The General Assembly will return to work Monday with questions about whether partisan feuding in the state Senate can be set aside to address special session agenda

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

Disaster recovery, sports stadiums and major capital improvement projects will be on the agenda for a special legislative session that will begin June 2, Gov. Mike Kehoe said Tuesday.

At a news conference, Kehoe said he has spoken to legislative leaders in hopes they can act quickly on all three items and set aside&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/05/14/missouri-republicans-shut-down-senate-debate-to-pass-abortion-ban-repeal-sick-leave-law/">hard feelings from the regular session</a>&nbsp;that ended May 15.

“There are some raw nerves out there and some wounded feelings, and I’m asking them to consider that these initiatives that we will put before them are very time sensitive and very needy, especially when it comes to the disaster relief” funding, Kehoe said.

A litany of other projects across Missouri that were depending on state funding will not be considered, Kehoe said, including at least two hospitals facing potential closure.

Under the Missouri Constitution, lawmakers&nbsp;<a href="https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=III++++20(a)&amp;bid=31759&amp;constit=y" target="_blank">have 60 days to complete work</a>&nbsp;on items in a special session and Kehoe said he won’t try to impose an artificial deadline. But the items on his list all need quick action, he said, especially help for people who lost homes and suffered injuries in the May 16 St. Louis tornado.

&nbsp;“I’m also asking them to consider the tragedy that some of these families have faced in these disasters,” Kehoe said.

To help people recovering from tornadoes, flooding and other storms this spring, Kehoe is asking lawmakers to put $25 million into the Missouri Housing Trust Fund and increase the income eligibility threshold for emergency grants. He also wants to enact a tax deduction of up to $5,000 to cover insurance deductibles for people trying to rebuild.

Senate Majority Leader Tony Luetkemeyer, a Parkville Republican, said the items in the call for a special session are all things lawmakers should cooperate on.

Because of the acrimony in the Senate, all legislation for the special session will start in the upper chamber, Kehoe said, with the House debating whatever bills can make it through.

“The governor’s call focuses on providing disaster relief to families devastated by recent storms, funding cancer research at our state’s flagship university, and keeping Missouri’s beloved professional sports teams in our state,” Luetkemeyer said. “I’m hopeful the Senate will rise to the occasion.”

Senate Minority Leader Doug Beck, a Democrat from Affton, could not be reached for comment.

Missouri is still&nbsp;<a href="https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/article_55a27fbb-337d-48cd-a7bd-f4e5c96764ae.html#tracking-source=home-top-story" target="_blank">waiting for federal action</a>&nbsp;on a request for disaster assistance through FEMA for the May 16 tornado.

On Friday, President Donald Trump approved Missouri’s request to declare disasters for southeast Missouri counties hit March 14 and again during the first week of April.

The tornado cut a 23-mile-long path, touching down in the affluent suburb of Clayton before ripping through the north side of the city of St. Louis then across the Mississippi River through communities in western Illinois. At least five people were killed, 38 more were injured, and about 5,000 structures were damaged with property losses estimated at more than $1.6 billion.

“I’ve been on the phone, and Adam Gresham in our office and others have been on the phone with the White House constantly on these events,” Kehoe said, explaining his efforts to secure federal aid.

Federal disaster response nationwide has&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/05/14/repub/dozens-of-members-of-congress-from-both-parties-plead-with-trump-to-unfreeze-fema-grants/">slowed under Trump</a>, causing lawmakers from many states to urge the president to release funding for their states.

“I’m very happy that we got what we got, because you saw some other states not get approved,” Kehoe said.

The plan for the Chiefs and Royals would take tax money already generated from activities at the stadiums — $28.8 million annually as estimated by the Chiefs and $15 million annually by an estimate from the Royals — and commit it to bond payments for 30 years for the new or upgraded facilities.

The economic activity associated with the Chiefs supports 4,500 jobs, Kehoe contends, and a new stadium for the Royals would generate about 8,400 jobs. Missouri should treat the teams like any other major employer, he said.

“This is the same amount of revenue the state stands to lose if either team relocates to any other state,” Kehoe said. “But local support is still critical in this effort, and this plan will require local contributions, so I’m asking legislators to work with us to keep these businesses in the state where they belong, the state of Missouri.”

Both the Chiefs and Royals have publicly expressed interest in moving from Missouri to Kansas after Jackson County voters rejected a proposal last year to extend a 3/8-cent sales tax to help finance a downtown Kansas City baseball stadium and upgrades to Arrowhead.

Kansas lawmakers responded by expanding a tax incentive program in the hopes of convincing one or both teams to relocate. The leases for both teams’ Jackson County stadiums run through the end of the 2030 season.

Kansas expects an answer by the end of June, creating the pressure for a special session.

The limited funding Kehoe proposed for construction spending means several projects he championed during the legislative session — and more than 60 added by lawmakers — won’t be funded.

The only general revenue project remaining in the bill under Kehoe’s plan is $25 million to support construction of a new research reactor at MU. That is half of what he sought originally and was cut to allow spending on disaster aid.

The more than 60 projects added by lawmakers ranged from $60,000 for a county maintenance shed in Dallas County to $20 million for redeveloping an historic business district in Cape Girardeau and $20 million to support a new convention center complex in Jefferson City.

Kehoe said he thinks he can limit the message to lawmakers outlining the special session agenda to just $50 million in general revenue spending and the projects funded from other sources, including the mental hospital and the livestock barn.

The limited funding will dash hopes from many agencies and communities that their project would get a second look. There are at least two hospitals facing potential closure if their funding is not included and a sheltered workshop in Salem that is&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/05/20/missouri-special-session-may-provide-new-life-for-500-million-budget-bill/">operating at limited capacity</a>&nbsp;following a devastating fire.

Kehoe said he understands the requests but wants to be careful with general revenue spending.

“The state budget years ahead are going to be challenging,” Kehoe said, “and the amount of general revenue that we have is something that I’m taking very seriously as a businessman, and what it’s going to take in future years.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1748368415744.png" alt="Arrowhead Stadium and Kauffman Stadium- Google image" />
 <figcaption>Arrowhead Stadium and Kauffman Stadium- Google image</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>The General Assembly will return to work Monday with questions about whether partisan feuding in the state Senate can be set aside to address special session agenda</h2>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/rudi-keller/">RUDI KELLER</a> <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-senate-committee-advances-bill-to-ban-texting-while-driving/">Missouri Independent</a>Disaster recovery, sports stadiums and major capital improvement projects will be on the agenda for a special legislative session that will begin June 2, Gov. Mike Kehoe said Tuesday.At a news conference, Kehoe said he has spoken to legislative leaders in hopes they can act quickly on all three items and set aside&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/05/14/missouri-republicans-shut-down-senate-debate-to-pass-abortion-ban-repeal-sick-leave-law/">hard feelings from the regular session</a>&nbsp;that ended May 15.“There are some raw nerves out there and some wounded feelings, and I’m asking them to consider that these initiatives that we will put before them are very time sensitive and very needy, especially when it comes to the disaster relief” funding, Kehoe said.A litany of other projects across Missouri that were depending on state funding will not be considered, Kehoe said, including at least two hospitals facing potential closure.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1748368635410.png" alt="Google image" />
 <figcaption>Google image</figcaption>
 </figure>Under the Missouri Constitution, lawmakers&nbsp;<a href="https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=III++++20(a)&amp;bid=31759&amp;constit=y" target="_blank">have 60 days to complete work</a>&nbsp;on items in a special session and Kehoe said he won’t try to impose an artificial deadline. But the items on his list all need quick action, he said, especially help for people who lost homes and suffered injuries in the May 16 St. Louis tornado.&nbsp;“I’m also asking them to consider the tragedy that some of these families have faced in these disasters,” Kehoe said.To help people recovering from tornadoes, flooding and other storms this spring, Kehoe is asking lawmakers to put $25 million into the Missouri Housing Trust Fund and increase the income eligibility threshold for emergency grants. He also wants to enact a tax deduction of up to $5,000 to cover insurance deductibles for people trying to rebuild.Other items on the agenda are:<ul>
 <li>State support for a new Kansas City Royals baseball stadium and major upgrades to Arrowhead Stadium, home of the Kansas City Chiefs. The plan is the same one he&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/05/13/new-stadium-funding-plan-for-chiefs-royals-clears-missouri-house/">unveiled during the final week</a>&nbsp;of the regular legislative session, where it won a strong vote in the Missouri House before dying in the Senate amid bitterness on other bills.</li><li>Extend the deadline for tax credits related to major amateur sporting events.&nbsp;</li><li>Allocate $25 million of general revenue funding for the University of MIssouri’s research reactor project and $185 million in funding from other sources for capital improvement projects that include a new mental health hospital in Kansas City and new livestock show barn at the Missouri State Fair.</li>
 </ul>Senate Majority Leader Tony Luetkemeyer, a Parkville Republican, said the items in the call for a special session are all things lawmakers should cooperate on.Because of the acrimony in the Senate, all legislation for the special session will start in the upper chamber, Kehoe said, with the House debating whatever bills can make it through.“The governor’s call focuses on providing disaster relief to families devastated by recent storms, funding cancer research at our state’s flagship university, and keeping Missouri’s beloved professional sports teams in our state,” Luetkemeyer said. “I’m hopeful the Senate will rise to the occasion.”Senate Minority Leader Doug Beck, a Democrat from Affton, could not be reached for comment.Missouri is still&nbsp;<a href="https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/article_55a27fbb-337d-48cd-a7bd-f4e5c96764ae.html#tracking-source=home-top-story" target="_blank">waiting for federal action</a>&nbsp;on a request for disaster assistance through FEMA for the May 16 tornado.On Friday, President Donald Trump approved Missouri’s request to declare disasters for southeast Missouri counties hit March 14 and again during the first week of April.The tornado cut a 23-mile-long path, touching down in the affluent suburb of Clayton before ripping through the north side of the city of St. Louis then across the Mississippi River through communities in western Illinois. At least five people were killed, 38 more were injured, and about 5,000 structures were damaged with property losses estimated at more than $1.6 billion.“I’ve been on the phone, and Adam Gresham in our office and others have been on the phone with the White House constantly on these events,” Kehoe said, explaining his efforts to secure federal aid.Federal disaster response nationwide has&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/05/14/repub/dozens-of-members-of-congress-from-both-parties-plead-with-trump-to-unfreeze-fema-grants/">slowed under Trump</a>, causing lawmakers from many states to urge the president to release funding for their states.“I’m very happy that we got what we got, because you saw some other states not get approved,” Kehoe said.<h2>Stadium funding plan</h2>The plan for the Chiefs and Royals would take tax money already generated from activities at the stadiums — $28.8 million annually as estimated by the Chiefs and $15 million annually by an estimate from the Royals — and commit it to bond payments for 30 years for the new or upgraded facilities.The economic activity associated with the Chiefs supports 4,500 jobs, Kehoe contends, and a new stadium for the Royals would generate about 8,400 jobs. Missouri should treat the teams like any other major employer, he said.“This is the same amount of revenue the state stands to lose if either team relocates to any other state,” Kehoe said. “But local support is still critical in this effort, and this plan will require local contributions, so I’m asking legislators to work with us to keep these businesses in the state where they belong, the state of Missouri.”Both the Chiefs and Royals have publicly expressed interest in moving from Missouri to Kansas after Jackson County voters rejected a proposal last year to extend a 3/8-cent sales tax to help finance a downtown Kansas City baseball stadium and upgrades to Arrowhead.Kansas lawmakers responded by expanding a tax incentive program in the hopes of convincing one or both teams to relocate. The leases for both teams’ Jackson County stadiums run through the end of the 2030 season.Kansas expects an answer by the end of June, creating the pressure for a special session.The limited funding Kehoe proposed for construction spending means several projects he championed during the legislative session — and more than 60 added by lawmakers — won’t be funded.The only general revenue project remaining in the bill under Kehoe’s plan is $25 million to support construction of a new research reactor at MU. That is half of what he sought originally and was cut to allow spending on disaster aid.The more than 60 projects added by lawmakers ranged from $60,000 for a county maintenance shed in Dallas County to $20 million for redeveloping an historic business district in Cape Girardeau and $20 million to support a new convention center complex in Jefferson City.Kehoe said he thinks he can limit the message to lawmakers outlining the special session agenda to just $50 million in general revenue spending and the projects funded from other sources, including the mental hospital and the livestock barn.The limited funding will dash hopes from many agencies and communities that their project would get a second look. There are at least two hospitals facing potential closure if their funding is not included and a sheltered workshop in Salem that is&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/05/20/missouri-special-session-may-provide-new-life-for-500-million-budget-bill/">operating at limited capacity</a>&nbsp;following a devastating fire.Kehoe said he understands the requests but wants to be careful with general revenue spending.“The state budget years ahead are going to be challenging,” Kehoe said, “and the amount of general revenue that we have is something that I’m taking very seriously as a businessman, and what it’s going to take in future years.”

Missouri governor calls special session for Kansas City stadiums, St. Louis disaster funding

TOPEKA —It was a deadly holiday weekend on Kansas highways. Seven people died in four accidents.

&nbsp;The first fatality occurred just before 1p.m. Friday in Sedgwick County. The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2010 Buick LaCrosse driven by Eugene Judson Theodore&nbsp;Stumblingbear, 44,&nbsp; Attica, was eastbound in the westbound lanes of Kansas 42 one quarter mile east of S 279th Street W.

The car struck a westbound 2024 Western Star semi driven by Donald David&nbsp;Piotrowski, 54,Valley Center, head-on.

Stumblingbear was pronounced dead at the scene and transported to&nbsp; Sedgwick County Forensic Science Center. EMS transported&nbsp;Piotrowski to&nbsp;Ascension Via Christi St Francis. The KHP had incomplete seat belt usage details.

Just after 10a.m. Saturday in Coffey County, the Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2009 Toyota Camry driven by Dallas R.&nbsp;Reeves, 20, Janesville, Wisconsin, was southbound on U.S. 75 just north of 8th Road.

The car was&nbsp;passing another vehicle. A northbound 2021 Chevy Silverado driven by Charles L&nbsp;Jarrell, 46, Leroy, Kansas, attempted to avoid a collision, slowed and steered to the northbound shoulder.

The Camry driver also steered to the northbound shoulder and collided with the pickup. After impact, the car spun and came to rest in the northbound lane and shoulder. The pickup came to a rest in the north ditch.

Reeves was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported to&nbsp;Jones Funeral Home. EMS transported&nbsp;Jarrell and a 6-ear-old passenger from the pickup to the Coffey County Hospital.&nbsp; All three were properly restrained, according to the KHP.

&nbsp;Four people died in an accident just before 3p.m. Saturday in Dickinson County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2013 Hyundai Elantra driven by Dawn Rae&nbsp;Peel, 30, Herington, was&nbsp;eastbound on Kansas 4 four miles west of Kansas 15 Highway.

The car crossed the center line and struck a westbound 2025 Chevy Traverse driven by Adam Gerhart&nbsp;Henely, 23, Salina, head-on.

Peel, and 2 passengers in the car including 71-year-old Peggy Ann Sutton of&nbsp;Bartlesville, Oklahoma, and an 8-year-old boy from Herington were pronounced dead at the scene and transported to Martin Becker Carlson Funeral Home.&nbsp; A passenger in the SUV identified as 57-year-old Denise Renee&nbsp;Henely of Herington also died at the scene and was transported to Martin Becker Carlson Funeral Home.

EMS transported an 8-year-old male passenger from the car and a 14-year-old male passenger from the SUV, both of Herington to Wesley Medical Center.

Henely and and a third passenger in the SUV were not transported for treatment. All eight were properly restrained, according to the KHP.

One person died in an accident just after 2a.m. Sunday in Geary County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2020 Ford Fusion driven by Richard B. Roberts, 20, Sebring, Florida, was northbound on U.S. 77 at Old Milford Road at a high rate of speed. The car entered into the east ditch, struck a tree and caught fire.

Roberts was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported to Johnson Funeral Home. He was properly restrained, according to the KHP.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1748055276795.png" alt="First responders on the scene Friday afternoon -photo courtesy KWCH" />
 <figcaption>First responders on the scene Friday afternoon -photo courtesy KWCH</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA —It was a deadly holiday weekend on Kansas highways. Seven people died in four accidents.&nbsp;The first fatality occurred just before 1p.m. Friday in Sedgwick County. The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2010 Buick LaCrosse driven by Eugene Judson Theodore&nbsp;Stumblingbear, 44,&nbsp; Attica, was eastbound in the westbound lanes of Kansas 42 one quarter mile east of S 279th Street W.The car struck a westbound 2024 Western Star semi driven by Donald David&nbsp;Piotrowski, 54,Valley Center, head-on.Stumblingbear was pronounced dead at the scene and transported to&nbsp; Sedgwick County Forensic Science Center. EMS transported&nbsp;Piotrowski to&nbsp;Ascension Via Christi St Francis. The KHP had incomplete seat belt usage details.Just after 10a.m. Saturday in Coffey County, the Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2009 Toyota Camry driven by Dallas R.&nbsp;Reeves, 20, Janesville, Wisconsin, was southbound on U.S. 75 just north of 8th Road.The car was&nbsp;passing another vehicle. A northbound 2021 Chevy Silverado driven by Charles L&nbsp;Jarrell, 46, Leroy, Kansas, attempted to avoid a collision, slowed and steered to the northbound shoulder.The Camry driver also steered to the northbound shoulder and collided with the pickup. After impact, the car spun and came to rest in the northbound lane and shoulder. The pickup came to a rest in the north ditch.Reeves was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported to&nbsp;Jones Funeral Home. EMS transported&nbsp;Jarrell and a 6-ear-old passenger from the pickup to the Coffey County Hospital.&nbsp; All three were properly restrained, according to the KHP.&nbsp;Four people died in an accident just before 3p.m. Saturday in Dickinson County.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2013 Hyundai Elantra driven by Dawn Rae&nbsp;Peel, 30, Herington, was&nbsp;eastbound on Kansas 4 four miles west of Kansas 15 Highway.The car crossed the center line and struck a westbound 2025 Chevy Traverse driven by Adam Gerhart&nbsp;Henely, 23, Salina, head-on.Peel, and 2 passengers in the car including 71-year-old Peggy Ann Sutton of&nbsp;Bartlesville, Oklahoma, and an 8-year-old boy from Herington were pronounced dead at the scene and transported to Martin Becker Carlson Funeral Home.&nbsp; A passenger in the SUV identified as 57-year-old Denise Renee&nbsp;Henely of Herington also died at the scene and was transported to Martin Becker Carlson Funeral Home.EMS transported an 8-year-old male passenger from the car and a 14-year-old male passenger from the SUV, both of Herington to Wesley Medical Center.Henely and and a third passenger in the SUV were not transported for treatment. All eight were properly restrained, according to the KHP.One person died in an accident just after 2a.m. Sunday in Geary County.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2020 Ford Fusion driven by Richard B. Roberts, 20, Sebring, Florida, was northbound on U.S. 77 at Old Milford Road at a high rate of speed. The car entered into the east ditch, struck a tree and caught fire.Roberts was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported to Johnson Funeral Home. He was properly restrained, according to the KHP.

Deadly holiday weekend on Kansas highways

&nbsp;WYANDOTTE COUNTY—Only one person was injured in an accident in heavy rain just before noon Sunday in Wyandotte County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2012 Nissan Quest driven by Lorena&nbsp;Rodriguez-Guarini, 36, Kansas City, Kansas, was southbound on Interstate 635 at State Avenue.&nbsp; The driver lost control on the wet roadway. The van traveled off the road and overturned.

EMS transported a 16-year-old female passenger to Children's Mercy for treatment of a minor injury. Rodriguez-Guarini and three other passengers including a 5-year-old girl, a 7-year-old boy and a 40-year-old man were not injured. All were properly restrained, according to the KHP.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1748342472422.png" alt="Images from KC Scout camera" />
 <figcaption>Images from KC Scout camera</figcaption>
 </figure>&nbsp;WYANDOTTE COUNTY—Only one person was injured in an accident in heavy rain just before noon Sunday in Wyandotte County.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2012 Nissan Quest driven by Lorena&nbsp;Rodriguez-Guarini, 36, Kansas City, Kansas, was southbound on Interstate 635 at State Avenue.&nbsp; The driver lost control on the wet roadway. The van traveled off the road and overturned.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1748342455574.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>EMS transported a 16-year-old female passenger to Children's Mercy for treatment of a minor injury. Rodriguez-Guarini and three other passengers including a 5-year-old girl, a 7-year-old boy and a 40-year-old man were not injured. All were properly restrained, according to the KHP.

Kansas family avoids tragedy after van crash in heavy rain

CALICO ROCK – On Sunday, at approximately 2:55 p.m., inmate Grant Hardin, ADC #168541, escaped from the North Central Unit. This has been updated since the original reported time of 3:40 p.m. following review of the surveillance footage, according to a media release from the Arkansas Department of Corrections.

Anyone with information about inmate Hardin’s whereabouts should contact local law enforcement immediately.

The Division of Correction and the Division of Community Correction are working with local, state and federal law enforcement to follow leads.

Hardin has been at the North Central Unit since 2017, serving a 30-year sentence for first degree murder, as well as an additional sentence for rape. Hardin was the former police chief for the city of Gateway with a background in law enforcement.

On Monday night, officials reported they continue to utilize a variety of means to track Hardin, as well as investigating the events that led up to his escape

It has been determined that Hardin was wearing a makeshift outfit designed to mimic law enforcement when he escaped the facility. He was not wearing a Department of Corrections uniform, and all DOC-issued equipment has been accounted for.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1748309291610.png" alt="It has been determined that Hardin was wearing a makeshift outfit designed to mimic law enforcement when he escaped the facility.&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>It has been determined that Hardin was wearing a makeshift outfit designed to mimic law enforcement when he escaped the facility.&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>CALICO ROCK – On Sunday, at approximately 2:55 p.m., inmate Grant Hardin, ADC #168541, escaped from the North Central Unit. This has been updated since the original reported time of 3:40 p.m. following review of the surveillance footage, according to a media release from the Arkansas Department of Corrections.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1748354598066.png" alt="Hardin escaped through the sally port wearing an ADC type uniform&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>Hardin escaped through the sally port wearing an ADC type uniform&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>Anyone with information about inmate Hardin’s whereabouts should contact local law enforcement immediately.The Division of Correction and the Division of Community Correction are working with local, state and federal law enforcement to follow leads.Hardin has been at the North Central Unit since 2017, serving a 30-year sentence for first degree murder, as well as an additional sentence for rape. Hardin was the former police chief for the city of Gateway with a background in law enforcement.On Monday night, officials reported they continue to utilize a variety of means to track Hardin, as well as investigating the events that led up to his escapeIt has been determined that Hardin was wearing a makeshift outfit designed to mimic law enforcement when he escaped the facility. He was not wearing a Department of Corrections uniform, and all DOC-issued equipment has been accounted for.

Manhunt continues: Former cop convicted of murder escapes Arkansas prison

By:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/sofia-resnick/">Sofia Resnick</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/charlotte-rene-woods/">Charlotte Rene Woods</a>&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>

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — Abortion pills — and questions over their inherent safety — were back in federal court Monday. Unlike a lawsuit rejected by the U.S. Supreme Court last year, plaintiffs this time are not anti-abortion activists arguing medication abortion should be banned, but abortion providers arguing the remaining restrictions should be lifted to match the drug’s 25-year record of safety and efficacy.

The suit seeks to make abortion pills more accessible by removing several existing restrictions on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s mifepristone-misoprostol regimen first approved in 2000. The drug was approved under the FDA’s drug safety program called Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS), provisions of which have been steadily eliminated over time but not fully.

On behalf of independent providers in Virginia, Montana, and Kansas, Center for Reproductive Rights senior counsel Linda Goldstein argued the FDA’s most recent evaluations did not properly assess whether remaining restrictions are still medically necessary. She argued that the biggest risks the FDA has identified with mifepristone — serious bleeding and infection — are not exclusive to the drug but with all pregnancy terminations, including spontaneous miscarriages, which she said affected about 25% of all pregnancies. Beyond abortion, for which the drug has captured attention, mifepristone is also used to treat miscarriages so that they conclude safely to help prevent infection.

“The FDA has acknowledged that staying pregnant is more dangerous than not staying pregnant,” said Goldstein, arguing that at minimum the FDA should be required to explain why drugs that pose similar risks are not subject to the same restrictions.

She noted that of the 20,000 drugs the FDA has approved,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=20%2C000+drugs+the+FDA+has+approved%2C+only+73+have+REMS+provisions&amp;oq=20%2C000+drugs+the+FDA+has+approved%2C+only+73+have+REMS+provisions&amp;gs_lcrp=EgRlZGdlKgYIABBFGDkyBggAEEUYOdIBBzMyNGowajmoAgCwAgE&amp;sourceid=chrome&amp;ie=UTF-8" target="_blank">only 73</a>&nbsp;have REMS provisions, and that mifepristone has proven to be a safe drug over time. About 7.5 million U.S. patients have taken it as of the end of last year, Goldstein said. As of December 2024, the FDA has reported&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fda.gov/drugs/postmarket-drug-safety-information-patients-and-providers/questions-and-answers-mifepristone-medical-termination-pregnancy-through-ten-weeks-gestation#:~:text=As%20of%20December%2031%2C%202024,several%20fatal%20cases%20of%20severe" target="_blank">36 patient deaths</a>&nbsp;associated with mifepristone since it was first approved in 2000.

Whole Woman’s Health Alliance v. FDA is the first time the U.S. Department of Justice is arguing a position on mifepristone in court since the Trump administration took office. Justice Department attorneys said current regulations are necessary for the most common form of pregnancy termination to be considered safe. When asked by the judge, DOJ attorney Noah Katzen did not confirm or deny whether or not the FDA still considers the drug to be safe and effective overall.

“That is what the FDA determined in the past,” Katzen said during the hearing at the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia in Charlottesville, where the case was originally filed in 2023.

Katzen, the FDA’s former associate chief counsel until 2021 and currently a trial attorney for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, said the FDA has found that the evidence was “not sufficient” to conclude the REMS are no longer necessary.

U.S. District Judge Robert S. Ballou, appointed by Democratic President Joe Biden, appeared more sympathetic to plaintiffs’ argument that some of the requirements appear arbitrary in that they don’t apply to other drugs with equal or greater risk, including drugs his parents have taken.&nbsp;

Ballou did not rule at the end of Monday’s hearing but said he would as soon as possible.

After the hearing, Whole Woman’s Health Alliance founder and president Amy Hagstrom Miller told States Newsroom she took note of Katzen’s response about whether the FDA considers mifepristone to be safe and effective.

“It was an interesting choice of words,” she said.

This<a href="https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/67347356/whole-womans-health-alliance-v-united-states-food-and-drug-administration/https:/www.courtlistener.com/docket/67347356/whole-womans-health-alliance-v-united-states-food-and-drug-administration/" target="_blank">&nbsp;lawsuit</a>&nbsp;is among several federal cases involving mifepristone. Earlier this month, the Trump administration filed a brief in the case Missouri v. FDA, requesting the court<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/trump-administration-asks-dismiss-suit-3-gop-states-trying-limit-abortion-pill" target="_blank">&nbsp;dismiss three states’ lawsuit</a>&nbsp;to restrict mifepristone on procedural grounds, but did not comment on the merits of the case or explicitly defend the FDA’s current medication abortion policy.

While the Missouri v. FDA lawsuit seeks to reinstate regulations loosened between 2016 and 2021, the Whole Woman’s Health v. FDA lawsuit takes aim at restrictions that require: medical professionals who prescribe mifepristone to register with the drug manufacturer; pharmacies to apply for special certification and maintain copious records, and patients to review and sign a counseling form.

On behalf of plaintiffs, which include Whole Woman’s Health Alliance in Virginia and other states, All Families Healthcare and Blue Mountain Clinic in Montana, and Trust Women in Kansas, Goldstein argued that these existing rules are burdensome and make these medications harder to access by limiting the number of providers and pharmacies who can provide and dispense it and impede access to time-sensitive care.

Goldstein noted the “political climate” surrounding mifepristone and pointed to how abortion opponents seek either rescinding of FDA approval for mifepristone or a return to the in-person dispensing requirements. She added how efforts to make abortion medication more&nbsp;<a href="https://virginiamercury.com/2024/06/28/mcclellan-spanberger-work-to-repeal-parts-of-19th-century-law-that-could-ban-abortion-nationally/" target="_blank">difficult to obtain</a>&nbsp;are outlined in Project 2025 — the conservative Heritage Foundation’s playbook.

Before and especially since Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022, anti-abortion groups have tried to convince courts that abortion pills, in addition to ending the lives of embryos and fetuses, harm pregnant people at rates that warrant being pulled from the market or at the very least heavily restricted.

During his presidential campaign and since taking office, President Donald Trump and his health appointees have messaged strategically on medication abortion, on the one hand promising to retain its access while also open to examining new evidence suggesting it is unsafe.

Just last week, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said he would direct the FDA to review abortion pill safety and potentially change its drug label, following the release of an&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/hhs-agrees-review-mifepristone-safety-based-anti-abortion-white-papers" target="_blank">anti-abortion white paper</a>&nbsp;commissioned by far-right funders, whose analysis has been widely criticized by reproductive health scientists and is outflanked by hundreds of studies showing a very low rate of serious adverse events.

Hagstrom Miller called the current restrictions “politically motivated” and said overturning them would be especially significant for Virginia, which as the least restrictive state in the South, has seen an uptick in people traveling from elsewhere to receive care.

“They’re not related to the safety of the medication,”&nbsp;Hagstrom Miller&nbsp;said, of the current restrictions. “We just want to ensure that the most popular method for abortion in Virginia and beyond is protected no matter who sits at the White House and who sits in the FDA.”

Virginia is in the process of amending its state constitution to enshrine abortion and other reproductive health care procedures or medications. The&nbsp;<a href="https://virginiamercury.com/2025/02/13/virginia-moves-to-protect-reproductive-and-voting-rights-but-the-fight-is-far-from-over/" target="_blank">constitutional amendment</a>&nbsp;passed the legislature on party-line votes this year and must pass again next year before appearing on ballots for voters statewide. Its continued success or failure hinges on the outcome of the state’s competitive House of Delegates elections — where Democrats hold a slim majority.

While governors don’t have a say in constitutional amendments, the issue is a&nbsp;<a href="https://virginiamercury.com/2025/04/02/virginia-march-for-life-tees-up-constitutional-amendment-ahead-of-this-years-elections/" target="_blank">divergence</a>&nbsp;between gubernatorial candidates Lt. Gov.&nbsp;<a href="https://virginiamercury.com/2025/05/08/earle-sears-morally-opposed-to-virginias-reproductive-rights-amendment-note-shows/" target="_blank">Winsome Earle-Sears</a>&nbsp;and Democratic challenger former Congresswoman&nbsp;<a href="https://virginiamercury.com/2024/06/28/mcclellan-spanberger-work-to-repeal-parts-of-19th-century-law-that-could-ban-abortion-nationally/" target="_blank">Abigail Spanberger</a>. This means that should the amendment fail and partisan control of the House shift, whoever is the next governor could advance or block potential future efforts to walk back Virginia’s current abortion access laws.&nbsp;

“It’s really important that we protect that safe access to medication abortion no matter where people live — Virginia is playing a key role in the South right now,”&nbsp;Hagstrom Miller said.

By:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/sofia-resnick/">Sofia Resnick</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/charlotte-rene-woods/">Charlotte Rene Woods</a>&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>CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — Abortion pills — and questions over their inherent safety — were back in federal court Monday. Unlike a lawsuit rejected by the U.S. Supreme Court last year, plaintiffs this time are not anti-abortion activists arguing medication abortion should be banned, but abortion providers arguing the remaining restrictions should be lifted to match the drug’s 25-year record of safety and efficacy.The suit seeks to make abortion pills more accessible by removing several existing restrictions on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s mifepristone-misoprostol regimen first approved in 2000. The drug was approved under the FDA’s drug safety program called Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS), provisions of which have been steadily eliminated over time but not fully.On behalf of independent providers in Virginia, Montana, and Kansas, Center for Reproductive Rights senior counsel Linda Goldstein argued the FDA’s most recent evaluations did not properly assess whether remaining restrictions are still medically necessary. She argued that the biggest risks the FDA has identified with mifepristone — serious bleeding and infection — are not exclusive to the drug but with all pregnancy terminations, including spontaneous miscarriages, which she said affected about 25% of all pregnancies. Beyond abortion, for which the drug has captured attention, mifepristone is also used to treat miscarriages so that they conclude safely to help prevent infection.“The FDA has acknowledged that staying pregnant is more dangerous than not staying pregnant,” said Goldstein, arguing that at minimum the FDA should be required to explain why drugs that pose similar risks are not subject to the same restrictions.She noted that of the 20,000 drugs the FDA has approved,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=20%2C000+drugs+the+FDA+has+approved%2C+only+73+have+REMS+provisions&amp;oq=20%2C000+drugs+the+FDA+has+approved%2C+only+73+have+REMS+provisions&amp;gs_lcrp=EgRlZGdlKgYIABBFGDkyBggAEEUYOdIBBzMyNGowajmoAgCwAgE&amp;sourceid=chrome&amp;ie=UTF-8" target="_blank">only 73</a>&nbsp;have REMS provisions, and that mifepristone has proven to be a safe drug over time. About 7.5 million U.S. patients have taken it as of the end of last year, Goldstein said. As of December 2024, the FDA has reported&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fda.gov/drugs/postmarket-drug-safety-information-patients-and-providers/questions-and-answers-mifepristone-medical-termination-pregnancy-through-ten-weeks-gestation#:~:text=As%20of%20December%2031%2C%202024,several%20fatal%20cases%20of%20severe" target="_blank">36 patient deaths</a>&nbsp;associated with mifepristone since it was first approved in 2000.Whole Woman’s Health Alliance v. FDA is the first time the U.S. Department of Justice is arguing a position on mifepristone in court since the Trump administration took office. Justice Department attorneys said current regulations are necessary for the most common form of pregnancy termination to be considered safe. When asked by the judge, DOJ attorney Noah Katzen did not confirm or deny whether or not the FDA still considers the drug to be safe and effective overall.“That is what the FDA determined in the past,” Katzen said during the hearing at the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia in Charlottesville, where the case was originally filed in 2023.Katzen, the FDA’s former associate chief counsel until 2021 and currently a trial attorney for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, said the FDA has found that the evidence was “not sufficient” to conclude the REMS are no longer necessary.U.S. District Judge Robert S. Ballou, appointed by Democratic President Joe Biden, appeared more sympathetic to plaintiffs’ argument that some of the requirements appear arbitrary in that they don’t apply to other drugs with equal or greater risk, including drugs his parents have taken.&nbsp;Ballou did not rule at the end of Monday’s hearing but said he would as soon as possible.After the hearing, Whole Woman’s Health Alliance founder and president Amy Hagstrom Miller told States Newsroom she took note of Katzen’s response about whether the FDA considers mifepristone to be safe and effective.“It was an interesting choice of words,” she said.This<a href="https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/67347356/whole-womans-health-alliance-v-united-states-food-and-drug-administration/https:/www.courtlistener.com/docket/67347356/whole-womans-health-alliance-v-united-states-food-and-drug-administration/" target="_blank">&nbsp;lawsuit</a>&nbsp;is among several federal cases involving mifepristone. Earlier this month, the Trump administration filed a brief in the case Missouri v. FDA, requesting the court<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/trump-administration-asks-dismiss-suit-3-gop-states-trying-limit-abortion-pill" target="_blank">&nbsp;dismiss three states’ lawsuit</a>&nbsp;to restrict mifepristone on procedural grounds, but did not comment on the merits of the case or explicitly defend the FDA’s current medication abortion policy.While the Missouri v. FDA lawsuit seeks to reinstate regulations loosened between 2016 and 2021, the Whole Woman’s Health v. FDA lawsuit takes aim at restrictions that require: medical professionals who prescribe mifepristone to register with the drug manufacturer; pharmacies to apply for special certification and maintain copious records, and patients to review and sign a counseling form.On behalf of plaintiffs, which include Whole Woman’s Health Alliance in Virginia and other states, All Families Healthcare and Blue Mountain Clinic in Montana, and Trust Women in Kansas, Goldstein argued that these existing rules are burdensome and make these medications harder to access by limiting the number of providers and pharmacies who can provide and dispense it and impede access to time-sensitive care.Goldstein noted the “political climate” surrounding mifepristone and pointed to how abortion opponents seek either rescinding of FDA approval for mifepristone or a return to the in-person dispensing requirements. She added how efforts to make abortion medication more&nbsp;<a href="https://virginiamercury.com/2024/06/28/mcclellan-spanberger-work-to-repeal-parts-of-19th-century-law-that-could-ban-abortion-nationally/" target="_blank">difficult to obtain</a>&nbsp;are outlined in Project 2025 — the conservative Heritage Foundation’s playbook.Before and especially since Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022, anti-abortion groups have tried to convince courts that abortion pills, in addition to ending the lives of embryos and fetuses, harm pregnant people at rates that warrant being pulled from the market or at the very least heavily restricted.During his presidential campaign and since taking office, President Donald Trump and his health appointees have messaged strategically on medication abortion, on the one hand promising to retain its access while also open to examining new evidence suggesting it is unsafe.Just last week, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said he would direct the FDA to review abortion pill safety and potentially change its drug label, following the release of an&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/hhs-agrees-review-mifepristone-safety-based-anti-abortion-white-papers" target="_blank">anti-abortion white paper</a>&nbsp;commissioned by far-right funders, whose analysis has been widely criticized by reproductive health scientists and is outflanked by hundreds of studies showing a very low rate of serious adverse events.<h2>Significant for the South&nbsp;</h2>Hagstrom Miller called the current restrictions “politically motivated” and said overturning them would be especially significant for Virginia, which as the least restrictive state in the South, has seen an uptick in people traveling from elsewhere to receive care.“They’re not related to the safety of the medication,”&nbsp;Hagstrom Miller&nbsp;said, of the current restrictions. “We just want to ensure that the most popular method for abortion in Virginia and beyond is protected no matter who sits at the White House and who sits in the FDA.”Virginia is in the process of amending its state constitution to enshrine abortion and other reproductive health care procedures or medications. The&nbsp;<a href="https://virginiamercury.com/2025/02/13/virginia-moves-to-protect-reproductive-and-voting-rights-but-the-fight-is-far-from-over/" target="_blank">constitutional amendment</a>&nbsp;passed the legislature on party-line votes this year and must pass again next year before appearing on ballots for voters statewide. Its continued success or failure hinges on the outcome of the state’s competitive House of Delegates elections — where Democrats hold a slim majority.While governors don’t have a say in constitutional amendments, the issue is a&nbsp;<a href="https://virginiamercury.com/2025/04/02/virginia-march-for-life-tees-up-constitutional-amendment-ahead-of-this-years-elections/" target="_blank">divergence</a>&nbsp;between gubernatorial candidates Lt. Gov.&nbsp;<a href="https://virginiamercury.com/2025/05/08/earle-sears-morally-opposed-to-virginias-reproductive-rights-amendment-note-shows/" target="_blank">Winsome Earle-Sears</a>&nbsp;and Democratic challenger former Congresswoman&nbsp;<a href="https://virginiamercury.com/2024/06/28/mcclellan-spanberger-work-to-repeal-parts-of-19th-century-law-that-could-ban-abortion-nationally/" target="_blank">Abigail Spanberger</a>. This means that should the amendment fail and partisan control of the House shift, whoever is the next governor could advance or block potential future efforts to walk back Virginia’s current abortion access laws.&nbsp;“It’s really important that we protect that safe access to medication abortion no matter where people live — Virginia is playing a key role in the South right now,”&nbsp;Hagstrom Miller said.

Abortion providers challenge FDA’s remaining mifepristone restrictions in federal court

KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement are investigating two suspects on multiple allegtions after an encounter in a Kansas City suburb.

On Wednesday, police received a notification from a Flock Safety camera system indicating that a stolen vehicle had just passed a camera location in the city of Liberty, according to a media release from Liberty, Missouri Police.

 Officers quickly responded to the area and located the vehicle parked in a nearby hotel parking lot. Upon further investigation, officers determined that the driver had entered a room at the hotel. Officers contacted a man and woman in the room later identified as 30-year-old&nbsp; Brandon Schulenberg and 28-year-old&nbsp;Amanda Guffey both of Independence and a four-year-old child.

In plain view, officers observed a loaded ghost gun, drugs and drug paraphernalia. A search warrant was obtained and executed for the hotel room. Inside, officers recovered 17 grams of methamphetamine, 7.96 grams of fentanyl which is equivalent to approximately 3,980 fatal doses, and 10.85 grams of an unknown powdered substance.

Digital scales and additional drug paraphernalia were also located. As a result of this investigation, the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/claycountyprosecutingattorney?__cft__[0]=AZUsKDqaM6uwjgwnR3xFzN632HjJQILYM54RCxDqTIuT88ddvxKoGjGyk8zzfDC79Iz8HzOnWxzgQiVxthO-2ULERtFkSxQL2vWSdcO35SBwU-3_e2BNwo_6O_Aj2VFqwRMkXu0z4PqPYfVOvyZqut99WW8cNhbpAJQQNyV1v43PMHUyiVDnTwXWb3FDbPfrbTA&amp;__tn__=-]K-R">Clay County, Mo. Prosecutor's Office</a> charged Schulenberg with trafficking drugs in the second degree, unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, endangering the welfare of a child in the first degree, possession of a controlled substance, and unlawful use of a weapon. A warrant was issued for Schulenburg with a bond set at $100,000.

&nbsp;Guffey was also charged with trafficking drugs in the second degree, endangering the welfare of a child in the first degree, possession of a controlled substance, and unlawful use of a weapon. A warrant was issued for Guffey as well, with bond also set at $100,000. 

"This case is a stark reminder of the ongoing dangers posed by fentanyl and ghost guns in our communities. Fentanyl is an extremely potent synthetic opioid, just a few milligrams can be fatal, which is why the amount recovered in this case represents a significant threat to public safety," police reminded.

"Additionally, ghost guns, untraceable firearms often assembled without serial numbers, present a serious risk to both law enforcement and the public."

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1747964496664.png" alt="Schulenberg photo Liberty PD" />
 <figcaption>Schulenberg photo Liberty PD</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement are investigating two suspects on multiple allegtions after an encounter in a Kansas City suburb.On Wednesday, police received a notification from a Flock Safety camera system indicating that a stolen vehicle had just passed a camera location in the city of Liberty, according to a media release from Liberty, Missouri Police. Officers quickly responded to the area and located the vehicle parked in a nearby hotel parking lot. Upon further investigation, officers determined that the driver had entered a room at the hotel. Officers contacted a man and woman in the room later identified as 30-year-old&nbsp; Brandon Schulenberg and 28-year-old&nbsp;Amanda Guffey both of Independence and a four-year-old child.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1747964538134.png" alt="Guffey photo Liberty PD" />
 <figcaption>Guffey photo Liberty PD</figcaption>
 </figure>In plain view, officers observed a loaded ghost gun, drugs and drug paraphernalia. A search warrant was obtained and executed for the hotel room. Inside, officers recovered 17 grams of methamphetamine, 7.96 grams of fentanyl which is equivalent to approximately 3,980 fatal doses, and 10.85 grams of an unknown powdered substance. Digital scales and additional drug paraphernalia were also located. As a result of this investigation, the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/claycountyprosecutingattorney?__cft__[0]=AZUsKDqaM6uwjgwnR3xFzN632HjJQILYM54RCxDqTIuT88ddvxKoGjGyk8zzfDC79Iz8HzOnWxzgQiVxthO-2ULERtFkSxQL2vWSdcO35SBwU-3_e2BNwo_6O_Aj2VFqwRMkXu0z4PqPYfVOvyZqut99WW8cNhbpAJQQNyV1v43PMHUyiVDnTwXWb3FDbPfrbTA&amp;__tn__=-]K-R">Clay County, Mo. Prosecutor's Office</a> charged Schulenberg with trafficking drugs in the second degree, unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, endangering the welfare of a child in the first degree, possession of a controlled substance, and unlawful use of a weapon. A warrant was issued for Schulenburg with a bond set at $100,000.&nbsp;Guffey was also charged with trafficking drugs in the second degree, endangering the welfare of a child in the first degree, possession of a controlled substance, and unlawful use of a weapon. A warrant was issued for Guffey as well, with bond also set at $100,000. "This case is a stark reminder of the ongoing dangers posed by fentanyl and ghost guns in our communities. Fentanyl is an extremely potent synthetic opioid, just a few milligrams can be fatal, which is why the amount recovered in this case represents a significant threat to public safety," police reminded."Additionally, ghost guns, untraceable firearms often assembled without serial numbers, present a serious risk to both law enforcement and the public."

Police found ghost gun, fentanyl and 4-year-old in KC area motel room

&nbsp;JACKSON COUNTY—Law enforcement are investigating a suspect in connection with a vehicle theft in rural Jackson County, Kansas.

Just before 5p.m. Thursday a, Sheriff’s Deputies apprehended a suspect involved in an early morning car theft in Jackson County, according to Sheriff Tim Morse.&nbsp;  The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a Chevy Impala that had been stolen from a residence in the 25000 Block of T. Road, north of Holton.

The vehicle was located before noon east of U. Road on 334th Road.  The driver of the vehicle had lost control and crashed off the roadway and in the timber. 

Deputies investigated the scene and connected the theft with a suspect. Deputies arrested 23-year-old Austin Riley Richard of Tecumseh in connection with the theft of the vehicle.

Richard was booked in the Jackson County Jail on requested charges of felony theft, criminal damage to property and 3 counts of aggravated violation of the registered offender act.

Richard is being held in the Jackson County Jail. The Brown County Sheriff’s Office and the Kickapoo Police Department assisted with the incident.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1748048155346.png" alt="Richard photo Jackson Co." />
 <figcaption>Richard photo Jackson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>&nbsp;JACKSON COUNTY—Law enforcement are investigating a suspect in connection with a vehicle theft in rural Jackson County, Kansas.Just before 5p.m. Thursday a, Sheriff’s Deputies apprehended a suspect involved in an early morning car theft in Jackson County, according to Sheriff Tim Morse.&nbsp; The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a Chevy Impala that had been stolen from a residence in the 25000 Block of T. Road, north of Holton.The vehicle was located before noon east of U. Road on 334th Road. The driver of the vehicle had lost control and crashed off the roadway and in the timber. Deputies investigated the scene and connected the theft with a suspect. Deputies arrested 23-year-old Austin Riley Richard of Tecumseh in connection with the theft of the vehicle.Richard was booked in the Jackson County Jail on requested charges of felony theft, criminal damage to property and 3 counts of aggravated violation of the registered offender act.Richard is being held in the Jackson County Jail. The Brown County Sheriff’s Office and the Kickapoo Police Department assisted with the incident.

Sheriff: Kansas man jailed after crash in stolen car

<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/VP?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@VP</a>, and <a href="https://twitter.com/SecDef?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SecDef</a> salute as The Star-Spangled Banner is played at Arlington National Cemetery <a href="https://t.co/NVetqZxCyr">pic.twitter.com/NVetqZxCyr</a>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1927025135065702443?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 26, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">President <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@realDonaldTrump</a> lays a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier 🇺🇸 <a href="https://t.co/YLyDQyQdXM">pic.twitter.com/YLyDQyQdXM</a>&mdash; Margo Martin (@MargoMartin47) <a href="https://twitter.com/MargoMartin47/status/1927027306377187555?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 26, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">President <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@realDonaldTrump</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/VP?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@VP</a>, and <a href="https://twitter.com/SecDef?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SecDef</a> arrive at Arlington National Cemetery 🇺🇸 <a href="https://t.co/OLzMz3yRAR">pic.twitter.com/OLzMz3yRAR</a>&mdash; Margo Martin (@MargoMartin47) <a href="https://twitter.com/MargoMartin47/status/1927027406709137553?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 26, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> arrives at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, alongside <a href="https://twitter.com/VP?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@VP</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/SecDef?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SecDef</a>. <a href="https://t.co/QxZtoOizEW">pic.twitter.com/QxZtoOizEW</a>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1927024701437616232?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 26, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/SecVetAffairs?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SecVetAffairs</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/DNIGabbard?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DNIGabbard</a>, and <a href="https://twitter.com/epaleezeldin?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@epaleezeldin</a> — all military veterans — arrive at Arlington National Cemetery alongside <a href="https://twitter.com/SecretaryTurner?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SecretaryTurner</a>, who served the military in special projects, including by helping transition veterans into civilian life. <a href="https://t.co/pogzdKrbQp">pic.twitter.com/pogzdKrbQp</a>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1927023666518171789?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 26, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

🎥.Memorial Day ceremony at Tomb of the Unknown Soldier 

KANSAS CITY —Detectives are investigating another Memorial Day weekend homicide in Kansas City.

Just after 9:30p.m. Saturday, police were dispatched to the 5500 block of Troost Avenue on a reported shooting, according to KCPD Officer&nbsp; Alayna Gonzalez.

When officers arrived on scene, they immediately canvassed the area for victims. The responding officers determined the shooting occurred in the parking lot of a nearby business. A private vehicle transported three victims to a local hospital suffering from gunshot trauma believed to be related to this incident. 

One adult male and one adult female victim were both suffering from non-life-threatening gunshot injuries. An additional victim, later identified as 34-year-old&nbsp;&nbsp;Zavion N. Horn was&nbsp;also transported by private vehicle to the hospital suffering from gunshot wounds. Horn was&nbsp; pronounced deceased at the hospital.

Preliminary investigation indicates that an interaction took place between an adult male suspect and a victim in the parking lot of a nearby business. That interaction escalated to gunfire and subsequently resulted in three individuals being struck. The suspect left the area on foot in an unknown direction. Police released no additional details.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1748174504011.png" alt="Photos Sheriff Daryl Forte'" />
 <figcaption>Photos Sheriff Daryl Forte'</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —Detectives are investigating another Memorial Day weekend homicide in Kansas City.Just after 9:30p.m. Saturday, police were dispatched to the 5500 block of Troost Avenue on a reported shooting, according to KCPD Officer&nbsp; Alayna Gonzalez.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1748174558410.png" alt=" " />
 <figcaption> </figcaption>
 </figure>When officers arrived on scene, they immediately canvassed the area for victims. The responding officers determined the shooting occurred in the parking lot of a nearby business. A private vehicle transported three victims to a local hospital suffering from gunshot trauma believed to be related to this incident. One adult male and one adult female victim were both suffering from non-life-threatening gunshot injuries. An additional victim, later identified as 34-year-old&nbsp;&nbsp;Zavion N. Horn was&nbsp;also transported by private vehicle to the hospital suffering from gunshot wounds. Horn was&nbsp; pronounced deceased at the hospital.Preliminary investigation indicates that an interaction took place between an adult male suspect and a victim in the parking lot of a nearby business. That interaction escalated to gunfire and subsequently resulted in three individuals being struck. The suspect left the area on foot in an unknown direction. Police released no additional details.

1 dead, 3 wounded after Kansas City parking lot shooting

<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">&quot;I&#39;m not happy with what Putin&#39;s doing. He&#39;s killing a lot of people. I don&#39;t know what the hell happened to Putin... I don&#39;t like what Putin is doing, not even a little bit. He&#39;s killing people. Something happened to this guy. And I don&#39;t like it.&quot; -- President Trump <a href="https://t.co/KWZK1Xq6Wo">pic.twitter.com/KWZK1Xq6Wo</a>&mdash; Howard Mortman (@HowardMortman) <a href="https://twitter.com/HowardMortman/status/1926771596439519717?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 25, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><a href="https://t.co/qjmxgOb4Mt">pic.twitter.com/qjmxgOb4Mt</a>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1926803020370579753?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 26, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

🎥Trump makes wild new statement on Russian leader Vladimir Putin

KANSAS CITY&nbsp; —Law enforcement are investigating a suspect on multiple allegations after an arrest in&nbsp;

Just before 11:30 a.m. May 23,&nbsp; sheriff's deputies served a search warrant in rural Garden City, Missouri, according to a media release from the Cass County Sheriff’s Office.

The warrant was granted after an investigation into the theft of a vehicle on May 5. As a result, 39-year-old Jessie Fletcher of Garden City, Missouri, was arrested.

Fletcher is now charged with 1st Degree Tampering of a Vehicle (Class D Felony) and four counts of Unlawful Possession of a Firearm (Class C Felony).She’s currently being held at the Cass County Jail on a $25,000 cash-only bond.&nbsp; Garden City is approximately 45 minutes southeast of Kansas City.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1747996439662.png" alt="Fletcher photo Cass County" />
 <figcaption>Fletcher photo Cass County</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY&nbsp; —Law enforcement are investigating a suspect on multiple allegations after an arrest in&nbsp;Just before 11:30 a.m. May 23,&nbsp; sheriff's deputies served a search warrant in rural Garden City, Missouri, according to a media release from the Cass County Sheriff’s Office.The warrant was granted after an investigation into the theft of a vehicle on May 5. As a result, 39-year-old Jessie Fletcher of Garden City, Missouri, was arrested.Fletcher is now charged with 1st Degree Tampering of a Vehicle (Class D Felony) and four counts of Unlawful Possession of a Firearm (Class C Felony).She’s currently being held at the Cass County Jail on a $25,000 cash-only bond.&nbsp; Garden City is approximately 45 minutes southeast of Kansas City.

Woman jailed for vehicle theft in rural Kansas City suburb

&nbsp;JACKSON COUNTY—Law enforcement are investigating a Nebraska man on multiple allegations after a traffic stop.

Just before 2:30p.m. May 23, a sheriff's deputy&nbsp;conducted a traffic stop on a Subaru Forester for a traffic infraction on U.S. 75 Highway near 126th&nbsp;Road, according to Sheriff Tim Morse.

&nbsp; After the traffic stop was completed, the driver, Michael Glebavicius, 55, of Omaha, Nebraska, was arrested following a search of the vehicle. During the search, methamphetamine, marijuana and numerous items of drug paraphernalia were located.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Glebavicius was&nbsp;booked into the Jackson County Jail on requested charges of possession of methamphetamine, possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia and criminal carrying of a weapon.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1747947275336.png" alt="Glebavicius" />
 <figcaption>Glebavicius</figcaption>
 </figure>&nbsp;JACKSON COUNTY—Law enforcement are investigating a Nebraska man on multiple allegations after a traffic stop.Just before 2:30p.m. May 23, a sheriff's deputy&nbsp;conducted a traffic stop on a Subaru Forester for a traffic infraction on U.S. 75 Highway near 126th&nbsp;Road, according to Sheriff Tim Morse.&nbsp; After the traffic stop was completed, the driver, Michael Glebavicius, 55, of Omaha, Nebraska, was arrested following a search of the vehicle. During the search, methamphetamine, marijuana and numerous items of drug paraphernalia were located.&nbsp;&nbsp;Glebavicius was&nbsp;booked into the Jackson County Jail on requested charges of possession of methamphetamine, possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia and criminal carrying of a weapon.

Sheriff: Man jailed for weapons violation, transporting meth in Kansas

By:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/jacob-fischler/">Jacob Fischler</a>

The massive tax and spending bill passed by U.S. House Republicans would likely result in 3.2 million people losing food assistance benefits, and saddle states with around $14 billion a year in costs, according to a new analysis from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.

Democrats have argued the bill, which&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/us-house-republicans-push-through-massive-tax-and-spending-bill-slashing-medicaid" target="_blank">the House passed</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/2025145" target="_blank">215-214</a>&nbsp;early Thursday without any Democrats in support, would cut programs for the needy to fund tax breaks for high earners.

The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cbo.gov/system/files/2025-05/Klobuchar-Craig-Letter-SNAP_5-22-25.pdf" target="_blank">CBO document, issued late Thursday,&nbsp;</a>responded to a request to the office from the top Democrats on the Senate and House Agriculture committees, Sen. Amy Klobuchar and Rep. Angie Craig, both of Minnesota, and somewhat bolsters that claim. The panels oversee federal food aid programs.

“This report is truly devastating,” Craig said in a Friday statement to States Newsroom. “As a mother and someone who at times relied on food assistance as a child, these numbers are heartbreaking. It is infuriating that Republicans in Congress are willing to make our children go hungry so they can give tax breaks to the already rich.”

A provision in the bill to tighten work requirements, including by excluding single parents of children older than 6 and by raising the age of adults to whom the work requirements apply, of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, would result in 3.2 million people losing access to the program in an average month, the CBO report said.

Of those, 1.4 million would be people who currently have a state waiver from work requirements that would be disallowed under the bill and 800,000 would be adults who live with children 7 or older, the report said.

In a Friday statement, Ben Nichols, a spokesman for the House Agriculture Committee led by Pennsylvania Republican Glenn ‘GT’ Thompson, said the proposed change would be more fair to the people SNAP is supposed to help and noted the program is the only state-administered entitlement program that is paid fully by the federal government.

“No one who is able-bodied and working, volunteering, or training for 20 hours a week will lose benefits,” Nichols wrote.

Republicans want to use the legislative package to extend the 2017 tax law and its cuts, increase spending on border security and defense by hundreds of billions of dollars, overhaul American energy production, restructure higher education aid and cut spending.

The cost-share changes, which would require states for the first time to pay for a portion of SNAP benefits, would also limit participation and add a massive line item to state budgets, according to the CBO.

Starting in 2028, states would be responsible for paying 5% to 25% of SNAP benefits, with a state’s share rising with its payment error rate. The federal government currently pays for all SNAP benefits.

Under the House bill, which will likely undergo substantial changes as the Senate considers it in the coming weeks, states collectively would be responsible for just less than $100 billion from 2028 to 2034, about $14 billion per year.

States would respond in a variety of ways, CBO Director Phillip Swagel wrote, including potentially dropping out of the program.

“CBO expects that some states would maintain current benefits and eligibility and others would modify benefits or eligibility or possibly leave the program altogether because of the increased costs,” he wrote.

The office took a “probabilistic approach to account for a range of possible outcomes” to determine what the effect on households would be and estimated that 1.3 million people would lose benefits because of state responses to the new cost-share.

Nichols, with the House Agriculture Committee, disputed the CBO’s estimate regarding the cost share change. The lowest state cost-share of 5% would be available for states with error rates below 6%. Every state has hit that mark at some point in the last decade, he said.

With that favorable of a cost-share, the Republican committee members did not believe states would drop out of the program, he added.

“We reject the hypothetical assumption that some states may not chip into 5 percent of a supplemental nutrition program,” Nichols wrote. “Every state is capable of paying for a portion SNAP… Federal policy should encourage states to administer the SNAP program more efficiently and effectively, and this bill does just that.”&nbsp;

CBO’s forecasters determined the impacts of the work requirements and cost-share provisions separately, meaning some people potentially losing benefits could have been counted in both categories.

The House vote Thursday sent the measure to the Senate, where the debate over SNAP benefits may fall along similar party lines.

Republicans who hold control in that chamber are planning to employ the budget reconciliation process, which allows them to skirt the Senate’s usual 60-vote requirement for legislation.

During the House Agriculture Committee’s debate over its portion of the legislation, Republicans on the panel said the work requirement and state cost-share measures were needed reforms to SNAP that would protect the program for those it was meant to serve, while limiting the costs associated with benefits to adults who were able and unwilling to work or in the country illegally.

In a Friday statement, Sara Lasure, a spokeswoman for Senate Agriculture Committee Chair John Boozman, an Arkansas Republican, also said the panel would seek reforms to the program but did not offer specifics.

“The Senate Agriculture Committee is in the process of crafting its budget reconciliation package and will work as good stewards of taxpayer dollars to make commonsense reforms to SNAP that encourage employment,” she wrote in an email.

Klobuchar, in a statement after House passage Thursday, blasted the House bill and indicated she would oppose efforts to cut SNAP benefits.

“House Republicans are pulling the rug out from under millions of families by taking away federal assistance to put food on the table,” she said. “They’re doing that even as President Trump’s tariff taxes raise food prices by more than $200 for the average family, all to fund more tax breaks for the wealthy. That’s so very wrong —and we will fight against it in the Senate.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/7/1689674819900.png" alt="Photo USDA" />
 <figcaption>Photo USDA</figcaption>
 </figure>By:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/jacob-fischler/">Jacob Fischler</a>The massive tax and spending bill passed by U.S. House Republicans would likely result in 3.2 million people losing food assistance benefits, and saddle states with around $14 billion a year in costs, according to a new analysis from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.Democrats have argued the bill, which&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/us-house-republicans-push-through-massive-tax-and-spending-bill-slashing-medicaid" target="_blank">the House passed</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/2025145" target="_blank">215-214</a>&nbsp;early Thursday without any Democrats in support, would cut programs for the needy to fund tax breaks for high earners.The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cbo.gov/system/files/2025-05/Klobuchar-Craig-Letter-SNAP_5-22-25.pdf" target="_blank">CBO document, issued late Thursday,&nbsp;</a>responded to a request to the office from the top Democrats on the Senate and House Agriculture committees, Sen. Amy Klobuchar and Rep. Angie Craig, both of Minnesota, and somewhat bolsters that claim. The panels oversee federal food aid programs.“This report is truly devastating,” Craig said in a Friday statement to States Newsroom. “As a mother and someone who at times relied on food assistance as a child, these numbers are heartbreaking. It is infuriating that Republicans in Congress are willing to make our children go hungry so they can give tax breaks to the already rich.”A provision in the bill to tighten work requirements, including by excluding single parents of children older than 6 and by raising the age of adults to whom the work requirements apply, of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, would result in 3.2 million people losing access to the program in an average month, the CBO report said.Of those, 1.4 million would be people who currently have a state waiver from work requirements that would be disallowed under the bill and 800,000 would be adults who live with children 7 or older, the report said.In a Friday statement, Ben Nichols, a spokesman for the House Agriculture Committee led by Pennsylvania Republican Glenn ‘GT’ Thompson, said the proposed change would be more fair to the people SNAP is supposed to help and noted the program is the only state-administered entitlement program that is paid fully by the federal government.“No one who is able-bodied and working, volunteering, or training for 20 hours a week will lose benefits,” Nichols wrote.Republicans want to use the legislative package to extend the 2017 tax law and its cuts, increase spending on border security and defense by hundreds of billions of dollars, overhaul American energy production, restructure higher education aid and cut spending.<h2>Toll on states</h2>The cost-share changes, which would require states for the first time to pay for a portion of SNAP benefits, would also limit participation and add a massive line item to state budgets, according to the CBO.Starting in 2028, states would be responsible for paying 5% to 25% of SNAP benefits, with a state’s share rising with its payment error rate. The federal government currently pays for all SNAP benefits.Under the House bill, which will likely undergo substantial changes as the Senate considers it in the coming weeks, states collectively would be responsible for just less than $100 billion from 2028 to 2034, about $14 billion per year.States would respond in a variety of ways, CBO Director Phillip Swagel wrote, including potentially dropping out of the program.“CBO expects that some states would maintain current benefits and eligibility and others would modify benefits or eligibility or possibly leave the program altogether because of the increased costs,” he wrote.The office took a “probabilistic approach to account for a range of possible outcomes” to determine what the effect on households would be and estimated that 1.3 million people would lose benefits because of state responses to the new cost-share.Nichols, with the House Agriculture Committee, disputed the CBO’s estimate regarding the cost share change. The lowest state cost-share of 5% would be available for states with error rates below 6%. Every state has hit that mark at some point in the last decade, he said.With that favorable of a cost-share, the Republican committee members did not believe states would drop out of the program, he added.“We reject the hypothetical assumption that some states may not chip into 5 percent of a supplemental nutrition program,” Nichols wrote. “Every state is capable of paying for a portion SNAP… Federal policy should encourage states to administer the SNAP program more efficiently and effectively, and this bill does just that.”&nbsp;CBO’s forecasters determined the impacts of the work requirements and cost-share provisions separately, meaning some people potentially losing benefits could have been counted in both categories.<h2>Move to the Senate</h2>The House vote Thursday sent the measure to the Senate, where the debate over SNAP benefits may fall along similar party lines.Republicans who hold control in that chamber are planning to employ the budget reconciliation process, which allows them to skirt the Senate’s usual 60-vote requirement for legislation.During the House Agriculture Committee’s debate over its portion of the legislation, Republicans on the panel said the work requirement and state cost-share measures were needed reforms to SNAP that would protect the program for those it was meant to serve, while limiting the costs associated with benefits to adults who were able and unwilling to work or in the country illegally.In a Friday statement, Sara Lasure, a spokeswoman for Senate Agriculture Committee Chair John Boozman, an Arkansas Republican, also said the panel would seek reforms to the program but did not offer specifics.“The Senate Agriculture Committee is in the process of crafting its budget reconciliation package and will work as good stewards of taxpayer dollars to make commonsense reforms to SNAP that encourage employment,” she wrote in an email.Klobuchar, in a statement after House passage Thursday, blasted the House bill and indicated she would oppose efforts to cut SNAP benefits.“House Republicans are pulling the rug out from under millions of families by taking away federal assistance to put food on the table,” she said. “They’re doing that even as President Trump’s tariff taxes raise food prices by more than $200 for the average family, all to fund more tax breaks for the wealthy. That’s so very wrong —and we will fight against it in the Senate.”

More than 3 million would lose SNAP benefits under GOP bill, nonpartisan report says

KANSAS CITY—Law enforcement&nbsp; investigating another homicide in Kansas City have identified the victim as 30-year-old&nbsp;Levon J. Quinn, according to&nbsp;KCPD Officer Alayna Gonzalez.

Just after 4p.m. Friday, police were dispatched to Westport and Broadway on a reported accident. The call was updated to a shooting.

First responders located a Quinn in a vehicle near 43rd and Broadway unresponsive and suffering from gunshot trauma. EMS responded and transported him to an area hospital where he was pronounced deceased.

Preliminary information indicates an argument took place inside of a business. The argument continued as both Quinn and an adult male suspect walked outside of the business. The argument then escalated to gunfire. 

Quinn left the area in a vehicle before coming to a stop near 43rd and Broadway. Initial responding officers located a man at Westport and Broadway that had been involved in an accident when the victim was driving out of the area and subsequently struck his vehicle.

&nbsp;This incident is being investigated as a homicide. Just before 9p.m. Friday police reported they had taken a suspect into custody.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1748052749455.png" alt="Photos Sheriff Daryl Forte'" />
 <figcaption>Photos Sheriff Daryl Forte'</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY—Law enforcement&nbsp; investigating another homicide in Kansas City have identified the victim as 30-year-old&nbsp;Levon J. Quinn, according to&nbsp;KCPD Officer Alayna Gonzalez.Just after 4p.m. Friday, police were dispatched to Westport and Broadway on a reported accident. The call was updated to a shooting.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1748052715240.png" alt=" " />
 <figcaption> </figcaption>
 </figure>First responders located a Quinn in a vehicle near 43rd and Broadway unresponsive and suffering from gunshot trauma. EMS responded and transported him to an area hospital where he was pronounced deceased.Preliminary information indicates an argument took place inside of a business. The argument continued as both Quinn and an adult male suspect walked outside of the business. The argument then escalated to gunfire. Quinn left the area in a vehicle before coming to a stop near 43rd and Broadway. Initial responding officers located a man at Westport and Broadway that had been involved in an accident when the victim was driving out of the area and subsequently struck his vehicle.&nbsp;This incident is being investigated as a homicide. Just before 9p.m. Friday police reported they had taken a suspect into custody.&nbsp;

Police ID KC homicide victim involved in car crash after shooting

The new complex will enable physicians and researchers to collaborate in real time on personalized treatment options and make them available to patients more quickly.

The University of Kansas Cancer Center broke ground on the future site of a new complex Friday that will bring research and patient care into one complex for the first time in KU Cancer Center’s history.

The new building realizes a long-time vision of KU Cancer Center’s leadership to bring together the entire cancer community — from physician-scientists to researchers to physicians and clinical staff — side by side in one complex.

“Today marks a pivotal moment in&nbsp;our efforts to&nbsp;address one of the greatest health challenges of our time: cancer,” said Roy Jensen, M.D., vice chancellor and director of KU Cancer Center. “This new center will unite researchers, clinicians&nbsp;and&nbsp;patients&nbsp;side-by-side&nbsp;in one&nbsp;facility, supporting&nbsp;the&nbsp;real-time collaborations&nbsp;that&nbsp;are&nbsp;essential for groundbreaking discoveries. We intend to create a global destination for patient care and research.”

The groundbreaking, which was followed by a celebratory event at KU Medical Center, was attended by U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran, U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids, Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly and a host of other dignitaries.

The new facility, which will be located on the 39th and Rainbow campus in Kansas City, will enable the whole patient experience — from nutrition and social workers to pathology and imaging, and everything in-between — to happen in one place. It also will give patients access to groundbreaking clinical trials and therapies developed on site. Physicians and researchers will be able to collaborate in real time on personalized treatment options and make them available to patients more quickly.

In 2022,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kucancercenter.org/">The University of Kansas Cancer Center</a>&nbsp;was designated as a “Comprehensive” cancer center by the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cancer.gov/">National Cancer Institute</a>&nbsp;(NCI). This is the highest level of recognition awarded by the NCI and is the gold standard for cancer centers.

“We knew that (the comprehensive designation) wasn’t the culmination of our work,” said Douglas A. Girod, M.D., chancellor of the University of Kansas. “Rather, it was an important milestone along the way to our next goal – which was to develop the facilities necessary to bring clinical and research capabilities together in the same place to provide better patient care and facilitate the development of new treatments and cures.”

The new complex will support cellular therapy, which&nbsp;uses the body’s own cells to fight each person’s individual cancer with fewer side effects than traditional treatments. It will also house a cellular therapeutics Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) laboratory that will expedite CAR T-cell therapy, a novel treatment that uses genetically re-engineered immune cells known as T-cells to find and destroy cancer. By bringing a cellular therapeutics GMP laboratory in-house, the costs and wait time for the creation of these specialized cells will be reduced. &nbsp;KU Cancer Center is the only cancer center in the region offering all seven FDA-approved CAR T-cell therapies.

The complex is funded by multiple sources, including&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kumc.edu/about/news/news-archive/ku-cancer-center-receives-100-million-gift.html">a $100 million lead gift from the Sunderland Foundation</a>, the largest ever received by the University of Kansas and The University of Kansas Health System. U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran secured federal funding and Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly supported the appropriation of state funds. Other funding came from private foundations and donors.

“All recovery from this dreaded disease starts with the power of hope.,” Moran said. “Today we celebrate hope.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1748124360509.png" alt="Rendering of the new KU Cancer Center complex, to be located in Kansas City." />
 <figcaption>Rendering of the new KU Cancer Center complex, to be located in Kansas City.</figcaption>
 </figure>The new complex will enable physicians and researchers to collaborate in real time on personalized treatment options and make them available to patients more quickly.By Kristi BirchThe University of Kansas Cancer Center broke ground on the future site of a new complex Friday that will bring research and patient care into one complex for the first time in KU Cancer Center’s history.The new building realizes a long-time vision of KU Cancer Center’s leadership to bring together the entire cancer community — from physician-scientists to researchers to physicians and clinical staff — side by side in one complex.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1748124412477.png" alt="KU Chancellor Douglas A Girod, M.D., and KU Cancer Center Vice Chancellor and Director Roy Jensen, M.D., participate in the groundbreaking for a new cancer center building on May 23, 2025." />
 <figcaption>KU Chancellor Douglas A Girod, M.D., and KU Cancer Center Vice Chancellor and Director Roy Jensen, M.D., participate in the groundbreaking for a new cancer center building on May 23, 2025.</figcaption>
 </figure>“Today marks a pivotal moment in&nbsp;our efforts to&nbsp;address one of the greatest health challenges of our time: cancer,” said Roy Jensen, M.D., vice chancellor and director of KU Cancer Center. “This new center will unite researchers, clinicians&nbsp;and&nbsp;patients&nbsp;side-by-side&nbsp;in one&nbsp;facility, supporting&nbsp;the&nbsp;real-time collaborations&nbsp;that&nbsp;are&nbsp;essential for groundbreaking discoveries. We intend to create a global destination for patient care and research.”The groundbreaking, which was followed by a celebratory event at KU Medical Center, was attended by U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran, U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids, Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly and a host of other dignitaries.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">I joined <a href="https://twitter.com/KUMedCenter?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KUMedCenter</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/KUHospital?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KUHospital</a> yesterday to break ground on its new world-class cancer center. The cutting-edge research conducted at KU has already saved so many lives. This new building means researchers and clinicians will be able to do more — and they’ll do it faster. <a href="https://t.co/lRS0vU1tfB">pic.twitter.com/lRS0vU1tfB</a>&mdash; Governor Laura Kelly (@GovLauraKelly) <a href="https://twitter.com/GovLauraKelly/status/1926326101585830187?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 24, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The new facility, which will be located on the 39th and Rainbow campus in Kansas City, will enable the whole patient experience — from nutrition and social workers to pathology and imaging, and everything in-between — to happen in one place. It also will give patients access to groundbreaking clinical trials and therapies developed on site. Physicians and researchers will be able to collaborate in real time on personalized treatment options and make them available to patients more quickly.In 2022,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kucancercenter.org/">The University of Kansas Cancer Center</a>&nbsp;was designated as a “Comprehensive” cancer center by the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cancer.gov/">National Cancer Institute</a>&nbsp;(NCI). This is the highest level of recognition awarded by the NCI and is the gold standard for cancer centers.“We knew that (the comprehensive designation) wasn’t the culmination of our work,” said Douglas A. Girod, M.D., chancellor of the University of Kansas. “Rather, it was an important milestone along the way to our next goal – which was to develop the facilities necessary to bring clinical and research capabilities together in the same place to provide better patient care and facilitate the development of new treatments and cures.”The new complex will support cellular therapy, which&nbsp;uses the body’s own cells to fight each person’s individual cancer with fewer side effects than traditional treatments. It will also house a cellular therapeutics Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) laboratory that will expedite CAR T-cell therapy, a novel treatment that uses genetically re-engineered immune cells known as T-cells to find and destroy cancer. By bringing a cellular therapeutics GMP laboratory in-house, the costs and wait time for the creation of these specialized cells will be reduced. &nbsp;KU Cancer Center is the only cancer center in the region offering all seven FDA-approved CAR T-cell therapies.The complex is funded by multiple sources, including&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kumc.edu/about/news/news-archive/ku-cancer-center-receives-100-million-gift.html">a $100 million lead gift from the Sunderland Foundation</a>, the largest ever received by the University of Kansas and The University of Kansas Health System. U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran secured federal funding and Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly supported the appropriation of state funds. Other funding came from private foundations and donors.“All recovery from this dreaded disease starts with the power of hope.,” Moran said. “Today we celebrate hope.”

KU Cancer Center breaks ground for new complex

KANSAS CITY—Officials are investigating the cause of a house fire in Kansas City, Missouri,

Just before 5a.m. Saturday, the Kansas City Fire Department responded to a reported house fire in the 500 block of Booth, according to Battalion Chief Michael Hopkins.

 Crews reported smoke and fire showing from a single-story home. Initially it was not clear if the home was vacant or occupied. Interior operations were initiated using multiple hand lines. Crews encountered heavy fire in the basement of the structure that burned through to the first&nbsp;floor. Searches of the structure came back all clear. No injuries were reported at this incident.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1748095088833.jpeg" alt="Photo KC&nbsp; Fire Department" />
 <figcaption>Photo KC&nbsp; Fire Department</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY—Officials are investigating the cause of a house fire in Kansas City, Missouri,Just before 5a.m. Saturday, the Kansas City Fire Department responded to a reported house fire in the 500 block of Booth, according to Battalion Chief Michael Hopkins.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1748094979366.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure> Crews reported smoke and fire showing from a single-story home. Initially it was not clear if the home was vacant or occupied. Interior operations were initiated using multiple hand lines. Crews encountered heavy fire in the basement of the structure that burned through to the first&nbsp;floor. Searches of the structure came back all clear. No injuries were reported at this incident.&nbsp;

Fire burned from basement through to first floor of KC home

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/mchilson/">MORGAN CHILSON</a> <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/02/24/gov-laura-kelly-skeptical-kansas-houses-anti-tenure-legislation-will-reach-her-desk/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA — State officials have denied a federal request to disclose personal information of Kansans using the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

On May 6, the Kansas Department for Children and Families received a letter from the U.S. Department of Agriculture that demanded “unfettered access to comprehensive data from all State programs that receive federal funding.” DCF spokeswoman Erin LaRow shared a copy of that letter and other communications in response to an inquiry from Kansas Reflector.

The USDA letter specified that information to be collected for each SNAP applicant or recipient included name, Social Security number, date of birth, personal address and records to calculate the amount of SNAP benefits participants received over time. It was signed by Gina Brand, senior policy advisor for integrity at USDA’s Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services division.

The requested data would cover the time period from Jan. 1, 2020, to the present, the letter said.

DCF’s SNAP data is held by a third-party database administrator, Fidelity Information Services LLC. That company notified DCF on May 9 that a formal request for Kansas SNAP records had been made from USDA and that because of federal guidance, they were required to disclose that information.

“As such, FIS intends to fully cooperate with the USDA in facilitating its request for information, as required by applicable law and the guidance,” wrote Prashant Gupta, FIS senior vice president. He then asked for DCF’s written consent.

DCF stopped the process in a letter dated May 14, sent by Carla Whiteside Hicks, the DCF director of economic and employment services.

“Please be advised that we&nbsp;do not consent&nbsp;to your providing the USDA the requested information at this time,” Whiteside Hicks told FIS. “As you know, our obligation to maintain these records in confidence is paramount and may only be disclosed to the USDA for specific program-related reasons. At this time, we are unsure as to the reason for the USDA’s request. As such, we are unable to consent to your turning the information over.”

Whiteside Hicks also said DCF will be asking the USDA to contact DCF directly in the future. She asked FIS to turn over any information that they may have already provided to the USDA and to also provide DCF with any written communications the company has received from USDA.

LaRow said DCF is reviewing the request from USDA related to the personally identifiable data of Kansans.

“Security of Kansans’ personal information is paramount to the agency, and we are committed to maintaining confidentiality consistent with state and federal law,” she said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1748016604613.png" alt=" Kansas Department for Children and Families denied a request by the federal government for access to personal data of a food assistance program. (Submitted)" />
 <figcaption> Kansas Department for Children and Families denied a request by the federal government for access to personal data of a food assistance program. (Submitted)</figcaption>
 </figure>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/mchilson/">MORGAN CHILSON</a> <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/02/24/gov-laura-kelly-skeptical-kansas-houses-anti-tenure-legislation-will-reach-her-desk/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — State officials have denied a federal request to disclose personal information of Kansans using the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.On May 6, the Kansas Department for Children and Families received a letter from the U.S. Department of Agriculture that demanded “unfettered access to comprehensive data from all State programs that receive federal funding.” DCF spokeswoman Erin LaRow shared a copy of that letter and other communications in response to an inquiry from Kansas Reflector.The USDA letter specified that information to be collected for each SNAP applicant or recipient included name, Social Security number, date of birth, personal address and records to calculate the amount of SNAP benefits participants received over time. It was signed by Gina Brand, senior policy advisor for integrity at USDA’s Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services division.The requested data would cover the time period from Jan. 1, 2020, to the present, the letter said.DCF’s SNAP data is held by a third-party database administrator, Fidelity Information Services LLC. That company notified DCF on May 9 that a formal request for Kansas SNAP records had been made from USDA and that because of federal guidance, they were required to disclose that information.“As such, FIS intends to fully cooperate with the USDA in facilitating its request for information, as required by applicable law and the guidance,” wrote Prashant Gupta, FIS senior vice president. He then asked for DCF’s written consent.DCF stopped the process in a letter dated May 14, sent by Carla Whiteside Hicks, the DCF director of economic and employment services.“Please be advised that we&nbsp;do not consent&nbsp;to your providing the USDA the requested information at this time,” Whiteside Hicks told FIS. “As you know, our obligation to maintain these records in confidence is paramount and may only be disclosed to the USDA for specific program-related reasons. At this time, we are unsure as to the reason for the USDA’s request. As such, we are unable to consent to your turning the information over.”Whiteside Hicks also said DCF will be asking the USDA to contact DCF directly in the future. She asked FIS to turn over any information that they may have already provided to the USDA and to also provide DCF with any written communications the company has received from USDA.LaRow said DCF is reviewing the request from USDA related to the personally identifiable data of Kansans.“Security of Kansans’ personal information is paramount to the agency, and we are committed to maintaining confidentiality consistent with state and federal law,” she said.<figure>
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