Hutchinson police investigated a reported threat at Central Christian School overnight and determined it was not credible, according to authorities.

Captain Dayton Gates with the Hutchinson Police Department said the school received a threatening message on its voicemail overnight. Officers responded to the campus and conducted a sweep of the building as a precaution and cleared the school after finding no validity to the threat.

Central Christian School notified families through a parent alert, stating that a threat had been made and that police were on scene assisting students in relocating to Union Valley Bible Church as a precaution. The message said officials did not believe the threat was credible but were taking all necessary safety measures and would provide updates as available.

Dr. John Walker, superintendent of Central Christian School, said the matter remains under investigation.

“A threat was made to Central Christian School this morning. This is an ongoing investigation being handled in coordination with the Hutchinson Police Department. Students and staff are safe. At this time, we do not have any additional information to share,” Walker said.

Walker later said that, out of an abundance of caution, school was canceled for the day.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/12/1766164026374.png" alt="-Hutchinson Police investigate threat made to Central Christian School (Marc Jacobs/Hutch Post" />
 <figcaption>-Hutchinson Police investigate threat made to Central Christian School (Marc Jacobs/Hutch Post</figcaption>
 </figure>MARC JACOBS Hutch Post&nbsp;Hutchinson police investigated a reported threat at Central Christian School overnight and determined it was not credible, according to authorities.Captain Dayton Gates with the Hutchinson Police Department said the school received a threatening message on its voicemail overnight. Officers responded to the campus and conducted a sweep of the building as a precaution and cleared the school after finding no validity to the threat.Central Christian School notified families through a parent alert, stating that a threat had been made and that police were on scene assisting students in relocating to Union Valley Bible Church as a precaution. The message said officials did not believe the threat was credible but were taking all necessary safety measures and would provide updates as available.Dr. John Walker, superintendent of Central Christian School, said the matter remains under investigation.“A threat was made to Central Christian School this morning. This is an ongoing investigation being handled in coordination with the Hutchinson Police Department. Students and staff are safe. At this time, we do not have any additional information to share,” Walker said.Walker later said that, out of an abundance of caution, school was canceled for the day.

Police investigate voice mail threat at Kansas school

By JONATHAN ZWEYGARDT Hays Post Sports

HAYS – TMP’s seniors Caden Dinkel and Carson Liles made it
official Wednesday, signing letters of intent to play baseball at the next
level.

Dinkel is headed to play at Cloud County Community College
in Concordia. Liles signed to play at Barton Community College in Great Bend.

While Dinkel talked with other coaches about playing at the
next level, he said T-Bird head coach and former Fort Hays State Tiger Eric
Gilliland was the first to reach out, and that Cloud felt like the perfect fit.

“When I toured the school, it was just an awesome place,:
Dinkel said. “This is where I want to be.”

“The coaches were awesome. The program's awesome. They're
going to push you to be your best, and they have really high expectations for
you, and it was just the place I wanted to be,” Dinkel said.

You can hear the entire interview with Dinkel below.

Dinkel finished his junior season with a .385 batting average,
with 13 extra base hits and 26 RBIs. 

Liles also found his perfect fit in a Jayhawk League program
at Barton Community College.

Despite other offers, including a chance to play both
baseball and football as a kicker, Liles said something about Barton “clicked”
on his visit.

“JUCO is where you want to bet on yourself and try and get
more after and whatnot, so I decided I think that fits me better, is just bet
on myself and see what happens after,” Liles said. 

You can hear the entire interview with Liles below.

Liles missed a portion of his junior season recovering from
a hand injury, but is a career .366 hitter for TMP with 13 extra base hits and
55 RBIs. He also has a career 17-6 record as a pitcher and was 5-1 this past
season with a sub-1.00 ERA. He has 167 career strikeouts in 123 2/3 innings.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/12/1766014550887.jpeg" alt="TMP seniors Caden and Carson Liles signed to play baseball at the next level." />
 <figcaption>TMP seniors Caden and Carson Liles signed to play baseball at the next level.</figcaption>
 </figure>By JONATHAN ZWEYGARDT Hays Post SportsHAYS – TMP’s seniors Caden Dinkel and Carson Liles made it
official Wednesday, signing letters of intent to play baseball at the next
level.Dinkel is headed to play at Cloud County Community College
in Concordia. Liles signed to play at Barton Community College in Great Bend.While Dinkel talked with other coaches about playing at the
next level, he said T-Bird head coach and former Fort Hays State Tiger Eric
Gilliland was the first to reach out, and that Cloud felt like the perfect fit.“When I toured the school, it was just an awesome place,:
Dinkel said. “This is where I want to be.”“The coaches were awesome. The program's awesome. They're
going to push you to be your best, and they have really high expectations for
you, and it was just the place I wanted to be,” Dinkel said.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/12/1766155312377.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>You can hear the entire interview with Dinkel below.<div><iframe width="100%" height="166" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" allow="autoplay" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/soundcloud%253Atracks%253A2231574143&color=%234d4d8a&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true"></iframe><div style="font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc;line-break: anywhere;word-break: normal;overflow: hidden;white-space: nowrap;text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 100;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/user-814667509" title="Eagle Radio" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">Eagle Radio</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/user-814667509/12-17-tmp-caden-dinkel-1" title="12-17 - TMP Caden Dinkel" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">12-17 - TMP Caden Dinkel</a></div></div>Dinkel finished his junior season with a .385 batting average,
with 13 extra base hits and 26 RBIs. Liles also found his perfect fit in a Jayhawk League program
at Barton Community College.Despite other offers, including a chance to play both
baseball and football as a kicker, Liles said something about Barton “clicked”
on his visit.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/12/1766154950385.jpeg" alt=" " />
 <figcaption> </figcaption>
 </figure>“JUCO is where you want to bet on yourself and try and get
more after and whatnot, so I decided I think that fits me better, is just bet
on myself and see what happens after,” Liles said. You can hear the entire interview with Liles below.<div><iframe width="100%" height="166" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" allow="autoplay" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/soundcloud%253Atracks%253A2231574146&color=%23234c78&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true"></iframe><div style="font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc;line-break: anywhere;word-break: normal;overflow: hidden;white-space: nowrap;text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 100;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/user-814667509" title="Eagle Radio" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">Eagle Radio</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/user-814667509/12-17-tmp-carson-liles-2" title="12-17 - TMP Carson Liles" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">12-17 - TMP Carson Liles</a></div></div>Liles missed a portion of his junior season recovering from
a hand injury, but is a career .366 hitter for TMP with 13 extra base hits and
55 RBIs. He also has a career 17-6 record as a pitcher and was 5-1 this past
season with a sub-1.00 ERA. He has 167 career strikeouts in 123 2/3 innings.

⚾ TMP’s Dinkel and Liles sign to play at next level

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military said Thursday that it had conducted two more strikes against boats it said were smuggling drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing five people.

U.S. Southern Command posted on social media, “Intelligence confirmed that the vessels were transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific and were engaged in narco-trafficking operations,” though it did not provide evidence. It posted videos of each boat speeding through water before being struck by an explosion.

The military said three people in one vessel and two in the other were killed.

The attacks brought&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-boat-strikes-caribbean-military-venezuela-timeline-2dd9d16f4f74d9dfa4aca76d3123678d">the total number of known boat strikes</a>&nbsp;to 28 while at least 104 people have been killed, according to numbers announced by the Trump administration. President Donald Trump has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-maduro-drugs-venezuela-911-hegseth-3db3aafed492556bb9ca7de855c4849e">justified the attacks</a>&nbsp;as a necessary escalation to stem the flow of drugs into the United States and asserted the U.S. is engaged in an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-cartels-armed-conflict-cb57804807e55a00ace60ad5f4d4f24d">“armed conflict” with drug cartels</a>.

The administration is facing&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boat-strikes-pete-hegseth-venezuela-9f46a5f074b5b3c979ee41082949b196">increasing scrutiny from lawmakers</a>&nbsp;over the boat strike campaign. The first attack in early September involved&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-strike-video-footage-boat-caribbean-3cf2ca9cbe4523978e935b99c2979caa">a follow-up strike that killed two survivors</a>&nbsp;clinging to the wreckage of a boat after the first hit.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military said Thursday that it had conducted two more strikes against boats it said were smuggling drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing five people.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">On Dec. 18, at the direction of <a href="https://twitter.com/SecWar?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SecWar</a> Pete Hegseth, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted lethal kinetic strikes on two vessels operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations in international waters. Intelligence confirmed that the vessels were transiting along known… <a href="https://t.co/CcCyOgYRto">pic.twitter.com/CcCyOgYRto</a>&mdash; U.S. Southern Command (@Southcom) <a href="https://twitter.com/Southcom/status/2001840669313135099?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 19, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>U.S. Southern Command posted on social media, “Intelligence confirmed that the vessels were transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific and were engaged in narco-trafficking operations,” though it did not provide evidence. It posted videos of each boat speeding through water before being struck by an explosion.The military said three people in one vessel and two in the other were killed.The attacks brought&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-boat-strikes-caribbean-military-venezuela-timeline-2dd9d16f4f74d9dfa4aca76d3123678d">the total number of known boat strikes</a>&nbsp;to 28 while at least 104 people have been killed, according to numbers announced by the Trump administration. President Donald Trump has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-maduro-drugs-venezuela-911-hegseth-3db3aafed492556bb9ca7de855c4849e">justified the attacks</a>&nbsp;as a necessary escalation to stem the flow of drugs into the United States and asserted the U.S. is engaged in an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-cartels-armed-conflict-cb57804807e55a00ace60ad5f4d4f24d">“armed conflict” with drug cartels</a>.The administration is facing&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boat-strikes-pete-hegseth-venezuela-9f46a5f074b5b3c979ee41082949b196">increasing scrutiny from lawmakers</a>&nbsp;over the boat strike campaign. The first attack in early September involved&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-strike-video-footage-boat-caribbean-3cf2ca9cbe4523978e935b99c2979caa">a follow-up strike that killed two survivors</a>&nbsp;clinging to the wreckage of a boat after the first hit.

🎥US strikes 2 more drug boats killing 5 'narco-terrorists'

By CRISTINA JANNEY Hays Post

The Joint Ellis County Planning Commission advanced a $275 million solar project at its meeting on Monday.

The commission unanimously voted to move consideration of a conditional-use permit for the solar development in southwest Ellis County to the Ellis County Commission.

The land on which the solar project would be built is zoned agricultural.

The county commission will likely consider the permit request at its Jan. 6 meeting. A 14-day protest period will end on Dec. 31.

Developer ibV of Florida presented to a packed audience of about 75 people, with those both for and against the project in attendance.

IbV answered a litany of questions about the project, which would generate 175MW of power for the&nbsp;Southwest Power Pool energy market, connecting via ITC Holdings’ 345-kilovolt Spearville-Post Rock transmission line.

The facility will include 600- to 700-W panels mounted on a tracking system to follow the sun throughout the day. The maximum height of the panels will be about 12 feet.

The facility will have no battery storage on site.

One audience member asked if there was capacity in the line to receive the additional power.

The ibV team said they have been in the analysis process for several years, and yes, there is capacity in the line.

Rep. Barb Wasinger, R-Hays, asked if ibV had an agreement yet to sell the power; Robin Saiz, ibV vice president, said no. He said that is one of the next steps in the process, but an agreement has not yet been reached.

Wasinger also asked if the power would stay in Kansas.

Saiz said the electricity will take the path of least resistance. He likened the power grid to a swimming pool. If you dump water into the pool, it raises the pool's level. If you jump in the pool, you don't know whether the water touching your body came from the specific water you just added.

He said the new solar project will increase the reliability of the whole grid, including for local users.

He said the Southwest Power Pool has recently planned to expand into Colorado, which occurred after ibV started planning this project.

He said he could not guarantee the power would remain in Kansas.

The project's total acreage is about 1,829 acres, according to the ibV report submitted to the planning commission. It would be at 170th and Mount Pleasant. The Tallgrass Project, as ibV has named it, will be built across multiple parcels, about 7 miles southwest of Hays and 9 miles southeast of Ellis.

Steven Link, senior project developer, said the company chose Ellis County because there is demand for energy in this region, there is a tie-in point for the project and the location offers relatively flat land in a rural setting.

"We are trying to inject a different type of energy on [the grid] besides oil production, not replace it," Link said.

Strategic Economic Research conducted an economic impact study for ibV, estimating 148 new jobs would be created locally during construction and 17 in the long term.

The research firm estimated $10.2 million in local earnings would be created during construction, with almost $1 million in annual long-term local earnings in Ellis County.

The project could net as much as $25.9 million in property tax revenue across the taxing entities during the estimated 35-year life of the project, according to the research firm.

IbV is estimated construction on the project will begin in 2027, with about 18 months until completion in 2028.

ibV requested up to three years to begin construction because they anticipated potential supply chain issues with some high-voltage equipment. County regulations require construction to begin within a year, with an option for a one-year extension.

Link said ibV will be responsible for the infrastructure necessary to support the project. This includes roads and water. ibV will establish an escrow account with expenses paid to the county for road work that might be needed.

The ibV representatives said they do not intend to tap into rural water at this time.

Link said the project anticipated using pond water or accessing water from another place. Link said the solar panels could be dry mopped.

Once the project is complete, the ibV representatives anticipate using 250 gallons of potable water per day at the site. That is to service the site's operations and maintenance building, which three people will staff. The water usage will be for the building's bathroom and kitchenette.

Keith Pfannenstiel, local resident, expressed concern about the facility's water use. He asserted the company had not accounted for its water usage.

He said he tried to speak at the last meeting of the rural water district but was not allowed to by Amy Befort, who is also one of the landowners leasing their land to ibV.

He alleged a conflict of interest. Pfannenstiel said he was going to file a complaint with the Ellis County Attorney.

Befort denied the allegation. She said her family's lease agreement with the ibV included no water rights. She said her property has the only rural water meter near the project, and it is certified for residential and livestock use only.

Befort said she has placed Pfannenstiel on the next rural water board meeting agenda. She alleged Pfannetiel had spread misinformation that the solar project would use rural water.

Pfannenstiel expressed concerns the solar panels could break and pollute groundwater. However, Befort noted solar panels, including those installed by Pfannenstiel, had been used for years to power water-well pumps and oil pumps in the area.

No one had expressed concerns about pollution before, she said.

"Some people are afraid of change," she said. "They are afraid of progress. I want you to seriously ask yourself, where would society be today without change or progress? Renewable enregy, solar energy is progress.

"This solar project has the capability to be a vital part of our community's future by bringing in millions of dollars in tax revenue and providing community projects supported by ibV energy. 

"Please, I ask you, don't allow a minority of uninformed people to stop progress and deny the people of Ellis County the many benefits of this solar project," Befort said.

Local resident Mike Werth and others asked about the potential for hail damage.

The solar panels are made of thick glass and silicone. The panels are rated to withstand winds up to 110 mph and hail of up to 90 mm, the ibV team said.

The facility will also carry insurance.&nbsp;

IbV was asked what would happen if a tornado or hailstorm wiped out the facility.

Saiz said ibV will have a decommission plan backed by a bond.

However, he said it would be in the best interests of ibV and its investors to rebuild so that it could maximize its return on investment.

Patrick Ripa, ibV executive director of planning and engineering, said the panels are also designed to be able to tilt to prevent damage. 

The panels can be laid flat in the event of a wind storm. They can be tilted vertically during hail to minimize exposed surface area and tilted at an angle during snowfall to discourage accumulation on the panels.

Weather stations, which will be monitored 24/7, will be placed throughout the facility, the ibV team said.

Nathan Casper, who lives on Mount Pleasant Road and would be a neighbor to the facility, said the pasture in which the solar project would be built has had two wildfires in the last several years.

He said a neighbor extinguished those fires. The rural fire department didn't make it to the site in time.

He expressed concern about his home and asked about the possibility of soil contamination if the solar panels were damaged in a fire.

Link said the grass at the facility will be mowed or grazed by sheep to 12 inches or less underneath the solar panels.

The site will be monitored by staff onsite as well as 24/7 remote monitoring, and Saiz said the company is very proactive in preventive maintenance.

The ibV team said they will meet with local emergency responders to develop an emergency preparedness plan for the solar project.

IbV has designed its facility to meet all Ellis County setback requirements.&nbsp;

The planning commission, as a condition of the conditional use permit, also required ibV to meet all state and federal permit requirements for a solar facility, including the EPA and the Clean Water Act.

IbV is leasing the land on which the solar panels will sit. Once the panels are decommissioned in about 35 years, the land will revert to the landowners.

ibV will have a plan and bond in place to decommission the facility at the end of its lifetime.

A licensed third party is creating the decommissioning plan. Having that plan in place is a condition of the company's permit.

Link said the panels will not sit on concrete pads, but will be supported through steel pillars.

The decommission plan includes returning the land as close as possible to its original state.

Saiz said long-term research by several U.S. universities has indicated land on which solar panels sit rebounds well after they are removed because the land has been lying fallow for several decades.

If there is disruption of the soil during decommissioning, the land would be reseeded in native grass, the ibV team said.

Local resident Mike Werth questioned the degree to which the project was being subsidized by the government.

"I know county, city, all municipalities are grasping for any little tax dollar they can get," Werth said. "I understand that, but at what cost?"

Ripa said the project is being privately funded, but all energy projects are subsidized, renewable and nonrenewable. All of their competitors are subsidized. He did not disclose the amount of the subsidy.

He said in many parts of the world, solar is the cheapest form of energy and is a renewable source. The efficiency of the panels has increased by 40 to 50% during the last five to seven years.

IbV is finaced through a larger international group, ib vogt GmbH of Germany.

Local resident&nbsp;Curt Staab said he supported the project and the income it would bring to the county.

"Revenue from a new tax stream is a really good thing for the county. We are always needing more money to keep up roads, schools, and so on," he said.

The planning commission also recommended approval of the&nbsp;Big Creek Estates 3rd Addition preliminary plat. That addition, which Adam Pray is developing, will include lots for 14 new homes.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/12/1766079981472.png" alt="The Joint Ellis County Planning Commission drew about 75 people to its meeting on Wednesday.&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>The Joint Ellis County Planning Commission drew about 75 people to its meeting on Wednesday.&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>By CRISTINA JANNEY Hays PostThe Joint Ellis County Planning Commission advanced a $275 million solar project at its meeting on Monday.The commission unanimously voted to move consideration of a conditional-use permit for the solar development in southwest Ellis County to the Ellis County Commission.The land on which the solar project would be built is zoned agricultural.The county commission will likely consider the permit request at its Jan. 6 meeting. A 14-day protest period will end on Dec. 31.Developer ibV of Florida presented to a packed audience of about 75 people, with those both for and against the project in attendance.IbV answered a litany of questions about the project, which would generate 175MW of power for the&nbsp;Southwest Power Pool energy market, connecting via ITC Holdings’ 345-kilovolt Spearville-Post Rock transmission line.The facility will include 600- to 700-W panels mounted on a tracking system to follow the sun throughout the day. The maximum height of the panels will be about 12 feet.The facility will have no battery storage on site.One audience member asked if there was capacity in the line to receive the additional power.The ibV team said they have been in the analysis process for several years, and yes, there is capacity in the line.Rep. Barb Wasinger, R-Hays, asked if ibV had an agreement yet to sell the power; Robin Saiz, ibV vice president, said no. He said that is one of the next steps in the process, but an agreement has not yet been reached.Wasinger also asked if the power would stay in Kansas.Saiz said the electricity will take the path of least resistance. He likened the power grid to a swimming pool. If you dump water into the pool, it raises the pool's level. If you jump in the pool, you don't know whether the water touching your body came from the specific water you just added.He said the new solar project will increase the reliability of the whole grid, including for local users.He said the Southwest Power Pool has recently planned to expand into Colorado, which occurred after ibV started planning this project.He said he could not guarantee the power would remain in Kansas.The project's total acreage is about 1,829 acres, according to the ibV report submitted to the planning commission. It would be at 170th and Mount Pleasant. The Tallgrass Project, as ibV has named it, will be built across multiple parcels, about 7 miles southwest of Hays and 9 miles southeast of Ellis.Steven Link, senior project developer, said the company chose Ellis County because there is demand for energy in this region, there is a tie-in point for the project and the location offers relatively flat land in a rural setting."We are trying to inject a different type of energy on [the grid] besides oil production, not replace it," Link said.Strategic Economic Research conducted an economic impact study for ibV, estimating 148 new jobs would be created locally during construction and 17 in the long term.The research firm estimated $10.2 million in local earnings would be created during construction, with almost $1 million in annual long-term local earnings in Ellis County.The project could net as much as $25.9 million in property tax revenue across the taxing entities during the estimated 35-year life of the project, according to the research firm.IbV is estimated construction on the project will begin in 2027, with about 18 months until completion in 2028.ibV requested up to three years to begin construction because they anticipated potential supply chain issues with some high-voltage equipment. County regulations require construction to begin within a year, with an option for a one-year extension.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/12/1766080357544.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Water, infrastructureLink said ibV will be responsible for the infrastructure necessary to support the project. This includes roads and water. ibV will establish an escrow account with expenses paid to the county for road work that might be needed.The ibV representatives said they do not intend to tap into rural water at this time.Link said the project anticipated using pond water or accessing water from another place. Link said the solar panels could be dry mopped.Once the project is complete, the ibV representatives anticipate using 250 gallons of potable water per day at the site. That is to service the site's operations and maintenance building, which three people will staff. The water usage will be for the building's bathroom and kitchenette.Keith Pfannenstiel, local resident, expressed concern about the facility's water use. He asserted the company had not accounted for its water usage.He said he tried to speak at the last meeting of the rural water district but was not allowed to by Amy Befort, who is also one of the landowners leasing their land to ibV.He alleged a conflict of interest. Pfannenstiel said he was going to file a complaint with the Ellis County Attorney.Befort denied the allegation. She said her family's lease agreement with the ibV included no water rights. She said her property has the only rural water meter near the project, and it is certified for residential and livestock use only.Befort said she has placed Pfannenstiel on the next rural water board meeting agenda. She alleged Pfannetiel had spread misinformation that the solar project would use rural water.Pfannenstiel expressed concerns the solar panels could break and pollute groundwater. However, Befort noted solar panels, including those installed by Pfannenstiel, had been used for years to power water-well pumps and oil pumps in the area.No one had expressed concerns about pollution before, she said."Some people are afraid of change," she said. "They are afraid of progress. I want you to seriously ask yourself, where would society be today without change or progress? Renewable enregy, solar energy is progress."This solar project has the capability to be a vital part of our community's future by bringing in millions of dollars in tax revenue and providing community projects supported by ibV energy. "Please, I ask you, don't allow a minority of uninformed people to stop progress and deny the people of Ellis County the many benefits of this solar project," Befort said.Storm damage, hailLocal resident Mike Werth and others asked about the potential for hail damage.The solar panels are made of thick glass and silicone. The panels are rated to withstand winds up to 110 mph and hail of up to 90 mm, the ibV team said.The facility will also carry insurance.&nbsp;IbV was asked what would happen if a tornado or hailstorm wiped out the facility.Saiz said ibV will have a decommission plan backed by a bond.However, he said it would be in the best interests of ibV and its investors to rebuild so that it could maximize its return on investment.Patrick Ripa, ibV executive director of planning and engineering, said the panels are also designed to be able to tilt to prevent damage. The panels can be laid flat in the event of a wind storm. They can be tilted vertically during hail to minimize exposed surface area and tilted at an angle during snowfall to discourage accumulation on the panels.Weather stations, which will be monitored 24/7, will be placed throughout the facility, the ibV team said.Fire responseNathan Casper, who lives on Mount Pleasant Road and would be a neighbor to the facility, said the pasture in which the solar project would be built has had two wildfires in the last several years.He said a neighbor extinguished those fires. The rural fire department didn't make it to the site in time.He expressed concern about his home and asked about the possibility of soil contamination if the solar panels were damaged in a fire.Link said the grass at the facility will be mowed or grazed by sheep to 12 inches or less underneath the solar panels.The site will be monitored by staff onsite as well as 24/7 remote monitoring, and Saiz said the company is very proactive in preventive maintenance.The ibV team said they will meet with local emergency responders to develop an emergency preparedness plan for the solar project.Regulatory requirementsIbV has designed its facility to meet all Ellis County setback requirements.&nbsp;The planning commission, as a condition of the conditional use permit, also required ibV to meet all state and federal permit requirements for a solar facility, including the EPA and the Clean Water Act.DecommissioningIbV is leasing the land on which the solar panels will sit. Once the panels are decommissioned in about 35 years, the land will revert to the landowners.ibV will have a plan and bond in place to decommission the facility at the end of its lifetime.A licensed third party is creating the decommissioning plan. Having that plan in place is a condition of the company's permit.Link said the panels will not sit on concrete pads, but will be supported through steel pillars.The decommission plan includes returning the land as close as possible to its original state.Saiz said long-term research by several U.S. universities has indicated land on which solar panels sit rebounds well after they are removed because the land has been lying fallow for several decades.If there is disruption of the soil during decommissioning, the land would be reseeded in native grass, the ibV team said.CostLocal resident Mike Werth questioned the degree to which the project was being subsidized by the government."I know county, city, all municipalities are grasping for any little tax dollar they can get," Werth said. "I understand that, but at what cost?"Ripa said the project is being privately funded, but all energy projects are subsidized, renewable and nonrenewable. All of their competitors are subsidized. He did not disclose the amount of the subsidy.He said in many parts of the world, solar is the cheapest form of energy and is a renewable source. The efficiency of the panels has increased by 40 to 50% during the last five to seven years.IbV is finaced through a larger international group, ib vogt GmbH of Germany.Local resident&nbsp;Curt Staab said he supported the project and the income it would bring to the county."Revenue from a new tax stream is a really good thing for the county. We are always needing more money to keep up roads, schools, and so on," he said.Big Creek EstatesThe planning commission also recommended approval of the&nbsp;Big Creek Estates 3rd Addition preliminary plat. That addition, which Adam Pray is developing, will include lots for 14 new homes.

Planning commission sends solar project to Ellis County Commission

A frantic search for the suspect in last weekend’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/brown-university-active-shooter-c7c9d1c7da19a76c2a27685c7e63d6da">mass shooting at Brown University</a>&nbsp;ended at a New Hampshire storage facility where authorities discovered the man dead inside and then revealed he also was suspected of killing a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mit-professor-shooting-massachusetts-portugal-3ab1e3e7e369de5cef90c7c911995dbb">Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor</a>.

Claudio Neves Valente, 48, a former Brown student and Portuguese national, was found dead Thursday night from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, said Col. Oscar Perez, the Providence police chief.

Investigators believe he is responsible for fatally shooting two students and wounding nine other people in a Brown lecture hall last Saturday, then killing MIT professor Nuno F.G. Loureiro two days later at his home in the Boston suburbs, nearly 50 miles (80 kilometers) from Providence. Perez said as far as investigators know, Neves Valente acted alone.

Brown University President Christina Paxson said Neves Valente was enrolled there as a graduate student studying physics from the fall of 2000 to the spring of 2001.

“He has no current affiliation with the university,” she said.

Neves Valente and Loureiro previously attended the same academic program at a university in Portugal between 1995 and 2000, U.S. attorney for Massachusetts Leah B. Foley said. Loureiro graduated from the physics program at Instituto Superior Técnico, Portugal’s premier engineering school, in 2000, according to his MIT faculty page. The same year, Neves Valente was let go from a position at the Lisbon university, according to an archive of a termination notice from the school’s then-president in February 2000.

Neves Valente had come to Brown on a student visa. He eventually obtained legal permanent residence status in September 2017, Foley said. It was not immediately clear where he was between taking a leave of absence from the school in 2001 and getting the visa in 2017. His last known residence was in Miami.

After officials revealed the suspect's identity, President Donald Trump suspended the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/brown-mit-shooting-suspect-green-card-1d6c1d83bc1237a21d0ca65d39981fa8">green card lottery program</a>&nbsp;that allowed Neves Valente to stay in the United States.

There are still “a lot of unknowns” in regard to motive, Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha said. “We don’t know why now, why Brown, why these students and why this classroom,” he said.

The FBI previously said it knew of no links between the Rhode Island and Massachusetts shootings.

Police credited a person who had several encounters with Neves Valente for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/brown-shooting-university-witness-tipster-e114eb38248e2023dcdf92a29e6c6b30">providing a crucial tip</a>&nbsp;that led authorities to him.

After police shared security video of a person of interest, the witness — known only as “John” in a Providence police affidavit — recognized him and posted his suspicions on the social media forum Reddit. Reddit users urged him to tell the FBI, and John said he did.

John said he had encountered Neves Valente hours earlier in the bathroom of the engineering building where the shooting occurred and noticed he was wearing inappropriate clothing for the weather, according to the affidavit. He again bumped into Neves Valente a couple blocks away and saw him suddenly turn away from a Nissan sedan when he saw John.

“When you do crack it, you crack it. And that person led us to the car, which led us to the name,” Neronha said.

His tip pointed investigators to a Nissan Sentra with Florida plates. That enabled Providence police to tap into a network of more than 70 street cameras operated around the city by surveillance company Flock Safety. Those cameras track license plates and other vehicle details.

After leaving Rhode Island, Providence officials said Neves Valente stuck a Maine license plate over his rental car’s plate to help conceal his identity.

Investigators found footage of Neves Valente entering an apartment building near Loureiro's in a Boston suburb. About an hour later, Neves Valente was seen entering the Salem, New Hampshire, storage facility where he was found dead, Foley said. He had with him a satchel and two firearms, Neronha said.

Victims include renowned physicist, political organizer and aspiring doctor

Loureiro, a 47-year-old physicist and fusion scientist, had joined MIT in 2016 and was named last year to lead the school’s Plasma Science and Fusion Center, one of its largest laboratories. The scientist from Viseu, Portugal, had been working to explain the physics behind astronomical phenomena such as solar flares.

The two&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/brown-university-shooting-victims-e5b40e867f1a349c5c9b7c4f0e866af8">Brown students killed</a>&nbsp;during a study session for final exams were 19-year-old sophomore Ella Cook and 18-year-old freshman Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov. Cook was active in her Alabama church and served as vice president of the Brown College Republicans. Umurzokov’s family immigrated to the U.S. from Uzbekistan when he was a child, and he aspired to be a doctor.

As for the wounded, three had been discharged and six were in stable condition Thursday, officials said.

Although Brown officials say there are 1,200 cameras on campus, the attack happened in an older part of the engineering building that has few, if any, cameras. And investigators believe the shooter entered and left through a door that faces a residential street bordering campus, which might explain why the cameras Brown does have didn’t capture footage of the person.

Associated Press reporters Mark Scolforo in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Audrey McAvoy in Honolulu, Hallie Golden in Seattle and Matt O'Brien in Providence contributed.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — A man who is suspected of killing two and wounding several others at Brown University has been found dead in a New Hampshire storage facility, a law enforcement official and a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press.

The man was found dead Thursday evening. He is believed to have died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, the person familiar with the matter said.

Investigators believe the man is responsible for both the shooting at Brown and the killing of a Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor who was fatally shot in his Brookline home Monday, the official said. Authorities have not formally confirmed a connection between the two shootings.

The official and the person familiar with the matter could not publicly discuss details of the ongoing investigation and both spoke to AP on condition of anonymity.

Two people were killed and nine were wounded in the mass shooting Saturday at Brown University. The investigation had shifted Thursday when authorities said they were looking into a connection between the Brown mass shooting and an attack&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mit-shooting-nuno-fg-loureiro-portugal-f310824e354180816c33c9f40c0c5195">two days later</a>&nbsp;near Boston that killed MIT professor Nuno F.G. Loureiro.

The FBI previously said it knew of no links between the cases.

It has been nearly a week since the shooting at Brown. There have been other high-profile attacks in which it took days or longer to make an arrest, including in the brazen New York City sidewalk killing of UnitedHealthcare's CEO last year, which took five days.

But&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/brown-university-shooting-attack-investigation-a79661656428a4952920fd72a8ca21bc">frustration mounted in Providence</a>&nbsp;that the person behind the attack managed to get away and that a clear image of their face hadn't emerged.

What can be learned from past investigations?

In such targeted and highly public attacks, the shooters typically kill themselves or are killed or arrested by police, said Katherine Schweit, a retired FBI agent and expert on mass shootings. When they do get away, searches can take time.

In the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, it took investigators four days to catch up to the two brothers who carried it out. In a 2023 case, Army reservist Robert Card was found dead of an apparent suicide two days after he killed 18 people and wounded 13 others in Lewiston, Maine.

The man accused of killing conservative political figure&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/charlie-kirk-shooter-search-utah-governor-21ba12bbf01579fd2fbcdbe1da03dae5">Charlie Kirk</a>&nbsp;in September turned himself in about a day and a half after the attack on Utah Valley University's campus. And&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/unitedhealthcare-ceo-shooting-suspect-c68d0328f278d85fcf201ae89f634098">Luigi Mangione</a>, who has pleaded not guilty to murder charges in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in Manhattan last year, was arrested five days later at a McDonald's in Pennsylvania.

MIT mourns the loss of an esteemed professor

Loureiro, who was married, joined MIT in 2016 and was named last year to lead the school's Plasma Science and Fusion Center, where he worked to advance clean energy technology and other research. The center, one of MIT's largest labs, had more than 250 people working across seven buildings when he took the helm. He was a professor of physics and nuclear science and engineering.

He grew up in Viseu, in central Portugal, and studied in Lisbon before earning a doctorate in London, according to MIT. He was a researcher at an institute for nuclear fusion in Lisbon before joining MIT, the university said.

“He shone a bright light as a mentor, friend, teacher, colleague and leader, and was universally admired for his articulate, compassionate manner,” Dennis Whyte, an engineering professor who previously led MIT’s Plasma Science and Fusion Center, told a campus publication.

Loureiro had said he hoped his work would shape the future.

“It’s not hyperbole to say MIT is where you go to find solutions to humanity’s biggest problems,” Loureiro said when he was named to&nbsp;<a href="https://news.mit.edu/2024/nuno-loureiro-named-director-mit-plasma-science-fusion-center-0501">lead the plasma science lab</a>&nbsp;last year. “Fusion energy will change the course of human history.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/12/1765805502141.png" alt="FILE photo: Police on the scene Saturday-photo courtesy WJAR TV" />
 <figcaption>FILE photo: Police on the scene Saturday-photo courtesy WJAR TV</figcaption>
 </figure>A frantic search for the suspect in last weekend’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/brown-university-active-shooter-c7c9d1c7da19a76c2a27685c7e63d6da">mass shooting at Brown University</a>&nbsp;ended at a New Hampshire storage facility where authorities discovered the man dead inside and then revealed he also was suspected of killing a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mit-professor-shooting-massachusetts-portugal-3ab1e3e7e369de5cef90c7c911995dbb">Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor</a>.Claudio Neves Valente, 48, a former Brown student and Portuguese national, was found dead Thursday night from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, said Col. Oscar Perez, the Providence police chief.Investigators believe he is responsible for fatally shooting two students and wounding nine other people in a Brown lecture hall last Saturday, then killing MIT professor Nuno F.G. Loureiro two days later at his home in the Boston suburbs, nearly 50 miles (80 kilometers) from Providence. Perez said as far as investigators know, Neves Valente acted alone.Brown University President Christina Paxson said Neves Valente was enrolled there as a graduate student studying physics from the fall of 2000 to the spring of 2001.“He has no current affiliation with the university,” she said.Neves Valente and Loureiro previously attended the same academic program at a university in Portugal between 1995 and 2000, U.S. attorney for Massachusetts Leah B. Foley said. Loureiro graduated from the physics program at Instituto Superior Técnico, Portugal’s premier engineering school, in 2000, according to his MIT faculty page. The same year, Neves Valente was let go from a position at the Lisbon university, according to an archive of a termination notice from the school’s then-president in February 2000.Neves Valente had come to Brown on a student visa. He eventually obtained legal permanent residence status in September 2017, Foley said. It was not immediately clear where he was between taking a leave of absence from the school in 2001 and getting the visa in 2017. His last known residence was in Miami.After officials revealed the suspect's identity, President Donald Trump suspended the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/brown-mit-shooting-suspect-green-card-1d6c1d83bc1237a21d0ca65d39981fa8">green card lottery program</a>&nbsp;that allowed Neves Valente to stay in the United States.There are still “a lot of unknowns” in regard to motive, Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha said. “We don’t know why now, why Brown, why these students and why this classroom,” he said.<h2>Tip helps investigators connect the dots</h2>The FBI previously said it knew of no links between the Rhode Island and Massachusetts shootings.Police credited a person who had several encounters with Neves Valente for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/brown-shooting-university-witness-tipster-e114eb38248e2023dcdf92a29e6c6b30">providing a crucial tip</a>&nbsp;that led authorities to him.After police shared security video of a person of interest, the witness — known only as “John” in a Providence police affidavit — recognized him and posted his suspicions on the social media forum Reddit. Reddit users urged him to tell the FBI, and John said he did.John said he had encountered Neves Valente hours earlier in the bathroom of the engineering building where the shooting occurred and noticed he was wearing inappropriate clothing for the weather, according to the affidavit. He again bumped into Neves Valente a couple blocks away and saw him suddenly turn away from a Nissan sedan when he saw John.“When you do crack it, you crack it. And that person led us to the car, which led us to the name,” Neronha said.His tip pointed investigators to a Nissan Sentra with Florida plates. That enabled Providence police to tap into a network of more than 70 street cameras operated around the city by surveillance company Flock Safety. Those cameras track license plates and other vehicle details.After leaving Rhode Island, Providence officials said Neves Valente stuck a Maine license plate over his rental car’s plate to help conceal his identity.Investigators found footage of Neves Valente entering an apartment building near Loureiro's in a Boston suburb. About an hour later, Neves Valente was seen entering the Salem, New Hampshire, storage facility where he was found dead, Foley said. He had with him a satchel and two firearms, Neronha said.<h2>Victims include renowned physicist, political organizer and aspiring doctor</h2>Loureiro, a 47-year-old physicist and fusion scientist, had joined MIT in 2016 and was named last year to lead the school’s Plasma Science and Fusion Center, one of its largest laboratories. The scientist from Viseu, Portugal, had been working to explain the physics behind astronomical phenomena such as solar flares.The two&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/brown-university-shooting-victims-e5b40e867f1a349c5c9b7c4f0e866af8">Brown students killed</a>&nbsp;during a study session for final exams were 19-year-old sophomore Ella Cook and 18-year-old freshman Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov. Cook was active in her Alabama church and served as vice president of the Brown College Republicans. Umurzokov’s family immigrated to the U.S. from Uzbekistan when he was a child, and he aspired to be a doctor.As for the wounded, three had been discharged and six were in stable condition Thursday, officials said.Although Brown officials say there are 1,200 cameras on campus, the attack happened in an older part of the engineering building that has few, if any, cameras. And investigators believe the shooter entered and left through a door that faces a residential street bordering campus, which might explain why the cameras Brown does have didn’t capture footage of the person.___Associated Press reporters Mark Scolforo in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Audrey McAvoy in Honolulu, Hallie Golden in Seattle and Matt O'Brien in Providence contributed.---------------PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — A man who is suspected of killing two and wounding several others at Brown University has been found dead in a New Hampshire storage facility, a law enforcement official and a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press.The man was found dead Thursday evening. He is believed to have died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, the person familiar with the matter said.Investigators believe the man is responsible for both the shooting at Brown and the killing of a Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor who was fatally shot in his Brookline home Monday, the official said. Authorities have not formally confirmed a connection between the two shootings.The official and the person familiar with the matter could not publicly discuss details of the ongoing investigation and both spoke to AP on condition of anonymity.Two people were killed and nine were wounded in the mass shooting Saturday at Brown University. The investigation had shifted Thursday when authorities said they were looking into a connection between the Brown mass shooting and an attack&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mit-shooting-nuno-fg-loureiro-portugal-f310824e354180816c33c9f40c0c5195">two days later</a>&nbsp;near Boston that killed MIT professor Nuno F.G. Loureiro.The FBI previously said it knew of no links between the cases.<h2>How the Brown investigation has unfolded</h2>It has been nearly a week since the shooting at Brown. There have been other high-profile attacks in which it took days or longer to make an arrest, including in the brazen New York City sidewalk killing of UnitedHealthcare's CEO last year, which took five days.But&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/brown-university-shooting-attack-investigation-a79661656428a4952920fd72a8ca21bc">frustration mounted in Providence</a>&nbsp;that the person behind the attack managed to get away and that a clear image of their face hadn't emerged.Although Brown officials say there are 1,200 cameras on campus, the attack happened in an older part of the engineering building that has few, if any, cameras. And investigators believe the shooter entered and left through a door that faces a residential street bordering campus, which might explain why the cameras Brown does have didn’t capture footage of the person.<h2>What can be learned from past investigations?</h2>In such targeted and highly public attacks, the shooters typically kill themselves or are killed or arrested by police, said Katherine Schweit, a retired FBI agent and expert on mass shootings. When they do get away, searches can take time.In the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, it took investigators four days to catch up to the two brothers who carried it out. In a 2023 case, Army reservist Robert Card was found dead of an apparent suicide two days after he killed 18 people and wounded 13 others in Lewiston, Maine.The man accused of killing conservative political figure&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/charlie-kirk-shooter-search-utah-governor-21ba12bbf01579fd2fbcdbe1da03dae5">Charlie Kirk</a>&nbsp;in September turned himself in about a day and a half after the attack on Utah Valley University's campus. And&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/unitedhealthcare-ceo-shooting-suspect-c68d0328f278d85fcf201ae89f634098">Luigi Mangione</a>, who has pleaded not guilty to murder charges in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in Manhattan last year, was arrested five days later at a McDonald's in Pennsylvania.<h2>MIT mourns the loss of an esteemed professor</h2>Loureiro, who was married, joined MIT in 2016 and was named last year to lead the school's Plasma Science and Fusion Center, where he worked to advance clean energy technology and other research. The center, one of MIT's largest labs, had more than 250 people working across seven buildings when he took the helm. He was a professor of physics and nuclear science and engineering.He grew up in Viseu, in central Portugal, and studied in Lisbon before earning a doctorate in London, according to MIT. He was a researcher at an institute for nuclear fusion in Lisbon before joining MIT, the university said.“He shone a bright light as a mentor, friend, teacher, colleague and leader, and was universally admired for his articulate, compassionate manner,” Dennis Whyte, an engineering professor who previously led MIT’s Plasma Science and Fusion Center, told a campus publication.Loureiro had said he hoped his work would shape the future.“It’s not hyperbole to say MIT is where you go to find solutions to humanity’s biggest problems,” Loureiro said when he was named to&nbsp;<a href="https://news.mit.edu/2024/nuno-loureiro-named-director-mit-plasma-science-fusion-center-0501">lead the plasma science lab</a>&nbsp;last year. “Fusion energy will change the course of human history.”

Suspect in shooting at Brown University found dead 

HARVEY COUNTY—&nbsp;A jury returned guilty verdicts this week against 63-year-old James Everett of Newton for multiple child sex crimes, according to the Harvey County Attorney's office.

Everett was found guilty of&nbsp;Four counts of Rape, Two counts of Aggravated Indecent Liberties with a Child and Two counts of Aggravated Criminal Sodomy involving victims under the age of 14.

The trial included testimony from witnesses, law enforcement, and other evidence presented by the State. The jury found that the evidence proved beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant committed multiple acts of sexual abuse against children.

“This case involved extremely serious and disturbing offenses,” said Heather Figger, Harvey County Attorney. “We are grateful to the jury for their careful attention to the evidence and for holding the defendant accountable. We also commend the courage and strength shown by the victims throughout this difficult process.”

The case was prosecuted with the assistance of the Newton Police Department, the Department of Children and Families and Heart 2 Heart Child Advocacy Center.

Everett is scheduled to be sentenced on February 13. He&nbsp;faces a life sentence with a minimum of 25 years in prison on each count, life-time post release supervision, and lifetime registration as a sexual offender.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/12/1765981058302.png" alt="Everett photo Harvey Co. Jail" />
 <figcaption>Everett photo Harvey Co. Jail</figcaption>
 </figure>HARVEY COUNTY—&nbsp;A jury returned guilty verdicts this week against 63-year-old James Everett of Newton for multiple child sex crimes, according to the Harvey County Attorney's office.Everett was found guilty of&nbsp;Four counts of Rape, Two counts of Aggravated Indecent Liberties with a Child and Two counts of Aggravated Criminal Sodomy involving victims under the age of 14.The trial included testimony from witnesses, law enforcement, and other evidence presented by the State. The jury found that the evidence proved beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant committed multiple acts of sexual abuse against children.“This case involved extremely serious and disturbing offenses,” said Heather Figger, Harvey County Attorney. “We are grateful to the jury for their careful attention to the evidence and for holding the defendant accountable. We also commend the courage and strength shown by the victims throughout this difficult process.”The case was prosecuted with the assistance of the Newton Police Department, the Department of Children and Families and Heart 2 Heart Child Advocacy Center.Everett is scheduled to be sentenced on February 13. He&nbsp;faces a life sentence with a minimum of 25 years in prison on each count, life-time post release supervision, and lifetime registration as a sexual offender.

Jury: Kan. man committed multiple acts of sex abuse against children

Legislators will consider public funding package in hopes of luring the NFL team to Kansas. The Royals will not be discussed Monday, leaving the MLB team’s future uncertain.

By:<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/peggylowe/">Peggy Lowe</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/sherman-smith/">Sherman Smith</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/stevekraske/">Steve Kraske</a> <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/01/03/kansas-state-garden-city-cc-striving-to-shrink-bachelors-degree-educational-desert/?emci=8e6f56cf-3bca-ef11-88d0-0022482a9b45&amp;emdi=a9416bb1-82ca-ef11-88d0-0022482a9b45&amp;ceid=115039">Kansas Reflecto</a>r

Kansas legislative leaders will meet Monday to take one of the final steps toward luring the Kansas City Chiefs across the state line, floating bonds worth hundreds of millions so the team can build a domed stadium and an entertainment district.

With a year-end deadline looming, the Legislative Coordinating Council will consider approving Sales Tax and Revenue Bond agreements with the Chiefs. Monday is the council’s last scheduled meeting of the year.

With the bonds’ approval, the Kansas City Chiefs could move closer to uprooting six decades of NFL history in Missouri and relocate to Kansas. The deal is said to call for placing the new stadium near the Legends, a regional shopping mall and commercial area in the Village West development in Kansas City, Kansas.

The council will not consider any deals with the Kansas City Royals on Monday.

Legislative and state leaders refused to offer specifics about the meeting and would say only that the Chiefs will be on the agenda. Senate President Ty Masterson, a Republican running for governor, said he has worked diligently to explore the change to bring the Chiefs to Kansas without raising taxes.

“He remains fully committed to these efforts and will continue working tirelessly up to and through the upcoming Legislative Coordinating Council meeting to facilitate this exciting opportunity for Kansas,” said Megan Stookey, Masterson’s spokesperson.

Senate Minority Leader Dinah Sykes, a Lenexa Democrat, said she was told the council, which is composed of legislative leadership from both parties, would be talking about the Chiefs on Monday — but not the Royals.

“We will be talking about the Chiefs,” Sykes said. “It sounds like there is some proposal that we will be looking at.”

The Kansas Department of Commerce, which handles such deals, posted on Facebook that the state is in active discussions with the Chiefs about “building a new stadium and other facilities in Kansas.”

“No final agreement has been reached, but this would be a massive economic win for Kansas and benefit Kansans for generations to come,” the statement said. “We are aggressively pursuing this opportunity.”

The Kansas City Chiefs didn’t return an email seeking comment.

In an interview Tuesday, Gov. Laura Kelly declined to say whether the Chiefs or Royals were coming to Kansas.

“You really think I’m going to answer that question?” Kelly said.

Missouri Gov, Mike Kehoe said his team remains in frequent communication with the Royals and the Chiefs and wants to keep the teams in Missouri.

“He believes Missouri is the best home for both teams and continues working with the teams to make the right decision to grow and invest in the Show-Me State,” said his communications director, Gabby Picard.

Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas issued a statement Thursday saying the city doesn’t negotiate in public.

“As the city and our Missouri partners continue discussions with our long-term partners at the Chiefs and the Royals, we remain steadfast in working toward an arrangement in the best interest of our community and the greatest success of our teams on and off the field,” Lucas said.

After a ping-pong of public-financing proposals offered by the two states, the Chiefs face a decision on&nbsp;<a href="https://kslegislature.gov/li_2024s/b2023_24/measures/hb2001/" target="_blank">Kansas’ deal</a>, which could&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/07/07/kansas-lawmakers-extend-deadline-for-chiefs-royals-to-accept-stadium-incentives/">cover up to 70% of the project</a>&nbsp;through bonds. Missouri’s plan offered 50%.

Missouri hit a wall in its bid to keep the Chiefs after voters rejected a sales tax extension in April 2024, throwing in jeopardy a plan that would have helped fund a new $2 billion downtown ballpark for the Royals and $800 million in renovations to Arrowhead Stadium. That’s when Kansas lawmakers aggressively stepped in, authorizing STAR bonds to finance 70% of development projects with a minimum investment of a billion dollars.

Kansas Sen. David Haley, a Democrat from Wyandotte County, said Thursday he’s hearing talk that the team is headed to the Legends.

The site of the new stadium could be west of the Kansas Speedway, at the junction of Interstate 435 and Interstate 70. The potential entertainment district surrounding the stadium would be placed near other existing businesses, like Legends Outlets, the Hollywood Casino, and Sporting KC’s soccer stadium.

The Kansas Legislature during a special session last summer created a financial incentive package designed to lure the Chiefs and Royals across state lines. The law allows for STAR bonds to pay for 70% of a development project with a minimum investment of a billion dollars. The bonds would be paid through liquor sales and retail sales tax revenue in the development area, with a window up to 30 years.

Reaching a deal now could allow a stadium to open by 2031, when the team’s leases with Jackson County, Missouri, expire.

The Chiefs began playing in Kansas City in 1963 after owner Lamar Hunt moved the franchise from Dallas. The team first played at Municipal Stadium, at 22nd Street and Brooklyn Avenue, then moved to Arrowhead in 1971. The Truman Sports Complex, on the city’s east side, is also home to the Royals and the teams share parking lots.

The Chiefs sold naming rights in 2021 to the Government Employees Health Association and the official name became&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nfl.com/news/chiefs-home-field-now-geha-field-at-arrowhead-stadium" target="_blank">GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium</a>.

The Chiefs’ negotiations with Kansas intensified last month when the team floated a request for proposals from firms to design a domed stadium, which would be available for use during the Super Bowl and other winter events. The team was said to be&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kcur.org/sports/2025-11-11/chiefs-kansas-stadium-speedway-rfp" target="_blank">negotiating with NASCAR&nbsp;</a>for land near the Speedway.

Five months earlier, in June, the<a href="https://www.kcur.org/sports/2025-06-27/chiefs-kansas-stadium-extension" target="_blank">&nbsp;Chiefs requested an extension</a>&nbsp;to a deadline for a stadium financing package from the state of Kansas, which was an indication the NFL franchise’s move across the state line was a real possibility.

But that same month, Missouri’s Kehoe called lawmakers into a special session to offer a competing stadium financing deal, hoping for something that could keep both the Chiefs and the Royals on that side of the state line. The Missouri Legislature approved the plan, which authorized bonds covering up to half of the cost of new or renovated stadiums, plus up to $50 million in tax credits for each stadium and more aid from local governments.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/12/1766107972886.png" alt="Kansas legislative leaders will meet Monday to consider using STAR bonds to finance a stadium for the Kansas City Chiefs that could be built near the Legends shopping area. (Photo by Grace Hills for Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>Kansas legislative leaders will meet Monday to consider using STAR bonds to finance a stadium for the Kansas City Chiefs that could be built near the Legends shopping area. (Photo by Grace Hills for Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Legislators will consider public funding package in hopes of luring the NFL team to Kansas. The Royals will not be discussed Monday, leaving the MLB team’s future uncertain.</h2>By:<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/peggylowe/">Peggy Lowe</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/sherman-smith/">Sherman Smith</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/stevekraske/">Steve Kraske</a> <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/01/03/kansas-state-garden-city-cc-striving-to-shrink-bachelors-degree-educational-desert/?emci=8e6f56cf-3bca-ef11-88d0-0022482a9b45&amp;emdi=a9416bb1-82ca-ef11-88d0-0022482a9b45&amp;ceid=115039">Kansas Reflecto</a>rKansas legislative leaders will meet Monday to take one of the final steps toward luring the Kansas City Chiefs across the state line, floating bonds worth hundreds of millions so the team can build a domed stadium and an entertainment district.With a year-end deadline looming, the Legislative Coordinating Council will consider approving Sales Tax and Revenue Bond agreements with the Chiefs. Monday is the council’s last scheduled meeting of the year.With the bonds’ approval, the Kansas City Chiefs could move closer to uprooting six decades of NFL history in Missouri and relocate to Kansas. The deal is said to call for placing the new stadium near the Legends, a regional shopping mall and commercial area in the Village West development in Kansas City, Kansas.The council will not consider any deals with the Kansas City Royals on Monday.Legislative and state leaders refused to offer specifics about the meeting and would say only that the Chiefs will be on the agenda. Senate President Ty Masterson, a Republican running for governor, said he has worked diligently to explore the change to bring the Chiefs to Kansas without raising taxes.“He remains fully committed to these efforts and will continue working tirelessly up to and through the upcoming Legislative Coordinating Council meeting to facilitate this exciting opportunity for Kansas,” said Megan Stookey, Masterson’s spokesperson.Senate Minority Leader Dinah Sykes, a Lenexa Democrat, said she was told the council, which is composed of legislative leadership from both parties, would be talking about the Chiefs on Monday — but not the Royals.“We will be talking about the Chiefs,” Sykes said. “It sounds like there is some proposal that we will be looking at.”The Kansas Department of Commerce, which handles such deals, posted on Facebook that the state is in active discussions with the Chiefs about “building a new stadium and other facilities in Kansas.”“No final agreement has been reached, but this would be a massive economic win for Kansas and benefit Kansans for generations to come,” the statement said. “We are aggressively pursuing this opportunity.”The Kansas City Chiefs didn’t return an email seeking comment.In an interview Tuesday, Gov. Laura Kelly declined to say whether the Chiefs or Royals were coming to Kansas.“You really think I’m going to answer that question?” Kelly said.Missouri Gov, Mike Kehoe said his team remains in frequent communication with the Royals and the Chiefs and wants to keep the teams in Missouri.“He believes Missouri is the best home for both teams and continues working with the teams to make the right decision to grow and invest in the Show-Me State,” said his communications director, Gabby Picard.Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas issued a statement Thursday saying the city doesn’t negotiate in public.“As the city and our Missouri partners continue discussions with our long-term partners at the Chiefs and the Royals, we remain steadfast in working toward an arrangement in the best interest of our community and the greatest success of our teams on and off the field,” Lucas said.After a ping-pong of public-financing proposals offered by the two states, the Chiefs face a decision on&nbsp;<a href="https://kslegislature.gov/li_2024s/b2023_24/measures/hb2001/" target="_blank">Kansas’ deal</a>, which could&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/07/07/kansas-lawmakers-extend-deadline-for-chiefs-royals-to-accept-stadium-incentives/">cover up to 70% of the project</a>&nbsp;through bonds. Missouri’s plan offered 50%.Missouri hit a wall in its bid to keep the Chiefs after voters rejected a sales tax extension in April 2024, throwing in jeopardy a plan that would have helped fund a new $2 billion downtown ballpark for the Royals and $800 million in renovations to Arrowhead Stadium. That’s when Kansas lawmakers aggressively stepped in, authorizing STAR bonds to finance 70% of development projects with a minimum investment of a billion dollars.Kansas Sen. David Haley, a Democrat from Wyandotte County, said Thursday he’s hearing talk that the team is headed to the Legends.The site of the new stadium could be west of the Kansas Speedway, at the junction of Interstate 435 and Interstate 70. The potential entertainment district surrounding the stadium would be placed near other existing businesses, like Legends Outlets, the Hollywood Casino, and Sporting KC’s soccer stadium.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/12/1766108108718.png" alt="The Kansas City Chiefs could build a stadium on land near the Kansas Speedway in the Village West development of Kansas City, Kansas. (Photo by Grace Hills for Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>The Kansas City Chiefs could build a stadium on land near the Kansas Speedway in the Village West development of Kansas City, Kansas. (Photo by Grace Hills for Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>The Kansas Legislature during a special session last summer created a financial incentive package designed to lure the Chiefs and Royals across state lines. The law allows for STAR bonds to pay for 70% of a development project with a minimum investment of a billion dollars. The bonds would be paid through liquor sales and retail sales tax revenue in the development area, with a window up to 30 years.Reaching a deal now could allow a stadium to open by 2031, when the team’s leases with Jackson County, Missouri, expire.The Chiefs began playing in Kansas City in 1963 after owner Lamar Hunt moved the franchise from Dallas. The team first played at Municipal Stadium, at 22nd Street and Brooklyn Avenue, then moved to Arrowhead in 1971. The Truman Sports Complex, on the city’s east side, is also home to the Royals and the teams share parking lots.The Chiefs sold naming rights in 2021 to the Government Employees Health Association and the official name became&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nfl.com/news/chiefs-home-field-now-geha-field-at-arrowhead-stadium" target="_blank">GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium</a>.The Chiefs’ negotiations with Kansas intensified last month when the team floated a request for proposals from firms to design a domed stadium, which would be available for use during the Super Bowl and other winter events. The team was said to be&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kcur.org/sports/2025-11-11/chiefs-kansas-stadium-speedway-rfp" target="_blank">negotiating with NASCAR&nbsp;</a>for land near the Speedway.Five months earlier, in June, the<a href="https://www.kcur.org/sports/2025-06-27/chiefs-kansas-stadium-extension" target="_blank">&nbsp;Chiefs requested an extension</a>&nbsp;to a deadline for a stadium financing package from the state of Kansas, which was an indication the NFL franchise’s move across the state line was a real possibility.But that same month, Missouri’s Kehoe called lawmakers into a special session to offer a competing stadium financing deal, hoping for something that could keep both the Chiefs and the Royals on that side of the state line. The Missouri Legislature approved the plan, which authorized bonds covering up to half of the cost of new or renovated stadiums, plus up to $50 million in tax credits for each stadium and more aid from local governments.

Kan. legislators to meet Monday about deal to bring KC Chiefs across the state line

By TONY GUERRERO Hays Post

Two grass fires broke out Thursday afternoon in Russell County, keeping fire crews on the scene into the evening hours.

One fire was reported around 2 p.m. about 2 and a half miles south of Bunker Hill near Interstate 70, while another started around 12:20 p.m. near Lincoln and Pioneer roads.

Northwest winds were from 30 to 40 mph with gusts up to 65 mph.

Firefighters from Hays and Claflin, along with other surrounding fire and EMS agencies, assisted in bringing the fires under control.

<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/a5a31dc8-e139-49db-b918-b6ed269bab6f">SEE RELATED STORY: Bunker Hill fire; KHP shares video of Russell County fire</a>

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/12/1766104551444.jpeg" alt="Compacted hay or feed bale smoldering after the Russell County fire. Photo by Tony Guerrero/Hays Post" />
 <figcaption>Compacted hay or feed bale smoldering after the Russell County fire. Photo by Tony Guerrero/Hays Post</figcaption>
 </figure>By TONY GUERRERO Hays PostTwo grass fires broke out Thursday afternoon in Russell County, keeping fire crews on the scene into the evening hours.One fire was reported around 2 p.m. about 2 and a half miles south of Bunker Hill near Interstate 70, while another started around 12:20 p.m. near Lincoln and Pioneer roads.Northwest winds were from 30 to 40 mph with gusts up to 65 mph.Firefighters from Hays and Claflin, along with other surrounding fire and EMS agencies, assisted in bringing the fires under control.<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/a5a31dc8-e139-49db-b918-b6ed269bab6f">SEE RELATED STORY: Bunker Hill fire; KHP shares video of Russell County fire</a><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/12/1766104674081.jpeg" alt=" " />
 <figcaption> </figcaption>
 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/12/1766104644711.jpeg" alt=" " />
 <figcaption> </figcaption>
 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/12/1766104657747.jpeg" alt=" " />
 <figcaption> </figcaption>
 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/12/1766104695932.jpeg" alt=" " />
 <figcaption> </figcaption>
 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/12/1766104722278.jpeg" alt=" " />
 <figcaption> </figcaption>
 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/12/1766104733781.jpeg" alt=" " />
 <figcaption> </figcaption>
 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/12/1766104751763.jpeg" alt=" " />
 <figcaption> </figcaption>
 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/12/1766104768567.jpeg" alt=" " />
 <figcaption> </figcaption>
 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/12/1766104786116.jpeg" alt=" " />
 <figcaption> </figcaption>
 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/12/1766104844481.jpeg" alt=" " />
 <figcaption> </figcaption>
 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/12/1766104814297.jpeg" alt=" " />
 <figcaption> </figcaption>
 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/12/1766104828631.jpeg" alt=" " />
 <figcaption> </figcaption>
 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/12/1766104859548.jpeg" alt=" " />
 <figcaption> </figcaption>
 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/12/1766104894136.jpeg" alt=" " />
 <figcaption> </figcaption>
 </figure>

📷 Grass fires burn Russell County fields

STATESVILLE, N.C. (AP) — Former race driver Greg Biffle and members of his family were among seven people who died in a plane crash Thursday in North Carolina, state police said.

The business jet erupted into a large fire when it hit the ground while trying to land at Statesville Regional Airport, about 45 miles (72 kilometers) north of Charlotte.

Flight records show the plane was registered to a company run by Biffle.

“Although the post-crash fire prevents us from releasing a definitive list of the occupants at this time, it is believed that Mr. Gregory Biffle and members of his immediate family were occupants of the airplane,” state police said.

Biffle, 55, won more than 50 races across NASCAR’s three circuits, including 19 at the Cup Series level. He also won the Trucks Series championship in 2000 and the Xfinity Series title in 2002.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/12/1766095855396.png" alt=" " />
 <figcaption> </figcaption>
 </figure>STATESVILLE, N.C. (AP) — Former race driver Greg Biffle and members of his family were among seven people who died in a plane crash Thursday in North Carolina, state police said.The business jet erupted into a large fire when it hit the ground while trying to land at Statesville Regional Airport, about 45 miles (72 kilometers) north of Charlotte.Flight records show the plane was registered to a company run by Biffle.“Although the post-crash fire prevents us from releasing a definitive list of the occupants at this time, it is believed that Mr. Gregory Biffle and members of his immediate family were occupants of the airplane,” state police said.Biffle, 55, won more than 50 races across NASCAR’s three circuits, including 19 at the Cup Series level. He also won the Trucks Series championship in 2000 and the Xfinity Series title in 2002.