&nbsp;THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAID THAT SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 92 IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 300 AM CDT
FOR THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS: KANSAS COUNTIES INCLUDED ARE

ATCHISON             BROWN               CLAY
CLOUD                DICKINSON           DONIPHAN
ELLSWORTH            GEARY               JACKSON
JEFFERSON            JEWELL              LINCOLN
MARSHALL             MITCHELL            NEMAHA
OSBORNE              OTTAWA              POTTAWATOMIE
REPUBLIC             RILEY               SALINE
SHAWNEE              WABAUNSEE           WASHINGTON.

Severe Thunderstorm Watch

One of the most important things you can do for your business is find a way to stand out. That was a key message from David Rendall&nbsp; during a community forum hosted by Junction City Main Street at the C. L. Hoover Opera House Monday. "The best way to differentiate is intentional imperfection because imperfection is interesting."

Rendall said when you run a business you're not going to make everyone happy. He listed key factors for a successful business including flaunting, lopsiding where you do more than what everyone else is doing, witholding and micro weirding.&nbsp; He illustrated the latter point by pointing to a Magic Castle Hotel where popsicles, candy and ice cream are provided free to guests.

Members of the business community and local leaders attended the event.

Main Street hosts a community forum

Geay County Rural Fire announced a ban on burning in Geary County Tuesday due to high winds.  

PLEASE CHECK AND RECHECK your burns as rekindling has been occurring in the County. 

No outdoor burning allowed onTuesday

The National Weather Service said that thunderstorms are likely (60% to 100%) to develop over much of northern and eastern Kansas this evening into tonight.

● All severe hazards, including tornadoes, are possible in the strongest storms, though large hail and damaging wind gusts will be the main hazards.

● Any isolated/discrete storm developing over the “enhanced risk” area (see right) will have the greatest severe weather threat during the evening hours.

● Strong southerly wind gusting to around 45 mph on Tuesday.

Storms are possible Tuesday night

USD 475 announced on Monday, the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/USD475?__cft__[0]=AZXiY0yL4r1XP9G8antZWi3yy7c_1xeP5DaW_RtICQYW1AdHL5rKLcZTOuMHWWiHqey5t_TCzjF8SZMApyFVqi4PBpQNuEiX6caOT_lW-FOvO9GHFO9chV8mlRUyF4VH19rWr-RTeGdrh8EwrHTcF5opusqF0p8B7tDnLyFlRoxm-FBWd8WjVeEkV_4WzMmkxdE&amp;__tn__=-]K-R">Geary USD 475</a> Board of Education and the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/JunctionCityEA?__cft__[0]=AZXiY0yL4r1XP9G8antZWi3yy7c_1xeP5DaW_RtICQYW1AdHL5rKLcZTOuMHWWiHqey5t_TCzjF8SZMApyFVqi4PBpQNuEiX6caOT_lW-FOvO9GHFO9chV8mlRUyF4VH19rWr-RTeGdrh8EwrHTcF5opusqF0p8B7tDnLyFlRoxm-FBWd8WjVeEkV_4WzMmkxdE&amp;__tn__=-]K-R">Junction City Education Association</a> exchanged notice letters at<a href="https://www.facebook.com/JCMSUSD475?__cft__[0]=AZXiY0yL4r1XP9G8antZWi3yy7c_1xeP5DaW_RtICQYW1AdHL5rKLcZTOuMHWWiHqey5t_TCzjF8SZMApyFVqi4PBpQNuEiX6caOT_lW-FOvO9GHFO9chV8mlRUyF4VH19rWr-RTeGdrh8EwrHTcF5opusqF0p8B7tDnLyFlRoxm-FBWd8WjVeEkV_4WzMmkxdE&amp;__tn__=-]K-R"> Junction City Middle School</a>&nbsp;so that the two organizations can begin working on teacher contract negotiations for the 2025-26 school year.

Teacher contract negotiations are due to begin

There are not any plans right now to open the Trooper Gate entrance to Fort Riley. That was one recent message from Maj. Gen. Monte Rone to a Military Affairs Breakfast audience in Junction City.

With troop deployments ahead there is a lack of manpower to put at the gate, which is located just north of Junction City. There are also safety concerns associated with the nearby bridge.

With the Trooper Gate entrance closed trafffic is rerouted to the Grant Ave. entrance to Fort Riley.&nbsp;

Expect Trooper Gate to remain closed

<a>On Monday, April 7, the Kansas Department of Transportation plans to begin bridge repair work on K-82 over Cane Creek, located 1.0 mile east of K-15 in Clay County.</a>

<a>During construction, dependent on where the contractor is actively working, one side of Osage Road will be temporarily closed while traffic on K-82 is reduced to one 12-foot lane in each direction with the shoulders closed.</a>

K-82 bridge repair to begin April 7 in Clay County

JUNCTION CITY, Kan. – The Junction City High School&nbsp;HOSA Chapter had a banner week at the State Leadership Conference in Manhattan as the Blue Jays had six individuals qualify for nationals.&nbsp;

Earning first place honors in their respective divisions and advancing to HOSA's International Leadership Conference, which will take place on June 18-21 in Nashville, Tenn., were Alena Franquiz in Clinical Specialty and Migyelle Ganuelas in Healthy Living, as well as Victoria Kim and Aniela Adjei in Mental Health Promotion. Other top four finishers included Jasmine Palmer and Oliver Lucas who brought home third place accolades in Healthy Living and Home Health Aide, respectively.

JCHS saw seven other individuals or teams place in the top 10 in their respective events, including Ashlynn Brown (Medical Assisting), Oliver Lucas (Medical Terminology), Brooke Barnes (Career Development), Adjei (Research Poster) and Giovanna Morales Vitello (Health Career Photography).&nbsp;

Finally, the teams of Tyree Sprivey and Kacey Clarke, as well as Destiny Harborth and Brooke Barnes, each posted top 10 showings in Emergency Medical Technician to round out the Blue Jays top marks for the week.&nbsp;

Overall, Junction City High School had 30 students attend the leadership conference, which took place on the campus of Kansas State University. During the week, students not only took part in informational sessions, but were also able to sharpen their skills through different skill training sessions.&nbsp; &nbsp;

Junction City High School HOSA Shines at State Conference

Live Well Geary County and Junction City Main Street have announced the upcoming farmers market season set to take place downtown the first Thursday and Saturday in May.&nbsp;

Visitors can find a diverse selection of produce, baked goods, honey, jams, handmade crafts and more! SNAP-ebt participants can visit both markets to participate in the various nutrition incentive programs available, making healthy food accessible. In addition to shopping there will be family friendly activities throughout the season. Find the market on social media for the most recent updates.&nbsp;

Geary Community Farmers Market - every Thursday, 4 - 7pm, May through September, 9th &amp; Washington

Main Street Market - every Saturday, 9am - 1pm, May through September, 9th &amp; Washington

Farmers Market season is almost upon us - Fresh - Local - and Community Focused! 

Geary County Emergency Management provided information from the National Weather Service. Severe storms and strong winds are possible Tuesday. Storms are most likely during the evening and overnight hours.

Severe weather is possible Tuesday

The cuts could lead to nearly 30,000 jobs lost across Missouri and Kansas health care systems and food suppliers, a new study found.

By&nbsp;<a href="https://thebeaconnews.org/stories/author/meg-cunningham/">MEG CUNNINGHAM</a> <a href="https://thebeaconnews.org/stories/2025/03/25/missouri-kansas-medicaid-snap-cuts-2025/">The Beacon</a>

As Congress looks to cut billions of dollars in federal spending over the next decade, states are anxiously awaiting how current proposed cuts to Medicaid and other programs may impact their own budgets and benefits their residents receive.&nbsp;

The Republican-controlled Congress is asking committees to slash their budgets over the next decade by $1.5 trillion and pay for a $4.5 trillion extension of tax cuts endorsed by President Donald Trump in 2017. Those tax cuts largely benefit corporations and wealthy Americans.&nbsp;

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said in an analysis that to cut the amount of spending the Trump administration is requesting,&nbsp;<a href="https://thebeaconnews.org/stories/2025/03/03/medicaid-cuts-missouri-mo-healthnet/">cuts to Medicaid</a>&nbsp;and Medicare are inevitable.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/house-budget-resolution-republicans/">Under the plan</a>&nbsp;proposed by the House of Representatives, Medicaid, the joint federal and state program that helps with medical costs for people whose income and resources are very limited, could be subject to $880 billion in cuts over the next 10 years.&nbsp;

And the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which provides food benefits to low-income families, would see about $230 billion in cuts over the same period.&nbsp;

The plan could result in a $95 billion loss in federal funding for states in 2026 alone, according to a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/issue-briefs/2025/mar/how-cuts-medicaid-snap-could-trigger-job-loss-state-revenue">new report from the Commonwealth Fund</a>. And as the details are ironed out, the report shows that Missouri and Kansas have plenty on the line when it comes to their federal funding and potential economic slowdown in their states.&nbsp;

Missouri could see a $2 billion reduction in federal funding across Medicaid and SNAP over the next decade, according to the report. 

Kansas, which has not expanded Medicaid eligibility under the Affordable Care Act and receives less federal money as a result, stands to lose $485 million in federal funds over the same period.&nbsp;

Researchers at the Commonwealth Fund, a group that studies health care access, also found that the downstream economic effects of potential cuts could mean more than a $2.4 billion hit in Missouri’s gross domestic product in 2026 alone. 

In Kansas, the cuts could amount to $556 million in economic losses through ripple effects such as cuts to jobs in hospitals, pharmacies, grocery stores, agriculture and more.&nbsp;

“If a nurse in a hospital loses her job because of a cutback, then that means she can’t afford to do things like pay her rent or pay her grocery bills,” said Leighton Ku, one of the study’s lead researchers and the director of the Center for Health Policy Research at George Washington University. “So there are repercussions that ripple through the rest of the economy.”&nbsp;

What’s at stake with cuts in Missouri and Kansas

The study found that if $880 billion in federal Medicaid funding were to go away, each state would see an 11.8% reduction in federal spending.&nbsp;

For SNAP, states could see a 20.6% reduction in federal SNAP dollars.&nbsp;

In Missouri, direct health care jobs are estimated to see the biggest losses, with an estimated 11,300 jobs cut as a result of the change in spending. Combined with other potential job loss as a result of Medicaid cuts, nearly 22,000 would be lost.&nbsp;

“The way us economists think about it,” said Timothy McBride, a health economist at Washington University in St. Louis, “is that spending on one side is matched by income on another. So if the federal government cuts $880 billion, that’s $880 billion in revenue to hospitals, doctors and drug companies or managed care companies.”&nbsp;

Another 2,400 Missouri jobs are estimated to be lost as a result of spending changes to the SNAP program.&nbsp;

The report estimates that between cuts to Medicaid and SNAP in Missouri, the end result could mean a $2.4 billion decrease in the state’s GDP and a $175 million reduction in state and local tax revenue.&nbsp;

It’s a different picture in Kansas, where state lawmakers haven’t expanded Medicaid and fewer people are part of the program. The analysis estimates that the state could lose about $485 million in federal funds across cuts to Medicaid and SNAP.&nbsp;

Kansas could lose about 2,700 in direct health care jobs and another 2,900 food industry or other jobs.&nbsp;

“I think of both Kansas and Missouri as being agriculture food production states,” Ku said. “The people who produce food, who process food, who grow food, they’re going to suffer cutbacks to (SNAP).”&nbsp;

Food pantries are seeing threats to their federal funding from multiple directions. But because the federal government pays all of the cost for SNAP and states only match the costs for administering the program, they are worried about what it means for their ability to provide food for those most in need.&nbsp;

“For every one meal that a food bank provides, SNAP provides nine,” said Karen Siebert, the public policy and advocacy adviser at Harvesters in Kansas City. “If these costs were shifted to the states, there’s no way our state budgets on either side of the state line could absorb that.”&nbsp;

“We’re concerned that folks are going to be turning to our charitable food pantries, which do not have resources to absorb those kinds of cuts,” she said.&nbsp;

Impacts may be outsized in rural communities, where more people rely on Medicaid, SNAP &nbsp;

In both Kansas and Missouri, rural counties tend to have a higher reliance on Medicaid or SNAP than other areas of the state.&nbsp;

That means rural areas could feel the pinch from the proposed cuts more than others.&nbsp;

“In the U.S., Medicaid coverage is higher in rural areas than in urban areas, across the whole U.S.,” McBride said. “That does mean the geographic impact will probably be somewhat higher in rural areas versus urban.”&nbsp;

McBride pointed to the financial margins of hospitals, which he said are lower than what most people would expect. In rural communities, margins for hospitals are often zero or negative. If Medicaid dollars were to be reduced, that could put rural hospitals in an even more difficult place, he said.&nbsp;

And for rural grocery stores that participate in SNAP, a reduction in SNAP recipients or spending could paint a bleak picture.&nbsp;

“A lot of grocery stores have really, really high purchasing minimums to even keep going and get a distributor willing to drive their truck to their area to deliver the food,” Siebert said.&nbsp;

“There are so many people who have SNAP benefits in these communities, and if the local grocery store cannot accept those, they may go to other communities where they can use their SNAP dollars,” she said. “And then, they’re going to use their other money there, too, and it takes all of that money out of the community.”&nbsp;

It’s still unclear what components of the House or Senate budget plans may move forward, making it difficult for recipients of the federal funds to plan.&nbsp;

“Depending on how these cuts are made, more people might become uninsured, more people might lose access to health care, more people might become hungry,” Ku said. “In general, if the state has a more sustained loss, and there’s unemployment, this is not going to help the state economies. This is going to hurt the state economies.”&nbsp;

Billions at stake in Kansas, Missouri if proposed Medicaid, SNAP cuts move forward

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Kris Bubic struck out eight in six shutout innings in his first start in nearly two years, and the Kansas City Royals spoiled Milwaukee's home opener with an 11-1 victory over the winless Brewers on Monday.

Maikel Garcia and Salvador Perez homered for the Royals. Jonathan India had three hits and drove in two runs one day after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/royals-jonathan-india-21ca211a9ceab0a802ad3e0161c98cd7">he was struck</a>&nbsp;on the left side of his face by a 98.9-mph pitch from Cleveland's Emmanuel Clase.

Bubic (1-0) allowed three hits and walked two in his first start since&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/braves-royals-0901437988ea02e1d63792b0b8fcbcb7">April 15, 2023.</a>&nbsp;The 27-year-old left-hander had&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/royals-kris-bubic-e784a60aeb5aa900ac518966b0a6446b">Tommy John surgery</a>&nbsp;later that month, and he filled a relief role in all 27 of his appearances last season, going 1-1 with a 2.67 ERA.

The two-time&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/milwaukee-brewers-984ada478789a7727c5f1333df7afddd">defending NL Central champion</a>&nbsp;Brewers are 0-4 for the first time since 2015, when they finished 68-94.

Garcia connected for a 428-foot drive to center on a 2-1 fastball from Elvin Rodriguez (0-1) in the second. Perez went deep on a 2-2 slider from Elvis Peguero in the seventh, sending a 418-foot drive just inside the left-field foul pole.

Brewers associate manager Rickie Weeks was ejected from the game by home plate umpire Brennan Miller after arguing a ball-strike call from the dugout in the seventh.

After India and Bobby Witt opened the game with back-to-back singles, Rodríguez retired the next two batters and seemed on the verge of getting out of the inning until Michael Massey ripped a 1-1 fastball that bounced over the left-field wall for a ground-rule RBI double. Hunter Renfroe followed with a two-run single.

The Brewers have been outscored 47-15 through their first four games. They opened their season by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/torpedo-bats-yankees-6ac6c797ea935941ed1c0d0e51a7d870">getting swept</a>&nbsp;in a three-game series at Yankee Stadium.

Right-hander Michael Lorenzen starts for the Royals as the three-game series continues Tuesday. The Brewers haven't announced their starting pitcher.

⚾ Bubic sparkles in first start since April 2023 as Royals trounce Brewers

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Longtime manager Peter Vermes is out at Sporting Kansas City.

The MLS club announced Monday that it “mutually agreed to part ways” with Vermes after nearly two decades and with Sporting KC chasing its first win since mid-September of last season.

Kerry Zavagnin was appointed interim head coach.

Vermes became the club's technical director in 2006 before being elevated to head coach in 2009. The member of the U.S. Soccer Hall of Fame ranks third on the all-time MLS list with 203 regular-season wins.

He is the only person to win the MLS Cup as a player and a coach with the same team — he led Kansas City to the 2000 title as a central defender, then coached the team to the 2013 championship.

“It would be hard to list all of the people I want to thank after 20 seasons in managerial positions at Sporting Kansas City,” Vermes said in a statement. “I am thankful to everyone, especially ownership for giving me the opportunity of being a steward of this club for the past two decades. I wish the club nothing but the best in the future.”

Vermes led the club to 11 playoff appearances and four first-place finishes in the regular season. The club also won U.S. Open Cup titles in 2012, 2015 and 2017. Last season, the team reached the U.S. Open Cup Final but finished with an 8-19-7 record for its third straight losing campaign.

Vermes' final game was Saturday, when Sporting KC fell 2–1 to FC Dallas for a fifth loss in their first six games of the 2025 season.

Peter Vermes is out as Sporting Kansas City manager after 16 years

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Tanner Bibee pitched shutout ball into the seventh inning, Kyle Mazardo hit a two-run homer and Gabriel Arias and Daniel Schneemann added solo shots as the Cleveland Guardians beat the Kansas City Royals 6-2 on Sunday.

Bibee (1-0) gave up no runs and two hits in 6 2/3 innings with two strikeouts and two walks. The right-hander bounced back after he was scheduled to make the opening day start for Cleveland on Thursday, but was scratched because of an illness.

Royals starter Michael Wacha (0-1) threw 87 pitches over four innings and allowed one run and four hits with two strikeouts and four walks. None of Kansas City's starting pitchers got past the fifth inning in any game during the three-game season-opening series.

Mazardo's home run traveled 417 feet nearly into the right field fountains off Sam Long to give the Guardians a 3-0 lead. It was his second home run of the series.

Arias' homer in the sixth made it 4-0. He started in place of six-time All-Star José Ramírez, who missed the game due to a sprained right wrist he suffered on a slide in Saturday’s game.

Cleveland took a 1-0 lead in the second inning on Arias' sacrifice fly that scored Carlos Santana.

Schneemann's homer in the eighth extended the Guardians' lead to 6-0.

Bobby Witt Jr. hit an RBI single and Hunter Renfroe drew a bases-loaded walk in the eighth for the Royals.

The Royals had the tying run at the plate in the eighth, but Hunter Gaddis forced a groundout to first to end the rally.

Steven Kwan went 3 for 5, all of those hits being singles, and had six hits over the series.

The Guardians send RHP Luis Ortiz to the mound to start a three-game series at San Diego on Monday. Kansas City travels to Milwaukee on Monday with LHP Kris Bubic on the hill.

⚾ Bibee throws shutout ball into the 7th as Guardians defeat Royals

SPOKANE, Ore. (AP) — Kennedy Smith stepped into the void left by injured star JuJu Watkins, scoring 19 points to help Southern California hold off Kansas State 67-61 in the Sweet 16 of the women's&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness">NCAA Tournament</a>&nbsp;on Saturday.

The top-seeded Trojans (31-3) were considered title contenders before&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/march-madness-juju-watkins-hurt-usc-12f286a14edad1e632dd1a4938132a88">Watkins tore her right ACL</a>&nbsp;during&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/march-madness-usc-mississippi-state-score-371f2453968abdf9d3416f1beead058d">a second-round victory</a>&nbsp;over Mississippi State. Now they’ll be underdogs in an Elite Eight rematch on Monday with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/march-madness-oklahoma-uconn-score-917699e45b6d7619e93530c3d0415a58">Paige Bueckers</a>&nbsp;and second-seeded UConn. The Huskies knocked the Trojans out of last year’s March Madness in Watkins’ first season.

Avery Howell, another freshman, scored 18 points for USC, which went on a 12-0 run during the third quarter to take a 46-39 lead, matching its biggest advantage of the day.

Kansas State (28-8) kept pushing, though, and tied it at 51-all early in the fourth on a layup by Ayoka Lee. Rayah Marshall responded with two straight buckets for USC.

A layup by Serena Sundell got the Wildcats within 60-59. Smith responded with a pair of free throws, and USC was solid enough at the foul line to close it out.

Sundell scored 22 points and Lee had 12 for the fifth-seeded Wildcats (28-8), who fell short of the program’s second Elite Eight appearance and first since 1982. They beat Kentucky&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/march-madness-kansas-state-kentucky-women-score-bda945b0046c0fee4943a2d0b733cd9d">80-79 in overtime</a>&nbsp;to reach their first Sweet 16 since 2002.

Smith had 11 points in the opening quarter as the Trojans built 19-9 lead.

The Wildcats pulled ahead 19-16 after Sundell's layup and free throw. USC answered with a pair of 3-pointers from Howell and Malia Samuels.

Sundell hit a jumper and two free throws down the stretch to help Kansas State to a 30-28 advantage at the half.

USC arrived at Spokane Arena wearing Nike T-shirts emblazoned with Watkins’ face.

Players passed around a small Watkins bobblehead, complete with her trademark “JuJu Bun” hairstyle, on the sidelines during the game.

A day earlier, coach Lindsay Gottlieb said her team was playing for its inured star: “I think the prevailing feeling is that we can still do something together, and that’s what JuJu wants us to do.”

Watkins was hoping to lead USC to its first national title since it won back to back in 2002 and '03.

🏀 K-State women's basketball season ends in Sweet 16

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Bobby Witt Jr. hit a go-ahead RBI double in the seventh inning after Maikel Garcia tied it with a homer four batters earlier to help lead the Kansas City Royals over the Cleveland Guardians 4-3 on Saturday.

Garcia led off the seventh with a 405-foot homer off Paul Sewald (0-1). Cavan Biggio followed with a single and was replaced by pinch-runner Dairon Blanco, who stole second. With two outs, Witt lined a double to left to score Blanco with the go-ahead run.

Guardians six-time All-Star José Ramírez left in the sixth inning with a sprained right wrist after he was hurt in the third inning while attempting to steal second base. Gabriel Arias replaced Ramírez at third base.

Bo Naylor gave the Indians a 1-0 lead on an RBI single in the second, and Carlos Santana scored Steven Kwan on a sacrifice fly in the third.

Kwan's solo homer in the fifth put Cleveland up 3-1.

Royals starter Seth Lugo threw five innings and allowed three earned runs and four hits and struck out four with three walks. Daniel Lynch IV (1-0) followed Lugo and threw two perfect innings for the win. Carlos Estévez walked one and struck out one in the ninth to earn his first save for Kansas City.

Guardians starter Gavin Williams allowed two runs and four hits in five innints with one walk and two strikeouts.

Salvador Perez had RBI singles in the fourth and sixth innings.

The Royals' comeback in the bottom of the seventh inning was powered by Garcia's homer and Witt's double.

The top four hitters for Kansas City — Jonathan India, Witt, Vinnie Pasquantino and Perez — went 5 for 14 with five RBIs.

The Guardians send RHP Tanner Bibee to the mound against RHP Michael Wacha for Kansas City in Sunday’s series finale.

⚾ Garcia's homer and Witt’s go-ahead RBI double lead Royals past Guardians 

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Kyle Manzardo had a two-run double in the 10th inning to tie the club record for most RBIs on opening day and the Cleveland Guardians defeated the Kansas City Royals 7-4 on Thursday.

Manzardo joined Tris Speaker (1925) and Leon Wagner (1964) with four RBIs on opening day.

Manzardo also become the third MLB player with a double, triple and homer on opening day, joining Don Baylor (1973), Gee Walker (1937).

Steven Kwan led off the 10th with a run-scoring double. With two outs and Kwan at third, reliever Sam Long intentionally walked Carlos Santana to face Manzardo, who drove in both runners.

Emmanuel Clase took the win and Paul Sewald earned the save.

Vinnie Pasquantino broke the scoreless tie with a three-run homer in the third for Kansas City.

The Guardians answered with a run in the fourth. Manzardo hit a one-out triple and Jhonkensy Noel drove him in with a sacrifice fly.

The Guardians got another run in the fifth on another sacrifice fly. Cleveland put runners on first and second with no outs and Jose Ramirez drove in Gabriel Arias with the second run.

Manzardo homered on the first pitch he saw in the sixth to give the Guardians a 4-3.

The Royals tied it at 4-all in the bottom of the ninth off Clase on Michael Massey’s sacrifice fly.

The Royals had runners on first and third and no outs in the eighth, with the top of the order up. But Jonathan India hit into a fielder's choice, resulting in a double play.

Manzardo had 12 doubles, no triples and five home runs in 145 at bats in his debut last season.

Gavin Williams of Cleveland is scheduled to face Seth Lugo for Kansas City when the clubs resume the three-game series on Saturday.

⚾ Manzardo shines for Cleveland in opening day win over the Royals

K-State Athletics announced that the Sweet 16 Cats are hitting the road Thursday, The KSU women's basketball team will be leaving from the Ice Family Basketball Center, located on the east side of Bramlage Coliseum (2201 Kimball Ave), at&nbsp;11am. Come show your support, cheer them on, and wish them good luck as they head to Spokane, WA for the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament. Be sure to wear purple and bring signs.

Enter through Gate 8 off of Kimball Avenue and head towards the south end of the parking lot in front of the Ice Family Basketball Center. Please note that the Denison/Kimball intersection will be closed.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Attend a sendoff for the Cats

Four Junction City High School boys basketball players were recognized for their play on the court this season.&nbsp;

Earning first team Centennial League honors were seniors Jackson Austin and Larkin Turner. Austin averaged 12 points per game, while Turner finished the season averaging 11.5 per game.&nbsp;

Earning second-team Centennial League honors were junior Lovell Autry, and senior Ja'Twaan Williams. Autry finished the season leading the team in average points per game at 13.5. Williams averaged 9.5 points per game.&nbsp;

The Blue Jays finished their season 14-8, and lost to Washburn Rural in the sub-state championship game.&nbsp;

Four Blue Jay basketball players honored by Centennial League

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Kansas State forward Temira Poindexter missed her first six shots against Kentucky in the second round of the women's NCAA Tournament. She finished by hitting eight 3-pointers, and the last one sent the visiting Wildcats to the Sweet 16.

Poindexter made a&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/MarchMadnessWBB/status/1903901655135088762">corner 3 with 56 seconds</a>&nbsp;left in overtime, and Kansas State's defense did the rest to preserve an 80-79 victory Sunday on Kentucky's home court.

“In those moments, I do get down on myself,” Poindexter said. “My teammates come in and have my back and tell me to keep shooting so it really lifts me up and gives me confidence.”

Fifth-seeded Kansas State (28-7) dodged four misses by No. 4 seed Kentucky (23-8) in the closing seconds to advance to face either JuJu Watkins and top-seeded Southern California or No. 9 seed Mississippi State in a regional semifinal in Spokane, Washington.

Kentucky star Georgia Amoore missed a jumper with 21 seconds left, a 3-pointer with 16 seconds remaining and then a baseline layup at the buzzer. Amelia Haslett also missed a 3 that would have put Kentucky ahead at Rupp Arena.

“As soon as I caught it, I realized how open I was and it’s up to fate at that point,” Amoore said about her final attempt.

Poindexter finished 8 of 15 beyond the arc to score 24 points.

“Give her credit. She knocked down some very tough shots and we had a couple of situations where we had miscommunication and she got free,” Kentucky coach Kenny Brooks said.

Serena Sundell added 19 points and 14 assists for Kansas State, and her turnaround jumper with 8 seconds left forced overtime. Ayoka Lee scored 16.

Clara Strack led Kentucky with 22 points. Amoore scored 18 points on 7-of-23 shooting.

Amoore hit a 3-pointer from the top of the key to give Kentucky a 69-67 lead with 32 seconds left in regulation. After Sundell's basket, Kentucky's Dazia Lawrence could not get a clean look before time expired.

There were 21 lead changes, seven in the fourth quarter and overtime.

“You go the last ten minutes of the game and there were just huge shots by both teams and different players,” Kansas State coach Jeff Mittie said. “I’m really proud of our group to to be down five and to need to really dig deep defensively and make plays, but also very little margin for the other end.”

Kansas State: Sundell had 11 points in the first quarter to steady the visiting Wildcats after Kentucky jumped out to an early 7-0 lead. She also became the school's career assist leader.

Kentucky: The host Wildcats built small leads but could never extend their advantage to double digits.

Teonni Key rebounded her own missed jumper to make a layup that gave Kentucky a 66-61 lead with 2:11 to play. Kansas State responded with 3-pointers by Jaelyn Glenn and then Poindexter in a 40-second span. Key finished with 13 points and 15 rebounds.

Kentucky came in averaging seven blocks per game, but it was Kansas State denying shots with 13 blocks, including two on 3-point attempts in the second quarter. Those fueled a 12-3 run that propelled Kansas State to a 33-31 halftime lead.

Kansas State will have to wait until late Monday night to learn its regional semifinal opponent. Kentucky will have to replace Amoore, a second-team All-American, and Lawrence, a key contributor and another transfer.

🏀 K-State women headed to Sweet 16 after OT win over Kentucky

NEW YORK (AP) —George Foreman, the fearsome heavyweight who lost the “Rumble in the Jungle” to Muhammad Ali before his inspiring second act as a 45-year-old champion and a successful businessman, died Friday night. He was 76.

Foreman's family&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DHe5UtIJ4IQ/" target="_blank">announced his death on social media</a>.

“A devout preacher, a devoted husband, a loving father, and a proud grand- and great-grandfather, he lived a life marked by unwavering faith, humility and purpose," his family wrote.

A native Texan, Foreman began his boxing career as an Olympic gold medalist who inspired fear as he climbed to the peak of the heavyweight division by stopping Joe Frazier in 1973. His formidable aura evaporated only a year later when Ali pulled off one of the most audacious victories in boxing history in Zaire, baiting and taunting Foreman into losing his belt in one of the greatest fights ever staged.

Foreman left the sport a few years later, but returned after a 10-year absence and a self-described religious awakening.

He then pulled off one of the most spectacular knockouts in boxing history in 1994, flooring Michael Moorer — 19 years his junior — with one perfect combination to claim Moorer's two heavyweight belts.

Foreman's transformation into an inspirational figure was complete, and he fought only four more times before moving onto his next career as a genial businessman, pitchman and occasional actor.

He was best known as the face of the George Foreman Grill, a rudimentary cooking machine which sold more than 100 million units and made him much wealthier than his sport ever did.

George Foreman, the glowering heavyweight who became a lovable champion, dies at 76

JOHNSON COUNTY —A former Kansas high school Choir Director is going to prison for sex crimes.

On Friday, Judge Thomas Sutherland sentenced 35-year-old Micah Horton to 34-months for unlawful sexual relations, according to the Johnson County District Attorney's office.

After an investigation in March of 2024, Olathe Police arrested Horton who was&nbsp;the Choir Director at Olathe North High School. He pleaded guilty to three counts of unlawful sexual relations. 

Prison: Former Kan. school choir director admits to unlawful sexual relations 

BY&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/author/mike-catalini">MIKE CATALINI</a>

WASHINGTON (AP) — In a feat of determination, New Jersey Democratic Sen.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/who-is-cory-booker-senate-speech-4540f0c98e620b591bfbea8c1001419a">Cory Booker</a>&nbsp;held the Senate floor with a marathon speech that lasted all night and into Tuesday evening, setting a historic mark to show Democrats’ resistance to President Donald Trump’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/projects/trump-campaign-promise-tracker/">sweeping actions</a>.

Booker took to the Senate floor on Monday evening, saying he would remain there as long as he was “physically able.” More than 24 hours later, the 55-year-old senator, a former football tight end, was still going. It set the record for the longest continuous Senate floor speech in the chamber’s history, though Booker was assisted by fellow Democrats who gave him a break from speaking by asking him questions on the Senate floor.

It was a remarkable show of stamina as Democrats try to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/democrats-anger-backlash-trump-musk-426c189225ee978b4eea09352ac122b7">show their frustrated supporters</a>&nbsp;that they are doing everything possible to contest Trump’s agenda. Yet Booker also provided a moment of historical solace for a party searching for its way forward: By standing on the Senate floor for more than a night and day and refusing to leave, he had broken a record set 68 years ago by then Sen. Strom Thurmond of South Carolina, a segregationist, to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.senate.gov/about/resources/pdf/thurmond-strom-filibuster-1957.pdf">filibuster the advance</a>&nbsp;of the Civil Rights Act in 1957.

Now, Booker, who spoke openly on the Senate floor of his roots as the descendant of both slaves and slave-owners, holds that record. In his speech, Booker said he drew upon the entirety of his ancestry because "they speak to the complicated history of America.”

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, the first Black party leader in Congress who had slipped into the Senate chamber to watch Booker on Tuesday afternoon, called it “an incredibly powerful moment" because he had broken the record of a segregationist and was “fighting to preserve the American way of life and our democracy.”

Still, Booker centered his speech on a call for his party to find its resolve, saying, “We all must look in the mirror and say, ‘We will do better.’”

“These are not normal times in our nation,” Booker said as he began the speech Monday evening. “And they should not be treated as such in the United States Senate. The threats to the American people and American democracy are grave and urgent, and we all must do more to stand against them.”

Booker warns of a ‘looming constitutional crisis’

Shifting his feet, then leaning on his podium, Booker railed for hours against cuts to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/social-security-offices-closures-doge-trump-b2b1a5b2ba4fb968abc3379bf90715ff">Social Security offices</a>&nbsp;led by Trump adviser Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency. He listed the impacts of Trump's early orders and spoke to concerns that broader cuts to the social safety net could be coming, though Republican lawmakers say&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/musk-trump-doge-social-security-92de2ce547df0dcdcc00a5876e1a7bd6">the program won't be touched</a>.

Booker also read what he said were letters from constituents, donning and doffing his reading glasses. One writer was alarmed by the Republican president's talk of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-imperialism-canada-panama-greenland-b4b53445dee97398b498b79eab54d49b">annexing Greenland and Canada</a>&nbsp;and a “looming constitutional crisis.”

Throughout the day Tuesday, Booker got help from Democratic colleagues, who gave him a break from speaking to ask him questions. Booker yielded for questions but made sure to say he would not give up the floor. He read that line from a piece of paper to ensure he did not slip and inadvertently end his speech. He stayed standing to comply with Senate rules.

“Your strength, your fortitude, your clarity has just been nothing short of amazing and all of America is paying attention to what you’re saying,” Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said as he asked Booker a question on the Senate floor. “All of America needs to know there’s so many problems, the disastrous actions of this administration.”

As Booker stood for hour after hour, he appeared to have nothing more than a couple glasses of water to sustain him. Yet his voice grew strong with emotion as his speech stretched into the evening, and House members from the Congressional Black Caucus stood on the edge of the Senate floor to support Booker.

“Moments like this require us to be more creative or more imaginative, or just more persistent and dogged and determined,” Booker said.

Booker's cousin and brother, as well as Democratic aides, watched from the chamber's gallery. Sen. Chris Murphy accompanied Booker on the Senate floor throughout the day and night. Murphy was returning the comradeship that Booker had given to him in 2016 when the Connecticut Democrat held the floor for almost 15 hours to argue for gun control legislation.

His Senate floor speech breaks Thurmond's record

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