KANSAS CITY (AP) —A former principal at a Christian boarding school in Missouri that closed in March amid abuse allegations has been charged with sex crimes involving a former student.

Craig Wesley Smith Jr. was charged by the prosecutor in Wayne County in September with forcible sodomy and attempted forcible rape, court records show. He is accused of forcing a teenage girl to perform sex acts in the late 2000s when she was a student at&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/missouri-religion-sexual-abuse-by-clergy-education-af080895d108aa6dc0db533c60be2ebc">Lighthouse Christian Academy</a>&nbsp;in Piedmont, about 130 miles south of St. Louis.

A probable cause statement alleged that Smith told the girl he would kill her and “make it look like she committed suicide” if she told anyone.

Smith faces a hearing Thursday in Wayne County. Messages were left Tuesday with Smith and his attorney.

ABM Ministries operated the school, which claimed success in helping students who were troubled, learning-impaired or dealing with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder or other disorders. Lighthouse Christian Academy closed after state criminal charges were filed against the husband-and-wife owners, Larry and Carmen Musgrave, along with a teacher, Caleb Sandoval.

The Musgraves were charged with first-degree kidnapping for allegedly locking a student in a room, but a Wayne County judge on Oct. 15 dismissed the charges. It wasn't immediately clear why. Prosecuting Attorney Ginger Koller Joyner declined comment.

Sandoval was charged with abuse or neglect of a child, accused of injuring a 15-year-old boy while boxing. He pleaded guilty in July and was placed on probation for five years.

A federal lawsuit in 2009 accused Smith of sex acts with an unnamed female student. It wasn't clear if it was the same girl cited in the criminal case. Court records show that ABM Ministries and the Musgraves agreed to pay $750,000 in a settlement, and Smith agreed to pay $100,000.

Other&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/missouri-religion-sexual-abuse-by-clergy-education-af080895d108aa6dc0db533c60be2ebc">Christian boarding schools in Missouri</a>&nbsp;have faced abuse allegations in both criminal charges and lawsuits.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/crime-stockton-missouri-education-6d4bc69348f4349249e49b3ec7c29172">Agape Boarding School</a>&nbsp;in Stockton closed in 2023 after years of investigations and allegations of physical and sexual abuse. Criminal cases are still pending against&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/crime-missouri-springfield-89eb20fc1edcba8cf5963abdc69e48c8">Agape’s longtime doctor</a>, who is charged with several sex crimes.

Circle of Hope Girls' Ranch near Humansville closed in 2020. A&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/missouri-fe24ade3e378bfb53796a0af7cd71deb">former owner</a>, Stephanie Householder, is scheduled to go to trial next year on child abuse counts. Her husband, Boyd Householder, was charged with nearly 80 counts of abuse but died in June.

The schools were unrelated and were not affiliated with any particular Christian denomination.

Abuse allegations at Agape and Circle of Hope&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/missouri-religion-sexual-abuse-by-clergy-education-af080895d108aa6dc0db533c60be2ebc">prompted a state law in 2021</a>&nbsp;requiring stricter rules for such facilities. Missouri previously had virtually no oversight for religious boarding schools.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/10/1730227626873.png" alt="This photo provided by David Clohessy shows the entrance of ABM Ministries, a Christian boarding school in Piedmont, Mo. The owners of ABM Ministries were arrested over the weekend and charged with kidnapping. The arrest followed allegations of abuse by several former students who attended the school (David Clohessy via AP)" />
 <figcaption>This photo provided by David Clohessy shows the entrance of ABM Ministries, a Christian boarding school in Piedmont, Mo. The owners of ABM Ministries were arrested over the weekend and charged with kidnapping. The arrest followed allegations of abuse by several former students who attended the school (David Clohessy via AP)</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY (AP) —A former principal at a Christian boarding school in Missouri that closed in March amid abuse allegations has been charged with sex crimes involving a former student.Craig Wesley Smith Jr. was charged by the prosecutor in Wayne County in September with forcible sodomy and attempted forcible rape, court records show. He is accused of forcing a teenage girl to perform sex acts in the late 2000s when she was a student at&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/missouri-religion-sexual-abuse-by-clergy-education-af080895d108aa6dc0db533c60be2ebc">Lighthouse Christian Academy</a>&nbsp;in Piedmont, about 130 miles south of St. Louis.A probable cause statement alleged that Smith told the girl he would kill her and “make it look like she committed suicide” if she told anyone.Smith faces a hearing Thursday in Wayne County. Messages were left Tuesday with Smith and his attorney.ABM Ministries operated the school, which claimed success in helping students who were troubled, learning-impaired or dealing with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder or other disorders. Lighthouse Christian Academy closed after state criminal charges were filed against the husband-and-wife owners, Larry and Carmen Musgrave, along with a teacher, Caleb Sandoval.The Musgraves were charged with first-degree kidnapping for allegedly locking a student in a room, but a Wayne County judge on Oct. 15 dismissed the charges. It wasn't immediately clear why. Prosecuting Attorney Ginger Koller Joyner declined comment.Sandoval was charged with abuse or neglect of a child, accused of injuring a 15-year-old boy while boxing. He pleaded guilty in July and was placed on probation for five years.A federal lawsuit in 2009 accused Smith of sex acts with an unnamed female student. It wasn't clear if it was the same girl cited in the criminal case. Court records show that ABM Ministries and the Musgraves agreed to pay $750,000 in a settlement, and Smith agreed to pay $100,000.Other&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/missouri-religion-sexual-abuse-by-clergy-education-af080895d108aa6dc0db533c60be2ebc">Christian boarding schools in Missouri</a>&nbsp;have faced abuse allegations in both criminal charges and lawsuits.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/crime-stockton-missouri-education-6d4bc69348f4349249e49b3ec7c29172">Agape Boarding School</a>&nbsp;in Stockton closed in 2023 after years of investigations and allegations of physical and sexual abuse. Criminal cases are still pending against&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/crime-missouri-springfield-89eb20fc1edcba8cf5963abdc69e48c8">Agape’s longtime doctor</a>, who is charged with several sex crimes.Circle of Hope Girls' Ranch near Humansville closed in 2020. A&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/missouri-fe24ade3e378bfb53796a0af7cd71deb">former owner</a>, Stephanie Householder, is scheduled to go to trial next year on child abuse counts. Her husband, Boyd Householder, was charged with nearly 80 counts of abuse but died in June.The schools were unrelated and were not affiliated with any particular Christian denomination.Abuse allegations at Agape and Circle of Hope&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/missouri-religion-sexual-abuse-by-clergy-education-af080895d108aa6dc0db533c60be2ebc">prompted a state law in 2021</a>&nbsp;requiring stricter rules for such facilities. Missouri previously had virtually no oversight for religious boarding schools.

Former principal at Mo. Christian school accused of abusing a student

WASHINGTON (AP) — The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/us-supreme-court">Supreme Court</a>&nbsp;on Tuesday rejected an emergency appeal to remove Robert F. Kennedy Jr. from the presidential ballot in two battleground states.

Kennedy wanted to get off the ballot in Wisconsin and Michigan after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/rfk-jr-trump-speech-arizona-a2638f89ddcb5de03edbe4574ca17d45">dropping his independent bid</a>&nbsp;and endorsing Republican Donald Trump in the tight contest. He argued that keeping him on violated his First Amendment rights.

Michigan and Wisconsin said removing his name now, with early voting underway days before the election, would be impossible.

The justices did not detail their reason in an order rejecting the emergency appeal, as is typical. One justice, Neil Gorsuch, publicly dissented in the Michigan case.

The presence of independent and third-party candidates on the ballot in swing states could be a key factor in the close presidential race. The high court previously rejected Kennedy’s separate effort to stay on the ballot in New York, a state where his presence is unlikely to make a difference in the race between Trump and Democrat Kamala Harris.

Kennedy has been working to get off the ballot in the seven key swing states since endorsing Trump. Wisconsin and Michigan are the last two where his name was expected to appear.

In Michigan, he notched an appeals court win but courts ultimately found he couldn’t withdraw as the candidate of the Natural Law Party, which had wanted him to stay on.

In his dissent, Gorush pointed to lower court judges who wrote that the timing of Kennedy’s original request to be removed wasn’t so unreasonable that it should be denied.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/us-supreme-court">Supreme Court</a>&nbsp;on Tuesday rejected an emergency appeal to remove Robert F. Kennedy Jr. from the presidential ballot in two battleground states.Kennedy wanted to get off the ballot in Wisconsin and Michigan after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/rfk-jr-trump-speech-arizona-a2638f89ddcb5de03edbe4574ca17d45">dropping his independent bid</a>&nbsp;and endorsing Republican Donald Trump in the tight contest. He argued that keeping him on violated his First Amendment rights.Michigan and Wisconsin said removing his name now, with early voting underway days before the election, would be impossible.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">No matter what state you live in, VOTE TRUMP. Let&#39;s get President Trump back in the White House and me to Washington so we can Make America Healthy Again, end the forever wars, and protect our civil liberties. 🇺🇸 <a href="https://t.co/OmjxVMj9uO">pic.twitter.com/OmjxVMj9uO</a>&mdash; Robert F. Kennedy Jr (@RobertKennedyJr) <a href="https://twitter.com/RobertKennedyJr/status/1846213396452053410?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 15, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The justices did not detail their reason in an order rejecting the emergency appeal, as is typical. One justice, Neil Gorsuch, publicly dissented in the Michigan case.The presence of independent and third-party candidates on the ballot in swing states could be a key factor in the close presidential race. The high court previously rejected Kennedy’s separate effort to stay on the ballot in New York, a state where his presence is unlikely to make a difference in the race between Trump and Democrat Kamala Harris.Kennedy has been working to get off the ballot in the seven key swing states since endorsing Trump. Wisconsin and Michigan are the last two where his name was expected to appear.In Michigan, he notched an appeals court win but courts ultimately found he couldn’t withdraw as the candidate of the Natural Law Party, which had wanted him to stay on.In his dissent, Gorush pointed to lower court judges who wrote that the timing of Kennedy’s original request to be removed wasn’t so unreasonable that it should be denied.

🎥Supreme Court rejects RFK Jr.'s effort to get off the ballot in 2 swing states

Proponents of Amendment 3 have spent over $10 million on TV ads, more than 20 times what the opposition has invested

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/annaspoerre/">ANNA SPOERRE</a> <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-senate-committee-advances-bill-to-ban-texting-while-driving/">Missouri Independent</a>

An effort to legalize abortion in Missouri has raised nearly 10 times more than the political action committees seeking to stop it.&nbsp;

Missourians for Constitutional Freedom, the campaign behind&nbsp;<a href="https://moconstitutionalfreedom.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Missourians-for-Constitutional-Freedom-Amendment.pdf" target="_blank">Amendment 3</a>, which would legalize abortion up until the point of fetal viability, has raised more than $30.9 million since launching its campaign in 2023, according to fundraising reports filed Monday with the Missouri Ethics Commission.

That includes roughly $9 million since Oct. 1, most of which came from out-of-state groups that&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/09/13/missouri-abortion-rights-campaign-doubles-fundraising-fairness-project/">aren’t required to disclose their donors.&nbsp;</a>

A half dozen PACs urging Missourians to vote against Amendment 3 collectively raised around $3.2 million.

This follows a trend seen in other states where abortion has been on the ballot: efforts to legalize or protect the procedure often outspend efforts to defeat it, including in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/pittsburgh/news/ohios-2023-abortion-fight-cost-campaigns-70-million/" target="_blank">Ohio</a>, where a similar measure&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/11/07/us/elections/results-ohio-issue-1-abortion-rights.html" target="_blank">won with more than 56% of the vote.&nbsp;</a>

But Missouri is a particularly stark example of abortion-rights groups vastly outspending opposition.&nbsp;

One reason may be that less money is coming from the Catholic Church than in previous campaigns. A recent&nbsp;<a href="https://www.npr.org/transcripts/nx-s1-5144660#:~:text=An%20NPR%20and%20Religion%20News,%2D%20zero%2C%20Arizona%20%2D%20zero." target="_blank">analysis by NPR and Religion News Service</a>&nbsp;found U.S. bishops have donated significantly less this year to fight abortion measures than in 2022 and 2023.&nbsp;

While Catholic churches in Kansas spent nearly $4 million to fight an abortion referendum in Kansas in 2022, the Missouri dioceses have only invested about $30,000 in Missouri’s fight, the news outlets found.

In an effort to bridge this gap, some congregants are going door-to-door in opposition of the amendment.

“We pray for your assistance in this fight against Amendment 3,” Eric Holder, a&nbsp;volunteer with the local Knights of Columbus, prayed aloud in early October before canvassing in Independence.&nbsp;“We are like David facing Goliath. We pray that you be with us.”&nbsp;

He bowed his head alongside half a dozen other knights outside St. Mary’s Catholic Church before heading out to hang “vote no” fliers on about 1,000 doors.

Holder said he became passionate about ending abortion after he converted to Catholicism about 30 years ago and joined in the annual March for Life in Washington, D.C. He was motivated in part by a relative with an unplanned pregnancy who contemplated abortion before walking into a pregnancy resource center in Kansas City where she was encouraged to keep her baby.&nbsp;

“Missouri could suddenly become one of the worst states in the union in terms of abortion,” Holder said, fearing “the degradation of the family” and a shift to a “pro-death” culture.&nbsp;

In the interview, Holder lamented the dearth of TV ads aired from a “vote no” perspective. Fighting the amendment, he said, felt like “throwing a pebble into a raging ocean.”

But that changed in the coming weeks, as the first ads went up on TV and radio opposing the amendment.&nbsp;

A virtual rally held last week brought out several big names against the amendment, many of whom urged viewers to donate to support the purchase of TV ads.&nbsp;

Hosts of the rally, which included guest appearances by Missouri Gov. Mike Parson and conservative commentator Bill O’Reilly, appealed to viewers to donate to fund for ads to run in the 11 days before the election.&nbsp;

“We need to invest in this fight to get the messages in front of people,” said David Bereit, Founder of 40 Days for Life.&nbsp;

A number of people heeded Bereit’s advice.

As of Monday, groups opposing Amendment 3 have spent about $545,000 on radio and TV ads.&nbsp;

Nearly $442,000 of that total was purchased since Thursday, the day of the rally.&nbsp;

More than half of that spending was in TV ads purchased by the Vitae Foundation, an anti-abortion research organization based in Missouri. The group’s president was among those who spoke at Thursday’s rally, asking for contributions for TV ads. The Vitae Foundation is not registered as Missouri PAC, and therefore hasn’t reported donors or spending as is required of PACS.&nbsp;

The foundation’s ads do not specifically name Amendment 3, but rather focus on abortion broadly, encouraging viewers to “think about it.”

But spending on anti-abortion ads remains miles behind spending on digital and TV ads encouraging Missourians to “vote yes.”

As of Monday, Missourians for Constitutional Freedom spent nearly $10.4 million on TV ads, and about $22,000 on radio ads, more than twenty times what the opposition has invested.

The campaign has seen widespread support since its inception. More than&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/05/03/missourians-signatures-abortion-amendment-viability/">380,000 Missourians signed an initiative petition</a>&nbsp;to put the amendment on the ballot, and most Democratic nominees have campaigned on their support for Amendment 3.&nbsp;<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1fG46LwM4JRGAf-ZJSMEqKnJY_7kBABGI/view" target="_blank">More than 500 physicians and more than 300 other medical professionals</a>&nbsp;also signed a letter in support of&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/09/13/missouri-abortion-rights-campaign-doubles-fundraising-fairness-project/">Amendment 3.</a>&nbsp;

No excuse absentee voting in Missouri began Oct. 22. Election officials in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kansascity.com/news/politics-government/election/article294677984.html" target="_blank">Kansas City&nbsp;</a>and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.firstalert4.com/2024/10/25/early-voting-turnout-missouri-running-high/" target="_blank">St. Louis</a>&nbsp;are already reporting significant early voter turnouts ahead of the Nov. 5 General Election.&nbsp;

<a href="https://emersoncollegepolling.com/september-2024-missouri-poll-republican-candidates-lead-in-president-governor-senate-races/" target="_blank">A recent Emerson College poll</a>&nbsp;found 58% of those surveyed support Amendment 3, with 30% opposed. The most recent&nbsp;<a href="https://www.slu.edu/research/research-institute/big-ideas/slu-poll/index.php" target="_blank">SLU/YouGov Poll</a>&nbsp;found that 52% supported the amendment and 34% opposed.

The Independent’s Rudi Keller contributed reporting.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1712225243467.png" alt=" Volunteers with Missourians for Constitutional Freedom collect signatures in support of putting forward a ballot measure that would legalize abortion up to the point of fetal viability in Missouri. More than 500 people signed up for a campaign event on Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024, in Kansas City (Anna Spoerre/Missouri Independent)." />
 <figcaption> Volunteers with Missourians for Constitutional Freedom collect signatures in support of putting forward a ballot measure that would legalize abortion up to the point of fetal viability in Missouri. More than 500 people signed up for a campaign event on Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024, in Kansas City (Anna Spoerre/Missouri Independent).</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Proponents of Amendment 3 have spent over $10 million on TV ads, more than 20 times what the opposition has invested</h2>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/annaspoerre/">ANNA SPOERRE</a> <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-senate-committee-advances-bill-to-ban-texting-while-driving/">Missouri Independent</a>An effort to legalize abortion in Missouri has raised nearly 10 times more than the political action committees seeking to stop it.&nbsp;Missourians for Constitutional Freedom, the campaign behind&nbsp;<a href="https://moconstitutionalfreedom.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Missourians-for-Constitutional-Freedom-Amendment.pdf" target="_blank">Amendment 3</a>, which would legalize abortion up until the point of fetal viability, has raised more than $30.9 million since launching its campaign in 2023, according to fundraising reports filed Monday with the Missouri Ethics Commission.That includes roughly $9 million since Oct. 1, most of which came from out-of-state groups that&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/09/13/missouri-abortion-rights-campaign-doubles-fundraising-fairness-project/">aren’t required to disclose their donors.&nbsp;</a>A half dozen PACs urging Missourians to vote against Amendment 3 collectively raised around $3.2 million.This follows a trend seen in other states where abortion has been on the ballot: efforts to legalize or protect the procedure often outspend efforts to defeat it, including in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/pittsburgh/news/ohios-2023-abortion-fight-cost-campaigns-70-million/" target="_blank">Ohio</a>, where a similar measure&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/11/07/us/elections/results-ohio-issue-1-abortion-rights.html" target="_blank">won with more than 56% of the vote.&nbsp;</a>But Missouri is a particularly stark example of abortion-rights groups vastly outspending opposition.&nbsp;One reason may be that less money is coming from the Catholic Church than in previous campaigns. A recent&nbsp;<a href="https://www.npr.org/transcripts/nx-s1-5144660#:~:text=An%20NPR%20and%20Religion%20News,%2D%20zero%2C%20Arizona%20%2D%20zero." target="_blank">analysis by NPR and Religion News Service</a>&nbsp;found U.S. bishops have donated significantly less this year to fight abortion measures than in 2022 and 2023.&nbsp;While Catholic churches in Kansas spent nearly $4 million to fight an abortion referendum in Kansas in 2022, the Missouri dioceses have only invested about $30,000 in Missouri’s fight, the news outlets found.In an effort to bridge this gap, some congregants are going door-to-door in opposition of the amendment.“We pray for your assistance in this fight against Amendment 3,” Eric Holder, a&nbsp;volunteer with the local Knights of Columbus, prayed aloud in early October before canvassing in Independence.&nbsp;“We are like David facing Goliath. We pray that you be with us.”&nbsp;He bowed his head alongside half a dozen other knights outside St. Mary’s Catholic Church before heading out to hang “vote no” fliers on about 1,000 doors.Holder said he became passionate about ending abortion after he converted to Catholicism about 30 years ago and joined in the annual March for Life in Washington, D.C. He was motivated in part by a relative with an unplanned pregnancy who contemplated abortion before walking into a pregnancy resource center in Kansas City where she was encouraged to keep her baby.&nbsp;“Missouri could suddenly become one of the worst states in the union in terms of abortion,” Holder said, fearing “the degradation of the family” and a shift to a “pro-death” culture.&nbsp;In the interview, Holder lamented the dearth of TV ads aired from a “vote no” perspective. Fighting the amendment, he said, felt like “throwing a pebble into a raging ocean.”But that changed in the coming weeks, as the first ads went up on TV and radio opposing the amendment.&nbsp;A virtual rally held last week brought out several big names against the amendment, many of whom urged viewers to donate to support the purchase of TV ads.&nbsp;Hosts of the rally, which included guest appearances by Missouri Gov. Mike Parson and conservative commentator Bill O’Reilly, appealed to viewers to donate to fund for ads to run in the 11 days before the election.&nbsp;“We need to invest in this fight to get the messages in front of people,” said David Bereit, Founder of 40 Days for Life.&nbsp;A number of people heeded Bereit’s advice.As of Monday, groups opposing Amendment 3 have spent about $545,000 on radio and TV ads.&nbsp;Nearly $442,000 of that total was purchased since Thursday, the day of the rally.&nbsp;More than half of that spending was in TV ads purchased by the Vitae Foundation, an anti-abortion research organization based in Missouri. The group’s president was among those who spoke at Thursday’s rally, asking for contributions for TV ads. The Vitae Foundation is not registered as Missouri PAC, and therefore hasn’t reported donors or spending as is required of PACS.&nbsp;The foundation’s ads do not specifically name Amendment 3, but rather focus on abortion broadly, encouraging viewers to “think about it.”But spending on anti-abortion ads remains miles behind spending on digital and TV ads encouraging Missourians to “vote yes.”As of Monday, Missourians for Constitutional Freedom spent nearly $10.4 million on TV ads, and about $22,000 on radio ads, more than twenty times what the opposition has invested.The campaign has seen widespread support since its inception. More than&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/05/03/missourians-signatures-abortion-amendment-viability/">380,000 Missourians signed an initiative petition</a>&nbsp;to put the amendment on the ballot, and most Democratic nominees have campaigned on their support for Amendment 3.&nbsp;<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1fG46LwM4JRGAf-ZJSMEqKnJY_7kBABGI/view" target="_blank">More than 500 physicians and more than 300 other medical professionals</a>&nbsp;also signed a letter in support of&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/09/13/missouri-abortion-rights-campaign-doubles-fundraising-fairness-project/">Amendment 3.</a>&nbsp;No excuse absentee voting in Missouri began Oct. 22. Election officials in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kansascity.com/news/politics-government/election/article294677984.html" target="_blank">Kansas City&nbsp;</a>and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.firstalert4.com/2024/10/25/early-voting-turnout-missouri-running-high/" target="_blank">St. Louis</a>&nbsp;are already reporting significant early voter turnouts ahead of the Nov. 5 General Election.&nbsp;<a href="https://emersoncollegepolling.com/september-2024-missouri-poll-republican-candidates-lead-in-president-governor-senate-races/" target="_blank">A recent Emerson College poll</a>&nbsp;found 58% of those surveyed support Amendment 3, with 30% opposed. The most recent&nbsp;<a href="https://www.slu.edu/research/research-institute/big-ideas/slu-poll/index.php" target="_blank">SLU/YouGov Poll</a>&nbsp;found that 52% supported the amendment and 34% opposed.The Independent’s Rudi Keller contributed reporting.

Missouri abortion-rights campaign raises $9M in October, bringing overall tally to $31M

ELLSWORTH COUNTY —A wildfire that closed portions of Interstate 70 is under control and the highway is back open, according to the Kansas Department of Transportation.

Crews remain at the scene to water down hotspots.

The highway between Kansas 232 and KS 14, 6 to 9 miles east of the Dorrance area was also temporarily closed because of a wildfire.

ELLSWORTH COUNTY —Interstate 70 is closed in both directions near Wilson, mile marker 206 to mile marker 210 due to a wildfire and reduced visbility due to smoke, according to the Kansas Department of Transportation. Use alternate route.

This is a developing story. Check the Post for additional details as they become available.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/10/1730236200118.png" alt="I-70 near Wilson at 4:05p.m. Tuesday -image KanDrive" />
 <figcaption>I-70 near Wilson at 4:05p.m. Tuesday -image KanDrive</figcaption>
 </figure>ELLSWORTH COUNTY —A wildfire that closed portions of Interstate 70 is under control and the highway is back open, according to the Kansas Department of Transportation.Crews remain at the scene to water down hotspots.The highway between Kansas 232 and KS 14, 6 to 9 miles east of the Dorrance area was also temporarily closed because of a wildfire.------------ELLSWORTH COUNTY —Interstate 70 is closed in both directions near Wilson, mile marker 206 to mile marker 210 due to a wildfire and reduced visbility due to smoke, according to the Kansas Department of Transportation. Use alternate route.This is a developing story. Check the Post for additional details as they become available.

KDOT: Wildfire contained  I-70 now open at Wilson

PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;on Tuesday called his rally at New York’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-madison-square-garden-new-york-election-fcfe75be7f8281fde7bffa3adb3bba5d">Madison Square Garden</a>, an event marked by crude and racist insults by several speakers, a “lovefest.”&nbsp;That’s a term the former president also has used to reference the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.

<a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?539606-1/president-trump-speaks-reporters-mar-lago">Click here to watch</a> the entire Trump press conference

Speaking to reporters and supporters at his Mar-a-Lago resort, Trump claimed “there’s never been an event so beautiful” as his Sunday night rally in his hometown of New York City.

“The love in that room. It was breathtaking,” he said. “It was like a lovefest, an absolute lovefest. And it was my honor to be involved.”

That’s despite criticism from Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign and many who watched — including Republicans — about racist comments made by speakers during the pre-show targeting Latinos, Black people, Jews and Palestinians, along with sexist insults directed at Harris and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Comedian Tony Hinchcliffe’s set, in which he joked that Puerto Rico was a “floating island of garbage,” stirred particular anger given the electoral importance of Puerto Ricans who live in Pennsylvania and other key swing states. The Trump campaign took the rare step of distancing itself from Hinchcliffe’s joke about Puerto Rico but not other comments.

“They’ve had it. They’ve had it. They were listening to (Trump), but they said they think that that was like the straw that broke the camel’s back,” said Ortega, a member of the Make the Road PA advocacy group.

Trump “didn’t make the comment about Puerto Rico. The comedian made the comment about Puerto Rico. But it is his political forum.”

PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;on Tuesday called his rally at New York’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-madison-square-garden-new-york-election-fcfe75be7f8281fde7bffa3adb3bba5d">Madison Square Garden</a>, an event marked by crude and racist insults by several speakers, a “lovefest.”&nbsp;That’s a term the former president also has used to reference the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Former President Donald Trump on Madison Square Garden rally: &quot;The love, the love, the love in that room. It was breathtaking...it was like a love-fest...Many people have used it...nobody&#39;s ever had love like that. That was love in the room, and it was love for our country!&quot; <a href="https://t.co/95PhwsNu3g">pic.twitter.com/95PhwsNu3g</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1851299825142415379?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 29, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?539606-1/president-trump-speaks-reporters-mar-lago">Click here to watch</a> the entire Trump press conferenceSpeaking to reporters and supporters at his Mar-a-Lago resort, Trump claimed “there’s never been an event so beautiful” as his Sunday night rally in his hometown of New York City.“The love in that room. It was breathtaking,” he said. “It was like a lovefest, an absolute lovefest. And it was my honor to be involved.”That’s despite criticism from Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign and many who watched — including Republicans — about racist comments made by speakers during the pre-show targeting Latinos, Black people, Jews and Palestinians, along with sexist insults directed at Harris and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.Comedian Tony Hinchcliffe’s set, in which he joked that Puerto Rico was a “floating island of garbage,” stirred particular anger given the electoral importance of Puerto Ricans who live in Pennsylvania and other key swing states. The Trump campaign took the rare step of distancing itself from Hinchcliffe’s joke about Puerto Rico but not other comments.Comedian Tony Hinchcliffe’s set, in which he joked that Puerto Rico was a “floating island of garbage,” stirred particular anger given the electoral importance of Puerto Ricans who live in Pennsylvania and other key swing states. The Trump campaign took the rare step of distancing itself from Hinchcliffe’s joke about Puerto Rico but not other comments.“They’ve had it. They’ve had it. They were listening to (Trump), but they said they think that that was like the straw that broke the camel’s back,” said Ortega, a member of the Make the Road PA advocacy group.Trump “didn’t make the comment about Puerto Rico. The comedian made the comment about Puerto Rico. But it is his political forum.”<h2>___</h2>

🎥 Trump comments on controversial Madison Square Garden rally

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Teri Garr, the quirky comedy actor who rose from background dancer in Elvis Presley movies to co-star of such favorites as "Young Frankenstein" and "Tootsie," has died. She was 79.

Garr died Tuesday of multiple sclerosis “surrounded by family and friends,” said publicist Heidi Schaeffer. Garr battled other health problems in recent years, underwent an operation in January 2007 to repair an aneurysm.

The actor, who was sometimes credited as Terri, Terry or Terry Ann during her long career, seemed destined for show business from her childhood.

Her father was Eddie Garr, a well-known vaudeville comedian; her mother was Phyllis Lind, one of the original high-kicking Rockettes at New York's Radio City Music Hall. Their daughter began dance lessons at 6 and by 14 was dancing with the San Francisco and Los Angeles ballet companies.

She was 16 when she joined the road company of "West Side Story" in Los Angeles, and as early as 1963 she began appearing in bit parts in films.

She recalled in a 1988 interview how she won the "West Side Story" role. After being dropped from her first audition, she returned a day later in different clothes and was accepted.

From there, the blonde, statuesque Garr found steady work dancing in movies, and she appeared in the chorus of nine Presley films, including "Viva Las Vegas," "Roustabout" and "Clambake."

She also appeared on numerous television shows, including “Star Trek,” “Dr. Kildare” and “Batman,” and was a featured dancer on the rock ‘n’ roll music show “Shindig,” the rock concert performance T.A.M.I. and a cast member of “The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour.”

Her big film break came as Gene Hackman’s girlfriend in 1974’s Francis Ford Coppola thriller “The Conversation.” That led to an interview with Mel Brooks, who said he would hire her for the role of Gene Wilder’s German lab assistant in 1974’s “Young Frankenstein” — if she could speak with a German accent.

“Cher had this German woman, Renata, making wigs, so I got the accent from her,” Garr once recalled.

The film established her as a talented comedy performer, with New Yorker film critic Pauline Kael proclaiming her “the funniest neurotic dizzy dame on the screen.”

Her big smile and off-center appeal helped land her roles in “Oh God!” opposite George Burns and John Denver, “Mr. Mom” (as Michael Keaton’s wife) and “Tootsie” in which she played the girlfriend who loses Dustin Hoffman to Jessica Lange and learns that he has dressed up as a woman to revive his career. (She also lost the supporting actress Oscar at that year’s Academy Awards to Lange.)

Although best known for comedy, Garr showed in such films as “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” “The Black Stallion” and “The Escape Artist” that she could handle drama equally well.

“I would like to play ‘Norma Rae’ and ‘Sophie’s Choice,’ but I never got the chance,” she once said, adding she had become typecast as a comic actor.

She had a flair for spontaneous humor, often playing David Letterman’s foil during guest appearances on NBC’s “Late Night With David Letterman” early in its run.

Her appearances became so frequent, and the pair’s good-natured bickering so convincing, that for a time rumors cropped up that they were romantically involved. Years later, Letterman credited those early appearances with helping make the show a hit.

It was also during those years that Garr began to feel “a little beeping or ticking” in her right leg. It began in 1983 and eventually spread to her right arm as well, but she felt she could live with it. By 1999 the symptoms had become so severe that she consulted a doctor. The diagnosis: multiple sclerosis.

For three years Garr didn’t reveal her illness.

“I was afraid that I wouldn’t get work,” she explained in a 2003 interview. “People hear MS and think, ‘Oh, my God, the person has two days to live.’”

After going public, she became a spokeswoman for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, making humorous speeches to gatherings in the U.S. and Canada.

“You have to find your center and roll with the punches because that’s a hard thing to do: to have people pity you,” she commented in 2005. “Just trying to explain to people that I’m OK is tiresome.”

She also continued to act, appearing on “Law &amp; Order: Special Victims Unit,” “Greetings From Tucson,” “Life With Bonnie” and other TV shows. She also had a brief recurring role on “Friends” in the 1990s as Lisa Kudrow’s mother. After several failed romances, Garr married contractor John O’Neill in 1993. They adopted a daughter, Molly, before divorcing in 1996.

In her 2005 autobiography, “Speedbumps: Flooring It Through Hollywood,” Garr explained her decision not to discuss her age.

“My mother taught me that showbiz people never tell their real ages. She never revealed hers or my father’s,” she wrote. California voting registration records gave her date of birth as Dec. 11, 1947.

She said she was born in Los Angeles, although most reference books list Lakewood, Ohio. As her father’s career waned, the family, including Teri’s two older brothers, lived with relatives in the Midwest and East.

The Garrs eventually moved back to California, settling in the San Fernando Valley, where Teri was graduated from North Hollywood High School and studied speech and drama for two years at California State University, Northridge.

Garr recalled in 1988 what her father had told his children about pursuing a career in Hollywood.

“Don’t be in this business,” he told them. “It’s the lowest. It’s humiliating to people.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/10/1730224321938.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>LOS ANGELES (AP) — Teri Garr, the quirky comedy actor who rose from background dancer in Elvis Presley movies to co-star of such favorites as "Young Frankenstein" and "Tootsie," has died. She was 79.Garr died Tuesday of multiple sclerosis “surrounded by family and friends,” said publicist Heidi Schaeffer. Garr battled other health problems in recent years, underwent an operation in January 2007 to repair an aneurysm.The actor, who was sometimes credited as Terri, Terry or Terry Ann during her long career, seemed destined for show business from her childhood.Her father was Eddie Garr, a well-known vaudeville comedian; her mother was Phyllis Lind, one of the original high-kicking Rockettes at New York's Radio City Music Hall. Their daughter began dance lessons at 6 and by 14 was dancing with the San Francisco and Los Angeles ballet companies.She was 16 when she joined the road company of "West Side Story" in Los Angeles, and as early as 1963 she began appearing in bit parts in films.She recalled in a 1988 interview how she won the "West Side Story" role. After being dropped from her first audition, she returned a day later in different clothes and was accepted.From there, the blonde, statuesque Garr found steady work dancing in movies, and she appeared in the chorus of nine Presley films, including "Viva Las Vegas," "Roustabout" and "Clambake."She also appeared on numerous television shows, including “Star Trek,” “Dr. Kildare” and “Batman,” and was a featured dancer on the rock ‘n’ roll music show “Shindig,” the rock concert performance T.A.M.I. and a cast member of “The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour.”Her big film break came as Gene Hackman’s girlfriend in 1974’s Francis Ford Coppola thriller “The Conversation.” That led to an interview with Mel Brooks, who said he would hire her for the role of Gene Wilder’s German lab assistant in 1974’s “Young Frankenstein” — if she could speak with a German accent.“Cher had this German woman, Renata, making wigs, so I got the accent from her,” Garr once recalled.The film established her as a talented comedy performer, with New Yorker film critic Pauline Kael proclaiming her “the funniest neurotic dizzy dame on the screen.”Her big smile and off-center appeal helped land her roles in “Oh God!” opposite George Burns and John Denver, “Mr. Mom” (as Michael Keaton’s wife) and “Tootsie” in which she played the girlfriend who loses Dustin Hoffman to Jessica Lange and learns that he has dressed up as a woman to revive his career. (She also lost the supporting actress Oscar at that year’s Academy Awards to Lange.)Although best known for comedy, Garr showed in such films as “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” “The Black Stallion” and “The Escape Artist” that she could handle drama equally well.“I would like to play ‘Norma Rae’ and ‘Sophie’s Choice,’ but I never got the chance,” she once said, adding she had become typecast as a comic actor.She had a flair for spontaneous humor, often playing David Letterman’s foil during guest appearances on NBC’s “Late Night With David Letterman” early in its run.Her appearances became so frequent, and the pair’s good-natured bickering so convincing, that for a time rumors cropped up that they were romantically involved. Years later, Letterman credited those early appearances with helping make the show a hit.It was also during those years that Garr began to feel “a little beeping or ticking” in her right leg. It began in 1983 and eventually spread to her right arm as well, but she felt she could live with it. By 1999 the symptoms had become so severe that she consulted a doctor. The diagnosis: multiple sclerosis.For three years Garr didn’t reveal her illness.“I was afraid that I wouldn’t get work,” she explained in a 2003 interview. “People hear MS and think, ‘Oh, my God, the person has two days to live.’”After going public, she became a spokeswoman for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, making humorous speeches to gatherings in the U.S. and Canada.“You have to find your center and roll with the punches because that’s a hard thing to do: to have people pity you,” she commented in 2005. “Just trying to explain to people that I’m OK is tiresome.”She also continued to act, appearing on “Law &amp; Order: Special Victims Unit,” “Greetings From Tucson,” “Life With Bonnie” and other TV shows. She also had a brief recurring role on “Friends” in the 1990s as Lisa Kudrow’s mother. After several failed romances, Garr married contractor John O’Neill in 1993. They adopted a daughter, Molly, before divorcing in 1996.In her 2005 autobiography, “Speedbumps: Flooring It Through Hollywood,” Garr explained her decision not to discuss her age.“My mother taught me that showbiz people never tell their real ages. She never revealed hers or my father’s,” she wrote. California voting registration records gave her date of birth as Dec. 11, 1947.She said she was born in Los Angeles, although most reference books list Lakewood, Ohio. As her father’s career waned, the family, including Teri’s two older brothers, lived with relatives in the Midwest and East.The Garrs eventually moved back to California, settling in the San Fernando Valley, where Teri was graduated from North Hollywood High School and studied speech and drama for two years at California State University, Northridge.Garr recalled in 1988 what her father had told his children about pursuing a career in Hollywood.“Don’t be in this business,” he told them. “It’s the lowest. It’s humiliating to people.”___

Teri Garr, star of ‘Young Frankenstein’ and ‘Tootsie,’ dies at 79

KANSAS CITY – Two men have been indicted by a federal grand jury for their roles in a conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, with one of the men also charged with possessing six machine gun conversion devices, according to the U.S. State's Attorney.

Kal J. Nay, 21, of Oak Grove, Mo., and Robert J. Turnage, 20, of Blue Springs, Mo., were charged in a five-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury last week. Nay was arrested and had his initial court appearance. Turnage has not yet been arrested.

The federal indictment charges Nay and Turnage with participating in a conspiracy to distribute fentanyl. They are also charged together in one count of distributing fentanyl from May 2 to June 11, 2024.

Additionally, Nay is charged with two counts of distributing fentanyl and one count of possessing machine guns. The indictment alleges that Nay was in possession of six machine gun conversion devices, commonly referred to as “switches,” on June 18, 2024.

The charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.

KANSAS CITY – Two men have been indicted by a federal grand jury for their roles in a conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, with one of the men also charged with possessing six machine gun conversion devices, according to the U.S. State's Attorney.Kal J. Nay, 21, of Oak Grove, Mo., and Robert J. Turnage, 20, of Blue Springs, Mo., were charged in a five-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury last week. Nay was arrested and had his initial court appearance. Turnage has not yet been arrested.The federal indictment charges Nay and Turnage with participating in a conspiracy to distribute fentanyl. They are also charged together in one count of distributing fentanyl from May 2 to June 11, 2024.Additionally, Nay is charged with two counts of distributing fentanyl and one count of possessing machine guns. The indictment alleges that Nay was in possession of six machine gun conversion devices, commonly referred to as “switches,” on June 18, 2024.The charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.

Indicted KC fentanyl dealer is still at large

HUTCHINSON, Kan. —&nbsp;Shawn Steward with AAA Kansas notes that the seasonal tumble of prices at the pump is happening again in 2024.

"We've been in a trend here the last several weeks of gas prices falling back as well, Steward said. "We've seen a decline in the past week here in Kansas of three cents. We're now at $2.78 a gallon for the average price, and if you're filling up in Reno County, you've got the lowest price in Kansas at $2.59 a gallon. So 20 states right now across the country are sub-$3 on their average gas price."

"During the summer, there are government regulations that require a summer blend of gasoline that is less susceptible to creating air pollution," Steward said. "That's more expensive to produce, and that's required to be in the gas pumps during the summer months. But when we get into the fall, we go back to the so-called winter blend, and that usually knocks prices down a little bit, because it is less expensive to refine."

The parts of the U.S. with offshore oil have generally been spared the worst of hurricane damage this season, as well.

"The major refineries in the Gulf have generally stayed free of any damage or outages," Steward said. "When there is a hurricane that comes through, it can knock out power in that area. Gas pumps obviously can't work if there's no power. So we've seen some of that in the southeast U.S. But fortunately, no refining production operations have been impacted in any serious way."

For the latest information on gas prices, go to&nbsp;<a href="https://gasprices.aaa.com/?state=KS">gasprices.aaa.com</a>.

NICK GOSNELL Hutch PostHUTCHINSON, Kan. —&nbsp;Shawn Steward with AAA Kansas notes that the seasonal tumble of prices at the pump is happening again in 2024."We've been in a trend here the last several weeks of gas prices falling back as well, Steward said. "We've seen a decline in the past week here in Kansas of three cents. We're now at $2.78 a gallon for the average price, and if you're filling up in Reno County, you've got the lowest price in Kansas at $2.59 a gallon. So 20 states right now across the country are sub-$3 on their average gas price.""During the summer, there are government regulations that require a summer blend of gasoline that is less susceptible to creating air pollution," Steward said. "That's more expensive to produce, and that's required to be in the gas pumps during the summer months. But when we get into the fall, we go back to the so-called winter blend, and that usually knocks prices down a little bit, because it is less expensive to refine."The parts of the U.S. with offshore oil have generally been spared the worst of hurricane damage this season, as well."The major refineries in the Gulf have generally stayed free of any damage or outages," Steward said. "When there is a hurricane that comes through, it can knock out power in that area. Gas pumps obviously can't work if there's no power. So we've seen some of that in the southeast U.S. But fortunately, no refining production operations have been impacted in any serious way."For the latest information on gas prices, go to&nbsp;<a href="https://gasprices.aaa.com/?state=KS">gasprices.aaa.com</a>.

Gas prices fall back ahead of switch to standard time

RAWLINS COUNTY — Law enforcement in northwest Kansas are investigating three suspects on multiple allegations after fight at a hospital,&nbsp; a firearm and a stolen vehicle.

Just before 5:30p.m. Friday, sheriff's deputies responded to report of a fight involving two men and a woman at the Rawlins County Hospital, 707 Grant Street in Atwood, according to Sheriff&nbsp;Catlyn Wahrman.

At the hospital, deputies learned the fight began at another location and&nbsp;involved a firearm.&nbsp; Deputies took one man into custody immediately and transported him to the Thomas County Jail.

According to Sheriff Wahrman, Security cameras show the altercation at the hospital.

Just before 8p.m. Friday, 33-year-old Evan Tipton was booked into jail on requested charges of&nbsp;Aggravated assault; Use of a deadly weapon and Battery, according to online jail records.

After an investigation, deputies arrested the other man 26-year-old Chandler Johnson and and 33-year-old Amy Ross and recovered a stolen vehicle from Colorado.

Just after 9:30 p.m. deputies booked Johnson on requested charges of&nbsp;Violation of protection order; Domestic battery; Knowing or reckless bodily harm to family/person in dating relationship and Criminal damage to property, according to online jail records.

On Saturday morning, deputies booked&nbsp; Ross into jail on requested charges that include&nbsp;Obstructing apprehension of prosecution; Committed or charged with felony and Driving while license cancelled/suspended/revoked.

Tipton is expected to face additional charges in connection with the firearm.

According to Sheriff Wahrman in a statement, “Acts of violence of this nature are rare in our community. I am thankful for my staff, the Kansas Highway Patrol and the Cheyenne County Sheriff’s Office for their assistance in bringing a quick resolution to the situation. My main priority is always the safety of Rawlins County and its people.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/10/1730126925211.png" alt="Tipton photo Thomas Co. Jail" />
 <figcaption>Tipton photo Thomas Co. Jail</figcaption>
 </figure>RAWLINS COUNTY — Law enforcement in northwest Kansas are investigating three suspects on multiple allegations after fight at a hospital,&nbsp; a firearm and a stolen vehicle.Just before 5:30p.m. Friday, sheriff's deputies responded to report of a fight involving two men and a woman at the Rawlins County Hospital, 707 Grant Street in Atwood, according to Sheriff&nbsp;Catlyn Wahrman.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/10/1730125843069.png" alt="Johnson-photo Thomas Co. Jail" />
 <figcaption>Johnson-photo Thomas Co. Jail</figcaption>
 </figure>At the hospital, deputies learned the fight began at another location and&nbsp;involved a firearm.&nbsp; Deputies took one man into custody immediately and transported him to the Thomas County Jail.According to Sheriff Wahrman, Security cameras show the altercation at the hospital.Just before 8p.m. Friday, 33-year-old Evan Tipton was booked into jail on requested charges of&nbsp;Aggravated assault; Use of a deadly weapon and Battery, according to online jail records.After an investigation, deputies arrested the other man 26-year-old Chandler Johnson and and 33-year-old Amy Ross and recovered a stolen vehicle from Colorado.Just after 9:30 p.m. deputies booked Johnson on requested charges of&nbsp;Violation of protection order; Domestic battery; Knowing or reckless bodily harm to family/person in dating relationship and Criminal damage to property, according to online jail records.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/10/1730126582762.png" alt="Ross photo Thomas Co. Jail" />
 <figcaption>Ross photo Thomas Co. Jail</figcaption>
 </figure>On Saturday morning, deputies booked&nbsp; Ross into jail on requested charges that include&nbsp;Obstructing apprehension of prosecution; Committed or charged with felony and Driving while license cancelled/suspended/revoked.Tipton is expected to face additional charges in connection with the firearm.According to Sheriff Wahrman in a statement, “Acts of violence of this nature are rare in our community. I am thankful for my staff, the Kansas Highway Patrol and the Cheyenne County Sheriff’s Office for their assistance in bringing a quick resolution to the situation. My main priority is always the safety of Rawlins County and its people.”

Suspects arrested after fight at NW Kansas hospital

By ALLISON KITE <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a>

Attorneys attempting to overturn the death penalty in Kansas argue capital juries are skewed toward conviction and disproportionately white

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — The death penalty creates racially biased juries, results in wrongful convictions and does not deter crime, attorneys seeking to overturn capital punishment in Kansas said in a court hearing Monday.

A coalition led by the American Civil Liberties Union&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2024/10/16/aclu-challenges-kansas-death-penalty-as-arbitrary-racially-discriminatory-unreliable/">filed a challenge earlier this month</a>&nbsp;seeking to overturn Kansas’ death penalty. Hearings on the issue began Monday in Wyandotte County District Court.

In an opening statement and through witness testimony, attorneys made the case that capital punishment is unconstitutional, in part because of how it skews the makeup of juries. Testimony is expected to last the rest of the week and resume with one more witness in January.

“If you are charged with capital murder … you are less likely to get a fair trial,” Cassandra Stubbs, director of the ACLU’s Capital Punishment Project, said in her opening statement.

The challenge comes in a pair of capital murder cases against&nbsp;<a href="https://prodportal.kscourts.org/app/RegisterOfActions/#/9AB7D5E0EE5C1408647FEAE132D2D6DF0245E69EE5FBBF0C32749E4C4757020A5DEACCDEBD0957F756C43E976B366C3F3A9CD4E18CB4A60A59F34890D8662C130D5E02948CAE383A89AAB3F705F41DC8/auth/portalembed" target="_blank">Antoine Fielder</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://prodportal.kscourts.org/app/RegisterOfActions/#/9900E7B05C2AA87AB632F7478B4E040A94A2F65353EF1D5995E0E0C128395FCC983002060B93424FBECDD1AC842E57BC1A128FEC1005B8865F1D7742C08A99E9A6EA6E5CC7AB92916AF6DDD411749865/auth/portalembed" target="_blank">Hugo Villanueva-Morales</a>. Fielder is accused of killing Wyandotte County sheriff’s deputies Patrick Rohrer and Theresa King in 2018 during an inmate transport. Villanueva-Morales is charged with capital murder in a 2019 mass shooting at a bar in Kansas City. He’s also charged with attempted murder, criminal possession of a weapon and several counts of aggravated battery.

Wyandotte County District Attorney Mark Dupree argued in an opening statement that because neither defendant has been tried and convicted, the ACLU’s challenge is premature.

“At this point, the state stands by the law that neither of these arguments are ripe for hearing,” Dupree said.

Kansas is one of 27 states that still allows defendants to be sentenced to death and currently has nine inmates on death row. It hasn’t carried out an execution since 1965, and it was among the slowest to reinstate the death penalty after the U.S. Supreme Court allowed for new capital punishment laws in 1976 — four years after it struck down previous laws across the country. Kansas didn’t adopt a new death penalty statute until 1994.

While Kansas courts have considered challenges to the death penalty before, the ACLU is seeking a finding that capital punishment is unconstitutional as it’s applied in cases. One of the witnesses called by the coalition argued the death penalty is “irretrievably broken.”

Attorneys in the case are also challenging Kansas’ practice of “death qualification” for prospective jurors. During jury selection in capital cases, attorneys can disqualify prospective jurors based on their views of the death penalty, which the ACLU argues “disproportionately discriminates against jurors who are Black, women and/or religious,” violating defendants’ rights to an impartial jury and excluding jurors’ rights to participate in democratic functions.

Witnesses called by the ACLU argued historic —&nbsp;and ongoing — racism in the criminal justice system make Black prospective jurors less likely to support the death penalty, resulting in juries that are disproportionately white.

Stubbs said in her opening statement that there’s “no question that death qualification results in juries that are more likely to convict.”

“If you have two people … and one person is charged with a theft and one person is charged with capital murder, the person charged with the theft is going to get a much, much more diverse jury,” Stubbs said in an interview following the hearing.

Not only are death penalty juries more likely to convict, according to one of the witnesses the ACLU called, they’re more likely to wrongfully convict an innocent person. Carol Steiker, a Harvard Law School professor and researcher, said pressure to solve high-profile murder cases can lead to poor police work, which is then presented to juries she argues are racially biased and prone to convict defendants.

“Those juries are way skewed in a way that is not the case … in sentencing on the noncapital side,” Steiker said.

Following Steiker’s testimony, the ACLU called as witnesses two historians who argued racism and racial terror is inextricably tied to Kansas’ history, pointing to the prevalence of the Ku Klux Klan in the 19th and 20th centuries and high-profile lynchings across the state.

“Segregation, racism, discrimination is not a southern phenomenon,” said Shawn Alexander, a professor of African and African American studies at the University of Kansas. “… It’s a national phenomenon, and Kansas is part of that and part of that history.”

Stubbs said the testimony demonstrated why Black Kansans are less likely to trust law enforcement or support the death penalty, leading to skewed juries.

The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.aclu.org/cases/challenging-death-qualification-and-the-death-penalty-in-kansas-kansas-v-fielder#legal-documents" target="_blank">ACLU’s filings</a>&nbsp;argue the Kansas Supreme Court invited this challenge to the death penalty in a&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/01/21/kansas-supreme-court-affirms-death-sentences-for-brothers-in-vicious-wichita-murder-spree/">decision two years ago concerning Jonathan and Reginald Carr</a>, who were convicted in a series of murders in Wichita.

In the case, the justices wrote that allegations that capital juries have higher levels of racial bias and are prone to convict defendants “warrant careful analysis and scrutiny.” But the issue wasn’t sufficiently argued in the court record and the justices wrote in the decision that they couldn’t conduct “any meaningful review” of the issue.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/10/1730206594234.png" alt=" Cassandra Stubbs, director of the ACLU’s Capital Punishment Project, speaks with reporters after a hearing on the death penalty in Wyandotte County District Court. The ACLU is challenging the death penalty in Kansas, arguing it creates biased juries, results in wrongful conviction and fails to deter crime. (Allison Kite/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption> Cassandra Stubbs, director of the ACLU’s Capital Punishment Project, speaks with reporters after a hearing on the death penalty in Wyandotte County District Court. The ACLU is challenging the death penalty in Kansas, arguing it creates biased juries, results in wrongful conviction and fails to deter crime. (Allison Kite/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>By ALLISON KITE <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a><h2>Attorneys attempting to overturn the death penalty in Kansas argue capital juries are skewed toward conviction and disproportionately white</h2>KANSAS CITY, Kan. — The death penalty creates racially biased juries, results in wrongful convictions and does not deter crime, attorneys seeking to overturn capital punishment in Kansas said in a court hearing Monday.A coalition led by the American Civil Liberties Union&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2024/10/16/aclu-challenges-kansas-death-penalty-as-arbitrary-racially-discriminatory-unreliable/">filed a challenge earlier this month</a>&nbsp;seeking to overturn Kansas’ death penalty. Hearings on the issue began Monday in Wyandotte County District Court.In an opening statement and through witness testimony, attorneys made the case that capital punishment is unconstitutional, in part because of how it skews the makeup of juries. Testimony is expected to last the rest of the week and resume with one more witness in January.“If you are charged with capital murder … you are less likely to get a fair trial,” Cassandra Stubbs, director of the ACLU’s Capital Punishment Project, said in her opening statement.The challenge comes in a pair of capital murder cases against&nbsp;<a href="https://prodportal.kscourts.org/app/RegisterOfActions/#/9AB7D5E0EE5C1408647FEAE132D2D6DF0245E69EE5FBBF0C32749E4C4757020A5DEACCDEBD0957F756C43E976B366C3F3A9CD4E18CB4A60A59F34890D8662C130D5E02948CAE383A89AAB3F705F41DC8/auth/portalembed" target="_blank">Antoine Fielder</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://prodportal.kscourts.org/app/RegisterOfActions/#/9900E7B05C2AA87AB632F7478B4E040A94A2F65353EF1D5995E0E0C128395FCC983002060B93424FBECDD1AC842E57BC1A128FEC1005B8865F1D7742C08A99E9A6EA6E5CC7AB92916AF6DDD411749865/auth/portalembed" target="_blank">Hugo Villanueva-Morales</a>. Fielder is accused of killing Wyandotte County sheriff’s deputies Patrick Rohrer and Theresa King in 2018 during an inmate transport. Villanueva-Morales is charged with capital murder in a 2019 mass shooting at a bar in Kansas City. He’s also charged with attempted murder, criminal possession of a weapon and several counts of aggravated battery.Both are awaiting trial.Wyandotte County District Attorney Mark Dupree argued in an opening statement that because neither defendant has been tried and convicted, the ACLU’s challenge is premature.“At this point, the state stands by the law that neither of these arguments are ripe for hearing,” Dupree said.Kansas is one of 27 states that still allows defendants to be sentenced to death and currently has nine inmates on death row. It hasn’t carried out an execution since 1965, and it was among the slowest to reinstate the death penalty after the U.S. Supreme Court allowed for new capital punishment laws in 1976 — four years after it struck down previous laws across the country. Kansas didn’t adopt a new death penalty statute until 1994.While Kansas courts have considered challenges to the death penalty before, the ACLU is seeking a finding that capital punishment is unconstitutional as it’s applied in cases. One of the witnesses called by the coalition argued the death penalty is “irretrievably broken.”Attorneys in the case are also challenging Kansas’ practice of “death qualification” for prospective jurors. During jury selection in capital cases, attorneys can disqualify prospective jurors based on their views of the death penalty, which the ACLU argues “disproportionately discriminates against jurors who are Black, women and/or religious,” violating defendants’ rights to an impartial jury and excluding jurors’ rights to participate in democratic functions.Witnesses called by the ACLU argued historic —&nbsp;and ongoing — racism in the criminal justice system make Black prospective jurors less likely to support the death penalty, resulting in juries that are disproportionately white.Stubbs said in her opening statement that there’s “no question that death qualification results in juries that are more likely to convict.”“If you have two people … and one person is charged with a theft and one person is charged with capital murder, the person charged with the theft is going to get a much, much more diverse jury,” Stubbs said in an interview following the hearing.Not only are death penalty juries more likely to convict, according to one of the witnesses the ACLU called, they’re more likely to wrongfully convict an innocent person. Carol Steiker, a Harvard Law School professor and researcher, said pressure to solve high-profile murder cases can lead to poor police work, which is then presented to juries she argues are racially biased and prone to convict defendants.“Those juries are way skewed in a way that is not the case … in sentencing on the noncapital side,” Steiker said.Following Steiker’s testimony, the ACLU called as witnesses two historians who argued racism and racial terror is inextricably tied to Kansas’ history, pointing to the prevalence of the Ku Klux Klan in the 19th and 20th centuries and high-profile lynchings across the state.“Segregation, racism, discrimination is not a southern phenomenon,” said Shawn Alexander, a professor of African and African American studies at the University of Kansas. “… It’s a national phenomenon, and Kansas is part of that and part of that history.”Stubbs said the testimony demonstrated why Black Kansans are less likely to trust law enforcement or support the death penalty, leading to skewed juries.The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.aclu.org/cases/challenging-death-qualification-and-the-death-penalty-in-kansas-kansas-v-fielder#legal-documents" target="_blank">ACLU’s filings</a>&nbsp;argue the Kansas Supreme Court invited this challenge to the death penalty in a&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/01/21/kansas-supreme-court-affirms-death-sentences-for-brothers-in-vicious-wichita-murder-spree/">decision two years ago concerning Jonathan and Reginald Carr</a>, who were convicted in a series of murders in Wichita.In the case, the justices wrote that allegations that capital juries have higher levels of racial bias and are prone to convict defendants “warrant careful analysis and scrutiny.” But the issue wasn’t sufficiently argued in the court record and the justices wrote in the decision that they couldn’t conduct “any meaningful review” of the issue.

ACLU starts hearings on Kansas death penalty by emphasizing evidence of racial bias

KANSAS CITY—Police are now towing spectators vehicles at sideshows, thanks to a new ordinance in Kansas City.

On Sunday night across Kansas City, officers continued their enforcement of illegal sideshows and street racing, according to a social media report from KCPD.

Officers towed 10 vehicles and arrested four people, including participants spectators,&nbsp;and issued 16 citations and recovered one stolen vehicle.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/10/1730199413516.png" alt="Photos KCPD" />
 <figcaption>Photos KCPD</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY—Police are now towing spectators vehicles at sideshows, thanks to a new ordinance in Kansas City.On Sunday night across Kansas City, officers continued their enforcement of illegal sideshows and street racing, according to a social media report from KCPD.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/10/1730199129843.jpeg" alt="Photos KCPD" />
 <figcaption>Photos KCPD</figcaption>
 </figure>Officers towed 10 vehicles and arrested four people, including participants spectators,&nbsp;and issued 16 citations and recovered one stolen vehicle.

KCPD now towing spectator vehicles in crackdown of illegal sideshows

SEDGWICK COUNTY —A Kansas woman died in an accident with the driver of a stolen vehicle just after 12:30p.m. Monday in Sedgwick County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2024 Ford Transit Van driven by Katelyn Elizabeth&nbsp;Barrioz, 24, Wichita, was westbound in the eastbound lanes in the&nbsp;8700 block of E 29th St N in&nbsp; traveling in the inside lane.

The van struck an eastbound 2010 Chevy Cobalt driven by Mandy Lynn&nbsp;Buckwalter, 43, Hutchinson, head-on.

Buckwalter was&nbsp; pronounced dead at the scene. EMS transported Barrioz to Wesley Medical Center and she was arrested.

On Monday morning, officers located an occupied stolen vehicle at the Riverwalk Apartments, according to Officer Kris Gupilan. Officers monitored the vehicle using unmarked cars, and air support was requested from the Kansas Highway Patrol.

Around noon, the vehicle stopped at Walmart, 29th and Rock Road. Officers deployed spike strips to prevent the vehicle from leaving, successfully deflating two tires.

Despite this, the suspect fled the Walmart parking lot, striking a police vehicle.

Officers did not pursue the vehicle, but KHP air support continued to track it from above. The vehicle proceeded to a business on North Webb Road, where two individuals exited the vehicle and fled on foot.

One individual was apprehended, while another female suspect, later identified as Barrioz stole the van from the business and fled south on Webb, then west on 29th Street, according to Gupilan.

KHP Air maintained surveillance of the stolen vehicle, which, at 29th and Wilderness, collided with the Chevy Cobalt. 

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/10/1730153232453.png" alt="Police near the crash investigation -photo courtesy KWCH" />
 <figcaption>Police near the crash investigation -photo courtesy KWCH</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY —A Kansas woman died in an accident with the driver of a stolen vehicle just after 12:30p.m. Monday in Sedgwick County.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2024 Ford Transit Van driven by Katelyn Elizabeth&nbsp;Barrioz, 24, Wichita, was westbound in the eastbound lanes in the&nbsp;8700 block of E 29th St N in&nbsp; traveling in the inside lane.The van struck an eastbound 2010 Chevy Cobalt driven by Mandy Lynn&nbsp;Buckwalter, 43, Hutchinson, head-on.Buckwalter was&nbsp; pronounced dead at the scene. EMS transported Barrioz to Wesley Medical Center and she was arrested.On Monday morning, officers located an occupied stolen vehicle at the Riverwalk Apartments, according to Officer Kris Gupilan. Officers monitored the vehicle using unmarked cars, and air support was requested from the Kansas Highway Patrol.Around noon, the vehicle stopped at Walmart, 29th and Rock Road. Officers deployed spike strips to prevent the vehicle from leaving, successfully deflating two tires.Despite this, the suspect fled the Walmart parking lot, striking a police vehicle.Officers did not pursue the vehicle, but KHP air support continued to track it from above. The vehicle proceeded to a business on North Webb Road, where two individuals exited the vehicle and fled on foot.One individual was apprehended, while another female suspect, later identified as Barrioz stole the van from the business and fled south on Webb, then west on 29th Street, according to Gupilan.KHP Air maintained surveillance of the stolen vehicle, which, at 29th and Wilderness, collided with the Chevy Cobalt.

KHP IDs Kan. woman who died in head-on crash with stolen van

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Incendiary devices were set off Monday at two ballot drop boxes — one in Portland and another in nearby Vancouver, Washington — destroying hundreds of ballots in what one official called a “direct attack on democracy” about a week before a heated Election Day.

The early morning fire at the drop box in Portland was extinguished quickly thanks to a suppression system inside the box as well as a nearby security guard, police said, and just three ballots were damaged there.

But within a few hours, another fire was discovered at a transit center drop box across the Columbia River in Vancouver. Vancouver is the biggest city in Washington’s 3rd Congressional District, the site of what is expected to be&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/oregon-washington-house-congress-election-2024-4b0c35b5c2ed1d55eb037a1d1c0d3cdd">one of the closest U.S. House races</a>&nbsp;in the country, between first-term Democratic Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez and Republican challenger Joe Kent.

The ballot box in Vancouver also had a fire suppression system inside, but that failed to prevent hundreds of ballots from burning, said Greg Kimsey, the longtime elected auditor in Clark County, Washington, which includes Vancouver. He urged voters who dropped their ballots in the transit center box after 11 a.m. Saturday to contact his office for a replacement ballot.

“Heartbreaking,” Kimsey said. “It’s a direct attack on democracy.”

The office will be increasing how frequently it collects ballots and changing collection times to the evening, Kimsey said, to keep the ballot boxes from remaining full of ballots overnight when similar crimes are considered more likely to occur.

The county also decided late Monday to hire workers through a staffing agency to monitor all of its drop boxes 24 hours a day until the election is over, Kimsey said. The workers will have instructions to simply observe the ballot boxes and not confront anyone. Instead, they will call 911 if they see anything suspicious, he said.

Ballot drop boxes have faced increasing criticism from Republicans and have been the focus of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-covid-technology-health-arizona-e1b49d2311bf900f44fa5c6dac406762?utm_source=copy&amp;utm_medium=share">baseless right-wing conspiracy theories</a>&nbsp;in recent years, tied to former President Donald Trump's lie that the 2020 election was stolen from him. An&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/voting-rights-2022-midterm-elections-covid-health-wisconsin-c61fa93a12a1a51d6d9f4e0a21fa3b75?utm_source=copy&amp;utm_medium=share">Associated Press survey of state election officials</a>&nbsp;across the U.S. found that there were no widespread issues with drop boxes in 2020, and none that could have affected the results.

Six states have banned ballot drop boxes since 2020: Arkansas, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina and South Dakota, according to research by the Voting Rights Lab, which advocates for expanded voting access. Other states have restricted their use, including Ohio and Iowa, which now permits only one drop box per county, according to the Brennan Center for Justice.

Washington and Oregon, which are both vote-by-mail states, have long used ballot drop boxes.

Authorities said at a news conference in Portland that enough material from the incendiary devices was recovered to show that the two fires Monday were connected — and that they were also connected to an Oct. 8 incident, when an incendiary device was placed at a different ballot drop box in Vancouver. No ballots were damaged in that incident.

Surveillance images captured a Volvo pulling up to a drop box in Portland, Oregon, just before security personnel nearby discovered a fire inside the box on Monday, Portland Police Bureau spokesman Mike Benner told a news conference. The incendiary devices were attached to the outside of the boxes.

The fire suppression systems inside the ballot drop boxes in Washington and Oregon were designed to activate when the temperature inside reaches a certain point, coating ballots with a fire-suppressing powder.

The system appeared to have worked in the Portland drop box, and security staffers were nearby to help put out the fire. Multnomah County Elections Director Tim Scott said the county has contracted with private security officers to have “roving patrols” that drive around the county 24 hours a day and “put eyes” on all drop boxes.

He said one of the guards was at the county elections office, heard what sounded like a blast — likely the activation of the fire suppression system — and called police.

For unknown reasons, the system failed to prevent the destruction of hundreds of ballots in Vancouver.

Gluesenkamp Perez said in a statement that she is requesting an overnight law enforcement presence posted at all ballot drop boxes in Clark County through Election Day.

“Southwest Washington cannot risk a single vote being lost to arson and political violence,” her statement said.

In a video posted on the social platform X, Kent also condemned the “cowardly act of terrorism.” He said he trusted law enforcement to find out who was responsible, urged voters to make sure their ballots are counted and said he continues to have faith in the ballot drop box system in Washington.

“No one should be intimidated,” Kent said.

Voters were encouraged to check their ballot status online at&nbsp;<a href="http://www.votewa.gov/">www.votewa.gov</a>&nbsp;to track its return status. If a returned ballot is not marked as “received,” voters can print a replacement ballot or visit their local elections department for a replacement, the Secretary of State’s office said.

John Burnside, 68, said he and his wife dropped off their ballots at the Vancouver box Sunday afternoon and learned about the fire the next morning on the news. He checked the status of their ballots, did not see that they had been received by elections officials, and requested new ones.

They now plan to either mail their ballots or deliver them in person, he said.

“I’m certainly in favor of in-person voting simply because you know your ballot goes through right then,” he said. “It may be extra work but it does add a level of security.”

Officials in Portland were able to identify the three voters whose ballots were damaged and planned to contact them and provide replacement ballots. The Multnomah County sheriff's office said it would be increasing uniformed and plainclothes patrols around the drop boxes.

Monday afternoon, voters dropped off their ballots at the new drop box that replaced the one that had been set on fire in Portland. Pam Parnell said the incident shocked her.

“It just seems so wrong,” said Parnell, who was dropping off her ballot. “We’ve worked for over 200 years to have a country and have voting.”

Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek said in a statement: “Voter intimidation or any criminal act to undermine the upcoming election is un-American and will not be tolerated."

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/10/1730151562414.png" alt="Suspect vehicle is described as a black or dark-colored 2001-2004 Volvo S-60. The vehicle does not have a front license plate, but it does have an unknown rear plate.-photo FBI" />
 <figcaption>Suspect vehicle is described as a black or dark-colored 2001-2004 Volvo S-60. The vehicle does not have a front license plate, but it does have an unknown rear plate.-photo FBI</figcaption>
 </figure>PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Incendiary devices were set off Monday at two ballot drop boxes — one in Portland and another in nearby Vancouver, Washington — destroying hundreds of ballots in what one official called a “direct attack on democracy” about a week before a heated Election Day.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/10/1730165077840.png" alt="Photo FBI" />
 <figcaption>Photo FBI</figcaption>
 </figure>The early morning fire at the drop box in Portland was extinguished quickly thanks to a suppression system inside the box as well as a nearby security guard, police said, and just three ballots were damaged there.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Breaking: FBI Portland statement regarding response to incidents in Vancouver, Wa, and Portland today. <a href="https://twitter.com/VancouverPDUSA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@vancouverpdusa</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/PortlandPolice?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@portlandpolice</a> <a href="https://t.co/tCely668te">pic.twitter.com/tCely668te</a>&mdash; FBI Portland (@FBIPortland) <a href="https://twitter.com/FBIPortland/status/1850981148702261730?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 28, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>But within a few hours, another fire was discovered at a transit center drop box across the Columbia River in Vancouver. Vancouver is the biggest city in Washington’s 3rd Congressional District, the site of what is expected to be&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/oregon-washington-house-congress-election-2024-4b0c35b5c2ed1d55eb037a1d1c0d3cdd">one of the closest U.S. House races</a>&nbsp;in the country, between first-term Democratic Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez and Republican challenger Joe Kent.The ballot box in Vancouver also had a fire suppression system inside, but that failed to prevent hundreds of ballots from burning, said Greg Kimsey, the longtime elected auditor in Clark County, Washington, which includes Vancouver. He urged voters who dropped their ballots in the transit center box after 11 a.m. Saturday to contact his office for a replacement ballot.“Heartbreaking,” Kimsey said. “It’s a direct attack on democracy.”The office will be increasing how frequently it collects ballots and changing collection times to the evening, Kimsey said, to keep the ballot boxes from remaining full of ballots overnight when similar crimes are considered more likely to occur.The county also decided late Monday to hire workers through a staffing agency to monitor all of its drop boxes 24 hours a day until the election is over, Kimsey said. The workers will have instructions to simply observe the ballot boxes and not confront anyone. Instead, they will call 911 if they see anything suspicious, he said.Ballot drop boxes have faced increasing criticism from Republicans and have been the focus of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-covid-technology-health-arizona-e1b49d2311bf900f44fa5c6dac406762?utm_source=copy&amp;utm_medium=share">baseless right-wing conspiracy theories</a>&nbsp;in recent years, tied to former President Donald Trump's lie that the 2020 election was stolen from him. An&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/voting-rights-2022-midterm-elections-covid-health-wisconsin-c61fa93a12a1a51d6d9f4e0a21fa3b75?utm_source=copy&amp;utm_medium=share">Associated Press survey of state election officials</a>&nbsp;across the U.S. found that there were no widespread issues with drop boxes in 2020, and none that could have affected the results.Six states have banned ballot drop boxes since 2020: Arkansas, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina and South Dakota, according to research by the Voting Rights Lab, which advocates for expanded voting access. Other states have restricted their use, including Ohio and Iowa, which now permits only one drop box per county, according to the Brennan Center for Justice.Washington and Oregon, which are both vote-by-mail states, have long used ballot drop boxes.Authorities said at a news conference in Portland that enough material from the incendiary devices was recovered to show that the two fires Monday were connected — and that they were also connected to an Oct. 8 incident, when an incendiary device was placed at a different ballot drop box in Vancouver. No ballots were damaged in that incident.Surveillance images captured a Volvo pulling up to a drop box in Portland, Oregon, just before security personnel nearby discovered a fire inside the box on Monday, Portland Police Bureau spokesman Mike Benner told a news conference. The incendiary devices were attached to the outside of the boxes.The FBI was also investigating.The fire suppression systems inside the ballot drop boxes in Washington and Oregon were designed to activate when the temperature inside reaches a certain point, coating ballots with a fire-suppressing powder.The system appeared to have worked in the Portland drop box, and security staffers were nearby to help put out the fire. Multnomah County Elections Director Tim Scott said the county has contracted with private security officers to have “roving patrols” that drive around the county 24 hours a day and “put eyes” on all drop boxes.He said one of the guards was at the county elections office, heard what sounded like a blast — likely the activation of the fire suppression system — and called police.For unknown reasons, the system failed to prevent the destruction of hundreds of ballots in Vancouver.Gluesenkamp Perez said in a statement that she is requesting an overnight law enforcement presence posted at all ballot drop boxes in Clark County through Election Day.“Southwest Washington cannot risk a single vote being lost to arson and political violence,” her statement said.In a video posted on the social platform X, Kent also condemned the “cowardly act of terrorism.” He said he trusted law enforcement to find out who was responsible, urged voters to make sure their ballots are counted and said he continues to have faith in the ballot drop box system in Washington.“No one should be intimidated,” Kent said.Voters were encouraged to check their ballot status online at&nbsp;<a href="http://www.votewa.gov/">www.votewa.gov</a>&nbsp;to track its return status. If a returned ballot is not marked as “received,” voters can print a replacement ballot or visit their local elections department for a replacement, the Secretary of State’s office said.John Burnside, 68, said he and his wife dropped off their ballots at the Vancouver box Sunday afternoon and learned about the fire the next morning on the news. He checked the status of their ballots, did not see that they had been received by elections officials, and requested new ones.They now plan to either mail their ballots or deliver them in person, he said.“I’m certainly in favor of in-person voting simply because you know your ballot goes through right then,” he said. “It may be extra work but it does add a level of security.”Officials in Portland were able to identify the three voters whose ballots were damaged and planned to contact them and provide replacement ballots. The Multnomah County sheriff's office said it would be increasing uniformed and plainclothes patrols around the drop boxes.Monday afternoon, voters dropped off their ballots at the new drop box that replaced the one that had been set on fire in Portland. Pam Parnell said the incident shocked her.“It just seems so wrong,” said Parnell, who was dropping off her ballot. “We’ve worked for over 200 years to have a country and have voting.”Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek said in a statement: “Voter intimidation or any criminal act to undermine the upcoming election is un-American and will not be tolerated."Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs said the state would not tolerate threats or acts of violence meant to derail voting.“I strongly denounce any acts of terror that aim to disrupt lawful and fair elections in Washington state,” he said.Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said state and local elections officials were fully dedicated to ensuring every vote is counted accurately.“This was a violent attack on democracy, and we will do everything to keep our election system strong and secure in Washington,” Inslee said in a statement. “There will be 24-hour enhanced security around ballot drop-off locations.”In Phoenix last week, officials said roughly five ballots were destroyed and others damaged when a fire was set in a drop box at a U.S. Postal Service station there.___