A Cyberattack Forces a Big U.S. Health System to Divert Ambulances and Take Records Offline
Update: Ascension is confirming that recent disruptions are due to a cyberattack. A spokesperson for Ascension says they've contacted the FBI, the U.S Department of Health and Human Services, the CISA (Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency), and other law enforcement to investigate the incident. Ascension did not specify whether they had paid a ransom. There's no timeline for when the systems will be restored.
(Earlier reporting...)
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR/AP) - There appears to be no end in sight to the disruption caused by an apparent cyberattack against Ascension hospitals in Kansas and across the nation. The disruption has all but paralyzed the Ascension health system that operated in Kansas and 18 states across the U.S. Some of those hospitals were forced to divert ambulances to other hospitals. Some patients have had to postpone medical tests while others have seen access to their online medical records blocked. Hospital officials say they detected unusual activity last week on the company's computer network systems. Officials have refused to say whether Ascension is the victim of a ransomware attack, though the attack has all the hallmarks of one. Ascension says both its electronic records system and the MyChart system that gives patients access to their records remain offline. There's no timeline for when those systems will be restored.
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Three Injured in Barber County Explosion
MEDICINE LODGE, Kan. (KWCH) - Three people were injured this morning (MON) in a explosion today (MON) in south-central Kansas. KWCH reports the explosion occurred in Sharon, Kansas. Barber County Sheriff Jason LeClair said the three people were conducting a controlled burn in a cellar, when they poured fuel on it and lit it. LeClair says all three were taken to the hospital with injuries. The Kansas Fire Marshal has been called to the scene. LeClair says the incident did not appear to be criminal in nature.
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Governor Kelly Order Flags at Half-Staff
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) - Kansas Governor Laura Kelly has ordered flags to be flown at half-staff on Wednesday. Wednesday is Peace Officers Memorial Day. Kelly issued the order today (MON) to lower flags to pay tribute to local, state, and federal law enforcement officers who have died or become disabled in the line of duty.
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Woman Drowns in Cowley County
WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) - A Goddard woman is dead after drowning in a creek in Cowley County. KWCH reports that the body of 35-year-old Sarah Ouellet was pulled from Grouse Creek Saturday afternoon; her 10-year-old son was found downstream holding onto a limb. He is recovering after being taken to the hospital. Grouse Creek is east of Arkansas City.
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Topeka Man Arrested After Stabbing, Kidnapping Attempt
TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) - A Topeka man has been arrested after an alleged stabbing and kidnapping incident. WIBW reports that 43-year-old Derrick Andrew Campos was arrested last night (SUN) in connection with several incidents that happened between May 4th and 12th. Police say the woman involved was transported to a hospital for injuries not considered to be life-threatening. Campos is being held at the Shawnee County Jail on charges of kidnapping, aggravated battery, domestic battery, and possession of drug paraphernalia.
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Good Samaritan Law to Include Drug OD Reporters
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) - Drug overdoses will be included in Kansas’ Good Samaritan law once it goes into effect later this year. The bill would protect most people from prosecution if they call 9-1-1 to get medical attention for someone experiencing an overdose. The bill was amended to not protect people on parole or probation if they call for help after push back from law enforcement groups. Advocates say they worry about what that could mean for a population that’s most likely to be affected by substance use. Kansas was one of two states without a Good Samaritan overdose law.
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Half of Kansas Still Battling Drought
LAWRENCE, Kan. (KNS) - Despite recent rains, more than half of Kansas continues to experience drought, but the situation has improved significantly from a year ago. At this time last year, more than half of Kansas fell into the U.S. Drought Monitor’s top two most dire categories of drought. Now, none of the state does. Drought conditions do persist in more than half the state. It’s less extreme than last year, but could still affect crop yields. Drought is also tough on migrating birds and other wildlife. Last week brought more rain than normal, all across the state. About 20% of the state is now drought free - specifically parts of eastern and northwest Kansas.
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Kansas BOE Set to Vote on New Graduation Requirements
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) - The Kansas State Board of Education will hold a public hearing and final vote Tuesday on new high school graduation requirements. If approved, the changes would take effect with the Class of 2028, which is this year’s eighth-graders. Graduates would need a half-credit each of communications, health and financial literacy, and two credits earned outside the classroom, such as community service or work experience. They’d also be required to file an application for federal financial aid, unless they or their parents opt out. The change would be the first update to Kansas high school diploma requirements in about 20 years.
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Schools Turn to Artificial Intelligence to Spot Guns as Companies Press Lawmakers for State Funds
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) - Schools across the U.S. are increasingly turning to artificial intelligence and video cameras to spot guns. Some states are considering multi-million-dollar grant programs for the technology. But many of those bills have been written with specific criteria so only one software provider can qualify. That company is ZeroEyes, which was founded a few years ago by military veterans. The chair of the National Council of School Safety Directors says the technology is good. But he has concerns about state laws giving preference to providers of particular security platforms.
(Additional reporting...)
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas could soon offer up to $5 million in grants for schools to outfit surveillance cameras with artificial intelligence systems that can spot people carrying guns. But the governor needs to approve the expenditures and the schools must meet some very specific criteria.
The AI software must be patented, “designated as qualified anti-terrorism technology,” in compliance with certain security industry standards, already in use in at least 30 states and capable of detecting “three broad firearm classifications with a minimum of 300 subclassifications” and “at least 2,000 permutations,” among other things.
Only one company currently meets all those criteria: the same organization that touted them to Kansas lawmakers crafting the state budget. That company, ZeroEyes, is a rapidly growing firm founded by military veterans after the fatal shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida.
The legislation pending before Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly highlights two things. After numerous high-profile shootings, school security has become a multi-billion-dollar industry. And in state capitols, some companies are successfully persuading policymakers to write their particular corporate solutions into state law.
ZeroEyes also appears to be the only firm qualified for state firearms detection programs under laws enacted last year in Michigan and Utah, bills passed earlier this year in Florida and Iowa and legislation proposed in Colorado, Louisiana and Wisconsin.
On Friday, Missouri became the latest state to pass legislation geared toward ZeroEyes, offering $2.5 million in matching grants for schools to buy firearms detection software designated as “qualified anti-terrorism technology.” “We’re not paying legislators to write us into their bills," ZeroEyes co-founder and Chief Revenue Officer Sam Alaimo said. But "if they’re doing that, it means I think they’re doing their homework, and they’re making sure they’re getting a vetted technology.”
ZeroEyes uses artificial intelligence with surveillance cameras to identify visible guns, then flashes an alert to an operations center staffed around the clock by former law enforcement officers and military veterans. If verified as a legitimate threat by ZeroEyes personnel, an alert is sent to school officials and local authorities.
The goal is to "get that gun before that trigger’s squeezed, or before that gun gets to the door,” Alaimo said.
Few question the technology. But some do question the legislative tactics.
The super-specific Kansas bill — particularly the requirement that a company have its product in at least 30 states — is “probably the most egregious thing that I have ever read” in legislation, said Jason Stoddard, director of school safety and security for Charles County Public Schools in Maryland.
Stoddard is chairperson of the newly launched National Council of School Safety Directors, which formed to set standards for school safety officials and push back against vendors who are increasingly pitching particular products to lawmakers.
When states allot millions of dollars for certain products, it often leaves less money for other important school safety efforts, such as electronic door locks, shatter-resistant windows, communication systems and security staff, he said. “The artificial-intelligence-driven weapons detection is absolutely wonderful," Stoddard said. "But it’s probably not the priority that 95% of the schools in the United States need right now.”
The technology also can be costly, which is why some states are establishing grant programs. In Florida, legislation to implement ZeroEyes technology in schools in just two counties cost a total of about $929,000.
ZeroEyes is not the only company using surveillance systems with artificial intelligence to spot guns. One competitor, Omnilert, pivoted from emergency alert systems to firearms detection several years ago and also offers around-the-clock monitoring centers to quickly review AI-detected guns and pass alerts onto local officials.
But Omnilert does not yet have a patent for its technology. And it has not yet been designated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security as an anti-terrorism technology under a 2002 federal law providing liability protections for companies. It has applied for both.
Though Omnilert is in hundreds of schools, its products aren't in 30 states, said Mark Franken, Omnilert's vice president of marketing. But he said that shouldn't disqualify his company from state grants.
Franken has contacted the Kansas governor's office in hopes she will line-item veto the specific criteria, which he said "create a kind of anti-competitive environment.”
In Iowa, legislation requiring schools to install firearms detection software was amended to give companies providing the technology until July 1, 2025, to receive federal designation as an anti-terrorism technology. But Democratic state Rep. Ross Wilburn said that designation was originally intended as an incentive for companies to develop technology. “It was not put in place to provide, promote any type of advantage to one particular company or another,” Wilburn said during House debate.
In Kansas, ZeroEyes' chief strategy officer presented an overview of its technology in February to the House K-12 Education Budget Committee. It included a live demonstration of its AI gun detection and numerous actual surveillance photos spotting guns at schools, parking lots and transit stations. The presentation also noted authorities arrested about a dozen people last year directly as a result of ZeroEyes alerts.
Kansas state Rep. Adam Thomas, a Republican, initially proposed to specifically name ZeroEyes in the funding legislation. The final version removed the company's name but kept the criteria that essentially limits it to ZeroEyes.
House K-12 Budget Committee Chair Kristey Williams, a Republican, vigorously defended that provision. She argued during a negotiating meeting with senators that because of student safety, the state couldn't afford the delays of a standard bidding process. She also touted the company’s technology as unique. ”We do not feel that there was another alternative,” Williams said last month.
The $5 million appropriation won't cover every school, but Thomas said the amount could later increase once people see how well ZeroEyes technology works. “I’m hopeful that it does exactly what we saw it do and prevents gun violence in the schools," Thomas told The Associated Press, "and we can eventually get it in every school.”
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Foul Play Suspected After Human Remains Found
SUMNER COUNTY, Kan. (KPR) - Foul play is suspected after human remains were found in Sumner County. The Kansas Bureau of Investigation says the body of a man was discovered Friday near Belle Plaine in south-central Kansas. An autopsy performed over the weekend indicated signs of foul play. The KBI and the Sumner County Sheriff's Office are still working to identify the man and the circumstances of his death.
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KBI Investigates KCK Officer-Involved Shooting
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (KPR) - Authorities are investigating an officer-involved fatal shooting in Kansas City, Kansas. The Kansas Bureau of Investigation says KCK police were responding to reports of a stolen car Friday night. Three male suspects were spotted fleeing the car on foot, running up an on-ramp on Interstate 35. During the pursuit, one of the suspects fired at the officer, who returned fire and struck the man. The man was pronounced dead at the scene. A 16-year-old male was taken into custody. A third suspect got away. Two firearms were located in the area.
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Helicopter Crashes at Fort Riley
FORT RILEY, Kan. (WIBW) - An investigation continues into the crash of a helicopter at Fort Riley last week. WIBW TV reports that the Combat Aviation Brigade was taking part in a training exercise last week when their helicopter crashed. There were no fatalities. Two crew members were on board and have been receiving treatment for their injuries.
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Spectator Injured at Salina Speedway
SALINA, Kan. (KWCH) - A spectator was injured in a freak accident at Salina Speedway. KWCH TV reports that a car lost a rear tire during one of the racing events Friday night. The tire flew into the outside pit area and struck Addison O'Neill. She was taken to Salina Regional Health Center. A spokesman for Salina Speedway said on social media that O'Neill suffered a back fracture and a broken arm.
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This Month Marks 13th Anniversary of Joplin's Deadly Tornado
UNDATED (AP) - This month marks the anniversary of the deadly Joplin tornado. It was on May 22, 2011 - 13 years ago - that a tornado devastated Joplin, Missouri, with winds up to 250 mph. The tornado claimed at least 159 lives and destroyed about 8,000 homes and businesses.
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