By:<a href="https://minnesotareformer.com/author/michelle/">Michelle Griffith</a> <a href="https://minnesotareformer.com/">Minnesota Reformer</a>

Gov. Tim Walz typically treats the Minnesota State Fair like his personal Super Bowl — trying new foods (this year the Uncrustaburger), touting one of his favorite rides (the Ye Old Mill) and making the rounds at TV and radio station booths for softball interviews.

Walz’s State Fair interviews this year centered around one question: Will you run for reelection? The governor was coy and reserved. He said he was taking his time assessing what was best for Minnesotans. Also, he said, the June death of his friend and close governing ally Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman weighed on him and delayed his reelection announcement.

“This one about broke me,”&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jks8AaxqbXY" target="_blank">Walz told WCCO</a>&nbsp;at the fair on Aug. 24, referring to Hortman’s death.

Nine days later, Walz was&nbsp;<a href="https://minnesotareformer.com/2025/09/02/walz-to-call-special-session-on-gun-control-propose-assault-weapons-ban/">speaking in front of Deerwood Elementary School</a>&nbsp;in Eagan. This time, he seemed more determined and animated, promising he was going to make Minnesota safer for children by pushing for gun control measures like a ban on so-called assault weapons.

What happened in those nine days? Yet another crisis that Walz had to manage, this time the killing of two children and wounding of 21 others in the&nbsp;<a href="https://minnesotareformer.com/2025/08/27/minnesota-gov-tim-walz-horrific-act-of-violence-at-south-minneapolis-school/">Church of the Annunciation mass shooting.</a>

The second-term DFL governor announced Tuesday that he’ll seek a third term, launching a campaign that will require him to convince Minnesotans that he’s been a steadying hand in the face of the multiple crises that have enveloped the state in recent years, including a once-in-a-century pandemic, civil unrest after the police murder of George Floyd, emerging fiscal instability and shocking political violence.

“We’re not done yet. And that’s why I’m running for reelection. I want to make Minnesota a place where everyone has a chance to succeed — in every corner of the state,” Walz said in his&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/Tim_Walz/status/1967936393747063151" target="_blank">campaign launch video.</a>

Another crisis has been state government’s own making: A wave of fraud in public programs is sure to be a centerpiece of the Republican campaign against him.

He’ll also need to persuade skeptical Minnesotans that he has a vision for another four years — a June KSTP poll found that just 43% of Minnesotans surveyed say Walz should r<a href="https://kstp.com/kstp-news/top-news/kstp-surveyusa-results-gov-walz-to-testify-before-congress/" target="_blank">un for a third term even though he remains broadly popular.</a>&nbsp;The last time Minnesota voters were faced with a governor seeking a third term, they rejected Iron Range Democrat Gov. Rudy Perpich in 1990.

West metro Republican Rep. Kristin Robbins, 2022 GOP nominee for governor Scott Jensen and Kendall Qualls, an army veteran and health care executive, are challenging Walz. If they can raise money and blanket the media, they’ll have plenty to work with to attack Walz’s nearly eight years in office, from flagging school test scores to fraud-riddled public programs.

“Minnesotans cannot afford four more years of higher taxes, failing schools, unsafe streets, fraud and policies that undermine fairness for women and girls,” said Minnesota Republican Party Chair Alex Plechash in a statement. “… Minnesota families are worse off under his leadership. It’s time for new leadership and a fresh direction. Minnesota deserves better.”

Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, who is leaving Walz’s side to run for U.S. Senate, said Walz has a strong record to run on — Minnesotans make better wages and live healthier, longer lives than other Midwesterners — and an energetic personality that’s repeatedly won over Minnesotans.

“He’s an incredible effective campaigner, and I think once he’s on the road, he’s unstoppable,” said Flanagan, who added that “of course” she’ll endorse him.&nbsp;

Running in a midterm election during President Donald Trump’s second term, Walz also has an ace: He can sell himself as a Democratic bulwark against an increasingly hostile federal government led by a president Minnesotans have rejected three times.

“Minnesotans trust that Tim Walz is ready to stand up for them, for their liberties and their constitutional rights and defend them from an authoritarian in the White House. People are going to look to Tim Walz for that leadership,” said DFL Chair Richard Carlbom, who’s worked for Walz off-and-on since 2007.

The governor was elected in 2018, campaigning under the slogan “One Minnesota.” Walz represented a purple district in Congress for more than a decade and when first elected he was seen as a centrist bridge-builder.

But he’s become a champion of progressive policies — in 2022 with Walz at the top of the ticket, Democrats swept control of state government and passed one of the&nbsp;<a href="https://minnesotareformer.com/2024/08/07/heres-what-tim-walz-has-done-as-governor-of-minnesota/">most significant progressive agendas</a>&nbsp;in the nation’s recent history with just a single-seat Senate majority. Walz’s signature is on laws providing all students with free lunch, legalizing marijuana, codifying abortion rights, providing drivers licenses for undocumented immigrants, creating a paid leave program, mandating paid sick leave, restoring voting rights to people after they serve prison sentences, protecting warehouse and meat processing workers, creating a free college program for working class families and requiring universal background checks for gun purchases, among many others.

Republicans were aghast, both by his policies and also his management of several crises.

Like many Democratic governors in 2020, Walz put in place&nbsp;<a href="https://minnesotareformer.com/2024/08/07/heres-what-tim-walz-has-done-as-governor-of-minnesota/">a stay-at-home order</a>&nbsp;at the beginning of the pandemic, and later an indoor mask mandate and restrictions on schools and churches at the urging of public health authorities and institutions like the Mayo Clinic.

He required state workers to be vaccinated before they could return to the workplace.

The pandemic decisions were polarizing and at times faced legal challenges. By the time the worst of the pandemic was over, Minnesota had lower COVID-19 death rates than most other states.

The aftermath of the police murder of George Floyd in 2020 presented another political and governing challenge. The widespread destruction of the riots, which followed decades of police abuses, created a lasting liability for him.

In 2018, Walz, alongside Flanagan, won 21 of 87 counties. In 2022,&nbsp;<a href="https://www2.startribune.com/many-of-minnesotas-counties-shifted-right-why-that-wasnt-enough-for-jensen-to-beat-walz/600224371/?_gl=1*munmte*_gcl_au*MTc3MjY2NDMzNy4xNzUxMzk2NTUz*_ga*NzE2Nzk0MjEwLjE3Mjc3MjIxNDc.*_ga_SG3Y2YJFRQ*czE3NTgwMjQ3ODkkbzk0MiRnMSR0MTc1ODAyNDkwNyRqNDYkbDAkaDEwOTAyNDAy" target="_blank">Walz won 13.</a>&nbsp;

“‘One Minnesota’ means working together across lines of difference to get good work done for people,” Flanagan said, acknowledging that the country is more divided now than when the duo was first elected.

“We are in a time when people feel incredibly divided, which means this requires us to lean in even more, to listen to folks, to hear their concerns and take action whenever and wherever we can. And I think that is what Gov. Walz’s reelection will be grounded in,” Flanagan said.

One year ago, Walz was thrust into the national spotlight after Vice President Kamala Harris picked&nbsp;<a href="https://minnesotareformer.com/2024/08/06/from-a-mankato-classroom-to-the-white-house-harris-names-walz-her-vice-presidential-nominee/">him as her running mate.</a>&nbsp;Harris had hoped that Walz’s rural background, Midwest demeanor and military, teaching and coaching resume would win over working-class voters.

Republicans and the national press during the accelerated campaign scrutinized Walz’s past and propensity to misspeak — what he called “knucklehead” misstatements.

After a resounding&nbsp;<a href="https://minnesotareformer.com/2024/11/06/weird-won-now-walz-comes-home/">defeat on the national stage,</a>&nbsp;Walz returned to a different Minnesota, one with a divided Legislature after Republicans won seats for shared control of the Minnesota House. The state was also facing a long-term deficit.

Walz spent weeks negotiating with legislative leaders of both parties to come to&nbsp;<a href="https://minnesotareformer.com/2025/06/06/gov-tim-walz-to-call-special-session-for-monday-legislature-aims-to-pass-14-bills-in-one-day/">a two-year budget agreement,</a>&nbsp;requiring him to acquiesce to the GOP’s top demand: Eliminate state-funded health insurance for undocumented adults. The progressive Democratic base was outraged.

Just days after the Legislature passed the two-year budget, a man&nbsp;<a href="https://minnesotareformer.com/2025/06/14/minnesota-house-democratic-leader-dead-after-targeted-shooting-democratic-senator-also-shot/">shot and killed Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark</a>&nbsp;in their Brooklyn Park home and shot Democratic Sen. John Hoffman and his wife Yvette. Walz oversaw the two-day manhunt to apprehend the shooter of his friend. Hortman’s assassination gave Walz pause about whether he wanted to continue to serve as governor.

This summer was bookended by tragedies after a shooter opened fire outside of Church of Annunciation last month. Walz again headed the response to the mass shooting and is now pushing lawmakers&nbsp;<a href="https://minnesotareformer.com/briefs/walz-says-he-will-call-special-session-one-way-or-another-on-gun-control/">to return for a special session</a>&nbsp;to get Republicans on the record regarding gun control.

In 2023, Walz&nbsp;<a href="https://minnesotareformer.com/briefs/walzs-proposes-child-tax-credits-universal-free-lunch-boost-in-k-12-education-funding/">began the historic legislative session</a>&nbsp;under the DFL trifecta by saying that Minnesota was going to become “the best state in the country to raise a family.”

That year, the governor shepherded legislation that he frequently brags about to this day: the school meals program and a child tax credit that could slash childhood poverty by 33%.

But Walz’s lengthy record may fade into the background in the face of the second Trump earthquake and the administration’s aggressive incursions into state policies.

Attorney General Keith Ellison, who has sued the Trump administration some 30 times so far, said that Walz is the right person to stand up to Trump.

“(Walz) has been a real asset in my opinion, and he’s been a great partner,” Ellison said. “The governor’s office and the AG’s office historically have not always worked well together, but me and Gov. Walz work seamlessly, and I’m glad to keep him as a partner.”

Paradoxically, Trump is both a challenge but also a political gift to Walz — an easy foil.

Voters will go to the polls next year with Trump top of mind, said Jeff Blodgett, who was chief strategist for Sens. Paul Wellstone and Al Franken.

“This is going to be a much bigger election about how our state is faring in the midst of Donald Trump’s presidency,” Blodgett said. “It will be a contrast between Trump’s style and Tim Walz’s style and the fact that he’s ushered the state through many, many crises and come out on the other side stronger and better — I think that will only help him.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/9/1758034568019.jpeg" alt=" Gov. Tim Walz and First Lady Gwen Walz read to a class of preschoolers during a visit to Pine Bend Elementary School in Inver Grove Heights for a meeting of the Children’s Cabinet Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025. (Photo by Nicole Neri/Minnesota Reformer)" />
 <figcaption> Gov. Tim Walz and First Lady Gwen Walz read to a class of preschoolers during a visit to Pine Bend Elementary School in Inver Grove Heights for a meeting of the Children’s Cabinet Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025. (Photo by Nicole Neri/Minnesota Reformer)</figcaption>
 </figure>By:<a href="https://minnesotareformer.com/author/michelle/">Michelle Griffith</a> <a href="https://minnesotareformer.com/">Minnesota Reformer</a>Gov. Tim Walz typically treats the Minnesota State Fair like his personal Super Bowl — trying new foods (this year the Uncrustaburger), touting one of his favorite rides (the Ye Old Mill) and making the rounds at TV and radio station booths for softball interviews.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">I’m running for reelection to continue serving as Governor of Minnesota. We’ve made historic progress in our state, but we’re not done yet. I’m staying in the fight — and I need you with me. <a href="https://t.co/NsVCXfq4M2">pic.twitter.com/NsVCXfq4M2</a>&mdash; Tim Walz (@Tim_Walz) <a href="https://twitter.com/Tim_Walz/status/1967936393747063151?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 16, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Walz’s State Fair interviews this year centered around one question: Will you run for reelection? The governor was coy and reserved. He said he was taking his time assessing what was best for Minnesotans. Also, he said, the June death of his friend and close governing ally Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman weighed on him and delayed his reelection announcement.“This one about broke me,”&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jks8AaxqbXY" target="_blank">Walz told WCCO</a>&nbsp;at the fair on Aug. 24, referring to Hortman’s death.Nine days later, Walz was&nbsp;<a href="https://minnesotareformer.com/2025/09/02/walz-to-call-special-session-on-gun-control-propose-assault-weapons-ban/">speaking in front of Deerwood Elementary School</a>&nbsp;in Eagan. This time, he seemed more determined and animated, promising he was going to make Minnesota safer for children by pushing for gun control measures like a ban on so-called assault weapons.What happened in those nine days? Yet another crisis that Walz had to manage, this time the killing of two children and wounding of 21 others in the&nbsp;<a href="https://minnesotareformer.com/2025/08/27/minnesota-gov-tim-walz-horrific-act-of-violence-at-south-minneapolis-school/">Church of the Annunciation mass shooting.</a>The second-term DFL governor announced Tuesday that he’ll seek a third term, launching a campaign that will require him to convince Minnesotans that he’s been a steadying hand in the face of the multiple crises that have enveloped the state in recent years, including a once-in-a-century pandemic, civil unrest after the police murder of George Floyd, emerging fiscal instability and shocking political violence.“We’re not done yet. And that’s why I’m running for reelection. I want to make Minnesota a place where everyone has a chance to succeed — in every corner of the state,” Walz said in his&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/Tim_Walz/status/1967936393747063151" target="_blank">campaign launch video.</a><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1724014226536.png" alt="Walz and VP Kamala Harris on the campaign trail-image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Walz and VP Kamala Harris on the campaign trail-image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>Another crisis has been state government’s own making: A wave of fraud in public programs is sure to be a centerpiece of the Republican campaign against him.He’ll also need to persuade skeptical Minnesotans that he has a vision for another four years — a June KSTP poll found that just 43% of Minnesotans surveyed say Walz should r<a href="https://kstp.com/kstp-news/top-news/kstp-surveyusa-results-gov-walz-to-testify-before-congress/" target="_blank">un for a third term even though he remains broadly popular.</a>&nbsp;The last time Minnesota voters were faced with a governor seeking a third term, they rejected Iron Range Democrat Gov. Rudy Perpich in 1990.West metro Republican Rep. Kristin Robbins, 2022 GOP nominee for governor Scott Jensen and Kendall Qualls, an army veteran and health care executive, are challenging Walz. If they can raise money and blanket the media, they’ll have plenty to work with to attack Walz’s nearly eight years in office, from flagging school test scores to fraud-riddled public programs.“Minnesotans cannot afford four more years of higher taxes, failing schools, unsafe streets, fraud and policies that undermine fairness for women and girls,” said Minnesota Republican Party Chair Alex Plechash in a statement. “… Minnesota families are worse off under his leadership. It’s time for new leadership and a fresh direction. Minnesota deserves better.”Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, who is leaving Walz’s side to run for U.S. Senate, said Walz has a strong record to run on — Minnesotans make better wages and live healthier, longer lives than other Midwesterners — and an energetic personality that’s repeatedly won over Minnesotans.“He’s an incredible effective campaigner, and I think once he’s on the road, he’s unstoppable,” said Flanagan, who added that “of course” she’ll endorse him.&nbsp;Running in a midterm election during President Donald Trump’s second term, Walz also has an ace: He can sell himself as a Democratic bulwark against an increasingly hostile federal government led by a president Minnesotans have rejected three times.“Minnesotans trust that Tim Walz is ready to stand up for them, for their liberties and their constitutional rights and defend them from an authoritarian in the White House. People are going to look to Tim Walz for that leadership,” said DFL Chair Richard Carlbom, who’s worked for Walz off-and-on since 2007.<h2>A tenure defined by crises</h2>The governor was elected in 2018, campaigning under the slogan “One Minnesota.” Walz represented a purple district in Congress for more than a decade and when first elected he was seen as a centrist bridge-builder.But he’s become a champion of progressive policies — in 2022 with Walz at the top of the ticket, Democrats swept control of state government and passed one of the&nbsp;<a href="https://minnesotareformer.com/2024/08/07/heres-what-tim-walz-has-done-as-governor-of-minnesota/">most significant progressive agendas</a>&nbsp;in the nation’s recent history with just a single-seat Senate majority. Walz’s signature is on laws providing all students with free lunch, legalizing marijuana, codifying abortion rights, providing drivers licenses for undocumented immigrants, creating a paid leave program, mandating paid sick leave, restoring voting rights to people after they serve prison sentences, protecting warehouse and meat processing workers, creating a free college program for working class families and requiring universal background checks for gun purchases, among many others.Republicans were aghast, both by his policies and also his management of several crises.Like many Democratic governors in 2020, Walz put in place&nbsp;<a href="https://minnesotareformer.com/2024/08/07/heres-what-tim-walz-has-done-as-governor-of-minnesota/">a stay-at-home order</a>&nbsp;at the beginning of the pandemic, and later an indoor mask mandate and restrictions on schools and churches at the urging of public health authorities and institutions like the Mayo Clinic.He required state workers to be vaccinated before they could return to the workplace.The pandemic decisions were polarizing and at times faced legal challenges. By the time the worst of the pandemic was over, Minnesota had lower COVID-19 death rates than most other states.The aftermath of the police murder of George Floyd in 2020 presented another political and governing challenge. The widespread destruction of the riots, which followed decades of police abuses, created a lasting liability for him.In 2018, Walz, alongside Flanagan, won 21 of 87 counties. In 2022,&nbsp;<a href="https://www2.startribune.com/many-of-minnesotas-counties-shifted-right-why-that-wasnt-enough-for-jensen-to-beat-walz/600224371/?_gl=1*munmte*_gcl_au*MTc3MjY2NDMzNy4xNzUxMzk2NTUz*_ga*NzE2Nzk0MjEwLjE3Mjc3MjIxNDc.*_ga_SG3Y2YJFRQ*czE3NTgwMjQ3ODkkbzk0MiRnMSR0MTc1ODAyNDkwNyRqNDYkbDAkaDEwOTAyNDAy" target="_blank">Walz won 13.</a>&nbsp;“‘One Minnesota’ means working together across lines of difference to get good work done for people,” Flanagan said, acknowledging that the country is more divided now than when the duo was first elected.“We are in a time when people feel incredibly divided, which means this requires us to lean in even more, to listen to folks, to hear their concerns and take action whenever and wherever we can. And I think that is what Gov. Walz’s reelection will be grounded in,” Flanagan said.One year ago, Walz was thrust into the national spotlight after Vice President Kamala Harris picked&nbsp;<a href="https://minnesotareformer.com/2024/08/06/from-a-mankato-classroom-to-the-white-house-harris-names-walz-her-vice-presidential-nominee/">him as her running mate.</a>&nbsp;Harris had hoped that Walz’s rural background, Midwest demeanor and military, teaching and coaching resume would win over working-class voters.Republicans and the national press during the accelerated campaign scrutinized Walz’s past and propensity to misspeak — what he called “knucklehead” misstatements.After a resounding&nbsp;<a href="https://minnesotareformer.com/2024/11/06/weird-won-now-walz-comes-home/">defeat on the national stage,</a>&nbsp;Walz returned to a different Minnesota, one with a divided Legislature after Republicans won seats for shared control of the Minnesota House. The state was also facing a long-term deficit.Walz spent weeks negotiating with legislative leaders of both parties to come to&nbsp;<a href="https://minnesotareformer.com/2025/06/06/gov-tim-walz-to-call-special-session-for-monday-legislature-aims-to-pass-14-bills-in-one-day/">a two-year budget agreement,</a>&nbsp;requiring him to acquiesce to the GOP’s top demand: Eliminate state-funded health insurance for undocumented adults. The progressive Democratic base was outraged.Just days after the Legislature passed the two-year budget, a man&nbsp;<a href="https://minnesotareformer.com/2025/06/14/minnesota-house-democratic-leader-dead-after-targeted-shooting-democratic-senator-also-shot/">shot and killed Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark</a>&nbsp;in their Brooklyn Park home and shot Democratic Sen. John Hoffman and his wife Yvette. Walz oversaw the two-day manhunt to apprehend the shooter of his friend. Hortman’s assassination gave Walz pause about whether he wanted to continue to serve as governor.This summer was bookended by tragedies after a shooter opened fire outside of Church of Annunciation last month. Walz again headed the response to the mass shooting and is now pushing lawmakers&nbsp;<a href="https://minnesotareformer.com/briefs/walz-says-he-will-call-special-session-one-way-or-another-on-gun-control/">to return for a special session</a>&nbsp;to get Republicans on the record regarding gun control.<h2>Walz’s vision for the next four years</h2>In 2023, Walz&nbsp;<a href="https://minnesotareformer.com/briefs/walzs-proposes-child-tax-credits-universal-free-lunch-boost-in-k-12-education-funding/">began the historic legislative session</a>&nbsp;under the DFL trifecta by saying that Minnesota was going to become “the best state in the country to raise a family.”That year, the governor shepherded legislation that he frequently brags about to this day: the school meals program and a child tax credit that could slash childhood poverty by 33%.But Walz’s lengthy record may fade into the background in the face of the second Trump earthquake and the administration’s aggressive incursions into state policies.Attorney General Keith Ellison, who has sued the Trump administration some 30 times so far, said that Walz is the right person to stand up to Trump.“(Walz) has been a real asset in my opinion, and he’s been a great partner,” Ellison said. “The governor’s office and the AG’s office historically have not always worked well together, but me and Gov. Walz work seamlessly, and I’m glad to keep him as a partner.”Paradoxically, Trump is both a challenge but also a political gift to Walz — an easy foil.Voters will go to the polls next year with Trump top of mind, said Jeff Blodgett, who was chief strategist for Sens. Paul Wellstone and Al Franken.“This is going to be a much bigger election about how our state is faring in the midst of Donald Trump’s presidency,” Blodgett said. “It will be a contrast between Trump’s style and Tim Walz’s style and the fact that he’s ushered the state through many, many crises and come out on the other side stronger and better — I think that will only help him.”

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz launches reelection campaign for third term

MONTGOMERY COUNTY—One person died in an accident just before 5a.m. Tuesday in Montgomery County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2003 Chevy Silverado driven by&nbsp;: Cassandra L&nbsp;: Lukens, 41, Coffeyville, was northbound on County Road 4300 at County Road 2000 approximately one mile north of U.S. 166. The driver failed to yield at the stop sign. The Silverado struck a westbound 2001 Buick LeSabre driven by Brian R.&nbsp;Griswold, 65, Coffeyville.

Griswold was pronounced dead at the scene and transported to&nbsp;Frontier Forensics.&nbsp;Lukens was not injured.&nbsp; Both drivers were properly restrained, according to the KHP.

MONTGOMERY COUNTY—One person died in an accident just before 5a.m. Tuesday in Montgomery County.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2003 Chevy Silverado driven by&nbsp;: Cassandra L&nbsp;: Lukens, 41, Coffeyville, was northbound on County Road 4300 at County Road 2000 approximately one mile north of U.S. 166. The driver failed to yield at the stop sign. The Silverado struck a westbound 2001 Buick LeSabre driven by Brian R.&nbsp;Griswold, 65, Coffeyville.Griswold was pronounced dead at the scene and transported to&nbsp;Frontier Forensics.&nbsp;Lukens was not injured.&nbsp; Both drivers were properly restrained, according to the KHP.

Kansas man killed in pickup, car crash

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/akaminski/">ANNA KAMINSKI</a> <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/01/03/kansas-state-garden-city-cc-striving-to-shrink-bachelors-degree-educational-desert/?emci=8e6f56cf-3bca-ef11-88d0-0022482a9b45&amp;emdi=a9416bb1-82ca-ef11-88d0-0022482a9b45&amp;ceid=115039">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA — Kansas lawmakers skewered the state agency that oversees nursing licenses, alleging it has contributed to the state’s nursing shortage and demanding action before the next legislative session.

At a Sept. 8 meeting of the House Select Committee on Government Oversight, legislators urged the Kansas State Board of Nursing to make substantial changes to policies, procedures and regulations that govern the state’s relicensing and disciplinary processes.

Legislators used words such as “perplexed,” “horrified,” and “egregious” to describe their feelings about the state nursing board and its leadership. They passed resolutions that are likely to guide future changes.

Rep. Sean Tarwater, a Stilwell Republican, hurled jabs at the board, which he described as having “no regard for human life.”

He accused the agency of being filled with “power-hungry individuals that are ruining people’s lives,” and he favored extracting some of the board’s $4 million budget to share with those he thinks have been wronged by the board.

Over months of hearings, the committee has listened to hours of testimony from health care professionals. The testimony detailed the nursing board’s delays in licensing, inadequate communication, leadership issues, dated technology, inconsistent fees for the same infractions, clerical errors, coercion, conflicts of interest, flawed investigations and an approach to discipline with “an attitude of guilty until proven innocent,” said Rep. Sandy Pickert, a Wichita Republican.

Pickert does not sit on the oversight committee. She is a nurse and has followed the committee’s hearings.

Brenda Sharpe, a board member, said the board agrees with some recommendations for change.

“This board would like more tools in its toolbox,” she said.

She also strongly encouraged the committee to consider facts and circumstances not available in an open forum, referencing the long list of testimony about individual disciplinary cases. She maintained the board has acted in good faith, taking into account facts and circumstances “that may appear one way to this group but, in fact, we believe are another.”

“I would never say we follow everything perfectly,” Sharpe said. “We’re human beings. The licensees are human beings. This is a human process. That’s where we’re at.”

Michael Schommer told the committee about his 23-year-old son, Connor, who is on the autism spectrum and was diagnosed with depression. Connor attempted suicide twice, Schommer said. It wasn’t until the family found a nurse, Ana Ahrens, and a therapist who discovered the perfect combination of medication and counseling that stabilized Connor, he said.

“You know, she has a unique, no-nonsense, stern yet compassionate method of getting his attention, and he would look her in the eye and respond to the questions she was asking him,” Schommer said. “She held him accountable for what he was doing and started to get through to him.”

But then Ahrens made an error while renewing her licenses online. The state nursing board revoked her prescribing privileges, and Ahrens couldn’t refill Connor Schommer’s medication.

Michael Schommer and his wife frantically tried to find another prescriber.

“It went about two weeks too far, unfortunately,” Schommer said. “And, I just — one day he got up and there he was walking through the house talking to the ceiling again for eight hours nonstop.”

That could have been prevented, Schommer said, expressing confusion about the nursing board’s procedures.

“Thank God we still have him today, and he’s doing much better,” Schommer said.

Schommer’s story was one of dozens, but its gravity struck legislators and underscored their crusade for change.

“He could’ve lost his son, and that’s serious,” said Rep. Barbara Ballard, a Lawrence Democrat.

The committee deliberated two resolutions that encouraged considering a grace period for nurses who are late to apply for relicensing, IT updates and regular digital notifications leading up to a nurse’s relicensing deadline. The committee also discussed changing the makeup of the state board, favoring a mix of legislative and gubernatorial appointments.

The resolutions allude to a bill for the 2026 session, but lawmakers urged the board to review its policies without legislative action. The committee also discussed the possibility of a future subcommittee that could provide further recommendations.

The nursing board is responsible for more than 70,000 Kansas nurses.

Maggie Ortiz, a nurse from Texas who advocates across the country for changing nursing regulations, said the issues Kansas is facing are not unique.

“The elephant in the room is the investigative process,” she said.

House lawmakers expressed frustration with the lack of oversight of the board. Complaints about the board are investigated by the board, leading to concerns about conflicts of interest.

Rep. Susan Humphries, a Wichita Republican, said disciplinary processes seem inconsistent, which many legislators on the committee find egregious.

Rep. Emil Bergquist, a Wichita Republican who was sitting on the committee Monday as a substitute, said he didn’t think nurses in Kansas are being protected. And disciplinary processes seem “like a knifepoint rather than a corrective point,” he said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/9/1757962679630.png" alt=" Rep. Sandy Pickert, shown here at Gov. Laura Kelly's State of the State address on Jan. 15, 2025, used her experience as a nurse to advise a House oversight committee in September on changes to the Kansas State Board of Nursing. (Grace Hills/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption> Rep. Sandy Pickert, shown here at Gov. Laura Kelly's State of the State address on Jan. 15, 2025, used her experience as a nurse to advise a House oversight committee in September on changes to the Kansas State Board of Nursing. (Grace Hills/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/akaminski/">ANNA KAMINSKI</a> <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/01/03/kansas-state-garden-city-cc-striving-to-shrink-bachelors-degree-educational-desert/?emci=8e6f56cf-3bca-ef11-88d0-0022482a9b45&amp;emdi=a9416bb1-82ca-ef11-88d0-0022482a9b45&amp;ceid=115039">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — Kansas lawmakers skewered the state agency that oversees nursing licenses, alleging it has contributed to the state’s nursing shortage and demanding action before the next legislative session.At a Sept. 8 meeting of the House Select Committee on Government Oversight, legislators urged the Kansas State Board of Nursing to make substantial changes to policies, procedures and regulations that govern the state’s relicensing and disciplinary processes.Legislators used words such as “perplexed,” “horrified,” and “egregious” to describe their feelings about the state nursing board and its leadership. They passed resolutions that are likely to guide future changes.Rep. Sean Tarwater, a Stilwell Republican, hurled jabs at the board, which he described as having “no regard for human life.”He accused the agency of being filled with “power-hungry individuals that are ruining people’s lives,” and he favored extracting some of the board’s $4 million budget to share with those he thinks have been wronged by the board.Over months of hearings, the committee has listened to hours of testimony from health care professionals. The testimony detailed the nursing board’s delays in licensing, inadequate communication, leadership issues, dated technology, inconsistent fees for the same infractions, clerical errors, coercion, conflicts of interest, flawed investigations and an approach to discipline with “an attitude of guilty until proven innocent,” said Rep. Sandy Pickert, a Wichita Republican.Pickert does not sit on the oversight committee. She is a nurse and has followed the committee’s hearings.“Pandora’s box is open,” she said.Brenda Sharpe, a board member, said the board agrees with some recommendations for change.“This board would like more tools in its toolbox,” she said.She also strongly encouraged the committee to consider facts and circumstances not available in an open forum, referencing the long list of testimony about individual disciplinary cases. She maintained the board has acted in good faith, taking into account facts and circumstances “that may appear one way to this group but, in fact, we believe are another.”“I would never say we follow everything perfectly,” Sharpe said. “We’re human beings. The licensees are human beings. This is a human process. That’s where we’re at.”Michael Schommer told the committee about his 23-year-old son, Connor, who is on the autism spectrum and was diagnosed with depression. Connor attempted suicide twice, Schommer said. It wasn’t until the family found a nurse, Ana Ahrens, and a therapist who discovered the perfect combination of medication and counseling that stabilized Connor, he said.“You know, she has a unique, no-nonsense, stern yet compassionate method of getting his attention, and he would look her in the eye and respond to the questions she was asking him,” Schommer said. “She held him accountable for what he was doing and started to get through to him.”But then Ahrens made an error while renewing her licenses online. The state nursing board revoked her prescribing privileges, and Ahrens couldn’t refill Connor Schommer’s medication.Michael Schommer and his wife frantically tried to find another prescriber.“It went about two weeks too far, unfortunately,” Schommer said. “And, I just — one day he got up and there he was walking through the house talking to the ceiling again for eight hours nonstop.”That could have been prevented, Schommer said, expressing confusion about the nursing board’s procedures.“Thank God we still have him today, and he’s doing much better,” Schommer said.Schommer’s story was one of dozens, but its gravity struck legislators and underscored their crusade for change.“He could’ve lost his son, and that’s serious,” said Rep. Barbara Ballard, a Lawrence Democrat.The committee deliberated two resolutions that encouraged considering a grace period for nurses who are late to apply for relicensing, IT updates and regular digital notifications leading up to a nurse’s relicensing deadline. The committee also discussed changing the makeup of the state board, favoring a mix of legislative and gubernatorial appointments.The resolutions allude to a bill for the 2026 session, but lawmakers urged the board to review its policies without legislative action. The committee also discussed the possibility of a future subcommittee that could provide further recommendations.The nursing board is responsible for more than 70,000 Kansas nurses.Maggie Ortiz, a nurse from Texas who advocates across the country for changing nursing regulations, said the issues Kansas is facing are not unique.“The elephant in the room is the investigative process,” she said.House lawmakers expressed frustration with the lack of oversight of the board. Complaints about the board are investigated by the board, leading to concerns about conflicts of interest.Rep. Susan Humphries, a Wichita Republican, said disciplinary processes seem inconsistent, which many legislators on the committee find egregious.Rep. Emil Bergquist, a Wichita Republican who was sitting on the committee Monday as a substitute, said he didn’t think nurses in Kansas are being protected. And disciplinary processes seem “like a knifepoint rather than a corrective point,” he said.

Voicing outrage, Kansas lawmakers outline potential changes for state nursing board

KANSAS CITY—Law enforcement investigating a double homicide in Kansas City have released the name of one of the victims as 49-year-old Gande A. Salamed, according to KCPD Sergeant Phil DiMartino.

Just after&nbsp;7a.m. Sunday, patrol officers were dispatched to the 6800 block of Longview Road on a reported shooting.

Upon arrival officers were directed to the front of a grocery store where they located Salamed suffering from gunshot wounds. Officers began to render aid as KCFD Medics simultaneously arrived. He was pronounced deceased on scene.

Other officers arriving were directed to the north side of the grocery store parking lot where they located an additional male victim, also suffering from gunshot wounds. He was transported to a local hospital by ambulance, with life threatening injuries. Just before 9 a.m., investigators were notified that he died of his injuries at the hospital. Police have not released his name.

&nbsp;Preliminary information indicates there was an interaction outside of the grocery store between multiple individuals just prior to the shots being fired.&nbsp;This is being investigated as a homicide, and no one is in custody.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/9/1757900925738.png" alt="Photo Sheriff Daryl Forte'" />
 <figcaption>Photo Sheriff Daryl Forte'</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY—Law enforcement investigating a double homicide in Kansas City have released the name of one of the victims as 49-year-old Gande A. Salamed, according to KCPD Sergeant Phil DiMartino.Just after&nbsp;7a.m. Sunday, patrol officers were dispatched to the 6800 block of Longview Road on a reported shooting.Upon arrival officers were directed to the front of a grocery store where they located Salamed suffering from gunshot wounds. Officers began to render aid as KCFD Medics simultaneously arrived. He was pronounced deceased on scene.Other officers arriving were directed to the north side of the grocery store parking lot where they located an additional male victim, also suffering from gunshot wounds. He was transported to a local hospital by ambulance, with life threatening injuries. Just before 9 a.m., investigators were notified that he died of his injuries at the hospital. Police have not released his name.&nbsp;Preliminary information indicates there was an interaction outside of the grocery store between multiple individuals just prior to the shots being fired.&nbsp;This is being investigated as a homicide, and no one is in custody.

Police ID victim in KC grocery store parking lot gunfight

OSAGE COUNTY — A woman is recovering from injuries after a crash involving a train and a multi-agency effort to find her.

Just after 7:30a.m. Monday, the Osage County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call reporting collision involving a train and a vehicle near K-276 Highway and South Lewelling Road, near Olivet, according to Sheriff Chris Wells.

Deputies from the Osage County Sheriff’s Office, along with Osage County EMS and Fire District #3, responded immediately. While the scene was located, no individuals were found with the vehicle, prompting a full-scale search of the surrounding area.

A multi-agency effort was launched, covering an estimated 2–3-mile radius. This included ground crews, aerial support, and numerous community volunteers who stepped forward to assist in the search.

At approximately 3:15 p.m., the missing individual — an 82-year-old woman — was located alive in a heavily wooded area near the railroad tracks. She was transported to a Topeka hospital for treatment.

The Osage County Sheriff’s Office thanked the volunteers and assisting agencies for their efforts, time, and care shown during the&nbsp; search. The successful outcome was made possible through the combined efforts of trained responders and the supportive Osage County community.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/9/1758019675130.png" alt="Rail line near Olivet, Kansas -google image" />
 <figcaption>Rail line near Olivet, Kansas -google image</figcaption>
 </figure>OSAGE COUNTY — A woman is recovering from injuries after a crash involving a train and a multi-agency effort to find her.Just after 7:30a.m. Monday, the Osage County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call reporting collision involving a train and a vehicle near K-276 Highway and South Lewelling Road, near Olivet, according to Sheriff Chris Wells.Deputies from the Osage County Sheriff’s Office, along with Osage County EMS and Fire District #3, responded immediately. While the scene was located, no individuals were found with the vehicle, prompting a full-scale search of the surrounding area.A multi-agency effort was launched, covering an estimated 2–3-mile radius. This included ground crews, aerial support, and numerous community volunteers who stepped forward to assist in the search.At approximately 3:15 p.m., the missing individual — an 82-year-old woman — was located alive in a heavily wooded area near the railroad tracks. She was transported to a Topeka hospital for treatment.The Osage County Sheriff’s Office thanked the volunteers and assisting agencies for their efforts, time, and care shown during the&nbsp; search. The successful outcome was made possible through the combined efforts of trained responders and the supportive Osage County community.

Deputies searched for Kan. woman injured after crash with a train

DOUGLAS COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating two Kansas woman who police believe came to Lawrence&nbsp;on a retail crime spree, but were stopped by an alert officer. 

On Sunday, police were called to Dick’s Sporting Goods, 2727 Iowa Street after an employee said the two women walked out with a full cart then sped off. 

 The employee provided a description of the vehicle and an officer spotted it in the nearby Walmart parking lot. 

 The officer approached the women, later identified as from Topeka, and ultimately learned they also had likely stolen items from Dillon’s. 

The total value of the recovered items is at least $1,800, making the alleged crime a felony.  The driver also didn’t have a valid license. Just after 7p.m., officers transported the women to the Douglas County Correctional Facility. Police did not release their names or possible charges they face.

DOUGLAS COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating two Kansas woman who police believe came to Lawrence&nbsp;on a retail crime spree, but were stopped by an alert officer. On Sunday, police were called to Dick’s Sporting Goods, 2727 Iowa Street after an employee said the two women walked out with a full cart then sped off. The employee provided a description of the vehicle and an officer spotted it in the nearby Walmart parking lot. The officer approached the women, later identified as from Topeka, and ultimately learned they also had likely stolen items from Dillon’s. The total value of the recovered items is at least $1,800, making the alleged crime a felony. The driver also didn’t have a valid license. Just after 7p.m., officers transported the women to the Douglas County Correctional Facility. Police did not release their names or possible charges they face.

2 Kansas woman jailed after retail crime spree

<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">WATCH IN FULL: <a href="https://twitter.com/VP?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@VP</a>&#39;s opening comments on The Charlie Kirk Show <a href="https://t.co/J2i3uAI4x2">pic.twitter.com/J2i3uAI4x2</a>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1967626357568942346?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 15, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/Kaelan47?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Kaelan47</a> describes his last interaction with <a href="https://twitter.com/charliekirk11?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@charliekirk11</a>, in which Charlie prayed for him and his wife as they dealt with the struggles of being first-time parents. That&#39;s who Charlie was. ❤️ <a href="https://t.co/DhW5rppryY">pic.twitter.com/DhW5rppryY</a>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1967632525016314212?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 15, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/PressSec?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PressSec</a>: &quot;He inspired me as a young voice... before every briefing, I always pray to Jesus Christ, and Charlie was so outspoken with his faith — and I will continue to be in honor of him.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/3CocAfdkbR">pic.twitter.com/3CocAfdkbR</a>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1967634277434282105?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 15, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/VP?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@VP</a> recites Psalm 133 in a powerful message to the American people: &quot;Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious ointment upon the head...&quot; &quot;Oh, how badly have I craved that precious ointment in recent days, and I… <a href="https://t.co/UQ5RHd1yue">pic.twitter.com/UQ5RHd1yue</a>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1967651075256717434?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 15, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">MUST WATCH: <a href="https://twitter.com/VP?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@VP</a> powerfully delivers some hard truths on political violence in America. &quot;While our side of the aisle certainly has its crazies, it is a statistical FACT that most of the lunatics in American politics today are proud members of the Far Left.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/mYnkCZhuXU">pic.twitter.com/mYnkCZhuXU</a>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1967652535679721576?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 15, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">White House Chief of Staff <a href="https://twitter.com/SusieWiles?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SusieWiles</a> says <a href="https://twitter.com/charliekirk11?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@charliekirk11</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/TPUSA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TPUSA</a> &quot;delivered 110%&quot; in re-electing President Trump: &quot;I don&#39;t know that Charlie gets enough credit for that... it was an immeasurable help.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/vrcQGbaDkn">pic.twitter.com/vrcQGbaDkn</a>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1967645301717733687?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 15, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/StephenM?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@StephenM</a> on organized Radical Left violence: &quot;With God as my witness, we are going to use every resource we have at the DOJ, Homeland Security, and throughout this government, to identify, disrupt, dismantle, and destroy these networks... We will do it in Charlie&#39;s name.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/xGXYXR5bi5">pic.twitter.com/xGXYXR5bi5</a>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1967627684886061110?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 15, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

🎥Vance hosts Kirk's radio show, shares how he'll honor his friend 

<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><a href="https://t.co/gqH4MHjbg2">pic.twitter.com/gqH4MHjbg2</a>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1967680808128483764?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 15, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

🎥 U.S. conducted 2nd strike on alleged drug cartel boat from Venezuela

SALINE COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating a suspect in connection with a violent incident in Salina.

Just after 3a.m. on Sunday, police in Salina received a a report about an 18-year old suspect, later idenfied as&nbsp;Moses Breadon, who attempted to break into a home in the 1400 block of Teakwood in Salina, according to a media release.

A 17-year old woman who lives at the residence heard banging on the front door. When she walked to the door to see who it was, she recognized the suspect.&nbsp;

Breadon wanted the 17-year-old to leave the house with him, but she refused.&nbsp; The woman told police she 'slightly cracked the door open' and Breadon&nbsp; pushed his way inside the house. He then grabbed a dog at the residence and put the dog in his truck, along with dragging the woman out of the house and throwing her onto the front porch. Breadon allegedly hit the woman as well, according to p olice.

Breadon forcibly put the woman inside his truck, but she was able to get away and ran back inside the house. The victim's family members then awoke from their sleep and realized what had happened. When the&nbsp;victim's family members called 9-1-1, Breadon left the area.

Later Sunday, police found and arrested Breadon in the 900 block of Maple. He was booked into jail on requested charges of Aggravated Kidnapping, Aggravated Burglary, Criminal Threat, Domestic Battery and Robbery.

The victim suffered injuries with marks on her arms, along with a bloody nose. She was medically treated.&nbsp; Police did not have an update on the dog.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/9/1757894834871.jpeg" alt="Breadon photo Saline Co." />
 <figcaption>Breadon photo Saline Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SALINE COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating a suspect in connection with a violent incident in Salina.Just after 3a.m. on Sunday, police in Salina received a a report about an 18-year old suspect, later idenfied as&nbsp;Moses Breadon, who attempted to break into a home in the 1400 block of Teakwood in Salina, according to a media release.A 17-year old woman who lives at the residence heard banging on the front door. When she walked to the door to see who it was, she recognized the suspect.&nbsp;Breadon wanted the 17-year-old to leave the house with him, but she refused.&nbsp; The woman told police she 'slightly cracked the door open' and Breadon&nbsp; pushed his way inside the house. He then grabbed a dog at the residence and put the dog in his truck, along with dragging the woman out of the house and throwing her onto the front porch. Breadon allegedly hit the woman as well, according to p olice.Breadon forcibly put the woman inside his truck, but she was able to get away and ran back inside the house. The victim's family members then awoke from their sleep and realized what had happened. When the&nbsp;victim's family members called 9-1-1, Breadon left the area.Later Sunday, police found and arrested Breadon in the 900 block of Maple. He was booked into jail on requested charges of Aggravated Kidnapping, Aggravated Burglary, Criminal Threat, Domestic Battery and Robbery.The victim suffered injuries with marks on her arms, along with a bloody nose. She was medically treated.&nbsp; Police did not have an update on the dog.

Police: Suspect tried to kidnap Kansas teen from her home

By:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/jason-hancock/">Jason Hancock</a> <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-senate-committee-advances-bill-to-ban-texting-while-driving/">Missouri Independent</a>

Almost immediately after&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/09/12/gerrymandered-congressional-map-initiative-petitions-limits-sent-to-missouri-governor/">Missouri Republicans shut down debate last week</a>&nbsp;to pass a newly gerrymandered congressional map, a pair of lawsuits were filed challenging its constitutionality.&nbsp;

Meanwhile, a referendum campaign seeking to repeal the map got a major financial boost over the weekend — a $500,000 donation from a national dark-money organization.&nbsp;

And a lawsuit filed last week by the Missouri NAACP claiming the governor<a href="https://naacp.org/articles/naacp-files-lawsuit-block-missouris-unconstitutional-special-session-threatening-black" target="_blank">&nbsp;illegally called lawmakers into a special legislative session</a>&nbsp;to pass the map is scheduled for a hearing Monday afternoon in Cole County Court.

The all-out assault on the congressional map in the courtroom and ballot box is the next phase of the ugly partisan war that’s raged in Missouri for weeks — with Republicans determined to&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/07/25/trump-white-house-pressing-missouri-republicans-to-redraw-congressional-map/">follow President Trump’s instructions</a>&nbsp;to create a new GOP district before the 2026 midterms and Democrats denouncing the move as an unconstitutional power grab.&nbsp;

Both of the lawsuits filed after the map passed Friday — one in Jackson County and the other in Cole County — argue the Missouri Constitution prohibits the legislature from redrawing congressional districts more than once a decade.&nbsp;

“In a blatant illegal and unconstitutional power grab, the governor bowed to the whims of Washington while sacrificing representation in both urban and rural populations of Missouri,” said Gillian Wilcox, director of litigation for the ACLU of Missouri, which is representing plaintiffs in the Jackson County lawsuit.&nbsp;

Missouri has eight congressional districts, with six currently represented by Republicans.&nbsp;

The 5th District, based in Kansas City and represented by Democratic U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver since 2005, is carved up under the new map with portions attached to the 4th and 6th Districts. Heavily Republican areas stretching along the Missouri River to Boone County would be added to the remaining Kansas City portions.

The intended result is a map where Republicans hold seven of the state’s eight seats.&nbsp;

Revising congressional district lines occurs every 10 years, after the allocation of seats following the federal census. The Missouri Constitution mandates it but is silent on whether lawmakers have the power to do so at other times, and the lawsuits challenging the map point to the lack of any mention of mid-decade redistricting as evidence that it is not permitted.&nbsp;

Republican lawmakers dismissed these arguments as they were approving the maps, saying this type of interpretation of the constitution would leave lawmakers unable to make any adjustments in between censuses, even if ordered by a court.

The last time lines were redrawn between censuses in Missouri was in the 1960s, following the 1964 U.S. Supreme Court decision that districts had to be drawn&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reynolds_v._Sims" target="_blank">as closely as possible in population to preserve equal representation</a>, known as the one person, one vote decision.

A group called People NOT Politicians Missouri attempted to file a citizen referendum on Friday shortly after the new map cleared the state Senate. The goal is to put the map on the 2026 ballot for voters to decide whether or not to implement it.&nbsp;

But the group’s attempt to get its campaign started — they must collect 100,000 signatures in 90 days to put the map on the November 2026 ballot — ran into an administrative hurdle when the secretary of state’s office refused to certify it until the governor signs the bill into law.&nbsp;

Kehoe has 45 days to sign the bill.&nbsp;

Over the weekend, however, the secretary of state’s office slightly backtracked, sending a letter to People NOT Politicians Missouri explaining that it would begin the process of certifying the referendum petition sample sheet that would be used to gather signatures.&nbsp;

The office has sent a copy to the Missouri Attorney General’s Office for legal review and the State Auditor for preparation of a cost estimate.&nbsp;

“Only after the Attorney General has rendered an opinion on legal sufficiency and the secretary of state has reviewed those comments can this office make a final determination regarding the approval or rejection of the form of the petition,” the letter states.&nbsp;

The secretary of state, the letter added, “has not yet made a final determination whether your referendum petition may be accepted for processing or circulation.”

In 2019, the secretary of state’s office used procedural maneuvers to derail a referendum campaign that sought to overturn newly-passed restrictions on abortion. The move sparked a lawsuit, and in 2022 the Missouri Supreme Court ruled the laws the secretary of state used to obstruct the citizen-initiated referendum process were unconstitutional.

A spokeswoman for Secretary of State Denny Hoskins agreed on Friday that the 2022 court ruling means signatures can be counted as valid even if they are collected prior to the certification of a ballot title, “since otherwise the full process could eat up over half of their available gathering time.”

On Saturday, the political action committee supporting the referendum received a $500,000 check from Global Impact Social Welfare Fund, a 501c4 nonprofit that is not required to disclose its donors.&nbsp;

Based in Washington, D.C., Global Impact Social Welfare Fund is a liberal advocacy organization that has spent millions in support of ballot initiatives across the country. Last year, the group donated more than $1 million to the successful campaign to enshrine abortion rights in Missouri’s constitution.&nbsp;

In addition to the gerrymandered congressional map, Republican lawmakers also approved a proposal to require any changes to the state constitution through the initiative petition process to be approved by a majority of voters statewide and in each of the state’s eight congressional districts.&nbsp;

Based on last year’s election results, that change would mean&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/09/04/as-few-as-5-of-voters-could-defeat-initiative-petitions-under-missouri-gop-legislation/">as few as 5% of voters could defeat any ballot measure</a>. The new requirements would only apply to citizen-led initiative petitions, not amendments placed on the ballot by the legislature.

GOP lawmakers pointed specifically at last year’s abortion amendment — and the campaign contributions of out-of-state advocacy organizations like Global&nbsp; Impact Social Welfare Fund — to justify the change.&nbsp;

A referendum was last deployed in Missouri seven years ago, when labor unions collected 300,000 signatures in 90 days — more than three times the amount required — to put a question on the statewide ballot repealing a GOP-backed right-to-work law.

The repeal push was ultimately successful, with 67% of voters rejecting the right-to-work law.&nbsp;In fact, of the 27 times a referendum has been placed on the ballot, voters have rejected actions by the General Assembly all but twice.

The AFL-CIO, which led the 2018 referendum campaign, has indicated it will support the push to put the congressional map on the ballot next year. Over the weekend, the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union donated $50,000 to People NOT Politicians Missouri for the campaign.&nbsp;

Elsa Rainey, a spokeswoman for People NOT Politicians Missouri, called Missouri’s new map “an unconstitutional power grab” and a “blatant attempt to rig the 2026 elections before a single vote is cast.”

“It violates Missouri law,” she said, “slices apart communities and strikes at the core of our democratic system.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/9/1757945977869.png" alt=" David Fortel and Hope Tinker hold homemade signs during a protest last week in the Missouri Capitol rotunda (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent)." />
 <figcaption> David Fortel and Hope Tinker hold homemade signs during a protest last week in the Missouri Capitol rotunda (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent).</figcaption>
 </figure>By:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/jason-hancock/">Jason Hancock</a> <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-senate-committee-advances-bill-to-ban-texting-while-driving/">Missouri Independent</a>Almost immediately after&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/09/12/gerrymandered-congressional-map-initiative-petitions-limits-sent-to-missouri-governor/">Missouri Republicans shut down debate last week</a>&nbsp;to pass a newly gerrymandered congressional map, a pair of lawsuits were filed challenging its constitutionality.&nbsp;Meanwhile, a referendum campaign seeking to repeal the map got a major financial boost over the weekend — a $500,000 donation from a national dark-money organization.&nbsp;And a lawsuit filed last week by the Missouri NAACP claiming the governor<a href="https://naacp.org/articles/naacp-files-lawsuit-block-missouris-unconstitutional-special-session-threatening-black" target="_blank">&nbsp;illegally called lawmakers into a special legislative session</a>&nbsp;to pass the map is scheduled for a hearing Monday afternoon in Cole County Court.The all-out assault on the congressional map in the courtroom and ballot box is the next phase of the ugly partisan war that’s raged in Missouri for weeks — with Republicans determined to&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/07/25/trump-white-house-pressing-missouri-republicans-to-redraw-congressional-map/">follow President Trump’s instructions</a>&nbsp;to create a new GOP district before the 2026 midterms and Democrats denouncing the move as an unconstitutional power grab.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/9/1757444658128.png" alt="Source: U.S. Census Bureau. Basemap © OpenStreetMap contributors / Map by Anna Sago " />
 <figcaption>Source: U.S. Census Bureau. Basemap © OpenStreetMap contributors / Map by Anna Sago </figcaption>
 </figure>Both of the lawsuits filed after the map passed Friday — one in Jackson County and the other in Cole County — argue the Missouri Constitution prohibits the legislature from redrawing congressional districts more than once a decade.&nbsp;“In a blatant illegal and unconstitutional power grab, the governor bowed to the whims of Washington while sacrificing representation in both urban and rural populations of Missouri,” said Gillian Wilcox, director of litigation for the ACLU of Missouri, which is representing plaintiffs in the Jackson County lawsuit.&nbsp;Missouri has eight congressional districts, with six currently represented by Republicans.&nbsp;The 5th District, based in Kansas City and represented by Democratic U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver since 2005, is carved up under the new map with portions attached to the 4th and 6th Districts. Heavily Republican areas stretching along the Missouri River to Boone County would be added to the remaining Kansas City portions.The intended result is a map where Republicans hold seven of the state’s eight seats.&nbsp;Revising congressional district lines occurs every 10 years, after the allocation of seats following the federal census. The Missouri Constitution mandates it but is silent on whether lawmakers have the power to do so at other times, and the lawsuits challenging the map point to the lack of any mention of mid-decade redistricting as evidence that it is not permitted.&nbsp;Republican lawmakers dismissed these arguments as they were approving the maps, saying this type of interpretation of the constitution would leave lawmakers unable to make any adjustments in between censuses, even if ordered by a court.The last time lines were redrawn between censuses in Missouri was in the 1960s, following the 1964 U.S. Supreme Court decision that districts had to be drawn&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reynolds_v._Sims" target="_blank">as closely as possible in population to preserve equal representation</a>, known as the one person, one vote decision.<h2>Referendum</h2>A group called People NOT Politicians Missouri attempted to file a citizen referendum on Friday shortly after the new map cleared the state Senate. The goal is to put the map on the 2026 ballot for voters to decide whether or not to implement it.&nbsp;But the group’s attempt to get its campaign started — they must collect 100,000 signatures in 90 days to put the map on the November 2026 ballot — ran into an administrative hurdle when the secretary of state’s office refused to certify it until the governor signs the bill into law.&nbsp;Kehoe has 45 days to sign the bill.&nbsp;Over the weekend, however, the secretary of state’s office slightly backtracked, sending a letter to People NOT Politicians Missouri explaining that it would begin the process of certifying the referendum petition sample sheet that would be used to gather signatures.&nbsp;The office has sent a copy to the Missouri Attorney General’s Office for legal review and the State Auditor for preparation of a cost estimate.&nbsp;“Only after the Attorney General has rendered an opinion on legal sufficiency and the secretary of state has reviewed those comments can this office make a final determination regarding the approval or rejection of the form of the petition,” the letter states.&nbsp;The secretary of state, the letter added, “has not yet made a final determination whether your referendum petition may be accepted for processing or circulation.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/9/1757945934921.png" alt="Protesters gather in the Missouri Capitol rotunda in opposition to a proposed congressional district map that passed the House (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent)." />
 <figcaption>Protesters gather in the Missouri Capitol rotunda in opposition to a proposed congressional district map that passed the House (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent).</figcaption>
 </figure>In 2019, the secretary of state’s office used procedural maneuvers to derail a referendum campaign that sought to overturn newly-passed restrictions on abortion. The move sparked a lawsuit, and in 2022 the Missouri Supreme Court ruled the laws the secretary of state used to obstruct the citizen-initiated referendum process were unconstitutional.A spokeswoman for Secretary of State Denny Hoskins agreed on Friday that the 2022 court ruling means signatures can be counted as valid even if they are collected prior to the certification of a ballot title, “since otherwise the full process could eat up over half of their available gathering time.”On Saturday, the political action committee supporting the referendum received a $500,000 check from Global Impact Social Welfare Fund, a 501c4 nonprofit that is not required to disclose its donors.&nbsp;Based in Washington, D.C., Global Impact Social Welfare Fund is a liberal advocacy organization that has spent millions in support of ballot initiatives across the country. Last year, the group donated more than $1 million to the successful campaign to enshrine abortion rights in Missouri’s constitution.&nbsp;In addition to the gerrymandered congressional map, Republican lawmakers also approved a proposal to require any changes to the state constitution through the initiative petition process to be approved by a majority of voters statewide and in each of the state’s eight congressional districts.&nbsp;Based on last year’s election results, that change would mean&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/09/04/as-few-as-5-of-voters-could-defeat-initiative-petitions-under-missouri-gop-legislation/">as few as 5% of voters could defeat any ballot measure</a>. The new requirements would only apply to citizen-led initiative petitions, not amendments placed on the ballot by the legislature.GOP lawmakers pointed specifically at last year’s abortion amendment — and the campaign contributions of out-of-state advocacy organizations like Global&nbsp; Impact Social Welfare Fund — to justify the change.&nbsp;A referendum was last deployed in Missouri seven years ago, when labor unions collected 300,000 signatures in 90 days — more than three times the amount required — to put a question on the statewide ballot repealing a GOP-backed right-to-work law.The repeal push was ultimately successful, with 67% of voters rejecting the right-to-work law.&nbsp;In fact, of the 27 times a referendum has been placed on the ballot, voters have rejected actions by the General Assembly all but twice.The AFL-CIO, which led the 2018 referendum campaign, has indicated it will support the push to put the congressional map on the ballot next year. Over the weekend, the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union donated $50,000 to People NOT Politicians Missouri for the campaign.&nbsp;Elsa Rainey, a spokeswoman for People NOT Politicians Missouri, called Missouri’s new map “an unconstitutional power grab” and a “blatant attempt to rig the 2026 elections before a single vote is cast.”“It violates Missouri law,” she said, “slices apart communities and strikes at the core of our democratic system.”

Three lawsuits and a referendum: New Missouri congressional map faces multiple attacks

OSAGE COUNTY–Law enforcement are investigating two suspect on drug allegaions.

Just before 5 pm Sept. 12, the Osage County Sheriff’s Office executed a narcotic search warrant at 12544 South Topeka Avenue, near Carbondale, according to Sheriff Chris Wells.

 As a result, two subjects were taken into custody and transported to the Osage County Jail Facility.

Kristina D. Smith, 47, Carbondale, is being held on requested charges of&nbsp;Distribution of methamphetamine, Distribution of drug paraphernalia, Distribution of marijuana, Possession of hallucinogenic, No drug tax stamp and Use of a communication facility in commission of a felony.

Troy S. Smith, 46, Carbondale is being held on requested charges of Distribution of methamphetamine, Distribution of drug paraphernalia, Distribution of marijuana, Possession of hallucinogenic, No drug tax stamp, Battery on a law enforcement officer and Felony obstruction.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/9/1757801172507.png" alt="Smith-photo Osage County" />
 <figcaption>Smith-photo Osage County</figcaption>
 </figure>OSAGE COUNTY–Law enforcement are investigating two suspect on drug allegaions.Just before 5 pm Sept. 12, the Osage County Sheriff’s Office executed a narcotic search warrant at 12544 South Topeka Avenue, near Carbondale, according to Sheriff Chris Wells. As a result, two subjects were taken into custody and transported to the Osage County Jail Facility.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/9/1757801124708.png" alt="Smith phot Osage County" />
 <figcaption>Smith phot Osage County</figcaption>
 </figure>Kristina D. Smith, 47, Carbondale, is being held on requested charges of&nbsp;Distribution of methamphetamine, Distribution of drug paraphernalia, Distribution of marijuana, Possession of hallucinogenic, No drug tax stamp and Use of a communication facility in commission of a felony.Troy S. Smith, 46, Carbondale is being held on requested charges of Distribution of methamphetamine, Distribution of drug paraphernalia, Distribution of marijuana, Possession of hallucinogenic, No drug tax stamp, Battery on a law enforcement officer and Felony obstruction.

Kansas couple accused of selling illegal drugs from their home

By:<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/author/cindygonzalez/">Cindy Gonzalez</a> <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/03/17/lincoln-senators-clash-over-nebraska-school-retirement-bill-as-school-leaders-weigh-in/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

Nebraska Corrections officials update McCook leaders on plans

McCOOK, Neb. — Business has slumped at the Carniceria CB mini market and Mexican restaurant, its owners said, since Gov. Jim Pillen’s announcement last month that Nebraska is bringing a federal immigration detention facility to town.

Miguel and Mayra Camacho said they’ve heard other area&nbsp;merchants describe similar commercial declines. Some Latinos they know have uprooted from southwest Nebraska, spurred by what the couple believes is fear and uneasiness over an increased ICE presence.

“And it’s not even open yet,” said Miguel Camacho, of the facility branded the “Cornhusker Clink” by federal officials. “Of all the 50 states, why here?”

Comments the Camachos made this week from their Carniceria — a few miles from where a state prison that holds up to 200 beds is being converted into a 300-bed ICE jail — reflected the sentiment of dozens who spoke against the project during a Friday hearing at the Capitol so full it required an overflow area.

The meeting was hosted by the Legislature’s Urban Affairs Committee. Chairman Terrell McKinney of Omaha offered the space after the chair of the Legislature’s Judiciary Committee declined to hold a public hearing, calling the request premature.

McKinney, a member of both committees, said that while he had been offered a private briefing by the Pillen administration, he opted for a broader discussion open to the public.

He and other committee members said they were concerned about scant information shared about the state-federal plan to repurpose the McCook-based Work Ethic Camp into an ICE detention center for migrants. The state is still trying to relocate the camp’s remaining 155 inmates to different state prisons. Officials said they expect to start housing federal detainees in October.

“Our people want to know, and they’re asking,” said State Sen. Victor Rountree of Bellevue, who also sits on both committees.&nbsp;

“What happens is that when there’s no information provided, negativity and misinformation run rampant,” said State Sen. Stan Clouse of Kearney, the lone Republican committee member who attended the hearing.

On Friday afternoon, the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services issued a statement saying that Corrections Director Rob Jeffreys had spoken Thursday with McCook Mayor Linda Taylor and City Manager Nate Schneider about public safety and community impact.

Among the answers Corrections said it provided:

A formal contract between Nebraska and the federal government is still being hammered out, Correctional Services officials said.&nbsp;

At the four-hour Urban Affairs hearing, about 40 people testified, none in support of the prison conversion that many worry could exacerbate state prison crowding elsewhere to accommodate the feds’ deportation push.&nbsp;

Many said they were embarrassed. Some choked back tears. Others said they were angry to learn in news reports that the state had invited the Trump administration to consider Nebraska for such a facility.

Not present were members of the Pillen administration, which told the committee in a Thursday letter it would not participate, arguing that the the Judiciary Committee and not the Urban Affairs Committee had the legal jurisdiction and oversight authority to examine the issues at hand.&nbsp;Pillen’s staff did not respond to a request for comment Friday.

McKinney said he plans to ask the Judiciary Committee chair once again to hold a public hearing that he hopes Pillen’s staff would attend.&nbsp;

Kenny Zoeller, Pillen’s policy research director, wrote in the Thursday’s letter that McKinney had wrongly suggested that the future migrant population at the center would trigger an overcrowding of the correctional system. Zoeller wrote that an emergency declaration is required when the prison population systemwide is over 140% of operational capacity. He said the average now is about 115%.

“We have flexibility within our current corrections facilities to accommodate this new mission,” Zoeller wrote.

Spike Eickholt, representing ACLU Nebraska, said Nebraska leaders for a decade have debated what to do about state prison crowding. Currently, Nebraska is building a new $310 million-plus prison in Lincoln.

“Why are we committing to an investment of a new prison while giving up a current one?” he asked.

Other speakers lamented the loss of the Work Ethic Camp’s rehabilitative focus and programming aimed at transitioning criminal offenders for successful re-entry into society.

But most of Friday’s testimony centered on Nebraska’s role in Trump’s push for mass deportations. Pillen has said he is proud to be part of the president’s effort to “make sure we keep our community safe.”

“This stuff hits close to home and hits every corner of this state and country,” the governor has said.

Holly Burns said her grandparents, Jose Flores Arsiaga and Margarita Martinez Arsiaga, farmed in Mitchell, Neb., and raised an extended family that’s part of the state’s rich history and multicultural landscape.

“Are we willing to risk that and be made a joke nationally as the ‘Cornhusker Clink’ — for money that we may or may not get — and that breaks all values of Nebraska?” she asked.

Guillermo Enrique Peña Valladares of Grand Island said he comes from a family of immigrants and that federal enforcement tactics have created anxiety and intimidation even among those legally in the country for generations.

“Should I fear saying my name?” he asked, voice cracking. He said his family works in meatpacking plants and his mom speaks broken English. “Every day we have to ask ourselves, ‘Are we going to be alright?’”

As his family’s first college graduate, Peña said, he felt a responsibility to speak out.

“You are trying to imprison the agricultural hands of Nebraska. They are already battered and bruised,” he said.

Anne Wurth, associate legal director of the Center for Immigrant and Refugee Advancement, said a worry is the “lack of planning” and demeaning behavior by ICE toward migrants.

She said her nonprofit saw it first hand, representing several of the 78 workers detained in the June 10 immigration raid at Omaha’s Glenn Valley Foods. Wurth described, for example, the early 48 hours when some families did not know where relatives were being held and said some wounds went untreated.

“Their goal is to terrorize immigrants,” she said of the federal government. “They continue to demean and dehumanize a population that is integral to the state of Nebraska … We must not do this for them.”

Don Hooper, a retired educator, was among several who decried the politics. He said he does not want “Cornhusker Clink” to join Nebraska’s “good life” and “home of Arbor Day” signs on the highway.

If the facility comes, he said: “It should be named … ‘Pillen’s prison’ in honor of the individual who wants this in Nebraska.”

McKinney said he appreciated a petition opposing the immigration detention center coordinated by Nebraska Appleseed, as it reflected statewide opinions. Appleseed’s Ruby Mendez said the effort collected more than 18,000 signatures from people in nearly 400 Nebraska communities.

Faith Colburn said she drove in from North Platte with concerns about legal and other services that migrants would have available in McCook.&nbsp;

“I’m here representing 50 people,” she said. “Many of them are furious, pissed off grandmas.”

About 650 people also submitted written testimony to the Urban Affairs committee. Because it was for an interim hearing, McKinney said, the correspondence had not been categorized into opponents, proponents or neutral.

In McCook, Miguel and Mayra Camacho said they would not close shop, and hope that business picks up.

The family’s move six years ago from Kansas to the Nebraska community of about 7,200 people was calculated, they said. The area has a Walmart and other key stores that draw residents of surrounding towns.

Their two kids attend local schools, and have felt a sting from the proposed ICE facility. A classmate asked their daughter if she had seen her “new house,” said Camacho.

The small business owners said they are trying to form a group to provide information and support to Latinos in the community. They said they’ve enjoyed the McCook area and their patrons.&nbsp;

The couple rode out the COVID-19 slump, opening the Carniceria’s doors every day. Gesturing toward the empty store and restaurant, Camacho said the plan now is to do the same: “Stay here, protect it, survive.”

He added, ‘If the community tells me I’m not welcome, we’ll move.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/9/1757876399224.png" alt=" Miguel and Mayra Camacho, owners of Carniceria mini market and restaurant in McCook, Nebraska, say business has declined sharply in the past month since Gov. Jim Pillen announced that the Work Ethic Camp in town will be converted to an ICE facility under a contract with the Department of Homeland Security. (Cindy Gonzalez/Nebraska Examiner)" />
 <figcaption> Miguel and Mayra Camacho, owners of Carniceria mini market and restaurant in McCook, Nebraska, say business has declined sharply in the past month since Gov. Jim Pillen announced that the Work Ethic Camp in town will be converted to an ICE facility under a contract with the Department of Homeland Security. (Cindy Gonzalez/Nebraska Examiner)</figcaption>
 </figure>By:<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/author/cindygonzalez/">Cindy Gonzalez</a> <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/03/17/lincoln-senators-clash-over-nebraska-school-retirement-bill-as-school-leaders-weigh-in/">Nebraska Examiner</a><h2>Nebraska Corrections officials update McCook leaders on plans</h2>McCOOK, Neb. — Business has slumped at the Carniceria CB mini market and Mexican restaurant, its owners said, since Gov. Jim Pillen’s announcement last month that Nebraska is bringing a federal immigration detention facility to town.Miguel and Mayra Camacho said they’ve heard other area&nbsp;merchants describe similar commercial declines. Some Latinos they know have uprooted from southwest Nebraska, spurred by what the couple believes is fear and uneasiness over an increased ICE presence.“And it’s not even open yet,” said Miguel Camacho, of the facility branded the “Cornhusker Clink” by federal officials. “Of all the 50 states, why here?”<h2>‘People want to know’</h2>Comments the Camachos made this week from their Carniceria — a few miles from where a state prison that holds up to 200 beds is being converted into a 300-bed ICE jail — reflected the sentiment of dozens who spoke against the project during a Friday hearing at the Capitol so full it required an overflow area.The meeting was hosted by the Legislature’s Urban Affairs Committee. Chairman Terrell McKinney of Omaha offered the space after the chair of the Legislature’s Judiciary Committee declined to hold a public hearing, calling the request premature.McKinney, a member of both committees, said that while he had been offered a private briefing by the Pillen administration, he opted for a broader discussion open to the public.He and other committee members said they were concerned about scant information shared about the state-federal plan to repurpose the McCook-based Work Ethic Camp into an ICE detention center for migrants. The state is still trying to relocate the camp’s remaining 155 inmates to different state prisons. Officials said they expect to start housing federal detainees in October.“Our people want to know, and they’re asking,” said State Sen. Victor Rountree of Bellevue, who also sits on both committees.&nbsp;“What happens is that when there’s no information provided, negativity and misinformation run rampant,” said State Sen. Stan Clouse of Kearney, the lone Republican committee member who attended the hearing.On Friday afternoon, the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services issued a statement saying that Corrections Director Rob Jeffreys had spoken Thursday with McCook Mayor Linda Taylor and City Manager Nate Schneider about public safety and community impact.Among the answers Corrections said it provided:<ul>
 <li>The converted ICE detention center will house an adult population with minor criminal records and nonviolent felonies.&nbsp;</li><li>Up to 65 staff positions will be added, all state positions, including additional medical personnel.</li><li>The state is exploring options for electronic translation services to assist non-English speaking detainees.</li><li>A perimeter fence and intruder petition system will be added, as well as armed patrols around the perimeter.</li>
 </ul>A formal contract between Nebraska and the federal government is still being hammered out, Correctional Services officials said.&nbsp;<h2>Four hours of testimony</h2>At the four-hour Urban Affairs hearing, about 40 people testified, none in support of the prison conversion that many worry could exacerbate state prison crowding elsewhere to accommodate the feds’ deportation push.&nbsp;Many said they were embarrassed. Some choked back tears. Others said they were angry to learn in news reports that the state had invited the Trump administration to consider Nebraska for such a facility.Not present were members of the Pillen administration, which told the committee in a Thursday letter it would not participate, arguing that the the Judiciary Committee and not the Urban Affairs Committee had the legal jurisdiction and oversight authority to examine the issues at hand.&nbsp;Pillen’s staff did not respond to a request for comment Friday.McKinney said he plans to ask the Judiciary Committee chair once again to hold a public hearing that he hopes Pillen’s staff would attend.&nbsp;Kenny Zoeller, Pillen’s policy research director, wrote in the Thursday’s letter that McKinney had wrongly suggested that the future migrant population at the center would trigger an overcrowding of the correctional system. Zoeller wrote that an emergency declaration is required when the prison population systemwide is over 140% of operational capacity. He said the average now is about 115%.“We have flexibility within our current corrections facilities to accommodate this new mission,” Zoeller wrote.Spike Eickholt, representing ACLU Nebraska, said Nebraska leaders for a decade have debated what to do about state prison crowding. Currently, Nebraska is building a new $310 million-plus prison in Lincoln.“Why are we committing to an investment of a new prison while giving up a current one?” he asked.Other speakers lamented the loss of the Work Ethic Camp’s rehabilitative focus and programming aimed at transitioning criminal offenders for successful re-entry into society.<h2>Nebraska’s role in deportation</h2>But most of Friday’s testimony centered on Nebraska’s role in Trump’s push for mass deportations. Pillen has said he is proud to be part of the president’s effort to “make sure we keep our community safe.”“This stuff hits close to home and hits every corner of this state and country,” the governor has said.Holly Burns said her grandparents, Jose Flores Arsiaga and Margarita Martinez Arsiaga, farmed in Mitchell, Neb., and raised an extended family that’s part of the state’s rich history and multicultural landscape.“Are we willing to risk that and be made a joke nationally as the ‘Cornhusker Clink’ — for money that we may or may not get — and that breaks all values of Nebraska?” she asked.Guillermo Enrique Peña Valladares of Grand Island said he comes from a family of immigrants and that federal enforcement tactics have created anxiety and intimidation even among those legally in the country for generations.“Should I fear saying my name?” he asked, voice cracking. He said his family works in meatpacking plants and his mom speaks broken English. “Every day we have to ask ourselves, ‘Are we going to be alright?’”As his family’s first college graduate, Peña said, he felt a responsibility to speak out.“You are trying to imprison the agricultural hands of Nebraska. They are already battered and bruised,” he said.Anne Wurth, associate legal director of the Center for Immigrant and Refugee Advancement, said a worry is the “lack of planning” and demeaning behavior by ICE toward migrants.She said her nonprofit saw it first hand, representing several of the 78 workers detained in the June 10 immigration raid at Omaha’s Glenn Valley Foods. Wurth described, for example, the early 48 hours when some families did not know where relatives were being held and said some wounds went untreated.“Their goal is to terrorize immigrants,” she said of the federal government. “They continue to demean and dehumanize a population that is integral to the state of Nebraska … We must not do this for them.”<h2>‘Pissed off grandmas’</h2>Don Hooper, a retired educator, was among several who decried the politics. He said he does not want “Cornhusker Clink” to join Nebraska’s “good life” and “home of Arbor Day” signs on the highway.If the facility comes, he said: “It should be named … ‘Pillen’s prison’ in honor of the individual who wants this in Nebraska.”McKinney said he appreciated a petition opposing the immigration detention center coordinated by Nebraska Appleseed, as it reflected statewide opinions. Appleseed’s Ruby Mendez said the effort collected more than 18,000 signatures from people in nearly 400 Nebraska communities.Faith Colburn said she drove in from North Platte with concerns about legal and other services that migrants would have available in McCook.&nbsp;“I’m here representing 50 people,” she said. “Many of them are furious, pissed off grandmas.”About 650 people also submitted written testimony to the Urban Affairs committee. Because it was for an interim hearing, McKinney said, the correspondence had not been categorized into opponents, proponents or neutral.<h2>Carniceria survival plan&nbsp;</h2>In McCook, Miguel and Mayra Camacho said they would not close shop, and hope that business picks up.The family’s move six years ago from Kansas to the Nebraska community of about 7,200 people was calculated, they said. The area has a Walmart and other key stores that draw residents of surrounding towns.Their two kids attend local schools, and have felt a sting from the proposed ICE facility. A classmate asked their daughter if she had seen her “new house,” said Camacho.The small business owners said they are trying to form a group to provide information and support to Latinos in the community. They said they’ve enjoyed the McCook area and their patrons.&nbsp;The couple rode out the COVID-19 slump, opening the Carniceria’s doors every day. Gesturing toward the empty store and restaurant, Camacho said the plan now is to do the same: “Stay here, protect it, survive.”He added, ‘If the community tells me I’m not welcome, we’ll move.”