The Hutchinson City Council will meet this evening at 5:30 p.m. at City Hall.&nbsp;

On the consent agenda is approval of a stop sign grant from the Kansas Department of Transportation. If approved, new, improved signage would be installed at Halstead Street and 17th Avenue, Halstead Street and 11th Avenue, and Airport Road and 11th Avenue. The grant is intended to improve traffic control and safety at the intersections.&nbsp;

Among business items, council members will consider a beverage sales and sponsorship agreement between PepsiCo Beverage Sales LLC, the City of Hutchinson, Hutchinson Community&nbsp;College&nbsp;and Unified School District No. 308.&nbsp;

The USD 308 Board of Education approved its&nbsp;portion&nbsp;of the agreement at its Feb. 9 meeting. The agreement would formalize beverage sales and sponsorship terms among the participating entities.&nbsp;

The council&nbsp;also will&nbsp;consider a development agreement with Superior Holding that includes the creation of 10 new jobs paying more than $21 per hour.&nbsp;Additional&nbsp;details about the project are expected to be discussed during the meeting.&nbsp;

Council members are also scheduled to receive an update on Build&nbsp;Hutch,&nbsp;the city’s infill housing initiative created in partnership with the Hutchinson Community Foundation. The program is&nbsp;aimed at helping local property owners and aspiring developers&nbsp;redevelop&nbsp;vacant lots and blighted properties—one project at a time.&nbsp;

The program focuses on incremental development, a model that emphasizes smaller, locally driven projects rather than large, out-of-town developers building sprawling subdivisions. City officials say the approach can strengthen neighborhoods, expand housing&nbsp;options&nbsp;and keep investment dollars circulating locally.&nbsp;

City council to discuss beverage contract, development agreement

KANSAS DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT

Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) has issued a stream advisory for an unnamed tributary of the Chikaskia River in Kingman County from County Road 808 to the Chikaskia south of Spivey to the K-2 bridge in Harper County.

The stream advisory is due to a spill of crude oil and produced water from an oil production lease. Water quality has been impacted and the extent is still being determined. Water quality measurements have been taken by EPA.

The Kingman County Sheriff’s Office, along with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Kansas Corporation Commission (KCC) are on scene to assist with the coordination of this cleanup.

The agencies asks that individuals avoid contact with the impacted bodies of water, do not let their cattle enter the water, or drink the water.

KDHE will rescind the advisory once contact has been deemed safe.

Stream advisory issued in Kingman County

<a href="https://hutchpost.com/pages/weather">Click here for the KSStorm.info 7-day forecast.&nbsp;</a>

Three-day Outlook

ELLIS COUNTY—One person was injured in an accident just after 8p.m. Monday in Ellis County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2010 Chevy Cobalt driven by Carson&nbsp;Johnston, 19, Hesston, was&nbsp;eastbound on Interstate 70 just east of&nbsp;Toulon Avenue.&nbsp; The car traveled off the road into the south ditch and rolled onto the driver's side.

EMS transported Johnston to Hays Medical Center. He was properly restrained, according to the KHP.

Kansas man hospitalized after I-70 rollover accident

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — A Wichita man has been arrested in connection with a fatal fentanyl overdose investigated by the Hutchinson Police Department.

Cody R. Martin, 31, was taken into custody Feb. 11 on charges of distribution of fentanyl causing death and arranging the sale of a controlled substance using a communication facility, according to authorities.

The case stems from a fatal overdose reported in January 2025. The Hutchinson Police Department assigned the investigation to its Special Operations Unit, which identified Martin as a suspect in the alleged illegal distribution of controlled substances that resulted in the death.

Investigators forwarded their findings to the Reno County District Attorney’s Office for review. After evaluating the case, Reno County District Attorney Thomas R. Stanton filed criminal complaints in Reno County District Court alleging violations of Kansas law.

The Hutchinson Police Department thanked the Wichita Police Department and the United States Marshals Service for assisting with the investigation and arrest.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact the Hutchinson Police Department at 620-694-2816, their local law enforcement agency or Crime Stoppers of Reno County at 800-222-TIPS. Tips can also be submitted anonymously through the P3Tips app or by texting RENOKS to 738477 to receive a link to an anonymous tip form.

All defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

Wichita man arrested in Hutchinson fentanyl overdose death

The Reno County Landfill will temporarily stop accepting burned debris on Tuesday after the National Weather Service issued a Fire Weather Watch for extreme grassland fire danger across the region.

Landfill officials said burned loads and fire-damaged materials will not be accepted from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 17. The restriction applies only to burned materials; the landfill will remain open during its regular hours and will continue accepting all other loads as usual.

County officials said the temporary restriction is a precautionary measure aimed at reducing the risk of rekindled fires or flare-ups at the landfill during peak danger hours.

Burned loads not accepted at landfill in Tuesday

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — As Central Christian School prepares for another busy spring, Superintendent Dr. John Walker is lacing up his running shoes for a unique challenge.

Walker plans to attempt a 100-mile run in late March to raise money for tuition assistance for Central Christian families. His goal is to complete the distance in 28 hours or less while raising more than $20,000 for students who need financial support.

“I’m going to attempt to run 100 miles at the end of March to raise money for our tuition assistance,” Walker said. “That goes directly toward supporting students who need financial assistance to attend our school.”

Walker completed the same challenge in 2024, helping raise nearly $20,000. This year, he hopes to exceed that total.

“The Lord allowed us to raise about $20,000, which is amazing,” Walker said. “So I’m attempting this again and hopefully we’ll be able to raise even more to support our students.”

The fundraiser is part of a larger season of community engagement at Central Christian. On March 13, the school will host its annual Glow Run fundraiser for kindergarten through fifth grade students. Participants collect pledges and run laps in the gym under black lights and neon decor, with proceeds benefiting the school’s Parent Teacher Fellowship.

In April, the school will host the Sun Run, a community-wide event scheduled for the Saturday after Good Friday. The event includes a one-hour run or walk around the campus loop, followed by pancakes and fellowship.

“It’s open to the entire community,” Walker said. “Folks are welcome to come and run and walk and fellowship together.”

Walker said the events reflect a broader commitment to strengthening in-person community connections.

“It seems like a lot of communities nowadays are becoming more isolated,” he said. “It’s been fun for me to see our school community retake community back together and pursue opportunities to be together.”

Central Christian is also preparing to open admissions for the upcoming school year. Families interested in enrolling can visit the school’s website or contact the admissions office directly.

“We’re always open to finding mission-fit families who are excited about Christian education,” Walker said. “Feel free to contact the school. We’d be happy to help in any way that we can.”

CCS launches spring fundraisers, 100-mile run effort

The threat of dangerous wildfire conditions is increasing across much of Kansas, with the National Weather Service now issuing both fire weather watches and a Red Flag Warning ahead of strong winds and extremely low humidity expected Tuesday.

The National Weather Service office in Wichita said a Fire Weather Watch remains in effect from Tuesday afternoon through early Tuesday evening for areas along and west of Interstate 135 in central Kansas. Counties included are Russell, Lincoln, Barton, Ellsworth, Saline, Rice, McPherson, Reno, Kingman and Harper.

Forecasters said southwest winds of 25 to 30 mph, with gusts near 40 mph, combined with relative humidity as low as 19 percent, could allow any fires that start to spread rapidly. Outdoor burning is strongly discouraged.

Farther west, conditions are expected to be more severe. The National Weather Service office in Dodge City upgraded portions of southwest Kansas to a Red Flag Warning, which will be in effect from noon to 8 p.m. Tuesday. The warning covers a large area, including Trego, Ellis, Scott, Lane, Ness, Rush, Hamilton, Kearny, Finney, Hodgeman, Pawnee, Stafford, Stanton, Grant, Haskell, Gray, Ford, Edwards, Kiowa, Pratt, Morton, Stevens, Seward, Meade, Clark, Comanche and Barber counties.

In those areas, southwest winds are forecast at 25 to 45 mph, with gusts of 50 mph or higher. Relative humidity could fall as low as 10 percent, creating extreme fire behavior potential.

A Fire Weather Watch means critical fire weather conditions are possible, while a Red Flag Warning indicates those conditions are expected or imminent. Officials warned that the combination of strong winds, low humidity and warm temperatures could allow fires to ignite easily and spread quickly.

Residents are urged to avoid outdoor burning and activities that could spark fires, and fire crews and emergency officials are advised to remain on heightened alert as conditions develop Tuesday.

Fire Weather Watch issued

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Cosmosphere will host a special public presentation, Artemis Moon Missions: Returning to Stay, featuring Alicia Cianciolo, Human Landing Systems Engineering Team Lead for NASA’s Artemis III mission.

Cianciolo leads engineering efforts focused on safely returning humans to the lunar surface. She works closely with NASA teams and commercial partners to develop, test and integrate the systems that will enable astronauts to land on the Moon and support future missions. With a strong background in aerospace engineering and human spaceflight programs, Cianciolo plays a critical role in advancing NASA’s goal of establishing a sustainable, long-term human presence on and around the Moon.

Artemis III is a landmark mission in NASA’s Artemis program, aimed at returning humans to the Moon for the first time in more than 50 years. The mission will demonstrate new human landing systems, advance scientific discovery on the lunar surface and lay the groundwork for sustained exploration as a stepping stone toward future missions to Mars.

During the presentation, Cianciolo will provide an inside look at the Artemis Moon missions and share her personal experiences working on the project that will send humans back to land on the Moon, with a long-term vision of sustained lunar exploration.

The free event is open to the public and will take place Wednesday, Feb. 25, at 5:30 p.m. at the Cosmosphere.

RSVPs can be made online at <a href="https://cosmo.org/upcoming-events">https://cosmo.org/upcoming-events</a>.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

NASA Artemis leader to speak at Cosmosphere

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Comedian Gabriel Iglesias is returning to the Kansas State Fair with a new show this fall.

Kansas State Fair General Manager Bryan Schulz announced Monday on the BW Morning Show that Iglesias, known to fans as “Fluffy,” will perform Sept. 17 at 7:30 p.m. at the Kansas Star Casino Grandstand.

“We are 207 days out from the Kansas State Fair, and we are excited to announce today that we will be having Gabriel ‘Fluffy’ Iglesias at the Kansas State Fair this year,” Schulz said. “That’ll be Thursday the 17th for his show. So we are really excited about that.”

Iglesias previously appeared at the fair about four years ago, drawing what Schulz called “phenomenal” attendance numbers.

“Comedy has been a big hit out at the Kansas State Fair,” Schulz said. “We thought it would be a great time to bring him back.”

Schulz said the upcoming performance will feature fresh material.

“This is a new show, so if you’ve seen his shows in the past, he does change up a lot of stuff,” Schulz said. “And we’ve heard that it’s even going to be bigger and better than it has been in the past.”

The booking came together quickly, he said, with routing playing a key role. “It didn’t take but maybe two weeks from offer to commitment,” Schulz said.

One of the most successful touring comedians in the world, Iglesias ranks among the highest-grossing stand-up acts of all time. He has generated more than 2.4 billion YouTube views and has more than 34 million followers across social media platforms. According to Billboard, he was the third highest-grossing comedian of 2024.

His reach extends beyond live performance. Iglesias has been named to The Hollywood Reporter’s Top 40 Comedy Players list alongside Jerry Seinfeld, Chris Rock and Lorne Michaels and has appeared on the cover of Variety’s comedy issue.

He is also among a select group of comedians to headline and sell out venues such as Madison Square Garden in New York, Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles and the Sydney Opera House in Australia. His Netflix specials include “I’m Sorry For What I Said When I Was Hungry,” “One Show Fits All” and “Stadium Fluffy,” the latter filmed before 55,000 fans at Dodger Stadium, making him the first comedian to perform at and sell out the largest Major League Baseball stadium in the United States.

Tickets feature all-in pricing and include fair gate admission valid for the day of the show. Reserved grandstand seats are $45 and $60. Track Party Pit seating on the floor is $75. A standing VIP Deck package is $110 and includes early entry, two drink tickets and complimentary appetizers. VIP tables for six are $825 and include drinks, appetizers and a private table. Some exclusions apply.

Tickets go on sale to the general public Friday, with a presale available Thursday for fans who sign up for email alerts through the fair’s website. Tickets and additional information are available at <a href="http://kansasstatefair.gov">kansasstatefair.gov</a> or by calling 620-669-3618.

The 2026 Kansas State Fair runs Sept. 11-20 in Hutchinson.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

Fluffy Is Back: Gabriel Iglesias returns to Kansas State Fair

Here’s the latest booking activity from the Reno County Jail. This information is provided by the Reno County Sheriff’s Office and is not criminal history. The Hutch Post assumes no legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, or completeness, of this information. All suspects are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. ——————————————

Reyjon	Edward-Powers	Redenbaugh		2/15/2026 5:37&nbsp;AM	DUI; 1st conv; blood or breath .08 or higher,					Leave the scene of an accident; Property Damage &lt; $1000,					Possess, Consume, Purchase Alcoholic Liquor/CMB by &lt;18 YOA; 1st Conviction

Matthew	Guy	Currie		2/15/2026 10:18&nbsp;AM	Reckless Driving,					Driving while license cancelled/suspended/revoked; misd; unknown conv,					Fleeing or attempting to elude a LEO; Unknown felony,					Interference with LEO; knowingly flee by means other than motor vehicle for felony case

Lucas	Walter	Redman		2/15/2026 12:10&nbsp;PM	Failure to Appear

Brian	Erich	Jaquet		2/15/2026 3:18&nbsp;PM	Failure to Appear,					Probation Violation

Collin	Ray	Teter		2/15/2026 6:37&nbsp;PM	Driving while license cancelled/suspended/revoked; misd; unknown conv

Scott	Andrew	Cooley		2/15/2026 7:54&nbsp;PM	DUI; 2nd conv; incapable of safely driving,					Ignition Interlock Device; Operate MV without device during restriction

Daily Bookings

CHICAGO (AP) — The Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, a protege of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and two-time presidential candidate who led the Civil Rights Movement for decades after the revered leader's assassination, died Tuesday. He was 84.

His daughter, Santita Jackson, confirmed that Jackson died at home, surrounded by family.

As a young organizer in Chicago, Jackson was called to meet with King&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-news-ap-top-news-voting-rights-memphis-north-america-a5fa959c9c3a418d9f5eb1b1badb8db2">at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis</a>&nbsp;shortly before King was killed and he publicly positioned himself thereafter as King's successor.

Jackson led a lifetime of crusades in the United States and abroad, advocating for the poor and underrepresented on issues from voting rights and job opportunities to education and health care. He scored diplomatic victories with world leaders, and through his Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, he channeled cries for Black pride and self-determination into corporate boardrooms,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/0cfc7e215c604452be78493c000ec5c8">pressuring executives</a>&nbsp;to make America a more open and equitable society.

And when he declared, “I am Somebody,” in a poem he often repeated, he sought to reach people of all colors. “I may be poor, but I am Somebody; I may be young; but I am Somebody; I may be on welfare, but I am Somebody,” Jackson intoned.

It was a message he took literally and personally, having risen from obscurity in the segregated South to become America’s best-known civil rights activist since King.

“Our father was a servant leader — not only to our family, but to the oppressed, the voiceless, and the overlooked around the world,” the Jackson family said in a statement posted online. “We shared him with the world, and in return, the world became part of our extended family. His unwavering belief in justice, equality, and love uplifted millions, and we ask you to honor his memory by continuing the fight for the values he lived by.”

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/8f3f24a221ed47b79ee04b47a789d35a">Despite profound health challenges</a>&nbsp;in his final years including a rare brain disorder that affected his ability to move and speak, Jackson continued protesting against racial injustice into the era of Black Lives Matter. In 2024, he appeared at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago and at a City Council meeting to show support for a resolution backing a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/chicago-israel-hamas-resolution-ceasefire-7f210b4ed091347d4137810999bdc536">ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war</a>.

“Even if we win,” he told marchers in Minneapolis before the officer whose knee kept&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/death-of-george-floyd">George Floyd</a>&nbsp;from breathing was convicted of murder, “it’s relief, not victory. They’re still killing our people. Stop the violence, save the children. Keep hope alive.”

Calls to action, delivered in a memorable voice

Jackson’s voice, infused with the stirring cadences and powerful insistence of the Black church, demanded attention. On the campaign trail and elsewhere, he used rhyming and slogans such as: “Hope not dope” and “If my mind can conceive it and my heart can believe it then I can achieve it,″ to deliver his messages.

Jackson had his share of critics, both within and outside of the Black community. Some considered him a grandstander, too eager to seek out the spotlight. Looking back on his life and legacy, Jackson told The Associated Press in 2011 that he felt blessed to be able to continue the service of other leaders before him and to lay a foundation for those to come.

“A part of our life’s work was to tear down walls and build bridges, and in a half century of work, we’ve basically torn down walls,” Jackson said. “Sometimes when you tear down walls, you’re scarred by falling debris, but your mission is to open up holes so others behind you can run through.”

In his final months, as he received 24-hour care, he lost his ability to speak, communicating with family and visitors by holding their hands and squeezing.

“I get very emotional knowing that these speeches belong to the ages now,” his son, Jesse Jackson Jr., told the AP in October.

A student athlete drawn to the Civil Rights Movement

Jesse Louis Jackson was born on Oct. 8, 1941, in Greenville, South Carolina, the son of high school student Helen Burns and Noah Louis Robinson, a married man who lived next door. Jackson was later adopted by Charles Henry Jackson, who married his mother.

Jackson was a star quarterback on the football team at Sterling High School in Greenville, and accepted a football scholarship from the University of Illinois. But after he reportedly was told Black people couldn’t play quarterback, he transferred to North Carolina A&amp;T in Greensboro, where he became the first-string quarterback, an honor student in sociology and economics, and student body president.

Arriving on the historically Black campus in 1960 just months after students there launched sit-ins at a whites-only diner, Jackson immersed himself in the blossoming Civil Rights Movement.

By 1965, he joined the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/voting-rights-business-alabama-martin-luther-king-jr-race-and-ethnicity-b0d6202cf702d3ae1e487e9c0329083c">voting rights march</a>&nbsp;King led from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama. King dispatched him to Chicago to launch Operation Breadbasket, a Southern Christian Leadership Conference effort to pressure companies to hire Black workers.

Jackson called his time with King “a phenomenal four years of work.”

Jackson was with King on April 4, 1968, when the civil rights leader was slain at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. Jackson’s account of the assassination was that King died in his arms.

With his flair for the dramatic, Jackson wore a turtleneck he said was soaked with King’s blood for two days, including at a King memorial service held by the Chicago City Council, where he said: “I come here with a heavy heart because on my chest is the stain of blood from Dr. King’s head.”

However, several King aides, including speechwriter Alfred Duckett, questioned whether Jackson could have gotten King’s blood on his clothing. There are no images of Jackson in pictures taken shortly after the assassination.

In 1971, Jackson broke with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference to form Operation PUSH, originally named People United to Save Humanity. The organization based on Chicago’s South Side declared a sweeping mission, from diversifying workforces to registering voters in communities of color nationwide. Using lawsuits and threats of boycotts, Jackson pressured top corporations to spend millions and publicly commit to diversifying their workforces.

The constant campaigns often left his wife, Jacqueline Lavinia Brown, the college sweetheart he married in 1963, taking the lead in raising their five children: Santita Jackson, Yusef DuBois Jackson, Jacqueline Lavinia Jackson Jr., and two future members of Congress, U.S. Rep. Jonathan Luther Jackson and Jesse L. Jackson Jr., who resigned in 2012 but is seeking reelection in the 2026 midterms.

The elder Jackson, who was ordained as a Baptist minister in 1968 and earned his Master of Divinity in 2000, also acknowledged fathering a child, Ashley Jackson, with one of his employees at Rainbow/PUSH, Karen L. Stanford. He said he understood what it means to be born out of wedlock and supported her emotionally and financially.

Presidential aspirations fall short but help ‘keep hope alive’

Despite once telling a Black audience he would not run for president “because white people are incapable of appreciating me,”&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/9399c132eb6f43d28021ba0e1da1d88c/Jesse-Jackson's-decades-in-public-eye-shaped-by-many-roles">Jackson ran twice</a>&nbsp;and did better than any Black politician had before President Barack Obama, winning 13 primaries and caucuses for the Democratic nomination in 1988, four years after his first failed attempt.

His successes left supporters chanting another Jackson slogan, “Keep Hope Alive.”

“I was able to run for the presidency twice and redefine what was possible; it raised the lid for women and other people of color,” he told the AP. “Part of my job was to sow seeds of the possibilities.”

<a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?c4842199/representative-john-lewis-reflects-impact-jesse-jackson-1988-presidential-candidacy">U.S. Rep. John Lewis said</a>&nbsp;during a 1988 C-SPAN interview that Jackson’s two runs for the Democratic nomination “opened some doors that some minority person will be able to walk through and become president.”

Jackson also pushed for cultural change, joining calls by NAACP members and other movement leaders in the late 1980s to identify Black people in the United States as African Americans.

“To be called African Americans has cultural integrity — it puts us in our proper historical context,”&nbsp;<a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=jesse+jackson+african+americans&amp;rlz=1C1GCEA_enUS1028US1028&amp;ei=KhfEZLOoI9PJptQP0-iu2AE&amp;ved=0ahUKEwiz5fXTkbKAAxXTpIkEHVO0CxsQ4dUDCBA&amp;uact=5&amp;oq=jesse+jackson+african+americans&amp;gs_lp=Egxnd3Mtd2l6LXNlcnAiH2plc3NlIGphY2tzb24gYWZyaWNhbiBhbWVyaWNhbnNInxNQlwRY4QtwAXgAkAEAmAFuoAGWDKoBAzcuObgBA8gBAPgBAeIDBBgBIEGIBgE&amp;sclient=gws-wiz-serp#fpstate=ive&amp;vld=cid:3a6492f0,vid:qrSA6vbqC90">Jackson said at the time</a>. “Every ethnic group in this country has a reference to some base, some historical cultural base. African Americans have hit that level of cultural maturity.”

Jackson’s words sometimes got him in trouble.

In 1984, he apologized for what he thought were private comments to a reporter, calling New York City “Hymietown,” a derogatory reference to its large Jewish population. And in 2008, he made headlines when he complained that Obama was “talking down to Black people” in comments captured by a microphone he didn’t know was on during a break in a television taping.

Still, when Jackson joined the jubilant crowd in Chicago’s Grant Park to greet Obama that election night, he had tears streaming down his face.

“I wish for a moment that Dr. King or (slain civil rights leader) Medgar Evers ... could’ve just been there for 30 seconds to see the fruits of their labor,” he told the AP years later. “I became overwhelmed. It was the joy and the journey.”

Exerting influence on events at home and abroad

Jackson also had influence abroad, meeting world leaders and scoring diplomatic victories, including the release of Navy Lt. Robert Goodman from Syria in 1984, as well as the 1990 release of more than 700 foreign women and children held after Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait. In 1999, he won the freedom of three Americans imprisoned by Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic.

In 2000, President Bill Clinton awarded Jackson the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the country’s highest civilian honor.

“Citizens have the right to do something or do nothing,” Jackson said, before heading to Syria. “We choose to do something.”

In 2021,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/al-sharpton-racial-injustice-georgia-brunswick-crime-d79f3ef1a8cc16ce74adc38f9e6ec0ec">Jackson joined the parents of Ahmaud Arbery</a>&nbsp;inside the Georgia courtroom where three white men were convicted of killing the young Black jogger. In 2022, he hand-delivered a letter to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Chicago, calling for federal charges against former Chicago Police Officer Jason Van Dyke in the 2014 killing of Black teenager Laquan McDonald.

Jackson, who&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jesse-jackson-rainbow-push-stepping-down-8452b3479834d1ef7acef84419575864">stepped down as president of Rainbow/PUSH</a>&nbsp;in July 2023, disclosed in 2017 that he had sought treatment for Parkinson’s, but he continued to make public appearances even as the disease made it more difficult for listeners to understand him. Earlier this year doctors confirmed a diagnosis of progressive supranuclear palsy, a life-threatening neurological disorder. He was admitted to a hospital in November.

During the coronavirus pandemic, he and his wife survived&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-health-religion-coronavirus-pandemic-voting-rights-fb8ce99277e00e21189f948b98d15d55">being hospitalized with COVID-19</a>. Jackson was vaccinated early, urging Black people in particular to get protected, given their higher risks for bad outcomes.

“It’s America’s unfinished business — we’re free, but not equal,” Jackson told the AP. “There’s a reality check that has been brought by the coronavirus, that exposes the weakness and the opportunity.”

Former Associated Press writer Karen Hawkins, who left The Associated Press in 2012, contributed to this report. Associated Press writer Amy Forliti in Minneapolis contributed.

Longtime civil rights leader Rev. Jesse Jackson dies at 84

SEDGWICK COUNTY—An Oklahoma truck driver accused of intentionally backing over and killing a Georgia man in the parking lot of a Wichita truck stop will face a trial.

On Friday, Travis Briscoe, 46,&nbsp;waived his right to a preliminary hearing and was bound over for trial, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney’s Office.

&nbsp;He is charged with 2nd degree murder for the death of 57-year-old Abdelmuttalib Mohammed.

On August 13, police responded to the Love's Travel Stop in the 1500 block of East 21st Street North for an injury crash, according to Officer Kris Gupilan. They found 57-year-old Abdelmuttalib Mohammed of Georgia, under a truck. Sedgwick County Emergency Medical Services pronounced him dead at 5:32 p.m.

Investigators with the Wichita Police Department determined Mohammed had been in a verbal altercation with Briscoe. The two men did not know each other, according to Gupilan. During the altercation, Briscoe began backing into a parking stall with his semitractor-trailer striking&nbsp; Mohammed.

Briscoe remains jailed on a $150,000 bond, according to online jail records.

Driver who backed over, killed man at Kan. truck stop will face a jury

KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement are investigating their seventh homicide case over the past week in Kansas City, Missouri.

Just before 2p.m. Monday, police were dispatched to the VA hospital in Kansas City on a reported shooting, according to KCPD Officer&nbsp;Alayna Gonzalez.

Upon officers arrival, they contacted several individuals who had stated the shooting occurred in the 2900 block of Brighton Avenue. The victim was transported by private conveyance to the VA hospital for medical treatment. VA hospital staff advised officers at that time that the victim was pronounced deceased.

Preliminary information provided by a witness stated that she was inside of her residence when she heard several sounds of shots outside of her home. She exited the residence and located an adult male victim, lying in the street suffering from apparent gunshot trauma. An adult male suspect was seen entering an unknown vehicle and left the area in an unknown direction.&nbsp;

Homicide detectives and crime scene personnel have responded to the scene to begin collecting evidence and witness statements.

If anyone was in the area and heard or saw anything or has any information they are asked to contact Homicide detectives directly at 816-234-5043 or the TIPS Hotline anonymously at 816-474-TIPS. There is a reward of up to $25,000 for information submitted anonymously to the TIPS hotline.

Police: Man dies in shooting near VA hospital in Kansas City

ATLANTA (AP) —A man whose teenage son&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/georgia-high-school-lockdown-3969d34cf6a7adc787facf21c469ef4d">is accused of killing</a>&nbsp;two students and two teachers at a Georgia high school should be held responsible for providing the weapon despite warnings about alleged threats his son made, a prosecutor said Monday.

The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/georgia-school-shooting-apalachee-high-colin-gray-6e7e30bca5cb0bfcd4a8d40c3b3827c0">trial of Colin Gray</a>&nbsp;began Monday in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/shootings-parents-charged-bbe07bf6f882fd44f893639dc36c0825">one of several</a>&nbsp;cases around the country where prosecutors are trying to hold parents responsible after their children are accused in fatal shootings.

Gray&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/georgia-mass-shooting-apalachee-high-school-697501c20b548316ba27b2fff3cc6a97">faces 29 counts</a>, including two counts of second-degree murder, two counts of involuntary manslaughter and numerous counts of second-degree cruelty to children related to the September 2024 shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder.

“This is not a case about holding parents accountable for what their children do," Barrow County District Attorney Brad Smith said in his opening statement. “This case is about this defendant and his actions in allowing a child that he has custody over access to a firearm and ammunition after being warned that that child was going to harm others.”

Prosecutors argue that amounts to cruelty to children, and second-degree murder is defined in Georgia law as causing the death of a child by committing the crime of cruelty to children.

Investigators have said Colt Gray, who was 14 at the time, carefully planned the Sept. 4, 2024, shooting at the school northeast of Atlanta that is attended by 1,900 students.

But Brian Hobbs, an attorney for Colin Gray, said the shooting's planning and timing "were hidden by Colt Gray from his father. That’s the difference between tragedy and criminal liability. You cannot hold someone criminally responsible for failing to predict what was intentionally hidden from them.”

With a semiautomatic rifle in his book bag, the barrel sticking out and wrapped in poster board, Colt Gray boarded the school bus, investigators said. He left his second-period class and emerged from a bathroom with the gun and then shot people in a classroom and hallways, they said.

Smith told the jury that Colin Gray’s daughter was in lockdown at her middle school and texted her father that there had been a shooting at the high school. When law enforcement arrived at Gray’s home, he met them in the garage and “without any prompting, he blurts out, ‘I knew it,’” Smith said.

Smith said that in September 2021, Colt Gray used a school computer to search the phrase, “how to kill your dad.” School resource officers were then sent to the home, but it was determined to be a “misunderstanding,” Smith said.

Sixteen months before the shooting, in May 2023, law enforcement acted on a tip from the FBI after a shooting threat was made online concerning an elementary school. The threat was traced to a computer at Gray’s home, Smith said.

Colin Gray was told about the threat and was asked whether his son had access to guns. Gray replied that he and his son “take this school shooting stuff very seriously,” according to Smith. Colt Gray denied that he made the threat and said that his online account had been hacked, Smith said.

That Christmas, Colin Gray&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/apalachee-high-school-colin-colt-gray-04346f61a8fc8cba2520343866c56eb6">gave his son the gun as a gift</a>&nbsp;and continued to buy accessories after that, including “a lot of ammunition,” Smith said.

Colin Gray knew his son was obsessed with school shooters, even having a shrine in his bedroom to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/nikolas-cruz">Nikolas Cruz</a>, the shooter in the 2018 massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, prosecutors have said. A Georgia Bureau of Investigation agent had testified that the teen’s parents had discussed their son’s fascination with school shooters but decided that it was in a joking context and not a serious issue.

Three weeks before the shooting, Gray received a chilling text from his son: “Whenever something happens, just know the blood is on your hands,” according to Smith.

Colin Gray was also aware his son’s mental health had deteriorated and had sought help from a counseling service weeks before the shooting, an investigator testified.

“We have had a very difficult past couple of years and he needs help. Anger, anxiety, quick to be volatile. I don’t know what to do,” Colin Gray wrote about his son.

But Smith said Colin Gray never followed through on concerns about getting his son admitted to an in-patient facility.

The trial is being held in Winder, in Barrow County, where the shooting happened. The defense asked for a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/georgia-school-shooting-apalachee-high-b2ddc3ef39b485e1f0af8a2e1530fa2c">change of venue</a>&nbsp;because of pretrial publicity, and prosecutors agreed. The judge kept the trial in Winder but decided to bring in jurors from nearby Hall County to hear the case. Jurors were selected last week.

Raby reported from Charleston, West Virginia.

Jury hears case against father of boy charged in deadly school shooting

KANSAS CITY —Police have identified the driver who died in an accident just after 2:30p.m. Friday in Kansas City, Missouri.

A white Nissan Murano driven by 34-year-old Sterling A. Roaf was southbound on Virginia in Kansas City at a high rate of speed, according to KCPD Captain Jake Becchina. The Nissan failed to stop for the posted stop sign at Rockhurst and Virginia. 

The Nissan continued southbound and struck a gold Jeep wrangler that was unoccupied and parked on Rockhurst. After striking the Jeep, the Nissan continued over the curb and up the grassy hill where it began to roll. The vehicle struck the Rockhurst College’s “Corcoran Building” before coming to rest. 

Roaf, sole occupant of the Nissan was transported to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries and was later pronounced deceased by hospital staff. This is fatality #7 compared to #5 at this time last year in Kansas City, Missouri, according to Becchina.

Police ID driver who died after crash on college campus in KC

CLOUD COUNTY—Law enforcement conducted an extensive investigation into the allegations of crimes against children, according to a social media report from Concordia Police.

Just before 11a.m. February 13, the Concordia Police Department executed a search warrant at 616 Valley St. in Concordia regarding the investigation. While conducting the search warrant, Officers located drug paraphernalia and methamphetamines.

The suspect, David Brown (alias: Axel Brown), age 21, was arrested for drug paraphernalia and possession of methamphetamines, along with his Cloud County Warrant on requested charges that include Rape, Two counts of Aggravated Indecent Liberties with a Child, Criminal Sodomy, Aggravated Endangerment of a Child, Aggravated Assault Criminal Threat, Criminal Restraint, Contributing to a Child’s Misconduct or Deprivation, Furnishing Alcoholic Liquor or Cereal Malt Beverage to a minor, Taxation- Cigarettes, Electronic Cigarettes, and Tobacco Unlawful Acts

The Concordia Police Department encourages parents and guardians to speak with their children to see if they have had any contact with David “Axel” Brown. If any children have had contact with David “Axel” Brown, please email Detective Emma Thyfault- ethyfault@concordiaks.org and Lt. Adam Sorell- asorell@concordiaks.org.

Police looking for other victims in Kansas child sex crime investigation

VIENNA (AP) — Austrian public prosecutors filed terrorism-related charges Monday against a 21-year-old defendant who they say&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/austria-extremism-arrests-security-taylor-swift-7ece0b264f6e4152b8214c9fba8c425b">planned to carry out an attack</a>&nbsp;on one of superstar singer Taylor Swift's concerts in Vienna in August 2024.

Vienna public prosecutors said in a statement that the unnamed defendant had declared&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/taylor-swift-cia-vienna-concerts-foiled-attack-7e454af63efcff2a3ab0a20c718aba8d">allegiance to the Islamic State group</a>&nbsp;by sharing propaganda material and videos via various messaging services.

Vienna prosecutors also accuse the defendant of having “obtained instructions on the internet for the construction of a shrapnel bomb based on the explosive triacetone triperoxide” typically used by IS, and of having produced a small amount of the explosive.

Prosecutors also say that the defendant had made "several attempts” to buy weapons illegally outside the country and to bring them to Austria.

Vienna public prosecutors plan to proceed with a criminal case against the unnamed suspect in Wiener Neustadt, a town near the Austrian capital.

The spokesperson for the Vienna public prosecutors office confirmed to The Associated Press that the defendant is in custody. Austrian media identified the suspect as Beran A. and said he was arrested in August 2024.

Austrian authorities&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/austria-taylor-swift-concerts-canceled-extremism-arrests-feff9108d0a14d9941c4bc416c0eb05f">canceled three planned Taylor Swift shows</a>&nbsp;in Vienna in August 2024 after they said they foiled an apparent plot to target the performances.

The U.S. provided intelligence that fed into the decision to cancel the concerts.

“The United States has an enduring focus on our counterterrorism mission. We work closely with partners all over the world to monitor and disrupt threats. And so as part of that work, the United States did share information with Austrian partners to enable the disruption of a threat to Taylor Swift’s concerts there in Vienna,” then-White House national security spokesman John Kirby said in August 2024.

21-year-old charged in Taylor Swift concert attack plot 

JACKSON COUNTY, Kan. —Law enforcement are investigating two suspects on drug allegations.

Jus before 2a.m. Feb. 10,&nbsp; a Sheriff’s Deputy conducted a traffic stop on a GMC Terrain for a traffic infraction near 102nd Road on U.S. Highway 75 in rural Jackson County, according to Sheriff Tim Morse.

 A probable cause search of the vehicle was conducted which resulted in the discovery of illegal drugs. The driver, Raymond Earl Hughes, 61, of Topeka, was arrested and booked into the Jackson County Jail on requested charges of possession of methamphetamine and no proof of insurance.  The passenger, Julyn Michelle Owens, 60, of Topeka was arrested and booked into the Jackson County Jail on requested charges of possession of a hallucinogenic drug and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Sheriff: Kansas couple caught transporting meth

JOHNSON COUNTY—Law enforcement took a suspect, identified as 30-year-old Andrew McCann, according to booking records, into custody after a standoff in the city of Shawnee.

Just after 9a.m. Sunday, police were dispatched to investigate a report of shots fired into an occupied dwelling that occurred Saturday near Quivira Road and W. 71st Street in Shawnee, according to a media release. No injuries were reported.

At approximately 11:40 a.m., Shawnee officers located the suspect near W. 121st Street and Ballentine Street in Overland Park, where he barricaded himself until his arrest.

Suspect in custody after shots fired into Kansas home

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/savannah-guthrie-mom-missing-710d3acdef86d1c3935b94f58f763d72">Investigators working</a>&nbsp;on the disappearance of “Today” show host&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/savannah-guthrie">Savannah Guthrie’s</a>&nbsp;mother are consulting with Walmart management to develop leads because a backpack the suspect was wearing is sold exclusively at the stores, the Pima County, Arizona, sheriff said Monday.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/savannah-guthrie-nancy-guthrie-mom-missing-88e8731270d05e6e667730d2ed8633d3">Nancy Guthrie</a>, 84, was last seen at her Arizona home on Jan. 31 and was reported missing the following day. Authorities say her blood was found on the front porch. Purported&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/savannah-guthrie-mom-missing-ransom-deadline-arizona-3977f842fd3d1fd66952d1d763944b9d">ransom notes</a>&nbsp;were sent to news outlets, but two deadlines for paying have passed.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/savannah-guthrie-mom-missing-arizona-b765fed6b9669441383b75860263ac99">released surveillance videos</a>&nbsp;of a masked person wearing a handgun holster outside Guthrie’s front door in Tucson the night she vanished. A porch camera&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nancy-guthrie-nest-camera-footage-kidnapper-bd5f1d886543e23f2d105535031c9445">recorded video</a>&nbsp;of a person with a backpack who was wearing a ski mask, long pants, a jacket and gloves.

Pima Count Sheriff Chris Nanos said in a text message to The Associated Press on Monday that the 25-liter “Ozark Trail Hiker Pack” backpack was the only clothing item that has been “definitively identified.”

“This backpack is exclusive to Walmart and we are working with Walmart management to develop further leads,” Nanos said.

The suspect's clothing “may have been purchased from Walmart but is not exclusively available at Walmart,” the Pima County Sheriff's Department said in a statement Monday. “This remains a possibility only.”

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