SEDGWICK COUNTY—A Kansas woman accused in the death of a 7-year-old boy returned to court on Thursday.

Tasha Diane Dillard, 25, Wichita, pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and aggravated child endangerment in Judge William Woolley's courtroom, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.&nbsp; She had been scheduled to face a trial starting on September 15.

Dillard had originally been charged with 1st degree murder and 7 counts of aggravated endangering a child, according to the District Attorney's office.

On March 16, police responded to a call of a shooting at an apartment in the 3700 block of E Ross Parkway, according to Wichita Police Captain Aaron Moses. The caller reported that someone had been shot and that a child was bleeding.

When officers arrived, they found 7-year-old Davion Gunter suffering from a gunshot wound to his torso. Davion was transported to a local hospital, where he was&nbsp; pronounced deceased.

At the scene, officers found seven other children and multiple adults. Wichita Police homicide investigators and the Exploited and Missing Children’s Unit responded immediately, conducting interviews and gathered evidence.

Police took Dillard into custody and the children were placed in protective care.&nbsp; &nbsp;She will be sentenced October 16, according to the district attorney's office.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/3/1742206494454.png" alt="Dillard photo Sedgwick County" />
 <figcaption>Dillard photo Sedgwick County</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY—A Kansas woman accused in the death of a 7-year-old boy returned to court on Thursday.Tasha Diane Dillard, 25, Wichita, pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and aggravated child endangerment in Judge William Woolley's courtroom, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.&nbsp; She had been scheduled to face a trial starting on September 15.Dillard had originally been charged with 1st degree murder and 7 counts of aggravated endangering a child, according to the District Attorney's office.On March 16, police responded to a call of a shooting at an apartment in the 3700 block of E Ross Parkway, according to Wichita Police Captain Aaron Moses. The caller reported that someone had been shot and that a child was bleeding.When officers arrived, they found 7-year-old Davion Gunter suffering from a gunshot wound to his torso. Davion was transported to a local hospital, where he was&nbsp; pronounced deceased.At the scene, officers found seven other children and multiple adults. Wichita Police homicide investigators and the Exploited and Missing Children’s Unit responded immediately, conducting interviews and gathered evidence.Police took Dillard into custody and the children were placed in protective care.&nbsp; &nbsp;She will be sentenced October 16, according to the district attorney's office.

Kansas woman reaches plea deal in death of 7-year-old

KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement are investigating a suspect on multiple allegations after a traffic stop near Kansas City.

Just after 2a.m. Tuesday, sheriff's&nbsp;deputies made a vehicle stop on southbound Interstate 49 at the Archie exit, due to a lane violation, according to the Cass County Sheriff.

After a vehicle search, deputies found several homemade explosives. The Lee’s Summit Bomb Squad was contacted and arrived on scene, where they detonated the explosives.

Deputies also found narcotics in the vehicle.The suspect has been identified as 51-year-old Charles Cooper of Kansas City. 

He has been charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance (D Felony) and Driving While Revoked/Suspended (D Misdemeanor). Cooper’s bond is set at $10,000 cash only. He’s currently being housed at the Cass County Jail.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/9/1757018875097.png" alt="Photo Cass County Sheriff" />
 <figcaption>Photo Cass County Sheriff</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement are investigating a suspect on multiple allegations after a traffic stop near Kansas City.Just after 2a.m. Tuesday, sheriff's&nbsp;deputies made a vehicle stop on southbound Interstate 49 at the Archie exit, due to a lane violation, according to the Cass County Sheriff.After a vehicle search, deputies found several homemade explosives. The Lee’s Summit Bomb Squad was contacted and arrived on scene, where they detonated the explosives.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/9/1757019134279.png" alt="Cooper photo Cass County" />
 <figcaption>Cooper photo Cass County</figcaption>
 </figure>Deputies also found narcotics in the vehicle.The suspect has been identified as 51-year-old Charles Cooper of Kansas City. He has been charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance (D Felony) and Driving While Revoked/Suspended (D Misdemeanor). Cooper’s bond is set at $10,000 cash only. He’s currently being housed at the Cass County Jail.

Kansas City man caught transporting homemade explosives

WASHINGTON (AP) —A pair of Venezuelan fighter jets flew over the USS Jason Dunham in the international waters of the Caribbean on Thursday, Pentagon officials said.

A defense official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to freely discuss operational details, confirmed that two Venezuelan F-16 fighter jets flew over the destroyer, which is part of a group of at least seven U.S. warships that have been deployed to the area as part of a mission to target drug smuggling.

The maneuver comes days after the Trump administration revealed that it ordered a strike on a speedboat that it claims was carrying 11 drug smugglers, killing all of them.

In a social media post late Thursday, the Pentagon called the maneuver by Venezuela “highly provocative” and argued that it was “designed to interfere with our counter narco-terror operations.”

WASHINGTON (AP) —A pair of Venezuelan fighter jets flew over the USS Jason Dunham in the international waters of the Caribbean on Thursday, Pentagon officials said.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><a href="https://t.co/PSxm3uRsfM">pic.twitter.com/PSxm3uRsfM</a>&mdash; Department of Defense 🇺🇸 (@DeptofDefense) <a href="https://twitter.com/DeptofDefense/status/1963775938233299235?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 5, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>A defense official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to freely discuss operational details, confirmed that two Venezuelan F-16 fighter jets flew over the destroyer, which is part of a group of at least seven U.S. warships that have been deployed to the area as part of a mission to target drug smuggling.The maneuver comes days after the Trump administration revealed that it ordered a strike on a speedboat that it claims was carrying 11 drug smugglers, killing all of them.In a social media post late Thursday, the Pentagon called the maneuver by Venezuela “highly provocative” and argued that it was “designed to interfere with our counter narco-terror operations.”

Venezuelan military aircraft fly over US Navy vessel as tensions rise

The State of Kansas ends August 2025 with total tax collections at $692.3 million. That is $26.2 million, or 3.9%, above the estimate. Total tax collections were up 4.0% from August 2024, according to a media release from the Governor's office.

Click&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://links-2.govdelivery.com/CL0/https:%2F%2Fcontent.govdelivery.com%2Fattachments%2FKSOG%2F2025%2F09%2F04%2Ffile_attachments%2F3378251%2F02_August_Revenue_FY2026_09-02-2025_Final.pdf/1/0101019915ac0fea-2de043bc-57f9-41bb-9e13-15bc8f2e7ded-000000/PxW39ichoUcdiKvYlp4EF_jnWxTDHq2rZE887v-5PEg=421">here</a>&nbsp;to view the August 2025 revenue numbers.

“This month’s stronger-than-expected tax collections highlight the strength of Kansas’ work to attract business investment and workforce development, evidenced by reported withholdings up 13.7% over August of 2024,”&nbsp;Governor Laura Kelly said. “However, even if these better-than-expected revenues continue, I remain concerned about the reckless budget’s impact on the long-term fiscal health of the state and the risk of departing from the course of fiscal responsibility we have been on.”

Individual income tax collections were $361.2 million, which is $16.2 million, or 4.7% above the estimate. Individual income tax collections were up 9.7% from August 2024. Corporate income tax collections were $18.2 million, which is $1.8 million, or 9.0% below the estimate, and down 9.7% from August 2024.&nbsp;

Combined retail sales and compensating use tax receipts were $294.2 million, which is $11.2 million, or 4.0% above the estimate, and down 0.1% from August 2024.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The State of Kansas ends August 2025 with total tax collections at $692.3 million. That is $26.2 million, or 3.9%, above the estimate. Total tax collections were up 4.0% from August 2024, according to a media release from the Governor's office.Click&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://links-2.govdelivery.com/CL0/https:%2F%2Fcontent.govdelivery.com%2Fattachments%2FKSOG%2F2025%2F09%2F04%2Ffile_attachments%2F3378251%2F02_August_Revenue_FY2026_09-02-2025_Final.pdf/1/0101019915ac0fea-2de043bc-57f9-41bb-9e13-15bc8f2e7ded-000000/PxW39ichoUcdiKvYlp4EF_jnWxTDHq2rZE887v-5PEg=421">here</a>&nbsp;to view the August 2025 revenue numbers.“This month’s stronger-than-expected tax collections highlight the strength of Kansas’ work to attract business investment and workforce development, evidenced by reported withholdings up 13.7% over August of 2024,”&nbsp;Governor Laura Kelly said. “However, even if these better-than-expected revenues continue, I remain concerned about the reckless budget’s impact on the long-term fiscal health of the state and the risk of departing from the course of fiscal responsibility we have been on.”Individual income tax collections were $361.2 million, which is $16.2 million, or 4.7% above the estimate. Individual income tax collections were up 9.7% from August 2024. Corporate income tax collections were $18.2 million, which is $1.8 million, or 9.0% below the estimate, and down 9.7% from August 2024.&nbsp;Combined retail sales and compensating use tax receipts were $294.2 million, which is $11.2 million, or 4.0% above the estimate, and down 0.1% from August 2024.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Kansas total tax collections in August above the estimate

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A North Kansas City. Mo., man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for aiming a laser pointer at an aircraft, according to the United State's Attorney.

Aaron Randall Class, 53, was charged in a one-count indictment returned under seal by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo., on Aug. 12, 2025. The indictment was unsealed and made public following Class’s arrest. The indictment alleges that on or about Nov. 23rd, 2024, Class knowingly aimed a beam of a laser pointer at an aircraft that was in the aircraft jurisdiction of the United States at the time of the incident.

The charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.

Under federal statutes, Class is subject to a sentence of up to five years in federal prison. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Trey Alford and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Branon Chlarson. It was investigated by the North Kansas City, Missouri Police Department.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/10/1696444782028.png" alt="File image from a similar investigation in 2018" />
 <figcaption>File image from a similar investigation in 2018</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A North Kansas City. Mo., man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for aiming a laser pointer at an aircraft, according to the United State's Attorney.Aaron Randall Class, 53, was charged in a one-count indictment returned under seal by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo., on Aug. 12, 2025. The indictment was unsealed and made public following Class’s arrest. The indictment alleges that on or about Nov. 23rd, 2024, Class knowingly aimed a beam of a laser pointer at an aircraft that was in the aircraft jurisdiction of the United States at the time of the incident.The charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.Under federal statutes, Class is subject to a sentence of up to five years in federal prison. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Trey Alford and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Branon Chlarson. It was investigated by the North Kansas City, Missouri Police Department.

Kansas City man charged with aiming laser pointer at aircraft

SEDGWICK COUNTY— A Kansas man who pleaded guilty in connection with the 2023 shooting death of a man in Wichita is going to prison.

On Wednesday, Judge Jeffrey Goering sentenced 21-year-old James Sawyer to more than 31-years in the custody of the Kansas Department of Corrections for the murder of 34-year-old Daniel McPherson during an attempted robbery,&nbsp; according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.

In July, Sawyer pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and attempted aggravated robbery.

On Dec. 6, 2023, the Blackwell, Oklahoma Police Department contacted Sedgwick County Dispatch, reporting a shooting investigation involving two individuals including Sawyer and 18-year-old Phillip Walls who had entered a Blackwell hospital, with one of them sustaining a gunshot wound, according to Officer Andrew Ford.

Following discussions with the subjects, Blackwell Police shared information with Sedgwick County Dispatch. Consequently, the Wichita Police Department was alerted to respond to the Hydraulic and MacArthur area based on information suggesting that the shooting victim, 34-year-old Daniel McPherson, would be found there.

Upon arrival, officers discovered McPherson with a gunshot wound to his head. He&nbsp;was pronounced dead at the scene. Homicide investigators were dispatched to conduct the investigation and later traveled to Blackwell, Oklahoma where Walls and Sawyer were in custody.&nbsp;

In May of 2024, Walls pleaded guilty to multiple charges related to the shooting and&nbsp;was sentenced to more than 27 years in prison, according to the district attorney's office.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/7/1752095618673.png" alt="-Sawyer photo Sedgwick County" />
 <figcaption>-Sawyer photo Sedgwick County</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY— A Kansas man who pleaded guilty in connection with the 2023 shooting death of a man in Wichita is going to prison.On Wednesday, Judge Jeffrey Goering sentenced 21-year-old James Sawyer to more than 31-years in the custody of the Kansas Department of Corrections for the murder of 34-year-old Daniel McPherson during an attempted robbery,&nbsp; according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.In July, Sawyer pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and attempted aggravated robbery.On Dec. 6, 2023, the Blackwell, Oklahoma Police Department contacted Sedgwick County Dispatch, reporting a shooting investigation involving two individuals including Sawyer and 18-year-old Phillip Walls who had entered a Blackwell hospital, with one of them sustaining a gunshot wound, according to Officer Andrew Ford.Following discussions with the subjects, Blackwell Police shared information with Sedgwick County Dispatch. Consequently, the Wichita Police Department was alerted to respond to the Hydraulic and MacArthur area based on information suggesting that the shooting victim, 34-year-old Daniel McPherson, would be found there.Upon arrival, officers discovered McPherson with a gunshot wound to his head. He&nbsp;was pronounced dead at the scene. Homicide investigators were dispatched to conduct the investigation and later traveled to Blackwell, Oklahoma where Walls and Sawyer were in custody.&nbsp;In May of 2024, Walls pleaded guilty to multiple charges related to the shooting and&nbsp;was sentenced to more than 27 years in prison, according to the district attorney's office.

21-year-old Kan. man going to prison for robbery, murder

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., facing pointed bipartisan questioning at a rancorous three-hour Senate committee hearing on Thursday, tried to defend his efforts to pull back COVID-19 vaccine recommendations and explain the turmoil he has created at federal&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/health">health</a>&nbsp;agencies.

Kennedy said the fired CDC director was untrustworthy, stood by his past anti-vaccine rhetoric, and disputed reports of people saying they have had difficulty getting COVID-19 shots.

Medical groups and several Democrats in Congress have called for Kennedy to be fired, and his exchanges with Democratic senators on the panel repeatedly devolved into shouting, from both sides.

But some Republican senators also expressed unease with his changes to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/covid-vaccine-pregnant-women-children-70c358cad726e57d680234c3ecdec926">COVID-19 policies</a>.

The GOP senators noted that Kennedy said President Donald Trump deserved a Nobel Prize for the 2020&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/virus-outbreak-donald-trump-us-news-international-news-politics-756e5b743058701c4a2ebefd0af1ade4">Operation Warp Speed</a>&nbsp;initiative to quickly develop mRNA COVID-19 vaccines — and that he also had attacked the safety and continued use of those very shots.

“I can't tell where you are on Operation Warp Speed,” said Republican North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis.

Tillis and others asked him why the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was fired last week, less than a month into her tenure.

Kennedy said she was dishonest, and that CDC leaders who left the agency last week in support of her deserved to be fired.

He also criticized CDC recommendations during the COVID-19 pandemic tied to lockdowns and masking policies, and claimed — wrongly — that they “failed to do anything about the disease itself.”

“The people at CDC who oversaw that process, who put masks on our children, who closed our schools, are the people who will be leaving,” Kennedy said. He later said they deserved to be fired for not doing enough to control chronic disease.

Democrats express hostility from the start

The Senate Finance Committee had called Kennedy to a hearing about his plans to “Make America Healthy Again,” but Democratic senators pressed Kennedy on his actions around vaccines.

At the start of the hearing, Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon tried to have Kennedy formally sworn in as a witness, saying the HHS secretary has a history of lying to the committee. The committee's chair, Sen. Mike Crapo of Idaho, denied the Democrat's request, saying “the bottom line is we will let the secretary make his own case.”

Wyden went on to attack Kennedy, saying he had “stacked the deck” of a vaccines advisory committee by replacing scientists with “skeptics and conspiracy theorists.”

Last week, the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/cdc-monarez-fired-trump-kennedy-vaccines-science-17fd8a19064e39906bc0125fd81e3525">Trump administration fired</a>&nbsp;the CDC's director — a Trump appointee who was confirmed by the Senate — less than a month into her tenure. Several top CDC leaders resigned in protest, leaving the agency in turmoil.

The ousted director, Susan Monarez, wrote&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wsj.com/opinion/robert-f-kennedy-jr-the-cdc-and-me-b4ca2eaa">in The Wall Street Journal</a>&nbsp;on Thursday that Kennedy was trying to weaken public health protections.

“I was told to preapprove the recommendations of a vaccine advisory panel newly filled with people who have publicly expressed antivaccine rhetoric,” Monarez wrote. “It is imperative that the panel’s recommendations aren’t rubber-stamped but instead are rigorously and scientifically reviewed before being accepted or rejected.”

Kennedy told senators he didn't make such an ultimatum, though he did concede that he had ordered Monarez to fire career CDC scientists.

Kennedy pushed back on concerns raised by multiple Republican senators, including Tillis and Sens. John Barrasso of Wyoming and Bill Cassidy of Louisiana. Both Barrasso and Cassidy are physicians.

The health secretary had animated comebacks as Democratic senators pressed him on the effects of his words and actions.

When Sen. Raphael Warnock, of Georgia, questioned Kennedy about his disparaging rhetoric about CDC employees before a deadly shooting at the agency this summer, Kennedy shot back: “Are you complicit in the assassination attempts on President Trump?”

Kennedy called Sen. Ben Ray Lujan of New Mexico “ridiculous,” said he was “talking gibberish” and accused him of “not understanding how the world works” when Lujan asked Kennedy to pledge to share protocols of any research Kennedy was commissioning into autism and vaccines.

He also engaged in a heated, loud exchanges with Sens. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Tina Smith of Minnesota.

“I didn’t even hear your question,” Kennedy replied to Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto as the Nevada Democrat repeatedly asked what the agency was doing to lower drug costs for seniors.

He also told Sen. Bernie Sanders that the Vermont independent was not “making any sense.”

Some senators had their own choice words.

“You’re interrupting me, and sir, you’re a charlatan. That’s what you are, ” said Sen. Maria Cantwell, a Washington Democrat. “The history on vaccines is very clear.”

As the hearing neared its end, Kennedy pulled his cellphone from his pocket and then tapped and scrolled as Wyden asked about mifepristone, a drug used for medication abortion.

In May, Kennedy — a longtime leader in the anti-vaccine movement — announced COVID-19 vaccines would no longer be recommended for healthy children and pregnant women, a move opposed by medical and public health groups.

In June,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kennedy-cdc-acip-vaccines-3790c89f45b6314c5c7b686db0e3a8f9">he abruptly fired</a>&nbsp;a panel of experts that had been advising the government on vaccine policy. He replaced them with a handpicked group that included several vaccine skeptics, and then shut the door to several doctors groups that had long helped form the committee's recommendations.

Kennedy has voiced distrust of research that showed the COVID-19 vaccines saved lives, and at Thursday's hearing even cast doubt on statistics about how people died during the pandemic and on estimates about how many deaths were averted — statistics produced by the agencies he oversees.

He said federal health policy would be based on gold standard science, but confessed that he wouldn’t necessarily wait for studies to be completed before taking action against, for example, potential causes of chronic illness.

“We are not waiting for everything to come in. We are starting now," he said.

A number of medical groups say Kennedy can’t be counted on to make decisions based on robust medical evidence. In a statement Wednesday, the Infectious Diseases Society of America and 20 other medical and public health organizations issued a joint statement calling on him to resign.

“Our country needs leadership that will promote open, honest dialogue, not disregard decades of lifesaving science, spread misinformation, reverse medical progress and decimate programs that keep us safe,” the statement said.

Many of the nation’s leading public health and medical societies, including the American Medical Association, American Public Health Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics have decried Kennedy’s policies and warn they will drive up rates of vaccine-preventable diseases.

Stobbe reported from New York. Associated Press writer Mary Clare Jalonick contributed to this report.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/9/1756996593037.png" alt="Kennedy waved at protesters and supporters as he entered the hearing room on Thursday -image from CSPAN video" />
 <figcaption>Kennedy waved at protesters and supporters as he entered the hearing room on Thursday -image from CSPAN video</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., facing pointed bipartisan questioning at a rancorous three-hour Senate committee hearing on Thursday, tried to defend his efforts to pull back COVID-19 vaccine recommendations and explain the turmoil he has created at federal&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/health">health</a>&nbsp;agencies.Kennedy said the fired CDC director was untrustworthy, stood by his past anti-vaccine rhetoric, and disputed reports of people saying they have had difficulty getting COVID-19 shots.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/9/1756996094351.png" alt="Protester arrested during the hearing -image from CSPAN video" />
 <figcaption>Protester arrested during the hearing -image from CSPAN video</figcaption>
 </figure><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">As <a href="https://twitter.com/SecKennedy?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SecKennedy</a> enters Senate hearing, reporters ask if he will resign and supporters chant &quot;We love you Bobby&quot; <a href="https://t.co/XENgdhir7w">pic.twitter.com/XENgdhir7w</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1963606194104172801?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 4, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Protesters interrupt <a href="https://twitter.com/SecKennedy?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SecKennedy</a> opening statement at Senate Finance hearing <a href="https://t.co/tj6HARi5oh">pic.twitter.com/tj6HARi5oh</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1963617929938845790?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 4, 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">.<a href="https://twitter.com/SecKennedy?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SecKennedy</a>: &quot;[CDC] changes were absolutely necessary adjustments to restore the agency to its role as the world&#39;s gold standard... The people at CDC who oversaw [COVID] — who put masks on our children, who closed our schools — are the people that will be leaving.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/HMI4FjXmx1">pic.twitter.com/HMI4FjXmx1</a>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1963611669306736643?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 4, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">We became the sickest country in the world. I need to make sure this doesn’t happen again. <a href="https://t.co/ihNBfyDWKd">pic.twitter.com/ihNBfyDWKd</a>&mdash; Secretary Kennedy (@SecKennedy) <a href="https://twitter.com/SecKennedy/status/1963619420174975317?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 4, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/SecKennedy?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SecKennedy</a> scorches <a href="https://twitter.com/RonWyden?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RonWyden</a>: &quot;You&#39;ve sat in that chair for how long — 20, 25 years? — while the chronic disease in our children went up to 76%, and you said nothing. You never asked the question, &#39;Why is this happening?&#39;&quot; <a href="https://t.co/eSmXhlKhof">pic.twitter.com/eSmXhlKhof</a>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1963614447911510036?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 4, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/RonWyden?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RonWyden</a> asks <a href="https://twitter.com/SecKennedy?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SecKennedy</a> about former CDC Director Susan Monarez: &quot;So she&#39;s lying today to the American people in the Wall Street Journal?&quot; Kennedy: &quot;Yes sir.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/EseDIvN1fx">pic.twitter.com/EseDIvN1fx</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1963621199109390721?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 4, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/SecKennedy?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SecKennedy</a>: &quot;We are ending gain-of-function research, child mutilation, and reducing animal testing. We are addressing cellphone use in schools... sickle cell anemia, Hepatitis C, the East Palestine chemical spill, and many, many others.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/wEScTJ9RAJ">pic.twitter.com/wEScTJ9RAJ</a>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1963614971436163170?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 4, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">We are reorganizing the entire organ procurement industry so that the sanctity of life can never be violated again. <a href="https://t.co/U2jgMbbtbj">pic.twitter.com/U2jgMbbtbj</a>&mdash; Secretary Kennedy (@SecKennedy) <a href="https://twitter.com/SecKennedy/status/1963626909096436082?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 4, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Heated exchange between <a href="https://twitter.com/SenWarren?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SenWarren</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/SecKennedy?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SecKennedy</a> on COVID vaccines and fired CDC Director. <a href="https://t.co/Djl7ulVNEJ">pic.twitter.com/Djl7ulVNEJ</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1963644083034841550?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 4, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">I never promised that I was going to recommend products for which there is no indication. <a href="https://t.co/L1rcvbdlI0">pic.twitter.com/L1rcvbdlI0</a>&mdash; Secretary Kennedy (@SecKennedy) <a href="https://twitter.com/SecKennedy/status/1963639455484371299?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 4, 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">Reminder <a href="https://twitter.com/SenSanders?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SenSanders</a> <a href="https://t.co/YLiUfnZlQL">https://t.co/YLiUfnZlQL</a>&mdash; Secretary Kennedy (@SecKennedy) <a href="https://twitter.com/SecKennedy/status/1963638668662300984?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 4, 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">RFK Jr. just went off for 2 minutes straight tearing into the politicization of COVID. The entire room went silent. Watch: “The whole process was politicized. Senator, I mean, we were lied to about everything.” “We were lied to about natural immunity. We were lied to… <a href="https://t.co/J4T5OjLEVE">pic.twitter.com/J4T5OjLEVE</a>&mdash; Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) <a href="https://twitter.com/bennyjohnson/status/1963623144440090821?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 4, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">What <a href="https://twitter.com/SecKennedy?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SecKennedy</a> and I are fighting for is vaccine transparency — 76 jabs by 18 is excessive without clear justification. The CDC needs to get transparent about every vaccine they recommend. <a href="https://t.co/UyPbv0iDAJ">pic.twitter.com/UyPbv0iDAJ</a>&mdash; Dr. Roger Marshall (@RogerMarshallMD) <a href="https://twitter.com/RogerMarshallMD/status/1963655720265814427?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 4, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">I refuse to sign onto something unless I can stand behind it with scientific certainty. That doesn’t make me ‘anti-vax’ – it makes me pro-science. <a href="https://t.co/8IHLK7Jt76">pic.twitter.com/8IHLK7Jt76</a>&mdash; Secretary Kennedy (@SecKennedy) <a href="https://twitter.com/SecKennedy/status/1963649578411901137?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 4, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Medical groups and several Democrats in Congress have called for Kennedy to be fired, and his exchanges with Democratic senators on the panel repeatedly devolved into shouting, from both sides.But some Republican senators also expressed unease with his changes to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/covid-vaccine-pregnant-women-children-70c358cad726e57d680234c3ecdec926">COVID-19 policies</a>.The GOP senators noted that Kennedy said President Donald Trump deserved a Nobel Prize for the 2020&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/virus-outbreak-donald-trump-us-news-international-news-politics-756e5b743058701c4a2ebefd0af1ade4">Operation Warp Speed</a>&nbsp;initiative to quickly develop mRNA COVID-19 vaccines — and that he also had attacked the safety and continued use of those very shots.“I can't tell where you are on Operation Warp Speed,” said Republican North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis.Tillis and others asked him why the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was fired last week, less than a month into her tenure.Kennedy said she was dishonest, and that CDC leaders who left the agency last week in support of her deserved to be fired.He also criticized CDC recommendations during the COVID-19 pandemic tied to lockdowns and masking policies, and claimed — wrongly — that they “failed to do anything about the disease itself.”“The people at CDC who oversaw that process, who put masks on our children, who closed our schools, are the people who will be leaving,” Kennedy said. He later said they deserved to be fired for not doing enough to control chronic disease.<h2>Democrats express hostility from the start</h2>The Senate Finance Committee had called Kennedy to a hearing about his plans to “Make America Healthy Again,” but Democratic senators pressed Kennedy on his actions around vaccines.At the start of the hearing, Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon tried to have Kennedy formally sworn in as a witness, saying the HHS secretary has a history of lying to the committee. The committee's chair, Sen. Mike Crapo of Idaho, denied the Democrat's request, saying “the bottom line is we will let the secretary make his own case.”Wyden went on to attack Kennedy, saying he had “stacked the deck” of a vaccines advisory committee by replacing scientists with “skeptics and conspiracy theorists.”Last week, the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/cdc-monarez-fired-trump-kennedy-vaccines-science-17fd8a19064e39906bc0125fd81e3525">Trump administration fired</a>&nbsp;the CDC's director — a Trump appointee who was confirmed by the Senate — less than a month into her tenure. Several top CDC leaders resigned in protest, leaving the agency in turmoil.The ousted director, Susan Monarez, wrote&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wsj.com/opinion/robert-f-kennedy-jr-the-cdc-and-me-b4ca2eaa">in The Wall Street Journal</a>&nbsp;on Thursday that Kennedy was trying to weaken public health protections.“I was told to preapprove the recommendations of a vaccine advisory panel newly filled with people who have publicly expressed antivaccine rhetoric,” Monarez wrote. “It is imperative that the panel’s recommendations aren’t rubber-stamped but instead are rigorously and scientifically reviewed before being accepted or rejected.”Kennedy told senators he didn't make such an ultimatum, though he did concede that he had ordered Monarez to fire career CDC scientists.Kennedy pushed back on concerns raised by multiple Republican senators, including Tillis and Sens. John Barrasso of Wyoming and Bill Cassidy of Louisiana. Both Barrasso and Cassidy are physicians.<h2>Shouting matches and hot comebacks</h2>The health secretary had animated comebacks as Democratic senators pressed him on the effects of his words and actions.When Sen. Raphael Warnock, of Georgia, questioned Kennedy about his disparaging rhetoric about CDC employees before a deadly shooting at the agency this summer, Kennedy shot back: “Are you complicit in the assassination attempts on President Trump?”Kennedy called Sen. Ben Ray Lujan of New Mexico “ridiculous,” said he was “talking gibberish” and accused him of “not understanding how the world works” when Lujan asked Kennedy to pledge to share protocols of any research Kennedy was commissioning into autism and vaccines.He also engaged in a heated, loud exchanges with Sens. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Tina Smith of Minnesota.“I didn’t even hear your question,” Kennedy replied to Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto as the Nevada Democrat repeatedly asked what the agency was doing to lower drug costs for seniors.He also told Sen. Bernie Sanders that the Vermont independent was not “making any sense.”Some senators had their own choice words.“You’re interrupting me, and sir, you’re a charlatan. That’s what you are, ” said Sen. Maria Cantwell, a Washington Democrat. “The history on vaccines is very clear.”As the hearing neared its end, Kennedy pulled his cellphone from his pocket and then tapped and scrolled as Wyden asked about mifepristone, a drug used for medication abortion.<h2>Kennedy disputes COVID-19 data</h2>In May, Kennedy — a longtime leader in the anti-vaccine movement — announced COVID-19 vaccines would no longer be recommended for healthy children and pregnant women, a move opposed by medical and public health groups.In June,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kennedy-cdc-acip-vaccines-3790c89f45b6314c5c7b686db0e3a8f9">he abruptly fired</a>&nbsp;a panel of experts that had been advising the government on vaccine policy. He replaced them with a handpicked group that included several vaccine skeptics, and then shut the door to several doctors groups that had long helped form the committee's recommendations.Kennedy has voiced distrust of research that showed the COVID-19 vaccines saved lives, and at Thursday's hearing even cast doubt on statistics about how people died during the pandemic and on estimates about how many deaths were averted — statistics produced by the agencies he oversees.He said federal health policy would be based on gold standard science, but confessed that he wouldn’t necessarily wait for studies to be completed before taking action against, for example, potential causes of chronic illness.“We are not waiting for everything to come in. We are starting now," he said.A number of medical groups say Kennedy can’t be counted on to make decisions based on robust medical evidence. In a statement Wednesday, the Infectious Diseases Society of America and 20 other medical and public health organizations issued a joint statement calling on him to resign.“Our country needs leadership that will promote open, honest dialogue, not disregard decades of lifesaving science, spread misinformation, reverse medical progress and decimate programs that keep us safe,” the statement said.Many of the nation’s leading public health and medical societies, including the American Medical Association, American Public Health Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics have decried Kennedy’s policies and warn they will drive up rates of vaccine-preventable diseases.___Stobbe reported from New York. Associated Press writer Mary Clare Jalonick contributed to this report.

🎥RFK Jr. rejects criticism, health data in contentious hearing

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

School board responds to public outcry in wake of Kansas Reflector story

COLDWATER — The Comanche County School District’s superintendent landed on paid administrative leave in the wake of a community uprising led by parents angry with how the school board&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/09/02/a-kansas-student-reported-her-coach-for-harassment-and-touching-school-leaders-kept-it-quiet/">initially responded to allegations</a>&nbsp;he sexually harassed a student.

More than 100 residents of the rural southwest Kansas school district — including some displaying raw, intense emotion — descended on the high school Wednesday night to demand ouster or suspension of superintendent Ty Theurer.

<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/f847ff9e-1975-4706-a9f7-899073ed1d50">Click here to read the earlier story</a>

“How in the world did we get here?” said Zach Ellis, a county commissioner who has children in the district. “Does this board not have a responsibility to the kids of this district to do the right thing? Kids don’t feel safe in this building. You have created a hostile and toxic learning environment as well as a toxic working environment.”

School board president Kelly Herd, who became aware of the student’s harassment complaint four months ago, had resisted punishment of Theurer beyond the warning placed in his personnel file. She had told fellow board members no additional sanction was necessary in response to an allegation that Theurer, while serving as golf coach, advised a female student to hold clubs like she were gripping a penis. The girl had also complained of unwanted touching by Theurer.

Theurer signed a summary of the student’s complaint months ago, which was viewed by the student’s parents as an admission of guilt.

Herd also sent emails to other board members saying Theurer “did not deny nor make excuses” and “has been written up.”

In front of an unusually large crowd, the seven-member board moved in and out of executive session several times before Herd sought a motion to relieve Theurer of administrative duties in the 300-student district. He wasn’t at work Wednesday and didn’t attend the school board meeting after&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/09/02/a-kansas-student-reported-her-coach-for-harassment-and-touching-school-leaders-kept-it-quiet/">Kansas Reflector published an article</a>&nbsp;Tuesday detailing allegations against the superintendent and the school board’s tepid response.

The school board didn’t discuss publicly the reason for taking action against Theurer at this time. There was no board disclosure about who would temporarily lead the district or for how long.

The board adopted a vague motion to proceed with “next steps” that the board president said had been discussed in executive session. None of that information was shared with the audience.

“Horrible,” school board member Dean Yoder said in an interview after the meeting. “It was not handled in May. It’s still not being handled in the right manner.”

He said the school board should have fired Theurer in the spring, and no evidence has surfaced to dissuade him of that necessity.

After Herd adjourned the meeting, the audience hurled questions at the school board. In the back-and-forth, school board vice president Andy Uhl confirmed Theurer was placed on paid leave.

An investigator with the Kansas Association of School Boards has compiled a draft report regarding an inquiry into allegations against Theurer. The board met behind closed doors with a KASB attorney before voting to relieve the superintendent of all administrative responsibilities.

The regular public comment portion of the meeting was moved to the back of the agenda. When that moment arrived, the school board president said she would forbid any speaker from referring to district employees or students. She asserted, without offering a justification, that such public statements would violate privacy rights of individuals.

“The board appreciates patrons taking the time to talk to us about our policies and procedures,” Herd said. “Please, understand this is not an appropriate time or place for patrons to make comments of a personal nature about any district employee or student.”

Initially, Herd told the audience that she wanted to convince Ellis — the only person to fill out an application for permission to speak — to share his concerns with the school board in a closed executive session. Herd’s suggestion was widely opposed by people in the crowd, including Ellis.

“You don’t get to go into executive session just because you don’t want to hear what I’ve got to say,” Ellis shouted.

Another person in the room challenged this secretive approach: “He speaks for a lot of us.”

“Is that a unanimous board decision?” Ellis continued. “Because I bet it wasn’t.”

“I’m not finished,” Herd shot back. “I’m going to let you speak. You have five minutes. You can’t mention anybody by name. If it gets out of control, we will stop it.”

Ellis didn’t mention the superintendent’s name during his speech, but there was no doubt he was talking about Theurer. Ellis accused Herd of running school board meetings with an iron hand and of stifling dissent among her elected peers on the school board.

In terms of the sexual harassment allegation, Ellis said, “The people who are sworn to protect these people have failed.”

“If you think that this is or was an isolated incident,” he said, “you are nuttier than a pile of bull crap. It’s a pattern in what now seems to be a decade of abuse.”

When the timer hit 5 minutes, Herd told Ellis that his time was up.

“Hey, freedom of speech,” said a man at the back of the room.

Another person was adamant: “Let him speak.”

Herd ignored their pleas and asked for a motion to go into another executive session rather than hear more from Ellis. Briefly, Ellis and Herd were simultaneously addressing the audience.

There was a puzzled response from the crowd when Herd declared the board would proceed with “next steps” in terms of the district’s leadership structure. She didn’t articulate elements of that plan.

“No questions. No answers,” one crowd member said.

“What if it was your daughter?” a woman yelled.

Ellis said he was optimistic change would come to the Comanche County school system, given the number of disgruntled people present at the meeting.

“You have awoke a sleeping giant, and we are pissed off,” Ellis said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/9/1757008524945.jpeg" alt=" Comanche County school board president Kelly Herd addresses board members during a meeting in which the district’s superintendent was placed on paid leave pending an investigation into his alleged sexual harassment of a student. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption> Comanche County school board president Kelly Herd addresses board members during a meeting in which the district’s superintendent was placed on paid leave pending an investigation into his alleged sexual harassment of a student. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>By&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/tim-carpenter/">TIM CARPENTER</a> <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/02/24/gov-laura-kelly-skeptical-kansas-houses-anti-tenure-legislation-will-reach-her-desk/">Kansas Reflector</a><h2>School board responds to public outcry in wake of Kansas Reflector story</h2>COLDWATER — The Comanche County School District’s superintendent landed on paid administrative leave in the wake of a community uprising led by parents angry with how the school board&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/09/02/a-kansas-student-reported-her-coach-for-harassment-and-touching-school-leaders-kept-it-quiet/">initially responded to allegations</a>&nbsp;he sexually harassed a student.More than 100 residents of the rural southwest Kansas school district — including some displaying raw, intense emotion — descended on the high school Wednesday night to demand ouster or suspension of superintendent Ty Theurer.<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/f847ff9e-1975-4706-a9f7-899073ed1d50">Click here to read the earlier story</a>“How in the world did we get here?” said Zach Ellis, a county commissioner who has children in the district. “Does this board not have a responsibility to the kids of this district to do the right thing? Kids don’t feel safe in this building. You have created a hostile and toxic learning environment as well as a toxic working environment.”School board president Kelly Herd, who became aware of the student’s harassment complaint four months ago, had resisted punishment of Theurer beyond the warning placed in his personnel file. She had told fellow board members no additional sanction was necessary in response to an allegation that Theurer, while serving as golf coach, advised a female student to hold clubs like she were gripping a penis. The girl had also complained of unwanted touching by Theurer.Theurer signed a summary of the student’s complaint months ago, which was viewed by the student’s parents as an admission of guilt.Herd also sent emails to other board members saying Theurer “did not deny nor make excuses” and “has been written up.”In front of an unusually large crowd, the seven-member board moved in and out of executive session several times before Herd sought a motion to relieve Theurer of administrative duties in the 300-student district. He wasn’t at work Wednesday and didn’t attend the school board meeting after&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/09/02/a-kansas-student-reported-her-coach-for-harassment-and-touching-school-leaders-kept-it-quiet/">Kansas Reflector published an article</a>&nbsp;Tuesday detailing allegations against the superintendent and the school board’s tepid response.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/9/1757008483030.png" alt="More than 100 people attended a Comanche County School District meeting Wednesday to press the school board to suspend or fire superintendent Ty Theurer, who has been accused of sexually harassing a student. The board voted to place him on paid administrative leave. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>More than 100 people attended a Comanche County School District meeting Wednesday to press the school board to suspend or fire superintendent Ty Theurer, who has been accused of sexually harassing a student. The board voted to place him on paid administrative leave. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>The school board didn’t discuss publicly the reason for taking action against Theurer at this time. There was no board disclosure about who would temporarily lead the district or for how long.The board adopted a vague motion to proceed with “next steps” that the board president said had been discussed in executive session. None of that information was shared with the audience.“Horrible,” school board member Dean Yoder said in an interview after the meeting. “It was not handled in May. It’s still not being handled in the right manner.”He said the school board should have fired Theurer in the spring, and no evidence has surfaced to dissuade him of that necessity.After Herd adjourned the meeting, the audience hurled questions at the school board. In the back-and-forth, school board vice president Andy Uhl confirmed Theurer was placed on paid leave.An investigator with the Kansas Association of School Boards has compiled a draft report regarding an inquiry into allegations against Theurer. The board met behind closed doors with a KASB attorney before voting to relieve the superintendent of all administrative responsibilities.The regular public comment portion of the meeting was moved to the back of the agenda. When that moment arrived, the school board president said she would forbid any speaker from referring to district employees or students. She asserted, without offering a justification, that such public statements would violate privacy rights of individuals.“The board appreciates patrons taking the time to talk to us about our policies and procedures,” Herd said. “Please, understand this is not an appropriate time or place for patrons to make comments of a personal nature about any district employee or student.”Initially, Herd told the audience that she wanted to convince Ellis — the only person to fill out an application for permission to speak — to share his concerns with the school board in a closed executive session. Herd’s suggestion was widely opposed by people in the crowd, including Ellis.“You don’t get to go into executive session just because you don’t want to hear what I’ve got to say,” Ellis shouted.Another person in the room challenged this secretive approach: “He speaks for a lot of us.”“Is that a unanimous board decision?” Ellis continued. “Because I bet it wasn’t.”“I’m not finished,” Herd shot back. “I’m going to let you speak. You have five minutes. You can’t mention anybody by name. If it gets out of control, we will stop it.”Ellis didn’t mention the superintendent’s name during his speech, but there was no doubt he was talking about Theurer. Ellis accused Herd of running school board meetings with an iron hand and of stifling dissent among her elected peers on the school board.In terms of the sexual harassment allegation, Ellis said, “The people who are sworn to protect these people have failed.”“If you think that this is or was an isolated incident,” he said, “you are nuttier than a pile of bull crap. It’s a pattern in what now seems to be a decade of abuse.”When the timer hit 5 minutes, Herd told Ellis that his time was up.“Hey, freedom of speech,” said a man at the back of the room.Another person was adamant: “Let him speak.”Herd ignored their pleas and asked for a motion to go into another executive session rather than hear more from Ellis. Briefly, Ellis and Herd were simultaneously addressing the audience.There was a puzzled response from the crowd when Herd declared the board would proceed with “next steps” in terms of the district’s leadership structure. She didn’t articulate elements of that plan.“No questions. No answers,” one crowd member said.“What if it was your daughter?” a woman yelled.Ellis said he was optimistic change would come to the Comanche County school system, given the number of disgruntled people present at the meeting.“You have awoke a sleeping giant, and we are pissed off,” Ellis said.

Outraged parents demand action as Kansas school board places superintendent on administrative leave

SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement investigating one of several homicides on Monday in Wichita have made another arrest.&nbsp;

On Wednesday, police arrested a 21-year-old man identified according to Sedgwick County booking records as Lafayette J. Washington for the shooting death of 23-year-old D’Andre Rubio of Wichita, according to a media release from Wichita Police.

The shooting occurred just after 1:34 a.m. in the 100 block of Rock Island. Officers arrived and found Rubio suffering from a gunshot wound. He was transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced deceased.

Detectives have learned that a disturbance took place before the shooting. The circumstances that led to the incident remain under investigation.

Washinton has been booked into the Sedgwick County Jail on a requested charge of first-degree murder charge, theft of property or services and criminal possession of a weapon a felon.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/9/1756982176005.png" alt="Washington photo Sedgwick County" />
 <figcaption>Washington photo Sedgwick County</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement investigating one of several homicides on Monday in Wichita have made another arrest.&nbsp;On Wednesday, police arrested a 21-year-old man identified according to Sedgwick County booking records as Lafayette J. Washington for the shooting death of 23-year-old D’Andre Rubio of Wichita, according to a media release from Wichita Police.The shooting occurred just after 1:34 a.m. in the 100 block of Rock Island. Officers arrived and found Rubio suffering from a gunshot wound. He was transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced deceased.Detectives have learned that a disturbance took place before the shooting. The circumstances that led to the incident remain under investigation.Washinton has been booked into the Sedgwick County Jail on a requested charge of first-degree murder charge, theft of property or services and criminal possession of a weapon a felon.

Police: Kan. felon jailed for Labor Day robbery, killing 

KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement investigating another homicide in Kansas City, Missouri have identified the victim as 15-year-old Isaiah Wilson, according to KCPD Officer Alayna Gonzalez.

Just after 2:30p.m. Tuesday, police&nbsp;were dispatched to 100 NE St. Luke’s Boulevard on a reported shooting that is believed to have occurred near 88th Place and James A Reed, according to Gonzalez.

Upon arrival, officers were advised a boy later identified as Wilson arrived at the hospital suffering from a gunshot wound. Medical staff made every attempt to perform life saving measures before he was pronounced deceased.

Preliminary investigation indicates the boy was walking outside when he heard several sounds of shots and was struck by gunfire. He was able to call a friend for help and a private vehicle picked him up and transported him to the hospital.

Police do not have any suspect information and no one is currently in custody.

KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement investigating another homicide in Kansas City, Missouri have identified the victim as 15-year-old Isaiah Wilson, according to KCPD Officer Alayna Gonzalez.Just after 2:30p.m. Tuesday, police&nbsp;were dispatched to 100 NE St. Luke’s Boulevard on a reported shooting that is believed to have occurred near 88th Place and James A Reed, according to Gonzalez.Upon arrival, officers were advised a boy later identified as Wilson arrived at the hospital suffering from a gunshot wound. Medical staff made every attempt to perform life saving measures before he was pronounced deceased.Preliminary investigation indicates the boy was walking outside when he heard several sounds of shots and was struck by gunfire. He was able to call a friend for help and a private vehicle picked him up and transported him to the hospital.Police do not have any suspect information and no one is currently in custody.

Police ID Kansas City boy killed by random gunfire

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Artificial intelligence chatbot makers OpenAI and Meta say they are adjusting how their chatbots respond to teenagers and other users asking questions about suicide or showing signs of mental and emotional distress.

OpenAI, maker of ChatGPT, said Tuesday it is preparing to&nbsp;<a href="https://openai.com/index/building-more-helpful-chatgpt-experiences-for-everyone/">roll out new controls</a>&nbsp;enabling parents to link their accounts to their teen's account.

Parents can choose which features to disable and “receive notifications when the system detects their teen is in a moment of acute distress,” according to a company blog post that says the changes will go into effect this fall.

Regardless of a user's age, the company says its chatbots will redirect the most distressing conversations to more capable AI models that can provide a better response.

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.

The announcement comes a week after the parents of 16-year-old Adam Raine sued OpenAI and its CEO Sam Altman, alleging that ChatGPT coached the California boy in planning and taking his own life earlier this year.

Meta, the parent company of Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp, also said it is now blocking its chatbots from talking with teens about self-harm, suicide, disordered eating and inappropriate romantic conversations, and instead directs them to expert resources. Meta already offers parental controls on teen accounts.

A&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ai-chatbots-selfharm-chatgpt-claude-gemini-da00880b1e1577ac332ab1752e41225b">study published last week</a>&nbsp;in the medical journal Psychiatric Services found inconsistencies in how three popular artificial intelligence chatbots responded to queries about suicide.

The study by researchers at the RAND Corporation found a need for “further refinement” in ChatGPT, Google’s Gemini and Anthropic’s Claude. The researchers did not study Meta's chatbots.

The study's lead author, Ryan McBain, said Tuesday that "it’s encouraging to see OpenAI and Meta introducing features like parental controls and routing sensitive conversations to more capable models, but these are incremental steps.”

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Artificial intelligence chatbot makers OpenAI and Meta say they are adjusting how their chatbots respond to teenagers and other users asking questions about suicide or showing signs of mental and emotional distress.OpenAI, maker of ChatGPT, said Tuesday it is preparing to&nbsp;<a href="https://openai.com/index/building-more-helpful-chatgpt-experiences-for-everyone/">roll out new controls</a>&nbsp;enabling parents to link their accounts to their teen's account.Parents can choose which features to disable and “receive notifications when the system detects their teen is in a moment of acute distress,” according to a company blog post that says the changes will go into effect this fall.Regardless of a user's age, the company says its chatbots will redirect the most distressing conversations to more capable AI models that can provide a better response.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.The announcement comes a week after the parents of 16-year-old Adam Raine sued OpenAI and its CEO Sam Altman, alleging that ChatGPT coached the California boy in planning and taking his own life earlier this year.Meta, the parent company of Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp, also said it is now blocking its chatbots from talking with teens about self-harm, suicide, disordered eating and inappropriate romantic conversations, and instead directs them to expert resources. Meta already offers parental controls on teen accounts.A&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ai-chatbots-selfharm-chatgpt-claude-gemini-da00880b1e1577ac332ab1752e41225b">study published last week</a>&nbsp;in the medical journal Psychiatric Services found inconsistencies in how three popular artificial intelligence chatbots responded to queries about suicide.The study by researchers at the RAND Corporation found a need for “further refinement” in ChatGPT, Google’s Gemini and Anthropic’s Claude. The researchers did not study Meta's chatbots.The study's lead author, Ryan McBain, said Tuesday that "it’s encouraging to see OpenAI and Meta introducing features like parental controls and routing sensitive conversations to more capable models, but these are incremental steps.”

OpenAI say they're fixing AI chatbots to better respond to teens in distress

By:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/jennifer-shutt/">Jennifer Shutt</a>

WASHINGTON — Congress returned to Washington, D.C., this week following an uneventful August recess where little to no progress was made on government funding, even though lawmakers have just weeks left until their shutdown deadline.

Republican leaders will need the support of several Democratic senators to approve a stopgap spending bill before Oct. 1, since lawmakers have once again failed to complete the dozen full-year bills on time.&nbsp;

But what was once a routine bipartisan exercise has taken on heightened stakes, with Democrats and some Republicans increasingly frustrated by the Trump administration’s unilateral spending decisions.

The nonpartisan Government Accountability Office has issued&nbsp; &nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/trump-illegally-withheld-head-start-payments-government-watchdog-says" target="_blank">several</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/trump-illegally-froze-1800-nih-medical-research-grants-congress-watchdog-says" target="_blank">reports</a>&nbsp;faulting the Trump administration for impounding, or refusing to spend funds approved by Congress, in violation of the law. And dozens of lawsuits&nbsp;<a href="https://www.justsecurity.org/107087/tracker-litigation-legal-challenges-trump-administration/" target="_blank">have been filed</a>, alleging the administration has acted to supersede Congress’ power of the purse.&nbsp;

The ongoing tension, combined with party leaders’ increasing focus on next year’s midterm elections, makes the possibility of a shutdown higher than it has been for years.&nbsp;

President Donald Trump said in mid-August he was open to meeting with Democratic leaders once they were back in town to negotiate a government funding deal but minimized the importance of talks.&nbsp;

“Well, I will, I guess, but it’s almost a waste of time to meet because they never approve anything,” Trump said.

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries&nbsp;<a href="https://www.democrats.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/schumer_jeffries_letter_re_government_funding.pdf" target="_blank">released a letter</a>&nbsp;last week urging Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune to quickly begin negotiating a bipartisan stopgap bill.&nbsp;

“The government funding issue must be resolved in a bipartisan way,” they wrote. “That is the only viable path forward.”

Senate Appropriations Chairwoman Susan Collins, R-Maine, said last week that she wants to keep advancing the full-year spending bills, but that a short-term stopgap would be necessary to give lawmakers enough time.&nbsp;

“We need to avoid a government shutdown, which would be horrendous if that were to occur on October 1,” Collins said, according to remarks provided by her office. “And we also need to avoid having a continuing resolution, by that I mean a stopgap bill that just puts government on automatic pilot for the whole year.&nbsp;

“We’re going to have to have a short-term continuing resolution, but we’re making really good progress with overwhelming bipartisan support, and I hope that will continue.”

Congress is supposed to complete work on&nbsp;<a href="https://www.congress.gov/crs-appropriations-status-table" target="_blank">the dozen annual appropriations bills</a>&nbsp;before the start of the new fiscal year but has failed to do so for decades. This year is no different.&nbsp;

The House and Senate are nowhere near finishing their work on the bills, which provide funding for dozens of departments, including Agriculture, Defense, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development, Interior, Justice, State, Transportation and Veterans Affairs.

The bills, which make up about one-third of federal spending, also fund smaller agencies like the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Science Foundation and the National Weather Service.

The House has approved two of the dozen bills — Defense and Military Construction-VA. The Senate has passed its Agriculture, Legislative Branch and Military Construction-VA bills.

The House bills have only been supported by GOP lawmakers, while the Senate’s bills are broadly bipartisan, giving that chamber an upper hand if the two chambers begin conferencing full-year bills later this year.&nbsp;

Without a bipartisan, bicameral agreement on how much to spend on all of the bills, it’s highly unlikely Congress will be able to complete its work before the Oct. 1 deadline.

Leaders will instead need to reach agreement on a stopgap spending bill that essentially keeps government funding on autopilot until lawmakers can work out a final deal on the full-year bills.&nbsp;

The calendar doesn’t give Speaker Johnson, R-La., and Senate Majority Leader Thune, R-S.D., much time to find compromise with their Democratic counterparts.&nbsp;

Both chambers are in session for three weeks at the beginning of September before breaking for Rosh Hashanah. They’ll return to Capitol Hill on Sept. 29 with less than two days to fund the government or begin a partial shutdown.

Thune said in mid-August at the Greater Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce Inside Washington luncheon&nbsp;<a href="https://southdakotasearchlight.com/2025/08/12/thune-anticipates-big-fight-in-september-over-potential-government-shutdown/" target="_blank">that he expects lawmakers</a>&nbsp;will “have a big fight at the end of September.”

It’s been almost seven years since some federal departments and agencies had to navigate a shutdown, when Congress and the first Trump administration were unable to broker a funding deal before a deadline.

A shutdown this year would have substantially more impact than that 35-day debacle since, when that funding lapse began, Congress had approved the Defense, Energy-Water, Labor-HHS-Education, Legislative Branch and Military Construction-VA spending bills.

The departments and agencies funded by those laws, including Congress, weren’t affected by the shutdown.

Lawmakers have failed to send any of the full-year bills to Trump so far this year, so every department and agency would need to implement a shutdown plan if Congress doesn’t approve a stopgap spending bill before Oct. 1.

Federal employees who deal with the preservation of life and property as well as national security will likely be deemed exempt and work without pay until the shutdown ends.

Workers who are not considered essential to the federal government’s operations would be furloughed until Congress and the president broker some sort of funding deal.

Both categories of employees receive back pay once the lapse ends, though that doesn’t extend to federal contractors.

Congress regularly approves a stopgap spending bill in September to gain more time to complete negotiations on the full-year appropriations bills.

That continuing resolution, as it’s sometimes called, usually lasts until the last Friday in December when both chambers of Congress are scheduled to be in Washington, D.C.

So a September stopgap would likely last until Friday, Dec. 19, assuming the House and Senate can reach an agreement and hold floor votes in the weeks ahead.

Last year, in the lead-up to the presidential election,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/congress-poised-race-out-dc-after-dodging-shutdown" target="_blank">lawmakers approved a stopgap bill&nbsp;</a>in September that funded the government through mid-December.

Following the Republican sweep of the November elections, GOP leaders opted not to negotiate the full-year bills and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/congress-clears-bill-avert-government-shutdown-extend-farm-bill" target="_blank">used a second stopgap bill</a>&nbsp;to fund the government until March after a raucous 48 hours on Capitol Hill.

Speaker Johnson took a go-it-alone approach on&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/trump-signs-stopgap-spending-bill-law-following-us-senate-passage" target="_blank">a third stopgap spending bill</a>, leaving Democrats completely out of the negotiations and jamming the Senate with the legislation.

Schumer and several Democrats ultimately helped Republicans get past the 60-vote legislative filibuster, but most voted against actually passing the stopgap.

The dilemma over forcing a shutdown or helping Republicans pass a stopgap bill will resurface for Schumer in the weeks ahead as he tries to navigate another shutdown deadline amid unified GOP control of Washington.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1691086285875.jpeg" alt="U.S. Capitol (Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom)" />
 <figcaption>U.S. Capitol (Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom)</figcaption>
 </figure>By:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/jennifer-shutt/">Jennifer Shutt</a>WASHINGTON — Congress returned to Washington, D.C., this week following an uneventful August recess where little to no progress was made on government funding, even though lawmakers have just weeks left until their shutdown deadline.Republican leaders will need the support of several Democratic senators to approve a stopgap spending bill before Oct. 1, since lawmakers have once again failed to complete the dozen full-year bills on time.&nbsp;But what was once a routine bipartisan exercise has taken on heightened stakes, with Democrats and some Republicans increasingly frustrated by the Trump administration’s unilateral spending decisions.The nonpartisan Government Accountability Office has issued&nbsp; &nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/trump-illegally-withheld-head-start-payments-government-watchdog-says" target="_blank">several</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/trump-illegally-froze-1800-nih-medical-research-grants-congress-watchdog-says" target="_blank">reports</a>&nbsp;faulting the Trump administration for impounding, or refusing to spend funds approved by Congress, in violation of the law. And dozens of lawsuits&nbsp;<a href="https://www.justsecurity.org/107087/tracker-litigation-legal-challenges-trump-administration/" target="_blank">have been filed</a>, alleging the administration has acted to supersede Congress’ power of the purse.&nbsp;The ongoing tension, combined with party leaders’ increasing focus on next year’s midterm elections, makes the possibility of a shutdown higher than it has been for years.&nbsp;President Donald Trump said in mid-August he was open to meeting with Democratic leaders once they were back in town to negotiate a government funding deal but minimized the importance of talks.&nbsp;“Well, I will, I guess, but it’s almost a waste of time to meet because they never approve anything,” Trump said.Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries&nbsp;<a href="https://www.democrats.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/schumer_jeffries_letter_re_government_funding.pdf" target="_blank">released a letter</a>&nbsp;last week urging Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune to quickly begin negotiating a bipartisan stopgap bill.&nbsp;“The government funding issue must be resolved in a bipartisan way,” they wrote. “That is the only viable path forward.”Senate Appropriations Chairwoman Susan Collins, R-Maine, said last week that she wants to keep advancing the full-year spending bills, but that a short-term stopgap would be necessary to give lawmakers enough time.&nbsp;“We need to avoid a government shutdown, which would be horrendous if that were to occur on October 1,” Collins said, according to remarks provided by her office. “And we also need to avoid having a continuing resolution, by that I mean a stopgap bill that just puts government on automatic pilot for the whole year.&nbsp;“We’re going to have to have a short-term continuing resolution, but we’re making really good progress with overwhelming bipartisan support, and I hope that will continue.”<h2>Another failure</h2>Congress is supposed to complete work on&nbsp;<a href="https://www.congress.gov/crs-appropriations-status-table" target="_blank">the dozen annual appropriations bills</a>&nbsp;before the start of the new fiscal year but has failed to do so for decades. This year is no different.&nbsp;The House and Senate are nowhere near finishing their work on the bills, which provide funding for dozens of departments, including Agriculture, Defense, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development, Interior, Justice, State, Transportation and Veterans Affairs.The bills, which make up about one-third of federal spending, also fund smaller agencies like the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Science Foundation and the National Weather Service.The House has approved two of the dozen bills — Defense and Military Construction-VA. The Senate has passed its Agriculture, Legislative Branch and Military Construction-VA bills.The House bills have only been supported by GOP lawmakers, while the Senate’s bills are broadly bipartisan, giving that chamber an upper hand if the two chambers begin conferencing full-year bills later this year.&nbsp;Without a bipartisan, bicameral agreement on how much to spend on all of the bills, it’s highly unlikely Congress will be able to complete its work before the Oct. 1 deadline.Leaders will instead need to reach agreement on a stopgap spending bill that essentially keeps government funding on autopilot until lawmakers can work out a final deal on the full-year bills.&nbsp;The calendar doesn’t give Speaker Johnson, R-La., and Senate Majority Leader Thune, R-S.D., much time to find compromise with their Democratic counterparts.&nbsp;Both chambers are in session for three weeks at the beginning of September before breaking for Rosh Hashanah. They’ll return to Capitol Hill on Sept. 29 with less than two days to fund the government or begin a partial shutdown.Thune said in mid-August at the Greater Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce Inside Washington luncheon&nbsp;<a href="https://southdakotasearchlight.com/2025/08/12/thune-anticipates-big-fight-in-september-over-potential-government-shutdown/" target="_blank">that he expects lawmakers</a>&nbsp;will “have a big fight at the end of September.”<h2>Last shutdown stretched 35 days</h2>It’s been almost seven years since some federal departments and agencies had to navigate a shutdown, when Congress and the first Trump administration were unable to broker a funding deal before a deadline.A shutdown this year would have substantially more impact than that 35-day debacle since, when that funding lapse began, Congress had approved the Defense, Energy-Water, Labor-HHS-Education, Legislative Branch and Military Construction-VA spending bills.The departments and agencies funded by those laws, including Congress, weren’t affected by the shutdown.Lawmakers have failed to send any of the full-year bills to Trump so far this year, so every department and agency would need to implement a shutdown plan if Congress doesn’t approve a stopgap spending bill before Oct. 1.Federal employees who deal with the preservation of life and property as well as national security will likely be deemed exempt and work without pay until the shutdown ends.Workers who are not considered essential to the federal government’s operations would be furloughed until Congress and the president broker some sort of funding deal.Both categories of employees receive back pay once the lapse ends, though that doesn’t extend to federal contractors.<h2>On to the stopgap</h2>Congress regularly approves a stopgap spending bill in September to gain more time to complete negotiations on the full-year appropriations bills.That continuing resolution, as it’s sometimes called, usually lasts until the last Friday in December when both chambers of Congress are scheduled to be in Washington, D.C.So a September stopgap would likely last until Friday, Dec. 19, assuming the House and Senate can reach an agreement and hold floor votes in the weeks ahead.Last year, in the lead-up to the presidential election,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/congress-poised-race-out-dc-after-dodging-shutdown" target="_blank">lawmakers approved a stopgap bill&nbsp;</a>in September that funded the government through mid-December.Following the Republican sweep of the November elections, GOP leaders opted not to negotiate the full-year bills and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/congress-clears-bill-avert-government-shutdown-extend-farm-bill" target="_blank">used a second stopgap bill</a>&nbsp;to fund the government until March after a raucous 48 hours on Capitol Hill.Speaker Johnson took a go-it-alone approach on&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/trump-signs-stopgap-spending-bill-law-following-us-senate-passage" target="_blank">a third stopgap spending bill</a>, leaving Democrats completely out of the negotiations and jamming the Senate with the legislation.Schumer and several Democrats ultimately helped Republicans get past the 60-vote legislative filibuster, but most voted against actually passing the stopgap.The dilemma over forcing a shutdown or helping Republicans pass a stopgap bill will resurface for Schumer in the weeks ahead as he tries to navigate another shutdown deadline amid unified GOP control of Washington.

Every fall there’s a government shutdown warning. This time it could happen.

SEDGWICK COUNTY –Law enforcement investigating a fatal gunfight in Wichita have made an arrest.

Just after 2p.m. Monday, officers were called to a liquor store on North Broadway in Wichita, according to a media release. First responders found three men with gunshot wounds including&nbsp;19-year-old Mario Gustavo. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The suspect and another man were taken to a hospital for treatment of critical injuries.

Investigators learned that&nbsp;a disturbance in the parking lot led to gunfire.

A retired Wichita police lieutenant saw a vehicle flee the scene and followed it. Officers stopped the car, driven by a woman, near the 800 block of North Main Street. A male passenger, identified as an associate of Gustavo, had a gunshot wound to the hand and was taken to a hospital in critical but stable condition. Investigators believe he was shot at the exact location as the other three men.

Police have not released the name of the suspect or what charges he will face.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/9/1756850370219.png" alt=" " />
 <figcaption> </figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY –Law enforcement investigating a fatal gunfight in Wichita have made an arrest.Just after 2p.m. Monday, officers were called to a liquor store on North Broadway in Wichita, according to a media release. First responders found three men with gunshot wounds including&nbsp;19-year-old Mario Gustavo. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The suspect and another man were taken to a hospital for treatment of critical injuries.Investigators learned that&nbsp;a disturbance in the parking lot led to gunfire.A retired Wichita police lieutenant saw a vehicle flee the scene and followed it. Officers stopped the car, driven by a woman, near the 800 block of North Main Street. A male passenger, identified as an associate of Gustavo, had a gunshot wound to the hand and was taken to a hospital in critical but stable condition. Investigators believe he was shot at the exact location as the other three men.Police have not released the name of the suspect or what charges he will face.

Police arrest suspect in Kansas liquor store gunfight

BY&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/mchilson/">MORGAN CHILSON</a> <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA&nbsp; — New federal guidelines to wind and solar tax credits took effect Monday, but large solar projects planned by Evergy won’t be affected, a spokeswoman said.

The massive tax cut and spending law that Congress passed in July, known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act,&nbsp; limited tax credits for green energy projects, such as the two solar farms Evergy&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/08/01/evergy-receives-missouri-approval-to-build-gas-plants-solar-farms-after-kansas-thumbs-up/">received regulatory approval</a>&nbsp;to build in Kansas and Missouri.

Two weeks ago the U.S. Treasury Department&nbsp;<a href="https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-drop/n-25-42.pdf" target="_blank">published its interpretation of the bill</a>, outlining deadlines for beginning construction and clarifying when certain tax credits would go away. That allowed companies to determine the viability of planned projects.&nbsp;

“The solar power plants that have been approved by the Kansas and Missouri commissions will be generating electricity for customers in time to qualify for the existing tax credits,” said Gina Penzig, Evergy spokeswoman.&nbsp;

Joseph Astrab, consumer counsel at the Citizens’ Utility Ratepayer Board, said tax credits are taken into account when determining expected costs on green energy projects.&nbsp;

“It’s going to be hard to tell what the immediate impacts will be. It’s going to be a process,” he said. “The biggest importance of these tax credits was to help make renewable resources, such as wind or solar, more cost competitive with other types of resources, such as natural gas.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/9/1757001497748.png" alt=" Evergy's plans to build a solar farm in Kansas are not affected by changes to green energy tax credits at the federal level, a spokeswoman said. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption> Evergy's plans to build a solar farm in Kansas are not affected by changes to green energy tax credits at the federal level, a spokeswoman said. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>BY&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/mchilson/">MORGAN CHILSON</a> <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA&nbsp; — New federal guidelines to wind and solar tax credits took effect Monday, but large solar projects planned by Evergy won’t be affected, a spokeswoman said.The massive tax cut and spending law that Congress passed in July, known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act,&nbsp; limited tax credits for green energy projects, such as the two solar farms Evergy&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/08/01/evergy-receives-missouri-approval-to-build-gas-plants-solar-farms-after-kansas-thumbs-up/">received regulatory approval</a>&nbsp;to build in Kansas and Missouri.Two weeks ago the U.S. Treasury Department&nbsp;<a href="https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-drop/n-25-42.pdf" target="_blank">published its interpretation of the bill</a>, outlining deadlines for beginning construction and clarifying when certain tax credits would go away. That allowed companies to determine the viability of planned projects.&nbsp;“The solar power plants that have been approved by the Kansas and Missouri commissions will be generating electricity for customers in time to qualify for the existing tax credits,” said Gina Penzig, Evergy spokeswoman.&nbsp;Joseph Astrab, consumer counsel at the Citizens’ Utility Ratepayer Board, said tax credits are taken into account when determining expected costs on green energy projects.&nbsp;“It’s going to be hard to tell what the immediate impacts will be. It’s going to be a process,” he said. “The biggest importance of these tax credits was to help make renewable resources, such as wind or solar, more cost competitive with other types of resources, such as natural gas.”Astrab said the integrated resource planning, which utility companies complete on a regular basis, will address the effects federal changes will have on how energy is distributed in Kansas. In that process, the companies are considering resources, needs in the generation system and making a future-looking plan, he said.&nbsp;&nbsp;“From CURB’s perspective, we’re looking at both trying to balance affordability and reliability,” he said. “But clearly from the public hearings we’ve seen in the past and recently with different rate cases, a lot of people are concerned about affordability.”“In the last few years, we’ve been able to compare solar and wind projects to thermal projects, including the offset of those tax credits to make it more economical,” Astrab added. “That analysis will change going forward.”A lot depends on how Evergy will evaluate projects going forward, he said.&nbsp;“Looking at Evergy’s 2025 (integrated resource plan), the question becomes whether or not Evergy is going to be shifting away from procuring more solar, renewable types of resources in a system, and falling back on — and I’m not saying it’s a sure thing — more readily accessible, economical natural gas resources and procuring more of those.”Evergy&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/07/08/kansas-regulators-approve-evergy-natural-gas-plants-solar-plant-despite-rate-concerns/">received approval from the Kansas Corporation Commission</a>&nbsp;to build two new natural gas plants, as well as the Kansas solar field, to the tune of about $2 billion.&nbsp;Penzig said Evergy develops a long-term outlook for expected electricity demand every three years and a plan to meet needs.“We create a plan that will provide reliable electricity for the least expected cost,” she said. “Plans are updated annually between the triennial filings as factors change.”The plans look at multiple factors that affect generation costs, Penzig said.&nbsp;“Some of the most significant impacts include expected demand for electricity, construction costs including any related transmission expansion, fuel, plant maintenance, major plant upgrades, environmental regulation and state or federal policy treatment including tax benefits,” she said.