WASHINGTON — A Kansas City resident, attending college in Boston, was arrested and made his initial court appearance in U.S. District Court in Massachusetts, to face federal charges related to an arson at a Tesla business in Kansas City, Missouri.

<a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/media/1397151/dl?inline">Click here to read </a>the criminal complaint

According to the criminal complaint, filed in the Western District of Missouri, Owen McIntire, 19, is charged with one count of unlawful possession of an unregistered destructive device and one count of malicious damage by fire of any property used in interstate commerce.

“Let me be extremely clear to anyone who still wants to firebomb a Tesla property: you will not evade us,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “You will be arrested. You will be prosecuted. You will spend decades behind bars. It is not worth it.”

“Crimes have consequences. The people behind these violent and dangerous attacks on private property will face decades in prison — we will not make deals and we will not negotiate,” said Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche.

“This is the second arrest this week of a suspect charged with targeting Tesla, more proof that the FBI will not stand for these destructive acts,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “These actions are dangerous, they are illegal, and we are going to arrest those responsible. We will work with our partners at the Department of Justice to hold accountable anyone who commits such crimes. I commend our FBI teams in Kansas City and Boston for their work.”

“ATF’s Special Agents and forensic experts recovered and analyzed key evidence—including Molotov cocktails—used in this deliberate and dangerous arson attack,” said Acting Director Dan Driscoll of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF). “This wasn’t vandalism — it was a violent criminal act. Thanks to the relentless work of ATF special agents, and our close coordination with the FBI and local law enforcement, we now have a suspect in custody. I am committed to ensuring ATF continues to stand on the front lines of public safety. ATF will not tolerate those who incite political violence in our communities.”

According to an affidavit filed in support of the federal criminal complaint, on March 17, at approximately 11:16 p.m., an officer with the Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department (KCMOPD) in the vicinity of the Kansas City (KC) Tesla Center observed smoke coming from a grey Cybertruck parked in the KC Tesla Center parking lot. The officer also observed an unbroken suspected incendiary device near the burning Cybertruck. KCMOPD recovered the unbroken incendiary device, also known as a Molotov cocktail. The fire spread from the Cybertruck to a second Cybertruck in the lot. The Kansas City Fire Department responded to the scene to extinguish the fire.

The Cybertrucks had sale prices of $105,485 and $107,485. Additionally, two charging stations were damaged by the fire, each of which is valued at approximately $550.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sean Foley and Trey Alford for the Western District of Missouri and Trial Attorney Patrick Cashman of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section are prosecuting the case.

The FBI Kansas City and Boston Field Offices, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department are investigating the case.

A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/3/1742324423678.png" alt="Photo courtesy KMBC" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy KMBC</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON — A Kansas City resident, attending college in Boston, was arrested and made his initial court appearance in U.S. District Court in Massachusetts, to face federal charges related to an arson at a Tesla business in Kansas City, Missouri.<a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/media/1397151/dl?inline">Click here to read </a>the criminal complaint<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/4/1745180645595.png" alt="McIntire photo Dept. of Justice" />
 <figcaption>McIntire photo Dept. of Justice</figcaption>
 </figure>According to the criminal complaint, filed in the Western District of Missouri, Owen McIntire, 19, is charged with one count of unlawful possession of an unregistered destructive device and one count of malicious damage by fire of any property used in interstate commerce.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">🚨<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BREAKING?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BREAKING</a>: <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FBI?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FBI</a> Boston &amp; <a href="https://twitter.com/FBIKansasCity?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FBIKansasCity</a> special agents &amp; our partners at the ATF have arrested Owen McIntire, a college student in Boston, for allegedly launching a Molotov cocktail at a Tesla facility in Kansas City, MO, while home on spring break. <a href="https://t.co/csDfvwav6H">https://t.co/csDfvwav6H</a> <a href="https://t.co/egcpuyFHaD">pic.twitter.com/egcpuyFHaD</a>&mdash; FBI Boston (@FBIBoston) <a href="https://twitter.com/FBIBoston/status/1913306226303058235?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 18, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>“Let me be extremely clear to anyone who still wants to firebomb a Tesla property: you will not evade us,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “You will be arrested. You will be prosecuted. You will spend decades behind bars. It is not worth it.”“Crimes have consequences. The people behind these violent and dangerous attacks on private property will face decades in prison — we will not make deals and we will not negotiate,” said Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche.“This is the second arrest this week of a suspect charged with targeting Tesla, more proof that the FBI will not stand for these destructive acts,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “These actions are dangerous, they are illegal, and we are going to arrest those responsible. We will work with our partners at the Department of Justice to hold accountable anyone who commits such crimes. I commend our FBI teams in Kansas City and Boston for their work.”“ATF’s Special Agents and forensic experts recovered and analyzed key evidence—including Molotov cocktails—used in this deliberate and dangerous arson attack,” said Acting Director Dan Driscoll of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF). “This wasn’t vandalism — it was a violent criminal act. Thanks to the relentless work of ATF special agents, and our close coordination with the FBI and local law enforcement, we now have a suspect in custody. I am committed to ensuring ATF continues to stand on the front lines of public safety. ATF will not tolerate those who incite political violence in our communities.”According to an affidavit filed in support of the federal criminal complaint, on March 17, at approximately 11:16 p.m., an officer with the Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department (KCMOPD) in the vicinity of the Kansas City (KC) Tesla Center observed smoke coming from a grey Cybertruck parked in the KC Tesla Center parking lot. The officer also observed an unbroken suspected incendiary device near the burning Cybertruck. KCMOPD recovered the unbroken incendiary device, also known as a Molotov cocktail. The fire spread from the Cybertruck to a second Cybertruck in the lot. The Kansas City Fire Department responded to the scene to extinguish the fire.The Cybertrucks had sale prices of $105,485 and $107,485. Additionally, two charging stations were damaged by the fire, each of which is valued at approximately $550.Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sean Foley and Trey Alford for the Western District of Missouri and Trial Attorney Patrick Cashman of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section are prosecuting the case.The FBI Kansas City and Boston Field Offices, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department are investigating the case.A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.&nbsp;

Read the criminal complaint: KC teen charged in Tesla arson case

<a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search/?query=byline:%22RYAN%20J.%20FOLEY%22&amp;mediaType=text&amp;st=keyword&amp;sortOrder=newest">By RYAN J. FOLEY &nbsp;Associated Press</a>

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — In her 28 years working for the federal government, Shea Giagnorio provided day care for the children of U.S. soldiers, training for employees and oversight for safety net programs.

Public service took her from Germany to Alaska to Kansas City, Missouri, where she moved last year for a long-sought promotion.

But when she reported to a downtown federal building for work one day last month, her access card did not work. After a co-worker let her into the building, she checked her email: Her entire office had been let go in the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-human-services-layoffs-restructuring-rfk-jr-fa4e89285e668a3939e20b6cf4c26fd4">latest mass firing</a>&nbsp;ordered by President Donald Trump’s administration.

The 46-year-old single mom has canceled her apartment lease, is selling her new furniture and may have to pull her daughter of college. She wonders what will happen to the at-risk populations her team helped serve at the&nbsp;<a href="https://acf.gov/">Administration for Children and Families</a>, a part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

“Not only me, but all these peoples’ lives are turned upside down,” Giagnorio said.

The impact of the cuts by Trump appointees and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-musk-doge-tesla-government-cuts-c47211544c5382a6207779ee95c6060b">Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency</a>&nbsp;can be found everywhere in the Kansas City metropolitan area, which has long been a major hub for federal agencies about 1,000 miles away from Washington, D.C. Money once promised to the region for public health, environmental, diversity, food aid and an array of other programs has been axed, and thousands of local jobs are in jeopardy.

With nearly 30,000 workers, the federal government is the largest employer in the region. One longtime Kansas City economic researcher said he believes the region could lose 6,000 good-paying federal jobs, which in turn would wipe out thousands of others in service industries.

An IRS worker said thousands of her coworkers fear they will lose their jobs, even as they put in overtime processing tax refunds in a building so crowded that they struggle to find desks. Under pressure, hundreds more agreed this week to retire early or take a buyout.

A U.S. Department of Agriculture grant revocation disrupted a historically Black neighborhood’s plan to expand its program growing fresh produce in a food desert. A nearby pantry reduced its monthly grocery allotment for those in need after federal cuts left food banks shorthanded.

The withdrawal of federal funding for new lab equipment and vaccines means the city may be less prepared for the next pandemic.

A landlord may have to sell an office building for a loss after his federal tenants were among several that abruptly canceled local leases, adding a glut of real estate to the market.

And the city's Tesla showroom has become a spot of weekly protest. Activists are seeking to have it closed by pushing a referendum intended to drive Musk’s electric car company out of Missouri.

HHS: Cuts to service for low-income families

The nation's health department is slashing its full-time national workforce from 82,000 to 62,000. Among them were Giagnorio and her colleagues in her agency's 10 regional offices around the country that helped deliver services through programs such as Head Start and emergency assistance for low-income families.

“The poor will become even more poor now,” Giagnorio said. “If we’re taking away social safety nets, what is the end result? If we’re not helping homeless people anymore, will they freeze to death in the winter? Is that what we want?”

Giagnorio, who spent most of her career as a U.S. Department of Defense civilian employee at bases in Germany and Alaska, is on paid leave until her June 2 termination. She wasted no time looking for another position after being locked out of her office, visiting a job fair hours later that Kansas City hosted for displaced federal workers.

But she doubts she will be able to find a public sector salary anywhere near the $117,000 she made and doesn’t know how her skills translate to the private sector. She worries about losing the health insurance that covers her family and having to pull her daughter out of Maastricht University in the Netherlands after her first year.

For now, she can’t get any answers from the agency to basic questions about her financial future. Does she still qualify for an early retirement buyout offer that had been extended? How much would she receive and when?

IRS: A rush to Tax Day, then layoffs and buyouts

The days leading up to the April 15 tax filing deadline were always going to be busy for workers at the IRS processing center near Union Station, but this year, they were particularly stressful.

The IRS is considering a downsizing that could cut as many as 20,000 employees, or 25% of its workforce, in the coming weeks. The roughly 6,000 employees in Kansas City faced agonizing choices: decide whether to accept resignation or early retirement offers by April 14 or risk losing their jobs later.

“It’s a kick in the stomach to people that are doing everything they can to meet what’s required of them,” said Shannon Ellis, a longtime IRS customer service representative and president of the union representing local workers.

By Thursday, at least 238 Kansas City workers had taken the buyout offers and were expected to leave the agency in coming weeks. Ellis noted many of those same workers had been told they were essential and required to work overtime during tax season, some seven days per week.

Their building has been overcrowded since the IRS ordered remote employees back to the office in March. Workers sometimes struggle to find open desks. Some have to bring their own ink pens and share date stamps to perform basic job functions after budget cuts have depleted supplies.

Ellis said IRS workers share the public’s disdain for taxes but understand that collecting them is necessary to support important programs like Social Security. She said she’s decided to take a “roll of the dice” and stay in her job, spurning an early retirement offer.

“I love my job,” she said. “I’m not going to let the bully force me out.”

Urban farmer Rosie Warren grew 2,500 pounds of fruits and vegetables last year in community gardens to help feed the Ivanhoe neighborhood, where many Black families were concentrated under housing segregation policies of much of the 20th century.

Warren harvested greens, potatoes and watermelons as part of an effort to address food insecurity and health concerns in a neighborhood challenged by blight, crime and poverty. She was ecstatic last fall when the USDA awarded the neighborhood council a three-year, $130,000 grant to expand the gardens and farmers’ market serving the area.

Plans called for hiring an assistant to help Warren with growing more food and to add another market day aimed at serving more low-income older adults, mothers and children.

In February, the council received a notice terminating the grant. The USDA had determined the award “no longer effectuates agency priorities regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion programs and activities.”

On a recent morning, Warren took a break from preparing the soil for planting to ponder the USDA’s decision.

“What do you do if you don’t support providing access to food to people who don’t have it? Wouldn’t this make your job easier?” she said. “I think it’s absurd. It doesn’t make any sense.”

Other food aid in the neighborhood has taken a hit at a time when demand is rising.

At the Bishop Sullivan Center food pantry, hundreds of low-income families are getting fewer groceries in their monthly pickups after USDA halted $500 million worth of deliveries to food banks. That included a planned order for 41,000 cases of meat, dairy and other commodities to a bank serving Kansas City.

“It just means giving families less food,” said pantry director Christopher Lowrance, who said he’s able to provide less chicken and other meat products. “It’s as simple as that.”

Public health: The city lab misses a needed upgrade

The Kansas City Health Department’s laboratory is badly in need of an upgrade, with equipment dating to when the building opened in the 1990s.

One basement space is water damaged and rarely used. Another has equipment that is so inadequate that the city has to ship samples to a state laboratory 150 miles away, causing inefficiencies, agonizing waits for results and delayed response times.

Kansas City’s health director, Dr. Marvia Jones, made it a top priority to modernize the labs this year after studying their response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Her agency planned to use federal funding to purchase new microscopes and testing equipment.

“That early disease detection allows you to do more rapid intervention, more rapid treatment, more rapid isolation,” she said.

But the funding for lab upgrades was abruptly eliminated last month as part of the Trump administration's $11.4 billion cancellation of federal grants to states for public health. That news “crushed” the department's carefully laid plans, Jones said.

Jones said the cuts, $3 million and counting for her department, mean the city will also have fewer vaccines to administer to low-income residents.

“It would be a sad shame for us to be in a worse position than we were before the pandemic,” she said. “We had processed all of our lessons learned, and then now this happens.”

Real estate: A landlord considers selling his building

Amir Minoofar was surprised when two federal agencies notified him that they planned to vacate the office building he’s owned for a decade in Overland Park, Kansas, a suburb of Kansas City.

Minoofar said the Occupational Safety and Health Administration had recently agreed to extend its lease until 2029. The National Labor Relations Board, meanwhile, was paying month to month.

Minoofar said the government initially notified him the agencies would be out of the building in August, part of a DOGE-led blitz of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/doge-federal-buildings-leases-canceled-offices-closed-92974159f6c29a76a90238e8794c7467">hundreds of lease cancellations</a>&nbsp;that has been marked by errors and subsequent reversals.

In the Kansas City metropolitan area, the government is moving to cancel 10 leases totaling 219,000 square feet that cost more than $4 million in annual rent, according to DOGE’s online “Wall of Receipts.”

Minoofar said he was more recently told the agencies will likely have to stay past August and their departure date is now unclear. He said he may have to sell the building, which has an appraised value of $2.9 million, and take a loss because of the difficult office market.

But he said he understands why the government would unload the space, which he said has often been sparsely used since the rise of telework during the pandemic.

“Businesswise, it makes sense for government to cut costs,” he said. “A lot of people are going to be unhappy but it’s a huge gigantic family and they need to take care of it. You cannot keep everybody happy.”

Tesla: Elon Musk's car company faces a statewide campaign

With liberal anger growing at Musk’s role in the government, protesters have gathered Saturdays outside his Tesla dealership in Kansas City to denounce the cuts.

State records show Tesla sales there have dropped amid calls for a boycott. Now, enough voter anger could even force the business to close.

Organizers of a newly launched “Unplug Musk” initiative are seeking to use democracy to strike at the world’s richest man by changing state law to ban car manufacturers from selling directly to consumers.

They say they plan to soon begin gathering the 111,000 signatures of registered voters that they would need to put the change on the statewide ballot in November 2026. If approved by voters, it would force the closure of the Tesla showrooms in Kansas City and St. Louis.

Missouri’s governor, Republican Mike Kehoe, a former auto dealer himself, sponsored a 2014 bill when he was a state senator aimed at requiring manufacturers like Tesla to sell through local dealers. The bill passed the Senate but died in the House after Tesla lobbied against it. The referendum revives that plan.

“There’s not a soul in this country who’s against trying to weed out government inefficiency but just taking a chain saw to people’s lives and their health care is a ridiculous way to achieve that. And it is going to cause some devastating impacts,” said organizer Brad Ketcher, a prominent Democrat and lawyer who helped draft the state’s 2022 marijuana legalization referendum.

The administration's response: Temporary hardship

An HHS spokesperson said the agency's downsizing, including cutting jobs and consolidating divisions, would save money and make the organization more efficient. As for the $11.4 billion in grant funding cuts, the spokesperson said, “HHS will no longer waste billions of taxpayer dollars responding to a nonexistent pandemic that Americans moved on from years ago.”

The IRS has offered a similar rationale for its downsizing, saying it is making process improvements that will ultimately more efficiently serve the public.

Musk said last year that Trump’s budget cuts would cause a “temporary hardship” that would soon put the economy on stronger footing.

One local economic researcher said it remained unclear just how deep that hardship will be in Kansas City, including whether it will just slow growth or cause population losses.

“It's a big burden that’s being placed on a narrow group of people,” said Frank Lenk, director of the Office of Economic Development at the Mid-America Regional Council, a nonprofit of city and county governments in the Kansas City region. “It will definitely take some of the steam out of the local economy."

Trump has credited DOGE with helping end “the flagrant waste of taxpayer dollars,” saving billions to help improve the nation’s finances.

The White House didn't respond to questions about Kansas City. But Trump said recently he would invite the Kansas City Chiefs to the White House to make up for a 2020 Super Bowl victory celebration that was canceled during the pandemic.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/3/1585145323121.png" alt="Photo by Brent Martin" />
 <figcaption>Photo by Brent Martin</figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search/?query=byline:%22RYAN%20J.%20FOLEY%22&amp;mediaType=text&amp;st=keyword&amp;sortOrder=newest">By RYAN J. FOLEY &nbsp;Associated Press</a>KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — In her 28 years working for the federal government, Shea Giagnorio provided day care for the children of U.S. soldiers, training for employees and oversight for safety net programs.Public service took her from Germany to Alaska to Kansas City, Missouri, where she moved last year for a long-sought promotion.But when she reported to a downtown federal building for work one day last month, her access card did not work. After a co-worker let her into the building, she checked her email: Her entire office had been let go in the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-human-services-layoffs-restructuring-rfk-jr-fa4e89285e668a3939e20b6cf4c26fd4">latest mass firing</a>&nbsp;ordered by President Donald Trump’s administration.The 46-year-old single mom has canceled her apartment lease, is selling her new furniture and may have to pull her daughter of college. She wonders what will happen to the at-risk populations her team helped serve at the&nbsp;<a href="https://acf.gov/">Administration for Children and Families</a>, a part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.“Not only me, but all these peoples’ lives are turned upside down,” Giagnorio said.The impact of the cuts by Trump appointees and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-musk-doge-tesla-government-cuts-c47211544c5382a6207779ee95c6060b">Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency</a>&nbsp;can be found everywhere in the Kansas City metropolitan area, which has long been a major hub for federal agencies about 1,000 miles away from Washington, D.C. Money once promised to the region for public health, environmental, diversity, food aid and an array of other programs has been axed, and thousands of local jobs are in jeopardy.With nearly 30,000 workers, the federal government is the largest employer in the region. One longtime Kansas City economic researcher said he believes the region could lose 6,000 good-paying federal jobs, which in turn would wipe out thousands of others in service industries.An IRS worker said thousands of her coworkers fear they will lose their jobs, even as they put in overtime processing tax refunds in a building so crowded that they struggle to find desks. Under pressure, hundreds more agreed this week to retire early or take a buyout.A U.S. Department of Agriculture grant revocation disrupted a historically Black neighborhood’s plan to expand its program growing fresh produce in a food desert. A nearby pantry reduced its monthly grocery allotment for those in need after federal cuts left food banks shorthanded.The withdrawal of federal funding for new lab equipment and vaccines means the city may be less prepared for the next pandemic.A landlord may have to sell an office building for a loss after his federal tenants were among several that abruptly canceled local leases, adding a glut of real estate to the market.And the city's Tesla showroom has become a spot of weekly protest. Activists are seeking to have it closed by pushing a referendum intended to drive Musk’s electric car company out of Missouri.<h2>HHS: Cuts to service for low-income families</h2>The nation's health department is slashing its full-time national workforce from 82,000 to 62,000. Among them were Giagnorio and her colleagues in her agency's 10 regional offices around the country that helped deliver services through programs such as Head Start and emergency assistance for low-income families.“The poor will become even more poor now,” Giagnorio said. “If we’re taking away social safety nets, what is the end result? If we’re not helping homeless people anymore, will they freeze to death in the winter? Is that what we want?”Giagnorio, who spent most of her career as a U.S. Department of Defense civilian employee at bases in Germany and Alaska, is on paid leave until her June 2 termination. She wasted no time looking for another position after being locked out of her office, visiting a job fair hours later that Kansas City hosted for displaced federal workers.But she doubts she will be able to find a public sector salary anywhere near the $117,000 she made and doesn’t know how her skills translate to the private sector. She worries about losing the health insurance that covers her family and having to pull her daughter out of Maastricht University in the Netherlands after her first year.For now, she can’t get any answers from the agency to basic questions about her financial future. Does she still qualify for an early retirement buyout offer that had been extended? How much would she receive and when?<h2>IRS: A rush to Tax Day, then layoffs and buyouts</h2>The days leading up to the April 15 tax filing deadline were always going to be busy for workers at the IRS processing center near Union Station, but this year, they were particularly stressful.The IRS is considering a downsizing that could cut as many as 20,000 employees, or 25% of its workforce, in the coming weeks. The roughly 6,000 employees in Kansas City faced agonizing choices: decide whether to accept resignation or early retirement offers by April 14 or risk losing their jobs later.“It’s a kick in the stomach to people that are doing everything they can to meet what’s required of them,” said Shannon Ellis, a longtime IRS customer service representative and president of the union representing local workers.By Thursday, at least 238 Kansas City workers had taken the buyout offers and were expected to leave the agency in coming weeks. Ellis noted many of those same workers had been told they were essential and required to work overtime during tax season, some seven days per week.Their building has been overcrowded since the IRS ordered remote employees back to the office in March. Workers sometimes struggle to find open desks. Some have to bring their own ink pens and share date stamps to perform basic job functions after budget cuts have depleted supplies.Ellis said IRS workers share the public’s disdain for taxes but understand that collecting them is necessary to support important programs like Social Security. She said she’s decided to take a “roll of the dice” and stay in her job, spurning an early retirement offer.“I love my job,” she said. “I’m not going to let the bully force me out.”<h2>USDA: An urban food desert loses help</h2>Urban farmer Rosie Warren grew 2,500 pounds of fruits and vegetables last year in community gardens to help feed the Ivanhoe neighborhood, where many Black families were concentrated under housing segregation policies of much of the 20th century.Warren harvested greens, potatoes and watermelons as part of an effort to address food insecurity and health concerns in a neighborhood challenged by blight, crime and poverty. She was ecstatic last fall when the USDA awarded the neighborhood council a three-year, $130,000 grant to expand the gardens and farmers’ market serving the area.Plans called for hiring an assistant to help Warren with growing more food and to add another market day aimed at serving more low-income older adults, mothers and children.In February, the council received a notice terminating the grant. The USDA had determined the award “no longer effectuates agency priorities regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion programs and activities.”On a recent morning, Warren took a break from preparing the soil for planting to ponder the USDA’s decision.“What do you do if you don’t support providing access to food to people who don’t have it? Wouldn’t this make your job easier?” she said. “I think it’s absurd. It doesn’t make any sense.”Other food aid in the neighborhood has taken a hit at a time when demand is rising.At the Bishop Sullivan Center food pantry, hundreds of low-income families are getting fewer groceries in their monthly pickups after USDA halted $500 million worth of deliveries to food banks. That included a planned order for 41,000 cases of meat, dairy and other commodities to a bank serving Kansas City.“It just means giving families less food,” said pantry director Christopher Lowrance, who said he’s able to provide less chicken and other meat products. “It’s as simple as that.”<h2>Public health: The city lab misses a needed upgrade</h2>The Kansas City Health Department’s laboratory is badly in need of an upgrade, with equipment dating to when the building opened in the 1990s.One basement space is water damaged and rarely used. Another has equipment that is so inadequate that the city has to ship samples to a state laboratory 150 miles away, causing inefficiencies, agonizing waits for results and delayed response times.Kansas City’s health director, Dr. Marvia Jones, made it a top priority to modernize the labs this year after studying their response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Her agency planned to use federal funding to purchase new microscopes and testing equipment.“That early disease detection allows you to do more rapid intervention, more rapid treatment, more rapid isolation,” she said.But the funding for lab upgrades was abruptly eliminated last month as part of the Trump administration's $11.4 billion cancellation of federal grants to states for public health. That news “crushed” the department's carefully laid plans, Jones said.Jones said the cuts, $3 million and counting for her department, mean the city will also have fewer vaccines to administer to low-income residents.“It would be a sad shame for us to be in a worse position than we were before the pandemic,” she said. “We had processed all of our lessons learned, and then now this happens.”<h2>Real estate: A landlord considers selling his building</h2>Amir Minoofar was surprised when two federal agencies notified him that they planned to vacate the office building he’s owned for a decade in Overland Park, Kansas, a suburb of Kansas City.Minoofar said the Occupational Safety and Health Administration had recently agreed to extend its lease until 2029. The National Labor Relations Board, meanwhile, was paying month to month.Minoofar said the government initially notified him the agencies would be out of the building in August, part of a DOGE-led blitz of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/doge-federal-buildings-leases-canceled-offices-closed-92974159f6c29a76a90238e8794c7467">hundreds of lease cancellations</a>&nbsp;that has been marked by errors and subsequent reversals.In the Kansas City metropolitan area, the government is moving to cancel 10 leases totaling 219,000 square feet that cost more than $4 million in annual rent, according to DOGE’s online “Wall of Receipts.”Minoofar said he was more recently told the agencies will likely have to stay past August and their departure date is now unclear. He said he may have to sell the building, which has an appraised value of $2.9 million, and take a loss because of the difficult office market.But he said he understands why the government would unload the space, which he said has often been sparsely used since the rise of telework during the pandemic.“Businesswise, it makes sense for government to cut costs,” he said. “A lot of people are going to be unhappy but it’s a huge gigantic family and they need to take care of it. You cannot keep everybody happy.”<h2>Tesla: Elon Musk's car company faces a statewide campaign</h2>With liberal anger growing at Musk’s role in the government, protesters have gathered Saturdays outside his Tesla dealership in Kansas City to denounce the cuts.State records show Tesla sales there have dropped amid calls for a boycott. Now, enough voter anger could even force the business to close.Organizers of a newly launched “Unplug Musk” initiative are seeking to use democracy to strike at the world’s richest man by changing state law to ban car manufacturers from selling directly to consumers.They say they plan to soon begin gathering the 111,000 signatures of registered voters that they would need to put the change on the statewide ballot in November 2026. If approved by voters, it would force the closure of the Tesla showrooms in Kansas City and St. Louis.Missouri’s governor, Republican Mike Kehoe, a former auto dealer himself, sponsored a 2014 bill when he was a state senator aimed at requiring manufacturers like Tesla to sell through local dealers. The bill passed the Senate but died in the House after Tesla lobbied against it. The referendum revives that plan.“There’s not a soul in this country who’s against trying to weed out government inefficiency but just taking a chain saw to people’s lives and their health care is a ridiculous way to achieve that. And it is going to cause some devastating impacts,” said organizer Brad Ketcher, a prominent Democrat and lawyer who helped draft the state’s 2022 marijuana legalization referendum.<h2>The administration's response: Temporary hardship</h2>An HHS spokesperson said the agency's downsizing, including cutting jobs and consolidating divisions, would save money and make the organization more efficient. As for the $11.4 billion in grant funding cuts, the spokesperson said, “HHS will no longer waste billions of taxpayer dollars responding to a nonexistent pandemic that Americans moved on from years ago.”The IRS has offered a similar rationale for its downsizing, saying it is making process improvements that will ultimately more efficiently serve the public.Musk said last year that Trump’s budget cuts would cause a “temporary hardship” that would soon put the economy on stronger footing.One local economic researcher said it remained unclear just how deep that hardship will be in Kansas City, including whether it will just slow growth or cause population losses.“It's a big burden that’s being placed on a narrow group of people,” said Frank Lenk, director of the Office of Economic Development at the Mid-America Regional Council, a nonprofit of city and county governments in the Kansas City region. “It will definitely take some of the steam out of the local economy."Trump has credited DOGE with helping end “the flagrant waste of taxpayer dollars,” saving billions to help improve the nation’s finances.The White House didn't respond to questions about Kansas City. But Trump said recently he would invite the Kansas City Chiefs to the White House to make up for a 2020 Super Bowl victory celebration that was canceled during the pandemic.

Kansas City has long been a federal hub. The pain from DOGE’s cuts is everywhere

WASHINGTON (AP) — Approximately 10,000 pages of records related to the 1968 assassination of Sen. Robert F. Kennedy were released Friday, continuing the disclosure of national secrets ordered by President Donald Trump.&nbsp; &nbsp;<a href="https://www.archives.gov/research/rfk">Click here to view the files.</a>

The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration posted roughly 229 files containing the pages to its public website. Many files related to the senator’s assassination had been previously released, but others had not been digitized and sat for decades in storage facilities maintained by the federal government.

“Nearly 60 years after the tragic assassination of Senator Robert F. Kennedy, the American people will, for the first time, have the opportunity to review the federal government’s investigation thanks to the leadership of President Trump,” Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence, said in a statement.

Gabbard also said the files release “shine a long-overdue light on the truth.”

The release of the RFK files comes a month after unredacted files related to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kennedy-assassination-documents-release-trump-c56ed5075b38af809f36a6388797d4ca">the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy</a>&nbsp;were disclosed.

Trump, a Republican, has championed in the name of transparency the release of documents related to high-profile assassinations and investigations. But he’s also been deeply suspicious for years of the government’s intelligence agencies, and his administration’s release of once-hidden files opens the door for additional public scrutiny and questioning about the conclusions and operations of institutions such as the CIA and the FBI.

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., a son of the Democratic New York senator who now serves as the U.S. Health and Human Services secretary, commended Trump and Gabbard for their “courage” and “dogged efforts” to release the files.

“Lifting the veil on the RFK papers is a necessary step toward restoring trust in American government,” the health secretary said in a statement.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/4/1744988598872.png" alt=" " />
 <figcaption> </figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — Approximately 10,000 pages of records related to the 1968 assassination of Sen. Robert F. Kennedy were released Friday, continuing the disclosure of national secrets ordered by President Donald Trump.&nbsp; &nbsp;<a href="https://www.archives.gov/research/rfk">Click here to view the files.</a>The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration posted roughly 229 files containing the pages to its public website. Many files related to the senator’s assassination had been previously released, but others had not been digitized and sat for decades in storage facilities maintained by the federal government.“Nearly 60 years after the tragic assassination of Senator Robert F. Kennedy, the American people will, for the first time, have the opportunity to review the federal government’s investigation thanks to the leadership of President Trump,” Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence, said in a statement.Gabbard also said the files release “shine a long-overdue light on the truth.”The release of the RFK files comes a month after unredacted files related to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kennedy-assassination-documents-release-trump-c56ed5075b38af809f36a6388797d4ca">the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy</a>&nbsp;were disclosed.Trump, a Republican, has championed in the name of transparency the release of documents related to high-profile assassinations and investigations. But he’s also been deeply suspicious for years of the government’s intelligence agencies, and his administration’s release of once-hidden files opens the door for additional public scrutiny and questioning about the conclusions and operations of institutions such as the CIA and the FBI.Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., a son of the Democratic New York senator who now serves as the U.S. Health and Human Services secretary, commended Trump and Gabbard for their “courage” and “dogged efforts” to release the files.“Lifting the veil on the RFK papers is a necessary step toward restoring trust in American government,” the health secretary said in a statement.

Read the just released files: 1968 Robert F. Kennedy assassination 

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>

GOP House leader says anyone sounding revenue alarm likely a ‘budget boogeyman’

TOPEKA — A bullish revenue picture for state government in Kansas through the current and next fiscal years couldn’t sugarcoat projections the state budget could end up with a $730 million deficit by 2029 if lawmakers continued spending more than what was collected in revenue.

The new forecast released Thursday by the Consensus Revenue Group, which is responsible for updating financial reports twice each year, indicated the treasury could expect to collect $157 million more in the current fiscal year than projected in November. In addition, the state could receive $219 million more in the 2026 fiscal year than predicted six months ago. The state general fund takes in about $10 billion annually.

The estimating group said the state’s budget ending balance could sit at $2.29 billion at close of the current fiscal year in June, but fall to $1.73 billion in 2026, $903 million in 2027 and $63 million in 2028 before going under water by $730 million in 2029.

Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly said the latest revenue estimates from university economists and state financial experts could be viewed as positive news.

“In reality, they underscore the seriousness of the financial predicament ahead,” Kelly said. “The bizarre and irresponsible budget gimmicks used by the Republican-led Legislature spend more than the state takes in by nearly $800 million per year. Ultimately, this will lead to a historically large budget deficit.”

She said the revenue update came one week after GOP House and Senate leaders adjourned the annual legislative session. Traditionally, the Legislature remained in session until the revenue forecast was updated so spending and tax policy could be refined.

“Kansans need to demand their legislators restore fiscal sanity and fairness when they return in January,” Kelly said.

House Speaker Dan Hawkins, a Republican from Wichita, said the Legislature successfully assumed a more direct approach to developing the new state budget and produced a plan that spent less than recommended by the governor.

He said the Legislature was confident in the wisdom of the three-year, $1.2 billion income tax cut adopted in the 2024 special session and the additional tax relief approved in the 2025 regular session.

“Be wary of those who want to make political hay by invoking the budget boogeyman and screaming that the sky is falling,” Hawkins said. “These positive consensus revenue estimates reaffirm we’re headed down a smart and sustainable path as we continue to monitor all fiscal data as it’s available.”

Adam Proffitt, secretary of the Kansas Department of administration and budget director for the governor, state tax reductions and elevated spending were significant drivers of the state’s financial prospectus.

He said the extended assessment was that state revenue could remain below expenditures during the next four years unless a different approach was taken by state lawmakers.

“We need to get more structurally balanced,” Proffitt said. “This is something we’ve been watching for a couple years. I think the governor’s been pretty consistent in her message that we need to be showing fiscal restraint and making sure we have a good handle on expenditures and don’t grow them unnecessarily.”

Proffitt said the projected $800 million decline in state budget ending balances in fiscal years 2027, 2028 and 2029 would leave the state in dire financial condition. An unknown for forecasters, for a couple more months after close of tax season, was the influence of retroactive income tax cuts approved by the state lawmakers in 2024, he said. In addition, he said, the forecast changes didn’t take into account the influence of tax bills on Kelly’s desk nor possible federal policy shifts.

Shirley Morrow, director of the nonpartisan Kansas Legislative Research Department, said during a news conference at the Capitol the solution to the state’s future budget predicament was obvious.

“To me,” she said, “the simple answer — and this is going to be too simple — is increase revenue and decrease expenditures.”

Morrow said forces that could influence the state’s bottom line were tied to volatility in the U.S. economy. Factors capable of altering the fiscal assessment included persistently elevated inflation, trade policy changes relevant to agriculture exports and aviation manufacturing, shifting unemployment rates, sustained high interest rates, cuts in federal funding to states, monetary policy and geopolitical dynamics, she said.

“The reoccurring theme throughout the forecast cycle is an increased volatility in the state’s economy,” Morrow said.

She said the Kansas inflation rate in 2025 was raised from 2.3% to 2.9% while the estimate for inflation in 2026 was raised from 2.2% to 2.5%. Kansas has added 3,300 jobs over the year, she said.

In terms of agriculture, she said, crop producers continued to struggle with low commodity prices and high input costs. Livestock producers were looking to expand beef herds based on continued escalation in market prices, she said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/4/1744995015357.png" alt=" Adam Proffitt, state budget director, and Shirley Morrow, director of the Kansas Legislative Research Department, brief reporters on revised state revenue estimates that outline unanticipated growth in revenue this year and next year. They warned of budget problems if the Legislature continued to expend more money than collected in revenue. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption> Adam Proffitt, state budget director, and Shirley Morrow, director of the Kansas Legislative Research Department, brief reporters on revised state revenue estimates that outline unanticipated growth in revenue this year and next year. They warned of budget problems if the Legislature continued to expend more money than collected in revenue. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>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><h2>GOP House leader says anyone sounding revenue alarm likely a ‘budget boogeyman’</h2>TOPEKA — A bullish revenue picture for state government in Kansas through the current and next fiscal years couldn’t sugarcoat projections the state budget could end up with a $730 million deficit by 2029 if lawmakers continued spending more than what was collected in revenue.The new forecast released Thursday by the Consensus Revenue Group, which is responsible for updating financial reports twice each year, indicated the treasury could expect to collect $157 million more in the current fiscal year than projected in November. In addition, the state could receive $219 million more in the 2026 fiscal year than predicted six months ago. The state general fund takes in about $10 billion annually.The estimating group said the state’s budget ending balance could sit at $2.29 billion at close of the current fiscal year in June, but fall to $1.73 billion in 2026, $903 million in 2027 and $63 million in 2028 before going under water by $730 million in 2029.Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly said the latest revenue estimates from university economists and state financial experts could be viewed as positive news.“In reality, they underscore the seriousness of the financial predicament ahead,” Kelly said. “The bizarre and irresponsible budget gimmicks used by the Republican-led Legislature spend more than the state takes in by nearly $800 million per year. Ultimately, this will lead to a historically large budget deficit.”She said the revenue update came one week after GOP House and Senate leaders adjourned the annual legislative session. Traditionally, the Legislature remained in session until the revenue forecast was updated so spending and tax policy could be refined.“Kansans need to demand their legislators restore fiscal sanity and fairness when they return in January,” Kelly said.House Speaker Dan Hawkins, a Republican from Wichita, said the Legislature successfully assumed a more direct approach to developing the new state budget and produced a plan that spent less than recommended by the governor.He said the Legislature was confident in the wisdom of the three-year, $1.2 billion income tax cut adopted in the 2024 special session and the additional tax relief approved in the 2025 regular session.“Be wary of those who want to make political hay by invoking the budget boogeyman and screaming that the sky is falling,” Hawkins said. “These positive consensus revenue estimates reaffirm we’re headed down a smart and sustainable path as we continue to monitor all fiscal data as it’s available.”<h2>A structural imbalance</h2>Adam Proffitt, secretary of the Kansas Department of administration and budget director for the governor, state tax reductions and elevated spending were significant drivers of the state’s financial prospectus.He said the extended assessment was that state revenue could remain below expenditures during the next four years unless a different approach was taken by state lawmakers.“We need to get more structurally balanced,” Proffitt said. “This is something we’ve been watching for a couple years. I think the governor’s been pretty consistent in her message that we need to be showing fiscal restraint and making sure we have a good handle on expenditures and don’t grow them unnecessarily.”Proffitt said the projected $800 million decline in state budget ending balances in fiscal years 2027, 2028 and 2029 would leave the state in dire financial condition. An unknown for forecasters, for a couple more months after close of tax season, was the influence of retroactive income tax cuts approved by the state lawmakers in 2024, he said. In addition, he said, the forecast changes didn’t take into account the influence of tax bills on Kelly’s desk nor possible federal policy shifts.Shirley Morrow, director of the nonpartisan Kansas Legislative Research Department, said during a news conference at the Capitol the solution to the state’s future budget predicament was obvious.“To me,” she said, “the simple answer — and this is going to be too simple — is increase revenue and decrease expenditures.”Morrow said forces that could influence the state’s bottom line were tied to volatility in the U.S. economy. Factors capable of altering the fiscal assessment included persistently elevated inflation, trade policy changes relevant to agriculture exports and aviation manufacturing, shifting unemployment rates, sustained high interest rates, cuts in federal funding to states, monetary policy and geopolitical dynamics, she said.“The reoccurring theme throughout the forecast cycle is an increased volatility in the state’s economy,” Morrow said.She said the Kansas inflation rate in 2025 was raised from 2.3% to 2.9% while the estimate for inflation in 2026 was raised from 2.2% to 2.5%. Kansas has added 3,300 jobs over the year, she said.In terms of agriculture, she said, crop producers continued to struggle with low commodity prices and high input costs. Livestock producers were looking to expand beef herds based on continued escalation in market prices, she said.

Analysts raise Kansas’ short-term revenue forecast, warn of budget woes on horizon

WASHINGTON (AP) —The Trump administration is asking Congress to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/head-start-office-closures-hhs-trump-00b1a6b33ef918cb66e59b7ffb07ac13">eliminate funding for Head Start,</a>&nbsp;a move that would cut early education for more than half a million of the nation’s neediest children and child care for their families.

The proposal is tucked in a 64-page internal draft budget document obtained by The Associated Press that seeks&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-agencies-cuts-70ae99161321f0b779e2e56d8d2db304">deep cuts</a>&nbsp;at the Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees Head Start. It is still in a highly preliminary phase as the White House prepares to send Congress its budget request for the 2026 fiscal year.

It is not clear if the proposed cuts will be accepted by lawmakers. While Congress often ignores a president’s budget request, the proposed elimination of Head Start highlights the administration’s priorities as President Donald Trump&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-woke-education-24f864d83e2f5745d12a79ebac0d7cc4">seeks to overhaul education</a>&nbsp;in the United States.

“The budget does not fund Head Start,” according to the draft. It says eliminating the program is consistent with the Trump administration’s “goals of returning control of education to the states and increasing parental control.”

“The federal government should not be in the business of mandating curriculum, locations, and performance standards for any form of education,” the document says.

Spokespeople for Health and Human Services did not respond to a request for comment.

Since taking office in January, the Trump administration has vowed to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/education-department-trump-ab509ad5778497dfbd6d53b9eef692b5">dismantle the Department of Education</a>, has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/dei-critical-race-theory-colleges-diversity-db8317ad37931558dd5a396cf5ab3d42">banned diversity initiatives</a>&nbsp;at schools and has frozen funding at several elite universities in an attempt to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/harvard-trump-federal-cuts-universities-protests-8fa92331b2780394ea171b0b32d5d243">force change at colleges</a>&nbsp;that Republicans say have become hotbeds of liberalism and antisemitism.

The Head Start program had already been hit this year by layoffs and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/head-start-funding-preschool-child-care-closures-1f92fa98f320c7c14db63e69b986d11d">funding lags</a>, along with a glitch this winter that briefly locked preschool providers out of their federal accounts. The private and public schools that run Head Start classrooms are deeply reliant on federal money, and this year’s funding problems have caused some&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/head-start-blackouts-trump-6e7655e56c0b451092411e7fdd1def2e">preschools to close temporarily.</a>

Those closures cut off child care for hundreds of thousands of low-income families, for whom a day without work is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/daycare-child-care-college-degree-moms-ac72f1227844eae0281305835e07273b">often a day without pay</a>.

The National Head Start Association said it was “deeply alarmed” by the administration’s proposal to stop funding the six-decade-old program.

“It reflects a divestment in our future,” said Yasmina Vinci, executive director of the NHSA, in a statement Thursday. “Eliminating funding for Head Start would be catastrophic. It would be a direct attack on our nation’s most at-risk children, their well-being, and their families.”

Head Start is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/preschool-head-start-alaska-education-b32c3623193f2b972521922954b71dbd">more than just a preschool program</a>, Vinci said. It provides meals and health screenings and helps level the playing field for children who might otherwise fall behind before starting kindergarten. Many Head Start children are in foster care or are homeless.

A lag in funding to Head Start since January has caused some Head Start preschool classrooms to close. The federal government has distributed $1.6 billion for Head Start from Jan. 1 through Tuesday, compared with $2.55 billion issued during the same period last year, according to the office of Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., which has been analyzing a&nbsp;<a href="https://taggs.hhs.gov/" target="_blank">federal database</a>. Murray said the Trump administration had “slow-walked” funding appropriated by Congress.

“This administration believes we cannot afford to help families get preschool or help kids get basic health services, but we can afford trillions of dollars more in tax breaks for billionaires,” Murray said earlier this week. “It’s offensive and just plain wrong, and let me be clear: Democrats won’t let a proposal like this go anywhere in Congress.”

“But that doesn’t mean Head Start and so many other programs aren’t under grave threat — because Trump has proven he’ll ignore our laws and do whatever he can to break these programs on his own,” Murray said.

Head Start operates in all 50 states. Parents who otherwise would not be able to afford child care rely on it when they work or go to school. Supporters say that underscores the importance of Head Start to the economy and at-risk children alike.

While Head Start has enjoyed bipartisan support since its creation under President Lyndon B. Johnson’s War on Poverty, some Republicans have emphasized its shortcomings and criticized efforts to increase funding. And Project 2025, the policy blueprint created by the conservative Heritage Foundation, called for eliminating Head Start altogether.

AP Education Writers Cheyanne Mumphrey and Moriah Balingit contributed.

The Associated Press’ education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ap.org/about/news-values-and-principles/" target="_blank">standards</a>&nbsp;for working with philanthropies, a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ap.org/about/supporting-ap/" target="_blank">list</a>&nbsp;of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/4/1744927349106.png" alt=" " />
 <figcaption> </figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) —The Trump administration is asking Congress to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/head-start-office-closures-hhs-trump-00b1a6b33ef918cb66e59b7ffb07ac13">eliminate funding for Head Start,</a>&nbsp;a move that would cut early education for more than half a million of the nation’s neediest children and child care for their families.The proposal is tucked in a 64-page internal draft budget document obtained by The Associated Press that seeks&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-agencies-cuts-70ae99161321f0b779e2e56d8d2db304">deep cuts</a>&nbsp;at the Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees Head Start. It is still in a highly preliminary phase as the White House prepares to send Congress its budget request for the 2026 fiscal year.It is not clear if the proposed cuts will be accepted by lawmakers. While Congress often ignores a president’s budget request, the proposed elimination of Head Start highlights the administration’s priorities as President Donald Trump&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-woke-education-24f864d83e2f5745d12a79ebac0d7cc4">seeks to overhaul education</a>&nbsp;in the United States.“The budget does not fund Head Start,” according to the draft. It says eliminating the program is consistent with the Trump administration’s “goals of returning control of education to the states and increasing parental control.”“The federal government should not be in the business of mandating curriculum, locations, and performance standards for any form of education,” the document says.Spokespeople for Health and Human Services did not respond to a request for comment.Since taking office in January, the Trump administration has vowed to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/education-department-trump-ab509ad5778497dfbd6d53b9eef692b5">dismantle the Department of Education</a>, has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/dei-critical-race-theory-colleges-diversity-db8317ad37931558dd5a396cf5ab3d42">banned diversity initiatives</a>&nbsp;at schools and has frozen funding at several elite universities in an attempt to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/harvard-trump-federal-cuts-universities-protests-8fa92331b2780394ea171b0b32d5d243">force change at colleges</a>&nbsp;that Republicans say have become hotbeds of liberalism and antisemitism.The Head Start program had already been hit this year by layoffs and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/head-start-funding-preschool-child-care-closures-1f92fa98f320c7c14db63e69b986d11d">funding lags</a>, along with a glitch this winter that briefly locked preschool providers out of their federal accounts. The private and public schools that run Head Start classrooms are deeply reliant on federal money, and this year’s funding problems have caused some&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/head-start-blackouts-trump-6e7655e56c0b451092411e7fdd1def2e">preschools to close temporarily.</a>Those closures cut off child care for hundreds of thousands of low-income families, for whom a day without work is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/daycare-child-care-college-degree-moms-ac72f1227844eae0281305835e07273b">often a day without pay</a>.The National Head Start Association said it was “deeply alarmed” by the administration’s proposal to stop funding the six-decade-old program.“It reflects a divestment in our future,” said Yasmina Vinci, executive director of the NHSA, in a statement Thursday. “Eliminating funding for Head Start would be catastrophic. It would be a direct attack on our nation’s most at-risk children, their well-being, and their families.”Head Start is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/preschool-head-start-alaska-education-b32c3623193f2b972521922954b71dbd">more than just a preschool program</a>, Vinci said. It provides meals and health screenings and helps level the playing field for children who might otherwise fall behind before starting kindergarten. Many Head Start children are in foster care or are homeless.A lag in funding to Head Start since January has caused some Head Start preschool classrooms to close. The federal government has distributed $1.6 billion for Head Start from Jan. 1 through Tuesday, compared with $2.55 billion issued during the same period last year, according to the office of Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., which has been analyzing a&nbsp;<a href="https://taggs.hhs.gov/" target="_blank">federal database</a>. Murray said the Trump administration had “slow-walked” funding appropriated by Congress.“This administration believes we cannot afford to help families get preschool or help kids get basic health services, but we can afford trillions of dollars more in tax breaks for billionaires,” Murray said earlier this week. “It’s offensive and just plain wrong, and let me be clear: Democrats won’t let a proposal like this go anywhere in Congress.”“But that doesn’t mean Head Start and so many other programs aren’t under grave threat — because Trump has proven he’ll ignore our laws and do whatever he can to break these programs on his own,” Murray said.Head Start operates in all 50 states. Parents who otherwise would not be able to afford child care rely on it when they work or go to school. Supporters say that underscores the importance of Head Start to the economy and at-risk children alike.While Head Start has enjoyed bipartisan support since its creation under President Lyndon B. Johnson’s War on Poverty, some Republicans have emphasized its shortcomings and criticized efforts to increase funding. And Project 2025, the policy blueprint created by the conservative Heritage Foundation, called for eliminating Head Start altogether.___AP Education Writers Cheyanne Mumphrey and Moriah Balingit contributed.___The Associated Press’ education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ap.org/about/news-values-and-principles/" target="_blank">standards</a>&nbsp;for working with philanthropies, a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ap.org/about/supporting-ap/" target="_blank">list</a>&nbsp;of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

White House wants to end funding for Head Start 

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Hutchinson City Council voted Tuesday to set a public hearing for May 6 to consider the advisability of creating a new Community Improvement District (CID) for Phase Two of redevelopment efforts at the Uptown Hutch mall.

RockStep Hutchinson, LLC, the mall’s owner, has petitioned the city to replace the current 1-percent CID sales tax with a 2-percent rate to support further revitalization of the property. The requested resolution does not approve the CID itself but rather sets the stage for a formal public hearing where the proposal will be discussed in full.

Tommy Stewart, a representative of RockStep Hutchinson LLC, was present at the meeting, and Marc Abbott, legal counsel for the developer, joined via Zoom.

“The resolution we’re asking you to approve tonight is simply to set the public hearing for May 6 at 5:30 p.m. during the council meeting,” city finance director Angela Richard explained. “At that time, the public can provide input, and the developer will present more details, including the proposed development agreement.”

The proposed project aims to attract additional tenants to the aging mall, with key redevelopment activities expected to be completed by 2027. Once benchmarks outlined in the development agreement are met, the city would work with the state to implement the 2-percent CID and retire the existing 1-percent CID.

As part of the agreement, RockStep Hutchinson LLC has also committed to maintaining the mall's parking lots and private roads, a request made by city officials. The developer has already provided funding to cover legal and publication costs associated with the CID process.

During the meeting, questions were raised about the effectiveness of the current CID and the state of the mall property.

“How long has this 1-percent been on, and how much money are we sitting on right now before we go and invest another 1-percent on top of it?” asked Mike Warren, a Reno County resident. “There’s nothing being done out there in that mall area at all.”

City officials responded that questions regarding the financial status of the existing CID and future plans would be better addressed at the public hearing. They also clarified that CID funds are collected by the city and distributed to the developer only for reimbursable expenses that align with the approved development plan. The city retains a 5-percent administrative fee.

Marc Abbott emphasized that a comprehensive presentation will be made at the public hearing, including specific project components, total cost, and the portion eligible for CID reimbursement.

Council members noted that the purpose of Tuesday’s vote was only to schedule the public hearing, not to approve the CID itself.

“I believe it’s always a good idea to set a hearing date,” Mayor Stacy Goss said. “There’s a lot of frustration and it's not with this CID, it's the one next door and that's something council has been talking about with staff."&nbsp;

Council members also requested that staff provide a basic primer on how CIDs work at the upcoming meeting, along with a map to help inform the public.

The public hearing will take place at the Hutchinson City Council meeting on Monday, May 6, at 5:30 p.m. at City Hall.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/5/1621890535346.jpeg" alt="Food Court Uptown Hutch Main Entrance (file photo)&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>Food Court Uptown Hutch Main Entrance (file photo)&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>MARC JACOBS Hutch Post&nbsp;HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Hutchinson City Council voted Tuesday to set a public hearing for May 6 to consider the advisability of creating a new Community Improvement District (CID) for Phase Two of redevelopment efforts at the Uptown Hutch mall.RockStep Hutchinson, LLC, the mall’s owner, has petitioned the city to replace the current 1-percent CID sales tax with a 2-percent rate to support further revitalization of the property. The requested resolution does not approve the CID itself but rather sets the stage for a formal public hearing where the proposal will be discussed in full.Tommy Stewart, a representative of RockStep Hutchinson LLC, was present at the meeting, and Marc Abbott, legal counsel for the developer, joined via Zoom.“The resolution we’re asking you to approve tonight is simply to set the public hearing for May 6 at 5:30 p.m. during the council meeting,” city finance director Angela Richard explained. “At that time, the public can provide input, and the developer will present more details, including the proposed development agreement.”The proposed project aims to attract additional tenants to the aging mall, with key redevelopment activities expected to be completed by 2027. Once benchmarks outlined in the development agreement are met, the city would work with the state to implement the 2-percent CID and retire the existing 1-percent CID.As part of the agreement, RockStep Hutchinson LLC has also committed to maintaining the mall's parking lots and private roads, a request made by city officials. The developer has already provided funding to cover legal and publication costs associated with the CID process.During the meeting, questions were raised about the effectiveness of the current CID and the state of the mall property.“How long has this 1-percent been on, and how much money are we sitting on right now before we go and invest another 1-percent on top of it?” asked Mike Warren, a Reno County resident. “There’s nothing being done out there in that mall area at all.”City officials responded that questions regarding the financial status of the existing CID and future plans would be better addressed at the public hearing. They also clarified that CID funds are collected by the city and distributed to the developer only for reimbursable expenses that align with the approved development plan. The city retains a 5-percent administrative fee.Marc Abbott emphasized that a comprehensive presentation will be made at the public hearing, including specific project components, total cost, and the portion eligible for CID reimbursement.Council members noted that the purpose of Tuesday’s vote was only to schedule the public hearing, not to approve the CID itself.“I believe it’s always a good idea to set a hearing date,” Mayor Stacy Goss said. “There’s a lot of frustration and it's not with this CID, it's the one next door and that's something council has been talking about with staff."&nbsp;Council members also requested that staff provide a basic primer on how CIDs work at the upcoming meeting, along with a map to help inform the public.The public hearing will take place at the Hutchinson City Council meeting on Monday, May 6, at 5:30 p.m. at City Hall.

Council sets public hearing to consider expanded CID for Uptown Hutch Mall 

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — The 20-year-old son of a sheriff’s deputy opened fire Thursday at Florida State University with his mother’s former service weapon, killing two people and wounding at least six others, investigators said.

Officers quickly arrived and shot and wounded the shooter after he refused to comply with commands, said Tallahassee Police Chief Lawrence Revell.

Authorities have not yet revealed a motive for the shooting, which began around lunch time just outside the student union, sending students and frightened parents hiding for cover in a bowling alley and a freight elevator inside the building.

The shooter, identified by police as Phoenix Ikner, is believed to be a Florida State student, investigators said.

He had obtained access to a weapon that belongs to his mother, who has been with the sheriff’s office for over 18 years, said Walt McNeil, Sheriff of Leon County. Police said they believed Ikner shot the victims using his mother's former service handgun.

The two people who died were not students at the university, said Florida State University Police Chief Jason Trumbower, adding that he would not release additional information about the victims.

Tallahassee Memorial Hospital confirmed it was treating six patients wounded from in the shooting, one in critical condition.

Ambulances, fire trucks and patrol vehicles from multiple law enforcement agencies raced toward the campus just west of Florida's capital after the university issued an active shooter alert Thursday.

Ryan Cedergren, a 21-year-old communications student, said he and about 30 others hid in the bowling alley in the union's lower level after seeing students running from a nearby bar.

“In that moment, it was survival,” he said.

Chris Pento said he and his twins were getting lunch at the student union during a campus tour when they heard gunshots. “It was surreal. And people just started running,” he told WCTV in Tallahassee.

They crammed into a service elevator after encountering locked doors at the end of a hallway. “That was probably the scariest point because we didn’t know. It could get worse, right?” he said. “The doors opened and two officers were there, guns drawn.”

Dozens of patrol vehicles, including a forensics van, were parked outside the student union hours after the shooting. Officers blocked off the area with crime scene tape.

Students and staff who left behind phones, keys and other items in the rush to evacuate waited in the shade and prayed for the victims.

President Donald Trump said from the Oval Office that he had been fully briefed on the shooting. “It’s a horrible thing. It’s horrible that things like this take place,” he said.

After receiving warnings of an active shooter, students and faculty took cover and waited in classrooms, offices and dorms across campus.

The first thing you think of is just, ‘This can’t be true,’ right?” said Kai McGalla, a sophomore who spoke by phone while locked down at a campus testing center.

Junior Joshua Sirmans, 20, was in the main library when alarms went off. Law enforcement officers escorted him and other students from the library with their hands over their heads, he said.

Florida State University is one of Florida’s 12 public universities, with its main campus in Tallahassee. About 44,000 students are enrolled in the university, per the school’s 2024 fact sheet.

In 2014, the main library was the site of a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/1be5cc23a6bf497baaf76e3928145c8e">shooting that wounded three people</a>. Officers shot and killed the gunman, 31-year-old Myron May.

The university canceled all classes and events for Thursday. It also canceled home athletic events through Sunday.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — A gunman opened fire Thursday at Florida State University, killing two people and wounded at least five others, police said. The 20-year-old gunman was the son of a sheriff’s deputy whose former service weapon was used in the shooting, authorities said.

The two people who died were not students at the university, but the shooter is believed to be a student, Florida State University Police Chief Jason Trumbower.

Five people were being treated at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital, Trumbower said, and the shooter was also receiving medical attention.

Students and frightened parents hid in a bowling alley and crammed into a freight elevator inside the student union after hearing gunshots outside the building.

Ambulances, fire trucks and patrol vehicles from multiple law enforcement agencies raced toward the campus just west of Florida's capital after the university issued an active shooter alert midday Thursday, saying police were responding near the student union.

After about 15 minutes, university police escorted the students out of the building and he saw a person getting emergency treatment on the lawn, he said.

Chris Pento told WCTV in Tallahassee that he and his twins were getting lunch at the student union during a campus tour when they heard gunshots.

“It was surreal. And people just started running,” he told the TV station.

They packed into a service elevator after encountering locked doors at the end of a hallway. “That was probably the scariest point because we didn’t know. It could get worse, right?” he said. “The doors opened and two officers were there, guns drawn.”

Florida State’s alert system announced about three hours after the shooting that law enforcement had "neutralized the threat." Officials asked students and faculty to avoid the student union and other areas still considered an active crime scene.

Dozens of patrol vehicles, including a forensics van, were parked outside the student union. Officers blocked off the area with crime scene tape.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Multiple victims were reported in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/florida-state-university-shooter-alert-bf66a24ea91959697c7138089b2ef6fb">a shooting Thursday at Florida State University</a>&nbsp;and a suspect was taken into police custody, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press. The extent of the victims’ injuries was not immediately known and there were no additional details about the person who was in custody.

The person was not authorized to publicly discuss details of the ongoing investigation and spoke to The AP on condition of anonymity.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/florida-state-shooting-what-to-know-d444a6ee8f31024f83f0ee320acf7339">Police and FBI were on scene at the university.</a>

Florida State University is canceling classes through Friday, which is two weeks before the university’s scheduled commencement ceremony for graduates on May 2 to 3.

The university’s official finals week per its academic calendar are scheduled to start April 28.

FSU’s alert system announced shortly after 3 p.m. that law enforcement had “neutralized the threat."

Officials are asking students and faculty to avoid the Student Union and several other areas that are still considered an active crime scene. People are otherwise free to move about the campus.

Jake Nair, a senior at Florida State University, was studying in the library when a police officer dashed out of the building, yelling for everyone to stay in place.

“He ran outside with his gun out,” Nair said. “Not all the students heard him, and some of them ran out the back of the library.”

Nair said an alarm in the library then went off and a recorded message warned students to shelter in place because of an active shooter on campus.

Then about five officers came into the library and escorted the students out with their hands up.

“I think they just wanted to make sure none of us had a weapon on us,” Nair said. “To be honest, it was a bit of a surreal moment. It’s the kind of thing you only see on the news.”

The county medical examiner’s office has no updates at this time

An office employee for the Leon County Medical Examiner’s office declined to release information on whether any deaths had been reported to their office at this time, noting that the investigation is still ongoing.

For some Florida State University faculty and staffers who have been on campus for the past dozen years, Thursday’s events brought back memories of another shooting at the school’s main library more than a decade ago.