JOHNSON COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating a deadly shooting that occurred on Wednesday inside an apartment in the&nbsp; Meadows Apartments, 7600 block of Halsey in Lenexa, according to a media release.

One person died and EMS transported another person to an area hospital.

Police did not have anyone in custody and are still investigating the circumstances.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/2/1740618887096.png" alt="Photo courtesy KCTV" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy KCTV</figcaption>
 </figure>JOHNSON COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating a deadly shooting that occurred on Wednesday inside an apartment in the&nbsp; Meadows Apartments, 7600 block of Halsey in Lenexa, according to a media release.One person died and EMS transported another person to an area hospital.Police did not have anyone in custody and are still investigating the circumstances.&nbsp;

One dead after shooting inside Kansas apartment 

FORD COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating a deadly knife attack in southwest Kansas and asking the public for help with information.

Just after 9p.m. Tuesday, police were called to a medical emergency in the 500 block of Sunnyside in Dodge City, according to a media release.

First responders found 33-year-old Cody Holt suffering from multiple stab wounds. Emergency crews attempted to render aid to Holt. He was pronounced dead on the scene. 

This is an active investigation, and we are asking the public to provide any information. If you saw or know anything about this case, please either call the police department at 620-225-8126 or dispatch at 620-227-4646. If you would like to remain anonymous, you can submit a tip to our tip 411 app, Facebook messenger or our CrimeWatch page at <a href="https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dodgecitypd.org%2F%3Ffbclid%3DIwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR3ep8Y3QakIw1uSvR_XXIvWCR8KJa3W5-VlGwdG_7-OLRkcikIdTiQuWCo_aem_SqfdRDXPL2UPVltOloMF1g&amp;h=AT2IdKrtQQPtasAMmzExb_mJm1P9jHUO96Q5eqiibKp1tB0SRPTY4rTOSmIQgS--U6t_nW6re7Z_BKj1x3nR2hCQES_0RQRy1AUvBumA2AEW8uTi5PZfA3dEl7HGux23TMyVKOE&amp;__tn__=-UK-R&amp;c[0]=AT1CK3Wokhk1c8GV3HuFXyYM5mwztKvMg7zUuE4PlC8gedo8xH4YRir69I-t7fA8qo1K1s-X-P9KxvIjXl6ZPawC_0XXodu_jx5sc5dnwLGl7Op2UI7I3lYzanK5iyCReEBPqDVgxHtsg2_p1YL4e92CIZngC0l-OAdZlXfZ1W90bxX-asx4hDtXjEOHLmE6AVSzolFeh6LaFGlbUEymco9UhL0" target="_blank">www.dodgecitypd.org</a><a href="https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dodgecitypd.org%2F%3Ffbclid%3DIwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR20S2DkkiWAufXZw553v0P3aQy2YayPJC9Z4bcpFDZtkjFk8ikAS6muHno_aem_ewSs25RSSnn9jYWDwqR0sw&amp;h=AT2IdKrtQQPtasAMmzExb_mJm1P9jHUO96Q5eqiibKp1tB0SRPTY4rTOSmIQgS--U6t_nW6re7Z_BKj1x3nR2hCQES_0RQRy1AUvBumA2AEW8uTi5PZfA3dEl7HGux23TMyVKOE&amp;__tn__=-UK-R&amp;c[0]=AT1CK3Wokhk1c8GV3HuFXyYM5mwztKvMg7zUuE4PlC8gedo8xH4YRir69I-t7fA8qo1K1s-X-P9KxvIjXl6ZPawC_0XXodu_jx5sc5dnwLGl7Op2UI7I3lYzanK5iyCReEBPqDVgxHtsg2_p1YL4e92CIZngC0l-OAdZlXfZ1W90bxX-asx4hDtXjEOHLmE6AVSzolFeh6LaFGlbUEymco9UhL0" target="_blank">.</a>

FORD COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating a deadly knife attack in southwest Kansas and asking the public for help with information.Just after 9p.m. Tuesday, police were called to a medical emergency in the 500 block of Sunnyside in Dodge City, according to a media release.First responders found 33-year-old Cody Holt suffering from multiple stab wounds. Emergency crews attempted to render aid to Holt. He was pronounced dead on the scene. This is an active investigation, and we are asking the public to provide any information. If you saw or know anything about this case, please either call the police department at 620-225-8126 or dispatch at 620-227-4646. If you would like to remain anonymous, you can submit a tip to our tip 411 app, Facebook messenger or our CrimeWatch page at <a href="https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dodgecitypd.org%2F%3Ffbclid%3DIwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR3ep8Y3QakIw1uSvR_XXIvWCR8KJa3W5-VlGwdG_7-OLRkcikIdTiQuWCo_aem_SqfdRDXPL2UPVltOloMF1g&amp;h=AT2IdKrtQQPtasAMmzExb_mJm1P9jHUO96Q5eqiibKp1tB0SRPTY4rTOSmIQgS--U6t_nW6re7Z_BKj1x3nR2hCQES_0RQRy1AUvBumA2AEW8uTi5PZfA3dEl7HGux23TMyVKOE&amp;__tn__=-UK-R&amp;c[0]=AT1CK3Wokhk1c8GV3HuFXyYM5mwztKvMg7zUuE4PlC8gedo8xH4YRir69I-t7fA8qo1K1s-X-P9KxvIjXl6ZPawC_0XXodu_jx5sc5dnwLGl7Op2UI7I3lYzanK5iyCReEBPqDVgxHtsg2_p1YL4e92CIZngC0l-OAdZlXfZ1W90bxX-asx4hDtXjEOHLmE6AVSzolFeh6LaFGlbUEymco9UhL0" target="_blank">www.dodgecitypd.org</a><a href="https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dodgecitypd.org%2F%3Ffbclid%3DIwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR20S2DkkiWAufXZw553v0P3aQy2YayPJC9Z4bcpFDZtkjFk8ikAS6muHno_aem_ewSs25RSSnn9jYWDwqR0sw&amp;h=AT2IdKrtQQPtasAMmzExb_mJm1P9jHUO96Q5eqiibKp1tB0SRPTY4rTOSmIQgS--U6t_nW6re7Z_BKj1x3nR2hCQES_0RQRy1AUvBumA2AEW8uTi5PZfA3dEl7HGux23TMyVKOE&amp;__tn__=-UK-R&amp;c[0]=AT1CK3Wokhk1c8GV3HuFXyYM5mwztKvMg7zUuE4PlC8gedo8xH4YRir69I-t7fA8qo1K1s-X-P9KxvIjXl6ZPawC_0XXodu_jx5sc5dnwLGl7Op2UI7I3lYzanK5iyCReEBPqDVgxHtsg2_p1YL4e92CIZngC0l-OAdZlXfZ1W90bxX-asx4hDtXjEOHLmE6AVSzolFeh6LaFGlbUEymco9UhL0" target="_blank">.</a>

Police investigating deadly SW Kansas knife attack

JOHNSON COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating an armed robbery have a suspect in custody.

Just before 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, police responded to an armed robbery in a parking lot near Shawnee Mission Parkway and Riley Street in Overland Park, according to Officer John Lacy. Two armed men approached the victim, and forcibly took their vehicle. 

 During the process of the robbery, one of the suspects fired a warning shot into the air, and physically assaulted the victim. An Overland Park Police Officer located the stolen vehicle, leading to a brief pursuit. The vehicle crossed into Missouri on eastbound Interstate 435 Highway, where a neighboring jurisdiction resumed the pursuit. One of the suspects was ultimately arrested in Lee's Summit, Missouri. The collaborative efforts of the Lee's Summit Police Department, the Missouri Highway Patrol, and the Kansas City Police Department Helicopter Unit led to the arrest.

JOHNSON COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating an armed robbery have a suspect in custody.Just before 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, police responded to an armed robbery in a parking lot near Shawnee Mission Parkway and Riley Street in Overland Park, according to Officer John Lacy. Two armed men approached the victim, and forcibly took their vehicle. During the process of the robbery, one of the suspects fired a warning shot into the air, and physically assaulted the victim. An Overland Park Police Officer located the stolen vehicle, leading to a brief pursuit. The vehicle crossed into Missouri on eastbound Interstate 435 Highway, where a neighboring jurisdiction resumed the pursuit. One of the suspects was ultimately arrested in Lee's Summit, Missouri. The collaborative efforts of the Lee's Summit Police Department, the Missouri Highway Patrol, and the Kansas City Police Department Helicopter Unit led to the arrest.---------------

Kansas carjacking suspect arrested in Missouri

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration said it is eliminating more than 90% of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/usaid-trump-musk-foreign-aid-firings-a3af8ce6ef17878b718c8e2ed3bf98e4">U.S. Agency for International Development’s</a>&nbsp;foreign aid contracts and $60 billion in overall U.S. assistance around the world, putting numbers on its plans to eliminate the majority of U.S. development and humanitarian help abroad.

The cuts detailed by the administration would leave few surviving USAID projects for advocates to try to save in what are ongoing&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/funding-freeze-usaid-trump-d592d015249934827e023c65e644c51a">court battles with the administration</a>.

The Trump administration outlined its plans in both an internal memo obtained by The Associated Press and filings in one of those federal lawsuits Wednesday.

The Supreme Court intervened in that case late Wednesday and temporarily blocked a court order requiring the administration to release billions of dollars in foreign aid by midnight.

Wednesday's disclosures also give an idea of the scale of the administration's retreat from U.S. aid and development assistance overseas, and from decades of U.S. policy that foreign aid helps U.S. interests by stabilizing other countries and economies and building alliances.

The memo said officials were “clearing significant waste stemming from decades of institutional drift.” More changes are planned in how USAID and the State Department deliver foreign assistance, it said, “to use taxpayer dollars wisely to advance American interests.”

President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;and ally&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Elon Musk</a>&nbsp;have hit foreign aid harder and faster than almost any other target in their push to cut the size of the federal government. Both men say USAID projects advance a liberal agenda and are a waste of money.

Trump on Jan. 20 ordered what he said would be a 90-day program-by-program review of which foreign assistance programs deserved to continue, and cut off all foreign assistance funds almost overnight.

The funding freeze has stopped thousands of U.S.-funded programs abroad, and the administration and Musk's Department of Government Efficiency teams have pulled the majority of USAID staff off the job through forced leave and firings.

Widely successful USAID programs credited with containing outbreaks of Ebola and other threats and saving more than 20 million lives in Africa through HIV and AIDS treatment are among those still cut off from agency funds, USAID officials and officials with partner organizations say. Meanwhile, formal notifications of program cancellations are rolling out.

In the federal court filings Wednesday, nonprofits owed money on contracts with USAID describe both Trump political appointees and members of Musk's teams terminating USAID's contracts around the world at breakneck speed, without time for any meaningful review, they say.

"'There are MANY more terminations coming, so please gear up!''' a USAID official wrote staff Monday, in an email quoted by lawyers for the nonprofits in the filings.

The nonprofits, among thousands of contractors, owed billions of dollars in payment since the freeze began, called the en masse contract terminations a maneuver to get around complying with the order to lift the funding freeze temporarily.

The administration was attempting to "blow through Congress and the courts by announcing the completion of their sham ‘review’ of foreign aid and the immediate termination of thousands of aid programs all over the world,” said Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

A coalition representing major U.S. and global businesses and nongovernmental organizations and former officials expressed shock at the move. “The American people deserve a transparent accounting of what will be lost — on counterterror, global health, food security, and competition,” the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition said.

The State Department said Secretary of State Marco Rubio had reviewed the terminations.

In all, the Trump administration said it will eliminate 5,800 of 6,200 multiyear USAID contract awards, for a cut of $54 billion. Another 4,100 of 9,100 State Department grants were being eliminated, for a cut of $4.4 billion.

The State Department memo, which was first reported by the Washington Free Beacon, described the administration as spurred by a federal court order that gave officials until the end of the day Wednesday to lift the Trump administration’s monthlong block on foreign aid funding.

“In response, State and USAID moved rapidly,” targeting USAID and State Department foreign aid programs in vast numbers for contract terminations, the memo said.

Trump administration officials — after repeated warnings from the federal judge in the case — also said Wednesday they were finally beginning to send out their first or any payments after more than a month with no known spending. Officials were processing a few million dollars of back payments, officials said, owed to U.S. and international organizations and companies.

But U.S. District Judge Amir H. Ali's order to unfreeze billions of dollars by midnight Wednesday will remain on hold until the Supreme Court has a chance to weigh in more fully, according to the brief order signed by Chief Justice John Roberts.

Ali had ordered the federal government to comply with his decision temporarily blocking a freeze on foreign aid, ruling in a lawsuit filed by nonprofit groups and businesses. An appellate panel refused the administration’s request to intervene before the high court weighed in.

The plaintiffs have until noon Friday to respond, Roberts said.

The administration has filed an emergency appeal to the Supreme Court in one other case so far, arguing that a lower court was wrong to reinstate the head of a federal watchdog agency after Trump fired him.

Associated Press writers Gary Fields in Washington and Rebecca Boone in Boise, Idaho, contributed to this report.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/2/1738896794184.jpeg" alt="Democrat lawmakers protest USAID cuts -image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Democrat lawmakers protest USAID cuts -image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration said it is eliminating more than 90% of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/usaid-trump-musk-foreign-aid-firings-a3af8ce6ef17878b718c8e2ed3bf98e4">U.S. Agency for International Development’s</a>&nbsp;foreign aid contracts and $60 billion in overall U.S. assistance around the world, putting numbers on its plans to eliminate the majority of U.S. development and humanitarian help abroad.The cuts detailed by the administration would leave few surviving USAID projects for advocates to try to save in what are ongoing&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/funding-freeze-usaid-trump-d592d015249934827e023c65e644c51a">court battles with the administration</a>.The Trump administration outlined its plans in both an internal memo obtained by The Associated Press and filings in one of those federal lawsuits Wednesday.The Supreme Court intervened in that case late Wednesday and temporarily blocked a court order requiring the administration to release billions of dollars in foreign aid by midnight.Wednesday's disclosures also give an idea of the scale of the administration's retreat from U.S. aid and development assistance overseas, and from decades of U.S. policy that foreign aid helps U.S. interests by stabilizing other countries and economies and building alliances.The memo said officials were “clearing significant waste stemming from decades of institutional drift.” More changes are planned in how USAID and the State Department deliver foreign assistance, it said, “to use taxpayer dollars wisely to advance American interests.”President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;and ally&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Elon Musk</a>&nbsp;have hit foreign aid harder and faster than almost any other target in their push to cut the size of the federal government. Both men say USAID projects advance a liberal agenda and are a waste of money.Trump on Jan. 20 ordered what he said would be a 90-day program-by-program review of which foreign assistance programs deserved to continue, and cut off all foreign assistance funds almost overnight.The funding freeze has stopped thousands of U.S.-funded programs abroad, and the administration and Musk's Department of Government Efficiency teams have pulled the majority of USAID staff off the job through forced leave and firings.Widely successful USAID programs credited with containing outbreaks of Ebola and other threats and saving more than 20 million lives in Africa through HIV and AIDS treatment are among those still cut off from agency funds, USAID officials and officials with partner organizations say. Meanwhile, formal notifications of program cancellations are rolling out.In the federal court filings Wednesday, nonprofits owed money on contracts with USAID describe both Trump political appointees and members of Musk's teams terminating USAID's contracts around the world at breakneck speed, without time for any meaningful review, they say."'There are MANY more terminations coming, so please gear up!''' a USAID official wrote staff Monday, in an email quoted by lawyers for the nonprofits in the filings.The nonprofits, among thousands of contractors, owed billions of dollars in payment since the freeze began, called the en masse contract terminations a maneuver to get around complying with the order to lift the funding freeze temporarily.So did a Democratic lawmaker.The administration was attempting to "blow through Congress and the courts by announcing the completion of their sham ‘review’ of foreign aid and the immediate termination of thousands of aid programs all over the world,” said Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.A coalition representing major U.S. and global businesses and nongovernmental organizations and former officials expressed shock at the move. “The American people deserve a transparent accounting of what will be lost — on counterterror, global health, food security, and competition,” the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition said.The State Department said Secretary of State Marco Rubio had reviewed the terminations.In all, the Trump administration said it will eliminate 5,800 of 6,200 multiyear USAID contract awards, for a cut of $54 billion. Another 4,100 of 9,100 State Department grants were being eliminated, for a cut of $4.4 billion.The State Department memo, which was first reported by the Washington Free Beacon, described the administration as spurred by a federal court order that gave officials until the end of the day Wednesday to lift the Trump administration’s monthlong block on foreign aid funding.“In response, State and USAID moved rapidly,” targeting USAID and State Department foreign aid programs in vast numbers for contract terminations, the memo said.Trump administration officials — after repeated warnings from the federal judge in the case — also said Wednesday they were finally beginning to send out their first or any payments after more than a month with no known spending. Officials were processing a few million dollars of back payments, officials said, owed to U.S. and international organizations and companies.But U.S. District Judge Amir H. Ali's order to unfreeze billions of dollars by midnight Wednesday will remain on hold until the Supreme Court has a chance to weigh in more fully, according to the brief order signed by Chief Justice John Roberts.Ali had ordered the federal government to comply with his decision temporarily blocking a freeze on foreign aid, ruling in a lawsuit filed by nonprofit groups and businesses. An appellate panel refused the administration’s request to intervene before the high court weighed in.The plaintiffs have until noon Friday to respond, Roberts said.The administration has filed an emergency appeal to the Supreme Court in one other case so far, arguing that a lower court was wrong to reinstate the head of a federal watchdog agency after Trump fired him.___Associated Press writers Gary Fields in Washington and Rebecca Boone in Boise, Idaho, contributed to this report.

Supreme Court extends freeze on Trump admin. foreign aid payments

KANSAS CITY – A registered sex offender was sentenced in federal court Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to the United State's Attorney.

David Arabie, 59, Eldon, Mo., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes to 20 years in federal prison without parole, the statutory maximum sentence for this offense. The court also sentenced Arabie to 25 years of supervised release following incarceration.

Arabie is a registered sex offender with prior felony convictions for statutory sodomy involving a 6-year-old victim and criminal sexual conduct involving the sexual abuse of three children ages 7 to 12.

On Oct. 26, 2023, Arabie pleaded guilty to possessing child pornography. The court found him in breach of his plea agreement at the hearing, however, after Arabie filed a motion to withdraw his guilty plea and recanted his previous statements made under oath during the change of plea hearing, claiming to be innocent of the charged conduct. On Dec. 20, 2024, the court denied Arabie’s motion to withdraw his guilty plea.

Arabie admitted that, while visiting his in-laws, he used a peer-to-peer file-sharing network on his computer to share images of child sexual abuse material with an undercover law enforcement officer. Arabie shared a video of the sexual abuse of a child victim approximately 3 to 6 years old.

Arabie also admitted that he possessed more than 600 images of child sexual abuse material on his computer.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley S. Turner. It was investigated by the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/2/1740494853915.png" alt="Arabie photo Sex Offender Registry" />
 <figcaption>Arabie photo Sex Offender Registry</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY – A registered sex offender was sentenced in federal court Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to the United State's Attorney.David Arabie, 59, Eldon, Mo., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes to 20 years in federal prison without parole, the statutory maximum sentence for this offense. The court also sentenced Arabie to 25 years of supervised release following incarceration.Arabie is a registered sex offender with prior felony convictions for statutory sodomy involving a 6-year-old victim and criminal sexual conduct involving the sexual abuse of three children ages 7 to 12.On Oct. 26, 2023, Arabie pleaded guilty to possessing child pornography. The court found him in breach of his plea agreement at the hearing, however, after Arabie filed a motion to withdraw his guilty plea and recanted his previous statements made under oath during the change of plea hearing, claiming to be innocent of the charged conduct. On Dec. 20, 2024, the court denied Arabie’s motion to withdraw his guilty plea.Arabie admitted that, while visiting his in-laws, he used a peer-to-peer file-sharing network on his computer to share images of child sexual abuse material with an undercover law enforcement officer. Arabie shared a video of the sexual abuse of a child victim approximately 3 to 6 years old.Arabie also admitted that he possessed more than 600 images of child sexual abuse material on his computer.This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley S. Turner. It was investigated by the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

Sex offender admits sending child porn to undercover officer

WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/elon-musk">Elon Musk</a>&nbsp;took a star turn at the first Cabinet meeting of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">President Donald Trump’s</a>&nbsp;new term, holding forth in a black “Make America Great Again” campaign hat on Wednesday about his role as “humble tech support” for the federal government — and laying out dire stakes if his cost-cutting efforts fail.

“If we don’t do this, America will go bankrupt,” Musk told department heads assembled around a large wooden table in the Cabinet Room.

Trump, not one to easily share the spotlight, seemed happy to turn the top of the hour-plus meeting over to Musk for a “little summary” of what the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-elon-musk-federal-workers-layoffs-d295d4bb2cdd5023c27d9cb03754e81b">Department of Government Efficiency</a>&nbsp;has been up to, saying that Musk’s team had found evidence of “horrible things” afoot in the government.

“He’s sacrificing a lot,” Trump said of Musk, referencing the time the world’s richest man is taking away from his many business ventures. “He’s also getting hit.”

Musk, for his part, said his lightning-fast efforts to right-size the government had drawn death threats and he jokingly knocked his fist on his “wooden head” as he said he hoped to find $1 trillion to trim from the federal budget, an effort that has caused extensive disruption among federal workers and those who rely on their services.

Musk defended his weekend attempt to require government workers to justify their prior week’s work under penalty of termination — a move that drew pushback from many in the room on national security and privacy grounds — as merely a “pulse check” to ensure that those working for the government have “a pulse and two neurons,” adding that “this is not a high bar” for workers to meet.

Speculating that some workers are either dead or fictional, Musk added that the goal was to see that workers are real, alive and can “write an email.”

Asked if members of the Cabinet were happy with Musk, the DOGE guru started to answer the question. But Trump interjected and said he might want to let Cabinet members answer. Then Trump joked that if anyone disagreed, he might “throw them out.”

Trump then turned things back to Musk, who said the president had “put together, I think, the best Cabinet ever.”

“And I don’t give false praise,” he added.

Musk did volunteer that his efforts to slash government spending would “make mistakes.”

He cited as an example that, while hustling to dramatically shrink the U.S. Agency for International Development, “One of the things we accidentally canceled very briefly was Ebola prevention.” Musk insisted that “there was no interruption” in services before the funding was restored.

But a USAID official said Wednesday that no funds for the agency’s Ebola response had been released under President Donald Trump’s Jan. 20 funding freeze for foreign aid, including for efforts to combat the spread of the deadly virus.

After about 15 minutes of focus on Musk and DOGE, Trump shifted the spotlight of the Cabinet meeting back to his own accomplishments in his first weeks in office.

The Cabinet sat mostly silently for more than an hour, as Trump opened the floor to questions from an invited group of reporters.

Asked if he expected his Cabinet to follow his directives without exception, Trump initially scoffed at the question before answering, “of course, no exceptions.”

WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/elon-musk">Elon Musk</a>&nbsp;took a star turn at the first Cabinet meeting of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">President Donald Trump’s</a>&nbsp;new term, holding forth in a black “Make America Great Again” campaign hat on Wednesday about his role as “humble tech support” for the federal government — and laying out dire stakes if his cost-cutting efforts fail.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">Elon Musk speaks at President Trump Cabinet meeting. <a href="https://t.co/ANNhymWvpl">pic.twitter.com/ANNhymWvpl</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1894796521767313862?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 26, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>“If we don’t do this, America will go bankrupt,” Musk told department heads assembled around a large wooden table in the Cabinet Room.Trump, not one to easily share the spotlight, seemed happy to turn the top of the hour-plus meeting over to Musk for a “little summary” of what the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-elon-musk-federal-workers-layoffs-d295d4bb2cdd5023c27d9cb03754e81b">Department of Government Efficiency</a>&nbsp;has been up to, saying that Musk’s team had found evidence of “horrible things” afoot in the government.“He’s sacrificing a lot,” Trump said of Musk, referencing the time the world’s richest man is taking away from his many business ventures. “He’s also getting hit.”Musk, for his part, said his lightning-fast efforts to right-size the government had drawn death threats and he jokingly knocked his fist on his “wooden head” as he said he hoped to find $1 trillion to trim from the federal budget, an effort that has caused extensive disruption among federal workers and those who rely on their services.Musk defended his weekend attempt to require government workers to justify their prior week’s work under penalty of termination — a move that drew pushback from many in the room on national security and privacy grounds — as merely a “pulse check” to ensure that those working for the government have “a pulse and two neurons,” adding that “this is not a high bar” for workers to meet.Speculating that some workers are either dead or fictional, Musk added that the goal was to see that workers are real, alive and can “write an email.”Asked if members of the Cabinet were happy with Musk, the DOGE guru started to answer the question. But Trump interjected and said he might want to let Cabinet members answer. Then Trump joked that if anyone disagreed, he might “throw them out.”That drew applause from Cabinet members.Trump then turned things back to Musk, who said the president had “put together, I think, the best Cabinet ever.”“And I don’t give false praise,” he added.Musk did volunteer that his efforts to slash government spending would “make mistakes.”He cited as an example that, while hustling to dramatically shrink the U.S. Agency for International Development, “One of the things we accidentally canceled very briefly was Ebola prevention.” Musk insisted that “there was no interruption” in services before the funding was restored.But a USAID official said Wednesday that no funds for the agency’s Ebola response had been released under President Donald Trump’s Jan. 20 funding freeze for foreign aid, including for efforts to combat the spread of the deadly virus.After about 15 minutes of focus on Musk and DOGE, Trump shifted the spotlight of the Cabinet meeting back to his own accomplishments in his first weeks in office.The Cabinet sat mostly silently for more than an hour, as Trump opened the floor to questions from an invited group of reporters.Asked if he expected his Cabinet to follow his directives without exception, Trump initially scoffed at the question before answering, “of course, no exceptions.”

🎥What Elon Musk shared during his first Trump Cabinet meeting

&nbsp;SEDGWICK COUNTY— The Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the death of an inmate who was found unresponsive in his cell at the Sedgwick County Adult Detention Facility this morning.

The inmate, identified as 24-year-old Daitrez J. Birch, was discovered at approximately 8:45 a.m. Wednesday, according to a statement from the sheriff' office

. Deputies and on-site medical staff immediately began life-saving measures. Members of the Wichita Fire Department arrived, and Birch was pronounced dead at 8:55 a.m.

Birch had been in the custody of the Sedgwick County Adult Detention Facility since Aug. 27, 2024. He was recently sentenced in Sedgwick County District Court to 272 months in prison for second-degree murder, 43 months for aggravated burglary, and 12 months for criminal desecration.

In accordance with established protocols, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) has been notified and will be assisting in the investigation. Detectives remain on-site, conducting a thorough and transparent investigation.

This marks the third in-custody death at Sedgwick County Adult Detention Facility this year.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1724854691982.png" alt="Birch-photo Sedgwick Co." />
 <figcaption>Birch-photo Sedgwick Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>&nbsp;SEDGWICK COUNTY— The Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the death of an inmate who was found unresponsive in his cell at the Sedgwick County Adult Detention Facility this morning.The inmate, identified as 24-year-old Daitrez J. Birch, was discovered at approximately 8:45 a.m. Wednesday, according to a statement from the sheriff' office. Deputies and on-site medical staff immediately began life-saving measures. Members of the Wichita Fire Department arrived, and Birch was pronounced dead at 8:55 a.m.Birch had been in the custody of the Sedgwick County Adult Detention Facility since Aug. 27, 2024. He was recently sentenced in Sedgwick County District Court to 272 months in prison for second-degree murder, 43 months for aggravated burglary, and 12 months for criminal desecration.In accordance with established protocols, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) has been notified and will be assisting in the investigation. Detectives remain on-site, conducting a thorough and transparent investigation.This marks the third in-custody death at Sedgwick County Adult Detention Facility this year.

Kan. man sent to prison for body found in car trunk has died in his cell

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal agencies must develop plans to eliminate employee positions,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25545361-opm-omb-memo-guidance-on-agency-rif-and-reorganization-plans-requested-by-implementing-the-presidents-department-of-government-efficiency-workforce-optimization-initiative-2-26-2025/#document/p1">according to a memo</a>&nbsp;distributed Wednesday by President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;'s administration that sets in motion what could become a sweeping realignment of American government.

<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25545361-opm-omb-memo-guidance-on-agency-rif-and-reorganization-plans-requested-by-implementing-the-presidents-department-of-government-efficiency-workforce-optimization-initiative-2-26-2025/#document/p1">Click here to read </a>the full 7 page memo

The memo expands the Republican president's effort to downsize the federal workforce, which he has described as an impediment to his agenda. Thousands of probationary employees&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-federal-workers-layoffs-doge-406752da1614755b8fabe9c94e0c71a8">have already been fired</a>, and now his administration is turning its attention to career officials with civil service protection.

“We’re cutting down the size of government. We have to," Trump said during the first Cabinet meeting of his second term. "We’re bloated. We’re sloppy. We have a lot of people that aren’t doing their job.”

Agencies are directed to submit by March 13 their plans for what is known as a reduction in force, which would not only lay off employees but eliminate the position altogether. The result could be extensive changes in how government functions.

More plans are due on April 14, when agencies are expected to outline how they will consolidate management, become more efficient and potentially relocate offices to parts of the country that are less expensive than Washington. The memo said agencies should implement their plans by Sept. 30.

Administration officials framed their effort as a cost-saving measure but with a clear ideological goal.

“The federal government is costly, inefficient, and deeply in debt. At the same time, it is not producing results for the American public," said the memo from Russell Vought, director of the White House’s Office of Management and Budget, and Charles Ezell, acting director of the Office of Personnel Management, which functions as a human resources agency. "Instead, tax dollars are being siphoned off to fund unproductive and unnecessary programs that benefit radical interest groups while hurting hard-working American citizens.”

Kevin Owen, an employment lawyer who represents federal workers, compared the administration's initiative to the kind of disruptions that are caused by government shutdowns during congressional budget standoffs.

“This looks like a plan for a significant and shocking reduction of the federal workforce that I don't think the American people are prepared for," Owen said. “It's going to cripple a lot of government functions.”

He said that Trump and his allies were focusing on speed rather than precision as they overhaul the government.

“Their plan is to do the damage and get sued,” he said. If a court ultimately rules against them, “by that point, they would have gotten what they wanted in interim.”

Specific targets for reductions were not included in the memo, but Trump said the Environmental Protection Agency could cut its workforce by 65%.

Trump foreshadowed the effort in an executive order that he signed with Elon Musk, the billionaire entrepreneur who oversees the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, known as DOGE.

The order said agency leaders “shall promptly undertake preparations to initiate large-scale reductions in force,” or RIF.

Some departments have already begin this process. The General Services Administration, which handles federal real estate, told employees on Monday that a reduction in force was underway and they would “everything in our power to make your departure fair and dignified.”

Law enforcement, national security, public safety, military positions and U.S. Postal Service positions are exempt.

The memo was released shortly before Trump convened Cabinet officials as well as Musk, who attended the meeting wearing a black “Make America Great Again” campaign hat.

Musk described himself during the meeting as “humble tech support" for the federal government, and he talked about his cost-cutting crusade in existential terms.

“If we don’t do this, America will go bankrupt," he said.

Musk has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/musk-trump-federal-workers-firings-email-9785e7f74eb2a8b8fde5e01ff0c7717f">caused turmoil</a>&nbsp;within the federal workforce, most recently by demanding that employees justify their jobs or risk getting fired. OPM later said that the edict was voluntary, although workers could face&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/elon-musk-donald-trump-doge-federal-workers-b23b4752d56d5f969102f94afa5eb4b1">similar requests in the future.</a>

He described his request as a “pulse check.”

“Are these people real? Are they alive? And can they write an email?” he said.

Before the meeting, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that “all of the Cabinet secretaries take the advice and direction of DOGE.”

“They’ll be providing updates on their efforts, and they’ll also be providing updates on what they’re doing at their agencies in terms of policies and implementing the promises that the president made on the campaign trail,” Leavitt said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/2/1740594260355.jpeg" alt="President Trump at the first Cabinet meeting of second term. Image courtesy White House" />
 <figcaption>President Trump at the first Cabinet meeting of second term. Image courtesy White House</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal agencies must develop plans to eliminate employee positions,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25545361-opm-omb-memo-guidance-on-agency-rif-and-reorganization-plans-requested-by-implementing-the-presidents-department-of-government-efficiency-workforce-optimization-initiative-2-26-2025/#document/p1">according to a memo</a>&nbsp;distributed Wednesday by President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;'s administration that sets in motion what could become a sweeping realignment of American government.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/2/1740589414400.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25545361-opm-omb-memo-guidance-on-agency-rif-and-reorganization-plans-requested-by-implementing-the-presidents-department-of-government-efficiency-workforce-optimization-initiative-2-26-2025/#document/p1">Click here to read </a>the full 7 page memoThe memo expands the Republican president's effort to downsize the federal workforce, which he has described as an impediment to his agenda. Thousands of probationary employees&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-federal-workers-layoffs-doge-406752da1614755b8fabe9c94e0c71a8">have already been fired</a>, and now his administration is turning its attention to career officials with civil service protection.“We’re cutting down the size of government. We have to," Trump said during the first Cabinet meeting of his second term. "We’re bloated. We’re sloppy. We have a lot of people that aren’t doing their job.”Agencies are directed to submit by March 13 their plans for what is known as a reduction in force, which would not only lay off employees but eliminate the position altogether. The result could be extensive changes in how government functions.More plans are due on April 14, when agencies are expected to outline how they will consolidate management, become more efficient and potentially relocate offices to parts of the country that are less expensive than Washington. The memo said agencies should implement their plans by Sept. 30.Administration officials framed their effort as a cost-saving measure but with a clear ideological goal.“The federal government is costly, inefficient, and deeply in debt. At the same time, it is not producing results for the American public," said the memo from Russell Vought, director of the White House’s Office of Management and Budget, and Charles Ezell, acting director of the Office of Personnel Management, which functions as a human resources agency. "Instead, tax dollars are being siphoned off to fund unproductive and unnecessary programs that benefit radical interest groups while hurting hard-working American citizens.”Kevin Owen, an employment lawyer who represents federal workers, compared the administration's initiative to the kind of disruptions that are caused by government shutdowns during congressional budget standoffs.“This looks like a plan for a significant and shocking reduction of the federal workforce that I don't think the American people are prepared for," Owen said. “It's going to cripple a lot of government functions.”He said that Trump and his allies were focusing on speed rather than precision as they overhaul the government.“Their plan is to do the damage and get sued,” he said. If a court ultimately rules against them, “by that point, they would have gotten what they wanted in interim.”Specific targets for reductions were not included in the memo, but Trump said the Environmental Protection Agency could cut its workforce by 65%.Trump foreshadowed the effort in an executive order that he signed with Elon Musk, the billionaire entrepreneur who oversees the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, known as DOGE.The order said agency leaders “shall promptly undertake preparations to initiate large-scale reductions in force,” or RIF.Some departments have already begin this process. The General Services Administration, which handles federal real estate, told employees on Monday that a reduction in force was underway and they would “everything in our power to make your departure fair and dignified.”Law enforcement, national security, public safety, military positions and U.S. Postal Service positions are exempt.The memo was released shortly before Trump convened Cabinet officials as well as Musk, who attended the meeting wearing a black “Make America Great Again” campaign hat.Musk described himself during the meeting as “humble tech support" for the federal government, and he talked about his cost-cutting crusade in existential terms.“If we don’t do this, America will go bankrupt," he said.Musk has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/musk-trump-federal-workers-firings-email-9785e7f74eb2a8b8fde5e01ff0c7717f">caused turmoil</a>&nbsp;within the federal workforce, most recently by demanding that employees justify their jobs or risk getting fired. OPM later said that the edict was voluntary, although workers could face&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/elon-musk-donald-trump-doge-federal-workers-b23b4752d56d5f969102f94afa5eb4b1">similar requests in the future.</a>He described his request as a “pulse check.”“Are these people real? Are they alive? And can they write an email?” he said.Before the meeting, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that “all of the Cabinet secretaries take the advice and direction of DOGE.”“They’ll be providing updates on their efforts, and they’ll also be providing updates on what they’re doing at their agencies in terms of policies and implementing the promises that the president made on the campaign trail,” Leavitt said.

Read new memo: Federal agencies plan for large-scale layoffs

WYANDOTTE COUNTY —Law enforcement investigating a shooting that left one dead and another wounded have identified the victim as 40-year-old Denise Byrd, according to Kansas City, Kansas Police.

Just before 11a.m. Monday, police were dispatched to a shooting in the 5100 Block of Leavenworth Road. First responders found Byrd outside the home. She had gunshot wounds.&nbsp; EMS transported her to a local hospital where she died.

A few moments later, police responded to report of a shooting in the 4900 Block of Cleveland Avenue. First responders found a man with a gunshot wound. EMS transported him to a local hospital where he was treated for non-life-threatening injuries.&nbsp; Detectives believe the two incidents are related and occurred in the 5100 Block of Leavenworth Road.&nbsp; Police have not reported an arrest or reported suspect details.

WYANDOTTE COUNTY —Law enforcement investigating a shooting that left one dead and another wounded have identified the victim as 40-year-old Denise Byrd, according to Kansas City, Kansas Police.Just before 11a.m. Monday, police were dispatched to a shooting in the 5100 Block of Leavenworth Road. First responders found Byrd outside the home. She had gunshot wounds.&nbsp; EMS transported her to a local hospital where she died.A few moments later, police responded to report of a shooting in the 4900 Block of Cleveland Avenue. First responders found a man with a gunshot wound. EMS transported him to a local hospital where he was treated for non-life-threatening injuries.&nbsp; Detectives believe the two incidents are related and occurred in the 5100 Block of Leavenworth Road.&nbsp; Police have not reported an arrest or reported suspect details.

Homicide: Police ID Kan. woman shot outside her home

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The television reporter who&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/super-bowl-telemundo-reporter-death-adan-manzano-590192fafbbc6401682e813402801e94">died in New Orleans while on assignment to cover the Super Bowl</a>&nbsp;had a sedative drug in his system, a police detective testified in court this week.

Adan Manzano, a 27-year-old anchor and reporter for Telemundo in Kansas City, Missouri, was found dead in his hotel room in the New Orleans suburb of Kenner on Feb. 5 during&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/super-bowl">Super Bowl</a>&nbsp;week.

Danette Colbert, 48, is accused of stealing Manzano's cellphone and bank cards after she was seen on security video footage entering his hotel room with him, authorities said. She is being held without bond after a court appearance Tuesday, having been deemed a flight risk based on her criminal history, Kenner Police Department Deputy Chief Mark McCormick told The Associated Press.

“We believe that that will help prevent any further victimization for the public,” he said Wednesday.

Colbert’s attorney Stavros Panagoulopoulos said authorities are making assumptions about Colbert's connection to Manzano's death.

“We're looking forward to our day in court to present all the evidence as necessary,” Panagoulopoulos said. “Assumptions and guesses are not enough to maintain criminal prosecution and we look forward to providing further information as this case moves forward.”

Colbert faces multiple felony charges related to theft and fraud as police await a final autopsy and toxicology report, according to McCormick. He added that Colbert may face upgraded charges once these tests are finalized in the coming weeks.

A preliminary toxicology exam found Manzano's system contained the depressant benzodiazepine, which includes the drug commonly sold under the brand name Xanax, Kenner Police Detective Jeffrey Fitzmorris testified in Jefferson Parish magistrate court on Tuesday, according to media outlet&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nola.com/news/crime_police/manzano-reporter-super-bowl-drugs/article_3c103430-f397-11ef-ba51-2bc1840f14e0.html">Nola.com</a>. Manzano did not have a prescription for Xanax or other depressants based on his medical records and the drug is often used to facilitate theft by inducing amnesia, the detective said.

Police say they also recovered Xanax from Colbert's residence.

Overdoses of the drug can lead to “extreme drowsiness” and “possible death,” according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

Surveillance footage showed Colbert arriving with Manzano at his hotel room around 5 a.m. the day of his death and then leaving without him about an hour later, police have said. Authorities have said Colbert later used Manzano's credit card to make a purchase at a New Orleans gas station and several stores in the area.

Last year, a Louisiana jury found Colbert guilty of theft and fraud charges in an unrelated case.

In 2022, Colbert was twice arrested in Las Vegas on felony charges of grand larceny and administering a drug to aid in a felony crime, court records show. In both cases she was accused of drugging men in their hotel rooms and stealing from them, but the charges were dismissed because the victims did not want to testify in court, Colbert's attorney for those cases, Daniel Lippmann,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/super-bowl-telemundo-reporter-death-adan-manzano-590192fafbbc6401682e813402801e94">told The Associated Press.</a>

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/2/1738973498909.png" alt="Adan Manzano photo courtesy Telemundo Kansas City" />
 <figcaption>Adan Manzano photo courtesy Telemundo Kansas City</figcaption>
 </figure>NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The television reporter who&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/super-bowl-telemundo-reporter-death-adan-manzano-590192fafbbc6401682e813402801e94">died in New Orleans while on assignment to cover the Super Bowl</a>&nbsp;had a sedative drug in his system, a police detective testified in court this week.Adan Manzano, a 27-year-old anchor and reporter for Telemundo in Kansas City, Missouri, was found dead in his hotel room in the New Orleans suburb of Kenner on Feb. 5 during&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/super-bowl">Super Bowl</a>&nbsp;week.Danette Colbert, 48, is accused of stealing Manzano's cellphone and bank cards after she was seen on security video footage entering his hotel room with him, authorities said. She is being held without bond after a court appearance Tuesday, having been deemed a flight risk based on her criminal history, Kenner Police Department Deputy Chief Mark McCormick told The Associated Press.“We believe that that will help prevent any further victimization for the public,” he said Wednesday.Colbert’s attorney Stavros Panagoulopoulos said authorities are making assumptions about Colbert's connection to Manzano's death.“We're looking forward to our day in court to present all the evidence as necessary,” Panagoulopoulos said. “Assumptions and guesses are not enough to maintain criminal prosecution and we look forward to providing further information as this case moves forward.”Colbert faces multiple felony charges related to theft and fraud as police await a final autopsy and toxicology report, according to McCormick. He added that Colbert may face upgraded charges once these tests are finalized in the coming weeks.A preliminary toxicology exam found Manzano's system contained the depressant benzodiazepine, which includes the drug commonly sold under the brand name Xanax, Kenner Police Detective Jeffrey Fitzmorris testified in Jefferson Parish magistrate court on Tuesday, according to media outlet&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nola.com/news/crime_police/manzano-reporter-super-bowl-drugs/article_3c103430-f397-11ef-ba51-2bc1840f14e0.html">Nola.com</a>. Manzano did not have a prescription for Xanax or other depressants based on his medical records and the drug is often used to facilitate theft by inducing amnesia, the detective said.Police say they also recovered Xanax from Colbert's residence.Overdoses of the drug can lead to “extreme drowsiness” and “possible death,” according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.Surveillance footage showed Colbert arriving with Manzano at his hotel room around 5 a.m. the day of his death and then leaving without him about an hour later, police have said. Authorities have said Colbert later used Manzano's credit card to make a purchase at a New Orleans gas station and several stores in the area.Last year, a Louisiana jury found Colbert guilty of theft and fraud charges in an unrelated case.In 2022, Colbert was twice arrested in Las Vegas on felony charges of grand larceny and administering a drug to aid in a felony crime, court records show. In both cases she was accused of drugging men in their hotel rooms and stealing from them, but the charges were dismissed because the victims did not want to testify in court, Colbert's attorney for those cases, Daniel Lippmann,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/super-bowl-telemundo-reporter-death-adan-manzano-590192fafbbc6401682e813402801e94">told The Associated Press.</a>___

What toxicology exam revealed about KC Super Bowl reporter found dead 

ELLSWORTH COUNTY —One person died in an accident just after 6:30a.m. Wednesday in Ellsworth County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2018 Hino Box Truck driven by David E.&nbsp;Bridgeforth, 58, Tre, New Jersey, was westbound on Interstate 70 two miles west of 12th Road. The truck traveled off the road, entered the north ditch and the driver overcorrected.&nbsp; The truck rolled onto the passenger side and came to rest blocking both lanes of travel.

A westbound 2021 Freightliner semi driven by&nbsp; Iazizion&nbsp;Vafoev, 24,&nbsp;Trevosed, Pennsylvania, attempted to avoid the box truck. The semi struck the undercarriage beneath the cab of the box truck.&nbsp; The impact caused the truck to spin into the north ditch. The semi came to rest facing northwest in the north ditch.

Bridgeforth was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported to Frontier Forensics. EMS transported Vafoev to Wesley Medical Center. Both drivers were properly restrained, according to the KHP.

ELLSWORTH COUNTY— Westbound Interstate 70 is closed in Ellsworth County between Kansas 14 and Kansas 232 due to a semi crash, according to the Kansas Department of Transportation.

At approximately 6:45a.m., the Kansas Highway Patrol was notified of a serious crash involving two semis on Interstate 70 westbound just west of the Vesper exit in western Ellsworth County.

KDOT is on scene assisting with traffic control and rerouting.

The KHP’s Critical Highway Accident Response Team (CHART) is also on-site. This specialized team of troopers is highly trained in accident reconstruction and works to provide clarity in serious crashes like this. Drivers should expect delays, seek alternate routes,

For updates and more info&nbsp;<a href="https://kandrive.gov/@-101.43512,39.04521,6?show=roadReports,constructionReports,trafficSpeeds,winterDriving,oversizeLoads,stationsAlert,weatherRadar">click here&nbsp;</a>or call 511 in Kansas

ELLSWORTH COUNTY —One person died in an accident just after 6:30a.m. Wednesday in Ellsworth County.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2018 Hino Box Truck driven by David E.&nbsp;Bridgeforth, 58, Tre, New Jersey, was westbound on Interstate 70 two miles west of 12th Road. The truck traveled off the road, entered the north ditch and the driver overcorrected.&nbsp; The truck rolled onto the passenger side and came to rest blocking both lanes of travel.A westbound 2021 Freightliner semi driven by&nbsp; Iazizion&nbsp;Vafoev, 24,&nbsp;Trevosed, Pennsylvania, attempted to avoid the box truck. The semi struck the undercarriage beneath the cab of the box truck.&nbsp; The impact caused the truck to spin into the north ditch. The semi came to rest facing northwest in the north ditch.Bridgeforth was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported to Frontier Forensics. EMS transported Vafoev to Wesley Medical Center. Both drivers were properly restrained, according to the KHP.------------<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/2/1740580961363.png" alt="Image KHP" />
 <figcaption>Image KHP</figcaption>
 </figure>ELLSWORTH COUNTY— Westbound Interstate 70 is closed in Ellsworth County between Kansas 14 and Kansas 232 due to a semi crash, according to the Kansas Department of Transportation.At approximately 6:45a.m., the Kansas Highway Patrol was notified of a serious crash involving two semis on Interstate 70 westbound just west of the Vesper exit in western Ellsworth County.KDOT is on scene assisting with traffic control and rerouting.The KHP’s Critical Highway Accident Response Team (CHART) is also on-site. This specialized team of troopers is highly trained in accident reconstruction and works to provide clarity in serious crashes like this. Drivers should expect delays, seek alternate routes,For updates and more info&nbsp;<a href="https://kandrive.gov/@-101.43512,39.04521,6?show=roadReports,constructionReports,trafficSpeeds,winterDriving,oversizeLoads,stationsAlert,weatherRadar">click here&nbsp;</a>or call 511 in Kansas

Fatal I-70 crash: Semi collided with box truck from earlier crash

BY:&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/sherman-smith/">SHERMAN SMITH</a> <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/01/03/kansas-state-garden-city-cc-striving-to-shrink-bachelors-degree-educational-desert/?emci=8e6f56cf-3bca-ef11-88d0-0022482a9b45&amp;emdi=a9416bb1-82ca-ef11-88d0-0022482a9b45&amp;ceid=115039">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA — Senate Republicans are taking an effort to make the Kansas Supreme Court an elected office, dismantling a decades-old merit-based nomination system for justices that voters put in place after a notorious scandal.

The move is largely a response to a high court decision establishing the right to terminate a pregnancy and three decades of court-imposed compliance with a constitutional mandate to provide suitable funding for public schools.

If adopted with two-thirds majorities in both the Senate and House,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kslegislature.gov/li/b2025_26/measures/scr1611/" target="_blank">Senate Concurrent Resolution 1611</a>&nbsp;would place a loaded question before voters on the 2026 general election ballot. The question would ask voters to replace the current nominating commission, “whose membership consists of a majority of lawyers,” with direct election of justices. The seven justice seats would be divided among the 2028, 2030 and 2032 elections, and terms would last six years.

Republicans and special interest groups that align with Republicans favor the change, which they say would shift power from an elitist organization to the people. Opponents raise concerns about reshaping the court through partisan politics and the dark money that dominates political campaigns.

“It’s putting politics where they belong,” said Senate President Ty Masterson, an Andover Republican. “They’re going to tell you, ‘Oh, it’s putting politics in the system.’ Politics are in the system. That’s the worst kind of politics. It’s veiled. It’s in the black box, you know, behind the closed door.”

Under the current system, the&nbsp;<a href="https://kscourts.gov/Judges/Become-a-Judge/Supreme-Court-Nominating-Commission" target="_blank">Supreme Court Nominating Commission</a>&nbsp;reviews applications for a vacancy and sends three finalists to the governor, who makes the appointment from those three finalists.

The commission members include one lawyer and one nonlawyer from each of the state’s four congressional districts, plus an additional lawyer who serves as chair. Kansas Bar Association members elect the lawyers who serve on the commission, and the governor appoints the nonlawyers.

The commission considers experience, education, ethics, temperament, community service, impartiality and respect of colleagues when selecting the three nominees to send to the governor.

Each justice faces a retention vote in the next general election after appointment, and again every six years.

The system was put in place following&nbsp;<a href="https://www.humanitieskansas.org/get-involved/kansas-stories/people/tv-the-triple-play-and-the-man-from-dodge" target="_blank">a 1950s political scandal known as “the triple play.”</a>

Gov. Fred Hall, viewed as liberal Republican for the era, was defeated in the 1956 primary after a single two-year term. Democrat George Docking won in the general election.

Chief Justice Bill Smith, a supporter of Hall who was prepared to retire, decided to step down before Docking took office so that Hall could resign and take his seat. Smith and Hall resigned on the same day, allowing Lt. Gov. John McCuish to be sworn in as governor and appoint Hall to fill the Supreme Court vacancy.

Hall resigned from the court the following year so he could run again for governor, but again lost in the GOP primary.

During the 1957 session, the Legislature passed a constitutional amendment that established the current merit-based system. About 70% of voters approved the constitutional amendment in 1958.

In recent years, Republicans scrutinized the system in frustration over Kansas Supreme Court decisions that require the Legislature to adequately and equitably fund public schools. The 2019 decision that established a constitutional right to abortion, and voters’ rejection of a constitutional amendment on abortion in 2022, fueled renewed interest in abolishing the merit-based system for nominating Supreme Court justices.

But Republicans haven’t been able to agree on whether to support the election of justices or adopt the federal model, where high court appointments are subject to Senate confirmation.

In a hearing Tuesday before the Senate Federal and State Affairs Committee, attorney Josh Ney noted that no Supreme Court justice in the past 22 years had retired while a Republican was governor. Democratic governors have selected all but one of the justices during that period, with&nbsp;Republican Gov. Sam Brownback appointing his chief counsel, Caleb Steagall, to the court to fill a vacancy by a justice who was appointed to a federal court seat.

“We have traded the triple play for systemic double plays,” Ney said.

Fred Logan, who appeared before the committee on behalf of the Kansas Bar Association, said Kansas voters “knew exactly what they were doing in 1958 when they installed the merit selection process.”

He pointed to the fact that no justice has lost a retention vote as evidence that the process works.

Blake Shuart, an attorney with the Wichita-based Hutton Law Firm, said lawyers in the state want to protect a system that has served their clients well, win or lose.

In the past year, Shuart said, the Kansas Supreme Court has issued decisions on 31 criminal cases, seven attorney discipline matters, three individuals who were seeking compensation for wrongful conviction, and cases dealing with parentage, tax valuations, a zoning code, a gambling license, a public nuisance issue between two farmers, and other matters.

“This is not a day in, day out job by our justices to press the lever on state politics, decide elections, school funding, reproductive rights, or any other things,” Shuart said. “Those cases do come around every so often, but what they do every day, week and month of the year, is roll up their sleeves, read briefs, learn cases, ask good questions, listen to good lawyers, argue, deliberate, decide cases fairly based on even-handed application of the facts to the law, and then they sit down and have to write a long opinion.”

Rashane Hamby, policy director for the American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas, said the proposed resolution would inject politics into the courts and erode public trust in the judiciary.

The change would threaten the rule of law, weaken separation of powers, and allow special interests to influence the highest court.

“The Supreme Court should not be for sale to the highest bidder,” Hamby said. “If this passes, it will be a radical departure from Kansas’ longstanding commitment to judicial independence.”

Sen. Caryn Tyson, a Parker Republican, said justices in the past have run TV ads supporting a retention vote, which means money is already a factor. The ads she referenced were actually paid for and produced by entities that support the justices, not the justices themselves.

Logan, who has practiced law for 48 years, told Tyson the limited ads she had seen would be amplified with “huge sums of money” if justices were elected.

“Let’s not kid ourselves,” Logan said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/2/1740601607106.jpeg" alt=" Kansas Supreme Court Chief Justice Marla Luckert delivers her State of the Judiciary speech on Jan. 15, 2025, in the House Chamber. House Speaker Dan Hawkins, left, and Senate President Ty Masterson listen to her speech. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption> Kansas Supreme Court Chief Justice Marla Luckert delivers her State of the Judiciary speech on Jan. 15, 2025, in the House Chamber. House Speaker Dan Hawkins, left, and Senate President Ty Masterson listen to her speech. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>BY:&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/sherman-smith/">SHERMAN SMITH</a> <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/01/03/kansas-state-garden-city-cc-striving-to-shrink-bachelors-degree-educational-desert/?emci=8e6f56cf-3bca-ef11-88d0-0022482a9b45&amp;emdi=a9416bb1-82ca-ef11-88d0-0022482a9b45&amp;ceid=115039">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — Senate Republicans are taking an effort to make the Kansas Supreme Court an elected office, dismantling a decades-old merit-based nomination system for justices that voters put in place after a notorious scandal.The move is largely a response to a high court decision establishing the right to terminate a pregnancy and three decades of court-imposed compliance with a constitutional mandate to provide suitable funding for public schools.If adopted with two-thirds majorities in both the Senate and House,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kslegislature.gov/li/b2025_26/measures/scr1611/" target="_blank">Senate Concurrent Resolution 1611</a>&nbsp;would place a loaded question before voters on the 2026 general election ballot. The question would ask voters to replace the current nominating commission, “whose membership consists of a majority of lawyers,” with direct election of justices. The seven justice seats would be divided among the 2028, 2030 and 2032 elections, and terms would last six years.Republicans and special interest groups that align with Republicans favor the change, which they say would shift power from an elitist organization to the people. Opponents raise concerns about reshaping the court through partisan politics and the dark money that dominates political campaigns.“It’s putting politics where they belong,” said Senate President Ty Masterson, an Andover Republican. “They’re going to tell you, ‘Oh, it’s putting politics in the system.’ Politics are in the system. That’s the worst kind of politics. It’s veiled. It’s in the black box, you know, behind the closed door.”Under the current system, the&nbsp;<a href="https://kscourts.gov/Judges/Become-a-Judge/Supreme-Court-Nominating-Commission" target="_blank">Supreme Court Nominating Commission</a>&nbsp;reviews applications for a vacancy and sends three finalists to the governor, who makes the appointment from those three finalists.The commission members include one lawyer and one nonlawyer from each of the state’s four congressional districts, plus an additional lawyer who serves as chair. Kansas Bar Association members elect the lawyers who serve on the commission, and the governor appoints the nonlawyers.The commission considers experience, education, ethics, temperament, community service, impartiality and respect of colleagues when selecting the three nominees to send to the governor.Each justice faces a retention vote in the next general election after appointment, and again every six years.<h2>The triple play</h2>The system was put in place following&nbsp;<a href="https://www.humanitieskansas.org/get-involved/kansas-stories/people/tv-the-triple-play-and-the-man-from-dodge" target="_blank">a 1950s political scandal known as “the triple play.”</a>Gov. Fred Hall, viewed as liberal Republican for the era, was defeated in the 1956 primary after a single two-year term. Democrat George Docking won in the general election.Chief Justice Bill Smith, a supporter of Hall who was prepared to retire, decided to step down before Docking took office so that Hall could resign and take his seat. Smith and Hall resigned on the same day, allowing Lt. Gov. John McCuish to be sworn in as governor and appoint Hall to fill the Supreme Court vacancy.Hall resigned from the court the following year so he could run again for governor, but again lost in the GOP primary.During the 1957 session, the Legislature passed a constitutional amendment that established the current merit-based system. About 70% of voters approved the constitutional amendment in 1958.In recent years, Republicans scrutinized the system in frustration over Kansas Supreme Court decisions that require the Legislature to adequately and equitably fund public schools. The 2019 decision that established a constitutional right to abortion, and voters’ rejection of a constitutional amendment on abortion in 2022, fueled renewed interest in abolishing the merit-based system for nominating Supreme Court justices.But Republicans haven’t been able to agree on whether to support the election of justices or adopt the federal model, where high court appointments are subject to Senate confirmation.In a hearing Tuesday before the Senate Federal and State Affairs Committee, attorney Josh Ney noted that no Supreme Court justice in the past 22 years had retired while a Republican was governor. Democratic governors have selected all but one of the justices during that period, with&nbsp;Republican Gov. Sam Brownback appointing his chief counsel, Caleb Steagall, to the court to fill a vacancy by a justice who was appointed to a federal court seat.“We have traded the triple play for systemic double plays,” Ney said.<h2>The opposition</h2>Fred Logan, who appeared before the committee on behalf of the Kansas Bar Association, said Kansas voters “knew exactly what they were doing in 1958 when they installed the merit selection process.”He pointed to the fact that no justice has lost a retention vote as evidence that the process works.“I trust Kansas voters,” Logan said.Blake Shuart, an attorney with the Wichita-based Hutton Law Firm, said lawyers in the state want to protect a system that has served their clients well, win or lose.In the past year, Shuart said, the Kansas Supreme Court has issued decisions on 31 criminal cases, seven attorney discipline matters, three individuals who were seeking compensation for wrongful conviction, and cases dealing with parentage, tax valuations, a zoning code, a gambling license, a public nuisance issue between two farmers, and other matters.“This is not a day in, day out job by our justices to press the lever on state politics, decide elections, school funding, reproductive rights, or any other things,” Shuart said. “Those cases do come around every so often, but what they do every day, week and month of the year, is roll up their sleeves, read briefs, learn cases, ask good questions, listen to good lawyers, argue, deliberate, decide cases fairly based on even-handed application of the facts to the law, and then they sit down and have to write a long opinion.”Rashane Hamby, policy director for the American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas, said the proposed resolution would inject politics into the courts and erode public trust in the judiciary.The change would threaten the rule of law, weaken separation of powers, and allow special interests to influence the highest court.“The Supreme Court should not be for sale to the highest bidder,” Hamby said. “If this passes, it will be a radical departure from Kansas’ longstanding commitment to judicial independence.”Sen. Caryn Tyson, a Parker Republican, said justices in the past have run TV ads supporting a retention vote, which means money is already a factor. The ads she referenced were actually paid for and produced by entities that support the justices, not the justices themselves.Logan, who has practiced law for 48 years, told Tyson the limited ads she had seen would be amplified with “huge sums of money” if justices were elected.“Let’s not kid ourselves,” Logan said.

Kan. Senate Republicans take up plan to rewrite constitution to elect Supreme Court justices

WASHINGTON (AP) —Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins rolled out the five-part plan Wednesday but acknowledged it could take some time before consumers see an effect at the checkout counter.

The plan calls for $500 million investment to help farmers bolster biosecurity measures, $400 million in aid for farmers whose flocks have been impacted by avian flu, $100 million to research and potentially develop vaccines and therapeutics for U.S. chicken flocks and explore rolling back what the administration sees as restrictive animal welfare rules in some states.

The administration is also in talks to import about 70 million to 100 million eggs from other countries in the coming months, Rollins said.

Rollins said the administration is anticipating egg prices could still further climb heading toward the Easter holiday, a time when demand has been historically high.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/2/1740583336203.png" alt="Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins -image from White House video" />
 <figcaption>Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins -image from White House video</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) —Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins rolled out the five-part plan Wednesday but acknowledged it could take some time before consumers see an effect at the checkout counter.The plan calls for $500 million investment to help farmers bolster biosecurity measures, $400 million in aid for farmers whose flocks have been impacted by avian flu, $100 million to research and potentially develop vaccines and therapeutics for U.S. chicken flocks and explore rolling back what the administration sees as restrictive animal welfare rules in some states.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">&quot;I&#39;ve got a fancy handy dandy chart. Let me grab that. Perfect. Alright, ya&#39;ll want to talk eggs? Let&#39;s do it!&quot; -- Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins <a href="https://t.co/qNh29iLM35">pic.twitter.com/qNh29iLM35</a>&mdash; Howard Mortman (@HowardMortman) <a href="https://twitter.com/HowardMortman/status/1894761239101763628?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 26, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">&quot;The average dozen eggs in California is $9.58. And it&#39;s five dollars around the country. &quot; Prop 12 &quot;really caused prices to go up. And it didn&#39;t just affect California. It affects the rest of the country.&quot; -- Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins <a href="https://t.co/5HNTr8vJz0">pic.twitter.com/5HNTr8vJz0</a>&mdash; Howard Mortman (@HowardMortman) <a href="https://twitter.com/HowardMortman/status/1894763992763036140?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 26, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The administration is also in talks to import about 70 million to 100 million eggs from other countries in the coming months, Rollins said.Rollins said the administration is anticipating egg prices could still further climb heading toward the Easter holiday, a time when demand has been historically high.

🎥New Ag Secretary has a plan to combat surging egg prices

SALINE COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating a suspect for an alleged violent attack on a juvenile.

Just after 6p.m. Tuesday, police were dispatched to 811 E. Iron Avenue in Salina for a report of a battery, according to Salina Police Capt. James Feldman. First responders made contact with two 11-year-old boys and a 12-year-old boy.

The juveniles reported they had been playing basketball with a man later identified as 21-year-old River Norberg. During the game, an exchange of “trash talk” escalated, and Norberg allegedly tackled one of the 11-year-olds, putting him in a chokehold that restricted his breathing. 

A 12-year-old boy intervened and pulled Norberg off the victim, but Norberg allegedly attacked the 11-year-old again, placing him in another chokehold.

The 11-year-old also sustained a scratch above his right eye and reported that Norberg struck him several times on the top of his head. The other two juveniles managed to pull Norberg off the victim before he fled the scene, according Feldman.

Officers located Norberg several blocks away and took him into custody without incident. He was booked into jail on a requested charge of aggravated battery. The juveniles were released to their parents.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/2/1740592416432.png" alt="Nordberg-photo Saline Co." />
 <figcaption>Nordberg-photo Saline Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SALINE COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating a suspect for an alleged violent attack on a juvenile.Just after 6p.m. Tuesday, police were dispatched to 811 E. Iron Avenue in Salina for a report of a battery, according to Salina Police Capt. James Feldman. First responders made contact with two 11-year-old boys and a 12-year-old boy.The juveniles reported they had been playing basketball with a man later identified as 21-year-old River Norberg. During the game, an exchange of “trash talk” escalated, and Norberg allegedly tackled one of the 11-year-olds, putting him in a chokehold that restricted his breathing. A 12-year-old boy intervened and pulled Norberg off the victim, but Norberg allegedly attacked the 11-year-old again, placing him in another chokehold.The 11-year-old also sustained a scratch above his right eye and reported that Norberg struck him several times on the top of his head. The other two juveniles managed to pull Norberg off the victim before he fled the scene, according Feldman.Officers located Norberg several blocks away and took him into custody without incident. He was booked into jail on a requested charge of aggravated battery. The juveniles were released to their parents.

Kansas man accused of assault of juvenile at playground

SEDGWICK COUNTY —Voters in Wichita USD 259, the state's largest school district, voted against a $450 million bond issue on Tuesday.

On Wednesday afternoon, the Sedgwick County Election office released updated vote totals.

The district hoped to use the money to provide updated career   training facilities, reduce costs by retiring old buildings and "strengthen schools and the city for the future."

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/2/1740537506178.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY —Voters in Wichita USD 259, the state's largest school district, voted against a $450 million bond issue on Tuesday.On Wednesday afternoon, the Sedgwick County Election office released updated vote totals.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/2/1740603285007.png" alt="-Unofficial results from the Sedgwick County Election office" />
 <figcaption>-Unofficial results from the Sedgwick County Election office</figcaption>
 </figure>The district hoped to use the money to provide updated career training facilities, reduce costs by retiring old buildings and "strengthen schools and the city for the future."

New vote total: Largest school district in Kan. rejects $450 million bond issue

LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) — A child who was not vaccinated has died from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/measles-texas-new-mexico-mmr-outbreak-vaccines-408371700e3ab548777bf0354e586549">measles in West Texas</a>, the first death in an outbreak that began late last month and the first from measles in the U.S. since 2015.

The death was a “school-aged child who was not vaccinated” and had been hospitalized last week, the Texas Department of State Health Services said Wednesday in a statement.

Covenant Children’s Hospital in Lubbock didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment, nor did Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's office. Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center spokesperson Melissa Whitfield first confirmed the death, which happened overnight, to The Associated Press on Wednesday morning.

The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/measles-texas-mmr-vaccine-homeschooling-b29d08d53cf26704968e8c00dfa712ba">measles outbreak</a>&nbsp;in rural West Texas has grown to 124 cases across nine counties, which state health officials have said is Texas’&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/measles-texas-mmr-vaccine-homeschooling-b29d08d53cf26704968e8c00dfa712ba">largest in nearly 30 years</a>. There are also nine cases in eastern New Mexico.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed this is the first measles death in the country since 2015. Measles cases were the worst in almost three decades in 2019, and there was a rise in cases&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/measles-cdc-outbreak-chicago-mmr-vaccine-7ecdfef41e6dbd659c7ac8b80d5de38f">in 2024</a>, including an outbreak in Chicago that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/measles-chicago-migrant-shelter-cdc-e58517c830f73e42266d45d45983c12b">sickened more than 60.</a>

The outbreak is largely spreading in the Mennonite community in West Texas, where small towns are separated by vast stretches of oil rig-dotted open land but connected due to people traveling between towns for work, church, grocery shopping and other errands.

Texas health department data shows the vast majority of cases in the area are among people younger than 18. The measles, mumps and rubella vaccine — which is safe and highly effective at preventing infection and severe cases — is recommended for children between 12 and 15 months old for the first shot, with the second coming between 4 and 6 years old.

The vaccine series is required for kids before entering kindergarten in public schools nationwide. But the measles cases in West Texas have been concentrated in a “close-knit, undervaccinated” Mennonite community, state health department spokesperson Lara Anton has said, especially among families who attend small private religious schools or are homeschooled.

Gaines County, which has 80 cases, has one of the highest rates in Texas of school-aged children who opt out of at least one required vaccine, with nearly 14% of K-12 children in the 2023-24 school year.

Earlier this month,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/childhood-vaccines-schedule-kennedy-trump-hhs-4d5e6c52c602f5edbcd837748605e9d0">new federal health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.</a>&nbsp;said a panel would investigate the childhood vaccine schedule that prevents measles and other dangerous diseases.

Measles is a respiratory virus that can survive in the air for up to two hours. Up to 9 out of 10 people who are susceptible will get the virus if exposed,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/measles/hcp/index.html#:~:text=Measles%20is%20one%20of%20the,breathes%2C%20coughs%2C%20or%20sneezes.">according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.</a>&nbsp;Most kids will recover from the measles if they get it, but infection can lead to dangerous complications like pneumonia, blindness, brain swelling and death.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control is providing “technical assistance, laboratory support and vaccines as needed” to West Texas, the agency told the AP, but the state health department is taking the lead in the outbreak investigation.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/2/1740586421445.png" alt="Image Texas Dept. of Health Services" />
 <figcaption>Image Texas Dept. of Health Services</figcaption>
 </figure>LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) — A child who was not vaccinated has died from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/measles-texas-new-mexico-mmr-outbreak-vaccines-408371700e3ab548777bf0354e586549">measles in West Texas</a>, the first death in an outbreak that began late last month and the first from measles in the U.S. since 2015.The death was a “school-aged child who was not vaccinated” and had been hospitalized last week, the Texas Department of State Health Services said Wednesday in a statement.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/2/1740583865667.png" alt="A sign is seen outside a clinic with the South Plains Public Health District Sunday, Feb. 23, 2025, in Brownfield, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)" />
 <figcaption>A sign is seen outside a clinic with the South Plains Public Health District Sunday, Feb. 23, 2025, in Brownfield, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)</figcaption>
 </figure>Covenant Children’s Hospital in Lubbock didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment, nor did Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's office. Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center spokesperson Melissa Whitfield first confirmed the death, which happened overnight, to The Associated Press on Wednesday morning.The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/measles-texas-mmr-vaccine-homeschooling-b29d08d53cf26704968e8c00dfa712ba">measles outbreak</a>&nbsp;in rural West Texas has grown to 124 cases across nine counties, which state health officials have said is Texas’&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/measles-texas-mmr-vaccine-homeschooling-b29d08d53cf26704968e8c00dfa712ba">largest in nearly 30 years</a>. There are also nine cases in eastern New Mexico.The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed this is the first measles death in the country since 2015. Measles cases were the worst in almost three decades in 2019, and there was a rise in cases&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/measles-cdc-outbreak-chicago-mmr-vaccine-7ecdfef41e6dbd659c7ac8b80d5de38f">in 2024</a>, including an outbreak in Chicago that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/measles-chicago-migrant-shelter-cdc-e58517c830f73e42266d45d45983c12b">sickened more than 60.</a>The outbreak is largely spreading in the Mennonite community in West Texas, where small towns are separated by vast stretches of oil rig-dotted open land but connected due to people traveling between towns for work, church, grocery shopping and other errands.Texas health department data shows the vast majority of cases in the area are among people younger than 18. The measles, mumps and rubella vaccine — which is safe and highly effective at preventing infection and severe cases — is recommended for children between 12 and 15 months old for the first shot, with the second coming between 4 and 6 years old.The vaccine series is required for kids before entering kindergarten in public schools nationwide. But the measles cases in West Texas have been concentrated in a “close-knit, undervaccinated” Mennonite community, state health department spokesperson Lara Anton has said, especially among families who attend small private religious schools or are homeschooled.Gaines County, which has 80 cases, has one of the highest rates in Texas of school-aged children who opt out of at least one required vaccine, with nearly 14% of K-12 children in the 2023-24 school year.Earlier this month,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/childhood-vaccines-schedule-kennedy-trump-hhs-4d5e6c52c602f5edbcd837748605e9d0">new federal health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.</a>&nbsp;said a panel would investigate the childhood vaccine schedule that prevents measles and other dangerous diseases.Measles is a respiratory virus that can survive in the air for up to two hours. Up to 9 out of 10 people who are susceptible will get the virus if exposed,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/measles/hcp/index.html#:~:text=Measles%20is%20one%20of%20the,breathes%2C%20coughs%2C%20or%20sneezes.">according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.</a>&nbsp;Most kids will recover from the measles if they get it, but infection can lead to dangerous complications like pneumonia, blindness, brain swelling and death.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/2/1740586551644.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>The U.S. Centers for Disease Control is providing “technical assistance, laboratory support and vaccines as needed” to West Texas, the agency told the AP, but the state health department is taking the lead in the outbreak investigation.