Starting Monday, January 5, ATA Bus rolls out the K-18 Connect — a brand new regional route linking Junction City, Ogden, and Manhattan.

We're closing the gap and building the region with one powerful connection. This redesigned regional service enhances mobility between Manhattan, Ogden, and Junction City, "bringing three communities, one route for supporting greater access to jobs, business, education, healthcare, and community resources across the Flint Hills."

The routes run Monday–Friday, 6:00 AM–6:30 PM from Walmart to Walmart, in Manhattan and Junction City.

 All rides are FREE in January! After that, there will be $1 fares.&nbsp;

For more information on the rides, <a href="https://www.fhata.org/regional-services?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAYnJpZBExV1ZjVThHRjVCUnlGY3luZHNydGMGYXBwX2lkEDIyMjAzOTE3ODgyMDA4OTIAAR4phx_WKmKnHIL97bhQLfyy2NlgFI4Y_e9ENIeNOuR60Wzl2QNP7OcgF1N65A_aem_LGCQabkJGwxPLt6Fh6xRWw">click here.&nbsp;</a>

ATA Bus new route "K-18 Connect" will begin on Monday, Jan. 5

By DANIEL WHEATON <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2025-12-16/college-graduates-job-search-economy-student-loans-midwest">Kansas News Service</a>

As Ryan Jenkins was finishing his last semester of college, all he could do was watch while the jobs he was hoping to apply for were being cut.

Jenkins, then a student at St. Louis University, always wanted to work in local government, but federal funding cuts and the shrinking of government agencies meant there were fewer jobs to apply for.

“We just feel like the door is being closed in front of us,” Jenkins said, describing cuts to agencies carried out this spring by the Department of Government Efficiency.

Graduation came, and, from the 16 applications he submitted, Jenkins got no offers.

The Midwest Newsroom spoke to a dozen recent college graduates in six states about their experiences in the job market. These would-be entry level workers described using elaborate spreadsheets to track dozens of job applications, lost opportunities from federal cuts and hiring processes that made them question their self-worth.

While most of the 2025 spring graduates who spoke with The Midwest Newsroom ended up finding full-time jobs, graduates described hiring processes with limited communication.

The lack of communication is a point of tension for Generation Z, who have heard of peers submitting hundreds of applications and hearing nothing back.

For the past year, recent college graduates have faced a job market flooded with more applicants and fewer jobs. For the months where data is available, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported an estimated 685,000 jobs were created. During that same period last year, 1,384,000 jobs had been added to payrolls, which represents a decrease of 51%.

Recently, job creation has slowed, with a net loss of jobs in June and August of this year. Jobs are represented in thousands.

In normal economic conditions, it usually takes a college graduate about six months to find their first job, according to Iowa State University economics professor Peter Orazem. The graduates who spoke to The Midwest Newsroom described searches that lasted beyond that six-month mark, which for some, means a student loan bill coming due without a full-time salary. Most federal student loans include an automatic six-month grace period after graduation.

“Any group that has relatively less work experience or less education gets hurt more when you start moving into an economic slowdown,” Orazem said. “And we’ve certainly seen a slowdown in the demand for workers in the last year or so.”

As another cohort of students enters its last semester of college, most are trying to stay positive.

In December, aspiring newspaper columnist Caroline Siebels-Lindquist, was finishing up a podcast for her capstone project. She will graduate with a journalism degree from Drake University in spring 2026 and is about to begin searching for her first full time job.

From the headlines, LinkedIn posts and hearing from other recent grads, Siebels-Lindquist said she knows the job hunt won’t be easy.

“A lot of my senior peers are quite nervous,” she said.

To deal with that anxiety, Siebels-Lindquist plans on leaning on her mentors and peers — and, if all else fails, going back to a summer job managing canoes at a summer camp in the Boundary Waters.

“Miracles happen,” Siebels-Lindquist said. “Keep the faith.”

In July, Jenkins had an interview for the AmeriCorps VISTA program that would have placed him with Delmar Main Street, an organization that supports economic development in the St. Louis neighborhood that has historically been a racial and economic divide in the city.

Jenkins said the hiring manager got a call and had to pause the interview, but she didn’t turn off her camera.

“I can still see everything going on that’s nonverbal and I could tell something was up, just from her expression, and just by the length of time that she put herself on mute,” Jenkins said. “I just knew something was up.”

After the call, the hiring manager apologized and told Jenkins why she had to pause the interview. The funding for the position had been&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/17/us/politics/doge-cost-americorps-community-service.html" target="_blank">cut</a>.

AmeriCorps VISTA was among many of the government agencies&nbsp;<a href="https://corpsnetwork.org/we-must-act-now-to-save-americorps/" target="_blank">hollowed out</a>&nbsp;by the Department of Government Efficiency. While the department still exists, the cancellation of grants has limited the organization’s ability to fund positions.

Jenkins, whose family members were once city clerks and firefighters, said he found the experience disheartening, as he wanted to work in a government job to help his community.

He said he wasn’t mad at AmeriCorps, but the experience led him to pause his job search for a few weeks to recover from the setback.

“I feel like I’m being told I can’t, and not even that I can’t, but they don’t want me,” Jenkins said.

According to an August&nbsp;<a href="https://www.stlouisfed.org/on-the-economy/2025/aug/recent-college-grads-bear-brunt-labor-market-shifts" target="_blank">report</a>&nbsp;from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, college graduates between the ages of 23 and 27 are seeing higher unemployment rates — from 3.25% in 2024 to 4.59% in 2025.

“This 1.34 percentage point increase represents more than just a statistical noise; it reflects a significant shift in how the economy is absorbing newly educated workers,” Federal Reserve researchers Serdar Ozkan and Nicholas Sullivan&nbsp;<a href="https://www.stlouisfed.org/on-the-economy/2025/aug/recent-college-grads-bear-brunt-labor-market-shifts" target="_blank">wrote</a>&nbsp;earlier this year.

The National Association of Colleges and Employers, or NACE, surveyed employers and universities to gauge the labor market for recent graduates. While the class of 2024 was entering a stable job market for new workers, signs that the job market was tightening for the class of 2025 appeared earlier this year.

“However, once the spring came, those numbers dropped to about flat,” Shawn VanDerziel, the president and CEO of NACE, said. “We knew it was going to be a very tough job market for that class.”

According to NACE’s 2026 Job Outlook report, 51% of employers ranked the job market as “fair” or “poor,” a significant change from the 2023 report when only 37% said the same thing.

With fewer jobs available, competition increases.

Abigale Baines, a University of San Diego graduate from a northern Chicago suburb, estimated she applied for more than 50 jobs after she graduated in May of 2024 with a bachelor’s degree in sociology. Originally hoping to become an immigration lawyer, her interests shifted to working in social work or in the nonprofit sector.

The many rejection emails she received, she said, all felt similar.

“Maybe they are all going to ChatGPT and are saying, like, ‘Hi, can you please give us a let-them-down-easy job application rejection email?’ and ChatGPT just has one format that it likes, and so it sends that to everybody, and nobody makes any tweaks to it,” she said.

Looking back on her search, Baines estimated that about a third of employers responded quickly with a rejection but said many potential employers didn’t respond at all.

While it wasn’t in her field, Baines found a job as an administrative assistant with Lodge Financial, a mortgage broker for corporations in Skokie, Illinois.

Baines said she was thankful her parents can empathize with her situation.They had graduated during a tight labor market in the 1980s. Her father worked at a dude ranch and her mother was a waitress.

“The economy was in a complete downturn, and then it just took a couple years, and then things turned around and, you know, they were able to build a career,” she said.

It took advice from peers, professors and a fourth-grade teacher for Jonah Zacks to figure out what he wanted his career to be after graduating from college.

Zacks, then a computer science and economics major at Washington University in St. Louis, said he always knew he wanted a career that would make other people’s lives better. Thanks to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.civicsunplugged.org/" target="_blank">Civics Unplugged</a>, he found a method for asking if a job would fulfill that desire.

“I need to find the ‘you-shaped hole’ in any given situation,” Zacks said. “And what that means is looking closely at myself and being really clear with myself about what assets, what abilities, I bring to the table.”

As graduation neared this year, the options for such jobs in the public sector began to dry up due to federal cuts. That’s when it became clear to Zacks: His place was still in the classroom — as a teacher instead of a student.

He applied to Teach for America and now teaches math in Spanish to middle schoolers at the George Washington Carver Dual Language School in Kansas City.

“You have to teach everything,” Zacks said. “You have to teach kids how to approach the world, how to confront challenges, how to keep themselves organized, how to take notes, and also how to see the content that you’re trying to teach in the context of a wider world.”

Zacks said he infuses civic ideals into his classroom, such as putting activities to a vote and encouraging students to focus on finding solutions rather than complaining.

While Zacks’ job search story was not as arduous as others shared with The Midwest Newsroom, he said the increase of automation and the lack of face-to-face communication concerned him.

“The more you can connect with your other humans, the happier, the more effective you are going to be, the better your quality of life is going to be,” Zacks said. “And that was really how I approached my job search.”

The first clue of a souring job market that Maddi Cave noticed was seeing last year’s graduates announcing their first jobs months after graduation.

One student had won awards from the Public Relations Student Society of America, but her job search lasted months.

“She was top of her game, had all the accolades, and she didn’t get a job till February. And I was like: ‘Oh no, I’m kind of scared,’” Cave said.

Cave, then a Drake University student studying public relations and strategic political communications, decided to lean on networking to speed up the job search.

Over the course of more than 30 meetings with Drake alumni and people in her field, she heard similar advice:

Cave said she did all of those things for months, and applied to more than 80 jobs. She heard back from only 12 employers.

“I’m sure that the advice that I was getting at one time would have really set me above my peers, but I had been doing that for these jobs and genuinely hearing crickets,” Cave said.

Job boards were often misleading, Cave said, such as listing a position as entry-level with entry-level pay but asking for years of experience.

“So it got harder and harder to listen to the advice with a straight face when, again, they meant well, but it was not even remotely working,” Cave said.

As her search went on, Cave began to question whether employers were posting jobs in good faith. In a tracking spreadsheet, she began noting if the job appeared in multiple places or if she got some sort of message telling her that her submission was accepted. In the rare instances when a person told her the application was on LinkedIn, she would follow up.

“For the record, none of those emails I ever got a response from,” Cave said.

The sheer lack of response from employers began to worry Cave, but friends, family and fellow alumni encouraged her to keep applying.

As graduation neared, she decided to hold off on applying and moved with her fiance to Green Bay, Wisconsin. There she landed a part-time social media internship with a grocery company during the summer, which allowed her the flexibility to keep searching.

In mid-September, Cave got the call she was waiting for.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.prevea.com/" target="_blank">Prevea Health</a>, a Wisconsin health care system, wanted to interview her for a public relations position.

Cave described the hiring process as night and day compared to the job search.

“In our conversations, they weren’t just asking me a list of super generic questions. They were asking about my work,” Cave said. “So they had obviously looked at it, which was totally new to me.”

After months of hearing crickets from employers, Cave said she felt respected by the organization.

On Oct. 7, her 10-month search for a job finally came to a close.

“The fact that they even just treated me like a good candidate would have been enough to, like, fuel my fire for another month or so of job searching,” Cave said. “But then I actually got the job, and I was like, this is even better.”

Job searching has always been difficult and emotionally taxing, the graduates told The Midwest Newsroom, but with the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kcur.org/2025-07-17/minimum-wage-is-not-enough-to-afford-to-rent-decent-housing-in-the-midwest-report-says" target="_blank">rising cost of living</a>, the job search has a new sense of urgency. Nearly half of Americans said they find groceries, utility bills, health care, housing and transportation difficult to afford, according to a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2025/12/10/poll-affordability-cost-of-living-00678076" target="_blank">POLITICO Poll</a>&nbsp;conducted in November by Public First.

Jenkins’ break came in September, more than 10 months after he started the search, when an economic development coordinator position opened up in Fairview Heights, Illinois, in the St. Louis metro area. His first day was Sept. 22.

Still, with job creation being low, Generation Z will continue to compete with itself and others as workers have fewer options.

“We’re doing the best with what we have,” Baines, the University of San Diego graduate, said. “Please empathize with me.”

Cave said that some of the cultural pushback her generation is facing as they start their careers could be connected to changes in the culture of work. Generation Z is vocal about pushing back on expectations around unpaid overtime or enduring harassment at the workplace.

“What would be the point of working all the time if you never get to use any of your time or money to actually enjoy life, the things that are enjoyable about being a human?”

The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kcur.org/midwest-newsroom" target="_blank">Midwest Newsroom</a>&nbsp;is an investigative and enterprise journalism collaboration that includes Iowa Public Radio, KCUR, Nebraska Public Media, St. Louis Public Radio and NPR.

There are many ways you can contact us with story ideas and leads, and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kcur.org/midwest-newsroom/contact-us" target="_blank">you can find that information here</a>.

The Midwest Newsroom is a partner of&nbsp;<a href="https://thetrustproject.org/trust-indicators/" target="_blank">The Trust Project</a>. We invite you to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kcur.org/midwest-newsroom/ethics-and-practices" target="_blank">review our ethics and practices here</a>.

To report this story, Daniel Wheaton published a call-out story in late October asking for recent graduates to talk about their experiences finding their first full-time jobs. From those responses, he conducted interviews asking graduates to recount their experiences and reflect on finding work in a tight labor market. He used the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics data to compare the macroeconomic conditions with the individual experiences of recent graduates.

<a href="https://www.kcur.org/education/2025-10-30/class-of-2025-hows-the-job-search-going-the-midwest-newsroom-wants-to-know" target="_blank">Class of 2025: How’s the job search going? The Midwest Newsroom wants to know</a>&nbsp;(Midwest Newsroom | October 2025)

<a href="https://www.stlouisfed.org/on-the-economy/2025/aug/recent-college-grads-bear-brunt-labor-market-shifts" target="_blank">Recent College Grads Bear Brunt of Labor Market Shifts</a>&nbsp;| (St. Louis Federal Reserve Blog, Aug. 25, 2025)

<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/17/us/politics/doge-cost-americorps-community-service.html" target="_blank">DOGE Guts Agency That Organizes Community Service Programs</a>&nbsp;| (The New York Times | April 17, 2025)

<a href="https://corpsnetwork.org/we-must-act-now-to-save-americorps/" target="_blank">We Must Act Now to Save AmeriCorps</a>&nbsp;| (The Corps Network | Oct. 16 2025)

<a href="https://naceweb.org/research/reports/job-outlook/2026" target="_blank">2026 Job Outlook</a>&nbsp;| (NACE | December 2025)

Recent college graduates face a world with fewer jobs — and loan payments are due soon

By&nbsp;TIM CARPENTER <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/12/18/kansas-board-of-regents-works-to-incorporate-critique-of-tenure-workforce-policy-changes/">Kansas Reflector</a>

Dissenters point to ‘rigid’ post-tenure reviews, short timeline for making improvement

TOPEKA — The Kansas Board of Regents agreed to weigh feedback from professors, administrators and legislators before voting on systemwide faculty tenure and workload policies designed to bring accountability and transparency to academic personnel decisions at the state’s six public universities.

Since the Board of Regents released drafts of the policies in November, complaints surfaced that allowing the firing of university professors after two consecutive unsatisfactory annual evaluations was “overly rigid” and didn’t take into account “extenuating circumstances,” such as an employee’s personal crisis.

In addition, concern was expressed the workload policy conflicted with standards of the American Association of University Professors or with academic program accreditation guidelines.

Objections were raised about membership of post-tenure review committees and whether the university committee deciding to place a faculty member on a one-year improvement plan would be the same group that performed the follow-up evaluation. Another issue was that one year could be an unrealistic period of time for a faculty member to correct deficiencies in research productivity, officials said.

“We’re appreciative of that input because it is beneficial and helpful as we look at trying to stand up this policy,” said Board of Regents member Alysia Johnston, who has a background in community college administration.

She said the goal was implementation of umbrella policies applicable to the University of Kansas, Kansas State University, Wichita State University, Fort Hays State University, Pittsburg State University and Emporia State University.

The Board of Regents engaged in general discussion of the draft policies Wednesday and could take formal action on both in January.

During the past few years, members of the Legislature have taken greater interest in university workload and tenure decisions. In 2024, a Kansas House committee welcomed to the Capitol a tenured faculty member at Emporia State who recommended retroactive elimination of tenure at state universities. The idea was opposed by K-State president Richard Linton and KU chancellor Doug Girod.

Rusty Monhollon, vice president of academic affairs for the Board of Regents, said the systemwide tenure and workload policies were the result of persistent calls for greater transparency and accountability regarding faculty appointments.

“It’s my own sense that very few faculty would be opposed to greater accountability because the work they do is good. They are very productive and they would stand up under scrutiny,” he said.

Monhollon, a former executive director of the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education, said tenure was awarded to faculty following extensive vetting of each person’s teaching, research and service performance over a period of years. Tenure was mistakenly viewed by the public as a lifetime appointment, he said.

Academic freedom, a pivotal component of faculty tenure across the United States, was essential to success of colleges or universities, he said.

“Tenure is there to protect faculty to pursue research or to take on topics that are controversial,” Monhollon said. “If those protections aren’t in place for faculty, I think we lose that ability of faculty to take on difficult challenges, maybe pursue paths that are a bit unconventional, that many times bear the kind of results that really advance society and benefit all of us.”

Matt Crocker, a Manhattan businessman appointed to the Board of Regents in October, said changes to workload and tenure expectations at state universities should recognize the value in making certain taxpayers received proper return on public investments in higher education. He serves as CEO of SPS Companies, which includes Steel and Pipe Supply Co.

He said Monhollon’s comments about protecting academic freedom raised the question: “Protect them from whom?”

“If an individual’s not working in line with the mission of the university, I’m not sure that’s really something we want to protect,” Crocker said. “I don’t think we want to mix a lot of concepts together inadvertently as we look through these policies.”

Under the proposed reforms, the Board of Regents would adopt academic workload expectations and require post-tenure review of faculty at research-centered KU, WSU and K-State and the regional universities in Pittsburg, Emporia and Hays. The core obligation of all faculty in the system would be teaching, research and service, but instruction of students would be the most significant factor in assessments.

Faculty at K-State, WSU and KU would be expected to have teaching loads ranging from 40% to 55%. The three regional universities would have teaching loads of 60% to 75%. Research expectations for tenured professors would be specific to each discipline.

The faculty would have personalized work plans that were revised annually. Tenured faculty would be reviewed by a university committee every five years. Proponents of reform say collection of data on faculty would serve to better identify professors who excelled and those who fell short. The process could replace subjective elements of faculty evaluations with tangible evidence of research, teaching and service.

Each university would retain control of post-tenure faculty reviews and the provisions of self-improvement programs for faculty. Individuals could be placed in one-year remediation programs. The policy would enable universities to dismiss faculty who failed the follow-up review.

The universities would submit to the Board of Regents annual reports on tenure that included information on tenure awards and denials, the number of faculty placed on improvement plans as well as faculty resignations and dismissals. Biennial reports prepared for the Board of Regents would document faculty credit hour production, graduation rates, publications and research funding.

Johnston, who chairs the Board of Regents’ academic affairs committee, said she anticipated reports on tenure and workload to prove state universities in Kansas maintained high expectations of tenured faculty.

“I hope, with greater transparency, the data will prove just that,” she said. “I believe it will show that this is a rigorous process.”

Kansas Board of Regents works to incorporate critique of tenure, workforce policy changes

WASHINGTON —&nbsp;The Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service today provided guidance on the “No Tax on Car Loan Interest” provision enacted under the One, Big, Beautiful Bill.

<a target="_blank" href="https://links-1.govdelivery.com/CL0/https:%2F%2Fwww.federalregister.gov%2Fpublic-inspection%2F2025-24154%2Fcar-loan-interest-deduction/1/0100019b74d957c6-156be576-39fc-4344-85a0-c84a772c0b3f-000000/dB0mXREam7-XDhS7x6XI0t7I-AudUZncyTvQ62Gz3xU=438">The proposed regulations</a>&nbsp;issued today relate to a new deduction for interest paid on vehicle loans incurred after Dec. 31, 2024, to purchase new made-in-America vehicles for personal use. This new tax benefit applies to both taxpayers who take the standard deduction and those who itemize deductions.&nbsp;

Who can take a deduction for interest on car loans

To help taxpayers take advantage of this new tax benefit, today’s guidance addresses important eligibility criteria, including:

The IRS previously announced&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://links-1.govdelivery.com/CL0/https:%2F%2Fwww.irs.gov%2Fnewsroom%2Ftreasury-irs-provide-transition-relief-for-2025-for-businesses-reporting-car-loan-interest-under-the-one-big-beautiful-bill/1/0100019b74d957c6-156be576-39fc-4344-85a0-c84a772c0b3f-000000/Rzf5D9WG-l-HcgT3A0ewB_nBVIsuenf9DgMoglCBH1g=438">transition guidance</a>&nbsp;for certain lenders and other taxpayers receiving&nbsp;interest&nbsp;for vehicle loans in 2025. In general, those persons&nbsp;must file information returns with the IRS to report interest received during the tax year and other information related to the loan. These information returns enable taxpayers to claim the benefits of the vehicle loan interest deduction. To help lenders implement these information reporting requirements, the proposed regulations clarify:

Treasury and IRS invite comments from the public on these proposed regulations by Feb. 2, 2026. Comments can be submitted through&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://links-1.govdelivery.com/CL0/https:%2F%2Fwww.regulations.gov%2F/1/0100019b74d957c6-156be576-39fc-4344-85a0-c84a772c0b3f-000000/dIJJwTPdwsY8DD9x2R5dVqOZZBM0y19T5JMcphjkDQ8=438">Regulations.gov</a>&nbsp;and instructions can be found in the proposed regulations.

For more information, see&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://links-1.govdelivery.com/CL0/https:%2F%2Fwww.irs.gov%2Fnewsroom%2Fone-big-beautiful-bill-provisions/1/0100019b74d957c6-156be576-39fc-4344-85a0-c84a772c0b3f-000000/FP_nte4n1yCQiTPpk-AT8X3TXDzwOsolmrR7tmqrRp4=438">One, Big, Beautiful Bill provisions</a>&nbsp;on IRS.gov.

Treasury, IRS provide guidance on the new deduction for car loan interest

RILEY COUNTY —One person was injured in an accident just after 6a.m. Sunday in Riley County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2020 Subaru Legacy driven by&nbsp; &nbsp;Shikeem T.. Johnson, 26, Colorado Springs, Colorado, was westbound on Interstate 70 approximately two miles west of Tallgrass Road. The car rear-ended a 2023 Peterbilt semi driven by Ralph S. Wilson, 61,&nbsp; Euless, Texas, who was pulling off onto the shoulder.

EMS transported a passenger in the car Nichole T. Johnson, 24, Colorado Springs, Colorado, to KU Medical Center. Both drivers and a 5-year-old passenger in the car were not injured. All four were properly restrained, according to the KHP.

Woman hospitalized after I-70 rear-end crash

POTTAWATOMIE COUNTY&nbsp;–&nbsp;The Kansas Bureau of Investigation is investigating an officer-involved shooting that occurred Saturday afternoon in Manhattan, Kansas.

On Jan. 3, at approximately 3:50 p.m., the Pottawatomie County Sheriff's Office requested KBI assistance. KBI agents and the Crime Scene Response Team responded to investigate, according to a media release from the agency.

Preliminary information indicates that shortly after 3 p.m., two deputies from the Pottawatomie County Sheriff’s Office responded to a call from a homeowner who indicated their shed and garage had been damaged by gunfire. While taking the report, deputies heard gunshots in the area. As they approached 8655 Josie Lane, they heard additional gunshots which they believed were coming from the residence. They identified themselves as law enforcement and began giving various commands to the shooter.

A man, later identified as Brian J. Lovgren, 38, of Manhattan, came out of a door of the house armed with a handgun. One of the responding deputies fired multiple times, striking Lovgren. Life-saving measures were provided at the scene. EMS then transported Lovgren to a Kansas City hospital.&nbsp;

Lovgren underwent surgery and is currently in critical condition. No law enforcement officers were injured during the incident.&nbsp;

POTTAWATOMIE COUNTY—Law enforcement are investigating an officer-involved shooting in Manhattan.

Just before 4p.m. Saturday Kansas Bureau of Investigation agents responded to an officer-involved shooting at a home on Josie Lane in Manhattan that is part of Pottawatomie County, according to a statement from the KBI.

 Deputies from the Pottawatomie County Sheriff’s Office were responding to a shots fired call when a male subject was shot. The man was transported to an area hospital for treatment. No law enforcement officers were injured.

Check the Post for additional details as they become available.

KBI IDs Manhattan man wounded in officer-involved shooting 

A portion of K-13 north of Manhattan is scheduled to close next week, as part of the Kansas Department of Transportation’s roundabout project on U.S. 24.

Beginning Monday, Jan. 5, K-13 will be fully closed from just south of Tuttle Cove Road to the U.S. 24 roundabout for a culvert box replacement. Tuttle Cove Road will remain accessible to and from the north during the closure, which is anticipated to be in place until spring 2026.

Two marked detours will be in place on U.S. 24 during the closure. Motorists east of K-13 can utilize K-99 and K-16, and motorists west of K-13 can utilize U.S. 77 and K-16. Drivers can also use local routes that are not marked, such as Dyer Road and Barnes Road.

All project work and traffic changes are conditions permitting and subject to change.

KDOT urges motorists to stay alert and follow posted signs in all work zones. For current road conditions, visit <a href="https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2FKanDrive.gov%2F%3Ffbclid%3DIwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAYnJpZBExbmRHMjNhNWdxYUpidExsVXNydGMGYXBwX2lkEDIyMjAzOTE3ODgyMDA4OTIAAR4y30OzSzghy3gZ6nUWFzPIVy_v_syvE8mAjbD--2qC7qpz95BtmwgCvMXAOA_aem_iXugTWky8P2_c3IQ0xNRgw&amp;h=AT1UOJJDgaJ6SmRag4FR7akz8OJiuiEwzx2VF_Jh0N1uEd9-MxnLLkANuaJ4CcLDNBe0RT25rBUWL2YV5MqlOQGfF0ge3lZKnaSXEp0zSxvii1g-9x4fI6jmlCcsaewBmxzD9-dCWcihzpiq&amp;__tn__=-UK-R&amp;c[0]=AT2Yz9Kkg9odC4WmZeXzvdDLp-3210bed7zl4vCPx8WaXwi3rmGaiH6aBjZv-eC2Fy30BjjxJDH7zyO8GArzk8KWM7It8nvxXnW8KqeUm217-1AAV1Qy-xRDnM3l6TbeAoEqN3Md6XDPs8TMmDD6Iixz5ExIfSpkY5D-McVKeRBehtCUPJckgKtnVddA2Rl47Jbw2oN-gjx0nj5vFgHGDz9Irw" target="_blank">KanDrive.gov</a> or call 511. For updates on highway projects in northeast Kansas, visit <a href="https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fksdot.gov%2FNortheastNews%3Ffbclid%3DIwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAYnJpZBExbmRHMjNhNWdxYUpidExsVXNydGMGYXBwX2lkEDIyMjAzOTE3ODgyMDA4OTIAAR5ohCbyp-efbRGbL1X9J-iKsLuAD09HeVeQ0QxBYMrG1dlbTnybSxL9zvV5wQ_aem_2f_8V8NJm2OMTDLkNFy7Lw&amp;h=AT3Xn-bkdGX0uws2fAJpr5szOHS1NusPITz9ynhsmMPCOeQNe_tXZk3m7a8OZrYGHAy7eRBq-4AgMopGUk3WqrmRbgQPsJgBy6rTj90ufJ6oSXMJoG1zETiYP3-TV0ReLtqEDDO9Lev4qb4t&amp;__tn__=-UK-R&amp;c[0]=AT2Yz9Kkg9odC4WmZeXzvdDLp-3210bed7zl4vCPx8WaXwi3rmGaiH6aBjZv-eC2Fy30BjjxJDH7zyO8GArzk8KWM7It8nvxXnW8KqeUm217-1AAV1Qy-xRDnM3l6TbeAoEqN3Md6XDPs8TMmDD6Iixz5ExIfSpkY5D-McVKeRBehtCUPJckgKtnVddA2Rl47Jbw2oN-gjx0nj5vFgHGDz9Irw" target="_blank">ksdot.gov/NortheastNews</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Closure on K-13 north of Manhattan to begin next week

Every day, people you know are seeing phony business opportunities, work-at-home scams, shady employment agencies, and scammy multi-level marketing schemes. 

Job seekers don’t have the time or resources to waste on fake opportunities, but there are some ways to spot these scams. 

Watch this video as Federal Trade Commission Chairman Andrew Ferguson explains.

Protecting American workers from these kinds of practices is a priority for the FTC — in fact, that’s why the Chairman launched a Labor Task Force to keep the agency’s focus on these issues. And reports to the FTC show that these scams are alive and well. 

Check out&nbsp;<a href="https://consumer.ftc.gov/now-leaving?external_url=https%3A%2F%2Fpublic.tableau.com%2Fapp%2Fprofile%2Ffederal.trade.commission%2Fviz%2Fshared%2F6WNZ8JQQK&amp;back_url=https%3A%2F%2Fconsumer.ftc.gov%2Fconsumer-alerts%2F2025%2F09%2Fhow-spot-job-scam%3Futm_source%3Dgovdelivery">this&nbsp;dashboard</a>&nbsp;to see what reports and losses look like. And if you spot a job scam, tell the FTC:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.reportfraud.ftc.gov/">ReportFraud.ftc.gov</a>.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

🎥 Federal Trade Commission: How to spot a job scam

The Local Health Equity Action Team (LHEAT) in Geary County announces a partnership to address access to winter resources as a health equity concern during the harsh winter months.&nbsp;

In Geary County, nearly 19% of residents and almost 29% of children live below the poverty line. Combined with economic challenges and limited access to transportation, these conditions can leave individuals and families without adequate cold-weather items. During freezing temperatures, the lack of proper coats, hats, and gloves increases the risk of hypothermia, missed school days, and lost work hours.

To help address these challenges, LHEAT has partnered with several local organizations to expand access to warm winter clothing and related resources. Partner organizations include:

As pictured, LHEAT and House of Ruth provided warmth for the 2025 Christmas Socks for Seniors. Items were delivered to residents at the Tallgrass Nursing Facility in Junction City. Together, these partners are coordinating clothing distribution efforts and increasing awareness of available community resources to help families and individuals stay warm, safe, and healthy throughout the winter season.

This initiative is supported through funding from Communities Organizing to Promote Equity (COPE) at the University of Kansas Medical Center (KUMed).

About the Local Health Equity Action Team (LHEAT):

LHEAT is a coalition within Live Well Geary County that works to identify and address factors impacting health outcomes across the community. Through collaboration and partnership, LHEAT strives to advance health equity and create a healthier Geary County for all.&nbsp;Community members interested in attending the next LHEAT meeting can email&nbsp;<a href="mailto:livewellgearycounty@gmail.com">livewellgearycounty@gmail.com</a>&nbsp;for more information.

LHEAT Partners to Expand Winter Resources in Geary County

&nbsp; With over 30 educational programs, field trips, and presentations in 2025 - we were busy! From STEAM Saturdays, and Hands-on History programs to school trips and Kansas Day trunks, we loved every opportunity to share the rich and important history of Geary County and Kansas. 



We had an amazing year of visitation.&nbsp; Of the 4,741 visitors we had this year, 3,032 of them attended our education programming! 

We hosted new events, old favorites, and joined different community organizations throughout the year.&nbsp;

Thank you everyone who helped make 2025 such a success. We can't wait to see what 2026 brings.

Geary County Historical Society recaps Successful Year at the Museum

U.S. Army&nbsp; - Media Release&nbsp;

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Army will retain military working equid (MWE) programs at Fort Hood, Texas, and Fort Riley, Kansas, previously slated for discontinuation. MWE programs include horses, mules, and donkeys owned by the Department of War and housed on Army installations. The decision follows a thorough assessment of resources and support capabilities.

"After careful consideration, the Army has determined that retaining these MWE programs is in the best interests of the force," said Col. James Fuhriman, assistant deputy for Army health affairs. "These programs provide unique capabilities and benefits that are difficult to replicate, and their continuation aligns with our broader commitment to readiness and community engagement."

The Fort Hood and Fort Riley MWE programs will be formally established as Army programs and serve as a link between the Army and the American people through public demonstrations, educational outreach, and participation in local events. They also represent a connection between the Army's past and present, honoring its heritage.

Fuhriman affirmed the Army’s commitment to the continued safety and effectiveness of the programs. "Our commitment is reflected in the ongoing investments in resources, personnel, and infrastructure to support both the animals and Soldiers," Fuhriman stated.

The Army recently established a new military occupational specialty (MOS), "Army Equestrian" (08H), as an example of that investment. The new MOS replaces the "military horseman" identifier (D2) and creates a specialized career path dedicated to the professional care of military working equines. It is currently open to infantry Soldiers in grades E5-E9.

“Supplying trained personnel and animals allows us to maintain the program's high standards,” said Fuhriman. “It empowers the Fort Hood and Riley MWE programs, much like The Old Guard, to continue their legacy of excellence in preserving the Army's equine heritage.”

Fort Riley's Commanding General's Mounted Color Guard to Continue Operations

CLOUD COUNTY—A Kansas woman is accused of a violent attack on employees at a fast food restaurant in north central Kansas.

Just after 3p.m. Sunday, On January 4, 2026, at 3:00 PM, the Concordia Police Department was dispatched to McDonald’s, 1420 Lincoln Street in Concordia for a report of a battery in progress, according to a media release.

Police determined that a customer identified as 44-year-old Christina Messerschmidt of Wichita, was throwing hot fry grease on employees and punching employees. 

Police arrested Messerschmidt and transported her to the Cloud County Corrections. She was booked on requested charges of aggravated battery, criminal damage to property, disorderly conduct and criminal trespass.

Police: Kansas woman attacked fast food restaurant employees

WYANDOTTE COUNTY —Law enforcement investigating a fatal New Year's Eve shooting have identified the victim as 16-year-old&nbsp; Roman Bickle Moeller of Kansas City, Kansas.

Just before 11p.m. New Year's Eve, officers were dispatched to report of a shooting in the 1200 block of Central Avenue in Kansas City, Kansas, according to a media release from police.

First responders discovered Moeller with an apparent gunshot wound. He was pronounced deceased at the scene.

This incident is under investigation by the KCKPD Major Case Unit. Police have not released the name of the victim or possible suspect information.

16-year-old Kansas boy died in New Year's Eve shooting

By&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/author/aamer-madhani">AAMER MADHANI</a>

WASHINGTON (AP) — A day after the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/venezuela-us-explosions-caracas-ca712a67aaefc30b1831f5bf0b50665e">audacious U.S. military operation</a>&nbsp;in Venezuela,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">President Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;on Sunday renewed his calls for an American takeover of the Danish territory of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/greenland">Greenland</a>&nbsp;for the sake of U.S. security interests and threatened military action on Colombia for facilitating the global sale of cocaine, while his top diplomat declared the communist government in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/cuba">Cuba</a>&nbsp;is “in a lot of trouble.”

The comments from Trump and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/venezuela-maduro-trump-military-operation-85041a1ec03bafe839b785a95169d694">Secretary of State Marco Rubio</a>&nbsp;after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/venezuela-us-explosions-caracas-ca712a67aaefc30b1831f5bf0b50665e">the ouster of</a>&nbsp;Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro underscore that the U.S. administration is serious about taking a more expansive role in the Western Hemisphere.

With thinly veiled threats, Trump is rattling hemispheric friends and foes alike, spurring a pointed question around the globe: Who’s next?

“It’s so strategic right now. Greenland is covered with Russian and Chinese ships all over the place,” Trump told reporters as he flew back to Washington from his home in Florida. “We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security, and Denmark is not going to be able to do it.”

Asked during an interview with The Atlantic earlier on Sunday what the U.S.-military action in Venezuela could portend for Greenland, Trump replied: “They are going to have to view it themselves. I really don’t know.”

Trump, in his administration’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-security-strategy-europe-russia-america-first-068488ca7e6d1c92ccaddd1649958218">National Security Strategy</a>&nbsp;published last month, laid out restoring “American preeminence in the Western Hemisphere” as a central guidepost for his second go-around in the White House.

Trump has also pointed to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/monroe-doctrine-venezuela-trump-western-hemisphere-maduro-e5581d71ea15f2fb02461e74ac6b08ca">the 19th century Monroe Doctrine</a>, which rejects European colonialism, as well as the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/roosevelt-corollary" target="_blank">Roosevelt Corollary</a>&nbsp;— a justification invoked by the U.S. in supporting Panama’s secession from Colombia, which helped secure the Panama Canal Zone for the U.S. — as he’s made his case for an assertive approach to American neighbors and beyond.

Trump has even quipped that some now refer to the fifth U.S. president’s foundational document as the “Don-roe Doctrine.”

Saturday’s dead-of-night operation by U.S. forces in Caracas and Trump’s comments on Sunday heightened concerns in Denmark, which has jurisdiction over the vast mineral-rich island of Greenland.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/greenland-denmark-prime-minister-frederiksen-visit-trump-4424e2b75ae66ad1c926dca50f2287b7">Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen</a>&nbsp;in a statement that Trump has “no right to annex” the territory. She also reminded Trump that Denmark already provides the United States, a fellow member of NATO, broad access to Greenland through existing security agreements.

“I would therefore strongly urge the U.S. to stop threatening a historically close ally and another country and people who have made it very clear that they are not for sale,” Frederiksen said.

Denmark on Sunday also signed onto a European Union statement underscoring that “the right of the Venezuelan people to determine their future must be respected” as Trump has vowed to “run” Venezuela and pressed the acting president,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/venezuela-trump-maduro-military-rodriguez-lead-c0bd39f98a79c18c5501bac939c640fe">Delcy Rodriguez, to get in line.</a>

Trump on Sunday mocked Denmark’s efforts at boosting Greenland’s national security posture, saying the Danes have added “one more dog sled” to the Arctic territory’s arsenal.

Greenlanders and Danes were further rankled by a social media post following the raid by a former Trump administration official turned podcaster, Katie Miller. The post shows an illustrated map of Greenland in the colors of the Stars and Stripes accompanied by the caption: “SOON.”

“And yes, we expect full respect for the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark,” Amb. Jesper Møller Sørensen, Denmark’s chief envoy to Washington, said in a post responding to Miller, who is married to Trump’s influential deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller.

During&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-greenland-norway-panama-canal-canada-a52858e3075f9b5ad95e78753293fc1f">his presidential transition</a>&nbsp;and in the early months of his return to the White House, Trump repeatedly called for U.S. jurisdiction over Greenland, and has pointedly&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/greenland-denmark-vance-visit-us-base-834785773189f2f12ec6b09f8c5a9321">not ruled out military force</a>&nbsp;to take control of the mineral-rich, strategically located Arctic island that belongs to an ally.

The issue had largely drifted out of the headlines in recent months. Then Trump put the spotlight back on Greenland less than two weeks ago when he said he would appoint Republican&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-greenland-jeff-landry-envoy-louisiana-6babac895313a5ec65b5df79c7f86b45">Gov. Jeff Landry</a>&nbsp;as his special envoy to Greenland.

The Louisiana governor said in his volunteer position he would help Trump “make Greenland a part of the U.S.”

Meanwhile, concern is simmering in Cuba, one of Venezuela’s most important allies and trading partners, as Rubio issued a new&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/video/trump-says-cuba-not-doing-very-well-and-rubio-hints-it-could-be-next-after-maduro-out-of-venezuela-9fc1a1ec0e164726953e48a1f35cb221">stern warning</a>&nbsp;to the Cuban government. U.S.-Cuba relations have been hostile since the 1959 Cuban revolution.

Rubio, in an appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” said Cuban officials were with Maduro in Venezuela ahead of his capture.

“It was Cubans that guarded Maduro,” Rubio said. “He was not guarded by Venezuelan bodyguards. He had Cuban bodyguards.” The secretary of state added that Cuban bodyguards were also in charge of “internal intelligence” in Maduro’s government, including “who spies on who inside, to make sure there are no traitors.”

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