FRANKLIN COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating a suspect on multiple allegations after an dispute involving firearm.

On Monday, sheriff's deputies responded to report of a physical altercation at a home outside Pomona, Kansas, according to a media release from the Franklin County Sheriff.

The altercation ended with a firearm discharged into a vehicle.

The incident started as a disturbance among family in the 300 Block of Georgia Road. The argument eventually escalated into being physical which caused one person to be injured requiring medical treatment, according to the sheriff's office.

As the injured individual attempted to drive from the scene, 53-year-old Marion 'Gene' Ferris of Richmond allegedly discharged a firearm into the vehicle striking a tire.&nbsp; Three people including a 3-year-old child were in the vehicle.&nbsp;

The only injuries were non-life-threatening and not from the discharge of the firearm being discharged.&nbsp; Sheriff's deputies located Ferris at his residence in Richmond. He refused to exit the home. Ten hours later, deputies arrested him after he attempted to flee from the rear of the residence. He is being held on requested charges of attempted second degree murder, aggravated battery, aggravated assault, criminal threat, criminal discharge of a firearm, criminal damage to property, felony interference with law enforcement and aggravated child endangerment.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1736894679012.png" alt="Ferris photo Franklin County" />
 <figcaption>Ferris photo Franklin County</figcaption>
 </figure>FRANKLIN COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating a suspect on multiple allegations after an dispute involving firearm.On Monday, sheriff's deputies responded to report of a physical altercation at a home outside Pomona, Kansas, according to a media release from the Franklin County Sheriff.The altercation ended with a firearm discharged into a vehicle.The incident started as a disturbance among family in the 300 Block of Georgia Road. The argument eventually escalated into being physical which caused one person to be injured requiring medical treatment, according to the sheriff's office.As the injured individual attempted to drive from the scene, 53-year-old Marion 'Gene' Ferris of Richmond allegedly discharged a firearm into the vehicle striking a tire.&nbsp; Three people including a 3-year-old child were in the vehicle.&nbsp;The only injuries were non-life-threatening and not from the discharge of the firearm being discharged.&nbsp; Sheriff's deputies located Ferris at his residence in Richmond. He refused to exit the home. Ten hours later, deputies arrested him after he attempted to flee from the rear of the residence. He is being held on requested charges of attempted second degree murder, aggravated battery, aggravated assault, criminal threat, criminal discharge of a firearm, criminal damage to property, felony interference with law enforcement and aggravated child endangerment.

Kansas man fired gun at vehicle with 3-year-old inside

SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating two suspects in connection with an armed robbery.

Just after 9p.m. Monday, the Shawnee County Emergency Communications Center received notification of a medical emergency in the 6500 block of NW Elmont Road, according to Deputy Abigail Christian.

Deputies discovered that an armed robbery had just occurred when a 61-year-old man's vehicle and money were stolen from him at gunpoint.

Deputies arrested Jaterri J. Davis, 36, of Topeka, on requested charges of Aggravated robbery,&nbsp;&nbsp;Aggravated assault, Criminal trespass, Theft, Theft of a motor vehicle,&nbsp;Criminal possession of a weapon by a felon and Possession of an opiate, opium and narcotic or certain stimulant

Deputies also arrested&nbsp;Diamantae T. M. Boyd, 31, of Junction City, on requested charges of Possession of an opiate, opium, narcotic or certain stimulant, possession of stolen property; firearm, Possession of stolen property and Use/possess with intent to use drug paraphernalia

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1736890224327.png" alt="Davis photo Shawnee Co." />
 <figcaption>Davis photo Shawnee Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating two suspects in connection with an armed robbery.Just after 9p.m. Monday, the Shawnee County Emergency Communications Center received notification of a medical emergency in the 6500 block of NW Elmont Road, according to Deputy Abigail Christian.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1736890453717.png" alt="Boyd-photo Shawnee Co." />
 <figcaption>Boyd-photo Shawnee Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>Deputies discovered that an armed robbery had just occurred when a 61-year-old man's vehicle and money were stolen from him at gunpoint.Deputies arrested Jaterri J. Davis, 36, of Topeka, on requested charges of Aggravated robbery,&nbsp;&nbsp;Aggravated assault, Criminal trespass, Theft, Theft of a motor vehicle,&nbsp;Criminal possession of a weapon by a felon and Possession of an opiate, opium and narcotic or certain stimulantDeputies also arrested&nbsp;Diamantae T. M. Boyd, 31, of Junction City, on requested charges of Possession of an opiate, opium, narcotic or certain stimulant, possession of stolen property; firearm, Possession of stolen property and Use/possess with intent to use drug paraphernalia

Suspects took cash, vehicle from Kansas man at gunpoint

Governor Laura Kelly delivers the 2025 State of the State address to the Kansas Legislature on Wednesday at 6:30p.m. 

(click below to watch) or<a href="https://content.govdelivery.com/attachments/KSOG/2025/01/15/file_attachments/3133603/Governor%20Kelly%27s%202025%20State%20of%20the%20State%20Address.pdf"> click here to read </a>the address

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1736987926994.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Governor Laura Kelly delivers the 2025 State of the State address to the Kansas Legislature on Wednesday at 6:30p.m. (click below to watch) or<a href="https://content.govdelivery.com/attachments/KSOG/2025/01/15/file_attachments/3133603/Governor%20Kelly%27s%202025%20State%20of%20the%20State%20Address.pdf"> click here to read </a>the address<div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/q02bsjHNgMA?si=CnZbPFjShcuulT8v" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>C

🎥Governor Laura Kelly State of the State address

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden and President-elect Donald Trump are both claiming credit for Israel and Hamas agreeing to a ceasefire deal in Gaza after the White House brought Trump's Middle East envoy into negotiations that have dragged on for months.

Trump wasted no time in asserting he was the moving force behind the deal, whose final details were still being ironed out, according to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office.

“This EPIC ceasefire agreement could have only happened as a result of our Historic Victory in November, as it signaled to the entire World that my Administration would seek Peace and negotiate deals to ensure the safety of all Americans, and our Allies,” Trump wrote on social media. “I am thrilled American and Israeli hostages will be returning home to be reunited with their families and loved ones.”

Trump added that his incoming Mideast envoy, Steve Witkoff, would continue “to work closely with Israel and our Allies to make sure Gaza NEVER again becomes a terrorist safe haven.”

Biden stressed in a statement that a deal was reached under “the precise contours” of a plan that he set out in late in May.

“It is the result not only of the extreme pressure that Hamas has been under and the changed regional equation after a ceasefire in Lebanon and weakening of Iran — but also of dogged and painstaking American diplomacy,” Biden said. “My diplomacy never ceased in their efforts to get this done.”

Later in remarks at the White House, Biden said his administration negotiated the deal but that Trump’s team will soon be charged with making sure it’s implemented, a nod to Witkoff being a partner in the talks.

“For the past few days, we have been speaking as one team,” Biden said.

Nancy Okail, head of the U.S.-based Center for International Policy, said acceptance of the deal in the face of Trump’s insistence that a ceasefire be in place when he takes office next week “ironically shows how effective actual pressure can be in changing Israeli government behavior."

Jonathan Panikoff, director of the Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative at the Atlantic Council, said Biden deserves praise for continuing to push the talks despite repeated failures. But Trump’s threats to Hamas and his efforts through Witkoff to “cajole” Netanyahu deserve credit as well, he said.

“The ironic reality is that at a time of heightened partisanship even over foreign policy, the deal represents how much more powerful and influential U.S. foreign policy can be when it’s bipartisan,” he said. “Both the outgoing and incoming administration deserve credit for for this deal and it would’ve been far less likely to happen without both pushing for it.”

The Biden administration’s open embrace of incoming Trump team involvement in the talks was rooted in far more than the president-elect’s influence with Netanyahu and his threats that there would be “hell to pay” if a deal wasn’t done by Inauguration Day, which is in five days, three current U.S. officials said.

The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to offer candid details, said their interest in having Witkoff participate in the talks alongside Biden’s Mideast pointman, Brett McGurk, was primarily designed to ensure that an agreement — which will require a lengthy American commitment — would have continued U.S. support after Biden leaves office.

Yet, since Witkoff entered the latest round of talks in Doha, Qatar, alongside McGurk, these U.S. officials have downplayed Trump’s relevance to the process apart from the importance of ensuring his support for a deal painstakingly negotiated over the past year. They also want backing for a plan pushed by the Biden administration for the governance, reconstruction and security of Gaza that will take many months — and significant U.S. backing — to succeed.

The officials said it was important for all parties to the deal to know that the agreement had buy-in from the new president. That was important not only because Biden will leave office in just five days, but also because the U.S. is a guarantor of the agreement that will play out in several phases.

One fear about not including Trump officials in the negotiations was that the post-conflict plan for Gaza that has been worked over the past year might be abandoned by the new administration.

Implementation of the agreement could begin Sunday, when the first group of hostages may be freed, according to a senior U.S. official involved in the talks.

Negotiations intensified over the past four days, according to the official, who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity. The official described McGurk and Witkoff’s coordination as a “fruitful partnership.”

The U.S., Qatari and Egyptian negotiators along with Israel’s team nearby worked until the wee hours Thursday morning, just a floor above where the Hamas negotiators were holed up, the senior official said.

Later Thursday, Hamas made several last-second demands, but “we held very firm” and Hamas eventually agreed to the terms of the deal, the U.S. official said.

The plan outlined most recently on Tuesday by Secretary of State Antony Blinken, calls for an international presence in Gaza to work with and assist the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority with both governance and reconstruction. It also calls for a temporary foreign security presence in the territory to address Israeli security concerns.

Over the course of the war, Biden’s relationship with Netanyahu was strained by the enormous Palestinian death toll in the fighting — now standing at&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-war-news-01-09-2025-ffae654d619e8e848e2ceda8576e8fe5">more than 46,000 dead</a>&nbsp;— and Israel’s blockade of the territory that has created a humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza by leaving access to food and basic health care severely limited.

Pro-Palestinian activists have demanded an arms embargo against Israel, but U.S. policy has largely remained unchanged. The State Department in recent days informed Congress of a planned&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-arms-sale-gaza-biden-congress-f6a8f788773ad12a34ad8fb6f7966026">$8 billion weapons sale to Israel.</a>

Biden refusal to impose meaningful restrictions on how the Israelis may have helped Israel seriously degrade Hamas and Hezbollah, but it also came with enormous suffering for innocent Palestinians and Lebanese that have been caught in the crossfire of the 15 moths of grinding war. The outgoing one-term Democrat’s critics say his approach could come with long-term ramifications for U.S. standing in the Middle East and may well prove to be stain on Biden’s legacy.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden and President-elect Donald Trump are both claiming credit for Israel and Hamas agreeing to a ceasefire deal in Gaza after the White House brought Trump's Middle East envoy into negotiations that have dragged on for months.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Reporter asks about who get credit for this, &quot;you or Trump?&quot; President Biden: &quot;Is that a joke?&quot; <a href="https://t.co/7u6AMuNhMG">pic.twitter.com/7u6AMuNhMG</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1879610354172309935?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 15, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1736963333807.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Trump wasted no time in asserting he was the moving force behind the deal, whose final details were still being ironed out, according to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office.“This EPIC ceasefire agreement could have only happened as a result of our Historic Victory in November, as it signaled to the entire World that my Administration would seek Peace and negotiate deals to ensure the safety of all Americans, and our Allies,” Trump wrote on social media. “I am thrilled American and Israeli hostages will be returning home to be reunited with their families and loved ones.”Trump added that his incoming Mideast envoy, Steve Witkoff, would continue “to work closely with Israel and our Allies to make sure Gaza NEVER again becomes a terrorist safe haven.”<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=314&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FWhiteHouse%2Fvideos%2F1136653544746374%2F&show_text=false&width=560&t=11" width="560" height="314" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowFullScreen="true"></iframe></div>Biden stressed in a statement that a deal was reached under “the precise contours” of a plan that he set out in late in May.“It is the result not only of the extreme pressure that Hamas has been under and the changed regional equation after a ceasefire in Lebanon and weakening of Iran — but also of dogged and painstaking American diplomacy,” Biden said. “My diplomacy never ceased in their efforts to get this done.”Later in remarks at the White House, Biden said his administration negotiated the deal but that Trump’s team will soon be charged with making sure it’s implemented, a nod to Witkoff being a partner in the talks.“For the past few days, we have been speaking as one team,” Biden said.Nancy Okail, head of the U.S.-based Center for International Policy, said acceptance of the deal in the face of Trump’s insistence that a ceasefire be in place when he takes office next week “ironically shows how effective actual pressure can be in changing Israeli government behavior."Jonathan Panikoff, director of the Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative at the Atlantic Council, said Biden deserves praise for continuing to push the talks despite repeated failures. But Trump’s threats to Hamas and his efforts through Witkoff to “cajole” Netanyahu deserve credit as well, he said.“The ironic reality is that at a time of heightened partisanship even over foreign policy, the deal represents how much more powerful and influential U.S. foreign policy can be when it’s bipartisan,” he said. “Both the outgoing and incoming administration deserve credit for for this deal and it would’ve been far less likely to happen without both pushing for it.”The Biden administration’s open embrace of incoming Trump team involvement in the talks was rooted in far more than the president-elect’s influence with Netanyahu and his threats that there would be “hell to pay” if a deal wasn’t done by Inauguration Day, which is in five days, three current U.S. officials said.The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to offer candid details, said their interest in having Witkoff participate in the talks alongside Biden’s Mideast pointman, Brett McGurk, was primarily designed to ensure that an agreement — which will require a lengthy American commitment — would have continued U.S. support after Biden leaves office.Yet, since Witkoff entered the latest round of talks in Doha, Qatar, alongside McGurk, these U.S. officials have downplayed Trump’s relevance to the process apart from the importance of ensuring his support for a deal painstakingly negotiated over the past year. They also want backing for a plan pushed by the Biden administration for the governance, reconstruction and security of Gaza that will take many months — and significant U.S. backing — to succeed.The officials said it was important for all parties to the deal to know that the agreement had buy-in from the new president. That was important not only because Biden will leave office in just five days, but also because the U.S. is a guarantor of the agreement that will play out in several phases.One fear about not including Trump officials in the negotiations was that the post-conflict plan for Gaza that has been worked over the past year might be abandoned by the new administration.Implementation of the agreement could begin Sunday, when the first group of hostages may be freed, according to a senior U.S. official involved in the talks.Negotiations intensified over the past four days, according to the official, who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity. The official described McGurk and Witkoff’s coordination as a “fruitful partnership.”The U.S., Qatari and Egyptian negotiators along with Israel’s team nearby worked until the wee hours Thursday morning, just a floor above where the Hamas negotiators were holed up, the senior official said.Later Thursday, Hamas made several last-second demands, but “we held very firm” and Hamas eventually agreed to the terms of the deal, the U.S. official said.The plan outlined most recently on Tuesday by Secretary of State Antony Blinken, calls for an international presence in Gaza to work with and assist the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority with both governance and reconstruction. It also calls for a temporary foreign security presence in the territory to address Israeli security concerns.Over the course of the war, Biden’s relationship with Netanyahu was strained by the enormous Palestinian death toll in the fighting — now standing at&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-war-news-01-09-2025-ffae654d619e8e848e2ceda8576e8fe5">more than 46,000 dead</a>&nbsp;— and Israel’s blockade of the territory that has created a humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza by leaving access to food and basic health care severely limited.Pro-Palestinian activists have demanded an arms embargo against Israel, but U.S. policy has largely remained unchanged. The State Department in recent days informed Congress of a planned&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-arms-sale-gaza-biden-congress-f6a8f788773ad12a34ad8fb6f7966026">$8 billion weapons sale to Israel.</a>Biden refusal to impose meaningful restrictions on how the Israelis may have helped Israel seriously degrade Hamas and Hezbollah, but it also came with enormous suffering for innocent Palestinians and Lebanese that have been caught in the crossfire of the 15 moths of grinding war. The outgoing one-term Democrat’s critics say his approach could come with long-term ramifications for U.S. standing in the Middle East and may well prove to be stain on Biden’s legacy.

🎥Trump and Biden both claim credit for Gaza hostage deal

LANSING, Kansas. –&nbsp;Lansing Correctional Facility (LCF) resident Angel Pedro Lara, 25, died Wednesday morning, according to a statement from the Kansas Department of Corrections.

 Lara was found ill inside the facility clinic Tuesday afternoon. Staff and Emergency Medical Service personnel administered life-saving measures and transported Lara to a local hospital where he eventually died. The cause of death is pending the results of an independent autopsy.

&nbsp;Lara was serving a 123-month sentence for convictions of 2nd degree murder in Sedgwick County, Kansas.

Per protocol, when a resident dies in the custody of the Kansas Department of Corrections (KDOC), the death is under investigation by the KDOC and the Kansas Bureau of Investigation. The investigation is ongoing.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1736964124627.png" alt="Angel Lara-photo Kansas Department of Corrections" />
 <figcaption>Angel Lara-photo Kansas Department of Corrections</figcaption>
 </figure>LANSING, Kansas. –&nbsp;Lansing Correctional Facility (LCF) resident Angel Pedro Lara, 25, died Wednesday morning, according to a statement from the Kansas Department of Corrections. Lara was found ill inside the facility clinic Tuesday afternoon. Staff and Emergency Medical Service personnel administered life-saving measures and transported Lara to a local hospital where he eventually died. The cause of death is pending the results of an independent autopsy.&nbsp;Lara was serving a 123-month sentence for convictions of 2nd degree murder in Sedgwick County, Kansas.Per protocol, when a resident dies in the custody of the Kansas Department of Corrections (KDOC), the death is under investigation by the KDOC and the Kansas Bureau of Investigation. The investigation is ongoing.

25-year-old Kan. inmate serving time for murder has died

WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pam-bondi-justice-department-trump-attorney-general-4b94c094cfcabf606e4883fe709ab55a">Pam Bondi</a>, Donald Trump's pick for attorney general, sought to reassure Democratic senators Wednesday that her Justice Department would not prosecute anyone for political purposes but also refused to rule out the potential for investigations into adversaries of the Republican president-elect.

<a href="https://www.c-span.org/event/senate-committee/us-attorney-general-nominee-pam-bondi-testifies-at-confirmation-hearing/430145">Click here to watch</a>&nbsp;the full hearing

Her often-testy confirmation hearing centered on concerns that Trump would seek to use the Justice Department's law enforcement powers to exact retribution against opponents, including investigators who investigated him. Democrats pressed her on whether she could maintain the department's independence from the White House and say no to the president if asked to do something unethical, while Republicans welcomed her as a course correction for a Justice Department they believe has pursued a liberal agenda and unfairly&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-special-counsel-aileen-cannon-d7be86dad89227f12a6f5aac3433b202">pursued Trump through investigations</a>&nbsp;resulting in two indictments.

“What would you do if your career DOJ prosecutors came to you with a case to prosecute, grounded in the facts and law, but the White House directs you to drop the case?” asked Sen. Chris Coons, a Delaware Democrat.

“Senator,” Bondi replied, “if I thought that would happen, I would not be sitting here today. That will not happen.”

The line of questioning laid bare what Democrats see as the stakes of Bondi’s appointment, particularly given the pressure Trump wielded on his Justice Department during his first term to advance his personal interests,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/879c9f7844ae4c5aa4df3750233521eb">including by demanding that the-then FBI director</a>&nbsp;abandon an investigation into an ally and by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/bf2d24bc798e42409d5ef66f484361da">firing his first attorney general</a>&nbsp;following his recusal from an investigation into Trump's 2016 campaign. Heading into another term, he's also called for investigations into perceived foes, including prosecutors and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-indicted-jan-6-investigation-special-counsel-a79f2d3683c7591058635c9b3d870070">lawmakers who investigated him over offenses including trying to undo the 2020 election.</a>

“I need to know that you would tell the president ‘no’ if you’re asked to do something that’s wrong, illegal or unconstitutional,” said Sen.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/richard-durbin">Dick Durbin</a>, the committee's top Democrat, noting how Bondi had represented Trump during the first of two Senate impeachment trials.

Bondi, the former attorney general of Florida and the first woman to hold that job, repeatedly stressed that she would not play politics with the Justice Department or pursue anyone for political reasons. She said she would uphold the Constitution and said the public, not the president, would be her client.

“Of course not,” she said when asked by Republican Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana if she would “start with a name to prosecute and then look for a crime.” “I hope no attorney general going forward would ever do that," she added.

But those reassurances seemed unlikely to allay Democratic concerns about her loyalty to Trump. Her testimony at times echoed Trump's campaign trail rhetoric as she refused to denounce some of his more incendiary claims and repeatedly invoked the size of Trump's election win in November — “Look at the map of California, Sen. Schiff. It's bright red” — as proof of a mandate for sweeping change.

She also made clear her allegiance to Trump by repeatedly refusing to denounce some of his most incendiary stances, such as his claims that supporters arrested in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-confirm-joe-biden-78104aea082995bbd7412a6e6cd13818">the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the Capitol</a>&nbsp;were “hostages” or “patriots.”

Given a chance by Sen.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/mazie-hirono">Mazie Hirono</a>, a Hawaii Democrat, to reject that characterization, Bondi simply said: “I am not familiar with that statement.” She also refused to say she would encourage Trump not to issue blanket pardons of all 1,500 people who have been charged in the attack that left more than 100 police officers injured. But Bondi denounced violence against police officers, adding: “I’m not going to speak for the president, but the president does not like people that abuse police officers, either.”

Bondi also wouldn’t directly answer when asked whether Trump lost in 2020 to Democrat Joe Biden, only going so far initially to say that Biden is the president.

She later said she accepted the results of the election, but she also suggested there was fraud — alluding to her time as an advocate for the campaign in Pennsylvania in the days after that election, where she said she saw “many things” while on the ground.

“We shouldn’t want there to be any issues with election integrity in our country.” There is no evidence of widespread fraud that impacted the outcome of the election.

She backed up Trump’s claims that the prosecutions against him amounted to political persecution, saying the Justice Department “had been weaponized for years and years and years, and it’s got to stop.”

“They targeted Donald Trump,” Bondi said. “They went after him — actually starting back in 2016, they targeted his campaign. They have launched countless investigations against him.” She added: “If I am attorney general, I will not politicize that office.”

In a heated exchange with Sen.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/adam-schiff">Adam Schiff</a>, a California Democrat and frequent target of Trump's ire, she stated that “every case will be done on a case-by-case basis” and said “no one should be prosecuted for political purposes” — a stance that she and other Republicans suggested was a departure from the last four years.

But she equivocated when Schiff asked Bondi&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-special-counsel-aileen-cannon-d7be86dad89227f12a6f5aac3433b202">whether she would investigate Jack Smith,</a>&nbsp;the Justice Department special counsel who brought two indictments against Trump.

“I haven’t seen the file ...I haven’t looked at anything. It would be irresponsible of me to make a commitment regarding anything ... without looking at the file.”

Then, as the two spoke over each other, Bondi said that what she'd been “hearing on the news is horrible.”

The suggestion that the investigations into Trump were politically motivated has been sharply contested by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/merrick-garland">Attorney General Merrick Garland</a>&nbsp;and by Smith. In&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-special-counsel-aileen-cannon-d7be86dad89227f12a6f5aac3433b202">a report released this week</a>, Smith said politics played no part in his decisions and the evidence his team gathered was sufficient for Trump to have been convicted at trial on charges of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-indicted-jan-6-investigation-special-counsel-debb59bb7a4d9f93f7e2dace01feccdc">scheming to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election</a>.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-capitol-riot-justice-department-jack-smith-d6172cf98d8e03e099571c908267456c">Smith dismissed that case</a>&nbsp;and a separate one charging Trump with illegally hoarding classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, after Trump’s election win in November, citing longstanding Justice Department policy prohibiting criminal cases against a sitting president.

The Justice Department under Garland also investigated Biden over&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-hur-garland-classified-documents-836b99fe9cbef9ba7d32602f4928efec">his mishandling of classified information</a>&nbsp;— no charges were filed — and named a special counsel to investigate Biden’s son Hunter, who was convicted of tax and gun crimes before being&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hunter-biden-justice-department-david-weiss-3bf0a31e6889bfaaa965a6fe4325024c">pardoned by his father</a>&nbsp;in December.

Republicans expressed overwhelming support for Bondi and her planned agenda, which she said includes protecting gun rights, free speech and the border and fighting violent crime and terrorism.

By day’s end, her confirmation seemed assured in the Republican-majority Senate. Republicans suggested that pointed Democratic questions during the hearing about&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fbi-trump-patel-fisa-russia-2d215ded96ad8a08689b6f7f0b2d49ec">Kash Patel, Trump’s pick for FBI director</a>, was a more pressing concern for Democrats than Bondi.

“If confirmed, I will work to restore confidence and integrity to the Department of Justice — and each of its components,” Bondi said. “Under my watch, the partisan weaponization of the Department of Justice will end. America must have one tier of justice for all.”

Even as Democrats expressed concern that Trump would politicize the Justice Department, Republican senators insisted that that's what had happened over the last four years and that Bondi's selection represented an opportunity to change direction.

Sen.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/chuck-grassley">Chuck Grassley</a>, the Republican committee chair, listed years of grievances against the Justice Department, includes the Trump-Russia investigation and more recently a Garland-era memo aimed at targeting&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/merrick-garland-school-boards-violence-daaff3f659981354b7a9a536db5cf2e2">threats from parents at school board meetings</a>.

“Ms. Bondi, should you be confirmed,” Grassley said, “the actions you take to change the department’s course must be for accountability, so that the conduct I just described never happens again.”

WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pam-bondi-justice-department-trump-attorney-general-4b94c094cfcabf606e4883fe709ab55a">Pam Bondi</a>, Donald Trump's pick for attorney general, will face sharp questioning from Democratic senators at a confirmation hearing Wednesday expected to center on concerns that the Republican president-elect will look to use the Justice Department's powers to seek retribution against his adversaries.

Bondi, a former Florida attorney general who&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-ap-top-news-ut-state-wire-acquittals-politics-93c85dcfb0e6b2185391965e77ebea51">was part of Trump's legal team</a>&nbsp;during his first of two impeachment trials before the Senate, encounters a skeptical reception from Democrats concerned by her perceived loyalty to Trump. Republicans, by contrast, eagerly welcome her as a course correction to a Justice Department they believe has pursued an overly liberal agenda and unfairly&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-special-counsel-aileen-cannon-d7be86dad89227f12a6f5aac3433b202">pursued Trump through investigations</a>&nbsp;and a special counsel appointment resulting in two indictments.

“If confirmed, I will work to restore confidence and integrity to the Department of Justice – and each of its components,” Bondi will say in her opening statement, according to a copy of her prepared remarks. “Under my watch, the partisan weaponization of the Department of Justice will end. America must have one tier of justice for all.”

She did not elaborate on what she meant by “one tier of justice.” The Justice Department under outgoing Attorney General Merrick Garland also&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-hur-garland-classified-documents-836b99fe9cbef9ba7d32602f4928efec">investigated President Joe Biden over his mishandling of classified information</a>&nbsp;— no charges were filed — and named a special counsel to investigate Biden's son Hunter, who&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hunter-biden-justice-department-david-weiss-3bf0a31e6889bfaaa965a6fe4325024c">was charged with tax and gun crimes before being pardoned in December by his father</a>.

Democrats including Sen. Richard Durbin are expected to seize on Bondi's yearslong presence in Trump's orbit and her public defense of him on cable news appearances, including one on Fox News Channel last year in which she said: “The Department of Justice, the prosecutors will be prosecuted — the bad ones. ... The investigators will be investigated.”

Bondi has also said members of the so-called deep state were “hiding in the shadows” during Trump’s first term “but now they have a spotlight on them, and they can all be investigated.”

Such comments have raised alarms that the department under Bondi's watch could pursue investigations at Trump's behest. Although longstanding norms dictate that presidents have no role in individual criminal investigations, Trump was known during his first term to call for specific inquiries into adversaries and berated his first attorney general, Jeff Sessions, for having recused from an investigation into Russian election interference that ultimately shadowed much of his tenure.

Bondi, a corporate lobbyist who spent 18 years in the Hillsborough County State Attorney’s Office in Florida, was named to the attorney general role after Trump's first pick, former Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/matt-gaetz">withdrew from consideration amid continued fallout</a>&nbsp;over a federal sex trafficking investigation that ended without charges.

Bondi is likely to try to keep the focus of Wednesday's hearing on her own agenda for the department. In her opening statement, she pledged to protect the First Amendment rights of free speech and religion, as well as the Second Amendment right to bear arms, and to reform the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/federal-prisons-closing-ap-investigation-abuse-decay-c02c96b6f6a3c5535cc3e3025d5d2585">beleaguered federal Bureau of Prisons</a>.

“If confirmed as United States Attorney General, my overriding objective would be to return the Department of Justice to its core mission of keeping Americans safe and vigorously enforcing the law,” she will say. “That requires getting back to basics — prosecuting violent crime and gang activity, stopping child predators and drug traffickers, protecting our nation from terrorists and other foreign threats, and addressing the overwhelming crisis at the Border.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1736954812365.png" alt="Trump Attorney General nominee Pam Bondi -image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Trump Attorney General nominee Pam Bondi -image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pam-bondi-justice-department-trump-attorney-general-4b94c094cfcabf606e4883fe709ab55a">Pam Bondi</a>, Donald Trump's pick for attorney general, sought to reassure Democratic senators Wednesday that her Justice Department would not prosecute anyone for political purposes but also refused to rule out the potential for investigations into adversaries of the Republican president-elect.<a href="https://www.c-span.org/event/senate-committee/us-attorney-general-nominee-pam-bondi-testifies-at-confirmation-hearing/430145">Click here to watch</a>&nbsp;the full hearing<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/SenAdamSchiff?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SenAdamSchiff</a>: &quot;Will you be able to review hundreds of cases on day one? Of course you won&#39;t...&quot; Pam Bondi: &quot;You were censured by Congress, Senator, for comments just like this.&quot; Watch complete exchange between Sen. Schiff and Attorney General nominee Pam Bondi. <a href="https://t.co/oy0lo03gAR">pic.twitter.com/oy0lo03gAR</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1879600598389064018?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 15, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Sen. <a href="https://twitter.com/maziehirono?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@maziehirono</a>: &quot;Who won the 2020 presidential election?&quot; Pam Bondi: &quot;Joe Biden is the president of the United States.&quot; Hirono: &quot;I can say that Donald Trump won the 2024 election, I may not like it, but I can say it. You cannot say who won the 2020 presidential election.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/wooDPEG7ey">pic.twitter.com/wooDPEG7ey</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1879575631454679490?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 15, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Attorney General nominee Pam Bondi on Kash Patel: &quot;I don&#39;t believe he has an enemies list...I have known Kash and I believe that Kash is the right person at this time for this job...there will never be an enemies list within the Department of Justice.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/VvQ77H3mBx">pic.twitter.com/VvQ77H3mBx</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1879566905159155738?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 15, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Her often-testy confirmation hearing centered on concerns that Trump would seek to use the Justice Department's law enforcement powers to exact retribution against opponents, including investigators who investigated him. Democrats pressed her on whether she could maintain the department's independence from the White House and say no to the president if asked to do something unethical, while Republicans welcomed her as a course correction for a Justice Department they believe has pursued a liberal agenda and unfairly&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-special-counsel-aileen-cannon-d7be86dad89227f12a6f5aac3433b202">pursued Trump through investigations</a>&nbsp;resulting in two indictments.“What would you do if your career DOJ prosecutors came to you with a case to prosecute, grounded in the facts and law, but the White House directs you to drop the case?” asked Sen. Chris Coons, a Delaware Democrat.“Senator,” Bondi replied, “if I thought that would happen, I would not be sitting here today. That will not happen.”The line of questioning laid bare what Democrats see as the stakes of Bondi’s appointment, particularly given the pressure Trump wielded on his Justice Department during his first term to advance his personal interests,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/879c9f7844ae4c5aa4df3750233521eb">including by demanding that the-then FBI director</a>&nbsp;abandon an investigation into an ally and by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/bf2d24bc798e42409d5ef66f484361da">firing his first attorney general</a>&nbsp;following his recusal from an investigation into Trump's 2016 campaign. Heading into another term, he's also called for investigations into perceived foes, including prosecutors and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-indicted-jan-6-investigation-special-counsel-a79f2d3683c7591058635c9b3d870070">lawmakers who investigated him over offenses including trying to undo the 2020 election.</a>“I need to know that you would tell the president ‘no’ if you’re asked to do something that’s wrong, illegal or unconstitutional,” said Sen.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/richard-durbin">Dick Durbin</a>, the committee's top Democrat, noting how Bondi had represented Trump during the first of two Senate impeachment trials.Bondi, the former attorney general of Florida and the first woman to hold that job, repeatedly stressed that she would not play politics with the Justice Department or pursue anyone for political reasons. She said she would uphold the Constitution and said the public, not the president, would be her client.“Of course not,” she said when asked by Republican Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana if she would “start with a name to prosecute and then look for a crime.” “I hope no attorney general going forward would ever do that," she added.But those reassurances seemed unlikely to allay Democratic concerns about her loyalty to Trump. Her testimony at times echoed Trump's campaign trail rhetoric as she refused to denounce some of his more incendiary claims and repeatedly invoked the size of Trump's election win in November — “Look at the map of California, Sen. Schiff. It's bright red” — as proof of a mandate for sweeping change.She also made clear her allegiance to Trump by repeatedly refusing to denounce some of his most incendiary stances, such as his claims that supporters arrested in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-confirm-joe-biden-78104aea082995bbd7412a6e6cd13818">the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the Capitol</a>&nbsp;were “hostages” or “patriots.”Given a chance by Sen.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/mazie-hirono">Mazie Hirono</a>, a Hawaii Democrat, to reject that characterization, Bondi simply said: “I am not familiar with that statement.” She also refused to say she would encourage Trump not to issue blanket pardons of all 1,500 people who have been charged in the attack that left more than 100 police officers injured. But Bondi denounced violence against police officers, adding: “I’m not going to speak for the president, but the president does not like people that abuse police officers, either.”Bondi also wouldn’t directly answer when asked whether Trump lost in 2020 to Democrat Joe Biden, only going so far initially to say that Biden is the president.She later said she accepted the results of the election, but she also suggested there was fraud — alluding to her time as an advocate for the campaign in Pennsylvania in the days after that election, where she said she saw “many things” while on the ground.“We shouldn’t want there to be any issues with election integrity in our country.” There is no evidence of widespread fraud that impacted the outcome of the election.She backed up Trump’s claims that the prosecutions against him amounted to political persecution, saying the Justice Department “had been weaponized for years and years and years, and it’s got to stop.”“They targeted Donald Trump,” Bondi said. “They went after him — actually starting back in 2016, they targeted his campaign. They have launched countless investigations against him.” She added: “If I am attorney general, I will not politicize that office.”In a heated exchange with Sen.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/adam-schiff">Adam Schiff</a>, a California Democrat and frequent target of Trump's ire, she stated that “every case will be done on a case-by-case basis” and said “no one should be prosecuted for political purposes” — a stance that she and other Republicans suggested was a departure from the last four years.But she equivocated when Schiff asked Bondi&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-special-counsel-aileen-cannon-d7be86dad89227f12a6f5aac3433b202">whether she would investigate Jack Smith,</a>&nbsp;the Justice Department special counsel who brought two indictments against Trump.“I haven’t seen the file ...I haven’t looked at anything. It would be irresponsible of me to make a commitment regarding anything ... without looking at the file.”Then, as the two spoke over each other, Bondi said that what she'd been “hearing on the news is horrible.”The suggestion that the investigations into Trump were politically motivated has been sharply contested by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/merrick-garland">Attorney General Merrick Garland</a>&nbsp;and by Smith. In&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-special-counsel-aileen-cannon-d7be86dad89227f12a6f5aac3433b202">a report released this week</a>, Smith said politics played no part in his decisions and the evidence his team gathered was sufficient for Trump to have been convicted at trial on charges of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-indicted-jan-6-investigation-special-counsel-debb59bb7a4d9f93f7e2dace01feccdc">scheming to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election</a>.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-capitol-riot-justice-department-jack-smith-d6172cf98d8e03e099571c908267456c">Smith dismissed that case</a>&nbsp;and a separate one charging Trump with illegally hoarding classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, after Trump’s election win in November, citing longstanding Justice Department policy prohibiting criminal cases against a sitting president.The Justice Department under Garland also investigated Biden over&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-hur-garland-classified-documents-836b99fe9cbef9ba7d32602f4928efec">his mishandling of classified information</a>&nbsp;— no charges were filed — and named a special counsel to investigate Biden’s son Hunter, who was convicted of tax and gun crimes before being&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hunter-biden-justice-department-david-weiss-3bf0a31e6889bfaaa965a6fe4325024c">pardoned by his father</a>&nbsp;in December.Republicans expressed overwhelming support for Bondi and her planned agenda, which she said includes protecting gun rights, free speech and the border and fighting violent crime and terrorism.By day’s end, her confirmation seemed assured in the Republican-majority Senate. Republicans suggested that pointed Democratic questions during the hearing about&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fbi-trump-patel-fisa-russia-2d215ded96ad8a08689b6f7f0b2d49ec">Kash Patel, Trump’s pick for FBI director</a>, was a more pressing concern for Democrats than Bondi.“If confirmed, I will work to restore confidence and integrity to the Department of Justice — and each of its components,” Bondi said. “Under my watch, the partisan weaponization of the Department of Justice will end. America must have one tier of justice for all.”Even as Democrats expressed concern that Trump would politicize the Justice Department, Republican senators insisted that that's what had happened over the last four years and that Bondi's selection represented an opportunity to change direction.Sen.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/chuck-grassley">Chuck Grassley</a>, the Republican committee chair, listed years of grievances against the Justice Department, includes the Trump-Russia investigation and more recently a Garland-era memo aimed at targeting&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/merrick-garland-school-boards-violence-daaff3f659981354b7a9a536db5cf2e2">threats from parents at school board meetings</a>.“Ms. Bondi, should you be confirmed,” Grassley said, “the actions you take to change the department’s course must be for accountability, so that the conduct I just described never happens again.”---------------WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pam-bondi-justice-department-trump-attorney-general-4b94c094cfcabf606e4883fe709ab55a">Pam Bondi</a>, Donald Trump's pick for attorney general, will face sharp questioning from Democratic senators at a confirmation hearing Wednesday expected to center on concerns that the Republican president-elect will look to use the Justice Department's powers to seek retribution against his adversaries.Bondi, a former Florida attorney general who&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-ap-top-news-ut-state-wire-acquittals-politics-93c85dcfb0e6b2185391965e77ebea51">was part of Trump's legal team</a>&nbsp;during his first of two impeachment trials before the Senate, encounters a skeptical reception from Democrats concerned by her perceived loyalty to Trump. Republicans, by contrast, eagerly welcome her as a course correction to a Justice Department they believe has pursued an overly liberal agenda and unfairly&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-special-counsel-aileen-cannon-d7be86dad89227f12a6f5aac3433b202">pursued Trump through investigations</a>&nbsp;and a special counsel appointment resulting in two indictments.“If confirmed, I will work to restore confidence and integrity to the Department of Justice – and each of its components,” Bondi will say in her opening statement, according to a copy of her prepared remarks. “Under my watch, the partisan weaponization of the Department of Justice will end. America must have one tier of justice for all.”She did not elaborate on what she meant by “one tier of justice.” The Justice Department under outgoing Attorney General Merrick Garland also&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-hur-garland-classified-documents-836b99fe9cbef9ba7d32602f4928efec">investigated President Joe Biden over his mishandling of classified information</a>&nbsp;— no charges were filed — and named a special counsel to investigate Biden's son Hunter, who&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hunter-biden-justice-department-david-weiss-3bf0a31e6889bfaaa965a6fe4325024c">was charged with tax and gun crimes before being pardoned in December by his father</a>.Democrats including Sen. Richard Durbin are expected to seize on Bondi's yearslong presence in Trump's orbit and her public defense of him on cable news appearances, including one on Fox News Channel last year in which she said: “The Department of Justice, the prosecutors will be prosecuted — the bad ones. ... The investigators will be investigated.”Bondi has also said members of the so-called deep state were “hiding in the shadows” during Trump’s first term “but now they have a spotlight on them, and they can all be investigated.”Such comments have raised alarms that the department under Bondi's watch could pursue investigations at Trump's behest. Although longstanding norms dictate that presidents have no role in individual criminal investigations, Trump was known during his first term to call for specific inquiries into adversaries and berated his first attorney general, Jeff Sessions, for having recused from an investigation into Russian election interference that ultimately shadowed much of his tenure.Bondi, a corporate lobbyist who spent 18 years in the Hillsborough County State Attorney’s Office in Florida, was named to the attorney general role after Trump's first pick, former Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/matt-gaetz">withdrew from consideration amid continued fallout</a>&nbsp;over a federal sex trafficking investigation that ended without charges.Bondi is likely to try to keep the focus of Wednesday's hearing on her own agenda for the department. In her opening statement, she pledged to protect the First Amendment rights of free speech and religion, as well as the Second Amendment right to bear arms, and to reform the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/federal-prisons-closing-ap-investigation-abuse-decay-c02c96b6f6a3c5535cc3e3025d5d2585">beleaguered federal Bureau of Prisons</a>.“If confirmed as United States Attorney General, my overriding objective would be to return the Department of Justice to its core mission of keeping Americans safe and vigorously enforcing the law,” she will say. “That requires getting back to basics — prosecuting violent crime and gang activity, stopping child predators and drug traffickers, protecting our nation from terrorists and other foreign threats, and addressing the overwhelming crisis at the Border.”

🎥AG nominee says she won't rule out probes of Trump foes

Shawna Richter-Ryerson Nebraska Game and Parks

Nebraska Game and Parks is reminding the public to use caution and test the ice when going onto frozen lakes or ponds after conservation officers responded to two incidents on Jan. 11 in western Nebraska.

No injuries or fatalities were reported in either incident, one at Lake Maloney State Recreation Area and one at Cottonwood-Steverson Wildlife Management Area, where all-terrain vehicles broke through the ice.

At Lake Maloney in Lincoln County, four people who had been ice fishing were riding the ATV at about 7 p.m. when it broke through the ice. Game and Parks Officers and Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene.

Other anglers initially assisted the four, who declined medical treatment from law enforcement.

No citations were issued, and Game and Parks will work with Nebraska Public Power District to remove the ATV from the lake.

At Cottonwood-Steverson in Cherry County, an all-terrain vehicle broke through the ice on Saturday; the incident was reported Sunday to Nebraska Game and Parks. The ATV remains in the lake.

People going onto lakes for winter recreation are reminded of the following clear-ice thickness guidelines, according to state fish, wildlife and parks agencies:

People should use an ice chisel or spud bar to strike the ice and evaluate conditions as they venture out.

Remember as winter progresses, ice changes. Cloudy ice of frozen slush is about half as strong as clear lake ice, so people should double the minimum thickness when encountering such conditions.

Ice near shore may be weakened by heat from the ground, or thinner because of rising water levels. If temperatures are below freezing, but warm during the day, go early and leave before ice melts near the shore.

Be especially careful on any ice that has moving water below it. Water movement hinders freezing causing hard-to-detect thin spots.

Materials embedded in ice, such as weeds or logs, also weaken ice. Large objects on the ice, such as duck blinds or ice shacks, can absorb the sun’s heat and melt ice.

If venturing out, tell someone your plan, bring a long throw rope and ice picks, and pack extra dry clothes.

Visit&nbsp;OutdoorNebraska.gov&nbsp;for&nbsp;<a href="https://outdoornebraska.gov/about/press-events/news/game-and-parks-offers-top-8-ice-safety-tips/">other ice safety tips for anglers and ATV riders</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1736887503177.png" alt="Photo Nebraska Game and Parks" />
 <figcaption>Photo Nebraska Game and Parks</figcaption>
 </figure>Shawna Richter-Ryerson Nebraska Game and ParksNebraska Game and Parks is reminding the public to use caution and test the ice when going onto frozen lakes or ponds after conservation officers responded to two incidents on Jan. 11 in western Nebraska.No injuries or fatalities were reported in either incident, one at Lake Maloney State Recreation Area and one at Cottonwood-Steverson Wildlife Management Area, where all-terrain vehicles broke through the ice.At Lake Maloney in Lincoln County, four people who had been ice fishing were riding the ATV at about 7 p.m. when it broke through the ice. Game and Parks Officers and Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene.Other anglers initially assisted the four, who declined medical treatment from law enforcement.No citations were issued, and Game and Parks will work with Nebraska Public Power District to remove the ATV from the lake.At Cottonwood-Steverson in Cherry County, an all-terrain vehicle broke through the ice on Saturday; the incident was reported Sunday to Nebraska Game and Parks. The ATV remains in the lake.<h2>Safety guidelines</h2>People going onto lakes for winter recreation are reminded of the following clear-ice thickness guidelines, according to state fish, wildlife and parks agencies:<ol>
 <li>Under 4 inches:&nbsp;Stay off the ice</li><li>4 inches:&nbsp;Can support ice fishing or other activities on foot</li><li>5-7 inches:&nbsp;Can support a snowmobile or small ATV</li><li>7-8 inches:&nbsp;Can support side-by-side ATV</li>
 </ol>People should use an ice chisel or spud bar to strike the ice and evaluate conditions as they venture out.Remember as winter progresses, ice changes. Cloudy ice of frozen slush is about half as strong as clear lake ice, so people should double the minimum thickness when encountering such conditions.Ice near shore may be weakened by heat from the ground, or thinner because of rising water levels. If temperatures are below freezing, but warm during the day, go early and leave before ice melts near the shore.Be especially careful on any ice that has moving water below it. Water movement hinders freezing causing hard-to-detect thin spots.Materials embedded in ice, such as weeds or logs, also weaken ice. Large objects on the ice, such as duck blinds or ice shacks, can absorb the sun’s heat and melt ice.If venturing out, tell someone your plan, bring a long throw rope and ice picks, and pack extra dry clothes.Visit&nbsp;OutdoorNebraska.gov&nbsp;for&nbsp;<a href="https://outdoornebraska.gov/about/press-events/news/game-and-parks-offers-top-8-ice-safety-tips/">other ice safety tips for anglers and ATV riders</a>.

Public alert after ATV incidents on frozen lakes in Nebraska

DOHA, Qatar (AP) — Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire deal to pause the devastating war in the Gaza Strip, multiple officials announced Wednesday, raising the possibility of winding down&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-hezbollah-lebanon-anniversary-73916b17394f093f01ca5554cf26b528">the deadliest</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/scars-of-war-0000019256a2d640a5fef6ba634b0000">most destructive</a>&nbsp;fighting between the bitter enemies.

The deal, coming after weeks of painstaking negotiations in the Qatari capital, promises the release of dozens of hostages held by Hamas in phases, the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in Israel and would allow hundreds of thousands of people displaced in Gaza to return to what remains of their homes. It also would flood badly needed humanitarian aid into a territory ravaged by 15 months of war.

Three officials from the U.S. and one from Hamas confirmed that a deal had been reached, while the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said final details were still being ironed out.

All three U.S. officials and the Hamas official requested anonymity to discuss the contours of the deal before the official announcement by mediators in Doha.

Netanyahu’s office said in a statement that it hoped “details will be finalized tonight.” Any agreement needs to be approved by Netanyahu’s Cabinet.

Once official, the deal is expected to deliver an initial six-week halt to fighting that is to be accompanied by the opening of negotiations on ending the war altogether.

Over six weeks, 33 of the nearly 100 hostages are to be reunited with their loved ones after months in in captivity with no contact with the outside world, though it’s unclear if all are alive.

It remained unclear exactly when and how many displaced Palestinians would be able to return to what remains of their homes and whether the agreement would lead to a complete end to the war and the full withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza — key Hamas demands for releasing the remaining captives.

Many longer-term questions about&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-news-02-23-2024-a5da6005cfa6734225af35ca460a75fb">postwar Gaza</a>&nbsp;remain, including who will rule the territory or oversee the daunting task of reconstruction after a brutal conflict that has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-iran-hezbollah-yemen-0373be2e21b5a832d71f5bf828f67959">destabilized the broader Middle East</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/gaza-war-campus-protests-966eb531279f8e4381883fc5d79d5466">sparked worldwide protests</a>.

Hamas triggered the war with its Oct. 7, 2023, cross-border attack, which killed some 1,200 Israelis and took 250 others hostage. Israel responded with a fierce offensive that has killed over 46,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials, displaced an estimated 90% of Gaza’s population and sparked a humanitarian crisis.

More than 100 hostages were freed from Gaza in a weeklong truce in November 2023.

The U.S., along with Egypt and Qatar, have brokered months of indirect talks between the bitter enemies that finally culminated in this latest deal. It comes after Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-lebanon-hezbollah-ceasefire-3ed296f8317ecaa89c4e3548c75c9602">agreed to a ceasefire</a>&nbsp;in November, after more than a year of conflict linked to the war in the Gaza.

Israel responded with a brutal air and ground offensive that has killed over 46,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials. They do not distinguish between civilians and militants but say women and children make up more than half of those killed.

U.N. and international relief organizations estimate that some 90% of Gaza’s 2.3 million people have been displaced, often multiple times. They say tens of thousands of homes have been destroyed and hospitals are barely functioning. Experts have warned that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mideast-gaza-north-hunger-437b401b0ade2d934f00f88d027d467c">famine may be underway in northern Gaza</a>, where Israel launched a major offensive in early October, displacing tens of thousands of residents.

“The best day in my life and the life of the Gaza people,” Abed Radwan, a Palestinian father of three, said of the ceasefire deal. “Thank God. Thank God.”

Radwan, who has been displaced from the town of Beit Lahiya for over a year and shelters in Gaza City, said he will try to return to his hometown, and “rebuild my house, and rebuild Beit Lahiya.”

He spoke to AP over the phone. His voice has been overshadowed by celebrations. “People are crying here. They don’t believe it’s true.”

In Israel, hundreds of demonstrators gathered outside Israel’s military headquarters in Tel Aviv, calling for a deal to be completed. Many held posters of hostages held by Hamas, others hoisted candles in the air.

As the deal was announced, some people were unaware that it had gone through. Sharone Lifschitz, whose father Oded is being held in Gaza, told the AP by phone she was stunned and grateful but won’t believe it until she sees all the hostages come home.

“I’m so desperate to see them if by some miracle my father has survived,” she said.

U.S. President Joe Biden, who has provided crucial military aid to Israel but expressed exasperation over civilian deaths, announced&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-israel-hamas-58169a607d4a7c4d7fc34f43160076b8">the outline of the three-phase ceasefire agreement</a>&nbsp;on May 31. The agreement eventually agreed to followed that framework.

He said the first phase would last for six weeks and include a “full and complete ceasefire,” a withdrawal of Israeli forces from densely populated areas of Gaza and the release of a number of hostages, including women, older adults and wounded people, in exchange for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. Humanitarian assistance would surge, with hundreds of trucks entering Gaza each day.

The second and most difficult phase would include the release of all remaining living hostages, including male soldiers, and Israeli forces would withdraw from Gaza. The third phase calls for the start of a major reconstruction of Gaza, which faces decades of rebuilding from devastation caused by the war.

Hamas had been demanding assurances for a permanent end to the war and complete withdrawal of all Israeli forces from Gaza. Israel, meanwhile, has repeatedly said it would not halt the war until it destroys Hamas’ military and governing capabilities.

The various players have conducted months of on-again, off-again negotiations. But with Biden’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-war-news-ceasefire-talks-01-13-2025-395e030947f9964f3fbf5763b9564591">days in office numbered</a>&nbsp;and President-elect Donald Trump set to take over, both sides had been under heavy pressure to agree to a deal.

Trump celebrated the soon-to-be-announced agreement in a posting on his Truth Social social media platform: “WE HAVE A DEAL FOR THE HOSTAGES IN THE MIDDLE EAST. THEY WILL BE RELEASED SHORTLY. THANK YOU!”

Hezbollah’s acceptance of a ceasefire in Lebanon after it had suffered heavy blows, and the overthrow of President Bashar Assad in Syria, were both major setbacks&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-mideast-proxy-forces-syria-analysis-c853bf613a6d6af7f6aa99b2e60984f8">for Iran and its allies</a>&nbsp;across the region, including Hamas, which was left increasingly isolated.

Israel has come under heavy international criticism, including from its closest ally, the United States, over the civilian toll. Israel says it has killed around 17,000 militants — though it has not provided evidence to support the claim. It also blames Hamas for the civilian casualties, accusing the group of using schools, hospitals and residential areas for military purposes.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-gaza-palestinians-court-ceasefire-01d093d21a1eadaa31af5708cf1cbf38">The International Court of Justice</a>&nbsp;is investigating allegations brought by South Africa that Israel has committed genocide. The International Criminal Court, a separate body also based in The Hague,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/icc-israel-hamas-warrants-netanyahu-palestinian-arrest-73c854d072e0a1a41b19b2cb2cdd07fa">has issued arrest warrants</a>&nbsp;for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his defense minister and a Hamas commander for war crimes and crimes against humanity linked to the war.

Israel and the United States have condemned the actions taken by both courts.

Netanyahu also faced great domestic pressure to bring home the hostages,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hostages-hamas-war-israel-gaza-captivity-militants-612542191742082f330d55433c012a05">whose plight</a>&nbsp;has captured the nation’s attention. Their families have become a powerful lobbying group with wide public support backed by months of mass protests urging the government to reach a deal with Hamas.

Israeli authorities have already concluded that more than a third of the roughly 100 remaining people held captive are dead, and there are fears that others are no longer alive. A series of videos released by Hamas showing surviving hostages in distress, combined with news that a growing number of abducted Israelis have died, put added pressure on the Israeli leader.

Hamas,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-conflict-endgame-1bfcc187d826596e78090ec6cbf6516c">a militant group that does not accept Israel’s existence</a>, has come under overwhelming pressure from Israeli military operations, including the invasion of Gaza’s largest cities and towns and the takeover of the border between Gaza and Egypt. Its top leaders,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/yahya-sinwar-hamas-leader-killed-obituary-gaza-6965bea4270313c1f1501335c705ac9a">including Yahya Sinwar</a>, who was believed to have helped mastermind the Oct. 7, 2023, attack, have been killed.

But its fighters have regrouped in some of the hardest-hit areas after the withdrawal of Israeli forces, raising the prospect of a prolonged insurgency if the war continues.

Netanyahu has vowed to continue the war until Hamas’s military and governing capabilities are destroyed. But it has never been clear what that would entail or if it’s even possible, given the group’s deep roots in Palestinian society, its presence in Lebanon and the occupied West Bank, and its exiled leadership.

If the ceasefire takes hold, both sides face many difficult and unanswered questions.

As the war winds down, Netanyahu will face growing calls for postwar investigations that could find him at least partially responsible for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-news-hostages-0c14750240138853a70e38b0c09ef157">the security failures of Oct. 7</a>&nbsp;— the worst in Israel’s history. His far-right governing partners, who opposed a ceasefire deal, could also bring down the coalition and push the country into early elections.

There is still no plan for who will govern Gaza after the war. Israel has said it will work with local Palestinians not affiliated with Hamas or the Western-backed Palestinian Authority. But it is unclear if such partners exist, and Hamas has threatened anyone who cooperates with Israeli forces.

The United States has tried to advance sweeping postwar plans for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinian-authority-government-explainer-aefe041e045f2c60918b42f42185f41e">a reformed Palestinian Authority</a>&nbsp;to govern Gaza with Arab and international assistance. As part of those plans, the U.S. hope Saudi Arabia would&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/saudi-arabia-us-israel-security-deal-hamas-war-gaza-strip-5b09666aeb6de0573c01e99cabb7946e">normalize relations with Israel</a>&nbsp;in return for U.S. security guarantees and aid in setting up a civilian nuclear program.

But those plans depend on credible progress toward the creation of a Palestinian state, something Netanyahu and much of Israel’s political class oppose. Netanyahu has said Israel will maintain open-ended security control over Gaza as well as the occupied West Bank, territories captured by Israel in the 1967 war that the Palestinians want for their future state.

In the absence of a postwar arrangement with Palestinian support, Hamas is likely to remain a significant force in Gaza and could reconstitute its military capabilities if Israeli forces fully withdraw.

JERUSALEM (AP) —Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office says ceasefire deal with Hamas has still not been reached and that the final details were still being sorted out. That comes after multiple mediators had said Israel and Hamas&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/gaza-israel-hamas-ceasefire-334ecc4420fe3b6fce9f7a27ca886b65">agreed to a ceasefire</a>&nbsp;in Gaza and the release dozens of hostages after more than 15 months of war.

In the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis, large crowds of joyful Palestinians have taken to the streets, with people cheering and honking car horns.

Any deal is expected to pause the fighting and bring hopes for winding down the most deadly and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/scars-of-war-0000019256a2d640a5fef6ba634b0000">destructive war</a>&nbsp;Israel and Hamas have ever fought, a conflict that has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-iran-hezbollah-yemen-0373be2e21b5a832d71f5bf828f67959">destabilized the Middle East</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/gaza-war-campus-protests-966eb531279f8e4381883fc5d79d5466">sparked worldwide protests</a>.

Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza began on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-gaza-hamas-rockets-airstrikes-tel-aviv-11fb98655c256d54ecb5329284fc37d2">Oct. 7, 2023</a>, when militants stormed into southern Israel and killed about 1,200 people and abducted around 250. A third of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hostages-gaza-war-hamas-winter-42b21cff477227a7d65bbc30c0bb83fd">100 hostages still held in Gaza</a>&nbsp;are believed to be dead.

The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war">Israel Hamas-war</a>&nbsp;has killed more than&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-war-rights-amnesty-genocide-19aa8fb76f7271942e73d5d7a42434e0">46,000 Palestinians</a>&nbsp;in Gaza, according to health authorities there. The Health Ministry does not distinguish between fighters and civilians, but says women and children make up&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-war-casualties-toll-65e18f3362674245356c539e4bc0b67a">more than half the fatalities</a>.

DOHA, Qatar (AP) — Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire deal, mediators announced Wednesday, pausing a devastating 15-month war in the Gaza Strip and raising the possibility of winding down the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-hezbollah-lebanon-anniversary-73916b17394f093f01ca5554cf26b528">the deadliest</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/scars-of-war-0000019256a2d640a5fef6ba634b0000">most destructive</a>&nbsp;fighting between the bitter enemies.

The deal, coming after weeks of painstaking negotiations in the Qatari capital, promises the release of dozens of hostages held by Hamas in phases, the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in Israel and would allow hundreds of thousands of people displaced in Gaza to return to what remains of their homes. It also would flood badly needed humanitarian aid into a devastated territory.

Three officials from the U.S. and one from Hamas confirmed that a deal had been reached, while a senior Israeli official said details are still being ironed out.

All three U.S. officials requested anonymity to discuss the contours of the deal before the official announcement by mediators in Doha.

President Joe Biden was preparing to address the breakthrough agreement later Thursday, officials said.

Any agreement still needs to be approved by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Cabinet, but is expected to go into effect in the coming days.

The deal is expected to deliver an initial six-week halt to fighting that is to be accompanied by the opening of negotiations on ending the war altogether.

Many longer-term questions about&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-news-02-23-2024-a5da6005cfa6734225af35ca460a75fb">postwar Gaza</a>&nbsp;remain, including who will rule the territory or oversee the daunting task of reconstruction.

Still, the announcement offered the first sign of hope in months that Israel and Hamas may be winding down the most deadly and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/scars-of-war-0000019256a2d640a5fef6ba634b0000">destructive war</a>&nbsp;they’ve ever fought, a conflict that has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-iran-hezbollah-yemen-0373be2e21b5a832d71f5bf828f67959">destabilized the broader Middle East</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/gaza-war-campus-protests-966eb531279f8e4381883fc5d79d5466">sparked worldwide protests</a>.

Federman reported from Jerusalem. Magdy reported from Cairo. Aamer Madhani and Zeke Miller in Washington contributed to this report.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/10/1728311333069.png" alt="Keith Siegel among the Americans still being held in Gaza. He is 64 and a native of North Carolina-photo Hostage and Missing Families Forum." />
 <figcaption>Keith Siegel among the Americans still being held in Gaza. He is 64 and a native of North Carolina-photo Hostage and Missing Families Forum.</figcaption>
 </figure>DOHA, Qatar (AP) — Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire deal to pause the devastating war in the Gaza Strip, multiple officials announced Wednesday, raising the possibility of winding down&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-hezbollah-lebanon-anniversary-73916b17394f093f01ca5554cf26b528">the deadliest</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/scars-of-war-0000019256a2d640a5fef6ba634b0000">most destructive</a>&nbsp;fighting between the bitter enemies.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1736967651306.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>The deal, coming after weeks of painstaking negotiations in the Qatari capital, promises the release of dozens of hostages held by Hamas in phases, the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in Israel and would allow hundreds of thousands of people displaced in Gaza to return to what remains of their homes. It also would flood badly needed humanitarian aid into a territory ravaged by 15 months of war.Three officials from the U.S. and one from Hamas confirmed that a deal had been reached, while the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said final details were still being ironed out.All three U.S. officials and the Hamas official requested anonymity to discuss the contours of the deal before the official announcement by mediators in Doha.Netanyahu’s office said in a statement that it hoped “details will be finalized tonight.” Any agreement needs to be approved by Netanyahu’s Cabinet.Once official, the deal is expected to deliver an initial six-week halt to fighting that is to be accompanied by the opening of negotiations on ending the war altogether.Over six weeks, 33 of the nearly 100 hostages are to be reunited with their loved ones after months in in captivity with no contact with the outside world, though it’s unclear if all are alive.It remained unclear exactly when and how many displaced Palestinians would be able to return to what remains of their homes and whether the agreement would lead to a complete end to the war and the full withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza — key Hamas demands for releasing the remaining captives.Many longer-term questions about&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-news-02-23-2024-a5da6005cfa6734225af35ca460a75fb">postwar Gaza</a>&nbsp;remain, including who will rule the territory or oversee the daunting task of reconstruction after a brutal conflict that has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-iran-hezbollah-yemen-0373be2e21b5a832d71f5bf828f67959">destabilized the broader Middle East</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/gaza-war-campus-protests-966eb531279f8e4381883fc5d79d5466">sparked worldwide protests</a>.Hamas triggered the war with its Oct. 7, 2023, cross-border attack, which killed some 1,200 Israelis and took 250 others hostage. Israel responded with a fierce offensive that has killed over 46,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials, displaced an estimated 90% of Gaza’s population and sparked a humanitarian crisis.More than 100 hostages were freed from Gaza in a weeklong truce in November 2023.The U.S., along with Egypt and Qatar, have brokered months of indirect talks between the bitter enemies that finally culminated in this latest deal. It comes after Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-lebanon-hezbollah-ceasefire-3ed296f8317ecaa89c4e3548c75c9602">agreed to a ceasefire</a>&nbsp;in November, after more than a year of conflict linked to the war in the Gaza.Israel responded with a brutal air and ground offensive that has killed over 46,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials. They do not distinguish between civilians and militants but say women and children make up more than half of those killed.U.N. and international relief organizations estimate that some 90% of Gaza’s 2.3 million people have been displaced, often multiple times. They say tens of thousands of homes have been destroyed and hospitals are barely functioning. Experts have warned that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mideast-gaza-north-hunger-437b401b0ade2d934f00f88d027d467c">famine may be underway in northern Gaza</a>, where Israel launched a major offensive in early October, displacing tens of thousands of residents.“The best day in my life and the life of the Gaza people,” Abed Radwan, a Palestinian father of three, said of the ceasefire deal. “Thank God. Thank God.”Radwan, who has been displaced from the town of Beit Lahiya for over a year and shelters in Gaza City, said he will try to return to his hometown, and “rebuild my house, and rebuild Beit Lahiya.”He spoke to AP over the phone. His voice has been overshadowed by celebrations. “People are crying here. They don’t believe it’s true.”In Israel, hundreds of demonstrators gathered outside Israel’s military headquarters in Tel Aviv, calling for a deal to be completed. Many held posters of hostages held by Hamas, others hoisted candles in the air.As the deal was announced, some people were unaware that it had gone through. Sharone Lifschitz, whose father Oded is being held in Gaza, told the AP by phone she was stunned and grateful but won’t believe it until she sees all the hostages come home.“I’m so desperate to see them if by some miracle my father has survived,” she said.U.S. President Joe Biden, who has provided crucial military aid to Israel but expressed exasperation over civilian deaths, announced&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-israel-hamas-58169a607d4a7c4d7fc34f43160076b8">the outline of the three-phase ceasefire agreement</a>&nbsp;on May 31. The agreement eventually agreed to followed that framework.He said the first phase would last for six weeks and include a “full and complete ceasefire,” a withdrawal of Israeli forces from densely populated areas of Gaza and the release of a number of hostages, including women, older adults and wounded people, in exchange for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. Humanitarian assistance would surge, with hundreds of trucks entering Gaza each day.The second and most difficult phase would include the release of all remaining living hostages, including male soldiers, and Israeli forces would withdraw from Gaza. The third phase calls for the start of a major reconstruction of Gaza, which faces decades of rebuilding from devastation caused by the war.Hamas had been demanding assurances for a permanent end to the war and complete withdrawal of all Israeli forces from Gaza. Israel, meanwhile, has repeatedly said it would not halt the war until it destroys Hamas’ military and governing capabilities.The various players have conducted months of on-again, off-again negotiations. But with Biden’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-war-news-ceasefire-talks-01-13-2025-395e030947f9964f3fbf5763b9564591">days in office numbered</a>&nbsp;and President-elect Donald Trump set to take over, both sides had been under heavy pressure to agree to a deal.Trump celebrated the soon-to-be-announced agreement in a posting on his Truth Social social media platform: “WE HAVE A DEAL FOR THE HOSTAGES IN THE MIDDLE EAST. THEY WILL BE RELEASED SHORTLY. THANK YOU!”Hezbollah’s acceptance of a ceasefire in Lebanon after it had suffered heavy blows, and the overthrow of President Bashar Assad in Syria, were both major setbacks&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-mideast-proxy-forces-syria-analysis-c853bf613a6d6af7f6aa99b2e60984f8">for Iran and its allies</a>&nbsp;across the region, including Hamas, which was left increasingly isolated.Israel has come under heavy international criticism, including from its closest ally, the United States, over the civilian toll. Israel says it has killed around 17,000 militants — though it has not provided evidence to support the claim. It also blames Hamas for the civilian casualties, accusing the group of using schools, hospitals and residential areas for military purposes.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-gaza-palestinians-court-ceasefire-01d093d21a1eadaa31af5708cf1cbf38">The International Court of Justice</a>&nbsp;is investigating allegations brought by South Africa that Israel has committed genocide. The International Criminal Court, a separate body also based in The Hague,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/icc-israel-hamas-warrants-netanyahu-palestinian-arrest-73c854d072e0a1a41b19b2cb2cdd07fa">has issued arrest warrants</a>&nbsp;for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his defense minister and a Hamas commander for war crimes and crimes against humanity linked to the war.Israel and the United States have condemned the actions taken by both courts.Netanyahu also faced great domestic pressure to bring home the hostages,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hostages-hamas-war-israel-gaza-captivity-militants-612542191742082f330d55433c012a05">whose plight</a>&nbsp;has captured the nation’s attention. Their families have become a powerful lobbying group with wide public support backed by months of mass protests urging the government to reach a deal with Hamas.Israeli authorities have already concluded that more than a third of the roughly 100 remaining people held captive are dead, and there are fears that others are no longer alive. A series of videos released by Hamas showing surviving hostages in distress, combined with news that a growing number of abducted Israelis have died, put added pressure on the Israeli leader.Hamas,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-conflict-endgame-1bfcc187d826596e78090ec6cbf6516c">a militant group that does not accept Israel’s existence</a>, has come under overwhelming pressure from Israeli military operations, including the invasion of Gaza’s largest cities and towns and the takeover of the border between Gaza and Egypt. Its top leaders,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/yahya-sinwar-hamas-leader-killed-obituary-gaza-6965bea4270313c1f1501335c705ac9a">including Yahya Sinwar</a>, who was believed to have helped mastermind the Oct. 7, 2023, attack, have been killed.But its fighters have regrouped in some of the hardest-hit areas after the withdrawal of Israeli forces, raising the prospect of a prolonged insurgency if the war continues.Netanyahu has vowed to continue the war until Hamas’s military and governing capabilities are destroyed. But it has never been clear what that would entail or if it’s even possible, given the group’s deep roots in Palestinian society, its presence in Lebanon and the occupied West Bank, and its exiled leadership.If the ceasefire takes hold, both sides face many difficult and unanswered questions.As the war winds down, Netanyahu will face growing calls for postwar investigations that could find him at least partially responsible for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-news-hostages-0c14750240138853a70e38b0c09ef157">the security failures of Oct. 7</a>&nbsp;— the worst in Israel’s history. His far-right governing partners, who opposed a ceasefire deal, could also bring down the coalition and push the country into early elections.There is still no plan for who will govern Gaza after the war. Israel has said it will work with local Palestinians not affiliated with Hamas or the Western-backed Palestinian Authority. But it is unclear if such partners exist, and Hamas has threatened anyone who cooperates with Israeli forces.The United States has tried to advance sweeping postwar plans for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinian-authority-government-explainer-aefe041e045f2c60918b42f42185f41e">a reformed Palestinian Authority</a>&nbsp;to govern Gaza with Arab and international assistance. As part of those plans, the U.S. hope Saudi Arabia would&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/saudi-arabia-us-israel-security-deal-hamas-war-gaza-strip-5b09666aeb6de0573c01e99cabb7946e">normalize relations with Israel</a>&nbsp;in return for U.S. security guarantees and aid in setting up a civilian nuclear program.But those plans depend on credible progress toward the creation of a Palestinian state, something Netanyahu and much of Israel’s political class oppose. Netanyahu has said Israel will maintain open-ended security control over Gaza as well as the occupied West Bank, territories captured by Israel in the 1967 war that the Palestinians want for their future state.In the absence of a postwar arrangement with Palestinian support, Hamas is likely to remain a significant force in Gaza and could reconstitute its military capabilities if Israeli forces fully withdraw.JERUSALEM (AP) —Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office says ceasefire deal with Hamas has still not been reached and that the final details were still being sorted out. That comes after multiple mediators had said Israel and Hamas&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/gaza-israel-hamas-ceasefire-334ecc4420fe3b6fce9f7a27ca886b65">agreed to a ceasefire</a>&nbsp;in Gaza and the release dozens of hostages after more than 15 months of war.In the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis, large crowds of joyful Palestinians have taken to the streets, with people cheering and honking car horns.Any deal is expected to pause the fighting and bring hopes for winding down the most deadly and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/scars-of-war-0000019256a2d640a5fef6ba634b0000">destructive war</a>&nbsp;Israel and Hamas have ever fought, a conflict that has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-iran-hezbollah-yemen-0373be2e21b5a832d71f5bf828f67959">destabilized the Middle East</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/gaza-war-campus-protests-966eb531279f8e4381883fc5d79d5466">sparked worldwide protests</a>.Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza began on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-gaza-hamas-rockets-airstrikes-tel-aviv-11fb98655c256d54ecb5329284fc37d2">Oct. 7, 2023</a>, when militants stormed into southern Israel and killed about 1,200 people and abducted around 250. A third of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hostages-gaza-war-hamas-winter-42b21cff477227a7d65bbc30c0bb83fd">100 hostages still held in Gaza</a>&nbsp;are believed to be dead.The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war">Israel Hamas-war</a>&nbsp;has killed more than&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-war-rights-amnesty-genocide-19aa8fb76f7271942e73d5d7a42434e0">46,000 Palestinians</a>&nbsp;in Gaza, according to health authorities there. The Health Ministry does not distinguish between fighters and civilians, but says women and children make up&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-war-casualties-toll-65e18f3362674245356c539e4bc0b67a">more than half the fatalities</a>.--------DOHA, Qatar (AP) — Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire deal, mediators announced Wednesday, pausing a devastating 15-month war in the Gaza Strip and raising the possibility of winding down the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-hezbollah-lebanon-anniversary-73916b17394f093f01ca5554cf26b528">the deadliest</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/scars-of-war-0000019256a2d640a5fef6ba634b0000">most destructive</a>&nbsp;fighting between the bitter enemies.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1736963333807.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>The deal, coming after weeks of painstaking negotiations in the Qatari capital, promises the release of dozens of hostages held by Hamas in phases, the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in Israel and would allow hundreds of thousands of people displaced in Gaza to return to what remains of their homes. It also would flood badly needed humanitarian aid into a devastated territory.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1736961123961.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Three officials from the U.S. and one from Hamas confirmed that a deal had been reached, while a senior Israeli official said details are still being ironed out.All three U.S. officials requested anonymity to discuss the contours of the deal before the official announcement by mediators in Doha.President Joe Biden was preparing to address the breakthrough agreement later Thursday, officials said.Any agreement still needs to be approved by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Cabinet, but is expected to go into effect in the coming days.The deal is expected to deliver an initial six-week halt to fighting that is to be accompanied by the opening of negotiations on ending the war altogether.Over six weeks, 33 of the nearly 100 hostages are to be reunited with their loved ones after months in in captivity with no contact with the outside world, though it’s unclear if all are alive.It remained unclear exactly when and how many displaced Palestinians would be able to return to what remains of their homes and whether the agreement would lead to a complete end to the war and the full withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza — key Hamas demands for releasing the remaining captives.Many longer-term questions about&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-news-02-23-2024-a5da6005cfa6734225af35ca460a75fb">postwar Gaza</a>&nbsp;remain, including who will rule the territory or oversee the daunting task of reconstruction.Still, the announcement offered the first sign of hope in months that Israel and Hamas may be winding down the most deadly and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/scars-of-war-0000019256a2d640a5fef6ba634b0000">destructive war</a>&nbsp;they’ve ever fought, a conflict that has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-iran-hezbollah-yemen-0373be2e21b5a832d71f5bf828f67959">destabilized the broader Middle East</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/gaza-war-campus-protests-966eb531279f8e4381883fc5d79d5466">sparked worldwide protests</a>.Hamas triggered the war with its Oct. 7, 2023, cross-border attack, which killed some 1,200 Israelis and took 250 others hostage. Israel responded with a fierce offensive that has killed over 46,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials, displaced an estimated 90% of Gaza’s population and sparked a humanitarian crisis.More than 100 hostages were freed from Gaza in a weeklong truce in November 2023.<h2>___</h2>Federman reported from Jerusalem. Magdy reported from Cairo. Aamer Madhani and Zeke Miller in Washington contributed to this report.

Read Biden's statement on the hostage release, Gaza ceasefire deal

JACKSON COUNTY—Law enforcement are investigating a Kansas man on drug allegations.

Just after 12:30a.m. Monday, a Sheriff’s Deputy conducted a traffic stop on a 1995 Dodge Neon on U.S. 75 Highway, near 126th Road, according to Sheriff Tim Morse.

 A Jackson County Sheriff’s K-9 alerted to the presence of illegal drugs within the vehicle. The driver, Colby Lee Gant, 36, of Council Grove, was arrested on requested charges of possession of methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia, driving while license suspended, no insurance and inoperable tag lamp.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1736890574533.png" alt="Grant photo Jackson Co." />
 <figcaption>Grant photo Jackson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>JACKSON COUNTY—Law enforcement are investigating a Kansas man on drug allegations.Just after 12:30a.m. Monday, a Sheriff’s Deputy conducted a traffic stop on a 1995 Dodge Neon on U.S. 75 Highway, near 126th Road, according to Sheriff Tim Morse. A Jackson County Sheriff’s K-9 alerted to the presence of illegal drugs within the vehicle. The driver, Colby Lee Gant, 36, of Council Grove, was arrested on requested charges of possession of methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia, driving while license suspended, no insurance and inoperable tag lamp.

Kansas sheriff's K9 caught suspect transporting meth

<a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search/?query=byline:%22JONEL%20ALECCIA%22&amp;mediaType=text&amp;st=keyword&amp;sortOrder=newest">By JONEL ALECCIA AP Health Writer</a>

U.S. regulators on Wednesday banned the dye called Red 3 from the nation’s food supply, nearly 35 years after it was barred from cosmetics because of potential cancer risk.

Food and Drug Administration officials granted a 2022 petition filed by two dozen food safety and health advocates, who urged the agency to revoke authorization for the substance that gives some candies, snack cakes and maraschino cherries a bright red hue.

The agency said it was taking the action as a “matter of law” because some studies have found that the dye caused cancer in lab rats. Officials cited a statute known as the Delaney Clause, which requires FDA to ban any additive found to cause cancer in people or animals.

The dye is known as erythrosine, FD&amp;C Red No. 3 or Red 3. The ban removes it from the list of approved color additives in foods, dietary supplements and oral medicines, such as cough syrups. More than three decades ago, the FDA declined to authorize use of Red 3 in cosmetics and externally applied drugs because a study showed it caused cancer when eaten by rats.

“The FDA is taking action that will remove the authorization for the use of FD&amp;C Red No. 3 in food and ingested drugs," said Jim Jones, the FDA's deputy commissioner for human foods. “Evidence shows cancer in laboratory male rats exposed to high levels of FD&amp;C Red No.3. Importantly, the way that FD&amp;C Red No. 3 causes cancer in male rats does not occur in humans.”

Food manufacturers will have until January 2027 to remove the dye from their products, while makers of ingested drugs have until January 2028 to do the same. Other countries still allow for certain uses of the dye, but imported foods must meet the new U.S. requirement.

“This is a welcome, but long overdue, action from the FDA: removing the unsustainable double standard in which Red 3 was banned from lipstick but permitted in candy,” said Dr. Peter Lurie, director of the group Center for Science in the Public Interest, which led the petition effort.

It's not clear whether the ban will face legal challenges from food manufacturers because evidence hasn’t determined that the dye causes cancer when consumed by humans. At a hearing in December, FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf suggested that's a risk.

“When we do ban something, it will go to court,” he told members of Congress on Dec. 5. “And if we don't have the scientific evidence, we will lose in court.”

When the FDA declined to allow Red 3 in cosmetics and topical drugs in 1990, the color additive was already permitted in foods and ingested drugs. Because research showed then that the way the dye causes cancer in rats does not apply to humans, "the FDA did not take action to revoke the authorization of Red No. 3 in food,” the agency&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fda.gov/industry/color-additives/fdc-red-no-3">has said on its website</a>.

Health advocates for years have asked the FDA to reconsider that decision, including the 2022 petition led by CSPI. In November, nearly two dozen members of Congress sent a letter demanding that FDA officials ban Red 3.

Lawmakers cited the Delaney Clause and said the action was especially important to protect children, who consume more of the dye on a bodyweight basis than adults, the lawmakers said.

“The FDA should act quickly to protect the nation's youth from this harmful dye, used simply to give food and drinks a bright red color,” the letter said. “No aesthetic reason could justify the use of a carcinogen in our food supply.”

Red 3 is banned for food use in Europe, Australia and New Zealand except in certain kinds of cherries. The dye will be banned in California starting in January 2027.

The International Association of Color Manufacturers defends the dye, saying that it is safe in levels typically consumed by humans. The group points to research by scientific committees operated by the United Nations and the World Health Organization, including a 2018 review that reaffirmed the safety of Red 3 in food.

Some food manufacturers have already reformulated products to remove Red 3. In its place they use beet juice; carmine, a dye made from insects; and pigments from foods such as purple sweet potato, radish and red cabbage, according to Sensient Food Colors, a St. Louis-based supplier of food colors and flavorings.

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

<a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search/?query=byline:%22JONEL%20ALECCIA%22&amp;mediaType=text&amp;st=keyword&amp;sortOrder=newest">By JONEL ALECCIA AP Health Writer</a>U.S. regulators on Wednesday banned the dye called Red 3 from the nation’s food supply, nearly 35 years after it was barred from cosmetics because of potential cancer risk.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Today, the FDA is issuing an order to revoke the authorization for the use of FD&amp;C Red No. 3 in food and ingested drugs in response to a 2022 color additive petition that requested the agency to review whether the Delaney Clause applied. <a href="https://t.co/Qd0NFOIUz8">https://t.co/Qd0NFOIUz8</a> <a href="https://t.co/Bpr6XNC8OR">pic.twitter.com/Bpr6XNC8OR</a>&mdash; U.S. FDA Human Foods Program (@FDAfood) <a href="https://twitter.com/FDAfood/status/1879532094730227991?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 15, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Food and Drug Administration officials granted a 2022 petition filed by two dozen food safety and health advocates, who urged the agency to revoke authorization for the substance that gives some candies, snack cakes and maraschino cherries a bright red hue.The agency said it was taking the action as a “matter of law” because some studies have found that the dye caused cancer in lab rats. Officials cited a statute known as the Delaney Clause, which requires FDA to ban any additive found to cause cancer in people or animals.The dye is known as erythrosine, FD&amp;C Red No. 3 or Red 3. The ban removes it from the list of approved color additives in foods, dietary supplements and oral medicines, such as cough syrups. More than three decades ago, the FDA declined to authorize use of Red 3 in cosmetics and externally applied drugs because a study showed it caused cancer when eaten by rats.“The FDA is taking action that will remove the authorization for the use of FD&amp;C Red No. 3 in food and ingested drugs," said Jim Jones, the FDA's deputy commissioner for human foods. “Evidence shows cancer in laboratory male rats exposed to high levels of FD&amp;C Red No.3. Importantly, the way that FD&amp;C Red No. 3 causes cancer in male rats does not occur in humans.”Food manufacturers will have until January 2027 to remove the dye from their products, while makers of ingested drugs have until January 2028 to do the same. Other countries still allow for certain uses of the dye, but imported foods must meet the new U.S. requirement.Consumer advocates praised the decision.“This is a welcome, but long overdue, action from the FDA: removing the unsustainable double standard in which Red 3 was banned from lipstick but permitted in candy,” said Dr. Peter Lurie, director of the group Center for Science in the Public Interest, which led the petition effort.It's not clear whether the ban will face legal challenges from food manufacturers because evidence hasn’t determined that the dye causes cancer when consumed by humans. At a hearing in December, FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf suggested that's a risk.“When we do ban something, it will go to court,” he told members of Congress on Dec. 5. “And if we don't have the scientific evidence, we will lose in court.”When the FDA declined to allow Red 3 in cosmetics and topical drugs in 1990, the color additive was already permitted in foods and ingested drugs. Because research showed then that the way the dye causes cancer in rats does not apply to humans, "the FDA did not take action to revoke the authorization of Red No. 3 in food,” the agency&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fda.gov/industry/color-additives/fdc-red-no-3">has said on its website</a>.Health advocates for years have asked the FDA to reconsider that decision, including the 2022 petition led by CSPI. In November, nearly two dozen members of Congress sent a letter demanding that FDA officials ban Red 3.Lawmakers cited the Delaney Clause and said the action was especially important to protect children, who consume more of the dye on a bodyweight basis than adults, the lawmakers said.“The FDA should act quickly to protect the nation's youth from this harmful dye, used simply to give food and drinks a bright red color,” the letter said. “No aesthetic reason could justify the use of a carcinogen in our food supply.”Red 3 is banned for food use in Europe, Australia and New Zealand except in certain kinds of cherries. The dye will be banned in California starting in January 2027.The International Association of Color Manufacturers defends the dye, saying that it is safe in levels typically consumed by humans. The group points to research by scientific committees operated by the United Nations and the World Health Organization, including a 2018 review that reaffirmed the safety of Red 3 in food.Some food manufacturers have already reformulated products to remove Red 3. In its place they use beet juice; carmine, a dye made from insects; and pigments from foods such as purple sweet potato, radish and red cabbage, according to Sensient Food Colors, a St. Louis-based supplier of food colors and flavorings.___The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

FDA bans red dye No. 3 from foods

Minority party endorses idea of raising state’s $7.25 minimum wage

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/tim-carpenter/">TIM CARPENTER</a>&nbsp; <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 — Kansas Democrats vowed on the second day of the legislative session Tuesday to concentrate on reforms that addressed the rising cost of housing, health care, groceries, child care and fuel.

The news conference at the Capitol attended by Democrats from the House and Senate followed Monday’s messaging effort by Republican leaders in both legislative chambers and preceded Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly’s State of the State speech Wednesday night. The Democratic legislators didn’t release a set of specific bills that could advance their cost-of-living agenda.

Senate Minority Leader Dinah Sykes repeated a prominent GOP talking point during the 2024 election cycle that many Kansans were struggling to keep up financially as escalating prices made nearly every aspect of their lives more challenging.

“They don’t believe the economy is working for them,” said Sykes, a Lenexa Democrat. “While Kansans are working hard, often that hard work benefits shareholders and corporations — leaving workers and their families behind. That is wrong. Everything we do this session should be focused on making life more affordable.”

She said legislation put forward by GOP lawmakers should be scrutinized according to a fundamental question. The litmus test: Would it make life more affordable for Kansans?

Under that metric, Sykes said the renewed push by Republicans to divert state tax dollars from K-12 public schools to private schools would fail. She said the same answer would apply to rehashed legislative proposals to repeal voting rights, including use of ballot drop boxes and the three-day grace period for mail ballots to be counted after Election Day.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1736949640692.png" alt="Senate Minority Leader Dinah Sykes and House Minority Leader Brandon Woodard, both of Lenexa, said during a news conference Tuesday at the Capitol that Democrats in the 2025 legislative session would concentrate on issues that reduced the burden of basic cost increases on Kansans. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>Senate Minority Leader Dinah Sykes and House Minority Leader Brandon Woodard, both of Lenexa, said during a news conference Tuesday at the Capitol that Democrats in the 2025 legislative session would concentrate on issues that reduced the burden of basic cost increases on Kansans. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Minority party endorses idea of raising state’s $7.25 minimum wage</h2>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/tim-carpenter/">TIM CARPENTER</a>&nbsp; <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 — Kansas Democrats vowed on the second day of the legislative session Tuesday to concentrate on reforms that addressed the rising cost of housing, health care, groceries, child care and fuel.The news conference at the Capitol attended by Democrats from the House and Senate followed Monday’s messaging effort by Republican leaders in both legislative chambers and preceded Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly’s State of the State speech Wednesday night. The Democratic legislators didn’t release a set of specific bills that could advance their cost-of-living agenda.Senate Minority Leader Dinah Sykes repeated a prominent GOP talking point during the 2024 election cycle that many Kansans were struggling to keep up financially as escalating prices made nearly every aspect of their lives more challenging.“They don’t believe the economy is working for them,” said Sykes, a Lenexa Democrat. “While Kansans are working hard, often that hard work benefits shareholders and corporations — leaving workers and their families behind. That is wrong. Everything we do this session should be focused on making life more affordable.”She said legislation put forward by GOP lawmakers should be scrutinized according to a fundamental question. The litmus test: Would it make life more affordable for Kansans?Under that metric, Sykes said the renewed push by Republicans to divert state tax dollars from K-12 public schools to private schools would fail. She said the same answer would apply to rehashed legislative proposals to repeal voting rights, including use of ballot drop boxes and the three-day grace period for mail ballots to be counted after Election Day.House Minority Leader Brandon Woodard, also a Lenexa Democrat, said the minority party would strive to raise the state’s minimum wage of $7.25 per hour. He didn’t, however, identify a target for elevating the compensation rate.“Raising the minimum wage is the first step to addressing income inequality throughout the state,” Woodard said. “At a time when the entire country is feeling the impact of inflation, Kansas must appropriately compensate workers who need it most.”In three nearby states, the minimum wage is about double the rate in Kansas. Examples: Colorado, $14.81 per hour; Missouri, $13.75; and Nebraska, $13.50. Oklahoma at $7.25 is the equal of Kansas.Democratic legislators would also encourage passage of measures that expanded quality health care, including broadband access for use in telehealth programs. The state should invest in better access to mental health services, Woodard said.Woodard said the Legislature should continue to grapple with a 30-year trend that shifted more of the property-tax burden onto residential owners. High property taxes disproportionately burden middle-class homeowners and the elderly on fixed incomes, he said.He said restoration of a homestead property tax rebate program for renters — it was discontinued more than a decade ago — would be helpful to Kansans who didn’t own a residence.In terms of property tax relief, Sykes said the Democratic caucus didn’t have a fixed position but wanted results of the upcoming debate to be financially sustainable and offer relief to all Kansans rather than certain economic classes.Sykes asserted GOP legislative leadership was “misrepresenting what actually happened” on property taxes during closed-door discussions in the June special session. Sykes said the governor set a financial maximum on the total value of reductions that would be acceptable to her in terms of sales, income and property taxes.“Republican leadership reduced the property tax portion in order to get income taxes,” Sykes said. “They chose to have a lesser amount on property tax in order … to change the income tax structure.”Hawkins and Masterson, the respective GOP leaders of the House and Senate, maintained it was the governor who insisted property tax reform had to take a back seat to income tax cuts. In the end, the governor signed a $1.2 billion, three-year reform bill that was anchored to income tax reductions.Kelly is on the record urging the 2025 Legislature to put off another major tax-cut effort until the full impact of last year’s reform was known.Masterson said the Legislature would attempt to place on a statewide ballot a proposed change to the Kansas Constitution that would put a lid on the rate of increase in property tax collections. The state depends primarily on sales and income taxes for its budget, leaving the property tax to cities, counties and schools.“What the state can do primarily is a constitutional amendment that would create caps and change the processes in which that’s affecting people. People see these rapid appraisal increases, which turns into rapid tax increases,” Masterson said.Sykes, on the other hand, said it could be a mistake to undermine the capacity of local government to operate by depriving municipalities of property tax revenue.“What we do in Topeka cannot cause more harm to our cities and counties,” she said. “We want the firefighter to come. We want the police to be able to. We want good roads. We have to partner with them and work collaboratively.”Senate Bill 1, which passed by overwhelming bipartisan margins during the special session in June, included an increase in the amount of residential property exempted from the statewide property tax that helped fund K-12 public schools. The school-finance law was changed starting in the 2024 tax year so the exemption from the 20-mill levy for K-12 schools increased to $75,000, up from $42,000.Hawkins said Republicans and Democrats in the House were frustrated because Kelly stiff-armed the opportunity to enact bigger property tax adjustments. He expected changes during the 2025 session to be approved with bipartisan majorities.“Democrats … have said they will be voting for property tax relief,” Hawkins said during an interview on KCUR. “Will all of them? No. There’s some of them that will follow the governor. If the governor tells them, ‘No, don’t do it.’ But there are going to be some that are a little bit more independent-minded that realize it is a very important thing for the people of Kansas.”