By&nbsp;TAMARA ROBERTSON Cottonwood Extension District

The 95th Annual 4-H Achievement Banquet was held on October 25, 2025, at the Ellis County Fairgrounds in Hays, honoring Ellis County 4-H members. The event was attended by 137 4-H members, their families, and special guests. The banquet, sponsored by the Ellis County 4-H Council, recognized the achievements of all local 4-H members, leaders, and supporters.

Before the evening’s recognitions began, attendees enjoyed a lively Hula-Hooping Contest that brought plenty of laughter and friendly competition. Participants paid $1 to enter and competed in four age divisions: Juniors (8 and younger), Intermediates (9–13), Seniors (14–18), and Adults (19 and older). Contestants showcased their best hula-hooping skills to see who could keep their hoop spinning the longest, with the last participant standing in each division taking home bragging rights and a prize generously donated by Pat and Diane Kuhn. Winners included Tucker Neher, Brynlee Walter, Audrey Yarmer and Janelle Bott.

Each 4-H club also recognized outstanding members for their achievements this year. Outstanding Seniors and Juniors recognized by each club include:

Big Creek Astros: Isaac Moreno and Brody Armbrister

Buckeye Junior Farmers: Keeli Kimzey and Audrey Yarmer

Ellis Sunflowers: Colton Metzler and Clara Still

Gemini Juniors: Mariella Dreiling and Ashlynn Erickson

Good Hope: Jaiden Pfannenstiel and Jacob Leiker

Shooting Sports: Morgan Munsch and Eli Meis

Victoria Vikings: Ella Neher and Esther Neher

Among the club honorees, Mariella Dreiling and Morgan Munsch were named overall Senior winners, while Jacob Leiker and Eli Meis were named overall Junior winners.

The purple club seal is the highest possible level a 4-H club can achieve in the Kansas 4-H program. In order to attain a purple seal this year, clubs had to meet 18-21 of the listed goals. Purple Club Seals awards were presented to the following clubs: Buckeye Jr. Farmers, Ellis Sunflowers, and Shooting Sports.

Keeli Kimzey and Lizzy Vajnar received the National ‘I Dare You’ Leadership Award, recognizing personal integrity, balanced living, and leadership potential. Each received a copy of Danforth’s inspirational book I Dare You. Keeli is described by her reference as “an extremely gifted and motivated young woman” and “an incredibly kind leader and role model.” Lizzy’s reference notes she is “always pleasant, easy to work with, and acts mature and professional during public events.”

The Kansas Key Award, presented to the top 10% of Kansas 4-H members demonstrating exceptional leadership, was awarded to Keeli Kimzey. Recipients must complete four years in the 4-H Leadership project and achieve nine of eleven state leadership goals.

Keeli Kimzey and Lizzy Vajnar were also named 2025 Rosemary Smith 4-H Scholarship recipients. The award, given in memory of longtime 4-H leader Rosemary Smith, recognizes members who have significantly contributed to promoting 4-H at multiple levels. Keeli has served in leadership roles within the Buckeye Junior Farmers and coached the Special Olympics Show at the Kansas State Fair. Lizzy has served as Ellis County 4-H Council Treasurer, participated with the Cottonwood Extension District 4-H Water Ambassadors, and held leadership positions in the Good Hope and Growing Leaders 4-H Clubs.

Intermediates receiving 1st Gold Certificates for their Project Record books were Brynlee Walter – Beef, Foods and Nutrition, Photography and Sheep, Cannon Vajnar – Entomology, Audrey Yarmer – Health &amp; Wellness and Poultry, Karci Kimzey – Horse. Senior division 1st Golds include Lizzy Vajnar - Communications, Keeli Kimzey- Horse, and Faith Schmeidler- Leadership. The Senior winners will have the opportunity to advance to the NW Area competition in January.

Each 4-H Club in the county has the opportunity to nominate a business and an individual who they feel have gone above and beyond the call of duty to help Ellis Co. 4-H. The Ellis Co. 4-H Council makes the final decision on who to recognize as a “Friend of 4-H”.

This year’s individual Friend of 4-H is Amy Bainter, nominated by the Victoria Vikings and Ellis Sunflowers clubs. Amy dedicates countless hours running the 4-H Food Stand at the Ellis County Fair, mentoring members in food safety, customer service, and responsibility. Her leadership fosters an environment where youth can learn, grow, and take pride in their contributions, making her an invaluable member of the 4-H community. Amy is truly a Friend of 4-H for the Ellis Co. 4-H Program!

This year’s business Friend of 4-H is Ellis County Farm Bureau, nominated by the Ellis Sunflowers 4-H Club. Ellis County Farm Bureau is an incredible friend to the 4-H program. By sponsoring the livestock auction meal, they help incentivize prospective buyers to see the hard work the kids have put into their projects. Providing water all week for the 4-Hers is a small but meaningful way to show the kids, “we are thinking of you.” They also support many “Ag in the Classroom” projects throughout the county, helping young people understand the work of farmers and ranchers. For these reasons, Ellis County Farm Bureau is highly deserving of being named the 2025 Business Friend of 4-H.

The Beyond Ready Wildcat recognition honors 8th grade 4-H members for their commitment to leadership, service, and personal growth. This year, 23 Ellis Co. 4-H members were recognized for demonstrating the skills and character developed through their 4-H experiences, qualities that prepare them for success in high school, college, and life. The recognition also highlights their connection to Kansas State University, where many may continue their journey as Wildcats. Each recipient received a letter and certificate signed by K-State President Richard Linton and a Willie the Wildcat pin in recognition of their readiness for the future. Kansas 4-H, as part of K-State’s land-grant mission, is proud to celebrate these youth who embody responsibility, curiosity, and a commitment to “make the best better.”

All Ellis County 4-H members present received a certificate of completion for the 2024-2025 4-H Program Year. First-year Cloverbuds (youth ages 5 and 6) received a pin lanyard, while second-year Cloverbuds were awarded a special Cloverbud pin. Those who met the criteria were also awarded membership pins based on their years and level of involvement in local and statewide 4-H activities. Club leaders and Shooting Sports instructors were recognized for their dedication to the program. Congratulations and thank you to these individuals for their dedication to and support of Ellis County 4-H youth.

The evening concluded with the 4-H Scholarship &amp; Development Committee hosting a silent and live auction to raise funds for 4-H activities and senior scholarships. To donate, please contact the Cottonwood Extension District Office at 785-628-9430.

Tamara Robertson is the 4-H Youth Development Agent with K-State Research and Extension, in the Cottonwood Extension District. For more information on this article or other 4-H Youth Development resources, email Tamara at tarobertson@ksu.edu or call Cottonwood Extension District – Ellis County Office at 785-628-9430.

All K-State Research and Extension educational programs and materials available without discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, or disability.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/3/1741105651681.jpeg" alt="Tamara Robertson is the 4-H Youth Development Agent for the Cottonwood Extension District. Courtesy photo" />
 <figcaption>Tamara Robertson is the 4-H Youth Development Agent for the Cottonwood Extension District. Courtesy photo</figcaption>
 </figure>By&nbsp;TAMARA ROBERTSON Cottonwood Extension DistrictThe 95th Annual 4-H Achievement Banquet was held on October 25, 2025, at the Ellis County Fairgrounds in Hays, honoring Ellis County 4-H members. The event was attended by 137 4-H members, their families, and special guests. The banquet, sponsored by the Ellis County 4-H Council, recognized the achievements of all local 4-H members, leaders, and supporters.Before the evening’s recognitions began, attendees enjoyed a lively Hula-Hooping Contest that brought plenty of laughter and friendly competition. Participants paid $1 to enter and competed in four age divisions: Juniors (8 and younger), Intermediates (9–13), Seniors (14–18), and Adults (19 and older). Contestants showcased their best hula-hooping skills to see who could keep their hoop spinning the longest, with the last participant standing in each division taking home bragging rights and a prize generously donated by Pat and Diane Kuhn. Winners included Tucker Neher, Brynlee Walter, Audrey Yarmer and Janelle Bott.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1761771050386.jpeg" alt="Courtesy photo" />
 <figcaption>Courtesy photo</figcaption>
 </figure>Each 4-H club also recognized outstanding members for their achievements this year. Outstanding Seniors and Juniors recognized by each club include:Big Creek Astros: Isaac Moreno and Brody ArmbristerBuckeye Junior Farmers: Keeli Kimzey and Audrey YarmerEllis Sunflowers: Colton Metzler and Clara StillGemini Juniors: Mariella Dreiling and Ashlynn EricksonGood Hope: Jaiden Pfannenstiel and Jacob LeikerShooting Sports: Morgan Munsch and Eli MeisVictoria Vikings: Ella Neher and Esther NeherAmong the club honorees, Mariella Dreiling and Morgan Munsch were named overall Senior winners, while Jacob Leiker and Eli Meis were named overall Junior winners.The purple club seal is the highest possible level a 4-H club can achieve in the Kansas 4-H program. In order to attain a purple seal this year, clubs had to meet 18-21 of the listed goals. Purple Club Seals awards were presented to the following clubs: Buckeye Jr. Farmers, Ellis Sunflowers, and Shooting Sports.Keeli Kimzey and Lizzy Vajnar received the National ‘I Dare You’ Leadership Award, recognizing personal integrity, balanced living, and leadership potential. Each received a copy of Danforth’s inspirational book I Dare You. Keeli is described by her reference as “an extremely gifted and motivated young woman” and “an incredibly kind leader and role model.” Lizzy’s reference notes she is “always pleasant, easy to work with, and acts mature and professional during public events.”The Kansas Key Award, presented to the top 10% of Kansas 4-H members demonstrating exceptional leadership, was awarded to Keeli Kimzey. Recipients must complete four years in the 4-H Leadership project and achieve nine of eleven state leadership goals.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1761771142648.jpeg" alt="Keeli Kimzey. Courtesy photo" />
 <figcaption>Keeli Kimzey. Courtesy photo</figcaption>
 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1761771411172.jpeg" alt="thumbnail_Rosemary Smith Scholarships.jpg" />
 <figcaption>thumbnail_Rosemary Smith Scholarships.jpg</figcaption>
 </figure>Keeli Kimzey and Lizzy Vajnar were also named 2025 Rosemary Smith 4-H Scholarship recipients. The award, given in memory of longtime 4-H leader Rosemary Smith, recognizes members who have significantly contributed to promoting 4-H at multiple levels. Keeli has served in leadership roles within the Buckeye Junior Farmers and coached the Special Olympics Show at the Kansas State Fair. Lizzy has served as Ellis County 4-H Council Treasurer, participated with the Cottonwood Extension District 4-H Water Ambassadors, and held leadership positions in the Good Hope and Growing Leaders 4-H Clubs.Intermediates receiving 1st Gold Certificates for their Project Record books were Brynlee Walter – Beef, Foods and Nutrition, Photography and Sheep, Cannon Vajnar – Entomology, Audrey Yarmer – Health &amp; Wellness and Poultry, Karci Kimzey – Horse. Senior division 1st Golds include Lizzy Vajnar - Communications, Keeli Kimzey- Horse, and Faith Schmeidler- Leadership. The Senior winners will have the opportunity to advance to the NW Area competition in January.Each 4-H Club in the county has the opportunity to nominate a business and an individual who they feel have gone above and beyond the call of duty to help Ellis Co. 4-H. The Ellis Co. 4-H Council makes the final decision on who to recognize as a “Friend of 4-H”.This year’s individual Friend of 4-H is Amy Bainter, nominated by the Victoria Vikings and Ellis Sunflowers clubs. Amy dedicates countless hours running the 4-H Food Stand at the Ellis County Fair, mentoring members in food safety, customer service, and responsibility. Her leadership fosters an environment where youth can learn, grow, and take pride in their contributions, making her an invaluable member of the 4-H community. Amy is truly a Friend of 4-H for the Ellis Co. 4-H Program!This year’s business Friend of 4-H is Ellis County Farm Bureau, nominated by the Ellis Sunflowers 4-H Club. Ellis County Farm Bureau is an incredible friend to the 4-H program. By sponsoring the livestock auction meal, they help incentivize prospective buyers to see the hard work the kids have put into their projects. Providing water all week for the 4-Hers is a small but meaningful way to show the kids, “we are thinking of you.” They also support many “Ag in the Classroom” projects throughout the county, helping young people understand the work of farmers and ranchers. For these reasons, Ellis County Farm Bureau is highly deserving of being named the 2025 Business Friend of 4-H.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1761771006601.jpeg" alt="thumbnail_Friend of 4-H Business.jpg" />
 <figcaption>thumbnail_Friend of 4-H Business.jpg</figcaption>
 </figure>The Beyond Ready Wildcat recognition honors 8th grade 4-H members for their commitment to leadership, service, and personal growth. This year, 23 Ellis Co. 4-H members were recognized for demonstrating the skills and character developed through their 4-H experiences, qualities that prepare them for success in high school, college, and life. The recognition also highlights their connection to Kansas State University, where many may continue their journey as Wildcats. Each recipient received a letter and certificate signed by K-State President Richard Linton and a Willie the Wildcat pin in recognition of their readiness for the future. Kansas 4-H, as part of K-State’s land-grant mission, is proud to celebrate these youth who embody responsibility, curiosity, and a commitment to “make the best better.”All Ellis County 4-H members present received a certificate of completion for the 2024-2025 4-H Program Year. First-year Cloverbuds (youth ages 5 and 6) received a pin lanyard, while second-year Cloverbuds were awarded a special Cloverbud pin. Those who met the criteria were also awarded membership pins based on their years and level of involvement in local and statewide 4-H activities. Club leaders and Shooting Sports instructors were recognized for their dedication to the program. Congratulations and thank you to these individuals for their dedication to and support of Ellis County 4-H youth.The evening concluded with the 4-H Scholarship &amp; Development Committee hosting a silent and live auction to raise funds for 4-H activities and senior scholarships. To donate, please contact the Cottonwood Extension District Office at 785-628-9430.Tamara Robertson is the 4-H Youth Development Agent with K-State Research and Extension, in the Cottonwood Extension District. For more information on this article or other 4-H Youth Development resources, email Tamara at tarobertson@ksu.edu or call Cottonwood Extension District – Ellis County Office at 785-628-9430.All K-State Research and Extension educational programs and materials available without discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, or disability.

ROBERTSON: 2025 4-H Achievement Banquet

KANSAS CITY—Law enforcement are investigating a business burglary and asking the public for help&nbsp;to identify the suspects shown on security cameras, according KCPD Captain Jake Becchina.

The burglary occurred just after 2:30p.m. October 19,&nbsp; in the area of 12th Street and Broadway Boulevard in Kansas City, Missouri.

If you can identify the suspects, please contact the Central Patrol Property Crimes Section at 816- 413-3430 or the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1761947486285.png" alt="Photo Kansas City Police" />
 <figcaption>Photo Kansas City Police</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY—Law enforcement are investigating a business burglary and asking the public for help&nbsp;to identify the suspects shown on security cameras, according KCPD Captain Jake Becchina.The burglary occurred just after 2:30p.m. October 19,&nbsp; in the area of 12th Street and Broadway Boulevard in Kansas City, Missouri.If you can identify the suspects, please contact the Central Patrol Property Crimes Section at 816- 413-3430 or the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS.

Police ask for help to ID Kansas City burglary suspects

WASHINGTON (AP) —President Trump says he'll fund SNAP if the courts give more clarity.

On Friday evening, the president suggested on social media that the government would comply with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/snap-shutdown-lawsuits-deadline-4af8b0dec6cd31cddd023cc99c131b73">court rulings</a>&nbsp;to pay for food aid during the government shutdown but said more clarity is needed first.

“Even if we get immediate guidance, it will unfortunately be delayed while States get the money out,” Trump said. Federal funds for the program are expected to be frozen starting Saturday.

“If we are given the appropriate legal direction by the Court, it will BE MY HONOR to provide the funding.”

He sought to blame Democrats for the delay and urged SNAP recipients to call Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1761957209962.png" alt="President Trump spoke to reporters upon arrival Palm Beach, Florida on Friday -image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>President Trump spoke to reporters upon arrival Palm Beach, Florida on Friday -image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) —President Trump says he'll fund SNAP if the courts give more clarity.On Friday evening, the president suggested on social media that the government would comply with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/snap-shutdown-lawsuits-deadline-4af8b0dec6cd31cddd023cc99c131b73">court rulings</a>&nbsp;to pay for food aid during the government shutdown but said more clarity is needed first.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><a href="https://t.co/GaXZbasg6U">pic.twitter.com/GaXZbasg6U</a>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1984383011937534409?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 31, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>“Even if we get immediate guidance, it will unfortunately be delayed while States get the money out,” Trump said. Federal funds for the program are expected to be frozen starting Saturday.“If we are given the appropriate legal direction by the Court, it will BE MY HONOR to provide the funding.”He sought to blame Democrats for the delay and urged SNAP recipients to call Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.

Trump: It will be my honor to fund SNAP if ....

BOSTON (AP) — Two federal judges ruled nearly simultaneously on Friday that President Donald Trump’s administration must continue to pay for SNAP, the nation’s biggest food aid program, using emergency reserve funds during the government shutdown.

The judges in Massachusetts and Rhode Island gave the administration leeway on whether to fund the program partially or in full for November. That also brings uncertainty about how things will unfold and will delay payments for many beneficiaries whose cards would normally be recharged early in the month.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture planned to freeze payments to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program starting Nov. 1 because it said it could no longer keep funding it due to the shutdown. The program serves about 1 in 8 Americans and is a major piece of the nation’s social safety net — and it costs about $8 billion per month nationally.

U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a Minnesota Democrat and the ranking member of the Senate Agriculture committee that oversees the food aid program, said Friday's rulings from judges nominated to the bench by former President Barack Obama confirm what Democrats have been saying: "The administration is choosing not to feed Americans in need, despite knowing that it is legally required to do so.”

Judges agree at least one fund must go toward SNAP

Democratic state attorneys general or governors from 25 states, as well as the District of Columbia, challenged the plan to pause the program, contending that the administration has a legal obligation to keep it running in their jurisdictions.

The administration said it wasn’t allowed to use a contingency fund of about $5 billion for the program, which reversed a USDA plan from before the shutdown that said money would be tapped to keep SNAP running. The Democratic officials argued that not only could that money be used, but that it must be. They also said a separate fund with around $23 billion is available for the cause.

In Providence, Rhode Island, U.S. District Judge John J. McConnell ruled from the bench in a case filed by cities and nonprofits that the program must be funded using at least the contingency funds, and he asked for an update on progress by Monday.

Along with ordering the federal government to use emergency reserves to backfill SNAP benefits, McConnell ruled that all previous work requirement waivers must continue to be honored. The USDA during the shutdown has terminated existing waivers that exempted work requirements for older adults, veterans and others.

There were similar elements in the Boston case, where U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani ruled in a written opinion that the USDA has to pay for SNAP, calling the suspension “unlawful.” She ordered the federal government to advise the court by Monday as to whether they will use the emergency reserve funds to provide reduced SNAP benefits for November or fully fund the program “using both contingency funds and additional available funds.

“Defendants’ suspension of SNAP payments was based on the erroneous conclusion that the Contingency Funds could not be used to ensure continuation of SNAP payments,” she wrote. “This court has now clarified that Defendants are required to use those Contingency Funds as necessary for the SNAP program.”

For many, benefits will still be delayed after the ruling

No matter how the rulings came down, the benefits for millions of people will be delayed in November because the process of loading cards can take a week or more in many states.

The administration did not immediately say whether it would appeal the rulings.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/shutdown-snap-states-help-a5ab631a93a6d8087a4448117f026fb7">States, food banks and SNAP recipients</a>&nbsp;have been bracing for an abrupt shift in how low-income people can get groceries. Advocates and beneficiaries say halting the food aid would force people to choose between buying groceries and paying other bills.

The majority of states have announced more or expedited funding for food banks or novel ways to load at least some benefits onto the SNAP debit cards.

Across the U.S., advocates who had been sounding the alarm for weeks about the pending SNAP benefits cut off let out a small sigh of relief on Friday as the rulings came down, while acknowledging the win is temporary and possibly not complete.

"Thousands of nonprofit food banks, pantries and other organizations across the country can avoid the impossible burden that would have resulted if SNAP benefits had been halted,” said Diane Yentel, president and CEO of the National Council of Nonprofits, one of the plaintiffs in the Rhode Island case.

The possibility of reduced benefits also means uncertainty

Cynthia Kirkhart, CEO of Facing Hunger Food Bank in Huntington, West Virginia, said her organization and the pantries it serves in Kentucky, Ohio and West Virginia will keep their extra hours this weekend, knowing that the people whose benefits usually arrive at the start of the month won’t see them.

“What we know, unless the administration is magical, is nothing is going to happen tomorrow,” she said.

Kristle Johnson, a 32-year-old full-time nursing student and mother of three in Florida, is concerned about the possibility of reduced benefits.

Despite buying meat in bulk, careful meal planning and not buying junk food, she said, her $994 a month benefit doesn’t buy a full month’s groceries.

“Now I have to deal with someone who wants to get rid of everything I have to keep my family afloat until I can better myself,” Johnson said of Trump.

The ruling doesn't resolve partisan tussles

At a Washington news conference earlier Friday, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, whose department runs SNAP, said the contingency funds in question would not cover the cost of the program for long. Speaking at a press conference with House Speaker Mike Johnson at the Capitol, she blamed Democrats for conducting a “disgusting dereliction of duty” by refusing to end their Senate filibuster as they hold out for an extension of health care funds.

A push this week to continue SNAP funding during the shutdown&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/snap-benefits-government-shutdown-democrats-0cb0858eca47c90e2379f823d360083b">failed in Congress</a>.

To qualify for SNAP in 2025, a family of four’s net income after certain expenses can’t exceed the federal poverty line, which is about $31,000 per year. Last year, SNAP provided assistance to 41 million people, nearly two-thirds of whom were families with children.

“The court’s ruling protects millions of families, seniors, and veterans from being used as leverage in a political fight and upholds the principle that no one in America should go hungry,” Skye Perryman, president and CEO of Democracy Forward, said of the Rhode Island decision.

Mulvihill reported from Haddonfield, New Jersey; and Kruesi from Providence, Rhode Island. Associated Press reporter Lisa Mascaro in Washington, D.C., contributed.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1761708396724.jpeg" alt=" " />
 <figcaption> </figcaption>
 </figure>BOSTON (AP) — Two federal judges ruled nearly simultaneously on Friday that President Donald Trump’s administration must continue to pay for SNAP, the nation’s biggest food aid program, using emergency reserve funds during the government shutdown.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/2/1739672428485.png" alt=" " />
 <figcaption> </figcaption>
 </figure>The judges in Massachusetts and Rhode Island gave the administration leeway on whether to fund the program partially or in full for November. That also brings uncertainty about how things will unfold and will delay payments for many beneficiaries whose cards would normally be recharged early in the month.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">President Trump on SNAP benefits: &quot;When you talk about SNAP, you&#39;re talking about largely Democrats. I&#39;m president. I want to help everybody...Democrats and Republicans. But when you&#39;re talking about SNAP, if you look, it&#39;s largely Democrats. They&#39;re hurting their own people.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/D2nli8CCWy">pic.twitter.com/D2nli8CCWy</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1984319423444906227?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 31, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The U.S. Department of Agriculture planned to freeze payments to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program starting Nov. 1 because it said it could no longer keep funding it due to the shutdown. The program serves about 1 in 8 Americans and is a major piece of the nation’s social safety net — and it costs about $8 billion per month nationally.U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a Minnesota Democrat and the ranking member of the Senate Agriculture committee that oversees the food aid program, said Friday's rulings from judges nominated to the bench by former President Barack Obama confirm what Democrats have been saying: "The administration is choosing not to feed Americans in need, despite knowing that it is legally required to do so.”<h2>Judges agree at least one fund must go toward SNAP</h2>Democratic state attorneys general or governors from 25 states, as well as the District of Columbia, challenged the plan to pause the program, contending that the administration has a legal obligation to keep it running in their jurisdictions.The administration said it wasn’t allowed to use a contingency fund of about $5 billion for the program, which reversed a USDA plan from before the shutdown that said money would be tapped to keep SNAP running. The Democratic officials argued that not only could that money be used, but that it must be. They also said a separate fund with around $23 billion is available for the cause.In Providence, Rhode Island, U.S. District Judge John J. McConnell ruled from the bench in a case filed by cities and nonprofits that the program must be funded using at least the contingency funds, and he asked for an update on progress by Monday.Along with ordering the federal government to use emergency reserves to backfill SNAP benefits, McConnell ruled that all previous work requirement waivers must continue to be honored. The USDA during the shutdown has terminated existing waivers that exempted work requirements for older adults, veterans and others.There were similar elements in the Boston case, where U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani ruled in a written opinion that the USDA has to pay for SNAP, calling the suspension “unlawful.” She ordered the federal government to advise the court by Monday as to whether they will use the emergency reserve funds to provide reduced SNAP benefits for November or fully fund the program “using both contingency funds and additional available funds.“Defendants’ suspension of SNAP payments was based on the erroneous conclusion that the Contingency Funds could not be used to ensure continuation of SNAP payments,” she wrote. “This court has now clarified that Defendants are required to use those Contingency Funds as necessary for the SNAP program.”<h2>For many, benefits will still be delayed after the ruling</h2>No matter how the rulings came down, the benefits for millions of people will be delayed in November because the process of loading cards can take a week or more in many states.The administration did not immediately say whether it would appeal the rulings.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/shutdown-snap-states-help-a5ab631a93a6d8087a4448117f026fb7">States, food banks and SNAP recipients</a>&nbsp;have been bracing for an abrupt shift in how low-income people can get groceries. Advocates and beneficiaries say halting the food aid would force people to choose between buying groceries and paying other bills.The majority of states have announced more or expedited funding for food banks or novel ways to load at least some benefits onto the SNAP debit cards.Across the U.S., advocates who had been sounding the alarm for weeks about the pending SNAP benefits cut off let out a small sigh of relief on Friday as the rulings came down, while acknowledging the win is temporary and possibly not complete."Thousands of nonprofit food banks, pantries and other organizations across the country can avoid the impossible burden that would have resulted if SNAP benefits had been halted,” said Diane Yentel, president and CEO of the National Council of Nonprofits, one of the plaintiffs in the Rhode Island case.<h2>The possibility of reduced benefits also means uncertainty</h2>Cynthia Kirkhart, CEO of Facing Hunger Food Bank in Huntington, West Virginia, said her organization and the pantries it serves in Kentucky, Ohio and West Virginia will keep their extra hours this weekend, knowing that the people whose benefits usually arrive at the start of the month won’t see them.“What we know, unless the administration is magical, is nothing is going to happen tomorrow,” she said.Kristle Johnson, a 32-year-old full-time nursing student and mother of three in Florida, is concerned about the possibility of reduced benefits.Despite buying meat in bulk, careful meal planning and not buying junk food, she said, her $994 a month benefit doesn’t buy a full month’s groceries.“Now I have to deal with someone who wants to get rid of everything I have to keep my family afloat until I can better myself,” Johnson said of Trump.<h2>The ruling doesn't resolve partisan tussles</h2>At a Washington news conference earlier Friday, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, whose department runs SNAP, said the contingency funds in question would not cover the cost of the program for long. Speaking at a press conference with House Speaker Mike Johnson at the Capitol, she blamed Democrats for conducting a “disgusting dereliction of duty” by refusing to end their Senate filibuster as they hold out for an extension of health care funds.A push this week to continue SNAP funding during the shutdown&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/snap-benefits-government-shutdown-democrats-0cb0858eca47c90e2379f823d360083b">failed in Congress</a>.To qualify for SNAP in 2025, a family of four’s net income after certain expenses can’t exceed the federal poverty line, which is about $31,000 per year. Last year, SNAP provided assistance to 41 million people, nearly two-thirds of whom were families with children.“The court’s ruling protects millions of families, seniors, and veterans from being used as leverage in a political fight and upholds the principle that no one in America should go hungry,” Skye Perryman, president and CEO of Democracy Forward, said of the Rhode Island decision.___Mulvihill reported from Haddonfield, New Jersey; and Kruesi from Providence, Rhode Island. Associated Press reporter Lisa Mascaro in Washington, D.C., contributed.

Judge: Trump admin. must fund SNAP payments during shutdown

NEW YORK (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/amazon-second-quarter-earnings-inflation-61fe44159f18f9b89d9ed2a5642ba903">Amazon</a>&nbsp;led the U.S. stock market on Friday to the finish of another winning week and month.

The S&amp;P 500 rose 0.3% and pulled closer to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/stock-markets-trump-china-earnings-7507a6e0d264874721af27cc7533544a">its all-time high</a>&nbsp;set on Tuesday. It closed out a third straight winning week and a sixth straight winning month, its longest monthly winning streak since 2021.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 40 points, or 0.1%, and the Nasdaq composite gained 0.6%.

Amazon led the way and jumped 9.6%. The retail giant was by far the strongest force lifting the market after reporting profit for the latest quarter that blew past analysts’ expectations. CEO Andy Jassy said growth for its booming cloud-computing business has accelerated to a pace it hasn’t seen since 2022.

Amazon’s massive size of roughly $2.4 trillion means its stock movements carry more weight on the S&amp;P 500 than almost any other company’s. Without it, the S&amp;P 500 would have been down for the day.

Another highly influential stock,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/apple-iphone-sales-earnings-ai-4e2a5c6f77876529d189c56b905a03b2">Apple</a>, had less of an effect on the market even though it’s bigger than Amazon. The iPhone maker, which is worth more than $4 trillion, swung between modest gains and losses through the day before finishing with a dip of 0.4%.

It likewise delivered a better profit report for the latest quarter than analysts expected, though by not as big a margin as Amazon did. CEO Tim Cook said it benefited from strong revenue for both its&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/apple-iphone-tariffs-price-increase-5b78b243daceb791e19fc6e2c2740112">iPhone lineup</a>&nbsp;and its services offerings, which include its app store.

Elsewhere on Wall Street, online message board Reddit jumped 7.5% to erase losses from earlier in the week after reporting stronger profit and revenue for the latest quarter than analysts expected.

Coinbase Global rose 4.6% after the crypto exchange’s profit likewise topped expectations.

Outside of earnings reports, Netflix added 2.7% after the video streamer announced a move that could make its stock price more affordable but still leave all its investors holding the same amount. Netflix will undergo a 10-for-1 stock split, where it will give nine additional shares to investors for each they own.

They helped offset a drop for AbbVie, which fell 4.5% even though the medicine maker reported stronger profit for the latest quarter than expected. Analysts pointed to how it’s beating forecasts by less than before, and expectations may have been high after AbbVie’s stock came into the day with a strong 28.4% gain for the year so far.

The pressure is on companies broadly to deliver big growth in profits to justify the huge gains their stock prices have made since April. Criticism has been growing that the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/investors-401k-what-to-do-bb0663da4643e8c3dbe08a4092482aa5">U.S. stock market has become too expensive</a>.

A day earlier, the S&amp;P 500&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/stocks-markets-trump-trade-china-69486a7b0e697f0ae68b58c77a4d5ebc">slumped 1%</a>&nbsp;as investors appeared unnerved by big increases in spending that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/meta-earnings-ai-revenue-profit-4bc5e0a42e984938b58de5c3561b5faa">Meta Platforms</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/microsoft-earnings-57409189adf4776d1953a06e516e0d7e">Microsoft</a>&nbsp;are planning as part of the investment spree underway in artificial-intelligence technology. Financial markets also appeared skeptical that President Donald&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-xi-china-trade-war-4c19a752c97828246c08f60f0dc54c79">Trump’s</a>&nbsp;trade truce with China would put an end to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-china-united-states-trade-war-05f263e824a3e83fa0cc8158f834493a">tensions between the two</a>&nbsp;countries.

Additional drops on Friday of 1.5% for Microsoft and 2.7% for Meta were the two heaviest weights on the U.S. market.

All told, the S&amp;P 500 rose 17.86 points to 6,840.20. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 40.75 to 47,562.87, and the Nasdaq composite climbed 143.81 to 23,724.96.

In stock markets abroad, indexes dipped in Europe following a mixed finish in Asia.

Stocks fell 1.4% in Hong Kong and 0.8% in Shanghai after data showed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/china-factory-economy-us-trade-2181298f18f96fa90dc6790b909f06c1">factory activity in China</a>&nbsp;contracted in October for a seventh straight month.

Japan’s Nikkei 225, meanwhile, jumped 2.1% to another record after a report showed industrial production rose more in September than expected.

In the bond market, Treasury yields eased following their spurt higher in the middle of the week, when Federal Reserve Chair Jerome&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/federal-reserve-cut-inflation-jobs-e689e1397856aa24ffebdaaefa9762a2">Powell warned</a>&nbsp;that another cut to interest rates in December “is not a foregone conclusion — far from it.”

The yield on the 10-year Treasury dipped to 4.09% from 4.11% late Thursday, though it’s still above the 3.99% level it was at before Powell’s warning.

Other central banks have halted cuts to rates or hinted at pauses recently, and “it seems this is it for the 2025 easing season in developed economies,” economists at Bank of America wrote in a BofA Global Research report.

NEW YORK (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/amazon-second-quarter-earnings-inflation-61fe44159f18f9b89d9ed2a5642ba903">Amazon</a>&nbsp;led the U.S. stock market on Friday to the finish of another winning week and month.The S&amp;P 500 rose 0.3% and pulled closer to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/stock-markets-trump-china-earnings-7507a6e0d264874721af27cc7533544a">its all-time high</a>&nbsp;set on Tuesday. It closed out a third straight winning week and a sixth straight winning month, its longest monthly winning streak since 2021.The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 40 points, or 0.1%, and the Nasdaq composite gained 0.6%.Amazon led the way and jumped 9.6%. The retail giant was by far the strongest force lifting the market after reporting profit for the latest quarter that blew past analysts’ expectations. CEO Andy Jassy said growth for its booming cloud-computing business has accelerated to a pace it hasn’t seen since 2022.Amazon’s massive size of roughly $2.4 trillion means its stock movements carry more weight on the S&amp;P 500 than almost any other company’s. Without it, the S&amp;P 500 would have been down for the day.Another highly influential stock,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/apple-iphone-sales-earnings-ai-4e2a5c6f77876529d189c56b905a03b2">Apple</a>, had less of an effect on the market even though it’s bigger than Amazon. The iPhone maker, which is worth more than $4 trillion, swung between modest gains and losses through the day before finishing with a dip of 0.4%.It likewise delivered a better profit report for the latest quarter than analysts expected, though by not as big a margin as Amazon did. CEO Tim Cook said it benefited from strong revenue for both its&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/apple-iphone-tariffs-price-increase-5b78b243daceb791e19fc6e2c2740112">iPhone lineup</a>&nbsp;and its services offerings, which include its app store.Elsewhere on Wall Street, online message board Reddit jumped 7.5% to erase losses from earlier in the week after reporting stronger profit and revenue for the latest quarter than analysts expected.Coinbase Global rose 4.6% after the crypto exchange’s profit likewise topped expectations.Outside of earnings reports, Netflix added 2.7% after the video streamer announced a move that could make its stock price more affordable but still leave all its investors holding the same amount. Netflix will undergo a 10-for-1 stock split, where it will give nine additional shares to investors for each they own.They helped offset a drop for AbbVie, which fell 4.5% even though the medicine maker reported stronger profit for the latest quarter than expected. Analysts pointed to how it’s beating forecasts by less than before, and expectations may have been high after AbbVie’s stock came into the day with a strong 28.4% gain for the year so far.The pressure is on companies broadly to deliver big growth in profits to justify the huge gains their stock prices have made since April. Criticism has been growing that the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/investors-401k-what-to-do-bb0663da4643e8c3dbe08a4092482aa5">U.S. stock market has become too expensive</a>.A day earlier, the S&amp;P 500&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/stocks-markets-trump-trade-china-69486a7b0e697f0ae68b58c77a4d5ebc">slumped 1%</a>&nbsp;as investors appeared unnerved by big increases in spending that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/meta-earnings-ai-revenue-profit-4bc5e0a42e984938b58de5c3561b5faa">Meta Platforms</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/microsoft-earnings-57409189adf4776d1953a06e516e0d7e">Microsoft</a>&nbsp;are planning as part of the investment spree underway in artificial-intelligence technology. Financial markets also appeared skeptical that President Donald&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-xi-china-trade-war-4c19a752c97828246c08f60f0dc54c79">Trump’s</a>&nbsp;trade truce with China would put an end to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-china-united-states-trade-war-05f263e824a3e83fa0cc8158f834493a">tensions between the two</a>&nbsp;countries.Additional drops on Friday of 1.5% for Microsoft and 2.7% for Meta were the two heaviest weights on the U.S. market.All told, the S&amp;P 500 rose 17.86 points to 6,840.20. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 40.75 to 47,562.87, and the Nasdaq composite climbed 143.81 to 23,724.96.In stock markets abroad, indexes dipped in Europe following a mixed finish in Asia.Stocks fell 1.4% in Hong Kong and 0.8% in Shanghai after data showed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/china-factory-economy-us-trade-2181298f18f96fa90dc6790b909f06c1">factory activity in China</a>&nbsp;contracted in October for a seventh straight month.Japan’s Nikkei 225, meanwhile, jumped 2.1% to another record after a report showed industrial production rose more in September than expected.In the bond market, Treasury yields eased following their spurt higher in the middle of the week, when Federal Reserve Chair Jerome&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/federal-reserve-cut-inflation-jobs-e689e1397856aa24ffebdaaefa9762a2">Powell warned</a>&nbsp;that another cut to interest rates in December “is not a foregone conclusion — far from it.”The yield on the 10-year Treasury dipped to 4.09% from 4.11% late Thursday, though it’s still above the 3.99% level it was at before Powell’s warning.Other central banks have halted cuts to rates or hinted at pauses recently, and “it seems this is it for the 2025 easing season in developed economies,” economists at Bank of America wrote in a BofA Global Research report.___

Wall Street, led by Amazon, ends another winning week and month

WASHINGTON (AP) —Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins says she can't release SNAP fund.

Rollins says her department can’t unleash contingency funds to ensure SNAP food aid doesn’t cut off Saturday.

And even if it could, she said, the funds would barely cover costs of the program.

A lawsuit to force the administration to release the funds is now pending.

Speaking at a press conference with House Speaker Mike Johnson at the Capitol, she blamed Democrats for conducting a “disgusting dereliction of duty” as they refuse to reopen given and hold out for health care funds.

WASHINGTON (AP) —Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins says she can't release SNAP fund.Rollins says her department can’t unleash contingency funds to ensure SNAP food aid doesn’t cut off Saturday.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">.<a href="https://twitter.com/SecRollins?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SecRollins</a> &quot;Millions of Americans, as of tomorrow, will no longer receive SNAP benefits and potentially WIC — or even a paycheck. Democrats have instigated a disgusting dereliction of duty unlike anything I have seen in all my years doing this work.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/tVo2dOCJfM">pic.twitter.com/tVo2dOCJfM</a>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1984269252116017469?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 31, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>And even if it could, she said, the funds would barely cover costs of the program.A lawsuit to force the administration to release the funds is now pending.Speaking at a press conference with House Speaker Mike Johnson at the Capitol, she blamed Democrats for conducting a “disgusting dereliction of duty” as they refuse to reopen given and hold out for health care funds.

 🎥Agriculture Secretary says she can’t release SNAP funds

DEARBORN, Mich. (AP) — Multiple people who had been allegedly plotting a violent attack over the Halloween weekend were arrested Friday in Michigan, FBI Director&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/kash-patel">Kash Patel</a>&nbsp;said in a social media post.

Patel said more information would be released later. But the law enforcement effort appeared to be in the Detroit area.

FBI and state police vehicles were in a neighborhood near Fordson High School in Dearborn. People wearing shirts marked FBI walked in and out of a house, including one person who collected paper bags and other items from an evidence truck.

Dearborn police said in a social media post that it was aware that the FBI was conducting operations in the city and assured residents that there was no threat to the community. A message seeking comment from an FBI spokesperson in Detroit was not immediately returned.

Separately, in May, the FBI said it arrested a man who had spent months&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/michigan-army-site-attack-plan-f51b1f3c8c9219e87d6d6df2c3c2d11d">planning an attack</a>&nbsp;against a U.S. Army site in suburban Detroit on behalf of the Islamic State group. The man, Ammar Said, didn’t know that his supposed allies in the alleged plot were undercover FBI employees.

Said remains in custody, charged with attempting to provide support to a terrorist organization. The criminal complaint was replaced in September with a criminal “information” document, signaling that a guilty plea is likely.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1761928293448.png" alt="Image from FBI video" />
 <figcaption>Image from FBI video</figcaption>
 </figure>DEARBORN, Mich. (AP) — Multiple people who had been allegedly plotting a violent attack over the Halloween weekend were arrested Friday in Michigan, FBI Director&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/kash-patel">Kash Patel</a>&nbsp;said in a social media post.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">This morning the FBI thwarted a potential terrorist attack and arrested multiple subjects in Michigan who were allegedly plotting a violent attack over Halloween weekend. More details to come. Thanks to the men and women of FBI and law enforcement everywhere standing guard 24/7…&mdash; FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) <a href="https://twitter.com/FBIDirectorKash/status/1984222011158102097?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 31, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Patel said more information would be released later. But the law enforcement effort appeared to be in the Detroit area.FBI and state police vehicles were in a neighborhood near Fordson High School in Dearborn. People wearing shirts marked FBI walked in and out of a house, including one person who collected paper bags and other items from an evidence truck.Dearborn police said in a social media post that it was aware that the FBI was conducting operations in the city and assured residents that there was no threat to the community. A message seeking comment from an FBI spokesperson in Detroit was not immediately returned.Separately, in May, the FBI said it arrested a man who had spent months&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/michigan-army-site-attack-plan-f51b1f3c8c9219e87d6d6df2c3c2d11d">planning an attack</a>&nbsp;against a U.S. Army site in suburban Detroit on behalf of the Islamic State group. The man, Ammar Said, didn’t know that his supposed allies in the alleged plot were undercover FBI employees.Said remains in custody, charged with attempting to provide support to a terrorist organization. The criminal complaint was replaced in September with a criminal “information” document, signaling that a guilty plea is likely.___

FBI thwarts potential Halloween weekend terror attack

Shaun William Deibert, 41, of
Tonopah, Arizona, died on Wednesday, October 22, 2025, at his home.

Shaun was born on March 04, 1984,
in Hays, Kansas, the son of Dale Junn Deibert and Margaret Ann Froelich.&nbsp; He grew up in and around Dodge City, Kansas. In
1999, while attending Russell High School he met Amanda Rose Clenney during an
art field trip. Shaun then graduated from the Class of 2002 at Haviland High
School in Haviland, Kansas. Shaun and Amanda were united in marriage on
December 27, 2002, in Russell, Kansas. They then made their home in Hays, Kansas.
&nbsp;He attended North Central Kansas
Technical College graduating with a diploma in Automotive Mechanics.&nbsp; Shaun honorably served his country, in the
United States Marine Corps as an AV-8B Harrier ejection seat mechanic,
stationed at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point in North Carolina. &nbsp;In 2013, Shaun moved from North Carolina with
his wife to Arizona. &nbsp;The move was to
attend Motorcycle Mechanics Institute, and he graduated from the Harley
Davidson Program. &nbsp;In 2014, they were
blessed with their daughter Jessie.&nbsp;
Shaun then graduated from Universal Technical Institute with an
Associates of Occupational Studies Degree in Automotive, Diesel and Industrial
Technology. &nbsp;After graduation, Shaun and
his family made the decision to stay in the Arizona sunshine. &nbsp;They moved from Surprise to make their home in
Tonopah, Arizona. &nbsp;In 2024, they were
once again blessed with a daughter Shelby.&nbsp;
Shaun enjoyed mechanics, he didn’t simply fix anything, he always tried
to make it better. &nbsp;His sense of humor
was truly unique and unforgettable. &nbsp;Most
of all he enjoyed spending time with his family, especially his two daughters.

Surviving family include his wife
Amanda Rose Deibert and daughters Jessie Rose Deibert and Shelby Rose Deibert
all of the home, father Dale J. Deibert of Kinsley, Kansas and mother Margaret
A. Froelich of Dodge City, Kansas; sister Margaret H. Deibert of Missouri;
niece Alyssa Deibert of Wichita Falls, Texas, nephews Brandon Voss of Pratt,
Kansas and Cody Voss of Ogden, Kansas and mother in-law Cynthia Clenney of
Russell, Kansas.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1761924097494.jpeg" alt="Shaun William Deibert" />
 <figcaption>Shaun William Deibert</figcaption>
 </figure>Shaun William Deibert, 41, of
Tonopah, Arizona, died on Wednesday, October 22, 2025, at his home.Shaun was born on March 04, 1984,
in Hays, Kansas, the son of Dale Junn Deibert and Margaret Ann Froelich.&nbsp; He grew up in and around Dodge City, Kansas. In
1999, while attending Russell High School he met Amanda Rose Clenney during an
art field trip. Shaun then graduated from the Class of 2002 at Haviland High
School in Haviland, Kansas. Shaun and Amanda were united in marriage on
December 27, 2002, in Russell, Kansas. They then made their home in Hays, Kansas.
&nbsp;He attended North Central Kansas
Technical College graduating with a diploma in Automotive Mechanics.&nbsp; Shaun honorably served his country, in the
United States Marine Corps as an AV-8B Harrier ejection seat mechanic,
stationed at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point in North Carolina. &nbsp;In 2013, Shaun moved from North Carolina with
his wife to Arizona. &nbsp;The move was to
attend Motorcycle Mechanics Institute, and he graduated from the Harley
Davidson Program. &nbsp;In 2014, they were
blessed with their daughter Jessie.&nbsp;
Shaun then graduated from Universal Technical Institute with an
Associates of Occupational Studies Degree in Automotive, Diesel and Industrial
Technology. &nbsp;After graduation, Shaun and
his family made the decision to stay in the Arizona sunshine. &nbsp;They moved from Surprise to make their home in
Tonopah, Arizona. &nbsp;In 2024, they were
once again blessed with a daughter Shelby.&nbsp;
Shaun enjoyed mechanics, he didn’t simply fix anything, he always tried
to make it better. &nbsp;His sense of humor
was truly unique and unforgettable. &nbsp;Most
of all he enjoyed spending time with his family, especially his two daughters.Surviving family include his wife
Amanda Rose Deibert and daughters Jessie Rose Deibert and Shelby Rose Deibert
all of the home, father Dale J. Deibert of Kinsley, Kansas and mother Margaret
A. Froelich of Dodge City, Kansas; sister Margaret H. Deibert of Missouri;
niece Alyssa Deibert of Wichita Falls, Texas, nephews Brandon Voss of Pratt,
Kansas and Cody Voss of Ogden, Kansas and mother in-law Cynthia Clenney of
Russell, Kansas.

Shaun William Deibert

KAYS - (1400/94.3) KFIX - (96.9) KHAZ - (99.5) KJLS - (103.3) KKQY - (101.9)

Friday, October 31 KKQY: Plainville at&nbsp;Hutchinson-Trinity Catholic, 6:00pm &nbsp;

Saturday, November 1
 KJLS: Fort Hays State FB vs. Central Missouri, 12:00pm
 KAYS: Kansas FB Oklahoma State, 1:30pm

Sunday, November 2
 KFIX: Kansas City
Chiefs FB at Buffalo Bills, 2:00pm

KAYS - (1400/94.3) KFIX - (96.9) KHAZ - (99.5) KJLS - (103.3) KKQY - (101.9)Friday, October 31 KKQY: Plainville at&nbsp;Hutchinson-Trinity Catholic, 6:00pm &nbsp; Saturday, November 1
 KJLS: Fort Hays State FB vs. Central Missouri, 12:00pm
 KAYS: Kansas FB Oklahoma State, 1:30pmSunday, November 2
 KFIX: Kansas City
Chiefs FB at Buffalo Bills, 2:00pm

🎧 Eagle Radio, Hull sports broadcast schedule

By&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/author/lisa-mascaro">LISA MASCARO</a>

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is calling on the Senate to scrap the filibuster, so that the Republican majority can bypass Democrats and reopen the federal government.

“THE CHOICE IS CLEAR — INITIATE THE ‘NUCLEAR OPTION,’ GET RID OF THE FILIBUSTER,” Trump posted Thursday night on his social media site, Truth Social.

The filibuster is a long-standing tactic in the Senate to delay or block votes on legislation by keeping the debate running. It requires 60 votes in a full Senate to overcome a filibuster, giving Democrats a check on the 53-seat Republican majority that led to the start of the Oct. 1 shutdown when the new fiscal year began.

Trump's call to terminate the filibuster could alter the ways the Senate and congressional dealmaking operate, with the president saying in his post that he gave a “great deal” of thought to the choice on his flight back from Asia on Thursday.

Trump spent the past week with foreign leaders in Malaysia, Japan and South Korea, finishing his tour by meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

The president declared the trip a success because of a trade truce with China and foreign investment planned for American industries, but he said one question kept coming up during his time there about why did “powerful Republicans allow” the Democrats to shut down parts of the government.

His call to end the filibuster came at a moment when certain senators and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/mike-johnson/">House Speaker Mike Johnson</a>&nbsp;believed it was time for the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/government-shutdown">government shutdown</a>&nbsp;to come to an end. It's unclear if lawmakers will follow Trump's lead, rather than finding ways to negotiate with Democrats.

From coast to coast,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/troop-pay-shutdown-military-congress-trump-961b81b2990ac1bd03041e5586028764">fallout</a>&nbsp;from the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/telehealth-virtual-medicare-government-shutdown-congress-37a4aaa97ed4ed2e81330eda0d8eb908">dysfunction of a shuttered federal government</a>&nbsp;is hitting home: Alaskans are stockpiling moose, caribou and fish for winter, even before&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/snap-food-aid-ruling-shutdown-trump-09f9807264385f0beab61a68dcbbdd66">SNAP food aid is scheduled to shut off</a>. Mainers are filling up their home-heating oil tanks, but waiting on the federal subsidies that are nowhere in sight.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/flight-delays-shutdown-air-traffic-controllers-9e1c68b03060c6a694e193d272632fef">Flights are being delayed</a>&nbsp;with holiday travel around the corner. Workers are going without paychecks. And Americans are getting a first glimpse of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/poll-shutdown-health-care-insurance-costs-trump-f0282a0f5bedf3f01172ed3fa0ba4fd2">skyrocketing health care insurance costs</a>&nbsp;that are at the center of the stalemate on Capitol Hill.

“People are stressing,” said Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, as food options in her state grow scarce.

“We are well past time to have this behind us.”

While quiet talks are underway, particularly among bipartisan senators, the shutdown is not expected to end before Saturday's deadline when&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/shutdown-snap-states-help-a5ab631a93a6d8087a4448117f026fb7">Americans' deep food insecurity</a>&nbsp;— one in eight people depend on the government to have enough to eat — could become starkly apparent if federal SNAP funds run dry.

The White House has moved money around to ensure the military is paid, but refuses to tap funds for food aid. In fact, Trump’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/what-is-republican-trump-tax-bill-f65be44e1050431a601320197322551b">“big, beautiful bill”</a>&nbsp;signed into law this summer, delivered the most substantial cut ever to the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/food-stamps-snap-states-trump-2c604216d26a9edf84fe502136be6d6f">Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program</a>, known as SNAP, projected to result in some 2.4 million people off the program.

At the same time, many Americans who purchase their own health insurance through the federal and state marketplaces, with open enrollment also beginning Saturday, are experiencing sticker shock as premium prices jump.

“We are holding food over the heads of poor people so that we can take away their health care,” said Rev. Ryan Stoess, during a prayer with religious leaders at the U.S. Capitol.

“God help us,” he said, “when the cruelty is the point.”

The House remains closed down under Johnson for the past month. Senators are preparing to depart Thursday for the long weekend. Trump returns late Thursday after a whirlwind tour of Asia.

That means the shutdown, in its 30th day, appears all but certain to stretch into another week, putting it on track to become the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/30769167ab7a4ef9adf880d020b775dd">longest in history</a>, surpassing the 35-day lapse that ended in 2019, during Trump’s first term over his demands to build the U.S.-Mexico border wall.

The next inflection point comes after Tuesday’s off-year elections — the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/zohran-mamdani-nyc-mayor-cuomo-1fb8cd6abb16249a2bd83ccf10c5bbf5">New York City mayor’s race</a>, as well as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/democrats-spanberger-sherrill-virginia-new-jersey-trump-5869ac164d05f00f4ca07d7919e3960b">elections in Virginia and New Jersey</a>&nbsp;that will determine those states’ governors. Many expect that once those winners and losers are declared, and the Democrats and Republicans assess their political standing with the voters, they might be ready to hunker down for a deal.

“I hope that it frees people up to move forward with opening the government,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D.

The Republicans, who have majority control of Congress, find themselves in an unusual position, defending the furloughed federal workers and shuttered programs they have long sought to cut — including most recently with nearly $1 trillion in reductions in Trump’s big tax breaks and spending bill.

Medicaid, the health care program, and SNAP food aid, suffered sizable blows this summer, in part by imposing new work requirements. For SNAP recipients, many of whom were already required to work, the new requirements extend to older Americans up to age 64 and parents of older school-age children.

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Republicans now “have the nerve” to suggest it’s a political strategy to withhold food aid.

“We are trying to lift up the quality of life for the American people,” Jeffries of New York said about his party.

“The American people understand that there’s a Republican health care crisis,” he said. “The American people understand Republicans enacted the largest cut to nutritional assistance in American history when they cut $186 billion from their one, big, ugly bill.”

During the summer debate over Trump’s big bill, Johnson and other Republicans railed against what they characterized as lazy Americans, riding what the House speaker calls the “gravy train” of government benefits.

The speaker spoke about able-bodied young men playing video games while receiving Medicaid health care benefits and insisted the new work requirements for the aid programs would weed out what they called “waste, fraud and abuse.”

“What we’re talking about, again, is able-bodied workers, many of whom are refusing to work because they’re gaming the system,” Johnson said in spring on CBS’ “Face the Nation.”

“And when we make them work, it’ll be better for everybody, a win-win-win for all,” he said.

What remains out of reach, for now, is any relief from the new health care prices,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-care-subsidies-congress-shutdown-democrats-republicans-bb3464820a347fd2c0399e78e335881e">posted this week</a>, that are expected to put insurance out of reach for many Americans when federal subsidies that help offset those costs are set to expire at the end of the year.

Democrats have been holding out for negotiations with Trump and the Republicans to keep those subsidies in place. Republicans say they can address the issue later, once the government reopens.

Associated Press writer Matt Brown contributed to this report.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1761872954814.png" alt="Nevada Democrat Senator Jacky Rosen speaking on the Senate floor Thursday-image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Nevada Democrat Senator Jacky Rosen speaking on the Senate floor Thursday-image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>By&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/author/lisa-mascaro">LISA MASCARO</a>WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is calling on the Senate to scrap the filibuster, so that the Republican majority can bypass Democrats and reopen the federal government.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><a href="https://t.co/Ik2EkLWbkA">pic.twitter.com/Ik2EkLWbkA</a>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1984087997453889872?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 31, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>“THE CHOICE IS CLEAR — INITIATE THE ‘NUCLEAR OPTION,’ GET RID OF THE FILIBUSTER,” Trump posted Thursday night on his social media site, Truth Social.The filibuster is a long-standing tactic in the Senate to delay or block votes on legislation by keeping the debate running. It requires 60 votes in a full Senate to overcome a filibuster, giving Democrats a check on the 53-seat Republican majority that led to the start of the Oct. 1 shutdown when the new fiscal year began.Trump's call to terminate the filibuster could alter the ways the Senate and congressional dealmaking operate, with the president saying in his post that he gave a “great deal” of thought to the choice on his flight back from Asia on Thursday.Trump spent the past week with foreign leaders in Malaysia, Japan and South Korea, finishing his tour by meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.The president declared the trip a success because of a trade truce with China and foreign investment planned for American industries, but he said one question kept coming up during his time there about why did “powerful Republicans allow” the Democrats to shut down parts of the government.His call to end the filibuster came at a moment when certain senators and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/mike-johnson/">House Speaker Mike Johnson</a>&nbsp;believed it was time for the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/government-shutdown">government shutdown</a>&nbsp;to come to an end. It's unclear if lawmakers will follow Trump's lead, rather than finding ways to negotiate with Democrats.From coast to coast,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/troop-pay-shutdown-military-congress-trump-961b81b2990ac1bd03041e5586028764">fallout</a>&nbsp;from the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/telehealth-virtual-medicare-government-shutdown-congress-37a4aaa97ed4ed2e81330eda0d8eb908">dysfunction of a shuttered federal government</a>&nbsp;is hitting home: Alaskans are stockpiling moose, caribou and fish for winter, even before&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/snap-food-aid-ruling-shutdown-trump-09f9807264385f0beab61a68dcbbdd66">SNAP food aid is scheduled to shut off</a>. Mainers are filling up their home-heating oil tanks, but waiting on the federal subsidies that are nowhere in sight.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/flight-delays-shutdown-air-traffic-controllers-9e1c68b03060c6a694e193d272632fef">Flights are being delayed</a>&nbsp;with holiday travel around the corner. Workers are going without paychecks. And Americans are getting a first glimpse of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/poll-shutdown-health-care-insurance-costs-trump-f0282a0f5bedf3f01172ed3fa0ba4fd2">skyrocketing health care insurance costs</a>&nbsp;that are at the center of the stalemate on Capitol Hill.“People are stressing,” said Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, as food options in her state grow scarce.“We are well past time to have this behind us.”While quiet talks are underway, particularly among bipartisan senators, the shutdown is not expected to end before Saturday's deadline when&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/shutdown-snap-states-help-a5ab631a93a6d8087a4448117f026fb7">Americans' deep food insecurity</a>&nbsp;— one in eight people depend on the government to have enough to eat — could become starkly apparent if federal SNAP funds run dry.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1761873555745.png" alt="Kansas U.S. Senator Jerry Moran during a hearing in the Senate VA Committee on Thursday-image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Kansas U.S. Senator Jerry Moran during a hearing in the Senate VA Committee on Thursday-image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Money for military, but not food aid</h2>The White House has moved money around to ensure the military is paid, but refuses to tap funds for food aid. In fact, Trump’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/what-is-republican-trump-tax-bill-f65be44e1050431a601320197322551b">“big, beautiful bill”</a>&nbsp;signed into law this summer, delivered the most substantial cut ever to the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/food-stamps-snap-states-trump-2c604216d26a9edf84fe502136be6d6f">Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program</a>, known as SNAP, projected to result in some 2.4 million people off the program.At the same time, many Americans who purchase their own health insurance through the federal and state marketplaces, with open enrollment also beginning Saturday, are experiencing sticker shock as premium prices jump.“We are holding food over the heads of poor people so that we can take away their health care,” said Rev. Ryan Stoess, during a prayer with religious leaders at the U.S. Capitol.“God help us,” he said, “when the cruelty is the point.”<h2>Deadlines shift to next week</h2>The House remains closed down under Johnson for the past month. Senators are preparing to depart Thursday for the long weekend. Trump returns late Thursday after a whirlwind tour of Asia.That means the shutdown, in its 30th day, appears all but certain to stretch into another week, putting it on track to become the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/30769167ab7a4ef9adf880d020b775dd">longest in history</a>, surpassing the 35-day lapse that ended in 2019, during Trump’s first term over his demands to build the U.S.-Mexico border wall.The next inflection point comes after Tuesday’s off-year elections — the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/zohran-mamdani-nyc-mayor-cuomo-1fb8cd6abb16249a2bd83ccf10c5bbf5">New York City mayor’s race</a>, as well as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/democrats-spanberger-sherrill-virginia-new-jersey-trump-5869ac164d05f00f4ca07d7919e3960b">elections in Virginia and New Jersey</a>&nbsp;that will determine those states’ governors. Many expect that once those winners and losers are declared, and the Democrats and Republicans assess their political standing with the voters, they might be ready to hunker down for a deal.“I hope that it frees people up to move forward with opening the government,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D.<h2>GOP cut SNAP in Trump’s big bill</h2>The Republicans, who have majority control of Congress, find themselves in an unusual position, defending the furloughed federal workers and shuttered programs they have long sought to cut — including most recently with nearly $1 trillion in reductions in Trump’s big tax breaks and spending bill.Medicaid, the health care program, and SNAP food aid, suffered sizable blows this summer, in part by imposing new work requirements. For SNAP recipients, many of whom were already required to work, the new requirements extend to older Americans up to age 64 and parents of older school-age children.House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Republicans now “have the nerve” to suggest it’s a political strategy to withhold food aid.“We are trying to lift up the quality of life for the American people,” Jeffries of New York said about his party.“The American people understand that there’s a Republican health care crisis,” he said. “The American people understand Republicans enacted the largest cut to nutritional assistance in American history when they cut $186 billion from their one, big, ugly bill.”During the summer debate over Trump’s big bill, Johnson and other Republicans railed against what they characterized as lazy Americans, riding what the House speaker calls the “gravy train” of government benefits.The speaker spoke about able-bodied young men playing video games while receiving Medicaid health care benefits and insisted the new work requirements for the aid programs would weed out what they called “waste, fraud and abuse.”“What we’re talking about, again, is able-bodied workers, many of whom are refusing to work because they’re gaming the system,” Johnson said in spring on CBS’ “Face the Nation.”“And when we make them work, it’ll be better for everybody, a win-win-win for all,” he said.What remains out of reach, for now, is any relief from the new health care prices,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-care-subsidies-congress-shutdown-democrats-republicans-bb3464820a347fd2c0399e78e335881e">posted this week</a>, that are expected to put insurance out of reach for many Americans when federal subsidies that help offset those costs are set to expire at the end of the year.Democrats have been holding out for negotiations with Trump and the Republicans to keep those subsidies in place. Republicans say they can address the issue later, once the government reopens.__Associated Press writer Matt Brown contributed to this report.

Spiraling effects of the shutdown leave lawmakers grasping for ways to end it

President Trump arrived home from his trip to Asia in time to join FIrst Lady Melania Trump and hand out candy to children during a Halloween event at the White House on Thursday evening.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1761872548675.png" alt="image from White House video" />
 <figcaption>image from White House video</figcaption>
 </figure>President Trump arrived home from his trip to Asia in time to join FIrst Lady Melania Trump and hand out candy to children during a Halloween event at the White House on Thursday evening.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Halloween at the White House 2025 🍁🍂🎃 <a href="https://t.co/8ouTBcLuVk">pic.twitter.com/8ouTBcLuVk</a>&mdash; Office of the First Lady (@FirstLadyOffice) <a href="https://twitter.com/FirstLadyOffice/status/1984258805233025096?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 31, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">President Trump and the First Lady Participate in Halloween at The White House <a href="https://t.co/AnezkesE8L">https://t.co/AnezkesE8L</a>&mdash; The White House (@WhiteHouse) <a href="https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/1984014953540362675?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 30, 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/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/FLOTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FLOTUS</a> host Halloween trick-or-treating at the White House 🎃 <a href="https://t.co/7S1CFTtSt3">pic.twitter.com/7S1CFTtSt3</a>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1984015930272485702?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 30, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">President Trump, former McDonald&#39;s worker himself, greets new Drive-Thru employees at the White House <a href="https://t.co/99KwxiH7wM">pic.twitter.com/99KwxiH7wM</a>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1984024039850197436?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 30, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> strikes again! 🤣 <a href="https://t.co/mjzufQiAut">https://t.co/mjzufQiAut</a> <a href="https://t.co/98J3vfTMfg">pic.twitter.com/98J3vfTMfg</a>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1984026442494279730?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 30, 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/PressSec?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PressSec</a> brings her son trick-or-treating at the White House with <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/FLOTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FLOTUS</a> 🧡🖤💛 <a href="https://t.co/tzW4PL3Syt">pic.twitter.com/tzW4PL3Syt</a>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1984017034141950458?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 30, 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/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> hugs trick-or-treaters at the White House ❤️ <a href="https://t.co/QdY8EsicA4">pic.twitter.com/QdY8EsicA4</a>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1984022682506293310?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 30, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">Kids&#39; Halloween costumes at White House with President Trump and First Lady <a href="https://t.co/qOToLC5x5z">pic.twitter.com/qOToLC5x5z</a>&mdash; Howard Mortman (@HowardMortman) <a href="https://twitter.com/HowardMortman/status/1984063387467387053?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 31, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

🎥President, First Lady host trick-or-treaters at the White House

KANSAS CITY —A man already serving time in the Kansas Department of corrections is facing new charges in connection with two fatal fentanyl overdoses that took place in 2023.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.jacksoncountyprosecutor.com/DocumentCenter/View/2750/Esparza-Redacted-Complaint-1">Angel B. Esparza</a>, 32,&nbsp;faces one count of 2nd Degree Felony Murder, one count of 1st Degree Involuntary Manslaughter, and one count of Delivery of a Controlled Substance, according to&nbsp;Jackson County Prosecutor Melesa Johnson.

<a href="https://www.jacksoncountyprosecutor.com/DocumentCenter/View/2749/Esparza-Redacted-Probable-Cause-2">According to court records</a>, two coworkers died from fentanyl overdoses in October 2023—one in their Lee’s Summit residence and another in their Belton residence.&nbsp;

The Jackson County Drug Task Force has led the investigation of the deaths over the past couple years, leading to the identification of Esparza.

Detectives found paraphernalia at the first victim’s home which tested positive for fentanyl. &nbsp;They also found messages between the victims indicating the use of fentanyl.

In 2024, detectives found Facebook messages and Cash App records indicating the defendant sold fentanyl to the second victim the night before the first victim’s death. Additional Facebook messages revealed the defendant had sold drugs, including fentanyl, to other individuals as well.&nbsp;

The defendant is currently serving a prison sentence in the Kansas Department of Corrections for an unrelated conviction. Esparza has seven previous convictions in Kansas. His bond has been set at $250,000.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1761594937474.png" alt="Esparza photo Kansas Dept. of Corrections" />
 <figcaption>Esparza photo Kansas Dept. of Corrections</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —A man already serving time in the Kansas Department of corrections is facing new charges in connection with two fatal fentanyl overdoses that took place in 2023.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.jacksoncountyprosecutor.com/DocumentCenter/View/2750/Esparza-Redacted-Complaint-1">Angel B. Esparza</a>, 32,&nbsp;faces one count of 2nd Degree Felony Murder, one count of 1st Degree Involuntary Manslaughter, and one count of Delivery of a Controlled Substance, according to&nbsp;Jackson County Prosecutor Melesa Johnson.<a href="https://www.jacksoncountyprosecutor.com/DocumentCenter/View/2749/Esparza-Redacted-Probable-Cause-2">According to court records</a>, two coworkers died from fentanyl overdoses in October 2023—one in their Lee’s Summit residence and another in their Belton residence.&nbsp;The Jackson County Drug Task Force has led the investigation of the deaths over the past couple years, leading to the identification of Esparza.Detectives found paraphernalia at the first victim’s home which tested positive for fentanyl. &nbsp;They also found messages between the victims indicating the use of fentanyl.In 2024, detectives found Facebook messages and Cash App records indicating the defendant sold fentanyl to the second victim the night before the first victim’s death. Additional Facebook messages revealed the defendant had sold drugs, including fentanyl, to other individuals as well.&nbsp;The defendant is currently serving a prison sentence in the Kansas Department of Corrections for an unrelated conviction. Esparza has seven previous convictions in Kansas. His bond has been set at $250,000.

Man in Kansas prison accused of fentanyl deaths in 2023

TOPEKA —Canyon Anthony Amarys, 28, of Alamogordo, New Mexico, was arrested on October 28 in connection with his indictment for the attempted violation of the Export Control Reform Act, according to the United State's Attorney's office.&nbsp; &nbsp;Amarys was scheduled to make his initial appearance Thursday in federal court in the District of Kansas.

According to the indictment, in February 2025, at an in-person meeting between Amarys and someone he believed to be a Russian intelligence agent, Amarys signed a one-page agreement in order to confirm his covert relationship with a Russian intelligence service.&nbsp; In addition, as part of that relationship, Amarys agreed to photograph a military installation on Fort Riley, Kansas, and to procure a helicopter radio for use by the Russian military.

In March 2025, after purchasing the helicopter radio, Amarys traveled to Kansas in order to retrieve the radio and export it to a purported recipient in Romania.&nbsp; In doing so, Amarys communicated with a person he believed to be a Russian intelligence agent, and confirmed his understanding that the radio would in fact be illegally diverted to Russia.

Pursuant to a court-authorized search, investigators recovered the radio that Amarys had sought to illegally export to Russia.&nbsp; Under U.S. export laws and regulations, the export of this controlled item without a license from the U.S. Department of Commerce was unlawful.&nbsp; Amarys understood that his shipment of the radio abroad was illegal, and told the person he believed to be a Russian intelligence agent that he had researched export regulations in anticipation of their meeting in February 2025.&nbsp;

The FBI Kansas City field office is investigating the case, with valuable assistance from the U.S. Army Counterintelligence Command, the Kansas National Guard, the Department of Commerce – Bureau of Industry and Security, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Rask of the District of Kansas and Trial Attorney David Ryan of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting the case.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1761854610305.png" alt="Amarys photo Wyandotte County Jail" />
 <figcaption>Amarys photo Wyandotte County Jail</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA —Canyon Anthony Amarys, 28, of Alamogordo, New Mexico, was arrested on October 28 in connection with his indictment for the attempted violation of the Export Control Reform Act, according to the United State's Attorney's office.&nbsp; &nbsp;Amarys was scheduled to make his initial appearance Thursday in federal court in the District of Kansas.According to the indictment, in February 2025, at an in-person meeting between Amarys and someone he believed to be a Russian intelligence agent, Amarys signed a one-page agreement in order to confirm his covert relationship with a Russian intelligence service.&nbsp; In addition, as part of that relationship, Amarys agreed to photograph a military installation on Fort Riley, Kansas, and to procure a helicopter radio for use by the Russian military.In March 2025, after purchasing the helicopter radio, Amarys traveled to Kansas in order to retrieve the radio and export it to a purported recipient in Romania.&nbsp; In doing so, Amarys communicated with a person he believed to be a Russian intelligence agent, and confirmed his understanding that the radio would in fact be illegally diverted to Russia.Pursuant to a court-authorized search, investigators recovered the radio that Amarys had sought to illegally export to Russia.&nbsp; Under U.S. export laws and regulations, the export of this controlled item without a license from the U.S. Department of Commerce was unlawful.&nbsp; Amarys understood that his shipment of the radio abroad was illegal, and told the person he believed to be a Russian intelligence agent that he had researched export regulations in anticipation of their meeting in February 2025.&nbsp;The FBI Kansas City field office is investigating the case, with valuable assistance from the U.S. Army Counterintelligence Command, the Kansas National Guard, the Department of Commerce – Bureau of Industry and Security, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Rask of the District of Kansas and Trial Attorney David Ryan of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting the case.

National guardsman agreed to take photos at Fort Riley for 'Russian agent'

SEDGWICK COUNTY—Kelvin Burgett, 28, Prescott Valley, Arizona was sentenced Thursday in Sedgwick County District Court for the 2022 vehicular crash that resulted in the death of Sedgwick County Sheriff's Deputy Sidnee Carter.

Judge William Woolley sentenced Burgett to 3 and one half year or&nbsp; 42 months in prison after previously pleading no contest to one count of Involuntary Manslaughter while driving under the influence of THC.

In October of 2022, a&nbsp;2016 Dodge Charger driven by Sedgwick County Sheriff's Deputy Sidnee Carter, 22, Bel Aire, was southbound on 135th Street at 29th Street north one mile west of Northwest Wichita and Maize responding to a disturbance, according to Sheriff Jeff Easter.

A westbound 2020 Jeep Grand Cherokee driven by Burgett failed to stop at a stop sign and struck the drivers side of the Dodge Charger, according to the Kansas Highway Patrol.

Deputy Carter was pronounced deceased at the scene. EMS transported Burgett to a local hospital.

Deputy Carter had only worked in the field alone for a week, according to Sheriff Easter. She began field training in the summer of 2022 and completed that training Oct. 1.&nbsp;

Deputy Carter had served the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office for one and a half years in the Sedgwick County Detention Facility before transferring to the Law Enforcement Bureau in February 2022. She graduated the Law Enforcement Academy on July 21, 2022.&nbsp;

During the sentencing hearing, Judge Woolley also ordered Burgett to serve 36 months of post-release supervision.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/3/1680091672733.png" alt="Burgett-photo Sedgwick County" />
 <figcaption>Burgett-photo Sedgwick County</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY—Kelvin Burgett, 28, Prescott Valley, Arizona was sentenced Thursday in Sedgwick County District Court for the 2022 vehicular crash that resulted in the death of Sedgwick County Sheriff's Deputy Sidnee Carter.Judge William Woolley sentenced Burgett to 3 and one half year or&nbsp; 42 months in prison after previously pleading no contest to one count of Involuntary Manslaughter while driving under the influence of THC.In October of 2022, a&nbsp;2016 Dodge Charger driven by Sedgwick County Sheriff's Deputy Sidnee Carter, 22, Bel Aire, was southbound on 135th Street at 29th Street north one mile west of Northwest Wichita and Maize responding to a disturbance, according to Sheriff Jeff Easter.A westbound 2020 Jeep Grand Cherokee driven by Burgett failed to stop at a stop sign and struck the drivers side of the Dodge Charger, according to the Kansas Highway Patrol.Deputy Carter was pronounced deceased at the scene. EMS transported Burgett to a local hospital.Deputy Carter had only worked in the field alone for a week, according to Sheriff Easter. She began field training in the summer of 2022 and completed that training Oct. 1.&nbsp;Deputy Carter had served the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office for one and a half years in the Sedgwick County Detention Facility before transferring to the Law Enforcement Bureau in February 2022. She graduated the Law Enforcement Academy on July 21, 2022.&nbsp;During the sentencing hearing, Judge Woolley also ordered Burgett to serve 36 months of post-release supervision.

Prison for man in DUI crash that killed Kansas Deputy

Laverna I. Ernst, 100, Payson, Arizona, died
October 13, 2025.

She was born on January 19, 1925, to Clinton and
Dorothy (Winteroth) Bistline in Detroit, Kansas, in Dickinson County.&nbsp; She
attended grade school at Detroit and graduated from High School at Chapman,
Kansas.&nbsp; She went to McPherson College for a Teaching Certificate and
taught school for one year.&nbsp; She then did clerical work on the U.S. Air
Base at Kearney, Nebraska.

Laverna married Walter Ernst on May 27, 1945, in
Detroit, Kansas.&nbsp; They spent all their married life in Enterprise,
Kansas.&nbsp; She worked at the J. B. Ehrsam &amp; Sons Manufacturing business
in the Blue Print Department in Enterprise and later at Abilene, Kansas, until
her retirement.

She was a member of the Detroit Evangelical
United Brethren Church and then the United Methodist Church in
Enterprise.&nbsp; She served in the church as a Sunday School teacher, the
Organist and the Choir Director for over 62 years.&nbsp; She was involved with
the Kansas Historical Society and the Kansas Anthropological Society.&nbsp; She
also spent many years as a narrator on Excursion Train outings of the Abilene
and Smoky Valley Kansas Heritage Railroad as it went between Abilene and
Enterprise, Kansas.

In 2016, Laverna moved to Payson, Arizona, to be
closer to her daughter, living first in the Majestic Rim Retirement Apartments
and later at Avista until the time of her death.

Survivors include two sisters, Carolyn Beetch of
Carlton, Kansas, and Lois Hines (Ron) of Claremont, California; three
sisters-in-law, Gloria Bistline, Marlene Bistline, and Joyce Bistline; three
children, Dennis Ernst (Connie) of Hays, Kansas, Phyllis Lynch (Durward) of
Payson, Arizona, and Richard Ernst (Judith) of Greenbelt, Maryland;
grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and many friends and
acquaintances.&nbsp;

She was predeceased by her husband, Walter;
three brothers, Stanley Bistline, John Bistline, and Robert Bistline; one
brother-in-law, Willard Beetch, and one grandson, Brian Ernst,

Funeral services will be at 11:00 a.m. at the
Enterprise Community Church on November 22, 2025, with Pastor Arnie Boyd
officiating.&nbsp; Burial will be in the Detroit Cemetery at a later time.

Memorial contributions may be made to the
Detroit Methodist Church Scholarship Fund or a charity of the donor’s choice.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1761859754756.jpeg" alt="Laverna I. Ernst" />
 <figcaption>Laverna I. Ernst</figcaption>
 </figure>Laverna I. Ernst, 100, Payson, Arizona, died
October 13, 2025.She was born on January 19, 1925, to Clinton and
Dorothy (Winteroth) Bistline in Detroit, Kansas, in Dickinson County.&nbsp; She
attended grade school at Detroit and graduated from High School at Chapman,
Kansas.&nbsp; She went to McPherson College for a Teaching Certificate and
taught school for one year.&nbsp; She then did clerical work on the U.S. Air
Base at Kearney, Nebraska.Laverna married Walter Ernst on May 27, 1945, in
Detroit, Kansas.&nbsp; They spent all their married life in Enterprise,
Kansas.&nbsp; She worked at the J. B. Ehrsam &amp; Sons Manufacturing business
in the Blue Print Department in Enterprise and later at Abilene, Kansas, until
her retirement.She was a member of the Detroit Evangelical
United Brethren Church and then the United Methodist Church in
Enterprise.&nbsp; She served in the church as a Sunday School teacher, the
Organist and the Choir Director for over 62 years.&nbsp; She was involved with
the Kansas Historical Society and the Kansas Anthropological Society.&nbsp; She
also spent many years as a narrator on Excursion Train outings of the Abilene
and Smoky Valley Kansas Heritage Railroad as it went between Abilene and
Enterprise, Kansas.In 2016, Laverna moved to Payson, Arizona, to be
closer to her daughter, living first in the Majestic Rim Retirement Apartments
and later at Avista until the time of her death.Survivors include two sisters, Carolyn Beetch of
Carlton, Kansas, and Lois Hines (Ron) of Claremont, California; three
sisters-in-law, Gloria Bistline, Marlene Bistline, and Joyce Bistline; three
children, Dennis Ernst (Connie) of Hays, Kansas, Phyllis Lynch (Durward) of
Payson, Arizona, and Richard Ernst (Judith) of Greenbelt, Maryland;
grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and many friends and
acquaintances.&nbsp;She was predeceased by her husband, Walter;
three brothers, Stanley Bistline, John Bistline, and Robert Bistline; one
brother-in-law, Willard Beetch, and one grandson, Brian Ernst,Funeral services will be at 11:00 a.m. at the
Enterprise Community Church on November 22, 2025, with Pastor Arnie Boyd
officiating.&nbsp; Burial will be in the Detroit Cemetery at a later time.Memorial contributions may be made to the
Detroit Methodist Church Scholarship Fund or a charity of the donor’s choice.

Laverna I. Ernst

Dale Raymond Diederich, age 88, passed
away peacefully, in his sleep on October 12, 2025, at Good&nbsp;Samaritan
Society in Olathe, Kansas.&nbsp;

Dale was born on June 17, 1937. He was
preceded in death by his parents Julius and Mae (Weaver) Diederich, a brother
Jerry (Gabby)&nbsp;Diederich, sisters Marlene (Molly) Diederich-Brin, and Janet
(Diederich)-Laevenstein, a niece, Jeannie (Laevenstein)-Hamrick, sister Leona
(Butch) (Diederich)-Clark.

Dale married Betty
(Wasinger)-Diederich on November 29, 1958 in Hays, Kansas. He was a member of
St. Joseph Catholic Church. Betty has preceded him in death.

From the union were born two children,
a daughter Donna (Diederich) Rowley (John) and a son David Diederich (Chris).

Dale is survived by a brother Dennis
(Denny) Diederich (Sandy), and sister, Darla (Diederich) Zerr (Albert). Also,
two brothers-in-law Carrol Brin and Jerry Clark, sister-in-law Dorothy
Diederich-Kistler (Don), his daughter Donna (Diederich) Rowley (John) and son
David Diederich (Chris).

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1761851791039.jpeg" alt="Dale Raymond Diederich" />
 <figcaption>Dale Raymond Diederich</figcaption>
 </figure>Dale Raymond Diederich, age 88, passed
away peacefully, in his sleep on October 12, 2025, at Good&nbsp;Samaritan
Society in Olathe, Kansas.&nbsp;Dale was born on June 17, 1937. He was
preceded in death by his parents Julius and Mae (Weaver) Diederich, a brother
Jerry (Gabby)&nbsp;Diederich, sisters Marlene (Molly) Diederich-Brin, and Janet
(Diederich)-Laevenstein, a niece, Jeannie (Laevenstein)-Hamrick, sister Leona
(Butch) (Diederich)-Clark.Dale married Betty
(Wasinger)-Diederich on November 29, 1958 in Hays, Kansas. He was a member of
St. Joseph Catholic Church. Betty has preceded him in death.From the union were born two children,
a daughter Donna (Diederich) Rowley (John) and a son David Diederich (Chris).Dale is survived by a brother Dennis
(Denny) Diederich (Sandy), and sister, Darla (Diederich) Zerr (Albert). Also,
two brothers-in-law Carrol Brin and Jerry Clark, sister-in-law Dorothy
Diederich-Kistler (Don), his daughter Donna (Diederich) Rowley (John) and son
David Diederich (Chris).Dale is also survived by 6
grandchildren; Jennifer (Rowley)-Bright (Sean), Jesse Rowley (Danielle), Amy
(Rowley)-Shelton (Michael), Alexsis (Diederich)-Buls (Adam), Hannah
(Diederich)-Shakelford (Adam), and Sierra Diederich.Dale has 12 great grandchildren; Riley
and John Bright, Shea and Sophie Rowley, Abigail and Kenny Shelton, Kaylen and
Kyler Hyde, Milo, Cohen, and Benji Buls and Harper Shakelford.Dale is also survived by one
brother-in-law William (Bill) Wasinger (Marie), and Mary Lou (Wasinger)-Logan
(Duane) have preceded him in death.Dale had 13 nieces and 12 nephews.Dale graduated from Selden Rural High
School, Selden, KS and from Kansas City Trade School as an auto mechanic.&nbsp;
He was employed by O’Laughlin Motors, Herb Lungren Chevrolet, Clay Chevrolet
with Paul McDonald and later, by Hays Pathology Laboratories.Dale also farmed and loved harvest
season, and custom-cutting wheat with his brother-in-law Carrol Brin, in the
Damar area.Dale enjoyed weekends at area lakes
with family and friends camping, boating, fishing skiing, and hunting during
Fall season. He especially enjoyed traveling with his family on many vacations.His funeral Mass will be held at
Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Selden, Kansas at 10:30AM on October 30, 2025
with Father Mathew officiating. Burial will be in the Selden Cemetery with a
luncheon afterwards. Memorial contributions can be made out to Sacred Heart
Catholic Church or to TMP-Marian High School in Hays, KS. Condolences can be
left at <a href="http://www.plumergobber.com">www.plumergobber.com</a>.