KANSAS CITY — Law enforcement continue their search for a suspect wanted in connection with the December 2024&nbsp;shooting that left two teens dead.

The suspect identified as 19-year-0old Terrell Simpson is described as&nbsp; 5-foot'10, 135 pounds with Black hair and Brown eyes.

He was&nbsp;charged in Jackson County&nbsp;with two counts of accessory to first-degree murder and two counts of armed criminal action.

KCPD is asking anyone with information to contact the Greater KC Crime Stoppers TIPS Hotline at (816) 474-8477. The award is up to $25,000 for any information that leads to an arrest in this case and you can remain 100% anonymous.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1747874898831.png" alt="Simpson photo KCPD" />
 <figcaption>Simpson photo KCPD</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY — Law enforcement continue their search for a suspect wanted in connection with the December 2024&nbsp;shooting that left two teens dead.The suspect identified as 19-year-0old Terrell Simpson is described as&nbsp; 5-foot'10, 135 pounds with Black hair and Brown eyes.He was&nbsp;charged in Jackson County&nbsp;with two counts of accessory to first-degree murder and two counts of armed criminal action.KCPD is asking anyone with information to contact the Greater KC Crime Stoppers TIPS Hotline at (816) 474-8477. The award is up to $25,000 for any information that leads to an arrest in this case and you can remain 100% anonymous.

Search continues for suspect in KC double homicide

COWLEY COUNTY —The Cowley County Sheriff’s Office is continuing to search for missing 81-year-old Jerry McConnell. Her car was located in rural Cowley County, Kansas. 

 The search area is a large ranch and the majority of it has been searched, either on foot or by air.  The Sheriff’s Office is requesting volunteers to assist with a full grid-search on Thursday, May 22nd, at 10:00 am. 

The ranch is located in the 4000 block of 327th Road and parking will be difficult and mainly on the dirt road.  The area to be searched does have rough terrain. We will have a check in point and you will be put into groups and given instructions.&nbsp;

This is private property and we have set some rules that all volunteers must follow.&nbsp;

I have read that several people want to bring horses, drones ect.&nbsp; This area has been extensively searched by helicopters, drones, horses, side by sides, four wheelers, trackers, specialized dog teams, and water rescue units.&nbsp; Please follow the following rules.

JOHNSON COUNTY—Law enforcement searching for a missing 81-year-old woman have located her vehicle.

Late Tuesday, the Cowley County Sheriff's office in south central Kansas contacted Overland Park Police to report they had found Jerry McConnell's 2009 Honda Accord., according to Officer John Lacy. Authorities continue to search that area for her.

On Saturday, the Overland Park Police Department requested the Kansas Bureau of Investigation issue a statewide Silver Alert for McConnell of Overland Park.

McConnell was last seen on Wednesday afternoon in Harrisonville, Missouri and was driving to her residence in Overland Park, Kansas. 

McConnell was believed to be driving a grey 2009 Honda Accord bearing Texas license plate RFP836. McConnell also may have been near Severy, Kansas on May 15.

McConnell is a white female who is 5 feet 6 inches tall and weighs around 140 pounds. She has blue eyes and gray hair. If you see Jerry McConnell, please call 911 immediately. If you have other information about her whereabouts, call the Overland Park Police Department at (913)-895-6300.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1747502608195.png" alt="photo Overland Park Police" />
 <figcaption>photo Overland Park Police</figcaption>
 </figure>COWLEY COUNTY —The Cowley County Sheriff’s Office is continuing to search for missing 81-year-old Jerry McConnell. Her car was located in rural Cowley County, Kansas. The search area is a large ranch and the majority of it has been searched, either on foot or by air. The Sheriff’s Office is requesting volunteers to assist with a full grid-search on Thursday, May 22nd, at 10:00 am. The ranch is located in the 4000 block of 327th Road and parking will be difficult and mainly on the dirt road. The area to be searched does have rough terrain. We will have a check in point and you will be put into groups and given instructions.&nbsp;This is private property and we have set some rules that all volunteers must follow.&nbsp;I have read that several people want to bring horses, drones ect.&nbsp; This area has been extensively searched by helicopters, drones, horses, side by sides, four wheelers, trackers, specialized dog teams, and water rescue units.&nbsp; Please follow the following rules.<ol>
 <li>A staging area has been set up at the Kansas Department of Transportation strip just west of 303rd&nbsp;Road on the north side of US 160, you will need to park there and then ride to the search area by bus.</li><li>We will turn any non-first responders around and direct them to the staging area described in number 1. if volunteers try to drive to the ranch on their own.</li><li>This is strictly a walking search, so no horses side by sides or four wheelers on the property</li><li>Once you are transported to the ranch you will be required to check in and give your personal information</li><li>Bring your own water, snacks, sunscreen and bug repellent.</li><li>Please take your trash with you</li><li>Any gate that is opened must be closed behind you.&nbsp; These properties have cattle on them so please do not try to have contact or try to pet the cattle</li><li>The time to meet at the KDOT strip is 10:00 am.&nbsp; There is no way to gauge how many volunteers we will have, and although we are grateful for their service we may have to limit the numbers to a controllable number.</li><li>Please be patient</li><li>The landowners have requested that the media not come onto the ranch and video, again this is private property</li><li>Lastly, when you are assigned, an area please search only that area.&nbsp; All outbuildings and residences, tank batteries have already been searched by first responders and are clear</li>
 </ol>-----------JOHNSON COUNTY—Law enforcement searching for a missing 81-year-old woman have located her vehicle.Late Tuesday, the Cowley County Sheriff's office in south central Kansas contacted Overland Park Police to report they had found Jerry McConnell's 2009 Honda Accord., according to Officer John Lacy. Authorities continue to search that area for her.On Saturday, the Overland Park Police Department requested the Kansas Bureau of Investigation issue a statewide Silver Alert for McConnell of Overland Park.McConnell was last seen on Wednesday afternoon in Harrisonville, Missouri and was driving to her residence in Overland Park, Kansas. McConnell was believed to be driving a grey 2009 Honda Accord bearing Texas license plate RFP836. McConnell also may have been near Severy, Kansas on May 15.McConnell is a white female who is 5 feet 6 inches tall and weighs around 140 pounds. She has blue eyes and gray hair. If you see Jerry McConnell, please call 911 immediately. If you have other information about her whereabouts, call the Overland Park Police Department at (913)-895-6300.

Silver Alert: Sheriff needs volunteers in search for Kansas woman

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>

Missouri’s Democratic members of Congress decried the proposed GOP cuts to Medicaid in a press briefing Wednesday, calling the move a handout to the rich that would harm the state’s most vulnerable.&nbsp;

The U.S. House is debating a massive reconciliation package that, as written now, would slash roughly $800 billion from Medicaid and Affordable Care Act provisions, and $300 billion from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cbpp.org/press/statements/house-republicans-shockingly-harmful-agenda-is-now-crystal-clear-the-country" target="_blank">according to</a>&nbsp;the left-leaning Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, a Democrat who represents a district which includes Kansas City, said the proposed changes would have “disastrous consequences” in Missouri, where Medicaid access can be a “matter of life or death” for millions of enrollees.

“It will lead to sicker and more pain-filled communities. It will be a massive economic weight holding down Missouri families and small businesses alike, as more of our neighbors are stricken with increased medical debt,” Cleaver said.

The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cbo.gov/system/files/2025-05/61422-Reconciliation-Distributional-Analysis.pdf" target="_blank">Congressional Budget Office</a>&nbsp;found the House’s plan would result in the lowest-earning households seeing resources decrease while the highest-earners gain.

One in five Missourians is on Medicaid, or&nbsp;<a href="https://dss.mo.gov/mis/clcounter/" target="_blank">over 1.2 million</a>&nbsp;people. Missouri’s&nbsp;<a href="https://mffh.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/2025-MO-Medicaid-Basics-fact-sheet.pdf" target="_blank">Medicaid program&nbsp;</a>covers 39% of all children in the state and pays for two-thirds of nursing home care.

Congressman Wesley Bell, a Democrat who represents the district including St. Louis, said Medicaid cuts would cause people to delay care.

“Medicaid serves as a stabilizing force for entire communities, and when it’s cut, the consequences show up everywhere, from overcrowded ERs to delayed treatment and preventable illness,” Bell said. “And when those folks don’t have access to quality health care and preventative medicine, they go to the ER so we’re going to pay for it one way or the other.”

The GOP budget includes adding work requirements and other changes to Medicaid that the Congressional Budget Office estimates would boot millions nationally from the rolls.&nbsp;

In Missouri,&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/proposed-federal-work-reporting-requirements-could-cut-over-90k-missourians-from-medicaid/">work requirements</a>&nbsp;alone could kick over 90,000 people off the rolls, many of whom would be working or eligible for an exception but get caught up in red tape. The changes taken together, including proposed increased eligibility checks and limitations on state-levied provider taxes, could remove around 166,000 people from the rolls in Missouri,<a href="https://www.kff.org/medicaid/issue-brief/state-level-context-for-federal-medicaid-cuts-of-625-billion-and-enrollment-declines-of-10-3-million/" target="_blank">&nbsp;a KFF analysis found.&nbsp;</a>

U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley has been a rare Republican&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/12/opinion/josh-hawley-dont-cut-medicaid.html" target="_blank">voice against Medicaid cuts</a>, calling them morally and politically wrong.

“Far be it for me to agree with Senator Hawley, but his point is well taken,” Bell said. “This is a slap in the face. It is an attack on working class families.”

The bill is still being hashed out. It would also cut billions from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, which provides food aid to low-income people and families.

“We all know what’s at stake,” Bell said. “We all know the folks who are at stake are some of our most vulnerable folks, seniors, children, working families. So we hope and expect that our colleagues on the other side of the aisle do the right thing.”&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1747909013152.png" alt="U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver-image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver-image courtesy CSPAN</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>Missouri’s Democratic members of Congress decried the proposed GOP cuts to Medicaid in a press briefing Wednesday, calling the move a handout to the rich that would harm the state’s most vulnerable.&nbsp;The U.S. House is debating a massive reconciliation package that, as written now, would slash roughly $800 billion from Medicaid and Affordable Care Act provisions, and $300 billion from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cbpp.org/press/statements/house-republicans-shockingly-harmful-agenda-is-now-crystal-clear-the-country" target="_blank">according to</a>&nbsp;the left-leaning Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, a Democrat who represents a district which includes Kansas City, said the proposed changes would have “disastrous consequences” in Missouri, where Medicaid access can be a “matter of life or death” for millions of enrollees.“It will lead to sicker and more pain-filled communities. It will be a massive economic weight holding down Missouri families and small businesses alike, as more of our neighbors are stricken with increased medical debt,” Cleaver said.The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cbo.gov/system/files/2025-05/61422-Reconciliation-Distributional-Analysis.pdf" target="_blank">Congressional Budget Office</a>&nbsp;found the House’s plan would result in the lowest-earning households seeing resources decrease while the highest-earners gain.One in five Missourians is on Medicaid, or&nbsp;<a href="https://dss.mo.gov/mis/clcounter/" target="_blank">over 1.2 million</a>&nbsp;people. Missouri’s&nbsp;<a href="https://mffh.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/2025-MO-Medicaid-Basics-fact-sheet.pdf" target="_blank">Medicaid program&nbsp;</a>covers 39% of all children in the state and pays for two-thirds of nursing home care.Congressman Wesley Bell, a Democrat who represents the district including St. Louis, said Medicaid cuts would cause people to delay care.“Medicaid serves as a stabilizing force for entire communities, and when it’s cut, the consequences show up everywhere, from overcrowded ERs to delayed treatment and preventable illness,” Bell said. “And when those folks don’t have access to quality health care and preventative medicine, they go to the ER so we’re going to pay for it one way or the other.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1747908867808.png" alt=" U.S. Rep. Wesley Bell speaks Weds May 21, 2025 at a virtual press conference about Medicaid cuts (screenshot)." />
 <figcaption> U.S. Rep. Wesley Bell speaks Weds May 21, 2025 at a virtual press conference about Medicaid cuts (screenshot).</figcaption>
 </figure>The GOP budget includes adding work requirements and other changes to Medicaid that the Congressional Budget Office estimates would boot millions nationally from the rolls.&nbsp;In Missouri,&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/proposed-federal-work-reporting-requirements-could-cut-over-90k-missourians-from-medicaid/">work requirements</a>&nbsp;alone could kick over 90,000 people off the rolls, many of whom would be working or eligible for an exception but get caught up in red tape. The changes taken together, including proposed increased eligibility checks and limitations on state-levied provider taxes, could remove around 166,000 people from the rolls in Missouri,<a href="https://www.kff.org/medicaid/issue-brief/state-level-context-for-federal-medicaid-cuts-of-625-billion-and-enrollment-declines-of-10-3-million/" target="_blank">&nbsp;a KFF analysis found.&nbsp;</a>U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley has been a rare Republican&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/12/opinion/josh-hawley-dont-cut-medicaid.html" target="_blank">voice against Medicaid cuts</a>, calling them morally and politically wrong.“Far be it for me to agree with Senator Hawley, but his point is well taken,” Bell said. “This is a slap in the face. It is an attack on working class families.”The bill is still being hashed out. It would also cut billions from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, which provides food aid to low-income people and families.“We all know what’s at stake,” Bell said. “We all know the folks who are at stake are some of our most vulnerable folks, seniors, children, working families. So we hope and expect that our colleagues on the other side of the aisle do the right thing.”&nbsp;

‘An attack on working class families’: Missouri Democrats decry proposed Medicaid cuts

TOPEKA—A Kansas man will serve more than three years in prison for felony abuse of a child, according to Kansas Attorney General Chris Kobach.

On January 31, James Z.T. Rhodes, 33, of Paradise, pled guilty to the crimes.&nbsp; Russell County District Court Judge Levi Morris imposed the sentence of 41 months in the Kansas Department of Corrections.

On July 23, 2024, after the 5-month-old victim was transported to Wesley Medical Center in Wichita with life-threatening injuries, Rhodes admitted to becoming angry with the victim and throwing her into her crib. 

He also admitted to forcefully striking the infant’s forehead with his open hand.

“Our job is to protect the most vulnerable,” said Assistant Attorney General Nicole Southall, who prosecuted the case on behalf of the Kansas Attorney General’s Office. 

“Holding the abuser accountable before a homicide occurred is a fundamental step in our pursuit of justice for this child.”

The Kansas Bureau of Investigation investigated the crime.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1747862614840.png" alt="Rhodes photo Phillips County Jail" />
 <figcaption>Rhodes photo Phillips County Jail</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA—A Kansas man will serve more than three years in prison for felony abuse of a child, according to Kansas Attorney General Chris Kobach.On January 31, James Z.T. Rhodes, 33, of Paradise, pled guilty to the crimes.&nbsp; Russell County District Court Judge Levi Morris imposed the sentence of 41 months in the Kansas Department of Corrections.On July 23, 2024, after the 5-month-old victim was transported to Wesley Medical Center in Wichita with life-threatening injuries, Rhodes admitted to becoming angry with the victim and throwing her into her crib. He also admitted to forcefully striking the infant’s forehead with his open hand.“Our job is to protect the most vulnerable,” said Assistant Attorney General Nicole Southall, who prosecuted the case on behalf of the Kansas Attorney General’s Office. “Holding the abuser accountable before a homicide occurred is a fundamental step in our pursuit of justice for this child.”The Kansas Bureau of Investigation investigated the crime.

Prison: Kansas man's violence injured 5-month-old

JACKSON COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating two suspect on multiple allegations after a

Just after 4a.m. May 18, a sheriff's deputy conducted a traffic stop on a Ford Escape for a traffic violation near 110th Road on U.S. Highway 75, according to Sheriff Tim Morse.

The driver, 62-year-old Dewayne Marshall Anderson, of Topeka, was arrested and booked into the Jackson County Jail on requested charges of possession of stolen property, transporting an open container, illegal registration and no insurance. 

 The passenger, 43-year-old Stella Marie Mahkuk, of Horton, was arrested and booked into the Jackson County Jail on requested charges of possession of cocaine, possession of methampehtamine, possession of drug paraphernalia and transporting an open container.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1747757779580.png" alt="Anderson photo Jackson County" />
 <figcaption>Anderson photo Jackson County</figcaption>
 </figure>JACKSON COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating two suspect on multiple allegations after aJust after 4a.m. May 18, a sheriff's deputy conducted a traffic stop on a Ford Escape for a traffic violation near 110th Road on U.S. Highway 75, according to Sheriff Tim Morse.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1747757761082.png" alt="Mahkuk photo Jackson Co." />
 <figcaption>Mahkuk photo Jackson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>The driver, 62-year-old Dewayne Marshall Anderson, of Topeka, was arrested and booked into the Jackson County Jail on requested charges of possession of stolen property, transporting an open container, illegal registration and no insurance. The passenger, 43-year-old Stella Marie Mahkuk, of Horton, was arrested and booked into the Jackson County Jail on requested charges of possession of cocaine, possession of methampehtamine, possession of drug paraphernalia and transporting an open container.

Kan. couple caught transporting stolen property, cocaine

By:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/ashley-murray/">Ashley Murray</a>

WASHINGTON — Senators tasked with tax writing split along party lines Tuesday praising and grilling former Republican U.S. Rep. Billy Long of Missouri, President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Internal Revenue Service, the agency tasked with enforcing the largest source of U.S. revenue as the country faces record debt and interest costs.

Long, who served in Congress from 2011 to 2023 and previously spent multiple years as a talk radio host, testified to the Senate Finance Committee that he plans to get rid of “stinking thinking” at the IRS and implement a “comprehensive plan” to modernize the agency and “invest in retaining skilled members of the team.”

“This does not mean a bloated agency, but an efficient one where employees have the tools they need to succeed,” Long said.

The agency has lost more than 11,000 employees, or 11% of its workforce, either through deferred resignations or mass firing of probationary workers since Trump began his second term, according to a May 2&nbsp;<a href="https://www.tigta.gov/sites/default/files/reports/2025-05/2025ier017fr.pdf" target="_blank">report</a>&nbsp;from the agency’s inspector general. Trump said in December he intended to nominate Long for the IRS post.

Committee Chair Mike Crapo of Idaho opened the confirmation hearing expressing his confidence in Long, saying he will direct a “sea change” at the agency that will benefit taxpayers.

“President Trump called Congressman Long the ‘consummate people person.’ Congressman Long is very clear that he will make himself available to all IRS employees, no matter their seniority. Moreover, he wants to implement a top-down culture change at the agency,” Crapo said.

The confirmation hearing comes as lawmakers&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/us-house-right-wing-tanks-trumps-big-beautiful-bill-budget-committee" target="_blank">struggle to agree</a>&nbsp;on a budget reconciliation package, which will extend and expand Trump’s 2017 tax law and in turn widen IRS responsibilities.

Sen. James Lankford, an Oklahoma Republican, said he trusted Long’s work ethic and told him, “We’re going to do a tax bill here in the next couple of months. To be able to get that done, as we did it in 2017, there’ll be a lot of work the IRS has to do to be able to put guidance documents out, to be able to get clear instructions of what that means.”

Democrats approached the hearing with skepticism.

The nearly two-hour back-and-forth with Long followed recent revelations that he accepted donations to his defunct Senate campaign shortly after Trump nominated him as the IRS commissioner. Democratic senators on the panel have also&nbsp;<a href="https://www.finance.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/cortez_masto_wyden_letter_white_river_energy_corp.pdf" target="_blank">called for an investigation</a>&nbsp;into Long’s work with a company that peddled nonexistent tribal tax credits.

“Bottom line, the American people have the right to know whether the future IRS commissioner is a crook,” said Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon, the panel’s top Democrat.

Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, a Nevada Democrat, pressed Long about $65,000 he allegedly received for his involvement promoting the fake tax credits for the companies Capital Edge Strategies and White River.

“Knowing that (the credits) are illegal, the IRS has said they’re illegal, how do you stand here before this committee and tell the chairman just a few minutes ago that you have no conflict of interest?” Cortez Masto asked.

Long replied that he’s in compliance with the Office of Government Ethics regarding his nomination and that he “did not have any perception whatsoever that these (credits) did not exist.”

Other Democrats on the panel questioned Long on Trump’s recent statements that he would pull Harvard University’s tax-exempt status over its refusal to comply with demands from the administration.

Wyden characterized Long as a “MAGA devotee” and said that Trump wants to use the IRS “as a cudgel to beat his adversaries into submission.”

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who sent Long&nbsp;<a href="https://www.warren.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/letter_from_senator_warren_to_billy_long_on_nomination_concerns.pdf" target="_blank">a 14-page letter</a>&nbsp;questioning his past, repeatedly asked Long about a statute prohibiting the president from ordering tax audits on specific people or businesses.

“Is it illegal for the President to instruct the IRS to remove nonprofit status from taxpayers?” Warren asked several times.

“I’m not going to have the answer that you need, I apologize,” Long said.

Senate Republicans on the panel questioned Long on how he can improve customer service for taxpayers — despite the party successfully fighting in 2023 to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/IN12172" target="_blank">cut</a>&nbsp;new IRS funding under President Joe Biden in 2022.

Sen. Todd Young of Indiana said the agency is “behind the curve” on technology and that its customer service issues are “out of hand.”

“If confirmed, will you commit to developing a comprehensive IRS modernization plan that prioritizes customer service, identifies critical technology infrastructure needs and ensures greater transparency and audit practices? Yes or no?” Young asked.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1747859738526.png" alt=" Former U.S. Rep. Billy Long, nominee for Internal Revenue Service commissioner, testifies before the Senate Finance Committee at his confirmation hearing on Tuesday, May 20, 2025. (Screenshot from committee webcast)" />
 <figcaption> Former U.S. Rep. Billy Long, nominee for Internal Revenue Service commissioner, testifies before the Senate Finance Committee at his confirmation hearing on Tuesday, May 20, 2025. (Screenshot from committee webcast)</figcaption>
 </figure>By:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/ashley-murray/">Ashley Murray</a>WASHINGTON — Senators tasked with tax writing split along party lines Tuesday praising and grilling former Republican U.S. Rep. Billy Long of Missouri, President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Internal Revenue Service, the agency tasked with enforcing the largest source of U.S. revenue as the country faces record debt and interest costs.Long, who served in Congress from 2011 to 2023 and previously spent multiple years as a talk radio host, testified to the Senate Finance Committee that he plans to get rid of “stinking thinking” at the IRS and implement a “comprehensive plan” to modernize the agency and “invest in retaining skilled members of the team.”“This does not mean a bloated agency, but an efficient one where employees have the tools they need to succeed,” Long said.The agency has lost more than 11,000 employees, or 11% of its workforce, either through deferred resignations or mass firing of probationary workers since Trump began his second term, according to a May 2&nbsp;<a href="https://www.tigta.gov/sites/default/files/reports/2025-05/2025ier017fr.pdf" target="_blank">report</a>&nbsp;from the agency’s inspector general. Trump said in December he intended to nominate Long for the IRS post.<h2>‘Top-down culture change’</h2>Committee Chair Mike Crapo of Idaho opened the confirmation hearing expressing his confidence in Long, saying he will direct a “sea change” at the agency that will benefit taxpayers.“President Trump called Congressman Long the ‘consummate people person.’ Congressman Long is very clear that he will make himself available to all IRS employees, no matter their seniority. Moreover, he wants to implement a top-down culture change at the agency,” Crapo said.The confirmation hearing comes as lawmakers&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/us-house-right-wing-tanks-trumps-big-beautiful-bill-budget-committee" target="_blank">struggle to agree</a>&nbsp;on a budget reconciliation package, which will extend and expand Trump’s 2017 tax law and in turn widen IRS responsibilities.Sen. James Lankford, an Oklahoma Republican, said he trusted Long’s work ethic and told him, “We’re going to do a tax bill here in the next couple of months. To be able to get that done, as we did it in 2017, there’ll be a lot of work the IRS has to do to be able to put guidance documents out, to be able to get clear instructions of what that means.”<h2>Nonexistent tribal tax credits</h2>Democrats approached the hearing with skepticism.The nearly two-hour back-and-forth with Long followed recent revelations that he accepted donations to his defunct Senate campaign shortly after Trump nominated him as the IRS commissioner. Democratic senators on the panel have also&nbsp;<a href="https://www.finance.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/cortez_masto_wyden_letter_white_river_energy_corp.pdf" target="_blank">called for an investigation</a>&nbsp;into Long’s work with a company that peddled nonexistent tribal tax credits.“Bottom line, the American people have the right to know whether the future IRS commissioner is a crook,” said Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon, the panel’s top Democrat.Long denies any wrongdoing.Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, a Nevada Democrat, pressed Long about $65,000 he allegedly received for his involvement promoting the fake tax credits for the companies Capital Edge Strategies and White River.“Knowing that (the credits) are illegal, the IRS has said they’re illegal, how do you stand here before this committee and tell the chairman just a few minutes ago that you have no conflict of interest?” Cortez Masto asked.Long replied that he’s in compliance with the Office of Government Ethics regarding his nomination and that he “did not have any perception whatsoever that these (credits) did not exist.”Other Democrats on the panel questioned Long on Trump’s recent statements that he would pull Harvard University’s tax-exempt status over its refusal to comply with demands from the administration.Wyden characterized Long as a “MAGA devotee” and said that Trump wants to use the IRS “as a cudgel to beat his adversaries into submission.”<h2>14-page letter</h2>Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who sent Long&nbsp;<a href="https://www.warren.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/letter_from_senator_warren_to_billy_long_on_nomination_concerns.pdf" target="_blank">a 14-page letter</a>&nbsp;questioning his past, repeatedly asked Long about a statute prohibiting the president from ordering tax audits on specific people or businesses.“Is it illegal for the President to instruct the IRS to remove nonprofit status from taxpayers?” Warren asked several times.“I’m not going to have the answer that you need, I apologize,” Long said.Senate Republicans on the panel questioned Long on how he can improve customer service for taxpayers — despite the party successfully fighting in 2023 to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/IN12172" target="_blank">cut</a>&nbsp;new IRS funding under President Joe Biden in 2022.Sen. Todd Young of Indiana said the agency is “behind the curve” on technology and that its customer service issues are “out of hand.”“If confirmed, will you commit to developing a comprehensive IRS modernization plan that prioritizes customer service, identifies critical technology infrastructure needs and ensures greater transparency and audit practices? Yes or no?” Young asked.“Yes,” Long replied.“Excellent,” Young said.&nbsp;

IRS nominee Billy Long probed by Democrats over nonexistent tribal tax credits

McClain County, Oklahoma—Authorities in Oklahoma shared a video Tuesday of a dramatic lightning strike of a police car.

The strike occurred on Monday during a severe storm, according to Newcastle Emergency Emergency Management.&nbsp;No one was hurt. 

"But that could’ve been anyone," the agency reminded. "If you hear thunder, you’re close enough to get hit. Get inside, stay away from trees and metal, and unplug electronics until the storm passes. Take lightning seriously every time."&nbsp; Newcastle is located approximately 2 and one half hours south of Wichita.

McClain County, Oklahoma—Authorities in Oklahoma shared a video Tuesday of a dramatic lightning strike of a police car.<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=395&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2F100068070158289%2Fvideos%2F1709176623353212%2F&show_text=false&width=560&t=1" width="560" height="395" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowFullScreen="true"></iframe></div>The strike occurred on Monday during a severe storm, according to Newcastle Emergency Emergency Management.&nbsp;No one was hurt. "But that could’ve been anyone," the agency reminded. "If you hear thunder, you’re close enough to get hit. Get inside, stay away from trees and metal, and unplug electronics until the storm passes. Take lightning seriously every time."&nbsp; Newcastle is located approximately 2 and one half hours south of Wichita.

🎥 Lightning bolt strikes police vehicle 

KANSAS CITY—Authorities are investigating the cause of a fire at a large auto auction lot in Kansas City.

Just after midnight on Tuesday, crews&nbsp;responded to a reported car fire in the 3900 block of N. Skiles at the Manheim Auto Auction, according to Battalion Chief Michael Hopkins.

 On arrival crews reported multiple cars on fire in a rear lot of the property. Multiple pumpers had to be called to the scene to get the fires under control due to the distance from the street and hydrant accessibility. 

In total approximately 25 cars burned. The fire was placed under control at 01:52 a.m. The cause of the fire is under investigation by KCFD. No injuries were reported

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1747773102324.png" alt="A view of the Manheim Auto Auction location -image courtesy KCTV" />
 <figcaption>A view of the Manheim Auto Auction location -image courtesy KCTV</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY—Authorities are investigating the cause of a fire at a large auto auction lot in Kansas City. Just after midnight on Tuesday, crews&nbsp;responded to a reported car fire in the 3900 block of N. Skiles at the Manheim Auto Auction, according to Battalion Chief Michael Hopkins. On arrival crews reported multiple cars on fire in a rear lot of the property. Multiple pumpers had to be called to the scene to get the fires under control due to the distance from the street and hydrant accessibility. In total approximately 25 cars burned. The fire was placed under control at 01:52 a.m. The cause of the fire is under investigation by KCFD. No injuries were reported

Over 2 dozen cars destroyed in KC auto auction fire

Current and former colleagues praised Bond for energy, dedication to job as auditor, governor and U.S. Senator

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>

Missouri said goodbye Tuesday to Kit Bond, the Republican former governor, U.S. Senator and auditor who&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/05/13/kit-bond-former-missouri-governor-u-s-senator-dead-at-86/">spent 34 of his 86 years in public office</a>.

During a memorial service in the Missouri Capitol Building’s rotunda, Bond was eulogized by John Ashcroft, the Republican who succeeded him in office as governor, and U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, a Democrat who said the two formed a lifelong friendship during Bond’s first term as governor from 1973 to 1977.

“Talk is cheap, but doing takes the devotion of one’s lifetime,” Ashcroft said. “Bond was a doer.”

Cleaver said he first met Bond as a civil rights leader, and the friendship was cemented during his time as mayor of Kansas City and when he was elected to Congress in 2004.&nbsp;

On Cleaver’s arrival in Washington, Bond, starting his fourth term in the Senate, held a reception for the freshman Democrat. They worked together to restore the Liberty Memorial, obtain funds for a new courthouse and find money for bridge and road projects, Cleaver said.

“I will be delighted for the rest of my life to have worked with Kit Bond,” Cleaver said.

The hour-long ceremony also featured prayers from former U.S. Sen. Jack Danforth, an Episcopal priest who, along with Bond and Ashcroft, were the young Republican leaders who broke a Democratic monopoly on state offices in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Bond’s casket will remain in the rotunda until 1 p.m. Wednesday, when he will be taken to St. Louis for a family memorial service and private interment.

Bond died May 13 and was survived by his wife of 22 years, Linda Holwick Bond, and his son, Samuel.

Bond grew up in Mexico, Missouri, the grandson of the founder of A.P. Green Industries, a fireclay manufacturer and a major employer at the time. He attended a boarding school in Massachusetts, Princeton University as an undergraduate and studied law in Virginia, practicing law in Washington, D.C., until he returned home in 1967.&nbsp;

Bond lost a bid for Congress in 1968 before winning the race for state auditor in 1970. When he was elected governor in 1972 at the age of 33, he was — and remains — the youngest person ever to win the state’s highest office.

In 2020, veteran journalist Phill Brooks, who covered both Bond administrations for KMOX and the University of Missouri School of Journalism, wrote that Bond won office in 1972 by campaigning on a platform to&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2020/10/23/capitol-perspectives-the-better-angels-of-our-nature/">restrict special interest influence</a>&nbsp;in government.

“His victory empowered him to lead the successful, bipartisan legislative effort for campaign and lobbyist disclosure requirements, as well as the state’s ‘Sunshine Law’ requiring public access to government meetings and records,” Brooks wrote.

In his first term, Bond also won passage of stronger consumer protection laws and, in 1975, issued an&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sos.mo.gov/cmsimages/archives/resources/findingaids/miscMormRecs/eo/19760625_RescisOrder.pdf" target="_blank">executive order rescinding</a>&nbsp;former Gov. Lilburn Boggs’ 1838 order that Mormons “<a href="https://www.sos.mo.gov/cmsimages/archives/resources/findingaids/miscMormRecs/eo/18381027_ExtermOrder.pdf" target="_blank">must be exterminated</a>&nbsp;or driven from the state.”

Bond also reorganized state government, taking it from 96 independent agencies to 14 state departments organized along lines of responsibility such as health, education and corrections.

After losing a bid for re-election, Bond made a political comeback in 1980, winning the governor’s office again. He won his seat in the U.S. Senate in 1986 and was re-elected three times.

The turnout Tuesday, which filled the rotunda for the 45-minute memorial service, included former governors Bob Holden and Mike Parson, former U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt, people who had worked with Bond in Jefferson City and Washington, and current officials elected since he left office in 2010.

Warren Erdman, executive vice president-administration and corporate affairs for Kansas City Southern railway, was Bond’s chief of staff in his U.S. Senate office and an aide to Bond in his second term as governor. He said Bond embodied the spirit of the early Pilgrims, who founded a society, described by John Winthrop in 1630, as one of “communal charity, affection and unity.”

“Kit loved and practiced these beliefs throughout his lifetime and in his public service,” Erdmann said. “They were foundational to his approach to public service.”

In his second term as governor, Bond had to deal with state budget shortfalls as the economy weakened. He promoted and won passage of a $600 million construction bond issue to boost employment and renew state facilities.

As a senator, Bond became known for his work on the Senate Intelligence Committee, his commitment to national defense and, as illustrated by buildings like the Christopher S. Bond Life Sciences Center at the University of Missouri, the source of earmarked federal funds for local projects.

When his son was born, Bond was introduced to the program for parental guidance of education that became known as Parents as Teachers.&nbsp;

“I think that Parents as Teachers is Missouri’s greatest export,” Bond said in an&nbsp;<a href="https://files.shsmo.org/research/oralhistory/s1125/bondc.pdf" target="_blank">oral history interview in 2014</a>. “We believe that when you advocate Parents as Teachers, you are telling people across the country that Parents as Teachers is Missouri’s greatest export.”

In that same interview, Bond said “the job of governor was one of the most satisfying jobs I’ve ever had.”

Bond’s 1972 victory energized new leaders to go into public service, Ashcroft said in his eulogy.

“Over and over again. Kit launched the careers of young people, talented, committed, dedicated people who later, after appointment, found opportunity beckoning them to achievement levels they had not anticipated,” Ashcroft said.

Danforth, who has parted ways with Republicans over many issues in recent years, said Bond made state government better and enjoyed doing it.

“He elevated the quality of government,” Danforth said. “And besides that, in his day, politics was fun. I don’t think it’s fun anymore.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1747823252276.png" alt=" Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe and First Lady Claudia Kehoe take a moment by the casket of Christopher S. “Kit” Bond during a memorial service Tuesday the Missouri State Capitol rotunda (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent)." />
 <figcaption> Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe and First Lady Claudia Kehoe take a moment by the casket of Christopher S. “Kit” Bond during a memorial service Tuesday the Missouri State Capitol rotunda (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent).</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Current and former colleagues praised Bond for energy, dedication to job as auditor, governor and U.S. Senator</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>Missouri said goodbye Tuesday to Kit Bond, the Republican former governor, U.S. Senator and auditor who&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/05/13/kit-bond-former-missouri-governor-u-s-senator-dead-at-86/">spent 34 of his 86 years in public office</a>.During a memorial service in the Missouri Capitol Building’s rotunda, Bond was eulogized by John Ashcroft, the Republican who succeeded him in office as governor, and U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, a Democrat who said the two formed a lifelong friendship during Bond’s first term as governor from 1973 to 1977.“Talk is cheap, but doing takes the devotion of one’s lifetime,” Ashcroft said. “Bond was a doer.”Cleaver said he first met Bond as a civil rights leader, and the friendship was cemented during his time as mayor of Kansas City and when he was elected to Congress in 2004.&nbsp;On Cleaver’s arrival in Washington, Bond, starting his fourth term in the Senate, held a reception for the freshman Democrat. They worked together to restore the Liberty Memorial, obtain funds for a new courthouse and find money for bridge and road projects, Cleaver said.“I will be delighted for the rest of my life to have worked with Kit Bond,” Cleaver said.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1747823322924.png" alt=" Kit Bond’s portrait in the Hall of Governor’s is marked by a black band to memorialize his death (Rudi Keller/Missouri Independent)." />
 <figcaption> Kit Bond’s portrait in the Hall of Governor’s is marked by a black band to memorialize his death (Rudi Keller/Missouri Independent).</figcaption>
 </figure>The hour-long ceremony also featured prayers from former U.S. Sen. Jack Danforth, an Episcopal priest who, along with Bond and Ashcroft, were the young Republican leaders who broke a Democratic monopoly on state offices in the late 1960s and early 1970s.Bond’s casket will remain in the rotunda until 1 p.m. Wednesday, when he will be taken to St. Louis for a family memorial service and private interment.Bond died May 13 and was survived by his wife of 22 years, Linda Holwick Bond, and his son, Samuel.Bond grew up in Mexico, Missouri, the grandson of the founder of A.P. Green Industries, a fireclay manufacturer and a major employer at the time. He attended a boarding school in Massachusetts, Princeton University as an undergraduate and studied law in Virginia, practicing law in Washington, D.C., until he returned home in 1967.&nbsp;Bond lost a bid for Congress in 1968 before winning the race for state auditor in 1970. When he was elected governor in 1972 at the age of 33, he was — and remains — the youngest person ever to win the state’s highest office.In 2020, veteran journalist Phill Brooks, who covered both Bond administrations for KMOX and the University of Missouri School of Journalism, wrote that Bond won office in 1972 by campaigning on a platform to&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2020/10/23/capitol-perspectives-the-better-angels-of-our-nature/">restrict special interest influence</a>&nbsp;in government.“His victory empowered him to lead the successful, bipartisan legislative effort for campaign and lobbyist disclosure requirements, as well as the state’s ‘Sunshine Law’ requiring public access to government meetings and records,” Brooks wrote.In his first term, Bond also won passage of stronger consumer protection laws and, in 1975, issued an&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sos.mo.gov/cmsimages/archives/resources/findingaids/miscMormRecs/eo/19760625_RescisOrder.pdf" target="_blank">executive order rescinding</a>&nbsp;former Gov. Lilburn Boggs’ 1838 order that Mormons “<a href="https://www.sos.mo.gov/cmsimages/archives/resources/findingaids/miscMormRecs/eo/18381027_ExtermOrder.pdf" target="_blank">must be exterminated</a>&nbsp;or driven from the state.”Bond also reorganized state government, taking it from 96 independent agencies to 14 state departments organized along lines of responsibility such as health, education and corrections.After losing a bid for re-election, Bond made a political comeback in 1980, winning the governor’s office again. He won his seat in the U.S. Senate in 1986 and was re-elected three times.The turnout Tuesday, which filled the rotunda for the 45-minute memorial service, included former governors Bob Holden and Mike Parson, former U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt, people who had worked with Bond in Jefferson City and Washington, and current officials elected since he left office in 2010.Warren Erdman, executive vice president-administration and corporate affairs for Kansas City Southern railway, was Bond’s chief of staff in his U.S. Senate office and an aide to Bond in his second term as governor. He said Bond embodied the spirit of the early Pilgrims, who founded a society, described by John Winthrop in 1630, as one of “communal charity, affection and unity.”“Kit loved and practiced these beliefs throughout his lifetime and in his public service,” Erdmann said. “They were foundational to his approach to public service.”In his second term as governor, Bond had to deal with state budget shortfalls as the economy weakened. He promoted and won passage of a $600 million construction bond issue to boost employment and renew state facilities.As a senator, Bond became known for his work on the Senate Intelligence Committee, his commitment to national defense and, as illustrated by buildings like the Christopher S. Bond Life Sciences Center at the University of Missouri, the source of earmarked federal funds for local projects.When his son was born, Bond was introduced to the program for parental guidance of education that became known as Parents as Teachers.&nbsp;“I think that Parents as Teachers is Missouri’s greatest export,” Bond said in an&nbsp;<a href="https://files.shsmo.org/research/oralhistory/s1125/bondc.pdf" target="_blank">oral history interview in 2014</a>. “We believe that when you advocate Parents as Teachers, you are telling people across the country that Parents as Teachers is Missouri’s greatest export.”In that same interview, Bond said “the job of governor was one of the most satisfying jobs I’ve ever had.”Bond’s 1972 victory energized new leaders to go into public service, Ashcroft said in his eulogy.“Over and over again. Kit launched the careers of young people, talented, committed, dedicated people who later, after appointment, found opportunity beckoning them to achievement levels they had not anticipated,” Ashcroft said.Danforth, who has parted ways with Republicans over many issues in recent years, said Bond made state government better and enjoyed doing it.“He elevated the quality of government,” Danforth said. “And besides that, in his day, politics was fun. I don’t think it’s fun anymore.”

Kit Bond eulogized as inspirational leader, political innovator at Missouri memorial service

JOHNSON COUNTY—A man injured in an accident that occurred just after 5p.m. April 20 in Johnson County has died.&nbsp;

According to Overland Park Police a vehicle was eastbound on W. 143rd Street at King Street. The vehicle struck a northbound vehicle driven by 86-year-old Jacob Webb of Shawnee Kansas, who was attempting to make a left turn onto westbound W. 143rd Street from King Street.&nbsp; EMS transported Webb to a local hospital for treatment of serious injuries.

On Tuesday, the Johnson County Medical Examiner notified the Overland Park Police Mr. Webb had died due to injuries from the crash.

The crash is still under investigation. Anyone with additional information, please contact the Overland Park Traffic Unit at 913-327-6731. 

JOHNSON COUNTY—A man injured in an accident that occurred just after 5p.m. April 20 in Johnson County has died.&nbsp;According to Overland Park Police a vehicle was eastbound on W. 143rd Street at King Street. The vehicle struck a northbound vehicle driven by 86-year-old Jacob Webb of Shawnee Kansas, who was attempting to make a left turn onto westbound W. 143rd Street from King Street.&nbsp; EMS transported Webb to a local hospital for treatment of serious injuries.On Tuesday, the Johnson County Medical Examiner notified the Overland Park Police Mr. Webb had died due to injuries from the crash.The crash is still under investigation. Anyone with additional information, please contact the Overland Park Traffic Unit at 913-327-6731.

86-year-old Kan. man dies from injuries a month after crash

KANSAS CITY—A Kansas City man is going to prison for a fatal stabbing.

Last week Phillip R. Lacy was sentenced to 18 years in prison for a fatal stabbing that took place in 2023, according to&nbsp;Jackson County Prosecutor Melesa Johnson

Lacy pled guilty to Voluntary Manslaughter and Armed Criminal Action. He was sentenced to 15 years for Voluntary Manslaughter and three years for Armed Criminal Action, for a total of 18 years in prison.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.jacksoncountyprosecutor.com/DocumentCenter/View/2620/Phillip-Lacy-Statement-of-Probable-Cause_Redacted">According to court records</a>, Kansas City police were dispatched on November 10, 2023, to 24th Street and Cypress Avenue and found the victim. He was later declared deceased at a local hospital.&nbsp;

Based on witness reports, Lacy was smoking methamphetamine and then engaged in an altercation with the victim in an abandoned building. During the altercation, Lacy produced a screwdriver and began stabbing the victim.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1747509660446.png" alt="Lacy photo Jackson Co." />
 <figcaption>Lacy photo Jackson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY—A Kansas City man is going to prison for a fatal stabbing.Last week Phillip R. Lacy was sentenced to 18 years in prison for a fatal stabbing that took place in 2023, according to&nbsp;Jackson County Prosecutor Melesa JohnsonLacy pled guilty to Voluntary Manslaughter and Armed Criminal Action. He was sentenced to 15 years for Voluntary Manslaughter and three years for Armed Criminal Action, for a total of 18 years in prison.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.jacksoncountyprosecutor.com/DocumentCenter/View/2620/Phillip-Lacy-Statement-of-Probable-Cause_Redacted">According to court records</a>, Kansas City police were dispatched on November 10, 2023, to 24th Street and Cypress Avenue and found the victim. He was later declared deceased at a local hospital.&nbsp;Based on witness reports, Lacy was smoking methamphetamine and then engaged in an altercation with the victim in an abandoned building. During the altercation, Lacy produced a screwdriver and began stabbing the victim.&nbsp;

Kansas City man admits to killing victim with a screwdriver

GEARY COUNTY —A Kansas woman involved in an alleged domestic incident involving a Junction City City commissioner&nbsp;

During a Geary County District Court hearing Monday, 26-year-old Corrieyonna Trice entered a not guilty plea to a misdemeanor charge of Domestic Battery involving Commissioner 30-year-old Alovence Gordon with whom she lived.

A jury trial was scheduled for September 15 in the case.

Trice was charged following the alleged incident involving Gordon. He too faces one misdemeanor count of Domestic Battery with arraignment scheduled on June 2.

On January 23, police were called to their home. Trice had earlier testified about a fight with Gordon revolving around hair clips that she had laid out to do her hair. The clips wound up in a shopping bag carried by Gordon with a dispute over who had initially possessed the clips. 

Earlier this month, the court denied a defense motion for immunity from prosecution by Gordon in the case.&nbsp;

Gordon and Trice had been in a relationship for nearly seven years.&nbsp; Both were released from custody on own recognizance, according to online jail records.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1737753585186.jpeg" alt="Alovence Gordon photo Geary Co." />
 <figcaption>Alovence Gordon photo Geary Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>GEARY COUNTY —A Kansas woman involved in an alleged domestic incident involving a Junction City City commissioner&nbsp;During a Geary County District Court hearing Monday, 26-year-old Corrieyonna Trice entered a not guilty plea to a misdemeanor charge of Domestic Battery involving Commissioner 30-year-old Alovence Gordon with whom she lived.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1737753680992.jpeg" alt="Corrieyonna Trice photo Geary Co." />
 <figcaption>Corrieyonna Trice photo Geary Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>A jury trial was scheduled for September 15 in the case.Trice was charged following the alleged incident involving Gordon. He too faces one misdemeanor count of Domestic Battery with arraignment scheduled on June 2.On January 23, police were called to their home. Trice had earlier testified about a fight with Gordon revolving around hair clips that she had laid out to do her hair. The clips wound up in a shopping bag carried by Gordon with a dispute over who had initially possessed the clips. Earlier this month, the court denied a defense motion for immunity from prosecution by Gordon in the case.&nbsp;Gordon and Trice had been in a relationship for nearly seven years.&nbsp; Both were released from custody on own recognizance, according to online jail records.

Kan. woman enters plea in alleged fight over hair clips

KANSAs CITY —Police in Kansas City, Missouri are attempting to identify suspects who were involved in an assault that occurred in the 7600-Block of Monroe Ave at 10:30a.m. on May 5, according to KCPD Officer Alayna Gonzalez.

If you can identify the suspects please contact the Assault Squad at 816-234-5227 or the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1747770310140.png" alt="Image Kansas City, Missouri Police" />
 <figcaption>Image Kansas City, Missouri Police</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAs CITY —Police in Kansas City, Missouri are attempting to identify suspects who were involved in an assault that occurred in the 7600-Block of Monroe Ave at 10:30a.m. on May 5, according to KCPD Officer Alayna Gonzalez.If you can identify the suspects please contact the Assault Squad at 816-234-5227 or the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS.

KCPD working to ID assault suspects

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>

SCRANTON — On a gravel road northwest of this small Kansas town, a picturesque creek with overhanging trees shimmers with brilliant shades of green.

The beauty, though, hasn’t made up for the aggravation caused by high floodwaters that sweep the wooden bridge over that creek off its moorings to land about 30 yards or so away from the roadway, leaving the road impassable for area farmers, said Ryan Fine, Osage County public works director.

“That old wood one, it kept floating away. If we got a big, heavy rain, it would float down there, and we’d have to grab it out of the trees,” he said, gesturing down the creek. “The last time it happened, I said, ‘Leave that sucker in the trees. I gotta figure this out.’ ”

The cost of a new bridge, done with the typical bridge construction the county uses, would have been more than $300,000, Fine said. Instead, with the help of the Soy Transportation Coalition and the Kansas Soybean Association, the total bridge price was about $106,000, attributed to financial help and building a different style of bridge.

The new culvert bridge has walls, called headwalls, attached to the sides of the culvert and wingwalls that come out from there to help support the bridge, Fine said. Then large beams are set into the ground to a depth of four or five feet, he said. The top is covered with rock.&nbsp;

“Even if there is erosion from high water where it does go over this road, this should stay locked in place,” Fine said, then added with a smile, “OK, can’t say it would always lock in place, because water can do some amazing things. But this is going to give us a better chance of it staying put where it needs to be.”

Fine said he remembered that Raylen Phelon, a commissioner at large for the Kansas Soybean Commission and vice-chairman of the STC, spoke at county meetings about help available for transportation projects.

He reached out and as a result, Osage County’s bridge became the first project in the state to use soybean checkoff funds set aside for such projects through the transportation coalition, Phelon said.

It’s also the first official use of the Soy Transportation Coalition’s report that was put together to offer innovative solutions for replacing and repairing rural bridges, Phelon said. STC&nbsp;is made up of 13 state soybean boards, the American Soybean Association and the United Soybean Board. The organization works to address transportation issues that affect the soy industry’s ability to move products.

The STC innovation report was designed to give counties options to consider when they replaced or repaired bridges, often with a significantly smaller price tag, said Kaleb Little, CEO of the Kansas Soybean Association. So along with $4,500 for the engineering costs on the project, they want to support creative thinking to solve problems that impact soybean farmers, he said.

“What I really am tickled about is we’re using checkoff dollars,” Phelon said of the $4,500 check presented to Osage County. “It’s farmers’ checkoff dollars, from when they sell soybeans. It’s one-half of 1%, or a nickel every bushel with the prices right now, and it’s coming right back into the county, to where the farmers are at.”

Using checkoff dollars is a win-win for everyone, from the county and taxpayers to the farmers at the local level, he said.&nbsp;

Phelon said he became&nbsp; involved in STC because, as a soybean farmer, he knows how important infrastructure is. It was evident when a small bridge near his Melvern farm was getting to be unsafe, but if it had closed, he would have had to go miles out of his way to transport his crop.

“We can grow fantastic crops, but if you can’t get them to market, it affects your price,” Phelon said. “What are you going to do with an overabundance if you can’t move it? Also, it helps the consumer. If we can get it to them, it’ll help their prices be better.”

Phelon said STC supports projects around the country, including a large project at the Port of Grays Harbor in Washington state. Farmers can’t always make the connection to how that project halfway across the country helps them, he said.&nbsp;

But two railroads go from the Midwest to Port of Grays, where soybeans are put on ships and sent around the world, Phelon said.&nbsp;

“So taking products that are grown here in the United States, putting them on a boat and selling them — it helps our price,” he said. “There’s been maybe a little bit of pushback from Kansas farmers to say, well, we don’t sell any soybeans to China. I said wait a minute. Maybe not directly, but if Nebraska is selling them, we’re going to fill that void. And we need to be in that ballgame.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1747756761664.jpeg" alt=" Kaleb Little, left, CEO of the Kansas Soybean Association, Raylen Phelon, center, Kansas soybean farmer and vice-chairman of the Soy Transportation Council, and Ryan Fine, Osage County public works director, take a look at a new bridge near Scranton. (Morgan Chilson/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption> Kaleb Little, left, CEO of the Kansas Soybean Association, Raylen Phelon, center, Kansas soybean farmer and vice-chairman of the Soy Transportation Council, and Ryan Fine, Osage County public works director, take a look at a new bridge near Scranton. (Morgan Chilson/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>SCRANTON — On a gravel road northwest of this small Kansas town, a picturesque creek with overhanging trees shimmers with brilliant shades of green.The beauty, though, hasn’t made up for the aggravation caused by high floodwaters that sweep the wooden bridge over that creek off its moorings to land about 30 yards or so away from the roadway, leaving the road impassable for area farmers, said Ryan Fine, Osage County public works director.“That old wood one, it kept floating away. If we got a big, heavy rain, it would float down there, and we’d have to grab it out of the trees,” he said, gesturing down the creek. “The last time it happened, I said, ‘Leave that sucker in the trees. I gotta figure this out.’ ”The cost of a new bridge, done with the typical bridge construction the county uses, would have been more than $300,000, Fine said. Instead, with the help of the Soy Transportation Coalition and the Kansas Soybean Association, the total bridge price was about $106,000, attributed to financial help and building a different style of bridge.The new culvert bridge has walls, called headwalls, attached to the sides of the culvert and wingwalls that come out from there to help support the bridge, Fine said. Then large beams are set into the ground to a depth of four or five feet, he said. The top is covered with rock.&nbsp;“Even if there is erosion from high water where it does go over this road, this should stay locked in place,” Fine said, then added with a smile, “OK, can’t say it would always lock in place, because water can do some amazing things. But this is going to give us a better chance of it staying put where it needs to be.”<h2>First in Kansas</h2>Fine said he remembered that Raylen Phelon, a commissioner at large for the Kansas Soybean Commission and vice-chairman of the STC, spoke at county meetings about help available for transportation projects.He reached out and as a result, Osage County’s bridge became the first project in the state to use soybean checkoff funds set aside for such projects through the transportation coalition, Phelon said.It’s also the first official use of the Soy Transportation Coalition’s report that was put together to offer innovative solutions for replacing and repairing rural bridges, Phelon said. STC&nbsp;is made up of 13 state soybean boards, the American Soybean Association and the United Soybean Board. The organization works to address transportation issues that affect the soy industry’s ability to move products.The STC innovation report was designed to give counties options to consider when they replaced or repaired bridges, often with a significantly smaller price tag, said Kaleb Little, CEO of the Kansas Soybean Association. So along with $4,500 for the engineering costs on the project, they want to support creative thinking to solve problems that impact soybean farmers, he said.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1747756709682.jpeg" alt=" A new style of bridge that includes beams driven four or five feet into the ground replaced an old wooden bridge that kept moving downstream when it flooded. (Submitted)" />
 <figcaption> A new style of bridge that includes beams driven four or five feet into the ground replaced an old wooden bridge that kept moving downstream when it flooded. (Submitted)</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Soybean checkoff</h2>“What I really am tickled about is we’re using checkoff dollars,” Phelon said of the $4,500 check presented to Osage County. “It’s farmers’ checkoff dollars, from when they sell soybeans. It’s one-half of 1%, or a nickel every bushel with the prices right now, and it’s coming right back into the county, to where the farmers are at.”Using checkoff dollars is a win-win for everyone, from the county and taxpayers to the farmers at the local level, he said.&nbsp;Phelon said he became&nbsp; involved in STC because, as a soybean farmer, he knows how important infrastructure is. It was evident when a small bridge near his Melvern farm was getting to be unsafe, but if it had closed, he would have had to go miles out of his way to transport his crop.“We can grow fantastic crops, but if you can’t get them to market, it affects your price,” Phelon said. “What are you going to do with an overabundance if you can’t move it? Also, it helps the consumer. If we can get it to them, it’ll help their prices be better.”Phelon said STC supports projects around the country, including a large project at the Port of Grays Harbor in Washington state. Farmers can’t always make the connection to how that project halfway across the country helps them, he said.&nbsp;But two railroads go from the Midwest to Port of Grays, where soybeans are put on ships and sent around the world, Phelon said.&nbsp;“So taking products that are grown here in the United States, putting them on a boat and selling them — it helps our price,” he said. “There’s been maybe a little bit of pushback from Kansas farmers to say, well, we don’t sell any soybeans to China. I said wait a minute. Maybe not directly, but if Nebraska is selling them, we’re going to fill that void. And we need to be in that ballgame.”

Kansas county bridge replaced with innovative design, contribution from soybean farmers

<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">State Memorial Service for Christopher S. &quot;Kit&quot; Bond <a href="https://t.co/SXqo798Zuz">https://t.co/SXqo798Zuz</a>&mdash; Governor Mike Kehoe (@GovMikeKehoe) <a href="https://twitter.com/GovMikeKehoe/status/1924872767641403792?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 20, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

🎥Memorial Service for Kit Bond, former Missouri governor, U.S. Senator

Over 90,000 Missourians could lose their Medicaid coverage under a proposal by Congressional Republicans to implement work requirements, according to a pair of recent studies of the plan.

A Republican reconciliation bill still being negotiated in the U.S. House contains various proposed changes to Medicaid — among them work reporting requirements — to pay for an extension of President Donald Trump’s 2017 tax cuts. A preliminary Congressional Budget Office estimate found over&nbsp;<a href="https://democrats-energycommerce.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/democrats-energycommerce.house.gov/files/evo-media-document/cbo-emails-re-e%26c-reconcilation-scores-may-11%2C-2025.pdf" target="_blank">8 million people nationally&nbsp;</a>could lose coverage under the House legislation.

The work requirements would apply to adults on Medicaid between ages 19 and 64, requiring them to report at least 80 hours of work per month or qualify for an exception. The exemptions include people with disabilities, caregivers and pregnant participants.

A&nbsp;<a href="https://www.urban.org/sites/default/files/2025-04/Expanding%20Federal%20Work%20Requirements%20for%20Medicaid%20Expansion%20Coverage%20to%20Age%2064%20Would%20Increase%20Coverage%20Losses%5B61%5D.pdf" target="_blank">report from the Urban Institute</a>&nbsp;and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation published last month found between 84,000 and 96,000 Missourians ages 19 to 64 could lose coverage under the plan. Another&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cbpp.org/research/health/harsh-work-requirements-in-house-republican-bill-would-take-away-medicaid-coverage" target="_blank">report, from the left-leaning Center for Budget and Policy Priorities</a>&nbsp;published last week, estimated a reduction of 91,000 Missourians.&nbsp;

The CBPP analysis found that although 28% of Missouri Medicaid participants in the adult-expansion group could lose coverage, only 8% didn’t work in the last year and don’t qualify for an exemption — meaning thousands of eligible participants would lose coverage.

Work requirements in the current version of the legislation would go into effect in 2029, though there are&nbsp;<a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2025/05/15/megabill-teeters-after-hard-liners-make-their-stand-00352892?utm_source=chatgpt.com" target="_blank">reports</a>&nbsp;Republicans are considering moving up the timeline.

States would be required to monitor compliance and ensure those with exceptions don’t get kicked off. Participants would need to navigate red tape to prove they’re working or exempt.&nbsp;

New bureaucratic hurdles could prove especially problematic in Missouri, which has historically fared poorly with administration of its public assistance programs. Missouri’s social services agency has&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/12/17/leader-of-missouri-social-services-agency-stepping-down-for-new-job-in-poplar-bluff/">struggled</a>&nbsp;to meet federal standards for processing Medicaid applications and is&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/05/07/missouri-is-still-illegally-denying-food-assistance-despite-court-order/">being sued for its administration of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.</a>

Administrative issues — such as long call center wait times, application delays and paperwork issues — routinely cause Missourians who are eligible for benefits to be incorrectly booted from benefit programs.

At a legislative hearing for a proposed work requirement in Missouri earlier this year,&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/02/19/republicans-renew-push-to-enact-work-requirements-for-missouri-medicaid-recipients/">opponents said</a>&nbsp;work requirements on Medicaid would only exacerbate the social service agency’s call center wait times and staffing issues.

One in five Missourians is enrolled on Medicaid.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.rwjf.org/en/insights/our-research/2025/04/expanding-federal-work-requirements-to-age-64-would-increase-medicaid-coverage-losses.html" target="_blank">Most adults on Medicaid</a>&nbsp;are&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kff.org/medicaid/issue-brief/5-key-facts-about-medicaid-work-requirements/" target="_blank">already working</a>&nbsp;or would qualify for an exception, but work reporting requirements would cause many to fall through the cracks, experts say, including low-wage workers with unpredictable hours. Opponents of work requirements&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/16/opinion/medicaid-work-requirements-pointless.html" target="_blank">also say Medicaid is a crucial safety net for workers who are laid-off</a>&nbsp;or fired for reasons beyond their control and lose employer-sponsored health care.

U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley has been a vocal opponent of Medicaid cuts but has said he is supportive of work requirements.

“Listen, if you want to do work requirements, I’m all for that,” he&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOkq1XlcGg0&amp;ab_channel=CNN" target="_blank">told CNN last week</a>. “I bet every Republican, and I bet most Americans would agree with that.”

Arkansas was the first state to adopt Medicaid work requirements in 2018. Until a court halted the program in 2019,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/14/health/medicaid-work-requirements.html" target="_blank">over 18,000 people lost coverage</a>, many of whom didn’t know about exemptions or couldn’t navigate the red tape. Studies found Arkansas’ policy&nbsp;<a href="https://www.healthaffairs.org/doi/10.1377/hlthaff.2020.00538" target="_blank">didn’t result in increased employment.</a>

Georgia’s Medicaid work requirement program has been mired in technical issues,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.propublica.org/series/broken-pathways" target="_blank">ProPublica has reported,</a>&nbsp;and the increased requirements for state employees to verify work status have proven onerous and expensive.

Other proposed Medicaid changes in the U.S. House budget&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/12/us/politics/republicans-medicaid-cuts.html" target="_blank">include</a>&nbsp;more frequent eligibility checks, out-of-pocket copays for some enrollees and freezing the tax states levy on providers to help fund the program.&nbsp;

&nbsp;The federal budget bill is expected to continue&nbsp;<a href="https://punchbowl.news/article/house/budget-clears-reconciliation/" target="_blank">being negotiated</a>&nbsp;in the coming weeks.&nbsp;

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>Over 90,000 Missourians could lose their Medicaid coverage under a proposal by Congressional Republicans to implement work requirements, according to a pair of recent studies of the plan.A Republican reconciliation bill still being negotiated in the U.S. House contains various proposed changes to Medicaid — among them work reporting requirements — to pay for an extension of President Donald Trump’s 2017 tax cuts. A preliminary Congressional Budget Office estimate found over&nbsp;<a href="https://democrats-energycommerce.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/democrats-energycommerce.house.gov/files/evo-media-document/cbo-emails-re-e%26c-reconcilation-scores-may-11%2C-2025.pdf" target="_blank">8 million people nationally&nbsp;</a>could lose coverage under the House legislation.The work requirements would apply to adults on Medicaid between ages 19 and 64, requiring them to report at least 80 hours of work per month or qualify for an exception. The exemptions include people with disabilities, caregivers and pregnant participants.A&nbsp;<a href="https://www.urban.org/sites/default/files/2025-04/Expanding%20Federal%20Work%20Requirements%20for%20Medicaid%20Expansion%20Coverage%20to%20Age%2064%20Would%20Increase%20Coverage%20Losses%5B61%5D.pdf" target="_blank">report from the Urban Institute</a>&nbsp;and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation published last month found between 84,000 and 96,000 Missourians ages 19 to 64 could lose coverage under the plan. Another&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cbpp.org/research/health/harsh-work-requirements-in-house-republican-bill-would-take-away-medicaid-coverage" target="_blank">report, from the left-leaning Center for Budget and Policy Priorities</a>&nbsp;published last week, estimated a reduction of 91,000 Missourians.&nbsp;The CBPP analysis found that although 28% of Missouri Medicaid participants in the adult-expansion group could lose coverage, only 8% didn’t work in the last year and don’t qualify for an exemption — meaning thousands of eligible participants would lose coverage.Work requirements in the current version of the legislation would go into effect in 2029, though there are&nbsp;<a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2025/05/15/megabill-teeters-after-hard-liners-make-their-stand-00352892?utm_source=chatgpt.com" target="_blank">reports</a>&nbsp;Republicans are considering moving up the timeline.States would be required to monitor compliance and ensure those with exceptions don’t get kicked off. Participants would need to navigate red tape to prove they’re working or exempt.&nbsp;New bureaucratic hurdles could prove especially problematic in Missouri, which has historically fared poorly with administration of its public assistance programs. Missouri’s social services agency has&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/12/17/leader-of-missouri-social-services-agency-stepping-down-for-new-job-in-poplar-bluff/">struggled</a>&nbsp;to meet federal standards for processing Medicaid applications and is&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/05/07/missouri-is-still-illegally-denying-food-assistance-despite-court-order/">being sued for its administration of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.</a>Administrative issues — such as long call center wait times, application delays and paperwork issues — routinely cause Missourians who are eligible for benefits to be incorrectly booted from benefit programs.At a legislative hearing for a proposed work requirement in Missouri earlier this year,&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/02/19/republicans-renew-push-to-enact-work-requirements-for-missouri-medicaid-recipients/">opponents said</a>&nbsp;work requirements on Medicaid would only exacerbate the social service agency’s call center wait times and staffing issues.One in five Missourians is enrolled on Medicaid.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.rwjf.org/en/insights/our-research/2025/04/expanding-federal-work-requirements-to-age-64-would-increase-medicaid-coverage-losses.html" target="_blank">Most adults on Medicaid</a>&nbsp;are&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kff.org/medicaid/issue-brief/5-key-facts-about-medicaid-work-requirements/" target="_blank">already working</a>&nbsp;or would qualify for an exception, but work reporting requirements would cause many to fall through the cracks, experts say, including low-wage workers with unpredictable hours. Opponents of work requirements&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/16/opinion/medicaid-work-requirements-pointless.html" target="_blank">also say Medicaid is a crucial safety net for workers who are laid-off</a>&nbsp;or fired for reasons beyond their control and lose employer-sponsored health care.U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley has been a vocal opponent of Medicaid cuts but has said he is supportive of work requirements.“Listen, if you want to do work requirements, I’m all for that,” he&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOkq1XlcGg0&amp;ab_channel=CNN" target="_blank">told CNN last week</a>. “I bet every Republican, and I bet most Americans would agree with that.”Arkansas was the first state to adopt Medicaid work requirements in 2018. Until a court halted the program in 2019,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/14/health/medicaid-work-requirements.html" target="_blank">over 18,000 people lost coverage</a>, many of whom didn’t know about exemptions or couldn’t navigate the red tape. Studies found Arkansas’ policy&nbsp;<a href="https://www.healthaffairs.org/doi/10.1377/hlthaff.2020.00538" target="_blank">didn’t result in increased employment.</a>Georgia’s Medicaid work requirement program has been mired in technical issues,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.propublica.org/series/broken-pathways" target="_blank">ProPublica has reported,</a>&nbsp;and the increased requirements for state employees to verify work status have proven onerous and expensive.Other proposed Medicaid changes in the U.S. House budget&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/12/us/politics/republicans-medicaid-cuts.html" target="_blank">include</a>&nbsp;more frequent eligibility checks, out-of-pocket copays for some enrollees and freezing the tax states levy on providers to help fund the program.&nbsp;&nbsp;The federal budget bill is expected to continue&nbsp;<a href="https://punchbowl.news/article/house/budget-clears-reconciliation/" target="_blank">being negotiated</a>&nbsp;in the coming weeks.&nbsp;

Proposed federal work reporting requirements could cut over 90k Missourians from Medicaid

WASHINGTON —Kansas Junior U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, who spends a lot of time talking with the media, was a guest on Fox Business early Tuesday. 

President Donald Trump, who like to watch television news, apparently was tuned in to see Marshall's interview with Fox host Maria Bartiromo on a variety of topics including controversial cuts to Medicaid.

 The President liked what he saw and used his Truth Social account to praise the Senator.

President Trump wrote, "Senator Roger Marshall was fantastic this morning on Fox Business as interviewed by Maria Bartiromo."&nbsp; "The great people of Kansas are lucky to have him."

WASHINGTON —Kansas Junior U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, who spends a lot of time talking with the media, was a guest on Fox Business early Tuesday. President Donald Trump, who like to watch television news, apparently was tuned in to see Marshall's interview with Fox host Maria Bartiromo on a variety of topics including controversial cuts to Medicaid. The President liked what he saw and used his Truth Social account to praise the Senator.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Thank you, President <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@realDonaldTrump</a>. <a href="https://t.co/PlQAbgzJy5">pic.twitter.com/PlQAbgzJy5</a>&mdash; Dr. Roger Marshall (@RogerMarshallMD) <a href="https://twitter.com/RogerMarshallMD/status/1924805643224907793?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 20, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Medicaid has turned into a $1 trillion business with waste, fraud, and abuse. Republicans are here to save Medicaid for American citizens who need it the most — not illegal aliens. <a href="https://t.co/VR0kFeO9M0">pic.twitter.com/VR0kFeO9M0</a>&mdash; Dr. Roger Marshall (@RogerMarshallMD) <a href="https://twitter.com/RogerMarshallMD/status/1924797670553436249?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 20, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">For four years, the Biden Administration lied to the American people. Even after leaving office, the deception continues. The American people deserve the truth about Joe Biden’s health during his presidency and anything else they’ve been hiding. <a href="https://t.co/Khh0iuQa8c">pic.twitter.com/Khh0iuQa8c</a>&mdash; Dr. Roger Marshall (@RogerMarshallMD) <a href="https://twitter.com/RogerMarshallMD/status/1924832901838827883?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 20, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>President Trump wrote, "Senator Roger Marshall was fantastic this morning on Fox Business as interviewed by Maria Bartiromo."&nbsp; "The great people of Kansas are lucky to have him."

🎥President Trump praised Kan. U.S. Senator's TV appearance

KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement investigating a Sunday shooting in Kansas reported the death of another victim identified as 25-year-old Zackery&nbsp;Matthews.

Just after 4pm Saturday, police were dispatched to a shooting at 73rd Street and South Benton Avenue, according to KCPD Captain Jake Becchina. \

First responders located Matthews in front of a residence on the block there. Officers summoned EMS to the scene who transported him to the hospital for treatment of life threatening injuries.

On Monday, KCPD detectives were notified Matthews died.

Preliminary investigation indicated that Matthews and an unknown suspect had an interaction in front of the residence that escalated and led to gunfire, striking him.

This case is now being investigated as a homicide.

KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement investigating a Sunday shooting in Kansas reported the death of another victim identified as 25-year-old Zackery&nbsp;Matthews.Just after 4pm Saturday, police were dispatched to a shooting at 73rd Street and South Benton Avenue, according to KCPD Captain Jake Becchina. \First responders located Matthews in front of a residence on the block there. Officers summoned EMS to the scene who transported him to the hospital for treatment of life threatening injuries.On Monday, KCPD detectives were notified Matthews died.Preliminary investigation indicated that Matthews and an unknown suspect had an interaction in front of the residence that escalated and led to gunfire, striking him.This case is now being investigated as a homicide.

KCPD: Man wounded in weekend shooting has died

TOPEKA, Kansas. –&nbsp;The Kansas Prisoner Review Board rescinded its previous decision to grant parole to 78-year-old Jimmie Nelms, according to a media release from the Board.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1746744841747.jpeg" alt="Trooper Conroy O'Brien - Courtesy Kansas Highway Patrol&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>Trooper Conroy O'Brien - Courtesy Kansas Highway Patrol&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA, Kansas. –&nbsp;The Kansas Prisoner Review Board rescinded its previous decision to grant parole to 78-year-old Jimmie Nelms, according to a media release from the Board.In 1979, Nelms was sentenced to consecutive life terms plus nine years for the crimes of unlawful possession of a firearm, aggravated kidnapping, and murder in the first degree of Kansas Highway Patrolman Trooper Conroy O’Brien.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1746748524625.png" alt="Nelms photo KDOC" />
 <figcaption>Nelms photo KDOC</figcaption>
 </figure>Nelms has been eligible for parole since 1993 and has appeared before the board nine times, having been initially granted parole after his hearing in March of this year.The board, in a new hearing on May 16 with Nelms, rescinded its previous decision to grant parole and decided to deny him release at this time.On May 8, Kansas Governor asked the board to reconsider the decision.Trooper O’Brien, 26, was conducting a routine traffic stop on the Kansas Turnpike during the early morning hours of May 24, 1978, when Nelms and two others overpowered him. Authorities said O’Brien was forced at gunpoint into a roadside ditch, where he was pistol-whipped and fatally shot twice in the head with his own service weapon.&nbsp;The three suspects, later identified as being wanted in a string of armed robberies across multiple states, were apprehended later that day after engaging another trooper in a gunfight. All were taken into custody following a manhunt.&nbsp;The Kansas Trooper's Association late on Monday released a statement on the new decision. In that statement the president of the trooper's association said in part, “We are grateful to the KRB for ultimately choosing justice,” said KSTA President, Technical Trooper Sage Hill. “Trooper O’Brien gave his life in the line of duty. Granting parole to the man responsible for that murder deeply undermined public trust and the sacrifices of every law enforcement officer. Today, justice was reaffirmed, and we are grateful. Tomorrow, we will begin working to make sure such a close call never happens again.”