<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/7/1753406431605.png" alt="FILE - President Donald Trump and Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell look over a document of cost figures during a visit to the Federal Reserve, Thursday, July 24, 2025, in Washington.-image from White House video" />
 <figcaption>FILE - President Donald Trump and Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell look over a document of cost figures during a visit to the Federal Reserve, Thursday, July 24, 2025, in Washington.-image from White House video</figcaption>
 </figure><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Video message from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome H. Powell: <a href="https://t.co/5dfrkByGyX">https://t.co/5dfrkByGyX</a> <a href="https://t.co/O4ecNaYaGH">pic.twitter.com/O4ecNaYaGH</a>&mdash; Federal Reserve (@federalreserve) <a href="https://twitter.com/federalreserve/status/2010510130970849338?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 12, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

🎥Fed Chair responds to Trump DOJ investigation, indictment threat

KANSAS CITY—One person was injured in a fire on Saturday in Kansas City.

Just after 5:30p.m., crews&nbsp;responded to an automatic alarm in the 3000 block of Benton Boulevard, according to Battalion Chief Michael Hopkins.

On arrival crews discovered a water flow alarm was sounding and found an apartment with a sprinkler activation. Companies forced entry to the apartment and discovered the apartment full of smoke with an active sprinkler. The fire had been controlled by the sprinkler system. The occupant, an elderly woman was treated on scene and transported with burn injuries. 

The sprinkler system was secured and the smoke evacuated. No fire supression activities were needed by KCFD, the sprinkler system worked appropriately. The cause of the fire is under investigation by KCFD.&nbsp;&nbsp;

KANSAS CITY—One person was injured in a fire on Saturday in Kansas City.Just after 5:30p.m., crews&nbsp;responded to an automatic alarm in the 3000 block of Benton Boulevard, according to Battalion Chief Michael Hopkins.On arrival crews discovered a water flow alarm was sounding and found an apartment with a sprinkler activation. Companies forced entry to the apartment and discovered the apartment full of smoke with an active sprinkler. The fire had been controlled by the sprinkler system. The occupant, an elderly woman was treated on scene and transported with burn injuries. The sprinkler system was secured and the smoke evacuated. No fire supression activities were needed by KCFD, the sprinkler system worked appropriately. The cause of the fire is under investigation by KCFD.&nbsp;&nbsp;

KCFD: Elderly woman hospitalized after apartment fire

MONTGOMERY COUNTY —A series of recent drug arrests lead to taking methamphetamine and fentanyl off the streets in southeast Kansas.

On January 7, deputies conducted a traffic stop on a maroon Mercury Grand Marquis at the intersection of 10th Street and Walnut Street in Independence, Kansas, according to Sheriff Ron Wade.

Deputies contacted the driver, identified as Breeanna Conrad of Independence, Kansas, and informed her of the reason for the stop. Deputies developed probable cause to search the vehicle. During the search, deputies located more than six (6) grams of methamphetamine, a small amount of cocaine, marijuana, multiple pills, and drug paraphernalia. 

Conrad was taken into custody and transported to the Montgomery County Department of Corrections, where she was booked on the following charges:• Distribution of methamphetamine• Possession of cocaine• Possession of marijuana• No proof of vehicle insurance• Improper emerging from an alley, private roadway, or building.

Later on January 3, 2026, deputies conducted a traffic stop on a Saturn passenger vehicle at the exit ramp from U.S. 400 to U.S. 75 Highway, north of Sycamore, Kansas. The vehicle was occupied by three individuals. Deputies contacted the driver, identified as Heather Leach of Independence, Kansas, and informed her of the reason for the stop.

 Deputies developed probable cause to search the vehicle.D uring the search, deputies located more than nine (9) grams of methamphetamine, more than six (6) grams of suspected carfentanil, pills, and drug paraphernalia. Leach, along with Tyler Norton and Noah Daniel, both of Independence, Kansas, were taken into custody.

All three were transported to the Montgomery County Department of Corrections and booked on the following charges:Heather Leach• Distribution of fentanyl• Possession of methamphetamine• Possession of drug paraphernalia• Failure to stop or yield at a stop sign• No proof of vehicle insuranceTyler Norton• Distribution of fentanyl• Possession of methamphetamine• Possession of drug paraphernaliaNoah Daniel• Possession of methamphetamine• Possession of a depressant• Possession of drug paraphernalia

MONTGOMERY COUNTY —A series of recent drug arrests lead to taking methamphetamine and fentanyl off the streets in southeast Kansas.On January 7, deputies conducted a traffic stop on a maroon Mercury Grand Marquis at the intersection of 10th Street and Walnut Street in Independence, Kansas, according to Sheriff Ron Wade.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/1/1767989235838.png" alt="Conrad photo Montgomery Co." />
 <figcaption>Conrad photo Montgomery Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>Deputies contacted the driver, identified as Breeanna Conrad of Independence, Kansas, and informed her of the reason for the stop. Deputies developed probable cause to search the vehicle. During the search, deputies located more than six (6) grams of methamphetamine, a small amount of cocaine, marijuana, multiple pills, and drug paraphernalia. Conrad was taken into custody and transported to the Montgomery County Department of Corrections, where she was booked on the following charges:• Distribution of methamphetamine• Possession of cocaine• Possession of marijuana• No proof of vehicle insurance• Improper emerging from an alley, private roadway, or building.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/1/1767989384517.png" alt="Leach photo Montgomery Co." />
 <figcaption>Leach photo Montgomery Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>Later on January 3, 2026, deputies conducted a traffic stop on a Saturn passenger vehicle at the exit ramp from U.S. 400 to U.S. 75 Highway, north of Sycamore, Kansas. The vehicle was occupied by three individuals. Deputies contacted the driver, identified as Heather Leach of Independence, Kansas, and informed her of the reason for the stop.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/1/1767989450367.png" alt="Norton photo Montgomery Co." />
 <figcaption>Norton photo Montgomery Co.</figcaption>
 </figure> Deputies developed probable cause to search the vehicle.D uring the search, deputies located more than nine (9) grams of methamphetamine, more than six (6) grams of suspected carfentanil, pills, and drug paraphernalia. Leach, along with Tyler Norton and Noah Daniel, both of Independence, Kansas, were taken into custody.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/1/1767989508701.png" alt="Norton photo Montgomery Co." />
 <figcaption>Norton photo Montgomery Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>All three were transported to the Montgomery County Department of Corrections and booked on the following charges:Heather Leach• Distribution of fentanyl• Possession of methamphetamine• Possession of drug paraphernalia• Failure to stop or yield at a stop sign• No proof of vehicle insuranceTyler Norton• Distribution of fentanyl• Possession of methamphetamine• Possession of drug paraphernaliaNoah Daniel• Possession of methamphetamine• Possession of a depressant• Possession of drug paraphernalia

Sheriff: Carfentanil seized during Kansas drug bust

JOHNSON COUNTY—One person died in an accident just after 3:30p.m. Saturday in Johnson County.

Deputies responded to the area of Edgerton Road and 167th Street&nbsp; following an iPhone crash notification and an additional 911 call reporting a vehicle in a ditch, according to the Johnson County Sheriff's office.

First responders located the vehicle with significant damage and one occupant, a driver later identified as 36-year-old Bailey Boswell of Meriden, unresponsive inside the vehicle. Johnson County MED-ACT responded and attempted life-saving measures.&nbsp; Boswell was pronounced deceased at 3:58 p.m.&nbsp; The accident remains under investigation.

Anyone with information regarding this crash is asked to contact the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office at 913-715-5400.

JOHNSON COUNTY—One person died in an accident just after 3:30p.m. Saturday in Johnson County.Deputies responded to the area of Edgerton Road and 167th Street&nbsp; following an iPhone crash notification and an additional 911 call reporting a vehicle in a ditch, according to the Johnson County Sheriff's office.First responders located the vehicle with significant damage and one occupant, a driver later identified as 36-year-old Bailey Boswell of Meriden, unresponsive inside the vehicle. Johnson County MED-ACT responded and attempted life-saving measures.&nbsp; Boswell was pronounced deceased at 3:58 p.m.&nbsp; The accident remains under investigation.Anyone with information regarding this crash is asked to contact the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office at 913-715-5400.

Kansas woman dies after vehicle crash into a ditch

BY&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/akaminski/">ANNA KAMINSKI</a> <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/12/29/kansan-returns-to-the-catholic-church-as-the-states-first-woman-priest/">Kansas Reflecto</a>r

TOPEKA — The consistent, dramatic decline in Kansas’ wild turkey population prompted the state in 2023 to forbid hunting them in the fall.

Simultaneously, an influx of funding and research is attempting to reverse wild turkey losses.&nbsp;

The latest came recently when the Kansas state chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation approved more than $126,000 for habitat enhancement and hunting education projects. The federation promised an additional $730,000.

The funds will be dispersed across Kansas to boost invasive species removal efforts, a Boy Scout habitat project, turkey ecology and toxicology research at Kansas State University, scholarships, sponsorships and a habitat specialist position. The funding is fueled by volunteers who raise money at banquets and fundraisers, according to a Tuesday news release.

Annie Farrell, the federation’s district biologist for Kansas and three other states, commended the volunteers.

“These volunteers are our boots on the ground, putting their hard-earned dollars back on the landscape to support critical projects that will greatly benefit the wild turkey,” she said. “Thanks to their dedication, it’s going to be a great year for conservation in Kansas.”

The wild turkey encompasses five subspecies, including the Eastern and the Rio Grande, which are found in Kansas along with a hybrid of the two subspecies. Wild turkey can be found in nearly every county in Kansas.

The Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks suspended the fall wild turkey hunting season in 2023 after years of restrictions.

Still, 13,862 turkeys were hunted and harvested in 2025, according to the department’s annual turkey harvest report.

In 2023, K-State received almost $2 million to conduct wild turkey research to deduce the root cause of the more than 40% decline since 2008.

Wild turkey populations were gravely diminished in the early 20th century because of human activity resulting in overhunting and habitat loss, according to the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/wild-turkey" target="_blank">National Audubon Society</a>.

The society’s annual Christmas Bird Count shows a steady increase in observations of wild turkey in Kansas beginning in the 1960s, when they were reintroduced into the state. Observations peaked in 2011 and have since declined to levels comparable to those of more than two decades ago.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/1/1768141571245.png" alt=" Rio Grande wild turkey at Choke Canyon State Park, Texas. (Photo by Robert H. Burton/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)" />
 <figcaption> Rio Grande wild turkey at Choke Canyon State Park, Texas. (Photo by Robert H. Burton/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)</figcaption>
 </figure>BY&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/akaminski/">ANNA KAMINSKI</a> <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/12/29/kansan-returns-to-the-catholic-church-as-the-states-first-woman-priest/">Kansas Reflecto</a>rTOPEKA — The consistent, dramatic decline in Kansas’ wild turkey population prompted the state in 2023 to forbid hunting them in the fall.Simultaneously, an influx of funding and research is attempting to reverse wild turkey losses.&nbsp;The latest came recently when the Kansas state chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation approved more than $126,000 for habitat enhancement and hunting education projects. The federation promised an additional $730,000.The funds will be dispersed across Kansas to boost invasive species removal efforts, a Boy Scout habitat project, turkey ecology and toxicology research at Kansas State University, scholarships, sponsorships and a habitat specialist position. The funding is fueled by volunteers who raise money at banquets and fundraisers, according to a Tuesday news release.Annie Farrell, the federation’s district biologist for Kansas and three other states, commended the volunteers.“These volunteers are our boots on the ground, putting their hard-earned dollars back on the landscape to support critical projects that will greatly benefit the wild turkey,” she said. “Thanks to their dedication, it’s going to be a great year for conservation in Kansas.”The wild turkey encompasses five subspecies, including the Eastern and the Rio Grande, which are found in Kansas along with a hybrid of the two subspecies. Wild turkey can be found in nearly every county in Kansas.The Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks suspended the fall wild turkey hunting season in 2023 after years of restrictions.Still, 13,862 turkeys were hunted and harvested in 2025, according to the department’s annual turkey harvest report.In 2023, K-State received almost $2 million to conduct wild turkey research to deduce the root cause of the more than 40% decline since 2008.Wild turkey populations were gravely diminished in the early 20th century because of human activity resulting in overhunting and habitat loss, according to the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/wild-turkey" target="_blank">National Audubon Society</a>.The society’s annual Christmas Bird Count shows a steady increase in observations of wild turkey in Kansas beginning in the 1960s, when they were reintroduced into the state. Observations peaked in 2011 and have since declined to levels comparable to those of more than two decades ago.

Kansas wild turkeys, plagued by years of population decline, subject of conservation funding

CRAWFORD COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating another deadly shooting involving a Kansas teen.

Just before 9p.m. Friday, police along with first responder units from Pittsburg Fire Department and Crawford County EMS, were dispatched to a shooting at Schlanger Park, 725 E 6th Street in Pittsburg, according to a media release. First responders found that an adult male had been shot and had subsequently died as a result of his injuries.  

The victim, who was identified as 18-year-old Adam Basauri, of Girard, was pronounced deceased at the scene. Basauri’s body was sent to Kansas City for an autopsy.

The scene was secured and investigators with the Pittsburg Police Department responded to assist with the investigation.  Witnesses on scene advised the suspect had fled the scene in a vehicle.  Witnesses were transported to the police department to be interviewed while the search for the suspect was ongoing. 

 At approximately 9:46 p.m. the suspect and suspect’s vehicle were located in Arma, Kansas, by deputies with the Crawford County Sheriff’s Office. 

 The suspect, who was identified as a 17-year-old juvenile, was taken into custody and transported to the Pittsburg Police Department for questioning.  The juvenile suspect’s vehicle was secured and towed to the Pittsburg Police Department to be processed.      

After interviewing the witnesses’ investigators were able to determine that a brief altercation took place between Basauri and the juvenile suspect. During the altercation, the suspect shot Basauri.

As a result, the 17-year-old juvenile, of Pittsburg, was placed under arrest.  Juvenile Intake responded and processed the juvenile suspect.  The juvenile suspect was transported to the Southeast KS Regional Juvenile Detention Center in Girard. He is being held on a requested charge of murder in the second degree.   

CRAWFORD COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating another deadly shooting involving a Kansas teen.Just before 9p.m. Friday, police along with first responder units from Pittsburg Fire Department and Crawford County EMS, were dispatched to a shooting at Schlanger Park, 725 E 6th Street in Pittsburg, according to a media release. First responders found that an adult male had been shot and had subsequently died as a result of his injuries. The victim, who was identified as 18-year-old Adam Basauri, of Girard, was pronounced deceased at the scene. Basauri’s body was sent to Kansas City for an autopsy.The scene was secured and investigators with the Pittsburg Police Department responded to assist with the investigation. Witnesses on scene advised the suspect had fled the scene in a vehicle. Witnesses were transported to the police department to be interviewed while the search for the suspect was ongoing. At approximately 9:46 p.m. the suspect and suspect’s vehicle were located in Arma, Kansas, by deputies with the Crawford County Sheriff’s Office. The suspect, who was identified as a 17-year-old juvenile, was taken into custody and transported to the Pittsburg Police Department for questioning. The juvenile suspect’s vehicle was secured and towed to the Pittsburg Police Department to be processed. After interviewing the witnesses’ investigators were able to determine that a brief altercation took place between Basauri and the juvenile suspect. During the altercation, the suspect shot Basauri.As a result, the 17-year-old juvenile, of Pittsburg, was placed under arrest. Juvenile Intake responded and processed the juvenile suspect. The juvenile suspect was transported to the Southeast KS Regional Juvenile Detention Center in Girard. He is being held on a requested charge of murder in the second degree.

17-year-old accused in deadly Kansas shooting

An Idaho company is recalling over 38,000 cases of tater tots sold in 26 states over possible contamination with bits of plastic, according to federal health officials.

The Food and Drug Administration reports that McCain Foods USA Inc. is voluntarily recalling around&nbsp;<a href="https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/ires/?Event=98088" target="_blank">38,853 cases of tater tots</a>, including the Ore-Ida Tater Tots and Sysco Imperial Potato Tater Barrel products.

The products, packaged in clear, unlabeled poly bags per case, are reportedly contaminated with “clear hard plastic fragments” and were distributed in 26 states across the nation.

The states affected by the recall are Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, Iowa, Idaho, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana,&nbsp; New Mexico, North Dakota, Nevada, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wisconsin.

According to the FDA, the recalled products include the following details:

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/1/1768137938787.png" alt="Tater tot-photo Sysco" />
 <figcaption>Tater tot-photo Sysco</figcaption>
 </figure>An Idaho company is recalling over 38,000 cases of tater tots sold in 26 states over possible contamination with bits of plastic, according to federal health officials.The Food and Drug Administration reports that McCain Foods USA Inc. is voluntarily recalling around&nbsp;<a href="https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/ires/?Event=98088" target="_blank">38,853 cases of tater tots</a>, including the Ore-Ida Tater Tots and Sysco Imperial Potato Tater Barrel products.The products, packaged in clear, unlabeled poly bags per case, are reportedly contaminated with “clear hard plastic fragments” and were distributed in 26 states across the nation.The states affected by the recall are Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, Iowa, Idaho, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana,&nbsp; New Mexico, North Dakota, Nevada, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wisconsin.According to the FDA, the recalled products include the following details:<ul>
 <li>Ore-Ida Tater TotsTotal recalled cases – 21,256.Item number – OIF00215A.Net weight – 30 poundsUPC – 1 00 72714 00215 8Batch codes – 1005479808, 1005477924, 1005478883, 1005480444, 1005480875, 1005481627, 1005481770</li><li>Total recalled cases – 21,256.</li><li>Item number – OIF00215A.</li><li>Net weight – 30 pounds</li><li>UPC – 1 00 72714 00215 8</li><li>Batch codes – 1005479808, 1005477924, 1005478883, 1005480444, 1005480875, 1005481627, 1005481770</li><li>Sysco Imperial Potato Tater BarrelTotal recalled cases – 17,597Item number – 1000006067Weight – 6/5 poundsUPC – 1 07 34730 62740 0Batch codes – 1005482717, 1005483735, 1005484702, 1005485462, 1005485660</li><li>Total recalled cases – 17,597</li><li>Item number – 1000006067</li><li>Weight – 6/5 pounds</li><li>UPC – 1 07 34730 62740 0</li><li>Batch codes – 1005482717, 1005483735, 1005484702, 1005485462, 1005485660</li>
 </ul>

Frozen tater tots sold in Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska recalled

The outcome of the case, which will determine what regulations remain in place under Missouri’s voter-approved abortion rights amendment, could influence decisions about abortion law around the country

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/annaspoerre/">ANNA SPOERRE</a> <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/02/20/state-senator-throws-first-punches-of-2024-missouri-governors-campaign/">Missouri Independent</a>

A trial litigating the parameters of&nbsp;<a href="https://moconstitutionalfreedom.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Missourians-for-Constitutional-Freedom-Amendment.pdf" target="_blank">Missouri’s new reproductive rights amendment</a>&nbsp;begins Monday in Kansas City. The outcome will reach far beyond the state’s borders.

The trial, which will include testimony from abortion providers, Planned Parenthood leadership and anti-abortion doctors, will give an unusually detailed look at the inner-workings of abortion in Missouri, highlighting how just one or two restrictions on the procedure can greatly weaken access in a state where few providers remain.

Over the course of two weeks, the details of Missouri’s numerous abortion regulations will be under a microscope as those in favor of abortion rights argue that nearly every restriction is unconstitutional under the reproductive rights amendment and the state argues the regulations are necessary protections.&nbsp;

The outcome of Missouri’s reproductive rights amendment case —&nbsp;which will either greatly broaden access to abortion in ways not seen in decades, or will hamper access for nearly everyone in Missouri —&nbsp;will reverberate far beyond the Show-Me State, said Rebecca Reingold, an associate director at the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law.&nbsp;

This is particularly true, she said, of states also in the process of litigating abortion access like Arizona, Michigan and Ohio.

“There is little doubt that advocates and decision-makers in other states navigating similar legal challenges are closely monitoring the litigation over Missouri’s abortion regulations,” Reingold said. “ … While state court judges are certainly not bound to follow the decisions of their peers in other states, these decisions can serve as persuasive legal authority, particularly in cases involving novel legal questions or where the relevant legal standards are evolving.”&nbsp;

The result of Missouri’s lawsuit will also greatly affect the landscape of abortion access in the Midwest and the South.&nbsp;

“Missouri also neighbors states with some of the harshest abortion bans in the country,” she said. “That means that the outcome of this litigation will be felt beyond the state’s geographic borders, affecting access to care not only for Missourians, but also people living in neighboring states.”

The case originated with a lawsuit filed by Planned Parenthood and the ACLU of Missouri the day after the November 2024 election in which voters narrowly approved broad abortion access, becoming the first state to overturn a near-total abortion ban through a vote of the people.

Amy Myrick, a senior attorney at the Center for Reproductive Rights, said Missouri is a harbinger for other states attempting to secure abortion protections through constitutional changes.

“Missouri is a test case for what happens when the people have spoken and passed the constitutional amendment with the strongest possible protections, but the state still decides to stand in their way, and the courts have to decide what to do,” she said.&nbsp;

Hypothetically, Myrick said, this should be an open and shut case because Missouri’s reproductive rights amendment was written with some of the strongest protections of any amendment in the country. The amendment prohibits the government from regulating abortion prior to the point of fetal viability unless “such action is justified by a compelling governmental interest achieved by the least restrictive means.”&nbsp;

“So if courts start upholding restrictions against these kinds of protections,” Myrick said. ‘That’s a really bad sign.”

Right now, most of the targeted regulation of abortion provider laws, known as&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/12/05/abortion-lawsuit-planned-parenthood-amendment-3-missouri-jackson-county/">TRAP laws, have been temporarily enjoined</a>&nbsp;— or paused — until a permanent decision could be made at trial.

This includes required distribution of&nbsp;<a href="https://health.mo.gov/living/families/womenshealth/pregnancyassistance/pdf/Mo.InformedConsentBooklet-Revisedpgs.12-15August2019jkOGCReviewed.pdf" target="_blank">Missouri’s informed consent booklet&nbsp;</a>prior to an abortion; a 72-hour waiting period between an initial appointment and an abortion; and abortion facility licensing requirements. The injunction allowed Planned Parenthood to begin offering in-clinic abortions last February.&nbsp;

Between then and October,&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/12/05/missouri-abortion-legal-access-hinges-courts-rebuilding/">80 in-clinic abortion procedures&nbsp;</a>took place in Missouri across Planned Parenthood clinics in Kansas City, Columbia and St. Louis, according to data from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. In 2023 and 2024, there were no elective abortions performed in Missouri. A few decades ago, prior to the passage of most of Missouri’s abortion restrictions and 2022 ban, thousands of abortions were performed in the state each year. Current data shows&nbsp;<a href="https://www.guttmacher.org/monthly-abortion-provision-study" target="_blank">several thousand Missourians still accessed abortion in 2024,</a>&nbsp;but had to travel to Kansas or Illinois to do so.

Zhang did not enjoin two regulations that Planned Parenthood says are preventing providers from prescribing medication abortion:<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/09/11/laws-regulations-medication-abortion-mifepristone-misoprostol-missouri/">&nbsp;a complication plan approved by the state as well as supplemental insurance requirement.</a>&nbsp;For this reason, Missouri doctors remain unable to prescribe the medications mifepristone and misoprostol to patients to end first trimester pregnancies. Medication abortion is the most common method to end a pregnancy in the United States,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&amp;source=web&amp;rct=j&amp;opi=89978449&amp;url=https://www.guttmacher.org/2024/03/medication-abortion-accounted-63-all-us-abortions-2023-increase-53-2020&amp;ved=2ahUKEwjlk7_1w_6RAxXPOzQIHe5SMDsQFnoECBkQAQ&amp;usg=AOvVaw1P-Hlu8nsnKIuYZVfc4aV8" target="_blank">used in about two-thirds of abortions.</a>

Anti-abortion advocates contend repealing these regulations could put women’s safety at risk.&nbsp;

“Like Michigan and Ohio before them, the amendment was the first step, opening the door for the abortion lobby to tear down all of the health and safety standards for women’s protections that the Missouri legislature required over the years,” said Katie Glenn Daniel, director of legal affairs and policy counsel at SBA Pro-Life America.

Myrick said attempts to tie regulations to health and safety claims are nothing new.&nbsp;

“Every single one of these restrictions is about hostility to abortion, making it harder to access abortion,” she said. “Even something like a complication plan can be a shutdown law if it’s impossible to comply with. So there’s no way this is about health or safety.”

She said Missouri anti-abortion leaders have long been creative, spearheading many of the national fights against mifepristone in particular.&nbsp;

In November, Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/11/20/missouri-challenges-fda-approval-generic-mifepristone-limit-medication-abortion/">sued over the latest approval of a generic version of mifepristone</a>, asking the federal government to overturn the approval and to reinstate in-person dispensing laws for the medication, which can currently be prescribed in some states during telehealth appointments and then mailed to patients.

Last summer, Hanaway’s predecessor,&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-ag-sues-planned-parenthood-claims-it-misled-patients-over-safety-of-abortion-pill/">Andrew Bailey, sued Planned Parenthood</a>&nbsp;over its claims that mifepristone is safer to take than over-the-counter medications like Tylenol, penicillin and Viagra.&nbsp;

And Missouri is now the lead plaintiff in a federal lawsuit&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/10/01/federal-lawsuit-limit-access-abortion-pill-mifepristone-texas-missouri/">seeking to limit the availability of medication abortion.</a>&nbsp;The case originated in Texas and moved all the way up to the United States Supreme Court before the nation’s highest court said the original plaintiffs didn’t have the jurisdiction to sue.

Sarah Wetter, senior associate with the O’Neill Institute at Georgetown Law, said the transfer of the federal case to Missouri makes the state litigation beginning Monday “all the more threatening” as the Missouri Attorney General’s Office also prepares to argue against mifepristone at the federal courthouse in St. Louis.

“Turning back the clock to pre-2016 rules would limit mifepristone access to patients up to 7 (rather than 10) weeks gestation, require more in-person visits, and otherwise prohibit telemedicine abortion,” Wetter said.

Many high-ranking Missouri politicians have shown repeatedly that abortion remains among their highest priorities, with few saying they’ll back down if the abortion rights amendment is fully implemented following the trial. A prime example of this is the Republican supermajority’s success in putting a&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/12/04/missouri-appeals-court-rejects-abortion-ban-ballot-language/">proposed abortion ban on this year’s November ballot.</a>&nbsp;Plans are already underway to continue attempting to limit access to the procedure, whether the abortion ban amendment passes or fails later this year.

Politics are supposed to be left out of the courtroom, said Michael Wolff, a former chief justice of the Missouri Supreme Court and dean emeritus at the St. Louis University School of Law. He’s curious if that will be the case next week.

“The courts, in my experience in Missouri, have always been solicitous of what the voters were voting on,” he said.

Wolff, who advised in the drafting of the abortion rights amendment, said any arguments by the state that abortion regulations are necessary because Missouri voters didn’t realize the scope of what they were voting on should be heeded cautiously.

“Haven’t these political issues, these questions about the desirability of this law, already been litigated when they had to campaign where the voters approved (abortion)?” Wolff said. “ … It’s not a matter for the courts to decide whether the voters were dumb&nbsp;or or&nbsp;smart when they did this.”&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1746190042115.png" alt="An abortion procedure room pictured on Monday, March 3, 2025, at Planned Parenthood in Columbia, Missouri (Anna Spoerre/Missouri Independent)." />
 <figcaption>An abortion procedure room pictured on Monday, March 3, 2025, at Planned Parenthood in Columbia, Missouri (Anna Spoerre/Missouri Independent).</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>The outcome of the case, which will determine what regulations remain in place under Missouri’s voter-approved abortion rights amendment, could influence decisions about abortion law around the country</h2>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/annaspoerre/">ANNA SPOERRE</a> <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/02/20/state-senator-throws-first-punches-of-2024-missouri-governors-campaign/">Missouri Independent</a>A trial litigating the parameters of&nbsp;<a href="https://moconstitutionalfreedom.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Missourians-for-Constitutional-Freedom-Amendment.pdf" target="_blank">Missouri’s new reproductive rights amendment</a>&nbsp;begins Monday in Kansas City. The outcome will reach far beyond the state’s borders.The trial, which will include testimony from abortion providers, Planned Parenthood leadership and anti-abortion doctors, will give an unusually detailed look at the inner-workings of abortion in Missouri, highlighting how just one or two restrictions on the procedure can greatly weaken access in a state where few providers remain.Over the course of two weeks, the details of Missouri’s numerous abortion regulations will be under a microscope as those in favor of abortion rights argue that nearly every restriction is unconstitutional under the reproductive rights amendment and the state argues the regulations are necessary protections.&nbsp;The outcome of Missouri’s reproductive rights amendment case —&nbsp;which will either greatly broaden access to abortion in ways not seen in decades, or will hamper access for nearly everyone in Missouri —&nbsp;will reverberate far beyond the Show-Me State, said Rebecca Reingold, an associate director at the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law.&nbsp;This is particularly true, she said, of states also in the process of litigating abortion access like Arizona, Michigan and Ohio.“There is little doubt that advocates and decision-makers in other states navigating similar legal challenges are closely monitoring the litigation over Missouri’s abortion regulations,” Reingold said. “ … While state court judges are certainly not bound to follow the decisions of their peers in other states, these decisions can serve as persuasive legal authority, particularly in cases involving novel legal questions or where the relevant legal standards are evolving.”&nbsp;The result of Missouri’s lawsuit will also greatly affect the landscape of abortion access in the Midwest and the South.&nbsp;“Missouri also neighbors states with some of the harshest abortion bans in the country,” she said. “That means that the outcome of this litigation will be felt beyond the state’s geographic borders, affecting access to care not only for Missourians, but also people living in neighboring states.”The case originated with a lawsuit filed by Planned Parenthood and the ACLU of Missouri the day after the November 2024 election in which voters narrowly approved broad abortion access, becoming the first state to overturn a near-total abortion ban through a vote of the people.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/1/1768061679561.png" alt="Maggie Olivia, a senior policy manager with Abortion Action Missouri, embraces abortion-rights supporters after the race is called in favor of Amendment 3 on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024, in St. Louis (Anna Spoerre/Missouri Independent)." />
 <figcaption>Maggie Olivia, a senior policy manager with Abortion Action Missouri, embraces abortion-rights supporters after the race is called in favor of Amendment 3 on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024, in St. Louis (Anna Spoerre/Missouri Independent).</figcaption>
 </figure>Amy Myrick, a senior attorney at the Center for Reproductive Rights, said Missouri is a harbinger for other states attempting to secure abortion protections through constitutional changes.“Missouri is a test case for what happens when the people have spoken and passed the constitutional amendment with the strongest possible protections, but the state still decides to stand in their way, and the courts have to decide what to do,” she said.&nbsp;Hypothetically, Myrick said, this should be an open and shut case because Missouri’s reproductive rights amendment was written with some of the strongest protections of any amendment in the country. The amendment prohibits the government from regulating abortion prior to the point of fetal viability unless “such action is justified by a compelling governmental interest achieved by the least restrictive means.”&nbsp;“So if courts start upholding restrictions against these kinds of protections,” Myrick said. ‘That’s a really bad sign.”Right now, most of the targeted regulation of abortion provider laws, known as&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/12/05/abortion-lawsuit-planned-parenthood-amendment-3-missouri-jackson-county/">TRAP laws, have been temporarily enjoined</a>&nbsp;— or paused — until a permanent decision could be made at trial.This includes required distribution of&nbsp;<a href="https://health.mo.gov/living/families/womenshealth/pregnancyassistance/pdf/Mo.InformedConsentBooklet-Revisedpgs.12-15August2019jkOGCReviewed.pdf" target="_blank">Missouri’s informed consent booklet&nbsp;</a>prior to an abortion; a 72-hour waiting period between an initial appointment and an abortion; and abortion facility licensing requirements. The injunction allowed Planned Parenthood to begin offering in-clinic abortions last February.&nbsp;Between then and October,&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/12/05/missouri-abortion-legal-access-hinges-courts-rebuilding/">80 in-clinic abortion procedures&nbsp;</a>took place in Missouri across Planned Parenthood clinics in Kansas City, Columbia and St. Louis, according to data from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. In 2023 and 2024, there were no elective abortions performed in Missouri. A few decades ago, prior to the passage of most of Missouri’s abortion restrictions and 2022 ban, thousands of abortions were performed in the state each year. Current data shows&nbsp;<a href="https://www.guttmacher.org/monthly-abortion-provision-study" target="_blank">several thousand Missourians still accessed abortion in 2024,</a>&nbsp;but had to travel to Kansas or Illinois to do so.Zhang did not enjoin two regulations that Planned Parenthood says are preventing providers from prescribing medication abortion:<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/09/11/laws-regulations-medication-abortion-mifepristone-misoprostol-missouri/">&nbsp;a complication plan approved by the state as well as supplemental insurance requirement.</a>&nbsp;For this reason, Missouri doctors remain unable to prescribe the medications mifepristone and misoprostol to patients to end first trimester pregnancies. Medication abortion is the most common method to end a pregnancy in the United States,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&amp;source=web&amp;rct=j&amp;opi=89978449&amp;url=https://www.guttmacher.org/2024/03/medication-abortion-accounted-63-all-us-abortions-2023-increase-53-2020&amp;ved=2ahUKEwjlk7_1w_6RAxXPOzQIHe5SMDsQFnoECBkQAQ&amp;usg=AOvVaw1P-Hlu8nsnKIuYZVfc4aV8" target="_blank">used in about two-thirds of abortions.</a>Anti-abortion advocates contend repealing these regulations could put women’s safety at risk.&nbsp;“Like Michigan and Ohio before them, the amendment was the first step, opening the door for the abortion lobby to tear down all of the health and safety standards for women’s protections that the Missouri legislature required over the years,” said Katie Glenn Daniel, director of legal affairs and policy counsel at SBA Pro-Life America.Myrick said attempts to tie regulations to health and safety claims are nothing new.&nbsp;“Every single one of these restrictions is about hostility to abortion, making it harder to access abortion,” she said. “Even something like a complication plan can be a shutdown law if it’s impossible to comply with. So there’s no way this is about health or safety.”She said Missouri anti-abortion leaders have long been creative, spearheading many of the national fights against mifepristone in particular.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/1/1768061627695.png" alt="Stickers saying “repeal and replace Amendment 3,” the name of the 2024 reproductive rights amendment, are distributed during Missouri Right to Life advocacy day at the Missouri State Capitol in March 2025 (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent)." />
 <figcaption>Stickers saying “repeal and replace Amendment 3,” the name of the 2024 reproductive rights amendment, are distributed during Missouri Right to Life advocacy day at the Missouri State Capitol in March 2025 (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent).</figcaption>
 </figure>In November, Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/11/20/missouri-challenges-fda-approval-generic-mifepristone-limit-medication-abortion/">sued over the latest approval of a generic version of mifepristone</a>, asking the federal government to overturn the approval and to reinstate in-person dispensing laws for the medication, which can currently be prescribed in some states during telehealth appointments and then mailed to patients.Last summer, Hanaway’s predecessor,&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-ag-sues-planned-parenthood-claims-it-misled-patients-over-safety-of-abortion-pill/">Andrew Bailey, sued Planned Parenthood</a>&nbsp;over its claims that mifepristone is safer to take than over-the-counter medications like Tylenol, penicillin and Viagra.&nbsp;And Missouri is now the lead plaintiff in a federal lawsuit&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/10/01/federal-lawsuit-limit-access-abortion-pill-mifepristone-texas-missouri/">seeking to limit the availability of medication abortion.</a>&nbsp;The case originated in Texas and moved all the way up to the United States Supreme Court before the nation’s highest court said the original plaintiffs didn’t have the jurisdiction to sue.Sarah Wetter, senior associate with the O’Neill Institute at Georgetown Law, said the transfer of the federal case to Missouri makes the state litigation beginning Monday “all the more threatening” as the Missouri Attorney General’s Office also prepares to argue against mifepristone at the federal courthouse in St. Louis.“Turning back the clock to pre-2016 rules would limit mifepristone access to patients up to 7 (rather than 10) weeks gestation, require more in-person visits, and otherwise prohibit telemedicine abortion,” Wetter said.Many high-ranking Missouri politicians have shown repeatedly that abortion remains among their highest priorities, with few saying they’ll back down if the abortion rights amendment is fully implemented following the trial. A prime example of this is the Republican supermajority’s success in putting a&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/12/04/missouri-appeals-court-rejects-abortion-ban-ballot-language/">proposed abortion ban on this year’s November ballot.</a>&nbsp;Plans are already underway to continue attempting to limit access to the procedure, whether the abortion ban amendment passes or fails later this year.Politics are supposed to be left out of the courtroom, said Michael Wolff, a former chief justice of the Missouri Supreme Court and dean emeritus at the St. Louis University School of Law. He’s curious if that will be the case next week.“The courts, in my experience in Missouri, have always been solicitous of what the voters were voting on,” he said.Wolff, who advised in the drafting of the abortion rights amendment, said any arguments by the state that abortion regulations are necessary because Missouri voters didn’t realize the scope of what they were voting on should be heeded cautiously.“Haven’t these political issues, these questions about the desirability of this law, already been litigated when they had to campaign where the voters approved (abortion)?” Wolff said. “ … It’s not a matter for the courts to decide whether the voters were dumb&nbsp;or or&nbsp;smart when they did this.”&nbsp;

Missouri abortion regulations go on trial Monday. Widespread access is at stake

KANSAS CITY—One person died in an accident just after 5:30p.m. Saturday in Kansas City.

According to KCPD Officer Alayna Gonzalez,&nbsp; black Hyundai Tucson exited westbound MO-152 Highway onto N. Indiana Avenue. While the traffic signal was green, the vehicle remained stopped as other vehicles drove around it. 

When the signal turned red, the driver proceeded through the intersection, continued onto the westbound ramp, left the roadway, traveled up an embankment, and struck a large rock and overturned. EMS pronounced the driver, who was the sole occupant, deceased at the scene, according to Gonzalez.

KANSAS CITY—One person died in an accident just after 5:30p.m. Saturday in Kansas City.According to KCPD Officer Alayna Gonzalez,&nbsp; black Hyundai Tucson exited westbound MO-152 Highway onto N. Indiana Avenue. While the traffic signal was green, the vehicle remained stopped as other vehicles drove around it. When the signal turned red, the driver proceeded through the intersection, continued onto the westbound ramp, left the roadway, traveled up an embankment, and struck a large rock and overturned. EMS pronounced the driver, who was the sole occupant, deceased at the scene, according to Gonzalez.

KCPD; Driver dies after SUV strikes a large rock and overturns

DAMASCUS– At approximately 12:30 p.m. Eastern Time Saturday, U.S.&nbsp; forces, alongside partner forces, conducted large-scale strikes against multiple ISIS targets across Syria, according to a statement from the U.S. Central Command.

These strikes are part of Operation Hawkeye Strike, which was launched and announced on Dec. 19, 2025, at the direction of President Trump, in direct response to the deadly ISIS attack on U.S. and Syrian forces in Palmyra, Syria, on Dec. 13, 2025. 

That ambush, carried out by an ISIS terrorist, resulted in the tragic deaths of two American soldiers and one U.S. civilian interpreter. The strikes on Saturday targeted ISIS throughout Syria as part of our ongoing commitment to root out Islamic terrorism against our warfighters, prevent future attacks, and protect American and partner forces in the region. U.S. and coalition forces remain resolute in pursuing terrorists who seek to harm the United States.&nbsp;Our message remains strong: if you harm our warfighters, we will find you and kill you anywhere in the world, no matter how hard you try to evade justice.

DAMASCUS– At approximately 12:30 p.m. Eastern Time Saturday, U.S.&nbsp; forces, alongside partner forces, conducted large-scale strikes against multiple ISIS targets across Syria, according to a statement from the U.S. Central Command.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">‼️‼️🇺🇲U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), working with partner forces, carried out large-scale airstrikes against ISIS targets across Syria around 12:30 p.m. ET. <a href="https://t.co/Tyw6k40G7d">pic.twitter.com/Tyw6k40G7d</a>&mdash; Visioner (@visionergeo) <a href="https://twitter.com/visionergeo/status/2010094507921158473?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 10, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>These strikes are part of Operation Hawkeye Strike, which was launched and announced on Dec. 19, 2025, at the direction of President Trump, in direct response to the deadly ISIS attack on U.S. and Syrian forces in Palmyra, Syria, on Dec. 13, 2025. That ambush, carried out by an ISIS terrorist, resulted in the tragic deaths of two American soldiers and one U.S. civilian interpreter. The strikes on Saturday targeted ISIS throughout Syria as part of our ongoing commitment to root out Islamic terrorism against our warfighters, prevent future attacks, and protect American and partner forces in the region. U.S. and coalition forces remain resolute in pursuing terrorists who seek to harm the United States.&nbsp;Our message remains strong: if you harm our warfighters, we will find you and kill you anywhere in the world, no matter how hard you try to evade justice.

🎥 US carries out more strikes in Syria targeting ISIS

&nbsp;JACKSON COUNTY, Kan. —Law enforcement are invstigating a suspect on drug allegations.&nbsp;

Just after 2a.m. January 5,&nbsp;a Sheriff’s Deputy conducted a traffic stop on a Hyundai Elantra that had been southbound on U.S. Highway 75 near 134th&nbsp;Road for an alleged traffic infraction, according to SHeriff Tim Morse.

The driver was identified as William James Pauley, 34, of Louisville, Kansas. Pauley was arrested and booked into the Jackson County Jail for possession of methamphetamine, possession of THC, possession of drug paraphernalia and driving without a driver’s license.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/1/1767660681507.png" alt="Pauley photo Jackson County" />
 <figcaption>Pauley photo Jackson County</figcaption>
 </figure>&nbsp;JACKSON COUNTY, Kan. —Law enforcement are invstigating a suspect on drug allegations.&nbsp;Just after 2a.m. January 5,&nbsp;a Sheriff’s Deputy conducted a traffic stop on a Hyundai Elantra that had been southbound on U.S. Highway 75 near 134th&nbsp;Road for an alleged traffic infraction, according to SHeriff Tim Morse.The driver was identified as William James Pauley, 34, of Louisville, Kansas. Pauley was arrested and booked into the Jackson County Jail for possession of methamphetamine, possession of THC, possession of drug paraphernalia and driving without a driver’s license.

Kan. driver without a license was transporting meth, THC

More than dozen 2026 candidates for governor must file reports by Monday

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

TOPEKA — Republican gubernatorial candidate Scott Schwab reported $1.3 million in campaign contributions as of Dec. 31, while Republican Vicki Schmidt and Democrat Ethan Corson attracted more than $900,000 in donations to fuel their campaigns for governor.

Schwab, Schmidt and Corson released information on their 2025 fundraising ahead of the Monday deadline for submitting financial documents to the Kansas Public Disclosure Commission and Kansas Secretary of State’s office. At this point, the statistics have been based on candidate news releases, but the official documents filed with the state would disclose details about donations, loans, expenditures and cash on hand.

So far, more than a dozen candidates have announced campaigns for the Republican or Democratic party nominations for governor in Kansas. Their capacity to generate significant donations would be viewed as a measure of political viability in terms of the August primaries. In 2022, Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly raised more than $7.7 million for her successful reelection campaign.

Schwab, who has served as Kansas’ secretary of state since 2019, said his campaign for governor attracted more than $1.3 million.

“These results show support for the only conservative in the race with a comprehensive plan for addressing the Kansas property tax crisis,” he said. “Kansans want a leader who will do more than share hollow rhetoric about issues, but put forth solutions that put the taxpayer first.”

Schwab’s most prominent GOP rivals include former Gov. Jeff Colyer, Senate President Ty Masterson and Schmidt, the state insurance commissioner.

Schmidt’s campaign said she raised $980,000 from more than 800 donors. The contributions ranged from $1 to $4,000, and 57% of the donations were from Kansans.

“We’re building a campaign the right way — with broad grassroots support, careful stewardship of resources and a clear path forward,” Schmidt said.

Corson, a Democratic state senator from Johnson County, said he accepted more than 3,000 contributions and that 70% of these donations were for less than $100. He reported securing more than $900,000 since July. His rival in the primary is Sen. Cindy Holscher, also of Johnson County. She has not yet released campaign donation information.

“Our campaign is about creating a Kansas where the next generation can build a life right here, and this milestone is proof that people all across the state believe in that vision,” Corson said.

During the 2025 portion of the campaign cycle, Corson said his campaign traveled 11,000 miles to dozens of cities. He’s been endorsed by more than 10 labor unions as well as Kelly, who referred to him as “most suited” to be the next governor.

In the campaign for attorney general, Democrat Chris Mann officially filed as a candidate and said his campaign raised $536,000 in 2025. Republican Attorney General Kris Kobach said he would run for reelection but hasn’t released a summary of his campaign treasurer’s report. In 2022, Kobach received 50.8% of the vote to narrowly defeat Mann, who claimed 49.2% of ballots cast.

Mann said 89% of his 2,500 contributions came from Kansans, which he said was an indication of momentum of his second campaign for attorney general.

“Kansans want an attorney general who is focused on protecting communities, upholding the law fairly, and delivering real results, not&nbsp;playing politics,” Mann said. “The record level of support we’re seeing makes it clear that people are ready for a new direction in the attorney general’s office.”

House Speaker Dan Hawkins, a Republican from Wichita, said he generated $427,300 during 2025 for his campaign for state insurance commissioner.

He asserted the total “breaks all previous records for down-ballot races at this point in the election cycle,” comparing it to campaigns for secretary of state, state treasurer and insurance commissioner in 2014, 2018 and 2022. He didn’t acknowledge Mann’s higher total in the campaign for attorney general.

“I’m truly overwhelmed by the support I’ve received from across the state,” said Hawkins, who promised to lower insurance costs and address insurance companies operating unethically or illegally.

The primary election in Kansas has been scheduled for Aug. 4. The state’s voter registration deadline is June 1.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1761442186225.png" alt="Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab, a Republican seeking the nomination for governor,&nbsp;raised $1.3 million during 2025 for his campaign. This image is from Jan. 13, 2025. (Photo by Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab, a Republican seeking the nomination for governor,&nbsp;raised $1.3 million during 2025 for his campaign. This image is from Jan. 13, 2025. (Photo by Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>More than dozen 2026 candidates for governor must file reports by Monday</h2>By&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/tim-carpenter/">TIM CARPENTER</a> <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/02/24/gov-laura-kelly-skeptical-kansas-houses-anti-tenure-legislation-will-reach-her-desk/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — Republican gubernatorial candidate Scott Schwab reported $1.3 million in campaign contributions as of Dec. 31, while Republican Vicki Schmidt and Democrat Ethan Corson attracted more than $900,000 in donations to fuel their campaigns for governor.Schwab, Schmidt and Corson released information on their 2025 fundraising ahead of the Monday deadline for submitting financial documents to the Kansas Public Disclosure Commission and Kansas Secretary of State’s office. At this point, the statistics have been based on candidate news releases, but the official documents filed with the state would disclose details about donations, loans, expenditures and cash on hand.So far, more than a dozen candidates have announced campaigns for the Republican or Democratic party nominations for governor in Kansas. Their capacity to generate significant donations would be viewed as a measure of political viability in terms of the August primaries. In 2022, Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly raised more than $7.7 million for her successful reelection campaign.Schwab, who has served as Kansas’ secretary of state since 2019, said his campaign for governor attracted more than $1.3 million.“These results show support for the only conservative in the race with a comprehensive plan for addressing the Kansas property tax crisis,” he said. “Kansans want a leader who will do more than share hollow rhetoric about issues, but put forth solutions that put the taxpayer first.”Schwab’s most prominent GOP rivals include former Gov. Jeff Colyer, Senate President Ty Masterson and Schmidt, the state insurance commissioner.Schmidt’s campaign said she raised $980,000 from more than 800 donors. The contributions ranged from $1 to $4,000, and 57% of the donations were from Kansans.“We’re building a campaign the right way — with broad grassroots support, careful stewardship of resources and a clear path forward,” Schmidt said.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/11/1763397079432.png" alt="One of the Democratic Party’s frontrunners in the governor’s race, state Sen. Ethan Corson, says he generated $900,000 in donations&nbsp;in the period ending Dec. 31. This image is from Jan. 13, 2025. (Photo by Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>One of the Democratic Party’s frontrunners in the governor’s race, state Sen. Ethan Corson, says he generated $900,000 in donations&nbsp;in the period ending Dec. 31. This image is from Jan. 13, 2025. (Photo by Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>Corson, a Democratic state senator from Johnson County, said he accepted more than 3,000 contributions and that 70% of these donations were for less than $100. He reported securing more than $900,000 since July. His rival in the primary is Sen. Cindy Holscher, also of Johnson County. She has not yet released campaign donation information.“Our campaign is about creating a Kansas where the next generation can build a life right here, and this milestone is proof that people all across the state believe in that vision,” Corson said.During the 2025 portion of the campaign cycle, Corson said his campaign traveled 11,000 miles to dozens of cities. He’s been endorsed by more than 10 labor unions as well as Kelly, who referred to him as “most suited” to be the next governor.In the campaign for attorney general, Democrat Chris Mann officially filed as a candidate and said his campaign raised $536,000 in 2025. Republican Attorney General Kris Kobach said he would run for reelection but hasn’t released a summary of his campaign treasurer’s report. In 2022, Kobach received 50.8% of the vote to narrowly defeat Mann, who claimed 49.2% of ballots cast.Mann said 89% of his 2,500 contributions came from Kansans, which he said was an indication of momentum of his second campaign for attorney general.“Kansans want an attorney general who is focused on protecting communities, upholding the law fairly, and delivering real results, not&nbsp;playing politics,” Mann said. “The record level of support we’re seeing makes it clear that people are ready for a new direction in the attorney general’s office.”House Speaker Dan Hawkins, a Republican from Wichita, said he generated $427,300 during 2025 for his campaign for state insurance commissioner.He asserted the total “breaks all previous records for down-ballot races at this point in the election cycle,” comparing it to campaigns for secretary of state, state treasurer and insurance commissioner in 2014, 2018 and 2022. He didn’t acknowledge Mann’s higher total in the campaign for attorney general.“I’m truly overwhelmed by the support I’ve received from across the state,” said Hawkins, who promised to lower insurance costs and address insurance companies operating unethically or illegally.The primary election in Kansas has been scheduled for Aug. 4. The state’s voter registration deadline is June 1.

Latest Kansas campaign finance reports: Candidates for governor strive to hit $1M mark

KANSAS CITY —The new year is off to a deadly start in Kansas City, Missouri.&nbsp; Police are investigating three homicides that occurred over 24-hours on Thursday.

Just before 1a.m., police were dispatched to&nbsp; a shooting reported in the area of 16th Street and Fremont Avenue, according to Officer Alyana Gonzalez.

First responders found 61-year-old Gary L. Norris. inside of a vehicle unresponsive and suffering from gunshot trauma. Officers attempted to render medical aid until EMS personnel responded and transported him to an area hospital for treatment. Norris ultimately succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced deceased by hospital staff.

Preliminary information indicates Norris was outside working on a vehicle when an interaction between the victim and another adult male escalated into gunfire. The suspect left the scene prior to police arrival. Police have not reported any suspect details.

Just before 11:30a.m. Wednesday, police were dispatched to a shooting on southbound 71 Highway and Blue River Road, according to Officer Alayna Gonzalez.

First responders located a vehicle stopped on the side of the highway and a woman asking for help. At that time, officers observed 32-year-old Keithlin Royster unresponsive inside of the vehicle suffering from apparent gunshot trauma. EMS responded to the scene and pronounce him deceased at that scene.

Preliminary information indicates this may be a road rage incident. It is believed two unidentified men were occupying an unknown vehicle when shots were fired, striking the Royster. It is not currently known where the start of the altercation began, and where exactly the shooting occurred. 

A subject of interest turned himself in to police late Wednesday regarding this incident and he was questioned by detectives for further investigation. Detectives are not currently seeking any additional suspects, and the case has been presented to prosecutors for consideration of applicable charges, according to Gonzalez.

Just before 3p.m. Thursday, police were dispatched to a shooting in the 6600 block of Monroe Avenue, according to KCPD Officer Alayna Gonzalez. While officers were responding to the scene, several additional calls for a sound of shots were reported.

Upon arrival, officers observed a group of people summoning responding officers to the rear of an apartment complex building. An unidentified male victim, believed to be&nbsp;an&nbsp;adult, was located lying in a parking lot, unresponsive and suffering from believed gunshot trauma. EMS responded shortly behind officers and declared the victim deceased on scene.

Preliminary information indicates there was an interaction that took place between the victim and several unknown males. That interaction escalated into gunfire and resulted in the victim being struck. The unidentified suspects left the scene in an unknown direction occupying an unidentified vehicle. Police do not have any subjects of interest identified and no one is in police custody at this time.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/1/1767922675376.png" alt="Police on the scene of the shooting&nbsp; in the 6600 Block of Monroe-Photo Sheriff Daryl Forte'" />
 <figcaption>Police on the scene of the shooting&nbsp; in the 6600 Block of Monroe-Photo Sheriff Daryl Forte'</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —The new year is off to a deadly start in Kansas City, Missouri.&nbsp; Police are investigating three homicides that occurred over 24-hours on Thursday.Just before 1a.m., police were dispatched to&nbsp; a shooting reported in the area of 16th Street and Fremont Avenue, according to Officer Alyana Gonzalez.First responders found 61-year-old Gary L. Norris. inside of a vehicle unresponsive and suffering from gunshot trauma. Officers attempted to render medical aid until EMS personnel responded and transported him to an area hospital for treatment. Norris ultimately succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced deceased by hospital staff.Preliminary information indicates Norris was outside working on a vehicle when an interaction between the victim and another adult male escalated into gunfire. The suspect left the scene prior to police arrival. Police have not reported any suspect details.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/1/1767817154645.png" alt="Police on the scene of the road raage shooting- Photo Sheriff Daryl Forte'" />
 <figcaption>Police on the scene of the road raage shooting- Photo Sheriff Daryl Forte'</figcaption>
 </figure>Just before 11:30a.m. Wednesday, police were dispatched to a shooting on southbound 71 Highway and Blue River Road, according to Officer Alayna Gonzalez.First responders located a vehicle stopped on the side of the highway and a woman asking for help. At that time, officers observed 32-year-old Keithlin Royster unresponsive inside of the vehicle suffering from apparent gunshot trauma. EMS responded to the scene and pronounce him deceased at that scene.Preliminary information indicates this may be a road rage incident. It is believed two unidentified men were occupying an unknown vehicle when shots were fired, striking the Royster. It is not currently known where the start of the altercation began, and where exactly the shooting occurred. A subject of interest turned himself in to police late Wednesday regarding this incident and he was questioned by detectives for further investigation. Detectives are not currently seeking any additional suspects, and the case has been presented to prosecutors for consideration of applicable charges, according to Gonzalez.Just before 3p.m. Thursday, police were dispatched to a shooting in the 6600 block of Monroe Avenue, according to KCPD Officer Alayna Gonzalez. While officers were responding to the scene, several additional calls for a sound of shots were reported.Upon arrival, officers observed a group of people summoning responding officers to the rear of an apartment complex building. An unidentified male victim, believed to be&nbsp;an&nbsp;adult, was located lying in a parking lot, unresponsive and suffering from believed gunshot trauma. EMS responded shortly behind officers and declared the victim deceased on scene.Preliminary information indicates there was an interaction that took place between the victim and several unknown males. That interaction escalated into gunfire and resulted in the victim being struck. The unidentified suspects left the scene in an unknown direction occupying an unidentified vehicle. Police do not have any subjects of interest identified and no one is in police custody at this time.

3 homicides in 24 hours in Kansas City

MONTGOMERY COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating a suspect on multiple drug allegations.

On Christmas Eve, deputies with the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office located a stolen 2012 Hyundai passenger vehicle, originally reported stolen from Wichita at a residence located at 401 W. 1st Street in Cherryvale, Kansas.

Deputies obtained and executed a search warrant for the residence and property. During the execution of the warrant, deputies observed drug paraphernalia in plain view inside the residence. An amended search warrant for narcotics was subsequently obtained. During the search, deputies located more than three (3) grams of methamphetamine along with additional drug paraphernalia and items used for distribution.

Rachel McKenzie, of Cherryvale, Kansas, was taken into custody and transported to the Montgomery County Department of Corrections, where she was booked on the requested charges of Distribution of methamphetamine and Possession of drug paraphernalia.&nbsp; She bonded out of jail days later, according to online jail records.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/1/1767985012656.png" alt="McKenzie photo Montgomery Co." />
 <figcaption>McKenzie photo Montgomery Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>MONTGOMERY COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating a suspect on multiple drug allegations.On Christmas Eve, deputies with the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office located a stolen 2012 Hyundai passenger vehicle, originally reported stolen from Wichita at a residence located at 401 W. 1st Street in Cherryvale, Kansas.Deputies obtained and executed a search warrant for the residence and property. During the execution of the warrant, deputies observed drug paraphernalia in plain view inside the residence. An amended search warrant for narcotics was subsequently obtained. During the search, deputies located more than three (3) grams of methamphetamine along with additional drug paraphernalia and items used for distribution.Rachel McKenzie, of Cherryvale, Kansas, was taken into custody and transported to the Montgomery County Department of Corrections, where she was booked on the requested charges of Distribution of methamphetamine and Possession of drug paraphernalia.&nbsp; She bonded out of jail days later, according to online jail records.

Sheriff: Suspected Kansas drug dealer jailed on Christmas Eve

KANSAS CITY —Police investigating another homicide in Kansas City, Missouri have identified the victim as 61-year-old Gary L. Norris.

Just before 1a.m. Thursday, police were dispatched to&nbsp; a shooting reported in the area of 16th Street and Fremont Avenue, according to Officer Alyana Gonzalez.

First responders found Norris inside of a vehicle unresponsive and suffering from gunshot trauma. Officers attempted to render medical aid until EMS personnel responded and transported him to an area hospital for treatment. Norris ultimately succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced deceased by hospital staff.

KANSAS CITY —Police investigating another homicide in Kansas City, Missouri have identified the victim as 61-year-old Gary L. Norris.Just before 1a.m. Thursday, police were dispatched to&nbsp; a shooting reported in the area of 16th Street and Fremont Avenue, according to Officer Alyana Gonzalez.First responders found Norris inside of a vehicle unresponsive and suffering from gunshot trauma. Officers attempted to render medical aid until EMS personnel responded and transported him to an area hospital for treatment. Norris ultimately succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced deceased by hospital staff.Preliminary information indicates Norris was outside working on a vehicle when an interaction between the victim and another adult male escalated into gunfire. The suspect left the scene prior to police arrival. Police have not reported any suspect details.

Homicide: Police ID KC man shot while working on his vehicle

A Minnesota prosecutor on Friday called on members of the public to send any video or other evidence in the fatal shooting of Renee Good directly to local investigators, challenging the Trump administration’s decision to leave the investigation solely to the FBI.&nbsp; Meanwhile, Vice President JD Vance and the White House have released a new&nbsp;cellphone video showing perspective of federal agent at center of ICE-involved shooting.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-minnesota-jonathan-ross-b9ce88da676d74ec6a1ab36aa55fbda1">The federal agent who fatally shot Good</a>&nbsp;is an Iraq War veteran who has served for nearly two decades in the Border Patrol and ICE, according to records obtained by Associated Press.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/1/1767999806264.png" alt="Image from the video released by the White House" />
 <figcaption>Image from the video released by the White House</figcaption>
 </figure>A Minnesota prosecutor on Friday called on members of the public to send any video or other evidence in the fatal shooting of Renee Good directly to local investigators, challenging the Trump administration’s decision to leave the investigation solely to the FBI.&nbsp; Meanwhile, Vice President JD Vance and the White House have released a new&nbsp;cellphone video showing perspective of federal agent at center of ICE-involved shooting.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">Any update, Ken?<a href="https://t.co/auPNnbtTKL">pic.twitter.com/auPNnbtTKL</a> <a href="https://t.co/96N0VDgyHI">https://t.co/96N0VDgyHI</a>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/2009706091228328304?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 9, 2026</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">The media smeared an ICE Agent who properly defended himself from being run over by organized leftist protesters who were impeding an active law enforcement operation. The reason trust in the media is at an all-time low is because they intentionally lie to the public to advance… <a href="https://t.co/8ih8O9FyJQ">https://t.co/8ih8O9FyJQ</a>&mdash; Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) <a href="https://twitter.com/PressSec/status/2009700804123603447?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 9, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-minnesota-jonathan-ross-b9ce88da676d74ec6a1ab36aa55fbda1">The federal agent who fatally shot Good</a>&nbsp;is an Iraq War veteran who has served for nearly two decades in the Border Patrol and ICE, according to records obtained by Associated Press.

White House releases phone video from ICE agent before fatal shooting

KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement are investigating another homicide in Kansas City, Missouri.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/1/1767922675376.png" alt="Photo Sheriff Daryl Forte'" />
 <figcaption>Photo Sheriff Daryl Forte'</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement are investigating another homicide in Kansas City, Missouri.Just before 3p.m. Thursday, police were dispatched to a shooting in the 6600 block of Monroe Avenue, according to KCPD Officer Alayna Gonzalez. While officers were responding to the scene, several additional calls for a sound of shots were reported.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/1/1767922640577.png" alt=" " />
 <figcaption> </figcaption>
 </figure>Upon arrival, officers observed a group of people summoning responding officers to the rear of an apartment complex building. An unidentified male victim, believed to be&nbsp;an&nbsp;adult, was located lying in a parking lot, unresponsive and suffering from believed gunshot trauma. EMS responded shortly behind officers and declared the victim deceased on scene.Preliminary information indicates there was an interaction that took place between the victim and several unknown males. That interaction escalated into gunfire and resulted in the victim being struck. The unidentified suspects left the scene in an unknown direction occupying an unidentified vehicle. Police do not have any subjects of interest identified and no one is in police custody at this time.

Homicide: Man found dead in parking lot of KC apartment complex

Once again, the United State's joint interagency forces sent a clear message Friday morning: “there is no safe haven for criminals.”

According to a statement from the U.S. Southern Command, in a pre-dawn action, Marines and Sailors from Joint Task Force Southern Spear, in support of the Department of Homeland Security, launched from the USS Gerald R. Ford and apprehended Motor/Tanker Olina in the Caribbean Sea without incident.

Apprehensions like this are backed by the full power of the U.S. Navy’s Amphibious Ready Group, including the ready and lethal platforms of the USS Iwo Jima, USS San Antonio, and USS Fort Lauderdale.

The Department of War’s Operation Southern Spear is unwavering in its mission to defend our homeland by ending illicit activity and restoring security in the Western Hemisphere.

Once again, the United State's joint interagency forces sent a clear message Friday morning: “there is no safe haven for criminals.”<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">Once again, our joint interagency forces sent a clear message this morning: “there is no safe haven for criminals.” In a pre-dawn action, Marines and Sailors from Joint Task Force Southern Spear, in support of the Department of Homeland Security, launched from the USS Gerald R.… <a href="https://t.co/StHo4ufcdx">pic.twitter.com/StHo4ufcdx</a>&mdash; U.S. Southern Command (@Southcom) <a href="https://twitter.com/Southcom/status/2009632097858711656?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 9, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>According to a statement from the U.S. Southern Command, in a pre-dawn action, Marines and Sailors from Joint Task Force Southern Spear, in support of the Department of Homeland Security, launched from the USS Gerald R. Ford and apprehended Motor/Tanker Olina in the Caribbean Sea without incident.Apprehensions like this are backed by the full power of the U.S. Navy’s Amphibious Ready Group, including the ready and lethal platforms of the USS Iwo Jima, USS San Antonio, and USS Fort Lauderdale.The Department of War’s Operation Southern Spear is unwavering in its mission to defend our homeland by ending illicit activity and restoring security in the Western Hemisphere.

🎥 US intercepts another oil tanker in the Caribbean Sea

BY&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/akaminski/">ANNA KAMINSKI</a> <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/12/29/kansan-returns-to-the-catholic-church-as-the-states-first-woman-priest/">Kansas Reflecto</a>

TOPEKA — Kansas Senate Minority Leader Dinah Sykes will run for state insurance commissioner, vowing to decline any campaign contributions from the insurance industry.

Sykes, a Lenexa Democrat, announced her intention Thursday to challenge House Speaker Dan Hawkins, a previously uncontested Republican from Wichita with decades of experience in insurance.

She described a platform focused on lowering costs, consumer protection and holding “big insurance companies accountable.”

“It’s simple: The cost of health insurance in Kansas is simply out of control,” Sykes said in the announcement. “Families and consumers can’t afford to keep up with the rise in premiums — on health care, auto, property or any other kind of insurance for that matter.”

She said she will not “take a single dime from the insurance industry.”

Sykes was elected to the Senate in 2016 as a Republican, switching parties during her first term. She was elected minority leader in 2020 and has held the position since. Before her tenure in the Legislature, Sykes ran her own business as a personal chef and a PTA president. She is a mother to two boys and married.

Hawkins announced his candidacy in May, rooting it in&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/05/13/kansas-house-speaker-launches-campaign-for-insurance-commissioner-with-pro-trump-rhetoric-1/">conservative values and deregulating the state’s insurance marketplace</a>, which he speculated could lower costs and make insurance easier to navigate.

The insurance commissioner oversees the Kansas Insurance Department, which regulates insurance companies operating in the state. The current commissioner, Vicki Schmidt, is running for the Republican nomination for governor.

Hawkins said in a statement he and Sykes have a good working relationship, and he welcomed a spirited campaign. But, he said, “we arrive at things from a very different perspective politically and quite frankly, fiscally.” He said his focus is on increasing competition, easing marketplace navigation issues and ensuring people are not wrongly denied coverage.

He liked Sykes’ policy focus to “Zohran Mamdani-like woke politics,” referencing the newly elected Democratic mayor of New York City.

Former insurance commissioner and Democratic Gov. Kathleen Sebelius and former insurance commissioner Sandy Praeger, a Republican, threw their support behind Sykes.

“As long as I’ve known Dinah, she’s stood up for what’s right and fought for Kansas families,” Sebelius said in the announcement.

Praeger said Sykes is a practical leader, focused on garnering results over partisanship.

“Kansans want leaders who will listen to them and fight against unfair and discriminatory practices by the industry,” she said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/1/1767903972683.png" alt=" Senate Minority Leader Dinah Sykes, of Lenexa, talks to reporters Dec. 2, 2024, at the Statehouse in Topeka following a meeting with her caucus. She announced on Jan 8, 2026, her candidacy for state insurance commissioner. (Photo by Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption> Senate Minority Leader Dinah Sykes, of Lenexa, talks to reporters Dec. 2, 2024, at the Statehouse in Topeka following a meeting with her caucus. She announced on Jan 8, 2026, her candidacy for state insurance commissioner. (Photo by Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>BY&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/akaminski/">ANNA KAMINSKI</a> <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/12/29/kansan-returns-to-the-catholic-church-as-the-states-first-woman-priest/">Kansas Reflecto</a>TOPEKA — Kansas Senate Minority Leader Dinah Sykes will run for state insurance commissioner, vowing to decline any campaign contributions from the insurance industry.Sykes, a Lenexa Democrat, announced her intention Thursday to challenge House Speaker Dan Hawkins, a previously uncontested Republican from Wichita with decades of experience in insurance.She described a platform focused on lowering costs, consumer protection and holding “big insurance companies accountable.”“It’s simple: The cost of health insurance in Kansas is simply out of control,” Sykes said in the announcement. “Families and consumers can’t afford to keep up with the rise in premiums — on health care, auto, property or any other kind of insurance for that matter.”She said she will not “take a single dime from the insurance industry.”Sykes was elected to the Senate in 2016 as a Republican, switching parties during her first term. She was elected minority leader in 2020 and has held the position since. Before her tenure in the Legislature, Sykes ran her own business as a personal chef and a PTA president. She is a mother to two boys and married.Hawkins announced his candidacy in May, rooting it in&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/05/13/kansas-house-speaker-launches-campaign-for-insurance-commissioner-with-pro-trump-rhetoric-1/">conservative values and deregulating the state’s insurance marketplace</a>, which he speculated could lower costs and make insurance easier to navigate.The insurance commissioner oversees the Kansas Insurance Department, which regulates insurance companies operating in the state. The current commissioner, Vicki Schmidt, is running for the Republican nomination for governor.Hawkins said in a statement he and Sykes have a good working relationship, and he welcomed a spirited campaign. But, he said, “we arrive at things from a very different perspective politically and quite frankly, fiscally.” He said his focus is on increasing competition, easing marketplace navigation issues and ensuring people are not wrongly denied coverage.He liked Sykes’ policy focus to “Zohran Mamdani-like woke politics,” referencing the newly elected Democratic mayor of New York City.Former insurance commissioner and Democratic Gov. Kathleen Sebelius and former insurance commissioner Sandy Praeger, a Republican, threw their support behind Sykes.“As long as I’ve known Dinah, she’s stood up for what’s right and fought for Kansas families,” Sebelius said in the announcement.Praeger said Sykes is a practical leader, focused on garnering results over partisanship.“Kansans want leaders who will listen to them and fight against unfair and discriminatory practices by the industry,” she said.

Kansas Senate minority leader challenges GOP House speaker for state insurance commissioner

Flu cases are surging in Kansas City. For Dec 21–27, cases doubled from the previous week—marking the 4th-highest weekly total in 15 years, according to a statement from the Kansas City, Missouri health Department.

Missouri is now at very high flu activity. The CDC’s Influenza-Like Illness Activity Map for Missouri has increased from low to very high, highlighting the need for preventive actions. “It is crucial that we take preventive measures to keep our loved ones, friends, and community safe. This includes staying at home from work, school, and social gatherings when sick. Our health impacts everything in our daily lives, including the ability to go to work, school, family functions, and so many other aspects of life,” says Dr. Marvia Jones, Director of Health for the Kansas City Health Department.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/1/1767660552159.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Flu cases are surging in Kansas City. For Dec 21–27, cases doubled from the previous week—marking the 4th-highest weekly total in 15 years, according to a statement from the Kansas City, Missouri health Department.Missouri is now at very high flu activity. The CDC’s Influenza-Like Illness Activity Map for Missouri has increased from low to very high, highlighting the need for preventive actions. “It is crucial that we take preventive measures to keep our loved ones, friends, and community safe. This includes staying at home from work, school, and social gatherings when sick. Our health impacts everything in our daily lives, including the ability to go to work, school, family functions, and so many other aspects of life,” says Dr. Marvia Jones, Director of Health for the Kansas City Health Department.

Number of flu cases in Kansas City doubled in a week

SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement investigating a deadly shooting in Topeka have made another arrest.

Just before 1a.m. on November 22, police responded to several reports of gunshots around SE 37th St. and SE Adams Street in Topeka, according to media release. While officers were investigating that area, they received information on a subject arriving at a local hospital by private vehicle with apparent gunshot wounds. That individual later identified as 16-year-old Kingston Scott of Topeka.

On Thursday, police booked a second 16-year-old Topeka boy into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges of&nbsp;Murder in the 1st degree; In the commission of a felony,&nbsp; Criminal discharge of firearm; Occupied vehicle with great bodily harm and Aggravated Assault; Use of a deadly weapon

On December 5, police booked a 16-year-old boy from Topeka into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges Murder in the 1st degree, in the commission of a felony, Criminal discharge of firearm; Occupied vehicle with great bodily harm and&nbsp;Criminal discharge of firearm; Recklessly at occupied dwelling.&nbsp;&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/12/1764973228137.png" alt="Kingston Scott -photo GoFundMe" />
 <figcaption>Kingston Scott -photo GoFundMe</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement investigating a deadly shooting in Topeka have made another arrest.Just before 1a.m. on November 22, police responded to several reports of gunshots around SE 37th St. and SE Adams Street in Topeka, according to media release. While officers were investigating that area, they received information on a subject arriving at a local hospital by private vehicle with apparent gunshot wounds. That individual later identified as 16-year-old Kingston Scott of Topeka.On Thursday, police booked a second 16-year-old Topeka boy into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges of&nbsp;Murder in the 1st degree; In the commission of a felony,&nbsp; Criminal discharge of firearm; Occupied vehicle with great bodily harm and Aggravated Assault; Use of a deadly weaponOn December 5, police booked a 16-year-old boy from Topeka into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges Murder in the 1st degree, in the commission of a felony, Criminal discharge of firearm; Occupied vehicle with great bodily harm and&nbsp;Criminal discharge of firearm; Recklessly at occupied dwelling.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Second Kansas boy accused in murder of 16-year-old

KANSAS CITY —Police are investigating another homicide in Kansas City, Missouri.

First responders found an adult male victim inside of a vehicle unresponsive and suffering from gunshot trauma. Officers attempted to render medical aid until EMS personnel responded and transported the victim to an area hospital for treatment. The victim ultimately succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced deceased by hospital staff.

Preliminary information indicates the victim was outside working on a vehicle when an interaction between the victim and another adult male escalated into gunfire. The suspect left the scene prior to police arrival. Police do not have suspect details and did not report the name of the victim.

KANSAS CITY —Police are investigating another homicide in Kansas City, Missouri.Just before 1a.m. Thursday, police were dispatched to&nbsp; a shooting reported in the area of 16th Street and Fremont Avenue, according to Officer Alyana Gonzalez.First responders found an adult male victim inside of a vehicle unresponsive and suffering from gunshot trauma. Officers attempted to render medical aid until EMS personnel responded and transported the victim to an area hospital for treatment. The victim ultimately succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced deceased by hospital staff.Preliminary information indicates the victim was outside working on a vehicle when an interaction between the victim and another adult male escalated into gunfire. The suspect left the scene prior to police arrival. Police do not have suspect details and did not report the name of the victim.

Homicide: Man working on vehicle in Kansas City was shot 

KANSAS CITY—Law enforcement are investigating a suspect for allegedly selling drugs in the Kansas City area.

On January 3,&nbsp;&nbsp;the Cass County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Apprehension Unit executed a search warrant on N. Armstrong Street in Pleasant Hill following an extensive investigation, according to a media release.

During the execution of the warrant, deputies located drug paraphernalia and a large sum of U.S. currency.

As a result, 65-year-old Robin Harrison was taken into custody. Harrison has been charged with four felonies: two counts of Distribution of a Controlled Substance in a Prohibited Location (Class A), Delivery of a Controlled Substance (Class C) and Unlawful Use of a Weapon involving a controlled substance (Class E). 

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/1/1767737263083.png" alt="Deputies found a large sum of currency -photo Cass County" />
 <figcaption>Deputies found a large sum of currency -photo Cass County</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY—Law enforcement are investigating a suspect for allegedly selling drugs in the Kansas City area.On January 3,&nbsp;&nbsp;the Cass County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Apprehension Unit executed a search warrant on N. Armstrong Street in Pleasant Hill following an extensive investigation, according to a media release.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/1/1767737237284.png" alt="Harrison photo Cass County" />
 <figcaption>Harrison photo Cass County</figcaption>
 </figure>During the execution of the warrant, deputies located drug paraphernalia and a large sum of U.S. currency.As a result, 65-year-old Robin Harrison was taken into custody. Harrison has been charged with four felonies: two counts of Distribution of a Controlled Substance in a Prohibited Location (Class A), Delivery of a Controlled Substance (Class C) and Unlawful Use of a Weapon involving a controlled substance (Class E). Harrison is currently being held at the Cass County Jail with no bond allowed.