&nbsp;The Junction City High School boys wrestling team won The Junction City Invitational Wrestling Tournament on Saturday at the Blue Jay Event Center. The tournament victory marks the Blue Jays’ third consecutive tournament win this season.

Junction City wrapped up the regular season with a 16-4 record in duals, and is currently ranked No. 9 in Class 6A.

The JCHS boys team had several individual performances during the tournament, with the following wrestlers earning top-four finishes in their respective weight classes:

The Junction City girls wrestling team placed third at their home tournament and crowned two first-place finishers.

Tournament champions for the Blue Jays were Bre Villanueva (115 lbs.) and Elizabeth Edgergton-Diaz (130 lbs.).

Additional placers included Shalina Hicks, who finished third at 190 lbs., and Miracle Simon, who earned a fourth-place finish at 135 lbs. Ammy Ngircheungel also placed fourth at 170 lbs.

*The Junction City High School boys and girls wrestling teams will return to action this Saturday for the Centennial League Wrestling Tournament at Washburn Rural. Wrestling begins at 9:00 a.m.

Junction City Boys Win Junction City Invitational, Girls Place 3rd

JUNCTION CITY, Kan. — Geary County K-State Extension is inviting community members to participate in the Hypertension Awareness &amp; Prevention Program (HAPp), a self-monitoring blood pressure program designed to help individuals better manage and lower their blood pressure.

The HAPp Kick-Off Session will be held on Wednesday, February 4, 2026, at 10:30 a.m. at the Geary County 4-H/Senior Center, located at 1025 S. Spring Valley Road in Junction City. During the session, participants will learn how self-monitoring blood pressure can support and improve blood pressure management.

In addition to the kick-off meeting, participants are encouraged to attend a series of Nutrition Education Workshops, which will also be held at the Geary County 4-H/Senior Center. 

For more information or to register, contact Renae Riedy, Geary County Family and Consumer Sciences Agent, at 785-238-4161 or <a>renaer@ksu.edu</a>.

Hypertension Awareness & Prevention Program Scheduled in Junction City

RILEY COUNTY –&nbsp;Sexual assault and the trauma that comes with it makes these cases often the most difficult to report. The Riley County Police Department recognizes this and is now offering “Seek Then Speak” as a safe alternative to help support survivors of sexual violence, according to a media release from the RCPD.

<a href="https://www.rileycountypolice.org/569/Seek-Then-Speak">Click here for more&nbsp;</a>information

This online tool is for survivors to explore their options, connect with valuable resources and begin the process of reporting their sexual assault, straight from their phone. Seek Then Speak has been endorsed by other community victim service partners in Riley County and RCPD is the second law enforcement agency in the state to endorse this online resource.“Seek” is a tool designed to help survivors privately gather information and explore options for medical exams, support services and reporting to police when they are ready. 

“Speak” is a self-guided series of questions with prompts that lead survivors through careful documentation of the evidence that will be critical to an initial police report. Survivors can provide as much or as little information as they feel comfortable with. When they finish, the program will generate a PDF document that can be saved for their own reference or forwarded to law enforcement. 

RCPD: New online resource to report sexual assault 

--The Geary USD Board of Education has adopted a resolution for a Region I Hazard Mitigation Plan. The County and City had already given their approval. The move allows them to seek funding help in the event of disasters.

--The Executive Director of Personnel Services, Tim Winter, is retiring at the end of the 2025-2026 school year.

--David Cunningham, KASB attorney, will be the facilitator for the Board at the 2026-2027 teacher contract&nbsp; negotiation process.

--The BOE adopted a proposed memorandum of understanding agreement and a staff recommendation to send it to the City of Milford.&nbsp;The City of Milford has proposed to the district that they would provide certain municipal services to support the operations of Milford Elementary School.

Board of Education News Notes

--The Geary County Convention &amp; Visitors Bureau reported Monday that the former Super 8 Motel has been rebranded as a Red Lion Motel.

--Motels that have closed include Econolodge in Grandview Plaza, and in Junction City the Homestead Motel was removed to make way for the new Caseys. The Great Western Inn recently closed and now operates as The Dels facility.

--In other business CVB Director Raquel Cinco reported that they participated in a recent show in Denver. Future trips are planned to shows in Oklahoma City and Tulsa.

Motel updates in Geary County

Beginning Wednesday, February 4 through Thursday, February 5, from 9:00 AM–4:00 PM, customers in the Madison &amp; Vine and Jackson &amp; Vine areas may experience low to no water pressure as Public Works completes critical water system improvements

 Temporary Water Pressure Impact

Geary County Extension Agent ( Ret. ) Chuck Otte

The January 2026 weather summary can be summed up by saying it was a tale of two extremes. The average for the month was right where it would be expected, but it took extremes to get it there.      

The average daily high for January was 40.4, six tenths of a degree above average. The average overnight low was 19.1, three tenths of a degree below normal. This gave us a monthly mean temperature of 29.7, one tenth of a degree above the long term average. Now for the extremes. The first three weeks of January had an average temperature of 37.6, 8 degrees above normal. The last ten days had an average temperature of 13.2, 16.4 degrees below normal. The highest temperature for the month was 68 degrees on the 7th. The lowest temperature was -10 on the morning of the 27th. This gave us a monthly temperature range of 78 degrees. 

The warmest January on record was in 2006 with a monthly mean temperature of 43.9. For the first three weeks of the year we were on track to have a top five warmest January. Then the polar vortex arrived and reset the month to “average”. The coldest January on record was in 1979 with a monthly mean temperature of 12.1 degrees. Imagine the weather we had the last ten days of the month for the entire month. That is what it was like! 

There were two temperature records set during the month and one tied. The high of 62 on the 6th broke the old record high for that date of 59 set in 2019. The overnight low of 44 on the 8th broke the previous record high low temperature of 41 set in 2018. The low of -10 on the 27th tied the record low for that date first set in 1963. The record high of 62 on the 6th is significant as it was previously one of two daily record highs that was below 60 degrees. We are now left with the record high of 59 on December 12th (1948) as the only daily record high below 60 degrees for the entire year.      

There were two significant precipitation events for the month. In the first ten days of January we had a very nice rainfall event, and a little snow. Towards the end of the month we had a significant snowfall event that brought 6 to 8 inches to the area. The combination of these two brought a total of 1.52 inches of liquid precipitation. This is double our average January precipitation which is 0.73 inches. January is our driest month of the year so these two events were very welcome! Snowfall for January, measured near Milford, &nbsp;totaled 8.5 inches. Normal for January is 4.7 inches. Snowfall, season to date, we have received 9.7 inches. Normal through January is 9.4 inches.     

 February normally will bring us warming temperatures, about the same amount of snow as we receive in January but overall slightly more liquid precipitation. Average temperatures in February start the month around 40 degrees and by the end of our shortest month of the year we have risen to about 50 degrees. Overnight lows start the month around 19 degrees and have risen to about 26 degrees by the end of the month. Average snowfall is 4.7 inches and average liquid precipitation is 1.10 inches which makes February tied with January for our snowiest month, but also our second driest month.&nbsp;

January 2026 Junction City Area Weather Summary

Fort Riley announced via social media Tuesday that due to a lapse in federal appropriations, many civilian employees at Fort Riley are currently furloughed. As a result: Emails and phone calls to affected civilian staff will not be answered.

 Many social media channels will be unmonitored

 Some services may be limited or temporarily unavailable.

Normal operations will resume once federal funding is restored.

Fort Riley will continue to deliver life, health and safety services. Irwin Army Community Hospital remains open 24/7 to provide emergency and inpatient care.

Many civilian employees at Fort Riley are furloughed

USD 475 Board of Education member Mark Hatcher has been voicing support for the return of livestreaming of BOE meetings. Monday night Superintendent Dr. Reginald Eggleston confirmed that it is something the District is moving toward. The goal is to try to have it in place by the Board's March meeting.

Livestream was used in the past but had been discontinued in recent months.

Board of Education meeting livestream may be returning

Geary County Commissioners received a briefing Monday from the Rural Fire Department.

--There have been eight rural fire calls.

--One recent fire burned 150 bales at an estimated loss of $34,000. It was caused by a welder working on a fence in the wind.

--Seven new recruits received training, four of them for Geary and three for Grandview Plaza.

--The annual severe weather spotter training will be held at 7 p.m. March 16 at the Geary County 4-H / Senior Center.

--Snow removal numbers from January 23 - 25 ranged from 2,253 miles driven by graders and dump trucks on day one to 109 hours worked on day two to 450 gallons of fuel, also on day two.

County gets an update on numerous topics

WABAUNSEE COUNTY —Two horses were shot and killed, from the road, by an unknown assailant in the vicinity of Bradford and Mission Valley Road northeast of Eskridge in rural Wabaunsee County over the weekend, according to Wabaunsee&nbsp; County Sheriff's&nbsp;Eric Kirsch.

These horses were used for therapy for veterans and first responders suffering from&nbsp;Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

The sheriff's department is devoting the full might of their investigative resources towards the relentless pursuit and capture of those responsible "for this reprehensible atrocity against these beautiful, innocent and defenseless animals"

The animals were taken to K-State for forensic examination and the sheriff's office is treating this like a homicide. The sheriff's office pledge $500 leading to a lawful arrest and conviction of the perpetrators.

Reward offered after horses shot and killed in Wabaunsee County

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — NASA's long-awaited moonshot with astronauts is off until at least March because of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nasa-moon-artemis-astronauts-space-479f13e074b3df8b9453230cb248c5bf">hydrogen fuel leaks</a>&nbsp;that marred the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nasa-artemis-astronauts-moon-540260c90a45e0de4cb28f3e481777ff">dress rehearsal</a>&nbsp;of its&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/artemis-nasa-moonshot-921fc1a0a832217fae8b57d2fce2dc66">giant new rocket</a>.

It's the same problem that delayed the Space Launch System rocket's debut three years ago. That first test flight was grounded for months because of leaking hydrogen, which is highly flammable and dangerous.

“Actually, this one caught us off guard,” NASA's John Honeycutt said Tuesday, hours after the test came to an abrupt halt at Kennedy Space Center.

Until the exasperating fuel leaks, the space agency had been targeting as soon as this weekend for humanity's first trip to the moon in more than half a century.

“When you’re dealing with hydrogen, it’s a small molecule. It’s highly energetic and we like it for that reason and we do the best we can," Honeycutt explained.

Officials said the month-long delay will allow the launch team to conduct another fueling test before committing the four astronauts — three U.S. and one Canadian — to a lunar fly-around. It's too soon to know when the countdown dress rehearsal might be repeated.

Any repairs to deformed or damaged seals, or other components, can likely be completed at the pad, managers said. A return to the Vehicle Assembly Building would likely result in an even longer delay.

The leaks cropped up early in Monday's loading operation and again hours later, ultimately halting the countdown clocks at the five-minute mark. Launch controllers had wanted to get all the way down to a half-minute in the countdown, but the escaping hydrogen exceeded safety limits.

NASA repeatedly interrupted the flow of liquid hydrogren, which was minus 423 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 253 degrees Celsius), in an attempt to warm up the area between the rocket and fuel lines and, hopefully, reseat any loose seals. But that didn't work and neither did altering the flow of the hydrogen — adjustments that allowed the first SLS rocket to finally soar without a crew in 2022.

With their launch now off until at least March 6, commander Reid Wiseman and his crew were given the all-clear to emerge from quarantine in Houston. They will reenter it two weeks before the next launch attempt.

Wiseman said on the social platform X that he was proud of how the dress rehearsal went, “especially knowing how challenging the scenario was for our launch team doing the dangerous and unforgiving work.”

The extreme cold at the launch site did not contribute to the fuel leaks or any other problem, according to officials. Heaters kept the Orion capsule warm atop the 322-foot (98-meter) rocket, while constant purging protected the rocket and ground systems.

Amit Kshatriya, NASA's associate administrator, stressed that the Space Launch System is “an experimental vehicle," with more lessons to be learned. Years between fueling tests and flights don't help, he added.

“I'm just reminded again almost four days and 40 years from Challenger, nobody sitting in one of these chairs needs to be calling any of these vehicles operational,” Kshatriya said at a news conference.

NASA has only a handful of days any given month to send them around the moon — the first time astronauts will have flown there since 1972. They won't land on the moon or even go into lunar orbit during the nearly 10-day mission, but rather check out life support and other vital capsule systems ahead of a moon landing by other astronauts in a few years.

NASA sent 24 astronauts to the moon during the 1960s and 1970s Apollo. The new Artemis program is aiming for new territory — the moon's south polar region — and looking to keep crews on the lunar surface for much longer periods.

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

Why NASA has again postponed long-awaited moonshot 

SUMNER COUNTY —Woods Park and Donut Bay,&nbsp;1500 W Harvey Avenue, in the city of Wellington will be temporarily closed as City staff work to address a potential outbreak of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI), commonly known as bird flu, according to a media release from the city.

Staff are coordinating closely with the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks Research and Survey Office.

HPAI is a severe and often fatal viral disease that spreads rapidly among bird populations. Residents are urged not to approach, handle, or attempt to assist any birds that appear ill. Birds exhibiting HPAI may show one or more of the following symptoms:

● Neurological impairment, including lack of coordination, disorientation, inability to hold the head up, hunched posture, tremors, seizures, or twisted neck

● Difficulty breathing, such as open‑mouth breathing or wheezing

● Nasal discharge, coughing, or sneezing, sometimes with blood‑tinged fluid

While the risk of avian influenza to the general public is considered very low, humans and pets can be vulnerable, especially those with weakened immune systems. Based on guidance from KDWP, the City advises the followingmprecautions:

● Avoid touching or approaching wildlife. Observe from a safe distance. If contact occurs, avoid touching your face and wash hands thoroughly with soap and water before eating, drinking, or smoking.

● Do not touch diseased or dead wildlife. Sick birds should not be taken to rehabilitators or zoos, as doing so increases the risk of spreading the disease to vulnerable captive birds. Do not transport sick wildlife in vehicles, into homes, or into public spaces.

● Keep pets away from birds that appear sick. Do not allow them to lick or eat sick or dead waterfowl.

● Do not handle or consume sick game birds.

In an effort to protect the people and pets of our community, Woods Park will remain closed until further notice. No members of the public will be allowed beyond the barricades located at the park entrances. We apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for your cooperation in helping protect local wildlife and public health.

Kansas community closes park due to bird flu outbreak

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House on Tuesday passed a roughly $1.2 trillion&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-budget-immigration-trump-homeland-security-39fd7917e39aaf9e4e78e89f3449a587">spending package</a>&nbsp;to end the partial government shutdown, sending the measure to President Donald Trump and setting the stage for a debate in Congress over Homeland Security funding.

The vote was 217-214.&nbsp; GOP members of the Kansas delegation voted with the majority.

The vote wraps up congressional work on 11 of the 12 annual appropriations bills, funding the vast majority of the government for the budget year ending Sept. 30.

 The last bill still to be worked out covers the Department of Homeland Security where Democrats are demanding more restrictions on enforcement operations.

Trump has said he will sign the bill when it reaches his desk.

Speaker Mike Johnson needed near-unanimous support from his Republican conference to proceed to a final vote. He narrowly got it during a procedural vote that was held open for nearly an hour as leaders worked to gain support from a handful of GOP lawmakers who were trying to advance other priorities unrelated to the funding measure.

"We have to work through individual members’ concerns. That’s the game here. It’s a consensus building operation. We do it every day,” Johnson said.

Trump had weighed in Monday in a social media post, calling on Republicans to stay united and telling holdouts “There can be NO CHANGES at this time.”

“We will work together in good faith to address the issues that have been raised, but we cannot have another long, pointless, and destructive Shutdown that will hurt our Country so badly — One that will not benefit Republicans or Democrats. I hope everyone will vote, YES!,” Trump wrote on his social media site.

The measure once signed will end the partial government shutdown that began Saturday. In addition to funding most of the federal government through Sept. 30, it includes a short-term funding patch for the Department of Homeland Security through Feb. 13 as lawmakers negotiate potential changes for the agency that enforces the nation's immigration laws —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-trump-arrests-workplace-agents-chicago-los-angeles-ba352692f27fa6d2846a9410496e4359">U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement</a>, or ICE.

The House had previously approved the final package of spending bills, but the Senate broke up that package so that more negotiations could take place for the Homeland Security funding bill. Democrats are demanding changes in response to events in Minneapolis, where two American citizens were shot and killed by federal agents.

Johnson said on Fox News Channel's “Fox News Sunday” it was Trump's "play call to do it this way. He had already conceded he wants to turn down the volume, so to speak.” But GOP leaders sounded as if they still had work to do in convincing the rank-and-file to join them as House lawmakers returned to the Capitol on Monday after a week back in their congressional districts.

“We always work till the midnight hour to get the votes,” said House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La. “You never start the process with everybody on board. You work through it, and you could say that about every major bill we've passed.”

The path to the current partial shutdown differs from the fall impasse, which affected more agencies and lasted&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-shutdown-reopen-update-house-returns-5771f2befb15f4ab45e327369f2e98d9">a record 43 days</a>.

Then, the debate was over extending temporary coronavirus pandemic-era subsidies for those who get health coverage through the Affordable Care Act. Democrats were unsuccessful in getting those subsidies included as part of a package to end the shutdown.

Congress has made important progress since then, passing six of the 12 annual appropriations bills that fund federal agencies and programs. That includes important programs such as nutrition assistance and fully operating national parks and historic sites. They are funded through Sept. 30. The remaining bills passed Tuesday represent roughly three-quarters of federal spending set annually by Congress, including the Defense Department.

WASHINGTON (AP) —The House has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-shutdown-ice-funding-471e55ba4c3247051739ee1b50b2857a">passed a bill to end the partial government shutdown</a>&nbsp;in a final vote Tuesday afternoon, cleared by a bipartisan vote&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-shutdown-house-johnson-trump-ice-democrats-bb4cfeaab5f3a17e2fde5c23bb27677f">under the insistence</a>&nbsp;of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">President Donald Trump</a>.&nbsp; The measure passed by a vote of&nbsp;217-214.&nbsp; GOP members of the Kansas delegation voted with the majority.

The measure funds most of the federal government through Sept. 30, while providing the Department of Homeland Security with short-term funding for two weeks. Lawmakers will return to negotiate potential changes for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement as Democrats demand more restrictions on its operations.

Earlier in the afternoon, Speaker Mike Johnson managed to secure the near-unanimous GOP support needed to pass the bill through a procedural vote, despite some members of the party trying to tack unrelated priorities onto the funding package.

Trump called on Republicans to stay united in a social media post Monday, telling holdouts, “There can be NO CHANGES at this time.”

He has said he will sign the bill when it reaches his desk.

Kan. GOP lawmakers help House pass bill to end partial gov't shutdown

WASHINGTON (AP) — A U.S. Navy fighter jet shot down an Iranian drone that was approaching&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/aircraft-carrier-iran-protests-us-military-58e6da912f9167df94f913d7dafe5af4">the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln</a>&nbsp;in the Arabian Sea, U.S. Central Command said Tuesday, threatening to ramp up tensions as the Trump administration warns of possible military action to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-trump-protests-negotiations-nuclear-deal-9758adb33c0d01c70a07ad7de0f5221b">get Iran to the negotiating table</a>.

The drone “aggressively approached” the aircraft carrier with “unclear intent” and kept flying toward it "despite de-escalatory measures taken by U.S. forces operating in international waters,” Central Command spokesman Capt. Tim Hawkins said in a statement.

The shootdown occurred within hours of Iranian forces harassing a U.S.-flagged and U.S.-crewed merchant vessel that was sailing in the Strait of Hormuz, the American military said.

The developments could escalate&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-eu-terrorist-groups-protests-c0023d9ff1e7c4e6fa92077d640e244c">the heightened tensions between the longtime adversaries</a>&nbsp;as President Donald Trump has threatened to use military action first over&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-iran-protesters-executions-195edfa07111be782db71af07b538fdc">Iran’s bloody crackdown on nationwide protests</a>&nbsp;and then to try to get the country to make&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-eu-protests-revolutionary-guard-d38bc397f1bb54d7352879401449b50b">a deal over its nuclear program</a>. Trump's Republican administration has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-military-middle-east-iran-protests-b7a56659d708f2f11f66a18135f44c40">built up military forces in the region</a>, sending the aircraft carrier, guided-missile destroyers, air defense assets and more to supplement its presence.

The Shahed-139 drone was shot down by an F-35C fighter jet from the Lincoln, which was sailing about 500 miles (800 kilometers) from Iran’s southern coast, Hawkins said. No American troops were harmed, and no U.S. equipment was damaged, the military’s statement noted.

Iranian state media reported that Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard is investigating the “interruption” of the drone. Semi-official Tasnim news agency posted on its Telegram that before the footage cut out, the drone was able to successfully transfer the images it took back to Iran.

US says Iran also harassed a merchant vessel

After the shootdown, Revolutionary Guard forces harassed the merchant vessel Stena Imperative, the U.S. military said. Two boats and an Iranian Mohajer drone approached the ship “at high speeds and threatened to board and seize the tanker,” Hawkins’ statement said.

The destroyer USS McFaul responded and escorted the Stena Imperative “with defensive air support from the U.S. Air Force,” the statement said, adding that the merchant vessel was now sailing safely.

Talks between special envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian officials were still planned, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters.

“President Trump is always wanting to pursue diplomacy first, but obviously it takes two to tango,” Leavitt said after the incidents. She added, “As always, though, of course, the president has a range of options on the table with respect to Iran.”

Iranian&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/video/irans-reformist-president-pezeshkian-hardens-tone-on-protests-2582f00401b94c0b94fdce9c48a6b17d">President Masoud Pezeshkian</a>&nbsp;said Tuesday that he instructed the country's foreign minister to “pursue fair and equitable negotiations” with the U.S., marking one of the first clear signs from Tehran that it wants to try to negotiate with Washington.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi posted on Telegram that he had spoken with his counterparts in Kuwait, Qatar, Turkey and Oman regarding regional developments and the importance of protecting “regional stability and security.”

Tensions began to rise again between the U.S. and Iran as the Islamic Republic spent weeks&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-protests-nuclear-us-what-to-know-explainer-845b3ac10c37727add7118ec9c2f6e46">quelling protests</a>&nbsp;that began in late December against growing economic instability before broadening into a challenge to the country's ruling theocracy.

Trump had promised in early January to “rescue” Iranians from their government's protest crackdown before&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-iran-united-states-protests-nuclear-5cac82fc0230b761361706cdd9b249d9">starting to pressure Tehran again</a>&nbsp;to make a deal over its nuclear program. That is even as the Republican president insists Iranian nuclear sites were “obliterated” in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-iran-war-nuclear-talks-geneva-news-06-21-2025-a7b0cdaba28b5817467ccf712d214579">U.S. strikes in June</a>.

“We have talks going on with Iran. We’ll see how it all works out,” Trump told reporters Monday. Asked what his threshold was for military action against Iran, he declined to elaborate.

“I’d like to see a deal negotiated,” Trump said. “Right now, we’re talking to them, we’re talking to Iran, and if we could work something out, that’d be great. And if we can’t, probably bad things would happen.”

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-eu-protests-revolutionary-guard-d38bc397f1bb54d7352879401449b50b">Turkey had been working behind the scenes</a>&nbsp;to make the talks happen there later this week as Witkoff is traveling in the region. A Turkish official later said the location of talks was uncertain but that Turkey was ready to support the process.

US military builds up presence in the region

Meanwhile, the U.S. military has been moving a growing number of assets into the region over the past several weeks, including the Lincoln and several destroyers, which&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/aircraft-carrier-iran-protests-us-military-58e6da912f9167df94f913d7dafe5af4">arrived last week</a>.

The carrier strike group, which brought roughly 5,700 additional service members, joined three destroyers and three littoral combat ships that were already in the region.

Analysts of flight-tracking data also have noticed dozens of U.S. military cargo planes heading to the region.

The activity is similar to last year when the U.S. moved in air defense hardware, like a Patriot missile system, in anticipation of an Iranian counterattack following the U.S.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-iran-war-nuclear-talks-geneva-news-06-21-2025-a7b0cdaba28b5817467ccf712d214579">bombing three key nuclear sites</a>. Iran launched more than a dozen missiles at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar days after the strikes.

The U.S. has several bases in the Middle East, including&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-base-qatar-evacuation-iran-protests-c15e0fa925abf2144edf6cd634d7c3a0">Al Udeid</a>, which hosts thousands of American troops and is the forward headquarters for U.S. Central Command.

US shoots down Iranian drone that approached a warship

ATCHISON COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating a suspect on drug allegations.&nbsp;

Just after 2:30p.m. February 1,&nbsp;an officer on patrol observed 66-year-old Newton Colvin walking in the 600 block Santa Fe Street in the city of Atchison, according to Police Chief Mike Wilson.&nbsp; The officer knew there to be an outstanding Municipal Court warrant for Colvin. Officers took Colvin into custody and subsequently found him to be in possession of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia.

Colvin is being held on the Municipal Court warrant for failure to appear in court and on requested charges of possession of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia.

Police: Man who skipped court was carrying meth during arrest

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/ghills/">GRACE HILLS</a> <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA — Kansas lawmakers are considering a bill that would require kindergarteners to be potty trained before starting school, pulling the decision-making power about how to handle those students away from school districts.

The House bill was introduced to reduce distractions in classrooms, supporters say. Opponents worry it would create a barrier for vulnerable children to access education, and argue the decision should be left to school districts.

The bill was one of three the House Education Committee heard Thursday, along with two others regarding state-funded scholarships.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.kslegislature.gov/li/b2025_26/measures/hb2486/" target="_blank">House Bill 2486</a>&nbsp;would require school districts to get written assurance from parents that their child is potty trained before enrolling in school. School districts would have to figure out next steps if a child isn’t potty trained, such as whether they should refer additional support, appoint someone to help potty train the student, or remove the student from the school.&nbsp;

Rep. Sherri Brantley, a Republican from Great Bend, introduced the bill.&nbsp;

“When classrooms are not pulled off task for routine hygiene emergencies, teachers can protect instructional time — a critical driver of achievement — and students benefit from consistent, uninterrupted learning,” Brantley said.&nbsp;

The bill acknowledges that accidents happen — especially with kindergarteners ages 5-7 — and defines potty trained as when “accidents happen with such frequency as to impact the educational experience of the student or the student’s peers.” Students would need to be able to tell adults when they need to use the restroom, and use it without assistance from an adult.&nbsp;

Students with individualized education programs or a 504 plan, which are programs designed to help students with disabilities, or medical conditions would be exempt.&nbsp;

“This bill is not about denying access to education,” Brantley said. “It’s about early support and intervention so every child can start kindergarten safely, confidently, and ready to learn by setting a clear readiness expectation while also establishing compassionate pathways for families who need help.”&nbsp;

Opponents worry the bill would deny access to education, especially for vulnerable children.

“Lack of toilet training at age 5 is often a red flag for developmental delay, autism, or other medical conditions,” said Kimberly Martin, the legislative chair for&nbsp; Kansas School Nurses Organization. “By denying enrollment because of this symptom, the district is effectively punishing a child for a potential disability before it has been identified.”

Other opponents&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kslegislature.gov/li/b2025_26/committees/ctte_h_ed_1/misc_documents/download_testimony/ctte_h_ed_1_20260129_07_testimony.html" target="_blank">said</a>&nbsp;foster children often experience significant trauma before starting school, which can make it difficult to potty train.

“The more kids we have held out of kindergarten for toileting issues, the more kids we have at risk of not getting to where we want them to be in our literacy efforts by the time they’re at about third grade,” said Leah Fliter, assistant executive director of advocacy for the Kansas Association of School Boards.&nbsp;

Brantley said she introduced the bill after hearing concerns from her constituents. Fliter said she had not heard concerns from the school boards.&nbsp;

“It appears to me that this should be a local control issue,” said Rep. Lon Pishny, a Republican from Garden City.&nbsp;

In the bill’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kslegislature.gov/li/b2025_26/measures/documents/fisc_note_hb2486_00_0000.pdf" target="_blank">fiscal note</a>, the Kansas State Department of Education said there would be&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kslegislature.gov/li/b2025_26/measures/documents/fisc_note_hb2486_00_0000.pdf" target="_blank">no fiscal effect</a>, but the Kansas Association of School Boards said there would be administrative costs.&nbsp;

“This would likely be an unfunded mandate because of the potential litigation,” Fliter said. “And again, you know, special education is not fully funded, and so we would ask that the Legislature not impose another unfunded mandate.”

The potential litigation Fliter mentioned is referring to opponents’ concerns that the bill contradicts a student’s right to a free public education.

The committee also heard two other bills that were requested for introduction by the Kansas Board of Regents regarding scholarships.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.kslegislature.gov/li/b2025_26/measures/hb2485/" target="_blank">House Bill 2485</a>&nbsp;would allow the Board of Regents to negotiate and settle scholarship repayment obligations after the recipient fails to meet the obligations.&nbsp;

The Board of Regents offers a handful of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kansasregents.gov/scholarships_and_grants" target="_blank">scholarships</a>&nbsp;that have service requirements, like the Promise Act, which requires recipients to live and work in Kansas after graduation. If the recipient fails to meet that service, they’re obligated to repay the scholarship.&nbsp;

Elaine Frisbie, vice president for finance and administration for the Board of Regents, said there are several thousand recipients who are required to repay.&nbsp;

She said the administrative cost of collecting these repayments is more than what they would recover. In 2019 they spent $539 on a third-party vendor to collect the repayments, and more than $11,000 in 2025.&nbsp;

“We have several students in the Promise Act, they owe us $164 and $6,” Frisbie said. “We’d rather devote our time and attention and resources to settling for what we can extract and then recouping those dollars for our scholarship programs and then moving on.”

There were no opponents to the bill.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.kslegislature.gov/li/b2025_26/measures/hb2487/" target="_blank">House Bill 2487</a>&nbsp;would help define a teacher and paraprofessional to clarify eligibility for a scholarship.

Kansas bill would require kindergarteners to be potty trained before starting school 

SEDGWICK COUNTY — A&nbsp; jury on Tuesday reached a verdict in the trial of 20-year-old Matthew Criscenzo, who was charged in connection with the&nbsp;May 2025&nbsp;shooting death of his pregnant girlfriend Naomi Oglesby.

Following four days of testimony and several hours of deliberation, the jury found Criscenzo guilty of premeditated first-degree murder, felony murder, kidnapping, and aggravated battery, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.

The charges stemmed from an incident on&nbsp;May 25, 2025, in the 700 block of Laura Street in Wichita. Officers responded to reports of a shooting and discovered 20-year-old Naomi Oglesby, who was pregnant at the time, suffering from a fatal gunshot wound. While Oglesby succumbed to her injuries, medical personnel were able to successfully deliver her infant.

"This case has been a tragedy for the Wichita community and, most importantly, for the family of Naomi Oglesby," said Chief Assistant District Attorney Jason Roach. "We thank the jury for their diligent service and careful consideration of the evidence presented throughout this trial."

Jury issues verdict on Kan. man in killing his pregnant girlfriend

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie is asking for prayers to help bring home her 84-year-old mother, whom authorities in Arizona believe was kidnapped, abducted or otherwise&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/savannah-guthrie-mother-missing-arizona-tucson-6c7b78d17d7b647c64f71f64ecaecf8b">taken against her will</a>.

“thank you for lifting your prayers with ours for our beloved mom, our dearest Nancy, a woman of deep conviction, a good and faithful servant. raise your prayers with us and believe with us that she will be lifted by them in this very moment,” Savannah Guthrie wrote in a social media post late Monday. “Bring her home.”

It’s imperative that Nancy Guthrie be found soon because she could die without her medication, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said, urging whoever has her to free her.

“If she’s alive right now her meds are vital. I can’t stress that enough. It’s been better than 24 hours, and the family tells us if she doesn’t have those meds, it can become fatal,” Nanos said.

For a second day Tuesday, “Today” opened with Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance, but Savannah Guthrie was not at the anchor’s desk. Nanos said during a news conference Monday that Savannah Guthrie is in Arizona. Savannah Guthrie grew up in Tucson, graduated from the University of Arizona and previously worked as a reporter and anchor at KVOA-TV in Tucson.

Nancy Guthrie was last seen Saturday night at her home in the Tucson area, where she lived alone and was reported missing Sunday. Someone at church called a family member saying Guthrie wasn’t there, leading family to search her home and then call 911, Nanos said. The sheriff’s department is investigating the possibility she was taken overnight, spokesperson Angelica Carrillo said.

Nancy Guthrie has limited mobility and officials don’t believe she left on her own. Nanos said she is of sound mind.

Searchers used drones and search dogs and were supported by volunteers and Border Patrol. The homicide team was also involved, Nanos said Sunday. The FBI has offered to help, Carrillo said. On Monday morning, Nanos said search crews worked hard but have since been pulled back.

“We don’t see this as a search mission so much as it is a crime scene,” the sheriff said.

Even so, a sheriff’s helicopter flew over the desert Monday afternoon near Nancy Guthrie’s home in the affluent Catalina Foothills area on the northern edge of Tucson. Her brick home has a gravel driveway and a yard covered in Prickly Pear and Saguaro cactus.

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — Authorities believe the 84-year-old mother of “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie was kidnapped, abducted or otherwise taken against her will, and the sheriff said Monday it’s imperative she’s found soon because she could die without her medication.

Nancy Guthrie was last seen around 9:30 p.m. Saturday at her home in the Tucson area, where she lived alone. Her family reported her missing around noon Sunday. The Pima County Sheriff's Department is investigating the possibility she was taken overnight, spokesperson Angelica Carrillo said.

Guthrie had limited mobility, and officials don't believe she left on her own. Sheriff Chris Nanos said Guthrie was of sound mind.

“This is not dementia-related. She’s as sharp as a tack," Nanos said at a news conference earlier in the day. “The family wants everyone to know that this isn’t someone who just wandered off.”

Nanos said a family member received a call from someone at church saying Guthrie wasn’t there, leading family to search for her at her home and then calling 911. Nanos said Guthrie needs her daily medication, and the sheriff urged whoever has her to free her.

Searchers were using drones and search dogs to look for her, Nanos said. Search and rescue teams were supported by volunteers and Border Patrol, and the homicide team was also involved, he said. It is not standard for the homicide team to get involved in such cases, Nanos said. The FBI has offered to help, Carrillo said.

“This one stood out because of what was described to us at the scene and what we located just looking at the scene,” Nanos said Sunday. He was not ruling out foul play.

On Monday morning, Nanos said search crews worked hard but have since been pulled back.

Even so, a sheriff’s helicopter flew over the desert Monday afternoon near Guthrie’s home in the affluent Catalina Foothills area on the northern edge of Tucson. Her brick home has a gravel driveway and a yard covered in Prickly Pear and Saguaro cactus.

Savannah Guthrie issued a statement Monday, NBC's&nbsp;<a href="https://www.today.com/news/savannah-guthrie-mom-missing-arizona-rcna257021">“Today” show reported</a>.

“On behalf of our family, I want to thank everyone for the thoughts, prayers and messages of support,” she said. “Right now, our focus remains on the safe return of our dear Nancy."

“Today” opened Monday’s show with the disappearance of the co-anchor’s mother, but Savannah Guthrie was not at the anchor’s desk. Nanos said during the Monday news conference that Savannah Guthrie is in Arizona. Savannah Guthrie grew up in Tucson, graduated from the University of Arizona and previously worked as a reporter and anchor at KVOA-TV in Tucson.

Nancy Guthrie appeared in a November 2025 story her daughter did about her hometown. Over a meal, Savannah Guthrie asked her mother what made the family want to plant roots in Tucson in the 1970s.

“It’s so wonderful. Just the air, the quality of life,” Nancy Guthrie said. “It’s laid back and gentle.”

She said she likes to see the javelinas, pig-like desert mammals, eat her plants.

Reward offered:  “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie's mom still missing

WYANDOTTE COUNTY —Detectives with the Kansas City, Kansas Police Department have identified the woman in Saturday’s domestic dispute in the 1000 block of Orville Avenue.

The victim, 20-year-old, Ingris Carolina Damas Morales, a resident of Kansas City, Kan., died at the scene. The suspect, 43-year-old, Josue Avila-Carcamo Kansas City, Kan. also died at the scene. A third shooting victim was treated and released from an area hospital.

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