LURAY – Wayne James Brozek, age 90, passed away on Saturday, June 27, 2026 in Washington County, Texas.

Born January 12, 1936 in Lucas, Kansas. He was the fifth born of seven children to James A. and Agnes (Rezabek) Brozek of Lucas. He attended school in Lucas, Kansas, graduating in 1953 from Lucas High School. He enjoyed a short career playing professional baseball as a pitcher for the Iola Indians.

On December 11, 1955 he married Shirley Heffel in Dorrance. Afterwards he began working at the Mack-Welling Lumber Company in Lucas. He became the manager of the Luray, Kansas yard in 1958 at the age of 23, later transferring to the Russell yard in 1973 until it was closed in 1989.

In 1990 he and Shirley relocated to Livingston, Montana where he was hired as the manager of Aldrich Lumber and worked there until he retired from the lumber business in 1998. He then managed the 5,000-acre Starwind Ranch in Livingston, owned by heirs of the Exxon-Mobil Oil Company. The ranch focused on horses and show dogs but also has a few head of cattle. Wayne retired in December 2009.

Wayne was an avid fisherman and hunter and enjoyed playing golf. He enjoyed trapping, fishing and hunting elk, deer, antelope, ducks, pheasants and quail for many years. He enjoyed listening to country and Czech polka music.

Wayne is survived by his wife of 70 years, Shirley of the home. Sons, Wayde (Sonya) Brozek of Wamego and Kerry (Nikki) Brozek of Burton, Texas. Grandchildren include Ashley (Gary) Blundon, Corey (Victoria Kipp) Brozek, Collin (Nicole Lipson) Brozek, Aaron Brozek and Dillon (Megan) Brozek, and 6 great-grandchildren, Alayna Brewer, Blayke Butler, Clayton Dinkel, Kayleigh Blundon, Kaleb Brozek and Jennson Brozek. He is also survived by two brothers, Wendell and Eldon Brozek.

Wayne was preceded in death by his parents, James A. and Agnes Brozek, sisters, Wilma Rounkles, Lillian Edwardson, Amelia Ehly, and Weldon Brozek.

A celebration of Wayne’s life will be held at 10:00 A.M. on Friday, July 10, 2026 at Faith Lutheran Church in Osborne, Kansas where he was a charter member. Burial will follow at the Luray Cemetery in Luray, Kansas. Visitation will be from 9 A.M. to 7 P.M. on Thursday, July 9, 2026 at the Luray Community Center with family greeting guests from 6 P.M. to 7 P.M. at the community center. The family requests memorials be given to your favorite charity. Rentscheler Family Mortuaries of Osborne, Kansas is in charge of the funeral service arrangements.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/7/1783345906974.png" alt="Wayne James Brozek " />
 <figcaption>Wayne James Brozek </figcaption>
 </figure>LURAY – Wayne James Brozek, age 90, passed away on Saturday, June 27, 2026 in Washington County, Texas.Born January 12, 1936 in Lucas, Kansas. He was the fifth born of seven children to James A. and Agnes (Rezabek) Brozek of Lucas. He attended school in Lucas, Kansas, graduating in 1953 from Lucas High School. He enjoyed a short career playing professional baseball as a pitcher for the Iola Indians.On December 11, 1955 he married Shirley Heffel in Dorrance. Afterwards he began working at the Mack-Welling Lumber Company in Lucas. He became the manager of the Luray, Kansas yard in 1958 at the age of 23, later transferring to the Russell yard in 1973 until it was closed in 1989.In 1990 he and Shirley relocated to Livingston, Montana where he was hired as the manager of Aldrich Lumber and worked there until he retired from the lumber business in 1998. He then managed the 5,000-acre Starwind Ranch in Livingston, owned by heirs of the Exxon-Mobil Oil Company. The ranch focused on horses and show dogs but also has a few head of cattle. Wayne retired in December 2009.Wayne was an avid fisherman and hunter and enjoyed playing golf. He enjoyed trapping, fishing and hunting elk, deer, antelope, ducks, pheasants and quail for many years. He enjoyed listening to country and Czech polka music.Wayne is survived by his wife of 70 years, Shirley of the home. Sons, Wayde (Sonya) Brozek of Wamego and Kerry (Nikki) Brozek of Burton, Texas. Grandchildren include Ashley (Gary) Blundon, Corey (Victoria Kipp) Brozek, Collin (Nicole Lipson) Brozek, Aaron Brozek and Dillon (Megan) Brozek, and 6 great-grandchildren, Alayna Brewer, Blayke Butler, Clayton Dinkel, Kayleigh Blundon, Kaleb Brozek and Jennson Brozek. He is also survived by two brothers, Wendell and Eldon Brozek.Wayne was preceded in death by his parents, James A. and Agnes Brozek, sisters, Wilma Rounkles, Lillian Edwardson, Amelia Ehly, and Weldon Brozek.A celebration of Wayne’s life will be held at 10:00 A.M. on Friday, July 10, 2026 at Faith Lutheran Church in Osborne, Kansas where he was a charter member. Burial will follow at the Luray Cemetery in Luray, Kansas. Visitation will be from 9 A.M. to 7 P.M. on Thursday, July 9, 2026 at the Luray Community Center with family greeting guests from 6 P.M. to 7 P.M. at the community center. The family requests memorials be given to your favorite charity. Rentscheler Family Mortuaries of Osborne, Kansas is in charge of the funeral service arrangements.

Wayne James Brozek 

KANSAS CITY — Four teens died at a relatively new Kansas City<a href="https://www.kansas-city-apartments.com/"> apartment complex </a>in the month of June due to violent crime.

Just after 5:15p.m. June 11,&nbsp; police were dispatched to a shooting in the 9200 block of Old Santa Fe Road, according to KCPD Officer Alayna Gonzalez.&nbsp;

Upon arrival, the officers were directed to an apartment building, at the Depot, where they located a boy later identified as 17-year-old Rontez Donahue suffering from apparent gunshot trauma. Aid was rendered until EMS declared him deceased.&nbsp;

Two additional victims were located and appeared to be suffering from gunshot wounds. One victim, later identified as 18-year-old Dion Charles Marshall Sims-Bey suffering from life threatening injuries. The other was a boy over 16 years old with non-life threatening injuries.&nbsp;

Both victims were transported to area hospitals. On June 13, hospital staff notified police Sims-Bey had died, according to Gonzalez.

An adult male suspect was located on scene and was taken into custody.

Just after 10:30p.m. June 27, police were dispatched to a shooting in the 9200 block of Old Santa Fe Road, according to KCPD Officer Alayna Gonzalez.

Upon arrival, officers located a man later identified as&nbsp;18-year-old Dillion Boykin&nbsp; lying in a parking lot suffering from apparent gunshot trauma and unresponsive. Officers rendered medical aid until EMS responded and transported Boykin to an area hospital. He was declared deceased at the hospital. An additional juvenile, identified as&nbsp;15-year-old Brandon Henderson, arrived to an area hospital by private vehicle and was pronounced deceased by medical personnel.&nbsp;

&nbsp;No one is currently in police custody for this. incident and it being investigated as a homicide.&nbsp;&nbsp;

A tenant at The Depot at Old Santa Fe apartments, who asked to remain anonymous, walks to a building and points down a shaded corridor that leads to a sidewalk covered in crimson.

The tenant is referring to a June 11 shooting that claimed the lives of 17-year-old Rontez Donahue and 18-year-old Dion Sims-Bey.

<a href="https://www.kmbc.com/article/kansas-city-homicide-old-santa-fe-road-june-11-2026/71564693" target="_blank">Teen killed, 2 others shot at Kansas City apartment complex; suspect arrested</a>

Two other tenants tell KMBC they heard a barrage of automatic gunfire.

"At first we thought it was fireworks. Yeah, I'm like, that's going on for too long."

Sixteen days later, on June 27 around 10:30 p.m., Kansas City police reported two more gunshot victims were fatally wounded within the same complex: 16-year-old Brandon Henderson, Jr., and 18-year-old Dillion Boykin died from their wounds.

<a href="https://www.kmbc.com/article/teenage-boy-man-killed-in-south-kansas-city-shooting/71760712" target="_blank">Kansas City police identify 18-year-old, 16-year-old killed in shooting</a>

Tenants say they've complained multiple times about the lack of security on the 31-acre site.

"The gate is just open ... anyone can come in," a tenant said. "All these young men meet in the back ... some start beef with each other."

Security cameras were installed in certain parts of the complex for the first time last week. Kittle Property Group is the landlord for the Depot.

In an announcement made on Jan. 17, 2024, Kittle Property Group Inc., an Indiana company, stated it was "bringing a brand-new affordable housing opportunity for 252 families or individuals in the Kansas City metro-area. The Depot Apartments will provide a housing option that fits the budget of a growing workforce. Addressing the affordable housing gap is crucial in a city that lacks 64,000 affordable rental homes, according to the Mid-America Regional Council. The Depot will consist of 1-, 2-, 3- and 4-bedroom apartments, serving households of all sizes."

To develop The Depot, Kittle Property Group was awarded $24.4 million in federal tax credits to be received over a 10-year period, from the Missouri Housing Department Commission.

Tenants say they pay between $1,104 for a one-bedroom apartment and $1,698 for a four-bedroom, and since the two separate June incidents, the pool and weight room have closed, and the security gate still remains open at all hours.

One tenant told KMBC, "They don't got the pool open. They don't got nothing open. They're letting people die over here."

Donahue died three days before his 18th birthday. Family members say he had just graduated from De La Salle Education Center and was considering service with the Army.

Sims-Bey was a 20026 graduate of Whittier High School in Sedalia, Missouri, and his obituary notes "he enjoyed listening to music, fishing, gaming and spending time with his cousins."

Henderson's family says they are currently gathering pictures and remembrances to make public at a later date.

Boykin also attended De La Salle Education Center. His family says he loved to play the video game, 2K26, and basketball with friends was a frequent happening.

His cousin says Boykin had a loving spirit that would light up a room and he "never missed a cookout."

Another neighbor said, "They don't care about what comes in. They don't care about our safety. It's a lot of people, little babies over here like we have to sit here and do this and still pay the rent instead."

Kittle Property Group has not returned KMBC's request for comment on the gun violence, and property management declined to comment.

Funeral arrangements for all victims have not yet been made public.

The Youth Peace &amp; Justice Foundation (Uvalde Foundation For Kids), a national nonprofit, announced Monday a $5,000 reward for information leading to the identification, arrest and successful prosecution of the individual or individuals responsible for the fatal shooting deaths of Boykin and Henderson.

At this time, Kansas City police do not have any suspects in custody.

Police ask the public to call the TIPS Hotline, 816-474-TIPS, with information relevant to these crimes. There is a reward of up to $25,000.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/6/1782852718854.png" alt="Photo Kittle Property Group" />
 <figcaption>Photo Kittle Property Group</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY — Four teens died at a relatively new Kansas City<a href="https://www.kansas-city-apartments.com/"> apartment complex </a>in the month of June due to violent crime.Just after 5:15p.m. June 11,&nbsp; police were dispatched to a shooting in the 9200 block of Old Santa Fe Road, according to KCPD Officer Alayna Gonzalez.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/6/1781227922936.png" alt="Photo Sheriff Daryl Forte'" />
 <figcaption>Photo Sheriff Daryl Forte'</figcaption>
 </figure>Upon arrival, the officers were directed to an apartment building, at the Depot, where they located a boy later identified as 17-year-old Rontez Donahue suffering from apparent gunshot trauma. Aid was rendered until EMS declared him deceased.&nbsp;Two additional victims were located and appeared to be suffering from gunshot wounds. One victim, later identified as 18-year-old Dion Charles Marshall Sims-Bey suffering from life threatening injuries. The other was a boy over 16 years old with non-life threatening injuries.&nbsp;Both victims were transported to area hospitals. On June 13, hospital staff notified police Sims-Bey had died, according to Gonzalez.An adult male suspect was located on scene and was taken into custody.Just after 10:30p.m. June 27, police were dispatched to a shooting in the 9200 block of Old Santa Fe Road, according to KCPD Officer Alayna Gonzalez.Upon arrival, officers located a man later identified as&nbsp;18-year-old Dillion Boykin&nbsp; lying in a parking lot suffering from apparent gunshot trauma and unresponsive. Officers rendered medical aid until EMS responded and transported Boykin to an area hospital. He was declared deceased at the hospital. An additional juvenile, identified as&nbsp;15-year-old Brandon Henderson, arrived to an area hospital by private vehicle and was pronounced deceased by medical personnel.&nbsp;&nbsp;No one is currently in police custody for this. incident and it being investigated as a homicide.&nbsp;&nbsp;-------------"He died right here in our building."A tenant at The Depot at Old Santa Fe apartments, who asked to remain anonymous, walks to a building and points down a shaded corridor that leads to a sidewalk covered in crimson."They still didn't clean it up."The tenant is referring to a June 11 shooting that claimed the lives of 17-year-old Rontez Donahue and 18-year-old Dion Sims-Bey.<a href="https://www.kmbc.com/article/kansas-city-homicide-old-santa-fe-road-june-11-2026/71564693" target="_blank">Teen killed, 2 others shot at Kansas City apartment complex; suspect arrested</a>Two other tenants tell KMBC they heard a barrage of automatic gunfire."At first we thought it was fireworks. Yeah, I'm like, that's going on for too long."Sixteen days later, on June 27 around 10:30 p.m., Kansas City police reported two more gunshot victims were fatally wounded within the same complex: 16-year-old Brandon Henderson, Jr., and 18-year-old Dillion Boykin died from their wounds.<a href="https://www.kmbc.com/article/teenage-boy-man-killed-in-south-kansas-city-shooting/71760712" target="_blank">Kansas City police identify 18-year-old, 16-year-old killed in shooting</a>Tenants say they've complained multiple times about the lack of security on the 31-acre site."The gate is just open ... anyone can come in," a tenant said. "All these young men meet in the back ... some start beef with each other."Security cameras were installed in certain parts of the complex for the first time last week. Kittle Property Group is the landlord for the Depot.In an announcement made on Jan. 17, 2024, Kittle Property Group Inc., an Indiana company, stated it was "bringing a brand-new affordable housing opportunity for 252 families or individuals in the Kansas City metro-area. The Depot Apartments will provide a housing option that fits the budget of a growing workforce. Addressing the affordable housing gap is crucial in a city that lacks 64,000 affordable rental homes, according to the Mid-America Regional Council. The Depot will consist of 1-, 2-, 3- and 4-bedroom apartments, serving households of all sizes."To develop The Depot, Kittle Property Group was awarded $24.4 million in federal tax credits to be received over a 10-year period, from the Missouri Housing Department Commission.Tenants say they pay between $1,104 for a one-bedroom apartment and $1,698 for a four-bedroom, and since the two separate June incidents, the pool and weight room have closed, and the security gate still remains open at all hours.One tenant told KMBC, "They don't got the pool open. They don't got nothing open. They're letting people die over here."Donahue died three days before his 18th birthday. Family members say he had just graduated from De La Salle Education Center and was considering service with the Army.Sims-Bey was a 20026 graduate of Whittier High School in Sedalia, Missouri, and his obituary notes "he enjoyed listening to music, fishing, gaming and spending time with his cousins."Henderson's family says they are currently gathering pictures and remembrances to make public at a later date.Boykin also attended De La Salle Education Center. His family says he loved to play the video game, 2K26, and basketball with friends was a frequent happening.His cousin says Boykin had a loving spirit that would light up a room and he "never missed a cookout."Another neighbor said, "They don't care about what comes in. They don't care about our safety. It's a lot of people, little babies over here like we have to sit here and do this and still pay the rent instead."Kittle Property Group has not returned KMBC's request for comment on the gun violence, and property management declined to comment.Funeral arrangements for all victims have not yet been made public.The Youth Peace &amp; Justice Foundation (Uvalde Foundation For Kids), a national nonprofit, announced Monday a $5,000 reward for information leading to the identification, arrest and successful prosecution of the individual or individuals responsible for the fatal shooting deaths of Boykin and Henderson.At this time, Kansas City police do not have any suspects in custody.Police ask the public to call the TIPS Hotline, 816-474-TIPS, with information relevant to these crimes. There is a reward of up to $25,000.

4 teens killed at Kansas City apartment complex in less than a month

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

TOPEKA — The Kansas Farm Bureau’s political action committee endorsed state Insurance Commissioner Vicki Schmidt in the Republican&nbsp; gubernatorial primary.

Schmidt, completing a second term as commissioner of insurance after serving in the Kansas Senate, will be on the Aug. 4 primary ballot with GOP candidates for governor Scott Schwab, Philip Sarnecki, Stacy Rogers, Nick Reinecker, Charlotte O’Hara and Ty Masterson. The Democratic primary features Curt Skoog, Cindy Holscher and Ethan Corson.

“Vicki Schmidt has shown throughout her distinguished career in public service she’s willing to listen and make decisions based on what’s best for Kansas,” said Glenn Brunkow, president of Kansas Farm Bureau.

On Monday, Schmidt said she was honored to have the blessing of farmers and ranchers in Kansas. She said the state’s future depended on agriculture because the industry “impacts the lives of Kansans in every part of our state and when we strengthen agriculture, we will strengthen Kansas.”

Schmidt selected as her lieutenant governor running mate Joe Newland, who is a southeast Kansas farmer, a former KFB president and a former member of the Kansas House.

“Paired with Joe Newland, who has spent his career advocating for agriculture and rural communities, this ticket has the experience, vision and determination to build a brighter future for Kansas,” Brunkow said.

VOTE FBF, or Voters Organized to Elect Farm Bureau Friends, has endorsed candidates for public office who support farming, ranching and rural Kansas for more than 30 years. The 10-member PAC board relies on recommendations of members of Farm Bureau.

The PAC previously endorsed the reelection in 2026 of Republican U.S. Rep. Tracey Mann of the 1st District, U.S. Rep. Derek Schmidt of the 2nd District and U.S. Rep. Ron Estes of the 4th District. In 2024, the PAC endorsed Democratic U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids of the 3rd District.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/6/1782841118874.png" alt=" Vicki Schmidt, the Kansas insurance commissioner and a former Kansas senator, earned the Kansas Farm Bureau political action committee’s endorsement in the upcoming Republican primary election for governor. She appears here June 1, 2026, after filing for governor at the election office. (Photo by Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption> Vicki Schmidt, the Kansas insurance commissioner and a former Kansas senator, earned the Kansas Farm Bureau political action committee’s endorsement in the upcoming Republican primary election for governor. She appears here June 1, 2026, after filing for governor at the election office. (Photo by Sherman Smith/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>TOPEKA — The Kansas Farm Bureau’s political action committee endorsed state Insurance Commissioner Vicki Schmidt in the Republican&nbsp; gubernatorial primary.Schmidt, completing a second term as commissioner of insurance after serving in the Kansas Senate, will be on the Aug. 4 primary ballot with GOP candidates for governor Scott Schwab, Philip Sarnecki, Stacy Rogers, Nick Reinecker, Charlotte O’Hara and Ty Masterson. The Democratic primary features Curt Skoog, Cindy Holscher and Ethan Corson.“Vicki Schmidt has shown throughout her distinguished career in public service she’s willing to listen and make decisions based on what’s best for Kansas,” said Glenn Brunkow, president of Kansas Farm Bureau.On Monday, Schmidt said she was honored to have the blessing of farmers and ranchers in Kansas. She said the state’s future depended on agriculture because the industry “impacts the lives of Kansans in every part of our state and when we strengthen agriculture, we will strengthen Kansas.”Schmidt selected as her lieutenant governor running mate Joe Newland, who is a southeast Kansas farmer, a former KFB president and a former member of the Kansas House.“Paired with Joe Newland, who has spent his career advocating for agriculture and rural communities, this ticket has the experience, vision and determination to build a brighter future for Kansas,” Brunkow said.VOTE FBF, or Voters Organized to Elect Farm Bureau Friends, has endorsed candidates for public office who support farming, ranching and rural Kansas for more than 30 years. The 10-member PAC board relies on recommendations of members of Farm Bureau.The PAC previously endorsed the reelection in 2026 of Republican U.S. Rep. Tracey Mann of the 1st District, U.S. Rep. Derek Schmidt of the 2nd District and U.S. Rep. Ron Estes of the 4th District. In 2024, the PAC endorsed Democratic U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids of the 3rd District.

Kansas Farm Bureau PAC endorses Vicki Schmidt in GOP gubernatorial primary

WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/us-supreme-court">The Supreme Court</a>&nbsp;on Tuesday upheld a broad conception of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/birthright-citizenship-immigration-trump-20919d26029cf0f98ecb0dc7f90a066b">birthright citizenship</a>, rejecting President Donald Trump’s executive order declaring that children born to people who are in the United States illegally or temporarily are not American citizens.

The justices relied on a long-settled understanding of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/800b0a2005254ec58369b9564f53be8f">the 14th Amendment</a>, adopted after the Civil War, and more recent federal laws in ruling that anyone born in the country, with very limited exceptions, is a citizen.

<a href="https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/28379778/trump-v-barbara.pdf">Click here to read the ruling</a>

Click below to listen to a replay of the oral argument from April

The Republican president's restrictions had been blocked by several lower courts and had not taken effect anywhere in the U.S.

During arguments in April, both conservative and liberal justices questioned the order’s legality in a momentous case that was magnified by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-trump-birthright-citizenship-immigrants-4dca3a4e06f58d4378412ed711fab3a8">Trump’s unprecedented attendance in the courtroom</a>.

The case framed another test of Trump’s assertions of executive power that defy long-standing precedent for a court with a conservative majority and a robust view of presidential power that has largely ruled in his favor. In the notable exceptions when the court has not, Trump has responded with starkly personal criticisms of the justices.

The justices ruled on Trump’s appeal of a lower-court ruling from New Hampshire that struck down&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/protecting-the-meaning-and-value-of-american-citizenship/">the citizenship restrictions</a>.

<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/protecting-the-meaning-and-value-of-american-citizenship/">The birthright citizenship order</a>, which Trump signed on the first day of his second term, is part of his administration’s broad&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/immigration">immigration crackdown</a>.

Birthright citizenship was the first Trump immigration-related policy to reach the court for a final ruling. The justices previously&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-tariffs-trump-0485fcda30a7310501123e4931dba3f9">struck down global tariffs</a>&nbsp;Trump had imposed under an emergency powers law that had never been used that way.

Trump reacted furiously to the late February tariffs decision, saying he was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/video/trump-says-hes-ashamed-of-certain-members-of-the-supreme-court-after-it-strikes-down-tariffs-853afcfc906a4bb787858edc66b7f4ab">ashamed of the justices</a>&nbsp;who ruled against him and calling them unpatriotic.

He also seemed to recognize the court was likely to rule against him on birthright citizenship, too, using his Truth Social platform to criticize “dumb judges and justices” and wealthy pregnant women from China and elsewhere who come to the U.S. to give birth so their newborns will have American citizenship.

Trump’s order would have upended widely held views that&nbsp;<a href="https://constitution.congress.gov/constitution/amendment-14/">the 14th Amendment</a>&nbsp;confers citizenship on everyone born in the U.S., excluding only the children of foreign diplomats and those born to a foreign occupying force.

The amendment was intended to ensure that Black people, including former slaves, had citizenship, though the Citizenship Clause is written more broadly. “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside,” it reads.

In a series of decisions, lower courts have struck down Trump's executive order as illegal. The decisions have invoked the high court’s 1898 ruling in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-birthright-citizenship-trump-immigration-83f337731f20247b7a300173da571c5f">Wong Kim Ark</a>, which held that the U.S.-born child of Chinese nationals was a citizen.

The Trump administration argued that the common view of citizenship is wrong, asserting that children of noncitizens are not “subject to the jurisdiction” of the United States and therefore are not entitled to citizenship.

More than one-quarter of a million babies born in the U.S. each year would have been affected by the executive order, according to research by the Migration Policy Institute and Pennsylvania State University’s Population Research Institute.

While Trump has largely focused on illegal immigration in his rhetoric and actions, the birthright citizenship restrictions also would have applied to people who are legally in the United States, including students and applicants for green cards, or permanent resident status.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/4/1775060509877.png" alt="Demonstrators outside the Supreme Court during arguments in April-image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Demonstrators outside the Supreme Court during arguments in April-image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/us-supreme-court">The Supreme Court</a>&nbsp;on Tuesday upheld a broad conception of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/birthright-citizenship-immigration-trump-20919d26029cf0f98ecb0dc7f90a066b">birthright citizenship</a>, rejecting President Donald Trump’s executive order declaring that children born to people who are in the United States illegally or temporarily are not American citizens.The justices relied on a long-settled understanding of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/800b0a2005254ec58369b9564f53be8f">the 14th Amendment</a>, adopted after the Civil War, and more recent federal laws in ruling that anyone born in the country, with very limited exceptions, is a citizen.<a href="https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/28379778/trump-v-barbara.pdf">Click here to read the ruling</a>Click below to listen to a replay of the oral argument from April<div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/RYecNCgwSfE?si=QKxvvEum_I8WNYY8" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>The Republican president's restrictions had been blocked by several lower courts and had not taken effect anywhere in the U.S.During arguments in April, both conservative and liberal justices questioned the order’s legality in a momentous case that was magnified by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-trump-birthright-citizenship-immigrants-4dca3a4e06f58d4378412ed711fab3a8">Trump’s unprecedented attendance in the courtroom</a>.The case framed another test of Trump’s assertions of executive power that defy long-standing precedent for a court with a conservative majority and a robust view of presidential power that has largely ruled in his favor. In the notable exceptions when the court has not, Trump has responded with starkly personal criticisms of the justices.The justices ruled on Trump’s appeal of a lower-court ruling from New Hampshire that struck down&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/protecting-the-meaning-and-value-of-american-citizenship/">the citizenship restrictions</a>.<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/protecting-the-meaning-and-value-of-american-citizenship/">The birthright citizenship order</a>, which Trump signed on the first day of his second term, is part of his administration’s broad&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/immigration">immigration crackdown</a>.Birthright citizenship was the first Trump immigration-related policy to reach the court for a final ruling. The justices previously&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-tariffs-trump-0485fcda30a7310501123e4931dba3f9">struck down global tariffs</a>&nbsp;Trump had imposed under an emergency powers law that had never been used that way.Trump reacted furiously to the late February tariffs decision, saying he was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/video/trump-says-hes-ashamed-of-certain-members-of-the-supreme-court-after-it-strikes-down-tariffs-853afcfc906a4bb787858edc66b7f4ab">ashamed of the justices</a>&nbsp;who ruled against him and calling them unpatriotic.He also seemed to recognize the court was likely to rule against him on birthright citizenship, too, using his Truth Social platform to criticize “dumb judges and justices” and wealthy pregnant women from China and elsewhere who come to the U.S. to give birth so their newborns will have American citizenship.Trump’s order would have upended widely held views that&nbsp;<a href="https://constitution.congress.gov/constitution/amendment-14/">the 14th Amendment</a>&nbsp;confers citizenship on everyone born in the U.S., excluding only the children of foreign diplomats and those born to a foreign occupying force.The amendment was intended to ensure that Black people, including former slaves, had citizenship, though the Citizenship Clause is written more broadly. “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside,” it reads.In a series of decisions, lower courts have struck down Trump's executive order as illegal. The decisions have invoked the high court’s 1898 ruling in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-birthright-citizenship-trump-immigration-83f337731f20247b7a300173da571c5f">Wong Kim Ark</a>, which held that the U.S.-born child of Chinese nationals was a citizen.The Trump administration argued that the common view of citizenship is wrong, asserting that children of noncitizens are not “subject to the jurisdiction” of the United States and therefore are not entitled to citizenship.More than one-quarter of a million babies born in the U.S. each year would have been affected by the executive order, according to research by the Migration Policy Institute and Pennsylvania State University’s Population Research Institute.While Trump has largely focused on illegal immigration in his rhetoric and actions, the birthright citizenship restrictions also would have applied to people who are legally in the United States, including students and applicants for green cards, or permanent resident status.

Read the ruling: Supreme Court rejects Trump's birthright citizenship order

<a href="https://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?CityName=Salina&amp;state=KS&amp;site=ICT&amp;lat=38.8158&amp;lon=-97.6178">For a full look at the June 29 - July 2 forecast, click here.</a>

Monitor local weather updates frequently in multiple ways by listening to the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.weather.gov/nwr/">NOAA Weather Radio</a>, checking local news and emergency notifications. You can also stay informed by following Saline County and the National Weather Service on social media.

For the latest forecast updates, visit&nbsp;the&nbsp;National Weather Service Wichita office at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.weather.gov/ict/">https://www.weather.gov/ict/</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/6/1782707540001.png" alt="Three day weather forecast Salina, June 29 - July 1 - US National Weather Service" />
 <figcaption>Three day weather forecast Salina, June 29 - July 1 - US National Weather Service</figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?CityName=Salina&amp;state=KS&amp;site=ICT&amp;lat=38.8158&amp;lon=-97.6178">For a full look at the June 29 - July 2 forecast, click here.</a>Monitor local weather updates frequently in multiple ways by listening to the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.weather.gov/nwr/">NOAA Weather Radio</a>, checking local news and emergency notifications. You can also stay informed by following Saline County and the National Weather Service on social media.For the latest forecast updates, visit&nbsp;the&nbsp;National Weather Service Wichita office at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.weather.gov/ict/">https://www.weather.gov/ict/</a>.

Three day weather forecast Salina, June 29 - July 1

WICHITA (AP) — Pride Month celebrations peaked over the weekend with big parades in Wichita, New York, San Francisco and some other cities on the anniversary of the 1969&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-news-ap-top-news-pa-state-wire-new-york-ny-state-wire-5f2159a5120e4833b31683665f9405ca">Stonewall uprising</a>, which accelerated and transformed the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement.

Pride events&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/photo-gallery/photos-pride-month-lgbtqia-e6d1d54dae23332e0c73fdc9f62aca6f">often mix celebration and calls to action</a>, reflecting the political winds, cultural climate and news around LGBTQ+ rights.

This month's parades and festivals around the U.S. have unfolded as President Donald Trump works to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-transgender-order-passports-prisons-military-3c14ecbdd10f61618384e81624d090fb">roll back transgender rights</a>&nbsp;and diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. Among other moves, the Republican's administration&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/stonewall-monument-rainbow-flag-removed-e58b12c1c9482e4b2cf02fef55e0f775">removed a rainbow Pride flag from the Stonewall National Monument</a>&nbsp;earlier this year, then ultimately&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/ac4ab59d3251476139700db6687828ca">relented amid a lawsuit</a>.

“As LGBTQIA+ events and symbols are being erased, it’s vital that our community have safe spaces to show up and march to make clear: We are here,” Chris Piedmont, a spokesperson for New York parade organizers Heritage of Pride, said in a statement Friday. “We will not be erased.”

Carlos Duarte came in from Long Island to attend New York's parade.

“It’s very important for us to be here … to be all together for love, peace and to show the world who we are,” Duarte said.

Meanwhile, multiple Republican governors have promulgated&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fidelity-nuclear-family-strong-month-pride-62771b5babe92dbc74be27fc1764e770">conservative-friendly designations for June, such as “Nuclear Family Month</a>,” sometimes openly describing them as a counter to Pride. Other&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mlb-pride-month-e128155721c53a34af6c312b6692f7c8">prominent Republican politicians</a>, including Vice President JD Vance, criticized&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/mlb">Major League Baseball</a>&nbsp;'s response to some San Francisco Giants players who&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/giants-mlb-caps-pride-night-2055e9e6cadb11033c0afcee68fd66bc">added Bible verses</a>&nbsp;to the rainbow-themed Pride Night caps they were issued.

Against that backdrop, the NYC Pride March and the San Francisco Pride Parade set out to further their legacies as some of the world's largest and oldest such celebrations.

Both trace their roots to events held in 1970 to commemorate the Stonewall rebellion on June 28, 1969, when patrons of a New York gay bar called the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-news-ap-top-news-manhattan-new-york-ny-state-wire-4bc5e39485784b16b4b479dca4e4e32c">Stonewall Inn</a>&nbsp;resisted a police raid and ended up kindling a wave of activism.

The Stonewall Inn still is a bar; the Stonewall monument centers on a small park across the street, about half a mile (about 0.8 km) from the Pride March route at its closest point.

The newer Queer Liberation March, founded by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-news-ap-top-news-new-york-city-manhattan-new-york-dc5f9649fe0a497abc136019a4768d8d">activists who saw the Pride March as too corporate</a>&nbsp;and official, also was held in Manhattan on Sunday.

This year, some transgender rights activists pressured Pride organizers to bar some New York City hospitals' contingents from marching because the institutions announced in recent months that they would&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/3d6b918fd7b084642698cb8246bec0d2">stop providing transgender youth treatments</a>.

Christen Clifford, a mother of two trans children, said during a news conference before the parade that New York City needs to enforce state laws that protect gender-affirming care.

“How can you let institutions that are actively harming queer kids march in Pride?” Clifford said. “I hope that New York City Pride will ban these hospitals from any future Pride parades until they restart care and so that families like mine know that you are listening to our concerns.”

The cutoff came amid&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/transgender-trump-executive-order-hormones-hospitals-8d9e6b94b34d2e6f890c06ebeba0fe1d">funding threats</a>&nbsp;from the Trump administration, and at least some of the hospitals also got federal Justice Department subpoenas for transgender patients' medical records. A judge has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/927741a7d3d4830715058a67271425b1">temporarily blocked</a>&nbsp;the document demand.

Heritage of Pride said it has been talking with the hospitals about the issue. The group also noted the parade contingents are organized by LGBTQ+ employee groups, not by the top administrators responsible for decisions about care.

A message was sent to San Francisco Pride organizers about whether they faced similar questions.

Other cities with Pride parades Sunday include Seattle, where a World Cup soccer match Friday&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/world-cup-seattle-iran-egypt-gay-pride-lgbtq-4c7229ef5c7e05b6c2b58e0522797b91">took on a Pride dimension</a>&nbsp;after the countries whose teams involved — Iran and Egypt —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/world-cup-seattle-egypt-iran-lgbtq-pride-4372288ea3c4465fd985e686a6cccf3c">tried</a><a href="https://apnews.com/f3b26a6757a60213712523e1116f5bcd">unsuccessfully</a>&nbsp;to get the celebrations canceled.

Fischer reported from Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

WICHITA (AP) — Pride Month celebrations peaked over the weekend with big parades in Wichita, New York, San Francisco and some other cities on the anniversary of the 1969&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-news-ap-top-news-pa-state-wire-new-york-ny-state-wire-5f2159a5120e4833b31683665f9405ca">Stonewall uprising</a>, which accelerated and transformed the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement.Pride events&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/photo-gallery/photos-pride-month-lgbtqia-e6d1d54dae23332e0c73fdc9f62aca6f">often mix celebration and calls to action</a>, reflecting the political winds, cultural climate and news around LGBTQ+ rights.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/6/1782682410317.png" alt="Pride parade Saturday in Wichita -photo couresy KWCH" />
 <figcaption>Pride parade Saturday in Wichita -photo couresy KWCH</figcaption>
 </figure>This month's parades and festivals around the U.S. have unfolded as President Donald Trump works to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-transgender-order-passports-prisons-military-3c14ecbdd10f61618384e81624d090fb">roll back transgender rights</a>&nbsp;and diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. Among other moves, the Republican's administration&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/stonewall-monument-rainbow-flag-removed-e58b12c1c9482e4b2cf02fef55e0f775">removed a rainbow Pride flag from the Stonewall National Monument</a>&nbsp;earlier this year, then ultimately&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/ac4ab59d3251476139700db6687828ca">relented amid a lawsuit</a>.“As LGBTQIA+ events and symbols are being erased, it’s vital that our community have safe spaces to show up and march to make clear: We are here,” Chris Piedmont, a spokesperson for New York parade organizers Heritage of Pride, said in a statement Friday. “We will not be erased.”Carlos Duarte came in from Long Island to attend New York's parade.“It’s very important for us to be here … to be all together for love, peace and to show the world who we are,” Duarte said.Meanwhile, multiple Republican governors have promulgated&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fidelity-nuclear-family-strong-month-pride-62771b5babe92dbc74be27fc1764e770">conservative-friendly designations for June, such as “Nuclear Family Month</a>,” sometimes openly describing them as a counter to Pride. Other&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mlb-pride-month-e128155721c53a34af6c312b6692f7c8">prominent Republican politicians</a>, including Vice President JD Vance, criticized&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/mlb">Major League Baseball</a>&nbsp;'s response to some San Francisco Giants players who&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/giants-mlb-caps-pride-night-2055e9e6cadb11033c0afcee68fd66bc">added Bible verses</a>&nbsp;to the rainbow-themed Pride Night caps they were issued.Against that backdrop, the NYC Pride March and the San Francisco Pride Parade set out to further their legacies as some of the world's largest and oldest such celebrations.Both trace their roots to events held in 1970 to commemorate the Stonewall rebellion on June 28, 1969, when patrons of a New York gay bar called the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-news-ap-top-news-manhattan-new-york-ny-state-wire-4bc5e39485784b16b4b479dca4e4e32c">Stonewall Inn</a>&nbsp;resisted a police raid and ended up kindling a wave of activism.The Stonewall Inn still is a bar; the Stonewall monument centers on a small park across the street, about half a mile (about 0.8 km) from the Pride March route at its closest point.The newer Queer Liberation March, founded by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-news-ap-top-news-new-york-city-manhattan-new-york-dc5f9649fe0a497abc136019a4768d8d">activists who saw the Pride March as too corporate</a>&nbsp;and official, also was held in Manhattan on Sunday.This year, some transgender rights activists pressured Pride organizers to bar some New York City hospitals' contingents from marching because the institutions announced in recent months that they would&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/3d6b918fd7b084642698cb8246bec0d2">stop providing transgender youth treatments</a>.Christen Clifford, a mother of two trans children, said during a news conference before the parade that New York City needs to enforce state laws that protect gender-affirming care.“How can you let institutions that are actively harming queer kids march in Pride?” Clifford said. “I hope that New York City Pride will ban these hospitals from any future Pride parades until they restart care and so that families like mine know that you are listening to our concerns.”The cutoff came amid&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/transgender-trump-executive-order-hormones-hospitals-8d9e6b94b34d2e6f890c06ebeba0fe1d">funding threats</a>&nbsp;from the Trump administration, and at least some of the hospitals also got federal Justice Department subpoenas for transgender patients' medical records. A judge has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/927741a7d3d4830715058a67271425b1">temporarily blocked</a>&nbsp;the document demand.Heritage of Pride said it has been talking with the hospitals about the issue. The group also noted the parade contingents are organized by LGBTQ+ employee groups, not by the top administrators responsible for decisions about care.A message was sent to San Francisco Pride organizers about whether they faced similar questions.Other cities with Pride parades Sunday include Seattle, where a World Cup soccer match Friday&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/world-cup-seattle-iran-egypt-gay-pride-lgbtq-4c7229ef5c7e05b6c2b58e0522797b91">took on a Pride dimension</a>&nbsp;after the countries whose teams involved — Iran and Egypt —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/world-cup-seattle-egypt-iran-lgbtq-pride-4372288ea3c4465fd985e686a6cccf3c">tried</a><a href="https://apnews.com/f3b26a6757a60213712523e1116f5bcd">unsuccessfully</a>&nbsp;to get the celebrations canceled.___Fischer reported from Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Parades in Kansas and beyond wrap up LGBTQ+ Pride Month

By&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/author/kimberlee-kruesi">KIMBERLEE KRUESI</a>

Are&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/taylor-swift-travis-kelce-engaged-d585627eb98b69428ce206a2c8a9cb7d">Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce</a>&nbsp;really getting married at Madison Square Garden?

Frenzied speculation surrounding the superstar singer and football player’s upcoming wedding has spiked over the past few days as reports swirl that the two are getting married the first week in July at one of New York’s iconic landmarks.

Yet nearly a year after Kelce and Swift announced&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/taylor-swift-travis-kelce-engagement-ring-details-5f44624c300d6c907dde9307d9b56d94">their engagement</a>&nbsp;with the caption “Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married,” they have disclosed little about their plans.

The wedding date is unconfirmed, but reports say early July

Nothing has been publicly confirmed by the couple, despite The Associated Press’ multiple requests to Swift’s representative for comment.

Citing an entertainment industry executive and another person with knowledge of the matter,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/24/nyregion/taylor-swift-wedding-madison-square-garden.html" target="_blank">The New York Times</a>&nbsp;reported that the couple were planning a gathering of 100 people at Madison Square Garden — an arena that seats up to 19,500 people — on July 2 followed by a second event at the arena for about 1,000 guests on July 3.

The Associated Press has been unable to independently confirm those details, but there are no public events planned at the Garden from June 29 until a Bon Jovi concert on July 7.

Public records show that the city issued a permit for loading and unloading theatrical materials at the arena from June 29 to July 4. Winick Productions, a company that has produced red carpet events for the Grammy and Tony award shows and movie premieres, also applied for a permit to set up a canopy or tent outside the Garden for an event involving up to 999 people.

Meanwhile, just a few weeks prior, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani jokingly referenced the reports of Swift and Kelce’s wedding during a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&amp;v=2gjCQw14ovQ&amp;source_ve_path=MjM4NTE&amp;embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.yahoo.com%2Fentertainment%2Fcelebrity%2Farticles%2Fmayor-zohran-mamdani-seemingly-confirms-160240234.html" target="_blank">press conference</a>. Mamdani was answering questions about safety during the World Cup when he said, “We know it coincides with July Fourth, America 250, Taylor Swift’s wedding all happening at the same time, and we are so excited to welcome the world here.”

Mamdani, however, said he was not invited to the wedding.

“I wish them a lovely wedding. I’ll listen to ‘Only the Young’ at home on my own,” he said, referencing one of Swift’s songs.

MSG is a fortress, but has hosted weddings before

Madison Square Garden may not scream “bridal,” but the venue is available for private rentals, advertising a banquet capacity for 1,250 — or 2,000 if you are only serving cocktails. And it has hosted weddings before. Sly Stone got married to Kathy Silva there in 1974 before thousands of fans. And more than 2,000 couples were wed in a mass ceremony at the Garden officiated by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/japan-unification-church-dissolved-eefc8dabe21bb4dd4ed43acd197572a3">the Rev. Sun Myung Moon</a>&nbsp;in 1982.

Located above Penn Station, the busiest rail hub in the U.S., the Garden doesn’t scream “privacy” either.

But it does have guarded entrances, a secure garage and a lack of windows, which would allow Kelce, Swift and celebrity guests to stay out of sight of photographers or camera-equipped drones.

That need for privacy popped up earlier in June when a large tent appeared next door to Swift’s Watch Hill estate in Rhode Island. Despite organizers denying the event was for Swift, a wave of speculation bubbled up online as photographers and some Swifties headed to the town to see if they could&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/taylor-swift-wedding-rhode-island-c14fe03bde7fea457e99745bf28ee96c">catch a glimpse of a possible wedding.</a>

Yet others have theorized that the MSG buzz could be an elaborate smoke screen to throw off attention to the couple’s real wedding plans. Swift did once write, “No, you can’t come to the wedding,” in her song “But Daddy I Love Him,” which some fans have been reupping lately as a reminder that the wedding isn’t supposed to be a public spectacle.

Friends, family, and plenty of celebrities expected to attend

Swift joked in October that “anyone I’ve ever talked to” would be invited to the wedding, telling Graham Norton that she believed “the only stressful weddings” are those that are small and force people to make aggressive cuts to the guest list.

Yet just who exactly will show up is to be determined. Aside from family, Kelce’s Kansas City Chiefs teammate Patrick Mahomes and his wife, Brittany Mahomes, will likely be in attendance. For Swift, close friends like Selena Gomez, Abigail Anderson Berard,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/taylor-swift-madison-square-garden-nba-finals-ba93e2ab56aaf832c83446cae4fd7240">the Haim sisters,</a>&nbsp;Emma Stone and Gigi Hadid will all likely attend.

Chiefs coach Andy Reid said he couldn’t talk about it when asked by The Associated Press if he was going to the wedding.

“If it’s like when I got married, my wife did everything, so I just kind of followed her lead on it, showed up, right? Maybe he’s doing more but he looks like he’s pretty focused in on this job here, too,” Reid said in early June.

Swift has a history of Fourth of July parties

Perhaps another clue why the week of the Fourth of July makes sense for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/taylor-swift-travis-kelce-engagement-467ab959adc1288140b11a86b5a4e4ce">Swift and Kelce’s wedding</a>&nbsp;is that the popstar has long been known for throwing elaborate parties over the American holiday.

It wasn’t too long ago that fans dubbed her Fourth of July events as “Taymerica,” where celebrities showed up at her Rhode Island estate wearing red, white and blue swimsuits, waving American flags and eventually shared some social media photos with the public.

The timing also works with Kelce’s football schedule, given the tight end once joked on his “New Heights” podcast, “Don’t make my friends have to choose whether or not they have to sell their tickets that week.”

Associated Press writers Anthony Izaguirre and Maria Sherman in New York and David Skretta in Kansas City, Missouri, contributed reporting.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/2/1707736613770.png" alt="Taylor Swift kisses Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce after the NFL Super Bowl 58 football game against the San Francisco 49ers, Sunday, Feb. 11, 2024, in Las Vegas. The Chiefs won 25-22 against the 49ers.(Brynn Anderson | AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)" />
 <figcaption>Taylor Swift kisses Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce after the NFL Super Bowl 58 football game against the San Francisco 49ers, Sunday, Feb. 11, 2024, in Las Vegas. The Chiefs won 25-22 against the 49ers.(Brynn Anderson | AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)</figcaption>
 </figure>By&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/author/kimberlee-kruesi">KIMBERLEE KRUESI</a>Are&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/taylor-swift-travis-kelce-engaged-d585627eb98b69428ce206a2c8a9cb7d">Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce</a>&nbsp;really getting married at Madison Square Garden?Frenzied speculation surrounding the superstar singer and football player’s upcoming wedding has spiked over the past few days as reports swirl that the two are getting married the first week in July at one of New York’s iconic landmarks.Yet nearly a year after Kelce and Swift announced&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/taylor-swift-travis-kelce-engagement-ring-details-5f44624c300d6c907dde9307d9b56d94">their engagement</a>&nbsp;with the caption “Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married,” they have disclosed little about their plans.Here’s what we know and don’t know.<h2>The wedding date is unconfirmed, but reports say early July</h2>Nothing has been publicly confirmed by the couple, despite The Associated Press’ multiple requests to Swift’s representative for comment.Citing an entertainment industry executive and another person with knowledge of the matter,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/24/nyregion/taylor-swift-wedding-madison-square-garden.html" target="_blank">The New York Times</a>&nbsp;reported that the couple were planning a gathering of 100 people at Madison Square Garden — an arena that seats up to 19,500 people — on July 2 followed by a second event at the arena for about 1,000 guests on July 3.The Associated Press has been unable to independently confirm those details, but there are no public events planned at the Garden from June 29 until a Bon Jovi concert on July 7.Public records show that the city issued a permit for loading and unloading theatrical materials at the arena from June 29 to July 4. Winick Productions, a company that has produced red carpet events for the Grammy and Tony award shows and movie premieres, also applied for a permit to set up a canopy or tent outside the Garden for an event involving up to 999 people.Meanwhile, just a few weeks prior, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani jokingly referenced the reports of Swift and Kelce’s wedding during a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&amp;v=2gjCQw14ovQ&amp;source_ve_path=MjM4NTE&amp;embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.yahoo.com%2Fentertainment%2Fcelebrity%2Farticles%2Fmayor-zohran-mamdani-seemingly-confirms-160240234.html" target="_blank">press conference</a>. Mamdani was answering questions about safety during the World Cup when he said, “We know it coincides with July Fourth, America 250, Taylor Swift’s wedding all happening at the same time, and we are so excited to welcome the world here.”Mamdani, however, said he was not invited to the wedding.“I wish them a lovely wedding. I’ll listen to ‘Only the Young’ at home on my own,” he said, referencing one of Swift’s songs.<h2>MSG is a fortress, but has hosted weddings before</h2>Madison Square Garden may not scream “bridal,” but the venue is available for private rentals, advertising a banquet capacity for 1,250 — or 2,000 if you are only serving cocktails. And it has hosted weddings before. Sly Stone got married to Kathy Silva there in 1974 before thousands of fans. And more than 2,000 couples were wed in a mass ceremony at the Garden officiated by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/japan-unification-church-dissolved-eefc8dabe21bb4dd4ed43acd197572a3">the Rev. Sun Myung Moon</a>&nbsp;in 1982.Located above Penn Station, the busiest rail hub in the U.S., the Garden doesn’t scream “privacy” either.But it does have guarded entrances, a secure garage and a lack of windows, which would allow Kelce, Swift and celebrity guests to stay out of sight of photographers or camera-equipped drones.That need for privacy popped up earlier in June when a large tent appeared next door to Swift’s Watch Hill estate in Rhode Island. Despite organizers denying the event was for Swift, a wave of speculation bubbled up online as photographers and some Swifties headed to the town to see if they could&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/taylor-swift-wedding-rhode-island-c14fe03bde7fea457e99745bf28ee96c">catch a glimpse of a possible wedding.</a>Yet others have theorized that the MSG buzz could be an elaborate smoke screen to throw off attention to the couple’s real wedding plans. Swift did once write, “No, you can’t come to the wedding,” in her song “But Daddy I Love Him,” which some fans have been reupping lately as a reminder that the wedding isn’t supposed to be a public spectacle.<h2>Friends, family, and plenty of celebrities expected to attend</h2>Swift joked in October that “anyone I’ve ever talked to” would be invited to the wedding, telling Graham Norton that she believed “the only stressful weddings” are those that are small and force people to make aggressive cuts to the guest list.Yet just who exactly will show up is to be determined. Aside from family, Kelce’s Kansas City Chiefs teammate Patrick Mahomes and his wife, Brittany Mahomes, will likely be in attendance. For Swift, close friends like Selena Gomez, Abigail Anderson Berard,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/taylor-swift-madison-square-garden-nba-finals-ba93e2ab56aaf832c83446cae4fd7240">the Haim sisters,</a>&nbsp;Emma Stone and Gigi Hadid will all likely attend.Chiefs coach Andy Reid said he couldn’t talk about it when asked by The Associated Press if he was going to the wedding.“If it’s like when I got married, my wife did everything, so I just kind of followed her lead on it, showed up, right? Maybe he’s doing more but he looks like he’s pretty focused in on this job here, too,” Reid said in early June.<h2>Swift has a history of Fourth of July parties</h2>Perhaps another clue why the week of the Fourth of July makes sense for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/taylor-swift-travis-kelce-engagement-467ab959adc1288140b11a86b5a4e4ce">Swift and Kelce’s wedding</a>&nbsp;is that the popstar has long been known for throwing elaborate parties over the American holiday.It wasn’t too long ago that fans dubbed her Fourth of July events as “Taymerica,” where celebrities showed up at her Rhode Island estate wearing red, white and blue swimsuits, waving American flags and eventually shared some social media photos with the public.The timing also works with Kelce’s football schedule, given the tight end once joked on his “New Heights” podcast, “Don’t make my friends have to choose whether or not they have to sell their tickets that week.”___Associated Press writers Anthony Izaguirre and Maria Sherman in New York and David Skretta in Kansas City, Missouri, contributed reporting.

Are Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce getting married at Madison Square Garden? 

Here is the lineup for the Saturday Morning Show with Dave Foor &amp; Nicolas Fierro.

Listen live on&nbsp;910 AM/107.5 FM KINA&nbsp;from&nbsp;9:00 am&nbsp;to&nbsp;11:00 am,&nbsp;June&nbsp;27,&nbsp;2026:

Salina Liberty: Recap of 2026 season

Dr. Jennifer Gordon:&nbsp;Dunbar School Association | Celebrating Historic School Legacy

Carol Keeler: Autumn Craft and Bake Sale at Redeemer Lutheran Church

Shelly Smith: Abilene businesses collaborating to give back to the community from June 30 - July 4

All episodes are recorded and uploaded on the&nbsp;<a href="https://streamdb7web.securenetsystems.net/cirrusencore/index.cfm?CFID=05fb1ecb-7d68-4542-adb3-9b7c11d9b5e5&amp;CFTOKEN=0&amp;stationCallSign=KINA&amp;onDemandAutoStart=true&amp;p92136680=true&amp;relocateURL=true">910 AM and 107.5 FM KINA website</a>, under the 'KINA Saturday Mornings'&nbsp;tab.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/7/1625885773462.jpeg" alt="KINA Salina 910 AM/107.5 FM" />
 <figcaption>KINA Salina 910 AM/107.5 FM</figcaption>
 </figure>Here is the lineup for the Saturday Morning Show with Dave Foor &amp; Nicolas Fierro.Listen live on&nbsp;910 AM/107.5 FM KINA&nbsp;from&nbsp;9:00 am&nbsp;to&nbsp;11:00 am,&nbsp;June&nbsp;27,&nbsp;2026:<h2>9:00 AM</h2>Salina Liberty: Recap of 2026 season<h2>9:30 AM</h2>Dr. Jennifer Gordon:&nbsp;Dunbar School Association | Celebrating Historic School Legacy<h2>10:00 AM</h2>Carol Keeler: Autumn Craft and Bake Sale at Redeemer Lutheran Church<h2>10:30 AM</h2>Shelly Smith: Abilene businesses collaborating to give back to the community from June 30 - July 4All episodes are recorded and uploaded on the&nbsp;<a href="https://streamdb7web.securenetsystems.net/cirrusencore/index.cfm?CFID=05fb1ecb-7d68-4542-adb3-9b7c11d9b5e5&amp;CFTOKEN=0&amp;stationCallSign=KINA&amp;onDemandAutoStart=true&amp;p92136680=true&amp;relocateURL=true">910 AM and 107.5 FM KINA website</a>, under the 'KINA Saturday Mornings'&nbsp;tab.

Saturday Morning Show lineup with Dave Foor & Nicolas Fierro: June 27, 2026

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

TOPEKA — Democratic gubernatorial candidate Curt Skoog promised voters six weeks before the August primary that if elected he would prioritize healthcare access and economic development in rural Kansas.

Skoog, the mayor of Overland Park, appealed to Democratic voters on Wednesday with his “THRIVE Kansas” plan represented by a “T” for thriving communities, “H” for health, “R” for rural roots, “I” for innovation, “V” for voting and “E” for everyone.

Skoog’s agenda for healthcare includes expanding access to Medicaid and incentivizing medical professionals to live and work in rural areas of the state. His prescription for rural Kansas involves sustainable farming, business development and equitable public education funding.

“We will prioritize policies that increase attainable housing, deliver high-quality public schools, improve access to healthcare, increase opportunity for jobs and business creation and address affordability and lower property taxes,” Skoog’s plan says.

Skoog unexpectedly joined the gubernatorial race June 1, filing&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2026/06/01/overland-park-mayor-makes-late-entry-into-kansas-governors-race-challenging-democratic-senators/">hours before</a>&nbsp;the deadline. He joined two other Johnson County candidates in the Democratic primary, state Sens. Ethan Corson, of Fairway, and Cindy Holscher, of Overland Park, who announced their candidacies last year.

On the campaign trail, Holscher called for a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kansas.com/opinion/guest-commentary/article316166203.html" target="_blank">statewide suspension</a>&nbsp;of data center construction in an op-ed published Tuesday by the Wichita Eagle. She said she initially supported the developments.

“But now that we’re learning how these companies are draining and contaminating our water supply, driving up our electricity costs and ignoring our communities’ voices,” she said. “It’s time to press the pause button.”

Holscher said she encountered comparable opposition to data centers during campaign stops in Kansas towns and cities.

“Almost everywhere, the people I talk to are increasingly worried about massive data center developments in their backyards,” she said in the column. “And I mean massive: the new ‘hyper scale’ data center in De Soto is planned to cover 1.14 million square feet — that’s 20 football fields.”

Holscher also claimed that “big tech billionaires and the politicians enabling them” continue pushing expansion of data centers despite public concerns.

Skoog said in a statement to Kansas Reflector he doesn’t want to stop construction of data centers. He said he wants to make sure investments are made in support of industrial growth and water preservation.

“We can’t look at water or data centers in isolation,” Skoog said. “It is not only for computing, but for fresh, clean drinking water for our families and ample water supplies for our agricultural and ranching sector, the energy sector and other industry. All must be weighed.”

Meanwhile, Corson made a pitch to voters when he announced a nearly $1 million TV campaign.

The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OM608JNcuQQ&amp;t=20s" target="_blank">first of his TV ads</a>&nbsp;began airing in the Wichita and Kansas City markets on Tuesday. In the commercial, he said he fought for Medicaid expansion and abortion rights as a state senator.

“I’m running for governor because the fights aren’t over,” he said. “I’ll stand up to (President Donald) Trump, ICE or anyone who comes for our freedoms or our state.”

In the baseball-themed ad, Corson reminisced about playing youth and college baseball. Standing on a field, holding a baseball and wearing a Kansas City Royals shirt, he promised to “fight for Kansas every single day.”

In Skoog’s lengthy policy agenda, he vowed to lower property taxes. The Kansas Legislature&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2026/04/14/the-people-of-kansas-lost-last-ditch-attempt-at-property-tax-relief-devolves-into-finger-pointing/">failed</a>&nbsp;to reach agreement this session on a bill delivering statewide property tax relief.

Skoog said Overland Park imposes the lowest property tax rate in the state. The League of Municipalities Tax Rate Book ranks the city as having the lowest mill levy tax rate in Kansas, his campaign said.

“Overland Park is thriving today,” Skoog said, “because we actively engage and listen to residents and stakeholders, confront tough issues and build consensus among different perspectives. We don’t spend time on culture wars or legislative bickering.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/6/1782477314619.png" alt=" Overland Park Mayor Curt Skoog and his running mate Jennifer Bacani McKenney launch his campaign for governor on June 1, 2026, the day of the filing deadline, at the Secretary of State's Office in Topeka. Skoog announced his campaign agenda on June 24. (Photo by Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption> Overland Park Mayor Curt Skoog and his running mate Jennifer Bacani McKenney launch his campaign for governor on June 1, 2026, the day of the filing deadline, at the Secretary of State's Office in Topeka. Skoog announced his campaign agenda on June 24. (Photo by Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>By:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/bburgess/">Baya Burgess</a> <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/02/24/gov-laura-kelly-skeptical-kansas-houses-anti-tenure-legislation-will-reach-her-desk/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — Democratic gubernatorial candidate Curt Skoog promised voters six weeks before the August primary that if elected he would prioritize healthcare access and economic development in rural Kansas.Skoog, the mayor of Overland Park, appealed to Democratic voters on Wednesday with his “THRIVE Kansas” plan represented by a “T” for thriving communities, “H” for health, “R” for rural roots, “I” for innovation, “V” for voting and “E” for everyone.Skoog’s agenda for healthcare includes expanding access to Medicaid and incentivizing medical professionals to live and work in rural areas of the state. His prescription for rural Kansas involves sustainable farming, business development and equitable public education funding.“We will prioritize policies that increase attainable housing, deliver high-quality public schools, improve access to healthcare, increase opportunity for jobs and business creation and address affordability and lower property taxes,” Skoog’s plan says.Skoog unexpectedly joined the gubernatorial race June 1, filing&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2026/06/01/overland-park-mayor-makes-late-entry-into-kansas-governors-race-challenging-democratic-senators/">hours before</a>&nbsp;the deadline. He joined two other Johnson County candidates in the Democratic primary, state Sens. Ethan Corson, of Fairway, and Cindy Holscher, of Overland Park, who announced their candidacies last year.On the campaign trail, Holscher called for a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kansas.com/opinion/guest-commentary/article316166203.html" target="_blank">statewide suspension</a>&nbsp;of data center construction in an op-ed published Tuesday by the Wichita Eagle. She said she initially supported the developments.“But now that we’re learning how these companies are draining and contaminating our water supply, driving up our electricity costs and ignoring our communities’ voices,” she said. “It’s time to press the pause button.”Holscher said she encountered comparable opposition to data centers during campaign stops in Kansas towns and cities.“Almost everywhere, the people I talk to are increasingly worried about massive data center developments in their backyards,” she said in the column. “And I mean massive: the new ‘hyper scale’ data center in De Soto is planned to cover 1.14 million square feet — that’s 20 football fields.”Holscher also claimed that “big tech billionaires and the politicians enabling them” continue pushing expansion of data centers despite public concerns.Skoog said in a statement to Kansas Reflector he doesn’t want to stop construction of data centers. He said he wants to make sure investments are made in support of industrial growth and water preservation.“We can’t look at water or data centers in isolation,” Skoog said. “It is not only for computing, but for fresh, clean drinking water for our families and ample water supplies for our agricultural and ranching sector, the energy sector and other industry. All must be weighed.”Meanwhile, Corson made a pitch to voters when he announced a nearly $1 million TV campaign.The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OM608JNcuQQ&amp;t=20s" target="_blank">first of his TV ads</a>&nbsp;began airing in the Wichita and Kansas City markets on Tuesday. In the commercial, he said he fought for Medicaid expansion and abortion rights as a state senator.“I’m running for governor because the fights aren’t over,” he said. “I’ll stand up to (President Donald) Trump, ICE or anyone who comes for our freedoms or our state.”In the baseball-themed ad, Corson reminisced about playing youth and college baseball. Standing on a field, holding a baseball and wearing a Kansas City Royals shirt, he promised to “fight for Kansas every single day.”In Skoog’s lengthy policy agenda, he vowed to lower property taxes. The Kansas Legislature&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2026/04/14/the-people-of-kansas-lost-last-ditch-attempt-at-property-tax-relief-devolves-into-finger-pointing/">failed</a>&nbsp;to reach agreement this session on a bill delivering statewide property tax relief.Skoog said Overland Park imposes the lowest property tax rate in the state. The League of Municipalities Tax Rate Book ranks the city as having the lowest mill levy tax rate in Kansas, his campaign said.“Overland Park is thriving today,” Skoog said, “because we actively engage and listen to residents and stakeholders, confront tough issues and build consensus among different perspectives. We don’t spend time on culture wars or legislative bickering.”

Democratic candidates for Kansas governor pitch campaign priorities to voters

<a href="https://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?CityName=Salina&amp;state=KS&amp;site=ICT&amp;lat=38.8158&amp;lon=-97.6178">For a full look at the June 26 - 29 forecast, click here.</a>

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/6/1782425409187.png" alt="Three day weather forecast Salina, June 26 - June 28 - US National Weather Service" />
 <figcaption>Three day weather forecast Salina, June 26 - June 28 - US National Weather Service</figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?CityName=Salina&amp;state=KS&amp;site=ICT&amp;lat=38.8158&amp;lon=-97.6178">For a full look at the June 26 - 29 forecast, click here.</a>Monitor local weather updates frequently in multiple ways by listening to the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.weather.gov/nwr/">NOAA Weather Radio</a>, checking local news and emergency notifications. You can also stay informed by following Saline County and the National Weather Service on social media.For the latest forecast updates, visit&nbsp;the&nbsp;National Weather Service Wichita office at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.weather.gov/ict/">https://www.weather.gov/ict/</a>.

Three day weather forecast Salina, June 26 - June 28

Poll also reveals deep indecision in gubernatorial and U.S. Senate campaigns

TOPEKA — A poll of Democratic and left-leaning independent voters completed seven weeks before the August primary places Cindy Holscher as frontrunner in the governor’s race and Adam Hamilton leading in the campaign to pick a nominee for U.S. Senate.

The poll of 1,000 Kansans was conducted by Change Research, a San Francisco company engaged with Democratic or progressive candidates and groups. The June 11-15 poll with a margin of error of plus or minus 3% was commissioned by Civic Clarity, a nonprofit operating&nbsp;<a href="https://capitolbee.com/p/we-paid-for-a-poll-here-s-what-it-found" target="_blank">the Capitol Bee</a>&nbsp;news entity in Kansas.

The snapshot among registered Democrats and independent voters eligible to take part in the open Democratic primary revealed 44% had yet to declare a preference in the three-way Democratic governor’s race and 55% were at a loss in terms of the 11 Democratic candidates competing for the U.S. Senate seat held by Republican Roger Marshall, who is seeking reelection to a second term.

Holscher has been engaged in a campaign with fellow Johnson County state Sen. Ethan Corson, as well as newcomer Curt Skoog, who serves as mayor of Overland Park. In the survey, Holscher received 37% of support from participants while Corson possessed 10% and Skoog had 7%. Skoog filed as an official candidate at the June 1 deadline, while Holscher and Corson have been on the campaign trail since 2025.

Holscher campaign manager Madi Ashcraft said the senator’s message was resonating with primary voters because she was concentrating on education, health care and cost-of-living issues.

“While others are focused on maintaining the status quo, Cindy is focused on delivering results and putting people first,” Ashcraft said. “We’re going to continue earning every vote and building the campaign needed to beat the MAGA nominee in November.”

Glynnis Harvey, spokesperson for Corson, said the snapshot was taken before Corson made an advertising buy of nearly $1 million in the Wichita and Kansas City markets and before the first public debate of the Democratic primary for governor.

“Ethan is the only candidate with the resources needed to win in both August and November, having outraised the nearest competitor two-to-one in the last reporting period,” Harvey said. “Not only does Ethan have the resources to win, he has crisscrossed over 25,000 miles of the state, connecting with Kansans face to face about his message of fighting for Medicaid expansion, protecting abortion rights and standing up to (President Donald) Trump and ICE.”

Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly can’t seek election to a third term in 2026 after defeating Republican nominees Kris Kobach in 2018 and Derek Schmidt in 2022.

Hamilton, pastor of the Resurrection United Methodist Church in Kansas City, who entered the U.S. Senate campaign in late April, pulled in 18% of support among Kansans responding to the online survey.

Six other Democrats in the crowded primary field registered in the poll: Christy Davis, 10%; Patrick Schmidt, 7%; Noah Taylor, 4%; Anne Parelkar, 3%; Erik Murray, 2%; and Sandy Spidel Neumann, 1%.

“Kansans are saying we have to do better and it’s time to do something different,” said Tyson Brody, communications director for Hamilton’s campaign. “Adam will be a senator who listens to Kansans, works to lower costs and fights for all of us.”

Previous surveys in Kansas have been linked to candidates, but the independent Change Research poll offered a glimpse at two significant contests without campaigns placing a finger on the scale in terms of how questions were posed and answers were solicited from participants, said Bob Beatty, a professor of political science at Washburn University.

He said it would be best to follow with several polls to determine whether the outcomes were comparable to the Change Research effort.

“This poll is important. It’s a calm-before-the-storm poll,” Beatty said. “What we need to see is a poll in mid-July when the ad blitz has commenced.”

Beatty said it wasn’t unusual to have about half of voters undecided about their primary election preferences in mid-June.

In the poll, the top issue in terms of importance to the 2026 election was inflation and the cost of living, which was noted by 63% of respondents.

Here is the remainder of the top-10 issues in ranked order: defending democracy, 61%; healthcare, 53%; K-12 public education, 31%; climate change and environment, 31%; abortion, 29%; jobs and the economy, 27%; affordable housing, 23%; property taxes, 19%; and crime and public safety, 10%.

The poll of 1,022 likely Democratic voters had a heavy representation of women over men — 62% to 35%. The age demographic of those surveyed had 34% over 65; 20% were 50 to 64; 22% were 35 to 49; and 24% were 18 to 34. Nine percent had a two-year college degree, 31% had a bachelor’s degree and 27% had some form of graduate degree.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/4/1777575849047.png" alt="Rev. Adam Hamilton on the day he accounced his run for U.S. Senate primary-image from campaign video" />
 <figcaption>Rev. Adam Hamilton on the day he accounced his run for U.S. Senate primary-image from campaign video</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Poll also reveals deep indecision in gubernatorial and U.S. Senate campaigns</h2>By:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/tim-carpenter/">Tim Carpenter</a> <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/02/24/gov-laura-kelly-skeptical-kansas-houses-anti-tenure-legislation-will-reach-her-desk/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — A poll of Democratic and left-leaning independent voters completed seven weeks before the August primary places Cindy Holscher as frontrunner in the governor’s race and Adam Hamilton leading in the campaign to pick a nominee for U.S. Senate.The poll of 1,000 Kansans was conducted by Change Research, a San Francisco company engaged with Democratic or progressive candidates and groups. The June 11-15 poll with a margin of error of plus or minus 3% was commissioned by Civic Clarity, a nonprofit operating&nbsp;<a href="https://capitolbee.com/p/we-paid-for-a-poll-here-s-what-it-found" target="_blank">the Capitol Bee</a>&nbsp;news entity in Kansas.The snapshot among registered Democrats and independent voters eligible to take part in the open Democratic primary revealed 44% had yet to declare a preference in the three-way Democratic governor’s race and 55% were at a loss in terms of the 11 Democratic candidates competing for the U.S. Senate seat held by Republican Roger Marshall, who is seeking reelection to a second term.Holscher has been engaged in a campaign with fellow Johnson County state Sen. Ethan Corson, as well as newcomer Curt Skoog, who serves as mayor of Overland Park. In the survey, Holscher received 37% of support from participants while Corson possessed 10% and Skoog had 7%. Skoog filed as an official candidate at the June 1 deadline, while Holscher and Corson have been on the campaign trail since 2025.Holscher campaign manager Madi Ashcraft said the senator’s message was resonating with primary voters because she was concentrating on education, health care and cost-of-living issues.“While others are focused on maintaining the status quo, Cindy is focused on delivering results and putting people first,” Ashcraft said. “We’re going to continue earning every vote and building the campaign needed to beat the MAGA nominee in November.”Glynnis Harvey, spokesperson for Corson, said the snapshot was taken before Corson made an advertising buy of nearly $1 million in the Wichita and Kansas City markets and before the first public debate of the Democratic primary for governor.“Ethan is the only candidate with the resources needed to win in both August and November, having outraised the nearest competitor two-to-one in the last reporting period,” Harvey said. “Not only does Ethan have the resources to win, he has crisscrossed over 25,000 miles of the state, connecting with Kansans face to face about his message of fighting for Medicaid expansion, protecting abortion rights and standing up to (President Donald) Trump and ICE.”Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly can’t seek election to a third term in 2026 after defeating Republican nominees Kris Kobach in 2018 and Derek Schmidt in 2022.Hamilton, pastor of the Resurrection United Methodist Church in Kansas City, who entered the U.S. Senate campaign in late April, pulled in 18% of support among Kansans responding to the online survey.Six other Democrats in the crowded primary field registered in the poll: Christy Davis, 10%; Patrick Schmidt, 7%; Noah Taylor, 4%; Anne Parelkar, 3%; Erik Murray, 2%; and Sandy Spidel Neumann, 1%.“Kansans are saying we have to do better and it’s time to do something different,” said Tyson Brody, communications director for Hamilton’s campaign. “Adam will be a senator who listens to Kansans, works to lower costs and fights for all of us.”Previous surveys in Kansas have been linked to candidates, but the independent Change Research poll offered a glimpse at two significant contests without campaigns placing a finger on the scale in terms of how questions were posed and answers were solicited from participants, said Bob Beatty, a professor of political science at Washburn University.He said it would be best to follow with several polls to determine whether the outcomes were comparable to the Change Research effort.“This poll is important. It’s a calm-before-the-storm poll,” Beatty said. “What we need to see is a poll in mid-July when the ad blitz has commenced.”Beatty said it wasn’t unusual to have about half of voters undecided about their primary election preferences in mid-June.In the poll, the top issue in terms of importance to the 2026 election was inflation and the cost of living, which was noted by 63% of respondents.Here is the remainder of the top-10 issues in ranked order: defending democracy, 61%; healthcare, 53%; K-12 public education, 31%; climate change and environment, 31%; abortion, 29%; jobs and the economy, 27%; affordable housing, 23%; property taxes, 19%; and crime and public safety, 10%.The poll of 1,022 likely Democratic voters had a heavy representation of women over men — 62% to 35%. The age demographic of those surveyed had 34% over 65; 20% were 50 to 64; 22% were 35 to 49; and 24% were 18 to 34. Nine percent had a two-year college degree, 31% had a bachelor’s degree and 27% had some form of graduate degree.

Kansas poll of likely Democratic voters favors Holscher for governor, Hamilton for U.S. Senate

“We just want answers and clean water,” said a Dover Drive resident on the water quality issue in the west Salina neighborhood.

After <a href="https://salinapost.com/posts/5c167a14-2322-4260-81cd-6e3821c10db9">Monday's Salina City Commission meeting</a>, the discolored, undrinkable and unsafe water along the neighborhood has gained public attention.

Sharee Spratlen, spokesperson and resident of Dover, urged the commission along with city staff&nbsp;for a permanent solution.

Spratlen said at Monday's meeting that she has been in consistent contact with the City of Salina’s Utilities/Water Department about this issue since July 23, 2025.

She said herself and the rest of the residents feel nothing was mentioned to the Commissioners or City Manager regarding their water problems since then.

Moreover,&nbsp;Spratlen and the residents want transparency from Commissioners, the City Manager and the Utilities/Water Department about what is being said on their concerns after Monday’s meeting.

Salina Post sat down with five residents, including Spratlen to hear their thoughts about the issue.&nbsp;

Each of them shared the costs, upkeep, and cleanliness for their household items and appliances along with the emotions of frustration throughout their experience.

One resident (wanted to remain anonymous) said they had their sidewalk replaced due to the hydrant flushing collapsing it.&nbsp;

“The sidewalk was ruined, the street was ruined and everything was orange," the resident said. "If they (Utilities Department) saw how the sidewalk looked, then they know what the bathroom, kitchen and sink look like. It stains that bad that you have to use rust remover to get your appliances cleaned."

Another resident of Dover, Linda mentioned replacing her washer due to the quality of water. Both her and the resident mentioned having reverse osmosis as well. They have had to replace their filters (each costing $100 to replace).

“I can go right now and tell you my filters need to be changed again. When you open those cartridges and pull that filter out, it is orange.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/6/1782315907888.jpeg" alt="Jars, a bottle and a capsule of discolored, undrinkable and unsafe water shown up along the Dover Drive neighborhood in west Salina - Photo by Nicolas Fierro" />
 <figcaption>Jars, a bottle and a capsule of discolored, undrinkable and unsafe water shown up along the Dover Drive neighborhood in west Salina - Photo by Nicolas Fierro</figcaption>
 </figure>By: NICOLAS FIERROSalina Post“We just want answers and clean water,” said a Dover Drive resident on the water quality issue in the west Salina neighborhood.After <a href="https://salinapost.com/posts/5c167a14-2322-4260-81cd-6e3821c10db9">Monday's Salina City Commission meeting</a>, the discolored, undrinkable and unsafe water along the neighborhood has gained public attention.Sharee Spratlen, spokesperson and resident of Dover, urged the commission along with city staff&nbsp;for a permanent solution.Spratlen said at Monday's meeting that she has been in consistent contact with the City of Salina’s Utilities/Water Department about this issue since July 23, 2025.She said herself and the rest of the residents feel nothing was mentioned to the Commissioners or City Manager regarding their water problems since then.Moreover,&nbsp;Spratlen and the residents want transparency from Commissioners, the City Manager and the Utilities/Water Department about what is being said on their concerns after Monday’s meeting.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/6/1782186676141.png" alt="Dover Drive resident Sheree Spratlen shows two containers of discolored water Salina Commissioners on June 22 - Screenshot of Salina City Commission public meeting " />
 <figcaption>Dover Drive resident Sheree Spratlen shows two containers of discolored water Salina Commissioners on June 22 - Screenshot of Salina City Commission public meeting </figcaption>
 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/6/1782330189836.jpeg" alt="Photos by Nicolas Fierro" />
 <figcaption>Photos by Nicolas Fierro</figcaption>
 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/6/1782330213270.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/6/1782330238903.jpeg" alt="Coliform bacteria are present in this blue-green water capsule. According to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE), if coliform bacteria is in your water, your risk of contracting an illness is increased, and you need to address the problem." />
 <figcaption>Coliform bacteria are present in this blue-green water capsule. According to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE), if coliform bacteria is in your water, your risk of contracting an illness is increased, and you need to address the problem.</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Frustrated residents</h2>Salina Post sat down with five residents, including Spratlen to hear their thoughts about the issue.&nbsp;Each of them shared the costs, upkeep, and cleanliness for their household items and appliances along with the emotions of frustration throughout their experience.One resident (wanted to remain anonymous) said they had their sidewalk replaced due to the hydrant flushing collapsing it.&nbsp;“The sidewalk was ruined, the street was ruined and everything was orange," the resident said. "If they (Utilities Department) saw how the sidewalk looked, then they know what the bathroom, kitchen and sink look like. It stains that bad that you have to use rust remover to get your appliances cleaned."<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/6/1782329677736.jpeg" alt="Sidewalk along Dover Drive, showing rusted/orange color - Photo taken by Nicolas Fierro on June 23, 2026" />
 <figcaption>Sidewalk along Dover Drive, showing rusted/orange color - Photo taken by Nicolas Fierro on June 23, 2026</figcaption>
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 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/6/1782329693837.jpeg" alt=" " />
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 </figure>Another resident of Dover, Linda mentioned replacing her washer due to the quality of water. Both her and the resident mentioned having reverse osmosis as well. They have had to replace their filters (each costing $100 to replace).“I can go right now and tell you my filters need to be changed again. When you open those cartridges and pull that filter out, it is orange.”Both are next-door neighbors and were diagnosed with the same type of lung cancer in the same timeframe, while living on Dover Dr.“Isn’t that a coincidence?” said Linda.Each resident has expressed of spending plenty of money on consistently cleaning their appliances, purchasing bottled water and filters.“That is something they don’t understand. You are asking to go to 2028 and keep doing this? It’s been too long and we have had enough.”Salina Post spoke with the City of Salina Utilities Department regarding the discolored water along Dover Drive.According to the Director of Utilities, Martha Tasker stated she has spoken with residents of Dover about the issue.Tasker said back in 2011 - 2013, water main replacements were and are being conducted throughout the city. The Dover Drive project to replace the water main from Broadway Blvd. to Republic Ave. would be a 2028 project.However, Tasker would like to move this project to 2027.For this to be moved to next year, it would need to be approved by the City Commission.Read more:&nbsp;<a href="https://salinapost.com/posts/867928e3-6f1d-4298-9068-ef3f90bf9944">City of Salina speaks on discolored water at neighborhood</a>The residents also mentioned that the water is not safe enough to bathe children in and they resort to doing it elsewhere.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/6/1782330001337.jpeg" alt="Spratlen requested the city commission for reimbursement on the previously paid water bills, assistance for the cost of bottled water, while considering the damage to appliances and household items due to discolored water - Photo of water bills from May 2025 to Mar. 2026 totaling $669.09" />
 <figcaption>Spratlen requested the city commission for reimbursement on the previously paid water bills, assistance for the cost of bottled water, while considering the damage to appliances and household items due to discolored water - Photo of water bills from May 2025 to Mar. 2026 totaling $669.09</figcaption>
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 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/6/1782331024993.jpeg" alt="Dover Dr. resident, Mike shows pictures of discolored water in his home - Photo by Nicolas Fierro" />
 <figcaption>Dover Dr. resident, Mike shows pictures of discolored water in his home - Photo by Nicolas Fierro</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Persistence</h2>Spratlen emphasized her persistence in expressing this issue to the commissioners at each public meeting, or in any way she could.“I will keep on until I have something recorded or in writing with a date,” said Spratlen. “Once I have that and if it is not done by whatever that time is, we are going to court.”Commissioner Doug Rempp was mentioned by the residents as someone who has the “best interest of the public."“He reached out to me on Facebook after hearing about this on the radio (KINA 910 AM/107.5 FM),” said Spratlen.She said none of the other commissioners has reached out to her.“If the city can’t do this project right now, then it is their responsibility to find funds and take care of this. Not two years from now,” said Debbie, a resident of Dover.Mike who moved into Dover in April 2025, discovered the discolored water when he first arrived. He questioned why the city was constantly flushing hydrants.“This is a mess,” he said.<h2>A community with a passion to help</h2>Eagle Media radio station KINA, The Cozy Inn Hamburgers and The Granny Brigade have partnered for a community water drive to help Salina families affected by unsafe water across the city.Read more <a href="https://salinapost.com/posts/006402d0-038d-441a-b5c7-c449294c44da">here</a>.Acceptables donations:- Bottled water- Cases of water- Gallon jugs of waterDrop off locations:&nbsp;&nbsp;- KINA Radio, 1825 S. Ohio Street- The Cozy Inn Hamburgers,&nbsp;108 N. 7th StThe bottled, cases and/or gallon jugs of water will be distributed once you drop them off at these locations.&nbsp;&nbsp;The Cozy Inn will give you 20% off on your order if you drop off a case of water.“The power of radio as a voice for the people is still strong," said Chris Cadle, Program Director for KINA 910AM and 107.5FM. "We had no idea this situation was happening in our town until a listener called in to KINA Coffee Talk to express her concerns. From there many others came forward and we knew something had to be done. We can’t fix the problem but we sure can inform those who need to be, aware of the situation and keep them accountable to fix it. Until then we are trying to help by doing a water drive with the help of the Granny Brigade and The Cozy Inn and of course the amazing listeners and residents of our great community."&nbsp;Salina Post will continue&nbsp;to provide updates and follow up on this developing story.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/6/1782328639702.jpeg" alt="Dover Drive residents holding up discolored and undrinkable water in their west Salina neighborhood. Names in order of picture: Sharee Spratlen, Linda, Debbie &amp; Mike - Photo by Nicolas Fierro " />
 <figcaption>Dover Drive residents holding up discolored and undrinkable water in their west Salina neighborhood. Names in order of picture: Sharee Spratlen, Linda, Debbie &amp; Mike - Photo by Nicolas Fierro </figcaption>
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