SEDGWICK COUNTY —A man who&nbsp;admitted killing a Kansas woman who was reported missing is going to prison for the rest of his life. 

On Monday Judge Jeffrey Goering sentenced 31-year-old Kyle Bearden to a life term for the murder of 30-year-old Mariana Christian, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office. The earliest possibility of parole is 25 years and an additional 181 months in prison if parole is granted.

In August, Bearden entered a plea of guilty during an evidentiary hearing before Judge Goering.

The plea agreement called for the parties to jointly recommend a prison sentence of life with parole eligibility after 25 years, to be followed by an additional 15 years of imprisonment if parole is granted.

Around 10:30 a.m. on July 21, a friend of Mariana Christian filed a missing person report. The friend said Ms. Christian had a history of mental health challenges and often relied on them for transportation to work. That morning, Christian was not at her home in the 1200 block of S. Paige when the friend arrived to pick her up.

At the residence, the friend encountered an unidentified man later identified as Kyle Bearden who said he didn’t know Ms. Christian’s whereabouts.

He claimed Mariana Christian had left the apartment on Friday, July 18, in a truck with an unknown man and woman and hadn’t returned. He also expressed concern for her safety. Although not listed on the lease, the man appeared to be living in the apartment.

Although Ms. Christian was last seen on Friday, July 18, she wasn’t reported missing until Monday, July 21. After multiple failed attempts to reach her and finding her absence unusual, the friend contacted police. Officers issued an attempt-to-locate alert, and investigators took over the case.

WPD investigators identified Bearden as a person of interest. They followed leads to locate Ms. Christian, discovering evidence of her death and where her remains were left in Cottonwood Park near Armor and Bayley in Wichita.

Wichita Police officers responded to the area and located human remains. Investigators believe Bearden shot Ms. Christian.

Crime scene investigators processed Ms. Christian’s apartment and found evidence of foul play. On the morning of July 31, the Sedgwick County Regional Forensic Science Center positively identified the remains as those of Mariana Christian.

Kyle Bearden was arrested on July 30 and booked into the Sedgwick County Jail.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/7/1753958410010.png" alt="Bearden photo Sedgwick Co." />
 <figcaption>Bearden photo Sedgwick Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY —A man who&nbsp;admitted killing a Kansas woman who was reported missing is going to prison for the rest of his life. On Monday Judge Jeffrey Goering sentenced 31-year-old Kyle Bearden to a life term for the murder of 30-year-old Mariana Christian, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office. The earliest possibility of parole is 25 years and an additional 181 months in prison if parole is granted.In August, Bearden entered a plea of guilty during an evidentiary hearing before Judge Goering.The plea agreement called for the parties to jointly recommend a prison sentence of life with parole eligibility after 25 years, to be followed by an additional 15 years of imprisonment if parole is granted.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/8/1754062859608.png" alt=" " />
 <figcaption> </figcaption>
 </figure>Around 10:30 a.m. on July 21, a friend of Mariana Christian filed a missing person report. The friend said Ms. Christian had a history of mental health challenges and often relied on them for transportation to work. That morning, Christian was not at her home in the 1200 block of S. Paige when the friend arrived to pick her up.At the residence, the friend encountered an unidentified man later identified as Kyle Bearden who said he didn’t know Ms. Christian’s whereabouts.He claimed Mariana Christian had left the apartment on Friday, July 18, in a truck with an unknown man and woman and hadn’t returned. He also expressed concern for her safety. Although not listed on the lease, the man appeared to be living in the apartment.Although Ms. Christian was last seen on Friday, July 18, she wasn’t reported missing until Monday, July 21. After multiple failed attempts to reach her and finding her absence unusual, the friend contacted police. Officers issued an attempt-to-locate alert, and investigators took over the case.WPD investigators identified Bearden as a person of interest. They followed leads to locate Ms. Christian, discovering evidence of her death and where her remains were left in Cottonwood Park near Armor and Bayley in Wichita.Wichita Police officers responded to the area and located human remains. Investigators believe Bearden shot Ms. Christian.Crime scene investigators processed Ms. Christian’s apartment and found evidence of foul play. On the morning of July 31, the Sedgwick County Regional Forensic Science Center positively identified the remains as those of Mariana Christian.Kyle Bearden was arrested on July 30 and booked into the Sedgwick County Jail.&nbsp;

Life in prison for killer found at missing Kan. woman's home

WASHINGTON — The&nbsp;federal government shutdown&nbsp;is moving into its third week with&nbsp;no end in sight. Most members of the House of Representatives are finally back in Washington after being out for over a month. Second District Kansas Congressman what he's doing after arriving back in the nation's capitol.

House Speaker Mike Johnson hinted he might call the House back into session if Senate passes bill to pay furloughed workers.&nbsp; That could happen this week.

WASHINGTON — The&nbsp;federal government shutdown&nbsp;is moving into its third week with&nbsp;no end in sight. Most members of the House of Representatives are finally back in Washington after being out for over a month. Second District Kansas Congressman what he's doing after arriving back in the nation's capitol.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Day 20 of the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SchumerShutdown?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SchumerShutdown</a>. <a href="https://t.co/iFUZTistPq">pic.twitter.com/iFUZTistPq</a>&mdash; Rep. Derek Schmidt Press (@RepDerekSchmidt) <a href="https://twitter.com/RepDerekSchmidt/status/1980295827429179669?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 20, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>House Speaker Mike Johnson hinted he might call the House back into session if Senate passes bill to pay furloughed workers.&nbsp; That could happen this week.

🎥Kansas Congressman: Government shutdown very frustrating

FINNEY COUNTY —First responders in southwest Kansas were called to an injury crash on Saturday evening, according to a media release from Garden City Police.

This crash was one of several recent collisions involving drivers failing to stop or yield at traffic signals or signs. At 6:45 p.m. Saturday, police, fire, and EMS units responded to the 1800 block of E. Kansas Avenue for a multi-vehicle collision. 

When they arrived, Officers found a Chevy Tahoe on its side and a GMC van with significant front-end damage. The investigation revealed that the van had been stopped at the intersection of Kansas Avenue and College Drive.&nbsp;

The driver failed to yield before proceeding southbound through the intersection. The van struck the eastbound Chevy Tahoe, causing it to roll onto its driver's side and collide with a traffic light pole. Several occupants of the Tahoe sustained minor injuries and were transported to the hospital by EMS. 

The driver of the van, a 78-year-old man, was cited for Failure to Yield at Stop or Yield Sign.

This incident is one of several recent crashes involving drivers running red lights or failing to stop or yield at stop signs - a growing concern in the community. Crashes like this remind us that every choice behind the wheel matters, and red lights and stop signs are not optional - they are safeguards designed to protect everyone on the road. Let's all do our part - stay alert, know and respect the rules of the road, and drive responsibly.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1760978751226.png" alt="Photo Garden City Police" />
 <figcaption>Photo Garden City Police</figcaption>
 </figure>FINNEY COUNTY —First responders in southwest Kansas were called to an injury crash on Saturday evening, according to a media release from Garden City Police.This crash was one of several recent collisions involving drivers failing to stop or yield at traffic signals or signs. At 6:45 p.m. Saturday, police, fire, and EMS units responded to the 1800 block of E. Kansas Avenue for a multi-vehicle collision. When they arrived, Officers found a Chevy Tahoe on its side and a GMC van with significant front-end damage. The investigation revealed that the van had been stopped at the intersection of Kansas Avenue and College Drive.&nbsp;The driver failed to yield before proceeding southbound through the intersection. The van struck the eastbound Chevy Tahoe, causing it to roll onto its driver's side and collide with a traffic light pole. Several occupants of the Tahoe sustained minor injuries and were transported to the hospital by EMS. The driver of the van, a 78-year-old man, was cited for Failure to Yield at Stop or Yield Sign.This incident is one of several recent crashes involving drivers running red lights or failing to stop or yield at stop signs - a growing concern in the community. Crashes like this remind us that every choice behind the wheel matters, and red lights and stop signs are not optional - they are safeguards designed to protect everyone on the road. Let's all do our part - stay alert, know and respect the rules of the road, and drive responsibly.

Police in SW Kan. report growing trend of drivers ignoring traffic signals

LONDON (AP) — Amazon says a massive outage of its&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/what-to-know-about-the-amazon-web-services-outage-0000019a02c5dea7a7ba2fcda5bc0000">cloud computing service</a>&nbsp;has been resolved as of Monday evening, after a problem disrupted internet use around the world, taking down a broad range of online services, including social media, gaming, food delivery, streaming and financial platforms.

The all-day disruption and the ensuing exasperation it caused served as the latest reminder that 21st century society is increasingly dependent on just a handful of companies for much of its internet technology, which seems to work reliably until it&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-outage-crowdstrike-windows-big-tech-dependence-f314f7919e5ac2d0d40682f13df00778">suddenly breaks down</a>.

About three hours after the outage began early Monday morning, Amazon Web Services said it was&nbsp;<a href="https://health.aws.amazon.com/health/status">starting to recover</a>, but it wasn't until 6 p.m. Eastern that “services returned to normal operations,” Amazon said on its&nbsp;<a href="https://health.aws.amazon.com/health/status">AWS health</a>&nbsp;website, where it tracks outages.

AWS provides behind-the-scenes cloud computing infrastructure to some of the world’s biggest organizations. Its customers include government departments, universities and businesses, including The Associated Press.

Cybersecurity expert Mike Chapple said “a slow and bumpy recovery process” is “entirely normal.”

As engineers roll out fixes across the cloud computing infrastructure, the process could trigger smaller disruptions, he said.

“It’s similar to what happens after a large-scale power outage: While a city’s power is coming back online, neighborhoods may see intermittent glitches as crews finish the repairs,” said Chapple, an information technology professor at the University of Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business.

Amazon pinned the outage on issues related to its domain name system that converts web addresses into IP addresses, which are numeric designations that identify locations on the internet. Those addresses allow websites and apps to load on internet-connected devices.

DownDetector, a website that tracks online outages, said in a Facebook post that it received over 11 million user reports of problems at more than 2,500 companies. Users reported trouble with the social media site Snapchat, the Roblox and Fortnite video games, the online broker Robinhood and the McDonald’s app, as well as Netflix, Disney+ and many other services.

The cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase and the Signal chat app both said on X that they were experiencing trouble related to the outage.

Amazon's own services were also affected. Users of the company's Ring doorbell cameras and Alexa-powered smart speakers reported that they were not working, while others said they were unable to access the Amazon website or download books to their Kindle.

Many college and K-12 students were unable to submit or access their homework or course materials Monday because the AWS outage knocked out Canvas, a widely used educational platform.

“I currently can’t grade any online assignments, and my students can’t access their online materials” because of the outage’s effect on learning-management systems, said Damien P. Williams, a professor of philosophy and data science at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

The exact number of schools impacted was not immediately known, but Canvas says on its website it is used by 50% of college and university students in North America, including all Ivy League schools in the U.S.

Ohio State University informed its 70,000 students at all six campuses by email Monday morning that online course materials might be inaccessible due to the outage and that “students should connect with their instructors for any alternative plans.” By late afternoon, the system was still down, said spokesman Benjamin Johnson.

This is not the first time issues with Amazon cloud services have caused widespread disruptions.

Many popular internet services were affected by a brief&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/amazon-outage-aws-cloud-services-be93bc744e4e69d04055683830a409c3">outage in 2023</a>. AWS’s longest outage in recent history occurred in late 2021, when a wide range of companies — from airlines and auto dealerships to payment apps and video streaming services — were affected for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-business-amazoncom-inc-web-services-3ba6c35f2c86245231c03a2dc7f0c995">more than five hours</a>. Outages also happened in 2020 and&nbsp;<a href="http://apnews.com/article/32dc4dceb18a4214b23b2930ebd1e05f">2017</a>.

The first signs of trouble emerged at around 3:11 a.m. Eastern time, when AWS reported on its “health dashboard” that it was “investigating increased error rates and latencies for multiple AWS services in the US-EAST-1 Region.” Later, the company reported that there were “significant error rates” and that engineers were “actively working” on the problem.

Around 6 a.m. Eastern time, the company reported seeing recovery across most of the affected services and said it was seeking a “full resolution." As of midday, AWS was still working to resolve the trouble.

Sixty-four internal AWS services were affected, the company said.

Just a few companies provide most internet infrastructure

Because much of the world now relies on three or four companies to provide the underlying infrastructure of the internet, “when there’s an issue like this, it can be really impactful” across many online services, said Patrick Burgess, a cybersecurity expert at U.K.-based BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT.

“The world now runs on the cloud,” Burgess said.

And because so much of the online world’s plumbing is underpinned by so few companies, when something goes wrong, “it’s very difficult for users to pinpoint what is happening because we don’t see Amazon, we just see Snapchat or Roblox,” Burgess said.

“The good news is that this kind of issue is usually relatively fast" to resolve, and there’s no indication that it was caused by a cyberattack, Burgess said.

“This looks like a good old-fashioned technology issue. Something’s gone wrong, and it will be fixed by Amazon,” he said.

There are “well-established processes” to deal with outages at AWS, as well as rivals Google and Microsoft, Burgess said, adding that such outages are usually over in “hours rather than days.”

LONDON (AP) — Amazon says a massive outage of its&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/what-to-know-about-the-amazon-web-services-outage-0000019a02c5dea7a7ba2fcda5bc0000">cloud computing service</a>&nbsp;has been resolved as of Monday evening, after a problem disrupted internet use around the world, taking down a broad range of online services, including social media, gaming, food delivery, streaming and financial platforms.The all-day disruption and the ensuing exasperation it caused served as the latest reminder that 21st century society is increasingly dependent on just a handful of companies for much of its internet technology, which seems to work reliably until it&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-outage-crowdstrike-windows-big-tech-dependence-f314f7919e5ac2d0d40682f13df00778">suddenly breaks down</a>.About three hours after the outage began early Monday morning, Amazon Web Services said it was&nbsp;<a href="https://health.aws.amazon.com/health/status">starting to recover</a>, but it wasn't until 6 p.m. Eastern that “services returned to normal operations,” Amazon said on its&nbsp;<a href="https://health.aws.amazon.com/health/status">AWS health</a>&nbsp;website, where it tracks outages.AWS provides behind-the-scenes cloud computing infrastructure to some of the world’s biggest organizations. Its customers include government departments, universities and businesses, including The Associated Press.Cybersecurity expert Mike Chapple said “a slow and bumpy recovery process” is “entirely normal.”As engineers roll out fixes across the cloud computing infrastructure, the process could trigger smaller disruptions, he said.“It’s similar to what happens after a large-scale power outage: While a city’s power is coming back online, neighborhoods may see intermittent glitches as crews finish the repairs,” said Chapple, an information technology professor at the University of Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business.<h2>Amazon blames domain name system</h2>Amazon pinned the outage on issues related to its domain name system that converts web addresses into IP addresses, which are numeric designations that identify locations on the internet. Those addresses allow websites and apps to load on internet-connected devices.DownDetector, a website that tracks online outages, said in a Facebook post that it received over 11 million user reports of problems at more than 2,500 companies. Users reported trouble with the social media site Snapchat, the Roblox and Fortnite video games, the online broker Robinhood and the McDonald’s app, as well as Netflix, Disney+ and many other services.The cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase and the Signal chat app both said on X that they were experiencing trouble related to the outage.Amazon's own services were also affected. Users of the company's Ring doorbell cameras and Alexa-powered smart speakers reported that they were not working, while others said they were unable to access the Amazon website or download books to their Kindle.Many college and K-12 students were unable to submit or access their homework or course materials Monday because the AWS outage knocked out Canvas, a widely used educational platform.“I currently can’t grade any online assignments, and my students can’t access their online materials” because of the outage’s effect on learning-management systems, said Damien P. Williams, a professor of philosophy and data science at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.The exact number of schools impacted was not immediately known, but Canvas says on its website it is used by 50% of college and university students in North America, including all Ivy League schools in the U.S.Ohio State University informed its 70,000 students at all six campuses by email Monday morning that online course materials might be inaccessible due to the outage and that “students should connect with their instructors for any alternative plans.” By late afternoon, the system was still down, said spokesman Benjamin Johnson.<h2>Record of past outages</h2>This is not the first time issues with Amazon cloud services have caused widespread disruptions.Many popular internet services were affected by a brief&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/amazon-outage-aws-cloud-services-be93bc744e4e69d04055683830a409c3">outage in 2023</a>. AWS’s longest outage in recent history occurred in late 2021, when a wide range of companies — from airlines and auto dealerships to payment apps and video streaming services — were affected for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-business-amazoncom-inc-web-services-3ba6c35f2c86245231c03a2dc7f0c995">more than five hours</a>. Outages also happened in 2020 and&nbsp;<a href="http://apnews.com/article/32dc4dceb18a4214b23b2930ebd1e05f">2017</a>.The first signs of trouble emerged at around 3:11 a.m. Eastern time, when AWS reported on its “health dashboard” that it was “investigating increased error rates and latencies for multiple AWS services in the US-EAST-1 Region.” Later, the company reported that there were “significant error rates” and that engineers were “actively working” on the problem.Around 6 a.m. Eastern time, the company reported seeing recovery across most of the affected services and said it was seeking a “full resolution." As of midday, AWS was still working to resolve the trouble.Sixty-four internal AWS services were affected, the company said.<h2>Just a few companies provide most internet infrastructure</h2>Because much of the world now relies on three or four companies to provide the underlying infrastructure of the internet, “when there’s an issue like this, it can be really impactful” across many online services, said Patrick Burgess, a cybersecurity expert at U.K.-based BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT.“The world now runs on the cloud,” Burgess said.And because so much of the online world’s plumbing is underpinned by so few companies, when something goes wrong, “it’s very difficult for users to pinpoint what is happening because we don’t see Amazon, we just see Snapchat or Roblox,” Burgess said.“The good news is that this kind of issue is usually relatively fast" to resolve, and there’s no indication that it was caused by a cyberattack, Burgess said.“This looks like a good old-fashioned technology issue. Something’s gone wrong, and it will be fixed by Amazon,” he said.There are “well-established processes” to deal with outages at AWS, as well as rivals Google and Microsoft, Burgess said, adding that such outages are usually over in “hours rather than days.”

Amazon Web Services recovering from outage that caused disruptions worldwide

JOHNSON COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating a fatality crash involving a single vehicle and a pedestrian that occurred just after 8:30p.m. Sunday.

Officers were dispatched to the crash&nbsp;involving a single vehicle and a pedestrian at Old 56 Highway and Chestnut Street, according to Olathe Police Officer Sean Wilkes.

First responders located a man who was critically injured. The victim was later identified as 36-year-old&nbsp; Aureliano Gonzalez-Sanchez.&nbsp; He was transported to a nearby hospital where he was later declared deceased.

The driver of the vehicle remained on scene and is cooperating with the investigation.&nbsp;

This case remains under investigation by the&nbsp;Olathe&nbsp;Police Department.&nbsp;

JOHNSON COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating a fatality crash involving a single vehicle and a pedestrian that occurred just after 8:30p.m. Sunday.Officers were dispatched to the crash&nbsp;involving a single vehicle and a pedestrian at Old 56 Highway and Chestnut Street, according to Olathe Police Officer Sean Wilkes.First responders located a man who was critically injured. The victim was later identified as 36-year-old&nbsp; Aureliano Gonzalez-Sanchez.&nbsp; He was transported to a nearby hospital where he was later declared deceased.The driver of the vehicle remained on scene and is cooperating with the investigation.&nbsp;This case remains under investigation by the&nbsp;Olathe&nbsp;Police Department.&nbsp;

Police ID victim struck and killed by car on Kansas roadway

SEDGWICK COUNTY—A Kansas man found guilty of charges in a fatal hit-and-run that killed 43-year-old bicyclist Thomas Doyle learn his fate on Tuesday.

&nbsp;Judge Quentin Pittman sentenced 23-year-old Christopher Johnson to 19 months and prison&nbsp;for failure to stop at an accident resulting in death and an additional six months in jail for driving under the influence, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.

SEDGWICK COUNTY—A Kansas man found guilty of charges in a fatal hit-and-run that killed 43-year-old bicyclist Thomas Doyle will learn his fate today in Judge Quentin Pittman's courtroom.

In June,  Johnson plead not guilty to a charge of felony hit-and-run, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office. In September, he entered a no contest plea to avod a jury trial, according to the district attorney's office.  &nbsp;&nbsp;

In August of 2024, police responded to a traffic collision involving a vehicle and an electric bicycle at 2400 N. Hoover in Wichita, according to Officer Juan Rebolledo.

First responders found 43-year-old Thomas Doyle of Wichita who was riding the bike unresponsive. Doyle was later pronounced deceased at the scene by Sedgwick County EMS.

Investigators determined Doyle was northbound on Hoover Street when he was struck by a vehicle driven by Johnson who then continued driving north.

On August 22, police arrested Johnson.&nbsp; He bonded out of jail the following day.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1724409391079.png" alt="Johnson photo Sedgwick County" />
 <figcaption>Johnson photo Sedgwick County</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY—A Kansas man found guilty of charges in a fatal hit-and-run that killed 43-year-old bicyclist Thomas Doyle learn his fate on Tuesday.&nbsp;Judge Quentin Pittman sentenced 23-year-old Christopher Johnson to 19 months and prison&nbsp;for failure to stop at an accident resulting in death and an additional six months in jail for driving under the influence, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.---------------------SEDGWICK COUNTY—A Kansas man found guilty of charges in a fatal hit-and-run that killed 43-year-old bicyclist Thomas Doyle will learn his fate today in Judge Quentin Pittman's courtroom.In June, Johnson plead not guilty to a charge of felony hit-and-run, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office. In September, he entered a no contest plea to avod a jury trial, according to the district attorney's office. &nbsp;&nbsp;In August of 2024, police responded to a traffic collision involving a vehicle and an electric bicycle at 2400 N. Hoover in Wichita, according to Officer Juan Rebolledo.First responders found 43-year-old Thomas Doyle of Wichita who was riding the bike unresponsive. Doyle was later pronounced deceased at the scene by Sedgwick County EMS.Investigators determined Doyle was northbound on Hoover Street when he was struck by a vehicle driven by Johnson who then continued driving north.On August 22, police arrested Johnson.&nbsp; He bonded out of jail the following day.

Sentencing Day for Kansas hit-and-run that killed bicyclist

LYON COUNTY —Law enforcement investigating an alleged arson fire have made an arrest.

Just before 5:30a.m.&nbsp;October 18,&nbsp;the Emporia Fire Department responded to a reported vehicle fire in the area of&nbsp;West South Avenue and Neosho Street&nbsp;in Emporia, according to a media release.

Fire crews located the vehicle at&nbsp;10 South Neosho Street, where the fire was quickly extinguished. Following the initial response,&nbsp;Emporia Fire Department Fire Investigators&nbsp;determined the fire was intentionally set.

Police arrested 53-year-old Miguel Solorio Renterio, 53, of Emporia on requested charges of arson&nbsp;in connection with the incident. He has previous convictions for attempted battery on a law enforcement officer and criminal possession of a weapon, according to online records.

The case has been referred to the Lyon County Attorney’s Office&nbsp;for formal charges.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1760968599933.png" alt="Renterio photo Lyon County" />
 <figcaption>Renterio photo Lyon County</figcaption>
 </figure>LYON COUNTY —Law enforcement investigating an alleged arson fire have made an arrest.Just before 5:30a.m.&nbsp;October 18,&nbsp;the Emporia Fire Department responded to a reported vehicle fire in the area of&nbsp;West South Avenue and Neosho Street&nbsp;in Emporia, according to a media release.Fire crews located the vehicle at&nbsp;10 South Neosho Street, where the fire was quickly extinguished. Following the initial response,&nbsp;Emporia Fire Department Fire Investigators&nbsp;determined the fire was intentionally set.Police arrested 53-year-old Miguel Solorio Renterio, 53, of Emporia on requested charges of arson&nbsp;in connection with the incident. He has previous convictions for attempted battery on a law enforcement officer and criminal possession of a weapon, according to online records.The case has been referred to the Lyon County Attorney’s Office&nbsp;for formal charges.

Kansas felon back in jail for alleged arson fire

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House on Monday started tearing down part of the East Wing, the traditional base of operations for the first lady, to build President Donald&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/white-house-trump-ballroom-ea5c645a45e8f8846ebc98d5b2976678">Trump's $250 million ballroom</a>&nbsp;despite lacking approval for construction from the federal agency that oversees such projects.

Dramatic photos of the demolition work showed construction equipment tearing into the East Wing façade and windows and other building parts in tatters on the ground. Some reporters watched from a park near the Treasury Department, which is next to the East Wing.

Trump announced the start of construction in a social media post and referenced the work while hosting 2025 college baseball champs Louisiana State University and LSU-Shreveport in the East Room. He noted the work was happening “right behind us.”

“We have a lot of construction going on, which you might hear periodically,” he said, adding, “It just started today.”

The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-ballroom-national-planning-commission-approval-f537fa373705d560a9842b6250aee9ef">White House has moved ahead with the massive construction project</a>&nbsp;despite not yet having sign-off from the National Capital Planning Commission, which approves construction work and major renovations to government buildings in the Washington area.

Its chairman, Will Scharf, who is also the White House staff secretary and one of Trump's top aides, said at the commission's September meeting that agency does not have jurisdiction over demolition or site preparation work for buildings on federal property.

“What we deal with is essentially construction, vertical build,” Scharf said last month.

It was unclear whether the White House had submitted the ballroom plans for the agency's review and approval. The White House did not respond to a request for comment and the commission's offices are closed because of the government shutdown.

The Republican president had said in July when the project was announced that the ballroom would not interfere with the mansion itself.

“It’ll be near it but not touching it and pays total respect to the existing building, which I’m the biggest fan of,” he said of the White House.

The East Wing houses several offices, including those of the first lady. It was built in 1902 and and has been renovated over the years, with a second story added in 1942, according to the White House.

Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, said those East Wing offices will be temporarily relocated during construction and that wing of the building will be modernized and renovated.

“Nothing will be torn down,” Leavitt said when she announced the project in July.

Trump insists that presidents have desired such a ballroom for 150 years and that he's adding the massive 90,000-square-foot, glass-walled space because the East Room, which is the largest room in the White House with an approximately 200-person capacity, is too small. He also has said he does not like the idea of hosting kings, queens, presidents and prime ministers in pavilions on the South Lawn.

Trump said in the social media announcement that the project would be completed “with zero cost to the American Taxpayer! The White House Ballroom is being privately funded by many generous Patriots, Great American Companies, and, yours truly.”

The ballroom will be the biggest structural change to the Executive Mansion since the addition in 1948 of the Truman Balcony overlooking the South Lawn, even dwarfing the residence itself.

At a dinner he hosted last week for some of the wealthy business executives who are donating money toward the $250 million construction cost, Trump said the project had grown in size and now will accommodate 999 people. The capacity was 650 seated people at the July announcement.

The White House has said it will disclose information on who has contributed money to build the ballroom, but has yet to do so.

The clearing of trees on the south grounds and other site preparation work started in September. Plans call for the ballroom to be ready before Trump's term ends in January 2029.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House on Monday started tearing down part of the East Wing, the traditional base of operations for the first lady, to build President Donald&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/white-house-trump-ballroom-ea5c645a45e8f8846ebc98d5b2976678">Trump's $250 million ballroom</a>&nbsp;despite lacking approval for construction from the federal agency that oversees such projects.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">&quot;I am pleased to announce that ground has been broken on the White House grounds to build the new, big, beautiful White House Ballroom... The White House Ballroom is being privately funded by many generous Patriots, Great American Companies, and, yours truly.&quot; - President Trump <a href="https://t.co/GibeLevvFP">pic.twitter.com/GibeLevvFP</a>&mdash; The White House (@WhiteHouse) <a href="https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/1980385123037270023?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 20, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">A lot of FAKE OUTRAGE over construction of the big, beautiful (and privately funded) White House Ballroom. FACT: Presidents have been renovating and expanding the White House for more than 100 years. In 1902, President Theodore Roosevelt built the West Wing . In 1909,… <a href="https://t.co/p7opxjsNAm">pic.twitter.com/p7opxjsNAm</a>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1980411112307700146?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 20, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Dramatic photos of the demolition work showed construction equipment tearing into the East Wing façade and windows and other building parts in tatters on the ground. Some reporters watched from a park near the Treasury Department, which is next to the East Wing.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Construction has always been a part of the evolution of the White House. Losers who are quick to criticize need to stop their pearl clutching and understand the building needs to be modernized. Otherwise you’re just living in the past. <a href="https://t.co/OpINUW2ofA">pic.twitter.com/OpINUW2ofA</a>&mdash; Steven Cheung (@StevenCheung47) <a href="https://twitter.com/StevenCheung47/status/1980406883690389560?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 20, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Trump announced the start of construction in a social media post and referenced the work while hosting 2025 college baseball champs Louisiana State University and LSU-Shreveport in the East Room. He noted the work was happening “right behind us.”“We have a lot of construction going on, which you might hear periodically,” he said, adding, “It just started today.”The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-ballroom-national-planning-commission-approval-f537fa373705d560a9842b6250aee9ef">White House has moved ahead with the massive construction project</a>&nbsp;despite not yet having sign-off from the National Capital Planning Commission, which approves construction work and major renovations to government buildings in the Washington area.Its chairman, Will Scharf, who is also the White House staff secretary and one of Trump's top aides, said at the commission's September meeting that agency does not have jurisdiction over demolition or site preparation work for buildings on federal property.“What we deal with is essentially construction, vertical build,” Scharf said last month.It was unclear whether the White House had submitted the ballroom plans for the agency's review and approval. The White House did not respond to a request for comment and the commission's offices are closed because of the government shutdown.The Republican president had said in July when the project was announced that the ballroom would not interfere with the mansion itself.“It’ll be near it but not touching it and pays total respect to the existing building, which I’m the biggest fan of,” he said of the White House.The East Wing houses several offices, including those of the first lady. It was built in 1902 and and has been renovated over the years, with a second story added in 1942, according to the White House.Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, said those East Wing offices will be temporarily relocated during construction and that wing of the building will be modernized and renovated.“Nothing will be torn down,” Leavitt said when she announced the project in July.Trump insists that presidents have desired such a ballroom for 150 years and that he's adding the massive 90,000-square-foot, glass-walled space because the East Room, which is the largest room in the White House with an approximately 200-person capacity, is too small. He also has said he does not like the idea of hosting kings, queens, presidents and prime ministers in pavilions on the South Lawn.Trump said in the social media announcement that the project would be completed “with zero cost to the American Taxpayer! The White House Ballroom is being privately funded by many generous Patriots, Great American Companies, and, yours truly.”The ballroom will be the biggest structural change to the Executive Mansion since the addition in 1948 of the Truman Balcony overlooking the South Lawn, even dwarfing the residence itself.At a dinner he hosted last week for some of the wealthy business executives who are donating money toward the $250 million construction cost, Trump said the project had grown in size and now will accommodate 999 people. The capacity was 650 seated people at the July announcement.The White House has said it will disclose information on who has contributed money to build the ballroom, but has yet to do so.The clearing of trees on the south grounds and other site preparation work started in September. Plans call for the ballroom to be ready before Trump's term ends in January 2029.

Part of White House demolished for Trump ballroom construction

SALINE COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating a suspect on multiple allegations including throwing a beer can at police.

Just after 7:30p.m. Saturday, police were dispatched to home in north Salina after a woman called regarding a man who refused to leave her home, according to a media release.

After the woman asked the man to leave, she locked herself inside the garage, because she did not feel safe. Police determined both the man and woman were acquainted.

According to police, the man threw a full beer can at the woman, missing her and hitting two officers at the scene.

Officers then arrested Tyler Wolf, 33 and booked him into the Saline County Jail on requested charges of Battery on Law Enforcement, Assault and Criminal Trespass.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1760995621872.png" alt="Wolf photo Saline County" />
 <figcaption>Wolf photo Saline County</figcaption>
 </figure>SALINE COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating a suspect on multiple allegations including throwing a beer can at police.Just after 7:30p.m. Saturday, police were dispatched to home in north Salina after a woman called regarding a man who refused to leave her home, according to a media release.After the woman asked the man to leave, she locked herself inside the garage, because she did not feel safe. Police determined both the man and woman were acquainted.According to police, the man threw a full beer can at the woman, missing her and hitting two officers at the scene.Officers then arrested Tyler Wolf, 33 and booked him into the Saline County Jail on requested charges of Battery on Law Enforcement, Assault and Criminal Trespass.

Police: Kan. man threw a full can of beer and hit officers

By&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/author/claire-rush">CLAIRE RUSH</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/author/gene-johnson">GENE JOHNSON</a>

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — An appeals court on Monday put on hold&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/national-guard-oregon-california-trump-newsom-3b8e12f8d2d39f195dda73dda31f1681">a lower court ruling</a>&nbsp;that kept President Donald Trump from taking command of 200 Oregon National Guard troops. However, Trump is still barred from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/national-guard-hegseth-deploy-portland-chicago-trump-c618d8e59e1136cc0c2c3286d9c41d79">actually deploying</a>&nbsp;those troops, at least for now.

U.S. District Judge Karin Immergut issued two temporary restraining orders early this month — one that prohibited Trump from calling up the troops so he could send them to Portland, and another that prohibited him from sending any National Guard members to Oregon at all, after the president tried to evade the first order by deploying California troops instead.

The Justice Department appealed the first order, and in a 2-1 ruling Monday, a panel from the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals sided with the administration. The majority said the president was likely to succeed on his claim that he had the authority to federalize the troops based on a determination he was unable to enforce the laws without them.

However, Immergut’s second order remains in effect, so no troops may immediately be deployed.

The administration has said that because the legal reasoning underpinning both temporary restraining orders was the same, it will now ask Immergut to dissolve her second order and allow Trump to deploy troops to Portland. The Justice Department argued that it is not the role of the courts to second-guess the president’s determination about when to deploy troops.

Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield, a Democrat, said he would ask for a broader panel of the appeals to reconsider the decision.

<a href="https://www.whatsapp.com/channel/0029Va7Tv2j59PwNEyqGCi1y" target="_blank">▶ Stay up to date with the latest U.S. news by signing up to our WhatsApp channel.</a>

“Today’s ruling, if allowed to stand, would give the president unilateral power to put Oregon soldiers on our streets with almost no justification,” Rayfield said. “We are on a dangerous path in America.”

The Justice Department did not immediately return an email seeking comment.

Trump’s efforts to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-national-guard-legal-clash-presidential-power-1ed22e89bcdebc8d3e5bd9238373dc45">deploy National Guard troops</a>&nbsp;in Democratic-led cities have been mired in legal challenges. A judge in California ruled that his deployment of thousands of National Guard troops in Los Angeles violated the Posse Comitatus Act, a longstanding law that generally prohibits the use of the military for civilian policing, and the administration on Friday&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-national-guard-trump-913ecce44b6bcc5d0cba1b252dfd34ce">asked the U.S. Supreme Court</a>&nbsp;to allow the deployment of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/national-guard-troops-memphis-chicago-trump-96d489ab1b325c90da6f75a23efcf479">National Guard</a>&nbsp;troops in the Chicago area,

Mostly small nightly protests, limited to a single block, have been occurring since June outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building in Portland. Larger crowds, including counter-protesters and live-streamers, have shown up at times, and federal agents have used tear gas to disperse the demonstrators.

The administration has said the troops are needed to protect federal property from protesters, and that having to send extra Department of Homeland Security agents to help guard the property meant they were not enforcing immigration laws elsewhere.

Immergut previously rejected the administration’s arguments, saying the president’s claims about Portland being war-torn are “simply untethered to the facts.” But the appeals court majority — Ryan Nelson and Bridget Bade, both Trump appointees — said the president’s decision was owed more deference.

Bade wrote that the facts appeared to support Trump’s decision “even if the President may exaggerate the extent of the problem on social media.”

Judge Susan Graber, an appointee of former President Bill Clinton appointee, dissented. She urged her colleagues on the 9th Circuit to “to vacate the majority’s order before the illegal deployment of troops under false pretenses can occur.”

“In the two weeks leading up to the President’s September 27 social media post, there had not been a single incident of protesters’ disrupting the execution of the laws,” Graber wrote. “It is hard to understand how a tiny protest causing no disruptions could possibly satisfy the standard that the President is unable to execute the laws.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/6/1750413132016.jpeg" alt="File photo California National Guard stand in formation guarding the federal building in downtown Los Angeles on June 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)" />
 <figcaption>File photo California National Guard stand in formation guarding the federal building in downtown Los Angeles on June 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)</figcaption>
 </figure>By&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/author/claire-rush">CLAIRE RUSH</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/author/gene-johnson">GENE JOHNSON</a>PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — An appeals court on Monday put on hold&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/national-guard-oregon-california-trump-newsom-3b8e12f8d2d39f195dda73dda31f1681">a lower court ruling</a>&nbsp;that kept President Donald Trump from taking command of 200 Oregon National Guard troops. However, Trump is still barred from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/national-guard-hegseth-deploy-portland-chicago-trump-c618d8e59e1136cc0c2c3286d9c41d79">actually deploying</a>&nbsp;those troops, at least for now.U.S. District Judge Karin Immergut issued two temporary restraining orders early this month — one that prohibited Trump from calling up the troops so he could send them to Portland, and another that prohibited him from sending any National Guard members to Oregon at all, after the president tried to evade the first order by deploying California troops instead.The Justice Department appealed the first order, and in a 2-1 ruling Monday, a panel from the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals sided with the administration. The majority said the president was likely to succeed on his claim that he had the authority to federalize the troops based on a determination he was unable to enforce the laws without them.However, Immergut’s second order remains in effect, so no troops may immediately be deployed.The administration has said that because the legal reasoning underpinning both temporary restraining orders was the same, it will now ask Immergut to dissolve her second order and allow Trump to deploy troops to Portland. The Justice Department argued that it is not the role of the courts to second-guess the president’s determination about when to deploy troops.Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield, a Democrat, said he would ask for a broader panel of the appeals to reconsider the decision.<a href="https://www.whatsapp.com/channel/0029Va7Tv2j59PwNEyqGCi1y" target="_blank">▶ Stay up to date with the latest U.S. news by signing up to our WhatsApp channel.</a>“Today’s ruling, if allowed to stand, would give the president unilateral power to put Oregon soldiers on our streets with almost no justification,” Rayfield said. “We are on a dangerous path in America.”The Justice Department did not immediately return an email seeking comment.Trump’s efforts to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-national-guard-legal-clash-presidential-power-1ed22e89bcdebc8d3e5bd9238373dc45">deploy National Guard troops</a>&nbsp;in Democratic-led cities have been mired in legal challenges. A judge in California ruled that his deployment of thousands of National Guard troops in Los Angeles violated the Posse Comitatus Act, a longstanding law that generally prohibits the use of the military for civilian policing, and the administration on Friday&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-national-guard-trump-913ecce44b6bcc5d0cba1b252dfd34ce">asked the U.S. Supreme Court</a>&nbsp;to allow the deployment of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/national-guard-troops-memphis-chicago-trump-96d489ab1b325c90da6f75a23efcf479">National Guard</a>&nbsp;troops in the Chicago area,Mostly small nightly protests, limited to a single block, have been occurring since June outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building in Portland. Larger crowds, including counter-protesters and live-streamers, have shown up at times, and federal agents have used tear gas to disperse the demonstrators.The administration has said the troops are needed to protect federal property from protesters, and that having to send extra Department of Homeland Security agents to help guard the property meant they were not enforcing immigration laws elsewhere.Immergut previously rejected the administration’s arguments, saying the president’s claims about Portland being war-torn are “simply untethered to the facts.” But the appeals court majority — Ryan Nelson and Bridget Bade, both Trump appointees — said the president’s decision was owed more deference.Bade wrote that the facts appeared to support Trump’s decision “even if the President may exaggerate the extent of the problem on social media.”Judge Susan Graber, an appointee of former President Bill Clinton appointee, dissented. She urged her colleagues on the 9th Circuit to “to vacate the majority’s order before the illegal deployment of troops under false pretenses can occur.”“In the two weeks leading up to the President’s September 27 social media post, there had not been a single incident of protesters’ disrupting the execution of the laws,” Graber wrote. “It is hard to understand how a tiny protest causing no disruptions could possibly satisfy the standard that the President is unable to execute the laws.”___

Court gives Trump a win on National Guard deployment in Portland

By TONY GUERRERO Hays Post

The Fort Hays State University assistant professor says FHSU's review into her is still ongoing as she is discussing options with a legal team in case her First Amendment rights have been violated.

Nuchelle Chance of the psychology department has raised more than $1,600 through her&nbsp;<a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/fighting-black-against-academic-censorship-retaliation?attribution_id=sl:01768fb0-d256-45cd-a8e4-5803dbcdd611&amp;lang=en_US&amp;ts=1760971046&amp;utm_campaign=fp_sharesheet&amp;utm_content=amp17_te&amp;utm_medium=customer&amp;utm_source=facebook">GoFundMe</a>. She said her main concern is the double standard she believes exists at the university.

"How can some of my other FHSU colleagues say some of the most truly egregious and bigoted things on social media or even on campus and face little to no repercussion," she said.

"I can't help but think [correlationally] that if I was white, no one would have targeted me. The irony of being the only Black American woman on the faculty doing applied social justice work in rural Kansas isn't lost on me."

Hays Post reached out to&nbsp;Scott Cason, FHSU’s chief communications officer, and said he is not aware of other faculty making these comments.

Chance is seeking to raise $50,000, according to the fundraiser’s description, to cover legal fees and help with living expenses while she is without a paycheck.

Cason said FHSU is handling the situation as a confidential personnel matter but is aware of Chance’s social media posts about her employment status and her stated intentions as she moves through the process.

On Sept. 10, the day Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk was shot and killed during a debate at Utah Valley University, Chance posted the following:

Since then, Chance said she has been doxxed and received threats severe enough that she felt compelled to move her children out of Hays for their safety.

"I'm overwhelmed and disgusted. My health has been suffering, but as a millennial, I find that the moments of humor are keeping me grounded," Chance said.

Chance said she has also received an outpouring of support from colleagues, friends, students and community members.

In a recent social media post, Chance said she has been receiving support from the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.aaup.org/">American Association of University Professors</a>, an organization that helps uphold academic freedom standards in higher education.

On Sept. 29, Cason said in a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fhsu.edu/news/2025/09/fort-hays-state-university-statement-regarding-recent-social-media-post-about-race-and-violence#gsc.tab=0">press release</a>&nbsp;that the university is aware of content on the X account Libs of TikTok, a right-wing social media account on X with 4.4 million followers, linking a faculty member to social media posts about Charlie Kirk.&nbsp;

"Individuals who post commentaries to their personal social media accounts do not speak for the University, nor does their commentary reflect the views or values of this university," Cason said in a past statement from the university.

Cason said FHSU is reviewing the situation as a confidential personnel matter and asks for patience as they address it.

"I make no apologies as nothing I stated was inaccurate, libelous, slanderous, immoral, etc.," Chance said in response to Hays Post. "I speak truth. Is it controversial and even sometimes inflammatory? It can be, but if it offends then my message is to do better."

Chance initially defended her Facebook posts about the assassination of Kirk in a TikTok video.

"In my post, I just stated that there's karma," Chance said in the TikTok video. "There's irony associated with that, and that's by no means to celebrate someone's death."

Chance also made the following post that resulted in Libs of TikTok to further draw attention to her and bring them to FHSU’s awareness:

The university also shared its press release on its X page, where Libs of TikTok responded with criticism.

"Sorry, but I don't have 'patience' for professors who call white Americans 'dangerous animals' and mock the murder of a young father. This statement says absolutely nothing," the X post said.

On Oct. 14, a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2025/10/14/private-chat-among-young-gop-club-members-00592146?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR4rh1vKo0TPjSl8iLS0zXiVJTMfHMaGjXdVYALFYQT5TAgjYkVhpcOm3vtb4w_aem_Xu_8IK_zmXb9J8eshdaMGA">Politico article</a>&nbsp;revealed&nbsp;Kansas Young Republicans chairman Alex Dwyer and vice chair William Hendrix took part in a Telegram group chat, which included references to white supremacy and suppression of the Jeffrey Epstein files.

Chance made a social media post saying, "This scandal exposes real racism, real violence and real threats coming from individuals with political power and proximity to our institutions."

"If we can swiftly condemn encrypted hate speech from political operatives, we must also protect educators who face retaliation for public scholarship rooted in data, ethics and lived experience."

The FHSU College Republicans issued a statement condemning Kansas Young Republicans for sending texts with violent, racist and antisemtic rhetroic.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1760979457005.png" alt=" " />
 <figcaption> </figcaption>
 </figure>By TONY GUERRERO Hays PostThe Fort Hays State University assistant professor says FHSU's review into her is still ongoing as she is discussing options with a legal team in case her First Amendment rights have been violated.Nuchelle Chance of the psychology department has raised more than $1,600 through her&nbsp;<a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/fighting-black-against-academic-censorship-retaliation?attribution_id=sl:01768fb0-d256-45cd-a8e4-5803dbcdd611&amp;lang=en_US&amp;ts=1760971046&amp;utm_campaign=fp_sharesheet&amp;utm_content=amp17_te&amp;utm_medium=customer&amp;utm_source=facebook">GoFundMe</a>. She said her main concern is the double standard she believes exists at the university."How can some of my other FHSU colleagues say some of the most truly egregious and bigoted things on social media or even on campus and face little to no repercussion," she said."I can't help but think [correlationally] that if I was white, no one would have targeted me. The irony of being the only Black American woman on the faculty doing applied social justice work in rural Kansas isn't lost on me."Hays Post reached out to&nbsp;Scott Cason, FHSU’s chief communications officer, and said he is not aware of other faculty making these comments.Chance is seeking to raise $50,000, according to the fundraiser’s description, to cover legal fees and help with living expenses while she is without a paycheck.Cason said FHSU is handling the situation as a confidential personnel matter but is aware of Chance’s social media posts about her employment status and her stated intentions as she moves through the process.On Sept. 10, the day Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk was shot and killed during a debate at Utah Valley University, Chance posted the following:<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1760994414442.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Since then, Chance said she has been doxxed and received threats severe enough that she felt compelled to move her children out of Hays for their safety."I'm overwhelmed and disgusted. My health has been suffering, but as a millennial, I find that the moments of humor are keeping me grounded," Chance said.Chance said she has also received an outpouring of support from colleagues, friends, students and community members.In a recent social media post, Chance said she has been receiving support from the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.aaup.org/">American Association of University Professors</a>, an organization that helps uphold academic freedom standards in higher education.On Sept. 29, Cason said in a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fhsu.edu/news/2025/09/fort-hays-state-university-statement-regarding-recent-social-media-post-about-race-and-violence#gsc.tab=0">press release</a>&nbsp;that the university is aware of content on the X account Libs of TikTok, a right-wing social media account on X with 4.4 million followers, linking a faculty member to social media posts about Charlie Kirk.&nbsp;"Individuals who post commentaries to their personal social media accounts do not speak for the University, nor does their commentary reflect the views or values of this university," Cason said in a past statement from the university.Cason said FHSU is reviewing the situation as a confidential personnel matter and asks for patience as they address it."I make no apologies as nothing I stated was inaccurate, libelous, slanderous, immoral, etc.," Chance said in response to Hays Post. "I speak truth. Is it controversial and even sometimes inflammatory? It can be, but if it offends then my message is to do better."Chance initially defended her Facebook posts about the assassination of Kirk in a TikTok video.<div><blockquote class="tiktok-embed" cite="https://www.tiktok.com/@drchancespeaks/video/7555678574372490527" data-video-id="7555678574372490527" style="max-width: 605px;min-width: 325px;" > <section> <a target="_blank" title="@drchancespeaks" href="https://www.tiktok.com/@drchancespeaks?refer=embed">@drchancespeaks</a> When <a title="maga" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/maga?refer=embed">#MAGA</a> attacks.... your <a title="academicfreedom" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/academicfreedom?refer=embed">#academicfreedom</a> and <a title="firstamendment" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/firstamendment?refer=embed">#firstamendment</a> rights are discarded. <a title="charliekirk" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/charliekirk?refer=embed">#CharlieKirk</a> sympathizers think they can break me..... but my resolve is different. Thanks @xx_shotgunmary_xx <a target="_blank" title="♬ original sound - dr.chance_speaks" href="https://www.tiktok.com/music/original-sound-7555678616902798111?refer=embed">♬ original sound - dr.chance_speaks</a> </section> </blockquote> <script async src="https://www.tiktok.com/embed.js"></script></div>"In my post, I just stated that there's karma," Chance said in the TikTok video. "There's irony associated with that, and that's by no means to celebrate someone's death."Chance also made the following post that resulted in Libs of TikTok to further draw attention to her and bring them to FHSU’s awareness:<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1760994527373.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1760994901627.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>The university also shared its press release on its X page, where Libs of TikTok responded with criticism."Sorry, but I don't have 'patience' for professors who call white Americans 'dangerous animals' and mock the murder of a young father. This statement says absolutely nothing," the X post said.On Oct. 14, a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2025/10/14/private-chat-among-young-gop-club-members-00592146?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR4rh1vKo0TPjSl8iLS0zXiVJTMfHMaGjXdVYALFYQT5TAgjYkVhpcOm3vtb4w_aem_Xu_8IK_zmXb9J8eshdaMGA">Politico article</a>&nbsp;revealed&nbsp;Kansas Young Republicans chairman Alex Dwyer and vice chair William Hendrix took part in a Telegram group chat, which included references to white supremacy and suppression of the Jeffrey Epstein files.Chance made a social media post saying, "This scandal exposes real racism, real violence and real threats coming from individuals with political power and proximity to our institutions.""If we can swiftly condemn encrypted hate speech from political operatives, we must also protect educators who face retaliation for public scholarship rooted in data, ethics and lived experience."The FHSU College Republicans issued a statement condemning Kansas Young Republicans for sending texts with violent, racist and antisemtic rhetroic.

FHSU assistant professor receives threats for Charlie Kirk posts

SALINE COUNTY—Law enforcement investigating a fatal 2-vehicle accident that occurred just before 7p.m. Friday in Saline County have identified the victim as 30-year-old Riley Faris of Salina, according to a statement from the Saline County Sheriff. Deputies also made an arrest.

According to the sheriff's office, a custom 1986 Harley Davidson driven by&nbsp; Faris was westbound on Kansas 140 Highway at Perry Street in Brookville.&nbsp; A 2003 Subaru Forester driven by Kylie Barnett, 39, Kanopolis, rear-ended the motorcycle.

Faris was ejected from the motorcycle upon impact and pronounced dead at the scene. Deputies at the scene arrested Barnett and booked her into the Saline County Jail on requested charges of Driving While Suspended, No Proof of Insurance and Following too close.

Deputies determined alcohol was not a factor. Barnett is no longer in custody, according to online jail records.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1760984128017.png" alt="Barnett photo Saline County" />
 <figcaption>Barnett photo Saline County</figcaption>
 </figure>SALINE COUNTY—Law enforcement investigating a fatal 2-vehicle accident that occurred just before 7p.m. Friday in Saline County have identified the victim as 30-year-old Riley Faris of Salina, according to a statement from the Saline County Sheriff. Deputies also made an arrest.According to the sheriff's office, a custom 1986 Harley Davidson driven by&nbsp; Faris was westbound on Kansas 140 Highway at Perry Street in Brookville.&nbsp; A 2003 Subaru Forester driven by Kylie Barnett, 39, Kanopolis, rear-ended the motorcycle.Faris was ejected from the motorcycle upon impact and pronounced dead at the scene. Deputies at the scene arrested Barnett and booked her into the Saline County Jail on requested charges of Driving While Suspended, No Proof of Insurance and Following too close.Deputies determined alcohol was not a factor. Barnett is no longer in custody, according to online jail records.

Kansas woman arrested after crash that killed motorcyclist

FORD COUNTY—Law enforcement are investigating a homicide in Ford County.

Just before 6a.m. Monday, police&nbsp;were dispatched to the 3000 block of Gary Avenue in Dodge City in response to reports of shots fired, according to a media release.

While officers were arriving in the area, a 31-year-old Dodge City man approached officers at the Police Department and stated that he had just shot his wife. 

Based on the information provided, officers responded to the location given by the individual and discovered a 31-year-old woman suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Despite immediate life-saving efforts by first responders, she died her injuries at the scene. 

The suspect was taken into custody without incident and is being held in the Ford County Jail on requested charges of first-degree murder.&nbsp;

FORD COUNTY—Law enforcement are investigating a homicide in Ford County.Just before 6a.m. Monday, police&nbsp;were dispatched to the 3000 block of Gary Avenue in Dodge City in response to reports of shots fired, according to a media release.While officers were arriving in the area, a 31-year-old Dodge City man approached officers at the Police Department and stated that he had just shot his wife. Based on the information provided, officers responded to the location given by the individual and discovered a 31-year-old woman suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Despite immediate life-saving efforts by first responders, she died her injuries at the scene. The suspect was taken into custody without incident and is being held in the Ford County Jail on requested charges of first-degree murder.&nbsp;

Homicide: SW Kansas man told police he shot his wife

Federal, state funding uncertainty looms; anti-tenure bill to resurface in Topeka

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>

&nbsp;University of Kansas chancellor Doug Girod explores KU’s achievements in student recruiting, faculty research and endowment fundraising on Oct. 17, 2025, in a campus speech. Girod, chancellor since 2017, pointed to a series of threats confronting U.S. higher education. (Photo by Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)

LAWRENCE — University of Kansas chancellor Doug Girod says dismantling of federal funding of university research, lukewarm state budgets, a precipitous drop in college-age students, rise of artificial intelligence and inflationary pressure on operating costs threaten the future of higher education.

These headwinds exist amid dwindling enthusiasm, regardless of political affiliation, in the public’s view of the value of investment in a college degree, the chancellor said. Positive sentiment among Americans for higher education has eroded from 70% to 40% in less than a decade, he said.

“The question of, is the investment worth it, is really the question that’s being asked a lot of our society,” Girod said. “It’s creating a time of fairly significant uncertainty across the country right now.”

Girod said computing power of artificial intelligence would transform KU and other higher education institutions. AI must be viewed as a “disruptor,” he said, but also an opportunity to evolve.

“It’s going to completely change how we educate. It’s going to completely change how we conduct research. It certainly is going to completely change how we conduct our business of higher education,” he said.

Girod shared the report Thursday during his annual “State of the University Address,” which featured a broad analysis of U.S. higher education as well as distinct challenges facing KU and a summary of the university’s enrollment, research and fundraising trends.

Girod said KU this fall achieved record student enrollment for the second consecutive year. The current freshman class at KU is the third largest in university history, he said. At the same time, the chancellor said, KU improved student retention and its graduation rate. The decline in 18-year-olds in the United States will make continuation of that track record increasingly difficult, he said.

“We have the most Kansas kids we’ve ever had. We have the most out-of-state kids we’ve ever had. That’s a great place to be at this moment in time,” he said.

The chancellor said KU documented nine consecutive years of growth in research funding as the total climbed from $337 million in 2017 to $611 million in 2024. The pipeline of research grants in the current year has “slowed down profoundly” as the administration of President Donald Trump rolled back federal research and development funding available to colleges and universities.

He said progress has been made with the “One KU” project to realign and unify administrative leadership of KU campuses in Lawrence, Wichita and Kansas City, Kansas. The idea is to create efficiencies by moving away from a decentralized campus-based administrative structure, he said.

“The goal of that is obviously to help us streamline and be far more strategic, but also far more nimble in leveraging our assets across all our campuses,” Girod said.

Girod told about 200 people during the speech that KU endowment’s fundraising campaign eclipsed the $2 billion mark with two years remaining in a 10-year quest to secure commitments of $2.5 billion. He said half the contributions were destined for KU’s Lawrence campus, 30% would be dedicated to KUMC and 20% was earmarked for athletics.

“I’m happy to stand up here and say the state of our university is actually quite strong,” Girod said. “Probably the strongest it’s ever been. I also know I say that in a moment when we probably have the highest degree of uncertainty that we’ve had … in the history of the university.”

Girod said the 2025 Kansas Legislature adopted a flat budget in terms of base support for KU, which could be viewed as a step backward due to inflation. He said a 30% surge in operating costs in the past five years and combined challenges with state and federal funding prompted decisions to cut spending by $32 million on the Lawrence campus and to reduce spending by $39 million on the KU Medical Center campus in Kansas City, Kansas.

“I’ll tell you on the Lawrence campus about half of that cut will go to market pay for faculty and staff, but that really just gets us started on that journey,” Girod said.

David Smith, a professor of sociology, was among faculty and staff in the audience holding small signs during the chancellor’s speech that said “Contract now! Stop the delay” or “Fair contract now!” KU faculty and academic staff in April 2024 approved formation of a union by capturing 86% of the vote among nearly 1,000 participants in the election. The bargaining unit, United Academics of KU, represents employees with educational or research roles on campus.

“We have been in contract negotiations for well over a year now,” Smith said. “It’s been something like 450 days since those contract negotiations began.”

Smith said union negotiators were working to improve compensation, especially for adjunct faculty or people on short-term contracts. He said negotiations included an effort to enshrine in the first contract guarantees the administration formally shared governance with faculty and staff. For example, he said, faculty and staff should have had a role alongside KU administrators in deciding whether to discontinue 42 academic programs in 2022.

Girod said the 2026 session of the Legislature would be important to KU, and early indications were that it would be another tight budget year for higher education. He anticipated legislators would renew a push to redefine university tenure so it no longer could be recognized as an “entitlement, right or property interest.” The 2025 version of that legislation was blocked by opponents, including Girod, from emerging from a House committee.

“We’ve already been told its coming back again. We know that’s something we’re going to have to pay attention to because it’s so critical to what we do and who we are as an institution,” the chancellor said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1760983392597.png" alt=" University of Kansas chancellor Doug Girod explores KU’s achievements in student recruiting, faculty research and endowment fundraising on Oct. 17, 2025, in a campus speech. Girod, chancellor since 2017, pointed to a series of threats confronting U.S. higher education. (Photo by Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption> University of Kansas chancellor Doug Girod explores KU’s achievements in student recruiting, faculty research and endowment fundraising on Oct. 17, 2025, in a campus speech. Girod, chancellor since 2017, pointed to a series of threats confronting U.S. higher education. (Photo by Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Federal, state funding uncertainty looms; anti-tenure bill to resurface in Topeka</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>&nbsp;University of Kansas chancellor Doug Girod explores KU’s achievements in student recruiting, faculty research and endowment fundraising on Oct. 17, 2025, in a campus speech. Girod, chancellor since 2017, pointed to a series of threats confronting U.S. higher education. (Photo by Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)LAWRENCE — University of Kansas chancellor Doug Girod says dismantling of federal funding of university research, lukewarm state budgets, a precipitous drop in college-age students, rise of artificial intelligence and inflationary pressure on operating costs threaten the future of higher education.These headwinds exist amid dwindling enthusiasm, regardless of political affiliation, in the public’s view of the value of investment in a college degree, the chancellor said. Positive sentiment among Americans for higher education has eroded from 70% to 40% in less than a decade, he said.“The question of, is the investment worth it, is really the question that’s being asked a lot of our society,” Girod said. “It’s creating a time of fairly significant uncertainty across the country right now.”Girod said computing power of artificial intelligence would transform KU and other higher education institutions. AI must be viewed as a “disruptor,” he said, but also an opportunity to evolve.“It’s going to completely change how we educate. It’s going to completely change how we conduct research. It certainly is going to completely change how we conduct our business of higher education,” he said.Girod shared the report Thursday during his annual “State of the University Address,” which featured a broad analysis of U.S. higher education as well as distinct challenges facing KU and a summary of the university’s enrollment, research and fundraising trends.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1760983337463.png" alt="University of Kansas faculty and staff hoist small signs during KU chancellor Doug Girod’s annual speech Oct. 16, 2025, to register disappointment that more progress isn’t being made in negotiation of a collective bargaining agreement with unionized campus employees. (Photo by Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>University of Kansas faculty and staff hoist small signs during KU chancellor Doug Girod’s annual speech Oct. 16, 2025, to register disappointment that more progress isn’t being made in negotiation of a collective bargaining agreement with unionized campus employees. (Photo by Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Positive trends</h2>Girod said KU this fall achieved record student enrollment for the second consecutive year. The current freshman class at KU is the third largest in university history, he said. At the same time, the chancellor said, KU improved student retention and its graduation rate. The decline in 18-year-olds in the United States will make continuation of that track record increasingly difficult, he said.“We have the most Kansas kids we’ve ever had. We have the most out-of-state kids we’ve ever had. That’s a great place to be at this moment in time,” he said.The chancellor said KU documented nine consecutive years of growth in research funding as the total climbed from $337 million in 2017 to $611 million in 2024. The pipeline of research grants in the current year has “slowed down profoundly” as the administration of President Donald Trump rolled back federal research and development funding available to colleges and universities.He said progress has been made with the “One KU” project to realign and unify administrative leadership of KU campuses in Lawrence, Wichita and Kansas City, Kansas. The idea is to create efficiencies by moving away from a decentralized campus-based administrative structure, he said.“The goal of that is obviously to help us streamline and be far more strategic, but also far more nimble in leveraging our assets across all our campuses,” Girod said.Girod told about 200 people during the speech that KU endowment’s fundraising campaign eclipsed the $2 billion mark with two years remaining in a 10-year quest to secure commitments of $2.5 billion. He said half the contributions were destined for KU’s Lawrence campus, 30% would be dedicated to KUMC and 20% was earmarked for athletics.“I’m happy to stand up here and say the state of our university is actually quite strong,” Girod said. “Probably the strongest it’s ever been. I also know I say that in a moment when we probably have the highest degree of uncertainty that we’ve had … in the history of the university.”<h2>Kansas headwinds</h2>Girod said the 2025 Kansas Legislature adopted a flat budget in terms of base support for KU, which could be viewed as a step backward due to inflation. He said a 30% surge in operating costs in the past five years and combined challenges with state and federal funding prompted decisions to cut spending by $32 million on the Lawrence campus and to reduce spending by $39 million on the KU Medical Center campus in Kansas City, Kansas.“I’ll tell you on the Lawrence campus about half of that cut will go to market pay for faculty and staff, but that really just gets us started on that journey,” Girod said.David Smith, a professor of sociology, was among faculty and staff in the audience holding small signs during the chancellor’s speech that said “Contract now! Stop the delay” or “Fair contract now!” KU faculty and academic staff in April 2024 approved formation of a union by capturing 86% of the vote among nearly 1,000 participants in the election. The bargaining unit, United Academics of KU, represents employees with educational or research roles on campus.“We have been in contract negotiations for well over a year now,” Smith said. “It’s been something like 450 days since those contract negotiations began.”Smith said union negotiators were working to improve compensation, especially for adjunct faculty or people on short-term contracts. He said negotiations included an effort to enshrine in the first contract guarantees the administration formally shared governance with faculty and staff. For example, he said, faculty and staff should have had a role alongside KU administrators in deciding whether to discontinue 42 academic programs in 2022.Girod said the 2026 session of the Legislature would be important to KU, and early indications were that it would be another tight budget year for higher education. He anticipated legislators would renew a push to redefine university tenure so it no longer could be recognized as an “entitlement, right or property interest.” The 2025 version of that legislation was blocked by opponents, including Girod, from emerging from a House committee.“We’ve already been told its coming back again. We know that’s something we’re going to have to pay attention to because it’s so critical to what we do and who we are as an institution,” the chancellor said.

Chancellor profiles hurdles for higher education, outlines KU achievements

Secretary of State Denny Hoskins says the summary of a proposed initiative petition seeking to repeal stadium subsidies was a ‘first bite at the apple’ that can later be refined in the courts. Critics say that’s just a strategy to bog down and derail citizen-led campaigns

By:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/jason-hancock/">Jason Hancock</a> <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-senate-committee-advances-bill-to-ban-texting-while-driving/">Missouri Independent</a>

Secretary of State Denny Hoskins is warning voters that a repeal of Missouri’s $1.5 billion stadium subsidy could mean the Chiefs pack their bags and move to Kansas.&nbsp;

And what about the Royals, the other team state lawmakers were hoping to convince to stay in Missouri when they created the subsidy program?&nbsp; Crickets.&nbsp;

A ballot summary prepared by Hoskins’ office for a pair of proposed initiative petitions seeking to repeal the stadium funding law declares that voter approval could “likely cause the Kansas City Chiefs to move their stadium from Missouri to Kansas.”

There is no mention of the Royals, an omission that sparked a flurry of questions — and criticism.&nbsp;

Does Hoskins have some reason to believe the Royals have already decided to leave the state or have no intention of using the stadium tax incentives?&nbsp;

Or, as critics allege, is Hoskins hoping to sink the measure by making predictions about the future plans of the Chiefs, who&nbsp;— unlike the Royals — have a statewide fanbase, three recent championships, and a star player in Patrick Mahomes who is the face of the sport?

The Secretary of State’s Office insists it has neither inside knowledge of the Royals’ intentions nor a desire to bias voters against the proposed repeal. In a statement, the office said it “does not have access to or knowledge of the private business decisions of any professional sports franchise,” and that the ballot summary must reflect the “clearest, most immediate potential consequence” of the law.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1748263709817.png" alt="GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, home of the Kansas City Chiefs, is pictured on Sat. Feb. 8 (Anna Spoerre/The Missouri Independent)." />
 <figcaption>GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, home of the Kansas City Chiefs, is pictured on Sat. Feb. 8 (Anna Spoerre/The Missouri Independent).</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Secretary of State Denny Hoskins says the summary of a proposed initiative petition seeking to repeal stadium subsidies was a ‘first bite at the apple’ that can later be refined in the courts. Critics say that’s just a strategy to bog down and derail citizen-led campaigns</h2>By:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/jason-hancock/">Jason Hancock</a> <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-senate-committee-advances-bill-to-ban-texting-while-driving/">Missouri Independent</a>Secretary of State Denny Hoskins is warning voters that a repeal of Missouri’s $1.5 billion stadium subsidy could mean the Chiefs pack their bags and move to Kansas.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/9/1759061969764.png" alt="Secretary of State Denny Hoskins-courtesy phto" />
 <figcaption>Secretary of State Denny Hoskins-courtesy phto</figcaption>
 </figure>And what about the Royals, the other team state lawmakers were hoping to convince to stay in Missouri when they created the subsidy program?&nbsp; Crickets.&nbsp;A ballot summary prepared by Hoskins’ office for a pair of proposed initiative petitions seeking to repeal the stadium funding law declares that voter approval could “likely cause the Kansas City Chiefs to move their stadium from Missouri to Kansas.”There is no mention of the Royals, an omission that sparked a flurry of questions — and criticism.&nbsp;Does Hoskins have some reason to believe the Royals have already decided to leave the state or have no intention of using the stadium tax incentives?&nbsp;Or, as critics allege, is Hoskins hoping to sink the measure by making predictions about the future plans of the Chiefs, who&nbsp;— unlike the Royals — have a statewide fanbase, three recent championships, and a star player in Patrick Mahomes who is the face of the sport?The Secretary of State’s Office insists it has neither inside knowledge of the Royals’ intentions nor a desire to bias voters against the proposed repeal. In a statement, the office said it “does not have access to or knowledge of the private business decisions of any professional sports franchise,” and that the ballot summary must reflect the “clearest, most immediate potential consequence” of the law.Besides, Hoskins’ office said, the current version of the summary is just the “first bite at the apple.” A recently approved state law gives the secretary of state up to three times to get the ballot language right — if proponents are upset enough about the first version to take the issue to court.&nbsp;Brad Ketcher, a lawyer working with the group behind the ballot measure to repeal the subsidy, believes that’s the point. Writing an unfair ballot summary forces backers of initiative petitions to invest the time and money into legal challenges that could otherwise be dedicated to gathering signatures or engaging with voters.&nbsp;“Hoskins is all but admitting,” Ketcher said, “that he drafted flawed language with an eye toward slowing the measure.”Over the last month, Hoskins has found himself at the center of the political storm, facing criticism — and lawsuits — over his office’s role in the initiative petition and referendum process.&nbsp;Hoskins has used his authority to&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/10/16/lawsuit-threat-of-criminal-charges-part-of-gop-effort-to-block-vote-on-missouri-map/">pre-emptively reject 100,000 signatures for a proposed referendum</a>&nbsp;on Missouri’s new congressional map. He’s also come under fire for crafting what critics call “<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/lawsuits-challenge-deceptive-summaries-for-missouri-public-education-ballot-measures/">deceptive and prejudicial</a>” summary statements for two public‐education related constitutional amendments.&nbsp;He was tasked with rewriting the ballot language for a proposal to reinstate Missouri’s abortion ban after a Cole County judge determined the initial wording by lawmakers failed to alert voters that the amendment would ban most abortions.&nbsp;But his initial draft was rejected when the judge determined it was “insufficient and unfair.” Hoskins got the judge’s&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/10/07/missouri-abortion-ban-amendment-ballot-language-2026/">sign off on the summary</a>&nbsp;on his next attempt.&nbsp;Sean Nicholson, a longtime progressive activist in Missouri, filed a lawsuit earlier this year asking a judge to strike down a new law that says any ballot language deemed insufficient or unfair by a court must be sent back to the secretary of state up to three times for revision. If, after three attempts, the courts still find the language unacceptable, a judge is then allowed to rewrite it themselves.Nicholson said Hoskins’ behavior is exactly why the law is so dangerous and should be overturned.“Denny Hoskins is required to write fair and impartial language,” Nicholson said. “But instead, he is reinforcing all the concerns people had when the legislature passed the law, that a bad-faith politician could use it to waste the people’s time and resources.”&nbsp;As for the Chiefs and Royals, their future — in Missouri or Kansas — remains unresolved.&nbsp;“We have heard nothing to indicate that the Royals have decided to leave the State of Missouri,” said Gabby Picard, a spokeswoman for Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe, whose office plays no role in the intuitive petition process, when asked about the team’s omission from the ballot summary.“In fact,” Picard said, “Gov. Kehoe and his team remain in frequent communication with the Royals and the Chiefs to ensure that both teams stay in Missouri — where they belong.”The teams have expressed interest in leaving Missouri when the lease on their current stadiums in Jackson County expire in 2030. Kansas lawmakers put a deal on the table that would use state incentives to pay for up to 70% of the costs of new stadiums.The Missouri plan would allocate state taxes collected from economic activity at Arrowhead and Kauffman stadiums to bond payments for renovations at Arrowhead and a new stadium for the Royals in Jackson or Clay counties. The cost is estimated at close to $1.5 billion over 30 years.A pair of Republican lawmakers<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-ag-general-assembly-seek-to-dismiss-lawsuit-against-stadium-funding-bill/">&nbsp;filed a lawsuit hoping to get the entire package thrown out</a>, arguing it violates the constitution by including multiple provisions and aid to private interests.&nbsp;The initiative petitions aiming to repeal the stadium subsidy seek to direct any money saved toward preventing cuts to Medicaid&nbsp;<a href="https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/government-politics/article_59f065f3-1e50-44a6-81ac-630fb5acd698.html" target="_blank">that could result from legislation passed this summer by Congress</a>.&nbsp;Hoskins, Ketcher alleges, “has chosen to protect billions for billionaire sports team owners at the expense of everyday Missourians and their health care.”&nbsp;For his part, Hoskins defended his work — and his team loyalties.&nbsp;“Secretary Hoskins applauds the Royals on a hard-fought season and, like many Missourians, is cheering on the Chiefs this football season,” his office said in a statement. “Regardless of team colors, the goal remains the same: ensuring Missouri voters have the facts they need to make an informed decision at the ballot box.”