This year’s Freedom Fest JC celebration in Heritage Park, downtown, Junction City, Kansas is scheduled for Wednesday, July 1 through Sunday, July 5.

It all starts at 5:15 P.M. with Patriotic Sing, where community kids sing 5 Patriotic songs.

Then Freedom Sings will honor veterans through song.

At 6:30, we start our 2026 journey by pulling anchor and setting sail with The Old No. 5s, led by Adam Watson, who grew up here in Junction City. Then, be prepared to get “Ship Rocked” singing the best of Yacht Rock music for the rest of the night.

Day 2-Thursday 7/2 -Throwback Thursday

Come party to classic rock anthems starting at 6:00 with Private Eyes (Hall and Oates Tribute) followed by Doubte Vision (Tribute to Foreigner). Arena Rock Giants will bring down the house, playing from 9:00-10:30.

Our Magical Night of Entertainment begins with The Electrifying Magic of Jay Matiolli on the big stage from 6:00-6:30, followed by Almost Kiss at 7:00.

At 9:00, Draw the Line, the only “Officially endorsed Aerosmith Tribute Show” takes the stage. You don’t want to miss this band. Aerosmith’s lead singer, Steven Tyler, singled out Draw the Line as the Best of the Aerosmith tribute bands. They’re the only tribute band that has been featured on Aerosmith’s website.

Day 4- Saturday 7/4 - 4th&nbsp;of July!

A bright and early start for the Freedom Run at 7:30, followed by our Freedom Parade down 6th street, from Eisenhower to Adams at 10:00.

We have our Veterans Ceremony, carnival, and car show beginning at 12:00, followed by The Tiger Encounter, The Electrifying Magic of Jay Matiolli, and a foam zone.

Saturday night, you’re in for some great, high energy Southern, Bluesy Rock entertainment — starting with the Sunset Sinners at 5:00.
At 6:30, we’re excited to have Anthony Gomes rockin’ our stage. He’s shared a stage with musical greats like B. B. King, Buddy Guy, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Sammy Hagar, and Heart. If you haven’t heard of him, check him out. He guarantees you won't forget him!
At 8:30, come on down to the front of the stage to dance to the tunes of Michael Jackson and Bruno Mars with JAM, Jackson and Mars, A Michael Jackson and Bruno Mars Tribute Band. We’re going to “Rock With You” and create some “24K Magic”!

We end the night with our Fireworks Extravaganza at 10:00, with some extra BANGS and BOOMS added to the finale to celebrate America’s 250" birthday.

Sunday is still coming together. We’ll let you know as soon as we do!

*To check out the full detailed event schedule and all other Freedom Fest news, <a href="https://freedomfestjc.com/schedule/">visit their website here.&nbsp;</a>&nbsp;Their Facebook Page is Freedom Fest JC.

Freedom Fest 2026 Schedule is Officially Announced

Manhattan High School was the site of the rivalry between Junction City and Manhattan on Friday night. Both games featured a very close first half, then a near 20-point victory in each game, as the teams split the doubleheader in the final matchups of this season.

Girls recap - Manhattan 66, Junction City 46

This is the closest this game has been in a long time. Even a 20-point win by the Manhattan Lady Indians does not describe how good of a game this was for the first couple of quarters.

In the first quarter, Manhattan jumped out to a lead, as senior Kat Ball scored the first six points for Manhattan. The Lady Indians led by five after one, at 14-9. Junction City stayed in the game thanks to back-to-back threes by sophomore Isabel Pruitt.

In second-quarter action, Manhattan expanded its lead to 12, leading 24-12 with four minutes to go in the half. Then, back-to-back three-pointers by sophomore Taliyah Campbell cut the deficit to six, with MHS leading 24-18. That was the closest it would be the rest of the half. The Lady Indians ended the first half on a 13-0 run and led 37-18.

In the second half, Manhattan stretched its lead to 25 a couple of times, but the Lady Jays cut it to 17 twice. Manhattan led 53-30 after three quarters and won the game 66-46.

Each team had two players score in double digits. For Manhattan, Kat Ball scored 21 points, and Jorryn Hall added 10. For Junction City, Laniyah Warmack scored 14 points, and Isabel Pruitt added 12.

Manhattan improves to 16-5 on the year, while Junction City falls to 2-18.

Boys recap - Junction City 73, Manhattan 54

Manhattan senior Will Carpenter scored the first basket of the game, and then Junction City's Brody Boeckman answered with his own basket, and the game was off and running in a packed Manhattan High School gym. That early lead was the only lead Manhattan held all night. This game was all about Junction City's Brody Boeckman and Lovell Autry. Boeckman scored 11 points in the first quarter, and JCHS led 19-12 after one.

In the second quarter, Junction City continued its fast start, scoring at will. Boeckman added six more points, and senior Lovell Autry began heating up. The Blue Jays led 29-17 with two minutes to go in the half. Manhattan head coach Benji George called a timeout, and it worked. The Indians ended the quarter on a 10-0 run and trailed by only two, at 29-27.

Third-quarter action featured the teams trading baskets early in the period. Then Autry got going for Junction City, and the Blue Jays extended their lead back to nine, at 40-31. Manhattan responded with a small run and then capped the period off with quite the highlight. Senior Will Carpenter sent a three-quarter-court heave flying and nailed it (the shot was from the opposite free-throw line). Manhattan had the momentum, now down just four, with Junction City leading 48-44.

Despite the incredible shot by Carpenter, it was Junction City that blasted out of the timeout and took control. Junction City started the quarter on a 13-6 run. It was back-to-back three-point plays by junior Khaliel Walker and Autry to give JC the lead at 61-50. On Autry's basket, he officially passed the 1,000-point mark for his four-year career at Junction City High School. From that point forward, Junction City cruised to victory, and the Blue Jays won 73-54.

Two Blue Jay players outscored Manhattan as a team. Brody Boeckman scored a career-high 31 points, and Lovell Autry added 25 points. The two combined for 56 points.

The leading scorers for Manhattan were Will Carpenter with 15 and Sawyer Newton with 11 points.

Junction City improves to 11-9 on the year, while Manhattan falls to 13-7.

Manhattan High travels to Emporia High on Tuesday, while Junction City returns home to host Topeka Hayden.

Rivals Split - Manhattan Girls, Junction City Boys Win Big on Friday

LISTEN LIVE: Junction City basketball at Manhattan High School.

You can hear the games live on 107.9 FM / 1420 AM KJCK Radio. You can also <a href="https://streamdb9web.securenetsystems.net/cirrusencore/KJCKAM">click here to listen live.&nbsp;</a>

Girls action: Tip-off set for 6:00 P.M. Manhattan (15-5), Junction City (2-16).

Boys action: Tip-off scheduled for 7:45 P.M. following Manhattan High School's senior night. Manhattan (13-6), Junction City (10-9).

🏀LISTEN LIVE: Junction City Blue Jays at Manhattan High Indians

&nbsp; The Manhattan City Commission has voted 5–0 to approve a Resolution of Intent supporting the Kansas State University Foundation as they advance proposed improvements, amenities, and continued development of the EDGE District along the Kimball Avenue corridor.

The KSU Foundation has identified&nbsp;proposed improvements to the&nbsp;Bilbrey Family Event Center and K‑State Indoor Track facility to allow for more visitors and events,&nbsp; along with Champions Gate - a vibrant, year‑round, multi‑use development—with residential, hospitality, dining, entertainment, and green space—planned on a 15.71‑acre parcel located within the EDGE District across from the west parking lot of the K-State from football stadium.

To help advance these proposed improvements, the KSU Foundation is exploring several economic development tools available in the State of Kansas&nbsp;that can help finance eligible costs using new (“incremental”) revenue generated by the project area over time, rather than requesting City funding. The City Commission’s resolution specifically acknowledges that the KSU Foundation&nbsp;&nbsp;may explore a combination of STAR Bonds, Tax Increment Financing&nbsp;(TIF), a Community Improvement Districts (CID), and sales tax exemption on construction materials.

Commission approves intent of support for K-State Edge District growth

On February 19, 2026, at approximately 1358 hours, the Junction City Fire Department responded to reports of a structure fire at The Bluffs apartment complex, located at 1810 Caroline Avenue, Building O.

Upon arrival, crews observed heavy smoke and visible flames coming from second- and third-floor balconies on the front (east) side of the building. Fire had extended into the roof structure on the east side of the complex.

Due to the size and complexity of the incident, mutual aid was requested from Fort Riley Fire for a ladder truck, and Geary County Fire Dept. responded with an additional engine for support. Firefighters initiated an aggressive interior fire attack while additional crews conducted a primary search of the structure and assisted residents with evacuation. Because of the large apartment complex, Junction City Police Department personnel also assisted with precautionary evacuations on the non-fire side of the building.

The fire was brought under control at approximately 2:56 P.M.

Building O consists of 34 apartment units. A total of 17 units were affected by the fire, with 7 units determined to be a total loss. Twenty-four occupants were displaced as a result of the incident. EMS personnel evaluated individuals on scene, and no serious injuries were reported.

The cause of the fire is currently undetermined. The investigation is being conducted by the Junction City Fire Department with assistance from the Kansas State Fire Marshal’s Office.

Initial damage estimates are approximately $700,000 in fire and smoke damage. The estimated total value of Building O is approximately $3.4 million.

The American Red Cross and Fort Riley military personnel assisted displaced residents with temporar

Firefighters responded to a blaze at 1810 Caroline Ave. Building "O" in Junction City Thursday afternoon. There were not any injuries. Residents of 17 apartments were displaced.

The cause of the blaze is still undetermined. Fire Chief Jason Lankas reported that about one-quarter of the building was destroyed. A damage estimate has not yet been determined.

Investigators from the State Fire Marshall's Office and Junction City Fire Department were brought in to work on the case.

junction City and Geary County firefighters responded along with a ladder truck from Fort Riley.

The military and Red Cross responded to the scene to help those who were displaced. Most of those people were members of the military and everyone has been taken care of.&nbsp; The fire call came in at 2:04 p.m.

This is the fourth building fire at the Bluffs since the complex opened many years ago.

Damage estimate from a Bluffs Apartment building fire totals approximately $700,000

WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY WILL BE IN EFFECT FROM 6 PM FRIDAY EVENING TO 6 AM CST SATURDAY...

* WHAT...Snow expected. Total snow accumulations up to two inches.

* WHERE...Cloud, Ottawa, Clay, Dickinson, Riley and Geary Counties.

* WHEN...From 6 PM this evening to 6 AM CST Saturday.

* IMPACTS...Plan on slippery and quickly changing road conditions.

Winter Weather Advisory issued for Friday night

On Thursday at approximately 7:39 p.m., officers with the Grandview Plaza Police Department initiated a vehicle pursuit near Cracker Barrel in Junction City. Officers from the Junction City Police Department and the Geary County Sheriff’s Office assisted by deploying tire deflation devices in an attempt to stop the fleeing vehicle. 

At approximately 7:54 p.m., the driver abandoned the vehicle near Rucker Road and Fort Avenue and fled on foot into a tree line south of Rucker Road. When officers attempted to deploy a Taser, the individual produced a handgun and shot himself. Officers immediately began providing medical aid and requested Junction City Fire/EMS. 

The individual was pronounced deceased at the scene. Detectives and Crime Scene personnel from the Junction City/Geary County Major Case Unit responded and are conducting a joint investigation into this incident. No officers or bystanders were injured. No officers discharged their firearms during this incident. 

Anyone with additional information is encouraged to contact the Junction City Police Department at (785) 762-5912 or submit an anonymous tip through Crime Stoppers at (785) 762-8477.&nbsp;

Grandview Plaza, JCPD and Geary County involved in Vehicle Pursuit

RILEY COUNTY—A Kansas felon is back in jail on new allegations.

Just before 5p.m. Thursday, police arrested 34-year-old Jeremy Richmond of Topeka on a Riley County District Court warrant for failure to appear, according to the Riley County Police Department activity report.

 This arrest stems from original charges of flee and elude, contributing to child misconduct, aggravated endangerment of child and interference with a law enforcement officer. Richmond remains jailed on a $20,000 bond.

Richardson has a previous conviction for "Intro Contraband; non firearm, ammo, explosive, controlled substance by non employee," according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.

Kan. felon back in Riley County jail on new allegations

The following is a summary of arrests, citations by the Riley County Police Department. Those arrested are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Riley County Arrest Report February 20

K-State Credit Union announced that on February 16, they presented a check for $6156 to Wonder Workshop Children’s Museum. These funds were raised during kstate CREDIT UNION’s annual employee jeans donation charity program. The program allows Credit Union employees to wear jeans at work throughout the year, in exchange for a $5 charitable donation per day. They can choose to donate in a lump sum or have the money payroll deducted. Employees select a local organization to receive the proceeds from this year-long program.

LaRae Kraemer, President/CEO for kstate CREDIT UNION said, “Giving back is part of who we are. We’re grateful for the opportunity to support Wonder Workshop and their important mission.&nbsp;

Wonder Workshop is a non-profit children’s museum that opened its doors here in Manhattan in 1994. It provides a learning space designed to inspire curiosity, creativity, and lifelong learning through play and hands-on exploration.

kstate CREDIT UNION donates $6156 to Wonder Workshop Children’s Museum

USD 383 has announced that Shadwin Spilski has been named Manhattan High School Athletic Director and Assistant Principal.

Spilski currently serves as the district Athletic Director and Director of Innovation for Lapeer Community Schools in Lapeer, Michigan. He has served in that position since 2014. Prior to that, he was the Athletic/Activities Director for four years at Buffalo High School in Buffalo, Wyoming. He started his teaching career as a social studies teacher at Whiting High School in Laramie, Wyoming in 2004. He has a Bachelor of Arts &amp; Sciences in Secondary Education from the University of Wyoming and a Masters in Education Administration from Chadron State University (NE).

“I am incredibly humbled and honored to be leading the traditions and excellency of Manhattan High School as the next Athletic Director and Assistant Principal,” states Spilski. “I am looking forward to working with our coaches, staff, boosters, community, and most importantly our student-athletes. Manhattan High School is a special place and I cannot wait to get started!”

“We are thrilled to welcome Mr. Spilski to the Manhattan High School family,” states Michael Dorst, Manhattan High School Principal. “In speaking with coaches and administrators from his current school and district, it is clear that he has made a tremendous impact and he will be greatly missed and not easily replaced. We are fortunate to have him joining our team, and I look forward to working with Mr. Spilski as we continue the proud tradition of excellence that defines our great school.”

The USD 383 Board of Education acted on the appointment during the February 18 meeting. He will begin his role in July, 2026. He replaces Mike Marsh who is retiring in June, 2026.

Spilski Named Manhattan High School Athletic Director and Assistant Principal

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>

Complex legislation two years in the making addresses market dominance of PBMs

TOPEKA — A bipartisan majority in the Kansas Senate passed a complex bill increasing state oversight of prescription drug middlemen companies accused of manipulating lax regulations to promote anti-competitive practices, monopolize the market for maximum profit, undermine local pharmacies and raise costs for consumers.

Thirty-five states have taken legislative steps to intensify regulation of pharmacy benefit managers that were created to work with drug manufacturers to lower costs for health insurance plans, pharmacies and customers. Advocates of reform asserted PBMs — CVS Caremark, Express Scripts and OptumRx control 80% of the U.S. market — stepped away from this fiduciary role and took command of the prescription drug market by negotiating mostly on their own behalf.

Under&nbsp;<a href="https://kslegislature.gov/li/b2025_26/measures/documents/supp_note_sb360_02_0000.pdf" target="_blank">Senate Bill 360</a>, which advocates spent two years writing, the state insurance commissioner would have more tools to regulate PBMs in Kansas.

The bill would require transparency from PBMs in terms of pharmacy reimbursement and drug pricing. It would deal with PBMs giving their own retailers better deals by requiring all Kansas pharmacies to be reimbursed at or above the National Average Drug Acquisition Cost. A pharmacy dispensing fee would be implemented to better cover costs incurred by local or independent pharmacies, especially in rural communities.

Sen. Brenda Dietrich, a Topeka Republican who carried the bill on the Senate floor, said the time had come for Kansas to answer persistent complaints about pharmacy benefit companies operating in Kansas.

“I feel like this is a bit of a David versus Goliath situation with hometown pharmacies versus billion-dollar PBMs,” Dietrich said. “We’ve just got to stop feeding the beast. The imbalance of power and wealth is inherently unfair and frightening. SB 360 is about saving local pharmacies, fairness and transparency.”

Dietrich highlighted the harm of “spread pricing” in which PBMs charged health plans or insurers more for prescription drugs than PBMs paid a dispensing pharmacy. The PBMs simply retained the difference as profit, she said. The senator referred to spread pricing as “a big black box used by the PBMs to siphon millions from plans and patients with no actual benefit to the plan or patients.”

The bill addressed another state regulatory failing — PBMs have gotten away with auditing pharmacies but refused to allow auditing of their operations, Dietrich said.

“The PBMs are watching out for their exorbitant profit margins,” she said. “They are overcharging our health plans with hidden fees and costs through price spreading, keeping rebates and not reimbursing your local hometown pharmacies as much as they reimburse their own brick-and-mortar pharmacies or their mail-order pharmacies.”

Dietrich said Kansas was so far behind the PBM reform movement that even the federal government approved changes to the industry that would take effect in 2028 and 2029.

Senate Minority Leader Dinah Sykes, D-Lenexa, said she welcomed the state Senate legislation because&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2026/02/10/kansas-pharmacists-fight-for-better-oversight-of-pharmacy-middleman-companies/">Kansas pharmacies are struggling</a>&nbsp;to keep their doors open and patients are unable to afford high prices for medications.

“Gigantic insurance monopolies are controlling every aspect of our health care system and they’re using their power to increase costs and eliminate competition,” she said.

The Senate bill was backed by pharmacies in Hoisington, Wichita, Downs, El Dorado, Galena, Winfield, Hesston, Hillsboro, Humboldt, Lawrence, Junction City, Coldwater, Mankato, Holton, Basehor, Phillipsburg, Mulvane, Oakley, Scott City and Baxter Springs. It was endorsed by Hy-Vee, Walgreens, the Independent Pharmacy Association of Kansas, the Kansas Hospital Association as well as individual pharmacists, pharmacy students and consumers.

The bill was derided by PBMs, including Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas, as well as the Kansas Bankers Association and the Kansas Chamber because it could drive up the cost of health insurance.

“I fear this bill doesn’t consider the full potential cost shifting that will happen,” said Sen. Mike Thompson, R-Shawnee.

He echoed the message of BCBS of Kansas lobbyist Sarah Fertig, who said the bill incorrectly assumed business issues confronting Kansas pharmacies were the fault of PBMs. She said the bill would increase drug prices for Kansas consumers, but that assertion was criticized by the bill’s proponents.

“The reality is that making Kansans pay more for prescription drugs will not guarantee that all independent pharmacies can stay afloat,” she said. “Consumer choice, population shifts and other players in the drug distribution chain are more impactful to a pharmacy’s success.”

The legislation was approved Wednesday&nbsp;<a href="https://kslegislature.gov/li/b2025_26/measures/vote_view/je_20260218181550_042722/" target="_blank">on a vote of 32-8</a>&nbsp;and sent to the Kansas House. The Senate rejected amendments beneficial to PBMs. The measure included an amendment from Sen. Kellie Warren, R-Leawood, to forbid sharing protected, personal health information with the state insurance commissioner.

Sen. Beverly Gossage, the Eudora Republican, said PBM reform was the responsibility of Congress rather than state legislatures. She offered an amendment to remove a requirement that pharmacies receive a $10.50 prescription processing fee. Currently, local pharmacies were paid a fraction of the actual cost of handling prescriptions through PBMs.

Dietrich, the Topeka Republican, said about 20 states had a comparable fee to balance those business transactions.

Gossage’s amendment was blocked by the bipartisan majority, but the concept was supported by Sen. Jeff Klemp, R-Lansing, and Sen. TJ Rose, R-Olathe. It was Rose who said he supported the idea of deleting the “pill tax” fee, while Klemp said the Legislature needed to err on the side of fiscal responsibility when regulating PBMs.

“The government has no role in ensuring one private industry profits over another,” Klemp said. “The key to this is no other Kansas statute requires a business to pay another a fixed fee. We’re moving into uncharted waters.”

Klemp and others seeking to weaken the PBM bill found themselves facing a tidal wave of opposition from their Republican and Democratic brethren.

“Personally, my own pharmacy was closed because of PBMs and I’m sick of it,” said Sen. Bill Clifford, a Garden City Republican with 138 small pharmacies in his Senate district.

GOP Sen. Michael Murphy of Sylvia said he considered attempts to diminish the bill nothing more than a “PBM enrichment amendment.”

“It’s time to stop out-of-state middlemen companies and corporations from starving our pharmacists, especially our Main Street pharmacists,” said Sen. Caryn Tyson, R-Parker.

Sen. Stephen Owens, R-Hesston, said the Senate bill should be placed in law despite the instinct to avoid government intrusion into the economy. He said PBMs operating in Kansas were “playing favorites” and placed local pharmacies at a heavy disadvantage.

“When the free market is no longer free, we as a government have got to step in,” Owens said.

He said Gossage was wrong to expect the federal government to promptly address the long list of shortcomings in the PBM-dominated drug market.

“If we’ve learned anything, it is we cannot have faith in our federal government to do what needs to be done when it needs to be done,” Owens said.

Sen. Scott Hill, R-Abilene, piled on. He said the rise of PBMs was destroying local pharmacies that were more to communities than places to pick up a prescription. He said anyone embracing the PBM model was naive.

“This is about price fixing,” he said. “This is about charging me, for my cancer drugs, $14,000 for a drug that costs $750. This is about gouging and increasing prices.”

He said more than 250 years ago colonists in America objected to a British company’s monopoly on tea.

“Pharmaceuticals have become the tea of our generation,” Hill said. “We have much to do on pharmacy reform as well as health care reform in general. This bill is a start, not an end.”

The bill was expected to receive a committee hearing in the House, but passage could be complicated given House Speaker Dan Hawkins of Wichita is a GOP candidate for state insurance commissioner.

Sen. Tim Shallenburger, a Baxter Springs Republican who worked for two years on drafting the bill, said the Legislature needed to push back against PBMs, including the PBM operated by BCBS of Kansas.

“This a terrible system we have,” Shallenburger said. “It’s not just transparency. We’re looking for equity. There is no reason a PBM should direct my benefit to an out-of-state pharmacy, pay them more money than they’re paying the Walker Pharmacy at home. It’s just not fair.”

He praised Senate President Ty Masterson and Senate Majority Leader Chase Blasi, both Republicans, for allowing the bill to come to the Senate floor for debate. Masterson and Blasi were among the eight GOP senators voting against the measure.

“Many times in this building good ideas don’t have a chance of a hearing. If they do have a hearing, they don’t have a vote,” Shallenburger said. “I hope the body across the rotunda takes the opportunity to have a hearing and a vote on this bill.”

Kansas Senate plunges ahead with bipartisan bill targeting prescription drug middlemen

By&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/author/michelle-l-price">MICHELLE L. PRICE</a>

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Saturday that he was raising the global tariff he wants to impose to 15%, up from 10% he had announced a day earlier.

Trump said in a social media post that he was making the decision “Based on a thorough, detailed, and complete review of the ridiculous, poorly written, and extraordinarily anti-American decision on Tariffs issued yesterday,” by the U.S. Supreme Court.

After the court ruled he didn’t have the emergency power to impost many sweeping tariffs, Trump signed an executive order on Friday night that enabled him to bypass Congress and impose a 10% tax on imports from around the world. The catch is that those tariffs would be limited to just 150 days, unless they are extended legislatively.

Trump’s post significantly ratcheting up a global tax on imports to the U.S. yet again was the latest sign that despite the court’s check, the Republican president was intent on continuing to wield in an unpredictable manner his favorite tool to for the economy and to apply global pressure. Trump’s shifting announcements over the last year that he was raising and sometimes lowering tariffs with little notice jolted markets and rattled nations.

Under the order Trump signed Friday night, the 10% tariff was scheduled to take effect starting Feb. 24. The White House did not immediately respond to a message inquiring when the president would sign an updated order.

In addition to the temporary tariffs that Trump wants to set at 15%, the president said Friday that he was also pursuing tariffs through other sections of federal law which require an investigation by the Commerce Department.

President Trump to impose 15% tariff, up from 10% he announced after Supreme Court decision

Authorities trying to solve the disappearance of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/savannah-guthrie">Nancy Guthrie</a>&nbsp;say they might tap DNA genealogy databases, the same step that police took to unravel a decades-old series of murders in California and the fatal stabbings of four college students in Idaho.

The strategy could be fruitful: If unidentified DNA evidence can be connected to someone — even a distant relative — in a common genealogy database, it would give investigators more information and possibly lead to a suspect in Guthrie’s kidnapping in Arizona.

“It’s a fantastic tool,” said Ruth Ballard, a geneticist in California who specializes in DNA and has testified in hundreds of court cases. “If it’s a good quality sample and they’re able to get a profile, they could find a hit on that fairly quickly.”

The sheriff's department in Pima County, Arizona, said&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nancy-guthrie-missing-savannah-guthrie-aadbb20a613491c10373f55ba33d1831">DNA collected so far</a>&nbsp;in the investigation has not turned up any matches in a national criminal justice database known as CODIS, which has DNA profiles from convicted criminals and, in some states, people arrested for certain crimes.

“Investigators are currently looking into additional investigative genetic genealogy options for DNA evidence to check for matches. CODIS is one option of many databases that are available,” the sheriff's department said Tuesday.

The department said Wednesday that biological evidence from Guthrie's Tucson-area home was being examined and that DNA profiles were at a lab for analysis.

Guthrie, the mother of NBC “Today” co-anchor Savannah Guthrie, has been missing from her home since Feb. 1. The FBI said gloves found about 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) away appeared to match those worn by a masked suspect who was recorded on a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nancy-guthrie-nest-camera-footage-kidnapper-bd5f1d886543e23f2d105535031c9445">porch camera</a>.

Genealogy sites Ancestry, 23andMe and MyHeritage say they can be asked to comply with court orders seeking information. Another site, GEDmatch, said its policy is to ask users if they want to opt in to allow police to look at their data. The Associated Press e-mailed the companies, asking if they have a role in the Guthrie investigation.

GEDmatch has been credited with helping solve the case of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ap-top-news-ca-state-wire-us-news-08a241b485d1d7be03f62293e2da3277">so-called Golden State Killer</a>. Police used DNA from crime scenes to find a distant relative and build a family tree that led to Joseph DeAngelo Jr. In 2020, he pleaded guilty to 13 killings and dozens of rapes in California in the 1970s and '80s. He is serving life in prison without possibility of parole.

Barbara Rae-Venter, an expert genealogist who worked on the DeAngelo case, said patience often is needed in high-tech sleuthing.

“I’ve solved cases in less than eight hours where people shared a lot of DNA with the suspect. Other cases, you’re still working on them two years later. This could take awhile,” Rae-Venter told CNN, referring to the Guthrie effort.

In Idaho, DNA from a knife sheath helped point to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/video/bryan-kohberger-sentenced-to-life-in-prison-without-parole-for-murdering-4-idaho-students-a5e895b16155474ea89d258bf450a84d">Bryan Kohberger</a>&nbsp;in the killings of four University of Idaho students in 2022. Investigators used genealogy sites to build a family tree and pulled trash from the Pennsylvania home of Kohberger's parents to make a connection. Kohberger pleaded guilty and was sentenced to life in prison.

Ballard said the source and quality of the DNA evidence held by police can be factors when trying to find matches on genealogy sites.

“It does require a much better sample than CODIS searching does,” she said.

“There are a lot of unknowns when you go into these databases,” Ballard said. “The databases are not equal in terms of ethnic distribution. It’s comparatively easier to find a Caucasian because more have uploaded their data and there are more family trees to mine.”

Police in Nancy Guthrie mystery might tap DNA genealogy databases

Officers with the Hutchinson Police Department responded to a reported shooting near 4th Avenue and Whiteside Street shortly after 8:15 p.m. Friday.

Dayton Gates confirmed officers were dispatched to a shooting call in the area. When officers arrived at the K-Go convenience store, they located a female victim suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.

The victim was transported to Hutchinson Regional Medical Center. Her condition has not been released.

Police: Kan. woman wounded in shooting at convenience store

WASHINGTON —The Supreme Court struck down President Donald Trump’s far-reaching global tariffs in a 6-3 decision on Friday.

On social media, Kansas Junior U.S. Senator Roger Marshall wrote, "President Trump’s tariffs secured 10 trade deals, brought supply chains back to America, and strengthened our national security. This decision is disappointing — but it won’t stop him from using every tool available to fight for American workers, rebuild U.S. manufacturing, and put America First."

During a press conference Friday afternoon, President Trump said he will impose a global 10% tariff as an alternative while pressing his trade policies by other means.&nbsp;

Kan. lawmakers react to court ruling on President Trump's tariffs

On Friday at the direction of U.S. Southern Command&nbsp; Gen. Francis L. Donovan, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations, according to an online report from the U.S. Southern Command.

Intelligence confirmed the vessel was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations. Three male narco-terrorists were killed during this action. No U.S. military forces were harmed.

🎥 3 more killed after new U.S. strike on a drug boat

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City man was charged with child pornography offenses in a now-unsealed federal complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Missouri, according to the United State's Attorney.

Luis Leony Valentin, 34, was charged by federal criminal complaint with production of child pornography, receipt of child pornography over the internet, and possession of child pornography. Following his arrest Valentin had his first appearance in court.

An affidavit filed with the complaint alleges that Valentin communicated over the internet with a 14-year-old to obtain depictions of the minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct. Valentin possessed numerous videos of child pornography of minor females.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Maureen A. Brackett. It was investigated by the Kansas City Missouri Police Department and the FBI.

Sex crimes: KC man communicated online with 14-year-old

By&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/author/matt-brown">MATT BROWN</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/author/lisa-mascaro">LISA MASCARO</a>

WASHINGTON (AP) — The late Rev. Jesse Jackson will not lie in honor in the United States Capitol Rotunda after a request for the commemoration was denied by the House Speaker Mike Johnson’s office due to past precedent.

Johnson’s office said it received a request from the family to have Jackson’s remains lie in honor at the Capitol, but the request was denied, because of the precedent that the space is typically reserved for former presidents, the military and select officials.

The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jesse-jackson-dies-43abb84d2ffc76d967f9a5596ebd0be1">civil rights leader died this week</a>&nbsp;at the age of 84. The family and some House Democrats had filed a request for Jackson to be honored at the U.S. Capitol.

Amid the country’s political divisions, there have been flare ups over who is memorialized at the Capitol with a service to lie in state, or honor, in the Rotunda. During such events, the public is generally allowed to visit the Capitol and pay their respects.

Recent requests had similarly been made, and denied, to honor Charlie Kirk, the slain conservative activist, and former Vice President Dick Cheney.

There is no specific rule about who qualifies for the honor, a decision that is controlled by concurrence from both the House and Senate.

The Jackson family&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jesse-jackson-memorial-funeral-south-carolina-washington-dc690a5153483549898d1dfc548015bb">has announced scheduled dates</a>&nbsp;for memorial services beginning next week that will honor the late reverend’s life in Chicago, Washington, D.C. and South Carolina. In a statement, the Jackson family said it had heard from leaders in both South Carolina, Jackson’s native state, and Washington offering for Jackson to be celebrated in both locations. Talks are ongoing with lawmakers about where those proceedings will take place. His final memorial services will be held in Chicago on March 6 and 7.

Typically, the Capitol and its Rotunda have been reserved for the “most eminent citizens,” according to the Architect of the Capitol’s website. It said government and military officials lay in state, while private citizens in honor.

In 2020, Congressman John Lewis, another veteran of the Civil Rights movement, was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/virus-outbreak-ap-top-news-race-and-ethnicity-michael-pence-dc-wire-49f76cd3296678f9c5645250b6b8b13b">the first Black lawmaker to lie in state in the Capitol Rotunda</a>&nbsp;after a ceremony honoring his legacy was held outside on the Capitol steps due to pandemic restrictions at the time.

Later that year, then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi allowed services for Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg at the Capitol’s Statuary Hall after agreement could not be reached for services in the Capitol’s Rotunda.

It is rare for private citizens to be honored at the Capitol, but there is precedent – most notably Civil Rights icon Rosa Parks, in 2005, and the Reverend Billy Graham, in 2018.

A passionate civil rights leader and globally-minded humanitarian, Jackson’s fiery speeches and dual 1984 and 1988 presidential campaigns&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jesse-jackson-dead-8ed88b7da0b911ed842f3c219cee77e8">transformed American politics for generations</a>. Jackson’s organization, the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, became a hub for progressive organizers across the country.

His unapologetic calls for a progressive economic agenda and more inclusive policies for all racial groups, religions, genders and orientations&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jesse-jackson-legacy-politics-race-ethnicity-7c88b376fbfc94697f2b57797edb24bf">laid the groundwork for the progressive movement</a>&nbsp;within the Democratic Party.

Jackson also garnered a global reputation as a champion for human rights. He conducted the release of American hostages on multiple continents and argued for greater connections between civil rights movements around the world, most notably as a fierce critic of the policies of Apartheid South Africa.

Why the late Jesse Jackson will not lie in honor in the U.S. Capitol 

SHAWNEE COUNTY —Topeka Police are asking the public for help in locating Nassir Tiriq Gill, 20, of Topeka, in reference to homicide investigation.

Just before 1a.m. November 22, 2025,&nbsp; police responded to several reports of gunshots around SE 37th Street and SE Adams Street in Topeka. While officers were investigating that area, they received information on a subject arriving at a local hospital by private vehicle with apparent gunshot wounds. The victim later identified as 16-year-old&nbsp;Kingston Scott of Topeka was pronounced deceased.

As a result of the investigation police have arrested two 16-year-old boys from Topeka on&nbsp;&nbsp;charges including murder, Criminal discharge of firearm; Occupied vehicle with great bodily harm and Aggravated Assault; Use of a deadly weapon

&nbsp;Gill is being sought for the following charges Murder in the 1st degree, Criminal discharge of a firearm; at occupied vehicle with great bodily harm, Criminal discharge of a firearm; recklessly at occupied dwelling and Criminal damage to property.

Anyone with information regarding this investigation is encouraged to email telltpd@topeka.org or contact the Topeka Police Criminal Investigation Bureau at 785-368-9400. Anonymous tips can be made by calling Shawnee County Crime Stoppers at 785-234-0007. You can also make anonymous tips online at www.p3tips.com/128.

Police: Kansas man wanted for murder of 16-year-old boy

NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street kept calm Friday after the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-tariffs-trump-0485fcda30a7310501123e4931dba3f9">Supreme Court struck down President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs</a>, which had&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/stocks-markets-rates-tariffs-52dbb020a4c41122e31669c2da236d67">triggered panic in financial markets</a>&nbsp;when announced last year, and stocks ticked higher.

The S&amp;P 500 rose 0.7%. It had been flipping between small gains and losses before the court’s ruling, following discouraging reports showing&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/gdp-economy-consumer-shutdown-immigration-0e5caca783b93eaf2231496e3e0f54f3">slowing growth for the U.S. economy</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/consumers-inflation-economy-4cf2b9b627cc3ad1bbf6c31f77d27a02">faster inflation</a>.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 230 points, or 0.5%, and the Nasdaq composite rose 0.9%.

Many on Wall Street were likely expecting such a ruling from the Supreme Court, according to Brian Jacobsen, chief economic strategist at Annex Wealth Management. That likely led to the relatively muted reactions across financial markets, and trading remained tentative as investors tried to suss out the long-term effects.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-tariffs-supreme-court-ieepa-a3e43fe91fa8335eac383921bed55f7e">Tariffs also aren’t going away</a>, even with the Supreme Court’s ruling. Trump in the afternoon said he would use other avenues to put taxes on imports from other countries after calling the court’s decision terrible.

“Just so you understand, we have tariffs, we just have them in a different way,” Trump told reporters in an afternoon briefing. He said he would sign an executive order to impose a 10% global tariff under a law that could limit it to 150 days. The president also said he’s exploring other tariffs through other avenues, ones that would require an investigation through the Commerce Department.

“During that period of about five months, we are doing the various investigations necessary to put fair tariffs – or tariffs, period – on other countries,” Trump said.

Earlier in his comments, Trump said that the Supreme Court’s ruling had other countries “dancing in the streets, but they won’t be dancing for long.”

Among the tentative moves across markets, Treasury yields edged a bit higher in the bond market.

If investors thought the tariff ruling would improve inflation significantly, it could have sent yields lower. On the other hand, if investors were worried about the U.S. government’s debt rising faster in the future because of the loss of revenue from tariffs, long-term yields could have jumped. For now, at least, yields broadly held relatively steady.

The stock price of Ralph Lauren, meanwhile, rushed from an early loss to a gain of 3.3% after investors learned of the Supreme Court’s ruling. But it quickly flipped back to a loss before finishing with a rise of 2.2%. During April last year, the stock had dropped nearly 23% in four days after Trump announced his tariffs because of worries about how they would hurt its profits.

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