WASHINGTON — In April Health secretary&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/robert-f-kennedy-jr">Robert F. Kennedy Jr.</a>&nbsp;warned that children in the U.S. are being diagnosed with autism at an “alarming rate,” promising to conduct exhaustive studies to identify any environmental factors that may cause the developmental disorder.

During President Trump's Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Kennedy revealed his researchers have identified what could be responsible for Autism.&nbsp;

Autism experts applaud efforts to further understand the condition, but say the number of reported cases began to balloon as the definition of the condition expanded to include mild cases.

“We will have an announcement as promised in September,” Kennedy said. “We’re finding interventions, certain interventions now that are clearly almost certainly causing autism.”

WASHINGTON — In April Health secretary&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/robert-f-kennedy-jr">Robert F. Kennedy Jr.</a>&nbsp;warned that children in the U.S. are being diagnosed with autism at an “alarming rate,” promising to conduct exhaustive studies to identify any environmental factors that may cause the developmental disorder.During President Trump's Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Kennedy revealed his researchers have identified what could be responsible for Autism.&nbsp;<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">RFK Jr. just REVEALED he has found the causes of autism. This is the moment MAHA moms have been waiting for. “We’re finding certain interventions that are almost certainly causing autism.” “We will have announcements, as promised, in September.” “In 1970, the biggest… <a href="https://t.co/KQidXc8fOY">pic.twitter.com/KQidXc8fOY</a>&mdash; Holden Culotta (@Holden_Culotta) <a href="https://twitter.com/Holden_Culotta/status/1960398300693074198?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 26, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Autism experts applaud efforts to further understand the condition, but say the number of reported cases began to balloon as the definition of the condition expanded to include mild cases.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/SecKennedy?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SecKennedy</a>: &quot;I know what a healthy child is supposed to look like. I’m looking at kids as I walk through the airports today...and I see these kids that are just overburdened with mitochondrial challenges...and I know that’s not how our children are supposed to look.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/b8A2OEphav">pic.twitter.com/b8A2OEphav</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1960802249053233248?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 27, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>“We will have an announcement as promised in September,” Kennedy said. “We’re finding interventions, certain interventions now that are clearly almost certainly causing autism.”

🎥The latest promise from RFK Jr. on autism research

LYON COUNTY — Police Detectives took two 14-year-old boys into custody in connection with the Attempted Aggravated Robbery that occurred around 1:30am August 17, in the 1100 block of E 12th Avenue in Emporia.

After receiving a Crime Stoppers Tip early last week, detectives gained traction in the investigation. A gun and knife, believed to be used in the attempted robbery, were recovered as part of the investigation. The gun had been reported stolen prior to the attempted robbery.

&nbsp;Police did not released the names of the two teen suspects.

The Emporia Police Department thanked the public and Lyon County Crime Stoppers for their assistance in solving the crime.

LYON COUNTY — Police Detectives took two 14-year-old boys into custody in connection with the Attempted Aggravated Robbery that occurred around 1:30am August 17, in the 1100 block of E 12th Avenue in Emporia.After receiving a Crime Stoppers Tip early last week, detectives gained traction in the investigation. A gun and knife, believed to be used in the attempted robbery, were recovered as part of the investigation. The gun had been reported stolen prior to the attempted robbery.&nbsp;Police did not released the names of the two teen suspects.The Emporia Police Department thanked the public and Lyon County Crime Stoppers for their assistance in solving the crime.

Tip led to arrest of 14-year-olds for Kansas armed robbery

The countdown is on, with just eight days to go until the 2025 Kansas State Fair kicks off in Hutchinson. Fair General Manager Brian Schulz says preparations are well underway as vendors, exhibits, and entertainment begin to move onto the grounds.&nbsp;

“We’ve been out making sure everything is ready,”&nbsp;Schulz&nbsp;said. “People are starting to move in, and for safety reasons, we’ve closed the grounds to walkers during setup. With big trucks, combines, tractors, and other large items coming in, it’s just too dangerous.”&nbsp;

Schulz&nbsp;highlighted this year’s lineup of free entertainment, much of it featuring Kansas talent. Acts will perform at venues across the fairgrounds, including the Lowen Stage at Lake Talbott, the newly upgraded People’s Bank and Trust Arena with a permanent canopy, and Gottschalk Park. Local performers include Derby’s America’s Got Talent runner-up and Ella Wellman of Sterling, now a K-State student.&nbsp;

Vendors are also making their return. Most booths are held year-to-year, with waiting lists for new spots. The fair takes care to avoid placing direct competitors side by side. Schulz&nbsp;noted that equipment displays remain a highlight, connecting new generations with Kansas’ agricultural roots.&nbsp;

“We’re five to seven generations removed from the family farm,”&nbsp;Schulz&nbsp;said. “For many young people, this is their first chance to see a combine or tractor up close.”&nbsp;

This year’s grandstand shows feature a wide variety of acts:&nbsp; •&nbsp; &nbsp;Friday: Sam Barber and Adriana&nbsp; •&nbsp; &nbsp;Saturday: Jeff Dunham&nbsp; •&nbsp; &nbsp;Sunday: Josh Turner with Jason Scott and the High Heat&nbsp; •&nbsp; &nbsp;Monday: Demolition Derby&nbsp; •&nbsp; &nbsp;Tuesday: Fair Fight Pro Wrestling •&nbsp; &nbsp;Wednesday: Josiah Queen with Ben Fuller (Christian Night)&nbsp; •&nbsp; &nbsp;Thursday: Hairball&nbsp; •&nbsp; &nbsp;Friday: Ludacris&nbsp; •&nbsp; &nbsp;Saturday: Plain White T’s with The Fray&nbsp; •&nbsp; &nbsp;Sunday: Lorrie Morgan with Mason Ramsey&nbsp;

One sweet tradition is also making a comeback. The Kansas State Fair Foundation will be selling official saltwater taffy as a fundraiser. The taffy, absent in recent years, will be available at the merchandise booth near the interactive fountain and at the 1861 Club.&nbsp;

Alongside staple fair foods like Pronto Pups and roasted corn, new items this year include fried brownie bites, pulled pork corn dogs, pineapple smoothies, and firecracker wontons.&nbsp;

Advance ticket packages are still available, including kids, seniors, and couple’s night bundles.&nbsp;Schulz&nbsp;recommends purchasing early, as prices increase once the fair begins. Adults will be $10 at the gate, while kids 6–12 are $6, and seniors $6.&nbsp;

The Kansas State Fair app has also been updated, offering visitors maps, schedules, food locations, and event reminders. “It’ll be your best friend during the fair,”&nbsp;Schulz&nbsp;said.&nbsp;

The fair opens Friday, September 5, with gates at 10 a.m. and opening ceremonies at 11 a.m. at the People’s Bank and Trust Arena, where a ribbon-cutting will also be held for the new canopy.&nbsp;

The fair runs for 10 days, bringing back a mix of tradition and new experiences for Kansans of all ages.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1725972126895.jpeg" alt="Photo by Pat James" />
 <figcaption>Photo by Pat James</figcaption>
 </figure>MARC JACOBS Hutch PostThe countdown is on, with just eight days to go until the 2025 Kansas State Fair kicks off in Hutchinson. Fair General Manager Brian Schulz says preparations are well underway as vendors, exhibits, and entertainment begin to move onto the grounds.&nbsp;“We’ve been out making sure everything is ready,”&nbsp;Schulz&nbsp;said. “People are starting to move in, and for safety reasons, we’ve closed the grounds to walkers during setup. With big trucks, combines, tractors, and other large items coming in, it’s just too dangerous.”&nbsp;<h2>Free entertainment and local talent</h2>Schulz&nbsp;highlighted this year’s lineup of free entertainment, much of it featuring Kansas talent. Acts will perform at venues across the fairgrounds, including the Lowen Stage at Lake Talbott, the newly upgraded People’s Bank and Trust Arena with a permanent canopy, and Gottschalk Park. Local performers include Derby’s America’s Got Talent runner-up and Ella Wellman of Sterling, now a K-State student.&nbsp;<div><iframe title="Bryan Shulz - Kansas State Fair" allowtransparency="true" height="150" width="100%" style="border: none; min-width: min(100%, 430px);height:150px;" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player" src="https://www.podbean.com/player-v2/?i=pq942-194986f-pb&from=pb6admin&share=1&download=1&rtl=0&fonts=Arial&skin=60a0c8&font-color=auto&logo_link=episode_page&btn-skin=3267a3" loading="lazy"></iframe></div><h2>Vendor spots and traditions</h2>Vendors are also making their return. Most booths are held year-to-year, with waiting lists for new spots. The fair takes care to avoid placing direct competitors side by side. Schulz&nbsp;noted that equipment displays remain a highlight, connecting new generations with Kansas’ agricultural roots.&nbsp;“We’re five to seven generations removed from the family farm,”&nbsp;Schulz&nbsp;said. “For many young people, this is their first chance to see a combine or tractor up close.”&nbsp;<h2>Grandstand lineup</h2>This year’s grandstand shows feature a wide variety of acts:&nbsp; •&nbsp; &nbsp;Friday: Sam Barber and Adriana&nbsp; •&nbsp; &nbsp;Saturday: Jeff Dunham&nbsp; •&nbsp; &nbsp;Sunday: Josh Turner with Jason Scott and the High Heat&nbsp; •&nbsp; &nbsp;Monday: Demolition Derby&nbsp; •&nbsp; &nbsp;Tuesday: Fair Fight Pro Wrestling •&nbsp; &nbsp;Wednesday: Josiah Queen with Ben Fuller (Christian Night)&nbsp; •&nbsp; &nbsp;Thursday: Hairball&nbsp; •&nbsp; &nbsp;Friday: Ludacris&nbsp; •&nbsp; &nbsp;Saturday: Plain White T’s with The Fray&nbsp; •&nbsp; &nbsp;Sunday: Lorrie Morgan with Mason Ramsey&nbsp;<h2>Saltwater Taffy returns</h2>One sweet tradition is also making a comeback. The Kansas State Fair Foundation will be selling official saltwater taffy as a fundraiser. The taffy, absent in recent years, will be available at the merchandise booth near the interactive fountain and at the 1861 Club.&nbsp;<h2>New Foods and Classic Favorites</h2>Alongside staple fair foods like Pronto Pups and roasted corn, new items this year include fried brownie bites, pulled pork corn dogs, pineapple smoothies, and firecracker wontons.&nbsp;<h2>Tickets and app updates</h2>Advance ticket packages are still available, including kids, seniors, and couple’s night bundles.&nbsp;Schulz&nbsp;recommends purchasing early, as prices increase once the fair begins. Adults will be $10 at the gate, while kids 6–12 are $6, and seniors $6.&nbsp;The Kansas State Fair app has also been updated, offering visitors maps, schedules, food locations, and event reminders. “It’ll be your best friend during the fair,”&nbsp;Schulz&nbsp;said.&nbsp;<h2>Opening Day</h2>The fair opens Friday, September 5, with gates at 10 a.m. and opening ceremonies at 11 a.m. at the People’s Bank and Trust Arena, where a ribbon-cutting will also be held for the new canopy.&nbsp;The fair runs for 10 days, bringing back a mix of tradition and new experiences for Kansans of all ages.&nbsp;

Kansas State Fair getting ready for opening next week

A Cole County judge will decide whether to revise, throw out or keep a constitutional amendment proposed by the Missouri General Assembly that would ban abortion

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/annaspoerre/">ANNA SPOERRE</a> <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/02/20/state-senator-throws-first-punches-of-2024-missouri-governors-campaign/">Missouri Independent</a>

A Cole County judge heard arguments Wednesday over whether a proposed ban on abortion set to go to voters next year should be thrown out or revised over a provision targeting gender-affirming care for minors.&nbsp;

The ACLU of Missouri believes the proposal, which was drafted by state lawmakers, violates the state constitution because it includes multiple subjects. The group also contends the summary that would appear on the ballot is misleading.

If the courts decide to keep the measure on the ballot, plaintiffs are asking that the ballot summary be revised to explicitly state that the measure would ban abortion.

If approved by a simple majority of voters, the abortion ban amendment would repeal a citizen-led reproductive rights amendment that passed last November legalizing&nbsp; abortion in Missouri up until the point of fetal viability and enshrining other reproductive rights in the constitution, including in-vitro fertilization and contraceptives.

The new amendment would reinstate an abortion ban, allowing limited exceptions for medical emergencies, fatal fetal anomolies and for survivors of rape and incest in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.

The current language written by the Missouri General Assembly makes no mention of the ban it would enact.&nbsp;

Instead, Missourians would be asked if they want to amend the Missouri constitution to:&nbsp;

Missouri statute states “petitions for laws shall contain not more than one subject which shall be expressed clearly in the title.”&nbsp;

Chuck Hatfield, an attorney with Stinson LLP&nbsp;representing the plaintiff on Wednesday argued that the inclusion of the gender-affirming health care ban was “ballot candy” meant to win over more voters but is a separate issue from reproductive health care.&nbsp;

Recent polling by St. Louis University/YouGov shows that while the<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/08/29/poll-shows-missouri-voters-back-trump-hawley-abortion-rights-and-minimum-wage-hike/">&nbsp;majority of polled Missouri voters support access to abortion</a>, the majority also&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/08/25/poll-finds-missouri-voters-support-for-bans-on-transgender-health-care/">oppose access to gender-affirming health care for minors.&nbsp;</a>

“You can’t say to the people, ‘Here’s a proposal whether the Chiefs should stay in Kansas City and to ban crypto,’” Hatfield said.

Missouri Solicitor General Louis Capozzi, defending the proposed amendment, told Cole County Circuit Judge Daniel Green on Wednesday that gender-affirming procedures can cause the loss of fertility. Therefore, he believes reproductive health care “applies to all people who are thinking about whether to have children.”

Capozzi said the latest proposed amendment “ensures that Missouri children are able to make the choice whether to reproduce when they are adults,” adding that if someone is “unable to reproduce, they can’t access reproductive health care.”

Last year,&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/09/06/judge-decides-abortion-amendment-3-missouri-ballot/">anti-abortion leaders were unsuccessful in convincing the courts&nbsp;</a>to throw the abortion rights amendment off the ballot by claiming it violated the single subject rule. At the time, an attorney for the Thomas Moore Society argued unsuccessfully that the subject of that amendment,&nbsp;“a person’s fundamental right to reproductive freedom,” encompassed “infinite subjects.”

Hatfield on Wednesday accused the legislature and Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins of misrepresenting what the amendment would do through both the language voters will see on the ballot and the ballot language posted&nbsp;at every polling station around the state next to sample ballots.&nbsp;

Hoskins’&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sos.mo.gov/petitions/2026BallotMeasures" target="_blank">ballot language</a>&nbsp;currently reads: “A ‘no’ vote will not amend the Missouri Constitution to allow abortion in cases of medical emergency, fetal anomaly, rape, or incest, or to protect children from gender transition.”

Under the current law, abortion is legal up until the point of fetal viability in Missouri and gender-affirming health care for minors is banned.&nbsp;

“It’s ridiculous; it’s wrong,” Hatfield said of the ballot language. “The current constitution guarantees those rights and to imply otherwise is wrong, it’s highly argumentative.”

Capozzi argued the legislature was working with a word limit and that it was more important to state what the amendment would do. Summary statements, he said, need not detail specific exceptions.

The proposed amendment also requires any lawsuits related to reproductive health care to be filed in Cole County and gives the Attorney General’s Office the right to intervene in these cases. The plaintiffs in the lawsuit said there is not a legitimate connection to reproductive health care, as “health care is not generally provided in court rooms.”

Hatfield suggested Green “tell the General Assembly to give it another shot in compliance with the constitution.”&nbsp;

Green did not immediately rule on the challenge to the abortion ban amendment. A day earlier, he also heard arguments in a case challenging a new law set to go into effect Thursday that&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/04/25/lawsuit-challenges-the-constitutionality-of-missouri-attorney-generals-new-powers/">changes the deadlines and procedures for challenging and revising ballot language.</a>&nbsp;Green’s determination in that case could affect how he’s allowed to proceed in regarding the ballot language.&nbsp;

Despite the current law, abortion access remains tenuous in Missouri.&nbsp;

Three Planned Parenthood clinics — in Kansas City, Columbia and St. Louis —&nbsp;have resumed procedural abortions on a limited schedule that was briefly interrupted over the summer when the courts overturned and then reinstated a temporary injunction allowing some abortions to resume ahead of a trial slated for January.

But Planned Parenthood and the Missouri Attorney General’s Office are slated to meet in court a handful of times before then.

At a hearing set for Sept. 10 in Kansas City, Planned Parenthood plans to argue in favor of undoing a number of laws they say are currently preventing its clinics from prescribing medication abortion in Missouri.&nbsp;

That same day, down the street, the Western District Court of Appeals is slated to hear&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-ag-erred-in-asking-supreme-court-to-overturn-order-legalizing-abortion/">the Missouri Attorney General’s Office’s appeal of an injunction</a>&nbsp;that allowed procedural abortions to resume in Missouri in February.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1746190042115.png" alt="An abortion procedure room pictured on Monday, March 3, 2025, at Planned Parenthood in Columbia, Missouri (Anna Spoerre/Missouri Independent)." />
 <figcaption>An abortion procedure room pictured on Monday, March 3, 2025, at Planned Parenthood in Columbia, Missouri (Anna Spoerre/Missouri Independent).</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>A Cole County judge will decide whether to revise, throw out or keep a constitutional amendment proposed by the Missouri General Assembly that would ban abortion</h2>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/annaspoerre/">ANNA SPOERRE</a> <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/02/20/state-senator-throws-first-punches-of-2024-missouri-governors-campaign/">Missouri Independent</a>A Cole County judge heard arguments Wednesday over whether a proposed ban on abortion set to go to voters next year should be thrown out or revised over a provision targeting gender-affirming care for minors.&nbsp;The ACLU of Missouri believes the proposal, which was drafted by state lawmakers, violates the state constitution because it includes multiple subjects. The group also contends the summary that would appear on the ballot is misleading.If the courts decide to keep the measure on the ballot, plaintiffs are asking that the ballot summary be revised to explicitly state that the measure would ban abortion.If approved by a simple majority of voters, the abortion ban amendment would repeal a citizen-led reproductive rights amendment that passed last November legalizing&nbsp; abortion in Missouri up until the point of fetal viability and enshrining other reproductive rights in the constitution, including in-vitro fertilization and contraceptives.The new amendment would reinstate an abortion ban, allowing limited exceptions for medical emergencies, fatal fetal anomolies and for survivors of rape and incest in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.The current language written by the Missouri General Assembly makes no mention of the ban it would enact.&nbsp;Instead, Missourians would be asked if they want to amend the Missouri constitution to:&nbsp;<ul>
 <li>Guarantee access to care for medical emergencies, ectopic pregnancies, and miscarriages;</li><li>Ensure women’s safety during abortions;</li><li>Ensure parental consent for minors;</li><li>Allow abortions for medical emergencies, fetal anomalies, rape, and incest;</li><li>Require physicians to provide medically accurate information; and</li><li>Protect children from gender transition?</li>
 </ul>Missouri statute states “petitions for laws shall contain not more than one subject which shall be expressed clearly in the title.”&nbsp;Chuck Hatfield, an attorney with Stinson LLP&nbsp;representing the plaintiff on Wednesday argued that the inclusion of the gender-affirming health care ban was “ballot candy” meant to win over more voters but is a separate issue from reproductive health care.&nbsp;Recent polling by St. Louis University/YouGov shows that while the<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/08/29/poll-shows-missouri-voters-back-trump-hawley-abortion-rights-and-minimum-wage-hike/">&nbsp;majority of polled Missouri voters support access to abortion</a>, the majority also&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/08/25/poll-finds-missouri-voters-support-for-bans-on-transgender-health-care/">oppose access to gender-affirming health care for minors.&nbsp;</a>“You can’t say to the people, ‘Here’s a proposal whether the Chiefs should stay in Kansas City and to ban crypto,’” Hatfield said.Missouri Solicitor General Louis Capozzi, defending the proposed amendment, told Cole County Circuit Judge Daniel Green on Wednesday that gender-affirming procedures can cause the loss of fertility. Therefore, he believes reproductive health care “applies to all people who are thinking about whether to have children.”Capozzi said the latest proposed amendment “ensures that Missouri children are able to make the choice whether to reproduce when they are adults,” adding that if someone is “unable to reproduce, they can’t access reproductive health care.”Last year,&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/09/06/judge-decides-abortion-amendment-3-missouri-ballot/">anti-abortion leaders were unsuccessful in convincing the courts&nbsp;</a>to throw the abortion rights amendment off the ballot by claiming it violated the single subject rule. At the time, an attorney for the Thomas Moore Society argued unsuccessfully that the subject of that amendment,&nbsp;“a person’s fundamental right to reproductive freedom,” encompassed “infinite subjects.”Hatfield on Wednesday accused the legislature and Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins of misrepresenting what the amendment would do through both the language voters will see on the ballot and the ballot language posted&nbsp;at every polling station around the state next to sample ballots.&nbsp;Hoskins’&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sos.mo.gov/petitions/2026BallotMeasures" target="_blank">ballot language</a>&nbsp;currently reads: “A ‘no’ vote will not amend the Missouri Constitution to allow abortion in cases of medical emergency, fetal anomaly, rape, or incest, or to protect children from gender transition.”Under the current law, abortion is legal up until the point of fetal viability in Missouri and gender-affirming health care for minors is banned.&nbsp;“It’s ridiculous; it’s wrong,” Hatfield said of the ballot language. “The current constitution guarantees those rights and to imply otherwise is wrong, it’s highly argumentative.”Capozzi argued the legislature was working with a word limit and that it was more important to state what the amendment would do. Summary statements, he said, need not detail specific exceptions.The proposed amendment also requires any lawsuits related to reproductive health care to be filed in Cole County and gives the Attorney General’s Office the right to intervene in these cases. The plaintiffs in the lawsuit said there is not a legitimate connection to reproductive health care, as “health care is not generally provided in court rooms.”Hatfield suggested Green “tell the General Assembly to give it another shot in compliance with the constitution.”&nbsp;Green did not immediately rule on the challenge to the abortion ban amendment. A day earlier, he also heard arguments in a case challenging a new law set to go into effect Thursday that&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/04/25/lawsuit-challenges-the-constitutionality-of-missouri-attorney-generals-new-powers/">changes the deadlines and procedures for challenging and revising ballot language.</a>&nbsp;Green’s determination in that case could affect how he’s allowed to proceed in regarding the ballot language.&nbsp;Despite the current law, abortion access remains tenuous in Missouri.&nbsp;Three Planned Parenthood clinics — in Kansas City, Columbia and St. Louis —&nbsp;have resumed procedural abortions on a limited schedule that was briefly interrupted over the summer when the courts overturned and then reinstated a temporary injunction allowing some abortions to resume ahead of a trial slated for January.But Planned Parenthood and the Missouri Attorney General’s Office are slated to meet in court a handful of times before then.At a hearing set for Sept. 10 in Kansas City, Planned Parenthood plans to argue in favor of undoing a number of laws they say are currently preventing its clinics from prescribing medication abortion in Missouri.&nbsp;That same day, down the street, the Western District Court of Appeals is slated to hear&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-ag-erred-in-asking-supreme-court-to-overturn-order-legalizing-abortion/">the Missouri Attorney General’s Office’s appeal of an injunction</a>&nbsp;that allowed procedural abortions to resume in Missouri in February.&nbsp;

Missouri judge weighing whether new abortion ban should appear on 2026 ballot

By CRISTINA JANNEY Hays Post

Representatives of judicial districts from across the state gathered in Hays on Tuesday and Wednesday for a mental health summit.

Seventy percent of people who are incarcerated in the United States have a mental illness or substance abuse problem or both.

The Hon. Steven Leifman from Florida told the group, "We should create specialty courts for the 30% of people who don't have mental illness or substance abuse."

There are 19 times more people who have mental illnesses in jails and prisons than in civil treatment programs.

He said the people who do have mental illness and substance abuse issues should be placed in therapeutic situations.

Leifman said the United States is failing at dealing with people who have mental illness, and it is costing taxpayers millions of dollars to run a broken system.

The United States has 4% of the world's population and 25% of the incarcerated people, resulting in $1 trillion in direct and indirect costs per year.&nbsp;

Leifman had the opportunity to visit&nbsp;Trieste, Italy, where he said the community is doing it right.

They virtually have no homelessness. They have few, if any, people with serious mental illness in jails. They have few, if any, people with serious mental illness in their forensic hospitals, and they have very few people in their civil hospitals," he said.

Last year, out of 40,000 patients, they only filed 100 cases for civil commitment.

"We do that every day in Miami," he said.

"First, they don't define people by their mental illnesses," he said. "You're not the crazy guy that lives down the street. You are John Smith, who just happens to have a mental illness. Just like you might be John Smith, who just happens to have heart disease or cancer."

When someone has a mental health episode, a doctor immediately goes to that person's home and begins treatment immediately. If the person can't stay at home, they find them housing and assign them three case managers, so they are covered 24 hours until they are stable. They are placed on medication and monitored, but not hospitalized.

As soon as the person begins to recover, they start to try to give them their lives back.

Instead of a state hospital, they have a supportive employment program that includes a radio station, a restaurant and a chic clothing manufacturing operation.

"You walk around the campus, and you don't know the difference between the staff and the patients," he said.

"They have a reason to get up every single day and participate,"&nbsp;Leifman said.

"It is a truly remarkable system of care that actually promotes recovery, and there's absolutely no reason why we can't scale that type of system here in the United States. Today, in the United States, we basically do the opposite," he said.

People remain on the streets, sometimes psychotic, for decades.

"We have been so bad about it that the courts have ruled that the way we do it is basically unconstitutional, enormously unsuccessful and enormously expensive without any positive measurable outcomes," he said.

He said the earlier we treat mental illness, the better the outcomes will be.

He called the treatment of people with serious mental illnesses within the judicial system the greatest public policy failure.

"The fact that we have applied the criminal justice model to a disease as opposed to a population health model explains why we have failed so miserably,"&nbsp;Leifman said.

Leifman's first experience with the mental health system was when he was 17 and working as an intern for a state senator's office.

He was sent to the state mental hospital to investigate claims that a young man was being mistreated.

He found the man tied in four-point restraints, screaming and moaning and about 100 pounds overweight from being injected with Thorazine.

In reading his file and talking to staff, he learned the young man was not psychotic, but autistic. In the basement, he also saw naked men covered in their own feces being hosed down like they were animals in a zoo.

The state senator's office was able to get the young man with autism placed in a group home. However, thewhat&nbsp;

Eventually, Leifman became a judge in Miami.

The city went from having one wing on one floor of the jail dedicated to people who had mental illness to&nbsp;having three dedicated floors to house people who had mental illness.

"When I became a judge, I had no idea that I was becoming the gatekeeper to the largest psychiatric facility in the state of Florida, the Dade County Jail," he said.

Seventy to 80% of the inmates have a mental health diagnosis and are in immediate need of treatment, he said.

Leifman was eventually given a special assignment to work on mental health issues within the Florida court system. He found the state was spending a third of its mental health budget, $250 million, to restore competency to 2,500 to 3,000 people, when about 160,000 people at the time of their arrest needed acute mental health care and weren't getting it.

After spending so many resources on this small population, either the charges were dropped, they were given credit for time served and were released, or they received probation.

They ended up back on the streets, often psychotic, with no access to treatment, and were sometimes rearrested before they made it out of the parking lot.

Leifman shared the story of Tristan Murphy, who suffered from schizophrenia. He wasn't violent, but had good and bad days, depending on whether he took his medication.

One day, he drove his truck into a pond near the sheriff's office. He was arrested and convicted of felony littering.

He was placed on a work detail while incarcerated. His bunkmates noted he was deteriorating mentally. However, corrections officers continued to give him access to tools, including a chainsaw for his work detail. One day, he took a chainsaw to his neck, ending his life.

Leifman said he was no threat to anyone other than himself. He should never have been arrested. He should have been diverted into treatment, Leifman said.

The governor of Florida, a few weeks ago, signed the Tristin Murphy Act, which expands the Miami mental health diversion program statewide.

"We shouldn't need that kind of horror to get the attention of policymakers," he said, "because we all know that the way we handle individuals with these illnesses is wrong and doesn't really work."

He said people who have mental illnesses are less dangerous than the general population and a lot less dangerous than the general population when they are on medication. They are more likely to be the victims of violent crime than the perpetrators.

"We also know that recovery rates for people with mental illness, in many cases, are much better than heart disease and diabetes,"&nbsp;Leifman said. "These are not terminal illnesses. They are treatable illnesses."

People with schizophrenia have higher rates of heart disease and cancer because untreated schizophrenia results in a depletion of the brain chemical dopamine.&nbsp;

They feel awful,&nbsp;Leifman said, so they often chain smoke because the nicotine helps cognition and helps them feel better.

When these people end up in jail, not only do taxpayers have to pay for treatment of the mental illness, but also severe physical health concerns as a result of the mental illness going untreated, Leifman said.

"The good news is that this is a very fixable system," he said.

The judicial system and mental health systems were developed when the most acutely ill were still in state hospitals. The community mental health systems were designed to handle people who have moderate mental illness,&nbsp;Leifman said.

The hospitals were shut down. The U.S. adopted the war on crime and sentencing guidelines and drastically cut funds for low-income housing, and the population of the acute mentally ill was thrown into communities that were not prepared for them, he said.

"Instead of blaming themselves for not developing an appropriate system of care, we end up blaming this population, and we use the justice system to punish them, and that has not worked out too well," Leifman said.

He said our society would never allow people to be treated in primary care as we treat people with mental illnesses.&nbsp;

"If you threw people who had primary care illnesses out of hospitals in the middle of the night like we do people with mental illnesses, you'd get arrested," he said.

&nbsp;Leifman said this is a national issue that needs national money, but the solutions can start at the local level.

"Each community needs to take a good, hard look at how they are doing things, and develop collaborative agreements to alter and restructure how we approach this population," he said.

Miami put to gether a two-part approach, pre-arrest and post-arrest.

This included Crisis Intervention Teams, which include specially trained law enforcement officers to respond when someone is having a mental health episode. This often has resulted in people being diverted into treatment instead of arrest&nbsp;

In 10 years, two Crisis Intervention Teams responded to more than 105,000 calls and made fewer than 200 arrests.

Overall arrests plummeted. Dade County closed one of its jails, saving $168 million. Police shootings almost stopped.

The post-arrest program eliminated many of the time-consuming competency evaluations in favor of bringing these individuals into treatment as soon as possible.

Assisted Outpatient Treatment programs were created, also known as AOT. Hays has had an AOT program since 2022.

<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/8abbbbb5-b093-4c36-bc34-50be0815125d">SEE RELATED STORY: Ellis County mental health court pilot sees success in first year.</a>

And peers were enlisted to help people navigate the system and encourage work toward recovery.

Recidivism rates for misdemeanor cases decreased from 75% to 20% for individuals participating in these programs. The treatment model proved so effective that it was expanded to include nonviolent felony cases. Recidivism rates decreased from 75% to 6%.

Continuing care was still needed for individuals with the most acute illnesses, so Dade County recently passed a bond issue to build a facility for these individuals based on the Trieste model.

It offers wrap-around services, including crisis stabilization, primary care, a dental clinic, a podiatry clinic, an eye clinic, short-term residential care, tattoo removal, a day program, a supportive employment program, a computer lab, a GED program, and a courtroom that can handle both civil and criminal cases onsite.

"Not one person, not one party, not one institution created this mess. Not one person, party or institution will fix it. It takes all of us in this room to start looking at our systems and determine how there is a better way to run this system," Leifman said.

By CRISTINA JANNEY Hays PostRepresentatives of judicial districts from across the state gathered in Hays on Tuesday and Wednesday for a mental health summit.Seventy percent of people who are incarcerated in the United States have a mental illness or substance abuse problem or both.The Hon. Steven Leifman from Florida told the group, "We should create specialty courts for the 30% of people who don't have mental illness or substance abuse."There are 19 times more people who have mental illnesses in jails and prisons than in civil treatment programs.He said the people who do have mental illness and substance abuse issues should be placed in therapeutic situations.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/8/1756322262554.jpeg" alt="The Hon. Steven Leifman from Florida discusses his experiences in the judicial system in Florida and Dade County at the 2025 Kansas Mental Health Summit on Tuesday at Fort Hays State University. Photo by Cristina Janney/Hays Post" />
 <figcaption>The Hon. Steven Leifman from Florida discusses his experiences in the judicial system in Florida and Dade County at the 2025 Kansas Mental Health Summit on Tuesday at Fort Hays State University. Photo by Cristina Janney/Hays Post</figcaption>
 </figure>Leifman said the United States is failing at dealing with people who have mental illness, and it is costing taxpayers millions of dollars to run a broken system.The United States has 4% of the world's population and 25% of the incarcerated people, resulting in $1 trillion in direct and indirect costs per year.&nbsp;Leifman had the opportunity to visit&nbsp;Trieste, Italy, where he said the community is doing it right.They virtually have no homelessness. They have few, if any, people with serious mental illness in jails. They have few, if any, people with serious mental illness in their forensic hospitals, and they have very few people in their civil hospitals," he said.Last year, out of 40,000 patients, they only filed 100 cases for civil commitment."We do that every day in Miami," he said."First, they don't define people by their mental illnesses," he said. "You're not the crazy guy that lives down the street. You are John Smith, who just happens to have a mental illness. Just like you might be John Smith, who just happens to have heart disease or cancer."When someone has a mental health episode, a doctor immediately goes to that person's home and begins treatment immediately. If the person can't stay at home, they find them housing and assign them three case managers, so they are covered 24 hours until they are stable. They are placed on medication and monitored, but not hospitalized.As soon as the person begins to recover, they start to try to give them their lives back.Instead of a state hospital, they have a supportive employment program that includes a radio station, a restaurant and a chic clothing manufacturing operation."You walk around the campus, and you don't know the difference between the staff and the patients," he said."They have a reason to get up every single day and participate,"&nbsp;Leifman said."It is a truly remarkable system of care that actually promotes recovery, and there's absolutely no reason why we can't scale that type of system here in the United States. Today, in the United States, we basically do the opposite," he said.People remain on the streets, sometimes psychotic, for decades."We have been so bad about it that the courts have ruled that the way we do it is basically unconstitutional, enormously unsuccessful and enormously expensive without any positive measurable outcomes," he said.He said the earlier we treat mental illness, the better the outcomes will be.He called the treatment of people with serious mental illnesses within the judicial system the greatest public policy failure."The fact that we have applied the criminal justice model to a disease as opposed to a population health model explains why we have failed so miserably,"&nbsp;Leifman said.Leifman's first experience with the mental health system was when he was 17 and working as an intern for a state senator's office.He was sent to the state mental hospital to investigate claims that a young man was being mistreated.He found the man tied in four-point restraints, screaming and moaning and about 100 pounds overweight from being injected with Thorazine.In reading his file and talking to staff, he learned the young man was not psychotic, but autistic. In the basement, he also saw naked men covered in their own feces being hosed down like they were animals in a zoo.The state senator's office was able to get the young man with autism placed in a group home. However, thewhat&nbsp;Eventually, Leifman became a judge in Miami.The city went from having one wing on one floor of the jail dedicated to people who had mental illness to&nbsp;having three dedicated floors to house people who had mental illness."When I became a judge, I had no idea that I was becoming the gatekeeper to the largest psychiatric facility in the state of Florida, the Dade County Jail," he said.Seventy to 80% of the inmates have a mental health diagnosis and are in immediate need of treatment, he said.Leifman was eventually given a special assignment to work on mental health issues within the Florida court system. He found the state was spending a third of its mental health budget, $250 million, to restore competency to 2,500 to 3,000 people, when about 160,000 people at the time of their arrest needed acute mental health care and weren't getting it.After spending so many resources on this small population, either the charges were dropped, they were given credit for time served and were released, or they received probation.They ended up back on the streets, often psychotic, with no access to treatment, and were sometimes rearrested before they made it out of the parking lot.Leifman shared the story of Tristan Murphy, who suffered from schizophrenia. He wasn't violent, but had good and bad days, depending on whether he took his medication.One day, he drove his truck into a pond near the sheriff's office. He was arrested and convicted of felony littering.He was placed on a work detail while incarcerated. His bunkmates noted he was deteriorating mentally. However, corrections officers continued to give him access to tools, including a chainsaw for his work detail. One day, he took a chainsaw to his neck, ending his life.Leifman said he was no threat to anyone other than himself. He should never have been arrested. He should have been diverted into treatment, Leifman said.The governor of Florida, a few weeks ago, signed the Tristin Murphy Act, which expands the Miami mental health diversion program statewide."We shouldn't need that kind of horror to get the attention of policymakers," he said, "because we all know that the way we handle individuals with these illnesses is wrong and doesn't really work."He said people who have mental illnesses are less dangerous than the general population and a lot less dangerous than the general population when they are on medication. They are more likely to be the victims of violent crime than the perpetrators."We also know that recovery rates for people with mental illness, in many cases, are much better than heart disease and diabetes,"&nbsp;Leifman said. "These are not terminal illnesses. They are treatable illnesses."People with schizophrenia have higher rates of heart disease and cancer because untreated schizophrenia results in a depletion of the brain chemical dopamine.&nbsp;They feel awful,&nbsp;Leifman said, so they often chain smoke because the nicotine helps cognition and helps them feel better.When these people end up in jail, not only do taxpayers have to pay for treatment of the mental illness, but also severe physical health concerns as a result of the mental illness going untreated, Leifman said."The good news is that this is a very fixable system," he said.The judicial system and mental health systems were developed when the most acutely ill were still in state hospitals. The community mental health systems were designed to handle people who have moderate mental illness,&nbsp;Leifman said.The hospitals were shut down. The U.S. adopted the war on crime and sentencing guidelines and drastically cut funds for low-income housing, and the population of the acute mentally ill was thrown into communities that were not prepared for them, he said."Instead of blaming themselves for not developing an appropriate system of care, we end up blaming this population, and we use the justice system to punish them, and that has not worked out too well," Leifman said.He said our society would never allow people to be treated in primary care as we treat people with mental illnesses.&nbsp;"If you threw people who had primary care illnesses out of hospitals in the middle of the night like we do people with mental illnesses, you'd get arrested," he said.&nbsp;Leifman said this is a national issue that needs national money, but the solutions can start at the local level."Each community needs to take a good, hard look at how they are doing things, and develop collaborative agreements to alter and restructure how we approach this population," he said.Miami put to gether a two-part approach, pre-arrest and post-arrest.This included Crisis Intervention Teams, which include specially trained law enforcement officers to respond when someone is having a mental health episode. This often has resulted in people being diverted into treatment instead of arrest&nbsp;In 10 years, two Crisis Intervention Teams responded to more than 105,000 calls and made fewer than 200 arrests.Overall arrests plummeted. Dade County closed one of its jails, saving $168 million. Police shootings almost stopped.The post-arrest program eliminated many of the time-consuming competency evaluations in favor of bringing these individuals into treatment as soon as possible.Assisted Outpatient Treatment programs were created, also known as AOT. Hays has had an AOT program since 2022.<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/8abbbbb5-b093-4c36-bc34-50be0815125d">SEE RELATED STORY: Ellis County mental health court pilot sees success in first year.</a>And peers were enlisted to help people navigate the system and encourage work toward recovery.Recidivism rates for misdemeanor cases decreased from 75% to 20% for individuals participating in these programs. The treatment model proved so effective that it was expanded to include nonviolent felony cases. Recidivism rates decreased from 75% to 6%.Continuing care was still needed for individuals with the most acute illnesses, so Dade County recently passed a bond issue to build a facility for these individuals based on the Trieste model.It offers wrap-around services, including crisis stabilization, primary care, a dental clinic, a podiatry clinic, an eye clinic, short-term residential care, tattoo removal, a day program, a supportive employment program, a computer lab, a GED program, and a courtroom that can handle both civil and criminal cases onsite."Not one person, not one party, not one institution created this mess. Not one person, party or institution will fix it. It takes all of us in this room to start looking at our systems and determine how there is a better way to run this system," Leifman said.

Kansas judicial summit at FHSU focuses on treatment over incarceration

Funeral services for Officer Hunter Simoncic have been finalized. The funeral will be held Wednesday, September 3, 2025, at Children's Mercy Park, 1 Sporting Way, Kansas City, Kansas.

The service is open to the public and will begin at 10:00 AM. Parking lots will open at 7:30 AM with stadium gates opening at 8:00 AM. There will be a Law Enforcement

Processional starting 30 minutes after the conclusion of service. The route will be posted once details have been confirmed. Attendees should approach Children’s Mercy Park from State Ave. Public parking will be located on the south side of the stadium in Blue Lot 2 on the grounds of the Kansas Speedway. 

Please, be aware that Village West Parkway and France Family Drive will be closed to public traffic.We encourage the community members to display blue ribbons outside their homes and businesses as a sign of support of the Simoncic family and the men and women of the KCKPD. It is a small gesture, but  very powerful and unifying one.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/8/1756332955180.png" alt="Officer Hunter Simoncic- photo KCK Police" />
 <figcaption>Officer Hunter Simoncic- photo KCK Police</figcaption>
 </figure>Funeral services for Officer Hunter Simoncic have been finalized. The funeral will be held Wednesday, September 3, 2025, at Children's Mercy Park, 1 Sporting Way, Kansas City, Kansas.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/8/1756377461155.png" alt="Photo courtesy KCTV" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy KCTV</figcaption>
 </figure>The service is open to the public and will begin at 10:00 AM. Parking lots will open at 7:30 AM with stadium gates opening at 8:00 AM. There will be a Law Enforcement<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/8/1756333095649.png" alt=" " />
 <figcaption> </figcaption>
 </figure>Processional starting 30 minutes after the conclusion of service. The route will be posted once details have been confirmed. Attendees should approach Children’s Mercy Park from State Ave. Public parking will be located on the south side of the stadium in Blue Lot 2 on the grounds of the Kansas Speedway. Please, be aware that Village West Parkway and France Family Drive will be closed to public traffic.We encourage the community members to display blue ribbons outside their homes and businesses as a sign of support of the Simoncic family and the men and women of the KCKPD. It is a small gesture, but very powerful and unifying one.

Funeral arrangements announced for fallen Kansas officer

By:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/jennifer-shutt/">Jennifer Shutt</a>

WASHINGTON — The director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention doesn’t appear inclined to leave her post, despite the Trump administration announcing Wednesday that she’s no longer running one of the country’s top public health agencies.&nbsp;

Attorneys for Susan Monarez, who received Senate confirmation in late July, posted that she hasn’t been fired or resigned, but didn’t announce whether they plan to sue the administration.&nbsp;

“When CDC Director Susan Monarez refused to rubber-stamp unscientific, reckless directives and fire dedicated health experts she chose protecting the public over serving a political agenda,” wrote Mark S. Zaid and Abbe David Lowell. “For that, she has been targeted. Dr. Monarez has neither resigned nor received notification from the White House that she has been fired, and as a person of integrity and devoted to science, she will not resign.”

The statement from Monarez’s attorneys came just hours after the Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees the CDC, wrote on social media that she was no longer running the agency.&nbsp;

“Susan Monarez is no longer director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,” the post stated. “We thank her for her dedicated service to the American people.&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/SecKennedy" target="_blank">@SecKennedy</a>&nbsp;has full confidence in his team at<a href="https://x.com/CDCgov" target="_blank">@CDCgov</a>&nbsp;who will continue to be vigilant in protecting Americans against infectious diseases at home and abroad.”

The Washington Post&nbsp;<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/08/27/susan-monarez-cdc-director-ousted/" target="_blank">first reported</a>&nbsp;the news.&nbsp;

The U.S. Senate voted along party lines to confirm Monarez as CDC director in late July, giving her just weeks in one of the nation’s top public health roles.

Monarez’s last post on social media from her official account was on Aug. 22, marking the death of a police officer after&nbsp;<a href="https://georgiarecorder.com/2025/08/08/police-officer-suspect-are-dead-after-shooting-near-atlanta-based-cdc/" target="_blank">a gunman opened fire</a>&nbsp;at the CDC’s headquarters in Atlanta.&nbsp;

“A large group of CDC employees and I attended today’s memorial for Officer David Rose, whose Tour of Duty ended on August 8 when he responded to shots fired,” Monarez wrote. “He leaves behind a legacy of love, courage, and service to the community that will never be forgotten.”

The dispute over Monarez’s position as CDC director appeared to potentially mark the beginning of a wave of resignations from other public health officials, including Director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases Demetre C. Daskalakis.

“I am unable to serve in an environment that treats CDC as a tool to generate policies and materials that do not reflect scientific reality and are designed to hurt rather than to improve the public’s health,” Daskalakis wrote in&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/dr_demetre/status/1960843433473376602" target="_blank">a lengthy social media post.</a>&nbsp;“The recent change in the adult and children’s immunization schedule threaten the lives of the youngest Americans and pregnant people.”

Monarez was President Donald Trump’s second choice for CDC director. He&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/trump-unveils-his-lineup-fda-cdc-and-surgeon-general" target="_blank">originally selected</a>&nbsp;former Florida U.S. Rep. Dave Weldon to run the CDC shortly after he secured election to the Oval Office in November. But the White House&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/centers-disease-control-and-prevention-nominee-pulled-white-house" target="_blank">pulled Weldon’s nomination</a>&nbsp;in March, after it appeared he couldn’t secure the votes needed for confirmation.

Later that month, Trump announced his plans to nominate Monarez in&nbsp;<a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114219231809224627" target="_blank">a social media post</a>.

“Dr. Monarez brings decades of experience championing Innovation, Transparency, and strong Public Health Systems,” Trump wrote. “She has a Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin, and PostDoctoral training in Microbiology and Immunology at Stanford University School of Medicine.

“As an incredible mother and dedicated public servant, Dr. Monarez understands the importance of protecting our children, our communities, and our future. Americans have lost confidence in the CDC due to political bias and disastrous mismanagement. Dr. Monarez will work closely with our GREAT Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert Kennedy Jr. Together, they will prioritize Accountability, High Standards, and Disease Prevention to finally address the Chronic Disease Epidemic and, MAKE AMERICA HEALTHY AGAIN!”

Monarez&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/us-senate-panel-grills-trump-cdc-nominee-vaccines" target="_blank">testified in front</a>&nbsp;of the&nbsp;U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions in June as part of her confirmation process. The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/us-senate-panel-approves-trump-pick-head-centers-disease-control-and-prevention" target="_blank">committee voted</a>&nbsp;12-11 in July to send her nomination to the Senate floor, where Republicans&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/us-senate-confirms-trump-pick-head-centers-disease-control-and-prevention" target="_blank">approved her to the post</a>&nbsp;later that month.&nbsp;

Chairman Bill Cassidy, R-La., said during the committee’s markup that he believed&nbsp;Monarez would put science first and help to restore public trust in the agency.&nbsp;

“The United States needs a CDC director who makes decisions rooted in science, a leader who will reform the agency and work to restore public trust in health institutions,” Cassidy said at the time. “With decades of proven experience as a public health official, Dr. Monarez is ready to take on this challenge.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/8/1756332329820.png" alt="Susan Monarez during her Senate confirmation hearing in June-photo courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Susan Monarez during her Senate confirmation hearing in June-photo courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>By:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/jennifer-shutt/">Jennifer Shutt</a>WASHINGTON — The director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention doesn’t appear inclined to leave her post, despite the Trump administration announcing Wednesday that she’s no longer running one of the country’s top public health agencies.&nbsp;Attorneys for Susan Monarez, who received Senate confirmation in late July, posted that she hasn’t been fired or resigned, but didn’t announce whether they plan to sue the administration.&nbsp;“When CDC Director Susan Monarez refused to rubber-stamp unscientific, reckless directives and fire dedicated health experts she chose protecting the public over serving a political agenda,” wrote Mark S. Zaid and Abbe David Lowell. “For that, she has been targeted. Dr. Monarez has neither resigned nor received notification from the White House that she has been fired, and as a person of integrity and devoted to science, she will not resign.”The statement from Monarez’s attorneys came just hours after the Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees the CDC, wrote on social media that she was no longer running the agency.&nbsp;“Susan Monarez is no longer director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,” the post stated. “We thank her for her dedicated service to the American people.&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/SecKennedy" target="_blank">@SecKennedy</a>&nbsp;has full confidence in his team at<a href="https://x.com/CDCgov" target="_blank">@CDCgov</a>&nbsp;who will continue to be vigilant in protecting Americans against infectious diseases at home and abroad.”The Washington Post&nbsp;<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/08/27/susan-monarez-cdc-director-ousted/" target="_blank">first reported</a>&nbsp;the news.&nbsp;The U.S. Senate voted along party lines to confirm Monarez as CDC director in late July, giving her just weeks in one of the nation’s top public health roles.Monarez’s last post on social media from her official account was on Aug. 22, marking the death of a police officer after&nbsp;<a href="https://georgiarecorder.com/2025/08/08/police-officer-suspect-are-dead-after-shooting-near-atlanta-based-cdc/" target="_blank">a gunman opened fire</a>&nbsp;at the CDC’s headquarters in Atlanta.&nbsp;“A large group of CDC employees and I attended today’s memorial for Officer David Rose, whose Tour of Duty ended on August 8 when he responded to shots fired,” Monarez wrote. “He leaves behind a legacy of love, courage, and service to the community that will never be forgotten.”The dispute over Monarez’s position as CDC director appeared to potentially mark the beginning of a wave of resignations from other public health officials, including Director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases Demetre C. Daskalakis.“I am unable to serve in an environment that treats CDC as a tool to generate policies and materials that do not reflect scientific reality and are designed to hurt rather than to improve the public’s health,” Daskalakis wrote in&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/dr_demetre/status/1960843433473376602" target="_blank">a lengthy social media post.</a>&nbsp;“The recent change in the adult and children’s immunization schedule threaten the lives of the youngest Americans and pregnant people.”<h2>Monarez second choice after Weldon</h2>Monarez was President Donald Trump’s second choice for CDC director. He&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/trump-unveils-his-lineup-fda-cdc-and-surgeon-general" target="_blank">originally selected</a>&nbsp;former Florida U.S. Rep. Dave Weldon to run the CDC shortly after he secured election to the Oval Office in November. But the White House&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/centers-disease-control-and-prevention-nominee-pulled-white-house" target="_blank">pulled Weldon’s nomination</a>&nbsp;in March, after it appeared he couldn’t secure the votes needed for confirmation.Later that month, Trump announced his plans to nominate Monarez in&nbsp;<a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114219231809224627" target="_blank">a social media post</a>.“Dr. Monarez brings decades of experience championing Innovation, Transparency, and strong Public Health Systems,” Trump wrote. “She has a Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin, and PostDoctoral training in Microbiology and Immunology at Stanford University School of Medicine.“As an incredible mother and dedicated public servant, Dr. Monarez understands the importance of protecting our children, our communities, and our future. Americans have lost confidence in the CDC due to political bias and disastrous mismanagement. Dr. Monarez will work closely with our GREAT Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert Kennedy Jr. Together, they will prioritize Accountability, High Standards, and Disease Prevention to finally address the Chronic Disease Epidemic and, MAKE AMERICA HEALTHY AGAIN!”<h2>Restoring trust in CDC</h2>Monarez&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/us-senate-panel-grills-trump-cdc-nominee-vaccines" target="_blank">testified in front</a>&nbsp;of the&nbsp;U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions in June as part of her confirmation process. The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/us-senate-panel-approves-trump-pick-head-centers-disease-control-and-prevention" target="_blank">committee voted</a>&nbsp;12-11 in July to send her nomination to the Senate floor, where Republicans&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/us-senate-confirms-trump-pick-head-centers-disease-control-and-prevention" target="_blank">approved her to the post</a>&nbsp;later that month.&nbsp;Chairman Bill Cassidy, R-La., said during the committee’s markup that he believed&nbsp;Monarez would put science first and help to restore public trust in the agency.&nbsp;“The United States needs a CDC director who makes decisions rooted in science, a leader who will reform the agency and work to restore public trust in health institutions,” Cassidy said at the time. “With decades of proven experience as a public health official, Dr. Monarez is ready to take on this challenge.”

Trump admin. says CDC chief ousted. Her lawyer says she hasn’t resigned or been fired

SHAWNEE COUNTY — Law enforcement are investigating the death of two at a. home in Shawnee County.

Just before&nbsp;10 a.m. Wednesday, the Shawnee County Emergency Communications Center received a 911 call and deputies responded for a welfare check on a woman in the 6700 block of SW Briarmeade Lane, in the Montara Subdivision, according to Deputy Abigail Christian.

Deputies discovered two individuals deceased from gunshot wounds. The preliminary investigation indicates the incident was domestic in nature.

At this time, investigators believe all parties involved have been identified, and there is no ongoing threat to the community.

The Kansas Highway Patrol and the Shawnee Heights Fire Department assisted at the scene.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/8/1756340120852.png" alt="Photo courtesy WIBW" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy WIBW</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY — Law enforcement are investigating the death of two at a. home in Shawnee County.Just before&nbsp;10 a.m. Wednesday, the Shawnee County Emergency Communications Center received a 911 call and deputies responded for a welfare check on a woman in the 6700 block of SW Briarmeade Lane, in the Montara Subdivision, according to Deputy Abigail Christian.Deputies discovered two individuals deceased from gunshot wounds. The preliminary investigation indicates the incident was domestic in nature.At this time, investigators believe all parties involved have been identified, and there is no ongoing threat to the community.The Kansas Highway Patrol and the Shawnee Heights Fire Department assisted at the scene.

Sheriff: 2 dead after shooting, standoff at Kansas home

The Powerball® jackpot is closing in on the billion-dollar mark. The Powerball jackpot is now estimated at $950 million for the next drawing on Saturday night,&nbsp;according to the Multi-State Lottery Association. The jackpot has an estimated cash value of $428.9 million.

Saturday’s jackpot ranks as the game’s sixth-largest prize and the biggest advertised jackpot in more than a year.

The Powerball jackpot rolled after no ticket matched all six number drawn Wednesday night – white balls 9, 12, 22, 41, 61 and red Powerball 25. The Power Play® multiplier was 4.

Six tickets won prizes worth $1 million or more in Wednesday's Powerball drawing, after matching all five white balls. The $1 million-winning tickets were sold in Arizona, New York and Virginia. Three tickets in Mississippi, Ohio and Virginia increased their winnings to $2 million by including the Power Play option for $1 more.

There were also 40 tickets that won $50,000 prizes and ten tickets that won $200,000 prizes.

In the Double Play® drawing, a ticket in South Dakota won a $500,000 prize after matching all five black balls. Double Play® is a $1 add-on feature that allows players to play their Powerball numbers, again, in a separate drawing for a chance to win up to $10 million. Double Play drawings are live streamed on&nbsp;<a href="https://www.powerball.com/watch-drawing">Powerball.com</a>&nbsp;after the main drawing.

Saturday’s Powerball drawing will be the 39th drawing since the jackpot was last won in California on May 31, 2025.

If a player wins Saturday’s jackpot, they will have the choice between an annuitized prize estimated at $950 million or a lump sum payment estimated at $428.9 million. Both prize options are before taxes. If the winner selects the annuity option, they will receive one immediate payment followed by 29 annual payments that increase by 5-percent each year.

Powerball® tickets are $2 per play. Tickets are sold in 45 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. More than half of all proceeds from the sale of a Powerball ticket remain in the jurisdiction where the ticket was sold. Since its first drawing in 1992, the Powerball game has helped generate more than $36 billion for good causes supported by U.S. lotteries.

Powerball drawings are broadcast live every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at 10:59 p.m. ET from the Florida Lottery draw studio in Tallahassee, Fla. Powerball drawings are also live streamed on Powerball.com.

The overall odds of winning a prize are 1 in 24.9. The odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 292.2 million.

The Powerball® jackpot is closing in on the billion-dollar mark. The Powerball jackpot is now estimated at $950 million for the next drawing on Saturday night,&nbsp;according to the Multi-State Lottery Association. The jackpot has an estimated cash value of $428.9 million.Saturday’s jackpot ranks as the game’s sixth-largest prize and the biggest advertised jackpot in more than a year.The Powerball jackpot rolled after no ticket matched all six number drawn Wednesday night – white balls 9, 12, 22, 41, 61 and red Powerball 25. The Power Play® multiplier was 4.Six tickets won prizes worth $1 million or more in Wednesday's Powerball drawing, after matching all five white balls. The $1 million-winning tickets were sold in Arizona, New York and Virginia. Three tickets in Mississippi, Ohio and Virginia increased their winnings to $2 million by including the Power Play option for $1 more.There were also 40 tickets that won $50,000 prizes and ten tickets that won $200,000 prizes.In the Double Play® drawing, a ticket in South Dakota won a $500,000 prize after matching all five black balls. Double Play® is a $1 add-on feature that allows players to play their Powerball numbers, again, in a separate drawing for a chance to win up to $10 million. Double Play drawings are live streamed on&nbsp;<a href="https://www.powerball.com/watch-drawing">Powerball.com</a>&nbsp;after the main drawing.Saturday’s Powerball drawing will be the 39th drawing since the jackpot was last won in California on May 31, 2025.If a player wins Saturday’s jackpot, they will have the choice between an annuitized prize estimated at $950 million or a lump sum payment estimated at $428.9 million. Both prize options are before taxes. If the winner selects the annuity option, they will receive one immediate payment followed by 29 annual payments that increase by 5-percent each year.Powerball® tickets are $2 per play. Tickets are sold in 45 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. More than half of all proceeds from the sale of a Powerball ticket remain in the jurisdiction where the ticket was sold. Since its first drawing in 1992, the Powerball game has helped generate more than $36 billion for good causes supported by U.S. lotteries.Powerball drawings are broadcast live every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at 10:59 p.m. ET from the Florida Lottery draw studio in Tallahassee, Fla. Powerball drawings are also live streamed on Powerball.com.The overall odds of winning a prize are 1 in 24.9. The odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 292.2 million.Top Ten Powerball® Jackpots<ol>
 <li>$2.04 Billion – Nov. 7, 2022 – CA</li><li>$1.765 Billion – Oct. 11, 2023 - CA</li><li>$1.586 Billion – Jan. 13, 2016 – CA, FL, TN</li><li>$1.326 Billion – April 6, 2024 - OR</li><li>$1.08 Billion – July 19, 2023 – CA</li><li>$950 Million (estimated) – Aug. 30, 2025</li><li>$842.4 Million – January 1, 2024 – MI</li><li>$768.4 Million – March 27, 2019 – WI</li><li>$758.7 Million – Aug. 23, 2017 – MA</li><li>$754.6 Million – Feb. 6, 2023 - WA</li>
 </ol>

Powerball closing in on billion-dollar mark

JOHNSON COUNTY —A Kansas man who admitted his role in a drug overdose death is going to prison.

On August 21, Jude Christina Dunn Gyllenbord sentenced 22-year-old&nbsp;&nbsp;Ahmad Mohammed Karraz to 144 months for the drug distribution death of 24-year-old Kylie Liston, according to the Johnson County District Attorney's office.

In June Karraz pleaded guilty to distribution of drugs causing death and use of a communication facility during a drug felony.

In November, the Johnson County district attorney's office charged Karraz and 22-year-old Ronaley Arriola in connection with the Liston's Death.&nbsp; &nbsp; They were arrested after an investigation by the Overland&nbsp; Park Police Department.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/6/1749153492662.png" alt="Karraz photo Johnson Co." />
 <figcaption>Karraz photo Johnson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>JOHNSON COUNTY —A Kansas man who admitted his role in a drug overdose death is going to prison.On August 21, Jude Christina Dunn Gyllenbord sentenced 22-year-old&nbsp;&nbsp;Ahmad Mohammed Karraz to 144 months for the drug distribution death of 24-year-old Kylie Liston, according to the Johnson County District Attorney's office.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/8/1755983010214.png" alt="Kylie Ann Liston photo courtesy Johnson County Funeral Chapel" />
 <figcaption>Kylie Ann Liston photo courtesy Johnson County Funeral Chapel</figcaption>
 </figure>In June Karraz pleaded guilty to distribution of drugs causing death and use of a communication facility during a drug felony.In November, the Johnson County district attorney's office charged Karraz and 22-year-old Ronaley Arriola in connection with the Liston's Death.&nbsp; &nbsp; They were arrested after an investigation by the Overland&nbsp; Park Police Department.

Prison for drug deal death of 24-year-old Kansas woman

KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement are investigating a homicide at a Kansas City area park and have a person-of-interest in custody.

Just before 8a.m. Wednesday,&nbsp;&nbsp;patrol officers were dispatched to 23rd and Topping on a reported shooting, according to KCPD Sergeant Phil DiMartino.

As officers arrived they were directed towards Blue Valley Park, to the south end of the park. There, in a wooded area, officers located an adult male victim suffering from gunshot wounds. 

KCFD EMS responded and transported the victim to a local hospital with critical injuries. A short time later hospital personnel declared the victim deceased, according to DiMartino.

This is being investigated as a homicide. While officers were on scene they received information about the involvement of a vehicle and a subject of interest.

A short distance away, officers took a subject of interest into custody pending further investigation. Detectives are still working to determine what led up to the shots being fired and the victim being struck. Investigators and crime scene technicians are canvassing the area for witnesses, surveillance footage, and any physical evidence.

If anyone has any information they are asked to contact Homicide detectives directly at 816-234-5043 or the TIPS Hotline anonymously at 816-474-TIPS. There is a reward of up to $25,000 for information submitted anonymously to the TIPS hotline.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/8/1756319368214.png" alt="Photo Sheriff Daryl Forte'" />
 <figcaption>Photo Sheriff Daryl Forte'</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement are investigating a homicide at a Kansas City area park and have a person-of-interest in custody.Just before 8a.m. Wednesday,&nbsp;&nbsp;patrol officers were dispatched to 23rd and Topping on a reported shooting, according to KCPD Sergeant Phil DiMartino.As officers arrived they were directed towards Blue Valley Park, to the south end of the park. There, in a wooded area, officers located an adult male victim suffering from gunshot wounds. KCFD EMS responded and transported the victim to a local hospital with critical injuries. A short time later hospital personnel declared the victim deceased, according to DiMartino.This is being investigated as a homicide. While officers were on scene they received information about the involvement of a vehicle and a subject of interest.A short distance away, officers took a subject of interest into custody pending further investigation. Detectives are still working to determine what led up to the shots being fired and the victim being struck. Investigators and crime scene technicians are canvassing the area for witnesses, surveillance footage, and any physical evidence.If anyone has any information they are asked to contact Homicide detectives directly at 816-234-5043 or the TIPS Hotline anonymously at 816-474-TIPS. There is a reward of up to $25,000 for information submitted anonymously to the TIPS hotline.

KCPD: Person-of-interest in custody after homicide near park

KANSAS CITY —Authorities are investigating a small plane crash that occurred just north of the Midwest National Air Center near Mosby, according to a statement from the&nbsp;The Clay County, Missouri Sheriff's Office.

Just before noon Wednesday, dispatchers received a call about heavy smoke coming from a field near NE 140th Street and Rhodus Road. Callers believed it may have been from a plane crash. When deputies arrived, they located a Cessna C340 fully engulfed in flames in a soybean field. There were at least two occupants inside, and they have been confirmed deceased.

The plane appeared to have been trying to land at the Midwest National Air Center. Preliminary information indicates it may have come from an airport outside of the St. Louis metro area. Investigators are working to identify the occupants of the plane.

Air traffic was closed until 5 p.m. Wednesday while the investigation is ongoing. Sheriff's Office investigators have notified the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board, which will take over the investigation into what caused the crash.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/8/1756325654846.png" alt="Photo Clay County Sheriff" />
 <figcaption>Photo Clay County Sheriff</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —Authorities are investigating a small plane crash that occurred just north of the Midwest National Air Center near Mosby, according to a statement from the&nbsp;The Clay County, Missouri Sheriff's Office.Just before noon Wednesday, dispatchers received a call about heavy smoke coming from a field near NE 140th Street and Rhodus Road. Callers believed it may have been from a plane crash. When deputies arrived, they located a Cessna C340 fully engulfed in flames in a soybean field. There were at least two occupants inside, and they have been confirmed deceased.The plane appeared to have been trying to land at the Midwest National Air Center. Preliminary information indicates it may have come from an airport outside of the St. Louis metro area. Investigators are working to identify the occupants of the plane.Air traffic was closed until 5 p.m. Wednesday while the investigation is ongoing. Sheriff's Office investigators have notified the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board, which will take over the investigation into what caused the crash.

Sheriff: 2 dead after small plane crash near Kansas City

By:<a href="https://minnesotareformer.com/author/max-nesterak/">Max Nesterak</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://minnesotareformer.com/author/michelle/">Michelle Griffith</a> <a href="https://minnesotareformer.com/">Minnesota Reformer</a>

Two children, ages 8 and 10, are dead Wednesday following a shooting at Annunciation Church in south Minneapolis, where students at the Catholic school there gathered for a mass to celebrate the beginning of the school year.

The shooter, a man in his early 20s without an extensive criminal history, appears to have killed himself at the scene, according to Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara, who gave a news conference near the site.

Another 17 people were injured — 14 of them children. Two of the injured are in citical condition, O’Hara said.

The shooter approached the church from the outside, barricaded the front door with plywood and shot dozens of rounds through the windows, O’Hara said.

Outside the school after the shooting, parents were picking up their children, who wore the green polos that are the school uniform.

Jeremy Graff, 50, lives two blocks from the school and said he’s lived in the south Minneapolis neighborhood his whole life. He said his neighbors messaged him around 8:45 a.m. to say they heard a round of gunshots near the campus. He said he has about a dozen friends with kids who go to the school.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/8/1756308874586.png" alt="Police have responded to a mass shooting at Annunciation Church in south Minneapolis, which is home to a school as well. (Photo by Nicole Neri/Minnesota Reformer)" />
 <figcaption>Police have responded to a mass shooting at Annunciation Church in south Minneapolis, which is home to a school as well. (Photo by Nicole Neri/Minnesota Reformer)</figcaption>
 </figure>By:<a href="https://minnesotareformer.com/author/max-nesterak/">Max Nesterak</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://minnesotareformer.com/author/michelle/">Michelle Griffith</a> <a href="https://minnesotareformer.com/">Minnesota Reformer</a>Two children, ages 8 and 10, are dead Wednesday following a shooting at Annunciation Church in south Minneapolis, where students at the Catholic school there gathered for a mass to celebrate the beginning of the school year.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Minneapolis <a href="https://twitter.com/MayorFrey?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MayorFrey</a> on Catholic School Shooting: &quot;Don&#39;t just say this is about thoughts and prayers right now. These kids were literally praying!&quot; <a href="https://t.co/0mPYfQsjWM">pic.twitter.com/0mPYfQsjWM</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1960736022410543433?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 27, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The shooter, a man in his early 20s without an extensive criminal history, appears to have killed himself at the scene, according to Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara, who gave a news conference near the site.Another 17 people were injured — 14 of them children. Two of the injured are in citical condition, O’Hara said.The shooter approached the church from the outside, barricaded the front door with plywood and shot dozens of rounds through the windows, O’Hara said.Outside the school after the shooting, parents were picking up their children, who wore the green polos that are the school uniform.Jeremy Graff, 50, lives two blocks from the school and said he’s lived in the south Minneapolis neighborhood his whole life. He said his neighbors messaged him around 8:45 a.m. to say they heard a round of gunshots near the campus. He said he has about a dozen friends with kids who go to the school.“I would like to say it’s surprising, but it’s really not nowadays,” Graff said.Officers were sweeping the neighborhood and backyard with dogs and interviewing neighbors.Jack Freedman, 25, went to the school and lives in the area. He said, “You never think that it’s going to happen at the school you went to, but then you start thinking how naive to believe that. Because it happens everywhere.”Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said that the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and State Patrol are on the scene.“I’m praying for our kids and teachers whose first week of school was marred by this horrific act of violence,” Walz said in a social media post.Giffords, the national gun control group, released a statement by former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who was shot and severely injured in a mass shooting in 2011:&nbsp;“When will enough be enough? I am devastated by the news of a mass shooting at Annunciation Church in Minneapolis. No one should have to fear for their lives when attending religious services.”-------------------Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said Wednesday that the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and State Patrol are on the scene of what he called a “horrific act of violence” at a Catholic Church in south Minneapolis.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">I am heartbroken by the horrific violence at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis this morning. My prayers are with the students, teachers, and families, and I am grateful for the first responders who are on the scene.&mdash; Amy Klobuchar (@amyklobuchar) <a href="https://twitter.com/amyklobuchar/status/1960714176868852030?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 27, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">I&#39;m monitoring reports of horrific violence in South Minneapolis. I&#39;m in touch with Chief O&#39;Hara and our emergency response team has been activated. We will share more information as soon as we can. Please give our officers the space they need to respond to the situation.&mdash; Mayor Jacob Frey (@MayorFrey) <a href="https://twitter.com/MayorFrey/status/1960706399966568507?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 27, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">I’ve been briefed on a shooting at Annunciation Catholic School and will continue to provide updates as we get more information. The BCA and State Patrol are on scene. I’m praying for our kids and teachers whose first week of school was marred by this horrific act of violence.&mdash; Governor Tim Walz (@GovTimWalz) <a href="https://twitter.com/GovTimWalz/status/1960706436284985707?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 27, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">We’re at the WH monitoring the situation in Minneapolis. Join all of us in praying for the victims!&mdash; JD Vance (@JDVance) <a href="https://twitter.com/JDVance/status/1960724538519343129?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 27, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>“I’m praying for our kids and teachers whose first week of school was marred by this horrific act of violence,” Walz said in a social media post.The shooting was reported at&nbsp;Annunciation Church, which is also the site of a Catholic school.A news conference was scheduled for Wednesday morning.Outside the school, parents were picking up their children, who wore the green polos that are the school uniform.Jeremy Graff, 50, lives two blocks from the school and said he’s lived in the south Minneapolis neighborhood his whole life. He said his neighbors messaged him around 8:45am to say they heard a round of gunshots near the campus. He said he has about a dozen friends with kids who go to the school.“I would like to say it’s surprising, but it’s really not nowadays,” Graff said.Another neighborhood resident, who declined to give his name, said he lives four blocks away and woke up to about 30 gunshots around 8:20 and came to Annunciation.<figure>
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