SALINE COUNTY—Law enforcement are investigating more credit card skimmers on gas pumps in Salina.

On Wednesday afternoon, police made contact with employees of Flying J Travel Center, 2250 N. Ohio in Salina in reference to finding two more skimmers on two diesel pumps, according to Salina Police Captain James Feldman.

The employees reported after finding the initial two skimmers Tuesday they had checked the pumps and had not located any others. 

Prior to calling they checked the pumps and located two new skimmers. The business checked their security cameras and observed a white dually pickup pull up to both pumps for a short amount of time before leaving. 

The vehicle was at the pumps between 4:30 AM and 4:45 AM on the morning Wednesday.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/2/1772040372270.png" alt="Photo Salina Police Department" />
 <figcaption>Photo Salina Police Department</figcaption>
 </figure>SALINE COUNTY—Law enforcement are investigating more credit card skimmers on gas pumps in Salina.On Wednesday afternoon, police made contact with employees of Flying J Travel Center, 2250 N. Ohio in Salina in reference to finding two more skimmers on two diesel pumps, according to Salina Police Captain James Feldman.The employees reported after finding the initial two skimmers Tuesday they had checked the pumps and had not located any others. Prior to calling they checked the pumps and located two new skimmers. The business checked their security cameras and observed a white dually pickup pull up to both pumps for a short amount of time before leaving. The vehicle was at the pumps between 4:30 AM and 4:45 AM on the morning Wednesday.&nbsp;

More credit card skimmers found in central Kansas

WASHINGTON&nbsp;– Kansas U.S. Senator Jerry Moran– a member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry – today applauded the removal of the lesser prairie-chicken from the&nbsp;Endangered Species Act&nbsp;(ESA) list by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), following a ruling by the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas:

“The removal of the lesser prairie‑chicken from the endangered and threatened species list is a major win for Kansas farmers, ranchers and rural communities. For years, Kansas producers have worked to protect the bird’s habitat through voluntary, locally‑driven conservation efforts, but the listing’s burdensome federal regulations put severe strain on many Kansas industries.&nbsp;I have worked to oppose the listing of the lesser prairie-chicken for more than a decade, and I applaud today’s decision to remove the listing and continue to support local efforts to promote voluntary solutions that will protect the bird’s habitat without placing unnecessary burdens on our agricultural community.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/4/1681935383708.jpeg" alt="Photo by Cristina Janney" />
 <figcaption>Photo by Cristina Janney</figcaption>
 </figure>Office of Senator Jerry MoranWASHINGTON&nbsp;– Kansas U.S. Senator Jerry Moran– a member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry – today applauded the removal of the lesser prairie-chicken from the&nbsp;Endangered Species Act&nbsp;(ESA) list by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), following a ruling by the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas:“The removal of the lesser prairie‑chicken from the endangered and threatened species list is a major win for Kansas farmers, ranchers and rural communities. For years, Kansas producers have worked to protect the bird’s habitat through voluntary, locally‑driven conservation efforts, but the listing’s burdensome federal regulations put severe strain on many Kansas industries.&nbsp;I have worked to oppose the listing of the lesser prairie-chicken for more than a decade, and I applaud today’s decision to remove the listing and continue to support local efforts to promote voluntary solutions that will protect the bird’s habitat without placing unnecessary burdens on our agricultural community.”

Kan. U.S. Senator applauds removal of prairie-chicken from ESA list

SEATTLE (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/hilary-knight">Hilary Knight</a>&nbsp;doesn’t want to let what she called a “distasteful” joke by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">President Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;about the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-canada-womens-hockey-olympic-final-141b5904352673676656cbe2a1c253e5">gold-medal winning</a>&nbsp;U.S. women’s Olympic hockey team get in the way of a historic performance by American women across all sports at the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics">Milan Cortina Games</a>.

“I just thought the joke was distasteful and unfortunate,” Knight said on Wednesday alongside fellow Olympians Alex Carpenter, Hannah Bilka and Cayla Barnes at the Seattle Space Needle ahead of their return to play for the Seattle Torrent of the Professional Women’s Hockey League. “And, I think just the way women are represented, it’s a great teaching point and really shines light on how women should be championed for their amazing feats.”

Knight, a two-time gold medalist whose 15 goals and 33 points in Olympic competition are the most by a U.S. hockey player at the Games, said she’s not focusing on an offhand comment by Trump after the American men topped Canada for gold in overtime on Sunday.

Talking on a speakerphone in the postgame locker room, Trump extended an invitation to the White House to the men’s team, then added, “We’re going to have to bring the women’s team, you do know that.” The president later joked that if he didn’t extend the invitation, he would probably be impeached.

While the vast majority of the men’s team flew to Washington on Tuesday and visited Trump in the White House before being&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/state-of-union-hockey-olympics-trump-89fff7bdec947251ff926e09ac24d4e4">guests at the State of the Union</a>, many of the women’s players were on the way back to their professional or college clubs.

USA Hockey, which said it was “honored” by the invitation, cited logistical issues as the major hurdle that prevented the women’s team from stopping by the White House. The team was originally scheduled to fly commercially into New York on Monday, but was forced to reroute through Atlanta due to a snowstorm in the Northeast.

Several players were going to stick around New York for promotional purposes, even ringing the bell at the New York Stock Exchange. Those scheduled appearances had to be canceled because of flight changes.

Knight lamented that the video — which included several players laughing after Trump’s comments — took on a life of its own and didn’t convey the true nature of the relationship between the men’s and women’s US hockey programs.

“The men’s and the women’s team did it together,” Knight said. “And, that’s super special. It’s never been done in our program’s history. It’s something we’re extremely proud about. But these women are amazing. And whatever’s going on should never outshine or minimize their work and our success on the world stage.”

Kelly Pannek, a forward on the women’s team, told reporters “the video is what it is” but added it was a “special feeling” spending time with the men’s team after they won the first Olympic gold for the U.S. in 46 years. Pannek believes there is mutual respect and support on both sides.

Goaltender Jeremy Swayman told reporters in Boston after returning to practice with the Bruins that the men “should have reacted differently” to Trump’s remarks.

“To share that gold medal with them is something that we’re forever grateful for,” Swayman said. “And now that we’re home we get to share that together forever and see the incredible support we have from the USA and share this incredible gold medal.”

Jack Hughes, who scored the winning goal in overtime for the U.S., also said the moment did not reflect the views of the men’s team.

“You’re in the moment and the president calls. We’re blaring the music. It is what it is,” Hughes said Wednesday night after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/sabres-devils-score-0eb145127b212254164b4d837c11204d">his first game back</a>&nbsp;with the New Jersey Devils. “We have so much respect for the women’s team and they have so much respect for us. We are all just proud Americans.”

The earliest the U.S. women could make a White House visit would be in late spring after the conclusion of the PWHL season.

The U.S. won 12 gold medals in Milan Cortina, with women playing a hand in eight of them. The women’s hockey team outscored opponents 33-2 on its way to the top of the podium.

“This was the best American women’s hockey team, the best American team we’ve ever put together on the world stage when the lights have been the brightest ever,” Knight said. “And so, I think everybody felt that going through the tournament. And, I want to celebrate. I want people to be remembered for that. I want the legacy of this team to be remembered.”

AP freelancer Everett Merrill in Newark, New Jersey, contributed to this report.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/2/1771816710692.png" alt="Image from White House video" />
 <figcaption>Image from White House video</figcaption>
 </figure>SEATTLE (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/hilary-knight">Hilary Knight</a>&nbsp;doesn’t want to let what she called a “distasteful” joke by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">President Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;about the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-canada-womens-hockey-olympic-final-141b5904352673676656cbe2a1c253e5">gold-medal winning</a>&nbsp;U.S. women’s Olympic hockey team get in the way of a historic performance by American women across all sports at the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics">Milan Cortina Games</a>.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">Trump invited both the men&#39;s and women&#39;s U.S. Olympic ice <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/hockey?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#hockey</a> teams to the White House. In a phone call with the men&#39;s team, <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Trump?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Trump</a> joked that he only invited the women to avoid impeachment if he didn&#39;t. After that, the women&#39;s declined his invitation. <a href="https://t.co/7gm7rusKTl">pic.twitter.com/7gm7rusKTl</a>&mdash; Mina (@Mina696645851) <a href="https://twitter.com/Mina696645851/status/2026455099149615199?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 25, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>“I just thought the joke was distasteful and unfortunate,” Knight said on Wednesday alongside fellow Olympians Alex Carpenter, Hannah Bilka and Cayla Barnes at the Seattle Space Needle ahead of their return to play for the Seattle Torrent of the Professional Women’s Hockey League. “And, I think just the way women are represented, it’s a great teaching point and really shines light on how women should be championed for their amazing feats.”Knight, a two-time gold medalist whose 15 goals and 33 points in Olympic competition are the most by a U.S. hockey player at the Games, said she’s not focusing on an offhand comment by Trump after the American men topped Canada for gold in overtime on Sunday.Talking on a speakerphone in the postgame locker room, Trump extended an invitation to the White House to the men’s team, then added, “We’re going to have to bring the women’s team, you do know that.” The president later joked that if he didn’t extend the invitation, he would probably be impeached.While the vast majority of the men’s team flew to Washington on Tuesday and visited Trump in the White House before being&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/state-of-union-hockey-olympics-trump-89fff7bdec947251ff926e09ac24d4e4">guests at the State of the Union</a>, many of the women’s players were on the way back to their professional or college clubs.USA Hockey, which said it was “honored” by the invitation, cited logistical issues as the major hurdle that prevented the women’s team from stopping by the White House. The team was originally scheduled to fly commercially into New York on Monday, but was forced to reroute through Atlanta due to a snowstorm in the Northeast.Several players were going to stick around New York for promotional purposes, even ringing the bell at the New York Stock Exchange. Those scheduled appearances had to be canceled because of flight changes.Knight lamented that the video — which included several players laughing after Trump’s comments — took on a life of its own and didn’t convey the true nature of the relationship between the men’s and women’s US hockey programs.“The men’s and the women’s team did it together,” Knight said. “And, that’s super special. It’s never been done in our program’s history. It’s something we’re extremely proud about. But these women are amazing. And whatever’s going on should never outshine or minimize their work and our success on the world stage.”Kelly Pannek, a forward on the women’s team, told reporters “the video is what it is” but added it was a “special feeling” spending time with the men’s team after they won the first Olympic gold for the U.S. in 46 years. Pannek believes there is mutual respect and support on both sides.Goaltender Jeremy Swayman told reporters in Boston after returning to practice with the Bruins that the men “should have reacted differently” to Trump’s remarks.“To share that gold medal with them is something that we’re forever grateful for,” Swayman said. “And now that we’re home we get to share that together forever and see the incredible support we have from the USA and share this incredible gold medal.”Jack Hughes, who scored the winning goal in overtime for the U.S., also said the moment did not reflect the views of the men’s team.“You’re in the moment and the president calls. We’re blaring the music. It is what it is,” Hughes said Wednesday night after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/sabres-devils-score-0eb145127b212254164b4d837c11204d">his first game back</a>&nbsp;with the New Jersey Devils. “We have so much respect for the women’s team and they have so much respect for us. We are all just proud Americans.”The earliest the U.S. women could make a White House visit would be in late spring after the conclusion of the PWHL season.The U.S. won 12 gold medals in Milan Cortina, with women playing a hand in eight of them. The women’s hockey team outscored opponents 33-2 on its way to the top of the podium.“This was the best American women’s hockey team, the best American team we’ve ever put together on the world stage when the lights have been the brightest ever,” Knight said. “And so, I think everybody felt that going through the tournament. And, I want to celebrate. I want people to be remembered for that. I want the legacy of this team to be remembered.”___AP freelancer Everett Merrill in Newark, New Jersey, contributed to this report.

Women's Olympic hockey star: President's call to men's team 'distasteful' 

SEDGWICK COUNTY —A man accused in a fatal shooting at an American Legion Hall in Wichita is scheduled to return to court Thursday..

Darrell E. Buckner, Jr., 52, will attend a hearing in the courtroom of Judge Tyler Roush in an attempt to have the one-million dollar bond reduced, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.

He is charged with First degree murder and aggravated battery in connection with the killing at the American Legion in Wichita.

Just before 7:30p.m. October 11, police responded to a report of a shooting inside the American Legion, 1135 North Hydraulic in Wichita, according t a media release.&nbsp; First responders found 55-year-old Anthony Grayson from Wichita unresponsive with multiple gunshot wounds. He was transported to a hospital, where he was pronounced deceased at 7:55 p.m.

A second victim, a 56-year-old man, arrived at a hospital by private vehicle with a gunshot wound to the torso.&nbsp;

Investigators confirmed that the suspect, identified as Buckner, and Grayson were involved in a fight inside the bar. Buckner then left, retrieved a firearm from his vehicle, and returned. Employees attempted to prevent him from reentering, but he pushed past them and went back inside, where another fight broke out. During the altercation, Buckner fired the gun, striking Grayson and the second victim, who was attempting to intervene.

Buckner was taken into custody at the scene and booked into the Sedgwick County Jail.&nbsp;&nbsp;Earlier this month, a preliminary hearing for Buckner was delayed.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1760102689111.png" alt="Buckner-photo Sedgwick County" />
 <figcaption>Buckner-photo Sedgwick County</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY —A man accused in a fatal shooting at an American Legion Hall in Wichita is scheduled to return to court Thursday..Darrell E. Buckner, Jr., 52, will attend a hearing in the courtroom of Judge Tyler Roush in an attempt to have the one-million dollar bond reduced, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.He is charged with First degree murder and aggravated battery in connection with the killing at the American Legion in Wichita.Just before 7:30p.m. October 11, police responded to a report of a shooting inside the American Legion, 1135 North Hydraulic in Wichita, according t a media release.&nbsp; First responders found 55-year-old Anthony Grayson from Wichita unresponsive with multiple gunshot wounds. He was transported to a hospital, where he was pronounced deceased at 7:55 p.m.A second victim, a 56-year-old man, arrived at a hospital by private vehicle with a gunshot wound to the torso.&nbsp;Investigators confirmed that the suspect, identified as Buckner, and Grayson were involved in a fight inside the bar. Buckner then left, retrieved a firearm from his vehicle, and returned. Employees attempted to prevent him from reentering, but he pushed past them and went back inside, where another fight broke out. During the altercation, Buckner fired the gun, striking Grayson and the second victim, who was attempting to intervene.Buckner was taken into custody at the scene and booked into the Sedgwick County Jail.&nbsp;&nbsp;Earlier this month, a preliminary hearing for Buckner was delayed.

Suspect in Kan. American Legion killing returns to court

By BARBARA ORTUTAY AP Technology Writer

Instagram said Thursday it will start alerting parents if their kids repeatedly search for terms clearly associated with suicide or self-harm. The alerts will only go to parents who are enrolled in Instagram’s parental supervision program.

Instagram says it already blocks such content from showing up in teen accounts’ search results and directs people to helplines instead.

The announcement comes as Meta is in the midst of two&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/social-media-trials-meta-zuckerberg-youtube-tiktok-addiction-85c4d813c42845aeb3f913ec8f2f3e86">trials over harms to children</a>. A trial underway in Los Angeles questions whether Meta’s platforms&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mark-zuckerberg-trial-testimony-instagram-c8cbaa32ccbf4933ec3a7beebd6cf34b">deliberately addict and harm</a>&nbsp;minors. Another, in New Mexico, seeks to determine whether Meta failed to protect kids from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/meta-new-mexico-child-exploitation-trial-19195fc680dba782fb971d68082e11a4">sexual exploitation on its platforms</a>. Thousands of families — along with school districts and government entities — have sued Meta and other social media companies claiming they deliberately design their platforms to be addictive and fail to protect kids from content that can lead to depression, eating disorders and suicide.

Meta executives including CEO Mark Zuckerberg have disputed that the platforms cause addiction. During questioning by the plaintiff’s lawyer, in Los Angeles, Zuckerberg said he still agrees with a previous statement he made that the existing body of scientific work has not proved that social media causes mental health harms.

The alerts will be sent via email, text or WhatsApp, depending on the parent's contact information available, as well as a notification through the parent's Instagram account.

“Our goal is to empower parents to step in if their teen’s searches suggest they may need support. We also want to avoid sending these notifications unnecessarily, which, if done too much, could make the notifications less useful overall,” Meta said in a blog post.

Meta said it is also working on similar notifications to parents about their kids' interactions with artificial intelligence.

“These will notify parents if a teen attempts to engage in certain types of conversations related to suicide or self-harm with our AI,” Meta said. “This is important work and we’ll have more to share in the coming months.”

By BARBARA ORTUTAY AP Technology WriterInstagram said Thursday it will start alerting parents if their kids repeatedly search for terms clearly associated with suicide or self-harm. The alerts will only go to parents who are enrolled in Instagram’s parental supervision program.Instagram says it already blocks such content from showing up in teen accounts’ search results and directs people to helplines instead.The announcement comes as Meta is in the midst of two&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/social-media-trials-meta-zuckerberg-youtube-tiktok-addiction-85c4d813c42845aeb3f913ec8f2f3e86">trials over harms to children</a>. A trial underway in Los Angeles questions whether Meta’s platforms&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mark-zuckerberg-trial-testimony-instagram-c8cbaa32ccbf4933ec3a7beebd6cf34b">deliberately addict and harm</a>&nbsp;minors. Another, in New Mexico, seeks to determine whether Meta failed to protect kids from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/meta-new-mexico-child-exploitation-trial-19195fc680dba782fb971d68082e11a4">sexual exploitation on its platforms</a>. Thousands of families — along with school districts and government entities — have sued Meta and other social media companies claiming they deliberately design their platforms to be addictive and fail to protect kids from content that can lead to depression, eating disorders and suicide.Meta executives including CEO Mark Zuckerberg have disputed that the platforms cause addiction. During questioning by the plaintiff’s lawyer, in Los Angeles, Zuckerberg said he still agrees with a previous statement he made that the existing body of scientific work has not proved that social media causes mental health harms.The alerts will be sent via email, text or WhatsApp, depending on the parent's contact information available, as well as a notification through the parent's Instagram account.“Our goal is to empower parents to step in if their teen’s searches suggest they may need support. We also want to avoid sending these notifications unnecessarily, which, if done too much, could make the notifications less useful overall,” Meta said in a blog post.Meta said it is also working on similar notifications to parents about their kids' interactions with artificial intelligence.“These will notify parents if a teen attempts to engage in certain types of conversations related to suicide or self-harm with our AI,” Meta said. “This is important work and we’ll have more to share in the coming months.”

Instagram to send parents teens' search alerts

KANSAS CITY —A Kansas City man has been charged with murder for the fatal shooting of a teenage girl late last year in Independence, Missouri.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.jacksoncountyprosecutor.com/DocumentCenter/View/2813/Phillips-COMP">Eric R. Phillips II</a>, 28,&nbsp;faces 1st Degree Murder, Armed Criminal Action, and Abandonment of a Corpse, according to Jackson County Prosecutor Melesa Johnson

<a href="https://www.jacksoncountyprosecutor.com/DocumentCenter/View/2812/PhillipsEric---PC-Statement_Redacted">According to court records</a>, Kansas City police received a call on November 28, 2025, reporting that an 18-year-old victim had been shot multiple times in a vehicle at a location in Independence earlier that morning. Detectives began using investigative leads to locate the vehicle.&nbsp;

Due to the circumstances, the victim was entered as a missing person in Independence.&nbsp;

Through multiple witness reports and surveillance footage, detectives identified Phillips as the shooter. Detectives determined he shot the victim multiple times while she was in the back of his vehicle in the early morning hours of Nov. 28.&nbsp; Ring camera footage captured the sound of gunshots coming from the location of his vehicle where it had been reported the shooting had occurred, and Phillips was seen in video footage multiple times carrying a firearm.&nbsp;

On November 29, police found the victim deceased in Kansas City. Phillips' cell phone pinged in the area where the victim’s body was located.

A Jackson County judge set Phillips’s bond at $350,000 cash only.&nbsp;

Prosecutors charged the defendant on December 3, 2025, under seal. The case has been unsealed this week.

Phillips is not yet in custody and law enforcement are working to locate him. If you have any information about his whereabouts, please contact police or submit an anonymous tip to Crime Stoppers over the phone: 816-474-8477 or online at kccrimestoppers.com.&nbsp;

KANSAS CITY —A Kansas City man has been charged with murder for the fatal shooting of a teenage girl late last year in Independence, Missouri.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.jacksoncountyprosecutor.com/DocumentCenter/View/2813/Phillips-COMP">Eric R. Phillips II</a>, 28,&nbsp;faces 1st Degree Murder, Armed Criminal Action, and Abandonment of a Corpse, according to Jackson County Prosecutor Melesa Johnson<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/2/1772119544094.png" alt=" " />
 <figcaption> </figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://www.jacksoncountyprosecutor.com/DocumentCenter/View/2812/PhillipsEric---PC-Statement_Redacted">According to court records</a>, Kansas City police received a call on November 28, 2025, reporting that an 18-year-old victim had been shot multiple times in a vehicle at a location in Independence earlier that morning. Detectives began using investigative leads to locate the vehicle.&nbsp;Due to the circumstances, the victim was entered as a missing person in Independence.&nbsp;Through multiple witness reports and surveillance footage, detectives identified Phillips as the shooter. Detectives determined he shot the victim multiple times while she was in the back of his vehicle in the early morning hours of Nov. 28.&nbsp; Ring camera footage captured the sound of gunshots coming from the location of his vehicle where it had been reported the shooting had occurred, and Phillips was seen in video footage multiple times carrying a firearm.&nbsp;On November 29, police found the victim deceased in Kansas City. Phillips' cell phone pinged in the area where the victim’s body was located.A Jackson County judge set Phillips’s bond at $350,000 cash only.&nbsp;Prosecutors charged the defendant on December 3, 2025, under seal. The case has been unsealed this week.Phillips is not yet in custody and law enforcement are working to locate him. If you have any information about his whereabouts, please contact police or submit an anonymous tip to Crime Stoppers over the phone: 816-474-8477 or online at kccrimestoppers.com.&nbsp;

Wanted suspect charged in fatal shooting of Kansas City girl

House cuts $60M in revenue sharing, makes it easy for dissenters to stop increases

By:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/tim-carpenter/">Tim Carpenter</a> <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/02/24/gov-laura-kelly-skeptical-kansas-houses-anti-tenure-legislation-will-reach-her-desk/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA — The Kansas House voted Wednesday to alter significant provisions of a bipartisan property tax reform bill granting the public a direct voice in decisions by local government to raise property taxes more than 3% annually.

The House agreed to an amendment lowering by half the signature threshold on protest petitions used to block a city or county from exceeding the cap. The House also passed an amendment deleting a $60 million state fund to compensate local units of government that held annual growth in property taxes under the cap. The revised bill advanced on a vote of 87-22.

Rep. Adam Smith, a Weskan Republican and chair of the House Taxation Committee, said the committee’s version of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kslegislature.gov/li/b2025_26/measures/hb2745/" target="_blank">House Bill 2745</a>&nbsp;respected the necessity of local units of government to secure operating revenue that tracked with inflation.

He said the objective of the bill was to require cities or counties to more aggressively lower mill levies whenever property valuations surged.

“This is really the heart of the problem,” Smith said. “As assessed valuations rise, the mill levy doesn’t go down enough.”

Smith said it was important the 2026 Legislature take action to curb outlandish increases in property taxes at the local level. Exceptions to the bill’s cap would be made for economic development programs, abatements, annexations, new construction projects or changes in land use. In addition, the bill wouldn’t apply the lid to public school districts.

Rep. Kristey Williams, R-Augusta, convinced House colleagues to adopt the amendment deleting $60 million in state appropriations to reward local units of government for avoiding property tax increases higher than 3%. She expressed appreciation for the House committee’s work to pressure local government to control tax increases and spending, but argued the state “cannot afford” the $60 million appropriation. The bill would have attached a 2% annual inflation adjustment for the fund.

Williams and other House Republicans said the GOP-controlled Legislature was annually spending $500 million or $600 million more each year than was raised in state tax revenue.

“Every $60 million we approve here is $60 million not available for core state obligations, tax relief or reserve stability,” Williams said.

The House bill would have earmarked new state aid to local governments for public services, including roads and bridges, law enforcement, elections, public health and other services mandated by state law.

Rep. Stephanie Sawyer Clayton, D-Overland Park, said the state could afford to use some of its $2 billion rainy-day fund to bring about tax relief through local units of government. She also encouraged city and county officials in Johnson County to appreciate some legislators in Topeka were convinced the original draft of the bill was overly generous to local governments.

“I just want you to get a bit of a reality check here and see that we have colleagues that even think this is too much,” she said.

Rep. Troy Waymaster, a Bunker Hill Republican and chair of the House Appropriations Committee, said he didn’t appreciate the $60 million property tax relief account nor the idea of drawing down the state’s emergency fund.

“That fund was not created to backfill spending regardless if its something for social services or property taxes,” Waymaster said.

The House also accepted an amendment proposed by Rep. Shannon Francis, R-Liberal, to lower the bar for voters to advance petitions to thwart annual property tax increases greater than 3%.

Under the revised bill, 5% of the number of a taxing jurisdiction’s voters who participated in the previous election would have to sign a protest petition to block a property tax increase above the cap. The original version of the bill set that signature requirement at 10% of voters in a previous election.

Francis said the reason for the adjustment was Seward County’s decision to adopt a 41% increase in property taxes for 2026.

“My community is honestly the poster child for why we have to do something,” he said. “The people in my community felt betrayed. They felt like they had no voice.”

Rep. Tom Sawyer, D-Wichita, said the 10% threshold should be restored. He said a 5% petition requirement would make it too easy for a fraction of voters to undermine tax increases to complete projects supported by the public. The 5% threshold would make it especially challenging for smaller communities to finance priority projects with property tax revenue, he said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/2/1772068633885.png" alt=" Rep. Adam Smith, a Weskan Republican and chairman of the House Taxation Committee, says the Legislature needs to take action to slow annual increases in city or county property taxes. In this image, Smith addresses House colleagues on April 10, 2025. (Photo by Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption> Rep. Adam Smith, a Weskan Republican and chairman of the House Taxation Committee, says the Legislature needs to take action to slow annual increases in city or county property taxes. In this image, Smith addresses House colleagues on April 10, 2025. (Photo by Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>House cuts $60M in revenue sharing, makes it easy for dissenters to stop increases</h2>By:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/tim-carpenter/">Tim Carpenter</a> <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/02/24/gov-laura-kelly-skeptical-kansas-houses-anti-tenure-legislation-will-reach-her-desk/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — The Kansas House voted Wednesday to alter significant provisions of a bipartisan property tax reform bill granting the public a direct voice in decisions by local government to raise property taxes more than 3% annually.The House agreed to an amendment lowering by half the signature threshold on protest petitions used to block a city or county from exceeding the cap. The House also passed an amendment deleting a $60 million state fund to compensate local units of government that held annual growth in property taxes under the cap. The revised bill advanced on a vote of 87-22.Rep. Adam Smith, a Weskan Republican and chair of the House Taxation Committee, said the committee’s version of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kslegislature.gov/li/b2025_26/measures/hb2745/" target="_blank">House Bill 2745</a>&nbsp;respected the necessity of local units of government to secure operating revenue that tracked with inflation.He said the objective of the bill was to require cities or counties to more aggressively lower mill levies whenever property valuations surged.“This is really the heart of the problem,” Smith said. “As assessed valuations rise, the mill levy doesn’t go down enough.”Smith said it was important the 2026 Legislature take action to curb outlandish increases in property taxes at the local level. Exceptions to the bill’s cap would be made for economic development programs, abatements, annexations, new construction projects or changes in land use. In addition, the bill wouldn’t apply the lid to public school districts.Rep. Kristey Williams, R-Augusta, convinced House colleagues to adopt the amendment deleting $60 million in state appropriations to reward local units of government for avoiding property tax increases higher than 3%. She expressed appreciation for the House committee’s work to pressure local government to control tax increases and spending, but argued the state “cannot afford” the $60 million appropriation. The bill would have attached a 2% annual inflation adjustment for the fund.Williams and other House Republicans said the GOP-controlled Legislature was annually spending $500 million or $600 million more each year than was raised in state tax revenue.“Every $60 million we approve here is $60 million not available for core state obligations, tax relief or reserve stability,” Williams said.The House bill would have earmarked new state aid to local governments for public services, including roads and bridges, law enforcement, elections, public health and other services mandated by state law.Rep. Stephanie Sawyer Clayton, D-Overland Park, said the state could afford to use some of its $2 billion rainy-day fund to bring about tax relief through local units of government. She also encouraged city and county officials in Johnson County to appreciate some legislators in Topeka were convinced the original draft of the bill was overly generous to local governments.“I just want you to get a bit of a reality check here and see that we have colleagues that even think this is too much,” she said.Rep. Troy Waymaster, a Bunker Hill Republican and chair of the House Appropriations Committee, said he didn’t appreciate the $60 million property tax relief account nor the idea of drawing down the state’s emergency fund.“That fund was not created to backfill spending regardless if its something for social services or property taxes,” Waymaster said.The House also accepted an amendment proposed by Rep. Shannon Francis, R-Liberal, to lower the bar for voters to advance petitions to thwart annual property tax increases greater than 3%.Under the revised bill, 5% of the number of a taxing jurisdiction’s voters who participated in the previous election would have to sign a protest petition to block a property tax increase above the cap. The original version of the bill set that signature requirement at 10% of voters in a previous election.Francis said the reason for the adjustment was Seward County’s decision to adopt a 41% increase in property taxes for 2026.“My community is honestly the poster child for why we have to do something,” he said. “The people in my community felt betrayed. They felt like they had no voice.”Rep. Tom Sawyer, D-Wichita, said the 10% threshold should be restored. He said a 5% petition requirement would make it too easy for a fraction of voters to undermine tax increases to complete projects supported by the public. The 5% threshold would make it especially challenging for smaller communities to finance priority projects with property tax revenue, he said.

Kansas House amends bill aimed at constraining local property tax increases

HAVANA (AP) — Cuba’s government said late Wednesday that the 10 passengers on a boat that opened fire on its soldiers were armed Cubans living in the U.S. who were trying to infiltrate the island and unleash terrorism.

The announcement came hours after Cuba said its soldiers killed four people and wounded six others aboard a Florida-registered speed boat that had entered Cuban waters and opened fire on the soldiers first, injuring one Cuban officer.

Cuba’s government said the majority of the 10 people on the boat “have a known history of criminal and violent activity.”

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio had told reporters earlier that he was made aware of the incident and that the U.S. is now gathering its own information to determine if the victims were American citizens or permanent residents.

“We have various different elements of the U.S. government that are trying to identify elements of the story that may not be provided to us now,” Rubio said while at the airport in Basseterre, St. Kitts, where he was attending a regional summit with Caribbean leaders.

The Cuban government identified two of the boat passengers as Amijail Sánchez González and Leordan Enrique Cruz Gómez, who are wanted by Cuban authorities “based on their involvement in the promotion, planning, organization, financing, support or commission of actions carried out in the national territory or in other countries, in connection with acts of terrorism.”

The government said it also had arrested Duniel Hernández Santos, adding that he was “sent from the United States to guarantee the reception of the armed infiltration, who at this time has confessed to his actions.”

The Associated Press was not immediately able to independently verify that information.

Cuba’s government said it obtained the details about the passengers aboard the boat from the suspects detained following the shootout.

It identified seven of the 10 passengers, including Conrado Galindo Sariol, José Manuel Rodríguez Castelló, Cristian Ernesto Acosta Guevara and Roberto Azcorra Consuegra. Cuba's government said that one of the four killed was Michel Ortega Casanova. Three others have not yet been identified.

“The investigation process continues until the facts are fully clarified,” the ministry said in a statement.

Misael Ortega Casanova, brother of Michel Ortega Casanova, told The Associated Press late Wednesday that he was mourning his brother’s death but lamented that he fell into what he called an “obsessive and diabolical” quest for Cuba’s freedom.

“Only us Cubans who have lived over there understand,” Misael Ortega Casanova said, referring to the “great suffering” that he and other Cubans on the island have faced.

He noted that his brother, who was a truck driver and an American citizen who lived for more than 20 years in the U.S., leaves behind his wife, his mother, two sisters — one of whom lives in Cuba — and a daughter who is pregnant.

“No one knew,” Misael said of his brother’s plans. “My mother is devastated.”

He added: “They became so obsessed that they didn’t think about the consequences nor their own lives.”

Misael said that he did not recognize any of the names that the Cuban government released.

He said that while he doesn’t believe in heroes — “because that is ignorance” — he hopes that his brother’s death might be a worthwhile sacrifice: “maybe it will justify that some day Cuba will be free.”

U.S.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-cuba-venezuela-maduro-oil-economy-b9ffd24928e34dc7e3fc1fdcb22709a1">President Donald Trump’s</a>&nbsp;top diplomat refused to speculate on what happened, saying that it could be a “wide range of things,” and that the U.S. will not solely rely on what the Cuban authorities have provided thus far.

“Suffice it to say, it is highly unusual to see shootouts in open sea like that. It’s not something that happens every day. It’s something, frankly, that hasn’t happened with Cuba in a very long time,” Rubio said.

He said both the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Coast Guard are investigating the incident and stressed that he wants to verify the facts.

“The majority of the facts being publicly reported are those by the information provided by the Cubans. We will verify that independently as we gather more information, and we’ll be prepared to respond accordingly," Rubio said. "We’re going to have our own information on this. We’re going to figure out exactly what happened.”

He said it was not a U.S. government operation and that he wasn’t "going to speculate about whose boat it was, what they were doing, why they were there, what actually happened.”

One of the men identified by the Cuban government, Conrado Galindo Sariol, was interviewed in June 2025 by Martí Noticias, a U.S.-based news site that has long called for a change of government in Cuba.

Galindo, whom the host called “a legend” and a former political prisoner, was quoted as saying that he wants to support the struggles that Cubans face, especially in the eastern part of the island “to achieve the freedom that is needed.”

He said that the protests in Cuba at that time were “not a spark that’s going to be extinguished.”

“The regime’s leaders are crisscrossing Cuba, trying to mitigate what’s coming very soon because ... they know they’re out of power, that they can’t do anything about it, and they’re looking for ways to prevent the protests from growing in other parts of the country,” Galindo was quoted as saying.

Rubio said he found out about the shooting before the Cuban government posted on social media, noting that the U.S. has “constant contact” with the country “at the Coast Guard level.”

Earlier, Cuba’s Interior Ministry issued a statement that provided few details about the shooting, but noted that the boat was roughly 1.6 kilometers (1 mile) northeast of Cayo Falcones, off Cuba’s north coast.

The government provided the boat’s registration number, but The Associated Press was unable to readily verify details of the boat because boat registrations are not public in the state of Florida.

It wasn’t immediately known what the boat and its occupants were doing in Cuban waters. In the statement, the ministry said Cuba’s government was “safeguarding its sovereignty and ensuring stability in the region.”

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida said it would pursue answers “through every legal and diplomatic channel available,” adding that “facts remain unclear and conflicting.”

U.S. Vice President JD Vance said late Wednesday afternoon that Rubio had briefed him on the incident. He added that the White House was monitoring the situation.

“Hopefully it’s not as bad as we fear it could be,” Vance said.

The shooting&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/cuba-health-care-us-energy-embargo-crisis-33ad8447dc4b442ea9b614eb91392be5">threatens to increase tensions</a>&nbsp;between the U.S. and Cuba. Following the ouster of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, Trump and top administration officials have taken an increasingly aggressive stance toward Cuba, which had been&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/cuba-airplanes-fuel-shortages-us-blockade-oil-18d79e2f138520dcbf28c24c1599b1a5">largely kept economically afloat</a>&nbsp;by Venezuela’s oil.

The energy crisis Cuba has been grappling with in recent years entered new extremes last month when Trump signed an executive order that would impose a tariff on any country that sells or provides oil to Cuba. The move put pressure on Mexico, which Cuba became largely dependent on for petroleum after Trump halted oil shipments from Venezuela.

Meanwhile, James Uthmeier, Florida’s attorney general, said he has ordered prosecutors to work with federal, state and law enforcement partners to start an investigation.

“The Cuban government cannot be trusted, and we will do everything in our power to hold these communists accountable,” he wrote on X.

Lee reported from Basseterre, St. Kitts and Coto from San José, Costa Rica. Associated Press reporters Josh Funk in Omaha, Nebraska, and Michael Biesecker, Aamer Madhani and Konstantin Toropin in Washington contributed to this report.

HAVANA (AP) — Cuba’s government said late Wednesday that the 10 passengers on a boat that opened fire on its soldiers were armed Cubans living in the U.S. who were trying to infiltrate the island and unleash terrorism.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">SECRETARY RUBIO on CUBA: What I’m telling you is we’re going to find out exactly what happened and who was involved. We’re not going to just take what somebody else tells us. I’m very confident we will be able to know the story independently. <a href="https://t.co/965ul2lC8b">pic.twitter.com/965ul2lC8b</a>&mdash; Department of State (@StateDept) <a href="https://twitter.com/StateDept/status/2026882562551873825?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 26, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The announcement came hours after Cuba said its soldiers killed four people and wounded six others aboard a Florida-registered speed boat that had entered Cuban waters and opened fire on the soldiers first, injuring one Cuban officer.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">Note from the Ministry of the Interior: On the morning of February 25, 2026, a violating speedboat was detected within Cuban territorial waters. The vessel, registered in Florida, United States, with registration number FL7726SH, approached up to 1 nautical mile northeast of the… <a href="https://t.co/AEmwtAZ4lO">pic.twitter.com/AEmwtAZ4lO</a>&mdash; Cuban Embassy in US (@EmbaCubaUS) <a href="https://twitter.com/EmbaCubaUS/status/2026732911114760673?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 25, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Cuba’s government said the majority of the 10 people on the boat “have a known history of criminal and violent activity.”U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio had told reporters earlier that he was made aware of the incident and that the U.S. is now gathering its own information to determine if the victims were American citizens or permanent residents.“We have various different elements of the U.S. government that are trying to identify elements of the story that may not be provided to us now,” Rubio said while at the airport in Basseterre, St. Kitts, where he was attending a regional summit with Caribbean leaders.The Cuban government identified two of the boat passengers as Amijail Sánchez González and Leordan Enrique Cruz Gómez, who are wanted by Cuban authorities “based on their involvement in the promotion, planning, organization, financing, support or commission of actions carried out in the national territory or in other countries, in connection with acts of terrorism.”The government said it also had arrested Duniel Hernández Santos, adding that he was “sent from the United States to guarantee the reception of the armed infiltration, who at this time has confessed to his actions.”The Associated Press was not immediately able to independently verify that information.Cuba’s government said it obtained the details about the passengers aboard the boat from the suspects detained following the shootout.It identified seven of the 10 passengers, including Conrado Galindo Sariol, José Manuel Rodríguez Castelló, Cristian Ernesto Acosta Guevara and Roberto Azcorra Consuegra. Cuba's government said that one of the four killed was Michel Ortega Casanova. Three others have not yet been identified.“The investigation process continues until the facts are fully clarified,” the ministry said in a statement.Misael Ortega Casanova, brother of Michel Ortega Casanova, told The Associated Press late Wednesday that he was mourning his brother’s death but lamented that he fell into what he called an “obsessive and diabolical” quest for Cuba’s freedom.“Only us Cubans who have lived over there understand,” Misael Ortega Casanova said, referring to the “great suffering” that he and other Cubans on the island have faced.He noted that his brother, who was a truck driver and an American citizen who lived for more than 20 years in the U.S., leaves behind his wife, his mother, two sisters — one of whom lives in Cuba — and a daughter who is pregnant.“No one knew,” Misael said of his brother’s plans. “My mother is devastated.”He added: “They became so obsessed that they didn’t think about the consequences nor their own lives.”Misael said that he did not recognize any of the names that the Cuban government released.He said that while he doesn’t believe in heroes — “because that is ignorance” — he hopes that his brother’s death might be a worthwhile sacrifice: “maybe it will justify that some day Cuba will be free.”<h2>A ‘highly unusual’ shootout</h2>U.S.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-cuba-venezuela-maduro-oil-economy-b9ffd24928e34dc7e3fc1fdcb22709a1">President Donald Trump’s</a>&nbsp;top diplomat refused to speculate on what happened, saying that it could be a “wide range of things,” and that the U.S. will not solely rely on what the Cuban authorities have provided thus far.“Suffice it to say, it is highly unusual to see shootouts in open sea like that. It’s not something that happens every day. It’s something, frankly, that hasn’t happened with Cuba in a very long time,” Rubio said.He said both the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Coast Guard are investigating the incident and stressed that he wants to verify the facts.“The majority of the facts being publicly reported are those by the information provided by the Cubans. We will verify that independently as we gather more information, and we’ll be prepared to respond accordingly," Rubio said. "We’re going to have our own information on this. We’re going to figure out exactly what happened.”He said it was not a U.S. government operation and that he wasn’t "going to speculate about whose boat it was, what they were doing, why they were there, what actually happened.”One of the men identified by the Cuban government, Conrado Galindo Sariol, was interviewed in June 2025 by Martí Noticias, a U.S.-based news site that has long called for a change of government in Cuba.Galindo, whom the host called “a legend” and a former political prisoner, was quoted as saying that he wants to support the struggles that Cubans face, especially in the eastern part of the island “to achieve the freedom that is needed.”He said that the protests in Cuba at that time were “not a spark that’s going to be extinguished.”“The regime’s leaders are crisscrossing Cuba, trying to mitigate what’s coming very soon because ... they know they’re out of power, that they can’t do anything about it, and they’re looking for ways to prevent the protests from growing in other parts of the country,” Galindo was quoted as saying.<h2>Fear over increased tensions</h2>Rubio said he found out about the shooting before the Cuban government posted on social media, noting that the U.S. has “constant contact” with the country “at the Coast Guard level.”Earlier, Cuba’s Interior Ministry issued a statement that provided few details about the shooting, but noted that the boat was roughly 1.6 kilometers (1 mile) northeast of Cayo Falcones, off Cuba’s north coast.The government provided the boat’s registration number, but The Associated Press was unable to readily verify details of the boat because boat registrations are not public in the state of Florida.It wasn’t immediately known what the boat and its occupants were doing in Cuban waters. In the statement, the ministry said Cuba’s government was “safeguarding its sovereignty and ensuring stability in the region.”The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida said it would pursue answers “through every legal and diplomatic channel available,” adding that “facts remain unclear and conflicting.”U.S. Vice President JD Vance said late Wednesday afternoon that Rubio had briefed him on the incident. He added that the White House was monitoring the situation.“Hopefully it’s not as bad as we fear it could be,” Vance said.The shooting&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/cuba-health-care-us-energy-embargo-crisis-33ad8447dc4b442ea9b614eb91392be5">threatens to increase tensions</a>&nbsp;between the U.S. and Cuba. Following the ouster of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, Trump and top administration officials have taken an increasingly aggressive stance toward Cuba, which had been&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/cuba-airplanes-fuel-shortages-us-blockade-oil-18d79e2f138520dcbf28c24c1599b1a5">largely kept economically afloat</a>&nbsp;by Venezuela’s oil.The energy crisis Cuba has been grappling with in recent years entered new extremes last month when Trump signed an executive order that would impose a tariff on any country that sells or provides oil to Cuba. The move put pressure on Mexico, which Cuba became largely dependent on for petroleum after Trump halted oil shipments from Venezuela.Meanwhile, James Uthmeier, Florida’s attorney general, said he has ordered prosecutors to work with federal, state and law enforcement partners to start an investigation.“The Cuban government cannot be trusted, and we will do everything in our power to hold these communists accountable,” he wrote on X.___Lee reported from Basseterre, St. Kitts and Coto from San José, Costa Rica. Associated Press reporters Josh Funk in Omaha, Nebraska, and Michael Biesecker, Aamer Madhani and Konstantin Toropin in Washington contributed to this report.

🎥Why did Cuba kill 4 on speedboat from U.S.?

ATCHISON COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating a suspect for an allege violent crime.

On September 16, 2025 police investigated an incident that had occurred at 12:30a.m. at a residence in the 300 block North 5th in Atchison, according to Police Chief Mike Wilson.

 A 44 year old woman reported that she was at the residence visiting the suspect when he became angry and physically assaulted her. She later went to the hospital for examination of injuries at which time she notified police.

Just before 1p.m. Tuesday, police arrested 33-year-old Donald E. Harvey III, of Atchison in the 1000 block Main Street on a District Court warrant for aggravated battery and a Leavenworth County warrant for failure to appear in court.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/2/1772055989975.png" alt="Harvey-photo Atchison County" />
 <figcaption>Harvey-photo Atchison County</figcaption>
 </figure>ATCHISON COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating a suspect for an allege violent crime.On September 16, 2025 police investigated an incident that had occurred at 12:30a.m. at a residence in the 300 block North 5th in Atchison, according to Police Chief Mike Wilson. A 44 year old woman reported that she was at the residence visiting the suspect when he became angry and physically assaulted her. She later went to the hospital for examination of injuries at which time she notified police.Just before 1p.m. Tuesday, police arrested 33-year-old Donald E. Harvey III, of Atchison in the 1000 block Main Street on a District Court warrant for aggravated battery and a Leavenworth County warrant for failure to appear in court.&nbsp;

Police: Kansas man jailed for violent attack on a woman

WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President JD Vance announced Wednesday that the Trump administration would “temporarily halt” some Medicaid funding to the state of Minnesota&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/minnesota-fraud-charges-fbad68312012dc02a4060852474f72ee">over fraud concerns</a>, as part of what he described as an aggressive&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-minnesota-covid-nutrition-cc55a566c806a29a7f2e64c762975a09">crackdown on misuse of public funds</a>.

Vance, who made the announcement with Dr. Mehmet Oz, the administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, said the administration was taking the action “in order to ensure that the state of Minnesota takes its obligations seriously to be good stewards of the American people’s tax money.”

Oz, who referred to people committing fraud as “self-serving scoundrels,” said the federal government would hold off on paying $259.5 million to Minnesota in funding for Medicaid, the health care safety net for low-income Americans.

“This is not a problem with the people of Minnesota, it’s a problem with the leadership of Minnesota and other states who do not take Medicaid preservation seriously,” Oz said.

Wednesday’s move is part of a larger Trump administration effort to spotlight fraud around the country. That effort comes after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/minnesota-fraud-immigration-enforcement-somali-76e246b70d582f1dd42f1242cf7d7a66">allegations of fraud</a>&nbsp;involving day care centers run by Somali residents in Minneapolis prompted a massive immigration crackdown in the Midwestern city, resulting in widespread protests. President Donald Trump, in his State of the Union address on Tuesday, announced Vance would spearhead a national “war on fraud.”

Trump also recently nominated Colin McDonald to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/justice-department-fraud-division-colin-mcdonald-trump-91da4a174aa88706c3b6bfbd67399689">serve as the first assistant attorney general</a>&nbsp;in charge of a Justice Department division dedicated to rooting out fraud.

Oz said the administration was simultaneously notifying Minnesota’s Democratic Gov. Tim Walz as he was making the announcement publicly.

“We will give them the money, but we’re going to hold it and only release it after they propose and act on a comprehensive corrective action plan to solve the problem,” Oz said.

He said Walz would have 60 days to respond and advised health care providers and Medicaid beneficiaries who were concerned to contact Walz’s office.

Walz, former Vice President Kamala Harris’ 2024 running mate, said in a pair of social media posts that the administration’s move had nothing to do with fraud.

“This is a campaign of retribution. Trump is weaponizing the entirety of the federal government to punish blue states like Minnesota,” Walz said. “These cuts will be devastating for veterans, families with young kids, folks with disabilities, and working people across our state.”

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said in a statement that his team has secured over 300 Medicaid fraud convictions since he took office in 2019. And he noted that he called on the Legislature earlier Wednesday to give him more staff and new legal tools to combat Medicaid fraud.

"Courts have repeatedly found that their pattern of cutting first and asking questions later is illegal, and if the federal government is unlawfully withholding money meant for the 1.2 million low-income Minnesotans on Medicaid, we will see them in court,” Ellison said.

Oz said the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services were also taking action to crack down on fraud in Medicare, the health care system relied upon by millions of older adults.

He said CMS for six months would block any new Medicare enrollments for suppliers of durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics or other supplies used to treat chronic conditions or assist in injury recovery.

The Office of the Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services found last year that Medicare improperly paid suppliers nearly $23 million for durable medical equipment from 2018 through 2024. But it found that most of that was before January 2020, when changes to the system were implemented.

Oz also announced a new crowdsourcing effort he said would help “crush fraud” by soliciting Americans’ tips and suggestions.

“All of us are smarter than any one of us,” he said.

In a news release accompanying the announcement, CMS said the funding being paused in Minnesota included some $244 million in unsupported or potentially fraudulent Medicaid claims and about $15 million in claims involving “individuals lacking a satisfactory immigration status.”

Immigrants who are not living in the U.S. legally, as well as some lawfully present immigrants, are not allowed to enroll in the Medicaid program that provides nearly-free coverage for health services.

CMS said in the release that if Minnesota fails to satisfy its requirements, it may defer up to $1 billion in federal funds to the state over the next year. CMS spokesperson Catherine Howden said the agency's review of potential fraud cases would include sampling claims to see if they comply with federal requirements, and potentially requesting more information about specific claims.

Akeiisa Coleman, the senior program officer for Medicaid at the Commonwealth Fund, said CMS was taking a “highly unusual step" in deferring funding. She said if the state doesn't have enough funds available, it may have to halt payments to providers, which could affect care.

The administration has threatened to cut off funding for various programs for some Democratic-run states over fraud concerns over the last few months.

One judge blocked those actions and required that payments flowing to Minnesota and four other states — California, Colorado, Illinois and New York — for a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/social-service-funds-trump-democratic-states-536a40afc6abca52bd9a660196394333">variety of social service programs</a>. The government had said that there was “reason to believe” that those states were granting benefits to people in the country illegally. It did not initially explain where that information came from, but a government lawyer told the judge it was largely in reaction to news reports about possible fraud.

Another judge said she would not let it cut off funding for administrative costs for 22 states that have refused to hand over information about applicants and recipients of food aid through the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/judge-blocks-trump-administration-snap-recipients-data-af9113866b0138699e96ce173d53a58e">Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program</a>.

The latest action was prompted in part by a series of fraud cases, including a nonprofit called Feeding Our Future accused of stealing pandemic aid meant for school meals. Prosecutors have put the losses from that case at $300 million.

Since then, Trump has targeted the Somali diaspora in Minnesota with immigration enforcement actions and has made a series of disparaging comments about the community. During his State of the Union address on Tuesday, Trump said “pirates” have “ransacked Minnesota.”

Federal agencies have also been enlisted to assist in targeting fraud in Minnesota.

Last December, the U.S. Treasury Department issued an order requiring money wire services that people use to send money to Somalia to submit additional verification to the Treasury.

The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services told Minnesota in January that it intended to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/federal-money-minnesota-snap-medicaid-child-care-38de05fb90bddbe953adad4e0c87c218">freeze parts of payments</a>&nbsp;for some Medicaid programs that were deemed high-risk. The state said that those cuts would add up to more than $2 billion annually if they lasted and made an administrative appeal.

Associated Press writers Geoff Mulvihill in Philadelphia, Steve Karnowski in Minneapolis and Fatima Hussein in Washington contributed to this report.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President JD Vance announced Wednesday that the Trump administration would “temporarily halt” some Medicaid funding to the state of Minnesota&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/minnesota-fraud-charges-fbad68312012dc02a4060852474f72ee">over fraud concerns</a>, as part of what he described as an aggressive&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-minnesota-covid-nutrition-cc55a566c806a29a7f2e64c762975a09">crackdown on misuse of public funds</a>.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/VP?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@VP</a>: &quot;Far too many people have gotten rich by taking what is best of the American spirit and getting rich off of it instead of providing services to kids who need it. That is stopping today.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/AjAoc9osmh">https://t.co/AjAoc9osmh</a> <a href="https://t.co/LXJQzhrN0Z">pic.twitter.com/LXJQzhrN0Z</a>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/2026779392609825065?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 25, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/DrOzCMS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DrOzCMS</a>: &quot;I&#39;m proud to announce the largest anti-fraud effort of its kind in CMS history... We&#39;re not going to let fraudsters steal it from you.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/AjAoc9osmh">https://t.co/AjAoc9osmh</a> <a href="https://t.co/jtAOpFKEDf">pic.twitter.com/jtAOpFKEDf</a>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/2026780012490154251?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 25, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/VP?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@VP</a>: &quot;What we want to see from the Governor of Minnesota, from the entire administration there in Minnesota, is some affirmative steps to make sure that the people who are billing us for Medicaid services, are actually providing those Medicaid services.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/sId7NY8H0e">pic.twitter.com/sId7NY8H0e</a>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/2026783283938275471?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 25, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/DrOzCMS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DrOzCMS</a>: &quot;If Minnesota fails to clean up the systems, the state will rack up $1 billion of deferred payments this year. <a href="https://twitter.com/GovTimWalz?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GovTimWalz</a> has 60 days to respond... We have more announcements of other states coming soon.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/AjAoc9osmh">https://t.co/AjAoc9osmh</a> <a href="https://t.co/nw18bsv64z">pic.twitter.com/nw18bsv64z</a>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/2026781835179565155?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 25, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/VP?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@VP</a>: &quot;The problem is not going after the fraud, the problem is the fact that these programs are being defrauded to begin with. They WILL NOT EXIST. Our social safety net with disappear unless we take fraud more seriously.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/AjAoc9osmh">https://t.co/AjAoc9osmh</a> <a href="https://t.co/PpMASU5vYs">pic.twitter.com/PpMASU5vYs</a>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/2026784685171339363?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 25, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/DrOzCMS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DrOzCMS</a> details just a fraction of the fraud in Minnesota: One scheme involved criminals paying moms $1,000 to enroll their children — falsely — as autistic, then billed Medicaid millions of dollars for services that were never rendered. <a href="https://t.co/AjAoc9osmh">https://t.co/AjAoc9osmh</a> <a href="https://t.co/7AKMGSKwPj">pic.twitter.com/7AKMGSKwPj</a>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/2026781360266830026?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 25, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Vance, who made the announcement with Dr. Mehmet Oz, the administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, said the administration was taking the action “in order to ensure that the state of Minnesota takes its obligations seriously to be good stewards of the American people’s tax money.”Oz, who referred to people committing fraud as “self-serving scoundrels,” said the federal government would hold off on paying $259.5 million to Minnesota in funding for Medicaid, the health care safety net for low-income Americans.“This is not a problem with the people of Minnesota, it’s a problem with the leadership of Minnesota and other states who do not take Medicaid preservation seriously,” Oz said.Wednesday’s move is part of a larger Trump administration effort to spotlight fraud around the country. That effort comes after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/minnesota-fraud-immigration-enforcement-somali-76e246b70d582f1dd42f1242cf7d7a66">allegations of fraud</a>&nbsp;involving day care centers run by Somali residents in Minneapolis prompted a massive immigration crackdown in the Midwestern city, resulting in widespread protests. President Donald Trump, in his State of the Union address on Tuesday, announced Vance would spearhead a national “war on fraud.”Trump also recently nominated Colin McDonald to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/justice-department-fraud-division-colin-mcdonald-trump-91da4a174aa88706c3b6bfbd67399689">serve as the first assistant attorney general</a>&nbsp;in charge of a Justice Department division dedicated to rooting out fraud.<h2>Minnesota pushes back</h2>Oz said the administration was simultaneously notifying Minnesota’s Democratic Gov. Tim Walz as he was making the announcement publicly.“We will give them the money, but we’re going to hold it and only release it after they propose and act on a comprehensive corrective action plan to solve the problem,” Oz said.He said Walz would have 60 days to respond and advised health care providers and Medicaid beneficiaries who were concerned to contact Walz’s office.Walz, former Vice President Kamala Harris’ 2024 running mate, said in a pair of social media posts that the administration’s move had nothing to do with fraud.“This is a campaign of retribution. Trump is weaponizing the entirety of the federal government to punish blue states like Minnesota,” Walz said. “These cuts will be devastating for veterans, families with young kids, folks with disabilities, and working people across our state.”Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said in a statement that his team has secured over 300 Medicaid fraud convictions since he took office in 2019. And he noted that he called on the Legislature earlier Wednesday to give him more staff and new legal tools to combat Medicaid fraud."Courts have repeatedly found that their pattern of cutting first and asking questions later is illegal, and if the federal government is unlawfully withholding money meant for the 1.2 million low-income Minnesotans on Medicaid, we will see them in court,” Ellison said.Oz said the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services were also taking action to crack down on fraud in Medicare, the health care system relied upon by millions of older adults.He said CMS for six months would block any new Medicare enrollments for suppliers of durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics or other supplies used to treat chronic conditions or assist in injury recovery.The Office of the Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services found last year that Medicare improperly paid suppliers nearly $23 million for durable medical equipment from 2018 through 2024. But it found that most of that was before January 2020, when changes to the system were implemented.Oz also announced a new crowdsourcing effort he said would help “crush fraud” by soliciting Americans’ tips and suggestions.“All of us are smarter than any one of us,” he said.In a news release accompanying the announcement, CMS said the funding being paused in Minnesota included some $244 million in unsupported or potentially fraudulent Medicaid claims and about $15 million in claims involving “individuals lacking a satisfactory immigration status.”Immigrants who are not living in the U.S. legally, as well as some lawfully present immigrants, are not allowed to enroll in the Medicaid program that provides nearly-free coverage for health services.CMS said in the release that if Minnesota fails to satisfy its requirements, it may defer up to $1 billion in federal funds to the state over the next year. CMS spokesperson Catherine Howden said the agency's review of potential fraud cases would include sampling claims to see if they comply with federal requirements, and potentially requesting more information about specific claims.Akeiisa Coleman, the senior program officer for Medicaid at the Commonwealth Fund, said CMS was taking a “highly unusual step" in deferring funding. She said if the state doesn't have enough funds available, it may have to halt payments to providers, which could affect care.<h2>Democratic-run states face cutoffs</h2>The administration has threatened to cut off funding for various programs for some Democratic-run states over fraud concerns over the last few months.One judge blocked those actions and required that payments flowing to Minnesota and four other states — California, Colorado, Illinois and New York — for a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/social-service-funds-trump-democratic-states-536a40afc6abca52bd9a660196394333">variety of social service programs</a>. The government had said that there was “reason to believe” that those states were granting benefits to people in the country illegally. It did not initially explain where that information came from, but a government lawyer told the judge it was largely in reaction to news reports about possible fraud.Another judge said she would not let it cut off funding for administrative costs for 22 states that have refused to hand over information about applicants and recipients of food aid through the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/judge-blocks-trump-administration-snap-recipients-data-af9113866b0138699e96ce173d53a58e">Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program</a>.The latest action was prompted in part by a series of fraud cases, including a nonprofit called Feeding Our Future accused of stealing pandemic aid meant for school meals. Prosecutors have put the losses from that case at $300 million.Since then, Trump has targeted the Somali diaspora in Minnesota with immigration enforcement actions and has made a series of disparaging comments about the community. During his State of the Union address on Tuesday, Trump said “pirates” have “ransacked Minnesota.”Federal agencies have also been enlisted to assist in targeting fraud in Minnesota.Last December, the U.S. Treasury Department issued an order requiring money wire services that people use to send money to Somalia to submit additional verification to the Treasury.The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services told Minnesota in January that it intended to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/federal-money-minnesota-snap-medicaid-child-care-38de05fb90bddbe953adad4e0c87c218">freeze parts of payments</a>&nbsp;for some Medicaid programs that were deemed high-risk. The state said that those cuts would add up to more than $2 billion annually if they lasted and made an administrative appeal.___Associated Press writers Geoff Mulvihill in Philadelphia, Steve Karnowski in Minneapolis and Fatima Hussein in Washington contributed to this report.

VP: Largest anti-fraud effort of its kind in Medicaid history

SHAWNE COUNTY—A family pet died in a house fire on Wednesday in Topeka.

Just after 4:30p.m., crews&nbsp;responded to a two-story house fire at 420 SW Woodlawn Avenue in Topeka, according to a media release.

Fire crews encountered heavy smoke coming from the first floor of the residence and initiated an interior fire attack and successfully extinguished the fire.

Fire crews conducted a systematic search of the structure and safely removed two dogs and one cat. Life-saving efforts, including CPR, were administered to one of the dogs, but despite those efforts, the dog did not survive. No occupants were home at the time of the fire.

The cause of the fire was determined to be electrical in nature:&nbsp;&nbsp;Smoke detectors were found in the home.

SHAWNE COUNTY—A family pet died in a house fire on Wednesday in Topeka.Just after 4:30p.m., crews&nbsp;responded to a two-story house fire at 420 SW Woodlawn Avenue in Topeka, according to a media release.Fire crews encountered heavy smoke coming from the first floor of the residence and initiated an interior fire attack and successfully extinguished the fire.Fire crews conducted a systematic search of the structure and safely removed two dogs and one cat. Life-saving efforts, including CPR, were administered to one of the dogs, but despite those efforts, the dog did not survive. No occupants were home at the time of the fire.The cause of the fire was determined to be electrical in nature:&nbsp;&nbsp;Smoke detectors were found in the home.

Family pet dies after fire at Kansas home

BUTLER COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating a suspect on multiple allegations after a chase involving a stolen car.

Just after 5:30a.m. Wednesday, a sheriff's deputy running radar observed a Kia passenger car traveling over 90 miles per hour, west bound on US 54 in the area of Santa Fe Lake Road according to Butler County Undersheriff Daimon Cundiff.

The deputy was able to get behind the Kia at the stop light located at Santa Fe Lake Road. The deputy attempted to stop the Kia west of the intersection but the vehicle fled westbound reaching speeds in excess of 120 miles per hour. 

As the pursuit entered Andover, the driver of the Kia ran the red lights on US 54 at both Yorktown and Andover Road. The deputy terminated the pursuit. 

A short time later, the deputy was notified of a crash at the intersection of US 54 and 143rd St. East and responded to the scene. It was found that the Kia was involved in the crash and the driver had fled the scene on foot after side-swiping one vehicle and striking another. 

The occupant of the struck vehicle was transported to a local Wichita hospital with minor injuries. Through investigation it was determined that the Kia had been stolen in El Dorado but had not yet been reported. 

Through the use of a Wichita Police Department drone, a Butler County K9 team, and quick collaboration with the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office, Kansas Highway Patrol Air Section, and the Andover Police Department the suspect was located north and west of the crash scene hiding in the trees. 

He has been identified as Levi H. Nash, 30, of rural El Dorado. He has been booked into the Butler County Jail on requested charges of Felony Fleeing and Eluding, Interference with a Law Enforcement Officer, Reckless Aggravated Battery, Felony Theft, Reckless Driving, and other traffic related charges. Nash is also confirmed to have extraditable felony warrants from another jurisdiction, according to Cundiff.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/2/1772044436414.png" alt="Nash photo Butler County" />
 <figcaption>Nash photo Butler County</figcaption>
 </figure>BUTLER COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating a suspect on multiple allegations after a chase involving a stolen car.Just after 5:30a.m. Wednesday, a sheriff's deputy running radar observed a Kia passenger car traveling over 90 miles per hour, west bound on US 54 in the area of Santa Fe Lake Road according to Butler County Undersheriff Daimon Cundiff.The deputy was able to get behind the Kia at the stop light located at Santa Fe Lake Road. The deputy attempted to stop the Kia west of the intersection but the vehicle fled westbound reaching speeds in excess of 120 miles per hour. As the pursuit entered Andover, the driver of the Kia ran the red lights on US 54 at both Yorktown and Andover Road. The deputy terminated the pursuit. A short time later, the deputy was notified of a crash at the intersection of US 54 and 143rd St. East and responded to the scene. It was found that the Kia was involved in the crash and the driver had fled the scene on foot after side-swiping one vehicle and striking another. The occupant of the struck vehicle was transported to a local Wichita hospital with minor injuries. Through investigation it was determined that the Kia had been stolen in El Dorado but had not yet been reported. Through the use of a Wichita Police Department drone, a Butler County K9 team, and quick collaboration with the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office, Kansas Highway Patrol Air Section, and the Andover Police Department the suspect was located north and west of the crash scene hiding in the trees. He has been identified as Levi H. Nash, 30, of rural El Dorado. He has been booked into the Butler County Jail on requested charges of Felony Fleeing and Eluding, Interference with a Law Enforcement Officer, Reckless Aggravated Battery, Felony Theft, Reckless Driving, and other traffic related charges. Nash is also confirmed to have extraditable felony warrants from another jurisdiction, according to Cundiff.

Kan. stolen car suspect found hiding in trees after a crash

SALINE COUNTY —Law enforcement investigating a home invasion knife attack have made an arrest.

Just after 3:00 am Tuesday, a 28-year old woman arrived at Salina Regional Health Center with stab wounds on her leg, according to Saline Police Captain James Feldman.

The victim was at her home in north Salina when a known associate forced her way into the residence through a door and stabbed her multiple times. At the time, police did not release the name of the suspect.

Just after 10a.m. Tuesday at around 10 am, officers arrested the suspect identified as 42-year old, Alesha Martinez-Reavis. She is being held in the Saline County Jail on&nbsp;requested charges of Aggravated Battery, Aggravated Burglary, Criminal Threat, Aggravated Intimidation of a Witness, Battery and Criminal Damage to Property.

&nbsp;Martinez-Reavis was accused of Aggravated Intimidation of a Witness because she reportedly threatened to kill the victim if she called police, according to Feldman.

The victim has been treated and was released Tuesday morning from the hospital.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/2/1772057669649.png" alt="Reavis photo Saline County" />
 <figcaption>Reavis photo Saline County</figcaption>
 </figure>SALINE COUNTY —Law enforcement investigating a home invasion knife attack have made an arrest.Just after 3:00 am Tuesday, a 28-year old woman arrived at Salina Regional Health Center with stab wounds on her leg, according to Saline Police Captain James Feldman.The victim was at her home in north Salina when a known associate forced her way into the residence through a door and stabbed her multiple times. At the time, police did not release the name of the suspect.Just after 10a.m. Tuesday at around 10 am, officers arrested the suspect identified as 42-year old, Alesha Martinez-Reavis. She is being held in the Saline County Jail on&nbsp;requested charges of Aggravated Battery, Aggravated Burglary, Criminal Threat, Aggravated Intimidation of a Witness, Battery and Criminal Damage to Property.&nbsp;Martinez-Reavis was accused of Aggravated Intimidation of a Witness because she reportedly threatened to kill the victim if she called police, according to Feldman.The victim has been treated and was released Tuesday morning from the hospital.

Kansas woman accused of home-invasion knife attack

NEW YORK (AP) — Wellness influencer, author and entrepreneur Dr. Casey Means on Wednesday shared a vision for addressing the root causes of chronic disease instead of feeding into “reactive sick care” during her confirmation hearing to become the nation's next surgeon general.

&nbsp;On&nbsp;Wednesday, U.S. Senator Roger Marshall introduced&nbsp;Dr. Casey Means at her confirmation hearing.

“Our nation is angry, exhausted and hurting,” the 38-year-old said in Washington before the Senate health committee Wednesday. “If we’re addressing shared root causes, we’re going to be able to stop the whack-a-mole medicine that’s not working for us.”

It's a message that dovetails with that of Means' ally,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/robert-f-kennedy-jr">Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.,</a>&nbsp;and his “Make America Healthy Again” movement. It also has some bipartisan support, with many Democrats and Republicans agreeing that the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/children-health-maha-rfk-jr-jama-d920bb5421bfdc2c83d4356986e9ade7">rise in chronic disease</a>&nbsp;is a problem that needs solving.

But Means also faced tough questions from senators about topics that have become divisive in recent years, such as vaccines and hormonal birth control, as well as about her qualifications and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/surgeon-general-trump-casey-means-affiliate-conflicts-8d8cb29defa07028dbd97fc24a72c474">potential conflicts</a>. The Stanford-educated physician’s disillusionment with traditional medicine drove her to a career in which she has promoted various products, at times&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/surgeon-general-trump-casey-means-affiliate-conflicts-b0b774dbbb6ea0b5b4bdd0f9f78fbfd5">without disclosing how she could benefit financially</a>. She has no government experience, and her license to practice as a physician is&nbsp;<a href="https://omb.oregon.gov/Clients/ORMB/Public/VerificationDetails.aspx?EntityID=1530903">not currently active</a>.

“I have very serious questions about the ability of Dr. Means to be the kind of surgeon general this country needs,” Vermont independent Sen. Bernie Sanders, the ranking member of the Senate health committee, said Wednesday.

Next, the committee will consider whether to advance Means' nomination, in which case it would go to a vote in the full Senate.

As the nation’s doctor, the surgeon general is a leader for Americans on public health issues. If confirmed, Means could issue advisories that warn of public health threats. She also would be tasked with promoting Kennedy's sprawling&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/maha-report-children-health-food-rfk-f0c624d30da939fc9cca09687f8a4273">MAHA agenda</a>, which calls for removing food additives, rooting out conflicts of interest and promoting healthier eating.

Surgeons general also have sometimes used the office to advocate on issues related to vaccination — though the office has no role in creating vaccine policy. While Means has largely steered clear of Kennedy’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/rfk-kennedy-election-vaccines-2ccde2df146f57b5e8c26e8494f0a16a">debunked views on vaccines</a>, senators from both parties grilled her on how she would approach the issue if confirmed.

Sen. Bill Cassidy, the Louisiana Republican who chairs the Senate health committee, asked Means whether she would advise Americans to vaccinate against flu and measles amid outbreaks across the U.S. She didn't make that commitment, instead emphasizing the importance of informed consent between patients and doctors.

Cassidy, a doctor himself, then asked Means whether she believes vaccines may contribute to autism, a claim that Kennedy has embraced despite&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/rfk-jr-vaccine-trump-science-autism-9b99621b01f11b7f0bdc81e5a0b82d2b">overwhelming research to the contrary</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/2/1772039816667.png" alt="Dr. Casey Means and Kansas U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, MD" />
 <figcaption>Dr. Casey Means and Kansas U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, MD</figcaption>
 </figure>NEW YORK (AP) — Wellness influencer, author and entrepreneur Dr. Casey Means on Wednesday shared a vision for addressing the root causes of chronic disease instead of feeding into “reactive sick care” during her confirmation hearing to become the nation's next surgeon general.&nbsp;On&nbsp;Wednesday, U.S. Senator Roger Marshall introduced&nbsp;Dr. Casey Means at her confirmation hearing.<div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9yAhR8jeFGg?si=_LQGmGejRSLZCRau&amp;start=7" 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><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/SenBillCassidy?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SenBillCassidy</a> presses Surgeon General nominee Dr. Casey Means to explain childhood vaccine views: &quot;I&#39;m not sure I know what you&#39;re advocating for, which of course gives pause.&quot; Means: &quot;I am very supportive of what&#39;s been laid out by this administration, in terms of vaccines.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/lOI3SLa2lX">pic.twitter.com/lOI3SLa2lX</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/2026726295384592777?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 25, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/SenatorCollins?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SenatorCollins</a> to Surgeon General nominee Dr. Casey Means: &quot;In your book…you urge readers to consider psilocybin-assisted therapy…Do you stand by what you said?&quot; Means: &quot;The science is still emerging…There is exciting work being done in this area that needs to continue.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/1XyebRxSyV">pic.twitter.com/1XyebRxSyV</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/2026719454407668125?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 25, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>“Our nation is angry, exhausted and hurting,” the 38-year-old said in Washington before the Senate health committee Wednesday. “If we’re addressing shared root causes, we’re going to be able to stop the whack-a-mole medicine that’s not working for us.”It's a message that dovetails with that of Means' ally,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/robert-f-kennedy-jr">Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.,</a>&nbsp;and his “Make America Healthy Again” movement. It also has some bipartisan support, with many Democrats and Republicans agreeing that the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/children-health-maha-rfk-jr-jama-d920bb5421bfdc2c83d4356986e9ade7">rise in chronic disease</a>&nbsp;is a problem that needs solving.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/SenTimKaine?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SenTimKaine</a> to Surgeon General nominee Dr. Casey Means: &quot;Do you believe that there is evidence that the flu vaccine prevents serious disease and…deaths in children?&quot; Means: &quot;I believe all patients should talk to their doctors—&quot; Kaine: &quot;That&#39;s not what I&#39;m asking.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/dj0RhA5CIw">pic.twitter.com/dj0RhA5CIw</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/2026754211501817896?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 25, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>But Means also faced tough questions from senators about topics that have become divisive in recent years, such as vaccines and hormonal birth control, as well as about her qualifications and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/surgeon-general-trump-casey-means-affiliate-conflicts-8d8cb29defa07028dbd97fc24a72c474">potential conflicts</a>. The Stanford-educated physician’s disillusionment with traditional medicine drove her to a career in which she has promoted various products, at times&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/surgeon-general-trump-casey-means-affiliate-conflicts-b0b774dbbb6ea0b5b4bdd0f9f78fbfd5">without disclosing how she could benefit financially</a>. She has no government experience, and her license to practice as a physician is&nbsp;<a href="https://omb.oregon.gov/Clients/ORMB/Public/VerificationDetails.aspx?EntityID=1530903">not currently active</a>.“I have very serious questions about the ability of Dr. Means to be the kind of surgeon general this country needs,” Vermont independent Sen. Bernie Sanders, the ranking member of the Senate health committee, said Wednesday.Next, the committee will consider whether to advance Means' nomination, in which case it would go to a vote in the full Senate.<h2>Senators grill Means on vaccines</h2>As the nation’s doctor, the surgeon general is a leader for Americans on public health issues. If confirmed, Means could issue advisories that warn of public health threats. She also would be tasked with promoting Kennedy's sprawling&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/maha-report-children-health-food-rfk-f0c624d30da939fc9cca09687f8a4273">MAHA agenda</a>, which calls for removing food additives, rooting out conflicts of interest and promoting healthier eating.Surgeons general also have sometimes used the office to advocate on issues related to vaccination — though the office has no role in creating vaccine policy. While Means has largely steered clear of Kennedy’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/rfk-kennedy-election-vaccines-2ccde2df146f57b5e8c26e8494f0a16a">debunked views on vaccines</a>, senators from both parties grilled her on how she would approach the issue if confirmed.Sen. Bill Cassidy, the Louisiana Republican who chairs the Senate health committee, asked Means whether she would advise Americans to vaccinate against flu and measles amid outbreaks across the U.S. She didn't make that commitment, instead emphasizing the importance of informed consent between patients and doctors.Cassidy, a doctor himself, then asked Means whether she believes vaccines may contribute to autism, a claim that Kennedy has embraced despite&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/rfk-jr-vaccine-trump-science-autism-9b99621b01f11b7f0bdc81e5a0b82d2b">overwhelming research to the contrary</a>.“I do accept that evidence,” she said, referring to the research. "I also think that science is never settled.”Means said she looked forward to seeing the results of a federal effort to study environmental contributors to autism. The National Institutes of Health is funding such research, and it’s not clear when those findings will be made public.Means also was asked about concerns she has raised about the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/casey-means-surgeon-general-podcasts-health-care-9eaa4341a62a0762fe827f459e9b1415">birth dose of the hepatitis B vaccine</a>, which the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stopped recommending for all children in a move&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hepatitis-b-vaccine-acip-a6032868d6025e2c527c574222fcabf3">criticized by scientific and medical groups nationwide</a>. She said she supports the CDC's approach to the birth dose, but that promoting universal vaccination against the disease “at some point in childhood” was worthwhile.<h2>Senators scrutinize Means' past comments on birth control, psychedelics</h2>Washington Democratic Sen. Patty Murray asked Means to address her past comments that birth control pills were being prescribed “like candy” and showed a “disrespect of things that create life.”Means said she thinks oral contraceptives should be available to all women, but raised concerns about what she called “horrifying side effects” that can occur in certain populations.“Doctors do not have enough time for a thorough informed consent conversation,” she said.According to the American College of Obstetricians &amp; Gynecologists, hormonal birth control methods such as the pill, patch or ring are safe for most people but are associated with a small increased risk of deep vein thrombosis, heart attack and stroke. The risk is higher in some people, such as smokers older than 35 or those who have multiple cardiovascular disease risk factors.Sen. Susan Collins, a Republican from Maine, noted that Means had touted the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/means-trump-surgeon-general-mushrooms-psychedelic-drugs-72c22ed077409b4bb865214e7ef304a8">therapeutic use of psychedelic mushrooms</a>&nbsp;in her book and tried them herself.“What I would say as a private citizen is in many cases different than what I’d say as a public health official,” Means replied, adding she wouldn’t recommend psychedelics for the public.<h2>Means isn't a traditional candidate for the role</h2>During the hearing, Means said her goal is to “get more whole, healthy foods on American plates.” It's a worldview she developed during her unconventional path in the medical field.After graduating from Stanford University with a doctor of medicine degree, Means dropped out of her surgical residency program at Oregon Health and Science University in 2018. She later cited her belief that the health care system was broken and exploitative as the reason for her withdrawal.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Sen. <a href="https://twitter.com/PattyMurray?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PattyMurray</a> to Surgeon General nominee <a href="https://twitter.com/CaseyMeansMD?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CaseyMeansMD</a>: &quot;You called birth control pills…&#39;a disrespect of life&#39; and you said Americans &#39;use birth control pills like candy.&#39;&quot; Means: &quot;I absolutely believe these medications should be accessible…All medications have risks.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/mvFKOaEK5l">pic.twitter.com/mvFKOaEK5l</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/2026709991709720856?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 25, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Means then turned to alternative approaches to address what she has described as widespread metabolic dysfunction driven largely by poor nutrition and an overabundance of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ultraprocessed-foods-diet-cdc-9d025cd075a3b7bda2d3710da6d3f541">ultraprocessed foods</a>.Because she had completed enough postgraduate training to obtain a medical license, she did so and started her own functional medicine practice in Oregon, which later closed. She co-founded Levels, a nutrition-, sleep- and exercise-tracking app that can give users insights from blood tests and continuous glucose monitoring.Financial disclosures show she made hundreds of thousands of dollars promoting wellness products, including specialty basil seed supplements, teas and elixirs, probiotic products and a prepared meal delivery service. An Associated Press investigation found that while recommending these products, she at times&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/surgeon-general-trump-casey-means-affiliate-conflicts-8d8cb29defa07028dbd97fc24a72c474">failed to disclose</a>&nbsp;that she could profit or benefit from the sales.Senators on Wednesday questioned Means about some of those cases. She said the claims were incorrect, and that she takes conflicts of interest seriously.In&nbsp;<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/27412217-casey-means-ethics-filing/">an ethics filing</a>, Means said that if she is confirmed, she will resign from her Levels position and forfeit or divest stock options and stock in the company. She also pledged to stop working for Rupa, a specialty lab work company for which she developed an online course. While she may continue receiving royalty payments from her book “Good Energy,” she will not promote it, the filing said.The filing also noted she will “not acquire any direct financial interest in entities listed on the Food and Drug Administration’s prohibited holdings list.”At least two previous surgeons general have publicly suggested Means is not fit for the job.Last May, former Bush administration surgeon general Dr. Rich Carmona wrote that Means' professional qualifications “raise significant concerns.” Later that month, President Donald Trump's first-term surgeon general, Dr. Jerome Adams, wrote on social media that the surgeon general's traditional leadership of the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps requires a medical license.Means is seeking to join an administration for which her brother,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/calley-means-rfk-maha-wellness-ethics-f2702b2e26c2883f15dc281f02fe3008">Calley Means</a>, already works. As a senior adviser to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, he has helped promote the Republican administration's warnings about ultraprocessed foods.___Associated Press writers Laura Ungar in Louisville, Kentucky and Nicholas Riccardi in Denver contributed to this report.__