SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement investigating a bank robbery suspect who died during a police pursuit on Tuesday have released additional details on crimes he is alleged to have committed.&nbsp;

 Just before 9a.m. on Monday, the Shawnee County Emergency Communications Center received a 911 call of a disturbance near Se 27th Street and SE Minnesota Avenue in Topeka, according to Topeka spokesperson Dan Garrett. 

Police arrived in the area to find a woman later&nbsp;identified as 40-year-old Kathleen Hayes of Topeka deceased.

Through the investigation, the suspect in the homicide was identified as 47-year-old Anthony Marshall Jr. of Topeka.&nbsp; He was the bank robbery suspect&nbsp;involved in a pursuit with the Kansas Highway Patrol on Tuesday. The pursuit ended in Saline County with emergency medical services being requested for a self-inflicted gun shot wound. Marshall died of his injuries.&nbsp; Marshall and and Hayes were known to each other, according to police.&nbsp; &nbsp;

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1747257170460.png" alt="Marshall photo from an arrest in Topeka on March 11 on requested charges of drug possession, driving while suspended and for no registration, according to online jail records." />
                        <figcaption>Marshall photo from an arrest in Topeka on March 11 on requested charges of drug possession, driving while suspended and for no registration, according to online jail records.</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement investigating a bank robbery suspect who died during a police pursuit on Tuesday have released additional details on crimes he is alleged to have committed.&nbsp;</p><p> Just before 9a.m. on Monday, the Shawnee County Emergency Communications Center received a 911 call of a disturbance near Se 27th Street and SE Minnesota Avenue in Topeka, according to Topeka spokesperson Dan Garrett. </p><p>Police arrived in the area to find a woman later&nbsp;identified as 40-year-old Kathleen Hayes of Topeka deceased.</p><p>Through the investigation, the suspect in the homicide was identified as 47-year-old Anthony Marshall Jr. of Topeka.&nbsp; He was the bank robbery suspect&nbsp;involved in a pursuit with the Kansas Highway Patrol on Tuesday. The pursuit ended in Saline County with emergency medical services being requested for a self-inflicted gun shot wound. Marshall died of his injuries.&nbsp; Marshall and and Hayes were known to each other, according to police.&nbsp; &nbsp;</p>

Bank robbery suspect accused of killing Kansas woman

&nbsp;JACKSON COUNTY, Kan.—Law enforcement are investigating a suspect on drug allegations after an incident&nbsp; in the parking lot of the sheriff's office.

Just after 10:30p.m. May 12, a&nbsp;Jackson County Deputy Sheriff arrested 60-year-old Colette McKinnon, of Topeka in the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office parking lot, according to Sheriff Tim Morse.

McKinnon was in the company of another person who was turning themselves in on an outstanding warrant.

 McKinnon was placed under arrest on a requested charge of possession of methamphetamine and booked into the Jackson County Jail.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1747152825707.png" alt="McKinnon photo Jackson Co." />
                        <figcaption>McKinnon photo Jackson Co.</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>&nbsp;JACKSON COUNTY, Kan.—Law enforcement are investigating a suspect on drug allegations after an incident&nbsp; in the parking lot of the sheriff's office.</p><p>Just after 10:30p.m. May 12, a&nbsp;Jackson County Deputy Sheriff arrested 60-year-old Colette McKinnon, of Topeka in the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office parking lot, according to Sheriff Tim Morse.</p><p>McKinnon was in the company of another person who was turning themselves in on an outstanding warrant.</p><p> McKinnon was placed under arrest on a requested charge of possession of methamphetamine and booked into the Jackson County Jail.</p>

Kan. woman caught with meth in sheriff's office parking lot

WYANDOTTE COUNTY —The Kansas Highway Patrol is seeking assistance from the public to identify witnesses involving a shooting that occurred at approximately 4:05 pm on May 11, according to a media release from the agency.

This shooting occurred on southbound Interstate 35 in the area of 18th Street and Lamar Avenue in Wyandotte County. One victim was struck by a bullet and transported to a local hospital in stable condition.

If anyone has information regarding witnesses or knowledge of this shooting, please contact Kansas Highway Patrol Communications at&nbsp;<a href="tel: 7858273701">785-827-3701</a>.

<p>WYANDOTTE COUNTY —The Kansas Highway Patrol is seeking assistance from the public to identify witnesses involving a shooting that occurred at approximately 4:05 pm on May 11, according to a media release from the agency.</p><p>This shooting occurred on southbound Interstate 35 in the area of 18th Street and Lamar Avenue in Wyandotte County. One victim was struck by a bullet and transported to a local hospital in stable condition.</p><p>If anyone has information regarding witnesses or knowledge of this shooting, please contact Kansas Highway Patrol Communications at&nbsp;<a href="tel: 7858273701">785-827-3701</a>.</p>

KHP seeks witnesses to highway shooting that hospitalized victim

KANSAS CITY —Police are investigating the fifth homicide in Kansas City, Missouri over the past week.

Just before 10p.m. Tuesday, police&nbsp;were dispatched to a shooting call at 37th and Pennsylvania, according to KCPD Captain Jake Becchina.

Callers reported hearing the sound of gunfire and looked out and saw a person down in the street.&nbsp; First responders found a shooting victim later identified as 20-year-old Layla A. Freemanin the street unresponsive. Officers rendered aid and summoned EMS to the scene for treatment. EMS declared the victim deceased at the scene.

Homicide detectives responded to the scene and are canvassing for witnesses and any additional evidence. Preliminary investigation indicates that Freeman was at the location when she had an interaction with one or more suspects that led to gunfire and she was struck.&nbsp; Police released no additional details.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1747228200281.png" alt="<br>" />
                        <figcaption><br></figcaption>
                    </figure><p>KANSAS CITY —Police are investigating the fifth homicide in Kansas City, Missouri over the past week.</p><p>Just before 10p.m. Tuesday, police&nbsp;were dispatched to a shooting call at 37th and Pennsylvania, according to KCPD Captain Jake Becchina.</p><p>Callers reported hearing the sound of gunfire and looked out and saw a person down in the street.&nbsp; First responders found a shooting victim later identified as 20-year-old Layla A. Freemanin the street unresponsive. Officers rendered aid and summoned EMS to the scene for treatment. EMS declared the victim deceased at the scene.</p><p>Homicide detectives responded to the scene and are canvassing for witnesses and any additional evidence. Preliminary investigation indicates that Freeman was at the location when she had an interaction with one or more suspects that led to gunfire and she was struck.&nbsp; Police released no additional details.</p>

KCPD: Woman homicide victim found in the street

<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Sen. <a href="https://twitter.com/HawleyMO?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@HawleyMO</a>: &quot;You haven&#39;t changed a lick. We&#39;ve got your word against everybody else&#39;s. Why should we believe you?&quot;<br><br>Allstate Executive VP Mike Fiato: &quot;Because, I&#39;m telling the truth.&quot;<br><br>Hawley: &quot;You&#39;re asking us to look at all the evidence and don&#39;t believe our lying eyes.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/VtBdeibfD2">pic.twitter.com/VtBdeibfD2</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1922460839602221195?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 14, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Its policyholders&#39; worst day is Allstate&#39;s pay day:<br><br>Its CEO is making $26 MILLION a year, but the insurance company can&#39;t pay customers their claims.<br><br>Make that make sense. <a href="https://t.co/ZfgmWLWUFQ">pic.twitter.com/ZfgmWLWUFQ</a></p>&mdash; Senator Hawley Press Office (@SenHawleyPress) <a href="https://twitter.com/SenHawleyPress/status/1922391266689478834?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 13, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">An Allstate whistleblower just told Senator Hawley how the insurance company is actively retaliating against him:<br><br>&quot;[Allstate&#39;s] cutting me off. It&#39;s eliminating me, guaranteed.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/IrxUn1bFJd">pic.twitter.com/IrxUn1bFJd</a></p>&mdash; Senator Hawley Press Office (@SenHawleyPress) <a href="https://twitter.com/SenHawleyPress/status/1922384122590212529?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 13, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">WATCH: Hawley Questions Allstate Whistleblower Who Alleges Company Deliberately Lowballs Policyholders <a href="https://t.co/uAQ37MnGn5">pic.twitter.com/uAQ37MnGn5</a></p>&mdash; Senator Hawley Press Office (@SenHawleyPress) <a href="https://twitter.com/SenHawleyPress/status/1922378813414969721?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 13, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Testimony from a homeowner sharing her insurance nightmare: <br><br>&quot;We are homeowners—not lawyers, not engineers, not insurance experts. We&#39;ve been Allstate customers for 6 years . . . We have paid our bills on time and in full. But when we needed Allstate the most, they failed us.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/T9zd2B01ZU">pic.twitter.com/T9zd2B01ZU</a></p>&mdash; Senator Hawley Press Office (@SenHawleyPress) <a href="https://twitter.com/SenHawleyPress/status/1922371656703463909?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 13, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

🎥 Mo. U.S. Senator grills insurance executives about cutting disaster payouts

<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">NB US 65. In a construction zone. Trooper released a violator and was finishing paperwork on shoulder when the patrol vehicle was struck from the rear. The Trooper was uninjured. Be patient folks. Drive the posted speed limit. Increase following distance. <a href="https://t.co/wT1t89nDLk">pic.twitter.com/wT1t89nDLk</a></p>&mdash; MSHP Troop D (@MSHPTrooperD) <a href="https://twitter.com/MSHPTrooperD/status/1922413064529264768?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 13, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

MSHP Trooper's vehicle rear-ended in construction zone

According to White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt, President Trump, at the invitation of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, met with Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa. President Erdogan of Turkey joined by phone. President Erdogan praised President Trump for lifting sanctions on Syria and committed to working alongside Saudi Arabia to encourage peace and prosperity in Syria. The Crown Prince also commended President Trump for his decision to lift the sanctions, calling it courageous. President Trump thanked President Erdogan and the Crown Prince for their friendship, and told President Al-Sharaa that he has a tremendous opportunity to do something historic in his country. President Trump encouraged President Al-Sharaa to do a great job for the Syrian people, and urged him to:

1. Sign onto the Abraham Accords with Israel 

2. Tell all foreign terrorists to leave Syria 

4. Help the United States to prevent the resurgence of ISIS 

5. Assume responsibility for ISIS detention centers in Northeast Syria

President Al-Sharaa thanked President Trump, the Crown Prince, and President Erdogan for their efforts to put together the meeting, and recognized the significant opportunity presented by the Iranians leaving Syria, as well as shared U.S.-Syrian interests in countering terrorism and eliminating chemical weapons. President Al-Sharaa affirmed his commitment to the 1974 disengagement with Israel. President Al-Sharaa concluded with his hope that Syria would serve as a critical link in facilitating trade between east and west, and invited American companies to invest in Syrian oil and gas.

The Russia-Ukraine war and the war in Gaza was also discussed.

<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Today, President Trump, at the invitation of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, met with Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa. President Erdogan of Turkey joined by phone. President Erdogan praised President Trump for lifting sanctions on Syria and committed to working alongside Saudi… <a href="https://t.co/0yhyZbQ1o0">pic.twitter.com/0yhyZbQ1o0</a></p>&mdash; Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) <a href="https://twitter.com/PressSec/status/1922567846317392240?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 14, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><p>According to White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt, President Trump, at the invitation of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, met with Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa. President Erdogan of Turkey joined by phone. President Erdogan praised President Trump for lifting sanctions on Syria and committed to working alongside Saudi Arabia to encourage peace and prosperity in Syria. The Crown Prince also commended President Trump for his decision to lift the sanctions, calling it courageous. President Trump thanked President Erdogan and the Crown Prince for their friendship, and told President Al-Sharaa that he has a tremendous opportunity to do something historic in his country. President Trump encouraged President Al-Sharaa to do a great job for the Syrian people, and urged him to:</p><p>1. Sign onto the Abraham Accords with Israel </p><p>2. Tell all foreign terrorists to leave Syria </p><p>3. Deport Palestinian terrorists </p><p>4. Help the United States to prevent the resurgence of ISIS </p><p>5. Assume responsibility for ISIS detention centers in Northeast Syria</p><p>President Al-Sharaa thanked President Trump, the Crown Prince, and President Erdogan for their efforts to put together the meeting, and recognized the significant opportunity presented by the Iranians leaving Syria, as well as shared U.S.-Syrian interests in countering terrorism and eliminating chemical weapons. President Al-Sharaa affirmed his commitment to the 1974 disengagement with Israel. President Al-Sharaa concluded with his hope that Syria would serve as a critical link in facilitating trade between east and west, and invited American companies to invest in Syrian oil and gas.</p><p>The Russia-Ukraine war and the war in Gaza was also discussed.</p>

Trump meets Syrian president, urges him to establish ties with Israel

KANSAS CITY —On person died in an accident just after 8a.m. Tuesday in Kansas City.

A red/black Honda CVR600F motorcycle was eastbound on Interstate 70 onto the exit ramp for Beardsley Road, according to KCPD Captain Jake Becchina.

The motorcyclist failed to negotiate the curve of the exit ramp. The vehicle&nbsp; struck the concrete bridge rail. The motorcyclist was ejected off the motorcycle and off the bridge, landing on the railroad tracks below. 

The motorcyclist was pronounced deceased at the scene. This is fatality #24 compared to #39 at this time last year in Kansas City, Missouri, according to Becchina.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1747172375142.png" alt="First responders near the crash scene -photo courtesy KMBC" />
                        <figcaption>First responders near the crash scene -photo courtesy KMBC</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>KANSAS CITY —On person died in an accident just after 8a.m. Tuesday in Kansas City.</p><p>A red/black Honda CVR600F motorcycle was eastbound on Interstate 70 onto the exit ramp for Beardsley Road, according to KCPD Captain Jake Becchina.</p><p>The motorcyclist failed to negotiate the curve of the exit ramp. The vehicle&nbsp; struck the concrete bridge rail. The motorcyclist was ejected off the motorcycle and off the bridge, landing on the railroad tracks below. </p><p>The motorcyclist was pronounced deceased at the scene. This is fatality #24 compared to #39 at this time last year in Kansas City, Missouri, according to Becchina.</p>

Motorcyclist dead after I-70 crash, fall onto railroad tracks

SALINE COUNTY —Just after 10a.m. Tuesday, the Kansas Highway Patrol Troopers assisted local authorities in Marion County with a pursuit involving a bank robbery suspect from the Topeka area, according to a media release from the KHP.

Troopers attempted to stop the suspect while traveling northbound on I-135 in McPherson County. Troopers successfully deployed stop sticks deflating both driver’s side tires on the suspect’s vehicle. The suspect exited Interstate 135 onto Kansas 4, lost control of their vehicle, and drove into the ditch. 

Emergency medical services were requested for the suspect due to a self-inflicted gunshot injury. The suspect was taken into custody and transported to the Salina Regional Health Center. While at the hospital, the suspect identified as 47-year-old Anthony Marshall, Jr. succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced deceased.

&nbsp;Marshall, Jr. been charged in a federal criminal complaint with an alleged Bank Robbery that occurred on May 12,&nbsp; at the Equity Bank located at 3825 SW 29th Street in Topeka.

The Saline County Sheriff’s Office, Marion County Sheriff’s Office, McPherson County Sheriff’s Office, Hillsboro Police Department, Lindsborg Police Department, Salina Police Department, and McPherson Police Department assisted in the pursuit.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1747158037978.jpeg" alt="Law enforcement on the scene Tuesday in Saline County-photo Salina Post" />
                        <figcaption>Law enforcement on the scene Tuesday in Saline County-photo Salina Post</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>SALINE COUNTY —Just after 10a.m. Tuesday, the Kansas Highway Patrol Troopers assisted local authorities in Marion County with a pursuit involving a bank robbery suspect from the Topeka area, according to a media release from the KHP.</p><p>Troopers attempted to stop the suspect while traveling northbound on I-135 in McPherson County. Troopers successfully deployed stop sticks deflating both driver’s side tires on the suspect’s vehicle. The suspect exited Interstate 135 onto Kansas 4, lost control of their vehicle, and drove into the ditch. </p><p>Emergency medical services were requested for the suspect due to a self-inflicted gunshot injury. The suspect was taken into custody and transported to the Salina Regional Health Center. While at the hospital, the suspect identified as 47-year-old Anthony Marshall, Jr. succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced deceased.</p><p>&nbsp;Marshall, Jr. been charged in a federal criminal complaint with an alleged Bank Robbery that occurred on May 12,&nbsp; at the Equity Bank located at 3825 SW 29th Street in Topeka.</p><p>The Saline County Sheriff’s Office, Marion County Sheriff’s Office, McPherson County Sheriff’s Office, Hillsboro Police Department, Lindsborg Police Department, Salina Police Department, and McPherson Police Department assisted in the pursuit.</p>

KHP: Kan. bank robbery suspect dies after 3 county pursuit

&nbsp;JACKSON COUNTY, Kan. —Law enforcement are investigating a suspect on drug allegations.

On May 8,&nbsp;Skyler Breann Sledd, 25, of Belton, Missouri was reported to have allegedly fled from the Jackson County District Court and had a warrant for her arrest, according to Sheriff Tim Morse.

Deputies located her near U.S. Highway 75 and 110th&nbsp; Road in a 2007 Buick Lacrosse.&nbsp; Deputies conducted a high-risk traffic stop, near 102nd Road where Sledd was taken into custody. A probable cause search of the vehicle was conducted and resulted in the discovery of illegal drugs and narcotics.

Sledd was arrested and booked into the Jackson County Jail on requested charges of fentanyl possession, possession of methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia, driving while revoked and driving with expired registration .

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1747008472005.png" alt="Sledd photo Jackson County" />
                        <figcaption>Sledd photo Jackson County</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>&nbsp;JACKSON COUNTY, Kan. —Law enforcement are investigating a suspect on drug allegations.</p><p>On May 8,&nbsp;Skyler Breann Sledd, 25, of Belton, Missouri was reported to have allegedly fled from the Jackson County District Court and had a warrant for her arrest, according to Sheriff Tim Morse.</p><p>Deputies located her near U.S. Highway 75 and 110th&nbsp; Road in a 2007 Buick Lacrosse.&nbsp; Deputies conducted a high-risk traffic stop, near 102nd Road where Sledd was taken into custody. A probable cause search of the vehicle was conducted and resulted in the discovery of illegal drugs and narcotics.</p><p>Sledd was arrested and booked into the Jackson County Jail on requested charges of fentanyl possession, possession of methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia, driving while revoked and driving with expired registration .</p>

Woman who fled from Kan. court is caught with fentanyl

DICKINSON COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating two suspect for alleged burglary in Abilene.

On May 11, police located two suspects at a residence in Abilene and conducted a search warrant at the home located on&nbsp;300&nbsp;N. Cedar Street, according to a media release.

During the search, police located and recovered several items that were believed to have been stolen from DNR Enterprises,&nbsp;101 S. Cedar Street&nbsp;in Abilene. At the conclusion of the investigation, police arrested 26-year-old Dakota Hogan and 46-year-old Mark Bartley.&nbsp;

They are jailed on requested charges of burglary, theft and criminal damage to property.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1747183804464.png" alt="Bartley photo Abilene Police" />
                        <figcaption>Bartley photo Abilene Police</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>DICKINSON COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating two suspect for alleged burglary in Abilene.</p><p>On May 11, police located two suspects at a residence in Abilene and conducted a search warrant at the home located on&nbsp;300&nbsp;N. Cedar Street, according to a media release.</p><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1747183785417.png" alt="Hogan photo Atilene Police" />
                        <figcaption>Hogan photo Atilene Police</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>During the search, police located and recovered several items that were believed to have been stolen from DNR Enterprises,&nbsp;101 S. Cedar Street&nbsp;in Abilene. At the conclusion of the investigation, police arrested 26-year-old Dakota Hogan and 46-year-old Mark Bartley.&nbsp;</p><p>They are jailed on requested charges of burglary, theft and criminal damage to property.</p>

Police make arrest in Kansas business burglary

WABAUNSEE COUNTY —One person died in an accident just after 11a.m. Tuesday in Wabaunsee County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe driven by Kimberly G.&nbsp;Terhune, 64, Maple Hill, was westbound on Interstate 70 just east of Keene Eskridge Road. The SUV traveled into the median, continued&nbsp;&nbsp;into the passing lane of eastbound Interstate 70 and collided with a 2019 Ram 1500 driven by Mark E. Robb,&nbsp; 73, Manhattan.

Terhune was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported to the Shawnee County Coroner's Office. EMS transported Robb and a passenger Judith A. Robb, 75, Manhattan, to Stormont Vail.&nbsp; Terhune was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.

<p>WABAUNSEE COUNTY —One person died in an accident just after 11a.m. Tuesday in Wabaunsee County.</p><p>The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe driven by Kimberly G.&nbsp;Terhune, 64, Maple Hill, was westbound on Interstate 70 just east of Keene Eskridge Road. The SUV traveled into the median, continued&nbsp;&nbsp;into the passing lane of eastbound Interstate 70 and collided with a 2019 Ram 1500 driven by Mark E. Robb,&nbsp; 73, Manhattan.</p><p>Terhune was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported to the Shawnee County Coroner's Office. EMS transported Robb and a passenger Judith A. Robb, 75, Manhattan, to Stormont Vail.&nbsp; Terhune was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.</p>

Kansas woman killed in I-70 SUV, pickup crash

Former U.S. Senator and Missouri Governor, Christopher S. “Kit” Bond. A devoted husband, father, and grandfather, whose life’s work was dedicated to serving Missouri died Tuesday in St. Louis at 86 years old.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1747169081478.png" alt="Christopher 'Kit" Bond courtesy photo" />
                        <figcaption>Christopher 'Kit" Bond courtesy photo</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>Former U.S. Senator and Missouri Governor, Christopher S. “Kit” Bond. A devoted husband, father, and grandfather, whose life’s work was dedicated to serving Missouri died Tuesday in St. Louis at 86 years old.</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Statement on the Passing of Former U.S. Senator and Governor Christopher S. “Kit” Bond<br><br>Kit Bond was a skilled statesman, public servant, and a man who truly loved Missouri. I am blessed to have known Kit and honored to call him a friend and a mentor.<br><br>Kit, always with his… <a href="https://t.co/6ff5ib5riO">pic.twitter.com/6ff5ib5riO</a></p>&mdash; Governor Mike Kehoe (@GovMikeKehoe) <a href="https://twitter.com/GovMikeKehoe/status/1922323258470260948?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 13, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">“No one has served Missouri with more energy, honor, and distinction than Kit Bond. Kit Bond delivered for Missouri time and time again as Governor, and as US Senator. He stands with the great senators and governors of Missouri History. <br><br>I have lost a friend, mentor and advisor… <a href="https://t.co/KyMeBwpNDL">pic.twitter.com/KyMeBwpNDL</a></p>&mdash; Missouri GOP (@MissouriGOP) <a href="https://twitter.com/MissouriGOP/status/1922352704954773582?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 13, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Saddened to hear of the passing of legendary Missouri Senator Christopher ‘Kit’ Bond. Kit proudly served our state as governor and then in the U.S. Senate for 24 years, with his trademark sense of humor and dedication to making Missouri the best state in our union. He helped to… <a href="https://t.co/1AFeZJngbj">pic.twitter.com/1AFeZJngbj</a></p>&mdash; Eric Schmitt (@Eric_Schmitt) <a href="https://twitter.com/Eric_Schmitt/status/1922347640559141069?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 13, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Few people in Missouri politics have had more of a positive influence on our state and the nation than Senator Kit Bond.  <br><br>A true statesman seemingly from a bygone era in today’s divisive world, Kit Bond devoted his life to public service, working with others to find the best… <a href="https://t.co/KtFF7LvyAA">pic.twitter.com/KtFF7LvyAA</a></p>&mdash; Ann Wagner (@RepAnnWagner) <a href="https://twitter.com/RepAnnWagner/status/1922347015893352631?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 13, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Erin and I were saddened to hear of the death of our friend, Kit Bond. What a champion for Missouri. He served his state and his nation with the utmost distinction for decades - and he was above all a fine man. He &amp; Linda have been such good friends to Erin and me. We are…</p>&mdash; Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) <a href="https://twitter.com/HawleyMO/status/1922333491460501748?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 13, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Kit Bond was a superb statesman, an exemplary public servant, and a dear friend to myself and Missourians across the Show Me State.<br><br>I extend my deepest condolences to the Bond family as they grieve this colossal loss.<br><br>My full statement here: <a href="https://t.co/Mpd7d1WqgX">pic.twitter.com/Mpd7d1WqgX</a></p>&mdash; Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (@repcleaver) <a href="https://twitter.com/repcleaver/status/1922375758833410338?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 13, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">I am deeply saddened by the passing of former Missouri Governor and U.S. Senator Christopher “Kit” Bond. His decades of service shaped the future of our state for the better, and he will always be remembered for his unwavering dedication and for putting Missouri families first in…</p>&mdash; Rep. Jason Smith (@RepJasonSmith) <a href="https://twitter.com/RepJasonSmith/status/1922327806853169543?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 13, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">My sympathies to the Bond family. I am proud that Kit and I were friends. He cared deeply and always about Missouri. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RIPSenatorKitBond?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RIPSenatorKitBond</a></p>&mdash; Claire McCaskill (@clairecmc) <a href="https://twitter.com/clairecmc/status/1922334668700987672?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 13, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

Lawmakers honor the memory of former Missouri Governor, U.S. Senator

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

With four days left in the legislative session, Republicans brought a<a href="https://house.mo.gov/bill.aspx?bill=HJR73&amp;year=2025&amp;code=R" target="_blank">&nbsp;proposed constitutional amendment banning abortion&nbsp;</a>up for debate Monday night in the Missouri Senate only to set it aside after three hours.&nbsp;

It’s unlikely to be the last abortion debate in the Senate before the legislature adjourns for the year at 6 p.m. Friday. Republicans can bring the bill back to the Senate at any time in the next few days.&nbsp;

Republicans spent the first hour of debate scorning&nbsp;<a href="https://moconstitutionalfreedom.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Missourians-for-Constitutional-Freedom-Amendment.pdf" target="_blank">Amendment 3,</a>&nbsp;which voters approved in November to&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/11/05/missouri-voters-overturn-states-near-total-abortion-ban/">protect the right to reproductive health care</a>&nbsp;including abortion up to the point of fetal viability.&nbsp;

“Sometimes people get in, we can only describe it as horrible situations, but I don’t think taking the life of an innocent should be something that we can legally do,” said Senate President Pro Tem Cindy O’Laughlin, a Shelbina Republican. “I think it’s morally wrong and I think we need to support women who’ve had unintended pregnancies or other situations where they feel trapped and they don’t feel supported.”

After Republicans spoke in favor of the bill, Democrats stood up to block it from coming up for a vote.

The proposed ban, which has been a top priority among Republicans this year, seeks to repeal the constitutional right to an abortion but allow exceptions for medical emergencies, fatal fetal anomalies and for survivors of rape and incest in the first 12 weeks of gestation.&nbsp;

The 12 week deadline for survivors has raised concerns from Democrats, and from the<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/04/17/missouri-abortion-ban-amendment-jon-patterson-senate/">&nbsp;GOP leader of the House.</a>

“It’s just disgusting to put that torture and timeline on someone who’s a survivor of domestic violence,” state Rep. Patty Lewis, a Democrat from Kansas City, said Monday evening.

The proposed ban, if approved by a simple majority of voters, would&nbsp;reinstate several targeted regulations on abortion providers, or TRAP laws, that were recently&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/02/14/missouri-judge-blocks-discriminatory-abortion-clinics-rules-blamed-for-lack-of-access/">struck down as unconstitutional</a>&nbsp;by a Missouri judge.

The language that could appear on each ballot does not mention the amendment would ban abortions, a detail that’s been highly-criticized by Democrats as deceiving.&nbsp;

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

Missourians could see the question on the November 2026 ballot, or as soon as this year if the governor chose to call a special election on the issue.&nbsp;

On Monday, Senate Minority Leader Doug Beck, an Affton Democrat, pointed out that last session, Senate&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/02/08/missouri-abortion-legislation-defund-planned-parenthood-defund/">Republicans voted against an attempt to add rape and incest exceptions</a>&nbsp;to what at the time was a near-total ban on abortion in the state.&nbsp;

“It makes you wonder exactly what’s going on here,” Beck said of some Republicans changing course on the issue. “ … It’s very interesting to see the mental gymnastics that are taking place to be able to say that this is OK.”&nbsp;

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1747138852814.png" alt=" Senate Minority Leader Doug Beck speaks against a proposed constitutional amendment banning abortion during debate in the Missouri Senate on Monday evening (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent)." />
                        <figcaption> Senate Minority Leader Doug Beck speaks against a proposed constitutional amendment banning abortion during debate in the Missouri Senate on Monday evening (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent).</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/annaspoerre/">ANNA SPOERRE</a><br><a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/annaspoerre/"></a><a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/02/20/state-senator-throws-first-punches-of-2024-missouri-governors-campaign/"><i>Missouri Independent</i></a></p><p>With four days left in the legislative session, Republicans brought a<a href="https://house.mo.gov/bill.aspx?bill=HJR73&amp;year=2025&amp;code=R" target="_blank">&nbsp;proposed constitutional amendment banning abortion&nbsp;</a>up for debate Monday night in the Missouri Senate only to set it aside after three hours.&nbsp;</p><p>It’s unlikely to be the last abortion debate in the Senate before the legislature adjourns for the year at 6 p.m. Friday. Republicans can bring the bill back to the Senate at any time in the next few days.&nbsp;</p><p>Republicans spent the first hour of debate scorning&nbsp;<a href="https://moconstitutionalfreedom.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Missourians-for-Constitutional-Freedom-Amendment.pdf" target="_blank">Amendment 3,</a>&nbsp;which voters approved in November to&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/11/05/missouri-voters-overturn-states-near-total-abortion-ban/">protect the right to reproductive health care</a>&nbsp;including abortion up to the point of fetal viability.&nbsp;</p><p>“Sometimes people get in, we can only describe it as horrible situations, but I don’t think taking the life of an innocent should be something that we can legally do,” said Senate President Pro Tem Cindy O’Laughlin, a Shelbina Republican. “I think it’s morally wrong and I think we need to support women who’ve had unintended pregnancies or other situations where they feel trapped and they don’t feel supported.”</p><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1747138819164.png" alt="Senate President Pro Tem Cindy O’Laughlin, a Republican from Shelbina, is pictured on Jan. 8 (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent)." />
                        <figcaption>Senate President Pro Tem Cindy O’Laughlin, a Republican from Shelbina, is pictured on Jan. 8 (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent).</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>After Republicans spoke in favor of the bill, Democrats stood up to block it from coming up for a vote.</p><p>The proposed ban, which has been a top priority among Republicans this year, seeks to repeal the constitutional right to an abortion but allow exceptions for medical emergencies, fatal fetal anomalies and for survivors of rape and incest in the first 12 weeks of gestation.&nbsp;</p><p>The 12 week deadline for survivors has raised concerns from Democrats, and from the<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/04/17/missouri-abortion-ban-amendment-jon-patterson-senate/">&nbsp;GOP leader of the House.</a></p><p>“It’s just disgusting to put that torture and timeline on someone who’s a survivor of domestic violence,” state Rep. Patty Lewis, a Democrat from Kansas City, said Monday evening.</p><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1747138786698.png" alt=" State Sen. Patty Lewis, D-Kansas City, speaks on the Missouri Senate floor Monday as part of an effort to hold off anti-abortion legislation (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent)." />
                        <figcaption> State Sen. Patty Lewis, D-Kansas City, speaks on the Missouri Senate floor Monday as part of an effort to hold off anti-abortion legislation (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent).</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>The proposed ban, if approved by a simple majority of voters, would&nbsp;reinstate several targeted regulations on abortion providers, or TRAP laws, that were recently&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/02/14/missouri-judge-blocks-discriminatory-abortion-clinics-rules-blamed-for-lack-of-access/">struck down as unconstitutional</a>&nbsp;by a Missouri judge.</p><p>The language that could appear on each ballot does not mention the amendment would ban abortions, a detail that’s been highly-criticized by Democrats as deceiving.&nbsp;</p><p>Missourians&nbsp;would be asked if they want to amend the Missouri constitution to:&nbsp;</p><ul>
                        <li>“Guarantee access to care for medical emergencies, ectopic pregnancies, and miscarriages;&nbsp;</li><li>Ensure women’s safety during abortions;&nbsp;</li><li>Ensure parental consent for minors;&nbsp;</li><li>Allow abortions for medical emergencies, fetal anomalies, rape, and incest;&nbsp;</li><li>Require physicians to provide medically accurate information; and&nbsp;</li><li>Protect children from gender transition?”</li>
                    </ul><p>Missourians could see the question on the November 2026 ballot, or as soon as this year if the governor chose to call a special election on the issue.&nbsp;</p><p>On Monday, Senate Minority Leader Doug Beck, an Affton Democrat, pointed out that last session, Senate&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/02/08/missouri-abortion-legislation-defund-planned-parenthood-defund/">Republicans voted against an attempt to add rape and incest exceptions</a>&nbsp;to what at the time was a near-total ban on abortion in the state.&nbsp;</p><p>“It makes you wonder exactly what’s going on here,” Beck said of some Republicans changing course on the issue. “ … It’s very interesting to see the mental gymnastics that are taking place to be able to say that this is OK.”&nbsp;</p>

Missouri Senate briefly debates abortion ban as time runs short on legislative session

<b>By&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/tim-carpenter/">TIM CARPENTER</a><br></b><a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/02/24/gov-laura-kelly-skeptical-kansas-houses-anti-tenure-legislation-will-reach-her-desk/"><i>Kansas Reflector</i></a>

TOPEKA — Former Gov. Jeff Colyer’s campaign for governor accelerated with appointment of a treasurer in advance of filing for the Republican Party’s nomination in 2026.

Colyer, 64, served as Kansas chairman of last year’s campaign by President Donald Trump. He is a former Johnson County member of the Kansas House and Senate who was lieutenant governor on the ticket with GOP Gov. Sam Brownback. Upon Brownback’s resignation to serve in the first Trump administration, Colyer was sworn in as governor in 2018.

Colyer sought a full term as governor but narrowly lost the 2018 primary to Republican Kris Kobach, who was defeated in the general election by Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly. In terms of the 2026 race, Colyer has yet to formally register as a candidate with the secretary of state.

Colyer did announce selection of state Rep. Kyle Hoffman, a Coldwater Republican, as treasurer for his gubernational campaign.

“Kyle is a leading voice for rural Kansas and a great advocate for fiscal responsibility and conservative values,” Colyer said. “He’s going to be a huge asset as we carry our winning message to every county in Kansas.”

Kelly, who followed her defeat of Kobach with a victory over former GOP Attorney General Derek Schmidt in 2022, cannot seek reelection. Colyer was poised to seek the Republican nomination for governor in 2022, but withdrew following a diagnosis of prostate cancer.

Democratic Governors Association spokesman Sam Newton said in a statement Colyer was the “failed right-hand man” to Brownback.

“Besides reminding Kansans of the broken budgets and underfunded public schools of the Brownback era, Colyer’s announcement confirms that the GOP primary field is going to be crowded, chaotic and focused on extreme partisan policies,” Newton said.

Newton said Kansas would be better off with a governor like Kelly who took a middle-of-the-road approach to leadership, balanced the state budget, promoted business investment and ended the state’s sales tax on groceries.

Hoffman, treasurer of Colyer’s campaign, said Colyer was “more than a politician, he is a humanitarian – selflessly serving those in need around the world. He’ll make a great governor.”

Colyer, a surgeon in the Kansas City area who served international medical missions, was the state’s 47th governor from January 2018 to January 2019.

He was lieutenant governor under Brownback from 2011-2018. He was in the Senate from 2009-2011 and the Kansas House from 2007-2009. In 2002, he unsuccessful sought the GOP nomination for U.S. House.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/6/1623028329898.png" alt="Jeff Colyer -courtery photo" />
                        <figcaption>Jeff Colyer -courtery photo</figcaption>
                    </figure><p><b>By&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/tim-carpenter/">TIM CARPENTER</a><br></b><a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/02/24/gov-laura-kelly-skeptical-kansas-houses-anti-tenure-legislation-will-reach-her-desk/"><i>Kansas Reflector</i></a></p><p>TOPEKA — Former Gov. Jeff Colyer’s campaign for governor accelerated with appointment of a treasurer in advance of filing for the Republican Party’s nomination in 2026.</p><p>Colyer, 64, served as Kansas chairman of last year’s campaign by President Donald Trump. He is a former Johnson County member of the Kansas House and Senate who was lieutenant governor on the ticket with GOP Gov. Sam Brownback. Upon Brownback’s resignation to serve in the first Trump administration, Colyer was sworn in as governor in 2018.</p><p>Colyer sought a full term as governor but narrowly lost the 2018 primary to Republican Kris Kobach, who was defeated in the general election by Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly. In terms of the 2026 race, Colyer has yet to formally register as a candidate with the secretary of state.</p><p>Colyer did announce selection of state Rep. Kyle Hoffman, a Coldwater Republican, as treasurer for his gubernational campaign.</p><p>“Kyle is a leading voice for rural Kansas and a great advocate for fiscal responsibility and conservative values,” Colyer said. “He’s going to be a huge asset as we carry our winning message to every county in Kansas.”</p><p>Kelly, who followed her defeat of Kobach with a victory over former GOP Attorney General Derek Schmidt in 2022, cannot seek reelection. Colyer was poised to seek the Republican nomination for governor in 2022, but withdrew following a diagnosis of prostate cancer.</p><p>Democratic Governors Association spokesman Sam Newton said in a statement Colyer was the “failed right-hand man” to Brownback.</p><p>“Besides reminding Kansans of the broken budgets and underfunded public schools of the Brownback era, Colyer’s announcement confirms that the GOP primary field is going to be crowded, chaotic and focused on extreme partisan policies,” Newton said.</p><p>Newton said Kansas would be better off with a governor like Kelly who took a middle-of-the-road approach to leadership, balanced the state budget, promoted business investment and ended the state’s sales tax on groceries.</p><p>Hoffman, treasurer of Colyer’s campaign, said Colyer was “more than a politician, he is a humanitarian – selflessly serving those in need around the world. He’ll make a great governor.”</p><p>Colyer, a surgeon in the Kansas City area who served international medical missions, was the state’s 47th governor from January 2018 to January 2019.</p><p>He was lieutenant governor under Brownback from 2011-2018. He was in the Senate from 2009-2011 and the Kansas House from 2007-2009. In 2002, he unsuccessful sought the GOP nomination for U.S. House.</p>

Former Gov. Jeff Colyer maneuvers closer to 2026 GOP campaign for Kansas governor

KANSAS CITY—Law enforcement are investigating a fourth homicide in Kansas City in four days.

Just after 12:30p.m. Monday, police were dispatched to a shooting in the 1600 block of Topping in Kansas City, according to KCPD Captain Jake Becchina.

First responding officers were led to an alleyway next to a residence, where they located an adult female shooting victim later identified as 29-year-old Carissa Perryman unresponsive.

Officers rendered aid and called for EMS. EMS transported Perryman to the hospital for treatment of life threatening injuries. She was pronounced&nbsp;deceased at the hospital a short time later.

Responding officers detained one subject of interest, an adult female, for further investigation. Detectives were talking to people who were at the scene when officers arrived and are looking for witnesses. 

Preliminary investigation indicates that the victim and the subject of interest had an interaction next to the house that escalated and shots were fired that struck the victim.&nbsp; Police have released no additional detials.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1747082674164.png" alt="Photos Sheriff Daryl Forte'" />
                        <figcaption>Photos Sheriff Daryl Forte'</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>KANSAS CITY—Law enforcement are investigating a fourth homicide in Kansas City in four days.</p><p>Just after 12:30p.m. Monday, police were dispatched to a shooting in the 1600 block of Topping in Kansas City, according to KCPD Captain Jake Becchina.</p><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1747082657430.png" alt="<br>" />
                        <figcaption><br></figcaption>
                    </figure><p>First responding officers were led to an alleyway next to a residence, where they located an adult female shooting victim later identified as 29-year-old Carissa Perryman unresponsive.</p><p>Officers rendered aid and called for EMS. EMS transported Perryman to the hospital for treatment of life threatening injuries. She was pronounced&nbsp;deceased at the hospital a short time later.</p><p>Responding officers detained one subject of interest, an adult female, for further investigation. Detectives were talking to people who were at the scene when officers arrived and are looking for witnesses. </p><p>Preliminary investigation indicates that the victim and the subject of interest had an interaction next to the house that escalated and shots were fired that struck the victim.&nbsp; Police have released no additional detials.</p>

KCPD: Woman shot, killed in alleyway near home

<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> is greeted by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia 🇺🇸🇸🇦 <a href="https://t.co/81qUv6hi7D">pic.twitter.com/81qUv6hi7D</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1922190356692557858?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 13, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The Beast pulls up to the Saudi Royal Court in Riyadh 🔥 <a href="https://t.co/NSxhzaFk5o">pic.twitter.com/NSxhzaFk5o</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1922220554259403074?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 13, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> arrives at the Saudi Royal Court in Riyadh <a href="https://t.co/fFsnLXuwWb">pic.twitter.com/fFsnLXuwWb</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1922220752188699108?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 13, 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"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> salutes as The Star-Spangled Banner is played outside the Saudi Royal Court in Riyadh <a href="https://t.co/FoiFVrHnZH">pic.twitter.com/FoiFVrHnZH</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1922221133815824432?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 13, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> chats with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman inside the Saudi Royal Court 🇺🇸🇸🇦 <a href="https://t.co/CRAKl3AHwS">pic.twitter.com/CRAKl3AHwS</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1922222981113127094?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 13, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@elonmusk</a> greets <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman inside the Saudi Royal Court 🇺🇸 🇸🇦 <a href="https://t.co/793zuBcocJ">pic.twitter.com/793zuBcocJ</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1922227021683261791?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 13, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

🎥Trump's lavish airport greeting by Saudi crown prince a rare honor

KANSAS CITY, KAN. – Six people have been charged by criminal complaint in connection with an alleged multi-national drug smuggling operation that used a commercial charter bus to transport liquid methamphetamine from Mexico to Emporia, Kansas, according to the United State's Attorney.

According to court documents, these defendants are charged with one count of possession with the intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine:&nbsp; Troy Wagaman, 42;&nbsp; Elizabeth Benitez, 33 and Jesus Cruz Rodriguez all three of Emporia.&nbsp;

&nbsp;Omar Villa Carranza, 45, a Mexican national unlawfully residing in Emporia and Tiburcio Ayala Rangel, 42, a Mexican national unlawfully residing in Emporia and&nbsp;Moises Cervantes Sanchez, 67, of McAllen, Texas.

Between March and April 2025, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) noted a charter bus making multiple crossings into the United States from Mexico carrying few or no passengers.

License plate reader information showed the bus travelling to Emporia on all trips before returning to Mexico. During one crossing, Customs and Border officers conducted a secondary inspection and found several aftermarket anomalies, including bolts around the fuel tank that had been tampered with.

Investigators learned the bus’s destination to be a rural property in the Emporia area. When the bus again arrived at the U.S. border on May 4, 2025, a canine alerted to the presence of controlled substances. Customs and Border Control took a sample of a substance found in the gas tank that tested as liquid methamphetamine. The driver was allowed to proceed, and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents followed the bus, which eventually arrived at the rural property. 

The Emporia Police Department arrested Wagaman, Villa Carranza, Cruz Rodriguez, Cervantes Sanchez, and Ayala Rangel while the men were either at the property or shortly after leaving. Benitez, who lived with Villa Carranza, was also arrested at a different location.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1747073176391.png" alt="Wagaman-Osage Co. Jail" />
                        <figcaption>Wagaman-Osage Co. Jail</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>KANSAS CITY, KAN. – Six people have been charged by criminal complaint in connection with an alleged multi-national drug smuggling operation that used a commercial charter bus to transport liquid methamphetamine from Mexico to Emporia, Kansas, according to the United State's Attorney.</p><p>According to court documents, these defendants are charged with one count of possession with the intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine:&nbsp; Troy Wagaman, 42;&nbsp; Elizabeth Benitez, 33 and Jesus Cruz Rodriguez all three of Emporia.&nbsp;</p><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1747073154025.png" alt="Benitez photo Osage County Jail" />
                        <figcaption>Benitez photo Osage County Jail</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>&nbsp;Omar Villa Carranza, 45, a Mexican national unlawfully residing in Emporia and Tiburcio Ayala Rangel, 42, a Mexican national unlawfully residing in Emporia and&nbsp;Moises Cervantes Sanchez, 67, of McAllen, Texas.</p><p>Between March and April 2025, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) noted a charter bus making multiple crossings into the United States from Mexico carrying few or no passengers.</p><p>License plate reader information showed the bus travelling to Emporia on all trips before returning to Mexico. During one crossing, Customs and Border officers conducted a secondary inspection and found several aftermarket anomalies, including bolts around the fuel tank that had been tampered with.</p><p>Investigators learned the bus’s destination to be a rural property in the Emporia area. When the bus again arrived at the U.S. border on May 4, 2025, a canine alerted to the presence of controlled substances. Customs and Border Control took a sample of a substance found in the gas tank that tested as liquid methamphetamine. The driver was allowed to proceed, and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents followed the bus, which eventually arrived at the rural property. </p><p>The Emporia Police Department arrested Wagaman, Villa Carranza, Cruz Rodriguez, Cervantes Sanchez, and Ayala Rangel while the men were either at the property or shortly after leaving. Benitez, who lived with Villa Carranza, was also arrested at a different location.</p>

Suspects used bus to transport liquid meth from Mexico to Kansas

KANSAS CITY — It was another deadly weekend in Kansas City, Missouri. Police are investigating three more homicides.

Just after 2:30a.m. Friday, patrol officers were dispatched to 11th and Wyandotte on the report of a dead body, according to KCPD Sergeant Phil DiMartino.

Security guards were conducting patrol rounds when they located an adult male victim in a nearby parking garage. Officers were directed to the upper floor of the parking garage and located the victim later identified as 22-year-old Russell Mason suffering from obvious bodily trauma.

KCFD EMS responded and medics pronounced the Mason deceased on scene. This is being investigated as a homicide. Investigators are working to determine what led up to the incident and what caused the victim’s fatal injuries.&nbsp;

Just after 2p.m. Saturday, police were dispatched to the 8400 block of East 63rd street on a reported shooting, according to Sergeant Phil DiMartino. As officers arrived they were directed to the parking lot of a convenience store. 

There they located a victim suffering from gun shot wounds. Officers immediately began performing life saving measures and ordered EMS to the scene. Medics transported the victim to a local hospital where he died a short time later.&nbsp; Police have not released his name. Preliminary investigation revealed there was an altercation in the parking lot that led to shots being fired and the victim being struck. Police released no additional details.

Just after 8p.m. Saturday, patrol officers were dispatched to the 9300 block of Cleveland on a reported shooting, according to Sergeant DiMartino.

As officers arrived they were directed to an apartment building.&nbsp; There they located a man later identified as 20-year-old Morgan William suffering from gunshot wounds. Officers began performing lifesaving measures until KCFD EMS arrived. Medics took over and transported William to a local hospital where he died a short time later.

Preliminary information revealed an argument occurred in the parking lot that led to shots being fired and William being struck.&nbsp; &nbsp;Police have not reported an arrest from the weekend violence.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1746790386685.png" alt="Photo Sheriff Daryl Forte'" />
                        <figcaption>Photo Sheriff Daryl Forte'</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>KANSAS CITY — It was another deadly weekend in Kansas City, Missouri. Police are investigating three more homicides.</p><p>Just after 2:30a.m. Friday, patrol officers were dispatched to 11th and Wyandotte on the report of a dead body, according to KCPD Sergeant Phil DiMartino.</p><p>Security guards were conducting patrol rounds when they located an adult male victim in a nearby parking garage. Officers were directed to the upper floor of the parking garage and located the victim later identified as 22-year-old Russell Mason suffering from obvious bodily trauma.</p><p>KCFD EMS responded and medics pronounced the Mason deceased on scene. This is being investigated as a homicide. Investigators are working to determine what led up to the incident and what caused the victim’s fatal injuries.&nbsp;</p><p>Just after 2p.m. Saturday, police were dispatched to the 8400 block of East 63rd street on a reported shooting, according to Sergeant Phil DiMartino. As officers arrived they were directed to the parking lot of a convenience store. </p><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1746924246378.png" alt="Photo Sheriff Daryl Forte'" />
                        <figcaption>Photo Sheriff Daryl Forte'</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>There they located a victim suffering from gun shot wounds. Officers immediately began performing life saving measures and ordered EMS to the scene. Medics transported the victim to a local hospital where he died a short time later.&nbsp; Police have not released his name. Preliminary investigation revealed there was an altercation in the parking lot that led to shots being fired and the victim being struck. Police released no additional details.</p><p>Just after 8p.m. Saturday, patrol officers were dispatched to the 9300 block of Cleveland on a reported shooting, according to Sergeant DiMartino.</p><p>As officers arrived they were directed to an apartment building.&nbsp; There they located a man later identified as 20-year-old Morgan William suffering from gunshot wounds. Officers began performing lifesaving measures until KCFD EMS arrived. Medics took over and transported William to a local hospital where he died a short time later.</p><p>Preliminary information revealed an argument occurred in the parking lot that led to shots being fired and William being struck.&nbsp; &nbsp;Police have not reported an arrest from the weekend violence.</p>

Another deadly weekend in KC; more homicide investigations

KANSAS CITY —A man critically injured in an April motorcycle accident in Kansas City has died.

Just after 3:30a.m. April 12, a motorcycle driven by Christopher Tibbits was involved in an accident at&nbsp;Front Street and Interstate 435, according to KCPD Sergeant Phil DiMartino.

EMS transported Tibbits to an area hospital in critical condition.&nbsp; Over the weekend, the Jackson County, Missouri medical examiner's office notified KCKPD Tibbits had died due to "complications of multiple blunt traumatic injuries".&nbsp; The accident remains under investigation.

<p>KANSAS CITY —A man critically injured in an April motorcycle accident in Kansas City has died.</p><p>Just after 3:30a.m. April 12, a motorcycle driven by Christopher Tibbits was involved in an accident at&nbsp;Front Street and Interstate 435, according to KCPD Sergeant Phil DiMartino.</p><p>EMS transported Tibbits to an area hospital in critical condition.&nbsp; Over the weekend, the Jackson County, Missouri medical examiner's office notified KCKPD Tibbits had died due to "complications of multiple blunt traumatic injuries".&nbsp; The accident remains under investigation.</p>

Motorcyclist dies weeks after violent crash in Kansas City

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

GARNETT — Kansas farmers are sharing opinions ranging from concerned to “pi**ed” about trade tariffs with U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids, who toured a corn farm Friday southwest of Kansas City.

“When I’m talking to folks, I hear everything from concern and a cautious approach to how to navigate this tariff climate that we’re in, all the way to folks who are really, like, really worked up and are pi**ed,” Davids said, standing on a gravel road near the Phelon family corn farm outside Garnett.

Davids began visiting a variety of ag operations in 2023, including a goat farm in Miami County, a poultry and livestock operation in Anderson County. She serves on the House Agriculture Committee and wanted to learn more about farmers and their needs, she said.

The farmers she’s met with expressed concerns about potential future impacts on the international markets for their products because of tariffs, Davids said.

“The time and investment it takes to get those customers in international markets, it’s not a lightswitch, and it takes a lot of work and effort and rebuilding of relationships to get those same customers back and continue to have that level of market share,” she said. “The impacts are there and people are feeling it.”

Davids spent Friday morning with Adam Phelon and his father, Raylen Phelon, discussing the farm bill and other issues while touring their fourth-generation corn operation.

“I would say that right now, the prospect of a farm bill is very much dependent on how the Congress moves forward on reconciliation,” Davids said. “We’re supposed to have a markup on the reconciliation bill next week. I think when it comes to the farm bill, we have a really strong starting place in this Congress.”

Davids said Republicans and Democrats see crop insurance as a top priority, for instance, and there is agreement on other agricultural provisions.

“I think that there’s a reason to be realistically optimistic, but similar to last Congress — it’s not the farm bill that is holding up the process of getting a farm bill done,” she said. “It’s that there are other legislative things going on before we can do the farm bill.”

Adam Phelon, who is a Kansas Soybean Association board member, said he would like to see Congress pass a farm bill but added that multiple issues are being watched by farmers.

“It’s not just tariffs — it’s trade, it’s EPA regulations, it’s the energy costs, it’s infrastructure. I mean, infrastructure is such a huge one for us,” he said. “And that goes to not just our roads around here, but that goes to rail, that goes to ships that are coming into ports, you know, everything that goes on there. All that’s important to us as farmers.”

But the priority right now is getting a farm bill, he said.

“We need updated reference prices,” he said. “We need to make sure that there’s a strong safety net, and we need to make sure the crop insurance is protected because we have weather uncertainties. Without having crop insurance and making sure there’s a strong safety net underneath us — those things can be life or death in terms of a farm and how we operate.”

Kaleb Little, CEO and administrator of the Kansas Soybean Association, was at the Phelon farm for the tour. He said he is hearing similar concerns as those expressed by Adam Phelon from others in the organization.

“There’s always so much uncertainty in farming and agriculture,” Little said. “There’s so much that’s just out of their hands. And then throw in what the federal government is and isn’t doing is just another layer of uncertainty in there, whether trade or not, getting a farm bill done, or bio fuels policy,” Little said. “Farmers are always optimists, right? Because they have to be.”

A lot of association members are hanging onto what Little termed “cautious optimism” that things will come out better. Still, he said, there is angst and concern.

For soybean farmers, half of their products go to the international market, he said. There were long-term impacts from tariffs put in place during President Donald Trump’s first administration.&nbsp;

“The world dynamics really changed,” Little said, adding that pre-2018 tariffs, about 60% of China’s soybean market came from U.S. farmers.

“That got cut in half,” he said of the impacts of previous tariffs. “Some of the good that came out of that was soybean farmers and groups like the United Soybean or the American Soybean Association, those organizations really worked to diversify the international market. So U.S. soy is going to a lot more individual markets than it did pre-China. There are some positives there, but it’s a lot more work to maintain 50 countries as customers versus 12 or 15, especially when you talk about infrastructure and things like that.”

Uncertainty is a part of running a farm, whether it be weather- or politics-related. But it makes planning difficult.

“The uncertainty is a huge issue,” Adam Phelon said. “So, yeah, maybe we won’t be making some bigger purchases that we planned on before, just so we can plan for the future in case, you know, things get worse before they get better.”

Even knowing the challenges, Adam Phelon never doubted that he’d continue his family’s farming tradition.

“This ground that we’re standing on today has been in my grandma’s family for around 100 years now,” he said. “Yeah, we’ve got VHS tapes of me in a crib being hauled up the side of a combine. I remember getting dropped off at youth group, and the look on my youth group teacher’s face when she saw me climb right into a tractor to go to work. Her jaw dropped. I was probably 11 or 12 years old.

“I love being out here working in the dirt, and seeing the crop grow from a seed to a final product, and taking pride in that,” Adam Phelon said.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1746994451297.png" alt=" Raylen Phelon, left, and his son, Adam Phelon, are corn and soybean farmers who are concerned about whether a farm bill will pass. (Morgan Chilson/Kansas Reflector)" />
                        <figcaption> Raylen Phelon, left, and his son, Adam Phelon, are corn and soybean farmers who are concerned about whether a farm bill will pass. (Morgan Chilson/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/mchilson/">MORGAN CHILSON</a><br><a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/02/24/gov-laura-kelly-skeptical-kansas-houses-anti-tenure-legislation-will-reach-her-desk/"><i>Kansas Reflector</i></a></p><p>GARNETT — Kansas farmers are sharing opinions ranging from concerned to “pi**ed” about trade tariffs with U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids, who toured a corn farm Friday southwest of Kansas City.</p><p>“When I’m talking to folks, I hear everything from concern and a cautious approach to how to navigate this tariff climate that we’re in, all the way to folks who are really, like, really worked up and are pi**ed,” Davids said, standing on a gravel road near the Phelon family corn farm outside Garnett.</p><p>Davids began visiting a variety of ag operations in 2023, including a goat farm in Miami County, a poultry and livestock operation in Anderson County. She serves on the House Agriculture Committee and wanted to learn more about farmers and their needs, she said.</p><p>The farmers she’s met with expressed concerns about potential future impacts on the international markets for their products because of tariffs, Davids said.</p><p>“The time and investment it takes to get those customers in international markets, it’s not a lightswitch, and it takes a lot of work and effort and rebuilding of relationships to get those same customers back and continue to have that level of market share,” she said. “The impacts are there and people are feeling it.”</p><p>Davids spent Friday morning with Adam Phelon and his father, Raylen Phelon, discussing the farm bill and other issues while touring their fourth-generation corn operation.</p><p>“I would say that right now, the prospect of a farm bill is very much dependent on how the Congress moves forward on reconciliation,” Davids said. “We’re supposed to have a markup on the reconciliation bill next week. I think when it comes to the farm bill, we have a really strong starting place in this Congress.”</p><p>Davids said Republicans and Democrats see crop insurance as a top priority, for instance, and there is agreement on other agricultural provisions.</p><p>“I think that there’s a reason to be realistically optimistic, but similar to last Congress — it’s not the farm bill that is holding up the process of getting a farm bill done,” she said. “It’s that there are other legislative things going on before we can do the farm bill.”</p><p>Adam Phelon, who is a Kansas Soybean Association board member, said he would like to see Congress pass a farm bill but added that multiple issues are being watched by farmers.</p><p>“It’s not just tariffs — it’s trade, it’s EPA regulations, it’s the energy costs, it’s infrastructure. I mean, infrastructure is such a huge one for us,” he said. “And that goes to not just our roads around here, but that goes to rail, that goes to ships that are coming into ports, you know, everything that goes on there. All that’s important to us as farmers.”</p><p>But the priority right now is getting a farm bill, he said.</p><p>“We need updated reference prices,” he said. “We need to make sure that there’s a strong safety net, and we need to make sure the crop insurance is protected because we have weather uncertainties. Without having crop insurance and making sure there’s a strong safety net underneath us — those things can be life or death in terms of a farm and how we operate.”</p><h2>Statewide insights</h2><p>Kaleb Little, CEO and administrator of the Kansas Soybean Association, was at the Phelon farm for the tour. He said he is hearing similar concerns as those expressed by Adam Phelon from others in the organization.</p><p>“There’s always so much uncertainty in farming and agriculture,” Little said. “There’s so much that’s just out of their hands. And then throw in what the federal government is and isn’t doing is just another layer of uncertainty in there, whether trade or not, getting a farm bill done, or bio fuels policy,” Little said. “Farmers are always optimists, right? Because they have to be.”</p><p>A lot of association members are hanging onto what Little termed “cautious optimism” that things will come out better. Still, he said, there is angst and concern.</p><p>For soybean farmers, half of their products go to the international market, he said. There were long-term impacts from tariffs put in place during President Donald Trump’s first administration.&nbsp;</p><p>“The world dynamics really changed,” Little said, adding that pre-2018 tariffs, about 60% of China’s soybean market came from U.S. farmers.</p><p>“That got cut in half,” he said of the impacts of previous tariffs. “Some of the good that came out of that was soybean farmers and groups like the United Soybean or the American Soybean Association, those organizations really worked to diversify the international market. So U.S. soy is going to a lot more individual markets than it did pre-China. There are some positives there, but it’s a lot more work to maintain 50 countries as customers versus 12 or 15, especially when you talk about infrastructure and things like that.”</p><h2>In his blood</h2><p>Uncertainty is a part of running a farm, whether it be weather- or politics-related. But it makes planning difficult.</p><p>“The uncertainty is a huge issue,” Adam Phelon said. “So, yeah, maybe we won’t be making some bigger purchases that we planned on before, just so we can plan for the future in case, you know, things get worse before they get better.”</p><p>Even knowing the challenges, Adam Phelon never doubted that he’d continue his family’s farming tradition.</p><p>“This ground that we’re standing on today has been in my grandma’s family for around 100 years now,” he said. “Yeah, we’ve got VHS tapes of me in a crib being hauled up the side of a combine. I remember getting dropped off at youth group, and the look on my youth group teacher’s face when she saw me climb right into a tractor to go to work. Her jaw dropped. I was probably 11 or 12 years old.</p><p>“I love being out here working in the dirt, and seeing the crop grow from a seed to a final product, and taking pride in that,” Adam Phelon said.</p>

Kansas farmers await farm bill passage, end of tariff uncertainty

21-year-old Edan Alexander from Tenafly, New Jersey is free, according to a statement from the Hostage and Missing Families Forum. Edan was abducted from his military base near the Gaza border on October 7th. 2023 and released after 584 days.At the age of 18 Edan made Aliyah (immigrated to Israel), moved in with his grandparents and enlisted in the Israeli Defense Forces, serving in the Golani Brigade. 

Edan is a competitive swimmer and a fan of extreme sports. He loves watching NBA games and enjoys listening to music in full volume while driving. Edan is coming home to his loving parents, Yael and Adi, his siblings Mika and Roy, his grandparents, adopting family in Kibbutz Hatzor and many friends, both in Israel and in the USA. We embrace you, Edan, and are so glad you are home. We hope your return is the beginning of a comprehensive agreement that is needed to bring all 58 hostages home. 

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/10/1728311127875.png" alt="Edan Alexander-photo Hostage and Missing Families Forum" />
                        <figcaption>Edan Alexander-photo Hostage and Missing Families Forum</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>21-year-old Edan Alexander from Tenafly, New Jersey is free, according to a statement from the Hostage and Missing Families Forum. Edan was abducted from his military base near the Gaza border on October 7th. 2023 and released after 584 days.At the age of 18 Edan made Aliyah (immigrated to Israel), moved in with his grandparents and enlisted in the Israeli Defense Forces, serving in the Golani Brigade. </p><div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fbringhomenow%2Fposts%2Fpfbid026ZcxH2zxhNpcmiL2NR8bmVRJRsTMLv9uNKjgnV7Vs4g9envVmSC8kncaN5h1U8REl&show_text=true&width=500" width="500" height="690" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share"></iframe></div><p>Edan is a competitive swimmer and a fan of extreme sports. He loves watching NBA games and enjoys listening to music in full volume while driving. Edan is coming home to his loving parents, Yael and Adi, his siblings Mika and Roy, his grandparents, adopting family in Kibbutz Hatzor and many friends, both in Israel and in the USA. We embrace you, Edan, and are so glad you are home. We hope your return is the beginning of a comprehensive agreement that is needed to bring all 58 hostages home. </p>

Last living American-Israeli hostage held in Gaza is free

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/jason-hancock/">JASON HANCOCK</a><br><a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/02/20/state-senator-throws-first-punches-of-2024-missouri-governors-campaign/"><i>Missouri Independent</i></a>

Republicans in the Missouri Senate are finally getting along. But disagreements with Democrats over abortion and paid sick leave — along with the House GOP over last week’s budget moves — could upend the legislative session

Will the Missouri Senate actually make it to 6 p.m. Friday?&nbsp;

That’s the constitutional deadline for the legislative session to adjourn for the year. And the Senate — thanks to Republican infighting — has failed to reach the finish line&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/05/17/a-bizarre-session-missouri-lawmakers-head-home-after-year-defined-by-gridlock-infighting/">three years in a row</a>.&nbsp;

But this year the GOP supermajority is finally getting along. And as lawmakers enter the final week of the 2025 legislative session, Senate Republicans hope that unity will allow them to roll back abortion rights and a new paid sick leave law over the vehement resistance of Democrats.&nbsp;

Whether or not the session goes off the rails again this year — and kills a litany of largely bipartisan bills in the process — will largely be determined by whether Republicans and Democrats can strike a deal on two issues that touch on key ideological differences. .

“My philosophy has always been, if you just sit down together, you can figure it out,” said Senate President Pro Tem Cindy O’Laughlin, a Shelbina Republican. “So that’s what I’m doing. I have a really good relationship with the Democrats, and everyone is negotiating in good faith.”

If those negotiations fall apart, the GOP could turn to the nuclear option.&nbsp;

Republicans hold 24 seats in the 34-member Senate. It takes only a simple majority of 18 votes to end a filibuster using a procedural maneuver known as “calling the previous question,” or PQ.&nbsp;

But Senate leaders have historically been hesitant to utilize the PQ because it generates lasting bitterness — and sparks retaliation. If past is prologue, Democrats would respond by turning to procedural maneuvers of their own to grind the chamber to a halt and make any progress all but impossible.&nbsp;&nbsp;

That scenario would also kill any bills still pending in the Senate with the bad blood and gridlock generated possibly spilling into the next legislative session.&nbsp;

That’s why since 1970, the Senate has only used PQ 18 times. The last time was in 2020.&nbsp;

“The last thing either side wants is a PQ,” said Senate Minority Leader Doug Beck, an Affton Democrat.&nbsp;

In November, both issues at the heart of the Senate’s final week won approval on the statewide ballot.&nbsp;

Proposition A, which won 58% of the vote, mandated employers with business receipts greater than $500,000 a year to provide at least one hour of paid leave for every 30 hours worked. Employers with fewer than 15 workers must allow workers to earn at least 40 hours per year, with larger employers mandated to allow at least 56 hours.

Amendment 3, which won with 52% of the vote, legalized abortion up until the point of fetal viability — generally seen as the point at which a fetus can survive outside the womb on its own, or around 24 weeks. It also protects access to other reproductive health care, like birth control.

Since it passed, a judge blocked a litany of Missouri abortion regulations, opening the door for access to the procedure for the first time in years.&nbsp;

Senate negotiations on both issues have persisted for weeks. And despite some public discord, both sides enter the waning days before adjournment confident a deal can be reached.&nbsp;

“I know that there’s a lot of ideology going around and lots of things being thrown at each other, but actually the vast majority of people are somewhere in the middle,” O’Laughlin said. “And if you listen to everyone in their perspective, you can figure it out.”

While the possibility of a PQ is the biggest minefield lawmakers are trying to navigate in the final week, disharmony between the House and Senate could also prove explosive.&nbsp;

On Friday, lawmakers completed work on the state’s $53 billion budget. But in a stunning move, the House&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/05/09/missouri-house-republicans-surprise-senate-by-killing-500-million-construction-bill/">refused to allow a vote on a $530 million construction package</a>&nbsp;approved by the Senate earlier in the day.&nbsp;

Senate leaders were not told of the House’s decision in advance, and the move sparked outrage and accusations of betrayal.&nbsp;

“The phone calls I’ve been receiving from my Senate counterparts do not lead me to believe that next week is going to be productive if you have a House bill in the Senate,” Senate Appropriations Chairman Lincoln Hough, a Springfield Republican, told the&nbsp;<a href="https://bsky.app/profile/kacen.bsky.social/post/3lormd75ss22y" target="_blank">Kansas City Star</a>&nbsp;soon after the House vote on Friday.&nbsp;&nbsp;

House Speaker Jon Patterson, a Lee’s Summit Republican, downplayed the possibility of the move causing friction between the two chambers in the final week, telling reporters that he doesn’t expect the Senate to upend a session that has been marked by GOP unity.&nbsp;

“I have nothing but great things to say about how the Senate has been working this year,” he said. “I think they’ll continue to work like that.”

His Democratic colleagues aren’t convinced Patterson’s prediction will prove accurate.&nbsp;

House Minority Leader Ashley Aune, a Kansas City Democrat, said she would not be surprised to see “an even greater battle emerge between the chambers in the last few days of session over this particular situation.”

Another possible stumbling block: with only five days left before adjournment, the governor’s office and House leaders are&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/05/09/missouri-lawmakers-eye-late-push-to-move-kansas-city-royals-to-clay-county/">pondering a push to provide $300 million in state funding</a>&nbsp;to help build a new baseball stadium in Clay County.&nbsp;

The aim is to keep the Kansas City Royals from moving across the state line, where Kansas lawmakers created an incentive packaging to convince the team to leave Missouri when the lease on its current stadium expires in 2030.&nbsp;

But the plan has never been presented as a formal bill and never had a public hearing or debate — a reality that could cause real problems in the Senate, where any resistance could prove fatal.&nbsp;&nbsp;

State Sen. Joe Nicola, an Independence Republican whose district includes the Royal’s current stadium in Jackson County, said he would have serious concerns about any plan that would move the team to another county.&nbsp;

But Nicola hasn’t been consulted on the stadium funding plan percolating in the House, so he didn’t want to comment until he had a chance to study it closely.&nbsp;

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1746181702741.png" alt="-Senate President Pro Tem Cindy O’Laughlin, a Republican Shelbina, talks&nbsp; with reporters May 2024 (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent)" />
                        <figcaption>-Senate President Pro Tem Cindy O’Laughlin, a Republican Shelbina, talks&nbsp; with reporters May 2024 (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent)</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/jason-hancock/">JASON HANCOCK</a><br><a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/02/20/state-senator-throws-first-punches-of-2024-missouri-governors-campaign/"><i>Missouri Independent</i></a></p><h2>Republicans in the Missouri Senate are finally getting along. But disagreements with Democrats over abortion and paid sick leave — along with the House GOP over last week’s budget moves — could upend the legislative session</h2><p>Will the Missouri Senate actually make it to 6 p.m. Friday?&nbsp;</p><p>That’s the constitutional deadline for the legislative session to adjourn for the year. And the Senate — thanks to Republican infighting — has failed to reach the finish line&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/05/17/a-bizarre-session-missouri-lawmakers-head-home-after-year-defined-by-gridlock-infighting/">three years in a row</a>.&nbsp;</p><p>But this year the GOP supermajority is finally getting along. And as lawmakers enter the final week of the 2025 legislative session, Senate Republicans hope that unity will allow them to roll back abortion rights and a new paid sick leave law over the vehement resistance of Democrats.&nbsp;</p><p>Whether or not the session goes off the rails again this year — and kills a litany of largely bipartisan bills in the process — will largely be determined by whether Republicans and Democrats can strike a deal on two issues that touch on key ideological differences. .</p><p>“My philosophy has always been, if you just sit down together, you can figure it out,” said Senate President Pro Tem Cindy O’Laughlin, a Shelbina Republican. “So that’s what I’m doing. I have a really good relationship with the Democrats, and everyone is negotiating in good faith.”</p><p>If those negotiations fall apart, the GOP could turn to the nuclear option.&nbsp;</p><p>Republicans hold 24 seats in the 34-member Senate. It takes only a simple majority of 18 votes to end a filibuster using a procedural maneuver known as “calling the previous question,” or PQ.&nbsp;</p><p>But Senate leaders have historically been hesitant to utilize the PQ because it generates lasting bitterness — and sparks retaliation. If past is prologue, Democrats would respond by turning to procedural maneuvers of their own to grind the chamber to a halt and make any progress all but impossible.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>That scenario would also kill any bills still pending in the Senate with the bad blood and gridlock generated possibly spilling into the next legislative session.&nbsp;</p><p>That’s why since 1970, the Senate has only used PQ 18 times. The last time was in 2020.&nbsp;</p><p>“The last thing either side wants is a PQ,” said Senate Minority Leader Doug Beck, an Affton Democrat.&nbsp;</p><p>In November, both issues at the heart of the Senate’s final week won approval on the statewide ballot.&nbsp;</p><p>Proposition A, which won 58% of the vote, mandated employers with business receipts greater than $500,000 a year to provide at least one hour of paid leave for every 30 hours worked. Employers with fewer than 15 workers must allow workers to earn at least 40 hours per year, with larger employers mandated to allow at least 56 hours.</p><p>That law went into effect May 1.&nbsp;</p><p>Amendment 3, which won with 52% of the vote, legalized abortion up until the point of fetal viability — generally seen as the point at which a fetus can survive outside the womb on its own, or around 24 weeks. It also protects access to other reproductive health care, like birth control.</p><p>Since it passed, a judge blocked a litany of Missouri abortion regulations, opening the door for access to the procedure for the first time in years.&nbsp;</p><p>Senate negotiations on both issues have persisted for weeks. And despite some public discord, both sides enter the waning days before adjournment confident a deal can be reached.&nbsp;</p><p>“I know that there’s a lot of ideology going around and lots of things being thrown at each other, but actually the vast majority of people are somewhere in the middle,” O’Laughlin said. “And if you listen to everyone in their perspective, you can figure it out.”</p><p>While the possibility of a PQ is the biggest minefield lawmakers are trying to navigate in the final week, disharmony between the House and Senate could also prove explosive.&nbsp;</p><p>On Friday, lawmakers completed work on the state’s $53 billion budget. But in a stunning move, the House&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/05/09/missouri-house-republicans-surprise-senate-by-killing-500-million-construction-bill/">refused to allow a vote on a $530 million construction package</a>&nbsp;approved by the Senate earlier in the day.&nbsp;</p><p>Senate leaders were not told of the House’s decision in advance, and the move sparked outrage and accusations of betrayal.&nbsp;</p><p>“The phone calls I’ve been receiving from my Senate counterparts do not lead me to believe that next week is going to be productive if you have a House bill in the Senate,” Senate Appropriations Chairman Lincoln Hough, a Springfield Republican, told the&nbsp;<a href="https://bsky.app/profile/kacen.bsky.social/post/3lormd75ss22y" target="_blank">Kansas City Star</a>&nbsp;soon after the House vote on Friday.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>House Speaker Jon Patterson, a Lee’s Summit Republican, downplayed the possibility of the move causing friction between the two chambers in the final week, telling reporters that he doesn’t expect the Senate to upend a session that has been marked by GOP unity.&nbsp;</p><p>“I have nothing but great things to say about how the Senate has been working this year,” he said. “I think they’ll continue to work like that.”</p><p>His Democratic colleagues aren’t convinced Patterson’s prediction will prove accurate.&nbsp;</p><p>House Minority Leader Ashley Aune, a Kansas City Democrat, said she would not be surprised to see “an even greater battle emerge between the chambers in the last few days of session over this particular situation.”</p><p>Another possible stumbling block: with only five days left before adjournment, the governor’s office and House leaders are&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/05/09/missouri-lawmakers-eye-late-push-to-move-kansas-city-royals-to-clay-county/">pondering a push to provide $300 million in state funding</a>&nbsp;to help build a new baseball stadium in Clay County.&nbsp;</p><p>The aim is to keep the Kansas City Royals from moving across the state line, where Kansas lawmakers created an incentive packaging to convince the team to leave Missouri when the lease on its current stadium expires in 2030.&nbsp;</p><p>But the plan has never been presented as a formal bill and never had a public hearing or debate — a reality that could cause real problems in the Senate, where any resistance could prove fatal.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>State Sen. Joe Nicola, an Independence Republican whose district includes the Royal’s current stadium in Jackson County, said he would have serious concerns about any plan that would move the team to another county.&nbsp;</p><p>But Nicola hasn’t been consulted on the stadium funding plan percolating in the House, so he didn’t want to comment until he had a chance to study it closely.&nbsp;</p>