WASHINGTON — Today, the Internal Revenue Service, the U.S. Department
 of the Treasury and the Bureau of the Fiscal Service announced they are
 disbursing approximately 37 million payments in the second batch of 
Economic Impact Payments from the American Rescue Plan. This brings the 
total disbursed payments from the American Rescue Plan to approximately 
127 million payments worth approximately $325 billion.

As <a href="https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/jy0055">announced</a> on March 12, Economic Impact Payments will continue to roll out in batches to millions of Americans in the coming weeks.

The second batch of payments includes direct deposits, as well as 
paper checks and debit cards being sent through the mail. Here is 
additional information on the second batch of payments:

As <a href="https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/jy0063">announced</a>
 last week, the first batch of payments was mostly sent by direct 
deposit. Here is additional information on the first batch of payments:

Additional batches of payments will be sent in the coming weeks 
as direct deposits and through the mail as paper checks or debit cards. 
The vast majority of all Economic Impact Payments will be issued by 
direct deposit. No action is needed by most taxpayers.

Many federal beneficiaries who filed 2019 or 2020 returns or used the
 Non-Filers tool were included in these first two batches of payments, 
if eligible.&nbsp;For federal beneficiaries who did not file a 2019 or 2020 
tax return or did not use the Non-Filers tool, the IRS is working 
directly with the Social Security Administration, the Railroad 
Retirement Board, and the Veterans Administration to obtain updated 2021
 information to ensure that as many people as possible are sent fast, 
automatic payments. More information about when these payments will be 
made will be provided on IRS. gov as soon as it becomes available.

Individuals can check the <a href="https://www.irs.gov/coronavirus/get-my-payment">Get My Payment</a>&nbsp;tool on IRS.gov to see the payment status of these payments. Additional information on <a href="https://www.irs.gov/coronavirus/economic-impact-payments">Economic Impact Payments</a> is available on IRS.gov.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/9/1599869632873.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>IRSWASHINGTON — Today, the Internal Revenue Service, the U.S. Department
 of the Treasury and the Bureau of the Fiscal Service announced they are
 disbursing approximately 37 million payments in the second batch of 
Economic Impact Payments from the American Rescue Plan. This brings the 
total disbursed payments from the American Rescue Plan to approximately 
127 million payments worth approximately $325 billion.As <a href="https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/jy0055">announced</a> on March 12, Economic Impact Payments will continue to roll out in batches to millions of Americans in the coming weeks.The second batch of payments includes direct deposits, as well as 
paper checks and debit cards being sent through the mail. Here is 
additional information on the second batch of payments:<ul>
 <li>Like the first batch of payments, the payments announced today 
primarily were sent to eligible taxpayers who filed 2019 or 2020 
returns. People who don't typically file a return but who successfully 
used the Non-Filers tool on IRS.gov last year were sent payments in this
 batch.</li><li>In total, this second batch includes approximately 37 million payments, with a total value of nearly $83 billion.</li><li>As part of that, this batch of payments includes approximately 17 
million direct deposit payments, with a total value of more than $38 
billion. These payments began processing on Friday, March 19, and some 
Americans saw the direct deposit payments as pending or as provisional 
payments in their accounts before today's official payment date.</li><li>In addition, this batch of payments includes nearly 15 million 
paper checks (with a total value of nearly $34 billion) and 
approximately 5 million prepaid debit cards (with a total value of 
around $11 billion).</li><li>Paper checks and debit cards – known as EIP cards –began processing
 on Friday, March 19, and will continue to be sent by mail over the next
 few weeks.</li>
 </ul>As <a href="https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/jy0063">announced</a>
 last week, the first batch of payments was mostly sent by direct 
deposit. Here is additional information on the first batch of payments:<ul>
 <li>The first batch of payments began processing on Friday, March 
12, and some Americans saw the direct deposit payments as pending or as 
provisional payments in their accounts before the official payment date 
of March 17.</li><li>The first batch of payments primarily was sent to eligible 
taxpayers who provided direct deposit information on their 2019 or 2020 
returns, including people who don't typically file a return but who 
successfully used the Non-Filers tool on IRS.gov last year.</li><li>In total, the first batch included approximately 90 million payments, with a total value of more than $242 billion.</li><li>The use of direct deposit to issue these payments means that they 
were disbursed remarkably faster than would otherwise be possible.</li><li>While most payments were disbursed by direct deposit, Treasury mailed roughly 150,000 checks worth approximately $442 million.</li>
 </ul>Additional batches of payments will be sent in the coming weeks 
as direct deposits and through the mail as paper checks or debit cards. 
The vast majority of all Economic Impact Payments will be issued by 
direct deposit. No action is needed by most taxpayers.Many federal beneficiaries who filed 2019 or 2020 returns or used the
 Non-Filers tool were included in these first two batches of payments, 
if eligible.&nbsp;For federal beneficiaries who did not file a 2019 or 2020 
tax return or did not use the Non-Filers tool, the IRS is working 
directly with the Social Security Administration, the Railroad 
Retirement Board, and the Veterans Administration to obtain updated 2021
 information to ensure that as many people as possible are sent fast, 
automatic payments. More information about when these payments will be 
made will be provided on IRS. gov as soon as it becomes available.Individuals can check the <a href="https://www.irs.gov/coronavirus/get-my-payment">Get My Payment</a>&nbsp;tool on IRS.gov to see the payment status of these payments. Additional information on <a href="https://www.irs.gov/coronavirus/economic-impact-payments">Economic Impact Payments</a> is available on IRS.gov.

IRS: Second batch of COVID stimulus payments sent to 37M

KANSAS CITY - The FBI announced a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to the recovery of national treasures stolen 43 years ago from the Truman Presidential Library located at 500 W. US Hwy 24, Independence, Missouri.

On March 24, 1978, around 6:30 a.m. a car pulled up near the south gate of the library. Two suspects, believed to be aware of the library’s security procedures, broke into the library and smashed a display case in the lobby.

The display case contained three ceremonial swords and two daggers that had been given to President Truman by the Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Saud and the Shah of Iran. 

The theft took just minutes and the suspects fled the building through a window. The items stolen were valued between $700,000 and $1,000,000 in 1978 value.

The FBI is renewing this investigative effort and is seeking the public’s assistance for any information pertaining to the theft or whereabouts of these stolen national treasures. 

Anyone with information should contact the FBI Kansas City office directly at (816) 512-8200 or submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov. 

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/3/1616608765817.png" alt="The display case after the burglary-photo FBI" />
 <figcaption>The display case after the burglary-photo FBI</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY - The FBI announced a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to the recovery of national treasures stolen 43 years ago from the Truman Presidential Library located at 500 W. US Hwy 24, Independence, Missouri.On March 24, 1978, around 6:30 a.m. a car pulled up near the south gate of the library. Two suspects, believed to be aware of the library’s security procedures, broke into the library and smashed a display case in the lobby.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/3/1616608784623.png" alt="The display case contained three ceremonial swords-photo FBI" />
 <figcaption>The display case contained three ceremonial swords-photo FBI</figcaption>
 </figure>The display case contained three ceremonial swords and two daggers that had been given to President Truman by the Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Saud and the Shah of Iran. The theft took just minutes and the suspects fled the building through a window. The items stolen were valued between $700,000 and $1,000,000 in 1978 value.The FBI is renewing this investigative effort and is seeking the public’s assistance for any information pertaining to the theft or whereabouts of these stolen national treasures. Anyone with information should contact the FBI Kansas City office directly at (816) 512-8200 or submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov.

FBI: New reward offered in theft of national treasures

WASHINGTON (AP) —The U.S. Senate has confirmed former Pennsylvania Health Secretary Rachel Levine to be the nation's assistant secretary of health. 

She is the first openly transgender federal official to win Senate confirmation. The final vote was 52-48, mostly along party lines. Levine had been serving as Pennsylvania’s top health official since 2017, and emerged as the public face of the state’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. 

She is expected to oversee Health and Human Services offices and programs across the U.S. Transgender-rights activists have hailed Levine’s appointment as a historic breakthrough. Few trans people have ever held high-level offices at the federal or state level.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/3/1616623103081.png" alt="Rachel Levine during her Senate confirmation testimony -image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Rachel Levine during her Senate confirmation testimony -image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) —The U.S. Senate has confirmed former Pennsylvania Health Secretary Rachel Levine to be the nation's assistant secretary of health. She is the first openly transgender federal official to win Senate confirmation. The final vote was 52-48, mostly along party lines. Levine had been serving as Pennsylvania’s top health official since 2017, and emerged as the public face of the state’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. She is expected to oversee Health and Human Services offices and programs across the U.S. Transgender-rights activists have hailed Levine’s appointment as a historic breakthrough. Few trans people have ever held high-level offices at the federal or state level.

A first: US Senate confirms transgender doctor for key post

By BRIAN GRIMMETT <a href="https://www.kmuw.org/post/kansas-lawmakers-are-contemplating-rules-could-doom-new-wind-farms">Kansas News Service</a>

WICHITA, Kansas — Wind now cranks up more kilowatts than any other power source in the state of Kansas.

Yet even as towering turbines and their slow-churning blades come to <a href="https://www.eia.gov/electricity/data/browser/#/topic/0?agg=1,0,2&amp;fuel=008&amp;geo=vvvvvvvvvvvvo&amp;sec=o3g&amp;linechart=ELEC.GEN.WND-KS-99.A&amp;columnchart=ELEC.GEN.WND-US-99.A~ELEC.GEN.WND-IA-99.A~ELEC.GEN.WND-TX-99.A&amp;map=ELEC.GEN.WND-US-99.A&amp;freq=A&amp;start=2001&amp;end=2020&amp;ctype=linechart&amp;ltype=pin&amp;rtype=s&amp;datecode=null&amp;maptype=0&amp;rse=0&amp;pin=">increasingly define the Kansas landscape,</a> a counter movement seems to take hold.

A <a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/sb279/">bill pending in the Kansas Legislature would all but outlaw the erection of more of those giant turbines</a> by saying that companies couldn’t place them within a mile and a half of an existing building.

The
 legislation would also bar new wind farms within three miles from any 
airport and one mile from the property line of anybody not participating
 in the development.

“This bill would be the most wind unfriendly
 legislation in the entire wind belt,” Dave Kerr, a former Kansas Senate
 President, told members of the Senate Utilities Committee. “We would 
have no more new wind farms in Kansas.”

Setbacks aim to protect 
people and buildings from wind noise, the flicker of the turbine blades’
 shadows and debris from any catastrophic failure.

Such rules typically come at the local level — <a href="https://www.kmuw.org/post/kansas-wind-turbine-placement-rules-depend-your-county-heres-guide">by county zoning laws or conditional use permits</a>. In Kansas, they range anywhere between 500 feet and about half a mile, depending on the county.

Kingman
 County in south-central Kansas is home to three large-scale wind farms 
and officials there want the freedom to make their own rules on where 
turbines should go. After all, wind projects stirred up business and 
government revenues.

“Leave our local control alone,” said Mike Temisch, a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kingmancoks.org/Directory.aspx?did=25">Kingman County commissioner</a>.
 “We can work with our people. Yeah, we’re not going to make everybody 
happy and somebody is going to be mad. But as of right now, we’re moving
 forward with more wind farms.”

Before the hearings began, a law firm that often works on wind projects in Kansas, released a <a href="https://sftp.polsinelli.com/files/upload/2020-Annual-Economic-Impacts-of-Kansas-Wind-Energy-c.pdf">report touting all of the benefits of wind development</a>.

The
 report claims that since the first large-scale project was built in 
2001, wind development has created 8,682 construction and 563 
operational jobs. It also said that the industry has contributed to 
supporting more than 12,000 indirect jobs.

The report also 
highlighted the amount of money the projects can bring in. Wind farms 
don’t pay counties property taxes at the moment, but they have paid more
 than $657 million in other negotiated payments and donations.

Wind energy has also led to almost $48 million a year in lease payments to local landowners.

But growing pushback to wind development in several Kansas counties drives the legislation in Topeka. It reflects the sort of <a href="https://www.kmuw.org/post/kansas-county-showing-what-wind-farms-havent-seen-much-local-opposition">sentiment that blocked a wind farm near Pretty Prairie in Reno County</a>.

Activists in other counties feel local officials haven’t taken their objections seriously. A state law would change that.

“I
 have a right and I feel that you all have an obligation to protect my 
rights,” Mike Burns of Eudora said during committee hearings. “You have 
an obligation to do something statewide.”

Along with concerns 
over damage to property values, supporters of the bill also worry about 
the impacts of noise, the potential for ice to break off of blades and 
damage their houses, and how the turbines will kill birds and bats.

Diane
 Havercamp is the City Clerk in Corning, Kansas. She supports the bill 
and says small cities and towns like hers don’t have the money or 
experience to stand up to large wind developers. She told the committee 
that the economic gains aren’t worth the conflict between those who want
 the turbines and those who don’t.

“No other small community 
should have to go through the same hardships that we have over the past 
two years,” she said. “Our community seriously has wounds that will 
probably never heal.”

Brian Grimmett reports on the 
environment, energy and natural resources for KMUW in Wichita and the 
Kansas News Service. You can follow him on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/briangrimmett?lang=en">@briangrimmett</a> or email him at grimmett@kmuw.org.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/3/1616619657963.png" alt=" One of many wind farms that dot the Kansas prairie. Brian Grimmett / Kansas News Service" />
 <figcaption> One of many wind farms that dot the Kansas prairie. Brian Grimmett / Kansas News Service</figcaption>
 </figure>By BRIAN GRIMMETT <a href="https://www.kmuw.org/post/kansas-lawmakers-are-contemplating-rules-could-doom-new-wind-farms">Kansas News Service</a>WICHITA, Kansas — Wind now cranks up more kilowatts than any other power source in the state of Kansas.Yet even as towering turbines and their slow-churning blades come to <a href="https://www.eia.gov/electricity/data/browser/#/topic/0?agg=1,0,2&amp;fuel=008&amp;geo=vvvvvvvvvvvvo&amp;sec=o3g&amp;linechart=ELEC.GEN.WND-KS-99.A&amp;columnchart=ELEC.GEN.WND-US-99.A~ELEC.GEN.WND-IA-99.A~ELEC.GEN.WND-TX-99.A&amp;map=ELEC.GEN.WND-US-99.A&amp;freq=A&amp;start=2001&amp;end=2020&amp;ctype=linechart&amp;ltype=pin&amp;rtype=s&amp;datecode=null&amp;maptype=0&amp;rse=0&amp;pin=">increasingly define the Kansas landscape,</a> a counter movement seems to take hold.A <a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/sb279/">bill pending in the Kansas Legislature would all but outlaw the erection of more of those giant turbines</a> by saying that companies couldn’t place them within a mile and a half of an existing building.The
 legislation would also bar new wind farms within three miles from any 
airport and one mile from the property line of anybody not participating
 in the development.“This bill would be the most wind unfriendly
 legislation in the entire wind belt,” Dave Kerr, a former Kansas Senate
 President, told members of the Senate Utilities Committee. “We would 
have no more new wind farms in Kansas.”Setbacks aim to protect 
people and buildings from wind noise, the flicker of the turbine blades’
 shadows and debris from any catastrophic failure.Such rules typically come at the local level — <a href="https://www.kmuw.org/post/kansas-wind-turbine-placement-rules-depend-your-county-heres-guide">by county zoning laws or conditional use permits</a>. In Kansas, they range anywhere between 500 feet and about half a mile, depending on the county.Kingman
 County in south-central Kansas is home to three large-scale wind farms 
and officials there want the freedom to make their own rules on where 
turbines should go. After all, wind projects stirred up business and 
government revenues.“Leave our local control alone,” said Mike Temisch, a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kingmancoks.org/Directory.aspx?did=25">Kingman County commissioner</a>.
 “We can work with our people. Yeah, we’re not going to make everybody 
happy and somebody is going to be mad. But as of right now, we’re moving
 forward with more wind farms.”Before the hearings began, a law firm that often works on wind projects in Kansas, released a <a href="https://sftp.polsinelli.com/files/upload/2020-Annual-Economic-Impacts-of-Kansas-Wind-Energy-c.pdf">report touting all of the benefits of wind development</a>.The
 report claims that since the first large-scale project was built in 
2001, wind development has created 8,682 construction and 563 
operational jobs. It also said that the industry has contributed to 
supporting more than 12,000 indirect jobs.The report also 
highlighted the amount of money the projects can bring in. Wind farms 
don’t pay counties property taxes at the moment, but they have paid more
 than $657 million in other negotiated payments and donations.Wind energy has also led to almost $48 million a year in lease payments to local landowners.But growing pushback to wind development in several Kansas counties drives the legislation in Topeka. It reflects the sort of <a href="https://www.kmuw.org/post/kansas-county-showing-what-wind-farms-havent-seen-much-local-opposition">sentiment that blocked a wind farm near Pretty Prairie in Reno County</a>.Activists in other counties feel local officials haven’t taken their objections seriously. A state law would change that.“I
 have a right and I feel that you all have an obligation to protect my 
rights,” Mike Burns of Eudora said during committee hearings. “You have 
an obligation to do something statewide.”Along with concerns 
over damage to property values, supporters of the bill also worry about 
the impacts of noise, the potential for ice to break off of blades and 
damage their houses, and how the turbines will kill birds and bats.Diane
 Havercamp is the City Clerk in Corning, Kansas. She supports the bill 
and says small cities and towns like hers don’t have the money or 
experience to stand up to large wind developers. She told the committee 
that the economic gains aren’t worth the conflict between those who want
 the turbines and those who don’t.“No other small community 
should have to go through the same hardships that we have over the past 
two years,” she said. “Our community seriously has wounds that will 
probably never heal.”Brian Grimmett reports on the 
environment, energy and natural resources for KMUW in Wichita and the 
Kansas News Service. You can follow him on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/briangrimmett?lang=en">@briangrimmett</a> or email him at grimmett@kmuw.org.

Kan. lawmakers consider rules that could doom new wind farms 

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate confirmed a soft-spoken physician as President Joe Biden's surgeon general Tuesday. While Dr. Vivek Murthy says ending the coronavirus pandemic is his top priority, he's also raised concerns over a relapsing opioid overdose crisis.

The vote on Murthy was 57-43, giving him bipartisan support. Biden's coronavirus response can already count on plenty of star players, but Murthy has a particular niche. As a successful author he's addressed issues of loneliness and isolation that have been exacerbated by the pandemic.

For Murthy, this will be his second tour as America's doctor, having previously served under former President Barack Obama.

COVID-19 has taken the lives of several members of Murthy's extended family. He told senators during his confirmation hearing that he wants to help individuals and families protect themselves by conveying “clear, science-based guidance” to the general public. Persuading Americans to keep up such protective measures as wearing masks could well be his toughest challenge.

Murthy served as co-chair of the Biden transition team’s coronavirus advisory board, and is said to enjoy a close personal relationship with the president.

Murthy's family roots are in India, but as a youngster he lived in Miami. His father had a medical clinic, where both parents worked. The son spent weekends helping out and says that’s where he discovered the art of healing.

“As a child, I watched them make house calls in the middle of the night and wake up early to visit patients in the hospital before heading to their office,” he told senators. “I have tried to live by the lessons they embodied: that we have an obligation to help each other whenever we can, to alleviate suffering wherever we find it, and to give back to this country that made their lives, and my life, and the lives of my children possible. ”

Murthy’s style evokes the bedside manner of an empathetic physician. He “effectively conveys compassion and credibility at a time of great need for just that,” said Chris Jennings, a longtime health policy adviser to Democrats.

From his previous stint as surgeon general, Murthy says he is most proud of his efforts to call attention to the opioid epidemic, the consequences of which were not fully understood at the time.

After dipping slightly, opioid deaths have again risen, driven by street formulations laced with the powerful painkiller fentanyl.

“We cannot neglect the other public health crises that have been exacerbated by this pandemic, particularly the opioid epidemic, mental illness and racial and geographic health inequities," Murthy told senators.

Murthy has drawn opposition from gun rights advocates because of his longstanding assessment that mass shootings amount to a public health problem. But he told senators that while he supports the government studying gun violence as a problem, “my focus is not on this issue, and if I’m confirmed it will be on COVID, on mental health and substance use disorder.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/3/1616610905496.png" alt="Dr. Vivek Murthy during his Senate confirmation hearing last month-image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Dr. Vivek Murthy during his Senate confirmation hearing last month-image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate confirmed a soft-spoken physician as President Joe Biden's surgeon general Tuesday. While Dr. Vivek Murthy says ending the coronavirus pandemic is his top priority, he's also raised concerns over a relapsing opioid overdose crisis.The vote on Murthy was 57-43, giving him bipartisan support. Biden's coronavirus response can already count on plenty of star players, but Murthy has a particular niche. As a successful author he's addressed issues of loneliness and isolation that have been exacerbated by the pandemic.For Murthy, this will be his second tour as America's doctor, having previously served under former President Barack Obama.COVID-19 has taken the lives of several members of Murthy's extended family. He told senators during his confirmation hearing that he wants to help individuals and families protect themselves by conveying “clear, science-based guidance” to the general public. Persuading Americans to keep up such protective measures as wearing masks could well be his toughest challenge.Murthy served as co-chair of the Biden transition team’s coronavirus advisory board, and is said to enjoy a close personal relationship with the president.Murthy's family roots are in India, but as a youngster he lived in Miami. His father had a medical clinic, where both parents worked. The son spent weekends helping out and says that’s where he discovered the art of healing.“As a child, I watched them make house calls in the middle of the night and wake up early to visit patients in the hospital before heading to their office,” he told senators. “I have tried to live by the lessons they embodied: that we have an obligation to help each other whenever we can, to alleviate suffering wherever we find it, and to give back to this country that made their lives, and my life, and the lives of my children possible. ”Murthy’s style evokes the bedside manner of an empathetic physician. He “effectively conveys compassion and credibility at a time of great need for just that,” said Chris Jennings, a longtime health policy adviser to Democrats.From his previous stint as surgeon general, Murthy says he is most proud of his efforts to call attention to the opioid epidemic, the consequences of which were not fully understood at the time.After dipping slightly, opioid deaths have again risen, driven by street formulations laced with the powerful painkiller fentanyl.“We cannot neglect the other public health crises that have been exacerbated by this pandemic, particularly the opioid epidemic, mental illness and racial and geographic health inequities," Murthy told senators.Murthy has drawn opposition from gun rights advocates because of his longstanding assessment that mass shootings amount to a public health problem. But he told senators that while he supports the government studying gun violence as a problem, “my focus is not on this issue, and if I’m confirmed it will be on COVID, on mental health and substance use disorder.”

New U.S. surgeon general to focus on COVID, opioids

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — Ohio officials say a website unveiled by South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem to promote her campaign to ban transgender women from women’s sports is using photos without consent. 

Ohio Democratic state lawmaker Casey Weinstein says the website “Defend Title IX Now” features images from Hudson, Ohio and other neighboring communities, Hudson City School District officials told KELO-TV in an email to the station they did not give permission for anyone to display the photos and object to them being used “in a political endeavor.”

 Noem spokesman Ian Fury says the site is not run by the state and the web developer obtained the rights to all the photographs.

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — Ohio officials say a website unveiled by South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem to promote her campaign to ban transgender women from women’s sports is using photos without consent. Ohio Democratic state lawmaker Casey Weinstein says the website “Defend Title IX Now” features images from Hudson, Ohio and other neighboring communities, Hudson City School District officials told KELO-TV in an email to the station they did not give permission for anyone to display the photos and object to them being used “in a political endeavor.” Noem spokesman Ian Fury says the site is not run by the state and the web developer obtained the rights to all the photographs.

Ohio officials say Noem website used photos without consent

NORTH PLATTE&nbsp; — Troopers with the Nebraska State Patrol have arrested a California man after locating a missing Maine juvenile at a rest area near Brady. A missing persons alert had been issued for the 15 year old girl in Maine.

On Tuesday, March 23, NSP received information from the Lewiston Police Department in Maine that a missing juvenile may be traveling with another person through Nebraska. Troopers were able to locate the suspect vehicle, a Ford Mustang, at the Brady rest area, near mile marker 194 on Interstate 80.

The missing juvenile and an adult male were located at the rest area. The male, Taylor Hauke, 23, of Vacaville, California, was arrested for child abuse and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. He was lodged in Lincoln County Jail.

The juvenile is in the process of being returned to Maine. The investigation remains ongoing.

NORTH PLATTE&nbsp; — Troopers with the Nebraska State Patrol have arrested a California man after locating a missing Maine juvenile at a rest area near Brady. A missing persons alert had been issued for the 15 year old girl in Maine.On Tuesday, March 23, NSP received information from the Lewiston Police Department in Maine that a missing juvenile may be traveling with another person through Nebraska. Troopers were able to locate the suspect vehicle, a Ford Mustang, at the Brady rest area, near mile marker 194 on Interstate 80.The missing juvenile and an adult male were located at the rest area. The male, Taylor Hauke, 23, of Vacaville, California, was arrested for child abuse and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. He was lodged in Lincoln County Jail.The juvenile is in the process of being returned to Maine. The investigation remains ongoing.

Troopers locate missing Maine juvenile, arrest California man

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The top prosecutor serving Omaha and surrounding areas in Douglas County has convened a single grand jury to investigate more than a dozen in-custody deaths — including two people killed by Omaha police. 

The Omaha World-Herald reports that Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine is leading the process and that the unusually high number of case represents a backlog as courts sought to avoid convening jurors and others during the height of the coronavirus pandemic.

 Among the cases the grand jury will consider is the Nov. 20 shooting of 35-year-old Kenneth Jones during a traffic stop and the December 2019 police shooting of 57-year-old Terry Hudson during a domestic violence call.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The top prosecutor serving Omaha and surrounding areas in Douglas County has convened a single grand jury to investigate more than a dozen in-custody deaths — including two people killed by Omaha police. The Omaha World-Herald reports that Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine is leading the process and that the unusually high number of case represents a backlog as courts sought to avoid convening jurors and others during the height of the coronavirus pandemic. Among the cases the grand jury will consider is the Nov. 20 shooting of 35-year-old Kenneth Jones during a traffic stop and the December 2019 police shooting of 57-year-old Terry Hudson during a domestic violence call.

Prosecutor convenes 1 grand jury for 15 in-custody deaths

BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — Law enforcement officials and former associates of a 21-year-old man accused of killing 10 people at a Colorado supermarket have described the suspect as prone to sudden rage — and disclosed that he was suspended from high school several years ago for a sudden attack on a classmate that left the student bloodied.

Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa, from the Denver suburb of Arvada, was booked into jail Tuesday on murder charges a day after the attack at a King Soopers grocery in Boulder and is scheduled to make his first court appearance Thursday.

He will be advised at the hearing of the charges he faces and his rights as a defendant. He would not be asked to enter a plea until later in the judicial process.

Alissa bought a Ruger AR-556 pistol — which is technically a pistol though it resembles an AR-15 rifle with a slightly shorter stock — on March 16,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boulder-shootings-colorado-lawsuits-coronavirus-pandemic-aa071c955cfd79099d2d6a9a5a2a7ca2">six days before the attack</a>, according to an arrest affidavit. Investigators have not established a motive, said Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty.

Authorities have not disclosed where the gun was purchased. An AR-15-style gun was recovered inside the supermarket and believed to have been used in the shooting, said a law enforcement official briefed on the shooting who was not authorized to speak publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

A green tactical vest and a hand gun were also recovered inside the grocery store after the suspect removed most of his clothing shortly before he was taken into custody.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boulder-shootings-theater-colorado-medicare-21a45c0f570dc00e4219cc1d9ee0fa3a">Among the dead</a>&nbsp;was Boulder police Officer Eric Talley, 51, who was the first to arrive after responding to a call about shots fired and someone carrying a gun, said police Chief Maris Herold.

The law enforcement official who was briefed on the shooting said the suspect’s family told investigators that Alissa had delusions and that they believed he was suffering some type of mental illness. The relatives described times when Alissa told them people were following or chasing him, which they said may have contributed to the violence, the official said.

After the shooting, detectives went to Alissa’s home and found his sister-in-law, who told them that he had been playing with a weapon she thought looked like a “machine gun” about two days earlier, according to an arrest affidavit.

No one answered the door Tuesday at the Arvada home believed to be owned by the suspect’s father. The two-story house with a three-car garage sits in a relatively new middle- and upper-class neighborhood.

When he was a high school senior in 2018, Alissa was found guilty of assaulting a fellow student in class after knocking him to the floor, climbing on top of him and punching him in the head several times, according to a police affidavit.

Alissa “got up in classroom, walked over to the victim and ‘cold cocked’ him in the head,” the affidavit said.

Alissa complained that the student had made fun of him and called him “racial names” weeks earlier, the affidavit said.

An Arvada police report said the victim was bloodied and vomiting after the assault. Alissa was suspended from school and sentenced to probation and community service.

One of his former high school wrestling teammates, Angel Hernandez, said Alissa became enraged after losing a match during practice, letting out a stream of invectives and yelling that he would kill everyone. Alissa’s coach kicked him off the team because of the outburst, Hernandez said.

“He was one of those guys with a short fuse,” Hernandez said. “Once he gets mad, it’s like something takes over and it’s not him. There is no stopping him at that point.”

Hernandez said Alissa also acted strangely at times, turning around suddenly or glancing over his shoulder.

“He would say, ‘Did you see that? Did you see that?’” Hernandez recalled. “We wouldn’t see anything. We always thought he was messing with us.”

Arvada police investigated but dropped a separate criminal mischief complaint involving Alissa in 2018, said Detective David Snelling. Alissa also was cited for speeding in February.

After dark Tuesday, about 100 people mourned at a makeshift memorial set up for those killed in the supermarket nearby — adorning it with wreaths, candles, banners reading “#Boulderstrong” and 10 crosses with blue hearts and the victims’ names.

Four girls huddled in the cold, one crying as she reminisced about how they had protested the 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boulder-shootings-colorado-aurora-violence-1e0d6d89637819656d4aed39a5dc28f0">Others recalled</a>&nbsp;the 1999 massacre at Columbine High School and the 2012 Aurora movie theater massacre.

Homer Talley, 74, described his son Eric as a devoted father who “knew the Lord.” He had seven children, ages 7 to 20.

The other dead were identified as Denny Stong, 20; Neven Stanisic, 23; Rikki Olds, 25; Tralona Bartkowiak, 49; Suzanne Fountain, 59; Teri Leiker, 51; Kevin Mahoney, 61; Lynn Murray, 62; and Jodi Waters, 65.

Leiker, Olds and Stong worked at the supermarket, former co-worker Jordan Sailas said.

Kim Cordova, president of the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 7, which represents more than 30 store employees, said workers did their best to get customers to safety.

“They grabbed everybody they could and they brought them to the backroom or to other areas of the store to hide or got them out through the back dock,” Cordova said. “And these poor grocery workers have just been through hell in general working through COVID this entire last year of the pandemic.”

Monday’s attack was the seventh mass killing this year in the U.S., following the March 16 shooting that left eight people dead at three Atlanta-area massage businesses, according to a database compiled by the AP, USA Today and Northeastern University.

It follows a lull in mass killings during the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, which had the smallest number of such attacks in eight years, according to the database, which tracks mass killings defined as four or more dead, not including the shooter.

In Washington, President Joe Biden&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boulder-shootings-colorado-violence-legislation-674b5d19ee0255612fba242e42f9772c">called on Congress</a>&nbsp;to tighten the nation’s gun laws. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer vowed to bring forward two House-passed bills to require expanded background checks for gun buyers. Biden supports the measures, but they face a tougher route to passage in a closely divided Senate with a slim Democratic majority.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/3/1616547245871.png" alt="Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa photo Boulder Police" />
 <figcaption>Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa photo Boulder Police</figcaption>
 </figure>BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — Law enforcement officials and former associates of a 21-year-old man accused of killing 10 people at a Colorado supermarket have described the suspect as prone to sudden rage — and disclosed that he was suspended from high school several years ago for a sudden attack on a classmate that left the student bloodied.Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa, from the Denver suburb of Arvada, was booked into jail Tuesday on murder charges a day after the attack at a King Soopers grocery in Boulder and is scheduled to make his first court appearance Thursday.He will be advised at the hearing of the charges he faces and his rights as a defendant. He would not be asked to enter a plea until later in the judicial process.Alissa bought a Ruger AR-556 pistol — which is technically a pistol though it resembles an AR-15 rifle with a slightly shorter stock — on March 16,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boulder-shootings-colorado-lawsuits-coronavirus-pandemic-aa071c955cfd79099d2d6a9a5a2a7ca2">six days before the attack</a>, according to an arrest affidavit. Investigators have not established a motive, said Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty.Authorities have not disclosed where the gun was purchased. An AR-15-style gun was recovered inside the supermarket and believed to have been used in the shooting, said a law enforcement official briefed on the shooting who was not authorized to speak publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.A green tactical vest and a hand gun were also recovered inside the grocery store after the suspect removed most of his clothing shortly before he was taken into custody.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/3/1616505527834.png" alt="Officer Eric Talley-photo Boulder police" />
 <figcaption>Officer Eric Talley-photo Boulder police</figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://apnews.com/article/boulder-shootings-theater-colorado-medicare-21a45c0f570dc00e4219cc1d9ee0fa3a">Among the dead</a>&nbsp;was Boulder police Officer Eric Talley, 51, who was the first to arrive after responding to a call about shots fired and someone carrying a gun, said police Chief Maris Herold.The law enforcement official who was briefed on the shooting said the suspect’s family told investigators that Alissa had delusions and that they believed he was suffering some type of mental illness. The relatives described times when Alissa told them people were following or chasing him, which they said may have contributed to the violence, the official said.After the shooting, detectives went to Alissa’s home and found his sister-in-law, who told them that he had been playing with a weapon she thought looked like a “machine gun” about two days earlier, according to an arrest affidavit.No one answered the door Tuesday at the Arvada home believed to be owned by the suspect’s father. The two-story house with a three-car garage sits in a relatively new middle- and upper-class neighborhood.When he was a high school senior in 2018, Alissa was found guilty of assaulting a fellow student in class after knocking him to the floor, climbing on top of him and punching him in the head several times, according to a police affidavit.Alissa “got up in classroom, walked over to the victim and ‘cold cocked’ him in the head,” the affidavit said.Alissa complained that the student had made fun of him and called him “racial names” weeks earlier, the affidavit said.An Arvada police report said the victim was bloodied and vomiting after the assault. Alissa was suspended from school and sentenced to probation and community service.One of his former high school wrestling teammates, Angel Hernandez, said Alissa became enraged after losing a match during practice, letting out a stream of invectives and yelling that he would kill everyone. Alissa’s coach kicked him off the team because of the outburst, Hernandez said.“He was one of those guys with a short fuse,” Hernandez said. “Once he gets mad, it’s like something takes over and it’s not him. There is no stopping him at that point.”Hernandez said Alissa also acted strangely at times, turning around suddenly or glancing over his shoulder.“He would say, ‘Did you see that? Did you see that?’” Hernandez recalled. “We wouldn’t see anything. We always thought he was messing with us.”Arvada police investigated but dropped a separate criminal mischief complaint involving Alissa in 2018, said Detective David Snelling. Alissa also was cited for speeding in February.After dark Tuesday, about 100 people mourned at a makeshift memorial set up for those killed in the supermarket nearby — adorning it with wreaths, candles, banners reading “#Boulderstrong” and 10 crosses with blue hearts and the victims’ names.Four girls huddled in the cold, one crying as she reminisced about how they had protested the 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boulder-shootings-colorado-aurora-violence-1e0d6d89637819656d4aed39a5dc28f0">Others recalled</a>&nbsp;the 1999 massacre at Columbine High School and the 2012 Aurora movie theater massacre.Homer Talley, 74, described his son Eric as a devoted father who “knew the Lord.” He had seven children, ages 7 to 20.The other dead were identified as Denny Stong, 20; Neven Stanisic, 23; Rikki Olds, 25; Tralona Bartkowiak, 49; Suzanne Fountain, 59; Teri Leiker, 51; Kevin Mahoney, 61; Lynn Murray, 62; and Jodi Waters, 65.Leiker, Olds and Stong worked at the supermarket, former co-worker Jordan Sailas said.Kim Cordova, president of the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 7, which represents more than 30 store employees, said workers did their best to get customers to safety.“They grabbed everybody they could and they brought them to the backroom or to other areas of the store to hide or got them out through the back dock,” Cordova said. “And these poor grocery workers have just been through hell in general working through COVID this entire last year of the pandemic.”Monday’s attack was the seventh mass killing this year in the U.S., following the March 16 shooting that left eight people dead at three Atlanta-area massage businesses, according to a database compiled by the AP, USA Today and Northeastern University.It follows a lull in mass killings during the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, which had the smallest number of such attacks in eight years, according to the database, which tracks mass killings defined as four or more dead, not including the shooter.In Washington, President Joe Biden&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boulder-shootings-colorado-violence-legislation-674b5d19ee0255612fba242e42f9772c">called on Congress</a>&nbsp;to tighten the nation’s gun laws. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer vowed to bring forward two House-passed bills to require expanded background checks for gun buyers. Biden supports the measures, but they face a tougher route to passage in a closely divided Senate with a slim Democratic majority.___

Colorado shooting suspect set for court appearance

WASHINGTON — Dr. Anthony Fauci isn’t ready to say the nation has turned the corner on the coronavirus pandemic despite about 2.5 million Americans are getting vaccinated each day.

The government’s top infectious disease expert say he often gets asked that question. His response: “We are at the corner. Whether we or not we are going to be turning the corner remains to be seen.”

At the White House coronavirus briefing on Wednesday, Fauci says the main challenge remains a stubbornly high level of new daily cases in the country. It’s hovering around an average of 55,000 and up slightly in recent days. While that is clearly much better than the 250,000 daily cases at the peak of the winter wave, it’s uncomfortably close to levels seen during the COVID wave of last summer.

“When you are at that level, I don’t think you can declare victory and say you have turned the corner,” Fauci says.

On the plus side, along with the growing level of vaccinations, Fauci is underscoring recent studies that show negligible rates of coronavirus infection among fully vaccinated people. There’s also been a significant drop in the number of people 65 and older going to the emergency room with COVID-19. That’s the age group most vulnerable to the disease.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/2/1612486273418.png" alt="At the White House coronavirus briefing on Wednesday,&nbsp; Dr. Fauci said the main challenge remains a stubbornly high level of new daily cases in the country.&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>At the White House coronavirus briefing on Wednesday,&nbsp; Dr. Fauci said the main challenge remains a stubbornly high level of new daily cases in the country.&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON — Dr. Anthony Fauci isn’t ready to say the nation has turned the corner on the coronavirus pandemic despite about 2.5 million Americans are getting vaccinated each day.The government’s top infectious disease expert say he often gets asked that question. His response: “We are at the corner. Whether we or not we are going to be turning the corner remains to be seen.”At the White House coronavirus briefing on Wednesday, Fauci says the main challenge remains a stubbornly high level of new daily cases in the country. It’s hovering around an average of 55,000 and up slightly in recent days. While that is clearly much better than the 250,000 daily cases at the peak of the winter wave, it’s uncomfortably close to levels seen during the COVID wave of last summer.“When you are at that level, I don’t think you can declare victory and say you have turned the corner,” Fauci says.On the plus side, along with the growing level of vaccinations, Fauci is underscoring recent studies that show negligible rates of coronavirus infection among fully vaccinated people. There’s also been a significant drop in the number of people 65 and older going to the emergency room with COVID-19. That’s the age group most vulnerable to the disease.___

Dr. Fauci: Not turning corner yet on coronavirus

SPRINGFIELD, Neb. (AP) — Facebook is again expanding a data center it is building in the Omaha suburbs. 

The social media giant said Wednesday that it will spend an additional $400 million to add another 1 million square feet to the data center that is partly operational southwest of Omaha in Sarpy County. 

The company estimates that it will spend nearly $1.5 billion total on the project that will now expand from Papillion into Springfield and include 3.6 million square feet. 

When the project is completed in 2024, Facebook said the data center will employ roughly 300 people.

 The area already includes data centers for Google, Yahoo, Travelers Insurance and Fidelity Investments.

SPRINGFIELD, Neb. (AP) — Facebook is again expanding a data center it is building in the Omaha suburbs. The social media giant said Wednesday that it will spend an additional $400 million to add another 1 million square feet to the data center that is partly operational southwest of Omaha in Sarpy County. The company estimates that it will spend nearly $1.5 billion total on the project that will now expand from Papillion into Springfield and include 3.6 million square feet. When the project is completed in 2024, Facebook said the data center will employ roughly 300 people. The area already includes data centers for Google, Yahoo, Travelers Insurance and Fidelity Investments.

Facebook expanding data center under construction near Omaha

WASHINGTON (AP) —Postmaster General Louis DeJoy on Tuesday announced plans to slow mail delivery standards and cut hours at some post offices as part of a 10-year strategy to stabilize the struggling agency.

Details of the long-awaited plan come at a time of intense scrutiny on the U.S. Postal Service over persistent delivery delays under DeJoy, a major GOP donor who took over the agency last summer. The plan also includes a proposal to consolidate underused post offices, hinted at a potential postage rate increase and detailed investments in new delivery vehicles, among other things.

Facing an expected $160 billion in losses over the next decade, DeJoy and postal executives stressed the need to cut costs and modernize the agency's operations as its workload increasingly shifts from handling letters to hauling more and more packages.

“This is about the long-term viability of the organization under the two missions that we have that are legislated, that is deliver to every house six days a week and be self-sustaining," DeJoy said. He announced the plans at a webinar with other postal service officials.

DeJoy said the biggest change would be a relaxing of the current first-class letter delivery standard of one-to-three-days to a one-to-five-day benchmark. Postal leadership said the longer timeframe would apply only to mail going to the farthest reaches of its network and that 70% of first-class mail will still be delivered within a three-day standard.

The agency said it will subject potential changes to delivery standards, as well as several other parts of their plan, to a formal rulemaking process and advisory opinions from the independent Postal Regulatory Commission before they go into effect.

Sen. Gary Peters, a Michigan Democrat who has been critical of DeJoy, cautioned that any reduction of delivery standards would have a big impact on customers.

“While I understand Postal Service leadership’s desire to set long-term goals, I am concerned that several of the initiatives in this plan will harm service for folks across the country who rely on the Postal Service for prescription drugs, financial documents, running their small businesses, and more," said Peters.

Democrats have repeatedly called for DeJoy to be removed from his post as delivery times have lagged across the country. Late last month, President Joe Biden named three nominees to the agency's governing board, which if approved, would give Democrats and Democratic appointees a majority on the panel and the ability to oust DeJoy through a vote. Currently, all six of the board's members were appointed by former President Donald Trump. The White House didn't immediately return an email seeking comment.

DeJoy, a former supply-chain CEO who took over the Postal Service last June, has been mired in controversy since taking over the agency.

Shortly after taking the position, DeJoy carried out a series of controversial policy changes that delayed mail before the 2020 election, fueling worry that he was sabotaging the agency on behalf of Trump, a vocal critic of mail-in voting. DeJoy has strongly disputed that claim and eventually suspended some of his changes following intense public pushback and a crush of legal challenges.

Despite the concerns, the agency said it processed and delivered at least 135 million ballots during the general election and that 99.7% of ballots were delivered to election officials within five days.

Mark Dimondstein, president of the American Postal Workers Union, said the plan included some positive elements but urged the agency to prioritize on-time deliveries and other service standards.

“Any proposals that would either slow the mail, reduce access to post offices, or further pursue the failed strategy of plant consolidation will need to be addressed,” he said in a statement. “The APWU will proactively engage with USPS’s managers, the Postal Regulatory Commission, leaders in Congress and the public to address these issues.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/3/1616542786053.png" alt="Postmaster General Louis DeJoy testified before a Congressional committee in February -photo courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Postmaster General Louis DeJoy testified before a Congressional committee in February -photo courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) —Postmaster General Louis DeJoy on Tuesday announced plans to slow mail delivery standards and cut hours at some post offices as part of a 10-year strategy to stabilize the struggling agency.Details of the long-awaited plan come at a time of intense scrutiny on the U.S. Postal Service over persistent delivery delays under DeJoy, a major GOP donor who took over the agency last summer. The plan also includes a proposal to consolidate underused post offices, hinted at a potential postage rate increase and detailed investments in new delivery vehicles, among other things.Facing an expected $160 billion in losses over the next decade, DeJoy and postal executives stressed the need to cut costs and modernize the agency's operations as its workload increasingly shifts from handling letters to hauling more and more packages.“This is about the long-term viability of the organization under the two missions that we have that are legislated, that is deliver to every house six days a week and be self-sustaining," DeJoy said. He announced the plans at a webinar with other postal service officials.DeJoy said the biggest change would be a relaxing of the current first-class letter delivery standard of one-to-three-days to a one-to-five-day benchmark. Postal leadership said the longer timeframe would apply only to mail going to the farthest reaches of its network and that 70% of first-class mail will still be delivered within a three-day standard.The agency said it will subject potential changes to delivery standards, as well as several other parts of their plan, to a formal rulemaking process and advisory opinions from the independent Postal Regulatory Commission before they go into effect.Sen. Gary Peters, a Michigan Democrat who has been critical of DeJoy, cautioned that any reduction of delivery standards would have a big impact on customers.“While I understand Postal Service leadership’s desire to set long-term goals, I am concerned that several of the initiatives in this plan will harm service for folks across the country who rely on the Postal Service for prescription drugs, financial documents, running their small businesses, and more," said Peters.Democrats have repeatedly called for DeJoy to be removed from his post as delivery times have lagged across the country. Late last month, President Joe Biden named three nominees to the agency's governing board, which if approved, would give Democrats and Democratic appointees a majority on the panel and the ability to oust DeJoy through a vote. Currently, all six of the board's members were appointed by former President Donald Trump. The White House didn't immediately return an email seeking comment.DeJoy, a former supply-chain CEO who took over the Postal Service last June, has been mired in controversy since taking over the agency.Shortly after taking the position, DeJoy carried out a series of controversial policy changes that delayed mail before the 2020 election, fueling worry that he was sabotaging the agency on behalf of Trump, a vocal critic of mail-in voting. DeJoy has strongly disputed that claim and eventually suspended some of his changes following intense public pushback and a crush of legal challenges.Despite the concerns, the agency said it processed and delivered at least 135 million ballots during the general election and that 99.7% of ballots were delivered to election officials within five days.Mark Dimondstein, president of the American Postal Workers Union, said the plan included some positive elements but urged the agency to prioritize on-time deliveries and other service standards.“Any proposals that would either slow the mail, reduce access to post offices, or further pursue the failed strategy of plant consolidation will need to be addressed,” he said in a statement. “The APWU will proactively engage with USPS’s managers, the Postal Regulatory Commission, leaders in Congress and the public to address these issues.”

Slower mail, higher prices in U.S. Postal Service plan

WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats said Tuesday that they are pushing toward a vote on expanded gun control measures as the nation reels from its second mass shooting in a week. President Joe Biden said “we have to act,” but prospects for any major changes were dim, for now, in the closely divided Congress.

<a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?510204-1/president-biden-calls-congress-ban-assault-weapons-pass-background-checks-legislation">Click here&nbsp;</a>to watch the President's statement

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer vowed Tuesday morning to bring to the Senate floor legislation passed by the House that would require background checks for most gun sales and transfers. He said the Senate “must confront a devastating truth” after a lack of congressional action on the issue for almost three decades.

“This Senate will be different,” Schumer, D-N.Y., said a day after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/colorado-supermarket-shooting-10-dead-3da92f0d3db65afdb373cc6bb534a711">a shooting at a crowded Boulder, Colorado, supermarket</a>, killed 10 people, including a police officer. “The Senate is going to debate and address the epidemic of gun violence in this country.”

While a Senate vote on new gun control would be the first in several years, Democrats do not have the votes to pass any significant reform. They are not even united themselves, as Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., told reporters Tuesday that he opposes&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-shootings-legislation-gun-politics-bills-fbb6872ac0575551e2fc190f3aefbd73">the House legislation on background checks</a>.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., who has aggressively pushed for expanded gun control since&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/3795f3325a095af631cd19c280ae249b">the 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School</a>&nbsp;that killed 20 children and six educators, expressed optimism about the chances for new laws with Biden in the White House and Democrats controlling the House and the Senate. He called it “the dawn of a new era.”

Reality is likely more complicated. Senate Democrats do not currently have deep enough support among Republicans to pass new gun control legislation in the 50-50 Senate, as they would need 60 votes to do so. While expanding background checks is generally popular with the American public, even with some conservatives, Congress has been unable to find a successful compromise on guns in decades, making it one of the most intractable issues in American politics.

The gun debate also highlights a larger difficulty for Senate Democrats as they try to move forward on gun legislation and other policy priorities of the Biden White House. With the filibuster in place, forcing a 60-vote threshold for most legislation, House-passed bills on issues like gun control and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/house-passes-sweeping-voting-rights-bill-88088175552f13a8e3f6f25d7bc45f6c">voting rights</a>&nbsp;are effectively nonstarters unless Democrats secure significant GOP support.

Some Republicans hinted that they would be open to negotiations, though it was unclear if there were any real bipartisan discussions. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said he was opposed to the House legislation, but “I’m certainly open to the discussion.”

Manchin and Republican Sen. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania, who have worked together for years to find compromise on background checks, both said they were opposed to the House legislation, which would close loopholes to ensure background checks are extended to private and online sales that often go undetected, including at gun shows, with some limited exemptions for family and other scenarios. A similar version Manchin and Toomey proposed just after the Sandy Hook shootings included a broader set of exemptions than the House bill.

The House also passed a second bill to extend a certain review period for background checks from three to 10 days. Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., introduced the legislation after a shooter killed nine people at a Charleston, South Carolina, church in 2015.

Toomey said he would like to find legislation that could pass, but “that probably would require something that’s a little bit different. So, we’ll see if we can figure out how to thread that needle.”

Manchin did not say whether he would restart negotiations, only that “we’re going to try to do the responsible, reasonable thing.”

Schumer and Connecticut Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy, a leading advocate for gun control, said they would meet this week to discuss a path forward. Schumer has not said when he will bring the House legislation up for a vote.

Democrats say they feel the environment around gun legislation has evolved, especially since that last major push in 2013. They point to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ap-top-news-new-york-lawsuits-election-2020-u-s-news-056b7845ad1a35a68a4bf837329d9f6f">troubles at the National Rifle Association</a>, the long-powerful advocacy group that poured tens of millions of dollars into electing Donald Trump in 2016. The organization has been weakened by infighting as well as legal tangles over its finances.

“This is the moment to make our stand. NOW,” tweeted Murphy as details of the Colorado shooting emerged Monday evening. “Today, our movement is stronger than the gun lobby. They are weak. We are potent. Finally, a President and a Congress that supports gun reform.”

Democrats are hoping there is a gradual political shift among voters as well. A Pew Research Center poll in September 2019 showed a wide majority of Americans, 88%, supported making private gun sales and sales at gun shows subject to background checks, which is what the House-passed bill would do. Ninety-three percent of Democrats and 82% of Republicans were in favor of the policy.

Many in the GOP base are still strongly opposed to gun control of any kind. In Tuesday’s hearing, which was scheduled before the Colorado shooting, Republicans showed no signs of wavering. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz said that every time there is a shooting, the Senate engages in “ridiculous theater,” with Democrats proposing laws that he said could take guns away from law-abiding citizens. Republicans have argued that background checks would not stop most mass shootings and would prevent some lawful gun owners from purchasing firearms.

“We already know this pattern is predictable, over and over and over again,” Cruz said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/3/1616542961618.png" alt="During a White House statement Tuesday President Joe Biden said “we have to act."&nbsp; &nbsp;Image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>During a White House statement Tuesday President Joe Biden said “we have to act."&nbsp; &nbsp;Image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats said Tuesday that they are pushing toward a vote on expanded gun control measures as the nation reels from its second mass shooting in a week. President Joe Biden said “we have to act,” but prospects for any major changes were dim, for now, in the closely divided Congress.<a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?510204-1/president-biden-calls-congress-ban-assault-weapons-pass-background-checks-legislation">Click here&nbsp;</a>to watch the President's statementSenate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer vowed Tuesday morning to bring to the Senate floor legislation passed by the House that would require background checks for most gun sales and transfers. He said the Senate “must confront a devastating truth” after a lack of congressional action on the issue for almost three decades.“This Senate will be different,” Schumer, D-N.Y., said a day after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/colorado-supermarket-shooting-10-dead-3da92f0d3db65afdb373cc6bb534a711">a shooting at a crowded Boulder, Colorado, supermarket</a>, killed 10 people, including a police officer. “The Senate is going to debate and address the epidemic of gun violence in this country.”While a Senate vote on new gun control would be the first in several years, Democrats do not have the votes to pass any significant reform. They are not even united themselves, as Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., told reporters Tuesday that he opposes&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-shootings-legislation-gun-politics-bills-fbb6872ac0575551e2fc190f3aefbd73">the House legislation on background checks</a>.Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., who has aggressively pushed for expanded gun control since&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/3795f3325a095af631cd19c280ae249b">the 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School</a>&nbsp;that killed 20 children and six educators, expressed optimism about the chances for new laws with Biden in the White House and Democrats controlling the House and the Senate. He called it “the dawn of a new era.”Reality is likely more complicated. Senate Democrats do not currently have deep enough support among Republicans to pass new gun control legislation in the 50-50 Senate, as they would need 60 votes to do so. While expanding background checks is generally popular with the American public, even with some conservatives, Congress has been unable to find a successful compromise on guns in decades, making it one of the most intractable issues in American politics.The gun debate also highlights a larger difficulty for Senate Democrats as they try to move forward on gun legislation and other policy priorities of the Biden White House. With the filibuster in place, forcing a 60-vote threshold for most legislation, House-passed bills on issues like gun control and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/house-passes-sweeping-voting-rights-bill-88088175552f13a8e3f6f25d7bc45f6c">voting rights</a>&nbsp;are effectively nonstarters unless Democrats secure significant GOP support.Some Republicans hinted that they would be open to negotiations, though it was unclear if there were any real bipartisan discussions. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said he was opposed to the House legislation, but “I’m certainly open to the discussion.”Manchin and Republican Sen. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania, who have worked together for years to find compromise on background checks, both said they were opposed to the House legislation, which would close loopholes to ensure background checks are extended to private and online sales that often go undetected, including at gun shows, with some limited exemptions for family and other scenarios. A similar version Manchin and Toomey proposed just after the Sandy Hook shootings included a broader set of exemptions than the House bill.The House also passed a second bill to extend a certain review period for background checks from three to 10 days. Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., introduced the legislation after a shooter killed nine people at a Charleston, South Carolina, church in 2015.Toomey said he would like to find legislation that could pass, but “that probably would require something that’s a little bit different. So, we’ll see if we can figure out how to thread that needle.”Manchin did not say whether he would restart negotiations, only that “we’re going to try to do the responsible, reasonable thing.”Schumer and Connecticut Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy, a leading advocate for gun control, said they would meet this week to discuss a path forward. Schumer has not said when he will bring the House legislation up for a vote.Democrats say they feel the environment around gun legislation has evolved, especially since that last major push in 2013. They point to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ap-top-news-new-york-lawsuits-election-2020-u-s-news-056b7845ad1a35a68a4bf837329d9f6f">troubles at the National Rifle Association</a>, the long-powerful advocacy group that poured tens of millions of dollars into electing Donald Trump in 2016. The organization has been weakened by infighting as well as legal tangles over its finances.“This is the moment to make our stand. NOW,” tweeted Murphy as details of the Colorado shooting emerged Monday evening. “Today, our movement is stronger than the gun lobby. They are weak. We are potent. Finally, a President and a Congress that supports gun reform.”Democrats are hoping there is a gradual political shift among voters as well. A Pew Research Center poll in September 2019 showed a wide majority of Americans, 88%, supported making private gun sales and sales at gun shows subject to background checks, which is what the House-passed bill would do. Ninety-three percent of Democrats and 82% of Republicans were in favor of the policy.Many in the GOP base are still strongly opposed to gun control of any kind. In Tuesday’s hearing, which was scheduled before the Colorado shooting, Republicans showed no signs of wavering. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz said that every time there is a shooting, the Senate engages in “ridiculous theater,” with Democrats proposing laws that he said could take guns away from law-abiding citizens. Republicans have argued that background checks would not stop most mass shootings and would prevent some lawful gun owners from purchasing firearms.“We already know this pattern is predictable, over and over and over again,” Cruz said.

🎥  Prospects dim for any major changes on gun laws

DETROIT (AP) — THE STAR&nbsp;of HGTV's “Rehab Addict Rescue” apparently was “scammed” when she bought a blighted Detroit home from someone who wasn't the owner, the mayor said.

The Detroit Land Bank Authority holds the title to the house. Nicole Curtis said she paid $17,000 for the property in 2017 and has spent $60,000 in repairs and other costs so far.

The land bank has put the house on the market for $40,000. Curtis filed a lawsuit last week, seeking to keep the property or be reimbursed.

“I feel bad for Nicole," Mayor Mike Duggan said Monday. "It appears she was scammed. It appears she paid somebody who didn’t own the house and paid them to buy it. But the land bank can’t legally just give her the property.”

Duggan said courts have already ruled that the land bank is the owner. But he wants Curtis to stick with the project and hopes she can make a deal.

“They can’t turn the property over without getting value,” the mayor said of the land bank.

Curtis’ Detroit Renovations LLC apparently didn’t know that the house had returned to the land bank’s control after the previous owners failed to fixed it up. Those owners executed a quit claim deed to Detroit Renovations in 2017.

Curtis, a native of suburban Detroit, said it would be wrong for the land bank to benefit from her investment.

“I didn’t become so successful in business by being somebody who backs down,” she said.

DETROIT (AP) — THE STAR&nbsp;of HGTV's “Rehab Addict Rescue” apparently was “scammed” when she bought a blighted Detroit home from someone who wasn't the owner, the mayor said.The Detroit Land Bank Authority holds the title to the house. Nicole Curtis said she paid $17,000 for the property in 2017 and has spent $60,000 in repairs and other costs so far.The land bank has put the house on the market for $40,000. Curtis filed a lawsuit last week, seeking to keep the property or be reimbursed.“I feel bad for Nicole," Mayor Mike Duggan said Monday. "It appears she was scammed. It appears she paid somebody who didn’t own the house and paid them to buy it. But the land bank can’t legally just give her the property.”Duggan said courts have already ruled that the land bank is the owner. But he wants Curtis to stick with the project and hopes she can make a deal.“They can’t turn the property over without getting value,” the mayor said of the land bank.Curtis’ Detroit Renovations LLC apparently didn’t know that the house had returned to the land bank’s control after the previous owners failed to fixed it up. Those owners executed a quit claim deed to Detroit Renovations in 2017.Curtis, a native of suburban Detroit, said it would be wrong for the land bank to benefit from her investment.“I didn’t become so successful in business by being somebody who backs down,” she said.

Mayor: HGTV star was 'scammed' in house deal

WASHINGTON (AP) — Fresh off passage of the COVID-19 relief bill, President Joe Biden is assembling the next big White House priority, a sweeping $3 trillion package of investments on infrastructure and domestic needs.

Biden huddled privately late Monday with Senate Democrats as Congress has already begun laying the groundwork with legislation for developing roads, hospitals and green energy systems as part of Biden’s “Build Back Better” campaign promise. Much like the $1.9 trillion virus rescue plan signed into law earlier this month, the new package would also include family-friendly policies, this time focusing on education and paid family leave.

The White House plans are still preliminary, with a combined $3 trillion in spending proposed to boost the economy and improve quality of life, according to a person familiar with the options who insisted on anonymity to discuss private conversations.

While the goal is a bipartisan package, Democrats in Congress have signaled a willingness to go it alone if they are blocked by Republicans.

“We need to get it done,” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., ahead of the virtual meeting with Biden at the senators’ annual retreat Monday evening.

Biden’s outreach to Senate Democrats comes as the White House is under fire for its handling of the U.S.-Mexico border. Migrant crossings are skyrocketing, with images of cramped holding facilities posing a humanitarian and political dilemma for the administration and its allies in Congress. The focus on infrastructure shifts attention back toward priorities that are potentially more popular with Americans and potentially bipartisan.

An infrastructure package would include roughly $1 trillion for roads, bridges, rail lines, electrical vehicle charging stations and the cellular network, among other items. The goal would be to facilitate the shift to cleaner energy while improving economic competitiveness.

A second component would include investments in workers with free community college, universal pre-kindergarten and paid family leave.

No part of the proposal has been finalized and the eventual details of any spending could change.

The overall price tag first reported Monday by The New York Times has been circulating on Capitol Hill for weeks, since the start of the Biden presidency. With the House and Senate under Democratic control, the proposals are expected to draw support from all corners of Congress.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi asked Democratic committee chairmen earlier this month to start working with their Republican counterparts to begin “to craft a big, bold and transformational infrastructure package.”

Pelosi said the goal is to build swiftly on the coronavirus rescue plan by developing an economic relief plan to help “people in every zip code by creating good-paying jobs for the future.”

The administration is positioning its priorities at a politically and fiscally sensitive time, after funding its $1.9 trillion relief package entirely with debt. The Federal Reserve estimates that spending could push growth this year to 6.5%, and additional spending would only add pressure to an economy already expected to run hot.

Biden’s campaign proposed higher corporate taxes and increases on people making more than $400,000 annually, effectively undoing much of the 2017 tax cuts by his predecessor, Donald Trump.

A White House official said the president has been very clear about his agenda, even though the details are only just starting to surface. The official insisted on anonymity to discuss private conversations.

On Monday, the House Energy and Commerce Committee debated a $300 billion-plus measure to invest in drinking water, broadband and other priorities. On Thursday, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is set to appear before the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. Next week, the Senate Finance Committee is scheduled to release a white paper revisiting the overseas tax code as a way to pay for some of the spending.

Republican leader Mitch McConnell used his opening remarks Monday in the Senate to trash the infrastructure proposal, warning it would only lead to tax hikes and what he called “left-wing policies.”

“We’re hearing the next few months might bring a so-called infrastructure proposal that may actually be a Trojan horse for massive tax hikes and other job-killing, left-wing policies,” he said.

He derided the Democratic proposals as similar to the Green New Deal, a sweeping plan to address climate change that he said would cost “unbelievable sums.”

Biden is expected to roll out his budget in the weeks ahead as Congress presses forward on the infrastructure package, which lawmakers have said could be ready by summer.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/3/1614740853199.png" alt="President Biden is expected to roll out his budget in the weeks ahead as Congress presses forward on the infrastructure package, which lawmakers have said could be ready by summer.-White House photo" />
 <figcaption>President Biden is expected to roll out his budget in the weeks ahead as Congress presses forward on the infrastructure package, which lawmakers have said could be ready by summer.-White House photo</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — Fresh off passage of the COVID-19 relief bill, President Joe Biden is assembling the next big White House priority, a sweeping $3 trillion package of investments on infrastructure and domestic needs.Biden huddled privately late Monday with Senate Democrats as Congress has already begun laying the groundwork with legislation for developing roads, hospitals and green energy systems as part of Biden’s “Build Back Better” campaign promise. Much like the $1.9 trillion virus rescue plan signed into law earlier this month, the new package would also include family-friendly policies, this time focusing on education and paid family leave.The White House plans are still preliminary, with a combined $3 trillion in spending proposed to boost the economy and improve quality of life, according to a person familiar with the options who insisted on anonymity to discuss private conversations.While the goal is a bipartisan package, Democrats in Congress have signaled a willingness to go it alone if they are blocked by Republicans.“We need to get it done,” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., ahead of the virtual meeting with Biden at the senators’ annual retreat Monday evening.Biden’s outreach to Senate Democrats comes as the White House is under fire for its handling of the U.S.-Mexico border. Migrant crossings are skyrocketing, with images of cramped holding facilities posing a humanitarian and political dilemma for the administration and its allies in Congress. The focus on infrastructure shifts attention back toward priorities that are potentially more popular with Americans and potentially bipartisan.An infrastructure package would include roughly $1 trillion for roads, bridges, rail lines, electrical vehicle charging stations and the cellular network, among other items. The goal would be to facilitate the shift to cleaner energy while improving economic competitiveness.A second component would include investments in workers with free community college, universal pre-kindergarten and paid family leave.No part of the proposal has been finalized and the eventual details of any spending could change.The overall price tag first reported Monday by The New York Times has been circulating on Capitol Hill for weeks, since the start of the Biden presidency. With the House and Senate under Democratic control, the proposals are expected to draw support from all corners of Congress.House Speaker Nancy Pelosi asked Democratic committee chairmen earlier this month to start working with their Republican counterparts to begin “to craft a big, bold and transformational infrastructure package.”Pelosi said the goal is to build swiftly on the coronavirus rescue plan by developing an economic relief plan to help “people in every zip code by creating good-paying jobs for the future.”The administration is positioning its priorities at a politically and fiscally sensitive time, after funding its $1.9 trillion relief package entirely with debt. The Federal Reserve estimates that spending could push growth this year to 6.5%, and additional spending would only add pressure to an economy already expected to run hot.Biden’s campaign proposed higher corporate taxes and increases on people making more than $400,000 annually, effectively undoing much of the 2017 tax cuts by his predecessor, Donald Trump.A White House official said the president has been very clear about his agenda, even though the details are only just starting to surface. The official insisted on anonymity to discuss private conversations.On Monday, the House Energy and Commerce Committee debated a $300 billion-plus measure to invest in drinking water, broadband and other priorities. On Thursday, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is set to appear before the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. Next week, the Senate Finance Committee is scheduled to release a white paper revisiting the overseas tax code as a way to pay for some of the spending.Republican leader Mitch McConnell used his opening remarks Monday in the Senate to trash the infrastructure proposal, warning it would only lead to tax hikes and what he called “left-wing policies.”“We’re hearing the next few months might bring a so-called infrastructure proposal that may actually be a Trojan horse for massive tax hikes and other job-killing, left-wing policies,” he said.He derided the Democratic proposals as similar to the Green New Deal, a sweeping plan to address climate change that he said would cost “unbelievable sums.”Biden is expected to roll out his budget in the weeks ahead as Congress presses forward on the infrastructure package, which lawmakers have said could be ready by summer.

Biden's $3T plan: Free community college, universal pre-K

KEARNEY, Neb. (AP) — Authorities have identified three people killed in a Kearney house fire last week as a woman and her two children. 

The Buffalo County Attorney’s Office said in a news release that 39-year-old Lori Montgomery and her children — 4-year-old Austin and 2-year-old Emmah — suffered fatal injuries in the Thursday fire. 

Arriving firefighters found the home fully engulfed in flames, and crews found the three during an initial search of the house.

 All three were pulled from the burning building's main floor and taken to a Kearney hospital, were they were pronounced dead. 

The Kearney Hub reported Tuesday that autopsies have been performed, but those results have not yet been released.

 The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

KEARNEY, Neb. (AP) — Authorities have identified three people killed in a Kearney house fire last week as a woman and her two children. The Buffalo County Attorney’s Office said in a news release that 39-year-old Lori Montgomery and her children — 4-year-old Austin and 2-year-old Emmah — suffered fatal injuries in the Thursday fire. Arriving firefighters found the home fully engulfed in flames, and crews found the three during an initial search of the house. All three were pulled from the burning building's main floor and taken to a Kearney hospital, were they were pronounced dead. The Kearney Hub reported Tuesday that autopsies have been performed, but those results have not yet been released. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Officials ID woman, 2 children killed in Kearney house fire

By TIM CARPENTER <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2021/03/22/anderson-county-rural-property-owner-compares-wind-farms-to-menacing-strip-clubs-landfills/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA — Anderson County 
resident Mike Burns ripped pages of his prepared speech in half Monday 
to speak from the heart about why Kansas had to pass a law regulating 
placement of wind farms to protect property rights and bring peace of 
mind to folks in rural areas attractive to developers.

Burns joined dozens of people at the Capitol eager to testify on behalf of <a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/documents/sb279_00_0000.pdf">Senate Bill 279</a>,
 which would establish state-crafted regulation of wind generation 
facilities from the turbine to power line. It would replace county 
commission preferences for or against wind farms with state law defining
 turbine setbacks from businesses, parks, homes, property lines and much
 more. The maximum density would be one turbine per square mile, well 
below the current standard. There would be caps on sound and light 
emitted by turbines that sometimes reach 500 feet into the sky.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/3/1616507535992.png" alt="Anderson County resident Mike Burns, center, registered support Monday for a Senate bill that would impose sweeping regulations on wind farm developments and protect property rights of people living in rural areas with terrain and breezes to support turbines. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>Anderson County resident Mike Burns, center, registered support Monday for a Senate bill that would impose sweeping regulations on wind farm developments and protect property rights of people living in rural areas with terrain and breezes to support turbines. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>By TIM CARPENTER <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2021/03/22/anderson-county-rural-property-owner-compares-wind-farms-to-menacing-strip-clubs-landfills/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — Anderson County 
resident Mike Burns ripped pages of his prepared speech in half Monday 
to speak from the heart about why Kansas had to pass a law regulating 
placement of wind farms to protect property rights and bring peace of 
mind to folks in rural areas attractive to developers.Burns joined dozens of people at the Capitol eager to testify on behalf of <a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/documents/sb279_00_0000.pdf">Senate Bill 279</a>,
 which would establish state-crafted regulation of wind generation 
facilities from the turbine to power line. It would replace county 
commission preferences for or against wind farms with state law defining
 turbine setbacks from businesses, parks, homes, property lines and much
 more. The maximum density would be one turbine per square mile, well 
below the current standard. There would be caps on sound and light 
emitted by turbines that sometimes reach 500 feet into the sky.Landowners and community 
organizations would gain leverage to block projects if the bill became 
law, and wind farm advocates contend passage of the measure would put an
 end to the industry’s growth in Kansas.Burns said he moved to 
eastern Kansas to open a pharmacy because of the area’s rural appeal. He
 wanted some acreage near Garnett to enjoy the outdoors and build a home
 to raise a family. He was confident there was little anyone could do to
 undermine his dreams.“I thought there would be 
no chance of anything taking that all away,” he told the Senate 
Utilities Committee. “My family and our assets were protected. My rights
 were protected. So I thought.”<h2>Property rights</h2><a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/committees/ctte_s_utils_1/misc_documents/download_testimony/ctte_s_utils_1_20210322_48_testimony.html">In 2015, Burns said,</a>
 a representative of Calpine Energy called to inquire about leasing 
ground on his property for a wind farm. He turned away the offer after 
concluding wind farms, which he referred to as “power plants,” were 
recipients of massive tax subsidies, created few permanent jobs, 
fostered community divisiveness, negatively influenced health, created 
issues with daytime flicker shadows and nighttime blinking lights, 
depended on “predatory” leases with landowners, disrupted sleep with 
sound pollution and were subjected to relatively little regulation.Burns said the Anderson 
County Commission listened to skeptics and adopted some barriers to 
deter developers of wind farms. The problem, he said, was that dozens of
 Kansas counties didn’t have zoning to restrain fat-cat developers and 
their persuasive attorneys and lobbyists. The Kansas Legislature should 
stop treating rural people like second-class citizens and stand up for 
uniform management of wind projects and the protection of rural property
 rights, he said.“Why are there no wind 
power plants in Johnson County? Wyandotte? Sedgwick? Shawnee?” Burns 
said. “If they have no impact, then why? How would any of you feel if 
there were a massage parlor or night club coming into your neighborhood?
 Fast food, gas station or even a landfill or factory?”He was joined by seven 
other people who spoke to the committee in desperate terms about their 
desire to stop spread of wind farms in Kansas, a state with more than 
3,000 turbines scattered among 40 developments in 30 counties. 
Twenty-five people had signed up to personally share testimony with 
senators, while more than 40 submitted written comments in favor of 
Senate Bill 279.Opponents of the bill take
 the microphone Tuesday in an attempt to sway the Republican-led 
committee chaired by Sen. Mike Thompson, a Johnson County Republican who
 called wind turbines a public nuisance in need of retraint afforded by 
state statute.<h2>Economic impact</h2>Alan Anderson, a Kansas 
attorney who specializes in energy development projects, said during a 
news conference at the Capitol that $14 billion had been invested so far
 in wind farms scattered in Kansas. These projects created 22,000 
construction, operational and indirect jobs during the past 20 years.Companies with turbines on
 private land pay $48 million annually in lease payments to those 
individuals, he said. Over the 20-year life of the Kansas wind farms in 
operation now, he said, an estimated $962 million in lease payments 
would be made to landowners.In addition, he said, 
companies investing in Kansas wind farms had committed to providing 
communities with $657 million over 20 years in property taxes and for 
priorities ranging from law enforcement to education.“The message that a bill 
like Senate Bill 279 sends out to these different companies is … maybe 
we’re not a stable environment, maybe we are not a place you should 
consider locating,” Anderson said. “Make no mistake at all. Senate Bill 
279 would end all wind energy development in Kansas. That’s frankly the 
intent of the bill. This isn’t a bill to actually talk about rational 
siting. It’s to end wind energy development.”Kimberly Svaty, who 
represents Advanced Power Alliance, said testimony from wind developers 
scheduled to speak Tuesday would demonstrate reluctance to invest in new
 wind farms in Kansas under terms of the Senate bill. It’s too easy for 
wind investment companies to pivot to locations in other heartland 
states, she said.“They’re all saying that 
they will not invest another penny in the state of Kansas,” she said. 
“It’s not a threat, but it underscores the competition the state is in 
for jobs and investment.”<h2>Tactical collusion</h2>Dennis Hedke, a former 
member of the Kansas House who operates Hedke Geoscience Consulting in 
Wichita, said the Senate bill was necessary because so many Kansans 
experienced unrest, physical discomfort, mental anguish and economic 
hardship as a result of prolific development of industrial wind energy 
in this state. He said there was no justification for construction of 
turbines so close to private dwellings that residents struggled to sleep
 or dealt with irritation of vibration caused by blades with an outward 
speed over 150 mph.“Study after study by 
highly credentialed professionals have unequivocally confirmed the 
negative impacts experienced by residents in many states and countries,”
 Hedke said. “Yet, a large number of county commissions have ignored 
their pleas for relief. Some commissioners have, in absolute fact, 
colluded with developers and are culpable for the tactics that have been
 deployed against private citizens.”He said wind projects did 
“absoluely nothing to bring material benefit to the earth’s climate” 
despite claims to the contrary. It’s high time the wind industry accept 
it cannot replace fossil and nuclear fuels to sustain electricity grid 
requirements, he said.Gayla Randel, a retired 
educator living near the community of Frankfort in Marshall County, said
 NextEra Energies introduced the Irish Creek Wind Project in 2019 with 
plans to start construction in April. The unregulated environment could 
lead to more than 100 turbines, each 500 feet tall, with the consent of 
32 property owners in the wind farm footprint. Of 85 nonparticipating or
 uncompensated landowners nearby, she said, half had at least one 
turbine within 3,900 feet of their homes. None of those residents are 
more than two miles from a turbine, she said.“One nonparticipating 
landowner will have nine turbines within a mile of their home,” Randel 
said. “Three nonparticipating landowners will have eight turbines within
 a mile of their homes.”She said Marshall County 
was recognized as a Flint Hills counties, but the county wasn’t included
 in the wind farm moritorium initiated by Democratic Gov. Kathleen 
Sebelius in 2005 nor the expanded exclusion zone adopted by Republican 
Gov. Sam Brownback in 2011.“Why is this development 
being allowed to happen? Because Kansas has no guidance for our county 
commissioners who repeatedly said we cannot stop it unless we want to be
 sued. They were ill-prepared to make such a life changing decision. 
Wind developers can do this because no one has said they cannot,” Randel
 said.