KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement continue to make arrests for those involved in sideshows and related activity in Kansas City.

Last weekend police caught suspects running red lights, driving the wrong way into oncoming traffic and performing stunts on Kansas City streets, according to a social media report from the KCPD. "We're cracking down on this illegal behavior."

On Saturday night, police arrested nine suspects, towed eight vehicles, including ATVs on city streets, recovered a&nbsp;stolen vehicle, issued 51 citations, and broke up two sideshows in the making. This resulted from officers assigned to stop lawlessness on the streets and those in the Entertainment District plan.&nbsp; The Clay County Sheriff's Deputies, Missouri State Highway Patrol, Johnson County Sheriff's Deputies and Independence Police assisted.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/8/1754839853546.jpeg" alt="Photos KCPD" />
 <figcaption>Photos KCPD</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement continue to make arrests for those involved in sideshows and related activity in Kansas City.Last weekend police caught suspects running red lights, driving the wrong way into oncoming traffic and performing stunts on Kansas City streets, according to a social media report from the KCPD. "We're cracking down on this illegal behavior."<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/8/1754839804647.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>On Saturday night, police arrested nine suspects, towed eight vehicles, including ATVs on city streets, recovered a&nbsp;stolen vehicle, issued 51 citations, and broke up two sideshows in the making. This resulted from officers assigned to stop lawlessness on the streets and those in the Entertainment District plan.&nbsp; The Clay County Sheriff's Deputies, Missouri State Highway Patrol, Johnson County Sheriff's Deputies and Independence Police assisted.

KCPD makes more arrests for sideshows

The United States announced Tuesday that it has taken into custody 26 fugitives from Mexico facing a range of federal and state criminal charges from around the country, including charges relating to drug-trafficking, hostage-taking, kidnapping, illegal use of firearms, human smuggling, money laundering, the murder of a sheriffs’ deputy, and other crimes, according to a statement from the U.S. Department of Justice.

Among the fugitives taken into U.S. custody today are leaders and managers of dangerous drug cartels, such as those designated as Foreign Terrorist Organizations and Specially Designated Global Terrorists, including the Sinaloa Cartel, Cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG), and Cártel del Noreste (formerly Los Zetas). These fugitives are collectively alleged to have imported into the United States tonnage quantities of dangerous drugs, including cocaine, methamphetamine, fentanyl, and heroin.

“Today is the latest example of the Trump administration's historic efforts to dismantle cartels and foreign terrorist organizations,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “These 26 men have all played a role in bringing violence and drugs to American shores -- under this Department of Justice, they will face severe consequences for their crimes against this country. We are grateful to Mexico’s National Security team for their collaboration in this matter.” &nbsp;

Included in today’s transfer are the following fugitives:

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/8/1755050571697.png" alt="Image U.S. Dept. of Treasury" />
 <figcaption>Image U.S. Dept. of Treasury</figcaption>
 </figure>The United States announced Tuesday that it has taken into custody 26 fugitives from Mexico facing a range of federal and state criminal charges from around the country, including charges relating to drug-trafficking, hostage-taking, kidnapping, illegal use of firearms, human smuggling, money laundering, the murder of a sheriffs’ deputy, and other crimes, according to a statement from the U.S. Department of Justice.Among the fugitives taken into U.S. custody today are leaders and managers of dangerous drug cartels, such as those designated as Foreign Terrorist Organizations and Specially Designated Global Terrorists, including the Sinaloa Cartel, Cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG), and Cártel del Noreste (formerly Los Zetas). These fugitives are collectively alleged to have imported into the United States tonnage quantities of dangerous drugs, including cocaine, methamphetamine, fentanyl, and heroin.“Today is the latest example of the Trump administration's historic efforts to dismantle cartels and foreign terrorist organizations,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “These 26 men have all played a role in bringing violence and drugs to American shores -- under this Department of Justice, they will face severe consequences for their crimes against this country. We are grateful to Mexico’s National Security team for their collaboration in this matter.” &nbsp;Included in today’s transfer are the following fugitives:<ul>
 <li><a href="https://links-1.govdelivery.com/CL0/https:%2F%2Fwww.justice.gov%2Fopa%2Fpr%2Fco-founder-los-cuinis-drug-cartel-sentenced-30-years-prison-high-ranking-cartel-de-jalisco%3Futm_medium=email%26utm_source=govdelivery/1/01000198a09d54ef-d2daa78c-60c7-4299-abbb-727e7a0412e1-000000/jnChD6bGv-P_wgqzI8ZG30wwB3ShKzdKOebhJ_UhW5g=418" target="_blank">Abigael Gonzalez Valencia</a>&nbsp;also known as “Cuini” – is one of the leaders of Los Cuinis, a major Mexican drug cartel responsible for trafficking multiple tons of cocaine from South America, through Mexico, into the United States.</li><li>Kevin Gil Acosta and Martin Zazueta Perez – According to court documents, Gil Acosta and Zazueta Perez are leaders of the security apparatus for the&nbsp;Chapitos, a powerful faction of the Sinaloa Cartel that engages in prolific fentanyl trafficking. Both men have led&nbsp;sicarios&nbsp;armed with military-style weapons – such as AK-47s, M-16s, AR-15s, and grenade launchers – in attacks on Mexican government and military officials. Gil Acosta leads&nbsp;sicarios&nbsp;tasked with protecting fentanyl labs and distribution routes while Zazueta Perez provides personal security for a leader of the&nbsp;Chapitos.</li><li><a href="https://links-1.govdelivery.com/CL0/https:%2F%2Fwww.justice.gov%2Farchives%2Fopa%2Fpr%2Falleged-transnational-human-smuggler-indicted-and-sanctioned-united-states-and-arrested%3Futm_medium=email%26utm_source=govdelivery/1/01000198a09d54ef-d2daa78c-60c7-4299-abbb-727e7a0412e1-000000/3Y2GsatlwL2_UTzpxQcoEQEJZQw0WNXy9jkTG_SsWUM=418" target="_blank">Abdul Karim Conteh</a>, a national of Sierra Leone, allegedly led a human smuggling organization that smuggled thousands of migrants to the United States through Mexico. These smuggled migrants originated from countries around the world, including Iran, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Turkey, Somalia, Cameroon, Senegal, Mauritania, Ethiopia, Egypt, and others. The migrants paid smuggling fees, often tens of thousands of dollars. Conteh allegedly oversaw the migrants’ unlawful entry into the United States by various surreptitious and unlawful means, including the use of ladders and tunnels.</li><li><a href="https://links-1.govdelivery.com/CL0/https:%2F%2Fwww.justice.gov%2Fd9%2Fpress-releases%2Fattachments%2F2023%2F04%2F14%2Fu.s._v._garcia_corrales_et_al_indictment_1.pdf%3Futm_medium=email%26utm_source=govdelivery/1/01000198a09d54ef-d2daa78c-60c7-4299-abbb-727e7a0412e1-000000/iZnZuVxRpjiifISSBnesYS6K3HS2hYsYHPpfMW7I29Y=418" target="_blank">Leobardo Garcia Corrales</a>&nbsp;is believed to be an important figure in the Sinaloa Cartel who has trafficked kilogram quantities of fentanyl into the United States, sometimes in exchange for military-grade weapons such as AK-47s, grenades, and submachine guns. He claims to be close friends and associates with Joaquín Archivaldo Guzmán Loera, aka “El Chapo.”</li><li><a href="https://links-1.govdelivery.com/CL0/https:%2F%2Fwww.justice.gov%2Fusao-de%2Fpr%2Fmexican-national-charged-holding-american-citizen-hostage-and-drug-trafficking%3Futm_medium=email%26utm_source=govdelivery/1/01000198a09d54ef-d2daa78c-60c7-4299-abbb-727e7a0412e1-000000/9tY8HP9jilOPS9CH8d4M2nsbEn7AunE8b7-f7aZoxVk=418" target="_blank">Luis Raul Castro Valenzuela</a>&nbsp;also known as “Chacho,” a member of the Sinaloa Cartel, has been charged with kidnapping and holding hostage a U.S. citizen.</li><li>Juan Carlos Felix Gastelum also known as “El Chavo Félix,” a major Sinaloa Cartel cell leader and son-in-law to former Sinaloa Cartel leader Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada,&nbsp;is alleged &nbsp;to be a principal operator of the Sinaloa Cartel’s clandestine methamphetamine manufacturing laboratories located in the Sierra Madre Mountains of Sinaloa and Durango, Mexico involved in the manufacturing and distribution of large quantities of methamphetamine and cocaine from Mexico into the United States.</li><li>Roberto Salazar is wanted in connection with the murder of Los Angeles County Sheriff's Deputy Juan Escalante, who was killed in 2008 when he was leaving his home during the early morning hours.</li><li>Pablo Edwin Huerta Nuno, also known as “Flaquito,” is a violent Tijuana Plaza boss who has operated with impunity during the last 15 years. Huerta-Nuno is alleged to have supplied thousands of kilograms of methamphetamine, fentanyl, and cocaine to distributors and cells located throughout San Diego and Los Angeles. And in return, millions of dollars in narcotics proceeds were delivered to him and his organization via shipments of bulk cash from San Diego into Tijuana.</li>
 </ul>

Fugitives wanted for violent crimes returned to the U.S. from Mexico 

KANSAS CITY —A Kansas City area man faces charges for that fatal shooting that occurred in northeast Kansas City, according to Jackson County Prosecutor Melesa Johnson .

<a href="https://www.jacksoncountyprosecutor.com/DocumentCenter/View/2701/Arel-Dawkins-RED-COMPLAINT-AD">Arel Dawkins</a>, 36,&nbsp;faces 1st Degree Murder and Armed Criminal Action.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.jacksoncountyprosecutor.com/DocumentCenter/View/2700/Arel-Dawkins-RED-PC-AD">According to court records</a>, Kansas City police were dispatched to a residence on Morrell Avenue in the northeast neighborhood in Kansas City on August 6 and located the victim on the ground with multiple gunshot wounds. She was pronounced deceased on the scene.&nbsp;

Based on eyewitness testimony and surveillance footage, Dawkins ran over the victim with his Ford F-150, then got out and shot her multiple times at close range while she was on the ground after premeditation. He walked toward the street, turned back, and fired at her again. After reloading his weapon, he returned and shot her again before driving away.&nbsp;

Dawkins' cell phone also pinged in the area of the crime scene just prior to the homicide.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/8/1755028242050.png" alt="Dawkins photo Jackson Co." />
 <figcaption>Dawkins photo Jackson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —A Kansas City area man faces charges for that fatal shooting that occurred in northeast Kansas City, according to Jackson County Prosecutor Melesa Johnson .<a href="https://www.jacksoncountyprosecutor.com/DocumentCenter/View/2701/Arel-Dawkins-RED-COMPLAINT-AD">Arel Dawkins</a>, 36,&nbsp;faces 1st Degree Murder and Armed Criminal Action.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.jacksoncountyprosecutor.com/DocumentCenter/View/2700/Arel-Dawkins-RED-PC-AD">According to court records</a>, Kansas City police were dispatched to a residence on Morrell Avenue in the northeast neighborhood in Kansas City on August 6 and located the victim on the ground with multiple gunshot wounds. She was pronounced deceased on the scene.&nbsp;Based on eyewitness testimony and surveillance footage, Dawkins ran over the victim with his Ford F-150, then got out and shot her multiple times at close range while she was on the ground after premeditation. He walked toward the street, turned back, and fired at her again. After reloading his weapon, he returned and shot her again before driving away.&nbsp;Dawkins' cell phone also pinged in the area of the crime scene just prior to the homicide.&nbsp;

Court records: Suspect ran over victim with pickup and shot her

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/6/1750268276007.png" alt="Image courtesy White House" />
 <figcaption>Image courtesy White House</figcaption>
 </figure><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Breaking News 🚨UFC has a new home in 2026 only on <a href="https://twitter.com/paramountplus?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@paramountplus</a> <a href="https://t.co/FUQjemPnBS">pic.twitter.com/FUQjemPnBS</a>&mdash; danawhite (@danawhite) <a href="https://twitter.com/danawhite/status/1954876574404366488?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 11, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">“We’re going to have a UFC fight, think of this, on the grounds of the White House. We have a lot of land there. We&#39;re gonna build a little - Dana&#39;s gonna do it... Championship fight, full fight, like 20, 25,000 people. And we&#39;re going to do that as part of A250&quot; - Trump in Iowa <a href="https://t.co/5Dkam2IFWU">pic.twitter.com/5Dkam2IFWU</a>&mdash; Howard Mortman (@HowardMortman) <a href="https://twitter.com/HowardMortman/status/1941078076903043230?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 4, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

UFC fight at the White House is part of deal with Paramount

WASHINGTON&nbsp;–&nbsp;U.S. Senator Jerry Moran – a member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry – joined Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Tina Smith (D-Minn.) in introducing the&nbsp;Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) Improvement and Flexibility Act.

The legislation would bolster CRP by improving access to grazing, maximizing enrollment options for producers and expediting emergency haying in response to drought and other weather-related disaster events.

“Equipping farmers and ranchers with improved access to CRP resources is crucial to the sustainability of the agricultural economy in Kansas,”&nbsp;said Sen. Moran.&nbsp;“This bipartisan legislation grants greater flexibility for producers in Kansas and across the country to improve their economic stability while conserving our nation’s farmland, wildlife habitats and water supply for future generations to benefit from and enjoy.”

“Ensuring that CRP continues to be an effective option for producers and landowners is critical to South Dakota’s agriculture industry,”&nbsp;said Sen. Thune. “As a longtime supporter of CRP, I’m proud to lead this commonsense legislation that would help advance the multiple-use benefits of this conservation program, including wildlife habitat and livestock forage potential.”

“The Conservation Reserve Program helps equip our farmers with the tools to conserve and improve soil, water quality, and wildlife habitat,”&nbsp;said Sen. Klobuchar. “This bipartisan legislation makes commonsense improvements to CRP that will strengthen conservation practices and landowner enrollment in this vital program.”

“The Kansas Livestock Association (KLA) has long advocated for additional grazing opportunities on CRP acres,”&nbsp;said Matt Teagarden, CEO of Kansas Livestock Association.&nbsp;“Grazing benefits the native grass species, advancing the conservation goals of the program. We appreciate Senator Moran's leadership in improving CRP for producers and the land.”

“The Conservation Reserve Program is one of our nation’s most effective tools for improving wildlife habitat, water quality, and soil health on private lands, and is a vital part of the farm safety net,”&nbsp;said Andrew Schmidt, Director of Government Affairs for Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever.

“The&nbsp;CRP Improvement and Flexibility Act&nbsp;will make this critical program work better for farmers, ranchers, rural communities, and wildlife. PF and QF are grateful to Majority Leader Thune, Ranking Member Klobuchar, and Sens. Moran and Smith for their continued leadership in strengthening CRP and ensuring it remains a cornerstone of private lands conservation.”

“The Conservation Reserve Program is an important, incentive-based program that provides flexibility for farmers and ranchers to implement voluntary conservation practices on their land,”&nbsp;said Mike Bulk, Ducks Unlimited Kansas state policy chair. “We thank Senators Moran, Thune, Klobuchar, and Smith for their leadership in enhancing CRP to ensure landowners can continue to get the most out of this historically successful program in Kansas and across the U.S.”The&nbsp;CRP Improvement and Flexibility Act&nbsp;would:

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/8/1754944135152.png" alt="Google image" />
 <figcaption>Google image</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON&nbsp;–&nbsp;U.S. Senator Jerry Moran – a member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry – joined Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Tina Smith (D-Minn.) in introducing the&nbsp;Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) Improvement and Flexibility Act. The legislation would bolster CRP by improving access to grazing, maximizing enrollment options for producers and expediting emergency haying in response to drought and other weather-related disaster events.“Equipping farmers and ranchers with improved access to CRP resources is crucial to the sustainability of the agricultural economy in Kansas,”&nbsp;said Sen. Moran.&nbsp;“This bipartisan legislation grants greater flexibility for producers in Kansas and across the country to improve their economic stability while conserving our nation’s farmland, wildlife habitats and water supply for future generations to benefit from and enjoy.”“Ensuring that CRP continues to be an effective option for producers and landowners is critical to South Dakota’s agriculture industry,”&nbsp;said Sen. Thune. “As a longtime supporter of CRP, I’m proud to lead this commonsense legislation that would help advance the multiple-use benefits of this conservation program, including wildlife habitat and livestock forage potential.”“The Conservation Reserve Program helps equip our farmers with the tools to conserve and improve soil, water quality, and wildlife habitat,”&nbsp;said Sen. Klobuchar. “This bipartisan legislation makes commonsense improvements to CRP that will strengthen conservation practices and landowner enrollment in this vital program.”“The Kansas Livestock Association (KLA) has long advocated for additional grazing opportunities on CRP acres,”&nbsp;said Matt Teagarden, CEO of Kansas Livestock Association.&nbsp;“Grazing benefits the native grass species, advancing the conservation goals of the program. We appreciate Senator Moran's leadership in improving CRP for producers and the land.”“The Conservation Reserve Program is one of our nation’s most effective tools for improving wildlife habitat, water quality, and soil health on private lands, and is a vital part of the farm safety net,”&nbsp;said Andrew Schmidt, Director of Government Affairs for Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever. “The&nbsp;CRP Improvement and Flexibility Act&nbsp;will make this critical program work better for farmers, ranchers, rural communities, and wildlife. PF and QF are grateful to Majority Leader Thune, Ranking Member Klobuchar, and Sens. Moran and Smith for their continued leadership in strengthening CRP and ensuring it remains a cornerstone of private lands conservation.”“The Conservation Reserve Program is an important, incentive-based program that provides flexibility for farmers and ranchers to implement voluntary conservation practices on their land,”&nbsp;said Mike Bulk, Ducks Unlimited Kansas state policy chair. “We thank Senators Moran, Thune, Klobuchar, and Smith for their leadership in enhancing CRP to ensure landowners can continue to get the most out of this historically successful program in Kansas and across the U.S.”The&nbsp;CRP Improvement and Flexibility Act&nbsp;would:<ul>
 <li>Make CRP grazing a more attractive option by providing cost-share for the establishment of grazing infrastructure – including fencing and water distribution – on all CRP practices and contracts if grazing is included in the approved conservation plan.</li><li>Increase the CRP annual payment limitation from $50,000, which was established in 1985, to $125,000 to account for inflation and rising land values and provide landowners with more CRP enrollment options to ensure resources are appropriately conserved.</li><li>Reinstate mid-contract management cost-share payments for activities that are not related to haying or grazing.</li><li>Permanently establish the State Acres for Wildlife Enhancement practice under Continuous CRP.</li><li>Create flexibility for producers by allowing emergency haying on CRP acres when certain conditions are met and in consultation with state technical committees.</li>
 </ul>

Kan. U.S. Senator helps introduce bill to bolster Conservation Reserve Program

Another regent says of University of Nebraska Regent Elizabeth O’Connor, ‘Of all the people I know who deserve second chances, she tops the list’

By:&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/author/zachwendling/">Zach Wendling</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>

OMAHA —&nbsp;A University of Nebraska regent faces a felony charge for allegedly driving while under the influence of alcohol and crashing into another vehicle in mid-May, breaking the back and pelvis of a passenger in the other car.

NU Regent Elizabeth O’Connor of Omaha, 34, a former Douglas County deputy county attorney serving in her seventh year as a regent, is accused of a&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/laws/statutes.php?statute=60-6,198#:~:text=60%2D6%2C198.,bodily%20injury%3B%20violation%3B%20penalty." target="_blank">DUI causing serious bodily injury</a>&nbsp;from the night of May 21 in Omaha’s Benson neighborhood, which is in&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/media/images/maps/2021/regents/omaha.pdf" target="_blank">O’Connor’s district</a>. The Class IIIA felony charge carries a maximum of&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/laws/statutes.php?statute=28-105" target="_blank">three years in prison and 18 months post-release supervision</a>.

The severity of the allegation could impact whether O’Connor can serve. The&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/laws/articles.php?article=XV-2" target="_blank">Nebraska Constitution</a>&nbsp;bars felons from&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/laws/statutes.php?statute=29-112" target="_blank">holding public office</a>&nbsp;unless the person’s civil rights are restored by the Nebraska Board of Pardons, which consists of the governor, secretary of state and attorney general.

Neither O’Connor nor her attorney has yet addressed her future as a regent, a position to which she was reelected to a 6-year term in November.

According to police reports, O’Connor was driving her Subaru Outback east on Blondo Street about 8:33 p.m., when she crossed into the westbound lane and collided with a Ford Focus at the intersection of N 63rd and Blondo Streets.&nbsp;

Police said they found a half-empty bottle of Fireball Whisky in O’Connor’s vehicle and wrote that she was showing symptoms of intoxication, including bloodshot or watery eyes, slurred speech and alcohol on her breath.

Field sobriety tests confirmed her condition, the investigator wrote, and a blood test collected immediately after the crash indicated O’Connor had a blood alcohol concentration of&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/laws/statutes.php?statute=60-6,196" target="_blank">four times the legal limit</a>: 0.321%.

Both vehicles were totaled, according to the accident report. The crash occurred minutes from O’Connor’s home.&nbsp;

The vehicle police say her car hit had five passengers in it, including three children. The driver and children sustained minor injuries, according to the police report. The woman seriously injured in the crash and O’Connor, who had minor injuries, were taken to the Nebraska Medical Center.

O’Connor declined to comment for this story, and her attorney could not be reached. The family involved in the crash also declined to comment when reached by the Nebraska Examiner. Two listed witnesses did not return calls seeking comment. A spokesperson for the University of Nebraska system said NU “does not comment on ongoing legal matters.”

It took two months to file charges, partly because of O’Connor’s employment as a civil attorney in the Douglas County Attorney’s Office until last Tuesday, when she resigned, the timing of which the County Attorney’s Office confirmed.

Omaha’s top prosecutors opted out of the case involving O’Connor, citing a potential conflict of interest. That left Omaha City Prosecutor Kevin Slimp to file the felony charge in Douglas County Court on July 30.&nbsp;

Slimp told the Examiner a key reason for the delay was waiting for the blood test to come back from the lab.&nbsp;The police report was amended July 22 to include the BAC results. Slimp said he also needed time to review the evidence.

Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine&nbsp;<a href="https://omaha.com/news/local/crime-courts/article_568415b8-8810-4e00-8a05-7310b78932f1.html" target="_blank">defended O’Connor a day before she resigned</a>, telling the Omaha World-Herald she had “been an exemplary employee for our office.” He also described what happened as “something that is terrible and needs to be addressed.”

O’Connor, a 2015 graduate from Notre Dame Law School, told the local paper through her attorney last week that she&nbsp;<a href="https://omaha.com/news/local/crime-courts/article_9a8194de-a14b-4909-b722-acb3dc45d007.html" target="_blank">decided to resign</a>&nbsp;“after much reflection and support from trusted colleagues.”

“While I am proud of my work serving Douglas County, I do not want my pending legal matter to serve as a distraction from the fine work and service the Douglas County Attorney’s Office continues to provide our community,” she said in the statement.

O’Connor was booked into the Douglas County Department of Corrections at 9:31 p.m. on July 31. She appeared before a judge the following morning. A county official confirmed she was released after posting 10% of a $25,000 bond around 7 p.m. on Aug. 1.&nbsp;

As a condition of her release, O’Connor must participate in Douglas County’s&nbsp;<a href="https://corrections.dccorr.com/community-programs/24-7-sobriety-program" target="_blank">24/7 Sobriety Program</a>&nbsp;with daily monitoring and drug testing.

The Douglas County Court, with agreement from the prosecution and defense, waived a stipulation that O’Connor stay within 10 miles of the county. O’Connor’s next court date is Sept. 9 in Douglas County Court.

‘Everything she can to make it right’

NU Regent Paul Kenney, a Republican of Amherst and chair of the NU Board of Regents, said he would be as supportive as he could to O’Connor while not commenting on the criminal case.

“Just trying to be a friend and a colleague and do what I can to help,” Kenney said Monday.

Kenney and NU Regent Barbara Weitz of Omaha, who joined O’Connor on the board in 2019, told the Examiner that O’Connor has been through a tough time recently in her personal life, which Weitz described as a “year in hell.”

O’Connor was the youngest regent elected to the NU board in 2018, at 28 years old, and is one of just a handful of women to serve.

Weitz said the situation breaks her heart and that O’Connor “takes responsibility for making a bad choice, but she’s also doing everything she can to make it right.” Weitz said she remains supportive of O’Connor and that it is “imperative” that NU keep her as a regent.&nbsp;

Gov. Jim Pillen, a Republican who served as a regent for 10 years before becoming governor in 2023, including four years with O’Connor, would get to appoint a successor in the event of a vacancy.

The board is officially nonpartisan, and regents are often unanimous in their votes, but the party breakdown on the board is 6 Republicans and 2 Democrats. O’Connor and Weitz are the two Democrats.&nbsp;

In seven years — across hundreds of votes — only once has the board split 6-2 along party lines. That was in April, when the regents amended NU bylaws to try to comply with an order from President Donald Trump’s administration against higher education diversity, equity and inclusion policies. Weitz and O’connor&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/04/11/university-of-nebraska-regents-amend-bylaws-to-comply-with-federal-anti-dei-mandate/">opposed the changes</a>.

O’Connor stands out among elected regents as having first served as a student body president and student regent for the University of Nebraska at Omaha, one of four students who serve in advisory roles to the board. She graduated from UNO in 2012.

Weitz described O’Connor as an “outstanding” regent, an “excellent” attorney and someone who has NU’s best interests in mind.

“Of all the people I know who deserve second chances, she tops the list,” Weitz said Monday. “We’d lose a great deal if we lose her.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/8/1755021731102.png" alt=" University of Nebraska Regent Elizabeth O’Connor of Omaha. June 22, 2023. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)" />
 <figcaption> University of Nebraska Regent Elizabeth O’Connor of Omaha. June 22, 2023. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Another regent says of University of Nebraska Regent Elizabeth O’Connor, ‘Of all the people I know who deserve second chances, she tops the list’</h2>By:&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/author/zachwendling/">Zach Wendling</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>OMAHA —&nbsp;A University of Nebraska regent faces a felony charge for allegedly driving while under the influence of alcohol and crashing into another vehicle in mid-May, breaking the back and pelvis of a passenger in the other car.NU Regent Elizabeth O’Connor of Omaha, 34, a former Douglas County deputy county attorney serving in her seventh year as a regent, is accused of a&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/laws/statutes.php?statute=60-6,198#:~:text=60%2D6%2C198.,bodily%20injury%3B%20violation%3B%20penalty." target="_blank">DUI causing serious bodily injury</a>&nbsp;from the night of May 21 in Omaha’s Benson neighborhood, which is in&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/media/images/maps/2021/regents/omaha.pdf" target="_blank">O’Connor’s district</a>. The Class IIIA felony charge carries a maximum of&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/laws/statutes.php?statute=28-105" target="_blank">three years in prison and 18 months post-release supervision</a>.The severity of the allegation could impact whether O’Connor can serve. The&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/laws/articles.php?article=XV-2" target="_blank">Nebraska Constitution</a>&nbsp;bars felons from&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/laws/statutes.php?statute=29-112" target="_blank">holding public office</a>&nbsp;unless the person’s civil rights are restored by the Nebraska Board of Pardons, which consists of the governor, secretary of state and attorney general.Neither O’Connor nor her attorney has yet addressed her future as a regent, a position to which she was reelected to a 6-year term in November.<h2>Alleged May 21 incident</h2>According to police reports, O’Connor was driving her Subaru Outback east on Blondo Street about 8:33 p.m., when she crossed into the westbound lane and collided with a Ford Focus at the intersection of N 63rd and Blondo Streets.&nbsp;Police said they found a half-empty bottle of Fireball Whisky in O’Connor’s vehicle and wrote that she was showing symptoms of intoxication, including bloodshot or watery eyes, slurred speech and alcohol on her breath.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/8/1755021843318.png" alt="A police-drawn diagram of a crash on May 21 allegedly involving University of Nebraska Regent Elizabeth O’Connor, whose vehicle is meant to be illustrated in green. (Courtesy of Omaha Police Department)" />
 <figcaption>A police-drawn diagram of a crash on May 21 allegedly involving University of Nebraska Regent Elizabeth O’Connor, whose vehicle is meant to be illustrated in green. (Courtesy of Omaha Police Department)</figcaption>
 </figure>Field sobriety tests confirmed her condition, the investigator wrote, and a blood test collected immediately after the crash indicated O’Connor had a blood alcohol concentration of&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/laws/statutes.php?statute=60-6,196" target="_blank">four times the legal limit</a>: 0.321%.Both vehicles were totaled, according to the accident report. The crash occurred minutes from O’Connor’s home.&nbsp;The vehicle police say her car hit had five passengers in it, including three children. The driver and children sustained minor injuries, according to the police report. The woman seriously injured in the crash and O’Connor, who had minor injuries, were taken to the Nebraska Medical Center.O’Connor declined to comment for this story, and her attorney could not be reached. The family involved in the crash also declined to comment when reached by the Nebraska Examiner. Two listed witnesses did not return calls seeking comment. A spokesperson for the University of Nebraska system said NU “does not comment on ongoing legal matters.”<h2>Douglas County Attorney’s Office</h2>It took two months to file charges, partly because of O’Connor’s employment as a civil attorney in the Douglas County Attorney’s Office until last Tuesday, when she resigned, the timing of which the County Attorney’s Office confirmed.Omaha’s top prosecutors opted out of the case involving O’Connor, citing a potential conflict of interest. That left Omaha City Prosecutor Kevin Slimp to file the felony charge in Douglas County Court on July 30.&nbsp;Slimp told the Examiner a key reason for the delay was waiting for the blood test to come back from the lab.&nbsp;The police report was amended July 22 to include the BAC results. Slimp said he also needed time to review the evidence.Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine&nbsp;<a href="https://omaha.com/news/local/crime-courts/article_568415b8-8810-4e00-8a05-7310b78932f1.html" target="_blank">defended O’Connor a day before she resigned</a>, telling the Omaha World-Herald she had “been an exemplary employee for our office.” He also described what happened as “something that is terrible and needs to be addressed.”O’Connor, a 2015 graduate from Notre Dame Law School, told the local paper through her attorney last week that she&nbsp;<a href="https://omaha.com/news/local/crime-courts/article_9a8194de-a14b-4909-b722-acb3dc45d007.html" target="_blank">decided to resign</a>&nbsp;“after much reflection and support from trusted colleagues.”“While I am proud of my work serving Douglas County, I do not want my pending legal matter to serve as a distraction from the fine work and service the Douglas County Attorney’s Office continues to provide our community,” she said in the statement.O’Connor was booked into the Douglas County Department of Corrections at 9:31 p.m. on July 31. She appeared before a judge the following morning. A county official confirmed she was released after posting 10% of a $25,000 bond around 7 p.m. on Aug. 1.&nbsp;As a condition of her release, O’Connor must participate in Douglas County’s&nbsp;<a href="https://corrections.dccorr.com/community-programs/24-7-sobriety-program" target="_blank">24/7 Sobriety Program</a>&nbsp;with daily monitoring and drug testing.The Douglas County Court, with agreement from the prosecution and defense, waived a stipulation that O’Connor stay within 10 miles of the county. O’Connor’s next court date is Sept. 9 in Douglas County Court.<h2>‘Everything she can to make it right’</h2>NU Regent Paul Kenney, a Republican of Amherst and chair of the NU Board of Regents, said he would be as supportive as he could to O’Connor while not commenting on the criminal case.“Just trying to be a friend and a colleague and do what I can to help,” Kenney said Monday.Kenney and NU Regent Barbara Weitz of Omaha, who joined O’Connor on the board in 2019, told the Examiner that O’Connor has been through a tough time recently in her personal life, which Weitz described as a “year in hell.”O’Connor was the youngest regent elected to the NU board in 2018, at 28 years old, and is one of just a handful of women to serve.Weitz said the situation breaks her heart and that O’Connor “takes responsibility for making a bad choice, but she’s also doing everything she can to make it right.” Weitz said she remains supportive of O’Connor and that it is “imperative” that NU keep her as a regent.&nbsp;<h2>Second chances</h2>Gov. Jim Pillen, a Republican who served as a regent for 10 years before becoming governor in 2023, including four years with O’Connor, would get to appoint a successor in the event of a vacancy.The board is officially nonpartisan, and regents are often unanimous in their votes, but the party breakdown on the board is 6 Republicans and 2 Democrats. O’Connor and Weitz are the two Democrats.&nbsp;In seven years — across hundreds of votes — only once has the board split 6-2 along party lines. That was in April, when the regents amended NU bylaws to try to comply with an order from President Donald Trump’s administration against higher education diversity, equity and inclusion policies. Weitz and O’connor&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/04/11/university-of-nebraska-regents-amend-bylaws-to-comply-with-federal-anti-dei-mandate/">opposed the changes</a>.O’Connor stands out among elected regents as having first served as a student body president and student regent for the University of Nebraska at Omaha, one of four students who serve in advisory roles to the board. She graduated from UNO in 2012.Weitz described O’Connor as an “outstanding” regent, an “excellent” attorney and someone who has NU’s best interests in mind.“Of all the people I know who deserve second chances, she tops the list,” Weitz said Monday. “We’d lose a great deal if we lose her.”

NU regent faces felony DUI charge from crash that could jeopardize her office

KANSAS CITY — On August 7 and 8, a coalition of Northland law enforcement agencies combined efforts to combat human trafficking occurring in the communities north and east of Kansas City, according to a media release from the Ray County Sheriff.

The Clay, Clinton, Platte, and Ray County Sheriffs and the Kearney Police Department each hosted a proactive countertrafficking operation in their jurisdiction. They were assisted substantially by the Cameron Police, Richmond Police, Kansas City International Airport Police, Kansas City (KS) Police, and Riverside Police Departments, Missouri State Highway Patrol, Missouri Department of Social Services - State Technical Assistance Team, and Homeland Security Investigations. Technical assistance was provided by the Bourbon County (KS) Sheriff, Butler County (KS) Sheriff, Goodyear (AZ) Police, Greenwood County (KS) Sheriff, Mesa (AZ) Police, Peoria (AZ) Police, and Washoe County (NV) Sheriff.​​

This operation was designed from the beginning to reduce the demand for victimization of victim-survivors of sex trafficking in these communities, connect to and provide critical services and support to these potential victims, and especially deter any suspect attempting to prey upon children who have been enslaved by the commercial sex industry. The results for this operation were:​​

7 suspects arrested and booked for attempting to buy sex with a child​- 

3 suspects arrested and booked for attempting to buy sex​- 

2 suspects arrested for promoting prostitution for recruiting a person to engage in prostitution. One suspect in this case was ultimately booked for kidnapping and sexual assault after excellent work by the investigators revealed additional crimes that were occurring in another jurisdiction. 

A victim-survivor was recovered and placed into aftercare.​- 

8 potential sex trafficking survivors met with local advocates from Value Unconditional and RPOR, with technical assistance provided by ICTSOS. Many of them are now receiving advocacy and aftercare support.​​

All of the agencies involved in this effort want to remind everyone that sex trafficking is a violation of the freedoms we enjoy as Americans and Missourians. Human trafficking won't be tolerated in our communities now or ever.

KANSAS CITY — On August 7 and 8, a coalition of Northland law enforcement agencies combined efforts to combat human trafficking occurring in the communities north and east of Kansas City, according to a media release from the Ray County Sheriff.The Clay, Clinton, Platte, and Ray County Sheriffs and the Kearney Police Department each hosted a proactive countertrafficking operation in their jurisdiction. They were assisted substantially by the Cameron Police, Richmond Police, Kansas City International Airport Police, Kansas City (KS) Police, and Riverside Police Departments, Missouri State Highway Patrol, Missouri Department of Social Services - State Technical Assistance Team, and Homeland Security Investigations. Technical assistance was provided by the Bourbon County (KS) Sheriff, Butler County (KS) Sheriff, Goodyear (AZ) Police, Greenwood County (KS) Sheriff, Mesa (AZ) Police, Peoria (AZ) Police, and Washoe County (NV) Sheriff.​​This operation was designed from the beginning to reduce the demand for victimization of victim-survivors of sex trafficking in these communities, connect to and provide critical services and support to these potential victims, and especially deter any suspect attempting to prey upon children who have been enslaved by the commercial sex industry. The results for this operation were:​​7 suspects arrested and booked for attempting to buy sex with a child​- 3 suspects arrested and booked for attempting to buy sex​- 2 suspects arrested for promoting prostitution for recruiting a person to engage in prostitution. One suspect in this case was ultimately booked for kidnapping and sexual assault after excellent work by the investigators revealed additional crimes that were occurring in another jurisdiction. A victim-survivor was recovered and placed into aftercare.​- 8 potential sex trafficking survivors met with local advocates from Value Unconditional and RPOR, with technical assistance provided by ICTSOS. Many of them are now receiving advocacy and aftercare support.​​All of the agencies involved in this effort want to remind everyone that sex trafficking is a violation of the freedoms we enjoy as Americans and Missourians. Human trafficking won't be tolerated in our communities now or ever.

Sheriff: Operation targeted human trafficking in Missouri and Kansas

KANSAS CITY, KAN. – A Kansas man was sentenced this week to 46 months in prison for drug trafficking stemming from an investigation into multiple fentanyl overdoses.

According to court documents, Rayvon Porter, 33, of Kansas City, Kansas, pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine and fentanyl.

While investigating the supplier in several fentanyl-related overdoses, Porter was identified as a suspect and law enforcement began to conduct surveillance. Investigators took him into custody while he was inside of a business. 

During a search of his car, they found a loaded Glock handgun, 1.32 grams of cocaine, 9.7 grams of fentanyl, and digital scales.

“Illegal fentanyl is a blight on our community that causes death and destruction,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan A. Kriegshauser. “Our office will do everything in its power to help eliminate it and stop its distribution.”

“This sentencing represents the hard work and dedication by USPS OIG Special Agents working with the Kansas City, Kansas Police Department and the U.S. Attorney’s Office to bring charges on this significant narcotics investigation,” said Special Agent in Charge Dennus Bishop, U.S. Postal

Service, Office of Inspector General, Central Area Field Office. “The OIG, along with our law enforcement partners, remains committed to safeguarding the U.S. Mail and ensuring the accountability and integrity of U.S. Postal Service employees.”

The Kansas City, Kansas Police Department and the U.S. Postal Service – Office of Inspector General (USPS-OIG) investigated the case.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/8/1754664727407.png" alt="Porter -photo Wyandotte County" />
 <figcaption>Porter -photo Wyandotte County</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY, KAN. – A Kansas man was sentenced this week to 46 months in prison for drug trafficking stemming from an investigation into multiple fentanyl overdoses.According to court documents, Rayvon Porter, 33, of Kansas City, Kansas, pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine and fentanyl.While investigating the supplier in several fentanyl-related overdoses, Porter was identified as a suspect and law enforcement began to conduct surveillance. Investigators took him into custody while he was inside of a business. During a search of his car, they found a loaded Glock handgun, 1.32 grams of cocaine, 9.7 grams of fentanyl, and digital scales.“Illegal fentanyl is a blight on our community that causes death and destruction,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan A. Kriegshauser. “Our office will do everything in its power to help eliminate it and stop its distribution.”“This sentencing represents the hard work and dedication by USPS OIG Special Agents working with the Kansas City, Kansas Police Department and the U.S. Attorney’s Office to bring charges on this significant narcotics investigation,” said Special Agent in Charge Dennus Bishop, U.S. PostalService, Office of Inspector General, Central Area Field Office. “The OIG, along with our law enforcement partners, remains committed to safeguarding the U.S. Mail and ensuring the accountability and integrity of U.S. Postal Service employees.”The Kansas City, Kansas Police Department and the U.S. Postal Service – Office of Inspector General (USPS-OIG) investigated the case.

Prison for Kansas man who admitted selling fentanyl, cocaine

KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement investigating a weekend homicide in Kansas City, Missouri have identified the teen victim as 16-year-old&nbsp;Traelynn Sibley, according to KCPD Captain Jake Becchina.

Just after 10p.m. Saturday, police were dispatched to a shooting in 3600 block of Norton in Kansas City.

On arrival officers were led inside a residence where they located Sibley unresponsive. Officers summoned EMS to the scene who transported her to the hospital. She was declared deceased by medical personnel at the hospital.

Homicide detectives responded to the scene and are investigating.

Preliminary investigation indicates the victim was inside a residence at the location when gunfire from an unknown suspect or suspects came from outside the residence to the inside, striking her.&nbsp; Police have no known suspect information.

KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement investigating a weekend homicide in Kansas City, Missouri have identified the teen victim as 16-year-old&nbsp;Traelynn Sibley, according to KCPD Captain Jake Becchina.Just after 10p.m. Saturday, police were dispatched to a shooting in 3600 block of Norton in Kansas City.On arrival officers were led inside a residence where they located Sibley unresponsive. Officers summoned EMS to the scene who transported her to the hospital. She was declared deceased by medical personnel at the hospital.Homicide detectives responded to the scene and are investigating.Preliminary investigation indicates the victim was inside a residence at the location when gunfire from an unknown suspect or suspects came from outside the residence to the inside, striking her.&nbsp; Police have no known suspect information.

Police ID girl killed by gunshots fired from outside her KC home

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 Attorney General Kris Kobach says he keeps a box of naloxone in his pickup truck.

It’s a lifesaving tool that can fit in the glovebox, and Kobach wants to make the product more accessible to Kansans.

Naloxone, also known by the brand name Narcan, is an overdose-reversal medication that can restore someone’s breathing within minutes and is known for its effectiveness in combating the opioid epidemic.

A state grant review board unanimously approved Friday a $177,000 grant for the Attorney General’s Office to transform unused news racks into naloxone distribution boxes.

“If you’re willing to keep it in your glovebox in your car, you should be doing that, because we need it distributed everywhere to potentially save lives,” Kobach said at a Friday meeting of the Kansas Fights Addiction Grant Review Board.

The idea was inspired by Emily’s Hope, an organization in South Dakota that says it was the first in the nation to repurpose news racks to increase access to naloxone and reduce the stigma around drug use. The program has been “extremely successful,” said&nbsp;Angela Kennecke, president and CEO of Emily’s Hope. Since April, the organization has established 25 open boxes in 11 cities, and it is working on 12 more. That has amounted to roughly 8,200 kits distributed.

“I thought we should be doing the same thing,” Kobach said.

He wants to place repurposed newspaper boxes on college and university campuses, of which there are about 40 in Kansas.

Kobach’s request focused on illegally made fentanyl, a potent synthetic opioid that caused more than half of overdose deaths in 2023 in Kansas, according to the most recent&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/overdose-prevention/data-research/facts-stats/sudors-dashboard-fatal-overdose-data.html" target="_blank">data</a>&nbsp;from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Kansas recently surpassed 1,500 total deaths from fentanyl, he said. Of the 615 overdose deaths in Kansas in 2023, nearly 60% had at least one potential opportunity for intervention, the data said. In almost 45% of deaths, a bystander was present.

Pat George, the board chair, said the overdose crisis is happening now.

“Our primary mission, I’ve always felt, is saving lives and saving families, so this fits right in,” George said.

The addiction grant review board is charged with deciding where to allocate the millions of dollars that have poured into the state from settlements with pharmaceutical companies, which were sued for playing a part in the opioid epidemic. Kansas has received $90 million to date, said Shanna Zimmer, chief financial officer of the Sunflower Foundation, a nonprofit that administers the funds for the state. About $74 million remains in the bank.

The attorney general envisioned the grant paying for public service announcements, social media and video advertising, distribution boxes and 7,000 boxes of naloxone, each typically containing two doses. The majority of the grant, about $150,000, will be for advertising, Kobach said.

Education is a significant piece, he said, because of the pervasive nature of fentanyl. It appears in counterfeit pills, often mixed with other drugs.

A Douglas County-based social services organization, DCCCA, runs the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dccca.org/program/kansas-naloxone-program/" target="_blank">Kansas Naloxone Program</a>. It has placed five vending machines across the state that distribute naloxone like bags of chips or candy bars. Three more are on the way, said Chrissy Mayer, chief community-based services officer for DCCCA.

Between October and June, the organization distributed about 40,000 kits of naloxone across Kansas, either through vending machines or by mail. That’s 80,000 doses.

“We know that overdoses continue to increase, and this is a really easy way to save someone’s life,” Mayer said.

The organization places boxes at locations in Hutchinson, Lawrence, Kansas City, Kansas, Salina and Wichita, based on data mapping overdose hotspots. New machines are expected soon in Garden City, Overland Park and Pittsburg.

People who want naloxone from one of DCCCA’s machines enter their zip code on a keypad, then the machine dispenses a kit, Mayer said. The machine in Wichita is typically restocked weekly. In Hutchinson, it’s restocked about every two weeks, and the rest are usually restocked once a month.

Mayer said “there are some interesting assumptions that people might make” regarding who uses the vending machines. Many who use the vending machines are from what might be classified as more affluent ZIP codes, she said.

“That just demonstrates opioid overdose affects everybody,” Mayer said.

She added: “Your ZIP code doesn’t really matter.”

DCCCA offers multiple&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dccca.org/program/self-paced-training/" target="_blank">training</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dccca.org/request-a-training/" target="_blank">options</a>&nbsp;on its&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dccca.org/" target="_blank">website</a>&nbsp;for the proper administration of naloxone.

The Kansas Attorney General’s Office plans to have naloxone kits available at its table at the Kansas State Fair, which is scheduled for Sept. 5-14 in Hutchinson.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/8/1754940903452.png" alt="DCCCA offers naloxone through a vending machine outside of a Lawrence Transit station near the University of Kansas campus. (Maya Smith for Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>DCCCA offers naloxone through a vending machine outside of a Lawrence Transit station near the University of Kansas campus. (Maya Smith for 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 Attorney General Kris Kobach says he keeps a box of naloxone in his pickup truck.It’s a lifesaving tool that can fit in the glovebox, and Kobach wants to make the product more accessible to Kansans.Naloxone, also known by the brand name Narcan, is an overdose-reversal medication that can restore someone’s breathing within minutes and is known for its effectiveness in combating the opioid epidemic.A state grant review board unanimously approved Friday a $177,000 grant for the Attorney General’s Office to transform unused news racks into naloxone distribution boxes.“If you’re willing to keep it in your glovebox in your car, you should be doing that, because we need it distributed everywhere to potentially save lives,” Kobach said at a Friday meeting of the Kansas Fights Addiction Grant Review Board.The idea was inspired by Emily’s Hope, an organization in South Dakota that says it was the first in the nation to repurpose news racks to increase access to naloxone and reduce the stigma around drug use. The program has been “extremely successful,” said&nbsp;Angela Kennecke, president and CEO of Emily’s Hope. Since April, the organization has established 25 open boxes in 11 cities, and it is working on 12 more. That has amounted to roughly 8,200 kits distributed.“I thought we should be doing the same thing,” Kobach said.He wants to place repurposed newspaper boxes on college and university campuses, of which there are about 40 in Kansas.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/8/1754940843188.png" alt="DCCCA offers naloxone through a vending machine outside of a Lawrence Transit station near the University of Kansas campus. (Maya Smith for Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>DCCCA offers naloxone through a vending machine outside of a Lawrence Transit station near the University of Kansas campus. (Maya Smith for Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>Kobach’s request focused on illegally made fentanyl, a potent synthetic opioid that caused more than half of overdose deaths in 2023 in Kansas, according to the most recent&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/overdose-prevention/data-research/facts-stats/sudors-dashboard-fatal-overdose-data.html" target="_blank">data</a>&nbsp;from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Kansas recently surpassed 1,500 total deaths from fentanyl, he said. Of the 615 overdose deaths in Kansas in 2023, nearly 60% had at least one potential opportunity for intervention, the data said. In almost 45% of deaths, a bystander was present.Pat George, the board chair, said the overdose crisis is happening now.“Our primary mission, I’ve always felt, is saving lives and saving families, so this fits right in,” George said.The addiction grant review board is charged with deciding where to allocate the millions of dollars that have poured into the state from settlements with pharmaceutical companies, which were sued for playing a part in the opioid epidemic. Kansas has received $90 million to date, said Shanna Zimmer, chief financial officer of the Sunflower Foundation, a nonprofit that administers the funds for the state. About $74 million remains in the bank.The attorney general envisioned the grant paying for public service announcements, social media and video advertising, distribution boxes and 7,000 boxes of naloxone, each typically containing two doses. The majority of the grant, about $150,000, will be for advertising, Kobach said.Education is a significant piece, he said, because of the pervasive nature of fentanyl. It appears in counterfeit pills, often mixed with other drugs.A Douglas County-based social services organization, DCCCA, runs the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dccca.org/program/kansas-naloxone-program/" target="_blank">Kansas Naloxone Program</a>. It has placed five vending machines across the state that distribute naloxone like bags of chips or candy bars. Three more are on the way, said Chrissy Mayer, chief community-based services officer for DCCCA.Between October and June, the organization distributed about 40,000 kits of naloxone across Kansas, either through vending machines or by mail. That’s 80,000 doses.“We know that overdoses continue to increase, and this is a really easy way to save someone’s life,” Mayer said.The organization places boxes at locations in Hutchinson, Lawrence, Kansas City, Kansas, Salina and Wichita, based on data mapping overdose hotspots. New machines are expected soon in Garden City, Overland Park and Pittsburg.People who want naloxone from one of DCCCA’s machines enter their zip code on a keypad, then the machine dispenses a kit, Mayer said. The machine in Wichita is typically restocked weekly. In Hutchinson, it’s restocked about every two weeks, and the rest are usually restocked once a month.Mayer said “there are some interesting assumptions that people might make” regarding who uses the vending machines. Many who use the vending machines are from what might be classified as more affluent ZIP codes, she said.“That just demonstrates opioid overdose affects everybody,” Mayer said.She added: “Your ZIP code doesn’t really matter.”DCCCA offers multiple&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dccca.org/program/self-paced-training/" target="_blank">training</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dccca.org/request-a-training/" target="_blank">options</a>&nbsp;on its&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dccca.org/" target="_blank">website</a>&nbsp;for the proper administration of naloxone.The Kansas Attorney General’s Office plans to have naloxone kits available at its table at the Kansas State Fair, which is scheduled for Sept. 5-14 in Hutchinson.

From news rack to naloxone distribution box: Kansas AG wants to expand access to lifesaving kits

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/8/1754924754534.png" alt="Image White House video" />
 <figcaption>Image White House video</figcaption>
 </figure><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">🚨 President Trump announces he is invoking the D.C. Home Rule Act to place the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department under direct federal control and deploy the National Guard. &quot;This is Liberation Day in D.C. — and we&#39;re going to take our capital BACK.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/aqov60mrCW">pic.twitter.com/aqov60mrCW</a>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1954916584176443592?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 11, 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/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>: &quot;We&#39;re declaring a public safety emergency in the District of Columbia — and <a href="https://twitter.com/AGPamBondi?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AGPamBondi</a> is taking command of the Metropolitan Police Department as of this moment.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/aXP0n5l0dX">pic.twitter.com/aXP0n5l0dX</a>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1954920633160331525?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 11, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/8/1754924379692.png" alt="Image from White House video" />
 <figcaption>Image from White House video</figcaption>
 </figure><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">President Trump: &quot;I&#39;m announcing a historic action to rescue our nation&#39;s capital from crime, bloodshed, bedlam, and squalor and worse. This is Liberation Day in DC and we&#39;re going to take our capital back. We&#39;re taking it back..&quot; <a href="https://t.co/JpoblecuoB">pic.twitter.com/JpoblecuoB</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1954920835887620252?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 11, 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/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> on Making D.C. Safe Again: &quot;We are going to be removing homeless encampments from all over our parks... We&#39;re getting rid of the people from underpasses and public spaces... We&#39;ll help them as much as you can help.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/Gu7O1ySWFz">pic.twitter.com/Gu7O1ySWFz</a>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1954923844030074956?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 11, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

🎥Trump places D.C. police under federal control, deploys troops

Deputy Elijah Ming's funeral service will be held Monday, August 11, at Children's Mercy Park, 1 Sporting Way, Kansas City, Kansas.

The service is open to the public and will begin at 11:00 AM. Parking lots will open at 9:00 AM with stadium gates opening at 9:30 AM. 

Attendees should approach Children’s Mercy Park from State Ave. Public parking will be located on the south side of the stadium in Blue Lot 2 on the grounds of the Kansas Speedway. 

Please, be aware that Village West Parkway and France Family Drive will be closed to public traffic. There will be a Law Enforcement Processional starting 30 minutes following the service, at approximately 1:30 PM. 

The route is posted below. Residents and businesses are invited to line the procession route and to display blue ribbons or signs of support for Deputy Ming’s family.

• East On France Family• South on Village West Pkwy• East on State Ave• South on I-435• East on I-70• North on N. 7th St.• West on State Ave• Ends at N. 94th St. and State AveBurial services will be private.

Deputy Ming’s service will be livestreamed on the Unified Government’s YouTube channel for those unable to attend in person.Livestream Access Link:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwZf6B6O7uA">Honoring the Life of Fallen Deputy Elijah Ming - YouTube</a>

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/7/1753612145888.png" alt="Deputy Elijah MIng courtesy photo" />
 <figcaption>Deputy Elijah MIng courtesy photo</figcaption>
 </figure>Click below to watch the service.<div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/cwZf6B6O7uA?si=PNiBbm8-SwMlNoQ-&amp;controls=0" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>Deputy Elijah Ming's funeral service will be held Monday, August 11, at Children's Mercy Park, 1 Sporting Way, Kansas City, Kansas.The service is open to the public and will begin at 11:00 AM. Parking lots will open at 9:00 AM with stadium gates opening at 9:30 AM. Attendees should approach Children’s Mercy Park from State Ave. Public parking will be located on the south side of the stadium in Blue Lot 2 on the grounds of the Kansas Speedway. Please, be aware that Village West Parkway and France Family Drive will be closed to public traffic. There will be a Law Enforcement Processional starting 30 minutes following the service, at approximately 1:30 PM. The route is posted below. Residents and businesses are invited to line the procession route and to display blue ribbons or signs of support for Deputy Ming’s family.The route is as follows -• East On France Family• South on Village West Pkwy• East on State Ave• South on I-435• East on I-70• North on N. 7th St.• West on State Ave• Ends at N. 94th St. and State AveBurial services will be private.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/8/1754906856069.png" alt=" " />
 <figcaption> </figcaption>
 </figure>Deputy Ming’s service will be livestreamed on the Unified Government’s YouTube channel for those unable to attend in person.Livestream Access Link:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwZf6B6O7uA">Honoring the Life of Fallen Deputy Elijah Ming - YouTube</a>

🎥Funeral service honoring life of Deputy Elijah Ming

KANSAS CITY —Officials are investigating the cause of a house fire in Kansas City.

Just before 5a.m. Sunday, crews&nbsp;responded to a reported house fire in the 5100 block of East 23rd Street in Kansas City, Missouri, according to Battalion Chief Riley Nolan. 

Crews reported "heavy fire and smoke" showing from a 2-story home and initiated an offensive fire attack, advancing 2 hose lines.

Searches throughout the structure came back "all clear." The fire was reported under control at 5:05 a.m.

KCFD continued with overhaul operations to expose and extinguish hot spots. No injuries were reported at this incident. Dangerous Buildings was ordered to the scene to evaluate the structure.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/8/1754827517742.png" alt="Photo Kansas City Fire Dept" />
 <figcaption>Photo Kansas City Fire Dept</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —Officials are investigating the cause of a house fire in Kansas City.Just before 5a.m. Sunday, crews&nbsp;responded to a reported house fire in the 5100 block of East 23rd Street in Kansas City, Missouri, according to Battalion Chief Riley Nolan. Crews reported "heavy fire and smoke" showing from a 2-story home and initiated an offensive fire attack, advancing 2 hose lines.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/8/1754827495943.png" alt="3" />
 <figcaption>3</figcaption>
 </figure>Searches throughout the structure came back "all clear." The fire was reported under control at 5:05 a.m.KCFD continued with overhaul operations to expose and extinguish hot spots. No injuries were reported at this incident. Dangerous Buildings was ordered to the scene to evaluate the structure.

Fire consumes 2-story Kansas City home

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/8/1754872804646.png" alt="&nbsp;President Trump seen on Sunday in the White House residence room -image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>&nbsp;President Trump seen on Sunday in the White House residence room -image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><a href="https://t.co/Z9AfU5PVvW">pic.twitter.com/Z9AfU5PVvW</a>&mdash; Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) <a href="https://twitter.com/PressSec/status/1954877370625823191?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 11, 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://t.co/IpKXCkTbJ7">pic.twitter.com/IpKXCkTbJ7</a>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1954878435182235906?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 11, 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://t.co/mgqy6fCsIw">pic.twitter.com/mgqy6fCsIw</a>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1954560175941025915?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 10, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">President Trump will hold a press conference at 10AM ET tomorrow in the Briefing Room. Tune in! <a href="https://t.co/MFQNX2yeW5">pic.twitter.com/MFQNX2yeW5</a>&mdash; Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) <a href="https://twitter.com/PressSec/status/1954714380131533056?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 11, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Reactions on Day One of increased federal law enforcement in D.C.: &quot;It&#39;s awesome that we have extra police presence to keep everybody safe and have them coming back.&quot; &quot;If it&#39;s going to stop the crime, yeah — it&#39;s necessary.&quot; MAKE D.C. SAFE AGAIN! <a href="https://t.co/ExZOaLxizM">pic.twitter.com/ExZOaLxizM</a>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1954287936318681233?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 9, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

'No Mr. Nice Guy': Trump set to clean up Washington, D.C.

OSAGE COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating two suspects on drug&nbsp; and theft allegations. Just after 2p.m. August 7,&nbsp; the Osage County Sheriff’s Office executed a narcotic search warrant in the 200 block of North 4th Street in Carbondale, according to Sheriff Chris Wells.

 Illegal narcotics and a vehicle that had been stolen from Topeka were located. Two subjects were taken into custody and transported to the Osage County Jail Facility on suspicion of request charges:

Sophia D. Munoz, 31, of Topeka: Possession of methamphetamine, Possession of drug paraphernalia, Possession of marijuana and Possession of stolen property

Paden B. Guthrie, 20, of Topeka, Possession of methamphetamine and Possession of drug paraphernalia.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/8/1754681041913.png" alt="Guthrie photo Osage&nbsp; Co." />
 <figcaption>Guthrie photo Osage&nbsp; Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>OSAGE COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating two suspects on drug&nbsp; and theft allegations. Just after 2p.m. August 7,&nbsp; the Osage County Sheriff’s Office executed a narcotic search warrant in the 200 block of North 4th Street in Carbondale, according to Sheriff Chris Wells. Illegal narcotics and a vehicle that had been stolen from Topeka were located. Two subjects were taken into custody and transported to the Osage County Jail Facility on suspicion of request charges:<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/8/1754680898816.png" alt="Munoz photo Osage&nbsp; Co." />
 <figcaption>Munoz photo Osage&nbsp; Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>Sophia D. Munoz, 31, of Topeka: Possession of methamphetamine, Possession of drug paraphernalia, Possession of marijuana and Possession of stolen propertyPaden B. Guthrie, 20, of Topeka, Possession of methamphetamine and Possession of drug paraphernalia.

Kansas couple caught with drugs and stolen vehicle

By:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/laurencross/">Lauren Cross</a>

If you live in a small town, you probably have fewer grocery stores than you did 30 years ago — and fewer choices inside them.

Independent grocers have disappeared, replaced by big national chains that now decide what’s on the shelves, how much it costs, and who gets to profit.

In 1990, the top four grocery chains controlled just 13% of nationwide sales. By 2019, the top four retailers — Walmart, Kroger, Costco, and Ahold Delhaize — controlled 34% of U.S. grocery sales,&nbsp;<a href="https://ers.usda.gov/sites/default/files/_laserfiche/publications/106795/EIB-256.pdf?v=40605" target="_blank">according to the USDA</a>.

That concentration hasn’t gone unnoticed. Just last year, the Federal Trade Commission and nine states&nbsp;<a href="https://hpj.com/2024/02/26/ftc-sues-to-block-supermarket-merger/" target="_blank">sued to block a $25 billion merger between grocery giants Kroger and Albertsons</a>, arguing that the deal would harm both shoppers and workers by reducing competition, increasing prices, and consolidating power into fewer hands. The merger has since unraveled, but only after a court battle and mounting public pressure.

In rural counties, market concentration more than doubled between 1990 and 2019, according to USDA data.

One way to measure concentration is the Herfindahl-Hirschman Index (HHI), a tool used to track monopoly risk. In rural areas, HHI scores jumped from 3,104 to 5,584 — more than twice the threshold where federal antitrust regulators start to worry about competition. According to a 2023 USDA report, the USDA considers anything above 2,500 is considered highly concentrated.

Now that trend may speed up. The White House has proposed nearly $7 billion in USDA budget cuts, including $721 million from&nbsp;<a href="https://investigatemidwest.org/2025/05/14/trump-says-he-loves-farmers-hes-dismantlintheg-the-agency-helping-their-communities-survive/" target="_blank">Rural Development programs</a>&nbsp;— the ones that help small towns open grocery stores and other local businesses. One program on the chopping block is the Rural Business-Cooperative Service. Loan funding for community facilities and rural businesses would also drop by 45%, with no new grant dollars offered.

At the same time, the administration’s “Make America Healthy Again” initiative discusses improving nutrition, but proposes cuts to the very programs that help people buy food, including Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), school meal equipment, and farm-to-school efforts.

The bottom line? Rural communities already hit hardest by grocery consolidation are now facing even more roadblocks.

This&nbsp;<a href="https://investigatemidwest.org/2025/06/18/usda-data-highlights-monopoly-risk-in-rural-grocery-markets/" target="_blank">article</a>&nbsp;first appeared on&nbsp;<a href="https://investigatemidwest.org/" target="_blank">Investigate Midwest</a>&nbsp;and is republished here under a&nbsp;<a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/" target="_blank">Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/6/1750436100569.png" alt=" General Manager Brian Horak walks down an aisle at Post 60 Market in Emerson, Nebraska. Locals opened the market as a cooperative in 2022 after the tiny town lost its only grocery store (Kevin Hardy/Stateline)." />
 <figcaption> General Manager Brian Horak walks down an aisle at Post 60 Market in Emerson, Nebraska. Locals opened the market as a cooperative in 2022 after the tiny town lost its only grocery store (Kevin Hardy/Stateline).</figcaption>
 </figure>By:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/laurencross/">Lauren Cross</a>If you live in a small town, you probably have fewer grocery stores than you did 30 years ago — and fewer choices inside them.Independent grocers have disappeared, replaced by big national chains that now decide what’s on the shelves, how much it costs, and who gets to profit.In 1990, the top four grocery chains controlled just 13% of nationwide sales. By 2019, the top four retailers — Walmart, Kroger, Costco, and Ahold Delhaize — controlled 34% of U.S. grocery sales,&nbsp;<a href="https://ers.usda.gov/sites/default/files/_laserfiche/publications/106795/EIB-256.pdf?v=40605" target="_blank">according to the USDA</a>.That concentration hasn’t gone unnoticed. Just last year, the Federal Trade Commission and nine states&nbsp;<a href="https://hpj.com/2024/02/26/ftc-sues-to-block-supermarket-merger/" target="_blank">sued to block a $25 billion merger between grocery giants Kroger and Albertsons</a>, arguing that the deal would harm both shoppers and workers by reducing competition, increasing prices, and consolidating power into fewer hands. The merger has since unraveled, but only after a court battle and mounting public pressure.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/6/1750436058104.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>In rural counties, market concentration more than doubled between 1990 and 2019, according to USDA data.One way to measure concentration is the Herfindahl-Hirschman Index (HHI), a tool used to track monopoly risk. In rural areas, HHI scores jumped from 3,104 to 5,584 — more than twice the threshold where federal antitrust regulators start to worry about competition. According to a 2023 USDA report, the USDA considers anything above 2,500 is considered highly concentrated.Now that trend may speed up. The White House has proposed nearly $7 billion in USDA budget cuts, including $721 million from&nbsp;<a href="https://investigatemidwest.org/2025/05/14/trump-says-he-loves-farmers-hes-dismantlintheg-the-agency-helping-their-communities-survive/" target="_blank">Rural Development programs</a>&nbsp;— the ones that help small towns open grocery stores and other local businesses. One program on the chopping block is the Rural Business-Cooperative Service. Loan funding for community facilities and rural businesses would also drop by 45%, with no new grant dollars offered.At the same time, the administration’s “Make America Healthy Again” initiative discusses improving nutrition, but proposes cuts to the very programs that help people buy food, including Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), school meal equipment, and farm-to-school efforts.The bottom line? Rural communities already hit hardest by grocery consolidation are now facing even more roadblocks.This&nbsp;<a href="https://investigatemidwest.org/2025/06/18/usda-data-highlights-monopoly-risk-in-rural-grocery-markets/" target="_blank">article</a>&nbsp;first appeared on&nbsp;<a href="https://investigatemidwest.org/" target="_blank">Investigate Midwest</a>&nbsp;and is republished here under a&nbsp;<a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/" target="_blank">Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License</a>.<figure>
 <img src="https://investigatemidwest.org/?republication-pixel=true&amp;post=754059&amp;ga4=G-R9VE8P61LG" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>

USDA data highlights monopoly risk in rural grocery market

KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement are investigating another homicide in Kansas City, Missouri.

Just after 10p.m. Saturday, police were dispatched to a shooting in 3600 block of Norton in Kansas City, according to KCPD Captain Jake Becchina.

On arrival officers were led inside a residence where they located a juvenile teen shooting victim unresponsive. Officers summoned EMS to the scene who transported the girl to the hospital. She was declared deceased by medical personnel at the hospital. 

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/8/1754840034182.png" alt="Photo Sheriff Daryl Forte'" />
 <figcaption>Photo Sheriff Daryl Forte'</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement are investigating another homicide in Kansas City, Missouri.Just after 10p.m. Saturday, police were dispatched to a shooting in 3600 block of Norton in Kansas City, according to KCPD Captain Jake Becchina.On arrival officers were led inside a residence where they located a juvenile teen shooting victim unresponsive. Officers summoned EMS to the scene who transported the girl to the hospital. She was declared deceased by medical personnel at the hospital. Homicide detectives responded to the scene and are investigating.Preliminary investigation indicates the victim was inside a residence at the location when gunfire from an unknown suspect or suspects came from outside the residence to the inside, striking her.&nbsp; Police have no known suspect information.

KCPD: Girl injured from shots fired outside her home has died

By:&nbsp;<a href="https://georgiarecorder.com/author/shauneen-miranda/">Shauneen Miranda</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://georgiarecorder.com/author/jacob-fischler/">Jacob Fischler</a>&nbsp; <a href="https://stateline.org/">Stateline</a>

WASHINGTON — Fueled by President Donald Trump’s aims to bolster the U.S. House’s razor-thin GOP majority in the 2026 midterm elections, a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2025/08/04/texas-redistricting-democrats-quorum-break-what-need-know/" target="_blank">rare mid-decade redistricting fight</a>&nbsp;in Texas grew increasingly bitter in recent days and engulfed other states.

As Democratic legislators in the Lone Star State fled to block a new congressional map, a handful of both blue and red states eyed their own redistricting plans, lawsuits cropped up and members of Congress pledged bills to curb redistricting wars.

While Texas is the only state that has so far taken formal action to redraw its U.S. House lines, a full-blown arms race could be imminent.

Here’s a breakdown on the redistricting battle as the drama unfolds:

How did all of this interest in redistricting kick off?

Republicans in Texas drew a new congressional map at the urging of Trump that could give the GOP five crucial new congressional seats in 2026.

Midterm elections typically lead to the loss of congressional seats for a president’s party.&nbsp;

Meanwhile, the GOP&nbsp;<a href="https://pressgallery.house.gov/member-data/party-breakdown" target="_blank">currently holds</a>&nbsp;219 seats in the House, while Democrats hold 212 spots, with four vacancies. That extremely narrow majority has created immense challenges for U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, as he tries to enact Trump’s sweeping agenda and cater to the president’s demands as well as factions in the GOP conference.

Though congressional districts are typically redrawn every decade following each U.S. Census, the move, particularly in Texas, is&nbsp;<a href="https://www.texasstandard.org/stories/texas-redistricting-history-partisan-apportionment-democrats-legislature/" target="_blank">not unprecedented</a>&nbsp;and is allowed.

Texas Republicans&nbsp;<a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2025/07/30/texas-redistricting-congressional-maps-house-republicans/" target="_blank">unveiled a draft</a>&nbsp;of the new congressional map in late July, which looks to reshape and flip major metro areas’ districts held by Democrats.

According to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2025/08/01/texas-congressional-redistricting-doj-coalition-districts/?_bhlid=7f2627553c4e88985dcc13d559313ade1585940b" target="_blank">The Texas Tribune</a>, the Department of Justice sent Texas’ leaders a letter in early July that said four of its districts violate the U.S. Constitution. The proposed map would dismantle those districts, per the Tribune.

More than 50 of Texas’ Democratic legislators left the state to try to block the legislature from adopting the new map, according to the Tribune.

This move has drawn the ire of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2025/08/05/texas-democrats-ken-paxton-court-vacate-seats-quorum-break/" target="_blank">Texas Gov. Greg Abbott</a>, who went so far as to&nbsp;<a href="https://gov.texas.gov/news/post/governor-abbott-files-lawsuit-seeking-removal-of-texas-democrat-caucus-chair-representative-wu" target="_blank">file a lawsuit</a>&nbsp;asking to remove the Texas House Democratic Caucus chair, state Rep. Gene Wu, after Wu left the state.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton also&nbsp;<a href="https://texasattorneygeneral.gov/news/releases/attorney-general-ken-paxton-will-seek-judicial-orders-declaring-runaway-democrats-who-abandon-their" target="_blank">said Tuesday</a>&nbsp;that he will pursue a court ruling that declares the seats vacant for the House Democrats who do not return by Friday.

Texas GOP U.S. Sen. John Cornyn has also&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cornyn.senate.gov/news/cornyn-urges-fbi-to-investigate-hold-fleeing-texas-legislators-accountable/" target="_blank">called on the FBI</a>&nbsp;“to take any appropriate steps to aid in Texas state law enforcement efforts to locate or arrest potential lawbreakers who have fled the state.” Trump on Tuesday, asked by a reporter if the FBI should “get involved,” said, “Well, they may have to.”

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has been among the most vocal Democratic governors in suggesting retaliating against Texas Republicans by redrawing his populous blue state’s own lines before the 2026 elections.

State laws in California and other Democratic states make mid-decade redistricting tougher than it is in Texas.

While pro-democracy groups have praised California’s nonpartisan commission as the “gold standard” of independent redistricting, Newsom has indicated he would ask state lawmakers to temporarily scrap it to join the arms race he says Trump started in Texas.

At a Monday press conference, Newsom justified his exploration of mid-decade redistricting in the Golden State by describing Trump’s recent and historic record as anti-democratic.

“These folks don’t play by the rules,” Newsom said. “If they can’t win playing the game with the existing set of rules, they’ll change the rules. That’s what Donald Trump has done … Here is someone who tried to break this country, tried to light democracy on fire on Jan. 6. He recognizes he’s going to lose in the midterms.”

What other states are looking at potentially redistricting?

Vice President JD Vance is slated to visit Indiana Thursday in an attempt to push redistricting, according to the&nbsp;<a href="https://indianacapitalchronicle.com/2025/08/05/vice-president-heads-to-indiana-to-push-redistricting-but-legalities-remain-unclear/" target="_blank">Indiana Capital Chronicle</a>.

Indiana GOP Gov. Mike Braun said that as of now, no commitments have been made, when asked about redistricting efforts in the Hoosier State, per the Capital Chronicle.

Leaders of large Democratic states, in addition to California, are considering their own redistricting in response to Texas.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul wrote in an&nbsp;<a href="https://www.houstonchronicle.com/opinion/outlook/article/texas-redistricting-new-york-kathy-hochul-20802629.php?emci=f5933625-3c72-f011-8dc9-6045bda9d96b&amp;emdi=85ee365f-d072-f011-8dc9-6045bda9d96b&amp;ceid=37942749" target="_blank">op-ed published in the Houston Chronicle</a>&nbsp;Tuesday that she would “not sit on the sidelines” and watch “Republicans dismantle democracy.”

“What Texas is doing isn’t a clever strategy, it’s political arson — torching our democracy to cling to power,” Hochul wrote. “The only viable recourse is to fight fire with fire.”

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker appeared alongside Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin and a group of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/texas-dems-flee-illinois-block-redistricting-vote" target="_blank">exiled Texas Democratic lawmakers</a>&nbsp;at a news conference Tuesday. Pritzker said it was “possible” the state would pursue redistricting,&nbsp;<a href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/illinois-governor/2025/08/05/jb-pritzker-illinois-remap-texas-democrats-greg-abbott" target="_blank">according to the Chicago Sun-Times</a>.

Other Democratic governors — even including Laura Kelly of ruby-red Kansas — raised the prospect during a Democratic Governors Association&nbsp;<a href="https://wisconsinexaminer.com/2025/08/01/democratic-governors-endorse-mid-decade-redistricting-in-response-to-gop-efforts/" target="_blank">meeting in Wisconsin last week</a>&nbsp;of pursuing mid-decade redistricting if Texas follows through.

Republican states are also considering jumping in the fray.

Missouri Senate President Pro Tem Cindy O’Laughlin, a Republican, told a news radio station last week that it was&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/08/02/missouri-senate-leader-says-special-session-is-likely-to-redraw-congressional-map/" target="_blank">“likely”</a>&nbsp;lawmakers would convene in a special session to redraw district lines after&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/07/25/trump-white-house-pressing-missouri-republicans-to-redraw-congressional-map/" target="_blank">pressure from Trump</a>.

And Rep. Don Bacon, a Republican who holds the most competitive of Nebraska’s three U.S. House seats but plans to step down,&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/08/06/nebraska-might-join-national-wildfire-of-mid-decade-redistricting/" target="_blank">told the Nebraska Examiner</a>&nbsp;that Republicans in the state were having conversations about potential redistricting.

An arms race to shorten the cycle for redrawing congressional lines could come at a cost for efforts to overhaul the redistricting process.

Common Cause, a national pro-democracy group that advocates for election reforms including nonpartisan redistricting, urged Democrats not to respond to Texas.

A redistricting arms race would only result in “rigged elections across America,” Emily Eby French, the policy director for Common Cause Texas,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/good-government-group-urges-blue-states-back-away-redistricting-arms-race" target="_blank">said on a press call last week</a>. It was wrong for Republicans to put “a thumb on the scale” through redistricting, she said, but also wrong for Democrats to do the same.

“The real solution is for Democrats to help us lift the Republican thumb off of the Texas scale and every other scale in America until we reach free and fair elections for everyone.”

By:&nbsp;<a href="https://georgiarecorder.com/author/shauneen-miranda/">Shauneen Miranda</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://georgiarecorder.com/author/jacob-fischler/">Jacob Fischler</a>&nbsp; <a href="https://stateline.org/">Stateline</a>WASHINGTON — Fueled by President Donald Trump’s aims to bolster the U.S. House’s razor-thin GOP majority in the 2026 midterm elections, a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2025/08/04/texas-redistricting-democrats-quorum-break-what-need-know/" target="_blank">rare mid-decade redistricting fight</a>&nbsp;in Texas grew increasingly bitter in recent days and engulfed other states.As Democratic legislators in the Lone Star State fled to block a new congressional map, a handful of both blue and red states eyed their own redistricting plans, lawsuits cropped up and members of Congress pledged bills to curb redistricting wars.While Texas is the only state that has so far taken formal action to redraw its U.S. House lines, a full-blown arms race could be imminent.Here’s a breakdown on the redistricting battle as the drama unfolds:<h2>How did all of this interest in redistricting kick off?</h2>Republicans in Texas drew a new congressional map at the urging of Trump that could give the GOP five crucial new congressional seats in 2026.Midterm elections typically lead to the loss of congressional seats for a president’s party.&nbsp;Meanwhile, the GOP&nbsp;<a href="https://pressgallery.house.gov/member-data/party-breakdown" target="_blank">currently holds</a>&nbsp;219 seats in the House, while Democrats hold 212 spots, with four vacancies. That extremely narrow majority has created immense challenges for U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, as he tries to enact Trump’s sweeping agenda and cater to the president’s demands as well as factions in the GOP conference.Though congressional districts are typically redrawn every decade following each U.S. Census, the move, particularly in Texas, is&nbsp;<a href="https://www.texasstandard.org/stories/texas-redistricting-history-partisan-apportionment-democrats-legislature/" target="_blank">not unprecedented</a>&nbsp;and is allowed.<h2>What’s going on in Texas?</h2>Texas Republicans&nbsp;<a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2025/07/30/texas-redistricting-congressional-maps-house-republicans/" target="_blank">unveiled a draft</a>&nbsp;of the new congressional map in late July, which looks to reshape and flip major metro areas’ districts held by Democrats.According to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2025/08/01/texas-congressional-redistricting-doj-coalition-districts/?_bhlid=7f2627553c4e88985dcc13d559313ade1585940b" target="_blank">The Texas Tribune</a>, the Department of Justice sent Texas’ leaders a letter in early July that said four of its districts violate the U.S. Constitution. The proposed map would dismantle those districts, per the Tribune.More than 50 of Texas’ Democratic legislators left the state to try to block the legislature from adopting the new map, according to the Tribune.This move has drawn the ire of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2025/08/05/texas-democrats-ken-paxton-court-vacate-seats-quorum-break/" target="_blank">Texas Gov. Greg Abbott</a>, who went so far as to&nbsp;<a href="https://gov.texas.gov/news/post/governor-abbott-files-lawsuit-seeking-removal-of-texas-democrat-caucus-chair-representative-wu" target="_blank">file a lawsuit</a>&nbsp;asking to remove the Texas House Democratic Caucus chair, state Rep. Gene Wu, after Wu left the state.Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton also&nbsp;<a href="https://texasattorneygeneral.gov/news/releases/attorney-general-ken-paxton-will-seek-judicial-orders-declaring-runaway-democrats-who-abandon-their" target="_blank">said Tuesday</a>&nbsp;that he will pursue a court ruling that declares the seats vacant for the House Democrats who do not return by Friday.Texas GOP U.S. Sen. John Cornyn has also&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cornyn.senate.gov/news/cornyn-urges-fbi-to-investigate-hold-fleeing-texas-legislators-accountable/" target="_blank">called on the FBI</a>&nbsp;“to take any appropriate steps to aid in Texas state law enforcement efforts to locate or arrest potential lawbreakers who have fled the state.” Trump on Tuesday, asked by a reporter if the FBI should “get involved,” said, “Well, they may have to.”<h2>How is California reacting?</h2>California Gov. Gavin Newsom has been among the most vocal Democratic governors in suggesting retaliating against Texas Republicans by redrawing his populous blue state’s own lines before the 2026 elections.State laws in California and other Democratic states make mid-decade redistricting tougher than it is in Texas.While pro-democracy groups have praised California’s nonpartisan commission as the “gold standard” of independent redistricting, Newsom has indicated he would ask state lawmakers to temporarily scrap it to join the arms race he says Trump started in Texas.At a Monday press conference, Newsom justified his exploration of mid-decade redistricting in the Golden State by describing Trump’s recent and historic record as anti-democratic.“These folks don’t play by the rules,” Newsom said. “If they can’t win playing the game with the existing set of rules, they’ll change the rules. That’s what Donald Trump has done … Here is someone who tried to break this country, tried to light democracy on fire on Jan. 6. He recognizes he’s going to lose in the midterms.”<h2>What other states are looking at potentially redistricting?</h2>Vice President JD Vance is slated to visit Indiana Thursday in an attempt to push redistricting, according to the&nbsp;<a href="https://indianacapitalchronicle.com/2025/08/05/vice-president-heads-to-indiana-to-push-redistricting-but-legalities-remain-unclear/" target="_blank">Indiana Capital Chronicle</a>.Indiana GOP Gov. Mike Braun said that as of now, no commitments have been made, when asked about redistricting efforts in the Hoosier State, per the Capital Chronicle.Leaders of large Democratic states, in addition to California, are considering their own redistricting in response to Texas.New York Gov. Kathy Hochul wrote in an&nbsp;<a href="https://www.houstonchronicle.com/opinion/outlook/article/texas-redistricting-new-york-kathy-hochul-20802629.php?emci=f5933625-3c72-f011-8dc9-6045bda9d96b&amp;emdi=85ee365f-d072-f011-8dc9-6045bda9d96b&amp;ceid=37942749" target="_blank">op-ed published in the Houston Chronicle</a>&nbsp;Tuesday that she would “not sit on the sidelines” and watch “Republicans dismantle democracy.”“What Texas is doing isn’t a clever strategy, it’s political arson — torching our democracy to cling to power,” Hochul wrote. “The only viable recourse is to fight fire with fire.”Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker appeared alongside Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin and a group of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/texas-dems-flee-illinois-block-redistricting-vote" target="_blank">exiled Texas Democratic lawmakers</a>&nbsp;at a news conference Tuesday. Pritzker said it was “possible” the state would pursue redistricting,&nbsp;<a href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/illinois-governor/2025/08/05/jb-pritzker-illinois-remap-texas-democrats-greg-abbott" target="_blank">according to the Chicago Sun-Times</a>.Other Democratic governors — even including Laura Kelly of ruby-red Kansas — raised the prospect during a Democratic Governors Association&nbsp;<a href="https://wisconsinexaminer.com/2025/08/01/democratic-governors-endorse-mid-decade-redistricting-in-response-to-gop-efforts/" target="_blank">meeting in Wisconsin last week</a>&nbsp;of pursuing mid-decade redistricting if Texas follows through.Republican states are also considering jumping in the fray.Missouri Senate President Pro Tem Cindy O’Laughlin, a Republican, told a news radio station last week that it was&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/08/02/missouri-senate-leader-says-special-session-is-likely-to-redraw-congressional-map/" target="_blank">“likely”</a>&nbsp;lawmakers would convene in a special session to redraw district lines after&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/07/25/trump-white-house-pressing-missouri-republicans-to-redraw-congressional-map/" target="_blank">pressure from Trump</a>.And Rep. Don Bacon, a Republican who holds the most competitive of Nebraska’s three U.S. House seats but plans to step down,&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/08/06/nebraska-might-join-national-wildfire-of-mid-decade-redistricting/" target="_blank">told the Nebraska Examiner</a>&nbsp;that Republicans in the state were having conversations about potential redistricting.<h2>What downside do some see?</h2>An arms race to shorten the cycle for redrawing congressional lines could come at a cost for efforts to overhaul the redistricting process.Common Cause, a national pro-democracy group that advocates for election reforms including nonpartisan redistricting, urged Democrats not to respond to Texas.A redistricting arms race would only result in “rigged elections across America,” Emily Eby French, the policy director for Common Cause Texas,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/good-government-group-urges-blue-states-back-away-redistricting-arms-race" target="_blank">said on a press call last week</a>. It was wrong for Republicans to put “a thumb on the scale” through redistricting, she said, but also wrong for Democrats to do the same.“The real solution is for Democrats to help us lift the Republican thumb off of the Texas scale and every other scale in America until we reach free and fair elections for everyone.”<h2>Are party leaders egging this on?</h2>Trump, whose urging appeared to prompt Texas Republicans to action, has consistently pushed lawmakers in that state to reinforce the GOP advantage there.Tuesday, he said on CNBC that Republicans were “entitled” to five more House seats in Texas.Martin, the DNC chair, responded in Illinois.“No party is entitled to any district,” he said. “We have to go out and earn the votes.”Still, Martin advised Democrats in blue states to do the opposite by responding in kind to Texas Republicans.In&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/gun-knife-fight-democrats-chief-pledges-more-pugnacious-party-more-states" target="_blank">an interview with States Newsroom last week</a>, Martin suggested Democratic states drop any commitment to nonpartisan redistricting in response to Texas.“We’re not here to tie one of our hands behind our back,” he said. “We can’t be the only party that’s playing by the rules.”<h2>How is Congress reacting?</h2>At least two GOP House lawmakers — representing blue states looking at retaliatory redistricting efforts against Trump — are taking it upon themselves to introduce bills in Congress that bar these initiatives.GOP Rep. Kevin Kiley of California&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/RepKiley/status/1952851943912817083" target="_blank">introduced a bill</a>&nbsp;in the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/4889/text" target="_blank">House</a>&nbsp;this week that would ban mid-decade redistricting across the country.Kiley said Newsom “is trying to subvert the will of voters and do lasting damage to democracy in California,” in a&nbsp;<a href="https://kiley.house.gov/posts/rep-kiley-to-introduce-redistricting-legislation" target="_blank">statement</a>&nbsp;earlier this week.“Fortunately, Congress has the ability to protect California voters using its authority under the Elections Clause of the U.S. Constitution,” he said. “This will also stop a damaging redistricting war from breaking out across the country.”Rep. Mike Lawler, a New York Republican, also said he&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/RepMikeLawler/status/1952871627852833110" target="_blank">plans to introduce legislation</a>&nbsp;to prohibit “partisan gerrymandering and mid-decade redistricting.”The New York Republican told CNN on Tuesday that “this is fundamentally why Congress is broken,” adding that “you do not have competitive districts and so, most members are focused on primaries and not actually engaging in a general election.”&nbsp;