SEDGWICK COUNTY –The Wichita Police Department has arrested a 50-year-old woman for Aggravated Child Endangerment, stemming from the shooting investigation of a 4-year-old girl.

Just before 2p.m. Friday, police responded to the 2500 block of E. Harry in Wichita following reports of a shooting, according to Officer Kris Gupilan.

First responders a 4-year-old girl who had sustained a single gunshot wound to her lower torso. She was immediately transported to a local hospital and was still in critical condition early Saturday, according to Gupilan.

After preliminary investigation, it was found that the child's guardian, identified in Sedgwick County booking records as Ana Rosa Sorto, left a firearm unsecured, allowing the child to access it, resulting in the child unintentionally shooting themselves.

 This remains an active investigation. The case will be presented to the District Attorney for formal charges.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/4/1744469792810.png" alt="Sorto photo Sedgwick County" />
 <figcaption>Sorto photo Sedgwick County</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY –The Wichita Police Department has arrested a 50-year-old woman for Aggravated Child Endangerment, stemming from the shooting investigation of a 4-year-old girl.Just before 2p.m. Friday, police responded to the 2500 block of E. Harry in Wichita following reports of a shooting, according to Officer Kris Gupilan.First responders a 4-year-old girl who had sustained a single gunshot wound to her lower torso. She was immediately transported to a local hospital and was still in critical condition early Saturday, according to Gupilan.After preliminary investigation, it was found that the child's guardian, identified in Sedgwick County booking records as Ana Rosa Sorto, left a firearm unsecured, allowing the child to access it, resulting in the child unintentionally shooting themselves. This remains an active investigation. The case will be presented to the District Attorney for formal charges.

Police make arrest in accidental shooting of 4-year-old Kan. girl

By&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/author/will-weissert">WILL WEISSERT</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/author/fatima-hussein">FATIMA HUSSEIN</a>

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration has moved to classify more than 6,000 living immigrants as dead, canceling their Social Security numbers and effectively wiping out their ability to work or receive benefits in an effort to get them to leave the country, according to two people familiar with the situation.

The move will make it much harder for those affected to use banks or other basic services where Social Security numbers are required. It’s part of a broader effort by President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-crackdown-trump-everify-8776045494550675c02736152d7c3992">crack down on immigrants</a>&nbsp;who were allowed to enter and remain temporarily in the United States under programs instituted by his predecessor,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a>.

The Trump administration is moving the immigrants’ names and legally obtained Social Security numbers to a database that federal officials normally use to track the deceased, according to the two people familiar with the moves and their ramifications. They spoke on condition of anonymity Thursday night because the plans had not yet been publicly detailed.

The officials said stripping the immigrants of their Social Security numbers will cut them off from many financial services and encourage them to “self-deport” and abandon the U.S. for their birth countries.

It wasn’t immediately clear how the 6,000-plus immigrants were chosen. But the Trump White House has targeted people in the country temporarily under Biden-era programs, including more than 900,000 immigrants who entered the U.S. using that administration’s CBP One app.

On Monday, the Department of Homeland Security revoked the legal status of the immigrants who used that app. They had generally been allowed to remain in the U.S. for two years with work authorization under&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-humanitarian-parole-chnv-trump-biden-deportation-bdb62fd4883252b81b4cb3122dc57301">presidential parole</a>&nbsp;authority during the Biden era, but are now expected to self-deport.

Meanwhile, a federal judge&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-administration-venezuelans-tps-federal-judge-d4044f1fc7cb69985add060aeaae8731">said Thursday that she was stopping</a>&nbsp;the Trump administration from ordering hundreds of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-humanitarian-parole-china-haiti-nicaragua-venezuela-c10f422939934cf8d1cf8a6f4dfc4610">thousands of Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans</a>&nbsp;with temporary legal status to leave the country later this month.

A representative from the Social Security Administration did not respond to a request for comment on the news that living immigrants were being classified as dead. The agency maintains the most complete federal database of individuals who have died, and the file contains more than 142 million records, which go back to 1899.

The Privacy Act allows the Social Security Administration to disclose information to law enforcement in limited circumstances, which includes when a violent crime has been committed or other criminal activity.

DHS and the Treasury Deprartment signed a deal this week that would allow the IRS to share immigrants’ tax data with Immigration and Customs Enforcement for the purpose of identifying and deporting people illegally in the U.S. The agreement will allow ICE to submit names and addresses of immigrants inside the U.S. illegally to the IRS for cross-verification against tax records.

The acting IRS commissioner, Melanie Krause, who had served in that capacity since February,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/irs-ice-immigration-enforcement-trump-d2ac6f7ac0a1f60e907cd3b52d0db34d">stepped down over that deal</a>.

In March, meanwhile, a federal judge temporarily blocked a team charged with cutting federal jobs and shrinking the government led by billionaire&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/elon-musk">Elon Musk</a>&nbsp;from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/elon-musk-donald-trump-doge-b21b74f56f30012a6450a629e7232a1a">Social Security</a>&nbsp;systems that hold personal data on millions of Americans, calling their work there a “fishing expedition.”

Skye Perryman, president and CEO of Democracy Forward, an advocacy group that has challenged various Trump administration efforts in court, said her organization would likely sue over the Social Security numbers as well, once more details become available.

“This President continues to engage in lawless behavior, violating the law and abusing our systems of checks and balances,” Perryman said.

By&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/author/will-weissert">WILL WEISSERT</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/author/fatima-hussein">FATIMA HUSSEIN</a>WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration has moved to classify more than 6,000 living immigrants as dead, canceling their Social Security numbers and effectively wiping out their ability to work or receive benefits in an effort to get them to leave the country, according to two people familiar with the situation.The move will make it much harder for those affected to use banks or other basic services where Social Security numbers are required. It’s part of a broader effort by President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-crackdown-trump-everify-8776045494550675c02736152d7c3992">crack down on immigrants</a>&nbsp;who were allowed to enter and remain temporarily in the United States under programs instituted by his predecessor,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a>.The Trump administration is moving the immigrants’ names and legally obtained Social Security numbers to a database that federal officials normally use to track the deceased, according to the two people familiar with the moves and their ramifications. They spoke on condition of anonymity Thursday night because the plans had not yet been publicly detailed.The officials said stripping the immigrants of their Social Security numbers will cut them off from many financial services and encourage them to “self-deport” and abandon the U.S. for their birth countries.It wasn’t immediately clear how the 6,000-plus immigrants were chosen. But the Trump White House has targeted people in the country temporarily under Biden-era programs, including more than 900,000 immigrants who entered the U.S. using that administration’s CBP One app.On Monday, the Department of Homeland Security revoked the legal status of the immigrants who used that app. They had generally been allowed to remain in the U.S. for two years with work authorization under&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-humanitarian-parole-chnv-trump-biden-deportation-bdb62fd4883252b81b4cb3122dc57301">presidential parole</a>&nbsp;authority during the Biden era, but are now expected to self-deport.Meanwhile, a federal judge&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-administration-venezuelans-tps-federal-judge-d4044f1fc7cb69985add060aeaae8731">said Thursday that she was stopping</a>&nbsp;the Trump administration from ordering hundreds of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-humanitarian-parole-china-haiti-nicaragua-venezuela-c10f422939934cf8d1cf8a6f4dfc4610">thousands of Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans</a>&nbsp;with temporary legal status to leave the country later this month.A representative from the Social Security Administration did not respond to a request for comment on the news that living immigrants were being classified as dead. The agency maintains the most complete federal database of individuals who have died, and the file contains more than 142 million records, which go back to 1899.The Privacy Act allows the Social Security Administration to disclose information to law enforcement in limited circumstances, which includes when a violent crime has been committed or other criminal activity.DHS and the Treasury Deprartment signed a deal this week that would allow the IRS to share immigrants’ tax data with Immigration and Customs Enforcement for the purpose of identifying and deporting people illegally in the U.S. The agreement will allow ICE to submit names and addresses of immigrants inside the U.S. illegally to the IRS for cross-verification against tax records.The acting IRS commissioner, Melanie Krause, who had served in that capacity since February,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/irs-ice-immigration-enforcement-trump-d2ac6f7ac0a1f60e907cd3b52d0db34d">stepped down over that deal</a>.In March, meanwhile, a federal judge temporarily blocked a team charged with cutting federal jobs and shrinking the government led by billionaire&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/elon-musk">Elon Musk</a>&nbsp;from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/elon-musk-donald-trump-doge-b21b74f56f30012a6450a629e7232a1a">Social Security</a>&nbsp;systems that hold personal data on millions of Americans, calling their work there a “fishing expedition.”Skye Perryman, president and CEO of Democracy Forward, an advocacy group that has challenged various Trump administration efforts in court, said her organization would likely sue over the Social Security numbers as well, once more details become available.“This President continues to engage in lawless behavior, violating the law and abusing our systems of checks and balances,” Perryman said.

Social Security lists thousands of living immigrants as dead to prompt them to leave

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 — The House and Senate moved forward this week to create a new Kansas Office of Early Childhood, merging three departments that govern child care in the state, while loosening regulations for child care providers and providing an opt-out for required child vaccinations.

Both chambers passed&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kslegislature.gov/li/b2025_26/measures/hb2045/" target="_blank">House Bill 2045</a>, sending the legislation on to Gov. Laura Kelly for her approval.

“This bipartisan legislation is a win for businesses, child care providers and most importantly, Kansas children and families,” Kelly said in a statement. “Now, our early childhood system will no longer be bogged down by inefficiencies and bureaucratic red tape. I look forward to signing House Bill 2045 as we streamline access to high-quality early childhood services and make Kansas the premier place to raise a family.”

The bill’s passage came over objections from several lawmakers about the lack of a fiscal note and opportunity to debate.

Sen. Beverly Gossage, a Eudora Republican, said the bill was the result of three years’ worth of work to put governance of private child care under one umbrella.

“We had licensing under the Department of Education, we had funding under DCF, we had the Children’s Cabinet,” she said. “So the idea was to create the Office of Early Childhood and have a director in that office, overseeing three subdivisions.”

The bill also looks at child care regulations, making changes to allow fewer education requirements for some workers in a child care facility and changing ratios of the number of adults to children, Gossage said.

The bill also changes vaccination requirements, allowing a child’s guardian to avoid the immunization requirements if they provide a signed written statement that immunizations violate sincerely held religious beliefs.

Several legislators raised concerns that such a significant change as adding a new department was coming before the Legislature in a conference committee report, which is negotiated by representatives from both the House and Senate and can’t be amended by either chamber. Sen. Doug Shane, a Louisburg Republican, said he thinks the 63-page bill should be debated in front of the Senate.

“I really appreciate and agree with a lot of changes that are brought forth in the bill, including trying to decouple child care from burdensome regulations, but I’m concerned without thoroughly vetting this and with the creation of a new agency that we set ourselves up for long-term challenges,” he said. “Echoing the famous words of Ronald Reagan, &nbsp;it feels a little bit like we’re from the government and we’re here to help, which is probably what created our child care crisis to begin with.”

In the House, Rep. Barb Wasinger, a Hays Republican, raised concerns about the bill’s fiscal note, or lack thereof.

“It starts a whole new agency, which means more full-time employees, which means more money to the Children’s Cabinet. It means starting a whole new preschool area involved with child care in the school district,” she said. “I think this is a good bill with some bad changes.”

Rep. Susan Ruiz, D-Shawnee, assured the House that consolidating departments under the new banner of an Early Childhood Office doesn’t necessarily mean new costs, but some representatives remained unconvinced.

“I just cannot support something where we don’t know how it is going to affect us financially,” said Rep. Carrie Barth, R-Baldwin City.

Rep. Sean Tarwater, R-Stilwell, argued that the changes to child care regulations are much needed.

“I had a lot of the same concerns that you all do, but over time we worked through it and we think this is a good bill,” he said. “It’s going to open up thousands of slots for day care. One of the No. 1 reasons people are not in the workforce is because they can’t find day care for their children. This goes a long way in solving that problem.”

The bill passed the Senate 30-10 and the House 99-23.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/4/1744460954796.png" alt=" Sen. Beverly Gossage spoke this week about the importance of creating a new department, the Kansas Early Childhood Office, to get all child-care governance under one umbrella. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption> Sen. Beverly Gossage spoke this week about the importance of creating a new department, the Kansas Early Childhood Office, to get all child-care governance under one umbrella. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>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 — The House and Senate moved forward this week to create a new Kansas Office of Early Childhood, merging three departments that govern child care in the state, while loosening regulations for child care providers and providing an opt-out for required child vaccinations.Both chambers passed&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kslegislature.gov/li/b2025_26/measures/hb2045/" target="_blank">House Bill 2045</a>, sending the legislation on to Gov. Laura Kelly for her approval.“This bipartisan legislation is a win for businesses, child care providers and most importantly, Kansas children and families,” Kelly said in a statement. “Now, our early childhood system will no longer be bogged down by inefficiencies and bureaucratic red tape. I look forward to signing House Bill 2045 as we streamline access to high-quality early childhood services and make Kansas the premier place to raise a family.”The bill’s passage came over objections from several lawmakers about the lack of a fiscal note and opportunity to debate.Sen. Beverly Gossage, a Eudora Republican, said the bill was the result of three years’ worth of work to put governance of private child care under one umbrella.“We had licensing under the Department of Education, we had funding under DCF, we had the Children’s Cabinet,” she said. “So the idea was to create the Office of Early Childhood and have a director in that office, overseeing three subdivisions.”The bill also looks at child care regulations, making changes to allow fewer education requirements for some workers in a child care facility and changing ratios of the number of adults to children, Gossage said.The bill also changes vaccination requirements, allowing a child’s guardian to avoid the immunization requirements if they provide a signed written statement that immunizations violate sincerely held religious beliefs.Several legislators raised concerns that such a significant change as adding a new department was coming before the Legislature in a conference committee report, which is negotiated by representatives from both the House and Senate and can’t be amended by either chamber. Sen. Doug Shane, a Louisburg Republican, said he thinks the 63-page bill should be debated in front of the Senate.“I really appreciate and agree with a lot of changes that are brought forth in the bill, including trying to decouple child care from burdensome regulations, but I’m concerned without thoroughly vetting this and with the creation of a new agency that we set ourselves up for long-term challenges,” he said. “Echoing the famous words of Ronald Reagan, &nbsp;it feels a little bit like we’re from the government and we’re here to help, which is probably what created our child care crisis to begin with.”In the House, Rep. Barb Wasinger, a Hays Republican, raised concerns about the bill’s fiscal note, or lack thereof.“It starts a whole new agency, which means more full-time employees, which means more money to the Children’s Cabinet. It means starting a whole new preschool area involved with child care in the school district,” she said. “I think this is a good bill with some bad changes.”Rep. Susan Ruiz, D-Shawnee, assured the House that consolidating departments under the new banner of an Early Childhood Office doesn’t necessarily mean new costs, but some representatives remained unconvinced.“I just cannot support something where we don’t know how it is going to affect us financially,” said Rep. Carrie Barth, R-Baldwin City.Rep. Sean Tarwater, R-Stilwell, argued that the changes to child care regulations are much needed.“I had a lot of the same concerns that you all do, but over time we worked through it and we think this is a good bill,” he said. “It’s going to open up thousands of slots for day care. One of the No. 1 reasons people are not in the workforce is because they can’t find day care for their children. This goes a long way in solving that problem.”The bill passed the Senate 30-10 and the House 99-23.

Kansas lawmakers approve creation of new child care department, change regulations

KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement are investigating a suspect on multiple allegations after he broke into a home in a Kansas City suburb.

Just after 11p.m. April 9, police responded to a burglary in progress at a residence near SE Ranson Road and SE 11th Street in Lee's Summit, according to a media release. As officers were arriving on scene the caller reported that they had located a prowler inside the home in a child’s bedroom and were physically detaining him. 

 Officers on scene quickly entered the home and took the man into custody without incident.  Investigation on scene would reveal that the suspect,&nbsp; later identified as&nbsp;42-year-old Robert M McDowell III &nbsp;had entered the home by breaking in a back door prior to being found in the child’s bedroom.

&nbsp;There were no injuries reported by the homeowner, the suspect reported minor injuries and was treated and released at a local hospital into police custody.&nbsp; Based on spontaneous statements by McDowell on scene, investigators obtained a search warrant for McDowell’s cell phone. 

 Investigators were also attempting to determine if the defendant was intoxicated or impaired during the incident. The Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office charged McDowell with Burglary 1st Degree and two counts of Possession of Child Pornography 1st Degree, with an $80,000.00 bond. The Lee’s Summit Police Department is working with providers to offer assistance resources to the victims.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/4/1744459997697.png" alt="McDowell photo Lee's Summit Police" />
 <figcaption>McDowell photo Lee's Summit Police</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement are investigating a suspect on multiple allegations after he broke into a home in a Kansas City suburb.Just after 11p.m. April 9, police responded to a burglary in progress at a residence near SE Ranson Road and SE 11th Street in Lee's Summit, according to a media release. As officers were arriving on scene the caller reported that they had located a prowler inside the home in a child’s bedroom and were physically detaining him. Officers on scene quickly entered the home and took the man into custody without incident. Investigation on scene would reveal that the suspect,&nbsp; later identified as&nbsp;42-year-old Robert M McDowell III &nbsp;had entered the home by breaking in a back door prior to being found in the child’s bedroom.&nbsp;There were no injuries reported by the homeowner, the suspect reported minor injuries and was treated and released at a local hospital into police custody.&nbsp; Based on spontaneous statements by McDowell on scene, investigators obtained a search warrant for McDowell’s cell phone. Investigators were also attempting to determine if the defendant was intoxicated or impaired during the incident. The Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office charged McDowell with Burglary 1st Degree and two counts of Possession of Child Pornography 1st Degree, with an $80,000.00 bond. The Lee’s Summit Police Department is working with providers to offer assistance resources to the victims.

Burglary suspect caught in child's bedroom in KC suburb

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Friday urged Congress to "push hard for more Daylight at the end of a day" in his latest dig at the semiannual changing of clocks.

Trump, in a post on his Truth Social media network, said it would be "Very popular and, most importantly, no more changing of the clocks, a big inconvenience and, for our government, A VERY COSTLY EVENT!!!"

The Republican president's position calling for more daylight would push the schedule forward, keeping the country on daylight saving time. His post came a day after a Senate panel heard testimony examining whether to set one time all year instead of shifting.

There has been growing interest in states to standardize daylight saving time in recent years.

But daylight saving time, when clocks are set from spring to fall one hour ahead of standard time, is still recognized in most parts of the country. It was first adopted as a wartime measure in 1942.

Trump last year called for the Republican Party to eliminate daylight saving time, saying it was "inconvenient, and very costly to our Nation."

But he backed off that call last month, with another post on social media calling it a "50-50 issue."

The president said some people would like more light later in the day but some want more light early so they don't have to take their kids to school in the dark.

"When something's a 50-50 issue, it's hard to get excited about it," he said.

The Senate in 2022 unanimously approved a measure that would make daylight saving time permanent across the United States, but it did not advance.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/4/1744399764237.png" alt=" " />
 <figcaption> </figcaption>
 </figure>By MICHELLE L. PRICE&nbsp;WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Friday urged Congress to "push hard for more Daylight at the end of a day" in his latest dig at the semiannual changing of clocks.Trump, in a post on his Truth Social media network, said it would be "Very popular and, most importantly, no more changing of the clocks, a big inconvenience and, for our government, A VERY COSTLY EVENT!!!"The Republican president's position calling for more daylight would push the schedule forward, keeping the country on daylight saving time. His post came a day after a Senate panel heard testimony examining whether to set one time all year instead of shifting.There has been growing interest in states to standardize daylight saving time in recent years.But daylight saving time, when clocks are set from spring to fall one hour ahead of standard time, is still recognized in most parts of the country. It was first adopted as a wartime measure in 1942.Trump last year called for the Republican Party to eliminate daylight saving time, saying it was "inconvenient, and very costly to our Nation."But he backed off that call last month, with another post on social media calling it a "50-50 issue."The president said some people would like more light later in the day but some want more light early so they don't have to take their kids to school in the dark."When something's a 50-50 issue, it's hard to get excited about it," he said.The Senate in 2022 unanimously approved a measure that would make daylight saving time permanent across the United States, but it did not advance.

Trump wants Congress to stop the semiannual changing of clocks

WASHINGTON (AP) —Trump says he believes his physical went “well” but that the resulting medical report won’t be released until Sunday.

Speaking to reporters on Air Force One as he flew to Florida for the weekend, Trump said he underwent “every test you can imagine.”

“I was there for a long time,” said Trump, who spent close to five hours at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center outside Washington before the flight.

The president noted that doctors gave him “a little bit” of advice on changing his habits to improve his health. He also said he took a cognitive test and that he “got every answer right.”

“Overall, I felt I was in very good shape,” Trump said. “A good heart, a good soul, a very good soul.”

WASHINGTON (AP) —Trump says he believes his physical went “well” but that the resulting medical report won’t be released until Sunday.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> on his annual physical at Walter Reed: &quot;I think I did well... I felt I was in very good shape — good heart, a good soul... I wanted to be a little different than Biden. I took a cognitive test, and I don&#39;t know what to tell you other than I got every answer right.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/GYJisB1xxV">pic.twitter.com/GYJisB1xxV</a>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1910859248520606014?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 12, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Speaking to reporters on Air Force One as he flew to Florida for the weekend, Trump said he underwent “every test you can imagine.”“I was there for a long time,” said Trump, who spent close to five hours at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center outside Washington before the flight.The president noted that doctors gave him “a little bit” of advice on changing his habits to improve his health. He also said he took a cognitive test and that he “got every answer right.”“Overall, I felt I was in very good shape,” Trump said. “A good heart, a good soul, a very good soul.”

🎥President Trump says his annual physical went well

SHAWNEE COUNTY—A Kansas man is in custody following a stolen vehicle investigation in Shawnee County.

On Thursday, the Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division received information regarding someone attempting to sell a stolen vehicle on Facebook Marketplace, according to Deputy Abigail Christian. The Sheriff’s Proactive Operational Response Ream (S.P.O.R.T.) was activated immediately.&nbsp; They determined a location for the seller and vehicle.

Just before 1 p.m. near NW Lower Silver Lake Road and NW Brickyard Road, deputies located a red Chevrolet Corvette that was reported stolen out of Olathe, Kansas. Deputies also found a stolen firearm out of Johnson County.

Cooper E. Rash, 19, of Lecompton, Kan., was arrested and booked into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges Possession of stolen property: firearm with value less than $25,000; Possession of stolen property; value $25,000 to $100,000.

Rash also had a misdemeanor warrant for his arrest out of Shawnee County.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/4/1744374212055.png" alt="Rash photo Shawnee Co." />
 <figcaption>Rash photo Shawnee Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY—A Kansas man is in custody following a stolen vehicle investigation in Shawnee County.On Thursday, the Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division received information regarding someone attempting to sell a stolen vehicle on Facebook Marketplace, according to Deputy Abigail Christian. The Sheriff’s Proactive Operational Response Ream (S.P.O.R.T.) was activated immediately.&nbsp; They determined a location for the seller and vehicle.Just before 1 p.m. near NW Lower Silver Lake Road and NW Brickyard Road, deputies located a red Chevrolet Corvette that was reported stolen out of Olathe, Kansas. Deputies also found a stolen firearm out of Johnson County.Cooper E. Rash, 19, of Lecompton, Kan., was arrested and booked into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges Possession of stolen property: firearm with value less than $25,000; Possession of stolen property; value $25,000 to $100,000.Rash also had a misdemeanor warrant for his arrest out of Shawnee County.

Sheriff: Kan. teen tried to sell stolen car on Facebook Marketplace

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — A firing squad on Friday executed a South Carolina man who killed an off-duty police officer, the second time the rare execution method has been used by the state in the past five weeks.

Mikal Mahdi gave no final statement and did not look to his right toward the nine witnesses in the room behind bulletproof glass and bars once the curtain opened.

He cried out as the shots hit him, and his arms flexed. A white target with the red bull’s-eye over Mahdi’s heart was pushed into the wound in his chest.

He groaned two more times about 45 seconds after that. His breaths continued for about 80 seconds before he appeared to take one final gasp.

A doctor checked him for a little over a minute before declaring him dead at 6:05 p.m. He died less than four minutes after the shots were fired.

Mahdi, 42, chose to die by three bullets to the heart instead of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/death-penalty-south-carolina-lethal-injection-418b9f5ef6e5e4257458fab60b2df3c5">lethal injection</a>&nbsp;or the electric chair. On March 7,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/firing-squad-execution-south-carolina-sigmond-c998f11ecd3fcbf117d55b682ce3604a">Brad Sigmon</a>&nbsp;was executed in the first U.S. firing squad death in 15 years and only the fourth since 1976. The others all occurred in Utah.

The firing squad is an execution method with a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/firing-squad-death-penalty-south-carolina-sigmon-05000e874b12bb67c00832c2230f42c8">long and violent history</a>&nbsp;around the world. It has been used to punish mutinies and desertion in armies, as frontier justice in America’s Old West and as a tool of terror and political repression in the former Soviet Union and Nazi Germany.

But South Carolina lawmakers saw it as the quickest and most humane way to kill an inmate, especially with the uncertainty in obtaining lethal injection drugs. Three volunteers fired the bullets that killed Mahdi.

Mahdi is the fifth inmate executed by South Carolina in less than eight months as the state makes its way through prisoners who ran out of appeals during an unintended 13-year pause on executions in the state.

Mahdi's is the 12th execution in the U.S. this year. Twenty-five prisoners in nine states were killed in all of 2024.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/alabama-execution-demetrius-frazier-nitrogen-gas-e1b391e1e157f2815be1baa248737778">Alabama</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/execution-louisiana-nitrogen-eb5e7e61ff0875dc7b68664b42b6e980">Louisiana</a>&nbsp;have killed inmates by nitrogen gas.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/michael-tanzi-execution-janet-acosta-miami-herald-1a7dc19703a57df9a48b1e5ebd391ecb">Florida</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/oklahoma-execution-lethal-injection-wendell-grissom-8dc3a6b8e0fc412dbb4d610e15020dc0">Oklahoma</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://e415c25a244be5a82ce0ee586990244e/">Arizona</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://ed88e415f3f6e786ecc62639f1036ef6/">Texas</a>&nbsp;have executed men by lethal injection, while South Carolina has used both the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/firing-squad-execution-south-carolina-sigmond-c998f11ecd3fcbf117d55b682ce3604a">firing squad</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/south-carolina-execution-marion-bowman-lethal-injection-6ea9748c15f815e01249b6d706b0fb7e">lethal injection</a>.

Mahdi admitted he killed Orangeburg Public Safety officer James Myers in 2004, shooting him at least eight times before burning his body. Myers’ wife found him in the couple's Calhoun County shed, which had been the backdrop to their wedding 15 months earlier.

Myers’ shed was a short distance through the woods from a gas station where Mahdi tried but failed to buy gas with a stolen credit card and left behind a vehicle he had carjacked in Columbia. Mahdi was arrested in Florida while driving Myers’ unmarked police pickup truck.

Mahdi also admitted to the killing three days earlier of Christopher Boggs, a Winston-Salem, North Carolina, convenience store clerk who was shot twice in the head as he checked Mahdi’s ID. Mahdi was sentenced to life in prison for that killing.

Mahdi's final appeal&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/south-carolina-firing-squad-execution-mikal-mahdi-2c470315f60ccef35bc702f9551d2b29">was rejected</a>&nbsp;this week by both the U.S. and South Carolina Supreme Courts. His lawyers said Mahdi's original attorneys put on a shallow case trying to spare his life that didn’t call on relatives, teachers or others who knew him and ignored the impact of months spent in solitary confinement in prison as a teen.

The defense’s case to spare Mahdi’s life before a judge lasted only about 30 minutes. It “didn’t even span the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/south-carolina-execution-mikal-mahdi-b53aa588397b4664a63ba09d44cea5e4">length of a Law &amp; Order episode</a>, and was just as superficial,” Mahdi’s lawyers wrote.

Mahdi's earliest memory was his father slamming his mother through a glass table and later lying to his son and saying his mother was dead. Mahdi's father pulled him out of school in fifth grade when officials suggested he needed behavioral help, defense lawyers said.

Prosecutors said Mahdi constantly used brutality to solve his problems. As a death row prisoner, he stabbed a guard and hit another worker with a concrete block. Mahdi was caught three times with tools he could have used to escape, including a piece of sharpened metal that could be used as a knife, according to prison records.

“The nature of the man is violence,” prosecutors wrote.

Mahdi's death is the end of a busy time in South Carolina's death chamber. He is the fifth inmate killed since September after the state had not had any executions since 2011. No other inmates are out of appeals but several are close.

The state was able to restart executions after lawmakers allowed the firing squad and passed a bill allowing suppliers of the pentobarbital to remain secret, along with the exact procedures used to kill inmates and the names of prison employees on execution teams, including the firing squad shooters.

Along with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/firing-squad-execution-south-carolina-sigmond-c998f11ecd3fcbf117d55b682ce3604a">Sigmon's firing squad</a>&nbsp;death last month, three other South Carolina prisoners have been executed via lethal injection since September.

South Carolina now has&nbsp;<a href="https://www.doc.sc.gov/sites/doc/files/Documents/news/death-row-report.pdf">28 inmates</a>&nbsp;on its death row. Just one man has been sentenced to death in the past decade.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/4/1744411159926.png" alt="Mahdi photo South Carolina Dept. of Corrections" />
 <figcaption>Mahdi photo South Carolina Dept. of Corrections</figcaption>
 </figure>COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — A firing squad on Friday executed a South Carolina man who killed an off-duty police officer, the second time the rare execution method has been used by the state in the past five weeks.Mikal Mahdi gave no final statement and did not look to his right toward the nine witnesses in the room behind bulletproof glass and bars once the curtain opened.He cried out as the shots hit him, and his arms flexed. A white target with the red bull’s-eye over Mahdi’s heart was pushed into the wound in his chest.He groaned two more times about 45 seconds after that. His breaths continued for about 80 seconds before he appeared to take one final gasp.A doctor checked him for a little over a minute before declaring him dead at 6:05 p.m. He died less than four minutes after the shots were fired.Mahdi, 42, chose to die by three bullets to the heart instead of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/death-penalty-south-carolina-lethal-injection-418b9f5ef6e5e4257458fab60b2df3c5">lethal injection</a>&nbsp;or the electric chair. On March 7,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/firing-squad-execution-south-carolina-sigmond-c998f11ecd3fcbf117d55b682ce3604a">Brad Sigmon</a>&nbsp;was executed in the first U.S. firing squad death in 15 years and only the fourth since 1976. The others all occurred in Utah.The firing squad is an execution method with a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/firing-squad-death-penalty-south-carolina-sigmon-05000e874b12bb67c00832c2230f42c8">long and violent history</a>&nbsp;around the world. It has been used to punish mutinies and desertion in armies, as frontier justice in America’s Old West and as a tool of terror and political repression in the former Soviet Union and Nazi Germany.But South Carolina lawmakers saw it as the quickest and most humane way to kill an inmate, especially with the uncertainty in obtaining lethal injection drugs. Three volunteers fired the bullets that killed Mahdi.Mahdi is the fifth inmate executed by South Carolina in less than eight months as the state makes its way through prisoners who ran out of appeals during an unintended 13-year pause on executions in the state.Mahdi's is the 12th execution in the U.S. this year. Twenty-five prisoners in nine states were killed in all of 2024.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/alabama-execution-demetrius-frazier-nitrogen-gas-e1b391e1e157f2815be1baa248737778">Alabama</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/execution-louisiana-nitrogen-eb5e7e61ff0875dc7b68664b42b6e980">Louisiana</a>&nbsp;have killed inmates by nitrogen gas.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/michael-tanzi-execution-janet-acosta-miami-herald-1a7dc19703a57df9a48b1e5ebd391ecb">Florida</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/oklahoma-execution-lethal-injection-wendell-grissom-8dc3a6b8e0fc412dbb4d610e15020dc0">Oklahoma</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://e415c25a244be5a82ce0ee586990244e/">Arizona</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://ed88e415f3f6e786ecc62639f1036ef6/">Texas</a>&nbsp;have executed men by lethal injection, while South Carolina has used both the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/firing-squad-execution-south-carolina-sigmond-c998f11ecd3fcbf117d55b682ce3604a">firing squad</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/south-carolina-execution-marion-bowman-lethal-injection-6ea9748c15f815e01249b6d706b0fb7e">lethal injection</a>.<h2>The crime</h2>Mahdi admitted he killed Orangeburg Public Safety officer James Myers in 2004, shooting him at least eight times before burning his body. Myers’ wife found him in the couple's Calhoun County shed, which had been the backdrop to their wedding 15 months earlier.Myers’ shed was a short distance through the woods from a gas station where Mahdi tried but failed to buy gas with a stolen credit card and left behind a vehicle he had carjacked in Columbia. Mahdi was arrested in Florida while driving Myers’ unmarked police pickup truck.Mahdi also admitted to the killing three days earlier of Christopher Boggs, a Winston-Salem, North Carolina, convenience store clerk who was shot twice in the head as he checked Mahdi’s ID. Mahdi was sentenced to life in prison for that killing.<h2>Final appeal</h2>Mahdi's final appeal&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/south-carolina-firing-squad-execution-mikal-mahdi-2c470315f60ccef35bc702f9551d2b29">was rejected</a>&nbsp;this week by both the U.S. and South Carolina Supreme Courts. His lawyers said Mahdi's original attorneys put on a shallow case trying to spare his life that didn’t call on relatives, teachers or others who knew him and ignored the impact of months spent in solitary confinement in prison as a teen.The defense’s case to spare Mahdi’s life before a judge lasted only about 30 minutes. It “didn’t even span the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/south-carolina-execution-mikal-mahdi-b53aa588397b4664a63ba09d44cea5e4">length of a Law &amp; Order episode</a>, and was just as superficial,” Mahdi’s lawyers wrote.Mahdi's earliest memory was his father slamming his mother through a glass table and later lying to his son and saying his mother was dead. Mahdi's father pulled him out of school in fifth grade when officials suggested he needed behavioral help, defense lawyers said.Prosecutors said Mahdi constantly used brutality to solve his problems. As a death row prisoner, he stabbed a guard and hit another worker with a concrete block. Mahdi was caught three times with tools he could have used to escape, including a piece of sharpened metal that could be used as a knife, according to prison records.“The nature of the man is violence,” prosecutors wrote.<h2>Busy death chamber</h2>Mahdi's death is the end of a busy time in South Carolina's death chamber. He is the fifth inmate killed since September after the state had not had any executions since 2011. No other inmates are out of appeals but several are close.The state was able to restart executions after lawmakers allowed the firing squad and passed a bill allowing suppliers of the pentobarbital to remain secret, along with the exact procedures used to kill inmates and the names of prison employees on execution teams, including the firing squad shooters.Along with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/firing-squad-execution-south-carolina-sigmond-c998f11ecd3fcbf117d55b682ce3604a">Sigmon's firing squad</a>&nbsp;death last month, three other South Carolina prisoners have been executed via lethal injection since September.South Carolina now has&nbsp;<a href="https://www.doc.sc.gov/sites/doc/files/Documents/news/death-row-report.pdf">28 inmates</a>&nbsp;on its death row. Just one man has been sentenced to death in the past decade.

State executes killer of off-duty police officer by firing squad 

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>

Outcome preserves half budget veto overrides sought by Kansas Senate

TOPEKA — Three Republicans and three Democrats in the House dropped their opposition Friday to overriding Gov. Laura Kelly on 15 budget vetoes to meet the Senate halfway toward restoration of spending earmarks on the verge of being deleted from the appropriations bill.

Kelly got the ball rolling by making more than 30 line-item vetoes in Senate Bill 125 — the mega-budget bill that would keep state government running through the next fiscal year and featured a Christmas-tree assortment of expenditures sought by lobbyists and special-interest organizations. The Senate voted to reject all of Kelly’s budget vetoes, while the House pulled together a list of 15 priority vetoes it would consider overriding.

In a stunner Thursday, the GOP-led House rejected the scaled-down package and opened the door to sustaining each of the governor’s budget vetoes.

Rep. Charlette Esau, an Olathe Republican, was among GOP lawmakers who initially voted with Democrats to prevent the House from securing the two-thirds majority necessary to override the governor’s budget vetoes. She returned to the Capitol on Friday convinced she had made a mistake, and offered a motion to reconsider the House’s rejection of the 15-item list.

The House responded by voting 88-34 to accept the override package. The two-thirds majority in the House was reached after six lawmakers flipped their votes. Those changing positions were Democrats Barbara Ballard of Lawrence, Sydney Carlin of Manhattan and KC Ohaebosim of Wichita along with Republicans Brian Bergkamp of Wichita, Steve Huebert of Valley Center and Esau.

Rep. Brandon Woodard, the Democratic leader in the House, said he appreciated the bipartisan coalition that voted 82-42 on Thursday to block the budget overrides. He said he was disappointed advocates and lobbyists were able to convince lawmakers to change their votes.

“I am disappointed, though not surprised, by the overnight decision change to reconsider the motion to override the governor’s budget line-item vetoes,” Woodard said. “It is fiscally irresponsible to bundle these line items together and push them through under pressure from GOP leadership and outside special interests. The voices of Kansans — and the judgment of their elected representatives —should never be overshadowed by external political agendas.”

Rep. Brett Fairchild, a Republican from St. John, refused to change his vote against the 15-piece veto bundle in the House. He said there were individual vetoes that he’d enthusiastically vote to reverse, but he rejected the bundling of veto overrides. Traditionally, the House and Senate voted on vetoes one at a time.

“It sends a message to the governor that we don’t even want her to find waste and fraud in the budgets,” Fairchild said.

Esau said she was most concerned about loss of a $1 million earmarked for O’Connell Children’s Shelter in Lawrence, which works with children dealing with trauma and might be a risk to themselves or others. She said funding for the shelter could help children in the foster care system not ready to be placed with a family in a home.

“They (families) don’t have the ability to handle kids that need to be in a specific location getting treatment,” Esau said.

Kelly said she vetoed the appropriation because language in the bill allocating tax dollars to O’Connell created a no-bid contract that circumvented the state’s regular grant review process necessary to ensure “services provided are the bet quality at the best price.”

The reversal of fortune in the House saved a $3 million appropriation to the “pregnancy compassion awareness program” advocated by Kansans for Life and other organizations opposed to abortion. The program, housed in the office of the state treasurer and previously referred to as the “pregnancy crisis” program, was authorized as an alternative to traditional health clinics or family-planning centers. The governor’s veto message said she viewed the Legislature’s decision to place the program in the office of the state treasurer as “inappropriate and simply politically motivated.”

“There is no guarantee this funding is going to be directed to expenditures for moms and babies. It more or less has no strings attached,” said Rep. Jo Ella Hoye, D-Lenexa.

The Legislature’s work on veto overrides preserved bonding authority for construction of a $130 million veterinary diagnostic laboratory on the campus of Kansas State University. It restored $500,000 for unmanned aircraft research at Wichita State University and $500,000 for aviation research at the Salina campus of Kansas State.

The package retained a mandate championed by Sen. Virgil Peck, R-Havana, to assess a monthly rental fee of $1 per square foot for office space used by journalists in the Capitol. The Kansas Reflector wasn’t assigned office space at the statehouse, but rents private office space in Topeka. Kelly had vetoed the rental fee and recommended the Legislature “look for ways to make the lawmaking process more transparent.”

The Legislature overrode Kelly’s veto of a provision that forbid the Kansas Lottery from negotiating on contract renewals with casinos operating sports gambling in Kansas. Veto action of legislators allocated $1.5 million to a new program in the state treasurer’s office to attract talented workers to the state. The maneuver defunded a comparable Kansas Department of Commerce program known as “Love, Kansas,” touted by Lt. Gov. David Toland.

“It is highly inefficient to create a new, unvetted program with no guardrails in an agency that has nothing to do with workforce development or talent attraction,” Kelly said.

In addition, the override included a requirement the Kansas Arts Commission dedicate 60% of grants to counties with a population of less than 85,000 people.

Work of the Legislature retained a double-appropriation to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment of $250,000 and $96,000 for prevention of tuberculosis. Lawmakers held onto allocation of $263,000 to various Kansas health facilities for cerebral palsy research. Also, the votes reversed Kelly’s veto of $375,000 for interpreter services for individuals who were deaf or had hearing challenges.

The voting resulted in preservation of a provision that directed the Kansas Highway Patrol to collaborate with a third-party entity to build an aviation hangar in Wichita that would be leased to KHP. Originally, KPH requested funding to buy a hangar. Kelly said she vetoed it because a lease would cost the state more in the long run.

Voting by the House and Senate kept in place an estimated $2 million that would be spent to purchase software that would diagram school buildings in preparation for emergency calls to law enforcement officers. The governor said she vetoed the expenditure because the state’s 911 agency didn’t request the funding and reported that it didn’t have the personnel capacity to enact the program.

Rep. John Carmichael, a Wichita Democrat who serves on the Kansas 911 Coordinating Council, said the earmark was the result of a lobbyist working to please clients that marketed the mapping software. He said the state was engaged in a pilot project to examine possible use of mapping technology, but that assessment wasn’t completed.

“If you want to know how taxpayer money gets wasted and how budgets get inflated, here’s a prime example,” Carmichael said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/4/1744402156155.jpeg" alt=" Lawrence Democratic Rep. Barbara Ballard, center in red, and Manhattan Democratic Rep. Sydney Carlin, seated left, were among House members who changed their "no" vote to "yes" on a package of 15 overrides of budget vetoes issued by Gov. Laura Kelly. On Friday, Ballard and Carlin joined four other House members in support of overrides requiring a two-thirds majority vote. The House agreed to override half the budget vetoes sought by the Senate. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption> Lawrence Democratic Rep. Barbara Ballard, center in red, and Manhattan Democratic Rep. Sydney Carlin, seated left, were among House members who changed their "no" vote to "yes" on a package of 15 overrides of budget vetoes issued by Gov. Laura Kelly. On Friday, Ballard and Carlin joined four other House members in support of overrides requiring a two-thirds majority vote. The House agreed to override half the budget vetoes sought by the Senate. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>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><h2>Outcome preserves half budget veto overrides sought by Kansas Senate</h2>TOPEKA — Three Republicans and three Democrats in the House dropped their opposition Friday to overriding Gov. Laura Kelly on 15 budget vetoes to meet the Senate halfway toward restoration of spending earmarks on the verge of being deleted from the appropriations bill.Kelly got the ball rolling by making more than 30 line-item vetoes in Senate Bill 125 — the mega-budget bill that would keep state government running through the next fiscal year and featured a Christmas-tree assortment of expenditures sought by lobbyists and special-interest organizations. The Senate voted to reject all of Kelly’s budget vetoes, while the House pulled together a list of 15 priority vetoes it would consider overriding.In a stunner Thursday, the GOP-led House rejected the scaled-down package and opened the door to sustaining each of the governor’s budget vetoes.Rep. Charlette Esau, an Olathe Republican, was among GOP lawmakers who initially voted with Democrats to prevent the House from securing the two-thirds majority necessary to override the governor’s budget vetoes. She returned to the Capitol on Friday convinced she had made a mistake, and offered a motion to reconsider the House’s rejection of the 15-item list.The House responded by voting 88-34 to accept the override package. The two-thirds majority in the House was reached after six lawmakers flipped their votes. Those changing positions were Democrats Barbara Ballard of Lawrence, Sydney Carlin of Manhattan and KC Ohaebosim of Wichita along with Republicans Brian Bergkamp of Wichita, Steve Huebert of Valley Center and Esau.Rep. Brandon Woodard, the Democratic leader in the House, said he appreciated the bipartisan coalition that voted 82-42 on Thursday to block the budget overrides. He said he was disappointed advocates and lobbyists were able to convince lawmakers to change their votes.“I am disappointed, though not surprised, by the overnight decision change to reconsider the motion to override the governor’s budget line-item vetoes,” Woodard said. “It is fiscally irresponsible to bundle these line items together and push them through under pressure from GOP leadership and outside special interests. The voices of Kansans — and the judgment of their elected representatives —should never be overshadowed by external political agendas.”Rep. Brett Fairchild, a Republican from St. John, refused to change his vote against the 15-piece veto bundle in the House. He said there were individual vetoes that he’d enthusiastically vote to reverse, but he rejected the bundling of veto overrides. Traditionally, the House and Senate voted on vetoes one at a time.“It sends a message to the governor that we don’t even want her to find waste and fraud in the budgets,” Fairchild said.<h2>Show me the money</h2>Esau said she was most concerned about loss of a $1 million earmarked for O’Connell Children’s Shelter in Lawrence, which works with children dealing with trauma and might be a risk to themselves or others. She said funding for the shelter could help children in the foster care system not ready to be placed with a family in a home.“They (families) don’t have the ability to handle kids that need to be in a specific location getting treatment,” Esau said.Kelly said she vetoed the appropriation because language in the bill allocating tax dollars to O’Connell created a no-bid contract that circumvented the state’s regular grant review process necessary to ensure “services provided are the bet quality at the best price.”The reversal of fortune in the House saved a $3 million appropriation to the “pregnancy compassion awareness program” advocated by Kansans for Life and other organizations opposed to abortion. The program, housed in the office of the state treasurer and previously referred to as the “pregnancy crisis” program, was authorized as an alternative to traditional health clinics or family-planning centers. The governor’s veto message said she viewed the Legislature’s decision to place the program in the office of the state treasurer as “inappropriate and simply politically motivated.”“There is no guarantee this funding is going to be directed to expenditures for moms and babies. It more or less has no strings attached,” said Rep. Jo Ella Hoye, D-Lenexa.The Legislature’s work on veto overrides preserved bonding authority for construction of a $130 million veterinary diagnostic laboratory on the campus of Kansas State University. It restored $500,000 for unmanned aircraft research at Wichita State University and $500,000 for aviation research at the Salina campus of Kansas State.The package retained a mandate championed by Sen. Virgil Peck, R-Havana, to assess a monthly rental fee of $1 per square foot for office space used by journalists in the Capitol. The Kansas Reflector wasn’t assigned office space at the statehouse, but rents private office space in Topeka. Kelly had vetoed the rental fee and recommended the Legislature “look for ways to make the lawmaking process more transparent.”<h2>‘Highly inefficient’</h2>The Legislature overrode Kelly’s veto of a provision that forbid the Kansas Lottery from negotiating on contract renewals with casinos operating sports gambling in Kansas. Veto action of legislators allocated $1.5 million to a new program in the state treasurer’s office to attract talented workers to the state. The maneuver defunded a comparable Kansas Department of Commerce program known as “Love, Kansas,” touted by Lt. Gov. David Toland.“It is highly inefficient to create a new, unvetted program with no guardrails in an agency that has nothing to do with workforce development or talent attraction,” Kelly said.In addition, the override included a requirement the Kansas Arts Commission dedicate 60% of grants to counties with a population of less than 85,000 people.Work of the Legislature retained a double-appropriation to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment of $250,000 and $96,000 for prevention of tuberculosis. Lawmakers held onto allocation of $263,000 to various Kansas health facilities for cerebral palsy research. Also, the votes reversed Kelly’s veto of $375,000 for interpreter services for individuals who were deaf or had hearing challenges.The voting resulted in preservation of a provision that directed the Kansas Highway Patrol to collaborate with a third-party entity to build an aviation hangar in Wichita that would be leased to KHP. Originally, KPH requested funding to buy a hangar. Kelly said she vetoed it because a lease would cost the state more in the long run.Voting by the House and Senate kept in place an estimated $2 million that would be spent to purchase software that would diagram school buildings in preparation for emergency calls to law enforcement officers. The governor said she vetoed the expenditure because the state’s 911 agency didn’t request the funding and reported that it didn’t have the personnel capacity to enact the program.Rep. John Carmichael, a Wichita Democrat who serves on the Kansas 911 Coordinating Council, said the earmark was the result of a lobbyist working to please clients that marketed the mapping software. He said the state was engaged in a pilot project to examine possible use of mapping technology, but that assessment wasn’t completed.“If you want to know how taxpayer money gets wasted and how budgets get inflated, here’s a prime example,” Carmichael said.

Kansas House reverses course to override governor on 15 budget vetoes

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks jumped Friday in another manic day on Wall Street, while the falling value of the U.S. dollar and other swings in financial markets suggested fear is still high about&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/china-us-trump-tariffs-2e05057e973e1e26d1b95c5be003b4cd">escalations</a>&nbsp;in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">President Donald Trump’s</a>&nbsp;trade war with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/chinese-exporters-tariffs-us-0cb0720fd8d7fa46db76b883c9f92413">China</a>.

The S&amp;P 500 rallied 1.8%, after veering repeatedly between gains and losses, to cap a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/financial-markets-tariffs-trump-asia-d051e136201a2cc068a99ea2da167716">chaotic and historic week</a>&nbsp;full of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/stocks-markets-tariffs-trump-721a3a5971f1b254981d32f4acb9eb17">monstrous swings</a>. The Dow Jones Industrial Average went from an early loss of nearly 340 points to a gain of 810 before settling at a rise of 619 points, or 1.6%, while the Nasdaq composite jumped 2.1%.

Stocks kicked higher as pressure eased a bit from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/treasurys-bond-market-yield-tariff-46b4818710f01b8cc93fd002081167b0">within the U.S. bond market</a>. It’s typically the more boring corner of Wall Street, but it’s been flashing serious enough signals of worry this week that it’s demanded investors' and Trump’s attention.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury topped 4.58% in the morning, up from 4.01% a week ago. That’s a major move for a market that typically measures things in hundredths of a percentage point. Such jumps can drive up rates for mortgages and other loans going to U.S. households and businesses, which would slow the economy, and they can indicate stress in the financial system.

But Treasury yields eased back as the afternoon progressed, and the 10-year yield regressed to 4.48%. That’s still higher than the day before, but not by as eye-wateringly much.

Susan Collins, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, told the Financial Times that the Fed “would absolutely be prepared” if markets become disorderly and “does have tools to address concerns about market functioning or liquidity should they arise.”

Several reasons could be behind this week’s jump in U.S. Treasury yields, which is unusual because yields typically fall when fear is high. Investors outside the United States could be selling their U.S. bonds because of the trade war, and hedge funds could be selling whatever’s available in order to raise cash to cover other losses. More worryingly, doubts may be rising about the United States’ reputation as the world’s safest place to keep cash because of Trump’s frenetic, on-and-off tariff actions.

The value of the U.S. dollar also fell again Friday against everything from the euro to the Japanese yen to the Canadian dollar.

That’s even though&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/investing-gold-record-high-tariffs-0a90a91c132ecd0c8bc1a8f4e1dfc29e">gold</a>, another place where investors have instinctually flocked when fear is high, rose to bolster its reputation as a safer haven.

The shaky trading came after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/china-us-trump-tariffs-2e05057e973e1e26d1b95c5be003b4cd">China announced</a>&nbsp;Friday that it was boosting its tariffs on U.S. products to 125% in the latest tit-for-tat increase following&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tariffs-timeline-trade-war-trump-canada-mexico-china-a9d714eea677488ef9397547d838dbd0">Trump’s escalations on imports</a>&nbsp;from China.

The repeated U.S. tariff increases “on China has become a numbers game, which has no practical economic significance, and will become a joke in the history of the world economy,” a Finance Ministry spokesman said in a statement announcing the new tariffs. “However, if the US insists on continuing to substantially infringe on China’s interests, China will resolutely counter and fight to the end.”

Rising tensions between the world’s two largest economies could cause widespread damage and a possible global recession, even after Trump recently announced a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-tariffs-stock-market-china-recession-deals-e8e54a68397e6829e1d27552a1d7bfb9">90-day pause</a>&nbsp;on some of his tariffs for other countries, except for China.

All the uncertainty caused by the trade war is eroding confidence among U.S. shoppers, which could affect their spending and translate into damage for the economy, which&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-economy-gdp-growth-trump-tariff-9c6686a658241dbad8ebdeff632ff0ac">came into this year running at a solid rate</a>.

A preliminary survey by the University of Michigan suggested sentiment among U.S. consumers is falling even more sharply than economists expected. “This decline was, like the last month’s, pervasive and unanimous across age, income, education, geographic region, and political affiliation,” according to the survey’s director, Joanne Hsu.

“We remain in the early innings of this global trade regime change, and while the 90-day pause on reciprocal tariffs temporarily reversed the market selloff, it does prolong uncertainty,” according to Darrell Cronk, president of Wells Fargo Investment Institute.

That’s why many on Wall Street are prepared for more swings to hit markets. This past week began with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/stocks-markets-nikkei-tariffs-trump-76d0de278a6cad291ace624a74a6a1b6">huge swings for U.S. stocks</a>&nbsp;within&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/stocks-markets-tariffs-china-trump-b686ef0259c2f4894f9fcd1f3649a956">each day</a>&nbsp;as rumors swirled and then got batted down about a possible 90-day pause on Trump’s tariffs. Then the U.S. stock market surged to one of its&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/stocks-markets-tariffs-trump-721a3a5971f1b254981d32f4acb9eb17">best days in history</a>&nbsp;after Trump did deliver a pause, before&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/financial-markets-tariffs-trump-asia-d051e136201a2cc068a99ea2da167716">swinging</a>&nbsp;to end the week.

All told, the S&amp;P 500 rose 95.31 points Friday to 5,363.36. The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 619.05 to 40,212.71, and the Nasdaq composite climbed 337.14 to 16,724.46.

Friday’s swings came after a set of stronger-than-expected&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jpmorgan-bank-earnings-economy-tariffs-profit-be31f6305b847f5f555edb2f251e36c2">profit reports</a>&nbsp;from some of the biggest U.S. banks, which traditionally help kick off each earnings reporting season.

JPMorgan Chase, Morgan Stanley and Wells Fargo all reported stronger profit for the first three months of the year than analysts expected. JPMorgan Chase rose 4%, Morgan Stanley added 1.4% and Wells Fargo lost 1%.

Another&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-producer-prices-trump-trade-tariffs-5fd4468880467a93bd9141660dde5e5f">report on inflation</a>&nbsp;also came in better than expected. That could give the Federal Reserve more leeway to cut interest rates if it feels the need to support the economy.

But Friday’s report on inflation at the wholesale level was backward looking, measuring March’s price levels. The worry is that inflation will rise in coming months as Trump’s tariffs make their way through the economy. And that could tie the Fed’s hands.

The University of Michigan’s survey suggested U.S. consumers are bracing for inflation of 6.7% in the year ahead. That’s the highest forecast since 1981, and such expectations can create a feedback loop that pushes inflation higher.

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks jumped Friday in another manic day on Wall Street, while the falling value of the U.S. dollar and other swings in financial markets suggested fear is still high about&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/china-us-trump-tariffs-2e05057e973e1e26d1b95c5be003b4cd">escalations</a>&nbsp;in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">President Donald Trump’s</a>&nbsp;trade war with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/chinese-exporters-tariffs-us-0cb0720fd8d7fa46db76b883c9f92413">China</a>.The S&amp;P 500 rallied 1.8%, after veering repeatedly between gains and losses, to cap a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/financial-markets-tariffs-trump-asia-d051e136201a2cc068a99ea2da167716">chaotic and historic week</a>&nbsp;full of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/stocks-markets-tariffs-trump-721a3a5971f1b254981d32f4acb9eb17">monstrous swings</a>. The Dow Jones Industrial Average went from an early loss of nearly 340 points to a gain of 810 before settling at a rise of 619 points, or 1.6%, while the Nasdaq composite jumped 2.1%.Stocks kicked higher as pressure eased a bit from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/treasurys-bond-market-yield-tariff-46b4818710f01b8cc93fd002081167b0">within the U.S. bond market</a>. It’s typically the more boring corner of Wall Street, but it’s been flashing serious enough signals of worry this week that it’s demanded investors' and Trump’s attention.The yield on the 10-year Treasury topped 4.58% in the morning, up from 4.01% a week ago. That’s a major move for a market that typically measures things in hundredths of a percentage point. Such jumps can drive up rates for mortgages and other loans going to U.S. households and businesses, which would slow the economy, and they can indicate stress in the financial system.But Treasury yields eased back as the afternoon progressed, and the 10-year yield regressed to 4.48%. That’s still higher than the day before, but not by as eye-wateringly much.Susan Collins, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, told the Financial Times that the Fed “would absolutely be prepared” if markets become disorderly and “does have tools to address concerns about market functioning or liquidity should they arise.”Several reasons could be behind this week’s jump in U.S. Treasury yields, which is unusual because yields typically fall when fear is high. Investors outside the United States could be selling their U.S. bonds because of the trade war, and hedge funds could be selling whatever’s available in order to raise cash to cover other losses. More worryingly, doubts may be rising about the United States’ reputation as the world’s safest place to keep cash because of Trump’s frenetic, on-and-off tariff actions.The value of the U.S. dollar also fell again Friday against everything from the euro to the Japanese yen to the Canadian dollar.That’s even though&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/investing-gold-record-high-tariffs-0a90a91c132ecd0c8bc1a8f4e1dfc29e">gold</a>, another place where investors have instinctually flocked when fear is high, rose to bolster its reputation as a safer haven.The shaky trading came after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/china-us-trump-tariffs-2e05057e973e1e26d1b95c5be003b4cd">China announced</a>&nbsp;Friday that it was boosting its tariffs on U.S. products to 125% in the latest tit-for-tat increase following&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tariffs-timeline-trade-war-trump-canada-mexico-china-a9d714eea677488ef9397547d838dbd0">Trump’s escalations on imports</a>&nbsp;from China.The repeated U.S. tariff increases “on China has become a numbers game, which has no practical economic significance, and will become a joke in the history of the world economy,” a Finance Ministry spokesman said in a statement announcing the new tariffs. “However, if the US insists on continuing to substantially infringe on China’s interests, China will resolutely counter and fight to the end.”Rising tensions between the world’s two largest economies could cause widespread damage and a possible global recession, even after Trump recently announced a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-tariffs-stock-market-china-recession-deals-e8e54a68397e6829e1d27552a1d7bfb9">90-day pause</a>&nbsp;on some of his tariffs for other countries, except for China.All the uncertainty caused by the trade war is eroding confidence among U.S. shoppers, which could affect their spending and translate into damage for the economy, which&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-economy-gdp-growth-trump-tariff-9c6686a658241dbad8ebdeff632ff0ac">came into this year running at a solid rate</a>.A preliminary survey by the University of Michigan suggested sentiment among U.S. consumers is falling even more sharply than economists expected. “This decline was, like the last month’s, pervasive and unanimous across age, income, education, geographic region, and political affiliation,” according to the survey’s director, Joanne Hsu.“We remain in the early innings of this global trade regime change, and while the 90-day pause on reciprocal tariffs temporarily reversed the market selloff, it does prolong uncertainty,” according to Darrell Cronk, president of Wells Fargo Investment Institute.That’s why many on Wall Street are prepared for more swings to hit markets. This past week began with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/stocks-markets-nikkei-tariffs-trump-76d0de278a6cad291ace624a74a6a1b6">huge swings for U.S. stocks</a>&nbsp;within&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/stocks-markets-tariffs-china-trump-b686ef0259c2f4894f9fcd1f3649a956">each day</a>&nbsp;as rumors swirled and then got batted down about a possible 90-day pause on Trump’s tariffs. Then the U.S. stock market surged to one of its&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/stocks-markets-tariffs-trump-721a3a5971f1b254981d32f4acb9eb17">best days in history</a>&nbsp;after Trump did deliver a pause, before&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/financial-markets-tariffs-trump-asia-d051e136201a2cc068a99ea2da167716">swinging</a>&nbsp;to end the week.All told, the S&amp;P 500 rose 95.31 points Friday to 5,363.36. The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 619.05 to 40,212.71, and the Nasdaq composite climbed 337.14 to 16,724.46.Friday’s swings came after a set of stronger-than-expected&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jpmorgan-bank-earnings-economy-tariffs-profit-be31f6305b847f5f555edb2f251e36c2">profit reports</a>&nbsp;from some of the biggest U.S. banks, which traditionally help kick off each earnings reporting season.JPMorgan Chase, Morgan Stanley and Wells Fargo all reported stronger profit for the first three months of the year than analysts expected. JPMorgan Chase rose 4%, Morgan Stanley added 1.4% and Wells Fargo lost 1%.Another&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-producer-prices-trump-trade-tariffs-5fd4468880467a93bd9141660dde5e5f">report on inflation</a>&nbsp;also came in better than expected. That could give the Federal Reserve more leeway to cut interest rates if it feels the need to support the economy.But Friday’s report on inflation at the wholesale level was backward looking, measuring March’s price levels. The worry is that inflation will rise in coming months as Trump’s tariffs make their way through the economy. And that could tie the Fed’s hands.The University of Michigan’s survey suggested U.S. consumers are bracing for inflation of 6.7% in the year ahead. That’s the highest forecast since 1981, and such expectations can create a feedback loop that pushes inflation higher.

US stocks jump in another manic day as Wall Street closes historic week

SEDGWICK COUNTY —On Friday morning, the Sedgwick County Zoo announced&nbsp;the birth of a healthy African elephant calf, a male, born to mother Talia on April 10, according to a social media report from the zoo.

Both mother and baby are doing well, under the attentive watch of the Zoo’s veterinary and elephant care teams. The baby elephant's name is Bomani, which means “warrior” in Swahili. 

Bomani is already showing signs of curiosity and energy, standing up within his first few minutes of life and exploring his surroundings under the watchful eye of mom and other members of the herd. 

Mom and her new son will remain behind the scenes for a while to allow for the observation of bonding, nursing, and positive herd behavior. Lucky Zoo guests may be able to catch a glimpse of Bomani this weekend as he moves about his new space behind the Elephant Boma. 

<a href="https://sczelephantcampaign.my.canva.site/">Click here for more</a> information about the elephants at Sedgwick County Zoo and opportunities to support the growing herd.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/4/1744399238850.png" alt="&nbsp;Photo Sedgwick County Zoo" />
 <figcaption>&nbsp;Photo Sedgwick County Zoo</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY —On Friday morning, the Sedgwick County Zoo announced&nbsp;the birth of a healthy African elephant calf, a male, born to mother Talia on April 10, according to a social media report from the zoo.Both mother and baby are doing well, under the attentive watch of the Zoo’s veterinary and elephant care teams. The baby elephant's name is Bomani, which means “warrior” in Swahili. Bomani is already showing signs of curiosity and energy, standing up within his first few minutes of life and exploring his surroundings under the watchful eye of mom and other members of the herd. Mom and her new son will remain behind the scenes for a while to allow for the observation of bonding, nursing, and positive herd behavior. Lucky Zoo guests may be able to catch a glimpse of Bomani this weekend as he moves about his new space behind the Elephant Boma. <a href="https://sczelephantcampaign.my.canva.site/">Click here for more</a> information about the elephants at Sedgwick County Zoo and opportunities to support the growing herd.

Kansas zoo celebrating birth of baby elephant 

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/ashley-murray/">ASHLEY MURRAY</a>

WASHINGTON — Fired federal probationary workers saw setbacks this week, as the U.S. Supreme Court and an appeals court dealt blows in two separate cases, leaving the newly hired or recently promoted employees hit by the administration’s mass firings once again in limbo.

In a case that affected up to 24,000 fired probationary employees across 17 federal agencies, the U.S. Appeals Court for the 4th Circuit on Wednesday blocked a lower court order requiring the government to rehire the workers.

A three-judge panel ruled 2-1 to stay the order, writing that the Trump administration is “likely to succeed in showing the district court lacked jurisdiction over Plaintiffs’ claims.”

Judge Allison Rushing, appointed by President Donald Trump in 2019, directed the order, with Judge James Wilkinson, a President Ronald Reagan appointee, concurring. Judge DeAndrea Benjamin, appointed by President Joe Biden in 2023, dissented.

The case centered on a lawsuit filed by the Democratic attorneys general for 19 states and the District of Columbia, who&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/democratic-attorneys-general-face-trump-administration-over-rehiring-fired-feds" target="_blank">allege</a>&nbsp;economic harm because the federal government did not provide legally required warning ahead of an influx of unemployed state residents.

Federal Judge James Bredar for the District of Maryland&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/judge-orders-fired-federal-probationary-workers-reinstated-19-states-dc" target="_blank">issued a preliminary injunction</a>&nbsp;on April 2 requiring the government to rehire thousands of workers who either lived or reported to work only in the 19 plaintiff states and the District of Columbia while the case moved forward. They included:

The case marked the first time the government provided the number of probationary employees fired at each agency.

Bredar required the figures from the government to show compliance with his&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/second-federal-judge-orders-reversal-some-trump-workforce-cuts" target="_blank">mid-March emergency order</a>&nbsp;that the agencies reinstate the workers. The documents showed that the majority of the employees were not recalled to active duty, but&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/fired-fed-workers-won-their-jobs-back-many-linger-administrative-leave-limbo" target="_blank">placed on administrative leave</a>.

In the second case bearing on fired federal workers, the Supreme Court on Tuesday blocked a lower court order mandating the federal government reinstate the jobs of 16,000 fired probationary federal workers across six agencies.

The unsigned two-page&nbsp;<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/orders/courtorders/040825zr_1b8e.pdf" target="_blank">order</a>&nbsp;stated the nine nonprofits that brought the case do not have legal standing. The justices did not address the question at the center of the lawsuit: whether the firings were illegal.

The Trump administration had escalated the case to the Supreme Court’s emergency docket after the U.S. Appeals Court for the 9th Circuit&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/federal-appeals-court-turns-down-trump-attempt-block-rehiring-fired-workers" target="_blank">denied</a>&nbsp;the government’s request to block the agencies from rehiring the employees.

U.S. District Judge William Alsup for the Northern District of California&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/judge-orders-rehiring-thousands-fired-probationary-federal-employees" target="_blank">extended</a>&nbsp;his temporary emergency order on March 13, mandating the departments of Agriculture, Defense, Energy, Interior, Treasury and Veterans Affairs reinstate employees who were fired under a directive from the Office of Personnel Management as part of an agenda by President Donald Trump and adviser Elon Musk to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/federal-workforce-hit-trumps-sweeping-firings-thousands-probationary-employees" target="_blank">slash the federal workforce</a>.

As the case continues on the lower court track, lawyers for the American Federal of Government Employees, AFL-CIO faced the Trump administration in court Wednesday before Alsup, a Clinton appointee. Alsup ordered both to provide more information by the end of the day Friday, including a comprehensive list of those fired and statements about economic harms.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/3/1741729690736.png" alt="Department of Education in Washington -AP photo" />
 <figcaption>Department of Education in Washington -AP photo</figcaption>
 </figure>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/ashley-murray/">ASHLEY MURRAY</a>WASHINGTON — Fired federal probationary workers saw setbacks this week, as the U.S. Supreme Court and an appeals court dealt blows in two separate cases, leaving the newly hired or recently promoted employees hit by the administration’s mass firings once again in limbo.In a case that affected up to 24,000 fired probationary employees across 17 federal agencies, the U.S. Appeals Court for the 4th Circuit on Wednesday blocked a lower court order requiring the government to rehire the workers.A three-judge panel ruled 2-1 to stay the order, writing that the Trump administration is “likely to succeed in showing the district court lacked jurisdiction over Plaintiffs’ claims.”Judge Allison Rushing, appointed by President Donald Trump in 2019, directed the order, with Judge James Wilkinson, a President Ronald Reagan appointee, concurring. Judge DeAndrea Benjamin, appointed by President Joe Biden in 2023, dissented.The case centered on a lawsuit filed by the Democratic attorneys general for 19 states and the District of Columbia, who&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/democratic-attorneys-general-face-trump-administration-over-rehiring-fired-feds" target="_blank">allege</a>&nbsp;economic harm because the federal government did not provide legally required warning ahead of an influx of unemployed state residents.Federal Judge James Bredar for the District of Maryland&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/judge-orders-fired-federal-probationary-workers-reinstated-19-states-dc" target="_blank">issued a preliminary injunction</a>&nbsp;on April 2 requiring the government to rehire thousands of workers who either lived or reported to work only in the 19 plaintiff states and the District of Columbia while the case moved forward. They included:<ul>
 <li>Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Wisconsin.</li>
 </ul>The affected agencies included:<ul>
 <li>The departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense (civilian employees only), Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development, Interior, Labor, Transportation, Treasury and Veterans Affairs, as well as the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Environmental Protection Agency, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, General Services Administration, Office of Personnel Management, Small Business Administration and the U.S. Agency for International Development.</li>
 </ul>The case marked the first time the government provided the number of probationary employees fired at each agency.Bredar required the figures from the government to show compliance with his&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/second-federal-judge-orders-reversal-some-trump-workforce-cuts" target="_blank">mid-March emergency order</a>&nbsp;that the agencies reinstate the workers. The documents showed that the majority of the employees were not recalled to active duty, but&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/fired-fed-workers-won-their-jobs-back-many-linger-administrative-leave-limbo" target="_blank">placed on administrative leave</a>.<h2>Supreme Court action</h2>In the second case bearing on fired federal workers, the Supreme Court on Tuesday blocked a lower court order mandating the federal government reinstate the jobs of 16,000 fired probationary federal workers across six agencies.The unsigned two-page&nbsp;<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/orders/courtorders/040825zr_1b8e.pdf" target="_blank">order</a>&nbsp;stated the nine nonprofits that brought the case do not have legal standing. The justices did not address the question at the center of the lawsuit: whether the firings were illegal.The Trump administration had escalated the case to the Supreme Court’s emergency docket after the U.S. Appeals Court for the 9th Circuit&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/federal-appeals-court-turns-down-trump-attempt-block-rehiring-fired-workers" target="_blank">denied</a>&nbsp;the government’s request to block the agencies from rehiring the employees.U.S. District Judge William Alsup for the Northern District of California&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/judge-orders-rehiring-thousands-fired-probationary-federal-employees" target="_blank">extended</a>&nbsp;his temporary emergency order on March 13, mandating the departments of Agriculture, Defense, Energy, Interior, Treasury and Veterans Affairs reinstate employees who were fired under a directive from the Office of Personnel Management as part of an agenda by President Donald Trump and adviser Elon Musk to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/federal-workforce-hit-trumps-sweeping-firings-thousands-probationary-employees" target="_blank">slash the federal workforce</a>.As the case continues on the lower court track, lawyers for the American Federal of Government Employees, AFL-CIO faced the Trump administration in court Wednesday before Alsup, a Clinton appointee. Alsup ordered both to provide more information by the end of the day Friday, including a comprehensive list of those fired and statements about economic harms.&nbsp;

Fired federal probationary employees thrown back in limbo after court losses

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — A pastor was abducted by armed and masked men as he was preaching a sermon before a congregation in South Africa's Eastern Cape province, police said Friday.

Four men broke into the Fellowship Baptist church in Motherwell Township on Thursday evening, stole two cellphones from members of the congregation and took away the pastor in his own truck, said police, who have now initiated an investigation into abduction and armed robbery.

Local media named the victim as Josh Sullivan, 45, from the U.S. state of Tennessee, but police would not confirm the identification.

According to the Fellowship Baptist church blog, Sullivan, who described himself as a “church-planting missionary,” his wife Meagan and two children arrived in South Africa in November 2018 to run the Motherwell branch.

An image showing Sullivan preaching behind a pulpit was uploaded on X by a user going by the name of Tom Hatley. Sullivan identifies a man with the same name as his childhood and training pastor on his own blog. Hatley claimed that he was posting on Sullivan’s wife’s behalf and prayed for a safe return.

A Maryville, Tennessee woman by the name Tonya Rinker, who lists Sullivan as her son in her profile, expressed heartbreak on Facebook and asked for prayers for her son, daughter-in-law and grandkids, adding that the American embassy in South Africa was working on finding him.

Police spokesperson Captain Andre Beetge confirmed in a statement that the stolen truck, a silver Toyota Fortuner, was found abandoned in Motherwell a short while after the incident.

Additionally, the police Anti-Gang Unit has now taken over the investigation that was opened by the South African Police Service in Motherwell.

Beetge would not be drawn to give any particulars about the victim but said protocol dictated that once a ransom was demanded, the case would be handed over to the Hawks — a specialized police unit that investigates organized crime, economic crime, corruption, and other serious crimes.

“As I understand, there has been no ransom raised,” said Beetge, urging anyone with information to come forward.

As they await Sullivan’s safe return, supporters flocked to the pastor’s personal blog site and other social media platforms to offer their well-wishes.

“We are now praying that you delivered from these evil men,” a poster named Richard Stockton said on the church website. “Praying the Holy Spirit well work on their hearts and be saved. And release you!!!”

Another supporter called Kody Moore said Josh was a “faithful brother doing much to make Christ known in Africa."

“Please pray for Josh to be brought home safely and especially his family during this absolutely terrible time. May Christ be magnified,” he tweeted on X.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/4/1744386076602.png" alt="Google image" />
 <figcaption>Google image</figcaption>
 </figure>JOHANNESBURG (AP) — A pastor was abducted by armed and masked men as he was preaching a sermon before a congregation in South Africa's Eastern Cape province, police said Friday.Four men broke into the Fellowship Baptist church in Motherwell Township on Thursday evening, stole two cellphones from members of the congregation and took away the pastor in his own truck, said police, who have now initiated an investigation into abduction and armed robbery.Local media named the victim as Josh Sullivan, 45, from the U.S. state of Tennessee, but police would not confirm the identification.According to the Fellowship Baptist church blog, Sullivan, who described himself as a “church-planting missionary,” his wife Meagan and two children arrived in South Africa in November 2018 to run the Motherwell branch.An image showing Sullivan preaching behind a pulpit was uploaded on X by a user going by the name of Tom Hatley. Sullivan identifies a man with the same name as his childhood and training pastor on his own blog. Hatley claimed that he was posting on Sullivan’s wife’s behalf and prayed for a safe return.A Maryville, Tennessee woman by the name Tonya Rinker, who lists Sullivan as her son in her profile, expressed heartbreak on Facebook and asked for prayers for her son, daughter-in-law and grandkids, adding that the American embassy in South Africa was working on finding him.Police spokesperson Captain Andre Beetge confirmed in a statement that the stolen truck, a silver Toyota Fortuner, was found abandoned in Motherwell a short while after the incident.Additionally, the police Anti-Gang Unit has now taken over the investigation that was opened by the South African Police Service in Motherwell.Beetge would not be drawn to give any particulars about the victim but said protocol dictated that once a ransom was demanded, the case would be handed over to the Hawks — a specialized police unit that investigates organized crime, economic crime, corruption, and other serious crimes.“As I understand, there has been no ransom raised,” said Beetge, urging anyone with information to come forward.As they await Sullivan’s safe return, supporters flocked to the pastor’s personal blog site and other social media platforms to offer their well-wishes.“We are now praying that you delivered from these evil men,” a poster named Richard Stockton said on the church website. “Praying the Holy Spirit well work on their hearts and be saved. And release you!!!”Another supporter called Kody Moore said Josh was a “faithful brother doing much to make Christ known in Africa."“Please pray for Josh to be brought home safely and especially his family during this absolutely terrible time. May Christ be magnified,” he tweeted on X.

American pastor abducted at gunpoint in South Africa while preaching a sermon

SHAWNEE COUNTY —One person was injured while at the scene of a fire Wednesday night in Topeka.

Just after 10:30p.m. firefighters responded to a reported fire in a building at Cable Dahmer Chevrolet, 3731 SW Topeka Boulevard, according to Fire Marshal Alan Stahl.&nbsp; First arriving crews found smoke and flames coming from a building at the dealership. Crews were able to quickly extinguish the fire.

The cause of the fire was determined to be accidental, originating on or near the ventilation unit for the paint booth located in the vehicle body repair garage. One firefighter was treated for minor injuries on the scene.&nbsp; Authorities have not released an estimate on damage.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/4/1744381127495.png" alt="Photo courtesy WIBW TV" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy WIBW TV</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY —One person was injured while at the scene of a fire Wednesday night in Topeka.Just after 10:30p.m. firefighters responded to a reported fire in a building at Cable Dahmer Chevrolet, 3731 SW Topeka Boulevard, according to Fire Marshal Alan Stahl.&nbsp; First arriving crews found smoke and flames coming from a building at the dealership. Crews were able to quickly extinguish the fire.The cause of the fire was determined to be accidental, originating on or near the ventilation unit for the paint booth located in the vehicle body repair garage. One firefighter was treated for minor injuries on the scene.&nbsp; Authorities have not released an estimate on damage.

Firefighter injured fighting blaze at Kansas car dealership

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate confirmed retired Air Force&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-joint-chiefs-chairman-razin-caine-military-41b3faeaefd4d965dc22b15b0223ec58">Lt. Gen. Dan “Razin” Caine</a>&nbsp;to become the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on Friday, filling the position almost two months after President Donald Trump fired his predecessor.

Trump nominated Caine to become the top U.S. military officer in February after abruptly firing Gen. CQ Brown Jr., the second Black general to serve as chairman, as part of his administration’s campaign to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hegseth-trump-diversity-pentagon-list-602477b6e80641b53f4f9b640a14f4ce">rid the military of leaders who support diversity</a>&nbsp;and equity in the ranks. The Senate confirmed Caine 60-25 in an overnight vote before heading home for a two-week recess. Kansas U.S. Senator Roger Marshall voted with the majority. Kansas Senior U.S. Senator Jerry Moran did not vote.

Caine is a decorated F-16 combat pilot who served in leadership in multiple special operations commands, in some of the Pentagon’s most classified programs and in the CIA. He does not meet prerequisites for the job set out in a 1986 law, such as being a combatant commander or service chief. But those requirements can be waived by the president if there is a determination that “such action is necessary in the national interest.”

Caine’s confirmation in the middle of the night, just before the Senate left town, comes as Republicans have been quickly advancing Trump’s nominees and as Democrats have been trying to delay the process and show that they are fighting Trump’s policies. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., set up the early morning vote after Democrats objected to speeding up procedural votes on the nomination.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/4/1744367034745.png" alt="Air Force Lt. General Dan "Razin" Caine during his confirmation hearing testimony -image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Air Force Lt. General Dan "Razin" Caine during his confirmation hearing testimony -image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate confirmed retired Air Force&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-joint-chiefs-chairman-razin-caine-military-41b3faeaefd4d965dc22b15b0223ec58">Lt. Gen. Dan “Razin” Caine</a>&nbsp;to become the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on Friday, filling the position almost two months after President Donald Trump fired his predecessor.Trump nominated Caine to become the top U.S. military officer in February after abruptly firing Gen. CQ Brown Jr., the second Black general to serve as chairman, as part of his administration’s campaign to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hegseth-trump-diversity-pentagon-list-602477b6e80641b53f4f9b640a14f4ce">rid the military of leaders who support diversity</a>&nbsp;and equity in the ranks. The Senate confirmed Caine 60-25 in an overnight vote before heading home for a two-week recess. Kansas U.S. Senator Roger Marshall voted with the majority. Kansas Senior U.S. Senator Jerry Moran did not vote.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">✅ CONFIRMED: Lt. Gen. Dan &#39;Razin&#39; Caine as the 22nd Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff <a href="https://t.co/vFA4RB8IoU">pic.twitter.com/vFA4RB8IoU</a>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1910665801725558975?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 11, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Caine is a decorated F-16 combat pilot who served in leadership in multiple special operations commands, in some of the Pentagon’s most classified programs and in the CIA. He does not meet prerequisites for the job set out in a 1986 law, such as being a combatant commander or service chief. But those requirements can be waived by the president if there is a determination that “such action is necessary in the national interest.”Caine’s confirmation in the middle of the night, just before the Senate left town, comes as Republicans have been quickly advancing Trump’s nominees and as Democrats have been trying to delay the process and show that they are fighting Trump’s policies. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., set up the early morning vote after Democrats objected to speeding up procedural votes on the nomination.Still, Caine was confirmed with some bipartisan support. At his confirmation hearing earlier this month, Caine said he would be candid in his advice to Trump and vowed to be apolitical. He disputed Trump’s story that Caine wore a “Make America Great Again” hat when the two first met.“I have never worn any political merchandise,” he said.Caine was asked how he would react if ordered to direct the military to do something potentially illegal, such as being used against civilians in domestic law enforcement.“Will you stand up and push back?” Michigan Democratic Sen. Elissa Slotkin asked.“Senator, I think that’s the duty and the job that I have, yes,” Caine said.Trump’s relationship with Caine dates to his first administration. They met during a trip to Iraq, as Trump recounted in a 2019 speech. He has said Caine is “a real general, not a television general.”During his first term, Trump’s relationship with then-Chairman Gen. Mark Milley soured as Milley pushed back and took steps to try to prevent what he saw as an attempt to politicize the office. He would remind military service members that they took an oath to the Constitution, not to a president.Within hours of Trump’s inauguration in January, Milley’s portrait as chairman of the Joint Chiefs was removed from the Pentagon.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/milley-trump-security-detail-clearance-9bc8ebb7cd7cd2c334d00c97d4c142d0">Milley’s security clearance</a>&nbsp;and security detail also were revoked.