WOODSON COUNTY —One person died in an accident just before 3p.m. Monday in Woodson County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2017 Ford F150 driven by David W.&nbsp;Harrier, 73, Meriden was northbound on U.S. 75 at 130th Road.

The driver attempted to pass an SUV pulling a travel trailer that was following a 1993 Toyota truck driven by Wayne A. Faulkner, 72, Yates Center.

The Ford struck the rear left corner of the Toyota as it was attempting a left turn onto 130 Road. The impact caused the Toyota to rotate counter-clockwise and roll into the west ditch.

Faulkner was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported to Campbell's Funeral Home. EMS transported a passenger in the Toyota Karen&nbsp;Faulkner, 63, Yates Center to Stormont Vail in Topeka. Harrier was not injured. All three were properly restrained, according to the KHP.

WOODSON COUNTY —One person died in an accident just before 3p.m. Monday in Woodson County.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2017 Ford F150 driven by David W.&nbsp;Harrier, 73, Meriden was northbound on U.S. 75 at 130th Road.The driver attempted to pass an SUV pulling a travel trailer that was following a 1993 Toyota truck driven by Wayne A. Faulkner, 72, Yates Center.The Ford struck the rear left corner of the Toyota as it was attempting a left turn onto 130 Road. The impact caused the Toyota to rotate counter-clockwise and roll into the west ditch.Faulkner was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported to Campbell's Funeral Home. EMS transported a passenger in the Toyota Karen&nbsp;Faulkner, 63, Yates Center to Stormont Vail in Topeka. Harrier was not injured. All three were properly restrained, according to the KHP.

Kan. man dead, woman injured after 2-vehicle rollover crash

JACKSON COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating two suspects on drug allegations.

On August 30, a Sheriff’s Deputy conducted a traffic stop on a 2004 Chevrolet Trailblazer for an alleged traffic infraction near 150th and Q. Road in rural Jackson County Kansas, according to Sheriff Tim Morse.

Deputies discovered illegal drug contraband during the traffic stop. The driver, Nikia Noelle Gasper, 33, of Topeka, was arrested on requested charges of possession of methamphetamine, driving under the influence, possession of a hallucinogenic drug, possession of drug paraphernalia and driving while suspended.

The passenger, Levell Leman Mullens, 29, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, was also arrested on requested charges of possession of methamphetamine and possession of drug paraphernalia.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/9/1693700890204.png" alt="Gasper-photo Jackson Co." />
 <figcaption>Gasper-photo Jackson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>JACKSON COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating two suspects on drug allegations.On August 30, a Sheriff’s Deputy conducted a traffic stop on a 2004 Chevrolet Trailblazer for an alleged traffic infraction near 150th and Q. Road in rural Jackson County Kansas, according to Sheriff Tim Morse.Deputies discovered illegal drug contraband during the traffic stop. The driver, Nikia Noelle Gasper, 33, of Topeka, was arrested on requested charges of possession of methamphetamine, driving under the influence, possession of a hallucinogenic drug, possession of drug paraphernalia and driving while suspended.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/9/1693700970254.png" alt="Mullens-photo Jackson Co." />
 <figcaption>Mullens-photo Jackson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>The passenger, Levell Leman Mullens, 29, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, was also arrested on requested charges of possession of methamphetamine and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Sheriff: Louisiana man caught transporting meth in Kansas

By ARIANA FIGUEROA&nbsp;&nbsp; <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/03/30/u-s-judge-rules-insurers-dont-have-to-cover-many-free-preventive-health-services/">States Newsroom</a>

WASHINGTON — Following the Supreme Court’s summer ruling against 40 million federal student loan borrowers who would have qualified for debt relief, the Biden administration crafted a year-long delay in repayments.

The policy, known as an on-ramp, is set to begin next month.

Additionally, hours after the Supreme Court’s decision, the Department of Education unveiled a new repayment plan for those with federal student loans, known as Saving on a Valuable Education, or SAVE.&nbsp; The new income-driven repayment plan calculates payments based on a borrower’s income and family size and forgives balances after a set number of years.

It’s estimated by the administration that more than 20 million borrowers will benefit. Borrowers can apply&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://studentaid.gov/announcements-events/save-plan">here.</a>&nbsp;A campaign is being launched to publicize the new program, by the Department of Education in collaboration with groups like the Student Debt Crisis Center, UnidosUS and the NAACP.

“This plan is a game changer for millions of Americans, many of whom are putting off having children, buying their first home, or even starting a business because they can’t get out from under their student loans,” said White House Domestic Policy Advisor Neera Tanden on a call with reporters on Monday. “Student loans will be manageable.”

Last year, the Biden administration rolled out a debt forgiveness plan for borrowers with federal student loans that would have been a one-time cancellation of up to $10,000. Borrowers who had received Pell Grants — federal aid to help low-income students pay for higher education — could qualify for an additional $10,000 in forgiveness.

<a target="_blank" href="https://newhampshirebulletin.com/2023/06/30/us-supreme-court-rules-against-biden-administration-student-loan-debt-relief-plan/">The conservative bloc of the Supreme Court on June 30&nbsp;</a>ruled that the Biden administration did not have the legal authority to enact that one-time student debt relief program. The case was filed by Republican attorneys general of Nebraska, Missouri, Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, and South Carolina, and they argued the Biden administration overstepped its reach.

Following that decision from the court, the Biden administration initiated rulemaking through the Higher Education Act to try again to enact debt relief, and finalized a rule for the new repayment plan known as SAVE.

Here are some questions and answers about the on-ramp policy and SAVE plan.

Federal student loan repayments are set to resume in October, but while borrowers have a year of leniency to begin repayments, interest will continue to accrue starting in September. The on-ramp program starts Oct. 1 and will extend until Sept. 30 of next year.

“Financially vulnerable borrowers who miss monthly payments during this period are not considered delinquent, reported to credit bureaus, placed in default, or referred to debt collection agencies,” according to a&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/06/30/fact-sheet-president-biden-announces-new-actions-to-provide-debt-relief-and-support-for-student-loan-borrowers/">fact sheet</a>&nbsp;released by the White House.

The Department of Education did not respond to questions from States Newsroom asking how the agency would prevent loan servicers from reporting borrowers to credit bureau or debt collectors.

How is the on-ramp policy different from the pause on federal student loan repayments?

The pause on federal student loan repayments was first put in place by the Trump administration in 2020 at the start of the coronavirus pandemic, and has been extended several times.

The pause meant those with federal student loans did not have to repay, and no interest accrued. With this new policy, interest will still accrue, but borrowers have a year before having to start paying back their loans.

What does a final rule for the SAVE plan mean?

<a target="_blank" href="https://www2.ed.gov/policy/highered/reg/hearulemaking/2021/idrfactsheetfinal.pdf">This is an income-driven repayment plan</a>&nbsp;that the Department of Education said will cut borrowers’ monthly payments in half. The&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/biden-harris-administration-launches-most-affordable-repayment-plan-ever-transforming-income-driven-repayment-cutting-undergraduate-payments-half-and-preventing-unpaid-interest-accumulation?utm_content=&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_name=&amp;utm_source=govdelivery&amp;utm_term=">official launch&nbsp;</a>of the application was Tuesday.

“This is a giant step forward in decreasing the burden of crushing debt that rests on so many borrowers’ shoulders,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a statement. “Low-income students, whose burdens will be cut in half, and most other students, who will never pay more than 5% of their income, will breathe a sigh of relief across every corner of America.

“While there will be those that will challenge this in court, the administration has carefully crossed the legal t’s and dotted the legal i’s. The fight to cancel student debt is far from over, but this is a massive step in the right direction. President Biden deserves accolades and support for this action.”

A borrower could save more than $1,000 per year on payments, compared to other income-driven repayment plans. And, depending on income levels, it will allow more than 1 million additional borrowers to make $0 monthly payments without their interest accruing, the Department of Education estimates.

Borrowers with undergraduate loans will pay 5% of their discretionary income, rather than the 10% required under previous income repayment plans. Borrowers with undergraduate and graduate loans will pay a weighted average between 5% and 10% of their incomes.

The White House said a borrower’s monthly payment will be based on their discretionary income, defined in the plan as the difference between their adjusted gross income and 225% of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services poverty guideline amount for the family size. Borrowers who earn a minimum wage of $15 an hour will not have to make a monthly payment.

According to the Department of Education, that means borrowers will not owe loan payments if they are a single person earning $32,800 or less or a family of four earning $67,500 or less, though the amounts are higher in Alaska and Hawaii.

The plan also forgives loan balances after as little as 10 years of payment, rather than 20 years under previous income repayment plans. The plan also does not charge borrowers with unpaid monthly interest, as long as those borrowers are making their monthly payments.

Who qualifies for the SAVE student loan repayment plan?&nbsp;

Most federal student loan borrowers are going to qualify for this plan. However, those with Direct PLUS loans to parents and certain other loans will not qualify for it; the list can be found&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://studentaid.gov/announcements-events/save-plan">here.</a>

Borrowers signed up for the current Revised Pay as You Earn (REPAYE) plan will automatically be enrolled in SAVE.

How is SAVE different from previous federal student loan repayment plans?

With this plan, if your calculated payment ends up to be less than the amount of interest that accrues every month, that remaining interest will be forgiven. The previous plan did not have that element, so borrowers were continuing to see their balances grow.

By ARIANA FIGUEROA&nbsp;&nbsp; <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/03/30/u-s-judge-rules-insurers-dont-have-to-cover-many-free-preventive-health-services/">States Newsroom</a>WASHINGTON — Following the Supreme Court’s summer ruling against 40 million federal student loan borrowers who would have qualified for debt relief, the Biden administration crafted a year-long delay in repayments.The policy, known as an on-ramp, is set to begin next month.Additionally, hours after the Supreme Court’s decision, the Department of Education unveiled a new repayment plan for those with federal student loans, known as Saving on a Valuable Education, or SAVE.&nbsp; The new income-driven repayment plan calculates payments based on a borrower’s income and family size and forgives balances after a set number of years.It’s estimated by the administration that more than 20 million borrowers will benefit. Borrowers can apply&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://studentaid.gov/announcements-events/save-plan">here.</a>&nbsp;A campaign is being launched to publicize the new program, by the Department of Education in collaboration with groups like the Student Debt Crisis Center, UnidosUS and the NAACP.“This plan is a game changer for millions of Americans, many of whom are putting off having children, buying their first home, or even starting a business because they can’t get out from under their student loans,” said White House Domestic Policy Advisor Neera Tanden on a call with reporters on Monday. “Student loans will be manageable.”Last year, the Biden administration rolled out a debt forgiveness plan for borrowers with federal student loans that would have been a one-time cancellation of up to $10,000. Borrowers who had received Pell Grants — federal aid to help low-income students pay for higher education — could qualify for an additional $10,000 in forgiveness.<a target="_blank" href="https://newhampshirebulletin.com/2023/06/30/us-supreme-court-rules-against-biden-administration-student-loan-debt-relief-plan/">The conservative bloc of the Supreme Court on June 30&nbsp;</a>ruled that the Biden administration did not have the legal authority to enact that one-time student debt relief program. The case was filed by Republican attorneys general of Nebraska, Missouri, Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, and South Carolina, and they argued the Biden administration overstepped its reach.Following that decision from the court, the Biden administration initiated rulemaking through the Higher Education Act to try again to enact debt relief, and finalized a rule for the new repayment plan known as SAVE.Here are some questions and answers about the on-ramp policy and SAVE plan.When does the on-ramp program start?Federal student loan repayments are set to resume in October, but while borrowers have a year of leniency to begin repayments, interest will continue to accrue starting in September. The on-ramp program starts Oct. 1 and will extend until Sept. 30 of next year.“Financially vulnerable borrowers who miss monthly payments during this period are not considered delinquent, reported to credit bureaus, placed in default, or referred to debt collection agencies,” according to a&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/06/30/fact-sheet-president-biden-announces-new-actions-to-provide-debt-relief-and-support-for-student-loan-borrowers/">fact sheet</a>&nbsp;released by the White House.The Department of Education did not respond to questions from States Newsroom asking how the agency would prevent loan servicers from reporting borrowers to credit bureau or debt collectors.How is the on-ramp policy different from the pause on federal student loan repayments?The pause on federal student loan repayments was first put in place by the Trump administration in 2020 at the start of the coronavirus pandemic, and has been extended several times.The pause meant those with federal student loans did not have to repay, and no interest accrued. With this new policy, interest will still accrue, but borrowers have a year before having to start paying back their loans.What does a final rule for the SAVE plan mean?<a target="_blank" href="https://www2.ed.gov/policy/highered/reg/hearulemaking/2021/idrfactsheetfinal.pdf">This is an income-driven repayment plan</a>&nbsp;that the Department of Education said will cut borrowers’ monthly payments in half. The&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/biden-harris-administration-launches-most-affordable-repayment-plan-ever-transforming-income-driven-repayment-cutting-undergraduate-payments-half-and-preventing-unpaid-interest-accumulation?utm_content=&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_name=&amp;utm_source=govdelivery&amp;utm_term=">official launch&nbsp;</a>of the application was Tuesday.“This is a giant step forward in decreasing the burden of crushing debt that rests on so many borrowers’ shoulders,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a statement. “Low-income students, whose burdens will be cut in half, and most other students, who will never pay more than 5% of their income, will breathe a sigh of relief across every corner of America.“While there will be those that will challenge this in court, the administration has carefully crossed the legal t’s and dotted the legal i’s. The fight to cancel student debt is far from over, but this is a massive step in the right direction. President Biden deserves accolades and support for this action.”A borrower could save more than $1,000 per year on payments, compared to other income-driven repayment plans. And, depending on income levels, it will allow more than 1 million additional borrowers to make $0 monthly payments without their interest accruing, the Department of Education estimates.How does the SAVE plan work?Borrowers with undergraduate loans will pay 5% of their discretionary income, rather than the 10% required under previous income repayment plans. Borrowers with undergraduate and graduate loans will pay a weighted average between 5% and 10% of their incomes.The White House said a borrower’s monthly payment will be based on their discretionary income, defined in the plan as the difference between their adjusted gross income and 225% of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services poverty guideline amount for the family size. Borrowers who earn a minimum wage of $15 an hour will not have to make a monthly payment.According to the Department of Education, that means borrowers will not owe loan payments if they are a single person earning $32,800 or less or a family of four earning $67,500 or less, though the amounts are higher in Alaska and Hawaii.The plan also forgives loan balances after as little as 10 years of payment, rather than 20 years under previous income repayment plans. The plan also does not charge borrowers with unpaid monthly interest, as long as those borrowers are making their monthly payments.Who qualifies for the SAVE student loan repayment plan?&nbsp;Most federal student loan borrowers are going to qualify for this plan. However, those with Direct PLUS loans to parents and certain other loans will not qualify for it; the list can be found&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://studentaid.gov/announcements-events/save-plan">here.</a>Borrowers signed up for the current Revised Pay as You Earn (REPAYE) plan will automatically be enrolled in SAVE.How is SAVE different from previous federal student loan repayment plans?With this plan, if your calculated payment ends up to be less than the amount of interest that accrues every month, that remaining interest will be forgiven. The previous plan did not have that element, so borrowers were continuing to see their balances grow.

Here’s what to know about new federal policies for repaying student loans

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/kevinhardy/">KEVIN HARDY</a>

<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/03/30/u-s-judge-rules-insurers-dont-have-to-cover-many-free-preventive-health-services/">States Newsroom</a>

More than a dozen states considered bills following the Eras Tour problems

There’s no question what motivated state Rep. Kelly Moller to push for changes in Minnesota law on concert ticket sales.

“Really, it was the Taylor Swift debacle for me,” she said.

A self-professed Swiftie, the Democrat found herself among millions of other Americans unable to buy tickets last year to Swift’s Eras Tour.

She preregistered for tickets, but never received a code to buy them. And on the day sales went live online, she sat by as friends with codes got bumped out of the ticket queue for no apparent reason.&nbsp;Then Ticketmaster’s website crashed.

The ordeal convinced her that the concert ticket industry warrants more government oversight.

“I do think a lot of that is better served at the federal level, but that said, there are things we can do at the state level,” she said.

<a target="_blank" href="https://www.house.mn.gov/members/profile/news/15511/36550">Moller introduced a bill this year</a>&nbsp;that would force ticket sellers to disclose the full cost of tickets, including fees, up front to buyers in her state. It also would ban speculative ticketing — a practice in which resale companies sell tickets they don’t yet own.

The bill stalled, but Moller expects it to be reconsidered next year. It is part of a wave of legislation considered in more than a dozen states this year following the unprecedented disaster in the run-up to Swift’s Eras Tour,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/08/17/business/taylor-swift-eras-tour-two-billion/index.html#:~:text=That%20comes%20to%20%242.2%20billion,at%20New%20York%20University%20Steinhardt.">which is on pace to be the highest-grossing tour in history</a>.

Swift and her legions of fans were&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-music-taylor-swift-af5d58d2a8c6def368ded1bd2ddd8a6f">outraged when Ticketmaster’s website crashed</a>&nbsp;last November as it faced unprecedented demand from fans, bots and ticket resellers ahead of her tour.&nbsp;Social media blew up over the fiasco, and news organizations published story after story. It sparked bipartisan legislative proposals in Congress, though no bill has become law yet.

That’s led state legislatures to step in: Lawmakers of both parties across the country introduced new bills this year to regulate concert and live event ticket purchasing.

It’s a rare bipartisan issue in statehouses. But lawmakers are learning how complicated — and controversial — the world of online ticketing is. In several states, legislators are caught in the middle between companies like Ticketmaster and secondary sellers such as StubHub.

“There are a lot of issues that beg for a national focus, a national solution. But because of the political dynamics in Washington, D.C., we haven’t gotten very many solutions. … So states believe they have to act,” said California state Sen. Bill Dodd, a Democrat.

Dodd sponsored&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240SB478">a bill</a>&nbsp;this year that would ban so-called junk fees on tickets — fees tacked onto the base price that lawmakers view as deceptive. The proposal targets other services, including hotel and resort fees, but Dodd said concerts were a major driver. President Joe Biden called out junk fees in his State of the Union address in February and has&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/06/15/president-biden-recognizes-actions-by-private-sector-ticketing-and-travel-companies-to-eliminate-hidden-junk-fees-and-provide-millions-of-customers-with-transparent-pricing/">publicly praised</a>&nbsp;companies that have committed to transparent pricing, such as Airbnb and Live Nation, Ticketmaster’s parent company.

Dodd said he isn’t hostile to ticket marketplaces such as Ticketmaster and StubHub. He uses those sites to buy tickets to concerts and basketball games. But, he said, consumers should know the full price up front. The White House estimates&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/blog/2022/10/26/the-presidents-initiative-on-junk-fees-and-related-pricing-practices/">junk fees cost Americans more than $65 billion per year.</a>

“It’s outrageous,” he said, “and I think Californians are sick and tired of dishonest fees being tacked onto just anything.”

Dodd’s bill, which was backed by California Democratic Attorney General Rob Bonta, passed the state Senate and is pending in the Assembly. It is one of several ticketing bills considered by Golden State lawmakers this session.

The state Senate unanimously passed a proposal from Republican state Sen. Scott Wilk that he said targets the “stranglehold” some companies have over sales. The bill would prohibit exclusivity clauses in contracts between a primary ticket seller such as Ticketmaster and an entertainment venue in California. Wilk said in his news release it would allow artists to work with other ticket sellers without the fear of retaliation from large ticket sellers — and ultimately reduce fees for consumers. It’s<a target="_blank" href="https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billStatusClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240SB829">&nbsp;in committee</a>&nbsp;in the Assembly.

Earlier this year, the Colorado legislature passed a bill that would have required sellers to fully disclose the total cost of event tickets, prohibited vendors from raising prices during the buying process and banned speculative ticketing.

But Democratic Gov. Jared Polis&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1y1saLSg0xKpn47feQXIcCKXAOOh6f04I/view">vetoed the act</a>&nbsp;in June, saying it could prevent competition and “risk upsetting the successful entertainment ecosystem in Colorado.”

Chris Castle, an entertainment lawyer who tracks ticket legislation across the country, said the Colorado veto illustrates the industry’s ability to sway public officials.

Polis referenced concerns he heard from the National Consumers League and the Consumer Federation of America. Both of those consumer advocacy groups have received funding from secondary ticket marketplaces such as StubHub, the music publication Pitchfork&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/consumer-groups-take-money-from-ticketing-industry/">reported</a>.

“It’d be easy enough to say, ‘Well, I heard from the stakeholders, and I thought these guys had the better argument.’ But he didn’t say that,” Castle said of Polis. “He starts talking about these groups. And sure enough, it turns out, they’re all on the take.”

Conor Cahill, the governor’s spokesperson,&nbsp;did not answer questions about the influence of ticket marketplaces on the veto, but said Polis will apply a “consumer-first lens” to future legislation on the issue.

The National Consumers League has no problem being associated with groups like StubHub, said John Breyault, the organization’s vice president of public policy, telecommunications and fraud. He said the group shares a common belief with resellers that the marketplace needs more competition, not less. But it still disagrees on some specific issues, he said.

“There are problems at every level of the industry including in the secondary market that we are trying to address through both our advocacy at the state level and our advocacy at the federal level,” Breyault said.

Bills in several states backed by StubHub aim to protect so-called transferability of tickets — that is, the customers’ right to pass on or resell tickets they purchase.

Six states — Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, New York, Utah and Virginia — currently&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.protectticketrights.com/the-issues">protect the right of fans to transfer or sell tickets</a>. Without that right, some advocates say Ticketmaster’s terms and conditions can ban transferring tickets or require that they be resold on their own platform.

StubHub makes no secret of its efforts to educate and persuade state lawmakers.

“The states are really where it’s at in a lot of ways,” said Laura Dooley, the company’s head of global government relations.&nbsp;“Our industry right now is almost exclusively regulated at the state level.”

This year, the company has tracked nearly 70 ticketing bills proposed across 25 states. Dooley said many state lawmakers introduce new regulations with good intentions, but don’t always understand the industry.

As an example, she pointed to state efforts to ban bots — software that can bypass security measures in online ticketing systems and buy tickets in bulk faster than humans.

Ticketmaster cited bots as a major cause of the Eras Tour fiasco. Bots are banned by federal law, though that regulation only has been enforced once since 2016,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2021/01/ftc-brings-first-ever-cases-under-bots-act">according to the Federal Trade Commission</a>. Dooley said StubHub isn’t opposed to state bot bans, but does push legislators to consider enforcement measures in crafting their bills. That’s because regulators need cooperation from the industry and access to ticketing software to monitor for bots, Dooley said.

Dooley contends some lawmakers’ proposed solutions don’t target root causes, including the unique way live event tickets are sold, generally through exclusive deals with one retail platform.

“When you have millions and millions of people wanting to buy a product and they’re being asked to buy that product at the same time on the same day through an exclusive retail provider — in this case Ticketmaster and in many cases Ticketmaster — that system is going to be overloaded, right? And it’s going to be a frustrating experience,” Dooley said.

Ticketmaster did not respond to multiple requests for comment for this story.

Brian Hess, executive director of the nonprofit fan advocacy organization&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.sportsfans.org/">Sports Fans Coalition</a>, pointed out thatlawmakers have a variety of interests to consider: the primary ticket markets like Ticketmaster, the artists, the consumer, and secondary markets like StubHub.

“Ticketing fights are far more contentious than anyone anticipates,” he said. “Each side of the market likes to blame the other side, and consumers are stuck in the middle.”

The Sports Fans Coalition is in part funded by secondary marketplaces like StubHub and lobbies on ticket legislation across the country.

Hess said federal regulators should not have allowed&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.cnbc.com/2023/01/25/the-live-nation-and-ticketmaster-monopoly-of-live-entertainment.html">the 2010 merger</a>&nbsp;of Live Nation, an event promoter and venue operator, with Ticketmaster, a ticket provider.

“They are the monopoly in the industry,” he said. “They were the ones that botched Taylor Swift’s tickets, and they’re the ones that continue to have ticket sale problems when they launch new shows.”

Texas Republican state Rep. Kronda Thimesch said she saw firsthand how bots can distort the marketplace and prevent customers from purchasing tickets.

That’s what she blamed for her own daughter’s unsuccessful attempts to buy Swift tickets last year.

“Fans then have to resort to paying hundreds, if not thousands, over face value to resellers in order to see their favorite artist,” she said.

That’s why she introduced a bill banning ticket-buying bots in Texas, which was signed into law by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott.

Thimesch noted that ticket issues aren’t just a problem for Swift fans — country star Zach Bryan named his December live album&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.tennessean.com/story/entertainment/music/2022/12/28/zach-bryan-drops-live-album-all-my-homies-hate-ticketmaster/69761475007/">“All My Homies Hate Ticketmaster.”</a>&nbsp;Thimesch said she is open to exploring more ticketing legislation when the Texas legislature reconvenes.

More than 1,500 miles away, Massachusetts Democratic state Sen. John Velis has a similar outlook. He’s interested in diving deep into the world of ticketing. But he’s starting off small.

“I think the art, if you will, of legislating is you kind of go little by little,” he said. “I think ticket pricing is a great and very logical place to start.”

Velis introduced a bill that would require upfront transparent ticket pricing and ban “dynamic pricing,” a practice in which sellers adjust prices based on demand. While he’s interested in eventually exploring ride shares or other services, his legislation is so far focused on concert and live event tickets, he said.

Before the Eras Tour mess, Velis said he got interested in the issue after hearing constituents and co-workers complain about exorbitant fees on live event tickets. Tickets advertised for $100 can sometimes end up costing double that once all the fees are tacked on, he said.

“I just thought to myself, ‘That is so incredibly wrong,’” he said. “If someone wants to spend their hard-earned money at $10,000 a ticket to go see Taylor Swift or Jay-Z or the Boston Celtics, giddy up. But I just want that consumer to know going into that initial transaction that they’re going to be spending $10,000.”

Velis said his bill should receive a hearing soon in the state Senate.

Jurisdictional bounds are likely to prove complicated, he acknowledged. After all, consumers often buy tickets for events in other states. But he said his bill is solely aimed at protecting consumers — a notion he says is hard to oppose.

“In my experience, this is without a doubt a bipartisan issue,” he said. “I’ve experienced nobody raising a concern from a partisan politics standpoint.”

<a target="_blank" href="https://stateline.org/">Stateline</a>&nbsp;is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Stateline maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Scott S. Greenberger for questions:&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="mailto:info@stateline.org">info@stateline.org</a>. Follow Stateline on&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://facebook.com/statelinenewsroom">Facebook</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/stateline_news">Twitter</a>.

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 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/9/1693768918136.png" alt="-Taylor Swift performs during The Eras Tour at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City.&nbsp;The ticketing fiasco before the tour has prompted lawmakers across the country to consider new laws on live event ticketing " />
 <figcaption>-Taylor Swift performs during The Eras Tour at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City.&nbsp;The ticketing fiasco before the tour has prompted lawmakers across the country to consider new laws on live event ticketing </figcaption>
 </figure>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/kevinhardy/">KEVIN HARDY</a><a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/03/30/u-s-judge-rules-insurers-dont-have-to-cover-many-free-preventive-health-services/">States Newsroom</a><h2>More than a dozen states considered bills following the Eras Tour problems</h2>There’s no question what motivated state Rep. Kelly Moller to push for changes in Minnesota law on concert ticket sales.“Really, it was the Taylor Swift debacle for me,” she said.A self-professed Swiftie, the Democrat found herself among millions of other Americans unable to buy tickets last year to Swift’s Eras Tour.She preregistered for tickets, but never received a code to buy them. And on the day sales went live online, she sat by as friends with codes got bumped out of the ticket queue for no apparent reason.&nbsp;Then Ticketmaster’s website crashed.The ordeal convinced her that the concert ticket industry warrants more government oversight.“I do think a lot of that is better served at the federal level, but that said, there are things we can do at the state level,” she said.<a target="_blank" href="https://www.house.mn.gov/members/profile/news/15511/36550">Moller introduced a bill this year</a>&nbsp;that would force ticket sellers to disclose the full cost of tickets, including fees, up front to buyers in her state. It also would ban speculative ticketing — a practice in which resale companies sell tickets they don’t yet own.The bill stalled, but Moller expects it to be reconsidered next year. It is part of a wave of legislation considered in more than a dozen states this year following the unprecedented disaster in the run-up to Swift’s Eras Tour,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/08/17/business/taylor-swift-eras-tour-two-billion/index.html#:~:text=That%20comes%20to%20%242.2%20billion,at%20New%20York%20University%20Steinhardt.">which is on pace to be the highest-grossing tour in history</a>.Swift and her legions of fans were&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-music-taylor-swift-af5d58d2a8c6def368ded1bd2ddd8a6f">outraged when Ticketmaster’s website crashed</a>&nbsp;last November as it faced unprecedented demand from fans, bots and ticket resellers ahead of her tour.&nbsp;Social media blew up over the fiasco, and news organizations published story after story. It sparked bipartisan legislative proposals in Congress, though no bill has become law yet.That’s led state legislatures to step in: Lawmakers of both parties across the country introduced new bills this year to regulate concert and live event ticket purchasing.It’s a rare bipartisan issue in statehouses. But lawmakers are learning how complicated — and controversial — the world of online ticketing is. In several states, legislators are caught in the middle between companies like Ticketmaster and secondary sellers such as StubHub.“There are a lot of issues that beg for a national focus, a national solution. But because of the political dynamics in Washington, D.C., we haven’t gotten very many solutions. … So states believe they have to act,” said California state Sen. Bill Dodd, a Democrat.Dodd sponsored&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240SB478">a bill</a>&nbsp;this year that would ban so-called junk fees on tickets — fees tacked onto the base price that lawmakers view as deceptive. The proposal targets other services, including hotel and resort fees, but Dodd said concerts were a major driver. President Joe Biden called out junk fees in his State of the Union address in February and has&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/06/15/president-biden-recognizes-actions-by-private-sector-ticketing-and-travel-companies-to-eliminate-hidden-junk-fees-and-provide-millions-of-customers-with-transparent-pricing/">publicly praised</a>&nbsp;companies that have committed to transparent pricing, such as Airbnb and Live Nation, Ticketmaster’s parent company.Dodd said he isn’t hostile to ticket marketplaces such as Ticketmaster and StubHub. He uses those sites to buy tickets to concerts and basketball games. But, he said, consumers should know the full price up front. The White House estimates&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/blog/2022/10/26/the-presidents-initiative-on-junk-fees-and-related-pricing-practices/">junk fees cost Americans more than $65 billion per year.</a>“It’s outrageous,” he said, “and I think Californians are sick and tired of dishonest fees being tacked onto just anything.”Dodd’s bill, which was backed by California Democratic Attorney General Rob Bonta, passed the state Senate and is pending in the Assembly. It is one of several ticketing bills considered by Golden State lawmakers this session.The state Senate unanimously passed a proposal from Republican state Sen. Scott Wilk that he said targets the “stranglehold” some companies have over sales. The bill would prohibit exclusivity clauses in contracts between a primary ticket seller such as Ticketmaster and an entertainment venue in California. Wilk said in his news release it would allow artists to work with other ticket sellers without the fear of retaliation from large ticket sellers — and ultimately reduce fees for consumers. It’s<a target="_blank" href="https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billStatusClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240SB829">&nbsp;in committee</a>&nbsp;in the Assembly.<h2>‘The states are where it’s at’</h2>Earlier this year, the Colorado legislature passed a bill that would have required sellers to fully disclose the total cost of event tickets, prohibited vendors from raising prices during the buying process and banned speculative ticketing.But Democratic Gov. Jared Polis&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1y1saLSg0xKpn47feQXIcCKXAOOh6f04I/view">vetoed the act</a>&nbsp;in June, saying it could prevent competition and “risk upsetting the successful entertainment ecosystem in Colorado.”Chris Castle, an entertainment lawyer who tracks ticket legislation across the country, said the Colorado veto illustrates the industry’s ability to sway public officials.Polis referenced concerns he heard from the National Consumers League and the Consumer Federation of America. Both of those consumer advocacy groups have received funding from secondary ticket marketplaces such as StubHub, the music publication Pitchfork&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/consumer-groups-take-money-from-ticketing-industry/">reported</a>.“It’d be easy enough to say, ‘Well, I heard from the stakeholders, and I thought these guys had the better argument.’ But he didn’t say that,” Castle said of Polis. “He starts talking about these groups. And sure enough, it turns out, they’re all on the take.”Conor Cahill, the governor’s spokesperson,&nbsp;did not answer questions about the influence of ticket marketplaces on the veto, but said Polis will apply a “consumer-first lens” to future legislation on the issue.The National Consumers League has no problem being associated with groups like StubHub, said John Breyault, the organization’s vice president of public policy, telecommunications and fraud. He said the group shares a common belief with resellers that the marketplace needs more competition, not less. But it still disagrees on some specific issues, he said.“There are problems at every level of the industry including in the secondary market that we are trying to address through both our advocacy at the state level and our advocacy at the federal level,” Breyault said.Bills in several states backed by StubHub aim to protect so-called transferability of tickets — that is, the customers’ right to pass on or resell tickets they purchase.Six states — Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, New York, Utah and Virginia — currently&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.protectticketrights.com/the-issues">protect the right of fans to transfer or sell tickets</a>. Without that right, some advocates say Ticketmaster’s terms and conditions can ban transferring tickets or require that they be resold on their own platform.StubHub makes no secret of its efforts to educate and persuade state lawmakers.“The states are really where it’s at in a lot of ways,” said Laura Dooley, the company’s head of global government relations.&nbsp;“Our industry right now is almost exclusively regulated at the state level.”This year, the company has tracked nearly 70 ticketing bills proposed across 25 states. Dooley said many state lawmakers introduce new regulations with good intentions, but don’t always understand the industry.As an example, she pointed to state efforts to ban bots — software that can bypass security measures in online ticketing systems and buy tickets in bulk faster than humans.Ticketmaster cited bots as a major cause of the Eras Tour fiasco. Bots are banned by federal law, though that regulation only has been enforced once since 2016,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2021/01/ftc-brings-first-ever-cases-under-bots-act">according to the Federal Trade Commission</a>. Dooley said StubHub isn’t opposed to state bot bans, but does push legislators to consider enforcement measures in crafting their bills. That’s because regulators need cooperation from the industry and access to ticketing software to monitor for bots, Dooley said.Dooley contends some lawmakers’ proposed solutions don’t target root causes, including the unique way live event tickets are sold, generally through exclusive deals with one retail platform.“When you have millions and millions of people wanting to buy a product and they’re being asked to buy that product at the same time on the same day through an exclusive retail provider — in this case Ticketmaster and in many cases Ticketmaster — that system is going to be overloaded, right? And it’s going to be a frustrating experience,” Dooley said.Ticketmaster did not respond to multiple requests for comment for this story.Brian Hess, executive director of the nonprofit fan advocacy organization&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.sportsfans.org/">Sports Fans Coalition</a>, pointed out thatlawmakers have a variety of interests to consider: the primary ticket markets like Ticketmaster, the artists, the consumer, and secondary markets like StubHub.“Ticketing fights are far more contentious than anyone anticipates,” he said. “Each side of the market likes to blame the other side, and consumers are stuck in the middle.”The Sports Fans Coalition is in part funded by secondary marketplaces like StubHub and lobbies on ticket legislation across the country.Hess said federal regulators should not have allowed&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.cnbc.com/2023/01/25/the-live-nation-and-ticketmaster-monopoly-of-live-entertainment.html">the 2010 merger</a>&nbsp;of Live Nation, an event promoter and venue operator, with Ticketmaster, a ticket provider.“They are the monopoly in the industry,” he said. “They were the ones that botched Taylor Swift’s tickets, and they’re the ones that continue to have ticket sale problems when they launch new shows.”<h2>A bipartisan focus</h2>Texas Republican state Rep. Kronda Thimesch said she saw firsthand how bots can distort the marketplace and prevent customers from purchasing tickets.That’s what she blamed for her own daughter’s unsuccessful attempts to buy Swift tickets last year.“Fans then have to resort to paying hundreds, if not thousands, over face value to resellers in order to see their favorite artist,” she said.That’s why she introduced a bill banning ticket-buying bots in Texas, which was signed into law by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott.Thimesch noted that ticket issues aren’t just a problem for Swift fans — country star Zach Bryan named his December live album&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.tennessean.com/story/entertainment/music/2022/12/28/zach-bryan-drops-live-album-all-my-homies-hate-ticketmaster/69761475007/">“All My Homies Hate Ticketmaster.”</a>&nbsp;Thimesch said she is open to exploring more ticketing legislation when the Texas legislature reconvenes.More than 1,500 miles away, Massachusetts Democratic state Sen. John Velis has a similar outlook. He’s interested in diving deep into the world of ticketing. But he’s starting off small.“I think the art, if you will, of legislating is you kind of go little by little,” he said. “I think ticket pricing is a great and very logical place to start.”Velis introduced a bill that would require upfront transparent ticket pricing and ban “dynamic pricing,” a practice in which sellers adjust prices based on demand. While he’s interested in eventually exploring ride shares or other services, his legislation is so far focused on concert and live event tickets, he said.Before the Eras Tour mess, Velis said he got interested in the issue after hearing constituents and co-workers complain about exorbitant fees on live event tickets. Tickets advertised for $100 can sometimes end up costing double that once all the fees are tacked on, he said.“I just thought to myself, ‘That is so incredibly wrong,’” he said. “If someone wants to spend their hard-earned money at $10,000 a ticket to go see Taylor Swift or Jay-Z or the Boston Celtics, giddy up. But I just want that consumer to know going into that initial transaction that they’re going to be spending $10,000.”Velis said his bill should receive a hearing soon in the state Senate.Jurisdictional bounds are likely to prove complicated, he acknowledged. After all, consumers often buy tickets for events in other states. But he said his bill is solely aimed at protecting consumers — a notion he says is hard to oppose.“In my experience, this is without a doubt a bipartisan issue,” he said. “I’ve experienced nobody raising a concern from a partisan politics standpoint.”<a target="_blank" href="https://stateline.org/">Stateline</a>&nbsp;is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Stateline maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Scott S. Greenberger for questions:&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="mailto:info@stateline.org">info@stateline.org</a>. Follow Stateline on&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://facebook.com/statelinenewsroom">Facebook</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/stateline_news">Twitter</a>.

Seeing ‘Red’ after Taylor Swift debacle, states weigh concert ticket rules

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/author/madysonfitzgerald/">MADYSON FITZGERALD</a>

Select U.S. restaurants have begun serving laboratory-grown chicken, spurring long wait times for reservations by diners curious to taste it.

In June, the U.S. Department of Agriculture gave final approval for a few California-based companies to begin selling lab-produced chicken across the country.

While it may be years before lab-grown meat is available at grocery stores, several states are tightening rules on labeling the new food, which is produced by growing cells&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://sentientmedia.org/lab-grown-meat/">acquired</a>&nbsp;from living animals into muscle tissue.

Consumers interested in sustainable foods that avoid the slaughter of animals are driving the growing industry. But, pushed by the cattle and poultry industries, more states are defining what can be sold to consumers as “meat” and are requiring prominent labels on products cultured in labs.

Under a USDA agreement,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/upside-foods-granted-usda-label-approval-for-cultivated-meat-and-moves-one-step-closer-to-commercialization-301851062.html">UPSIDE Foods</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.goodmeat.co/all-news/good-meat-receives-first-ever-usda-label-approval-for-cultivated-meat">GOOD Meat</a>, as well as the latter’s manufacturing partner JOINN Biologics, will sell their products with the label “cell-cultivated chicken,” while the department develops further labeling rules.

Some states are imposing their own additional requirements.

Texas passed the most recent&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/88R/billtext/pdf/SB00664F.pdf#navpanes=0">bill</a>, signed into law by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott in May. Starting Sept. 1, cultivated products in Texas must include the term “cell-cultured,” “lab-grown” or similar wording on packaging near the name of the product, in type at least the same size as the text around it.

The Texas Farm Bureau, an advocacy group of farmers and ranchers, had listed the bill as one of its legislative&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://texasfarmbureau.org/advocacy/priority-issues/">priorities</a>&nbsp;this year.

In 2018, Missouri became&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://agriculture.mo.gov/animals/meat.php">the first state</a>&nbsp;to pass&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=265.494&amp;bid=35134&amp;hl=">legislation</a>&nbsp;requiring different labeling for traditional meat versus products not derived from livestock or poultry.

Such products marketed in Missouri as meat without the words “plant-based,” “veggie,” “lab-grown,” “lab-created” or a similar phrase before or after the product’s name may be referred to a county prosecutor and the attorney general for potential violations, according to a&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://agriculture.mo.gov/animals/pdf/missouri-meat-advertising-guidance.pdf">memorandum</a>&nbsp;from the state. The products also must state that they are “made from plants,” “grown in a lab” or a comparable disclosure.

Arkansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Montana, North Dakota, South Carolina, South Dakota and Wyoming enacted similar legislation the following year.

In 2020, Oklahoma enacted a law giving state officials the authority to enforce meat labeling practices.

This year, Iowa considered a bill to prohibit lab-grown proteins in public schools, but it didn’t pass. A Michigan labeling measure remains in committee.

Kentucky’s 2019&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/recorddocuments/bill/19RS/hb311/bill.pdf">law</a>&nbsp;deems a food misbranded if it is labeled as meat but contains cultured animal tissue.

The cattle industry in Kentucky is extremely important to the economy, said state Rep. Michael Meredith, a Republican who sponsored the measure. People are interested in knowing about the origin and makeup of their food now more than ever before, he said, and legislators wanted to ensure labels are clear.

“I think the public is very skeptical of the product,” Meredith said. “I have talked with people — and I come from a fairly rural area — and folks are just appalled, and it’s not even funny.”

He added, “I think it’s going be really, really hard to push something like this in rural America as a market.”

But the cell-cultured meat industry has made significant strides in recent years. As of 2022, the global number of cultivated meat companies rose to 156, with headquarters in 26 countries, according to the Good Food Institute’s State of the Industry&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://gfi.org/resource/cultivated-meat-eggs-and-dairy-state-of-the-industry-report/">report</a>. The nonprofit, which advocates in favor of protein alternatives and prefers the term “cultivated” meat, found that all-time investments in the industry had reached $2.8 billion globally last year.

The institute argues that U.S. state legislatures are taking steps to undermine the market through “label censorship,” which it calls&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://gfi.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/GFI_fact-sheet_Label-Censorship-Overview_2022.pdf">unconstitutional and unnecessary</a>.

“It’s always been our position that state label censorship through legislative efforts were kind of a ‘solution in search of a problem,’” said Laura Braden, associate director of regulatory affairs and an attorney at the Good Food Institute. “Consumer choice rather than label censorship should determine winners and losers in the marketplace.”

Still, legislators in states such as Wyoming, where the law requires labels on lab-grown meat to include “containing cell cultured product” or similar wording, say they want labels clearly understood by the public.

“It never hurts to have our Department of Agriculture doing this work alongside the USDA,” Wyoming Republican state Sen. Brian Boner said. “We’re just going to have a more robust system where folks will know exactly what they’re purchasing when it comes to meat products.”

The Missouri law prompted a lawsuit arguing the state made “a brazen attempt to stifle the growing grocery category of plant-based meats,” according to a&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.aclu-mo.org/en/news/lawsuit-raises-stakes-food-fight-over-term-meat">statement</a>&nbsp;from the ACLU of Missouri, which is part of the lawsuit. Including the Animal Legal Defense Fund, the Good Food Institute and Tofurky, a plant-based protein company, a coalition of organizations challenged the law for violating the First Amendment.

“I don’t think this was about consumer confusion,” said Amanda Howell, a managing attorney at Animal Legal Defense Fund. “I don’t think this is about ensuring clear and non-misleading labels. I think this was about taking First Amendment rights away from companies and making them call themselves things that you know would be unintelligible to consumers. And if a consumer can’t tell what a product is, they’re not going to buy it.”

Howell said states are acting now because they sense the growing market possibilities.

“These are very animal agriculture-heavy states, their GDP relies on those animal producers, and they feel beholden to their constituents to pass these laws designed to attack plant and cell-cultured meats.”

Mike Badger, executive director of the American Pastured Poultry Producers Association, said poultry producers have long been expecting the approval of cell-cultivated chicken.

The association represents independent farms that market directly to consumers, unlike poultry giants like Tyson Foods, which has been&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.tysonfoods.com/news/news-releases/2018/1/tyson-foods-invests-cultured-meat-stake-memphis-meats">investing</a>&nbsp;in lab-grown meat companies for a few years. While the traditional poultry farm community isn’t overly concerned about the possibility of competition, Badger said, there are still ethical concerns for consumers choosing cell-cultivated chicken.

“I think the really big question here is this: What’s driving the demand to create this new lab-grown protein?” Badger asked. “Is it only the fact that people think it’s more ethical than having a living chicken that dies for your table? And if that’s the case, how are the ethics of all the other stuff coming into it?”

Backers of cultivated meat argue it is better for the environment. Traditional meat is one of the top contributors to the average U.S. household’s carbon footprint, according to the latest&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg3/downloads/report/IPCC_AR6_WGIII_Chapter02.pdf">report</a>&nbsp;from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. In 2019, a sizable portion of the Earth’s greenhouse gas emissions came from the global agriculture industry.

A 2021&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8367411/">article</a>&nbsp;by university researchers in India published in the Journal of Animal Science and Technology suggests lab-grown meat could fulfill the increasing demand for meat using fewer natural resources.

But Badger cited an April&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.04.21.537778v1.full">preprint</a>&nbsp;by researchers at the University of California, Davis that found lab-grown meat’s environmental impact could be higher than retail beef based on current production methods.

“It’s very early in the whole process,” Badger said, “and there’s a lot of questions to be sorted out.”

This article first appeared in&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://stateline.org/2023/08/31/was-that-chicken-cutlet-grown-in-a-lab-these-states-want-you-to-know/">Stateline</a>,&nbsp;a sister&nbsp;site of the Nebraska Examiner in the States Newsroom network.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/6/1687363360861.png" alt="A prepared dish of Good Meat's cultivated chicken is shown at the Eat Just office in Alameda, Calif., Wednesday, June 14, 2023. The Agriculture Department issued final approvals Wednesday, June 21 to California firms Upside Foods and Good Meat to sell the products, known as “lab grown” or “cultivated” meat. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)" />
 <figcaption>A prepared dish of Good Meat's cultivated chicken is shown at the Eat Just office in Alameda, Calif., Wednesday, June 14, 2023. The Agriculture Department issued final approvals Wednesday, June 21 to California firms Upside Foods and Good Meat to sell the products, known as “lab grown” or “cultivated” meat. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)</figcaption>
 </figure>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/author/madysonfitzgerald/">MADYSON FITZGERALD</a>Select U.S. restaurants have begun serving laboratory-grown chicken, spurring long wait times for reservations by diners curious to taste it.In June, the U.S. Department of Agriculture gave final approval for a few California-based companies to begin selling lab-produced chicken across the country.While it may be years before lab-grown meat is available at grocery stores, several states are tightening rules on labeling the new food, which is produced by growing cells&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://sentientmedia.org/lab-grown-meat/">acquired</a>&nbsp;from living animals into muscle tissue.Consumers interested in sustainable foods that avoid the slaughter of animals are driving the growing industry. But, pushed by the cattle and poultry industries, more states are defining what can be sold to consumers as “meat” and are requiring prominent labels on products cultured in labs.Under a USDA agreement,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/upside-foods-granted-usda-label-approval-for-cultivated-meat-and-moves-one-step-closer-to-commercialization-301851062.html">UPSIDE Foods</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.goodmeat.co/all-news/good-meat-receives-first-ever-usda-label-approval-for-cultivated-meat">GOOD Meat</a>, as well as the latter’s manufacturing partner JOINN Biologics, will sell their products with the label “cell-cultivated chicken,” while the department develops further labeling rules.<h2>State-level requirements</h2>Some states are imposing their own additional requirements.Texas passed the most recent&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/88R/billtext/pdf/SB00664F.pdf#navpanes=0">bill</a>, signed into law by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott in May. Starting Sept. 1, cultivated products in Texas must include the term “cell-cultured,” “lab-grown” or similar wording on packaging near the name of the product, in type at least the same size as the text around it.The Texas Farm Bureau, an advocacy group of farmers and ranchers, had listed the bill as one of its legislative&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://texasfarmbureau.org/advocacy/priority-issues/">priorities</a>&nbsp;this year.In 2018, Missouri became&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://agriculture.mo.gov/animals/meat.php">the first state</a>&nbsp;to pass&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=265.494&amp;bid=35134&amp;hl=">legislation</a>&nbsp;requiring different labeling for traditional meat versus products not derived from livestock or poultry.Such products marketed in Missouri as meat without the words “plant-based,” “veggie,” “lab-grown,” “lab-created” or a similar phrase before or after the product’s name may be referred to a county prosecutor and the attorney general for potential violations, according to a&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://agriculture.mo.gov/animals/pdf/missouri-meat-advertising-guidance.pdf">memorandum</a>&nbsp;from the state. The products also must state that they are “made from plants,” “grown in a lab” or a comparable disclosure.Arkansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Montana, North Dakota, South Carolina, South Dakota and Wyoming enacted similar legislation the following year.In 2020, Oklahoma enacted a law giving state officials the authority to enforce meat labeling practices.<h2>‘Public is very skeptical’</h2>This year, Iowa considered a bill to prohibit lab-grown proteins in public schools, but it didn’t pass. A Michigan labeling measure remains in committee.Kentucky’s 2019&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/recorddocuments/bill/19RS/hb311/bill.pdf">law</a>&nbsp;deems a food misbranded if it is labeled as meat but contains cultured animal tissue.The cattle industry in Kentucky is extremely important to the economy, said state Rep. Michael Meredith, a Republican who sponsored the measure. People are interested in knowing about the origin and makeup of their food now more than ever before, he said, and legislators wanted to ensure labels are clear.“I think the public is very skeptical of the product,” Meredith said. “I have talked with people — and I come from a fairly rural area — and folks are just appalled, and it’s not even funny.”He added, “I think it’s going be really, really hard to push something like this in rural America as a market.”But the cell-cultured meat industry has made significant strides in recent years. As of 2022, the global number of cultivated meat companies rose to 156, with headquarters in 26 countries, according to the Good Food Institute’s State of the Industry&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://gfi.org/resource/cultivated-meat-eggs-and-dairy-state-of-the-industry-report/">report</a>. The nonprofit, which advocates in favor of protein alternatives and prefers the term “cultivated” meat, found that all-time investments in the industry had reached $2.8 billion globally last year.The institute argues that U.S. state legislatures are taking steps to undermine the market through “label censorship,” which it calls&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://gfi.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/GFI_fact-sheet_Label-Censorship-Overview_2022.pdf">unconstitutional and unnecessary</a>.“It’s always been our position that state label censorship through legislative efforts were kind of a ‘solution in search of a problem,’” said Laura Braden, associate director of regulatory affairs and an attorney at the Good Food Institute. “Consumer choice rather than label censorship should determine winners and losers in the marketplace.”<h2>‘Brazen attempt to stifle’&nbsp;</h2>Still, legislators in states such as Wyoming, where the law requires labels on lab-grown meat to include “containing cell cultured product” or similar wording, say they want labels clearly understood by the public.“It never hurts to have our Department of Agriculture doing this work alongside the USDA,” Wyoming Republican state Sen. Brian Boner said. “We’re just going to have a more robust system where folks will know exactly what they’re purchasing when it comes to meat products.”But such measures have met resistance.The Missouri law prompted a lawsuit arguing the state made “a brazen attempt to stifle the growing grocery category of plant-based meats,” according to a&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.aclu-mo.org/en/news/lawsuit-raises-stakes-food-fight-over-term-meat">statement</a>&nbsp;from the ACLU of Missouri, which is part of the lawsuit. Including the Animal Legal Defense Fund, the Good Food Institute and Tofurky, a plant-based protein company, a coalition of organizations challenged the law for violating the First Amendment.“I don’t think this was about consumer confusion,” said Amanda Howell, a managing attorney at Animal Legal Defense Fund. “I don’t think this is about ensuring clear and non-misleading labels. I think this was about taking First Amendment rights away from companies and making them call themselves things that you know would be unintelligible to consumers. And if a consumer can’t tell what a product is, they’re not going to buy it.”Howell said states are acting now because they sense the growing market possibilities.“These are very animal agriculture-heavy states, their GDP relies on those animal producers, and they feel beholden to their constituents to pass these laws designed to attack plant and cell-cultured meats.”<h2>Environmental arguments</h2>Mike Badger, executive director of the American Pastured Poultry Producers Association, said poultry producers have long been expecting the approval of cell-cultivated chicken.The association represents independent farms that market directly to consumers, unlike poultry giants like Tyson Foods, which has been&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.tysonfoods.com/news/news-releases/2018/1/tyson-foods-invests-cultured-meat-stake-memphis-meats">investing</a>&nbsp;in lab-grown meat companies for a few years. While the traditional poultry farm community isn’t overly concerned about the possibility of competition, Badger said, there are still ethical concerns for consumers choosing cell-cultivated chicken.“I think the really big question here is this: What’s driving the demand to create this new lab-grown protein?” Badger asked. “Is it only the fact that people think it’s more ethical than having a living chicken that dies for your table? And if that’s the case, how are the ethics of all the other stuff coming into it?”Backers of cultivated meat argue it is better for the environment. Traditional meat is one of the top contributors to the average U.S. household’s carbon footprint, according to the latest&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg3/downloads/report/IPCC_AR6_WGIII_Chapter02.pdf">report</a>&nbsp;from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. In 2019, a sizable portion of the Earth’s greenhouse gas emissions came from the global agriculture industry.A 2021&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8367411/">article</a>&nbsp;by university researchers in India published in the Journal of Animal Science and Technology suggests lab-grown meat could fulfill the increasing demand for meat using fewer natural resources.But Badger cited an April&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.04.21.537778v1.full">preprint</a>&nbsp;by researchers at the University of California, Davis that found lab-grown meat’s environmental impact could be higher than retail beef based on current production methods.“It’s very early in the whole process,” Badger said, “and there’s a lot of questions to be sorted out.”This article first appeared in&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://stateline.org/2023/08/31/was-that-chicken-cutlet-grown-in-a-lab-these-states-want-you-to-know/">Stateline</a>,&nbsp;a sister&nbsp;site of the Nebraska Examiner in the States Newsroom network.

Was that chicken cutlet grown in a lab? These states want you to know.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Steve Harwell, the longtime frontman of the Grammy-nominated&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/28dcd9f7453f48388318514f52c6281a" target="_blank">pop rock band Smash Mouth</a>&nbsp;has died. He was 56.

The band’s manager, Robert Hayes, said Harwell “passed peacefully and comfortably” Monday morning surrounded by family and friends at his home in Boise, Idaho. The cause of death was acute liver failure, Hayes said in a statement.

Smash Mouth was known for hits including “All star” and “Then the morning comes.”

"Steve Harwell was a true American Original. A larger than life character who shot up into the sky like a Roman candle,” Hayes said. “Steve should be remembered for his unwavering focus and impassioned determination to reach the heights of pop stardom.”

Born in California in 1967, Harwell performed in a rap group called F.O.S. (Freedom of Speech) before forming Smash Mouth in 1994. The band released&nbsp;<a href="https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/?tab_active=default-award&amp;se=smash+mouth#search_section" target="_blank">two platinum albums</a>&nbsp;on Interscope Records, the ska-fueled 1997’s “Fush Yu Mang” and 1999’s “Astro Lounge.” The second album featured some of the band’s biggest hits, including the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.grammy.com/artists/smash-mouth/15922" target="_blank">Grammy-nominated</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/?tab_active=default-award&amp;se=smash+mouth#search_section" target="_blank">platinum single “All Star,”</a>&nbsp;which appeared in the movie “Shrek” alongside their cover of the Monkees’ “I’m a Believer.”

Humor was a driving force behind Smash Mouth’s success, and at the forefront was Harwell’s playful alt-rock voice and persona. He made a cameo in 2001 comedy film “Rat Race,” and had a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.eater.com/2019/4/1/18290400/guy-fieri-smash-mouth" target="_blank">well-documented friendship</a>&nbsp;with the Food Network chef and host Guy Fieri.

“His only tools were his irrepressible charm and charisma, his fearlessly reckless ambition, and his king-size cajones,” Hayes said. “Steve lived a 100% full-throttle life. Burning brightly across the universe before burning out.”

“He will be greatly missed by those who knew and loved him,” he said.

Harwell left Smash Mouth in 2021 and the band continued to tour with Zach Goode as the singer. The band&nbsp;<a href="https://www.billboard.com/music/rock/smash-mouth-singer-steve-harwell-retires-health-issues-9644066/" target="_blank">released a statement</a>&nbsp;at the time saying Harwell had been diagnosed with cardiomyopathy eight years earlier and had suffered “nonstop serious medical setbacks including heart failure as well as acute Wernicke Encephalopathy.”

Hayes had released a statement on Sunday saying Harwell was in hospice care.

Harwell will be cremated in Boise and buried in San Jose, California, alongside his mother, Hayes said.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Steve Harwell, the longtime frontman of the Grammy-nominated&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/28dcd9f7453f48388318514f52c6281a" target="_blank">pop rock band Smash Mouth</a>&nbsp;has died. He was 56.The band’s manager, Robert Hayes, said Harwell “passed peacefully and comfortably” Monday morning surrounded by family and friends at his home in Boise, Idaho. The cause of death was acute liver failure, Hayes said in a statement.Smash Mouth was known for hits including “All star” and “Then the morning comes.”"Steve Harwell was a true American Original. A larger than life character who shot up into the sky like a Roman candle,” Hayes said. “Steve should be remembered for his unwavering focus and impassioned determination to reach the heights of pop stardom.”Born in California in 1967, Harwell performed in a rap group called F.O.S. (Freedom of Speech) before forming Smash Mouth in 1994. The band released&nbsp;<a href="https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/?tab_active=default-award&amp;se=smash+mouth#search_section" target="_blank">two platinum albums</a>&nbsp;on Interscope Records, the ska-fueled 1997’s “Fush Yu Mang” and 1999’s “Astro Lounge.” The second album featured some of the band’s biggest hits, including the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.grammy.com/artists/smash-mouth/15922" target="_blank">Grammy-nominated</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/?tab_active=default-award&amp;se=smash+mouth#search_section" target="_blank">platinum single “All Star,”</a>&nbsp;which appeared in the movie “Shrek” alongside their cover of the Monkees’ “I’m a Believer.”Humor was a driving force behind Smash Mouth’s success, and at the forefront was Harwell’s playful alt-rock voice and persona. He made a cameo in 2001 comedy film “Rat Race,” and had a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.eater.com/2019/4/1/18290400/guy-fieri-smash-mouth" target="_blank">well-documented friendship</a>&nbsp;with the Food Network chef and host Guy Fieri.“His only tools were his irrepressible charm and charisma, his fearlessly reckless ambition, and his king-size cajones,” Hayes said. “Steve lived a 100% full-throttle life. Burning brightly across the universe before burning out.”“He will be greatly missed by those who knew and loved him,” he said.Harwell left Smash Mouth in 2021 and the band continued to tour with Zach Goode as the singer. The band&nbsp;<a href="https://www.billboard.com/music/rock/smash-mouth-singer-steve-harwell-retires-health-issues-9644066/" target="_blank">released a statement</a>&nbsp;at the time saying Harwell had been diagnosed with cardiomyopathy eight years earlier and had suffered “nonstop serious medical setbacks including heart failure as well as acute Wernicke Encephalopathy.”Hayes had released a statement on Sunday saying Harwell was in hospice care.Harwell will be cremated in Boise and buried in San Jose, California, alongside his mother, Hayes said.

Smash Mouth frontman Steve Harwell dies at 56

SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating an inmate death at the Sedgwick County Detention Facility.

&nbsp;Just before 6a.m. Sunday, jail staff found the 35-year=old inmate unresponsive in his cell, according to Sheriff's Lt. Nathan Gibbs.

Onsite staff provided immediate medical attention and responding EMS&nbsp; transported the inmate to St. Francis Hospital via EMS, where he was pronounced dead shortly after 6:45 a.m.&nbsp; The preliminary cause of death is unknown pending an autopsy.

The Kansas Bureau of Investigation and the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Investigation Division were notified.&nbsp; The inmate’s family has been notified of his death and his identity is being withheld at their request.&nbsp; 

The inmate was being held in the Sedgwick County Detention Facility on felony charges and had been in custody since January, according to Gibbs.

The Sedgwick County Detention Facility has booked over 14,000 people so far this year.&nbsp; This is the third in-custody death for 2023.

SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating an inmate death at the Sedgwick County Detention Facility.&nbsp;Just before 6a.m. Sunday, jail staff found the 35-year=old inmate unresponsive in his cell, according to Sheriff's Lt. Nathan Gibbs.Onsite staff provided immediate medical attention and responding EMS&nbsp; transported the inmate to St. Francis Hospital via EMS, where he was pronounced dead shortly after 6:45 a.m.&nbsp; The preliminary cause of death is unknown pending an autopsy.The Kansas Bureau of Investigation and the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Investigation Division were notified.&nbsp; The inmate’s family has been notified of his death and his identity is being withheld at their request.&nbsp; The inmate was being held in the Sedgwick County Detention Facility on felony charges and had been in custody since January, according to Gibbs.The Sedgwick County Detention Facility has booked over 14,000 people so far this year.&nbsp; This is the third in-custody death for 2023.

35-year-old inmate held on felony charges dies in Kan. county jail

KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a deadly weekend shooting in Kansas City.

Early Sunday, police responded to the area of 8th and Pennsylvania, according to Sheriff Darryl Forte'

First responders found an&nbsp;unresponsive man suffering from multiple gunshot wounds located in a park. EMS transported him to hospital where he succumbed to injuries.&nbsp;

Police released no additional details or suspect information.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/9/1693791510421.png" alt="Photo Sheriff&nbsp;Darryl Forte'" />
 <figcaption>Photo Sheriff&nbsp;Darryl Forte'</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a deadly weekend shooting in Kansas City.Early Sunday, police responded to the area of 8th and Pennsylvania, according to Sheriff Darryl Forte'First responders found an&nbsp;unresponsive man suffering from multiple gunshot wounds located in a park. EMS transported him to hospital where he succumbed to injuries.&nbsp;Police released no additional details or suspect information.

Homicide: Man found with multiple gunshot wounds in KC park

&nbsp;By&nbsp;<a href="http://www.defense.gov/News/Author/71410/david-vergun/">David Vergun</a>&nbsp;, U.S. Dept. of Defense&nbsp;&nbsp;

An artificial intelligence-powered airspace ​monitoring ​system is set ​to ​be installed to enhance protection of the nation's capital​ with the potential to scale across other Defense Department and U.S. government installations​​ and systems​.

The upgraded visual recognition​, ​identification ​and warning ​system delivers a tenfold increase in performance capability compared to the 9/11-era system it replaces, said Air Force Lt. Col. Kurtis Engelson, the materiel leader for Battle Control Systems, which oversees the ​National Capital Region-Integrated Air Defense System ​program​ that partnered with the Defense Innovation Unit to utilize its commercial ​​solutions opening solicitation process​ to rapidly prototype a solution and create a path for the Air Force to procure successful prototypes.

"It's a cutting-edge surveillance, identification and tracking system that monitors and defends the controlled airspace around Washington, D.C., part of the National Capital Region​-​Integrated Air Defense System," Engelson said.

After an 18-month prototype demonstration concluded in April, it was announced that Teleidoscope, a first-time, non-traditional Defense Department vendor, was awarded a $100 million ceiling production contract. Orders for the system are already in progress and fielding is to begin this year, Engelson said.&nbsp;

​​Initial prototype​​ and procurement funding​​ was provided by the U.S. Air Force, and additional ​​p​​rocurement ​funding was ​provided by the ​​Accelerate the Procurement and Fielding of Innovative Technologies&nbsp; program as part of its mission to ​accelerate the procurement and fielding of innovative technologies​ and help successful prototypes cross the proverbial "valley of death" for prototypes and move technology into production faster.​

The new system leverages "market advancements in machine learning and augmented reality features in surveillance cameras that assist air battle managers with their ability to identify flying objects within NCR airspace", Engelson said.

The production effort focuses on upgrading the cameras and eye-safe lasers used for tracking and visually warning aircraft in violation of the special flight rules within ​the​​​&nbsp;​​​​region. The updates significantly improve air defense operators' ability to positively identify aircraft and aim warning lasers at much further ranges, Engelson said. Laser Visual Warning System provides those involved with securing the air space over the national capital region, a rapid means of contacting pilots when radio attempts have failed.

The auto-tracking capabilities of the system are applicable to full-motion video feeds, irrespective of the domain, opening the door to augment remotely piloted aircraft video feed tracking capabilities. The software from this prototype has the potential to run on any edge device or cloud-provided, full-motion video feed. The technology has broad national defense applicability across the services for defense against asymmetric and near-peer threats like unmanned aerial systems and cruise missiles, ​Nick Ksiazek, the DIU program manager for the effort said​.

Heidi Shyu, undersecretary of defense for research and engineering, said success and speed in fielding this technology in such a condensed timeframe exemplifies the improvements her office is driving. "We are able to rapidly identify operational needs and materialize them into usable national defense solutions. This saves time and money, but more importantly, the decision advantage gained by technologies like this will save lives," she said.

The Washington, D.C., area is home to over 6 million people, key military bases, intelligence agencies, and federal, state and local governments.

The skies over the metro area are filled with commercial and military air traffic and an increasing number of privately owned drones.

Protecting this metro area from air threats by terrorists and adversaries is the National Capital Region-Integrated Air Defense System, a component of the North American Aerospace Defense Command​.​

Should an aerial threat materialize, an integrated air defense system is activated by DOD.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1693262242573.png" alt="A team from Teleidoscope demonstrates upgraded electro-optical/infrared cameras with enhanced capabilities to improve airspace awareness in California. The company was awarded a contract for an artificial intelligence-powered detection system to monitor the airspace around Washington, D.C.&nbsp;Photo&nbsp;Courtesy of Defense Innovation Unit" />
 <figcaption>A team from Teleidoscope demonstrates upgraded electro-optical/infrared cameras with enhanced capabilities to improve airspace awareness in California. The company was awarded a contract for an artificial intelligence-powered detection system to monitor the airspace around Washington, D.C.&nbsp;Photo&nbsp;Courtesy of Defense Innovation Unit</figcaption>
 </figure>&nbsp;By&nbsp;<a href="http://www.defense.gov/News/Author/71410/david-vergun/">David Vergun</a>&nbsp;, U.S. Dept. of Defense&nbsp;&nbsp;An artificial intelligence-powered airspace ​monitoring ​system is set ​to ​be installed to enhance protection of the nation's capital​ with the potential to scale across other Defense Department and U.S. government installations​​ and systems​.The upgraded visual recognition​, ​identification ​and warning ​system delivers a tenfold increase in performance capability compared to the 9/11-era system it replaces, said Air Force Lt. Col. Kurtis Engelson, the materiel leader for Battle Control Systems, which oversees the ​National Capital Region-Integrated Air Defense System ​program​ that partnered with the Defense Innovation Unit to utilize its commercial ​​solutions opening solicitation process​ to rapidly prototype a solution and create a path for the Air Force to procure successful prototypes."It's a cutting-edge surveillance, identification and tracking system that monitors and defends the controlled airspace around Washington, D.C., part of the National Capital Region​-​Integrated Air Defense System," Engelson said.After an 18-month prototype demonstration concluded in April, it was announced that Teleidoscope, a first-time, non-traditional Defense Department vendor, was awarded a $100 million ceiling production contract. Orders for the system are already in progress and fielding is to begin this year, Engelson said.&nbsp;​​Initial prototype​​ and procurement funding​​ was provided by the U.S. Air Force, and additional ​​p​​rocurement ​funding was ​provided by the ​​Accelerate the Procurement and Fielding of Innovative Technologies&nbsp; program as part of its mission to ​accelerate the procurement and fielding of innovative technologies​ and help successful prototypes cross the proverbial "valley of death" for prototypes and move technology into production faster.​The new system leverages "market advancements in machine learning and augmented reality features in surveillance cameras that assist air battle managers with their ability to identify flying objects within NCR airspace", Engelson said.The production effort focuses on upgrading the cameras and eye-safe lasers used for tracking and visually warning aircraft in violation of the special flight rules within ​the​​​&nbsp;​​​​region. The updates significantly improve air defense operators' ability to positively identify aircraft and aim warning lasers at much further ranges, Engelson said. Laser Visual Warning System provides those involved with securing the air space over the national capital region, a rapid means of contacting pilots when radio attempts have failed.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1693262354509.png" alt="An artificial intelligence-powered detection system will soon monitor the airspace around metropolitan Washington, D.C.&nbsp;Photo By:Air Force Senior Airman Perry Aston" />
 <figcaption>An artificial intelligence-powered detection system will soon monitor the airspace around metropolitan Washington, D.C.&nbsp;Photo By:Air Force Senior Airman Perry Aston</figcaption>
 </figure>The auto-tracking capabilities of the system are applicable to full-motion video feeds, irrespective of the domain, opening the door to augment remotely piloted aircraft video feed tracking capabilities. The software from this prototype has the potential to run on any edge device or cloud-provided, full-motion video feed. The technology has broad national defense applicability across the services for defense against asymmetric and near-peer threats like unmanned aerial systems and cruise missiles, ​Nick Ksiazek, the DIU program manager for the effort said​.Heidi Shyu, undersecretary of defense for research and engineering, said success and speed in fielding this technology in such a condensed timeframe exemplifies the improvements her office is driving. "We are able to rapidly identify operational needs and materialize them into usable national defense solutions. This saves time and money, but more importantly, the decision advantage gained by technologies like this will save lives," she said.The Washington, D.C., area is home to over 6 million people, key military bases, intelligence agencies, and federal, state and local governments.The skies over the metro area are filled with commercial and military air traffic and an increasing number of privately owned drones.Protecting this metro area from air threats by terrorists and adversaries is the National Capital Region-Integrated Air Defense System, a component of the North American Aerospace Defense Command​.​Should an aerial threat materialize, an integrated air defense system is activated by DOD.

AI-enabled detection system will monitor D.C. airspace

SEDGWICK COUNTY — A man identified on security cameras as involved in a fatal shooting is headed to prison.

A judged sentenced 25-year-old Malcolm Ganther to just over 10-year in prison months for second degree murder and aggravated battery in the shooting death of 17-year-old Marcus Sain, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.

On the afternoon of May 21, 2020 police responded to a shooting call at an apartment complex in the 1100 block of South Webb Road in Wichita, according to officer Charley Davidson.&nbsp;

Upon arrival, police located Sain in a parking lot with critical injuries.&nbsp; He was transported to an area hospital for medical treatment and died, according to Davidson.

Several minutes later, officers responded to an area hospital regarding an 18-year-old male walk-in shooting victim with a gunshot wound to his body.&nbsp; He was treated for a non-life-threatening injury and released.

The investigation revealed Ganther, c0-defendant Nathanial Saunders, Sain, and an 18-year-old boy had arranged to meet in the apartment complex parking lot regarding a drug transaction.

A suspect arrived at the apartment complex parking lot driving a newer-model white mustang, and Ganther arrived at the same time driving a grey Buick.&nbsp; Sain and the 18-year-old walked up and got into the Buick, occupied by Ganther.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

During the transaction inside the Buick, a disturbance ensued, and the suspect seated in the Mustang exited the car and fired multiple shots at Sain and the 18-year-old, striking them and causing their injuries.&nbsp; Ganther then fled in the Buick, and the second suspect fled in the Mustang.

Through the community’s help and the investigation, Ganther was identified and arrested at his home in the 300 block of North Edgemoor in Wichita. Investigators also located the Buick vehicle involved.&nbsp;

Saunders scheduled sentencing last week was continued to Sept. 15, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/5/1590157799937.png" alt="Ganther-photo Sedgwick Co." />
 <figcaption>Ganther-photo Sedgwick Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY — A man identified on security cameras as involved in a fatal shooting is headed to prison.A judged sentenced 25-year-old Malcolm Ganther to just over 10-year in prison months for second degree murder and aggravated battery in the shooting death of 17-year-old Marcus Sain, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.On the afternoon of May 21, 2020 police responded to a shooting call at an apartment complex in the 1100 block of South Webb Road in Wichita, according to officer Charley Davidson.&nbsp;Upon arrival, police located Sain in a parking lot with critical injuries.&nbsp; He was transported to an area hospital for medical treatment and died, according to Davidson.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1693341440789.png" alt="Ganther-as seen on security camera -Wichita PD" />
 <figcaption>Ganther-as seen on security camera -Wichita PD</figcaption>
 </figure>Several minutes later, officers responded to an area hospital regarding an 18-year-old male walk-in shooting victim with a gunshot wound to his body.&nbsp; He was treated for a non-life-threatening injury and released.The investigation revealed Ganther, c0-defendant Nathanial Saunders, Sain, and an 18-year-old boy had arranged to meet in the apartment complex parking lot regarding a drug transaction.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1693341117396.png" alt="Photo Wichita PD" />
 <figcaption>Photo Wichita PD</figcaption>
 </figure>A suspect arrived at the apartment complex parking lot driving a newer-model white mustang, and Ganther arrived at the same time driving a grey Buick.&nbsp; Sain and the 18-year-old walked up and got into the Buick, occupied by Ganther.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/8/1598393802179.png" alt="Saunders-photo Sedgwick Co." />
 <figcaption>Saunders-photo Sedgwick Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>During the transaction inside the Buick, a disturbance ensued, and the suspect seated in the Mustang exited the car and fired multiple shots at Sain and the 18-year-old, striking them and causing their injuries.&nbsp; Ganther then fled in the Buick, and the second suspect fled in the Mustang.Through the community’s help and the investigation, Ganther was identified and arrested at his home in the 300 block of North Edgemoor in Wichita. Investigators also located the Buick vehicle involved.&nbsp;Saunders scheduled sentencing last week was continued to Sept. 15, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.

Kan. man caught on camera sentenced for drug deal killing

KANSAS CITY&nbsp;(AP) — A death row inmate is suing Missouri Gov. Mike Parson over the governor's decision to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/death-penalty-murder-newspaper-dna-governor-innocence-5b068258172e1cd938498e9e8361f01b">dissolve a board of inquiry</a>&nbsp;that was convened to investigate the man's innocence claim.

The lawsuit on behalf of Marcellus Williams asks a state judge to invalidate Parson's June order that did away with the inquiry board. Parson also lifted a stay of execution. The next day, Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey asked the state Supreme Court to set an execution date, though no date has been set. Bailey also is named in the lawsuit filed last month.

Williams, 54, was convicted of first-degree murder in the 1998 death of Lisha Gayle during a robbery of her home in the St. Louis suburb of University City. Gayle worked at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch from 1981 to 1992 before leaving to do social work.

Williams was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2fea0cfd4d73446c8475ccae31b1ea67">hours away from execution in 2017</a>&nbsp;when then-Gov. Eric Greitens halted the process and ordered an investigation. His decision followed the release of new DNA testing unavailable at the time of the killing. It showed that DNA found on the knife used to stab Gayle matched an unknown person, not Williams, attorneys for Williams said.

The former St. Louis County prosecutor said there was ample other evidence pointing to Williams as the killer.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/6/1688086205294.png" alt="Williams-photo MODOC" />
 <figcaption>Williams-photo MODOC</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY&nbsp;(AP) — A death row inmate is suing Missouri Gov. Mike Parson over the governor's decision to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/death-penalty-murder-newspaper-dna-governor-innocence-5b068258172e1cd938498e9e8361f01b">dissolve a board of inquiry</a>&nbsp;that was convened to investigate the man's innocence claim.The lawsuit on behalf of Marcellus Williams asks a state judge to invalidate Parson's June order that did away with the inquiry board. Parson also lifted a stay of execution. The next day, Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey asked the state Supreme Court to set an execution date, though no date has been set. Bailey also is named in the lawsuit filed last month.Williams, 54, was convicted of first-degree murder in the 1998 death of Lisha Gayle during a robbery of her home in the St. Louis suburb of University City. Gayle worked at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch from 1981 to 1992 before leaving to do social work.Williams was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2fea0cfd4d73446c8475ccae31b1ea67">hours away from execution in 2017</a>&nbsp;when then-Gov. Eric Greitens halted the process and ordered an investigation. His decision followed the release of new DNA testing unavailable at the time of the killing. It showed that DNA found on the knife used to stab Gayle matched an unknown person, not Williams, attorneys for Williams said.The former St. Louis County prosecutor said there was ample other evidence pointing to Williams as the killer.A panel of five judges was appointed to investigate, but after six years, no conclusion was reached. Parson said in a statement in June that it was time to “move forward" on the case.“We could stall and delay for another six years, deferring justice, leaving a victim’s family in limbo, and solving nothing," Parson said. "This administration won’t do that.”The lawsuit states that Greitens' 2017 order required the inquiry board to provide a report and recommendation — but Parson received neither.“The dissolution of the board of inquiry before a report or recommendation could be issued means that, to date, no judge has ruled on the full evidence of Mr. William’s innocence,” Tricia Rojo Bushnell, executive director of the Midwest Innocence Project, said in a statement. “Knowing that, the state of Missouri still seeks to execute him. That is not justice.”Parson's spokesperson did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment. Bailey said in a statement that his office “will always unabashedly pursue justice for victims. In this case, that looks like carrying out the lawful sentence and judgment handed down by the Court.”Prosecutors said Williams broke a window pane to get inside Gayle’s home on Aug. 11, 1998, heard water running in the shower, and found a large butcher knife. When Gayle came downstairs, she was stabbed 43 times. Her purse and her husband’s laptop were stolen.Authorities said Williams stole a jacket to conceal blood on his shirt. Williams’ girlfriend asked him why he would wear a jacket on such a hot day. The girlfriend said she later saw the laptop in the car and that Williams sold it a day or two later.Prosecutors also cited testimony from Henry Cole, who shared a St. Louis cell with Williams in 1999 while Williams was jailed on unrelated charges. Cole told prosecutors Williams confessed to the killing and offered details about it.Williams’ attorneys responded that the girlfriend and Cole were both convicted felons out for a $10,000 reward.