YORK, Neb. (AP) — Two Nebraska men died after their vehicles collided just outside of York on Wednesday night. 

The York County Sheriff’s Department said the crash happened on U.S. Highway 34 around 11 p.m. Wednesday.

 A westbound 2007 Dodge Caravan driven by 68-year-old Danny Foster of Gresham crossed the center line of the highway and crashed into a 1990 GMC Sierra driven by 73-year-old Melvin Preslicka of York. 

Investigator Alex Hildebrand said both men died at the scene of the crash. 

Hildebrand said alcohol is believed to have been a factor in the crash and neither driver was using a seat belt at the time of the crash.

YORK, Neb. (AP) — Two Nebraska men died after their vehicles collided just outside of York on Wednesday night. The York County Sheriff’s Department said the crash happened on U.S. Highway 34 around 11 p.m. Wednesday. A westbound 2007 Dodge Caravan driven by 68-year-old Danny Foster of Gresham crossed the center line of the highway and crashed into a 1990 GMC Sierra driven by 73-year-old Melvin Preslicka of York. Investigator Alex Hildebrand said both men died at the scene of the crash. Hildebrand said alcohol is believed to have been a factor in the crash and neither driver was using a seat belt at the time of the crash.

2 Nebraska men die after their vehicles collide near York

BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — The suspect in the Colorado supermarket shooting appeared in court for the first time Thursday, and a defense attorney immediately asked that he receive a mental health evaluation before the case against him proceeds.

Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa, 21, did not speak during the brief hearing except to say “yes” to a question from the judge, who advised him that he is charged with murder in the attack that killed 10 people, including a Boulder police officer. Alissa is also charged with attempted murder for allegedly shooting at another police officer, who was unhurt.

Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty said authorities planned to file more charges. He did not elaborate.

Alissa did not enter a plea, which will come later in the judicial process. He has been jailed without bail.

The young man entered court in a wheelchair, presumably because of a gunshot wound to the leg that he suffered in Monday’s shooting. He appeared alert and attentive, moving his knees from side to side, his eyes darting back and forth from his lawyers to the judge. He wore a mask and purple, short-sleeved coveralls.

His attorney, public defender Kathryn Herold, provided no details about his health. At Herold’s request, Alissa’s next hearing will not be scheduled for two to three months to allow the defense to evaluate his mental state and evidence collected by investigators.

“Our position is we cannot do anything until we are able to fully assess Mr. Alissa’s mental illness,” Herold said, adding that the defense cannot begin that assessment until it receives evidence from investigators.

A law enforcement official briefed on the shooting previously said that the suspect’s family told investigators they believed Alissa was suffering some type of mental illness, including delusions.

Relatives have described times when Alissa told them people were following or chasing him, which they said may have contributed to the violence, the official said. The official was not authorized to speak publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

Alissa’s legal team includes public defender Daniel King, who represented Colorado theater gunman James Holmes, as well as Robert Dear, who is accused of killing three people in a 2105 attack on a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado Springs, two cases in which mental illness was a factor.

Jurors rejected Holmes’ insanity defense in the 2012 shooting at an Aurora movie theater that left a dozen dead. But jurors could not unanimously agree to sentence him to death after his lawyers presented evidence of his schizophrenia as a reason to spare his life. Colorado has since abolished the death penalty, and Holmes is in prison for life.

After repeatedly being found incompetent to stand trial in state court, Dear was charged in federal court, where his competency to stand trial has also slowed proceedings.

During the court proceedings, five deputies with black bands of mourning across their badges stood close by. Boulder police tweeted Thursday that they used the handcuffs of the slain officer, Eric Talley, to take the suspect from a hospital to jail earlier this week — and told him so.

“Though this was a small gesture, we hope it is the start of the healing process that so many of us need at this time,” the department said.

Screenshots of what was believed to be Alissa’s Facebook page hint of fears that he was secretly being tracked on his phone and reflect his interest in Islamic teachings, immigration and martial arts. The screenshots and dozens of postings were captured by the online extremist tracking firm SITE Intelligence Group.

In July 2019, Alissa wrote that his phone was being hacked by “racist islamophobic people.” At another point, he wrote that his old high school had likely gotten access to his phone, asking Facebook followers for advice on how to stop it.

Alissa was convicted in 2018 of assaulting a fellow high school student, according to police documents. A former classmate told the AP he was kicked off the wrestling team after yelling he would kill everyone following a loss in a practice match.

After a white supremacist killed 51 people in the 2019 New Zealand mosque massacre, Alissa called the dead “victims of the entire Islamophobia industry that vilified them.” Three months later, he posted a link to a PBS story about how immigrants help the economy, writing, “Why refugees and immigrants are good for America.”

“What Islam is really about,” he wrote in one Facebook post that referred to a list of teachings from the Koran, including to “be good to others” and “restrain anger.”

In other posts, he urged followers to give to charity, described abortion as “disgusting” and said that he opposed gay marriage.

“There was no indication on his Facebook account that suggested radical views of any kind, whether it be Islamist, anti-Trump, or anything else,” said Rita Katz, executive director of SITE, which analyzed the postings. “He did mention Islam on his Facebook, but never to any extremity.”

Thursday’s court appearance was the first time Alissa appeared in public since his arrest Monday inside the King Soopers supermarket. He was last seen handcuffed and being led out of the supermarket by police. He had removed all clothing except his shorts before being taken into custody.

According to two law enforcement officials, Alissa was born in Syria in 1999, emigrated to the U.S. as a toddler and later became a U.S. citizen. He would need to be a citizen to buy a gun. The officials were not authorized to speak publicly and spoke to AP on condition of anonymity.

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

BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — Hundreds of mourners gathered Wednesday night at a candlelight vigil to remember the 10 people gunned down at a supermarket in a Colorado college town, while the 21-year-old man suspected of carrying out the rampage prepared for his first court appearance Thursday morning.

Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa has been jailed for investigation of murder since he was arrested inside the King Soopers supermarket in Boulder on Monday and treated at a hospital for a leg wound. He was to hear the pending charges he faces and his rights as a defendant, and he would not be asked for a plea until later in the judicial process.

Alissa was last seen handcuffed and being led out of the supermarket by police. He had removed all clothing except his shorts before being taken into custody. A rifle, a green tactical vest and a handgun were recovered inside the grocery store, according to an arrest affidavit.

While most Colorado court proceedings have been conducted by video during the pandemic, District Judge Thomas Francis Mulvahill ordered Alissa to appear before him in court unless Alissa waives his right to appear in person in writing. The courtroom will be closed to the public.

More than 500 people bundled in winter jackets and wool hats attended a downtown candlelight vigil Wednesday night to mourn the victims and comfort one another. They observed a moment of silence; violins soothed the crowd; a woman sang “Ave Maria” as candle flames flickered in the crisp air. A star-shaped light usually turned on for the holidays glowed on a mountain overlooking the open square.

Michele Weiner-Davis, a Boulder family therapist, offered the community some words of wisdom.

“Whatever you’re feeling, whatever you’re thinking, no matter how uncomfortable, it’s completely natural,” Weiner-Davis said. “Be patient with yourself. Additionally, be just as compassionate with the people in your lives who might also be struggling.”

In addition to Officer Eric Talley, 51, the victims are 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.

Earlier Wednesday, hundreds of people paid their respects during a police procession for Talley as his body was taken to a funeral home in the Denver suburb of Aurora.

Police also announced that people whose cars were left in the supermarket parking lot Monday could retrieve them.

A supermarket employee told the AP she watched as the assailant opened fire and narrowly escaped his notice while joining others in a desperate scramble to get away.

Emily Giffen, 27, was smoking outside the store Monday during a break when she heard multiple loud pops that she knew were not fireworks. She said she saw a man running across an intersection suddenly fall over and another man approach him in a crouch and fire several rounds at close range.

“I don’t know how he didn’t see us,” she said of the suspect, who walked right by her before she ran into the supermarket and out the back.

“I just really am having a hard time understanding why me and my friends deserve to die,” she said, wondering why the gunman chose to target the Boulder store specifically.

According to the arrest affidavit, the suspect bought a Ruger AR-556 pistol — which resembles an AR-15 rifle with a slightly shorter stock — on March 16, six days before the attack. Authorities have not disclosed where the gun was purchased.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/3/1616675661874.png" alt="Candlelight vigil on Wednesday night -photo courtesy city of Boulder" />
 <figcaption>Candlelight vigil on Wednesday night -photo courtesy city of Boulder</figcaption>
 </figure>BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — The suspect in the Colorado supermarket shooting appeared in court for the first time Thursday, and a defense attorney immediately asked that he receive a mental health evaluation before the case against him proceeds.Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa, 21, did not speak during the brief hearing except to say “yes” to a question from the judge, who advised him that he is charged with murder in the attack that killed 10 people, including a Boulder police officer. Alissa is also charged with attempted murder for allegedly shooting at another police officer, who was unhurt.Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty said authorities planned to file more charges. He did not elaborate.Alissa did not enter a plea, which will come later in the judicial process. He has been jailed without bail.The young man entered court in a wheelchair, presumably because of a gunshot wound to the leg that he suffered in Monday’s shooting. He appeared alert and attentive, moving his knees from side to side, his eyes darting back and forth from his lawyers to the judge. He wore a mask and purple, short-sleeved coveralls.His attorney, public defender Kathryn Herold, provided no details about his health. At Herold’s request, Alissa’s next hearing will not be scheduled for two to three months to allow the defense to evaluate his mental state and evidence collected by investigators.“Our position is we cannot do anything until we are able to fully assess Mr. Alissa’s mental illness,” Herold said, adding that the defense cannot begin that assessment until it receives evidence from investigators.A law enforcement official briefed on the shooting previously said that the suspect’s family told investigators they believed Alissa was suffering some type of mental illness, including delusions.Relatives have described times when Alissa told them people were following or chasing him, which they said may have contributed to the violence, the official said. The official was not authorized to speak publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.Alissa’s legal team includes public defender Daniel King, who represented Colorado theater gunman James Holmes, as well as Robert Dear, who is accused of killing three people in a 2105 attack on a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado Springs, two cases in which mental illness was a factor.Jurors rejected Holmes’ insanity defense in the 2012 shooting at an Aurora movie theater that left a dozen dead. But jurors could not unanimously agree to sentence him to death after his lawyers presented evidence of his schizophrenia as a reason to spare his life. Colorado has since abolished the death penalty, and Holmes is in prison for life.After repeatedly being found incompetent to stand trial in state court, Dear was charged in federal court, where his competency to stand trial has also slowed proceedings.During the court proceedings, five deputies with black bands of mourning across their badges stood close by. Boulder police tweeted Thursday that they used the handcuffs of the slain officer, Eric Talley, to take the suspect from a hospital to jail earlier this week — and told him so.“Though this was a small gesture, we hope it is the start of the healing process that so many of us need at this time,” the department said.Screenshots of what was believed to be Alissa’s Facebook page hint of fears that he was secretly being tracked on his phone and reflect his interest in Islamic teachings, immigration and martial arts. The screenshots and dozens of postings were captured by the online extremist tracking firm SITE Intelligence Group.In July 2019, Alissa wrote that his phone was being hacked by “racist islamophobic people.” At another point, he wrote that his old high school had likely gotten access to his phone, asking Facebook followers for advice on how to stop it.Alissa was convicted in 2018 of assaulting a fellow high school student, according to police documents. A former classmate told the AP he was kicked off the wrestling team after yelling he would kill everyone following a loss in a practice match.After a white supremacist killed 51 people in the 2019 New Zealand mosque massacre, Alissa called the dead “victims of the entire Islamophobia industry that vilified them.” Three months later, he posted a link to a PBS story about how immigrants help the economy, writing, “Why refugees and immigrants are good for America.”“What Islam is really about,” he wrote in one Facebook post that referred to a list of teachings from the Koran, including to “be good to others” and “restrain anger.”In other posts, he urged followers to give to charity, described abortion as “disgusting” and said that he opposed gay marriage.“There was no indication on his Facebook account that suggested radical views of any kind, whether it be Islamist, anti-Trump, or anything else,” said Rita Katz, executive director of SITE, which analyzed the postings. “He did mention Islam on his Facebook, but never to any extremity.”Thursday’s court appearance was the first time Alissa appeared in public since his arrest Monday inside the King Soopers supermarket. He was last seen handcuffed and being led out of the supermarket by police. He had removed all clothing except his shorts before being taken into custody.According to two law enforcement officials, Alissa was born in Syria in 1999, emigrated to the U.S. as a toddler and later became a U.S. citizen. He would need to be a citizen to buy a gun. The officials were not authorized to speak publicly and spoke to AP on condition of anonymity.An AR-15-style gun recovered inside the supermarket was believed to have been used in the attack, said a law enforcement official briefed on the shooting who was not authorized to speak publicly and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity.-------BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — Hundreds of mourners gathered Wednesday night at a candlelight vigil to remember the 10 people gunned down at a supermarket in a Colorado college town, while the 21-year-old man suspected of carrying out the rampage prepared for his first court appearance Thursday morning.Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa has been jailed for investigation of murder since he was arrested inside the King Soopers supermarket in Boulder on Monday and treated at a hospital for a leg wound. He was to hear the pending charges he faces and his rights as a defendant, and he would not be asked for a plea until later in the judicial process.Alissa was last seen handcuffed and being led out of the supermarket by police. He had removed all clothing except his shorts before being taken into custody. A rifle, a green tactical vest and a handgun were recovered inside the grocery store, according to an arrest affidavit.<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>While most Colorado court proceedings have been conducted by video during the pandemic, District Judge Thomas Francis Mulvahill ordered Alissa to appear before him in court unless Alissa waives his right to appear in person in writing. The courtroom will be closed to the public.More than 500 people bundled in winter jackets and wool hats attended a downtown candlelight vigil Wednesday night to mourn the victims and comfort one another. They observed a moment of silence; violins soothed the crowd; a woman sang “Ave Maria” as candle flames flickered in the crisp air. A star-shaped light usually turned on for the holidays glowed on a mountain overlooking the open square.Michele Weiner-Davis, a Boulder family therapist, offered the community some words of wisdom.“Whatever you’re feeling, whatever you’re thinking, no matter how uncomfortable, it’s completely natural,” Weiner-Davis said. “Be patient with yourself. Additionally, be just as compassionate with the people in your lives who might also be struggling.”<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>In addition to Officer Eric Talley, 51, the victims are 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.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/3/1616675706564.png" alt="Candlelight vigil on Wednesday -photo courtesy city of Boulder" />
 <figcaption>Candlelight vigil on Wednesday -photo courtesy city of Boulder</figcaption>
 </figure>Earlier Wednesday, hundreds of people paid their respects during a police procession for Talley as his body was taken to a funeral home in the Denver suburb of Aurora.Police also announced that people whose cars were left in the supermarket parking lot Monday could retrieve them.A supermarket employee told the AP she watched as the assailant opened fire and narrowly escaped his notice while joining others in a desperate scramble to get away.Emily Giffen, 27, was smoking outside the store Monday during a break when she heard multiple loud pops that she knew were not fireworks. She said she saw a man running across an intersection suddenly fall over and another man approach him in a crouch and fire several rounds at close range.“I don’t know how he didn’t see us,” she said of the suspect, who walked right by her before she ran into the supermarket and out the back.“I just really am having a hard time understanding why me and my friends deserve to die,” she said, wondering why the gunman chose to target the Boulder store specifically.According to the arrest affidavit, the suspect bought a Ruger AR-556 pistol — which resembles an AR-15 rifle with a slightly shorter stock — on March 16, six days before the attack. Authorities have not disclosed where the gun was purchased.According to two law enforcement officials, Alissa was born in Syria in 1999, emigrated to the U.S. as a toddler and later became a U.S. citizen. He would need to be a citizen to buy a gun. The officials were not authorized to speak publicly and spoke to AP on condition of anonymity.An AR-15-style gun recovered inside the supermarket was believed to have been used in the attack, said a law enforcement official briefed on the shooting who was not authorized to speak publicly and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity.—---

Following vigil, Colorado shooting suspect faces judge for first time

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on President Joe Biden's first&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-politics-coronavirus-pandemic-2804de86cb2bd901c14c109efe024e5d">news conference</a>&nbsp;since taking office Jan. 20.

<a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?510139-1/president-biden-holds-news-conference">Click here to watch</a> a replay of the press conference.

President Joe Biden says it's his “expectation” that he'll run for re-election in 2024. Biden is 78 and already the oldest president to hold office. He would be 82 at the start of a second term.

Biden was asked at the first news conference of his presidency whether he thought he could face a rematch against Donald Trump. Biden scoffed at the question. “Oh, I don’t even think about it,” Biden said. “I have no idea.”

President Joe Biden says addressing a nuclearized North Korea is his top foreign policy issue.

Biden says at his first news conference as president that North Korea has violated U.N. resolutions by launching ballistic missiles and that the United States and its allies will respond if the North escalates the situation.

Biden says: “I’m also prepared for some form of diplomacy, but it has to be conditioned upon the end result of denuclearization."

He says he agrees with former President Barack Obama’s warning that North Korea was the most pressing foreign policy priority to watch.

Four missiles fired this week were all short-range and don’t pose a direct threat to the U.S. mainland. According to South Korea’s assessment, the first two weapons launched Sunday were believed to be cruise missiles. But Japan says the two fired Thursday were ballistic missiles. They're more provocative weapons that North Korea is banned from testing by U.N. resolutions.

President Joe Biden says he makes “no apology” for undoing some of the hard-line Trump-era immigration policies.

The Biden administration announced on Feb. 2 that it would no longer uphold the Trump administration policy of automatically deporting unaccompanied minors seeking asylum. Two weeks later, the White House announced plans to admit 25,000 asylum-seekers to the United States who'd been forced to remain in Mexico.

Since then, the number of young migrants crossing into the U.S. without adults has risen. Both Customs and Border Protection, and Health and Human Services officials have struggled to house the influx of children. Immigration officials say the number of adult migrants and families trying to enter the U.S. illegally also has surged.

Biden says his administration is working on solutions to manage the number of children coming to the border. Biden officials have largely blamed the problems on what they say were shoddy Trump policies.

President Joe Biden is committing to pulling U.S. troops from Afghanistan. But he's expressing doubts about meeting a May 1 deadline for withdrawal that was set by an agreement signed by Donald Trump.

Biden was asked about America's longest war at his first news conference since taking office. The president said, "We will leave. The question is when we will leave.”

The U.S. invaded Afghanistan in response to the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and has been there ever since.

Last year, the Trump administration signed a peace deal with the Taliban that would remove the last of several thousand American troops by May 1.

At the news conference, Biden repeated recent comments that it would be difficult to meet the deadline.

President Joe Biden says his administration is working on getting beds and other facilities up and running so children held in Border Patrol custody can be transferred.

Biden says in his first news conference that most of the migrants who are coming to the U.S.-Mexico border are being sent back, except for children. He says his administration is working to ease delays so children can be released from government custody to sponsors.

Biden says when parents send their children alone across the border, it's a “desperate act.” The president says he wants to help change the conditions in Central American countries when the migrants are coming from, but he says there's no easy answer.

Biden is pushing back against the idea there's a crush of migrants coming to the border.

President Joe Biden says he’s committed to making progress on overhauling the U.S. immigration system, bolstering gun laws and strengthening voting rights. And he's not ruling out supporting changes to Senate procedures that would help him achieve those goals.

Biden says at the first formal news conference of his term that he believes senators should have to engage in old-fashioned filibusters if they want to try to hold up legislation. That would force senators to have to stand on their feet and talk for hours, as was the case during the civil rights era and is portrayed in Hollywood movies, if they want to object to Biden's agenda.

But Biden says the rule is being abused in a “gigantic way.”

He adds: “If there’s complete lockdown and chaos, as a consequence of the filibuster, then we’re going to have to go beyond what I’m talking about.”

President Joe Biden is pledging to have 200 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines administered by the end of his first 100 days in office. That’s double the goal he set in December and reached earlier this month before his 60th day in office.

Biden announced the new goal Thursday at the start of his first formal news conference since his term began on Jan. 20.

Biden's goal seems ambitious, but it actually amounts to a continuation of the country's existing pace of vaccinations through the end of month. The U.S. is now averaging about 2.5 million doses per day.

A rate even greater than that is possible. Over the next month, two of the bottlenecks to getting Americans vaccinated are set to be lifted. The U.S. supply of vaccines is on track to increase and states are lifting eligibility requirements for people to get the shots.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/3/1616693626372.png" alt="President Joe Biden entered the East Room prior to the Thursday afternoon press conference-image courtesy White House" />
 <figcaption>President Joe Biden entered the East Room prior to the Thursday afternoon press conference-image courtesy White House</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on President Joe Biden's first&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-politics-coronavirus-pandemic-2804de86cb2bd901c14c109efe024e5d">news conference</a>&nbsp;since taking office Jan. 20.<a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?510139-1/president-biden-holds-news-conference">Click here to watch</a> a replay of the press conference.President Joe Biden says it's his “expectation” that he'll run for re-election in 2024. Biden is 78 and already the oldest president to hold office. He would be 82 at the start of a second term.Biden was asked at the first news conference of his presidency whether he thought he could face a rematch against Donald Trump. Biden scoffed at the question. “Oh, I don’t even think about it,” Biden said. “I have no idea.”-------President Joe Biden says addressing a nuclearized North Korea is his top foreign policy issue.Biden says at his first news conference as president that North Korea has violated U.N. resolutions by launching ballistic missiles and that the United States and its allies will respond if the North escalates the situation.Biden says: “I’m also prepared for some form of diplomacy, but it has to be conditioned upon the end result of denuclearization."He says he agrees with former President Barack Obama’s warning that North Korea was the most pressing foreign policy priority to watch.Four missiles fired this week were all short-range and don’t pose a direct threat to the U.S. mainland. According to South Korea’s assessment, the first two weapons launched Sunday were believed to be cruise missiles. But Japan says the two fired Thursday were ballistic missiles. They're more provocative weapons that North Korea is banned from testing by U.N. resolutions.___President Joe Biden says he makes “no apology” for undoing some of the hard-line Trump-era immigration policies.The Biden administration announced on Feb. 2 that it would no longer uphold the Trump administration policy of automatically deporting unaccompanied minors seeking asylum. Two weeks later, the White House announced plans to admit 25,000 asylum-seekers to the United States who'd been forced to remain in Mexico.Since then, the number of young migrants crossing into the U.S. without adults has risen. Both Customs and Border Protection, and Health and Human Services officials have struggled to house the influx of children. Immigration officials say the number of adult migrants and families trying to enter the U.S. illegally also has surged.Biden says his administration is working on solutions to manage the number of children coming to the border. Biden officials have largely blamed the problems on what they say were shoddy Trump policies.___President Joe Biden is committing to pulling U.S. troops from Afghanistan. But he's expressing doubts about meeting a May 1 deadline for withdrawal that was set by an agreement signed by Donald Trump.Biden was asked about America's longest war at his first news conference since taking office. The president said, "We will leave. The question is when we will leave.”The U.S. invaded Afghanistan in response to the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and has been there ever since.Last year, the Trump administration signed a peace deal with the Taliban that would remove the last of several thousand American troops by May 1.At the news conference, Biden repeated recent comments that it would be difficult to meet the deadline.___President Joe Biden says his administration is working on getting beds and other facilities up and running so children held in Border Patrol custody can be transferred.Biden says in his first news conference that most of the migrants who are coming to the U.S.-Mexico border are being sent back, except for children. He says his administration is working to ease delays so children can be released from government custody to sponsors.Biden says when parents send their children alone across the border, it's a “desperate act.” The president says he wants to help change the conditions in Central American countries when the migrants are coming from, but he says there's no easy answer.Biden is pushing back against the idea there's a crush of migrants coming to the border.___President Joe Biden says he’s committed to making progress on overhauling the U.S. immigration system, bolstering gun laws and strengthening voting rights. And he's not ruling out supporting changes to Senate procedures that would help him achieve those goals.Biden says at the first formal news conference of his term that he believes senators should have to engage in old-fashioned filibusters if they want to try to hold up legislation. That would force senators to have to stand on their feet and talk for hours, as was the case during the civil rights era and is portrayed in Hollywood movies, if they want to object to Biden's agenda.But Biden says the rule is being abused in a “gigantic way.”He adds: “If there’s complete lockdown and chaos, as a consequence of the filibuster, then we’re going to have to go beyond what I’m talking about.”-----President Joe Biden is pledging to have 200 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines administered by the end of his first 100 days in office. That’s double the goal he set in December and reached earlier this month before his 60th day in office.Biden announced the new goal Thursday at the start of his first formal news conference since his term began on Jan. 20.Biden's goal seems ambitious, but it actually amounts to a continuation of the country's existing pace of vaccinations through the end of month. The U.S. is now averaging about 2.5 million doses per day.A rate even greater than that is possible. Over the next month, two of the bottlenecks to getting Americans vaccinated are set to be lifted. The U.S. supply of vaccines is on track to increase and states are lifting eligibility requirements for people to get the shots.___

🎥  Pres. Biden talks '24 re-election, immigration and more

RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP) — Scientists are calling for a 50% to 60% reduction in timber production for the Black Hills National Forest over the next several decades. 

A 68-page report released Tuesday by the USDA Forest Service’s Rocky Mountain Research Station is based on forest census data taken over a two-year time frame. It evaluates harvest level sustainability. 

The recommendation follows a mountain pine beetle infestation that killed nearly 9 million ponderosa pine trees in the Black Hills and an increase in the extent and severity of wildfires. 

The report said the current volume of standing live sawtimber does not support a sustainable timber program at recent rates of harvest. 

The Rapid City Journal reports that forest managers will make the final decision.

RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP) — Scientists are calling for a 50% to 60% reduction in timber production for the Black Hills National Forest over the next several decades. A 68-page report released Tuesday by the USDA Forest Service’s Rocky Mountain Research Station is based on forest census data taken over a two-year time frame. It evaluates harvest level sustainability. The recommendation follows a mountain pine beetle infestation that killed nearly 9 million ponderosa pine trees in the Black Hills and an increase in the extent and severity of wildfires. The report said the current volume of standing live sawtimber does not support a sustainable timber program at recent rates of harvest. The Rapid City Journal reports that forest managers will make the final decision.

Report calls for large cut in Black Hills timber production

OXFORD, Neb. (AP) — Authorities in rural southwestern Nebraska say a teenager died in a fire near the town of Oxford. 

The Kearney Hub reports that fire crews were called to the blaze in a farm shop building around 10:30 a.m. Monday in rural Furnas County.

 Firefighters who searched the building found 18-year-old Alan Jerry Weatherwax dead inside. 

Officials say the fire was contained to the shop building. 

The Nebraska State Fire Marshal is investigating the cause of the fire.

OXFORD, Neb. (AP) — Authorities in rural southwestern Nebraska say a teenager died in a fire near the town of Oxford. The Kearney Hub reports that fire crews were called to the blaze in a farm shop building around 10:30 a.m. Monday in rural Furnas County. Firefighters who searched the building found 18-year-old Alan Jerry Weatherwax dead inside. Officials say the fire was contained to the shop building. No other details were released. The Nebraska State Fire Marshal is investigating the cause of the fire.

Officials say 18-year-old killed in Furnas County fire

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — When then-President Donald Trump visited Mount Rushmore last year for a fireworks display, Lakota activist Nick Tilsen saw an opportunity to advance the Land Back Movement. 

The movement seeks to return to Native Americans control of land they once held. 

Tilsen told The Associated Press in an interview this week that he has a vision for Mount Rushmore to be placed under tribal control and used as a tool for teaching tribal history. 

But those plans put him in direct conflict with top Republicans in the state like Gov. Kristi Noem, who say it should be preserved it in perpetuity as a celebration of America.

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — When then-President Donald Trump visited Mount Rushmore last year for a fireworks display, Lakota activist Nick Tilsen saw an opportunity to advance the Land Back Movement. The movement seeks to return to Native Americans control of land they once held. Tilsen told The Associated Press in an interview this week that he has a vision for Mount Rushmore to be placed under tribal control and used as a tool for teaching tribal history. But those plans put him in direct conflict with top Republicans in the state like Gov. Kristi Noem, who say it should be preserved it in perpetuity as a celebration of America.

Lakota activist: Mount Rushmore key in move to regain land

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The president of a now-defunct Lincoln security company has been indicted on 14 counts after prosecutors say she failed to pay more than $90,000 in federal payroll taxes. 

The Lincoln Journal Star reports that Janis Strautkalns is scheduled to make an initial appearance in federal court next month. 

Prosecutors say that between the third quarter of 2016 through the end of 2018, Strautkalns withheld payroll taxes from Lincoln Guards Security Company employees’ paychecks but failed to submit them to the IRS. 

The indictment also alleges that Strautkalns failed to file tax returns for the business for 2015 through 2018.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The president of a now-defunct Lincoln security company has been indicted on 14 counts after prosecutors say she failed to pay more than $90,000 in federal payroll taxes. The Lincoln Journal Star reports that Janis Strautkalns is scheduled to make an initial appearance in federal court next month. Prosecutors say that between the third quarter of 2016 through the end of 2018, Strautkalns withheld payroll taxes from Lincoln Guards Security Company employees’ paychecks but failed to submit them to the IRS. The indictment also alleges that Strautkalns failed to file tax returns for the business for 2015 through 2018.

Security company president indicted on payroll tax counts

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A bill that would let Nebraska’s larger cities create port authorities along rivers, major rail lines and interstates won first round-approval from lawmakers as a way to promote economic development. 

Lawmakers voted 44-0 on Wednesday to advance the measure through the first of three required votes. 

The bill by Sen. Justin Wayne, of Omaha, would allow mid-sized and large cities to create port authorities that would help develop large, shovel-ready commercial and industrial sites.

 The number of port authorities would be capped at five statewide.

 If local governments choose to create them, inland port authorities would be able to develop public infrastructure and other improvements needed to help attract businesses.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A bill that would let Nebraska’s larger cities create port authorities along rivers, major rail lines and interstates won first round-approval from lawmakers as a way to promote economic development. Lawmakers voted 44-0 on Wednesday to advance the measure through the first of three required votes. The bill by Sen. Justin Wayne, of Omaha, would allow mid-sized and large cities to create port authorities that would help develop large, shovel-ready commercial and industrial sites. The number of port authorities would be capped at five statewide. If local governments choose to create them, inland port authorities would be able to develop public infrastructure and other improvements needed to help attract businesses.

Bill to allow port authorities in Nebraska wins 1st approval

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.

<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.___