TOPEKA – A Kansas man was sentenced Thursday to 30 years in prison for his involvement in manufacturing child sexual abuse materials.

According to court documents, Taylor Mullen, 33, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit sexual exploitation of a child – production of child pornography, according to the United State's Attorney.

Mullen is the fourth person sentenced in a case involving two separate conspiracies both led by Joel Womochil, 39, the former chief of police in the Marion County community of Burns. 

Womochil pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to commit sexual exploitation of a child – production of child pornography. In March, he was sentenced to 720 months in prison.

In 2021, Mullen and his girlfriend Jessica Quave, 38, created videos of themselves engaging in sexually explicit behavior with a child under six years old and sent the videos to Womochil.

Quave pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit sexual exploitation of a child - production of child pornography. She was sentenced to 30 years in prison.

Another conspiracy in 2019 took place between Womochil and Denise Renee Sandman, 40, of Indiana. After meeting Womochil online, Sandmann agreed to create images of a child under the age

of five engaged in sexually explicit conduct and send the images to Womochil, which he saved to his hard drive.

Sandmann pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit sexual exploitation of a child – production of child pornography and one count of sexual exploitation of a child – production of child pornography. She was sentenced to 720 months in prison.

“We are grateful to the Kansas Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and Homeland Security

Investigations for securing the overwhelming evidence against these child predators which led to guilty pleas and ultimately long prison sentences for their crimes,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Duston Slinkard.

The Butler County Sheriff’s Office, Kansas Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) investigated the case.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1692237873123.png" alt="Womochil photo Sedgwick Co." />
 <figcaption>Womochil photo Sedgwick Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA – A Kansas man was sentenced Thursday to 30 years in prison for his involvement in manufacturing child sexual abuse materials.According to court documents, Taylor Mullen, 33, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit sexual exploitation of a child – production of child pornography, according to the United State's Attorney.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/4/1743794344309.png" alt="Mullen from his original arrest in the case in Nemaha Co. in 2023" />
 <figcaption>Mullen from his original arrest in the case in Nemaha Co. in 2023</figcaption>
 </figure>Mullen is the fourth person sentenced in a case involving two separate conspiracies both led by Joel Womochil, 39, the former chief of police in the Marion County community of Burns. Womochil pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to commit sexual exploitation of a child – production of child pornography. In March, he was sentenced to 720 months in prison.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/4/1743794641609.png" alt="Quave photo Harvey Co." />
 <figcaption>Quave photo Harvey Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>In 2021, Mullen and his girlfriend Jessica Quave, 38, created videos of themselves engaging in sexually explicit behavior with a child under six years old and sent the videos to Womochil.Quave pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit sexual exploitation of a child - production of child pornography. She was sentenced to 30 years in prison.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/4/1743794586991.png" alt="Sandman photo Harvey Co" />
 <figcaption>Sandman photo Harvey Co</figcaption>
 </figure>Another conspiracy in 2019 took place between Womochil and Denise Renee Sandman, 40, of Indiana. After meeting Womochil online, Sandmann agreed to create images of a child under the ageof five engaged in sexually explicit conduct and send the images to Womochil, which he saved to his hard drive.Sandmann pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit sexual exploitation of a child – production of child pornography and one count of sexual exploitation of a child – production of child pornography. She was sentenced to 720 months in prison.“We are grateful to the Kansas Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and Homeland SecurityInvestigations for securing the overwhelming evidence against these child predators which led to guilty pleas and ultimately long prison sentences for their crimes,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Duston Slinkard.The Butler County Sheriff’s Office, Kansas Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) investigated the case.

DOJ: New details of Kansas child sexual abuse conspiracy 

KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement are investigating another homicide in Kansas City.

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

Neighbors in the area heard the sound of shots and looked outside and saw a victim down in the street. On arrival officers located a woman shooting victim down in the street near a vehicle in front of a residence. Officers called for EMS who responded and transported the victim 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 released the victim's name or reported an arrest.

<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 are investigating another homicide in Kansas City.Just after 9a.m. Friday, Police were dispatched to a shooting in the 6300 block of E. 102 Terrace in Kansas City, Missouri, according to KCPD Captain Jake Becchina.Neighbors in the area heard the sound of shots and looked outside and saw a victim down in the street. On arrival officers located a woman shooting victim down in the street near a vehicle in front of a residence. Officers called for EMS who responded and transported the victim 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 released the victim's name or reported an arrest.

Homicide: Neighbors heard gunshots, found woman on KC street

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/cbates/">CLARA BATES</a> <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/09/21/missouri-judge-once-again-delays-decision-on-closing-agape-boarding-school/">Missouri Independent</a>

Included in the massive federal workforce cuts at the Department of Health and Human Services this week was the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/02/climate/trump-layoffs-energy-assistance-liheap.html" target="_blank">elimination of an office</a>&nbsp;that runs a program over 100,000 Missouri families rely on to help pay their heating and cooling bills.&nbsp;

The layoffs within the&nbsp;Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, which provides Congressionally-approved funds that are administered by Missouri’s social services department, leaves the program’s future in limbo.&nbsp;

LIHEAP is designed to help those with few resources cover their home energy bills in the summer and winter. Since October, the program has helped offset utility costs for 100,839 households, according to a spokesperson for the Department of Social Services.

The state received over $136.4 million for the program&nbsp;<a href="https://neuac.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Missouri-State-Sheet-2025.pdf" target="_blank">in fiscal year 2023,&nbsp;</a>and the average benefit for the heating and cooling program was around $675 per household.

The Department of Social Services has “not received any official updates regarding potential program reductions,”&nbsp;said spokesperson Baylee Watts, and the&nbsp;federal government hasn’t announced program cuts. But advocates fear that without the federal staff, the future allocation of funding is uncertain.&nbsp;

“Any cuts to LIHEAP will be detrimental to Missourians who are already struggling to keep up with increasing electric and gas bills,” said Sandra Padgett, executive director of Consumers Council of Missouri, in a press release.&nbsp;

States are still waiting for around 10% of their annual funding allocation for the federal fiscal year that began in October. That amount usually arrives in June. Watts said Missouri hasn’t been notified yet of what that amount is, but it was $8.1 million last year.&nbsp;

Those funds aren’t expected to be needed until the fiscal year that starts in October, though, Watts said, based on the way Missouri has allocated funding.

“At this moment, DSS does not anticipate any impact on services,” Watts said.

At the same time, a bill adding<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/03/07/massive-utility-legislation-expected-to-boost-missouri-power-generation-and-energy-bills/">&nbsp;a charge onto utility bills</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.senate.mo.gov/25info/BTS_Web/Bill.aspx?SessionType=R&amp;BillID=66" target="_blank">passed the state legislature</a>&nbsp;and is awaiting the governor’s signature.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/12/1671461254643.png" alt="Photo (Aaron Sanderford)" />
 <figcaption>Photo (Aaron Sanderford)</figcaption>
 </figure>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/cbates/">CLARA BATES</a> <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/09/21/missouri-judge-once-again-delays-decision-on-closing-agape-boarding-school/">Missouri Independent</a>Included in the massive federal workforce cuts at the Department of Health and Human Services this week was the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/02/climate/trump-layoffs-energy-assistance-liheap.html" target="_blank">elimination of an office</a>&nbsp;that runs a program over 100,000 Missouri families rely on to help pay their heating and cooling bills.&nbsp;The layoffs within the&nbsp;Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, which provides Congressionally-approved funds that are administered by Missouri’s social services department, leaves the program’s future in limbo.&nbsp;LIHEAP is designed to help those with few resources cover their home energy bills in the summer and winter. Since October, the program has helped offset utility costs for 100,839 households, according to a spokesperson for the Department of Social Services.The state received over $136.4 million for the program&nbsp;<a href="https://neuac.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Missouri-State-Sheet-2025.pdf" target="_blank">in fiscal year 2023,&nbsp;</a>and the average benefit for the heating and cooling program was around $675 per household.The Department of Social Services has “not received any official updates regarding potential program reductions,”&nbsp;said spokesperson Baylee Watts, and the&nbsp;federal government hasn’t announced program cuts. But advocates fear that without the federal staff, the future allocation of funding is uncertain.&nbsp;“Any cuts to LIHEAP will be detrimental to Missourians who are already struggling to keep up with increasing electric and gas bills,” said Sandra Padgett, executive director of Consumers Council of Missouri, in a press release.&nbsp;States are still waiting for around 10% of their annual funding allocation for the federal fiscal year that began in October. That amount usually arrives in June. Watts said Missouri hasn’t been notified yet of what that amount is, but it was $8.1 million last year.&nbsp;Those funds aren’t expected to be needed until the fiscal year that starts in October, though, Watts said, based on the way Missouri has allocated funding.“At this moment, DSS does not anticipate any impact on services,” Watts said.At the same time, a bill adding<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/03/07/massive-utility-legislation-expected-to-boost-missouri-power-generation-and-energy-bills/">&nbsp;a charge onto utility bills</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.senate.mo.gov/25info/BTS_Web/Bill.aspx?SessionType=R&amp;BillID=66" target="_blank">passed the state legislature</a>&nbsp;and is awaiting the governor’s signature.&nbsp;

Future of Missouri’s low-income utility assistance program uncertain after federal cuts

RILEY COUNTY—Law enforcement investigating a shooting have arrested a Kansas teen.

On Thursday, police arrested 17-year-old Delron Tyree Jr, of Topeka on a warrant on requested&nbsp;charges that include two counts of Attempted Murder in the 1st degree, Criminal Use of Weapons, Criminal Discharge of a Firearm, and three counts of Criminal Damage to Property, according to the Riley County Police Department activity report.

&nbsp;Tyree was already confined at the time of arrest for a previously released&nbsp;robbery arrest. &nbsp;This arrest stems from a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.rileycountypolice.org/civicalerts.aspx?aid=591">shooting</a>&nbsp; that took place on November 30th.&nbsp; Tyree is being held on a $750,000 bond, according to the Riley County Police Department arrest report.

RILEY COUNTY—Law enforcement investigating a shooting have arrested a Kansas teen.On Thursday, police arrested 17-year-old Delron Tyree Jr, of Topeka on a warrant on requested&nbsp;charges that include two counts of Attempted Murder in the 1st degree, Criminal Use of Weapons, Criminal Discharge of a Firearm, and three counts of Criminal Damage to Property, according to the Riley County Police Department activity report.&nbsp;Tyree was already confined at the time of arrest for a previously released&nbsp;robbery arrest. &nbsp;This arrest stems from a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.rileycountypolice.org/civicalerts.aspx?aid=591">shooting</a>&nbsp; that took place on November 30th.&nbsp; Tyree is being held on a $750,000 bond, according to the Riley County Police Department arrest report.

Attempted murder: 17-year-old jailed in Manhattan

The bills to operate state agencies in the coming year were sent to the Senate, where increases to education funding and child care subsidy payments have more support

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

The Missouri House sent the state Senate a budget of&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/04/01/few-changes-made-in-48b-state-budget-during-missouri-house-debate/">almost $48 billion</a>&nbsp;to fund state agency operations in the coming fiscal year, a spending plan almost certain to grow as the upper chamber adds more money for public schools and child care.

The 13 spending bills use about $2.1 billion less overall and $800 million less in general revenue than recommended by Gov. Mike Kehoe when he presented&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/01/28/gov-mike-kehoe-dips-deeply-into-surplus-as-missouri-budget-grows-to-nearly-54-billion/">his budget plan</a>&nbsp;in January. More than half of the general revenue savings are cuts to Medicaid spending based on newer estimates of enrollment in the fiscal year that begins July 1.

Some of the other reductions are due to paring back state employee pay raises, cutting spending lines where no money is actually available and shifting incomplete projects to a reappropriation bill that is not included on the bottom line.

The budget plan didn’t just cut money from Kehoe’s proposal. There were several small additions for state agencies, like $28 million for deferred maintenance on college campuses; extra pay raises for Missouri State Highway Patrol troopers and commercial vehicle inspectors at a cost of $8.4 million; and 20 new holistic defense social workers in the Office of Public Defender at a cost of $1.2 million.

There are also 105 earmarked items with a total cost of $170 million, including $142.7 million in general revenue. The projects range in size from $25,000 for a road project in St. Joseph to $19 million for a new state park in the district of House Budget Committee Chairman Dirk Deaton, a Republican from Noel.

“We’re proud to have found savings and efficiencies across state government,” Deaton said at a news conference after the House action. “We also continue to have a really historic surplus, although it is being drawn down, but still leaving $2 billion on the bottom line.”

State Rep. Del Taylor, a St. Louis Democrat, said talking about how much was cut doesn’t impress him.

“We don’t measure ourselves in dollars saved and oh, ‘I cut $100 million out of this budget and that budget,’” he said. “What we really need to be measuring ourselves on is, are we addressing the needs of our people with funding for those non-profit organizations that our state has partnered with.”

The state had a balance of $3.8 billion in the general revenue fund as of Monday, down from historic high of about $5.7 billion set in 2023. The budget on its way to the Senate spends $14.4 billion in general revenue, which would require about $900 million from the accumulated surplus if revenue meets expectations.

Democrats found a lot to like in the budget, even if they were not pleased with the outcome on school funding and child care subsidies.

“House Democrats were able to make a number of changes to the budget for the betterment of their communities and the state, and it was a refreshing change from what we’ve endured in recent years,” said House Minority Leader Ashley Aune of Kansas City.

Most of the 13 bills passed with fewer than 10 votes against them. The largest number of opposition votes came on the bills funding the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and elected officials, where $50 million for private school tuition scholarship program called&nbsp; MOScholars is appropriated.

There is new anti-diversity, equity and inclusion language in the bill funding the Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development as well as long-standing language denying in-state tuition to undocumented immigrant students who live in the state. However, despite raising objections on the floor, many Democrats supported the bill as it passed 117-17.

State Rep. Betsy Fogle of Springfield, the ranking Democrat on the House Budget Committee, said Democrats had a tough choice on whether to support the higher education spending bill. The votes in favor of it were not traded for earmarks, she said.

“There’s no price act, no amount of money that would make the House Democrats sacrifice our values, our morals and our commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion in the state,” she said. “My calculation was, and always will be, how do I bring home the most investments to the most Missourians without sacrificing the values of the House Democratic Caucus?”

There is almost $500 million tied up in budget lines that are sure to get a lot of attention during Senate deliberations.

The largest is $300 million for the school foundation formula. Under the calculation establishing how much should be spent on public schools, the basic rate for state aid, called the&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/02/18/rudi-splains-it-the-state-adequacy-target/">state adequacy target</a>, is $7,145 per pupil. The House budget plan only funds an adequacy target of $6,760 per student.

Kehoe did not include the increase in his budget and neither did the House. Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Lincoln Hough of Springfield has said he will find the money.

One item Democrats wanted to eliminate is the $50 million appropriation for the MOScholars program. The program, expanded last year, has not attracted the donations expected and is the first time the state is making grants of tax dollars to pay tuition at private and parochial schools.

Hough has also said he intends to restore a cut to Kehoe’s budget for child care subsidies. Kehoe asked lawmakers to use $107 million of new federal funding for child care to revise how providers are paid. Instead of being paid based on attendance at the end of a month, providers would get their money at the beginning of the month based on the number of children enrolled.

The child care money isn’t in the budget, Deaton said, because it could become a cost to the general revenue fund.

“I really never even got to the point of, is this good public policy? Is this bad? Is this a better idea? Is this a better way to do it, or not?” Deaton said “We really never even got past the fiscal concerns of can we make this work year in and year out?”

The problems with the current program, plagued by&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/08/06/missouri-education-officials-apologize-for-ongoing-backlog-of-child-care-subsidy-payments/">late or missed payments</a>&nbsp;since the launch of a new computer processing system, make the changes proposed by Kehoe essential, Fogle said.

“We sat in that budget hearing room for countless hours,” Fogle said, “listening to people cry and scream and express their frustration about our inability to do our job as a General Assembly and the department to get those dollars out the door.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/4/1743763075583.png" alt=" House Budget Committee Chairman Dirk Deaton, a Republican from Noel, speaks Thursday at a news conference on the Missouri state budget. Deaton was joined, from left, by state Reps. Bishop Davidson of Republic, Wendy Hausman of St. Peters and John Voss of Cape Girardeau (Rudi Keller/Missouri Independent)." />
 <figcaption> House Budget Committee Chairman Dirk Deaton, a Republican from Noel, speaks Thursday at a news conference on the Missouri state budget. Deaton was joined, from left, by state Reps. Bishop Davidson of Republic, Wendy Hausman of St. Peters and John Voss of Cape Girardeau (Rudi Keller/Missouri Independent).</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>The bills to operate state agencies in the coming year were sent to the Senate, where increases to education funding and child care subsidy payments have more support</h2>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/rudi-keller/">RUDI KELLER</a> <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-senate-committee-advances-bill-to-ban-texting-while-driving/">Missouri Independent</a>The Missouri House sent the state Senate a budget of&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/04/01/few-changes-made-in-48b-state-budget-during-missouri-house-debate/">almost $48 billion</a>&nbsp;to fund state agency operations in the coming fiscal year, a spending plan almost certain to grow as the upper chamber adds more money for public schools and child care.The 13 spending bills use about $2.1 billion less overall and $800 million less in general revenue than recommended by Gov. Mike Kehoe when he presented&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/01/28/gov-mike-kehoe-dips-deeply-into-surplus-as-missouri-budget-grows-to-nearly-54-billion/">his budget plan</a>&nbsp;in January. More than half of the general revenue savings are cuts to Medicaid spending based on newer estimates of enrollment in the fiscal year that begins July 1.Some of the other reductions are due to paring back state employee pay raises, cutting spending lines where no money is actually available and shifting incomplete projects to a reappropriation bill that is not included on the bottom line.The budget plan didn’t just cut money from Kehoe’s proposal. There were several small additions for state agencies, like $28 million for deferred maintenance on college campuses; extra pay raises for Missouri State Highway Patrol troopers and commercial vehicle inspectors at a cost of $8.4 million; and 20 new holistic defense social workers in the Office of Public Defender at a cost of $1.2 million.There are also 105 earmarked items with a total cost of $170 million, including $142.7 million in general revenue. The projects range in size from $25,000 for a road project in St. Joseph to $19 million for a new state park in the district of House Budget Committee Chairman Dirk Deaton, a Republican from Noel.“We’re proud to have found savings and efficiencies across state government,” Deaton said at a news conference after the House action. “We also continue to have a really historic surplus, although it is being drawn down, but still leaving $2 billion on the bottom line.”State Rep. Del Taylor, a St. Louis Democrat, said talking about how much was cut doesn’t impress him.“We don’t measure ourselves in dollars saved and oh, ‘I cut $100 million out of this budget and that budget,’” he said. “What we really need to be measuring ourselves on is, are we addressing the needs of our people with funding for those non-profit organizations that our state has partnered with.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/4/1743763035218.png" alt=" State Rep. Del Taylor, a St. Louis Democrat, is surrounded by other members of the Democratic caucus as a Thursday news conference about the Missouri state budget (Rudi Keller/Missouri Indepenent)." />
 <figcaption> State Rep. Del Taylor, a St. Louis Democrat, is surrounded by other members of the Democratic caucus as a Thursday news conference about the Missouri state budget (Rudi Keller/Missouri Indepenent).</figcaption>
 </figure>The state had a balance of $3.8 billion in the general revenue fund as of Monday, down from historic high of about $5.7 billion set in 2023. The budget on its way to the Senate spends $14.4 billion in general revenue, which would require about $900 million from the accumulated surplus if revenue meets expectations.Democrats found a lot to like in the budget, even if they were not pleased with the outcome on school funding and child care subsidies.“House Democrats were able to make a number of changes to the budget for the betterment of their communities and the state, and it was a refreshing change from what we’ve endured in recent years,” said House Minority Leader Ashley Aune of Kansas City.Most of the 13 bills passed with fewer than 10 votes against them. The largest number of opposition votes came on the bills funding the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and elected officials, where $50 million for private school tuition scholarship program called&nbsp; MOScholars is appropriated.There is new anti-diversity, equity and inclusion language in the bill funding the Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development as well as long-standing language denying in-state tuition to undocumented immigrant students who live in the state. However, despite raising objections on the floor, many Democrats supported the bill as it passed 117-17.State Rep. Betsy Fogle of Springfield, the ranking Democrat on the House Budget Committee, said Democrats had a tough choice on whether to support the higher education spending bill. The votes in favor of it were not traded for earmarks, she said.“There’s no price act, no amount of money that would make the House Democrats sacrifice our values, our morals and our commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion in the state,” she said. “My calculation was, and always will be, how do I bring home the most investments to the most Missourians without sacrificing the values of the House Democratic Caucus?”There is almost $500 million tied up in budget lines that are sure to get a lot of attention during Senate deliberations.The largest is $300 million for the school foundation formula. Under the calculation establishing how much should be spent on public schools, the basic rate for state aid, called the&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/02/18/rudi-splains-it-the-state-adequacy-target/">state adequacy target</a>, is $7,145 per pupil. The House budget plan only funds an adequacy target of $6,760 per student.Kehoe did not include the increase in his budget and neither did the House. Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Lincoln Hough of Springfield has said he will find the money.One item Democrats wanted to eliminate is the $50 million appropriation for the MOScholars program. The program, expanded last year, has not attracted the donations expected and is the first time the state is making grants of tax dollars to pay tuition at private and parochial schools.Hough has also said he intends to restore a cut to Kehoe’s budget for child care subsidies. Kehoe asked lawmakers to use $107 million of new federal funding for child care to revise how providers are paid. Instead of being paid based on attendance at the end of a month, providers would get their money at the beginning of the month based on the number of children enrolled.The child care money isn’t in the budget, Deaton said, because it could become a cost to the general revenue fund.“I really never even got to the point of, is this good public policy? Is this bad? Is this a better idea? Is this a better way to do it, or not?” Deaton said “We really never even got past the fiscal concerns of can we make this work year in and year out?”The problems with the current program, plagued by&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/08/06/missouri-education-officials-apologize-for-ongoing-backlog-of-child-care-subsidy-payments/">late or missed payments</a>&nbsp;since the launch of a new computer processing system, make the changes proposed by Kehoe essential, Fogle said.“We sat in that budget hearing room for countless hours,” Fogle said, “listening to people cry and scream and express their frustration about our inability to do our job as a General Assembly and the department to get those dollars out the door.”

Missouri House finishes work on $48 billion state budget plan

NEMAHA COUNTY —A community is mourning the death of 7-year-old girl in an accident in Nemaha County.

On Thursday, the Nemaha County Sheriff reported their deputies responded March 26, to an injury accident involving a seven year old who had been operating a 2022 Polaris Sportsman in an open field several hundred feet east of N Road, approximately 2 miles north of US 36 Hwy.

 The ATV rolled over trapping the child. A private vehicle transported the child to Nemaha Valley Community Hospital. Emilee Ann Sauer died two days later.&nbsp; Her funeral service is scheduled for Friday, according Lauer Funeral Home.

She was first grade student at Nemaha Central Elementary School and a proud “graduate” of kindergarten in May of 2024, according to her obituary.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/4/1743722415172.png" alt="Emilee Sauer photo courtesy Lauer Funeral Home" />
 <figcaption>Emilee Sauer photo courtesy Lauer Funeral Home</figcaption>
 </figure>NEMAHA COUNTY —A community is mourning the death of 7-year-old girl in an accident in Nemaha County.On Thursday, the Nemaha County Sheriff reported their deputies responded March 26, to an injury accident involving a seven year old who had been operating a 2022 Polaris Sportsman in an open field several hundred feet east of N Road, approximately 2 miles north of US 36 Hwy. The ATV rolled over trapping the child. A private vehicle transported the child to Nemaha Valley Community Hospital. Emilee Ann Sauer died two days later.&nbsp; Her funeral service is scheduled for Friday, according Lauer Funeral Home.She was first grade student at Nemaha Central Elementary School and a proud “graduate” of kindergarten in May of 2024, according to her obituary.

Sheriff: 7-year-old Kansas girl died in ATV accident

The Trump administration is ordering schools nationwide to certify that they are eliminating&nbsp;DEI practices as a condition for receiving federal money.

A new notice sent Thursday by the Education Department gives the nation’s states and schools 10 days to comply.

<a href="https://www.ed.gov/media/document/reminder-of-legal-obligations-undertaken-exchange-receiving-federal-financial-assistance-and-request-certification-under-title-vi-and-sffa-v-harvard-april-3">Click here to read</a>&nbsp;the full notice

The Trump administration is ordering schools nationwide to certify that they are eliminating&nbsp;DEI practices as a condition for receiving federal money.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/4/1743709447177.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>A new notice sent Thursday by the Education Department gives the nation’s states and schools 10 days to comply.<a href="https://www.ed.gov/media/document/reminder-of-legal-obligations-undertaken-exchange-receiving-federal-financial-assistance-and-request-certification-under-title-vi-and-sffa-v-harvard-april-3">Click here to read</a>&nbsp;the full notice

Read the notice: Schools have days to comply with Trump anti-DEI policy

JACKSON COUNTY, Kan. —Law enforcement are investigating a suspect jailed on multiple allegations after a high-speed chase in rural Jackson County.

Just after 11a.m. Wednesday, a Sheriff’s Deputy responded to a disturbance at Casey’s General Store, 4th and Arizona Avenue in Holton, according to Jackson County Sheriff Tim Morse.

 The suspect in the disturbance allegedly failed to follow a lawful order from the deputy and got into a 2009 Mazda and fled the scene pulling out into Arizona Avenue and continued south out of Holton. 

 A pursuit ensued, with the deputy and Holton Police attempting to stop the vehicle. The pursuit continued southbound on U.S. Highway 75.&nbsp; A Jackson County Sheriff’s Deputy deployed a tire deflating device flattening 3 of the vehicle’s tires at 178th Road. 

 A Jackson County Sheriff’s Deputy performed a tactical vehicle intervention spinning the suspect’s vehicle into the median at 166th Road. 

The vehicle continued southbound in the median until becoming stuck at 162nd Road. Deputies took the driver, later identified as 38-year-old Martin Daniel Sanchez Martinez of Lincoln, Nebraska into custody. 

 During the incident, traffic on southbound U.S. Highway 75 was stopped for approximately 10 minutes. Martinez is being held in the Jackson County Jail for multiple charges including felony flee and eluding law enforcement and felony interference with law enforcement. 

The sheriff asked for any witnesses of Martinez’ actions at Casey’s or driving from the scene to contact the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office at 785-364-2251. The Kansas Highway Patrol and the PBPN Police assisted with the incident.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/4/1743716425076.png" alt="Martinez photo Jackson County" />
 <figcaption>Martinez photo Jackson County</figcaption>
 </figure>JACKSON COUNTY, Kan. —Law enforcement are investigating a suspect jailed on multiple allegations after a high-speed chase in rural Jackson County.Just after 11a.m. Wednesday, a Sheriff’s Deputy responded to a disturbance at Casey’s General Store, 4th and Arizona Avenue in Holton, according to Jackson County Sheriff Tim Morse. The suspect in the disturbance allegedly failed to follow a lawful order from the deputy and got into a 2009 Mazda and fled the scene pulling out into Arizona Avenue and continued south out of Holton. A pursuit ensued, with the deputy and Holton Police attempting to stop the vehicle. The pursuit continued southbound on U.S. Highway 75.&nbsp; A Jackson County Sheriff’s Deputy deployed a tire deflating device flattening 3 of the vehicle’s tires at 178th Road. A Jackson County Sheriff’s Deputy performed a tactical vehicle intervention spinning the suspect’s vehicle into the median at 166th Road. The vehicle continued southbound in the median until becoming stuck at 162nd Road. Deputies took the driver, later identified as 38-year-old Martin Daniel Sanchez Martinez of Lincoln, Nebraska into custody. During the incident, traffic on southbound U.S. Highway 75 was stopped for approximately 10 minutes. Martinez is being held in the Jackson County Jail for multiple charges including felony flee and eluding law enforcement and felony interference with law enforcement. The sheriff asked for any witnesses of Martinez’ actions at Casey’s or driving from the scene to contact the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office at 785-364-2251. The Kansas Highway Patrol and the PBPN Police assisted with the incident.&nbsp;

Man jailed after car gets stuck during Kan. high-speed chase

NEOSHO COUNTY —One person died in an accident just after 8a.m. Thursday in Neosho County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2021 Nissan Kicks driven by Janee M. Umbarger, 55, Chanute, was northbound on U.S. 169 just north of&nbsp;&nbsp;70th Road. The SUV and a southbound 2009 GMC Sierra driven by Carrol E. Clark, 76, Piqua, collided&nbsp;near the center of the roadway.

Umbarger was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported to Countryside Funeral Home. EMS transported&nbsp; Clark to&nbsp;Neosho Memorial Regional Medical Center.&nbsp; Clark was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.

NEOSHO COUNTY —One person died in an accident just after 8a.m. Thursday in Neosho County.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2021 Nissan Kicks driven by Janee M. Umbarger, 55, Chanute, was northbound on U.S. 169 just north of&nbsp;&nbsp;70th Road. The SUV and a southbound 2009 GMC Sierra driven by Carrol E. Clark, 76, Piqua, collided&nbsp;near the center of the roadway.Umbarger was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported to Countryside Funeral Home. EMS transported&nbsp; Clark to&nbsp;Neosho Memorial Regional Medical Center.&nbsp; Clark was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.

Kansas woman dies in SUV, pickup crash

BY:&nbsp;ANNELISE HANSHAW <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/09/21/missouri-judge-once-again-delays-decision-on-closing-agape-boarding-school/">Missouri Independent</a>

State Sen. Mike Moon spent most of the night holding up the confirmation vote of the former senate president who once punished him for wearing overalls in the chamber

A Republican state senator spent hours Wednesday trying to block the appointment of his former colleague to a county office over a grudge that goes back more than seven years.&nbsp;

Shortly after 1 a.m., the filibuster sputtered and the appointment was confirmed by the Missouri Senate.

State Sen. Mike Moon, an Ash Grove Republican, sought to prevent former Senate President Pro Tem Dave Schatz from being confirmed to a spot on the Franklin County Commission.

Schatz was appointed to the job earlier this year by Republican Gov. Mike Kehoe.

Moon said he tried to work behind the scenes to express his distaste for the appointment. But he said no one listened, so he chose to force the issue.&nbsp;

“I’ve tried,” Moon said on the Senate floor. “My words and my thoughts were not well taken.”

He began his filibuster Wednesday afternoon, laying out grievances against Schatz and reading emails from people he said were residents of Franklin County who wanted the Senate to support another candidate.

But in the end, the one-man filibuster only lasted until soon after midnight, when Moon began offering procedural motions that were repeatedly defeated by his GOP colleagues. After numerous failed attempts to set the appointment aside, the Senate confirmed Schatz around 1 a.m., briefly adjourned and returned to approve its journal and head home for the week.

The Moon-Schatz rivalry dates back to 2018, when Schatz added a provision to a bill that placed a gas tax increase on ballots statewide.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newstribune.com/news/2018/jul/03/lawsuit-filed-over-missouris-fuels-tax-ballot-issu/" target="_blank">Moon joined a conservative activist</a>&nbsp;in an unsuccessful lawsuit, saying the amendment was beyond the bill’s original scope.

The Missouri Constitution states that: “No bill shall contain more than one subject which shall be clearly expressed in its title.”

Moon is a stickler for keeping bills to a single subject, sometimes voting against conservative legislation to send a message to abide by the state’s foundational document.

In 2022, Schatz’s last year in the legislature, he booted Moon from his committee assignments after&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/02/16/after-wearing-overalls-in-the-missouri-senate-gop-lawmaker-loses-committee-spots/">Moon wore overalls on the Senate floor</a>. Schatz had told Moon to change earlier in the day, but he pushed back.

“If someone comes to me and threatens me with infractions, or ramifications, for me just coming to the chamber, and doing the duty that I was called to do, that’s unacceptable,” Moon said at the time.

Schatz at the time called Moon’s reaction childlike.

It is rare for a senator to lose committee assignments, though it happened last year&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/01/23/missouri-freedom-caucus-leaders-ousted-from-senate-chairmanships-over-stall-tactics/">when Missouri Freedom Caucus members slowed the Senate to halt</a>. A House member&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2021/02/02/indicted-missouri-lawmaker-stripped-of-committee-assignments/">lost her spots on committee in 2021</a>&nbsp;after being indicted on federal medical fraud charges and another was censured after lying about a relationship with an intern.

Moon, who is prone to procedural skirmishes with Senate leadership, led a faction in 2021 that&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2021/09/15/gop-lawmaker-blasts-missouri-governors-veto-of-funding-to-combat-child-sex-abuse/">hoped to override then-Gov. Mike Parson’s veto</a>&nbsp;and reimburse owners of wedding venues for legal fees in their fight with the Department of Revenue.

He hoped to buck tradition and call for a vote to override the veto, something that is traditionally done by the budget chair. Kehoe, who was lieutenant governor at the time, didn’t recognize Moon for the motion.

Schatz became the intermediary, eventually ruling in favor of Kehoe. For Moon, it was another sign of the chasm between Republican Senate leadership and the chamber’s conservative caucus.

Moon said he was standing up for Franklin County residents.

“You think I’m here to prove something else,” he said. “I’m not.”

Moon, seasoned in filibustering, held the floor for multiple hours Wednesday with periodic quorum calls approximately every 20 minutes to bring fellow senators back to the chamber.

Some senators’ offices received calls in support of Moon, asking them to turn down the nomination.

Moon read emails from Franklin County residents opposing Schatz. Many asked for Franklin County Clerk Tim Baker to be nominated instead. The Franklin County Republican Central Committee wrote letters in February asking Kehoe to pick Baker.

“How many more emails until you wake up and do the will of the people,” Moon said.

Facebook pages, such as “Patriot Mama Bears” and “Liberty Link Missouri PAC,” posted requests for followers to email Moon.

Schatz did not comment on Moon’s filibuster.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/4/1743715705826.png" alt=" State Sen. Mike Moon, R-Ash Grove, filibusters a report from the Senate Gubernatorial Appointments Committee Wednesday afternoon to block the appointment of a former Senate colleague (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent)." />
 <figcaption> State Sen. Mike Moon, R-Ash Grove, filibusters a report from the Senate Gubernatorial Appointments Committee Wednesday afternoon to block the appointment of a former Senate colleague (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent).</figcaption>
 </figure>BY:&nbsp;ANNELISE HANSHAW <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/09/21/missouri-judge-once-again-delays-decision-on-closing-agape-boarding-school/">Missouri Independent</a><h2>State Sen. Mike Moon spent most of the night holding up the confirmation vote of the former senate president who once punished him for wearing overalls in the chamber</h2>A Republican state senator spent hours Wednesday trying to block the appointment of his former colleague to a county office over a grudge that goes back more than seven years.&nbsp;Shortly after 1 a.m., the filibuster sputtered and the appointment was confirmed by the Missouri Senate.State Sen. Mike Moon, an Ash Grove Republican, sought to prevent former Senate President Pro Tem Dave Schatz from being confirmed to a spot on the Franklin County Commission.Schatz was appointed to the job earlier this year by Republican Gov. Mike Kehoe.Moon said he tried to work behind the scenes to express his distaste for the appointment. But he said no one listened, so he chose to force the issue.&nbsp;“I’ve tried,” Moon said on the Senate floor. “My words and my thoughts were not well taken.”He began his filibuster Wednesday afternoon, laying out grievances against Schatz and reading emails from people he said were residents of Franklin County who wanted the Senate to support another candidate.But in the end, the one-man filibuster only lasted until soon after midnight, when Moon began offering procedural motions that were repeatedly defeated by his GOP colleagues. After numerous failed attempts to set the appointment aside, the Senate confirmed Schatz around 1 a.m., briefly adjourned and returned to approve its journal and head home for the week.The Moon-Schatz rivalry dates back to 2018, when Schatz added a provision to a bill that placed a gas tax increase on ballots statewide.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newstribune.com/news/2018/jul/03/lawsuit-filed-over-missouris-fuels-tax-ballot-issu/" target="_blank">Moon joined a conservative activist</a>&nbsp;in an unsuccessful lawsuit, saying the amendment was beyond the bill’s original scope.The Missouri Constitution states that: “No bill shall contain more than one subject which shall be clearly expressed in its title.”Moon is a stickler for keeping bills to a single subject, sometimes voting against conservative legislation to send a message to abide by the state’s foundational document.In 2022, Schatz’s last year in the legislature, he booted Moon from his committee assignments after&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/02/16/after-wearing-overalls-in-the-missouri-senate-gop-lawmaker-loses-committee-spots/">Moon wore overalls on the Senate floor</a>. Schatz had told Moon to change earlier in the day, but he pushed back.“If someone comes to me and threatens me with infractions, or ramifications, for me just coming to the chamber, and doing the duty that I was called to do, that’s unacceptable,” Moon said at the time.Schatz at the time called Moon’s reaction childlike.It is rare for a senator to lose committee assignments, though it happened last year&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/01/23/missouri-freedom-caucus-leaders-ousted-from-senate-chairmanships-over-stall-tactics/">when Missouri Freedom Caucus members slowed the Senate to halt</a>. A House member&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2021/02/02/indicted-missouri-lawmaker-stripped-of-committee-assignments/">lost her spots on committee in 2021</a>&nbsp;after being indicted on federal medical fraud charges and another was censured after lying about a relationship with an intern.Moon, who is prone to procedural skirmishes with Senate leadership, led a faction in 2021 that&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2021/09/15/gop-lawmaker-blasts-missouri-governors-veto-of-funding-to-combat-child-sex-abuse/">hoped to override then-Gov. Mike Parson’s veto</a>&nbsp;and reimburse owners of wedding venues for legal fees in their fight with the Department of Revenue.He hoped to buck tradition and call for a vote to override the veto, something that is traditionally done by the budget chair. Kehoe, who was lieutenant governor at the time, didn’t recognize Moon for the motion.Schatz became the intermediary, eventually ruling in favor of Kehoe. For Moon, it was another sign of the chasm between Republican Senate leadership and the chamber’s conservative caucus.Moon said he was standing up for Franklin County residents.“You think I’m here to prove something else,” he said. “I’m not.”Moon, seasoned in filibustering, held the floor for multiple hours Wednesday with periodic quorum calls approximately every 20 minutes to bring fellow senators back to the chamber.Some senators’ offices received calls in support of Moon, asking them to turn down the nomination.Moon read emails from Franklin County residents opposing Schatz. Many asked for Franklin County Clerk Tim Baker to be nominated instead. The Franklin County Republican Central Committee wrote letters in February asking Kehoe to pick Baker.“How many more emails until you wake up and do the will of the people,” Moon said.Facebook pages, such as “Patriot Mama Bears” and “Liberty Link Missouri PAC,” posted requests for followers to email Moon.Schatz did not comment on Moon’s filibuster.

Hourslong filibuster over gubernatorial appointment of former Missouri Senator sputters

President Trump: "I think its going very well. It was an operation, like when a when a patient gets operated on. It's a big thing. I said this would exactly be the way it is. We have six or seven trillion dollars coming into our country...the markets are going to boom."

The Dow dropped 1,680 in its biggest fall since 2020. The S&amp;P 500 sinks 4.8%.

President Trump: "I think its going very well. It was an operation, like when a when a patient gets operated on. It's a big thing. I said this would exactly be the way it is. We have six or seven trillion dollars coming into our country...the markets are going to boom."<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">President Trump: &quot;I think its going very well. It was an operation, like when a when a patient gets operated on. It&#39;s a big thing. I said this would exactly be the way it is. We have six or seven trillion dollars coming into our country...the markets are going to boom.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/hhrGOFgX2J">pic.twitter.com/hhrGOFgX2J</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1907874672068165724?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 3, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The Dow dropped 1,680 in its biggest fall since 2020. The S&amp;P 500 sinks 4.8%.

🎥Trump's first statement on stock market drop after tariff announcement

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 — Five of the six southwest Kansas counties reporting measles cases have seen kindergarten vaccination rates drop, one showing a 24 percentage point dip over a four-year period.

Vaccination rates are one focus of many Kansas county health officers and medical experts as they work to educate against misinformation about vaccines in the hopes of staving off a growing measles outbreak. As of April 2, Kansas has 24 confirmed measles cases in Grant, Gray, Haskell, Kiowa, Morton and Stevens counties, with one case added in the last week.

For herd immunity to be achieved — the point where enough people are vaccinated that those who are unvaccinated will be protected — 95% of a population must be vaccinated against measles, according to the World Health Organization. The Kansas measles immunization rate of kindergarteners dropped from 94.47% in 2019 to 90.21% in 2023, Kansas Department of Health and Environment data shows.

Jennifer Bacani McKenney, a family physician and county health officer in Wilson County, said she saw vaccine hesitancy increase after the COVID-19 pandemic.

“COVID made it more OK for people to decline vaccines for themselves and for children,” she said.

The idea, though, that some counties are seeing kindergarten vaccination rates drop — such as Gray County, where the rate declined from 85% in 2019 to 61% in 2023 — is concerning, Bacani McKenney said.

“When we’re getting to those points when barely the majority are vaccinated, that’s when these diseases have a chance to come back,” she said. “We know vaccines work. Polio is still probably the No. 1 example. For the longest time, so was measles, and now we’re at the point where we can’t use measles as an example.

“We are very voluntarily not protecting ourselves against a very preventable illness,” Bacani McKenney said. “The people who are suffering are really not us adults. It’s going to be our children.”

Haskell County also hit a double-digit drop in vaccination rates, with 21% fewer kindergarteners being vaccinated over that same four-year period.

Vaccinations are required for school in Kansas unless there is a religious or medical exemption. KDHE and the Kansas State Department of Education track the percentage of kindergarteners who have vaccine exemptions, and those rates are increasing too — in Haskell County from 11% in 2019 to over 25% in 2023 and in Gray County jumping from about 2% to 11%.

In Barton County, where kindergarten immunization rates dropped by nearly 7 percentage points from 2019 to 2023, Karen Winkelman, a registered nurse and director of the Barton County Health Department said she is receiving numerous questions from parents about vaccine safety. She said her team made the decision to be proactive once they heard that measles cases were reappearing nationwide.

Winkelman stresses having productive, positive conversations.

“We need to take a positive approach on this and hold down that hysteria,” she said. “We know this disease. We know the vaccine. We have something available for protection.”

It isn’t like the COVID-19 pandemic, she said, where the vaccine information changed frequently. They are disseminating information carefully, using only reliable sources, such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, KDHE, the American Academy of Family Physicians and others.

“We are going with factual information. The more we can educate and provide the factual, the better it is,” Winkelman said. “We’re never going to be able to control on social media or in normal conversations what is being said. We just have to really focus on those organizations that are reliable and accurate.”

The Barton County Health Department is holding an immunization clinic from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, outside of their regular business hours, to make sure staff is available to answer questions and offer vaccinations, Winkelman said.

“We’re not going to force anyone to get the vaccine,” she said. “I just want to have all of those things available to the public for them to make an educated decision. It might be a conversation with their primary care also.”

Stevens County, which was the first Kansas county to report a measles case on March 13, currently has had six measles cases. Cammie Heaton, administrator for the county’s health department, is taking the same approach as Barton County — educate and be available to answer questions.

“We’re actually, knock on wood, sitting better now than we were three weeks ago. We are hopeful that we aren’t going to have any more,” she said. “We’re still monitoring some susceptible individuals.”

Like Barton County, her staff have offered walk-in clinics for measles vaccinations or boosters. Stevens County, according to KDHE data, has seen its vaccination rate among kindergarteners drop by 14 percentage points, from 87% in 2019 to 73% in 2023.

All measles cases in Stevens County were in unvaccinated individuals, Heaton said.

Dana Hawkinson, an internal medicine and infectious disease physician, spoke about the measles outbreak at a recent University of Kansas Health System news briefing.

“I think people should be concerned, particularly if they’re in communities that have decreased vaccination rates,” he said. “Measles is probably the most infectious viral disease that we know of. It is spread through airborne means, so people will express it into the air when they cough or breathe. Measles can linger in the air in a room for two hours.”

Combatting misinformation about the disease is critical, Hawkinson said, pointing to social media algorithms that can play into the information people receive online. But there are other factors, as well.

“We know misinformation is significant but we can’t be myopic in thinking that is the only thing we need to understand,” he said. “There are other factors in play as well.”

Those include people seeking less medical care after the pandemic, states offering increased options for vaccine exemptions, significant mistrust of science and public health medicine, as well as mistrust of physicians, Hawkinson said.

“All of these things are playing a role now to increase the risk of an individual and a community against things like this which were otherwise vaccine preventable,” he said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/3/1743085628490.png" alt="Photo by Tatiana Lanzieri Centers for Disease Control and Prevention" />
 <figcaption>Photo by Tatiana Lanzieri Centers for Disease Control and Prevention</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 — Five of the six southwest Kansas counties reporting measles cases have seen kindergarten vaccination rates drop, one showing a 24 percentage point dip over a four-year period.Vaccination rates are one focus of many Kansas county health officers and medical experts as they work to educate against misinformation about vaccines in the hopes of staving off a growing measles outbreak. As of April 2, Kansas has 24 confirmed measles cases in Grant, Gray, Haskell, Kiowa, Morton and Stevens counties, with one case added in the last week.For herd immunity to be achieved — the point where enough people are vaccinated that those who are unvaccinated will be protected — 95% of a population must be vaccinated against measles, according to the World Health Organization. The Kansas measles immunization rate of kindergarteners dropped from 94.47% in 2019 to 90.21% in 2023, Kansas Department of Health and Environment data shows.Jennifer Bacani McKenney, a family physician and county health officer in Wilson County, said she saw vaccine hesitancy increase after the COVID-19 pandemic.“COVID made it more OK for people to decline vaccines for themselves and for children,” she said.The idea, though, that some counties are seeing kindergarten vaccination rates drop — such as Gray County, where the rate declined from 85% in 2019 to 61% in 2023 — is concerning, Bacani McKenney said.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/4/1743693382314.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>“When we’re getting to those points when barely the majority are vaccinated, that’s when these diseases have a chance to come back,” she said. “We know vaccines work. Polio is still probably the No. 1 example. For the longest time, so was measles, and now we’re at the point where we can’t use measles as an example.“We are very voluntarily not protecting ourselves against a very preventable illness,” Bacani McKenney said. “The people who are suffering are really not us adults. It’s going to be our children.”Haskell County also hit a double-digit drop in vaccination rates, with 21% fewer kindergarteners being vaccinated over that same four-year period.Vaccinations are required for school in Kansas unless there is a religious or medical exemption. KDHE and the Kansas State Department of Education track the percentage of kindergarteners who have vaccine exemptions, and those rates are increasing too — in Haskell County from 11% in 2019 to over 25% in 2023 and in Gray County jumping from about 2% to 11%.In Barton County, where kindergarten immunization rates dropped by nearly 7 percentage points from 2019 to 2023, Karen Winkelman, a registered nurse and director of the Barton County Health Department said she is receiving numerous questions from parents about vaccine safety. She said her team made the decision to be proactive once they heard that measles cases were reappearing nationwide.Winkelman stresses having productive, positive conversations.“We need to take a positive approach on this and hold down that hysteria,” she said. “We know this disease. We know the vaccine. We have something available for protection.”It isn’t like the COVID-19 pandemic, she said, where the vaccine information changed frequently. They are disseminating information carefully, using only reliable sources, such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, KDHE, the American Academy of Family Physicians and others.“We are going with factual information. The more we can educate and provide the factual, the better it is,” Winkelman said. “We’re never going to be able to control on social media or in normal conversations what is being said. We just have to really focus on those organizations that are reliable and accurate.”The Barton County Health Department is holding an immunization clinic from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, outside of their regular business hours, to make sure staff is available to answer questions and offer vaccinations, Winkelman said.“We’re not going to force anyone to get the vaccine,” she said. “I just want to have all of those things available to the public for them to make an educated decision. It might be a conversation with their primary care also.”Stevens County, which was the first Kansas county to report a measles case on March 13, currently has had six measles cases. Cammie Heaton, administrator for the county’s health department, is taking the same approach as Barton County — educate and be available to answer questions.“We’re actually, knock on wood, sitting better now than we were three weeks ago. We are hopeful that we aren’t going to have any more,” she said. “We’re still monitoring some susceptible individuals.”Like Barton County, her staff have offered walk-in clinics for measles vaccinations or boosters. Stevens County, according to KDHE data, has seen its vaccination rate among kindergarteners drop by 14 percentage points, from 87% in 2019 to 73% in 2023.All measles cases in Stevens County were in unvaccinated individuals, Heaton said.Dana Hawkinson, an internal medicine and infectious disease physician, spoke about the measles outbreak at a recent University of Kansas Health System news briefing.“I think people should be concerned, particularly if they’re in communities that have decreased vaccination rates,” he said. “Measles is probably the most infectious viral disease that we know of. It is spread through airborne means, so people will express it into the air when they cough or breathe. Measles can linger in the air in a room for two hours.”Combatting misinformation about the disease is critical, Hawkinson said, pointing to social media algorithms that can play into the information people receive online. But there are other factors, as well.“We know misinformation is significant but we can’t be myopic in thinking that is the only thing we need to understand,” he said. “There are other factors in play as well.”Those include people seeking less medical care after the pandemic, states offering increased options for vaccine exemptions, significant mistrust of science and public health medicine, as well as mistrust of physicians, Hawkinson said.“All of these things are playing a role now to increase the risk of an individual and a community against things like this which were otherwise vaccine preventable,” he said.

Vaccination rates down in most Kansas counties where measles cases reported

WYANDOTTE COUNTY —The Kansas City, Kansas Police Department Traffic Division continues to investigating a fatal hit-and-run incident and are working to identify the victim.

Just after 8:30a.m. Tuesday, police were dispatched to report of an accident in the 4300 block of State Line Road, according to a statement from KCK Officer Jovanna Cheatum.

 When officers arrived on scene, they located a man deceased in the roadway. The initial investigation revealed a large construction dump truck struck the pedestrian and left the scene. Police&nbsp;located the driver of the vehicle, according to Cheatum. They are cooperating with detectives.&nbsp; An autopsy is scheduled on the victim for Thursday and police are hopeful this might help to identify him.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/4/1743534048942.png" alt="Police on the scene of the incident -photo courtesy KCTV" />
 <figcaption>Police on the scene of the incident -photo courtesy KCTV</figcaption>
 </figure>WYANDOTTE COUNTY —The Kansas City, Kansas Police Department Traffic Division continues to investigating a fatal hit-and-run incident and are working to identify the victim.Just after 8:30a.m. Tuesday, police were dispatched to report of an accident in the 4300 block of State Line Road, according to a statement from KCK Officer Jovanna Cheatum. When officers arrived on scene, they located a man deceased in the roadway. The initial investigation revealed a large construction dump truck struck the pedestrian and left the scene. Police&nbsp;located the driver of the vehicle, according to Cheatum. They are cooperating with detectives.&nbsp; An autopsy is scheduled on the victim for Thursday and police are hopeful this might help to identify him.

Police locate dump truck driver in fatal Kan. hit-and-run

WASHINGTON –&nbsp;Kansas U.S. Senator Jerry Moran, chairman of the Commerce Subcommittee on Aviation, Space, and Innovation on Wednesday questioned Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg about the steps the company is taking to ensure public safety on their aircrafts and what the future of Boeing looks like in Kansas.

“Boeing is in the process of acquiring Spirit AeroSystems - the largest private employer in Kansas, employing about 12,000 people,”&nbsp;continued Sen. Moran. “We have hundreds of small businesses who do work for Boeing and work with Spirit. It’s not just one company, it’s a whole system by which Kansas aerospace and aviation – the Air Capital of the World – operates.”

“It was indicated to me that without the acquisition of Spirit AeroSystems the new generation of any aircraft developed by Boeing would not involve work in Wichita or work in Kansas,”&nbsp;continued Sen. Moran.&nbsp;“With the acquisition, the statement was made, that the work could more likely occur in Kansas. You are going to build a new aircraft someday, what’s the plan for where that work will take place?”

Mr. Ortberg discussed future plans for aviation development and assured Sen. Moran of Boeing’s commitment to keep jobs in Kansas.

“Let me just assure you that Spirit AeroSystems and the work we do in Kansas is critically important,”&nbsp;said Mr. Ortberg.&nbsp;“We are spending a significant amount of our capital to acquire that company, and we are not going to do that and move work out of Kansas. The work that we are doing there is going to stay there. In fact, I am very hopeful that once we get the acquisition closed, we will find opportunities to do even more work.”

WASHINGTON –&nbsp;Kansas U.S. Senator Jerry Moran, chairman of the Commerce Subcommittee on Aviation, Space, and Innovation on Wednesday questioned Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg about the steps the company is taking to ensure public safety on their aircrafts and what the future of Boeing looks like in Kansas.<div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NyaKq-lucBw?si=IZRYaxf9yLhAH6wG" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>“Boeing is in the process of acquiring Spirit AeroSystems - the largest private employer in Kansas, employing about 12,000 people,”&nbsp;continued Sen. Moran. “We have hundreds of small businesses who do work for Boeing and work with Spirit. It’s not just one company, it’s a whole system by which Kansas aerospace and aviation – the Air Capital of the World – operates.”“It was indicated to me that without the acquisition of Spirit AeroSystems the new generation of any aircraft developed by Boeing would not involve work in Wichita or work in Kansas,”&nbsp;continued Sen. Moran.&nbsp;“With the acquisition, the statement was made, that the work could more likely occur in Kansas. You are going to build a new aircraft someday, what’s the plan for where that work will take place?”Mr. Ortberg discussed future plans for aviation development and assured Sen. Moran of Boeing’s commitment to keep jobs in Kansas.“Let me just assure you that Spirit AeroSystems and the work we do in Kansas is critically important,”&nbsp;said Mr. Ortberg.&nbsp;“We are spending a significant amount of our capital to acquire that company, and we are not going to do that and move work out of Kansas. The work that we are doing there is going to stay there. In fact, I am very hopeful that once we get the acquisition closed, we will find opportunities to do even more work.”

🎥Moran questions Boeing CEO on future of Kan. aviation manufacturing

KANSAS CITY —The Amber Alert for a missing 16-year-old who was believed to be pregnant and traveling possibly through Kansas City toward Arkansas in February has been canceled, according to Beaver Dam, Wisconsin Police.

Just after 11:30p.m. Wednesday, the Sarpy County, Nebraska Sheriff's office notified the Beaver Dam, Wisconsin Police Department that sheriff deputies in Nebraska responded to a tip of a possible sighting near of the teen near Omaha, Nebraska.

Law enforcement made contact with girl who was with an adult male also matching the description of the suspect she was identified leaving with, 40-year-old Gary Day.

  Their identities were positively confirmed and as a result, deputies took Day into custody.&nbsp; He is being held on requested charges that include&nbsp;Contribute to delinquency of child,&nbsp;False reporting misdemeanor and&nbsp;Fugitive from justice/prior to gov. warrant, according to online jail records.

 Sophia Franklin was taken to a secure facility to await re-unification with her family..

KANSAS CITY —The Missouri State Highway Patrol on Wednesday night&nbsp; issued an Amber Alert following an active Amber Alert from Wisconsin.

Sophia Franklin, 16,&nbsp; was last seen at her residence at 9:00p.m. February 2, according to the Alert.

She is believed to be with Gary F. Day. He was last seen at her residence just before 8a.m. February 3. There is a no contact order for Gary and Sophia. Sophia is 3 months pregnant.

﻿ Officials say they believe she is traveling south to Arkansas. ﻿ ﻿ If you see them call police.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/2/1739412488707.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —The Amber Alert for a missing 16-year-old who was believed to be pregnant and traveling possibly through Kansas City toward Arkansas in February has been canceled, according to Beaver Dam, Wisconsin Police.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/4/1743688497395.png" alt="Day photo Sarpy County jail" />
 <figcaption>Day photo Sarpy County jail</figcaption>
 </figure>Just after 11:30p.m. Wednesday, the Sarpy County, Nebraska Sheriff's office notified the Beaver Dam, Wisconsin Police Department that sheriff deputies in Nebraska responded to a tip of a possible sighting near of the teen near Omaha, Nebraska.Law enforcement made contact with girl who was with an adult male also matching the description of the suspect she was identified leaving with, 40-year-old Gary Day. Their identities were positively confirmed and as a result, deputies took Day into custody.&nbsp; He is being held on requested charges that include&nbsp;Contribute to delinquency of child,&nbsp;False reporting misdemeanor and&nbsp;Fugitive from justice/prior to gov. warrant, according to online jail records. Sophia Franklin was taken to a secure facility to await re-unification with her family..---------KANSAS CITY —The Missouri State Highway Patrol on Wednesday night&nbsp; issued an Amber Alert following an active Amber Alert from Wisconsin.Sophia Franklin, 16,&nbsp; was last seen at her residence at 9:00p.m. February 2, according to the Alert.She is believed to be with Gary F. Day. He was last seen at her residence just before 8a.m. February 3. There is a no contact order for Gary and Sophia. Sophia is 3 months pregnant.﻿ Officials say they believe she is traveling south to Arkansas. ﻿ ﻿ If you see them call police.

Amber Alert canceled: Missing teen found, suspect arrested

KANSAS CITY—Law enforcement are investigating another homicide in Kansas City, Missouri.

Just after 7p.m. Tuesday, police were dispatched to check welfare call at a residence in the 9000 block of Blue Ridge in Kansas City, Missouri, according to KCPD Captain Jake Becchina.

First responders were directed inside a residence where they located a woman unresponsive and deceased. Her injuries were unknown. Officers preserved the scene and called for detectives due to the suspicious nature of the incident.

 Detectives, to include homicide detectives, responded and began a suspicious death investigation at that time. Crime scene investigators processed the scene for evidence and detectives canvassed for witnesses or anyone with knowledge of the residence.

Overnight, detectives were notified by the medical examiner of a preliminary finding of homicide in this case. This is now being investigated as a homicide, according to Becchina and detectives are working to determine the victim's identification as well as her exact cause of death.

KANSAS CITY—Law enforcement are investigating another homicide in Kansas City, Missouri.Just after 7p.m. Tuesday, police were dispatched to check welfare call at a residence in the 9000 block of Blue Ridge in Kansas City, Missouri, according to KCPD Captain Jake Becchina.First responders were directed inside a residence where they located a woman unresponsive and deceased. Her injuries were unknown. Officers preserved the scene and called for detectives due to the suspicious nature of the incident. Detectives, to include homicide detectives, responded and began a suspicious death investigation at that time. Crime scene investigators processed the scene for evidence and detectives canvassed for witnesses or anyone with knowledge of the residence.Overnight, detectives were notified by the medical examiner of a preliminary finding of homicide in this case. This is now being investigated as a homicide, according to Becchina and detectives are working to determine the victim's identification as well as her exact cause of death.

KCPD: Woman's suspicious death ruled a homicide

VERNON COUNTY — Missouri is cleaning up from tornado damage in several portions of the state on Thursday.

 The National Weather Service will be surveying damage to determine the size of the tornadoes. Hwy 25 in Cape Girardeau Country will be closed for an undetermined time while MODOT and Southeast Missouri Electric clear the road of downed power lines and debris.

 Please avoid the storm damaged areas and give the crews a safe work area.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/4/1743674093569.png" alt="Tornado damage in Pilot Grove- photo MSHP" />
 <figcaption>Tornado damage in Pilot Grove- photo MSHP</figcaption>
 </figure>VERNON COUNTY — Missouri is cleaning up from tornado damage in several portions of the state on Thursday. The National Weather Service will be surveying damage to determine the size of the tornadoes. Hwy 25 in Cape Girardeau Country will be closed for an undetermined time while MODOT and Southeast Missouri Electric clear the road of downed power lines and debris. Please avoid the storm damaged areas and give the crews a safe work area.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/4/1743674164849.png" alt="-Business US 54 in Nevada is closed due to storm damage. Please avoid the area and let crews complete the clean up safely.&nbsp; Photo MSHP" />
 <figcaption>-Business US 54 in Nevada is closed due to storm damage. Please avoid the area and let crews complete the clean up safely.&nbsp; Photo MSHP</figcaption>
 </figure>.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/4/1743674214916.png" alt="Storm damage in Pilot Grove-Photo MSHP" />
 <figcaption>Storm damage in Pilot Grove-Photo MSHP</figcaption>
 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/4/1743674600929.png" alt="-Troopers responded to a confirmed tornado touchdown approx. 6 miles northwest of Potosi in Washington Co. Several homes and structures completely damaged. Troopers and local first responders contacted the residents. All were accounted for with minor injuries and zero fatalities." />
 <figcaption>-Troopers responded to a confirmed tornado touchdown approx. 6 miles northwest of Potosi in Washington Co. Several homes and structures completely damaged. Troopers and local first responders contacted the residents. All were accounted for with minor injuries and zero fatalities.</figcaption>
 </figure>

Missouri cleaning up from tornado damage

JOHNSON COUNTY —Lightning may be responsible for a house fire in Johnson County.

Just after 5:30a.m. Wednesday, firefighters from Olathe and Lenexa battled a house fire at 2 Pasadena Drive, according to a social media report from Olathe Fire Department. 

Neighbors reported they heard a “lightning crack” and then saw flames from the roof of the home.

Two people were displaced. The damage is significant. Investigators are&nbsp; working to confirm the cause. The Red Cross is assisting. There were no injuries reported.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/4/1743596221914.png" alt="Photo from Olathe Fire Dept. video" />
 <figcaption>Photo from Olathe Fire Dept. video</figcaption>
 </figure>JOHNSON COUNTY —Lightning may be responsible for a house fire in Johnson County.Just after 5:30a.m. Wednesday, firefighters from Olathe and Lenexa battled a house fire at 2 Pasadena Drive, according to a social media report from Olathe Fire Department. Neighbors reported they heard a “lightning crack” and then saw flames from the roof of the home.Two people were displaced. The damage is significant. Investigators are&nbsp; working to confirm the cause. The Red Cross is assisting. There were no injuries reported.

Lightning may have started Kansas house fire

KANSAS CITY —A Kansas City man faces several felony charges in connection with a fatal shooting that took place near Blue Valley Park, according to&nbsp;Jackson County Prosecutor Melesa Johnson.

<a href="https://www.jacksoncountyprosecutor.com/DocumentCenter/View/2558/Carter-Complaint-Red">Damien Carter, 38,&nbsp; faces</a>&nbsp;2nd Degree Murder, two counts of Armed Criminal Action, and Unlawful Use of a Weapon.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.jacksoncountyprosecutor.com/DocumentCenter/View/2559/Carter-PC-red">According to court records</a>, Kansas City police were dispatched to East 29th Street near Blue Valley Park on a shooting. Police located the female victim suffering from gunshot wounds in the front yard of a residence. She was pronounced dead at the scene.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/4/1743535808360.png" alt="Carter photo Jackson Co." />
 <figcaption>Carter photo Jackson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —A Kansas City man faces several felony charges in connection with a fatal shooting that took place near Blue Valley Park, according to&nbsp;Jackson County Prosecutor Melesa Johnson.<a href="https://www.jacksoncountyprosecutor.com/DocumentCenter/View/2558/Carter-Complaint-Red">Damien Carter, 38,&nbsp; faces</a>&nbsp;2nd Degree Murder, two counts of Armed Criminal Action, and Unlawful Use of a Weapon.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.jacksoncountyprosecutor.com/DocumentCenter/View/2559/Carter-PC-red">According to court records</a>, Kansas City police were dispatched to East 29th Street near Blue Valley Park on a shooting. Police located the female victim suffering from gunshot wounds in the front yard of a residence. She was pronounced dead at the scene.&nbsp;Video surveillance captured a light tan/silver Chevrolet Tahoe arriving and parking in front of the residence. The driver, later identified as Carter, exits the vehicle with a handgun. The victim walks out of the residence toward him and the defendant points the handgun in the direction of the victim’s head and begins to fire. The victim falls to the ground and the suspect continues firing as she is laying on the ground. Carter gets back into his vehicle and drives away.&nbsp;Carter is being held in custody with no bond.&nbsp;*Charges are only accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until the defendant is either found guilty or pleads guilty.