<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/information/Class_3A_State_Tournament/Lede_Page">3A STATE TOURNAMENT INFORMATION</a>

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

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Hutchinson Community College campus will once again be busy this week with the return of the Kansas State High School Activities Association (KSHSAA) class 3A boys and girls state basketball tournaments.

The four-day event runs Wednesday, March 12 through Saturday, March 15 at the Hutchinson Sports Arena. There will be four games per day, with girls playing quarterfinals Wednesday and boys on Thursday. Friday features semifinal action and then on Saturday the 3rd place games and state title games.

This year marks the 71st KSHSAA state tournament that the Hutchinson Sports Arena has hosted. The arena opened in 1952, and has hosted a tournament every year with the exception of 1973 and 1974. Overall, this will be the 82nd state tournament held in the Salt City, as 10 tournaments were hosted at Memorial Hall prior to the completion of the Sports Arena.

"It brings families, it brings students to our community," HutchCC athletic director Josh Gooch said. "They're eating in our restaurants, stay in our hotels, shop in our shops, it's larger than just our community college, although that's where the games are held at either at the Sports Arena or at Gowans Stadium. Our Visit Hutch, our collaboration with Visit Hutch, the chamber, they're a close partner with us as we navigate securing those events. We take a lot of pride in our relationship with KSHSAA."

Bill Faflick, the executive director of the KSHSAA is happy to continue the partnership with Hutchinson for the numerous sports.

"The KSHSAA is fortunate to have the opportunity to conduct championship activities in Hutchinson," Faflick said. "We make the decision to continue to host events in Hutchinson because of the people who are conducting those events. More specifically, we believe the staff at Hutchinson Community College, under the leadership of AD Josh Gooch, understand the importance of creating a championship atmosphere for students and the school communities participating in championship tournaments. Addressing an almost unending list of details, Josh and his team realize each of those items make a difference for those coming to events they host."

Whether it's state football, state basketball, or state volleyball, each event takes a village to make possible.

"With the events we host it does take everybody," Gooch said. "The facilities staff is second to none, the reason why we can turn the events and host multiple games in days is because our facilities staff is prepped and prepared or the field and the places where the patrons are, the ins and outs of the buildings and stadiums are as nice as they get anywhere you go. We've got an army of people that make these events possible. We started working on this year's state basketball tournament on January 14 when I looked back at my notes."

A repreresentative from the KSHSAA comes to Hutchinson and meets with the staff to make sure they're prepared to host.

"They go over any of the new items that might be taking place that year," Gooch said. "They also tell us some things we can improve on and things that they want to highlight that we do well. Each of my staff has different roles and the volunteers each have their own roles, as well."

One of those staff members is HutchCC sports information director Steve Carpenter. Of the many tasks Carpenter has, one is the media contact for all media attending the 3A tournament.&nbsp;

"I have checked on this with KSHSAA and we are by and large the most heavily covered tournament from a media standpoint," Carpenter said. "Early on, I take care of getting all of the credentials administered to and making sure we've got them all locked in for when the tournament starts."

Once the games tipoff on Wednesday, Carpenter can be found on his laptop at the table on the south side of the Sports Arena.

"You'll see me at the scorers table, myself and my stat crew, constantly running stats," Carpenter said. "This year I thought about wearing a pedometer to track my steps, because we run stats at every timeout. The stats to me are very important, because they have to be accurate, this is the one chance we get to do it. Especially if there are state records or anything, we want to make sure we are specifically accurate with that and there's no having to go back and question it. I take a lot of pride in the stats. I also help out with all of the on-table help if any troubleshooting is needed."

One thing that Faflick enjoys about the staff at HutchCC, is their willingness to run the event like a true championship culture.

"While many host sites 'turn the venue over' to state association and school staff, Josh and his team have stepped up and fill every position needed for multi-day championship tournaments in volleyball and basketball, as well as for a championship game in football," Faflick said. "The Hutchinson Community College team provides a great first impression for all stakeholders, including students, coaches, parents, administrators, media, and general spectators. Josh and his team consider the overall goal of fair play and a great experience for student athletes competing for the coveted championship, all while considering the minute details which make a huge difference for stakeholders."

There are around 100 individuals that put in countless hours to make the week happen.

"You have my staff of five," Gooch said. "Then you have 16 team hosts, people throughout the community that are the point of contact for that specific team about anything they may need from restaurants to go to or things to do, that's a tradition we've always had and that the teams coming in look forward to. Our workforce continues with the facilities crew and it doesn't end when people leave the venue, they're still working. We also have ball help to make sure the proper balls are out for the girls and the boys. Then we have concessions help, a lot of our Blue Dragon student-athletes that are on work-study help with that. Ticket takers and ticket sellers, we have to have people getting patrons in and out of the facility. We have a pass gate where all the members that are participating are going in. Merchandise booth, hospitality room, the scorers table, the officials, the awards presenters, there are a lot of people that make this tournament possible."

One thing that will be new at this year's tournament is the Hutch Madness Trivia game, which is a special engagement with Visit Hutch. There is a QR code that will be put on the video board and you scan it where each game there will be trivia and then it'll keep track of your points and you'll have an opportunity to win prizes from area businesses.&nbsp;&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/3/1741095160913.jpeg" alt="Photo Courtesy KSHSAA" />
 <figcaption>Photo Courtesy KSHSAA</figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/information/Class_3A_State_Tournament/Lede_Page">3A STATE TOURNAMENT INFORMATION</a><a href="mailto:sean.boston@eaglemedia.com">SEAN BOSTON</a> Hutch PostHUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Hutchinson Community College campus will once again be busy this week with the return of the Kansas State High School Activities Association (KSHSAA) class 3A boys and girls state basketball tournaments.The four-day event runs Wednesday, March 12 through Saturday, March 15 at the Hutchinson Sports Arena. There will be four games per day, with girls playing quarterfinals Wednesday and boys on Thursday. Friday features semifinal action and then on Saturday the 3rd place games and state title games.This year marks the 71st KSHSAA state tournament that the Hutchinson Sports Arena has hosted. The arena opened in 1952, and has hosted a tournament every year with the exception of 1973 and 1974. Overall, this will be the 82nd state tournament held in the Salt City, as 10 tournaments were hosted at Memorial Hall prior to the completion of the Sports Arena."It brings families, it brings students to our community," HutchCC athletic director Josh Gooch said. "They're eating in our restaurants, stay in our hotels, shop in our shops, it's larger than just our community college, although that's where the games are held at either at the Sports Arena or at Gowans Stadium. Our Visit Hutch, our collaboration with Visit Hutch, the chamber, they're a close partner with us as we navigate securing those events. We take a lot of pride in our relationship with KSHSAA."Bill Faflick, the executive director of the KSHSAA is happy to continue the partnership with Hutchinson for the numerous sports."The KSHSAA is fortunate to have the opportunity to conduct championship activities in Hutchinson," Faflick said. "We make the decision to continue to host events in Hutchinson because of the people who are conducting those events. More specifically, we believe the staff at Hutchinson Community College, under the leadership of AD Josh Gooch, understand the importance of creating a championship atmosphere for students and the school communities participating in championship tournaments. Addressing an almost unending list of details, Josh and his team realize each of those items make a difference for those coming to events they host."Whether it's state football, state basketball, or state volleyball, each event takes a village to make possible."With the events we host it does take everybody," Gooch said. "The facilities staff is second to none, the reason why we can turn the events and host multiple games in days is because our facilities staff is prepped and prepared or the field and the places where the patrons are, the ins and outs of the buildings and stadiums are as nice as they get anywhere you go. We've got an army of people that make these events possible. We started working on this year's state basketball tournament on January 14 when I looked back at my notes."A repreresentative from the KSHSAA comes to Hutchinson and meets with the staff to make sure they're prepared to host."They go over any of the new items that might be taking place that year," Gooch said. "They also tell us some things we can improve on and things that they want to highlight that we do well. Each of my staff has different roles and the volunteers each have their own roles, as well."One of those staff members is HutchCC sports information director Steve Carpenter. Of the many tasks Carpenter has, one is the media contact for all media attending the 3A tournament.&nbsp;"I have checked on this with KSHSAA and we are by and large the most heavily covered tournament from a media standpoint," Carpenter said. "Early on, I take care of getting all of the credentials administered to and making sure we've got them all locked in for when the tournament starts."Once the games tipoff on Wednesday, Carpenter can be found on his laptop at the table on the south side of the Sports Arena."You'll see me at the scorers table, myself and my stat crew, constantly running stats," Carpenter said. "This year I thought about wearing a pedometer to track my steps, because we run stats at every timeout. The stats to me are very important, because they have to be accurate, this is the one chance we get to do it. Especially if there are state records or anything, we want to make sure we are specifically accurate with that and there's no having to go back and question it. I take a lot of pride in the stats. I also help out with all of the on-table help if any troubleshooting is needed."One thing that Faflick enjoys about the staff at HutchCC, is their willingness to run the event like a true championship culture."While many host sites 'turn the venue over' to state association and school staff, Josh and his team have stepped up and fill every position needed for multi-day championship tournaments in volleyball and basketball, as well as for a championship game in football," Faflick said. "The Hutchinson Community College team provides a great first impression for all stakeholders, including students, coaches, parents, administrators, media, and general spectators. Josh and his team consider the overall goal of fair play and a great experience for student athletes competing for the coveted championship, all while considering the minute details which make a huge difference for stakeholders."There are around 100 individuals that put in countless hours to make the week happen."You have my staff of five," Gooch said. "Then you have 16 team hosts, people throughout the community that are the point of contact for that specific team about anything they may need from restaurants to go to or things to do, that's a tradition we've always had and that the teams coming in look forward to. Our workforce continues with the facilities crew and it doesn't end when people leave the venue, they're still working. We also have ball help to make sure the proper balls are out for the girls and the boys. Then we have concessions help, a lot of our Blue Dragon student-athletes that are on work-study help with that. Ticket takers and ticket sellers, we have to have people getting patrons in and out of the facility. We have a pass gate where all the members that are participating are going in. Merchandise booth, hospitality room, the scorers table, the officials, the awards presenters, there are a lot of people that make this tournament possible."One thing that will be new at this year's tournament is the Hutch Madness Trivia game, which is a special engagement with Visit Hutch. There is a QR code that will be put on the video board and you scan it where each game there will be trivia and then it'll keep track of your points and you'll have an opportunity to win prizes from area businesses.&nbsp;&nbsp;<div><h1>2025 State Basketball Schedule</h1>
<h2>Wednesday, March 12</h2>
Girls Quarterfinals
2 p.m.: [2] Halstead (22-1) vs. [7] Neodesha (18-3)
4 p.m.: [3] Osage City (22-1) vs. [6] Colby (21-2)
6 p.m.: [1] Hesston (23-0) vs. [8] Holcomb (18-5)
8 p.m.: [4] Silver Lake (21-2) vs. [5] Girard (21-2)
&nbsp;
<h2>Thursday, March 13</h2>
Boys Quarterfinals
2 p.m.: [1] Galena (22-0) vs. [8] Kansas City Bishop Ward (16-7)
4 p.m.:&nbsp;[4]&nbsp;Hesston (21-2) vs.&nbsp;[5] Burlington (20-3)
6 p.m.: [2] Lakin (22-1) vs. [7] Silver Lake (18-5)
8 p.m.: [3] Cheney (22-1) vs. [6] Goodland (20-3)
&nbsp;
<h2>Friday, March 14</h2>
Semifinals
2 p.m. (G):&nbsp;Halstead/Neodesha winner vs. Osage City/Colby winner
4 p.m. (B):&nbsp;Galena/KC Ward winner vs. Hesston/Burlington winner
6 p.m. (G):&nbsp;Hesston/Holcomb winner vs. Silver Lake/Girard winner
8 p.m. (B):&nbsp;Lakin/Silver Lake winner vs. Cheney/Goodland winner
&nbsp;
<h2>Saturday, March 15</h2>
3rd Place Games &amp; Championships
12 p.m. (G 3rd Place): Semifinals losers
2 p.m. (B 3rd Place): Semifinal losers
4 p.m. (G Championship): Semifinal winners
6:15 p.m. (B Championship): Semifinal winners</div>

🏀 KSHSAA state tournament returns to Sports Arena for 71st year, 82nd year in Hutchinson

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The USD 308 Board of Education will meet tonight at 6 p.m. at the District Administration Center.

The board will hear a presentation on bus wraps by Durham School Services.

Deputy Superintendent Krystal Young will present the proposed 2025-26 district calendar. The calendar outlines:

The board will also consider the job description for the Financial Operations Specialist position. This role will oversee and manage business operations and financial records for the district while ensuring compliance with policies, regulations, and best practices. The position will be based in the business office and report to the director of financial management.

The board will review a bid from Wray and Sons Roofing to replace a section of roofing at Hutchinson High School. The section, located above the music records room, was last replaced in the late 1990s and has experienced numerous leaks.

According to agenda documents, the difference in price is due to the length of the warranty.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/3/1741569218905.jpeg" alt=" " />
 <figcaption> </figcaption>
 </figure>MARC JACOBS Hutch PostHUTCHINSON, Kan. — The USD 308 Board of Education will meet tonight at 6 p.m. at the District Administration Center.The board will hear a presentation on bus wraps by Durham School Services.<h2>Action Items</h2>Deputy Superintendent Krystal Young will present the proposed 2025-26 district calendar. The calendar outlines:<ul>
 <li>The first day of school for students in first through ninth grades will be Wednesday, Aug. 13.</li><li>High school sophomores, juniors, and seniors will begin classes the next day.</li><li>Kindergarten students will start on Tuesday, Aug. 19.</li><li>Thanksgiving break will be Wednesday, Nov. 26, through Friday, Nov. 28.</li><li>Winter break will run from Tuesday, Dec. 23, through Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. Classes will resume Wednesday, Jan. 7, following teacher workdays on Jan. 5-6.</li><li>The last day of school will be a half day on Wednesday, May 20, 2026.</li><li>Hutchinson High School commencement is set for Sunday, May 17, 2026.</li>
 </ul>The board will also consider the job description for the Financial Operations Specialist position. This role will oversee and manage business operations and financial records for the district while ensuring compliance with policies, regulations, and best practices. The position will be based in the business office and report to the director of financial management.<h2>Facilities and Construction Bids</h2>The board will review a bid from Wray and Sons Roofing to replace a section of roofing at Hutchinson High School. The section, located above the music records room, was last replaced in the late 1990s and has experienced numerous leaks.<ul>
 <li>Wray and Sons Roofing bid: $56,508.76 (10-year warranty).</li><li>Wray Roofing of North Newton bid: $67,880 (20-year warranty).</li>
 </ul>According to agenda documents, the difference in price is due to the length of the warranty.

USD 308 Board of Education to meet Monday

The Hutchinson Youth City Council has announced their newly elected 2025 Youth City Council.  

The members of the Youth City Council are: &nbsp;- President: Kayelyn Wellington &nbsp;- Vice President: Katilynn Holtz &nbsp;- Activities Director: Maddlynn Mosley ‘ &nbsp;- Treasurer: Alaina LaMunyon &nbsp;- Secretary: Maggie Mosley

The council is being supported by 2024 Youth City Council President, Ruby Tova-Contreras. 

The Hutchinson Youth City Council is comprised of a board of 5 local youth that provide advice and counsel to the Hutchinson City Counsel in regards to matters pertaining to our local youth.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/3/1741485023334.jpeg" alt="Youth City Council" />
 <figcaption>Youth City Council</figcaption>
 </figure>The Hutchinson Youth City Council has announced their newly elected 2025 Youth City Council. The members of the Youth City Council are: &nbsp;- President: Kayelyn Wellington &nbsp;- Vice President: Katilynn Holtz &nbsp;- Activities Director: Maddlynn Mosley ‘ &nbsp;- Treasurer: Alaina LaMunyon &nbsp;- Secretary: Maggie MosleyThe council is being supported by 2024 Youth City Council President, Ruby Tova-Contreras. The Hutchinson Youth City Council is comprised of a board of 5 local youth that provide advice and counsel to the Hutchinson City Counsel in regards to matters pertaining to our local youth.

Youth City Council named

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://stateline.org/author/thenderson/">TIM HENDERSON</a> <a href="https://stateline.org/">Stateline</a>

As the Trump administration seeks more partners to help round up immigrants living in the United States illegally, some states and cities are eager to step up, despite risks of racial profiling.

Florida, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Texas, Virginia and even Arizona’s Democratic governor are pursuing statewide plans to help find immigrants for possible deportation.

And the number of state and local agencies planning “task force” agreements with the feds to do street-level immigration enforcement has reached 121 departments in 12 states: Florida, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma and Texas.

The sudden ramping up of the local task force agreements — which led to racial profiling lawsuits 20 years ago when they were common in Republican and Democratic states — is a sign that the Trump administration wants more deportations, said Tom Wong, an associate professor and director of the U.S. Immigration Policy Center at the University of California, San Diego.

“These agreements are intended to be the force multiplier they need in order to enact mass deportations. The Trump administration is using all the tools at its disposal to try to ramp up the identification and detention of undocumented immigrants,” Wong said.

President Donald Trump wants to move quickly: He recently&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/trump-administration-reassigning-acting-ice-director-rcna193225" target="_blank">reassigned</a>&nbsp;Caleb Vitello, the acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, to a different post because immigration arrests and deportations weren’t as robust as Trump wanted. The United States would&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/trump-angry-deportation-numbers-are-not-higher-rcna191273" target="_blank">need</a>&nbsp;to deport more than 2,700 people a day to meet his goal of 1 million a year.

Doris Meissner, who held top positions in the former Immigration and Naturalization Service in the Reagan and Clinton administrations, said the task force agreements had “basically disappeared in recent years” because of their reputation for leading to “racial profiling and over-policing in immigrant communities.” The agreements were discontinued in 2012 during the Obama administration.

“That has changed dramatically and quickly with the new Trump administration,” Meissner said in an interview. “[The agreements] are now on a list of ramping-up actions we’re seeing in pursuit of mass deportations.”

The administration is increasingly pressuring state and local authorities to help with immigration arrests traditionally reserved for federal agents, according to a February&nbsp;<a href="https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/trump-mass-deportation-priority?eType=EmailBlastContent&amp;eId=2043f21f-2eea-411a-a070-66d7ac706b02" target="_blank">report</a>&nbsp;by the Migration Policy Institute, a Washington, D.C., think tank where Meissner is now director of the U.S. immigration policy program.

Along with state and local law enforcement agencies, the Trump administration has enlisted federal agencies that have never before played a role in immigration enforcement: the Internal Revenue Service, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Migration Policy Institute report found.

One result of local involvement, according to a&nbsp;<a href="https://usipc.ucsd.edu/publications/usipc-working-paper-1.pdf" target="_blank">report</a>&nbsp;Wong authored in 2019, is that once residents know that local police could question and arrest them on immigration charges, they are less likely to report crimes when they are victims or witnesses.

The new task force agreements allow local law enforcement, after training, to investigate immigration violations during day-to-day patrol duties. Sheriff Larry Kendrick in Owyhee County, Idaho, said he opted for it because voters in the county want it.

“My constituents support President Trump,” Kendrick said. “And of course me. I support the president’s mission 100%. I will do anything in my power to assist him.”

Kendrick said he doesn’t expect non-criminal immigrants, such as those staffing local dairy farms, to get any trouble from his deputies.

“We haven’t had any crime, really, out of that,” Kendrick said. “The main thing that bothers me is fentanyl.”

Wong said it’s typical for counties such as Owyhee County, which&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Owyhee_County,_Idaho" target="_blank">voted</a>&nbsp;almost 83% for Trump last year, to be eager to join forces on immigration. But non-criminal immigrants are still likely to pay a price, he said.

“It is naïve for local officials to think they will only focus on things like fentanyl, when most of the immigration enforcement functions are going to identify undocumented immigrants, likely with no criminal history,” Wong said.

Most officials do stress the importance of removing criminals when calling for more task force agreements.

In announcing the revived task force program, border czar Tom Homan said he planned to “prioritize” criminals but also expected to deport people living here illegally even if they had no criminal record.

“We promised a mass deportation and that’s exactly what we’re going to do,” Homan told sheriffs at a February conference.

New Hampshire Gov. Kelly Ayotte, a Republican, said in a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.governor.nh.gov/news/governor-ayotte-statement-new-hampshire-law-enforcement-cooperating-ice" target="_blank">statement</a>&nbsp;she supports state and local law enforcement agencies applying for the new task force cooperation agreements. “Criminals who are in our country illegally and pose a danger should be apprehended and removed,” she wrote.

Some areas that made use of the agreements decades ago are not interested in trying it again. In&nbsp;<a href="https://www.migrationpolicy.org/sites/default/files/publications/287g-divergence.pdf" target="_blank">2010</a>&nbsp;there were 40 such agreements in 19 states, including nine in Virginia and seven in Arizona.

To date there are no agreements in Virginia or Arizona, though Arizona’s Democratic governor, Katie Hobbs, signed an&nbsp;<a href="https://azgovernor.gov/office-arizona-governor/news/2025/02/governor-katie-hobbs-signs-executive-order-secure-border" target="_blank">executive order</a>&nbsp;Feb. 25 calling for an unspecified partnership with federal authorities in the state’s four border counties. The goal is stopping more fentanyl and human trafficking and not to “indiscriminately round people up,” according to Hobbs’ statement.

Arizona sheriffs have not heard anything specific about the governor’s plan, said David Rhodes, the Republican sheriff of Yavapai County and president of the Arizona Sheriffs’ Association. Yavapai County voted&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yavapai_County,_Arizona" target="_blank">heavily for Trump</a>. And much of the nation’s fentanyl supply is smuggled over Arizona’s highways, Rhodes said, so he’s happy to cooperate with federal authorities on immigration.

But he’s not sure he wants the task force model if it means he and his deputies will have to single people out based on appearance to ask about immigration status.

“I don’t know how you could even tell from looking at somebody that they’re here illegally or not. So we don’t do that. That’s very risky, very close to racial profiling there,” Rhodes said.

ICE guidelines issued in February say “racial profiling is simply not something that will be tolerated” under the new task force agreements.

In Virginia, which had the most task force agreements of any state in 2010, no sheriff has yet shown interest, said John Jones, executive director of the Virginia Sheriffs’ Association. However Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed an executive order Feb. 27 requiring state police to sign a task force agreement and local jails to cooperate with the state task force.

In North Carolina, a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ncleg.gov/BillLookUp/2025/S153" target="_blank">bill</a>&nbsp;progressing in the state Senate would mandate state agencies cooperate with federal immigration authorities, but does not include specifics.

In Hudson County, New Jersey, one of the few urban, immigrant-friendly Democratic areas that had a task force agreement in 2010, leaders have no interest in trying it again, said county spokesperson Mark Cygan. Since 2018, the state has had an&nbsp;<a href="https://www.njoag.gov/trust/" target="_blank">“immigrant trust directive”</a>&nbsp;directing local authorities not to cooperate with federal immigration authorities or ask about immigration status during routine police work.

“With the sort of abuses there have been, and listening to our constituents and advocates that work on immigrant right here in Hudson County, we realized this policy just wasn’t going to work out for our county anymore. So we dropped out of the agreement,” Cygan said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/2/1740147958319.png" alt="U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrest a man from Venezuela in Miami in February after a wire fraud conviction. As the Trump administration attacks local sanctuary policies, some states and local governments continue to do what little they can to protect some immigrants from deportation. (Courtesy of Miami ICE Enforcement &amp; Removal Operations office)" />
 <figcaption>U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrest a man from Venezuela in Miami in February after a wire fraud conviction. As the Trump administration attacks local sanctuary policies, some states and local governments continue to do what little they can to protect some immigrants from deportation. (Courtesy of Miami ICE Enforcement &amp; Removal Operations office)</figcaption>
 </figure>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://stateline.org/author/thenderson/">TIM HENDERSON</a> <a href="https://stateline.org/">Stateline</a>As the Trump administration seeks more partners to help round up immigrants living in the United States illegally, some states and cities are eager to step up, despite risks of racial profiling.Florida, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Texas, Virginia and even Arizona’s Democratic governor are pursuing statewide plans to help find immigrants for possible deportation.And the number of state and local agencies planning “task force” agreements with the feds to do street-level immigration enforcement has reached 121 departments in 12 states: Florida, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma and Texas.The sudden ramping up of the local task force agreements — which led to racial profiling lawsuits 20 years ago when they were common in Republican and Democratic states — is a sign that the Trump administration wants more deportations, said Tom Wong, an associate professor and director of the U.S. Immigration Policy Center at the University of California, San Diego.“These agreements are intended to be the force multiplier they need in order to enact mass deportations. The Trump administration is using all the tools at its disposal to try to ramp up the identification and detention of undocumented immigrants,” Wong said.President Donald Trump wants to move quickly: He recently&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/trump-administration-reassigning-acting-ice-director-rcna193225" target="_blank">reassigned</a>&nbsp;Caleb Vitello, the acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, to a different post because immigration arrests and deportations weren’t as robust as Trump wanted. The United States would&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/trump-angry-deportation-numbers-are-not-higher-rcna191273" target="_blank">need</a>&nbsp;to deport more than 2,700 people a day to meet his goal of 1 million a year.Doris Meissner, who held top positions in the former Immigration and Naturalization Service in the Reagan and Clinton administrations, said the task force agreements had “basically disappeared in recent years” because of their reputation for leading to “racial profiling and over-policing in immigrant communities.” The agreements were discontinued in 2012 during the Obama administration.“That has changed dramatically and quickly with the new Trump administration,” Meissner said in an interview. “[The agreements] are now on a list of ramping-up actions we’re seeing in pursuit of mass deportations.”The administration is increasingly pressuring state and local authorities to help with immigration arrests traditionally reserved for federal agents, according to a February&nbsp;<a href="https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/trump-mass-deportation-priority?eType=EmailBlastContent&amp;eId=2043f21f-2eea-411a-a070-66d7ac706b02" target="_blank">report</a>&nbsp;by the Migration Policy Institute, a Washington, D.C., think tank where Meissner is now director of the U.S. immigration policy program.<h2>Focus on crime</h2>Along with state and local law enforcement agencies, the Trump administration has enlisted federal agencies that have never before played a role in immigration enforcement: the Internal Revenue Service, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Migration Policy Institute report found.One result of local involvement, according to a&nbsp;<a href="https://usipc.ucsd.edu/publications/usipc-working-paper-1.pdf" target="_blank">report</a>&nbsp;Wong authored in 2019, is that once residents know that local police could question and arrest them on immigration charges, they are less likely to report crimes when they are victims or witnesses.The new task force agreements allow local law enforcement, after training, to investigate immigration violations during day-to-day patrol duties. Sheriff Larry Kendrick in Owyhee County, Idaho, said he opted for it because voters in the county want it.“My constituents support President Trump,” Kendrick said. “And of course me. I support the president’s mission 100%. I will do anything in my power to assist him.”Kendrick said he doesn’t expect non-criminal immigrants, such as those staffing local dairy farms, to get any trouble from his deputies.“We haven’t had any crime, really, out of that,” Kendrick said. “The main thing that bothers me is fentanyl.”Wong said it’s typical for counties such as Owyhee County, which&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Owyhee_County,_Idaho" target="_blank">voted</a>&nbsp;almost 83% for Trump last year, to be eager to join forces on immigration. But non-criminal immigrants are still likely to pay a price, he said.“It is naïve for local officials to think they will only focus on things like fentanyl, when most of the immigration enforcement functions are going to identify undocumented immigrants, likely with no criminal history,” Wong said.Most officials do stress the importance of removing criminals when calling for more task force agreements.In announcing the revived task force program, border czar Tom Homan said he planned to “prioritize” criminals but also expected to deport people living here illegally even if they had no criminal record.“We promised a mass deportation and that’s exactly what we’re going to do,” Homan told sheriffs at a February conference.New Hampshire Gov. Kelly Ayotte, a Republican, said in a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.governor.nh.gov/news/governor-ayotte-statement-new-hampshire-law-enforcement-cooperating-ice" target="_blank">statement</a>&nbsp;she supports state and local law enforcement agencies applying for the new task force cooperation agreements. “Criminals who are in our country illegally and pose a danger should be apprehended and removed,” she wrote.<h2>No renewed interest</h2>Some areas that made use of the agreements decades ago are not interested in trying it again. In&nbsp;<a href="https://www.migrationpolicy.org/sites/default/files/publications/287g-divergence.pdf" target="_blank">2010</a>&nbsp;there were 40 such agreements in 19 states, including nine in Virginia and seven in Arizona.To date there are no agreements in Virginia or Arizona, though Arizona’s Democratic governor, Katie Hobbs, signed an&nbsp;<a href="https://azgovernor.gov/office-arizona-governor/news/2025/02/governor-katie-hobbs-signs-executive-order-secure-border" target="_blank">executive order</a>&nbsp;Feb. 25 calling for an unspecified partnership with federal authorities in the state’s four border counties. The goal is stopping more fentanyl and human trafficking and not to “indiscriminately round people up,” according to Hobbs’ statement.Arizona sheriffs have not heard anything specific about the governor’s plan, said David Rhodes, the Republican sheriff of Yavapai County and president of the Arizona Sheriffs’ Association. Yavapai County voted&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yavapai_County,_Arizona" target="_blank">heavily for Trump</a>. And much of the nation’s fentanyl supply is smuggled over Arizona’s highways, Rhodes said, so he’s happy to cooperate with federal authorities on immigration.But he’s not sure he wants the task force model if it means he and his deputies will have to single people out based on appearance to ask about immigration status.“I don’t know how you could even tell from looking at somebody that they’re here illegally or not. So we don’t do that. That’s very risky, very close to racial profiling there,” Rhodes said.ICE guidelines issued in February say “racial profiling is simply not something that will be tolerated” under the new task force agreements.In Virginia, which had the most task force agreements of any state in 2010, no sheriff has yet shown interest, said John Jones, executive director of the Virginia Sheriffs’ Association. However Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed an executive order Feb. 27 requiring state police to sign a task force agreement and local jails to cooperate with the state task force.In North Carolina, a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ncleg.gov/BillLookUp/2025/S153" target="_blank">bill</a>&nbsp;progressing in the state Senate would mandate state agencies cooperate with federal immigration authorities, but does not include specifics.In Hudson County, New Jersey, one of the few urban, immigrant-friendly Democratic areas that had a task force agreement in 2010, leaders have no interest in trying it again, said county spokesperson Mark Cygan. Since 2018, the state has had an&nbsp;<a href="https://www.njoag.gov/trust/" target="_blank">“immigrant trust directive”</a>&nbsp;directing local authorities not to cooperate with federal immigration authorities or ask about immigration status during routine police work.“With the sort of abuses there have been, and listening to our constituents and advocates that work on immigrant right here in Hudson County, we realized this policy just wasn’t going to work out for our county anymore. So we dropped out of the agreement,” Cygan said.

Despite profiling concerns, more law agencies are joining street-level immigration enforcement

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

TOPEKA — The lunch rush in downtown Topeka’s restaurants and cafés hasn’t been the same since the COVID-19 pandemic, said Seth Wagoner, an investment executive.

Thousands of state employees who once worked in office buildings in Kansas’ capital and frequented downtown businesses for lunch and happy hour now work from home all or part of the time. They could be called back to the office under proposed legislation.

At a Thursday hearing in the Senate Committee on Government Efficiency, legislators considered&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kslegislature.gov/li/b2025_26/measures/sb256/" target="_blank">Senate Bill 256</a>, or the “back to work act.” Wagoner, the CEO of private equity firm AIM Strategies, said in testimony that at some lunch hotspots in downtown Topeka, business is still down by 10% from pre-pandemic times, accounting for inflation.

He was the one proponent to speak, and five state employees, testifying as private citizens, spoke against the bill.

One employee, Frances Dewell, who works in the protection report center within Kansas Department for Children and Families, which fields calls related to suspected abuse and neglect, said mandating state workers back to the office full time risks losing at least a quarter of their staff.

“Yes, state workers could return to a pre-COVID office setting,” Dewell said. “However, the changes that have developed over the last five years have compelled us to evolve.”

A virtual work culture has developed in her workplace and allowed prioritization of employee growth and well-being, she said.

A 2023 report from the Kansas Legislative Division of Post Audit examining 81 state executive branch agencies found that 30% of state workers work from home all or part of the time.

Of the state’s roughly 18,000 employees, the estimated 5,500 who work remotely under a telework agreement, the state’s official term for working from home full-time or on a hybrid schedule involving remote and in-office work, would be required to return to office buildings full-time with some exceptions. Agency heads would be allowed to offer exemptions to employees with atypical work hours, positions that don’t reasonably require in-office work and if office space constraints would mean added costs to accommodate a return to work mandate.

In smaller agencies that have around 100 employees or fewer, most or all of them telework, according to the data from spring 2023. That includes the Kansas Water Office, the Kansas Sentencing Commission, the state board of optometry examiners and the board of mortuary arts. It also includes the Kansas Board of Regents, the Office of the State Fire Marshal and the Office of the State Bank Commissioner.

In the largest agencies, the popularity of remote work varies. In the Kansas Department for Children and Families, 85% of employees engaged in some form of remote work as of April 2023. At the Kansas Department of Transportation, which employed more than 2,100 people at the same time, around 14% had telework agreements. More than half of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment’s roughly 1,500 employees worked remotely.

“Telework is viewed as a benefit by many state employees,” said Adam Proffitt, speaking on behalf of the Department of Administration, which includes Gov. Laura Kelly’s office.

Proffitt, who shared that he often works from home one day a week usually when the Legislature is not in session, told legislators that the state offers a template for agencies that dictates the roles eligible for telework and the number of days employees can work remotely. He said telework can be a tool to attract and retain employees, and “can actually expand our radius of talent,” by hiring employees who don’t live in Topeka or cannot commute.

The department of administration will be required under the bill to create a report for the government efficiency committee listing state agencies granting exceptions to the mandate, the number of exceptions granted, the job descriptions or titles associated with each exception, the number and costs of buildings leased by each agency and the number of state employees assigned to a physical office space but working remotely.

However, concerns for state employees with disabilities arose in the Thursday hearing because of the job description or title reporting requirement. Employees with disabilities could be identifiable in smaller agencies, a violation of legal protections including the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Martha Gabehart, the executive director of the Kansas Commission on Disability Concerns, said in written testimony that the mandate would be out of sync with Kansas’ reputation as a model employer for people with disabilities.

“By creating a policy that would, if not implemented correctly, violate the rights of employees with disabilities, we would no longer be considered a model employer,” she said.

A back to work mandate would be costly to the state, according to a fiscal note attached to the bill. The health department estimates the change would cost the state a combined $1.3 million over the next two fiscal years. More than 160 of the department’s employees are fully remote, and office space for them does not currently exist. Several other agencies noted increased costs associated with finding new office space for returning employees and the possibility of employees resigning if the back to work act is implemented. Agencies including the Department of Corrections noted no or minimal cost increases because the majority of their employees have returned to in-person work.

The bill is awaiting final approval in the Senate committee and has yet to be introduced in the House.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/3/1741373059207.png" alt="Adam Proffitt, Secretary of the Department of Administration and the state budget director, addressing Kansas legislators on Jan. 16, 2025. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>Adam Proffitt, Secretary of the Department of Administration and the state budget director, addressing Kansas legislators on Jan. 16, 2025. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/akaminski/">ANNA KAMINSKI</a> <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/01/03/kansas-state-garden-city-cc-striving-to-shrink-bachelors-degree-educational-desert/?emci=8e6f56cf-3bca-ef11-88d0-0022482a9b45&amp;emdi=a9416bb1-82ca-ef11-88d0-0022482a9b45&amp;ceid=115039">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — The lunch rush in downtown Topeka’s restaurants and cafés hasn’t been the same since the COVID-19 pandemic, said Seth Wagoner, an investment executive.Thousands of state employees who once worked in office buildings in Kansas’ capital and frequented downtown businesses for lunch and happy hour now work from home all or part of the time. They could be called back to the office under proposed legislation.At a Thursday hearing in the Senate Committee on Government Efficiency, legislators considered&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kslegislature.gov/li/b2025_26/measures/sb256/" target="_blank">Senate Bill 256</a>, or the “back to work act.” Wagoner, the CEO of private equity firm AIM Strategies, said in testimony that at some lunch hotspots in downtown Topeka, business is still down by 10% from pre-pandemic times, accounting for inflation.He was the one proponent to speak, and five state employees, testifying as private citizens, spoke against the bill.One employee, Frances Dewell, who works in the protection report center within Kansas Department for Children and Families, which fields calls related to suspected abuse and neglect, said mandating state workers back to the office full time risks losing at least a quarter of their staff.“Yes, state workers could return to a pre-COVID office setting,” Dewell said. “However, the changes that have developed over the last five years have compelled us to evolve.”A virtual work culture has developed in her workplace and allowed prioritization of employee growth and well-being, she said.A 2023 report from the Kansas Legislative Division of Post Audit examining 81 state executive branch agencies found that 30% of state workers work from home all or part of the time.Of the state’s roughly 18,000 employees, the estimated 5,500 who work remotely under a telework agreement, the state’s official term for working from home full-time or on a hybrid schedule involving remote and in-office work, would be required to return to office buildings full-time with some exceptions. Agency heads would be allowed to offer exemptions to employees with atypical work hours, positions that don’t reasonably require in-office work and if office space constraints would mean added costs to accommodate a return to work mandate.In smaller agencies that have around 100 employees or fewer, most or all of them telework, according to the data from spring 2023. That includes the Kansas Water Office, the Kansas Sentencing Commission, the state board of optometry examiners and the board of mortuary arts. It also includes the Kansas Board of Regents, the Office of the State Fire Marshal and the Office of the State Bank Commissioner.In the largest agencies, the popularity of remote work varies. In the Kansas Department for Children and Families, 85% of employees engaged in some form of remote work as of April 2023. At the Kansas Department of Transportation, which employed more than 2,100 people at the same time, around 14% had telework agreements. More than half of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment’s roughly 1,500 employees worked remotely.“Telework is viewed as a benefit by many state employees,” said Adam Proffitt, speaking on behalf of the Department of Administration, which includes Gov. Laura Kelly’s office.Proffitt, who shared that he often works from home one day a week usually when the Legislature is not in session, told legislators that the state offers a template for agencies that dictates the roles eligible for telework and the number of days employees can work remotely. He said telework can be a tool to attract and retain employees, and “can actually expand our radius of talent,” by hiring employees who don’t live in Topeka or cannot commute.The department of administration will be required under the bill to create a report for the government efficiency committee listing state agencies granting exceptions to the mandate, the number of exceptions granted, the job descriptions or titles associated with each exception, the number and costs of buildings leased by each agency and the number of state employees assigned to a physical office space but working remotely.However, concerns for state employees with disabilities arose in the Thursday hearing because of the job description or title reporting requirement. Employees with disabilities could be identifiable in smaller agencies, a violation of legal protections including the Americans with Disabilities Act.Martha Gabehart, the executive director of the Kansas Commission on Disability Concerns, said in written testimony that the mandate would be out of sync with Kansas’ reputation as a model employer for people with disabilities.“By creating a policy that would, if not implemented correctly, violate the rights of employees with disabilities, we would no longer be considered a model employer,” she said.A back to work mandate would be costly to the state, according to a fiscal note attached to the bill. The health department estimates the change would cost the state a combined $1.3 million over the next two fiscal years. More than 160 of the department’s employees are fully remote, and office space for them does not currently exist. Several other agencies noted increased costs associated with finding new office space for returning employees and the possibility of employees resigning if the back to work act is implemented. Agencies including the Department of Corrections noted no or minimal cost increases because the majority of their employees have returned to in-person work.The bill is awaiting final approval in the Senate committee and has yet to be introduced in the House.

Kansas ‘back to work act’ would force state employees to return to offices

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Hutchinson High School athletic director Steve Kappenman announced on Friday morning that Hutch High graduate, Cidy Vargas has been named the next boys head soccer coach for the Salthawks.

Vargas had been an assistant coach for both the girls and boys programs at HHS.

Vargas takes over for Tyler Lawrence, who helped guide the Salthawks to an 11-4-2 record this past fall. The 11 wins were four more than Hutch High had during the 2023 season.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/3/1741363565075.png" alt="Photo Courtesy Hutchinson High School Athletics" />
 <figcaption>Photo Courtesy Hutchinson High School Athletics</figcaption>
 </figure>HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Hutchinson High School athletic director Steve Kappenman announced on Friday morning that Hutch High graduate, Cidy Vargas has been named the next boys head soccer coach for the Salthawks.Vargas had been an assistant coach for both the girls and boys programs at HHS.Vargas takes over for Tyler Lawrence, who helped guide the Salthawks to an 11-4-2 record this past fall. The 11 wins were four more than Hutch High had during the 2023 season.

⚽ Hutch High alum Vargas named Salthawk boys coach

WASHINGTON —The teen recognized by President Trump during the Address to Congress&nbsp; has a connection to Kansas.

On Tuesday night, at President Trump’s direction, Secret Service Director Sean Curran presented&nbsp;<a href="https://www.police1.com/police-heroes/articles/10-year-old-boy-with-terminal-cancer-to-be-sworn-into-668th-le-agency-Ewjl2Y7NbXDyCOgm/">Devarjaye “DJ” Daniel</a>&nbsp;with an honorary badge. Daniel, who has battled brain cancer since he was 6-year-old, became the youngest ever Secret Service agent.

In 2022, McPherson Police Chief Mikel Golden and his FBI National Academy (Class #284) swore in DJ as an Honorary McPherson Police Officer.

"When DJ was diagnosed with brain cancer, doctors gave him just 6 months to live, but this warrior is finding a way to beat the odds!" Chief Golden wrote on the department social media page.&nbsp;"Congratulations DJ, we are very proud of you, keep fighting, our thoughts and prayers are always with you! "

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/3/1741354560810.png" alt="DJ and his father in the Oval Office Wednesday-image courtesy White House" />
 <figcaption>DJ and his father in the Oval Office Wednesday-image courtesy White House</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON —The teen recognized by President Trump during the Address to Congress&nbsp; has a connection to Kansas.On Tuesday night, at President Trump’s direction, Secret Service Director Sean Curran presented&nbsp;<a href="https://www.police1.com/police-heroes/articles/10-year-old-boy-with-terminal-cancer-to-be-sworn-into-668th-le-agency-Ewjl2Y7NbXDyCOgm/">Devarjaye “DJ” Daniel</a>&nbsp;with an honorary badge. Daniel, who has battled brain cancer since he was 6-year-old, became the youngest ever Secret Service agent.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/3/1741354457629.png" alt="Daniel and McPherson Police Chief Golden in 2022- courtesy photo" />
 <figcaption>Daniel and McPherson Police Chief Golden in 2022- courtesy photo</figcaption>
 </figure>In 2022, McPherson Police Chief Mikel Golden and his FBI National Academy (Class #284) swore in DJ as an Honorary McPherson Police Officer.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/3/1741354866643.png" alt="Image courtesy White House video" />
 <figcaption>Image courtesy White House video</figcaption>
 </figure><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">“Tonight, DJ Daniel, we are going to do you the biggest honor of them all. I am asking our new Secret Service director, Sean Curran, to officially make you an agent of the United States Secret Service.” –President Donald J. Trump 🇺🇸 <a href="https://t.co/JG38AUYMqj">pic.twitter.com/JG38AUYMqj</a>&mdash; The White House (@WhiteHouse) <a href="https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/1897331345413820795?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 5, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>"When DJ was diagnosed with brain cancer, doctors gave him just 6 months to live, but this warrior is finding a way to beat the odds!" Chief Golden wrote on the department social media page.&nbsp;"Congratulations DJ, we are very proud of you, keep fighting, our thoughts and prayers are always with you! "

Teen recognized by President Trump has Kansas connection

WASHINGTON (AP) — It’s not his fault.

Billionaire&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/elon-musk">Elon Musk</a>&nbsp;is telling Republican lawmakers that he is not to blame for the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/veterans-affairs-cuts-doge-musk-trump-f587a6bc3db6a460e9c357592e165712">firings of thousands of federal workers</a>, including&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-federal-workers-veterans-fired-1032360fdc6b2fb33d88edaf8f54d5ca">veterans</a>, as pushes to downsize the government. Instead, he said in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-musk-doge-cuts-congress-5f2101c129924c9d416437aca05e1e11">private talks this week</a>&nbsp;that those decisions are left to the various federal agencies.

The message from one of President Donald Trump’s most influential advisers came as Republicans publicly support Musk’s work at the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/doge-federal-job-cuts-congressional-districts-data-5d79e2a7ef2160166b0bee59dfa4e9e2">Department of Government Efficiency</a>&nbsp;digging up&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-musk-doge-waste-fraud-abuse-635b1419014a43e061f548c9713860c4">waste, fraud and abuse</a>, but are privately raising questions as personnel cuts&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-science-medicine-research-cancer-funding-university-0ef3fa47694784e47b0ecd51680410ba">ripple through communities across the nation</a>.

“Elon doesn’t fire people,” said Rep. Richard Hudson, R-N.C., after a dinner-time pizza meeting with Musk in the basement of the Capitol.

“He doesn’t have hiring and firing authority,” added Hudson, who leads the House Republicans’ campaign arm. “The president’s empowered him to go uncover this information, that’s it.”

It’s a remarkable shift of emphasis away from the chainsaw-wielding tech entrepreneur whose vast power has made him an admired, revered and deeply feared figure in the second Trump administration.

The Republican president weighed in Thursday after a Cabinet meeting, saying he has instructed department secretaries to work with DOGE but to “be very precise” about which workers will stay or go — using a “‘scalpel’” he said in a social media post “rather than the ‘hatchet.”

“I don’t want to see a big cut where a lot of good people are cut,“ Trump later told reporters in the Oval Office.

Trump suggested that Cabinet and agency leaders would take the lead, but Musk could push harder down the line.

“If they can cut, it’s better. And if they don’t cut, then Elon will do the cutting.”

He had said in the earlier post that Musk and Cabinet officials will meet every two weeks to advance their cost-cutting goals.

The comments come amid mounting legal disputes over Musk’s attempts to centralize management of the government workforce and bypass the traditional role of Congress to appropriate federal dollars.

For example, the White House’s Office of Personnel Management directed federal agencies&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-federal-workers-layoffs-doge-406752da1614755b8fabe9c94e0c71a8">to fire probationary workers</a>, who lack full civil service protection. The scorched-earth approach led to deep cuts that have occasionally been reversed, such as when workers on nuclear weapons programs were&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nuclear-doge-firings-trump-federal-916e6819104f04f44c345b7dde4904d5">brought back on the job.</a>

A federal judge in San Francisco expressed concerns that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-federal-employees-firings-a85d1aaf1088e050d39dcf7e3664bb9f">layoffs violated the law</a>, leading administration officials to insist that it was individual agencies — not Musk or the Office of Personnel Management — calling the shots.

Rep. Carlos Gimenez, R-Fla., said Musk told lawmakers that “some of the folks that were the probationary people, he didn’t fire them, they were actually supposedly fired by the agencies —and they messed up.”

Did Musk actually say “they messed up?”

“Well, if they were in fact, you know, critical people, and the agency did the firing, then yeah, they messed up,” Gimenez said. “But not him.”

Musk and his team have burrowed into agencies, accessing sensitive data and rattling career officials with their demands. Top officials, including at the Social Security Administration,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/social-security-elon-musk-doge-164c91f8477d5e7833af7f6de4bbde57">abruptly stepped down</a>&nbsp;after refusing to comply with Musk’s team. Tens of thousands of workers accepted an offer to resign early and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-elon-musk-federal-workers-layoffs-d295d4bb2cdd5023c27d9cb03754e81b">more are facing potential layoffs.</a>

“We’re making good progress,” Musk said late Wednesday as he dashed through the halls of the Capitol.

The richest person in the world, Musk is known as a driven, demanding executive who is willing to take bold risks, often with great rewards. His enterprises include the rocket company SpaceX, electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla and social media platform X, known the world over.

But his perch at DOGE is Musk’s first public foray into the grit of governing. The speed and scale of the cuts, which are being challenged in dozens of court cases, are introducing businessman to the concept of political blowback.

When the topic of the fired federal workers came up during a Senate lunch, Musk deflected blame.

“I would say that there was an argument that that’s not coming from DOGE, it’s actually coming from individual agencies,” said Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky.

Another Republican, Rep. Andy Barr of Kentucky, said that Musk went so far as to emphasize that not only had DOGE not recommended mass termination of probationary employees, but that he thought some federal agencies were either incompetent or sabotaging the effort. Musk told them he wanted more precise terminations of those not performing.

“The point that he was making is that DOGE had not made recommendations for across-the-board cuts of all probationary employees at every agency,” Barr said.

“But the agencies had implemented it improperly through either incompetence or in a handful of cases actual malicious efforts to sabotage and create a public relations problem for DOGE.”

In fact, scores of fired workers are being recalled back to work across the federal agencies. This week, about&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/cdc-reinstatements-c1f0b33d677e5a02a4df1210b82ca930">180 employees at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention</a>&nbsp;were being told they could come back, in an email that said: “Read this email immediately.”

Musk was invited to Capitol Hill this week by Trump’s allies and party leaders to provide more information to lawmakers facing questions about the DOGE cuts. Many Republicans are being&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/town-halls-musk-doge-trump-gop-749d91ea516284057e4c7bcb1615527e">hammered at town halls</a>&nbsp;back home, so much so that House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has encouraged them to meet with constituents in other venues.

Musk gave his cellphone number to the senators –- though not the members of the House –- and his team is setting up a dedicated phone line the lawmakers can call if they have further questions, complaints or suggestions about his work, and about jobs and agencies that should be spared.

Democrats, and their allies in outside advocacy groups, have been highlighting the way the cutbacks will hurt Americans.

On Thursday, 141 House Democrats led by Virginia Rep. Gerald Connolly, the top Democrat on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, urged the OPM to reinstate all the probationary employees who have been unlawfully terminated.

“We write in strong opposition to the expansion of the Trump Administration’s efforts to purge nonpartisan civil servants from the federal workforce, specifically recent unlawful mass terminations of employees in probationary status,” wrote the lawmakers in a letter to the office’s acting director, Charles Ezell.

“Indiscriminately firing thousands of these employees threatens the future of the nonpartisan federal workforce and our government’s ability to deliver life-saving services to the American people.”

House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York said that if the White House wants to abolish an entire agency such as the Department of Education, “Bring the bill to Congress. We welcome that fight.”

Jeffries added: “We’ll stand on the side of the American people, and they’ll continue to stand on the side of Elon Musk.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/3/1741308398885.png" alt="Musk met with Trump Cabinet secretaries Thursday -Photo courtesy White House" />
 <figcaption>Musk met with Trump Cabinet secretaries Thursday -Photo courtesy White House</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — It’s not his fault.Billionaire&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/elon-musk">Elon Musk</a>&nbsp;is telling Republican lawmakers that he is not to blame for the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/veterans-affairs-cuts-doge-musk-trump-f587a6bc3db6a460e9c357592e165712">firings of thousands of federal workers</a>, including&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-federal-workers-veterans-fired-1032360fdc6b2fb33d88edaf8f54d5ca">veterans</a>, as pushes to downsize the government. Instead, he said in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-musk-doge-cuts-congress-5f2101c129924c9d416437aca05e1e11">private talks this week</a>&nbsp;that those decisions are left to the various federal agencies.The message from one of President Donald Trump’s most influential advisers came as Republicans publicly support Musk’s work at the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/doge-federal-job-cuts-congressional-districts-data-5d79e2a7ef2160166b0bee59dfa4e9e2">Department of Government Efficiency</a>&nbsp;digging up&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-musk-doge-waste-fraud-abuse-635b1419014a43e061f548c9713860c4">waste, fraud and abuse</a>, but are privately raising questions as personnel cuts&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-science-medicine-research-cancer-funding-university-0ef3fa47694784e47b0ecd51680410ba">ripple through communities across the nation</a>.“Elon doesn’t fire people,” said Rep. Richard Hudson, R-N.C., after a dinner-time pizza meeting with Musk in the basement of the Capitol.“He doesn’t have hiring and firing authority,” added Hudson, who leads the House Republicans’ campaign arm. “The president’s empowered him to go uncover this information, that’s it.”It’s a remarkable shift of emphasis away from the chainsaw-wielding tech entrepreneur whose vast power has made him an admired, revered and deeply feared figure in the second Trump administration.The Republican president weighed in Thursday after a Cabinet meeting, saying he has instructed department secretaries to work with DOGE but to “be very precise” about which workers will stay or go — using a “‘scalpel’” he said in a social media post “rather than the ‘hatchet.”“I don’t want to see a big cut where a lot of good people are cut,“ Trump later told reporters in the Oval Office.Trump suggested that Cabinet and agency leaders would take the lead, but Musk could push harder down the line.“If they can cut, it’s better. And if they don’t cut, then Elon will do the cutting.”He had said in the earlier post that Musk and Cabinet officials will meet every two weeks to advance their cost-cutting goals.The comments come amid mounting legal disputes over Musk’s attempts to centralize management of the government workforce and bypass the traditional role of Congress to appropriate federal dollars.For example, the White House’s Office of Personnel Management directed federal agencies&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-federal-workers-layoffs-doge-406752da1614755b8fabe9c94e0c71a8">to fire probationary workers</a>, who lack full civil service protection. The scorched-earth approach led to deep cuts that have occasionally been reversed, such as when workers on nuclear weapons programs were&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nuclear-doge-firings-trump-federal-916e6819104f04f44c345b7dde4904d5">brought back on the job.</a>A federal judge in San Francisco expressed concerns that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-federal-employees-firings-a85d1aaf1088e050d39dcf7e3664bb9f">layoffs violated the law</a>, leading administration officials to insist that it was individual agencies — not Musk or the Office of Personnel Management — calling the shots.Rep. Carlos Gimenez, R-Fla., said Musk told lawmakers that “some of the folks that were the probationary people, he didn’t fire them, they were actually supposedly fired by the agencies —and they messed up.”Did Musk actually say “they messed up?”“Well, if they were in fact, you know, critical people, and the agency did the firing, then yeah, they messed up,” Gimenez said. “But not him.”Musk and his team have burrowed into agencies, accessing sensitive data and rattling career officials with their demands. Top officials, including at the Social Security Administration,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/social-security-elon-musk-doge-164c91f8477d5e7833af7f6de4bbde57">abruptly stepped down</a>&nbsp;after refusing to comply with Musk’s team. Tens of thousands of workers accepted an offer to resign early and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-elon-musk-federal-workers-layoffs-d295d4bb2cdd5023c27d9cb03754e81b">more are facing potential layoffs.</a>“We’re making good progress,” Musk said late Wednesday as he dashed through the halls of the Capitol.The richest person in the world, Musk is known as a driven, demanding executive who is willing to take bold risks, often with great rewards. His enterprises include the rocket company SpaceX, electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla and social media platform X, known the world over.But his perch at DOGE is Musk’s first public foray into the grit of governing. The speed and scale of the cuts, which are being challenged in dozens of court cases, are introducing businessman to the concept of political blowback.When the topic of the fired federal workers came up during a Senate lunch, Musk deflected blame.“I would say that there was an argument that that’s not coming from DOGE, it’s actually coming from individual agencies,” said Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky.Another Republican, Rep. Andy Barr of Kentucky, said that Musk went so far as to emphasize that not only had DOGE not recommended mass termination of probationary employees, but that he thought some federal agencies were either incompetent or sabotaging the effort. Musk told them he wanted more precise terminations of those not performing.“The point that he was making is that DOGE had not made recommendations for across-the-board cuts of all probationary employees at every agency,” Barr said.“But the agencies had implemented it improperly through either incompetence or in a handful of cases actual malicious efforts to sabotage and create a public relations problem for DOGE.”In fact, scores of fired workers are being recalled back to work across the federal agencies. This week, about&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/cdc-reinstatements-c1f0b33d677e5a02a4df1210b82ca930">180 employees at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention</a>&nbsp;were being told they could come back, in an email that said: “Read this email immediately.”Musk was invited to Capitol Hill this week by Trump’s allies and party leaders to provide more information to lawmakers facing questions about the DOGE cuts. Many Republicans are being&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/town-halls-musk-doge-trump-gop-749d91ea516284057e4c7bcb1615527e">hammered at town halls</a>&nbsp;back home, so much so that House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has encouraged them to meet with constituents in other venues.Musk gave his cellphone number to the senators –- though not the members of the House –- and his team is setting up a dedicated phone line the lawmakers can call if they have further questions, complaints or suggestions about his work, and about jobs and agencies that should be spared.Democrats, and their allies in outside advocacy groups, have been highlighting the way the cutbacks will hurt Americans.On Thursday, 141 House Democrats led by Virginia Rep. Gerald Connolly, the top Democrat on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, urged the OPM to reinstate all the probationary employees who have been unlawfully terminated.“We write in strong opposition to the expansion of the Trump Administration’s efforts to purge nonpartisan civil servants from the federal workforce, specifically recent unlawful mass terminations of employees in probationary status,” wrote the lawmakers in a letter to the office’s acting director, Charles Ezell.“Indiscriminately firing thousands of these employees threatens the future of the nonpartisan federal workforce and our government’s ability to deliver life-saving services to the American people.”House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York said that if the White House wants to abolish an entire agency such as the Department of Education, “Bring the bill to Congress. We welcome that fight.”Jeffries added: “We’ll stand on the side of the American people, and they’ll continue to stand on the side of Elon Musk.”

Elon Musk tells GOP lawmakers he’s not to blame for federal firings

Cheryl Lee Wright, 76, passed away on March 1st, 2025, at Pleasant View Home in Inman, Kansas. She was born August 16, 1948, in Phoenix, Arizona. She was the daughter of William Edward Wright and Frances Bertha Draper. 

Furthermore, she had two siblings, a brother William Jr. and sister Terri. Cheryl lived an adventurous and nomadic life from an early age where she became college educated and worked at several jobs including Hughes Aircraft as a Lead Art Director where she headed a team designing airplanes.

 This hardworking and caring woman was deeply engrained in Christianity who wanted nothing more than to have a large family so she could try and give them the nearly endless amounts of love she had to offer.

She is survived by her 4 sons. In order of birth, Justin Evans, Ethan Evans, Austin Evans and Clayton Evans whom all reside in Hutchinson, while Ethan recently moved to McPherson; a sister, Teri Wright, Oregon; stepmother, Billie Jo Wright, Arizona, at the young age of 95 and her grandchildren.

Cremation has taken place and a memorial service will be held privately with the family.

To leave a condolence for the family, visit: www.inmanfh.com.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/3/1741224025255.jpeg" alt="Cheryl Lee Wright 1948-2025" />
 <figcaption>Cheryl Lee Wright 1948-2025</figcaption>
 </figure>Cheryl Lee Wright, 76, passed away on March 1st, 2025, at Pleasant View Home in Inman, Kansas. She was born August 16, 1948, in Phoenix, Arizona. She was the daughter of William Edward Wright and Frances Bertha Draper. Furthermore, she had two siblings, a brother William Jr. and sister Terri. Cheryl lived an adventurous and nomadic life from an early age where she became college educated and worked at several jobs including Hughes Aircraft as a Lead Art Director where she headed a team designing airplanes. This hardworking and caring woman was deeply engrained in Christianity who wanted nothing more than to have a large family so she could try and give them the nearly endless amounts of love she had to offer.She is survived by her 4 sons. In order of birth, Justin Evans, Ethan Evans, Austin Evans and Clayton Evans whom all reside in Hutchinson, while Ethan recently moved to McPherson; a sister, Teri Wright, Oregon; stepmother, Billie Jo Wright, Arizona, at the young age of 95 and her grandchildren.Cremation has taken place and a memorial service will be held privately with the family.To leave a condolence for the family, visit: www.inmanfh.com.

Cheryl Lee Wright  | 1948-2025 |

PrairieLand Partners and Agrivision Equipment Group

PrairieLand Partners and AgriVision Equipment Group are excited to announce their partnership with Hutchinson Community College (HutchCC) as a John Deere Dealer Sponsored School. HutchCC will offer an Agriculture Service Technician program as part of the dealer partnership. The first group of students will begin in the fall of 2025.

Students in the Agriculture Service Technician program will have the chance to become a Certified John Deere Technician by taking courses from a certified John Deere technician who serves as a HutchCC faculty member. Courses include Electronic Diagnostics, Hydraulic Diagnostics, Engine Air and Exhaust Systems Diagnostics, Engine Aftertreatment SCR Systems Diagnostics, and more.

“We are very excited for an opportunity to expand our agriculture technology program,” says Dr. Tricia Paramore, President of the College. “We have students that want to go into agriculture technology and have expressed an interest in a program like this. With PrairieLand Partners located merely minutes from our ag diesel south campus location as well as a new opportunity to serve as a Dealer Sponsored School, it seems like everything is falling into place.”

Students will also take core curriculum courses from HutchCC with those classes taking place at the College’s south campus location near Yoder.

“We as an organization continue to face challenges in higher learning with capacity issues and options for students that want to pursue careers in diesel technology. We felt that partnering with an institution with such a strong reputation like Hutchinson Community College was an obvious choice to provide a high-quality diesel technology program” says, Reed Allen, director of aftermarket for PrairieLand Partners and AgriVision Equipment.

PrairieLand Partners and AgriVision Equipment have undertaken a major initiative to increase the number of technicians; they plan to increase technician capacity by 25% over the next couple years. Post-graduation employment opportunities will be available at any of their locations throughout Kansas, Nebraska and Iowa.

“This is an outstanding opportunity for our students, our local economy, and the communities served by the college and PrairieLand Partners,” says Sheldon Stewart, HutchCC Department Chairperson. “We look forward to seeing the impact our students make when they take on roles with PrairieLand Partners and embed themselves in those communities.”

The collaboration between these two organizations takes a step forward into helping cultivate future agricultural professionals by providing students with hands on experience using innovative technology while attending Hutchinson Community College.

“We look forward to working together on this exciting initiative and know that it will have a lasting impact on our industry for years to come," said Allen.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/3/1741223163657.jpeg" alt="Hutch CC " />
 <figcaption>Hutch CC </figcaption>
 </figure>PrairieLand Partners and Agrivision Equipment GroupPrairieLand Partners and AgriVision Equipment Group are excited to announce their partnership with Hutchinson Community College (HutchCC) as a John Deere Dealer Sponsored School. HutchCC will offer an Agriculture Service Technician program as part of the dealer partnership. The first group of students will begin in the fall of 2025.Students in the Agriculture Service Technician program will have the chance to become a Certified John Deere Technician by taking courses from a certified John Deere technician who serves as a HutchCC faculty member. Courses include Electronic Diagnostics, Hydraulic Diagnostics, Engine Air and Exhaust Systems Diagnostics, Engine Aftertreatment SCR Systems Diagnostics, and more.“We are very excited for an opportunity to expand our agriculture technology program,” says Dr. Tricia Paramore, President of the College. “We have students that want to go into agriculture technology and have expressed an interest in a program like this. With PrairieLand Partners located merely minutes from our ag diesel south campus location as well as a new opportunity to serve as a Dealer Sponsored School, it seems like everything is falling into place.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/3/1741223199378.png" alt="prairieland-logo " />
 <figcaption>prairieland-logo </figcaption>
 </figure>Students will also take core curriculum courses from HutchCC with those classes taking place at the College’s south campus location near Yoder.“We as an organization continue to face challenges in higher learning with capacity issues and options for students that want to pursue careers in diesel technology. We felt that partnering with an institution with such a strong reputation like Hutchinson Community College was an obvious choice to provide a high-quality diesel technology program” says, Reed Allen, director of aftermarket for PrairieLand Partners and AgriVision Equipment.PrairieLand Partners and AgriVision Equipment have undertaken a major initiative to increase the number of technicians; they plan to increase technician capacity by 25% over the next couple years. Post-graduation employment opportunities will be available at any of their locations throughout Kansas, Nebraska and Iowa.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/3/1741223230554.png" alt="agrivisionequipment-logo " />
 <figcaption>agrivisionequipment-logo </figcaption>
 </figure>“This is an outstanding opportunity for our students, our local economy, and the communities served by the college and PrairieLand Partners,” says Sheldon Stewart, HutchCC Department Chairperson. “We look forward to seeing the impact our students make when they take on roles with PrairieLand Partners and embed themselves in those communities.”The collaboration between these two organizations takes a step forward into helping cultivate future agricultural professionals by providing students with hands on experience using innovative technology while attending Hutchinson Community College.“We look forward to working together on this exciting initiative and know that it will have a lasting impact on our industry for years to come," said Allen.

PrairieLand Partners, HutchCC announce partnership

Must be licensed LPN or RN in Kansas

<a href="https://wesleytowers.com/jobs/admissions-coordinator/">CLICK HERE TO APPLY!</a>

Admissions Coordinator is a licensed nurse responsible for coordinating and managing all resident admissions in a way that promotes resident dignity in a homelike environment and demonstrates a positive image to residents, families, visitors and peers to enhance the image of Wesley Towers, Inc. This is a healthcare leadership position, 8 hours daily, Monday–Friday.

Process all daily resident referrals in collaboration with the Director of Nursing (DON) and Administrator.

Oversee the coordination of pre-admission screenings, admissions, transfers and dismissals and work with other departments to ensure successful transfer of residents.

Oversee discharge planning upon admission, ongoing and discharge. Complete discharge summary, if necessary.

Ensure that incoming residents are appropriately placed in terms of the care needed.

Evaluate resident care according to new resident’s physician orders and other needs.

Determine incoming resident’s level of independence and choices consistent with their care plan.

Confer with resident and/or family about resident's cares and concerns as appropriate.

Ensure completion of admission assessments on new residents.

Review various healthcare audits as directed by the DON, Assistant DON (ADON), or Administrator.

Support the MDS Coordinator by conducting assessments.

When time allows, or as directed by the DON or ADON, perform any nursing duties to fulfill residents’ individual plan of care.

Support the DON and ADON with documentation of staffing issues.

Currently licensed as a Practical Nurse or Registered Nurse in the state of Kansas.

Experience in long-term care and/or management experience is required.

Possess proficient assessment skills related to geriatric residents.

Must be able to read, write, speak and understand the English language.

Must possess the ability to communicate with people at various levels of comprehension.

Ability to develop good relationships with residents and their families.

Operational understanding of all regulations pertaining to Skilled Long-Term Care.

Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationship within the nursing department and with other departments within the facility.

Wesley Towers is a 50-acre, vibrant retirement community nestled in a quiet neighborhood in northwest Hutchinson. We offer independent living, assisted living, memory care, rehabilitation and skilled home care. We currently have multiple positions available. Join our team TODAY!

<a href="https://wesleytowers.com/job-openings/">CLICK HERE TO VIEW ALL OPEN POSITIONS!</a>

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1704483907273.png" alt=" " />
 <figcaption> </figcaption>
 </figure>Admissions CoordinatorMust be licensed LPN or RN in KansasFull-time, Daytime<a href="https://wesleytowers.com/jobs/admissions-coordinator/">CLICK HERE TO APPLY!</a>Summary:Admissions Coordinator is a licensed nurse responsible for coordinating and managing all resident admissions in a way that promotes resident dignity in a homelike environment and demonstrates a positive image to residents, families, visitors and peers to enhance the image of Wesley Towers, Inc. This is a healthcare leadership position, 8 hours daily, Monday–Friday.Essential Responsibilities:Process all daily resident referrals in collaboration with the Director of Nursing (DON) and Administrator.Oversee the coordination of pre-admission screenings, admissions, transfers and dismissals and work with other departments to ensure successful transfer of residents.Oversee discharge planning upon admission, ongoing and discharge. Complete discharge summary, if necessary.Ensure that incoming residents are appropriately placed in terms of the care needed.Evaluate resident care according to new resident’s physician orders and other needs.Determine incoming resident’s level of independence and choices consistent with their care plan.Confer with resident and/or family about resident's cares and concerns as appropriate.Ensure completion of admission assessments on new residents.Review various healthcare audits as directed by the DON, Assistant DON (ADON), or Administrator.Support the MDS Coordinator by conducting assessments.When time allows, or as directed by the DON or ADON, perform any nursing duties to fulfill residents’ individual plan of care.Support the DON and ADON with documentation of staffing issues.Qualifications:Currently licensed as a Practical Nurse or Registered Nurse in the state of Kansas.Experience in long-term care and/or management experience is required.Possess proficient assessment skills related to geriatric residents.Must be able to read, write, speak and understand the English language.Must possess the ability to communicate with people at various levels of comprehension.Ability to develop good relationships with residents and their families.Operational understanding of all regulations pertaining to Skilled Long-Term Care.Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationship within the nursing department and with other departments within the facility.Wesley Towers is a 50-acre, vibrant retirement community nestled in a quiet neighborhood in northwest Hutchinson. We offer independent living, assisted living, memory care, rehabilitation and skilled home care. We currently have multiple positions available. Join our team TODAY!<a href="https://wesleytowers.com/job-openings/">CLICK HERE TO VIEW ALL OPEN POSITIONS!</a>