SEDGWICK COUNTY —A Kansas man accused in connection with a shooting on Halloween that left a 13-year-old boy dead is due back in court Friday.

<a href="https://ssc.sedgwickcounty.org/inmatesearch/Details.aspx?Id=753675">Jermal Campbell, 19,</a> was charged with first-degree murder, two counts of criminal discharge of firearm, three counts of aggravated assault and one count of aggravated battery, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.&nbsp; He will attend a preliminary hearing the case in&nbsp;Jeffrey Goering’s courtroom.

Just after 10:30p.m. October 31, police responded to a report of gunfire at the QuikTrip located at Central and Oliver in Wichita, according to Officer Kris Gupilan.

Officers discovered evidence of a shooting and the convenience store. Simultaneously, a walk-in report was received from a local hospital indicating that a private vehicle had transported victims of this incident for treatment.

The victims included a 15-year-old boy from Wichita, who suffered a gunshot wound to the leg, and a 13-year-old boy who sustained a fatal gunshot wound and was pronounced deceased shortly after arrival at the hospital.

Initial investigations reveal that a disturbance occurred in the QuikTrip parking lot, leading to the suspect firing at a crowd, which tragically resulted in injuries to the two victims.

On November 6, police arrested a 19-year-old&nbsp;Carrice Profit, Campbell's cousin in connection with the killing, according to Wichita Police spokesman Andrew Ford.&nbsp; Campbell finally turned himself in to police on November 25.

Profit was charged with 1st degree murder and criminal discharge of a firearm, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office. She remains jailed on a $350,000 bond. Campbell is being held on a $1,000,000.00 bond.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/11/1732583489717.png" alt="Campbell photo Sedgwick Co." />
                        <figcaption>Campbell photo Sedgwick Co.</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>SEDGWICK COUNTY —A Kansas man accused in connection with a shooting on Halloween that left a 13-year-old boy dead is due back in court Friday.</p><p><a href="https://ssc.sedgwickcounty.org/inmatesearch/Details.aspx?Id=753675">Jermal Campbell, 19,</a> was charged with first-degree murder, two counts of criminal discharge of firearm, three counts of aggravated assault and one count of aggravated battery, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.&nbsp; He will attend a preliminary hearing the case in&nbsp;Jeffrey Goering’s courtroom.</p><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/11/1730455429350.png" alt="Police at the scene of the crime on Halloween-photo courtesy KWCH" />
                        <figcaption>Police at the scene of the crime on Halloween-photo courtesy KWCH</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>Just after 10:30p.m. October 31, police responded to a report of gunfire at the QuikTrip located at Central and Oliver in Wichita, according to Officer Kris Gupilan.</p><p>Officers discovered evidence of a shooting and the convenience store. Simultaneously, a walk-in report was received from a local hospital indicating that a private vehicle had transported victims of this incident for treatment.</p><p>The victims included a 15-year-old boy from Wichita, who suffered a gunshot wound to the leg, and a 13-year-old boy who sustained a fatal gunshot wound and was pronounced deceased shortly after arrival at the hospital.</p><p>Initial investigations reveal that a disturbance occurred in the QuikTrip parking lot, leading to the suspect firing at a crowd, which tragically resulted in injuries to the two victims.</p><p>On November 6, police arrested a 19-year-old&nbsp;Carrice Profit, Campbell's cousin in connection with the killing, according to Wichita Police spokesman Andrew Ford.&nbsp; Campbell finally turned himself in to police on November 25.</p><p>Profit was charged with 1st degree murder and criminal discharge of a firearm, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office. She remains jailed on a $350,000 bond. Campbell is being held on a $1,000,000.00 bond.</p>

Kan. suspect in Halloween killing of 13-year-old due back in court 

WASHINGTON, D.C.&nbsp; – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) Wednesday questioned witnesses from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on changes they are making to improve aviation safety. The Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee held the hearing to examine both the progress and delays within the FAA to make necessary safety changes in accordance with the&nbsp;<i>FAA Reauthorization Act,&nbsp;</i>which Senator Moran helped to draft and pass last Congress. 

Sen. Moran questioned witnesses about FAA’s failure to recognize a series of near misses in the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) airspace leading up to the <a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/3b0faf1d-fe84-4e1a-a5ca-e5598350e041">January 29 midair collision </a>involving American Airlines flight 5342originating from Wichita and a U.S. Army Blackhawk helicopter.

“The National Transportation Safety Board’s preliminary investigation after the tragic collision at DCA highlighted 15,214 events from October 21 to December 24 of commercial planes and helicopters that were separated by less than one nautical mile,”&nbsp;said Moran. 

“That information that NTSB provided came from FAA computer records.&nbsp;Those numbers and other statistics demonstrate to me a continuing problem and circumstance in which there is close proximity between aircraft at DCA. If this information is in the FAA’s computer records, does the FAA monitor these records to recognize trends so that actions can be taken to reduce the risks?”

Following Sen. Moran’s questioning,&nbsp;Mr. Franklin McIntosh, Deputy Chief Operating Officer of the Air Traffic Organization at FAA, acknowledged that there were mitigation failures in their systems leading up to the Jan. 29th accident and agreed with Sen. Moran’s assertion that the data “is sufficiently alarming that it should have raised more awareness and action than it did.”

Watch Sen. Moran's questioning below.&nbsp;

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1747327137939.png" alt="U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran (R-KS). Screen grab from the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee hearing.&nbsp;" />
                        <figcaption>U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran (R-KS). Screen grab from the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee hearing.&nbsp;</figcaption>
                    </figure><p><i>Office of Sen. Moran</i></p><p>WASHINGTON, D.C.&nbsp; – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) Wednesday questioned witnesses from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on changes they are making to improve aviation safety. The Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee held the hearing to examine both the progress and delays within the FAA to make necessary safety changes in accordance with the&nbsp;<i>FAA Reauthorization Act,&nbsp;</i>which Senator Moran helped to draft and pass last Congress. </p><p>Sen. Moran questioned witnesses about FAA’s failure to recognize a series of near misses in the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) airspace leading up to the <a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/3b0faf1d-fe84-4e1a-a5ca-e5598350e041">January 29 midair collision </a>involving American Airlines flight 5342originating from Wichita and a U.S. Army Blackhawk helicopter.</p><p>“The National Transportation Safety Board’s preliminary investigation after the tragic collision at DCA highlighted 15,214 events from October 21 to December 24 of commercial planes and helicopters that were separated by less than one nautical mile,”&nbsp;said Moran. </p><p>“That information that NTSB provided came from FAA computer records.&nbsp;Those numbers and other statistics demonstrate to me a continuing problem and circumstance in which there is close proximity between aircraft at DCA. If this information is in the FAA’s computer records, does the FAA monitor these records to recognize trends so that actions can be taken to reduce the risks?”</p><p>Following Sen. Moran’s questioning,&nbsp;Mr. Franklin McIntosh, Deputy Chief Operating Officer of the Air Traffic Organization at FAA, acknowledged that there were mitigation failures in their systems leading up to the Jan. 29th accident and agreed with Sen. Moran’s assertion that the data “is sufficiently alarming that it should have raised more awareness and action than it did.”</p><p>Watch Sen. Moran's questioning below.&nbsp;</p><div><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2mL6xAuVyqI" title="Sen. Moran Questions FAA Leadership on Aviation Safety Changes Following 2024 FAA Reauthorization" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>

Sen. Moran Questions FAA leadership on safety system failures, changes implemented

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — President Donald Trump’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/casey-means-surgeon-general-podcasts-health-care-9eaa4341a62a0762fe827f459e9b1415">new pick for surgeon general</a>&nbsp;wrote in a recent book that people should consider using unproven psychedelic drugs as therapy and in a newsletter suggested her use of mushrooms helped her find a romantic partner.

Dr. Casey Means’ recommendation to consider guided psilocybin-assisted therapy is notable because psilocybin is illegal under federal law. It’s listed as a Schedule 1 drug, defined as a substance “with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.” Oregon and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/colorado-psilocybin-psychedelic-therapy-legal-ptsd-veterans-99fc5a0703d85daa0903d5a2b2acc9be">Colorado</a>&nbsp;have legalized&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/microdosing-lsd-mushrooms-psychedelic-psilocybin-390c99ba54ef9d75727f39e2ec78fb34">psychedelic therapy</a>, though&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/oregon-psilocybin-psychedelic-mushrooms-ban-9c73a25986171b41bb162100d54d2217">several cities in Oregon</a>&nbsp;have since banned it.

The surgeon general’s job is to provide Americans with the best scientific information available on how to improve their health and reduce their risk of illness and injury. Past surgeons general have used their position to educate Americans about health problems like AIDS and suicide prevention. The surgeon general’s warning in 1964 about&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/smoking-vaping-surgeon-general-db81e873c256e38433734e86d6a50f7e">the dangers of smoking</a>&nbsp;helped change the course of America’s health.

Some, like&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-d5fa02d63d474102b8c05cd82eab4a50">Dr. C. Everett Koop</a>, surgeon general under President Ronald Reagan, became widely known with substantial impact on policy, and others slipped easily from memory.

Means’ nomination follows a pattern from Trump to select people known for their public personas more than their policy positions. In the case of Means, the Republican president said he chose her solely on the recommendation of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/rfk-jr-hhs-senate-vaccines-layoffs-measles-8c99853031507ecb5408b4132329cdea">Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.</a>&nbsp;“Bobby thought she was fantastic,” Trump said, adding that he did not know her.

Means, who received her undergraduate and medical degrees from Stanford University, began a medical residency in Oregon but did not complete it. Her medical license is listed as inactive. Contacted by phone, Means declined to comment on the record.

She made the recommendation about psychedelics in her 2024 book, “Good Energy,” which she wrote with her brother, Calley Means, an entrepreneur who now works in the Trump administration as a health adviser and who has said he invested in biopharmaceutical companies that specialize in psychedelics.

Much of the book focuses on metabolic health, what Casey Means calls “good energy.” She suggests a number of strategies to help people “manage and heal the stressors, traumas, and thought patterns that limit us and contribute to our poor metabolic health and thriving.”

One such strategy is to “consider psilocybin-assisted therapy,” referring to the compound found in psychedelic mushrooms. She details her thinking on the subject in a 750-word passage.

“If you feel called, I also encourage you to explore intentional, guided psilocybin therapy,” she wrote. “Strong scientific evidence suggests that this psychedelic therapy can be one of the most meaningful experiences of life for some people, as they have been for me.”

Though there have been some studies suggesting benefits from psychedelics, it has not been shown that benefits outweigh the risks. Psilocybin can cause hours of hallucinations that can be pleasant or terrifying. When paired with talk therapy, it has been studied as a treatment for psychiatric conditions and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mushroom-psychedelic-alcoholism-study-a3b6692ae7590de9fd09a7cac271a199">alcoholism</a>, but&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/microdosing-lsd-mushrooms-psychedelic-psilocybin-390c99ba54ef9d75727f39e2ec78fb34">very little research</a>&nbsp;has been done in healthy people. Side effects can include increased heart rate, nausea and headaches. Taking it unsupervised can be dangerous. Hallucinations could cause a user to walk into traffic or take other risks.

Means wrote that psilocybin and other psychedelics have been stigmatized. She touted the benefits of MDMA, also known as ecstasy or molly, for helping people with post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. The Food and Drug Administration last year&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mdma-psychedelic-drug-fda-ptsd-lykos-709b23613031fb11d3dc5228c8476a39">declined to approve the use of MDMA</a>&nbsp;as a therapy for PTSD after a panel of advisers&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mdma-psychedelics-fda-ptsd-ecstasy-molly-1f3753324fa7f91821c9ee6246fa18e1">found the research was flawed</a>&nbsp;and there were significant risks in using it.

Means refers to psychedelics in her book as “plant medicine.” She describes how she took mushrooms for the first time around Jan. 1, 2021, after she was inspired by “an internal voice that whispered: it’s time to prepare.”

“I felt myself as part of an infinite and unbroken series of cosmic nesting dolls of millions of mothers and babies before me from the beginning of life,” she wrote, adding that in her experience “psilocybin can be a doorway to a different reality that is free from the limiting beliefs of my ego, feelings, and personal history.”

In a newsletter she published in October, Means said she had also used psychedelics to help her make “space to find love at 35.” She wrote that she “did plant medicine experiences with trusted guides” to become ready for partnership, punctuating the line with a mushroom emoji. She noted she was not necessarily making recommendations that others do the same.

In a post this month about her White House health policy wish list, Means said she wanted more nutritious food served in schools, suggested putting warning labels on ultra-processed foods, called for investigations into vaccine safety and said she wanted to remove conflicts of interest. She did not specifically mention psychedelics but said that researchers have little incentive to study “generic, natural, and non-patentable drugs and therapies” and that a portion of research budgets should be devoted to alternative approaches to health.

Calley Means has also advocated for the use of psychedelic drugs, writing in a 2021 blog post that he first tried psilocybin during a challenging time in his life and “it was the single most meaningful experience of my life — personally, professionally, and spiritually.” He said in 2022 that he had “sold all of my 401k” and bought stocks in two companies that are developing and researching psychedelics. He did not respond to messages seeking comment.

Casey Means’ confirmation hearing has not been scheduled.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-surgeon-general-laura-loomer-794da62da02d5699683e3b1540b8a31f">Trump chose Means</a>&nbsp;after questions were raised about the resume of his first pick for surgeon general, former Fox News medical contributor&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fda-trump-marty-makary-34424f5fefcbbc334c1983b025523aad">Janette Nesheiwat</a>, and he withdrew her nomination.

Associated Press Medical Writer Carla K. Johnson in Washington state and AP writer Ali Swenson in New York contributed to this report.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1746656010439.png" alt="Dr. Casey Means from her Instagram page" />
                        <figcaption>Dr. Casey Means from her Instagram page</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — President Donald Trump’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/casey-means-surgeon-general-podcasts-health-care-9eaa4341a62a0762fe827f459e9b1415">new pick for surgeon general</a>&nbsp;wrote in a recent book that people should consider using unproven psychedelic drugs as therapy and in a newsletter suggested her use of mushrooms helped her find a romantic partner.</p><p>Dr. Casey Means’ recommendation to consider guided psilocybin-assisted therapy is notable because psilocybin is illegal under federal law. It’s listed as a Schedule 1 drug, defined as a substance “with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.” Oregon and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/colorado-psilocybin-psychedelic-therapy-legal-ptsd-veterans-99fc5a0703d85daa0903d5a2b2acc9be">Colorado</a>&nbsp;have legalized&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/microdosing-lsd-mushrooms-psychedelic-psilocybin-390c99ba54ef9d75727f39e2ec78fb34">psychedelic therapy</a>, though&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/oregon-psilocybin-psychedelic-mushrooms-ban-9c73a25986171b41bb162100d54d2217">several cities in Oregon</a>&nbsp;have since banned it.</p><p>The surgeon general’s job is to provide Americans with the best scientific information available on how to improve their health and reduce their risk of illness and injury. Past surgeons general have used their position to educate Americans about health problems like AIDS and suicide prevention. The surgeon general’s warning in 1964 about&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/smoking-vaping-surgeon-general-db81e873c256e38433734e86d6a50f7e">the dangers of smoking</a>&nbsp;helped change the course of America’s health.</p><div><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/DCXt3_myk9B/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:16px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DCXt3_myk9B/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;" target="_blank"> <div style=" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;"><svg width="50px" height="50px" viewBox="0 0 60 60" version="1.1" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><g stroke="none" stroke-width="1" fill="none" fill-rule="evenodd"><g transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)" fill="#000000"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g></svg></div><div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style=" color:#3897f0; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;">View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"><div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"></div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)"></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style=" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"></div></div></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div></a><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DCXt3_myk9B/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Casey Means, MD (@drcaseyskitchen)</a></p></div></blockquote>
<script async src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script></div><p>Some, like&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-d5fa02d63d474102b8c05cd82eab4a50">Dr. C. Everett Koop</a>, surgeon general under President Ronald Reagan, became widely known with substantial impact on policy, and others slipped easily from memory.</p><p>Means’ nomination follows a pattern from Trump to select people known for their public personas more than their policy positions. In the case of Means, the Republican president said he chose her solely on the recommendation of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/rfk-jr-hhs-senate-vaccines-layoffs-measles-8c99853031507ecb5408b4132329cdea">Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.</a>&nbsp;“Bobby thought she was fantastic,” Trump said, adding that he did not know her.</p><p>Means, who received her undergraduate and medical degrees from Stanford University, began a medical residency in Oregon but did not complete it. Her medical license is listed as inactive. Contacted by phone, Means declined to comment on the record.</p><p>She made the recommendation about psychedelics in her 2024 book, “Good Energy,” which she wrote with her brother, Calley Means, an entrepreneur who now works in the Trump administration as a health adviser and who has said he invested in biopharmaceutical companies that specialize in psychedelics.</p><p>Much of the book focuses on metabolic health, what Casey Means calls “good energy.” She suggests a number of strategies to help people “manage and heal the stressors, traumas, and thought patterns that limit us and contribute to our poor metabolic health and thriving.”</p><p>One such strategy is to “consider psilocybin-assisted therapy,” referring to the compound found in psychedelic mushrooms. She details her thinking on the subject in a 750-word passage.</p><p>“If you feel called, I also encourage you to explore intentional, guided psilocybin therapy,” she wrote. “Strong scientific evidence suggests that this psychedelic therapy can be one of the most meaningful experiences of life for some people, as they have been for me.”</p><p>Though there have been some studies suggesting benefits from psychedelics, it has not been shown that benefits outweigh the risks. Psilocybin can cause hours of hallucinations that can be pleasant or terrifying. When paired with talk therapy, it has been studied as a treatment for psychiatric conditions and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mushroom-psychedelic-alcoholism-study-a3b6692ae7590de9fd09a7cac271a199">alcoholism</a>, but&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/microdosing-lsd-mushrooms-psychedelic-psilocybin-390c99ba54ef9d75727f39e2ec78fb34">very little research</a>&nbsp;has been done in healthy people. Side effects can include increased heart rate, nausea and headaches. Taking it unsupervised can be dangerous. Hallucinations could cause a user to walk into traffic or take other risks.</p><p>Means wrote that psilocybin and other psychedelics have been stigmatized. She touted the benefits of MDMA, also known as ecstasy or molly, for helping people with post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. The Food and Drug Administration last year&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mdma-psychedelic-drug-fda-ptsd-lykos-709b23613031fb11d3dc5228c8476a39">declined to approve the use of MDMA</a>&nbsp;as a therapy for PTSD after a panel of advisers&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mdma-psychedelics-fda-ptsd-ecstasy-molly-1f3753324fa7f91821c9ee6246fa18e1">found the research was flawed</a>&nbsp;and there were significant risks in using it.</p><p>Means refers to psychedelics in her book as “plant medicine.” She describes how she took mushrooms for the first time around Jan. 1, 2021, after she was inspired by “an internal voice that whispered: it’s time to prepare.”</p><p>“I felt myself as part of an infinite and unbroken series of cosmic nesting dolls of millions of mothers and babies before me from the beginning of life,” she wrote, adding that in her experience “psilocybin can be a doorway to a different reality that is free from the limiting beliefs of my ego, feelings, and personal history.”</p><p>In a newsletter she published in October, Means said she had also used psychedelics to help her make “space to find love at 35.” She wrote that she “did plant medicine experiences with trusted guides” to become ready for partnership, punctuating the line with a mushroom emoji. She noted she was not necessarily making recommendations that others do the same.</p><p>In a post this month about her White House health policy wish list, Means said she wanted more nutritious food served in schools, suggested putting warning labels on ultra-processed foods, called for investigations into vaccine safety and said she wanted to remove conflicts of interest. She did not specifically mention psychedelics but said that researchers have little incentive to study “generic, natural, and non-patentable drugs and therapies” and that a portion of research budgets should be devoted to alternative approaches to health.</p><p>Calley Means has also advocated for the use of psychedelic drugs, writing in a 2021 blog post that he first tried psilocybin during a challenging time in his life and “it was the single most meaningful experience of my life — personally, professionally, and spiritually.” He said in 2022 that he had “sold all of my 401k” and bought stocks in two companies that are developing and researching psychedelics. He did not respond to messages seeking comment.</p><p>Casey Means’ confirmation hearing has not been scheduled.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-surgeon-general-laura-loomer-794da62da02d5699683e3b1540b8a31f">Trump chose Means</a>&nbsp;after questions were raised about the resume of his first pick for surgeon general, former Fox News medical contributor&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fda-trump-marty-makary-34424f5fefcbbc334c1983b025523aad">Janette Nesheiwat</a>, and he withdrew her nomination.</p><p>___</p><p>Associated Press Medical Writer Carla K. Johnson in Washington state and AP writer Ali Swenson in New York contributed to this report.</p>

Trump surgeon general pick said mushrooms helped her find love

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

Legal action follows attorney general’s suit against online porn company

TOPEKA — A bundle of federal lawsuits in Kansas have been filed on behalf of a 14-year-old Olathe resident alleging owners of online businesses violated a state law mandating steps be taken to prevent minors from accessing pornography lacking scientific, artistic or political value.

The law center of the National Center on Sexual Exploitation, a conservative anti-pornography organization in Washington, D.C., collaborated with a Hutchinson law firm to file suit on behalf of minor Q.R. and his mother Jane Doe against jerkmate.com, Techpump Solutions’ superporn.com, Titan Websites and chaturbate.com.

In each instance, the lawsuits allege, a company failed to comply with a state law that took effect July 1, 2024, requiring deployment of age verification systems on pornography websites to block consumers under the age of 18.

The court documents asserted Q.R. used one of his mother’s old laptops to access internet pornography from the four companies more than 170 times from August to October 2024.

“Kansas law requires&nbsp;pornography&nbsp;companies to implement reasonable age verification methods, and the companies named in these lawsuits failed to do so,” said Dani Pinter, director of the legal division of the National Center on Sexual Exploitation.

In January, Kansas&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/01/14/kobach-files-lawsuit-against-online-company-for-failing-to-shield-minors-from-pornography/">Attorney General Kris Kobach filed a similar lawsuit</a>&nbsp;in Shawnee County District Court against Seattle-based SARJ LLC, which distributed pornography on more than a dozen websites and was purportedly owned by individuals who controlled jerkmate.com.

Kobach asserted in the state court filing that SARJ didn’t make use of age-gating technology that would “protect Kansas children from the negative health consequences that stem from unfettered access to pornography.”

The federal lawsuits filed by Joshua Ruhlmann, a Hutchinson attorney, claimed the website content accessed by Q.R. was harmful because it had a tendency to appeal to a minor’s prurient interest in sex, was offensive to prevailing standards with respect to what was suitable for minors and lacked serious literary, scientific, educational, artistic or political value for a viewer under age 18.

Specifically, one of the federal lawsuits alleged at least one-fourth of jerkmate.com’s webpages viewed during a calendar month included “material containing nudity, sexual conduct, sexual excitement and/or sadomasochistic abuse.”

That court filing said minors who visited the website were asked to click an “I AGREE” button, which ostensibly verified the user was over the age of 18. That site warned users the company’s content was restricted to consumers reached the age majority in the jurisdiction in which they resided.

“Despite expressly aiming their websites at Kansas citizens, defendants have failed to ensure that jerkmate.com and/or jerkmatelive.com comply with Kansas law which requires pornographic websites to employ age verification measures,” the suit said.

The National Center on Sexual Exploitation, previously known as Morality in Media, has lobbied against sex trafficking, same-sex marriage, decriminalization of sex work, comprehensive sex education and works of art that could be viewed as obscene.

Pinter said the family serving as plaintiffs in the organization’s lawsuits in U.S. District Court in Kansas “deserves every measure of justice.”

“It is unreasonably dangerous for these&nbsp;pornography&nbsp;websites to provide this product which they know is harmful to children, that children are drawn to access, and do access, without employing age verification as required by Kansas law,” she said.

In April 2024, Gov. Laura Kelly allowed the age-verification bill to become law without her signature. It was approved unanimously in the Senate and 92-31 by the House. Kelly said the pornography statute could “end up infringing on constitutional rights” of Kansans and inspire lawsuits against the state.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1747313836715.png" alt=" Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach filed a lawsuit earlier this year against an internet pornography company that failed to adhere to a state law requiring deployment of age-verification systems to prevent anyone younger than 18 to access content. An anti-pornography organization in Washington, D.C., more recently filed four federal lawsuits in Kansas comparable to action taken by the state attorney general. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)" />
                        <figcaption> Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach filed a lawsuit earlier this year against an internet pornography company that failed to adhere to a state law requiring deployment of age-verification systems to prevent anyone younger than 18 to access content. An anti-pornography organization in Washington, D.C., more recently filed four federal lawsuits in Kansas comparable to action taken by the state attorney general. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
                    </figure><p><b>By&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/tim-carpenter/">TIM CARPENTER</a><br></b><a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/02/24/gov-laura-kelly-skeptical-kansas-houses-anti-tenure-legislation-will-reach-her-desk/"><i>Kansas Reflector</i></a></p><h2>Legal action follows attorney general’s suit against online porn company</h2><p>TOPEKA — A bundle of federal lawsuits in Kansas have been filed on behalf of a 14-year-old Olathe resident alleging owners of online businesses violated a state law mandating steps be taken to prevent minors from accessing pornography lacking scientific, artistic or political value.</p><p>The law center of the National Center on Sexual Exploitation, a conservative anti-pornography organization in Washington, D.C., collaborated with a Hutchinson law firm to file suit on behalf of minor Q.R. and his mother Jane Doe against jerkmate.com, Techpump Solutions’ superporn.com, Titan Websites and chaturbate.com.</p><p>In each instance, the lawsuits allege, a company failed to comply with a state law that took effect July 1, 2024, requiring deployment of age verification systems on pornography websites to block consumers under the age of 18.</p><p>The court documents asserted Q.R. used one of his mother’s old laptops to access internet pornography from the four companies more than 170 times from August to October 2024.</p><p>“Kansas law requires&nbsp;pornography&nbsp;companies to implement reasonable age verification methods, and the companies named in these lawsuits failed to do so,” said Dani Pinter, director of the legal division of the National Center on Sexual Exploitation.</p><p>In January, Kansas&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/01/14/kobach-files-lawsuit-against-online-company-for-failing-to-shield-minors-from-pornography/">Attorney General Kris Kobach filed a similar lawsuit</a>&nbsp;in Shawnee County District Court against Seattle-based SARJ LLC, which distributed pornography on more than a dozen websites and was purportedly owned by individuals who controlled jerkmate.com.</p><p>Kobach asserted in the state court filing that SARJ didn’t make use of age-gating technology that would “protect Kansas children from the negative health consequences that stem from unfettered access to pornography.”</p><p>The federal lawsuits filed by Joshua Ruhlmann, a Hutchinson attorney, claimed the website content accessed by Q.R. was harmful because it had a tendency to appeal to a minor’s prurient interest in sex, was offensive to prevailing standards with respect to what was suitable for minors and lacked serious literary, scientific, educational, artistic or political value for a viewer under age 18.</p><p>Specifically, one of the federal lawsuits alleged at least one-fourth of jerkmate.com’s webpages viewed during a calendar month included “material containing nudity, sexual conduct, sexual excitement and/or sadomasochistic abuse.”</p><p>That court filing said minors who visited the website were asked to click an “I AGREE” button, which ostensibly verified the user was over the age of 18. That site warned users the company’s content was restricted to consumers reached the age majority in the jurisdiction in which they resided.</p><p>“Despite expressly aiming their websites at Kansas citizens, defendants have failed to ensure that jerkmate.com and/or jerkmatelive.com comply with Kansas law which requires pornographic websites to employ age verification measures,” the suit said.</p><p>The National Center on Sexual Exploitation, previously known as Morality in Media, has lobbied against sex trafficking, same-sex marriage, decriminalization of sex work, comprehensive sex education and works of art that could be viewed as obscene.</p><p>Pinter said the family serving as plaintiffs in the organization’s lawsuits in U.S. District Court in Kansas “deserves every measure of justice.”</p><p>“It is unreasonably dangerous for these&nbsp;pornography&nbsp;websites to provide this product which they know is harmful to children, that children are drawn to access, and do access, without employing age verification as required by Kansas law,” she said.</p><p>In April 2024, Gov. Laura Kelly allowed the age-verification bill to become law without her signature. It was approved unanimously in the Senate and 92-31 by the House. Kelly said the pornography statute could “end up infringing on constitutional rights” of Kansans and inspire lawsuits against the state.</p>

Anti-porn center files 4 Kan. lawsuits alleging violation of state’s age-verification law

President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;on Thursday visited a U.S. base installation at the center of American involvement in the Middle East as he uses his four-day visit to Gulf states to reject the “interventionism” of America’s past in the region.

In other parts of the Middle East violence flared in the West Bank, and a hospital in southern Gaza said 54 people have been killed in overnight airstrikes on the city of Khan Younis.

Trump spoke of American military strength as he addressed troops at Qatar’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nato-world-cup-sports-soccer-united-states-9beb3f93a06ec0c91a5170bfa9f0218b">al-Udeid Air Base</a>, which was a major staging ground during the U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. It also supported the recent U.S. air campaign against Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis, though the strikes themselves came from two aircraft carriers in the region.

The president has held up Gulf nations like Saudi Arabia and Qatar as models for economic development in a region plagued by conflict as he works to entice Iran to come to terms with his administration on a deal to curb its nuclear program.

The President also meets business leaders in Qatar and heads to Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates.

Standing in front of U.S. troops at the Qatari airbase, President Donald Trump said “we let a lot of four stars go,” touting his administration’s effort to thin the military’s top ranks.

There’s long been friction between Trump and some top generals, and he’s been more emboldened to remake the command structure in his second term.

He described some military leaders as “frickin’ losers” as he addressed the rank-and-file.

The president danced for a moment to the Village People’s “YMCA" as he wrapped up his speech.

Trump speaks of ‘overwhelming’ American military power

President Donald Trump is speaking to troops at the Al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar.

He started his speech thanking troops and discussing his Mideast trip so far, then spoke about America’s military power.

“As president, my priority is to end conflicts, not start them, but I will never hesitate to wield American power if it’s necessary to defend the United States of America or our partners,” Trump said. “And this is one of our great partners right here” in Qatar.

He added: “When we’re threatened, America’s military will answer our enemies without even thinking about it. We have overwhelming strength and devastating force.”

Hegseth says the U.S. is restoring ‘warrior ethos’

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has asserted that “wokeness and weakness” allowed the wars in the world.

“We’re restoring the warrior ethos. No more political correctness,” he told U.S. troops at Al-Udeid Air Base, before President Donald Trump addresses them.

“Sadly, over the last four years, we saw a collapse in Afghanistan. And what happened on October 7th, the war in Ukraine, violence unleashed by wokeness and weakness.”

Trump then took the stage as Lee Greenwood sang his signature song, “Proud to be an American.”

<p>President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;on Thursday visited a U.S. base installation at the center of American involvement in the Middle East as he uses his four-day visit to Gulf states to reject the “interventionism” of America’s past in the region.</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">President <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@realDonaldTrump</a> arrives at Al Udeid Air Force Base to speak to U.S. and Qatari Troops! 🇺🇸🇶🇦 <a href="https://t.co/G6P9IeNdIW">pic.twitter.com/G6P9IeNdIW</a></p>&mdash; Margo Martin (@MargoMartin47) <a href="https://twitter.com/MargoMartin47/status/1922956624743760238?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 15, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>: &quot;The American People never forget that our servicemembers and their families make incredible sacrifices each and every day, so that all Americans can be safe and be free. We love our amazing Military Families.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/SzJUfpvVBd">pic.twitter.com/SzJUfpvVBd</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1922961348217950355?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 15, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>: &quot;We love and respect you. What you are doing, the service you do for your country... there is no more important profession, and I was so proud to see those reports coming in just a few days ago saying that the enrollment is at the highest level ever.&quot; ❤️🇺🇸 <a href="https://t.co/VCWYvGfi3A">pic.twitter.com/VCWYvGfi3A</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1922963249458212865?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 15, 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"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">President Trump arrives at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar… <a href="https://t.co/cu8sGjegzJ">pic.twitter.com/cu8sGjegzJ</a></p>&mdash; Dan Scavino (@Scavino47) <a href="https://twitter.com/Scavino47/status/1922964416972140632?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 15, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><p>In other parts of the Middle East violence flared in the West Bank, and a hospital in southern Gaza said 54 people have been killed in overnight airstrikes on the city of Khan Younis.</p><p>Trump spoke of American military strength as he addressed troops at Qatar’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nato-world-cup-sports-soccer-united-states-9beb3f93a06ec0c91a5170bfa9f0218b">al-Udeid Air Base</a>, which was a major staging ground during the U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. It also supported the recent U.S. air campaign against Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis, though the strikes themselves came from two aircraft carriers in the region.</p><p>The president has held up Gulf nations like Saudi Arabia and Qatar as models for economic development in a region plagued by conflict as he works to entice Iran to come to terms with his administration on a deal to curb its nuclear program.</p><p>The President also meets business leaders in Qatar and heads to Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates.</p><p>___</p><h2>Trump boasts of firings in the military</h2><p>Standing in front of U.S. troops at the Qatari airbase, President Donald Trump said “we let a lot of four stars go,” touting his administration’s effort to thin the military’s top ranks.</p><p>There’s long been friction between Trump and some top generals, and he’s been more emboldened to remake the command structure in his second term.</p><p>He described some military leaders as “frickin’ losers” as he addressed the rank-and-file.</p><p>The president danced for a moment to the Village People’s “YMCA" as he wrapped up his speech.</p><h2>Trump speaks of ‘overwhelming’ American military power</h2><p>President Donald Trump is speaking to troops at the Al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar.</p><p>He started his speech thanking troops and discussing his Mideast trip so far, then spoke about America’s military power.</p><p>“As president, my priority is to end conflicts, not start them, but I will never hesitate to wield American power if it’s necessary to defend the United States of America or our partners,” Trump said. “And this is one of our great partners right here” in Qatar.</p><p>He added: “When we’re threatened, America’s military will answer our enemies without even thinking about it. We have overwhelming strength and devastating force.”</p><p>___</p><h2>Hegseth says the U.S. is restoring ‘warrior ethos’</h2><p>U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has asserted that “wokeness and weakness” allowed the wars in the world.</p><p>“We’re restoring the warrior ethos. No more political correctness,” he told U.S. troops at Al-Udeid Air Base, before President Donald Trump addresses them.</p><p>“Sadly, over the last four years, we saw a collapse in Afghanistan. And what happened on October 7th, the war in Ukraine, violence unleashed by wokeness and weakness.”</p><p>Trump then took the stage as Lee Greenwood sang his signature song, “Proud to be an American.”</p>

🎥 Trump visits main U.S. military base in Middle East as violence flares in Gaza

<b>By DIANE GASPER-O’BRIEN<br></b><i>Special to Hays Post</i>

They are survivors of the pandemic, graduating from high school in 2020 during such an uncertain time in their lives.

They fell in love and ended up attending Fort Hays State University together. They got married, and after remarkable athletic careers for the Tigers, they both will graduate with academic honors on Saturday morning.

They will move to the Wichita area next week and have a few weeks to settle into their first big purchase as a couple (a home in Bel Aire) and collect their thoughts before starting new jobs they had secured almost a year ago.

During that time off from the rigors of school and college athletics, they will take their honeymoon, which they had to postpone after their marriage last August, just two days before the start of the fall semester.

They were OK waiting for a honeymoon. After all, they had to return to Hays to finish their college educations – and to lead their respective athletic teams in super senior seasons they will never forget.

Sound like a fairy tale? As magical as this all sounds, it’s the real-life story of Trey and Katie DeGarmo.

Katie burst onto the scene as a highly recruited freshman for the Fort Hays State women’s basketball team.

She was known as Katie Wagner at the time, and that’s a name opponents would get tired of seeing and hearing about the next five years.

A multi-sport standout in high school at Maize South, Katie had several offers but felt a loyalty to FHSU.

“Fort Hays was one of the first schools to reach out to me,” she said. “That relationship they built with me early on was a huge piece of it. The women’s basketball team was winning, and I’ve always been one who loves to win.”

Toward the end of Katie’s first year at FHSU, the NCAA announced it was granting athletes an extra year of eligibility because of the chaos the pandemic had caused in college athletics.

Because of COVID-19, the Tigers played only 22 games Katie’s “first” freshman season, when she averaged 9.2 points as one of the first players off the bench.

By the next season, she was firmly planted into the starting lineup, where she remained for the next four years.

Along the way, she garnered a boatload of honors, both academically and athletically. Included on that long list are several All-America teams to which she was chosen, and she was named the MIAA player of the year for basketball her last two seasons.

Last year, Katie won the MIAA’s Ken B. Jones Award voted as the top female athlete of the year and has been nominated for that honor again this year.

She is one of only two players in FHSU women’s program history to score more than 2,000 points (2,299 total) and has the school and conference record for most career rebounds (1,248).

Listed as a 5-foot, 11-inch guard, Katie could play every position on the court. She helped lead the Tigers to the NCAA Division II playoffs four of her five seasons. During her career, FHSU posted an incredible record of 125-33.

The DeGarmos were both well-known as exceptional multi-sport high school athletes in the Wichita area – Katie at Maize South and Trey at Andover Central.

They had met at a get-together during the pandemic their senior year in high school and hit it off immediately. At the time, Trey was already committed to play baseball at Cowley College in Arkansas City, while Katie was coming to Hays.

After a couple of years of a long-distance relationship, Trey transferred to FHSU, where he decided to try football and baseball, then settled on his first love – baseball.

“I just didn’t want to be apart from Katie anymore,” Trey said. “Then it became a mission to help turn this baseball program around.”

Cowley is a perennial national power and finished as the national junior college runner-up in Trey’s sophomore season.

While Cowley was going 54-11 in 2022, FHSU won just four of its 45 games.

The Tigers improved considerably in Trey’s first year at FHSU, finishing 20-30. They continued to improve, going 25-26 last year before a record-breaking season this spring.

FHSU went 32-16, finished third in the MIAA standings and were ranked nationally for several weeks before losing a 6-5 heartbreaker in extra innings in the first round of the MIAA Championships.

“I’m still wishing we had gotten a little farther, but only one team gets to be happy at the very end,” Trey said. “I’m proud of what we did and the season we put together.”

A solid anchor at third base for the Tigers, Trey earned the MIAA’s Gold Glove award at that position last year and led the team in several offensive categories this year while earning MIAA honors again.

He was second on the team in batting average (.328) and ranked first in total hits, with a team-leading 13 home runs and 55 RBI.

Something he said he enjoyed as much as having a productive year personally and winning games was being a senior leader.

“My favorite part was giving all my knowledge to the younger guys,” Trey said. “Hopefully, they can soak up all the success we had this year and keep this program rolling.”

It isn’t unusual for Tiger athletes to get married during their college careers. And long-time members of the FHSU athletic department can think of a few who married after enjoying outstanding careers in their respective sports.

But it would be tough to find a couple that dominated at both their sports during their first year of marriage.

“They both were so fun to watch,” said Gerard Wellbrock, Sports Director for Eagle Radio and long-time Voice of the Tigers, who covered both DeGarmos over the years. “They played the game the right way - the intensity you need to be great, but with humility. They made it look easy, and it’s not easy.”

“Katie is as good as it gets when it comes to Fort Hays women’s basketball,” Wellbrock continued. “Her intensity, her athletic ability, she’s the total package. And Trey is as smooth of a third baseman as there has been at Fort Hays.”

The DeGarmos knew they would have to be creative to spend much time together their final year of college with off-season workouts and long seasons.

“We were kind of prepared for this year,” Trey said. “It was kind of like meeting each other at the door, saying ‘See ya later.’ ”

“We try to have dinner together – when we are both in town,” Katie added. “We understand that we’re really committed to our sports. But that doesn’t mean a lack of commitment to each other. And it turned out to be a really special season in our lives.”

The last couple of months have been especially fun ones for Katie. After the Tiger basketball season (and her career) ended in the NCAA II playoffs, she played intramural softball and got to attend most of her husband’s baseball games.

“It’s been really fun being a baseball wife,” Katie said with a smile.

Tiger fans won’t soon forget Trey and Katie DeGarmo. Ditto for the DeGarmos.

And even as they ride off into the sunset in Jamaica for their honeymoon, then return to start their professional careers in Wichita, they will always remember the impact FHSU had on their lives.

“We’ll still come back for some games,” Katie said. “I still have friends that are still playing.”

“If I can come to a baseball game in five years and see how well they are doing, it’ll be a great feeling to know I was part of rebuilding the program,” Trey said.

“That’s the thing we’ll never forget – the relationships,” Katie said. “You remember the championships, of course, but I’ve already forgotten about the records we had. It’s more about how you felt about your teammates.”

And they will surely visit the hill west of town where Trey proposed to Katie in October 2023.

“We had found a spot on that hill my freshman year when I’d come visit Katie, where we would go watch the sunsets,” Trey said. “We called it our ‘sunset spot.’ I thought it was a perfect place (to propose).”

Katie, who earned her bachelor’s degree in accounting as well as an MBA, will begin work this summer for Koch Industries. Trey, who graduated with a degree in construction management, accepted a position as a project manager associate for the ICM ethanol plant.

They will get to spend time with several family members who live in the Wichita area and continue to take part in some type of athletic activity.

For the time being, they have both taken up running, and they say that pickleball is also a strong possibility.

Trey’s youngest brother, Ty, will be a freshman at Andover Central next year, so they look forward to following him in his activities the next four years.

Both Trey and Katie say that coaching – on some level – could be in their future.

And of course, folks are already looking forward to more talented athletes in the next generation of DeGarmos.

“We’re already having people taking bets on if we send our kids to Maize South,” Katie said.

With all the awards and Tiger memorabilia they have accumulated, Katie said they plan to decorate part of their basement in FHSU Black and Gold.

Somewhere down the road, they will have lots of stories to tell their children about their life as Tiger athletes, especially during their first year of marriage, which took them from one magical ride to another.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1747266419976.jpeg" alt="Trey and Katie DeGarmo will graduate from Fort Hays State University this weekend and move away from Hays next week. But they will leave behind a plethora of memories for Tiger baseball and basketball fans. Photo llustration by Ryan Prickett" />
                        <figcaption>Trey and Katie DeGarmo will graduate from Fort Hays State University this weekend and move away from Hays next week. But they will leave behind a plethora of memories for Tiger baseball and basketball fans. Photo llustration by Ryan Prickett</figcaption>
                    </figure><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1747267168315.png" alt="" />
                        <figcaption></figcaption>
                    </figure><p><b>By DIANE GASPER-O’BRIEN<br></b><i>Special to Hays Post</i></p><p>They are survivors of the pandemic, graduating from high school in 2020 during such an uncertain time in their lives.</p><p>They fell in love and ended up attending Fort Hays State University together. They got married, and after remarkable athletic careers for the Tigers, they both will graduate with academic honors on Saturday morning.</p><p>They will move to the Wichita area next week and have a few weeks to settle into their first big purchase as a couple (a home in Bel Aire) and collect their thoughts before starting new jobs they had secured almost a year ago.</p><p>During that time off from the rigors of school and college athletics, they will take their honeymoon, which they had to postpone after their marriage last August, just two days before the start of the fall semester.</p><p>They were OK waiting for a honeymoon. After all, they had to return to Hays to finish their college educations – and to lead their respective athletic teams in super senior seasons they will never forget.</p><p>Sound like a fairy tale? As magical as this all sounds, it’s the real-life story of Trey and Katie DeGarmo.</p><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1747266586362.jpeg" alt="Trey and Katie DeGarmo dazzled Tiger fans for years. Trey was both at the plate and on the field for FHSU baseball, and Katie was on the hardwood for Fort Hays State’s women’s basketball team. Photos by Ryan Prickett" />
                        <figcaption>Trey and Katie DeGarmo dazzled Tiger fans for years. Trey was both at the plate and on the field for FHSU baseball, and Katie was on the hardwood for Fort Hays State’s women’s basketball team. Photos by Ryan Prickett</figcaption>
                    </figure><h2>Where it all began</h2><p>Katie burst onto the scene as a highly recruited freshman for the Fort Hays State women’s basketball team.</p><p>She was known as Katie Wagner at the time, and that’s a name opponents would get tired of seeing and hearing about the next five years.</p><p>A multi-sport standout in high school at Maize South, Katie had several offers but felt a loyalty to FHSU.</p><p>“Fort Hays was one of the first schools to reach out to me,” she said. “That relationship they built with me early on was a huge piece of it. The women’s basketball team was winning, and I’ve always been one who loves to win.”</p><p>Toward the end of Katie’s first year at FHSU, the NCAA announced it was granting athletes an extra year of eligibility because of the chaos the pandemic had caused in college athletics.</p><p>Because of COVID-19, the Tigers played only 22 games Katie’s “first” freshman season, when she averaged 9.2 points as one of the first players off the bench.</p><p>By the next season, she was firmly planted into the starting lineup, where she remained for the next four years.</p><p>Along the way, she garnered a boatload of honors, both academically and athletically. Included on that long list are several All-America teams to which she was chosen, and she was named the MIAA player of the year for basketball her last two seasons.</p><p>Last year, Katie won the MIAA’s Ken B. Jones Award voted as the top female athlete of the year and has been nominated for that honor again this year.</p><p>She is one of only two players in FHSU women’s program history to score more than 2,000 points (2,299 total) and has the school and conference record for most career rebounds (1,248).</p><p>Listed as a 5-foot, 11-inch guard, Katie could play every position on the court. She helped lead the Tigers to the NCAA Division II playoffs four of her five seasons. During her career, FHSU posted an incredible record of 125-33.</p><p>The DeGarmos were both well-known as exceptional multi-sport high school athletes in the Wichita area – Katie at Maize South and Trey at Andover Central.</p><p>They had met at a get-together during the pandemic their senior year in high school and hit it off immediately. At the time, Trey was already committed to play baseball at Cowley College in Arkansas City, while Katie was coming to Hays.</p><p>After a couple of years of a long-distance relationship, Trey transferred to FHSU, where he decided to try football and baseball, then settled on his first love – baseball.</p><p>“I just didn’t want to be apart from Katie anymore,” Trey said. “Then it became a mission to help turn this baseball program around.”</p><p>Cowley is a perennial national power and finished as the national junior college runner-up in Trey’s sophomore season.</p><p>While Cowley was going 54-11 in 2022, FHSU won just four of its 45 games.</p><p>The Tigers improved considerably in Trey’s first year at FHSU, finishing 20-30. They continued to improve, going 25-26 last year before a record-breaking season this spring.</p><p>FHSU went 32-16, finished third in the MIAA standings and were ranked nationally for several weeks before losing a 6-5 heartbreaker in extra innings in the first round of the MIAA Championships.</p><p>“I’m still wishing we had gotten a little farther, but only one team gets to be happy at the very end,” Trey said. “I’m proud of what we did and the season we put together.”</p><p>A solid anchor at third base for the Tigers, Trey earned the MIAA’s Gold Glove award at that position last year and led the team in several offensive categories this year while earning MIAA honors again.</p><p>He was second on the team in batting average (.328) and ranked first in total hits, with a team-leading 13 home runs and 55 RBI.</p><p>Something he said he enjoyed as much as having a productive year personally and winning games was being a senior leader.</p><p>“My favorite part was giving all my knowledge to the younger guys,” Trey said. “Hopefully, they can soak up all the success we had this year and keep this program rolling.”</p><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1747266880322.jpeg" alt="DeGarmos were able to celebrate Katie’s 2,000th-point night a few games later and were together for Trey’s Senior Day at Larks Park. Courtesy photos" />
                        <figcaption>DeGarmos were able to celebrate Katie’s 2,000th-point night a few games later and were together for Trey’s Senior Day at Larks Park. Courtesy photos</figcaption>
                    </figure><h2>Senior seasons to remember</h2><p>It isn’t unusual for Tiger athletes to get married during their college careers. And long-time members of the FHSU athletic department can think of a few who married after enjoying outstanding careers in their respective sports.</p><p>But it would be tough to find a couple that dominated at both their sports during their first year of marriage.</p><p>“They both were so fun to watch,” said Gerard Wellbrock, Sports Director for Eagle Radio and long-time Voice of the Tigers, who covered both DeGarmos over the years. “They played the game the right way - the intensity you need to be great, but with humility. They made it look easy, and it’s not easy.”</p><p>“Katie is as good as it gets when it comes to Fort Hays women’s basketball,” Wellbrock continued. “Her intensity, her athletic ability, she’s the total package. And Trey is as smooth of a third baseman as there has been at Fort Hays.”</p><p>The DeGarmos knew they would have to be creative to spend much time together their final year of college with off-season workouts and long seasons.</p><p>“We were kind of prepared for this year,” Trey said. “It was kind of like meeting each other at the door, saying ‘See ya later.’ ”</p><p>“We try to have dinner together – when we are both in town,” Katie added. “We understand that we’re really committed to our sports. But that doesn’t mean a lack of commitment to each other. And it turned out to be a really special season in our lives.”</p><p>The last couple of months have been especially fun ones for Katie. After the Tiger basketball season (and her career) ended in the NCAA II playoffs, she played intramural softball and got to attend most of her husband’s baseball games.</p><p>“It’s been really fun being a baseball wife,” Katie said with a smile.</p><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1747266993061.jpeg" alt="Trey and Katie DeGarmo, who were married last summer and spent their last year in Hays traveling for their respective FHSU athletic teams, will now continue dancing through life together in the Wichita area. Courtesy photos" />
                        <figcaption>Trey and Katie DeGarmo, who were married last summer and spent their last year in Hays traveling for their respective FHSU athletic teams, will now continue dancing through life together in the Wichita area. Courtesy photos</figcaption>
                    </figure><h2>Once a Tiger, always a Tiger</h2><p>Tiger fans won’t soon forget Trey and Katie DeGarmo. Ditto for the DeGarmos.</p><p>And even as they ride off into the sunset in Jamaica for their honeymoon, then return to start their professional careers in Wichita, they will always remember the impact FHSU had on their lives.</p><p>“We’ll still come back for some games,” Katie said. “I still have friends that are still playing.”</p><p>“If I can come to a baseball game in five years and see how well they are doing, it’ll be a great feeling to know I was part of rebuilding the program,” Trey said.</p><p>“That’s the thing we’ll never forget – the relationships,” Katie said. “You remember the championships, of course, but I’ve already forgotten about the records we had. It’s more about how you felt about your teammates.”</p><p>And they will surely visit the hill west of town where Trey proposed to Katie in October 2023.</p><p>“We had found a spot on that hill my freshman year when I’d come visit Katie, where we would go watch the sunsets,” Trey said. “We called it our ‘sunset spot.’ I thought it was a perfect place (to propose).”</p><p>Katie, who earned her bachelor’s degree in accounting as well as an MBA, will begin work this summer for Koch Industries. Trey, who graduated with a degree in construction management, accepted a position as a project manager associate for the ICM ethanol plant.</p><p>They will get to spend time with several family members who live in the Wichita area and continue to take part in some type of athletic activity.</p><p>For the time being, they have both taken up running, and they say that pickleball is also a strong possibility.</p><p>Trey’s youngest brother, Ty, will be a freshman at Andover Central next year, so they look forward to following him in his activities the next four years.</p><p>Both Trey and Katie say that coaching – on some level – could be in their future.</p><p>And of course, folks are already looking forward to more talented athletes in the next generation of DeGarmos.</p><p>“We’re already having people taking bets on if we send our kids to Maize South,” Katie said.</p><p>With all the awards and Tiger memorabilia they have accumulated, Katie said they plan to decorate part of their basement in FHSU Black and Gold.</p><p>Somewhere down the road, they will have lots of stories to tell their children about their life as Tiger athletes, especially during their first year of marriage, which took them from one magical ride to another.</p>

NWester: The DeGarmos, a royal couple of Tiger athletics

NORMAN, Okla. - Fort Hays State's Cooper Scheck has been named to the 2024-25 NCAA Division II PING All-Region team, as announced by the GCAA on Wednesday.

Scheck was one of just 12 individuals to earn the distinction from the Central Region. The MIAA dominated the list this season, with nine of the 12 honorees hailing from an MIAA institution. He is the first Tiger in recorded history to receive this honor.

The Dodge City, Kan. native put together a strong junior season, averaging 72.15 across 12 events and 33 rounds of competition. Scheck earned six top 10 finishes, including one victory at the Newman Invitational in October.

Scheck competed as an individual at the Central/Midwest Regional Championships in St. Joseph, Mo. last week, becoming the first Tiger to qualify for NCAA postseason competition in a decade. He finished in a tie for 22nd out of 108 golfers at regionals at 4-over for the week (72-75-70). He also earned All-MIAA honors for his performance this season, becoming just the second player in team history to earn multiple All-MIAA recognitions.

Scheck turned in 11 rounds at-or-under par, including the lowest round in recorded team history of 7-under 64 at the Hillcat Classic in March. He posted eight rounds in the 60s on the year, including five rounds of 67 or lower.

<b>2024-25 NCAA Division II PING All-Region Team<br>Central Region Selections</b><br>Bennett Baldwin, Central Oklahoma<br>Baylor Bostick, Central Oklahoma<br>Nick Canales, Central Oklahoma<br>Jeffrey Johnston, Missouri Western<br>Tobey Kim, Arkansas Tech<br>Maxime Lam, Henderson State<br>Elliot-han Monteremal, Rogers State<br>José Manuel Peralta, Harding<br>Blake Saffell, Washburn<br><b>Cooper Scheck, Fort Hays State</b><br>Jeremy Tandoy, Arkansas - Fort Smith<br>Jordan Wilson, Central Oklahoma

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1747247647188.png" alt="<br>" />
                        <figcaption><br></figcaption>
                    </figure><p><i>FHSU Athletics</i></p><p>NORMAN, Okla. - Fort Hays State's Cooper Scheck has been named to the 2024-25 NCAA Division II PING All-Region team, as announced by the GCAA on Wednesday.</p><p>Scheck was one of just 12 individuals to earn the distinction from the Central Region. The MIAA dominated the list this season, with nine of the 12 honorees hailing from an MIAA institution. He is the first Tiger in recorded history to receive this honor.</p><p>The Dodge City, Kan. native put together a strong junior season, averaging 72.15 across 12 events and 33 rounds of competition. Scheck earned six top 10 finishes, including one victory at the Newman Invitational in October.</p><p>Scheck competed as an individual at the Central/Midwest Regional Championships in St. Joseph, Mo. last week, becoming the first Tiger to qualify for NCAA postseason competition in a decade. He finished in a tie for 22nd out of 108 golfers at regionals at 4-over for the week (72-75-70). He also earned All-MIAA honors for his performance this season, becoming just the second player in team history to earn multiple All-MIAA recognitions.</p><p>Scheck turned in 11 rounds at-or-under par, including the lowest round in recorded team history of 7-under 64 at the Hillcat Classic in March. He posted eight rounds in the 60s on the year, including five rounds of 67 or lower.</p><p><b>2024-25 NCAA Division II PING All-Region Team<br>Central Region Selections</b><br>Bennett Baldwin, Central Oklahoma<br>Baylor Bostick, Central Oklahoma<br>Nick Canales, Central Oklahoma<br>Jeffrey Johnston, Missouri Western<br>Tobey Kim, Arkansas Tech<br>Maxime Lam, Henderson State<br>Elliot-han Monteremal, Rogers State<br>José Manuel Peralta, Harding<br>Blake Saffell, Washburn<br><b>Cooper Scheck, Fort Hays State</b><br>Jeremy Tandoy, Arkansas - Fort Smith<br>Jordan Wilson, Central Oklahoma</p>

⛳ FHSU's Scheck named to PING all-region team

TOPEKA —The Kansas Department of Health on Wednesday reported ten new case of measles over the past week in the state for a total of 56 cases in ten counties.

Last week the state reported cases in eight counties in the southwestern part of the state. Most of the cases are in Gray, Haskell and Stevens counties. The state also confirmed one case in Wichita and another in Hutchinson. 

On Saturday, county health officers issued warnings about sites where people may have been exposed to measles. Anyone who was at the Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport from 6:15 p.m. to 9 p.m. May 2 should monitor symptoms until May 23. And anyone at Carnicerias El Guero No. 1 grocery store, 524 W. 21st St N. in Wichita, from 6:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. April 29 should monitor symptoms until May 20.

Anyone at the Hutchinson Public Library, 901 N. Main Street Hutchinson&nbsp;Saturday, May 3, 2025, from 2 p.m. until 5 p.m. should also monitor symptoms.

The state's first reported case, identified in Stevens County on March 13, is linked to the Texas and New Mexico outbreaks based on genetic testing, a state health department spokesperson said. But health officials have not determined how the person was exposed.

Texas confirmed eight more measles cases over the span of four days, continuing a short streak of shrinking increases in a state that has been dealing with a large outbreak for nearly four months.

The U.S. surpassed 1,000 measles cases Friday, and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.datawrapper.de/_/sxSwi/?v=7">Texas</a>&nbsp;still accounts for the vast majority of cases in an outbreak that also spread measles to New Mexico, Oklahoma and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.datawrapper.de/_/aP4Au/?v=3">Kansas.</a>

<a href="https://www.datawrapper.de/_/aP4Au/?v=3"></a><a href="https://apnews.com/article/measles-texas-rfk-death-vaccine-4e28b0edf5cab47980b40b2d47f0ec50">Two unvaccinated elementary school-aged children</a>&nbsp;died from measles-related illnesses in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/measles-outbreak-texas-rfk-vaccines-8cf4641b04731c713edb524ca943490c">the epicenter in West Texas,</a>&nbsp;and an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/measles-death-new-mexico-texas-outbreak-b9aef6fdd51fbb4ebd1ce9ce28e33299">adult in New Mexico</a>&nbsp;who was not vaccinated died of a measles-related illness.

Other&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/measles-kansas-ohio-mmr-vaccination-new-mexico-texas-569474272df9baaad1f6d73462ebe92a">states with active outbreaks</a>&nbsp;— which the CDC defines as three or more related cases — include Indiana, Michigan, Montana, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Tennessee.

North America has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/measles-texas-mexico-canada-ontario-0956a30c043b030ae79bc9f67c6ce89c">two other ongoing outbreaks</a>, all of which are the same measles strain. One outbreak in Ontario, Canada, has resulted in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.publichealthontario.ca/-/media/Documents/M/24/measles-ontario-epi-summary.pdf?rev=323859266e21469b8b97a294d6c6f98e&amp;sc_lang=en">1,440 cases</a>&nbsp;from mid-October through May 6, up 197 cases in a week. And the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mexico-measles-vaccines-misinformation-mmr-mennonites-misinformation-ea6158b9a4d513b20f33cbc09034e5c2">Mexican state of Chihuahua</a>&nbsp;had 1,094 measles cases and one death as of Tuesday, according to data from the state health ministry.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/measles-texas-new-mexico-mmr-outbreak-vaccines-408371700e3ab548777bf0354e586549">Measles</a>&nbsp;is caused by a highly contagious virus that’s airborne and spreads easily when an infected person breathes, sneezes or coughs. It is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/rfk-vaccines-autism-measles-obesity-food-dye-f26089856550e978d28fd25b653d8103">preventable through vaccines</a>, and has been considered eliminated from the U.S. since 2000.

As the virus takes hold in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/measles-texas-vaccines-funding-cuts-5785985d6b74024b0502f6a2fc1576e2">U.S. communities with low vaccination rates</a>, health experts fear that spread&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/measles-texas-new-mexico-outbreak-mmr-vaccine-6cfda9a944084c390bc70f0e7a37a426">could stretch on for a year</a>. Here’s what else you&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/measles-outbreak-texas-rfk-vaccines-8cf4641b04731c713edb524ca943490c">need to know about measles in the U.S.</a>

How many measles cases are there in Texas?

There are a total of 717 cases across&nbsp;<a href="https://www.datawrapper.de/_/sxSwi/?v=7">32 counties, most of them in West Texas</a>, state health officials said Tuesday. The state confirmed only eight more cases since its update Friday.

The state also added one hospitalization to its count, for a total of 93 throughout the outbreak.

<a href="https://www.dshs.texas.gov/news-alerts/measles-outbreak-2025">State health officials estimated</a>&nbsp;about 1% of cases — fewer than 10 — are actively infectious. Fifty-seven percent of Texas’ cases are in Gaines County, population 22,892, where the virus started spreading in a close-knit, undervaccinated Mennonite community. The county has had 405 cases since late January — just over 1.7% of the county’s residents.

The April 3 death in Texas was an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/measles-texas-rfk-death-vaccine-4e28b0edf5cab47980b40b2d47f0ec50">8-year-old child,</a>&nbsp;according to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-measles-outbreak-rfk-jr-ben-edwards-2dd7c79d47c64ad2e6d4a4ac3c87ec1f">Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.</a>&nbsp;Local health officials said the child did not have underlying health conditions and died of “what the child’s doctor described as measles pulmonary failure.” A unvaccinated&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/measles-outbreak-west-texas-death-rfk-41adc66641e4a56ce2b2677480031ab9">child with no underlying conditions died of measles in Texas</a>&nbsp;in late February; Kennedy said the child was 6.

How many measles cases are there in New Mexico?

New Mexico remained steady with 71 total cases Tuesday. Seven people have been hospitalized since the outbreak started. Most of the state’s cases are in Lea County. Three are in Eddy County, two in Doña Ana County and Chaves and Curry counties have one each.

An unvaccinated adult died of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/measles-death-new-mexico-texas-outbreak-b9aef6fdd51fbb4ebd1ce9ce28e33299">measles-related illness March 6</a>. The person did not seek medical care.

Oklahoma held steady with a total of 14 confirmed and three probable cases as of Tuesday.

The state health department is not releasing which counties have cases, but Cleveland, Oklahoma and Sequoyah counties have had public exposures in the past couple of months.

Indiana has eight cases, all of them in Allen County in the northeast part of the state. The cases have no known link to other outbreaks, the Allen County Department of Health has said.

Michigan has nine confirmed cases of measles, with an outbreak of four connected cases in Montcalm County in the western part of the state that state health officials say is tied to the Ontario outbreak.

Montana added three new measles cases in the last two weeks, bringing the total to eight. The state's outbreak started in mid-April in southwestern Gallatin County — Montana’s first measles cases in 35 years. Health officials didn’t say whether the cases are linked to other outbreaks in North America.

How many cases are there in North Dakota?

North Dakota has 11 cases of measles as of Sunday. The state hadn't seen measles since 2011, health officials said.

State health officials announced two new cases in Cass County on the eastern side of the state. The rest are in Williams County in western North Dakota on the Montana border and are not linked to Cass County.

The state health department says three of the confirmed cases in Williams County are linked to the first case — an unvaccinated child who health officials believe got it from an out-of-state visitor.

The other five cases were people who were not vaccinated and did not have contact with the other cases, causing concern about community transmission. The state health department said four people diagnosed with measles attended classes while infectious at a Williston elementary school, middle school and high school.

Ohio has 34 measles cases and one hospitalization, according to the Ohio Department of Health. That count includes only Ohio residents.

The state has two outbreaks: Ashtabula County near Cleveland has 16 cases, and Knox County in east-central Ohio has 20 — 14 among Ohio residents and the rest among visitors.

Allen, Cuyahoga, Holmes and Defiance counties have one case each.

How many cases are there in Pennsylvania?

Pennsylvania has 15 cases overall in 2025 as of Friday, including international travel-related cases in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pa.gov/content/dam/copapwp-pagov/en/health/documents/topics/documents/2025%20HAN/2025-787-3-13-ADV-%20Measles.pdf">Montgomery County and one in Philadelphia</a>.

There were eight measles cases in Erie County in far northwest Pennsylvania in late April; the county declared an outbreak in mid-April.

Tennessee had six measles cases as of early May. Health department spokesman Bill Christian said all cases are the middle part of the state, and that “at least three of these cases are linked to each other” but declined to specify further. The state also did not say whether the cases were linked to other outbreaks or when Tennessee’s outbreak started.

Where else is measles showing up in the U.S.?

Measles cases also have been reported in Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia and Washington.

Cases and outbreaks in the U.S. are frequently traced to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/europe-asia-measles-rates-unicef-who-report-2f888732cc297090238956986fd89cc4">someone who caught the disease abroad</a>. In 2019, the U.S. saw 1,274 cases and almost lost its status of having eliminated measles.

What do you need to know about the MMR vaccine?

The best way to avoid measles is to get the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/vaccine-safety/vaccines/mmr.html">measles, mumps and rubella</a>&nbsp;vaccine. The first shot is recommended for children between 12 and 15 months old and the second between 4 and 6 years old.

Getting another MMR shot as an adult is harmless if there are concerns about waning immunity, the CDC says. People who have documentation of receiving a live measles vaccine in the 1960s don’t need to be revaccinated, but people who were immunized before 1968 with an ineffective vaccine made from “killed” virus should be revaccinated with at least one dose, the agency said.

People who have documentation that they had measles are immune, and those born before 1957 generally don’t need the shots because so many children got measles back then that they have “presumptive immunity."

Measles has a harder time spreading through communities with high vaccination rates — above 95% — due to “herd immunity.” But childhood vaccination rates have declined nationwide since the pandemic and more parents are claiming religious or personal conscience waivers to exempt their kids from required shots.

Measles first infects the respiratory tract, then spreads throughout the body, causing a high fever, runny nose, cough, red, watery eyes and a rash.

The rash generally appears three to five days after the first symptoms, beginning as flat red spots on the face and then spreading downward to the neck, trunk, arms, legs and feet. When the rash appears, the fever may spike over 104 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the CDC.

Most kids will recover from measles, but infection can lead to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/measles/signs-symptoms/index.html">dangerous complications</a>&nbsp;such as pneumonia, blindness, brain swelling and death.

There’s no specific treatment for measles, so doctors generally try to alleviate symptoms, prevent complications and keep patients comfortable.

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

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1747238778889.png" alt="KDHE image" />
                        <figcaption>KDHE image</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>TOPEKA —The Kansas Department of Health on Wednesday reported ten new case of measles over the past week in the state for a total of 56 cases in ten counties.</p><p>Last week the state reported cases in eight counties in the southwestern part of the state. Most of the cases are in Gray, Haskell and Stevens counties. The state also confirmed one case in Wichita and another in Hutchinson. </p><p>On Saturday, county health officers issued warnings about sites where people may have been exposed to measles. Anyone who was at the Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport from 6:15 p.m. to 9 p.m. May 2 should monitor symptoms until May 23. And anyone at Carnicerias El Guero No. 1 grocery store, 524 W. 21st St N. in Wichita, from 6:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. April 29 should monitor symptoms until May 20.</p><p>Anyone at the Hutchinson Public Library, 901 N. Main Street Hutchinson&nbsp;Saturday, May 3, 2025, from 2 p.m. until 5 p.m. should also monitor symptoms.</p><figure>
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                    </figure><p>The state's first reported case, identified in Stevens County on March 13, is linked to the Texas and New Mexico outbreaks based on genetic testing, a state health department spokesperson said. But health officials have not determined how the person was exposed.</p><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/3/1743085628490.png" alt="Photo by Tatiana Lanzieri Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.png" />
                        <figcaption>Photo by Tatiana Lanzieri Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.png</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>Texas confirmed eight more measles cases over the span of four days, continuing a short streak of shrinking increases in a state that has been dealing with a large outbreak for nearly four months.</p><p>The U.S. surpassed 1,000 measles cases Friday, and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.datawrapper.de/_/sxSwi/?v=7">Texas</a>&nbsp;still accounts for the vast majority of cases in an outbreak that also spread measles to New Mexico, Oklahoma and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.datawrapper.de/_/aP4Au/?v=3">Kansas.</a></p><p><a href="https://www.datawrapper.de/_/aP4Au/?v=3"></a><a href="https://apnews.com/article/measles-texas-rfk-death-vaccine-4e28b0edf5cab47980b40b2d47f0ec50">Two unvaccinated elementary school-aged children</a>&nbsp;died from measles-related illnesses in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/measles-outbreak-texas-rfk-vaccines-8cf4641b04731c713edb524ca943490c">the epicenter in West Texas,</a>&nbsp;and an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/measles-death-new-mexico-texas-outbreak-b9aef6fdd51fbb4ebd1ce9ce28e33299">adult in New Mexico</a>&nbsp;who was not vaccinated died of a measles-related illness.</p><p>Other&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/measles-kansas-ohio-mmr-vaccination-new-mexico-texas-569474272df9baaad1f6d73462ebe92a">states with active outbreaks</a>&nbsp;— which the CDC defines as three or more related cases — include Indiana, Michigan, Montana, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Tennessee.</p><p>North America has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/measles-texas-mexico-canada-ontario-0956a30c043b030ae79bc9f67c6ce89c">two other ongoing outbreaks</a>, all of which are the same measles strain. One outbreak in Ontario, Canada, has resulted in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.publichealthontario.ca/-/media/Documents/M/24/measles-ontario-epi-summary.pdf?rev=323859266e21469b8b97a294d6c6f98e&amp;sc_lang=en">1,440 cases</a>&nbsp;from mid-October through May 6, up 197 cases in a week. And the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mexico-measles-vaccines-misinformation-mmr-mennonites-misinformation-ea6158b9a4d513b20f33cbc09034e5c2">Mexican state of Chihuahua</a>&nbsp;had 1,094 measles cases and one death as of Tuesday, according to data from the state health ministry.</p><p><a href="https://apnews.com/article/measles-texas-new-mexico-mmr-outbreak-vaccines-408371700e3ab548777bf0354e586549">Measles</a>&nbsp;is caused by a highly contagious virus that’s airborne and spreads easily when an infected person breathes, sneezes or coughs. It is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/rfk-vaccines-autism-measles-obesity-food-dye-f26089856550e978d28fd25b653d8103">preventable through vaccines</a>, and has been considered eliminated from the U.S. since 2000.</p><p>As the virus takes hold in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/measles-texas-vaccines-funding-cuts-5785985d6b74024b0502f6a2fc1576e2">U.S. communities with low vaccination rates</a>, health experts fear that spread&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/measles-texas-new-mexico-outbreak-mmr-vaccine-6cfda9a944084c390bc70f0e7a37a426">could stretch on for a year</a>. Here’s what else you&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/measles-outbreak-texas-rfk-vaccines-8cf4641b04731c713edb524ca943490c">need to know about measles in the U.S.</a></p><h2>How many measles cases are there in Texas?</h2><p>There are a total of 717 cases across&nbsp;<a href="https://www.datawrapper.de/_/sxSwi/?v=7">32 counties, most of them in West Texas</a>, state health officials said Tuesday. The state confirmed only eight more cases since its update Friday.</p><p>The state also added one hospitalization to its count, for a total of 93 throughout the outbreak.</p><p><a href="https://www.dshs.texas.gov/news-alerts/measles-outbreak-2025">State health officials estimated</a>&nbsp;about 1% of cases — fewer than 10 — are actively infectious. Fifty-seven percent of Texas’ cases are in Gaines County, population 22,892, where the virus started spreading in a close-knit, undervaccinated Mennonite community. The county has had 405 cases since late January — just over 1.7% of the county’s residents.</p><p>The April 3 death in Texas was an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/measles-texas-rfk-death-vaccine-4e28b0edf5cab47980b40b2d47f0ec50">8-year-old child,</a>&nbsp;according to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-measles-outbreak-rfk-jr-ben-edwards-2dd7c79d47c64ad2e6d4a4ac3c87ec1f">Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.</a>&nbsp;Local health officials said the child did not have underlying health conditions and died of “what the child’s doctor described as measles pulmonary failure.” A unvaccinated&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/measles-outbreak-west-texas-death-rfk-41adc66641e4a56ce2b2677480031ab9">child with no underlying conditions died of measles in Texas</a>&nbsp;in late February; Kennedy said the child was 6.</p><h2>How many measles cases are there in New Mexico?</h2><p>New Mexico remained steady with 71 total cases Tuesday. Seven people have been hospitalized since the outbreak started. Most of the state’s cases are in Lea County. Three are in Eddy County, two in Doña Ana County and Chaves and Curry counties have one each.</p><p>An unvaccinated adult died of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/measles-death-new-mexico-texas-outbreak-b9aef6fdd51fbb4ebd1ce9ce28e33299">measles-related illness March 6</a>. The person did not seek medical care.</p><h2>How many cases are there in Oklahoma?</h2><p>Oklahoma held steady with a total of 14 confirmed and three probable cases as of Tuesday.</p><p>The state health department is not releasing which counties have cases, but Cleveland, Oklahoma and Sequoyah counties have had public exposures in the past couple of months.</p><h2>How many cases are there in Indiana?</h2><p>Indiana has eight cases, all of them in Allen County in the northeast part of the state. The cases have no known link to other outbreaks, the Allen County Department of Health has said.</p><h2>How many cases are there in Michigan?</h2><p>Michigan has nine confirmed cases of measles, with an outbreak of four connected cases in Montcalm County in the western part of the state that state health officials say is tied to the Ontario outbreak.</p><h2>How many cases are there in Montana?</h2><p>Montana added three new measles cases in the last two weeks, bringing the total to eight. The state's outbreak started in mid-April in southwestern Gallatin County — Montana’s first measles cases in 35 years. Health officials didn’t say whether the cases are linked to other outbreaks in North America.</p><h2>How many cases are there in North Dakota?</h2><p>North Dakota has 11 cases of measles as of Sunday. The state hadn't seen measles since 2011, health officials said.</p><p>State health officials announced two new cases in Cass County on the eastern side of the state. The rest are in Williams County in western North Dakota on the Montana border and are not linked to Cass County.</p><p>The state health department says three of the confirmed cases in Williams County are linked to the first case — an unvaccinated child who health officials believe got it from an out-of-state visitor.</p><p>The other five cases were people who were not vaccinated and did not have contact with the other cases, causing concern about community transmission. The state health department said four people diagnosed with measles attended classes while infectious at a Williston elementary school, middle school and high school.</p><h2>How many cases are there in Ohio?</h2><p>Ohio has 34 measles cases and one hospitalization, according to the Ohio Department of Health. That count includes only Ohio residents.</p><p>The state has two outbreaks: Ashtabula County near Cleveland has 16 cases, and Knox County in east-central Ohio has 20 — 14 among Ohio residents and the rest among visitors.</p><p>Allen, Cuyahoga, Holmes and Defiance counties have one case each.</p><h2>How many cases are there in Pennsylvania?</h2><p>Pennsylvania has 15 cases overall in 2025 as of Friday, including international travel-related cases in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pa.gov/content/dam/copapwp-pagov/en/health/documents/topics/documents/2025%20HAN/2025-787-3-13-ADV-%20Measles.pdf">Montgomery County and one in Philadelphia</a>.</p><p>There were eight measles cases in Erie County in far northwest Pennsylvania in late April; the county declared an outbreak in mid-April.</p><h2>How many cases are there in Tennessee?</h2><p>Tennessee had six measles cases as of early May. Health department spokesman Bill Christian said all cases are the middle part of the state, and that “at least three of these cases are linked to each other” but declined to specify further. The state also did not say whether the cases were linked to other outbreaks or when Tennessee’s outbreak started.</p><h2>Where else is measles showing up in the U.S.?</h2><p>Measles cases also have been reported in Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia and Washington.</p><p>Cases and outbreaks in the U.S. are frequently traced to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/europe-asia-measles-rates-unicef-who-report-2f888732cc297090238956986fd89cc4">someone who caught the disease abroad</a>. In 2019, the U.S. saw 1,274 cases and almost lost its status of having eliminated measles.</p><h2>What do you need to know about the MMR vaccine?</h2><p>The best way to avoid measles is to get the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/vaccine-safety/vaccines/mmr.html">measles, mumps and rubella</a>&nbsp;vaccine. The first shot is recommended for children between 12 and 15 months old and the second between 4 and 6 years old.</p><p>Getting another MMR shot as an adult is harmless if there are concerns about waning immunity, the CDC says. People who have documentation of receiving a live measles vaccine in the 1960s don’t need to be revaccinated, but people who were immunized before 1968 with an ineffective vaccine made from “killed” virus should be revaccinated with at least one dose, the agency said.</p><p>People who have documentation that they had measles are immune, and those born before 1957 generally don’t need the shots because so many children got measles back then that they have “presumptive immunity."</p><p>Measles has a harder time spreading through communities with high vaccination rates — above 95% — due to “herd immunity.” But childhood vaccination rates have declined nationwide since the pandemic and more parents are claiming religious or personal conscience waivers to exempt their kids from required shots.</p><h2>What are the symptoms of measles?</h2><p>Measles first infects the respiratory tract, then spreads throughout the body, causing a high fever, runny nose, cough, red, watery eyes and a rash.</p><p>The rash generally appears three to five days after the first symptoms, beginning as flat red spots on the face and then spreading downward to the neck, trunk, arms, legs and feet. When the rash appears, the fever may spike over 104 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the CDC.</p><p>Most kids will recover from measles, but infection can lead to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/measles/signs-symptoms/index.html">dangerous complications</a>&nbsp;such as pneumonia, blindness, brain swelling and death.</p><h2>How can you treat measles?</h2><p>There’s no specific treatment for measles, so doctors generally try to alleviate symptoms, prevent complications and keep patients comfortable.</p><p>___</p><p>The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.</p>

KDHE reports more measles cases in the state

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. health regulators announced an effort Tuesday to phase out ingestible&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fluoride-water-cdc-kennedy-02d931af8f025877a9e3d332bf215c69">fluoride</a>&nbsp;supplements sometimes used to strengthen children’s teeth, opening a new front in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fluoride-cdc-epa-6f4dbc64b5dc511f712a82cd2d252d76">Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s effort</a>&nbsp;against a mainstay of dental care.

<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/us-food-and-drug-administration">The Food and Drug Administration</a>&nbsp;said it will conduct a scientific review of the children's products by late October with the aim of removing them from the market. Formally withdrawing medical products requires a lengthy rulemaking process that can take years. Instead, the FDA will ask manufacturers to voluntarily pull their products, according to an administration official.

Fluoride tablets and lozenges are sometimes recommended for children and teens at increased risk of tooth decay or cavities because of low fluoride in their local drinking water. Companies also sell drops for babies.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fda-trump-makary-vaccines-ultraprocessed-food-safety-ce9df8eb4bba5c950e500c62d975afe2">FDA Commissioner Marty Makary</a>&nbsp;said the products pose a risk when swallowed because they may interfere with healthy gut bacteria that are critical to digestion, immunity and other key bodily functions. He also referenced studies showing possible associations between excess fluoride intake and other problems,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fluoride-water-brain-neurology-iq-0a671d2de3b386947e2bd5a661f437a5">including decreased IQ</a>.

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                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/11/1732637671464.jpg" alt="<br>" />
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                    </figure><p>WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. health regulators announced an effort Tuesday to phase out ingestible&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fluoride-water-cdc-kennedy-02d931af8f025877a9e3d332bf215c69">fluoride</a>&nbsp;supplements sometimes used to strengthen children’s teeth, opening a new front in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fluoride-cdc-epa-6f4dbc64b5dc511f712a82cd2d252d76">Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s effort</a>&nbsp;against a mainstay of dental care.</p><p><a href="https://apnews.com/hub/us-food-and-drug-administration">The Food and Drug Administration</a>&nbsp;said it will conduct a scientific review of the children's products by late October with the aim of removing them from the market. Formally withdrawing medical products requires a lengthy rulemaking process that can take years. Instead, the FDA will ask manufacturers to voluntarily pull their products, according to an administration official.</p><p>Fluoride tablets and lozenges are sometimes recommended for children and teens at increased risk of tooth decay or cavities because of low fluoride in their local drinking water. Companies also sell drops for babies.</p><p><a href="https://apnews.com/article/fda-trump-makary-vaccines-ultraprocessed-food-safety-ce9df8eb4bba5c950e500c62d975afe2">FDA Commissioner Marty Makary</a>&nbsp;said the products pose a risk when swallowed because they may interfere with healthy gut bacteria that are critical to digestion, immunity and other key bodily functions. He also referenced studies showing possible associations between excess fluoride intake and other problems,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fluoride-water-brain-neurology-iq-0a671d2de3b386947e2bd5a661f437a5">including decreased IQ</a>.</p><p>The nation's leading dental group said Tuesday the studies “do not in fact demonstrate any harmful effects” from fluoride at the levels used by dentists.</p><p>"Proposals like this stand to hurt rural America, not make them healthier,” American Dental Association President Dr. Brett Kessler said. “More than ever, at this critical time in American health care policy, it is vital that we slow down to properly study the full implications of actions like this on the health of the nation.”</p><p><a href="https://apnews.com/article/utah-fluoride-ban-low-income-f02da2c1a45b3837b79f927430d4b0d6">Officials in Utah</a>&nbsp;— the first U.S. state to ban fluoride from drinking water — recently made fluoride supplements available without a prescription. As more state and local governments begin&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/utah-fluoride-ban-43f67153beb3e06ada9d782655fb15de">removing fluoride from their water</a>, the need for supplemental fluoride is expected to grow.</p><p>Fluoride strengthens teeth and reduces cavities by replacing minerals lost during normal wear and tear, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 1962, the agency set guidelines for how much should be added to water.</p><p><a href="https://apnews.com/article/rfk-vaccines-autism-measles-obesity-food-dye-f26089856550e978d28fd25b653d8103">Kennedy</a>, a former environmental lawyer,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fluoride-ruling-drinking-water-ccdfa11138600ab0838ebf979cbaead2">has called fluoride</a>&nbsp;a “dangerous neurotoxin” tied to a range of health dangers. Last month, he announced a task force to scrutinize fluoride's use, while at the same time saying he would order the CDC to stop recommending that it be added to tap water.</p><p>A report last year by the federal government’s National Toxicology Program concluded that drinking water with more than twice the CDC’s recommended level was associated with lower IQs in kids. The study was based on research conducted in Canada, China, India, Iran, Pakistan and Mexico.</p><p>“Ending the use of ingestible fluoride is long overdue,” Kennedy said in a statement Tuesday. "This decision brings us one step closer to delivering on President Trump’s promise to Make America Healthy Again.”</p><p>An influential government health panel recommends fluoride supplements for children between the ages of six months and 5 years if they live in areas with low fluoridation levels. The U.S. Preventative Services Task Forces judged the recommendation to have “high certainty," based on the available evidence.</p><p>A 2010 paper from the ADA recommended supplemental fluoride for children up to 16 years old who are at high risk of cavities. The recommendation was based on a review of studies across different age groups. The most common side effect associated with the products is spotting or discoloration of the teeth, caused by extra fluoride.</p><p>ADA's Kessler said the FDA's plan “will be particularly harmful to the most vulnerable and those who lack access to care.”</p><p>The FDA regulates most dental products, including fluoride-containing toothpastes, supplements, mouthwashes and rinses. But in Tuesday's press release, the FDA said the ingestible products targeted by the agency have “never been approved." The agency's plan wouldn't affect toothpastes, mouthwash or fluoride treatments used by adults or those offered in dentists' offices.</p><p>In recent weeks fluoride-containing products have increasingly been targeted with lawsuits and legal actions.</p><p>Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced an investigation early this month into the marketing of fluoride toothpastes by Colgate-Palmolive and Proctor and Gamble. A press release from his office described the companies' promotions as “misleading, deceptive and dangerous.”</p><p>___</p><p>The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.</p>