RILEY COUNTY –&nbsp;Sexual assault and the trauma that comes with it makes these cases often the most difficult to report. The Riley County Police Department recognizes this and is now offering “Seek Then Speak” as a safe alternative to help support survivors of sexual violence, according to a media release from the RCPD.

<a href="https://www.rileycountypolice.org/569/Seek-Then-Speak">Click here for more&nbsp;</a>information

This online tool is for survivors to explore their options, connect with valuable resources and begin the process of reporting their sexual assault, straight from their phone. Seek Then Speak has been endorsed by other community victim service partners in Riley County and RCPD is the second law enforcement agency in the state to endorse this online resource.“Seek” is a tool designed to help survivors privately gather information and explore options for medical exams, support services and reporting to police when they are ready. 

“Speak” is a self-guided series of questions with prompts that lead survivors through careful documentation of the evidence that will be critical to an initial police report. Survivors can provide as much or as little information as they feel comfortable with. When they finish, the program will generate a PDF document that can be saved for their own reference or forwarded to law enforcement. 

RCPD: New online resource to report sexual assault 

Fort Riley services return to normal operations on Wednesday, February 4, 2026. Employees had been temporarily furloughed due to a lapse in federal appropriations.

Fort Riley civilian employees return to work

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;

There were no arrest reported on Tuesday, February 3. Below are the arrests for February 4.

Riley County Arrest Report February 3, 4

The latest data show enrollment fell about 12% in Missouri and 3.5% in Kansas for 2026. But experts say that doesn’t tell the full story

By:<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/megcunningham/">Meg Cunningham</a>

As small-business owners, Sonya Andrews and her husband are used to uncertainty.

Sonya runs a business offering graphic and web design services, while her husband is a commercial photographer. They also own a studio in Kansas City’s West Bottoms and have one employee who works remotely from Florida.

Every month is different for them when it comes to business. But this year, they’re feeling more pressure, thanks to the expiration of the enhanced premium tax credits available for Americans enrolled in the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare.

Andrews and her husband also have a daughter with autism and need higher levels of coverage. Previously, they carried Aetna insurance through the marketplace, but Aetna is no longer an option for them. For 2026, as their daughter gets older and with enhanced subsidies expiring, they made the tough decision to downgrade their&nbsp;<a href="https://thebeaconnews.org/stories/2025/11/10/aca-premiums-set-to-soar-out-of-reach-for-many-kansas-citians/" target="_blank">ACA coverage</a>&nbsp;rather than pay a much higher premium.

But arriving at that decision wasn’t easy. Sonya spent weeks researching and comparing plans with marketplace navigators and her husband. They’re planning to closely monitor their income to make sure they don’t make too much and lose their subsidies entirely, adding more pressure to the realities of owning a small business.

“I spent a lot of time trying to figure out how to make this decision,” Andrews said. “You’re making choices like, ‘Well, we’re in our mid-40s. Our daughter is young and has already had most of the expensive things done. Can we roll the dice for a few years?’”

But, unlike Andrews, tens of thousands of Missourians have opted out of the Affordable Care Act marketplace altogether after the enhanced subsidies expired.

Enhanced subsidies came into Obamacare in 2021 as part of the American Rescue Plan Act, in an effort to ease the cost of the Affordable Care Act for Americans. The enhanced subsidies were extended again through the end of 2025, but were allowed to expire ahead of open enrollment in 2026.

Without the enhanced subsidies, which offered tax credits to Americans enrolled in Obamacare, people were told they could expect an average 114% increase in their premium costs for 2026.

For someone with a household income of $55,000 (about 351% of the federal poverty line), premium costs shot up nearly $1,500 annually heading into 2026, KFF estimates.

Experts like the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimated that hundreds of thousands of Americans would move away from Obamacare in 2026 as a result.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kff.org/quick-take/aca-signups-are-down-but-still-an-incomplete-picture/" target="_blank">Nationwide</a>, enrollment so far has dropped by about 1.2 million people.

In Missouri, nearly 51,000 people dropped off the Affordable Care Act rolls from January 2025 through the end of the 2026 open enrollment period, the latest data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services show. Nearly 366,000 people enrolled this year, compared to 417,000 enrollees in January 2025.

Kansas had a smaller drop. Nearly 193,000 people enrolled, compared to about 200,000 who were enrolled in January of last year, the data show.

More people are enrolled in both states than in 2024, data shows.

Still, in Missouri, 50,000 people potentially without insurance is a large number when the state’s uninsured population is already around 457,000, said Timothy McBride, a health care economist and professor at Washington University in St. Louis.

“That’s over a 10% increase in that number,” McBride said.

Plus, McBride said, the numbers don’t reflect those who may have downgraded their plans to lower premiums, like the Andrews family did, or those who may disenroll or let their plans lapse by not paying their now-higher premiums.

Data&nbsp;<a href="https://chir.georgetown.edu/clues-in-state-data-suggest-declines-in-early-marketplace-enrollment-data-may-be-just-the-tip-of-the-iceberg/" target="_blank">compiled</a>&nbsp;by Georgetown University’s Center on Health Insurance Reforms found that several state-based marketplaces were reporting that Americans were canceling their plans at higher rates than in the past. In Idaho and Pennsylvania, disenrollments have so far quadrupled compared to last year, with more people citing affordability concerns.

In December, Pennsylvania’s state-based marketplace reported that only 77% of enrollees had paid their initial premium for the year, compared to 88% the year before.

Without data from the federal government on what plans people chose, it’s too early to say what the impact of more bronze than silver plans will be, McBride said.

But people are generally choosing to trade lower premiums for higher deductibles, based on what Kevin Wehner, a marketplace navigator at Missouri Connections for Health, saw throughout the open enrollment period.

“The silver plan premiums were just out of reach for a lot of people,” Wehner said. “They ended up switching to bronze or gold plans.”

Others opted for the higher monthly premiums — up to&nbsp; $1,000 in some cases — or chose to become part of a health-sharing community, where a group of people all pay into a shared pot to split the cost of care.

It’s a consideration Craig Heimericks and his husband have had for years, amid rising health care costs. The pair co-own rental properties around Rolla, Missouri, and the variable costs of the business constantly keep them on their toes, especially when it comes to health insurance.

“My husband and I had a plan on the exchange last year. It was great coverage, but was getting more and more expensive every year, to the point where we had been discussing ways to drop coverage and self insure,” Heimericks said in an email.

“But as a business owner, the risk is just too high that one big medical event would bankrupt everything we’ve worked for the last 20 years. Honestly, sometimes it feels like we’re being held hostage by the health care industry as a whole, and there doesn’t seem to be a way out,” he said.

Heimericks ended up downgrading his plan for 2026, with deductibles just under $5,000 per person and their maximum out-of-pocket costs capped at $20,300. Still, Heimericks and his husband are planning on over $1,655 a month in premiums, and they don’t yet have a grasp on what the cost of their prescriptions will be under their new plan.

In 2025, they paid about $1,630 a month, but had lower deductibles and caps on out-of-pocket costs.

“The big difference was people who would normally qualify for the cost-sharing reduction would enroll in the silver plan in previous years,” Wehner said. “Hardly anyone did that this year.”

So far, California’s state-based marketplace is seeing more people enroll in bronze plans, at 37% in 2026 compared to 23% in 2025. Other states like Maine, New Jersey and Rhode Island are reporting a higher share of customers switching to bronze plans for 2026, the Georgetown data shows.

What the data doesn’t show, McBride said, was the higher deductible cost that those in Missouri and Kansas will take on.

People may have a costly health event and not expect to have to pay higher out-of-pocket costs before meeting their deductible, McBride said, which ultimately can pass the cost onto other health care customers.

“One of the things we saw early on, because the premiums were so low for bronze plans … younger people, especially healthy people, would pick that plan and have a $7,000 or $8,000 deductible,” McBride said. “They’d get bad luck … and then they’d show up to the hospital and get a bill for $8,000 and they’d be like, ‘Wait a minute, I thought I had Obamacare.’”

Ultimately, many aren’t prepared to take on that higher cost and end up unable to pay their bills, McBride said, and that is then passed onto the consumer.

“The hospital or health system can try to get the money from them but usually can only get a fraction of it,” McBride said. “Then the hospital just has to bury that cost, or shift it to the rest of us. It has a short or long-term effect on someone’s health status, and it also ends up rippling to all the rest of us.”

This&nbsp;<a href="https://thebeaconnews.org/stories/2026/02/02/affordable-care-act-enrollment-missouri-kansas-2026-enhanced-subsidies/" target="_blank">article</a>&nbsp;first appeared on&nbsp;<a href="https://thebeaconnews.org/" target="_blank">Beacon: Kansas City</a>&nbsp;and is republished here under a&nbsp;<a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/" target="_blank">Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License</a>.

As ACA subsidies expire, thousands drop coverage or downgrade plans

JUNCTION CITY, Kan. — Geary County K-State Extension is inviting community members to participate in the Hypertension Awareness &amp; Prevention Program (HAPp), a self-monitoring blood pressure program designed to help individuals better manage and lower their blood pressure.

The HAPp Kick-Off Session will be held on Wednesday, February 4, 2026, at 10:30 a.m. at the Geary County 4-H/Senior Center, located at 1025 S. Spring Valley Road in Junction City. During the session, participants will learn how self-monitoring blood pressure can support and improve blood pressure management.

In addition to the kick-off meeting, participants are encouraged to attend a series of Nutrition Education Workshops, which will also be held at the Geary County 4-H/Senior Center. 

For more information or to register, contact Renae Riedy, Geary County Family and Consumer Sciences Agent, at 785-238-4161 or <a>renaer@ksu.edu</a>.

Hypertension Awareness & Prevention Program Scheduled in Junction City

Fort Riley announced via social media Tuesday that due to a lapse in federal appropriations, many civilian employees at Fort Riley were furloughed. As a result: Emails and phone calls to affected civilian would not be answered.

 Many social media channels would be unmonitored

 Some services may be limited or temporarily unavailable.

Normal operations will resume once federal funding is restored.

Fort Riley will continue to deliver life, health and safety services. Irwin Army Community Hospital remains open 24/7 to provide emergency and inpatient care.

Many civilian employees at Fort Riley were furloughed

WABAUNSEE COUNTY —Two horses were shot and killed, from the road, by an unknown assailant in the vicinity of Bradford and Mission Valley Road northeast of Eskridge in rural Wabaunsee County over the weekend, according to Wabaunsee&nbsp; County Sheriff's&nbsp;Eric Kirsch.

These horses were used for therapy for veterans and first responders suffering from&nbsp;Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

The sheriff's department is devoting the full might of their investigative resources towards the relentless pursuit and capture of those responsible "for this reprehensible atrocity against these beautiful, innocent and defenseless animals"

The animals were taken to K-State for forensic examination and the sheriff's office is treating this like a homicide. The sheriff's office pledge $500 leading to a lawful arrest and conviction of the perpetrators.

Reward offered after horses shot and killed in Wabaunsee County

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – February 2, 2026 – Non-profit agencies have a shot at receiving up to $10,000 through&nbsp;Evergy’s&nbsp;Connecting for Good Hometown Grants Program.

This year’s Connecting for Good Hometown&nbsp;Grants will support a&nbsp;project or program for organizations that focus on basic needs. Examples include, but aren’t limited to, food insecurity, housing, hygiene, and bill payment. The one-time $10,000 grant is geared toward expanding capacity or special projects outside of normal operations.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Qualifying organizations can&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://u7061146.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.gqh-2BaxUzlo7XKIuSly0rC7p02zN8gNoRZT5AtMG7euVgL1Urg2O-2BLUXNRuX72jpCqF0gKSL5LrOj0wEXI-2FHvhNq43mNI5QEFkxjAnw41nBs-3DJYpy_6n4-2BiDMUzpddSZX1Wt-2FWUJw49AQHSmsMB-2FCEltLGfW-2FgxXViF68B5RuuPoTByQpAbUylFj0p0kZpAbY3WvQgwDzUXB7D3Y-2BBPYx-2FG6ERHgNP24ff5rVEHYtaMUEcAv0-2FXRhAv4Ptf9wml8VDIl-2FRDffW83p0dtJiGaiOqMwabI3OtDtJB-2Fc4Iiw-2BnRaXBha7zgKC77hTILJl2PiOtvEIdONIfYO8-2FHQW9mK0dh5p9VshwOGG-2FRyUV4Qq2Nns1giZnTq-2BWyJsR8UHp9NOP2tuX70Uf7tm6GayPMd0q6vZYBbFK2BSUtQYBI3upRU0KA8m7WQLEij-2FIliVaIvdBvFjNvNA11IuF1uf-2B4BHmIVHiHE-3D">apply now through March 4</a>. Evergy’s Community Relations team will select the top ten projects to be put up for public voting through the Evergy&nbsp;Facebook page. The three agencies with the most votes will receive up to $10,000 each. The organizations must serve residents in Evergy’s service area.

“The Connecting for Good Hometown Grants program is another way we can help communities build stability, strengthen families, and create a foundation for long‑term well‑being,” said Elizabeth Danforth, Evergy’s director of corporate social impact. “We want to help organizations that are out there every day helping our customers with basic needs.”

Online voting will take place March 16 – 25. Evergy will announce the three Hometown Grant recipients on March 31.

Apply Today: Evergy to award Hometown Grants for community impact projects

MANHATTAN, KAN. –&nbsp;Law enforcement are investigating a fatal stabbing in Manhattan.

Just after 8 p.m. Sunday, police responded to the 1900 block of Anderson Avenue in Manhattan, KS, for a reported stabbing, according to a media release from the Riley County Police Department.

Officers located Teray Robinson, 24, of Manhattan, who had sustained a stab wound. Robinson was transported by ambulance to Via Christi Hospital and later died as a result of his injury. &nbsp;

Officers detained the suspect Billy Arnez, 39, of Manhattan, on scene.&nbsp; Following an investigation into the incident, Billy Arnez was arrested on requested charges of second-degree murder at 1:00 a.m. on Monday. He is being held on a $1,000,000 bond, according to the RCPD.

RCPD: Suspect jailed for deadly stabbing in Manhattan

Riley County Arrest Report February 2

While the gift-giving holidays are over, scammers still want gift card money. Some scammers might even reach out by pretending to be your boss and asking you to buy gift cards for them. But it’s a scam. Here’s how to spot and avoid it.

The scene often starts with an unexpected text, email, or a call from your “boss” asking for an “urgent favor.” (That emergency? Not real. That person? Not your boss.) They tell you to go to the store, buy gift cards, and send them the numbers on the back. They might even ask for “Google certificates.” They really mean gift cards, but they use different words hoping you’ll engage to find out more.

Even if your “boss” says they need the cards for a company event, slow down and make sure it’s not a scammer trying to steal the money you put on the gift cards. If you’re in this situation, here’s how to avoid this scam:

And if you’re buying&nbsp;<a href="https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/avoiding-and-reporting-gift-card-scams#safely%20buying%20gift%20cards">gift cards</a>&nbsp;for friends and family:

FTC: No, that's not your boss asking you to buy gift cards

Washington&nbsp;– On Tuesday, President Trump signed the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026," into law. The legislation advances several key healthcare priorities long championed by Kansas U.S. Senator Roger Marshall.

“The legislation provides $418 million for rural health, strengthens our healthcare workforce, maintains critical funding for Community Health Centers, and extends telehealth and hospital-at-home flexibilities that Kansans rely on,”&nbsp;said Senator Marshall.&nbsp;“It also invests in maternal and child health, mental health services, and life-saving medical research, while cutting over $100 million in unnecessary HHS bureaucracy.”

Senator Marshall also emphasized that Republicans stepped in to prevent Medicaid spending from continuing on an unsustainable trajectory that threatened the program’s future.&nbsp;

Prior proposals would have allowed unchecked growth, threatening long-term access for the most vulnerable. This package introduces responsible reforms that protect beneficiaries while ensuring Medicaid remains viable for future generations.

“Medicaid was on a path to bust – crowding out care for the truly vulnerable and burdening states and taxpayers,”&nbsp;said Senator Marshall.&nbsp;“Republicans fought to protect this vital safety-net program by improving oversight, targeting resources appropriately, and ensuring Medicaid remains available for those who need it most today and for generations to come.”

Labor, Health and Human Services (L/HHS) Appropriations Highlights

The package provides a&nbsp;discretionary total of $116.6 billion&nbsp;for the Department of Health and Human Services while reducing unnecessary federal bureaucracy by&nbsp;over $100 million.

Senator Marshall championed several of the provisions included in the package. These include:

Health Extenders Package: Strengthening Medicaid and Medicare Medicaid Reforms

The package includes targeted reforms to Medicaid while improving access and accountability:

The legislation delivers long-term certainty for providers and expanded access for seniors by:

Public Health Extenders and Programs

The package extends and strengthens critical public health initiatives, including:

The package includes commonsense reforms to lower prescription drug costs and increase transparency for patients and taxpayers, including:

Senator Marshall delivers healthcare wins for Kansas in FY26 appropriations 

By:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/mchilson/">Morgan Chilson</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 — An ongoing battle between the attorney general and Kansas governor about releasing Kansans’ personal data to the federal government made its way to a Tuesday committee hearing on a bill intended to force the governor’s hand.

<a href="https://kslegislature.gov/li/b2025_26/measures/sb428/" target="_blank">Senate Bill 428</a>&nbsp;requires the secretary of the Department for Children and Families to respond to federal data requests from the U.S. Department of Agriculture of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and release the data within 90 days.&nbsp;

The bill results from the Department for Children and Family’s&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/09/22/kansas-governors-office-disputes-accuracy-of-kobachs-claims-about-snap-funding/">refusal to share private data&nbsp;</a>of food program applicants and recipients with the USDA, Attorney General Kris Kobach told the Senate Committee on Government Efficiency, or COGE.

“They don’t want the USDA to share the names of (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) recipients with other federal agencies,” Kobach said. “Now, why would they not want that? I’m almost certain they don’t want it to be shared with the Justice Department so that a SNAP recipient who is fraudulently getting this money could be prosecuted.”

Kobach also said the governor didn’t want the data shared because the Department of Homeland Security could use it to identify people in the country illegally who receive food assistance.&nbsp;

People who are legal permanent residents can qualify for SNAP.

Gov. Laura Kelly’s spokeswoman, Olivia Taylor-Puckett, said DCF has concerns about whether USDA’s stated intent on using the data is legal.&nbsp;&nbsp;

“The Governor’s administration has been repeatedly raising concerns about the legality of the USDA’s data request as it pertains to the ‘Routine Use 8′ provision, which includes sharing Kansans’ personal private data, including full Social Security numbers, with foreign entities,” she said in an emailed statement. “It is both disappointing and disturbing that the Attorney General still doesn’t know the basic issues with the USDA’s request.”

Taylor-Puckett’s statement referred to a USDA notice published in the Federal Register that detailed how the data would be used. One section allowed the information to be shared with foreign entities.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Kansas is one of 21 states, all of which are participants in a Massachusetts lawsuit, that question whether the USDA’s intended use of the data is allowed in their data sharing contract. The case is still being decided.&nbsp;

Kobach told the committee the state will lose $20.8 million as part of its SNAP program because DCF did not release the data. DCF appealed the penalty so no money has been withheld from state SNAP administrative funds.&nbsp;

A hearing on the state’s appeal will be held Feb. 17, a governor’s office spokesperson said.&nbsp;

Travis Couture-Lovelady, a lobbyist with FGA Action, testified in favor of the bill, citing concerns with the integrity of the SNAP program.&nbsp;

“The goal is simple — reserve benefits for truly needy families and hold the fraudsters accountable,” he said.

Couture-Lovelady said the food assistance program has been “plagued” with improper payments, eligibility errors and fraud, as well as large-scale losses to benefit card theft and hacking schemes.&nbsp;

“In 2024, as the attorney general said, that’s the most recent data we have, Kansas’ SNAP error rate was nearly 10%, meaning roughly one out of every $10 in benefits was issued improperly, and that level of error is completely unacceptable,” he said.&nbsp;

The state’s SNAP error rate is not tied to fraud but instead tracks data entry errors, incomplete or inaccurate applicant information and other problems,&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/08/26/kansas-official-defends-refusal-to-turn-over-private-food-program-data-in-face-of-political-attacks/">according to DCF secretary Laura Howard</a>. Fraud cases are handled through a separate department and aren’t included in the SNAP error rate.&nbsp;

DCF is working to&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2026/01/22/kansas-agency-working-to-improve-accuracy-of-snap-payments-to-avoid-costly-federal-sanction/">drop the error rate</a>, which was under the 6% federally set threshold in August, at 5.5%.&nbsp;

Haley Kottler, an anti-hunger campaign director with Kansas Appleseed, submitted written testimony opposing the bill.&nbsp;

“This most recent conflict between 21 states and the federal government illustrates the extreme risk Kansas would be taking by enacting SB 428,” she said. “The provisions of this bill would not allow DCF and KDHE to contest federal data requests, despite the potential for serious concerns regarding privacy protection, the burden imposed on state resources and administrators, the misuse of data, liability, and compliance with eventual court decisions.”

She also raised concerns that threats to privacy would deter eligible households from seeking food assistance.&nbsp;

Proposed bill would require Kansas gov. to submit personal food assistance data to feds

FORT PIERCE, Fla. (AP) — A man convicted of trying&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-assassination-routh-guilty-c56e9dbdc640cfc377aa2267107697df">to assassinate President Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;on a Florida golf course in 2024 was sentenced Wednesday to life in prison.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-classified-documents-smith-c66d5ffb7ba86c1b991f95e89bdeba0c">U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon</a>&nbsp;pronounced Ryan Routh’s fate in the same Fort Pierce courtroom that erupted into chaos in September when he tried to stab himself shortly after jurors&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-shooting-attempt-d49985a690e678a9ccbf3610c102704d">found him guilty</a>&nbsp;on all counts.

Prosecutors had asked for life without parole, saying Routh is unrepentant and has never apologized. A defense attorney brought in for his sentencing asked for 27 years, noting that Routh is already turning 60.

Routh also received a consecutive seven-year sentence for one of his gun convictions.

Routh's sentencing had initially been scheduled for December, but Cannon agreed to move the date back after Routh decided to use an attorney during the sentencing phase instead of representing himself as he did for most of the trial.

Prosecutors said in a sentencing memorandum that Routh has yet to accept any responsibility and should spend the rest of his life in prison, in accordance with federal sentencing guidelines. He was convicted of trying to assassinate a major presidential candidate, using a firearm in furtherance of a crime, assaulting a federal officer, possessing a firearm as a felon and using a gun with a defaced serial number.

“Routh remains unrepentant for his crimes, never apologized for the lives he put at risk, and his life demonstrates near-total disregard for law,” the memo said.

Routh's new defense attorney, Martin L. Roth, asked for a variance from sentencing guidelines: 20 years in prison on top of a seven-year, mandatory sentence for one of the gun convictions.

“The defendant is two weeks short of being sixty years old,” Roth wrote in a filing. “A just punishment would provide a sentence long enough to impose sufficient but not excessive punishment, and to allow defendant to experience freedom again as opposed to dying in prison.”

Prosecutors said Routh spent weeks plotting to kill Trump before aiming a rifle through shrubbery as the Republican presidential candidate played golf on Sept. 15, 2024, at his West Palm Beach country club.

At Routh’s trial, a Secret Service agent helping protect Trump on the golf course testified that he spotted Routh before Trump came into view. Routh aimed his rifle at the agent, who opened fire, causing Routh to drop his weapon and run away without firing a shot.

In the motion requesting an attorney, Routh offered to trade his life in a prisoner swap with people unjustly held in other countries, and said an offer still stood for Trump to “take out his frustrations on my face.”

“Just a quarter of an inch further back and we all would not have to deal with all of this mess forwards, but I always fail at everything (par for the course),” Routh wrote.

In her decision granting Routh an attorney, Cannon chastised the “disrespectful charade” of Routh's motion, saying it made a mockery of the proceedings. But the judge, nominated by Trump in 2020, said she wanted to err on the side of legal representation.

Cannon signed off last summer on Routh’s request to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-shooting-attempt-florida-644c71bc607e4ebad5115f2a490b314c">represent himself</a>&nbsp;at trial. The U.S. Supreme Court has held that criminal defendants have the right to represent themselves in court proceedings, as long as they can show a judge they are competent to waive their right to be defended by an attorney.

Routh’s former federal public defenders served as standby counsel and were present during the trial.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-fbi-assassination-attempt-fee81d8bcf737bfcde2ee8e5cea88465">Routh had multiple previous felony convictions</a>&nbsp;including possession of stolen goods, and a large online footprint demonstrating his disdain for Trump. In a self-published book, he encouraged Iran to assassinate him, and at one point wrote that as a Trump voter, he must take part of the blame for electing him.

FORT PIERCE, Fla. (AP) — Federal prosecutors are seeking a sentence of life without parole for the man convicted of trying&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-assassination-routh-guilty-c56e9dbdc640cfc377aa2267107697df">to assassinate President Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;on a Florida golf course in 2024.

Ryan Routh was scheduled to appear Wednesday before U. S. District Judge Aileen Cannon in Fort Pierce. Her courtroom erupted into chaos in September when&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-shooting-attempt-d49985a690e678a9ccbf3610c102704d">Routh tried to stab</a>&nbsp;himself in the neck with a pen shortly after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-shooting-attempt-d49985a690e678a9ccbf3610c102704d">jurors found him guilty</a>&nbsp;on all counts.

Judge sentences President Trump's would-be assassin

LAS VEGAS (AP) — A suspected biolaboratory found in a Las Vegas home and now under investigation by authorities is linked to the owner of an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/chinese-lab-biological-weapons-fears-california-5ca5824b09ad5b8c2c65b639743e8507">unauthorized California biolab</a>&nbsp;who was arrested in 2023, officials said Monday.

SWAT officers served a search warrant on Saturday after receiving a tip that a biolab was located at the house on the city’s east side, according to a statement from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. Officers took one person, the property manager of the residence, into custody but there was no immediate information about possible charges.

Investigators “located evidence of possible biological material, including refrigerators containing vials with unknown liquids,” the statement said.

Authorities said there is no threat to the public.

Sheriff Kevin McMahill said the home is owned by a man who was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/california-biolab-covid19-test-kits-china-arrest-3ee30af1548356e017276860ebb21f53">arrested in 2023 on charges</a>&nbsp;of not obtaining the proper permits to manufacture tests for COVID-19, pregnancy and HIV, and mislabeling some of the kits for a biolab in Reedley, California.

The owner, Jia Bei Zhu, is scheduled to go on trial in that case in April. His attorney Anthony Capozzi said Monday that his client has been in federal custody for three years.

“He is not involved in any kind of a biolab being conducted in a home in Las Vegas,” Capozzi said. “What went on in that residence we are unaware of.”

Law enforcement took special precautions when serving the warrant on the Las Vegas home, including using a robot to clear the home and taking multiple air samples, McMahill said. Hazmat teams worked to remove items from the home.

Police discover massive bio lab at a home in Nevada

SEDGWICK COUNTY —A suspect charged in connection with a violent abduction shown on a doorbell video in Wichita is due back in court.

 Daniel T. Espitia Guevara, 22, will appear Judge Tyler Roush's courtroom for a preliminary hearing, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.

Espitia Guevara was charged with&nbsp;aggravated domestic battery and misdemeanor counts of domestic battery and&nbsp; criminal restraint, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office. He is also on an Immigration and Customs Enforcement hold.

The Wichita Police Department asked for the community’s help in identifying and locating a woman in a doorbell video who was seen being taken by force on October 12, at approximately 2 AM., in the 1400 block of North Volutsia in Wichita.

Just after 3p.m. October 14, Wichita Police Investigators received a phone call, from a woman claiming to be the individual investigators were attempting to identify. Investigators immediately responded to her location, made contact, and transported her to City Hall so detectives could conduct a victim interview. Police confirmed the identity of the woman as a 35-year-old who lives in the area where the video was captured. Police determined the incident is a case of domestic violence where the woman was victimized by her boyfriend. The woman did not have any significant injuries.

Just after 7 p.m. October 14, officers with the Wichita Police Domestic Intervention and Violence Reduction team (DIVRT) located and arrested Guevara and booked him into jail.

He remains in custody on a $75,000 bond, according to the district attorney's office.

Preliminary hearing for suspect in Kan. doorbell camera abduction video 

By DAVID A. LIEB, HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTH and MORGAN LEE Associated Press

With tensions high over federal&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/immigration">immigration</a>&nbsp;enforcement, some state and local officials are pushing back against the Trump administration's attempts to house thousands of detained immigrants in jails, converted warehouses and privately run facilities in their communities.

Federal officials have been scouting cities and counties across the U.S. for places to hold immigrants as they roll out a massive $45 billion&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-immigration-ice-deportation-budget-be983b14f60a5cdfc17af7cf0307f1c9">expansion of detention facilities</a>&nbsp;financed by President Donald Trump's recent tax-cutting law.

The fatal shootings of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ice-shooting-minneapolis-minnesota-9aa822670b705c89906f2c699f1d16c5">Renee Good</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-enforcement-minnesota-ice-b0cec9d1c5bae4b62469011775082300">Alex Pretti</a>&nbsp;by immigration enforcement officers in Minneapolis have amplified an already intense spotlight on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, increasing scrutiny of its plans for new detention sites.

A proposed ICE facility just north of Richmond, Virginia, drew hundreds of people last week to a tense public hearing of the Hanover County Board of Supervisors.

“You want what’s happening in Minnesota to go down in our own backyard? Build that detention center here, and that’s exactly what will happen,” resident Kimberly Matthews told county officials.

As a prospective ICE detention site became public, elected officials in Kansas City, Missouri, scrambled to pass an ordinance aimed at blocking it. And mayors in Oklahoma City and Salt Lake City — after raising concerns about building permits — announced last week that property owners won't be selling or leasing their facilities for immigration detention.

Meanwhile, legislatures in several Democratic-led states pressed forward with bills barring or discouraging ICE facilities. A New Mexico measure targets local government agreements to detain immigrants for ICE. A novel California proposal seeks to nudge companies running ICE facilities out of the state by imposing a 50% tax on their proceeds.

The number of ICE detention sites has doubled

More than 75,000 immigrants were being detained by ICE as of mid-January, up from 40,000 when Trump took office a year earlier, according to federal data released Tuesday.

In a little over a year, the number of detention facilities used by ICE more than doubled, to 225 sites spread across a combined 48 states and territories. Most of that growth came through existing contracts with the U.S. Marshals Service or deals to use empty beds at county jails.

Trump's administration now is taking steps to open more large-scale facilities. In January, ICE paid $102 million for a warehouse in Washington County, Maryland, $84 million for one in Berks County, Pennsylvania, and more than $70 million for one in Surprise, Arizona. It also solicited public comment on a proposed warehouse purchase in a flood plain in Chester, New York.

Federal immigration officials have toured large warehouses elsewhere, without releasing many details about the efforts.

“They will be very well structured detention facilities meeting our regular detention standards,” ICE said in a statement, adding: “It should not come as news that ICE will be making arrests in states across the U.S. and is actively working to expand detention space.”

Kansas City tries to block a new ICE detention site

Despite court rulings elsewhere, the City Council in Kansas City voted in January to impose a five-year moratorium on non-city-run detention facilities. The vote came on the same day ICE officials toured a nearly 1-million-square-foot (92,903-square-meter) warehouse as a prospective site.

Manny Abarca, a county lawmaker, said he initially was threatened with trespassing when he showed up but was eventually allowed inside the facility, where a deputy ICE field office director told him they were scouting for a 7,500-bed site.

Abarca is trying to fortify Kansas City’s resistance by proposing a countywide moratorium on permits, zoning changes and development plans for detention facilities not run by the county or a city.

“When federal power is putting communities on edge, local government has a responsibility to act where we have authority,” he said.

As other ICE proposals have surfaced, officials in Social Circle, Georgia; Merrillville, Indiana; El Paso, Texas; and Roxbury Township, New Jersey, have raised concerns about a lack of water and sewer capacity to transform warehouses into detention sites.

Officials in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-detention-centers-ice-deportations-trump-e92b67a388f041b84593d7a29fd93c54">Leavenworth, Kansas</a>, are seeking to hold private prison operator CoreCivic to its requirements. A city planning commission on Monday advanced a three-year permit that would be needed for CoreCivic to reopen a shuttered prison as an ICE detention facility capable of housing up to 1,000 detainees.

Nationally, it remains to be seen whether local governments can deter ICE facilities through building permits and regulations.

“We’re currently in a moment where it is being tested," Jefferis said. "So there is no clear answer as to how the courts are going to come down.”

Detention site foes face legal limitations

State and local governments can decline to lease detention space to ICE, but they generally cannot prohibit businesses and private landowners from using their property for federal immigrant detention centers, said Danielle Jefferis, an associate law professor at the University of Nebraska who focuses on immigration and civil litigation.

In 2023, a federal court invalidated a California law that barred private immigrant detention facilities, finding it infringed on federal powers. A federal appeals court panel cited similar grounds in July while striking down a New Jersey law that forbade agreements to operate immigrant detention facilities.

After ICE officials recently toured a warehouse in Orlando, Florida, as a prospective site, local officials looked into ways to regulate or prevent it. But City Attorney Mayanne Downs advised them in a letter that “ICE is immune from any local regulation that interferes in any way with its federal mandate.”

Officials in Hanover County also asked their attorney to evaluate legal options after the Department of Homeland Security sent a letter confirming its intent to purchase a private property for use as an ICE processing facility. The building sits near retail businesses, hotels, restaurants and several neighborhoods.

Although some residents voiced concerns that an ICE facility could strain the county's resources, there's little the county can do to oppose it, said Board of Supervisors Chair Sean Davis.

“The federal government is generally exempt from our zoning regulations,” Davis said.

New Mexico targets existing ICE facilities

The Democratic-led New Mexico House on Friday passed legislation banning state and local government contracts for ICE detention facilities, sending it to the Senate. Similar bills are pending in Hawaii, Massachusetts, New York and Rhode Island.

The Otero County Processing Center, 25 miles (40 kilometers) from downtown El Paso, Texas, is one of three privately run ICE facilities that could be affected by the New Mexico legislation. The facility includes four immigration courtrooms and space for more than 1,000 detainees. The county financed its construction in 2007 with the intent to use it as a revenue source, and plans to pay off the remaining $16.5 million debt by 2028.

Otero County Attorney Roy Nichols said the county is prepared to sue the Legislature under a state law that prevents impairment of outstanding revenue bonds.

Republicans warned of job losses and economic fallout if the legislation forces immigrant detention centers to close.

But Democratic state Rep. Sarah Silva, who voted for the ban, and said her constituents in a heavily Hispanic area view the ICE facility as a burden.

“Our state can’t be complicit in the violations that ICE has been doing in places like Minneapolis," Silva said. "To me that was beyond the tipping point.”

$45 billion expansion of immigrant detention sites faces pushback in Kansas City

FINNEY COUNTY —A teen driver fled from an injury accident that caused a power outage for many residents in Garden City on Monday.

Shortly after 5 a.m., Monday, first responders were dispatched to report of the accident involving an SUV that struck a utility pole at the intersection of Mary and A Streets in Garden City.

First responders found a heavily damaged GMC Yukon and significant damage along the south side of the 100 block of W. Mary Street.&nbsp; The utility pole had been displaced roughly 15 feet, leaving live wires across the area. A damaged school speed limit sign was also located nearby. 

City Electric and Public Works crews responded to the scene to begin repairs and cleanup efforts. Many nearby residents experienced power outages, and electric crews worked throughout the day to make repairs and restore service as safely and quickly as possible.

Further investigation revealed the driver, a 19-year-old man, initially fled from the crash but was located shortly afterward and taken to the hospital with minor injuries.&nbsp; Police have not released the name of the driver or possible charges as they continue to investigate.

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