The Kansas Dental Charitable Foundation is bringing the 2026 Kansas Mission of Mercy (KMOM) Free Dental Clinic to Manhattan Friday and Saturday at the National Guard Armory, 721 Levee Drive.

According to a release from Konza United Way the&nbsp;clinic will provide free dental services to hundreds of patients each day at no cost. No eligibility, income, or residency requirements are required.

What patients should know before attending:

This event is an opportunity to improve oral health and overall well-being in the community.&nbsp;

Free Dental Clinic coming to Manhattan

Kansas Insurance Commissioner Vicki Schmidt testified in support of SB 360, the Kansas Consumer Prescription Protection and Accountability Act. The bill establishes a new regulatory framework for pharmacy benefit managers (PBM) that ensures PBM practices are focused on returning savings to Kansans.

“PBMs play a powerful role in determining what patients pay for prescription drugs, yet in Kansas their practices are near unregulated and cost taxpayers and health plans more,” said Commissioner Vicki Schmidt. “This bill would go a long way in addressing many of the factors that drive up prescription costs for Kansans.”

SB 360 requires drug rebates to be passed through to patients and their health plans and bans a practice called “spread pricing” where a PBM bills a health plan more for a prescription than they reimburse a pharmacy and keep the difference as profit. The bill also aims to protect patient choices by requiring pharmacies to be reimbursed the same and gives the Department of Insurance the tools to ensure transparency and accountability.

Schmidt joined 63 proponents to testify in favor of SB 360. The full text of the bill can be found here at this <a href="https://kslegislature.gov/li/b2025_26/measures/documents/sb360_00_0000.pdf">link.</a>&nbsp;

Before becoming Insurance Commissioner in 2019, Vicki Schmidt served over 40 years as a local pharmacist.&nbsp;

Insurance Commissioner Vicki Schmidt calls for PBM reform

MANHATTAN — For today's learners, higher education must be as adaptable as the lives they lead. Built with flexibility at their core,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://online.k-state.edu/">Kansas State University's online programs</a>&nbsp;support&nbsp;<a>learners</a>&nbsp;balancing careers, family responsibilities and full schedules, offering accessible faculty support and self-paced coursework.

Kelsy Sproul, a graduate teaching assistant for the K-State College of Education's&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://coe.k-state.edu/academics/departments/rural-education-center/">Rural Education Center</a>, has built her entire educational path online — graduating with her Bachelor of Science in elementary education in 2024 and working toward her Master of Science in curriculum and instruction, which she's anticipated to graduate with in the fall of 2026. As a first-generation, non-traditional college student, Sproul says that her worries surrounding finding support quickly subsided after starting her K-State journey."I was nervous about not receiving the level of mentorship that in-person classes offer. I had taken a few courses online through other institutions, and while the courses were very flexible, they weren't very personal," Sproul said. "Success is never achieved alone, and K-State understands that. Not only is the content fantastic, but the mentorship is strong. The faculty teach the whole student, model what they teach and ensure you have all the support you need to be successful."

Sproul's story is just one example of why K-State's online programs have been ranked among the top in the nation by U.S. News &amp; World Report in its&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.usnews.com/education/online-education/kansas-state-university-155399/rankings">2026 Best Online Program Rankings</a>.

Ranking alongside institutions such as North Carolina State, Pennsylvania State – World Campus, the University of Alabama and Purdue University, K-State posted gains across several categories, including Best Online Bachelor's Programs, which climbed 28 spots from 2025.

The university's&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://online.k-state.edu/">online programs</a>&nbsp;were recognized for academic quality, student support and program accessibility, earning nine repeat rankings and one first-time recognition.&nbsp;

 K-State's nationally acclaimed online programs position students for lifelong success

NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF WHEAT GROWERS&nbsp;

Washington, D.C. –&nbsp;The National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) awarded U.S. Representative Tracey Mann (KS-01) with its 2025 Wheat Leader of the Year Award for championing the effort to get the Food for Peace program transferred to USDA control.

“Congressman Tracey Mann has been a tireless advocate for wheat growers and rural communities, and his leadership on transferring the Food for Peace program to USDA is a major victory for American farmers. This move reinforces the program’s long-term stability, secures vital market opportunities for American-grown crops, and safeguards life-saving in-kind food aid for the world’s most vulnerable populations. For many years, Congressman Mann has consistently championed wheat growers’ priorities in Congress, and NAWG is proud to recognize his commitment with the 2025 Wheat Leader of the Year Award,”&nbsp;said NAWG President Pat Clements.

"Kansas and American farmers grow some of the highest quality wheat in the world while strengthening our nation’s food supply and independence,”&nbsp;said Rep. Mann. "These men and women power our local economies and answer the noble call to feed a hungry world. I am appreciative of the National Association of Wheat Growers' continued advocacy on behalf of Kansas wheat farmers and am honored to be recognized as the Wheat Leader of the Year. Thank you for all you do for American agriculture."

The Wheat Leader of the Year Award is given annually by NAWG to one Member of Congress based on their demonstrated commitment to the well-being and goals of the wheat industry. It is the wheat industry’s highest legislative award.

NAWG also presented four other Members of Congress with its Wheat Advocate Award for their support for the wheat industry that goes above and beyond.

NAWG congratulates and thanks our award recipients for supporting wheat growers across the United States.

Rep. Mann named the 2025 Wheat Leader of the Year Award

The following is a summary of arrests, citations by the Riley County Police Department. Those arrested are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.&nbsp;

Riley County Arrest Report January 29

Riley County Police Director Brian Peete informed a Connect &amp; Protect town hall meeting audience Wednesday night that the Flint Hills Wellness Coalition will lead the charge to address homelessness. Other agencies can then provide wrap around services to support the effort. Information can be shared between organizaions.

The homeless can be dealing with a variety of issues. The Riley County Police Department will work with community parners with Peete noting one point is how do they help people getter. Behavior is a key issue that will need to be addressed by police.

Peete said, "The task force will be permanent to address issues of homelessness. "

Examples of key issues for the community to address could include substance abuse and mental health.The RCPD will concentrate on criminal disruptive behavior.

Task Force will deal with homelessness issues in Riley County

TOPEKA&nbsp;– Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of Commerce David Toland today announced that more than $4.1 million in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding has been awarded for 12 projects across Kansas. The investments will strengthen infrastructure, housing and economic opportunities in rural and low- to moderate-income communities.

The 12 awardees will receive a total of $4,125,316 in federal funds, which was matched by $9,158,623 in local investments. The result was a combined total of $12,283,939 to be used for public improvements in communities across the state.

Dickinson County (Abilene), $298,000 – Improving exterior façade to the historic “post office block” at 109 NW 3rd Street, supporting new commercial rental space

City of Arkansas, $628,728 – Adding new playground equipment at Wilson Park

City of Burden, $300,000 – Rehabilitating nine homes and demolishing four dilapidated structures to address unsafe housing conditions

City of Centralia, $650,000 – Improving the sanitary sewer system, including manhole rehabilitation and lift station upgrades

City of Clifton, $160,000 – Installing a new playground surfacing and equipment

City of Holyrood, $300,000 – Rehabilitating eight homes and demolishing three dilapidated structures through a citywide housing program

City of Lyons, $650,000 – Upgrading the wastewater treatment plant, including monitoring system, lift stations, headworks, grit system, process basin improvements, motor center, press system, and electrical and site upgrades

City of Mapleton, $202,600 – Adding a 1,200-foot ADA walking path, parking area, ballfield lighting, fencing, bleachers, dugouts, bathroom improvements and new park amenities at Mapleton Park

City of Moscow, $51,525 – Installing an above-ground storm shelter in City Park that serves up to 50 people

City of Mulvane, $181,205 – Resolving ADA barriers in downtown business districts along Main Street and East Mulvane Street

City of Paola, $300,000 – Renovating a downtown building at 110 E. Peoria St., converting a former church into a wedding venue with exterior improvements and roof replacement

Doniphan County, $403,258 – Improving courthouse accessibility, including new ADA-compliant ramp

Dickinson County will receive CDBG funding

The Abilene and Smoky Valley Railroad’s quest to finish the restoration of its iconic steam locomotive, Santa Fe 3415, has entered the final phases, and railroad officials have set Labor Day 2027 as the time when the 110 year-old locomotive returns to the rails.

As the project begins to demand a highly skilled technical point of workmanship, the A&amp;SV is adding a staff of trained steam specialists to work alongside volunteers to maintain consistent progress on fulfilling the Federal Railroad Administration’s mandated 15-year rebuild. The engine was taken out of service in 2023 and cannot run pending complete restoration.

After consulting with project head Steve Schwarting of Abilene, consultant Randy Babcock of Durango, Colorado, and fundraising chair Carl Ice of Manhattan, the A&amp;SV’s Board of Directors has opted to hire trained steam engine crew members from the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad in Colorado, who will make planned trips to Abilene to assist local volunteers in the process of making the engine operational by the new targeted completion date.

The Durango crew’s assistance will begin immediately. To date, A&amp;SV volunteers have already used ultrasound technology to determine the thickness of the steel in different parts of the boiler, the firebox, and the smoke pot as a means of ensuring the proper strength of those components. A series of related tasks has been established for the fortified workforce to keep the project on schedule.

“Santa Fe 3415 is an important icon for Abilene, the State of Kansas, and the storied history of the steam power that built our nation’s agricultural and manufacturing infrastructure,” said A&amp;SV President and General Manager Ross Boelling..”

Boelling pointed to the fact that the A&amp;SV’s steam powered trains have been especially popular as a tourism draw. In 2023, for example, steam powered trains accounted for roughly 75 percent of the railroad’s excursion ticket sales. The engine is the most recognized symbol of the Abilene and Smoky Valley Railroad and has attracted “railfan” passengers from across the country. It has been featured on nationally syndicated TV programs, such as the old PBS series “Tracks Ahead,” and has been the subject of numerous articles in railroad and travel publications. 

In 2022, the Saturday Evening Post web site listed the Abilene and Smoky Valley as one of the top seven steam excursion rides in America.The antique locomotive worked for the Santa Fe Railroad from the time of its birth in 1919 to 1953, when ATSF converted from steam to diesel power.&nbsp;The&nbsp;came to Abilene in 1955 and was initially an exhibit in Eisenhower Park before it was reanimated in 2009, the year it began powering excursion and dinner trains.

”The A&amp;SV has already secured nearly $225,000 toward the restoration and return of the Santa Fe 3415, thanks to early supporters and past pledges. Completing the restoration will require additional philanthropic support to fund specialized labor, restoration materials, and critical components needed to bring Santa Fe 3415 safely back into operation. In the coming months, the A&amp;SV will invite supporters across the region to participate in a broader fundraising effort to help bring the locomotive fully back into service and strengthen its long-term operating readiness.

Contributions may be made by visiting&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="http://asvrr.org/">asvrr.org</a>, selecting the “Donate Now” button, and choosing the “Santa Fe 3415” option. Gifts are tax-deductible and processed through the Dickinson County Community Foundation. Boelling said other giving options are available, and that potential donors with questions may contact him at&nbsp;(785) 263-1077.-30-PRONOUNCER:

Durango & Silverton steam crew to join volunteers to finish steam engine rebuild 

Riley County Arrest Report January 28

MANHATTAN, KAN. –&nbsp; Riley County Police Department Director Brian Peete will be hosting a town hall event, Connect &amp; Protect, on Wednesday, Jan. 28, at the Douglass Community Center at 900 Yuma Street, from 5:30-6:30 p.m.&nbsp;

Director Peete will be addressing Manhattan’s homelessness issue, public safety and also discuss the community’s concerns regarding ICE and immigration enforcement and how it relates to Riley County and the police department.&nbsp;

There will a presentation, followed by an opportunity for discussion. For those who cannot attend, the event will also be streamed live on the RCPD YouTube channel, RileyCountyPD.&nbsp;

RCPD Director will host a Town Hall event

DICKINSON COUNTY—Authorities are investigating a fatal fire in rural Dickinson County.

Just before 6p.m. Monday,&nbsp;Deputies with the Dickinson County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to a house fire in the 1500 block of 1400 Avenue in rural Dickinson County, according to Undersheriff Jeff Vaughan. The residence was fully engulfed when firefighters and deputies arrived.

Deputies located an man and a child outside the residence. Deputies were advised a two-year-old boy was unaccounted for and may be inside the residence. After the fire was brought under control by firefighters, the two-year-old victim was located deceased inside of the residence.

The Office of the State Fire Marshal and the Sheriff’s Office are conducting a joint investigation.

Undersheriff: 2-year-old dies in rural Kansas house fire

SEDGWICK COUNTY – A federal grand jury in Wichita returned an indictment charging a Kansas man with&nbsp;threatening violence against federal law enforcement..

Joaquin Hernandez, 23, of Wichita was indicted on one count of interstate communications with threat to injure and one count of retaliating against a federal official by threatening, according to the United State's Attorney.

On January 22, 2026, Hernandez is accused of posting a video on TikTok threatening to assault and murder federal law enforcement agents with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) carrying out their duties in Wichita.&nbsp; On the he threatened to shoot ICE agents “point blank” in Wichita, according to criminal complaint filed in connection with the case.

“If I see ICE activity in Wichita, Kansas, there’s gonna be hell to pay,” he said in the video, according to the complaint.

On January 23, Law enforcement arrested Hernendez and he was transferred from the Sedgwick County Jail to another federal holding facility, according to online jail records.

Indictment: Kansas man on TikTok threatened to shoot ICE agents 

JACKSON COUNTY–Law enforcement are investigating two suspects on multiple allegations

On Tuesday, Sheriff’s Deputies and Detectives served a search warrant at 17839 W. Road in rural Jackson County, according to Sheriff Tim Morse&nbsp; The search warrant was issued as a result of a drug investigation.

The Sheriff’s Office arrested 50-year-old Rachel Deanne Butts, of Mayetta and 47-year-old Jim Bob Jeffries, of Silver Lake.  Butts and Jeffries were both booked into the Jackson County Jail on requested charges of possession of methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia and interference with law enforcement.&nbsp;

Sheriff: Couple jailed after drug bust at Kansas home 

WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats and White House have struck a deal to avert a partial government shutdown and temporarily fund the Department of Homeland Security as they negotiate new restrictions for President Donald Trump’s surge of immigration enforcement.

As the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/no-kings-protest-alex-pretti-minneapolis-immigration-0b34386da0bb3eeac939d9f934680b6c">country reels</a>&nbsp;from the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-enforcement-minnesota-ice-b0cec9d1c5bae4b62469011775082300">deaths of two protesters</a>&nbsp;at the hands of federal agents in Minneapolis, the two sides have agreed to separate homeland security funding from the rest of the legislation and fund DHS for two weeks while they debate Democratic demands for curbs on the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. The potential deal comes after Democrats voted to block legislation to fund DHS on Thursday.

Trump said in a social media post that “Republicans and Democrats have come together to get the vast majority of the government funded until September,” while extending current funding for Homeland Security. He encouraged members of both parties to cast a “much needed Bipartisan ‘YES’ vote.”

Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., told The Associated Press on Thursday that he had been “vehemently opposed” to breaking up the funding package, but “if it is broken up, we will have to move it as quickly as possible. We can’t have the government shut down.”

Democrats have requested a short extension—two weeks or less—and say they are prepared to block the wide-ranging spending bill if their demands aren’t met,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/video/democrats-vow-to-oppose-homeland-security-money-increasing-shutdown-chance-7a801adfdd27455082fa9e26e612795d">denying Republicans the votes they need to pass it</a>&nbsp;and potentially triggering a shutdown.

Republicans were pushing for a longer extension of the Homeland Security funding, but the two sides were “getting closer,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D.

The rare bipartisan talks between Trump and his frequent adversary, Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, came after the fatal shooting of 37-year-old&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-enforcement-minnesota-protester-alex-pretti-15ade7de6e19cb0291734e85dac763dc">Alex Pretti</a>&nbsp;in Minnesota over the weekend and calls by senators in both parties for a full investigation. Schumer called it “a moment of truth.”

“The American people support law enforcement. They support border security. They do not support ICE terrorizing our streets and killing American citizens,” Schumer said.

With no final agreement yet and an uncertain path ahead, the standoff threatened to plunge the country into another shutdown, just two months after Democrats blocked a spending bill over expiring federal health care subsidies. That dispute closed the government for 43 days as Republicans refused to negotiate.

The fall shutdown ended when a small group of moderate Democrats broke away to strike a deal with Republicans, but Democrats are more unified this time after the fatal shootings of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-enforcement-minnesota-protester-alex-pretti-15ade7de6e19cb0291734e85dac763dc">Pretti</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ice-shooting-minneapolis-minnesota-9aa822670b705c89906f2c699f1d16c5">Renee Good</a>&nbsp;by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-administration-alex-pretti-their-own-words-27b7233380c68306a64317b3bf2aa4a3">federal agents</a>.

Democrats have laid out several demands, asking the White House to “end roving patrols” in cities and coordinate with local law enforcement on immigration arrests, including requiring tighter rules for warrants.

They also want an enforceable code of conduct so agents are held accountable when they violate rules. Schumer said agents should be required to have “masks off, body cameras on” and carry proper identification, as is common practice in most law enforcement agencies.

The Democratic caucus is united in those “common sense reforms,” and the burden is on Republicans to accept them, Schumer said.

“Boil it all down, what we are talking about is that these lawless ICE agents should be following the same rules that your local police department does,” said Democratic Sen. Tina Smith of Minnesota. “There has to be accountability.”

Earlier on Thursday, Tom Homan, the president’s border czar, stated during a press conference in Minneapolis that federal immigration officials are developing a plan to reduce the number of agents in Minnesota, but this would depend on cooperation from state authorities.

As the two sides narrowed in on a spending deal, the length of a temporary extension for Homeland Security funding emerged as a sticking point. Thune said Thursday that two weeks wasn’t enough time to negotiate a final compromise.

“We’ll see where discussions are going between (Democrats) and the White House on that,” Thune said.

Even if the two sides strike a deal, negotiations down the road on a final agreement on the Homeland Security bill are likely to be difficult.

Democrats want Trump’s aggressive immigration crackdown to end. “If the Trump administration resists reforms, we shut down the agency,” said Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal.

But Republicans are unlikely to agree to all of the Democrats' demands.

North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis said he is opposed to requiring immigration enforcement officers to show their faces, even as he blamed Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem for decisions that he said are “tarnishing” the agency’s reputation.

“You know, there’s a lot of vicious people out there, and they’ll take a picture of your face, and the next thing you know, your children or your wife or your husband are being threatened at home,” Tillis said.

South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham said some of the Democratic proposals “make sense,” such as better training and body cameras. Still, he said he was putting his Senate colleagues “on notice” that if Democrats try to make changes to the funding bill, he would insist on new language preventing local governments from resisting the Trump administration’s immigration policies.

“I think the best legislative solution for our country would be to adopt some of these reforms to ICE and Border Patrol,” Graham posted on X, but also end so-called “sanctuary city” policies.

Across the Capitol, House Republicans have said they do not want any changes to the bill they&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/homeland-security-government-funding-bills-d7ca791c2d1aa81d2982239f81bc86be">passed last week</a>. In a letter to Trump on Tuesday, the conservative House Freedom Caucus wrote that its members stand with the Republican president and ICE.

“The package will not come back through the House without funding for the Department of Homeland Security,” they wrote.

Speaker Johnson appeared open to the changes, albeit reluctantly, and told the AP he would want to approve the bills “as quickly as possible” once the Senate acts.

“The American people will be hanging in the balance over this,” Johnson said. “A shutdown doesn’t help anybody.”

Associated Press writers Lisa Mascaro, Stephen Groves, Joey Cappelletti, and Michelle L. Price contributed to this report.

Dems, White House strike spending deal to avert government shutdown

WASHINGTON (AP) — For some, it was the children’s luggage and small ice skates that became indelible memories of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/dc-crash-investigation-american-airlines-helicopter-ntsb-acc8bf751427eb6824d9d1fad30895b8">the night a passenger plane and a helicopter collided</a>&nbsp;over the murky Potomac River. Others remember boats navigating debris and shallow water to bring victims’ bodies ashore. And there was the suddenness: people seconds from landing, gone.

Families of those on board American Airlines Flight 5342 and an Army Black Hawk helicopter are marking Thursday as the one-year anniversary of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/aircraft-crashes-history-washington-ee55776ea0c5f9e322fc77ea1ea452d1">the deadliest plane crash on U.S. soil</a>&nbsp;in more than 20 years. Another group is reliving&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/dc-plane-crash-army-helicopter-ntsb-cause-c2ebc159a163068b782dd4824097b00b">that night</a>&nbsp;and the days, weeks and months that followed: the emergency responders who dove repeatedly into the river with nearly zero visibility, braving cold water, jet fuel and jagged wreckage in the hope of rescuing survivors.

But there were no miracles, just the bodies of daughters, sons, wives, husbands, mothers and fathers to pull from the water, identify and return to their families.

Sixty-four passengers and crew of the airliner traveling from Wichita, Kansas, to Washington were moments from touchdown when the plane collided with the Black Hawk helicopter and its crew of three. All 67 died in the crash on Jan. 29, 2025.

“We knew at the one-hour mark there weren’t going to be any survivors,” said the District of Columbia's Fire and EMS chief, John Donnelly. The priority became recovering the bodies and the personal belongings and returning them to their families while gathering evidence for crash investigators.

Over nearly a week, divers and other emergency personnel recovered all of the victims from about 8 feet (2.5 meters) of water and undertook the painstaking task of identification. Others spent months scouring the river for personal effects.

“If you’ve ever been out on the Potomac, it’s not a pleasant place to dive under the best conditions,” said Tim Lilley, whose son Sam, 28, was the co-pilot of the American flight. “But on that night, the fact that they’re getting in the water and doing everything that they could was amazing.”

Tim Lilley, a former Black Hawk pilot, said that later in the spring, first responders took him and his wife, Sheri, out on the river so they could lay flowers at the places where the two aircraft came to rest.

"We were able to talk to the actual person that helped pull my son out of the water. It was a huge emotional experience, and it was so healing.”

Hundreds of responders raced to the scene

The first call — “crash crash crash” — came from the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport control tower at 8:48 p.m.

That and subsequent alerts triggered the region’s largest emergency response since hijackers flew a plane into the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001. By midnight, about 350 responders from dozens of agencies were on scene, including 20 to 30 divers from harbor patrol units.

“The first time you hear it, like anything else, your stomach drops,” said Metropolitan Police Department scuba diver Robert Varga, a 16-year member of the department who was at home when the call came and was in the water within the hour. "We know it’s going to be a serious scene if they’re going to call us.”

The last major crash on the Potomac had been in January 1982, when an Air Florida flight clipped a bridge on takeoff and plunged into the river, killing 78.

“It was total chaos," said Washington fire rescue squad Lt. Sam Short who, along with two divers from his team, were among the first on the scene. He said he witnessed gruesome sights.

"There’s a lot of different things that we saw and did that night. You just can’t describe it to people,” he said.

When the responders arrived at the frozen river, the plane's fuselage was partially submerged and suitcases and other possessions were strewn about. The heavy smell of jet fuel wafted in the air.

Police officer and diver Jeffrey Leslie was getting his elementary school-age kids to bed when he got a text.

On a visit to the area last week, Leslie navigated one of the unit’s boats to the crash site almost on instinct as planes took off and landed in the background. He steered to the end of Runway 33, where Flight 5342 was supposed to land but instead became one of the areas where they brought victims.

Leslie, who spent hours at the crash site last year and returned multiple times over the following months, said his memory of that night can be triggered by cold weather and sometimes by the white ice skates in his daughter’s closet. Young figure skaters returning from a meet were among the plane's passengers.

Personal effects recovered offered some closure

Donnelly, the fire chief, said his priorities were the families, the investigation and the safety of the responders who were braving dangerous temperatures and jet fuel.

His emotions hit him when he met with families hoping for some positive news, to give them updates on the recovery efforts. "Then it becomes very personal and you can feel other people’s grief and pain,” he said.

A memorial in Washington on Wednesday honored the families and the responders. Some family members attending a National Transportation Safety Board hearing on the crash this week wore shirts with the names of responder units.

Lt. Andrew Horos, the harbor master for district's police department, said mental health is tantamount for the responders. “You can’t really prepare your members or anyone for that," he said.

Edward Kelly, president of the International Association of Fire Fighters, said the union sent 12 peer support personnel to the city in the aftermath and they met with 75% of the firefighters and paramedics who responded to the crash. One goal was “to let them know what to look for in themselves, how to see if traumatic stress is manifested in them and where to go if they need help,” he said.

That is particularly important in an incident involving so many children, he said. “A lot of those people that respond, firefighters, the paramedics, the police officers, a lot us are parents. We have young kids.”

“It’s been a struggle," said the rescue squad's Short, who also responded to the 2001 attack on the Pentagon and lost a close colleague days before the crash. “A couple of our guys have been out numerous months over the last year because of this.”

Donnelly said the department also is monitoring the divers’ health because of hazardous materials they may have encountered.

Leslie, the police diver, said recovering earrings, wedding bands and children’s skates and returning them to the grieving families provided a therapy of sorts.

"They appreciated every single thing we could get back,” Horos said.

Varga, the scuba diver, said if he could say anything to the families it would be that emergency personnel did their best to save, then return the passengers to their families.

“And then in the months after that, we were out there as often as we could trying to recover personal effects for the families, because each thing that we did find, we knew was important to the family members,” he said.

“We hope that we were able to provide just a sliver of closure to them.”

Responders recall a mission of recovery, grief a year after the midair collision near DC

ATCHISON COUNTY —The Benedictine sisters in Atchison, Kansas announced they will discontinue active sponsorship of and governing responsibilities over Benedictine College.

In a statement on their website, the Sisters of Mount St. Scholastica, who co-founded Benedictine College more than 50 years ago, said they "discerned a call to focus on their “growing ministries” and care for their “aging community.” The sisters are also continuing to sponsor other local schools."

"We are grateful for the wise women who preceded us and founded Mount St. Scholastica College in 1923 to fulfill our mission to educate women in our Catholic faith and take leadership positions in our society. In 1971, St. Benedict’s College and Mount St. Scholastica College merged and became Benedictine College. The college has continued our legacy of providing a strong academic program and an environment for students to live out their faith."

"We believe that God continues to call our community to educate; to provide spiritual enrichment; and to serve the poor and advocate for them, especially women. Today that call is being manifested through our growing ministries at Keeler Women’s Center and Sophia Spirituality Center. It is also lived out through our care for the sick and elderly in our community and our care for creation."

"We are proud to call ourselves co-founders of Benedictine College, and we will continue to pray for its continued success. Although we are withdrawing from the governing responsibilities related to sponsorship, we will continue to support the college with hospitality at our monastery, collaboration in various college-related programs and activities, and in further developing relationships with students, faculty and staff. We continue to hold our alumni in our hearts and in our prayer as we listen to God’s call."

The school responded saying, 'It is with heavy hearts but with grateful understanding, that we accept the decision of the Sisters of Mount St. Scholastica Monastery to withdraw from the governing responsibilities related to sponsorship of Benedictine College."

"It is not easy to part with an institution that has been so integral to the college’s history for more than a century. The Sisters of the Mount are our courageous co-founders and the authors of some of the most dynamic and impressive chapters in our shared history. Thanks to the sisters, the alumnae that Benedictine College counts as its own include a Nobel Peace Prize laureate in Wangari Maathai; authors, professors, and administrators; generations of inspiring teachers; remarkable musicians and music instructors; and a legacy of leadership in corporal and spiritual works of mercy that has attracted national attention."

":It is impossible to summarize a relationship that has been so rich and multi-dimensional, but the successes of Benedictine College would be unthinkable without the Mount. While the formal, juridical connection between us will end, our close relationship and our friendship in Christ will not. Our message to the Mount St. Scholastica community is this:

"You have prayed and worked side by side with us through wars, pandemics, economic downturns and cultural turmoil as together, with God’s grace, we made this “school in the Lord’s service” a reality in Kansas. You have been our colleagues, our counsellors, our co-workers and our trusted friends, in good times and bad. But above all, you have been our beloved sisters, our family, and nothing will change that. Thank you for your inspiration, and may God bless you on your new chapter."

Benedictine sisters end governing responsibility of Kan. college

WASHINGTON (AP)—Secretary of War Pete Hegseth warns Iran, saying U.S. military is 'prepared to deliver whatever the president expects,” just a day after Trump warned Iran to “make a deal” on its nuclear program.

Hegseth cited this month’s U.S. military raid to capture then-Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in his warning to Iran.

“They have all the options to make a deal,” Hegseth said at a Cabinet meeting, referring to Iran. “They should not pursue nuclear capabilities.”

Hegseth said the military was ready to deliver what Trump wants “just like we did this month.”

An aircraft carrier and accompanying warships arrived in the Middle East this week.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iranian officials reached out to the wider Middle East on Wednesday over the threat of a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-trump-mural-protests-military-4b2ceb8aff9dc448036341e86023b6c8">possible U.S. military strike</a>&nbsp;on the country, while the value of Iran's currency reached a new low a month since the start of protests that spread nationwide and sparked a bloody crackdown.

Two nations, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, have signaled they won't allow their airspace to be used for any attack. But America has moved&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/aircraft-carrier-iran-protests-us-military-58e6da912f9167df94f913d7dafe5af4">the USS Abraham Lincoln and several guided missile destroyers</a>&nbsp;into the region, which can be used to launch attacks from the sea.

Iran’s currency, the rial, fell to a record low of 1.6 million to $1, according to local currency traders. Its value has been plunging since late last year, and is down from about 32,000 to $1 a decade ago. Economic woes had sparked the protests that broadened into challenging the theocracy.

It remains unclear what U.S. President Donald Trump will&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-military-middle-east-iran-protests-b7a56659d708f2f11f66a18135f44c40">decide about using force,</a>&nbsp;though he has threatened to use it in response to the killing of peaceful demonstrators and over possible mass executions. At least 6,373 people have been killed in the protests, activists said.

Trump also indicated Wednesday that he wants movement toward a deal that his administration has been seeking with Tehran over its nuclear program.

“Hopefully Iran will quickly ‘Come to the Table’ and negotiate a fair and equitable deal - NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS - one that is good for all parties,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. “Time is running out, it is truly of the essence!”

Mentioning the June strikes on Iran as the U.S. inserted itself in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-explosions-israel-tehran-00234a06e5128a8aceb406b140297299">Israel's 12-day war</a>&nbsp;on the Islamic Republic, Trump wrote: “The next attack will be far worse!”

Iran's mission to the United Nations was quick to respond to Trump, posting on X that “Iran stands ready for dialogue based on mutual respect and interests—BUT IF PUSHED, IT WILL DEFEND ITSELF AND RESPOND LIKE NEVER BEFORE!”

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the increasing military presence in the Middle East has been put in place “to defend against what could be an Iranian threat against our personnel” -- a message that stands in contrast to Trump’s continuing threats to strike Iran if it does not yield to his demands.

“I think it’s wise and prudent to have a force posture within the region that could respond and ... if necessary, preemptively prevent the attack against thousands of American servicemen and other facilities in the region and our allies,” Rubio told Congress.

He was cautious regarding the prospect of a change in government, though he described the theocracy as “probably weaker than it has ever been.”

Iran's state-run media, which now only refers to protesters as “terrorists,” remains the sole source of news for many as Tehran cut off access to the global internet some three weeks ago. But Iranians have become angry and anxious, seeing footage of protesters shot and killed while worrying about what may happen next as the economy sinks further.

“I feel that my generation failed to give a better lesson to younger ones," said Mohammad Heidari, a 59-year-old teacher in Tehran. “The result of decades of teaching by my colleagues and me led to death of thousands, and maybe more injured and prisoners.”

Rapid diplomacy between Iran, Arab nations

Egypt's Foreign Ministry said its top diplomat, Badr Abdelatty, separately spoke with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and U.S. Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff to “work toward achieving calm, in order to avoid the region slipping into new cycles of instability.”

Witkoff, a billionaire real estate developer and Trump's friend, had earlier negotiated over Iran's nuclear program.

The Turkish foreign minister also spoke by phone with Araghchi about reducing regional tensions. Turkish officials have expressed concern that intervention in Iran could spark instability or trigger a refugee influx.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman held a call with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, saying the kingdom would “not allow its airspace or territory to be used for any military actions against Iran or for any attacks from any party, regardless of their origin.” That follows a similar pledge by the UAE.

Both Saudi Arabia and the UAE host U.S. air assets and troops. Iranian officials also called Qatar, which hosts a major U.S. base in the Mideast.

“Our position is exactly this: Applying diplomacy through military threats cannot be effective or constructive,” Araghchi told journalists Wednesday outside of a Cabinet meeting. “If they want negotiations to take shape, they must abandon threats, excessive demands and the raising of illogical issues.”

While the protests have been halted for weeks after the crackdown, information trickling out of Iran via Starlink satellite dishes is reaching activists, who have been trying to tally the carnage.

On Wednesday, the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which has been accurate in multiple rounds of unrest in Iran, said the at least 6,373 dead it counted included at least 5,993 protesters, 214 government-affiliated forces, 113 children and 53 civilians who weren’t demonstrating. More than 42,450 have been arrested, it added.

The group verifies each death and arrest with a network of activists on the ground in Iran. The Associated Press has been unable to independently assess the death toll given that authorities cut off the internet and disrupted calls into the Islamic Republic.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-protests-araghchi-trump-threat-crackdown-299375ebfd004dd6098c77a6bb8079a5">Iran’s government</a>&nbsp;has put the death toll at a far lower 3,117, saying 2,427 were civilians and security forces, and labeled the rest “terrorists.” In the past, Iran’s theocracy has undercounted or not reported fatalities from unrest.

That death toll exceeds that of any other round of protest or unrest in Iran in decades, and recalls the chaos surrounding the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

The protests began on Dec. 28, sparked by the fall of the Iranian currency, the rial, and quickly spread. The country has faced nearly three weeks of an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-protests-crackdown-internet-business-costs-a0bd2df1d13355dcc28f46e5b5b3c893">internet blackout</a>&nbsp;— the most comprehensive in its history.

🎥: Hegseth: We are ready to deliver what Trump expects on Iran

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 — U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids says she’s embarking on a four-city sweep — all locations outside her congressional district — to learn more about Kansans’ priorities for the federal government.

In an interview, the Kansas Democrat said she planned to be in the Statehouse on Thursday with Gov. Laura Kelly and Academy Award-winning filmmaker Kevin Willmott. She has scheduled a Friday tour of aerospace research facilities at Wichita State University before visiting small businesses Saturday in Dodge City and a dairy Sunday in Colby.

“I’m just looking forward to showing up, meeting people and making sure that folks’ voices continue to shape the work we’re doing,” Davids said. “I’m looking at this tour as really a chance to go a bit deeper on certain topics, connect with more communities and really listen to folks.”

In addition to opportunities for lowering consumer costs, Davids said she expected to discuss ideas for protecting jobs, strengthening health care and keeping families safe because “strong communities make a strong Kansas.”

“Groceries, health care, gas — I mean everything is so expensive right now,” she said. “There’s too many policies coming out of D.C. that are causing more chaos. It’s not that they’re not making life easier, they’re actually making life harder for some people.”

Davids represents the state’s 3rd Congressional District, which is centered on Johnson County. It also covers Anderson, Franklin and Miami counties and half of Wyandotte County.

So far, Kansas Republicans have failed to gather sufficient support in the Legislature for redrawing boundaries of the four U.S. House districts in a bid to make it difficult for Davids to win reelection in November. Redistricting has been part of a White House strategy to gerrymander Democrats out of Congress. If the tactic worked as President Donald Trump sought, it could result in the GOP retaining control of the U.S. House through the remainder of Trump’s term.

Davids opposed plans by the Legislature to change Kansas’ congressional districts ahead of 2026 elections. She has considered running for reelection to the U.S. House or campaigning for the U.S. Senate seat held by Republican Roger Marshall.

“I can say this tour isn’t about some kind of announcement for something different,” she said. “With the conversations around the extreme mid-decade redistricting, I’ve said this before, that no options are off the table. Right now, my focus really is on doing the best job I can by showing up, listening and delivering real results.”

It has been unclear whether the Legislature would redraw maps this session, but several GOP candidates for Kansas governor have endorsed pursuit of a new map.

“I’m going to continue to watch closely,” Davids said. “I didn’t get here by taking anything for granted.”

U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids prepares to tour areas of Kansas far beyond her House district

SEDGWICK COUNTY —A registered Kansas sex offender is going back to prison for sex crimes committed in 2020 and two other crimes.

Judge Kathleen Watson sentenced 39-year-old Darrius Johnson to&nbsp;serve 308 months in the custody to the Kansas Department of Corrections, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office. 

He pleaded guilty to charge of&nbsp;rape and kidnapping in connection with a September 2020 attack on a woman in Wichita, according to the District Attorney's office.&nbsp;&nbsp;

On September 22, 2020, police were dispatched to a sexual assault case in the 800 block of South Sylvan in Wichita, according to officer Paul Cruz.

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