By&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/author/john-hanna">JOHN HANNA</a> Associated Press

As California and Texas scramble to redraw U.S. House maps before the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-big-bill-midterm-election-republican-23652b22f1d760f5e3254ad4c3b642e6">2026 midterm elections,</a>&nbsp;the race is underlining redistricting’s big role in determining political power.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-redistricting-congressional-map-882eae23a280a68dd6e0fc5a3bf11a0d">Texas took action</a>&nbsp;after President Donald Trump directed Republican-controlled states to change where the district lines are drawn based on where the population is likely to vote Republican — a practice known as partisan gerrymandering.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/california-texas-redistricting-congressional-map-4c22e21d5d4022d33a257045693b6fd4">California Democrats</a>&nbsp;on Thursday approved their redrawn congressional map in response.

Midterm elections often go against the president’s party. Trump is trying to avoid a repeat of the 2018 midterms, when the GOP yielded control during his first presidency to a Democratic majority that stymied his agenda and twice impeached him.

Early Saturday, the GOP-controlled state Senate approved the new maps over Democratic opposition, meaning they now go before Republican Gov. Greg Abbott for his signature. The governor has vowed to sign off on the newly drawn congressional districts soon. The maps were drawn so Republicans could potentially pick up five seats in Congress.

The maps OK'd by the California Legislature were drawn so Democrats could add five seats. California voters will decide in a November special election whether to approve the maps.

Kansas Republicans haven’t ruled out redistricting

Republican state Senate President Ty Masterson didn’t rule out trying to redraw the state’s four congressional districts, one of which is held by the state's sole Democrat House representative.

The Legislature's GOP-supermajority could do so early next year, which would put the new lines in place before the June 1 candidate filing deadline.

Each decade, the Census Bureau collects population data that is used to divvy up the 435 U.S. House seats proportionally among the 50 states. States that grew relative to others might gain a House seat at the expense of states in which populations stagnated or declined.

California and Texas, with the highest populations, have the highest number of representatives of all states.

Most states use their own rules and procedures to create the districts represented by each House member. The states with the lowest population numbers receive only one representative, which means the entire state is a single congressional district.

Americans can find their representative and see a map of their district on the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative" target="_blank">U.S. House website</a>.

The word&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/gerrymandering-texas-congress-redistricting-0c751f48a7757fc11214472944670413">“gerrymander” was coined in America over 200 years ago</a>&nbsp;as an unflattering means of describing political manipulation in legislative mapmaking.

In states where lawmakers make the maps: If a political party controls a state’s legislature and governor’s office — or has such a large legislative majority that it can override vetoes — it can effectively draw districts to its advantage.

One common method of gerrymandering is for a majority political party to draw maps that pack voters who support the opposing party into a few districts, thus allowing the majority party to win a greater number of surrounding districts.

Another method is for the majority party to dilute the power of an opposing party’s voters by spreading them among multiple districts.

By the first midterm elections after the most recent population count, each state is ready with its district maps, but those districts don’t always hold. Courts can find that the political lines are unconstitutional.

While some states have their own limitations, there is no national impediment to a state trying to redraw districts in the middle of the decade. The U.S. Supreme Court in 2019 ruled that the Constitution does not prohibit partisan gerrymandering to increase a party’s clout, only gerrymandering that’s explicitly done by race.

“The laws about redistricting just say you have to redistrict after every census,” Doug Spencer, Rothgerber Jr. Chair in Constitutional Law at the University of Colorado, has said. “And then some state legislatures got a little clever and said, ’Well it doesn’t say we can’t do it more.’”

What is happening in Texas, California and in other states

Trump urged Texas to redraw maps to help the GOP, and his team has signaled that efforts could expand to other states, with a similar push underway in Missouri and Indiana. Ohio Republicans were already revising their map before Texas took action.

The new California maps would need to be approved by voters in a special election in November because that state normally operates with a nonpartisan commission drawing the map to avoid the very sort of political battle that is playing out.

Democrats in Maryland and New York are mulling map revisions as well. New York, however, can’t draw new maps until 2028, and even then, only with voter approval.

Democratic-run states have commission systems like California’s or other redistricting limits more often than Republican ones do, leaving the GOP with a freer hand to swiftly redraw maps.

The new maps in Texas and California likely will be challenged in court.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/8/1755376975176.png" alt="Kansas Congressional Districts -Image Kansas Secretary of State" />
 <figcaption>Kansas Congressional Districts -Image Kansas Secretary of State</figcaption>
 </figure>By&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/author/john-hanna">JOHN HANNA</a> Associated PressAs California and Texas scramble to redraw U.S. House maps before the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-big-bill-midterm-election-republican-23652b22f1d760f5e3254ad4c3b642e6">2026 midterm elections,</a>&nbsp;the race is underlining redistricting’s big role in determining political power.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-redistricting-congressional-map-882eae23a280a68dd6e0fc5a3bf11a0d">Texas took action</a>&nbsp;after President Donald Trump directed Republican-controlled states to change where the district lines are drawn based on where the population is likely to vote Republican — a practice known as partisan gerrymandering.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/california-texas-redistricting-congressional-map-4c22e21d5d4022d33a257045693b6fd4">California Democrats</a>&nbsp;on Thursday approved their redrawn congressional map in response.Midterm elections often go against the president’s party. Trump is trying to avoid a repeat of the 2018 midterms, when the GOP yielded control during his first presidency to a Democratic majority that stymied his agenda and twice impeached him.Early Saturday, the GOP-controlled state Senate approved the new maps over Democratic opposition, meaning they now go before Republican Gov. Greg Abbott for his signature. The governor has vowed to sign off on the newly drawn congressional districts soon. The maps were drawn so Republicans could potentially pick up five seats in Congress.The maps OK'd by the California Legislature were drawn so Democrats could add five seats. California voters will decide in a November special election whether to approve the maps.Here’s what to know.<h2>Kansas Republicans haven’t ruled out redistricting</h2>Republican state Senate President Ty Masterson didn’t rule out trying to redraw the state’s four congressional districts, one of which is held by the state's sole Democrat House representative.The Legislature's GOP-supermajority could do so early next year, which would put the new lines in place before the June 1 candidate filing deadline.<h2>US House members</h2>Each decade, the Census Bureau collects population data that is used to divvy up the 435 U.S. House seats proportionally among the 50 states. States that grew relative to others might gain a House seat at the expense of states in which populations stagnated or declined.California and Texas, with the highest populations, have the highest number of representatives of all states.Most states use their own rules and procedures to create the districts represented by each House member. The states with the lowest population numbers receive only one representative, which means the entire state is a single congressional district.Americans can find their representative and see a map of their district on the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative" target="_blank">U.S. House website</a>.<h2>What is gerrymandering?</h2>The word&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/gerrymandering-texas-congress-redistricting-0c751f48a7757fc11214472944670413">“gerrymander” was coined in America over 200 years ago</a>&nbsp;as an unflattering means of describing political manipulation in legislative mapmaking.In states where lawmakers make the maps: If a political party controls a state’s legislature and governor’s office — or has such a large legislative majority that it can override vetoes — it can effectively draw districts to its advantage.One common method of gerrymandering is for a majority political party to draw maps that pack voters who support the opposing party into a few districts, thus allowing the majority party to win a greater number of surrounding districts.Another method is for the majority party to dilute the power of an opposing party’s voters by spreading them among multiple districts.<h2>Can district maps be changed anytime?</h2>By the first midterm elections after the most recent population count, each state is ready with its district maps, but those districts don’t always hold. Courts can find that the political lines are unconstitutional.While some states have their own limitations, there is no national impediment to a state trying to redraw districts in the middle of the decade. The U.S. Supreme Court in 2019 ruled that the Constitution does not prohibit partisan gerrymandering to increase a party’s clout, only gerrymandering that’s explicitly done by race.“The laws about redistricting just say you have to redistrict after every census,” Doug Spencer, Rothgerber Jr. Chair in Constitutional Law at the University of Colorado, has said. “And then some state legislatures got a little clever and said, ’Well it doesn’t say we can’t do it more.’”<h2>What is happening in Texas, California and in other states</h2>Trump urged Texas to redraw maps to help the GOP, and his team has signaled that efforts could expand to other states, with a similar push underway in Missouri and Indiana. Ohio Republicans were already revising their map before Texas took action.The new California maps would need to be approved by voters in a special election in November because that state normally operates with a nonpartisan commission drawing the map to avoid the very sort of political battle that is playing out.Democrats in Maryland and New York are mulling map revisions as well. New York, however, can’t draw new maps until 2028, and even then, only with voter approval.Democratic-run states have commission systems like California’s or other redistricting limits more often than Republican ones do, leaving the GOP with a freer hand to swiftly redraw maps.The new maps in Texas and California likely will be challenged in court.

How redistricting is done and why it could give parties an edge in 2026 elections

WILSON COUNTY—One person died in an accident just after 2:30p.m. Saturday in Wilson County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2014 Chevy Traverse driven by&nbsp; &nbsp;Shirley Kay Martin, 82, Buffalo, Kansas, was southbound on Harper Road at U.S. 400. The driver failed to yield at the stop sign and struck a westbound 2021 Jeep Wrangler driven by Brittany Charlyn&nbsp;Sweet, 36, Wichita. After impact both vehicles left the road.

Martin was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported to Country Side Funeral Home.&nbsp; EMS transported Sweet and a passenger in the Jeep&nbsp;Mariah Danielle Tucker, 28, Belle Plaine, to Wesley Medical Center. A second passenger in the Jeep was not injured.&nbsp; Martin was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.

WILSON COUNTY—One person died in an accident just after 2:30p.m. Saturday in Wilson County.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2014 Chevy Traverse driven by&nbsp; &nbsp;Shirley Kay Martin, 82, Buffalo, Kansas, was southbound on Harper Road at U.S. 400. The driver failed to yield at the stop sign and struck a westbound 2021 Jeep Wrangler driven by Brittany Charlyn&nbsp;Sweet, 36, Wichita. After impact both vehicles left the road.Martin was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported to Country Side Funeral Home.&nbsp; EMS transported Sweet and a passenger in the Jeep&nbsp;Mariah Danielle Tucker, 28, Belle Plaine, to Wesley Medical Center. A second passenger in the Jeep was not injured.&nbsp; Martin was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.

Kansas woman dead, 2 injured after SUV, Jeep crash

KANSAS CITY—Two Kansas City men face charges for tampering with a witness on social media, according to&nbsp;Jackson County Prosecutor Melesa Johnson.

<a href="https://www.jacksoncountyprosecutor.com/DocumentCenter/View/2710/Hernandez-REDACT-COMP">Eduardo V. Hernandez</a>, 22, and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.jacksoncountyprosecutor.com/DocumentCenter/View/2712/Cerritos-FloresAdan---Complaint">Adan G. Cerritos-Flores</a>&nbsp;each face two counts of Tampering with a Witness in a Felony Prosecution.&nbsp; If convicted, they could face up to seven years in prison.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.jacksoncountyprosecutor.com/DocumentCenter/View/2709/Hernandez-REDACT-PC">According to court records</a>, a series of separate shootings occurred between July 12-13 and on July 16. Shots were fired into multiple occupied residences, some with juveniles inside. No injuries were reported. Last week, Antonio Lopez-Hernandez, Julian Chavarria, and Alexis Vega-Martinez were charged and taken into custody for their roles in the shootings.

Following their arrests, detectives discovered publicly visible posts on social media that were intimidating and threatening in nature toward the victims and witnesses of the shootings. The posts were made from Hernandez and Cerritos-Flores’s social media accounts.&nbsp;

Hernandez is being held on a $50,000 cash bond. Cerritos-Flores is being held on a $10,000 cash bond with CHA.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/8/1755869911733.png" alt="Hernandez photo Jackson County" />
 <figcaption>Hernandez photo Jackson County</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY—Two Kansas City men face charges for tampering with a witness on social media, according to&nbsp;Jackson County Prosecutor Melesa Johnson.<a href="https://www.jacksoncountyprosecutor.com/DocumentCenter/View/2710/Hernandez-REDACT-COMP">Eduardo V. Hernandez</a>, 22, and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.jacksoncountyprosecutor.com/DocumentCenter/View/2712/Cerritos-FloresAdan---Complaint">Adan G. Cerritos-Flores</a>&nbsp;each face two counts of Tampering with a Witness in a Felony Prosecution.&nbsp; If convicted, they could face up to seven years in prison.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.jacksoncountyprosecutor.com/DocumentCenter/View/2709/Hernandez-REDACT-PC">According to court records</a>, a series of separate shootings occurred between July 12-13 and on July 16. Shots were fired into multiple occupied residences, some with juveniles inside. No injuries were reported. Last week, Antonio Lopez-Hernandez, Julian Chavarria, and Alexis Vega-Martinez were charged and taken into custody for their roles in the shootings.Following their arrests, detectives discovered publicly visible posts on social media that were intimidating and threatening in nature toward the victims and witnesses of the shootings. The posts were made from Hernandez and Cerritos-Flores’s social media accounts.&nbsp;Hernandez is being held on a $50,000 cash bond. Cerritos-Flores is being held on a $10,000 cash bond with CHA.&nbsp;

Two accused of witness tampering on social media following KC shootings 

CAMDEN COUNTY —A Kansas City man drowned just after 12:15a.m. Saturday at Lake of the Ozarks.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported the 52-year-old was observed falling into the water off a dock at Fan Hollow Cove.&nbsp; He did not resurface. He was pulled from the water at 4:16a.m.&nbsp; and pronounced deceased and transported to Alee Holman-Howe Funeral Home.

He was not wearing a life jacket, according to the Patrol. The Patrol no longer releases names of drowning victims.

CAMDEN COUNTY —A Kansas City man drowned just after 12:15a.m. Saturday at Lake of the Ozarks.The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported the 52-year-old was observed falling into the water off a dock at Fan Hollow Cove.&nbsp; He did not resurface. He was pulled from the water at 4:16a.m.&nbsp; and pronounced deceased and transported to Alee Holman-Howe Funeral Home.He was not wearing a life jacket, according to the Patrol. The Patrol no longer releases names of drowning victims.

Kansas City man fell off dock, drowns at Lake of the Ozarks

By&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/author/jaimie-ding">JAIMIE DING</a>

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Lyle Menendez was denied parole Friday by the same board that a day earlier rejected his brother Erik’s appeal for freedom after serving decades in prison for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/menendez-brothers-murder-case-timeline-parents-killing-crime-bbe008c0a0ae2460d5bd3294126d51b3">killing their parents in 1989</a>&nbsp;at their Beverly Hills mansion. The reason was the same: misbehavior behind bars.

A panel of two commissioners denied Lyle Menendez parole for three years after a daylong hearing. Commissioners noted the older brother still displayed "anti-social personality traits like deception, minimization and rule-breaking that lie beneath that positive surface.”

“We do understand that you had very little hope of being released for years," said commissioner Julie Garland. “Citizens are expected to follow the rules whether or not there is some incentive to do so."

She also said the panel found his remorse genuine and that he has been a “model inmate in many ways who has demonstrated the potential for change.”

“Don’t ever not have hope,” she told Menendez.

The brothers were&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/menendez-brothers-update-parole-hearing-b19be69cd41953f07d3fcf84413ce4c8">sentenced to life in prison in 1996</a>&nbsp;for fatally shooting their father, Jose Menendez, and mother, Kitty Menendez, in their Beverly Hills mansion almost exactly 36 years ago on Aug. 20, 1989. While defense attorneys argued that the brothers acted out of self-defense after years of sexual abuse by their father, prosecutors said the brothers sought a multimillion-dollar inheritance.

A judge&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/menendez-brothers-resentencing-freedom-murder-95d642ef10b6d726d84c6f02a20a378c">reduced their sentences</a>&nbsp;in May, and they became immediately eligible for parole. The parole hearings marked the closest they have come to winning freedom since their convictions almost 30 years ago.

Erik Menendez, who is being held at the same prison in San Diego, was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/menendez-brothers-freedom-murder-parole-erik-lyle-483fee4506e2ea7acb7ce846e844bb8b">denied parole</a>&nbsp;Thursday after commissioners determined his misbehavior in prison made him still a risk to public safety.

A day later, Lyle Menendez told the parole board details about the abuse he suffered under his parents. He cried, face reddened, while delivering his closing statement. He seemed to still want to protect his “baby brother,” telling commissioners he took sole responsibility for the murders.

“I will never be able to make up for the harm and grief I caused everyone in my family," he said. “I am so sorry to everyone, and I will be forever sorry.”

The state corrections department chose a single reporter to watch the videoconference and share details with the rest of the press.

The panel began by asking how abuse impacted decision-making in his life.

The older brother described how his father physically abused him by choking, punching and hurting him using a belt.

“I was the special son in my family. My brother was the castaway," he said. "The physical abuse was focused on me because I was more important to him, I felt.”

He also said his mother also sexually abused him. He appeared uncomfortable discussing this with the panel, who asked why he didn't disclose his mother's abuse in a risk assessment conducted earlier this year.

Commissioners asked if one death made him more sorrowful than the other.

“My mother. Because I loved her and couldn’t imagine harming her in any way," he said. “I think also I learned a lot after about her life, her childhood, reflecting on how much fear maybe she felt.”

Later, he broke down in tears when recounting how they confronted their mother about Jose Menendez's abuse of his younger brother.

“I couldn’t wrap my mind around the fact that she knew," he said.

Hearing focuses on crime, over achievements in prison

Lyle Menendez's parole lawyer, Heidi Rummel, was more outspoken during his hearing than the one for Erik Menendez on Thursday.

She quarreled with the commissioners over several lines of questioning and whether the panel had access to trial evidence in the case.

The panel asked Lyle Menendez whether the murders were planned, and about the brothers buying guns.

“There was zero planning. There was no way to know it was going to happen Sunday,” he said, referring to buying the guns as “the biggest mistake."

“I no longer believe that they were going to kill us in that moment,” he said. "At the time, I had that honest belief.”

Garland asked him about the “sophistication of the web of lies and manipulation you demonstrated afterward," referring to having witnesses lie for them in court — and attempts to destroy his father's will.

Menendez maintained that there was no plan, only that he was “flailing in what was happening” and didn't want to go to prison and be separated from his brother.

In closing, Rummel expressed frustration that the hearing spent almost no time on Menendez's achievements in prison or his efforts to build positive relationships with correctional staff. She noted he never touched drugs or alcohol inside.

“How many people with an LWOP sentence come in front of this board with zero violence, despite getting attacked, getting bullied, and choose to do something different?” she said.

More than a dozen of their relatives attended Friday’s hearing via videoconference, but many did not testify citing privacy concerns after learning audio from Erik Menendez's hearing Thursday was published online.

“I want my nephew to hear how much I love him, and believe in him," said his aunt, Teresita Menendez-Baralt. "I’m very proud of him and I want him to come home."

Similar to his brother's hearing the day before, the panel zeroed in on Menendez's use of cellphones in prison as recent as March 2025.

“I had convinced myself that this wasn’t a means that was harming anyone but myself in a rule violation," Menendez said.

He said correctional staff were monitoring his communications with his wife and family and selling them to tabloids, so he saw cellphones as a way to protect his privacy. There was “a lot of stress in his marriage” around the time he transferred to the prison in San Diego, and he wanted to stay in close touch with his wife, he said.

Commissioner Patrick Reardon applauded him for starting a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/menendez-brothers-nordic-prisons-9b38364e1d70500fd99cedbbb0bf20cd">prison beautification</a>&nbsp;project and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/menendez-brothers-murder-erik-lyle-freedom-prison-b1eede9677e78df88f6709703cc8b716">mentorship programs.</a>&nbsp;However, he questioned if the cellphone violations tainted those accomplishments.

“I would never call myself a model incarcerated person," Menendez said. “I would say that I’m a good person, that I spent my time helping people. ... I’m the guy that officers will come to to resolve conflicts.”

The panel noted that a psychologist found that Menendez is at “very low” risk for violence upon release.

According to previous court documents, Menendez has not gotten into any fights in his time in prison. He said nonviolence was a promise he made to his grandmother.

“My life has been defined by extreme violence," he said. “I wanted to be defined by something else.”

The brothers still have a pending habeas corpus petition filed in May 2023 seeking a review of their convictions based on new evidence supporting their claims of sexual abuse by their father.

“I was not raised with a moral foundation,” he said.

“I was raised to lie, to cheat, to steal, steal in the sense, an abstract way. When I was playing tennis my father would make sure that I cheated at certain times if he told me too. The idea that there is a right and wrong that I do not cross because it’s a moral bound was not instilled in me as a teenager.”

Menendez has said for years he was sexually abused by his father. He told commissioners: “I fantasized about my father not being alive.”

Prosecutors asked why Menendez chose to kill his father rather than leave the family home, as he was already 18. He said: “In my mind, leaving meant death. There was no consideration. I was totally convinced there was no place I could go.”

He also spoke about the fear of his father: “It’s difficult to convey how terrifying my father was.”

The panel of commissioners asked Menendez why he killed his mother as well, if his father was the abuser.

Menendez explained that he did not see any difference between his parents because he found out that his mother knew about the abuse: “It was the most devastating moment in my entire life. It changed everything for me. I had been protecting her by not telling her.”

On shooting his mother: “I wish to God I did not do that.”

Commissioners focused on numerous rule violations Menendez committed in prison, including drinking alcohol, affiliating with a gang and having a cellphone.

On why he chose to use a cellphone: “What I got in terms of the phone and my connection with the outside world was far greater than the consequences of me getting caught with the phone.”

On substance abuse: “If I could numb my sadness with alcohol, I was going to do it … I would have taken other drugs to numb that pain … I was looking to ease that sadness within me.”

Menendez decided to become sober in 2013 and found faith, he said: “From 2013 on I was living for a different purpose. My purpose in life was to be a good person … I asked myself, ‘Who do I want to be when I die?’ I believe I’m going to face a different parole board when I die.”

A panel of two parole commissioners said Menendez was unsuitable for release. They said his actions in prison, including affiliating with a prison gang and having a cellphone in violation of the rules, showed he was a risk to public safety.

Commissioner Robert Barton said: “One can pose a risk to public safety in many ways, with several types of criminal behavior, including the ones you were guilty of in prison.”

Menendez can come before the parole board again in three years. Barton encouraged him to change his behavior.

“You have two options,” he said. “One is to have a pity party … and then you become a self-fulfilling prophecy, probably not getting granted next time. Or you can take to heart what we discussed.”

Menendez, gray-haired and spectacled, sat in front of a computer screen wearing a blue T-shirt over a white long-sleeve shirt in a photo shared by officials.

The panel of commissioners scrutinized every rules violation and fight on his lengthy prison record, including allegations that he worked with a prison gang, bought drugs, used cellphones and helped with a tax scam.

He told commissioners that since he had no hope of ever getting out then, he prioritized protecting himself over following the rules. Then last fall, LA prosecutors&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/california-menendez-brothers-erik-lyle-menendez-bafe4ca46b23751cfa7c4745e88f4edb">asked a judge to resentence him</a>&nbsp;and his brother — opening the door to parole.

“In November of 2024, now the consequences mattered,” Menendez said. “Now the consequences meant I was destroying my life.”

A particular sticking point for the commissioners was his use of cellphones.

“What I got in terms of the phone and my connection with the outside world was far greater than the consequences of me getting caught with the phone,” Menendez said.

The board also brought up his earliest encounters with the law, when he committed two burglaries in high school.

“I was not raised with a moral foundation,” he said. “I was raised to lie, to cheat, to steal in the sense, an abstract way.”

The panel asked about details like why he used a fake ID to purchase the guns he and Lyle Menendez used to kill their parents, who acted first and why they killed their mother if their father was the main abuser.

Barton asked: “You do see that there were other choices at that point?”

“When I look back at the person I was then and what I believed about the world and my parents, running away was inconceivable,” Menendez said. “Running away meant death.”

Erik Menendez’s parole attorney, Heidi Rummel, emphasized 2013 as the turning point for her client.

“He found his faith. He became accountable to his higher power. He found sobriety and made a promise to his mother on her birthday,” Rummel said. “Has he been perfect since 2013? No. But he has been remarkable.”

Commissioner Rachel Stern also applauded him for starting a group to take care of older and disabled inmates.

Since the brothers reunited, they have been “serious accountability partners” for each other. At the same time, he said he’s become better at setting boundaries with Lyle Menendez, and they tend to do different programming.

More than a dozen of their relatives delivered emotional statements at Thursday’s hearing via videoconference.

“Seeing my crimes through my family’s eyes has been a huge part of my evolution and my growth,” Menendez said. “Just seeing the pain and the suffering. Understanding the magnitude of what I’ve done, the generational impact.”

His aunt Teresita Menendez-Baralt, who is Jose Menendez’s sister, said she has fully forgiven him. She noted that she is dying from Stage 4 cancer and wishes to welcome him into her home.

“Erik carries himself with kindness, integrity and strength that comes from patience and grace,” she said.

One relative promised to the parole board that she would house him in Colorado, where he can spend time with his family and enjoying nature.

The board brushed off prosecutor’s questions

LA County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said ahead of the parole hearings that he opposes parole for the brothers because of their lack of insight, comparing them to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/sirhan-sirhan-parole-denied-5fc641a6dfc4bb7636075857a132fb7c">Sirhan Sirhan</a>, who assassinated presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy in 1968. Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom denied him parole in January 2022 because of his “deficient insight.”

During the hearing, LA prosecutor Habib Balian asked Menendez about his and his brothers’ attempts to ask witnesses to lie in court on their behalf, and if the brothers staged the killings as a mafia hit. Commissioners largely dismissed the questions, saying they were not retrying the case.

In closing statements, Balian questioned whether Menendez was “truly reformed” or saying what commissioners wanted to hear.

“When one continues to diminish their responsibility for a crime and continues to make the same false excuses that they’ve made for 30-plus years, one is still that same dangerous person that they were when they shotgunned their parents,” Balian said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/10/1729793922699.png" alt=" " />
 <figcaption> </figcaption>
 </figure>By&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/author/jaimie-ding">JAIMIE DING</a>LOS ANGELES (AP) — Lyle Menendez was denied parole Friday by the same board that a day earlier rejected his brother Erik’s appeal for freedom after serving decades in prison for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/menendez-brothers-murder-case-timeline-parents-killing-crime-bbe008c0a0ae2460d5bd3294126d51b3">killing their parents in 1989</a>&nbsp;at their Beverly Hills mansion. The reason was the same: misbehavior behind bars.A panel of two commissioners denied Lyle Menendez parole for three years after a daylong hearing. Commissioners noted the older brother still displayed "anti-social personality traits like deception, minimization and rule-breaking that lie beneath that positive surface.”“We do understand that you had very little hope of being released for years," said commissioner Julie Garland. “Citizens are expected to follow the rules whether or not there is some incentive to do so."She also said the panel found his remorse genuine and that he has been a “model inmate in many ways who has demonstrated the potential for change.”“Don’t ever not have hope,” she told Menendez.The brothers were&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/menendez-brothers-update-parole-hearing-b19be69cd41953f07d3fcf84413ce4c8">sentenced to life in prison in 1996</a>&nbsp;for fatally shooting their father, Jose Menendez, and mother, Kitty Menendez, in their Beverly Hills mansion almost exactly 36 years ago on Aug. 20, 1989. While defense attorneys argued that the brothers acted out of self-defense after years of sexual abuse by their father, prosecutors said the brothers sought a multimillion-dollar inheritance.A judge&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/menendez-brothers-resentencing-freedom-murder-95d642ef10b6d726d84c6f02a20a378c">reduced their sentences</a>&nbsp;in May, and they became immediately eligible for parole. The parole hearings marked the closest they have come to winning freedom since their convictions almost 30 years ago.Erik Menendez, who is being held at the same prison in San Diego, was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/menendez-brothers-freedom-murder-parole-erik-lyle-483fee4506e2ea7acb7ce846e844bb8b">denied parole</a>&nbsp;Thursday after commissioners determined his misbehavior in prison made him still a risk to public safety.A day later, Lyle Menendez told the parole board details about the abuse he suffered under his parents. He cried, face reddened, while delivering his closing statement. He seemed to still want to protect his “baby brother,” telling commissioners he took sole responsibility for the murders.“I will never be able to make up for the harm and grief I caused everyone in my family," he said. “I am so sorry to everyone, and I will be forever sorry.”The state corrections department chose a single reporter to watch the videoconference and share details with the rest of the press.<h2>Lyle Menendez describes abuse</h2>The panel began by asking how abuse impacted decision-making in his life.The older brother described how his father physically abused him by choking, punching and hurting him using a belt.“I was the special son in my family. My brother was the castaway," he said. "The physical abuse was focused on me because I was more important to him, I felt.”He also said his mother also sexually abused him. He appeared uncomfortable discussing this with the panel, who asked why he didn't disclose his mother's abuse in a risk assessment conducted earlier this year.Commissioners asked if one death made him more sorrowful than the other.“My mother. Because I loved her and couldn’t imagine harming her in any way," he said. “I think also I learned a lot after about her life, her childhood, reflecting on how much fear maybe she felt.”Later, he broke down in tears when recounting how they confronted their mother about Jose Menendez's abuse of his younger brother.“I couldn’t wrap my mind around the fact that she knew," he said.<h2>Hearing focuses on crime, over achievements in prison</h2>Lyle Menendez's parole lawyer, Heidi Rummel, was more outspoken during his hearing than the one for Erik Menendez on Thursday.She quarreled with the commissioners over several lines of questioning and whether the panel had access to trial evidence in the case.The panel asked Lyle Menendez whether the murders were planned, and about the brothers buying guns.“There was zero planning. There was no way to know it was going to happen Sunday,” he said, referring to buying the guns as “the biggest mistake."“I no longer believe that they were going to kill us in that moment,” he said. "At the time, I had that honest belief.”Garland asked him about the “sophistication of the web of lies and manipulation you demonstrated afterward," referring to having witnesses lie for them in court — and attempts to destroy his father's will.Menendez maintained that there was no plan, only that he was “flailing in what was happening” and didn't want to go to prison and be separated from his brother.In closing, Rummel expressed frustration that the hearing spent almost no time on Menendez's achievements in prison or his efforts to build positive relationships with correctional staff. She noted he never touched drugs or alcohol inside.“How many people with an LWOP sentence come in front of this board with zero violence, despite getting attacked, getting bullied, and choose to do something different?” she said.More than a dozen of their relatives attended Friday’s hearing via videoconference, but many did not testify citing privacy concerns after learning audio from Erik Menendez's hearing Thursday was published online.“I want my nephew to hear how much I love him, and believe in him," said his aunt, Teresita Menendez-Baralt. "I’m very proud of him and I want him to come home."<h2>Cellphones in prison</h2>Similar to his brother's hearing the day before, the panel zeroed in on Menendez's use of cellphones in prison as recent as March 2025.“I had convinced myself that this wasn’t a means that was harming anyone but myself in a rule violation," Menendez said.He said correctional staff were monitoring his communications with his wife and family and selling them to tabloids, so he saw cellphones as a way to protect his privacy. There was “a lot of stress in his marriage” around the time he transferred to the prison in San Diego, and he wanted to stay in close touch with his wife, he said.Commissioner Patrick Reardon applauded him for starting a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/menendez-brothers-nordic-prisons-9b38364e1d70500fd99cedbbb0bf20cd">prison beautification</a>&nbsp;project and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/menendez-brothers-murder-erik-lyle-freedom-prison-b1eede9677e78df88f6709703cc8b716">mentorship programs.</a>&nbsp;However, he questioned if the cellphone violations tainted those accomplishments.“I would never call myself a model incarcerated person," Menendez said. “I would say that I’m a good person, that I spent my time helping people. ... I’m the guy that officers will come to to resolve conflicts.”The panel noted that a psychologist found that Menendez is at “very low” risk for violence upon release.According to previous court documents, Menendez has not gotten into any fights in his time in prison. He said nonviolence was a promise he made to his grandmother.“My life has been defined by extreme violence," he said. “I wanted to be defined by something else.”The brothers still have a pending habeas corpus petition filed in May 2023 seeking a review of their convictions based on new evidence supporting their claims of sexual abuse by their father.Here’s a look at Erik’s remarks:<h2>His upbringing</h2>“I was not raised with a moral foundation,” he said.“I was raised to lie, to cheat, to steal, steal in the sense, an abstract way. When I was playing tennis my father would make sure that I cheated at certain times if he told me too. The idea that there is a right and wrong that I do not cross because it’s a moral bound was not instilled in me as a teenager.”<h2>Relationship with his father</h2>Menendez has said for years he was sexually abused by his father. He told commissioners: “I fantasized about my father not being alive.”Prosecutors asked why Menendez chose to kill his father rather than leave the family home, as he was already 18. He said: “In my mind, leaving meant death. There was no consideration. I was totally convinced there was no place I could go.”He also spoke about the fear of his father: “It’s difficult to convey how terrifying my father was.”<h2>The murders</h2>The panel of commissioners asked Menendez why he killed his mother as well, if his father was the abuser.Menendez explained that he did not see any difference between his parents because he found out that his mother knew about the abuse: “It was the most devastating moment in my entire life. It changed everything for me. I had been protecting her by not telling her.”On shooting his mother: “I wish to God I did not do that.”<h2>Breaking the prison rules</h2>Commissioners focused on numerous rule violations Menendez committed in prison, including drinking alcohol, affiliating with a gang and having a cellphone.On why he chose to use a cellphone: “What I got in terms of the phone and my connection with the outside world was far greater than the consequences of me getting caught with the phone.”On substance abuse: “If I could numb my sadness with alcohol, I was going to do it … I would have taken other drugs to numb that pain … I was looking to ease that sadness within me.”<h2>Changing his life</h2>Menendez decided to become sober in 2013 and found faith, he said: “From 2013 on I was living for a different purpose. My purpose in life was to be a good person … I asked myself, ‘Who do I want to be when I die?’ I believe I’m going to face a different parole board when I die.”<h2>Why he was denied parole</h2>A panel of two parole commissioners said Menendez was unsuitable for release. They said his actions in prison, including affiliating with a prison gang and having a cellphone in violation of the rules, showed he was a risk to public safety.Commissioner Robert Barton said: “One can pose a risk to public safety in many ways, with several types of criminal behavior, including the ones you were guilty of in prison.”Menendez can come before the parole board again in three years. Barton encouraged him to change his behavior.“You have two options,” he said. “One is to have a pity party … and then you become a self-fulfilling prophecy, probably not getting granted next time. Or you can take to heart what we discussed.”<h2>Erik Menendez’s prison record</h2>Menendez, gray-haired and spectacled, sat in front of a computer screen wearing a blue T-shirt over a white long-sleeve shirt in a photo shared by officials.The panel of commissioners scrutinized every rules violation and fight on his lengthy prison record, including allegations that he worked with a prison gang, bought drugs, used cellphones and helped with a tax scam.He told commissioners that since he had no hope of ever getting out then, he prioritized protecting himself over following the rules. Then last fall, LA prosecutors&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/california-menendez-brothers-erik-lyle-menendez-bafe4ca46b23751cfa7c4745e88f4edb">asked a judge to resentence him</a>&nbsp;and his brother — opening the door to parole.“In November of 2024, now the consequences mattered,” Menendez said. “Now the consequences meant I was destroying my life.”A particular sticking point for the commissioners was his use of cellphones.“What I got in terms of the phone and my connection with the outside world was far greater than the consequences of me getting caught with the phone,” Menendez said.The board also brought up his earliest encounters with the law, when he committed two burglaries in high school.“I was not raised with a moral foundation,” he said. “I was raised to lie, to cheat, to steal in the sense, an abstract way.”The panel asked about details like why he used a fake ID to purchase the guns he and Lyle Menendez used to kill their parents, who acted first and why they killed their mother if their father was the main abuser.Barton asked: “You do see that there were other choices at that point?”“When I look back at the person I was then and what I believed about the world and my parents, running away was inconceivable,” Menendez said. “Running away meant death.”<h2>His transformation behind bars</h2>Erik Menendez’s parole attorney, Heidi Rummel, emphasized 2013 as the turning point for her client.“He found his faith. He became accountable to his higher power. He found sobriety and made a promise to his mother on her birthday,” Rummel said. “Has he been perfect since 2013? No. But he has been remarkable.”Commissioner Rachel Stern also applauded him for starting a group to take care of older and disabled inmates.Since the brothers reunited, they have been “serious accountability partners” for each other. At the same time, he said he’s become better at setting boundaries with Lyle Menendez, and they tend to do different programming.More than a dozen of their relatives delivered emotional statements at Thursday’s hearing via videoconference.“Seeing my crimes through my family’s eyes has been a huge part of my evolution and my growth,” Menendez said. “Just seeing the pain and the suffering. Understanding the magnitude of what I’ve done, the generational impact.”His aunt Teresita Menendez-Baralt, who is Jose Menendez’s sister, said she has fully forgiven him. She noted that she is dying from Stage 4 cancer and wishes to welcome him into her home.“Erik carries himself with kindness, integrity and strength that comes from patience and grace,” she said.One relative promised to the parole board that she would house him in Colorado, where he can spend time with his family and enjoying nature.<h2>The board brushed off prosecutor’s questions</h2>LA County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said ahead of the parole hearings that he opposes parole for the brothers because of their lack of insight, comparing them to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/sirhan-sirhan-parole-denied-5fc641a6dfc4bb7636075857a132fb7c">Sirhan Sirhan</a>, who assassinated presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy in 1968. Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom denied him parole in January 2022 because of his “deficient insight.”During the hearing, LA prosecutor Habib Balian asked Menendez about his and his brothers’ attempts to ask witnesses to lie in court on their behalf, and if the brothers staged the killings as a mafia hit. Commissioners largely dismissed the questions, saying they were not retrying the case.In closing statements, Balian questioned whether Menendez was “truly reformed” or saying what commissioners wanted to hear.“When one continues to diminish their responsibility for a crime and continues to make the same false excuses that they’ve made for 30-plus years, one is still that same dangerous person that they were when they shotgunned their parents,” Balian said.<h2></h2>

Denied parole: What the brothers said about killing their parents

NEW YORK (AP) — A pair of federal lawsuits filed in San Francisco and New York this week accuse&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/virus-outbreak-us-news-travel-tx-state-wire-ga-state-wire-ef706d685070e0beffc327d35eae6580">Delta Air Lines and United Airlines</a>&nbsp;of misleading passengers by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-business-3f1130fd2636587adfa1fccd809afe19">charging premium fees</a>&nbsp;for window seats next to blank walls.

A New York law firm brought the cases as proposed class actions on behalf of any passengers who say they wouldn’t have selected or&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/airlines-46d5bf3090c341ecac073c391caa02c8">paid more</a>&nbsp;for their reserved places if they had known the seats did not include a window.

“We have received a flood of interest from passengers who feel they have been harmed by this practice and who wish to join the lawsuits,” the Greenbaum Olbrantz firm said in a statement. “It makes sense that people are upset. The majority of Americans fly on one of these airlines at some point and a large proportion of them want or need a window, and they pay good money for the privilege.”

Both Delta and United declined to comment, citing pending litigation.

The lawsuit against&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/travel-and-tourism-general-news-3fda17e9e00a4db39b255d70e755beb5">Delta Air Lines</a>&nbsp;states that when New York resident Nicholas Meyer arrived at row No. 23 for a flight to California earlier this month, he discovered the seat he bought was next to a blank wall.

At no point during the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/video/southwest-airlines-co-dallas-national-ccd54018a9894e92bd3a651550177fb2">seat selection process</a>&nbsp;did Delta warn him that 23F was a windowless window seat, according to Meyer, one of the lead plaintiffs.

Alaska Airlines and American Airlines also sell such seats but disclose the information when customers choose their seats, the lawsuits assert.

The lawsuits allege that United and Delta long have been aware of consumer complaints posted on social media about the windowless seats yet continued charging extra for window seats without windows.

The Delta lawsuit includes screenshots of some of those complaints.

“Your seat map should not consider this premium, nor should it call it a window seat ... There is actually LESS leg room and no perks,” one Delta customer said in a post on Reddit.

NEW YORK (AP) — A pair of federal lawsuits filed in San Francisco and New York this week accuse&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/virus-outbreak-us-news-travel-tx-state-wire-ga-state-wire-ef706d685070e0beffc327d35eae6580">Delta Air Lines and United Airlines</a>&nbsp;of misleading passengers by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-business-3f1130fd2636587adfa1fccd809afe19">charging premium fees</a>&nbsp;for window seats next to blank walls.A New York law firm brought the cases as proposed class actions on behalf of any passengers who say they wouldn’t have selected or&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/airlines-46d5bf3090c341ecac073c391caa02c8">paid more</a>&nbsp;for their reserved places if they had known the seats did not include a window.“We have received a flood of interest from passengers who feel they have been harmed by this practice and who wish to join the lawsuits,” the Greenbaum Olbrantz firm said in a statement. “It makes sense that people are upset. The majority of Americans fly on one of these airlines at some point and a large proportion of them want or need a window, and they pay good money for the privilege.”Both Delta and United declined to comment, citing pending litigation.The lawsuit against&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/travel-and-tourism-general-news-3fda17e9e00a4db39b255d70e755beb5">Delta Air Lines</a>&nbsp;states that when New York resident Nicholas Meyer arrived at row No. 23 for a flight to California earlier this month, he discovered the seat he bought was next to a blank wall.At no point during the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/video/southwest-airlines-co-dallas-national-ccd54018a9894e92bd3a651550177fb2">seat selection process</a>&nbsp;did Delta warn him that 23F was a windowless window seat, according to Meyer, one of the lead plaintiffs.Alaska Airlines and American Airlines also sell such seats but disclose the information when customers choose their seats, the lawsuits assert.The lawsuits allege that United and Delta long have been aware of consumer complaints posted on social media about the windowless seats yet continued charging extra for window seats without windows.The Delta lawsuit includes screenshots of some of those complaints.“Your seat map should not consider this premium, nor should it call it a window seat ... There is actually LESS leg room and no perks,” one Delta customer said in a post on Reddit.

Passengers sue airlines for selling ‘window’ seats next to blank walls

SEDGWICK COUNTY —The family of fallen Sedgwick&nbsp; County Deputy Sidnee Carter and the Deputy Sidnee Carter Memorial honored her legacy by dedicating the newest horse to the Wichita Police Department Mounted Unit on Thursday.

Chief Joe Sullivan, Mounted Unit commanders, and members of the Sheriff’s Office joined in this special dedication ceremony.

"We are deeply grateful to the Carter family and the Deputy Sidnee Carter Memorial for their generosity. Our new police horse, Syd, will serve as a lasting tribute to Deputy Carter’s memory and commitment to public service."

In October of 2022, Deputy Sidnee Carter died when her patrol vehicle was struck&nbsp; near 135th Street at 29th Street north one mile west of Northwest Wichita and Maize as she was responding to a disturbance.

Deputy Carter had only worked in the field alone for a week, according to Sheriff Jeff Easter and had just completed her training.

Deputy Carter had served the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office for one and a half years in the Sedgwick County Detention Facility before transferring to the Law Enforcement Bureau in February 2022. She graduated the Law Enforcement Academy on July 21, 2022.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/8/1755878797458.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY —The family of fallen Sedgwick&nbsp; County Deputy Sidnee Carter and the Deputy Sidnee Carter Memorial honored her legacy by dedicating the newest horse to the Wichita Police Department Mounted Unit on Thursday.Chief Joe Sullivan, Mounted Unit commanders, and members of the Sheriff’s Office joined in this special dedication ceremony."We are deeply grateful to the Carter family and the Deputy Sidnee Carter Memorial for their generosity. Our new police horse, Syd, will serve as a lasting tribute to Deputy Carter’s memory and commitment to public service."In October of 2022, Deputy Sidnee Carter died when her patrol vehicle was struck&nbsp; near 135th Street at 29th Street north one mile west of Northwest Wichita and Maize as she was responding to a disturbance.Deputy Carter had only worked in the field alone for a week, according to Sheriff Jeff Easter and had just completed her training.Deputy Carter had served the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office for one and a half years in the Sedgwick County Detention Facility before transferring to the Law Enforcement Bureau in February 2022. She graduated the Law Enforcement Academy on July 21, 2022.&nbsp;

Horse donated to police in honor of fallen Kansas deputy

SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement continue investigating a fatal shooting that left one dead in Topeka.

Just after noon August 14, police responded to a report of shots fired in the 2400 block of SE Bellview Avenue in Topeka, acording to a statement from police on Friday.

First responders found two victims suffering from gunshot wounds. One person was pronounced dead at the scene, the other was taken to a local hospital for treatment.

All individuals involved have been identified, and police are not currently looking for a suspect. There is no danger to the public at this time.

Due to the nature of the investigation, Topeka Police are not able to release the identities of those involved.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/8/1755908899971.png" alt="Photo courtesy WIBW TV" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy WIBW TV</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement continue investigating a fatal shooting that left one dead in Topeka.Just after noon August 14, police responded to a report of shots fired in the 2400 block of SE Bellview Avenue in Topeka, acording to a statement from police on Friday.First responders found two victims suffering from gunshot wounds. One person was pronounced dead at the scene, the other was taken to a local hospital for treatment.All individuals involved have been identified, and police are not currently looking for a suspect. There is no danger to the public at this time.Due to the nature of the investigation, Topeka Police are not able to release the identities of those involved.

Police continue investigation of fatal Kansas shooting 

The Trump administration is considering placing marijuana in the same federal classification as codeine, instead of where it currently is alongside heroin

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/rebecca-rivas/">REBECCA RIVAS</a> <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-senate-committee-advances-bill-to-ban-texting-while-driving/">Missouri Independent</a>

Missouri has won&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/11/11/missouris-1-4-billion-cannabis-market-outpaces-states-with-older-programs/">praise</a>&nbsp;for having one of the nation’s most robust cannabis markets.&nbsp;But buzz about the president’s interest in relaxing federal marijuana restrictions is raising questions about the potential impact on that economic success.

Last year in Missouri, a pound of wholesale marijuana sold for about $2,000 on average, according to the nation’s leading wholesale cannabis platform LeafLink. That put Missouri in the company’s top five highest prices.

It’s still profitable to sell a marijuana facility license in Missouri, said Ben Burstein, corporate development manager at LeafLink —&nbsp; a dynamic that is not true in many other states.&nbsp;

“You have tons of licensed operators that put millions of dollars into their businesses over time,” Burstein said of the experience in many other states. “And not only are they not making money, they have to pay to get rid of those licenses and all the closing costs associated with it.”&nbsp;

Experts agree the success is due, at least in part, to Missouri’s limited number of facility licenses.&nbsp;

Capping the number of businesses that can partake in the cannabis industry has drawn pointed criticism that it has encouraged a monopoly in the program and created the appearance of corruption. But the cap also keeps supply and demand in balance, experts say, protecting Missouri from the pitfalls others states are facing.&nbsp;

Oregon-based cannabis economist Beau Whitney says in other states there’s a “massive amount of oversupply” that has made it difficult for marijuana businesses to stay afloat.&nbsp;

A&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cannabisbusinesstimes.com/business-issues-benchmarks/cannabis-business-profit-trends/news/15686501/only-27-of-us-cannabis-operators-profitable-in-2024-whitney-economics-reports" target="_blank">survey</a>&nbsp;Whitney Economics released last year found that only 27% of cannabis companies nationwide on average were profitable in the cannabis space. And 73% were either breaking even or losing money.

Last week,&nbsp;<a href="https://mjbizdaily.com/when-will-president-donald-trump-reclassify-marijuana/" target="_blank">President Donald Trump told reporters</a>&nbsp;he plans to revisit a proposal to reschedule marijuana that started under President Joe Biden, which has been on pause since January. The plan would place marijuana in the same federal classification as codeine, instead of where it currently is alongside heroin.

“We’re looking at it,” said Trump last Monday, noting that he expects to determine whether cannabis will be reclassified in the next few weeks.

So would a push by the president to restart the plan disrupt Missouri’s ecosystem?

The short answer is yes, Whitney said, but it wouldn’t be immediate.&nbsp;

The process to reschedule a drug requires going through multiple drafts of administrative rules, hearings and public comment periods that could take years to accomplish.&nbsp;

“It’s a long process,” Whitney said. “It’s not a snap of the finger.”

It’s currently a federal crime for marijuana to cross over state lines. Would rescheduling open up the borders and allow states to sell to each other, also allowing the oversupply to bottom out Missouri’s prices?

That depends on the details in the federal rules, said St. Louis attorney Eric Walter, who represents a number of cannabis operators and the Missouri Cannabis Trade Association.

But a provision in the Missouri constitutional amendment that voters approved in 2022 legalizing marijuana was designed to control that scenario, Walter said. It states that if federal law is amended to allow interstate commerce, then only licensed cultivators could import marijuana from other states.&nbsp;&nbsp;

“They couldn’t just sell directly to dispensaries or sell directly to consumers,” Walter said. “It would still need to run through the regulated licensees, and the product would be subject to all of our specific requirements, including our testing panel.”

While it could upset Missouri’s economic impact, Walter said the financial impact nationwide would be “massive.”&nbsp;

Rescheduling marijuana means that the substance would be moved from Schedule 1 of the Controlled Substance Act to Schedule 3.&nbsp;

“Marijuana has been on 1 since the [act] was created in the early 70s,” he said, “and it never belonged.”

Medical benefits and susceptibility of addiction are taken into account when scheduling, Walter said, and Schedule 1 is for the most addictive substances with no known medical benefits, such as heroin. Cocaine is Schedule 2 because it has some medical benefits, such as numbing properties.&nbsp;

“It would further erode some of the anti-marijuana bias and perceptions, and open the door to banks and financial institutions interacting with industry operators more sensibly,” Walter said.

Rescheduling would also provide tax relief to businesses, he said.

Whitney calculated that this year cannabis businesses will pay about $2.7 billion more in taxes than a normal business would have paid because they can’t write off deductions on their federal taxes.&nbsp;

“They’re paying huge taxes to the federal government, even though it’s federally illegal,” Whitney said.&nbsp;

In Missouri, Burstein estimates the annual impact of rescheduling in terms of taxes to be more than $150 million in additional cash flows to operators, based on current market sales.

While rescheduling would give tax breaks, it may also increase the burden on operators to get certain certifications and occur other expenses in compliance, Whitney said. With so few operators profitable as it is, “not everybody is going to be able to survive,” he said.

The rules will have different impacts in each state. In Oregon, Whitney said all Schedule 3 drugs must be sold at pharmacies, meaning dispensaries could be out of business.&nbsp;

“That tax break doesn’t really help if you’re out of business,” Whitney said. “Rescheduling is maybe not the greatest thing from an economic perspective and for the industry. Even though reform is always welcome, the question then becomes, well, is the reform going to do more harm than good? I just don’t know because the reform is still in concept. It’s not even on paper.”

While President Trump said he’d take a look at it, the timing is unclear. Many Republicans, including the DEA chief Terrance Cole, are opposed to marijuana, he said.

“Operators need to remain disciplined and realize that there’s not going to be change overnight,” he said, “but be flexible enough in their processes to be able to pivot quickly once those changes happen.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1692273868300.png" alt="&nbsp;Last week, President Donald Trump told reporters he plans to revisit a proposal to reschedule marijuana that started under President Joe Biden, which has been on pause since January (Rebecca Rivas/Missouri Independent)." />
 <figcaption>&nbsp;Last week, President Donald Trump told reporters he plans to revisit a proposal to reschedule marijuana that started under President Joe Biden, which has been on pause since January (Rebecca Rivas/Missouri Independent).</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>The Trump administration is considering placing marijuana in the same federal classification as codeine, instead of where it currently is alongside heroin</h2>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/rebecca-rivas/">REBECCA RIVAS</a> <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-senate-committee-advances-bill-to-ban-texting-while-driving/">Missouri Independent</a>Missouri has won&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/11/11/missouris-1-4-billion-cannabis-market-outpaces-states-with-older-programs/">praise</a>&nbsp;for having one of the nation’s most robust cannabis markets.&nbsp;But buzz about the president’s interest in relaxing federal marijuana restrictions is raising questions about the potential impact on that economic success.Last year in Missouri, a pound of wholesale marijuana sold for about $2,000 on average, according to the nation’s leading wholesale cannabis platform LeafLink. That put Missouri in the company’s top five highest prices.It’s still profitable to sell a marijuana facility license in Missouri, said Ben Burstein, corporate development manager at LeafLink —&nbsp; a dynamic that is not true in many other states.&nbsp;“You have tons of licensed operators that put millions of dollars into their businesses over time,” Burstein said of the experience in many other states. “And not only are they not making money, they have to pay to get rid of those licenses and all the closing costs associated with it.”&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/8/1755949969533.png" alt="This guide used data from orders placed on the LeafLink marketplace between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2024." />
 <figcaption>This guide used data from orders placed on the LeafLink marketplace between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2024.</figcaption>
 </figure>Experts agree the success is due, at least in part, to Missouri’s limited number of facility licenses.&nbsp;Capping the number of businesses that can partake in the cannabis industry has drawn pointed criticism that it has encouraged a monopoly in the program and created the appearance of corruption. But the cap also keeps supply and demand in balance, experts say, protecting Missouri from the pitfalls others states are facing.&nbsp;Oregon-based cannabis economist Beau Whitney says in other states there’s a “massive amount of oversupply” that has made it difficult for marijuana businesses to stay afloat.&nbsp;A&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cannabisbusinesstimes.com/business-issues-benchmarks/cannabis-business-profit-trends/news/15686501/only-27-of-us-cannabis-operators-profitable-in-2024-whitney-economics-reports" target="_blank">survey</a>&nbsp;Whitney Economics released last year found that only 27% of cannabis companies nationwide on average were profitable in the cannabis space. And 73% were either breaking even or losing money.Last week,&nbsp;<a href="https://mjbizdaily.com/when-will-president-donald-trump-reclassify-marijuana/" target="_blank">President Donald Trump told reporters</a>&nbsp;he plans to revisit a proposal to reschedule marijuana that started under President Joe Biden, which has been on pause since January. The plan would place marijuana in the same federal classification as codeine, instead of where it currently is alongside heroin.“We’re looking at it,” said Trump last Monday, noting that he expects to determine whether cannabis will be reclassified in the next few weeks.So would a push by the president to restart the plan disrupt Missouri’s ecosystem?The short answer is yes, Whitney said, but it wouldn’t be immediate.&nbsp;The process to reschedule a drug requires going through multiple drafts of administrative rules, hearings and public comment periods that could take years to accomplish.&nbsp;“It’s a long process,” Whitney said. “It’s not a snap of the finger.”It’s currently a federal crime for marijuana to cross over state lines. Would rescheduling open up the borders and allow states to sell to each other, also allowing the oversupply to bottom out Missouri’s prices?That depends on the details in the federal rules, said St. Louis attorney Eric Walter, who represents a number of cannabis operators and the Missouri Cannabis Trade Association.But a provision in the Missouri constitutional amendment that voters approved in 2022 legalizing marijuana was designed to control that scenario, Walter said. It states that if federal law is amended to allow interstate commerce, then only licensed cultivators could import marijuana from other states.&nbsp;&nbsp;“They couldn’t just sell directly to dispensaries or sell directly to consumers,” Walter said. “It would still need to run through the regulated licensees, and the product would be subject to all of our specific requirements, including our testing panel.”While it could upset Missouri’s economic impact, Walter said the financial impact nationwide would be “massive.”&nbsp;Rescheduling marijuana means that the substance would be moved from Schedule 1 of the Controlled Substance Act to Schedule 3.&nbsp;“Marijuana has been on 1 since the [act] was created in the early 70s,” he said, “and it never belonged.”Medical benefits and susceptibility of addiction are taken into account when scheduling, Walter said, and Schedule 1 is for the most addictive substances with no known medical benefits, such as heroin. Cocaine is Schedule 2 because it has some medical benefits, such as numbing properties.&nbsp;“It would further erode some of the anti-marijuana bias and perceptions, and open the door to banks and financial institutions interacting with industry operators more sensibly,” Walter said.Rescheduling would also provide tax relief to businesses, he said.Whitney calculated that this year cannabis businesses will pay about $2.7 billion more in taxes than a normal business would have paid because they can’t write off deductions on their federal taxes.&nbsp;“They’re paying huge taxes to the federal government, even though it’s federally illegal,” Whitney said.&nbsp;In Missouri, Burstein estimates the annual impact of rescheduling in terms of taxes to be more than $150 million in additional cash flows to operators, based on current market sales.While rescheduling would give tax breaks, it may also increase the burden on operators to get certain certifications and occur other expenses in compliance, Whitney said. With so few operators profitable as it is, “not everybody is going to be able to survive,” he said.The rules will have different impacts in each state. In Oregon, Whitney said all Schedule 3 drugs must be sold at pharmacies, meaning dispensaries could be out of business.&nbsp;“That tax break doesn’t really help if you’re out of business,” Whitney said. “Rescheduling is maybe not the greatest thing from an economic perspective and for the industry. Even though reform is always welcome, the question then becomes, well, is the reform going to do more harm than good? I just don’t know because the reform is still in concept. It’s not even on paper.”While President Trump said he’d take a look at it, the timing is unclear. Many Republicans, including the DEA chief Terrance Cole, are opposed to marijuana, he said.“Operators need to remain disciplined and realize that there’s not going to be change overnight,” he said, “but be flexible enough in their processes to be able to pivot quickly once those changes happen.”

How will Missouri’s cannabis market change if the feds reschedule marijuana? 

WASHINGTON —During a presentation and press conference with FIFA President Gianni Infantino in the Oval Office on Friday, President Trump held up a photo sent by Russian President Vladimir Putin: "I'm going to sign this for him . That's a man named Vladimir Putin who I believe will be coming to 2026 FIFA World Cup depending on what happens."

WASHINGTON —During a presentation and press conference with FIFA President Gianni Infantino in the Oval Office on Friday, President Trump held up a photo sent by Russian President Vladimir Putin: "I'm going to sign this for him . That's a man named Vladimir Putin who I believe will be coming to 2026 FIFA World Cup depending on what happens."<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">President Trump holds up photo sent by Russian President Vladimir Putin: &quot;I&#39;m going to sign this for him ... That&#39;s a man named Vladimir Putin who I believe will be coming (to 2026 FIFA World Cup) depending on what happens.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/K3nGniRbPN">pic.twitter.com/K3nGniRbPN</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1958948441586839821?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 22, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

🎥President Trump shows off photo sent from Putin

BY&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/mchilson/">MORGAN CHILSON</a> <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA — Black Hills Energy Corp. announced it will merge with NorthWestern Energy Group, pending regulatory approval.

Black Hills offers natural gas services in Kansas, primarily in the southwest and south-central part of the state. It is regulated by the Kansas Corporation Commission.

Company leaders said in a joint investor call this week that merger approval is needed in the three states in which both companies currently operate, Montana, Nebraska and South Dakota, and possibly in Arkansas.

The all-stock transaction is expected to close in 12 to 15 months.

In the agreement, NorthWestern shareholders will receive a fixed exchange ratio of 0.98 shares of Black Hills for each share of NorthWestern they own at the close of the transaction, a press release said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/8/1755887917194.png" alt=" In its investors report on a planned merger with NorthWestern Energy, Black Corp. explained the territories the two companies cover. (Black Hills Corp. – NorthWestern Energy merger report)" />
 <figcaption> In its investors report on a planned merger with NorthWestern Energy, Black Corp. explained the territories the two companies cover. (Black Hills Corp. – NorthWestern Energy merger report)</figcaption>
 </figure>BY&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/mchilson/">MORGAN CHILSON</a> <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — Black Hills Energy Corp. announced it will merge with NorthWestern Energy Group, pending regulatory approval.Black Hills offers natural gas services in Kansas, primarily in the southwest and south-central part of the state. It is regulated by the Kansas Corporation Commission.Company leaders said in a joint investor call this week that merger approval is needed in the three states in which both companies currently operate, Montana, Nebraska and South Dakota, and possibly in Arkansas.The all-stock transaction is expected to close in 12 to 15 months.In the agreement, NorthWestern shareholders will receive a fixed exchange ratio of 0.98 shares of Black Hills for each share of NorthWestern they own at the close of the transaction, a press release said.Black Hills shareholders will continue to hold the same number of shares of the combined company that they hold of Black Hills immediately before the closing of the transaction, the press release said. Once the merger is completed, Black Hills shareholders will own approximately 56% and NorthWestern shareholders will own approximately 44% of the combined company.In an investor call, Black Hills CEO Linn Evans said the merger strengthens both companies, which have been operating in the same areas for the past 20 years.“We’ve talked about potentially combining these two companies, and given the organic growth opportunities we have before us and the impact on customer affordability, the benefits of scale,&nbsp;we would argue, have never been more relevant, and merging our businesses now has never made more sense,” Evans said.Upon closing, the company will have a new name and trade under a new stock ticker, Evans said. NorthWestern president and CEO Brian Bird will lead the merged company, and Evans said he will retire after the merger concludes.The company will be headquartered in Rapid City, South Dakota, where Black Hills headquarters are currently located.