The Youth Philanthropy Council of Hutchinson Community Foundation awarded $5,000 in grants to eight projects at a ceremony Sunday at the Hutchinson Art Center.

Led by students from across Reno County, the Youth Philanthropy Council is a grantmaking program designed to involve area students in philanthropy: the practice of giving money, time and talents to help make life better for other people. The group began meeting in November to discuss local issues of concern to youth and the community, learn about grantmaking, and present grants to youth-serving organizations.  

The grants were awarded from the Richard W. Dillon Memorial Fund for Youth Philanthropy, established by the Dillon family to honor Dick Dillon for his extensive philanthropic work in the community.

The 14 members of the 2025-2026 council are Ryan Cherry and Benjamin Gazaway, Buhler High School; Gavin Foster and Lucy Steen, Fairfield High School; Madison Richey and Kalya Rose, Haven High School; Annalee Eckhoff, Leah Foos, Margaret Kaplan, Kinsley Koestel, and Blake Patterson, Hutchinson High School; Will Barkley and Isaiah Hathaway, Nickerson High School; Sam Vogel Trinity Catholic High School.

Boys &amp; Girls Clubs of Hutchinson, $399: The grant will bring a new, more beginner-friendly 3D printer to the innovation lab at Avenue A after-school and summer programs for K-5 students.

Fairfield Schools-USD 310, $345: The grant will allow the school district to create a more engaging experience for elementary school students during the summer and provide them with services/opportunities to help minimize the learning gap from May to August.

Family Community Theatre, $505: Funding will be for the launch of the FCT Youth Social Media Team, an innovative, youth-led initiative designed to bridge the gap between theater arts and modern digital communication. This program will serve approximately 30 youth annually by rotating teams of five students across the theater’s six seasonal productions.

Love Hutch Daily, $1,000: The funding will go toward building a greenhouse for the after-school program to be used year-round but especially to expand gardening abilities in the winter months.

Love Hutch Daily, $500: The funding will go toward purchasing woodworking supplies to enhance the after-school program’s woodworking classes.

Sky Ryders Performing Arts Foundation, $750: This grant will help purchase drumsticks and mallets for the approximately 30 percussionists participating in the organization’s summer drum and bugle corps program.

The Mary Magdalene House, $700: This grant will provide funding to teach middle-school-age children in foster care basic cooking skills.

Wisdom in Motion, $801: Funding will help support the organization’s hands-on international cooking class that’s designed to help young people explore global cultures through food, storytelling and shared experiences. Each month, youth focus on one country and prepare a full menu consisting of an appetizer, entrée and dessert. In addition to cooking, youth learn about the country’s cultural traditions, geography and food history through guided discussion and reflection.

Hutchinson Community Foundation’s mission is to inspire philanthropy, leadership and collaboration to strengthen Reno County. Since 1989, the foundation has granted more than $115 million.

Youth Philanthropy Council awards $5K in grants

RAFAEL GARCIA K-State News and Communications Services

Brian Geisbrecht will not hit a home run today, and that's okay. 

He won't discover the next big anti-inflammatory medicine, but he might tomorrow. He won't publish a paper — not yet anyway. 

But he'll continue to build on a body of work that is leading to new insights for understanding the human immune system. That track record of consistent advancement of his field — and the development of future researchers to go even further — has led him to receive one of the Big 12's highest faculty honors. 

Geisbrecht, university distinguished professor of biochemistry and molecular biophysics, was selected this spring as K-State's Big 12 Faculty of the Year recipient. 

The program recognizes outstanding faculty at each Big 12 institution who have excelled in areas of innovation and research and have made their college campuses thrive as places of learning and growth. 

"Brian Geisbrecht's research tackles some of the most pressing challenges in modern medicine," said Provost and Executive Vice President Jesse Perez Mendez. "Through innovative structural biology research and an outstanding record of federal support and scholarly publication, he is helping uncover new pathways for therapies while training the scientists who will carry this work forward. His impact embodies the excellence Kansas State University brings to the Big 12." 

Biochemist's lab studies effects of naturally-occurring inhibitors on human immune response

Since arriving at K-State in 2013, Geisbrecht has led a lab that studies the biochemical principles underlying immune evasion, or how pathogens, parasites, and certain insects inhibit the human immune system. 

Many diseases are actually not caused directly by a pathogen, but by the human body's overactive immune response, Geisbrecht said. 

That response is important — without it, most people would die from simple infections — but when it's overly active, Geisbrecht said, people begin to develop inflammatory diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn's disease, age-related macular degeneration and a variety of rare hematological disorders. 

Geisbrecht's lab focuses on "digging in the biological sandbox" of immune evasion proteins to find new classes of inhibitors that could help tamp down inflammatory responses. 

"Understanding this matters because it's what I call 'nature's pharmacy,'" he said. "There's enormous investment in drug design and development, but nature often provides great templates. If we understand how they work, drug designers can potentially create molecules that mimic those effects." 

For many years, Geisbrecht's team has focused on Staphylococcus aureus, the bacterium that causes staph infections, and the molecules it uses to evade the human body's innate immune system. 

The lab has also worked with biting flies, or the kind that feed on blood. 

"Blood is a great nutritional source, but it's also filled with immune proteins," he said. "If an insect wants to feed on blood, it has to shut down that immune response. That's an area we've been focusing on more in the last couple of years." 

Developing the next generation of biochemists

At K-State, Geisbrecht mostly works with senior- and graduate-level students — typically science-minded future researchers who know they also want to make a difference in the fields of biochemistry and molecular biophysics. 

Geisbrecht's main goal as a research mentor is not only to develop excellent laboratory skills and understanding, but also to foster a sense of purpose among his students. 

"Most of what we do fails — that's just the nature of science," he said. "If you compare it to baseball, getting a hit three out of 10 times makes you an All-Star. In science, if three out of 10 experiments worked, you'd probably win the Nobel Prize. 

"The key is keeping perspective and making a little progress each day." 

Over the last five years, Geisbrecht said he has been blessed with a great group of students in his lab, such as Soheila Fatehi.

"He's everything you want in a research mentor," said Fatehi, a doctoral candidate in biochemistry. "It's the way he thinks about research. It's his attitude toward students. He's a phenomenal researcher and a supportive mentor." 

While other schools involved in medical research might stock labs with ranks of postdoctoral scientists, the professor said he has most enjoyed living K-State's land-grant mission to develop the next generation of researchers. 

"Graduate students are the lifeblood of what we do," he said. "This group is what makes honors like this possible. They show up, do their experiments, evaluate their data and collaborate with me. I might sketch out the scope of a project, but it's their work. 

"That's how my lab runs," he continued. "That's how our entire department runs. That's what makes this place work." 

Digging in the biological sandbox

By <a href="mailto:sean.boston@eaglemedia.com">SEAN BOSTON</a> Hutch Post

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Buckle officially opened its new exterior-facing location at Uptown Hutch Mall on Monday morning, becoming the latest business to relocate from the mall’s interior to an outside storefront.

Doors opened at 10 a.m., with shoppers welcomed by staff members from across the region and offered special deals and goodie bags as part of the grand opening celebration.

The store is managed by Kaitlyn Vargas, who recently relocated from Garden City to take over leadership of the Hutchinson location. Vargas said she is excited about both the new storefront and the opportunity to connect with the local community.

“I’m so excited to share with everybody,” Vargas said. “We just relocated and gave everybody a brand new location to look forward to. I look forward to getting connected with my community and meeting everybody.”

Vargas was selected to lead the store into its new exterior location. She said the opportunity to oversee the revamped store is something she feels grateful for.

“I truly feel so blessed for the opportunity to be here,” Vargas said. “Watching the transformation and bringing it to life here has truly been such an amazing experience.”

Employees from several Buckle locations across the Midwest, including team members from Texas, traveled to Hutchinson to help welcome customers and celebrate the opening.

The retailer had previously operated inside the mall before transitioning to the exterior space, a move Vargas said will help increase visibility and attract new customers.

“I feel like being in the mall didn’t give us the exposure that we needed,” Vargas said. “Now we’re going to be able to get ourselves out there to everybody, even those who may have never shopped with Buckle before.”

Buckle is known for its denim selection and carries a wide variety of clothing and accessories. The store offers women’s, men’s and youth apparel, including jeans, tops, shoes and accessories from the company’s BKE brand along with other popular labels.

Vargas said shoppers can also expect new seasonal styles arriving soon.

“We’re known for denim, so we’re your top denim destination,” Vargas said. “Whether you’re looking for a slim fit, something universal or something more relaxed, we truly have something for everybody.”

Buckle unveils new exterior location at Uptown Hutch Mall

StartUp Hutch has been awarded a $50,000 grant from the Hutchinson Community Foundation to launch a new Housing Entrepreneurship Program aimed at strengthening the local contractor and skilled trades pipeline to support housing development in Hutchinson and Reno County.

The two-year pilot initiative addresses a critical gap in the community’s housing ecosystem: the shortage of local contractors, subcontractors, and skilled trades entrepreneurs needed to efficiently and affordably deliver new housing and rehabilitation projects.

While existing efforts like the City of Hutchinson’s Small-Scale Developers Alliance are helping move housing projects forward, limited contractor capacity has remained an upstream constraint impacting project timelines, costs, and feasibility.

“This program tackles housing challenges at their root,” said Graham Klemme, Executive Director of StartUp Hutch. “If we want more housing, we need more local entrepreneurs in the trades who are equipped not only with technical skills, but with the business training and support to grow sustainable companies.”

The Housing Entrepreneurship Program will:

Over the two-year pilot period, StartUp Hutch will provide trades-focused entrepreneurship training, one-on-one technical assistance, ecosystem convenings, and pilot project support.

Anticipated outcomes include increased trades-based business formation, improved contractor readiness, stronger coordination between developers and contractors, and reduced reliance on out-of-area labor.

Supporting Economic Growth Through Housing

Hutchinson and Reno County continue to face housing challenges that impact workforce recruitment, neighborhood stability, and long-term economic growth. Employers frequently cite housing availability as a barrier to attracting talent, while aging housing stock and limited new construction strain the local market.

By investing in local trades entrepreneurs, the program ensures that housing investments circulate dollars within the community, build generational wealth, and strengthen Reno County’s economic resilience. The initiative also serves as a pilot toward a future Center for Entrepreneurship at Hutchinson Community College, with a focus on skilled trades entrepreneurship aligned with Elevate Reno County.

A Scalable, Community-Driven Model

The $50,000 investment will support staffing, training, technical assistance, convenings, pilot implementation, and evaluation of the program. StartUp Hutch designed the initiative as a scalable model that can expand as community partnerships and resources grow.

“As Reno County’s rallying community for entrepreneurs, StartUp Hutch is uniquely positioned to connect trades professionals with the tools, training, and relationships they need to thrive,” said Klemme. “This program strengthens our housing system by strengthening the people who build it.”

More details—including how to get involved and upcoming info sessions—will be shared in the coming weeks.

Contractors, skilled trades professionals, and partners interested in learning more about the program should complete the interest form at <a href="http://startuphutch.com/housing">startuphutch.com/housing</a> or contact Graham Klemme, Executive Director of StartUp Hutch at <a href="mailto:graham@startuphutch.com.">graham@startuphutch.com. </a>

StartUp Hutch awarded $50K grant

Here's a list of events happening around the area.&nbsp; If your club or organization has an event, you can e-mail the information to&nbsp;<a href="mailto:hutchpost@eaglemedia.com">HutchPost@eaglemedia.com.</a>

So Bad It's Good Movie Night: "Little Shop of Horrors - 6:30 p.m. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Senior Center at Elmdale Park&nbsp;– 400 East Ave. E

HutchCC Symphonic Band and Concert Choir concert with Salt City Orchestra: "Between Sound and Silence" - 7 p.m. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Stringer Fine Arts Center&nbsp;– 600 East 11th Ave.

HutchCC Women's Basketball vs Colby - Region 6 Second Round - 6 p.m. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Hutchinson Sports Arena - 700 East 11th Ave.

Trends in Data Center Development - 11 a.m. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Stringer Fine Arts Center - 600 East 11th Ave.

KSHSAA 3A and 4A State Basketball Championships &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Hutchinson Sports Arena - 700 East 11th Ave.

KSHSAA 3A and 4A State Basketball Championships &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Hutchinson Sports Arena - 700 East 11th Ave.&nbsp;&nbsp;

"Hoppers" Movie - 7 p.m. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Cosmosphere - 1100 North Plum

KSHSAA 3A and 4A State Basketball Championships &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Hutchinson Sports Arena - 700 East 11th Ave.&nbsp;&nbsp;

A Gathering for Gardeners – 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Our Redeemer Lutheran Church - 407 E. 12th Ave.&nbsp;

Irish Road Bowling - 9 a.m. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Carey Park - 601 S. Plum St., Hutchinson.&nbsp;

Hutchinson/Reno County Chamber of Commerce Legislative Forum - 9a.m. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Stringer Fine Arts Center - 600 E. 11th Ave.

Card, Comic, &amp; Toy Show - 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Meadowlark Building, Kansas State Fairgrounds, 2000 N. Poplar St.&nbsp;

Creative Jump Start Workshop - 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Hutchinson Art Center - 405 North Washington

Fox Live Series: Tom Papa Grateful Bread Tour - 7:30 p.m. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Historic Fox Theatre - 18 East First Ave.

Mid-America Flea Market - 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Meadowlark Building, Kansas State Fairgrounds, 2000 N. Poplar St.

Happenings Around Hutch • March 9 - March 15

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Kansas 'Property Tax Freedom Act' set for legislative hearing

Qualifying high school seniors are encouraged to apply for several scholarships administered by the Hutchinson Community Foundation, with applications due by noon on March 27.

The scholarships are available to students meeting specific eligibility requirements and are designed to support Reno County students pursuing higher education in a variety of fields.

Among the scholarships currently accepting applications are the Denny Hart Family Athletic Scholarship, the Lois and Avory Johnson Scholarship for Reno County Students, the Hutchinson News Future Journalist Scholarship, and the Myrtle F. and M. Eugene Hobson Memorial Fund for Nursing Education.

Each scholarship has its own criteria and may support students pursuing athletics, journalism, nursing or other educational paths. The Hutchinson Community Foundation administers the funds annually to help local students continue their education after high school.

Students interested in applying can review eligibility requirements and submit applications online through the Hutchinson Community Foundation website at <a href="http://hutchcf.org/nonprofitsandgrants/scholarships">hutchcf.org/nonprofitsandgrants/scholarships</a>.

Questions about the scholarships or application process can be directed to Senior Program Officer Jan Steen at 620-663-5293 or by email at jan@hutchcf.org.

Deadline for Hutchinson Community Foundation scholarships approaching

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. ——————————————

Miguel	Angel	3/8/2026 9:02&nbsp;AM	Gaytah Trejo		DL Violation; No Drivers License,					In Transit From-To Other Agency

Kolton	Matthew	3/8/2026 11:23&nbsp;AM	King		Probation Violation

Sarah	Rene	Blanton		3/8/2026 10:24&nbsp;PM	Failure to Appear

Ricky	Rydell	Tipton		3/9/2026 3:17&nbsp;AM	Driving while license cancelled/suspended/revoked; misd; unknown conv,					Use or Possess with Intent to use Drug Paraphernalia into Human Body,					Poss of marijuana

Jeremy	Evan	Vansyckle		3/9/2026 3:17&nbsp;AM	Kidnapping; To Inflict Bodily Injury or to Terrorize the Victim or Another,					Interference with Law Enforcement; Obstruct, Resist, Oppose; Felony Case, Execution of a Felony Warrant

Daily Bookings

Families across Kansas can now apply for SUN Bucks, a summer food assistance program designed to help households purchase groceries for school-aged children when school meals are unavailable.

SUN Bucks, also known as Summer EBT, is a permanent federal program administered in Kansas by the Kansas Department for Children and Families. The program provides a one-time annual benefit of $120 per eligible child to help families buy food during the summer months.

The benefit is issued as a single payment and can be used like other SNAP EBT benefits to purchase food such as fruits, vegetables, meat, dairy products and whole grains at grocery stores, farmers markets, online retailers and other locations that accept EBT.

Applications are currently being accepted for the summer 2026 program. However, benefits will not be issued until summer 2026.

Some families will automatically qualify for the benefit and will receive a notification letter from the Department for Children and Families confirming their eligibility. Those households will not need to apply.

Children may qualify for SUN Bucks in several ways. Eligible children include those ages 7 to 17 who live in households that have received Food Assistance or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families since July 2025. Children enrolled in Kansas schools who have been approved for free or reduced-price school meals may also qualify automatically.

Other families whose children meet income guidelines for free or reduced-price school meals but who have not been approved through their school may still be eligible but will need to apply through the DCF Self-Service Portal.

Children in the custody of the Kansas Department for Children and Families and enrolled in a Kansas school are also eligible for the one-time benefit. Foster families, relatives or other caregivers must submit an application after April 1, 2026, to ensure the benefits are issued to the correct address.

Households that need to apply will be asked to provide basic information about the child, including age, birth date, school, mailing address and household income. Social Security numbers, proof of citizenship and pay stubs are not required to apply.

If approved, the $120 benefit will be added to an existing Kansas Benefits Card or issued on a new card mailed to the household.

Officials say the program is intended to supplement other summer food resources. Children who receive SUN Bucks can still participate in local summer meal programs offered through schools or community organizations.

SUN Bucks benefits must be used within 122 days of being issued. Any unused funds will be removed from the card after that time.

Families who did not receive an eligibility letter but believe their child qualifies can apply through the DCF Self-Service Portal at dcfapp.kees.ks.gov or contact DCF customer service at 1-888-369-4777 for more information.

Applications Open for Kansas SUN Bucks 

<a href="https://hutchpost.com/pages/weather">Click here for the KSStorm.info forecast.</a>

Three-day Outlook

When residents of three western Kansas counties raised concerns about rising cancer rates and potential environmental cancer risks in their communities, Kansas State University researchers responded with research and collaboration that led to results.

A project led and funded by K-State's&nbsp;<a href="https://cancer.k-state.edu/">Johnson Cancer Research Center</a>&nbsp;has been studying and testing groundwater contamination in private wells and radon levels in homes in Russell, Ellsworth and Lincoln counties since&nbsp;<a href="https://www.k-state.edu/news/articles/archives/2024-02/Johnson-Cancer-Research-Center-evaluates-cancer-risks-in-three-KS-counties.html">March 2024</a>. The project was initiated from residents' concerns about increasing cancer rates in these counties, including colorectal cancer in Russell County and prostate and lung cancers in Lincoln County.

Now that the initial research phase has concluded, the researchers have identified results and implemented strategies to help reduce cancer risks and promote community health.

<a href="https://www.k-state.edu/chem/about/people/faculty/rafferty/">Ryan Rafferty</a>, interim director of the Johnson Cancer Research Center and associate professor of chemistry, is leading the research team alongside collaborators in geology, public health, environmental science and&nbsp;<a href="https://extension.k-state.edu/">K-State Extension</a>.

As part of the project, community members could volunteer to have K-State researchers test their homes for radon at no cost. Rafferty said the radon testing results have been a significant concern, prompting the need to install radon mitigation systems.

"The radon tests were off the charts," Rafferty said. "It was concerning to see what the levels were, but luckily, once we got mitigation systems into about 90% of the houses tested, they were back down to safe levels. Anyone who wanted help received it."

Private well water testing across the three counties, also conducted voluntarily, found elevated mineral levels that may also pose health risks, Rafferty said, and improved water filtration systems could help reduce the public's exposure.

Jessica Kootz is a family and consumer sciences specialist in Ellsworth for the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.midway.k-state.edu/">K-State Extension Midway District</a>. As a dedicated catalyst for improving community health, she has been a strong advocate and partner for the project.

"Sometimes a lot of our focus is just on healthy living, but healthy living can run a lot deeper," Kootz said. "With this project, one of the focuses was, if there is something in the ground that's contributing to our health, how long has it been there? What we're doing to our environment today might not affect us, but it could affect generations to come."

Kootz helped coordinate town halls in Ellsworth, Lincoln and Russell counties for residents to learn more about the project and how they could participate in research efforts.

During follow-up town hall meetings, the researchers shared anonymized results of their findings with community members for their awareness.

"The people in these counties are hungry for knowledge," Rafferty said. "They want to know what is happening in the ground that they farm and live on."

Living K-State’s land-grant mission

The project reflects K-State’s land-grant commitment to addressing real-world health challenges, Rafferty said, helping to provide not only education, but also education for Kansans’ quality of life. The group is working on the next steps to continue the project and implement additional mitigation efforts.

"We are working to rebuild the team, as both professors who started this great work have retired," Rafferty said. "The team is excited to return to these communities, continue to provide results and build connections so that the community members can continue to feel like their voices are being heard."

With the anticipation of additional funding from the Johnson Cancer Research Center and potential support from other entities, the team could expand water and radon testing to more homes, he said.

"We are living our land-grant institution's mission," Rafferty said. "That's why it was so important for us to get out there with the center's mission for fighting cancer. Radon is a big cause of cancer, and we're happy that we can mitigate it in so many homes in that area, and we look forward to helping many others."

"Every single person in this wonderful state of Kansas deserves to live a healthy and long life," he said.

The project team also includes Shreepad Joglekar, professor and head of the art department, who is documenting the daily lives of community members through photography and video interviews for the project "Surveying the Invisible: Cancer and Research in Kansas"; Helene Avocat, visiting assistant professor in geography and geospatial sciences; Luke Romang, a 2025 graduate in geology; Karin Goldberg, adjunct professor of geology; Matt Kirk, professor of geology; and Sherry Fleming, former director of the Johnson Cancer Research Center.

Cancer rates are rising in western Kansas. K-State is helping community members address the issue

By HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTH &nbsp;Associated Press

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Plea deal for shooter at Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl rally 

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sheriff: 3 jailed after meth was sold from Kansas home

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

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

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

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

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

KBI: Silver Alert for missing Kansas man

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Nixon aide who disclosed Watergate tapes dies at 99

WILSON COUNTY –&nbsp;The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) and the Wilson County Sheriff’s Office have arrested a man connected to a weekend homicide in Coyville, Kansas.

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

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

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

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