SALINE COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating alleged elder abuse after a Kansas woman admitted she left a 94-year-old woman in her vehicle, in extreme heat, to shop in Salina.

Just after 5:30p.m. Wednesday, police received a report of an unresponsive elderly woman sitting in the passenger seat of a vehicle at the Kohl's parking lot, 2580 S 9th Street,&nbsp; in Salina, according to Salina Police Captain James Feldman.

Someone noticed the woman in the vehicle and walked over to see if she was okay. The window of the vehicle was down and tried to speak with the woman, who did not respond. The individual then called 9-1-1 and officers, along with EMS immediately arrived to the scene.

Police identified the woman inside the vehicle, as a 94-year old Miltonvale resident. The woman was 'not fully coherent' when EMS was speaking with her. Feldman said the woman had been inside the vehicle for 50 minutes, before authorities arrived.&nbsp;

Officers identified the registered owner of the vehicle as 67-year-old Ava Aarlene Brown of Miltonvale. They found her shopping inside Kohl's during the investigation.

Brown admitted leaving the 94-year old woman inside the vehicle. It was also determined that Brown and the 94-year-old woman are known associates. Police did not confirm if they were family.

Police arrested Brown was arrested on requested charges of Mistreatment of a Dependent Adult. EMS transported the 94-year-old&nbsp;&nbsp;to Salina Regional Health Center for medical treatment.

The heat index was 93 degrees at the time officers and EMS arrived to the scene, according to Feldman.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/8/1755792764264.png" alt="Brown photo Saline County Jail" />
 <figcaption>Brown photo Saline County Jail</figcaption>
 </figure>SALINE COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating alleged elder abuse after a Kansas woman admitted she left a 94-year-old woman in her vehicle, in extreme heat, to shop in Salina.Just after 5:30p.m. Wednesday, police received a report of an unresponsive elderly woman sitting in the passenger seat of a vehicle at the Kohl's parking lot, 2580 S 9th Street,&nbsp; in Salina, according to Salina Police Captain James Feldman.Someone noticed the woman in the vehicle and walked over to see if she was okay. The window of the vehicle was down and tried to speak with the woman, who did not respond. The individual then called 9-1-1 and officers, along with EMS immediately arrived to the scene.Police identified the woman inside the vehicle, as a 94-year old Miltonvale resident. The woman was 'not fully coherent' when EMS was speaking with her. Feldman said the woman had been inside the vehicle for 50 minutes, before authorities arrived.&nbsp;Officers identified the registered owner of the vehicle as 67-year-old Ava Aarlene Brown of Miltonvale. They found her shopping inside Kohl's during the investigation.Brown admitted leaving the 94-year old woman inside the vehicle. It was also determined that Brown and the 94-year-old woman are known associates. Police did not confirm if they were family.Police arrested Brown was arrested on requested charges of Mistreatment of a Dependent Adult. EMS transported the 94-year-old&nbsp;&nbsp;to Salina Regional Health Center for medical treatment.The heat index was 93 degrees at the time officers and EMS arrived to the scene, according to Feldman.

Police: Kan. woman left 94-year-old in hot car while she went shopping

By MIKE CATALINI and HOLLY MEYER Associated Press

Dr.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/94982d52cefc48babc242fb0e3853a43">James Dobson</a>, a politically influential child psychologist who started a radio show counseling Christians on how to be good parents, founded the conservative ministry Focus on the Family and was long a campaigner against abortion and LGBTQ+ rights, died on Thursday. He was 89.

His death was confirmed by the Dr. James Dobson Family Institute.

Born in 1936 in Shreveport, Louisiana, Dobson started a radio show counseling Christians on how to be good parents and in 1977 founded Focus on the Family. At its peak, the organization had more than 1,000 employees and gave Dobson a platform to weigh in on legislation and serve as an adviser to five presidents.

He became a force in the 1980s for pushing conservative Christian ideals in American politics alongside fundamentalist giants like Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson. He campaigned for bringing religious conservatives into the political mainstream, and in 1989, Falwell called Dobson a rising star. Decades later, he served on a board of evangelical leaders that advised President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;in 2016. He supported Trump in all three of his presidential campaigns.

He celebrated the 2022 overturning of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-supreme-court-decision-854f60302f21c2c35129e58cf8d8a7b0">Roe v. Wade</a>&nbsp;— including Trump’s conservative appointments to the U.S. Supreme Court credited with the landmark decision that allowed states to ban abortion.

“Whether you like Donald Trump or not, whether you supported or voted for him or not, if you are supportive of this Dobbs decision that struck down Roe v. Wade, you have to mention in the same breath the man who made it possible,” he said in a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.drjamesdobson.org/broadcasts/a-historic-victory-for-life-dr-dobson-reacts-to-the-reversal-of-roe-v-wade-part-1/">ministry broadcast</a>.

Dobson left Focus on the Family in 2010 and founded the institute that bears his name. He continued with the Family Talk radio show, which is nationally syndicated and is carried by 1,500 radio outlets with more than half a million listeners weekly, according to the institute.

“Dr. Dobson’s impact endures through the many lives he touched, the families he strengthened, and the unshakable faith he proclaimed,” his family said in a statement announcing his death.

Gary Bauer, a senior vice president at Dobson’s institute, called him a “pioneer” who helped families in a world of shifting values. Dobson interviewed President Ronald Reagan in the Oval Office in 1985, thanking him for concentrating on issues important to families.

Dobson's radio program promoted guests who said they abandoned their homosexuality and instead embraced Christianity.

Dobson was not just an influential voice that helped lead the rise of the Christian, conservative movement to today, where such a large portion of Republican voters consider themselves evangelical conservatives. He was also mentor to today’s leading Christian conservative voices.

Dobson, as a board member on Family Research Council, approached Tony Perkins, then a Louisiana state legislator, to become president of the organization. That was after Perkins grew up in his family church, watching Dobson’s films and following his lead with his own work in the Louisiana Legislature.

In Perkins’ first week as president, he and Dobson stood on the steps of the Alabama Supreme Court to support the installation of a monument to the Ten Commandments in the building. The action led to a court case and the monument’s removal.

Dobson belongs on the “Mount Rushmore” of the Christian conservatives, Perkins said, notably for leading an evangelical church-driven counter-movement to a family and parenting ethos of the 1960s embodied in the progressive teachings of Dr. Benjamin Spock.

“Very few people have had such a positive impact in the shaping of the American family, from what we would describe as a biblical standpoint,” said Perkins, who remains the group’s president. “While his passing is sad and it leaves a vacancy, he has a legacy that will live on.”

After developing a following of millions, Dobson considered running for president in the 2000 election, following in the footsteps of former television minister Pat Robertson’s surprise success in 1988.

“He had a big audience. He was not afraid to speak out. He became a very important voice and there was even talk that he might run for president,” said Ralph Reed, a Christian conservative political organizer and lobbyist who founded the Faith and Freedom Coalition. “If Jim had decided to run, he would have been a major force.”

Reed’s organization presented Dobson with a lifetime achievement award in 2017.

Despite their close association later in life, Reed’s enduring memory was as a younger political organizer traveling through rural America with Dobson’s voice as his sole companion.

“I’d be out there somewhere, and I could go to the AM dial and there was never a time, day or night when I couldn’t find that guy,” Reed said. “There will probably never be another one like him.”

An anti-pornography crusader, Dobson recorded a video interview with serial killer Ted Bundy the day before his January 24, 1989, execution in Florida. Bundy told Dobson that exposure to pornography helped fuel his sexual urges to a point that he looked for satisfaction by mutilating, killing and raping women.

At the time, Dobson’s Focus on the Family program was broadcast daily on 1,200 radio stations.

Months after the execution, Bundy’s attorney James Coleman downplayed the Dobson exchange in an interview with The Associated Press.

“I think that was a little bit of Ted telling the minister what he wanted to hear and Ted offering an explanation that would exonerate him personally,” Coleman told The Associated Press in 1989. “I had heard that before and I told Ted I never accepted it.”

Dobson is survived by his wife of 64 years, Shirley, as well as their children, Danae and Ryan, daughter-in-law Laura, and two grandchildren, his family's statement said.

Catalini reported from Trenton, New Jersey, and Meyer from Nashville, Tennessee. Associated Press writer Tom Beaumont in Des Moines, Iowa, contributed.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/8/1755787184722.png" alt=" " />
 <figcaption> </figcaption>
 </figure>By MIKE CATALINI and HOLLY MEYER Associated PressDr.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/94982d52cefc48babc242fb0e3853a43">James Dobson</a>, a politically influential child psychologist who started a radio show counseling Christians on how to be good parents, founded the conservative ministry Focus on the Family and was long a campaigner against abortion and LGBTQ+ rights, died on Thursday. He was 89.His death was confirmed by the Dr. James Dobson Family Institute.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">For nearly five decades, his voice championed life, marriage, and the truth of God’s Word. As we grieve, we also give thanks — for his life, his legacy, and the mission that lives on through the Dr. James Dobson Family Institute. <a href="https://t.co/TEBn59Fesy">pic.twitter.com/TEBn59Fesy</a>&mdash; Dr. James Dobson Family Institute (@DrJamesDobsonFT) <a href="https://twitter.com/DrJamesDobsonFT/status/1958497811453886630?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 21, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Born in 1936 in Shreveport, Louisiana, Dobson started a radio show counseling Christians on how to be good parents and in 1977 founded Focus on the Family. At its peak, the organization had more than 1,000 employees and gave Dobson a platform to weigh in on legislation and serve as an adviser to five presidents.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Today we remember a hero of the faith. Our Founder, Dr. James C. Dobson, passed away this morning. Although we&#39;re sorrowful over this loss, we are thankful for his legacy of family ministry that will live on for future generations, and rejoice that he is now in the presence of… <a href="https://t.co/H8sSsXssos">pic.twitter.com/H8sSsXssos</a>&mdash; Focus on the Family (@FocusFamily) <a href="https://twitter.com/FocusFamily/status/1958532943464268014?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 21, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>He became a force in the 1980s for pushing conservative Christian ideals in American politics alongside fundamentalist giants like Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson. He campaigned for bringing religious conservatives into the political mainstream, and in 1989, Falwell called Dobson a rising star. Decades later, he served on a board of evangelical leaders that advised President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;in 2016. He supported Trump in all three of his presidential campaigns.He celebrated the 2022 overturning of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-supreme-court-decision-854f60302f21c2c35129e58cf8d8a7b0">Roe v. Wade</a>&nbsp;— including Trump’s conservative appointments to the U.S. Supreme Court credited with the landmark decision that allowed states to ban abortion.“Whether you like Donald Trump or not, whether you supported or voted for him or not, if you are supportive of this Dobbs decision that struck down Roe v. Wade, you have to mention in the same breath the man who made it possible,” he said in a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.drjamesdobson.org/broadcasts/a-historic-victory-for-life-dr-dobson-reacts-to-the-reversal-of-roe-v-wade-part-1/">ministry broadcast</a>.Dobson left Focus on the Family in 2010 and founded the institute that bears his name. He continued with the Family Talk radio show, which is nationally syndicated and is carried by 1,500 radio outlets with more than half a million listeners weekly, according to the institute.“Dr. Dobson’s impact endures through the many lives he touched, the families he strengthened, and the unshakable faith he proclaimed,” his family said in a statement announcing his death.Gary Bauer, a senior vice president at Dobson’s institute, called him a “pioneer” who helped families in a world of shifting values. Dobson interviewed President Ronald Reagan in the Oval Office in 1985, thanking him for concentrating on issues important to families.Dobson's radio program promoted guests who said they abandoned their homosexuality and instead embraced Christianity.Dobson was not just an influential voice that helped lead the rise of the Christian, conservative movement to today, where such a large portion of Republican voters consider themselves evangelical conservatives. He was also mentor to today’s leading Christian conservative voices.Dobson, as a board member on Family Research Council, approached Tony Perkins, then a Louisiana state legislator, to become president of the organization. That was after Perkins grew up in his family church, watching Dobson’s films and following his lead with his own work in the Louisiana Legislature.In Perkins’ first week as president, he and Dobson stood on the steps of the Alabama Supreme Court to support the installation of a monument to the Ten Commandments in the building. The action led to a court case and the monument’s removal.Dobson belongs on the “Mount Rushmore” of the Christian conservatives, Perkins said, notably for leading an evangelical church-driven counter-movement to a family and parenting ethos of the 1960s embodied in the progressive teachings of Dr. Benjamin Spock.“Very few people have had such a positive impact in the shaping of the American family, from what we would describe as a biblical standpoint,” said Perkins, who remains the group’s president. “While his passing is sad and it leaves a vacancy, he has a legacy that will live on.”After developing a following of millions, Dobson considered running for president in the 2000 election, following in the footsteps of former television minister Pat Robertson’s surprise success in 1988.“He had a big audience. He was not afraid to speak out. He became a very important voice and there was even talk that he might run for president,” said Ralph Reed, a Christian conservative political organizer and lobbyist who founded the Faith and Freedom Coalition. “If Jim had decided to run, he would have been a major force.”Reed’s organization presented Dobson with a lifetime achievement award in 2017.Despite their close association later in life, Reed’s enduring memory was as a younger political organizer traveling through rural America with Dobson’s voice as his sole companion.“I’d be out there somewhere, and I could go to the AM dial and there was never a time, day or night when I couldn’t find that guy,” Reed said. “There will probably never be another one like him.”An anti-pornography crusader, Dobson recorded a video interview with serial killer Ted Bundy the day before his January 24, 1989, execution in Florida. Bundy told Dobson that exposure to pornography helped fuel his sexual urges to a point that he looked for satisfaction by mutilating, killing and raping women.At the time, Dobson’s Focus on the Family program was broadcast daily on 1,200 radio stations.Months after the execution, Bundy’s attorney James Coleman downplayed the Dobson exchange in an interview with The Associated Press.“I think that was a little bit of Ted telling the minister what he wanted to hear and Ted offering an explanation that would exonerate him personally,” Coleman told The Associated Press in 1989. “I had heard that before and I told Ted I never accepted it.”Dobson is survived by his wife of 64 years, Shirley, as well as their children, Danae and Ryan, daughter-in-law Laura, and two grandchildren, his family's statement said.___Catalini reported from Trenton, New Jersey, and Meyer from Nashville, Tennessee. Associated Press writer Tom Beaumont in Des Moines, Iowa, contributed.

Legendary evangelical leader Dr. James Dobson dead at 89

SEDGWICK COUNTY— Firefighters are urging caution with air fryers after&nbsp; three kitchen fires linked to the appliances in Derby year, according to a social media report from Derby Fire and Rescue.

Fire crews responded to the 800 block of Westview Drive in the city of Derby for a reported appliance fire. Crews found an an air fryer burning on a glass cooktop. Prior to fire crews arrival, the resident had acted quickly with a kitchen fire extinguisher before evacuating with their child, limiting damage until firefighters arrived to ensure the fire was fully out. There were no injuries reported.

This is the third air fryer fire in Derby this year resulting in moderate kitchen/appliance damage. A common factor in all three: the air fryer was on top of the stove, either in use or being stored there.

Derby Fire provided these air fryers safety tips.

Place and ventilate: Set it on a stable countertop with clearance, never on a stovetop or directly under cabinets. 

  Power and supervise: Plug directly into a wall outlet (no power strips/extension cords) and stay nearby while it’s running. 

  Grease and emergencies: Clean crumbs/grease trays regularly. If it smokes or flames, unplug and keep the basket closed to smother, never use water.A big thank-you to the resident for their prompt, safe response. Having a fire extinguisher and knowing how to use it makes a difference.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/8/1755786670720.png" alt="Photos Derby" />
 <figcaption>Photos Derby</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY— Firefighters are urging caution with air fryers after&nbsp; three kitchen fires linked to the appliances in Derby year, according to a social media report from Derby Fire and Rescue.Fire crews responded to the 800 block of Westview Drive in the city of Derby for a reported appliance fire. Crews found an an air fryer burning on a glass cooktop. Prior to fire crews arrival, the resident had acted quickly with a kitchen fire extinguisher before evacuating with their child, limiting damage until firefighters arrived to ensure the fire was fully out. There were no injuries reported.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/8/1755786642204.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>This is the third air fryer fire in Derby this year resulting in moderate kitchen/appliance damage. A common factor in all three: the air fryer was on top of the stove, either in use or being stored there.Derby Fire provided these air fryers safety tips.Place and ventilate: Set it on a stable countertop with clearance, never on a stovetop or directly under cabinets. Power and supervise: Plug directly into a wall outlet (no power strips/extension cords) and stay nearby while it’s running. Grease and emergencies: Clean crumbs/grease trays regularly. If it smokes or flames, unplug and keep the basket closed to smother, never use water.A big thank-you to the resident for their prompt, safe response. Having a fire extinguisher and knowing how to use it makes a difference.

Three  air fryer kitchen fires in Kansas community this year

By&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/author/jeff-amy">JEFF AMY</a> Associated Press

Jamel Bishop is seeing a big change in his classrooms as he begins his senior year at Doss High School in Louisville, Kentucky, where cellphones are now banned during instructional time.

In previous years, students often weren’t paying attention and wasted class time by repeating questions, the teenager said. Now, teachers can provide “more one-on-one time for the students who actually need it.”

Kentucky is one of 17 states and the District of Columbia starting this school year with new restrictions, bringing the total to 35 states with laws or rules limiting phones and other electronic devices in school. This change has come remarkably quickly:&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/florida-schools-cell-phone-ban-social-media-89b0c8bdad325fb9a776f4384602a1a1">Florida became the first state</a>&nbsp;to pass such a law in 2023.

Both&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/georgia-school-cellphone-phone-ban-tennessee-utah-f633d3001a9d634269aa68db258184ee">Democrats and Republicans</a>&nbsp;have taken up the cause, reflecting a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/school-cell-phone-ban-extracurricular-afterschool-4d89f5b7fd7c8f1d5903f8c04f26da54">growing consensus</a>&nbsp;that phones are bad for kids’ mental health and take their focus away from learning, even as some researchers say the issue is less clear-cut.

“Anytime you have a bill that’s passed in California and Florida, you know you’re probably onto something that’s pretty popular,” Georgia state Rep. Scott Hilton, a Republican, told a forum on cellphone use last week in Atlanta.

Phones are banned throughout the school day in 18 of the states and the District of Columbia, although Georgia and Florida impose such “bell-to-bell” bans only from kindergarten through eighth grade. Another seven states ban them during class time, but not between classes or during lunch. Still others, particularly those with traditions of local school control, mandate only a cellphone policy, believing districts will take the hint and sharply restrict phone access.

For students, the rules add new school-day rituals, like putting phones in magnetic pouches or special lockers.

Students have been locking up their phones during class at McNair High School in suburban Atlanta since last year. Audreanna Johnson, a junior, said “most of them did not want to turn in their phones” at first, because students would use them to gossip, texting “their other friends in other classes to see what’s the tea and what’s going on around the building.”

That resentment is “starting to ease down” now, she said. “More students are willing to give up their phones and not get distracted.”

But there are drawbacks — like not being able to listen to music when working independently in class. “I’m kind of 50-50 on the situation because me, I use headphones to do my schoolwork. I listen to music to help focus,” she said.

In a survey of 125 Georgia school districts by Emory University researchers, parental resistance was cited as the top obstacle to regulating student use of social and digital media.

Johnson’s mother, Audrena Johnson, said she worries most about knowing her children are&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/georgia-school-shooting-cellphone-bans-cb68f601be5193bfeb62e9fd065978a1">safe from violence at school</a>. School messages about threats can be delayed and incomplete, she said, like when someone who wasn’t a McNair student got into a fight on school property, which she learned about when her daughter texted her during the school day.

“My child having her phone is very important to me, because if something were to happen, I know instantly,” Johnson said.

Many parents echo this — generally supporting restrictions but wanting a say in the policymaking and better communication, particularly about safety — and they have a real need to coordinate schedules with their children and to know about any problems their children may encounter, said Jason Allen, the national director of partnerships for the National Parents Union.

“We just changed the cellphone policy, but aren’t meeting the parents’ needs in regards to safety and really training teachers to work with students on social emotional development,” Allen said.

Some researchers say it’s not yet clear what types of social media may cause harm, and whether restrictions have benefits, but teachers “love the policy,” according to Julie Gazmararian, a professor of public health at Emory University who does surveys and focus groups to research the effects of a phone ban in middle school grades in the Marietta school district near Atlanta.

“They could focus more on teaching,” Gazmararian said. “There were just not the disruptions.”

Another benefit: More positive interactions among students. “They were saying that kids are talking to each other in the hallways and in the cafeteria,” she said. “And in the classroom, there is a noticeably lower amount of discipline referrals.”

Gazmararian is still compiling numbers on grades and discipline, and cautioned that her work may not be able to answer whether bullying has been reduced or mental health improved.

Social media use clearly correlates with poor mental health, but research can’t yet prove it causes it, according to Munmun De Choudhury, a Georgia Tech professor who studies this issue.

“We need to be able to quantify what types of social media use are causing harm, what types of social media use can be beneficial,” De Choudhury said.

Some state legislatures are bucking the momentum.

Wyoming’s Senate in January rejected requiring districts to create some kind of a cellphone policy after opponents argued that teachers and parents need to be responsible.

And in the Michigan House in July, a Republican-sponsored bill directing schools to ban phones bell-to-bell in grades K-8 and during high school instruction time was defeated in July after Democrats insisted on upholding local control. Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, among multiple governors who made restricting phones in schools a priority this year, is still calling for a bill to come to her desk.

Associated Press writers Isabella Volmert in Lansing, Michigan, and Dylan Lovan in Louisville, Kentucky, contributed.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/3/1679496400146.jpg" alt="Photo Pixaby" />
 <figcaption>Photo Pixaby</figcaption>
 </figure>By&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/author/jeff-amy">JEFF AMY</a> Associated PressJamel Bishop is seeing a big change in his classrooms as he begins his senior year at Doss High School in Louisville, Kentucky, where cellphones are now banned during instructional time.In previous years, students often weren’t paying attention and wasted class time by repeating questions, the teenager said. Now, teachers can provide “more one-on-one time for the students who actually need it.”Kentucky is one of 17 states and the District of Columbia starting this school year with new restrictions, bringing the total to 35 states with laws or rules limiting phones and other electronic devices in school. This change has come remarkably quickly:&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/florida-schools-cell-phone-ban-social-media-89b0c8bdad325fb9a776f4384602a1a1">Florida became the first state</a>&nbsp;to pass such a law in 2023.Both&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/georgia-school-cellphone-phone-ban-tennessee-utah-f633d3001a9d634269aa68db258184ee">Democrats and Republicans</a>&nbsp;have taken up the cause, reflecting a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/school-cell-phone-ban-extracurricular-afterschool-4d89f5b7fd7c8f1d5903f8c04f26da54">growing consensus</a>&nbsp;that phones are bad for kids’ mental health and take their focus away from learning, even as some researchers say the issue is less clear-cut.“Anytime you have a bill that’s passed in California and Florida, you know you’re probably onto something that’s pretty popular,” Georgia state Rep. Scott Hilton, a Republican, told a forum on cellphone use last week in Atlanta.Phones are banned throughout the school day in 18 of the states and the District of Columbia, although Georgia and Florida impose such “bell-to-bell” bans only from kindergarten through eighth grade. Another seven states ban them during class time, but not between classes or during lunch. Still others, particularly those with traditions of local school control, mandate only a cellphone policy, believing districts will take the hint and sharply restrict phone access.<h2>Students see pros and cons</h2>For students, the rules add new school-day rituals, like putting phones in magnetic pouches or special lockers.Students have been locking up their phones during class at McNair High School in suburban Atlanta since last year. Audreanna Johnson, a junior, said “most of them did not want to turn in their phones” at first, because students would use them to gossip, texting “their other friends in other classes to see what’s the tea and what’s going on around the building.”That resentment is “starting to ease down” now, she said. “More students are willing to give up their phones and not get distracted.”But there are drawbacks — like not being able to listen to music when working independently in class. “I’m kind of 50-50 on the situation because me, I use headphones to do my schoolwork. I listen to music to help focus,” she said.<h2>Some parents want constant contact</h2>In a survey of 125 Georgia school districts by Emory University researchers, parental resistance was cited as the top obstacle to regulating student use of social and digital media.Johnson’s mother, Audrena Johnson, said she worries most about knowing her children are&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/georgia-school-shooting-cellphone-bans-cb68f601be5193bfeb62e9fd065978a1">safe from violence at school</a>. School messages about threats can be delayed and incomplete, she said, like when someone who wasn’t a McNair student got into a fight on school property, which she learned about when her daughter texted her during the school day.“My child having her phone is very important to me, because if something were to happen, I know instantly,” Johnson said.Many parents echo this — generally supporting restrictions but wanting a say in the policymaking and better communication, particularly about safety — and they have a real need to coordinate schedules with their children and to know about any problems their children may encounter, said Jason Allen, the national director of partnerships for the National Parents Union.“We just changed the cellphone policy, but aren’t meeting the parents’ needs in regards to safety and really training teachers to work with students on social emotional development,” Allen said.<h2>Research remains in an early stage</h2>Some researchers say it’s not yet clear what types of social media may cause harm, and whether restrictions have benefits, but teachers “love the policy,” according to Julie Gazmararian, a professor of public health at Emory University who does surveys and focus groups to research the effects of a phone ban in middle school grades in the Marietta school district near Atlanta.“They could focus more on teaching,” Gazmararian said. “There were just not the disruptions.”Another benefit: More positive interactions among students. “They were saying that kids are talking to each other in the hallways and in the cafeteria,” she said. “And in the classroom, there is a noticeably lower amount of discipline referrals.”Gazmararian is still compiling numbers on grades and discipline, and cautioned that her work may not be able to answer whether bullying has been reduced or mental health improved.Social media use clearly correlates with poor mental health, but research can’t yet prove it causes it, according to Munmun De Choudhury, a Georgia Tech professor who studies this issue.“We need to be able to quantify what types of social media use are causing harm, what types of social media use can be beneficial,” De Choudhury said.<h2>A few states reject rules</h2>Some state legislatures are bucking the momentum.Wyoming’s Senate in January rejected requiring districts to create some kind of a cellphone policy after opponents argued that teachers and parents need to be responsible.And in the Michigan House in July, a Republican-sponsored bill directing schools to ban phones bell-to-bell in grades K-8 and during high school instruction time was defeated in July after Democrats insisted on upholding local control. Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, among multiple governors who made restricting phones in schools a priority this year, is still calling for a bill to come to her desk.___Associated Press writers Isabella Volmert in Lansing, Michigan, and Dylan Lovan in Louisville, Kentucky, contributed.

Students face new cellphone restrictions in 17 states as school year begins

KANSAS CITY —An adult with a laboratory-confirmed infection of Naegleria fowleri has died, according to a statement from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. The patient died on Tuesday in a St. Louis area hospital.

&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/naegleria/about/?CDC_AAref_Val=https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/naegleria/index.html">Naegleria fowleri</a>&nbsp;is a microscopic single-celled free-living ameba that can cause a rare deadly infection of the brain called primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM), also known as “brain-eating” infection. Typically, fewer than 10 people a year in the United States get PAM.

The ameba is common and naturally present in warm freshwater such as lakes, rivers and ponds; however, PAM is extremely rare. Between 1962 and 2024, there were 167 reported cases of PAM in the United States.

The source of the patient’s exposure is still under investigation by public health officials. While not confirmed, preliminary information implies the patient may have been water skiing at the Lake of the Ozarks days prior to becoming ill. Recreational water users should assume that&nbsp;Naegleria fowleri&nbsp;is present in warm freshwater across the United States; however, infection remains very rare.

&nbsp;No additional suspected cases of PAM are being investigated in Missouri.

Although a rare occurrence, people become infected by&nbsp;Naegleria fowleri&nbsp;when water containing the ameba enters the body through the nose from freshwater sources. The&nbsp;Naegleria fowleri&nbsp;ameba then travels up the nose to the brain where it damages the brain tissue. This infection cannot be spread from one person to another, and it cannot be contracted by swallowing contaminated water.

People can take actions to reduce the risk of infection by limiting the amount of water going up the nose. These actions could include:

Those who experience the following symptoms after swimming in any warm body of water should contact their health care provider immediately as the disease progresses rapidly:

Information about recreational water safety in Missouri is available&nbsp;<a href="https://health.mo.gov/safety/recreationalwater/index.php" target="_blank">on the DHSS website.</a>

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/8/1755118398929.png" alt="Naegleria fowleri  infects people by traveling up the nose and to the brain (shown here) where it consumes brain tissue. Photo: Dr. James Roberts, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta" />
 <figcaption>Naegleria fowleri  infects people by traveling up the nose and to the brain (shown here) where it consumes brain tissue. Photo: Dr. James Roberts, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —An adult with a laboratory-confirmed infection of Naegleria fowleri has died, according to a statement from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. The patient died on Tuesday in a St. Louis area hospital.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/naegleria/about/?CDC_AAref_Val=https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/naegleria/index.html">Naegleria fowleri</a>&nbsp;is a microscopic single-celled free-living ameba that can cause a rare deadly infection of the brain called primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM), also known as “brain-eating” infection. Typically, fewer than 10 people a year in the United States get PAM.The ameba is common and naturally present in warm freshwater such as lakes, rivers and ponds; however, PAM is extremely rare. Between 1962 and 2024, there were 167 reported cases of PAM in the United States.The source of the patient’s exposure is still under investigation by public health officials. While not confirmed, preliminary information implies the patient may have been water skiing at the Lake of the Ozarks days prior to becoming ill. Recreational water users should assume that&nbsp;Naegleria fowleri&nbsp;is present in warm freshwater across the United States; however, infection remains very rare.&nbsp;No additional suspected cases of PAM are being investigated in Missouri.Although a rare occurrence, people become infected by&nbsp;Naegleria fowleri&nbsp;when water containing the ameba enters the body through the nose from freshwater sources. The&nbsp;Naegleria fowleri&nbsp;ameba then travels up the nose to the brain where it damages the brain tissue. This infection cannot be spread from one person to another, and it cannot be contracted by swallowing contaminated water.People can take actions to reduce the risk of infection by limiting the amount of water going up the nose. These actions could include:<ol>
 <li>Hold your nose shut, use nose clips, or keep your head above water when taking part in activities in bodies of warm freshwater, especially if you jump or dive into the water.</li><li>Avoid putting your head under the water in hot springs and other untreated thermal waters.</li><li>Avoid water-related activities in warm freshwater during periods of high-water temperature.</li><li>Avoid digging in, or stirring up, the sediment while taking part in water-related activities in shallow, warm freshwater areas.&nbsp;Naegleria fowleri&nbsp;amebas are more likely to live in sediment at the bottom of lakes, ponds and rivers.</li>
 </ol>Those who experience the following symptoms after swimming in any warm body of water should contact their health care provider immediately as the disease progresses rapidly:<ol>
 <li>Severe headache.</li><li>Fever.</li><li>Nausea.</li><li>Vomiting.</li><li>Stiff neck.</li><li>Seizures.</li><li>Altered mental status.</li><li>Hallucinations.</li>
 </ol>Information about recreational water safety in Missouri is available&nbsp;<a href="https://health.mo.gov/safety/recreationalwater/index.php" target="_blank">on the DHSS website.</a>

Victim with ‘brain-eating’ infection linked to Lake of the Ozarks died

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A bullet was fired into Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid's office at the team's practice facility last spring while he was inside,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kansascity.com/sports/nfl/kansas-city-chiefs/article311767668.html">the Kansas City Star reported Wednesday</a>.

The Star, citing multiple sources, reported Reid was working alone in his office in early May 2024 when a bullet fired from outside the building broke through glass and left a hole through the window and blinds. It got lodged in a wall between his bathroom and the entry door to his office. The team installed bulletproof glass soon afterward.

The Star reported two more bullets hit the facility, with one striking the third floor and another an outdoor air-conditioning unit. Few people people in the organization knew about the incident.

A Chiefs spokesman declined comment to the AP on Wednesday night.

The incident occurred just months after Reid led the Chiefs to a Super Bowl championship repeat and their third title in a five-year span. They won the AFC again last season, only to lose to Philadelphia.

Reid has a 273-146-1 record in 12 seasons with the Chiefs and 14 with the Eagles. He ranks fourth on the NFL's all-time wins list behind Don Shula, George Halas and Bill Belichick. ___

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1721168026141.jpeg" alt="File photo coach Andy Reid" />
 <figcaption>File photo coach Andy Reid</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A bullet was fired into Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid's office at the team's practice facility last spring while he was inside,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kansascity.com/sports/nfl/kansas-city-chiefs/article311767668.html">the Kansas City Star reported Wednesday</a>.The Star, citing multiple sources, reported Reid was working alone in his office in early May 2024 when a bullet fired from outside the building broke through glass and left a hole through the window and blinds. It got lodged in a wall between his bathroom and the entry door to his office. The team installed bulletproof glass soon afterward.The Star reported two more bullets hit the facility, with one striking the third floor and another an outdoor air-conditioning unit. Few people people in the organization knew about the incident.A Chiefs spokesman declined comment to the AP on Wednesday night.The incident occurred just months after Reid led the Chiefs to a Super Bowl championship repeat and their third title in a five-year span. They won the AFC again last season, only to lose to Philadelphia.Reid has a 273-146-1 record in 12 seasons with the Chiefs and 14 with the Eagles. He ranks fourth on the NFL's all-time wins list behind Don Shula, George Halas and Bill Belichick. ___

Report: Bullet fired into Chiefs coach Andy Reid's office while he was there

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A federal appeals court on Wednesday sided with the Trump administration and halted for now a lower court’s order that had kept in place temporary protections for 60,000 migrants from Central America and Nepal.

This means that the Republican administration can move toward removing an estimated 7,000 people from Nepal whose Temporary Protected Status designations expired Aug. 5. The TPS designations and legal status of 51,000 Hondurans and 3,000 Nicaraguans are set to expire Sept. 8, at which point they will become eligible for removal.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco granted the emergency stay pending an appeal as lead plaintiff National TPS Alliance alleges that the administration acted unlawfully in ending Temporary Protected Status designations for people from Honduras, Nicaragua and Nepal.

“The district court’s order granting plaintiffs’ motion to postpone, entered July 31, 2025, is stayed pending further order of this court,” wrote the judges, who are appointees of Democrat Bill Clinton and Republicans George W. Bush and Donald Trump.

Temporary Protected Status is a designation that can be granted by the Homeland Security secretary, preventing migrants from being deported and allowing them to work. The Trump administration has aggressively sought to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-border-trump-honduras-nicaragua-0b45ae86356631f2afee2dd9bbed7a3e">remove the protection</a>, thus making more people eligible for removal. It’s part of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-budget-congress-trump-bill-e37bb0a5c5ca883438db349239a6c251">a wider effort by the administration</a>&nbsp;to carry out mass deportations of immigrants.

Secretary Kristi Noem can extend Temporary Protected Status to immigrants in the U.S. if conditions in their homelands are deemed unsafe for return due to a natural disaster, political instability or other dangerous conditions.

Immigrant rights advocates say TPS holders from Nepal have lived in the U.S. for more than a decade while people from Honduras and Nicaragua have lived in the country for 26 years, after Hurricane Mitch in 1998 devastated both countries.

“The Trump administration is systematically de-documenting immigrants who have lived lawfully in this country for decades, raising U.S.-citizen children, starting businesses, and contributing to their communities,” said Jessica Bansal, attorney at the National Day Laborer Organization, in a statement.

Noem ended the programs&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-border-trump-honduras-nicaragua-0b45ae86356631f2afee2dd9bbed7a3e">after determining</a>&nbsp;that conditions no longer warranted protections.

In a sharply written July 31 order, U.S. District Judge Trina L. Thompson in San Francisco kept the protections in place while the case proceeds. The next hearing is Nov. 18.

She said the administration ended the migrant status protections without an “objective review of the country conditions,” such as political violence in Honduras and the impact of recent hurricanes and storms in Nicaragua.

In response, Tricia McLaughlin, the assistant secretary at DHS, said, “TPS was never meant to be a de facto asylum system, yet that is how previous administrations have used it for decades.”

The Trump administration has already terminated TPS designations for about 350,000&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-venezuelans-deportation-trump-5589f17e0ecd5d33bfb220e15720f88d">Venezuelans</a>, 500,000 Haitians, more than 160,000 Ukrainians and thousands of people from Afghanistan and Cameroon. Some have pending lawsuits in federal courts.

Lawyers for the plaintiffs argued that Noem’s decisions are unlawful because they were predetermined by President Donald Trump’s campaign promises and motivated by racial animus.

But Drew Ensign, a U.S. deputy assistant attorney general, said at a hearing Tuesday that the government suffers an ongoing irreparable harm from its “inability to carry out the programs that it has determined are warranted.”

Honduras Deputy Foreign Minister Gerardo Torres said Wednesday that the appellate decision was unfortunate. He said the government hopes to at least buy time for Hondurans with the temporary status so they can seek out another way to stay legally in the U.S.

“We’re going to wait to see what the National TPS Alliance decides, it’s possible the case could be elevated to the United States Supreme Court, but we have to wait,” he said.

In May, the U.S. Supreme Court allowed the Trump administration to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-venezuelans-deportation-trump-5589f17e0ecd5d33bfb220e15720f88d">end TPS designations for Venezuelans</a>. The justices provided no rationale, which is common in emergency appeals, and did not rule on the underlying claims.

Associated Press journalist Marlon González in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, contributed to this report.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/8/1755742227155.png" alt="File photo- Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem with Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa Azin earlier this month" />
 <figcaption>File photo- Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem with Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa Azin earlier this month</figcaption>
 </figure>SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A federal appeals court on Wednesday sided with the Trump administration and halted for now a lower court’s order that had kept in place temporary protections for 60,000 migrants from Central America and Nepal.This means that the Republican administration can move toward removing an estimated 7,000 people from Nepal whose Temporary Protected Status designations expired Aug. 5. The TPS designations and legal status of 51,000 Hondurans and 3,000 Nicaraguans are set to expire Sept. 8, at which point they will become eligible for removal.The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco granted the emergency stay pending an appeal as lead plaintiff National TPS Alliance alleges that the administration acted unlawfully in ending Temporary Protected Status designations for people from Honduras, Nicaragua and Nepal.“The district court’s order granting plaintiffs’ motion to postpone, entered July 31, 2025, is stayed pending further order of this court,” wrote the judges, who are appointees of Democrat Bill Clinton and Republicans George W. Bush and Donald Trump.Temporary Protected Status is a designation that can be granted by the Homeland Security secretary, preventing migrants from being deported and allowing them to work. The Trump administration has aggressively sought to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-border-trump-honduras-nicaragua-0b45ae86356631f2afee2dd9bbed7a3e">remove the protection</a>, thus making more people eligible for removal. It’s part of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-budget-congress-trump-bill-e37bb0a5c5ca883438db349239a6c251">a wider effort by the administration</a>&nbsp;to carry out mass deportations of immigrants.Secretary Kristi Noem can extend Temporary Protected Status to immigrants in the U.S. if conditions in their homelands are deemed unsafe for return due to a natural disaster, political instability or other dangerous conditions.Immigrant rights advocates say TPS holders from Nepal have lived in the U.S. for more than a decade while people from Honduras and Nicaragua have lived in the country for 26 years, after Hurricane Mitch in 1998 devastated both countries.“The Trump administration is systematically de-documenting immigrants who have lived lawfully in this country for decades, raising U.S.-citizen children, starting businesses, and contributing to their communities,” said Jessica Bansal, attorney at the National Day Laborer Organization, in a statement.Noem ended the programs&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-border-trump-honduras-nicaragua-0b45ae86356631f2afee2dd9bbed7a3e">after determining</a>&nbsp;that conditions no longer warranted protections.In a sharply written July 31 order, U.S. District Judge Trina L. Thompson in San Francisco kept the protections in place while the case proceeds. The next hearing is Nov. 18.She said the administration ended the migrant status protections without an “objective review of the country conditions,” such as political violence in Honduras and the impact of recent hurricanes and storms in Nicaragua.In response, Tricia McLaughlin, the assistant secretary at DHS, said, “TPS was never meant to be a de facto asylum system, yet that is how previous administrations have used it for decades.”The Trump administration has already terminated TPS designations for about 350,000&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-venezuelans-deportation-trump-5589f17e0ecd5d33bfb220e15720f88d">Venezuelans</a>, 500,000 Haitians, more than 160,000 Ukrainians and thousands of people from Afghanistan and Cameroon. Some have pending lawsuits in federal courts.Lawyers for the plaintiffs argued that Noem’s decisions are unlawful because they were predetermined by President Donald Trump’s campaign promises and motivated by racial animus.But Drew Ensign, a U.S. deputy assistant attorney general, said at a hearing Tuesday that the government suffers an ongoing irreparable harm from its “inability to carry out the programs that it has determined are warranted.”Honduras Deputy Foreign Minister Gerardo Torres said Wednesday that the appellate decision was unfortunate. He said the government hopes to at least buy time for Hondurans with the temporary status so they can seek out another way to stay legally in the U.S.“We’re going to wait to see what the National TPS Alliance decides, it’s possible the case could be elevated to the United States Supreme Court, but we have to wait,” he said.In May, the U.S. Supreme Court allowed the Trump administration to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-venezuelans-deportation-trump-5589f17e0ecd5d33bfb220e15720f88d">end TPS designations for Venezuelans</a>. The justices provided no rationale, which is common in emergency appeals, and did not rule on the underlying claims.——Associated Press journalist Marlon González in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, contributed to this report.

Court allows DHS to end protected status for migrants from Central America 

KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement are investigating a two accidents involving a carjacking that led to a crash with a KCPD vehicle just after 2:30p.m. Wednesday in Kansas City, Missouri.

Police were in pursuit of a Silver BMW 640I that was taken in conjunction with an Armed Robbery/Carjacking, according to KCPD Sergeant Phil DiMartino.

 The BMW was traveling the wrong way southbound on Askew. Askew is a one way for northbound motorists only. 

The BMW struck an unoccupied gold Buick Enclave which was parked in the 200 block of Askew and the driver continued traveling southbound on Askew without stopping. 

In the area of Anderson and Askew, the BMW entered the controlled intersection, a posted stop sign for northbound motorist,&nbsp; and was struck by a marked police Dodge Durango that was traveling Code-1 (red lights and sirens) westbound on Anderson.

After impact, the BMW continued southbound on Askew, traveling off the roadway to the right and striking a wooden light pole before coming to rest. The driver and sole occupant of the BMW was taken into custody after a brief foot pursuit and was uninjured in the collision. 

The restrained officer and sole occupant of the police vehicle received non-life-threatening injuries from the collision and declined medical treatment/transport at the scene.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/8/1755770726295.jpeg" alt="Photo courtesy Fox4Kansas City WDAF" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy Fox4Kansas City WDAF</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement are investigating a two accidents involving a carjacking that led to a crash with a KCPD vehicle just after 2:30p.m. Wednesday in Kansas City, Missouri.Police were in pursuit of a Silver BMW 640I that was taken in conjunction with an Armed Robbery/Carjacking, according to KCPD Sergeant Phil DiMartino. The BMW was traveling the wrong way southbound on Askew. Askew is a one way for northbound motorists only. The BMW struck an unoccupied gold Buick Enclave which was parked in the 200 block of Askew and the driver continued traveling southbound on Askew without stopping. In the area of Anderson and Askew, the BMW entered the controlled intersection, a posted stop sign for northbound motorist,&nbsp; and was struck by a marked police Dodge Durango that was traveling Code-1 (red lights and sirens) westbound on Anderson.After impact, the BMW continued southbound on Askew, traveling off the roadway to the right and striking a wooden light pole before coming to rest. The driver and sole occupant of the BMW was taken into custody after a brief foot pursuit and was uninjured in the collision. The restrained officer and sole occupant of the police vehicle received non-life-threatening injuries from the collision and declined medical treatment/transport at the scene.&nbsp;

Carjacking suspect arrested after crash into KCPD SUV 

DAVIESS COUNTY, MO. —A Missouri teen was injured in an accident just after 4:30p.m. Wednesday in Daviess County.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2019 Chevy Silverado driven by a 74-year-old Chillicothe man was northbound on MO 190 two miles south of Jamesport. The front of the pickup struck the rear drivers side of a horse and buggy driven by a 15-year-old Jamesport boy.&nbsp; The teen was ejected from the vehicle into the ditch.

Daviess County EMS transported the teen to Children's Mercy. The pickup driver was not wearing a seat belt and not injured, according to the MSHP. The Patrol no longer releases names of accident victims.

DAVIESS COUNTY, MO. —A Missouri teen was injured in an accident just after 4:30p.m. Wednesday in Daviess County.The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2019 Chevy Silverado driven by a 74-year-old Chillicothe man was northbound on MO 190 two miles south of Jamesport. The front of the pickup struck the rear drivers side of a horse and buggy driven by a 15-year-old Jamesport boy.&nbsp; The teen was ejected from the vehicle into the ditch.Daviess County EMS transported the teen to Children's Mercy. The pickup driver was not wearing a seat belt and not injured, according to the MSHP. The Patrol no longer releases names of accident victims.

Teen hospitalized in KC after pickup rear-ends horse and buggy

KANSAS CITY – A Kansas City area man was sentenced in federal court&nbsp; for producing child pornography and possession of child pornography, according to the United State's Attorney.

Cecil Pulluaim, 54, Raytown, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Howard F. Sachs to 35 years in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Pulluaim to serve supervised release for Life following his incarceration.

Pulluaim pleaded guilty to video recording and possessing images of his sexual abuse of a minor victim.&nbsp; 

According to the plea agreement, Pulluaim admitted to recording himself sexually abusing the minor victim on at least 10 separate dates between April 27, 2023, and June 15, 2023.&nbsp; In connection with their investigation of a report that the defendant had produced child pornography of the minor victim, officers with the Raytown Missouri Police Department located and seized the defendant’s cell phone.&nbsp;

 Pursuant to a search warrant, a forensic analysis of the phone by the United States Secret Service located the videos the defendant had produced of the minor victim, along with several photos the defendant made by taking screen shots of those videos.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/8/1755727014859.png" alt="Pulluaim photo Jackson Co." />
 <figcaption>Pulluaim photo Jackson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY – A Kansas City area man was sentenced in federal court&nbsp; for producing child pornography and possession of child pornography, according to the United State's Attorney.Cecil Pulluaim, 54, Raytown, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Howard F. Sachs to 35 years in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Pulluaim to serve supervised release for Life following his incarceration.Pulluaim pleaded guilty to video recording and possessing images of his sexual abuse of a minor victim.&nbsp; According to the plea agreement, Pulluaim admitted to recording himself sexually abusing the minor victim on at least 10 separate dates between April 27, 2023, and June 15, 2023.&nbsp; In connection with their investigation of a report that the defendant had produced child pornography of the minor victim, officers with the Raytown Missouri Police Department located and seized the defendant’s cell phone.&nbsp; Pursuant to a search warrant, a forensic analysis of the phone by the United States Secret Service located the videos the defendant had produced of the minor victim, along with several photos the defendant made by taking screen shots of those videos.

KC area man admits producing videos of child pornography

HODGEMAN COUNTY—Three people were injured in an accident just before 3:30p.m. Wednesday in Hodgeman County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2013 Kenworth semi driven by Michael L.&nbsp;Burke, 76, Hanston, was westbound on T Road at 231 Road two and one half miles north of Kansas 156.

The driver failed to yield to a southbound 2007 Dodge Dakota driven by&nbsp; Wyatt A. Thompson, 16, Hanston. The two vehicles collided in the intersections.&nbsp;

EMS transported&nbsp;Thompson and passengers William H. Thompson, 13, Hanston to the Hodgeman County Health Center and Annabeth M. Thompson, 9, Hanston to the hospital in Larned.&nbsp; Burke was not injured. The passengers in the pickup were not wearing seat belts, according to the KHP.

HODGEMAN COUNTY—Three people were injured in an accident just before 3:30p.m. Wednesday in Hodgeman County.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2013 Kenworth semi driven by Michael L.&nbsp;Burke, 76, Hanston, was westbound on T Road at 231 Road two and one half miles north of Kansas 156.The driver failed to yield to a southbound 2007 Dodge Dakota driven by&nbsp; Wyatt A. Thompson, 16, Hanston. The two vehicles collided in the intersections.&nbsp;EMS transported&nbsp;Thompson and passengers William H. Thompson, 13, Hanston to the Hodgeman County Health Center and Annabeth M. Thompson, 9, Hanston to the hospital in Larned.&nbsp; Burke was not injured. The passengers in the pickup were not wearing seat belts, according to the KHP.

3 Kansas juveniles injured after pickup, semi crash

BROWN COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating a suspect on multiple allegations after an incident in Missouri.

Just after 10:30a.m. Tuesday, Nodaway County, Missouri law enforcement notified Brown County law enforcement dispatch about a man, identified as 41-year-old Matthew Olson from Hiawatha, Kansas who was involved as a suspect in a&nbsp; "shots fired" incident in their county, according to Brown County Sheriff John Merchant.

Olson was reported driving a gold or tan SUV type vehicle with a Kansas license plate.&nbsp; Brown County deputies , KHP, Hiawatha Police, Sac and Fox, Iowa and Kickapoo Police all staged at various areas of the county to try and intercept the vehicle should Olson try and returnt o Hiawatha.&nbsp;

Just before noon, the vehicle was stopped in Hiawatha in the Carpet Plus parking lot and Olson taken into custody without incident.

Olson is being held in the Brown County jail on requested Nodaway County charges of Criminal Discharge of a Weapon, Telecom Harassment, and Possession of a Controlled Substance.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/8/1755708670405.png" alt="Olson photo Brown County" />
 <figcaption>Olson photo Brown County</figcaption>
 </figure>BROWN COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating a suspect on multiple allegations after an incident in Missouri.Just after 10:30a.m. Tuesday, Nodaway County, Missouri law enforcement notified Brown County law enforcement dispatch about a man, identified as 41-year-old Matthew Olson from Hiawatha, Kansas who was involved as a suspect in a&nbsp; "shots fired" incident in their county, according to Brown County Sheriff John Merchant.Olson was reported driving a gold or tan SUV type vehicle with a Kansas license plate.&nbsp; Brown County deputies , KHP, Hiawatha Police, Sac and Fox, Iowa and Kickapoo Police all staged at various areas of the county to try and intercept the vehicle should Olson try and returnt o Hiawatha.&nbsp;Just before noon, the vehicle was stopped in Hiawatha in the Carpet Plus parking lot and Olson taken into custody without incident.Olson is being held in the Brown County jail on requested Nodaway County charges of Criminal Discharge of a Weapon, Telecom Harassment, and Possession of a Controlled Substance.

Kansas man captured after alleged crimes in Missouri

By&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/author/jim-vertuno">JIM VERTUNO</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/author/nicholas-riccardi">NICHOLAS RICCARDI</a>

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas Republicans on Wednesday took the first step toward approving new congressional maps that would give their party as many as five new seats in the House of Representatives, spurring what’s likely to be a national battle over redistricting.

The approval by the Texas House of Representatives came at the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-congress-house-republicans-texas-redistricting-d18e8280a32872d9eefcbb26f66a0331">urging of President Donald Trump</a>, who pushed for the extraordinary mid-decade revision of congressional maps to give his party a better chance at holding onto the U.S. House of Representatives in the 2026 midterm elections. The maps need to be approved by the GOP-controlled state Senate and signed by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott before they become official.

But the Texas House presented the best chance for Democrats to derail the redraw.

Democratic legislators delayed the vote by two weeks by fleeing Texas earlier this month in protest, and they were assigned&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-california-redistricting-battle-dc42d64df69e6d8e922a0aa72fb0a2d8">round-the-clock police monitoring</a>&nbsp;upon their return to ensure they attended Wednesday’s session.

The approval of the Texas maps on an 88-52 party-line vote is likely to prompt California’s Democratic-controlled state Legislature this week to approve of a new House map creating five new Democratic-leaning districts. But the California map would require voter approval in November.

Democrats have also vowed to challenge the new Texas map in court and complained that Republicans made the political power move before passing legislation responding to deadly floods that swept the state last month.

Texas Republicans openly said they were acting in their party’s interest. State Rep. Todd Hunter, who wrote the legislation formally creating the new map, noted that the U.S. Supreme Court has allowed politicians to redraw districts for nakedly partisan purposes.

“The underlying goal of this plan is straight forward: improve Republican political performance,” Hunter, a Republican, said on the floor. After nearly eight hours of debate, Hunter took the floor again to sum up the entire dispute as nothing more than a partisan fight. “What’s the difference, to the whole world listening? Republicans like it, and Democrats do not.”

Democrats said the disagreement was about more than partisanship.

“In a democracy, people choose their representatives,” State Rep. Chris Turner said. “This bill flips that on its head and lets politicians in Washington, D.C., choose their voters.”

State Rep. John H. Bucy blamed the president. “This is Donald Trump’s map,” Bucy said. “It clearly and deliberately manufactures five more Republican seats in Congress because Trump himself knows that the voters are rejecting his agenda.”

Redistricting becomes tool nationwide in battle for US House

The Republican power play has already triggered a national tit-for-tat battle as Democratic state lawmakers prepared to gather in California on Thursday to revise that state’s map to create five new Democratic seats.

“This is a new Democratic Party, this is a new day, this is new energy out there all across this country,” California’s Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom said on a call with reporters on Wednesday. “And we’re going to fight fire with fire.”

A new California map 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 brawl that is playing out. Newsom himself backed the 2008 ballot measure to create that process, as did former President Barack Obama. But in a sign of Democrats’ stiffening resolve, Obama Tuesday night&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/obama-newsom-redistricting-texas-democrats-house-midterms-26ef7d0ccb44e57a5ddc36ff99f7de9c">backed Newsom’s bid to redraw the California map</a>, saying it was a necessary step to stave off the GOP’s Texas move.

“I think that approach is a smart, measured approach,” Obama said during a fundraiser for the Democratic Party’s main redistricting arm.

The incumbent president’s party usually loses seats in the midterm election, and the GOP currently controls the House of Representatives by a mere three votes. Trump is going beyond Texas in his push to remake the map. He’s pushed Republican leaders in conservative states like Indiana and Missouri to also try to create new Republican seats. Ohio Republicans were already revising their map before Texas moved. Democrats, meanwhile, are mulling reopening Maryland’s and New York’s maps as well.

However, more Democratic-run states have commission systems like California’s or other redistricting limits than Republican ones do, leaving the GOP with a freer hand to swiftly redraw maps. New York, for example, can’t draw new maps until 2028, and even then, only with voter approval.

In Texas, there was little that outnumbered Democrats could do other than fume and threaten a lawsuit to block the map. Because the Supreme Court has blessed purely partisan gerrymandering, the only way opponents can stop the new Texas map would be by arguing it violates the Voting Rights Act requirement to keep minority communities together so they can select representatives of their choice.

Democrats noted that, in every decade since the 1970s, courts have found that Texas’ legislature did violate the Voting Rights Act in redistricting, and that civil rights groups had an active lawsuit making similar allegations against the 2021 map that Republicans drew up.

Republicans contend the new map creates more new majority-minority seats than the previous one. Democrats and some civil rights groups have countered that the GOP does that through mainly a numbers game that leads to halving the number of the state’s House seats that will be represented by a Black representative.

State Rep. Ron Reynolds noted the country just marked the 60th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act’s passage and warned GOP members about how they’d be remembered if they voted for what he called “this racial gerrymander.”

“Just like the people who were on the wrong side of history in 1965, history will be looking at the people who made the decisions in the body this day,” Reynolds, a Democrat, said.

Republicans spent far less time talking on Wednesday, content to let their numbers do the talking in the lopsided vote. As the day dragged on, a handful hit back against Democratic complaints.

“You call my voters racist, you call my party racist and yet we’re expected to follow the rules,” said State Rep. Katrina Pierson, a former Trump spokesperson. “There are Black and Hispanic and Asian Republicans in this chamber who were elected just like you.”

House Republicans’ frustration at the Democrats’ flight and ability to delay the vote was palpable. The GOP used a parliamentary maneuver to take a second and final vote on the map so it wouldn’t have to reconvene for one more vote after Senate approval.

House Speaker Dustin Burrows announced as debate started that doors to the chamber were locked and any member leaving was required to have a permission slip. The doors were only unlocked after final passage more than eight hours later. One Democrat who refused the 24-hour police monitoring, State Rep. Nicole Collier, had been&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/redistricting-texas-nicole-collier-capitol-protest-10f8e3f721a507237d5272ccd1b2f81b">confined to the House floor since Monday night</a>.

Some Democratic state lawmakers joined Collier Tuesday night for what Rep. Cassandra Garcia Hernandez dubbed “a sleepover for democracy.”

Republicans issued civil arrest warrants to bring the Democrats back after they left the state Aug. 3, and Republican Gov. Greg Abbott asked the state Supreme Court to oust several Democrats from office. The lawmakers also face a fine of $500 for every day they were absent.

Riccardi reported from Denver. John Hanna in Topeka, Kansas, and Sara Cline in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, contributed to this report.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/8/1755030421448.png" alt="Texas new Congressional District map" />
 <figcaption>Texas new Congressional District map</figcaption>
 </figure>By&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/author/jim-vertuno">JIM VERTUNO</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/author/nicholas-riccardi">NICHOLAS RICCARDI</a>AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas Republicans on Wednesday took the first step toward approving new congressional maps that would give their party as many as five new seats in the House of Representatives, spurring what’s likely to be a national battle over redistricting.The approval by the Texas House of Representatives came at the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-congress-house-republicans-texas-redistricting-d18e8280a32872d9eefcbb26f66a0331">urging of President Donald Trump</a>, who pushed for the extraordinary mid-decade revision of congressional maps to give his party a better chance at holding onto the U.S. House of Representatives in the 2026 midterm elections. The maps need to be approved by the GOP-controlled state Senate and signed by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott before they become official.But the Texas House presented the best chance for Democrats to derail the redraw.Democratic legislators delayed the vote by two weeks by fleeing Texas earlier this month in protest, and they were assigned&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-california-redistricting-battle-dc42d64df69e6d8e922a0aa72fb0a2d8">round-the-clock police monitoring</a>&nbsp;upon their return to ensure they attended Wednesday’s session.The approval of the Texas maps on an 88-52 party-line vote is likely to prompt California’s Democratic-controlled state Legislature this week to approve of a new House map creating five new Democratic-leaning districts. But the California map would require voter approval in November.Democrats have also vowed to challenge the new Texas map in court and complained that Republicans made the political power move before passing legislation responding to deadly floods that swept the state last month.<h2>Texas maps openly made to help GOP</h2>Texas Republicans openly said they were acting in their party’s interest. State Rep. Todd Hunter, who wrote the legislation formally creating the new map, noted that the U.S. Supreme Court has allowed politicians to redraw districts for nakedly partisan purposes.“The underlying goal of this plan is straight forward: improve Republican political performance,” Hunter, a Republican, said on the floor. After nearly eight hours of debate, Hunter took the floor again to sum up the entire dispute as nothing more than a partisan fight. “What’s the difference, to the whole world listening? Republicans like it, and Democrats do not.”Democrats said the disagreement was about more than partisanship.“In a democracy, people choose their representatives,” State Rep. Chris Turner said. “This bill flips that on its head and lets politicians in Washington, D.C., choose their voters.”State Rep. John H. Bucy blamed the president. “This is Donald Trump’s map,” Bucy said. “It clearly and deliberately manufactures five more Republican seats in Congress because Trump himself knows that the voters are rejecting his agenda.”<h2>Redistricting becomes tool nationwide in battle for US House</h2>The Republican power play has already triggered a national tit-for-tat battle as Democratic state lawmakers prepared to gather in California on Thursday to revise that state’s map to create five new Democratic seats.“This is a new Democratic Party, this is a new day, this is new energy out there all across this country,” California’s Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom said on a call with reporters on Wednesday. “And we’re going to fight fire with fire.”A new California map 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 brawl that is playing out. Newsom himself backed the 2008 ballot measure to create that process, as did former President Barack Obama. But in a sign of Democrats’ stiffening resolve, Obama Tuesday night&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/obama-newsom-redistricting-texas-democrats-house-midterms-26ef7d0ccb44e57a5ddc36ff99f7de9c">backed Newsom’s bid to redraw the California map</a>, saying it was a necessary step to stave off the GOP’s Texas move.“I think that approach is a smart, measured approach,” Obama said during a fundraiser for the Democratic Party’s main redistricting arm.The incumbent president’s party usually loses seats in the midterm election, and the GOP currently controls the House of Representatives by a mere three votes. Trump is going beyond Texas in his push to remake the map. He’s pushed Republican leaders in conservative states like Indiana and Missouri to also try to create new Republican seats. Ohio Republicans were already revising their map before Texas moved. Democrats, meanwhile, are mulling reopening Maryland’s and New York’s maps as well.However, more Democratic-run states have commission systems like California’s or other redistricting limits than Republican ones do, leaving the GOP with a freer hand to swiftly redraw maps. New York, for example, can’t draw new maps until 2028, and even then, only with voter approval.<h2>Texas Democrats decry the new maps</h2>In Texas, there was little that outnumbered Democrats could do other than fume and threaten a lawsuit to block the map. Because the Supreme Court has blessed purely partisan gerrymandering, the only way opponents can stop the new Texas map would be by arguing it violates the Voting Rights Act requirement to keep minority communities together so they can select representatives of their choice.Democrats noted that, in every decade since the 1970s, courts have found that Texas’ legislature did violate the Voting Rights Act in redistricting, and that civil rights groups had an active lawsuit making similar allegations against the 2021 map that Republicans drew up.Republicans contend the new map creates more new majority-minority seats than the previous one. Democrats and some civil rights groups have countered that the GOP does that through mainly a numbers game that leads to halving the number of the state’s House seats that will be represented by a Black representative.State Rep. Ron Reynolds noted the country just marked the 60th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act’s passage and warned GOP members about how they’d be remembered if they voted for what he called “this racial gerrymander.”“Just like the people who were on the wrong side of history in 1965, history will be looking at the people who made the decisions in the body this day,” Reynolds, a Democrat, said.<h2>Republicans hit back at criticism</h2>Republicans spent far less time talking on Wednesday, content to let their numbers do the talking in the lopsided vote. As the day dragged on, a handful hit back against Democratic complaints.“You call my voters racist, you call my party racist and yet we’re expected to follow the rules,” said State Rep. Katrina Pierson, a former Trump spokesperson. “There are Black and Hispanic and Asian Republicans in this chamber who were elected just like you.”House Republicans’ frustration at the Democrats’ flight and ability to delay the vote was palpable. The GOP used a parliamentary maneuver to take a second and final vote on the map so it wouldn’t have to reconvene for one more vote after Senate approval.House Speaker Dustin Burrows announced as debate started that doors to the chamber were locked and any member leaving was required to have a permission slip. The doors were only unlocked after final passage more than eight hours later. One Democrat who refused the 24-hour police monitoring, State Rep. Nicole Collier, had been&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/redistricting-texas-nicole-collier-capitol-protest-10f8e3f721a507237d5272ccd1b2f81b">confined to the House floor since Monday night</a>.Some Democratic state lawmakers joined Collier Tuesday night for what Rep. Cassandra Garcia Hernandez dubbed “a sleepover for democracy.”Republicans issued civil arrest warrants to bring the Democrats back after they left the state Aug. 3, and Republican Gov. Greg Abbott asked the state Supreme Court to oust several Democrats from office. The lawmakers also face a fine of $500 for every day they were absent.___Riccardi reported from Denver. John Hanna in Topeka, Kansas, and Sara Cline in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, contributed to this report.

Texas lawmakers approve redistricting map favoring Republicans

Osawatomie, Larned superintendents outline reasons to keep private contract labor

By&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/tim-carpenter/">TIM CARPENTER</a> <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/02/24/gov-laura-kelly-skeptical-kansas-houses-anti-tenure-legislation-will-reach-her-desk/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA — The state of Kansas invests more than $60 million annually to hire contract nursing staff to work at state psychiatric hospitals in Larned and Osawatomie, but the financial boost hasn’t closed job vacancy gaps exceeding 33% at both facilities.

On Tuesday, Kansas legislators on a special committee exploring contract nursing shared disappointment with results of years of stopgap appropriations to hire temporary nurses provided by private companies. The state also has devoted resources to raising salaries and providing bonuses to encourage state-employed nurses to remain at the hospitals.

Lawmakers expressed skepticism Kansas would ever have enough people to fill vacancies at state hospitals serving involuntarily committed or criminally charged individuals with mental health issues, as well as sexually violent offenders detained at Larned after serving prison sentences.

“In my experience, we’re not going to build this staff to take care of the number of people that are out there right now,” said Rep. Will Carpenter, an El Dorado Republican who chairs the Legislature’s interim health committee. “Prove me wrong, because I want to be wrong.”

Carpenter suggested consideration be given to transferring about 100 patients from Larned to other locations so staffing levels could be sustained without contract nurses. In 2027, Kansas is scheduled to open a new 104-bed state psychiatric hospital in Sedgwick County.

Expenditures at Larned State Hospital for nursing contract labor increased from $5.9 million in 2019 to $8.6 million in 2021, $43.1 million in 2023 and $46 million in 2025. At Osawatomie State Hospital, contract costs surged from $233,000 in 2019 to $3.2 million in 2021, $16 million in 2023 and $15.4 million in 2025. The job vacancy rate at Osawatomie stood at 35.5%, while the rate at Larned was 33.5%.

“I’ve been incredibly disappointed on how that’s worked,” Carpenter said.

Scott Brunner, deputy secretary of the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services, said the agency used state tax dollars to bring in dozens of registered nurses and licensed practice nurses to care for patients who generally had complex medical needs. Some require one-on-one care.

“To keep our bed count open at the levels that they are,” he said, “we have to have enough staff to make sure patients are safe.”

He said the starting salary for a registered nurse at the state hospitals was about $40 per hour. The state paid companies providing contract registered nurses $90 to $100 per hour to take on the same responsibilities, with the nurse receiving approximately two-thirds of the total.

“We certainly don’t think contract labor is a solution,” Brunner said. “It’s a way of addressing the need to keep beds open and keep patients moving through the system.”

He recommended the Legislature pass&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kslegislature.gov/li/b2025_26/measures/hb2237/" target="_blank">House Bill 2237</a>, which is hung up in the Senate, to place in state law the ability of state agencies to award employee bonuses in amounts up to $10,000 per year. He urged lawmakers to keep funding cost-of-living and market-rate adjustments to salaries so state hospitals could compete with the private sector for labor. The existing budget for contract nurses needs to be sustained, he said.

In addition, Brunner suggested the state expand college scholarships for nurses, consider providing nursing students with financial support in exchange for post-graduation employment agreements and provide training opportunities for experienced nurses to advance their careers.

Ashley Byram, superintendent of the Osawatomie hospital, said only half of the facility’s RNs, LPNs and mental health technicians were state employees. Here’s the split between state employee and agency contract workers at Osawatomie: RNs, 16 state and 16 private; LPNs, three state and 13 private; and mental health techs, 39 state and 33 private.

She said Osawatomie contract nurses were asked what it would take for them to accept state employment. The nurses weren’t interested in signing bonuses or housing allowances, she said, but were keen to earn salaries of at least $50 per hour. The average RN at Osawatomie has been paid $44 per hour, or $59 per hour when benefits were included.

“I would increase the salaries,” Byram said. “It’s the current wage gap between agency and state positions that is our primary obstacle.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/8/1755719328268.png" alt=" Rep. Will Carpenter, R-El Dorado, says he doubts the state can ever build the nursing staff needed to operate state psychiatric hospitals in Larned and Osawatomie. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption> Rep. Will Carpenter, R-El Dorado, says he doubts the state can ever build the nursing staff needed to operate state psychiatric hospitals in Larned and Osawatomie. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Osawatomie, Larned superintendents outline reasons to keep private contract labor</h2>By&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/tim-carpenter/">TIM CARPENTER</a> <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/02/24/gov-laura-kelly-skeptical-kansas-houses-anti-tenure-legislation-will-reach-her-desk/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — The state of Kansas invests more than $60 million annually to hire contract nursing staff to work at state psychiatric hospitals in Larned and Osawatomie, but the financial boost hasn’t closed job vacancy gaps exceeding 33% at both facilities.On Tuesday, Kansas legislators on a special committee exploring contract nursing shared disappointment with results of years of stopgap appropriations to hire temporary nurses provided by private companies. The state also has devoted resources to raising salaries and providing bonuses to encourage state-employed nurses to remain at the hospitals.Lawmakers expressed skepticism Kansas would ever have enough people to fill vacancies at state hospitals serving involuntarily committed or criminally charged individuals with mental health issues, as well as sexually violent offenders detained at Larned after serving prison sentences.“In my experience, we’re not going to build this staff to take care of the number of people that are out there right now,” said Rep. Will Carpenter, an El Dorado Republican who chairs the Legislature’s interim health committee. “Prove me wrong, because I want to be wrong.”Carpenter suggested consideration be given to transferring about 100 patients from Larned to other locations so staffing levels could be sustained without contract nurses. In 2027, Kansas is scheduled to open a new 104-bed state psychiatric hospital in Sedgwick County.Expenditures at Larned State Hospital for nursing contract labor increased from $5.9 million in 2019 to $8.6 million in 2021, $43.1 million in 2023 and $46 million in 2025. At Osawatomie State Hospital, contract costs surged from $233,000 in 2019 to $3.2 million in 2021, $16 million in 2023 and $15.4 million in 2025. The job vacancy rate at Osawatomie stood at 35.5%, while the rate at Larned was 33.5%.“I’ve been incredibly disappointed on how that’s worked,” Carpenter said.<h2>Contract labor not answer</h2>Scott Brunner, deputy secretary of the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services, said the agency used state tax dollars to bring in dozens of registered nurses and licensed practice nurses to care for patients who generally had complex medical needs. Some require one-on-one care.“To keep our bed count open at the levels that they are,” he said, “we have to have enough staff to make sure patients are safe.”He said the starting salary for a registered nurse at the state hospitals was about $40 per hour. The state paid companies providing contract registered nurses $90 to $100 per hour to take on the same responsibilities, with the nurse receiving approximately two-thirds of the total.“We certainly don’t think contract labor is a solution,” Brunner said. “It’s a way of addressing the need to keep beds open and keep patients moving through the system.”He recommended the Legislature pass&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kslegislature.gov/li/b2025_26/measures/hb2237/" target="_blank">House Bill 2237</a>, which is hung up in the Senate, to place in state law the ability of state agencies to award employee bonuses in amounts up to $10,000 per year. He urged lawmakers to keep funding cost-of-living and market-rate adjustments to salaries so state hospitals could compete with the private sector for labor. The existing budget for contract nurses needs to be sustained, he said.In addition, Brunner suggested the state expand college scholarships for nurses, consider providing nursing students with financial support in exchange for post-graduation employment agreements and provide training opportunities for experienced nurses to advance their careers.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/8/1755719398717.png" alt=" Lindsey Topps, superintendent of Larned State Hospital, said the facility serving about 400 patients with mental illness relies extensively on contract nursing staff to operate programs serving sexual predators, individuals charged with crimes and people struggling with acute illness. (Kansas Reflector screen capture of Kansas Legislature video)" />
 <figcaption> Lindsey Topps, superintendent of Larned State Hospital, said the facility serving about 400 patients with mental illness relies extensively on contract nursing staff to operate programs serving sexual predators, individuals charged with crimes and people struggling with acute illness. (Kansas Reflector screen capture of Kansas Legislature video)</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>‘Increase the salaries’</h2>Ashley Byram, superintendent of the Osawatomie hospital, said only half of the facility’s RNs, LPNs and mental health technicians were state employees. Here’s the split between state employee and agency contract workers at Osawatomie: RNs, 16 state and 16 private; LPNs, three state and 13 private; and mental health techs, 39 state and 33 private.She said Osawatomie contract nurses were asked what it would take for them to accept state employment. The nurses weren’t interested in signing bonuses or housing allowances, she said, but were keen to earn salaries of at least $50 per hour. The average RN at Osawatomie has been paid $44 per hour, or $59 per hour when benefits were included.“I would increase the salaries,” Byram said. “It’s the current wage gap between agency and state positions that is our primary obstacle.”If the Legislature prohibited payment of contract nurses to staff the Osawatomie hospital, she said, the facility had enough nurses to make use of 43 beds. She said 116 beds at Osawatomie would be closed if contract nurses were removed and replacements weren’t hired.Lindsey Topps, superintendent at Larned, said the hospital averaged 400 patients with more than half the total in a sexual predator treatment program.“We have, I say, no fat on campus,” Topps said. “We’ve maximized the amount of residents or patients to the RNs and LPNs in order to provide safe and good patient care as well as follow the regulations.”Here is the breakdown between state employees and contract laborers at Larned: Registered nurses, 17 state and 38 private; LPNs, nine state and 27 private; mental health workers or CNAs, 194 state and 179 private.Topps said debate by the Legislature about reducing contract nursing labor should take into consideration the aggressive, disruptive, suicidal and homicidal conduct of people at Larned. She said most community-based health facilities didn’t have the staff or facilities to deal with individuals who ended up at the state hospital.“We have some of the most severe mentally ill individuals in the state of Kansas,” Topps said.<h2>‘It’s not translating’</h2>During the 2025 legislative session, the House and Senate didn’t approve financing for new spending on contract nursing at the two state hospitals.“Sometimes we set aside money because that feels good and we think that’s going to to do something,” said Sen. Beverly Gossage, a Republican from Eudora.Sen. Renee Erickson, R-Wichita, said the state had a handful of initiatives designed to develop a Kansas pipeline of nurses who could fill jobs at state hospitals. She said the state spent millions of dollars so 2,700 high school students could take courses required to become a certified nursing assistant. She said only one-third of those students became CNAs.“We’re paying to fill that pipeline, but it’s not translating,” she said. “It doesn’t appear like (it’s) actually reducing the demand and getting to the root of the problem. It doesn’t seem to be making the impact it should or we would hope it should.”