Including the cities of Valley Falls, Holton, Nortonville,
Harveyville, Wamego, Meriden, Ottawa, Topeka, Alma, Lyndon,
Lawrence, Overbrook, Perry, Clay Center, Herington, Council
Grove, Junction City, Eskridge, Concordia, Emporia, Osage City,
McLouth, McFarland, Maple Hill, Carbondale, Garnett, Oskaloosa,
Grantville, Bennington, Alta Vista, Paxico, Burlington,
Minneapolis, Burlingame, Lebo, Manhattan, Abilene, and St. Marys


WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 6 PM THIS EVENING TO
6 PM CST SUNDAY...

* WHAT...Heavy snow expected. Total snow accumulations between 5 and
  8 inches.

* 

WHERE...Portions of central, east central, north central, and
  northeast Kansas.&nbsp;

 IMPACTS...Roads, and especially bridges and overpasses, will
  likely become slick and hazardous. Travel could be very difficult.



PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

If you must travel, keep an extra flashlight, food, and water in
your vehicle in case of an emergency. The latest road conditions for
the state you are calling from can be obtained by calling 5 1 1.&nbsp;

Winter Storm Warning

Editor's note: The Kansas Department of Labor did not publish separate reports for the October and November due to the government shutdown.

Preliminary estimates reported by the Labor Market Information (LMI) division of the Kansas Department of Labor (KDOL) and the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) show a seasonally adjusted unemployment rate of 3.8% in December, according to a media release from KDOL.&nbsp; This is unchanged from 3.8% in November and unchanged from 3.8% in December 2024. The labor force participation rate for Kansas increased to 67.5% in December.

The unemployment rate in Riley County is up slightly from 2.8 percent in November to 2.9 percent in December.&nbsp; The rate in Geary County is also up from 4 percent to 4.2 percent. The rate is also up slightly in Pottawatomie and Wabaunsee County.

Seasonally adjusted job estimates for Kansas indicate total nonfarm payroll employment decreased by 4,500 from November. Total nonfarm includes private sector and government employers. Private sector jobs decreased by 5,000 over the month, while government increased by 500. The largest job gains in the private sector were in&nbsp;financial activities&nbsp;(+600 jobs). The largest decrease was in trade, transportation, and utilities&nbsp;(-2,100 jobs).

Since December 2024 Kansas’ seasonally adjusted total nonfarm jobs have decreased by 1,400. This change is due to an increase of 400 private sector jobs and a decrease of 1,800 government jobs.

Technical Note:This release includes nonfarm jobs and labor force estimates for December 2025, which are produced using data from two monthly surveys. Data for nonfarm job estimates is collected through a survey of employers while the main input for labor force estimates is a survey of households. Data collected for this report references the week including December 12.

Jobless rate up just slightly across the region

With bitter cold and snow in the forecast Friday through Sunday there could be postponements and cancellations.

Little Apple Post will maintain an updated list right here.

To submit a postponement or cancellation send it to dewey.terrill@eaglemedia.com or to this link.&nbsp;

<a href="http://littleapplepostclosings@eaglemedia.com">littleapplepostclosings@eaglemedia.com</a>

--Wamego Senior Center will be closed on Friday

--Manhattan Public Librry will close at 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday. If conditions improve they will reopen Sunday.

--Due to the current Winter Storm Warning, Ascension Via Christi locations are implementing proactive measures to support the safety of patients, caregivers and associates.

The Emergency Department and hospital operations remain open 24/7&nbsp;and continue to provide essential medical services.&nbsp;For all medical emergencies, call 911

Postponements and cancellations

As a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Sen. Jerry Moran has secured a $5 million-dollar federal investment for the Kansas State University Research Reactor (KSURR) project.

His staff noted that this federal investment will support the project’s work to restore and enhance the facility through upgrading infrastructure, completing licensing updates and expanding research capabilities to support advanced nuclear research, workforce development and national energy priorities.

Congress has passed the legislation, and it has been sent to the President to be signed into law.

Sen. Moran Announces Federal Investment for Kansas State University Nuclear Engineering Program

NASA’s giant new moon rocket, Artemis II, moved to the launch pad Jan. 17, in preparation for astronauts’ first fly-around the moon in more than half a century. The out-and-back trip could blast off as early as February.

The trip will send astronauts farther than any crew has traveled.  Last spring we visited with the pilot of the mission, Victor Glover.

He was selected as an astronaut in 2013 and most recently served as pilot of the Crew-1 Dragon spacecraft which flew to the International Space Station.  Here is our interview with NASA astronaut Victor Glover.

Gary Shorman:&nbsp;&nbsp;Welcome again to "Forward Ever: Leading in Challenging Times" with a special guest from Houston, astronaut Victor.&nbsp;Thanks for being on our program today.

Victor Glover:&nbsp;Thanks, Gary, great to be here. Thanks for&nbsp;having me.

Gary Shorman:&nbsp;&nbsp;You know, one of the things I know that we talk about on this program is leadership. You have walked in space four times. I believe you've been on the space station. You've lived up there for a while. What puts you in position?

Victor Glover:&nbsp;You know, from a leadership, from a career standpoint, to be in the astronaut program, I love talking about leadership.&nbsp;I love the subject and, well, I think a part of it would be following having a bunch of great leaders to work with and look up to. 

Initially, when you're put into a leadership position, you can freestyle it, or you can mimic what you've seen. So I would say some great leaders do imitate. 

I worked for some amazing people. My squadron commanders, I worked for John McCain for almost a year. Charlie Bolden, who ran NASA, but he was a Marine Corps general when I worked for him the first time, and so I think that's a big part of it, having some really amazing leaders to look up to in the beginning.

Gary Shorman:&nbsp;Were there some key moments in your career that kind of turned you towards being an astronaut?

Victor Glover:&nbsp;Key moments? Wow. I was in college, tutoring for a program, and loved working with kids, teaching engineering, and felt like I really had found my calling. I was considering the military and teaching at the time.

So my boss in that program, thinking she was going to help, really set the hook for being an educator, had me meet the executive director of this program.

I went up to the University of California office, and I walk in his office, and there's a constellation of our solar system and a rocket. And he sees me, leans back in his chair, he takes his glasses off and sets it on a book.

I shake his hand, and sit down, and he taps on that book. And he says, you see that right there? That's how I live my dreams of space exploration and flying. And he says, You have a chance to go fly in the Navy. Go do it, and if anything else, it'll make you a better educator. 

That conversation, which was that quick, really turned my thinking. I've always loved education and the impact we can have on young people, but that really helped me get comfortable with the idea of going and starting this Navy journey, which, you know, lots of other decisions on the way, but that was the big one, whether or not to leave college and go be an educator or to go serve in the military.

Gary Shorman: In our story, you talk to students about that. I'm sure you make those choices, make those things that can change your life. You've done that.

You had a chance to be at the space station, walk in space. Let's talk a little bit about that. What did it feel like to step outside the spaceship and just go shooting? I see space right there that has to be a breathtaking experience.

Victor Glover:&nbsp;That is it? It is breathtaking because you don't know what it's going to feel like when you first get out there. The advice I received that really just kept repeating in my head was, "Keep your world small."

 One of my classmates said to me, and so I just focused on right what was in front of my face, my hands and the handrail, where I'm going next. And so it took me about three hours before I felt like, OK.

I kind of got the hang of this. I'm going to start looking around and maybe taking some pictures. Actually, on my first spacewalk, I did not take a single picture. There were no selfies to be taken on. it, but it was busy. 

I'll tell you, that's what it is. You're busy. When you're outside, there's a lot to be done, and it all requires intense focus. 

I&nbsp;wrestled in college, and I think space walking has a lot in common with wrestling, even though it may be physical in a different way. It's very physical. It's very three-dimensional.

Your success requires you to integrate the three dimensions and to think about what's coming next. And that's very true in wrestling and space walks. It's so challenging. It's busy physically and mentally.

But most importantly, you're working with a team. And that team, Mike Hopkins, who had been out on a spacewalk before, and led our first one, the first one I went on, and also the ground team, they all helped to make that possible. 

But that first moment when you look out, and you can see that for real, there are just no words to describe it. We train in a pool where you can see the bottom of the pool. When you look out, and it's 250 miles straight down, you go, "Wow! this is amazing and special. But also, what am I doing?"

Gary Shorman:&nbsp;Letting go to actually float would have to be one of those experiences that you can think about, and I can say, "Boy, that'd be hard to do." But letting go when you're out there, and you see that space out there, that's amazing. What did it feel like when you were named to be on the Artemis mission?

Victor Glover:&nbsp;Ah, wow. It's interesting, because people ask about the excitement, and excitement is a part of it. But the professionals who do what I do, understand the risks associated with this.

There's a lot of software, a lot of pieces and parts to this, hardware, lots of people. This is made all over the country, in all 50 states of the Union, and then also parts overseas. 

And it all has to work flawlessly the first time for the duration of the mission. 

So we understand the risk. And so I would say the overriding feeling was, first of all shocked, because I didn't expect to be on this mission, so I was a little shocked. But then also, I know focus isn't a feeling, but the seriousness, that's my overriding feeling, was the seriousness of this. 

This means a lot for our country, for our agency, for our Artemis Accords, international partners, and it's risky. My family is going to have to go on this journey with&nbsp;me. We have a lot to get done in the next couple of years. And so, yeah, profundity, if it's a if that's an emotion, it was profundity.

Gary Shorman:&nbsp;If you look at 50 years since we've had a mission like this, and you'll be the first one to head to the moon, there's more to it than just circling the moon, though. Tell us a little bit more about the long-term plans for the Artemis mission.

Victor Glover:&nbsp;Artemis is our generation's deep-space exploration program. It's not just the Moon Program. We're going to make sure this Orion capsule is safe for humans to fly, so that we can fly it to eventually dock to a lunar lander.

That will get us to the surface of the moon, or to a gateway space station that's orbiting the moon. Both of those things are going to enable future technologies and future techniques and future teams to go beyond the moon on to Mars.

And continue to understand, maybe, how the Earth looked in its past, or where we may be headed in the future, if we don't take better care of our planet. 

So the Artemis program is a big campaign. The moon is just one destination, and that's our mission. Our mission is to do the free return trajectory around the moon, but really to test out Orion as one big step on this journey that's going to eventually get humans to Mars.

Gary Shorman:&nbsp;Orion is your spaceship, and you'll be the pilot of that as you approach the moon and circle the moon. What are you going to be looking for?

Victor Glover:&nbsp;Oh, wow. So there's a potential. The region of the moon, what we would call the Western Hemisphere, looking at it from Earth on the far side. That part has not been completely seen by human eyes, and I just learned that recently.

So the fact that there's a potential for us to see something that's never been seen before, that's amazing. 

But no matter what, even if it's completely dark, to look out the window of the spacecraft and to look at the moon in the foreground, and then see the Earth in the background, in the distance, a quarter of a million miles away, with my crewmates, Reed, Cristina, and Jeremy. I don't know what that's going to feel like, but I'm looking forward to that. That's going to be amazing.

Gary Shorman:&nbsp;I hope you send us pictures back, Victor.&nbsp; I know you're short on time because you have a lot of people and you have a lot of training to do. That has to be intense training, because there are so many moving parts, as you say, that intensity, that focus it takes. How many hours a day do you train?

Victor Glover:&nbsp;So we will start training next month, and I imagine it's going to be chock full. I think they're going to schedule our days full. And you know, while some of it will be technical training, some of it will be continuing to engage the public, like we are now.

But also, we will be engaging the team that's developing the hardware or building hardware and software, and thanking them for their hard work and letting them know how much we count on their technical expertise. And so they're going to keep us busy. Gary, you can be best believe we'll have some full days until launch.

Gary Shorman:&nbsp;I can't wait to see how this all develops. Look forward to it, and maybe again later on, once you're back, get a chance to follow up on that. But Victor, thanks for being on our program.

🎥 Forward Ever: Astronaut Victor Glover discusses Artemis II mission to moon

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 23

The Fort Riley Garrison Commander will address area leaders Friday at the Flint Hills Regional Growth Summit in Manhattan, Kansas, highlighting the installation's $2 billon economic impact. Col. Jerry Nunziato will stress that the commitment to Soldier and Family quality of life made by&nbsp; Fort Riley and the 1st Infantry Division drives both combat readiness and regional economic prosperity.

"Caring for our Soldiers, Civilians, and Families isn't secondary to our mission—it is the mission," Nunziato says. "You cannot build warfighting readiness without taking care of people, and that's where our community partnerships become critical to national defense."

Col. Nunziato is scheduled to speak during the afternoon session of the Flint Hills Regional Growth Summit being held at the Kansas State University Alumni Association. Fort Riley’s Fiscal Year 2025 Economic Impact Summary is available at&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://home.army.mil/riley/8517/6832/4952/Fort_Riley_Annual_Economic_Impact_Summary.pdf">https://home.army.mil/riley/8517/6832/4952/Fort_Riley_Annual_Economic_Impact_Summary.pdf</a>.

Fort Riley Garrison Commander to Address Flint Hills Regional Growth Summit

The 20 under 40 rception for Manhattan, Junction City and Wamego was held at the Museum of Art and Light in Manhattan.

&nbsp; Eagle Media was a program sponsor.

&nbsp;The 20&nbsp;under&nbsp;40&nbsp;class of young professionals make a difference in their communities.

Winners were nominated from the three counties that make up the Manhattan MSA (Riley, Pottawatomie and Geary). Nominees were then asked to complete an application that outlined their achievements in their profession as well as work in the community. From the nearly 75 nominees and over 60 applicants, an appointed committee selected the final&nbsp;20.

20 under 40 participants are recognized

RILEY COUNTY –&nbsp; The Riley County Police Department seized significant quantities of illegal drugs during proactive investigations conducted throughout the last 30 days as part of ongoing efforts to combat drug-related crime in the community, according to a media release from the RCPD.

RCPD officers and detectives seized a variety of illegal substances, including fentanyl, methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine and marijuana, along with drug paraphernalia and other evidence related to drug distribution in Riley County.

In all, nearly 2 pounds of fentanyl powder was seized and more than 200 grams of methamphetamine, 96 grams of heroin, 8 grams of cocaine, and more than 100 pills of various controlled prescription drugs. In addition to the controlled substances, five handguns were seized during the investigations.

“Thanks to the hard work of our officers and detectives, RCPD has identified and arrested individuals who have sold a significant amount of deadly illegal narcotics throughout our community,” RCPD Director Brian Peete said. 

“Illegal drugs destroy lives and families, and it is one of our biggest priority focuses. I would also like to thank the people of Riley County for their diligence in reporting illegal activities and their zero tolerance for illegal drugs.”

RCPD seized fentanyl, cocaine, heroin and more over the past month

Fort Riley had a total direct economic impact of $2,011, 977,246 in 2025. Factoring in an economic multiplier the total came in at $4,426, 552,041.

Those numbers were reported by Garison Commander Col. Gerald Nunziato during the Military Affairs Council breakfast on Thursday at JC Naz in Junction City.

The total population served by the Post was calculated at 58,450 including soldiers, families, reserves and the civilian workforce.

In 2026 1st Infantry Division troops will deploy including the 2nd Armored Brigade to the National Training Center in the spring and to Europe in the fall, and the Division Headquarters to Europe in the summer. 1st Brigade troops return home to Fort Riley in the spring. At the lowest point 6,000 to 8,000 soldiers will remain on the installation. Approximately 15,000 family members will stay here.

The next full nest at Fort Riley will occur in the fall of 2027.

Military construction projects will include a deployment ready reaction facility, three barracks, child youth center repairs and a new air traffic control tower.

--a $7 milion reduction in federal impact aid for education

--An 8% reduction in the civilian workforce on the installation in 2025.

This was the first MAC breakfast in 2026.

Fort Riley economic impact discussed at  MAC breakfast

The National Weather Service estimates snowfall possibilities this weekend at 2-5 inches north of I-70 and 4-8 inches south of I-70.

Light and and fluffy snowfall will occur and then increase Friday afternoon through Sunday morning. Two rounds of heavier snow ae appearing with light snow or a lull in between. The heavier periods are Friday night into Sunday morning and Saturday night into Sunday morning.

Good chance for snow Friday through Sunday

Vice President JD Vance on Friday encouraged anti-abortion activists to “take heart in how far we’ve come” on the quest to limit the practice, listing the Trump administration's accomplishments including an expansion of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/united-states-government-5e11d44fa31c48e68cdebac26774259b">a ban on U.S. foreign aid</a>&nbsp;for groups supporting abortion services.

“There is still much road ahead to travel together,” Vance told attendees at the annual March for Life demonstration, which draws tens of thousands of people annually to Washington. Attendees rallied on the National Mall before heading to the Supreme Court.

Vance, a Republican, has spent years passionately advocating for Americans to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jd-vance-childless-cat-ladies-birth-rates-555c0f78ef8dd4c13c88b9e8d5f0024a">have more children</a>. He repeatedly expressed alarm about declining birth rates as he launched his political career in 2021 with a successful bid for the U.S. Senate in Ohio, and as vice president he has continued on that mission.

“I want more babies in the United States of America," Vance said in addressing last year's March for Life.

Earlier this week, Vance and his wife,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/usha-vance-attorney-jd-vance-wife-vp-63406da4f6739546391ed7797fc1fef2">second lady Usha Vance</a>, announced in a social media post they are&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/usha-vance-pregnant-child-boy-vice-president-40098e3b09e0c8c2b3c43470a81cc39b">expecting a son</a>, their fourth child, in late July.

“Let the record show, you have a vice president who practices what he preaches," Vance said on Friday.

Vance cited the Supreme Court's 2022 Dobbs decision, which&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-supreme-court-decision-854f60302f21c2c35129e58cf8d8a7b0">overturned Roe v. Wade</a>, calling it "the most important Supreme Court decision of my lifetime.” He said President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump's</a>&nbsp;leadership and appointment of conservative jurists “put a definitive end to the tyranny of judicial rule on the question of human life.”

He also lauded the “historic expansion of the Mexico City policy," the broadening of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/united-states-government-5e11d44fa31c48e68cdebac26774259b">a ban on U.S. foreign aid</a>&nbsp;for groups supporting abortion services, to include assistance going to international and domestic organizations and agencies that promote gender identity as well as diversity, equity and inclusion programs.

“We believe that every country in the world has the duty to protect life," Vance said, to a sea of supporters waving signs reading “Choose Life,” “Make More Babies” and “I am the Pro-Life Generation.”

“It’s not our job as the United States of America to promote radical gender ideology,” he said. "It’s our job to promote families and human flourishing.”

On Thursday, an official said the Trump administration was implementing new rules, halting foreign assistance from going not only to groups that provide abortion as a method of family planning but also to those that advocate “gender ideology” and DEI. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity ahead of the rules’ publication in the Federal Register on Friday.

First established under President Ronald Reagan, a Republican, the policy was rescinded by subsequent Democratic administrations and was reinstated in Trump’s first term.

With its origins in the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that nationally enshrined federal protection for abortion rights, the March for Life developed an entrenched presence among conservatives arguing against abortion. In 2017, Trump addressed the march by video, becoming the first sitting U.S. president to make live remarks. Three years later, he attended the event in person, further cementing its role in conservative politics.

In a video address to this year’s crowd, Trump recounted his administration’s “unprecedented strides to protect innocent life and support the institution of the family like never before,” enumerating his appointment of “judges and justices who believed in interpreting the Constitution as written” and “reflecting on the Dobbs decision that overturned Roe v. Wade.

Since&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-supreme-court-decision-854f60302f21c2c35129e58cf8d8a7b0">the June 2022 Supreme Court ruling</a>&nbsp;that overturned Roe, the march has become more celebratory, with organizers&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-florida-state-government-kentucky-6ed9dbcdaae33312f1425ea38b681a7e">relishing a state-by-state fight</a>&nbsp;in legislatures around the country and urging a continued fight until abortion is eliminated.

🎥March for Life: Vance touts the Trump admin. record against abortion

DOUGLAS COUNTY – After a nearly 4-hour city-wide search, Lawrence Kansas Police officers arrested a man they suspect went to an apartment, knocked on the door, then shot another man at the entrance, according to a media release from Lawrence Police.

Just before noon Friday, police were called to the Hawks Point apartments on Lynch Court. Responding officers found the victim and others at the scene. They identified a suspect and gained a description of the vehicle he took off in. The victim was reported in critical condition.

The search led them to a home at 4th and Minnesota, where police believe the suspect left the car he was traveling in and took off again.

Officers with the Kansas Highway Patrol and the Douglas County Sheriff’s office assisted in following dozens of leads throughout the city, including a city bus and several other public locations where people may have noticed a police presence. None resulted in finding the suspect.

An officer eventually identified another car associated with the suspect traveling near 6th and Iowa and followed the car while additional officers moved in.

The team conducted a traffic stop as the car turned into a neighborhood near Kasold and Peterson. Three individuals were in the car, including the suspect. All surrendered without incident.

Everyone involved is being questioned. The suspect will ultimately be transported to the Douglas County Correctional Facility as the shooting investigation continues.

Kansas shooting suspect captured after 4-hour, city-wide search 

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military said Friday that it has carried out a deadly strike on a vessel accused of trafficking drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean, the first known attack since the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/venezuela-us-maduro-what-to-know-a57528ff315a7f70ed51a1721f5e0bc2">raid that captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro</a>&nbsp;earlier this month.

U.S. Southern Command said on social media that the boat was “engaged in narco-trafficking operations” and that the strike killed two people and left one survivor. It said it notified the Coast Guard to launch search and rescue operations for that person.

A video accompanying the post announcing the latest strike shows a boat moving through the water before exploding in flames. The U.S. military has focused lately on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/venezuela-oil-tanker-us-military-trump-086d42db3d56f0e952014f97fa30faaf">seizing sanctioned oil tankers</a>&nbsp;with connections to Venezuela since the Trump administration launched&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/venezuela-us-explosions-caracas-ca712a67aaefc30b1831f5bf0b50665e">an audacious raid to capture Maduro</a>&nbsp;and bring him to New York to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/maduro-venezuela-trump-criminal-case-131f59e517cc8314a53c8dace230d328">face drug trafficking charges</a>.

With the latest military action, there have been 36 known strikes against alleged drug smuggling boats in South American waters since early September that killed at least 117 people, according to announcements from the U.S. military and Trump. The majority of those of strikes have occurred in the Caribbean Sea.

The last reported&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-maduro-venezuela-drug-cartels-military-timeline-91e242e5c56eec39b6b7d72bf55dbd2d">boat strikes</a>&nbsp;occurred in late December, when the military said it&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-maduro-venezuela-drug-cartels-military-timeline-91e242e5c56eec39b6b7d72bf55dbd2d">struck five alleged drug-smuggling boats</a>&nbsp;over two days, killing a total of eight people while others jumped overboard. Days later, the Coast Guard suspended its search.

The U.S. conducted a large-scale operation in Caracas, the capital of Venezuela, on Jan. 3 that led to the capture of Maduro and his wife, who were then flown to New York to face&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/maduro-venezuela-trump-criminal-case-131f59e517cc8314a53c8dace230d328">federal drug trafficking charges.</a>

Maduro, before his capture, said the U.S. military operations were a thinly veiled&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/venezuela-warship-maduro-uss-gerald-ford-21cc3ac03f755a657c0541667246c007">effort to oust him from power</a>.

President Donald Trump has repeatedly said that the U.S. strikes targeting alleged smugglers are having an enormous impact on slowing drug trafficking routes in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific.

“We’ve stopped — virtually stopped almost 100% of all drugs coming in by water,” Trump said in remarks on Thursday at the World Economic Forum at Davos.

🎥US carries out first known strike on drug boat since Maduro’s capture

KANSAS CITY—Law enforcement investigating another homicide in Kansas City continue working to determine how the victim identified as 41-year-old Adam Copeland died.

Just after&nbsp;9pm Tuesday, police responded to an apartment in the 2500 block of Benton in Kansas City, Missouri, on an EMS call.

The caller saw a person in a neighboring apartment who appeared to be injured and needed medical attention. On arrival officers were led to an apartment inside the building where they located Copeland unresponsive with unknown injuries. Officers called for EMS who responded and rendered aid before ultimately declaring him deceased at the scene.

Based on the preliminary circumstances Detectives are investigating this case as a homicide. They will be working with crime scene investigators to gather evidence and canvass for any witnesses

Detectives will also work with medical examiners to determine cause and manner of death. Copeland has been listed as a sex offender after two convictions in Illinois for unlawful restraint, attempted criminal sexual assault by force, according to the Missouri Sex Offender Registry.

Sex offender identified as Kansas City homicide victim

SEDGWICK COUNTY, Kan.&nbsp;— The Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office on Thursday updated the ongoing death investigation involving the body recovered from Lake Afton earlier this month.

The Sedgwick County Regional Forensic Science Center has completed its examination related to Ian Alexander Shelton, whose identity was previously confirmed.

On Jan. 13, an autopsy was completed and provisional anatomic diagnoses were released to the Sheriff’s Office. Provisional anatomic diagnoses are preliminary findings based on the physical examination of the body and may be updated pending additional testing.

Based on those findings, the cause of death was determined to be drowning, and the manner of death was ruled an accident. The autopsy did not identify any injuries or anatomic abnormalities. Full toxicology results remain pending.

This case remains an open and active investigation.

Sheriff: Autopsy determined cause of death of missing Kan. man

By&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/author/seth-borenstein">SETH BORENSTEIN</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/author/tammy-webber">TAMMY WEBBER</a>

Smartphone weather apps that summarize their forecasts with eye-popping numbers and bright icons may be handy during mild weather, but meteorologists say it’s better to listen to human expertise during multi-faceted,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/winter-storm-power-outages-0fe4d9defd16e2beeebd42692f8c12c9">dangerous winter storms</a>&nbsp;like the one blowing through the U.S.

The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/winter-storm-polar-vortex-snow-ice-freezing-06beb5eef46fba3fc81ac3213e5568e0">multistate storm’s</a>&nbsp;combination of heavy snow, treacherous ice and subzero temperatures shows why it’s best to seek out forecasters who can explain its nuances via local TV or radio newscasts, online livestreams or detailed websites, said meteorologists interviewed by The Associated Press. The data is changing rapidly before and during the storm, and the distance of a few miles can mean the difference between snow, sleet or dangerous freezing rain.

“Weather apps are really bad at storms that have&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/freezing-rain-cold-snow-winter-weather-storm-e0cb4200052f586b892f23ef05bec13a">multiple types of precipitation</a>&nbsp;and it really makes messaging hard,” said University of Georgia meteorology professor Marshall Shepherd, a past president of the American Meteorological Society. “Apps don’t understand the details of why snow, sleet or freezing rain happens.”

University of Oklahoma meteorology professor Jason Furtado and other experts said humans are important in these cases, especially those with local expertise.

“For extreme weather events, it is especially important to know there are human forecasters interpreting the data and making the best localized forecasts for your area,” Furtado said. “Unfortunately, many of the weather forecast apps use AI methods to either make the forecast or ‘interpolate’ from larger grids to your hometown, introducing the potential for significant errors.”

But some apps can be useful, especially those that pair National Weather Service data with meteorologists’ expertise, forecasters said. And they are definitely getting used right about now.

The Weather Channel app, which is seeing booming traffic this week, uses numerous models, data sources, weather observers and staff, said James Belanger, vice president of its parent company, which also owns the Weather Channel and weather.com. That level of proficiency matters, he said.

“It’s an all-hands-on-deck kind of approach that we take,” Belanger said, adding that “not all weather apps are created equal.”

Apps get much of their information from the National Weather Service and some companies augment it with proprietary information and the well-regarded European forecast models. Many offer forecasts by ZIP code or geographic areas far from weather stations by using software that focuses broader regional forecasts to where the phone is located.

While there are good apps, especially those displaying National Weather Service warnings and information, many “oversimplify uncertainty and present highly precise-looking numbers that imply more confidence than actually exists,” said Northern Illinois University meteorology professor Victor Gensini. This type of storm is where apps are weakest because they don’t get nuances, he said.

Weather apps are good for forecasting nice warm summer days, but not days like much of the country is facing now, said Steven DiMartino of NY NJ PA Weather. The paid online subscription service touts its human expertise with the slogan “Meteorology Not Modelology.”

“The problem with the weather app is that it just provides data, but not explanation,” DiMartino said. “Anyone can look at data, but you need a meteorologist, you need that human touch to look at it and say, ‘Hmm, that looks like an error; we’re gonna tweak this.’”

Cory Mottice, a National Weather Service meteorologist since 2014, developed the app EverythingWeather, which uses weather service data, as an easy place for the public to find the latest weather forecasts for their area without navigating the agency’s website. He said it’s “just for fun” and not affiliated with the weather service.

The strength of his app, he said, is that the information comes from professional meteorologists at the more than 125 weather service offices. Many apps just use raw computer modeling data – which aren’t always reliable in extreme events — with no human oversight, “which can really lead to some very misleading numbers or graphics depending on what you’re at,” he said.

With his approach, “you have actual meteorologists that are experts in their field at different places all over the country for that specific area, looking at the data, adjusting it, making the forecast as needed,” Mottice said.

Mixing decades of experience, 100 meteorologists and AI

The popular Weather Channel app uses information from many sources, including the weather service and more than 100 weather models, including those from the U.S. and Europe and their own distinct model. They augment it with input from over 100,000 citizens to help forecast weather events, said The Weather Company’s Belanger. And it’s all synthesized by artificial intelligence to come up with a forecast, he said.

That’s more accurate than relying on a single model or provider, he said, because AI is able to learn which models are the most accurate in different conditions to help “create that optimal forecast.”

Even so, humans, including a team of more than 100 meteorologists, always have the final say about what goes on the app, Belanger said.

“One of the things that has been a lesson and a principle that we’ve adopted is that it’s the combination of advancements in technology with the human oversight,” that allows the company to provide the best forecasts — especially in situations like the current winter storm, Belanger said.

Forecasters also warn against another quick fix for weather information: social media, where hype, misinformation and short takes can spread quickly.

While social media can help amplify official sources like the weather service, “it’s also where misinformation spreads fastest,” Gensini wrote in an email.

“Weather is complex, and social media tends to reward confidence and drama, not nuance,” Gensini said. “That mismatch is a real challenge during major events like this.”

Kim Klockow McClain, an extreme weather social scientist at the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, said people are “getting misled by hyped forecasts.”

“When people are continually exposed to only worst-case forecasts, research suggests they will lose trust over time,” she said.

Borenstein reported from Washington, Webber from Fenton, Michigan.

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What weather apps sometimes miss about winter storm conditions

KANSAS CITY —One person died in a fire Friday at a home in Kansas City.

Just after 5a.m. Friday, crews&nbsp;responded to a reported house fire in the 4400 block of N. Indiana in Kansas City, Missouri, according to Battalion Chief Michael Hopkins. It was reported there were residents in the home.

 On arrival crews reported fire showing from the single story home. One occupant had managed to escape but suffered severe smoke inhalation and was transported to a local hospital in critical condition.

 A second occupant, who was physically challenged, was unable to escape and is a fatality at this incident.

 Both the patient and the victim are women and appear to be mid to late 40's. KCFD was able to get the fire under control at 5:25 am. 

KCPD Bomb and Arson will conduct the investigation as part of protocol due to the fatality, KCFD will assist.

Women dies in fire at home in Kansas City

Most of the complaints against abortion facilities were unsubstantiated, a state health official testified, and were often made by the same groups of protesters who frequently stood outside of the clinics and tried to talk to anyone going inside

By:<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/kelcie-moseley-morris/">Kelcie Moseley-Morris</a>&nbsp;and&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>

KANSAS CITY — A longtime Missouri health regulator testified Thursday that abortion clinics were subjected to heightened scrutiny that had little to do with health or safety concerns, acknowledging under questioning that the extra attention was not tied to a greater risk of noncompliance.

John Langston has worked for the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services for more than 30 years and appeared as a witness for the state Thursday in a trial over abortion regulations. His responsibilities have included managing regulatory compliance for health care clinics such as ambulatory surgery centers, clinical laboratories and rural health clinics.

When Langston was asked by attorneys for Planned Parenthood if the increased focus on abortion facilities was unrelated to their likelihood of noncompliance with health and safety standards, he paused for several moments, then replied: “I would say that’s true, yes.”&nbsp;

Abortion facilities used to fall under the category of ambulatory surgery centers until the Missouri Legislature voted to designate them as a separate entity for regulation in 2017. Langston was then responsible for inspecting the three Planned Parenthood clinics providing abortions under those new standards.&nbsp;

While approximately 120 ambulatory surgery centers in Missouri are scheduled for unannounced inspection every three to four years, the three abortion facilities were required to be inspected annually.

He testified on day 8 of a 10-day bench trial over Missouri’s&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2026/01/12/missouri-abortion-rights-trial-focuses-on-two-decades-of-state-restrictions/">Targeted Regulation of Abortion Providers, or TRAP, laws,</a>&nbsp;one of which is the law that created those separate rules for abortion facilities. The state’s Planned Parenthood affiliates and the ACLU of Missouri sued to strike down the laws, claiming they are now unconstitutional under the state’s reproductive rights amendment approved by voters in 2024.&nbsp;

The licensing requirements law was temporarily blocked by a court order issued by Jackson County Judge Jerri Zhang, who is also presiding over the bench trial.

Langston said in a deposition that he asked the department to assign someone else to the abortion facilities regulation because it was taking up an “inordinate” amount of his time.

“It was a no-win situation from both sides,” Langston said.

Most of the complaints against the facilities were unsubstantiated, Langston said, and were often made by the same groups of protesters who frequently stood outside of the clinics and tried to talk to anyone going inside.

That included the inspectors. When the health department staff arrived at the facilities, he said, protesters would take pictures of the car and follow them, and tried to talk to the women especially, thinking they were patients at the clinic.

Dr. Randall Williams was the state health department director at the time, and had<a href="https://amp.kansascity.com/news/politics-government/article236773058.html" target="_blank">&nbsp;previously testified publicly</a>&nbsp;that he was a “pro-life” OBGYN who had never performed an abortion. Langston and William Koebel, who took over the abortion facilities inspection responsibilities after Langston, both testified that Williams was heavily involved in any investigation of complaints and any deficiencies found at the clinics.

In 2019, the state threatened to shut down abortions at the St. Louis Planned Parenthood, the last to perform them before the U.S. Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision in 2022. The<a href="https://health.mo.gov/information/news/pdf/2019-06-21-RHS-License-Denial-Letter.pdf" target="_blank">&nbsp;letter</a>&nbsp;denying the clinic’s license renewal was signed by Koebel, who said several “deficiencies” forced the state’s hands.

Several of those deficiencies were related to the statutes requiring providers to inform a patient of their fetus’ gestational age before performing an abortion, and requiring fetal tissue to be submitted to a pathologist within 72 hours. Other deficiencies were related to dust and peeling laminate.

Since the law is blocked by court order, Koebel said they have not performed any abortion facility inspections since the ban was overturned. If the judge decides to permanently block it, he said the department will have no authority to investigate complaints of abortion facilities.

The clinic in St. Louis, as well as Columbia and Kansas City, resumed procedural abortions in 2025. Medication abortion remains unavailable.

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