SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement are investigating a brutal beating that sent a man to the hospital.

Just before 11:00 p.m. Friday, police responded to the 600 Block of North Kansas, on a report of a person on the ground who had been battered, according to Topeka. Police Lt. Donna Eubanks.

Officers located a man with life-threatening injuries caused by blunt force trauma. American Medical Response transported the victim to an area hospital.

As a result of the investigation Xavian M. Locke, 25, of Topeka was transported to the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges of Attempted Murder in the 1st degree, Kidnapping; in the flight or commission of any crime and Aggravated battery; knowingly use weapon to cause great bodily harm/disfigure/death.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/4/1743863768095.png" alt="Locke-photo Shawnee Co." />
 <figcaption>Locke-photo Shawnee Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement are investigating a brutal beating that sent a man to the hospital.Just before 11:00 p.m. Friday, police responded to the 600 Block of North Kansas, on a report of a person on the ground who had been battered, according to Topeka. Police Lt. Donna Eubanks.Officers located a man with life-threatening injuries caused by blunt force trauma. American Medical Response transported the victim to an area hospital.As a result of the investigation Xavian M. Locke, 25, of Topeka was transported to the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges of Attempted Murder in the 1st degree, Kidnapping; in the flight or commission of any crime and Aggravated battery; knowingly use weapon to cause great bodily harm/disfigure/death.

Kansas man found beaten, left on the ground

Top elections job to be open due to Scott Schwab’s plan to run for governor

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

TOPEKA — Rep. Pat Proctor, a retired U.S. Army officer who entered the Kansas Legislature in 2020, launched a campaign for the Republican nomination for secretary of state.

Proctor, of Leavenworth, serves as chairman of the Kansas House elections committee. If elected in November 2026, he would become the state’s top election administrator. The position would be open assuming Secretary of State Scott Schwab continued with a plan to seek the GOP nomination for governor.

Proctor has been among the Legislature’s advocates for election reform bills associated with President Donald Trump’s unproven assertion his 2020 loss to Democrat Joe Biden was fraudulent. Schwab has generally welcomed modernization of state election law, but maintained Kansas elections were fair and secure.

Proctor, 53, announced his candidacy Thursday during an event at a restaurant in Leavenworth.

“Voter confidence that the results of our elections reflect their will is at the core of our form of government and our way of life,” Proctor said. “The best way to restore that confidence is to increase transparency and ensure that only citizens vote in Kansas’ elections.”

Proctor said he played a role in the process of making Kansas “the gold standard for safe and secure elections,” and would continue that work as secretary of state.

During the 2025 legislation session, he supported a bill eliminating the state’s three-day grace period for advance mail-in ballots. Gov. Laura Kelly vetoed the bill, because she felt it was important to count ballots postmarked by Election Day that arrived up to three days late through the U.S. Postal Service. Proctor was part of the House supermajority that voted to override the Democratic governor.

The voting rights organization&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/02/14/in-private-video-house-elections-chair-says-he-wants-to-end-early-voting-grace-period-in-kansas/">Loud Light Civic Action recently released video of a private Zoom meeting</a>&nbsp;last year in which Proctor vowed to push through a bill dropping the three-day grace period.

On the same call organized by House Majority Leader Chris Croft with Johnson County Republicans and invite-only guests, Proctor said he would prefer Kansas ended the practice of advance voting.

Proctor has taken a central role among Republicans as the Legislature worked to limit authority of the Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission to engage in inquiries of campaign finance violations and election misconduct. That legislative push coincided with the commission’s complex investigation of Republican legislators and campaign workers.

He endorsed Senate Bill 105, which became law without the Kelly’s signature, requiring a Kansas governor to appoint a person to fill vacancies in the offices of U.S. senator, state treasurer and commissioner of insurance from a&nbsp;list of names recommended by the Legislature. The power grab by the Legislature was crafted to prevent Kelly from appointing a Democrat to a vacancy after resignation of a Republican.

Proctor said Kelly unexpectedly signed Senate Bill 6 to forbid the state to take part in ranked-choice voting, which would allow voters to list their candidate preferences in order on the ballot. The process involved tabulating votes in multiple rounds with the elimination of the lowest vote-receiving candidate after each round until a candidate received a majority.

“I am pleasantly surprised that the governor signed SB6, a bill I carried to passage on the House floor to ban ranked-choice voting, into law,” Proctor said. “Nothing is more corrosive to voter confidence than a voting method that requires a two-page explainer to explain to voters.”

In 2023,&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/03/07/kansas-state-representative-calls-rainbow-drawings-proof-of-indoctrination-at-leavenworth-school/">Proctor was criticized</a>&nbsp;by a Leavenworth family for publishing without permission in his political newsletter a photograph of an elementary school student’s drawing of a rainbow flag. Proctor alleged the drawing was evidence educators in schools were indoctrinating children on LGBTQ politics. Proctor asserted the artwork was part of a “radical, woke agenda.”

Proctor retired from the U.S. Army as a colonel following 25 years of military service that coincided with wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

In Afghanistan, he was a planning chief for the transition of that war to security forces ahead of the withdrawal of most American forces. During 2009, he deployed to Iraq as an operations officer for an infantry battalion. He worked in Iraq in 2007 on a strategic communication plan for a U.S. troop surge.

He wrote the 2020 book “Lessons Unlearned: The U.S. Army’s Role in Creating the Forever Wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.”

While serving in the Legislature, Proctor has taught at Wichita State University. He received a doctorate in history from Kansas State University.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/4/1744033378913.jpeg" alt=" Rep. Pat Proctor, R-Leavenworth, said he would seek the Republican Party’s nomination in 2026 for secretary of state. The job would be vacant assuming Secretary of State Scott Schwab runs for the GOP nomination for governor. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption> Rep. Pat Proctor, R-Leavenworth, said he would seek the Republican Party’s nomination in 2026 for secretary of state. The job would be vacant assuming Secretary of State Scott Schwab runs for the GOP nomination for governor. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Top elections job to be open due to Scott Schwab’s plan to run for governor</h2>By&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/tim-carpenter/">TIM CARPENTER</a> <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/02/24/gov-laura-kelly-skeptical-kansas-houses-anti-tenure-legislation-will-reach-her-desk/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — Rep. Pat Proctor, a retired U.S. Army officer who entered the Kansas Legislature in 2020, launched a campaign for the Republican nomination for secretary of state.Proctor, of Leavenworth, serves as chairman of the Kansas House elections committee. If elected in November 2026, he would become the state’s top election administrator. The position would be open assuming Secretary of State Scott Schwab continued with a plan to seek the GOP nomination for governor.Proctor has been among the Legislature’s advocates for election reform bills associated with President Donald Trump’s unproven assertion his 2020 loss to Democrat Joe Biden was fraudulent. Schwab has generally welcomed modernization of state election law, but maintained Kansas elections were fair and secure.Proctor, 53, announced his candidacy Thursday during an event at a restaurant in Leavenworth.“Voter confidence that the results of our elections reflect their will is at the core of our form of government and our way of life,” Proctor said. “The best way to restore that confidence is to increase transparency and ensure that only citizens vote in Kansas’ elections.”Proctor said he played a role in the process of making Kansas “the gold standard for safe and secure elections,” and would continue that work as secretary of state.During the 2025 legislation session, he supported a bill eliminating the state’s three-day grace period for advance mail-in ballots. Gov. Laura Kelly vetoed the bill, because she felt it was important to count ballots postmarked by Election Day that arrived up to three days late through the U.S. Postal Service. Proctor was part of the House supermajority that voted to override the Democratic governor.The voting rights organization&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/02/14/in-private-video-house-elections-chair-says-he-wants-to-end-early-voting-grace-period-in-kansas/">Loud Light Civic Action recently released video of a private Zoom meeting</a>&nbsp;last year in which Proctor vowed to push through a bill dropping the three-day grace period.On the same call organized by House Majority Leader Chris Croft with Johnson County Republicans and invite-only guests, Proctor said he would prefer Kansas ended the practice of advance voting.Proctor has taken a central role among Republicans as the Legislature worked to limit authority of the Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission to engage in inquiries of campaign finance violations and election misconduct. That legislative push coincided with the commission’s complex investigation of Republican legislators and campaign workers.He endorsed Senate Bill 105, which became law without the Kelly’s signature, requiring a Kansas governor to appoint a person to fill vacancies in the offices of U.S. senator, state treasurer and commissioner of insurance from a&nbsp;list of names recommended by the Legislature. The power grab by the Legislature was crafted to prevent Kelly from appointing a Democrat to a vacancy after resignation of a Republican.Proctor said Kelly unexpectedly signed Senate Bill 6 to forbid the state to take part in ranked-choice voting, which would allow voters to list their candidate preferences in order on the ballot. The process involved tabulating votes in multiple rounds with the elimination of the lowest vote-receiving candidate after each round until a candidate received a majority.“I am pleasantly surprised that the governor signed SB6, a bill I carried to passage on the House floor to ban ranked-choice voting, into law,” Proctor said. “Nothing is more corrosive to voter confidence than a voting method that requires a two-page explainer to explain to voters.”In 2023,&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/03/07/kansas-state-representative-calls-rainbow-drawings-proof-of-indoctrination-at-leavenworth-school/">Proctor was criticized</a>&nbsp;by a Leavenworth family for publishing without permission in his political newsletter a photograph of an elementary school student’s drawing of a rainbow flag. Proctor alleged the drawing was evidence educators in schools were indoctrinating children on LGBTQ politics. Proctor asserted the artwork was part of a “radical, woke agenda.”Proctor retired from the U.S. Army as a colonel following 25 years of military service that coincided with wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.In Afghanistan, he was a planning chief for the transition of that war to security forces ahead of the withdrawal of most American forces. During 2009, he deployed to Iraq as an operations officer for an infantry battalion. He worked in Iraq in 2007 on a strategic communication plan for a U.S. troop surge.He wrote the 2020 book “Lessons Unlearned: The U.S. Army’s Role in Creating the Forever Wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.”While serving in the Legislature, Proctor has taught at Wichita State University. He received a doctorate in history from Kansas State University.

Leavenworth House member first Republican to declare as 2026 candidate for secretary of state

SMITH COUNTY—Authorities investigating a fatal fire in Smith County have yet to release additional information in the case.

Just after 5a.m. March 25, first responders were alerted to a fire at the Home on the Rang Lodging Motel on East Highway 36 in Smith Center, according to Sheriff Travis Conway.

First responders pulled a unresponsive person from the structure who was pronounced dead at the scene. The Smith County Sheriff'f office, investigators from the Kansas State Fire Marshal and a K9 from Sedgwick County Fire are working together to investigate.&nbsp; No foul play is suspected.&nbsp; Despite repeated requests, authorities have not released the name of the victim, the cause of the fire or a damage estimate.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/3/1742953737241.png" alt="Photo Kansas Fire Marshal&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>Photo Kansas Fire Marshal&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>SMITH COUNTY—Authorities investigating a fatal fire in Smith County have yet to release additional information in the case.Just after 5a.m. March 25, first responders were alerted to a fire at the Home on the Rang Lodging Motel on East Highway 36 in Smith Center, according to Sheriff Travis Conway.First responders pulled a unresponsive person from the structure who was pronounced dead at the scene. The Smith County Sheriff'f office, investigators from the Kansas State Fire Marshal and a K9 from Sedgwick County Fire are working together to investigate.&nbsp; No foul play is suspected.&nbsp; Despite repeated requests, authorities have not released the name of the victim, the cause of the fire or a damage estimate.

Cause of fatal Kansas motel fire still under investigation

KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement investigating another homicide in Kansas City have identified the victim as 34-year-old Jeanette M. Johnson, according to KCPD Captain Jake Becchina.

Just after 9a.m. Friday, Police were dispatched to a shooting in the 6300 block of E. 102 Terrace in Kansas City, Missouri.

Neighbors in the area heard the sound of shots and looked outside and saw a victim down in the street. On arrival officers located Johnson down in the street near a vehicle in front of a residence. Officers called for EMS who responded and transported her to the hospital for treatment. At the hospital, medical staff pronounced her deceased. 

Preliminary information indicates that the victim was in front of the residence near a vehicle when she had an interaction with an unknown suspect(s) in the street that led to shots being fired striking her.

Police have not reported an arrest or suspect details.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/4/1743787952762.png" alt="Photo Sheriff Daryl Forte"" />
 <figcaption>Photo Sheriff Daryl Forte"</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement investigating another homicide in Kansas City have identified the victim as 34-year-old Jeanette M. Johnson, according to KCPD Captain Jake Becchina.Just after 9a.m. Friday, Police were dispatched to a shooting in the 6300 block of E. 102 Terrace in Kansas City, Missouri.Neighbors in the area heard the sound of shots and looked outside and saw a victim down in the street. On arrival officers located Johnson down in the street near a vehicle in front of a residence. Officers called for EMS who responded and transported her to the hospital for treatment. At the hospital, medical staff pronounced her deceased. Preliminary information indicates that the victim was in front of the residence near a vehicle when she had an interaction with an unknown suspect(s) in the street that led to shots being fired striking her.Police have not reported an arrest or suspect details.

Homicide: Police ID woman found on KC street

KANSAS CITY—Law enforcement investigating a kidnapping on Sunday reported they located victim and and the vehicle.

Just after 4p.m. Sunday police issued an attempt to locate in connection to an armed kidnapping, according to a social media report from Raytown Police.

Police were looking for a 2019 White Dodge Journey in connection with the crime. The vehicle left Quik Trip, 9323 E 350 Highway, Raytown, Missouri at 4:06p.m. and was last seen southbound towards Maple Drive then continued westbound. 

The suspect was described as a Hispanic male, red Chicago Bulls hat, red V-neck t-shirt, black pants, white high-top shoes, black backpack, and is armed with a handgun.  

The victim was an Asian female, possibly middle aged or older. Unknown clothing description. 

According to a witness, the suspect entered the backseat of the Dodge Journey, putting the female at gunpoint, vehicle intially left southbound with their hazards on, then headed west. It unknown if the two parties know each other. 

Police have not reported an arrest or additional details.

KANSAS CITY—Law enforcement investigating a kidnapping on Sunday reported they located victim and and the vehicle.Just after 4p.m. Sunday police issued an attempt to locate in connection to an armed kidnapping, according to a social media report from Raytown Police.Police were looking for a 2019 White Dodge Journey in connection with the crime. The vehicle left Quik Trip, 9323 E 350 Highway, Raytown, Missouri at 4:06p.m. and was last seen southbound towards Maple Drive then continued westbound. The suspect was described as a Hispanic male, red Chicago Bulls hat, red V-neck t-shirt, black pants, white high-top shoes, black backpack, and is armed with a handgun. The victim was an Asian female, possibly middle aged or older. Unknown clothing description. According to a witness, the suspect entered the backseat of the Dodge Journey, putting the female at gunpoint, vehicle intially left southbound with their hazards on, then headed west. It unknown if the two parties know each other. Police have not reported an arrest or additional details.

Police: Woman in KC area kidnapping found safe

CEDAR COUNTY —A Missouri man drowned just after 2:30p.m. Sunday in Cedar County.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 78-year-old Pleasant Hope man was fishing off a 2014 Phoenix 921 Pro XP when he fell into the water and drowned.&nbsp;

He was transported to Bland Brumback Funeral Home in Stockton.&nbsp; He was not wearing a life jacket, according to the MSHP. The patrol no longer releases names of accident victims.

CEDAR COUNTY —A Missouri man drowned just after 2:30p.m. Sunday in Cedar County.The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 78-year-old Pleasant Hope man was fishing off a 2014 Phoenix 921 Pro XP when he fell into the water and drowned.&nbsp;He was transported to Bland Brumback Funeral Home in Stockton.&nbsp; He was not wearing a life jacket, according to the MSHP. The patrol no longer releases names of accident victims.

Missouri fisherman drowns after fall from boat

KANSAS CITY — A juvenile was injured in an accident just after 5:30p.m. Sunday in Kansas City.

According to KCPD Captain Jake Becchina, a 10-year-old girl was riding an ATV on a vacant lot at 55th and Myrtle.

 As the ATV traveled uphill, she accelerated and flipped the ATV causing her to fall.&nbsp; Her mother transported her to an area hospital for treatment of serious injuries.&nbsp; Police released no additional details.

KANSAS CITY — A juvenile was injured in an accident just after 5:30p.m. Sunday in Kansas City.According to KCPD Captain Jake Becchina, a 10-year-old girl was riding an ATV on a vacant lot at 55th and Myrtle. As the ATV traveled uphill, she accelerated and flipped the ATV causing her to fall.&nbsp; Her mother transported her to an area hospital for treatment of serious injuries.&nbsp; Police released no additional details.

10-year-old KC girl hospitalized after ATV accident

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City man pleaded guilty in federal court last week for possessing and transferring three machine gun conversion devices, according to the United State's Attorney.

Demetrius Harris, also known as “Meech,” 24, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jill A. Morris, to one count of illegally possessing machine guns – an Anderson Manufacturing AM-15 multi-caliber firearm with an AR-type machine gun conversion device and two AR-type machine gun conversion devices.

On Jan. 24, 2024, Harris sold an AR-style firearm containing an auto sear, two additional auto sears, and ammunition to an undercover agent for $1,060.

Machine gun conversion devices, also known as “switches” or “auto sears,” are used to convert semi-automatic weapons into machine guns that fire multiple shots automatically through a single pull of the trigger, enabling more rapid and often less accurate gunfire. Whether or not they are attached to a firearm, these devices constitute machine guns under federal law. It is therefore illegal to possess, sell, or use machine gun conversion devices.

Under federal statutes, Harris is subject to a sentence of up to 10 years in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brad K. Kavanaugh. It was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City man pleaded guilty in federal court last week for possessing and transferring three machine gun conversion devices, according to the United State's Attorney.Demetrius Harris, also known as “Meech,” 24, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jill A. Morris, to one count of illegally possessing machine guns – an Anderson Manufacturing AM-15 multi-caliber firearm with an AR-type machine gun conversion device and two AR-type machine gun conversion devices.On Jan. 24, 2024, Harris sold an AR-style firearm containing an auto sear, two additional auto sears, and ammunition to an undercover agent for $1,060.Machine gun conversion devices, also known as “switches” or “auto sears,” are used to convert semi-automatic weapons into machine guns that fire multiple shots automatically through a single pull of the trigger, enabling more rapid and often less accurate gunfire. Whether or not they are attached to a firearm, these devices constitute machine guns under federal law. It is therefore illegal to possess, sell, or use machine gun conversion devices.Under federal statutes, Harris is subject to a sentence of up to 10 years in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brad K. Kavanaugh. It was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

KC area man sold machine guns to undercover agent

ST. LOUIS – A medical doctor from the Kansas City, Kansas area on Friday admitted accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in kickbacks to order medically unnecessary health care for thousands of patients, according to the United State's Attorney.

Dr. Scott Taggart Roethle, 47, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of health care fraud. He admitted that from 2017 until 2020, he conspired with health care companies and others to order medically unnecessary durable medical equipment, pain creams and genetic tests for thousands of patients in exchange for hundreds of thousands of dollars in kickbacks.

Dr. Roethle contracted with multiple health care companies as a telemedicine doctor. Using electronic portals to review patient information and documents, Dr. Roethle ordered health care services for patients without evaluating them or their actual medical needs. He did not have a prior doctor-patient relationship with the telemedicine patients and admitted providing no follow-up care after ordering the health care services.

Dr. Roethle was typically paid about $30 for each of his fraudulent orders. He admitted receiving payments of $674,000 from five companies. He also admitted that Medicare paid out at least $1.5 million while relying on his fraudulent orders. At the time of Dr. Roethle’s sentencing, the U.S. Attorney’s Office will argue that the total loss due to the health care fraud is between $7 million and $9.5 million.

Dr. Roethle was licensed to practice in 22 states during the time of his crime and worked primarily as an anesthesiologist.

The trial of Dr. Roethle, of Leawood, was scheduled to begin Monday. His sentencing is set for July 17.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Derek Wiseman and Justin Ladendorf are prosecuting the case.

ST. LOUIS – A medical doctor from the Kansas City, Kansas area on Friday admitted accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in kickbacks to order medically unnecessary health care for thousands of patients, according to the United State's Attorney.Dr. Scott Taggart Roethle, 47, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of health care fraud. He admitted that from 2017 until 2020, he conspired with health care companies and others to order medically unnecessary durable medical equipment, pain creams and genetic tests for thousands of patients in exchange for hundreds of thousands of dollars in kickbacks.Dr. Roethle contracted with multiple health care companies as a telemedicine doctor. Using electronic portals to review patient information and documents, Dr. Roethle ordered health care services for patients without evaluating them or their actual medical needs. He did not have a prior doctor-patient relationship with the telemedicine patients and admitted providing no follow-up care after ordering the health care services.Dr. Roethle was typically paid about $30 for each of his fraudulent orders. He admitted receiving payments of $674,000 from five companies. He also admitted that Medicare paid out at least $1.5 million while relying on his fraudulent orders. At the time of Dr. Roethle’s sentencing, the U.S. Attorney’s Office will argue that the total loss due to the health care fraud is between $7 million and $9.5 million.Dr. Roethle was licensed to practice in 22 states during the time of his crime and worked primarily as an anesthesiologist.The trial of Dr. Roethle, of Leawood, was scheduled to begin Monday. His sentencing is set for July 17.The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Derek Wiseman and Justin Ladendorf are prosecuting the case.

Kansas doctor admits accepting kickbacks to commit healthcare fraud

KANSAS CITY, Kan. —One of the victims from the triple shooting that took place on March 26, in the 1600 block of Ridge Ave. has died of his injuries, according to a statement from police.

Anderson Murcia-Cartagena, 18,, a resident of Kansas City, Kan., died Wednesday at an area hospital.

Just before 9p.m. March 26, police were dispatched to the intersection of 16th and Ridge Avenue in Kansas City, Kansas. on a call of shots fired. 

First responders discovered three victims. One man was inside a vehicle and two other men were in the street. All were victims of apparent gunshot wounds. All three were transported to an area hospital with potentially life threatening injuries. Suspects fled the scene prior to officers’ arrival.

The two other shooting victims remain hospitalized, according to police.

KANSAS CITY, Kan. —One of the victims from the triple shooting that took place on March 26, in the 1600 block of Ridge Ave. has died of his injuries, according to a statement from police.Anderson Murcia-Cartagena, 18,, a resident of Kansas City, Kan., died Wednesday at an area hospital.Just before 9p.m. March 26, police were dispatched to the intersection of 16th and Ridge Avenue in Kansas City, Kansas. on a call of shots fired. First responders discovered three victims. One man was inside a vehicle and two other men were in the street. All were victims of apparent gunshot wounds. All three were transported to an area hospital with potentially life threatening injuries. Suspects fled the scene prior to officers’ arrival.The two other shooting victims remain hospitalized, according to police.

Kan. teen wounded in triple-shooting dies a week after incident

TOPEKA — U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran of Kansas reintroduced federal legislation to set aside $50 million annually for transportation infrastructure projects in support of cities hosting the 2026 FIFA World Cup, 2028 Summer Olympic Games and 2034 Winter Olympic Games.

Moran’s primary interest was a section of the bill earmarking funding to 11 U.S. cities, including Kansas City, selected to host Men’s World Cup competition next year.

“It was a tremendous feat to secure a spot as a host city during the 2026 World Cup, and I have no doubt that Kansas City will be a welcoming community for hundreds of thousands of soccer fans from around the world,” the Republican senator said. “Preparations are already underway for the games and this legislation will support local community and agency efforts to improve infrastructure to connect fans with businesses, hotels, the airport and other host cities during the World Cup.”

Other cities hosting World Cup competition are&nbsp;Seattle, Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York and New Jersey, Philadelphia and the San Francisco Bay area.

U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell, a Washington Democrat and a member with Moran on the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, said the proposed federal funding would help communities safely and efficiently coordinate transportation for fans, workers and goods during World Cup and Olympic events.

“With less than 500 days until Seattle hosts its first 2026 World Cup game, we need the Department of Transportation to get in the game and support host cities as they work to showcase the best of American innovation and hospitality,” she said.

Under the Senate bill, host cities and surrounding communities would be eligible for grants to build roads, expand light rail, purchase buses, create bicycle lanes, improve existing roads and upgrade airport terminals for the World Cup as well as the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles and the 2034 Olympics in Salt Lake City. Text of the bill indicated funding also could be used for Paralympics, Special Olympics and women’s World Cup events.

Financial aid funneled through the U.S. transportation agency could be spread among host cities, states and tribes within 100 miles of the sports venues, the bill said.

“We are pleased to see this important transportation assistance legislation introduced in support of Kansas City’s World Cup efforts,” said Pam Kramer, chief executive officer of KC2026. “These investments and support will help us create sustained and lasting impact beyond the World Cup, improving mobility in the region well beyond 2026.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/4/1743966581063.png" alt="Moran met with&nbsp;FIFA World Cup 26 Kansas City CEO Pam Kramer in early December- courtesy photo" />
 <figcaption>Moran met with&nbsp;FIFA World Cup 26 Kansas City CEO Pam Kramer in early December- courtesy photo</figcaption>
 </figure>By&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/tim-carpenter/">TIM CARPENTER</a> <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/02/24/gov-laura-kelly-skeptical-kansas-houses-anti-tenure-legislation-will-reach-her-desk/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran of Kansas reintroduced federal legislation to set aside $50 million annually for transportation infrastructure projects in support of cities hosting the 2026 FIFA World Cup, 2028 Summer Olympic Games and 2034 Winter Olympic Games.Moran’s primary interest was a section of the bill earmarking funding to 11 U.S. cities, including Kansas City, selected to host Men’s World Cup competition next year.“It was a tremendous feat to secure a spot as a host city during the 2026 World Cup, and I have no doubt that Kansas City will be a welcoming community for hundreds of thousands of soccer fans from around the world,” the Republican senator said. “Preparations are already underway for the games and this legislation will support local community and agency efforts to improve infrastructure to connect fans with businesses, hotels, the airport and other host cities during the World Cup.”Other cities hosting World Cup competition are&nbsp;Seattle, Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York and New Jersey, Philadelphia and the San Francisco Bay area.U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell, a Washington Democrat and a member with Moran on the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, said the proposed federal funding would help communities safely and efficiently coordinate transportation for fans, workers and goods during World Cup and Olympic events.“With less than 500 days until Seattle hosts its first 2026 World Cup game, we need the Department of Transportation to get in the game and support host cities as they work to showcase the best of American innovation and hospitality,” she said.Under the Senate bill, host cities and surrounding communities would be eligible for grants to build roads, expand light rail, purchase buses, create bicycle lanes, improve existing roads and upgrade airport terminals for the World Cup as well as the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles and the 2034 Olympics in Salt Lake City. Text of the bill indicated funding also could be used for Paralympics, Special Olympics and women’s World Cup events.Financial aid funneled through the U.S. transportation agency could be spread among host cities, states and tribes within 100 miles of the sports venues, the bill said.“We are pleased to see this important transportation assistance legislation introduced in support of Kansas City’s World Cup efforts,” said Pam Kramer, chief executive officer of KC2026. “These investments and support will help us create sustained and lasting impact beyond the World Cup, improving mobility in the region well beyond 2026.”

Moran touts bipartisan bill earmarking federal infrastructure funding for World Cup, Olympics

<a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search/?query=byline:%22STAN%20CHOE%20and%20CORA%20LEWIS%22&amp;mediaType=text&amp;st=keyword&amp;sortOrder=newest">By STAN CHOE and CORA LEWIS AP Business Writers</a>

NEW YORK (AP) —The huge swings&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/market-rates-trump-tariffs-d86db525c370e9da834e6dfb76e23b86">rocking Wall Street</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tariffs-consumer-impact-workers-prices-ba862da51b51ae1afdfae08bf02c2449">the global economy</a>&nbsp;may feel far from normal. But, for investing at least, drops of this size have happened throughout history.

Stomaching them is the price investors have had to pay in order to get the bigger returns that stocks can offer over other investments in the long term. Here's a glimpse at what's behind the market's wild moves and what experts advise investors young and old to consider:

Wall Street's main benchmark, the S&amp;P 500, has lost more than 16% since setting&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/stock-market-china-asia-technology-5d60888d8ea6f1e9c7dc19e8c89833e8">an all-time high</a>&nbsp;on Feb. 19, mostly because of worries about President Donald Trump's&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-tariffs-liberation-day-2a031b3c16120a5672a6ddd01da09933">tariffs</a>.

Any kind of uncertainty around the economy will give Wall Street pause, but the trade war is making it more difficult for companies, households and others to feel confident enough to invest, spend and make long-term plans.

The tariffs announced on “Liberation Day” sent stocks reeling to their worst day since since the COVID crash of 2020 because they were much harsher than investors had been expecting. They also raised the fear that Trump may push through with them to win long-term gains, such as more manufacturing jobs in the United States.

The hope among investors had been that Trump was using tariffs merely as a bargaining chip to win concessions from other countries. Some big names on Wall Street still think that's the case, and a moderation of tariffs would help stocks recover, but it's less of a certainty now.

Regularly enough. The S&amp;P 500 has seen declines of at least 10% every year or so. Often, experts view them as a culling of optimism that can otherwise run overboard, driving stock prices too high.

Before this recent downswing, many critics were saying the U.S. stock market was too expensive after prices rose faster than corporate profits. They also pointed to how only a handful of companies drove so much of the market's returns. A group of just seven Big Tech companies accounted for more than half of the S&amp;P 500's total return last year, according to S&amp;P Dow Jones Indices.

Anytime an investor sees they’re losing money, it feels bad. This recent run feels particularly unnerving because of how incredibly calm the market had previously been. The S&amp;P 500 is coming off a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/sp-stocks-wall-street-records-c144fbee69be7fff59c2e4b945b0c393">second straight year where it shot up</a>&nbsp;by more than 20%, the first time that's happened since baggy pants were last in style before the millennium.

Selling may offer some feeling of relief. But it also locks in losses and prevents the chance of making the money back over time. Historically, the S&amp;P 500 has come back from every one of its downturns to eventually make investors whole again. That includes after the Great Depression, the dot-com bust and the 2020 COVID crash.

Some recoveries take longer than others, but experts often recommend not putting money into stocks that you can't afford to lose for several years, up to 10. Emergency funds, for things like home repairs or medical bills, should not be invested in stocks.

“Data has shown, historically, that no one can time the market,” said Odysseas Papadimitriou, CEO of WalletHub. “No one can consistently figure out the best time to buy and sell.”

For years, the U.S. stock market was the best by far to invest in worldwide. Now, more investors are questioning wither U.S. exceptionalism is dead.

But it could all be a reminder that investors often do best when they have a mixed set of investments rather than going all-in on just a few. And investors may no longer be as diversified as they thought after years of sheer dominance by the Magnificent Seven over the U.S. stock market and by Wall Street over global markets.

“It is hard to roll with the punches when some days you feel like your portfolio is being pummeled,” said Brian Jacobsen, chief economist at Annex Wealth Management. “But those moments should pass. A diversified strategy that is thoughtfully adapting to changing circumstances can’t prevent the punches, but it can help soften the blows.”

Phil Battin, CEO of Ambassador Wealth Management, advises investors to make sure they diversify their investments across regions and sectors to reduce risk. He says to lean towards “resilient sectors such as consumer staples, utilities and health care, which are less reliant on international trade.”

I JUST STARTED INVESTING IN STOCKS. WHAT SHOULD I DO?

The proliferation of online trading platforms and the ease of smartphones has helped create a new generation of investors who may not be used to such volatility.

But the good news is younger investors often have the gift of time. With decades to go until retirement, they can afford to ride the waves and let their stock portfolios hopefully recover before compounding and eventually growing even bigger.

Stephen Kates, financial analyst at Bankrate, says “now is not the time to make emotional decisions.” Young investors should “re-anchor to your (long-term) goals,” and consider using a financial advisor to help navigate uncertain times. “Investors with ample time to stay invested should remember how lucrative patience has been over the last 15 years,” Kates said.

Older investors have less time than younger ones to allow their investments to bounce back. But even in retirement, some people will need their investments to last 30 years or more, said Niladri “Neel” Mukherjee, chief investment officer of TIAA Wealth Management.

People who have already retired may want to cut back on spending and withdrawals after sharp market downturns, because bigger withdrawals will remove more potential compounding ability in the future. But even retirees, at least in the early part of retirement, should still be invested in stocks to prepare for the possibility of decades of spending ahead.

“You may want to slow that down and pick that back up once the market recovers,” Mukherjee said, “but it all comes down to having that conversation with your adviser and your portfolio manager.”

No one knows, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

<a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search/?query=byline:%22STAN%20CHOE%20and%20CORA%20LEWIS%22&amp;mediaType=text&amp;st=keyword&amp;sortOrder=newest">By STAN CHOE and CORA LEWIS AP Business Writers</a>NEW YORK (AP) —The huge swings&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/market-rates-trump-tariffs-d86db525c370e9da834e6dfb76e23b86">rocking Wall Street</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tariffs-consumer-impact-workers-prices-ba862da51b51ae1afdfae08bf02c2449">the global economy</a>&nbsp;may feel far from normal. But, for investing at least, drops of this size have happened throughout history.Stomaching them is the price investors have had to pay in order to get the bigger returns that stocks can offer over other investments in the long term. Here's a glimpse at what's behind the market's wild moves and what experts advise investors young and old to consider:<h2>HOW BAD IS THE MARKET?</h2>Wall Street's main benchmark, the S&amp;P 500, has lost more than 16% since setting&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/stock-market-china-asia-technology-5d60888d8ea6f1e9c7dc19e8c89833e8">an all-time high</a>&nbsp;on Feb. 19, mostly because of worries about President Donald Trump's&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-tariffs-liberation-day-2a031b3c16120a5672a6ddd01da09933">tariffs</a>.Any kind of uncertainty around the economy will give Wall Street pause, but the trade war is making it more difficult for companies, households and others to feel confident enough to invest, spend and make long-term plans.The tariffs announced on “Liberation Day” sent stocks reeling to their worst day since since the COVID crash of 2020 because they were much harsher than investors had been expecting. They also raised the fear that Trump may push through with them to win long-term gains, such as more manufacturing jobs in the United States.The hope among investors had been that Trump was using tariffs merely as a bargaining chip to win concessions from other countries. Some big names on Wall Street still think that's the case, and a moderation of tariffs would help stocks recover, but it's less of a certainty now.<h2>STOCKS DO THIS OFTEN?</h2>Regularly enough. The S&amp;P 500 has seen declines of at least 10% every year or so. Often, experts view them as a culling of optimism that can otherwise run overboard, driving stock prices too high.Before this recent downswing, many critics were saying the U.S. stock market was too expensive after prices rose faster than corporate profits. They also pointed to how only a handful of companies drove so much of the market's returns. A group of just seven Big Tech companies accounted for more than half of the S&amp;P 500's total return last year, according to S&amp;P Dow Jones Indices.<h2>SHOULD I SELL AND GET OUT?</h2>Anytime an investor sees they’re losing money, it feels bad. This recent run feels particularly unnerving because of how incredibly calm the market had previously been. The S&amp;P 500 is coming off a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/sp-stocks-wall-street-records-c144fbee69be7fff59c2e4b945b0c393">second straight year where it shot up</a>&nbsp;by more than 20%, the first time that's happened since baggy pants were last in style before the millennium.Selling may offer some feeling of relief. But it also locks in losses and prevents the chance of making the money back over time. Historically, the S&amp;P 500 has come back from every one of its downturns to eventually make investors whole again. That includes after the Great Depression, the dot-com bust and the 2020 COVID crash.Some recoveries take longer than others, but experts often recommend not putting money into stocks that you can't afford to lose for several years, up to 10. Emergency funds, for things like home repairs or medical bills, should not be invested in stocks.“Data has shown, historically, that no one can time the market,” said Odysseas Papadimitriou, CEO of WalletHub. “No one can consistently figure out the best time to buy and sell.”<h2>SHOULD I CHANGE ANYTHING WITH MY INVEST</h2><h2>MENTS?</h2>For years, the U.S. stock market was the best by far to invest in worldwide. Now, more investors are questioning wither U.S. exceptionalism is dead.But it could all be a reminder that investors often do best when they have a mixed set of investments rather than going all-in on just a few. And investors may no longer be as diversified as they thought after years of sheer dominance by the Magnificent Seven over the U.S. stock market and by Wall Street over global markets.“It is hard to roll with the punches when some days you feel like your portfolio is being pummeled,” said Brian Jacobsen, chief economist at Annex Wealth Management. “But those moments should pass. A diversified strategy that is thoughtfully adapting to changing circumstances can’t prevent the punches, but it can help soften the blows.”Phil Battin, CEO of Ambassador Wealth Management, advises investors to make sure they diversify their investments across regions and sectors to reduce risk. He says to lean towards “resilient sectors such as consumer staples, utilities and health care, which are less reliant on international trade.”<h2>I JUST STARTED INVESTING IN STOCKS. WHAT SHOULD I DO?</h2>The proliferation of online trading platforms and the ease of smartphones has helped create a new generation of investors who may not be used to such volatility.But the good news is younger investors often have the gift of time. With decades to go until retirement, they can afford to ride the waves and let their stock portfolios hopefully recover before compounding and eventually growing even bigger.Stephen Kates, financial analyst at Bankrate, says “now is not the time to make emotional decisions.” Young investors should “re-anchor to your (long-term) goals,” and consider using a financial advisor to help navigate uncertain times. “Investors with ample time to stay invested should remember how lucrative patience has been over the last 15 years,” Kates said.<h2>WHAT IF I'M NEAR RETIREMENT?</h2>Older investors have less time than younger ones to allow their investments to bounce back. But even in retirement, some people will need their investments to last 30 years or more, said Niladri “Neel” Mukherjee, chief investment officer of TIAA Wealth Management.People who have already retired may want to cut back on spending and withdrawals after sharp market downturns, because bigger withdrawals will remove more potential compounding ability in the future. But even retirees, at least in the early part of retirement, should still be invested in stocks to prepare for the possibility of decades of spending ahead.“You may want to slow that down and pick that back up once the market recovers,” Mukherjee said, “but it all comes down to having that conversation with your adviser and your portfolio manager.”<h2>HOW LONG WILL THIS LAST?</h2>No one knows, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

Think twice before bailing out of the stock market, financial advisers say

WYANDOTTE COUNTY —Detectives with the Kansas City, Kansas Police Department are investigating a shooting that has taken the life of two people and have left two more injured.

Just before 9:p.m. Saturday, police were dispatched to a shooting in the 800 block of N. 70th Terrace, according to a media release. First responders discovered two men outside, both victims of apparent gunshot wounds. 

During the incident two other victims were struck by gunfire and were transported to an area hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

This incident is under investigation by the KCKPD Major Case Unit.

WYANDOTTE COUNTY —Detectives with the Kansas City, Kansas Police Department are investigating a shooting that has taken the life of two people and have left two more injured.Just before 9:p.m. Saturday, police were dispatched to a shooting in the 800 block of N. 70th Terrace, according to a media release. First responders discovered two men outside, both victims of apparent gunshot wounds. During the incident two other victims were struck by gunfire and were transported to an area hospital with non-life threatening injuries.This incident is under investigation by the KCKPD Major Case Unit.

Police: 2 dead, two injured in Kansas shooting

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

TOPEKA — The Kansas Bureau of Investigation is investigating personnel at the Comanche County clerk’s office, and the tip of possible wrongdoing may have come from the person being investigated.

“I made a mistake, and I am the one that called attention to it,” said Casey Huck, who left her elected position as Comanche County clerk in mid-March.

Huck would not elaborate on the mistake she made but said she left her position for medical reasons.

Officials would not comment on details of the investigation.

“KBI is investigating a case involving an allegation against personnel of the Comanche County Clerk’s Office,” said Dustin Wallace, KBI spokesperson. “The investigation is ongoing. We will release more information if the case progresses to filed charges or arrests.”

County Attorney Clay Kuhns would only say that the situation is “out of his hands” and has been turned over to the Kansas Attorney General’s Office.

“The AG’s office is going to make any kind of decision on what happens at this point,” Kuhns said.

Sandy Hoffman, chairwoman of the Comanche County Republican Committee, said the committee this week selected deputy county clerk Bri Uhl to replace Huck.

“She’s the one that held down the office when the county clerk quit,” she said, confirming that a resignation letter was received from Huck on March 13, and the committee had 21 days after that to fill the position.

Hoffman said she knows nothing about the situation at the county clerk’s office, other than that KBI is investigating.

Coldwater City Council President Britt Lenertz also said she didn’t have information about the KBI investigation. Coldwater is the county seat of Comanche County, located in south-central Kansas on the border of Oklahoma.

Comanche County commission president Joe Moore didn’t return calls seeking comment for this story.

Comanche County Sheriff Jacob Bruckner said he can’t comment. In a situation where a government official is being investigated, he said, it is typically handled through KBI.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/4/1743888112358.png" alt="The Kansas Bureau of Investigation opened a case against personnel in the Comanche County clerk’s office. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>The Kansas Bureau of Investigation opened a case against personnel in the Comanche County clerk’s office. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/mchilson/">MORGAN CHILSON</a> <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/02/24/gov-laura-kelly-skeptical-kansas-houses-anti-tenure-legislation-will-reach-her-desk/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — The Kansas Bureau of Investigation is investigating personnel at the Comanche County clerk’s office, and the tip of possible wrongdoing may have come from the person being investigated.“I made a mistake, and I am the one that called attention to it,” said Casey Huck, who left her elected position as Comanche County clerk in mid-March.Huck would not elaborate on the mistake she made but said she left her position for medical reasons.Officials would not comment on details of the investigation.“KBI is investigating a case involving an allegation against personnel of the Comanche County Clerk’s Office,” said Dustin Wallace, KBI spokesperson. “The investigation is ongoing. We will release more information if the case progresses to filed charges or arrests.”County Attorney Clay Kuhns would only say that the situation is “out of his hands” and has been turned over to the Kansas Attorney General’s Office.“The AG’s office is going to make any kind of decision on what happens at this point,” Kuhns said.Sandy Hoffman, chairwoman of the Comanche County Republican Committee, said the committee this week selected deputy county clerk Bri Uhl to replace Huck.“She’s the one that held down the office when the county clerk quit,” she said, confirming that a resignation letter was received from Huck on March 13, and the committee had 21 days after that to fill the position.Hoffman said she knows nothing about the situation at the county clerk’s office, other than that KBI is investigating.Coldwater City Council President Britt Lenertz also said she didn’t have information about the KBI investigation. Coldwater is the county seat of Comanche County, located in south-central Kansas on the border of Oklahoma.Comanche County commission president Joe Moore didn’t return calls seeking comment for this story.Comanche County Sheriff Jacob Bruckner said he can’t comment. In a situation where a government official is being investigated, he said, it is typically handled through KBI.

‘I made a mistake’ former Kan. county clerk says of problem that led to KBI investigation

KANSAS CITY —A Kansas City man is facing multiple charges in connection with a fatal stabbing that occurred on Monday near East 30th Street and Mersington Avenue, according to&nbsp;Jackson County Prosecutor Melesa Johnson.

Leon J. Reese, 54, faces&nbsp;2nd Degree Murder, two counts of Armed Criminal Action, and Tampering with a Witness.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.jacksoncountyprosecutor.com/DocumentCenter/View/2560/Leon-Reese-PC-_Redacted">According to court records</a>, Kansas City police were dispatched near the 3000 block of Mersington Avenue on March 31 and located Kansas City Fire Department personnel rendering aid to the victim who was suffering from stab wounds to his stomach and abdomen. The victim was declared deceased.

Based on witness statements, Reese and the victim became involved in a verbal altercation, which escalated as the defendant approached the victim with a knife and stabbed him.&nbsp;

The next day, as detectives were collecting surveillance footage of the incident around the crime scene, they found Reese standing over a witness with a knife. Detectives gave verbal commands to drop the knife, and the Reese threw the knife in the direction of detectives who were then able to take him into custody. Reese&nbsp;is being held with no bond.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/4/1743717198067.png" alt="Reese photo Jackson Co." />
 <figcaption>Reese photo Jackson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —A Kansas City man is facing multiple charges in connection with a fatal stabbing that occurred on Monday near East 30th Street and Mersington Avenue, according to&nbsp;Jackson County Prosecutor Melesa Johnson.Leon J. Reese, 54, faces&nbsp;2nd Degree Murder, two counts of Armed Criminal Action, and Tampering with a Witness.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.jacksoncountyprosecutor.com/DocumentCenter/View/2560/Leon-Reese-PC-_Redacted">According to court records</a>, Kansas City police were dispatched near the 3000 block of Mersington Avenue on March 31 and located Kansas City Fire Department personnel rendering aid to the victim who was suffering from stab wounds to his stomach and abdomen. The victim was declared deceased.Based on witness statements, Reese and the victim became involved in a verbal altercation, which escalated as the defendant approached the victim with a knife and stabbed him.&nbsp;The next day, as detectives were collecting surveillance footage of the incident around the crime scene, they found Reese standing over a witness with a knife. Detectives gave verbal commands to drop the knife, and the Reese threw the knife in the direction of detectives who were then able to take him into custody. Reese&nbsp;is being held with no bond.&nbsp;

Police: KC murder suspect threatened witness with a knife

OSAGE COUNTY—Law enforcement are investigating a Kansas woman on drug allegations.

Just before 5:30 p.m. April 2, a Sheriff’s Office Investigator conducted a traffic stop in the 700 block of Market Street in Osage City for a traffic violation, according to Osage County Sheriff Chris Wells.

During the stop, the deputy found illegal narcotics.

Julie A. Roach, 44, of Osage City was taken into custody and transported to the Osage County Jail Facility on requested charges of Possession of methamphetamine, Possession of marijuana and No drug tax stamp.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/4/1743685449952.png" alt="Roach photo Osage County" />
 <figcaption>Roach photo Osage County</figcaption>
 </figure>OSAGE COUNTY—Law enforcement are investigating a Kansas woman on drug allegations.Just before 5:30 p.m. April 2, a Sheriff’s Office Investigator conducted a traffic stop in the 700 block of Market Street in Osage City for a traffic violation, according to Osage County Sheriff Chris Wells.During the stop, the deputy found illegal narcotics.Julie A. Roach, 44, of Osage City was taken into custody and transported to the Osage County Jail Facility on requested charges of Possession of methamphetamine, Possession of marijuana and No drug tax stamp.

Kansas woman jailed for allegedly selling drugs

KANSAS CITY —One person died in an accident just before 11:30p.m. Friday in Kansas City.

A Ford Fusion was eastbound from 71 Highway on Gregory Boulevard, according to KCPD Captain Jake Becchina. The car traveled straight into a large tree located at Gregory and South Agnes Avenue,

The sole occupant was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced deceased a few minutes later, according to Becchina.&nbsp; Police did not release the name of the victim.

KANSAS CITY —One person died in an accident just before 11:30p.m. Friday in Kansas City.A Ford Fusion was eastbound from 71 Highway on Gregory Boulevard, according to KCPD Captain Jake Becchina. The car traveled straight into a large tree located at Gregory and South Agnes Avenue,The sole occupant was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced deceased a few minutes later, according to Becchina.&nbsp; Police did not release the name of the victim.

KCPD: Man dead after car strikes a large tree

WASHINGTON (AP) —The Association of Public and Land-grant Universities including Kansas State University, the University of Kansas and Wichita State University, is requesting a meeting with the State Department, alarmed that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">the Trump administration’s widening crackdown</a>&nbsp;will persuade sought-after foreign students to stay away from the United States.

College officials say the new, harsher tactics and vague justifications being used to push some students out of the country will have&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/college-admissions-international-student-enrollment-trump-fd8b6b8f298629bbcc7339568b1c76f3">much broader consequences</a>.

America’s universities have long been seen as a top destination for the world’s brightest minds — and they’ve brought important tuition revenue and research breakthroughs to U.S. colleges. But international students also have other options, said Fanta Aw, CEO of NAFSA, an association of international educators.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A crackdown on foreign students is alarming colleges, who say the Trump administration is using new tactics and vague justifications to push some students out of the country.

College officials worry the new approach will keep foreigners from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/college-admissions-international-student-enrollment-trump-fd8b6b8f298629bbcc7339568b1c76f3">wanting to study</a>&nbsp;in the U.S.

Students stripped of their entry visas are receiving orders from the Department of Homeland Security to leave the country immediately — a break from past practice that often permitted them to stay and complete their studies.

Some students have been targeted over&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-foreign-students-campus-gaza-protests-deportation-9e2d4abc1c158454da1f68c01062c9ef">pro-Palestinian activism</a>&nbsp;or criminal infractions — or even traffic violations. Others have been left wondering how they ran afoul of the government.

At Minnesota State University in Mankato, President Edward Inch told the campus Wednesday that visas had been revoked for five international students for unclear reasons.

He said school officials learned about the revocations when they ran a status check in a database of international students after the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/university-of-minnesota-graduate-student-detained-ice-f71f517521a2567c795343092ef4e0b2">detention of a Turkish student</a>&nbsp;at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. The State Department said the detention was related to a drunken driving conviction.

“These are troubling times, and this situation is unlike any we have navigated before,” Inch wrote in a letter to campus.

<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">President Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;campaigned on a promise to deport foreign students involved in pro-Palestinian protests, and federal agents started by detaining Columbia graduate student&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/columbia-university-protester-mahmoud-khalil-immigration-arrest-5ae6eeb3ac95f190a505abebc4ee0944">Mahmoud Khalil</a>, a green-card-holder and Palestinian activist who was prominent in protests at Columbia last year. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said last week students are being targeted for involvement in protests along with others tied to “potential criminal activity.”

In the past two weeks, the government apparently has widened its crackdown. Officials from colleges around the country have discovered international students have had their entry visas revoked and, in many cases, their legal residency status terminated by authorities without notice — including students at Arizona State, Cornell, North Carolina State, the University of Oregon, the University of Texas and the University of Colorado.

Some of the students are working to leave the country on their own, but students at Tufts and the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/campus-protests-immigration-alireza-doroudi-alabama-ae498838deb04b22864ef485a71bac27">University of Alabama</a>&nbsp;have been detained by immigration authorities — in the Tufts case, even&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/rumeysa-ozturk-deportation-tufts-massachusetts-student-1dd330bef8fb44b05f9818c0020728a0">before the university knew</a>&nbsp;the student’s legal status had changed.

Feds bypass colleges to move against students

In this new wave of enforcement, school officials say the federal government is quietly deleting foreigners’ student records instead of going through colleges, as was done in the past.

Students are being ordered to leave the country with a suddenness that universities have rarely seen, said Miriam Feldblum, president and CEO of the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration.

In the past, when international students have had entry visas revoked, they generally have been allowed to keep legal residency status. They could stay in the country to study, but would need to renew their visa if they left the U.S. and wanted to return. Now, increasing numbers of students are having their legal status terminated, exposing them to the risk of being arrested.

“None of this is regular practice,” Feldblum said.

At North Carolina State University, two students from Saudi Arabia left the U.S. after learning their legal status as students was terminated, the university said. N.C. State said it will work with the students to complete their semester from outside the country.

Philip Vasto, who lived with one of the students, said his roommate, in graduate school for engineering management, was apolitical and did not attend protests against the war in Gaza. When the government told his roommate his student status had been terminated, it did not give a reason, Vasto said.

Since returning to Saudi Arabia, Vasto said his former roommate’s top concern is getting into another university.

“He’s made his peace with it,” he said. “He doesn’t want to allow it to steal his peace any further.”

Database checks turn up students in jeopardy

At the University of Texas at Austin, staff checking a federal database discovered two people on student visas had their permission to be in the U.S. terminated, a person familiar with the situation said. The person declined to be identified for fear of retaliation.

One of the people, from India, had their legal status terminated April 3. The federal system indicated the person had been identified in a criminal records check “and/or has had their visa revoked.” The other person, from Lebanon, had their legal status terminated March 28 due to a criminal records check, according to the federal database.

Both people were graduates remaining in the U.S. on student visas, using an option allowing people to gain professional experience after completing coursework. Both were employed full time and apparently had not violated requirements for pursuing work experience, the person familiar with the situation said.

Some students have had visas revoked by the State Department under an obscure law barring noncitizens whose presence could have “serious adverse foreign policy consequences.” Trump invoked the law in a January order demanding action against campus antisemitism.

But some students targeted in recent weeks have had no clear link to political activism. Some have been ordered to leave over misdemeanor crimes or traffic infractions, Feldblum said. In some cases, students were targeted for infractions that had been previously reported to the government.

Some of the alleged infractions would not have drawn scrutiny in the past and will likely be a test of students’ First Amendment rights as cases work their way through court, said Michelle Mittelstadt, director of public affairs at the Migration Policy Institute.

“In some ways, what the administration is doing is really retroactive,” she said. “Rather than saying, ‘This is going to be the standard that we’re applying going forward,’ they’re going back and vetting students based on past expressions or past behavior.”

The Association of Public and Land-grant Universities is requesting a meeting with the State Department over the issue. It’s unclear whether more visas are being revoked than usual, but officials fear a chilling effect on international exchange.

Many of the association’s members have recently seen at least one student have their visas revoked, said Bernie Burrola, a vice president at the group. With little information from the government, colleges have been interviewing students or searching social media for a connection to political activism.

“The universities can’t seem to find anything that seems to be related to Gaza or social media posts or protests,” Burrola said. “Some of these are sponsored students by foreign governments, where they specifically are very hesitant to get involved in protests.”

There’s no clear thread indicating which students are being targeted, but some have been from the Middle East and China, he said.

“We should not take for granted that that’s just the way things are and will always be,” she said.

WASHINGTON (AP) —The Association of Public and Land-grant Universities including Kansas State University, the University of Kansas and Wichita State University, is requesting a meeting with the State Department, alarmed that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">the Trump administration’s widening crackdown</a>&nbsp;will persuade sought-after foreign students to stay away from the United States.College officials say the new, harsher tactics and vague justifications being used to push some students out of the country will have&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/college-admissions-international-student-enrollment-trump-fd8b6b8f298629bbcc7339568b1c76f3">much broader consequences</a>.America’s universities have long been seen as a top destination for the world’s brightest minds — and they’ve brought important tuition revenue and research breakthroughs to U.S. colleges. But international students also have other options, said Fanta Aw, CEO of NAFSA, an association of international educators.-------------------WASHINGTON (AP) — A crackdown on foreign students is alarming colleges, who say the Trump administration is using new tactics and vague justifications to push some students out of the country.College officials worry the new approach will keep foreigners from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/college-admissions-international-student-enrollment-trump-fd8b6b8f298629bbcc7339568b1c76f3">wanting to study</a>&nbsp;in the U.S.Students stripped of their entry visas are receiving orders from the Department of Homeland Security to leave the country immediately — a break from past practice that often permitted them to stay and complete their studies.Some students have been targeted over&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-foreign-students-campus-gaza-protests-deportation-9e2d4abc1c158454da1f68c01062c9ef">pro-Palestinian activism</a>&nbsp;or criminal infractions — or even traffic violations. Others have been left wondering how they ran afoul of the government.At Minnesota State University in Mankato, President Edward Inch told the campus Wednesday that visas had been revoked for five international students for unclear reasons.He said school officials learned about the revocations when they ran a status check in a database of international students after the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/university-of-minnesota-graduate-student-detained-ice-f71f517521a2567c795343092ef4e0b2">detention of a Turkish student</a>&nbsp;at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. The State Department said the detention was related to a drunken driving conviction.“These are troubling times, and this situation is unlike any we have navigated before,” Inch wrote in a letter to campus.<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">President Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;campaigned on a promise to deport foreign students involved in pro-Palestinian protests, and federal agents started by detaining Columbia graduate student&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/columbia-university-protester-mahmoud-khalil-immigration-arrest-5ae6eeb3ac95f190a505abebc4ee0944">Mahmoud Khalil</a>, a green-card-holder and Palestinian activist who was prominent in protests at Columbia last year. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said last week students are being targeted for involvement in protests along with others tied to “potential criminal activity.”In the past two weeks, the government apparently has widened its crackdown. Officials from colleges around the country have discovered international students have had their entry visas revoked and, in many cases, their legal residency status terminated by authorities without notice — including students at Arizona State, Cornell, North Carolina State, the University of Oregon, the University of Texas and the University of Colorado.Some of the students are working to leave the country on their own, but students at Tufts and the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/campus-protests-immigration-alireza-doroudi-alabama-ae498838deb04b22864ef485a71bac27">University of Alabama</a>&nbsp;have been detained by immigration authorities — in the Tufts case, even&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/rumeysa-ozturk-deportation-tufts-massachusetts-student-1dd330bef8fb44b05f9818c0020728a0">before the university knew</a>&nbsp;the student’s legal status had changed.<h2>Feds bypass colleges to move against students</h2>In this new wave of enforcement, school officials say the federal government is quietly deleting foreigners’ student records instead of going through colleges, as was done in the past.Students are being ordered to leave the country with a suddenness that universities have rarely seen, said Miriam Feldblum, president and CEO of the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration.In the past, when international students have had entry visas revoked, they generally have been allowed to keep legal residency status. They could stay in the country to study, but would need to renew their visa if they left the U.S. and wanted to return. Now, increasing numbers of students are having their legal status terminated, exposing them to the risk of being arrested.“None of this is regular practice,” Feldblum said.At North Carolina State University, two students from Saudi Arabia left the U.S. after learning their legal status as students was terminated, the university said. N.C. State said it will work with the students to complete their semester from outside the country.Philip Vasto, who lived with one of the students, said his roommate, in graduate school for engineering management, was apolitical and did not attend protests against the war in Gaza. When the government told his roommate his student status had been terminated, it did not give a reason, Vasto said.Since returning to Saudi Arabia, Vasto said his former roommate’s top concern is getting into another university.“He’s made his peace with it,” he said. “He doesn’t want to allow it to steal his peace any further.”<h2>Database checks turn up students in jeopardy</h2>At the University of Texas at Austin, staff checking a federal database discovered two people on student visas had their permission to be in the U.S. terminated, a person familiar with the situation said. The person declined to be identified for fear of retaliation.One of the people, from India, had their legal status terminated April 3. The federal system indicated the person had been identified in a criminal records check “and/or has had their visa revoked.” The other person, from Lebanon, had their legal status terminated March 28 due to a criminal records check, according to the federal database.Both people were graduates remaining in the U.S. on student visas, using an option allowing people to gain professional experience after completing coursework. Both were employed full time and apparently had not violated requirements for pursuing work experience, the person familiar with the situation said.Some students have had visas revoked by the State Department under an obscure law barring noncitizens whose presence could have “serious adverse foreign policy consequences.” Trump invoked the law in a January order demanding action against campus antisemitism.But some students targeted in recent weeks have had no clear link to political activism. Some have been ordered to leave over misdemeanor crimes or traffic infractions, Feldblum said. In some cases, students were targeted for infractions that had been previously reported to the government.Some of the alleged infractions would not have drawn scrutiny in the past and will likely be a test of students’ First Amendment rights as cases work their way through court, said Michelle Mittelstadt, director of public affairs at the Migration Policy Institute.“In some ways, what the administration is doing is really retroactive,” she said. “Rather than saying, ‘This is going to be the standard that we’re applying going forward,’ they’re going back and vetting students based on past expressions or past behavior.”The Association of Public and Land-grant Universities is requesting a meeting with the State Department over the issue. It’s unclear whether more visas are being revoked than usual, but officials fear a chilling effect on international exchange.Many of the association’s members have recently seen at least one student have their visas revoked, said Bernie Burrola, a vice president at the group. With little information from the government, colleges have been interviewing students or searching social media for a connection to political activism.“The universities can’t seem to find anything that seems to be related to Gaza or social media posts or protests,” Burrola said. “Some of these are sponsored students by foreign governments, where they specifically are very hesitant to get involved in protests.”There’s no clear thread indicating which students are being targeted, but some have been from the Middle East and China, he said.America’s universities have long been seen as a top destination for the world’s brightest minds — and they’ve brought important tuition revenue and research breakthroughs to U.S. colleges. But international students also have other options, said Fanta Aw, CEO of NAFSA, an association of international educators.“We should not take for granted that that’s just the way things are and will always be,” she said.<h2>___</h2>

College officials worry crackdown tactics will turn foreign students away

A lawsuit challenging the deportation has been filed in a Texas court against U.S. Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol and other government officials

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/marysanchez/">MARY SANCHEZ</a>&nbsp;-

Evenezer Cortez Martinez wanted to pay respects to a beloved grandfather who died last fall.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/4/1743775932922.png" alt="A family photo of Evenezer Cortez Martinez, pictured on the far right, with his wife and children. The Roeland Park family is now awaiting a federal lawsuit filed on his behalf. Despite having DACA status and permission to travel, the husband and father was detained, deported and denied entry back to the U.S. after a trip to Mexico (photo submitted)." />
 <figcaption>A family photo of Evenezer Cortez Martinez, pictured on the far right, with his wife and children. The Roeland Park family is now awaiting a federal lawsuit filed on his behalf. Despite having DACA status and permission to travel, the husband and father was detained, deported and denied entry back to the U.S. after a trip to Mexico (photo submitted).</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>A lawsuit challenging the deportation has been filed in a Texas court against U.S. Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol and other government officials</h2>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/marysanchez/">MARY SANCHEZ</a>&nbsp;-Evenezer Cortez Martinez wanted to pay respects to a beloved grandfather who died last fall.He ended up deported, sent back to Mexico, a country the 39-year-old Kansas husband and father left at the age of 4.“Everything was approved, and I arrived here with no problem,” said Cortez Martinez, a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.uscis.gov/DACA" target="_blank">DACA</a>&nbsp;recipient, in a phone interview from Cuernavaca, a city south of Mexico City.On March 23, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials stopped Cortez Martinez at the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport as he presented documents to board a flight back to Kansas City.He was held, questioned and put on a flight to Mexico City that evening.“I asked them, ‘Can I just call my lawyer and try to see if I can work things out,’” Cortez Martinez said. “They said, ‘No, you don’t have that option.’”His attorney argues otherwise, filing a case Wednesday, April 2, with a Texas federal court.“How many others are out there that this has also happened to, but who didn’t have the ability to get counsel?” said&nbsp;<a href="https://sharma-crawford.com/" target="_blank">Rekha Sharma-Crawford</a>, the Kansas City-based attorney who filed the case in the U.S. District Court of the Northern District of Texas. “The law is on his side.”<h2>Potential test case</h2><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1uDXHrV0N6Lc4Eelx7CwU5TeP3fD9myeQ/view" target="_blank">The case</a>&nbsp;could become a test of the limits of the Trump administration’s reach.Advocates argue the administration’s zeal to deport is increasingly overstepping, scooping up immigrants, even those legally present, and not allowing due process.The lawsuit seeks “declaratory, injunctive and mandamus relief to find that Defendants actions were arbitrary, capricious, an abuse of discretion, or otherwise not in accordance with law.”It’s filed against the U.S. Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol and other government officials.U.S. Immigration officials do not generally comment on specific cases.But&nbsp;<a href="https://www.npr.org/2025/04/01/nx-s1-5339698/green-card-holders-detained-border-crackdown" target="_blank">in a statement released to NPR</a>&nbsp;recently, Customs and Border Protection argued it was merely enforcing the law.“Those who violate these laws will be processed, detained, and removed as required,” CBP Assistant Commissioner Hilton Beckham said in the statement.Customs agents in Dallas told Cortez Martinez that he had been ordered removed in absentia on June 11, 2024, and that his documents to travel had been issued in error.Cortez Martinez said he had never been notified of a removal order, which is the legal term for what most people colloquially refer to as deportation.The Roeland Park, Kansas, resident is staying with the one Mexico relative he knows, an uncle.Cortez Martinez is believed to be the first Kansas City-area case of a DACA&nbsp; (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) recipient caught in the Trump administration’s vow to deport millions of people.The latest Trump plan is called&nbsp;<a href="https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline" target="_blank">Operation Take Back America</a>.The lawsuit argues that Cortez Martinez has the right to appear before an immigration judge.“Under current regulations, a holder of an Advance Parole document cannot be barred from the country (removed) without a formal removal hearing before an Immigration Judge,” the suit states.Advance parole is the process Cortez Martinez went through, with the aid of an attorney, to travel outside of the U.S. as a DACA recipient.His recurring two-year renewals of DACA had been approved by the government like clockwork. His current DACA is valid until October 2026.DACA was designed by the Obama administration in 2012. It was meant to be a carveout for immigrants known as “Dreamers,” those who’d been brought to the U.S. as young children, without legal status.DACA is a temporary reprieve from deportation. It also allows for work authorization and for people to apply for travel outside of the country, through advance parole.The removal order the government cited is from June 2024.“He’s not hiding, Sharma-Crawford said. “He’s doing everything that he’s supposed to be doing.”Cortez Martinez has lived in the Kansas City area for nearly 20 years.His wife, child and stepchildren are anxiously waiting for his return to their suburban home.<h2>Rising immigrant fears of being deported</h2>Cortez Martinez’s case is the first deportation of a Kansas City-area DACA recipient that Nubia Estefes is aware of occurring.“It’s one of our fears,” said Estefes, executive director of the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ksmoda.org/daca" target="_blank">Kansas Missouri Dream Alliance</a>, an advocacy group for “Dreamers.”Before Trump took office, a few other area DACA recipients traveled back to their birth nations on the same documents that Cortez Martinez used, advance parole.The trips were taken with counsel by attorneys, to ensure that nothing could be resurrected in their history as a rationale for deportation, Estefes said.“It’s personal discretion on the part of the officers,” she said of the scrutiny that occurs at Customs.News stories that even documented people have been deported are alarming the immigrant community.“We’re definitely siding with the cautious side,” Estefes said. “If you don’t have to go, if it’s not life or death, I would suggest you wait it out.”<a href="https://www.elcentroinc.com/advocacy-3/daca-clinics/" target="_blank">El Centro</a>, a Kansas social service agency, is also&nbsp;<a href="https://thebeaconnews.org/stories/2025/03/14/schools-look-to-landmark-supreme-court-ruling-to-protect-undocumented-immigrant-students-from-ice/" target="_blank">advising immigrants to be careful</a>.Justin Gust, vice president of community engagement, said the agency is continuing the help with DACA renewal applications.But even immigrants who are legal permanent residents are being advised to take precautions, especially when traveling.“It just seems like everything is unknown these days,” Gust said. “What was a protected status, or a protected issue, is no longer protected.”People are disabling face recognition or a thumbprint to open their cellphone, as a safeguard against having their data combed for anything a customs agent might deem offensive to the Trump administration’s goals.“We’re advising people that they really do need to talk to their lawyer first and don’t go just to go, because you definitely need to know that you can come back,” Gust said.<h2>A beloved grandfather, hazy memory of Mexico</h2>Cortez Martinez’s sole memory of his native Mexico is a limited one, possibly bolstered more by family stories than a true memory.But his grandfather is central.Cornelio Martinez Dominguez owned a panaderia, a bakery.“I’ve been told that every time the bread was ready, I’d run to my grandpa,” Cortez Martinez said.Through the years, he spoke with his grandfather by phone. But he’d never returned to Mexico.Sharma-Crawford first contacted the CBP Watch Commander at the Dallas Fort Worth airport, seeing if the office would intervene.She did not receive a reply.“There are real questions if he was properly notified,” she said of Martinez’s order of removal.Still, the existence of the order wouldn’t negate his right to be granted advance parole, she said.Sharma-Crawford suspects that the Trump administration has begun re-calendaring removal cases that had previously been closed.“I never got any notice,” Cortez Martinez said of the removal order. “I never got any citations to go see a judge.”Cortez Martinez received the approval to travel from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) in early March. The document is valid until April 14, 2025, according to the lawsuit.Still, he had been initially hesitant to take the trip.He only considered doing so, as his grandfather’s health worsened.In November, his grandfather died before the paperwork was approved.The visit was shortened to a three-day excursion, just enough time to reach the cemetery a few hours outside of Mexico City, and then return to Kansas City.“That’s the grandpa I wanted to be able to say goodbye to,” Cortez Martinez said.This&nbsp;<a href="https://thebeaconnews.org/stories/2025/04/03/kansas-man-deported-after-visiting-grandfathers-grave-in-mexico/" target="_blank">article</a>&nbsp;first appeared on&nbsp;<a href="https://thebeaconnews.org/" target="_blank">Beacon: Kansas City</a>&nbsp;and is republished here under a&nbsp;<a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/" target="_blank">Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License</a>.