SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement continue investigating and searching for a suspect in a fatal shooting that occurred October 23 at Dr. Glen Dey Park, located at 2801 N. Grove in Wichita. During a press conference on Oct. 28, police announced&nbsp; Crime Stoppers is now offering a $5,000 reward in the case.&nbsp; Police also indicated they have only received three tips on the investigation since the crime occurred.

(Click below to watch the Oct. 28, police briefing on the shooting)

At approximately 7:03 p.m. an off-duty WPD detective working secondary employment at&nbsp; the park heard multiple gunshots from another area of the park. The detective immediately ran toward the scene and found 32-year-old Travon Stewart suffering from gunshot wounds.

The detective called for backup and emergency medical services, then began life-saving measures until EMS arrived. Stewart was transported to a local hospital in extremely critical condition and later died from his injuries.

Preliminary findings indicate that around 200 to 300 people were in attendance at the football games. Stewart was at the park selling concessions as a fundraiser for a football team not affiliated with the Wichita Junior Football League.

Homicide investigators responded to the scene and interviewed witnesses who remained in the area. Detectives believe this was a targeted shooting and not connected to the youth football games.

Crime Stoppers is offering up to a $5,00 reward for information leading to an arrest in the shooting.

Anyone who attended the games or may have information is urged to contact the Wichita Police Department Investigations Section at 316-268-4407.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1761331970728.png" alt="Police on the scene of the investigation -photo courtesy KWCH" />
 <figcaption>Police on the scene of the investigation -photo courtesy KWCH</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement continue investigating and searching for a suspect in a fatal shooting that occurred October 23 at Dr. Glen Dey Park, located at 2801 N. Grove in Wichita. During a press conference on Oct. 28, police announced&nbsp; Crime Stoppers is now offering a $5,000 reward in the case.&nbsp; Police also indicated they have only received three tips on the investigation since the crime occurred.(Click below to watch the Oct. 28, police briefing on the shooting)<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=280&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Freel%2F2252850385227575%2F&show_text=true&width=560&t=0" width="560" height="395" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowFullScreen="true"></iframe></div>At approximately 7:03 p.m. an off-duty WPD detective working secondary employment at&nbsp; the park heard multiple gunshots from another area of the park. The detective immediately ran toward the scene and found 32-year-old Travon Stewart suffering from gunshot wounds.The detective called for backup and emergency medical services, then began life-saving measures until EMS arrived. Stewart was transported to a local hospital in extremely critical condition and later died from his injuries.Preliminary findings indicate that around 200 to 300 people were in attendance at the football games. Stewart was at the park selling concessions as a fundraiser for a football team not affiliated with the Wichita Junior Football League.Homicide investigators responded to the scene and interviewed witnesses who remained in the area. Detectives believe this was a targeted shooting and not connected to the youth football games.Crime Stoppers is offering up to a $5,00 reward for information leading to an arrest in the shooting.Anyone who attended the games or may have information is urged to contact the Wichita Police Department Investigations Section at 316-268-4407.&nbsp;

Suspect in killing at Kan. youth football game still at large

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Republicans voted to reject legislation Thursday that would have put a check on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">President Donald Trump’s</a>&nbsp;ability to launch an attack against Venezuela, as Democrats pressed Congress to take a stronger role in Trump’s high-stakes campaign against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

Lawmakers, including top Republicans, have demanded that the Trump administration provide them with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-cartels-armed-conflict-cb57804807e55a00ace60ad5f4d4f24d">more information on the U.S. military strikes</a>&nbsp;against alleged drug-smuggling vessels in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean. But Thursday’s vote, on legislation that would essentially forestall an attack on Venezuelan soil without congressional authorization, suggested Republicans are willing to give Trump leeway to continue his&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-military-buildup-caribbean-venezuela-ships-troops-810f6181371f53536c723ea562c5277c">buildup of naval forces</a>&nbsp;in the region.

“President Trump has taken decisive action to protect thousands of Americans from lethal narcotics,” said Sen. Jim Risch, the Republican chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Still, the vote allowed Democrats to press their GOP colleagues on Trump’s threats against Venezuela. The legislation failed to advance 49-51, with Sens. Rand Paul of Kentucky and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska the only Republicans voting in favor. Kansas U.S. Senators Jerry Moran and Roger Marhsll voted against the legislation.

The U.S. is assembling&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-military-buildup-caribbean-venezuela-ships-troops-810f6181371f53536c723ea562c5277c">an unusually large force</a>, including its most&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/aircraft-carriers-trump-venezuela-middle-east-a458b9c4f1a5690e19d7c532dd6b7fd7">advanced aircraft carrier</a>, in the Caribbean Sea, leading many to conclude that Trump intends to go beyond just intercepting cocaine-running boats. The campaign so far has killed at least 66 people in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-petro-colombia-drugs-us-aid-c3955b2ce351737119920741178e0567">16 known strikes</a>.

“It’s really an open secret that this is much more about potential regime change,” said Sen. Adam Schiff, a California Democrat who pushed the resolution. “If that’s where the administration is headed, if that’s what we’re risking — involvement in a war — then Congress needs to be heard on this.”

Some Republicans are uneasy with Caribbean campaign

Republican leadership pressed Thursday to make sure the legislation failed, but several senators still carefully considered their vote.

Sen. Thom Tillis, a North Carolina Republican, another Republican who voted against the resolution, said that he still has doubts about the campaign. He pointed out that it was expensive to change the deployment location for an aircraft carrier and questioned whether those funds could be better used at the U.S.-Mexico border to stop fentanyl trafficking.

Tillis said that if the campaign continues for several months more, “then we have to have a real discussion about whether or not we’re engaging in some sort of hybrid war.”

Sen. Todd Young, an Indiana Republican, said in a statement that he voted against the legislation because he didn’t believe it was “necessary or appropriate at this time.”

But he added that he was “troubled by many aspects and assumptions of this operation and believe it is at odds with the majority of Americans who want the U.S. military less entangled in international conflicts.”

As the Trump administration has reconfigured U.S. priorities overseas, there has been a growing sense of frustration among lawmakers, including some Republicans, who are concerned about recent moves made by the Pentagon.

At a hearing in the Senate Armed Services Committee earlier Thursday, Sen. Roger Wicker, the Republican chair, said that many senators have “serious concerns about the Pentagon’s policy office” and that Congress was not being consulted on recent actions like&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-zelenskyy-russia-ukraine-a15a459c9a3a393d040478ebbe250a9e">putting a pause on Ukraine security assistance</a>, reducing the number of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nato-eastern-flank-us-troops-drawdown-russia-40a1c731a866ce84d5c7721fe12c380e">U.S. troops in Romania</a>&nbsp;and the formulation of the National Defense Strategy.

GOP senators have directed their ire at the Department of Defense’s policy office, which is led by Elbridge Colby, an official who has advocated for the U.S. to step down its involvement in international alliances.

“It just seems like there’s this pigpen-like mess coming out of the policy shop,” said Sen. Tom Cotton, an Arkansas Republican who chairs the Senate Intelligence Committee, during another Armed Services hearing earlier this week.

As pushback has mounted on Capitol Hill, the Trump administration has stepped up its outreach to lawmakers. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth held a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-boat-strikes-congress-6163b24e940dd74005fc3cb78751f92a">classified briefing for congressional leaders Wednesday</a>. The officials gave details on the intelligence that is used to target the boats and allowed senators to review the legal rationale for the attacks, but did not discuss whether they would launch an attack directly against Venezuela, according to lawmakers in the meeting.

Still, Democrats have tested the unease among Republicans by forcing the vote on the potential for an attack on Venezuela under the War Powers Resolution of 1973, which was intended to reassert congressional power over the declaration of war. A previous war powers vote pertaining to the strikes against boats in international waters also failed last month on a 48-51 vote, but Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia, who pushed the legislation, said he still plans to force more votes.

“We should not be going to war without a vote of Congress. The lives of our troops are at stake,” Kaine said in a floor speech.

Democrats also argued that the Trump administration was using a flimsy legal defense for an expansive military campaign that is putting U.S. troops and the nation’s reputation at risk. Sen. Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the Armed Services panel, charged that Trump is engaging in “violence without a strategic objective” while failing to take actions that would actually address fentanyl smuggling.

“You cannot bomb your way out of a drug crisis,” he said.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Republicans voted to reject legislation Thursday that would have put a check on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">President Donald Trump’s</a>&nbsp;ability to launch an attack against Venezuela, as Democrats pressed Congress to take a stronger role in Trump’s high-stakes campaign against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">As we’ve said before, vessel strikes on narco-terrorists will continue until their the poisoning of the American people stops. Today, at the direction of President Trump, the Department of War carried out a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by a Designated Terrorist… <a href="https://t.co/gQF9LpSjqD">pic.twitter.com/gQF9LpSjqD</a>&mdash; Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (@SecWar) <a href="https://twitter.com/SecWar/status/1986631797547921741?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 7, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Lawmakers, including top Republicans, have demanded that the Trump administration provide them with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-cartels-armed-conflict-cb57804807e55a00ace60ad5f4d4f24d">more information on the U.S. military strikes</a>&nbsp;against alleged drug-smuggling vessels in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean. But Thursday’s vote, on legislation that would essentially forestall an attack on Venezuelan soil without congressional authorization, suggested Republicans are willing to give Trump leeway to continue his&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-military-buildup-caribbean-venezuela-ships-troops-810f6181371f53536c723ea562c5277c">buildup of naval forces</a>&nbsp;in the region.“President Trump has taken decisive action to protect thousands of Americans from lethal narcotics,” said Sen. Jim Risch, the Republican chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.Still, the vote allowed Democrats to press their GOP colleagues on Trump’s threats against Venezuela. The legislation failed to advance 49-51, with Sens. Rand Paul of Kentucky and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska the only Republicans voting in favor. Kansas U.S. Senators Jerry Moran and Roger Marhsll voted against the legislation.The U.S. is assembling&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-military-buildup-caribbean-venezuela-ships-troops-810f6181371f53536c723ea562c5277c">an unusually large force</a>, including its most&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/aircraft-carriers-trump-venezuela-middle-east-a458b9c4f1a5690e19d7c532dd6b7fd7">advanced aircraft carrier</a>, in the Caribbean Sea, leading many to conclude that Trump intends to go beyond just intercepting cocaine-running boats. The campaign so far has killed at least 66 people in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-petro-colombia-drugs-us-aid-c3955b2ce351737119920741178e0567">16 known strikes</a>.“It’s really an open secret that this is much more about potential regime change,” said Sen. Adam Schiff, a California Democrat who pushed the resolution. “If that’s where the administration is headed, if that’s what we’re risking — involvement in a war — then Congress needs to be heard on this.”<h2>Some Republicans are uneasy with Caribbean campaign</h2>Republican leadership pressed Thursday to make sure the legislation failed, but several senators still carefully considered their vote.Sen. Thom Tillis, a North Carolina Republican, another Republican who voted against the resolution, said that he still has doubts about the campaign. He pointed out that it was expensive to change the deployment location for an aircraft carrier and questioned whether those funds could be better used at the U.S.-Mexico border to stop fentanyl trafficking.Tillis said that if the campaign continues for several months more, “then we have to have a real discussion about whether or not we’re engaging in some sort of hybrid war.”Sen. Todd Young, an Indiana Republican, said in a statement that he voted against the legislation because he didn’t believe it was “necessary or appropriate at this time.”But he added that he was “troubled by many aspects and assumptions of this operation and believe it is at odds with the majority of Americans who want the U.S. military less entangled in international conflicts.”<h2>The push for congressional oversight</h2>As the Trump administration has reconfigured U.S. priorities overseas, there has been a growing sense of frustration among lawmakers, including some Republicans, who are concerned about recent moves made by the Pentagon.At a hearing in the Senate Armed Services Committee earlier Thursday, Sen. Roger Wicker, the Republican chair, said that many senators have “serious concerns about the Pentagon’s policy office” and that Congress was not being consulted on recent actions like&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-zelenskyy-russia-ukraine-a15a459c9a3a393d040478ebbe250a9e">putting a pause on Ukraine security assistance</a>, reducing the number of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nato-eastern-flank-us-troops-drawdown-russia-40a1c731a866ce84d5c7721fe12c380e">U.S. troops in Romania</a>&nbsp;and the formulation of the National Defense Strategy.GOP senators have directed their ire at the Department of Defense’s policy office, which is led by Elbridge Colby, an official who has advocated for the U.S. to step down its involvement in international alliances.“It just seems like there’s this pigpen-like mess coming out of the policy shop,” said Sen. Tom Cotton, an Arkansas Republican who chairs the Senate Intelligence Committee, during another Armed Services hearing earlier this week.As pushback has mounted on Capitol Hill, the Trump administration has stepped up its outreach to lawmakers. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth held a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-boat-strikes-congress-6163b24e940dd74005fc3cb78751f92a">classified briefing for congressional leaders Wednesday</a>. The officials gave details on the intelligence that is used to target the boats and allowed senators to review the legal rationale for the attacks, but did not discuss whether they would launch an attack directly against Venezuela, according to lawmakers in the meeting.Still, Democrats have tested the unease among Republicans by forcing the vote on the potential for an attack on Venezuela under the War Powers Resolution of 1973, which was intended to reassert congressional power over the declaration of war. A previous war powers vote pertaining to the strikes against boats in international waters also failed last month on a 48-51 vote, but Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia, who pushed the legislation, said he still plans to force more votes.“We should not be going to war without a vote of Congress. The lives of our troops are at stake,” Kaine said in a floor speech.Democrats also argued that the Trump administration was using a flimsy legal defense for an expansive military campaign that is putting U.S. troops and the nation’s reputation at risk. Sen. Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the Armed Services panel, charged that Trump is engaging in “violence without a strategic objective” while failing to take actions that would actually address fentanyl smuggling.“You cannot bomb your way out of a drug crisis,” he said.

Moran, Marshall help Senate vote down legislation to limit attacks on Venezuela

HARVEY COUNTY—One person was injured in an accident just before 3p.m. Thursday in Harvey County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2012 Toyota 4Runner driven by&nbsp; Yamilena&nbsp;Zambrano Galue, 24, Wichita, was southbound on Interstate 135 one mile south of Lincoln Boulevard.&nbsp;The SUV struck a KDOT 2023 Freightliner 108SD driven by Charlene&nbsp;Harvey, 40,&nbsp; Newton, who was doing maintenance on the Interstate and was partially in the left lane.

EMS transported Zambrano to Wesley Medial Center.&nbsp; The truck driver was not injured. Both drivers were properly restrained, according to the KHP.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/11/1762524111162.png" alt="Photo KHP" />
 <figcaption>Photo KHP</figcaption>
 </figure>HARVEY COUNTY—One person was injured in an accident just before 3p.m. Thursday in Harvey County.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2012 Toyota 4Runner driven by&nbsp; Yamilena&nbsp;Zambrano Galue, 24, Wichita, was southbound on Interstate 135 one mile south of Lincoln Boulevard.&nbsp;The SUV struck a KDOT 2023 Freightliner 108SD driven by Charlene&nbsp;Harvey, 40,&nbsp; Newton, who was doing maintenance on the Interstate and was partially in the left lane.EMS transported Zambrano to Wesley Medial Center.&nbsp; The truck driver was not injured. Both drivers were properly restrained, according to the KHP.

Kan. woman injured after SUV strikes a KDOT truck

PAWNEE COUNTY — Faith Ann Dinning, 31 of Garfield, Kansas, made her formal First Appearance Wednesday in the custody of the Pawnee County Sheriff before Pawnee Magistrate Judge Julie Cowell on a three&nbsp; count domestic violence Criminal Complaint, according to Pawnee County Attorney Doug McNett.

Dinning is charged with one count of Aggravated Battery with a Deadly Weapon, one count of Domestic Battery, and one count of Disorderly Conduct. All charges have been designated as Domestic Violence Offenses.

The charges stem from an investigation by the Pawnee County Sheriff’s Department after deputies were dispatched to a possible automobile accident occurring in the City of Garfield the morning of October 31. 

Law enforcement dispatch received the accident report from an automated Life360 accident notification. Subsequent to Life360 notification, emergency dispatch received a concerned citizen call reporting a domestic altercation at a place of business in Garfield involving Dinning and one of their employees. The reporting party also advised dispatch the parties in question had left the business in separate vehicles, but that a T-bone vehicle accident occurred almost immediately thereafter approximately a block north of the business.

Upon arrival, deputies encountered Dinning with her incapacitated vehicle. The second vehicle involved had left the scene prior to law enforcement’s arrival. No serious injuries were reported. It was later determined that Dinning’s significant other had been driving the second vehicle. Based in part on the tire impressions and skid marks in the gravel road, and estimated rate of speed, law enforcement arrested Dinning without incident for intentionally driving her vehicle into the other vehicle.

Deputies also arrested the second party based on the sheriff’s department’s domestic violence mandatory arrest policy. After reviewing the case reports, however, the Pawnee County Attorney’s Office declined to file formal criminal charges against Dinning’s significant other.

Counsel was appointed to represent Dinning and a Preliminary Hearing was scheduled for November 19, 2025, at 2:00 p.m..

Dinning remains in custody at the Pawnee County Jail with bond set at $20,000 cash or surety. The Court has included a no contact order as a condition of bond.

Under Kansas Law, “Domestic Violence” means an act or threatened act of violence against a person with whom the offender is involved or has been involved in a dating relationship, or an act or threatened act of violence against a family or household member by a family or household member.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/11/1762383857994.png" alt="Dinning photo Pawnee County" />
 <figcaption>Dinning photo Pawnee County</figcaption>
 </figure>PAWNEE COUNTY — Faith Ann Dinning, 31 of Garfield, Kansas, made her formal First Appearance Wednesday in the custody of the Pawnee County Sheriff before Pawnee Magistrate Judge Julie Cowell on a three&nbsp; count domestic violence Criminal Complaint, according to Pawnee County Attorney Doug McNett.Dinning is charged with one count of Aggravated Battery with a Deadly Weapon, one count of Domestic Battery, and one count of Disorderly Conduct. All charges have been designated as Domestic Violence Offenses.The charges stem from an investigation by the Pawnee County Sheriff’s Department after deputies were dispatched to a possible automobile accident occurring in the City of Garfield the morning of October 31. Law enforcement dispatch received the accident report from an automated Life360 accident notification. Subsequent to Life360 notification, emergency dispatch received a concerned citizen call reporting a domestic altercation at a place of business in Garfield involving Dinning and one of their employees. The reporting party also advised dispatch the parties in question had left the business in separate vehicles, but that a T-bone vehicle accident occurred almost immediately thereafter approximately a block north of the business.Upon arrival, deputies encountered Dinning with her incapacitated vehicle. The second vehicle involved had left the scene prior to law enforcement’s arrival. No serious injuries were reported. It was later determined that Dinning’s significant other had been driving the second vehicle. Based in part on the tire impressions and skid marks in the gravel road, and estimated rate of speed, law enforcement arrested Dinning without incident for intentionally driving her vehicle into the other vehicle.Deputies also arrested the second party based on the sheriff’s department’s domestic violence mandatory arrest policy. After reviewing the case reports, however, the Pawnee County Attorney’s Office declined to file formal criminal charges against Dinning’s significant other.Counsel was appointed to represent Dinning and a Preliminary Hearing was scheduled for November 19, 2025, at 2:00 p.m..Dinning remains in custody at the Pawnee County Jail with bond set at $20,000 cash or surety. The Court has included a no contact order as a condition of bond.Under Kansas Law, “Domestic Violence” means an act or threatened act of violence against a person with whom the offender is involved or has been involved in a dating relationship, or an act or threatened act of violence against a family or household member by a family or household member.

Kan. woman accused of using her vehicle as a weapon

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth reported another deadly strike on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean.

Hegseth wrote on social media, "As we’ve said before, vessel strikes on narco-terrorists will continue until their the poisoning of the American people stops."

":On Thursday. at the direction of President Trump, the Department of War carried out a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by a Designated Terrorist Organization."

"The vessel was trafficking narcotics in the Caribbean and was struck in international waters. No U.S. forces were harmed in the strike, and three male narco-terrorists — who were aboard the vessel — were killed."

"To all narco-terrorists who threaten our homeland: if you want to stay alive, stop trafficking drugs. If you keep trafficking deadly drugs—we will kill you."

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth reported another deadly strike on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean.Hegseth wrote on social media, "As we’ve said before, vessel strikes on narco-terrorists will continue until their the poisoning of the American people stops."<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">As we’ve said before, vessel strikes on narco-terrorists will continue until their the poisoning of the American people stops. Today, at the direction of President Trump, the Department of War carried out a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by a Designated Terrorist… <a href="https://t.co/gQF9LpSjqD">pic.twitter.com/gQF9LpSjqD</a>&mdash; Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (@SecWar) <a href="https://twitter.com/SecWar/status/1986631797547921741?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 7, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>":On Thursday. at the direction of President Trump, the Department of War carried out a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by a Designated Terrorist Organization.""The vessel was trafficking narcotics in the Caribbean and was struck in international waters. No U.S. forces were harmed in the strike, and three male narco-terrorists — who were aboard the vessel — were killed.""To all narco-terrorists who threaten our homeland: if you want to stay alive, stop trafficking drugs. If you keep trafficking deadly drugs—we will kill you."

🎥US military kills 3 in new strike on drug-running boat

PHELPS COUNTY —The Missouri State Highway Patrol’s Division of Drug and Crime Control (DDCC) announces criminal charges against Melvin J. Fincher, 39, of Rolla, MO. Fincher has pending charges in other counties which include Phelps, Dent, Polk, and Nodaway Counties.

On October 24, Fincher was arrested after an investigation conducted by the Patrol’s Division of Drug and Crime Control Rural Crimes Investigation Unit with the assistance of area law enforcement.

In July of 2024, the Patrol’s Division of Drug and Crime Control was made aware of suspicious activity involving the sale of livestock and farm equipment in Phelps County, Missouri.

Texas authorities informed investigators in Missouri of a cattle theft investigation, involving 42 head of cattle from a livestock market in Texas. 

The theft occurred between August 10 and 11, 2024, and the total value of the cattle was $71,078.00.&nbsp; After further investigation, it was determined the cattle were received by Melvin Fincher, a resident of Phelps County, Missouri.

During the investigation, and while searching property associated with Fincher, USDA livestock tags were located in the livestock pens on the premises. Identification numbers indicated the tags were issued to the livestock market in Texas where the cattle were originally stolen. 

Additional evidence was collected connecting Fincher to the theft of cattle in Texas.

On December 2, 2024, Fincher was formally charged by the Phelps County Prosecuting Attorney with one count of Stealing Livestock/Wildlife - Prior Offense. Fincher later pled guilty to this charge.

On October 27, 2025, Fincher was sentenced to 10 years incarceration with the Missouri Department of Corrections. The sentence was suspended in execution of sentence, and Fincher is currently serving five years of supervised probation.

Fincher is also facing numerous charges in Dent, Polk, and Nodaway Counties for other related criminal offenses including identify theft, livestock theft, and farm equipment theft

&nbsp;The total value of damages involving these cases exceeds $219,000.00.

If you have any further information regarding these cases, please contact DDCC at 573-526-6122.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/11/1762393817899.png" alt="Fincher photo Polk County" />
 <figcaption>Fincher photo Polk County</figcaption>
 </figure>PHELPS COUNTY —The Missouri State Highway Patrol’s Division of Drug and Crime Control (DDCC) announces criminal charges against Melvin J. Fincher, 39, of Rolla, MO. Fincher has pending charges in other counties which include Phelps, Dent, Polk, and Nodaway Counties.On October 24, Fincher was arrested after an investigation conducted by the Patrol’s Division of Drug and Crime Control Rural Crimes Investigation Unit with the assistance of area law enforcement.In July of 2024, the Patrol’s Division of Drug and Crime Control was made aware of suspicious activity involving the sale of livestock and farm equipment in Phelps County, Missouri.Texas authorities informed investigators in Missouri of a cattle theft investigation, involving 42 head of cattle from a livestock market in Texas. The theft occurred between August 10 and 11, 2024, and the total value of the cattle was $71,078.00.&nbsp; After further investigation, it was determined the cattle were received by Melvin Fincher, a resident of Phelps County, Missouri.During the investigation, and while searching property associated with Fincher, USDA livestock tags were located in the livestock pens on the premises. Identification numbers indicated the tags were issued to the livestock market in Texas where the cattle were originally stolen. Additional evidence was collected connecting Fincher to the theft of cattle in Texas.On December 2, 2024, Fincher was formally charged by the Phelps County Prosecuting Attorney with one count of Stealing Livestock/Wildlife - Prior Offense. Fincher later pled guilty to this charge.On October 27, 2025, Fincher was sentenced to 10 years incarceration with the Missouri Department of Corrections. The sentence was suspended in execution of sentence, and Fincher is currently serving five years of supervised probation.Fincher is also facing numerous charges in Dent, Polk, and Nodaway Counties for other related criminal offenses including identify theft, livestock theft, and farm equipment theft&nbsp;The total value of damages involving these cases exceeds $219,000.00.If you have any further information regarding these cases, please contact DDCC at 573-526-6122.

Man admits to livestock theft, other rural crimes

NEW YORK (AP) — The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/richest-billionaires-musk-ellison-oracle-tesla-bloomberg-forbes-e90a3cab2a0b256923ca55814893f9fe">world’s richest man</a>&nbsp;was just handed a chance to become history’s first trillionaire.

Elon Musk won a shareholder vote on Thursday that would give the Tesla CEO stock worth $1 trillion if he hits certain performance targets over the next decade. The vote followed weeks of debate over his management record at the electric car maker and whether anyone deserved such unprecedented pay, drawing heated commentary from small investors to giant pension funds and even&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/vatican-pope-leo-birthday-be5daf80146bcff66b564c91dfaf87e8">the pope</a>.

In the end, more than 75% of voters approved the plan as shareholders gathered in Austin, Texas, for their annual meeting.

“Fantastic group of shareholders,” Musk said after the final vote was tallied, adding “Hang on to your Tesla stock.”

The vote is a resounding victory for Musk showing investors still have faith in him as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/musk-tesla-spacex-doge-boycott-robots-robotaxi-60d1d3c903414ba0fedc8b0fc856bfef">Tesla struggles</a>&nbsp;with plunging sales, market share and profits in no small part due to Musk himself. Car buyers fled the company this year as he has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/elon-musk-doge-donald-trump-962778979dd35ea79d6092df9cb2cb56">ventured into politics</a>&nbsp;both in the U.S. and Europe, and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/elon-musk-donald-trump-doge-b21b74f56f30012a6450a629e7232a1a">trafficked in conspiracy theories</a>.

The vote came just three days after a report from Europe showing Tesla car sales plunged again last month, including a 50% collapse in Germany.

Still, many Tesla investors consider Musk as a sort of miracle man capable of stunning business feats, such as when he pulled Tesla from the brink of bankruptcy a half-dozen years ago to turn it into one of the world’s most valuable companies.

The vote clears a path for Musk to become a trillionaire by granting him new shares, but it won’t be easy. The board of directors that designed the pay package require him to hit several ambitious financial and operational targets, including increasing the value of the company on the stock market nearly six times its current level.

Musk also has to deliver 20 million Tesla electric vehicles to the market over 10 years amid new, stiff competition, more than double the number since the founding of the company. He also has to deploy 1 million of his human-like robots that he has promised will transform work and home — he calls it a “robot army” — from zero today.

Musk could add billions to his wealth in a few years by partly delivering these goals, according to various intermediate steps that will hand him newly created stock in the company as he nears the ultimate targets.

That could help him eventually top what is now considered America’s all-time richest man, John D. Rockefeller. The railroad titan is estimated by Guinness World Records to have been worth $630 billion, in current dollars, at his peak wealth more than 110 years ago. Musk is worth $493 billion, as estimated by Forbes magazine.

Musk’s win came despite opposition from several large funds, including CalPERS, the biggest U.S. public pension, and Norway’s sovereign wealth fund. Two corporate watchdogs, Institutional Shareholder Services and Glass Lewis, also blasted the package, which so angered Musk he took to calling them “corporate terrorists” at a recent investor meeting.

Critics argued that the board of directors was too beholden to Musk, his behavior too reckless lately and the riches offered too much.

“He has hundreds of billions of dollars already in the company and to say that he won’t stay without a trillion is ridiculous,” said Sam Abuelsamid, an analyst at research firm Telemetry who has been covering Tesla for nearly two decades. “It’s absurd that shareholders think he is worth this much.”

Supporters said that Musk needed to be incentivized to focus on the company as he works to transform it into an AI powerhouse using software to operate hundreds of thousands of self-driving Tesla cars — many without steering wheels — and Tesla robots deployed in offices, factories and homes doing many tasks now handled by humans.

“This AI chapter needs one person to lead it and that’s Musk,” said financial analyst Dan Ives of Wedbush Securities. “It’s a huge win for shareholders.”

Investors voting for the pay had to consider not only this Musk promise of a bold, new tomorrow, but whether he could ruin things today: He had threatened to walk away from the company, which investors feared would tank the stock.

Tesla shares, already up 80% in the past year, rose on news of the vote in after-hours trading but then flattened basically unchanged to $445.44.

For his part, Musk says the vote wasn’t really about the money but getting a higher Tesla stake — it will double to nearly 30% — so he could have more power over the company. He said that was a pressing concern given Tesla’s future “robot army” that he suggested he didn’t trust anyone else to control given the possible danger to humanity.

Other issues up for a vote at the annual meeting turned out wins for Musk, too.

Shareholders approved allowing Tesla to invest in one of Musk’s other ventures, xAI. They also shot down a proposal to make it easier for shareholders to sue the company by lowering the size of ownership needed to file. The current rule requires at least a 3% stake.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/2/1739917649688.png" alt="Elon Musk image from CSPAN video" />
 <figcaption>Elon Musk image from CSPAN video</figcaption>
 </figure>NEW YORK (AP) — The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/richest-billionaires-musk-ellison-oracle-tesla-bloomberg-forbes-e90a3cab2a0b256923ca55814893f9fe">world’s richest man</a>&nbsp;was just handed a chance to become history’s first trillionaire.Elon Musk won a shareholder vote on Thursday that would give the Tesla CEO stock worth $1 trillion if he hits certain performance targets over the next decade. The vote followed weeks of debate over his management record at the electric car maker and whether anyone deserved such unprecedented pay, drawing heated commentary from small investors to giant pension funds and even&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/vatican-pope-leo-birthday-be5daf80146bcff66b564c91dfaf87e8">the pope</a>.In the end, more than 75% of voters approved the plan as shareholders gathered in Austin, Texas, for their annual meeting.“Fantastic group of shareholders,” Musk said after the final vote was tallied, adding “Hang on to your Tesla stock.”The vote is a resounding victory for Musk showing investors still have faith in him as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/musk-tesla-spacex-doge-boycott-robots-robotaxi-60d1d3c903414ba0fedc8b0fc856bfef">Tesla struggles</a>&nbsp;with plunging sales, market share and profits in no small part due to Musk himself. Car buyers fled the company this year as he has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/elon-musk-doge-donald-trump-962778979dd35ea79d6092df9cb2cb56">ventured into politics</a>&nbsp;both in the U.S. and Europe, and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/elon-musk-donald-trump-doge-b21b74f56f30012a6450a629e7232a1a">trafficked in conspiracy theories</a>.The vote came just three days after a report from Europe showing Tesla car sales plunged again last month, including a 50% collapse in Germany.Still, many Tesla investors consider Musk as a sort of miracle man capable of stunning business feats, such as when he pulled Tesla from the brink of bankruptcy a half-dozen years ago to turn it into one of the world’s most valuable companies.The vote clears a path for Musk to become a trillionaire by granting him new shares, but it won’t be easy. The board of directors that designed the pay package require him to hit several ambitious financial and operational targets, including increasing the value of the company on the stock market nearly six times its current level.Musk also has to deliver 20 million Tesla electric vehicles to the market over 10 years amid new, stiff competition, more than double the number since the founding of the company. He also has to deploy 1 million of his human-like robots that he has promised will transform work and home — he calls it a “robot army” — from zero today.Musk could add billions to his wealth in a few years by partly delivering these goals, according to various intermediate steps that will hand him newly created stock in the company as he nears the ultimate targets.That could help him eventually top what is now considered America’s all-time richest man, John D. Rockefeller. The railroad titan is estimated by Guinness World Records to have been worth $630 billion, in current dollars, at his peak wealth more than 110 years ago. Musk is worth $493 billion, as estimated by Forbes magazine.Musk’s win came despite opposition from several large funds, including CalPERS, the biggest U.S. public pension, and Norway’s sovereign wealth fund. Two corporate watchdogs, Institutional Shareholder Services and Glass Lewis, also blasted the package, which so angered Musk he took to calling them “corporate terrorists” at a recent investor meeting.Critics argued that the board of directors was too beholden to Musk, his behavior too reckless lately and the riches offered too much.“He has hundreds of billions of dollars already in the company and to say that he won’t stay without a trillion is ridiculous,” said Sam Abuelsamid, an analyst at research firm Telemetry who has been covering Tesla for nearly two decades. “It’s absurd that shareholders think he is worth this much.”Supporters said that Musk needed to be incentivized to focus on the company as he works to transform it into an AI powerhouse using software to operate hundreds of thousands of self-driving Tesla cars — many without steering wheels — and Tesla robots deployed in offices, factories and homes doing many tasks now handled by humans.“This AI chapter needs one person to lead it and that’s Musk,” said financial analyst Dan Ives of Wedbush Securities. “It’s a huge win for shareholders.”Investors voting for the pay had to consider not only this Musk promise of a bold, new tomorrow, but whether he could ruin things today: He had threatened to walk away from the company, which investors feared would tank the stock.Tesla shares, already up 80% in the past year, rose on news of the vote in after-hours trading but then flattened basically unchanged to $445.44.For his part, Musk says the vote wasn’t really about the money but getting a higher Tesla stake — it will double to nearly 30% — so he could have more power over the company. He said that was a pressing concern given Tesla’s future “robot army” that he suggested he didn’t trust anyone else to control given the possible danger to humanity.Other issues up for a vote at the annual meeting turned out wins for Musk, too.Shareholders approved allowing Tesla to invest in one of Musk’s other ventures, xAI. They also shot down a proposal to make it easier for shareholders to sue the company by lowering the size of ownership needed to file. The current rule requires at least a 3% stake.

Tesla shareholders approve Elon Musk’s $1 trillion pay package

WASHINGTON (AP) —A federal judge in Rhode Island ordered the Trump administration Thursday to find the money to fully fund SNAP benefits for November.

The ruling by U.S. District Judge John J. McConnell Jr. gave President Donald Trump's administration until Friday to make the payments through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, though it's unlikely the 42 million Americans — about 1 in 8 — will see the money on the debit cards they use for groceries that quickly.

The order was in response to a challenge from cities and nonprofits complaining that the administration was only offering to cover 65% of the maximum benefit, a decision that would leave some recipients getting nothing for this month.

“The defendants failed to consider the practical consequences associated with this decision to only partially fund SNAP,” McConnell said. “They knew that there would be a long delay in paying partial SNAP payments and failed to consider the harms individuals who rely on those benefits would suffer.”

McConnell was one of two judges who ruled last week that the administration could not skip November's benefits entirely because of the federal shutdown.

It has been a week of twists and turns for SNAP beneficiaries

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/snap-shutdown-lawsuits-deadline-4af8b0dec6cd31cddd023cc99c131b73">Last week's rulings</a>&nbsp;ordered the government to use one emergency reserve fund containing $4.6 billion to pay for SNAP for November but gave it leeway to tap other money to make the full payments, which cost between $8.5 billion and $9 billion each month.

On Monday, the administration said it would not use additional money, saying it was up to Congress to appropriate the funds for the program.

The next day, Trump appeared to threaten&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/live/donald-trump-news-updates-11-4-2025">not to pay the benefit</a>&nbsp;s at all unless Democrats in Congress agreed to reopen the government. His press secretary later said that the partial benefits were being paid for November — and that it is future payments that are at risk if the shutdown continues.

Late Wednesday, the USDA, which runs the program, said in a filing in federal court in Rhode Island that it had done further analysis and found that the maximum benefit will be 65% of the usual amount.

Speaking at the Greater Boston Food Bank in Massachusetts Thursday morning, Democratic Gov. Maura Healey said the Trump administration is sending mixed messages: “Come on. You know, you’re going to partially fund food for Americans? You’re going let people starve?"

Associated Press writers Sara Cline in Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Susan Haigh in Hartford, Connecticut; and Gary Robertson in Raleigh, North Carolina, contributed to this report.

WASHINGTON (AP) —A federal judge in Rhode Island ordered the Trump administration Thursday to find the money to fully fund SNAP benefits for November.The ruling by U.S. District Judge John J. McConnell Jr. gave President Donald Trump's administration until Friday to make the payments through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, though it's unlikely the 42 million Americans — about 1 in 8 — will see the money on the debit cards they use for groceries that quickly.The order was in response to a challenge from cities and nonprofits complaining that the administration was only offering to cover 65% of the maximum benefit, a decision that would leave some recipients getting nothing for this month.“The defendants failed to consider the practical consequences associated with this decision to only partially fund SNAP,” McConnell said. “They knew that there would be a long delay in paying partial SNAP payments and failed to consider the harms individuals who rely on those benefits would suffer.”McConnell was one of two judges who ruled last week that the administration could not skip November's benefits entirely because of the federal shutdown.<h2>It has been a week of twists and turns for SNAP beneficiaries</h2><a href="https://apnews.com/article/snap-shutdown-lawsuits-deadline-4af8b0dec6cd31cddd023cc99c131b73">Last week's rulings</a>&nbsp;ordered the government to use one emergency reserve fund containing $4.6 billion to pay for SNAP for November but gave it leeway to tap other money to make the full payments, which cost between $8.5 billion and $9 billion each month.On Monday, the administration said it would not use additional money, saying it was up to Congress to appropriate the funds for the program.The next day, Trump appeared to threaten&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/live/donald-trump-news-updates-11-4-2025">not to pay the benefit</a>&nbsp;s at all unless Democrats in Congress agreed to reopen the government. His press secretary later said that the partial benefits were being paid for November — and that it is future payments that are at risk if the shutdown continues.Late Wednesday, the USDA, which runs the program, said in a filing in federal court in Rhode Island that it had done further analysis and found that the maximum benefit will be 65% of the usual amount.Speaking at the Greater Boston Food Bank in Massachusetts Thursday morning, Democratic Gov. Maura Healey said the Trump administration is sending mixed messages: “Come on. You know, you’re going to partially fund food for Americans? You’re going let people starve?"___Associated Press writers Sara Cline in Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Susan Haigh in Hartford, Connecticut; and Gary Robertson in Raleigh, North Carolina, contributed to this report.

Federal judge orders Trump admin. to fully fund SNAP benefits in November

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump unveiled a deal Thursday with drugmakers Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk to expand coverage and reduce prices for their popular obesity treatments Zepbound and Wegovy.

The drugs are part of a new generation of obesity medications known as GLP-1 receptor agonists that have soared in popularity in recent years.

But access to the drugs has been a consistent problem for patients because of their cost — around $500 a month for higher doses — and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/wegovy-zepbound-obesity-drugs-coverage-access-142e234c16df4443e8f66c27d01f44e2">insurance coverage</a>&nbsp;has been spotty.

Coverage of the drugs for obesity will expand to Medicare patients starting next year, according to the administration, which said some lower prices also will be phased in for patients without coverage. Starting doses of new, pill versions of the treatments also will cost $149 a month if they are approved.

“(It) will save lives, improve the health of millions and millions of Americans,” said Trump, in an Oval Office announcement in which he referred to GLP-1s as a “fat drug."

Thursday's announcement is the latest attempt by the Trump administration to rein in soaring drug prices in its efforts to address cost-of-living concerns among voters. Drugmakers Pfizer and AstraZeneca recently agreed to lower the cost of prescription drugs for Medicaid after an executive order in May set a deadline for drugmakers to electively lower prices or face new limits on what the government will pay.

As with the other deals, it’s not clear how much the price drop will be felt by consumers. Drug prices can vary based on the competition for treatments and insurance coverage.

Obesity drugs have become increasingly popular, but are costly

The obesity drugs work by targeting hormones in the gut and brain that affect appetite and feelings of fullness. In clinical trials, they helped people shed between 15% and 22% of their body weight -- up to 50 pounds or more in many cases.

Patients taking these drugs usually start on smaller doses and then work up to larger amounts, depending on their needs. Because of obesity being considered a chronic disease, they need to take the treatment indefinitely or risk regaining weight, experts say.

The fast-growing treatments have proven especially lucrative for drugmakers Eli Lilly and Co. and Novo Nordisk. Lilly said recently that sales of Zepbound have tripled so far this year to more than $9 billion.

But for many Americans, their cost has made them out of reach.

Medicare, the federally funded coverage program mainly for people ages 65 and over, hasn't covered the treatments for obesity. President Donald Trump’s predecessor, Joe Biden,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ozempic-biden-rfk-jr-trump-antiobesity-drugs-caaa2f888435af1d32bedb83e9ddbc0a">proposed a rule</a>&nbsp;last November that would have changed that. But the Trump administration&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-medicare-coverage-wegovy-zepbound-54bf291135fa9efec7d0ad9672c850a1">nixed it</a>&nbsp;last spring.

Few state and federally funded&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ozempic-wegovy-medicaid-weight-loss-glp1-dd34e5d76b660550dad73dc3069083ce">Medicaid programs</a>, for people with low incomes, offer coverage. And employers and insurers that provide commercial coverage are wary of paying for these drugs in part because of the large number of patients that might use them.

The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/obesity-drugs-wegovy-zepbound-price-cuts-65477df55667078867d7b65a8ad3e245">$500 monthly price</a>&nbsp;for higher doses of the treatments also makes them unaffordable for those without insurance, doctors say.

Medicare now covers the cost of the drugs for conditions such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, but not for weight loss alone.

Trump showing he is in touch with cost-of-living concerns

The effort to lower costs barriers to popular GLP-1 drugs comes as the White House is looking to demonstrate that Trump is in touch with Americans' frustrations with rising costs for food, housing, health care and other necessities.

“Trump is the friend of the forgotten American," said Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. at Thursday's announcement. "Obesity is a disease of poverty. And overwhelmingly these drugs have only been available for people who have wealth.”

Kennedy had previously expressed skepticism to GLP-1s in fighting obesity and diseases related to the condition. But he was full of praise for Trump for pushing to help a broader segment of Americans have access to the drug.

The announcement came after Republican gubernatorial candidates in New Jersey and Virginia faced a drubbing in Tuesday’s election in which dour voter outlook about the economy appeared to an animating factor in the races.

Roughly half of Virginia voters said “the economy” was the top issue, and about 6 in 10 of these voters picked Democrat&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/virginia-first-female-governor-earlesears-spanberger-01f9854a94fdab6e5719096664ee9be1">Abigail Spanberger</a>&nbsp;for governor, powering her to a decisive win, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/economy-issues-exit-poll-election-2025-ccd2cab49e6f7d6b310173d70ce570f8">an AP voter poll.</a>

In New Jersey, Democrat&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mikie-sherrill-jack-ciattarelli-new-jersey-governor-44af948914dd2c6fbe7bb0687c54f99d">Mikie Sherrill</a>&nbsp;won about two-thirds of voters who called “the economy” the top issue facing the state, the poll found. She defeated a Trump-endorsed Republican candidate Jack Ciattarelli. More than half of New York City voters said the cost of living was the top issue facing the city. The Democratic mayor-elect&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mamdani-cuomo-sliwa-nyc-mayor-af8b9790e7cb4e023d0984a0207cbcca">Zohran Mamdani</a>&nbsp;won about two-thirds of this group.

The White House sought to diminish the effort by the previous Democratic administration as a gift to the pharmaceutical industry because the proposal did not include adequate price concessions from the drug makers.

Trump, instead, consummated a “belt and suspenders” deal that ensures that Americans aren’t unfairly financing the pharmaceutical industry’s innovation, claimed a senior administration official, who briefed reporters ahead of Thursday’s Oval Office announcement by Trump.

Another senior administration official said coverage of the drugs will expand to Medicare patients starting next year. Those who qualify will pay $50 copays for the medicine.

Lower prices also will be phased in for people without coverage through the administration’s TrumpRx program, which will allow people to buy drugs directly from manufacturers. starting in January.

The officials said lower prices also will be provided for state and federally funded Medicaid programs. And starting doses of new, pill versions of the obesity treatments will cost $149 a month if they are approved.

The officials briefed reporters on the condition of anonymity under ground rules set by the White House.

Dr. Leslie Golden says she has roughly 600 patients taking one of these treatments, and 75% or more struggle to afford them. Even with coverage, some face $150 copayments for refills.

“Every visit it’s, ‘How long can we continue to do this? What’s the plan if I can’t continue?,’” said Golden, an obesity medicine specialist in Watertown, Wisconsin. “Some of them are working additional jobs or delaying retirement so they can continue to pay for it.”

Both Lilly and Novo have already cut prices on their drugs. Lilly said earlier this year it would reduce the cost of initial doses of Zepbound to $349.

Dr. Angela Fitch, who also treats patients with obesity, said she hoped a deal between the White House and drugmakers could be the first step in making the treatments more affordable.

“We need a hero in obesity care today,” said Fitch, founder and chief medical officer of knownwell, a weight-loss and medical care company. “The community has faced relentless barriers to accessing GLP-1 medications, which has ultimately come down to the price, despite the data we have supporting their effectiveness.”

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump unveiled a deal Thursday with drugmakers Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk to expand coverage and reduce prices for their popular obesity treatments Zepbound and Wegovy.The drugs are part of a new generation of obesity medications known as GLP-1 receptor agonists that have soared in popularity in recent years.But access to the drugs has been a consistent problem for patients because of their cost — around $500 a month for higher doses — and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/wegovy-zepbound-obesity-drugs-coverage-access-142e234c16df4443e8f66c27d01f44e2">insurance coverage</a>&nbsp;has been spotty.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>: &quot;Medicare and Medicaid will finally cover the cost of these [GLP-1] weight loss drugs for millions of patients... co-pays for Medicare patients will be as low as $50... you&#39;re talking about from $1,350 to $50!&quot; &quot;This is tremendous news for the American seniors.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/4EOdpWOm4m">pic.twitter.com/4EOdpWOm4m</a>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1986486365345722729?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 6, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/SecKennedy?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SecKennedy</a>: &quot;The American public, because of this agreement, will lose 125 million pounds by this time next year — so it is going to have dramatic effects on human health in this country.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/Wq2nrKUdUG">https://t.co/Wq2nrKUdUG</a> <a href="https://t.co/GTKc0vjfdi">pic.twitter.com/GTKc0vjfdi</a>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1986485104135295203?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 6, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Coverage of the drugs for obesity will expand to Medicare patients starting next year, according to the administration, which said some lower prices also will be phased in for patients without coverage. Starting doses of new, pill versions of the treatments also will cost $149 a month if they are approved.“(It) will save lives, improve the health of millions and millions of Americans,” said Trump, in an Oval Office announcement in which he referred to GLP-1s as a “fat drug."Thursday's announcement is the latest attempt by the Trump administration to rein in soaring drug prices in its efforts to address cost-of-living concerns among voters. Drugmakers Pfizer and AstraZeneca recently agreed to lower the cost of prescription drugs for Medicaid after an executive order in May set a deadline for drugmakers to electively lower prices or face new limits on what the government will pay.As with the other deals, it’s not clear how much the price drop will be felt by consumers. Drug prices can vary based on the competition for treatments and insurance coverage.<h2>Obesity drugs have become increasingly popular, but are costly</h2>The obesity drugs work by targeting hormones in the gut and brain that affect appetite and feelings of fullness. In clinical trials, they helped people shed between 15% and 22% of their body weight -- up to 50 pounds or more in many cases.Patients taking these drugs usually start on smaller doses and then work up to larger amounts, depending on their needs. Because of obesity being considered a chronic disease, they need to take the treatment indefinitely or risk regaining weight, experts say.The fast-growing treatments have proven especially lucrative for drugmakers Eli Lilly and Co. and Novo Nordisk. Lilly said recently that sales of Zepbound have tripled so far this year to more than $9 billion.But for many Americans, their cost has made them out of reach.Medicare, the federally funded coverage program mainly for people ages 65 and over, hasn't covered the treatments for obesity. President Donald Trump’s predecessor, Joe Biden,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ozempic-biden-rfk-jr-trump-antiobesity-drugs-caaa2f888435af1d32bedb83e9ddbc0a">proposed a rule</a>&nbsp;last November that would have changed that. But the Trump administration&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-medicare-coverage-wegovy-zepbound-54bf291135fa9efec7d0ad9672c850a1">nixed it</a>&nbsp;last spring.Few state and federally funded&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ozempic-wegovy-medicaid-weight-loss-glp1-dd34e5d76b660550dad73dc3069083ce">Medicaid programs</a>, for people with low incomes, offer coverage. And employers and insurers that provide commercial coverage are wary of paying for these drugs in part because of the large number of patients that might use them.The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/obesity-drugs-wegovy-zepbound-price-cuts-65477df55667078867d7b65a8ad3e245">$500 monthly price</a>&nbsp;for higher doses of the treatments also makes them unaffordable for those without insurance, doctors say.Medicare now covers the cost of the drugs for conditions such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, but not for weight loss alone.<h2>Trump showing he is in touch with cost-of-living concerns</h2>The effort to lower costs barriers to popular GLP-1 drugs comes as the White House is looking to demonstrate that Trump is in touch with Americans' frustrations with rising costs for food, housing, health care and other necessities.“Trump is the friend of the forgotten American," said Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. at Thursday's announcement. "Obesity is a disease of poverty. And overwhelmingly these drugs have only been available for people who have wealth.”Kennedy had previously expressed skepticism to GLP-1s in fighting obesity and diseases related to the condition. But he was full of praise for Trump for pushing to help a broader segment of Americans have access to the drug.The announcement came after Republican gubernatorial candidates in New Jersey and Virginia faced a drubbing in Tuesday’s election in which dour voter outlook about the economy appeared to an animating factor in the races.Roughly half of Virginia voters said “the economy” was the top issue, and about 6 in 10 of these voters picked Democrat&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/virginia-first-female-governor-earlesears-spanberger-01f9854a94fdab6e5719096664ee9be1">Abigail Spanberger</a>&nbsp;for governor, powering her to a decisive win, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/economy-issues-exit-poll-election-2025-ccd2cab49e6f7d6b310173d70ce570f8">an AP voter poll.</a>In New Jersey, Democrat&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mikie-sherrill-jack-ciattarelli-new-jersey-governor-44af948914dd2c6fbe7bb0687c54f99d">Mikie Sherrill</a>&nbsp;won about two-thirds of voters who called “the economy” the top issue facing the state, the poll found. She defeated a Trump-endorsed Republican candidate Jack Ciattarelli. More than half of New York City voters said the cost of living was the top issue facing the city. The Democratic mayor-elect&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mamdani-cuomo-sliwa-nyc-mayor-af8b9790e7cb4e023d0984a0207cbcca">Zohran Mamdani</a>&nbsp;won about two-thirds of this group.The White House sought to diminish the effort by the previous Democratic administration as a gift to the pharmaceutical industry because the proposal did not include adequate price concessions from the drug makers.Trump, instead, consummated a “belt and suspenders” deal that ensures that Americans aren’t unfairly financing the pharmaceutical industry’s innovation, claimed a senior administration official, who briefed reporters ahead of Thursday’s Oval Office announcement by Trump.Another senior administration official said coverage of the drugs will expand to Medicare patients starting next year. Those who qualify will pay $50 copays for the medicine.Lower prices also will be phased in for people without coverage through the administration’s TrumpRx program, which will allow people to buy drugs directly from manufacturers. starting in January.The officials said lower prices also will be provided for state and federally funded Medicaid programs. And starting doses of new, pill versions of the obesity treatments will cost $149 a month if they are approved.The officials briefed reporters on the condition of anonymity under ground rules set by the White House.<h2>Doctors applaud the price drop</h2>Dr. Leslie Golden says she has roughly 600 patients taking one of these treatments, and 75% or more struggle to afford them. Even with coverage, some face $150 copayments for refills.“Every visit it’s, ‘How long can we continue to do this? What’s the plan if I can’t continue?,’” said Golden, an obesity medicine specialist in Watertown, Wisconsin. “Some of them are working additional jobs or delaying retirement so they can continue to pay for it.”Both Lilly and Novo have already cut prices on their drugs. Lilly said earlier this year it would reduce the cost of initial doses of Zepbound to $349.Dr. Angela Fitch, who also treats patients with obesity, said she hoped a deal between the White House and drugmakers could be the first step in making the treatments more affordable.“We need a hero in obesity care today,” said Fitch, founder and chief medical officer of knownwell, a weight-loss and medical care company. “The community has faced relentless barriers to accessing GLP-1 medications, which has ultimately come down to the price, despite the data we have supporting their effectiveness.”

🎥 Deal on obesity drugs: What will they cost and when you can you get them?

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (AP) — A jury in Virginia awarded $10 million Thursday to a former teacher who was shot by a 6-year-old student, siding with her claims in a lawsuit that an ex-administrator ignored repeated warnings that the child had a gun.

The jury returned its decision against Ebony Parker, a former assistant principal at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News.

Abby Zwerner was shot in January 2023 as she sat at a reading table in her first-grade classroom. She had sought $40 million against Parker in the lawsuit.

Zwerner&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abby-zwerner-teacher-shot-6yearold-virginia-newport-news-richneck-118dd583e32c04b72b5f8f793ffbfb2b">spent nearly two weeks in the hospital</a>, required six surgeries and does not have the full use of her left hand. A bullet narrowly missed her heart and remains in her chest.

Zwerner did not address reporters outside the courthouse after the decision was announced. One of her attorneys, Diane Toscano, said the verdict sends a message that what happened at the school "was wrong and is not going to be tolerated, that safety has to be the first concern at school. I think it’s a great message.”

Parker was the only defendant in the lawsuit. A judge previously dismissed the district’s superintendent and the school principal as defendants.

The shooting sent shock waves through this military shipbuilding community and the country at large, with many wondering&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-school-shootings-crime-teaching-080df45fb792de5c825b151315ba8a8c">how a child so young could gain access to a gun</a>&nbsp;and shoot his teacher.

The lawsuit said Parker had a duty to protect Zwerner and others from harm after being told about the gun. Zwerner’s attorneys said Parker failed to act in the hours before the shooting after several school staff members told her that the student had a gun in his backpack.

“Who would think a 6-year-old would bring a gun to school and shoot their teacher?” Zwerner’s attorney, Diane Toscano, told the jury. “It’s Dr. Parker’s job to believe that that is possible. It’s her job to investigate it and get to the very bottom of it.”

Parker did not testify in the lawsuit. Her attorney, Daniel Hogan, had warned jurors about hindsight bias and “Monday morning quarterbacking” in the shooting.

““You will be able to judge for yourself whether or not this was foreseeable,” Hogan said. “That’s the heart of this case.

“The law knows that it is fundamentally unfair to judge another person’s decisions based on stuff that came up after the fact. The law requires you to examine people’s decisions at the time they make them.”

The shooting occurred on the first day after the student had returned from a suspension for slamming Zwerner’s phone two days earlier.

Zwerner testified she first heard about the gun prior to class recess from a reading specialist who had been tipped off by students. The shooting occurred a few hours later. Despite her injuries, Zwerner was able to hustle her students out of the classroom. She eventually passed out in the school office.

Zwerner testified&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/newport-news-virginia-teacher-shot-ce9f3d91d987607d0d6de4e6eb3114ba">she believed that she had died</a>&nbsp;that day.

“I thought I was either on my way to heaven or in heaven,” Zwerner said. “But then it all got black. And so, I then thought I wasn’t going there. And then my next memory is I see two co-workers around me and I process that I’m hurt and they’re putting pressure on where I’m hurt.”

Zwerner no longer works for the school district and has said she has no plans to teach again. She has since become a licensed cosmetologist.

Parker faces a separate criminal trial this month on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/teacher-shot-virginia-principal-indicted-ebony-parker-4207c41d7cadc7ae242531017832221e">eight counts</a>&nbsp;of felony child neglect. Each of the counts is punishable by up to five years in prison in the event of a conviction.

The student’s mother was sentenced to nearly four years in prison for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/virginia-student-shot-teacher-mother-sentencing-9b99a00c2745dcbcd49b4c25f2a86f96?taid=657caad30a9e5f000157f5a1&amp;utm_campaign=TrueAnthem&amp;utm_medium=AP&amp;utm_source=Twitter">felony child neglect</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boy-teacher-shooting-virginia-zwerner-taylor-marijuana-003697d7cfdfeb1576b336f987f4326f">federal weapons charges</a>. Her son told authorities he got his mother’s handgun by climbing onto a drawer to reach the top of a dresser, where the firearm was in his mom’s purse.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/11/1762455417957.png" alt="Former Richneck Elementary School teacher Abby Zwerner looks back into the courtroom during her civil lawsuit trial, Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025, in Newport News, Va. (Stephen M. Katz/The Virginian-Pilot via AP, Pool)" />
 <figcaption>Former Richneck Elementary School teacher Abby Zwerner looks back into the courtroom during her civil lawsuit trial, Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025, in Newport News, Va. (Stephen M. Katz/The Virginian-Pilot via AP, Pool)</figcaption>
 </figure>NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (AP) — A jury in Virginia awarded $10 million Thursday to a former teacher who was shot by a 6-year-old student, siding with her claims in a lawsuit that an ex-administrator ignored repeated warnings that the child had a gun.The jury returned its decision against Ebony Parker, a former assistant principal at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News.Abby Zwerner was shot in January 2023 as she sat at a reading table in her first-grade classroom. She had sought $40 million against Parker in the lawsuit.Zwerner&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abby-zwerner-teacher-shot-6yearold-virginia-newport-news-richneck-118dd583e32c04b72b5f8f793ffbfb2b">spent nearly two weeks in the hospital</a>, required six surgeries and does not have the full use of her left hand. A bullet narrowly missed her heart and remains in her chest.Zwerner did not address reporters outside the courthouse after the decision was announced. One of her attorneys, Diane Toscano, said the verdict sends a message that what happened at the school "was wrong and is not going to be tolerated, that safety has to be the first concern at school. I think it’s a great message.”Parker was the only defendant in the lawsuit. A judge previously dismissed the district’s superintendent and the school principal as defendants.The shooting sent shock waves through this military shipbuilding community and the country at large, with many wondering&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-school-shootings-crime-teaching-080df45fb792de5c825b151315ba8a8c">how a child so young could gain access to a gun</a>&nbsp;and shoot his teacher.The lawsuit said Parker had a duty to protect Zwerner and others from harm after being told about the gun. Zwerner’s attorneys said Parker failed to act in the hours before the shooting after several school staff members told her that the student had a gun in his backpack.“Who would think a 6-year-old would bring a gun to school and shoot their teacher?” Zwerner’s attorney, Diane Toscano, told the jury. “It’s Dr. Parker’s job to believe that that is possible. It’s her job to investigate it and get to the very bottom of it.”Parker did not testify in the lawsuit. Her attorney, Daniel Hogan, had warned jurors about hindsight bias and “Monday morning quarterbacking” in the shooting.““You will be able to judge for yourself whether or not this was foreseeable,” Hogan said. “That’s the heart of this case.“The law knows that it is fundamentally unfair to judge another person’s decisions based on stuff that came up after the fact. The law requires you to examine people’s decisions at the time they make them.”The shooting occurred on the first day after the student had returned from a suspension for slamming Zwerner’s phone two days earlier.Zwerner testified she first heard about the gun prior to class recess from a reading specialist who had been tipped off by students. The shooting occurred a few hours later. Despite her injuries, Zwerner was able to hustle her students out of the classroom. She eventually passed out in the school office.Zwerner testified&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/newport-news-virginia-teacher-shot-ce9f3d91d987607d0d6de4e6eb3114ba">she believed that she had died</a>&nbsp;that day.“I thought I was either on my way to heaven or in heaven,” Zwerner said. “But then it all got black. And so, I then thought I wasn’t going there. And then my next memory is I see two co-workers around me and I process that I’m hurt and they’re putting pressure on where I’m hurt.”Zwerner no longer works for the school district and has said she has no plans to teach again. She has since become a licensed cosmetologist.Parker faces a separate criminal trial this month on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/teacher-shot-virginia-principal-indicted-ebony-parker-4207c41d7cadc7ae242531017832221e">eight counts</a>&nbsp;of felony child neglect. Each of the counts is punishable by up to five years in prison in the event of a conviction.The student’s mother was sentenced to nearly four years in prison for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/virginia-student-shot-teacher-mother-sentencing-9b99a00c2745dcbcd49b4c25f2a86f96?taid=657caad30a9e5f000157f5a1&amp;utm_campaign=TrueAnthem&amp;utm_medium=AP&amp;utm_source=Twitter">felony child neglect</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boy-teacher-shooting-virginia-zwerner-taylor-marijuana-003697d7cfdfeb1576b336f987f4326f">federal weapons charges</a>. Her son told authorities he got his mother’s handgun by climbing onto a drawer to reach the top of a dresser, where the firearm was in his mom’s purse.

Teacher, shot by 6-year-old student, wins multi-million dollar verdict 

SEATTLE (AP) —Starbucks’ union members have voted to strike at the company’s U.S. stores next week unless it finalizes a contract agreement, the union said Wednesday.

The strike would begin on Nov. 13, which is the day Starbucks plans to distribute free, reusable red cups. Red Cup Day, a Starbucks tradition since 2018, is typically one of the company’s busiest days of the year.

Starbucks Workers United, the union organizing baristas, didn’t say how many stores would be impacted. But it said workers in at least 25 cities planned to strike and more locations could be added if the union doesn’t see “substantial progress” toward finalizing a contract.

Around 550 of Starbucks’ 10,000 company-operated U.S. stores are currently unionized. More stores have&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/starbucks-union-vote-buffalo-c7dc3c2ec8b838e9f4ed641f54fc9035">voted to unionize since 2021</a>, but Starbucks closed 59 unionized stores in September as part of a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/starbucks-close-stores-layoffs-3aa70c7d3828520855998a490ebe865b">larger restructuring</a>.

The union and the company have yet to agree to a labor contract. In December 2023, Starbucks&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/starbucks-workers-united-union-coffee-05d3d30c2c7e100a07f5d74fefb2d556">vowed to finalize</a>&nbsp;an agreement by the end of 2024. But the company ousted Laxman Narasimhan, the CEO who made that promise, last fall. The union said progress has stalled under&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/starbucks-ceo-brian-niccol-f2b918d9862a329d7f0ba3373ebbc444">Brian Niccol</a>, the company’s new chairman and CEO.

Starbucks said Wednesday that it’s disappointed the union plans to strike instead of returning to the bargaining table.

“Any agreement needs to reflect the reality that Starbucks already offers the best job in retail, including more than $30 an hour on average in pay and benefits for hourly partners,” Starbucks spokeswoman Jaci Anderson said Wednesday.

In a letter to Starbucks employees released Wednesday, Starbucks’ Chief Partner Officer Sara Kelly said the union has proposed a 65% pay increase immediately and a 77% increase over three years, with additional payments for things like weekends or days when Starbucks runs promotions. Kelly also said some proposals would significantly alter Starbucks’ operations, such as giving workers the ability to shut down mobile ordering if a store has more than five orders in the queue.

“These aren’t serious, evidence-based proposals,” Kelly said.

The union said Starbucks is unfairly lumping together various economic proposals from the union to arrive at those pay raise figures.

Unionized baristas also said they don’t always get the 20 hours per week they need to be eligible for Starbucks’ benefits. They point to Starbucks’&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/starbucks-niccol-chipotle-coffee-7cf3e56164ad0b9cba05002e7805b1fc">generous pay package</a>&nbsp;for Niccol, which&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ceo-pay-compensation-pay-ratio-perks-1b968327984edfc67486c2e0e3dc2fff">saw him make $95.8 million</a>&nbsp;in 2024. The package included $75 million in equity to make up for what he forfeited by his abrupt departure from Chipotle, his previous employer.

“Our fight is about actually making Starbucks jobs the best jobs in retail. Right now, it’s only the best job in retail for Brian Niccol,” said Jasmine Leli, a three-year Starbucks barista and strike captain from Buffalo, New York. Leli said starting pay for baristas in most states is $15.25 per hour.

The strike would echo previous labor actions against the company. In 2023, thousands of Starbucks workers at more than 200 stores&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/starbucks-strike-red-cup-day-7c07617260ea1c4760410e29b4509b6b">walked off the job</a>&nbsp;on Red Cup Day. Last year, a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/starbucks-strike-baristas-workers-united-7b2f6e5d7b039bc1909d646d84cd426d">five-day strike</a>&nbsp;ahead of Christmas closed 59 U.S. stores.

In her letter, Kelly emphasized that most company-owned stores as well as 7,000 licensed locations in places like airports will remain open if there is a strike.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/11/1762459345358.png" alt="Photo Starbucks Workers United" />
 <figcaption>Photo Starbucks Workers United</figcaption>
 </figure>SEATTLE (AP) —Starbucks’ union members have voted to strike at the company’s U.S. stores next week unless it finalizes a contract agreement, the union said Wednesday.The strike would begin on Nov. 13, which is the day Starbucks plans to distribute free, reusable red cups. Red Cup Day, a Starbucks tradition since 2018, is typically one of the company’s busiest days of the year.Starbucks Workers United, the union organizing baristas, didn’t say how many stores would be impacted. But it said workers in at least 25 cities planned to strike and more locations could be added if the union doesn’t see “substantial progress” toward finalizing a contract.Around 550 of Starbucks’ 10,000 company-operated U.S. stores are currently unionized. More stores have&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/starbucks-union-vote-buffalo-c7dc3c2ec8b838e9f4ed641f54fc9035">voted to unionize since 2021</a>, but Starbucks closed 59 unionized stores in September as part of a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/starbucks-close-stores-layoffs-3aa70c7d3828520855998a490ebe865b">larger restructuring</a>.The union and the company have yet to agree to a labor contract. In December 2023, Starbucks&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/starbucks-workers-united-union-coffee-05d3d30c2c7e100a07f5d74fefb2d556">vowed to finalize</a>&nbsp;an agreement by the end of 2024. But the company ousted Laxman Narasimhan, the CEO who made that promise, last fall. The union said progress has stalled under&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/starbucks-ceo-brian-niccol-f2b918d9862a329d7f0ba3373ebbc444">Brian Niccol</a>, the company’s new chairman and CEO.Starbucks said Wednesday that it’s disappointed the union plans to strike instead of returning to the bargaining table.“Any agreement needs to reflect the reality that Starbucks already offers the best job in retail, including more than $30 an hour on average in pay and benefits for hourly partners,” Starbucks spokeswoman Jaci Anderson said Wednesday.In a letter to Starbucks employees released Wednesday, Starbucks’ Chief Partner Officer Sara Kelly said the union has proposed a 65% pay increase immediately and a 77% increase over three years, with additional payments for things like weekends or days when Starbucks runs promotions. Kelly also said some proposals would significantly alter Starbucks’ operations, such as giving workers the ability to shut down mobile ordering if a store has more than five orders in the queue.“These aren’t serious, evidence-based proposals,” Kelly said.The union said Starbucks is unfairly lumping together various economic proposals from the union to arrive at those pay raise figures.Unionized baristas also said they don’t always get the 20 hours per week they need to be eligible for Starbucks’ benefits. They point to Starbucks’&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/starbucks-niccol-chipotle-coffee-7cf3e56164ad0b9cba05002e7805b1fc">generous pay package</a>&nbsp;for Niccol, which&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ceo-pay-compensation-pay-ratio-perks-1b968327984edfc67486c2e0e3dc2fff">saw him make $95.8 million</a>&nbsp;in 2024. The package included $75 million in equity to make up for what he forfeited by his abrupt departure from Chipotle, his previous employer.“Our fight is about actually making Starbucks jobs the best jobs in retail. Right now, it’s only the best job in retail for Brian Niccol,” said Jasmine Leli, a three-year Starbucks barista and strike captain from Buffalo, New York. Leli said starting pay for baristas in most states is $15.25 per hour.The strike would echo previous labor actions against the company. In 2023, thousands of Starbucks workers at more than 200 stores&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/starbucks-strike-red-cup-day-7c07617260ea1c4760410e29b4509b6b">walked off the job</a>&nbsp;on Red Cup Day. Last year, a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/starbucks-strike-baristas-workers-united-7b2f6e5d7b039bc1909d646d84cd426d">five-day strike</a>&nbsp;ahead of Christmas closed 59 U.S. stores.In her letter, Kelly emphasized that most company-owned stores as well as 7,000 licensed locations in places like airports will remain open if there is a strike.

Starbucks workers union vote to strike amid stalled talks

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

TOPEKA — Almost a week after Senate President Ty Masterson&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/briefs/kansas-senate-secures-gop-petition-signatures-to-call-special-legislative-session/">announced he secured the necessary signatures</a>&nbsp;to commit the majority Republican Senate to a special session to redraw Kansas maps to favor an additional Republican Congressional seat, his counterpart in the House gave up the effort.

House Speaker Dan Hawkins, a Wichita Republican and candidate for state insurance commissioner, announced Tuesday night that he failed to gather enough signatures in his chamber to jumpstart a special session planned for Friday.

For Masterson, an Andover Republican and gubernatorial candidate, it wasn’t a surprise.

“All it does is change the timing,” he said following an unrelated Wednesday meeting at the Statehouse in Topeka.

Both he and Hawkins have acknowledged how difficult it is to call the Kansas Legislature into a special session. After&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/10/14/kansas-redistricting-hellscape-and-presumed-special-session-get-spotlight-in-johnson-county-forum/">allocating $460,000</a>&nbsp;to fund a four-day session, a visit to the White House and obtaining at least half of the signatures needed to call legislators to the capital, the focus has shifted to Jan. 12, the start of the 2026 session.

A special session requires two-thirds of both the state Senate and House members to sign a petition. Republicans planned to gerrymander U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids’ district in the Johnson County area to turn it red. Masterson announced on Oct. 27 that&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/briefs/kansas-senate-secures-gop-petition-signatures-to-call-special-legislative-session/">he obtained the necessary two-thirds</a>&nbsp;of member signatures.

Masterson said Wednesday he has a high level of confidence in achieving a Republican agenda to legislate public assistance programs and gender identity issues. When it comes to property taxes and redistricting, however, details are fuzzy.

Property tax relief legislation could evolve as the session progresses, and no concrete proposals have been made.

A redrawn congressional map could also prove challenging. No one has seen what a Kansas map could look like, Masterson said.

“There’s been a ton of maps floated around, but they’re all from third-party people,” he said.

When asked if he’d support a Kansas-driven map rather than one drawn by a national group or other third-party, he paused.

“I think there’s a little nuance there,” he said.

Whether a map is drawn in-state or “whether it’s drawn by a group that does it effectively for states all over the country for us,” Masterson said, is unclear.

Regardless, he said, “It’ll be Kansas-driven.”

Mid-decade redistricting efforts cropped up across the country, beginning first in Texas and spreading to North Carolina, Missouri and Ohio. Democrats added seats in California and Utah. Discussions are underway to add Republican seats in Kansas, Nebraska, Florida and Indiana, and discussions adding Democratic seats have arisen in Illinois, Maryland and Virginia.

House Democratic Leader Brandon Woodard, of Lenexa, said the end of the Republican rush to build support for a special session “makes Kansas the first state to reject President Trump’s proposed redistricting initiative aimed at influencing the 2026 midterm elections.”

Senate Democratic Leader Dinah Sykes said in an interview after the Wednesday meeting that avoiding a special session was a win, but the battle isn’t over.

“On the fact that we are saving Kansas taxpayers $400,000, that is a win,” said Sykes, of Lenexa.

She said Kansas Democrats’ strategy in the wake of redistricting efforts involves engaging constituents to ensure they know “Republicans are trying to lessen their voice” and to make maps are publicly available.

Gov. Laura Kelly, a Democrat, said in a statement that Republican leadership will “continue their attempt at a partisan power grab in January,” despite a lack of support from their caucuses.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/11/1762427223624.png" alt="House Speaker Dan Hawkins and Senate President Ty Masterson, both Republicans, appear at a Legislative Coordinating Council meeting on Nov. 4, 2025, at the Kansas Statehouse in Topeka. It was their first public appearance since Hawkins announced the night prior he didn’t secure enough signatures from his caucus to force a rare special session (Photo by Anna Kaminski/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>House Speaker Dan Hawkins and Senate President Ty Masterson, both Republicans, appear at a Legislative Coordinating Council meeting on Nov. 4, 2025, at the Kansas Statehouse in Topeka. It was their first public appearance since Hawkins announced the night prior he didn’t secure enough signatures from his caucus to force a rare special session (Photo by Anna Kaminski/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/akaminski/">ANNA KAMINSKI</a> <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/01/03/kansas-state-garden-city-cc-striving-to-shrink-bachelors-degree-educational-desert/?emci=8e6f56cf-3bca-ef11-88d0-0022482a9b45&amp;emdi=a9416bb1-82ca-ef11-88d0-0022482a9b45&amp;ceid=115039">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — Almost a week after Senate President Ty Masterson&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/briefs/kansas-senate-secures-gop-petition-signatures-to-call-special-legislative-session/">announced he secured the necessary signatures</a>&nbsp;to commit the majority Republican Senate to a special session to redraw Kansas maps to favor an additional Republican Congressional seat, his counterpart in the House gave up the effort.House Speaker Dan Hawkins, a Wichita Republican and candidate for state insurance commissioner, announced Tuesday night that he failed to gather enough signatures in his chamber to jumpstart a special session planned for Friday.For Masterson, an Andover Republican and gubernatorial candidate, it wasn’t a surprise.“All it does is change the timing,” he said following an unrelated Wednesday meeting at the Statehouse in Topeka.“It is what it is,” he said.Both he and Hawkins have acknowledged how difficult it is to call the Kansas Legislature into a special session. After&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/10/14/kansas-redistricting-hellscape-and-presumed-special-session-get-spotlight-in-johnson-county-forum/">allocating $460,000</a>&nbsp;to fund a four-day session, a visit to the White House and obtaining at least half of the signatures needed to call legislators to the capital, the focus has shifted to Jan. 12, the start of the 2026 session.A special session requires two-thirds of both the state Senate and House members to sign a petition. Republicans planned to gerrymander U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids’ district in the Johnson County area to turn it red. Masterson announced on Oct. 27 that&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/briefs/kansas-senate-secures-gop-petition-signatures-to-call-special-legislative-session/">he obtained the necessary two-thirds</a>&nbsp;of member signatures.Masterson said Wednesday he has a high level of confidence in achieving a Republican agenda to legislate public assistance programs and gender identity issues. When it comes to property taxes and redistricting, however, details are fuzzy.Property tax relief legislation could evolve as the session progresses, and no concrete proposals have been made.A redrawn congressional map could also prove challenging. No one has seen what a Kansas map could look like, Masterson said.“There’s been a ton of maps floated around, but they’re all from third-party people,” he said.When asked if he’d support a Kansas-driven map rather than one drawn by a national group or other third-party, he paused.“I think there’s a little nuance there,” he said.Whether a map is drawn in-state or “whether it’s drawn by a group that does it effectively for states all over the country for us,” Masterson said, is unclear.Regardless, he said, “It’ll be Kansas-driven.”Mid-decade redistricting efforts cropped up across the country, beginning first in Texas and spreading to North Carolina, Missouri and Ohio. Democrats added seats in California and Utah. Discussions are underway to add Republican seats in Kansas, Nebraska, Florida and Indiana, and discussions adding Democratic seats have arisen in Illinois, Maryland and Virginia.House Democratic Leader Brandon Woodard, of Lenexa, said the end of the Republican rush to build support for a special session “makes Kansas the first state to reject President Trump’s proposed redistricting initiative aimed at influencing the 2026 midterm elections.”Senate Democratic Leader Dinah Sykes said in an interview after the Wednesday meeting that avoiding a special session was a win, but the battle isn’t over.“On the fact that we are saving Kansas taxpayers $400,000, that is a win,” said Sykes, of Lenexa.She said Kansas Democrats’ strategy in the wake of redistricting efforts involves engaging constituents to ensure they know “Republicans are trying to lessen their voice” and to make maps are publicly available.Gov. Laura Kelly, a Democrat, said in a statement that Republican leadership will “continue their attempt at a partisan power grab in January,” despite a lack of support from their caucuses.“It doesn’t matter whether it’s during special or regular session,” Kelly said. “Kansans will continue to speak out against gerrymandered maps drawn by dark money groups and funded by out-of-state special interests.”Laurel Burchfield, spokesperson for the Kansas Fair Maps Coalition, acknowledged in a Wednesday statement that the redistricting attempt isn’t over.“Changing the maps mid-decade to rig the system in either political party’s favor is wrong,” Burchfield said. “We urge legislators to focus on what Kansans need the most this upcoming session: lowering costs, making healthcare affordable, and improving our economy.”