Geary County Commissioners have signed off on a proposal for a marketing campaign. The County will commit $20,000 in transient guest tax money and JC 1st has committed&nbsp; $10,000 to the effort. The City has talked about giving some money but no final action has occurred at this point there.

Commissioner Trish Giordao brought the proposal to the governing body. "Get the entire community involved, public and private." A board or task force will be needed to work&nbsp; on this campaign.

Goals will need to be established and tactics determined to achieve the goals. Commissioner Keith Ascher suggested that a brand will be needed, while Giordano also supported an all around campaign to talk about visitors, conferences,&nbsp; and bringing in new investment She said, "We need to promote our county as a place to visit, live, work and invest in. She also wants to talk about everything occurring in the community including festivals ."This is the perfect time to have a marketing campaign on steroids."

Sam Adams is the marketing specialist for the CVB, and he agrees with the idea of bringing&nbsp; in an outside entity to help. Giordano feels it's also important to have the name Junction City in any brand&nbsp; along with Geary County and other possible things to identify it.

Adams feels the campaign proposal needs to be created with their ideas.&nbsp;

Adams said in addition to the City, Giordano and Junction City Main Street membership on the planning committee/task force could also extend to community members. He will serve as one of the coordinators.

A more final proposal for the formation of the campaign effort and committee will be developed.&nbsp;

First step is taken to form a marketing campaign

Geary County rural firefighters responded to fire calls over the course of Sunday and Monday.

According to Rural Fire Chief Garry Berges the first on Sunday involved an approximate 10-acre grass fire in the Otter Creek area. There were no injuries.

The second involved a sem-truck involving the vehile's frame and tires. There wre no injuries or damage to the excavator being hauled.

Rural firefighters respond to fire calls

Sunday at approximately 5:44 p.m. the Junction City Fire Department responded to reports of a structure fire at the West Ridge Apartments located at 1537 W. Ash St.

According to the Fire Chief, Jason Lankas, upon arrival, crews observed heavy smoke and visible flames coming from the rear of the building. The fire had extended into the attic space and was primarily isolated to the third-floor attic area.

Due to the size and complexity of the incident, mutual aid was requested from Fort Riley Fire Department for a ladder truck. Geary County Fire Department also responded with an additional engine to assist. Firefighters initiated an aggressive interior fire attack while additional crews conducted a primary search of the structure.

The fire was brought under control at approximately 6:19 p.m.

The building at 1537 W. Ash St. consists of six apartment units. All six units were affected by the fire, with four units determined to be a total loss. Thirteen occupants were displaced as a result of the incident. EMS personnel evaluated individuals on scene, and no serious injuries were reported.

The fire has been ruled accidental following an investigation conducted by the Junction City Fire Department.

Initial damage estimates are approximately $100,000 in fire and smoke damage. The estimated total value of the building is approximately $275,000.

The American Red Cross assisted displaced residents with temporary housing and essential needs

Apartment Structure Fire with No Serious Injuries

RILEY COUNTY–&nbsp; &nbsp;Law enforcement are investigating a Manhattan man for alleged child sex crimes.

Just after 5:30p.m. March 6. police arrested 48-year-old Joshua G. Taylor, according to a media release from the Riley County Police Department.

He was arrested on a Riley County District Court warrant for five counts of sexual exploitation of a child and possessing media of a child under the age of 18.&nbsp;

Taylor is being held on a $500,000 bond.&nbsp;

Manhattan man accused of multiple child sex crimes

RILEY COUNTY—One person was injured in an accident just before 8:30p.m. Friday in Manhattan.

A 2003 Jeep Liberty driven by Cory Wrolson, 22, of Manhattan struck a 2015 Ford Fusion driven by Adelle Francis, 21, of Manhattan,&nbsp;in the 2200 block of Claflin Road, according to the Riley County Police Department activity report.

Riley County EMS transported a&nbsp;passenger from the Ford Fusion to Via Christi Hospital. Wrolson was issued a citation for inattentive driving.

1 hospitalized, driver cited after 2-vehicle crash

Geary County Emergency Management said above normal temperatures are forecast on Monday with highs in the mid 70s to low 80s! Warm and dry conditions will create elevated fire danger Monday afternoon. Storms become likely by Tuesday evening. Some may be severe. It will be cooler behind the front on Wednesday.

Severe storms are possible Tuesday evening. Storms could form as early as the late afternoon. Storms will move out from west to east Wednesday morning.

Emergency Management provides a weather outlook

A Kansas Senate bill that would eventually eliminate property taxes in the state is scheduled for a public hearing on Tuesday.

The Kansas Senate Committee on Federal and State Affairs will hold a hearing on Senate Bill 488 at 9:30 a.m. on March 10. The measure is titled the Kansas Property Tax Freedom Act of 2026.

The proposal would phase out property taxes over several years. Under the bill, local governments would be limited to 50% of their 2025 mill levy in tax year 2026 and 25% of the 2025 levy in 2027. Beginning in 2028, property taxes on real and personal property would be prohibited under the plan.

To replace lost revenue, the legislation would establish a “Kansas fair share purchase surcharge” beginning Jan. 1, 2027. Purchases of $20 or more would carry a flat $1.60 surcharge, while purchases under $20 would be charged 7.6% of the purchase price.

Revenue from the surcharge would be distributed primarily to local governments and schools, with 48% allocated to school districts and 35% to counties, cities and other local taxing entities. Additional funds would support the state general fund and a reserve fund intended to stabilize revenue and potentially provide taxpayer rebates if the balance exceeds $500 million.

The bill also outlines exemptions from the surcharge, including groceries eligible for SNAP, prescription drugs, motor fuel, utilities, child care services and K-12 tuition.

Even if approved by lawmakers, the plan would only take effect if Kansas voters pass a constitutional amendment prohibiting property taxes during a statewide election.

Kansas 'Property Tax Freedom Act' set for legislative hearing

Registration is open for the Walk Kansas program. This will be an 8-week healthy lifestyle challenge from March 22 through May 16.

You can put together a team of coworkers, friends, family and neighbors for this activity. Register ubtil March 31 online at WalkKansas.org or contact your local K-State Extension office for more information. The cost is $10 per person.

The telephone number for the Geary County Extension Office is 785-238-4161.

Join the Walking Challenge

WABAUNSEE COUNTY—One person was injured in an accident just before 12:30p.m. Sunday in Wabaunsee County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2018 Nissan Armada driven by&nbsp; Miranda L.&nbsp; Flippin, 50, North Richland Hills, Texas was eastbound on Interstate 70 two miles east of Maple Hill. The SUV traveled off the edge of the roadway to the right. The driver overcorrected and the vehicle rolled multiple times.

EMS transported Flippin to Stormont Vail in Topeka. She was properly restrained, according to the KHP.

Woman hospitalized after SUV rollover accident

The Junction City Blue Jays Boys Basketball team fell to the Derby Panthers on Saturday night at Derby High School. The Blue Jays end their season in the 6A Sub-State Championship and finish with a record of 13-11 overall.

Game recap Derby 73, Junction City 61.&nbsp;

The two teams each traded early buckets to start a back and forth affair, with Junction City leading 4-2 in the opening minutes, but Derby would jolt ahead thanks to a trio of first quarter three pointers. Trailing 16-13 after the first quarter, and by as many as nine points early in the second period, the Blue Jays would answer back.&nbsp;

Jet Thompson knocked down three of his own shots from the outside in the second quarter to pull Junction City right back in the game. Thompson and Brody Boeckman would each lead Junction City’s offense in the first half with 11 points each, keeping the Blue Jays within three points, at 36-33 at halftime.&nbsp;

In the second half, Junction City’s Lovell Autry shook off his slow start by tallying the first four points of the third quarter and put the Blue Jays in the lead for the first time since the opening minutes. From there, the two teams would jostle for positioning once again, trading baskets but remaining within a possession of one another for the remainder of the quarter. Derby would keep its three point advantage at the end of the third, leading 49-46.&nbsp;

Autry, who scored just three first half points, would heat up when Junction City needed him most. The Senior scored a team-high 22 points in the contest. Scoring 19 of the Blue Jays 28 total after halftime.&nbsp;

Derby would use a quick run to extend its lead back out to nine points early in the fourth quarter, aided by the hot shooting of guard Greg Stiger, who would score 23 points in the game, but 18 of them in the second half, including nine points during the Panthers run that would eventually secure the win.&nbsp;

Additionally for Derby, Avant Riley would lead them in scoring overall with 25 points, while Cale Clingan added 14 points as well.&nbsp;

The Panthers would pull away for a double digit win despite the staunch effort of Junction City behind Autry, as well as Thompson’s 16 points.&nbsp;

With the win, Derby now advances to the 6A State Tournament.

Blue Jay Boys fall short in Sub-State Championship At Derby

On this episode of Forward Ever: Leading in Challenging Times, host Gary Shorman talks with Ted Bush, president of the Wichita Firefighters Union, on the recent southwest Kansas fires.

🎥 Forward Ever: Firefighters union president on southwest Kansas fires

WILSON COUNTY&nbsp;– Just a couple of hours after asking for help to located&nbsp; a missing teen on Monday, The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) canceled&nbsp; an endangered persons advisory for 17-year-old&nbsp; Alexandra R. Smith of Wichita who had been seen in Coyville.&nbsp;

Alexandra went missing from Wichita on July 6, 2025 when she was 16. She was last seen Sunday, March 8, at a residence in Wilson County community of Coyville.

Alexandra was a witness to a homicide, and authorities were concerned for her safety.&nbsp; The KBI did not release details on where they located the teen.

They did report that just after 7p.m. on Sunday, deputies from the Wilson County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to 2105 2nd&nbsp;Street in Coyville, after gunfire was reported.

Upon arrival deputies located Lucas R. Pickell, 37, of Fredonia, just outside a fifth-wheel RV on the property. Pickell had suffered a gunshot wound and died at the scene.

Witnesses were interviewed and evidence was examined and collected. Preliminary information indicates Pickell had been using drugs in the RV with a male subject and two female subjects. During the incident, 52-year-old William “Bud” Wescott, of Coyville, is suspected to have shot Pickell.

Wescott was arrested on requested of second-degree murder at the scene and booked into the Wilson County Jail.

Police found Kansas teen, a witness in a deadly shooting

By&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/author/cara-anna">CARA ANNA</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/author/sam-mednick">SAM MEDNICK</a>

EL AVIV, Israel (AP) — How long will the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/iran">Iran war</a>&nbsp;last? What do all sides want to achieve? And how high will&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/markets-oil-iran-trump-war-brent-72e8c9a29c2ba1fd761ee968f3d4e553">oil prices</a>&nbsp;go? Big questions remain as fighting enters week two.

Israel and the United States keep pounding Iran. And Iran keeps carrying out&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-strategy-israel-drones-us-war-gulf-36a51df550a4bd766f8c83b8d8c0f701">retaliatory attacks</a>&nbsp;against Israel, U.S. military assets in the Middle East and its Arab neighbors.

Here’s what we know about the war, and don’t.

The U.S. and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28, and there is no sign of the fighting ending soon. Iran’s president has said mediation was underway, although he didn’t give details.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-united-states-israel-supreme-leader-mojtaba-khamenei-209cec036068b40fcfcba2be7ac7e2b0">Iran’s new supreme leader</a>&nbsp;is the son of the previous one and seen as more hard-line, with close ties to the Revolutionary Guard, the nation’s most powerful armed force. Mojtaba Khamenei worked closely with his father, who was killed in the war’s opening strikes along with the younger Khamenei’s wife. He has not been seen or heard publicly in his new role, making it difficult to know whether he has interest in talks or in defiance.

Iran’s war strategy of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-strategy-israel-drones-us-war-gulf-36a51df550a4bd766f8c83b8d8c0f701">causing regional chaos</a>&nbsp;shows no change. Persian Gulf countries still report areas being attacked, including oil facilities and airports, that are well away from U.S. military assets.

The war’s length depends in part on Iran’s stockpile of missiles and drones and countries’ capability to deflect them. Israel’s military on Monday said Iran was firing barrages with dozens of missiles in the early days, but now there are less than 10 or 20 at a time.

Israeli army spokesperson Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani said Iran still has “a significant amount” of missiles. Experts say Iran could be holding missiles in reserve, perhaps hoping that interceptors run low.

Iran has not provided information about military losses. Israel says it is focused on destroying long-range missiles while the U.S. focuses on short-range ones threatening the Gulf. Israel estimates that 60% of both types of launchers have been destroyed.

Israel’s military is bulking up. It said about 50 cargo aircraft carrying over 1,000 tons of weaponry, military equipment and munitions have landed in the past 10 days, and cited the U.S. and Germany as partners in an effort that is “expected to scale up.”

Ahead of the attacks, the U.S. military built up its&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-military-iran-buildup-nuclear-program-5663a8b0d81c8439adfaa010c59a36f5">largest force of warships and aircraft</a>&nbsp;in the Middle East in decades. The Central Command on Monday said “there is no shortage of American military will.”

The Trump administration and Israel have said the war will go as long as needed, but public frustration over oil prices and other economic pain could intensify pressure to wind down the conflict.

Iran has said it wants an end to the war, not a ceasefire.

An official with knowledge of the war’s operations said Israel is not in charge of the postwar plan, but the goal is to remove the regime and let Iranians “grasp their fate.” The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media. Israel is also attacking Iranian-backed proxies like Hezbollah.

U.S. President Donald Trump has made&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-iran-israel-changing-rationale-terrorism-missiles-1f3d3ace712d62c9fe46665ea5cf8df4">conflicting statements</a>. The war has been about Iran’s nuclear program and concerns that it could take a short technical step to enrich uranium to weapons grade. But it also has been about eradicating the threat from the country’s ballistic missiles, which Secretary of State Marco Rubio says the U.S. is “well on our way” to achieving.

Trump has also said he doesn’t seek regime change, but prioritized taking out several layers of Iran’s top leadership and has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/video/trump-urges-iranians-to-take-over-your-government-as-us-and-israel-launch-attack-on-iran-b4a8dfc820254f05a6f4497d2e017a62">encouraged Iranians to “take over”</a>&nbsp;their government.

There is no sign of that happening in Iran, with no strong organized opposition, evidence of high-level defections or street protests. Internet restrictions are complicating views of what’s happening.

Saudi Arabia has issued a sharp statement saying Tehran would be the “biggest loser” if it continues to attack Arab states. Azerbaijan threatened “retaliatory measures” after it said Iranian drones hit its territory.

There is big risk in joining the U.S. and Israel’s attacks, and no country has announced taking that step. Already, they have been targeted by hundreds of Iranian missiles and drones.

Iran has exposed the fragility of the global economy by targeting key energy and other infrastructure. A drone strike on a desalination plant in Bahrain underscored the vulnerability of Gulf nations, which rely heavily on such facilities for drinking water.

Meanwhile, France is sending military vessels to the Middle East to help deter Iran’s attacks. Britain and Germany also have said they would help reduce Iran’s ability to launch them. And Ukraine is sending experts to help in countering drones.

This is especially complicated, as both Israel and the United States have threatened whoever Iran puts in charge. Trump called the younger Khamenei “unacceptable” even before his elevation to supreme leader.

It is not clear who would be acceptable, and negotiating the war’s end seems out of reach for now.

Trust will be difficult, since this war and last year’s were launched during indirect talks between Iran and the United States.

As Iran announced its new supreme leader, crude oil prices were soaring above $100 a barrel. They spiked near $120 before falling Monday.

The Strait of Hormuz off Iran is a choke point, with about 20% of the world’s oil supply normally transiting daily. Cargo ships are now backed up there.

Saudi Arabia has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/oil-gas-infrastructure-iran-war-persian-gulf-24c4b439d2c6a5b571fea90e4d1227d8">intercepted attacks</a>&nbsp;aimed at its vast Shaybah oil field. Bahrain’s national oil company has declared force majeure for shipments, unable to meet obligations because of extraordinary circumstances after an attack on its refinery complex. Iraq, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates have cut oil production as storage tanks fill.

Iran’s oil facilities are also targets. Israel struck depots over the weekend.

Countries are scrambling. France, currently leading the Group of Seven nations, says they could dip into emergency stockpiles. South Korea says it will cap oil prices. China says everyone has a responsibility “to ensure stable and smooth energy supplies.”

Alex Kuptsikevich, chief market analyst at FxPro, said it “would not be surprising” if oil prices briefly push above $150 as early as next week.

Anna reported from Lowville, New York. Wyatte Grantham-Philips in New York and Melanie Lidman in Jerusalem contributed.

 Iran war's biggest unknowns, from Tehran's new leader to oil prices

KANSAS CITY —One person died in an accident just after 11p.m. Sunday in Kansas City, Missouri.

A customized American Chopper motorcycle was southbound on Raytown Road from Longview Road, according to KCPD Officer Alayna Gonzalez. The rider lost control of the motorcycle. The vehicle crossed the double yellow centerline, entered a ditch, and overturned ejecting the rider. Grandiew EMS pronounced the rider deceased at the scene.

This incident marks traffic fatality number 14 for 2025, compared to 10 at the same time last year, according to&nbsp;Gonzalez.&nbsp; Police did not release the victim's name.

KCPD: Motorcyclist killed after ejected in crash

By HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTH &nbsp;Associated Press

A man who initially faced a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/7cb29dc9956d325103df9bf766a0c407">murder charge</a>&nbsp;for opening fire following the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/chiefs-super-bowl-parade-shooting-kansas-city-d9f4466b69cbb2dfe0f007414aebe730">Kansas City Chiefs’ 2024 Super Bowl win</a>&nbsp;was sentenced Monday to two years in prison in a case prosecutors said was complicated by the state's&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/chiefs-parade-shooting-stand-your-ground-law-fc7b0658055e285079430dd9ae6d602d">self-defense laws.</a>

Dominic Miller, who pleaded guilty to a weapons charge as part of a plea deal, was among at least six people to start shooting in the melee that sent players, city officials and hundreds of fans scrambling for cover, according to court records.

The gunfire erupted outside Kansas City’s historic Union Station as the celebration that drew an estimated 1 million fans was concluding.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-city-chiefs-parade-shooting-dj-victim-d96b8631a92af6682b77577c2c4e98c8">Lisa Lopez-Galvan</a>, the host of a local radio show, was killed while watching the rally with her family. About two dozen other people, many of them children, were wounded but survived.

All told, 12 people brandished firearms, with the guns found at the scene including at least two AR-style rifles, according to court records.

“Under Missouri’s self-defense and defense-of-others doctrines, we must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that any charged defendant was the initial aggressor or did not act in lawful self-defense or defense of others to overcome justification,” the Jackson County prosecutor's office said in a written statement.

An email seeking comment was sent to Miller's attorney.

The second-degree murder charge Miller initially faced carried a sentence of 10 years to life in prison.

But Missouri is among more than 30 states that have adopted some version of stand-your-ground laws over the past two decades. While earlier laws allowed people to use force to protect themselves in their homes, the stand-your-ground principle provides even broader self-defense rights regardless of the location.

Police and prosecutors have said the shooting barrage started when one group of people confronted another for staring at them.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/chiefs-super-bowl-celebration-shooting-charges-7cb29dc9956d325103df9bf766a0c407">Lyndell Mays</a>&nbsp;is accused of being the first person to start firing. After that, a 15-year-old began to shoot toward Mays and hit Miller, who also admitted firing several shots.

Authorities initially said ballistics linked the bullet that killed Galvan to a handgun Miller admitted firing, but prosecutors said in their latest statement that there wasn't enough evidence to confirm his shot caused Galvan's death. The statement said Galvan's family was consulted and that they understood the legal challenges.

“The greatest justice would be having Lisa back, but since that is not possible, accountability still matters,” the family said in a statement released through the prosecutor's office. “We also share the hope expressed in court that change can come from this and that people recognize the importance of making better choices.”

Mays, meanwhile, is scheduled to stand trial next year on charges that include&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/chiefs-super-bowl-celebration-shooting-charges-7cb29dc9956d325103df9bf766a0c407">second-degree murder</a>.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/chiefs-parade-shooting-charge-ac4527e5290fccb3d20d9d7f69233040">The 15-year-old involved was sentenced</a>&nbsp;previously to a state facility for youths.

Plea deal for shooter at Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl rally 

JACKSON COUNTY, Kan.&nbsp; Sheriff Tim Morse reports on March 5, 2026, around 

Just after 10:00 a.m. March 5 a, Sheriff's Deputies and Detectives along with the Holton Police Department served a search warrant at 627 W. 3rd&nbsp;Street in the City of Holton, according to Sheriff Tim Morse.

The search warrant was issued in reference to an ongoing drug investigation that was initiated by the Sheriff’s Office earlier this year.&nbsp; The following individuals were arrested at the residence:

Gabriel Joaquin Mendez, 32, of Holton, was arrested and booked into the Jackson County Jail on requested charges of distribution of methamphetamine, possession of methamphetamine, interference with law enforcement, conspiracy; possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of THC, and use of communication facility; in the commission of a felony drug violation.

Ruta Lee Mendez, 60, of Holton, was arrested and booked into the Jackson County Jail on requested charges of possession of methamphetamine, interference with law enforcement, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of THC and &nbsp;possession of a controlled substance.

Grace Naomi Place, 25, of Holton, was arrested and booked into the Jackson County Jail on requested charges of possession of methamphetamine, interference with law enforcement and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Sheriff: 3 jailed after meth was sold from Kansas home

WASHINGTON (AP) — Alexander Butterfield, the White House aide who inadvertently&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/richard-nixon">hastened Richard Nixon’s resignation</a>&nbsp;over&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/john-dean-richard-nixon-government-and-politics-crime-c7a7b99cca7c685cfc239f5e08b53378">the Watergate scandal</a>&nbsp;when he revealed that the president had bugged the Oval Office and Cabinet Room and routinely recorded his conversations, has died. He was 99.

His death was confirmed to The Associated Press by his wife, Kim, and John Dean, who served as White House counsel to Nixon during the Watergate scandal and went on to, along with Butterfield, help&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-nixon-trump-immunity-watergate-54d4c3737d6951b219d66708e1ef259d">expose the wrongdoing</a>.

“He had the heavy responsibility of revealing something he was sworn to secrecy on, which is the installation of the Nixon taping system,” Dean said. “He stood up and told the truth.”

As a deputy assistant to the president, Butterfield oversaw the taping system connected to voice-activated listening devices that had been secretly placed in four locations, including Nixon’s office in the Executive Office Building and the presidential retreat at Camp David.

Butterfield later said that, besides himself and the president, he believed that only White House chief of staff H.R. Haldeman, a Haldeman assistant and a handful of Secret Service agents knew about the taping system.

“Everything was taped … as long as the president was in attendance,” Butterfield told Watergate investigators when testifying under oath during a preliminary interview.

The tapes would expose Nixon’s role in the cover-up that followed the burglary in 1972 at the Democratic Party headquarters at the Watergate building. To avoid impeachment by the House, Nixon resigned on Aug. 9, 1974, less than a month after the Supreme Court had ordered him to surrender the relevant tapes to the Watergate special prosecutor.

Butterfield believed he’d had a hand in the president’s fate. “I didn’t like to be the cause of that, but I felt that I was, in a lot of ways,” he said in a 2008 oral history for the Nixon Presidential Library and Museum.

Butterfield, a college friend of Haldeman’s at UCLA who had contacted his friend to ask about opportunities in the new Nixon administration, served as a deputy assistant to Nixon from 1969 to 1973. In that capacity, he worked under Haldeman and, among other duties, was secretary to the Cabinet and helped oversee White House operations.

The Air Force veteran had left the White House to become administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration when Senate committee staffers privately questioned him on July 13, 1973, during their investigation of the Watergate break-in. A routine question about the possibility of a taping system had been prompted by former White House counsel John Dean’s testimony that he believed a conversation he had had with Nixon may have been recorded.

When Butterfield acknowledged that a taping system indeed existed, he was brought before a public hearing of the Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities. The public revelation on July 16, 1973, of a taping system designed to record all the president’s conversations stunned Nixon friends and foes alike. The tapes promised Watergate investigators a rich vein of evidence in their quest to determine what Nixon and others knew about the break-in — a great deal, as it turned out.

Efforts by investigators to gain access to the tapes sparked a yearlong legal battle that was resolved in July 1974 when the Supreme Court ruled unanimously that Nixon had to give them up.

The thousands of hours of tapes made public over the years — they are now controlled by the National Archives — provide a unique, if often unflattering, view of Nixon. His words exposed a bad temper, vulgar language, bigoted racial and religious views, and unvarnished opinions about national and international figures.

“I just thought, ‘When they hear those tapes …’ I mean, I knew what was on these tapes … they’re dynamite,” Butterfield told the Nixon Library. “I guess I didn’t foresee that the president might be put out of office or impeached, but I thought it would be a perilous few years for him. I guess I couldn’t conceive of (Nixon) being forced out of office. It had never happened before.”

Butterfield later said he believed that Nixon’s successor, President Gerald Ford, fired him as FAA administrator in 1975 as part of an agreement worked out between the Nixon and Ford staff members. He said he had heard from White House friends that he had been targeted shortly after his testimony to the Senate committee.

After leaving the FAA, Butterfield worked as a business executive in California. He earned a master’s degree from the University of California, San Diego, in 1994.

Alexander Porter Butterfield was born on April 6, 1926, in Pensacola, Florida.

He left UCLA to join the Navy and later earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Maryland in 1956 and a master’s degree from George Washington University in 1967.

In 1948, he joined the Air Force and served as an instructor at a base near Las Vegas during the Korean War and later served in Germany. In Washington, he was a military assistant to the special assistant of the defense secretary in 1965 and 1966 and later served as senior military representative of the U.S. and representative for the commander-in-chief, Pacific Forces, Australia. He retired at the rank of colonel after 20 years in the Air Force.

Butterfield was unsparing in his criticism of the former president in later years. While he commended Nixon’s achievements in foreign affairs, he considered his former boss “not an honest man” and “a crook” and believed that Nixon knew about the Watergate break-in before it occurred and was the architect of the ensuing cover-up.

Butterfield found himself “cheering … just cheering” the day Nixon resigned, he told the Nixon Library, because “justice had prevailed.”

“I didn’t think that it would for a while,” he said. “This guy was the ringleader.”

Daniel, the primary writer of this obituary, retired from The Associated Press in 2023.

Nixon aide who disclosed Watergate tapes dies at 99

BARTON COUNTY –&nbsp;The Barton County Sheriff's Office reported to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) that 87-year-old Ronald Base has been located safe in Osborne County, Kansas.

BARTON COUNTY –&nbsp;The Barton County Sheriff's Office requested the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) issue a statewide Silver Alert for a missing Barton County man.

The whereabouts of 87-year-old Ronald Base, of Barton County, are unknown and the public’s assistance is requested to help locate him.

Base is likely driving a gray 2010 Dodge Dakota bearing Kansas tag 5736ACK. He was last seen south of Great Bend on Monday, March 9, at approximately 3:40 p.m. Base has Alzheimers, and is believed to be traveling to Culver, Kansas.

Base is a white male who is around 6 feet tall and weighs approximately 200 pounds. He has brown hair, blue eyes, and was last seen wearing gray pants, gray shirt, a red and gray flannel jacket, and black shoes.

If you see Ronald Base, or his vehicle, please call 911 immediately. If you have other information about his whereabouts, please call the Barton County Sheriff's Office at (620) 793-1920.

KBI: Silver Alert cancelled, missing Kansas man found 

ELIZABETHTOWN, Ky. (AP) — A Kentucky man who joined the Army straight out of high school is the seventh U.S. service member to die in combat during the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/live/iran-war-israel-trump-khamenei-03-09-2026">Iran war</a>, the Pentagon announced Monday.

Army Sgt. Benjamin N. Pennington, 26, of Glendale, Kentucky, died Sunday after being wounded during a March 1 attack on the Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia, a Pentagon statement said.

Mike Bell, retired pastor of Glendale Christian Church, said he’d known Pennington since he was a toddler and got a call from Pennington's father when the soldier was hurt.

“I talked to Tim Saturday morning, and he was doing a little better, and they were talking about maybe moving him to Germany,” Bell said. But he said Tim Pennington called again that evening to ask for prayers as his son's condition was worsening, and then later told him the soldier had succumbed to his injuries.

“He was just a quiet person,” said Bell, noting that Pennington attended the church’s after-school program. “I mean, he never attracted attention because he was just steady doing what he needed to do to do it. Does that make sense?”

Pennington was assigned to the 1st Space Battalion, 1st Space Brigade of the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command based at Fort Carson, Colorado.

The unit’s mission focused on “missile warning, GPS, and long-haul satellite communications” according to their website.

“This just breaks my heart,” Keith Taul, judge-executive of Hardin County, where Pennington was from, said in a written statement emailed to The Associated Press. “I have known the family for at least 30 years. I can’t imagine the pain and suffering they are experiencing. To lose a single service member is just a devastating blow. But when it is one of our own, we grieve as a community.”

Glendale is an unincorporated town of about 300 residents south of the Hardin County seat of Elizabethtown.

In a statement posted on social media, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear called Pennington “a hero who sacrificed everything serving our country.”

The other&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-us-military-deaths-0a3f1532ec1953d51898e5b5e2b625d6">six service members killed</a>&nbsp;since the conflict began on Feb. 28 were Army reservists killed in Kuwait when an Iranian drone struck an operations center at a civilian port.

<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">President Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;on Saturday had joined grieving families at Dover Air Force Base at the dignified transfer for those six U.S. soldiers.

The dignified transfer, a ritual that returns the remains of U.S. service members killed in action, is considered one of the most somber duties of any commander in chief. During his first term, Trump said bearing witness to the transfer was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/united-states-government-ae37de2f1c6b450ab60ce236c8f04450">“the toughest thing I have to do”</a>&nbsp;as president.

Pennington graduated in 2017 from Central Hardin High School, where he was enrolled in the automotive technology pathway, district spokesman John Wright told the AP. Former automotive tech instructor Tom Pitt, who taught Pennington in 2017 at Hardin County Early College and Career Center, called him “an American hero.”

“A lot of times as a teacher, you have students who are smart, you have students who are charismatic, who are likable, dare I say, enchanting,” said Pitt, who added that Pennington — whom he called Nate — was a Boy Scout. “Rarely do you have students who are all of those. And Ben Pennington was all of those. He was basically the quintessential all-American.”

Pennington enlisted that year as a unit supply specialist, and was assigned to the space and missile command on June 10, 2025, the Army said in a release.

Among his awards and decorations were the Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and the Army Service Ribbon.

“The U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command is deeply saddened by the loss of Sgt. Pennington,” said Lt. Gen. Sean A. Gainey, USASMDC commanding general. “He gave the ultimate sacrifice for the country he loved. That makes him nothing less than a hero, and he will always be remembered that way. We extend our heartfelt condolences to his family and friends.”

Col. Michael F. Dyer, 1st Space Brigade commander, described Pennington as “a dedicated and experienced noncommissioned officer who led with strength, professionalism and sense of duty.”

Pennington will be posthumously promoted to staff sergeant, the Pentagon said.

Associated Press reporters Konstantin Toropin in Washington and Adrian Sainz in Memphis, Tennessee, contributed to this report.

Pentagon IDs 7th U.S. soldier to die in Iran conflict

NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. stock market careened through a manic Monday, going from a steep early loss to a solid gain as worries turned into hope that the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-israel-us-march-9-2026-b2aa51ef51d4b57103ffee0c95bc2ff7">war with Iran</a>&nbsp;may not last that long.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/markets-oil-iran-trump-war-brent-72e8c9a29c2ba1fd761ee968f3d4e553">Oil prices</a>&nbsp;whipped from nearly $120 per barrel, their highest since 2022, back toward $90.

The S&amp;P 500 dropped as much as 1.5% in the morning before flipping to a gain of 0.8%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average clawed back a plunge of nearly 900 points to rise 239 points, or 0.5%, while the Nasdaq composite climbed 1.4%.

They’re the latest hour-to-hour swings to pummel financial markets because of the uncertainty about just how high oil prices will go and how long they will stay there because of disruptions to the energy industry in the Middle East. Markets made their remarkable reversals during the last hour of Wall Street’s trading after President Donald Trump told CBS News that he thinks “the war is very complete, pretty much.”

That calmed worries that had built earlier in the morning, when the price for a barrel of Brent crude, the international standard, briefly touched $119.50. It hadn’t been that expensive since the summer of 2022 after Russia invaded Ukraine.

If oil prices stay very high for very long, households’ budgets already stretched by high inflation could break under the pressure. Companies, meanwhile, would see their own bills jump for fuel and to stock items on their store shelves or in their data warehouses. It all raises the possibility of a worst-case scenario for the global economy, “stagflation,” where growth stagnates and inflation remains high.

Concerns have focused in particular on the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-strait-hormuz-us-protests-persian-gulf-db7159d715453977279ab9cfd918e6e4">Strait of Hormuz</a>, a narrow waterway off Iran’s coast that a fifth of the world’s oil sails through on a typical day. Iran had earlier threatened to set fire to ships sailing the strait.

If the strait remains closed for only a few weeks, the price of oil could push to $150 per barrel of higher, according to oil and gas strategists at Macquarie Research.

But oil prices pared their gains through the day, initially on talk that seven of the world’s largest economies could coordinate moves to push back on the spikes. They then slid sharply after CBS News said Trump said of Iran that “if you look, they have nothing left. There’s nothing left in a military sense.”

Trump also added that when it comes to the Strait of Hormuz, he’s “thinking about taking it over,” according to CBS.

A barrel of Brent crude pulled back to settle at $98.96 in the afternoon and then kept falling afterward below $90. A barrel of benchmark U.S. crude touched $119.48 during the morning, then pulled back to settle at $94.77 and then sank toward $85.

The U.S. stock market has a history of bouncing back relatively quickly from past military conflicts, as long as oil prices don’t stay too high for too long. Some professional investors continue to suggest that drops in prices for stocks could ultimately offer opportunities to buy them at cheaper levels before they rise again.

“We continue to believe that the current acute shortage of oil will be reversed in the coming months as new supply comes online and oil should drop significantly,” according to Sameer Samana, head of global equities and real assets at Wells Fargo Investment Institute.

Even with all the recent swings in the market, the S&amp;P 500 index that sits at the heart of many 401(k) accounts is still within 3% of its record set in January.

All told, the S&amp;P 500 rose 55.97 points to 6,795.99. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 239.25 to 47,740.80, and the Nasdaq composite gained 308.27 to 22,695.95.

To be sure, prices could reverse again in the coming days given all the uncertainties about the war. That's what happened through the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/stocks-markets-oil-gold-iran-trump-25fd9bfa1b20549a6cbbdee61b2ea05f">huge swings</a>&nbsp;that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/stocks-markets-iran-oil-trump-c9a42448cbc7afc35e959dd444614aa0">rocked</a>&nbsp;Wall Street&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/stocks-markets-oil-iran-1f7bf89b783a9ba731f4b25564bf80f8">last week</a>.

In stock markets abroad, where economies are more dependent on the import of oil and natural gas, stocks fell sharply before Trump’s comments were published. South Korea’s Kospi sank 6%, Japan’s Nikkei 225 tumbled 5.2% and France’s CAC 40 dropped 1%.

Trump’s comments came after he said late Sunday that high oil prices at the moment were worth the cost.

“Short term oil prices, which will drop rapidly when the destruction of the Iran nuclear threat is over, is a very small price to pay for U.S.A., and World, Safety and Peace,” he said in a posting on his social media network.

In the bond market, the yield on the 10-year Treasury fell to 4.10% from 4.15% late Friday.

Worries about high inflation and oil prices are pushing upward on Treasury yields, and the 10-year yield briefly rose above 4.20% early Monday.

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