatures to <a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/05/09/legal-marijuana-ranked-choice-voting-initiatives-submitted-for-missouri-ballot/">submit for verification</a> and only one, Amendment 3 to legalize recreational marijuana, <a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/11/09/missouri-voters-amend-state-constitution-to-legalize-recreational-marijuana/">made it to the ballot</a>.“I want to make it easier to get on the ballot but harder to pass,” Koenig said.Koenig said his idea is similar to a 
House proposal from this year’s session that would require enough votes 
to equal a majority of registered voters, rather than a majority of 
people actually voting, to pass a constitutional amendment submitted by 
initiative.&nbsp;It would treat every voter who didn’t turn out as a ‘no’ vote.One thing that will change in next year’s session is how lawmakers debate abortion rights following the <a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/06/24/u-s-supreme-court-overturns-right-to-abortion-in-landmark-decision/">June decision overturning Roe v. Wade</a>. That decision put Missouri’s strict abortion ban in place, denying abortions except in <a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/06/24/abortion-is-now-illegal-in-missouri-in-wake-of-u-s-supreme-court-ruling/">cases of medical emergency</a>.&nbsp;While opponents of abortion rights 
have unassailable majorities in both legislative chambers, they will be 
on the watch for initiatives intended to put abortion to a statewide 
vote, said Sam Lee, lobbyist for Campaign Life Missouri.Abortion opponents will be playing defense, he said.“Our overall goal,” he said, “is to keep in force what we have now.”Cover photo by Tessa Weinberg/Missouri Independent

Lawmaker wants to use Missouri surplus to widen I-70

SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a teen on connection with a series of alleged drug crimes.

On Friday, the Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office Drug Enforcement Unit made an arrest following an extensive investigation into multiple recent juvenile narcotics related overdoses in Shawnee County, according to Deputy Abigail Christian. Deputies arrested and booked Jackson C. Miller, 17, Topeka, into the Shawnee County Juvenile Department of Corrections on requested charges of distribution of an opiate, possession of drug paraphernalia with intent to distribute, use of a communication facility in committing a felony drug crime and possession with intent to sell prescription drugs.

SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a teen on connection with a series of alleged drug crimes.On Friday, the Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office Drug Enforcement Unit made an arrest following an extensive investigation into multiple recent juvenile narcotics related overdoses in Shawnee County, according to Deputy Abigail Christian. Deputies arrested and booked Jackson C. Miller, 17, Topeka, into the Shawnee County Juvenile Department of Corrections on requested charges of distribution of an opiate, possession of drug paraphernalia with intent to distribute, use of a communication facility in committing a felony drug crime and possession with intent to sell prescription drugs.

Kan. teen arrested following recent juvenile overdoses 

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A man pleaded guilty Friday in the killing of a 4-year-old Kansas City boy whose death led to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/in-state-wire-tn-state-wire-mo-state-wire-politics-oh-state-wire-0950ff59635979d7d2d2d3479f4d9c58">a federal operation</a>&nbsp;meant to reduce violent crime in 2020.

Ryson Ellis, 24, of Kansas City, was sentenced to 22 years in prison after pleading guilty to second-degree murder, unlawful use of a weapon and armed criminal action.

Legend Taliferro was sleeping on the floor of his father's apartment when he was hit by a bullet fired from outside on June 29, 2020, the Jackson County Prosecutor's office said.

A sister of Legend’s father, who was in the apartment when the boy was shot, had a child with Ellis. She alleged he had assaulted her a few days before the shooting and some of her brothers, including Legend’s father, had an altercation with Ellis, according to court records.

The month after the killing, the Donald&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/virus-outbreak-ap-top-news-new-mexico-mo-state-wire-ny-state-wire-9a8ef5dafaa02f01a52c15700b79d10a">Trump administration</a>&nbsp;instituted a federal task force meant to curb violent crime and named it Operation Legend in honor of the Kansas City boy.

Under the program, federal law enforcement officers were sent to Kansas City and other U.S. cities to help local law enforcement officers investigate violent crimes. The more than 200 federal officers left Kansas City in September 2020.

After Friday's hearing, Legend's mother, Charron Powell, told the media that she believed the federal operation honored her son.

“Lots of crimes were solved," she said. “But we still have a long way to go.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/12/1670034025664.png" alt="Ellis-photo Jackson Co." />
 <figcaption>Ellis-photo Jackson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A man pleaded guilty Friday in the killing of a 4-year-old Kansas City boy whose death led to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/in-state-wire-tn-state-wire-mo-state-wire-politics-oh-state-wire-0950ff59635979d7d2d2d3479f4d9c58">a federal operation</a>&nbsp;meant to reduce violent crime in 2020.Ryson Ellis, 24, of Kansas City, was sentenced to 22 years in prison after pleading guilty to second-degree murder, unlawful use of a weapon and armed criminal action.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/7/1594331616316.png" alt="LeGend Taliferro photo courtesy Serenity Funeral Home" />
 <figcaption>LeGend Taliferro photo courtesy Serenity Funeral Home</figcaption>
 </figure>Legend Taliferro was sleeping on the floor of his father's apartment when he was hit by a bullet fired from outside on June 29, 2020, the Jackson County Prosecutor's office said.A sister of Legend’s father, who was in the apartment when the boy was shot, had a child with Ellis. She alleged he had assaulted her a few days before the shooting and some of her brothers, including Legend’s father, had an altercation with Ellis, according to court records.The month after the killing, the Donald&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/virus-outbreak-ap-top-news-new-mexico-mo-state-wire-ny-state-wire-9a8ef5dafaa02f01a52c15700b79d10a">Trump administration</a>&nbsp;instituted a federal task force meant to curb violent crime and named it Operation Legend in honor of the Kansas City boy.Under the program, federal law enforcement officers were sent to Kansas City and other U.S. cities to help local law enforcement officers investigate violent crimes. The more than 200 federal officers left Kansas City in September 2020.After Friday's hearing, Legend's mother, Charron Powell, told the media that she believed the federal operation honored her son.“Lots of crimes were solved," she said. “But we still have a long way to go.”

Guilty plea in KC boy's death that sparked federal task force

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Mickey Joseph, Nebraska's interim football coach for nine games this season, is accused of putting his hands around a woman's throat, pulling her hair and punching her before being taken into custody, according to a police affidavit filed Thursday.

Joseph, 54, was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of strangulation and third-degree domestic assault. Joseph denied to police that he assaulted the woman. Nebraska placed Joseph on administrative leave.

Joseph made his initial court appearance on video from the Lancaster County Jail on Thursday. He did not enter a plea. His bond was set at $20,000 and he was ordered not to have contact with the alleged victim. His next court appearance was set for Jan. 30. His attorney, Sean Brennan, did not respond to a message seeking comment.

Police went to a Lincoln residence Wednesday afternoon after a report of a domestic disturbance.

The woman said she and Joseph were in an argument when Joseph pushed her, causing her to fall onto a couch. She said Joseph got on top of her and placed his hands around her throat.

"He pushed me on the couch and strangled me," she said, according to the affidavit. She said her breathing was impeded and that she wasn't able to breathe until she pushed him off.

When she went into the kitchen, she said, Joseph grabbed her hair from behind and pulled her backward, causing her to fall to the floor. In the process of falling, she said, Joseph struck her in the left temple with a closed fist.

Police said she had visible redness and swelling around her left eye which was consistent with being struck, and she was observed to have several strands of hair clinging to her upper pant leg. She said the hairs were pulled from her when Joseph grabbed her.

The Associated Press generally does not identify people who say they have been subjected to extreme abuse. The woman in the Joseph case has not publicly identified herself.

The woman also said Joseph also grabbed her phone and attempted to flush it down a toilet. Police said they saw the phone inside a container of rice on the kitchen counter.

A relative of the woman also was at the residence, and he told police he saw Joseph's hands around the woman's throat and that Joseph pushed her onto the couch after he yelled to him. Joseph left the home and was located by police at another location.

Joseph's arrest came two days after Matt Rhule was introduced as the Cornhuskers' new head coach. Rhule had said Monday he planned to meet with Joseph to discuss the possibility of Joseph remaining on the staff. Rhule declined comment through an athletic department spokesman.

Joseph is under contract through Dec. 31, 2023, and his annual salary is listed at $600,000. Under terms of the contract, he could be fired for cause if convicted of a misdemeanor or felony that impairs his ability to perform duties on behalf of the university. If a firing for cause is upheld, the university would not have to pay the remaining money owed on the contract.

Joseph was a quarterback for the Cornhuskers from 1988-91 and had run-ins with police during his playing days. He returned to Nebraska last December as receivers coach and was named interim head coach Sept. 11 after Alberts fired Scott Frost. The Huskers were 3-6 under Joseph and finished the season 4-8.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/12/1669892752505.png" alt="Joseph-photo Lincoln Police" />
 <figcaption>Joseph-photo Lincoln Police</figcaption>
 </figure>LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Mickey Joseph, Nebraska's interim football coach for nine games this season, is accused of putting his hands around a woman's throat, pulling her hair and punching her before being taken into custody, according to a police affidavit filed Thursday.Joseph, 54, was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of strangulation and third-degree domestic assault. Joseph denied to police that he assaulted the woman. Nebraska placed Joseph on administrative leave.Joseph made his initial court appearance on video from the Lancaster County Jail on Thursday. He did not enter a plea. His bond was set at $20,000 and he was ordered not to have contact with the alleged victim. His next court appearance was set for Jan. 30. His attorney, Sean Brennan, did not respond to a message seeking comment.Police went to a Lincoln residence Wednesday afternoon after a report of a domestic disturbance.The woman said she and Joseph were in an argument when Joseph pushed her, causing her to fall onto a couch. She said Joseph got on top of her and placed his hands around her throat."He pushed me on the couch and strangled me," she said, according to the affidavit. She said her breathing was impeded and that she wasn't able to breathe until she pushed him off.When she went into the kitchen, she said, Joseph grabbed her hair from behind and pulled her backward, causing her to fall to the floor. In the process of falling, she said, Joseph struck her in the left temple with a closed fist.Police said she had visible redness and swelling around her left eye which was consistent with being struck, and she was observed to have several strands of hair clinging to her upper pant leg. She said the hairs were pulled from her when Joseph grabbed her.The Associated Press generally does not identify people who say they have been subjected to extreme abuse. The woman in the Joseph case has not publicly identified herself.The woman also said Joseph also grabbed her phone and attempted to flush it down a toilet. Police said they saw the phone inside a container of rice on the kitchen counter.A relative of the woman also was at the residence, and he told police he saw Joseph's hands around the woman's throat and that Joseph pushed her onto the couch after he yelled to him. Joseph left the home and was located by police at another location.Joseph's arrest came two days after Matt Rhule was introduced as the Cornhuskers' new head coach. Rhule had said Monday he planned to meet with Joseph to discuss the possibility of Joseph remaining on the staff. Rhule declined comment through an athletic department spokesman.Joseph is under contract through Dec. 31, 2023, and his annual salary is listed at $600,000. Under terms of the contract, he could be fired for cause if convicted of a misdemeanor or felony that impairs his ability to perform duties on behalf of the university. If a firing for cause is upheld, the university would not have to pay the remaining money owed on the contract.Joseph was a quarterback for the Cornhuskers from 1988-91 and had run-ins with police during his playing days. He returned to Nebraska last December as receivers coach and was named interim head coach Sept. 11 after Alberts fired Scott Frost. The Huskers were 3-6 under Joseph and finished the season 4-8.

Woman tells police: Univ. of Nebraska coach strangled me

JUDD WEIL and NICK GOSNELL Hutch Post

SOUTH HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Windy conditions and potential crew fatigue caused multiple departments to come to assist South Hutchinson firefighters on a fire in the roof of Tyson Foods Friday night.

Chief Shae Barajas-Brooks said they got the initial call a little before 7 p.m.

"The fire was actually running through the roof," the chief said. "The roof has got several layers on it, between tin and styrofoam and the composites, the different layers. The fire had gotten down into the roof and was running along it, so you had a good section, probably about 10 feet by 30 feet that we were trying to get to."

Units from Yoder, Hutchinson and Nickerson assisted due to the 50 to 55 mile per hour gusts at the time. Employees were temporarily evacuated, but no one was hurt.

The fire is out and the investigation continues, initial physical damage appears to be minimal, other than a little water and the damaged roof section, but investigators still need to assess any potential mechanical damage.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/12/1670040865020.jpeg" alt="Photo by Judd Weil" />
 <figcaption>Photo by Judd Weil</figcaption>
 </figure>JUDD WEIL and NICK GOSNELL Hutch PostSOUTH HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Windy conditions and potential crew fatigue caused multiple departments to come to assist South Hutchinson firefighters on a fire in the roof of Tyson Foods Friday night.Chief Shae Barajas-Brooks said they got the initial call a little before 7 p.m."The fire was actually running through the roof," the chief said. "The roof has got several layers on it, between tin and styrofoam and the composites, the different layers. The fire had gotten down into the roof and was running along it, so you had a good section, probably about 10 feet by 30 feet that we were trying to get to."Units from Yoder, Hutchinson and Nickerson assisted due to the 50 to 55 mile per hour gusts at the time. Employees were temporarily evacuated, but no one was hurt.The fire is out and the investigation continues, initial physical damage appears to be minimal, other than a little water and the damaged roof section, but investigators still need to assess any potential mechanical damage.

Employees evacuated after fire at South Hutchinson Plant

CAMDEN COUNTY—A Missouri man died in an accident just before 7:30p.m. Friday in Camden County.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2009 Volkswagen GTI driven by Miles D. Aldrich, 32, Camdenton, was northbound on MO 5 on the Niangua Bridge.

The Volkswagen rear-ended a 2008 Yamaha motorcycle driven by Drew E. Fairchild, 54, Camdenton.

After impact, the motorcycle traveled off the road and struck a concrete barrier.

The Volkswagen traveled off the road, struck a concrete barrier, returned to the road and rear-ended a 2010 Cadillac CTS driven by Donna K. Hunt, 55, Union. The motorcycle then returned to the road and struck the Cadillac.&nbsp;

Fairchild was pronounced dead at the scene. Aldrich was evaluated at the scene by first responders and released.&nbsp; Mercy ambulance transported Hunt and a passenger in the Cadillac were transported to University Hospital. Fairchild was not wearing a helmet, according to the MSHP.

CAMDEN COUNTY—A Missouri man died in an accident just before 7:30p.m. Friday in Camden County.The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2009 Volkswagen GTI driven by Miles D. Aldrich, 32, Camdenton, was northbound on MO 5 on the Niangua Bridge.The Volkswagen rear-ended a 2008 Yamaha motorcycle driven by Drew E. Fairchild, 54, Camdenton.After impact, the motorcycle traveled off the road and struck a concrete barrier.The Volkswagen traveled off the road, struck a concrete barrier, returned to the road and rear-ended a 2010 Cadillac CTS driven by Donna K. Hunt, 55, Union. The motorcycle then returned to the road and struck the Cadillac.&nbsp;Fairchild was pronounced dead at the scene. Aldrich was evaluated at the scene by first responders and released.&nbsp; Mercy ambulance transported Hunt and a passenger in the Cadillac were transported to University Hospital. Fairchild was not wearing a helmet, according to the MSHP.

Missouri man dies after 3-vehicle bridge crash

WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats voted Friday to remove Iowa as the leadoff state on the presidential nominating calendar and replace it with South Carolina starting in 2024, a dramatic shakeup championed by President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;to better reflect the party’s deeply diverse electorate.

The Democratic National Committee's rule-making arm made the move to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-nevada-presidential-race-and-ethnicity-iowa-f1d330309665d8041f0e0f3070b2e331">strip Iowa</a>&nbsp;from the position it has held for five decades after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ee095683c85f6c97e51b6589b412f674">technical meltdowns sparked chaos</a>&nbsp;and marred results of the state's 2020 caucus. The change also comes after a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-south-carolina-government-and-politics-d73dd6455829d3ee8aee65ab83fd8ef9">long push</a>&nbsp;by some of the party's top leaders to start choosing a president in states that are less white, especially given the importance of Black voters as Democrats' most loyal electoral base.

Discussion on prioritizing diversity drew such impassioned reaction at the committee gathering in Washington that DNC chair Jaime Harrison wiped away tears as committee member Donna Brazile suggested that Democrats had spent years failing to fight for Black voters: “Do you know what it’s like to live on a dirt road? Do you know what it’s like to try to find running water that is clean?”

“Do you know what it’s like to wait and see if the storm is going to pass you by and your roof is still intact?” Brazile asked. “That’s what this is about.”

The committee approved moving South Carolina's primary to Feb. 3 and having Nevada and New Hampshire vote three days later. Georgia would go the following week and Michigan two weeks after that.

The move marks a dramatic shift from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-nevada-presidential-race-and-ethnicity-iowa-b4a270fdf437e9b072cf295953b841d2">the current calendar</a>, which has had Iowa holding the first-in-the-nation caucuses since 1972, followed by New Hampshire's first-in-the-nation primary since 1920. Nevada and South Carolina have gone next since the 2008 presidential election, when Democrats last did a major overhaul of their primary calendar.

The changes will still have to be approved by the full DNC in a vote likely early next year, but it will almost certainly follow the rule-making committee’s lead.

The revamped schedule could largely be moot for 2024 if Biden opts to seek a second term, but may remake Democratic presidential cycles after that. The president has said for months that he intends to run again, and White House aides have begun making staffing discussions for his likely reelection campaign, even though no final decision has been made.

The DNC also plans to revisit the primary calendar again before 2028 — meaning more changes could be coming before then.

Biden&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-iowa-south-carolina-e738592ee088fa4ca5614ba501d63726">wrote in a letter to rules committee members</a>&nbsp;on Thursday that the party should scrap “restrictive” caucuses altogether because their rules on in-person participation can sometimes exclude working-class and other voters. He told also told party leaders privately that he'd like to see South Carolina go first to better ensure that voters of color aren't marginalized as Democrats choose a presidential nominee.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/12/1670001141259.png" alt="Joe Biden on the campaign trail in 2020-photo courtesy WZTV" />
 <figcaption>Joe Biden on the campaign trail in 2020-photo courtesy WZTV</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats voted Friday to remove Iowa as the leadoff state on the presidential nominating calendar and replace it with South Carolina starting in 2024, a dramatic shakeup championed by President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;to better reflect the party’s deeply diverse electorate.The Democratic National Committee's rule-making arm made the move to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-nevada-presidential-race-and-ethnicity-iowa-f1d330309665d8041f0e0f3070b2e331">strip Iowa</a>&nbsp;from the position it has held for five decades after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ee095683c85f6c97e51b6589b412f674">technical meltdowns sparked chaos</a>&nbsp;and marred results of the state's 2020 caucus. The change also comes after a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-south-carolina-government-and-politics-d73dd6455829d3ee8aee65ab83fd8ef9">long push</a>&nbsp;by some of the party's top leaders to start choosing a president in states that are less white, especially given the importance of Black voters as Democrats' most loyal electoral base.Discussion on prioritizing diversity drew such impassioned reaction at the committee gathering in Washington that DNC chair Jaime Harrison wiped away tears as committee member Donna Brazile suggested that Democrats had spent years failing to fight for Black voters: “Do you know what it’s like to live on a dirt road? Do you know what it’s like to try to find running water that is clean?”“Do you know what it’s like to wait and see if the storm is going to pass you by and your roof is still intact?” Brazile asked. “That’s what this is about.”The committee approved moving South Carolina's primary to Feb. 3 and having Nevada and New Hampshire vote three days later. Georgia would go the following week and Michigan two weeks after that.The move marks a dramatic shift from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-nevada-presidential-race-and-ethnicity-iowa-b4a270fdf437e9b072cf295953b841d2">the current calendar</a>, which has had Iowa holding the first-in-the-nation caucuses since 1972, followed by New Hampshire's first-in-the-nation primary since 1920. Nevada and South Carolina have gone next since the 2008 presidential election, when Democrats last did a major overhaul of their primary calendar.The changes will still have to be approved by the full DNC in a vote likely early next year, but it will almost certainly follow the rule-making committee’s lead.The revamped schedule could largely be moot for 2024 if Biden opts to seek a second term, but may remake Democratic presidential cycles after that. The president has said for months that he intends to run again, and White House aides have begun making staffing discussions for his likely reelection campaign, even though no final decision has been made.The DNC also plans to revisit the primary calendar again before 2028 — meaning more changes could be coming before then.Biden&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-iowa-south-carolina-e738592ee088fa4ca5614ba501d63726">wrote in a letter to rules committee members</a>&nbsp;on Thursday that the party should scrap “restrictive” caucuses altogether because their rules on in-person participation can sometimes exclude working-class and other voters. He told also told party leaders privately that he'd like to see South Carolina go first to better ensure that voters of color aren't marginalized as Democrats choose a presidential nominee.Four of the five states now poised to start the party's primary are presidential battlegrounds, meaning the eventual Democratic winner would be able to lay groundwork in important general election locales. That's especially true for Michigan and Georgia, which both voted for Donald Trump in 2016 before flipping to Biden in 2020. The exception is South Carolina, which hasn't gone Democratic in a presidential race since 1976.The first five voting states would be positioned to cast ballots before Super Tuesday, the day when much of the rest of the country holds primaries. That gives the early states outsize influence since White House hopefuls struggling to raise money or gain political traction often drop out before visiting much of the rest of the country.Scott Brennan, a rules committee member from Iowa, said “small, rural states” like his “must have a voice in the presidential nominating process.”“Democrats cannot forget about entire groups of voters in the heart of the Midwest without doing significant damage to the party in newer generations," Brennan said.The Republican National Committee has already decided to keep Iowa’s caucus as the first contest in its 2024 presidential primary, ensuring that GOP White House hopefuls —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-2024-updates-cd5339d48064a149527e8f9a1aa7614e">which include Trump</a>&nbsp;— have continued to frequently campaign there.House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn, South Carolina’s lone congressional Democrat and one of Biden’s top supporters in Congress, said the president called him Thursday to inform him of his push to move his state up.“I didn’t ask to be first," Clyburn said. "It was his idea to be first.”Clyburn's endorsement of Biden in 2020 boosted the candidate's flagging presidential campaign just ahead of South Carolina’s primary, which he won big. That helped Biden&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/elections-in-state-wire-election-2020-ma-state-wire-joe-biden-b9872b58b495fd17044f359338ab3f2a">shake off early losses</a>&nbsp;in Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada and eventually take the White House.“He knows what South Carolina did for him, and he’s demonstrated that time and time again, by giving respect to South Carolina,” Clyburn said.Still, the vote by the rules committee has faced serious pushback, with some states vowing to ignore the changes altogether. That's despite the panel approving language saying states could lose all of their delegates to the party's national convention if they attempt to violate new rules.Iowa and New Hampshire have said laws in their states mandate them going before others, and they intend to abide by those, not DNC decrees. Only committee members from Iowa and New Hampshire objected to the proposal that passed Friday, with everyone else supporting it.Nevada, with its heavily Hispanic population, initially balked at sharing the second-place slot with New Hampshire, a state 2,500 miles away. Nevada committee member Artie Blanco’s voice cracked as she argued against the change.“If we want to build a strong relationship with Latinos,” Blanco said, “then Nevada must stand alone on a date and not have to share that date.”After more discussion, Blanco said later that she would support the new calendar. It was “not ideal” for her state to go the same day as another, she said, but “we accept what the will of the president is.”Harrison said the new slate of five early voting states will need to show they are working toward moving their primaries to those dates by early next year or risk losing their place. Some state legislatures set primary dates; others have their secretaries of state or the directors of their state parties do it.The DNC chair choked up after the vote as he talked about South Carolina once having been the site of the first attack of the Civil War and now being in line to lead off his party’s primary.“This proposal reflects the best of our party as a whole, and it will continue to make our party and our country stronger,” Harrison said.-----------WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">President Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;has declared that Democrats should give up “restrictive” caucuses and prioritize diversity at the start of their presidential primary calendar — dealing a major blow to Iowa's decadeslong status as the state that leads off the process.In a letter Thursday to the rule-making arm of the Democratic National Committee, Biden did not mention specific states he'd like to see go first. But he has told Democrats he wants South Carolina moved to the first position, according to three people familiar with his recommendation who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations.The president's direction came as the DNC rules committee&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-biden-iowa-323020f9b1ef8fc7dbaecbe3dcb3418d">gathered in Washington on Friday</a>&nbsp;to vote on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-nevada-presidential-race-and-ethnicity-iowa-f1d330309665d8041f0e0f3070b2e331">shaking up the presidential primary calendar starting in 2024</a>. Members now expect to approve new rules putting South Carolina first, followed by New Hampshire and Nevada on the same day a week later.Georgia and Michigan would move into the top five as new early states, and each would hold primaries in subsequent weeks, committee members say. The two battlegrounds were critical to Biden's 2020 victory over then-President Donald Trump, who had won both states in his 2016 White House campaign.Much of the rest of the country would vote as part of Super Tuesday soon afterward.Such changes are set to come after years of calls from many top Democrats for the voting calendar to better reflect the party's deeply diverse base than mostly white Iowa, which holds the country's first caucus, and New Hampshire, which holds the first primary. The new calendar would still have to be approved by the full DNC in a vote likely to come early next year, but the DNC will almost certainly heed the rule-making panel's recommendations.The proposed order of the early states was first reported by The Washington Post.“For decades, Black voters in particular have been the backbone of the Democratic Party but have been pushed to the back of the early primary process," Biden wrote in a letter on personal stationery that did not carry the White House seal. “We rely on these voters in elections but have not recognized their importance in our nominating calendar. It is time to stop taking these voters for granted, and time to give them a louder and earlier voice in the process.”He said caucuses were “restrictive and anti-worker” because they require voters “to spend significant amounts of time” on one night gathering to choose candidates in person, “disadvantaging hourly workers and anyone who does not have the flexibility to go to a set location at a set time.”The changes could be implemented as soon as 2024 but would be rendered largely meaningless until 2028 if Biden&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-5a8fd26a4a9ffa9b47c5de52fface72d">opts to seek a second term</a>. The president has said for months that he intends to run again, and White House aides and Biden allies have begun staffing and structural discussions for his likely 2024 bid while refraining from overt steps while the president weighs a final decision.Such a shakeup would nonetheless be seismic given that Iowa’s caucus has led off the Democratic voting calendar since 1976. Still, it would come two years after a series of technical glitches&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ee095683c85f6c97e51b6589b412f674">so marred party results</a>&nbsp;that they prevented The Associated Press from declaring a 2020 Iowa Democratic caucus winner.Iowa Democratic Party Chair Ross Wilburn said in a statement Thursday night that the state party intended to abide by Iowa law and hold its caucus first.“Our state law requires us to hold a caucus before the last Tuesday in February, and before any other contest,” Wilburn said. "When we submit our delegate selection plan to the Rules and Bylaws Committee early next year, we will adhere to the State of Iowa’s legal requirements, and address compliance with DNC rules in subsequent meetings and hearings.”New Hampshire state law calls for it to hold the first actual primary, and officials there have for months threatened to simply move up their election regardless of what new rules the DNC approvesOn the current Democratic calendar, Iowa has been followed by New Hampshire, which has held the nation’s first primary since 1920. Nevada and South Carolina have gone next since the 2008 presidential election, when Democrats last did a major primary calendar overhaul.The Republican National Committee, meanwhile, has already decided to keep Iowa’s caucus as the first contest in its 2024 presidential calendar, ensuring that GOP White House hopefuls — which include Trump — will continue campaigning there frequently.South Carolina holds special relevance to Biden.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/elections-in-state-wire-election-2020-ma-state-wire-joe-biden-b9872b58b495fd17044f359338ab3f2a">His victory</a>&nbsp;in the state's first-in-the-South primary in 2020 kickstarted his presidential campaign after poor finishes in Iowa and New Hampshire on his way to winning the Democratic nomination.Dick Harpootlian, a longtime Biden ally, fundraiser and former South Carolina Democratic Party chair, said Thursday that he and Biden discussed South Carolina’s possible advancement the night of Biden’s 2020 primary victory there. Harpootlian said he’d impressed upon Biden that the state was a better place than Iowa to hold an even earlier presidential voting contest — to which Harpootlian said Biden was receptive.“I think he agreed that this was a much more dynamic process,” Harpootlian said. “Iowa was just a nightmare.”The DNC rules committee has been discussing reordering the early calendar for months, touching off a fierce battle among many states to go first. In a joint statement Thursday night, Michigan Democratic Party Chair Lavora Barnes and U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell said, “We have always said that any road to the White House goes through the heartland and President Biden understands that.”Several states have previously tried to violate party rules and jump closer to the front, only to be threatened with having their delegates not count.New Hampshire Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen issued a statement blasting “the White House’s short-sighted decision,” while fellow New Hampshire Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassan said, “I strongly oppose the President’s deeply misguided proposal."“But make no mistake," Hassan said in a statement. “New Hampshire’s law is clear and our primary will continue to be first in the nation.”