SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Springfield, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court earlier this month for his role in a drug-trafficking conspiracy involving 19 defendants and over $1.8 million worth of methamphetamine and fentanyl, according to the United State's Attorney.

Dontrell A. Powell, 36, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes to 32 and a half years in federal prison without parole for one count each of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and possession of firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking. Powell pleaded guilty on Jan. 21, 2025.

According to court documents, an investigation into the drug-trafficking organization began on Jan. 17, 2024, when a Trooper with the Oklahoma Highway Patrol searched a vehicle on a car hauler at a truck stop in Oklahoma City, Ok. The Trooper found approximately 100 pounds of methamphetamine and two pounds of fentanyl pills hidden in a subwoofer speaker box in the cargo area of a Dodge Magnum. The approximate street value of the drugs was $1,850,000.

Agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration removed the fentanyl pills from the Dodge Magnum and replaced most of the methamphetamine with sham methamphetamine before conducting a controlled delivery of the vehicle the next morning.

On Jan. 18, 2024, Dontrell Powell and his brother, Dreshawn Powell, 28, also of Springfield, Mo., arrived at the parking lot in a 2018 Mercedes Benz GLE, which was registered to Dontrell. Dontrell Powell signed for the Dodge Magnum, which had been shipped from California to Missouri under a false name, and drove it out of the parking lot. Agents followed the Powell brothers and two codefendants to Dontrell Powell’s residence, where they were all arrested.

When agents searched Dontrell Powell’s residence they found an Anderson Manufacturing multi-caliber, semi-automatic pistol, two Glock carrying cases, three high-capacity Glock magazines, including a drum-style magazine loaded with 40 rounds of ammunition, several types of ammunition, and approximately $140,000. Agents also located four more large subwoofer boxes at the residence and a loaded Glock, .40 caliber semi-automatic pistol in the glove box of Dontrell Powell’s Mercedes.

Dontrell Powell is the second defendant to be sentenced in this case. His brother, Dreshawn Powell, was sentenced on July 21, 2025, to 190 months in federal prison without parole for one count of aiding and abetting the attempted possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/2/1707704062964.png" alt="Dontrell Powell photo Greene Co." />
 <figcaption>Dontrell Powell photo Greene Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Springfield, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court earlier this month for his role in a drug-trafficking conspiracy involving 19 defendants and over $1.8 million worth of methamphetamine and fentanyl, according to the United State's Attorney.Dontrell A. Powell, 36, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes to 32 and a half years in federal prison without parole for one count each of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and possession of firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking. Powell pleaded guilty on Jan. 21, 2025.According to court documents, an investigation into the drug-trafficking organization began on Jan. 17, 2024, when a Trooper with the Oklahoma Highway Patrol searched a vehicle on a car hauler at a truck stop in Oklahoma City, Ok. The Trooper found approximately 100 pounds of methamphetamine and two pounds of fentanyl pills hidden in a subwoofer speaker box in the cargo area of a Dodge Magnum. The approximate street value of the drugs was $1,850,000.Agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration removed the fentanyl pills from the Dodge Magnum and replaced most of the methamphetamine with sham methamphetamine before conducting a controlled delivery of the vehicle the next morning.On Jan. 18, 2024, Dontrell Powell and his brother, Dreshawn Powell, 28, also of Springfield, Mo., arrived at the parking lot in a 2018 Mercedes Benz GLE, which was registered to Dontrell. Dontrell Powell signed for the Dodge Magnum, which had been shipped from California to Missouri under a false name, and drove it out of the parking lot. Agents followed the Powell brothers and two codefendants to Dontrell Powell’s residence, where they were all arrested.When agents searched Dontrell Powell’s residence they found an Anderson Manufacturing multi-caliber, semi-automatic pistol, two Glock carrying cases, three high-capacity Glock magazines, including a drum-style magazine loaded with 40 rounds of ammunition, several types of ammunition, and approximately $140,000. Agents also located four more large subwoofer boxes at the residence and a loaded Glock, .40 caliber semi-automatic pistol in the glove box of Dontrell Powell’s Mercedes.Dontrell Powell is the second defendant to be sentenced in this case. His brother, Dreshawn Powell, was sentenced on July 21, 2025, to 190 months in federal prison without parole for one count of aiding and abetting the attempted possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl.

Mo. man going to. prison for $1.8 million fentanyl, meth conspiracy

HARVEY COUNTY – On September 19, 2025, Trevon Cole, 20, of Salina,&nbsp; entered a guilty plea in Harvey County District Court to one count of Rape, according to the Harvey County District Attorney's office.

At the time of the offense, Cole was a student at Bethel College and the crime occurred in the dorms located on the Bethel College campus.

Sentencing is scheduled to take place before Chief Judge Marilyn Wilder on December 3, 2025, at 9:00 a.m. Cole remains out of custody on bond pending sentencing. 

He faces a potential prison sentence of 147 to 653 months in the custody of the Kansas Department of Corrections, followed by lifetime post-release supervision. He will also be subject to lifetime registration as a sex offender.

The successful prosecution of this case was made possible with the dedicated assistance of the North Newton Police Department. 

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/9/1758646833807.png" alt="Cole photo KBI Offender Registry" />
 <figcaption>Cole photo KBI Offender Registry</figcaption>
 </figure>HARVEY COUNTY – On September 19, 2025, Trevon Cole, 20, of Salina,&nbsp; entered a guilty plea in Harvey County District Court to one count of Rape, according to the Harvey County District Attorney's office.At the time of the offense, Cole was a student at Bethel College and the crime occurred in the dorms located on the Bethel College campus.Sentencing is scheduled to take place before Chief Judge Marilyn Wilder on December 3, 2025, at 9:00 a.m. Cole remains out of custody on bond pending sentencing. He faces a potential prison sentence of 147 to 653 months in the custody of the Kansas Department of Corrections, followed by lifetime post-release supervision. He will also be subject to lifetime registration as a sex offender.The successful prosecution of this case was made possible with the dedicated assistance of the North Newton Police Department.

Former student admits to sex crime in Kan. college dorm

&nbsp;President&nbsp;Donald Trump&nbsp;criticized the United Nations during a speech before the general assembly on Tuesday in New York.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/9/1758638236501.png" alt="Image courtesy White House" />
 <figcaption>Image courtesy White House</figcaption>
 </figure>&nbsp;President&nbsp;Donald Trump&nbsp;criticized the United Nations during a speech before the general assembly on Tuesday in New York.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Watch in full: President Donald J. Trump&#39;s address to the 80th session of the United Nations Generally Assembly <a href="https://t.co/sJKI6GPkyk">pic.twitter.com/sJKI6GPkyk</a>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1970525758855536854?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 23, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><a href="https://t.co/UaxUrM2zCG">pic.twitter.com/UaxUrM2zCG</a>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1970513791168208929?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 23, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

🎥Trump issues warning to Europe in UN General Assembly speech

Centene subsidiary Ambetter from Home State Health failed to meet Affordable Care Act requirements for medical care spending. The refunds to Missourians will be more than all insurers paid out nationally rebates in 2023

BY:&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/rudi-keller/">RUDI KELLER</a> <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-senate-committee-advances-bill-to-ban-texting-while-driving/">Missouri Independent</a>

Missouri’s biggest individual insurer must rebate almost $90 million to policyholders because it spent too little on care and too much on administration.

Ambetter from Home State Health, a subsidiary of<a href="https://www.centene.com/" target="_blank">&nbsp;Clayton-based Centene Corporation</a>, is mailing checks totaling $87.5 million to customers in Missouri because it violated the<a href="https://www.cms.gov/marketplace/private-health-insurance/medical-loss-ratio" target="_blank">&nbsp;Medical Loss Ratio</a>&nbsp;requirements of the Affordable Care Act. Letters dated Sept. 10 notifying policyholders of the rebates — equal to more than one month’s premium for each — began arriving in mailboxes over the weekend.&nbsp;

One of Ambetter’s competitors, United Healthcare, is also making rebates to Missouri customers. In a Sept. 5 news release,<a href="https://www.uhc.com/agents-brokers/employer-sponsored-plans/news-strategies/uhc-will-begin-mailing-mlr-premium-rebate-checks-impacted-groups-september" target="_blank">&nbsp;United Healthcare</a>&nbsp;stated that it will rebate $192.2 million nationally for group market plans offered in 31 states and $167.1 million for individual insurance market plans offered in 19 states.&nbsp;

Missourians in both United Healthcare markets will be eligible for rebates but the material supplied by the company did not show the amounts.

The rebates from Ambetter are among the largest for individual insurance companies operating in the Missouri marketplace since the Affordable Care Act began requiring them in 2012. Over 12 years, insurers have rebated $587.1 million to Missouri policyholders, with the most being $192.7 million in 2019.

“This is a standard and required process under the Affordable Care Act that ensures health plans return a portion of premiums to members if spending on medical care falls below federal thresholds,” a prepared statement from Centene stated.

Every year insurers must report their revenue from premiums and spending on health care and activities intended to improve care, such as smoking cessation or other programs. That is compared to the amount spent on administration.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services evaluates the reports and determines the rebate amounts. The data is examined on a three-year rolling basis and Ambetter’s rebates are for the years 2022-2024.

During 2023, CMS directed companies to<a href="https://www.cms.gov/files/document/2023-rebates-state.pdf" target="_blank">&nbsp;rebate $957 million nationally</a>. A report summarizing rebates for 2024 is not yet available.

Each insurer must spend 80% of total premiums — and 85% of money from premium increases — on health care.

During that period, of premiums paid for individual policies, Ambetter told policyholders in the letter that it spent only 71.4% of the approximately $1 billion received in premiums in 2024. Ambetter must refund the 8.6% difference.

Ambetter is the largest individual insurance provider in the state, according to<a href="https://www.kff.org/private-insurance/state-indicator/market-share-and-enrollment-of-largest-three-insurers-individual-market/?currentTimeframe=0&amp;sortModel=%7B%22colId%22:%22Location%22,%22sort%22:%22asc%22%7D" target="_blank">&nbsp;data from KFF</a>, a health policy news and analysis organization. Ambetter covers about 46% of the 270,275 people buying individual plans. Elevance, formerly Anthem, is the second largest, with 28% of the market, followed by United Healthcare, with about 7%.

Along with the rebate checks, customers buying plans from Ambetter will likely see some of the smallest premium increases in the state in the coming year. According to an Aug. 1 news release from the Missouri Department of Commerce and Insurance, Ambetter is seeking an<a href="https://insurance.mo.gov/sites/insurance/files/2025-08/Proposed%20Rates%20for%202026%20Plans.pdf" target="_blank">&nbsp;average premium increase</a>&nbsp;of 1.9% starting Jan. 1.

Seven of the eight other companies offering plans in all or part of the state are proposing increases averaging from 4.6% to 29.2%. One, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City, has said it will cut rates by an average of 4.2%.

“Missourians should expect to see premium increases for many of the individual market plans as well as changes to coverage areas and networks,” the department said in the news release.

The final premium rates for all companies will be announced by Oct. 31.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/9/1758652787816.png" alt=" Centene Corp. headquarters in Clayton (photo from Google Maps)." />
 <figcaption> Centene Corp. headquarters in Clayton (photo from Google Maps).</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Centene subsidiary Ambetter from Home State Health failed to meet Affordable Care Act requirements for medical care spending. The refunds to Missourians will be more than all insurers paid out nationally rebates in 2023</h2>BY:&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/rudi-keller/">RUDI KELLER</a> <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-senate-committee-advances-bill-to-ban-texting-while-driving/">Missouri Independent</a>Missouri’s biggest individual insurer must rebate almost $90 million to policyholders because it spent too little on care and too much on administration.Ambetter from Home State Health, a subsidiary of<a href="https://www.centene.com/" target="_blank">&nbsp;Clayton-based Centene Corporation</a>, is mailing checks totaling $87.5 million to customers in Missouri because it violated the<a href="https://www.cms.gov/marketplace/private-health-insurance/medical-loss-ratio" target="_blank">&nbsp;Medical Loss Ratio</a>&nbsp;requirements of the Affordable Care Act. Letters dated Sept. 10 notifying policyholders of the rebates — equal to more than one month’s premium for each — began arriving in mailboxes over the weekend.&nbsp;One of Ambetter’s competitors, United Healthcare, is also making rebates to Missouri customers. In a Sept. 5 news release,<a href="https://www.uhc.com/agents-brokers/employer-sponsored-plans/news-strategies/uhc-will-begin-mailing-mlr-premium-rebate-checks-impacted-groups-september" target="_blank">&nbsp;United Healthcare</a>&nbsp;stated that it will rebate $192.2 million nationally for group market plans offered in 31 states and $167.1 million for individual insurance market plans offered in 19 states.&nbsp;Missourians in both United Healthcare markets will be eligible for rebates but the material supplied by the company did not show the amounts.The rebates from Ambetter are among the largest for individual insurance companies operating in the Missouri marketplace since the Affordable Care Act began requiring them in 2012. Over 12 years, insurers have rebated $587.1 million to Missouri policyholders, with the most being $192.7 million in 2019.“This is a standard and required process under the Affordable Care Act that ensures health plans return a portion of premiums to members if spending on medical care falls below federal thresholds,” a prepared statement from Centene stated.Every year insurers must report their revenue from premiums and spending on health care and activities intended to improve care, such as smoking cessation or other programs. That is compared to the amount spent on administration.The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services evaluates the reports and determines the rebate amounts. The data is examined on a three-year rolling basis and Ambetter’s rebates are for the years 2022-2024.During 2023, CMS directed companies to<a href="https://www.cms.gov/files/document/2023-rebates-state.pdf" target="_blank">&nbsp;rebate $957 million nationally</a>. A report summarizing rebates for 2024 is not yet available.Each insurer must spend 80% of total premiums — and 85% of money from premium increases — on health care.During that period, of premiums paid for individual policies, Ambetter told policyholders in the letter that it spent only 71.4% of the approximately $1 billion received in premiums in 2024. Ambetter must refund the 8.6% difference.Ambetter is the largest individual insurance provider in the state, according to<a href="https://www.kff.org/private-insurance/state-indicator/market-share-and-enrollment-of-largest-three-insurers-individual-market/?currentTimeframe=0&amp;sortModel=%7B%22colId%22:%22Location%22,%22sort%22:%22asc%22%7D" target="_blank">&nbsp;data from KFF</a>, a health policy news and analysis organization. Ambetter covers about 46% of the 270,275 people buying individual plans. Elevance, formerly Anthem, is the second largest, with 28% of the market, followed by United Healthcare, with about 7%.Along with the rebate checks, customers buying plans from Ambetter will likely see some of the smallest premium increases in the state in the coming year. According to an Aug. 1 news release from the Missouri Department of Commerce and Insurance, Ambetter is seeking an<a href="https://insurance.mo.gov/sites/insurance/files/2025-08/Proposed%20Rates%20for%202026%20Plans.pdf" target="_blank">&nbsp;average premium increase</a>&nbsp;of 1.9% starting Jan. 1.Seven of the eight other companies offering plans in all or part of the state are proposing increases averaging from 4.6% to 29.2%. One, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City, has said it will cut rates by an average of 4.2%.“Missourians should expect to see premium increases for many of the individual market plans as well as changes to coverage areas and networks,” the department said in the news release.The final premium rates for all companies will be announced by Oct. 31.

Federal rules force customer rebates for Missouri’s biggest health insurer 

President Donald Trump returned to the United Nations to deliver a speech on Tuesday morning.&nbsp;

As the President and the first lady arrived, they encountered challenges. First, the building's escalator stopped working just they stepped on it. They were forced to climb the steps.&nbsp; 

A few moments later, the teleprompter President Trump was going to use for his speech was not working. The President gave his speech without it, "that way you speak more from the heart," he said.&nbsp; &nbsp;And he also said, "whoever is running the teleprompter is in big trouble.” The teleprompter did finally begin to work.&nbsp;"I ended seven wars and never even received a phone all from the UN. These are the two things I got from the UN, a bad escalator and a bad teleprompter." Trump said.

President Donald Trump returned to the United Nations to deliver a speech on Tuesday morning.&nbsp;<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">CLIP: &quot;Bad escalator&quot; President Trump referred to during his address to the U.N. General Assembly. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/UNGA80?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#UNGA80</a> <a href="https://t.co/S1w9kUOq1l">https://t.co/S1w9kUOq1l</a> <a href="https://t.co/Ja1JRyfF7m">pic.twitter.com/Ja1JRyfF7m</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1970544863130399037?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 23, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">NOW - Escalator at UN headquarters immediately stops as Trump and Melania step on it shortly after arriving. <a href="https://t.co/8nlUkDoQxm">pic.twitter.com/8nlUkDoQxm</a>&mdash; Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) <a href="https://twitter.com/disclosetv/status/1970488216470859859?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 23, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>As the President and the first lady arrived, they encountered challenges. First, the building's escalator stopped working just they stepped on it. They were forced to climb the steps.&nbsp; <div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">President Trump begins <a href="https://twitter.com/UN?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@UN</a> General Assembly Address: &quot;I don&#39;t mind making this speech without a teleprompter, because the teleprompter is not working…Whoever&#39;s operating this teleprompter is in big trouble.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/01t80AL9de">pic.twitter.com/01t80AL9de</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1970492091034734761?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 23, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>A few moments later, the teleprompter President Trump was going to use for his speech was not working. The President gave his speech without it, "that way you speak more from the heart," he said.&nbsp; &nbsp;And he also said, "whoever is running the teleprompter is in big trouble.” The teleprompter did finally begin to work.&nbsp;"I ended seven wars and never even received a phone all from the UN. These are the two things I got from the UN, a bad escalator and a bad teleprompter." Trump said.

President Trump handles technical problems with humor at UN

NEW YORK –&nbsp;The U.S. Secret Service dismantled a network of electronic devices located throughout the New York tristate area that were used to conduct multiple telecommunications-related threats directed towards senior U.S. government officials, which represented an imminent threat to the agency’s protective operations, according to a media release from the agency.

This protective intelligence investigation led to the discovery of more than 300 co-located SIM servers and 100,000 SIM cards across multiple sites.

In addition to carrying out anonymous telephonic threats, these devices could be used to conduct a wide range of telecommunications attacks. This includes disabling cell phone towers, enabling denial of services attacks and facilitating anonymous, encrypted communication between potential threat actors and criminal enterprises.

While forensic examination of these devices is ongoing, early analysis indicates cellular communications between nation-state threat actors and individuals that are known to federal law enforcement.

“The potential for disruption to our country’s telecommunications posed by this network of devices cannot be overstated,” said U.S. Secret Service Director Sean Curran. “The U.S. Secret Service’s protective mission is all about prevention, and this investigation makes it clear to potential bad actors that imminent threats to our protectees will be immediately investigated, tracked down and dismantled.”

These devices were concentrated within 35 miles of the global meeting of the United Nations General Assembly now underway in New York City. Given the timing, location and potential for significant disruption to New York telecommunications posed by these devices, the agency moved quickly to disrupt this network. The U.S. Secret Service’s Advanced Threat Interdiction Unit, a new section of the agency dedicated to disrupting the most significant and imminent threats to our protectees, is conducting this investigation. This investigation is currently ongoing.

The Department of Homeland Security’s Homeland Security Investigations, the Department of Justice, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the NYPD, as well as other state and local law enforcement partners, provided valuable technical advice and assistance in support of this investigation.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/9/1758634316959.png" alt="Sim boxes-photo U.S. Secret Service" />
 <figcaption>Sim boxes-photo U.S. Secret Service</figcaption>
 </figure>NEW YORK –&nbsp;The U.S. Secret Service dismantled a network of electronic devices located throughout the New York tristate area that were used to conduct multiple telecommunications-related threats directed towards senior U.S. government officials, which represented an imminent threat to the agency’s protective operations, according to a media release from the agency.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/9/1758637728470.png" alt="Photo Secret Service" />
 <figcaption>Photo Secret Service</figcaption>
 </figure>This protective intelligence investigation led to the discovery of more than 300 co-located SIM servers and 100,000 SIM cards across multiple sites.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/9/1758634294809.png" alt="Photo Secret Service" />
 <figcaption>Photo Secret Service</figcaption>
 </figure>In addition to carrying out anonymous telephonic threats, these devices could be used to conduct a wide range of telecommunications attacks. This includes disabling cell phone towers, enabling denial of services attacks and facilitating anonymous, encrypted communication between potential threat actors and criminal enterprises.While forensic examination of these devices is ongoing, early analysis indicates cellular communications between nation-state threat actors and individuals that are known to federal law enforcement.“The potential for disruption to our country’s telecommunications posed by this network of devices cannot be overstated,” said U.S. Secret Service Director Sean Curran. “The U.S. Secret Service’s protective mission is all about prevention, and this investigation makes it clear to potential bad actors that imminent threats to our protectees will be immediately investigated, tracked down and dismantled.”These devices were concentrated within 35 miles of the global meeting of the United Nations General Assembly now underway in New York City. Given the timing, location and potential for significant disruption to New York telecommunications posed by these devices, the agency moved quickly to disrupt this network. The U.S. Secret Service’s Advanced Threat Interdiction Unit, a new section of the agency dedicated to disrupting the most significant and imminent threats to our protectees, is conducting this investigation. This investigation is currently ongoing.The Department of Homeland Security’s Homeland Security Investigations, the Department of Justice, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the NYPD, as well as other state and local law enforcement partners, provided valuable technical advice and assistance in support of this investigation.

Secret Service finds network of devices capable of crashing phone network

FRANKLIN COUNTY —A Kansas man is in custody after allegedly firing shots at deputies near his rural home.

Just before 7:30p.m. Sunday, the Franklin County Emergency Communications Center received a port alleging 54-year-old Lester Caleb of rural Ottawa was firing a gun on his property in The 1200 Block of K68-Highway, according to a media release from the Franklin County Sheriff.

A neighbor called to check on him and Caleb verbally threatened the caller.&nbsp; Law enforcement was contacted due to Caleb's behavior. As the first responding deputy arrived, he was shot at twice from the area of Caleb's property. Caleb was then observed walking across the driveway toward's his residence and the deputy lost sight of him. The deputy was not struck by the gunfire and not injured.&nbsp;&nbsp;

At this point, officers from the Ottawa Police Special Tactics and Rescue Team, The Miami County Sheriff's Special Response Team and The Kansas Highway Patrol responded to the area. A KHP helicopter was also used to monitor the area along with drones from local agencies.Neighbors in close. proximity were evacuated.&nbsp; Law enforcement conducted a search and could not find Caleb and asked the public for help to locate him.

During the day on Monday, law enforcement finally reached Caleb by phone and began a conversation. After an hour of discussion, Caleb surrendered to Franklin County Deputies.&nbsp; He was booked into jail just afater 4:30p.m.&nbsp; The sheriff's office did not release possible charges.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/9/1758535054962.png" alt="Caleb photo Franklin County" />
 <figcaption>Caleb photo Franklin County</figcaption>
 </figure>FRANKLIN COUNTY —A Kansas man is in custody after allegedly firing shots at deputies near his rural home.Just before 7:30p.m. Sunday, the Franklin County Emergency Communications Center received a port alleging 54-year-old Lester Caleb of rural Ottawa was firing a gun on his property in The 1200 Block of K68-Highway, according to a media release from the Franklin County Sheriff.A neighbor called to check on him and Caleb verbally threatened the caller.&nbsp; Law enforcement was contacted due to Caleb's behavior. As the first responding deputy arrived, he was shot at twice from the area of Caleb's property. Caleb was then observed walking across the driveway toward's his residence and the deputy lost sight of him. The deputy was not struck by the gunfire and not injured.&nbsp;&nbsp;At this point, officers from the Ottawa Police Special Tactics and Rescue Team, The Miami County Sheriff's Special Response Team and The Kansas Highway Patrol responded to the area. A KHP helicopter was also used to monitor the area along with drones from local agencies.Neighbors in close. proximity were evacuated.&nbsp; Law enforcement conducted a search and could not find Caleb and asked the public for help to locate him.During the day on Monday, law enforcement finally reached Caleb by phone and began a conversation. After an hour of discussion, Caleb surrendered to Franklin County Deputies.&nbsp; He was booked into jail just afater 4:30p.m.&nbsp; The sheriff's office did not release possible charges.

Sheriff: Kansas man accused of firing gun at deputies is in custody

WYANDOTTE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a bomb threat at KU Medical Center.

Just after 6:30p.m Monday, police&nbsp;were dispatched to assist K.U. Medical police officers on a bomb threat call, according to a media release.

K.U. officers advised KCKPD that an individual arrived to the entrance of the ER with what was told to police to be an explosive device.  KCKPD set a perimeter and the bomb unit of KCKPD was called to the scene. 

 The device was determined not to be explosive. There was no danger to the public. Police have not reported an arrest or additional details.

WYANDOTTE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a bomb threat at KU Medical Center.Just after 6:30p.m Monday, police&nbsp;were dispatched to assist K.U. Medical police officers on a bomb threat call, according to a media release.K.U. officers advised KCKPD that an individual arrived to the entrance of the ER with what was told to police to be an explosive device. KCKPD set a perimeter and the bomb unit of KCKPD was called to the scene. The device was determined not to be explosive. There was no danger to the public. Police have not reported an arrest or additional details.

Police investigate bomb threat at KU Medical Center

The vast majority of autism researchers understand that there is not a singular cause of autism. Our collective body of global research going back decades means that we have encyclopedic knowledge about the risks for autism, its possible causes, and the highly variable experience of autistic individuals. &nbsp;

The September 22 press conference held by U.S. Health and Human Services alarms us researchers who committed our entire careers to better understanding autism. The data cited do not support the claim that Tylenol causes autism and leucovorin is a cure, and only stoke fear and falsely suggest hope when there is no simple answer.

In brief response to this report, <a href="https://www.coalitionofautismscientists.org/members">the Coalition of Autism Scientists </a>makes the following points:

Regarding a possible link between acetaminophen and autism:

While a recent&nbsp;<a href="https://secure-web.cisco.com/12-p9UShCUEOIYXv2znxa0aqkVuAlW2WK3T38wkoNTPgfKSx8WnvjIoTnqn05j82eTwnFO4qRQvfyvd056Wr8P4Vlm8GIHFKVQHGel7LOPtCJLNfJI9EIU7vrL6GibpF7n9sfqgI19H1VoN9hAWeYdLeyuMoBqjSYdNqdyHBVvnUJIv3YuKY5ptdZMUb8gQgRlFDz3dsRFH8XhC3EJBdTAFec4qFO9ywpwg28skFd07aPu5nPXsGbfUp4haQYLVw39r4w4kcTCLkW3pMw2MezeD8ih7YHQrRBeSGMBRKLZ_-RJv1dKo-UBUKG6PDZLMkw0-y1JKaSVDvDljRNpextllv8v2NiGDw-RwBIZLTmdSH09TSedfSa-qtxgWfHDINtQpxL_F2zHvJxRfawXgWmmvhvDcS-8UFTSGm3Dk3dsnCckVfAFE7xE90UBNOGTMXvlHGJCCDbYMr4FzQLvF2rpQ/https%3A%2F%2Furldefense.com%2Fv3%2F__https%3A%2Fpubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2F40804730%2F__%3B%21%21BZ50a36bapWJ%21phJNivUOy1QcmpRhRfW5EkPBp-NTRftfdwl71wwXMMaSTNweKlOdlsJZvlbcFh-0bx189_kHfJ6DukAILqduukZ_FQ3NRiSr_uM%24" target="_blank">summary analysis</a>&nbsp;found some evidence for a weak association, it does not evaluate the quality of the studies informing the analysis. Importantly, these studies fail to address the fact that fevers during pregnancy are known to increase risk for autism, and that’s why mothers take acetaminophen in the first place. Rather, the most recent,&nbsp;<a href="https://secure-web.cisco.com/1F-SP49beOizPL4WGm4SdputO84cITRjShoz9_K0m0WWU4EvEzee34XX1qNQWDuCpynga2ZOFdwTHCy3hWo33WVKUBBPgKXZmqoTfxm0nikIaS8p1c6tQOWOxF1hGG_vXQd2cTnxxz8s3nUwHT2a2VjHVdUXkp0xEJGg1WlETiE6G0orDiwTmftf6KTEybadFVVFq2igmfcxf2teI3v2sIHjbxoPFm9ZBLxv-RIRBqFuOBQmtivm-T8eWbk3MSOWUCUK7Ee249S5k8sBRV7s6JTSvAGs0LZCjqyimjy-p4LmEiu3ZGpFGaCcbqo0dQQZc4UwW4IhVMSCPSSQnw_vX8DlccbMZTQiD6maZBUSqohurPhf2xjA4nUBhuAz1nMpqcJuro-Uz3T9zSVWkh2mYGO9hXtDWrEWVA63CUBdKBQtXyHxybYbdiM516h9Jm3N1FZtnNmzQ7H8r9khuuN0KQQ/https%3A%2F%2Furldefense.com%2Fv3%2F__https%3A%2Fpubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2F38592388%2F__%3B%21%21BZ50a36bapWJ%21phJNivUOy1QcmpRhRfW5EkPBp-NTRftfdwl71wwXMMaSTNweKlOdlsJZvlbcFh-0bx189_kHfJ6DukAILqduukZ_FQ3NbyKdUAo%24" target="_blank">rigorous study</a>&nbsp;that controlled for unmeasured familiar risks found that acetaminophen did not cause autism.

Given that use of acetaminophen during pregnancy&nbsp;<a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2817406" target="_blank">&nbsp;has not increased</a>&nbsp;(Ahlqvist VH, et al., Fig 2A in reference) over the past two decades alongside rates of autism, it’s clearly not the cause of the increased diagnoses of autism and the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.acog.org/news/news-articles/2021/09/response-to-consensus-statement-on-paracetamol-use-during-pregnancy" target="_blank">American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists agrees.</a>

There are only a handful of clinical trials of leucovorin and evidence connecting treatment to improvements in outcomes is very weak. (See references) All of them are very small, and the study designs and approaches to statistical analyses of the data are not all of high quality.&nbsp; &nbsp;It is premature to claim that leucovorin is an effective treatment for autism and add autism as a secondary indication. &nbsp;

The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.coalitionofautismscientists.org/" target="_blank">Coalition of Autism Scientists</a>&nbsp;reviewed these studies and found that the researchers aren’t using high quality study designs or statistical analysis. Most of these studies test many outcomes, without statistically adjusting for the fact that they are doing so along the way. Some of them use statistics that are inappropriate for a randomized trial (e.g., showing that there is statistically significant change in the intervention group but not in the control group, without actually comparing the groups). Others attempt to conduct analyses separately for children that they say have a gene or antibody that would suggest that they have folate deficiency, meaning that they are conducting the analysis on even smaller groups.

With this in mind, we do not support any recommendation from the HHS or FDA regarding increased use of folinic acid. Instead, we call for a well-designed, large scale clinical trial of leucovorin (folinic acid) with all of the rigor needed (biomarkers, proper endpoints) and most importantly a pre-registered analysis plan.

Dozens of studies demonstrate the role vaccination plays to protect individuals, particularly the most vulnerable in our community, against potentially fatal diseases. There is no evidence that routine vaccinations have any connection to autism at all.

Secretary Kennedy is using his position to push forward his well-known anti-vaccination views, which does not align with Americans’ broad support of vaccines. Outbreaks and epidemics are inevitable if access to free, safe vaccines is reduced.

Is HHS wants to speed up autism research, then investment in gold-standard, peer-reviewed research – that which was already in progress before the rulebook suddenly changed – must continue. Regarding the grants awarded as part of the Autism Data Science Initiative (ADSI), the Coalition of Autism Scientists calls for an independent external advisory board of autism scientists and community members to support the ADSI and analyze methodologies, which will facilitate earning the trust of researchers and the public.

The Coalition of Autism Scientists will continue to speak factually and forcefully about the science that should inform our public understanding of autism and support autistic individuals and their families.

Coalition of Autism ScientistsThe vast majority of autism researchers understand that there is not a singular cause of autism. Our collective body of global research going back decades means that we have encyclopedic knowledge about the risks for autism, its possible causes, and the highly variable experience of autistic individuals. &nbsp;<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">🚨 President Donald J. Trump announces FDA&#39;s new guidance alerting physicians to a potential link between acetaminophen (Tylenol) use during pregnancy and an increased risk of autism. <a href="https://t.co/ZjVgEAR6MX">pic.twitter.com/ZjVgEAR6MX</a>&mdash; The White House (@WhiteHouse) <a href="https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/1970268144569819420?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 22, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The September 22 press conference held by U.S. Health and Human Services alarms us researchers who committed our entire careers to better understanding autism. The data cited do not support the claim that Tylenol causes autism and leucovorin is a cure, and only stoke fear and falsely suggest hope when there is no simple answer.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">&quot;Tylenol during pregnancy can be associated with a very increased risk of autism.&quot; - <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> <a href="https://t.co/0FdBCOjtZk">pic.twitter.com/0FdBCOjtZk</a>&mdash; The White House (@WhiteHouse) <a href="https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/1970247984106328147?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 22, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>In brief response to this report, <a href="https://www.coalitionofautismscientists.org/members">the Coalition of Autism Scientists </a>makes the following points:Regarding a possible link between acetaminophen and autism:While a recent&nbsp;<a href="https://secure-web.cisco.com/12-p9UShCUEOIYXv2znxa0aqkVuAlW2WK3T38wkoNTPgfKSx8WnvjIoTnqn05j82eTwnFO4qRQvfyvd056Wr8P4Vlm8GIHFKVQHGel7LOPtCJLNfJI9EIU7vrL6GibpF7n9sfqgI19H1VoN9hAWeYdLeyuMoBqjSYdNqdyHBVvnUJIv3YuKY5ptdZMUb8gQgRlFDz3dsRFH8XhC3EJBdTAFec4qFO9ywpwg28skFd07aPu5nPXsGbfUp4haQYLVw39r4w4kcTCLkW3pMw2MezeD8ih7YHQrRBeSGMBRKLZ_-RJv1dKo-UBUKG6PDZLMkw0-y1JKaSVDvDljRNpextllv8v2NiGDw-RwBIZLTmdSH09TSedfSa-qtxgWfHDINtQpxL_F2zHvJxRfawXgWmmvhvDcS-8UFTSGm3Dk3dsnCckVfAFE7xE90UBNOGTMXvlHGJCCDbYMr4FzQLvF2rpQ/https%3A%2F%2Furldefense.com%2Fv3%2F__https%3A%2Fpubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2F40804730%2F__%3B%21%21BZ50a36bapWJ%21phJNivUOy1QcmpRhRfW5EkPBp-NTRftfdwl71wwXMMaSTNweKlOdlsJZvlbcFh-0bx189_kHfJ6DukAILqduukZ_FQ3NRiSr_uM%24" target="_blank">summary analysis</a>&nbsp;found some evidence for a weak association, it does not evaluate the quality of the studies informing the analysis. Importantly, these studies fail to address the fact that fevers during pregnancy are known to increase risk for autism, and that’s why mothers take acetaminophen in the first place. Rather, the most recent,&nbsp;<a href="https://secure-web.cisco.com/1F-SP49beOizPL4WGm4SdputO84cITRjShoz9_K0m0WWU4EvEzee34XX1qNQWDuCpynga2ZOFdwTHCy3hWo33WVKUBBPgKXZmqoTfxm0nikIaS8p1c6tQOWOxF1hGG_vXQd2cTnxxz8s3nUwHT2a2VjHVdUXkp0xEJGg1WlETiE6G0orDiwTmftf6KTEybadFVVFq2igmfcxf2teI3v2sIHjbxoPFm9ZBLxv-RIRBqFuOBQmtivm-T8eWbk3MSOWUCUK7Ee249S5k8sBRV7s6JTSvAGs0LZCjqyimjy-p4LmEiu3ZGpFGaCcbqo0dQQZc4UwW4IhVMSCPSSQnw_vX8DlccbMZTQiD6maZBUSqohurPhf2xjA4nUBhuAz1nMpqcJuro-Uz3T9zSVWkh2mYGO9hXtDWrEWVA63CUBdKBQtXyHxybYbdiM516h9Jm3N1FZtnNmzQ7H8r9khuuN0KQQ/https%3A%2F%2Furldefense.com%2Fv3%2F__https%3A%2Fpubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2F38592388%2F__%3B%21%21BZ50a36bapWJ%21phJNivUOy1QcmpRhRfW5EkPBp-NTRftfdwl71wwXMMaSTNweKlOdlsJZvlbcFh-0bx189_kHfJ6DukAILqduukZ_FQ3NbyKdUAo%24" target="_blank">rigorous study</a>&nbsp;that controlled for unmeasured familiar risks found that acetaminophen did not cause autism.Given that use of acetaminophen during pregnancy&nbsp;<a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2817406" target="_blank">&nbsp;has not increased</a>&nbsp;(Ahlqvist VH, et al., Fig 2A in reference) over the past two decades alongside rates of autism, it’s clearly not the cause of the increased diagnoses of autism and the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.acog.org/news/news-articles/2021/09/response-to-consensus-statement-on-paracetamol-use-during-pregnancy" target="_blank">American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists agrees.</a>Regarding folinic acid (leucovorin):There are only a handful of clinical trials of leucovorin and evidence connecting treatment to improvements in outcomes is very weak. (See references) All of them are very small, and the study designs and approaches to statistical analyses of the data are not all of high quality.&nbsp; &nbsp;It is premature to claim that leucovorin is an effective treatment for autism and add autism as a secondary indication. &nbsp;The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.coalitionofautismscientists.org/" target="_blank">Coalition of Autism Scientists</a>&nbsp;reviewed these studies and found that the researchers aren’t using high quality study designs or statistical analysis. Most of these studies test many outcomes, without statistically adjusting for the fact that they are doing so along the way. Some of them use statistics that are inappropriate for a randomized trial (e.g., showing that there is statistically significant change in the intervention group but not in the control group, without actually comparing the groups). Others attempt to conduct analyses separately for children that they say have a gene or antibody that would suggest that they have folate deficiency, meaning that they are conducting the analysis on even smaller groups.With this in mind, we do not support any recommendation from the HHS or FDA regarding increased use of folinic acid. Instead, we call for a well-designed, large scale clinical trial of leucovorin (folinic acid) with all of the rigor needed (biomarkers, proper endpoints) and most importantly a pre-registered analysis plan.Vaccines and Autism:Dozens of studies demonstrate the role vaccination plays to protect individuals, particularly the most vulnerable in our community, against potentially fatal diseases. There is no evidence that routine vaccinations have any connection to autism at all.Secretary Kennedy is using his position to push forward his well-known anti-vaccination views, which does not align with Americans’ broad support of vaccines. Outbreaks and epidemics are inevitable if access to free, safe vaccines is reduced.Is HHS wants to speed up autism research, then investment in gold-standard, peer-reviewed research – that which was already in progress before the rulebook suddenly changed – must continue. Regarding the grants awarded as part of the Autism Data Science Initiative (ADSI), the Coalition of Autism Scientists calls for an independent external advisory board of autism scientists and community members to support the ADSI and analyze methodologies, which will facilitate earning the trust of researchers and the public.The Coalition of Autism Scientists will continue to speak factually and forcefully about the science that should inform our public understanding of autism and support autistic individuals and their families.References:<ul>
 <li>Prada D, Ritz B, Bauer AZ, Baccarelli AA. Evaluation of the evidence on acetaminophen use and neurodevelopmental disorders using the Navigation Guide methodology. Environ Health. 2025 Aug 14;24(1):56. doi: 10.1186/s12940-025-01208-0. PMID: 40804730; PMCID: PMC12351903.</li><li>Ahlqvist VH, Sjöqvist H, Dalman C, et al. Acetaminophen Use During Pregnancy and Children’s Risk of Autism, ADHD, and Intellectual Disability. JAMA. 2024;331(14):1205–1214. doi:10.1001/jama.2024.3172 (See figure 2A)</li><li>Zhang C, Chen Y, Hou F, Li Y, Wang W, Guo L, Zhang C, Li L, Lu C. Safety and Efficacy of High-Dose Folinic Acid in Children with Autism: The Impact of Folate Metabolism Gene Polymorphisms. Nutrients. 2025 May 7;17(9):1602. doi: 10.3390/nu17091602. PMID: 40362912; PMCID: PMC12073535.</li><li>ACOG Response to Consensus Statement on Paracetamol Use During Pregnancy. 9-21-21.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.acog.org/news/news-articles/2021/09/response-to-consensus-statement-on-paracetamol-use-during-pregnancy" target="_blank">https://www.acog.org/news/news-articles/2021/09/response-to-consensus-statement-on-paracetamol-use-during-pregnancy</a></li><li>Panda PK, Sharawat IK, Saha S, Gupta D, Palayullakandi A, Meena K. Efficacy of oral folinic acid supplementation in children with autism spectrum disorder: a randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Eur J Pediatr. 2024 Nov;183(11):4827-4835. doi: 10.1007/s00431-024-05762-6. Epub 2024 Sep 7. PMID: 39243316.</li><li>Batebi N, Moghaddam HS, Hasanzadeh A, Fakour Y, Mohammadi MR, Akhondzadeh S. Folinic Acid as Adjunctive Therapy in Treatment of Inappropriate Speech in Children with Autism: A Double-Blind and Placebo-Controlled Randomized Trial. Child Psychiatry Hum Dev. 2021 Oct;52(5):928-938. doi: 10.1007/s10578-020-01072-8. Epub 2020 Oct 7. PMID: 33029705.</li><li>Renard E, Leheup B, Guéant-Rodriguez RM, Oussalah A, Quadros EV, Guéant JL. Folinic acid improves the score of Autism in the EFFET placebo-controlled randomized trial. Biochimie. 2020 Jun;173:57-61. doi: 10.1016/j.biochi.2020.04.019. Epub 2020 May 7. PMID: 32387472.</li><li>Frye RE, Slattery J, Delhey L, Furgerson B, Strickland T, Tippett M, Sailey A, Wynne R, Rose S, Melnyk S, Jill James S, Sequeira JM, Quadros EV. Folinic acid improves verbal communication in children with autism and language impairment: a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial. Mol Psychiatry. 2018 Feb;23(2):247-256. doi: 10.1038/mp.2016.168. Epub 2016 Oct 18. PMID: 27752075; PMCID: PMC5794882.</li>
 </ul>

Coalition of autism scientists oppose links between Tylenol and Autism; use of Leucovorin

MARIES COUNTY—One person died in an accident just after 6p.m. Monday in Maries County.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2013 Dodge 3500 driven by a 35-year-old Rolla man was southbound on U.S. 63 just south of Highway 68. The truck crossed the center line and struck a northbound 2000 Ford F150 driven by a 69-year-old Vichy man head-on.&nbsp;&nbsp;

A 65-year-old female passenger in the Ford was pronounced dead at the scene. EMS transported the Ford driver to University Hospital in Columbia. The other driver was not injured. The MSHP had incomplete seat belt usage information. The Patrol no longer releases names of accident victims.

MARIES COUNTY—One person died in an accident just after 6p.m. Monday in Maries County.The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2013 Dodge 3500 driven by a 35-year-old Rolla man was southbound on U.S. 63 just south of Highway 68. The truck crossed the center line and struck a northbound 2000 Ford F150 driven by a 69-year-old Vichy man head-on.&nbsp;&nbsp;A 65-year-old female passenger in the Ford was pronounced dead at the scene. EMS transported the Ford driver to University Hospital in Columbia. The other driver was not injured. The MSHP had incomplete seat belt usage information. The Patrol no longer releases names of accident victims.

Missouri woman dead, man injured after head-on crash

SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating a suspect on multiple allegations after

Just afater 2p.m. Sunday, police&nbsp;responded to the 1000 block of NE Wabash in Topeka on a report of an individual pouring gasoline in an apartment, according to a media release.

Police evacuated the apartment complex, before entering the suspected unit. One individual, later identified from booking reports as 43-year-old Benjamin Gilbert Brown was taken into custody.

He is being held on requested charges of attempted aggravated arson, aggravated assault, and criminal threat.&nbsp; There were no injured reported&nbsp;and no fire was started. Topeka Fire investigators responded to assist police.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/9/1758550182143.png" alt="Brown photo Shawnee County" />
 <figcaption>Brown photo Shawnee County</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating a suspect on multiple allegations afterJust afater 2p.m. Sunday, police&nbsp;responded to the 1000 block of NE Wabash in Topeka on a report of an individual pouring gasoline in an apartment, according to a media release.Police evacuated the apartment complex, before entering the suspected unit. One individual, later identified from booking reports as 43-year-old Benjamin Gilbert Brown was taken into custody.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/9/1758491992243.png" alt="Police on the scene of the investigation -photo courtesy WIBW TV" />
 <figcaption>Police on the scene of the investigation -photo courtesy WIBW TV</figcaption>
 </figure>He is being held on requested charges of attempted aggravated arson, aggravated assault, and criminal threat.&nbsp; There were no injured reported&nbsp;and no fire was started. Topeka Fire investigators responded to assist police.

Police: Complex evacuated after Kan. man poured gas in apartment

Click below to watch the announcement<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">President Trump Makes an Announcement on Medical and Scientific Findings for America&#39;s Children <a href="https://t.co/aTq90Js06I">https://t.co/aTq90Js06I</a>&mdash; The White House (@WhiteHouse) <a href="https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/1970228175528427672?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 22, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>: &quot;Just a few decades ago, 1 in 10,000 children had autism... now, it is 1 in 31... Since 2000, autism rates have surged by much more than 400%. Instead of attacking those who ask questions, everyone should be grateful for those trying to get the answers...&quot; <a href="https://t.co/uacGdsAARC">pic.twitter.com/uacGdsAARC</a>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1970230022263972062?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 22, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Since 2000, autism rates have surged by 400%. <a href="https://t.co/83eHOWdDRL">pic.twitter.com/83eHOWdDRL</a>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1970229029400911992?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 22, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">President Donald J. Trump, <a href="https://twitter.com/SecKennedy?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SecKennedy</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/DrOzCMS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DrOzCMS</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/NIHDirector_Jay?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NIHDirector_Jay</a>, &amp; <a href="https://twitter.com/DrMakaryFDA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DrMakaryFDA</a> announce the Autism Action Plan. Make America Healthy Again. <a href="https://t.co/1inEvIecYU">pic.twitter.com/1inEvIecYU</a>&mdash; The White House (@WhiteHouse) <a href="https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/1970238866394099891?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 22, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> announces that the FDA will be notifying physicians that the use of acetaminophen, also known as Tylenol, during pregnancy, can be associated with an increased risk of autism: &quot;They are strongly recommending that women limit Tylenol use during pregnancy unless medically… <a href="https://t.co/79tNwDW6Ly">pic.twitter.com/79tNwDW6Ly</a>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1970231115194757454?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 22, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Statement from Andrea Baccarelli, M.D., Ph.D., Dean of the Faculty at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health: &quot;We found evidence of an association between exposure to acetaminophen during pregnancy and increased incidence of neurodevelopmental disorders in children...&quot; <a href="https://t.co/S6ufM03qzj">pic.twitter.com/S6ufM03qzj</a>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1970231872715415784?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 22, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

🎥 Trump, RFK, Jr. link Tylenol with autism, announce action plan

A Nebraska lawmaker sheds tears, vows action after visiting jailed migrants in North Platte

By:<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/author/cindygonzalez/">Cindy Gonzalez</a> <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/03/17/lincoln-senators-clash-over-nebraska-school-retirement-bill-as-school-leaders-weigh-in/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. — After three months in ICE detention, legal fees mounting and no release in sight, Nuri Garibo Chona did what she called unimaginable. She left behind four daughters to return to the birthplace where she hadn’t lived for decades. The Omaha mom was here illegally. Her kids are all U.S. citizens, and younger ones now are in the care of her oldest daughter, who is 27.&nbsp;

Another woman ensnared in the Glenn Valley Foods immigration raid in Omaha also was removed to Mexico last week without her two children, who remained in Omaha with their dad. On her way out, Leydy Solis Factor said she still was confused about why the work permit she got through proper channels was no longer good

Meanwhile, one of the men still held from the raid in the Lincoln County Jail has hired a local lawyer to replace an out-of-state firm and prays he hasn’t lost a shot at being released on bond. He has a wife and children in Omaha and fears for their safety if he is forced back to Guatemala.

The number of Glenn Valley workers detained in this North Platte jail, which is paid by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to detain migrants, has dwindled since the high-profile worksite raid executed June 10 by more than 80 federal and local agents.&nbsp;

Shortly after the Nebraska Examiner visited the facility last week, Garibo Chona and Solis Factor were removed from the country, and three other women were released on bond, leaving six from the Glenn Valley raid among those in custody there.&nbsp;

ICE officials did not provide specifics when asked this week for an update, but of the original group of roughly 80 arrested, a spokesperson previously said about a dozen were released early and 63 were sent to North Platte. Several of the detainees agreed to voluntarily deport themselves, and many have been released on bond as their lawyers build cases to prevent forced removal.

To State Sen. Margo Juarez of Omaha, their journeys and circumstances have become even more relevant as the state prepares to repurpose a state prison into a&nbsp; 300-bed ICE detention center in McCook, a town of about 7,200 residents about an hour from North Platte.

Last week she became the first state lawmaker to sit down with Glenn Valley detainees. The discussion ranged from medical, legal and interpreter services to how their children were faring. After meeting with men and women garbed in black and white stripes, Juarez stepped into a nearby hall and cried.&nbsp;

She said she’s on a mission to ensure that federal ICE detainees in Nebraska have access to the same services offered to state inmates in state prisons.

“It was really difficult to see the reality, the human faces,” said Juarez, whose South Omaha district includes the Glenn Valley plant and other meatpackers that traditionally have attracted immigrant workers.

&nbsp;“These are people locked up away from family,” she said. “We have jailed innocent working people.”

The federal government has a different viewpoint.&nbsp;

Representatives of ICE and its Homeland Security Investigations arm have repeatedly referred to the Glenn Valley case as a targeted, federal criminal investigation aimed at stopping the widespread use of stolen identifications by foreign-born workers to gain jobs.

“These so-called ‘honest workers’ have caused an immeasurable amount of financial and emotional hardship for innocent Americans,” HSI’s Mark Zito has said. “If pretending to be someone you aren’t in order to steal their lives isn’t blatant criminal dishonesty, I don’t know what is.”

Court documents track the Omaha raid&nbsp; —&nbsp;the largest immigration enforcement action in Nebraska since 2018 —&nbsp;back to a March subpoena that sought company employment records tying 107 of 177 employees to fraudulent IDs or documents that didn’t authorize them to work in the country.

At least one defrauded U.S. citizen already had lodged identity theft complaints with the Internal Revenue Service and Social Security Administration. During the raid, agents questioned a worker whose job application matched the name of that complainant — leading to the arrest of Guadalupe Cabrera Mejia.

To date, available federal court records show Cabrera Mejia as the only Glenn Valley employee criminally charged for the alleged use of a stolen ID. Asked how that reconciled with “widespread” criminal activity alleged earlier, a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Nebraska said ICE determines whether to pursue felony criminal charges.&nbsp;

With regard to the Glenn Valley probe, she said, ICE elected “overwhelmingly” to pursue administrative charges in immigration court, a venue and process independent of federal prosecutors.

ICE has said an administrative charge is often a more expedient option, a faster path to deportation. The raid came as federal agencies are under pressure from the Trump administration’s goal of making 3,000 related arrests per day and pursuing mass deportations.&nbsp;

In Nebraska, Gov. Jim Pillen, backed by many legislative Republicans, has pledged resources to help President Donald Trump’s immigration agenda. Among state offerings: turning the McCook-based Work Ethic Camp into a Midwestern ICE detention center that federal officials dubbed the “Cornhusker Clink.”&nbsp;

That conversion plan requires the relocation of 186 state inmates elsewhere in a Nebraska correctional system already ranked as&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/FloorDocs/109/PDF/Agencies/Inspector_General_of_the_Nebraska_Correctional_System/600_20250915-155923.pdf" target="_blank">the most crowded</a>&nbsp;in the country, when measured by operational capacity. The decision to offer ICE state assistance sparked protests at the Governor’s Mansion and a&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/09/12/conversion-of-mccook-facility-into-ice-detention-hub-draws-overflow-hearing-statewide-concerns/">four-hour public hearing</a>&nbsp;that drew dozens of opponent speakers and no proponents.

Scant details shared about the project is partly what Juarez said spurred her to make the trek west to the jail in North Platte and prison in McCook.&nbsp;

“This isn’t going away,” she said. “They’re amping up enforcement, and I really wanted to see and hear from these families for myself.”

On a day last week, Lincoln County Sheriff Jerome Kramer accompanied Juarez into separate cell blocs for men and women. The Examiner was allowed as well.

Women set aside Bibles and art materials and huddled around the silver table where the lawmaker sat. An interpreter from a local advocacy group called Hope Esperanza helped bridge any language gaps.

Kramer praised the nonprofit’s founder, North Platte native TinaMaria Fernandez, for having eased stress that came with the sudden swell of inmates whose first language was different from that of his staff.&nbsp;

The arrival of the Glenn Valley group increased the jail population by about 50% at a time the facility was short-staffed, Kramer said. He said the federal government pays the county $74 a day for each ICE detainee and covers transportation and medical expenses.

“If I remember it right, they called to see if we could take them and said they’d be here in three hours,” Kramer said.&nbsp;

Juarez viewed as a positive sign the rapport between Hope Esperanza, Kramer and his team and detainees. She wondered out loud if McCook has a similar community organization able to assist in that town’s future ICE detention operation.

Fernandez said that while McCook is about an hour’s drive away, she didn’t see her team being able to provide similar humanitarian outreach at that facility, since the oversight would be federal versus local county officials.

Most of the women, in response to Juarez’s queries, said they hadn’t visited with family members face-to-face but had been able to communicate via video conferencing.&nbsp;

Jail staff have been respectful and responsive, several said. Another added: “It’s ugly. We’re locked up.”&nbsp;

Isabel Ponce, a 34-year-old mother of three kids who are with their father in Omaha, said anxiety was “pushing my limits.”&nbsp;

For some, legal relief has been grinding or nonexistent.

In Garibo Chona’s case, for example, an immigration judge ordered her removal from the country. She was torn about appealing and leaving her daughters but said the judge told her he would not change his mind if her case came before him six months later. She was removed from the country last week.

Solis Factor said she had a government-issued permit to work while awaiting a court hearing, so she at first was not concerned she’d be detained. But many immigration programs and rules have changed since Trump took office for the second time in January. And a judge ordered her removal.

“I want my children to stay and continue their education and learning English,” she said of her kids, ages 5 and 10.

Indeed, the swiftly-evolving immigration landscape has been playing out in an Omaha courtroom.

U.S. District Court Judge Joseph Bataillon at least nine times has rejected attempts by the federal government to deny the release of Glenn Valley workers on bonds already granted by an immigration court judge.

The three most recent cases were decided Sept. 11 and involved women who had met with Juarez. Among them was Yurenia Genchi Palma, a single mother of three U.S. citizen children who had been in the country more than 20 years.&nbsp;

Though an immigration judge in mid-July granted Genchi Palma’s release on a $7,000 bond, federal attorneys blocked it by filing an “automatic stay.” The American Civil Liberties Union of Nebraska, which represents her, called that a new practice driven by the “interim guidance” leaked in a July 8 internal memo from the Trump administration.&nbsp;

The new approach seeks to make nearly all detained immigrants facing removal proceedings ineligible for release on bond, with an aim of making more of them more likely to self deport, experts say.&nbsp;

ICE has said the changed direction “closes a loophole to our nation’s security” that the Biden administration and others had based on “inaccurate interpretation” of federal law. Such measures are needed, says Trump and other supporters of stepped-up immigration enforcement, to reverse past patterns.

Bataillon ruled the automatic stay provision and prolonged detention unconstitutional despite a Sept. 6 decision days before by the Board of Immigration Appeals, which had affirmed the “interim guidance.”&nbsp;

As a federal court judge, Bataillon is not required to follow the decision of the BIA, an administrative body in the executive branch. He questioned the legal rationale behind the analysis but said that wasn’t his concern.&nbsp;

He said his ruling was based only on the lawfulness of the automatic stay.&nbsp;

Grant Friedman of ACLU Nebraska foresees continued legal challenges and noted that the ICE no-bond practice already is being challenged in a separate national class action lawsuit. He said ACLU and other advocates are on heightened alert.

“The immigration landscape is rapidly changing,” Friedman said. “We are doing everything we can to make sure people are being treated fairly, that they have their rights respected.”

Anne Wurth, associate legal director of the Center for Immigrant and Refugee Advancement, which has assisted many Glenn Valley workers, called the current landscape “absolute chaos.”

&nbsp;“We have a system that is punishing individuals we rely on in our workforce and who are just humans who deserve to live their life with freedom,” she said.

Juarez said dealing with immigration-related matters was not something she expected as a state officeholder. She’s the first Latina in the Nebraska Legislature and is serving her first year as a state lawmaker.

A Democrat in the officially nonpartisan Legislature, she recently clashed over immigration policy in an email exchange with former Nebraska governor and now U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts, R-Nebraska, and plans to urge the state’s all-GOP congressional delegation to push for immigration reform. She toured the&nbsp; McCook jail after leaving North Platte, and vows to monitor the conversion and amplify related budget discussions.&nbsp;

“There’s no doubt I’m going to stand up,” said Juarez. “My community expects that.”

ICE told the Examiner politicians should focus on encouraging their constituents to comply with federal law. It said all migrant detainees are treated humanely and given access to essential services and that any concerns regarding detainee care are taken seriously.

For Ramirez Jacinto, each day in detention brings worry. Is his daughter able to sleep yet? Are the house bills paid? Will his family in Omaha go with him if he’s deported? How will they escape the violence?

“I’d like my family to stay, but who would work?” said Ramirez Jacinto. “I’m the worker.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/9/1758481465874.png" alt=" State Sen. Margo Juarez of South Omaha visits with Glenn Valley Foods workers who were detained during a June 10 immigration raid in Omaha and held in the Lincoln County Jail in North Platte. (Cindy Gonzalez/Nebraska Examiner)" />
 <figcaption> State Sen. Margo Juarez of South Omaha visits with Glenn Valley Foods workers who were detained during a June 10 immigration raid in Omaha and held in the Lincoln County Jail in North Platte. (Cindy Gonzalez/Nebraska Examiner)</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>A Nebraska lawmaker sheds tears, vows action after visiting jailed migrants in North Platte</h2>By:<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/author/cindygonzalez/">Cindy Gonzalez</a> <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/03/17/lincoln-senators-clash-over-nebraska-school-retirement-bill-as-school-leaders-weigh-in/">Nebraska Examiner</a>NORTH PLATTE, Neb. — After three months in ICE detention, legal fees mounting and no release in sight, Nuri Garibo Chona did what she called unimaginable. She left behind four daughters to return to the birthplace where she hadn’t lived for decades. The Omaha mom was here illegally. Her kids are all U.S. citizens, and younger ones now are in the care of her oldest daughter, who is 27.&nbsp;Another woman ensnared in the Glenn Valley Foods immigration raid in Omaha also was removed to Mexico last week without her two children, who remained in Omaha with their dad. On her way out, Leydy Solis Factor said she still was confused about why the work permit she got through proper channels was no longer goodMeanwhile, one of the men still held from the raid in the Lincoln County Jail has hired a local lawyer to replace an out-of-state firm and prays he hasn’t lost a shot at being released on bond. He has a wife and children in Omaha and fears for their safety if he is forced back to Guatemala.The number of Glenn Valley workers detained in this North Platte jail, which is paid by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to detain migrants, has dwindled since the high-profile worksite raid executed June 10 by more than 80 federal and local agents.&nbsp;Shortly after the Nebraska Examiner visited the facility last week, Garibo Chona and Solis Factor were removed from the country, and three other women were released on bond, leaving six from the Glenn Valley raid among those in custody there.&nbsp;ICE officials did not provide specifics when asked this week for an update, but of the original group of roughly 80 arrested, a spokesperson previously said about a dozen were released early and 63 were sent to North Platte. Several of the detainees agreed to voluntarily deport themselves, and many have been released on bond as their lawyers build cases to prevent forced removal.To State Sen. Margo Juarez of Omaha, their journeys and circumstances have become even more relevant as the state prepares to repurpose a state prison into a&nbsp; 300-bed ICE detention center in McCook, a town of about 7,200 residents about an hour from North Platte.Last week she became the first state lawmaker to sit down with Glenn Valley detainees. The discussion ranged from medical, legal and interpreter services to how their children were faring. After meeting with men and women garbed in black and white stripes, Juarez stepped into a nearby hall and cried.&nbsp;She said she’s on a mission to ensure that federal ICE detainees in Nebraska have access to the same services offered to state inmates in state prisons.“It was really difficult to see the reality, the human faces,” said Juarez, whose South Omaha district includes the Glenn Valley plant and other meatpackers that traditionally have attracted immigrant workers.&nbsp;“These are people locked up away from family,” she said. “We have jailed innocent working people.”* * *&nbsp;The federal government has a different viewpoint.&nbsp;Representatives of ICE and its Homeland Security Investigations arm have repeatedly referred to the Glenn Valley case as a targeted, federal criminal investigation aimed at stopping the widespread use of stolen identifications by foreign-born workers to gain jobs.“These so-called ‘honest workers’ have caused an immeasurable amount of financial and emotional hardship for innocent Americans,” HSI’s Mark Zito has said. “If pretending to be someone you aren’t in order to steal their lives isn’t blatant criminal dishonesty, I don’t know what is.”Court documents track the Omaha raid&nbsp; —&nbsp;the largest immigration enforcement action in Nebraska since 2018 —&nbsp;back to a March subpoena that sought company employment records tying 107 of 177 employees to fraudulent IDs or documents that didn’t authorize them to work in the country.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/9/1758481173388.png" alt="A worker gets apprehended at Glenn Valley Foods during the largest Nebraska immigration raid since President Donald Trump took office. (Courtesy of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement)" />
 <figcaption>A worker gets apprehended at Glenn Valley Foods during the largest Nebraska immigration raid since President Donald Trump took office. (Courtesy of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement)</figcaption>
 </figure>At least one defrauded U.S. citizen already had lodged identity theft complaints with the Internal Revenue Service and Social Security Administration. During the raid, agents questioned a worker whose job application matched the name of that complainant — leading to the arrest of Guadalupe Cabrera Mejia.To date, available federal court records show Cabrera Mejia as the only Glenn Valley employee criminally charged for the alleged use of a stolen ID. Asked how that reconciled with “widespread” criminal activity alleged earlier, a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Nebraska said ICE determines whether to pursue felony criminal charges.&nbsp;With regard to the Glenn Valley probe, she said, ICE elected “overwhelmingly” to pursue administrative charges in immigration court, a venue and process independent of federal prosecutors.ICE has said an administrative charge is often a more expedient option, a faster path to deportation. The raid came as federal agencies are under pressure from the Trump administration’s goal of making 3,000 related arrests per day and pursuing mass deportations.&nbsp;In Nebraska, Gov. Jim Pillen, backed by many legislative Republicans, has pledged resources to help President Donald Trump’s immigration agenda. Among state offerings: turning the McCook-based Work Ethic Camp into a Midwestern ICE detention center that federal officials dubbed the “Cornhusker Clink.”&nbsp;That conversion plan requires the relocation of 186 state inmates elsewhere in a Nebraska correctional system already ranked as&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/FloorDocs/109/PDF/Agencies/Inspector_General_of_the_Nebraska_Correctional_System/600_20250915-155923.pdf" target="_blank">the most crowded</a>&nbsp;in the country, when measured by operational capacity. The decision to offer ICE state assistance sparked protests at the Governor’s Mansion and a&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/09/12/conversion-of-mccook-facility-into-ice-detention-hub-draws-overflow-hearing-statewide-concerns/">four-hour public hearing</a>&nbsp;that drew dozens of opponent speakers and no proponents.Scant details shared about the project is partly what Juarez said spurred her to make the trek west to the jail in North Platte and prison in McCook.&nbsp;“This isn’t going away,” she said. “They’re amping up enforcement, and I really wanted to see and hear from these families for myself.”* * *&nbsp;On a day last week, Lincoln County Sheriff Jerome Kramer accompanied Juarez into separate cell blocs for men and women. The Examiner was allowed as well.Women set aside Bibles and art materials and huddled around the silver table where the lawmaker sat. An interpreter from a local advocacy group called Hope Esperanza helped bridge any language gaps.Kramer praised the nonprofit’s founder, North Platte native TinaMaria Fernandez, for having eased stress that came with the sudden swell of inmates whose first language was different from that of his staff.&nbsp;The arrival of the Glenn Valley group increased the jail population by about 50% at a time the facility was short-staffed, Kramer said. He said the federal government pays the county $74 a day for each ICE detainee and covers transportation and medical expenses.“If I remember it right, they called to see if we could take them and said they’d be here in three hours,” Kramer said.&nbsp;Juarez viewed as a positive sign the rapport between Hope Esperanza, Kramer and his team and detainees. She wondered out loud if McCook has a similar community organization able to assist in that town’s future ICE detention operation.Fernandez said that while McCook is about an hour’s drive away, she didn’t see her team being able to provide similar humanitarian outreach at that facility, since the oversight would be federal versus local county officials.Most of the women, in response to Juarez’s queries, said they hadn’t visited with family members face-to-face but had been able to communicate via video conferencing.&nbsp;Jail staff have been respectful and responsive, several said. Another added: “It’s ugly. We’re locked up.”&nbsp;Isabel Ponce, a 34-year-old mother of three kids who are with their father in Omaha, said anxiety was “pushing my limits.”&nbsp;For some, legal relief has been grinding or nonexistent.In Garibo Chona’s case, for example, an immigration judge ordered her removal from the country. She was torn about appealing and leaving her daughters but said the judge told her he would not change his mind if her case came before him six months later. She was removed from the country last week.Solis Factor said she had a government-issued permit to work while awaiting a court hearing, so she at first was not concerned she’d be detained. But many immigration programs and rules have changed since Trump took office for the second time in January. And a judge ordered her removal.“I want my children to stay and continue their education and learning English,” she said of her kids, ages 5 and 10.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/9/1758481326422.png" alt="State Sen. Margo Juarez of South Omaha visits with Glenn Valley Foods workers who were detained during a June 10 immigration raid in Omaha and held in the Lincoln County Jail in North Platte. (Cindy Gonzalez/Nebraska Examiner)" />
 <figcaption>State Sen. Margo Juarez of South Omaha visits with Glenn Valley Foods workers who were detained during a June 10 immigration raid in Omaha and held in the Lincoln County Jail in North Platte. (Cindy Gonzalez/Nebraska Examiner)</figcaption>
 </figure>Indeed, the swiftly-evolving immigration landscape has been playing out in an Omaha courtroom.U.S. District Court Judge Joseph Bataillon at least nine times has rejected attempts by the federal government to deny the release of Glenn Valley workers on bonds already granted by an immigration court judge.The three most recent cases were decided Sept. 11 and involved women who had met with Juarez. Among them was Yurenia Genchi Palma, a single mother of three U.S. citizen children who had been in the country more than 20 years.&nbsp;Though an immigration judge in mid-July granted Genchi Palma’s release on a $7,000 bond, federal attorneys blocked it by filing an “automatic stay.” The American Civil Liberties Union of Nebraska, which represents her, called that a new practice driven by the “interim guidance” leaked in a July 8 internal memo from the Trump administration.&nbsp;The new approach seeks to make nearly all detained immigrants facing removal proceedings ineligible for release on bond, with an aim of making more of them more likely to self deport, experts say.&nbsp;ICE has said the changed direction “closes a loophole to our nation’s security” that the Biden administration and others had based on “inaccurate interpretation” of federal law. Such measures are needed, says Trump and other supporters of stepped-up immigration enforcement, to reverse past patterns.Bataillon ruled the automatic stay provision and prolonged detention unconstitutional despite a Sept. 6 decision days before by the Board of Immigration Appeals, which had affirmed the “interim guidance.”&nbsp;As a federal court judge, Bataillon is not required to follow the decision of the BIA, an administrative body in the executive branch. He questioned the legal rationale behind the analysis but said that wasn’t his concern.&nbsp;He said his ruling was based only on the lawfulness of the automatic stay.&nbsp;Grant Friedman of ACLU Nebraska foresees continued legal challenges and noted that the ICE no-bond practice already is being challenged in a separate national class action lawsuit. He said ACLU and other advocates are on heightened alert.“The immigration landscape is rapidly changing,” Friedman said. “We are doing everything we can to make sure people are being treated fairly, that they have their rights respected.”Anne Wurth, associate legal director of the Center for Immigrant and Refugee Advancement, which has assisted many Glenn Valley workers, called the current landscape “absolute chaos.”&nbsp;“We have a system that is punishing individuals we rely on in our workforce and who are just humans who deserve to live their life with freedom,” she said.* * *&nbsp;Juarez said dealing with immigration-related matters was not something she expected as a state officeholder. She’s the first Latina in the Nebraska Legislature and is serving her first year as a state lawmaker.A Democrat in the officially nonpartisan Legislature, she recently clashed over immigration policy in an email exchange with former Nebraska governor and now U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts, R-Nebraska, and plans to urge the state’s all-GOP congressional delegation to push for immigration reform. She toured the&nbsp; McCook jail after leaving North Platte, and vows to monitor the conversion and amplify related budget discussions.&nbsp;“There’s no doubt I’m going to stand up,” said Juarez. “My community expects that.”ICE told the Examiner politicians should focus on encouraging their constituents to comply with federal law. It said all migrant detainees are treated humanely and given access to essential services and that any concerns regarding detainee care are taken seriously.For Ramirez Jacinto, each day in detention brings worry. Is his daughter able to sleep yet? Are the house bills paid? Will his family in Omaha go with him if he’s deported? How will they escape the violence?“I’d like my family to stay, but who would work?” said Ramirez Jacinto. “I’m the worker.”

Months after Nebraska raid: One ICE detention chapter winds down, another heats up

FORT BRAGG, N.C. – Four Soldiers who perished in a Sept. 17, Black Hawk helicopter mishap while conducting routine flight training are identified. The cause of the mishap remains under investigation, according to a media release.

U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer Three Andrew Cully, 35, from Sparta, MO

U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer Three Andrew Kraus, 39, from Sanibel, FL

U.S. Army Sgt. Donavon Scott, 25, from Tacoma, WA

U.S. Army Sgt. Jadalyn Good, 23, from Mount Vernon, WA

“It is with the heaviest of hearts that we confirm the loss of four courageous Night Stalkers from the 4th Battalion, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne), who tragically lost their lives on Sept. 17th during a training mission.,” said Col. Stephen Smith, commander. “These exceptional warriors— Chief Warrant Officer Three Andrew Cully, Chief Warrant Officer Three Andrew Kraus, Sgt. Donavon Scott, and Sgt. Jadalyn Good—embodied the unwavering dedication, selflessness, and excellence that define the very spirit of the Army and Army Special Operations. Their sacrifice in service to our nation will forever be etched in our hearts and in the legacy of the Night Stalkers. These heroes were not only elite professionals but also cherished teammates, friends, and family members whose absence leaves an immeasurable void.”

ully, 35, commissioned in May 2013 as a U.S. Army aviation officer from Missouri State University as a second lieutenant. He completed Flight School at Ft. Rucker, AL. After his initial service as a commissioned officer, he was then reappointed as an aviation warrant officer and served as a UH-60M (Blackhawk) Pilot. In 2022, he completed the UH-60M Instructor Pilot Course at Fort Rucker, AL. He has two operational deployments to the EUCOM theater in support of OPERATIONS ATLANTIC RESOLVE and SWIFT RESPONSE. In 2024, after being selected to serve in the 160th SOAR (Abn), he was assigned to C Company at Joint Base Lewis McChord, WA. While assigned to C Company he supported multiple Continental United States (CONUS) and Outside Continental United States (OCONUS) training missions and deployed to the INDOPACOM theater.

His awards include the Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal with three oak leaf clusters, Army Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on

Terrorism Service Medal, Korea Defense Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Basic Army Aviator Badge, Parachutist Badge and Air Assault Badge.

Kraus, 39, served in the U. S. Marine Corps as a CH-46 (Chinook) maintainer from July 2008 until 2013. In 2017, he joined the U.S. Army and attended Warrant Officer Candidate School and flight school at Ft. Rucker, AL. He then served as an Aeromedical Evacuation Pilot in Command in Germany, performing real-world medical evacuation missions. In 2023, after being selected to serve in the 160th SOAR (Abn), he was assigned to C Company, where he supported multiple CONUS training missions and deployed in support of contingency response operations. He is a 2025 graduate of the Aviation Maintenance Test Pilot Course at Ft. Rucker, AL.

His awards include the Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Navy Achievement Medal second award, Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Armed Forces Service Medal, Overseas Service Ribbon, Navy Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, Navy Unity Commendation, and Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation and Basic Aviation Badge.

Scott, 25, enlisted in the U.S. Army as a UH-60 Helicopter Repairer, 15T. After being selected to serve in the 160th SOAR, his first assignment was to D Company, 4th Battalion as a UH-60 Helicopter Maintainer. After completing the MH-60 (Blackhawk, Modified) Non-Rated Crewmember Course, he served as a MH-60 Crew Chief in C Company. While serving in C Company he earned Fully-Mission-Qualified status as a Crew Chief, accumulating over 776 flying hours. He has served on two support missions to OPERATION INHERENT RESOLVE and a crisis response contingency operation.

His awards include the Meritorious Service Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Inherent Resolve Campaign Medal - Campaign Star, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon and Combat Action Badge.

Good, 23, enlisted in the U.S. Army in 2021 as a UH-60 Helicopter Repairer, 15T. After being selected to serve in the 160th SOAR, she was then assigned to C Company where she served as a Helicopter Maintainer and in 2023 after graduating from the MH-60 Non-Rated Crewmember Course she served as a Crew Chief. While serving in C Company she achieved Basic-Mission-Qualified status, accumulating over 730 flight hours. She was instrumental in the success of numerus CONUS and OCONUS training missions and a crisis response contingency operation.

Her awards include the Meritorious Service Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Basic Parachutist Badge, Combat and Special Skill Badge Expert Marksmanship Qualification Badge and Basic Aviation Badge.

“As we mourn their loss, we stand united in honoring their memory and their extraordinary commitment to the mission. Our thoughts and prayers are with their families, loved ones, and the entire Night Stalker community during this profoundly difficult time,” said Smith.

The U.S. Army Special Operations Command extends its profound thanks to the professionalism and heroism of the many who assisted in the recovery of our fallen; the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office, the Griffin Fire Department, the McLane Black Lake Fire Department, the King County Sheriff’s Office, the Lacey Fire Department, the Olympia Fire Department, the Department of Natural Resources, the 2/75th Ranger Regiment, the 17th Special Tactics Squadron, the 22nd Special Tactics Squadron, the 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne), the I Corps and the Joint Base Lewis McChord, WA.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/9/1758554655260.png" alt="Clockwise from upper left Chief Warrant Oficer Andrew Cully, 35; Chief Warrant Officer Andrew Kraus, 39; Sgt. Donavon Scott, 25 and Sgt. Jadalyn Good, 23.-photos U.S. Army" />
 <figcaption>Clockwise from upper left Chief Warrant Oficer Andrew Cully, 35; Chief Warrant Officer Andrew Kraus, 39; Sgt. Donavon Scott, 25 and Sgt. Jadalyn Good, 23.-photos U.S. Army</figcaption>
 </figure>FORT BRAGG, N.C. – Four Soldiers who perished in a Sept. 17, Black Hawk helicopter mishap while conducting routine flight training are identified. The cause of the mishap remains under investigation, according to a media release.The deceased are:U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer Three Andrew Cully, 35, from Sparta, MOU.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer Three Andrew Kraus, 39, from Sanibel, FLU.S. Army Sgt. Donavon Scott, 25, from Tacoma, WAU.S. Army Sgt. Jadalyn Good, 23, from Mount Vernon, WA“It is with the heaviest of hearts that we confirm the loss of four courageous Night Stalkers from the 4th Battalion, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne), who tragically lost their lives on Sept. 17th during a training mission.,” said Col. Stephen Smith, commander. “These exceptional warriors— Chief Warrant Officer Three Andrew Cully, Chief Warrant Officer Three Andrew Kraus, Sgt. Donavon Scott, and Sgt. Jadalyn Good—embodied the unwavering dedication, selflessness, and excellence that define the very spirit of the Army and Army Special Operations. Their sacrifice in service to our nation will forever be etched in our hearts and in the legacy of the Night Stalkers. These heroes were not only elite professionals but also cherished teammates, friends, and family members whose absence leaves an immeasurable void.”ully, 35, commissioned in May 2013 as a U.S. Army aviation officer from Missouri State University as a second lieutenant. He completed Flight School at Ft. Rucker, AL. After his initial service as a commissioned officer, he was then reappointed as an aviation warrant officer and served as a UH-60M (Blackhawk) Pilot. In 2022, he completed the UH-60M Instructor Pilot Course at Fort Rucker, AL. He has two operational deployments to the EUCOM theater in support of OPERATIONS ATLANTIC RESOLVE and SWIFT RESPONSE. In 2024, after being selected to serve in the 160th SOAR (Abn), he was assigned to C Company at Joint Base Lewis McChord, WA. While assigned to C Company he supported multiple Continental United States (CONUS) and Outside Continental United States (OCONUS) training missions and deployed to the INDOPACOM theater.His awards include the Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal with three oak leaf clusters, Army Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Global War onTerrorism Service Medal, Korea Defense Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Basic Army Aviator Badge, Parachutist Badge and Air Assault Badge.Kraus, 39, served in the U. S. Marine Corps as a CH-46 (Chinook) maintainer from July 2008 until 2013. In 2017, he joined the U.S. Army and attended Warrant Officer Candidate School and flight school at Ft. Rucker, AL. He then served as an Aeromedical Evacuation Pilot in Command in Germany, performing real-world medical evacuation missions. In 2023, after being selected to serve in the 160th SOAR (Abn), he was assigned to C Company, where he supported multiple CONUS training missions and deployed in support of contingency response operations. He is a 2025 graduate of the Aviation Maintenance Test Pilot Course at Ft. Rucker, AL.His awards include the Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Navy Achievement Medal second award, Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Armed Forces Service Medal, Overseas Service Ribbon, Navy Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, Navy Unity Commendation, and Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation and Basic Aviation Badge. Scott, 25, enlisted in the U.S. Army as a UH-60 Helicopter Repairer, 15T. After being selected to serve in the 160th SOAR, his first assignment was to D Company, 4th Battalion as a UH-60 Helicopter Maintainer. After completing the MH-60 (Blackhawk, Modified) Non-Rated Crewmember Course, he served as a MH-60 Crew Chief in C Company. While serving in C Company he earned Fully-Mission-Qualified status as a Crew Chief, accumulating over 776 flying hours. He has served on two support missions to OPERATION INHERENT RESOLVE and a crisis response contingency operation.His awards include the Meritorious Service Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Inherent Resolve Campaign Medal - Campaign Star, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon and Combat Action Badge.Good, 23, enlisted in the U.S. Army in 2021 as a UH-60 Helicopter Repairer, 15T. After being selected to serve in the 160th SOAR, she was then assigned to C Company where she served as a Helicopter Maintainer and in 2023 after graduating from the MH-60 Non-Rated Crewmember Course she served as a Crew Chief. While serving in C Company she achieved Basic-Mission-Qualified status, accumulating over 730 flight hours. She was instrumental in the success of numerus CONUS and OCONUS training missions and a crisis response contingency operation.Her awards include the Meritorious Service Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Basic Parachutist Badge, Combat and Special Skill Badge Expert Marksmanship Qualification Badge and Basic Aviation Badge.“As we mourn their loss, we stand united in honoring their memory and their extraordinary commitment to the mission. Our thoughts and prayers are with their families, loved ones, and the entire Night Stalker community during this profoundly difficult time,” said Smith.The U.S. Army Special Operations Command extends its profound thanks to the professionalism and heroism of the many who assisted in the recovery of our fallen; the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office, the Griffin Fire Department, the McLane Black Lake Fire Department, the King County Sheriff’s Office, the Lacey Fire Department, the Olympia Fire Department, the Department of Natural Resources, the 2/75th Ranger Regiment, the 17th Special Tactics Squadron, the 22nd Special Tactics Squadron, the 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne), the I Corps and the Joint Base Lewis McChord, WA.

Soldier from Missouri among 4 killed in Black Hawk helicopter crash 

K-State wants to waive 120 credit hour minimum, offer 90-hour BS in drone science

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

TOPEKA — The Kansas Board of Regents paused review of a proposal from Kansas State University to offer a 90 credit hour bachelor’s degree in uncrewed aircraft systems that necessitated waiver of state policy mandating 120 hours of course credit to earn an undergraduate degree.

The hesitancy resulted from questions about how approval of K-State’s plan could alter the academic landscape of the state’s system of 32 public universities, community colleges and technical colleges. On Thursday, members of the Board of Regents raised issues with how potential students and higher education institutions, as well as business and industry, might respond if Kansas amended the foundational premise of a four-year degree.

The Board of Regents agreed to convene a task force to consider development of a systemwide policy before taking up proposals to sidestep existing rules requiring a bachelor’s degree to represent at least 120 credit hours of study.

“We don’t want to stymie the process,” said Alysia Johnston, a member of the Board of Regents. “This needs a whole lot of thought and input.”

Jesse Perez Mendez, provost at K-State, said the university welcomed the opportunity to participate in the task force’s debate. He said the drone bachelor’s degree for K-State’s aviation campus in Salina had been under consideration along with reduced-credit degrees related to artificial intelligence.

“This is a little bit of a game changer overall and we need to be very cautious,” Mendez said. “What this conversation is not about? It’s not about taking a bachelor’s degree in psychology and reduce that down to three years. It’s with degrees we don’t have on the books.”

He said K-State was committed to collaborating with two-year community colleges and technical colleges on alternative degree offerings.

Board of Regents policy, but not state law, established a bachelor’s degree consist of at least 120 credit hours. Policy says 45 credits must be in upper-division courses. Kansas higher education has been under pressure to recruit students as the U.S. college-age population fell. At the same time, the cost of delivering college instruction kept escalating with inflation.

Heather Morgan, executive director of the Kansas Community College Association, said the 19 community colleges in Kansas had taken a keen interest in reform of laws or policies related to reduced-credit degrees.

She said issues to consider included retention of policy permitting community college students to transfer credits in core subject classes to a university. Supplemental degree models should respond to industry demands and tap into combined potential of the state’s higher education institutions, she said.

“One of the things we’ve been talking about is how do we use the assets we already have more efficiently and deploy expertise from a faculty perspective across all our colleges,” Morgan said.

Rusty Monhollon, vice president for academic affairs with the state Board of Regents, said the system had sought for the past decade to increase on-time graduation rates by reducing baccalaureate programs to 120 credit hours. The percentage of undergraduate programs in the Board of Regents system with more than 120 required credit hours decreased from 67% to 8%.

Nationally, he said, the movement to accredit reduced-credit bachelor’s degrees was deepening. In September 2024, the Higher Learning Commission, which accredits Kansas colleges and universities, released guidelines reduced-credit bachelor’s degrees.

Since March, nine U.S. colleges received HLC accreditation of alternative degrees. The list included business administration, information technology, pre-physical therapy, pre-athletic training, fashion business management, semiconductor materials and devices and applied cybersecurity.

“Proponents of these degrees claim they are affordable and match up well with workplace skills demand,” Monhollon said. “Others dismiss them, arguing industry does not recognize them and that they lack the scope and the depth of traditional bachelor’s degrees.”

He offered a range of questions that might be weighed: Would three-year degrees be valued by students, industry and in academic circles? Could reduced-credit bachelor’s degrees cheapen the value of a four-year degree? What would be cut — basic subjects or advanced classes — to shrink course requirements? What should a reduced-credit degree be called? Could Kansas run a pilot program to test supply and demand? What was the range for reduced-credit programs — 90 to 105 credit hours? How would it impact the system’s general education agreements? How should graduate school process applications from students with three-year degrees?

“Not all segments could fit into the three-year degree,” said Neelima Parasker, a member of the Board of Regents. “We have to go to industry and ask them for their feedback instead of just floating this and seeing what they do.”

Blake Benson, chairman of the Board of Regents, said he was curious if estimates could be made for how many new students would enroll in the state’s public education system if reduced-credit bachelor’s degrees were an option.

Board of Regents member Diana Mendoza said the term used to describe a reduced-credit degree was consequential. She asked if it could be referred to as a workforce specialist degree to help potential employers differentiate between three- and four-year diplomas.

Kathy Wolfe Moore, another member of the state board, said she was concerned Kansas’ higher education system could become “a bit of a slave to the employment fluctuations” in the business cycle.

“I’m quite sure this board … would have no interest in moving our system backward,” said Blake Flanders, who serves as CEO and president of the Board of Regents.

Flanders said expansion of reduced-credit degree programs in Kansas would be complex, but possible if crafted with attention to detail. The cost of eroding confidence in the value of a Kansas bachelor’s degree could be significant, he said.

“If we’re thinking&nbsp; about, ‘Well, let’s just skinny down or gut that systemwide general education and get all of our savings out of those credits,’ I think, obviously, this board would believe that would be a huge mistake,” he said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/9/1758402801381.png" alt=" Seven members of the Kansas Board of Regents — there are two vacancies debated the possibility of allowing creation of new 90 credit-hour bachelor’s degree programs at state universities. Board members, from left: Pamela Clancy Ammar, Neelima Parasker, Diana Mendoza, Blake Benson, Blake Flanders (board CEO), Kathy Wolfe Moore and Alysia Johnston. Board member John Dicus isn’t visible. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption> Seven members of the Kansas Board of Regents — there are two vacancies debated the possibility of allowing creation of new 90 credit-hour bachelor’s degree programs at state universities. Board members, from left: Pamela Clancy Ammar, Neelima Parasker, Diana Mendoza, Blake Benson, Blake Flanders (board CEO), Kathy Wolfe Moore and Alysia Johnston. Board member John Dicus isn’t visible. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>K-State wants to waive 120 credit hour minimum, offer 90-hour BS in drone science</h2>By&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/tim-carpenter/">TIM CARPENTER</a> <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/02/24/gov-laura-kelly-skeptical-kansas-houses-anti-tenure-legislation-will-reach-her-desk/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — The Kansas Board of Regents paused review of a proposal from Kansas State University to offer a 90 credit hour bachelor’s degree in uncrewed aircraft systems that necessitated waiver of state policy mandating 120 hours of course credit to earn an undergraduate degree.The hesitancy resulted from questions about how approval of K-State’s plan could alter the academic landscape of the state’s system of 32 public universities, community colleges and technical colleges. On Thursday, members of the Board of Regents raised issues with how potential students and higher education institutions, as well as business and industry, might respond if Kansas amended the foundational premise of a four-year degree.The Board of Regents agreed to convene a task force to consider development of a systemwide policy before taking up proposals to sidestep existing rules requiring a bachelor’s degree to represent at least 120 credit hours of study.“We don’t want to stymie the process,” said Alysia Johnston, a member of the Board of Regents. “This needs a whole lot of thought and input.”Jesse Perez Mendez, provost at K-State, said the university welcomed the opportunity to participate in the task force’s debate. He said the drone bachelor’s degree for K-State’s aviation campus in Salina had been under consideration along with reduced-credit degrees related to artificial intelligence.“This is a little bit of a game changer overall and we need to be very cautious,” Mendez said. “What this conversation is not about? It’s not about taking a bachelor’s degree in psychology and reduce that down to three years. It’s with degrees we don’t have on the books.”He said K-State was committed to collaborating with two-year community colleges and technical colleges on alternative degree offerings.Board of Regents policy, but not state law, established a bachelor’s degree consist of at least 120 credit hours. Policy says 45 credits must be in upper-division courses. Kansas higher education has been under pressure to recruit students as the U.S. college-age population fell. At the same time, the cost of delivering college instruction kept escalating with inflation.Heather Morgan, executive director of the Kansas Community College Association, said the 19 community colleges in Kansas had taken a keen interest in reform of laws or policies related to reduced-credit degrees.She said issues to consider included retention of policy permitting community college students to transfer credits in core subject classes to a university. Supplemental degree models should respond to industry demands and tap into combined potential of the state’s higher education institutions, she said.“One of the things we’ve been talking about is how do we use the assets we already have more efficiently and deploy expertise from a faculty perspective across all our colleges,” Morgan said.<h2>Unanswered questions</h2>Rusty Monhollon, vice president for academic affairs with the state Board of Regents, said the system had sought for the past decade to increase on-time graduation rates by reducing baccalaureate programs to 120 credit hours. The percentage of undergraduate programs in the Board of Regents system with more than 120 required credit hours decreased from 67% to 8%.Nationally, he said, the movement to accredit reduced-credit bachelor’s degrees was deepening. In September 2024, the Higher Learning Commission, which accredits Kansas colleges and universities, released guidelines reduced-credit bachelor’s degrees.Since March, nine U.S. colleges received HLC accreditation of alternative degrees. The list included business administration, information technology, pre-physical therapy, pre-athletic training, fashion business management, semiconductor materials and devices and applied cybersecurity.“Proponents of these degrees claim they are affordable and match up well with workplace skills demand,” Monhollon said. “Others dismiss them, arguing industry does not recognize them and that they lack the scope and the depth of traditional bachelor’s degrees.”He offered a range of questions that might be weighed: Would three-year degrees be valued by students, industry and in academic circles? Could reduced-credit bachelor’s degrees cheapen the value of a four-year degree? What would be cut — basic subjects or advanced classes — to shrink course requirements? What should a reduced-credit degree be called? Could Kansas run a pilot program to test supply and demand? What was the range for reduced-credit programs — 90 to 105 credit hours? How would it impact the system’s general education agreements? How should graduate school process applications from students with three-year degrees?“Not all segments could fit into the three-year degree,” said Neelima Parasker, a member of the Board of Regents. “We have to go to industry and ask them for their feedback instead of just floating this and seeing what they do.”<h2>‘Huge mistake’</h2>Blake Benson, chairman of the Board of Regents, said he was curious if estimates could be made for how many new students would enroll in the state’s public education system if reduced-credit bachelor’s degrees were an option.Board of Regents member Diana Mendoza said the term used to describe a reduced-credit degree was consequential. She asked if it could be referred to as a workforce specialist degree to help potential employers differentiate between three- and four-year diplomas.Kathy Wolfe Moore, another member of the state board, said she was concerned Kansas’ higher education system could become “a bit of a slave to the employment fluctuations” in the business cycle.“I’m quite sure this board … would have no interest in moving our system backward,” said Blake Flanders, who serves as CEO and president of the Board of Regents.Flanders said expansion of reduced-credit degree programs in Kansas would be complex, but possible if crafted with attention to detail. The cost of eroding confidence in the value of a Kansas bachelor’s degree could be significant, he said.“If we’re thinking&nbsp; about, ‘Well, let’s just skinny down or gut that systemwide general education and get all of our savings out of those credits,’ I think, obviously, this board would believe that would be a huge mistake,” he said.

Kansas Board of Regents to study potential of allowing reduced-credit bachelor’s degrees

WYANDOTTE COUNTY —Seven people were injured in an accident just after 5p.m. Sunday in Wyandotte County.

WYANDOTTE COUNTY —Seven people were injured in an accident just after 5p.m. Sunday in Wyandotte County.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2013 Ford Fusion driven by Julian Wahnee, 34, Topeka, was westbound on Interstate 70 just west of the Bonner Springs exit.&nbsp; The driver lost control and the car began to roll.&nbsp;The car struck three pedestrians standing on the shoulder of the highway near a disabled Chevrolet Impala in the right ditch.EMS transported Wahnee and three passengers in the car including Rebecca Unzueta, 27, Topeka, a 14-year-old girl and an 8-year-old boy to KU Medical Center.&nbsp; EMS transported two of the pedestrians Dylan Birkenbaugh, 22, Topeka and Jason Kautzman, 23, Osage City, to KU Medical Center. The other pedestrian Jesse Colwell, 26, Topeka, was transported to Overland Park Regional Medical Center.&nbsp; The driver and passengers in the Ford were properly restrained, according to the KHP.