By NOAH TABORDA <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2021/06/21/goddard-splash-park-closed-as-health-officials-investigate-link-to-sick-children/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA — A Goddard splash 
park is under investigation by state health authorities after several 
children and families who recently visited were taken to the hospital 
and suffered from fever, vomiting and diarrhea.

The Kansas Department of 
Health and Environment said Sunday it was looking into a possible link 
between Tanganyika Wildlife Park’s splash park and illnesses reported on
 Friday. Staff investigated and closed the splash zone on Saturday, 
citing difficulties with the filtration system in a Facebook post.

“The splash park is a new 
adventure for us animal people, and it was an issue we could not 
foresee. We plan to notify everyone as soon as we have a set date for 
opening,” the post said.

Those who have experienced
 fever, diarrhea and vomiting after visiting the splash park, which 
opened last summer, are advised by KDHE and local health officials to <a href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJidWxsZXRpbl9saW5rX2lkIjoxMDAsInVyaSI6ImJwMjpjbGljayIsImJ1bGxldGluX2lkIjoiMjAyMTA2MjAuNDIxNzE3NDEiLCJ1cmwiOiJodHRwczovL3Rpbnl1cmwuY29tL2tkaGVzcGxhc2g_dXRtX21lZGl1bT1lbWFpbCZ1dG1fc291cmNlPWdvdmRlbGl2ZXJ5In0.kdvq3t3XT2EXzMLHYDA8EhdOIcOsD3HGal2gwUpZvbk/s/1305913588/br/108183106586-l">fill out a survey</a> to aid the investigation.

The Facebook post 
attracted more than 1,400 comments, with responses varying from concern 
to extreme displeasure. Some parents said they had to take children with
 severe symptoms to the hospital.

“Our entire household has 
been sick and we’ve gone to the immediate care a few times,” one person 
wrote. “Very concerned about what was found in the water system.”

Another person wrote: “My 
family flew in to visit family here and we had to miss our family 
reunion because we are so sick and we haven’t even seen that side of our
 family for 14 years. We deserve to know what is wrong”

Akeam Ashford, director of
 strategic communications for Sedgwick County, said the department was 
still investigating and did not have any significant findings to report 
as of Monday afternoon.

He offered general advice 
for attendees and those headed out the pool in the summer, including 
washing their hands, avoiding swallowing the water and staying home if 
they have symptoms of diarrhea.

“Sedgwick County continues
 to work with KDHE and Tanganyika through this process,” Ashford said. 
“The county will provide updates as they become available.”

Park director Matt Fouts 
also called on attendees to be proactive in working with the department 
if they experience any symptoms. He said it was not the park’s intent to
 cover anything up and that it would be vigilant in addressing the 
issue.

Fouts advised those who are feeling sick after visiting the park to notify the health department at diseasereport@sedgwick.gov or 316-660-5555 and seek treatment from their doctor. He promised further <a href="https://twpark.com/splash-park-closure/">updates on the park website</a>.

“As a father whose kids 
have been playing in the splash park regularly and an uncle whose nephew
 is working in the splash park daily, I understand and share your safety
 concerns,” Fouts said. “It is in no one’s best interest, including our 
family-owned businesses, to have people getting sick due to visiting.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/6/1624228385006.png" alt="Cases of a diarrheal infection and several reports from parents of sick and hospitalized children led Tanganyika Wildlife Park to close its splash zone Saturday. KDHE and Sedgwick County are investigating the issue. Photo courtesy Tanganyika Wildlife Park" />
 <figcaption>Cases of a diarrheal infection and several reports from parents of sick and hospitalized children led Tanganyika Wildlife Park to close its splash zone Saturday. KDHE and Sedgwick County are investigating the issue. Photo courtesy Tanganyika Wildlife Park</figcaption>
 </figure>By NOAH TABORDA <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2021/06/21/goddard-splash-park-closed-as-health-officials-investigate-link-to-sick-children/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — A Goddard splash 
park is under investigation by state health authorities after several 
children and families who recently visited were taken to the hospital 
and suffered from fever, vomiting and diarrhea.The Kansas Department of 
Health and Environment said Sunday it was looking into a possible link 
between Tanganyika Wildlife Park’s splash park and illnesses reported on
 Friday. Staff investigated and closed the splash zone on Saturday, 
citing difficulties with the filtration system in a Facebook post.“The splash park is a new 
adventure for us animal people, and it was an issue we could not 
foresee. We plan to notify everyone as soon as we have a set date for 
opening,” the post said.Those who have experienced
 fever, diarrhea and vomiting after visiting the splash park, which 
opened last summer, are advised by KDHE and local health officials to <a href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJidWxsZXRpbl9saW5rX2lkIjoxMDAsInVyaSI6ImJwMjpjbGljayIsImJ1bGxldGluX2lkIjoiMjAyMTA2MjAuNDIxNzE3NDEiLCJ1cmwiOiJodHRwczovL3Rpbnl1cmwuY29tL2tkaGVzcGxhc2g_dXRtX21lZGl1bT1lbWFpbCZ1dG1fc291cmNlPWdvdmRlbGl2ZXJ5In0.kdvq3t3XT2EXzMLHYDA8EhdOIcOsD3HGal2gwUpZvbk/s/1305913588/br/108183106586-l">fill out a survey</a> to aid the investigation.The Facebook post 
attracted more than 1,400 comments, with responses varying from concern 
to extreme displeasure. Some parents said they had to take children with
 severe symptoms to the hospital.“Our entire household has 
been sick and we’ve gone to the immediate care a few times,” one person 
wrote. “Very concerned about what was found in the water system.”Another person wrote: “My 
family flew in to visit family here and we had to miss our family 
reunion because we are so sick and we haven’t even seen that side of our
 family for 14 years. We deserve to know what is wrong”Akeam Ashford, director of
 strategic communications for Sedgwick County, said the department was 
still investigating and did not have any significant findings to report 
as of Monday afternoon.He offered general advice 
for attendees and those headed out the pool in the summer, including 
washing their hands, avoiding swallowing the water and staying home if 
they have symptoms of diarrhea.“Sedgwick County continues
 to work with KDHE and Tanganyika through this process,” Ashford said. 
“The county will provide updates as they become available.”Park director Matt Fouts 
also called on attendees to be proactive in working with the department 
if they experience any symptoms. He said it was not the park’s intent to
 cover anything up and that it would be vigilant in addressing the 
issue.Fouts advised those who are feeling sick after visiting the park to notify the health department at diseasereport@sedgwick.gov or 316-660-5555 and seek treatment from their doctor. He promised further <a href="https://twpark.com/splash-park-closure/">updates on the park website</a>.“As a father whose kids 
have been playing in the splash park regularly and an uncle whose nephew
 is working in the splash park daily, I understand and share your safety
 concerns,” Fouts said. “It is in no one’s best interest, including our 
family-owned businesses, to have people getting sick due to visiting.

Kan. splash park investigation, link to sick children continues

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Walt Disney World is planning an 18-month celebration in honor of its 50th anniversary, starting in October. 

Disney announced Tuesday that all four parks at the Lake Buena Vista, Florida, resort will take part in “The World’s Most Magical Celebration." 

Sine 1971, the resort has expanded from The Magic Kingdom to include EPCOT, Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios. It also features multiple themed hotels, water parks, and the Disney Springs shopping and restaurant venue. 

The celebration will include new nighttime shows at Magic Kingdom and EPCOT and a daytime show at Animal Kingdom.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/6/1624367056208.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Walt Disney World is planning an 18-month celebration in honor of its 50th anniversary, starting in October. Disney announced Tuesday that all four parks at the Lake Buena Vista, Florida, resort will take part in “The World’s Most Magical Celebration." The fun begins October 1. Sine 1971, the resort has expanded from The Magic Kingdom to include EPCOT, Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios. It also features multiple themed hotels, water parks, and the Disney Springs shopping and restaurant venue. The celebration will include new nighttime shows at Magic Kingdom and EPCOT and a daytime show at Animal Kingdom.

Walt Disney World's 50th anniversary party starts Oct. 1

DENVER (AP) — Prosecutors say a Colorado father killed his 13-year-old son in 2012 over photographs that triggered a fatal rage. 

Mark Redwine has pleaded not guilty in the killing of his son Dylan, who disappeared in November 2012 near Durango during a court-ordered visit. 

The Denver Post reports prosecutors argued Monday in court that on the night he was killed, Dylan may have mentioned or shown his father “compromising photographs” of Redwine dressed in women’s underwear and eating feces from a diaper. 

Redwine’s defense argues that text messages show Dylan previously confronted his father about the photographs without suffering any harm.

&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://apps.apple.com/us/app/north-platte-post-by-eagle/id1536439700">Download The Post app for iOs</a>

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/6/1624360370439.png" alt="Redwine" />
 <figcaption>Redwine</figcaption>
 </figure>DENVER (AP) — Prosecutors say a Colorado father killed his 13-year-old son in 2012 over photographs that triggered a fatal rage. Mark Redwine has pleaded not guilty in the killing of his son Dylan, who disappeared in November 2012 near Durango during a court-ordered visit. The Denver Post reports prosecutors argued Monday in court that on the night he was killed, Dylan may have mentioned or shown his father “compromising photographs” of Redwine dressed in women’s underwear and eating feces from a diaper. Redwine’s defense argues that text messages show Dylan previously confronted his father about the photographs without suffering any harm.&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://apps.apple.com/us/app/north-platte-post-by-eagle/id1536439700">Download The Post app for iOs</a><figure>
 <img src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/OouzxwDURKvyvMVuPpnPpjT4NyDfMrMU8SbAYH_rzoghEpSmar-3iuFagSe8Xy5crQYHobDFKwGUIN1FfOJlYSmINBjXeH3KphroGmJyUCtPea3VYY9xuobmGA00oDneeV06L0hE" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>

Prosecutors say Colorado father killed son because of photos

SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating an injury accident and have made an arrest.

Just after 8:30 p.m. Sunday, the Shawnee County Emergency Communication Center received a report of a rollover accident in the 5200 block of Southwest Burlingame Road, according to Deputy Abigail Christian. Upon arrival, deputies located a silver 2005 Volkswagen Jetta facing southbound in the east ditch. 

During the investigation, it was discovered that the Volkswagen was traveling northbound on SW Burlingame Road when it left the roadway to the east, struck a culvert and came to rest upside-down, facing southbound, in the ditch.

EMS transported the driver identified as Jimmy D. Landis, 36, of Topeka, and two juvenile passengers a 6-year-old and 5-year-old to the hospital with serious injuries.

Police later arrested Landis and booked him into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges of aggravated battery, aggravated child endangerment, battery of a law enforcement officer, interference with medical personnel, interference with law enforcement, child restraint violations, driving under the influence and driving while suspended.

The Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office asks that anyone who may have stopped and assisted with this incident, prior to the arrival of first responders, or anyone with information please call.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/6/1624301761061.png" alt="Landis was moved from the hospital to jail following the Father's Day crash" />
 <figcaption>Landis was moved from the hospital to jail following the Father's Day crash</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating an injury accident and have made an arrest.Just after 8:30 p.m. Sunday, the Shawnee County Emergency Communication Center received a report of a rollover accident in the 5200 block of Southwest Burlingame Road, according to Deputy Abigail Christian. Upon arrival, deputies located a silver 2005 Volkswagen Jetta facing southbound in the east ditch. During the investigation, it was discovered that the Volkswagen was traveling northbound on SW Burlingame Road when it left the roadway to the east, struck a culvert and came to rest upside-down, facing southbound, in the ditch.EMS transported the driver identified as Jimmy D. Landis, 36, of Topeka, and two juvenile passengers a 6-year-old and 5-year-old to the hospital with serious injuries.Police later arrested Landis and booked him into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges of aggravated battery, aggravated child endangerment, battery of a law enforcement officer, interference with medical personnel, interference with law enforcement, child restraint violations, driving under the influence and driving while suspended.The Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office asks that anyone who may have stopped and assisted with this incident, prior to the arrival of first responders, or anyone with information please call.

Sheriff: Kan. man jailed after crash with 2 kids in car

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Democrats’&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/bills-campaign-finance-voting-rights-legislation-elections-a74d9d8cce567d751021ed66cee2b85f">expansive elections and voting bill&nbsp;</a>is all but certain to be rejected in a key test vote in the Senate, providing a dramatic example of Republicans’ use of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-filibusters-gun-politics-government-and-politics-93c53b3aa8d2b91d3c2d5884f3cdf139">the filibuster&nbsp;</a>to block legislation and forcing hard questions for Democrats over next steps.

The far-reaching proposal, at nearly 900 pages, is viewed by backers as the civil rights issue of the era, legislation that is suddenly of the highest priority after the 2020 election as states impose&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-and-politics-donald-trump-voting-rights-voting-dad9ccf2dc69e815af71ce5a4c7bb586">restrictive new laws</a>&nbsp;that could make it more difficult to vote. In the evenly split Senate, Republicans are united in opposition, seeing the bill as federal overreach and denying Democrats the 60 votes that would be needed to overcome the filibuster and begin debate.

“Are you afraid to debate?” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Monday ahead of the vote. “We’re about to find out.”

Months in the making, Tuesday’s showdown over the For the People Act, as it is called, is hardly the end of the road but the start of long campaign ahead. President Joe Biden has vowed what the White House calls the “fight of his presidency” over ensuring Americans’ access to the polls. At stake is not only election rules that make it easier to vote but also Democrats’ own ability to confront the limits of bipartisanship and decide whether or not the filibuster rules should change.

Republican leader Mitch McConnell blasted the legislation ahead of the debate as a “disastrous proposal” that will get “no quarter” in the Senate.

The party that controls Washington has been preparing for this moment for months, even as lawmakers faced their own internal divisions over the sprawling bill, which would remove hurdles to voting erected in the name of election security, curtail the influence of big money in politics and reduce partisan influence over the drawing of congressional districts.

As recently as last week, Sen. Joe Manchin, a moderate West Virginia Democrat, said he couldn’t support the bill without&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-wv-state-wire-bills-voting-voting-rights-bc24ba5e44e1c52516fead3ea498d63f">changes he wanted</a>&nbsp;as a way to draw Republican support.

Manchin remained a holdout late Monday following a meeting with Biden at the White House, where the two discussed voting rights. The senator would not say whether he would vote with his party in trying to advance the bill, explaining he was still reviewing the final version. “I have to see the rest of it tonight,” he said at the Capitol.

Manchin proposed his own changes last week as he tried to trim back some areas and expand others, adding provisions for a national voter ID requirement, which is anathema to many Democrats, and dropping a proposed public financing of campaigns.

The proposed Manchin changes were largely well received, welcomed by Biden’s administration as a “step forward,” while earning the nod of approval from one of the party’s key voting rights advocates, former Georgia governor’s race candidate Stacey Abrams.

It did little, however, to garner the bipartisan support Manchin was hoping for. Senate Republicans said they would likely reject any legislation that expands the federal government’s role in elections.

“I keep thinking there’s a few who want to,” Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., who authored the legislation in the Senate, said during a conference call Monday night with the group Our Revolution. “But when McConnell lowered the boom,” he continued, “we couldn’t get a single Republican to join us.”

The rock-solid opposition from the GOP senators brings to a head questions over the filibuster, the decades-old Senate rule that requires 60 votes for most bills to advance.

While some Democrats want to change the Senate’s rules to push the elections bill and other priorities past the filibuster, Manchin and others including Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., are opposed to taking that next move. Biden, too, has said in the past that he wants to leave the filibuster intact.

“The filibuster compels moderation and helps protect the country from wild swings,” Sinema wrote Monday in an opinion piece for The Washington Post. She welcomed a fulsome debate “so senators and our constituents can hear and fully consider the concerns and consequences.”

Pressure to change the rule is mounting, though. For now, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the administration’s hope is that the chamber’s 50 Democrats are aligned and that an unsuccessful vote will prompt the search for a new path.

The White House didn’t give its full support to the Manchin alternative. But Psaki said the president “is appreciative of the efforts by Sen. Manchin and others to continue to make progress on voting rights, which he feels is a huge priority.”

Ensuing the bill’s passage is taking on fresh urgency as former President Donald Trump continues to challenge the outcome of the 2020 election and is urging on the new laws in the Republican-led states.

State officials who certified the results of the 2020 election have dismissed Trump’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-ap-fact-check-joe-biden-donald-trump-technology-49a24edd6d10888dbad61689c24b05a5">false claims of voter fraud</a>, and judges across the country have&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-courts-election-results-e1297d874f45d2b14bc99c403abd0457">dismissed multiple lawsuits</a>&nbsp;filed by Trump and his allies. Trump’s own attorney general said at the time there was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/barr-no-widespread-election-fraud-b1f1488796c9a98c4b1a9061a6c7f49d">no evidence of widespread fraud</a>&nbsp;that would change the outcome.

The changes being enacted in many of the Republican states are decried by voting rights advocates who argue the restrictions will make it more difficult for people to cast ballots, particularly minority residents in cities who tend to support Democrats.

As the Senate action churns, more changes could be coming to the bill.

Democrats want to protect against intimidation at the polls in the aftermath of the 2020 election. They propose enhancing penalties for those who would threaten or intimidate election workers and creating a “buffer zone” between election workers and poll watchers, among other possible changes.

Rep. John Sarbanes, D-Md., a lead sponsor of the bill, said the effort underway is to “respond to the growing threat of election subversion in GOP-led states across the country.“

Democrats also want to limit the ability of state officials to remove a local election official without cause. Georgia Republicans passed a state law earlier this year that gives the GOP-dominated legislature greater influence over a state board that regulates elections and empowers it to remove local election officials deemed to be underperforming.

“The dangers of the voter suppression efforts we’re seeing in Georgia and across the nation are not theoretical, and we can’t allow power-hungry state actors to squeeze the people out of their own democracy by overruling the decisions of local election officials,” said Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., who is working to advance the proposal in the Senate.

KANSAS CITY (AP) — Brenda Martinez, a 19-year-old community college student, thinks the government should help immigrant students more. Donald Huffman is worried about turning 50 next week with no work available because the federal government is delaying the pipelines he usually helps build. Binod Neupane, who just moved to Texas to research alternative fuels, wants action on climate change.

The three Texas voters have little in common politically other than one thing — none considers&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-and-politics-donald-trump-voting-rights-voting-dad9ccf2dc69e815af71ce5a4c7bb586">voting and election reform</a>, the issue that has dominated partisan debate this year, a top priority.

As politicians from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tx-state-wire-texas-government-and-politics-92d26e25c9db88a32e0fda890773b908">Austin, Texas</a>, to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/voting-rights-voting-bills-a9c2f6facbda15c61ee7cc6709bf60a4">Washington, D.C.</a>, battle over the practical aspects of how to run elections — clashing over details such as polling booth hours and the number of ballot drop boxes per county — many voters are disconnected from the fight. A passionate base of voters and activists on both sides may be intensely dialed in on the issue, but a disengaged middle is baffled at the attention.

“Unemployment, climate change — this stuff should be on the top of the list, not the voting thing,” said Neupane, 34.

That disconnect is now the challenge before Democrats, who are trying to marshal public support for federal legislation that would thwart a series of new state laws tightening election procedures. With rallies, ads, White House events and a certain-to-fail vote in the Senate this coming week, Democrats are aiming to fire up their voters around the issue, hoping their passions hold through next year’s midterms.

Republicans face their own pressures.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-michael-pence-electoral-college-elections-health-2d9bd47a8bd3561682ac46c6b3873a10">Donald Trump’s false claims of massive fraud in the 2020 election</a>&nbsp;have so eroded some GOP voters’ confidence that they say they won’t vote again. Meanwhile, the party’s push for additional restrictions runs the risk of driving away moderate voters.

That debate is still roiling in Texas, where the Legislature is due to return to a special session to consider voting legislation. That comes after Texas Republicans, following the lead of Republican-controlled legislatures in more than a dozen states, tried to muscle through a sweeping elections bill that increased the power of partisan poll watchers, limited the power of local election officials and prevented voting on Sunday mornings when Black churchgoers traditionally flock to the polls. Democrats in the Texas House walked out in the final hours of the legislative session, depriving the GOP of the quorum needed to pass the bill.

Since then, advocacy groups have stepped up organizing and outreach. Former congressman and presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke has seized on the issue, holding rallies and knocking on doors to discuss voting, as he considers launching a campaign for governor. On Wednesday, Vice President Kamala Harris, the Biden administration’s point person on the voting debate, hosted the Texas Democrats at the White House.

“We have a great challenge before us and a fight, which is to fight for every American’s right — meaningful right — to vote,” Harris said as she was flanked by the Texas lawmakers.

But Harris’ message has yet to reach many back in the politically mixed suburbs north of Dallas, a potential battleground in next year’s midterm elections. The swath of comfortable, diversifying neighborhoods was once dominated by the GOP but is now politically divided.

As a heat wave this week brought fresh warnings of blackouts reminiscent of the electrical grid’s collapse during a February snowstorm, several voters were confused about why legislators are spending so much time on election issues.

“Making it difficult for people to vote, it’s just ridiculous,” said Marcin Mazurek, a 50-year-old construction worker who only started following politics during the Trump era because he was so outraged by the former president.

Of more than a dozen voters interviewed, only one brought up the issue unprompted: Nathan Nowasky, a retired certified public accountant, Texas native and lifelong Republican whom Trump drove out of the party. He cited the state voting bill as one of the reasons he and his wife were “thinking about moving elsewhere, because Texas is a political backwater.”

A self-professed news junkie, Nowasky was familiar with the conspiracy theories and false allegations about the 2020 election. He believes the Texas voting bill is fueled by those ideas and illustrates the political extremism that pushed him out of the GOP. “There’s conservative, and then there’s this,” Nowasky said.

The major political parties for years have fought furiously in the courts over the mechanics of elections. But rarely does the fight become a central part of the parties’ pitch to voters. That changed when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, many states liberalized their voting laws to make it safer to vote and Trump seized on the changes as a source of fraud, triggering new state laws often billed as making it “hard to cheat.”

“It’s more of a live issue than it has been probably since the civil rights movement,” Anna Greenberg, a Democratic pollster, said of voting rights. Still, she noted, voting remains relatively simple for most citizens. The voters most animated by the issue are those who believe the system is rigged against them or those who see a pattern of racial discrimination in new laws.

“There are lots of people keeping it on the agenda even if, for your average swing voter, it’s not their No. 1 issue,” Greenberg said.

Kevin Bivens is one of those voters who’s paying attention to the issue. He followed the debate in the legislature carefully and was frustrated that Republicans brushed off Democrats’ attempts for a compromise. He sees the push as the latest in a long line of racial injustice.

“As African Americans, it’s nothing new to us,” said Bivens, who said he is in his 50s and has lived in Texas for decades, acutely aware that he is both a political and racial minority. “We know we have no power over what’s going on but our votes, and if you take that away from us ... ,” he said, trailing off.

In a December poll from The Associated Pres-NORC, only 7% of voters listed voting laws as a top issue, though it gained disproportionate interest from Republicans, 14% of whom cited it.

Martinez, who’s studying to teach English as a second language, is one of those people who hasn’t thought much about voting. She cast her first vote for Biden in November, and neither she nor anyone else in her family had any issues or concerns. “Everything was fine,” Martinez said. Martinez thinks it would be nice to vote by mail — something Texas makes difficult for most voters — but it’s not an issue that drives her.

Voting may be a side issue for many, but it could still play a role in helping Democrats solidify the coalition they assembled last year. Barbara Van Hollenbeck is a longtime Republican who voted for Biden last year — but still voted for Republicans for the legislature and Congress. She says she wanted a counterbalance to the Democratic president. Now, Van Hollenbeck says she’s most worried about climate change and the economy, but she’s also confused and concerned about what the GOP-led legislature is doing with voting.

“Instead of punishing them, help them find a way to vote,” she said of voters.

Andy Wojtovec came at the issue from the opposite end of the political spectrum. “The last election was like communism,” said the 66-year-old Polish immigrant, who owns an air conditioning company and has cheered the lawmakers’ voting changes. He claimed that Venezuela helped hack voting machines to hand the election to Biden — a common, discredited conspiracy theory in pro-Trump circles.

Huffman, the pipeline welder, also was suspicious about the election, “like everyone I know,” he said. A Trump supporter, he is convinced the only reason the former president didn’t win in a blowout was some kind of fraud.

But as he sat in a booth in a branch of the Texas fast food chain Whataburger, Huffman was despondent. Though he has real estate assets to help him, he hasn’t worked in months. He says he doesn’t know what he’ll do now that the Biden administration has put a moratorium on new energy projects on federal land.

And, in a worrying sign for the GOP, he not only had not heard of the party’s election push, but he also wasn’t convinced there was anything politicians could do to prevent massive fraud from happening again.

“I probably won’t ever vote again,” Huffman said. “It feels like a waste of time.”

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Democrats’&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/bills-campaign-finance-voting-rights-legislation-elections-a74d9d8cce567d751021ed66cee2b85f">expansive elections and voting bill&nbsp;</a>is all but certain to be rejected in a key test vote in the Senate, providing a dramatic example of Republicans’ use of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-filibusters-gun-politics-government-and-politics-93c53b3aa8d2b91d3c2d5884f3cdf139">the filibuster&nbsp;</a>to block legislation and forcing hard questions for Democrats over next steps.The far-reaching proposal, at nearly 900 pages, is viewed by backers as the civil rights issue of the era, legislation that is suddenly of the highest priority after the 2020 election as states impose&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-and-politics-donald-trump-voting-rights-voting-dad9ccf2dc69e815af71ce5a4c7bb586">restrictive new laws</a>&nbsp;that could make it more difficult to vote. In the evenly split Senate, Republicans are united in opposition, seeing the bill as federal overreach and denying Democrats the 60 votes that would be needed to overcome the filibuster and begin debate.“Are you afraid to debate?” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Monday ahead of the vote. “We’re about to find out.”Months in the making, Tuesday’s showdown over the For the People Act, as it is called, is hardly the end of the road but the start of long campaign ahead. President Joe Biden has vowed what the White House calls the “fight of his presidency” over ensuring Americans’ access to the polls. At stake is not only election rules that make it easier to vote but also Democrats’ own ability to confront the limits of bipartisanship and decide whether or not the filibuster rules should change.Republican leader Mitch McConnell blasted the legislation ahead of the debate as a “disastrous proposal” that will get “no quarter” in the Senate.The party that controls Washington has been preparing for this moment for months, even as lawmakers faced their own internal divisions over the sprawling bill, which would remove hurdles to voting erected in the name of election security, curtail the influence of big money in politics and reduce partisan influence over the drawing of congressional districts.As recently as last week, Sen. Joe Manchin, a moderate West Virginia Democrat, said he couldn’t support the bill without&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-wv-state-wire-bills-voting-voting-rights-bc24ba5e44e1c52516fead3ea498d63f">changes he wanted</a>&nbsp;as a way to draw Republican support.Manchin remained a holdout late Monday following a meeting with Biden at the White House, where the two discussed voting rights. The senator would not say whether he would vote with his party in trying to advance the bill, explaining he was still reviewing the final version. “I have to see the rest of it tonight,” he said at the Capitol.Manchin proposed his own changes last week as he tried to trim back some areas and expand others, adding provisions for a national voter ID requirement, which is anathema to many Democrats, and dropping a proposed public financing of campaigns.The proposed Manchin changes were largely well received, welcomed by Biden’s administration as a “step forward,” while earning the nod of approval from one of the party’s key voting rights advocates, former Georgia governor’s race candidate Stacey Abrams.It did little, however, to garner the bipartisan support Manchin was hoping for. Senate Republicans said they would likely reject any legislation that expands the federal government’s role in elections.“I keep thinking there’s a few who want to,” Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., who authored the legislation in the Senate, said during a conference call Monday night with the group Our Revolution. “But when McConnell lowered the boom,” he continued, “we couldn’t get a single Republican to join us.”The rock-solid opposition from the GOP senators brings to a head questions over the filibuster, the decades-old Senate rule that requires 60 votes for most bills to advance.While some Democrats want to change the Senate’s rules to push the elections bill and other priorities past the filibuster, Manchin and others including Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., are opposed to taking that next move. Biden, too, has said in the past that he wants to leave the filibuster intact.“The filibuster compels moderation and helps protect the country from wild swings,” Sinema wrote Monday in an opinion piece for The Washington Post. She welcomed a fulsome debate “so senators and our constituents can hear and fully consider the concerns and consequences.”Pressure to change the rule is mounting, though. For now, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the administration’s hope is that the chamber’s 50 Democrats are aligned and that an unsuccessful vote will prompt the search for a new path.The White House didn’t give its full support to the Manchin alternative. But Psaki said the president “is appreciative of the efforts by Sen. Manchin and others to continue to make progress on voting rights, which he feels is a huge priority.”Ensuing the bill’s passage is taking on fresh urgency as former President Donald Trump continues to challenge the outcome of the 2020 election and is urging on the new laws in the Republican-led states.State officials who certified the results of the 2020 election have dismissed Trump’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-ap-fact-check-joe-biden-donald-trump-technology-49a24edd6d10888dbad61689c24b05a5">false claims of voter fraud</a>, and judges across the country have&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-courts-election-results-e1297d874f45d2b14bc99c403abd0457">dismissed multiple lawsuits</a>&nbsp;filed by Trump and his allies. Trump’s own attorney general said at the time there was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/barr-no-widespread-election-fraud-b1f1488796c9a98c4b1a9061a6c7f49d">no evidence of widespread fraud</a>&nbsp;that would change the outcome.The changes being enacted in many of the Republican states are decried by voting rights advocates who argue the restrictions will make it more difficult for people to cast ballots, particularly minority residents in cities who tend to support Democrats.As the Senate action churns, more changes could be coming to the bill.Democrats want to protect against intimidation at the polls in the aftermath of the 2020 election. They propose enhancing penalties for those who would threaten or intimidate election workers and creating a “buffer zone” between election workers and poll watchers, among other possible changes.Rep. John Sarbanes, D-Md., a lead sponsor of the bill, said the effort underway is to “respond to the growing threat of election subversion in GOP-led states across the country.“Democrats also want to limit the ability of state officials to remove a local election official without cause. Georgia Republicans passed a state law earlier this year that gives the GOP-dominated legislature greater influence over a state board that regulates elections and empowers it to remove local election officials deemed to be underperforming.“The dangers of the voter suppression efforts we’re seeing in Georgia and across the nation are not theoretical, and we can’t allow power-hungry state actors to squeeze the people out of their own democracy by overruling the decisions of local election officials,” said Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., who is working to advance the proposal in the Senate.-------KANSAS CITY (AP) — Brenda Martinez, a 19-year-old community college student, thinks the government should help immigrant students more. Donald Huffman is worried about turning 50 next week with no work available because the federal government is delaying the pipelines he usually helps build. Binod Neupane, who just moved to Texas to research alternative fuels, wants action on climate change.The three Texas voters have little in common politically other than one thing — none considers&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-and-politics-donald-trump-voting-rights-voting-dad9ccf2dc69e815af71ce5a4c7bb586">voting and election reform</a>, the issue that has dominated partisan debate this year, a top priority.As politicians from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tx-state-wire-texas-government-and-politics-92d26e25c9db88a32e0fda890773b908">Austin, Texas</a>, to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/voting-rights-voting-bills-a9c2f6facbda15c61ee7cc6709bf60a4">Washington, D.C.</a>, battle over the practical aspects of how to run elections — clashing over details such as polling booth hours and the number of ballot drop boxes per county — many voters are disconnected from the fight. A passionate base of voters and activists on both sides may be intensely dialed in on the issue, but a disengaged middle is baffled at the attention.“Unemployment, climate change — this stuff should be on the top of the list, not the voting thing,” said Neupane, 34.That disconnect is now the challenge before Democrats, who are trying to marshal public support for federal legislation that would thwart a series of new state laws tightening election procedures. With rallies, ads, White House events and a certain-to-fail vote in the Senate this coming week, Democrats are aiming to fire up their voters around the issue, hoping their passions hold through next year’s midterms.Republicans face their own pressures.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-michael-pence-electoral-college-elections-health-2d9bd47a8bd3561682ac46c6b3873a10">Donald Trump’s false claims of massive fraud in the 2020 election</a>&nbsp;have so eroded some GOP voters’ confidence that they say they won’t vote again. Meanwhile, the party’s push for additional restrictions runs the risk of driving away moderate voters.That debate is still roiling in Texas, where the Legislature is due to return to a special session to consider voting legislation. That comes after Texas Republicans, following the lead of Republican-controlled legislatures in more than a dozen states, tried to muscle through a sweeping elections bill that increased the power of partisan poll watchers, limited the power of local election officials and prevented voting on Sunday mornings when Black churchgoers traditionally flock to the polls. Democrats in the Texas House walked out in the final hours of the legislative session, depriving the GOP of the quorum needed to pass the bill.Since then, advocacy groups have stepped up organizing and outreach. Former congressman and presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke has seized on the issue, holding rallies and knocking on doors to discuss voting, as he considers launching a campaign for governor. On Wednesday, Vice President Kamala Harris, the Biden administration’s point person on the voting debate, hosted the Texas Democrats at the White House.“We have a great challenge before us and a fight, which is to fight for every American’s right — meaningful right — to vote,” Harris said as she was flanked by the Texas lawmakers.But Harris’ message has yet to reach many back in the politically mixed suburbs north of Dallas, a potential battleground in next year’s midterm elections. The swath of comfortable, diversifying neighborhoods was once dominated by the GOP but is now politically divided.As a heat wave this week brought fresh warnings of blackouts reminiscent of the electrical grid’s collapse during a February snowstorm, several voters were confused about why legislators are spending so much time on election issues.“Making it difficult for people to vote, it’s just ridiculous,” said Marcin Mazurek, a 50-year-old construction worker who only started following politics during the Trump era because he was so outraged by the former president.Of more than a dozen voters interviewed, only one brought up the issue unprompted: Nathan Nowasky, a retired certified public accountant, Texas native and lifelong Republican whom Trump drove out of the party. He cited the state voting bill as one of the reasons he and his wife were “thinking about moving elsewhere, because Texas is a political backwater.”A self-professed news junkie, Nowasky was familiar with the conspiracy theories and false allegations about the 2020 election. He believes the Texas voting bill is fueled by those ideas and illustrates the political extremism that pushed him out of the GOP. “There’s conservative, and then there’s this,” Nowasky said.The major political parties for years have fought furiously in the courts over the mechanics of elections. But rarely does the fight become a central part of the parties’ pitch to voters. That changed when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, many states liberalized their voting laws to make it safer to vote and Trump seized on the changes as a source of fraud, triggering new state laws often billed as making it “hard to cheat.”“It’s more of a live issue than it has been probably since the civil rights movement,” Anna Greenberg, a Democratic pollster, said of voting rights. Still, she noted, voting remains relatively simple for most citizens. The voters most animated by the issue are those who believe the system is rigged against them or those who see a pattern of racial discrimination in new laws.“There are lots of people keeping it on the agenda even if, for your average swing voter, it’s not their No. 1 issue,” Greenberg said.Kevin Bivens is one of those voters who’s paying attention to the issue. He followed the debate in the legislature carefully and was frustrated that Republicans brushed off Democrats’ attempts for a compromise. He sees the push as the latest in a long line of racial injustice.“As African Americans, it’s nothing new to us,” said Bivens, who said he is in his 50s and has lived in Texas for decades, acutely aware that he is both a political and racial minority. “We know we have no power over what’s going on but our votes, and if you take that away from us ... ,” he said, trailing off.In a December poll from The Associated Pres-NORC, only 7% of voters listed voting laws as a top issue, though it gained disproportionate interest from Republicans, 14% of whom cited it.Martinez, who’s studying to teach English as a second language, is one of those people who hasn’t thought much about voting. She cast her first vote for Biden in November, and neither she nor anyone else in her family had any issues or concerns. “Everything was fine,” Martinez said. Martinez thinks it would be nice to vote by mail — something Texas makes difficult for most voters — but it’s not an issue that drives her.Voting may be a side issue for many, but it could still play a role in helping Democrats solidify the coalition they assembled last year. Barbara Van Hollenbeck is a longtime Republican who voted for Biden last year — but still voted for Republicans for the legislature and Congress. She says she wanted a counterbalance to the Democratic president. Now, Van Hollenbeck says she’s most worried about climate change and the economy, but she’s also confused and concerned about what the GOP-led legislature is doing with voting.“Instead of punishing them, help them find a way to vote,” she said of voters.Andy Wojtovec came at the issue from the opposite end of the political spectrum. “The last election was like communism,” said the 66-year-old Polish immigrant, who owns an air conditioning company and has cheered the lawmakers’ voting changes. He claimed that Venezuela helped hack voting machines to hand the election to Biden — a common, discredited conspiracy theory in pro-Trump circles.Huffman, the pipeline welder, also was suspicious about the election, “like everyone I know,” he said. A Trump supporter, he is convinced the only reason the former president didn’t win in a blowout was some kind of fraud.But as he sat in a booth in a branch of the Texas fast food chain Whataburger, Huffman was despondent. Though he has real estate assets to help him, he hasn’t worked in months. He says he doesn’t know what he’ll do now that the Biden administration has put a moratorium on new energy projects on federal land.And, in a worrying sign for the GOP, he not only had not heard of the party’s election push, but he also wasn’t convinced there was anything politicians could do to prevent massive fraud from happening again.“I probably won’t ever vote again,” Huffman said. “It feels like a waste of time.”

Voting rights showdown set for the U.S. Senate

WASHINGTON — The Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service recently unveiled an online <a href="https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/child-tax-credit-non-filer-sign-up-tool">Non-filer Sign-up tool</a>
 designed to help eligible families who don't normally file tax returns 
register for the monthly Advance Child Tax Credit payments, scheduled to
 begin July 15.

This tool, an update of last year's IRS Non-filers tool, is also 
designed to help eligible individuals who don't normally file income tax
 returns register for the $1,400 third round of Economic Impact Payments
 (also known as stimulus checks) and claim the Recovery Rebate Credit 
for any amount of the first two rounds of Economic Impact Payments they 
may have missed.

Developed in partnership with Intuit and delivered through the Free 
File Alliance, this tool provides a free and easy way for eligible 
people who don't make enough income to have an income tax return-filing 
obligation to provide the IRS the basic information needed—name, 
address, and Social Security numbers—to figure and issue their Advance 
Child Tax Credit payments. Often, these are individuals and families who
 receive little or no income, including those experiencing homelessness 
and other underserved groups. This new tool is available only on 
IRS.gov.

"We have been working hard to begin delivering the monthly Advance 
Child Tax Credit to millions of families with children in July," said 
IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig. "This new tool will help more people 
easily gain access to this important credit as well as help people who 
don't normally file a tax return obtain an Economic Impact Payment. We 
encourage people to review the details about this important new effort."

The <a href="https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/child-tax-credit-non-filer-sign-up-tool">Non-filer Sign-up tool</a>
 is for people who did not file a tax return for 2019 or 2020 and who 
did not use the IRS Non-filers tool last year to register for Economic 
Impact Payments. The tool enables them to provide required information 
about themselves, their qualifying children age 17 and under, their 
other dependents, and their direct deposit bank information so the IRS 
can quickly and easily deposit the payments directly into their checking
 or savings account.

Eligible families who already filed or plan to file 2019 or 2020 
income tax returns should not use this tool. Once the IRS processes 
their 2019 or 2020 tax return, the information will be used to determine
 eligibility and issue advance payments. Families who want to claim 
other tax benefits, such as the Earned Income Tax Credit for low- and 
moderate-income families, should not use this tool and instead file a 
regular tax return. For them, the fastest and easiest way to file a 
return is the <a href="https://www.irs.gov/filing/free-file-do-your-federal-taxes-for-free">Free File</a> system, available only on IRS.gov.

Public-private partnership plays vital role

Intuit developed the Non-filer Sign-up tool for the IRS and delivers 
this tool through its participation in the Free File Alliance. Intuit 
has a long history of working closely with the IRS on innovative 
solutions, including last year's Non-filers: Enter Payment Info
 Here tool. In addition, for many years, Intuit has offered Free File 
Fillable Forms, also delivered through the Free File Alliance. This is 
the electronic version of IRS paper forms, which provides all taxpayers 
with the option to electronically file for free. There are no income 
restrictions for using this option to file a 2020 tax return.

The IRS urges everyone to be on the lookout for scams related to both
 Advance Child Tax Credit payments and Economic Impact Payments. The IRS
 emphasized that the only way to get either of these benefits is by 
either filing a tax return with the IRS or registering online through 
the Non-filer Sign-up tool, exclusively on IRS.gov. Any other option is a
 scam.

Watch out for scams using email, phone calls or texts related to the 
payments. Be careful and cautious: The IRS never sends unsolicited 
electronic communications asking anyone to open attachments or visit a 
non-governmental web site.

The IRS has created a special Advance Child Tax Credit 2021 page at <a href="https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/advance-child-tax-credit-payments-in-2021">IRS.gov/childtaxcredit2021</a>, designed to provide the most up-to-date information about the credit and the advance payments.

The page already features a link to the Non-filer Sign-up tool. In 
the next few weeks, it will also feature other useful new tools, 
including:

The IRS urges community groups, non-profits, associations, education 
organizations and anyone else with connections to people with children 
to share this critical information about the Advance Child Tax Credit as
 well as other important benefits. The IRS will provide additional 
materials and information in the near future that can be easily shared 
by social media, email and other methods.

The expanded and newly-advanceable Child Tax Credit was authorized by
 the American Rescue Plan Act, enacted in March. Normally, the IRS will 
calculate the payment based on a person's 2020 tax return, including 
those who use the Non-filer Sign-up tool. If that return is not 
available because it has not yet been filed or is still being processed,
 the IRS will instead determine the initial payment amounts using the 
2019 return or the information entered using the Non-filers tool that 
was available in 2020.

The payment will be up to $300 per month for each child under age 6 and up to $250 per month for each child age 6 through 17.

To make sure families have easy access to their money, the IRS will 
issue these payments by direct deposit, as long as correct banking 
information has previously been provided to the IRS. Otherwise, people 
should watch their mail around July 15 for their mailed payment. The 
dates for the Advance Child Tax Credit payments are July 15, Aug. 13, 
Sept. 15, Oct. 15, Nov. 15 and Dec. 15.

For more information, visit <a href="https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/advance-child-tax-credit-payments-in-2021">IRS.gov/childtaxcredit2021</a>, or read <a href="https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/2021-child-tax-credit-and-advance-child-tax-credit-payments-frequently-asked-questions">FAQs on the 2021 Child Tax Credit and Advance Child Tax Credit Payments</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/9/1599869632873.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>IRSWASHINGTON — The Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service recently unveiled an online <a href="https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/child-tax-credit-non-filer-sign-up-tool">Non-filer Sign-up tool</a>
 designed to help eligible families who don't normally file tax returns 
register for the monthly Advance Child Tax Credit payments, scheduled to
 begin July 15.This tool, an update of last year's IRS Non-filers tool, is also 
designed to help eligible individuals who don't normally file income tax
 returns register for the $1,400 third round of Economic Impact Payments
 (also known as stimulus checks) and claim the Recovery Rebate Credit 
for any amount of the first two rounds of Economic Impact Payments they 
may have missed.Developed in partnership with Intuit and delivered through the Free 
File Alliance, this tool provides a free and easy way for eligible 
people who don't make enough income to have an income tax return-filing 
obligation to provide the IRS the basic information needed—name, 
address, and Social Security numbers—to figure and issue their Advance 
Child Tax Credit payments. Often, these are individuals and families who
 receive little or no income, including those experiencing homelessness 
and other underserved groups. This new tool is available only on 
IRS.gov."We have been working hard to begin delivering the monthly Advance 
Child Tax Credit to millions of families with children in July," said 
IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig. "This new tool will help more people 
easily gain access to this important credit as well as help people who 
don't normally file a tax return obtain an Economic Impact Payment. We 
encourage people to review the details about this important new effort."The <a href="https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/child-tax-credit-non-filer-sign-up-tool">Non-filer Sign-up tool</a>
 is for people who did not file a tax return for 2019 or 2020 and who 
did not use the IRS Non-filers tool last year to register for Economic 
Impact Payments. The tool enables them to provide required information 
about themselves, their qualifying children age 17 and under, their 
other dependents, and their direct deposit bank information so the IRS 
can quickly and easily deposit the payments directly into their checking
 or savings account.<h2>No action needed by most families</h2>Eligible families who already filed or plan to file 2019 or 2020 
income tax returns should not use this tool. Once the IRS processes 
their 2019 or 2020 tax return, the information will be used to determine
 eligibility and issue advance payments. Families who want to claim 
other tax benefits, such as the Earned Income Tax Credit for low- and 
moderate-income families, should not use this tool and instead file a 
regular tax return. For them, the fastest and easiest way to file a 
return is the <a href="https://www.irs.gov/filing/free-file-do-your-federal-taxes-for-free">Free File</a> system, available only on IRS.gov.<h2>Public-private partnership plays vital role</h2>Intuit developed the Non-filer Sign-up tool for the IRS and delivers 
this tool through its participation in the Free File Alliance. Intuit 
has a long history of working closely with the IRS on innovative 
solutions, including last year's Non-filers: Enter Payment Info
 Here tool. In addition, for many years, Intuit has offered Free File 
Fillable Forms, also delivered through the Free File Alliance. This is 
the electronic version of IRS paper forms, which provides all taxpayers 
with the option to electronically file for free. There are no income 
restrictions for using this option to file a 2020 tax return.<h2>Watch out for scams</h2>The IRS urges everyone to be on the lookout for scams related to both
 Advance Child Tax Credit payments and Economic Impact Payments. The IRS
 emphasized that the only way to get either of these benefits is by 
either filing a tax return with the IRS or registering online through 
the Non-filer Sign-up tool, exclusively on IRS.gov. Any other option is a
 scam.Watch out for scams using email, phone calls or texts related to the 
payments. Be careful and cautious: The IRS never sends unsolicited 
electronic communications asking anyone to open attachments or visit a 
non-governmental web site.<h2>Other tools coming soon</h2>The IRS has created a special Advance Child Tax Credit 2021 page at <a href="https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/advance-child-tax-credit-payments-in-2021">IRS.gov/childtaxcredit2021</a>, designed to provide the most up-to-date information about the credit and the advance payments.The page already features a link to the Non-filer Sign-up tool. In 
the next few weeks, it will also feature other useful new tools, 
including:<ul>
 <li>An interactive Child Tax Credit eligibility assistant to help 
families determine whether they qualify for the Advance Child Tax Credit
 payments.</li><li>Another tool, the Child Tax Credit Update Portal, will initially 
enable anyone who has been determined to be eligible for advance 
payments to see that they are eligible and unenroll/opt out of the 
advance payment program. Later, it will allow people to check on the 
status of their payments, make updates to their information and be 
available in Spanish.</li>
 </ul><h2>Community partners can help</h2>The IRS urges community groups, non-profits, associations, education 
organizations and anyone else with connections to people with children 
to share this critical information about the Advance Child Tax Credit as
 well as other important benefits. The IRS will provide additional 
materials and information in the near future that can be easily shared 
by social media, email and other methods.<h2>About the Advance Child Tax Credit</h2>The expanded and newly-advanceable Child Tax Credit was authorized by
 the American Rescue Plan Act, enacted in March. Normally, the IRS will 
calculate the payment based on a person's 2020 tax return, including 
those who use the Non-filer Sign-up tool. If that return is not 
available because it has not yet been filed or is still being processed,
 the IRS will instead determine the initial payment amounts using the 
2019 return or the information entered using the Non-filers tool that 
was available in 2020.The payment will be up to $300 per month for each child under age 6 and up to $250 per month for each child age 6 through 17.To make sure families have easy access to their money, the IRS will 
issue these payments by direct deposit, as long as correct banking 
information has previously been provided to the IRS. Otherwise, people 
should watch their mail around July 15 for their mailed payment. The 
dates for the Advance Child Tax Credit payments are July 15, Aug. 13, 
Sept. 15, Oct. 15, Nov. 15 and Dec. 15.For more information, visit <a href="https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/advance-child-tax-credit-payments-in-2021">IRS.gov/childtaxcredit2021</a>, or read <a href="https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/2021-child-tax-credit-and-advance-child-tax-credit-payments-frequently-asked-questions">FAQs on the 2021 Child Tax Credit and Advance Child Tax Credit Payments</a>.

IRS unveils tool to help families register for Child Tax Credit payments

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court&nbsp;<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/20969582-ncaa-v-alston" target="_blank">ruled unanimously</a>&nbsp;Monday the NCAA can’t limit education-related benefits — like computers and paid internships — that colleges can offer their sports stars, a victory for athletes that could help open the door to further easing in the decades-old fight over paying student-athletes.

Schools recruiting top athletes could now offer tens of thousands of dollars in education-related benefits that also include study-abroad programs and graduate scholarships. However, the case doesn’t decide whether students can simply be paid salaries for the benefits their efforts bring — measured in tens of millions for many universities.

The high court agreed with a lower court’s determination that NCAA limits on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/basketball-football-us-supreme-court-mark-emmert-college-sports-ba1c2e5409ec6d8e970075e4f9ddf53b">the education-related benefits</a>&nbsp;that colleges can offer athletes who play Division I basketball and football violate antitrust laws.

The case is important in the short term for students who may see schools competing for talent by sweetening their offers with a variety of education-related benefits. It’s also important in the long term because it sets the stage for future challenges to NCAA rules limiting athletes’ compensation.

Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote for the court that the NCAA sought “immunity from the normal operation of the antitrust laws,” an argument the court rejected. Gorsuch said that allowing colleges and universities to offer “enhanced education-related benefits ... may encourage scholastic achievement and allow student-athletes a measure of compensation more consistent with the value they bring to their schools.”

Under current NCAA rules, students cannot be paid, and the scholarship money a college can offer is capped at the cost of attending the school.

The NCAA had defended its rules as necessary to preserve the amateur nature of college sports, preventing a blurring of the line between them and professional teams, with colleges trying to lure talented athletes by offering over-the-top benefits. A lower court had upheld the NCAA’s limits on scholarships and cash awards, and the high court wasn’t asked to weigh in on those.

Writing for only himself, Justice Brett Kavanaugh signaled where Monday’s decision may lead. He said there are “serious questions” about whether the NCAA’s other restrictions on compensating athletes can stand. Kavanaugh wrote that “traditions alone cannot justify the NCAA’s decision to build a massive money-raising enterprise on the backs of student athletes who are not fairly compensated.”

“Nowhere else in America can businesses get away with agreeing not to pay their workers a fair market rate on the theory that their product is defined by not paying their workers a fair market rate. ... The NCAA is not above the law,” wrote Kavanaugh, who as a college student played on Yale’s junior varsity basketball team.

The case&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/athlete-compensation-basketball-elena-kagan-football-us-supreme-court-4fa2fc30e1a3f21329f4ec22cc55bb28">was brought by former athletes</a>, including West Virginia football player Shawne Alston. It followed a separate, earlier lawsuit brought by athletes including former UCLA basketball player Ed O’Bannon and NBA legends Oscar Robertson and Bill Russell where an appeals court&nbsp;<a href="http://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/opinions/2015/09/30/14-16601.pdf" target="_blank">concluded</a>&nbsp;NCAA rules aren’t exempt from antitrust law. That case ended with the Supreme Court declining to weigh in.

As a result of Monday’s ruling, the NCAA itself can’t bar schools from offering Division I basketball and football players additional education-related benefits. But individual athletic conferences can still set limits if they choose.

“It is our hope that this victory in the battle for college athletes’ rights will carry on a wave of justice uplifting further aspects of athlete compensation,” said Steve Berman, an attorney for the former college athletes, in a statement following the ruling. “This is the fair treatment college athletes deserve.”

WASHINGTON (AP) — In a ruling that could help push changes in college athletics, the Supreme Court on Monday&nbsp;<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/20969582-ncaa-v-alston" target="_blank">unanimously ruled</a>&nbsp;that the NCAA can’t enforce certain rules limiting the education-related benefits — things like computers and graduate scholarships — that colleges offer athletes.

The case doesn’t decide whether students can be paid salaries. Instead, the ruling will help determine whether schools decide to offer athletes tens of thousands of dollars in those benefits for things including tutoring, study abroad and internships.

The high court agreed with a group of former college athletes that NCAA limits on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/basketball-football-us-supreme-court-mark-emmert-college-sports-ba1c2e5409ec6d8e970075e4f9ddf53b">the education-related benefits</a>&nbsp;that colleges can offer athletes who play Division I basketball and football can’t be enforced.

Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote for the court that the NCAA sought “immunity from the normal operation of the antitrust laws,” which the court declined to grant.

Under current NCAA rules, students cannot be paid, and the scholarship money colleges can offer is capped at the cost of attending the school. The NCAA had defended its rules as necessary to preserve the amateur nature of college sports.

But&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/athlete-compensation-basketball-elena-kagan-football-us-supreme-court-4fa2fc30e1a3f21329f4ec22cc55bb28">the former athletes who brought the case</a>, including former West Virginia football player Shawne Alston, argued that the NCAA’s rules on education-related compensation were unfair and violate federal antitrust law designed to promote competition. The Supreme Court upheld a lower court ruling barring the NCAA from enforcing those rules.

As a result of the ruling, the NCAA itself can’t bar schools from sweetening their offers to Division I basketball and football players with additional education-related benefits. But individual athletic conferences can still set limits if they choose. A lawyer for the former athletes had said before the ruling that he believed that if his clients won, “very many schools” would ultimately offer additional benefits.

The NCAA had argued that a ruling for the athletes could lead to a blurring of the line between college and professional sports, with colleges trying to lure talented athletes by offering over-the-top education benefits worth thousands of dollars. Even without the court’s ruling, however, changes seem on the way for how college athletes are compensated. The NCAA is trying to amend its rules to allow athletes to profit from their names, images and likenesses. That would allow athletes to earn money for things like sponsorship deals, online endorsement and personal appearances. For some athletes, those amounts could dwarf any education-related benefits.

The players associations of the NFL, the NBA and the WNBA had all urged the justices to side with the ex-athletes, as did the Biden administration.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court&nbsp;<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/20969582-ncaa-v-alston" target="_blank">ruled unanimously</a>&nbsp;Monday the NCAA can’t limit education-related benefits — like computers and paid internships — that colleges can offer their sports stars, a victory for athletes that could help open the door to further easing in the decades-old fight over paying student-athletes.Schools recruiting top athletes could now offer tens of thousands of dollars in education-related benefits that also include study-abroad programs and graduate scholarships. However, the case doesn’t decide whether students can simply be paid salaries for the benefits their efforts bring — measured in tens of millions for many universities.The high court agreed with a lower court’s determination that NCAA limits on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/basketball-football-us-supreme-court-mark-emmert-college-sports-ba1c2e5409ec6d8e970075e4f9ddf53b">the education-related benefits</a>&nbsp;that colleges can offer athletes who play Division I basketball and football violate antitrust laws.The case is important in the short term for students who may see schools competing for talent by sweetening their offers with a variety of education-related benefits. It’s also important in the long term because it sets the stage for future challenges to NCAA rules limiting athletes’ compensation.Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote for the court that the NCAA sought “immunity from the normal operation of the antitrust laws,” an argument the court rejected. Gorsuch said that allowing colleges and universities to offer “enhanced education-related benefits ... may encourage scholastic achievement and allow student-athletes a measure of compensation more consistent with the value they bring to their schools.”Under current NCAA rules, students cannot be paid, and the scholarship money a college can offer is capped at the cost of attending the school.The NCAA had defended its rules as necessary to preserve the amateur nature of college sports, preventing a blurring of the line between them and professional teams, with colleges trying to lure talented athletes by offering over-the-top benefits. A lower court had upheld the NCAA’s limits on scholarships and cash awards, and the high court wasn’t asked to weigh in on those.Writing for only himself, Justice Brett Kavanaugh signaled where Monday’s decision may lead. He said there are “serious questions” about whether the NCAA’s other restrictions on compensating athletes can stand. Kavanaugh wrote that “traditions alone cannot justify the NCAA’s decision to build a massive money-raising enterprise on the backs of student athletes who are not fairly compensated.”“Nowhere else in America can businesses get away with agreeing not to pay their workers a fair market rate on the theory that their product is defined by not paying their workers a fair market rate. ... The NCAA is not above the law,” wrote Kavanaugh, who as a college student played on Yale’s junior varsity basketball team.The case&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/athlete-compensation-basketball-elena-kagan-football-us-supreme-court-4fa2fc30e1a3f21329f4ec22cc55bb28">was brought by former athletes</a>, including West Virginia football player Shawne Alston. It followed a separate, earlier lawsuit brought by athletes including former UCLA basketball player Ed O’Bannon and NBA legends Oscar Robertson and Bill Russell where an appeals court&nbsp;<a href="http://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/opinions/2015/09/30/14-16601.pdf" target="_blank">concluded</a>&nbsp;NCAA rules aren’t exempt from antitrust law. That case ended with the Supreme Court declining to weigh in.As a result of Monday’s ruling, the NCAA itself can’t bar schools from offering Division I basketball and football players additional education-related benefits. But individual athletic conferences can still set limits if they choose.“It is our hope that this victory in the battle for college athletes’ rights will carry on a wave of justice uplifting further aspects of athlete compensation,” said Steve Berman, an attorney for the former college athletes, in a statement following the ruling. “This is the fair treatment college athletes deserve.”----------WASHINGTON (AP) — In a ruling that could help push changes in college athletics, the Supreme Court on Monday&nbsp;<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/20969582-ncaa-v-alston" target="_blank">unanimously ruled</a>&nbsp;that the NCAA can’t enforce certain rules limiting the education-related benefits — things like computers and graduate scholarships — that colleges offer athletes.The case doesn’t decide whether students can be paid salaries. Instead, the ruling will help determine whether schools decide to offer athletes tens of thousands of dollars in those benefits for things including tutoring, study abroad and internships.The high court agreed with a group of former college athletes that NCAA limits on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/basketball-football-us-supreme-court-mark-emmert-college-sports-ba1c2e5409ec6d8e970075e4f9ddf53b">the education-related benefits</a>&nbsp;that colleges can offer athletes who play Division I basketball and football can’t be enforced.Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote for the court that the NCAA sought “immunity from the normal operation of the antitrust laws,” which the court declined to grant.Under current NCAA rules, students cannot be paid, and the scholarship money colleges can offer is capped at the cost of attending the school. The NCAA had defended its rules as necessary to preserve the amateur nature of college sports.But&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/athlete-compensation-basketball-elena-kagan-football-us-supreme-court-4fa2fc30e1a3f21329f4ec22cc55bb28">the former athletes who brought the case</a>, including former West Virginia football player Shawne Alston, argued that the NCAA’s rules on education-related compensation were unfair and violate federal antitrust law designed to promote competition. The Supreme Court upheld a lower court ruling barring the NCAA from enforcing those rules.As a result of the ruling, the NCAA itself can’t bar schools from sweetening their offers to Division I basketball and football players with additional education-related benefits. But individual athletic conferences can still set limits if they choose. A lawyer for the former athletes had said before the ruling that he believed that if his clients won, “very many schools” would ultimately offer additional benefits.The NCAA had argued that a ruling for the athletes could lead to a blurring of the line between college and professional sports, with colleges trying to lure talented athletes by offering over-the-top education benefits worth thousands of dollars. Even without the court’s ruling, however, changes seem on the way for how college athletes are compensated. The NCAA is trying to amend its rules to allow athletes to profit from their names, images and likenesses. That would allow athletes to earn money for things like sponsorship deals, online endorsement and personal appearances. For some athletes, those amounts could dwarf any education-related benefits.The players associations of the NFL, the NBA and the WNBA had all urged the justices to side with the ex-athletes, as did the Biden administration.

Supreme Court win for college athletes in compensation case

KANSAS CITY (AP) — A suburban Kansas City man accused of killing his roommate during an argument over a locked door told investigators he shot the other man to protect himself from being attacked, police said.

Robert Matlock Jr., 43, is charged with second-degree murder and armed criminal action in the June 16 killing of Ramiro Jaramillo.

Police said the shooting happened at the Raytown home the two men shared as they argued over Matlock’s decision to place a lock on a door leading to Matlock’s medical marijuana kept in the garage.

Police said Matlock told officers he acted in self-defense, saying his roommate was trying to attack him and that he thought Jaramillo may have been armed with a knife or gun at the time. Matlock said he warned Jaramillo he would shoot, then closed his eyes and fired three or four times, police recounted from the interview.

Jaramillo was taken to an area hospital, where he later died.

Matlock told investigators that he and Jaramillo argued frequently and that he shared with police cellphone videos of the two arguing, including on the day of the shooting.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/6/1624037035121.png" alt="Matlock photo Jackson County" />
 <figcaption>Matlock photo Jackson County</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY (AP) — A suburban Kansas City man accused of killing his roommate during an argument over a locked door told investigators he shot the other man to protect himself from being attacked, police said.Robert Matlock Jr., 43, is charged with second-degree murder and armed criminal action in the June 16 killing of Ramiro Jaramillo.Police said the shooting happened at the Raytown home the two men shared as they argued over Matlock’s decision to place a lock on a door leading to Matlock’s medical marijuana kept in the garage.Police said Matlock told officers he acted in self-defense, saying his roommate was trying to attack him and that he thought Jaramillo may have been armed with a knife or gun at the time. Matlock said he warned Jaramillo he would shoot, then closed his eyes and fired three or four times, police recounted from the interview.Jaramillo was taken to an area hospital, where he later died.Matlock told investigators that he and Jaramillo argued frequently and that he shared with police cellphone videos of the two arguing, including on the day of the shooting.

Kan. City man killed roommate in dispute over locked door 

ARVADA, Colo. (AP) — Authorities say a gunman is believed to have shot and killed an officer and another person in a shopping district in a Denver suburb before being fatally shot by police. 

Police say an officer responded to a call about a suspicious incident Monday near the library in the city of Arvada, and about 15 minutes later, a 911 call came in about shots fired and the officer hit. 

Authorities say a person who was believed to have been shot by the gunman was taken to a hospital and died. The attacker also was shot and killed. 

Officials didn’t describe the circumstances of the shooting in the city about 7 miles northwest of Denver.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/6/1560362354225.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>ARVADA, Colo. (AP) — Authorities say a gunman is believed to have shot and killed an officer and another person in a shopping district in a Denver suburb before being fatally shot by police. Police say an officer responded to a call about a suspicious incident Monday near the library in the city of Arvada, and about 15 minutes later, a 911 call came in about shots fired and the officer hit. Authorities say a person who was believed to have been shot by the gunman was taken to a hospital and died. The attacker also was shot and killed. Officials didn’t describe the circumstances of the shooting in the city about 7 miles northwest of Denver.

3 killed in Denver-area shooting, including officer, suspect

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor today announced a <a href="https://www.federalregister.gov/public-inspection/2021-13262/tip-regulations-under-the-fair-labor-standards-act-partial-withdrawal" target="_blank">Notice of Proposed Rulemaking</a>
 to limit the amount of non-tip producing work that a tipped employee 
can perform when an employer is taking a tip credit. The proposed rule 
clarifies when an employee is working in a tipped occupation and when a 
worker has performed such a substantial amount of non-tipped labor that 
an employer can no longer take a tip credit and must pay the full 
federal minimum wage to the worker.

The <a href="https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/flsa">Fair Labor Standards Act</a>
 allows employers with tipped workers to pay as little as $2.13 per hour
 in direct wages, while taking a credit against the tips earned by the 
employee to make up the balance of the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per
 hour.

The proposed rule also clarifies that an employer may 
only take a tip credit when tipped employees perform labor that is part 
of their tipped occupation. Work considered part of the tipped 
occupation includes labor that produces tips and labor that directly 
supports tip-producing work, so long as the employee does not perform it
 for a substantial amount of time. For example, waiting on tables is an 
example of labor that produces tips for the worker. Labor that supports a
 server’s tip-producing work includes a server folding napkins or 
refilling salt and pepper shakers.

The proposed rule also clarifies that if an employee 
performs work that directly supports tip-producing work for a 
substantial amount of time – that exceeds 20 percent of all of the hours
 worked during the employee’s workweek or exceeds 30 continuous minutes –
 that worker is no longer performing labor that is part of the tipped 
occupation.

The proposal clarifies that employers may not take a tip credit for work that is not part of the tipped occupation. 

“Tipped workers are among those who continue to be 
hardest hit as we emerge from the pandemic, and the Wage and Hour 
Division continues to prioritize protecting these essential front-line 
workers,” said Wage and Hour Division Principal Deputy Administrator 
Jessica Looman. “This proposed rule provides more clarity and certainty 
for employers while better protecting workers. It helps ensure that 
tipped workers are treated with dignity and respect, and that they 
receive wages appropriate for the work they perform.” 

The department invites comments from the public on the proposed rule at <a href="http://www.regulations.gov" target="_blank">www.regulations.gov</a>. The comment period closes Aug. 23, 2021.

Anyone who submits a comment (including duplicate 
comments) should understand and expect that the comment, including any 
personal information provided, will become a matter of public record. 
The division will post comments without change at <a href="https://www.regulations.gov/" target="_blank">www.regulations.gov</a>
 and include any personal information provided. The division posts 
comments gathered and submitted by a third-party organization as a 
group, using a single document ID number at the site.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/3/1615920467817.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>U.S. Department of LaborWASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor today announced a <a href="https://www.federalregister.gov/public-inspection/2021-13262/tip-regulations-under-the-fair-labor-standards-act-partial-withdrawal" target="_blank">Notice of Proposed Rulemaking</a>
 to limit the amount of non-tip producing work that a tipped employee 
can perform when an employer is taking a tip credit. The proposed rule 
clarifies when an employee is working in a tipped occupation and when a 
worker has performed such a substantial amount of non-tipped labor that 
an employer can no longer take a tip credit and must pay the full 
federal minimum wage to the worker. The <a href="https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/flsa">Fair Labor Standards Act</a>
 allows employers with tipped workers to pay as little as $2.13 per hour
 in direct wages, while taking a credit against the tips earned by the 
employee to make up the balance of the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per
 hour.The proposed rule also clarifies that an employer may 
only take a tip credit when tipped employees perform labor that is part 
of their tipped occupation. Work considered part of the tipped 
occupation includes labor that produces tips and labor that directly 
supports tip-producing work, so long as the employee does not perform it
 for a substantial amount of time. For example, waiting on tables is an 
example of labor that produces tips for the worker. Labor that supports a
 server’s tip-producing work includes a server folding napkins or 
refilling salt and pepper shakers.The proposed rule also clarifies that if an employee 
performs work that directly supports tip-producing work for a 
substantial amount of time – that exceeds 20 percent of all of the hours
 worked during the employee’s workweek or exceeds 30 continuous minutes –
 that worker is no longer performing labor that is part of the tipped 
occupation.The proposal clarifies that employers may not take a tip credit for work that is not part of the tipped occupation. “Tipped workers are among those who continue to be 
hardest hit as we emerge from the pandemic, and the Wage and Hour 
Division continues to prioritize protecting these essential front-line 
workers,” said Wage and Hour Division Principal Deputy Administrator 
Jessica Looman. “This proposed rule provides more clarity and certainty 
for employers while better protecting workers. It helps ensure that 
tipped workers are treated with dignity and respect, and that they 
receive wages appropriate for the work they perform.” The department invites comments from the public on the proposed rule at <a href="http://www.regulations.gov" target="_blank">www.regulations.gov</a>. The comment period closes Aug. 23, 2021.Anyone who submits a comment (including duplicate 
comments) should understand and expect that the comment, including any 
personal information provided, will become a matter of public record. 
The division will post comments without change at <a href="https://www.regulations.gov/" target="_blank">www.regulations.gov</a>
 and include any personal information provided. The division posts 
comments gathered and submitted by a third-party organization as a 
group, using a single document ID number at the site.

U.S. Labor Department issued proposal to protect tipped workers

COGGON, Iowa (AP) — A sheriff said a Chicago man who allegedly shot and wounded a sheriff’s deputy during an armed robbery at an Iowa gas station and then evaded an extensive manhunt for hours has been arrested. 

Linn County Sheriff Brian Gardner identified the suspected shooter as 36-year-old Stanley Donahue. His office announced on its Twitter account Monday afternoon that Donahue had been taken into custody without further violence, and that additional details would soon be released. 

Gardner said that the deputy, whom he didn’t immediately identify, was hospitalized at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in stable condition. &nbsp;

The shooting occurred after the deputy responded to a report of a robbery at Casey’s General Store in Coggon, Iowa.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/6/1624307313192.png" alt="Donahue (Photo: Linn County Sheriff's Office)" />
 <figcaption>Donahue (Photo: Linn County Sheriff's Office)</figcaption>
 </figure>COGGON, Iowa (AP) — A sheriff said a Chicago man who allegedly shot and wounded a sheriff’s deputy during an armed robbery at an Iowa gas station and then evaded an extensive manhunt for hours has been arrested. Linn County Sheriff Brian Gardner identified the suspected shooter as 36-year-old Stanley Donahue. His office announced on its Twitter account Monday afternoon that Donahue had been taken into custody without further violence, and that additional details would soon be released. Gardner said that the deputy, whom he didn’t immediately identify, was hospitalized at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in stable condition. &nbsp;The shooting occurred after the deputy responded to a report of a robbery at Casey’s General Store in Coggon, Iowa.

Suspect in Iowa deputy's shooting arrested after manhunt

By ABIGAIL CENSKY <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2021-06-18/what-happens-when-a-kansas-school-board-uses-youtube-for-meetings-and-someone-dishes-up-bad-science">Kansas News Service</a>

OVERLAND PARK&nbsp;— At the mid-May Shawnee Mission School Board meeting, state Sen. Mike Thompson, a former Kansas City meteorologist, <a href="https://www.kansascity.com/news/local/education/article251554913.html" target="_blank">showed up</a> mask-less to protest the district’s mask policy.

Thompson said masks exposed children to potential carcinogens.

“Think
 of it this way,” said Thompson. “I’m about six feet tall. Saying that 
this mask is going to block the virus is like saying I can’t walk 
through a doorway 6,000 feet tall and 2,000 feet wide.”

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says wearing face masks <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/science/science-briefs/masking-science-sars-cov2.html" target="_blank">does</a> prevent the spread of COVID-19.

YouTube
 — which the school board uses to stream its meetings — deemed 
statements from Thompson and other speakers so dangerous that the tech 
giant pulled the entire meeting off its platform for spreading medical 
misinformation.

That leaves the district in a quandary. Does it 
strip out the public comment portion of its streamed meetings to avoid a
 YouTube ban? Or would that effectively censor any criticism of the 
school board. It’s tough because Shawnee Mission has grown dependent on 
YouTube.

“It's accessible. It's easy to use. So, it's a great platform,” said Shawnee Mission spokesperson
 David Smith, “But we absolutely have to be concerned because we don’t 
want to lose the ability to use that platform.”

In the age of 
COVID-19 and social media, streaming public meetings offers a convenient
 way to let residents track critical debates on decisions about their 
taxes, their children, their communities.

At the same time, Big 
Tech is grappling with how to choke-out viral misinformation. But 
conversations at the meetings of city councils, school boards and other 
parts of local government can be riddled with conspiracies and 
half-truths without fact checkers to keep the record straight.

Shortly after last month’s meeting, a warning popped up on the 
Shawnee Mission School District’s webpage that more violations of 
YouTube’s policies aimed at fighting disinformation might take meetings 
offline.

The district wouldn’t be able to upload, post, or live stream for one week. YouTube <a href="https://www.youtube.com/howyoutubeworks/policies/community-guidelines/#enforcing-policies" target="_blank">community guidelines </a>state after three strikes in a 90-day period, an account can be terminated.

That
 could mean a lot of trouble for the district. It has 10 years of videos
 archived on the platform, and it uses benefits like live streaming and 
automatic closed captioning for free. The cost of moving to another 
platform would start at $20,000, Smith said.

In a statement, 
YouTube spokesperson Elena Hernandez said, “We apply our policies 
equally, regardless of the speaker or setting of the video.”

YouTube
 says that in some cases videos with medical misinformation are allowed 
to stay on the platform if they have an audio or visual disclaimer 
refuting the false claims or sharing CDC guidelines about the 
effectiveness of masks to prevent COVID-19. If an account holder 
disagrees with YouTube’s decision, they can appeal.

Katie Paul, 
director of the industry watchdog Tech Transparency Project, said the 
misinformation policy is fine. But her group is critical more broadly of
 how Big Tech moderates content.

“That is to rely on the cheapest 
option, which is (artificial intelligence),” said Paul. “But AI is not 
perfect, and it’s effective in some cases, but takes down incorrect 
content.”

She argued that companies like YouTube need to rely less
 on their algorithms to sort out content, and spend more heavily on 
workers who can pick up on the subtleties that computer programs can’t 
catch.

YouTube did not respond to questions about the role of artificial intelligence in flagging the Shawnee Mission video.

Shawnee Mission isn’t alone. Accounts in <a href="https://www.southeastiowaunion.com/news/city-council-forum-leads-to-youtube-suspending-account/" target="_blank">Iowa</a> and <a href="https://www.tampabay.com/news/florida-politics/2021/04/09/youtube-removes-video-of-desantis-coronavirus-roundtable/#" target="_blank">Florida</a> streaming public or government meetings have also been flagged for spreading medical misinformation. In early March, <a href="https://www.axios.com/youtube-removed-30000-covid19-vaccine-videos-misinformation-a8968086-95a4-4d5e-86da-0e22ddbc1b6a.html" target="_blank">Axios</a> reported YouTube removed 30,000 videos for spreading medical misinformation in a six-month period.

But
 Paul said the application of the policy has been uneven at best, and is
 “ultimately not removing the content that’s most egregious and at the 
same time removing content that should remain on the platform.”

Now
 the Johnson County school board is looking for a way forward. At a 
mid-June meeting, some board members made the case for extracting public
 comment from the streamed meeting entirely. People could still show up 
and speak before the board, but it wouldn’t be uploaded to YouTube.

Board member Jamie Borgman argued public comment was how teachers made their voices heard during <a href="https://www.kcur.org/education/2020-03-02/how-a-protracted-fight-over-kansas-school-funding-fueled-shawnee-missions-teacher-contract-dispute" target="_blank">fraught union contract negotiations</a>, and how Shawnee Tribe Chief Ben Barnes spoke about the district’s <a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/05/21/999241565/kansas-city-school-district-retires-offensive-native-american-mascots" target="_blank">previous mascot</a>.

“We’re
 putting all of our eggs in this YouTube basket,” said Borgman. “We want
 to ditch public comment because we’re afraid our meetings are going to 
get pulled from YouTube, but I think we need to look bigger.”

She’s
 advocating that the district move to a third party platform to stream 
its meetings. But that would come with a price and could mean losing the
 space to archive 10 years of district videos, and leaving the 
ubiquitous social media channel.

At the June meeting, board 
members were split on whether to stay with YouTube or leave. They’ll 
likely broach the issue again twice before making a final decision.

“I
 do not want to see us let a small group of people with some medical 
misinformation deprive our entire community of seeing what kind of 
comments are coming before this board,” said board member Jessica 
Hembree. “That’s important.”

Abigail Censky is the political reporter for the Kansas News Service. You can follow her on Twitter<a href="https://twitter.com/AbigailCensky" target="_blank"> @AbigailCensky</a> or email her at abigailcensky@kcur.org.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/6/1624283197458.png" alt="The mid-May meeting of the Shawnee Mission school board was pulled off of the school district's YouTube channel for spreading medical misinformation. " />
 <figcaption>The mid-May meeting of the Shawnee Mission school board was pulled off of the school district's YouTube channel for spreading medical misinformation. </figcaption>
 </figure>By ABIGAIL CENSKY <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2021-06-18/what-happens-when-a-kansas-school-board-uses-youtube-for-meetings-and-someone-dishes-up-bad-science">Kansas News Service</a>OVERLAND PARK&nbsp;— At the mid-May Shawnee Mission School Board meeting, state Sen. Mike Thompson, a former Kansas City meteorologist, <a href="https://www.kansascity.com/news/local/education/article251554913.html" target="_blank">showed up</a> mask-less to protest the district’s mask policy.Thompson said masks exposed children to potential carcinogens.“Think
 of it this way,” said Thompson. “I’m about six feet tall. Saying that 
this mask is going to block the virus is like saying I can’t walk 
through a doorway 6,000 feet tall and 2,000 feet wide.”His claims about masks weren’t true.The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says wearing face masks <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/science/science-briefs/masking-science-sars-cov2.html" target="_blank">does</a> prevent the spread of COVID-19.YouTube
 — which the school board uses to stream its meetings — deemed 
statements from Thompson and other speakers so dangerous that the tech 
giant pulled the entire meeting off its platform for spreading medical 
misinformation.That leaves the district in a quandary. Does it 
strip out the public comment portion of its streamed meetings to avoid a
 YouTube ban? Or would that effectively censor any criticism of the 
school board. It’s tough because Shawnee Mission has grown dependent on 
YouTube.“It's accessible. It's easy to use. So, it's a great platform,” said Shawnee Mission spokesperson
 David Smith, “But we absolutely have to be concerned because we don’t 
want to lose the ability to use that platform.”In the age of 
COVID-19 and social media, streaming public meetings offers a convenient
 way to let residents track critical debates on decisions about their 
taxes, their children, their communities.At the same time, Big 
Tech is grappling with how to choke-out viral misinformation. But 
conversations at the meetings of city councils, school boards and other 
parts of local government can be riddled with conspiracies and 
half-truths without fact checkers to keep the record straight.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/6/1624283275388.png" alt="Shawnee Mission school district sign outside of the Center for Academic Excellence. Abigail Censky" />
 <figcaption>Shawnee Mission school district sign outside of the Center for Academic Excellence. Abigail Censky</figcaption>
 </figure>Shortly after last month’s meeting, a warning popped up on the 
Shawnee Mission School District’s webpage that more violations of 
YouTube’s policies aimed at fighting disinformation might take meetings 
offline.The district wouldn’t be able to upload, post, or live stream for one week. YouTube <a href="https://www.youtube.com/howyoutubeworks/policies/community-guidelines/#enforcing-policies" target="_blank">community guidelines </a>state after three strikes in a 90-day period, an account can be terminated.That
 could mean a lot of trouble for the district. It has 10 years of videos
 archived on the platform, and it uses benefits like live streaming and 
automatic closed captioning for free. The cost of moving to another 
platform would start at $20,000, Smith said.In a statement, 
YouTube spokesperson Elena Hernandez said, “We apply our policies 
equally, regardless of the speaker or setting of the video.”YouTube
 says that in some cases videos with medical misinformation are allowed 
to stay on the platform if they have an audio or visual disclaimer 
refuting the false claims or sharing CDC guidelines about the 
effectiveness of masks to prevent COVID-19. If an account holder 
disagrees with YouTube’s decision, they can appeal.Katie Paul, 
director of the industry watchdog Tech Transparency Project, said the 
misinformation policy is fine. But her group is critical more broadly of
 how Big Tech moderates content.“That is to rely on the cheapest 
option, which is (artificial intelligence),” said Paul. “But AI is not 
perfect, and it’s effective in some cases, but takes down incorrect 
content.”She argued that companies like YouTube need to rely less
 on their algorithms to sort out content, and spend more heavily on 
workers who can pick up on the subtleties that computer programs can’t 
catch.YouTube did not respond to questions about the role of artificial intelligence in flagging the Shawnee Mission video.Shawnee Mission isn’t alone. Accounts in <a href="https://www.southeastiowaunion.com/news/city-council-forum-leads-to-youtube-suspending-account/" target="_blank">Iowa</a> and <a href="https://www.tampabay.com/news/florida-politics/2021/04/09/youtube-removes-video-of-desantis-coronavirus-roundtable/#" target="_blank">Florida</a> streaming public or government meetings have also been flagged for spreading medical misinformation. In early March, <a href="https://www.axios.com/youtube-removed-30000-covid19-vaccine-videos-misinformation-a8968086-95a4-4d5e-86da-0e22ddbc1b6a.html" target="_blank">Axios</a> reported YouTube removed 30,000 videos for spreading medical misinformation in a six-month period.But
 Paul said the application of the policy has been uneven at best, and is
 “ultimately not removing the content that’s most egregious and at the 
same time removing content that should remain on the platform.”Now
 the Johnson County school board is looking for a way forward. At a 
mid-June meeting, some board members made the case for extracting public
 comment from the streamed meeting entirely. People could still show up 
and speak before the board, but it wouldn’t be uploaded to YouTube.Board member Jamie Borgman argued public comment was how teachers made their voices heard during <a href="https://www.kcur.org/education/2020-03-02/how-a-protracted-fight-over-kansas-school-funding-fueled-shawnee-missions-teacher-contract-dispute" target="_blank">fraught union contract negotiations</a>, and how Shawnee Tribe Chief Ben Barnes spoke about the district’s <a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/05/21/999241565/kansas-city-school-district-retires-offensive-native-american-mascots" target="_blank">previous mascot</a>.“We’re
 putting all of our eggs in this YouTube basket,” said Borgman. “We want
 to ditch public comment because we’re afraid our meetings are going to 
get pulled from YouTube, but I think we need to look bigger.”She’s
 advocating that the district move to a third party platform to stream 
its meetings. But that would come with a price and could mean losing the
 space to archive 10 years of district videos, and leaving the 
ubiquitous social media channel.At the June meeting, board 
members were split on whether to stay with YouTube or leave. They’ll 
likely broach the issue again twice before making a final decision.“I
 do not want to see us let a small group of people with some medical 
misinformation deprive our entire community of seeing what kind of 
comments are coming before this board,” said board member Jessica 
Hembree. “That’s important.”Abigail Censky is the political reporter for the Kansas News Service. You can follow her on Twitter<a href="https://twitter.com/AbigailCensky" target="_blank"> @AbigailCensky</a> or email her at abigailcensky@kcur.org.

Bad science, Big Tech at heart of Kan. school board meeting drama

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A female Lincoln firefighter who is suing the department is asking for an independent investigation into a fire captain that she claims abandoned her team in a burning building. 

Amanda Benson filed a lawsuit in 2018 alleging discrimination and retaliation in the department. 

Last week, she filed a motion asking a federal judge to order the city to begin disciplinary proceedings and an investigation into Capt. Shawn Mahler's conduct, and prohibit him from responding to fires. 

She alleges Mahler walked away from her crew during a warehouse fire on April 26, leaving them without communication amid heavy smoke. 

The city has not filed a response to the motion.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/6/1624297399212.png" alt="lincoln-fire-and-rescue.png" />
 <figcaption>lincoln-fire-and-rescue.png</figcaption>
 </figure>LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A female Lincoln firefighter who is suing the department is asking for an independent investigation into a fire captain that she claims abandoned her team in a burning building. Amanda Benson filed a lawsuit in 2018 alleging discrimination and retaliation in the department. Last week, she filed a motion asking a federal judge to order the city to begin disciplinary proceedings and an investigation into Capt. Shawn Mahler's conduct, and prohibit him from responding to fires. She alleges Mahler walked away from her crew during a warehouse fire on April 26, leaving them without communication amid heavy smoke. The city has not filed a response to the motion.