LONDON (AP) — Microsoft said it's seeing some improvement to problems with its online services including the Teams messaging platform and Outlook email system after users around the world reported outages Wednesday.

In a status update, the tech company reported “service degradation” for a number of its Microsoft 365 services.

Thousands of users reported problems with Teams, Outlook, the Azure cloud computing service and XBox Live online gaming service early Wednesday on the Downdetector website, which tracks outage reports. Many users also took to social media to complain that services were down.

By later in the morning, Downdetector showed the number of reports had dropped considerably.

“We’re continuing to monitor the recovery across the service and some customers are reporting mitigation," the Microsoft 365 Status Twitter account said. “We’re also connecting the service to additional infrastructure to expedite the recovery process."

It tweeted earlier that it had “isolated the problem to a networking configuration issue" and that a network change suspected to be causing the problem was rolled back.

It comes after Microsoft reported Tuesday that its&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-microsoft-corp-business-16f40e92ea291dc5d883985ad78ad55a">quarterly profit fell 12%</a>, reflecting economic uncertainty that the company said led to its decision this month to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/microsoft-job-cuts-18fe0c9b8c9ff856e932e075161b1f43">cut 10,000 workers</a>.

LONDON (AP) — Microsoft said it's investigating problems with its online services including its Teams messaging platform and Outlook email system after users around the world reported outages Wednesday.

Thousands of users reported problems with Teams, Outlook, the Azure cloud computing service and XBox Live online gaming service early Wednesday on the Downdetector website, which tracks outage reports. By later in the morning, it showed the number of reports had dropped considerably.

Many users took to social media to complain that the services were down.

“We’ve isolated the problem to a networking configuration issue, and we are analyzing the best mitigation strategy to address it without causing additional impact,” the Microsoft 365 Status Twitter account said.

It later tweeted that a network change that was suspected to be causing the problem was rolled back and that it's monitoring as the rollback takes effect.

A day earlier, Microsoft reported that its&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-microsoft-corp-business-16f40e92ea291dc5d883985ad78ad55a">quarterly profit fell 12%</a>, reflecting economic uncertainty that the company said led to its decision this month to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/microsoft-job-cuts-18fe0c9b8c9ff856e932e075161b1f43">cut 10,000 workers</a>.

LONDON (AP) — Microsoft said it's seeing some improvement to problems with its online services including the Teams messaging platform and Outlook email system after users around the world reported outages Wednesday.In a status update, the tech company reported “service degradation” for a number of its Microsoft 365 services.Thousands of users reported problems with Teams, Outlook, the Azure cloud computing service and XBox Live online gaming service early Wednesday on the Downdetector website, which tracks outage reports. Many users also took to social media to complain that services were down.By later in the morning, Downdetector showed the number of reports had dropped considerably.“We’re continuing to monitor the recovery across the service and some customers are reporting mitigation," the Microsoft 365 Status Twitter account said. “We’re also connecting the service to additional infrastructure to expedite the recovery process."It tweeted earlier that it had “isolated the problem to a networking configuration issue" and that a network change suspected to be causing the problem was rolled back.It comes after Microsoft reported Tuesday that its&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-microsoft-corp-business-16f40e92ea291dc5d883985ad78ad55a">quarterly profit fell 12%</a>, reflecting economic uncertainty that the company said led to its decision this month to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/microsoft-job-cuts-18fe0c9b8c9ff856e932e075161b1f43">cut 10,000 workers</a>.-----------LONDON (AP) — Microsoft said it's investigating problems with its online services including its Teams messaging platform and Outlook email system after users around the world reported outages Wednesday.In a status update, the tech company reported “service degradation” for a number of its Microsoft 365 services.Thousands of users reported problems with Teams, Outlook, the Azure cloud computing service and XBox Live online gaming service early Wednesday on the Downdetector website, which tracks outage reports. By later in the morning, it showed the number of reports had dropped considerably.Many users took to social media to complain that the services were down.“We’ve isolated the problem to a networking configuration issue, and we are analyzing the best mitigation strategy to address it without causing additional impact,” the Microsoft 365 Status Twitter account said.It later tweeted that a network change that was suspected to be causing the problem was rolled back and that it's monitoring as the rollback takes effect.A day earlier, Microsoft reported that its&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-microsoft-corp-business-16f40e92ea291dc5d883985ad78ad55a">quarterly profit fell 12%</a>, reflecting economic uncertainty that the company said led to its decision this month to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/microsoft-job-cuts-18fe0c9b8c9ff856e932e075161b1f43">cut 10,000 workers</a>.

Update: Microsoft reports outage for Teams, Outlook, other services

By PAUL HAMMEL <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/senator-says-students-become-more-engaged-when-involved-in-school-policies-poll-work/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

LINCOLN — High school students would become more civically engaged if
 they worked at polling places or helped decide school policy, State 
Sen. George Dungan said Monday.

Dungan, a freshman senator from Lincoln, introduced a bill that would
 add a student member to the subcommittees that advise local school 
boards on proper social studies curriculum.

Under his <a target="_blank" href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/FloorDocs/108/PDF/Intro/LB225.pdf">Legislative Bill 225</a>,
 students ages 16 and older could also fulfill their civics graduation 
requirement by working a shift as a poll worker and then writing about 
it.

The senator said the bill would help address a shortage of poll workers and would foster civic engagement by students.

One supporter, Heidi Uhing of Civid Nebraska, said the proposal was 
part of a national trend to “broaden student participation” in civic 
affairs.

For instance, she said, at least 31 states, including Nebraska, allow
 local school boards to include student members, according to the 
National School Boards Association.

One supporter of the bill who testified Monday said he was the 
student member of the Conestoga School Board, as elected by the student 
body.

Harris Payne, a retired Omaha educator, also spoke in support of LB 225. He cited a recent <a target="_blank" href="https://circle.tufts.edu/about">Tufts University</a>
 report that found students are inspired to become more involved in 
civics activities when they see other youths in leadership roles.

But Payne and others had problems with the idea, too.

How would a student member of the civics subcommittee be selected? 
What would be the qualifications? Would these students have a vote, 
along with the three school board members already on the committee? 
Those were among the questions he and others raised.

Colby Coash of the Nebraska Association of School Boards said 
mandating a student member on the civics subcommittee was unnecessary. 
It could create problems with complying with a mandate, he said, if a 
student couldn’t make one of the two meetings a year by the civics group
 due to conflict with a sport, a play performance or a class.

Coash said it was very common, already, to see a class president or other students participate at school board meetings.

Dungan said his proposal would leave it up to local school boards on how to select students for their civics subcommittee.

Currently, students can satisfy their civics requirement in one of 
three days: take the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Test; 
attend a public meeting and write about it; do a project on a person or 
persons commemorated in a national holiday.

The Education Committee took no action on LB 225 after Monday’s hearing.

By PAUL HAMMEL <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/senator-says-students-become-more-engaged-when-involved-in-school-policies-poll-work/">Nebraska Examiner</a>LINCOLN — High school students would become more civically engaged if
 they worked at polling places or helped decide school policy, State 
Sen. George Dungan said Monday.Dungan, a freshman senator from Lincoln, introduced a bill that would
 add a student member to the subcommittees that advise local school 
boards on proper social studies curriculum.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1674592877476.jpeg" alt="State Sen. George Dungan of Lincoln. (Courtesy of Dungan for Legislature)" />
 <figcaption>State Sen. George Dungan of Lincoln. (Courtesy of Dungan for Legislature)</figcaption>
 </figure>Under his <a target="_blank" href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/FloorDocs/108/PDF/Intro/LB225.pdf">Legislative Bill 225</a>,
 students ages 16 and older could also fulfill their civics graduation 
requirement by working a shift as a poll worker and then writing about 
it.The senator said the bill would help address a shortage of poll workers and would foster civic engagement by students.One supporter, Heidi Uhing of Civid Nebraska, said the proposal was 
part of a national trend to “broaden student participation” in civic 
affairs.For instance, she said, at least 31 states, including Nebraska, allow
 local school boards to include student members, according to the 
National School Boards Association.One supporter of the bill who testified Monday said he was the 
student member of the Conestoga School Board, as elected by the student 
body.<h2>Student leaders inspire others</h2>Harris Payne, a retired Omaha educator, also spoke in support of LB 225. He cited a recent <a target="_blank" href="https://circle.tufts.edu/about">Tufts University</a>
 report that found students are inspired to become more involved in 
civics activities when they see other youths in leadership roles.But Payne and others had problems with the idea, too.How would a student member of the civics subcommittee be selected? 
What would be the qualifications? Would these students have a vote, 
along with the three school board members already on the committee? 
Those were among the questions he and others raised.Colby Coash of the Nebraska Association of School Boards said 
mandating a student member on the civics subcommittee was unnecessary. 
It could create problems with complying with a mandate, he said, if a 
student couldn’t make one of the two meetings a year by the civics group
 due to conflict with a sport, a play performance or a class.<h2>Student participation common</h2>Coash said it was very common, already, to see a class president or other students participate at school board meetings.Dungan said his proposal would leave it up to local school boards on how to select students for their civics subcommittee.Currently, students can satisfy their civics requirement in one of 
three days: take the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Test; 
attend a public meeting and write about it; do a project on a person or 
persons commemorated in a national holiday.The Education Committee took no action on LB 225 after Monday’s hearing.

Neb. bill proposes students be part of school advisory groups

By PAUL HAMMEL <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/lawsuit-claims-redistricting-in-thurston-county-discriminated-against-native-americans/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

LINCOLN — Lawyers on behalf of 
the Omaha and Winnebago Tribes of Nebraska have gone to court to object 
to redistricting plans adopted by the Thurston County Board for its 
seven members.

<a target="_blank" href="https://www.narf.org/nill/documents/20230119winnebago-thurston-nebraska-complaint.pdf">A lawsuit filed Thursday</a>
 in U.S. District Court maintains that county supervisor districts were 
intentionally redrawn to dilute the vote of Native Americans, in 
violation of the federal Voting Rights Act.

Nearly 60% of the northeast Nebraska county’s voting age population 
is Native American, yet the lawsuit states, that the Thurston County 
Board reduced the percentages of Native American voters in two 
districts, “denying them an opportunity to have a controlling majority” 
on the board for the next decade.

“Instead of following the law to 
provide four of the seven districts with effective Native American voter
 majorities, the board rigged the district map in a way to reduce Native
 American representation into the minority,” said one of the lawsuit plaintiffs, Cheyenne Robinson, secretary of the Omaha Tribe of Nebraska.

Thurston County Attorney Tammy Mauk-Bodlak declined to comment when 
reached Tuesday afternoon. Glen Meyer, the chairman of the Thurston 
County Board, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The lawsuit says it is the third time Thurston County has been sued 
over alleged violations involving the Voting Rights Act and 
underrepresentation of Native Americans.

The latest suit states that the county board, after hearing protests 
from the local tribes, reduced the majority of Native Americans in two 
districts, from 62.64% to 59.5% in District 3, and from 52.84% to 51.26%
 in District 5 “with the intent to discriminate against American Indian 
voters.”

The two tribes have headquarters in Thurston County.

The lawsuit was filed on behalf of the tribes by the Native American Rights Fund, the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and Big Fire Law and Policy Group.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1668018896669.png" alt="Federal courthouse in downtown Lincoln. (Paul Hammel/Nebraska Examiner)" />
 <figcaption>Federal courthouse in downtown Lincoln. (Paul Hammel/Nebraska Examiner)</figcaption>
 </figure>By PAUL HAMMEL <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/lawsuit-claims-redistricting-in-thurston-county-discriminated-against-native-americans/">Nebraska Examiner</a>LINCOLN — Lawyers on behalf of 
the Omaha and Winnebago Tribes of Nebraska have gone to court to object 
to redistricting plans adopted by the Thurston County Board for its 
seven members.<a target="_blank" href="https://www.narf.org/nill/documents/20230119winnebago-thurston-nebraska-complaint.pdf">A lawsuit filed Thursday</a>
 in U.S. District Court maintains that county supervisor districts were 
intentionally redrawn to dilute the vote of Native Americans, in 
violation of the federal Voting Rights Act.Nearly 60% of the northeast Nebraska county’s voting age population 
is Native American, yet the lawsuit states, that the Thurston County 
Board reduced the percentages of Native American voters in two 
districts, “denying them an opportunity to have a controlling majority” 
on the board for the next decade.“Instead of following the law to 
provide four of the seven districts with effective Native American voter
 majorities, the board rigged the district map in a way to reduce Native
 American representation into the minority,” said one of the lawsuit plaintiffs, Cheyenne Robinson, secretary of the Omaha Tribe of Nebraska.Thurston County Attorney Tammy Mauk-Bodlak declined to comment when 
reached Tuesday afternoon. Glen Meyer, the chairman of the Thurston 
County Board, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.The lawsuit says it is the third time Thurston County has been sued 
over alleged violations involving the Voting Rights Act and 
underrepresentation of Native Americans.The latest suit states that the county board, after hearing protests 
from the local tribes, reduced the majority of Native Americans in two 
districts, from 62.64% to 59.5% in District 3, and from 52.84% to 51.26%
 in District 5 “with the intent to discriminate against American Indian 
voters.”The two tribes have headquarters in Thurston County.The lawsuit was filed on behalf of the tribes by the Native American Rights Fund, the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and Big Fire Law and Policy Group.

Suit: Neb. redistricting discriminated against Native Americans

NEW YORK (AP) — Documents with classified markings were discovered in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/michael-pence">former Vice President Mike Pence</a>&nbsp;'s Indiana residence last week, his lawyer says, the latest in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-politics-united-states-government-us-federal-bureau-of-investigation-donald-trump-ba4bfb9855f01ca2a66e732025b34973">a string of recoveries</a>&nbsp;of papers meant to be treated with utmost sensitivity from the homes of current and former top U.S. officials.

“A small number of documents,” taken into FBI custody last Thursday, “were inadvertently boxed and transported" to the former vice president's home at the end of the last administration, Pence's lawyer, Greg Jacob, wrote in a letter to the National Archives shared with The Associated Press.

He said that Pence had been “unaware of the existence of sensitive or classified documents at his personal residence” until a search last week and that he “understands the high importance of protecting sensitive and classified information” and stands ready to cooperate with "any appropriate inquiry.”

The revelation came as the Department of Justice was already investigating the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-politics-delaware-0827b59ee141b33af95023377713e075">discovery of documents with classification markings</a>&nbsp;in President Joe Biden's home in Delaware and his former Washington office, as well as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-mar-a-lago-government-and-politics-9e8d683afe87389407950af7ccfdbdd6">former President Donald Trump's Florida estate</a>. Democrat Biden has indicated he will seek reelection, Republican Trump is already a declared candidate, and Pence has been exploring a possible 2024 campaign that would put him in direct competition against Trump, his former boss.

The newest discovery thrusts Pence, who had previously insisted that he followed stringent protocols regarding classified documents, into the debate over the handling of secret materials by officials who have served in the highest ranks of government.

Trump is currently under criminal investigation after roughly 300 documents with classified markings, including at the top secret level, were discovered at his Mar-a-Lago. Officials are trying to determine whether Trump or anyone else should be charged with illegal possession of those records or with trying to obstruct the months-long criminal investigation. Biden is also subject to a special counsel investigation after classified documents from his time as a senator and in the Obama administration were found at his properties.

Trump, who denies any wrongdoing, reacted to the new development on his social media site: “Mike Pence is an innocent man. He never did anything knowingly dishonest in his life. Leave him alone!!!” Trump and Pence have clashed over Pence's refusal to go along with Trump's efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

While a very different case, the Pence development could bolster the arguments of Trump and Biden, who have sought to downplay the significance of the discoveries at their homes. The presence of secret documents at all three men's residences further underscores&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-politics-us-national-security-council-donald-trump-united-states-government-e8c56297702daf253b9e0fcb45e17b6c">the federal government’s unwieldy system</a>&nbsp;for storing and protecting the millions of classified documents it produces every year.

Pence’s lawyer, Jacob, said in his letter that the former vice president had “engaged outside counsel, with experience in handling classified documents" to review records stored at his home on Jan. 16 “out of an abundance of caution” amid the uproar over the discovery of documents at Biden's home.

Jacob said the Pence documents with classification markings were immediately secured in a locked safe. FBI agents visited the residence the night of Jan. 19 at 9:30 p.m. to collect the documents that had been secured, according to a follow-up letter from the lawyer dated Jan. 22. Pence was in Washington for an event at the time.

A total of four boxes containing copies of administration papers —- two in which “a small number” of papers bearing classified markings were found, and two containing “courtesy copies of vice presidential papers” — were discovered, according to the letter. Arrangements were made to deliver those boxes to the National Archives Monday.

Congressional leaders were notified of the discovery by Pence's team on Tuesday.

The boxes, according to a Pence aide, were not kept in a secure location, but were taped shut and were not believed to have been opened since they were packed. The former vice president's staff also searched the Washington office of his advocacy group last week and did not discover additional documents, according to the person, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the search.

Material found in the boxes came mostly from Pence's Naval Observatory vice presidential residence, the packing of which would not have been handled by the vice president's office or its lawyers. Other material came from a West Wing office drawer, the person said.

The National Archives declined to comment on the discovery. A Justice Department spokesman also declined to comment, and a lawyer for Pence did not immediately respond to an email seeking elaboration.

Pence&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-mar-a-lago-iowa-classified-information-merrick-garland-94814cb950a2a9f89dc0c54aec46ce7c">told the Associated Press in August</a>&nbsp;that he did not take any classified information with him when he left office.

Asked directly if he had retained any such information, he said, “No, not to my knowledge.”

In an&nbsp;<a href="https://www.foxbusiness.com/media/mike-pence-troubled-reports-bidens-alleged-mishandling-of-classified-docs-known-before-election">interview this month with Fox Business</a>, Pence described a “very formal process” used by his office to handle classified information as well as the steps taken by his lawyers to ensure none was taken with him.

“Before we left the White House, the attorneys on my staff went through all the documents at both the White House and our offices there and at the vice president’s residence to ensure that any documents that needed to be turned over to the National Archives, including classified documents, were turned over. So we went through a very careful process in that regard," Pence said.

On Capitol Hill, members of the Senate intelligence committee expressed incredulity over the mishandling of documents by top U.S. officials.

Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas noted that classified documents are only moved out of the committee’s offices in locked bags.

“In my book, it’s never permissible to take classified documents outside of a secure facility" except by a secure means of transport between such facilities, he said.

House Intelligence Chairman Mike Turner, a Republican, said he planned to request a formal intelligence review and damage assessment.

And Republican Sen. Rick Scott of Florida, another potential 2024 candidate, said, “I don’t know how anybody ends up with classified documents. ... I mean, every classified document I’ve ever seen has a big ‘Classified’ on it."

Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and a senior member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, pointed to broader concerns with the classification system, complaining that it “is at the point where there is so much out there it is hard to determine what ought to be classified, and then it is hard to determine what should be declassified.”

Meanwhile, some Republicans pressed for a search of former President Barack Obama's personal records.

An Obama spokesperson referred to a 2022 statement from the National Archives that said the agency took control of all of his records after he left office and “is not aware of any missing boxes of presidential records from the Obama administration."

Representatives of former presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton and former Vice President Dick Cheney said all of their classified records had been turned over to NARA upon leaving the White House.

Mike Pompeo, who served as Trump's secretary of state and is mulling his own 2024 GOP presidential bid, told the AP in August that he had not taken any any classified material with him after leaving the administration.

But he told Fox News channel Tuesday, “When you’re in the executive branch, you have these documents in your home. One can imagine a note getting someplace, getting stuck. I suspect that may be what happened."

NEW YORK (AP) — Documents with classified markings were discovered in former Vice President Mike Pence's Indiana home last week, his lawyer told the National Archives in a letter — the latest in a string of discoveries of confidential information in private residences.

The records "appear to be a small number of documents bearing classified markings that were inadvertently boxed and transported to the personal home of the former vice president at the end of the last administration," Pence's lawyer, Greg Jacob, wrote in the letter shared with The Associated Press.

He said that Pence “engaged outside counsel, with experience in handling classified documents, to review records stored in his personal home after it became public that documents with classified markings were found in President Joe Biden's Wilmington residence.

The Justice Department already is using special counsels to investigate the presence of documents with classification markings taken from the Florida estate of former President Donald Trump and from Biden’s home and former Washington office. The department says roughly 300 documents marked classified, including at the top-secret level, were taken from Mar-a-Lago, and officials are trying to determine whether Trump or anyone else should be charged with illegal possession of those records or with trying to obstruct the months-long criminal investigation.

Pence's lawyer said in his letter that the former vice president “was unaware of the existence of sensitive or classified documents at his personal residence” and "understands the high importance of protecting sensitive and classified information and stands ready and willing to cooperate fully with the National Archives and any appropriate inquiry.”

Jacob said that Pence immediately secured the documents that were discovered in a locked safe. And according to a follow-up letter from the lawyer dated Jan. 22, FBI agents visited Pence's residence to collect the documents.

A Justice Department spokesman declined to comment Tuesday, and a lawyer for Pence did not immediately respond to an email seeking elaboration.

In a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.foxbusiness.com/media/mike-pence-troubled-reports-bidens-alleged-mishandling-of-classified-docs-known-before-election">January interview with Fox Business</a>, Pence described a “very formal process” used by his office to handle classified information as well as the steps taken by his lawyers to ensure none was taken with him.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1668696327219.png" alt="In October, former Vice President Mike Pence made a campaign appearance in Wichita for Derek Schmidt." />
 <figcaption>In October, former Vice President Mike Pence made a campaign appearance in Wichita for Derek Schmidt.</figcaption>
 </figure>NEW YORK (AP) — Documents with classified markings were discovered in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/michael-pence">former Vice President Mike Pence</a>&nbsp;'s Indiana residence last week, his lawyer says, the latest in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-politics-united-states-government-us-federal-bureau-of-investigation-donald-trump-ba4bfb9855f01ca2a66e732025b34973">a string of recoveries</a>&nbsp;of papers meant to be treated with utmost sensitivity from the homes of current and former top U.S. officials.“A small number of documents,” taken into FBI custody last Thursday, “were inadvertently boxed and transported" to the former vice president's home at the end of the last administration, Pence's lawyer, Greg Jacob, wrote in a letter to the National Archives shared with The Associated Press.He said that Pence had been “unaware of the existence of sensitive or classified documents at his personal residence” until a search last week and that he “understands the high importance of protecting sensitive and classified information” and stands ready to cooperate with "any appropriate inquiry.”The revelation came as the Department of Justice was already investigating the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-politics-delaware-0827b59ee141b33af95023377713e075">discovery of documents with classification markings</a>&nbsp;in President Joe Biden's home in Delaware and his former Washington office, as well as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-mar-a-lago-government-and-politics-9e8d683afe87389407950af7ccfdbdd6">former President Donald Trump's Florida estate</a>. Democrat Biden has indicated he will seek reelection, Republican Trump is already a declared candidate, and Pence has been exploring a possible 2024 campaign that would put him in direct competition against Trump, his former boss.The newest discovery thrusts Pence, who had previously insisted that he followed stringent protocols regarding classified documents, into the debate over the handling of secret materials by officials who have served in the highest ranks of government.Trump is currently under criminal investigation after roughly 300 documents with classified markings, including at the top secret level, were discovered at his Mar-a-Lago. Officials are trying to determine whether Trump or anyone else should be charged with illegal possession of those records or with trying to obstruct the months-long criminal investigation. Biden is also subject to a special counsel investigation after classified documents from his time as a senator and in the Obama administration were found at his properties.Trump, who denies any wrongdoing, reacted to the new development on his social media site: “Mike Pence is an innocent man. He never did anything knowingly dishonest in his life. Leave him alone!!!” Trump and Pence have clashed over Pence's refusal to go along with Trump's efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election.While a very different case, the Pence development could bolster the arguments of Trump and Biden, who have sought to downplay the significance of the discoveries at their homes. The presence of secret documents at all three men's residences further underscores&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-politics-us-national-security-council-donald-trump-united-states-government-e8c56297702daf253b9e0fcb45e17b6c">the federal government’s unwieldy system</a>&nbsp;for storing and protecting the millions of classified documents it produces every year.Pence’s lawyer, Jacob, said in his letter that the former vice president had “engaged outside counsel, with experience in handling classified documents" to review records stored at his home on Jan. 16 “out of an abundance of caution” amid the uproar over the discovery of documents at Biden's home.Jacob said the Pence documents with classification markings were immediately secured in a locked safe. FBI agents visited the residence the night of Jan. 19 at 9:30 p.m. to collect the documents that had been secured, according to a follow-up letter from the lawyer dated Jan. 22. Pence was in Washington for an event at the time.A total of four boxes containing copies of administration papers —- two in which “a small number” of papers bearing classified markings were found, and two containing “courtesy copies of vice presidential papers” — were discovered, according to the letter. Arrangements were made to deliver those boxes to the National Archives Monday.Congressional leaders were notified of the discovery by Pence's team on Tuesday.The boxes, according to a Pence aide, were not kept in a secure location, but were taped shut and were not believed to have been opened since they were packed. The former vice president's staff also searched the Washington office of his advocacy group last week and did not discover additional documents, according to the person, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the search.Material found in the boxes came mostly from Pence's Naval Observatory vice presidential residence, the packing of which would not have been handled by the vice president's office or its lawyers. Other material came from a West Wing office drawer, the person said.The National Archives declined to comment on the discovery. A Justice Department spokesman also declined to comment, and a lawyer for Pence did not immediately respond to an email seeking elaboration.Pence&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-mar-a-lago-iowa-classified-information-merrick-garland-94814cb950a2a9f89dc0c54aec46ce7c">told the Associated Press in August</a>&nbsp;that he did not take any classified information with him when he left office.Asked directly if he had retained any such information, he said, “No, not to my knowledge.”In an&nbsp;<a href="https://www.foxbusiness.com/media/mike-pence-troubled-reports-bidens-alleged-mishandling-of-classified-docs-known-before-election">interview this month with Fox Business</a>, Pence described a “very formal process” used by his office to handle classified information as well as the steps taken by his lawyers to ensure none was taken with him.“Before we left the White House, the attorneys on my staff went through all the documents at both the White House and our offices there and at the vice president’s residence to ensure that any documents that needed to be turned over to the National Archives, including classified documents, were turned over. So we went through a very careful process in that regard," Pence said.On Capitol Hill, members of the Senate intelligence committee expressed incredulity over the mishandling of documents by top U.S. officials.Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas noted that classified documents are only moved out of the committee’s offices in locked bags.“In my book, it’s never permissible to take classified documents outside of a secure facility" except by a secure means of transport between such facilities, he said.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1668434923044.png" alt="In November, the former Vice President released his autobiography" />
 <figcaption>In November, the former Vice President released his autobiography</figcaption>
 </figure>House Intelligence Chairman Mike Turner, a Republican, said he planned to request a formal intelligence review and damage assessment.And Republican Sen. Rick Scott of Florida, another potential 2024 candidate, said, “I don’t know how anybody ends up with classified documents. ... I mean, every classified document I’ve ever seen has a big ‘Classified’ on it."Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and a senior member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, pointed to broader concerns with the classification system, complaining that it “is at the point where there is so much out there it is hard to determine what ought to be classified, and then it is hard to determine what should be declassified.”Meanwhile, some Republicans pressed for a search of former President Barack Obama's personal records.An Obama spokesperson referred to a 2022 statement from the National Archives that said the agency took control of all of his records after he left office and “is not aware of any missing boxes of presidential records from the Obama administration."Representatives of former presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton and former Vice President Dick Cheney said all of their classified records had been turned over to NARA upon leaving the White House.Mike Pompeo, who served as Trump's secretary of state and is mulling his own 2024 GOP presidential bid, told the AP in August that he had not taken any any classified material with him after leaving the administration.But he told Fox News channel Tuesday, “When you’re in the executive branch, you have these documents in your home. One can imagine a note getting someplace, getting stuck. I suspect that may be what happened."___NEW YORK (AP) — Documents with classified markings were discovered in former Vice President Mike Pence's Indiana home last week, his lawyer told the National Archives in a letter — the latest in a string of discoveries of confidential information in private residences.The records "appear to be a small number of documents bearing classified markings that were inadvertently boxed and transported to the personal home of the former vice president at the end of the last administration," Pence's lawyer, Greg Jacob, wrote in the letter shared with The Associated Press.He said that Pence “engaged outside counsel, with experience in handling classified documents, to review records stored in his personal home after it became public that documents with classified markings were found in President Joe Biden's Wilmington residence.The Justice Department already is using special counsels to investigate the presence of documents with classification markings taken from the Florida estate of former President Donald Trump and from Biden’s home and former Washington office. The department says roughly 300 documents marked classified, including at the top-secret level, were taken from Mar-a-Lago, and officials are trying to determine whether Trump or anyone else should be charged with illegal possession of those records or with trying to obstruct the months-long criminal investigation.Pence's lawyer said in his letter that the former vice president “was unaware of the existence of sensitive or classified documents at his personal residence” and "understands the high importance of protecting sensitive and classified information and stands ready and willing to cooperate fully with the National Archives and any appropriate inquiry.”Jacob said that Pence immediately secured the documents that were discovered in a locked safe. And according to a follow-up letter from the lawyer dated Jan. 22, FBI agents visited Pence's residence to collect the documents.A Justice Department spokesman declined to comment Tuesday, and a lawyer for Pence did not immediately respond to an email seeking elaboration.Pence&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-mar-a-lago-iowa-classified-information-merrick-garland-94814cb950a2a9f89dc0c54aec46ce7c">told the Associated Press in August</a>&nbsp;that he did not take any classified information with him when he left office.Asked directly if he had retained any such information, he said, “No, not to my knowledge.”In a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.foxbusiness.com/media/mike-pence-troubled-reports-bidens-alleged-mishandling-of-classified-docs-known-before-election">January interview with Fox Business</a>, Pence described a “very formal process” used by his office to handle classified information as well as the steps taken by his lawyers to ensure none was taken with him.“Before we left the White House, the attorneys on my staff went through all the documents at both the White House and our offices there and at the vice president’s residence to ensure that any documents that needed to be turned over to the National Archives, including classified documents, were turned over. So we went through a very careful process in that regard," Pence said.

Lawyer: Classified documents found at Mike Pence's home

MCPHERSON COUNTY, Kan. —&nbsp; The Kansas Bureau of Investigation and the Canton Police Department are conducting a homicide investigation after a woman was found dead outside her home in Canton, Kansas.

Just after 3:30p.m. Monday, the Canton Police Department received a 911 call indicating a woman was unresponsive at 110 W. Allen Street in Canton, according to a media release from the KBI.

 When officers arrived they located 52-year-old Briana L. Lance deceased in the back yard. They observed signs of injury and trauma to her and she was pronounced dead at the scene.

The McPherson County Sheriff’s Office and the McPherson Police Department joined the homicide investigation. The investigation led to a suspect being identified and located.

At 5:40 p.m., officer arrested 18-year-old Hayden C. Lance of Canton on a requested charge of second-degree murder connected to the death of his mother, Briana Lance. He was booked into the McPherson County Jail.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1674578053875.png" alt="Lance-photo KBI" />
 <figcaption>Lance-photo KBI</figcaption>
 </figure>MCPHERSON COUNTY, Kan. —&nbsp; The Kansas Bureau of Investigation and the Canton Police Department are conducting a homicide investigation after a woman was found dead outside her home in Canton, Kansas.Just after 3:30p.m. Monday, the Canton Police Department received a 911 call indicating a woman was unresponsive at 110 W. Allen Street in Canton, according to a media release from the KBI. When officers arrived they located 52-year-old Briana L. Lance deceased in the back yard. They observed signs of injury and trauma to her and she was pronounced dead at the scene.The McPherson County Sheriff’s Office and the McPherson Police Department joined the homicide investigation. The investigation led to a suspect being identified and located.At 5:40 p.m., officer arrested 18-year-old Hayden C. Lance of Canton on a requested charge of second-degree murder connected to the death of his mother, Briana Lance. He was booked into the McPherson County Jail.

KBI: Kansas teen accused of his mother's murder

By PAUL HAMMEL <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/01/23/senator-touts-using-military-veterans-to-help-address-crisis-in-teacher-shortage/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

LINCOLN — The number of teaching jobs in Nebraska left vacant or 
filled by less than fully qualified instructors rose significantly in 
2022, according to a recent state survey.

Many of those vacancies were because there were no applicants, or 
many fewer applicants, according to State Sen. Ben Hansen of Blair.

On Monday, Hansen said Nebraska should follow the lead of Florida, 
which last year passed a law allowing talented military veterans, even 
those with no teaching experience, to fill classroom vacancies by 
providing them temporary, five-year certificates to teach.

The senator said veterans have specialized training that would assist
 them in the classroom, and under his Legislative Bill 188, mentors 
would be assigned to help them work with students and vets would have to
 pass a test on the subject they would teach.

“This bill fits the time,” Hansen said of his proposal. “It’s not just a teacher shortage, it’s a crisis now.”

Hansen’s bill ran into a wall of opposition from past and present 
teachers, some with military backgrounds, during a public hearing before
 the Legislature’s Education Committee.

Opponents of the idea said that molding young recruits into soldiers 
is much different from molding young minds and that lowering standards 
for teachers was not the right approach.

Nicole Hochstein, an Air Force veteran, a former special education 
teacher and now a substitute teacher, said that even after obtaining her
 degree in education and her experience student teaching, she felt 
unprepared when she finally got into the classroom full time.

“We are essentially saying anyone off the streets can teach,” Hochstein said, of LB 188.

The Nebraska State Education Association, the state teachers union, also opposed the bill.

Isau Metes, an Army veteran who works for NSEA, said a clause in LB 
188 that allowed a veteran to teach with 60 hours of college credit — 
about two years of study — and a grade point average of at least 2.5 out
 of 4 (a C+) &nbsp;wasn’t enough.

Metes also said another clause of the bill that would allow any 
veteran who was discharged “under conditions other than dishonorable” to
 teach could be a “red flag.” There are a lot of classes of discharges 
beyond “honorable,” she said, including being discharged for “bad 
conduct.”

Other critics of the bill said that no other demographic group other 
than veterans would get such a break and that the real answer was better
 pay and support for current teachers.

Brad Dirksen of the Nebraska Department of Education testified 
neutral on the bill. He said that currently, military veterans have four
 pathways to obtain temporary certificates to teach full time, including
 certificates for transitional teachers and those teaching career 
education.

Hansen pushed back on criticism of his proposal, saying that military
 veterans have a “unique set of qualifications” to teach and that his 
proposal doesn’t mean a school district would be mandated to hire them. 
But some districts might, he added, to relieve overworked teachers.

Testifying in favor of the bill was Kevin Naumann, a Catholic school 
principal from Lincoln and a military veteran, who said schools are 
working harder, and longer, to find teachers.

“There has been a definite shift in supply and demand in the teaching field,” Naumann said.

Michael Davis, an Army veteran who left college just before obtaining
 a teaching degree, said he thought that dealing with “junior soldiers” 
wasn’t all that different than dealing with teen-aged students.

“What we do is teach,” said Davis, who retired as a staff sergeant.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1674578524554.jpg" alt="Image courtesy of Pixabay" />
 <figcaption>Image courtesy of Pixabay</figcaption>
 </figure>By PAUL HAMMEL <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/01/23/senator-touts-using-military-veterans-to-help-address-crisis-in-teacher-shortage/">Nebraska Examiner</a>LINCOLN — The number of teaching jobs in Nebraska left vacant or 
filled by less than fully qualified instructors rose significantly in 
2022, according to a recent state survey.Many of those vacancies were because there were no applicants, or 
many fewer applicants, according to State Sen. Ben Hansen of Blair.On Monday, Hansen said Nebraska should follow the lead of Florida, 
which last year passed a law allowing talented military veterans, even 
those with no teaching experience, to fill classroom vacancies by 
providing them temporary, five-year certificates to teach.The senator said veterans have specialized training that would assist
 them in the classroom, and under his Legislative Bill 188, mentors 
would be assigned to help them work with students and vets would have to
 pass a test on the subject they would teach.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1674149533899.jpeg" alt="State Sen. Ben Hansen of Blair (Courtesy of Unicameral Information Office)" />
 <figcaption>State Sen. Ben Hansen of Blair (Courtesy of Unicameral Information Office)</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>‘It’s a crisis’</h2>“This bill fits the time,” Hansen said of his proposal. “It’s not just a teacher shortage, it’s a crisis now.”Hansen’s bill ran into a wall of opposition from past and present 
teachers, some with military backgrounds, during a public hearing before
 the Legislature’s Education Committee.Opponents of the idea said that molding young recruits into soldiers 
is much different from molding young minds and that lowering standards 
for teachers was not the right approach.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1674578679478.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Nicole Hochstein, an Air Force veteran, a former special education 
teacher and now a substitute teacher, said that even after obtaining her
 degree in education and her experience student teaching, she felt 
unprepared when she finally got into the classroom full time.“We are essentially saying anyone off the streets can teach,” Hochstein said, of LB 188.<h2>‘Other than dishonorable’ discharge</h2>The Nebraska State Education Association, the state teachers union, also opposed the bill.Isau Metes, an Army veteran who works for NSEA, said a clause in LB 
188 that allowed a veteran to teach with 60 hours of college credit — 
about two years of study — and a grade point average of at least 2.5 out
 of 4 (a C+) &nbsp;wasn’t enough.Metes also said another clause of the bill that would allow any 
veteran who was discharged “under conditions other than dishonorable” to
 teach could be a “red flag.” There are a lot of classes of discharges 
beyond “honorable,” she said, including being discharged for “bad 
conduct.”Other critics of the bill said that no other demographic group other 
than veterans would get such a break and that the real answer was better
 pay and support for current teachers.Brad Dirksen of the Nebraska Department of Education testified 
neutral on the bill. He said that currently, military veterans have four
 pathways to obtain temporary certificates to teach full time, including
 certificates for transitional teachers and those teaching career 
education.<h2>‘We need help’</h2>Hansen pushed back on criticism of his proposal, saying that military
 veterans have a “unique set of qualifications” to teach and that his 
proposal doesn’t mean a school district would be mandated to hire them. 
But some districts might, he added, to relieve overworked teachers.“We need help,” Hansen said.Testifying in favor of the bill was Kevin Naumann, a Catholic school 
principal from Lincoln and a military veteran, who said schools are 
working harder, and longer, to find teachers.“There has been a definite shift in supply and demand in the teaching field,” Naumann said.Michael Davis, an Army veteran who left college just before obtaining
 a teaching degree, said he thought that dealing with “junior soldiers” 
wasn’t all that different than dealing with teen-aged students.“What we do is teach,” said Davis, who retired as a staff sergeant.

Neb. senator: Lean on veterans to help solve teacher shortage

WASHINGTON (AP) —Senators grilled Ticketmaster Tuesday, questioning whether the company’s dominance in the ticketing industry led to its&nbsp;<a>spectacular breakdown</a>&nbsp;last year during a sale of Taylor Swift concert tickets.

<a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?525428-1/hearing-ticketmaster-sale-taylor-swift-concert&amp;live">Click here to watch</a>&nbsp;a replay of the hearing&nbsp;

U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a Minnesota Democrat, recalled piling into a friend's car in high school to go to concerts by Led Zeppelin, The Cars and Aerosmith. These days, she said, ticket prices and fees have gotten so high that shows are too expensive for many fans. Klobuchar said ticket fees now average 27% of the ticket cost, and can climb as high as 75%.

Klobuchar said Ticketmaster's market dominance means it faces little pressure to innovate and improve.

“To have a strong capitalist system, you have to have competition," Klobuchar said in a hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committe.

Ticketmaster is the world’s largest ticket seller, processing 500 million tickets each year in more than 30 countries. Around 70% of tickets for major concert venues in the U.S. are sold through Ticketmaster, according to data in a federal lawsuit filed by consumers last year.

In mid-November, Ticketmaster’s site crashed during a presale event for Swift’s upcoming stadium tour. The company said its site was overwhelmed by both fans and bot attacks. Many people lost tickets after waiting for hours in an online queue.

Ticketmaster required fans to register for the presale, and more than 3.5 million people did, a record for the company. Ticketmaster eventually canceled a planned ticket sale to the general public because it didn’t have enough inventory.

In 2010, Ticketmaster merged with Live Nation, a Beverly Hills, California-based entertainment company that produces live shows, festivals and concert tours.

Live Nation’s President and Chief Financial Officer Joe Berchtold apologized to fans and to Swift on Tuesday, and said the company knows it must do better.

But Berchtold insisted that Ticketmaster doesn't set prices or service fees for tickets or decide how many tickets will go on sale. Service fees are set by venues, he said; Live Nation only owns around 5% of U.S. venues, he said. He also said Ticketmaster has lost — not gained — market share since its merger with Live Nation.

Berchtold said the ticketing industry would like lawmakers to focus on the growing problem of ticket scalping and prohibit fraudulent practices, such as resellers offering tickets that haven't officially gone on sale yet. He also said the industry should be more transparent about pricing and fees.

WASHINGTON (AP) —Senators are expected to grill Ticketmaster Tuesday, questioning whether the company’s dominance in the ticketing industry led to its&nbsp;<a>spectacular breakdown</a>&nbsp;last year during a sale of Taylor Swift concert tickets.

U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a Minnesota Democrat, said the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing will focus on consolidation in the live entertainment and ticketing industries and how it harms customers.

“For too long, consumers have faced high fees, long waits and website failures, and Ticketmaster’s dominant market position means the company faces inadequate pressure to innovate and improve,” Klobuchar said in a statement ahead of the hearing.

In 2010, Ticketmaster merged with Live Nation, a Beverly Hills, California-based entertainment company that produces live shows, festivals and concert tours. Live Nation’s President and Chief Financial Officer Joe Berchtold is among those scheduled to testify Tuesday.

In mid-November, Ticketmaster’s site crashed during a presale event for Swift’s upcoming stadium tour. The company said its site was overwhelmed by both fans and bot attacks. Many people&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/taylor-swift-ticketmaster-concert-tickets-parents-34399cca6403c97f0983a5c69c7edec0">lost tickets</a>&nbsp;after they had waited for hours in an online queue.

Ticketmaster required fans to register for the presale, and more than 3.5 million people did. The company said it was the largest registration in history.

Ticketmaster eventually canceled a planned ticket sales to the general public because it didn’t have enough inventory.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1674576089924.png" alt="Joe Berchtold, who serves as&nbsp;Live Nation Entertainment's President and CFO, listens to opening statements in the Senate Judiciary committee on Tuesday-image courtesy&nbsp;CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Joe Berchtold, who serves as&nbsp;Live Nation Entertainment's President and CFO, listens to opening statements in the Senate Judiciary committee on Tuesday-image courtesy&nbsp;CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) —Senators grilled Ticketmaster Tuesday, questioning whether the company’s dominance in the ticketing industry led to its&nbsp;<a>spectacular breakdown</a>&nbsp;last year during a sale of Taylor Swift concert tickets.<a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?525428-1/hearing-ticketmaster-sale-taylor-swift-concert&amp;live">Click here to watch</a>&nbsp;a replay of the hearing&nbsp;U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a Minnesota Democrat, recalled piling into a friend's car in high school to go to concerts by Led Zeppelin, The Cars and Aerosmith. These days, she said, ticket prices and fees have gotten so high that shows are too expensive for many fans. Klobuchar said ticket fees now average 27% of the ticket cost, and can climb as high as 75%.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1674582918043.png" alt="Sen. Amy Klobuchar said Ticketmaster's market dominance means it faces little pressure to innovate and improve.CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Sen. Amy Klobuchar said Ticketmaster's market dominance means it faces little pressure to innovate and improve.CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>Klobuchar said Ticketmaster's market dominance means it faces little pressure to innovate and improve.“To have a strong capitalist system, you have to have competition," Klobuchar said in a hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committe.Ticketmaster is the world’s largest ticket seller, processing 500 million tickets each year in more than 30 countries. Around 70% of tickets for major concert venues in the U.S. are sold through Ticketmaster, according to data in a federal lawsuit filed by consumers last year.In mid-November, Ticketmaster’s site crashed during a presale event for Swift’s upcoming stadium tour. The company said its site was overwhelmed by both fans and bot attacks. Many people lost tickets after waiting for hours in an online queue.Ticketmaster required fans to register for the presale, and more than 3.5 million people did, a record for the company. Ticketmaster eventually canceled a planned ticket sale to the general public because it didn’t have enough inventory.In 2010, Ticketmaster merged with Live Nation, a Beverly Hills, California-based entertainment company that produces live shows, festivals and concert tours.Live Nation’s President and Chief Financial Officer Joe Berchtold apologized to fans and to Swift on Tuesday, and said the company knows it must do better.But Berchtold insisted that Ticketmaster doesn't set prices or service fees for tickets or decide how many tickets will go on sale. Service fees are set by venues, he said; Live Nation only owns around 5% of U.S. venues, he said. He also said Ticketmaster has lost — not gained — market share since its merger with Live Nation.Berchtold said the ticketing industry would like lawmakers to focus on the growing problem of ticket scalping and prohibit fraudulent practices, such as resellers offering tickets that haven't officially gone on sale yet. He also said the industry should be more transparent about pricing and fees.-----------WASHINGTON (AP) —Senators are expected to grill Ticketmaster Tuesday, questioning whether the company’s dominance in the ticketing industry led to its&nbsp;<a>spectacular breakdown</a>&nbsp;last year during a sale of Taylor Swift concert tickets.U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a Minnesota Democrat, said the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing will focus on consolidation in the live entertainment and ticketing industries and how it harms customers.“For too long, consumers have faced high fees, long waits and website failures, and Ticketmaster’s dominant market position means the company faces inadequate pressure to innovate and improve,” Klobuchar said in a statement ahead of the hearing.Ticketmaster is the world’s largest ticket seller, processing 500 million tickets each year in more than 30 countries. Around 70% of tickets for major concert venues in the U.S. are sold through Ticketmaster, according to data in a federal lawsuit filed by consumers last year.In 2010, Ticketmaster merged with Live Nation, a Beverly Hills, California-based entertainment company that produces live shows, festivals and concert tours. Live Nation’s President and Chief Financial Officer Joe Berchtold is among those scheduled to testify Tuesday.In mid-November, Ticketmaster’s site crashed during a presale event for Swift’s upcoming stadium tour. The company said its site was overwhelmed by both fans and bot attacks. Many people&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/taylor-swift-ticketmaster-concert-tickets-parents-34399cca6403c97f0983a5c69c7edec0">lost tickets</a>&nbsp;after they had waited for hours in an online queue.Ticketmaster required fans to register for the presale, and more than 3.5 million people did. The company said it was the largest registration in history.Ticketmaster eventually canceled a planned ticket sales to the general public because it didn’t have enough inventory.

🎥Senators grilled Ticketmaster after Taylor Swift fiasco

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. health officials want to make COVID-19 vaccinations more like the annual flu shot.

The Food and Drug Administration on Monday proposed a simplified approach for future vaccination efforts, allowing most adults and children to get a once-a-year shot to protect against the mutating virus.

This means Americans would no longer have to keep track of how many shots they’ve received or how many months it’s been since their last booster.

The proposal comes as boosters have become a hard sell. While more than 80% of the U.S. population has had at least one vaccine dose, only 16% of those eligible have received the latest boosters authorized in August.

The FDA will ask its panel of outside vaccine experts to weigh in at a meeting Thursday. The agency is expected to take their advice into consideration while deciding future vaccine requirements for manufacturers.

In documents posted online, FDA scientists say many Americans now have “sufficient preexisting immunity” against the coronavirus because of vaccination, infection or a combination of the two. That baseline of protection should be enough to move to an annual booster against the latest strains in circulation and make COVID-19 vaccinations more like the yearly flu shot, according to the agency.

For adults with weakened immune systems and very small children, a two-dose combination may be needed for protection. FDA scientists and vaccine companies would study vaccination, infection rates and other data to decide who should receive a single shot versus a two-dose series.

FDA will also ask its panel to vote on whether all vaccines should target the same strains. That step would be needed to make the shots interchangeable, doing away with the current complicated system of primary vaccinations and boosters.

The initial shots from Pfizer and Moderna — called the primary series — target the strain of the virus that first emerged in 2020 and quickly swept across the world. The updated boosters launched last fall were also tweaked to target omicron relatives that had been dominant.

Under the FDA's proposal, the agency, independent experts and manufacturers would decide annually on which strains to target by the early summer, allowing several months to produce and launch updated shots before the fall. That’s roughly the same approach long used to select the strains for the annual flu shot.

Ultimately, FDA officials say moving to an annual schedule would make it easier to promote future vaccination campaigns, which could ultimately boost vaccination rates nationwide.

The original two-dose COVID shots have offered strong protection against severe disease and death no matter the variant, but protection against mild infection wanes. Experts continue to debate whether the latest round of boosters significantly enhanced protection, particularly for younger, healthy Americans. ___

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1638443255492.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. health officials want to make COVID-19 vaccinations more like the annual flu shot.The Food and Drug Administration on Monday proposed a simplified approach for future vaccination efforts, allowing most adults and children to get a once-a-year shot to protect against the mutating virus.This means Americans would no longer have to keep track of how many shots they’ve received or how many months it’s been since their last booster.The proposal comes as boosters have become a hard sell. While more than 80% of the U.S. population has had at least one vaccine dose, only 16% of those eligible have received the latest boosters authorized in August.The FDA will ask its panel of outside vaccine experts to weigh in at a meeting Thursday. The agency is expected to take their advice into consideration while deciding future vaccine requirements for manufacturers.In documents posted online, FDA scientists say many Americans now have “sufficient preexisting immunity” against the coronavirus because of vaccination, infection or a combination of the two. That baseline of protection should be enough to move to an annual booster against the latest strains in circulation and make COVID-19 vaccinations more like the yearly flu shot, according to the agency.For adults with weakened immune systems and very small children, a two-dose combination may be needed for protection. FDA scientists and vaccine companies would study vaccination, infection rates and other data to decide who should receive a single shot versus a two-dose series.FDA will also ask its panel to vote on whether all vaccines should target the same strains. That step would be needed to make the shots interchangeable, doing away with the current complicated system of primary vaccinations and boosters.The initial shots from Pfizer and Moderna — called the primary series — target the strain of the virus that first emerged in 2020 and quickly swept across the world. The updated boosters launched last fall were also tweaked to target omicron relatives that had been dominant.Under the FDA's proposal, the agency, independent experts and manufacturers would decide annually on which strains to target by the early summer, allowing several months to produce and launch updated shots before the fall. That’s roughly the same approach long used to select the strains for the annual flu shot.Ultimately, FDA officials say moving to an annual schedule would make it easier to promote future vaccination campaigns, which could ultimately boost vaccination rates nationwide.The original two-dose COVID shots have offered strong protection against severe disease and death no matter the variant, but protection against mild infection wanes. Experts continue to debate whether the latest round of boosters significantly enhanced protection, particularly for younger, healthy Americans. ___

FDA proposes once-a-year COVID shots for most Americans

SUMNER COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a fatal hunting accident involving a dog stepping on a rifle.

Just after 9:30a.m. Saturday, sheriff's deputies responded to the area of 80th Street South and River Road after report of&nbsp; a man who was shot in the back, according to a media release from the Sumner County Sheriff.

The man was in the front passenger seat of the pickup when a dog stepped on the rifle in the back seat.&nbsp; The rifle fired a round that struck the man.

EMS responded within minutes of the 911 call and started CPR, according to the sheriff's office. The man was pronounced dead at the scene.

The Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks and Wellington Fire and EMS also responded to the scene.

SUMNER COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a fatal hunting accident involving a dog stepping on a rifle.Just after 9:30a.m. Saturday, sheriff's deputies responded to the area of 80th Street South and River Road after report of&nbsp; a man who was shot in the back, according to a media release from the Sumner County Sheriff.The man was in the front passenger seat of the pickup when a dog stepped on the rifle in the back seat.&nbsp; The rifle fired a round that struck the man.EMS responded within minutes of the 911 call and started CPR, according to the sheriff's office. The man was pronounced dead at the scene.The man's name has not been released.The Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks and Wellington Fire and EMS also responded to the scene.

Kan. hunting accident: Man dies after dog steps on rifle

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Two teenage students were killed Monday and a man was seriously injured in what police said was a targeted shooting at an alternative educational program designed to keep at-risk youth away from trouble. The injured man was identified as the program’s founder — a rapper who left a life of gangs and violence and has been dedicated to helping youth in Des Moines.

Police said Monday that one man had been charged in the shooting, and two other people remained in custody. Preston Walls, 18, of Des Moines, was charged with two counts of murder and one count of attempted murder for the shooting at the Starts Right Here program. He was also charged with criminal gang participation.

Authorities said the shooting was the result of an ongoing gang dispute. Police said Walls was on supervised release for a weapons charge and had removed his ankle monitor 16 minutes before the shooting.

“The incident was definitely targeted. It was not random. There was nothing random about this,” Sgt. Paul Parizek said.

Two Des Moines teens, an 18-year-old male and a 16-year-old male, were killed. William Holmes — a 49-year-old rapper who founded the program and goes by the stage name Will Keeps — was injured and was in surgery Monday evening.

Police said Walls and all three victims were at the school on Monday when Walls entered a common area where Holmes and the two students were. Walls had a 9mm handgun with an extended ammunition magazine in his possession, police said, though they did not specify if he was displaying the weapon.

Holmes tried to escort Walls away from the area, but Walls pulled away, “pulled the handgun and began to shoot both teenage victims," police said in a statement. Holmes was standing nearby and was also shot, then Walls ran away, police said.

Responding officers saw a suspicious vehicle leaving the area. Officers stopped the vehicle. But Walls ran away and was arrested a short time later. Police said a 9mm handgun was found nearby. The ammunition magazine — which has a capacity of 31 rounds — contained three.

Des Moines Mayor Frank Cownie said the people in the vehicle with Walls are also teenagers.

"That brings a total of five families of teenagers affected by youth gun violence in a matter of minutes on a Monday afternoon, right here in our capital city,” Cownie said at Monday's City Council meeting. “This is a growing and alarming phenomenon in our country, and one we’ve seen too often in the past and again today in the city of Des Moines.”

Cownie held a moment of silence for the victims. He said he spoke to their family members. “But there is little one can say that will lessen their pain. Nothing that can be said to bring them back, those who were killed so senselessly," he said.

Walls has not yet made a court appearance. It was not immediately clear if he had an attorney to speak on his behalf.

Police said emergency crews were called to the school, which is in a business park, just before 1 p.m. Officers arrived to find two students critically injured, and they started CPR immediately, but the two students died at a hospital.

Starts Right Here is an educational program that helps at-risk youth in grades 9-12 and is affiliated with the Des Moines school district.

“The school is designed to pick up the slack and help the kids who need help the most,” Parizek said.

The Greater Des Moines Partnership, the economic and community development organization for the region, says on its website that Keeps came to Des Moines about 20 years ago from Chicago, where he “lived in a world of gangs and violence” before finding healing through music.

The partnership said the Starts Right Here movement “seeks to encourage and educate young people living in disadvantaged and oppressive circumstances using the arts, entertainment, music, hip hop and other programs. It also teaches financial literacy and helps students prepare for job interviews and improve their communication skills. The ultimate goal is to break down barriers of fear, intimidation and other damaging factors leading to a sense of being disenfranchised, forgotten and rejected.”

According to the program’s website, one of Keeps' songs, “Wake Up Iowa,” sends a message that “violence and hate are not the Iowa way, and instead, we need to learn from other cities’ mistakes, so we don’t end up being ravaged by violence and crime.”

The school’s website says 70% of the students it serves are minorities, and it has had 28 graduates since it started in 2021. The school district said the program serves 40 to 50 students at any given time. The district said no district employees were on site at the time of the shooting.

Interim Superintendent Matt Smith said in a statement: “We are saddened to learn of another act of gun violence, especially one that impacts an organization that works closely with some of our students. We are still waiting to learn more details, but our thoughts are with any victims of this incident and their families and friends.”

Gov. Kim Reynolds, who serves on an advisory board for Starts Right Here, said she was “shocked and saddened to hear about the shooting.” Des Moines Police Chief Dana Wingert is on the Starts Right Here board, according to the program's website.

“I’ve seen first-hand how hard Will Keeps and his staff works to help at-risk kids through this alternative education program,” Reynolds said in a statement. "My heart breaks for them, these kids and their families.”

Nicole Krantz said her office near the school was put on lockdown immediately after the shooting, and she saw someone running from the building with police in pursuit on foot and in patrol cars.

“We just saw a lot of cop cars pouring in from everywhere,” Krantz told the Des Moines Register. “It’s terrifying. We’re all worried. We went on lockdown, obviously. We were all told to stay away from the windows because we weren’t sure if they caught the guy,”

The shooting was the sixth at a school in the U.S. this year in which someone was injured or killed, but the first with fatalities, according to Education Week, which tracks school shootings. The website said there were 51 school shootings last year involving injuries or deaths, and there have been 150 since 2018. In the worst school shooting last year,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/shootings-texas-0145c5eac6acbd19ca769b4978c6f1ae">21 people were killed</a>&nbsp;in an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas.

In a separate shooting outside a Des Moines high school last March, one student was killed and two other teens were badly injured. Ten people — who were all between the ages of 14 and 18 at the time of the shooting — were charged afterward. Five of them have pleaded guilty to various charges associated with the shooting.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Two students were killed Monday and an adult employee was injured in what police said was a targeted shooting at a Des Moines school that is dedicated to helping at-risk youth, and three people were arrested afterward.

The shooting was at an educational program called Starts Right Here that is affiliated with the Des Moines school district. Des Moines Mayor Frank Cownie said at Monday night's City Council meeting that the injured adult is the program's founder, William Holmes, a rapper who goes by the stage name Will Keeps.

“We all wish Will our best," Cownie said. He also said that the students who died were teenagers, and three people arrested were also teens, and the shooting is another story of young lives taken too soon by gun violence.

“Two teenagers tonight are dead because of this violence. Just a short time ago, I spoke to their family members and offered our community’s support and thoughts and prayers. But there is little one can say that will lessen their pain,” he said. “Nothing that can be said to bring them back, those who were killed so senselessly.”

He asked those at the City Council meeting to observe a moment of silence for the victims.

Police said emergency crews were called to the school, which is in a business park, just before 1 p.m. Officers arrived to find two students critically injured, and they started CPR immediately. The two students died at a hospital. The adult employee, later identified by the mayor as Keeps, was in serious condition and was headed into surgery Monday afternoon.

About 20 minutes after the shooting, police said officers stopped a car that matched witnesses' descriptions about 2 miles (3.22 kilometers) away and took three people into custody. Police said one person ran from the car, but officers tracked that person down with a K-9.

The Starts Right Here program, which helps at-risk youth in grades 9-12, was founded in 2021 by Keeps.

The school’s website says 70% of the students it serves are minorities, and it has had 28 graduates since it started. The school district said the program serves 40 to 50 students at any given time. The district said no district employees were on site at the time of the shooting.

“I’ve seen first-hand how hard Will Keeps and his staff works to help at-risk kids through this alternative education program,” Reynolds said in a statement. "My heart breaks for them, these kids and their families. Kevin and I are praying for their safe recovery.”

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Two students were killed Monday and an adult employee was injured in what police said was a targeted shooting at a Des Moines school that is dedicated to helping at-risk youth, and three suspects were arrested afterward.

The shooting was at an educational program called Starts Right Here that is affiliated with the Des Moines school district.

Police say emergency crews were called to the school, which is in a business park, just before 1 p.m. Officers arrived to find two students critically injured, and they started CPR immediately. The two students died at a hospital. The adult employee of the school who was injured is in serious condition and was headed into surgery Monday afternoon.

About 20 minutes after the shooting, police said officers stopped a car that matched witnesses' descriptions about two miles away and took three suspects into custody. Police said one of the suspects ran from the car, but officers using a K-9 were able to track that person down.

The Starts Right Here program, which helps at-risk youth in grades 9-12, was founded in 2021 by Will Holmes, a rapper whose stage name is Will Keeps. He didn't immediately respond to a message seeking comment Monday.

Gov. Kim Reynolds, who serves on an advisory board for Starts Right Here, said she was “shocked and saddened to hear about the shooting.” Des Moines Police Chief Dana Wingert is on the Starts Right Here board.

“We just saw a lot of cop cars pouring in from everywhere,” Krantz said to the Des Moines Register. “It’s terrifying. We’re all worried. We went on lockdown, obviously. We were all told to stay away from the windows because we weren’t sure if they caught the guy,”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1674516308515.png" alt="The shooting was at an educational program called Starts Right Here that is affiliated with the Des Moines school district.-photo courtesy KCCI TV" />
 <figcaption>The shooting was at an educational program called Starts Right Here that is affiliated with the Des Moines school district.-photo courtesy KCCI TV</figcaption>
 </figure>DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Two teenage students were killed Monday and a man was seriously injured in what police said was a targeted shooting at an alternative educational program designed to keep at-risk youth away from trouble. The injured man was identified as the program’s founder — a rapper who left a life of gangs and violence and has been dedicated to helping youth in Des Moines.Police said Monday that one man had been charged in the shooting, and two other people remained in custody. Preston Walls, 18, of Des Moines, was charged with two counts of murder and one count of attempted murder for the shooting at the Starts Right Here program. He was also charged with criminal gang participation.Authorities said the shooting was the result of an ongoing gang dispute. Police said Walls was on supervised release for a weapons charge and had removed his ankle monitor 16 minutes before the shooting.“The incident was definitely targeted. It was not random. There was nothing random about this,” Sgt. Paul Parizek said.Two Des Moines teens, an 18-year-old male and a 16-year-old male, were killed. William Holmes — a 49-year-old rapper who founded the program and goes by the stage name Will Keeps — was injured and was in surgery Monday evening.Police said Walls and all three victims were at the school on Monday when Walls entered a common area where Holmes and the two students were. Walls had a 9mm handgun with an extended ammunition magazine in his possession, police said, though they did not specify if he was displaying the weapon.Holmes tried to escort Walls away from the area, but Walls pulled away, “pulled the handgun and began to shoot both teenage victims," police said in a statement. Holmes was standing nearby and was also shot, then Walls ran away, police said.Responding officers saw a suspicious vehicle leaving the area. Officers stopped the vehicle. But Walls ran away and was arrested a short time later. Police said a 9mm handgun was found nearby. The ammunition magazine — which has a capacity of 31 rounds — contained three.Des Moines Mayor Frank Cownie said the people in the vehicle with Walls are also teenagers."That brings a total of five families of teenagers affected by youth gun violence in a matter of minutes on a Monday afternoon, right here in our capital city,” Cownie said at Monday's City Council meeting. “This is a growing and alarming phenomenon in our country, and one we’ve seen too often in the past and again today in the city of Des Moines.”Cownie held a moment of silence for the victims. He said he spoke to their family members. “But there is little one can say that will lessen their pain. Nothing that can be said to bring them back, those who were killed so senselessly," he said.Walls has not yet made a court appearance. It was not immediately clear if he had an attorney to speak on his behalf.Police said emergency crews were called to the school, which is in a business park, just before 1 p.m. Officers arrived to find two students critically injured, and they started CPR immediately, but the two students died at a hospital.Starts Right Here is an educational program that helps at-risk youth in grades 9-12 and is affiliated with the Des Moines school district.“The school is designed to pick up the slack and help the kids who need help the most,” Parizek said.The Greater Des Moines Partnership, the economic and community development organization for the region, says on its website that Keeps came to Des Moines about 20 years ago from Chicago, where he “lived in a world of gangs and violence” before finding healing through music.The partnership said the Starts Right Here movement “seeks to encourage and educate young people living in disadvantaged and oppressive circumstances using the arts, entertainment, music, hip hop and other programs. It also teaches financial literacy and helps students prepare for job interviews and improve their communication skills. The ultimate goal is to break down barriers of fear, intimidation and other damaging factors leading to a sense of being disenfranchised, forgotten and rejected.”According to the program’s website, one of Keeps' songs, “Wake Up Iowa,” sends a message that “violence and hate are not the Iowa way, and instead, we need to learn from other cities’ mistakes, so we don’t end up being ravaged by violence and crime.”The school’s website says 70% of the students it serves are minorities, and it has had 28 graduates since it started in 2021. The school district said the program serves 40 to 50 students at any given time. The district said no district employees were on site at the time of the shooting.Interim Superintendent Matt Smith said in a statement: “We are saddened to learn of another act of gun violence, especially one that impacts an organization that works closely with some of our students. We are still waiting to learn more details, but our thoughts are with any victims of this incident and their families and friends.”Gov. Kim Reynolds, who serves on an advisory board for Starts Right Here, said she was “shocked and saddened to hear about the shooting.” Des Moines Police Chief Dana Wingert is on the Starts Right Here board, according to the program's website.“I’ve seen first-hand how hard Will Keeps and his staff works to help at-risk kids through this alternative education program,” Reynolds said in a statement. "My heart breaks for them, these kids and their families.”Nicole Krantz said her office near the school was put on lockdown immediately after the shooting, and she saw someone running from the building with police in pursuit on foot and in patrol cars.“We just saw a lot of cop cars pouring in from everywhere,” Krantz told the Des Moines Register. “It’s terrifying. We’re all worried. We went on lockdown, obviously. We were all told to stay away from the windows because we weren’t sure if they caught the guy,”The shooting was the sixth at a school in the U.S. this year in which someone was injured or killed, but the first with fatalities, according to Education Week, which tracks school shootings. The website said there were 51 school shootings last year involving injuries or deaths, and there have been 150 since 2018. In the worst school shooting last year,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/shootings-texas-0145c5eac6acbd19ca769b4978c6f1ae">21 people were killed</a>&nbsp;in an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas.In a separate shooting outside a Des Moines high school last March, one student was killed and two other teens were badly injured. Ten people — who were all between the ages of 14 and 18 at the time of the shooting — were charged afterward. Five of them have pleaded guilty to various charges associated with the shooting.--------------DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Two students were killed Monday and an adult employee was injured in what police said was a targeted shooting at a Des Moines school that is dedicated to helping at-risk youth, and three people were arrested afterward.The shooting was at an educational program called Starts Right Here that is affiliated with the Des Moines school district. Des Moines Mayor Frank Cownie said at Monday night's City Council meeting that the injured adult is the program's founder, William Holmes, a rapper who goes by the stage name Will Keeps.“We all wish Will our best," Cownie said. He also said that the students who died were teenagers, and three people arrested were also teens, and the shooting is another story of young lives taken too soon by gun violence.“Two teenagers tonight are dead because of this violence. Just a short time ago, I spoke to their family members and offered our community’s support and thoughts and prayers. But there is little one can say that will lessen their pain,” he said. “Nothing that can be said to bring them back, those who were killed so senselessly.”He asked those at the City Council meeting to observe a moment of silence for the victims.Police said emergency crews were called to the school, which is in a business park, just before 1 p.m. Officers arrived to find two students critically injured, and they started CPR immediately. The two students died at a hospital. The adult employee, later identified by the mayor as Keeps, was in serious condition and was headed into surgery Monday afternoon.About 20 minutes after the shooting, police said officers stopped a car that matched witnesses' descriptions about 2 miles (3.22 kilometers) away and took three people into custody. Police said one person ran from the car, but officers tracked that person down with a K-9.“The incident was definitely targeted. It was not random. There was nothing random about this,” Sgt. Paul Parizek said.The Starts Right Here program, which helps at-risk youth in grades 9-12, was founded in 2021 by Keeps.“The school is designed to pick up the slack and help the kids who need help the most,” Parizek said.The Greater Des Moines Partnership, the economic and community development organization for the region, says on its website that Keeps came to Des Moines about 20 years ago from Chicago, where he “lived in a world of gangs and violence” before finding healing through music.The partnership said the Starts Right Here movement “seeks to encourage and educate young people living in disadvantaged and oppressive circumstances using the arts, entertainment, music, hip hop and other programs. It also teaches financial literacy and helps students prepare for job interviews and improve their communication skills. The ultimate goal is to break down barriers of fear, intimidation and other damaging factors leading to a sense of being disenfranchised, forgotten and rejected.”The school’s website says 70% of the students it serves are minorities, and it has had 28 graduates since it started. The school district said the program serves 40 to 50 students at any given time. The district said no district employees were on site at the time of the shooting.Interim Superintendent Matt Smith said in a statement: “We are saddened to learn of another act of gun violence, especially one that impacts an organization that works closely with some of our students. We are still waiting to learn more details, but our thoughts are with any victims of this incident and their families and friends.”Gov. Kim Reynolds, who serves on an advisory board for Starts Right Here, said she was “shocked and saddened to hear about the shooting.” Des Moines Police Chief Dana Wingert is on the Starts Right Here board, according to the program's website.“I’ve seen first-hand how hard Will Keeps and his staff works to help at-risk kids through this alternative education program,” Reynolds said in a statement. "My heart breaks for them, these kids and their families. Kevin and I are praying for their safe recovery.”Nicole Krantz said her office near the school was put on lockdown immediately after the shooting, and she saw someone running from the building with police in pursuit on foot and in patrol cars.“We just saw a lot of cop cars pouring in from everywhere,” Krantz told the Des Moines Register. “It’s terrifying. We’re all worried. We went on lockdown, obviously. We were all told to stay away from the windows because we weren’t sure if they caught the guy,”The shooting was the sixth at a school in the U.S. this year in which someone was injured or killed, but the first with fatalities, according to Education Week, which tracks school shootings. The website said there were 51 school shootings last year involving injuries or deaths, and there have been 150 since 2018. In the worst school shooting last year,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/shootings-texas-0145c5eac6acbd19ca769b4978c6f1ae">21 people were killed</a>&nbsp;in an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas.In a separate shooting outside a Des Moines high school last March, one student was killed and two other teens were badly injured. Ten people — who were all between the ages of 14 and 18 at the time of the shooting — were charged afterward. Five of them have pleaded guilty to various charges associated with the shooting.----------------DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Two students were killed Monday and an adult employee was injured in what police said was a targeted shooting at a Des Moines school that is dedicated to helping at-risk youth, and three suspects were arrested afterward.The shooting was at an educational program called Starts Right Here that is affiliated with the Des Moines school district.Police say emergency crews were called to the school, which is in a business park, just before 1 p.m. Officers arrived to find two students critically injured, and they started CPR immediately. The two students died at a hospital. The adult employee of the school who was injured is in serious condition and was headed into surgery Monday afternoon.About 20 minutes after the shooting, police said officers stopped a car that matched witnesses' descriptions about two miles away and took three suspects into custody. Police said one of the suspects ran from the car, but officers using a K-9 were able to track that person down.“The incident was definitely targeted. It was not random. There was nothing random about this,” Sgt. Paul Parizek said.The Starts Right Here program, which helps at-risk youth in grades 9-12, was founded in 2021 by Will Holmes, a rapper whose stage name is Will Keeps. He didn't immediately respond to a message seeking comment Monday.“The school is designed to pick up the slack and help the kids who need help the most,” Parizek said.The Greater Des Moines Partnership, the economic and community development organization for the region, says on its website that Keeps came to Des Moines about 20 years ago from Chicago, where he “lived in a world of gangs and violence” before finding healing through music.The partnership said the Starts Right Here movement “seeks to encourage and educate young people living in disadvantaged and oppressive circumstances using the arts, entertainment, music, hip hop and other programs. It also teaches financial literacy and helps students prepare for job interviews and improve their communication skills. The ultimate goal is to break down barriers of fear, intimidation and other damaging factors leading to a sense of being disenfranchised, forgotten and rejected.”The school’s website says 70% of the students it serves are minorities, and it has had 28 graduates since it started. The school district said the program serves 40 to 50 students at any given time. The district said no district employees were on site at the time of the shooting.Interim Superintendent Matt Smith said in a statement: “We are saddened to learn of another act of gun violence, especially one that impacts an organization that works closely with some of our students. We are still waiting to learn more details, but our thoughts are with any victims of this incident and their families and friends.”Gov. Kim Reynolds, who serves on an advisory board for Starts Right Here, said she was “shocked and saddened to hear about the shooting.” Des Moines Police Chief Dana Wingert is on the Starts Right Here board.“I’ve seen first-hand how hard Will Keeps and his staff works to help at-risk kids through this alternative education program,” Reynolds said in a statement. "My heart breaks for them, these kids and their families. Kevin and I are praying for their safe recovery.”Nicole Krantz said her office near the school was put on lockdown immediately after the shooting, and she saw someone running from the building with police in pursuit on foot and in patrol cars.“We just saw a lot of cop cars pouring in from everywhere,” Krantz said to the Des Moines Register. “It’s terrifying. We’re all worried. We went on lockdown, obviously. We were all told to stay away from the windows because we weren’t sure if they caught the guy,”The shooting was the sixth at a school in the U.S. this year in which someone was injured or killed, but the first with fatalities, according to Education Week, which tracks school shootings. The website said there were 51 school shootings last year involving injuries or deaths, and there have been 150 since 2018. In the worst school shooting last year,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/shootings-texas-0145c5eac6acbd19ca769b4978c6f1ae">21 people were killed</a>&nbsp;in an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas.In a separate shooting outside a Des Moines high school last March, one student was killed and two other teens were badly injured. Ten people — who were all between the ages of 14 and 18 at the time of the shooting — were charged afterward. Five of them have pleaded guilty to various charges associated with the shooting.