KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A man who abducted a 6-year-old girl and beat her to death at an abandoned glass factory was scheduled to be executed Tuesday in Missouri, as his attorneys pressed claims that he is mentally incompetent.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/missouri-execution-august-06f474f368dfd5ff5c4145164b222a3b">Johnny Johnson</a>, 45, was convicted in the July, 26, 2002, killing of Casey Williamson, whose disappearance set off a frantic search in her hometown of Valley Park, a small suburb of St. Louis.

Casey’s mother had been best friends in childhood with Johnson’s older sister and had even helped babysit him. After Johnson attended a barbecue the night before the killing, Casey's family let him sleep on a couch in the home where they also were sleeping.

In the morning, Johnson lured the girl to the abandoned factory, even carrying her on his shoulders on the walk to the dilapidated site. When he tried to sexually assault her, Casey screamed and tried to break free. According to court documents, he killed her with a brick and a large rock, then washed off in the nearby Meramec River. Johnson confessed that same day to the crimes, according to authorities.

After a search involving first responders and volunteers, Casey's body was found in a pit less than a mile from her home, buried beneath rocks and debris.

At Johnson's trial, defense lawyers presented testimony showing that their client — an ex-convict who had been released from a state psychiatric facility six months earlier — had stopped taking his schizophrenia medication and was acting strangely in the days before the slaying.

In recent appeals, Johnson's attorneys have said he has delusions about the devil using his death to bring about the end of the world. They also noted he had been placed on suicide watch in prison a couple years ago after claiming to be a vampire.

In June, the Missouri Supreme Court denied an appeal seeking to block the execution on arguments that Johnson’s schizophrenia prevented him from understanding the link between his crime and the punishment. The Missouri Attorney General’s Office successfully challenged the credibility of the psychiatric evaluation and said medical records indicate that Johnson is able to manage his mental illness through medication.

A three-judge federal appeals court panel last week temporary halted the planned execution, but the full 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reinstated it. Johnson's attorneys then filed multiple appeals to the U.S. Supreme Court centered around his competency to be executed.

Missouri Gov. Mike Parson on Monday denied a clemency request to reduce Johnson's sentence to life in prison.

“Johnny Johnson’s crime is one of the most horrific murders that has come across my desk," Parson, a former sheriff, said in a statement.

The clemency petition by Johnson's attorneys said Casey's father, Ernie Williamson, opposed the death penalty.

But Casey's great aunt, Della Steele, wrote an emotional plea to Parson urging him to proceed with the execution to “send the message that it is not okay to terrorize and murder a child.” Steele said in the message that the grief from Casey's death led to destructive effects among other family members.

“He did something horrible. He took a life away from a completely innocent child, and there have to be consequences for that,” Steele told The Associated Press.

Steele has led a variety of community efforts to honor Casey. Through years of fundraising, Casey’s family provided $500 scholarships or savings bonds to all 65 students of the senior class of Valley Park High School in 2014, the year Casey would have graduated.

The family also has organized community safety fairs in Casey’s memory, including a July 22 event that drew a couple hundred people. They gave away dozens of child identification kits along with safety tips involving fire, water and bicycles, among other items.

“A lot of kids from Casey’s class were there with their children. It was nice to see, but it definitely makes you think,” Steele said. “They’re pushing their strollers with their couple of kids and you think, `That’s where she should be.’”

The scheduled execution would be the 16th in the U.S. this year. In addition to three previous executions in Missouri, five have been conducted in Texas, four in Florida, two in Oklahoma and one in Alabama. There were 18 executions in six U.S. states last year.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/7/1690408112630.png" alt="Johnson-photo MODOC" />
 <figcaption>Johnson-photo MODOC</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A man who abducted a 6-year-old girl and beat her to death at an abandoned glass factory was scheduled to be executed Tuesday in Missouri, as his attorneys pressed claims that he is mentally incompetent.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/missouri-execution-august-06f474f368dfd5ff5c4145164b222a3b">Johnny Johnson</a>, 45, was convicted in the July, 26, 2002, killing of Casey Williamson, whose disappearance set off a frantic search in her hometown of Valley Park, a small suburb of St. Louis.Casey’s mother had been best friends in childhood with Johnson’s older sister and had even helped babysit him. After Johnson attended a barbecue the night before the killing, Casey's family let him sleep on a couch in the home where they also were sleeping.In the morning, Johnson lured the girl to the abandoned factory, even carrying her on his shoulders on the walk to the dilapidated site. When he tried to sexually assault her, Casey screamed and tried to break free. According to court documents, he killed her with a brick and a large rock, then washed off in the nearby Meramec River. Johnson confessed that same day to the crimes, according to authorities.After a search involving first responders and volunteers, Casey's body was found in a pit less than a mile from her home, buried beneath rocks and debris.At Johnson's trial, defense lawyers presented testimony showing that their client — an ex-convict who had been released from a state psychiatric facility six months earlier — had stopped taking his schizophrenia medication and was acting strangely in the days before the slaying.In recent appeals, Johnson's attorneys have said he has delusions about the devil using his death to bring about the end of the world. They also noted he had been placed on suicide watch in prison a couple years ago after claiming to be a vampire.In June, the Missouri Supreme Court denied an appeal seeking to block the execution on arguments that Johnson’s schizophrenia prevented him from understanding the link between his crime and the punishment. The Missouri Attorney General’s Office successfully challenged the credibility of the psychiatric evaluation and said medical records indicate that Johnson is able to manage his mental illness through medication.A three-judge federal appeals court panel last week temporary halted the planned execution, but the full 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reinstated it. Johnson's attorneys then filed multiple appeals to the U.S. Supreme Court centered around his competency to be executed.Missouri Gov. Mike Parson on Monday denied a clemency request to reduce Johnson's sentence to life in prison.“Johnny Johnson’s crime is one of the most horrific murders that has come across my desk," Parson, a former sheriff, said in a statement.The clemency petition by Johnson's attorneys said Casey's father, Ernie Williamson, opposed the death penalty.But Casey's great aunt, Della Steele, wrote an emotional plea to Parson urging him to proceed with the execution to “send the message that it is not okay to terrorize and murder a child.” Steele said in the message that the grief from Casey's death led to destructive effects among other family members.“He did something horrible. He took a life away from a completely innocent child, and there have to be consequences for that,” Steele told The Associated Press.Steele has led a variety of community efforts to honor Casey. Through years of fundraising, Casey’s family provided $500 scholarships or savings bonds to all 65 students of the senior class of Valley Park High School in 2014, the year Casey would have graduated.The family also has organized community safety fairs in Casey’s memory, including a July 22 event that drew a couple hundred people. They gave away dozens of child identification kits along with safety tips involving fire, water and bicycles, among other items.“A lot of kids from Casey’s class were there with their children. It was nice to see, but it definitely makes you think,” Steele said. “They’re pushing their strollers with their couple of kids and you think, `That’s where she should be.’”The scheduled execution would be the 16th in the U.S. this year. In addition to three previous executions in Missouri, five have been conducted in Texas, four in Florida, two in Oklahoma and one in Alabama. There were 18 executions in six U.S. states last year.___

Man facing Tues. execution for beating death of 6-year-old girl 

By&nbsp;KATELYNN DONNELLY <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/04/06/grieving-moms-plea-to-kansas-lawmakers-do-something-this-epidemic-is-killing-our-kids/">Kansas Reflector</a>

EMPORIA — Two lawsuits filed by a former Emporia State University professor against the university and two faculty members have resumed after a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling set a new precedent for unlawful discrimination cases.

Dusti Howell, the former tenured professor, filed the civil lawsuits in&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1B8FEt_wXWchBUwY6BmsY_5YTIxOG6DvQ/view?usp=drive_link">2021</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1B8FEt_wXWchBUwY6BmsY_5YTIxOG6DvQ/view?usp=sharing">2022</a>&nbsp;in Lyon County District Court against the university; Joan Brewer, former dean of the Teachers College; and Jim Persinger, chairman of the Psychology and IT Departments. Howell alleges Brewer and Persinger pushed him out of his position as a precursor to the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/09/22/emporia-state-university-faculty-leaders-wait-for-answers-after-rapid-firing-of-tenured-professors/">firings</a>&nbsp;of 33 ESU faculty members last year.

Before his resignation in 2021, Howell worked in the IT department for nearly 24 years. He claims he never received backlash for the time he took off to observe both Christian and Jewish holidays until Brewer became dean of the Teachers College.

Howell’s case “seems to be emblematic of a larger sense that … if you’re a faculty member, you are a disposable commodity,” said&nbsp; Chapman Rackaway, a former professor at Flint Hills Technical College in Emporia and current professor and chairman in the Department of Political Science at Radford University. “And I think that’s very dangerous.”

Both Howell and Gerald Groff, the plaintiff in&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/22pdf/22-174_k536.pdf">Groff v. Dejoy</a>&nbsp;and a former U.S. Postal Service carrier in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, claimed their employers created a hostile work environment after repeated absences on what the plaintiffs considered to be holy days of worship.

Howell identifies as a Christian but observes most traditional Christian and Jewish holy days.

“Without Groff, (Howell’s) case could have become Groff,” Rackaway said. “… Howell would have probably taken it all the way to the Supreme Court, and then maybe they would have made the decision based on (Howell’s) case, rather than on Groff’s.”

The shift in unlawful discrimination cases after Groff v. Dejoy is a huge win for Howell, said Linus Baker, his attorney.

“I filed a motion to stay, anticipating the law was going to change, and it did,” Baker said. “It certainly helps Professor Howell. … The analysis certainly puts more on the employer to justify their own actions.”

Baker also represented Molly Ellis in&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/02/18/kansas-judge-blocks-college-from-failing-nursing-student-who-refused-covid-19-vaccine/">Ellis v Flint Hills Technical College</a>, another unlawful discrimination case.

Before Groff was decided, the burden of proof in discrimination cases such as Howell’s rested on the employee. Now the responsibility lies with the university to prove it encountered “undue hardship,” or was faced with unreasonably burdensome challenges when accommodating his absences.

According to the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1x3Xqvh7NdM4phZZApPvh2sIo4wG68V0X?lfhs=2">petition</a>, Brewer and Persinger imposed an unwritten regulation requiring Howell to request time off for religious events up to eight weeks in advance, despite ESU having no written policy regarding religious accommodations. Howell also alleged that students were encouraged by Brewer and Persinger to file complaints against him for his time off.

Howell said the last straw was his demotion to teaching undergraduate students.&nbsp;

“It was like telling your all-star shortstop, ‘You’re gonna play left handed this year,’ ” Howell said. “We had a really good program. … They were forcing me to bat left-handed and field left handed.”

Brewer and Persinger, who are defended by assistant attorneys general Stanley Parker and Carrie Barney, deny all allegations.

The university and Parker declined to comment.

Judge James Fleetwood will oversee the case because all four judges of the Lyon County District Court recused themselves. Baker credits their recusal to an anonymous letter written to the judges. The letter, along with documents including student evaluations and discrimination complaints made by LGBTQ community members, are confidential under a protective order filed by the defense.

Baker predicts a jury trial next year, but there is no set hearing date.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/7/1690676545676.png" alt="Dusti Howell, former Emporia State professor, explains the events leading up to his 2021 resignation and lawsuits against the university. (Screen capture by Katelynn Donnelly for Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>Dusti Howell, former Emporia State professor, explains the events leading up to his 2021 resignation and lawsuits against the university. (Screen capture by Katelynn Donnelly for Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>By&nbsp;KATELYNN DONNELLY <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/04/06/grieving-moms-plea-to-kansas-lawmakers-do-something-this-epidemic-is-killing-our-kids/">Kansas Reflector</a>EMPORIA — Two lawsuits filed by a former Emporia State University professor against the university and two faculty members have resumed after a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling set a new precedent for unlawful discrimination cases.Dusti Howell, the former tenured professor, filed the civil lawsuits in&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1B8FEt_wXWchBUwY6BmsY_5YTIxOG6DvQ/view?usp=drive_link">2021</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1B8FEt_wXWchBUwY6BmsY_5YTIxOG6DvQ/view?usp=sharing">2022</a>&nbsp;in Lyon County District Court against the university; Joan Brewer, former dean of the Teachers College; and Jim Persinger, chairman of the Psychology and IT Departments. Howell alleges Brewer and Persinger pushed him out of his position as a precursor to the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/09/22/emporia-state-university-faculty-leaders-wait-for-answers-after-rapid-firing-of-tenured-professors/">firings</a>&nbsp;of 33 ESU faculty members last year.Before his resignation in 2021, Howell worked in the IT department for nearly 24 years. He claims he never received backlash for the time he took off to observe both Christian and Jewish holidays until Brewer became dean of the Teachers College.Howell’s case “seems to be emblematic of a larger sense that … if you’re a faculty member, you are a disposable commodity,” said&nbsp; Chapman Rackaway, a former professor at Flint Hills Technical College in Emporia and current professor and chairman in the Department of Political Science at Radford University. “And I think that’s very dangerous.”Both Howell and Gerald Groff, the plaintiff in&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/22pdf/22-174_k536.pdf">Groff v. Dejoy</a>&nbsp;and a former U.S. Postal Service carrier in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, claimed their employers created a hostile work environment after repeated absences on what the plaintiffs considered to be holy days of worship.Howell identifies as a Christian but observes most traditional Christian and Jewish holy days.“Without Groff, (Howell’s) case could have become Groff,” Rackaway said. “… Howell would have probably taken it all the way to the Supreme Court, and then maybe they would have made the decision based on (Howell’s) case, rather than on Groff’s.”The shift in unlawful discrimination cases after Groff v. Dejoy is a huge win for Howell, said Linus Baker, his attorney.“I filed a motion to stay, anticipating the law was going to change, and it did,” Baker said. “It certainly helps Professor Howell. … The analysis certainly puts more on the employer to justify their own actions.”Baker also represented Molly Ellis in&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/02/18/kansas-judge-blocks-college-from-failing-nursing-student-who-refused-covid-19-vaccine/">Ellis v Flint Hills Technical College</a>, another unlawful discrimination case.Before Groff was decided, the burden of proof in discrimination cases such as Howell’s rested on the employee. Now the responsibility lies with the university to prove it encountered “undue hardship,” or was faced with unreasonably burdensome challenges when accommodating his absences.According to the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1x3Xqvh7NdM4phZZApPvh2sIo4wG68V0X?lfhs=2">petition</a>, Brewer and Persinger imposed an unwritten regulation requiring Howell to request time off for religious events up to eight weeks in advance, despite ESU having no written policy regarding religious accommodations. Howell also alleged that students were encouraged by Brewer and Persinger to file complaints against him for his time off.Howell said the last straw was his demotion to teaching undergraduate students.&nbsp;“It was like telling your all-star shortstop, ‘You’re gonna play left handed this year,’ ” Howell said. “We had a really good program. … They were forcing me to bat left-handed and field left handed.”Brewer and Persinger, who are defended by assistant attorneys general Stanley Parker and Carrie Barney, deny all allegations.The university and Parker declined to comment.Judge James Fleetwood will oversee the case because all four judges of the Lyon County District Court recused themselves. Baker credits their recusal to an anonymous letter written to the judges. The letter, along with documents including student evaluations and discrimination complaints made by LGBTQ community members, are confidential under a protective order filed by the defense.Baker predicts a jury trial next year, but there is no set hearing date.

Former Emporia State professor’s religious discrimination claims benefit from high court ruling

SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a fatal shooting in Topeka are attempting to locate 29-year-old Alfred A. Smith.

Just before 5:30p.m. Friday,&nbsp; police were&nbsp;dispatched to a Topeka hospital after a victim arrived with an apparent gunshot wound, according to Lt. Ronnie Connell.

One juvenile victim had arrived and was being treated for a life threatening injury.&nbsp; The victim later died.&nbsp; &nbsp;

Police reported Smith was last seen in a turquoise Jeep SUV.

If you have any information regarding where Smith might be, do not attempt to make contact with him, please call 911 immediately.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/7/1689544705597.png" alt="Alfred A. Smith-photo Topeka Police" />
 <figcaption>Alfred A. Smith-photo Topeka Police</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a fatal shooting in Topeka are attempting to locate 29-year-old Alfred A. Smith.Just before 5:30p.m. Friday,&nbsp; police were&nbsp;dispatched to a Topeka hospital after a victim arrived with an apparent gunshot wound, according to Lt. Ronnie Connell.One juvenile victim had arrived and was being treated for a life threatening injury.&nbsp; The victim later died.&nbsp; &nbsp;Police reported Smith was last seen in a turquoise Jeep SUV.If you have any information regarding where Smith might be, do not attempt to make contact with him, please call 911 immediately.

Suspect in deadly Kansas shooting still at large

LINN COUNTY – The Linn County Sheriff’s Office requested that the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) issue a statewide Silver Alert for a missing Mapleton man, according to a media release.

The whereabouts of 72-year-old Jerald D. Tuchscherer are unknown, and the public’s assistance is requested to help locate him.

Jerald is likely driving a silver 2005 Dodge Ram 1500 bearing Kansas tag 061MFZ. The truck is missing its front bumper. He was last seen at his home in Mapleton, around 6 p.m. on Sunday, July 16.

Jerald is described as a white male who is 6 feet tall and weighs around 220 pounds. He has blue eyes and grey hair. Jerald was last seen wearing grey sweat pants, a blue t-shirt and black and red flannel. He has a heart condition and other medical conditions which may cause confusion.

If you see Jerald Tuchscherer or his vehicle, please call 911 immediately. If you have other information about his whereabouts, please call the Linn County Sheriff’s Office at 913-795-2665.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/7/1689587748829.png" alt="Jerald Tuchscherer-photo KBI" />
 <figcaption>Jerald Tuchscherer-photo KBI</figcaption>
 </figure>LINN COUNTY – The Linn County Sheriff’s Office requested that the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) issue a statewide Silver Alert for a missing Mapleton man, according to a media release.The whereabouts of 72-year-old Jerald D. Tuchscherer are unknown, and the public’s assistance is requested to help locate him.Jerald is likely driving a silver 2005 Dodge Ram 1500 bearing Kansas tag 061MFZ. The truck is missing its front bumper. He was last seen at his home in Mapleton, around 6 p.m. on Sunday, July 16.Jerald is described as a white male who is 6 feet tall and weighs around 220 pounds. He has blue eyes and grey hair. Jerald was last seen wearing grey sweat pants, a blue t-shirt and black and red flannel. He has a heart condition and other medical conditions which may cause confusion.If you see Jerald Tuchscherer or his vehicle, please call 911 immediately. If you have other information about his whereabouts, please call the Linn County Sheriff’s Office at 913-795-2665.

KBI: Silver Alert for missing Kansas man

TOPEKA (AP) —The Mega Millions top prize has grown again to an estimated $640 million after there was no winner of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/district-of-columbia-us-virgin-islands-lotteries-3903b40088f0aaf80e06d0d7179227f3">the lottery’s latest giant jackpot</a>.

The numbers drawn late Friday night were: 10, 24, 48, 51, 66 and gold Mega Ball 15.

The estimated $640 million jackpot in the next drawing would only be distributed to a winner who chooses an annuity paid over 29 years. Nearly all grand prize winners opt to take a cash payout, which for Tuesday night’s drawing is an estimated $328 million.

The jackpot is the seventh largest in the game's history, Mega Millions said in a statement.

Four tickets matched all five white balls to garner the second prize level in the drawing. A ticket sold in South Carolina included an optional multiplier making it worth $2 million. Two tickets in California and one in North Carolina also were second-tier winners, Mega Millions said.

Despite the game’s long odds of 1 in 302.6 million, players continue to purchase tickets as the size of the grand prize grows.

The last time a Mega Millions player hit the top prize was April 18.

Mega Millions is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/religion-alabama-alaska-lotteries-business-86424cf8e2b7cccf8ae9d06f6652d559">played in 45 states</a>&nbsp;as well as in Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/7/1689430765536.jpeg" alt="FILE - A Mega Millions wagering slip is held in Cranberry Township, Pa., Jan. 12, 2023. The Mega Millions jackpot has grown again, to at least an estimated $640 million, after there was no winner Friday night, July 14. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)" />
 <figcaption>FILE - A Mega Millions wagering slip is held in Cranberry Township, Pa., Jan. 12, 2023. The Mega Millions jackpot has grown again, to at least an estimated $640 million, after there was no winner Friday night, July 14. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA (AP) —The Mega Millions top prize has grown again to an estimated $640 million after there was no winner of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/district-of-columbia-us-virgin-islands-lotteries-3903b40088f0aaf80e06d0d7179227f3">the lottery’s latest giant jackpot</a>.The numbers drawn late Friday night were: 10, 24, 48, 51, 66 and gold Mega Ball 15.The estimated $640 million jackpot in the next drawing would only be distributed to a winner who chooses an annuity paid over 29 years. Nearly all grand prize winners opt to take a cash payout, which for Tuesday night’s drawing is an estimated $328 million.The jackpot is the seventh largest in the game's history, Mega Millions said in a statement.Four tickets matched all five white balls to garner the second prize level in the drawing. A ticket sold in South Carolina included an optional multiplier making it worth $2 million. Two tickets in California and one in North Carolina also were second-tier winners, Mega Millions said.Despite the game’s long odds of 1 in 302.6 million, players continue to purchase tickets as the size of the grand prize grows.The last time a Mega Millions player hit the top prize was April 18.Mega Millions is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/religion-alabama-alaska-lotteries-business-86424cf8e2b7cccf8ae9d06f6652d559">played in 45 states</a>&nbsp;as well as in Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Mega Millions jackpot grows to $640M, among highest in lottery game’s history

WASHINGTON (AP) — No fingerprints or DNA turned up on the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/white-house-suspicious-substance-cocaine-bd7a792357a85453cf55b6c955ff1b4f">baggie of cocaine found in a lobby at the White House</a>&nbsp;last week despite a sophisticated FBI crime lab analysis, and surveillance footage of the area didn’t identify a suspect, according to a summary of the Secret Service investigation obtained by The Associated Press. There are no leads on who brought the drugs into the building.

The full statement from the Secret Service on the investigation says: 

&nbsp;"On the evening of July 2, officers from the U.S. Secret Service Uniformed Division found an unknown substance inside a vestibule leading to the lobby area of the West Executive Avenue entrance to the White House."

"The substance was located inside a receptacle used to temporarily store electronic and personal devices prior to entering the West Wing."

"Following the discovery, safety closures were implemented around the White House. This response was designed to ensure that the found substance was not a chemical or radiological material that threatened the security of the White House. As such, the substance was field tested and preliminarily determined to not be a hazardous compound."

"Testing conducted by the District of Columbia Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department indicated that the found powder tested preliminarily positive for the presence of cocaine. The substance and packaging were treated as evidence and sent to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's National Biodefense Analysis and Countermeasures Center, which analyzed the item for any biothreats. Tests conducted at this facility came back negative and gave formal confirmation that the substance was not biological in nature."

"The substance and packaging underwent further forensic testing. The substance was analyzed for its chemical composition. The packaging was subjected to advanced fingerprint and DNA analysis. Both of these analyses were conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation's crime laboratory given their expertise in this area and independence from the investigation."

"While awaiting the FBl's results, the Secret Service investigation into how this item entered the White House continued. The investigation included a methodical review of security systems and protocols. This review included a backwards examination that spanned several days prior to the discovery of the substance and developed an index of several hundred individuals who may have accessed the area where the substance was found. The focal point of these actions developed a pool of known persons for comparison of forensic evidence gleaned from the FBI’s analysis of the substance's packaging. "

"On July 12, the Secret Service received the FBI’s laboratory results, which did not develop latent fingerprints and insufficient DNA was present for investigative comparisons. &nbsp;Therefore, the Secret Service is not able to compare evidence against the known pool of individuals. The FBl's evaluation of the substance also confirmed that it was cocaine."&nbsp;

"There was no surveillance video footage found that provided investigative leads or any other means for investigators to identify who may have deposited the found substance in this area. Without physical evidence, the investigation will not be able to single out a person of interest from the hundreds of individuals who passed through the vestibule where the cocaine was discovered. At this time, the Secret Service's investigation is closed due to a lack of physical evidence"

"The U.S. Secret Service takes its mission to protect U.S. leaders, facilities, and events seriously and we are constantly adapting to meet the needs of the current and future security environment."

The presence of cocaine at the White House prompted a flurry of criticism and questions from Republicans, who requested a briefing Thursday on the probe. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said President Joe Biden believed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/white-house-cocaine-west-wing-secret-service-6b8aae2c55e5c1ecf860a70a0533dbed">it was “incredibly important” for</a>&nbsp;the Secret Service to get to the bottom of how the drugs ended up in the White House.

Biden wasn’t there at the time of the discovery. He was at Camp David with members of his family for the holiday weekend.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/white-house-suspicious-substance-cocaine-bd7a792357a85453cf55b6c955ff1b4f">The complex was briefly evacuated</a>&nbsp;as a precaution when the white powder was found. The fire department was called in to test the substance on the spot to determine whether it was hazardous, and the initial test came back negative for a biohazard but positive for cocaine.

The Secret Service is responsible for securing the White House and is leading the investigation. The bag was sent for a secondary, more sensitive lab analysis. Homeland Security’s National Biodefense Analysis and Countermeasures Center analyzed the item for any biothreats. Tests conducted at the facility came back negative and gave formal confirmation that the substance was not a biological threat.

The lobby is also open to staff-led tours of the West Wing, which are scheduled for nonworking hours on the weekends and evenings. Those tours are invitation-only and led by White House staff for friends, family and other guests. Most staffers who work in the complex can request an evening or weekend tour slot, but there is often a long wait list. There were tours on the day, a Sunday, the drugs were found, as well as on the two preceding days.

The cocaine and packaging underwent further forensics testing, including advanced fingerprint and DNA work at the FBI's crime laboratory, according to the summary. The FBI also did chemical testing.

Meanwhile, Secret Service investigators put together a list of several hundred individuals who may have accessed the area where the drugs were found. Anyone who comes through the White House must give identifying information and pass through security before entering.

But the lab results didn't turn up latent fingerprints or DNA, so agents can't compare anything to the possible suspect pool. White House staff are fingerprinted; participants in tour groups are not.

Video of the West Executive street lobby entrance did not identify the person or provide any solid investigative leads, the Secret Service said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/7/1688508095664.png" alt="U.S. Secret Service agents found the white powder during a routine White House sweep on July 2- courtesy photo" />
 <figcaption>U.S. Secret Service agents found the white powder during a routine White House sweep on July 2- courtesy photo</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — No fingerprints or DNA turned up on the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/white-house-suspicious-substance-cocaine-bd7a792357a85453cf55b6c955ff1b4f">baggie of cocaine found in a lobby at the White House</a>&nbsp;last week despite a sophisticated FBI crime lab analysis, and surveillance footage of the area didn’t identify a suspect, according to a summary of the Secret Service investigation obtained by The Associated Press. There are no leads on who brought the drugs into the building.The full statement from the Secret Service on the investigation says: &nbsp;"On the evening of July 2, officers from the U.S. Secret Service Uniformed Division found an unknown substance inside a vestibule leading to the lobby area of the West Executive Avenue entrance to the White House.""The substance was located inside a receptacle used to temporarily store electronic and personal devices prior to entering the West Wing.""Following the discovery, safety closures were implemented around the White House. This response was designed to ensure that the found substance was not a chemical or radiological material that threatened the security of the White House. As such, the substance was field tested and preliminarily determined to not be a hazardous compound.""Testing conducted by the District of Columbia Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department indicated that the found powder tested preliminarily positive for the presence of cocaine. The substance and packaging were treated as evidence and sent to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's National Biodefense Analysis and Countermeasures Center, which analyzed the item for any biothreats. Tests conducted at this facility came back negative and gave formal confirmation that the substance was not biological in nature.""The substance and packaging underwent further forensic testing. The substance was analyzed for its chemical composition. The packaging was subjected to advanced fingerprint and DNA analysis. Both of these analyses were conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation's crime laboratory given their expertise in this area and independence from the investigation.""While awaiting the FBl's results, the Secret Service investigation into how this item entered the White House continued. The investigation included a methodical review of security systems and protocols. This review included a backwards examination that spanned several days prior to the discovery of the substance and developed an index of several hundred individuals who may have accessed the area where the substance was found. The focal point of these actions developed a pool of known persons for comparison of forensic evidence gleaned from the FBI’s analysis of the substance's packaging. ""On July 12, the Secret Service received the FBI’s laboratory results, which did not develop latent fingerprints and insufficient DNA was present for investigative comparisons. &nbsp;Therefore, the Secret Service is not able to compare evidence against the known pool of individuals. The FBl's evaluation of the substance also confirmed that it was cocaine."&nbsp;"There was no surveillance video footage found that provided investigative leads or any other means for investigators to identify who may have deposited the found substance in this area. Without physical evidence, the investigation will not be able to single out a person of interest from the hundreds of individuals who passed through the vestibule where the cocaine was discovered. At this time, the Secret Service's investigation is closed due to a lack of physical evidence""The U.S. Secret Service takes its mission to protect U.S. leaders, facilities, and events seriously and we are constantly adapting to meet the needs of the current and future security environment."The presence of cocaine at the White House prompted a flurry of criticism and questions from Republicans, who requested a briefing Thursday on the probe. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said President Joe Biden believed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/white-house-cocaine-west-wing-secret-service-6b8aae2c55e5c1ecf860a70a0533dbed">it was “incredibly important” for</a>&nbsp;the Secret Service to get to the bottom of how the drugs ended up in the White House.Biden wasn’t there at the time of the discovery. He was at Camp David with members of his family for the holiday weekend.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/white-house-suspicious-substance-cocaine-bd7a792357a85453cf55b6c955ff1b4f">The complex was briefly evacuated</a>&nbsp;as a precaution when the white powder was found. The fire department was called in to test the substance on the spot to determine whether it was hazardous, and the initial test came back negative for a biohazard but positive for cocaine.The Secret Service is responsible for securing the White House and is leading the investigation. The bag was sent for a secondary, more sensitive lab analysis. Homeland Security’s National Biodefense Analysis and Countermeasures Center analyzed the item for any biothreats. Tests conducted at the facility came back negative and gave formal confirmation that the substance was not a biological threat.The lobby is also open to staff-led tours of the West Wing, which are scheduled for nonworking hours on the weekends and evenings. Those tours are invitation-only and led by White House staff for friends, family and other guests. Most staffers who work in the complex can request an evening or weekend tour slot, but there is often a long wait list. There were tours on the day, a Sunday, the drugs were found, as well as on the two preceding days.The cocaine and packaging underwent further forensics testing, including advanced fingerprint and DNA work at the FBI's crime laboratory, according to the summary. The FBI also did chemical testing.Meanwhile, Secret Service investigators put together a list of several hundred individuals who may have accessed the area where the drugs were found. Anyone who comes through the White House must give identifying information and pass through security before entering.But the lab results didn't turn up latent fingerprints or DNA, so agents can't compare anything to the possible suspect pool. White House staff are fingerprinted; participants in tour groups are not.Video of the West Executive street lobby entrance did not identify the person or provide any solid investigative leads, the Secret Service said.

Secret Service ends White House cocaine probe without a suspect

WASHINGTON —The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website published advice for&nbsp;<a href="https://www.foxnews.com/sports/joe-rogan-trans-women-competing-womens-sports-become-forced-compliance" target="_blank">trans and non-binary individuals</a>&nbsp;on seeking guidance on how to "chestfeed" their infants.

Kansas United State's Senator Roger Marshall was quick to criticize the recommendation and and the agency.

On social media, Marhall wrote, "As a physician who has delivered over 5,000 babies and encouraged every mom to breastfeed, it is evident the CDC has placed politics and its social agenda ahead of science and the health of newborns."

"Also, the CDC is in direct conflict with the FDA for marketing a drug, Domperidone, for milk production. This drug is NOT legally approved or sold in the U.S. In fact, the <a href="https://www.fda.gov/drugs/information-drug-class/fda-talk-paper-fda-warns-against-women-using-unapproved-drug-domperidone-increase-milk-production">FDA warns agains</a>t giving Domperidone to women for promoting lactation."

"In my opinion, the CDC has lost all credibility. A biological male filled with hormones and a concoction of other drugs that could harm a baby should NEVER try to naturally feed a newborn. When will the Left wake up and realize what they are doing to our country?"

WASHINGTON —The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website published advice for&nbsp;<a href="https://www.foxnews.com/sports/joe-rogan-trans-women-competing-womens-sports-become-forced-compliance" target="_blank">trans and non-binary individuals</a>&nbsp;on seeking guidance on how to "chestfeed" their infants.Kansas United State's Senator Roger Marshall was quick to criticize the recommendation and and the agency.On social media, Marhall wrote, "As a physician who has delivered over 5,000 babies and encouraged every mom to breastfeed, it is evident the CDC has placed politics and its social agenda ahead of science and the health of newborns.""Also, the CDC is in direct conflict with the FDA for marketing a drug, Domperidone, for milk production. This drug is NOT legally approved or sold in the U.S. In fact, the <a href="https://www.fda.gov/drugs/information-drug-class/fda-talk-paper-fda-warns-against-women-using-unapproved-drug-domperidone-increase-milk-production">FDA warns agains</a>t giving Domperidone to women for promoting lactation.""In my opinion, the CDC has lost all credibility. A biological male filled with hormones and a concoction of other drugs that could harm a baby should NEVER try to naturally feed a newborn. When will the Left wake up and realize what they are doing to our country?"

Kansas U.S. Senator rips CDC over trans chest feeding newborns

By FRANK BAJAK, HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTH and LARRY FENN Associated Press

KANSAS CITY (AP) —The confidential documents stolen from schools and dumped online by ransomware gangs are raw, intimate and graphic. They describe student sexual assaults, psychiatric hospitalizations, abusive parents, truancy — even suicide attempts.

“Please do something,” begged a student in one leaked file, recalling the trauma of continually bumping into an ex-abuser at a school in Minneapolis. Other victims talked about wetting the bed or crying themselves to sleep.

Complete sexual assault case folios containing these details were among more than 300,000 files dumped online in March after the 36,000-student Minneapolis Public Schools refused to pay a $1 million ransom. Other exposed data included medical records and discrimination complaints.

Rich in digitized data, the nation’s schools are prime targets for far-flung criminal hackers, who are assiduously locating and scooping up sensitive files.

Often strapped for cash, districts are grossly ill-equipped not just to defend themselves but to respond diligently and transparently when attacked, especially as they struggle to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-education-covid-46cb725e08110f8ad3c1b303ec9eefad">help kids catch up from the pandemic</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/covid-health-chicago-race-and-ethnicity-a178d2dbe5d8e10d155b3f740da39609">grapple with shrinking budgets</a>.

Months after the Minneapolis attack, administrators have not delivered on their promise to inform individual victims. Unlike for hospitals, no federal law exists to require this notification from schools.

The Associated Press reached families of six students whose sexual assault case files were exposed. The message from a reporter was the first time anyone had alerted them.

“Truth is, they didn’t notify us about anything,” said a mother whose son’s case file has 80 documents.

Even when schools catch a ransomware attack in progress, the data are typically already gone. That was what Los Angeles Unified School District did last Labor Day weekend, only to see the private paperwork of more than 1,900 former students — including psychological evaluations and medical records — leaked online. Not until February did district officials disclose the breach’s full dimensions.

The lasting legacy of school ransomware attacks, it turns out, is not in school closures, recovery costs or even soaring cyberinsurance premiums. It is the trauma for staff, students and parents from the online exposure of private records — which the AP found on the open internet and dark web.

“A massive amount of information is being posted online, and nobody is looking to see just how bad it all is. Or, if somebody is looking, they’re not making the results public,” said analyst Brett Callow of the cybersecurity firm Emsisoft.

Other big districts recently stung by data theft include&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sandiegounified.org/data_security">San Diego</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dmschools.org/news_release/dmps-notifies-individuals-of-data-security-incident/">Des Moines</a>&nbsp;and Tucson, Arizona. While the severity of those hacks remains unclear, all have been criticized either for being slow to admit to being hit by ransomware, dragging their feet on notifying victims — or both.

ON CYBER SECURITY, SCHOOLS HAVE LAGGED

While other ransomware targets have fortified and segmented networks, encrypting data and mandating multi-factor authentication, school systems have been slower to react.

Ransomware likely has affected well over 5 million U.S. students by now, with district attacks on track to rise this year, said analyst Allan Liska of the cybersecurity firm Recorded Future.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cisecurity.org/about-us/media/press-release/new-ms-isac-report-details-cybersecurity-challenges-of-k-12-schools">Nearly one in three U.S. districts</a>&nbsp;had been breached by the end of 2021, according to a survey by the Center for Internet Security, a federally funded nonprofit.

Just three years ago, criminals did not routinely grab data in ransomware attacks, said TJ Sayers, cyberthreat intelligence manager at the Center for Internet Security. Now, it’s common, he said, with much of it sold on the dark web.

The criminals in the Minneapolis theft were especially aggressive. They shared links to the stolen data on Facebook, Twitter, Telegram and the dark web, which standard browsers can’t access.

The Minneapolis parents informed by the AP of the leaked sexual assault complaints feel doubly victimized. Their children have battled PTSD, and some even left their schools. Now this.

“The family is beyond horrified to learn that this highly sensitive information is now available in perpetuity on the internet for the child’s future friends, romantic interests, employers, and others to discover,” said Jeff Storms, an attorney for one of the families. It is AP policy not to identify sexual abuse victims.

Minneapolis Schools spokeswoman Crystina Lugo-Beach would not say how many people have been contacted so far or answer other AP questions about the attack.

Despite parents' and teachers' frustration, schools are&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/BrettCallow/status/1661073335604871168?s=20">routinely advised by incident response teams</a>&nbsp;concerned about legal liability issues and ransom negotiations against being more transparent, said Callow of Emsisoft. Minneapolis school officials apparently followed that playbook, initially describing the Feb. 17 attack cryptically as a “system incident,” then as “technical difficulties” and later an “encryption event.”

The extent of the breach became clear though when a ransomware group posted video of stolen data, giving the district 10 days to pay the ransom before leaking files.

The district declined to pay, following the standing advice of the FBI, which says ransoms encourage criminals to target more victims.

SCHOOLS SPEND TECH BUDGETS ON LEARNING TOOLS, NOT SECURITY

During the COVID-19 pandemic, districts prioritized spending on internet connectivity and remote learning. Security got short shrift as IT departments invested in software to track student engagement and performance,&nbsp;<a href="https://cs.uchicago.edu/news/uchicago-and-nyu-research-team-finds-edtech-tools-could-pose-privacy-risks-for-students/">often at the expense of privacy and safety</a>, University of Chicago and New York University researchers found.

Cybersecurity money for public schools is limited. As it stands, districts can only expect slivers of the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dhs.gov/news/2022/09/16/biden-harris-administration-announces-1-billion-funding-first-ever-state-and-local">$1 billion in cybersecurity grants</a>&nbsp;that the federal government is distributing over four years.

Minnesota’s chief information security officer, John Israel, said his state got $18 million of it this year&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cisa.gov/state-and-local-cybersecurity-grant-program-frequently-asked-questions">to divvy among 3,600 different entities</a>. State lawmakers provided an additional $22.5 million in grants for cyber and physical security in schools.

It’s already too late for the mother of one of the Minneapolis students whose confidential sexual assault complaint was released online. She almost feels “violated again.”

“All the stuff we kept private,” she said, “it’s out there. And it’s been out there for a very long time.”

By FRANK BAJAK, HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTH and LARRY FENN Associated PressKANSAS CITY (AP) —The confidential documents stolen from schools and dumped online by ransomware gangs are raw, intimate and graphic. They describe student sexual assaults, psychiatric hospitalizations, abusive parents, truancy — even suicide attempts.“Please do something,” begged a student in one leaked file, recalling the trauma of continually bumping into an ex-abuser at a school in Minneapolis. Other victims talked about wetting the bed or crying themselves to sleep.Complete sexual assault case folios containing these details were among more than 300,000 files dumped online in March after the 36,000-student Minneapolis Public Schools refused to pay a $1 million ransom. Other exposed data included medical records and discrimination complaints.Rich in digitized data, the nation’s schools are prime targets for far-flung criminal hackers, who are assiduously locating and scooping up sensitive files.Often strapped for cash, districts are grossly ill-equipped not just to defend themselves but to respond diligently and transparently when attacked, especially as they struggle to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-education-covid-46cb725e08110f8ad3c1b303ec9eefad">help kids catch up from the pandemic</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/covid-health-chicago-race-and-ethnicity-a178d2dbe5d8e10d155b3f740da39609">grapple with shrinking budgets</a>.Months after the Minneapolis attack, administrators have not delivered on their promise to inform individual victims. Unlike for hospitals, no federal law exists to require this notification from schools.The Associated Press reached families of six students whose sexual assault case files were exposed. The message from a reporter was the first time anyone had alerted them.“Truth is, they didn’t notify us about anything,” said a mother whose son’s case file has 80 documents.Even when schools catch a ransomware attack in progress, the data are typically already gone. That was what Los Angeles Unified School District did last Labor Day weekend, only to see the private paperwork of more than 1,900 former students — including psychological evaluations and medical records — leaked online. Not until February did district officials disclose the breach’s full dimensions.The lasting legacy of school ransomware attacks, it turns out, is not in school closures, recovery costs or even soaring cyberinsurance premiums. It is the trauma for staff, students and parents from the online exposure of private records — which the AP found on the open internet and dark web.“A massive amount of information is being posted online, and nobody is looking to see just how bad it all is. Or, if somebody is looking, they’re not making the results public,” said analyst Brett Callow of the cybersecurity firm Emsisoft.Other big districts recently stung by data theft include&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sandiegounified.org/data_security">San Diego</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dmschools.org/news_release/dmps-notifies-individuals-of-data-security-incident/">Des Moines</a>&nbsp;and Tucson, Arizona. While the severity of those hacks remains unclear, all have been criticized either for being slow to admit to being hit by ransomware, dragging their feet on notifying victims — or both.ON CYBER SECURITY, SCHOOLS HAVE LAGGED While other ransomware targets have fortified and segmented networks, encrypting data and mandating multi-factor authentication, school systems have been slower to react.Ransomware likely has affected well over 5 million U.S. students by now, with district attacks on track to rise this year, said analyst Allan Liska of the cybersecurity firm Recorded Future.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cisecurity.org/about-us/media/press-release/new-ms-isac-report-details-cybersecurity-challenges-of-k-12-schools">Nearly one in three U.S. districts</a>&nbsp;had been breached by the end of 2021, according to a survey by the Center for Internet Security, a federally funded nonprofit.Just three years ago, criminals did not routinely grab data in ransomware attacks, said TJ Sayers, cyberthreat intelligence manager at the Center for Internet Security. Now, it’s common, he said, with much of it sold on the dark web.The criminals in the Minneapolis theft were especially aggressive. They shared links to the stolen data on Facebook, Twitter, Telegram and the dark web, which standard browsers can’t access.The Minneapolis parents informed by the AP of the leaked sexual assault complaints feel doubly victimized. Their children have battled PTSD, and some even left their schools. Now this.“The family is beyond horrified to learn that this highly sensitive information is now available in perpetuity on the internet for the child’s future friends, romantic interests, employers, and others to discover,” said Jeff Storms, an attorney for one of the families. It is AP policy not to identify sexual abuse victims.Minneapolis Schools spokeswoman Crystina Lugo-Beach would not say how many people have been contacted so far or answer other AP questions about the attack.Despite parents' and teachers' frustration, schools are&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/BrettCallow/status/1661073335604871168?s=20">routinely advised by incident response teams</a>&nbsp;concerned about legal liability issues and ransom negotiations against being more transparent, said Callow of Emsisoft. Minneapolis school officials apparently followed that playbook, initially describing the Feb. 17 attack cryptically as a “system incident,” then as “technical difficulties” and later an “encryption event.”The extent of the breach became clear though when a ransomware group posted video of stolen data, giving the district 10 days to pay the ransom before leaking files.The district declined to pay, following the standing advice of the FBI, which says ransoms encourage criminals to target more victims.SCHOOLS SPEND TECH BUDGETS ON LEARNING TOOLS, NOT SECURITY During the COVID-19 pandemic, districts prioritized spending on internet connectivity and remote learning. Security got short shrift as IT departments invested in software to track student engagement and performance,&nbsp;<a href="https://cs.uchicago.edu/news/uchicago-and-nyu-research-team-finds-edtech-tools-could-pose-privacy-risks-for-students/">often at the expense of privacy and safety</a>, University of Chicago and New York University researchers found.Cybersecurity money for public schools is limited. As it stands, districts can only expect slivers of the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dhs.gov/news/2022/09/16/biden-harris-administration-announces-1-billion-funding-first-ever-state-and-local">$1 billion in cybersecurity grants</a>&nbsp;that the federal government is distributing over four years.Minnesota’s chief information security officer, John Israel, said his state got $18 million of it this year&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cisa.gov/state-and-local-cybersecurity-grant-program-frequently-asked-questions">to divvy among 3,600 different entities</a>. State lawmakers provided an additional $22.5 million in grants for cyber and physical security in schools.It’s already too late for the mother of one of the Minneapolis students whose confidential sexual assault complaint was released online. She almost feels “violated again.”“All the stuff we kept private,” she said, “it’s out there. And it’s been out there for a very long time.”

Ransomware criminals are dumping kids' private files online after school hacks

SEATTLE (AP) — Need Plan B? Tap your credit card and enter B6.

Since last November, a library at the University of Washington has featured a different kind of vending machine, one that's become more popular on campuses around the country since the U.S. Supreme Court&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-supreme-court-decision-854f60302f21c2c35129e58cf8d8a7b0">ended constitutional protections for abortion</a>&nbsp;last year. It's stocked with ibuprofen, pregnancy tests and the morning-after pill.

With&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-health-legislature-idaho-birth-control-bd238c572da10d812ef5ba93f1860fc5">some states enacting abortion bans</a>&nbsp;and others&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-us-supreme-court-health-charlie-baker-massachusetts-67ae91877315527cb5f5166cf2b91d8a">enshrining protections</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/washington-abortion-pills-stockpile-1c1c7c107882f7a25a181af79a1f6790">expanding access to birth control</a>, the machines are part of a push on college campuses to ensure emergency contraceptives are cheap, discreet and widely available.

There are now 39 universities in 17 states with emergency contraceptive vending machines, and at least 20 more considering them, according to the American Society for Emergency Contraception. Some, such as the University of Tulsa in Oklahoma, are in states where abortion&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-oklahoma-supreme-court-medical-emergency-74841ced6cc1f247dc9bcf00d5d2403a">is largely banned</a>.

Over-the-counter purchase of Plan B and generic forms is legal in all 50 states.

The 2022 ruling overturning Roe v. Wade “is putting people’s lives at stake, so it makes pregnancy prevention all the more urgent,” said Kelly Cleland, the ASEC's executive director. “If you live in a state where you cannot get an abortion and you can’t get an abortion anywhere near you, the stakes are so much higher than they’ve ever been before.”

Washington this year became first U.S. state to set aside money — $200,000 to fund $10,000 grants that colleges can obtain next year through an application process — to expand&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/emergency-contraception">access to emergency contraceptives</a>&nbsp;at public universities and technical colleges through the automatic dispensers.

The University of Washington's machine was installed after a student-led campaign. It offers boxes of generic Plan B for $12.60, about a quarter of what the name-brand versions sell for in stores, and more than 640 have been sold.

The drug is even cheaper in some machines than it is in UW’s, as low as $7 per box. That’s because it is sold at just above wholesale cost, compared with pharmacy retail prices that might go up to $50.

In Illinois and New York, lawmakers are developing legislation that would require at least one vending machine selling emergency contraceptives on state college campuses.

In Connecticut, Yale had to drop plans to install an emergency contraceptive vending machine in 2019 after learning it would violate state law.

But this year the state approved a measure allowing Plan B and other over-the-counter medications to be sold from vending machines on campuses and other locations.

The machines can't be placed in K-12 schools or exposed to the elements, and they must have temperature and humidity controls and include plans for power outages and expired items.

“This just enables people to have better access and easier access,” said Rep. Nicole Klarides-Ditria, one of several Republicans in Connecticut's Democratic-controlled General Assembly who supported the measure. “You may need Plan B, as we all know, in the middle of the night, and you won’t have access to a pharmacy until the morning.”

Although the morning-after pill has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for over-the-counter sale, many stores and pharmacies keep it behind the counter or locked up, require identification for purchase and make the experience of purchasing it intimidating.

“There is a stigma associated with getting access to these medications,” said Zoe Amaris, a University of Washington pharmacy student and board member of UW Pharmacists for Reproductive Education and Sexual Health. “Having a vending machine is so easy. You don’t need to go to a pharmacy. You don’t need to go through your health care provider.”

Plan B is more effective the sooner it is taken, and vending machine access could be particularly crucial for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-health-birth-control-emergency-contraception-bd43c175ff60b83eef43ba146c0bf3f3">victims of rape</a>&nbsp;when pharmacies are closed. The anonymity the machines afford may also be important to some assault victims.

“When you have a vending machine, it takes away a lot of those barriers," Cleland said. “Students can go on their own terms to get it when they need it.”

SEATTLE (AP) — Need Plan B? Tap your credit card and enter B6.Since last November, a library at the University of Washington has featured a different kind of vending machine, one that's become more popular on campuses around the country since the U.S. Supreme Court&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-supreme-court-decision-854f60302f21c2c35129e58cf8d8a7b0">ended constitutional protections for abortion</a>&nbsp;last year. It's stocked with ibuprofen, pregnancy tests and the morning-after pill.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Reproductive health care products, including Plan B, are available from a new vending machine located in the Odegaard Library cafe (first floor). The machine is a partnership with UW&#39;s Pharmacists for Reproductive Education and Sexual Health RSO and the Kelley-Ross Foundation. <a href="https://t.co/smyWSoDdJ7">pic.twitter.com/smyWSoDdJ7</a>&mdash; UW Student Life (@uwstudentlife) <a href="https://twitter.com/uwstudentlife/status/1628119834977517569?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 21, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>With&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-health-legislature-idaho-birth-control-bd238c572da10d812ef5ba93f1860fc5">some states enacting abortion bans</a>&nbsp;and others&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-us-supreme-court-health-charlie-baker-massachusetts-67ae91877315527cb5f5166cf2b91d8a">enshrining protections</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/washington-abortion-pills-stockpile-1c1c7c107882f7a25a181af79a1f6790">expanding access to birth control</a>, the machines are part of a push on college campuses to ensure emergency contraceptives are cheap, discreet and widely available.There are now 39 universities in 17 states with emergency contraceptive vending machines, and at least 20 more considering them, according to the American Society for Emergency Contraception. Some, such as the University of Tulsa in Oklahoma, are in states where abortion&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-oklahoma-supreme-court-medical-emergency-74841ced6cc1f247dc9bcf00d5d2403a">is largely banned</a>.Over-the-counter purchase of Plan B and generic forms is legal in all 50 states.The 2022 ruling overturning Roe v. Wade “is putting people’s lives at stake, so it makes pregnancy prevention all the more urgent,” said Kelly Cleland, the ASEC's executive director. “If you live in a state where you cannot get an abortion and you can’t get an abortion anywhere near you, the stakes are so much higher than they’ve ever been before.”Washington this year became first U.S. state to set aside money — $200,000 to fund $10,000 grants that colleges can obtain next year through an application process — to expand&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/emergency-contraception">access to emergency contraceptives</a>&nbsp;at public universities and technical colleges through the automatic dispensers.The University of Washington's machine was installed after a student-led campaign. It offers boxes of generic Plan B for $12.60, about a quarter of what the name-brand versions sell for in stores, and more than 640 have been sold.The drug is even cheaper in some machines than it is in UW’s, as low as $7 per box. That’s because it is sold at just above wholesale cost, compared with pharmacy retail prices that might go up to $50.In Illinois and New York, lawmakers are developing legislation that would require at least one vending machine selling emergency contraceptives on state college campuses.In Connecticut, Yale had to drop plans to install an emergency contraceptive vending machine in 2019 after learning it would violate state law.But this year the state approved a measure allowing Plan B and other over-the-counter medications to be sold from vending machines on campuses and other locations.The machines can't be placed in K-12 schools or exposed to the elements, and they must have temperature and humidity controls and include plans for power outages and expired items.“This just enables people to have better access and easier access,” said Rep. Nicole Klarides-Ditria, one of several Republicans in Connecticut's Democratic-controlled General Assembly who supported the measure. “You may need Plan B, as we all know, in the middle of the night, and you won’t have access to a pharmacy until the morning.”Although the morning-after pill has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for over-the-counter sale, many stores and pharmacies keep it behind the counter or locked up, require identification for purchase and make the experience of purchasing it intimidating.“There is a stigma associated with getting access to these medications,” said Zoe Amaris, a University of Washington pharmacy student and board member of UW Pharmacists for Reproductive Education and Sexual Health. “Having a vending machine is so easy. You don’t need to go to a pharmacy. You don’t need to go through your health care provider.”Plan B is more effective the sooner it is taken, and vending machine access could be particularly crucial for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-health-birth-control-emergency-contraception-bd43c175ff60b83eef43ba146c0bf3f3">victims of rape</a>&nbsp;when pharmacies are closed. The anonymity the machines afford may also be important to some assault victims.“When you have a vending machine, it takes away a lot of those barriers," Cleland said. “Students can go on their own terms to get it when they need it.”

Morning-after pill vending machines gain popularity on college campuses post-Roe

ROME (AP) — Italy’s culture and tourism ministers have vowed to find and punish a tourist who was filmed carving his name and that of his apparent girlfriend in the wall of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/rome-europe-science-health-coronavirus-629ccdd23325871f91d40a2fc566c592">the Colosseum in Rome</a>, a crime that resulted in hefty fines in the past.

<a href="https://youtube.com/shorts/OGYe1Z4EbQ0?feature=share">Click here to watch </a>the video

The message reading “Ivan+Haley 23” appeared on the Colosseum at a time when Romans already were complaining about hordes of tourists flooding the Eternal City in record numbers this season. A fellow tourist, Ryan Litz, of Orange, California., filmed the incident and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/shorts/OGYe1Z4EbQ0">posted the video on YouTube</a>&nbsp;and Reddit.

The video received over 1,500 social media views and was picked up by Italian media. Litz told The Associated Press on Tuesday he was “dumbfounded” that someone would deface such an important monument.

Culture Minister Gennaro Sangiuliano called the writing carved into the almost 2,000-year-old Flavian Ampitheater “serious, undignified and a sign of great incivility.” He said he hoped the culprits would be found “and punished according to our laws.”

Italian news agency ANSA noted that the incident marked the fourth time this year that such graffiti was reported at&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/c519adca7ca74ef88196540976084104/Rome-with-a-view:-Colosseum-opens-its-top-levels-to-public">the Colosseum</a>. It said whoever was responsible for the latest episode risked $15,000 in fines and up to five years in prison.

Tourism Minister Daniela Santanche said she hoped the tourist would be sanctioned “so that he understands the gravity of the gesture.” Calling for respect for Italy’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/rome-ancient-temples-julius-caesar-726e7c504f4a173dbe6ba322fbfabc18">culture and history</a>, she vowed: “We cannot allow those who visit our nation to feel free to behave in this way.”

Litz, who is on a two-month backpacking trip through Europe, said he had just finished a guided tour of the Colosseum on Friday when he saw the person “blatantly carving his name" in the Colosseum wall. Litz told the AP he took out his phone to film the man because he was so shocked at what he was doing.

“And as you see in the video, I kind of approach him and ask him, dumbfounded at this point, ‘Are you serious? Are you really serious?’" Litz recalled. “And all he could do is like smile at me.”

Litz, a recent graduate of Cal Poly Pomona, said he tried to get a guard to take action, but neither the guard nor his supervisor did anything, even after Litz identified the man and offered to share the video.

He said he decided to post the video online the following morning, after he had calmed down. While saying he appreciates graffiti and art, “carving your name seems like a pretty selfish act.” He said visitors to foreign countries cannot repay their hosts "with blatant disrespect like this.”

Outside the Colosseum on Tuesday, other visitors agreed.

"We have to preserve what we have," said Diego Cruz, an American student. “There is a rich history here. It helps us learn from the past.

Güldamla Ozsema, a computer engineer visiting from Turkey, said his country also had difficulty protecting its monuments from disrespectful tourists.

"I really get angry with them, with this behavior,” Ozsema said.

Italian tourism lobby Federturismo, backed by statistics bureau ISTAT, has said 2023 is shaping up as a record for visitors to Italy, surpassing pre-pandemic levels that hit a high in 2019.

In 2014,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/id-bd4780ece28d449aaca5a7ca97e1fcc3">a Russian tourist was fined</a>&nbsp;20,000 euros ($25,000) and received a four-year suspended jail sentence for engraving a big letter ‘K’ on a wall of the Colosseum.

The following year, two American tourists were also cited for aggravated damage after they carved their names in the monument.

ROME (AP) — Italy’s culture and tourism ministers have vowed to find and punish a tourist who was filmed carving his name and that of his apparent girlfriend in the wall of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/rome-europe-science-health-coronavirus-629ccdd23325871f91d40a2fc566c592">the Colosseum in Rome</a>, a crime that resulted in hefty fines in the past.<a href="https://youtube.com/shorts/OGYe1Z4EbQ0?feature=share">Click here to watch </a>the videoThe message reading “Ivan+Haley 23” appeared on the Colosseum at a time when Romans already were complaining about hordes of tourists flooding the Eternal City in record numbers this season. A fellow tourist, Ryan Litz, of Orange, California., filmed the incident and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/shorts/OGYe1Z4EbQ0">posted the video on YouTube</a>&nbsp;and Reddit.The video received over 1,500 social media views and was picked up by Italian media. Litz told The Associated Press on Tuesday he was “dumbfounded” that someone would deface such an important monument.Culture Minister Gennaro Sangiuliano called the writing carved into the almost 2,000-year-old Flavian Ampitheater “serious, undignified and a sign of great incivility.” He said he hoped the culprits would be found “and punished according to our laws.”Italian news agency ANSA noted that the incident marked the fourth time this year that such graffiti was reported at&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/c519adca7ca74ef88196540976084104/Rome-with-a-view:-Colosseum-opens-its-top-levels-to-public">the Colosseum</a>. It said whoever was responsible for the latest episode risked $15,000 in fines and up to five years in prison.Tourism Minister Daniela Santanche said she hoped the tourist would be sanctioned “so that he understands the gravity of the gesture.” Calling for respect for Italy’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/rome-ancient-temples-julius-caesar-726e7c504f4a173dbe6ba322fbfabc18">culture and history</a>, she vowed: “We cannot allow those who visit our nation to feel free to behave in this way.”Litz, who is on a two-month backpacking trip through Europe, said he had just finished a guided tour of the Colosseum on Friday when he saw the person “blatantly carving his name" in the Colosseum wall. Litz told the AP he took out his phone to film the man because he was so shocked at what he was doing.“And as you see in the video, I kind of approach him and ask him, dumbfounded at this point, ‘Are you serious? Are you really serious?’" Litz recalled. “And all he could do is like smile at me.”Litz, a recent graduate of Cal Poly Pomona, said he tried to get a guard to take action, but neither the guard nor his supervisor did anything, even after Litz identified the man and offered to share the video.He said he decided to post the video online the following morning, after he had calmed down. While saying he appreciates graffiti and art, “carving your name seems like a pretty selfish act.” He said visitors to foreign countries cannot repay their hosts "with blatant disrespect like this.”Outside the Colosseum on Tuesday, other visitors agreed."We have to preserve what we have," said Diego Cruz, an American student. “There is a rich history here. It helps us learn from the past.Güldamla Ozsema, a computer engineer visiting from Turkey, said his country also had difficulty protecting its monuments from disrespectful tourists."I really get angry with them, with this behavior,” Ozsema said.Italian tourism lobby Federturismo, backed by statistics bureau ISTAT, has said 2023 is shaping up as a record for visitors to Italy, surpassing pre-pandemic levels that hit a high in 2019.In 2014,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/id-bd4780ece28d449aaca5a7ca97e1fcc3">a Russian tourist was fined</a>&nbsp;20,000 euros ($25,000) and received a four-year suspended jail sentence for engraving a big letter ‘K’ on a wall of the Colosseum.The following year, two American tourists were also cited for aggravated damage after they carved their names in the monument.

🎥Officials vow to find, punish tourist who vandalized Colosseum in Rome

The Wichita Police Department reported that Michael Camp was located by the Butler County Sheriff’s Office, and is safe, according to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation. The silver alert has been canceled.

SEDGWICK COUNTY –&nbsp;The Wichita Police Department requested that the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) issue a statewide Silver Alert for a missing Wichita man, according to a media release from the KBI.

The whereabouts of 74-year-old Michael A. Camp are unknown, and the public’s assistance is requested to help locate him.

Michael was last seen at his residence in the 200 block of S. Mars, around 3 a.m. on Thursday, June 22. He is likely driving a dark blue 2020 Hyundai Santa Fe bearing Kansas Tag 777COJ.&nbsp; He may have traveled to the Butler County, Kansas area.

Michael is a white male who is around 5 feet 11 inches tall and weighs around 200 pounds. He has brown eyes and white hair. He was last known wearing a t-shirt and shorts. Michael has Alzheimer’s disease.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/6/1687466434539.png" alt="Michael A. Camp-photo Wichita PD" />
 <figcaption>Michael A. Camp-photo Wichita PD</figcaption>
 </figure>The Wichita Police Department reported that Michael Camp was located by the Butler County Sheriff’s Office, and is safe, according to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation. The silver alert has been canceled.-----------SEDGWICK COUNTY –&nbsp;The Wichita Police Department requested that the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) issue a statewide Silver Alert for a missing Wichita man, according to a media release from the KBI.The whereabouts of 74-year-old Michael A. Camp are unknown, and the public’s assistance is requested to help locate him.Michael was last seen at his residence in the 200 block of S. Mars, around 3 a.m. on Thursday, June 22. He is likely driving a dark blue 2020 Hyundai Santa Fe bearing Kansas Tag 777COJ.&nbsp; He may have traveled to the Butler County, Kansas area.Michael is a white male who is around 5 feet 11 inches tall and weighs around 200 pounds. He has brown eyes and white hair. He was last known wearing a t-shirt and shorts. Michael has Alzheimer’s disease.

KBI: Statewide Silver Alert canceled: missing Kansas man found safe

Coast Guard: Debris field has been found in search for missing sub

HALIFAX (AP) —Teams racing to find the missing Titan submersible have detected&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/titan-titanic-submersible-sound-0a6cdf7fdd6d2b2ffff1f8b25f081faf">underwater noises</a>&nbsp;in the search area. But it won’t be easy to find the source of that sound in the “noisy” ocean.

There are many other potential sources of sound underwater, including from fish, other animals and of course human-made instruments, according to Matt Dzieciuch, an ocean acoustics expert at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography.

While the Coast Guard said search teams heard banging noises at 30-minute intervals, it’s still unclear whether the banging noises were a true signal of life.

Usually, an underwater vehicle will have a device called a pinger that can correspond with the surface and make it easier to locate, Dzieciuch said. But it’s unclear whether the Titan submersible was using one.

The search team is facing additional challenges because sound gets bent as it travels underwater, due to how pressure and temperature change at different depths, Dzieciuch said. That can create echo-like effects and make it hard to locate the source of a particular sound.

HALIFAX (AP) —Underwater mountains and valleys. Deep-sea water pressure. Weather conditions. And a search area twice the size of Connecticut – in waters 2 1/2 miles (4 kilometers) deep – with few clues about the Titan’s location.

The crews tasked with finding the Titan, which was reported overdue Sunday night, are facing all those challenges and more to locate the submersible amid the North Atlantic waters.

While undersea search efforts are nothing new –&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ap-top-news-world-war-ii-international-news-japan-us-news-95f892b78ec44fbd8b4de02c4ad71792">a 2019 expedition found two lost Japanese aircraft carriers</a>&nbsp;that went down in World War II’s historic Battle of Midway around the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands – looking for the 22-foot-long (6.7-meter) carbon-fiber vessel amid the vast ocean is far more difficult than finding a needle in a haystack.

Those Japanese aircraft carriers were exponentially larger than the Titan – and still they were lost for decades after the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hi-state-wire-us-news-ap-top-news-world-war-ii-international-news-f026d20d928143ddadfc3df0f3d36f77">June 1942 air and sea battle.</a>

“I’ve seen large vessels hiding within extreme geology so searching for smaller objects requires more detailed scrutiny as opposed to searching for a sunken (cruiser) or aircraft carrier,” wrote Robert Kraft, a deep-sea explorer who was part of the 2019 expedition, in an email to The Associated Press from aboard his latest voyage.

HALIFAX (AP) —Remote-operated robots that are typically used for undersea exploration will instead be critical to any hope of finding the Titan.

There were two such remotely operated vehicles — or ROVs – in North Atlantic waters on Wednesday, with more on the way.

Designed to scan the sea floor in real time, the ROVs are outfitted with cameras and travel to depths many other vessels cannot.

ROVs have been used for undersea exploration since at least the mid-1980s, according to deep-sea explorer Katy Croff Bell, who is president of Ocean Discovery League.

The vessels are expensive to use and their method of data collection can be slow and painstaking, which is partly why scientists know so little about the ocean floor even after years of exploration.

But the ROVs might be the only way to find the Titan after the submersible vanished Sunday on a dive to the wreckage of the Titanic.

“ROVs are essential to the search and rescue mission,” Bell said. “Really the only way you’re going to be able to recover anything from the deep sea floor in real time.”

HALIFAX (AP) —The daunting search and rescue effort for the Titan is rushing experts and specialized underwater equipment together by land, by air and by sea to find the submersible before its oxygen runs out.

A remotely operated vehicle that can scan the sea floor, known as an ROV, was flown to Canada on Tuesday and is expected to arrive at the Titanic site on Thursday morning.

“The equipment that is onsite and coming is the most sophisticated in the world and certainly capable of reaching those depths,” said Sean Leet, chief executive of Canadian Horizon Maritime company.

The company and the Mi’kmaq band co-own the Polar Prince, which is the research vessel that launched the Titan.

“We are praying for our friends onboard the Titan submersible,” said Miawpukek First Nation Chief Mi’sel Joe. “We want them to come home safely. We ask everyone across Canada and the world to pray with us that we can find and rescue the Titan.”

HALIFAX (AP) —A Canadian surveillance vessel has detected underwater noises in the area where rescuers are searching for a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/titanic-wreckage-missing-submersible-62fadef7a55af0022e3dc75df862a5c1">submersible that went missing in the North Atlantic</a>&nbsp;while&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/titanic-missing-submersible-passengers-7eb1e80c03a47062fb8ff82f6251a33e">bringing five people down</a>&nbsp;to the wreck of the Titanic, authorities said Wednesday.

Coast Guard officials were bringing in more ships and other vessels to search the more narrowly defined area, though the exact location and source of the sounds has not yet been determined. The full scope of the search was twice the size of Connecticut in waters 2 1/2 miles deep, said Captain Jamie Frederick of the First Coast Guard District.

“This is a search and rescue mission, 100%,” Frederick said. “When you’re in the middle of a search and rescue case, you always have hope.”

But even those who expressed some optimism warned that many obstacles remain: from pinpointing the vessel's location, to reaching it with rescue equipment, to bringing it to the surface — assuming it's still intact — before the passengers' oxygen supply runs out.

The area of the North Atlantic where the Titan submersible went missing on Sunday is prone to fog and stormy conditions, making it an extremely challenging environment to conduct a search-and-rescue mission, said Donald Murphy, an oceanographer who served as chief scientist of the Coast Guard’s International Ice Patrol.

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