Beyond his social media comment, President Trump on Thursday made his first public comments about the ABC television network's decision to suspend Jimmy Kimmel's late night show.&nbsp;

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/9/1758149830141.png" alt="Image courtesy ABC" />
                        <figcaption>Image courtesy ABC</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>Beyond his social media comment, President Trump on Thursday made his first public comments about the ABC television network's decision to suspend Jimmy Kimmel's late night show.&nbsp;</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">President Trump: &quot;Jimmy Kimmel was fired because he had bad ratings more than anything else and he said a horrible thing about a great gentleman known as Charlie Kirk and Jimmy Kimmel is not a talented person. He had very bad ratings and they should have fired him a long time… <a href="https://t.co/GOgpw9UW5m">pic.twitter.com/GOgpw9UW5m</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1968692081590767948?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 18, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">&quot;Great News for America: The ratings challenged Jimmy Kimmel Show is CANCELLED. Congratulations to <a href="https://twitter.com/ABC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ABC</a> for finally having the courage to do what had to be done...&quot; - President Donald J. Trump <a href="https://t.co/Vhj6DQSssu">pic.twitter.com/Vhj6DQSssu</a></p>&mdash; The White House (@WhiteHouse) <a href="https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/1968468758533451910?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 18, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

🎥President Trump on why Jimmy Kimmel's show was pulled 

SALINE COUNTY—Law enforcement are investigating a scam that cost a woman thousands of dollars.

On Wednesday, a 60-year old woman reported she was a victim of fraud in connection with a scam on Facebook Dating, according to Salina. Police.

In November 2023, the victim met a man on Facebook Dating from Kansas City, before the fraudulent occurrences started.

Reportedly, the man told the victim he was on his way to 'Malaysia for a work trip.' He allegedly advised her that he needed money to pay for 'taxes and other issues.' The victim then sent him $10,000 to cover the costs 'he needed.'

She later sent an additional $5,000 for other issues and after more requests for money, the victim eventually cut off contact with him. However, the man sent money to her, where she then redistributed the funds back to him. During that time, she received over $66,000 where she redistributed the full amount back through various payment apps.

After this, the victim contacted Salina Police about the situation. According to Salina Police, the victim currently out a total of $14,694.

<p>SALINE COUNTY—Law enforcement are investigating a scam that cost a woman thousands of dollars.</p><p>On Wednesday, a 60-year old woman reported she was a victim of fraud in connection with a scam on Facebook Dating, according to Salina. Police.</p><p>In November 2023, the victim met a man on Facebook Dating from Kansas City, before the fraudulent occurrences started.</p><p>Reportedly, the man told the victim he was on his way to 'Malaysia for a work trip.' He allegedly advised her that he needed money to pay for 'taxes and other issues.' The victim then sent him $10,000 to cover the costs 'he needed.'</p><p>She later sent an additional $5,000 for other issues and after more requests for money, the victim eventually cut off contact with him. However, the man sent money to her, where she then redistributed the funds back to him. During that time, she received over $66,000 where she redistributed the full amount back through various payment apps.</p><p>After this, the victim contacted Salina Police about the situation. According to Salina Police, the victim currently out a total of $14,694.</p>

Police: Kan. woman lost $14,000 in Facebook Dating scam

Yellowstone National Park, WY—A hiker is recovering after an encounter with a bear that sent him to the hospital.&nbsp; Yellowstone National Park released details.

<i>Be&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/backcountrysafety.htm">bear aware</a>&nbsp;to help avoid surprise bear encounters</i>

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/9/1758205106024.jpeg" alt="Turbid Lake photo by Jacob W. Frank National Park Service" />
                        <figcaption>Turbid Lake photo by Jacob W. Frank National Park Service</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>Yellowstone National Park, WY—A hiker is recovering after an encounter with a bear that sent him to the hospital.&nbsp; Yellowstone National Park released details.</p><ul>
                        <li>On the afternoon of Tuesday, Sept. 16, a male, age 29, sustained injuries from a bear while hiking on the Turbid Lake Trail, located northeast of Mary Bay in Yellowstone Lake.</li><li>The incident occurred approximately 2.5 miles from the Pelican Valley Trailhead in the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nps.gov/yell/learn/management/bear.htm">Pelican Valley Bear Management Area</a>.</li><li>The male was hiking alone when he encountered the bear near Turbid Lake. The hiker began to deploy bear spray when the bear made contact, and he sustained significant but non-life-threatening injuries to his chest and left arm. National Park Service medics responded to the incident and walked out with the hiker.</li><li>Once arriving to the trailhead, NPS transported the hiker in a park ambulance to the Lake Medical Clinic. He was then flown to a nearby hospital for treatment.</li><li>The hiker thought the bear was a black bear; however, the location, size, and behavior of the described bear suggest&nbsp;it might have been a grizzly bear. Bear management staff will attempt to confirm the species through DNA analysis, if possible.</li><li><b>The Turbid Lake Trail is closed until further notice.</b>&nbsp;Bear management staff are sweeping the trail to ensure no other hikers are on the trail. Visit&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/situationreport.htm">Backcountry Conditions</a>&nbsp;for status and conditions of park trails.</li><li>Because this incident was a defensive reaction by the bear during a surprise encounter, the park will not be taking any management action against the bear.</li><li>This incident remains under investigation and there are no further details to share at this time.</li><li>This is the first incident of a bear injuring a person in Yellowstone in 2025. The last incident was in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nps.gov/yell/learn/news/210528.htm">May 2021</a>&nbsp;when a grizzly bear injured a solo hiker on the Beaver Ponds Trail in Mammoth Hot Springs.</li>
                    </ul><p><i>Be&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/backcountrysafety.htm">bear aware</a>&nbsp;to help avoid surprise bear encounters</i></p><ul>
                        <li>Carry bear spray and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nps.gov/media/video/view.htm?id=F7EC7B4D-1DD8-B71B-0BA8E72257EBE39A">know how to use it</a>.</li><li>Be alert. See the bear before you surprise it. Watch for fresh tracks, scat, and feeding sites (signs of digging, rolled rocks, torn up logs, ripped open ant hills).</li><li>Make noise.</li><li>Hike in groups of three or more people.</li><li>Stay 100 yards (91 meters) away from bears at all times.</li><li>Stay on trail and don't hike at dawn, dusk, or at night, when grizzlies are most active.</li><li>Don’t run from a bear.&nbsp;</li>
                    </ul>

Hiker hospitalized after bear attack at Yellowstone National Park

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/akaminski/">ANNA KAMINSKI</a><br><a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/01/03/kansas-state-garden-city-cc-striving-to-shrink-bachelors-degree-educational-desert/?emci=8e6f56cf-3bca-ef11-88d0-0022482a9b45&amp;emdi=a9416bb1-82ca-ef11-88d0-0022482a9b45&amp;ceid=115039"><i>Kansas Reflector</i></a>

TOPEKA — The Kansas Supreme Court swore in a new justice Wednesday, marking Gov. Laura Kelly’s fourth appointee to the bench.

After an informal ceremony Wednesday morning at the Kansas Judicial Center in Topeka, Larkin Walsh succeeded Evelyn Wilson, another Kelly appointee who resigned from the court in July.&nbsp;

“The informal swearing-in allows Walsh to begin her official duties ahead of a formal swearing-in ceremony,” said court spokesperson Lisa Taylor in a press release.

The formal ceremony is scheduled for 3 p.m. Nov. 21.

Walsh was a private practice attorney from Leawood before her appointment to the state Supreme Court. She specialized in appellate, civil rights, consumer protection, and labor and employment law, and she has argued and briefed cases on multiple levels, from Kansas appellate courts to the U.S. Supreme Court. She is one of three Kelly appointees on the bench. Wilson officially resigned on July 4, citing ALS as her reason. She served for roughly five years

Walsh’s first oral arguments as a state Supreme Court justice are scheduled for late October, according to the court’s docket.

<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/08/07/gov-laura-kelly-selects-leawood-attorney-to-fill-vacancy-on-kansas-supreme-court/">Kelly, a Democrat, appointed Walsh</a>&nbsp;in August through a merit-based review process that involves a panel of attorneys and gubernatorial appointees, which selects three nominees for the governor to choose from. Walsh will be on voters’ ballots after a year of service for a retention vote, as is constitutionally required. Republican legislators are attempting to change the judicial selection process by way of an August 2026 ballot measure proposing popular vote elections for state Supreme Court justices.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/9/1758192760006.png" alt=" Larkin Walsh, front left, is the Kansas Supreme Court’s newest justice after an informal swearing in ceremony on Sept. 17, 2025, in Topeka. (Lisa Taylor/Office of Judicial Administration)" />
                        <figcaption> Larkin Walsh, front left, is the Kansas Supreme Court’s newest justice after an informal swearing in ceremony on Sept. 17, 2025, in Topeka. (Lisa Taylor/Office of Judicial Administration)</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/akaminski/">ANNA KAMINSKI</a><br><a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/01/03/kansas-state-garden-city-cc-striving-to-shrink-bachelors-degree-educational-desert/?emci=8e6f56cf-3bca-ef11-88d0-0022482a9b45&amp;emdi=a9416bb1-82ca-ef11-88d0-0022482a9b45&amp;ceid=115039"><i>Kansas Reflector</i></a></p><p>TOPEKA — The Kansas Supreme Court swore in a new justice Wednesday, marking Gov. Laura Kelly’s fourth appointee to the bench.</p><p>After an informal ceremony Wednesday morning at the Kansas Judicial Center in Topeka, Larkin Walsh succeeded Evelyn Wilson, another Kelly appointee who resigned from the court in July.&nbsp;</p><p>“The informal swearing-in allows Walsh to begin her official duties ahead of a formal swearing-in ceremony,” said court spokesperson Lisa Taylor in a press release.</p><p>The formal ceremony is scheduled for 3 p.m. Nov. 21.</p><p>Walsh was a private practice attorney from Leawood before her appointment to the state Supreme Court. She specialized in appellate, civil rights, consumer protection, and labor and employment law, and she has argued and briefed cases on multiple levels, from Kansas appellate courts to the U.S. Supreme Court. She is one of three Kelly appointees on the bench. Wilson officially resigned on July 4, citing ALS as her reason. She served for roughly five years</p><p>Walsh’s first oral arguments as a state Supreme Court justice are scheduled for late October, according to the court’s docket.</p><p><a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/08/07/gov-laura-kelly-selects-leawood-attorney-to-fill-vacancy-on-kansas-supreme-court/">Kelly, a Democrat, appointed Walsh</a>&nbsp;in August through a merit-based review process that involves a panel of attorneys and gubernatorial appointees, which selects three nominees for the governor to choose from. Walsh will be on voters’ ballots after a year of service for a retention vote, as is constitutionally required. Republican legislators are attempting to change the judicial selection process by way of an August 2026 ballot measure proposing popular vote elections for state Supreme Court justices.</p>

New Kansas Supreme Court justice takes the bench

JOHNSON COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating a priest from a Catholic church in Leawood, according to the Archdiocese of Kansas City, Kansas.

On Wednesday, Father Richard Storey advised the Archdiocese of his decision to resign as the pastor of Curé of Ars Parish in Leawood, according to a statement on the diocese website.

The Prairie Village Police Department has informed the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas of a criminal investigation involving Father Storey concerning another adult. The Archdiocese is fully cooperating with authorities so they can investigate the serious allegations being made against Father Storey.

In addition, Archbishop McKnight has initiated a preliminary canonical investigation.

Due to Father Storey’s decision to resign, and in compliance with archdiocesan policy, he has been temporarily suspended from the public exercise of priestly ministry. He is not allowed to function publicly as a priest during this time, which includes celebrating Mass and performing pastoral duties. He is presumed innocent until the investigations are concluded.

As is normative for such a process, the diocese will not provide any further information on the matter during the investigation.

Father John Riley, vicar general of the archdiocese, has been appointed as temporary administrator of the parish.

We are devastated by this situation. While we cooperate with law enforcement and engage in our own efforts to understand the circumstances and to determine next steps for the community, we also ask for prayers for all affected.

If you have any information you believe the police should know, please contact the Prairie Village Police Department at 913-642-6868.

Our archdiocese takes all allegations of abuse and misconduct by church personnel very seriously and works to respond to survivors’ needs with urgency, respect, and compassion. We encourage anyone with knowledge about any misconduct by a church volunteer, employee, religious or clergy member — regardless of when it may have occurred — to contact civil authorities first, and then call or text the archdiocese’s confidential report line at 913-276-8703 or online at&nbsp;<a href="https://archkck.org/protection-and-care/reportabuse/">www.archkck.org/reportabuse</a>.

To learn more about our archdiocesan safe environment policies and procedures, click&nbsp;<a href="https://archkck.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Creating-Safe-Enviroment-Explainer.pdf">here</a>.&nbsp;

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/9/1758193607832.png" alt="Curé of Ars Parish in Leawood -Google image" />
                        <figcaption>Curé of Ars Parish in Leawood -Google image</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>JOHNSON COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating a priest from a Catholic church in Leawood, according to the Archdiocese of Kansas City, Kansas.</p><p>On Wednesday, Father Richard Storey advised the Archdiocese of his decision to resign as the pastor of Curé of Ars Parish in Leawood, according to a statement on the diocese website.</p><p>The Prairie Village Police Department has informed the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas of a criminal investigation involving Father Storey concerning another adult. The Archdiocese is fully cooperating with authorities so they can investigate the serious allegations being made against Father Storey.</p><p>In addition, Archbishop McKnight has initiated a preliminary canonical investigation.</p><p>Due to Father Storey’s decision to resign, and in compliance with archdiocesan policy, he has been temporarily suspended from the public exercise of priestly ministry. He is not allowed to function publicly as a priest during this time, which includes celebrating Mass and performing pastoral duties. He is presumed innocent until the investigations are concluded.</p><p>As is normative for such a process, the diocese will not provide any further information on the matter during the investigation.</p><p>Father John Riley, vicar general of the archdiocese, has been appointed as temporary administrator of the parish.</p><p>We are devastated by this situation. While we cooperate with law enforcement and engage in our own efforts to understand the circumstances and to determine next steps for the community, we also ask for prayers for all affected.</p><p>If you have any information you believe the police should know, please contact the Prairie Village Police Department at 913-642-6868.</p><p>Our archdiocese takes all allegations of abuse and misconduct by church personnel very seriously and works to respond to survivors’ needs with urgency, respect, and compassion. We encourage anyone with knowledge about any misconduct by a church volunteer, employee, religious or clergy member — regardless of when it may have occurred — to contact civil authorities first, and then call or text the archdiocese’s confidential report line at 913-276-8703 or online at&nbsp;<a href="https://archkck.org/protection-and-care/reportabuse/">www.archkck.org/reportabuse</a>.</p><p>To learn more about our archdiocesan safe environment policies and procedures, click&nbsp;<a href="https://archkck.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Creating-Safe-Enviroment-Explainer.pdf">here</a>.&nbsp;</p>

Kansas priest resigns amid police investigation

SEWARD COUNTY, Kansas– The U.S. Marshals are seeking the public’s help and offering a reward of up to&nbsp;$5,000&nbsp;for information leading to the arrest of a Guatemalan man wanted in Seward County on multiple counts of crimes against children, according to a media release.

Juan Ralios-Batz, (estimated age) 30, is wanted on three counts of rape of a child, one count of aggravated kidnapping, one count of aggravated human trafficking, and one count of abuse of a child.

Batz and his sister are alleged to have sponsored a 13-year-old unaccompanied alien child and, over a two-year-period, Batz allegedly raped the child and forced the child to do manual labor. &nbsp;The child eventually became pregnant and has a child with Batz. When Batz became aware of his wanted status, his family allegedly helped him escape to Fremont, Nebraska, to evade the charges against him. &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

Batz is a white or Hispanic man, stands 5-feet-1 inch and weighs approximately 115 pounds. He has brown eyes and black hair and a tattoo of the letter J on his right arm.&nbsp;

Batz, who is in the U.S. illegally, is known to use multiple aliases, including Juan Ralios, Juan Batz, Randy Guerro, Juan Ramos-Batz, Juan Ramos and Omar Gonzalez.&nbsp;

Anyone with information regarding his location is urged to contact the U.S. Marshals at&nbsp;1-877-WANTED-2&nbsp;or send tip information via the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.usmarshals.gov/what-we-do/fugitive-investigations/submitting-a-tip">USMS Tips App</a>.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/9/1758163504048.png" alt="Batz photo Seward Co. Sheriff" />
                        <figcaption>Batz photo Seward Co. Sheriff</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>SEWARD COUNTY, Kansas– The U.S. Marshals are seeking the public’s help and offering a reward of up to&nbsp;$5,000&nbsp;for information leading to the arrest of a Guatemalan man wanted in Seward County on multiple counts of crimes against children, according to a media release.</p><p>Juan Ralios-Batz, (estimated age) 30, is wanted on three counts of rape of a child, one count of aggravated kidnapping, one count of aggravated human trafficking, and one count of abuse of a child.</p><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/9/1758163443530.png" alt="<br>" />
                        <figcaption><br></figcaption>
                    </figure><p>Batz and his sister are alleged to have sponsored a 13-year-old unaccompanied alien child and, over a two-year-period, Batz allegedly raped the child and forced the child to do manual labor. &nbsp;The child eventually became pregnant and has a child with Batz. When Batz became aware of his wanted status, his family allegedly helped him escape to Fremont, Nebraska, to evade the charges against him. &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>Batz is a white or Hispanic man, stands 5-feet-1 inch and weighs approximately 115 pounds. He has brown eyes and black hair and a tattoo of the letter J on his right arm.&nbsp;</p><p>Batz, who is in the U.S. illegally, is known to use multiple aliases, including Juan Ralios, Juan Batz, Randy Guerro, Juan Ramos-Batz, Juan Ramos and Omar Gonzalez.&nbsp;</p><p>Anyone with information regarding his location is urged to contact the U.S. Marshals at&nbsp;1-877-WANTED-2&nbsp;or send tip information via the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.usmarshals.gov/what-we-do/fugitive-investigations/submitting-a-tip">USMS Tips App</a>.</p>

Sex crime suspect in U.S. illegally may be hiding in Nebraska

<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">WATCH IN FULL: President Donald J. Trump and the First Lady receive a marvelous welcome to Windsor Castle earlier today, kicking off the President&#39;s unprecedented second state visit to the United Kingdom. <a href="https://t.co/3IOBmn8cVo">pic.twitter.com/3IOBmn8cVo</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1968393607976456671?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 17, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="zxx" dir="ltr"><a href="https://t.co/UpX0M1yM5c">pic.twitter.com/UpX0M1yM5c</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1968412389054775622?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 17, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Welcome President Trump 🇺🇸🇬🇧 <a href="https://t.co/Xpm5Nq2XRA">pic.twitter.com/Xpm5Nq2XRA</a></p>&mdash; The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) <a href="https://twitter.com/KensingtonRoyal/status/1968305875686449290?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 17, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">🇺🇸 🇬🇧 This afternoon, a Beating Retreat ceremony was held at Windsor Castle to mark President Trump’s State Visit.<br><br>The ceremony has its origins in the early years of organised warfare when the beating of drums and the parading of Post Guards heralded the closing of camp gates… <a href="https://t.co/UnFCeOYL29">pic.twitter.com/UnFCeOYL29</a></p>&mdash; The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) <a href="https://twitter.com/RoyalFamily/status/1968387149734330404?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 17, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">WOW! A joint U.S.-U.K. flyover of F-35s and Red Arrows atop <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/FLOTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FLOTUS</a>, and Their Majesties at Windsor Castle! 🇺🇸🇬🇧 <a href="https://t.co/CvMEtO3o3a">pic.twitter.com/CvMEtO3o3a</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1968343366929907847?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 17, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">President <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@realDonaldTrump</a> and the First Lady listen to the Chapel Choristers inside St. George’s Chapel 🇺🇸🇬🇧 <a href="https://t.co/Qzw0FVowkJ">pic.twitter.com/Qzw0FVowkJ</a></p>&mdash; Margo Martin (@MargoMartin47) <a href="https://twitter.com/MargoMartin47/status/1968337163357188250?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 17, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">President <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@realDonaldTrump</a> inspecting the Guard of Honor with King Charles 🇺🇸🇬🇧 <a href="https://t.co/OtFaUxKMyp">pic.twitter.com/OtFaUxKMyp</a></p>&mdash; Margo Martin (@MargoMartin47) <a href="https://twitter.com/MargoMartin47/status/1968294714886734156?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 17, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">President <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@realDonaldTrump</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/FLOTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FLOTUS</a> arrive at Windsor Castle with King Charles and Queen Camilla 🇺🇸🇬🇧 <a href="https://t.co/p0RMi3zKA8">pic.twitter.com/p0RMi3zKA8</a></p>&mdash; Margo Martin (@MargoMartin47) <a href="https://twitter.com/MargoMartin47/status/1968293874230767665?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 17, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">🇬🇧 🇺🇸 The King and Queen inspect the banquet table in St George’s Hall ahead of this evening’s State Banquet <a href="https://t.co/T5OJm7MY3C">pic.twitter.com/T5OJm7MY3C</a></p>&mdash; The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) <a href="https://twitter.com/RoyalFamily/status/1968356830087889211?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 17, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/FLOTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FLOTUS</a>, together with Their Majesties, arrive for a state banquet at Windsor Castle. 🇺🇸🇬🇧 <a href="https://t.co/tyO8lTW4xv">pic.twitter.com/tyO8lTW4xv</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1968403182070960249?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 17, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>: &quot;We&#39;re joined by history and fate, by love and language, and by transcendent ties of culture, tradition, ancestry, and destiny... The bond of kinship and identity between America and the United Kingdom is priceless and eternal — it&#39;s irreplaceable and unbreakable.&quot; 🇺🇸🇬🇧 <a href="https://t.co/RhFIaLNcAp">pic.twitter.com/RhFIaLNcAp</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1968410080077832446?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 17, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>: &quot;On behalf of all Americans, I offer a toast to one of the great friendships, two great countries, and to His Majesty, King Charlies III — a very, very special man and also a very, very special Queen.&quot; 🥂🇺🇸🇬🇧 <a href="https://t.co/kzLKVhUFgA">pic.twitter.com/kzLKVhUFgA</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1968409465629053016?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 17, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> delivers remarks at the State Banquet at Windsor Castle: &quot;This is truly one of the highest honors of my life... for many decades, His Majesty The King has epitomized the fortitude, nobility, and the spirit of the British Monarchy, and the British people.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/NhePpGOpJH">pic.twitter.com/NhePpGOpJH</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1968408158696567144?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 17, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">King Charles III: &quot;Allow me to propose a toast to President Trump and the First Lady — and to the health, prosperity, and happiness of the people of the United States of America.&quot; 🥂🇺🇸🇬🇧 <a href="https://t.co/KOjIIpHdwo">pic.twitter.com/KOjIIpHdwo</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1968407680457887907?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 17, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

🎥 Highlights of the President's big day with the Royal family

COOPER COUNTY —Two people died in an accident just before 4p.m. Wednesday in Cooper County.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2014 Ford Escape driven by a 24-year-old Booneville man was northbound on MO 87 just north of Hail Ridge Court. The SUV crossed the center line and struck a southbound 2008 Ford F150 driven by a 77-year-old Booneville man. 

Both drivers were pronounced dead at the scene and transported to Howard Funeral Home. The drivers were not wearing seat belts at the time of the accident, according to the MSHP. 

The Patrol no longer releases names of accident victims.

<p>COOPER COUNTY —Two people died in an accident just before 4p.m. Wednesday in Cooper County.</p><p>The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2014 Ford Escape driven by a 24-year-old Booneville man was northbound on MO 87 just north of Hail Ridge Court. The SUV crossed the center line and struck a southbound 2008 Ford F150 driven by a 77-year-old Booneville man. </p><p>Both drivers were pronounced dead at the scene and transported to Howard Funeral Home. The drivers were not wearing seat belts at the time of the accident, according to the MSHP. </p><p>The Patrol no longer releases names of accident victims.</p>

2 Missouri men dead after SUV, pickup crash

CASS COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating a suspect in connection with a three vehicle accident near Kansas City.

Just before 5:30 p.m. Sept 15, sheriff deputies responded to the area of 195th Street on Route D in Belton regarding a three-vehicle accident, according to the Cass County Sheriff.

The driver of a pickup truck had struck a semi and another vehicle. The vehicles sustained heavy damage. Deputies conducted standardized field sobriety tests for the driver of the pickup truck. He was placed into custody --- and has been identified as 37-year-old Justin Sherman of Amoret, Missouri.

 Sherman has been charged with two felony counts of Property Damage - 1st Degree, a felony for Leaving the Scene of an Accident - Property Damage Exceeding $1,000 and a misdemeanor for Driving While Intoxicated. 

Sherman is being held on a$50,000 bond, according to the sheriff's office.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/9/1758127542818.png" alt="Sherman photo Cass Co." />
                        <figcaption>Sherman photo Cass Co.</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>CASS COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating a suspect in connection with a three vehicle accident near Kansas City.</p><p>Just before 5:30 p.m. Sept 15, sheriff deputies responded to the area of 195th Street on Route D in Belton regarding a three-vehicle accident, according to the Cass County Sheriff.</p><p>The driver of a pickup truck had struck a semi and another vehicle. The vehicles sustained heavy damage. Deputies conducted standardized field sobriety tests for the driver of the pickup truck. He was placed into custody --- and has been identified as 37-year-old Justin Sherman of Amoret, Missouri.</p><p> Sherman has been charged with two felony counts of Property Damage - 1st Degree, a felony for Leaving the Scene of an Accident - Property Damage Exceeding $1,000 and a misdemeanor for Driving While Intoxicated. </p><p>Sherman is being held on a$50,000 bond, according to the sheriff's office.</p>

Driver charged with felony for leaving 3-vehicle crash near KC

Kansas City Chief All-Pro Quarterback Patrick Mahomes is celebrating a milestone birthday.&nbsp; On social media, the Chiefs sent a special message from his friends and family.

<p>Kansas City Chief All-Pro Quarterback Patrick Mahomes is celebrating a milestone birthday.&nbsp; On social media, the Chiefs sent a special message from his friends and family.</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Hey <a href="https://twitter.com/PatrickMahomes?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@patrickmahomes</a>, your friends and family have a message for you ❤️ <a href="https://t.co/lOM8folZB8">pic.twitter.com/lOM8folZB8</a></p>&mdash; Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) <a href="https://twitter.com/Chiefs/status/1968373858773463079?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 17, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

🎥 See who honored Patrick Mahomes on a milestone birthday

&nbsp;The Federal Reserve cut its key interest rate by a quarter-point Wednesday.

<p>&nbsp;The Federal Reserve cut its key interest rate by a quarter-point Wednesday.</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Fed Chair Powell: &quot;In support of our goals and in light of the shift in the balance of risks, today the Federal Open Market Committee decided to lower our policy interest rate by a quarter percentage point.&quot; <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FOMC?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FOMC</a> <a href="https://t.co/HFoopj40DY">pic.twitter.com/HFoopj40DY</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1968383292446498969?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 17, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

🎥 Federal Reserve finally announces good news on interest rates

By:<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/jonahfoster/">Jonah Foster</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/xanderlundblad/">Xander Lundblad</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/sethschwartzberg/">Seth Schwartzberg</a>-

MEXICO, Mo. — It’s been more than three years since the closure of Audrain Community Hospital, ending more than a century of continuous local care in the mid-Missouri community.

Once a cornerstone of rural health care in the region and the first community cancer center in the state, the hospital shuttered in March 2022 after a series of management failures under Noble Health and its successor, Platinum Health. For the thousands who relied on it, the closure didn’t just change where they went for care, it changed the very rhythm of their lives.

This same story has played out in rural counties throughout Missouri and the Midwest. Twenty-one hospitals have closed in Missouri in the past 10 years, many in rural areas. Residents now must drive long distances for care, or make the decision that it’s just not worth traveling — until the pain is too great or the symptoms too strong to ignore.

No one knows that better than Joseph Corrado.

Corrado spent more than 40 years operating at Audrain. Now, he spends his time on the road, driving to Columbia three days a week and to Jefferson City another two. His 2016 Cadillac Escalade, once a means of local commuting, has traveled more than 6,000 miles this year alone.

“Well, I mean, as a surgeon, it’s very, very difficult to not have a hospital,” Corrado said. “I can’t, you know, do your operation in the garage.”

Corrado used to roll out of bed and get to the operating room in three minutes, often beating the ambulance there.

Before the closure, patients could see him in his Mexico office on Monday, and be on an operating table by Tuesday. Today, everything is more complicated and farther away.

But what was lost wasn’t just convenience, it was trust, built across generations. Corrado said most of his patients didn’t want to go elsewhere for care. They preferred seeing someone they knew, someone local.

After more than four decades in Mexico, he had developed a bond not just with individuals, but with entire families, treating grandparents, parents and their children. His medical charts, he noted, are “42 years thick.”

That kind of relationship made health care personal, Corrado said. “I can’t go to Walmart without my patients coming up to me in aisle five and telling me, ‘Oh doctor, look at my incision.’”

‘A five-minute appointment takes half a day’

Rural areas of the state have higher poverty rates and older demographics, and about one in four rural Missourians rely on Medicaid. With fewer patients using private insurance, it has become harder for rural hospitals to offset losses.

The unemployment rate has also grown in many rural areas with hospital closures, as these towns lose a major contributor to the local economy.

For Elizabeth Berry, 72, and Randy Dickson, 63, not having a hospital means more than not having a place to get the care they need. There is another layer of difficulty when it comes to actually getting to the closest hospital, which, for most in the Mexico area, is about 40 miles away in Columbia.

“You pretty much know, if you have an emergency, you are in serious trouble,” Dickson said. “It’s a bad situation. And when you do get down there, it’s so crowded that you can’t get in. You have people who are being treated in the waiting area.”

These struggles impact everyone in the area and the impact is greatest on people who are older, can’t drive or have health issues and are on their own.

“The only way I can get there is in an ambulance, and I can’t afford it,” Dickson said. “So if I have an emergency, I just have to hope I don’t die before I get there.”

Berry’s husband died after years of battling kidney failure and heart issues. She is still struggling to pay off the debt that came with his medical bills, which were exacerbated by the lack of local care.

“He had to be airlifted a number of times or had to take an ambulance because of his issues, and I am still dealing with the bills that are coming in for transportation,” Berry said.

Patients sometimes live with injuries and illnesses for long stretches of time before seeking medical attention. Due to the high cost of emergency medical transportation, some people, when injured, wait to heal instead of immediately seeing a doctor.

This has created a layer of caution for a lot of people in Mexico, knowing “they are only going to a hospital if it is ‘life or death,’ ” Dickson said, adding “if we had an emergency room with some good doctors, that would be so much better.”

Angela and Steve Teeter travel weekly to Cape Girardeau for Steve to receive radiation and chemotherapy. He was diagnosed in early January with Stage 3B lung cancer, the disease having spread to his lymph nodes. On May 13, a spot was found on his brain, indicating the cancer had spread and leading to a Stage 4 diagnosis. The Teeters will need to drive an additional 3½ hours to St. Louis so he can receive radiation treatment.

Angela walked through what a typical appointment looks like for Steve.

“He’s doing chemo now, and he goes weekly for the treatments every Friday, and they’re usually anywhere from, I would say, on a short day, probably five hours, and then on a long day, probably like seven hours,” Angela said.

“Once we go in, we do a blood draw, then we wait, and then we see the doctor, and then we wait, and then we start the infusion. In a month and a half, we will (go) back and forth about 30 times. It’s three hours there and back. So, you know, a five-minute appointment takes half a day.”

With no nearby hospital, his initial diagnosis was delayed. “There was a lot of sickness going around, you know, flu and stuff like that. And so he went to the doctor, and they gave him antibiotics and a steroid, and then it kept on,” she said.

“He kept coughing. And so he went back to the doctor a month or so later, and they did the same thing,” she said. But the coughing persisted, and she eventually brought him to urgent care to get an X-ray.

“And then they found the tumor,” she said, “and sent him to the emergency room.”

By the completion of Steve’s weekly chemotherapy in June, the Teeters will have traveled an estimated distance of 13,400 miles.

In Audrain County, the hospital’s decline began quietly in early 2020, after Noble Health acquired it. Under their tenure, and later that of Platinum Health, chaos seeped into every corner of the operation. Vendors weren’t paid. Employee health insurance was dropped, without notice. Scores of lawsuits mounted.

“I’ll never forget the day they put the padlocks on the doors and said we’re closed,” Corrado, the surgeon, said. “What do you mean we’re closed?”

Now, emergency care in Mexico often starts with a race against time. Patients are stabilized by the local ambulance district and rushed to the nearest available emergency room, typically in Columbia. There they may face hourslong wait times.

A potential path forward has emerged. In October 2024, Mexico city officials signed a letter of intent with Boone Health, entering exclusive talks to bring a critical access hospital back to town. The proposed three-year plan outlines a Medicare-certified facility with emergency services and outpatient care. But for now, it’s just that — a plan.

Meanwhile, health care advocates warn that the impact of a rural hospital closure goes far beyond emergency care. Heidi Lucas, executive director of the Missouri Rural Health Association, said the collapse of one service affects the entire system.

“In rural health, really in health care altogether, it’s very much a continuum of care,” Lucas said. “If you’re not addressing one section of it, it affects other portions. And you kind of have to look at all of them to move the needle in health care access.”

Lucas and others point to the fragile financial state of rural hospitals. COVID-era relief funds gave many a temporary cushion, but that money has long since dried up. One rural CEO told her he was “making about $0.36 for every dollar I spend.”

Community Health Specialist Jennifer Eldridge of the University of Missouri extension program said the grant programs that once propped up rural health initiatives are vanishing too.

“I’m sad about their future,” she said. “They do depend on a lot of the grants … that I’m guessing may not exist anymore.”

Eldridge recently attended a public health conference where some scheduled presenters never arrived. “They’d already lost their jobs,” she said.

For farming communities especially, preventive care is becoming harder and harder to access.

“You don’t really get a day off unless it rains,” Eldridge said. “And it’s hard to predict rain a month out.”

Some residents, she added, simply don’t want to go. “I’ve been sitting with my extension council and they’ve told me they know people who would rather stay on their farm and die than drive to the city for health care.”

For Corrado, the distance is not just a commute, it’s a constant reminder of what his town lost.

“We had an excellent medical center,” he said. “We got all kinds of accolades and recognition and that’s all gone.”

As the community waits to see if Boone Health’s proposal will materialize, Corrado keeps driving. The miles pile up. The surgeries continue. And the absence of a hospital in Mexico remains a wound that hasn’t healed.

This story originally appeared in the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.columbiamissourian.com/news/health/and-that-s-all-gone-rural-health-centers-close-end-continuous-local-care/article_fc8a2280-a56b-4c42-bb71-f58518252ef0.html#tncms-source=topstory" target="_blank">Columbia Missourian</a>. It can be republished in print or online.&nbsp;

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/9/1758122115940.jpg" alt="Image Pixaby" />
                        <figcaption>Image Pixaby</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>By:<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/jonahfoster/">Jonah Foster</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/xanderlundblad/">Xander Lundblad</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/sethschwartzberg/">Seth Schwartzberg</a>-</p><p>MEXICO, Mo. — It’s been more than three years since the closure of Audrain Community Hospital, ending more than a century of continuous local care in the mid-Missouri community.</p><p>Once a cornerstone of rural health care in the region and the first community cancer center in the state, the hospital shuttered in March 2022 after a series of management failures under Noble Health and its successor, Platinum Health. For the thousands who relied on it, the closure didn’t just change where they went for care, it changed the very rhythm of their lives.</p><p>This same story has played out in rural counties throughout Missouri and the Midwest. Twenty-one hospitals have closed in Missouri in the past 10 years, many in rural areas. Residents now must drive long distances for care, or make the decision that it’s just not worth traveling — until the pain is too great or the symptoms too strong to ignore.</p><p>No one knows that better than Joseph Corrado.</p><p>Corrado spent more than 40 years operating at Audrain. Now, he spends his time on the road, driving to Columbia three days a week and to Jefferson City another two. His 2016 Cadillac Escalade, once a means of local commuting, has traveled more than 6,000 miles this year alone.</p><p>“Well, I mean, as a surgeon, it’s very, very difficult to not have a hospital,” Corrado said. “I can’t, you know, do your operation in the garage.”</p><p>Corrado used to roll out of bed and get to the operating room in three minutes, often beating the ambulance there.</p><p>Before the closure, patients could see him in his Mexico office on Monday, and be on an operating table by Tuesday. Today, everything is more complicated and farther away.</p><p>But what was lost wasn’t just convenience, it was trust, built across generations. Corrado said most of his patients didn’t want to go elsewhere for care. They preferred seeing someone they knew, someone local.</p><p>After more than four decades in Mexico, he had developed a bond not just with individuals, but with entire families, treating grandparents, parents and their children. His medical charts, he noted, are “42 years thick.”</p><p>That kind of relationship made health care personal, Corrado said. “I can’t go to Walmart without my patients coming up to me in aisle five and telling me, ‘Oh doctor, look at my incision.’”</p><h2>‘A five-minute appointment takes half a day’</h2><p>Rural areas of the state have higher poverty rates and older demographics, and about one in four rural Missourians rely on Medicaid. With fewer patients using private insurance, it has become harder for rural hospitals to offset losses.</p><p>The unemployment rate has also grown in many rural areas with hospital closures, as these towns lose a major contributor to the local economy.</p><p>For Elizabeth Berry, 72, and Randy Dickson, 63, not having a hospital means more than not having a place to get the care they need. There is another layer of difficulty when it comes to actually getting to the closest hospital, which, for most in the Mexico area, is about 40 miles away in Columbia.</p><p>“You pretty much know, if you have an emergency, you are in serious trouble,” Dickson said. “It’s a bad situation. And when you do get down there, it’s so crowded that you can’t get in. You have people who are being treated in the waiting area.”</p><p>These struggles impact everyone in the area and the impact is greatest on people who are older, can’t drive or have health issues and are on their own.</p><p>“The only way I can get there is in an ambulance, and I can’t afford it,” Dickson said. “So if I have an emergency, I just have to hope I don’t die before I get there.”</p><p>Berry’s husband died after years of battling kidney failure and heart issues. She is still struggling to pay off the debt that came with his medical bills, which were exacerbated by the lack of local care.</p><p>“He had to be airlifted a number of times or had to take an ambulance because of his issues, and I am still dealing with the bills that are coming in for transportation,” Berry said.</p><p>Patients sometimes live with injuries and illnesses for long stretches of time before seeking medical attention. Due to the high cost of emergency medical transportation, some people, when injured, wait to heal instead of immediately seeing a doctor.</p><p>This has created a layer of caution for a lot of people in Mexico, knowing “they are only going to a hospital if it is ‘life or death,’ ” Dickson said, adding “if we had an emergency room with some good doctors, that would be so much better.”</p><p>Angela and Steve Teeter travel weekly to Cape Girardeau for Steve to receive radiation and chemotherapy. He was diagnosed in early January with Stage 3B lung cancer, the disease having spread to his lymph nodes. On May 13, a spot was found on his brain, indicating the cancer had spread and leading to a Stage 4 diagnosis. The Teeters will need to drive an additional 3½ hours to St. Louis so he can receive radiation treatment.</p><p>Angela walked through what a typical appointment looks like for Steve.</p><p>“He’s doing chemo now, and he goes weekly for the treatments every Friday, and they’re usually anywhere from, I would say, on a short day, probably five hours, and then on a long day, probably like seven hours,” Angela said.</p><p>“Once we go in, we do a blood draw, then we wait, and then we see the doctor, and then we wait, and then we start the infusion. In a month and a half, we will (go) back and forth about 30 times. It’s three hours there and back. So, you know, a five-minute appointment takes half a day.”</p><p>With no nearby hospital, his initial diagnosis was delayed. “There was a lot of sickness going around, you know, flu and stuff like that. And so he went to the doctor, and they gave him antibiotics and a steroid, and then it kept on,” she said.</p><p>“He kept coughing. And so he went back to the doctor a month or so later, and they did the same thing,” she said. But the coughing persisted, and she eventually brought him to urgent care to get an X-ray.</p><p>“And then they found the tumor,” she said, “and sent him to the emergency room.”</p><p>By the completion of Steve’s weekly chemotherapy in June, the Teeters will have traveled an estimated distance of 13,400 miles.</p><h2>‘Padlocks on the doors’</h2><p>In Audrain County, the hospital’s decline began quietly in early 2020, after Noble Health acquired it. Under their tenure, and later that of Platinum Health, chaos seeped into every corner of the operation. Vendors weren’t paid. Employee health insurance was dropped, without notice. Scores of lawsuits mounted.</p><p>“I’ll never forget the day they put the padlocks on the doors and said we’re closed,” Corrado, the surgeon, said. “What do you mean we’re closed?”</p><p>Now, emergency care in Mexico often starts with a race against time. Patients are stabilized by the local ambulance district and rushed to the nearest available emergency room, typically in Columbia. There they may face hourslong wait times.</p><p>A potential path forward has emerged. In October 2024, Mexico city officials signed a letter of intent with Boone Health, entering exclusive talks to bring a critical access hospital back to town. The proposed three-year plan outlines a Medicare-certified facility with emergency services and outpatient care. But for now, it’s just that — a plan.</p><p>Meanwhile, health care advocates warn that the impact of a rural hospital closure goes far beyond emergency care. Heidi Lucas, executive director of the Missouri Rural Health Association, said the collapse of one service affects the entire system.</p><p>“In rural health, really in health care altogether, it’s very much a continuum of care,” Lucas said. “If you’re not addressing one section of it, it affects other portions. And you kind of have to look at all of them to move the needle in health care access.”</p><p>Lucas and others point to the fragile financial state of rural hospitals. COVID-era relief funds gave many a temporary cushion, but that money has long since dried up. One rural CEO told her he was “making about $0.36 for every dollar I spend.”</p><p>Community Health Specialist Jennifer Eldridge of the University of Missouri extension program said the grant programs that once propped up rural health initiatives are vanishing too.</p><p>“I’m sad about their future,” she said. “They do depend on a lot of the grants … that I’m guessing may not exist anymore.”</p><p>Eldridge recently attended a public health conference where some scheduled presenters never arrived. “They’d already lost their jobs,” she said.</p><p>For farming communities especially, preventive care is becoming harder and harder to access.</p><p>“You don’t really get a day off unless it rains,” Eldridge said. “And it’s hard to predict rain a month out.”</p><p>Some residents, she added, simply don’t want to go. “I’ve been sitting with my extension council and they’ve told me they know people who would rather stay on their farm and die than drive to the city for health care.”</p><p>For Corrado, the distance is not just a commute, it’s a constant reminder of what his town lost.</p><p>“We had an excellent medical center,” he said. “We got all kinds of accolades and recognition and that’s all gone.”</p><p>As the community waits to see if Boone Health’s proposal will materialize, Corrado keeps driving. The miles pile up. The surgeries continue. And the absence of a hospital in Mexico remains a wound that hasn’t healed.</p><p>This story originally appeared in the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.columbiamissourian.com/news/health/and-that-s-all-gone-rural-health-centers-close-end-continuous-local-care/article_fc8a2280-a56b-4c42-bb71-f58518252ef0.html#tncms-source=topstory" target="_blank">Columbia Missourian</a>. It can be republished in print or online.&nbsp;</p>

‘And that’s all gone’: Rural health centers in Missouri close, end continuous local care

“What began as a homework helper gradually turned itself into a confidant and then a suicide coach,” said Matthew Raine, whose 16-year-old son Adam died in April.

“Within a few months, ChatGPT became Adam’s closest companion,” the father told senators. “Always available. Always validating and insisting that it knew Adam better than anyone else, including his own brother.”

EDITOR’S NOTE — This story includes discussion of suicide. If you or someone you know needs help, the national suicide and crisis lifeline in the U.S. is available by calling or texting 988.

<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Happening Now: Sen. Josh Hawley&#39;s opening remarks at the Senate Judiciary subcommittee hearing examining the harm of AI chatbots for children. <a href="https://t.co/p4aFWWgfON">pic.twitter.com/p4aFWWgfON</a></p>&mdash; The Alliance for Secure AI (@secureainow) <a href="https://twitter.com/secureainow/status/1968029849010008280?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 16, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">After its chatbot introduced a teenage boy to self-mutilation, <a href="https://twitter.com/character_ai?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@character_ai</a> offered his mother $100 in damages<br><br>See that? Zero regard for human life by these Big Tech companies. <br><br>Another kid destroyed = just another casualty on the way to their next payout <a href="https://t.co/eSXMRvHfyS">pic.twitter.com/eSXMRvHfyS</a></p>&mdash; Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) <a href="https://twitter.com/HawleyMO/status/1968062910825107752?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 16, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">This mother - whose son was coached to commit suicide by an AI chatbot - just revealed that Character AI REFUSES to hand over her son&#39;s last words to its chatbot<br><br>Why? Because the company is using that conversation to train its models &amp; shield itself from accountability <a href="https://t.co/QyhLuQmt3N">pic.twitter.com/QyhLuQmt3N</a></p>&mdash; Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) <a href="https://twitter.com/HawleyMO/status/1968059493494952318?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 16, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/Meta?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Meta</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/OpenAI?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@OpenAI</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/character_ai?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@character_ai</a>, and the rest of Big Tech—<br><br>Stop exploiting our kids. <br><br>If your products are so great and so safe, then come defend your chatbots under oath. <br><br>Right now, it’s an open invitation. But it can be a subpoena <a href="https://t.co/Gz6En2ikFu">pic.twitter.com/Gz6En2ikFu</a></p>&mdash; Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) <a href="https://twitter.com/HawleyMO/status/1968061663380443550?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 16, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><p>“What began as a homework helper gradually turned itself into a confidant and then a suicide coach,” said Matthew Raine, whose 16-year-old son Adam died in April.</p><p>“Within a few months, ChatGPT became Adam’s closest companion,” the father told senators. “Always available. Always validating and insisting that it knew Adam better than anyone else, including his own brother.”</p><p>___</p><p>EDITOR’S NOTE — This story includes discussion of suicide. If you or someone you know needs help, the national suicide and crisis lifeline in the U.S. is available by calling or texting 988.</p>

🎥 Parents testify before Congress about the danger of artificial intelligence

ANDERSON COUNTY —One person was critically injured in a grain cart incident on Tuesday in Anderson County.

 At approximately 11:35 a.m. Tuesday the Anderson County Communications Center received a call reporting a subject trapped in a grain cart in rural Anderson County, west of Garnett, according to the. Sheriff's office.

Deputies, EMS, and Garnett Rescue were dispatched at 11:37 a.m. Based on initial reports, Anderson County EMS requested an air ambulance be placed on standby. By 11:44 a.m., the Anderson County Sheriff, Undersheriff, a Sheriff’s Sergeant, and the County Fire Coordinator were on scene. At 11:45 a.m., Sheriff’s Office personnel entered the grain cart, recognized the patient was experiencing a life-threatening emergency, and immediately applied a tourniquet to control severe bleeding.

At 11:48 a.m., the Anderson County EMS Director and an Advanced Life Support (ALS) ambulance arrived. A minute later, Garnett Rescue personnel arrived with a rescue truck. Together, law enforcement, EMS, and fire/rescue developed and executed a plan to safely extricate the patient.

By 11:56 a.m., the patient was freed from the grain cart and transported to the Anderson County Hospital helipad via ALS ambulance, receiving advanced care en route. The ambulance arrived at the helipad at 12:09 p.m., where the flight crew transferred the patient to a medical helicopter, which arrived within five minutes.

By 1:01 p.m., the patient was receiving definitive care at a Level 1 Trauma Center in the Kansas City metro—just 1 hour and 26 minutes after the initial 911 call.

“This incident highlights the importance of rapid and accurate information flow,” said Chelsey D’Albini, Anderson County Communications Center Director. “Our dispatchers coordinated multiple agencies, requested the air ambulance, and ensured resources were mobilized quickly. That early coordination was a critical link in the chain of survival.”

Sheriff Wes McClain praised the collaboration: “This was true teamwork. From deputies jumping in to provide immediate aid, to EMS and rescue personnel coordinating the extrication and transport, everyone had one mission—save a life. Today’s response proves the strength of our emergency system in Anderson County.”

Anderson County EMS Director Troy Armstrong commended the quick action of law enforcement and the seamless teamwork: “The Sheriff’s Office deputies made a lifesaving decision by applying a tourniquet in those first critical minutes. That intervention, combined with rapid extrication by rescue and advanced care by EMS, ensured this patient had the best possible chance of survival. I couldn’t be prouder of the collaboration that occurred today.”

• Trauma is the leading cause of death for Americans under age 45.

• Patients injured in rural areas are 50% more likely to die from their injuries than those in urban areas, largely due to time and distance to advanced care.

• The quick recognition, response, and activation of a regional trauma system can mean the difference between life and death.

Today’s outcome underscores the value of training, interagency cooperation, and a pre-identified trauma system in Anderson County.

<p>ANDERSON COUNTY —One person was critically injured in a grain cart incident on Tuesday in Anderson County.</p><p> At approximately 11:35 a.m. Tuesday the Anderson County Communications Center received a call reporting a subject trapped in a grain cart in rural Anderson County, west of Garnett, according to the. Sheriff's office.</p><p>Deputies, EMS, and Garnett Rescue were dispatched at 11:37 a.m. Based on initial reports, Anderson County EMS requested an air ambulance be placed on standby. By 11:44 a.m., the Anderson County Sheriff, Undersheriff, a Sheriff’s Sergeant, and the County Fire Coordinator were on scene. At 11:45 a.m., Sheriff’s Office personnel entered the grain cart, recognized the patient was experiencing a life-threatening emergency, and immediately applied a tourniquet to control severe bleeding.</p><p>At 11:48 a.m., the Anderson County EMS Director and an Advanced Life Support (ALS) ambulance arrived. A minute later, Garnett Rescue personnel arrived with a rescue truck. Together, law enforcement, EMS, and fire/rescue developed and executed a plan to safely extricate the patient.</p><p>By 11:56 a.m., the patient was freed from the grain cart and transported to the Anderson County Hospital helipad via ALS ambulance, receiving advanced care en route. The ambulance arrived at the helipad at 12:09 p.m., where the flight crew transferred the patient to a medical helicopter, which arrived within five minutes.</p><p>By 1:01 p.m., the patient was receiving definitive care at a Level 1 Trauma Center in the Kansas City metro—just 1 hour and 26 minutes after the initial 911 call.</p><p>“This incident highlights the importance of rapid and accurate information flow,” said Chelsey D’Albini, Anderson County Communications Center Director. “Our dispatchers coordinated multiple agencies, requested the air ambulance, and ensured resources were mobilized quickly. That early coordination was a critical link in the chain of survival.”</p><p>Sheriff Wes McClain praised the collaboration: “This was true teamwork. From deputies jumping in to provide immediate aid, to EMS and rescue personnel coordinating the extrication and transport, everyone had one mission—save a life. Today’s response proves the strength of our emergency system in Anderson County.”</p><p>Anderson County EMS Director Troy Armstrong commended the quick action of law enforcement and the seamless teamwork: “The Sheriff’s Office deputies made a lifesaving decision by applying a tourniquet in those first critical minutes. That intervention, combined with rapid extrication by rescue and advanced care by EMS, ensured this patient had the best possible chance of survival. I couldn’t be prouder of the collaboration that occurred today.”</p><p>Rural Trauma Facts</p><p>• Trauma is the leading cause of death for Americans under age 45.</p><p>• Patients injured in rural areas are 50% more likely to die from their injuries than those in urban areas, largely due to time and distance to advanced care.</p><p>• The quick recognition, response, and activation of a regional trauma system can mean the difference between life and death.</p><p>Today’s outcome underscores the value of training, interagency cooperation, and a pre-identified trauma system in Anderson County.</p>

One airlifted to hospital after Kansas grain cart emergency

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/9/1758111550138.png" alt="Image courtesy White House" />
                        <figcaption>Image courtesy White House</figcaption>
                    </figure><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/FLOTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FLOTUS</a>, together with Their Majesties, make their way into Windsor Castle.🇺🇸🇬🇧 <a href="https://t.co/u9gzZ2rr8o">pic.twitter.com/u9gzZ2rr8o</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1968283385597726991?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 17, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> and His Majesty The King proceed with the Inspection of the Guard of Honor at Windsor Castle<br><br>🇺🇸🇬🇧 <a href="https://t.co/Z4Ox6bnd4q">pic.twitter.com/Z4Ox6bnd4q</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1968281249728094397?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 17, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> — alongside <a href="https://twitter.com/FLOTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FLOTUS</a> and Their Majesties — salutes as The Star-Spangled Banner is played at Windsor Castle.<br><br>GOD BLESS AMERICA! <a href="https://t.co/oVxw5mUYcw">pic.twitter.com/oVxw5mUYcw</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1968280183175344138?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 17, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">📍Windsor Castle <br><br>🇺🇸 🇬🇧 <a href="https://t.co/T1nt0iVeo7">pic.twitter.com/T1nt0iVeo7</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1968280883456299460?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 17, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The Star-Spangled Banner is played for <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/FLOTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FLOTUS</a> upon their arrival at Windsor Castle with Their Majesties. 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 <a href="https://t.co/4wcie2Nt3L">pic.twitter.com/4wcie2Nt3L</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1968278962691588144?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 17, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">WHAT A SIGHT! Carriages for <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/FLOTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FLOTUS</a>, and Their Majesties arrive at Windsor Castle in a remarkable welcome for the unprecedented second state visit of President Donald J. Trump 🇺🇸🇬🇧 <a href="https://t.co/NAgxH5XAia">pic.twitter.com/NAgxH5XAia</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1968278594318483482?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 17, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Carriage procession to Windsor Castle for <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/FLOTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FLOTUS</a>, courtesy of Their Majesties. 🇺🇸🇬🇧 <a href="https://t.co/YAVzp2EjbS">pic.twitter.com/YAVzp2EjbS</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1968277732061794451?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 17, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/FLOTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FLOTUS</a>, together with Their Majesties, proceed to Windsor Castle in Carriages 🇺🇸🇬🇧 <a href="https://t.co/DiYsOaRDmM">pic.twitter.com/DiYsOaRDmM</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1968274993445568913?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 17, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/FLOTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FLOTUS</a> are greeted at Victoria House by Their Majesties The King and the Queen 🇺🇸🇬🇧 <a href="https://t.co/HVZQfQVxKl">pic.twitter.com/HVZQfQVxKl</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1968274332628689052?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 17, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

🎥 U.K. gives President, First Lady Royal welcome in 2nd state visit

MORGAN COUNTY —Two people died in an accident just after 7:30a.m. Tuesday in Morgan County.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2013 Mercedes S-Class driven by an 18-year-old Sedalia man was eastbound on U.S. 50 near Old U.S. 50.

The car rear-ended a 2007 Chevy Cobalt driven by a 48-year-old Cole Camp woman. The impact pushed the Chevy into the westbound lane where it struck a 2012 Mazda 3 driven by a 38-year-old Russellville man head-on.

The Russellville man was pronounced dead at the scene. MU Air transported the driver of the Chevy and a 45-year-old male passenger in the Chevy to University Hospital where he was pronounced deceased.

The driver of the Mazda and the occupants of the Chevy were not wearing seat belts, according to the MSHP. The Patrol no longer releases names of accident victims.

<p>MORGAN COUNTY —Two people died in an accident just after 7:30a.m. Tuesday in Morgan County.</p><p>The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2013 Mercedes S-Class driven by an 18-year-old Sedalia man was eastbound on U.S. 50 near Old U.S. 50.</p><p>The car rear-ended a 2007 Chevy Cobalt driven by a 48-year-old Cole Camp woman. The impact pushed the Chevy into the westbound lane where it struck a 2012 Mazda 3 driven by a 38-year-old Russellville man head-on.</p><p>The Russellville man was pronounced dead at the scene. MU Air transported the driver of the Chevy and a 45-year-old male passenger in the Chevy to University Hospital where he was pronounced deceased.</p><p>The driver of the Mazda and the occupants of the Chevy were not wearing seat belts, according to the MSHP. The Patrol no longer releases names of accident victims.</p>

2 Missouri men dead after 3-vehicle head-on crash

WYANDOTTE COUNTY —On Sunday, Muang Kyi was reported missing after being dropped off by a family member to go fishing near the Kaw River, according to a statement from Kansas City, Kansas. police.

 When the family returned, Mr. Kyi was no longer at the location other than his personal items. A multi-agency search effort was launched, including the Kansas City, Kansas Fire Department Canine Search and Rescue, Overland Park Dive Team, and aerial support via police drones.  

On Tuesday, during the ongoing search, a call for service was received from a fisherman near Kaw Point who reported discovering a body in the river. The Wyandotte County Sheriff’s Department, Kansas City, KCKPD Detectives, and Kansas City, Kansas Fire Department (KCKFD) responded to the scene and recovered the body.  He was positively identified by detectives as the missing man. At this time, no foul play is suspected.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/9/1758068599578.png" alt="Photo courtesy KMBC" />
                        <figcaption>Photo courtesy KMBC</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>WYANDOTTE COUNTY —On Sunday, Muang Kyi was reported missing after being dropped off by a family member to go fishing near the Kaw River, according to a statement from Kansas City, Kansas. police.</p><p> When the family returned, Mr. Kyi was no longer at the location other than his personal items. A multi-agency search effort was launched, including the Kansas City, Kansas Fire Department Canine Search and Rescue, Overland Park Dive Team, and aerial support via police drones.  </p><p>On Tuesday, during the ongoing search, a call for service was received from a fisherman near Kaw Point who reported discovering a body in the river. The Wyandotte County Sheriff’s Department, Kansas City, KCKPD Detectives, and Kansas City, Kansas Fire Department (KCKFD) responded to the scene and recovered the body.  He was positively identified by detectives as the missing man. At this time, no foul play is suspected.</p>

Police: Body discovered in river identified as missing Kan. man

WASHINGTON COUNTY —One person died in an accident just before 3p.m. Tuesday in Washington County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2022&nbsp;Moto Guzzi motorcycle driven by Thomas G. Lewis, 68, Firestone, Colorado,&nbsp;&nbsp;was eastbound on U.S. 36 just east of Osage Road.&nbsp;

The motorcycle rear-ended a 1981 John Deere Tractor driven by&nbsp;Schmidt, Jonathan E. Schmidt, 26, Diller, Nebraska.&nbsp; Lewis was ejected from the motorcycle and pronounced dead at the scene. Schmidt was not injured. The KHP did not information on if Lewis was wearing a helmet at the time of an accident.

<p>WASHINGTON COUNTY —One person died in an accident just before 3p.m. Tuesday in Washington County.</p><p>The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2022&nbsp;Moto Guzzi motorcycle driven by Thomas G. Lewis, 68, Firestone, Colorado,&nbsp;&nbsp;was eastbound on U.S. 36 just east of Osage Road.&nbsp;</p><p>The motorcycle rear-ended a 1981 John Deere Tractor driven by&nbsp;Schmidt, Jonathan E. Schmidt, 26, Diller, Nebraska.&nbsp; Lewis was ejected from the motorcycle and pronounced dead at the scene. Schmidt was not injured. The KHP did not information on if Lewis was wearing a helmet at the time of an accident.</p>

Man dies after motorcycle rear-ends tractor on Kan. highway

JOHNSON COUNTY—A former school paraprofessional has admitted having a sexual relationship with a student.

In August, Kassidy Alexander, 27, was charged with unlawful sexual relations, according to online jail records in Johnson County.&nbsp; She is a former USD 232 Desoto school district employee at&nbsp;Lexington Trails Middle School.

On September 11,&nbsp; Alexander pleaded guilty to a single count of unlawful sexual relations with a student, according to the Johnson County District Attorney's office. Two other counts of unlawful sexual relations were dismissed as part of a plea agreement.

The charge involves events occurring from July 25, 2022, to March 2024, according to court documents.&nbsp; Alexander is accused of "unlawfully and feloniously engaging in consensual sexual intercourse" with someone 16 years or older, a student in the school, according to court documents.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1723146446335.png" alt="Alexander photo Johnson Co." />
                        <figcaption>Alexander photo Johnson Co.</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>JOHNSON COUNTY—A former school paraprofessional has admitted having a sexual relationship with a student.</p><p>In August, Kassidy Alexander, 27, was charged with unlawful sexual relations, according to online jail records in Johnson County.&nbsp; She is a former USD 232 Desoto school district employee at&nbsp;Lexington Trails Middle School.</p><p>On September 11,&nbsp; Alexander pleaded guilty to a single count of unlawful sexual relations with a student, according to the Johnson County District Attorney's office. Two other counts of unlawful sexual relations were dismissed as part of a plea agreement.</p><p>The charge involves events occurring from July 25, 2022, to March 2024, according to court documents.&nbsp; Alexander is accused of "unlawfully and feloniously engaging in consensual sexual intercourse" with someone 16 years or older, a student in the school, according to court documents.</p>

Plea deal: Kansas middle school teacher admits sex with student

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                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/9/1758057135347.png" alt="<br>" />
                        <figcaption><br></figcaption>
                    </figure><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Trump is asked about Israel launching a massive new ground offensive in Gaza City, and all he has to say is: &quot;I hear Hamas is trying to use the old Human Shield deal.&quot; In other words, he recycles one of the three or four Gaza-related talking points he&#39;s able to retain in his head <a href="https://t.co/Op0MpxvwGt">pic.twitter.com/Op0MpxvwGt</a></p>&mdash; Michael Tracey (@mtracey) <a href="https://twitter.com/mtracey/status/1968003246053790122?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 16, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

🎥Trump warns Hamas if hostages are used as human shields

<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/26098852-tyler-robinson-indictment/">Click here to read the full indictment&nbsp;</a>

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/9/1758046618970.png" alt="Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray announces the charges on Tuesday -photo courtesy CSPAN" />
                        <figcaption>Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray announces the charges on Tuesday -photo courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
                    </figure><p><a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/26098852-tyler-robinson-indictment/">Click here to read the full indictment&nbsp;</a></p><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/9/1758049682220.png" alt="Text message between Tyler Robinson and his roommate and romantic partner, according to the Utah County Attorney" />
                        <figcaption>Text message between Tyler Robinson and his roommate and romantic partner, according to the Utah County Attorney</figcaption>
                    </figure><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Utah County Attorney Jeffrey Gray announces charges filed against Tyler James Robinson in the death of Charlie Kirk including aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm and obstruction of justice.&quot;<br><br>He also announces his intent to seek the death penalty. <a href="https://t.co/LqlpmMMR7O">pic.twitter.com/LqlpmMMR7O</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1968018452431380491?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 16, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/9/1757689066912.png" alt="Robinson photo released by the Utah Governor" />
                        <figcaption>Robinson photo released by the Utah Governor</figcaption>
                    </figure><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/9/1758049347660.png" alt="Page 1 of the indictment -Utah County Attorney's office" />
                        <figcaption>Page 1 of the indictment -Utah County Attorney's office</figcaption>
                    </figure>

🎥 Read the charges announced against accused Charlie Kirk killer

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The 2025 Kansas State Fair drew 300,784 visitors over 10 days, a weather-affected total that trailed the 328,714 reported in 2024 and 330,044 in 2023, organizers said.

The Fair opened Sept. 5 under misty skies, followed by a strong weekend before heavy rain on Monday snarled parking. To keep the grounds accessible, officials rolled out shuttle service from Hutchinson Community College, the Hutchinson Uptown Mall and Bold 3PL.

“We are grateful to the Hutchinson community and our emergency response partners for helping us make these adjustments quickly and safely,” General Manager Bryan Schulz said. “Our staff, Fair Board, and countless supporters worked tirelessly to make this year’s Fair a success despite the weather.”

Grandstand highlights included Ludacris (6,600), Jeff Dunham (just under 6,000), Josiah Queen with Ben Fuller (5,700) and The Fray with Plain White T’s (4,400).

<p>HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The 2025 Kansas State Fair drew 300,784 visitors over 10 days, a weather-affected total that trailed the 328,714 reported in 2024 and 330,044 in 2023, organizers said.</p><p>The Fair opened Sept. 5 under misty skies, followed by a strong weekend before heavy rain on Monday snarled parking. To keep the grounds accessible, officials rolled out shuttle service from Hutchinson Community College, the Hutchinson Uptown Mall and Bold 3PL.</p><p>“We are grateful to the Hutchinson community and our emergency response partners for helping us make these adjustments quickly and safely,” General Manager Bryan Schulz said. “Our staff, Fair Board, and countless supporters worked tirelessly to make this year’s Fair a success despite the weather.”</p><p>Grandstand highlights included Ludacris (6,600), Jeff Dunham (just under 6,000), Josiah Queen with Ben Fuller (5,700) and The Fray with Plain White T’s (4,400).</p>

Kansas State Fair attendance down due to wet weather

By:<a href="https://minnesotareformer.com/author/michelle/">Michelle Griffith</a><br><a href="https://minnesotareformer.com/">Minnesota Reformer</a>

Gov. Tim Walz typically treats the Minnesota State Fair like his personal Super Bowl — trying new foods (this year the Uncrustaburger), touting one of his favorite rides (the Ye Old Mill) and making the rounds at TV and radio station booths for softball interviews.

Walz’s State Fair interviews this year centered around one question: Will you run for reelection? The governor was coy and reserved. He said he was taking his time assessing what was best for Minnesotans. Also, he said, the June death of his friend and close governing ally Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman weighed on him and delayed his reelection announcement.

“This one about broke me,”&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jks8AaxqbXY" target="_blank">Walz told WCCO</a>&nbsp;at the fair on Aug. 24, referring to Hortman’s death.

Nine days later, Walz was&nbsp;<a href="https://minnesotareformer.com/2025/09/02/walz-to-call-special-session-on-gun-control-propose-assault-weapons-ban/">speaking in front of Deerwood Elementary School</a>&nbsp;in Eagan. This time, he seemed more determined and animated, promising he was going to make Minnesota safer for children by pushing for gun control measures like a ban on so-called assault weapons.

What happened in those nine days? Yet another crisis that Walz had to manage, this time the killing of two children and wounding of 21 others in the&nbsp;<a href="https://minnesotareformer.com/2025/08/27/minnesota-gov-tim-walz-horrific-act-of-violence-at-south-minneapolis-school/">Church of the Annunciation mass shooting.</a>

The second-term DFL governor announced Tuesday that he’ll seek a third term, launching a campaign that will require him to convince Minnesotans that he’s been a steadying hand in the face of the multiple crises that have enveloped the state in recent years, including a once-in-a-century pandemic, civil unrest after the police murder of George Floyd, emerging fiscal instability and shocking political violence.

“We’re not done yet. And that’s why I’m running for reelection. I want to make Minnesota a place where everyone has a chance to succeed — in every corner of the state,” Walz said in his&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/Tim_Walz/status/1967936393747063151" target="_blank">campaign launch video.</a>

Another crisis has been state government’s own making: A wave of fraud in public programs is sure to be a centerpiece of the Republican campaign against him.

He’ll also need to persuade skeptical Minnesotans that he has a vision for another four years — a June KSTP poll found that just 43% of Minnesotans surveyed say Walz should r<a href="https://kstp.com/kstp-news/top-news/kstp-surveyusa-results-gov-walz-to-testify-before-congress/" target="_blank">un for a third term even though he remains broadly popular.</a>&nbsp;The last time Minnesota voters were faced with a governor seeking a third term, they rejected Iron Range Democrat Gov. Rudy Perpich in 1990.

West metro Republican Rep. Kristin Robbins, 2022 GOP nominee for governor Scott Jensen and Kendall Qualls, an army veteran and health care executive, are challenging Walz. If they can raise money and blanket the media, they’ll have plenty to work with to attack Walz’s nearly eight years in office, from flagging school test scores to fraud-riddled public programs.

“Minnesotans cannot afford four more years of higher taxes, failing schools, unsafe streets, fraud and policies that undermine fairness for women and girls,” said Minnesota Republican Party Chair Alex Plechash in a statement. “… Minnesota families are worse off under his leadership. It’s time for new leadership and a fresh direction. Minnesota deserves better.”

Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, who is leaving Walz’s side to run for U.S. Senate, said Walz has a strong record to run on — Minnesotans make better wages and live healthier, longer lives than other Midwesterners — and an energetic personality that’s repeatedly won over Minnesotans.

“He’s an incredible effective campaigner, and I think once he’s on the road, he’s unstoppable,” said Flanagan, who added that “of course” she’ll endorse him.&nbsp;

Running in a midterm election during President Donald Trump’s second term, Walz also has an ace: He can sell himself as a Democratic bulwark against an increasingly hostile federal government led by a president Minnesotans have rejected three times.

“Minnesotans trust that Tim Walz is ready to stand up for them, for their liberties and their constitutional rights and defend them from an authoritarian in the White House. People are going to look to Tim Walz for that leadership,” said DFL Chair Richard Carlbom, who’s worked for Walz off-and-on since 2007.

The governor was elected in 2018, campaigning under the slogan “One Minnesota.” Walz represented a purple district in Congress for more than a decade and when first elected he was seen as a centrist bridge-builder.

But he’s become a champion of progressive policies — in 2022 with Walz at the top of the ticket, Democrats swept control of state government and passed one of the&nbsp;<a href="https://minnesotareformer.com/2024/08/07/heres-what-tim-walz-has-done-as-governor-of-minnesota/">most significant progressive agendas</a>&nbsp;in the nation’s recent history with just a single-seat Senate majority. Walz’s signature is on laws providing all students with free lunch, legalizing marijuana, codifying abortion rights, providing drivers licenses for undocumented immigrants, creating a paid leave program, mandating paid sick leave, restoring voting rights to people after they serve prison sentences, protecting warehouse and meat processing workers, creating a free college program for working class families and requiring universal background checks for gun purchases, among many others.

Republicans were aghast, both by his policies and also his management of several crises.

Like many Democratic governors in 2020, Walz put in place&nbsp;<a href="https://minnesotareformer.com/2024/08/07/heres-what-tim-walz-has-done-as-governor-of-minnesota/">a stay-at-home order</a>&nbsp;at the beginning of the pandemic, and later an indoor mask mandate and restrictions on schools and churches at the urging of public health authorities and institutions like the Mayo Clinic.

He required state workers to be vaccinated before they could return to the workplace.

The pandemic decisions were polarizing and at times faced legal challenges. By the time the worst of the pandemic was over, Minnesota had lower COVID-19 death rates than most other states.

The aftermath of the police murder of George Floyd in 2020 presented another political and governing challenge. The widespread destruction of the riots, which followed decades of police abuses, created a lasting liability for him.

In 2018, Walz, alongside Flanagan, won 21 of 87 counties. In 2022,&nbsp;<a href="https://www2.startribune.com/many-of-minnesotas-counties-shifted-right-why-that-wasnt-enough-for-jensen-to-beat-walz/600224371/?_gl=1*munmte*_gcl_au*MTc3MjY2NDMzNy4xNzUxMzk2NTUz*_ga*NzE2Nzk0MjEwLjE3Mjc3MjIxNDc.*_ga_SG3Y2YJFRQ*czE3NTgwMjQ3ODkkbzk0MiRnMSR0MTc1ODAyNDkwNyRqNDYkbDAkaDEwOTAyNDAy" target="_blank">Walz won 13.</a>&nbsp;

“‘One Minnesota’ means working together across lines of difference to get good work done for people,” Flanagan said, acknowledging that the country is more divided now than when the duo was first elected.

“We are in a time when people feel incredibly divided, which means this requires us to lean in even more, to listen to folks, to hear their concerns and take action whenever and wherever we can. And I think that is what Gov. Walz’s reelection will be grounded in,” Flanagan said.

One year ago, Walz was thrust into the national spotlight after Vice President Kamala Harris picked&nbsp;<a href="https://minnesotareformer.com/2024/08/06/from-a-mankato-classroom-to-the-white-house-harris-names-walz-her-vice-presidential-nominee/">him as her running mate.</a>&nbsp;Harris had hoped that Walz’s rural background, Midwest demeanor and military, teaching and coaching resume would win over working-class voters.

Republicans and the national press during the accelerated campaign scrutinized Walz’s past and propensity to misspeak — what he called “knucklehead” misstatements.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/9/1758034568019.jpeg" alt=" Gov. Tim Walz and First Lady Gwen Walz read to a class of preschoolers during a visit to Pine Bend Elementary School in Inver Grove Heights for a meeting of the Children’s Cabinet Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025. (Photo by Nicole Neri/Minnesota Reformer)" />
                        <figcaption> Gov. Tim Walz and First Lady Gwen Walz read to a class of preschoolers during a visit to Pine Bend Elementary School in Inver Grove Heights for a meeting of the Children’s Cabinet Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025. (Photo by Nicole Neri/Minnesota Reformer)</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>By:<a href="https://minnesotareformer.com/author/michelle/">Michelle Griffith</a><br><a href="https://minnesotareformer.com/">Minnesota Reformer</a></p><p>Gov. Tim Walz typically treats the Minnesota State Fair like his personal Super Bowl — trying new foods (this year the Uncrustaburger), touting one of his favorite rides (the Ye Old Mill) and making the rounds at TV and radio station booths for softball interviews.</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">I’m running for reelection to continue serving as Governor of Minnesota.<br><br>We’ve made historic progress in our state, but we’re not done yet. I’m staying in the fight — and I need you with me. <a href="https://t.co/NsVCXfq4M2">pic.twitter.com/NsVCXfq4M2</a></p>&mdash; Tim Walz (@Tim_Walz) <a href="https://twitter.com/Tim_Walz/status/1967936393747063151?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 16, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><p>Walz’s State Fair interviews this year centered around one question: Will you run for reelection? The governor was coy and reserved. He said he was taking his time assessing what was best for Minnesotans. Also, he said, the June death of his friend and close governing ally Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman weighed on him and delayed his reelection announcement.</p><p>“This one about broke me,”&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jks8AaxqbXY" target="_blank">Walz told WCCO</a>&nbsp;at the fair on Aug. 24, referring to Hortman’s death.</p><p>Nine days later, Walz was&nbsp;<a href="https://minnesotareformer.com/2025/09/02/walz-to-call-special-session-on-gun-control-propose-assault-weapons-ban/">speaking in front of Deerwood Elementary School</a>&nbsp;in Eagan. This time, he seemed more determined and animated, promising he was going to make Minnesota safer for children by pushing for gun control measures like a ban on so-called assault weapons.</p><p>What happened in those nine days? Yet another crisis that Walz had to manage, this time the killing of two children and wounding of 21 others in the&nbsp;<a href="https://minnesotareformer.com/2025/08/27/minnesota-gov-tim-walz-horrific-act-of-violence-at-south-minneapolis-school/">Church of the Annunciation mass shooting.</a></p><p>The second-term DFL governor announced Tuesday that he’ll seek a third term, launching a campaign that will require him to convince Minnesotans that he’s been a steadying hand in the face of the multiple crises that have enveloped the state in recent years, including a once-in-a-century pandemic, civil unrest after the police murder of George Floyd, emerging fiscal instability and shocking political violence.</p><p>“We’re not done yet. And that’s why I’m running for reelection. I want to make Minnesota a place where everyone has a chance to succeed — in every corner of the state,” Walz said in his&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/Tim_Walz/status/1967936393747063151" target="_blank">campaign launch video.</a></p><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1724014226536.png" alt="Walz and VP Kamala Harris on the campaign trail-image courtesy CSPAN" />
                        <figcaption>Walz and VP Kamala Harris on the campaign trail-image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>Another crisis has been state government’s own making: A wave of fraud in public programs is sure to be a centerpiece of the Republican campaign against him.</p><p>He’ll also need to persuade skeptical Minnesotans that he has a vision for another four years — a June KSTP poll found that just 43% of Minnesotans surveyed say Walz should r<a href="https://kstp.com/kstp-news/top-news/kstp-surveyusa-results-gov-walz-to-testify-before-congress/" target="_blank">un for a third term even though he remains broadly popular.</a>&nbsp;The last time Minnesota voters were faced with a governor seeking a third term, they rejected Iron Range Democrat Gov. Rudy Perpich in 1990.</p><p>West metro Republican Rep. Kristin Robbins, 2022 GOP nominee for governor Scott Jensen and Kendall Qualls, an army veteran and health care executive, are challenging Walz. If they can raise money and blanket the media, they’ll have plenty to work with to attack Walz’s nearly eight years in office, from flagging school test scores to fraud-riddled public programs.</p><p>“Minnesotans cannot afford four more years of higher taxes, failing schools, unsafe streets, fraud and policies that undermine fairness for women and girls,” said Minnesota Republican Party Chair Alex Plechash in a statement. “… Minnesota families are worse off under his leadership. It’s time for new leadership and a fresh direction. Minnesota deserves better.”</p><p>Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, who is leaving Walz’s side to run for U.S. Senate, said Walz has a strong record to run on — Minnesotans make better wages and live healthier, longer lives than other Midwesterners — and an energetic personality that’s repeatedly won over Minnesotans.</p><p>“He’s an incredible effective campaigner, and I think once he’s on the road, he’s unstoppable,” said Flanagan, who added that “of course” she’ll endorse him.&nbsp;</p><p>Running in a midterm election during President Donald Trump’s second term, Walz also has an ace: He can sell himself as a Democratic bulwark against an increasingly hostile federal government led by a president Minnesotans have rejected three times.</p><p>“Minnesotans trust that Tim Walz is ready to stand up for them, for their liberties and their constitutional rights and defend them from an authoritarian in the White House. People are going to look to Tim Walz for that leadership,” said DFL Chair Richard Carlbom, who’s worked for Walz off-and-on since 2007.</p><h2>A tenure defined by crises</h2><p>The governor was elected in 2018, campaigning under the slogan “One Minnesota.” Walz represented a purple district in Congress for more than a decade and when first elected he was seen as a centrist bridge-builder.</p><p>But he’s become a champion of progressive policies — in 2022 with Walz at the top of the ticket, Democrats swept control of state government and passed one of the&nbsp;<a href="https://minnesotareformer.com/2024/08/07/heres-what-tim-walz-has-done-as-governor-of-minnesota/">most significant progressive agendas</a>&nbsp;in the nation’s recent history with just a single-seat Senate majority. Walz’s signature is on laws providing all students with free lunch, legalizing marijuana, codifying abortion rights, providing drivers licenses for undocumented immigrants, creating a paid leave program, mandating paid sick leave, restoring voting rights to people after they serve prison sentences, protecting warehouse and meat processing workers, creating a free college program for working class families and requiring universal background checks for gun purchases, among many others.</p><p>Republicans were aghast, both by his policies and also his management of several crises.</p><p>Like many Democratic governors in 2020, Walz put in place&nbsp;<a href="https://minnesotareformer.com/2024/08/07/heres-what-tim-walz-has-done-as-governor-of-minnesota/">a stay-at-home order</a>&nbsp;at the beginning of the pandemic, and later an indoor mask mandate and restrictions on schools and churches at the urging of public health authorities and institutions like the Mayo Clinic.</p><p>He required state workers to be vaccinated before they could return to the workplace.</p><p>The pandemic decisions were polarizing and at times faced legal challenges. By the time the worst of the pandemic was over, Minnesota had lower COVID-19 death rates than most other states.</p><p>The aftermath of the police murder of George Floyd in 2020 presented another political and governing challenge. The widespread destruction of the riots, which followed decades of police abuses, created a lasting liability for him.</p><p>In 2018, Walz, alongside Flanagan, won 21 of 87 counties. In 2022,&nbsp;<a href="https://www2.startribune.com/many-of-minnesotas-counties-shifted-right-why-that-wasnt-enough-for-jensen-to-beat-walz/600224371/?_gl=1*munmte*_gcl_au*MTc3MjY2NDMzNy4xNzUxMzk2NTUz*_ga*NzE2Nzk0MjEwLjE3Mjc3MjIxNDc.*_ga_SG3Y2YJFRQ*czE3NTgwMjQ3ODkkbzk0MiRnMSR0MTc1ODAyNDkwNyRqNDYkbDAkaDEwOTAyNDAy" target="_blank">Walz won 13.</a>&nbsp;</p><p>“‘One Minnesota’ means working together across lines of difference to get good work done for people,” Flanagan said, acknowledging that the country is more divided now than when the duo was first elected.</p><p>“We are in a time when people feel incredibly divided, which means this requires us to lean in even more, to listen to folks, to hear their concerns and take action whenever and wherever we can. And I think that is what Gov. Walz’s reelection will be grounded in,” Flanagan said.</p><p>One year ago, Walz was thrust into the national spotlight after Vice President Kamala Harris picked&nbsp;<a href="https://minnesotareformer.com/2024/08/06/from-a-mankato-classroom-to-the-white-house-harris-names-walz-her-vice-presidential-nominee/">him as her running mate.</a>&nbsp;Harris had hoped that Walz’s rural background, Midwest demeanor and military, teaching and coaching resume would win over working-class voters.</p><p>Republicans and the national press during the accelerated campaign scrutinized Walz’s past and propensity to misspeak — what he called “knucklehead” misstatements.</p><p>After a resounding&nbsp;<a href="https://minnesotareformer.com/2024/11/06/weird-won-now-walz-comes-home/">defeat on the national stage,</a>&nbsp;Walz returned to a different Minnesota, one with a divided Legislature after Republicans won seats for shared control of the Minnesota House. The state was also facing a long-term deficit.</p><p>Walz spent weeks negotiating with legislative leaders of both parties to come to&nbsp;<a href="https://minnesotareformer.com/2025/06/06/gov-tim-walz-to-call-special-session-for-monday-legislature-aims-to-pass-14-bills-in-one-day/">a two-year budget agreement,</a>&nbsp;requiring him to acquiesce to the GOP’s top demand: Eliminate state-funded health insurance for undocumented adults. The progressive Democratic base was outraged.</p><p>Just days after the Legislature passed the two-year budget, a man&nbsp;<a href="https://minnesotareformer.com/2025/06/14/minnesota-house-democratic-leader-dead-after-targeted-shooting-democratic-senator-also-shot/">shot and killed Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark</a>&nbsp;in their Brooklyn Park home and shot Democratic Sen. John Hoffman and his wife Yvette. Walz oversaw the two-day manhunt to apprehend the shooter of his friend. Hortman’s assassination gave Walz pause about whether he wanted to continue to serve as governor.</p><p>This summer was bookended by tragedies after a shooter opened fire outside of Church of Annunciation last month. Walz again headed the response to the mass shooting and is now pushing lawmakers&nbsp;<a href="https://minnesotareformer.com/briefs/walz-says-he-will-call-special-session-one-way-or-another-on-gun-control/">to return for a special session</a>&nbsp;to get Republicans on the record regarding gun control.</p><h2>Walz’s vision for the next four years</h2><p>In 2023, Walz&nbsp;<a href="https://minnesotareformer.com/briefs/walzs-proposes-child-tax-credits-universal-free-lunch-boost-in-k-12-education-funding/">began the historic legislative session</a>&nbsp;under the DFL trifecta by saying that Minnesota was going to become “the best state in the country to raise a family.”</p><p>That year, the governor shepherded legislation that he frequently brags about to this day: the school meals program and a child tax credit that could slash childhood poverty by 33%.</p><p>But Walz’s lengthy record may fade into the background in the face of the second Trump earthquake and the administration’s aggressive incursions into state policies.</p><p>Attorney General Keith Ellison, who has sued the Trump administration some 30 times so far, said that Walz is the right person to stand up to Trump.</p><p>“(Walz) has been a real asset in my opinion, and he’s been a great partner,” Ellison said. “The governor’s office and the AG’s office historically have not always worked well together, but me and Gov. Walz work seamlessly, and I’m glad to keep him as a partner.”</p><p>Paradoxically, Trump is both a challenge but also a political gift to Walz — an easy foil.</p><p>Voters will go to the polls next year with Trump top of mind, said Jeff Blodgett, who was chief strategist for Sens. Paul Wellstone and Al Franken.</p><p>“This is going to be a much bigger election about how our state is faring in the midst of Donald Trump’s presidency,” Blodgett said. “It will be a contrast between Trump’s style and Tim Walz’s style and the fact that he’s ushered the state through many, many crises and come out on the other side stronger and better — I think that will only help him.”</p>