COWLEY COUNTY—A Kansas family is celebrating the birth of their fourth child who arrived sooner than expected.

According to a social media report on Monday from the Arkansas City Fire and EMS, shortly after 11:30 a.m. March 31, emergency crews responded to a 911 call reporting an unexpected childbirth at the home of Mary Trenary and Donovan Dean. When responders arrived, they discovered that baby Kyng Kyrie Dean had already made his entrance into the world — a week ahead of schedule — at 11:20 a.m., weighing 8 pounds, 5 ounces, and measuring 19 inches long.

“I was taking care of my toddlers, and then the next thing I know, I was giving birth,” Mary said. “I thought it was just Braxton Hicks contractions.”Earlier that morning, Mary experienced back pain, which she attributed to lying on a heating pad. But by 11 a.m., it was clear she needed to get to the hospital. However, Baby Kyng had his own plans. With contractions rapidly intensifying, Donovan found himself playing PlayStation one minute — the next, he was delivering his son.

“I used to play doctor as a kid, but I never guessed I’d actually play one in real life,” Donovan said. “I just knew I had to get him out and make sure he could breathe.

 After I realized what happened, I started shaking. I wanted to make sure she was okay and he was okay. I know complications can happen. Then I heard him crying, and EMS came — and I knew it was going to be okay. I appreciate EMS getting there so quickly.

”For Mary, the experience was a whirlwind.“I just remember the police arriving, then EMS,” she said. “I don’t think it really hit me that I had given birth until they said, ‘Here’s the umbilical cord.’”

Arkansas City Fire/EMS crews transported both mom and baby safely to <a href="https://www.facebook.com/WilliamNewtonHospital?__cft__[0]=AZX0c4TouQ39qu07s-c2aMxk9anyY2jJxOBIZZWo216YrRDfHqCTMsIk_8CZH5lbIC-I10-xXmeEAF3IgH-A9-u9WbEbbEaiMDzSUtHMhOORapnz4bkILEY0Q1h4Mf9I9OBR8LDgHZhaSz8bBpGuDjUwdj0_cIzCCizdMgTihOKPruMyoLMAcYXpF1b1Rwm0Qtg&amp;__tn__=-]K-R">William Newton Hospital</a>. Kyng is Mary and Donovan’s fourth child — and their first boy. Their daughters are 5, 3, and 2 years old.“I’ve had a hospital birth, a water birth, and now a home birth,” Mary said. “Each one has been different, but this was definitely the most unexpected!”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/4/1744717717084.png" alt="Photo Arkansas City Fire and EMS" />
 <figcaption>Photo Arkansas City Fire and EMS</figcaption>
 </figure>COWLEY COUNTY—A Kansas family is celebrating the birth of their fourth child who arrived sooner than expected.According to a social media report on Monday from the Arkansas City Fire and EMS, shortly after 11:30 a.m. March 31, emergency crews responded to a 911 call reporting an unexpected childbirth at the home of Mary Trenary and Donovan Dean. When responders arrived, they discovered that baby Kyng Kyrie Dean had already made his entrance into the world — a week ahead of schedule — at 11:20 a.m., weighing 8 pounds, 5 ounces, and measuring 19 inches long.“I was taking care of my toddlers, and then the next thing I know, I was giving birth,” Mary said. “I thought it was just Braxton Hicks contractions.”Earlier that morning, Mary experienced back pain, which she attributed to lying on a heating pad. But by 11 a.m., it was clear she needed to get to the hospital. However, Baby Kyng had his own plans. With contractions rapidly intensifying, Donovan found himself playing PlayStation one minute — the next, he was delivering his son.“I used to play doctor as a kid, but I never guessed I’d actually play one in real life,” Donovan said. “I just knew I had to get him out and make sure he could breathe. After I realized what happened, I started shaking. I wanted to make sure she was okay and he was okay. I know complications can happen. Then I heard him crying, and EMS came — and I knew it was going to be okay. I appreciate EMS getting there so quickly.”For Mary, the experience was a whirlwind.“I just remember the police arriving, then EMS,” she said. “I don’t think it really hit me that I had given birth until they said, ‘Here’s the umbilical cord.’”Arkansas City Fire/EMS crews transported both mom and baby safely to <a href="https://www.facebook.com/WilliamNewtonHospital?__cft__[0]=AZX0c4TouQ39qu07s-c2aMxk9anyY2jJxOBIZZWo216YrRDfHqCTMsIk_8CZH5lbIC-I10-xXmeEAF3IgH-A9-u9WbEbbEaiMDzSUtHMhOORapnz4bkILEY0Q1h4Mf9I9OBR8LDgHZhaSz8bBpGuDjUwdj0_cIzCCizdMgTihOKPruMyoLMAcYXpF1b1Rwm0Qtg&amp;__tn__=-]K-R">William Newton Hospital</a>. Kyng is Mary and Donovan’s fourth child — and their first boy. Their daughters are 5, 3, and 2 years old.“I’ve had a hospital birth, a water birth, and now a home birth,” Mary said. “Each one has been different, but this was definitely the most unexpected!”

Kansas man delivers baby boy at home

SEDGWICK COUNTY –&nbsp;A detention deputy was seriously injured just before 7:30p.m. Monday after an inmate allegedly threw scalding water on the deputy inside the&nbsp;Sedgwick County Detention facility, according to a media release from the Sheriff's Office.

&nbsp;The deputy sustained serious burns and was transported by Sedgwick County EMS to a local hospital for treatment.

Sheriff’s detectives launched an investigation.&nbsp; The sheriff's office released no additional details late Monday.

SEDGWICK COUNTY –&nbsp;A detention deputy was seriously injured just before 7:30p.m. Monday after an inmate allegedly threw scalding water on the deputy inside the&nbsp;Sedgwick County Detention facility, according to a media release from the Sheriff's Office.&nbsp;The deputy sustained serious burns and was transported by Sedgwick County EMS to a local hospital for treatment.Sheriff’s detectives launched an investigation.&nbsp; The sheriff's office released no additional details late Monday.

Kan. inmate accused of throwing scalding water on deputy

BOSTON (AP) — The federal government says it’s freezing more than $2.2 billion in grants and $60 million in contracts to Harvard University, since the institution said Monday it won’t comply with the Trump administration’s demands to limit&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/harvard-antisemitism-demands-columbia-84d6265d2fbfcd5534006edff638160e">activism on campus</a>.

In a letter to Harvard Friday, the administration called for broad government and leadership reforms, a requirement that Harvard institute what it calls “merit-based” admissions and hiring policies as well as conduct an audit of the study body, faculty and leadership on their views about diversity.&nbsp; &nbsp;<a href="https://www.harvard.edu/research-funding/wp-content/uploads/sites/16/2025/04/Letter-Sent-to-Harvard-2025-04-11.pdf"> CLICK here to read the letter from the Trump Admin.</a>

The demands, which are an update from an earlier letter, also call for a ban on face masks — which appeared to target pro-Palestinian protesters. They also pressure the university to stop recognizing or funding "any student group or club that endorses or promotes criminal activity, illegal violence, or illegal harassment.”

Harvard President Alan Garber, in a letter to the Harvard community Monday, said the demands violated the university's First Amendment rights and “exceeds the statutory limits of the government’s authority under Title VI," which prohibits discrimination against students based on their race, color or national origin.&nbsp; &nbsp;

Below is the full letter President Garber sent on Monday

Dear Members of the Harvard Community,&nbsp;

For three-quarters of a century, the federal government has awarded grants and contracts to Harvard and other universities to help pay for work that, along with investments by the universities themselves, has led to groundbreaking innovations across a wide range of medical, engineering, and scientific fields. These innovations have made countless people in our country and throughout the world healthier and safer. In recent weeks, the federal government has threatened its partnerships with several universities, including Harvard, over accusations of antisemitism on our campuses. These partnerships are among the most productive and beneficial in American history. New frontiers beckon us with the prospect of life-changing advances—from treatments for diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and diabetes, to breakthroughs in artificial intelligence, quantum science and engineering, and numerous other areas of possibility. For the government to retreat from these partnerships now risks not only the health and well-being of millions of individuals but also the economic security and vitality of our nation.&nbsp;Late Friday night, the administration issued an updated and expanded list of demands, warning that Harvard must comply if we intend to “maintain [our] financial relationship with the federal government.” It makes clear that the intention is not to work with us to address antisemitism in a cooperative and constructive manner. Although some of the demands outlined by the government are aimed at combating antisemitism, the majority represent direct governmental regulation of the “intellectual conditions” at Harvard.&nbsp;I encourage you to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.harvard.edu/research-funding/wp-content/uploads/sites/16/2025/04/Letter-Sent-to-Harvard-2025-04-11.pdf" target="_blank">read the letter</a>&nbsp;to gain a fuller understanding of the unprecedented demands being made by the federal government to control the Harvard community. They include requirements to “audit” the viewpoints of our student body, faculty, staff, and to “reduc[e] the power” of certain students, faculty, and administrators targeted because of their ideological views. We have informed the administration through our legal counsel that&nbsp;<a href="https://www.harvard.edu/research-funding/wp-content/uploads/sites/16/2025/04/Harvard-Response-2025-04-14.pdf" target="_blank">we will not accept their proposed agreement</a>. The University will not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights.&nbsp;The administration’s prescription goes beyond the power of the federal government. It violates Harvard’s First Amendment rights and exceeds the statutory limits of the government’s authority under Title VI. And it threatens our values as a private institution devoted to the pursuit, production, and dissemination of knowledge. No government—regardless of which party is in power—should dictate what private universities can teach, whom they can admit and hire, and which areas of study and inquiry they can pursue.&nbsp;Our motto—Veritas, or truth—guides us as we navigate the challenging path ahead. Seeking truth is a journey without end. It requires us to be open to new information and different perspectives, to subject our beliefs to ongoing scrutiny, and to be ready to change our minds. It compels us to take up the difficult work of acknowledging our flaws so that we might realize the full promise of the University, especially when that promise is threatened.&nbsp;We have made it abundantly clear that we do not take lightly our moral duty to fight antisemitism. Over the past fifteen months, we have taken many steps to address antisemitism on our campus. We plan to do much more. As we defend Harvard, we will continue to:&nbsp;

These ends will not be achieved by assertions of power, unmoored from the law, to control teaching and learning at Harvard and to dictate how we operate. The work of addressing our shortcomings, fulfilling our commitments, and embodying our values is ours to define and undertake as a community. Freedom of thought and inquiry, along with the government’s longstanding commitment to respect and protect it, has enabled universities to contribute in vital ways to a free society and to healthier, more prosperous lives for people everywhere. All of us share a stake in safeguarding that freedom. We proceed now, as always, with the conviction that the fearless and unfettered pursuit of truth liberates humanity—and with faith in the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.harvard.edu/research-funding/">enduring promise that America’s colleges and universities</a>&nbsp;hold for our country and our world.&nbsp;

The demands of Harvard are part of a broader push of using taxpayer dollars to pressure major academic institutions to comply with President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump’s</a>&nbsp;political agenda and to influence campus policy. The administration has also argued that universities allowed what it considered to be antisemitism to go unchecked at campus protests last year against Israel's war in Gaza; the schools deny it.

Harvard is one of several Ivy League schools targeted in a pressure campaign by the administration, which also has paused federal funding for the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/penn-transgender-swimmer-trump-federal-funding-2416de5d0abee40163a25294e8a72442">University of Pennsylvania</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/brown-university-grant-funding-antisemitism-2b7fcd9ee708e1fb3cd0beac65ad56a5">Brown</a>, and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/princeton-trump-federal-funding-9c32a996256849ac00792ef50dbdfb0e">Princeton</a>&nbsp;to force compliance with its agenda. Harvard's demand letter is similar to the one that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/columbia-university-funding-trump-fa70143c715df8fd4ef337c0e1ccf872">prompted changes</a>&nbsp;at Columbia University under the threat of billions of dollars in cuts.

The demands from the Trump administration prompted a group of alumni to write to university leaders calling for it to “legally contest and refuse to comply with unlawful demands that threaten academic freedom and university self-governance.”

“Harvard stood up today for the integrity, values, and freedoms that serve as the foundation of higher education,” said Anurima Bhargava, one of the alumni behind the letter. "Harvard reminded the world that learning, innovation and transformative growth will not yield to bullying and authoritarian whims.”

It also sparked a protest over the weekend from members of the Harvard community and from residents of Cambridge and a lawsuit from the American Association of University Professors on Friday challenging the cuts.

In their lawsuit, plaintiffs argue that the Trump administration has failed to follow steps required under Title VI before it starts cutting funds, and giving notice of the cuts to both the university and Congress.

“These sweeping yet indeterminate demands are not remedies targeting the causes of any determination of noncompliance with federal law. Instead, they overtly seek to impose on Harvard University political views and policy preferences advanced by the Trump administration and commit the University to punishing disfavored speech,” plaintiffs wrote.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/4/1744677178521.png" alt="Harvard President Alan Garber- courtesy photo" />
 <figcaption>Harvard President Alan Garber- courtesy photo</figcaption>
 </figure>BOSTON (AP) — The federal government says it’s freezing more than $2.2 billion in grants and $60 million in contracts to Harvard University, since the institution said Monday it won’t comply with the Trump administration’s demands to limit&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/harvard-antisemitism-demands-columbia-84d6265d2fbfcd5534006edff638160e">activism on campus</a>.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">“No government—regardless of which party is in power—should dictate what private universities can teach, whom they can admit and hire, and which areas of study and inquiry they can pursue.” - President Alan Garber <a href="https://t.co/6cQQpcJVTd">https://t.co/6cQQpcJVTd</a>&mdash; Harvard University (@Harvard) <a href="https://twitter.com/Harvard/status/1911835670953214401?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 14, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>In a letter to Harvard Friday, the administration called for broad government and leadership reforms, a requirement that Harvard institute what it calls “merit-based” admissions and hiring policies as well as conduct an audit of the study body, faculty and leadership on their views about diversity.&nbsp; &nbsp;<a href="https://www.harvard.edu/research-funding/wp-content/uploads/sites/16/2025/04/Letter-Sent-to-Harvard-2025-04-11.pdf"> CLICK here to read the letter from the Trump Admin.</a>The demands, which are an update from an earlier letter, also call for a ban on face masks — which appeared to target pro-Palestinian protesters. They also pressure the university to stop recognizing or funding "any student group or club that endorses or promotes criminal activity, illegal violence, or illegal harassment.”Harvard President Alan Garber, in a letter to the Harvard community Monday, said the demands violated the university's First Amendment rights and “exceeds the statutory limits of the government’s authority under Title VI," which prohibits discrimination against students based on their race, color or national origin.&nbsp; &nbsp;Below is the full letter President Garber sent on MondayDear Members of the Harvard Community,&nbsp;For three-quarters of a century, the federal government has awarded grants and contracts to Harvard and other universities to help pay for work that, along with investments by the universities themselves, has led to groundbreaking innovations across a wide range of medical, engineering, and scientific fields. These innovations have made countless people in our country and throughout the world healthier and safer. In recent weeks, the federal government has threatened its partnerships with several universities, including Harvard, over accusations of antisemitism on our campuses. These partnerships are among the most productive and beneficial in American history. New frontiers beckon us with the prospect of life-changing advances—from treatments for diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and diabetes, to breakthroughs in artificial intelligence, quantum science and engineering, and numerous other areas of possibility. For the government to retreat from these partnerships now risks not only the health and well-being of millions of individuals but also the economic security and vitality of our nation.&nbsp;Late Friday night, the administration issued an updated and expanded list of demands, warning that Harvard must comply if we intend to “maintain [our] financial relationship with the federal government.” It makes clear that the intention is not to work with us to address antisemitism in a cooperative and constructive manner. Although some of the demands outlined by the government are aimed at combating antisemitism, the majority represent direct governmental regulation of the “intellectual conditions” at Harvard.&nbsp;I encourage you to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.harvard.edu/research-funding/wp-content/uploads/sites/16/2025/04/Letter-Sent-to-Harvard-2025-04-11.pdf" target="_blank">read the letter</a>&nbsp;to gain a fuller understanding of the unprecedented demands being made by the federal government to control the Harvard community. They include requirements to “audit” the viewpoints of our student body, faculty, staff, and to “reduc[e] the power” of certain students, faculty, and administrators targeted because of their ideological views. We have informed the administration through our legal counsel that&nbsp;<a href="https://www.harvard.edu/research-funding/wp-content/uploads/sites/16/2025/04/Harvard-Response-2025-04-14.pdf" target="_blank">we will not accept their proposed agreement</a>. The University will not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights.&nbsp;The administration’s prescription goes beyond the power of the federal government. It violates Harvard’s First Amendment rights and exceeds the statutory limits of the government’s authority under Title VI. And it threatens our values as a private institution devoted to the pursuit, production, and dissemination of knowledge. No government—regardless of which party is in power—should dictate what private universities can teach, whom they can admit and hire, and which areas of study and inquiry they can pursue.&nbsp;Our motto—Veritas, or truth—guides us as we navigate the challenging path ahead. Seeking truth is a journey without end. It requires us to be open to new information and different perspectives, to subject our beliefs to ongoing scrutiny, and to be ready to change our minds. It compels us to take up the difficult work of acknowledging our flaws so that we might realize the full promise of the University, especially when that promise is threatened.&nbsp;We have made it abundantly clear that we do not take lightly our moral duty to fight antisemitism. Over the past fifteen months, we have taken many steps to address antisemitism on our campus. We plan to do much more. As we defend Harvard, we will continue to:&nbsp;<ul>
 <li>nurture a thriving culture of open inquiry on our campus; develop the tools, skills, and practices needed to engage constructively with one another; and broaden the intellectual and viewpoint diversity within our community;&nbsp;</li><li>affirm the rights and responsibilities we share; respect free speech and dissent while also ensuring that protest occurs in a time, place, and manner that does not interfere with teaching, learning, and research; and enhance the consistency and fairness of disciplinary processes; and&nbsp;</li><li>work together to find ways, consistent with law, to foster and support a vibrant community that exemplifies, respects, and embraces difference. As we do, we will also continue to comply with&nbsp;Students For Fair Admissions v. Harvard, which ruled that Title VI of the Civil Rights Act makes it unlawful for universities to make decisions “on the basis of race.”&nbsp;</li>
 </ul>These ends will not be achieved by assertions of power, unmoored from the law, to control teaching and learning at Harvard and to dictate how we operate. The work of addressing our shortcomings, fulfilling our commitments, and embodying our values is ours to define and undertake as a community. Freedom of thought and inquiry, along with the government’s longstanding commitment to respect and protect it, has enabled universities to contribute in vital ways to a free society and to healthier, more prosperous lives for people everywhere. All of us share a stake in safeguarding that freedom. We proceed now, as always, with the conviction that the fearless and unfettered pursuit of truth liberates humanity—and with faith in the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.harvard.edu/research-funding/">enduring promise that America’s colleges and universities</a>&nbsp;hold for our country and our world.&nbsp;Sincerely, Alan M. GarberThe demands of Harvard are part of a broader push of using taxpayer dollars to pressure major academic institutions to comply with President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump’s</a>&nbsp;political agenda and to influence campus policy. The administration has also argued that universities allowed what it considered to be antisemitism to go unchecked at campus protests last year against Israel's war in Gaza; the schools deny it.Harvard is one of several Ivy League schools targeted in a pressure campaign by the administration, which also has paused federal funding for the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/penn-transgender-swimmer-trump-federal-funding-2416de5d0abee40163a25294e8a72442">University of Pennsylvania</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/brown-university-grant-funding-antisemitism-2b7fcd9ee708e1fb3cd0beac65ad56a5">Brown</a>, and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/princeton-trump-federal-funding-9c32a996256849ac00792ef50dbdfb0e">Princeton</a>&nbsp;to force compliance with its agenda. Harvard's demand letter is similar to the one that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/columbia-university-funding-trump-fa70143c715df8fd4ef337c0e1ccf872">prompted changes</a>&nbsp;at Columbia University under the threat of billions of dollars in cuts.The demands from the Trump administration prompted a group of alumni to write to university leaders calling for it to “legally contest and refuse to comply with unlawful demands that threaten academic freedom and university self-governance.”“Harvard stood up today for the integrity, values, and freedoms that serve as the foundation of higher education,” said Anurima Bhargava, one of the alumni behind the letter. "Harvard reminded the world that learning, innovation and transformative growth will not yield to bullying and authoritarian whims.”It also sparked a protest over the weekend from members of the Harvard community and from residents of Cambridge and a lawsuit from the American Association of University Professors on Friday challenging the cuts.In their lawsuit, plaintiffs argue that the Trump administration has failed to follow steps required under Title VI before it starts cutting funds, and giving notice of the cuts to both the university and Congress.“These sweeping yet indeterminate demands are not remedies targeting the causes of any determination of noncompliance with federal law. Instead, they overtly seek to impose on Harvard University political views and policy preferences advanced by the Trump administration and commit the University to punishing disfavored speech,” plaintiffs wrote.

Read Harvard's response after Trump admin. freezes $2 billion in grants 

FINNEY COUNTY—Law enforcement are investigating a suspect for alleged sex assault in connection with an arranged marriage.

Just before 6a.m.., April 11, police responded to the east part of Garden City where a woman was screaming and pleading for help and an unidentified man was following her, according to a media release.

When Officers arrived, they located the woman in the driveway of a home with numerous injuries. She was transported to St. Catherine Hospital for treatment of injuries.&nbsp; The man, identified as Mohamed Hakim, 44, fled before police arrived but was later located and taken into custody. 

Officers learned that the victim was recently placed into an arranged marriage to Hakim against her will in exchange for money and was relocated to the United States from overseas by family to carry out the arrangement. 

After arriving to Garden City, the victim was physically and sexually assaulted and confined to the home without communication or resources other than provided by Hakim. 

Further investigation revealed that the victim’s relocation to the United States was facilitated under transactional and coercive circumstances. 

Hakim is being held in the Finney County Jail on requested charges of&nbsp; Rape, Aggravated Domestic Battery, Aggravated Human Trafficking, Aggravated Kidnapping, and Criminal Threat. 

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/4/1744659743808.png" alt="Hakim photo Finney County" />
 <figcaption>Hakim photo Finney County</figcaption>
 </figure>FINNEY COUNTY—Law enforcement are investigating a suspect for alleged sex assault in connection with an arranged marriage.Just before 6a.m.., April 11, police responded to the east part of Garden City where a woman was screaming and pleading for help and an unidentified man was following her, according to a media release.When Officers arrived, they located the woman in the driveway of a home with numerous injuries. She was transported to St. Catherine Hospital for treatment of injuries.&nbsp; The man, identified as Mohamed Hakim, 44, fled before police arrived but was later located and taken into custody. Officers learned that the victim was recently placed into an arranged marriage to Hakim against her will in exchange for money and was relocated to the United States from overseas by family to carry out the arrangement. After arriving to Garden City, the victim was physically and sexually assaulted and confined to the home without communication or resources other than provided by Hakim. Further investigation revealed that the victim’s relocation to the United States was facilitated under transactional and coercive circumstances. Hakim is being held in the Finney County Jail on requested charges of&nbsp; Rape, Aggravated Domestic Battery, Aggravated Human Trafficking, Aggravated Kidnapping, and Criminal Threat.

Man accused of sex crimes in arranged marriage in SW Kansas

<a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search/?query=byline:%22TARA%20COPP%20and%20LOLITA%20C.%20BALDOR%22&amp;mediaType=text&amp;st=keyword&amp;sortOrder=newest">By TARA COPP and LOLITA C. BALDOR&nbsp;</a>

WASHINGTON (AP) — A long sliver of federal land along the U.S.-Mexico border that President Donald Trump is turning over to the Department of Defense would be controlled by the Army as part of a base, which could allow troops to detain any trespassers, including migrants, U.S. officials told The Associated Press.

The transfer of that border zone to military control — and making it part of an Army installation — is an attempt by the Trump administration to get around a federal law that prohibits U.S. troops from being used in domestic law enforcement on American soil.

But if the troops are providing security for land that is part of an Army base, they can perform that function. However, at least one presidential powers expert said the move is likely to be challenged in the courts.

The officials said the issue is still under review in the Pentagon, but even as any legal review goes on, the administration’s intent is to have troops detain migrants at the border.

The land transfer is the farthest the Trump administration has gone yet to use the military for border security. Up until now, the military's involvement has been limited largely to helping build or fortify sections of the border wall and operating deportation flights to send migrants back to their home countries or, in some cases, to the detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The military also has assisted U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents by conducting surveillance or performing backup administrative tasks.

The corridor, known as the Roosevelt Reservation, is a 60-foot-wide federal buffer zone that ribbons along the border from New Mexico to California, except where it encounters tribal or privately owned land. It had been run by the Interior Department until Trump directed control be transferred to the Defense Department in a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/04/military-mission-for-sealing-the-southern-border-of-the-united-states-and-repelling-invasions/">presidential memo</a>&nbsp;released Friday night.

For the next 45 days, the Defense Department will test taking control of a section of the Roosevelt Reservation in New Mexico, east of Fort Huachuca, which is an Army installation in Arizona, one of the U.S. officials said. During that period, the Army will put up additional fencing and signs warning people not to trespass.

People not authorized to be in that area could be arrested by the Army’s security forces, the officials said, who spoke on condition of anonymity to provide details not yet made public.

Any migrants in the country illegally who are detained by military personnel on those lands would be turned over to local civilian law enforcement agencies, the officials said.

It was not clear if the added land would require the military to deploy additional forces to the border. There are about 7,100 active duty troops under federal control currently assigned to the border and about 4,600 National Guard troops under state control.

Troops are prohibited from conducting civilian law enforcement on U.S. soil under the Posse Comitatus Act. An exception known as the military purpose doctrine allows it in some cases — but would not apply here and would likely be challenged in the courts, said Elizabeth Goitein, an expert on presidential emergency powers at the Brennan Center for Justice.

That’s because even though troops would be on land designated as an Army installation, they would have to prove that their primary mission there was not to conduct border security and law enforcement — and the whole point of Trump’s order transferring the Roosevelt Reservation to the military’s control is to secure the border, she said.

The military purpose doctrine “only applies if the law enforcement aspect is incidental,” Goitein said. “Does this (area) have a military purpose that has nothing to do with enforcing customs and security at the border?”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/2/1738854959688.png" alt="File Photos U.S. Northern Command" />
 <figcaption>File Photos U.S. Northern Command</figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search/?query=byline:%22TARA%20COPP%20and%20LOLITA%20C.%20BALDOR%22&amp;mediaType=text&amp;st=keyword&amp;sortOrder=newest">By TARA COPP and LOLITA C. BALDOR&nbsp;</a>WASHINGTON (AP) — A long sliver of federal land along the U.S.-Mexico border that President Donald Trump is turning over to the Department of Defense would be controlled by the Army as part of a base, which could allow troops to detain any trespassers, including migrants, U.S. officials told The Associated Press.The transfer of that border zone to military control — and making it part of an Army installation — is an attempt by the Trump administration to get around a federal law that prohibits U.S. troops from being used in domestic law enforcement on American soil.But if the troops are providing security for land that is part of an Army base, they can perform that function. However, at least one presidential powers expert said the move is likely to be challenged in the courts.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/2/1738854978070.png" alt=" " />
 <figcaption> </figcaption>
 </figure>The officials said the issue is still under review in the Pentagon, but even as any legal review goes on, the administration’s intent is to have troops detain migrants at the border.The land transfer is the farthest the Trump administration has gone yet to use the military for border security. Up until now, the military's involvement has been limited largely to helping build or fortify sections of the border wall and operating deportation flights to send migrants back to their home countries or, in some cases, to the detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The military also has assisted U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents by conducting surveillance or performing backup administrative tasks.The corridor, known as the Roosevelt Reservation, is a 60-foot-wide federal buffer zone that ribbons along the border from New Mexico to California, except where it encounters tribal or privately owned land. It had been run by the Interior Department until Trump directed control be transferred to the Defense Department in a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/04/military-mission-for-sealing-the-southern-border-of-the-united-states-and-repelling-invasions/">presidential memo</a>&nbsp;released Friday night.For the next 45 days, the Defense Department will test taking control of a section of the Roosevelt Reservation in New Mexico, east of Fort Huachuca, which is an Army installation in Arizona, one of the U.S. officials said. During that period, the Army will put up additional fencing and signs warning people not to trespass.People not authorized to be in that area could be arrested by the Army’s security forces, the officials said, who spoke on condition of anonymity to provide details not yet made public.Any migrants in the country illegally who are detained by military personnel on those lands would be turned over to local civilian law enforcement agencies, the officials said.It was not clear if the added land would require the military to deploy additional forces to the border. There are about 7,100 active duty troops under federal control currently assigned to the border and about 4,600 National Guard troops under state control.Troops are prohibited from conducting civilian law enforcement on U.S. soil under the Posse Comitatus Act. An exception known as the military purpose doctrine allows it in some cases — but would not apply here and would likely be challenged in the courts, said Elizabeth Goitein, an expert on presidential emergency powers at the Brennan Center for Justice.That’s because even though troops would be on land designated as an Army installation, they would have to prove that their primary mission there was not to conduct border security and law enforcement — and the whole point of Trump’s order transferring the Roosevelt Reservation to the military’s control is to secure the border, she said.The military purpose doctrine “only applies if the law enforcement aspect is incidental,” Goitein said. “Does this (area) have a military purpose that has nothing to do with enforcing customs and security at the border?”—-

US Army to control land on Mexico border as part of base, migrants could be detained

KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement are investigating a suspect on multiple allegations after a high-speed chase in a Kansas City suburb.

Just after 3:30p.m. Saturday,&nbsp; police officer observed a vehicle speeding and driving recklessly on Watson Drive near Price Chopper Kearney, Missouri, according to a media release. As the officer got behind the speeding vehicle, he noticed a paper temporary tag that expired in 2024. The officer attempted to conduct a traffic stop on the vehicle, but the driver had other plans. 

The vehicle continued south on Watson Drive past the water tower and toward 19th Street, failing to stop. The vehicle then took the 19th street bridge to southbound Interstate 35 where he continued to evade officers who were now in pursuit.

Assistance was requested to other law enforcement agencies for help. Deputies with the Clay County Sheriff's Office set up a perfect cascade of tire deflation devices (stop sticks) near the 69/Lightburne exit ramp from Interstate 35. The suspect drove over all the sticks and every tire was quickly deflating. The driver then took the 291 Highway exit into Liberty, turning onto N Church Road near the Price Chopper.

As all the tires were shredded, the vehicle stopped, and the driver immediately got out and started to run from the vehicle. After a short foot pursuit, the suspect was tased and taken into custody without further incident. 

The driver was revealed to have a revoked driver's license and had 6 active warrants for his arrest to include resisting/evading arrest . There were no damages to any other property and no other people were injured during this pursuit.

The 33-year-old male of Gladstone, Missouri was transported to the Clay County Detention Center where he was booked in requested felony charges of aggravated fleeing in motor vehicle (Valentine's Law). He was charged in custody by the Clay County Prosecutors Office with a bond of $75,000.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/4/1744508951322.png" alt="Shredded tire -photo Kearney Police" />
 <figcaption>Shredded tire -photo Kearney Police</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement are investigating a suspect on multiple allegations after a high-speed chase in a Kansas City suburb.Just after 3:30p.m. Saturday,&nbsp; police officer observed a vehicle speeding and driving recklessly on Watson Drive near Price Chopper Kearney, Missouri, according to a media release. As the officer got behind the speeding vehicle, he noticed a paper temporary tag that expired in 2024. The officer attempted to conduct a traffic stop on the vehicle, but the driver had other plans. The vehicle continued south on Watson Drive past the water tower and toward 19th Street, failing to stop. The vehicle then took the 19th street bridge to southbound Interstate 35 where he continued to evade officers who were now in pursuit.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/4/1744508909470.png" alt="&nbsp;Kearney Police body camera image" />
 <figcaption>&nbsp;Kearney Police body camera image</figcaption>
 </figure>Assistance was requested to other law enforcement agencies for help. Deputies with the Clay County Sheriff's Office set up a perfect cascade of tire deflation devices (stop sticks) near the 69/Lightburne exit ramp from Interstate 35. The suspect drove over all the sticks and every tire was quickly deflating. The driver then took the 291 Highway exit into Liberty, turning onto N Church Road near the Price Chopper.As all the tires were shredded, the vehicle stopped, and the driver immediately got out and started to run from the vehicle. After a short foot pursuit, the suspect was tased and taken into custody without further incident. The driver was revealed to have a revoked driver's license and had 6 active warrants for his arrest to include resisting/evading arrest . There were no damages to any other property and no other people were injured during this pursuit.The 33-year-old male of Gladstone, Missouri was transported to the Clay County Detention Center where he was booked in requested felony charges of aggravated fleeing in motor vehicle (Valentine's Law). He was charged in custody by the Clay County Prosecutors Office with a bond of $75,000.&nbsp;

Wanted suspect captured after running from KC area high-speed chase

GEARY COUNTY—One person died in an accident just after 10:30p.m. Sunday in Geary County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2018 Toyota Corolla driven by&nbsp; Derrick A&nbsp;Holler, 23, Manhattan, was&nbsp;&nbsp;northbound on Kansas 177 just south of the Interstate 70 eastbound exit ramp driving on the paved median strip. 

The car struck three traffic control signs before colliding with a bridge impact attenuator. He was pronounced dead at the scene and transported to&nbsp;Hospital/Mortuary:&nbsp;Johnson and Mass-Hinitt.&nbsp; He was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.

GEARY COUNTY—One person died in an accident just after 10:30p.m. Sunday in Geary County.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2018 Toyota Corolla driven by&nbsp; Derrick A&nbsp;Holler, 23, Manhattan, was&nbsp;&nbsp;northbound on Kansas 177 just south of the Interstate 70 eastbound exit ramp driving on the paved median strip. The car struck three traffic control signs before colliding with a bridge impact attenuator. He was pronounced dead at the scene and transported to&nbsp;Hospital/Mortuary:&nbsp;Johnson and Mass-Hinitt.&nbsp; He was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.

KHP IDs Kan. man who died when car struck bridge impact attenuator

By&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/author/barbara-ortutay">BARBARA ORTUTAY</a>

WASHINGTON (AP) — A&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-business-lawsuits-federal-trade-commission-facebook-fb2716964e7bcd6dd1e790d7fc65a20b">historic antitrust trial</a>&nbsp;began Monday for Meta Platforms Inc. in a case that could force the tech giant to break off Instagram and WhatsApp, startups it bought more than a decade ago that have since grown into social media powerhouses.

The trial is bringing Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg into federal court in Washington to testify.

In opening statements, Federal Trade Commission attorney Daniel Matheson said Meta has used a monopoly to generate enormous profits as consumer satisfaction has dropped. He said Meta was “erecting a moat” to protect its interests by buying the two startups because the company feared they were a threat to Meta’s dominance.

Zuckerberg and other Meta witnesses will testify during the trial.

“We’re going to give them their chance to tell their side of the story,” Matheson said.

Mark Hansen, an attorney for Meta, said the FTC was making a “grab bag” of arguments that were wrong. He said Meta has plenty of competition and has made improvements to the startups it acquired.

“This lawsuit, in summary, is misguided,” Hansen said, adding: “anyway you look at it, consumers have been the big winners.”

The trial will be the first big test of President Donald Trump’s Federal Trade Commission’s ability to challenge Big Tech. The lawsuit was filed against Meta — then called Facebook — in 2020, during Trump’s first term. It claims the company bought Instagram and WhatsApp to squash competition and establish an illegal monopoly in the social media market.

Meta, the FTC argues, has maintained a monopoly by pursuing CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s strategy, “expressed in 2008: ‘It is better to buy than compete.’ True to that maxim, Facebook has systematically tracked potential rivals and acquired companies that it viewed as serious competitive threats.”

Facebook also enacted policies designed to make it difficult for smaller rivals to enter the market and “neutralize perceived competitive threats,” the FTC says in its complaint, just as the world shifted its attention to mobile devices from desktop computers.

“Unable to maintain its monopoly by fairly competing, the company’s executives addressed the existential threat by buying up new innovators that were succeeding where Facebook failed,” the FTC says.

Facebook bought Instagram — then a scrappy photo-sharing app with no ads and a small cult following — in 2012. The $1 billion cash and stock purchase price was eye-popping at the time, though the deal’s value fell to $750 million after Facebook’s stock price dipped following its initial public offering in May 2012.

Instagram was the first company Facebook bought and kept running as a separate app. Up until then, Facebook was known for smaller “acqui-hires” — a type of popular Silicon Valley deal in which a company purchases a startup as a way to hire its talented workers, then shuts the acquired company down. Two years later, it did it again with the messaging app WhatsApp, which it&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/ca-state-wire-135dcb36fc16407699d0a04664a67bfc">purchased for $22 billion</a>.

WhatsApp and Instagram helped Facebook move its business from desktop computers to mobile devices, and to remain popular with younger generations as rivals like Snapchat (which it also tried, but failed, to buy) and TikTok emerged. However, the FTC has a narrow definition of Meta’s competitive market, excluding companies like TikTok, YouTube and Apple’s messaging service from being considered rivals to Instagram and WhatsApp.

“The FTC already has the difficult task, whether it’s looking at 10 years ago or five years ago or today, of trying to define what is the market we’re talking about in a sufficiently narrow way that it can show Meta has a ton of power in that market,” said Paul Swanson, an antitrust attorney for the law firm Holland &amp; Hart. “And I do think that challenge has gotten harder as the years have gone by and we see more and more potential competitors in social media spaces.”

Meta, meanwhile, says the FTC’s lawsuit “defies reality.”

“The evidence at trial will show what every 17-year-old in the world knows: Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp compete with Chinese-owned TikTok, YouTube, X, iMessage and many others. More than 10 years after the FTC reviewed and cleared our acquisitions, the Commission’s action in this case sends the message that no deal is ever truly final. Regulators should be supporting American innovation, rather than seeking to break up a great American company and further advantaging China on critical issues like AI,” the company said in a statement.

In a filing last week, Meta also stressed that the FTC “must prove that Meta has monopoly power in its claimed relevant market now, not at some time in the past.” This, experts say, could also prove challenging since more competitors have emerged in the social media space in the years since the company bought WhatsApp and Instagram.

Meta’s fate will be decided by U.S. District Judge James Boasberg, who late last year denied Meta’s request for a summary judgment and ruled that the case must go to trial.

Boasberg “seems to be skeptical” of the FTC’s narrow market definition in his rulings to date, Swanson said. He added that the judge also said it is a “fact question,” which means he is open to hearing what the FTC and its experts have to say to define that narrow market.

While the FTC may face an uphill battle in proving its case, the stakes are high for Meta, whose advertising business could be cut in half if it’s forced to spin off Instagram.

Meta isn’t the only technology company in the sights of federal antitrust regulators, Google and Amazon face their own cases. The remedy phase of Google’s case is scheduled to begin on April 21. A federal judge declared the search giant an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/google-antitrust-search-engine-verdict-apple-319a61f20fb11510097845a30abaefd8">illegal monopoly</a>&nbsp;last August.

“A big theme here is we are applying 19th-century laws to 21st-century markets. And I think it’s an open question whether the judge-made developments to antitrust law can keep up with markets as they are changing — these fluid and dynamic tech markets in particular,” Swanson said. “And this will be a case that speaks directly to that.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1660141848593.jpg" alt=" " />
 <figcaption> </figcaption>
 </figure>By&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/author/barbara-ortutay">BARBARA ORTUTAY</a>WASHINGTON (AP) — A&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-business-lawsuits-federal-trade-commission-facebook-fb2716964e7bcd6dd1e790d7fc65a20b">historic antitrust trial</a>&nbsp;began Monday for Meta Platforms Inc. in a case that could force the tech giant to break off Instagram and WhatsApp, startups it bought more than a decade ago that have since grown into social media powerhouses.The trial is bringing Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg into federal court in Washington to testify.In opening statements, Federal Trade Commission attorney Daniel Matheson said Meta has used a monopoly to generate enormous profits as consumer satisfaction has dropped. He said Meta was “erecting a moat” to protect its interests by buying the two startups because the company feared they were a threat to Meta’s dominance.Zuckerberg and other Meta witnesses will testify during the trial.“We’re going to give them their chance to tell their side of the story,” Matheson said.Mark Hansen, an attorney for Meta, said the FTC was making a “grab bag” of arguments that were wrong. He said Meta has plenty of competition and has made improvements to the startups it acquired.“This lawsuit, in summary, is misguided,” Hansen said, adding: “anyway you look at it, consumers have been the big winners.”The trial will be the first big test of President Donald Trump’s Federal Trade Commission’s ability to challenge Big Tech. The lawsuit was filed against Meta — then called Facebook — in 2020, during Trump’s first term. It claims the company bought Instagram and WhatsApp to squash competition and establish an illegal monopoly in the social media market.Meta, the FTC argues, has maintained a monopoly by pursuing CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s strategy, “expressed in 2008: ‘It is better to buy than compete.’ True to that maxim, Facebook has systematically tracked potential rivals and acquired companies that it viewed as serious competitive threats.”Facebook also enacted policies designed to make it difficult for smaller rivals to enter the market and “neutralize perceived competitive threats,” the FTC says in its complaint, just as the world shifted its attention to mobile devices from desktop computers.“Unable to maintain its monopoly by fairly competing, the company’s executives addressed the existential threat by buying up new innovators that were succeeding where Facebook failed,” the FTC says.Facebook bought Instagram — then a scrappy photo-sharing app with no ads and a small cult following — in 2012. The $1 billion cash and stock purchase price was eye-popping at the time, though the deal’s value fell to $750 million after Facebook’s stock price dipped following its initial public offering in May 2012.Instagram was the first company Facebook bought and kept running as a separate app. Up until then, Facebook was known for smaller “acqui-hires” — a type of popular Silicon Valley deal in which a company purchases a startup as a way to hire its talented workers, then shuts the acquired company down. Two years later, it did it again with the messaging app WhatsApp, which it&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/ca-state-wire-135dcb36fc16407699d0a04664a67bfc">purchased for $22 billion</a>.WhatsApp and Instagram helped Facebook move its business from desktop computers to mobile devices, and to remain popular with younger generations as rivals like Snapchat (which it also tried, but failed, to buy) and TikTok emerged. However, the FTC has a narrow definition of Meta’s competitive market, excluding companies like TikTok, YouTube and Apple’s messaging service from being considered rivals to Instagram and WhatsApp.“The FTC already has the difficult task, whether it’s looking at 10 years ago or five years ago or today, of trying to define what is the market we’re talking about in a sufficiently narrow way that it can show Meta has a ton of power in that market,” said Paul Swanson, an antitrust attorney for the law firm Holland &amp; Hart. “And I do think that challenge has gotten harder as the years have gone by and we see more and more potential competitors in social media spaces.”Meta, meanwhile, says the FTC’s lawsuit “defies reality.”“The evidence at trial will show what every 17-year-old in the world knows: Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp compete with Chinese-owned TikTok, YouTube, X, iMessage and many others. More than 10 years after the FTC reviewed and cleared our acquisitions, the Commission’s action in this case sends the message that no deal is ever truly final. Regulators should be supporting American innovation, rather than seeking to break up a great American company and further advantaging China on critical issues like AI,” the company said in a statement.In a filing last week, Meta also stressed that the FTC “must prove that Meta has monopoly power in its claimed relevant market now, not at some time in the past.” This, experts say, could also prove challenging since more competitors have emerged in the social media space in the years since the company bought WhatsApp and Instagram.Meta’s fate will be decided by U.S. District Judge James Boasberg, who late last year denied Meta’s request for a summary judgment and ruled that the case must go to trial.Boasberg “seems to be skeptical” of the FTC’s narrow market definition in his rulings to date, Swanson said. He added that the judge also said it is a “fact question,” which means he is open to hearing what the FTC and its experts have to say to define that narrow market.While the FTC may face an uphill battle in proving its case, the stakes are high for Meta, whose advertising business could be cut in half if it’s forced to spin off Instagram.Meta isn’t the only technology company in the sights of federal antitrust regulators, Google and Amazon face their own cases. The remedy phase of Google’s case is scheduled to begin on April 21. A federal judge declared the search giant an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/google-antitrust-search-engine-verdict-apple-319a61f20fb11510097845a30abaefd8">illegal monopoly</a>&nbsp;last August.“A big theme here is we are applying 19th-century laws to 21st-century markets. And I think it’s an open question whether the judge-made developments to antitrust law can keep up with markets as they are changing — these fluid and dynamic tech markets in particular,” Swanson said. “And this will be a case that speaks directly to that.”

Landmark trial: U.S. challenges Meta's social media dominance 

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>

Promises to voters ring hollow as emphasis remains on reducing income taxes

TOPEKA — The Kansas Legislature and Gov. Laura Kelly patted themselves on the back last June after placing into state law a compromise bill slashing income taxes an estimated $1.2 billion over three years.

Senate Bill 1 had broad support with a mere six opponents among 159 legislators voting on the package negotiated by the Democratic governor, Republican Senate President Ty Masterson of Andover and GOP House Speaker Dan Hawkins of Wichita. The focus of that bill was income taxes, but it did raise to $75,000 the exemption on the value of a residence when calculating a taxpayer’s obligation to the state’s property tax levy for public schools.

While 2024 was viewed as the year of the income tax, promises were made by Republicans and Democrats to address property tax reform during the 2025 legislative session. The end of the annual session last week offered evidence the performance of lawmakers on property tax relief was again underwhelming.

“When it came time to lead, both the governor and leadership came up short,” said Secretary of State Scott Schwab, a Republican candidate for governor, said Monday.

He said state lawmakers this session delivered a paltry $25.88 property tax break for the owner of a $150,000 home. That’s not enough to fill the gas tank in many vehicles, cover the cost of a couple sacks of groceries or pay someone to mow a lawn.

Schwab encouraged “every property owner” to respond by challenging their property tax valuation with the Kansas Board of Tax Appeals.

“Kansans expected leadership that would address runaway property tax increases, arrest out-of-control valuations and restore confidence that they can afford the homes they live in — not rent them from the government,” he said.

The Senate did endorse an amendment to the Kansas Constitution imposing a 3% cap on residential property tax valuation increases. That won’t be appearing on statewide ballots, however, because the amendment was never taken up in the House.

“We came here with a mandate,” said Sen. Mike Thompson, a Shawnee Republican. “I’m just disappointed that we end up at the end of this session with no&nbsp;real&nbsp;relief for those homeowners who are facing selling their home or paying their&nbsp;property&nbsp;tax. That’s where we are.”

Lenexa Sen. Dinah Sykes, who serves as Democratic leader of the Senate, drew the same conclusion with a partisan twist. She said progress on property tax reform was minimal, but reminded Kansans that Republicans held supermajorities in the House and Senate. Those two-thirds majorities meant the GOP could pass just about any bill it desired and had numbers to override the governor’s vetoes and place constitutional amendments on the ballot.

“Kansans deserve better than what they got from their Legislature in 2025,” Sykes said. “Unfortunately, our Republican colleagues refused to join us in that effort. Republicans promised Kansans they would deliver&nbsp;property&nbsp;tax&nbsp;relief, but they failed to make good on that promise.”

Kansas voters were assured by sloganeering candidates during last year’s August primary and November general elections that nothing would stand in the way of meaningful property tax reform in 2025. Voters made it clear they thought property taxes were too high, valuations were rising faster than paychecks and, incredibly, some people on fixed incomes who worked all their lives to have a home of their own were being forced out.

As the legislative session began in January, another layer of political vows emerged about cutting property taxes.

“You expect us to put Kansans first, control the overreach of government and keep our promises — and that is exactly what we intend to do,” Masterson said. “That must begin with property tax relief and reform.”

When the dust settled in April, the Legislature barely scratched the surface on rolling back state property taxes. The governor signed Senate Bill 35, which used general state tax dollars to replace a 1.5-mill state property tax dedicated to government building projects. It was unanimously approved in the Senate and overwhelmingly endorsed in the House 96-26.

The Legislature passed a bill renewing the state’s 20-mill property tax, valued at about $875 million annually, to provide financial support to K-12 public schools. The Legislature could have earmarked state income or sales tax dollars to public schools and trimmed state property tax dedicated to that purpose.

Instead, the Republican-controlled House and Senate placed emphasis on income tax reform by voting to override Kelly’s veto of Senate Bill 269. This so-called income-tax-trigger bill was designed to methodically drop individual and corporate income tax rates to 4%.

“I have proposed and supported tax cuts when they are implemented responsibly and benefit the people of Kansas, especially those who need it most,” Kelly said. “This bill ignores Kansas families at a time of rising costs and inflation in favor of hundreds of millions of dollars in giveaways to corporations and the wealthy.”

The override vote on SB 269 was 87-37 in the House and 30-10 in the Senate. Instead of responding to Kansans’ demands for gradual reduction of property taxes, the Legislature in 2025 ended up dedicating future state revenue surpluses to gradually reducing income taxes.

The Senate did endorse a constitutional amendment that would have set a 3% cap on property taxes starting in 2027, but House GOP leaders said the necessary two-thirds majority to place Senate Concurrent Resolution 1603 before Kansas voters didn’t exist in the House.

Critics of the amendment had argued the limitation would cripple the ability of cities and counties to operate, because municipal government relied heavily on property and sales taxes. The state’s revenue stream includes income, sales and property taxes.

In January, the conservative Kansas Policy Institute highlighted for legislators an opinion poll conducted by SurveyUSA on behalf of the Wichita think tank. It showed 64% of participants were in favor of limits on annual increases in the appraised value of property rather than the current practice of annually resetting appraisals to fair market value.

The poll showed majority support for restraint of property taxes existed in urban and rural regions of the state, said Dave Trabert, a lobbyist with Kansas Policy Institute.

He said 70% of conservatives in the poll were supportive of steps to hold down property taxes, while 67% of moderates and 52% of liberals were on board. Eighteen percent were opposed and the same percentage was uncertain.

“Many homeowners have experienced double-digit property tax increases because local officials took advantage of valuation spikes,” Trabert said.

Rep. Tom Sawyer, a Wichita Democrat often distant from KPI’s perspective on public policy issues, said it was folly to ignore will of the people.

“Our constituents are asking for property tax relief,” said Sawyer, who contended the income tax trigger law would prove to be an obstacle to property tax reform. “We go to a rachet so all of our money above inflation in the future goes to cutting the income tax.”

Some of the Senate’s most right-wing members were convinced the Legislature did a belly flop on property taxes in 2025.

Sen. Virgil Peck, a Republican from Havana, said it wasn’t enough the Legislature worked on income tax policy and ditched the 1.5-mill property tax for building construction.

“I think we could do better when it comes to&nbsp;property&nbsp;tax&nbsp;reductions,” Peck said.

Finally, Wichita GOP Sen. Renee Erickson, said the Legislature’s approach to property tax issues didn’t answer the public’s call for relief.

“I’m very disappointed we did not do more for our constituents on&nbsp;property&nbsp;tax&nbsp;and I hope that we seriously are able to do something next session,” she said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/4/1744653464396.png" alt=" Republican Sen. Mike Thompson, right, says the Kansas Legislature failed to deliver on a bipartisan promise to concentrate during the 2025 session on meaningful property tax reform. Here, Thompson speaks with Democratic Sen. Oletha Faust-Goudeau on the floor of the Kansas Senate in March. (Grace Hills/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption> Republican Sen. Mike Thompson, right, says the Kansas Legislature failed to deliver on a bipartisan promise to concentrate during the 2025 session on meaningful property tax reform. Here, Thompson speaks with Democratic Sen. Oletha Faust-Goudeau on the floor of the Kansas Senate in March. (Grace Hills/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>By&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/tim-carpenter/">TIM CARPENTER</a> <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/02/24/gov-laura-kelly-skeptical-kansas-houses-anti-tenure-legislation-will-reach-her-desk/">Kansas Reflector</a><h2>Promises to voters ring hollow as emphasis remains on reducing income taxes</h2>TOPEKA — The Kansas Legislature and Gov. Laura Kelly patted themselves on the back last June after placing into state law a compromise bill slashing income taxes an estimated $1.2 billion over three years.Senate Bill 1 had broad support with a mere six opponents among 159 legislators voting on the package negotiated by the Democratic governor, Republican Senate President Ty Masterson of Andover and GOP House Speaker Dan Hawkins of Wichita. The focus of that bill was income taxes, but it did raise to $75,000 the exemption on the value of a residence when calculating a taxpayer’s obligation to the state’s property tax levy for public schools.While 2024 was viewed as the year of the income tax, promises were made by Republicans and Democrats to address property tax reform during the 2025 legislative session. The end of the annual session last week offered evidence the performance of lawmakers on property tax relief was again underwhelming.“When it came time to lead, both the governor and leadership came up short,” said Secretary of State Scott Schwab, a Republican candidate for governor, said Monday.He said state lawmakers this session delivered a paltry $25.88 property tax break for the owner of a $150,000 home. That’s not enough to fill the gas tank in many vehicles, cover the cost of a couple sacks of groceries or pay someone to mow a lawn.Schwab encouraged “every property owner” to respond by challenging their property tax valuation with the Kansas Board of Tax Appeals.“Kansans expected leadership that would address runaway property tax increases, arrest out-of-control valuations and restore confidence that they can afford the homes they live in — not rent them from the government,” he said.The Senate did endorse an amendment to the Kansas Constitution imposing a 3% cap on residential property tax valuation increases. That won’t be appearing on statewide ballots, however, because the amendment was never taken up in the House.“We came here with a mandate,” said Sen. Mike Thompson, a Shawnee Republican. “I’m just disappointed that we end up at the end of this session with no&nbsp;real&nbsp;relief for those homeowners who are facing selling their home or paying their&nbsp;property&nbsp;tax. That’s where we are.”Lenexa Sen. Dinah Sykes, who serves as Democratic leader of the Senate, drew the same conclusion with a partisan twist. She said progress on property tax reform was minimal, but reminded Kansans that Republicans held supermajorities in the House and Senate. Those two-thirds majorities meant the GOP could pass just about any bill it desired and had numbers to override the governor’s vetoes and place constitutional amendments on the ballot.“Kansans deserve better than what they got from their Legislature in 2025,” Sykes said. “Unfortunately, our Republican colleagues refused to join us in that effort. Republicans promised Kansans they would deliver&nbsp;property&nbsp;tax&nbsp;relief, but they failed to make good on that promise.”<h2>‘Put Kansans first’</h2>Kansas voters were assured by sloganeering candidates during last year’s August primary and November general elections that nothing would stand in the way of meaningful property tax reform in 2025. Voters made it clear they thought property taxes were too high, valuations were rising faster than paychecks and, incredibly, some people on fixed incomes who worked all their lives to have a home of their own were being forced out.As the legislative session began in January, another layer of political vows emerged about cutting property taxes.“You expect us to put Kansans first, control the overreach of government and keep our promises — and that is exactly what we intend to do,” Masterson said. “That must begin with property tax relief and reform.”When the dust settled in April, the Legislature barely scratched the surface on rolling back state property taxes. The governor signed Senate Bill 35, which used general state tax dollars to replace a 1.5-mill state property tax dedicated to government building projects. It was unanimously approved in the Senate and overwhelmingly endorsed in the House 96-26.The Legislature passed a bill renewing the state’s 20-mill property tax, valued at about $875 million annually, to provide financial support to K-12 public schools. The Legislature could have earmarked state income or sales tax dollars to public schools and trimmed state property tax dedicated to that purpose.Instead, the Republican-controlled House and Senate placed emphasis on income tax reform by voting to override Kelly’s veto of Senate Bill 269. This so-called income-tax-trigger bill was designed to methodically drop individual and corporate income tax rates to 4%.“I have proposed and supported tax cuts when they are implemented responsibly and benefit the people of Kansas, especially those who need it most,” Kelly said. “This bill ignores Kansas families at a time of rising costs and inflation in favor of hundreds of millions of dollars in giveaways to corporations and the wealthy.”The override vote on SB 269 was 87-37 in the House and 30-10 in the Senate. Instead of responding to Kansans’ demands for gradual reduction of property taxes, the Legislature in 2025 ended up dedicating future state revenue surpluses to gradually reducing income taxes.The Senate did endorse a constitutional amendment that would have set a 3% cap on property taxes starting in 2027, but House GOP leaders said the necessary two-thirds majority to place Senate Concurrent Resolution 1603 before Kansas voters didn’t exist in the House.Critics of the amendment had argued the limitation would cripple the ability of cities and counties to operate, because municipal government relied heavily on property and sales taxes. The state’s revenue stream includes income, sales and property taxes.<h2>‘Very disappointed’</h2>In January, the conservative Kansas Policy Institute highlighted for legislators an opinion poll conducted by SurveyUSA on behalf of the Wichita think tank. It showed 64% of participants were in favor of limits on annual increases in the appraised value of property rather than the current practice of annually resetting appraisals to fair market value.The poll showed majority support for restraint of property taxes existed in urban and rural regions of the state, said Dave Trabert, a lobbyist with Kansas Policy Institute.He said 70% of conservatives in the poll were supportive of steps to hold down property taxes, while 67% of moderates and 52% of liberals were on board. Eighteen percent were opposed and the same percentage was uncertain.“Many homeowners have experienced double-digit property tax increases because local officials took advantage of valuation spikes,” Trabert said.Rep. Tom Sawyer, a Wichita Democrat often distant from KPI’s perspective on public policy issues, said it was folly to ignore will of the people.“Our constituents are asking for property tax relief,” said Sawyer, who contended the income tax trigger law would prove to be an obstacle to property tax reform. “We go to a rachet so all of our money above inflation in the future goes to cutting the income tax.”Some of the Senate’s most right-wing members were convinced the Legislature did a belly flop on property taxes in 2025.Sen. Virgil Peck, a Republican from Havana, said it wasn’t enough the Legislature worked on income tax policy and ditched the 1.5-mill property tax for building construction.“I think we could do better when it comes to&nbsp;property&nbsp;tax&nbsp;reductions,” Peck said.Finally, Wichita GOP Sen. Renee Erickson, said the Legislature’s approach to property tax issues didn’t answer the public’s call for relief.“I’m very disappointed we did not do more for our constituents on&nbsp;property&nbsp;tax&nbsp;and I hope that we seriously are able to do something next session,” she said.

GOP, Democrats blast Kan. Legislature for failure to meaningfully lower property taxes in 2025 session

KANSAS CITY—Law enforcement continue searching for the driver of an ATV who drove over and critically injured Kansas City, Missouri Police officer.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Just before 7p.m. on Saturday, police responded to a disturbance involving an officer at E. Truman Road and S. Main Street, according to KCPD Officer Alyana Gonzalez.

First responders found the driver of an ATV had attempted to avoid tire deflation devices. The driver popped a wheelie and struck the officer who set the devices. The impact caused the officer to fall to the ground before the ATV drove over him and sped off.

The officer transported to a hospital for treatment of a critical head injury and was released and continues to recover at home, according to Kanas City Mayor Quinton Lucas.&nbsp;

Anyone with information about the incident should report it to the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/4/1744640895858.png" alt="-The suspect appears to be on a black and lime green Yamaha Raptor 700-Photo KCPD" />
 <figcaption>-The suspect appears to be on a black and lime green Yamaha Raptor 700-Photo KCPD</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY—Law enforcement continue searching for the driver of an ATV who drove over and critically injured Kansas City, Missouri Police officer.&nbsp;&nbsp;Just before 7p.m. on Saturday, police responded to a disturbance involving an officer at E. Truman Road and S. Main Street, according to KCPD Officer Alyana Gonzalez.First responders found the driver of an ATV had attempted to avoid tire deflation devices. The driver popped a wheelie and struck the officer who set the devices. The impact caused the officer to fall to the ground before the ATV drove over him and sped off.The officer transported to a hospital for treatment of a critical head injury and was released and continues to recover at home, according to Kanas City Mayor Quinton Lucas.&nbsp;Anyone with information about the incident should report it to the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS.

Search continues for ATV rider who struck KCPD officer

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks rose worldwide Monday after President Donald Trump&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-tariffs-smartphones-electronics-laptops-apple-10c31e91d7790bfe8fb004f547109359">relaxed some of his tariffs</a>, for now at least, and as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/treasurys-bond-market-yield-tariff-46b4818710f01b8cc93fd002081167b0">stress from within the U.S. bond market</a>&nbsp;seems to be easing.

The S&amp;P 500 climbed 0.8%, though trading was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/stocks-markets-nikkei-tariffs-trump-76d0de278a6cad291ace624a74a6a1b6">still shaky</a>, and it briefly gave back all of its big early gain of 1.8%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 312 points, or 0.8%, and the Nasdaq composite added 0.6%.

Apple and other technology companies helped lift Wall Street after Trump said he was exempting smartphones, computers and other electronics from some of his stiff tariffs, which could ultimately more than double prices for U.S. customers of products coming from China. Such an exemption would mean U.S. importers don't have to choose between passing on the higher costs to their customers or taking a hit to their own profits.

Apple climbed 2.2%, and Dell Technologies rose 4%.

Automakers also rallied after Trump suggested he may announce&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-tariffs-autos-economy-90eb2a7ac8a662a1fcb2079e56ad6112">pauses on tariffs next for the auto industry</a>. General Motors rose 3.5%, and Ford Motor rallied 4.1%.

All told, the S&amp;P 500 rose 42.61 points to 5,405.97. The Dow ones Industrial Average gained 312.08 to 40,524.79, and the Nasdaq composite climbed 107.03 to 16,831.48.

But such relief may ultimately prove fleeting. Trump’s tariff rollout has been full of fits and starts, and officials in his administration said this most recent exemption on electronics is only temporary.

That could keep uncertainty high for companies, which are trying to make long-term plans when conditions seem to change by the day. Such uncertainty sent the U.S. stock market last week to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/financial-markets-tariffs-trump-asia-d051e136201a2cc068a99ea2da167716">chaotic and historic swings,</a>&nbsp;as investors struggled to catch up with Trump’s moves on tariffs, which could ultimately lead to a recession if not reduced.

China’s commerce ministry nevertheless welcomed the pause on electronics tariffs in a Sunday statement as a small step even as it called for the U.S. to completely cancel the rest of its tariffs. China’s leader Xi Jinping on Monday said no one wins in a trade war as he&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/xi-visit-vietnam-china-us-trade-d7046613bff2c9ef31162ae8dd436263">kicked off a diplomatic tour of Southeast Asia</a>, hoping to present China as a force for stability in contrast with Trump’s frenetic moves on tariffs.

Elsewhere on Wall Street, Goldman Sachs rose 1.9% after reporting a stronger profit for the latest quarter than expected. It joined other big banks in doing so, such as JPMorgan Chase and Morgan Stanley.

Perhaps more encouragingly for Wall Street,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/treasurys-bond-market-yield-tariff-46b4818710f01b8cc93fd002081167b0">the bond market</a>&nbsp;also showed signs of increasing calm. Treasury yields eased following their sudden and scary rise last week, which seemed to rattle not only investors but also Trump.

Treasury yields usually drop when fear is high in the market because U.S. government bonds have historically been seen as some of the world’s safest investments, if not the safest. But last week, yields rose sharply for Treasury bonds in an usual move. The value of the U.S. dollar also fell against other currencies in another move suggesting investors may no longer see the United States as the best place to keep their cash during moments of stress.

Trump noted the moves in the bond market, which suggested investors “were getting a little queasy,” after he announced a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-tariffs-stock-market-china-recession-deals-e8e54a68397e6829e1d27552a1d7bfb9">90-day pause</a>&nbsp;on many of his tariffs last week.

That Trump acted only after the bond market made its scary move, but not after U.S. stock market began trembling, “reveals this administration’s Achilles’ heel,” according to Lisa Shalett, chief investment officer at Morgan Stanley Wealth Management.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury eased back to 4.37%. It had jumped to 4.48% on Friday from 4.01% the week before.

Yields sank after the bond market got an encouraging update on expectations for inflation among U.S. consumers. While U.S. households raised their expectations for inflation in the year ahead, their expectations for inflation three and five years in the future were either unchanged or lower, according to a survey by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

That’s potentially good news for the Federal Reserve, which hates to see fast-rising expectations for longer-term inflation. Such expectations could kick off a feedback loop that drives behavior among consumers that only worsens inflation.

The value of the U.S. dollar, though, remained under pressure. It slipped against the euro and Japanese yen, while inching higher against the Canadian dollar.

In stock markets abroad, indexes climbed 2.4% in France, 2.9% in Germany, 1.2% in Japan and 1% in South Korea.

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks rose worldwide Monday after President Donald Trump&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-tariffs-smartphones-electronics-laptops-apple-10c31e91d7790bfe8fb004f547109359">relaxed some of his tariffs</a>, for now at least, and as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/treasurys-bond-market-yield-tariff-46b4818710f01b8cc93fd002081167b0">stress from within the U.S. bond market</a>&nbsp;seems to be easing.The S&amp;P 500 climbed 0.8%, though trading was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/stocks-markets-nikkei-tariffs-trump-76d0de278a6cad291ace624a74a6a1b6">still shaky</a>, and it briefly gave back all of its big early gain of 1.8%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 312 points, or 0.8%, and the Nasdaq composite added 0.6%.Apple and other technology companies helped lift Wall Street after Trump said he was exempting smartphones, computers and other electronics from some of his stiff tariffs, which could ultimately more than double prices for U.S. customers of products coming from China. Such an exemption would mean U.S. importers don't have to choose between passing on the higher costs to their customers or taking a hit to their own profits.Apple climbed 2.2%, and Dell Technologies rose 4%.Automakers also rallied after Trump suggested he may announce&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-tariffs-autos-economy-90eb2a7ac8a662a1fcb2079e56ad6112">pauses on tariffs next for the auto industry</a>. General Motors rose 3.5%, and Ford Motor rallied 4.1%.All told, the S&amp;P 500 rose 42.61 points to 5,405.97. The Dow ones Industrial Average gained 312.08 to 40,524.79, and the Nasdaq composite climbed 107.03 to 16,831.48.But such relief may ultimately prove fleeting. Trump’s tariff rollout has been full of fits and starts, and officials in his administration said this most recent exemption on electronics is only temporary.That could keep uncertainty high for companies, which are trying to make long-term plans when conditions seem to change by the day. Such uncertainty sent the U.S. stock market last week to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/financial-markets-tariffs-trump-asia-d051e136201a2cc068a99ea2da167716">chaotic and historic swings,</a>&nbsp;as investors struggled to catch up with Trump’s moves on tariffs, which could ultimately lead to a recession if not reduced.China’s commerce ministry nevertheless welcomed the pause on electronics tariffs in a Sunday statement as a small step even as it called for the U.S. to completely cancel the rest of its tariffs. China’s leader Xi Jinping on Monday said no one wins in a trade war as he&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/xi-visit-vietnam-china-us-trade-d7046613bff2c9ef31162ae8dd436263">kicked off a diplomatic tour of Southeast Asia</a>, hoping to present China as a force for stability in contrast with Trump’s frenetic moves on tariffs.Elsewhere on Wall Street, Goldman Sachs rose 1.9% after reporting a stronger profit for the latest quarter than expected. It joined other big banks in doing so, such as JPMorgan Chase and Morgan Stanley.Perhaps more encouragingly for Wall Street,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/treasurys-bond-market-yield-tariff-46b4818710f01b8cc93fd002081167b0">the bond market</a>&nbsp;also showed signs of increasing calm. Treasury yields eased following their sudden and scary rise last week, which seemed to rattle not only investors but also Trump.Treasury yields usually drop when fear is high in the market because U.S. government bonds have historically been seen as some of the world’s safest investments, if not the safest. But last week, yields rose sharply for Treasury bonds in an usual move. The value of the U.S. dollar also fell against other currencies in another move suggesting investors may no longer see the United States as the best place to keep their cash during moments of stress.Trump noted the moves in the bond market, which suggested investors “were getting a little queasy,” after he announced a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-tariffs-stock-market-china-recession-deals-e8e54a68397e6829e1d27552a1d7bfb9">90-day pause</a>&nbsp;on many of his tariffs last week.That Trump acted only after the bond market made its scary move, but not after U.S. stock market began trembling, “reveals this administration’s Achilles’ heel,” according to Lisa Shalett, chief investment officer at Morgan Stanley Wealth Management.The yield on the 10-year Treasury eased back to 4.37%. It had jumped to 4.48% on Friday from 4.01% the week before.Yields sank after the bond market got an encouraging update on expectations for inflation among U.S. consumers. While U.S. households raised their expectations for inflation in the year ahead, their expectations for inflation three and five years in the future were either unchanged or lower, according to a survey by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.That’s potentially good news for the Federal Reserve, which hates to see fast-rising expectations for longer-term inflation. Such expectations could kick off a feedback loop that drives behavior among consumers that only worsens inflation.The value of the U.S. dollar, though, remained under pressure. It slipped against the euro and Japanese yen, while inching higher against the Canadian dollar.In stock markets abroad, indexes climbed 2.4% in France, 2.9% in Germany, 1.2% in Japan and 1% in South Korea.

Stocks rally worldwide after Trump eases some of tariffs on electronics

WASHINGTON (AP) —<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">President Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;’s top advisers and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/nayib-bukele">Nayib Bukele, the president of El Salvador</a>, said Monday that they had no basis for the small Central American nation to return Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland man who was wrongly deported there last month.

Trump administration officials emphasized Abrego Garcia, who was sent to a notorious gang prison in El Salvador, was a citizen of that country and the U.S. has no say in his future. And Bukele, who has been a vital partner for the Trump administration in its deportation efforts, said he does not “have the power to return him to the United States.”

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-maryland-deportation-trump-9f46dd62890befdc321ed1ab56107470">The Supreme Court</a>&nbsp;has called for the Trump administration to “facilitate” Abrego Garcia’s return.

Sen. Chris Van Hollen says he’ll travel to El Salvador if Abrego Garcia isn’t released by midweek

The Democratic senator from Maryland wrote to El Salvadoran diplomats to “urgently request” meeting with the country’s president, Nayib Bukele, to discuss the potential return of a former Maryland resident, Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was deported to the Central American nation by the Trump administration.

A federal judge ruled Garcia should be returned to the U.S., a decision that was unanimously upheld by the Supreme Court last week.

WASHINGTON (AP) —<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">President Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;’s top advisers and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/nayib-bukele">Nayib Bukele, the president of El Salvador</a>, said Monday that they had no basis for the small Central American nation to return Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland man who was wrongly deported there last month.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">MUST WATCH: President Trump and his team demolish Fake News <a href="https://twitter.com/CNN?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@cnn</a> with the facts <a href="https://t.co/elarNRomY1">pic.twitter.com/elarNRomY1</a>&mdash; Margo Martin (@MargoMartin47) <a href="https://twitter.com/MargoMartin47/status/1911813943300940293?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 14, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Trump administration officials emphasized Abrego Garcia, who was sent to a notorious gang prison in El Salvador, was a citizen of that country and the U.S. has no say in his future. And Bukele, who has been a vital partner for the Trump administration in its deportation efforts, said he does not “have the power to return him to the United States.”<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-maryland-deportation-trump-9f46dd62890befdc321ed1ab56107470">The Supreme Court</a>&nbsp;has called for the Trump administration to “facilitate” Abrego Garcia’s return.<h2>Sen. Chris Van Hollen says he’ll travel to El Salvador if Abrego Garcia isn’t released by midweek</h2>The Democratic senator from Maryland wrote to El Salvadoran diplomats to “urgently request” meeting with the country’s president, Nayib Bukele, to discuss the potential return of a former Maryland resident, Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was deported to the Central American nation by the Trump administration.A federal judge ruled Garcia should be returned to the U.S., a decision that was unanimously upheld by the Supreme Court last week.

President of El Salvador says he won't return wrongly deported man 

KANSAS CITY —Three police officers were injured in an accident just before 1a.m. Monday in Kansas City

Incident Date/Time: 4/14/2025 0052 CRN: 25-022492 Division: CPDEvent Start Address: 12th and GrandEvent End Address: 12th and GrandNature: Injury Crash involving PD Members

Narrative: AIS responded to assist CPD in a crash at 12th and Grand. Preliminary investigation revealed that

According to KCPD Officer Alayna Gonzalez, a marked Police Vehicle was traveling code 1 eastbound on 12th Street with a green light at Grand Avenue.

At the same time, a Marked Police Vehicle was driving with red and blue light Southbound on Grand with a red traffic signal. The Eastbound Vehicle struck the Southbound vehicle in a T-Bone manner. Three officers were taken to an area hospital for injuries. No other vehicles nor pedestrian were involved.

KANSAS CITY —Three police officers were injured in an accident just before 1a.m. Monday in Kansas CityIncident Date/Time: 4/14/2025 0052 CRN: 25-022492 Division: CPDEvent Start Address: 12th and GrandEvent End Address: 12th and GrandNature: Injury Crash involving PD MembersNarrative: AIS responded to assist CPD in a crash at 12th and Grand. Preliminary investigation revealed thatAccording to KCPD Officer Alayna Gonzalez, a marked Police Vehicle was traveling code 1 eastbound on 12th Street with a green light at Grand Avenue.At the same time, a Marked Police Vehicle was driving with red and blue light Southbound on Grand with a red traffic signal. The Eastbound Vehicle struck the Southbound vehicle in a T-Bone manner. Three officers were taken to an area hospital for injuries. No other vehicles nor pedestrian were involved.

3 KCPD officers hospitalized after 2 police vehicles collide

<a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search/?query=byline:%22MARCIA%20DUNN%22&amp;mediaType=text&amp;st=keyword&amp;sortOrder=newest">By MARCIA DUNN AP Aerospace Writer</a>

Jeff Bezos’&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jeff-bezos-blue-origin-space-e0ce527145eca5b2ac6d47275fdfd2a2">Blue Origin</a>&nbsp;launched his&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/bezos-katy-perry-blue-origin-launch-4a074e534baa664abfa6538159c12987">fiancee Lauren Sanchez</a>&nbsp;into space Monday with an all-female celebrity crew that included&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/katy-perry-spaceflight-interview-ced939b06e1b8b82fa84fe3c2ce41ad9">Katy Perry</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/oprah-winfrey-walter-cronkite-gayle-king-phoenix-arizona-8ad536f6162b57d972806cf1ae98195a">Gayle King</a>.

It was the latest wave in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/spacex-private-polar-flight-09b238658a30ecabd957c5a72f7e8d23">space tourism</a>, where more of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nasa-administrator-trump-jared-isaacman-ce14cd11a9548228f8c75cb594dafafd">rich and famous</a>&nbsp;than ever before — or lucky and well-connected — can enter the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/shatner-blue-origin-launch-09705724072c0ecad2674c8511f0fcab">zero-gravity realm</a>&nbsp;traditionally dominated by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/who-is-an-astronaut-private-spaceflight-2cf882f79d189bada008ff8e7e0e2660">professional astronauts</a>.

The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jeff-bezos-space-e0afeaa813ff0bdf23c37fe16fd34265">New Shepard rocket</a>&nbsp;blasted off on the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/michael-strahan-space-blue-origin-launch-shepard-daughter-c807253884a451bc3e82cb5d860cc05c">quick up-and-down trip</a>&nbsp;from West Texas. The fringes of space beckoned some 65 miles (105 kilometers) up, promising a few precious minutes of weightlessness.

Sanchez, a helicopter pilot and former TV journalist, invited the others along for the 10-minute, fully automated flight, packing on the star power with singer-songwriter Perry and “CBS Mornings” co-host King.

Also sharing the ride were film producer Kerianne Flynn; Aisha Bowe, a former NASA engineer who started her own companies to promote science education; and Amanda Nguyen, a scientist who studied planets around other stars and now advocates for survivors of sexual violence.

Blue Origin declined to say how much the flight cost or who paid what. The trip came two months before Sanchez and Bezos&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/italy-venice-bezos-wedding-vip-lagoon-tourists-375cc08aed84871693303347e27ebe84">marry in Venice</a>.

It was the 11th human spaceflight for the Washington state-based company, founded by Bezos in 2000 after making a fortune with Amazon. Bezos strapped in for Blue Origin’s first space tourist flight in 2021 and accompanied the latest crew to the pad.

The celebrity launch was the nation’s first spaceflight where women filled each seat. The only other all-female crew in 64 years of human spaceflight was back in 1963. That’s when Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova launched by herself, becoming the first woman in space. Tereshkova spent three days off the planet.

Even after the latest launch, women represent barely 15% of the more than 700 people who have traveled into space. Sanchez said she deliberately chose women to launch with her, each of them eager to inspire both the young and old to dream big, and even commissioned special flight suits.

“It’s an important moment for the future of commercial space travel and for humanity in general and for women all around,” Perry told The Associated Press last week.

The launch brought out VIPs to West Texas including Oprah Winfrey and several women who previously have flown on private flights. Winfrey, a close friend of King, wiped away tears when the capsule reached space and the passengers were heard marveling at the moon and shouting with joy.

This wasn't the first Blue Origin launch with marquee names.

“Star Trek” actor William Shatner caught a lift to space with Blue Origin in 2021 at age 90, soon after Bezos’ inaugural trip. He was followed by former New York Giants defensive end and TV host Michael Strahan and Laura Shepard Churchley, the eldest daughter of Mercury astronaut Alan Shepard, for whom the rocket is named. Two aviation pioneers who missed out on space when they were younger — Wally Funk and Ed Dwight — also rocketed away at ages 82 and 90, respectively.

Most of Blue Origin's passengers — 58 counting the latest launch — have been business or science types, TV hosts or YouTubers. Ticket prices are not disclosed.

The Russian Space Agency also has launched its share of space tourists, beginning with a California financier in 2001. Two decades later, a Russian actress filmed aboard the International Space Station.

Elon Musk’s SpaceX also sells multi-day trips to private customers. SpaceX's first client to fly, billionaire tech entrepreneur Jared Isaacman already has launched twice and performed the first private spacewalk. He's now set to become NASA's next administrator if confirmed by the Senate.

Chinese-born bitcoin investor Chun Wang just returned from the first spaceflight to carry people over the north and south poles. Wang picked up the whole SpaceX tab for himself and three polar explorers for an undisclosed sum.

“In this exciting new era of commercial spaceflight, the dream of becoming an astronaut is no longer limited to a select few,” Wang said via X last week.

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/4/1744638269889.png" alt="Blue Origin soft landing after the 10 minute flight -image from Blue Origin video" />
 <figcaption>Blue Origin soft landing after the 10 minute flight -image from Blue Origin video</figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search/?query=byline:%22MARCIA%20DUNN%22&amp;mediaType=text&amp;st=keyword&amp;sortOrder=newest">By MARCIA DUNN AP Aerospace Writer</a>Jeff Bezos’&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jeff-bezos-blue-origin-space-e0ce527145eca5b2ac6d47275fdfd2a2">Blue Origin</a>&nbsp;launched his&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/bezos-katy-perry-blue-origin-launch-4a074e534baa664abfa6538159c12987">fiancee Lauren Sanchez</a>&nbsp;into space Monday with an all-female celebrity crew that included&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/katy-perry-spaceflight-interview-ced939b06e1b8b82fa84fe3c2ce41ad9">Katy Perry</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/oprah-winfrey-walter-cronkite-gayle-king-phoenix-arizona-8ad536f6162b57d972806cf1ae98195a">Gayle King</a>.It was the latest wave in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/spacex-private-polar-flight-09b238658a30ecabd957c5a72f7e8d23">space tourism</a>, where more of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nasa-administrator-trump-jared-isaacman-ce14cd11a9548228f8c75cb594dafafd">rich and famous</a>&nbsp;than ever before — or lucky and well-connected — can enter the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/shatner-blue-origin-launch-09705724072c0ecad2674c8511f0fcab">zero-gravity realm</a>&nbsp;traditionally dominated by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/who-is-an-astronaut-private-spaceflight-2cf882f79d189bada008ff8e7e0e2660">professional astronauts</a>.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/4/1744639511044.png" alt="Katy Perry celebrates the successful flight" />
 <figcaption>Katy Perry celebrates the successful flight</figcaption>
 </figure>The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jeff-bezos-space-e0afeaa813ff0bdf23c37fe16fd34265">New Shepard rocket</a>&nbsp;blasted off on the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/michael-strahan-space-blue-origin-launch-shepard-daughter-c807253884a451bc3e82cb5d860cc05c">quick up-and-down trip</a>&nbsp;from West Texas. The fringes of space beckoned some 65 miles (105 kilometers) up, promising a few precious minutes of weightlessness.Sanchez, a helicopter pilot and former TV journalist, invited the others along for the 10-minute, fully automated flight, packing on the star power with singer-songwriter Perry and “CBS Mornings” co-host King.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/4/1744639598510.png" alt="Gayle King stepping out of the spacecraft after the successful flight" />
 <figcaption>Gayle King stepping out of the spacecraft after the successful flight</figcaption>
 </figure>Also sharing the ride were film producer Kerianne Flynn; Aisha Bowe, a former NASA engineer who started her own companies to promote science education; and Amanda Nguyen, a scientist who studied planets around other stars and now advocates for survivors of sexual violence.Blue Origin declined to say how much the flight cost or who paid what. The trip came two months before Sanchez and Bezos&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/italy-venice-bezos-wedding-vip-lagoon-tourists-375cc08aed84871693303347e27ebe84">marry in Venice</a>.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/4/1744639674176.png" alt="Jeff Bezos greets his fiancee Lauren Sanchez after the flight" />
 <figcaption>Jeff Bezos greets his fiancee Lauren Sanchez after the flight</figcaption>
 </figure>It was the 11th human spaceflight for the Washington state-based company, founded by Bezos in 2000 after making a fortune with Amazon. Bezos strapped in for Blue Origin’s first space tourist flight in 2021 and accompanied the latest crew to the pad.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">REPLAY: A New Shepard tradition <a href="https://t.co/dSexRmoZl7">pic.twitter.com/dSexRmoZl7</a>&mdash; Blue Origin (@blueorigin) <a href="https://twitter.com/blueorigin/status/1911771735776514154?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 14, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The celebrity launch was the nation’s first spaceflight where women filled each seat. The only other all-female crew in 64 years of human spaceflight was back in 1963. That’s when Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova launched by herself, becoming the first woman in space. Tereshkova spent three days off the planet.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">What an amazing crew! Great flight this morning. <a href="https://t.co/4h5fNGpRRO">pic.twitter.com/4h5fNGpRRO</a>&mdash; Dave Limp (@davill) <a href="https://twitter.com/davill/status/1911788429802721296?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 14, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Even after the latest launch, women represent barely 15% of the more than 700 people who have traveled into space. Sanchez said she deliberately chose women to launch with her, each of them eager to inspire both the young and old to dream big, and even commissioned special flight suits.“It’s an important moment for the future of commercial space travel and for humanity in general and for women all around,” Perry told The Associated Press last week.The launch brought out VIPs to West Texas including Oprah Winfrey and several women who previously have flown on private flights. Winfrey, a close friend of King, wiped away tears when the capsule reached space and the passengers were heard marveling at the moon and shouting with joy.This wasn't the first Blue Origin launch with marquee names.“Star Trek” actor William Shatner caught a lift to space with Blue Origin in 2021 at age 90, soon after Bezos’ inaugural trip. He was followed by former New York Giants defensive end and TV host Michael Strahan and Laura Shepard Churchley, the eldest daughter of Mercury astronaut Alan Shepard, for whom the rocket is named. Two aviation pioneers who missed out on space when they were younger — Wally Funk and Ed Dwight — also rocketed away at ages 82 and 90, respectively.Most of Blue Origin's passengers — 58 counting the latest launch — have been business or science types, TV hosts or YouTubers. Ticket prices are not disclosed.The Russian Space Agency also has launched its share of space tourists, beginning with a California financier in 2001. Two decades later, a Russian actress filmed aboard the International Space Station.Elon Musk’s SpaceX also sells multi-day trips to private customers. SpaceX's first client to fly, billionaire tech entrepreneur Jared Isaacman already has launched twice and performed the first private spacewalk. He's now set to become NASA's next administrator if confirmed by the Senate.Chinese-born bitcoin investor Chun Wang just returned from the first spaceflight to carry people over the north and south poles. Wang picked up the whole SpaceX tab for himself and three polar explorers for an undisclosed sum.“In this exciting new era of commercial spaceflight, the dream of becoming an astronaut is no longer limited to a select few,” Wang said via X last week.___The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

🎥Blue Origin all-female celebrity crew has fun ride into space

RENO COUNTY —One person died in an accident just after 3:30p.m. Sunday in Reno County.

The Reno County Sheriff office reported a motorcycle driven by 54-year-old Bruce Stoecklein of Nickerson was northbound on Nickerson Boulevard. The motorcycle left the road just north of West 56th Avenue.

Emergency responders attempted lifesaving measures.&nbsp; Stoecklein was pronounced deceased at the scene.&nbsp; The sheriff's office released no additional details.

RENO COUNTY —One person died in an accident just after 3:30p.m. Sunday in Reno County.The Reno County Sheriff office reported a motorcycle driven by 54-year-old Bruce Stoecklein of Nickerson was northbound on Nickerson Boulevard. The motorcycle left the road just north of West 56th Avenue.Emergency responders attempted lifesaving measures.&nbsp; Stoecklein was pronounced deceased at the scene.&nbsp; The sheriff's office released no additional details.